Sand in UU? Inconceivable! (Current rank: 271/3790)

[WaterBomb]

Good morning everyone! Well, with the onset of BW UU finally upon us, it's my cue to really put my nose to the grindstone and get my skills up. UU was so much fun for me back in Gen II (dating myself here -_-), and my return to the world of competitive battling was solely for the potential of BW UU. Now, I'm still getting used to this new generation, and obviously I'm quite rusty from not battling for about 10 years, but I think I'm getting closer to where I need to be. This is my first attempt at a UU team in BW, so bear with me as there are many kinks to work out. Also, this is just theorymon for the time being as I have not had a chance to test it.

The teambuilding process

I had already decided a while back that I wanted to center a team around a specific pokemon, so my first two team members were already set:

After seeing the havoc wrought by an Excadrill in a sandstorm, I sought to see just how effective the UU Sand Rusher--Stoutland--would be. This team is centered around that, so obviously Hippopotas is necessary to facilitate that Sandstorm.

At this point, I needed to get some synergy going to cover their weaknesses. Stoutland, being a normal type Choice Band user, would need a counterpart to take care of his Fighting weakness. This decision was easy, being the Specially based ghost type Mismagius. Mismagius and Stoutland synergize well because she is immune to the Fighting moves Stoutland is weak to, and Stoutland is immune to the Ghost moves Mismagius is weak to.

I also needed something that worked well with Hippopotas. Something that could cover his Grass/Ice/Water weaknesses relatively well. I couldn't think of a pokemon (other than Sap Sipper Azumarill) that resisted all three, so I went with what I felt was the least vulnerable, Empoleon. As a bonus, Empoleon's Electric weakness was also covered by Hippopotas, and ground and fighting were covered by Mismagius. Empoleon also does not take damage from Sandstorm, which helps.

So four down, and two to go. I took another look at my team as a whole, to spot any other weaknesses and threats. I was still a bit concerned about Mismagius being my only check against Fighting moves with my two weaknesses, as well as having no hard Grass counter. After reviewing several candidates, I settled on the services of the new Magic Guard wall, Sigilyph.

To round out my team, I felt it was necessary to address a specific threat in Heracross. This guy posed a problem to me in my first tests, so I needed a good counter to him that could still support my team. Given that I already had a Stealth Rocker, I figured adding Toxic Spikes to the mix wouldn't be a bad idea. And who else to lay Toxic Spikes AND counter all three of Hera's common moves? Nidoqueen.

THE TEAM

Hippopotas @ Eviolite
Ability: Sandstream
Nature: Impish
EVs: 252 HP / 144 Att / 112 Def
~Body Slam
~Earthquake
~Slack Off
~Toxic
Hippopotas was the only option for creating Sandstorm in UU, so here he is. I originally had him as a Stealth Rocker, but since I gave that duty to Empoleon I decided to give him something a little less obvious - Body Slam. Very few people expect this, and the PAR chance is surprisingly useful. EQ and Slack Off are standard, and necessary for a STAB and a little more longevity (especially without leftovers). I had a choice between several moves in the last slot, but ultimately I chose Toxic because I felt it would be most effective. Any suggestions for better use of his final slot? Also the EVs are such to maintain his bulk but give him passable attack so he's not helpless.

Hippo has not disappointed me so far as a lead and part time physical wall. The EVs have proven to be enough to take hits, and the extra EVs in Attack have scored me some valuable damage as well. Rank within team by usefulness: 4/6.

Stoutland @ Choice Band
Ability: Sand Rush
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Att / 252 Speed
~Return
~Crunch
~Fire Fang
~Wild Charge
Stoutland is the guy this team is built around. With well rounded stats and a useful ability in Sand Rush, I felt he would be an excellent Sweeper/Revenge Killer. Obviously maxed out Attack and Speed, going with Adamant to add more power since Sand Rush would provide all the speed he needed. Return is the obligatory STAB move, and the other three moves offer good coverage. Fire Fang is not really useful in UU since there aren't any Scizors, Forretress', or Ferrothorns, so I'm contemplating a switch. Suggestions?

Wow, just wow. Stoutland has been an absolute monster in testing so far, scoring multiple OHKOs and some surprising 2HKOs (such as on 252HP/252Def Slowbro after SR damage). Fire Fang is back on the set now to deal with the rampant Abomasnow population in UU. Helps for Escavalier too :). Rank within team: 1/6.

Mismagius @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
Nature: Timid
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpAtt / 252 Speed
~Substitute
~Nasty Plot
~Shadow Ball
~HP Fighting
Pretty typical Nasty Plot set for Miss Maggy, with max SpAtt and Speed and perfect type coverage in Shadow Ball and HP Fighting. Sub helps protect from status and give her extra time to set up. Synergizes well with Stoutland in both covering weaknesses and giving the team a Special sweeper.

Maggy has been pretty good so far, but not nearly as dominating as I had hoped. Even after a Nasty Plot, she is failing to net some important OHKOs and getting killed in return. I am going to keep her for now, because when she DOES get going, she's amazing. Having the three immunities really helps too. Rank within team: 3/6.

Empoleon @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
Nature: Calm
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpDef / 4 Speed
~Scald
~Roar
~Stealth Rock
~Ice Beam
As stated in the teambuilding section, Empoleon is here to cover the Grass/Water/Ice weaknesses of Hippopotas, and gives added protection against the Dark attacks that may be directed at Mismagius. Empoleon's job is multifold: Stealth Rock support, Special Walling (Max HP and SpDef EVs), Pseudohazing, and even spreading Burn. He does this quite well :).

Empoleon has been surprisingly useful in testing thus far. His special bulk is even higher than I expected, and Scald burn has been clutch. He's gotten to set up his rocks almost every time, and he's even gotten rid of some setup sweepers for me. He's definitely earned his spot on the team. Rank: 2/6.

Sigilyph @ Flame Orb
Ability: Magic Guard
Nature: Timid
EVs: 252 HP / 200 Def / 56 Speed
~Cosmic Power
~Stored Power
~Psycho Shift
~Roost
This guy can be a real pain if he gets a few stat boosts. I've also witnessed the chaos that occurs when Stored Power is maxed out, so Sigilyph is nothing to be trifled with. Psycho Shift gives him another way to support the team through inflicting Burn, and Roost keeps him alive. Top that all off with Magic Guard and EVs devoted to defensive bulk, and you have yourself an effective wall. As a bonus, he gives me a 4x resistance to Fighting.

Honestly, Sigilyph has not lived up to expectations so far. Outside of one particular battle when he got set up, he hasn't done much. Even after a Cosmic Power, he's still taking fair damage, and he's just spread too thin as far as my goals. I've probably been misusing him a bit, so I'll keep him a while longer to see if he improves. If not, I'll have to replace him. Any suggestions for alternatives? Rank: 6/6

Nidoqueen @ Black Sludge
Ability: Sheer Force
Nature: Bold
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpDef
~Toxic Spikes
~Earth Power
~Flamethrower
~Ice Beam
As I said above, Nidoqueen was added to take care of Heracross. Toxic Spikes support should help this team a lot, coupled with Empoleon's Stealth Rock. Sheer Force gives Nidoqueen some damage potential, to go alongside her respectable bulk (as evidenced by her EV spread). As always, Nidoqueen also gives excellent type coverage with her three attack moves. Flamethrower over TBolt to give her an SE move against the Heracross she is here to counter in the first place. Black Sludge instead of Leftovers in case some poke tries to Trick me!

Nidoqueen has been fairly lukewarm so far as well, like Sigilyph. I had high hopes for her effectiveness, but her weaknesses to common types are hurting. She has proven an extremely useful switch-in on several pokes like Heracross and Excavalier, but she lacks the impressive stats to really excel in one area. She suffers, like her brother, from the stigma of being a "jack of all trades but a master of none". Still, I haven't lost hope, and I have a feeling she's going to come in handy in a pinch. In the event I do have to replace her, suggestions would be welcomed. Rank: 5/6


Updates are in red. Keep rating!

 

[Mushroom Of Doom]

This is actually a very original and interesting concept. Your team is very original, and I like it alot. I would reccomend adding a clafable with magic guard, she makes a very good wallbreaker or offensive player. Also there was another UU sandstorm team by a user named Patypus Venom, you could probably add a few poke's from his team onto yours for a little test run. I think it was called "A baby hippo's sandstorm team" or something. Anyway, Gl with the team :)

 

[Grape]

Try adding retaliate over Fire Fang

 

[Royal Flush]

Does Hippo really need those Atk EVs? With Eviolite he's actually a good wall, more Def or even SDef would be sweet. Roar is a good option for the last slot.
Stoutland is quite awesome indeed, but I prefer LO on him: with Sand Rush he isn't really a hit-and-run sweeper, he can actually make great cleans at late game. I found Fire Fang useful to hit Escavalier and Cobalion, I'd stick with it and put Retaliate over Wild Charge, it's deadly and can guarantee some nice kills.
Also watch out for Toxic Spikes ruining your Psycho Shift burn. I'd use Gligar somewhere, he's awesome at sandstorm, though I dunno where exactly (I suppose you don't wanna lose TS if you put him over Queen).

 

[WaterBomb]

I did some laddering with this team last night, and I've currently made it to 412 out of roughly 3800. Not that impressive I know, but the team has been doing quite well so far. I've updated the descriptions (in red) and provided rankings for each member within the team according to their usefulness. I will also testPlease continue to give your advice, it's much appreciated.

 

[CrystaLightning]

I like this team a lot, because it has great synergy. Like Royal Flush, I would recommend using a defensive Hippo, but now seeing that you like him just the way he is, it does not really matter.

For your Siglyph and Nidoqueen problem, would Drapion work?
Drapion gives the nice grass resist and can setup toxic spikes. His defenses makes a great wall too, including his typing.

 

[WaterBomb]

The problem with Drapion is I lose the Fighting and Rock resist that makes Nidoqueen so valuable. With Cobalion and Heracross everywhere in UU, having those resistances both on the same poke is key. Sigilyph definitely needs to go though, he's just not cutting the cheese. Anyone have good suggestions for his replacement? They must synergize well with the rest of the team. I'm thinking something to counter enemy Mismagius would really help.

Also I tested Life Orb + Work Up on Stoutland, and it sucked major league balls. NEVER had any time to set up, and Life Orb damage prevents me sweeping more than 1 or 2 pokes. If I can eliminate any resistances to normal, Stoutland runs almost unscathed through teams with STAB CB Return.

EDIT: I'm considering switching Sigilyph for something else. In trying to figure out synergy questions, I think I want to test out an unusual Scarf Moltres set:

Moltres @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Flame Body
Nature: Modest
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
~Overheat
~Air Slash
~Hidden Power [Ground]/[Grass]
~???

Need help with the last slot. I'm thinking Flamethrower or Fire Blast for late game sweeping, or maybe a surprise Ancientpower for the possible boost. Thoughts?

 

[Texas Cloverleaf]

My only suggestion is putting Fire Blast over Flamethrower on Nidoqueen. Without any Special Attack EV's it really appreciates the power boost recieved for FB. In terms of using it I'd suggest removing some of the defensive reliability from her and initially brining her in solely in situations where she can force out the opp and set up a layer. Otherwise she does suffer from her numerous weaknesses to frequent OU types.

 

[WaterBomb]

Currently working with a Xatu in place of Sigilyph, but it's still not doing as much as I had hoped. I am thinking I might go back to Slowbro since he would solve my water/ice/fire problem, as well as preserve the Fighting resist and be a physical wall. I got creamed by a scarfed Mamoswine the other day, so I think that would be best.

Also thanks for the suggestion on FB texas, I think I will do that. Currently trying to break that elusive 200 ranking that I keep approaching but never achieving.

 

[TexasSnyper]

Ive got a Nidoqueen in my UU team and she is just beast with her setup:
Nidoqueen (F) @ Life Orb Trait: Sheer Force
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Earth Power
- Flamethrower
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt


toxic spikes prevent being able to spread your burns, she has decent enough bulk IMO so going with speed and s.attack EVs allow her to get her massive hard hits in. Life Orb with Sheer Force gives you the benefit without the HP loss meaning she can OHKO a lot of non bulk pokes, and can OHKO + SR damage most other non walls. Adding thunderbolt gives her the mighty BoltBeam combo too. She isn't very bulky but can usually take a hit or 2 from non set up sweepers for the return OHKO and is just beast on the safe switch ins. She does have a wide selection of popular weaknesses, but if she can get on the field safely then her move spread will make your opponent fearful of what to send in response.

 

[WaterBomb]

I am considering switching Nidoqueen to a more offensive mindset, but I'm a bit hesitant to give up T-Spikes because I haven't really been able to spread burn as effectively as I had hoped. I can usually net a burn or two in a battle, but most teams in UU seem to not be well prepared for Toxic Spikes. Hell, I might even try to centralize the team around them a bit more by adding Protect users to increase toxic damage, but all this will need to be thoroughly tested. My team has been doing pretty well so far so I'm reluctant to make any major changes...