Beating the Rankers on a Sunny Day - UU RMT by End Fashion

[End Fashion]

Walking on the Sun ​

By End Fashion
​

Introduction​

One day, I decided to make a weather team. It was a Rain Dance team, and it worked well. Along my way, I encountered two other excellent teams that employed hail and sand. This was very interesting to me, but I preferred my offensively based rain team. Then, somehow, I stumbled across another weather move called Sunny Day. This move intrigued me as I had not seen it in battle, and I knew that for every weather move, there was a set of Pokemon who functioned most efficiently when it was in play. Immediately, I became curious about the sunshine. I was soon to realise, however, that the sunshine Pokemon did not function in the same way as the rain Pokemon, who appeared much more powerful in their drizzly conditions. At this point, I did not know what direction I needed to take to make the team better. Did I need to rely on sweepers or draw from some stall principles first? Am I relying on power or status? Not knowing the sunshine's niche made me sad, but I endeavored to assemble a team that would at least be mildly competitive. Finally, after much deliberation, I formed a team that sometimes allowed me to control the pace of games much like I had with my rain team. This made me very happy. So happy, in fact, that I would like to share it with you so you may tell me very bad things about it in the hopes of making it better.

This team is the product of rigorous testing on the Smogon Shoddy ladder. As such, it is highly moulded around the current metagame. The team has scored a number of pleasing wins against some of the top ranked players on the Smogon server, beating a number of top 50 and even some top 15 players. The team aims to correct the mistakes of a lot of Sunny Day teams which I have seen and personally built in the past. For starters, this team does not make the mistake of being hyper offensive and having a team loaded with Chlorophyll Pokemon. It is about having the sweepers, but also having their necessary supports. The second common mistake tends to occur on the defensive, where a lot of players often use general or common walls to patch their defenses, rather than looking at specific threats and holes in the team itself. To amend this, I started with my offensive Pokemon, saw what threatened them, and worked from there. In today's metagame, it is not about just setting up the sun and blasting away. It is more about scouting teams and being able to clear a safe path for your sweepers to do their work. Speed is pivotal, as is defensive capability.​

Comprehensive Analysis​

Jumpluff (M) @ Heat Rock
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 232 HP/24 Def/252 Spd
Jolly nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Sleep Powder
- U-turn
- Sunny Day
- Encore / Aromatherapy
​

a. Why Jumpluff?
Jumpluff is a tricky little lead with Sleep Powder, and is lightning fast in the Sun. Whilst Jumpluff is not the most aggressive lead, it can play a good supportive role with Encore. A lot of the metagame at the moment is seeing the likes of Feraligatr and Mismagius using stat boosting moves. Locking these Pokemon into a move forces switches and allows me to get a free switch myself. Jumpluff is also a beacon of Sunny Day. Honestly, I was against Jumpluff in the beginning because it tends to give away your team's strategy. That said, so do Abomasnow and Hippowdon in OU, and these teams are successful due to exquisite build quality.

b. Leading competition

• Ambipom: Ambipom will not be able to resist a Fake Out. Switch to Spiritomb and keep hitting with Pursuit.
• Uxie: Sleep Powder, Sunny Day, U-Turn.
• Electrode: It will probably try to Rain Dance or Taunt. Electrode is a pain and it is annoying that Rain Dance teams have the fastest lead in the tier but not Sunny Day. The best way to go is to try for a Sunny Day and hope they don't think of Taunting (the smart option). Since I am slower I will end the turn with the sun up, meaning I am faster for the next turn to sleep the giant Pokeball.
• Froslass: This is probably my worst matchup, with STAB ice attacks meaning lights out for Jumpluff. Try to sleep from turn one, having to risk the speed tie. The risk with switching is status and Spikes, which I don't want to deal with.
• Moltres: Lead Moltres usually be Scarfed, and looking to take me out with a fire attack. Switch to Regirock to set up Stealth Rock.
• Alakazam: I think most Alakazam try to set up screens when leading. Sunny Day for a start since I don't think Kazam has anything other than neutral attacks to hit with. With the speed boost I can sleep it, Encore it, and when done use U-Turn to hurt it. If you face one of the 14.7% using Taunt, U-Turn to Spiritomb.
• Omastar: Sleep it, and proceed to sun-set and U-Turn.
• Arcanine: Straight to Regirock to set up Stealth Rocks.
• Cloyster: With STAB Ice Shard, this is one tough cookie. As an act of desperation I could go Regirock with Stealth Rock then Explosion. Or Spiritomb -> Sunny Day -> Sweeper. I risk getting spiked.
• Donphan: Ice Shard is again a threat. Option A is to just try Sleep Powder and hope they go for Stealth Rock. Option B is to go to Spiritomb and avoid an Ice Shard, allow their SR to go up but criple Donphan with WoW.

-

Spiritomb (M) @ Heat Rock
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP/140 Atk/116 SDef
Careful nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Sunny Day
- Pursuit / Sucker Punch
- Rest / Momento
- Will-o-wisp / Toxic
​

a. Why Spiritomb?
Spiritomb is a good defensive unit who usually takes a couple of hits to KO. This is fortunate as it allows him to be a Sunny Day setter whilst filling some defensive gaps. Spiritomb also works well in tandem with Jumpluff as a leading pair, with Ambipom being so popular. It turns the tide on the little monkey as his role is usually to chip off damage, but instead, he gets landed with Pursuits taking some nice chunks out of him. Will-O-Wisp helps the team on the defensive front, and whittles down foes. Momento helps get in Tangrowth and allows for a Swords Dance most of the time. However, I am considering using Rest to allow for some recovery and status absorption. Finally, Spiritomb is a good Rapid Spin blocker, since Stealth Rock is so important to this team. He is not raped by Donphan's Assurance and wrecks his offensive power with Will-O-Wisp.

The original Pokemon in this position was Hitmonlee, who was more agressive and addressed a number of issues related to the metagame, namely Registeel and Thunder Wave (with Limber). However, Registeel appears to have taken a small dive in popularity midway through the month, perhaps after people started building teams to cater for it. I felt that the team lacked supports and synergy also, so I've gone for something more defensive, whilst moving Arcanine and Tangrowth into more offensive roles.

-

Arcanine (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 192 HP/252 Atk/64 Spd
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Flare Blitz
- Extremespeed
- Toxic / Will-o-Wisp
- Morning Sun
​

a. Why Arcanine?
Arcanine is a sturdy Pokemon on any team, and hence it is not hard to fit him onto a team that he should thrive in. Arcanine's Intimidate is an amazing tool to use against physical attackers. ExtremeSpeed is also a handy weapon to take out weakened foes. Couple this with a powerful STAB boosted by the weather, and excellent recovery in the weather, and you have a very handy and reliable Pokemon indeed.

b. Role and EVs.
Arcanine has seen a number of roles in this team. He was originally very offensive with a Howl set. However Howl just doesn't give him the masses of power I feel needed to sweep, and I was feeling the need for a sturdy Pokemon. From there, Arcanine went to a Sleep Taking shuffler who could come in on a number of threats and use Roar to not only stack up the Stealth Rock damage, but also scout teams and counters. After another switch where Spiritomb handles a lot of defensive duties, I have made Arcanine more offensive, albeit durable and supportive with Toxic.

c. A note on Intimidate and Flash Fire.
I see a lot of Sunny Day teams who run Flash Fire over Intimidate saying that they can lure fire attacks with the Chlorophyll Pokemon and catch them out with Arcanine, powering up his Flare Blitz. This is a viable tactic, however, rarely is Arcanine in a position to sweep an entire team with this boost. Flash Fire also becomes useless to Arcanine once all fire-types are eliminated. What's more, Arcanine doesn't really have the tools to take on another fire-type one-on-one, with no secondary STAB or neat movepool. That said, Intimidate allows Arcanine to have repeated switches and to do what he does best - take large swipes out of teams and pester them as they switch again and again.

d. The moves.
i. Flare Blitz
Obligatory STAB. 120 base power + weather enhancement = pain for non-resists.

ii. ExtremeSpeed
Powerful priority move that can help late game with cleaning up the opposition.

iii. Toxic / Will-o-Wisp
Toxic is one of the best options for taking out counters. Arcanine can learn Thunder Fang for water types, but they are bulky and survive even +1 attacks. Toxic lets me wear out things like Milotic and Slowbro, amongst others. In the sun their Surf attacks are weakened, and are shrugged off with Morning Sun. On the other hand, Will-O-Wisp makes Arcanine even more of a physical counter, especially against the recently demoted Gallade. Putting Will-O-Wisp on Arcanine and Toxic on Spiritomb makes Spiritomb a more daunting staller and Arcanine a powerful physical wall.

iv. Morning Sun
This was a great addition to Arcanine's movepool, and in the sun it allows him to Toxic stall against a number of Pokemon, including bulky waters. Morning Sun gives Arcanine some endurance even in the face of Stealth Rock also.

-

Tangrowth (F) @ Expert Belt
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 252 Atk/252 Spd
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Earthquake
- Power Whip
- Rock Slide
- Swords Dance​

a. Why Tangrowth?
First, Chlorophyll. Second, coverage. With Earthquake at her disposal, Tangrowth can take on fire types who think they can scare me out. Same can be said for flying and bug types with Rock Slide. Aside from that, Tangrowth has the best physical STAB grass attack in the game. Finally, access to Swords Dance makes Tangrowth a powerful and often underestimated sweeper, particularly with Stealth Rock support.

b. Nature: Jolly vs Adamant.
It is a toss up as to whether I run Adamant or Jolly. In the sun, Adamant seems sufficient to outpace most threats. However, I think the recommendation on Smogon is to run Jolly, and hence, Tangrowth will lose to opposing Tangrowth running a mixed set. I don’t see too many of them though, so this will do for now I suppose.

c. Life Orb or Expert Belt?
Life Orb takes its toll too much, and with Swords Dance and Stealth Rock I'm not sure I need that added oomph. I have good coverage with the moves, meaning that Expert Belt comes into play a lot. Take your pick, really. I'm also a fan of Wide Lens, since Power Whip and even Rock Slide have a tendency to miss at critical points of the game.

d. The moves.
i. Earthquake
Ground beats fire, the #1 counter to this guy. Also lets me take chunks out of Registeel.

ii. Power Whip
Power Whip has 120 base power, and is STAB. Accuracy is a bit iffy, and has honestly cost me matches from missing in the past. Still, I can always claim "hax" ( ) and rage quit haha. Anyway, this is Tangrowth's primary neutral attack tool.

iii. Swords Dance
How to make a Sweeper in one easy step.

iv. Rock Slide
Again for coverage. This will do masses of damage to the likes of Moltress, Yanmega and Scyther. Bug and flying attacks are super effective, and Rock Slide can stop these threats.

-

Exeggutor (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 4 Def/252 Spd/252 SAtk
Modest nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Solarbeam
- Psychic
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Substitute​

a. Why Exeggutor?
Like Tangrowth, Exeggutor becomes extremely fast in the sun. Secondly, Exeggutor has a top tier special attack stat to work off, and with the sun up he gets access to the best special grass attack (barring Seed Flare) in the game. Some may argue that Leaf Storm is better, but seriously, use that once and you have to switch out.

c. The moves.
i. Solarbeam
STAB 120 base power off a massive special attack stat. Obvious choice.

ii. Psychic
Basically the only other usable special attack outside of a Hidden Power. It hits most things for neutral although I rarely rely on it.

iii. Hidden Power [Fire]
HP Fire takes out other grass-types, steel-types, and ice-types who otherwise wall the set. It is not the most powerful move and is best used when the opponent has been weakened. For example, Registeel can survive a HP Fire with relative ease and treaten with Thunder Wave, basically ending my sweep.

iv. Substitute
Substitute protects from status, ie. Registeel as mentioned above. It also protects against Sucker Punch, which is used a lot in UU by the likes of Hitmontop who wants you to use Psychic.

d. Major threats to Exeggutor.
Sucker Punch. Namely, Honchkrow. Honchkrow can come in and threaten me big time. Rarely (if ever) have I been hit with Pursuit, since they pretty much force me out with Sucker Punch. If it hits, I'm gone. Two guys can come in and make life difficult for Honch. First is Regirock, who generally comes in on an attempted Sucker Punch and threatens with Stone Edge. He can also survive a Superpower if Honchkrow tries to be a hero. Guys like Toxicroak can also rattle me for the same reasons. Cacturne is another who could come in and pose a lot of problems, since it can threaten with Sucker Punch and force a switch, but set up a sub on the switch and go to town on my counter with Focus Punch. Arcanine is best suited to come in thanks to Intimidate.

Standard Venusaur can take a Psychic and survive, whilst likely taking me out with Sludge Bomb when considering Life Orb damage. In general Venusaur is one of the biggest threats to disassembling the team, and I think I need to focus on finding a solution for him. Aggron is likely to survive a Solarbeam, whilst the other Rock/Steels definitely will. Registeel, despite being weak to HP Fire, is barely 2HKO'd and spoils me with Thunder Wave. Obviously Chansey is the best swtich-in, forcing me out immediately. Walls are generally switched into by either Spiritomb who can take status and Rest, or Arcanine who can deal severe damage with Flare Blitz to just about anything under the sun. If they were to switch in Milotic or Slowbro, Toxic will wear them down.

-

Regirock (M) @ Heat Rock
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP/36 Def/220 SDef
Careful nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Sunny Day
- Stealth Rock
- Counter
- Explosion​

a. Why Regirock?
Regirock is supposed to be a defensive pivot for the team. In the sun, the water weakness is cut by 50%, while his solid defenses allow him to take even some ground and fighting attacks and still stand - that said, he does have typing support in these areas. In the early stages of this team, Scarf Moltress could really rip this team to shreads if it wanted to. That said, flying types in general are an issue with this team, and hence, Regirock can switch in and make life hard for them. Regirock also serves as a counter to Arcanine who is very popular in standard teams.

b. The moves.
i. Sunny Day
No need to explain

ii. Stealth Rock
Some of the biggest threats to the team, namely bug-, fire-, flying- and ice-types are hit hard with Stealth Rock, making repeated switches painful for them and gives the sweepers a good head start on their prey.

iii. Counter
Counter is a great attack against the likes of Rhyperior and other physical attackers. IMO Stone Edge has limited uses and most fire-types are scared out by Regirock anyway. Regirock is not meant to be an attacker as such, just an annoying and pesky road block.

iv. Explosion
As above, I don't see much need in using an attacking move. Explosion lets me take something like Milotic out, or at least to the verge, and lets me get Exeggutor or Tangrowth in for free, with one less hurdle to tackle and hopefully maximum time in the sun.

c. Other considerations.
I am contemplating using Rest on Regirock to get some durability out of him should I need the sun again later on. Without an Aromatherapist/Heal Bell user though, it is risky and probably wouldn't turn out in the end. Sleep Talk is pretty much necessary, but that would probably mean losing Stealth Rock which I'm not sure I like the prospects of. I'll have to test this out; comments would be appreciated in the meantime.

UU Threat List

Detailed threat list


Using the Team

Team battle log


Closing notes​

Nothing much else to add, really. I would like to close by mentioning four other Pokemon who have potential on this team, or future teams. The first is Victreebel, who received Weather Ball in the HG/SS transition. This gives the poisonous trap a 100 base power fire attack, meaning that you no longer have to pick and choose between using HP Fire or Ice - having both is mighty handy IMO. Secondly, the poison typing is great for absorbing Toxic Spikes which can be a real pain. On that note, I will mention Vileplume, who can also suck up Toxic Spikes and play a more defensive role. A problem with this team is that none of the Sunny Day setters actually use it to their advantage offensively, meaning I have to make a switch before I can really get to work. Vileplume would be one of those Pokemon who I would trust to play a defensive yet offensively useful role at the same time (SubSeed comes to mind), sort of how Ludicolo works in Rain Dance teams. My third and final mention goes to Slowbro and Slowking. Both these guys can resist a lot of the attacks that threaten the team, or at least tank against neutral damage, whilst being two of the rare group of water-types who can learn Sunny Day. On top of that, they also learn Fire Blast and Flamethrower, whilst boasting 100 base special attack and Slack Off. I am seriously considering checking these guys out again for this or another team, since they could be the best check against Rain Dance teams I can think of thus far. Porygon2 could also be an almighty check against Rain Dance teams, with its ability to Trace Swift swim and use the pace to decimate teams with Thunderbolt or counter with Sunny Day. It also learns Recover making it a durable Sunny Day setter. Unfortunately right now I have no room for these guys in this team, but who know what the future holds.

Peace - End Fashion

 

[Wiilio]

Excellent, EXCELLENT post, End Fashion. This is what I want to see in a Rate My Team post.

Since it's getting kind of late, I'm not looking at this team very hard. I don't see any immediate problems, but Dugtrio could easily pick off about half of this team. I'd at least consider making Tangrowth Jolly so you could take care of it with a current team member. (If I recall correctly, Adamant Chlorophyll Tangrowth still can't outspeed Jolly Dugtrio. I could be wrong, though.)

Seriously, wonderful post, and wonderful team. Congratulations.

 

[End Fashion]

Thanks for the praise, Wiil. I am very proud of this team as it is definitely my best work to date, and I really want to put Sunny Day on the map.

Dugtrio really only gets a kill on Arcanine and Regirock, however at full health Regi may even survive and take it out with Counter. If he traps Arcanine, it takes 67-79% damage from ExtremeSpeed for its troubles anyway, meaning it won't last too long. Dugtrio's max speed is 372 with a Choice Band, which is the more threatening to the team. Adamant Tangrowth hits 398. With a Scarf he outpaces me, but severly lacks attacking power to take out Tangrowth in particular.

Scarfed Fire types are the biggest threat to this team right now, but I don't think there is much I can do about that. Moltress is about the only one who can deal with them really, but I have no room for her (especially without a spinner).

 

[Wiilio]

Well, it's like I've told many people before: You don't need ALL of your team members to benefit from the sun. Right now, five out of six members benefit from sunlight, but you'd be okay with less than that. Keep that in mind.

Something else you should consider: Can this team function without the weather condition? There are two situations in which this could apply. One would be if all of your weather inducers are KO'd. You have three, so this isn't very likely, but it can happen. The other more likely (and more important to take into account) is that you are in a situation where you either can't bring in your weather inducer or you can't use Sunny Day because doing so would A) End in the KO of an important team member or B) Benefit your opponent's team. In other words, can this team function in neutral weather as well as rain, hail, and sandstorm? Obviously they won't be at their fullest potential, but they still need to be able to do what they were trained to do. That's why I'm pretty shaky about using slow Chlorophyll sweepers. They're good in theory, but if you can't have the sun shining, what good will they do?

Claydol would be a fine replacement for Regirock if you wanted to add in Moltres. It has *the* best qualities a Spinner could possibly have; it is immune to both kinds of Spikes, and resists Stealth Rock. The question would just be what kind of Moltres you'd use. Then you would know what to replace. If you're going to go for a more sweeper-oriented set, you can get rid of Exeggutor. If you'd rather it be bulky, Arcanine could be replaced.

You should consider Scarfed Moltres as one of your leading threats. I don't think Jumpluff can do much to it.

 

[ShinyFlareon]

You should consider Scarfed Moltres as one of your leading threats. I don't think Jumpluff can do much to it.

Sleep Powder. I'm running a UU team on Shoddy now with a Jumpluff lead with Double Powder/Encore/U-turn. The thing is DAMN fast, even without a Scarf (which, given it's role, you wouldn't want to put on it anyway). I battled one of insomniac's OU teams, and it outsped a Gengar which I believe was Timid nature and Scarfed. Jumpluff doesn't need to do any sort of reputable damage to Moltres; just sleep it and U-turn out to Regirock.

Rushed post, I know, but the team looks great. I particularly like that you're using Arcanine and Exeggutor; they're two pokemon I find to be highly underrated.

 

[Our Wasted Years]

Sleep Powder. I'm running a UU team on Shoddy now with a Jumpluff lead with Double Powder/Encore/U-turn. The thing is DAMN fast, even without a Scarf (which, given it's role, you wouldn't want to put on it anyway). I battled one of insomniac's OU teams, and it outsped a Gengar which I believe was Timid nature and Scarfed. Jumpluff doesn't need to do any sort of reputable damage to Moltres; just sleep it and U-turn out to Regirock.

Rushed post, I know, but the team looks great. I particularly like that you're using Arcanine and Exeggutor; they're two pokemon I find to be highly underrated.

Doesn't matter, Scarf Molters' speed is 405, while his Jumpluffs speed is only 281. Wiil is right here, Scarf Moltres rapes Jumpluff. And even if he had 252 Speed EVs on Jolly, Fluffs speed would then only be 350...still not enough. But a Scarf Fluff WOULD out speed a Scarf Tres, although Fluff still can't do shit except U-Turn out, Status or use some not very effective move...or Hidden Power Rock or Water..which no Jumpfluff ever carries.


Also to End Fashion I have to say that is one of the best RTM team descriptions I've seen. Even compared to some Smogon RTM threads, this one is very well done. I haven't looked at your team really close but I will sure to do that later.

 

[End Fashion]

Scarf Moltres his handled by Regirock, which is actually the original reason for him being tested on the team. It didn't matter what lead I used, Moltres would likely take it out. Regirock switches in with near impunity, fearing only the unlikely Will-O-Wisp (since they are likely to want to use Fire Blast against Jumpluff and expecting Sunny Day would love to be Scarfed into that move with increased STAB).

As for the question of how the team funtions without the sun, well, it tends to fare reasonably well. It obviously can't handle anything really fast and carrying super effective moves, but that is the risk you take with any themed team really. Arcanine, Spiritomb and Jumpluff can all work without the sun, as can Tangrowth if handled properly.

Claydol was tested very early on in the team, but it adds another bug, dark, ghost and ice weakness. It also can't come in on Arcanine and Moltres like Regirock can, nor threaten it with presumed (although they are not really there) STAB rock moves.

Again, thank you for the nice comments. Next I venture into OU, where Sunny Day is most challenging. There I am facing steels and dragons, which the Chlorophyll Pokemon really can't handle.

 

[SharKing]

Now, this is a post. And a wonderful team, I must add.

 

[Blumey]

Good job. You should find a way to make jumpluff faster and make more use of Synthesis and SolarBeam like you did with Chlorophyll. Good job again'

 

[End Fashion]

Umm, how? And why? Jumpluff is as fast as it will go without a Choice Scarf, and putting one on would be completely worthless to it. As a sun setter I lose 3 turns in the sun, and as a supporter I lose access to my host of support options. Synthesis or leech seed is about the only other option that I would consider for Jumpluff. Her pithy 55 base attack and special attack stats are really not worth trying to use.

 

[Blumey]

I don't know how to speed it up either. I'm not talking about using solarbeam or Synthesis on it though- Use it on a new member or Tangrowth (ancientpower will have to take rockslides place if it switches to Special though.) Many grass types can get things out of the sun. Sounflora has Chlorophyll, Solarbeam and yeah... But what I meant to say most was good job. Jumpluff was just a suggestion.

 

[End Fashion]

Threat List​

Absol: Depends on when he switches in. If it comes in on Exeggutor, I risk being Pursuited or Sucker Punched. Substitute lets me win if they Sucker Punch. If they use Pursuit then the sub is broken and they will probably win. Arcanine can switch in and Intimidate.

Aggron: Tangrowth generally puts Aggron down with Earthquake.

Alakazam: Spiritomb can generally force it out/beat it with Pursuit. In the sun Tangrowth belts it. Exeggutor can probably take it out with SolarBeam too.

Altaria: Altaria is the reason I miss an ice attack on the team. HP Ice on Exeggutor would work, but not all the time.

Ambipom: Almost exclusively leads. Switch to Spiritomb and pester it with Pursuit. It will usually try to Taunt me when I come in, giving me a free attack. Ambipom also has nothing on Arcanine. Regirock fears only Low Kick, and can use Counter to deal with it.

Arcanine: Regirock comes in with ease, needing only be worried about Iron Head / Tail (which I never really see). This gives me a turn to set up Stealth Rock, taking that vital 25% of damage off per switch in that Exeggutor needs to OHKO with Psychic. Arcanine can also work as a secondary check. Tangrowth needs to be careful if Arcanine switched in, cutting his attack power for Earthquake.

Azumaril: Tangrowth need only fear Ice Punch, but generally comes in on a water move anyway. Exeggutor checks Azumaril too, especially in the sun. He can't switch into a grass-type, and switching into almost any of the others (Arcanine, Regirock and Spiritomb) is likely to provoke a water-type attack to get a grasser in safely. Will-O-Wisp from Spiritomb will shut it down also.

Blastoise: Tangrowth's Power Whip and Exeggutor's SolarBeam.

Blaziken: Under the sun Blaziken isn't really a threat. Psychic from Exeggutor takes him down, as does Earthquake from Tangrowth. Arcanine can Intimidate and Toxic stall. I just can't let it get an Agility boost. If it does, Arcanine and Spiritomb are my go-to guys.

Chansey: Chansey coming in on Exeggutor can be a real pain. Without Explosion, I am forced to switch. Switching means I risk taking status. Arcanine is probably the best suited to take it out with his STAB boosted attack. Or if I fear status, I could opt for Regirock and Explode.

Claydol: SolarBeam and Power Whip. Enough said. Spiritomb doesn't mind coming in and Pursuiting. Most Claydol lead though, and Jumpluff can handle them with Sleep Powder or Encore.

Clefable: Everyone knows how much of a pain this is. Without Hitmonlee on the team anymore, I have no surefire way of dealing with it. Arcanine and SD Tangrowth probably fare the best, or an Explosion from Regirock. Jumpluff may be able to sleep it or lock it into something useless like Protect.

Donphan: Tangrowth can take it on one-on-one. Regirock can beat it with Counter.

Drapion: Arcanine can Intimidate it, Regirock can Explode on it, Spiritomb can WoW it, and Tangrowth can Earthquake it. It is more worrying as a lead, where it can set up Toxic Spikes which my team is weak to without a spinner.

Dugtrio: Depends on what he comes in on. Without the sun he can be a bastard, outspeeding the entire team. If he comes in on Arcanine I am likely screwed and just ExtremeSpeed before I die. Regirock will Counter it. Other than that, Tangrowth can hold its own, and Exeggutor can in the sun, fearing only Sucker Punch.

Electrode: Faster weather setter with a nasty habit to Taunt me. Not much I can do except maybe U-Turn to Arcanine and weather the storm.

Espeon: Taken out by all my offensive Pokemon. Spiritomb can Pursuit too.

Feraligatr: Feraligatr is outclassed by Tangrowth, particularly the SD versions. DD types can be a bit more challenging if for some reason I allow them to get set up. Jumpluff loves to Encore Feraligatr, and Spiritomb can WoW. If the sun is up he loses.

Galladade: Tangrowth takes it on fairly easily in the sun. Arcanine can Intimidate it and take it out. Spiritomb will cripple with WoW.

Gardevoir: Trace makes this a dangerous switch-in to the entire team. Spiritomb is the best option to harass with Pursuit.

Hariyama: Exeggutor takes it down with Psychic. Tangrowth can beat it rather quickly, whereas Arcanine can hit with Toxic and whittle it down.

Hitmonlee: Spiritomb comes in on STAB Close Combat, and Arcanine can Intimidate. Hitmonlee threatens Exeggutor with Sucker Punch, so if it switches in use Substitute and enjoy the protection.

Hitmontop: Arcanine can come in and Intimidate. Again if Hitmontop comes in on Exeggutor, he is going to Fake Out and Sucker Punch most of the time. It may be better to go straight to Arcanine or Spiritomb to avoid the Fake Out.

Honchkrow: Big threat to Exegguotor, much like Absol. Arcanine Intimidates and Spiritomb WoWs. Tangrowth beats it with Rock Slide, and can take a Sucker Punch. Regirock can come in and take a Superpower from full health.

Houndoom: Thankfully Houndoom has seen a bit of a useage drop. That said, if he comes in on a fire attack he can cause some serious damage. He can be easily beaten by Tangrowth if the sun is up, and Regirock can Explode as a last resort.

Kabutops: With no weather in play Kabutops is handled by Tangrowth. With the sun, Exeggutor beats it too. In the rain, I could be in trouble. Tangrowth is the best defensive option, and Jumpluff may come in on a Swords Dance and use Sunny Day. Spiritomb goes for WoW.

Lanturn: Tangrowth or Spiritomb. In the sun it can be taken care of easily.

Ludicolo: I have no super effective moves against Ludicolo, and I really need the sun to be up. In the sun Arcanine can play around with it with Toxic and stall it out, or Spiritomb can WoW and allow me to whittle it out with physical attacks. A Swords Dance Rock Slide will leave it reeling.

Magneton: Arcanine and HP fire on Exeggutor send it to Hell. Tangrowth's Earthquake tops it too.

Mesprit: See Uxie.

Milotic: Switching in on Milotic can be troublesome, however if the sun is up Arcanine can take a Surf and ruin it with Toxic. Spiritomb can pester with WoW to negate Leftovers. Jumpluff can put it to sleep, and the sweepers can take care of it. It is just difficult to switch in to since I risk taking status or a predicted Ice beam to my grass sweepers.

Miltank: Spiritomb can WoW and pester it, taking status with Rest. Pressure runs down Heal Bell quickly. Miltank is 2HKOd by Exeggutor, but must watch out for status that will hinder the sweep.

Mismagius: Mismagius was a big threat when I didn't know how to deal with it properly. Now I know the best thing to do is say in and keep hitting it. Tangrowth and Arcanine do well through sheer pestering. Missy can't switch in on either sweeper while the sun is up, and fails to OHKO Tangrowth at full health, putting her in a bad position as Power Whip topples her. If she tries to substitute, she is whittled down. If she attacks, she dies.

Moltres: Moltress leads are the reason for Regirock being on the team. He can come in and begin to set up Stealth Rock and Sunny Day. Moltress leads generally travel with a spinner, who is blocked by Spiritomb and met with WoW.

Nidoking: WoW on Spiritomb or Counter on Regirock can deal with it outside of the sun. With the sun up, he falls to Exeggutor and Tangrowth, and to a lesser extent Arcanine.

Omastar: Omastar is just a fish (thing) out of water without the rain. As a lead I sleep it to prevent Spikes, and set up the sun.

Raikou: Raikou potentially destroys the team without the sun in play. When the sun is up he can be Encored, or dealt with by Tangrowth mainly. Behind a substitute he dominates. The key to beating him is to Encore him to ease prediction and stop him from becoming too powerful, and make an appropriate switch in. Late game that can be tough. Regirock can also be useful by setting up the sun and Exploding to take out a sub, allowing my sweeper a free shot.

Regirock: Both sweepers take him out, particularly Exeggutor. Tangrowth might OHKO even before a Swords Dance.

Registeel: Switching in to Registeel is the problem, as it loves to hit you with Thunder Wave. Spiritomb can come in thanks to Rest, and begin to whittle it down with WoW, or take the status and switch to Arcanine who can take whatever is dished out easily and force Registeel out. Regirock can also be used to Explode, not taking Registeel out, but getting a free switch in on a significantly weakend wall.

Rhyperior: Both sweepers lol, and Spiritomb WoWs (or can Toxic and whittle down prescious PP). I think Regirock can take an Earthquake and retaliate with Counter too, which is always funny.

Rotom: Handled by STAB moves across the board. Can be a pain to switch in to, with Trick being really annoying.

Spectile: If I don't have the sun up I can have a lot of trouble. He is so fast and can have such a varied movepool. The Leech Seeder can be pestered by Jumpluff. If the sun is out Exeggutor takes it down.

Scyther: Arcanine Intimidates, and under the sun Rock Slide or HP Fire takes care of it from the sweepers. Stealth Rock makes life hard for Scyther.

Slowbro: SolarBeam is a OHKO, and Power Whip without a boost may be too. Under the sun Arcanine can even Toxic stall with Morning Sun and weakened Surfs, while Spiritomb can WoW to negate Leftovers and Pressure Slack Offs while tanking.

Spritomb: Tough cookie. Arcanine comes in on WoW and hurts him big time with Flare Blitz.

Steelix: Steelix can be handled with STAB boosted FlareBlitz, HP Fire, or simply crippled with WoW.

Swellow: Regirock walls it, and makes life hell with Stealth Rock.

Tangrowth: Tangrowth walls my Tangrowth, and usually forces a switch in case it is mixed. Spiritomb is a safe switch or response if Tangrowth takes me out, threatening with WoW. Arcanine Intimidates when coming in also.

Torterra: Arcanine can come in on a setup move, or Jumpluff can lock it in to something and make bringing in the appropriate swich easier. Exeggutor and Arcanine are the only ones who can take it out really. Spiritomb wrecks it with WoW.

Toxicroak: Sucker Punch threatens Exeggutor so I gotta Substitute against them. If it has Dry Skin it is taking damage per turn anyway, and is weak to Flare Blitz, and coupled with Arcanine's Intimidate, the fire hound is the best switch-in. Spiritomb could WoW it also.

Typhlosion: Scarfers are a real problem since my sweepers don't outspeed it even with the sun up. He forces a switch, so hopefully I have Regirock still there to absorb the predicted Flamethrower. If they have seen Regirock and predict with Focus Blast, I can lock him in and switch to Spiritomb. Stealth Rock needs to be up to weaken it with repeated switch-ins.

Umbreon: WoW hurts the Curser, as does Encore.

Uxie: Uxie annoys me since I can't OHKO it. I want to put it to sleep so it can't ruin me with Thunder Waves. Otherwise I want to use status and preferably Spiritomb to wear it down so my sweepers can handle it in one hit later.

Venusaur: Sleep Powder is a nuicence, so I usually sacrifice Spiritomb or Regirock if it has managed to use Stealth Rock. From there I can switch in Arcanine the safest. If Exeggutor is out there already, Psychic takes it down with SR damage factored in.

Weezing: Exeggutor's Psychic nails it. Arcanine switches in fairly easily and hurts it with FlareBlitz, but not conclusively.

 

[End Fashion]

Here is the log of a short match to show you how I handle the team. It shows off the effectiveness of Jumpluff in checking fast threats such as Raikou. This team plays more intricately than, say, Rain Dance teams, which tend to rely on setting up the rain and crashing through. In contrast, I tend to keep my sweepers at bay until I am happy that it is safe to bring them out. Admittedly I did get lucky with two criticals on Sceptile

End Fashion vs DA_Awesome (Conservative rating 1354)

DA_Awesome sent out Spiritomb (lvl 100 Spiritomb ♂).
End Fashion Test sent out Jumpluff (lvl 100 Jumpluff ♂).
Spiritomb is exerting its pressure!
Spiritomb used Shadow Sneak.
Jumpluff lost 34% of its health.
Jumpluff used Sleep Powder. <- Slower leads that usually don't carry Lum Berry get put to sleep
Spiritomb fell asleep!

DA_Awesome switched in Sceptile (lvl 100 Sceptile ♂).
Jumpluff used Sunny Day. <- Sunny Day on the free turn
The sun began to shine!
The sun continues to shine.

Jumpluff used U-turn. <- U-Turn to a safe switch in
It's super effective!
A critical hit!
Sceptile lost 67% of its health.
End Fashion Test switched in Arcanine (lvl 100 Arcanine ♂).
Arcanine's intimidate cut Sceptile's attack!
Sceptile used Hidden Power.
It's not very effective...
Arcanine lost 18% of its health.
The sun continues to shine.
Arcanine's leftovers restored its health a little!
Arcanine restored 6% of its health.

DA_Awesome switched in Spiritomb (lvl 100 Spiritomb ♂).
Spiritomb is exerting its pressure!
Arcanine used Extremespeed. <- Sceptile was on the ropes, so this could pick him off, but...
It doesn't affect Spiritomb...
The sun continues to shine.
Arcanine's leftovers restored its health a little!
Arcanine restored 6% of its health.

Arcanine used Flare Blitz.
Spiritomb lost 98% of its health. <- See the power of Flare Blitz in the sun?
Arcanine was hit by recoil!
Arcanine lost 25% of its health.
Spiritomb is fast asleep!
The sun continues to shine.
Arcanine's leftovers restored its health a little!
Arcanine restored 6% of its health.

Arcanine used Flare Blitz.
Spiritomb lost 2% of its health.
DA_Awesome's Spiritomb fainted.
Arcanine was hit by recoil!
Arcanine lost 0% of its health.
The sun continues to shine.
Arcanine's leftovers restored its health a little!
Arcanine restored 6% of its health.

DA_Awesome switched in Dugtrio (lvl 100 Dugtrio ♂). <- Dugtrio!
Arcanine used Extremespeed.
Dugtrio lost 73% of its health. <- It's not a clean kill for Dugtrio
Dugtrio used Earthquake.
It's super effective!
Arcanine lost 82% of its health.
End Fashion Test's Arcanine fainted.
The sun continues to shine.

End Fashion Test switched in Exeggutor (lvl 100 Exeggutor ♂).
DA_Awesome switched in Blaziken (lvl 100 Blaziken ♂).
Exeggutor used Solarbeam.
It's not very effective...
Blaziken lost 53% of its health.
Exeggutor lost 10% of its health.
The sun continues to shine.

Exeggutor used Psychic.
It's super effective!
Blaziken lost 47% of its health.
DA_Awesome's Blaziken fainted.
Exeggutor lost 10% of its health.
The sun faded.

DA_Awesome switched in Raikou (lvl 100 Raikou).
Raikou is exerting its pressure!
End Fashion Test switched in Jumpluff (lvl 100 Jumpluff ♂).
Raikou used Calm Mind.
Raikou's special attack was raised.
Raikou's special defence was raised.

Jumpluff used Encore. <- Prediction. Raikou loves to Calm Mind, which buys me free turns
Raikou got an encore!
Raikou used Calm Mind.
Raikou's special attack was raised.
Raikou's special defence was raised.

DA_Awesome switched in Sceptile (lvl 100 Sceptile ♂).
Jumpluff used Sunny Day.
The sun began to shine!
The sun continues to shine.

Jumpluff used U-turn.
It's super effective!
A critical hit!
Sceptile lost 33% of its health.
DA_Awesome's Sceptile fainted.
End Fashion Test switched in Tangrowth (lvl 100 Tangrowth ♂).
The sun continues to shine.

DA_Awesome switched in Raikou (lvl 100 Raikou).
Raikou is exerting its pressure!
Tangrowth used Earthquake.
It's super effective!
Raikou lost 100% of its health.
DA_Awesome's Raikou fainted.
The sun continues to shine.

DA_Awesome has left the room.
End Fashion Test wins!

I wish I had saved the game I'd played a bit before that, which showed off Arcanine's ability to wear down Slowbro and the synergy and effeciveness of Regirock.

 

[Our Wasted Years]

@_@ holy hell dude you are a really good player. I tried to make Sunny Day teams and I failed miserably. It's nice to see someone succeed with a SD team and not the typical Sandstorm, Hail Storm or Rain Dance.

 

[End Fashion]

Heh, I put it down to the effectiveness of the team mostly. It just functions so well together. I'm trying to make an OU team (well, improve an old one) but it is nowhere near as successful due to the nature and types present in OU. Chlorophyll sweepers in UU can actually sweep, as opposed to being bullied out every second turn haha.

I don't know how to speed it up either. I'm not talking about using solarbeam or Synthesis on it though- Use it on a new member or Tangrowth (ancientpower will have to take rockslides place if it switches to Special though.) Many grass types can get things out of the sun. Sounflora has Chlorophyll, Solarbeam and yeah... But what I meant to say most was good job. Jumpluff was just a suggestion.

Ah, sorry for the mixup. The problem with running a special set on Tangrowth is that... I already have Exeggutor for a special attacker, and he is far more powerful in this regard. Tangrowth checks the specially defensive walls that Exeggutor can't. Synthesis looks good to take care of Life Orb damage, but with this pace and offensive slant I'd rather not waste turns in the sun healing myself as opposed to getting on with the job.