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Nihilego




Type: /
Weaknesses: , , (X2), (X4)
Resistances: , , , (X0,5), (X0,25)


Abilities:

Beast Boost: Increases the Pokémon's highest stat when it knocks out a Pokémon.


Base stats: 109 HP / 53 Attack / 47 Defense / 127 Special Attack / 131 Special Defense / 103 Speed



Lillie Nihilego is a very powerful Pokémon, sporting great HP, Sp Atk, Sp Def and Speed, and good offensive coverage in Rock/Poison. However, it has horrible Defense, and it is weak to common attacking types, such as Water and Ground, not to mention it being completely walled by Steel types such as Scizor, who can also retaliate with a power Bullet Punch. Still, it is a great offensive Pokémon that is also blessed with Stealth Rock, making it one of the best suicide lead in the game right now.


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the set


Offensive Hazard Setter (Suicide Lead)




Nihilego @ Focus Sash
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Power Gem
- Sludge Wave
- Hidden Power Ice/Fire or Toxic Spikes


Hope you were not getting used to my really long descriptions, because Nihilego is so simple to use, but so effective: it's a suicide lead. It comes in, it sets up rocks, and at this point you can try to kill stuff or keep it for later to revenge kill stuff, thanks to its good combination of Speed and Sp Atk. The moveset is also absurdly simple to understand: first, Stealth Rock will be used to deal chip damage to the opposing team through the whole game (assuming the hazards don't get Rapid Spinned/Defoged), and it is the main appeal of this set. Power Gem and Sludge Wave are two decently powerful STAB attacks that take advantage of Nihilego's excellent Sp Atk stat. For the last slot, you have three options: Hidden Power Ice can be used to kill Garchomp, a big threat that can hit Nihilego with a super effective Earthquake and that resists both Power Gem and Sludge Wave, but Nihilego outspeeds it by 1 point, and so it can kill it before it gets to do any shenanigans. Hidden Power Fire is for Scizor, another Pokémon who resists both of tis STABs but is killed/heavily damaged by Hidden Power Fire. Finally, if you really don't care about either of those, Toxic Spikes can be used to further weaken the opposing team during the match. Since it is a suicide lead, you'll usually set up your Rocks, then let it die, but you can also keep it/not lead with it and wait until the opposing team's Rapid Spinner/Defoger is KOed, so you can set up your hazards without having them removed.

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calcs

Offensive:


Defensive:



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good partners


Offensive Pokémon: This probably sounds super vague (and it is), but let me explain: most Stealth Rock users are defensive and passive, so offensive teams like the fact that their hazard setter isn't passive and doesn't make the team lose momentum.

Weaker Pokémon: i really need to stop being so vague oml Some Pokémon are not that strong, and thus require chip damage on the opposing team to sweep/clean up; Stealth Rock is really useful for them as it chips at the opposing team during the whole game.


Nihilego is pretty easy to fit on most offensive teams, and since it will often die in the first turns of a battle, it doesn't really need its weaknesses checked. You can basically slap it on an offensive team without having the team's synergy really shook.

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threats

Taunt: If it gets Taunted, it can't set up rocks, which is annoying.

Multi-Hit Moves: Multi-hit moves can break its Focus Sash in one turn, limiting it to only one turn of action.

Type weaknesses would usually be threatening, but as long as rocks are on the field, Nihilego's job is done, everything else is just a bonus.

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