Welcome to Team Deadly Destruction, a powerful fifth generation Ubers team. Ubers has always been my favorite and best metagame. I’ve always had a unique style of spreading damage around then cleaning up later; you may also notice that if you’ve faced some of my OU teams. I find this strategy to be very effective, though it is very difficult to use the team. When used correctly, it will very seldom fail, or at least in my experience.
Ubers is a completely different metagame than OU. The offensive and defensive capabilities of the Pokemon are extremely high. They also often have powerful abilities such as changing the weather. Unless extreme care is taken, it is hard to create set-up sweepers. Those that you want to be set up sweepers you have to EV a bit more defensively on average to ensure you get the stat boosts.
Deoxys-S @ Focus Sash
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Taunt
- Shadow Ball
I wanted a reliable lead to get Entry hazards down. Deoxys-S has the highest Speed of all Pokemon before any stat boosts. This makes it very reliable for getting rocks up. It also is able to take advantage of its Speed with Taunt; forcing other leads to use damaging moves instead. I’ve considered Magic Coat for dealing with opposing leads, but I prefer Taunt. Taunt is also helps against leads that use Thunder Wave or another crippling move. Either move works great and has its advantages. Spikes are something Deoxys worries about after getting off Stealth Rock since I have Forretress to put up Spikes if I need it. Shadow Ball is for damaging other Deoxys in case I lose the Speed tie with Taunt. The EVs are very standard and allow for maximum Speed while helping well against opposing attacks.
Most teams require a powerful special sweeper. There are multiple Pokemon that work well for this spot. Kyogre with a Choice Scarf can massively crush almost anything that isn’t scarfed as long as an entry hazard isn’t down. Since my team doesn’t really take advantage of weather I chose not to go with that option. Latios and Latias wouldn’t be bad for the team, but the problem is that then the team would be weak to Darkrai. While Mewtwo may be weak against dark types, it is faster than Darkrai, making it the best choice for the team.
Mewtwo @ Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Aura Sphere
- Taunt
- Shadow Ball
- Calm Mind
While holding leftovers makes it not able to OHKO absolutely every time with Stealth Rock in play, it is extremely close and deals 86.1% - 101.8% damage to a Darkrai that has no EVs in HP or Special Defense. The chances are good enough that it will get KO’d. Add in the fact that this team is good at forcing switches and having at least 1 layer of Spikes up and it will end up OHKO’ing. Dialga that is fully EV’d in HP and Special Defense is more difficult to deal with because it takes 3 hits to get rid of it without any Calm Minds. If Dialga is running Outrage over Dragon Tail then Taunt is a more effective way of dealing with it. Groudon can easily deal with Dialga later if needed. Taunt is very helpful because of my opponent’s trying to put a special condition on Mewtwo to get rid of it. It is a tremendous help against Wobbuffet who I then proceed to set up on. It also stops the opponent from setting anything up, keeping me in control. Shadow Ball is the other offensive move of choice because when combined with Aura Sphere it makes unresisted coverage. It works wonders against Latios and Latias as well as Mew, Mewtwo, Lugia, Wobbuffet, and if it isn’t defeated yet, Deoxys. Calm Mind is used to boost my offense while the opponent is forced to attack. It also helps make it resist special attacks. Maximum Speed is necessary to utilize Taunt to the fullest and to outpace any Mewtwo that don’t have 252 EVs in Speed. The Special Attack EVs are all necessary to have the best chance to OHKO a Darkrai if it comes out before a layer of Spikes can be put down.
A team needs to fully take advantage of everything it can do to be most effective. This team specializes in getting up entry hazards so abusing them is important. This will also help set the stage for Groudon later in the match. Dialga’s excellent typing and defenses make it the best candidate for the job.
Dialga @ Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SDef
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Dragon Tail
- Bulk Up
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
I’ve been using this set as soon as fifth generation was available. It is by far the cheapest, yet effective moveset for Dialga. Dialga’s great bulk allows it to easily absorb attacks while setting up with Bulk Up. The opponent is unable to set up on it because of Dragon Tail. This new move has only a base power of 60, but it forces the opponent to switch out. It is the new and improved Roar, though its accuracy is only 90 instead of 100. It is still worth it though because if the opponent is down to their last Pokemon you can still hurt it. The only downside to using Dragon Tail is that it has a -6 priority meaning only Trick Room is a slower move. This can be taken advantage of though against Wobbuffet who try and do Counter only to get forced out and damaged. It really abuses entry hazards with this move. Rest ensures Dialga will live a long time, especially if the opponent can’t get set up. Sleep Talk makes Dialga a beast to deal with. It can then absorb sleep and actually still attack. Being able to set up while asleep or forcing a switch with Dragon Tail is superb. The best part about getting Dragon Tail with Sleep Talk is ignoring the priority. Dialga really is a main part of the core. There is no Pokemon that can fully replace its usefulness. This Dialga has caused numerous rage-quits. It is one of the biggest threats in existence. The EVs are designed to take full advantage of Bulk Up raising my Defense and Attack so I can be as defensive as possible.
What good would a team that abuses entry hazards do if the opponent could easily get rid of them? A ghost type Pokemon was needed to address this. The Pokemon also should have great bulk so it can take a few hits before it leaves. This basically leaves Giratina as the only viable candidate. The normal forme is able to defend against attacks better making it the better option. Additionally this lets it hold Leftovers to stay in even longer.
Giratina @ Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spd
Relaxed Nature (+Def, -Spd)
- Dragon Tail
- Calm Mind
- Shadow Ball
- Rest
Giratina is another important part of the team’s core. Without it the team could easily fall apart. Like Dialga, Giratina boasts Dragon Tail. The advantage Giratina has with using this is that the opponent can’t use Rapid Spin to make it less painful. Calm Mind allows Giratina to set up on numerous Pokemon due to its incredible HP and high defenses. The higher defenses are also why the normal version of Giratina was chosen. It may not have immunity to Toxic Spikes, but with Rest it really doesn’t need it. I did consider putting Sleep Talk on Giratina as well. It could be powerful because it also could force switches while asleep like Dialga. The reason I didn’t is because I wanted to have a more damaging normal move. This takes better advantage of Calm Mind boosting my Special Attack and Special Defense. Shadow Ball seems to work well for the team. It hits most threats for neutral damage and those it doesn’t Dragon Tail still hits decently. Giratina certainly fulfills it part to the team by continuing the spread of damage. The EVs take full advantage of Calm Mind raising Special Attack and Special Defense. The nature isn’t terribly important since when I am not boosting my stats I tend to use Dragon Tail.
Since the team relies heavily on entry hazards I thought a back up Spiker would prove to be effective. This also is due to Deoxys not being the most bulky Pokemon around. There were two Pokemon that came to mind for this purpose, Nattorei and Forretress. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. Nattorei has superior Special Defense and can learn Thunder Wave. It also has higher Attack and can deal damage upon taking a physical hit with its ability. Forretress has the benefit of Light Screen and Sturdy.
Natorrei@Leftovers
Iron Barbs
Careful Nature
EVs: 252 HP / 32 Atk / 116 Def / 110 SDef
Spikes
Power Whip
Thunder Wave
Leech Seed
This Nattorei is very good at annoying the opponent. While it is a back-up Spiker, it also can paralyze opponent's. This comes in handy when a team member uses Dragon Tail since that move goes last. Leech Seed can force switches letting my entry hazards do more work for me. Power Whip is the damaging move of choice due to its power and ability to hit both Kyogre and Groudon for double damage.
The EVs may seem random, however, there is an actual method to it. A combination of 252 HP and 116 Def allows it to survive 2 Earthquakes coming from a Life Orb Groudon. This will make sure I always beat Groudon unless it is running FirePunch, which isn't common or recommended on the Rock Polish set. 110 Special Defense EVs allow it to survive 5 Ice Beams from Scarf Kyogre without having Leech Seed up. It also survives 2 Aura Sphere from 252 Mewtwo. Obviously Flamethrower will barbeque it, but normally I'd switch if I predicted it had Flamethrower. 32 Attack EVs allows it to always OHKO Kyogre with Power Whip after SR and 1 layer of Spikes.
I needed a Pokemon that can sweep entire teams on its own with proper support. This means the Pokemon has to be fast, but also powerful. Darkrai certainly is viable with Dark Void then setting up Nasty Plot, but it is vulnerable to Mewtwo. Groudon seemed to be the best choice for the team.
Groudon @ Life Orb
Trait: Drought
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Rock Polish
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Dragon Claw
This is probably one of the more known Groudon sets. The Rock Polish Groudon can blitz through teams that aren’t prepared for it. It starts by normally using Rock Polish to ensure I always will get the jump on the opponent. If Groudon is highly threatened, I may elect to use a damaging move instead against Pokemon like Bulk Up Dialga. This Groudon set can OHKO almost anything after counting in Stealth Rock and 1 layer of Spikes. Earthquake is incredibly powerful coming off of a 438 Attack Stat. Add in STAB and it is very hard to survive after taking any kind of damage. Stone Edge hits anything that resists ground moves for at least neutral damage barring Bronzong with Levitate. I find Stone Edge to be better than FirePunch because of coverage. The only benefit to using FirePunch is dealing with Skarmory and Bronzong. Dragon Claw is used to get rid of the numerous dragon Pokemon in the tier. I run full Speed EVs to make sure I have first strike when it counts. The only Pokemon that outpace Groudon after a Rock Polish are Shaymin-S and Darkrai both scarfed. Dialga can easily handle Shaymin Sky that is scarfed because if it isn’t locked into Earth Power, I can Rest off any damage when I need to. Darkrai is a bit more tricky to deal with since it has the potential to put one of my Pokemon to sleep. It would be forced to switch which actually still helps me since entry hazards are in play. Groudon really is one of the best Pokemon in Ubers with proper support. Technically I could run jolly nature to outrun both Skymin and Darkrai, but then some KOs are missed including Kyogre. That alone is too heavy of a cost to risk.
I never really bothered to see just how high of a rating I could get with this team. It has been working amazingly well for me. The team has well over fifty wins and maybe 2-3 losses from extreme hax. It is also very hard to anti-team it in this generation making it even better. The team is hard to play and get used to, but once mastered it is a deadly force.
Threat List:
Darkrai: I would classify Darkrai as a medium level threat. While it can put a Pokemon to sleep, after that it can’t really do much if it isn’t scarfed. Mewtwo gets rid of non-scarf variations easily while Dialga can take on scarf versions. If one of my Pokemon is asleep Groudon can handle it easily.
Shaymin-S: Shaymin-S is not a high level threat to the team. Dialga walls all Shaymin-S’ moves barring Earth Power. Giratina can also deal with it quite easily with Calm Mind and its ability Pressure.
Deoxys: The various Deoxys formes are not much of a threat because my own Deoxys can use Taunt on them and Mewtwo taunts the defensive forme. Giratina should be able to handle Deoxys with its great bulk. Dialga can also take on Deoxys as long as it doesn’t miss with Dragon Tail.
Ho-Oh: Ho-Oh can be a problem for teams, but it really isn’t for this one due to Stealth Rock being easy to set up and keep in play with Giratina. Groudon is also able to OHKO it with Stone Edge. Dialga can wall Ho-Oh all day long between Bulk Up, Rest, and Sleep Talk.
Lugia: Lugia is another Pokemon I notice teams having trouble with, but once again it isn’t a huge threat because of all the switches the team forces. While Groudon can’t OHKO, it is able to 2HKO as long as Stone Edge hits twice in a row. Mewtwo can easily handle it with Taunt then proceed to set up.
Dialga: Mewtwo can take it on decently. Groudon can easily defeat Dialga.
Palkia: Palkia is a decent threat, but isn’t major because Dialga can easily take care of it. Even a Choice Specs Draco Meteor will not OHKO. Groudon after a Rock Polish easily destroys it as well.
Groudon: Groudon is a decent threat due to having access to Swords Dance and Rock Polish. Giratina can force switches then Groudon is KO’d later. Mewtwo can inflict a fair amount of damage to it with Aura Sphere once weakened.
Kyogre: Kyogre isn’t a big threat because Dialga can wall it well after entry hazards take away some HP forcing Water Spout’s damage to go down. Once Kyogre loses more than 25% of its HP Ice Beam is the only way it can really hurt Dialga, though it still takes multiple hits to defeat. Giratina can set up on it with the great bulk. Calm Mind variants are rendered useless once they find out I have Dragon Tail on both Giratina and Dialga.
Rayquaza: Even though Rayquaza is a well known wall breaker, the team’s incredible bulk proves to be too much for Rayquaza. Dialga can survive any of Rayquaza’s attacks then strike back with Dragon Tail. Groudon can survive most attacks Rayquaza throws at it, but not without taking large damage in the process. Giratina can survive Outrage if needed, but it can’t survive Draco Meteor.
Manaphy: Even in the rain Manaphy isn’t a huge concern due to the team running multiple Dragon Tail users. Groudon helps considerably by changing the weather to sun eliminating the Rest/Hydration combo.
Wobbuffet: Mewtwo can Taunt it then proceed to set up. Dialga can Dragon Tail it away, as can Giratina. If it comes out at the right time it might be able to KO one member of the team, but usually it can’t KO more than that.
Garchomp: The team has no sure fire answer to it making it a medium level threat, however, once Groudon gets off Rock Polish, it is easily KO’d. If it is locked into Earthquake from Choice Band, Giratina can force it out with Dragon Tail. Dialga can survive Earthquake from Choice Band Garchomp after one Bulk Up has been used. It can always survive an Outrage and strike back with Dragon Tail.
Latios: Latios can be a threat if it gets off Calm Mind. Dialga can perform ok against it and use Dragon Tail. Groudon can only handle it after Rock Polish unless Latios isn’t running Grass Knot. Mewtwo can Taunt it then get up a Calm Mind and start to attack.
Latias: See Latios.
Salamence: Same as Rayquaza except its Draco Meteor only has about a 1/3 chance of OHKO’ing Giratina without entry hazards.
Mewtwo: My own Mewtwo uses Shadow Ball typically which almost OHKO’s opposing Mewtwo. If I know they try and set up, I will use Taunt. Giratina can handle most Mewtwo and so can Dialga, though Giratina does a better job since it will be raising its Special Defense. After Groudon gets off Rock Polish, Mewtwo falls to Earthquake after taking damage from hazards.
Mew: Mew is a bit different since it can use Magic Coat to instead have me get Taunted. Dialga and Giratina can still deal with it well though. Dragon Tail basically renders attempts to boost stats useless.
Jirachi: Groudon can easily take care of Jirachi. Dialga enjoys setting up against Jirachi.
Zekrom: Zekrom is handled well by Groudon. Even if Zekrom had Balloon, it would still fall to Dragon Claw. Dialga can also do a number to Zekrom.
Reshiram: Groudon once again deals with Reshiram. Dialga can still take care of Reshiram as well.
Kyuremu: Dialga and Mewtwo can take care of Kyuremu with Dragon Tail and Aura Sphere respectively.
Shandera: Depending on what it comes in on determines if it can get a KO or not. Forretress and Mewtwo will normally get KO’d from it. Dialga should be ok in most cases unless I am low on health and didn’t use Rest. Giratina has to have a Calm Mind up if it is to take care of it. Groudon, after using Rock Polish, can deal with it.
Scizor: Giratina easily takes care of Scizor. Dialga is ok once it gets a Bulk Up used, especially since Scizor will be lowering its Attack after using Superpower. After entry hazards Groudon takes care of it.
Blissey: My team is more physically geared making Blissey less of a threat. Mewtwo can Taunt it, Dialga and Giratina can Dragon Tail it, and Groudon pounds it with Earthquake.
Bronzong: While it can use Trick Room, my team can still perform ok because of using negative priority moves. Mewtwo can Taunt it then start to set up.
That concludes the team, hope you like it.
Ubers is a completely different metagame than OU. The offensive and defensive capabilities of the Pokemon are extremely high. They also often have powerful abilities such as changing the weather. Unless extreme care is taken, it is hard to create set-up sweepers. Those that you want to be set up sweepers you have to EV a bit more defensively on average to ensure you get the stat boosts.
Deoxys-S @ Focus Sash
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Taunt
- Shadow Ball
I wanted a reliable lead to get Entry hazards down. Deoxys-S has the highest Speed of all Pokemon before any stat boosts. This makes it very reliable for getting rocks up. It also is able to take advantage of its Speed with Taunt; forcing other leads to use damaging moves instead. I’ve considered Magic Coat for dealing with opposing leads, but I prefer Taunt. Taunt is also helps against leads that use Thunder Wave or another crippling move. Either move works great and has its advantages. Spikes are something Deoxys worries about after getting off Stealth Rock since I have Forretress to put up Spikes if I need it. Shadow Ball is for damaging other Deoxys in case I lose the Speed tie with Taunt. The EVs are very standard and allow for maximum Speed while helping well against opposing attacks.
Most teams require a powerful special sweeper. There are multiple Pokemon that work well for this spot. Kyogre with a Choice Scarf can massively crush almost anything that isn’t scarfed as long as an entry hazard isn’t down. Since my team doesn’t really take advantage of weather I chose not to go with that option. Latios and Latias wouldn’t be bad for the team, but the problem is that then the team would be weak to Darkrai. While Mewtwo may be weak against dark types, it is faster than Darkrai, making it the best choice for the team.
Mewtwo @ Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Aura Sphere
- Taunt
- Shadow Ball
- Calm Mind
While holding leftovers makes it not able to OHKO absolutely every time with Stealth Rock in play, it is extremely close and deals 86.1% - 101.8% damage to a Darkrai that has no EVs in HP or Special Defense. The chances are good enough that it will get KO’d. Add in the fact that this team is good at forcing switches and having at least 1 layer of Spikes up and it will end up OHKO’ing. Dialga that is fully EV’d in HP and Special Defense is more difficult to deal with because it takes 3 hits to get rid of it without any Calm Minds. If Dialga is running Outrage over Dragon Tail then Taunt is a more effective way of dealing with it. Groudon can easily deal with Dialga later if needed. Taunt is very helpful because of my opponent’s trying to put a special condition on Mewtwo to get rid of it. It is a tremendous help against Wobbuffet who I then proceed to set up on. It also stops the opponent from setting anything up, keeping me in control. Shadow Ball is the other offensive move of choice because when combined with Aura Sphere it makes unresisted coverage. It works wonders against Latios and Latias as well as Mew, Mewtwo, Lugia, Wobbuffet, and if it isn’t defeated yet, Deoxys. Calm Mind is used to boost my offense while the opponent is forced to attack. It also helps make it resist special attacks. Maximum Speed is necessary to utilize Taunt to the fullest and to outpace any Mewtwo that don’t have 252 EVs in Speed. The Special Attack EVs are all necessary to have the best chance to OHKO a Darkrai if it comes out before a layer of Spikes can be put down.
A team needs to fully take advantage of everything it can do to be most effective. This team specializes in getting up entry hazards so abusing them is important. This will also help set the stage for Groudon later in the match. Dialga’s excellent typing and defenses make it the best candidate for the job.
Dialga @ Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SDef
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Dragon Tail
- Bulk Up
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
I’ve been using this set as soon as fifth generation was available. It is by far the cheapest, yet effective moveset for Dialga. Dialga’s great bulk allows it to easily absorb attacks while setting up with Bulk Up. The opponent is unable to set up on it because of Dragon Tail. This new move has only a base power of 60, but it forces the opponent to switch out. It is the new and improved Roar, though its accuracy is only 90 instead of 100. It is still worth it though because if the opponent is down to their last Pokemon you can still hurt it. The only downside to using Dragon Tail is that it has a -6 priority meaning only Trick Room is a slower move. This can be taken advantage of though against Wobbuffet who try and do Counter only to get forced out and damaged. It really abuses entry hazards with this move. Rest ensures Dialga will live a long time, especially if the opponent can’t get set up. Sleep Talk makes Dialga a beast to deal with. It can then absorb sleep and actually still attack. Being able to set up while asleep or forcing a switch with Dragon Tail is superb. The best part about getting Dragon Tail with Sleep Talk is ignoring the priority. Dialga really is a main part of the core. There is no Pokemon that can fully replace its usefulness. This Dialga has caused numerous rage-quits. It is one of the biggest threats in existence. The EVs are designed to take full advantage of Bulk Up raising my Defense and Attack so I can be as defensive as possible.
What good would a team that abuses entry hazards do if the opponent could easily get rid of them? A ghost type Pokemon was needed to address this. The Pokemon also should have great bulk so it can take a few hits before it leaves. This basically leaves Giratina as the only viable candidate. The normal forme is able to defend against attacks better making it the better option. Additionally this lets it hold Leftovers to stay in even longer.
Giratina @ Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spd
Relaxed Nature (+Def, -Spd)
- Dragon Tail
- Calm Mind
- Shadow Ball
- Rest
Giratina is another important part of the team’s core. Without it the team could easily fall apart. Like Dialga, Giratina boasts Dragon Tail. The advantage Giratina has with using this is that the opponent can’t use Rapid Spin to make it less painful. Calm Mind allows Giratina to set up on numerous Pokemon due to its incredible HP and high defenses. The higher defenses are also why the normal version of Giratina was chosen. It may not have immunity to Toxic Spikes, but with Rest it really doesn’t need it. I did consider putting Sleep Talk on Giratina as well. It could be powerful because it also could force switches while asleep like Dialga. The reason I didn’t is because I wanted to have a more damaging normal move. This takes better advantage of Calm Mind boosting my Special Attack and Special Defense. Shadow Ball seems to work well for the team. It hits most threats for neutral damage and those it doesn’t Dragon Tail still hits decently. Giratina certainly fulfills it part to the team by continuing the spread of damage. The EVs take full advantage of Calm Mind raising Special Attack and Special Defense. The nature isn’t terribly important since when I am not boosting my stats I tend to use Dragon Tail.
Since the team relies heavily on entry hazards I thought a back up Spiker would prove to be effective. This also is due to Deoxys not being the most bulky Pokemon around. There were two Pokemon that came to mind for this purpose, Nattorei and Forretress. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. Nattorei has superior Special Defense and can learn Thunder Wave. It also has higher Attack and can deal damage upon taking a physical hit with its ability. Forretress has the benefit of Light Screen and Sturdy.
Natorrei@Leftovers
Iron Barbs
Careful Nature
EVs: 252 HP / 32 Atk / 116 Def / 110 SDef
Spikes
Power Whip
Thunder Wave
Leech Seed
This Nattorei is very good at annoying the opponent. While it is a back-up Spiker, it also can paralyze opponent's. This comes in handy when a team member uses Dragon Tail since that move goes last. Leech Seed can force switches letting my entry hazards do more work for me. Power Whip is the damaging move of choice due to its power and ability to hit both Kyogre and Groudon for double damage.
The EVs may seem random, however, there is an actual method to it. A combination of 252 HP and 116 Def allows it to survive 2 Earthquakes coming from a Life Orb Groudon. This will make sure I always beat Groudon unless it is running FirePunch, which isn't common or recommended on the Rock Polish set. 110 Special Defense EVs allow it to survive 5 Ice Beams from Scarf Kyogre without having Leech Seed up. It also survives 2 Aura Sphere from 252 Mewtwo. Obviously Flamethrower will barbeque it, but normally I'd switch if I predicted it had Flamethrower. 32 Attack EVs allows it to always OHKO Kyogre with Power Whip after SR and 1 layer of Spikes.
I needed a Pokemon that can sweep entire teams on its own with proper support. This means the Pokemon has to be fast, but also powerful. Darkrai certainly is viable with Dark Void then setting up Nasty Plot, but it is vulnerable to Mewtwo. Groudon seemed to be the best choice for the team.
Groudon @ Life Orb
Trait: Drought
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Rock Polish
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Dragon Claw
This is probably one of the more known Groudon sets. The Rock Polish Groudon can blitz through teams that aren’t prepared for it. It starts by normally using Rock Polish to ensure I always will get the jump on the opponent. If Groudon is highly threatened, I may elect to use a damaging move instead against Pokemon like Bulk Up Dialga. This Groudon set can OHKO almost anything after counting in Stealth Rock and 1 layer of Spikes. Earthquake is incredibly powerful coming off of a 438 Attack Stat. Add in STAB and it is very hard to survive after taking any kind of damage. Stone Edge hits anything that resists ground moves for at least neutral damage barring Bronzong with Levitate. I find Stone Edge to be better than FirePunch because of coverage. The only benefit to using FirePunch is dealing with Skarmory and Bronzong. Dragon Claw is used to get rid of the numerous dragon Pokemon in the tier. I run full Speed EVs to make sure I have first strike when it counts. The only Pokemon that outpace Groudon after a Rock Polish are Shaymin-S and Darkrai both scarfed. Dialga can easily handle Shaymin Sky that is scarfed because if it isn’t locked into Earth Power, I can Rest off any damage when I need to. Darkrai is a bit more tricky to deal with since it has the potential to put one of my Pokemon to sleep. It would be forced to switch which actually still helps me since entry hazards are in play. Groudon really is one of the best Pokemon in Ubers with proper support. Technically I could run jolly nature to outrun both Skymin and Darkrai, but then some KOs are missed including Kyogre. That alone is too heavy of a cost to risk.
I never really bothered to see just how high of a rating I could get with this team. It has been working amazingly well for me. The team has well over fifty wins and maybe 2-3 losses from extreme hax. It is also very hard to anti-team it in this generation making it even better. The team is hard to play and get used to, but once mastered it is a deadly force.
Threat List:
Darkrai: I would classify Darkrai as a medium level threat. While it can put a Pokemon to sleep, after that it can’t really do much if it isn’t scarfed. Mewtwo gets rid of non-scarf variations easily while Dialga can take on scarf versions. If one of my Pokemon is asleep Groudon can handle it easily.
Shaymin-S: Shaymin-S is not a high level threat to the team. Dialga walls all Shaymin-S’ moves barring Earth Power. Giratina can also deal with it quite easily with Calm Mind and its ability Pressure.
Deoxys: The various Deoxys formes are not much of a threat because my own Deoxys can use Taunt on them and Mewtwo taunts the defensive forme. Giratina should be able to handle Deoxys with its great bulk. Dialga can also take on Deoxys as long as it doesn’t miss with Dragon Tail.
Ho-Oh: Ho-Oh can be a problem for teams, but it really isn’t for this one due to Stealth Rock being easy to set up and keep in play with Giratina. Groudon is also able to OHKO it with Stone Edge. Dialga can wall Ho-Oh all day long between Bulk Up, Rest, and Sleep Talk.
Lugia: Lugia is another Pokemon I notice teams having trouble with, but once again it isn’t a huge threat because of all the switches the team forces. While Groudon can’t OHKO, it is able to 2HKO as long as Stone Edge hits twice in a row. Mewtwo can easily handle it with Taunt then proceed to set up.
Dialga: Mewtwo can take it on decently. Groudon can easily defeat Dialga.
Palkia: Palkia is a decent threat, but isn’t major because Dialga can easily take care of it. Even a Choice Specs Draco Meteor will not OHKO. Groudon after a Rock Polish easily destroys it as well.
Groudon: Groudon is a decent threat due to having access to Swords Dance and Rock Polish. Giratina can force switches then Groudon is KO’d later. Mewtwo can inflict a fair amount of damage to it with Aura Sphere once weakened.
Kyogre: Kyogre isn’t a big threat because Dialga can wall it well after entry hazards take away some HP forcing Water Spout’s damage to go down. Once Kyogre loses more than 25% of its HP Ice Beam is the only way it can really hurt Dialga, though it still takes multiple hits to defeat. Giratina can set up on it with the great bulk. Calm Mind variants are rendered useless once they find out I have Dragon Tail on both Giratina and Dialga.
Rayquaza: Even though Rayquaza is a well known wall breaker, the team’s incredible bulk proves to be too much for Rayquaza. Dialga can survive any of Rayquaza’s attacks then strike back with Dragon Tail. Groudon can survive most attacks Rayquaza throws at it, but not without taking large damage in the process. Giratina can survive Outrage if needed, but it can’t survive Draco Meteor.
Manaphy: Even in the rain Manaphy isn’t a huge concern due to the team running multiple Dragon Tail users. Groudon helps considerably by changing the weather to sun eliminating the Rest/Hydration combo.
Wobbuffet: Mewtwo can Taunt it then proceed to set up. Dialga can Dragon Tail it away, as can Giratina. If it comes out at the right time it might be able to KO one member of the team, but usually it can’t KO more than that.
Garchomp: The team has no sure fire answer to it making it a medium level threat, however, once Groudon gets off Rock Polish, it is easily KO’d. If it is locked into Earthquake from Choice Band, Giratina can force it out with Dragon Tail. Dialga can survive Earthquake from Choice Band Garchomp after one Bulk Up has been used. It can always survive an Outrage and strike back with Dragon Tail.
Latios: Latios can be a threat if it gets off Calm Mind. Dialga can perform ok against it and use Dragon Tail. Groudon can only handle it after Rock Polish unless Latios isn’t running Grass Knot. Mewtwo can Taunt it then get up a Calm Mind and start to attack.
Latias: See Latios.
Salamence: Same as Rayquaza except its Draco Meteor only has about a 1/3 chance of OHKO’ing Giratina without entry hazards.
Mewtwo: My own Mewtwo uses Shadow Ball typically which almost OHKO’s opposing Mewtwo. If I know they try and set up, I will use Taunt. Giratina can handle most Mewtwo and so can Dialga, though Giratina does a better job since it will be raising its Special Defense. After Groudon gets off Rock Polish, Mewtwo falls to Earthquake after taking damage from hazards.
Mew: Mew is a bit different since it can use Magic Coat to instead have me get Taunted. Dialga and Giratina can still deal with it well though. Dragon Tail basically renders attempts to boost stats useless.
Jirachi: Groudon can easily take care of Jirachi. Dialga enjoys setting up against Jirachi.
Zekrom: Zekrom is handled well by Groudon. Even if Zekrom had Balloon, it would still fall to Dragon Claw. Dialga can also do a number to Zekrom.
Reshiram: Groudon once again deals with Reshiram. Dialga can still take care of Reshiram as well.
Kyuremu: Dialga and Mewtwo can take care of Kyuremu with Dragon Tail and Aura Sphere respectively.
Shandera: Depending on what it comes in on determines if it can get a KO or not. Forretress and Mewtwo will normally get KO’d from it. Dialga should be ok in most cases unless I am low on health and didn’t use Rest. Giratina has to have a Calm Mind up if it is to take care of it. Groudon, after using Rock Polish, can deal with it.
Scizor: Giratina easily takes care of Scizor. Dialga is ok once it gets a Bulk Up used, especially since Scizor will be lowering its Attack after using Superpower. After entry hazards Groudon takes care of it.
Blissey: My team is more physically geared making Blissey less of a threat. Mewtwo can Taunt it, Dialga and Giratina can Dragon Tail it, and Groudon pounds it with Earthquake.
Bronzong: While it can use Trick Room, my team can still perform ok because of using negative priority moves. Mewtwo can Taunt it then start to set up.
That concludes the team, hope you like it.
