Dilwar
Hi
Preface
Hi all. After "quitting," only to come back 8-9 months later, I decided to give a new tier, UU, a go as a friend got me interested. I put together a quick team which mostly consists of Pokemon I enjoy using and found relative success with it. Relative because I know top 100 is nothing amazing and in the tiers I used to play I always hovered around top 5 on numerous alts. So, being new to the tier, obviously I could benefit from the advice of more experienced players, which is why I'm posting this team as I hope to take it to the next level.
Team Preview
The team started with Talonflame as I have a soft spot for Pokemon that have fallen out of favour, and with the Gale Wings nerf this gen, Talonflame is a shell of its former self.
Mega Blastoise seemed to be the perfect partner as Talonflame struggles with bulky Ground and Rock types which it defeats with ease. It also provides Rapid Spin support which is essential for Talonflame, and is probably the best Spinner in the tier. The two have decent typing synergy, and Talonflame also beats Mega Blastoise's typical checks like bulky grass types (Shaymin, Amoonguss) or specially defensive walls (Florges, Sylveon, Blissey).
This core had a heavy Electric type weakness so a bulky Ground type, Nidoqueen, was added to deal with them. Nidoqueen provided Stealth Rock, wallbreaking and a semi-reliable check to Electric types. I wasn't looking for hard counters as I tend to favour offense and hence this team is bulky offense, so a decent enough check was good enough to fill the role. Nidoqueen and Mega Blastoise are notoriously a strong core too, so I was adamant with this addition.
Latias, Mega Aerodactyl, and Starmie looked pretty troublesome at this point. Scizor was added to deal with these, being able to Pursuit trap Latias and Starmie, and giving me another way to check Mega Aerodactyl so Mega Blastoise doesn't get overwhelmed. It also gives a very strong priority move which is useful for revenging Scarfers or setup sweepers, a Steel type which pretty much every team outside of Ubers requires, and is generally a really prominent Pokemon, so I was confident in adding it.
Mega Pidgeot and bulky waters like Suicune and Primarina were threatening at this point, so Raikou was added to deal with them. It (at first anyway) also completed a Volt-Turn core with Scizor. Later it proved helpful for breaking down bulkier teams and thus secured its place.
I was told fast threats and Dragon Dancers are common in this tier, so I needed a fast and strong Scarfed Pokemon to deal with them. This role belonged to Terrakion, it beat or revenge killed pretty much every Pokemon in these categories, and its typing wasn't redundant so I figured it was the best option for a Scarfer I had.
Set Details
Talonflame @ Flyinium Z
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 40 HP / 252 Atk / 216 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Flare Blitz
- Swords Dance
- Roost
There wasn't much thought behind this set. It just seemed strong and fun to use so I was sold. At full health with Flyinium Z and Gale Wings, it gets a 190 BP priority move. This move can also be used to wallbreak in conjunction with Swords Dance. Originally I had Tailwind, but I replaced it with Roost as it gave longevity against fat teams and I never used Tailwind anyway. The Speed EVs outspeed Mega Pidgeot by one point. I didn't feel a need to go max speed as other Talonflame were very rare and the extra bulk was nice.
Blastoise-Mega @ Blastoisinite
Ability: Mega Launcher
EVs: 56 HP / 252 SpA / 200 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Water Pulse
- Dark Pulse
- Aura Sphere
- Rapid Spin
Mega Blastoise's set was very standard. I opted for Water Pulse as it gave a nice middle ground between Scald and the risky Hydro Pump. The confusion chance has actually won me a couple of games, so confirmation bias has me reluctant to change it. Dark Pulse beats Ghost types attempting to block Rapid Spin, and Aura Sphere rounds out the coverage neatly. I'm a big fan of speed creeping so I made this really fast, as it outspeeds Adamant Metagross and Honchkrow, Jolly Crawdaunt, Modest Nidoqueen and most defensive Arcanines.
Nidoqueen @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 40 HP / 252 SpA / 216 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sludge Wave
- Earth Power
- Ice Beam
- Stealth Rock
Nidoqueen's set was very standard. Dual STAB with Ice Beam to round off the coverage, with Stealth Rock since it's a "necessity" for every team. The Speed EVs reach the exact same benchmarks as Mega Blastoise. I have a feeling however that a bulkier spread will be advised.
Scizor @ Choice Band
Ability: Technician
EVs: 32 HP / 252 Atk / 224 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn
- Superpower
- Pursuit
I opted for a Choice Band set as I was quickly sold on how strong it is with the priority move Bullet Punch. This also helped revenge Mega Aerodactyl reliably, and other setup sweepers. Choice Band also ensures the OHKO on Latias and Starmie if they switch out, and since this was Scizor's primary role, Choice Band seemed the best option. Instead of the standard 252 Spe, I opted a little slower so I could U-Turn last in a mirror match up in order to gain the momentum. The additional bulk clutched a few times too.
Raikou @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Substitute
- Calm Mind
This was originally an Assault Vest set to better check Mega Pidgeot and Specs Primarina. However, I noticed in a couple of games that a Sub-CM set would've been really helpful, and ultimately changed it to that. The longevity Leftovers provided made up for the lack of AV. Outside of SD Talonflame (with Z Brave Bird), my team greatly struggled with a Blissey-Gliscor core. Most Blisseys run Fire Blast so Raikou can use it as setup fodder, and hence dismantle this core.
Terrakion @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- Sleep Talk
The addition of Terrakion is wholly explained in the Team Preview and there isn't much to discuss about its set, only that I opted for Sleep Talk in the last slot so that it can act as a sleep absorber.
Threatlist
I could be missing a few due to my limited knowledge of the tier, but so far the only Pokemon I found to be consistently problematic are Latias and Mega Sceptile running Hidden Power Fire.
Conclusion
That's it! Thank you for reading, I look forward to feedback so I can improve the team and hopefully climb higher up the ladder to establish myself.
Hi all. After "quitting," only to come back 8-9 months later, I decided to give a new tier, UU, a go as a friend got me interested. I put together a quick team which mostly consists of Pokemon I enjoy using and found relative success with it. Relative because I know top 100 is nothing amazing and in the tiers I used to play I always hovered around top 5 on numerous alts. So, being new to the tier, obviously I could benefit from the advice of more experienced players, which is why I'm posting this team as I hope to take it to the next level.
Team Preview
The team started with Talonflame as I have a soft spot for Pokemon that have fallen out of favour, and with the Gale Wings nerf this gen, Talonflame is a shell of its former self.
Mega Blastoise seemed to be the perfect partner as Talonflame struggles with bulky Ground and Rock types which it defeats with ease. It also provides Rapid Spin support which is essential for Talonflame, and is probably the best Spinner in the tier. The two have decent typing synergy, and Talonflame also beats Mega Blastoise's typical checks like bulky grass types (Shaymin, Amoonguss) or specially defensive walls (Florges, Sylveon, Blissey).
This core had a heavy Electric type weakness so a bulky Ground type, Nidoqueen, was added to deal with them. Nidoqueen provided Stealth Rock, wallbreaking and a semi-reliable check to Electric types. I wasn't looking for hard counters as I tend to favour offense and hence this team is bulky offense, so a decent enough check was good enough to fill the role. Nidoqueen and Mega Blastoise are notoriously a strong core too, so I was adamant with this addition.
Latias, Mega Aerodactyl, and Starmie looked pretty troublesome at this point. Scizor was added to deal with these, being able to Pursuit trap Latias and Starmie, and giving me another way to check Mega Aerodactyl so Mega Blastoise doesn't get overwhelmed. It also gives a very strong priority move which is useful for revenging Scarfers or setup sweepers, a Steel type which pretty much every team outside of Ubers requires, and is generally a really prominent Pokemon, so I was confident in adding it.
Mega Pidgeot and bulky waters like Suicune and Primarina were threatening at this point, so Raikou was added to deal with them. It (at first anyway) also completed a Volt-Turn core with Scizor. Later it proved helpful for breaking down bulkier teams and thus secured its place.
I was told fast threats and Dragon Dancers are common in this tier, so I needed a fast and strong Scarfed Pokemon to deal with them. This role belonged to Terrakion, it beat or revenge killed pretty much every Pokemon in these categories, and its typing wasn't redundant so I figured it was the best option for a Scarfer I had.
Set Details
Talonflame @ Flyinium Z
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 40 HP / 252 Atk / 216 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Flare Blitz
- Swords Dance
- Roost
There wasn't much thought behind this set. It just seemed strong and fun to use so I was sold. At full health with Flyinium Z and Gale Wings, it gets a 190 BP priority move. This move can also be used to wallbreak in conjunction with Swords Dance. Originally I had Tailwind, but I replaced it with Roost as it gave longevity against fat teams and I never used Tailwind anyway. The Speed EVs outspeed Mega Pidgeot by one point. I didn't feel a need to go max speed as other Talonflame were very rare and the extra bulk was nice.
Blastoise-Mega @ Blastoisinite
Ability: Mega Launcher
EVs: 56 HP / 252 SpA / 200 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Water Pulse
- Dark Pulse
- Aura Sphere
- Rapid Spin
Mega Blastoise's set was very standard. I opted for Water Pulse as it gave a nice middle ground between Scald and the risky Hydro Pump. The confusion chance has actually won me a couple of games, so confirmation bias has me reluctant to change it. Dark Pulse beats Ghost types attempting to block Rapid Spin, and Aura Sphere rounds out the coverage neatly. I'm a big fan of speed creeping so I made this really fast, as it outspeeds Adamant Metagross and Honchkrow, Jolly Crawdaunt, Modest Nidoqueen and most defensive Arcanines.
Nidoqueen @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 40 HP / 252 SpA / 216 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sludge Wave
- Earth Power
- Ice Beam
- Stealth Rock
Nidoqueen's set was very standard. Dual STAB with Ice Beam to round off the coverage, with Stealth Rock since it's a "necessity" for every team. The Speed EVs reach the exact same benchmarks as Mega Blastoise. I have a feeling however that a bulkier spread will be advised.
Scizor @ Choice Band
Ability: Technician
EVs: 32 HP / 252 Atk / 224 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn
- Superpower
- Pursuit
I opted for a Choice Band set as I was quickly sold on how strong it is with the priority move Bullet Punch. This also helped revenge Mega Aerodactyl reliably, and other setup sweepers. Choice Band also ensures the OHKO on Latias and Starmie if they switch out, and since this was Scizor's primary role, Choice Band seemed the best option. Instead of the standard 252 Spe, I opted a little slower so I could U-Turn last in a mirror match up in order to gain the momentum. The additional bulk clutched a few times too.
Raikou @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Substitute
- Calm Mind
This was originally an Assault Vest set to better check Mega Pidgeot and Specs Primarina. However, I noticed in a couple of games that a Sub-CM set would've been really helpful, and ultimately changed it to that. The longevity Leftovers provided made up for the lack of AV. Outside of SD Talonflame (with Z Brave Bird), my team greatly struggled with a Blissey-Gliscor core. Most Blisseys run Fire Blast so Raikou can use it as setup fodder, and hence dismantle this core.
Terrakion @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- Sleep Talk
The addition of Terrakion is wholly explained in the Team Preview and there isn't much to discuss about its set, only that I opted for Sleep Talk in the last slot so that it can act as a sleep absorber.
Threatlist
I could be missing a few due to my limited knowledge of the tier, but so far the only Pokemon I found to be consistently problematic are Latias and Mega Sceptile running Hidden Power Fire.
Conclusion
That's it! Thank you for reading, I look forward to feedback so I can improve the team and hopefully climb higher up the ladder to establish myself.
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