SM UU The Hit (UU Bulky Offense RMT)

[Revërberations]

THE HIT

Greetings, folks!​

This will be my second team posted to this site. This time around, however, I decided to switch to the UU meta from the OU meta for the sake of keeping things fresh for myself. Again, I tried to design something I could feasibly create in Ultra Sun proper, even though I am relying on at least one legendary from the get-go (IV’s are tricky things when you can’t directly influence them). In any case, I’m sure there is something that could be improved with this line-up, and I figured I’d post the team here for scrutiny before I went into the process of IV breeding an entire team (again). Also, since plenty of other people seem to post teams based on music (song names, bands, etc.), I thought I would theme this team off of one of my personal favorite bands, TWRP. Now then, let's get to the breakdown.

THE TEAM

"Havve Hogan"
Swampert @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD /
Relaxed Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Scald
- Toxic
​

Swampert acts as the Stealth-Rocker of the team, due to Terrakion running Choice Scarf in this build. Though bulky, Swampert isn’t meant to absorb damage from every Pokemon it checks, as its only form of regen in this build is the Leftovers it holds. However, it is able to threaten opposing Rotom-H and Mega-Aerodactyl, and fish for Scald burns on physical threats like Scizor. STAB Earthquake is always a good move to have access to, covering the likes of Nihilego and Mega-Manectric, even if it won’t be boosted by Choice Band. Of course, both of those targets can carry Grass-type coverage, so be careful if you choose to switch directly into them. Toxic rounds out the list to handle water-resistant/ground-immune threats, mainly Dragon-types, as well as putting a timer on said threats, as Swampert’s lack of recovery doesn’t allow it to go late-game most of the time. I run Toxic over Roar in this build mainly because, while phasing with Stealth Rocks up can help rack up damage, dragging out Pokemon on the enemy team has put me on the back-foot more often than I care to admit. As for team synergy, Swampert can appreciate the presence of Rotom-H’s hazard removal, Togekiss’ ability to handle Dragon-types, and Roserade’s ability to soak up Toxic Spikes and threaten opposing Grass-types.

"Lord Phobos"
Scizor @ Choice Band
Ability: Technician
EVs: 164 HP / 252 Atk / 92 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Bullet Punch
- U-Turn
- Superpower
- Pursuit​

Scizor is an all-star of UU, and I knew I had to include it on my team if I were to design for the tier. It acts as a pivot, threatening Pokemon like Latias and Mega-Altaria, as well as forcing switches for offensive pressure by just how scary it is. Bullet Punch is Scizor’s STAB priority, helping it get around its lack of speed and hitting Fairy-types hard. U-Turn aids in momentum, and when combined with Rotom-H, creates a VoltTurn core between two Pokemon that cover each-other’s checks surprisingly well. Of course, U-Turn support is appreciated by Roserade and Terrakion, getting them on the field for free and allowing them to start attacking. Superpower is present for coverage on opposing Steel-types that would normally check Scizor, like Magneton, Mega-Steelix and Mega-Aggron, but it should be used sparingly. The team has other Steel-type coverage, and the backlash of Atk/Def down is less than ideal. Superpower is not sort of move one would like to be locked into for 3+ turns, and it almost always requires a switch-in after its use. Pursuit is used to punish the switches Scizor forces, and in conjunction with Choice Band, can put large dents in the likes of Latias and Blissey.

"Doctor Sung"
Rotom-Heat @ Iapapa Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 236 HP / 20 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Overheat
- Volt Switch
- Will-O-Wisp
- Defog
​

Rotom-Heat is an incredible utility Pokemon in regards to role-compression. It’s typing allows for it to check and resist so many threats, making it an excellent Defog user from forced switches. Overheat’s power should not be underestimated, but it should be used cautiously, as it neuters the power of further uses of it and Volt Switch. Speaking of Volt Switch, momentum is the name of game when combined with Scizor’s U-Turn, or any of the other offensive team members. Will O’ Wisp is slotted over Toxic or Hidden Power Grass for two reasons; 1. Both of those moves are covered by Swampert and Roserade, respectively, and 2. This team’s offensive orientation (and lack of walls) appreciates a burn on a key physical attacker to better survive and out-damage the opposition. Because of its lack of recovery in not having Pain Split, an Iapapa Berry is used as the held item. I find it more reliable to have a burst of healing from one particularly hard hit, instead of the slower effect of Leftovers, as Rotom-H will usually be pivoting in-and-out anyhow.

"Commander Meouch"
Terrakion @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide​

Terrakion acts as a revenge-killer of sorts, and is mainly slotted as such for this team’s general lack of higher-tier speed. Of course, Terrakion isn’t solely for revenge-killing, and can still be brought in with a Volt Switch or U-Turn to begin making picks if the situation allows. Choice Scarf and a Jolly nature allows Terrakion to out-speed Choice Scarf Hydreigon, which is otherwise quite scary. Close Combat and Stone Edge are the hard-hitting STAB moves to take advantage of such speed and Terrakion’s naturally high physical attack. Earthquake is present for coverage, mainly against Poison-types like Nidoqueen and Nidoking, which would otherwise resist Terrakion’s other moves. Rock Slide is a less-powerful, but more reliable, Rock-type move for cherry-tapping already weakened foes, or in any situation where Stone Edge would be overkill.

"Danny Sexbang"
Togekiss @ Babiri Berry
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Nasty Plot
- Air Slash
- Flamethrower
- Roost​

Togekiss acts as a stallbreaker, and can beat opposing bulky supports with its 60% flinch chance Air Slash. Boosted by Nasty Plot, Togekiss can easily become a setup sweeper if given a chance against said passive Pokemon. Flamethrower is present for coverage against Steel-types that would otherwise make quick work of Togekiss’s Fairy typing. This, in conjunction with the Babiri Berry, allows Togekiss to combat its counters without resorting to switching out and losing tempo. Roost helps stabilize with regeneration, and opens up more opportunities for setting up with Nasty Plot. Synergy-wise, Swampert’s Stealth Rocks and Electric immunity are well-liked by Togekiss, as well as Rotom-H’s Defog to remove entry hazards. Terrakion benefits from having Steel-types and bulky Water-types covered by Togekiss, too.

"Ninja Brian"
Roserade @ Poisonium Z
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Sleep Powder
- Leaf Storm
- Sludge Bomb
- Hidden Power Fire
​

Roserade rounds out the team from the RU for the sake of coverage, and supplying the team’s Z-move slot. I found that UU is full of Water, Ground and Fairy types that can be played around by selecting Roserade. Leaf Storm is solid for hitting any of said Water/Ground types, and even foes that takes neutral damage to Grass fairly well. Sludge Bomb, combined with Poisinium Z, hits Fairies and any Pokemon that would be fine with taking Leaf Storm, mainly Dragon-types like Hydreigon and Mega-Altaria. If turned into Acid Downpour, Roserade can overtake more defensive enemies or catch those switching in for major damage. Hidden Power Fire is here for coverage against Steel-types that would resist both of Roserade’s other moves, most notably enemy Scizors, which are OHKO by it. Sleep Powder is a helpful utility due to all the switching this team would be forcing. Inducing sleep on a Pokemon swapping-in can open up opportunities the rest of the team can capitalize on. Roserade works well with Pokemon that can bring it onto the battlefield safely, Pursuit trap faster threats, and abuse enemy Pursuit-trappers, making Scizor and Terrakion excellent partners. Swampert’s type disadvantage is covered by Roserade, and in turn, Fire-types that force Roserade out, like Infernape, are handled well by Swampert.

CONCLUSION​

Thus ends my second RMT. I’d like to think I learned a bit more about competitive-level battling since my last build, but I’m still a little shaky in my confidence. The team runs mostly like a bulky offense build, but there’s no real Special Wall present. I fear the current composition runs the risk of being swept by something like Reunicles or Choice Scarf Chandelure. I could also choose to run Amoonguss over Roserade, as they share typing and the ability to put the other team to sleep, but Amoonguss is far too slow, and the team would lose its only Z-move. If nothing else, I think I nailed it theme-wise. Anyhow, I thank you for your time, and if you have any improvements or suggestions, feel free to post them below. Keep it rockin’!

-Revërberations

 

[Twilight]

Hi there Revërberations really interesting team you have here and you've done a good job at putting it together. Overall the team is pretty solid, but I think there a few things that should be addressed to make this even better. Nasty Plot Infernape is extremely threatening to this team and it can pretty much win once it sets up and Terrakion takes enough chip. Your stall match-up could also be improved quite a bit especially because you are using Babiri Togekiss. This set isn't very necessary and only helps with Cobalion, which is another difficult threat for you to handle. Finally I think scarf Terrakion is a pretty sub-par set, especially in comparison to its CB or SD set which take advantage of its breaking prowess. With that out of the way I'll get into the rate:

Major Changes:

>

: So I saw that you can compress these two into Mega Steelix which fulfills similar roles to what they do, but more importantly it opens up a further slot. MegaLix still gives you a bulky mon capable of handling most Scizor variants and Latias which these two previously did. It maintains the ability to set Stealth Rock reliably and can serve as a wincon / breaker with its standard Curse set. It can't handle electric types like Rotom-H or Manec that well compared to Pert, but I intend to alleviate this.

: I recommend you use Hydreigon in the free slot which is a much more effective choice scarf user. Hydreigon does quite a few things such as restoring the Volturn core you lose out on with dropping Scizor. Thanks to its typing it also gives you another way to combat Pokemon like Celebi and Mega-Manectric which could be annoying to play around.

>

: I suggest replacing Roserade because you still need a way to combat the likes of Infernape and Cobalion. Roserade in general is very hard to fit onto a team with what little defensive merit it can provide. So only a few teams can afford to use this Pokemon. While Slowbro is slow, just like Amoong, it provides a lot for your team and still proceeds to pressure the bulky ground types with its stab and bulky waters with Toxic. The EV spread lets it creep uninvested base 30s and has enough SpA to 2OHKO nihi and Amoong after rocks and OHKO Ape after rocks with Psyshic.

Minor Changes:

(Item and Move Change) : Thunder Wave provides a lot of utility for your Terrakion and Togekiss to handle threats like Latias and Infernape better. Just making the chances of them doing their job higher. I also recommend you use Wiki Berry > Iapapa Berry as it has the small bonus of confusing a Scizor if it uses Bug Bite on you. I made it slower than other Rotom-H to get momentum off them.

(Set Change): As I mentioned before Babiri Togekiss wasn't very useful on your original squad, outside of slightly easing the Coba match-up. This still applies for this variant as Slowbro handles Coba + MegaLix and Rotom-H check Scizor. I made it the standard bulky Heal Bell variant, making it a better stallbreaker.

(Set Change): I also stated Scarf Terrak is kinda underwhelming, so I made it an offensive SD variant. It is carrying the Rockium-Z to break Pokemon like Gligar, defensive Primarina and Slowbro at +2. The last slot has a lot of viable options like Substitute and Rock Polish. I opted for Rock Polish as it helps more against offense, but either work well at giving it more breathing room to break.

<Click Sprites for Importable>
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Hope you like the suggestions and good luck with breeding your team also! This team has to play a bit more carefully around Specs Primarina, Slowbro being your best pivot into it to scout what it locks itself into. You have more than enough ways to handle it though. Mega Manectric voltturn is also a bit more annoying to play against, but you have quite a few counterplayers to said playstyle. I know I have made the team a bit bulkier than your original version, but a lot of them have some offensive presence via boosting moves like Togekiss and MegaLix. If you have any questions just let me know ^_^

 

[Revërberations]

Thank you for the rate, Twilight. This is definitely an improvement, I must say, and I have no qualms with it being a bit bulkier than the original team. You were right about Infernape and Cobalion being problems. I figured as such when theory-crafting this, and made multiple half-measures to deal with them instead of a full counter, like you have in Slowbro. This is probably because I started with Scizor as the build-around, and was far too stubborn in trying to make the team work for him, instead of the other way around. I adore the role-compression in Mega-Steelix, and it really opens the whole team up. The tricky part of that will be breeding a competitively-viable "only-evolves-through-trades" Pokemon (I've never bred for a 0 Speed IV Gyro Ball before, this should be fun). Keeping the VoltTurn core with Hydreigon is appreciated, as I love that playstyle. Heal Bell on Togekiss is smart, as I had little long-game/anti-status, and most members of the old team could not handle Scald burns or Stall tactics. All in all, I have little to no problems with this revamp. The only loss I find is flavor-wise, as Lord Phobos is now a Slowbro. However, Ninja Brian is a Hydreigon and Havve Hogan is a Steelix, so that works out as a net gain in style points. Fantastic work, Twilight. I will work towards breeding/trading this team into Ultra Sun post-haste.