PK Gaming
Persona 5
Big Scale Magic Show
Overview
Hello, and welcome to my little magic show! Before Round 7, I actually grew tired of the the
To skip all the boring team blabedy blah building talk, I wanted to create a team thats one and only goal was to facilitate a Heracross sweep. Initially, I thought this was achieved by spamming the crap out of hazards to weaken the opposing team enough so that Heracross could basically OHKO anything with any of its STABs or coverage moves. Unfortunately, even with hazards littering the playing field, I simply could not bypass Heracross best counter, since Gligar can't be worn down with spikes, is bulky as hell and can heal on a dime. Also, some opponents are capable of keeping hazards off the field and there was no way of removing consistently removing Heracross checks... that is until I started using Zoroark to its maximum potential. Overall i'm happy with the way the team turned out. It suffers from its fair share of flaws (it's hard to create a "pure" balance team in UU that can beat everything) but as long as you play it correctly you can win almost any match. In terms of achievements, this team allowed to me to peak #4 on the PS ladder, and almost go undefeated (fucking Eo) & August was able to secure #8 on the leaderboard as well (he went undefeated).
Today's team is brought you by yours truly, with some amazing help from Kokoloko and playtesting from August. The RMT format was heavily inspired by Bluewind's Somewhere Over The Rainbow team. Don't forget to check out the BW UU metagame on the way out! BW UU is your source for awesome games, memorable battles, fierce Pokemon and even fiercer players. Head on over to Showdown/PO2 and play a UU match today. Without a further ado, sit back and enjoy the show.
The lineup
Rhyperior @ Leftovers *** The Opening Act
Trait: Solid Rock
EVs: 248 HP / 16 Atk / 244 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Blast
- Stealth Rock
- Dragon Tail
Rhyperior is my Stealth Rock setter, my secondary Electric-type check and a primary check to a dozen other threats (like Darmanitan). This is by far the best spread for Rhyperior to use in UU EVER, nothing else even comes close. Kokoloko suggested I use it, and after getting obliterated repeatedly from Electric-types I never went back. I use Rock Blast over Stone Edge so in order to prevent Zapdos from royally fucking me over. Dragon Tail is a surprisingly good move. It can shuffle opposing teams and force them to eat more hazard damage, but its true use is dealing with Flygon. Since I technically don't have a concrete Flygon counter, Rhyperior is usually my best bet at checking it and Dragon Tail does a ton of damage to it. I think I may have mentioned this before(?) but Rhyperior's ability to stick around throughout the match is invaluable. Solid Rock is an incredible defensive ability, and it lets Rhyperior check some of strongest physical attackers in the tier. Barring something absurd like a STAB HJK from Mienshao, Rhyperior can tank a Fighting or Ground type move from things like Cobalion and Scarf Flygon and retaliate with vengeance. Hell, i'll leave my Rhyperior in, if its in my best interests to take out a Cobalion whatever (thank you team preview).
As a secondary Electric-Type check(you should ALWAYS have one), Rhyperior is pretty solid. Usually, Electric-types will lead with their coverage moves to nail Rhyperior, so I got to Snorlax instead, but if I know they're going to fire a Thunderbolt or a Volt Switch, then i'll gladly go to Rhyperior to stuff them. With all of that Special Defense investment, Rhyperior can take pretty much ANY coverage move thrown at it. If they carry HP ice (they shouldn't) then Rhyperior is a straight up counter to them. If HP Grass is used then Rhyperior a fairly decent check most of time, provided I don't directly switch into HP grass.
Qwilfish @ Leftovers *** The Stagehand
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Spikes
- Waterfall
- Haze
- Pain Split
Qwifish is my teams Spiker and my main check to UU Fighting-types. When building this team, I forbade myself from using Roserade as a spiker and I wanted something that could stick around & check threats. Qwilfish wound up being the perfect candidate, especially after all of those UU Fighters appeared. Seriously, Qwilfish straight up counters 70% of the Fighting-types in UU, and is a hard check to the rest of them. It sets up Spikes on practically everything in UU, especially after it gets an intimidate. I'm baffled as to why this thing isn't used more, it's great Pokemon! Haze is extremely useful for preventing set up sweepers like Kingdra, Scrafty and the like from having their way with your team. I'm actually tempted to run T-wave over Haze in order to cripple practically everything that switches into Haze, but without Haze SubSD Cobalion flat out 6-0es me (Cobalion is a huge threat to this team, SPOILERS). Pain Split's a semi-reliable heal move, but I find that it always gets the job done.
My only issue with Qwilfish is that he invites Roserade and other Grass-types to switch in for free, which is kind of annoying. It also can't really touch Blastoise (UU's best spinner) though i'm not that worried. Even if it spins once, wearing down Blastoise is incredible easy. Qwilfish happens to be a handy a pocket intimidator, so if something like Sharpedo are threatening to sweep me, I can always switch spam to keep it down.
Shaymin @ Life Orb *** The Stage manager
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Seed Flare
- Psychic
- Synthesis
- Earth Power
Shaymin just gets shit done. It can attack ferociously and defend like a pro, to me it's like... the definitive "glue" Pokemon. Shaymin is my check to annoying Bulky Water types like Suicune & Milotic that refuse to die and also it provides my team with a key Electric & Ground-type resistances. I decided to use Psychic in order to better deal with Crobat (who's annoying) and opposing Roserade. IMO all offensive Shaymin carry Psychic to slam Roserade... you don't want to give it free reign and switch in for free. My second coverage move is Earth Power, and it may look a little weird, but it's useful for hurting Steel-types like Empoleon & Registeel, and getting the OHKO on healthy Nidoking and Chandelure. It also stops SubCM kou from getting all up in my face. (Seed Flare can miss... true story) I don't regret not running HP Fire because it's weak as dirt and gives me an imperfect speed stat (3 cheers for no Escavaliers!). Synthesis is practically a requirement on Shaymin since I need to be alive for the entirety of the match and 50% healing is just awesome in general. I used to run Rest, but it's failed me a ridiculous amount of times and Synthesis is just better. It's also my 3rd Electric-type check, but I rarely have to resort to using Shaymin to deal with them (or else i'm fucked.)
It's actual a potent offensive threat, especially when Spikes and SR are down, especially when I get the SpD drop from Seed Flare and it's fairly fast too. Heracross usually does all of the sweeping, by Shaymin's no slouch. I'm considering giving Shaymin Leftovers in order to increase it's staying power... i'm still mulling it over, as each item has its own pros & cons.
Snorlax @ Choice Band *** The Stage Janitor
Trait: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 SDef / 4 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Return
- Fire Punch
- Pursuit
- Earthquake
Snorlax is extremely effective at taking out those annoying Special attackers. Seriously, if you're your team is weak to Special Attackers, run Snorlax. Lord knows he beats / checks the majority of them. He isn't perfect(no good recovery moves) but Snorlax can get the job done. I use Choice Band Snorlax because I found his other sets to be "weak" or "set up fodder." A ton of player switch their Fighting-types or strong physical attacker into Snorlax, expecting a weak Body Slam, but only to eat a powerful Return or coverage move. I've caught over a dozen Heracross & Mienshao's this way, and it still works. It's second to none at checking Special Attackers, because unlike Umbreon it can actually threaten the vast majority of them. Snorlax is my first answer to annoying things like Raikou, Yanmega & Zapdos, and while i'll admit he isn't perfect, he's still good at taking them down most of the time. CB Snorlax should also be praised for its ability to destroy Chandelure with Pursuit. Chandelure is one of the most annoying Pokemon to deal with in UU, and Snorlax switches in and annihilates it for FREE. Switch out or stay in, Snorlax doesn't give a shit, it's going to Pursuit or EQ his ass.
Another thing I like about Snorlax is its sheer bulk on the physical side too. It's not great, but I can count on it to check things like Scarf Flygon or Sharpedo at max HP. In some cases, Snorlax can be pretty weak. It ends up being a liability when hazards are up and the opponent has ghost immune / several resists, (basically useless against Stall-teams) but most of the time it's ability to destroy most Special Attackers is invaluable for this team.
Zoroark @ Choice Specs *** The Stunt Double
Trait: Illusion
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Dark Pulse
- Flamethrower
- Trick
- Focus Blast
Behold baffling, bamboozling and beautifully bewitching display of devilry. When it comes to eye-popping illusions, there is only one Pokemon that comes to mind. Zoroark is just plain old awesome in UU, and it really gets to me when I see others misuse Zoroark. Most of them adhere to "not using Zoroark until lategame" or "not using Illusion to its fullest potential." On the surface, Zoroark is just a "good" Special Attacker but with Illusion it becomes something much more... a game changer. This stuntman has many jobs, but his main goal on this team is to remove Heracross' counters. It achieves this by switching into battle disguised as Heracross and bluffing a switch. You see, Heracross is kind of a big deal, and people are eager to stop it before it can net a moxie boost. You wouldn't believe how many Ghosts & Gligar's i've nailed, simply because I've switched Zoroark into a Snorlax (while disguised as Heracross). You really have to be aggressive with those bluffs; if you play it safe and disguise as something on the revenge kill, your opponent might suspect something. If you DOUBLE switch into Zoroark, then there's a good chance you might end pulling off an Illusion kill. Another cool thing about bluffing with Zoroark is that it works both ways. When the opponent knows I have Zoroark, i'll sometimes bring out Heracross and have it take on Zoroark's checks / counters. In any case, once Heracross' counters go down/weakened then Heracross has a clean path to victory. The strategy actually works because Heracross & Zoroark share a neutrality to SR, and Heracross' ability(ies) don't have a visual cue and they're Choice users so recoil from LO/orbs etc don't mess up Illusion.
Choice Specs Zoroark EXTREMELY useful in the lead matchup. Don't even fucking listen to SJCrew i've tricked multiple (reputable even!) players into thinking I was leading with Snorlax or Heracross, but I was in actuality leading with Zoroark in the entire team. Sometimes i'll start the match with a clean 6-5 lead, simply because they thought they had the advantage in the lead matchup. I chose Choice Specs Zoroark because of the addition of Trick into its moveset via BW2 tutors. Trick turned Choice Specs from being a "meh" to "this is THE Zoroark set." Trick cripples so many UU Pokemon (specifically, Heracross counters!) and it messes up team cores. Trick can stop set up users from being a threat, ruins physical attackers and cripples every single wall in the tier. I'll even Trick against things like Togekiss & P2 to prevent them from healing. I could go on and on (10 pages) on what makes Trick so good, but i'll keep it short by saying this; Trick is the ultimate fail safe option. When you're stuck in 50/50 situations where you're not sure if your opponent will switch into Heracross check A (Golurk) or Zoroark counter B(Hitmontop), you can use Trick to come out on top, every time. Trick compounds with Illusion and turns Zoroark into the ultimate trickster Pokemon. The cool part about Trick Zoroark is that after if it's given up Choice Specs, it can still function as great Special Attacker. It gets awesome coverage between Dark Pulse, Focus Blast & Flamethrower. It's only downsides are its AWFUL defenses and the potential to invite Cobalion for free (ugh). Regardless, even though it has shitty defenses, it's arguably the most integral Pokemon in the "make Heracross sweep" plan.
Heracross @ Choice Scarf *** The Grand Finale
Trait: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Megahorn
- Close Combat
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
Heracross has the potential to wipe out everything in UU. Ordinarily, it was just a solid Choice Scarf user with some incredible lategame sweeping ability, but when it got Moxie, things changed. It gained the ability to wreck teams that relied on "1 time" physical walls like Blastoise since at +1 it hits extremely hard AND is a scarfer to boot. This basically means that you can't fodder a Pokemon against Moxie Heracross... ever. But given that many players are cowardly and generally anti-Heracross, it would be a difficult procure a sweep under normal circumstances. Fortunately, every Pokemon up until now has been dedicated to giving Heracross a clean sweep. That is, imo the true secret to this team. As long as Zoroark successfully kills, damages, or even cripples a counter, Heracross has a very legitimate chance of sweeping. It didn't matter if I was losing by a large margin, as long I had a Healthy Heracross and I took out (or even weakened) the opposing Heracross checks, I could win. Once the stage has been set, it's an extremely simple Pokemon to use. Send it out when hazards are up, and counters are down and click "Close Combat or Megahorn" (or maybe even a coverage move) and watch it sweep.
Heracross isn't just limited to just sweeping though, since there are times where I will bring it out early in the match to check faster offensive threats. It's a top notch revenge killer, and between those 4 moves, he can revenge kill everything in UU. I don't use Pursuit because Pursuit is utter shit, and Earthquake nails Qwilfish, Nidoking and Chandelure (100% of the time). It's also a little more useful against things like Raikou (if you don't want to put yourself into a position where you you have -1 def as well). In the deep, dark recesses of my mind I sometimes I consider running adamant for more POWER, but losing the ability to tie opposing Heracross, beat Adamant Darmanitan and some other things is just not worth the power boost.
Rhyperior @ Leftovers
Trait: Solid Rock
EVs: 248 HP / 16 Atk / 244 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Blast
- Stealth Rock
- Dragon Tail
Qwilfish @ Leftovers
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Waterfall
- Haze
- Pain Split
- Spikes
Shaymin @ Life Orb
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Seed Flare
- Psychic
- Synthesis
- Earth Power
Snorlax @ Choice Band
Trait: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 SDef / 4 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Return
- Fire Punch
- Pursuit
- Earthquake
Zoroark @ Choice Specs
Trait: Illusion
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Dark Pulse
- Flamethrower
- Trick
- Focus Blast
Heracross @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Megahorn
- Close Combat
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
Trait: Solid Rock
EVs: 248 HP / 16 Atk / 244 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Blast
- Stealth Rock
- Dragon Tail
Qwilfish @ Leftovers
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Waterfall
- Haze
- Pain Split
- Spikes
Shaymin @ Life Orb
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Seed Flare
- Psychic
- Synthesis
- Earth Power
Snorlax @ Choice Band
Trait: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 SDef / 4 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Return
- Fire Punch
- Pursuit
- Earthquake
Zoroark @ Choice Specs
Trait: Illusion
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Dark Pulse
- Flamethrower
- Trick
- Focus Blast
Heracross @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Megahorn
- Close Combat
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge