SM Ubers Trapped: A Hex-Gengar Balance [Peak 1859, #3]

[Kyogre is GR8]

Hello everyone and welcome to my second RMT! I wanted to construct a USUM team that revolves around spreading status and Mega-Gengar being able to pick things off. HexGar is no joke and can easily poke holes in the best of teams due to its ability to pick its match ups. Removing threats and having access to the likes of taunt, destiny bond, and substitute among other things makes Gengar very unpredictable and tough to deal with. With the right team support and patience, Mega-Gengar can wreak havoc. This team at its core can deal with various playstyles and is quite flexible. With each addition on the team, I wanted to ensure that whatever support I added complemented Mega-Gengar. Like every team it has its flaws and I hope to get a solid rate from you guys! :]

Gengar-Mega
Ability: Shadow Tag
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk

Taunt

Hex

Sludge Wave

Substitute

The heart and soul of this team. Shadow tag immediately threatens passive teams and utility mons. Mega-Gengar has such a diverse move pool and unfortunately only four moves. Hex and Sludge Wave were the indefinite choices; one taking advantage of status and the other a powerful enough STAB. Taunt helps to deal with support mons. I initially opted for a Destiny Bond set but rarely found myself using it, especially with the nerf. Destiny bond was a failsafe and didn’t contribute much to the team other than that. Since Gar forces out so many switches pre-mega, I feel sub is a much more valuable move. This also allows me to get a free sub/taunt vs Smeargle leads. Other than that, not much else to say. EVs are standard max attack/speed.

Zygarde-Complete
Ability: Power Construct
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature

Thousand Arrows

Glare

Rest

Toxic

Zygarde-Complete has become such an important part of balance teams and for good reason. In a tier where Primal-Groudon is so prominent, Zygarde is one of the best answers to that mon. The EVs are of a typical Zygarde, however I chose to run dual status because of the longevity that this thing provides. Quite frankly it never dies if you play smart with it. I forgo Dragon Tail and Sleep Talk as I found that I don’t necessarily need either because of the support that I have been able to provide with the rest of this team. Having the option of Glare and Toxic helps as you can cripple things that don’t mind switching in to Zyg such as Fairyceus. If Gothitelle becomes enough of an issue, I usually opt for Dragon Tail over Toxic in order for a more manageable matchup.

Necrozma-Dusk-Mane
Ability: Prism Armor
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature

Stealth Rock

Sunsteel Strike

Morning Sun

Toxic

Specially defensive Dusk-Mane was a no brainer. It fulfills the roles that I need for it to do. I needed a Stealth Rocker and an Xerneas check and this thing does both at very little cost. Running 3 mons that are weak to Xern amplifies the importance of this thing to the team. Stealth Rocks are one of the most pivotal moves in the game. Furthermore, I can spread status and pave the path for Hex-Gar to come revenge kill or clean late-game. The only issue is that this particular set draws in opposing set up sweepers and gives them an opportunity to set up which is why I sometimes prioritize toxicing if I'm predicting a switch over getting rocks up.

Arceus-Dragon
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 252 HP / 156 SpD / 100 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk

Toxic

Defog

Recover

Will-O-Wisp

While a weird choice, Arceus Dragon does what it needs to do for this team. I needed a specially defensive defogger that could tackle Eruption/Water Spout with ease and wouldn’t get worn down. Not running a Primal-Groudon of my own means that my team has lackluster defenses against a Kyogre team. Maintaining Dragonceus’ health is important if I want to give myself a chance against the whale. Ice Beam is a roll and my only way of handling Kyogre is through recover and toxic stalling. I tried Groudon-Primal in place of this to handle Kyogre, but it doesn’t have access to any form of recovery or defog and running Ho-Oh means that I have to run defog. No attacks Arceus is dangerous as I lure in set up sweepers but I haven’t found it much troublesome. I tried using refresh Dragonceus but found things like Necrozma-DM setting up on me and opted for will-o and it has worked well thus far. The EV spread allows me to speedcreep the standard 330 utility arc set by 1 point. The rest is invested into HP and SpDef.

252+ SpA Kyogre-Primal Ice Beam vs. 252 HP / 156 SpD Arceus-Dragon: 206-244 (46.3 - 54.9%) -- 64.8% chance to 2HKO

Ho-Oh
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 140 HP / 252 Atk / 88 Def / 28 Spe
Adamant Nature

Brave Bird

Sacred Fire

Defog

Toxic

Stealth Rocks have heavily discouraged the use of Ho-Oh but the power of banded Brave Bird is not to be underestimated. Having a team that doesn't get off much damage, Ho Oh felt like the perfect fit. This thing is my breaker and very tough to switch into for teams that aren’t prepared. It works especially nice with Mega-Gengar as I can remove the opponents only counter which is generally Zygarde. Originally I ran EQ, but it doesn’t anything that Brave Bird wouldn’t hit just as hard. Rather I opted for defog which can be used if I ever need it. Regardless Brave Bird is clicked 99% of the time and Tox is nice for catching passive mons.

Yveltal
Ability: Dark Aura
EVs: 252 HP / 248 Def / 8 Spe
Impish Nature

Foul Play

Roost

Defog

Knock Off

I firmly believe that physically def Yveltal is the glue that holds this team together. Running Zygarde-C, SpDef Necrozma, and Utility Dragonceus leaves very vulnerable to set up. Foul Play helps keep threats such as Offensive Dusk-Mane, Marshadow, opposing Yveltal and PDons in check. Knock off allows me to remove leftovers allowing my status to be more effective. It also helps with removing shed shells, and choice scarfs from Yveltal allowing Gar to revenge kill. Having a Ho-Oh on the team means that I need multiple ways to defog and Yveltal does such a formidable job at it. If paralysis has been spread around, I can usually roost up until I get a full-para and defog rocks. This mon helps relay the momentum from my defensive mons into my heavy hitters, Ho-Oh and HexGar. Max HP and def, with 8 evs to speed creep noninvested Yvels.

Overall this quite a bulky team that relies on spreading status and abusing it with Gengar. Ho-Oh makes for an excellent wallbreaker at the cost of losing 50% of its health to rocks and as a result I run two defoggers. I feel the best way to use this team is through patience. Reading opposing teams is quite important and recognizing what you can't afford to lose. Yveltal and Gengar play very important roles in breaking opposing teams and it is very important to not allow Yveltal to get status'd. Use Zygarde as your status absorber. This team is by no means perfect and I hope to improve upon it through subtle changes. I face a lot of trouble with opposing Kyogres especially CM/Sub variants. Salamence can be tough to deal with due to me opting to not run dragon tail on Zygarde. SD/RP Necrozma-DM is also problematic as after a +2 Z-Sunsteel knocks out zygarde/yveltal. At that point I have to forgo either Zygarde/Yveltal or try to scout with Ho-Oh as I've seen some rock blast DM on ladder. Gothitelle can also be a problem as I have 3 mons that are extremely passive. When facing a Goth team I try to make use of Yveltal as much as possible. Getting rocks up and knocking off and chipping away is the best way to deal with Goth. If Goth is more troubling, Dragon Tail can be opted over Toxic on Zygarde. Overall I hope you all enjoyed this RMT and leave feedback below! Also I couldn't find the Necrozma-DM sprite up above so if anyone finds it, lmk please lol.

Also, Happy New Years!

Importable

Gengar-Mega @ Gengarite
Ability: Shadow Tag
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Taunt
- Hex
- Sludge Wave
- Substitute

Zygarde-Complete @ Leftovers
Ability: Power Construct
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Thousand Arrows
- Glare
- Rest
- Toxic
- Thousand Arrows

Arceus-Dragon @ Draco Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 252 HP / 156 SpD / 100 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Toxic
- Defog
- Recover
- Will-O-Wisp

Ho-Oh @ Choice Band
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 140 HP / 252 Atk / 88 Def / 28 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Brave Bird
- Sacred Fire
- Defog
- Toxic

Necrozma-Dusk-Mane @ Leftovers
Ability: Prism Armor
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Sunsteel Strike
- Morning Sun
- Toxic

Yveltal @ Leftovers
Ability: Dark Aura
EVs: 252 HP / 248 Def / 8 Spe
Impish Nature
- Foul Play
- Roost
- Defog
- Knock Off

Importable w/ Changes

Gengar-Mega @ Gengarite
Ability: Shadow Tag
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Icy Wind
- Hex
- Sludge Wave
- Substitute

Zygarde-Complete @ Leftovers
Ability: Power Construct
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Thousand Arrows
- Glare
- Rest
- Toxic
- Thousand Arrows

Arceus-Ground @ Earth Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 252 HP / 156 SpD / 100 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Judgement
- Defog
- Recover
- Toxic

Ho-Oh @ Choice Band
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 140 HP / 252 Atk / 88 Def / 28 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Brave Bird
- Sacred Fire
- Defog
- Toxic

Groudon-Primal @ Red Orb
Ability: Desolate Land
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic
- Precipice Blades
- Roar

Yveltal @ Leftovers
Ability: Dark Aura
EVs: 252 HP / 248 Def / 8 Spe
Impish Nature
- Foul Play
- Roost
- Defog
- Knock Off

Proof of Peak

Replays

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ubers-682267348 vs offense
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ubers-680807675 vs fat stall
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ubers-682256700 smeargle webs
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ubers-682212484 vs balance
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ubers-681244188 vs balanced offense
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ubers-682528730 vs cm dark/kyogre balance

 

[UltraInstinctJJoy]

Hey Kyogre is Gr8, this is a fantastic team and I wanted to congratulate you on a job well done. The only minor thing I would change are the EVs currently present on Yveltal, run 248 HP and 252 Def as it is always better to have an odd number as a HP stat for SR weak pokemon. I don't remember, but iirc Yveltal's max HP stat isn't divisible by 16. Having extra Hazard Control by Ho-Oh is nice, personally if it were up to me, I'd run Earthquake to slam Primal Groudon a bit harder (Brave Bird after STAB is 180 vs EQ which is 200), but overall, excellent team! Kudos my friend!

 

[Kyogre is GR8]

Hey Kyogre is Gr8, this is a fantastic team and I wanted to congratulate you on a job well done. The only minor thing I would change are the EVs currently present on Yveltal, run 248 HP and 252 Def as it is always better to have an odd number as a HP stat for SR weak pokemon. I don't remember, but iirc Yveltal's max HP stat isn't divisible by 16. Having extra Hazard Control by Ho-Oh is nice, personally if it were up to me, I'd run Earthquake to slam Primal Groudon a bit harder (Brave Bird after STAB is 180 vs EQ which is 200), but overall, excellent team! Kudos my friend!

Hey,

Thanks for the rate and I'll change the EV spread on Yveltal as it's always nice to get that extra switch in to SR in. I opted for defog on Ho-Oh because I rarely ever stay in on PDon with Ho-Oh until I have fully scouted the set and they are not running Stone Edge. Chinese don can be problematic at sometimes and if it is a set along the lines of Overheat/SEdge/Precipe/Tox.. then Ho-Oh makes an excellent pivot. If an opposing PDon switched to a banded brave bird they take a good chunk of damage anyways and I always switch to Zyg/Ygod depending on the situation. Keeping Defog means I can use it IF I ever need to; most of the time I'm clicking BB/Sacred Fire anyways! :]

 

[shwath]

Hello Kyogre is GR8, I'm relatively new to the Ubers scene, and I certainly don't have as much experience you have had. I was just curious though why you went with Dragoceus over Giratina-O for a Defogger. Thanks, and congrats on your success on the ladder.

 

[Kyogre is GR8]

Hello Kyogre is GR8, I'm relatively new to the Ubers scene, and I certainly don't have as much experience you have had. I was just curious though why you went with Dragoceus over Giratina-O for a Defogger. Thanks, and congrats on your success on the ladder.

Hey,

Giratina-O's lack of recovery makes it a weak fit on this team. While the ground immunity is very much appreciated, I already have Zygarde/Yveltal and even on occasion Ho-Oh who make Dragonceus job versatile. If Gira is toxic'd or worn down, it's only way of recovery is painsplit/rest; neither of these are feasible on a Ho-Oh team. Dragonceus can toxic stall things like Yvel/Pogre and spam recovery and also makes for a better defogger because of it's longevity.

 

[Lord Outrage]

Hi Kyogre is GR8 .
The layout of your RMT is really nice. The content is also good, which makes reading it a pleasure. Your team is also good but can be definitely improved and optimized.
I will start by explaining what your team is weak to:
1) Yveltal: Specs Yveltal or Life Orb with Knock Off/Taunt are really annoying. I am aware that you use a fast Dragon Arceus and Ho-oh to check it but that's far from enough. Knock off kinda cripples Ho-oh and hits it really hard. Taunt really annoys Dragon Arceus and stops it from recovering while Yveltal can use Oblivion Wing, Recover, and weaken you. Yveltal is an S rank Pokemon. A more solid strategy around it is mandatory.
2) Nagadanel: The standard Nasty Nagadanel set sweeps your team. It can Nasty Plot on both Yveltal and locked Ho-oh and proceed to clean your team. Once it kills a Pokemon, it becomes faster than everything and with Z-move Dragon nothing will survive.
3) Gothietelle: Gothietelle traps Zygard and Dragonceus. This opens up to a lot of threats.
4) Primal Kyogre: Your team is really weak to Kyogre. Ice Beam Scald Rest Talk Kyogre is very annoying and beats your team.
I suggest the following changes:
1) Mega Gengar: Your set is fine but I suggest Icy Wind > Taunt. Sub Icy Wind Sludge Wave Hex Mega Gengar does perfectly well vs popular offenses right now. Taunt is sub optimal there.
2) Zygard is nice but I would run Dragon Tail>Toxic. Dual status Zygard used to be better in SM Ubers. In USM Ubers Dragon Tail is better.
3) Primal Groudon > Necrozma. Necrozma is awesome. But your team really needs Primal Groudon because Primal Kyogre is a huge problem. At the same time you are not that weak to Xerneas on your team so Primal Groudon is better than Necrozma.

Hide

Groudon-Primal @ Red Orb
Ability: Desolate Land
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic
- Precipice Blades
- Roar

4) Ho-Oh is fine.
5) Use Fairyceus. It's awesome on your team and checks Yveltal.

Hide

Arceus-Fairy @ Pixie Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 252 HP / 164 SpA / 92 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Judgment
- Earth Power
- Defog
- Recover

6) Yveltal: Triple Defog is a bad idea. I would keep defensive Yveltal but with Dread Plate and Sucker Punch over Defog. That would Awesomely help vs Nagadanel.

Hope I helped.

 

[Kyogre is GR8]

Hi Kyogre is GR8 .
The layout of your RMT is really nice. The content is also good, which makes reading it a pleasure. Your team is also good but can be definitely improved and optimized.
I will start by explaining what your team is weak to:
1) Yveltal: Specs Yveltal or Life Orb with Knock Off/Taunt are really annoying. I am aware that you use a fast Dragon Arceus and Ho-oh to check it but that's far from enough. Knock off kinda cripples Ho-oh and hits it really hard. Taunt really annoys Dragon Arceus and stops it from recovering while Yveltal can use Oblivion Wing, Recover, and weaken you. Yveltal is an S rank Pokemon. A more solid strategy around it is mandatory.
2) Nagadanel: The standard Nasty Nagadanel set sweeps your team. It can Nasty Plot on both Yveltal and locked Ho-oh and proceed to clean your team. Once it kills a Pokemon, it becomes faster than everything and with Z-move Dragon nothing will survive.
3) Gothietelle: Gothietelle traps Zygard and Dragonceus. This opens up to a lot of threats.
4) Primal Kyogre: Your team is really weak to Kyogre. Ice Beam Scald Rest Talk Kyogre is very annoying and beats your team.
I suggest the following changes:
1) Mega Gengar: Your set is fine but I suggest Icy Wind > Taunt. Sub Icy Wind Sludge Wave Hex Mega Gengar does perfectly well vs popular offenses right now. Taunt is sub optimal there.
2) Zygard is nice but I would run Dragon Tail>Toxic. Dual status Zygard used to be better in SM Ubers. In USM Ubers Dragon Tail is better.
3) Primal Groudon > Necrozma. Necrozma is awesome. But your team really needs Primal Groudon because Primal Kyogre is a huge problem. At the same time you are not that weak to Xerneas on your team so Primal Groudon is better than Necrozma.

Hide

Groudon-Primal @ Red Orb
Ability: Desolate Land
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic
- Precipice Blades
- Roar

4) Ho-Oh is fine.
5) Use Fairyceus. It's awesome on your team and checks Yveltal.

Hide

Arceus-Fairy @ Pixie Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 252 HP / 164 SpA / 92 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Judgment
- Earth Power
- Defog
- Recover

6) Yveltal: Triple Defog is a bad idea. I would keep defensive Yveltal but with Dread Plate and Sucker Punch over Defog. That would Awesomely help vs Nagadanel.

Hope I helped.

Hey,

Thanks for the rate! You've brought many valid points; first and foremost replacing Necro-DM with SpDef Don as that helps the war with POgre which was indefintely as massive threat to this team. Considering I'm quite good in match ups vs. stall, I've opted for the icy wind > taunt option. I rarely ever used taunt and icy wind indefintely helps with the Scarf Yvel switch in, along me to clean with sludge bomb. The only reason I've opted for triple defog is because of Ho-Oh and it has fair'd well with this team, so I'm not quite ready to make that change yet. Necrozma-DM was primarily there for rocks/Xern check but PDon is able to do that and does not allow to be set up fodder. I'll try these changes out and see how the team plays. Goth is def a problem and Dtail is def better in that regard.

Thanks!

 

[Dark swordman]

hey fam,amazing team i must say.I would like to suggest a minor change Leftovers>Rocky Helmet on yveltal,yeah ik you lack recovery and only way left would be roost but it actually works good vs physical attackers and giving then damage via rocky helmet and making them weak and if they lack recover and you can have rocks up you can clean with other mons in back too.

 

[Reviloja753]

On Gengar, Sludge Bomb over Sludge Wave. It has a much higher chance to poison and only at the cost of 5 base power. Otherwise, pretty solid!

 

[Kyogre is GR8]

hey fam,amazing team i must say.I would like to suggest a minor change Leftovers>Rocky Helmet on yveltal,yeah ik you lack recovery and only way left would be roost but it actually works good vs physical attackers and giving then damage via rocky helmet and making them weak and if they lack recover and you can have rocks up you can clean with other mons in back too.

Hey,

The only reason I've opted for lefties is because of my reliance on Zygarde. Lefties is important on ensuring that Yveltal can as long as possible as it is one of my two capable defoggers. If Goth traps Dragonceus, Ygod can reliably defog and I need that considering I have Ho-Oh. Also it negates burn/reduces tox for a few turns if I do get status. I put DTail on Zygarde for this so that I can deal with the likes of Ekiller, DDMence, DM-Necro, Dualdance Don so that I don't have to apply that pressure on Yveltal to keep them in check. However, Rocky Helmet could work just as well, I think it just depends on a persons playstyle.

On Gengar, Sludge Bomb over Sludge Wave. It has a much higher chance to poison and only at the cost of 5 base power. Otherwise, pretty solid!

Sludge Bomb is critical on Gengar even if it seems like only a minuscule amount. The team is constructed around Gengar and almost every member of this team can status opposing mons. I generally click Hex a majority of the time on Gengar considering it serves as my revengekiller/late game sweeper. Also, Sludge Wave gives me a 87% shot at OHKO'ing standard Xern after rocks damage which I have to be careful with since I opted for PDon > Necro-DM.

252 SpA Gengar-Mega Sludge Bomb vs. 72 HP / 100 SpD Xerneas: 332-392 (80.7 - 95.3%) -- 56.3% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
252 SpA Gengar-Mega Sludge Wave vs. 72 HP / 100 SpD Xerneas: 350-414 (85.1 - 100.7%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock

Thanks!

 

[Prevent]

Ground Plate = Called ''Earth Plate'' might want to fix in the importable for people unaware of that.