Hello fellow battlers! I've been playing competitively for a few years now, and out of every tier I've ever played, RU is my favorite. There's a lot of diversity involved, and almost any Pokemon in the tier can be used to their full potential in this environment.
After trying a few teams with some good success, I created a team just for fun; more of a gimmick than anything else. However, this team turned out to be an incredible team with a lot of surprise factor involved. It did surprisingly well, and I am very proud of hit.
Without further ado, on to the team!
Accelgor @ Focus Sash
EVs: 252 HP, 4 Sp. Attack, 252 Speed
Timid (+ Speed, - Attack)
Sticky Hold
~Spikes
~Final Gambit
~Bug Buzz
~Hidden Power (Rock)
Accelgor is used as my lead in most situations. He's the Final Gambit set, which means that if he's paired with with a bad lead situation, such as lead Moltres or something like that, Accelgor will generally outspeed and either severely damage or outright KO the opponent with Final Gambit.
Spikes is there because its Spikes, honestly. If I can get one or two layers up, then so be it, but the main focus is taking out Pokemon on the opposing team that would give me trouble, such as Moltres. Final Gambit is there as the main focus of the set, maiming anything that doesn't die. Bug Buzz is there for STAB, and is decently powerful. Hidden Power Rock is on this set so that I can still dent Moltres at low health.
The EVs are simple; max health for Final Gambit, and max speed to augment Accelgor's best attribute. Focus Sash lets him live one attack so I can set up Spikes, if need be. A Timid nature is used to give him max speed possible.
Clefable @ Life Orb
EVs: 4 HP, 252 Attack, 252 Sp. Attack
Brave (+ Attack, - Speed)
Magic Guard
~Double-Edge
~Fire Blast
~Grass Knot
~Softboiled
One of my top ten favorite Pokemon, Clefable is a beast. The Wallbreaker set is surprisingly good at what it does, and catches many a player off guard.
Double-Edge does huge chunks of damage to anything without a resistance. Unlike other users of this move, Clefable can spam it all she wants, due to the recoil from Life Orb and the move itself being negated by Magic Guard. Fire Blast takes care of Steel types, and Grass Knot takes care of Rock types, such as Rhyperior. Softboiled keeps Clefable alive longer if you can predict a switch.
The EVs maximize Clefable's offenses, which need the boosts even after Life Orb. Life Orb is used for a free 30% increase in power, and the recoil is negated by Magic Guard. Brave nature is the way to go in order to increase Clefable's weaker Attack stat, as Speed doesn't really matter with this set.
Drapion @ Choice Scarf
EVs: 252 Attack, 4 Defense, 252 Speed
Jolly (+ Speed, - Sp. Attack)
Sniper
~Crunch
~Pursuit
~Earthquake
~Aqua Tail
The unexpected Scarfer. Most people expect that since Accelgor has Spikes, Drapion will have Toxic Spikes. So, they switch their Poison type in to absorb them, only to get maimed by Eartyhquake. A fast Pursuit is also nice.
Crunch is there for a strong, reliable STAB option, and dishes out solid damage. Pursuit punishes the frightened with a hit while switching, but leaves a free turn for the opponent afterward to set up. Earthquake deals with Steel types that resist Dark, and Aqua Tail hits Ground types hard, and dents Moltres.
The EVs are pretty obvious, because max speed and high attack are the traits of most Scarfed attackers. Choice Scarf gives Drapion a great boost in speed. Jolly is used for the highest speed possible.
Hariyama @ Leftovers
EVs: 12 HP, 244 Defense, 252 Sp. Defense
Impish (+ Defense, - Sp. Attack)
Thick Fat
~Whirlwind
~Force Palm
~Rest
~Sleep Talk
I absolutely love defensive Hariyama. His gigantic HP stat makes him deceptively bulky on both sides with proper investment. He can wall most threats in the tier with his bulk, phaze any threats, spread paralysis, and have status immunity in one set!
Whirlwind shuffles the opponent, letting me scout and rack up Spikes damage. Force Palm has a sexy 30% chance to paralyze, which can render some Pokemon useless. Rest is there for semi-reliable recovery, and Sleep Talk works in tandem to not make Hariyama set up fodder.
The EVs maximize bulk, simple as that. Leftovers gives passive recovery without resorting to Rest. Impish is used to pump up Hariyama's physical defense.
Kadabra @ Life Orb
EVs: 252 Sp. Attack, 4 Sp. Defense, 252 Speed
Timid (+ Speed, - Attack)
Magic Guard
~Psychic
~Shadow Ball
~Hidden Power (Fighting)
~Substitute
Of all the members of this team, Kadabra is the most replaceable. He cannot switch into practically any special attack, and don't even mention physical hits. However, he hits like a truck when he's behind a sub, and is probably the most dangerous member of my team.
Psychic is there for a reliable STAB option, but Psyshock can be used to hit special walls more effectively. Either way, they both do large chunks of damage to anything without a resistance. Shadow Ball is used to hit other Psychic types, while Hidden Power Fighting hits Dark and Steel types, giving perfect coverage. Substitute protects Kadabra from status and damage, while also easing prediction.
The EVs give power and speed, simple enough. Life Orb is used because Magic Guard cancels the recoil, just like Clefable. Timid is used to provide the maximum speed possible.
Spiritomb @ Leftovers
EVs: 252 HP, 192 Defense, 64 Sp. Defense
Impish (+ Defense, - Sp. Attack)
Pressure
~Will-O-Wisp
~Pain Split
~Shadow Sneak
~Sucker Punch
Although I'm not a big fan of Spiritomb, he can certainly do work. He has nice synergy with the team and their weaknesses.
Will-O-Wisp is an obvious move, but a good one too. It softens the physical blows for Hariyama, and weakens the enemy in general. Pain Split gives me a way to annoy enemies with more health, but it is too unreliable to call it a recovery option. Shadow Sneak deals some damage to walls, while Sucker Punch is nice to have for faster attackers.
The EVs give Spiritomb max HP, which it needs to function. Leftovers gives recovery every turn, and increases Spiritomb's longevity. An Impish nature is used to increase physical bulk.
THREATS
Moltres: Biggest threat to my team so far. If Accelgor doesn't get it with Final Gambit, then only Aqua Tail and Double-Edge can hurt it. If it's Scarfed, game over.
Drapion: My own Drapion can handle it to an extent, but he can do some damage if he's not paralyzed or burned. He can also wreck Kadabra.
Let me know if there are any other threats that you can identify.
So, yeah, that's the team. Let me know of any problems you can find. Thanks, and take care!
After trying a few teams with some good success, I created a team just for fun; more of a gimmick than anything else. However, this team turned out to be an incredible team with a lot of surprise factor involved. It did surprisingly well, and I am very proud of hit.
Without further ado, on to the team!
Accelgor @ Focus Sash
EVs: 252 HP, 4 Sp. Attack, 252 Speed
Timid (+ Speed, - Attack)
Sticky Hold
~Spikes
~Final Gambit
~Bug Buzz
~Hidden Power (Rock)
Accelgor is used as my lead in most situations. He's the Final Gambit set, which means that if he's paired with with a bad lead situation, such as lead Moltres or something like that, Accelgor will generally outspeed and either severely damage or outright KO the opponent with Final Gambit.
Spikes is there because its Spikes, honestly. If I can get one or two layers up, then so be it, but the main focus is taking out Pokemon on the opposing team that would give me trouble, such as Moltres. Final Gambit is there as the main focus of the set, maiming anything that doesn't die. Bug Buzz is there for STAB, and is decently powerful. Hidden Power Rock is on this set so that I can still dent Moltres at low health.
The EVs are simple; max health for Final Gambit, and max speed to augment Accelgor's best attribute. Focus Sash lets him live one attack so I can set up Spikes, if need be. A Timid nature is used to give him max speed possible.
Clefable @ Life Orb
EVs: 4 HP, 252 Attack, 252 Sp. Attack
Brave (+ Attack, - Speed)
Magic Guard
~Double-Edge
~Fire Blast
~Grass Knot
~Softboiled
One of my top ten favorite Pokemon, Clefable is a beast. The Wallbreaker set is surprisingly good at what it does, and catches many a player off guard.
Double-Edge does huge chunks of damage to anything without a resistance. Unlike other users of this move, Clefable can spam it all she wants, due to the recoil from Life Orb and the move itself being negated by Magic Guard. Fire Blast takes care of Steel types, and Grass Knot takes care of Rock types, such as Rhyperior. Softboiled keeps Clefable alive longer if you can predict a switch.
The EVs maximize Clefable's offenses, which need the boosts even after Life Orb. Life Orb is used for a free 30% increase in power, and the recoil is negated by Magic Guard. Brave nature is the way to go in order to increase Clefable's weaker Attack stat, as Speed doesn't really matter with this set.
Drapion @ Choice Scarf
EVs: 252 Attack, 4 Defense, 252 Speed
Jolly (+ Speed, - Sp. Attack)
Sniper
~Crunch
~Pursuit
~Earthquake
~Aqua Tail
The unexpected Scarfer. Most people expect that since Accelgor has Spikes, Drapion will have Toxic Spikes. So, they switch their Poison type in to absorb them, only to get maimed by Eartyhquake. A fast Pursuit is also nice.
Crunch is there for a strong, reliable STAB option, and dishes out solid damage. Pursuit punishes the frightened with a hit while switching, but leaves a free turn for the opponent afterward to set up. Earthquake deals with Steel types that resist Dark, and Aqua Tail hits Ground types hard, and dents Moltres.
The EVs are pretty obvious, because max speed and high attack are the traits of most Scarfed attackers. Choice Scarf gives Drapion a great boost in speed. Jolly is used for the highest speed possible.
Hariyama @ Leftovers
EVs: 12 HP, 244 Defense, 252 Sp. Defense
Impish (+ Defense, - Sp. Attack)
Thick Fat
~Whirlwind
~Force Palm
~Rest
~Sleep Talk
I absolutely love defensive Hariyama. His gigantic HP stat makes him deceptively bulky on both sides with proper investment. He can wall most threats in the tier with his bulk, phaze any threats, spread paralysis, and have status immunity in one set!
Whirlwind shuffles the opponent, letting me scout and rack up Spikes damage. Force Palm has a sexy 30% chance to paralyze, which can render some Pokemon useless. Rest is there for semi-reliable recovery, and Sleep Talk works in tandem to not make Hariyama set up fodder.
The EVs maximize bulk, simple as that. Leftovers gives passive recovery without resorting to Rest. Impish is used to pump up Hariyama's physical defense.
Kadabra @ Life Orb
EVs: 252 Sp. Attack, 4 Sp. Defense, 252 Speed
Timid (+ Speed, - Attack)
Magic Guard
~Psychic
~Shadow Ball
~Hidden Power (Fighting)
~Substitute
Of all the members of this team, Kadabra is the most replaceable. He cannot switch into practically any special attack, and don't even mention physical hits. However, he hits like a truck when he's behind a sub, and is probably the most dangerous member of my team.
Psychic is there for a reliable STAB option, but Psyshock can be used to hit special walls more effectively. Either way, they both do large chunks of damage to anything without a resistance. Shadow Ball is used to hit other Psychic types, while Hidden Power Fighting hits Dark and Steel types, giving perfect coverage. Substitute protects Kadabra from status and damage, while also easing prediction.
The EVs give power and speed, simple enough. Life Orb is used because Magic Guard cancels the recoil, just like Clefable. Timid is used to provide the maximum speed possible.
Spiritomb @ Leftovers
EVs: 252 HP, 192 Defense, 64 Sp. Defense
Impish (+ Defense, - Sp. Attack)
Pressure
~Will-O-Wisp
~Pain Split
~Shadow Sneak
~Sucker Punch
Although I'm not a big fan of Spiritomb, he can certainly do work. He has nice synergy with the team and their weaknesses.
Will-O-Wisp is an obvious move, but a good one too. It softens the physical blows for Hariyama, and weakens the enemy in general. Pain Split gives me a way to annoy enemies with more health, but it is too unreliable to call it a recovery option. Shadow Sneak deals some damage to walls, while Sucker Punch is nice to have for faster attackers.
The EVs give Spiritomb max HP, which it needs to function. Leftovers gives recovery every turn, and increases Spiritomb's longevity. An Impish nature is used to increase physical bulk.
THREATS
Moltres: Biggest threat to my team so far. If Accelgor doesn't get it with Final Gambit, then only Aqua Tail and Double-Edge can hurt it. If it's Scarfed, game over.
Drapion: My own Drapion can handle it to an extent, but he can do some damage if he's not paralyzed or burned. He can also wreck Kadabra.
Let me know if there are any other threats that you can identify.
So, yeah, that's the team. Let me know of any problems you can find. Thanks, and take care!
