Rare Article: Travis' Ubers Impressions

I've always been turned off by the "Ubers" tier (which allows all Pokémon to be used, including the really strong legendary ones). Fighting matches where anything goes just didn't appeal to me. I only recently tried my first Ubers match, and I was surprised by not only the depth of strategy involved, but also how different it is to an average match with a banlist. I thought I would post some of the things I enjoyed about it. Now I am no longer thinking about doing that, for as I type I am indeed posting some of the things I enjoyed about it. Please comment below if that joke was even remotely funny. Anyway, here are my impressions of Gen V Ubers.

Chapter 1: Weather, Or: Not Just for Small talk Anymore

Weather isn't unique to Ubers. Sandstorms are very common in OU as well as VGC, with hail also being featured prominently in the latter. However, rain and sun take the forefront in Ubers, as Groudon and Kyogre are allowed. Groudon's ability "Drought" and Kyogre's ability "Drizzle" automatically change the weather to sun or rain, respectively, similar to Tyranitar's Sandstream. These two abilities do make appearances in OU, as Ninetales has Drought and Politoed has Drizzle, but those two Pokémon don't really pack enough of a punch or soak up enough hits to do much more than set up weather. Groudon and Kyogre, on the other hand, set up for your team while simultaneously being great Pokémon in and of themselves. Kyogre with a Choice Scarf is a force with which to be reckoned, and Groudon's bulk makes him great at setting up Stealth Rocks, crippling sweepers with Thunder Wave, and phazing out set-up sweepers (like ExtremeSpeed/Swords Dance Arceus) with Dragon Tail. Sun is great for the likes of Ho-Oh and Reshiram, and rain is great for Thunder users, Palkia, and Pokémon weak to fire, like Forretress. 

(Side note: For those of you considering using a sun team in Ubers, I'd recommend trying out Choice Specs Shiftry. I've been using him, and he hasn't let me down. He has the ability Chlorophyll, so his speed is doubled in the sun, and the dual stab of Grass and Dark takes out a ton of threats, such as Kyogre, Mewtwo, and Groudon.)

Chapter 2: Gimmick-Free Gameplay, Or: Not a Shuckle in Sight

When playing with the Pokémon that pack the biggest punches in the entire game, there isn't much room for gimmicks. Don't get me wrong, I love a good gimmick now and again. After all, I once tried to pull of a Bibarel sweep. But sometimes it's fun to play a match that a 100% straight-ahead battle. Prediction is king in Ubers, even more so than in lower tiers, as teambuilding takes a bit of a backseat (which is the biggest downfall of Ubers, in my book) when there are only so many Pokémon that can take on the biggest threats in the metagame. In my short experience with Ubers, the matches I've seen are decided on what happens in the battle, and very infrequently on what planning occurs before it.

Chapter 3: A Nice Change of Pace, Or: Variety is the Spinda of Life

Perhaps the biggest reason why I have been enjoying Ubers so much is that I simply haven't given it a shot before. If you haven't tried some part of the Pokémon competitive battling scene, why not try it? This is a short chapter.

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That's it for the week. See you in, well, a week.