UU Team: Swellow + Linoone Sweep

[Eon-Rider]

Just a few days ago, I actually finally seriously got into competitive battling. All the times before were one time things. I made this team quickly and it's proven to be quite successful even against OU teams, which is what I play against a lot of the time.

The Team

Typhlosion@Choice Scarf
Nature: Rash
Ability: Blaze
144 Atk / 252 SpA / 112 Spe
- Eruption
- Overheat
- Earthquake
- Focus Punch

Typhlosion is great as a lead killer. It is also one of my main sweepers and aims to eradicate all opposing threats of Linoone and Swellow, namely Steel-types. Rash over Mild because I find most people hit my Typhlosion with physical attacks over special. I just love to Focus Punch incoming Blissey and other Pokemon expecting to be hit by a Fire-type attack.

Hitmontop@Leftovers
Nature: Impish
Ability: Intimidate
252 HP / 72 Def / 184 Spe
- Toxic
- Rapid Spin
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge

Hitmontop actually helps me get rid of threats that my Typhlosion can't such as Tyranitar. I just love switching into any Tyranitar with this thing. Rapid Spin is there to clear Stealth Rock which can pose a problem to my Swellow and Linoone and hinder the effectiveness of my Jumpluff. Hitmontop's type and Ability complements

Clefable@Leftovers
Nature: Calm
Ability: Magic Guard
252 HP / 40 SpA / 216 SpD
- Wish
- Toxic
- Protect
- Flamethrower

This is the standard Wish Clefable. I helps clear Steel-types especially well because Clefable has such a diverse movepool which makes it unpredictable and not many Steel-types would fear switching into it. It is also great at taking general special sweepers.

Jumpluff@Focus Sash
Nature: Timid
Ability: Chlorophyll
252 HP / 252 Spe / 6 Def
- Encore
- Memento
- Stun Spore
- Sleep Powder

This is the thing that allows my Linoone to successfully get the Belly Drum almost every battle. Encore really has no use from my battles in the past few days but I don't really know if there's anything worth replacing it with. This suffers awfully from Taunt obviously.

Swellow@Toxic Orb
Nature: Jolly
Ability: Guts
252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
- U-turn
- Facade
- Protect
- Brave Bird

Swellow is simple to use but amazingly powerful if the opponent has no good counters. Unfortunately, it is often used as a sacrifice. If I had to replace any Pokemon on my team, it would be this. Protect not only helps set Swellow up but also helps stall out other Pokemon suiffering from Poison. The only real plus to Swellow is that it lures out many Steel-types, which is again a major threat to the team.

Linoone@Salac Berry
Nature: Adamant
Ability: Gluttony
116 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 136 Spe
- Belly Drum
- Seed Bomb
- Shadow Claw
- Extremespeed

Linoone is the key to the team if you haven't realised by now. After being set-up, which is quite easy with Jumpluff, it is monstrous and very difficult to take out without a Steel-type. It can also function as a revenge killer with Extrremespeed.

Strategy

If the strategy wasn't obvious enough, the strategy on this team is to clear all Linoone can't handle on his/her own and then set-up with Jumpluff to produce a mad unstoppable rodent.

Personal Evaluation

To be honest, I haven't had many major problems with this team at all. The problems only arise when there are too many Steel-type Pokemon to handle and when Jumpluff fails to setup Linoone properly. I have considered adding Stealth Rock somewhere in the team but I have always backed out of this choice as Linoone can OHKO many opposing Pokemon even without Stealth Rock damage.

 

[Chaostorm]

Flame Orb > Toxic Orb for Swellow so the Damage from the Orb wont rise up , if you think the Burn will cripple Swellow , then you're wrong , Any pokemon with Guts ability wont get the Attack Drop from the burn .

the team is kinda good , but I think you still need the Stealth Rock support in order to ensure that Linoone sures OHKOs anything in face

 

[Dark Azelf]

Ok so forget about using this in OU as ill be glad to point out your weaks : *smogon.com link removed* (-Tyranitar). Stick to uu where this team actually has potential.

Anyways, Reflect > Stun Spore on Pluff. So Linoone can actually set up.

Foresight >> Stone Edge or Toxic on Hitmontop imo. This allows you to Rapid Spin on ghosts which this team looks like it really needs. Try 252 HP / 68 ATT / 108 DEF / 82 SP.DEF on top, standard evs are lol.

You dont actually really beat steels well because they can just switch out and foil your set ups.

*image removed*@Choice Band
252 ATT / 216 SPEED / 42 HP
Jolly Nature
Trait : Arena Trap
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Sucker Punch
- Pursuit / Night Slash

OR

*image removed*@Leftovers
108 HP / 252 SpA / 148 Spe
Modest Nature
Trait : Magnet Pull
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden power Fire
- Substitute
- Magnet Rise


Put one of these steel killers over Typhlosion imo. Lure them in, U-Turn from swellow ---> Steel killer. keke

You lack residual damage so its hard to sweep with both Linoone and Swellow who rely on this for their kills. Put Stealth Rock on Clefable imo over Toxic and use a Toxic Orb and LEAD WITH IT. This way you kill 3 birds with one stone, scout their lead, get your SR up early and activate your Toxic Orb so you can take status which you currently cant do. ^^

Just some thoughts here, good luck with the team.

 

[Eon-Rider]

Flame Orb > Toxic Orb for Swellow so the Damage from the Orb wont rise up , if you think the Burn will cripple Swellow , then you're wrong , Any pokemon with Guts ability wont get the Attack Drop from the burn .

the team is kinda good , but I think you still need the Stealth Rock support in order to ensure that Linoone sures OHKOs anything in face

Yes, I realise Guts negates the Attack decreasing part of the burn. I just prefer Toxic Orb over Flame Orb because the initial damage is smaller. Swellow generally doesn't last very long and alsmost immediately switches out after attack once or twice.

Ok so forget about using this in OU as ill be glad to point out your weaks : *smogon.com link removed* (-Tyranitar). Stick to uu where this team actually has potential.

Like I said, I haven't actually actually found any major problems with the team yet. Care to name some problematic Pokemon?

Anyways, Reflect > Stun Spore on Pluff. So Linoone can actually set up.

Stun Spore has actually saved me a large amount of times. Would Reflect be a choice over Encore just for some variation? Like I said, I've pretty much never even found a situation to use Encore since testing this team.

Foresight >> Stone Edge or Toxic on Hitmontop imo. This allows you to Rapid Spin on ghosts which this team looks like it really needs. Try 252 HP / 68 ATT / 108 DEF / 82 SP.DEF on top, standard evs are lol.

I was reading about Foresight on Hitmontop before but I didn't really see the need. May I ask what the advantages of that specific EV spread are?

You dont actually really beat steels well because they can just switch out and foil your set ups.

*image removed*@Choice Band
252 ATT / 216 SPEED / 42 HP
Jolly Nature
Trait : Arena Trap
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Sucker Punch
- Pursuit / Night Slash

OR

*image removed*@Leftovers
108 HP / 252 SpA / 148 Spe
Modest Nature
Trait : Magnet Pull
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden power Fire
- Substitute
- Magnet Rise


Put one of these steel killers over Typhlosion imo. Lure them in, U-Turn from swellow ---> Steel killer. keke

Ah! Dugtrio is perfect! I've thought about Magneton before but I just can't stand using a Pokemon that isn't fully evolved.

You lack residual damage so its hard to sweep with both Linoone and Swellow who rely on this for their kills. Put Stealth Rock on Clefable imo over Toxic and use a Toxic Orb and LEAD WITH IT. This way you kill 3 birds with one stone, scout their lead, get your SR up early and activate your Toxic Orb so you can take status which you currently cant do. ^^

Just some thoughts here, good luck with the team.

I think I might try doing that. It'll mean I won't have to rely on winning using Linoone all the time.

 

[BlackRain]

put flame orb on swellow or else it will die in around 4 turns

 

[Mages4ever]

Well, Toxic Orb on Swellow is good if you think it's only going to be out for three turns, then you're going to switch. If you plan to have it sweep, then a Flame Orb is the right choice.

 

[Malicious Metang]

Toxic Orb is superior to Flame Orb on Swellow in every case. Losing 12% when Steelix or Registeel comes in is terrible, as I'd rather lose 6% and be able to U-turn out and sustain minimum damage. Besides, late-game, Swellow can clean up quick assuming you remove it's counters effectively, meaning you should take some of D_A's suggestions.

 

[Dark Azelf]

Ok, soo

Like I said, I haven't actually actually found any major problems with the team yet. Care to name some problematic Pokemon?

The whole ou tier ? I really dont want to go through saying why and what sets own you. :/ Just stick to UU.

Stun Spore has actually saved me a large amount of times. Would Reflect be a choice over Encore just for some variation? Like I said, I've pretty much never even found a situation to use Encore since testing this team.

Stun Spore isnt really good though, and its not like your team needs it. Encore is an awesome move and CAN = free Linoone set up. It also beats stat uppers for you.

I was reading about Foresight on Hitmontop before but I didn't really see the need. May I ask what the advantages of that specific EV spread are?

Well your team NEEDS to remove entry hazards, hence why Foresight would be good. Toxic Spikes sink linnone, as do Spikes. SR also poops on Swellow.

As for the ev spread, it just makes it bulkier. The ev spread on smogon hitmontop outspeeds jolly tar which is obv pointless in UU and since it cant do anything to you anyway lol.

Ah! Dugtrio is perfect! I've thought about Magneton before but I just can't stand using a Pokemon that isn't fully evolved.

Magneton was OU in adv, bear that in mind. ;]

Comments in bold. ^^

 

[Pokedra]

Reflect > Stun Spore on Jumpluff would benefit Linoone =)

And keep Toxic Orb on Swellow, you'll be doing some scouting before some serious sweeping so you might as well take less damage ;]

If you do opt to go for Duggy you'll have to watch out for RP Torterra who can cause some strife but you can handle it still, decent team.

 

[d2m]

Just a few days ago, I actually finally seriously got into competitive battling. All the times before were one time things. I made this team quickly and it's proven to be quite successful even against OU teams, which is what I play against a lot of the time.

The Team

Typhlosion@Choice Scarf
Nature: Rash
Ability: Blaze
144 Atk / 252 SpA / 112 Spe
- Eruption
- Overheat
- Earthquake
- Focus Punch

Typhlosion is great as a lead killer. It is also one of my main sweepers and aims to eradicate all opposing threats of Linoone and Swellow, namely Steel-types. Rash over Mild because I find most people hit my Typhlosion with physical attacks over special. I just love to Focus Punch incoming Blissey and other Pokemon expecting to be hit by a Fire-type attack.

Comments: Let's look how Typlosion matches up to the other main leads in UU:

Yanmega: Protect first turn, HP Ground OHKOs.

Honchkrow: Sucker Punch prevents Eruption from OHKOing him, it does serious damage, but so will you.

Ambipom: Fake out makes Eruption useless then baits the Milotic/any water type switch in.

Roserade: Gets slept when Sash activates, Toxic Spikes/Spikes go up, gg Linoone. If it's scarf it'll sleep him without getting hit. If it's a stall team, they'll switch to Chansey or Milotic and you'll be SOL.

Uxie: Doesn't prevent SR, but will 1-2HKO Uxie easily depending on set.

Typhlosion is just a bad lead...in any situation in UU. He loses 25% to SR, so he can't do much later game either. Add to that he's completely walled by the #1 used pokemon in UU: Milotic.

If you're going to use a Fire type that can take out leads and be used as a decent steel killer and fire bait: Houndoom is a great option:

Houndoom@Lum Berry
252SpA/252 Spe/4 Atk

-Sucker Punch
-Taunt
-Dark Pulse
-Flamethrower

It serves as a good Anti-lead and prevents slower SRs with Taunt, can come in on fire attacks (that your team is weak to) later in the game with Flash Fire.

Hitmontop@Leftovers
Nature: Impish
Ability: Intimidate
252 HP / 72 Def / 184 Spe
- Toxic
- Rapid Spin
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge

Hitmontop actually helps me get rid of threats that my Typhlosion can't such as Tyranitar. I just love switching into any Tyranitar with this thing. Rapid Spin is there to clear Stealth Rock which can pose a problem to my Swellow and Linoone and hinder the effectiveness of my Jumpluff. Hitmontop's type and Ability complements.

Comments: If you fear SR too much, consider Foresight over Toxic on Hitmontop. Replace EQ with Close Combat as it's stronger, STAB, and has mostly the same coverage (you only really miss out on coverage on Electric types and argubly the most common right now is Magneton who's weak to fighting anyway) plus it prevents Levitate pokemon and fliers from coming in free.

Clefable@Leftovers
Nature: Calm
Ability: Magic Guard
252 HP / 40 SpA / 216 SpD
- Wish
- Toxic
- Protect
- Flamethrower

This is the standard Wish Clefable. I helps clear Steel-types especially well because Clefable has such a diverse movepool which makes it unpredictable and not many Steel-types would fear switching into it. It is also great at taking general special sweepers.

Comments: Clefable isn't supposed to be a steelkiller. It pulls off the Encore job much better than Jumpluff as well because it's much bulkier. I'd recommend a set with Def EVs over SpA and Wish/Protect/Encore/Seismic Toss. Normally Softboiled/T-wave is the better option, but your team really needs Wish support to stay alive. If you're really, really concerned about Steel Types, Magneton with T-bolt, Substitute, Magnet Rise, and HP Fire will trap and kill any and all of them.

Jumpluff@Focus Sash
Nature: Timid
Ability: Chlorophyll
252 HP / 252 Spe / 6 Def
- Encore
- Memento
- Stun Spore
- Sleep Powder

This is the thing that allows my Linoone to successfully get the Belly Drum almost every battle. Encore really has no use from my battles in the past few days but I don't really know if there's anything worth replacing it with. This suffers awfully from Taunt obviously.

Comments: Memento, Encore, and Sleep Powder are all great ways to set up Linoone, don't get me wrong, but Jumpluff is useless otherwise and can be absolutely ruined by having SR break the sash then someone so much as breathe on it. It's fast, but not as fast as in the sun and is utter Taunt bait with no attack. As of right now, any semi-strong or set up sweeper can 6-0 you because your entire team is incredibly frail, especially Yanmega, who is the #1 threat in the UU metagame (until he gets banned, which he will). Replace Jumpluff with a standard Registeel packing Stealth Rock/Thunder Wave/Ice Punch/Shadow Claw. That'll stop Yanmega and Sub/Charge Beam Rotom from 6-0ing you every time. Spreading around Paralysis makes it easier to sweep later as well.

Swellow@Toxic Orb
Nature: Jolly
Ability: Guts
252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
- U-turn
- Facade
- Protect
- Brave Bird

Swellow is simple to use but amazingly powerful if the opponent has no good counters. Unfortunately, it is often used as a sacrifice. If I had to replace any Pokemon on my team, it would be this. Protect not only helps set Swellow up but also helps stall out other Pokemon suiffering from Poison. The only real plus to Swellow is that it lures out many Steel-types, which is again a major threat to the team.

Comments: Facade hits most everything just as hard as Brave Bird (except for very bulky versions of Torterra and Venusaur) and you desperately need priority on this team to prevent stuff like Insomnia Honchkrow from destroying you, so replace it with Quick Attack.

Linoone@Salac Berry
Nature: Adamant
Ability: Gluttony
116 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 136 Spe
- Belly Drum
- Seed Bomb
- Shadow Claw
- Extremespeed

Linoone is the key to the team if you haven't realised by now. After being set-up, which is quite easy with Jumpluff, it is monstrous and very difficult to take out without a Steel-type. It can also function as a revenge killer with Extrremespeed.

Comments: Well it's standard and the heart and soul of your team, so I guess keep it the way it is.

Strategy

If the strategy wasn't obvious enough, the strategy on this team is to clear all Linoone can't handle on his/her own and then set-up with Jumpluff to produce a mad unstoppable rodent.

Personal Evaluation

To be honest, I haven't had many major problems with this team at all. The problems only arise when there are too many Steel-type Pokemon to handle and when Jumpluff fails to setup Linoone properly. I have considered adding Stealth Rock somewhere in the team but I have always backed out of this choice as Linoone can OHKO many opposing Pokemon even without Stealth Rock damage.

Comments in bold.

I'm going to be straight with you, though: the days of Linoone sweeps are over. There are too many things that can take even +6 hits from Linoone and OHKO back or things that run straight through any team centered around Linoone. It requires too much support and effort to be viable at a high competitive level. I did what I can with the specific team, but it's not going to win at the higher levels, especially against stall teams that usually pack at least 2 physical walls in the form of Steelix/Registeel/Tangrowth/Uxie/Milotic/Slwobro/etc all of which can cause problems for even a +6 Linoone if at full HP. Not to mention the heavy prevelance of entry hazards and bulkier and craftier ghosts (like Mismagius and Rotom carrying Taunt to screw Foresight Hitmontop) making removing them much more difficult. I'd reccommend just building a team without Linoone, but if you want to try it, my suggestions will help.

I don't even know where to begin about using this in OU, though. Lead Occagross can pretty much 6-0 you.

 

[Ooka]

As it's been mentioned before, I'd say the only way you're going to get a sweep in with Linoone is if you get steels out of the way with Dugtrio or Magneton, and put a RSer on there or Spikes/Toxic Spikes/SR will ruin your sweep with Linoone.

Also, Typhlosion should be replaced for a better UU lead, something like Roserade would do, as Sleeping their lead would even still help with your Linoone sweep, as it immobilizes 1 of their Pokemon and lets you proceed to set up spikes to prevent FS from ruining your Linoone sweep.