ORAS UU Oh My Darlin' - Cresselia Balance

[Hogg]

Introduction​

With the latest tier shifts and the ongoing Alakazam suspect, I thought it was time to put together an RMT of what I consider to be my most consistent balance team from the most recent meta. This team was built following several major offensive drops, in particular Alakazam and Gyarados, and was also a period when lots of UU favored strong offense that could overwhelm teams that didn't stack answers to common threats.

I specifically built this team to use in the semis of SPL 7 against Calloflochie. Calloflochie and Ice Tea had been almost exclusively bringing strong bulky offense teams to the table, so I wanted to bring something that could resist a major offensive push. At the same time, I knew I was fairly well known for bringing semistall (and in fact had just brought it the previous round), so I wanted to go with balance instead.

Anyhow, hope you like the team. It has done well for me, and I doubt I'll ever use it in a tour again, so I figured I'd share. Enjoy <3

Teambuilding Process

I've been kind of critical of balance as a playstyle in UU, but that's mostly because I feel like it's really easy to build crappy do-nothing balance. Some people seem to think that you can slap on three offensive threats, three walls and call it a day, only to find their teams overwhelmed by good offense, or struggling to break through bulky teams. Other people try to check every single threat in existence and just end up building crappy stall. I wanted to build a solid balance squad that avoided most of those pratfalls.

Anyhow, I knew I wanted a Spikes team, because lochie/Ice Tea had mostly brought minimal hazard control throughout SPL, so I decided to build around Spikes + RoarTalk Suicune. RoarTalk Suicune in general was just about the best blanket check to a whole wide swath of 'mons, including quite a few that Calloflochie seemed to use heavily such as Entei and Cobalion, and with Spikes support it was actually a pretty decent offensive threat all on its own.

I wanted a fast Mega that could do clean or do well versus offense, and that pretty much meant Sceptile or Aero. I'd been leaning on Aero a lot lately, and Sceptile can really do some work with Spikes support, so I went with that.

I like defensive powerhouses that can contribute offensively as well, and I also really like dual CM users on a team, since that can often throw people off who expect something a bit more passive. Florges was pretty much a must because fuck Hydreigon, while Cresselia is just stupid good right now.

Finally I wanted a rocker that wasn't useless from a defensive point of view, but also managed to pressure fat teams in case lochie broke away from his usual MO and brought a more passive team. Taunt Krook hadn't seen much play recently, and it has been something I've really enjoyed playing with, so on it went.

The Team​

Sceptile-Mega @ Sceptilite *** dance my pain away
Ability: Overgrow
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Leaf Storm
- Dragon Pulse
- Giga Drain
- Focus Blast

Prior to SPL, I think Mega-Sceptile was still primarily seen as a niche Mega. It rarely appeared in any prominent games during UU Open, and was mostly considered inferior to more common Megas such as Aerodactyl. The person who really blew it up was teal6, who used it a ton on his way to a crazy 8-1 run this SPL, but it's easy to see why it does so well this meta. It manages to punish a lot of common balance cores while still performing decently against offense. Defensively it's not dead weight either, thanks to a lovely 4x resistance to the dreaded Scald and a handy Electric immunity. Its base 145 Speed tier also became a lot more crucial after Alakazam dropped.

Anyhow, this is pretty much the standard set for a reason, as it tends to punish any team lacking a Florges or Blissey. Modest versus Timid is always a struggle for me; my general rule of thumb is that I prefer Modest + Protect on more offensive teams, as the extra power is appreciated in breaking down balance teams, but Protect means it isn't dead weight when trying to evolve against threats like Alakazam or Mega-Absol. In this case I went with Timid and Giga Drain, as Forry is kind of a mediocre spinner, and Giga helps recover off hazard damage.

Krookodile @ Rocky Helmet *** how you wanna carry it
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Knock Off
- Earthquake
- Taunt

I'd been leaning a lot on Swampert in SPL, as I feel it's the most reliable Rocker in the tier, but for this team I wanted something a little less passive. I went with Rocky Helmet Krook in its place. I've always found Dread Plate Krook disappointing in damage output, while Life Orb Krook usually dies too quickly to set rocks multiple times in a match. Rocky Helmet is nice chip damage in general, and in particular helps discourage Rapid Spin enough to let this team get away with running Spikes without a Ghost type or a crazy amount of offense.

Taunt is the only other non-standard move; Pursuit didn't really do much for the team, as the only Ghost that the team can struggle with is Sableye, who doesn't care about Pursuit (but DOES care about Taunt). Taunt on the other hand is a HUGE help against CurseLax, which is the single biggest threat to this team, as my only real way of dealing with it otherwise is Roaring with Suicune.

Forretress @ Leftovers *** click pow
Ability: Overcoat
EVs: 252 HP / 16 Def / 240 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Spikes
- Gyro Ball
- Volt Switch
- Rapid Spin

I knew when I was building this team that I wanted Spikes, as they allow RoarTalk Suicune to actually hold some offensive utility, and make Mega-Sceptile way deadlier. It helped that a lot of offense teams this meta were foregoing hazard control in general. With most Spikers in the tier matching up poorly against offensive teams in general and Alakazam in particular, I went with Forretress. Mostly I think Forry is mediocre as a spinner, but it is pretty reliable at getting a couple of layers of Spikes down and it can act as a secondary check to a pretty wide swath of 'mons.

The spread here is primarily so that Forretress doesn't get forced out by Focus Blast from Alakazam and Mega-Sceptile while still being a decent check to physical threats like Aero. Suicune/Florges/Cress take a lot of pressure off of Forretress as any sort of wall, so instead it primarily focuses on getting in Spikes and pivoting out to a stronger counter. (Also, don't run Sturdy, it never works... Overcoat Forry or go home.)

Suicune @ Leftovers *** bank rolls
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 240 HP / 236 Def / 32 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Roar
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

Roar Suicune is so, so, so good, and it works its way onto a lot of my balance teams as a result. Usually I opt for the more offensive CM Roar set, but for this team I wanted a stronger answer to things like Gyarados and Entei, so I went with RoarTalk. It's not as passive as it looks, though - with even a single layer of Spikes down, RoarTalk Suicune can actually be really punishing for teams as they try to work around it. Plus it's just a blanket check for so much in this tier, from just about every setup sweeper to strong Fire and Fighting types.

The amount of Speed I use on Suicune differs from day to day, but I'd always recommend creeping the hell out of it - bad things happen to people who lose Speed ties in a Suicune vs. Suicune fight. It also helps you in doing things like PP stalling out Cresselia, and creeping on things that try to get sneaky and beat Suicune.

Florges @ Leftovers *** oh my darlin
Ability: Flower Veil
EVs: 236 HP / 232 Def / 24 SpD / 16 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Moonblast
- Aromatherapy
- Synthesis

I feel like Florges (and now Sylveon) is pretty much a necessity for balance if you don't want to get eaten alive by LO Hydreigon. CM Florges still maintains a decent bit of utility, though, with amazing Special bulk + CM to act as more or less a full stop against the most dangerous Special sweepers of the tier. While Florges can and does sweep on its own, in general Calm Mind acts more as a way to insure opposing Special sweepers can't break through you.

Not much to say here; Calm was pretty much a necessity to be able to consistently switch into strong special wallbreakers like Kyurem and Hydreigon, and the rest is pretty much standard.

Cresselia @ Leftovers *** watch out for the big girl
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 240 HP / 216 Def / 52 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Psyshock
- Moonblast / Thunder Wave
- Moonlight

Cresselia is so insanely good right now. The only 'mon that can come close to checking as many threats all in one tidy little package is Suicune, and between the two of them they can put a full stop to most offensive teams. Suicune/Florges/Cress are actually pretty key in general, because they provide redundant answers to what are probably the two biggest balance breakers in the tier, Mamoswine and Alakazam.

The Speed might seem unnecessary, but I find it helps; I added it after an unfortunate experience during testing where a Suicune managed to PP stall me out of Psyshocks late game (+6 Psyshock is a 3HKO, meaning that if Suicune outspeeds and has Rest, it requires at least 10 Psyshocks to beat it thanks to Pressure). It also means you tend to beat a lot of the stallbreakers like Jellicent that try to creep Suicune. Thunder Wave is kind of a cool bit of tech if you know you're going up against offense, and is what I used in the game versus Calloflochie - it lets you play Cress as a defensive pivot early game, shutting down stuff like Zam or Gyara (even unboosted Psyshock breaks Gyara's Sub), while still surprising the opponent with a CM sweep late game. That said, Moonblast is definitely the move that's consistently better against the majority of teams.

Replay & Review​

Was this team successful? Well, I built it for a specific game and it performed pretty much exactly as I'd hoped there, winning in the semis of SPL against Calloflochie.

I also laddered up in testing the team, and it performed consistently well against most teams. It particularly excelled in the Gyarados/Zapdos/Alakazam meta, and it seems like it would still do well in the current meta as well.

That said, the team isn't without its flaws. In particular, it has trouble breaking through a well-built stall team. Your best bet against stall is to try to get hazards down and play really aggressively with Sceptile and Krookodile, as they tend to pressure most spinners and defoggers used on stall. I've also mentioned that you have to play really carefully around CurseLax - while RoarTalk Suicune always beats it, you always have to watch out for the threat of last-mon CurseLax. Taunt Krookodile is once again your friend here.

importable

Sceptile-Mega @ Sceptilite
Ability: Overgrow
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Leaf Storm
- Dragon Pulse
- Giga Drain
- Focus Blast

Krookodile @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Knock Off
- Earthquake
- Taunt

Forretress @ Leftovers
Ability: Overcoat
EVs: 252 HP / 16 Def / 240 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Spikes
- Gyro Ball
- Volt Switch
- Rapid Spin

Suicune @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 240 HP / 236 Def / 32 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Roar
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

Florges @ Leftovers
Ability: Flower Veil
EVs: 236 HP / 232 Def / 24 SpD / 16 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Moonblast
- Aromatherapy
- Synthesis

Cresselia @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 240 HP / 216 Def / 52 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Psyshock
- Moonblast
- Moonlight

 

[dodmen]

This team is going into the RMT archive to represent /the/ standard ORAS UU balance archetype. This archetype has nearly 100% of the basic necessities for balance in the tier and the overall structure of the team has been used successfully since the end of SPL 6. In particular, the core of Florges/Forretress/Suicune is a tried and true balance backbone that lasted throughout the entirety of Generation VI UU, though there are many possible ways to build a team around this core. While Hogg's version of the team is one of the most consistent and successful versions, we decided to go into some of the minor variations that this particular structure can use to fully capture ORAS UU balance for the archive.

Mega Abomasnow

Using Mega Abomasnow over Sceptile provides a better check to certain Water-types that may threaten Hogg's version of the team. For example, Milotic can shut down Hogg's Calm Mind users, threaten Forretress and Krookodile with Scald, and threaten Mega Sceptile with Ice Beam. However, Mega Abomasnow can punish Milotic and proceed to fire off powerful Blizzards or Giga Drain. Additionally, Mega Abomasnow can put constant pressure on Snorlax with Focus Blast. Mega Abomasnow can also check Dragon Dance Feraligatr, Mega Swampert, and Dragon Dance Salamence that might have broken through their respective checks, as well as weakened threats such as Slurpuff and Mega Beedrill. However, Mega Abomasnow's hail can interfere with Cresselia's Moonlight and Florges's Synthesis; additionally, Mega Sceptile's Speed is preferred in some situations such as against Nasty Plot Mega Houndoom, Nasty Plot Infernape, and Swords Dance Feraligatr.

Kyurem and Mega Aerodactyl

Replacing Mega Sceptile and Krookodile with Kyurem and Mega Aerodactyl retains a check to most Water-types in Kyurem that hits much harder than Mega Sceptile. Kyurem also served as a nice check to Zapdos, whose Toxic set could cause some problem's for Hogg's version of the team. Kyurem's Dragon Tail works extremely well with the entry hazard support that the rest of the team utilizes. Mega Aerodactyl is a solid answer to Chandelure, a rather large threat for Hogg's tea, if it carries Choice Specs or Calm Mind, as well as other threats such as Life Orb Alakazam, Mega Beedrill, and Nasty Plot Azelf. Mega Aerodactyl can also check Nasty Plot Celebi, an enormous threat to Hogg's team capable of sweeping if given a free turn of setup against Suicune. Mega Aerodactyl is rather strapped for moveslots here, however; it needs to run Stealth Rock if Forretress wants to continue using Spikes, it needs Roost to stay healthy throughout the game, and would like to have Pursuit to trap the aforementioned threats. This doesn't leave enough room to properly utilize Mega Aerodactyl's brilliant movepool. In addition, this variant of the team is weaker to defensive Water-types, since Kyurem is heavily pressured by switching into Stealth Rock and possible Scald burns.

Jellicent

Jellicent is an interesting choice on this balance archetype. Most important, it checks Curse Snorlax and Calm Mind Reuniclus, which can beat Hogg's team if Krookodile can't prevent it from setting up enough, while still retaining a decent check to Infernape, Nidoqueen, and Mega Swampert. Jellicent can also check Escavalier, whose Swords Dance variant can easily beat Hogg's team or at least force him to sack Krookodile and allow Suicune to be heavily weakened. However, Cresselia's Ground immunity is appreciated when it comes to handling Mamoswine and Nidoking. Overall, Jellicent doesn't have the bulk to stand up to some huge threats that Cresselia can deal with, but eases the matchup against bulkier teams.

Bronzong Tentacruel and Snorlax

This version of the team shuffles around some of the roles in order to use Curse Snorlax, a notable threat to bulky teams (such as Hogg's version of the team) that lack a Ghost-type. Bronzong retains a check to threats such as Nidoqueen and Shaymin while providing an even better one to offensive Fairy-types such as Gardevoir and Sylveon that threaten Hogg's team. Additionally, Bronzong can run Stealth Rock, allowing Krookodile to run a Choice Band in order to deal with threats such as Calm Mind Reuniclus much more easily; Choice Band Krookodile can also Pursuit trap many Pokemon that might hinder a Snorlax sweep. Tentacruel can use Toxic Spikes in order to wear down even more Snorlax checks, such as Sableye. This team is also less bulky overall, making it more susceptible to some threats such as Mega Swampert, Swords Dance Lum Berry Cobalion, all-out attacking Salamence, and Knock Off Mamoswine (though Tentacruel should always be EV'd to outspeed Jolly Mamoswine).

Swampert and Toxicroak

This team utilizes Calm Mind Roar Suicune in combination with Wish Florges and bulky Toxicroak. With Suicune lacking Sleep Talk, it cannot be completely relied upon to answer attackers such as Mamoswine and Mega Aerodactyl, so Swampert replaces Krookodile here as a better answer to those Pokemon. Bulky Toxicroak is used here as it has more longevity compared to offensive Toxicroak; the additional bulk it has helps it defeat some of its usual checks such as defensive Salamence. Swampert and Toxicroak both appreciate Wish support from Florges. This team lacks entry hazard removal so it can be worn down by Spikes; Forretress, Roserade, and Chesnaught all can easily set up Spikes on some members of the team. Additionally, there are many special attacks attackers that the team struggles to switch into, such as Mega Abomasnow, Sylveon, and Shaymin. The team also cannot beat Slurpuff, which can set up on Florges and Cresselia, unless Suicune is awake and at full health.

Sylveon

Wish Sylveon can be used in place of Florges in some cases. On these types of teams, many of its potential members, such as Krookodile, Forretress, and Tentacruel, love having Wish support, and Sylveon's Wishes are much larger than Florges's. Sylveon also has higher physical bulk than Florges, meaning it can stomach hits from attackers such as Mega Aerodactyl and Heracross much more easily. On the other hand, Sylveon's lack of one-turn recovery is detrimental in many cases, as it is often forced to stay in and use Protect in order to heal itself up to full. This can often lead to setup from switchins such as Forretress and Cobalion. Also, Florges's higher special bulk makes it a better answer to some threats like Kyurem and Mega Blastoise, the latter of which can pressure Sylveon even further with Scald burns.