SM UU Spiral

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Spiral

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Introduction

Hello, it's been a couple years since my last RMT and for a decent stretch there, I was basically entirely focused on ORAS UU. Since then, I played or actively support SM in 3 team tours, and honestly I low key fell in love with it again. I have harped on this in the past, but ORAS and SM could not be any more different. ORAS is much more by the book and checklist-y, no matter how many changes the tier goes through. It is much much more crucial to have your matchups down when going into a tournament game, because realistically, not everything is going to be in your own hands during the game itself. Matchup is just much more apparent than it might be in other tiers. It had made progress in this regard after the Conk ban, but now we seem to be running into similar issues. SM is not a perfect tier by any means either. There are undeniably broken mons up top warping the tier around themselves. However, the appeal to playing SM basically holds just as true as it did in the old days. Despite its flaws, if you use a good cohesive team and know what is going on, then chances are you can walk into most games and have solid shot at the least. With how much ORAS I played immediately after Conk's ban, I really did need the switch up, and it most recently came to fruition in UUSD 3, which wrapped up a couple months ago. We managed to take home the tour and it was perhaps the UU subforum team tour win I take most pride in, given how low expectations were for us from the start. It was a good group and everyone just put in the effort necessary for us to come away with a win, yet another refreshing aspect of that tour, considering how hit or miss activity can be in side tours these days.

As for the team itself, I basically go on the same monologue every RMT I write. As mentioned above, my goal when building teams is essentially always to give myself the best shot in the majority of possible matchups. It should ideally take advantage of the current trends and just be as cohesive offensively and defensively as possible. The former of which is especially apparent in SM UU. You will never be absolutely perfect against everything in the metagame on paper. It is a given that you have to accept, and it was honestly the biggest hurdle for me way back when I tried to make the initial jump from ORAS to SM. It is much more important in most settings to prioritize offensive cohesion and really giving yourself the tools to make meaningful progress and keep the momentum swung in your favor. As such and as alluded to above, much more of the tier comes down to what happens in the games themselves rather than team matchup. The team I have today is one that I believe encapsulates this notion really well, and I used it in week 2 of UUSD against my good friend viv. I built it fresh but was so confident in it that we played on like Tuesday iirc.


In-Depth

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Manectric-Mega @ Manectite
Ability: Lightning Rod
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe (adjusted)
Modest Nature
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- Volt Switch
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- Flamethrower
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- Hidden Power [Ice]
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- Protect

Overview - Mega Manectric is probably not the single best mega evolution in SM UU, but it is definitely my favorite to use. It just gives such a unique blend of roles and really lends itself to cohesive and synergistic teams. It is fast enough to serve as teams' primary revenge killer, provides a solid Scizor check, gives means of easily gaining momentum with Volt Switch, etc. There is no one mon that can offer what Mane does, and it is a near ideal partner for just about any breaker that needs partners getting it into good spots. Everyone knows what this mon does, not much else to say.

Interactions - I think Protect is super ass on Manectric like 80% of the time, but it felt fine here considering the context it finds itself in. Sure, my team has safe Krookodile pivot in the form of Amoonguss. However, I have both Mega Manectric and a recovery-less Latias. Outright winning that usual 5050 with Krook is incredibly advantageous, much more so than it normally would be given how much it enables Latias. The breaker as alluded to above primarily refers to Mamoswine here, which really appreciates the safe Volt Switches from Dragons or whatever else that may pivot into the electric dog. Also, it and Amoonguss form a very solid core in handling Scizor while offering a lot of fluidity in game, rather than constantly getting chipped down and giving up momentum like other checks tend to do.

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Mamoswine @ Assault Vest
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
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- Earthquake
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- Icicle Crash
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- Stone Edge
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- Ice Shard

Overview - I honestly think Assault Vest is the best item on Mamoswine by a pretty decent margin. One of the biggest knocks on Mamo, despite being one of the most outright terrifying breakers in the tier, is that it provides much less defensive utility than other Ground-types, namely Krookodile, Hippowdon, Rhyperior, etc. Assault Vest lets it much more easily combat foes like opposing Manectric, Latias, Hydreigon, Rotom-H, etc. With Stone Edge for Rotom-H, there really is not much, if anything, that can come in safely to this mon. Sure, you trade off some immediate pressure by foregoing Life Orb or whatever else, but in my mind the added defensive utility more than makes up for it. Do not use Stealth Rock on this Pokemon.

Interactions - Again, Mamoswine is the main breaker of choice alongside Mega Manectric. It can immediately threaten just about everything that gives Mane fits, whether it is Dragons, Grounds, or whatever else. Stone Edge even snipes their 'shared' answer in Rotom-H. In return, Mane can handle Scizor and apply pressure to other Steels. There's just some really strong offensive synergy. Additionally, Electrium Z Latias has seen a big resurgence as more and more people have realized its fucking broken. AV Mamo gives a solid pivot from the team's primary Lati check in Empoleon, or simply offers a decent revenge killer.
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Amoonguss @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 176 Def / 80 SpD (adjusted)
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
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- Giga Drain
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- Sludge Bomb
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- Hidden Power [Fire]
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- Spore

Overview - The best glue mon in SM UU by like 100 miles. This mon is legit so dumb to deal with. I jokingly call a lot of things broken, but the combination of Amoonguss's defensive utility, resilience with Regenerator, and access to broken Spore is just asinine. It makes pivoting around pretty much everything much much easier. You essentially get a free kill with Spore if the opposing team does not have an absorber of their own, then this thing still sticks around to sit on everything. It can completely shift the momentum into your favor, especially when paired with as many threatening mons as it is in this context. The funny thing is, I really don't think I am overstating how valuable this thing can be and how frustrating it can be to go up against. Honestly it feels hard to not build with the mushroom at times.

Interactions - It is not a coincidence by any means that my usage of both Amoonguss and Empoleon together has only gotten more insane over time. The two together check so many boxes and enable so much. They make gameplay all the more fluid and prop up more offensive inclined teammates more than just about any two-mon core. Shit I mean just look at this team. It's two defensive mons + one strong pivot + 3 roided up dudes that are basically guaranteed to make some degree of progress. This could basically never be the case in any other setting without being completely balls out offensive. Additionally, Spore can often act as another form of momentum gaining, similar to that of Manectric's Volt Switch. It hands the powerful guys free turns or opportunities to come in for free and go in from there. God mon.

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Primarina @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe (adjusted)
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
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- Moonblast
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- Scald
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- Psychic
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- Substitute

Overview - There is very good reason that this set has largely taken over for its formerly much more common alternative, Choice Specs. Max Special Attack investment is often more than enough to truly threaten what it needs to. Primarina's coverage is pretty insane as is, and this set makes it a good amount easier to just pick apart the opposing team. This is especially apparent with the prevalence of Amoonguss these days. Sure, Specs can threaten Amoonguss just fine, but it is much more prediction reliant as a whole. +1 Psychic does not OHKO, so in actuality, the damage difference is not all that insane, given that unboosted Psychic 2HKOs just fine and maintains the flexibility to switch moves. This thing also has some pretty crazy blowout potential if the opposing team does not have a solid answer. It isn't uncommon at all that this thing kills a few mons and still provides some really solid defensive utility by virtue of its incredible typing. It provides another soft check to all of its very notable resistances and provides a strong Hydra check alongside the usual pivots of Amoonguss and Empoleon.

Interactions - Pairing this thing with another extremely potent breaker in Mamoswine should be illegal. The general idea I had while putting this team together was to put some strong guys together and just supporting them as best as I could. With the exception of facing say, Slowbro Bliss or stall, there should be no game that they are not capable of coming in and breaking massive holes. Both possess basically no consistent defensive counterplay on opposing balance or bulky offense, yet as alluded to, neither is useless defensively by any means. These are my favorite kinds of mons, as they reward strong play and make teams all the more cohesive overall. Lastly, Sub is especially nice here as there simply isn't a better abuser of opposing Empoleon. It is heavily appreciated by my Latias and helps avoid the ever-common Empoleon wars that pop up in this tier.

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Latias (F) @ Dragonium Z
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
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- Draco Meteor
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- Psychic / Psyshock
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- Hidden Power [Fire]
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- Calm Mind

Overview - Honestly this is a set I never really used. I know just how potent it can be, but still, the lack of defensive utility compared to CM sets with recovery deterred me from exploring them as much as I should have historically. This set is not nearly as broken as STABs CM Electrium Z, but it similarly is incredibly consistent. These sets are the primary reason I generally have much lower Scizor usage than other people. It is so hard to bank on it defensively, especially into Latias. This set threatens pretty much everything, adding all the more potency to this already incredibly threatening lineup of mons. Most notably however, Latias provides the team with a much-needed wincon, something that is much appreciated even if the general goal is to get strong guys in and kill shit. Psyshock helps more into things like Suicune and Blissey, but I prefer Psychic in most cases.

Interactions - The primary reason I opted for HP Fire Dragon Z as opposed to the aforementioned STABs Electrium is 100% due to the supporting cast. My team is fine into opposing Scizor, but luring it to free up Mamoswine can be really crucial. I love little synergies like these. They are much less likely to scout or play around the possibility of Fire if they see my Amoonguss and Manectric right there. Also, the main knock on this set as opposed to STABs Elec Z is that it is stone walled by Empoleon. Again, that is where Sub Primarina comes in. The offensive synergy between the three of them is honestly ludicrous and should straight up ravage most other balance and bulky offense, just as I mostly expected in this game itself.

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Empoleon @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD (adjusted)
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
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- Scald
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- Toxic
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- Stealth Rock
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- Defog

Overview - I could copy and paste like half of the Amoonguss section but yeah the same applies mostly. Empoleon is a weird mon in that it's not much of either a Water or Steel type, aside from checking non Elec Z Latias, but it's incredible how much the dapper penguin enables. I think I used this thing in UUSD like 5 different times just because of how shitty removal is and how hard it can be to handle mons like Latias, among many other reasons. Yeah yeah I know Rocks + Defog is a pretty bad set. Ideally you split up the removal and setting duties, but I think it's much more optimal in this setting. Look at that lineup of threatening guys and tell me you won't have to make some concessions. It plays it role and does it well, and that's enough for me. Lastly, I run Speed to surprise / check bulky Scizor in a pinch, but did not want to post my exact spread for obvious reasons.

Interactions - The main thing with having rocks on Empoleon as well is freeing up the item and moveslot on Mamoswine. Without Stone Edge, the team is unironically significantly worse into Rotom-H, and its defensive utility drops off a cliff without Assault Vest. Not being able to trade Knock Offs with opposing Empoleon is much less crucial considering Sub Prim is just waiting to prey on it. Overall, it isn't an ideal set in the greater metagame, but it is fine here, and this cast of threats would not be possible without it. God glue mon part 2.

Threat List

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Bug Bite / Bug Z Scizor - This should speak for itself, but any team that largely relies on Amoonguss to pivot into Scizor is going to have issues to some degree with these sets. HP Fire Latias and speed-creeping Empoleon help to mitigate this weakness and thus it can be played around accordingly to some extent, but it is definitely a huge threat on paper.

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Terrakion - This thing is the single most threatening mon in the tier on paper. I do not have a strong defensive check, and counterplay largely revolves around limiting its opportunities and staying on the offensive. Latias in its slot as opposed to Hydreigon does help a good amount in this matchup, but Amoonguss being relied on as the primary Fighting check is bound to open up some opportunities for Terrak.


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Togekiss - Something something Protect Manectric sucks. In all seriousness, that definitely plays a big role. Fightinium Z is the main threat given that it can immediately threaten Empoleon. It is not unplayable by any means given Ice Shard, faster CM Latias, Mane still being able to threaten it in some capacity, etc., but it is a mon you would rather not have to deal with.

Replays

UUSD 3 Week 2 vs vivalospride - https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7uu-636349

Conclusion

I haven't played real mons basically since UUSD ended, but I felt like writing something up at the least again. For all the praise I gave SM UU, I was really running out of ideas by the end of the last tour. At the end of the day, it is still a flawed metagame, even if it can be refreshing from time to time. I don't really have plans of playing SM for a while, so it felt like a pretty good time to archive a team that encapsulates a lot of my ideologies in the metagame. I really like how this team can apply pressure so consistently and how this metagame rewards aggressive play and positioning so well, but it's definitely time for a break. I think I'll either give gen 9 a shot or not play UUs for a while, but it is still super early so we'll see I guess. Shoutouts Barclay, the UU community, Worrywhirl whatever, and whoever else has made my time on here more enjoyable. Especially to vivalospride for always putting up with my dumb rants pokemon related or not, and generally being a great dude. Thanks for reading.

Import (Spreads are not what I actually use)
Primarina @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Scald
- Psychic
- Substitute

Latias (F) @ Dragonium Z
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Psychic
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Calm Mind

Empoleon @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Toxic
- Stealth Rock
- Defog

Manectric-Mega (M) @ Manectite
Ability: Lightning Rod
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Flamethrower
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Protect

Amoonguss @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 176 Def / 80 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Spore

Mamoswine (M) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Icicle Crash
- Stone Edge
- Ice Shard
 
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