SS UU Once Upon a Time

Lily · Aug 19, 2020

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~ Introduction ~

Hiya! For those of you who don't know me, I'm Lily, and I play UU, and this is my 500th post! I'd like to preface this with a massive shoutout to martha, who should probably be the one RMTing this, but I suppose it's sort of a shared creation between us now. I don't expect most people to really read the over-the-top essay that this post will probably end up becoming, but thank you to anyone who does! I used this team for the currently ongoing Jirachi suspect test and managed to get most of my reqs with it, and it was surprisingly consistent and super enjoyable to use. I hope that anyone who gives the team a try enjoys using it, and without further ado, let's get into its members.

~ The Team ~

Heartache (Heliolisk) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Dry Skin
EVs: 40 Def / 216 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Hyper Voice
- Grass Knot

My favourite Pokemon in all of UU, though this time it's not quite the star of the show. Heliolisk performs quite a few roles on this team; it's the primary switch-in to bulky Water-types like Milotic and Mantine, keeps up momentum with Volt Switch to bring in Keldeo on stuff like Tyranitar and Obstagoon or Noivern on Roserade and Celebi, and outspeeds Terrakion, Cobalion, and Keldeo, which are otherwise difficult to revenge kill and capable of overloading this team's defensive backbone. Heavy-Duty Boots allow it to pivot in and out completely unimpeded by hazard damage, which is huge, because it switches in a LOT. It also notably improves this team's Sticky Web matchup a ton; Boots Heliolisk tends to just kinda destroy those teams on its own because it's usually faster than everything and often immune to their main form of priority, Mimikyu's Shadow Sneak. Heliolisk is just terrifying to face and, despite its mediocre damage output, it's an integral part of this team. For anyone wondering, the Defense EVs allow Heliolisk to always tank Life Orb Starmie's Psyshock, which is important bc it kinda destroys this team otherwise.

Determination (Mudsdale) @ Leftovers
Ability: Stamina
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Smack Down
- Body Press

Mudsdale is a... unique pick, and pretty much the reason for this team's popularity in the first place. Its defensive utility is pretty much unmatched by anything else in the tier; nothing else can boast the ability to fairly reliably handle all of Terrakion, Jirachi, and Lycanroc-Dusk, so it's pretty cool in that regard. It's also the team's main Fighting "resist" bc it can pretty easily chew hits from the likes of Choice Scarf Mienshao. Aside from that, it gets Stealth Rock up which is nice for the threats in the back like Obstagoon and Keldeo, and it's also a pretty cool lure to Skarmory and Rotom-W thanks to Smack Down and Body Press being surprisingly strong, particularly after Stamina boosts. I don't think it's the most consistent choice but it fits this team like a glove and was really, surprisingly good and useful.

Quiet Water (Keldeo-Resolute) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Secret Sword
- Surf
- Flip Turn

Keldeo is one of the strongest wallbreakers in the tier. It's got everything it could ever want; it's strong, it's fast, it's bulky, it's got a great offensive and defensive typing AND it's got a pivoting move. Choice Specs-boosted attacks are absolutely brutal and there really aren't many Pokemon in the tier that can stand up to repeated hits, and the ones that can are very easily taken advantage of by Keldeo or Obstagoon. It blasts through Pokemon that annoy this team a lot like Galarian Weezing, Rotom-W, and Palossand, and it also pivots out on Slowking to allow Obstagoon to get free hits off. It's also part of the team's defensive backbone purely by existing; it can take hits from Incineroar and Krookodile in a pinch, and even something like Lycanroc-Dusk or Terrakion, purely by virtue of its great natural bulk. As such, it's an important team member that acts as one of the squad's main two wallbreakers.

Spider Dance (Noivern) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Flamethrower
- U-turn
- Roost

Noivern is, in my opinion, the second best Pokemon in the tier, right after Jirachi. We've got Pokemon like Terrakion, Lycanroc-Dusk, and Kyurem that are all debatably broken, but none of them match what Noivern does for a team in my opinion. It's just kind of perfect; it's blazing fast, it's bulky, it's pretty strong, it has reliably recovery with a great defensive typing, it pivots, and it has perfect coverage in just two moves. Positioning is one of the most important things in Pokemon, and Noivern's support makes positioning incredibly easy; the Pokemon that like to come in on it, like Tyranitar, Slowking, and Rhyperior are all beaten down extremely easily by the other members of this team, and it just so happens that those members are some of the strongest Pokemon in the tier that lack switch-ins. Aside from that, it acts as a backup Fighting resist (and yes, this one actually resists) against things like Choice Scarf / Life Orb Mienshao and Keldeo, and it's the best revenge killer on the team against most threats, too. It's just such a good Pokemon that provides so much to any offensive team that can fit it, and this one's no different.

Small Shock (Jirachi) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Iron Head
- Zen Headbutt
- Healing Wish
- U-turn

Jirachi is Jirachi. It's completely broken and is inarguably the best Pokemon in the tier, and as such it finds its way onto this team, this time as a Choice Scarf user but honestly you could probably stick a different set here and be fine bc this team is naturally quite fast. Zen Headbutt is a weird choice on this Jirachi but it's mainly to alleviate the issues this team faces with Toxtricity; the fact that my Ground-type is Mudsdale means that Boomburst is quite free against the team, but Jirachi can pivot in and nail Toxtricity with an OHKO. Aside from that, it provides Healing Wish support, which is primarily used on Obstagoon or Mudsdale since they're very often chipped down. I honestly really hope this thing gets banned and I really don't like it / don't like having it on the team, but it's necessary to fulfill certain offensive and defensive niches. It's also a great late-game wincon if my opponent outplays me for the entire game because I can simply just flinch every single one of their members to death and watch them flame me.

Bergentrückung (Obstagoon) @ Flame Orb
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Facade
- Knock Off
- Close Combat
- Switcheroo

Obstagoon is without a doubt one of the cooler Gen 8 Pokemon, and I was really hyped for its reveal. Being a fast Pokemon with Guts and STAB on Facade is absolutely crazy, and Knock Off is icing on the cake; getting a Normal/Dark type that wasn't a massive disappointment was incredibly cool. It's part of this team's wallbreaking core alongside Keldeo, breaking through a lot of Pokemon Keldeo can struggle with like Slowking, Tentacruel, and Celebi. It's also a great Psychic immunity for the team, checking threats like Dragon Dance Necrozma with ease, and it also acts as the de-facto Polteageist check. Switcheroo allows it to cripple switch-ins like Skarmory, mainly, but it's quite risky to click with all the Black Sludge Galarian Weezing going around, so it can definitely be dropped for like Taunt or Bulk Up. Obstagoon's natural bulk also means it can tank a hit, and trading with something like Starmie is often all it takes for Keldeo to win. It's a Pokemon that consistently puts in work and nothing else performs its role quite like it does.

~ Threatlist ~

: Starmie is probably the #1 threat to this team, specifically Psyshock variants. While it can be handled fairly easily if it's defensive or is using Boots, Life Orb Starmie absolutely destroys this team, so much so that I had to EV Heliolisk to more reliably take it on. If you face one, be sure to keep your Heliolisk at 100% until Starmie's set is revealed, or try your best to kill it early with Noivern, Jirachi or Obstagoon so that it doesn't cause massive issues in the late game.

: Toxtricity's so threatening to this team that I had to put Zen Headbutt on my Jirachi just to take it on better. Mudsdale can tank a hit against it at full health and kill it off with Earthquake, but it takes a LOT from Boomburst; you're best off trying to lure this early with Zen Headbutt and then hope you don't get crushed by a Bisharp in the back or something. Had I not changed the Jirachi set I would've said this was the #1 threat, but Starmie takes that crown now.

: Sylveon's not really as threatening as Starmie, but it's still pretty annoying. Defensive variants are hard to take out without trading either Keldeo or Obstagoon for it, while offensive variants are pretty tough to switch into, as even Jirachi will struggle to tank the hit. Thankfully, offensive variants don't really get too many opportunities to click attacks against this team, so it's usually fine in practice, but exercise caution when facing one.

~ Replays ~

I don't have many bc this team is pretty recent, but here are some:

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8uu-1168235082 - vs 467 11 11p
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8uu-1168239034 - vs Sickist
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8uu-1168256206 - vs TMM

~ Importable ~

Heartache (Heliolisk) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Dry Skin
EVs: 40 Def / 216 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Hyper Voice
- Grass Knot

Determination (Mudsdale) @ Leftovers
Ability: Stamina
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Smack Down
- Body Press

Quiet Water (Keldeo-Resolute) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Secret Sword
- Icy Wind
- Surf

Spider Dance (Noivern) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Flamethrower
- U-turn
- Roost

Small Shock (Jirachi) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Iron Head
- Zen Headbutt
- Healing Wish
- U-turn

Bergentrückung (Obstagoon) @ Flame Orb
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Facade
- Knock Off
- Close Combat
- Switcheroo

https://pokepast.es/0823fa5b37101bcc

~ Shoutouts ~

You guys are everything to me. You make my day every single time I open our chat, and you're the best group of friends I could ever ask for. I love each and every one of you so much, you make staying around here and contributing worth every second. Thank you so much for taking me in. <3

Thank you all for putting up with all the stupid shit I post in there LMAO I can't believe I've been going on about Mudsdale for like a week and nobody has gotten sick of it yet. You guys are the best community on the site hands-down and I wouldn't trade you for anything. I hope you all go far. :>

Just because we talk in some other less-used outlet for me doesn't mean you're worth any less to me. There are plenty of people I speak to purely in DMs and you guys always know how to turn a bad day upside down and make me feel like a clown for ever doubting myself. Thanks for being yourselves. You're amazing. :3

Wrapping this up with indvidual tags - I'm really sorry if I forget anyone, I'm mostly going through lists in chats/DMs, but I promise that if I've ever interacted with you positively at all then I probably think you're the coolest person ever.
really hope i didn't forget anyone >~<

ANYWAY thank you for reading if you got this far. I had a ton of fun writing this up and using this team and I hope others continue to enjoy using it. Best of luck on the ladder with the team, and I hope you enjoy the next time I decide to write one of these things up again! o/

AssessTheThreat · Aug 22, 2020

lily really posted the whole undertale soundtrack as an rmt...

dustoff · Aug 26, 2020

I've been playing this set a lot and I really like it.

It's a little weird not having a defog/spinner, but the dual boots seem to make it work.

I also tend to get into trouble with Hatterene, especially with TR. Any thoughts on countering that?

Lily · Aug 28, 2020

dustoff said:
I've been playing this set a lot and I really like it.

It's a little weird not having a defog/spinner, but the dual boots seem to make it work.

I also tend to get into trouble with Hatterene, especially with TR. Any thoughts on countering that?

hey, sorry for the late reply!!
against hatterene, you're gonna want to keep jirachi healthy so that it can reliably beat it. alternatively, like sylveon, you can try to trade your keldeo or obstagoon for damage on it so that heliolisk can muscle through it. it's admittedly a poor matchup - you can run Heavy Slam on Mudsdale over Body Press if it's really bothering you. hope that helped! :3

SS UU Once Upon a Time

Lily

maybe it's a heaven sign

AssessTheThreat

dustoff

Lily

maybe it's a heaven sign