Physically Mixed Attacker


Pheromosa @ Life Orb / Focus Sash / Fightinium Z
Ability: Beast Boost  
Level: 50  
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe  
Adamant / Naughty Nature  
- High Jump Kick  
- Poison Jab  
- Ice Beam / U-Turn
- Protect

Milestones:
- OHKOs 4 HP Tapu Lele / Koko and 252 HP 4 Def Tapu Bulu with Poison Jab
- OHKOs most Garchomp with Life Orb Ice Beam (not AV, Sash, Yache)
- Outspeed Tapu Koko and Aerodactyl
- Z High Jump Kick OHKOs max defense Porygon2

When using Pheromosa, the goal is to apply offensive pressure with its high base speed, and coverage options against some of the common Pokemon in the format. Given Pheromosa's lack of defensive potential, Life Orb is a great item to boost its main attacks to ensure the OHKOs on key targets. One example is Life Orb Adamant Pheromosa can knock out frail Tapu Koko, Lele, and Bulu in one go while do about over have to a defensive Fini. Life Orb High Jump Kick from Pheromosa is one of the strongest Fighting-type attacks in the game given few Pokemon take it well aside resisted targets, though the player must call whether the opponent protects as the Ultra Beast will suffer 50% recoil. The reason for having High Jump Kick on a mon like Pheromosa is to OHKO common Normal-types such as Eviolite Porygon2 to prevent the potential Trick Room or Snorlax before they setup. If Pheromosa wants a potential nuke, then it can run Z-High Jump Kick to OHKO a plethora of targets, including a fully Defensive Porygon2. 

Aside a limited Fighting-type coverage, Pheromosa doesn't have much coverage options, but has enough to make it threatening. As mentioned earlier, Poison Jab is listed to hit opposing Grass-, and Fairy-types, notably the Tapus given how extremely common they are. Ice Beam also Pheromosa go mixed to hit Grass-, Flying-, Ground-, and Dragon-type Pokemon such as Garchomp, Salamence, Aerodactyl, etc. U-Turn is Pheromosa's secondary STAB option, generally used to gain momentum in the match to switch out immediately for another partner. Even with its shallow movepool, what makes Pheromosa threatening is the potential Beast Boost in its attack stat to makes its Poison Jabs and STAB High Jump Kick a wide variety of neutral pokemon than before. If the player wants Pheromosa to withstand a fatal attack, Focus Sash allows it to take one hit, but will lose out in offensive power from Life Orb or Fightinium Z.

The following are some offensive calculations of Pheromosa's listed attacks based with the Life Orb as well as Z-High Jump Kick.


Offensive Calcs:



 

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Offensive Calcs:



 

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Potential Teammates include, but aren't limited to:

• Tapu Lele - Arguably Pheromosa's best partner-in-crime given Lele's Psychic Terrain prevents any form of priority from being used to target such a glass sweeper. In turn, Pheromosa can heavily pressure many of the Pokemon that threaten Lele such as Steel-types, Dark-types, and even the other three Tapu Pokemon. 
  
• Fast Offensive Pokemon - In order for Pheromosa to maintain offensive pressure, it needs partners who are also extremely to moderately fast than most others in the format while capable of threatening many targets with their powerful STABs or Z-Move option ( Ex. Garchomp, Tapu Koko, Tapu Lele, Nihilego, Kartana etc). 
  
• Steel-types - Aside sharing a weakness in Fire-type moves, Pheromosa appreciate Steel-types given it resist the other three of Pheromosa's weakness and are usually defensive enough to withstand most hits in the format.   ( Ex. Celesteela, Metagross, Kartana, Magnezone, etc ) 
  
• Defensive Pokemon - Generally speaking, if Pheromosa finds itself in an unfavorable matchup, it will likely switch back into defensively capable Pokemon who are bulky and  can wear down the opposing team to which the Bug/Fighting-type can pick them off later.  (Ex. Celesteela, Gastrodon, Porygon2, Gigalith, Milotic, Snorlax, etc ).
  

Threats include, but aren't limited to: 

• Fire-types - Arcanine, Alolan Marowak, Torkoal, Talonflame, etc.
  
• Flying-types - Drifblim, Talonflame, Aerodactyl, Pelipper, Gyarados, Celesteela etc
  
• Fairy-types - Mimikyu, Tapu Fini, etc
  
• Psychic-types - Metagross, Tapu Lele, Oranguru, etc
  
• Ghost-types - Drifblim, Mimikyu, Gengar, Mismagius, Alolan Marowak. 
  
• Any Powerful Neutral STAB or even Z-Move can OHKO Pheromosa (provide it doesn't resist).
  
• Trick Room since Pheromosa is extremely frail and too fast in a Trick Room setting.  
  

Other Notable Options 

• A Quiver Dance set especially paired with Oricorio Pom-Pom might sound gimmicky at first, but can sweep opposing unprepared teams if Pheromosa manages to boost and attack. 
  
• With a base 151 speed, Pheromosa can run positive speed natures like Timid, Hasty, or Naive to raise its speed from a Beast Boost. 
  
• Fast Taunt from Pheromosa is uncommon, but effective to shut down setup options.
  
• Speed Swap allows Pheromosa to gift its fast speed stat to a partner Pokemon, often one who has a setup option to sweep an opposing team like Belly Drum Snorlax.
  
• Poisonium Z is rarely used to ensure the Tapu Pokemon go down in one hit. 
  

 

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Will break from the usual corny joke / send off. At this point, done about twenty-one VGC 17 Pokemon threads for the forums and many others have made their own contributions here to the moveset archives as well. All I can say is thanks for continuing to read these threads from all of us here.