Gimmicks and their Role in the UU Metagame

KM

slayification
is a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributor
This thread is meant to shed some light on the pokemon, movesets, or item choices on a set in UU that could be considered a viable gimmick. It differs from the lower-tier threats thread as it focuses on good, non-standard sets rather than good, non-standard pokemon.

Definition of a Viable UU Gimmick - please read before posting:

A viable gimmick must fulfill all of the following requirements.

1. First, and primarily, a viable gimmick must be viable (duh). Before you post a set, look at it and ask yourself if it is outclassed or irrelevant. For instance, there's no point posting an eviolite Baltoy set with the same moves as a Claydol set, as it is obviously inferior. In order for a set to be viable, it must either fill a role that the standard set does not, provide significant enough surprise factor through items, moves, or other factors that overcome the disadvantage of not using preferred moves, or merely accomplish an existing role better than a common pokemon does.

2. A viable gimmick must not be listed as a standard set on the Smogon website. There must be enough difference between your set and an existing one to qualify it as a gimmick. I'm not going to quantify this by saying "nature, EV Spread, and at least one move must be different", or whatever, but use your judgement. If you find Modest LO Shaymin with all the standard moves to be better than Timid LO Shaymin, that's a great opinion, but here isn't the place for it.

3. Finally, and possibly most obviously, the gimmick must be both usable and rational in UU in specific. Please do not post things like "Running HP Psychic on Arcanine is effective in higher tiers because it allows it to deal with Toxicroak." You are obviously welcome to use and highlight pokemon in lower tiers than UU, but the role that they fill must be in direct correlation to the UU metagame specifically.

What should my post look like in this thread?

The rules I'll be following for posts in this thread are similar to those in the corresponding thread for UU, although perhaps not as strict.

There are three components when you post a set. The first, and possibly most important, is the set itself. The bare minimum requires EVs, items, moves, and nature, but a sprite is appreciated.

Secondly, a description of the pokemon and why you chose the nature, EVs, items, and moves is necessary. Say how the moves deal with certain threats, or why you chose Adamant over Jolly.

Finally, you want to compare it to other existing threats in the UU metagame and make your point as to why it is a better use of that pokemon, why it fills a niche that others do not, or how it deals with counters that other sets of the same pokemon can not.

Example:
@ Salac Berry
Trait: Moxie/Swarm
EVs: 252 Atk/252 Spe/4 HP
Jolly Nature
- Endure
- Reversal
- Megahorn/Close Combat
- Stone Edge/Close Combat

EndureSalac Heracross is an unexpected threat, moreso with the abundance of scarfed and banded varients running around. Salac Berry acts as a great bluff for a choice item, and if you play with it right and bring it in on things that you're faster than without a scarf, you can easily trick the opponent. I chose Jolly Nature to be able to outspeed Adamant Scarf Hera after the boost, as well as the ability to outspeed things like Chandelure, Modest Rotom-Heat, and other big threats.

Endure and Reversal are obviously the crux of the set, but what makes this set so great as compared to other reversal users (most notably Hitmonlee) is that it has tremendous use and offensive presence before it pops the gimmick and endures. If you keep Megahorn and Stone Edge, you still have great coverage and a strong stab move, whereas Close Combat allows you to further bluff your choiced-ness as well as weaken you so that you can endure on a weaker attack and get down to 1HP. That said, I prefer Megahorn and Stone Edge for the increased coverage.

In many ways, this set outclasses Scarfed Heracross as a late-game cleaner and a Moxie sweeper. Not only does enduring with Salac Berry give you the 1.5x Speed Boost without needing to be locked into an inaccurate or not very effective move, you also get a major power boost from reversal over close combat, from 180 BP after stab to a staggering 300 BP. This allows you to forgo having to rely on things like Stone Edge and their shaky accuracy when dealing with certain threats. For example, at +1, a full-powered Reversal from Heracross easily OHKOs LO Zapdos after Stealth Rocks, whereas Close Combat does little over half. At +2, Nidoqueen gets OHKOd without any hazards at all, no matter what.

Although Moxie is the preferred ability for maximum cleaning ability, Swarm is also a viable option, as it gives you a guaranteed 33% damage boost to your Megahorn at low health. With Heracross' massive attack, 300 BP Reversal, and great coverage, you might not need those Moxie boosts to sweep through a team.

----------------
That description is obviously more than necessary, but I really do like EndureSalac Heracross, so I got a little bit carried away. (Seriously people, try it).

Some final words. It should go without saying that you are more than welcome to respond and discuss to any sets posted in this forum, and that it's not merely meant to be a eruption of gimmicks with no analysis. That said, all gimmicks that are deemed worthwhile to the UU metagame will be archived in the Archives, below.

Credits to Jukain for being awesome letting me adopt this idea from OU and put into UU, and thanks in advance to everyone for posting :)

~Kitten Milk


Archives

Endure Salac Heracross
@ Salac Berry
Trait: Moxie/Swarm
EVs: 252 Atk/252 Spe/4 HP
Jolly Nature
- Endure
- Reversal
- Megahorn/Close Combat
- Stone Edge/Close Combat

EndureSalac Heracross is an unexpected threat, moreso with the abundance of scarfed and banded varients running around. Salac Berry acts as a great bluff for a choice item, and if you play with it right and bring it in on things that you're faster than without a scarf, you can easily trick the opponent. I chose Jolly Nature to be able to outspeed Adamant Scarf Hera after the boost, as well as the ability to outspeed things like Chandelure, Modest Rotom-Heat, and other big threats.

Endure and Reversal are obviously the crux of the set, but what makes this set so great as compared to other reversal users (most notably Hitmonlee) is that it has tremendous use and offensive presence before it pops the gimmick and endures. If you keep Megahorn and Stone Edge, you still have great coverage and a strong stab move, whereas Close Combat allows you to further bluff your choiced-ness as well as weaken you so that you can endure on a weaker attack and get down to 1HP. That said, I prefer Megahorn and Stone Edge for the increased coverage.

In many ways, this set outclasses Scarfed Heracross as a late-game cleaner and a Moxie sweeper. Not only does enduring with Salac Berry give you the 1.5x Speed Boost without needing to be locked into an inaccurate or not very effective move, you also get a major power boost from reversal over close combat, from 180 BP after stab to a staggering 300 BP. This allows you to forgo having to rely on things like Stone Edge and their shaky accuracy when dealing with certain threats. For example, at +1, a full-powered Reversal from Heracross easily OHKOs LO Zapdos after Stealth Rocks, whereas Close Combat does little over half. At +2, Nidoqueen gets OHKOd without any hazards at all, no matter what.

Although Moxie is the preferred ability for maximum cleaning ability, Swarm is also a viable option, as it gives you a guaranteed 33% damage boost to your Megahorn at low health. With Heracross' massive attack, 300 BP Reversal, and great coverage, you might not need those Moxie boosts to sweep through a team.


Endeavor Piloswine
Piloswine @ Eviolite
Trait: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Endeavor
- Ice Shard

A+ Stealth rock setter. Strong Raikou/Zapdos counter. Extremely high defenses. Anti-hail striker. Ultimate Electric counter. Busts Gligar and Flygon

and when you predict yourself getting to low HP levels you can Endeavor for a big fuck-you before Ice Sharding the opponent and signing off

252 Atk Heracross Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Eviolite Piloswine: 306-362 (75.74 - 89.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252+ Atk Heracross Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Eviolite Piloswine: 336-396 (83.16 - 98.01%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252 Atk Mienshao Hi Jump Kick vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Eviolite Piloswine: 332-392 (82.17 - 97.02%) -- guaranteed 2HKO


Anti-Umbreon Gothorita

Hai Umbreon Fak U (Gothorita)
@Eviolite
Bold Nature
EVs: 96 Spe / 248 HP / 164 Def
Moves:
-Taunt
-Rest
-Sleep Talk
-Toxic

I really hate Umbreon and if you do too, then this is the set for you (rhymes). The idea is to get off a toxic and keep the taunt thing going but if that doesn't work, you can always stall umbreon out of foul plays and force it to struggle. Obviously this set can deal with other pokemon very well, too, but I made the EVs specifically for Umbreon.


Lead Offensive Omastar

Yeah. I never post here, but here's a cool one.

Omastar @ Focus Sash
Trait: Weak Armor
Nature: Modest/Timid
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Sp. Att / 252 Spe
- Spikes
- Stealth Rock
- Surf/Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam/Grass Knot

idk if this counts as a gimmick or not, but I'll shoot. When people see Omastar, they think of Shell Smash. Furthermore, if they see Omastar in the lead position, they usually think that its just some cocky dude trying to Shell Smash asap. This set capitalizes on this to support your team with double hazards from Turn 1. By the time they respond, you've most likely laid down SR and 1 - 2 Spikes with Weak Armor activated. Now he switches into sweeper mode and terrorize everyone with high damage output, something that the other Hazards lead, Crustle, could never accomplish.
Continuing on. When matched up against the top 10 leads (minus Froslass ofc):

#1: Bronzong)
252 SpAtk Omastar (+SpAtk) Hydro Pump vs 252 HP/4 SpDef Bronzong: 51.48% - 60.65%
2-3 hits to KO (with Leftovers)

252 SpAtk Omastar Hydro Pump vs 252 HP/4 SpDef Bronzong: 47.04% - 55.33%
2-3 hits to KO (with Leftovers)

So basically, Omastar with a Hydro Pump threatens Bronzong with a 2HKO from Hydro Pump, either forcing it out or debilitating it for mid to late game (especially since it has no real recovery options). No matter which nature you run (Modest or Timid), you're still going to hurt him pretty badly.

#2: Mienshao) Mienshaos in lead position either run Fake Out + Life Orb or Choice Scarf. Fake Out activates Weak Armor, boosting Timid Omastar to 343.5 Speed, which is greater than Jolly LO Mienshao's 339 Speed. Then following up:

252 SpAtk Omastar Hydro Pump vs 0 HP/4 SpDef Mienshao: 100% - 117.71%
Guaranteed OHKO

So either way, it's a losing situation for Mienshao and a perfect setup for Omastar after Mienshao's dead. CS Mienshao will most likely HJK Omastar or U-Turn out to break an anticipated Sash. The former leaves a dead Mienshao and the latter gives Omastar free speed to set up hazards.

#3: Azelf) Kind of a losing prospect here to some degree. If Azelf invests in killing Omastar, it risks being brought down to Focus Sash from an attack from Omastar and then get picked off by Omastar's team members. If it decides to set up, Omastar will just Hydro Pump it to death and still have the speed to set up hazards after Azelf is dead.

#4: Rhyperior) Joke?

#5: Ambipom) Sadly and ironically, this is one lead Omastar can't beat. Fake Out breaks its Sash and Low Kick kills it. :(

#6: Crobat) As stated, most people anticipate Omastar to be Shell Smash, so Bat will Taunt regardless. This gives Omastar a kill advantage.

252 SpAtk Omastar Hydro Pump vs 176 HP/4 SpDef Crobat: 60.85% - 71.83%
2 hits to KO (with Leftovers)

So yeah. If Crobat decides to Brave Bird it the turn after Taunt, it gives Omastar a +1 as well as a kill secure on Crobat. Ice Beam does around the same damage as Hydro Pump (95*2 = 190; 120*1.5 = 180) << close enough

#7: Swampert) HP Grass makes this thing a joke.

#8: Sableye) The most he can do is Taunt Omastar and hit it repeatedly with Foul Play. He can stall out Omastar if used correctly, but if you keep on spamming Hydro Pump until his supposed Turn 1 Taunt wears off, you can potentially hit him with a Hydro Pump and KO him or set up hazards when he recovers. WoW is going to make the aformentioned situation shorter, but it still potentially guarantees you hazards at some point during or after fighting with Sableye.

#9: Victini) Focus Sash on Bolt Strike, Hydro Pump for the win.

#10: Darmanitan) Focus Sash on the Earthquake/Superpower, Hydro Pump for the win

Toxic Spikes are another cool option vs. teams lacking a poison type, and can be used over Spikes if you wish.
Additions/Corrections by Sweep in Italics.


Belly Drum Darm
Realistically, Belly Drum Darmanitan is about as viable as the Reversal Heracross set you posted. However, it's a gimmick I've seen work before, mostly because if it can Drum safely, it sets up a win condition against a team where you've paralyzed/killed all the scarfed/faster Pokemon + priority users (though that's an enormous if). If you're going to use a Belly Drummer, this very well may be the easiest one in the game to use. Darmanitan can OHKO the entire metagame at +6 with Fire Punch and Earthquake after Stealth Rock with the given setup, it cannot be burnt by Sableye, and it usually has plenty of chances to force switches against the opponent. Still, the big issue that keeps this set a gimmick is that there is a faster poke/priority user on nearly every UU team. You will be hard pressed to find a team with nothing able to outspeed base 95 right off the bat, but if you can somehow get rid of those faster Pokemon (or get behind a Substitute), Darmanitan is essentially impossible to stop if it gets a Drum off.

Darmanitan
@Salac Berry/Soft Sand
Ability: Sheer Force
Jolly Nature
EVs: 252 Atk, 252 Spe, 6 SpD
- Belly Drum
- Fire Punch
- Earthquake
- Substitute/Encore

Calcs w Jolly Nature (Using Honkalculator 4000):

+6 Sheer Force Fire Punch vs. 252 HP/252 +Def Corfagrigus: 116.56%-137.81% (OHKO, but note that you lose Sheer Force afterward)
+6 Sheer Force Fire Punch vs. 252 HP/252 +Def Cresselia: 96.62%-113.73% (OHKO w Stealth Rock)
+6 Sheer Force Fire Punch vs. 252 HP/252 +Def Dusclops w Eviolite: 95.42%-112.32% (OHKO w Stealth Rock)
+6 Sheer Force Fire Punch vs. 252 HP/252 +Def Gligar w Eviolite: 93.71%-110.77% (OHKO w Stealth Rock)
+6 Sheer Force Fire Punch vs. 252 HP/252 +Def Porygon2 w Eviolite: 93.04%-109.35% (OHKO w Stealth Rock)
+6 Sheer Force Fire Punch vs. 252 HP/252 +Def Rotom-H: 75.98%-89.98% (OHKO w Stealth Rock. Also, 252 HP/252 +Def Rotom-H doesn't exist anyway.)
+6 Soft Sand Earthquake vs. 252 HP/252 +Def Blastoise: 109.39%-129.00% (OHKO)
+6 Soft Sand Earthquake vs. 252 HP/252 +Def Milotic: 117.00%-137.81% (OHKO)
+6 Soft Sand Earthquake vs. 252 HP/252 +Def Rhyperior w Solid Rock: 114.05%-134.33% (OHKO, and mostly the reason why you need Earthquake instead of say, Return)

+6 Soft Sand Earthquake vs. 252 HP/252 +Def Slowbro: 94.41%-111.16% (OHKO w Stealth Rock)
+6 Soft Sand Earthquake vs. 252 HP/252 +Def Snorlax: 98.85%-116.41% (OHKO w Stealth Rock. Also, 252 HP/252 +Def Snorlax doesn't exist anyway.)
+6 Soft Sand Earthquake vs. 252 HP/252 + Def Suicune: 89.35%-105.19% (OHKO w Stealth Rock)
+6 Soft Sand Earthquake vs. 252 HP/252 +Def Swampert: 105.19%-124.00% (OHKO)
If you're willing to do dedicated Spikestacking on top of Stealth Rock, you could get away with using something like say, a Salac berry to fix its issue with slower scarfers. Using a Life Orb raises your attack to the point where everything in the metagame is OHKO'd even without hazards, but Soft Sand guarantees all the KOs you need without adding recoil to Earthquake, and Darmanitan's main issue is its speed.


Trapper Azu

Oh man, you're going to flip shit over the set I am about to post. Dear Christ, this set has netted me sooooo many kills that Azumarril has no right getting.
Azumarill @ Leftovers
Trait: Thick fat/Huge Power
EVs: 100 SDef / 252 HP / 156 Def (these are open to tweaking)
Calm Nature/non attack lowering nature
- Rain Dance/Scald/Aqua jet/Aqua Ring
- Perish Song
- Whirlpool
- Protect

The important thing to note is that sap sipper is not compatible with whirlpool so any notion of walking grass moves is not viable. This set works because things like burning Azumarril. Suicune, Blastoise, Cofagrigus, Sableye.

Things that get their jollies from burning your pokemon will generally stay in on Azumarril even after it's burnt. It's also important to note that I have rain dance on to stop Abomasnow, the team I have has a pokemon that's next to useless if hail is up so yeah, chuck aqua jet with huge power or scald in that slot if you don't need manual weather. I would advise against huge power if you want to trap Umbreon because foulplay is a problem, but if you want the still decent aqua jet off of base 100 att then that is definately an option.

There you go, not much to this set, but it works waaaay better than Lapras would because Azumarril is such a beast offensively that the obvious, and completely wrong play is to send in a physical wall. Blastoise usually carries roar, as does Suicune, and Gligar can u turn out, however that doesn't make for much of a downside when you can take out threats like Slowbro and Cofagrigus wth relatively little hassle.

I didn't come up with the set, youtuber Rykard3 did, so be sure to check out this and other sets on youtube for more workable sets like this (work up mixed keldeo is a favourite of mine just because it's so cool)


Flame Orb/WoW Chandelure

I guess I'll throw this one up here, I've had some fun using it and I'm pretty positive it works:

Chandelure @ Flame Orb
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fire Blast
- Shadow Ball
- Energy Ball
- Trick

The goal of this set is pretty simple...Chandelure emphasizes on the last 4 letters in its name by luring in some of its checks, primarily Snorlax, as well as Umbreon, Porygon2, Rhyperior at times, and anything else thinking it can safely switch in on a choiced Fire or Ghost-type move. The lack of Leftovers recovery and Life Orb damage usually gives the idea that this Chandelure must be holding a choice item, which can lure your opponent into trying to play around it with ease.

Tricking a Flame Orb onto Rhyperior (Though you may as well spank it with an Energy Ball provided it's taken a little bit of damage prior to coming in or it at least tanks a Shadow Ball before it comes in), Snorlax, and even Umbreon (Umbreon no longer has lefties, and Heal Bell won't ever get rid of the burn that keeps coming back, thus making Foul Play useless and turning it into complete bait) and Porygon2 (Lol what Eviolite? Best part is you can Trick it to something else later if Chandy lives long enough) can cripple them and make it easy for Chandelure to continue hammering the opponent's team, or at least for something else to setup on the crippled Pokemon.

Maximum speed is required to make sure the worst that ever happens is you at least tie with opposing Non-Scarfed Chandelure in the event they switch those in at you. It's pretty funny when you activate a guy's Flash Fire and then subsequently OHKO him the next turn before he gets to do anything. However the big drawback to this set is it requires 100% skillful prediction, otherwise you just wasted an entire turn for yourself while all the pressure falls on you. Because Flame Orb + Trick is kind of a one-shot pony, Re-Tricking the Orb back to yourself (provided you aren't dead) and doing it again later is just costing you game time by this point. So if that's not quite your thing...Then try the 50% less pressure edition:

Chandelure @ Expert Belt/Flame Plate/Any Item That Isn't a Choice Item, Life Orb, or Leftovers
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fire Blast
- Shadow Ball
- Energy Ball
- Will-O-Wisp

Same deal as above, but there are a few advantages and disadvantages this ChandeLURE set has over the above one: First, your biggest advantage is you can unleash burns repeatedly, not just one time through the match. This really helps if you mispredict though you kind of have given away the fact you're using a Will-O-Wisp Chandelure...A somewhat-overlooked benefit, is that the burn activates instantly when you use it. When you Trick a Flame Orb to the foe, the burn doesn't activate until the end of the turn after both Pokemon have made their moves. Say for instance my Chandelure leads off against a Rhyperior on turn 1. Energy Ball won't OHKO, but I can predict Stealth Rock and Trick Flame Orb onto it. And when I do, I end up dying to an Earthquake just before the Flame Orb activates. With this set, you can just Will-O-Wisp straight from the git and go from there.

However the obvious disadvantages are you don't rid a foe of their item, meaning Umbreon can just Heal Bell for free, Porygon2 still holds its Eviolite, and the nowadays-somewhat-rare RestTalk Snorlax can still cure itself, whereas Flame Orb would permanently burn these Pokemon AND negate the benefits of Leftovers/Eviolite/etc. Also more importantly, Will-O-Wisp can become Will-O-Miss and not only disappoint you, but result in the set being given away as well as possibly letting Chandelure die to something it could have otherwise lived.

Anyway it's still a fun Chandy set to me either way and it really pisses a lot of players off when it happens...Heck, it may actually encourage the use of Houndoom a bit more than what I've been seeing as of late!
 
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Gotta represent Gothorita:
The following sets will all be shadow tag and will all have 0 attack IVs
:)

#1 Fighting Types
Hai Fighting Types Fak U (Gothorita)

@Eviolite
Bold Nature
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spe
Moves:
-Psychic
-Taunt
-Toxic
-Rest



#2 Walls
Hai Walls Fak U (Gothorita)

@Eviolite
Calm Nature
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpD / 8 Spe
Moves:
-Charge Beam
-Rest
-Taunt
-Toxic



#3 Umbreon
Hai Umbreon Fak U (Gothorita)

@Eviolite
Bold Nature
EVs: 96 Spe / 248 HP / 164 Def
Moves:
-Taunt
-Rest
-Sleep Talk
-Toxic



#4 1 Free Poke
Hai U Fak U (Gothorita)

@Choice Scarf
Calm Nature
EVs: 248 HP / 152 SpD / 108 Spe
Moves:
-Trick
-Toxic
-Rest
-Charge Beam



#5 World
Hai World Fak U (Gothorita)

@Eviolite
Bold Nature
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spe
Moves:
-Calm Mind
-Psychic/Psyshock
-Signal Beam
-Rest


Alright I'll talk about each set individually now by number:


#1 Did scarfed Mienshao just OHKO your powerful ambipom with Hi Jump Kick? Well guess what now you get to kill it for free as any sort of scarfed or even banded fighting type attack will do pretty minimal damage to Goth.

#2 So this set takes down a lot of generally bulky pokemon like bronzong, porygon 2, slowbro, etc. It's pretty nice to have if say slowbro's the only thing preventing a mienshao sweep or something.

#3 I really hate Umbreon and if you do too, then this is the set for you (rhymes). The idea is to get off a toxic and keep the taunt thing going but if that doesn't work, you can always stall umbreon out of foul plays and force it to struggle. Obviously this set can deal with other pokemon very well, too, but I made the EVs specifically for Umbreon.

#4 This set basically guarantees that you get to cripple something defensive. It's not really meant to take down more than one poke, but it'll do the job. I find this set works really well on offensive rain teams when chances are only one of your opponent's pokes can stop one of your sweepers.

#5 Pretty self-explanatory. All you need to do is trap something to set up on and go from there.


Overall, Goth has a unique role as a really good stall killer and pretty much any set deals with a lot of the bulky UU metagame. Goth also takes out every spinner in UU with the exception of Blastoise which can roar away goth but only after being crippled by a toxic. I urge everyone to try out some Goth set but be warned your opponent may become quite hostile.


It's kind of hard to compare Goth to other UU pokes but ya it does work. If you had to pick one or two sets to represent Goth, I'd go with #4 or #5.
 
Yeah. I never post here, but here's a cool one.

Omastar @ Focus Sash
Trait: Weak Armor
Nature: Modest/Timid
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Sp. Att / 252 Spe
- Spikes
- Stealth Rock
- Surf/Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam/Grass Knot

idk if this counts as a gimmick or not, but I'll shoot. When people see Omastar, they think of Shell Smash. Furthermore, if they see Omastar in the lead position, they usually think that its just some cocky dude trying to Shell Smash asap. This set capitalizes on this to support your team with double hazards from Turn 1. By the time they respond, you've most likely laid down SR and 1 - 2 Spikes with Weak Armor activated. Now he switches into sweeper mode and terrorize everyone with high damage output, something that the other Hazards lead, Crustle, could never accomplish.
 
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Yeah. I never post here, but here's a cool one.

Omastar @ Focus Sash
Trait: Weak Armor
Nature: Modest/Timid
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Sp. Att / 252 Spe
- Spikes
- Stealth Rock
- Surf/Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam/Grass Knot

idk if this counts as a gimmick or not, but I'll shoot. When people see Omastar, they think of Shell Smash. Furthermore, if they see Omastar in the lead position, they usually think that its just some cocky dude trying to Shell Smash asap. This set capitalizes on this to support your team with double hazards from Turn 1. By the time they respond, you've most likely laid down SR and 1 - 2 Spikes with Weak Armor activated. Now he switches into sweeper mode and terrorize everyone with high damage output, something that the other Hazards lead, Crustle, could never accomplish.
That's basically one of the standard sets on smogon tho it's only listed for RU not UU so I'm not sure if its disqualified.
 

KM

slayification
is a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributor
That's basically one of the standard sets on smogon tho it's only listed for RU not UU so I'm not sure if its disqualified.
It's fine because it is fairly rare for the UU metagame in specific, and I think it could actually be quite viable. The niche between it and other sets listed on the UU page is Weak Armor > Shell armor and the offensive EVs, and I think that could make a lot of the difference. There are obviously a lot of things that could prevent Omastar from doing the job it's supposed to, but I believe it matches up quite well against a lot of leads and could be a pretty effective hazard setter now that Froslass is BL. Good job on the set, eaglehawk, and I'd be willing to archive it if you talked about how it relates to the UU meta in specific.
 

Metal Sonic

Resurgence
is a Tutor Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnus
Piloswine @ Eviolite
Trait: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Endeavor
- Ice Shard

A+ Stealth rock setter. Strong Raikou/Zapdos counter. Extremely high defenses. Anti-hail striker. Ultimate Electric counter. Busts Gligar and Flygon

and when you predict yourself getting to low HP levels you can Endeavor for a big fuck-you before Ice Sharding the opponent and signing off

252 Atk Heracross Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Eviolite Piloswine: 306-362 (75.74 - 89.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252+ Atk Heracross Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Eviolite Piloswine: 336-396 (83.16 - 98.01%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252 Atk Mienshao Hi Jump Kick vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Eviolite Piloswine: 332-392 (82.17 - 97.02%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
 

KM

slayification
is a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributor
Piloswine @ Eviolite
Trait: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Endeavor
- Ice Shard

A+ Stealth rock setter. Strong Raikou/Zapdos counter. Extremely high defenses. Anti-hail striker. Ultimate Electric counter. Busts Gligar and Flygon

and when you predict yourself getting to low HP levels you can Endeavor for a big fuck-you before Ice Sharding the opponent and signing off

252 Atk Heracross Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Eviolite Piloswine: 306-362 (75.74 - 89.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252+ Atk Heracross Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Eviolite Piloswine: 336-396 (83.16 - 98.01%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252 Atk Mienshao Hi Jump Kick vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Eviolite Piloswine: 332-392 (82.17 - 97.02%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
This set looks awesome, to be honest. I was a little like "eh" when I saw the set, but those calcs really clinched it for me. Not only are those pretty common hypotheticals, all of those things would definitely stay in and try and KO it, making Endeavor-Shard pretty cool. Archiving this one, thanks :)
 

KM

slayification
is a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributor
Gotta represent Gothorita:
The following sets will all be shadow tag and will all have 0 attack IVs
:)

#1 Fighting Types
Hai Fighting Types Fak U (Gothorita)

@Eviolite
Bold Nature
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spe
Moves:
-Psychic
-Taunt
-Toxic
-Rest



#2 Walls
Hai Walls Fak U (Gothorita)

@Eviolite
Calm Nature
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpD / 8 Spe
Moves:
-Charge Beam
-Rest
-Taunt
-Toxic



#3 Umbreon
Hai Umbreon Fak U (Gothorita)

@Eviolite
Bold Nature
EVs: 96 Spe / 248 HP / 164 Def
Moves:
-Taunt
-Rest
-Sleep Talk
-Toxic



#4 1 Free Poke
Hai U Fak U (Gothorita)

@Choice Scarf
Calm Nature
EVs: 248 HP / 152 SpD / 108 Spe
Moves:
-Trick
-Toxic
-Rest
-Charge Beam



#5 World
Hai World Fak U (Gothorita)

@Eviolite
Bold Nature
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spe
Moves:
-Calm Mind
-Psychic/Psyshock
-Signal Beam
-Rest


Alright I'll talk about each set individually now by number:


#1 Did scarfed Mienshao just OHKO your powerful ambipom with Hi Jump Kick? Well guess what now you get to kill it for free as any sort of scarfed or even banded fighting type attack will do pretty minimal damage to Goth.

#2 So this set takes down a lot of generally bulky pokemon like bronzong, porygon 2, slowbro, etc. It's pretty nice to have if say slowbro's the only thing preventing a mienshao sweep or something.

#3 I really hate Umbreon and if you do too, then this is the set for you (rhymes). The idea is to get off a toxic and keep the taunt thing going but if that doesn't work, you can always stall umbreon out of foul plays and force it to struggle. Obviously this set can deal with other pokemon very well, too, but I made the EVs specifically for Umbreon.

#4 This set basically guarantees that you get to cripple something defensive. It's not really meant to take down more than one poke, but it'll do the job. I find this set works really well on offensive rain teams when chances are only one of your opponent's pokes can stop one of your sweepers.

#5 Pretty self-explanatory. All you need to do is trap something to set up on and go from there.


Overall, Goth has a unique role as a really good stall killer and pretty much any set deals with a lot of the bulky UU metagame. Goth also takes out every spinner in UU with the exception of Blastoise which can roar away goth but only after being crippled by a toxic. I urge everyone to try out some Goth set but be warned your opponent may become quite hostile.


It's kind of hard to compare Goth to other UU pokes but ya it does work. If you had to pick one or two sets to represent Goth, I'd go with #4 or #5.
All of these sets are pretty awesome and viable, and none of them are listed in the analysis (it doesn't even have an analysis lol), but I decided to go with #3 purely because it fits a specific role that's important for UU. Thanks for the post ;)
 
Yeah. I never post here, but here's a cool one.

Omastar @ Focus Sash
Trait: Weak Armor
Nature: Modest/Timid
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Sp. Att / 252 Spe
- Spikes
- Stealth Rock
- Surf/Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam/Grass Knot

idk if this counts as a gimmick or not, but I'll shoot. When people see Omastar, they think of Shell Smash. Furthermore, if they see Omastar in the lead position, they usually think that its just some cocky dude trying to Shell Smash asap. This set capitalizes on this to support your team with double hazards from Turn 1. By the time they respond, you've most likely laid down SR and 1 - 2 Spikes with Weak Armor activated. Now he switches into sweeper mode and terrorize everyone with high damage output, something that the other Hazards lead, Crustle, could never accomplish.
Continuing on. When matched up against the top 10 leads (minus Froslass ofc):

#1: Bronzong)
252 SpAtk Omastar (+SpAtk) Hydro Pump vs 252 HP/4 SpDef Bronzong: 51.48% - 60.65%
2-3 hits to KO (with Leftovers)

252 SpAtk Omastar Hydro Pump vs 252 HP/4 SpDef Bronzong: 47.04% - 55.33%
2-3 hits to KO (with Leftovers)

So basically, Omastar with a Hydro Pump threatens Bronzong with a 2HKO from Hydro Pump, either forcing it out or debilitating it for mid to late game (especially since it has no real recovery options). No matter which nature you run (Modest or Timid), you're still going to hurt him pretty badly.

#2: Mienshao) Mienshaos in lead position either run Fake Out + Life Orb or Choice Scarf. Fake Out activates Weak Armor, boosting Timid Omastar to 343.5 Speed, which is greater than Jolly LO Mienshao's 339 Speed. Then following up:

252 SpAtk Omastar Hydro Pump vs 0 HP/4 SpDef Mienshao: 100% - 117.71%
Guaranteed OHKO

So either way, it's a losing situation for Mienshao and a perfect setup for Omastar after Mienshao's dead. CS Mienshao will most likely HJK Omastar or U-Turn out to break an anticipated Sash. The former leaves a dead Mienshao and the latter gives Omastar free speed to set up hazards.

#3: Azelf) Kind of a losing prospect here to some degree. If Azelf invests in killing Omastar, it risks being brought down to Focus Sash from an attack from Omastar and then get picked off by Omastar's team members. If it decides to set up, Omastar will just Hydro Pump it to death and still have the speed to set up hazards after Azelf is dead.

#4: Rhyperior) Joke?

#5: Ambipom) Sadly and ironically, this is one lead Omastar can't beat. Fake Out breaks its Sash and Low Kick kills it. :(

#6: Crobat) As stated, most people anticipate Omastar to be Shell Smash, so Bat will Taunt regardless. This gives Omastar a kill advantage.

252 SpAtk Omastar Hydro Pump vs 176 HP/4 SpDef Crobat: 60.85% - 71.83%
2 hits to KO (with Leftovers)

So yeah. If Crobat decides to Brave Bird it the turn after Taunt, it gives Omastar a +1 as well as a kill secure on Crobat. Ice Beam does around the same damage as Hydro Pump (95*2 = 190; 120*1.5 = 180) << close enough

#7: Swampert) Grass Knot makes this thing a joke.

#8: Sableye) The most he can do is Taunt Omastar and hit it repeatedly with Foul Play. He can stall out Omastar if used correctly, but if you keep on spamming Hydro Pump until his supposed Turn 1 Taunt wears off, you can potentially hit him with a Hydro Pump and KO him or set up hazards when he recovers. WoW is going to make the aformentioned situation shorter, but it still potentially guarantees you hazards at some point during or after fighting with Sableye.

#9: Victini) Focus Sash on Bolt Strike, Hydro Pump for the win.

#10: Darmanitan) Focus Sash on the Earthquake/Superpower, Hydro Pump for the win.

Granted I do not know the status of the lead metagame post-Froslass, but I definitely think Omastar is a powerful sleeper lead that can accomplish, if not outperform, the now-banned Froslass and Custap Crustle.

Hope this satifies your request KM :D
 

KM

slayification
is a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributor
Continuing on. When matched up against the top 10 leads (minus Froslass ofc):

#1: Bronzong)
252 SpAtk Omastar (+SpAtk) Hydro Pump vs 252 HP/4 SpDef Bronzong: 51.48% - 60.65%
2-3 hits to KO (with Leftovers)

252 SpAtk Omastar Hydro Pump vs 252 HP/4 SpDef Bronzong: 47.04% - 55.33%
2-3 hits to KO (with Leftovers)

So basically, Omastar with a Hydro Pump threatens Bronzong with a 2HKO from Hydro Pump, either forcing it out or debilitating it for mid to late game (especially since it has no real recovery options). No matter which nature you run (Modest or Timid), you're still going to hurt him pretty badly.

#2: Mienshao) Mienshaos in lead position either run Fake Out + Life Orb or Choice Scarf. Fake Out activates Weak Armor, boosting Timid Omastar to 343.5 Speed, which is greater than Jolly LO Mienshao's 339 Speed. Then following up:

252 SpAtk Omastar Hydro Pump vs 0 HP/4 SpDef Mienshao: 100% - 117.71%
Guaranteed OHKO

So either way, it's a losing situation for Mienshao and a perfect setup for Omastar after Mienshao's dead. CS Mienshao will most likely HJK Omastar or U-Turn out to break an anticipated Sash. The former leaves a dead Mienshao and the latter gives Omastar free speed to set up hazards.

#3: Azelf) Kind of a losing prospect here to some degree. If Azelf invests in killing Omastar, it risks being brought down to Focus Sash from an attack from Omastar and then get picked off by Omastar's team members. If it decides to set up, Omastar will just Hydro Pump it to death and still have the speed to set up hazards after Azelf is dead.

#4: Rhyperior) Joke?

#5: Ambipom) Sadly and ironically, this is one lead Omastar can't beat. Fake Out breaks its Sash and Low Kick kills it. :(

#6: Crobat) As stated, most people anticipate Omastar to be Shell Smash, so Bat will Taunt regardless. This gives Omastar a kill advantage.

252 SpAtk Omastar Hydro Pump vs 176 HP/4 SpDef Crobat: 60.85% - 71.83%
2 hits to KO (with Leftovers)

So yeah. If Crobat decides to Brave Bird it the turn after Taunt, it gives Omastar a +1 as well as a kill secure on Crobat. Ice Beam does around the same damage as Hydro Pump (95*2 = 190; 120*1.5 = 180) << close enough

#7: Swampert) Grass Knot makes this thing a joke.

#8: Sableye) The most he can do is Taunt Omastar and hit it repeatedly with Foul Play. He can stall out Omastar if used correctly, but if you keep on spamming Hydro Pump until his supposed Turn 1 Taunt wears off, you can potentially hit him with a Hydro Pump and KO him or set up hazards when he recovers. WoW is going to make the aformentioned situation shorter, but it still potentially guarantees you hazards at some point during or after fighting with Sableye.

#9: Victini) Focus Sash on Bolt Strike, Hydro Pump for the win.

#10: Darmanitan) Focus Sash on the Earthquake/Superpower, Hydro Pump for the win.

Granted I do not know the status of the lead metagame post-Froslass, but I definitely think Omastar is a powerful sleeper lead that can accomplish, if not outperform, the now-banned Froslass and Custap Crustle.

Hope this satifies your request KM :D
WAOW this is amazing, and obviously more than enough. I will definitely be using and archiving this, as well as trying out the set myself. I thought it would be good, but I never realized how well it would match up against everything. Thanks again!
 
Omastar does not get Grass Knot, though Hydro Pump 2HKO's Swampert anyway and max speed Omastar will outrun standard Swampert. Bear in mind that Hydro Pump tends to miss a lot and lead Omastar relies on prediction. It can work, but due to its poor defensive typing and low initial speed I am not a big fan of lead Omastar. It is no doubt usable though, and therefore fits the purpose of this thread!

Toxic Spikes are another cool option vs. teams lacking a poison type, and can be used over Spikes if you wish.
 
Realistically, Belly Drum Darmanitan is about as viable as the Reversal Heracross set you posted (that is, not very). However, it's a gimmick I've seen work before, mostly because if it can Drum safely, it sets up a win condition against a team where you've paralyzed/killed all the scarfed/faster Pokemon + priority users (though that's an enormous if). If you're going to use a Belly Drummer, this very well may be the easiest one in the game to use. Darmanitan can OHKO the entire metagame at +6 with Fire Punch and Earthquake after Stealth Rock with the given setup, it cannot be burnt by Sableye, and it usually has plenty of chances to force switches against the opponent. Still, the big issue that keeps this set a gimmick is that there is a faster poke/priority user on nearly every UU team. You will be hard pressed to find a team with nothing able to outspeed base 95 right off the bat, but if you can somehow get rid of those faster Pokemon (or get behind a Substitute), Darmanitan is essentially impossible to stop if it gets a Drum off.

Darmanitan

@Soft Sand
Ability: Sheer Force
Jolly Nature
EVs: 252 Atk, 252 Spe, 6 SpD
- Belly Drum
- Fire Punch
- Earthquake
- Encore/Substitute

Calcs w Jolly Nature (Using Honkalculator 4000):

+6 Sheer Force Fire Punch vs. 252 HP/252 +Def Corfagrigus: 116.56%-137.81% (OHKO, but note that you lose Sheer Force afterward)
+6 Sheer Force Fire Punch vs. 252 HP/252 +Def Cresselia: 96.62%-113.73% (OHKO w Stealth Rock)
+6 Sheer Force Fire Punch vs. 252 HP/252 +Def Dusclops w Eviolite: 95.42%-112.32% (OHKO w Stealth Rock)
+6 Sheer Force Fire Punch vs. 252 HP/252 +Def Gligar w Eviolite: 93.71%-110.77% (OHKO w Stealth Rock)
+6 Sheer Force Fire Punch vs. 252 HP/252 +Def Porygon2 w Eviolite: 93.04%-109.35% (OHKO w Stealth Rock)
+6 Sheer Force Fire Punch vs. 252 HP/252 +Def Rotom-H: 75.98%-89.98% (OHKO w Stealth Rock. Also, 252 HP/252 +Def Rotom-H doesn't exist anyway.)
+6 Soft Sand Earthquake vs. 252 HP/252 +Def Blastoise: 109.39%-129.00% (OHKO)
+6 Soft Sand Earthquake vs. 252 HP/252 +Def Milotic: 117.00%-137.81% (OHKO)
+6 Soft Sand Earthquake vs. 252 HP/252 +Def Rhyperior w Solid Rock: 114.05%-134.33% (OHKO, and mostly the reason why you need Earthquake instead of say, Return)

+6 Soft Sand Earthquake vs. 252 HP/252 +Def Slowbro: 94.41%-111.16% (OHKO w Stealth Rock)
+6 Soft Sand Earthquake vs. 252 HP/252 +Def Snorlax: 98.85%-116.41% (OHKO w Stealth Rock. Also, 252 HP/252 +Def Snorlax doesn't exist anyway.)
+6 Soft Sand Earthquake vs. 252 HP/252 + Def Suicune: 89.35%-105.19% (OHKO w Stealth Rock)
+6 Soft Sand Earthquake vs. 252 HP/252 +Def Swampert: 105.19%-124.00% (OHKO)

If you're willing to do dedicated Spikestacking on top of Stealth Rock, you could get away with using something like say, a Salac berry to fix its issue with slower scarfers. Using a Life Orb raises your attack to the point where everything in the metagame is OHKO'd even without hazards, but Soft Sand guarantees all the KOs you need without adding recoil to Earthquake, and Darmanitan's main issue is its speed.
 
Realistically, Belly Drum Darmanitan is about as viable as the Reversal Heracross set you posted (that is, not very). However, it's a gimmick I've seen work before, mostly because if it can Drum safely, it sets up a win condition against a team where you've paralyzed/killed all the scarfed/faster Pokemon + priority users (though that's an enormous if). If you're going to use a Belly Drummer, this very well may be the easiest one in the game to use. Darmanitan can OHKO the entire metagame at +6 with Fire Punch and Earthquake after Stealth Rock with the given setup, it cannot be burnt by Sableye, and it usually has plenty of chances to force switches against the opponent. Still, the big issue that keeps this set a gimmick is that there is a faster poke/priority user on nearly every UU team. You will be hard pressed to find a team with nothing able to outspeed base 95 right off the bat, but if you can somehow get rid of those faster Pokemon (or get behind a Substitute), Darmanitan is essentially impossible to stop if it gets a Drum off.

Darmanitan

@Soft Sand
Ability: Sheer Force
Jolly Nature
EVs: 252 Atk, 252 Spe, 6 SpD
- Belly Drum
- Fire Punch
- Earthquake
- Encore/Substitute

Calcs w Jolly Nature (Using Honkalculator 4000):

+6 Sheer Force Fire Punch vs. 252 HP/252 +Def Corfagrigus: 116.56%-137.81% (OHKO, but note that you lose Sheer Force afterward)
+6 Sheer Force Fire Punch vs. 252 HP/252 +Def Cresselia: 96.62%-113.73% (OHKO w Stealth Rock)
+6 Sheer Force Fire Punch vs. 252 HP/252 +Def Dusclops w Eviolite: 95.42%-112.32% (OHKO w Stealth Rock)
+6 Sheer Force Fire Punch vs. 252 HP/252 +Def Gligar w Eviolite: 93.71%-110.77% (OHKO w Stealth Rock)
+6 Sheer Force Fire Punch vs. 252 HP/252 +Def Porygon2 w Eviolite: 93.04%-109.35% (OHKO w Stealth Rock)
+6 Sheer Force Fire Punch vs. 252 HP/252 +Def Rotom-H: 75.98%-89.98% (OHKO w Stealth Rock. Also, 252 HP/252 +Def Rotom-H doesn't exist anyway.)
+6 Soft Sand Earthquake vs. 252 HP/252 +Def Blastoise: 109.39%-129.00% (OHKO)
+6 Soft Sand Earthquake vs. 252 HP/252 +Def Milotic: 117.00%-137.81% (OHKO)
+6 Soft Sand Earthquake vs. 252 HP/252 +Def Rhyperior w Solid Rock: 114.05%-134.33% (OHKO, and mostly the reason why you need Earthquake instead of say, Return)

+6 Soft Sand Earthquake vs. 252 HP/252 +Def Slowbro: 94.41%-111.16% (OHKO w Stealth Rock)
+6 Soft Sand Earthquake vs. 252 HP/252 +Def Snorlax: 98.85%-116.41% (OHKO w Stealth Rock. Also, 252 HP/252 +Def Snorlax doesn't exist anyway.)
+6 Soft Sand Earthquake vs. 252 HP/252 + Def Suicune: 89.35%-105.19% (OHKO w Stealth Rock)
+6 Soft Sand Earthquake vs. 252 HP/252 +Def Swampert: 105.19%-124.00% (OHKO)

If you're willing to do dedicated Spikestacking on top of Stealth Rock, you could get away with using something like say, a Salac berry to fix its issue with slower scarfers. Using a Life Orb raises your attack to the point where everything in the metagame is OHKO'd even without hazards, but Soft Sand guarantees all the KOs you need without adding recoil to Earthquake, and Darmanitan's main issue is its speed.
I'd say belly drum darm can actually do work and is worth posting but it it absolutely 100% needs salac berry and substitute to it doesnt get immediately revenge killed by like half the tier.
 
Oh man, you're going to flip shit over the set I am about to post. Dear Christ, this set has netted me sooooo many kills that Azumarril has no right getting.

Azumarill @ Leftovers
Trait: Thick fat/Huge Power
EVs: 100 SDef / 252 HP / 156 Def (these are open to tweaking)
Calm Nature/non attack lowering nature
- Rain Dance/Scald/Aqua jet
- Perish Song
- Whirlpool
- Protect

The important thing to note is that sap sipper is not compatible with whirlpool so any notion of walking grass moves is not viable. This set works because things like burning Azumarril. Suicune, Blastoise, Cofagrigus, Sableye.

Things that get their jollies from burning your pokemon will generally stay in on Azumarril even after it's burnt. It's also important to note that I have rain dance on to stop Abomasnow, the team I have has a pokemon that's next to useless if hail is up so yeah, chuck aqua jet with huge power or scald in that slot if you don't need manual weather. I would advise against huge power if you want to trap Umbreon because foulplay is a problem, but if you want the still decent aqua jet off of base 100 att then that is definately an option.

There you go, not much to this set, but it works waaaay better than Lapras would because Azumarril is such a beast offensively that the obvious, and completely wrong play is to send in a physical wall. Blastoise usually carries roar, as does Suicune, and Gligar can u turn out, however that doesn't make for much of a downside when you can take out threats like Slowbro and Cofagrigus wth relatively little hassle.

I didn't come up with the set, youtuber Rykard3 did, so be sure to check out this and other sets on youtube for more workable sets like this (work up mixed keldeo is a favourite of mine just because it's so cool)
 
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Omastar does not get Grass Knot, though Hydro Pump 2HKO's Swampert anyway and max speed Omastar will outrun standard Swampert. Bear in mind that Hydro Pump tends to miss a lot and lead Omastar relies on prediction. It can work, but due to its poor defensive typing and low initial speed I am not a big fan of lead Omastar. It is no doubt usable though, and therefore fits the purpose of this thread!

Toxic Spikes are another cool option vs. teams lacking a poison type, and can be used over Spikes if you wish.
I'm sorry. Meant Hidden Power grass -___-
 

KM

slayification
is a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributor
Realistically, Belly Drum Darmanitan is about as viable as the Reversal Heracross set you posted (that is, not very). However, it's a gimmick I've seen work before, mostly because if it can Drum safely, it sets up a win condition against a team where you've paralyzed/killed all the scarfed/faster Pokemon + priority users (though that's an enormous if). If you're going to use a Belly Drummer, this very well may be the easiest one in the game to use. Darmanitan can OHKO the entire metagame at +6 with Fire Punch and Earthquake after Stealth Rock with the given setup, it cannot be burnt by Sableye, and it usually has plenty of chances to force switches against the opponent. Still, the big issue that keeps this set a gimmick is that there is a faster poke/priority user on nearly every UU team. You will be hard pressed to find a team with nothing able to outspeed base 95 right off the bat, but if you can somehow get rid of those faster Pokemon (or get behind a Substitute), Darmanitan is essentially impossible to stop if it gets a Drum off.

Darmanitan

@Soft Sand
Ability: Sheer Force
Jolly Nature
EVs: 252 Atk, 252 Spe, 6 SpD
- Belly Drum
- Fire Punch
- Earthquake
- Encore/Substitute

Calcs w Jolly Nature (Using Honkalculator 4000):

+6 Sheer Force Fire Punch vs. 252 HP/252 +Def Corfagrigus: 116.56%-137.81% (OHKO, but note that you lose Sheer Force afterward)
+6 Sheer Force Fire Punch vs. 252 HP/252 +Def Cresselia: 96.62%-113.73% (OHKO w Stealth Rock)
+6 Sheer Force Fire Punch vs. 252 HP/252 +Def Dusclops w Eviolite: 95.42%-112.32% (OHKO w Stealth Rock)
+6 Sheer Force Fire Punch vs. 252 HP/252 +Def Gligar w Eviolite: 93.71%-110.77% (OHKO w Stealth Rock)
+6 Sheer Force Fire Punch vs. 252 HP/252 +Def Porygon2 w Eviolite: 93.04%-109.35% (OHKO w Stealth Rock)
+6 Sheer Force Fire Punch vs. 252 HP/252 +Def Rotom-H: 75.98%-89.98% (OHKO w Stealth Rock. Also, 252 HP/252 +Def Rotom-H doesn't exist anyway.)
+6 Soft Sand Earthquake vs. 252 HP/252 +Def Blastoise: 109.39%-129.00% (OHKO)
+6 Soft Sand Earthquake vs. 252 HP/252 +Def Milotic: 117.00%-137.81% (OHKO)
+6 Soft Sand Earthquake vs. 252 HP/252 +Def Rhyperior w Solid Rock: 114.05%-134.33% (OHKO, and mostly the reason why you need Earthquake instead of say, Return)

+6 Soft Sand Earthquake vs. 252 HP/252 +Def Slowbro: 94.41%-111.16% (OHKO w Stealth Rock)
+6 Soft Sand Earthquake vs. 252 HP/252 +Def Snorlax: 98.85%-116.41% (OHKO w Stealth Rock. Also, 252 HP/252 +Def Snorlax doesn't exist anyway.)
+6 Soft Sand Earthquake vs. 252 HP/252 + Def Suicune: 89.35%-105.19% (OHKO w Stealth Rock)
+6 Soft Sand Earthquake vs. 252 HP/252 +Def Swampert: 105.19%-124.00% (OHKO)

If you're willing to do dedicated Spikestacking on top of Stealth Rock, you could get away with using something like say, a Salac berry to fix its issue with slower scarfers. Using a Life Orb raises your attack to the point where everything in the metagame is OHKO'd even without hazards, but Soft Sand guarantees all the KOs you need without adding recoil to Earthquake, and Darmanitan's main issue is its speed.

Belly Drum Darm is definitely pretty viable in UU (although I wouldn't say moreso than enduresalac Hera, but meh ;) ). That said, I really don't see the use of soft sand and Encore over Sub and Salac. It does net you some kills, but in general I think it would be preferable to have a speed boost and a status blocker than an annoyance move and Soft Sand. In my eyes, you're basically sacking the KOes on certain defensive threats (assuming no spikes or prior damage, which is a big assumption), in exchange for being able to deal with a multitude of pokes faster than Darmanitan that could just immediately shut it down. Ty for the set though, I'll archive it in a bit.

Oh man, you're going to flip shit over the set I am about to post. Dear Christ, this set has netted me sooooo many kills that Azumarril has no right getting.

Azumarill @ Leftovers
Trait: Thick fat/Huge Power
EVs: 100 SDef / 252 HP / 156 Def (these are open to tweaking)
Calm Nature/non attack lowering nature
- Rain Dance/Scald/Aqua jet
- Perish Song
- Whirlpool
- Protect

The important thing to note is that sap sipper is not compatible with whirlpool so any notion of walking grass moves is not viable. This set works because things like burning Azumarril. Suicune, Blastoise, Cofagrigus, Sableye. Things that get their jollies from burning your pokemon will generally stay in on Azumarril even after it's burnt. It's also important to note that I have rain dance on to stop Abomasnow, the team I have has a pokemon that's next to useless if hail is up so yeah, chuck aqua jet with huge power or scald in that slot if you don't need manual weather. I would advise against huge power if you want to trap Umbreon because foulplay is a problem, but if you want the still decent aqua jet off of base 100 att then that is definately an option. There you go, not much to this set, but it works waaaay better than Lapras would because Azumarril is such a beast offensively that the obvious, and completely wrong play is to send in a physical wall. Blastoise usually carries roar, as does Suicune, and Gligar can u turn out, however that doesn't make for much of a downside when you can take out threats like Slowbro and Cofagrigus wth relatively little hassle.

I didn't come up with the set, youtuber Rykard3 did, so be sure to check out this and other sets on youtube for more workable sets like this (work up mixed keldeo is a favourite of mine just because it's so cool)
This is definitely a pretty cool set as well, and it's one that I've seen work quite well myself. Is it worth slashing Aqua Ring as well on that first slot? I feel like the added recovery combined with protect stalling could give some more survival to Azu. Thanks for the set though!
 
Belly Drum Darm is definitely pretty viable in UU (although I wouldn't say moreso than enduresalac Hera, but meh ;) ). That said, I really don't see the use of soft sand and Encore over Sub and Salac. It does net you some kills, but in general I think it would be preferable to have a speed boost and a status blocker than an annoyance move and Soft Sand. In my eyes, you're basically sacking the KOes on certain defensive threats (assuming no spikes or prior damage, which is a big assumption), in exchange for being able to deal with a multitude of pokes faster than Darmanitan that could just immediately shut it down. Ty for the set though, I'll archive it in a bit.
Honestly, even with a Salac, Darmanitan is still not fast enough. It's still outsped by Choice Scarf Flygon, Choice Scarf Mienshao, Choice Scarf Raikou, Choice Scarf Victini, etc... And good luck wearing down Flygon or Mienshao. Speed passing might work, but good luck speed passing when Darmanitan has to take a hit on the pass and Belly Drum afterward, as setting up a speed pass basically kills all the set's surprise value. I guess what I'm trying to say is that no matter what, Darmanitan with Belly Drum is always going to be, well, a gimmick as this thread implies.

But yeah, if you're going to archive the Belly Drum set, you should probably slash Substitute before Encore, and slash Salac Berry before Soft Sand if soft sand is still even included. Essentially, Soft Sand is the best item if Darmanitan isn't boosting its own speed, but Salac Berry gives the set a fighting chance to actually work in an environment full of faster threats.

I've faced that Azumarill set before. The opponent didn't win, but it did kill my Qwilfish (at the cost of it setting up a full layer of Spikes), which is something I guess. By the way, can Azumarill learn Sing + Perish Song + Whirlpool? (that's what I seem to remember my opponent having)
 
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This is definitely a pretty cool set as well, and it's one that I've seen work quite well myself. Is it worth slashing Aqua Ring as well on that first slot? I feel like the added recovery combined with protect stalling could give some more survival to Azu. Thanks for the set though!
Yeah it'd be better than Scald, but the caveat is that generally when you have a kill you have the choice of junking Azumarril or letting another poke get potentially crippled. The first moveslot is almost useless imo, because most of the time you'll whirlpool off the bat, perish song, try to double protect then choose whether to get rid of Azumarril. Aqua ring is better than Scald though, so I'll add that. It's weird having a pokemon with 3 moveslot syndrome.
As mentioned Azumarril does learn sing, so to bolster it's accuracy and the accuracy of whirlpool and because Azumarril is slow, I will recommend zoom lens on the sing set.
 
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CoolStoryBrobat

The hero Smogon needs, but not the one it deserves
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I guess I'll throw this one up here, I've had some fun using it and I'm pretty positive it works:


Chandelure @ Flame Orb
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fire Blast
- Shadow Ball
- Energy Ball
- Trick

The goal of this set is pretty simple...Chandelure emphasizes on the last 4 letters in its name by luring in some of its checks, primarily Snorlax, as well as Umbreon, Porygon2, Rhyperior at times, and anything else thinking it can safely switch in on a choiced Fire or Ghost-type move. The lack of Leftovers recovery and Life Orb damage usually gives the idea that this Chandelure must be holding a choice item, which can lure your opponent into trying to play around it with ease.

Tricking a Flame Orb onto Rhyperior (Though you may as well spank it with an Energy Ball provided it's taken a little bit of damage prior to coming in or it at least tanks a Shadow Ball before it comes in), Snorlax, and even Umbreon (Umbreon no longer has lefties, and Heal Bell won't ever get rid of the burn that keeps coming back, thus making Foul Play useless and turning it into complete bait) and Porygon2 (Lol what Eviolite? Best part is you can Trick it to something else later if Chandy lives long enough) can cripple them and make it easy for Chandelure to continue hammering the opponent's team, or at least for something else to setup on the crippled Pokemon.

Maximum speed is required to make sure the worst that ever happens is you at least tie with opposing Non-Scarfed Chandelure in the event they switch those in at you. It's pretty funny when you activate a guy's Flash Fire and then subsequently OHKO him the next turn before he gets to do anything. However the big drawback to this set is it requires 100% skillful prediction, otherwise you just wasted an entire turn for yourself while all the pressure falls on you. Because Flame Orb + Trick is kind of a one-shot pony, Re-Tricking the Orb back to yourself (provided you aren't dead) and doing it again later is just costing you game time by this point. So if that's not quite your thing...Then try the 50% less pressure edition:


Chandelure @ Expert Belt/Flame Plate/Any Item That Isn't a Choice Item, Life Orb, or Leftovers
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fire Blast
- Shadow Ball
- Energy Ball
- Will-O-Wisp

Same deal as above, but there are a few advantages and disadvantages this ChandeLURE set has over the above one: First, your biggest advantage is you can unleash burns repeatedly, not just one time through the match. This really helps if you mispredict though you kind of have given away the fact you're using a Will-O-Wisp Chandelure...A somewhat-overlooked benefit, is that the burn activates instantly when you use it. When you Trick a Flame Orb to the foe, the burn doesn't activate until the end of the turn after both Pokemon have made their moves. Say for instance my Chandelure leads off against a Rhyperior on turn 1. Energy Ball won't OHKO, but I can predict Stealth Rock and Trick Flame Orb onto it. And when I do, I end up dying to an Earthquake just before the Flame Orb activates. With this set, you can just Will-O-Wisp straight from the git and go from there.

However the obvious disadvantages are you don't rid a foe of their item, meaning Umbreon can just Heal Bell for free, Porygon2 still holds its Eviolite, and the nowadays-somewhat-rare RestTalk Snorlax can still cure itself, whereas Flame Orb would permanently burn these Pokemon AND negate the benefits of Leftovers/Eviolite/etc. Also more importantly, Will-O-Wisp can become Will-O-Miss and not only disappoint you, but result in the set being given away as well as possibly letting Chandelure die to something it could have otherwise lived.

Anyway it's still a fun Chandy set to me either way and it really pisses a lot of players off when it happens...Heck, it may actually encourage the use of Houndoom a bit more than what I've been seeing as of late!
 

Chandelure @ Flame Orb
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fire Blast
- Shadow Ball
- Energy Ball
- Trick
I've actually been using this exact set myself (although I run Overheat instead mainly cause I hate if FireBlast misses) for a while and for the exact same reason (just mainly against a few friends though, I don't play ladder all too often). Crunch/Pursuit is completely useless after a burn and the free leftovers from Snorlax is great. But yeah, as you mentioned, you can't really do anything against houndoom and it does require prediction. People will always throw Snorlax in though into Chandlure and I've seen so many people get mad at it. Another pro to list is the fact that you do have freedom to switch moves, so if someone thinks you are banded or choiced at first (assuming you haven't used trick yet) it'll throw them off. Disadvantage of course is the lack of speed/power of scarfed/specd set (but that's fairly obvious).
 
I've actually been using this exact set myself (although I run Overheat instead mainly cause I hate if FireBlast misses)
Fire blast is 85% accurate as compared to overheat's 90% accuracy, overheat has only 20 (30 because stab) more base power. You may miss some important 2hkoes because of the special attack drop, all for 5% accuracy. If you don't want to miss use flamethrower.
 
Fire blast is 85% accurate as compared to overheat's 90% accuracy, overheat has only 20 (30 because stab) more base power. You may miss some important 2hkoes because of the special attack drop, all for 5% accuracy. If you don't want to miss use flamethrower.
Numbers wise I agree with you 100%. I've just had bad experiences with Fire Blast. Every time I've used it, it feels like it misses 1 out of 3 times, while with Overheat, I've had it miss probably around 1 out of every or so 15 times so Fireblast ends up being too costly from personal experience. I'd use it no problem if it didn't seem to miss so often to me. Flamethrower is too weak imo regardless of the fact that it doesn't miss.
 

Ash Borer

I've heard they're short of room in hell
I would prefer fire blast myself, as devastating as overheat is it will simply force you to switch out. That family of attacks is generally reserved for choice users, and used in situations where your attack is so strong that regardless of opponent's prediction youre going to leave a huge dent. That or mixed attackers. A trick set is probably not that kind of set. Being able to loose a fire blast while having the option to attack again is ideal here.
 

KM

slayification
is a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributor
Numbers wise I agree with you 100%. I've just had bad experiences with Fire Blast. Every time I've used it, it feels like it misses 1 out of 3 times, while with Overheat, I've had it miss probably around 1 out of every or so 15 times so Fireblast ends up being too costly from personal experience. I'd use it no problem if it didn't seem to miss so often to me. Flamethrower is too weak imo regardless of the fact that it doesn't miss.
Regardless of past experience, Pokemon Showdown and/or Wifi does not discriminate its misses/hits based on anything else but numbers, and Fire Blast is purely the best move to be used. Just because you may or may not have hit less than 85% of your fire blasts in the past does not mean that you will hit fewer (or more) in the future.

That said, CSB's sets are pretty cool and I'll archive them along with the other ones, I've been slacking recently but I'll hop on it tomorrow. Keep the submissions coming you guys :) It's awesome to see this thread working.
 

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