Featured UU RMT
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Introduction
Sup, people. After months of playing OU, I decided it's time for me to try out a different tier as OU is pretty boring. I spent some time browsing through the smogon tier lists, and eventually, I decided UU shall be the tier I'll be going with. So I decided I need a team, but I don't know how to make one as I've never played UU before that and don't know much about the metagame. So I decided it's best for me to get help from a tutor, who helped me to make this team.
This is a bulky offense team focused on sweeping with Life Orb Alakazam. It also features underrated threats such as offensive Porygon2, specially defensive Escavalier, and scarfed Rotom-C. I also managed to get to #5 on the ladder with this team, so it's it's definitely a solid team with most of the UU threats covered well. Without further ado, let me present you the team.
Overview
In Depth
Rotom-C @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Leaf Storm
- Trick
Why This Pokémon?
Well, Rotom-C is hands down, one of the most underrated threat in the UU metagame as of now. With bulky Water-types getting more common nowadays, I know for a fact that I need a revenge killer that is capable of taking water hits. I went browsing through the UU threat list and immediately, Rotom-C caught my eye. Since then, I've never regretted having Rotom-C on this spot of the team.
Moveset and EVs
Rotom-C was added for revenge killing, therefore a Choice Scarfed set would be the best for this team. Volt Switch is a good scouting move that forces a lot of switches, while at the same time giving me a great momentum with the switching advantage i'll be getting. Leaf Storm is another great stab on Rotom-C, OHKO'ing Rhyperior and Krookodile switch ins as they predict a Volt Switch, and hits anything that doesnt resist it hard, barring Chansey and Snorlax. Hidden Power Fire surprises Escavaliers and Abomasows, as most people wouldn't expect me to have it. Trick is really useful for shutting down Chansey, otherwise it might be a little tricky to take down.
Rhyperior (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Solid Rock
EVs: 156 HP / 252 Atk / 100 Spe
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SpA)
- Rock Blast
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Megahorn
Why This Pokémon?
Every good team needs a Stealth Rocker, and this team is nothing different. I had Deoxys-D on this spot of the team but after some playtesting, I realized the fire weakness i'm having is pretty significant and I need something to take the fire hits. The only Stealth Rockers in UU that can resist Fire hits are Aerodactyl and Rhyperior, so I tested both. After some testing, I decided Rhyperior is the way to go as Aerodactyl is pretty frail and weak to Stealth Rock.
Moveset and EVs
Stealth Rock is the staple of this set, as Rhyperior is capable of abusing it to its fullest. Rhyperior can switch into almost any non super effective physical attacking moves and set up Stealth Rocks. Earthquake is one of the most powerful stab moves Rhyperior can have, 2HKO'ing everything that doesnt resist it, including Eviolite Chansey. Rock Blast allows Rhyperior to break substitutes, while being a remarkably powerful stabbed move in its own right. Megahorn is another powerful move for Rhyperior to have, hitting Shaymin switch ins for a OHKO and Slowbro switch ins for a 2HKO.
Escavalier (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Swarm
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature (+SpD, -SpA)
- Megahorn
- Iron Head
- Pursuit
- Toxic
Why This Pokémon?
In the recent UU metagame, Alakazam has became one of the most used sweeper, as it sports both high Special Attack and Speed, while having great coverage moves. Escavalier serves as a great counter for Alakazam by trapping it with Pursuit, where else Alakazam won't be anywhere near killing Escavalier unless it carries the unusual Hidden Power Fire. Other then that, Escavalier can also trap Choiced Chandelures locked into Shadow Ball, and 2HKO'ing the bulky Deoxys-D with a powerful Megahorn. This thing also shits on hail like a beast!!!
Moveset and EVs
With the given EVs, Alakazam can never 3HKO Escavalier with Focus Blast at full health, while Alakazam would get 2HKO'd by Pursuit. Megahorn is the most powerful stab move Escavalier can have, hitting anything that doesnt resist it hard. Iron Head is another great stab on Escavalier, hitting the likes of Froslass for an OHKO. Pursuit traps Alakazam and Froslass, allowing the rest of my team to have an easier time sweeping. Toxic surprises Arcanine and Chandelure switch ins, allowing me to cripple them.
Mismagius (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Shadow Ball
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split
Why This Pokémon?
As this team is focused on an Alakazam sweep, I'll need to remove Alakazam's counters. Mismagius serves as a good lure for Alakazam's counters, luring in the likes of Escavalier and cripple it with Will-O-Wisp. Other then that, with Will-O-Wisp and Pain Split, Mismagius is capable of beating Chanseys 1 on 1.
Moveset and EVs
As I stated earlier, this set is used for luring purposes, so Will-O-Wisp is an important move on this set. Will-O-Wisp cripples the likes of Escavaliers, which will usually stop Alakazam from sweeping. Pain Split is is my only form of recovery, extending my longevity. Shadow Ball stops Mismagius from completely being a Taunt bait, while at the same time dishing decent amount of damage to the likes of Dusclops. Substitute makes the opponent think that it's some sort of set up set, so they bring in the likes of Snorlax and Escavalier to stop it, which is when they get burned. It also helps to sub up as Scarfed Pokémon like Krookodile switch in to kill missy.
Porygon2 @ Eviolite
Trait: Trace
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe
Modest Nature (+SpA, -Atk)
- Tri Attack
- Ice Beam
- Discharge
- Recover
Why This Pokémon?
After finishing more then half of my team, I realize Houndoom and Chandelure are pretty big threats to my team, as Rhyperior can't take repeated Fire Blasts nor take a boosted Dark Pulse from Houndoom. Porygon2 can trace both Houndoom and Chandelure's Flash Fire and dish out a decent amount of damage to both of them. Offensive Porygon2 is also probably the best Pokémon in UU at the moment. Seriously if you try it out, you'll wonder why the hell you ever used a defensive set.....
Moveset and EVs
After testing a few different movesets for Porygon2, I came over a more offensive variant of Porygon2, which later impressed me. Tri Attack is a powerful stab Porygon2 can have, 2HKOing the likes of Hitmontop and Heracross. Discharge is my way of hitting bulky Water-types, which could otherwise wall this set. Ice Beam rounds off the coverage of this set as it hits Ground and Flying-types for a huge amount of damage.
Alakazam (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
- Focus Blast
- Psychic
- Shadow Ball
- Substitute
Why This Pokémon?
And finally, last bust not least, we have the star of the team - Alakazam ! Alakazam is one of the best sweeepers in the UU metagame as of now, 2HKO'ing almost everything with a Life Orb equipped. What makes it even better is, Alakazam has the ability Magic Guard, which prevents damage from Life Orb, Sandstorm, Hail, and etc.
Moveset and EVs
After choosing Alakazam as my main sweeper, I had two sets to choose from: the Life Orb + Substitute set and the Focus Sash 4 Attacks set. After doing some playtesting, I decided Life Orb Alakazam is the way to go as Focus Sash is pretty much pointless on Alakazam. Psychic is a great stab on Alakazam, paired with Life Orb, it pretty much 2HKOs anything that doesnt resist it. Shadow Ball hits the likes of Mismagius and Chandelure for an OHKO, and it also has the chance of 2HKOing Dusclops after Stealth Rocks. Focus Blast covers Steel and Dark-types, rounding off the coverage for this set.
Conclusion
And that's the team. Any feedbacks would be appreciated =).
Introduction
Now that Hippowdon has said goodbye to UU, people will inevitably look for the next "broken" thing to spam. Most people would do the obvious thing and throw a hail team together and hope for Snow Cloak misses, but D4RR3N decided to go a different route and use Alakazam, which just scraped by the last suspect test by the skin of its ass (must've been the mustache swag). Alakazam is a fantastic Pokémon with some really great attributes; Magic Guard and a scary base 135 Special Attack stat are nothing to be snuffed at, but Alakazam seems to have fallen from the spotlight ever since it was decided that he wasn't going to be banned. Underestimating Alakazam is a huge mistake, though, as with the proper team support, it will have an easy time tearing through unprepared teams. This team also has some very unique but effective sets, such as offensive Porygon2 and specially defensive Escavalier, which gives the team some personality. D4RR3N used bread and butter team building techniques, and some basic knowledge of the UU metagame, to piece together a very solid team. If he can do it, anyone can!..... Now let's look at the team in a little more detail.
Core
A solid team is like a clock mechanism; everything there has a purpose and does its job. Every Pokémon on this team supports Alakazam in some shape or form. Stealth Rock support from Rhyperior softens the opponent, and makes it easier for Alakazam to pick off weakened Pokémon. It also stops annoying Stealth Rock-weak Pokémon, such as Choice Scarf Darmanitan, from coming in and scaring Alakazam out with U-turn. Rhyperior also has the ability to tank powerful physical attacks from the likes of the aforementioned Darmanitan, which is very helpful for the rest of the team. Alakazam's worst nightmares comes in the form of Pokémon such as Snorlax, Weavile, Escavalier, and Krookodile, which can all either tank a hit from it, or outspeed it, and then kill it with Pursuit. D4RR3N makes very clever use of Mismagius to help solve this problem. Standard Mismagius usually runs Substitute and a set up move, and will bait opposing players into immediately sending in their Pursuiter, which is about the time they'll get burned by this particular ghost. With these Pokémon crippled, Alakazam's job is made that much easier. The rest of the team covers a large number of threats in the metagame, including a multitude of bulky Water-types, as well as hail. Specially defensive Escavalier is a great answer to hail and most special attackers in general, while Rotom-C and Porygon2 can effectively cock block most bulky Water-types.
Sweepers
Sweepers are quite important on this team. The star of the show, Alakazam, can sweep with ease. It doesn't have to worry about residual damage from entry hazards, weather, or Life Orb recoil. This makes it incredibly difficult for stall based teams to wear Alakazam down without taking massive damage. It also has fantastic offensive stats to boot, and can 2HKO a massive portion of the UU metagame. However, the rest of the team shouldn't be overlooked. Rotom-C is a fantastic tool against bulky Water-types, as it has two super effective STAB moves against them, and can maintain momentum with Volt Switch. It even has Trick to screw Chansey over! I wish my lawn mower could do that..... The coolest Pokémon on this team, though, has got to be offensive Porygon2. Amazing defenses aside, some people don't realize that Porygon2 has a base 105 Special Attack and truly amazing coverage. It still has amazing bulk and Recover, but offensive Porygon2 has the ability to kick serious ass! With a boost from Download under its belt, it can do massive damage to many Pokémon in UU, and takes pathetic damage from everything bar Machamp and the like. D4RR3N originally chose Trace as its ability to help against Flash Fire Pokémon, such as Chandelure, but has since changed its ability to Download, which makes Porygon2 a force to be reckoned with. Most bulky Water-types will give the duck a boost, which is good news because they're on almost every team.
Threats
This team is very solid, but it has some weaknesses that can be easily exploited. Cobalion poses a serious threat to this team. After a Swords Dance, it can do severe damage to everything on the team, but can be revenge killed by Alakazam. Substitute variants cause the most trouble, as something will die as it breaks the Substitute. It also means that Mismagius can't take a hit from it and then burn it with Will-O-Wisp. Rotom-H can also be difficult to deal with, thanks to its fantastic coverage between its STAB attacks. It will take a great deal of prediction to best the oven while taking minimal damage. Darmanitan is also problematic if Rhyperior is out of commission. Rain teams will tear through this team if they manage to set up correctly, as it only has one resistance to Water-type attacks and no auto-weather to remove rain. The best plan of action against Rain Dance teams would be to prevent them from setting up Rain Dance.
Conclusion
This team is by no means perfect, but it's well built, and fares well against a significant portion of UU. It even managed to get a noob like D4RR3N to #5 on the UU ladder! I (and D4RR3N, probably) encourage anyone who wants to get into UU to have a go with this team and try it out on the ladder. Or well, we would if Alakazam were still UU, but hey, you can work to replace him with your own team building strategies! Have fun!
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