Smogon »The Smog »Issue 11 » Featured Uber RMT

Introduction

I initially made the team to test the new Claydol set I have been working on, and the team had a surprising amount of success. While laddering, I began to see threats that I had left unchecked, and as I began making changes the team naturally evolved from there. It wound up getting me to 6th on the leaderboard with a CRE of 1693 under caveman sam.

Jirachi @ Choice Scarf
EVs: 40 HP / 252 Atk / 216 Spe
Nature: Jolly
-Iron Head
-Ice Punch
-U-turn
-Trick

Jirachi starts things off and allows me to beat most common leads, though not by himself. The only leads I actually stay in on are Deoxys-A, Tyranitar, Rayquaza, and Shaymin-S, as all can easily be defeated by either Iron Head or Ice Punch; for most others I simply U-turn out to something else.

Here is how I play against the common leads:

Deoxys-S: Not a problem at all, I just U-turn out to break the Focus Sash, then go to Claydol and spin away the hazards. If it is a Scarf variant, it outspeeds Jirachi and they swap scarves as I U-turn out. I usually go back to Jirachi to take any second trick attempts.

Deoxys-A: Iron Head, Iron Head. Not a threat

Darkrai: It really depends on the situation, and at times can be quite problematic. I have seen a lot of players as of late using sash variants, so I usually U-turn out to find out, but if I am wrong, Jirachi gets put to sleep and I am in trouble. If I know they are carrying Scarf, I usually go to Claydol to take the sleep because most Darkrai-lead teams are offensive, so spinning hazards will not be as crucial. In short, Darkrai is a problem.

Dialga: Because they are not threatened by anything Jirachi has to offer, they usually feel safe getting rocks up, so I generally get to U-turn to my own Dialga for free, and from there, Draco Meteor OHKO’s. Not a problem usually, but does require a bit of prediction as some carry T-wave. If they switch out, I can assume they are not carrying Earth Power or a fire move, which is good to know for later.

Giratina-O: U-turn to Palkia to take the HP Fire, then pivot back to Jirachi to scout their switch. On rare occasions I will stay in and Iron Head first, then switch to Palkia, but only if I really need the extra damage for some reason.

Groudon: U-turn to Claydol straight away. I usually set up rocks first, and then spin theirs if they don’t switch.

Kyogre: I usually U-turn, and depending on the damage done, I can figure out if it is the standard T-wave, or a Scarf / Specs Ogre, as the choice sets tend to be a bit less bulky. If it is the T-wave set, I pivot from Claydol to Palkia, and if it is a choice set, I go straight to Palkia.

Rayquaza: Ice Punch, though sometimes I U-turn as they usually switch out.

Mew: I U-turn out to Claydol as it sets up SR, then spin as it either Taunts, or U-turns. Mew leads very rarely explode right off the bat, but it can be annoying if it does.

Mewtwo: They are almost always scarfed, so I just go to Palkia to take the fire move, then either pivot to Rayquaza to take on the likely incoming Steel-type, or go to Jirachi to U-turn out.

Abomasnow: U-turn to break the sash and go to Dialga for the kill. Most teams with Abomasnow are stall oriented, so I have to play conservatively.

Tyranitar: Iron Head for the 2HKO.

Forretress: U-turn to Claydol and threaten to spin, then pivot to Dialga to take on the incoming Giratina-O. From there I just fire off a Draco Meteor and see what comes in to take it.

As far as synergy is concerned, Jirachi takes Ice and Dragon-type attacks for the team, really helps with the Lati twins, and checks Rayquaza, Mewtwo, and Darkrai with Ice Punch and U-turn / Iron Head , respectively. A well timed trick can also really help against stall, as giving Blissey the scarf and then taking Latias’ Soul Dew completely opens them up to dragon assaults from Palkia and Dialga, as Forretress (stall teams usual Steel-type) can’t hold up for long.

Moveset and Item : Iron Head is needed for the flinch chance and stab, though it is generally only used in emergency situations as it really leaves me open to set up. U-turn is by far the most important move on the set as scouting switches and escaping Wobbuffet (and the rare Dugtrio… Damn you Theorymon) is important for keeping momentum. Ice Punch is primarily for Rayquaza but has its uses on Skymin and Garchomp. Choice scarf allows Jirachi to revenge kill many of the fast, frail sweepers in the Uber tier, as well as potentially cripple defensive walls such as Blissey.

A Jolly Nature and 216 speed EVs puts me one point above Jolly max speed Rayquaza; this is crucial because as long as Jirachi still has its Scarf, it can revenge both Swords Dance and Dragon Dance Rayquaza. 252 attack EVs are mandatory to make sure he hits as hard as possible, and the remaining 40 EVs are placed into HP to give a bit of added bulk.

Dialga @ Choice Specs
EVs: 56 HP / 252 SpA / 200 Spe
Nature: Modest
-Draco Meteor
-Dragon Pulse
-Thunder
-Flamethrower

Dialga is the first member of the offensive core, and is able to plow through teams with Draco Meteor once Blissey and steel types are gone. I usually bring him in on one of Jirachi's U-turns or on a resisted attack like bullet Punch and just start smashing things. Because of Dialga's incredible typing, getting him in usually isn’t much of a challenge, and common switch-ins like Blissey and Scizor are easily taken care of by other members of the team.

Moveset and Item: Draco Meteor is a given as it is Dialga's strongest attack, while Dragon Pulse is for late game consistency or times when I really can't afford to let Draco Meteor miss, like against a Palkia or Latias. Thunder is pretty much only for Kyogre, but it is nice to have it for Lugia, too (and the paralysis really helps sometimes). The last slot is seldom used and kind of depends on who I been facing most often; Flamethrower is the primary option as it is boosted by my Groudon’s sun and helps take out steel-types, but on occasion Aura Sphere can help with Bulk Up Dialga (I really hate using 4 Draco Meteor PP to beat it when Aura Sphere will 2HKO, too) and Heatran, though I hate being locked into a move that most of the tier resists, especially when Wob comes in. Choice Specs turns the already feared Draco Meteor and Dragon Pulse into wreaking balls that smash through the Uber tier. I tried life Orb, but I missed the power; besides, I have Rayquaza and Palkia for the diverse role.

EV’s and Nature: Max special attack is a must, and 200 speed lets me outpace most base 90s, most importantly almost all Groudon; it also lets me outspeed Giratina-O that does not use a speed boosting Nature. The remaining 56 went into HP because I saw nothing better to do with them. I am sure there is a better EV spread to consider, but I like having a speed buffer between me and Groudon; any help would be appreciated. Modest just gives me so much more power, and I do not see the need for the extra speed.

Rayquaza @ Life Orb
EVs: 80 Atk / 176 SpA / 252 Spe
Nature: Hasty
-Draco Meteor
-Flamethrower
-ExtremeSpeed
-Earthquake

With both of his incredible attacking stats, Rayquaza brings a lot to the table. For a team bent of eliminating Dialga's counters, mixed ray was a natural fit; he allows me to easily lure in and eliminate (or at least cripple) Groudon, Lugia, Scizor, and the occasional Metagross, who are all KO’d on average by Draco Meteor followed by the appropriate attack (another Draco Meteor in Groudon’s case, an ExtremeSpeed if Lugia is under 20%, Flamethrower for Scizor, and Earthquake for Metagross). Rayquaza also offers a fantastic offensive ground-type immunity to stack with Claydol, meaning that even if Claydol is KO’d, the team will still have a switch into Earthquakes. I had considered Latios for this role, but the ability to crush Blissey is much more important than a second check to Kyogre, and Rayquaza’s access to a priority move in ExtremeSpeed is also invaluable as it makes dealing with NP Darkrai, CM Mewtwo, and various Scarfers that much easier and ensures that I am not easily swept even if Jirachi goes down.

Moveset and Item: Draco Meteor again is a must, as it literally defines the mixed set. Flamethrower offers great coverage with Draco Meteor as it hits steels bar Dialga, Empoleon, and Heatran for major damage. ExtremeSpeed offers an invaluable priority move, and easily takes care of speedy but frail threats waiting to sweep the team. Earthquake is an important move for disposing of Heatran, though if an opposing Dialga's health is low enough I will KO it with EQ rather than waste the SpA drop on Draco Meteor. Life Orb gives Rayquaza the pure power it needs to do its job, and with Claydol usually keeping rocks off the field, the 10% per turn isn’t too big a deal.

EV’s and Nature: I wanted a bit more oomph behind ExtremeSpeed and EQ than the standard set provided, so I went with 80 attack (which is just enough to KO max HP Metagross after a Draco Meteor and SR 100% of the time, after being intimidated for some reason) 176 SpA is necessary to power up Draco Meteor, and max speed is a given on every Rayquaza set…. Got to stay ahead of those pesky Groudon and Giratina-O. I chose Hasty over Naive for the simple reason of occasionally having to rely on Rayquaza to take surfs from scarf Palkia and Kyogre when I play recklessly with my own Palkia, so keeping that defensive stat intact is necessary.

Palkia @ Lustrous Orb
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Nature: Hasty
-Spacial Rend / Draco Meteor
-Flamethrower
-Thunder
-Outrage

The third dragon and the final piece of the offensive core. Palkia is one of the most popular Kyogre counters for a reason : It is able to check A LOT of the metagame. Palkia is able to swap into Kyogre’s water moves with ease and instantly threaten it with Thunder. Everyone has heard the rant. For me, Palkia provides yet another way to lure in steels (especially Scizor, who loves to U-turn on Spacial Rend), and is the primary way of bringing in Blissey, who is promptly destroyed by Outrage.

Moveset and Item: Spacial Rend is the bread and butter of almost every Palkia set, and when it is boosted by Lustrous Orb, it becomes ever the more deadly. If I feel devious I will use Draco Meteor over it for the extra power, but sometimes the inconsistent output causes problems. Flamethrower is for steels who love to switch in on dragon assaults (In case you haven’t noticed, eliminating steels is the priority), especially Scizor, and it is absolutely brutal when boosted by the sun. Thunder is for taking out Kyogre and Lugia while rain is active, and paralyzing random switch ins is lovely. Outrage rounds out the set by providing a solid way of decimating Blissey and when boosted by the orb, it easily 2HKOs. Lustrous Orb lets me bluff a choice item and lure out Blissey while adding power to my dragon moves without loosing 10% per attack.

EV’s and Nature: Max speed is a must so 252 speed EVs and a speed boosting nature were used, but Palkia needs to maintain the ability to switch into Kyogre and 2HKO Blissey, so hasty was chosen to avoid lowering SpD or Atk. 252 Special attack is a given and the remaining 4 EVs were placed into attack to buff up Outrage.

Groudon @ Life Orb
EVs: 108 HP / 252 Atk / 148 Spe
Nature: Adamant
-Earthquake
-Dragon Claw
-Stone Edge
-Rock Polish

Groudon works perfectly with the team; amid the dragon assaults, there is often little left in the way of bulky pokes to stop Groudon as they are usually drawn out to stop the offensive core. Opposing Groudon and Lugia are crippled by Claydol and Rayquaza, respectively, bulky Kyogre are taken care of by Palkia, and Giratina is massacred by the dragons. Groudon also provides a quick answer to BU Dialga, so long as they have not procured too many bulk-ups. Despite the team not exactly being built around him, RP Groudon just fits too well not to use it, though often times, I only use him midgame as a pivot to set up sun or to force something like Heatran or Garchomp out. I have tried the support set but the added bulk is really not needed, while the ability to set up and sweep if given a chance is invaluable. Besides, even RP Groudon has enough bulk to take a random physical hit if needed.

Moveset and Item: Standard really, Earthquake destroys just about anything on the ground while Dragon Claw and Stone Edge hit almost everything else ( I detest Bronzong). I have been seeing a lot of haban Palkia lately, so I have been considering Swords Dance over Dragon Claw. I probably won't get the chance to use them both at once, but against slower teams, the added power of SD may help. Any input on this will be appreciated. Life Orb grants the extra power that makes Groudon so vicious and generates the KOs on the weakened opponents that I could not achieve with Leftovers.

EVs and Nature: My spread is essentially the same as the standard from the analysis, but with 8 HP EVs moved to speed to creep past other RP Groudon and any pokes that intend on outspeeding that set by a point. The HP gives him some added bulk, max attack lets him hit things REALLY hard, while the speed produces more then enough after a Rock Polish. Adamant was chosen for the power.

Claydol @ Leftovers
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Nature: Bold
-Ice Beam
-Reflect
-Rapid Spin
-Stealth Rock

I am sure that since the beginning of the RMT you have been thinking “WTF, why Claydol!?” but just hear me out. He fills three roles necessary to the team with only one teamslot; I needed a SR user, a spinner, and most importantly, a 100% reliable switch into every common Groudon set. Because of his bulk, Levitate, and his ground typing, Claydol resists 2/3 of the standard RP Groudon’s moveset, and Dragon Claw is a mere 4HKO without Reflect set up. His ground type grants him an immunity to the support sets Thunder wave, and I really don’t care about toxic as he is seldom in long enough for it to really take its toll; sometimes I even run Rest to get around that. Even if groudon gets a Swords Dance, he still will be hard pressed to get past Claydol without being weakened enough for just about anything to revenge it. Claydol’s spinning capability in Ubers is easily on par with Forretress’, and there are rarely times when I fail to spin, especially considering how well the rest of the team handles Giratina-O.

Moveset and Item: Ice Beam was chosen over Grass Knot for the sole reason of not allowing Rayquaza to freely set up; even with Jirachi to revenge it, I would rather not sacrifice something to get Rachi in. The second slot is between Reflect and Rest; Reflect is the more consistent option, but against stall teams, the added longevity really comes in handy. The next two slots are for Rapid Spin(the only reason to use Claydol over Bronzong) and SR, which is a necessity on nearly every team, and makes taking on Rayquaza and Kyogre much easier for this team. Leftovers is the primary item used, but Chesto Berry makes Rest easier to use.

EVs and Nature: Max HP and defense with a defense boosting nature is a must to take on Groudon, while the remaining 4 were placed into SpD to round out the defenses. Bold again to max physical defense while not lowering Ice Beam’s damage output.