Hi there. I won an ADV Ubers tournament recently and I highly enjoyed playing in it, so I figured I'd post a couple teams I rather enjoyed using to get you guys excited for it too. These teams were used against my buddy Raseri in the finals, and performed pretty well in other places.
A bit of background: ADV Ubers has seen little high-level exposure until recently, which is a shame as it is very enjoyable and - despite being hypercentralized around the toughest titans ADV has to offer - remarkably well-balanced for an Ubers metagame. To bring some activity to this underappreciated metagame, it was included in UPL 3 and a recently concluded ADV Ubers Tournament hosted by Minority Suspect. It met a positive response in both venues, and a variety of strategies and Pokemon that I'm not sure were used often before found pretty good success. I expect it will be included in future UPLs and I'm glad it has been played at a high level once more, as it really is a fun tier.
Anyway, enough of my blabbering: you likely came here to see teams, and I've got two of them I think are worth sharing. There was also a third one I was gonna post here, but its strategy is very similar to the first team so I'll probably just slap it in the Sample Team thread. Each one is treated as a separate (but brief) RMT, so feel free to comment on whichever one you want. I hope you enjoy them. :]
Team 1: Boom-Boom-Pow (Sun Physical Offense)
While most ADV Ubers teams are largely specially-based due to the dominance of Lati@s and Kyogre, this team bucks that trend by being comprised of mostly physical attackers. Most ADV Ubers teams aside from heavy stall don't stack physical tanks - Groudon or some kind of physically fat Steel usually fills that role. This team aims to bust them up using an assortment of strong physical wallbreakers to clear a path for CB Aerodactyl, a famed late-game cleaner in ADV OU that can put in some work in Ubers as well.
Groudon @ Leftovers
Ability: Drought
EVs: 252 HP / 156 Atk / 100 SpD
Adamant Nature
IVs: 30 Spe
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Thunder Wave
The standard ADV Ubers Groudon set with a few EV/IV tweaks. Stealth Rock doesn't exist in ADV and you don't really need Impish unless you're running stall, so Swords Dance tends to be the thing to do with Groudon. Sun is vital to help this team cope with BoltBeam spam and power up Ho-Oh and Snorlax's fire moves, so I like to try and keep Groudon around until the enemy Kyogre is dead. Aside from that, it paralyzes stuff (Lati@s mostly) and puts pressure on annoying tanks like defensive Kyogre, enemy Groudon, and Lugia. Groudon leads mostly to just get sun up early to curb early-game Thunder spam, which can be important as my Lati@s checks don't really like taking too many Thunders. It also means I get an easy pass to Snorlax against Latios or Kyogre leads, who are unable to damage it too much in sun, usually allowing me to force in the foe's Steel-type early and damage it heavily with Snorlax's coverage moves. Rock Slide is the coverage option since it offers the best general coverage with Earthquake, and the flinch rate is abusable in conjunction with full paralysis procs.
The 30 Speed IV outslows Kyogre leads so I get sun up on Turn 1. 100 SpD EVs allow Groudon to survive Ice Beam from Modest Latios at full HP, which can occasionally be useful in clutch situations.
Snorlax @ Leftovers
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Brave Nature
- Body Slam
- Fire Blast
- Earthquake
- Self-Destruct
Snorlax is a very useful Pokemon in ADV Ubers - it can take hits from most special attackers not named Kyogre and exerts a great amount of offensive pressure with the threat of Curse, CB boosted Body Slam, or STAB Self-Destruct. This is a somewhat different take on it that focuses more on luring in and crushing Steel-types with its coverage options. Sun-boosted Fire Blast roasts Forretress and Skarmory nicely even with Snorlax's garbage Special Attack, while Earthquake deals with every other Steel-type. Body Slam is a safe STAB move with a solid 30% chance to paralyze any possible switch-ins, while STAB Self-Destruct will kill pretty much anything that isn't a Steel-type or a healthy Groudon. Snorlax usually comes in early game to lure in and smash up the opposing Steel-type before trying to Explode on something, though it is also quite useful as a check to enemy special attacking threats such as Lati@s, CM Jirachi, Regice, and Mewtwo without Focus Punch.
Registeel @ Leftovers
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 112 Atk / 144 SpD
Careful Nature
- Curse
- Hidden Power [Ghost]
- Earthquake
- Explosion
Having a backup answer to Lati@s is important as Snorlax tends to get used up early game, not to mention using both Lati twins is a very viable strategy in ADV Ubers. Registeel readily provides this extra safeguard, as well as a way to keep up pressure on the enemy's physical tanks. While Snorlax tends to lure in Steel-types, Registeel usually forces in Groudon or bulky Rest Kyogre, and it can usually land the +1 Explosion on them when the time comes as Registeel is pretty hard to kill without resorting to one of them. On the flip side, Registeel has a somewhat hard time actually killing stuff aside from Explosion, so it relies on covering as many common weaknesses as possible with Hidden Power Ghost and Earthquake. It can actually sweep a few teams if saved until lategame thanks to its bulk, resistances, and immunity to Toxic.
The EV Spread was created by the late Melee Mewtwo. 112 Attack allows Registeel to 2HKO Latias with +1 Hidden Power Ghost, and usually KO Groudon and physically defensive Kyogre with a bit of prior damage (actually after a layer of Spikes, but I don't have Spikes on this team OOPS) with +1 Explosion. The rest goes towards fortifying Registeel's special bulk.
Ho-Oh @ Choice Band
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe
Lonely Nature
- Hidden Power [Flying]
- Earthquake
- Shadow Ball
- Sacred Fire
Ho-Oh sponges Will-O-Wisp and Sacred Fires (important for a mostly physical team) and just breaks stuff. This is generally my switch into Steel-types if they aren't dead yet, and it is capable of pressuring almost everything with its incredible coverage. Ho-Oh is generally used early to mid-game along with Snorlax to cause mayhem. The only reliable switch into CB Ho-Oh is physically defensive Kyogre, which is still 3HKOed by Hidden Power Flying so even it has to be careful. Burning bulky Rock-types and Groudon gives Aerodactyl an easier time late-game. This is also my best Mewtwo check assuming sun is out, as it can generally force it to explode. Not much else to say, Ho-Oh just comes in when it can and tries to murder stuff, much like what it does in modern gens.
Speed EVs outspeed minimum Speed Jirachi, so I can kill it before it attempts to paralyze Ho-Oh.
Latios @ Soul Dew
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 112 SpD / 144 Spe
Timid Nature
- Calm Mind
- Dragon Claw
- Recover
- Refresh
Lati@s is on almost every good ADV Ubers team, and it isn't hard to see why. In terms of raw power, they're the most threatening special attackers save Kyogre, and they're also the most reliable check to the overgrown whale. While Latias normally runs the monoCM Refresh set due to better defenses, Latios reliably 3HKOes Kyogre with Dragon Claw which gives it better odds of actually killing it in CM wars. Refresh lets it scoot around Toxic Blissey and take on CM Thunder Wave/Toxic variants of Kyogre a bit better (yes these exist, and they're annoying). I also like the Dragon Claw variant here since this team has many options for getting rid of Steel-types, making Latios cleans a very real possibility late-game. I have considered using Thunder over Refresh to more damage to Kyogre, but it leaves Latios more vulnerable to status variants, plus offensive sets are a bit easier to revenge with a bit of damage.
Speed EVs beat Modest Lati@s, giving me a bit of extra SpD for handling Kyogre a little better.
Aerodactyl @ Choice Band
Ability: Rock Head
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Double-Edge
- Rock Slide
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Ghost]
Aerodactyl's a fairly decent cleaner once the physically fat Pokemon are out of the way. I chose it instead of Deoxys-A (otherwise a superior option due to its much greater power) for its ability to reliably revenge kill birds, specifically Ho-Oh and Rayquaza, due to Aero's resistances to Flying, Ground, and Extremespeed. This team would have some severe issues dealing with those Pokemon otherwise, so having Aerodactyl around to OHKO them on demand is quite helpful. It is also a good emergency check to SubSalac Groudon, as it can survive a +2 Hidden Power Ghost at full HP and strip off the last peg of its life with Double-Edge. The moveset is standard fare for Aerodactyl, with Hidden Power Ghost in the filler slot for maximum damage against Lati@s. Pursuit is normally run there for Shedinja-trapping utility, but Shedinja is only capable of coming in on Latios so I didn't see Pursuit as particularly necessary.
Adamant is required to maximize damage output. Aerodactyl stills outspeeds Lati@s with Adamant which is really as fast as it needs to be.
Team 1 Threats
- Mixed attackers with Fighting-type moves are generally the most annoying threats to deal with, since my my special tanks are both weak to Fighting. Mixed Rayquaza and Mewtwo with Brick Break/Focus Punch are notable examples. Aerodactyl can revenge kill Rayquaza easily, however, and BB/FP Mewtwo can still be dealt with by Ho-Oh with sun or a healthy Snorlax.
- Endure Salac Heracross, though extremely rare, can sweep this team easily in the late-game if Groudon is weakened and it has Rock Slide to kill Ho-Oh.
- Offensive Calm Mind Thunder Wave Kyogre is a big threat to this team if some unfortunate luck befalls Latios, but that set threatens every team barring ones with Shedinja so I'm not sure how much it counts.
Team 1 Importable
Groudon @ Leftovers
Ability: Drought
EVs: 252 HP / 156 Atk / 100 SpD
Adamant Nature
IVs: 30 Spe
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Thunder Wave
Ho-Oh @ Choice Band
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe
Lonely Nature
- Hidden Power [Flying]
- Earthquake
- Shadow Ball
- Sacred Fire
Latios @ Soul Dew
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 112 SpD / 144 Spe
Timid Nature
- Calm Mind
- Dragon Claw
- Recover
- Refresh
Snorlax @ Leftovers
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Brave Nature
- Body Slam
- Fire Blast
- Earthquake
- Self-Destruct
Registeel @ Leftovers
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 112 Atk / 144 SpD
Careful Nature
- Curse
- Hidden Power [Ghost]
- Earthquake
- Explosion
Aerodactyl @ Choice Band
Ability: Rock Head
EVs: 252 Atk / 32 SpD / 224 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Double-Edge
- Rock Slide
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Ghost]
Ability: Drought
EVs: 252 HP / 156 Atk / 100 SpD
Adamant Nature
IVs: 30 Spe
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Thunder Wave
Ho-Oh @ Choice Band
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe
Lonely Nature
- Hidden Power [Flying]
- Earthquake
- Shadow Ball
- Sacred Fire
Latios @ Soul Dew
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 112 SpD / 144 Spe
Timid Nature
- Calm Mind
- Dragon Claw
- Recover
- Refresh
Snorlax @ Leftovers
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Brave Nature
- Body Slam
- Fire Blast
- Earthquake
- Self-Destruct
Registeel @ Leftovers
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 112 Atk / 144 SpD
Careful Nature
- Curse
- Hidden Power [Ghost]
- Earthquake
- Explosion
Aerodactyl @ Choice Band
Ability: Rock Head
EVs: 252 Atk / 32 SpD / 224 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Double-Edge
- Rock Slide
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Ghost]
Team 2: Calm Before The Storm (Rain Balance)
This is a balanced team that focuses on spreading Spikes/Toxic around and then overwhelming the opponent by throwing a bunch Calm Mind sweepers at them. This was one of the first ADV Ubers team I created, and it held up well throughout the tournament, notably defeating the formidable gorgie in our enjoyable G3.
Latios @ Soul Dew
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Calm Mind
- Ice Beam
- Thunder
- Recover
This is the real standard Latios set. Simple and hits like a train. Forgoing STAB on Latios might seem subpar in modern gens, but Ice Beam gets the same KOes Dragon Claw achieves while also wrecking Groudon and Lugia, making it the superior choice when coupled with Thunder. Thunder even has the same power as STAB Dragon Claw in case you were scared of losing any damage output. Latios is also one of the best leads in ADV Ubers; it threatens out common Groudon and Kyogre leads while revealing relatively little information about your team from the outset, as you would usually expect to find a Latios on most teams regardless. That being said, Groudon and Kyogre leads often carry Thunder Wave, so I'll usually chicken out and go to one of my walls to scout for it. Ironically, this also tends to be the late-game cleaner as Kyogre and Mewtwo are better suited for wallbreaking roles, which is a testament to Latios's flexibility in many games.
Kyogre @ Lum Berry
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 Spe
Modest Nature
- Calm Mind
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Thunder Wave
This set is very fun to use and incredibly devastating to most teams. It is capable of breaking past Lati@s and Blissey with ease, allowing my other Calm Mind users to wreak havoc later in the match. The idea is to paralyze Lati@s as they come in and then switch out, then Calm Mind up later and destroy them with Ice Beam when they come back in. If they are Refresh, they likely will lack Thunder, so you have a good chance at breaking them with Ice Beam and full paralysis procs. Blissey is straight up 2HKOed by +1 Hydro Pump, no questions asked. Lum Berry gives Kyogre a one-time shield from Blissey's Toxic, preventing it from stalling you out, and offers protection against Lati@s if they manage to paralyze you with Thunder during your attempt to take them down. Only Shedinja and Ludicolo (to some extent) can reliably take this thing down, both of which can be dealt with by other means fairly easily.
Kyogre's rain support is also invaluable for boosting Latios's and Mewtwo's Thunder and reducing the Fire weakness of my Steel-types. That being said, opposing Kyogre are common enough to where I only have to conserve Kyogre somewhat against pure sun teams.
Jirachee was right when he said offensive CM Kyogre owns. :O
Mewtwo @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Rash Nature
- Calm Mind
- Ice Beam
- Thunder
- Self-Destruct
Mewtwo is an extremely versatile Pokemon in ADV Ubers and it has like 8 viable sets, but in my opinion this is one of the best ones for its ability to severely threaten almost everything in the game. It usually ends up cleaning up late-game or clearing a path for Latios to do so. Ice Beam and Thunder provide optimal special coverage and destroy most things after a Calm Mind, while Self-Destruct destroys the opponent's special tank to open a hole for one of my other Calm Mind sweepers. That's all there really is to it - Mewtwo doesn't excel at defensive roles due to its poor defensive typing (and lack of Will-O-Wisp access in Gen 3), so when it comes out its either going kamikaze into something or finishing up the match.
Unlike modern gens, Mewtwo can afford to run a +SpA nature. It still outspeeds even Timid Lati@s, and there is nothing notable between 359 and 394 Speed except other +SpA Mewtwo variants. Rash is used over Mild to lessen the damage Mewtwo takes from Extremespeed.
Metagross @ Choice Band
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 116 Atk / 124 SpD / 16 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Meteor Mash
- Earthquake
- Pursuit
- Explosion
Metagross gives this mostly special team some much needed physical power, as well as a reliable answer to certain Pokemon that would otherwise be very threatening. Its primary function is to Pursuit trap Shedinja and (Choice Band) Deoxys-A, both of which are major threats to my offensive core. Because of this, Metagross is generally concealed until I can ascertain the existence of one of two Pokemon on the foe's team, as they can be difficult to pin down, especially when paired with Magneton. In addition to these roles, it can switch into tanks such as Blissey and Regice and force them out with ease, and it is a reliable answer to monoCM Lati@s and Calm Mind Jirachi. Once these Pokemon have been dealt with, Metagross can go out with a powerful Explosion, which will kill pretty much any non-resist.
The EV Spread offers enough Speed to outrun Adamant Shedinja (in case it has Baton Pass) and enough Attack to OHKO Latios with Meteor Mash while maximizing special bulk. I have been considering running a different item to lessen Metagross's vulnerability to Magneton, but the power of Choice Band is hard to ignore.
Skarmory @ Leftovers
Ability: Keen Eye
EVs: 252 HP / 232 Def / 24 Spe
Bold Nature
- Spikes
- Toxic
- Taunt
- Drill Peck
Skarmory learns the coveted Spikes and can beat pretty much any physical attacker without a Fire or Electric move, making it a solid choice for a physical wall even in Ubers. The most important threats it takes on are SubSalac/SD TWave Groudon, DD Rayquaza, and Curse Snorlax, all of which it can easily beat with Toxic stall and Taunt to stop recovery attempts. Toxic is also generally reliable against Snorlax since they usually prefer Thick Fat in Ubers over Immunity to take all the Ice Beams flying around more effectively. Skarmory also makes a good sponge for CB Flying and Ghost attacks. Taunt and Drill Peck also allow Skarmory to beat down Forretress without letting it set Spikes up, which can be important as this team lacks a spinner.
I'd love to fit Whirlwind onto this set to help against Immunity Snorlax, but I can't seem to find the room for it. It would have to go over Drill Peck (Drill Peck + Whirlwind is illegal in ADV), but that makes Forretress considerably more annoying.
The Speed EVs were, believe it or not, taken from the default PS! EV spread suggestion. I just wanted some creep to outrun slow Magneton and 24 EVs seemed good enough. I don't see the point in running Special Defense EVs as Skarmory cannot be relied upon to beat any notable special attackers, especially since many rely on Electric coverage.
Blissey @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 Def / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Wish
- Protect
- Toxic
- Seismic Toss
Blissey checks non-Refresh Lati@s and helps keep my Steel-types in good health with Wish. That's pretty much all it does, but it's an important role as Lati@s are the most common Pokemon in the metagame, and my Steel-types are needed to perform crucial defensive roles. Blissey also acts as my Thunder sponge, which is required on every ADV Ubers team depending on who you talk to, and can usually force special Mewtwos to explode. I will say that I've considered switching to Calm Mind Blissey a few times to help against Calm Mind Jirachi and give me another solid win condition, but this means only my Steel-types can kill Shedinja which makes me vulnerable to the very viable and dangerous Magneton + Shedinja teams.
Not much else to say, it's standard Wish Blissey.
Team 2 Threats
- Magneton resists BoltBeam and can trap and KO my Steel-types easily, which is a huge problem depending on its teammates. Metal Sound variants can also beat Blissey which makes it even more annoying. Usually I try to get Kyogre in on something that isn't a STAB Electric move and just blast it away with Hydro Pump, otherwise I just try to scout for it and play cautiously. It's bulk also isn't the best so continously attacking it will bring it down before long. Probably the biggest threat to this team just because of its typing and Magnet Pull.
- Calm Mind Jirachi is very threatening if Metagross is dead. Switching to Calm Mind Blissey would help with this, however.
- Mixed Rayquaza is still annoying, but it cannot 2HKO Metagross without a Fire-type move, Mewtwo easily revenges, and it cannot come close to OHKOing Kyogre so it's not as much of a threat as it is to the first team.
Team 2 Importable
Latios @ Soul Dew
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Calm Mind
- Ice Beam
- Thunder
- Recover
Kyogre @ Lum Berry
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 Spe
Modest Nature
- Calm Mind
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Thunder Wave
Metagross @ Choice Band
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 116 Atk / 140 SpD / 16 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Meteor Mash
- Earthquake
- Pursuit
- Explosion
Mewtwo @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Rash Nature
- Calm Mind
- Ice Beam
- Thunder
- Self-Destruct
Skarmory @ Leftovers
Ability: Keen Eye
EVs: 252 HP / 232 Def / 24 Spe
Bold Nature
- Spikes
- Toxic
- Taunt
- Drill Peck
Blissey @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 Def / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Wish
- Protect
- Toxic
- Seismic Toss
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Calm Mind
- Ice Beam
- Thunder
- Recover
Kyogre @ Lum Berry
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 Spe
Modest Nature
- Calm Mind
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Thunder Wave
Metagross @ Choice Band
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 116 Atk / 140 SpD / 16 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Meteor Mash
- Earthquake
- Pursuit
- Explosion
Mewtwo @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Rash Nature
- Calm Mind
- Ice Beam
- Thunder
- Self-Destruct
Skarmory @ Leftovers
Ability: Keen Eye
EVs: 252 HP / 232 Def / 24 Spe
Bold Nature
- Spikes
- Toxic
- Taunt
- Drill Peck
Blissey @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 Def / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Wish
- Protect
- Toxic
- Seismic Toss
Conclusion
ADV Ubers is cool and you should play it.
I hope you enjoyed these teams. I have others, but I'll probably just dump them into the Sample Team thread since they're either similar in strategy to ones posted here or elsewhere, or have some kinks to iron out.
Thanks for reading! :]
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