A guide to RBY UU
Nov 5, 2014 10:45:24 GMT -8
Post by Isa on Nov 5, 2014 10:45:24 GMT -8
So you're diving head first into the deep water, travelling into uncharted territories: The non-OU metagames of RBY. Going upwards from OU is not uncommon, but RBY Ubers is notoriously poor as it only adds Mewtwo and Mew, where Mewtwo is absurdly powerful. Going downwards there's actually RBY BL, but that metagame is almost unknown - BL is traditionally not the name of a tier, so the starting point we get is RBY UU. And that's fine! RBY UU is a metagame that's certainly different from RBY OU. With a complete lack of Psychic typed Pokémon in the tier outside of the never-seen Abra and Drowsee, and only Porygon with Recover, you'd be led to believe that the metagame is more offensively directed than OU, and indeed it is most of the time.
Without further ado, let's dive into the tier.
Banned Pokémon:
Mew
Mewtwo
Alakazam
Articuno
Chansey
Exeggutor
Gengar
Golem
Jolteon
Jynx
Lapras
Persian
Rhydon
Slowbro
Snorlax
Starmie
Tauros
Zapdos
Clefable
Cloyster
Dodrio
Dragonite
Dugtrio
Gyarados
Haunter
Hypno
Kadabra
Kangaskhan
Moltres
Mr. Mime
Nidoking
Nidoqueen
Raichu
Tentacruel
Venusaur
Victreebel
Pokémon residing in the UU tier and commonly see play:
Charizard
Electabuzz
Golduck
Graveler
Kabutops
Kingler
Poliwrath
Porygon
Raticate
Sandslash
Tangela
Vaporeon
Venomoth
Pokémon residing in the UU tier but are rarely used:
Arcanine
Blastoise
Dewgong
Ninetales
Pinsir
Poliwhirl
Pokémon residing in NU that make appearances from time to time in UU:
Electrode
Fearow
Magneton
Looking through the list of Pokémon frequently used, you'll note that there's two Amnesia users in there, in the shape of Golduck and Poliwrath. These two form the potentially biggest sweeping threats, or at least, the most common. The biggest physical threat is another stat booster in the shape of Kingler, using Swords Dance. The common thing uniting these three Pokémon are their shared Water type. Due to the lack of powerful Grass moves (bar Solarbeam) in the tier, the only type likely to hit these Pokémon for significant damage is Electric. Electabuzz is by far the most common Electric in the tier as it has excellent speed and a nice Psychic to get around Ground-type Pokémon. This makes for a nice segment into Electabuzz checks - Electrics only have one weakness, which is Ground types. The Ground types being used are Sandslash and Graveler. Sandslash has slightly better stats but Graveler gets a (sometimes) convenient Rock typing as well as Explosion. Most of RBY UU revolves around this rock-paper-scissors circle - Waters lose to Electrics who lose to Grounds who lose to Waters. If you can break one part of this cycle, you're usually advantaged.
Outside of the Water/Electric/Ground Pokémon roaming UU, no RBY metagame would be complete without their Sleepers. In UU, you get the speedy but frail Venomoth, and the slow, tanky Tangela. The disadvantage of both of these Pokémon is that they lack strong moves and have generally poor typing (Tangela serves a healthy niche of walling the Grounds, however), so dual status is their main draw. They're frequently used as leads - especially Venomoth. This allows us to take a look at the anti-leads - they're the Alakazams to Venomoth's Gengar. The premier anti-lead is Charizard, roasting both Venomoth and Tangela with STAB Fire Blast. It also has the opportunity to set up Swords Dance in the late game and sweep if it sticks around. Electabuzz seems some use in the lead role as well, but I don't recommend that unless you carry multiple Electrics. Finally, Fearow is also a fine counter-lead, and can tear apart teams without Graveler or another Rock type.
This leaves us with a few Pokémon remaining in the tier that see usage. Vaporeon is an all around counter to stat-uppers, resisting the STAB attacks from the Amnesia users and threatens Charizards trying to sweep. Kabutops is an option to Kingler, albeit not as powerful and the addition of the Rock typing is not helpful offensively and a wash defensively. Raticate is the premier Normal type of the tier - blazing speed, decent attack, STAB Body Slam and Hyper Beam are all good but the real reason to use Raticate over something like Fearow is Super Fang. Bringing in Raticate on a correctly predicted Rest will be enough to kill the Amnesia users before they get to attack, and if you switch out to anything, you're in for a lot of guaranteed pain. Porygon seems strong on paper with its access to BoltBeam, Thunder Wave and Recover, but its typing isn't too helpful and it doesn't have the stats to make itself a top threat. With some luck you can catch your opponent off guard with a Sharpen set though. Electrode and Magneton are NU Pokémon, but are used on teams that like to have additional Electrics for the Water threats.
A very curious case is that of Dewgong. Its main draw is STAB Blizzard, but with plenty of waters running around, it's not too threatening and mostly means a setup opportunity. However, when playing on NBS, Dewgong becomes a top tier Pokémon. This is due to a glitch in how the move Mimic works on NBS - when using Mimic on NBS, you cannot copy moves you already know. This allows you to take heavy advantage of opposing Golduck. Golduck is 99% of the time running a set of Surf/Ice Beam/Amnesia/Rest. By giving Dewgong the moveset of Surf/Ice Beam/Mimic/Rest, you can get a 100% guaranteed (unless the opponent switches, of course) copy of Amnesia. The advantage that Dewgong has over Golduck in this case is its Ice typing, guaranteeing that Dewgong will never be frozen, and therefore automatically winning all freeze wars. On Pokémon Online, this glitch is no longer present, and Dewgong falls into the shadows.
Some Pokémon might be leaving you puzzled - with all the Psychic types gone, why isn't Machamp heavily featured in the tier? The reason is that Machamp has underlying problems that a lack of Psychic types doesn't patch entirely - bad Special bulk and lack of a reliable STAB is highlighted here. Moreover, unlike in OU where there's plenty of Normals and Ice types running around, there's very few Pokémon taking super effective damage from his STAB. Therefore the mighty attack stat that Machamp has is sadly wasted, and the potential scariness drops.
Another Pokémon that might look appealing is Omastar - given its wonderful defensive stats and the strongest unboosted Water type attacks in the tier, why isn't Omastar more common? The answer is that while Omastar has strong attacks, it also has very limited coverage and poor support moves. The Rock typing also ensures that it takes plenty of damage from mostly any special attacker - Water moves are commonly boosted in the tier, and Tangela's Mega Drain becomes a huge issue. The positives of its Rock typing are mostly limited to walling Fearow and Raticate, but because of its poor coverage, you're likely to become a sitting duck.
If I were to rank these POkémon based on their UU performance, it'd look something like this:
1. Electabuzz
2. Golduck
3. Kingler
4. Poliwrath
5. Sandslash
6. Graveler
7. Tangela
8. Venomoth
9. Raticate
10. Vaporeon
11. Charizard
12. Fearow
13. Porygon
14. Kabutops
15. Magneton
16. Electrode
17. Pinsir
Do note that this is my personal view on these Pokémon and that I am not necessarily correct!
So how does a typical RBY UU team look?
The outlines are drawn up above. However, a safe bet is that every team will carry an Electabuzz. Almost all teams carry an Amnesia sweeper and most of the time that sweeper is Golduck. The traditional Ground type of choice is Graveler, but Sandslash is an option. In the lead slot, Venomoth is most commonly seen. Kingler makes his way into the lineup on the basis of powerful physical/mixed offense, and the last slot is a wild card (and almost the only real slot where you can truly get creative), where I personally prefer to have Raticate. It should be noted though that this given team is far from perfect and can be "countered" by heavy usage of Electrics, trying to overload the sole Ground type and punishes the Water types for their shared weakness.
What follows is the preferred set of the Pokémon I ranked in the list above. Again, these are not set in stone and you can change the movesets where you feel like, but most of the time I will list a set that's established as a staple.
Electabuzz
-Thunderbolt
-Thunder Wave
-Psychic
-Seismic Toss/Reflect/Mimic/Rest/Body Slam...
Electabuzz is the most common Pokémon in the tier due to its ability to threaten Water types, its great speed and decent power, and unlike the other Electrics it has a movepool that's not too shabby. Thunderbolt is the STAB move of choice, Thunder Wave is for paralyzing. Psychic is the best move to hit Graveler, Sandslash and Venomoth with, and gives you the option to go for special drops in various lengthier matchups. Seismic Toss is the most stable fourth move as it deals solid 25%+ damage to everything in the tier outside of Vaporeon (who can't take Thunderbolt well), giving Electabuzz the edge in dittos and reliable damage versus a fully set up Golduck. Reflect gives you physical bulk which is useful versus Raticate, Charizard and others. Mimic can give you a helpful move on the switch such as Recover from Porygon or Sleep Powder from Tangela but is unreliable in its nature. Rest allows Electabuzz to live longer, but finding the time to wake up can be difficult as the sleep time will likely be abused by opposing Amnesia users. Body Slam can paralyze Sandslash and Graveler in a pinch while dealing damage physically, although it's coming from a very weak attack stat.
Golduck
-Amnesia
-Rest
-Surf
-Ice Beam
Golduck has never seen much variation in its moveset. Amnesia is great on everything with Special attacks to abuse, and partners well with Rest as the newly added bulk really helps. A bonus is that Golduck only has special side weaknesses and passable physical bulk, so after one Amnesia usage, you effectively carry zero weaknesses. Surf and Ice Beam are preferred over their more powerful counterparts Blizzard and Hydro Pump, not necessarily for the increased accuracy but rather due to the increased PP. With only 8 PP per attack, it's frequently not enough to sweep if the opponent sets up his own Golduck as a countermeasure. Ice Beam has the additional perk of having higher chances to freeze than Blizzard, both per turn (due to accuracy) and in the long run due to the extra PP. Other moves are difficult to recommend on Golduck than the mentioned ones as its movepool is somewhat barren outside of Amnesia, but they wouldn't necessarily be needed either as Golduck has the tools it needs to become a top tier threat.
Kingler
-Body Slam
-Hyper Beam
-Crabhammer
-Swords Dance
With its terrific 358 attack and access to Swords Dance, Kingler can easily demolish a team once the opposing Electabuzz has been paralyzed, slept or killed. The lack of physical STAB isn't an issue due to the naturally high attack stat and access to Swords Dance, and to top it off, Crabhammer is a ridiculously strong move with 90 base power that's guaranteed to get a critical hit every time it's used, similar to Persian's Slash and Venusaur's Razor Leaf. Crabhammer is only balanced because it only appears on Krabby and Kingler, and Kingler sadly peaks at a very disappointing 198 special, meaning that special attacks that aren't Crabhammer will be very weak in comparison, and allows Kingler to get OHKOd by STAB Thunderbolt. At least Kingler has great physical bulk, allowing him to get in frequently on Earthquakes and Rock Slides (and Body Slams if you dodge paralysis). Similar to Golduck, the crab doesn't have a lot of movepool options, but it doesn't need more either.
Poliwrath
-Amnesia/Hypnosis
-Surf/Hydro Pump
-Ice Beam/Blizzard/Hypnosis/Psychic/Counter
-Rest/Submission/Earthquake/Psychic/Counter
Poliwrath is the most unpredictable Pokémon in RBY UU. With the best move pool in the tier, access to potent physical and special moves, Hypnosis and Amnesia, it's not as important that his stats aren't that great. The most common role of Poliwrath is that as an Amnesia+Rest sweeper, but he can also be used without either. Hypnosis is great together with an antilead like Charizard and can nail something like Electabuzz who would otherwise hate to get slept. If Amnesia+Rest is being ran, Poliwrath should use Surf over Hydro Pump as its STAB move of choice, but if Rest is not in the moveset Hydro Pump is very viable as you're unlikely to get more than eight attacks in. Psychic doesn't hit many things for SE damage, but is unresisted. Counter is possible to slap on to any moveset, but it gains an extra niche with Hypnosis as you can come in on a Normal move from something like Kingler, use Hypnosis and then Counter on the switch. This strategy is best used with a non-sleeping lead.
Sandslash
-Earthquake
-Swords Dance
-Rock Slide
-Hyper Beam
Sandslash is one out of two Ground types in the tier, the other being Graveler. While Graveler has a Rock type (which can be both good and bad) and Explosion, Sandslash has superior stats everywhere and Swords Dance. Earthquake is the obvious STAB choice. Rock Slide is the coverage move for Charizard, Fearow and Pinsir, and Hyper Beam is the finisher you'll use versus Tangela. Swords Dance is what gives you the ability to clean up weakened teams come late game. It's not a very good idea to use Swords Dance too early since Water types can come in, outspeed Sandslash and KO Sandslash before being killed themselves. Sandslash has decent special bulk and very good physical bulk, so you can enter on non-STAB, non-super effective special attacks fairly conveniently (this translates to Electabuzz Psychic in practice), whereas you can enter on mostly any physical attack at all points due to Sandslash's lack of physical weaknesses and great physical bulk.
Graveler
-Earthquake
-Rock Slide
-Body Slam
-Explosion
Seemingly inferior to Sandslash when looking strictly at stats, Graveler has the distinction of being one of very few Explosion users in the tier. The Rock typing is a double-edged sword - having STAB Rock Slide is always a plus, but the additional weakness to Water moves means that Graveler dies in one shot to any Surf. Other than that, Graveler is very simple to play. Come in on Electabuzz (most common scenario) or Fearow for maximum safety. You can also come in on Charizard but beware of Earthquake and Fire Blast burns. Raticates using Hyper Beams can also be punished with a Graveler switch. However, you'll mostly want to use Graveler to keep Electabuzz at bay. Once Graveler is worn down to the point where it cannot take a Psychic, try to get an Explosion going. If you explode too early, Electabuzz can become a big issue for your team.
Tangela
-Sleep Powder
-Stun Spore
-Mega Drain/Swords Dance
-Body Slam/Hyper Beam/Growth/Rest
Tangela is one of the bulkiest things in UU. Having great Defense as well as Special, it's slightly low HP isn't too bothersome. It's the most reliable sleeper in the tier with Sleep Powder and its high bulk, but its speed means that you'll suffer versus Venomoth leads. Therefore it's the best option for a backup sleeper (or at least a non-lead sleeper), as it doesn't match up well vs. the premier antilead either, Charizard. Stun Spore allows it to cripple a switch in after sleep is thrown, and nothing in the UU tier likes taking paralysis. The other moves are a bit filler, but Mega Drain is recommended as it at least hits the Water types that could otherwise appear. The final moveslot is a tough call between several more or less mediocre options. Body Slam gives it minor damage versus Venomoth, Charizard, Fearow and Pinsir, Hyper Beam moreso. Growth gives it increased special bulk and a stronger (but still weak) Mega Drain. Rest gives it an increased chance at annoying the opponent to death. Anything goes.
Venomoth
-Sleep Powder
-Stun Spore
-Psychic
-Mega Drain/Mimic
Venomoth is really only good at one thing, and that's having a fast sleeping/stunning move. However, since competition for that slot is very limited (Tangela), Venomoth can still find a spot on many teams. It has decent speed, outspeeding all the Waters in the tier, allowing it to threaten paralysis or sleep depending on the situation. The increase in speed means that it's the better lead when compared to Tangela. The attacks aren't very threatening though - Venomoth gains no STAB moves and has subpar offensive stats on both sides of the spectrum. Psychic is the strongest attack Venomoth gets and is at least unresisted, but Mega Drain is realistically only gonna be useful versus Graveler. Mimic has been tried, but the question is what move you could get that would make Venomoth better - Amnesia? Recover from Porygon? Venomoth just hasn't got the typing nor stats to do anything beyond sleepstunning, unfortunately.
Raticate
-Body Slam
-Hyper Beam
-Super Fang
-Blizzard/BubbleBeam
Raticate is surprisingly viable in RBY UU. With a decent attack stat and a high speed, Raticate also has the great mono-Normal typing that gives him STAB Body Slam and Hyper Beam. The main claim to fame is however Super Fang. If Raticate comes in on a sleeping opponent, something is taking an absolutely massive hit and is 1/2HKOd afterwards - this can easily save you versus a Resting +6 Golduck for example. Blizzard and Bubblebeam allows for coverage - both deal the same damage versus Graveler, but Blizzard deals more damage to Sandslash and Tangela. The difference in accuracy can scare the paranoid ones though into using BubbleBeam. The main issue that Raticate has is its astonishingly bad bulk. Despite being neutral to Electabuzz's Thunderbolt, it's frequently 2HKOd by it. Paralysis is also a crippling status effect for Raticate who relies heavily on its speed to succeed. The poor bulk alone makes Raticate a much rarer sight than it could have been if it only had a slightly higher HP stat.
Vaporeon
-Surf/Hydro Pump
-Haze/Body Slam
-Ice Beam/Blizzard
-Rest/Body Slam
Vaporeon is bulk in a package. While the defense stat is fairly mediocre, it has a gargantuan HP stat and a very high special stat (for the tier), giving it amazing bulk on both sides of the spectrum. However, because it has limited coverage, no access to Amnesia and the tier is already flooded with Water types, Vaporeon has a hard time finding a place on teams that aren't willing to overload on Waters. Surf is the main STAB attack, but Hydro Pump can be used for the extra power, though the lower PP can be a bigger issue than the accuracy. Haze is the reason that you can use Vaporeon defensively - it works great versus the Amnesia users. Be very cautious with using it though, as it resets the status condition of your opponent, meaning you could wake up a sleeping Pokémon or even thaw a frozen one. Ice Beam or Blizzard is the coverage move you get, and Rest allows you to heal up and continue doing your defensive work. Body Slam can be used over either Haze or Rest for a more offensive approach, and the main idea is to provide paralysis support rather than doing damage. Mimic can be used to gain some decent moves like Amnesia, and it has a decent shot of working since Vaporeon can come in on both Golduck and Poliwrath without taking too much damage, but isn't necessarily forcing them out.
Charizard
-Fire Blast
-Earthquake
-Body Slam/Slash/Hyper Beam
-Swords Dance/Slash
Fire has never been a particularly great typing in RBY, but in UU, it means that you get to toast the leads in the metagame. Fire Blast is the obvious STAB, compensating the so-so Special stat of Charizard with high base power and has a nifty 30% burn rate, making Rock types scared of switching in. Earthquake is reliable damage versus said Rock types and hits Electabuzz hard. The Normal moves are the final additions - Body Slam is for paralysis support, Slash is for high damage, Hyper Beam is for even higher damage. Swords Dance boosts Body Slam and Hyper Beam to even higher levels (as well as Earthquake) but isn't doing anything for Slash, so don't use those two together, and generally only use Hyper Beam with Swords Dance as the power difference compared to Slash is minimal. Usage tips: Put it in the lead spot and never let it leave for another slot. It is made to give the opposing sleepers a hard time, so make use of that. Stay clear of Water types until you can OHKO them with a +2 attack, be it Earthquake or Hyper Beam.
Fearow
-Drill Peck
-Double Edge
-Hyper Beam
-Substitute/Reflect/Rest/Mirror Move
Fearow is the first Pokémon listed that resides in NU. However, it's still fairly useful in UU, as it can be a more than decent anti-lead. Drill Peck is super effective versus both Tangela and Venomoth and 2HKOs them, while Double Edge and Hyper Beam are the normal STAB moves you'll be using (the lack of Body Slam is a bit annoying). The last move is more or less entirely filler and you'll rarely use it - Mirror Move is not very good but maybe you'll gain Sleep Powder or Stun Spore.
The niche over Charizard is that Fearow has a much more potent instant physical STAB and can punish teams using Sandslash over Graveler that also lack Kabutops. Sandslash can admittedly tank Double-Edge very well, so you're not entirely safe, but if you get a critical hit Double-Edge on the switch you're gonna have a good time. As hinted earlier though, Graveler (and Kabutops) act as complete full stops to Fearow and Fearow doesn't do any relevant damage to them. The lack of bulk and BoltBeam weakness doesn't help either.
Kabutops
-Surf/Hydro Pump
-Swords Dance
-Body Slam
-Hyper Beam
Mostly inferior to Kingler but has a niche in its Rock typing, Kabutops is a rarely seen UU Pokémon with some kind of potential at least. It's a bit weird when put in comparison to Kingler, as it is a more defensive Swords Dance user, despite not being reflected as a defensive Pokémon when looking at the moveset. The defensiveness comes from being Rock type - Kabutops is the best answer to Raticate in the tier and is also great versus Fearow. However, that's about it - versus most other Pokémon you'd rather have Kingler, as when you look at the lower damage output on both the special and physical side and the extra weaknesses to Grass, Ground and Fighting type moves, you'll be wishing for Kingler on your side. The extra special bulk is most commonly not relevant enough to matter either (although with one important distinction - Kabutops is never OHKOd by any Thunderbolt, but Kabutops is most likely seeing Tangela whereas Kingler is more likely to see Electabuzz). You're most likely using Kabutops because you have a Sandslash on the team but feel like you need a better answer for Raticate, or can guarantee a Tangela-free environment.
Porygon
-Recover
-Thunder Wave
-Ice Beam/Sharpen
-Thunderbolt/Double-Edge
Porygon is like Chansey in OU, but worse due to his lack of power and bulk. Recover is incredible, but Porygon isn't bulky enough to reliably stall with it, as Porygon is a paralysis magnet and is 3HKOd by mostly anything. The movesets are not too different but play out very differently from one another. The set with Ice Beam and Thunderbolt is used earlier on to soak hits that nothing else wants to soak, and spreads paralysis fairly efficiently. The Sharpen set instead tries to set up late game and sweep, but is mostly a gimmick since the bulk and paralysis chance is gonna bite you at the end (and you WILL be paralyzed, or killed by an Amnesia user).
Magneton
-Thunderbolt
-Thunder Wave/Toxic
-Reflect/Thunder/Hyper Beam
-Rest/Thunder/Hyper Beam
This set is a personal favorite. Magneton with a Reflect up is incredibly bulky and the set with Reflect/Rest can live disgustingly long amounts of time. Ground types are an obvious problem, which you can try to rectify with the gimmicky Toxic. Rest Electabuzz (should you ever encounter it) also stops you with inevitable Special drops from Psychic. With the counters out of the way, let's skip to the set. Thunderbolt is the obvious STAB. Thunder Wave is for team support, Toxic is for messing with the Ground types you're bound to see (they are fairly unlikely to take any other status either way, might as well add chip damage to make the Electabuzz 3HKO with Psychic guaranteed). Reflect lets you tank non-STAB Earthquakes and sponges Normal STAB as well during your sleep turns. Rest is for healing up and enjoying a life of not dying. The more standard (and in my opinion, much worse) set runs Thunder and Hyper Beam strictly because there's no better options for someone thinking in straight lines. I really disapprove of the set - if you want to use Magneton, abuse your bulk. Also, never exchange Electabuzz for Magneton - Magneton is a partner to Electabuzz, not a rival. Having more than one of the same type isn't inherently bad.
Electrode
-Thunderbolt
-Explosion
-Thunder Wave
-Thunder/Toxic
Electrode is a more instant offense Pokémon compared to Magneton and finds a way to hurt at least Sandslash, though it comes at the cost of using Explosion. Other than that it has the same issue as Magneton getting past Ground types - an even lower attack stat and nothing noteworthy in terms of a movepool except Explosion means that you're really stuck with what you got. What you do have is the highest speed in the game and following that, a ridiculous critical hit rate of over 26%. This gives Electrode a slight niche of being able to take down Amnesia users somewhat reliably - if you switch in on a predicted Rest, you get three chances at getting a Critical Hit Thunderbolt - just above 60% chance of getting at least one, and roughly 45% if you get two attacks (switching after Rest has been used). A low base attack can also be compensated for by getting a Critical Hit Explosion, but this is obviously a gamble.
Pinsir
-Swords Dance
-Body Slam
-Hyper Beam
-Submission/Seismic Toss
If Pinsir had a decent typing to speak of, or a STAB move, he might have ranked higher. However, as it stands Pinsir is just another Swords Dance user that unlike Kingler and Kabutops doesn't bring anything to the table defensively. Resisting Fighting is pretty much nothing, all Pokémon using Ground moves have other moves that hit for super effective damage, and Grass moves are low power either way - and status cripples you, so you're not switching in on Tangela if given the choice either way. Pitiful Special side bulk and a weakness to Rock, Flying and Fighting and somewhat low instant offense means that you'd likely be having more success using Kingler than Pinsir. The best thing Pinsir brings to the table is that if the opponent doesn't have Charizard or Fearow, it's actually somewhat difficult to switch out on, since +2 Hyper Beam can KO a lot in the tier. The issue is getting Pinsir to come in without taking too heavy damage in the first place, and an over-reliance on Hyper Beam means you can get punished by a timely Graveler switch. Pinsir isn't necessarily bad - it just faces very stiff competition for its role, meaning that it comes with a high opportunity cost, and has minimal defensive value.
And there you are!
Note that in this guide, I have not mentioned Wrap or any variations. This is in part because the move isn't commonly seen on most of these Pokémon, but the primary reason is that the metagame was developed on RBY2K10 which has banned Wrap moves during the creation of their tiers. As such, the tier has historically been played without Wrap moves. If they're legal, expect to see Bind on Tangela and Fire Spin on Charizard, and potentially Weepinbell or Dragonair. The NFEs from NU are very much untested in a UU metagame, but might be able to put in work. However, the real threat is Fire Spin Charizard. Being one of the fastest Pokémon in the tier and good in the lead spot, you can get a lot of free switches from Fire Spin abuse, as well as chip damage.
Without further ado, let's dive into the tier.
Banned Pokémon:
Mew
Mewtwo
Alakazam
Articuno
Chansey
Exeggutor
Gengar
Golem
Jolteon
Jynx
Lapras
Persian
Rhydon
Slowbro
Snorlax
Starmie
Tauros
Zapdos
Clefable
Cloyster
Dodrio
Dragonite
Dugtrio
Gyarados
Haunter
Hypno
Kadabra
Kangaskhan
Moltres
Mr. Mime
Nidoking
Nidoqueen
Raichu
Tentacruel
Venusaur
Victreebel
Pokémon residing in the UU tier and commonly see play:
Charizard
Electabuzz
Golduck
Graveler
Kabutops
Kingler
Poliwrath
Porygon
Raticate
Sandslash
Tangela
Vaporeon
Venomoth
Pokémon residing in the UU tier but are rarely used:
Arcanine
Blastoise
Dewgong
Ninetales
Pinsir
Poliwhirl
Pokémon residing in NU that make appearances from time to time in UU:
Electrode
Fearow
Magneton
Looking through the list of Pokémon frequently used, you'll note that there's two Amnesia users in there, in the shape of Golduck and Poliwrath. These two form the potentially biggest sweeping threats, or at least, the most common. The biggest physical threat is another stat booster in the shape of Kingler, using Swords Dance. The common thing uniting these three Pokémon are their shared Water type. Due to the lack of powerful Grass moves (bar Solarbeam) in the tier, the only type likely to hit these Pokémon for significant damage is Electric. Electabuzz is by far the most common Electric in the tier as it has excellent speed and a nice Psychic to get around Ground-type Pokémon. This makes for a nice segment into Electabuzz checks - Electrics only have one weakness, which is Ground types. The Ground types being used are Sandslash and Graveler. Sandslash has slightly better stats but Graveler gets a (sometimes) convenient Rock typing as well as Explosion. Most of RBY UU revolves around this rock-paper-scissors circle - Waters lose to Electrics who lose to Grounds who lose to Waters. If you can break one part of this cycle, you're usually advantaged.
Outside of the Water/Electric/Ground Pokémon roaming UU, no RBY metagame would be complete without their Sleepers. In UU, you get the speedy but frail Venomoth, and the slow, tanky Tangela. The disadvantage of both of these Pokémon is that they lack strong moves and have generally poor typing (Tangela serves a healthy niche of walling the Grounds, however), so dual status is their main draw. They're frequently used as leads - especially Venomoth. This allows us to take a look at the anti-leads - they're the Alakazams to Venomoth's Gengar. The premier anti-lead is Charizard, roasting both Venomoth and Tangela with STAB Fire Blast. It also has the opportunity to set up Swords Dance in the late game and sweep if it sticks around. Electabuzz seems some use in the lead role as well, but I don't recommend that unless you carry multiple Electrics. Finally, Fearow is also a fine counter-lead, and can tear apart teams without Graveler or another Rock type.
This leaves us with a few Pokémon remaining in the tier that see usage. Vaporeon is an all around counter to stat-uppers, resisting the STAB attacks from the Amnesia users and threatens Charizards trying to sweep. Kabutops is an option to Kingler, albeit not as powerful and the addition of the Rock typing is not helpful offensively and a wash defensively. Raticate is the premier Normal type of the tier - blazing speed, decent attack, STAB Body Slam and Hyper Beam are all good but the real reason to use Raticate over something like Fearow is Super Fang. Bringing in Raticate on a correctly predicted Rest will be enough to kill the Amnesia users before they get to attack, and if you switch out to anything, you're in for a lot of guaranteed pain. Porygon seems strong on paper with its access to BoltBeam, Thunder Wave and Recover, but its typing isn't too helpful and it doesn't have the stats to make itself a top threat. With some luck you can catch your opponent off guard with a Sharpen set though. Electrode and Magneton are NU Pokémon, but are used on teams that like to have additional Electrics for the Water threats.
A very curious case is that of Dewgong. Its main draw is STAB Blizzard, but with plenty of waters running around, it's not too threatening and mostly means a setup opportunity. However, when playing on NBS, Dewgong becomes a top tier Pokémon. This is due to a glitch in how the move Mimic works on NBS - when using Mimic on NBS, you cannot copy moves you already know. This allows you to take heavy advantage of opposing Golduck. Golduck is 99% of the time running a set of Surf/Ice Beam/Amnesia/Rest. By giving Dewgong the moveset of Surf/Ice Beam/Mimic/Rest, you can get a 100% guaranteed (unless the opponent switches, of course) copy of Amnesia. The advantage that Dewgong has over Golduck in this case is its Ice typing, guaranteeing that Dewgong will never be frozen, and therefore automatically winning all freeze wars. On Pokémon Online, this glitch is no longer present, and Dewgong falls into the shadows.
Some Pokémon might be leaving you puzzled - with all the Psychic types gone, why isn't Machamp heavily featured in the tier? The reason is that Machamp has underlying problems that a lack of Psychic types doesn't patch entirely - bad Special bulk and lack of a reliable STAB is highlighted here. Moreover, unlike in OU where there's plenty of Normals and Ice types running around, there's very few Pokémon taking super effective damage from his STAB. Therefore the mighty attack stat that Machamp has is sadly wasted, and the potential scariness drops.
Another Pokémon that might look appealing is Omastar - given its wonderful defensive stats and the strongest unboosted Water type attacks in the tier, why isn't Omastar more common? The answer is that while Omastar has strong attacks, it also has very limited coverage and poor support moves. The Rock typing also ensures that it takes plenty of damage from mostly any special attacker - Water moves are commonly boosted in the tier, and Tangela's Mega Drain becomes a huge issue. The positives of its Rock typing are mostly limited to walling Fearow and Raticate, but because of its poor coverage, you're likely to become a sitting duck.
If I were to rank these POkémon based on their UU performance, it'd look something like this:
1. Electabuzz
2. Golduck
3. Kingler
4. Poliwrath
5. Sandslash
6. Graveler
7. Tangela
8. Venomoth
9. Raticate
10. Vaporeon
11. Charizard
12. Fearow
13. Porygon
14. Kabutops
15. Magneton
16. Electrode
17. Pinsir
Do note that this is my personal view on these Pokémon and that I am not necessarily correct!
So how does a typical RBY UU team look?
The outlines are drawn up above. However, a safe bet is that every team will carry an Electabuzz. Almost all teams carry an Amnesia sweeper and most of the time that sweeper is Golduck. The traditional Ground type of choice is Graveler, but Sandslash is an option. In the lead slot, Venomoth is most commonly seen. Kingler makes his way into the lineup on the basis of powerful physical/mixed offense, and the last slot is a wild card (and almost the only real slot where you can truly get creative), where I personally prefer to have Raticate. It should be noted though that this given team is far from perfect and can be "countered" by heavy usage of Electrics, trying to overload the sole Ground type and punishes the Water types for their shared weakness.
What follows is the preferred set of the Pokémon I ranked in the list above. Again, these are not set in stone and you can change the movesets where you feel like, but most of the time I will list a set that's established as a staple.
Electabuzz
-Thunderbolt
-Thunder Wave
-Psychic
-Seismic Toss/Reflect/Mimic/Rest/Body Slam...
Electabuzz is the most common Pokémon in the tier due to its ability to threaten Water types, its great speed and decent power, and unlike the other Electrics it has a movepool that's not too shabby. Thunderbolt is the STAB move of choice, Thunder Wave is for paralyzing. Psychic is the best move to hit Graveler, Sandslash and Venomoth with, and gives you the option to go for special drops in various lengthier matchups. Seismic Toss is the most stable fourth move as it deals solid 25%+ damage to everything in the tier outside of Vaporeon (who can't take Thunderbolt well), giving Electabuzz the edge in dittos and reliable damage versus a fully set up Golduck. Reflect gives you physical bulk which is useful versus Raticate, Charizard and others. Mimic can give you a helpful move on the switch such as Recover from Porygon or Sleep Powder from Tangela but is unreliable in its nature. Rest allows Electabuzz to live longer, but finding the time to wake up can be difficult as the sleep time will likely be abused by opposing Amnesia users. Body Slam can paralyze Sandslash and Graveler in a pinch while dealing damage physically, although it's coming from a very weak attack stat.
Golduck
-Amnesia
-Rest
-Surf
-Ice Beam
Golduck has never seen much variation in its moveset. Amnesia is great on everything with Special attacks to abuse, and partners well with Rest as the newly added bulk really helps. A bonus is that Golduck only has special side weaknesses and passable physical bulk, so after one Amnesia usage, you effectively carry zero weaknesses. Surf and Ice Beam are preferred over their more powerful counterparts Blizzard and Hydro Pump, not necessarily for the increased accuracy but rather due to the increased PP. With only 8 PP per attack, it's frequently not enough to sweep if the opponent sets up his own Golduck as a countermeasure. Ice Beam has the additional perk of having higher chances to freeze than Blizzard, both per turn (due to accuracy) and in the long run due to the extra PP. Other moves are difficult to recommend on Golduck than the mentioned ones as its movepool is somewhat barren outside of Amnesia, but they wouldn't necessarily be needed either as Golduck has the tools it needs to become a top tier threat.
Kingler
-Body Slam
-Hyper Beam
-Crabhammer
-Swords Dance
With its terrific 358 attack and access to Swords Dance, Kingler can easily demolish a team once the opposing Electabuzz has been paralyzed, slept or killed. The lack of physical STAB isn't an issue due to the naturally high attack stat and access to Swords Dance, and to top it off, Crabhammer is a ridiculously strong move with 90 base power that's guaranteed to get a critical hit every time it's used, similar to Persian's Slash and Venusaur's Razor Leaf. Crabhammer is only balanced because it only appears on Krabby and Kingler, and Kingler sadly peaks at a very disappointing 198 special, meaning that special attacks that aren't Crabhammer will be very weak in comparison, and allows Kingler to get OHKOd by STAB Thunderbolt. At least Kingler has great physical bulk, allowing him to get in frequently on Earthquakes and Rock Slides (and Body Slams if you dodge paralysis). Similar to Golduck, the crab doesn't have a lot of movepool options, but it doesn't need more either.
Poliwrath
-Amnesia/Hypnosis
-Surf/Hydro Pump
-Ice Beam/Blizzard/Hypnosis/Psychic/Counter
-Rest/Submission/Earthquake/Psychic/Counter
Poliwrath is the most unpredictable Pokémon in RBY UU. With the best move pool in the tier, access to potent physical and special moves, Hypnosis and Amnesia, it's not as important that his stats aren't that great. The most common role of Poliwrath is that as an Amnesia+Rest sweeper, but he can also be used without either. Hypnosis is great together with an antilead like Charizard and can nail something like Electabuzz who would otherwise hate to get slept. If Amnesia+Rest is being ran, Poliwrath should use Surf over Hydro Pump as its STAB move of choice, but if Rest is not in the moveset Hydro Pump is very viable as you're unlikely to get more than eight attacks in. Psychic doesn't hit many things for SE damage, but is unresisted. Counter is possible to slap on to any moveset, but it gains an extra niche with Hypnosis as you can come in on a Normal move from something like Kingler, use Hypnosis and then Counter on the switch. This strategy is best used with a non-sleeping lead.
Sandslash
-Earthquake
-Swords Dance
-Rock Slide
-Hyper Beam
Sandslash is one out of two Ground types in the tier, the other being Graveler. While Graveler has a Rock type (which can be both good and bad) and Explosion, Sandslash has superior stats everywhere and Swords Dance. Earthquake is the obvious STAB choice. Rock Slide is the coverage move for Charizard, Fearow and Pinsir, and Hyper Beam is the finisher you'll use versus Tangela. Swords Dance is what gives you the ability to clean up weakened teams come late game. It's not a very good idea to use Swords Dance too early since Water types can come in, outspeed Sandslash and KO Sandslash before being killed themselves. Sandslash has decent special bulk and very good physical bulk, so you can enter on non-STAB, non-super effective special attacks fairly conveniently (this translates to Electabuzz Psychic in practice), whereas you can enter on mostly any physical attack at all points due to Sandslash's lack of physical weaknesses and great physical bulk.
Graveler
-Earthquake
-Rock Slide
-Body Slam
-Explosion
Seemingly inferior to Sandslash when looking strictly at stats, Graveler has the distinction of being one of very few Explosion users in the tier. The Rock typing is a double-edged sword - having STAB Rock Slide is always a plus, but the additional weakness to Water moves means that Graveler dies in one shot to any Surf. Other than that, Graveler is very simple to play. Come in on Electabuzz (most common scenario) or Fearow for maximum safety. You can also come in on Charizard but beware of Earthquake and Fire Blast burns. Raticates using Hyper Beams can also be punished with a Graveler switch. However, you'll mostly want to use Graveler to keep Electabuzz at bay. Once Graveler is worn down to the point where it cannot take a Psychic, try to get an Explosion going. If you explode too early, Electabuzz can become a big issue for your team.
Tangela
-Sleep Powder
-Stun Spore
-Mega Drain/Swords Dance
-Body Slam/Hyper Beam/Growth/Rest
Tangela is one of the bulkiest things in UU. Having great Defense as well as Special, it's slightly low HP isn't too bothersome. It's the most reliable sleeper in the tier with Sleep Powder and its high bulk, but its speed means that you'll suffer versus Venomoth leads. Therefore it's the best option for a backup sleeper (or at least a non-lead sleeper), as it doesn't match up well vs. the premier antilead either, Charizard. Stun Spore allows it to cripple a switch in after sleep is thrown, and nothing in the UU tier likes taking paralysis. The other moves are a bit filler, but Mega Drain is recommended as it at least hits the Water types that could otherwise appear. The final moveslot is a tough call between several more or less mediocre options. Body Slam gives it minor damage versus Venomoth, Charizard, Fearow and Pinsir, Hyper Beam moreso. Growth gives it increased special bulk and a stronger (but still weak) Mega Drain. Rest gives it an increased chance at annoying the opponent to death. Anything goes.
Venomoth
-Sleep Powder
-Stun Spore
-Psychic
-Mega Drain/Mimic
Venomoth is really only good at one thing, and that's having a fast sleeping/stunning move. However, since competition for that slot is very limited (Tangela), Venomoth can still find a spot on many teams. It has decent speed, outspeeding all the Waters in the tier, allowing it to threaten paralysis or sleep depending on the situation. The increase in speed means that it's the better lead when compared to Tangela. The attacks aren't very threatening though - Venomoth gains no STAB moves and has subpar offensive stats on both sides of the spectrum. Psychic is the strongest attack Venomoth gets and is at least unresisted, but Mega Drain is realistically only gonna be useful versus Graveler. Mimic has been tried, but the question is what move you could get that would make Venomoth better - Amnesia? Recover from Porygon? Venomoth just hasn't got the typing nor stats to do anything beyond sleepstunning, unfortunately.
Raticate
-Body Slam
-Hyper Beam
-Super Fang
-Blizzard/BubbleBeam
Raticate is surprisingly viable in RBY UU. With a decent attack stat and a high speed, Raticate also has the great mono-Normal typing that gives him STAB Body Slam and Hyper Beam. The main claim to fame is however Super Fang. If Raticate comes in on a sleeping opponent, something is taking an absolutely massive hit and is 1/2HKOd afterwards - this can easily save you versus a Resting +6 Golduck for example. Blizzard and Bubblebeam allows for coverage - both deal the same damage versus Graveler, but Blizzard deals more damage to Sandslash and Tangela. The difference in accuracy can scare the paranoid ones though into using BubbleBeam. The main issue that Raticate has is its astonishingly bad bulk. Despite being neutral to Electabuzz's Thunderbolt, it's frequently 2HKOd by it. Paralysis is also a crippling status effect for Raticate who relies heavily on its speed to succeed. The poor bulk alone makes Raticate a much rarer sight than it could have been if it only had a slightly higher HP stat.
Vaporeon
-Surf/Hydro Pump
-Haze/Body Slam
-Ice Beam/Blizzard
-Rest/Body Slam
Vaporeon is bulk in a package. While the defense stat is fairly mediocre, it has a gargantuan HP stat and a very high special stat (for the tier), giving it amazing bulk on both sides of the spectrum. However, because it has limited coverage, no access to Amnesia and the tier is already flooded with Water types, Vaporeon has a hard time finding a place on teams that aren't willing to overload on Waters. Surf is the main STAB attack, but Hydro Pump can be used for the extra power, though the lower PP can be a bigger issue than the accuracy. Haze is the reason that you can use Vaporeon defensively - it works great versus the Amnesia users. Be very cautious with using it though, as it resets the status condition of your opponent, meaning you could wake up a sleeping Pokémon or even thaw a frozen one. Ice Beam or Blizzard is the coverage move you get, and Rest allows you to heal up and continue doing your defensive work. Body Slam can be used over either Haze or Rest for a more offensive approach, and the main idea is to provide paralysis support rather than doing damage. Mimic can be used to gain some decent moves like Amnesia, and it has a decent shot of working since Vaporeon can come in on both Golduck and Poliwrath without taking too much damage, but isn't necessarily forcing them out.
Charizard
-Fire Blast
-Earthquake
-Body Slam/Slash/Hyper Beam
-Swords Dance/Slash
Fire has never been a particularly great typing in RBY, but in UU, it means that you get to toast the leads in the metagame. Fire Blast is the obvious STAB, compensating the so-so Special stat of Charizard with high base power and has a nifty 30% burn rate, making Rock types scared of switching in. Earthquake is reliable damage versus said Rock types and hits Electabuzz hard. The Normal moves are the final additions - Body Slam is for paralysis support, Slash is for high damage, Hyper Beam is for even higher damage. Swords Dance boosts Body Slam and Hyper Beam to even higher levels (as well as Earthquake) but isn't doing anything for Slash, so don't use those two together, and generally only use Hyper Beam with Swords Dance as the power difference compared to Slash is minimal. Usage tips: Put it in the lead spot and never let it leave for another slot. It is made to give the opposing sleepers a hard time, so make use of that. Stay clear of Water types until you can OHKO them with a +2 attack, be it Earthquake or Hyper Beam.
Fearow
-Drill Peck
-Double Edge
-Hyper Beam
-Substitute/Reflect/Rest/Mirror Move
Fearow is the first Pokémon listed that resides in NU. However, it's still fairly useful in UU, as it can be a more than decent anti-lead. Drill Peck is super effective versus both Tangela and Venomoth and 2HKOs them, while Double Edge and Hyper Beam are the normal STAB moves you'll be using (the lack of Body Slam is a bit annoying). The last move is more or less entirely filler and you'll rarely use it - Mirror Move is not very good but maybe you'll gain Sleep Powder or Stun Spore.
The niche over Charizard is that Fearow has a much more potent instant physical STAB and can punish teams using Sandslash over Graveler that also lack Kabutops. Sandslash can admittedly tank Double-Edge very well, so you're not entirely safe, but if you get a critical hit Double-Edge on the switch you're gonna have a good time. As hinted earlier though, Graveler (and Kabutops) act as complete full stops to Fearow and Fearow doesn't do any relevant damage to them. The lack of bulk and BoltBeam weakness doesn't help either.
Kabutops
-Surf/Hydro Pump
-Swords Dance
-Body Slam
-Hyper Beam
Mostly inferior to Kingler but has a niche in its Rock typing, Kabutops is a rarely seen UU Pokémon with some kind of potential at least. It's a bit weird when put in comparison to Kingler, as it is a more defensive Swords Dance user, despite not being reflected as a defensive Pokémon when looking at the moveset. The defensiveness comes from being Rock type - Kabutops is the best answer to Raticate in the tier and is also great versus Fearow. However, that's about it - versus most other Pokémon you'd rather have Kingler, as when you look at the lower damage output on both the special and physical side and the extra weaknesses to Grass, Ground and Fighting type moves, you'll be wishing for Kingler on your side. The extra special bulk is most commonly not relevant enough to matter either (although with one important distinction - Kabutops is never OHKOd by any Thunderbolt, but Kabutops is most likely seeing Tangela whereas Kingler is more likely to see Electabuzz). You're most likely using Kabutops because you have a Sandslash on the team but feel like you need a better answer for Raticate, or can guarantee a Tangela-free environment.
Porygon
-Recover
-Thunder Wave
-Ice Beam/Sharpen
-Thunderbolt/Double-Edge
Porygon is like Chansey in OU, but worse due to his lack of power and bulk. Recover is incredible, but Porygon isn't bulky enough to reliably stall with it, as Porygon is a paralysis magnet and is 3HKOd by mostly anything. The movesets are not too different but play out very differently from one another. The set with Ice Beam and Thunderbolt is used earlier on to soak hits that nothing else wants to soak, and spreads paralysis fairly efficiently. The Sharpen set instead tries to set up late game and sweep, but is mostly a gimmick since the bulk and paralysis chance is gonna bite you at the end (and you WILL be paralyzed, or killed by an Amnesia user).
Magneton
-Thunderbolt
-Thunder Wave/Toxic
-Reflect/Thunder/Hyper Beam
-Rest/Thunder/Hyper Beam
This set is a personal favorite. Magneton with a Reflect up is incredibly bulky and the set with Reflect/Rest can live disgustingly long amounts of time. Ground types are an obvious problem, which you can try to rectify with the gimmicky Toxic. Rest Electabuzz (should you ever encounter it) also stops you with inevitable Special drops from Psychic. With the counters out of the way, let's skip to the set. Thunderbolt is the obvious STAB. Thunder Wave is for team support, Toxic is for messing with the Ground types you're bound to see (they are fairly unlikely to take any other status either way, might as well add chip damage to make the Electabuzz 3HKO with Psychic guaranteed). Reflect lets you tank non-STAB Earthquakes and sponges Normal STAB as well during your sleep turns. Rest is for healing up and enjoying a life of not dying. The more standard (and in my opinion, much worse) set runs Thunder and Hyper Beam strictly because there's no better options for someone thinking in straight lines. I really disapprove of the set - if you want to use Magneton, abuse your bulk. Also, never exchange Electabuzz for Magneton - Magneton is a partner to Electabuzz, not a rival. Having more than one of the same type isn't inherently bad.
Electrode
-Thunderbolt
-Explosion
-Thunder Wave
-Thunder/Toxic
Electrode is a more instant offense Pokémon compared to Magneton and finds a way to hurt at least Sandslash, though it comes at the cost of using Explosion. Other than that it has the same issue as Magneton getting past Ground types - an even lower attack stat and nothing noteworthy in terms of a movepool except Explosion means that you're really stuck with what you got. What you do have is the highest speed in the game and following that, a ridiculous critical hit rate of over 26%. This gives Electrode a slight niche of being able to take down Amnesia users somewhat reliably - if you switch in on a predicted Rest, you get three chances at getting a Critical Hit Thunderbolt - just above 60% chance of getting at least one, and roughly 45% if you get two attacks (switching after Rest has been used). A low base attack can also be compensated for by getting a Critical Hit Explosion, but this is obviously a gamble.
Pinsir
-Swords Dance
-Body Slam
-Hyper Beam
-Submission/Seismic Toss
If Pinsir had a decent typing to speak of, or a STAB move, he might have ranked higher. However, as it stands Pinsir is just another Swords Dance user that unlike Kingler and Kabutops doesn't bring anything to the table defensively. Resisting Fighting is pretty much nothing, all Pokémon using Ground moves have other moves that hit for super effective damage, and Grass moves are low power either way - and status cripples you, so you're not switching in on Tangela if given the choice either way. Pitiful Special side bulk and a weakness to Rock, Flying and Fighting and somewhat low instant offense means that you'd likely be having more success using Kingler than Pinsir. The best thing Pinsir brings to the table is that if the opponent doesn't have Charizard or Fearow, it's actually somewhat difficult to switch out on, since +2 Hyper Beam can KO a lot in the tier. The issue is getting Pinsir to come in without taking too heavy damage in the first place, and an over-reliance on Hyper Beam means you can get punished by a timely Graveler switch. Pinsir isn't necessarily bad - it just faces very stiff competition for its role, meaning that it comes with a high opportunity cost, and has minimal defensive value.
And there you are!
Note that in this guide, I have not mentioned Wrap or any variations. This is in part because the move isn't commonly seen on most of these Pokémon, but the primary reason is that the metagame was developed on RBY2K10 which has banned Wrap moves during the creation of their tiers. As such, the tier has historically been played without Wrap moves. If they're legal, expect to see Bind on Tangela and Fire Spin on Charizard, and potentially Weepinbell or Dragonair. The NFEs from NU are very much untested in a UU metagame, but might be able to put in work. However, the real threat is Fire Spin Charizard. Being one of the fastest Pokémon in the tier and good in the lead spot, you can get a lot of free switches from Fire Spin abuse, as well as chip damage.
