Delicious Balance
Hello everyone! I guess this is officially my first RMT. For the past few generations I've been fairly negligent when it comes to competitive Pokemon, so coming back (especially this generation) has been a lot like learning to walk again. Unfortunately I'm really not particularly good, but am hoping to possibly remedy that a bit by getting some input on this team. To put it simply, this is a fairly balanced team with a wallbreaking U-Turn core that aims to help Houndoom sweep near the end-game.
After doing some recon of how the current UU metagame was shaping up (and failing miserably with pretty bad teams) these two Pokemon always seemed to outlast the other team in just about every aspect of battling. Well, of course, unless the opponent had Florges and a Knock Off fighter collectively. Mega Blastoise also seemed to be an issue, but was significantly more manageable. This is where my U-Turn core came into play.
These two are not only there to help relieve my defensive core from Fairies and Fighting types, but is also there to help break walls. Crobat can walk around Florges for days while Flygon enjoys leading her into Crobat's beefy Brave Birds. On the upside, Crobat enjoys baiting electric type attacks into Flygon who can scare them off and take opponents off guard with a mixed wallbreaker set.
And finally, the offensively oriented portion of the team. Heracross is a fantastic revenge killer and helps bait fire and psychic attacks for Houndoom to eat. He also works very well with my U-Turn team, as both Crobat and Flygon can respectively come into popular attacks from Fire and Fairy pokemon that Heracross fears. Houndoom is the end game that the U-Turn core and Heracross work towards. He can also be an effective wallbreaker in a pinch assuming there are no hazards up.
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The Team
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Elemento (Umbreon) @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SDef
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Wish
- Protect
- Heal Bell
- Foul Play
Perhaps the most straightforward of the bunch, Umbreon is the special wall and team cleric. This particular team absolutely hates status, so keeping Umbreon healthy is one of the highest priorities. Umbreon's biggest flaw in this team is his general weakness to Fairy and Fighting types, which is remedied nicely by part of my U-Turn core, Crobat, who generally switches into the respective types with impunity. Perhaps the hardest working pokemon on the team, he is generally very reliant Crobat to stay alive if the opponent has both Fighting and Fairy types on the opposing team. Nothing fancy here, when Umbreon gets the chance to wall something he'll get clear and heal the team to keep the U-Turn core healthy. He's also very good at baiting offensive fire types like Victini and Darmanitan directly into Houndoom's Flash Fire.
Janemba (Slowbro) @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SAtk
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Scald
- Psyshock
- Slack Off
The other half of the defensive core. Currently I'm struggling to choose between either Leftovers or Assault Vest, as that added special bulk really helps the team in specific situations. Psyshock is chosen over Ice Beam to deal heavy damage to fighting Knock Off users that may want to switch into Slowbro, as well as deal at somewhat decent damage to Florges. My U-Turn core also likes supplementing Slowbro's weaknesses, as Flygon can jump right into electric attacks while Crobat strikes fear into the hearts of fighting types. The biggest downside to Slowbro, like Umbreon many times, is dealing with Mega Blastoise who run Dark Pulse and Aura Sphere together. While Crobat is bulky enough to take a hit or two, my team generally isn't fond of him.
Laggia (Flygon) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 76 Atk / 252 SAtk / 180 Spd
Rash Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Earthquake
- Defog
- U-turn
The wild card and first part of the U-Turn core. Flygon compliments Crobat nicely by helping him avoid pesky electric and rock type attacks. This particular Flygon runs a modified Mixed Support set to take physically defensive walls off guard with immensely powerful STAB Draco Meteors. In essence, Flygon is a great U-Turn partner that can break walls with Crobat hand in hand. What Draco Meteor doesn't OHKO, Flygon can simply switch out of with a quick U-Turn. Because of how many pokemon Flygon can switch into easily, as well as his resistance to entry hazards, Defog makes an excellent form of support to keep Crobat and Houndoom safe from Stealth Rocks. Earthquake is standard STAB that deals massive super effective damage but can also act as a finishing move for weakened walls, as well as hit pokemon that switch in thinking I have a scarfed or specs Flygon.
Dolkka (Crobat) @ Black Sludge
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 136 Spd / 192 Atk / 4 SDef / 176 HP
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Taunt
- Roost
- U-turn
Along with Umbreon, Crobat does a lot of work for the team in just about every game and is crucial to keep healthy. Crobat is the definition of a toolbelt for the team as he covers the biggest weaknesses of my defensive core. Brave Bird absolutely hurts mons that don't resist it. Taunt is monstrous against Florges and other walls that aren't as physically inclined. In tandem with Flygon, the U-Turn core can wear down walls very quickly with their powerful STAB moves and a little bit of prediction. Even if the U-Turn core fails, Crobat still compliments every pokemon on the team in some way and can help them do their job effectively. Unfortunately he suffers heavily against steel types, and if Slowbro or Heracross are down he can become rather unreliable against them.
Tofu (Toxicroak) @ Black Sludge
Ability: Dry Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 124 Spd / 132 HP
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Gunk Shot
- Sucker Punch
- Drain Punch
Destroyer of worlds part two. Toxcroak allows the team to properly deal insane amounts of damage while checking other fighting types, fairies, and most importantly bulky waters like Blastoise and Suicune. At the same time, he also provides revenge killing potential through the only priority the team has, Sucker Punch. Swords Dance is also a fantastic tool to potentially break through walls that aren't expecting an SD set. While Drain Punch is his only form of recovery, the surprising amount of pokemon he forces out and in generally keeps him quite healthy.
Kotu (Houndoom) @ Houndoominite
Ability: Flash Fire > Solar Power
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 HP
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Fire Blast
- Dark Pulse
- Flame Charge
The big boss of the team. While Houndoom can come in on many opportunities, I never mega evolve him unless the U-Turn core has sufficiently eliminated the proper Pokemon. Sometimes he can be brought in early in the game to soak up fire attacks and fire back boosted shots, but again, Flash Fire is such a valuable tool that it shouldn't be lost early in matches. Heracross and Umbreon love baiting fire scarfers / banders / psychics into Houndoom, Crobat can help soften up fairies for him to wallbreak, Flygon can come in on EQ's and helps clear the field of hazards, and Slowbro helps spread paralysis. Nasty Plot is chosen over Sunny Day as it's more reliable and generally just helps Dark Pulse and HP Ice get their jobs done more often. While Sunny Day can potentially help the team take care of water types more easily, it generally isn't worth the risk in the off chance Houndoom is forced out and a Victini or Darma get free boosts. Of course, I am still struggling with this decision as Sunny Day can potentially help the U-Turn core deal with Mega Blastoise more easily.
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Summary
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The point of this team is straightforward. Abuse Flygon and Crobat's U-Turn capabilities to gradually wear down the opposing team for Houndoom to sweep while at the same time complimenting the defensive core to help them against pokemon that can otherwise break through Umbreon and Slowbro collectively. All while Toxicroak helps alleviate other weaknesses the team may deal with.
Keep the suggestions coming. All are appreciated. :)
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