UU Discussion/Information Hub

Introduction​

Hi everyone! It was strongly hinted here and on the server that people were interested in playing BW UU so I decided to help out by creating this thread. This thread can serve as an introduction to UU and if you feel like playing it, I'll provide some information here, you can read up on some articles on Smogon or just build a team and get straight into it. I can offer my humble advice to anyone who wants it and everyone can have an awesome time. UU is so much fun because it's almost perfectly balanced and anyone who played a balanced metagame (DP OU) will most likely know why balance is good go.

Differences between UU and OU​

1. No centralization, auto-weather is not present except for hail so no need to see Ninetales or Politoed every single match. Dragons are limited which means Steel types are also not as abundant. The power difference is there but not much, UU Pokemon hit just as hard as their OU brethren. Specs Flash Fire Chandulure Overheat for example.
2. Almost perfectly balanced, you want to play stall? Play stall. Offense is stronger with the ban of Chansey but stall is also viable. Gimmicks can work so it offers creativity, there isn't always a Pokemon that's perfect for the job like OU. Most of all a perfect metagame is just fun to play.
3. Strategy is just so important in this tier. Unlike OU which can turn into who has the more firepower UU strikes a balance between power and strategy and makes playing well rewarding instead of "CB Haxorous used Outrage, Skarmory took 100% damage!1!1!".
4. There are a few others but I won't bore you with a wall of text. Tl;dr UU is much better then OU in it's current state. Most Smogoners seem to agree as well.

Pokie's Useless Tips​

1. Bulky offense is very strong at the moment, in fact it is the way to go imo. You have to hit hard but also have something to fall back on incase things go badly. Try build a team that hits hard but also has a strong defensive core. Make sure you cover some of the top threats like Heracross/Kingdra/MienShao. Check Smogon for some solid defensive/offensive cores or even build your own!
2. Don't use Ambipom, you deserve to lose if you do.
3. Use
   
4. Provided a gimmick actually benefits the team, you can try it on your team. Sometimes in a tight match, one gimmick can save you as your opponent will be trying to figure out what the hell you're using. This isn't OU where only staples win. Granted don't go and use Specs Sableye or something but as long as it's viable and fits a purpose then try it.

Top Tier Threat List​

Here are some of the top tier threats in UU currently. Fighting-types are especially powerful at the moment but they are handled easily by good teams and good play. Make sure your team can handle all of these Pokemon well.

Heracross
Was the most dominant force in UU, bar none. This brawny beetle is one of (if not) the most deadly physical powerhouses in the metagame and can even win entire matches by itself under the right conditions. The most common set is Choice Scarf which seeks to pick off weakened Pokemon for Moxie boosts before going on a rampage. A Pokemon packing +3 Attack and spamming 120 STAB's at you? Not good. Luckily there are Ghost-types and stuff like Crobat to clean him off or he'd be borderline OP. Can also run Band or SD sets which are good but lack the ability to do the damage Scarf can do. However now however most teams pack 1-2 checks to this thing and ScarfCross is too predictable so it isn't what it used to be.

Raikou
One of the best special sweepers in the tier. SubCM is quite popular as is the straight up Special Attack or CM + 3 Attacks. What makes him so good is that he can easily outspeed and set-up on a lot of Pokemon in the tier and if you let him setup and you don't pack a Snorlax or an Umberon you're not looking good.

Snorlax
With Chansey gone, Snorlax has more or less taken over her role. Unfortunately he doesn't take hits anywhere near as well but he's still the best at it (bar Umberon perhaps). Common sets nowadays are Choice Band or standard RestTalk. Lack of reliable recovery is still his biggest problem. CurseLax is cool but MienShao and Heracross still OHKO at +2 sometimes so it's not the best idea honestly.

Kingdra
So good it was considered for banning by Smogon. It has since fallen from grace and while it is without a doubt still one of the best Pokemon in the tier, it isn't quite the powerhouse it once was due to new competition and Scarf MienShao's running everywhere. However the Rain Dance set arguably makes it the most destructive Pokemon in tier, firing off Draco Meteors and rain-boosted Hydro Pumps while outspeeding basically everything. DD is still good but not as good as it was and Specs is nice but nothing special.

Zapdos
Outshone a little by Raikou but it plays a different role, more so a pivot then a sweeper. Zapdos covers threats while dishing out damage. Notably Fighting-type Pokemon, SubRoost is also decent and Specs/Scarf have their uses although being SR weak the latter two are rarely seen.

Togekiss
Remember DP OU being haxed by this thing? It's back and pretty much the same as ever. Togekiss still has to watch out for all the Scarfed Fighting Pokemon running around though and pretty much everything else. Normal/Flying is a poor defensive typing in UU but that doesn't stop Togekiss being one of the best.

MienShao
Choice Scarf MienShao is the premier revenge killer of UU, also a great scout. It resides in the nigh-unmatched base 105 Speed tier, which only extremely fast Pokemon such as Raikou and Azelf can ever hope to touch it. High Jump Kick boosted by Reckless pretty much demolishes anything that doesn't resist it and means your revenge killer could become your clean up sweeper.

Victini
Extreme versatility and solid stats across the board make Victini one of the best Pokemon in UU. Although SR hinders it's incredible bulk as well as being Pursuit-weak it can still dish out a tonne of damage and take a couple of hits. V-Create is basically half the reason to use this thing, it's a 270 power move that you can fire off at will. Scarf and Band are the most common sets although a Special set can be used to take people by surprise or even mixed if you like a cool wallbreaker.

Will add more.

Further Reading​

UU Viability Thread
UU Tier Pokemon
Usage Stats March 2013
Extended Threat List
Guide to Improve on your Battling

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Anyone I hope you're not brain dead after reading some of that. I can't recommend this metagame enough to anyone who enjoyed DP OU or anyone who is bored of the current metagames. I'm fairly certain it's the most played tier after OU so it's got a massive fanbase as far as Pokemon goes. This thread is a brief introduction to UU, in the end only playing it will make you get better/experienced. so whip up a team and give it a shot!

I'll be willing to help anyone who wants to try it.