Hello frens, It's Meowiekins again, back with my second RMT :]. I built this team for the Dark Horse Challenge run by CoolStoryBrobat. It's a fun project that gets the creative juices flowing. This time I'm going to share my team that's based around the vastly underused move of Tailwind. If you don't know, Tailwind is a move that when used, grants your team doubled speed for 3 turns after its use. So, if you use Tailwind and die immediately afterwards, then you get a free switch to a sweeper of choice and 3 turns to smack the hell out of your opponents team.
With the Teambuilding process out of the way, it's time to take a deeper look at the sets themselves.
Uxie @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature (+ SpD, -SpA)
- Stealth Rock
- Knock Off
- U-turn
- Thunder Wave
For all intents and purposes, Uxie is my dedicated lead. Uxie does everything a solid lead needs to do. Setting up Stealth Rocks is always useful and Knocking Off items or grabbing momentum with U-Turn is a great bonus. It's especially nice when I have an opportunity to knock off or Thunder Wave a Choice Scarf user such as Hydreigon, Mienshao, or Jirachi because even under Tailwind they outspeed Exploud.
Uxie accomplishes much more that just setting up Stealth Rocks. Uxie is one of two answers to Mega Ampharos who is normally a real pain in the rear. I can halt momentum by switching in and getting off a slow u-turn of my own. Uxie also is my primary answer to the Nidos who are always a huge threat. With my EV spread on Alomomola, after knocking off Nidoqueens Life Orb, Alomomola is a good check.
Despite all of these positives, Uxie is still a hindrance in a bunch of situations. Against slow Blastoise, I can't use Uxie as a slow pivot and my team really hates switching into Blastoise. Many times I just Knock Off repeatedly in order to get enough Chip Damage so something else can revenge it. Uxie also has an issue staying healthy throughout the match if Alomomola doesn't have any easy switch in opportunities. For this reason Volt-Turn with Mega Ampharos can be a real issue since Uxie with get worn down very quickly.
Whimsicott @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature (+ Spe, - Atk)
-Giga Drain
-Moonblast
-U-Turn
-Tailwind
Whimsicott is the second part of my speed control lifestyle and the second part of my U-Turn core. Like I said before, I initially used a Specially Defensive Whimsicott with Stun Spore in the past. And while it was a great member of the team, it lacked a certain something. Stun Spore wasn't working out and frankly, I was getting frustrated with all of the misses that kept occurring. In addition, the same things switched in on Whimsicott and Uxie leaving me with only a couple pokémon that were paralyzed on the other team.
Following this disappointment, I switched to Tailwind. I was still Specially Defensive but I tried to be more offensively oriented with the team. And while Whimsicott was a great stop to Hydreigon back then, it wasn't really necessary to run all of that special bulk. Instead, I opted for a more offensive spread with Leftovers. Normally, Offensive Whimsicott runs Life Orb but since Whimsicott needed to switch in many times throughout a match, Leftovers was necessary so as not to compromise bulk.
Whimsicott also has a great speed tier. Base 116 beats Azelf by just a few points and allows me to break its sash for free. Oftentimes, Azelf is afraid of Taunt as well so it switches out, allowing for free momentum with U-Turn. Giga Drain and Moonblast are obligatory STAB but they hit a majority of the tier for solid damage. Moonblast is necessary to make Hydreigon your servant and Giga Drain is to threaten Ground and Water-types such as Swampert and Donphan. U-Turn is often a free way to grab momentum against Hydreigon on a possible switch to Jirachi or something.
Even though Whimsicott could often be used to punch holes in the opponent's team, I have to play it fairly conservatively since priority Tailwind was often an integral part of my win condition.
Exploud @ Choice Specs
Ability: Scrappy
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature (+ SpA, - Atk)
-Boomburst
I would list Exploud's other coverage options here but honestly, it's pointless. As far as I can remember, I clicked Fire Blast once, and Surf once. Other than that I have clicked only Boomburst and have not been disappointed. Exploud is a vastly underrated threat in the metagame at present. Under the effects of Tailwind, Exploud outspeeds and kills basically everything in the tier that isn't a dedicated special wall, Assault Vest user, or resist. I have some calcs that show the raw power that Exploud's Boomburst possesses.
The given EV spread is standard but effective. Under the effects of Tailwind, Exploud has just enough speed to outspeed Choice Scarf Krookodile. Be careful if you decide to use this team because anything faster than that will outspeed and kill you. I learned my lesson the hard way when I foolishly sacked Haxorus to pursue a sweep with Exploud only to be outsped by Scarf Hydreigon and lose the game.
Other than that there isn't much to say about Exploud other than he actually has decent bulk and with a wish in the air he can come in on a bunch of hits. He dodges the OHKO from Sky Plate Crobat and a bunch of other random stuff. Overall, a solid mon that was integral to the teams success.
Haxorus @ Choice Band
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature (+ Atk, - Spe)
-Outrage
-Dragon Claw
-Earthquake
-Poison Jab
The second half of my Choiced Wall breaking core, Haxorus is a necessary part of my offense because it provides coverage and speed that I would be lacking otherwise. As mentioned earlier, this used to be Swords Dance Haxorus. And while that certainly is a fun set, it finds a lot of trouble trying to set up and sweep. It was a bit more viable with paralysis support but with the aforementioned problems of only paralyzing half the team, he wasn't fast enough to sweep. Switching to Double Dance alleviated the problem for a while but still left me without the raw power that I was looking for. Once I switched to Tailwind as a focus Choice Band seemed a logical choice.
I could provide another long list of calcs that display Haxorus' power but its unnecessary in my opinion. Choice Band murders things with Outrage. However, I often find that I can't just spam Outrage if there is a Steel-type or a Fairy-type hiding in the wings. For this reason I have considered swapping out for CB Krookodile but I'm not sure.
Most times when I identify win conditions it either involves Boomburst or Earthquake from Haxorus under Tailwind. Like I said before, there are only a few times where I can really just spam Outrage without fear of being punished. The only time I really can is when I just need to soften up a monstrous wall *cough* Alomomola *cough* for something like Crobat to bust through.
Crobat @ Sky Plate
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 56 HP / 252 Atk / 200 Spe
Jolly Nature (+ Spe, - SpA)
-Brave Bird
-U-Turn
-Roost
-Tailwind
Crobat fulfills a ton of different roles for this team, it's pretty ridiculous to be honest. He is able to come in on Fighting-types with caution and smacks them back with a Pl8 boosted Brave Bird. Initially I ran Choice Banded Crobat which left me with 3 choice users. When that was the case I was having extreme trouble against the more skilled opponents over 1500 rating. It was a real hassle not having any wiggle room with Crobat. Since then I've changed to this set and I haven't looked back.
Roost increases Crobat's staying power tenfold and is integral to this iteration of Crobat. Roost also allows me to play much more recklessly with Crobat in a sense. Before, if the opponent had a Toxicroak I had to be sure to never click Brave Bird or else I would be in Sucker Punch's KO range. Now I just need to find an opportunity to Roost and I'm golden.
The only calc that disappoints me with this set is that Crobat doesn't OHKO Lucario with Brave Bird but it's very possible to play around Luc when he's at 10% or less.
Aside from Pl8, Crobat's U-Turn completes my U-Turn core of Uxie, Whimsicott, and Crobat. The 3 of them can snag momentum for the team and if a slow pokémon, like Swampert, comes in to sponge the hit then Exploud gets to fire off a Boomburst for free.
Tailwind is the final move of the set and again benefited from my switch to Sky Plate. When I would play somebody for the second or third time, surprise banded Tailwind before dying lost its gimmick and they just wouldn't attack me during those turns and stall out Tailwind. This had to change and the Sky Plate switch freed me up to U-Turn out after Tailwind or Brave Bird to suicide or something along those lines.
Sunfish @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
Nature: Bold (+ Def, - Atk)
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD
-Scald
-Wish
-Protect
-Toxic
Sunfish is cool. Alomomola is basically the glue for the team. It's ability to stay healthy while still passing wishes to the other members of the team is what makes it fit so nicely on the team. Volt-Turn is a big threat to the team and while Alomomola is certainly susceptible to Ampharos' Volt Switch it can Toxic it on the switch and stall it out eventually. It's also a secondary answer to Jirachi.
Honestly, I had no idea what to do with the EV spread so I just did what I do for Blissey since as far as I'm concerned this is just Physical Blissey; pink, fat, and annoying.
Alomomola, Uxie, and Whimsicott actually form a very potent defensive core that's capable of grabbing momentum with U-Turn. Whimsicott comes with great resists and Uxie is just fat so with a wish they can come in basically whenever. There's really not much to say about sunfish since it's just sunfish. It is basically my first answer to Metagross but if I don't get an early burn I'm in trouble.
So that's the team. I really like it because it's able to accomplish a multitude of different objectives and carry out multiple different strategies to reach its win conditions. It pairs a solid defensive core, a scary wall breaking pair, a nice U-Turn core, and a switch that turns that slow paced team into a hyper offensive one really quickly.
Threat List:
Volt-Turn
I have a lot of trouble with Volt-Turn simply because it's a really good playstyle and I don't have a Ground-type for Mega Ampharos. I mostly just try to whittle MAmph with Toxic and pivot around with Uxie and Whimsicott with Wish Passing to keep them topped off. Jirachi is dealt with by a combo of Uxie and Alomomola. I go to Uxie on Volt Switch and if Jirachi U-Turns then I have slow U-Turn to get momentum. If they Iron Head then I go to Alomomola for free.
Steel-types
I really don't have much for Steel-types to be honest. Nothing hits them aside from Haxorus' EQ and Exploud's Fire Blast. Most times I just try to whittle and put on pressure with Haxorus and hopefully catch them with an Earthquake.
Stall Cores with Blissey
Blissey, Alomomola, Mega Aggron cores are nigh impossible to break with this team.
Sub Rachi and Sub Cobalion
I know these are Steel-types but they're their own thing because if they start to set up I'm trouble. Cobalion especially runs through me. I generally have to get them to wear themselves down with Substitute to the point where Crobat can nab a KO through the sub.
Replays (will be updated)
Importable
Team Building Process:
As mentioned earlier, this team was made for the Dark Horse Challenge. As such I was confined in my usage that I could take up. My initial idea for the team was centered around a paralysis team. A team that would slow down the opponent so that my pokémon could either set up on them or just kill them flat out. The idea seemed cool and so I started looking for Dark Horses that could fill that niche for me.
The first Dark Horse that I looked to was Uxie. Sitting at a whopping .47% he seemed a very efficient choice. Uxie was able to set up Stealth Rocks and Paralyze opponents which is exactly what I was looking for.
Wanting additional paralysis support I started thinking about something with priority. At first Liepard seemed like an option but sharing a Bug-Weakness would only make the team weak to Volt-Turn which is something I've had issues with in the past. Priority Stun Spore seemed the next best option so Whimsicott was welcomed to the squad. Stun Spore also allows me to paralyze Ground-types which is a nice bonus.
Well there's two Dark Horses but I was feeling frisky so I decided to bring on one more. Back in the formative days of RU I had a lot of success with Exploud under Sticky Web. So with Paralysis support accomplishing a similar goal I decided to give him a shot.
Now it was time to introduce the big boys. The heavy hitters of UU. The first choice was a set that doesn't see much play because of its lackluster speed which allows it be revenged very easily. I'm speaking of course about Swords Dance Haxorus. A monster against the right team, Haxorus was a fun pokémon to use.
The second big player in UU was something that I've used to good success in other teams. Choice Banded Crobat seems to never have a good switch-in so I smacked him on the team here.
One more slot was missing that is filled on every team. While I was teambuilding I couldn't really think of it until I looked at every other one of my teams. I was missing a bulky water. With the recent departure of Slowbro, the premier bulky water not named Blastoise was Alomomola. Also being a Dark Horse allowed for an easy fit even though I don't really count it as Dark Horse.
That's where all the pokémon themselves came from but there were many changes to make the team flow better. A few times I tried subbing out Uxie for Mesprit and other similar changes. Finally I had the revelation that what if, instead of slowing my opponent down I sped myself up. I noticed that conveniently, I had 2 pokémon that could learn Tailwind already, one of which has priority Tailwind. Some further testing and tweaking found Haxorus losing its Lum Berry in favor of a Choice Band and Crobat losing its Choice Band for a Sky Plate.
For anyone interested this is how usage came out
Uxie .47%
Whimsicott 1.37%
Haxorus 10.13%
Crobat 15.88%
Alomomola 3.11%
Exploud .96%
31.92% total
As mentioned earlier, this team was made for the Dark Horse Challenge. As such I was confined in my usage that I could take up. My initial idea for the team was centered around a paralysis team. A team that would slow down the opponent so that my pokémon could either set up on them or just kill them flat out. The idea seemed cool and so I started looking for Dark Horses that could fill that niche for me.
The first Dark Horse that I looked to was Uxie. Sitting at a whopping .47% he seemed a very efficient choice. Uxie was able to set up Stealth Rocks and Paralyze opponents which is exactly what I was looking for.
Wanting additional paralysis support I started thinking about something with priority. At first Liepard seemed like an option but sharing a Bug-Weakness would only make the team weak to Volt-Turn which is something I've had issues with in the past. Priority Stun Spore seemed the next best option so Whimsicott was welcomed to the squad. Stun Spore also allows me to paralyze Ground-types which is a nice bonus.
Well there's two Dark Horses but I was feeling frisky so I decided to bring on one more. Back in the formative days of RU I had a lot of success with Exploud under Sticky Web. So with Paralysis support accomplishing a similar goal I decided to give him a shot.
Now it was time to introduce the big boys. The heavy hitters of UU. The first choice was a set that doesn't see much play because of its lackluster speed which allows it be revenged very easily. I'm speaking of course about Swords Dance Haxorus. A monster against the right team, Haxorus was a fun pokémon to use.
The second big player in UU was something that I've used to good success in other teams. Choice Banded Crobat seems to never have a good switch-in so I smacked him on the team here.
One more slot was missing that is filled on every team. While I was teambuilding I couldn't really think of it until I looked at every other one of my teams. I was missing a bulky water. With the recent departure of Slowbro, the premier bulky water not named Blastoise was Alomomola. Also being a Dark Horse allowed for an easy fit even though I don't really count it as Dark Horse.
That's where all the pokémon themselves came from but there were many changes to make the team flow better. A few times I tried subbing out Uxie for Mesprit and other similar changes. Finally I had the revelation that what if, instead of slowing my opponent down I sped myself up. I noticed that conveniently, I had 2 pokémon that could learn Tailwind already, one of which has priority Tailwind. Some further testing and tweaking found Haxorus losing its Lum Berry in favor of a Choice Band and Crobat losing its Choice Band for a Sky Plate.
For anyone interested this is how usage came out
Uxie .47%
Whimsicott 1.37%
Haxorus 10.13%
Crobat 15.88%
Alomomola 3.11%
Exploud .96%
31.92% total
With the Teambuilding process out of the way, it's time to take a deeper look at the sets themselves.
Uxie @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature (+ SpD, -SpA)
- Stealth Rock
- Knock Off
- U-turn
- Thunder Wave
For all intents and purposes, Uxie is my dedicated lead. Uxie does everything a solid lead needs to do. Setting up Stealth Rocks is always useful and Knocking Off items or grabbing momentum with U-Turn is a great bonus. It's especially nice when I have an opportunity to knock off or Thunder Wave a Choice Scarf user such as Hydreigon, Mienshao, or Jirachi because even under Tailwind they outspeed Exploud.
Uxie accomplishes much more that just setting up Stealth Rocks. Uxie is one of two answers to Mega Ampharos who is normally a real pain in the rear. I can halt momentum by switching in and getting off a slow u-turn of my own. Uxie also is my primary answer to the Nidos who are always a huge threat. With my EV spread on Alomomola, after knocking off Nidoqueens Life Orb, Alomomola is a good check.
Despite all of these positives, Uxie is still a hindrance in a bunch of situations. Against slow Blastoise, I can't use Uxie as a slow pivot and my team really hates switching into Blastoise. Many times I just Knock Off repeatedly in order to get enough Chip Damage so something else can revenge it. Uxie also has an issue staying healthy throughout the match if Alomomola doesn't have any easy switch in opportunities. For this reason Volt-Turn with Mega Ampharos can be a real issue since Uxie with get worn down very quickly.
Whimsicott @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature (+ Spe, - Atk)
-Giga Drain
-Moonblast
-U-Turn
-Tailwind
Whimsicott is the second part of my speed control lifestyle and the second part of my U-Turn core. Like I said before, I initially used a Specially Defensive Whimsicott with Stun Spore in the past. And while it was a great member of the team, it lacked a certain something. Stun Spore wasn't working out and frankly, I was getting frustrated with all of the misses that kept occurring. In addition, the same things switched in on Whimsicott and Uxie leaving me with only a couple pokémon that were paralyzed on the other team.
Following this disappointment, I switched to Tailwind. I was still Specially Defensive but I tried to be more offensively oriented with the team. And while Whimsicott was a great stop to Hydreigon back then, it wasn't really necessary to run all of that special bulk. Instead, I opted for a more offensive spread with Leftovers. Normally, Offensive Whimsicott runs Life Orb but since Whimsicott needed to switch in many times throughout a match, Leftovers was necessary so as not to compromise bulk.
Whimsicott also has a great speed tier. Base 116 beats Azelf by just a few points and allows me to break its sash for free. Oftentimes, Azelf is afraid of Taunt as well so it switches out, allowing for free momentum with U-Turn. Giga Drain and Moonblast are obligatory STAB but they hit a majority of the tier for solid damage. Moonblast is necessary to make Hydreigon your servant and Giga Drain is to threaten Ground and Water-types such as Swampert and Donphan. U-Turn is often a free way to grab momentum against Hydreigon on a possible switch to Jirachi or something.
Even though Whimsicott could often be used to punch holes in the opponent's team, I have to play it fairly conservatively since priority Tailwind was often an integral part of my win condition.
Exploud @ Choice Specs
Ability: Scrappy
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature (+ SpA, - Atk)
-Boomburst
I would list Exploud's other coverage options here but honestly, it's pointless. As far as I can remember, I clicked Fire Blast once, and Surf once. Other than that I have clicked only Boomburst and have not been disappointed. Exploud is a vastly underrated threat in the metagame at present. Under the effects of Tailwind, Exploud outspeeds and kills basically everything in the tier that isn't a dedicated special wall, Assault Vest user, or resist. I have some calcs that show the raw power that Exploud's Boomburst possesses.
252+ SpA Choice Specs Exploud Boomburst vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Umbreon: 178-210 (45.1 - 53.2%) -- 89.8% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers
This forces it to take its own wish and after just a bit of chip damage (u-turns or knock offs) Exploud guarantees a 2HKO on the switch.
252+ SpA Choice Specs Exploud Boomburst vs. 252 HP / 24+ SpD Florges: 181-214 (50.2 - 59.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers
Standard Defensive Florges gets 2HKO'd quite easily.
252+ SpA Choice Specs Exploud Boomburst vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Empoleon: 105-124 (28.2 - 33.3%) -- guaranteed 4HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers
Empoleon is notorious for getting worn down throughout the match so lategame Empoleon will be unable to come in and sponge hits.
252+ SpA Choice Specs Exploud Boomburst vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Porygon2: 147-174 (39.3 - 46.5%) -- 27.3% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock
That's Eviolite Porygon 2. That's Power.
252+ SpA Choice Specs Exploud Focus Blast vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Porygon2: 252-298 (67.3 - 79.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
Surprise Knock Off from Uxie renders this thing useless in the face of Exploud.
252+ SpA Choice Specs Exploud Boomburst vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Lucario: 198-233 (70.4 - 82.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
Boomburst on the SD and profit. He has 3 hits left maximum and you can bait out ESpeeds for Alomo to come in on.
252+ SpA Choice Specs Exploud Boomburst vs. 248 HP / 0 SpD Forretress: 223-263 (63.1 - 74.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers
Forretress comes in on Uxie all the time. One U-Turn prediction guarantees a huge chunk is being taken out of the opposing team.
This forces it to take its own wish and after just a bit of chip damage (u-turns or knock offs) Exploud guarantees a 2HKO on the switch.
252+ SpA Choice Specs Exploud Boomburst vs. 252 HP / 24+ SpD Florges: 181-214 (50.2 - 59.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers
Standard Defensive Florges gets 2HKO'd quite easily.
252+ SpA Choice Specs Exploud Boomburst vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Empoleon: 105-124 (28.2 - 33.3%) -- guaranteed 4HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers
Empoleon is notorious for getting worn down throughout the match so lategame Empoleon will be unable to come in and sponge hits.
252+ SpA Choice Specs Exploud Boomburst vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Porygon2: 147-174 (39.3 - 46.5%) -- 27.3% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock
That's Eviolite Porygon 2. That's Power.
252+ SpA Choice Specs Exploud Focus Blast vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Porygon2: 252-298 (67.3 - 79.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
Surprise Knock Off from Uxie renders this thing useless in the face of Exploud.
252+ SpA Choice Specs Exploud Boomburst vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Lucario: 198-233 (70.4 - 82.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
Boomburst on the SD and profit. He has 3 hits left maximum and you can bait out ESpeeds for Alomo to come in on.
252+ SpA Choice Specs Exploud Boomburst vs. 248 HP / 0 SpD Forretress: 223-263 (63.1 - 74.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers
Forretress comes in on Uxie all the time. One U-Turn prediction guarantees a huge chunk is being taken out of the opposing team.
The given EV spread is standard but effective. Under the effects of Tailwind, Exploud has just enough speed to outspeed Choice Scarf Krookodile. Be careful if you decide to use this team because anything faster than that will outspeed and kill you. I learned my lesson the hard way when I foolishly sacked Haxorus to pursue a sweep with Exploud only to be outsped by Scarf Hydreigon and lose the game.
Other than that there isn't much to say about Exploud other than he actually has decent bulk and with a wish in the air he can come in on a bunch of hits. He dodges the OHKO from Sky Plate Crobat and a bunch of other random stuff. Overall, a solid mon that was integral to the teams success.
Haxorus @ Choice Band
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature (+ Atk, - Spe)
-Outrage
-Dragon Claw
-Earthquake
-Poison Jab
The second half of my Choiced Wall breaking core, Haxorus is a necessary part of my offense because it provides coverage and speed that I would be lacking otherwise. As mentioned earlier, this used to be Swords Dance Haxorus. And while that certainly is a fun set, it finds a lot of trouble trying to set up and sweep. It was a bit more viable with paralysis support but with the aforementioned problems of only paralyzing half the team, he wasn't fast enough to sweep. Switching to Double Dance alleviated the problem for a while but still left me without the raw power that I was looking for. Once I switched to Tailwind as a focus Choice Band seemed a logical choice.
I could provide another long list of calcs that display Haxorus' power but its unnecessary in my opinion. Choice Band murders things with Outrage. However, I often find that I can't just spam Outrage if there is a Steel-type or a Fairy-type hiding in the wings. For this reason I have considered swapping out for CB Krookodile but I'm not sure.
Most times when I identify win conditions it either involves Boomburst or Earthquake from Haxorus under Tailwind. Like I said before, there are only a few times where I can really just spam Outrage without fear of being punished. The only time I really can is when I just need to soften up a monstrous wall *cough* Alomomola *cough* for something like Crobat to bust through.
Crobat @ Sky Plate
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 56 HP / 252 Atk / 200 Spe
Jolly Nature (+ Spe, - SpA)
-Brave Bird
-U-Turn
-Roost
-Tailwind
Crobat fulfills a ton of different roles for this team, it's pretty ridiculous to be honest. He is able to come in on Fighting-types with caution and smacks them back with a Pl8 boosted Brave Bird. Initially I ran Choice Banded Crobat which left me with 3 choice users. When that was the case I was having extreme trouble against the more skilled opponents over 1500 rating. It was a real hassle not having any wiggle room with Crobat. Since then I've changed to this set and I haven't looked back.
Roost increases Crobat's staying power tenfold and is integral to this iteration of Crobat. Roost also allows me to play much more recklessly with Crobat in a sense. Before, if the opponent had a Toxicroak I had to be sure to never click Brave Bird or else I would be in Sucker Punch's KO range. Now I just need to find an opportunity to Roost and I'm golden.
The only calc that disappoints me with this set is that Crobat doesn't OHKO Lucario with Brave Bird but it's very possible to play around Luc when he's at 10% or less.
Aside from Pl8, Crobat's U-Turn completes my U-Turn core of Uxie, Whimsicott, and Crobat. The 3 of them can snag momentum for the team and if a slow pokémon, like Swampert, comes in to sponge the hit then Exploud gets to fire off a Boomburst for free.
Tailwind is the final move of the set and again benefited from my switch to Sky Plate. When I would play somebody for the second or third time, surprise banded Tailwind before dying lost its gimmick and they just wouldn't attack me during those turns and stall out Tailwind. This had to change and the Sky Plate switch freed me up to U-Turn out after Tailwind or Brave Bird to suicide or something along those lines.
Sunfish @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
Nature: Bold (+ Def, - Atk)
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD
-Scald
-Wish
-Protect
-Toxic
Sunfish is cool. Alomomola is basically the glue for the team. It's ability to stay healthy while still passing wishes to the other members of the team is what makes it fit so nicely on the team. Volt-Turn is a big threat to the team and while Alomomola is certainly susceptible to Ampharos' Volt Switch it can Toxic it on the switch and stall it out eventually. It's also a secondary answer to Jirachi.
Honestly, I had no idea what to do with the EV spread so I just did what I do for Blissey since as far as I'm concerned this is just Physical Blissey; pink, fat, and annoying.
Alomomola, Uxie, and Whimsicott actually form a very potent defensive core that's capable of grabbing momentum with U-Turn. Whimsicott comes with great resists and Uxie is just fat so with a wish they can come in basically whenever. There's really not much to say about sunfish since it's just sunfish. It is basically my first answer to Metagross but if I don't get an early burn I'm in trouble.
So that's the team. I really like it because it's able to accomplish a multitude of different objectives and carry out multiple different strategies to reach its win conditions. It pairs a solid defensive core, a scary wall breaking pair, a nice U-Turn core, and a switch that turns that slow paced team into a hyper offensive one really quickly.
Threat List:
Volt-Turn
I have a lot of trouble with Volt-Turn simply because it's a really good playstyle and I don't have a Ground-type for Mega Ampharos. I mostly just try to whittle MAmph with Toxic and pivot around with Uxie and Whimsicott with Wish Passing to keep them topped off. Jirachi is dealt with by a combo of Uxie and Alomomola. I go to Uxie on Volt Switch and if Jirachi U-Turns then I have slow U-Turn to get momentum. If they Iron Head then I go to Alomomola for free.
Steel-types
I really don't have much for Steel-types to be honest. Nothing hits them aside from Haxorus' EQ and Exploud's Fire Blast. Most times I just try to whittle and put on pressure with Haxorus and hopefully catch them with an Earthquake.
Stall Cores with Blissey
Blissey, Alomomola, Mega Aggron cores are nigh impossible to break with this team.
Sub Rachi and Sub Cobalion
I know these are Steel-types but they're their own thing because if they start to set up I'm trouble. Cobalion especially runs through me. I generally have to get them to wear themselves down with Substitute to the point where Crobat can nab a KO through the sub.
Replays (will be updated)
In this match vs. FateoftheMonado, we see how the team can function as a simple U-turn team; excelling at wearing down the opponent for a late game cleanup by Haxorus.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/uu-168176024
The next match features King UU and it really shows the power of Knock Off to allow Exploud to break through a tough wall in Porygon 2. Normally Porygon can be an issue but a turn 1 Knock Off from Uxie allows Exploud to power through King's team. A timely crit ensures Krookodile doesn't do too much damage to my team. Eventually I maneuver myself into a potential win with Exploud provided King doesn't crit ESpeed or get complete maximum damage.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/uu-167834905
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/uu-168176024
The next match features King UU and it really shows the power of Knock Off to allow Exploud to break through a tough wall in Porygon 2. Normally Porygon can be an issue but a turn 1 Knock Off from Uxie allows Exploud to power through King's team. A timely crit ensures Krookodile doesn't do too much damage to my team. Eventually I maneuver myself into a potential win with Exploud provided King doesn't crit ESpeed or get complete maximum damage.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/uu-167834905
Importable
Uxie @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Knock Off
- U-turn
- Thunder Wave
Whimsicott @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Giga Drain
- Moonblast
- U-turn
- Tailwind
Haxorus @ Choice Band
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Outrage
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
- Poison Jab
Exploud @ Choice Specs
Ability: Scrappy
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Boomburst
- Fire Blast
- Surf
- Focus Blast
Crobat @ Sky Plate
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 56 HP / 252 Atk / 200 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- U-turn
- Roost
- Tailwind
Alomomola @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 Def / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Wish
- Protect
- Toxic
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Knock Off
- U-turn
- Thunder Wave
Whimsicott @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Giga Drain
- Moonblast
- U-turn
- Tailwind
Haxorus @ Choice Band
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Outrage
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
- Poison Jab
Exploud @ Choice Specs
Ability: Scrappy
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Boomburst
- Fire Blast
- Surf
- Focus Blast
Crobat @ Sky Plate
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 56 HP / 252 Atk / 200 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- U-turn
- Roost
- Tailwind
Alomomola @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 Def / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Wish
- Protect
- Toxic
