Pokemon Forever - Competitive Pokemon Movesets

ScVi OU Moveset Ideas & Analysis | Skeledirge

Wed, 23 Nov 2022 00:09:57 -0800

Alright, here we are with part of my starter competitive analysis for Scarlet & Violet! Please remember this is very early on, and the meta is still being shaped as we speak. It's a learning process and I don't expect my ideas and observations to be 100% accurate. if you have your own ideas, please experiment, share and discuss below! Let's not waste any time now and get into the analysis of the Fire-type starter; Skeledirge!

Skeledirge
Type(s): /
Stats:
Hp: 104
Atk: 75
Def: 100
SpA: 110
SpD: 75
Spe: 66
Ability: Blaze / Unaware (Hidden)

In complete contrast to Meowscarada, Skeledirge boasts an impressive Special attacking prowess that pairs nicely with its signature move, as well as decent physical bulk overall. It has relatively average typing, thanks to the additional Ghost-type it gains two new weaknesses in Ghost and Dark, but also gains immunity to Normal and Fighting. It loses a lot of neutral damage calcs, making it a lot better overall to take hits, in my opinion. However, its Fire-type does make it more susceptible to Stealth Rock, something which will need to be played around given this Pokémon's stat spread. Its Ability Blaze, of course, boosts the power of Fire-type moves when it reaches a certain damage threshold. It's a very slow Pokémon with 66 Base Speed, making it critically slower than one of this current meta's biggest threats, Corviknight, by 1 point. As you can imagine just by the stats alone, Skeledirge will lend itself well to Trick Room teams. While right off the bat, there isn't a lot to say about its stats, typing, and Ability, Skeledirge really shines with its impressive movepool, so let's not wait any longer and move on to some moveset ideas.

Moveset Ideas

We'll start with a standard damaging set, just like Meowscarada. Use this to practice with if you feel like it works, and fine-tune as you see fit.

"Showtime"
Skeledirge @ Choice Specs / Life Orb
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Torch Song / Flamethrower
- Earth Power
- Disarming Voice
- Shadow Ball

As a naturally bulky Pokémon, Skeledirge lends itself well to the HP investment, with a little bit of Special Defense investment, as well as maximum EVs in Special Attack for the most damage output possible. A Modest nature is a given, paired with 0 Attack IVs to lower damage from possible confusion. Choice Specs will give a 1.5x increase to Skeledirge's Special moves, but lock it into using only the first one it used until it switches out. If you don't want to run that out of fear of being locked into a poor move, Life orb is a great substitute, with the drawback being it will deal recoil damage when used.

Starting from the bottom, Shadow Ball is Skeledirge's best Ghost-type STAB move that can obliterate certain new threats like Annihilape, Armarouge, and Ceruledge without so much as a second thought. It has the chance to drop the Special Defense of the opponent by one stage, a great tool for Pokémon who solely focuses on its Special stat to deal damage. It can threaten previously common Rock + Screen setter Bronzong, and returning OU menace Dragapult. As of today, Showdown's Damage Calculator has been updated to include the new Pokémon from gen 9, so my damage calculations of course are taken from there. Thank you to the Showdown/Smogon team for getting the resources available so quickly and allowing for a more in-depth look at these Pokémon. If there is enough interest, I shall go back and add damage calcs for Meowscarada as well.

Shadow Ball-specific Damage Calc(s);

- 252 SpA Choice Specs Dragapult Shadow Ball vs. 248 HP / 8 SpD* Skeledirge: 410-486 (99.7 - 118.2%) -- 93.8% chance to OHKO
- 252+ SpA Choice Specs Skeledirge Shadow Ball vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Dragapult: 482-570 (152 - 179.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO

* Without the 8 Special Defense EVs, Dragapult's Shadow Ball is a guaranteed OHKO on Skeledirge. Now, we do have a way to make this even better for us when compared to this set, without sacrificing the damage output. Let's take a look.

- 252 SpA Choice Specs Dragapult Shadow Ball vs. 248 HP / 64+ SpD Skeledirge: 348-410 (84.6 - 99.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
- 196 SpA Choice Specs Skeledirge Shadow Ball vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Dragapult: 422-498 (133.1 - 157%) -- guaranteed OHKO

With this setup using a Calm Nature over a Modest one, Skeledirge still has enough power to OHKO Dragapult but can also guarantee to survive its Shadow Ball, even with a Choice Specs and Special Attack boosting nature. We'll go over the specifics of this set later, but considering Dragapult is still as dangerous as it has always been, I felt this was worth mentioning early. Pokemon like Slowbro, Slowking, and Bronzong all get threatened by this powerful STAB move, and in a meta with solid Psychic and Ghost-types running around, this is undoubtedly a must-have.

Disarming Voice isn't considered a great move, and very fairly so. It's a 40 Base Power move, Fairy-type, and doesn't check accuracy. it's very mediocre. However, on Skeledirge it can have a fairly niche but effective use of threatening one of the new powerhouses on the block, Roaring Moon. With the set, as shown above, all the modifiers allow for pretty good damage on this Paradox-mon, forcing it to play a little more carefully lest it gets two-shot by a stray Fairy move it didn't expect. This doesn't take into account Tera Blast, which of course would be better. Returning threat Hydreigon also fears a Disarming Voice from Skeledirge, with its bulk being even worse than Roaring Moon, putting it in range to be OHKO'd by the move from full health. If Terstalizing becomes banned, or you play in formats / with your friends where it is banned, Disarming Voice is a decent choice to consider in place of Tera Blast.

Disarming Voice-specific Damage Calc(s);
- 252 SpA Hydreigon Dark Pulse vs. 248 HP / 4 SpD Skeledirge: 320-380 (77.8 - 92.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
- 252+ SpA Choice Specs Skeledirge Disarming Voice vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Hydreigon: 280-332 (86.1 - 102.1%) -- 12.5% chance to OHKO

- 252 SpA Expert Belt Hydreigon Dark Pulse vs. 248 HP / 4 SpD Skeledirge: 384-456 (93.4 - 110.9%) -- 62.5% chance to OHKO
- 252+ SpA Choice Specs Skeledirge Disarming Voice vs. 48 HP / 4 SpD Hydreigon: 280-332 (83 - 98.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

- 220 Atk Roaring Moon Crunch vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Skeledirge: 270-320 (65.6 - 77.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
- 252+ SpA Choice Specs Skeledirge Disarming Voice vs. 0 HP / 36 SpD Roaring Moon: 248-292 (70.6 - 83.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

Disarming Voice, I can guarantee, will not become a meta choice. For the time being, however, I can see it being a niche threat to certain Pokémon like the ones I mentioned above. Specifically only on the Choice Specs set, as on the Life Orb set you will end up putting yourself in range for the aforementioned 2HKO moves to be guaranteed OHKOs. In place of it on the Life Orb set, you can opt for Snarl to drop the opponents' Special Attack, Overheat as a stronger Fire-type move, or even niche picks like Roar or Yawn.

Earth Power is Skeledirge's answer to one of this Gen's most prominent new trap-setters; Glimmora. Glimmora is dangerous because it has Toxic Debris, which gives it a free layer of Toxic Spikes when it is hit by a physical move, something which Skeledirge obviously doesn't need to fear. The go-to Glimmora set uses it as a fast bulky support, maximizing HP and Speed, and as we'll see in the damage calcs, it is completely checked by Earth Power from Skeledirge. Earth Power also checks Clodsire, setting it in range for a potential 2HKO. It is a great answer to many of the new Pokémon introduced, so many in fact that it's better to just get to the damage calcs and show, rather than tell.

Earth Power-specific Damage Calc(s);
- 252+ SpA Choice Specs Skeledirge Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Glimmora: 680-804 (183.7 - 217.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
- 252+ SpA Choice Specs Skeledirge Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Glimmora: 476-560 (128.6 - 151.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO

- 252+ SpA Choice Specs Skeledirge Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Coalossal: 444-524 (104.7 - 123.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO
- 0 Atk Coalossal Rock Blast (5 hits) vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Skeledirge: 240-280 (58.3 - 68.1%) -- approx. 2HKO after Stealth Rock

- 252+ SpA Choice Specs Skeledirge Earth Power vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Iron Moth: 528-624 (175.4 - 207.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO

- 252+ SpA Choice Specs Skeledirge Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Iron Thorns: 660-780 (163.3 - 193%) -- guaranteed OHKO

- 252 SpA Sandy Shocks Earth Power vs. 248 HP / 4 SpD Skeledirge: 354-416 (86.1 - 101.2%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO
- 252+ SpA Choice Specs Skeledirge Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Iron Hands: 392-462 (76.5 - 90.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

I could go on and on about how good Earth Power is on this Pokémon, but I think you get the idea. Earth Power helps to keep many of the new and dangerous Pokémon in check and is simply a must-have for Skeledirge, and really any Pokémon that can benefit from using it. Obvious warnings apply, watch out for Air Balloon and Levitate, and pick and choose when to use it carefully. If, for example, Sandy Shocks switches in on an Earth Power and has an Air Balloon, you are forced to switch out because it will OHKO you with an Earth Power of its own.

Now we get onto what makes Skeledirge so dangerous. Its signature move is called Torch Song. It is an 80 Base Power that has a 100% chance to raise the user's Special Attack by 1 stage. An already very strong move that can help to steamroll teams if it gets out of hand? Sign me up. On its own, Torch Song is just a little worse than Flamethrower, but considering its additional stat-raising property, it's a no-brainer to utilize this when you can. Forretress is back in the meta, so having a reliable way to deal with it is needed. Plus, since it runs Sturdy, Forretress is forced to either take two Torch Songs or switch out to another Pokémon, giving you a free +2 in Special Attack. It also reliably answers Iron Treads and Iron Thorns, as well as rival starter Meowscarada. It also answers Defog users Scizor and Corviknight fairly well, as well as Snow setter Abaomasnow.

Torch Song-specific Damage Calc(s);
- 252+ SpA Choice Specs Skeledirge Torch Song vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Brute Bonnet: 386-456 (88.9 - 105%) -- 31.3% chance to OHKO

- 252+ SpA Choice Specs Skeledirge Torch Song vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Forretress: 1152-1356 (325.4 - 383%) -- guaranteed OHKO (2HKO after Sturdy)

- 252+ SpA Choice Specs Skeledirge Torch Song vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Baxcalibur: 216-255 (49.7 - 58.7%) -- 99.6% chance to 2HKO

- 252+ SpA Choice Specs Skeledirge Torch Song vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Assault Vest Copperajah: 344-408 (89.3 - 105.9%) -- 37.5% chance to OHKO

- 252+ SpA Choice Specs Skeledirge Torch Song vs. 252 HP / 88 SpD Amoonguss: 414-488 (95.8 - 112.9%) -- 75% chance to OHKO

- 252+ SpA Choice Specs Skeledirge Torch Song vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Chien-Pao: 542-638 (180 - 211.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO

Without a doubt, this move is fantastic. Now, to argue against it for just a moment, on a Choice Specs set you are obviously forced into using only one move, so for Choice Specs, you might want to consider using Flamethrower instead. It loses the stat boost of Torch Song, but raw damage output might be better in some situations, for example against the Baxcalibur set. Torch Song will find itself used better on a set without Choice Specs, in my opinion.

"Slow and Steady"
Skeledirge @ Expert Belt / Life Orb
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Torch Song
- Earth Power
- Disarming Voice / Tera Blast (Fairy)
- Shadow Ball

As you can see, the moveset here remains the same, so we won't go over damage calcs again. The biggest difference is this set is accustomed for Trick Room teams. With its slow speed, Skeledirge finds a wonderful fitting on Trick Room to make threats that were once massive problems to it, like Dragapult or Gengar, all but obsolete as it begins to stockpile Special Attack boosts with Torch Song. We won't spend too much time on this, but a few things to watch out for are priority moves like Sucker Punch and Shadow Sneak. In place of Disarming Voice, you can run Tera Blast and any Tera Type of your choice. My suggestion is either Fairy or Normal to deal with Hydreigon + Roaring Moon, or to give yourself Ghost immunity. Choice Specs is not needed on this set as with Trick Room, the idea is you'll be 'fast' enough to get around threats as well as use the buffs from Torch Song. Experiment with this set as you see fit.

Potential Teammates to think of with Skeledirge include Pokémon who can set up the Sun. In this case, if you were to run a Sun setter, you might want to consider Solarbeam as an option to deal with Water-type Pokémon. Torkoal, in my mind, remains one of the prime Sun setters to use. Indeedee is currently the only Pokémon with access to Psychic Surge, making it an option to consider for countering priority moves. Trick Room is the best way to get the most out of this Pokémon, and the fastest option available currently is Iron Valiant. If that's not your style, you can always use Indeedee-M, Bronzong, or Slowbro to set it up.

Water Absorb Pokémon are going to benefit from having a massive target like Skeledirge on their side, so pairing this with a Pokémon like Clodsire or Gastrodon (Storm Drain), is generally good synergy to help scare off Pokémon like Palafin or Quaquaval. Additionally, Grass-types will also pair well to aid Skeledirge against Ground, Rock, and Water-types. Forretress, Donphan, and Maushold are great to pair with Skeledirge to clear entry hazards to keep Skeledirge going for longer, and in the case of the first two, can set up hazards of their own to hinder the foes.

Don't sleep on Skeledirge. I feel like this Pokémon has enormous potential as a Trick Room sweeper, and definitely has the moves to back it up. With Tera Blast and Terstalizing, you can scare off Pokémon that usually threaten you, such as turning into an Electric-type to scare of Water-types, or a Normal-type to negate your Ghost weakness, turning it into an immunity. With the right team, this Pokémon rivals other sweepers in the current meta, with or without Terastalizing. I seriously hope you consider using this Pokémon, I'm very keen to see how it helps to shape the meta moving forward. Thank you for reading, happy battles!

ScVi OU Moveset Ideas & Analysis | Meowscarada

Tue, 22 Nov 2022 01:06:25 -0800

Hello! A new generation of Pokémon games is upon us, and with it comes a brand new meta to consider and watch. Today we won't be discussing the intricacies of the Gen 9 OU meta; instead, we'll focus on probably the most essential Pokémon you'll get - the starters! In this three-part analysis, we'll go over the moves abilities, and usage predictions of the three Paldean Starter Pokémon based on my own gameplay and experience with competitive Pokémon in gens 7 & 8. I hope you'll enjoy part one, wherein we look at my personal favorite of the trio; Meowscarada!

Meowscarada
Type(s): Grass + Dark
Stats:
Hp: 76
Atk: 110
Def: 70
SpA: 81
SpD: 70
Spe: 123
Ability: Overgrow / Protean (Hidden)

In many ways, Meowscarada is the Grass Type equivalent of Grenjinja. It has the Grass + Dark combination, it's a speedy glass cannon, and probably most notable of all, it has Protean. Comp. veterans should be aware of how terrifying Protean was on Greninja, and now we have a new age of terror to watch out for. Or at least, that's what it might look like at first glance. In this generation, the Ability Protean, among a selection of others, was hit with a pretty hefty nerf. Now, the Ability can only activate once per switch-in. This means you will have to be more strategic and careful as the Protean holder before slapping a bunch of moves onto Meowscarada and praying, lest you get caught with an Electric Type against a newly switched-in Dugtrio. However, as of now, there appears to be no way to obtain the starters' Hidden Abilities, so for the purposes of these analyses, we will only focus on their primary Abilities. In this case, as it is the Grass-type starter, Meowscarada's primary ability is, of course, Overgrow. When at a certain damage threshold, the power of Mewoscarada's Grass-type moves will be increased slightly.

Meowscarada's Speed stat of 123 puts it comfortably in the top 20 fastest Pokemon of this Gen's current meta, and the top 10 when disregarding the unreleased Pokémon. Most notably, Meowscarada will outspeed Greninja by 1 point when it releases. This might force Greninjas to use Choice Scarf if they wish to counter Meowscarada specifically. Though, with Pokémon like Kilowattrel and Weavile in the current meta, this might not be too much of an issue. With this speed stat, however, Meoscarada can outspeed one of its biggest counters, Skeledirge, and can threaten it super-effectively with a STAB Night Slash. Its Attack stat is naturally the most important part. We will get into its movest later, but with the advent of Terastalizing, a high Attack stat with access to a lot of offensive prowess gives Meowscarada a lot of potential to be an oppressive force to many different Pokémon. Its Defenses are naturally pretty rough, and the usual warnings apply here. Meowscarada is a sweeper, so it's best used for what it's meant to do. Don't expect it to take too many hits, and try to hit with your hardest moves. Lastly, looking at its Special Attack, it isn't the worst. Base 81 will allow it to utilize its surprising variety of special moves if need be, and can offer opportunities for a variety of different movesets. Speaking of...

Moveset Ideas

Let's first take a look at a fairly standard set idea that you can use to practice with. of course, feel free to fine-tune any of these movesets as you like, we're in the learning phase of the meta currently.

"Greeninja"
Meowscarada @ Life Orb
Ability: Overgrow
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Knock Off
- Sucker Punch
- Flower Trick
- U-turn

Of course, we utilize the Jolly Nature to give Meowscarada the most Speed possible, while dropping its currently most useless stat, Special Attack. Putting maximum EVs in Attack and Speed is a no-brainer. Life Orb, as you know, boosts the power of attacks while dealing a little bit of recoil damage in return. Knock Off is a great STAB move that will remove the target's item when used. Notable damage calculations to take note of are a 100% chance to OHKO Skeledirge without a Defense boosting Nature or HP investment, and then a 35.7% chance to do so when it has 252 HP EVs. It's also a 100% chance to OHKO Armarouge and Ceruledge, which it also outspeeds. These are, of course, just a few examples of Pokémon Meowscarada can handle, and I encourage you all to experiment more once get more into the meta. Sucker Punch is one of two options Meowscarada has for priority, the other being Quick Attack. Both of these options are actually pretty good, as Sucker Punch can fail if the target does not use a damaging move on the same turn as you, making Quick Attack have a nice little niche usage to catch some players off guard.

Flower Trick is Meowscarada's signature move, and what a signature it is. Currently, Smogon lists it as a "usually useless" move, and I don't understand why. It has 70 base power, and is a physical Grass move, making it an already solid choice of move for a Pokémon like this. While Petal Blizzard is a stronger move with 90 base power, Flower Trick, in my opinion, clearly outclasses it. This move not only never misses, it also guarantees a Critical Hit. Off the bat, the extra damage of a C.H. is fantastic, but on top of this, this means Flower Trick is a lot like Darkest Lariat in that it will ignore the stat boost of the opponent because it always results in a C.H., making some stall options virtually useless. I really do think Flower Trick is being slept on and is Meowscarada's best move. For example Dondozo, a brand new physical tank with 150 HP and 115 Defense, is cut down in two hits by Flower Trick. While Petal Blizzard will also do fantastic damage in this situation, the potential of Dondozo's Curse and Rest makes Petal Blizzard less useful over time, whereas Flower Trick is always going to have that 70-83% damage roll on Dondozo, regardless of how tanky it gets. Flower Trick is, in my mind, a must-have when countering physical tanks like the aforementioned Dondozo.

Lastly, U-Turn is a staple of Pokémon like Meowscarada, if a Pokémon that can counter you swaps in and you know you can't OHKO it, you can dip and leave it a bit of damage as a parting gift. That said, U-Turn isn't as great this gen as you might initially expect. there's a new Pokémon called Glimmora that acts like Nihilego 2.0 in many ways. Glimmora is a Poison + Rock type, already making a solid check on Meowscarada, but it also has one of the best new abilities in this gen. Toxic Debris will set up a layer of Toxic Spikes when the opponent is hit by a move that makes contact. This means you could accidentally endanger the rest of your team by using U-Turn to switch out from a Glimmora, and it's something that threatens quite a few Pokémon in this current meta. This, in my opinion, is why I'd run a Glimmora or another Poison-type of my own to clear Toxic Spikes. Naturally, with Foretress back in the meta, this is something else to consider as a check to Glimmora This Pokémon is one of the scariest in the meta, and if you plan to run Meowscarada, it is something you should be aware of.

"TERA-ble Pun"
Meowscarada @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Overgrow
Tera Type: Rock
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Tera Blast
- U-Turn
- Flower Trick
- Knock Off

Now we move onto a set that utilizes the Terastalizing gimmick of the new Generation. When Terastalizing a Pokémon, its type changes to whichever its "Tera Type" is. This has a lot of implications in competitive, such as removing weaknesses you once had and making yourself resistant to them, a good example would be an Ice-type changing to a Water-type to negate Fire-type damage. Another thing that happens is moves of the same type as your Tera Type will have a boost of 1.5x (I think, still need to check that soon). this stacks on top of your normal STAB boost, meaning you will essentially deal double damage, all before other factors like weakness and resistance are taken into consideration. In any case, this is obviously a really great gimmick when it comes to pure damage output, but wouldn't you know, there's another bonus to all of this. Tera Blast is a move that changes to match the type of your Tera Type, meaning you get a STAB move for free and can run any Tera Type thanks to this move. On top of all of that, tera Blast changes to be either Physical or Special - depending on what your higher stat is.

This set runs a Choice Scarf to help outspeed some of its more oppressive and dangerous threats, giving it a nice maximum speed of about 538. While your Tera Type can, and should, change to fit whatever Pokémon you feel most threatened by, this set opts to run a Rock-type Tera Blast to counter Kilowattrel, an Electric + Flying type which outspeeds it, as well as OU veteran Talonflame. Meowscarada can run Power Gem, but as it is a Special Move, for this set I believe it makes more sense to take advantage of all of Meowscarada's physical prowess and go with a phys. Tera Blast. Other options include a Ground-type Tera Blast to counter Electrode and Jolteon, Ice to counter Noivern, or Fire to counter Foretress. These, of course, are just some early predictions and you can be free to experiment as you like.

To cap off the moveset section , I'll list a few other noteworthy moves Meowscarada has here;
- Acrobatics
- Brick Break
- Hone Claws
- Low Kick
- Play Rough
- Shadow Claw

Smogon/Showdown currently pushes Meowscarada as a potential mixed attacker, and at a glance I can see why. It has access to Nasty Plot, as well as moves like Giga Drain, Shadow Ball, Dark Pulse and Power Gem to name a few. A Focus Sash set could make for a nice special sweeping set, and help to quickly steamroll teams that way. But in my opinion, I feel like Meowscarada is going to be in its best when it is utilizing the attack stat. A Low Kick from this Pokémon can threaten a Pokémon like Tyranitar, whereas a Grass Knot may as well be useless. You could also run a Choice Specs to help with damage, but then you lose access to Nasty Plot.

No matter what way I look at it, a special Meowscarada is most likely going to be less viable than the physical sets I've shown here today. We are very early into the meta, of course, and this can change as we progress and learn more, but for right now I think it will be best used as a physical sweeper, with niche special sweeping usage, and the potential for a mixed set in the future.

Potential teammates for Meowscarada any Pokémon which will be able to handle some of the tougher threats it will face. Good Water-types which can set up the rain, like Pelliper, immediately comes to mind. A Pokémon like Foretress or Donphan is a great spinner to clear hazards Meowscarada cannot deal with on its own, most notably Toxic Spikes. A Pokémon with Sticky Web is also worth considering to help Meowscarada get a little bit more of an edge over some faster, or Scarfed Pokémon it might not be able to outspeed normally.

A few other items to consider are Expert Belt for more damage on super-effective hits, Choice Band if you run a full attacking set, Focus Sash if you choose to run Hone Claws or Agility, Miracle Seed for Meowscarada's Grass-type moves, new item Covert Cloak, which protects the holder from secondary effects, making a move like Nuzzle useless, and of course Tanga Berry to halve super-effective Bug-type moves, a pretty good option to consider for a Pokémon 4x weak to it.

So to end this analysis, I think Meowscarada will be quite the force to reckon with eary on. I don't actually see Protean being a massive game changer to its overall playstyle, and if anything I think overgrown might end up being better. Flower Trick is a move you cannot sleep on, and finding ways to predict and counter that specifically will be how you work around an opposing Meowscarada. I hope this guide gave you a good idea of how you can use Meowscarada, and I can't wait to see how this Pokémon adapts to the meta.

Rillaboom Competitive Analysis

Tue, 23 Jun 2020 01:14:59 -0700

What's up Trainers! I'm back again. Sword & Shield's latest expansion DLC got me very excited for one thing in particular, the new competitive meta. Gen 8 meta has been ridden with Stall Teams led by Clefable, but now with the expanded Pokedex, the meta scene is finally being shaken up. The introduction of more steel types offers a counter to the aforementioned Clefable, which many Dark Types like Thievul and the recently added Zoroark will enjoy. That said, today I'm covering a set I made quite literally an hour ago! Our Galarian starters finally have their Hidden Abilities made legal, and this means it's time for some crazy new sets! As you can tell by the title, I'm going to go over Rillaboom. I would have done this sooner, but I wanted to specifically wait in case new moves were added to the DLC, and lo and behold they were. Enough banter however, I think it's high time we got right into this overview.

My comissions are open

So you can immediately see Rillaboom is a bulky physical attacker, real straightforward stuff. It's defenses aren't the worst, so it can favor tanking hits here and there. In my excitement to talk about Rillaboom, i forgot to add to the image that it gets the Overgrow and Grassy Surge ability. Grassy Surge is what we're going to be focusing on here, although Overgrow can have it's niche usage. I won't go over many damage calcs for the basic set, as I'm sure most people already know it's usage.

Set 1
Rillaboom @ Assault Vest
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Darkest Lariat
- Fake Out
- Grassy Glide
- Drain Punch / Earthquake / Hammer Arm

All right, so let's get the basic set out of the way first, Adamant Nature + 252 Attack makes Rillaboom hit as hard as it possibly can. Grassy Surge will not only boost it's Grass type moves but will heal a small amount of HP back to Pokemon touching the ground each turn. Darkest Lariat is a useful move as it allows Rillaboom to not only just hit Psychic types like Indeedee-F super effectively, it ignores the opponent's stat changes too, so no +Def for example. Fake Out is your opening priority move, it can be useful for halting setup Pokemon, or just break Focus Sash on certain mons like Flapple. Grassy Glide is the brand new Grass type tutor move introduced in the DLC that has 70 Base Power, so not as strong as Drum Beating or Wood Hammer, but it gains priority under Grassy Terrain making it extremely useful for some of Rillaboom's faster matchups, notably I think of Dracovish. The last slot is interchangeable, Earthquake and Hammer Arm are extremely powerful moves, and Drain Punch could be considered if you want to keep Rillaboom around longer. Assault Vest is also interchangeable for something basic like a Grassy Seed to boost Rillaboom's Defense by one stage, or a Life Orb to increase damage output.

Set 2
Rillaboom @ Leftovers
Ability: Grassy Surge
Level: 50
EVs: 188 HP / 88 Atk / 232 Def
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Grassy Glide
- Fake Out
- High Horsepower
- Superpower / Hammer Arm

That's starting to look more like a "me" set now isn't it? This set is a doubles build and can utilized in different ways. The EV Spread is definitely the most peculiar so lets talk that first. The 188 HP combined with the 232 Def gives Rillaboom just enough defensive power to survive A Pyro Ball from a non boosted Cinderace, however more impressively, it can survive Max Flare being boosted by Pyro Ball too. You can opt to adjust the Defense and HP EVs as you please for specifc matchups like Darmanitan-Galar (although look, you're not going to want to fight that anyway) but in terms of this matchup i feel it's important to note because Cinderace will become even more popular thanks to it's Libero ability. This specific spread may even force Cinderace to go for Life Orb or Choice Band over Scarf which it would use to outspeed Dragapult. The 88 Attack allows Rillaboom to two shot most opponents that get hit by it's super-effective Grassy Glide or High Horsepower, but with a specific pairing you'll see why this is not even a hindrance to the Pokemon at all. The 0 Speed and Relaxed Nature very important for giving Rillaboom as little speed as possible, as it shares a speed tier with Indeedee-F who can also set terrain. Terrain setting is determined on speed so if Rillaboom is slower, it's terrain wiull acivate last which is what you're hoping for most of the time. Additionally, paired with Hammer Arm, you will be able to utilize Rillaboom effectively on Trick Room teams now, or if the opponent has a TR setup, Rillaboom may be able to counter those sets, but even then you have priority (and power) in Grassy Glide.

Team Building for VGC

Ok I previously mentioned that you can pair the Rillaboom with a specific ally to make full use of it's moves, and the Pokemon I was talking about may surprise you as it's Stonjourner! Stonjourner has the Ability Power Spot, which boosts the power of an ally's move by 1.3x normal. Obviously pairing this with Rillaboom is insanely useful as it gives our defensive set more attack power that it normally cannot spare. With Power Spot Hammer Arm and High Horsepower can pick up the KOs on pokemon more effectively than usual. Stonjourner is also useful in that it gets Wide Guard which protects allies from spread moves, which have been made common thanks to Togekiss and it's Dazzling Gleam, and Chandelure and it's new use of Burning Jealousy. Stonjourner's Defense is impressive at 135 meaning it will survive for a while against physical attacks, but it cannot be used against special attackers it's Sp.Def is a measly 20. It can also hit hard as it is in the same attack tier as Rillaboom, so giving it Rock Slide to cover certain Pokemon is basically a must.

Another Pokemon to consider is Thievul. Thievul has the Ability Unburden which boosts Speed upon item usage or loss, obviously you would give Thievul a Grassy Seed to be used immediately. Thievul has the move Howl which has the use of boosting both you and your ally's Attack stat, and I'm sure you can see why that is useful for the defensive Rillaboom set. Thievul also favours having Parting Shot which swaps Thievul out while lower the target's Attack and Special Attack stats. Alternatively, with Persian-Alola back in the game, you can opt to use it and Quash instead.

Damage Calcs

OFFENSIVE

88 Atk Rillaboom Superpower vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Darmanitan-Galar: 188-222 (103.8 - 122.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO
(188, 190, 192, 194, 196, 198, 202, 204, 206, 208, 210, 212, 214, 216, 218, 222)

88 Atk Rillaboom Power Spot High Horsepower vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Cinderace: 154-182 (99.3 - 117.4%) -- 93.8% chance to OHKO
(154, 156, 158, 160, 160, 162, 164, 166, 168, 170, 172, 174, 176, 178, 180, 182)

88 Atk Rillaboom Power Spot High Horsepower vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Toxapex: 66-78 (42 - 49.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
(66, 66, 66, 68, 68, 70, 70, 70, 72, 72, 74, 74, 74, 76, 76, 78)

-1 88 Atk Rillaboom Power Spot High Horsepower vs. 76 HP / 4 Def Arcanine: 98-116 (56 - 66.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Figy Berry recovery
(98, 98, 100, 102, 102, 104, 104, 106, 106, 108, 110, 110, 112, 112, 114, 116)

88 Atk Rillaboom Power Spot Grassy Glide vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Hippowdon in Grassy Terrain: 114-134 (53 - 62.3%) -- 71.5% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery and Grassy Terrain recovery
(114, 114, 116, 116, 120, 120, 120, 122, 122, 126, 126, 128, 128, 132, 132, 134)

88 Atk Rillaboom Power Spot Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Dragapult: 158-186 (96.3 - 113.4%) -- 75% chance to OHKO
(158, 158, 160, 162, 164, 166, 168, 170, 172, 174, 176, 178, 180, 182, 184, 186)

88 Atk Rillaboom Power Spot Superpower vs. 68 HP / 188 Def Snorlax: 170-200 (69.6 - 81.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Gluttony Figy Berry recovery
(170, 172, 174, 176, 178, 180, 182, 184, 186, 188, 190, 192, 194, 196, 198, 200)

DEFENSIVE

252 Atk Cinderace Pyro Ball vs. 188 HP / 232+ Def Rillaboom: 152-180 (76.3 - 90.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery and Grassy Terrain recovery
(152, 152, 156, 156, 158, 162, 162, 164, 164, 168, 170, 170, 174, 174, 176, 180)

252+ SpA Aegislash-Blade Shadow Ball vs. 188 HP / 0 SpD Rillaboom: 106-126 (53.2 - 63.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
(106, 108, 109, 109, 111, 112, 114, 115, 117, 117, 118, 120, 121, 123, 124, 126)

156 SpA Lapras Freeze-Dry vs. 188 HP / 0 SpD Rillaboom: 110-132 (55.2 - 66.3%) -- 98.4% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery and Grassy Terrain recovery
(110, 110, 114, 114, 116, 116, 120, 120, 120, 122, 122, 126, 126, 128, 128, 132)

252+ SpA Life Orb Hatterene Psychic vs. 188 HP / 0 SpD Rillaboom: 152-179 (76.3 - 89.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery and Grassy Terrain recovery
(152, 153, 156, 156, 157, 160, 161, 164, 165, 168, 169, 172, 173, 175, 177, 179)

Counters

Rillaboom's biggest counter would be Darmanitan-Galar as it's able to survive the moves Rillaboom can dish out, even with Power Spot, and then OHKO it in return. Sun teams are something to especially keep an eye out for as Fire Types boosted by the Sun will decimate Rillaboom. Of course you can always counter this by bringing a Rain setter as Rillaboom doesn't particularly favour any weather, but will prefer the non damaging one in Rain, so bring Ludicolo, Politoed or utilize a Max Water Type move to change the weather in your favour. Primarily Special attackers like Dragapult will also be able to defeat Rillaboom with ease.

All right, now it's time to take a look at the set in use, here's two good replays I was able to secure using the Rillastone core.

Rillastone semi-sweep
Weather Manipulation + Support

Gen 8 OU (Beta) Cinderace Competitive Analysis

Sat, 30 Nov 2019 20:06:06 -0800

The starter final evos were left as mysteries to those of us who didn't check the leaks, as GAME FREAK did the unexpected and never revealed them, not even the mid evos. Well, I think the wait was more than worth it as we got some really fire Pokemon designs. Today we're gonna check out the hot topic of the new starters with Cinderace, the final evo of Scorbunny. This rabbit soccer player is gonna help you blaze a trail of glory with some heated matches in the current OU Metagame. And with that, let's get started!

BST

Cinderace

Abilities - Blaze, Libero
HP - 80
Attack - 116
Defense - 75
Sp. Atk - 65
Sp. Def - 75
Speed - 119

Cinderace has an amazing 116 on the base attack and an equally impressive 119 Speed to back it up, it's defenses aren't the best but that's to be expected from glass cannon Pokemon like this. While it is a pure fire type it gets a really decent coverage overall and it's ability Blaze can come in hand in tight situations. It's Hidden Ability Libero, which is currently unavailable, acts like a reverse Protean, where instead of changing the Pokemon's type, the move matches the Pokemon's type instead, thus making every attack STAB. I believe once Libero releases, it will have many interesting uses, but for now we can only use Blaze. So, lets look at the sets.

Fast Boi

Cinderace @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Pyro Ball
- U-turn
- Iron Head
- Double-Edge

Stats and Item

Cinderace should always be used as a fast physical late game sweeper, so without any doubt, you will always max it's speed and attack accordingly. I have gone with the Jolly Nature alongside the Choice Scarf as a means to help outspeed Dragapult, while also helping it outspeed other matchups like Gengar. Choice Scarf (and all Choice Items) will lock you into using the first selected move, so you naturally need to be wary.

Moves

One of two signature moves Cinderace recieves in Sword & Shield is called Pyro Ball. Pyro Ball is a 120 BP move with 90 accuracy, and a 10% chance to burn the opponent. Effectively, it's a safer option over Flare Blitz due to there being no major drawback, except for the accuracy. This is easily Cinderace's best attack, as we'll see later. U-Turn will deal damage and cause the user to switch out of a dangerous situation, and with Cinderace's speed on this set, you will more than likely be going first in most cases. With Fairy Types finding more use due to Dragapult's reign over the meta, Iron Head has become a staple on Physical Pokemon sets that can run it. Cinderace is, again, one of those many that can utilize it. It also has a 30% chance to flinch. Finally, I have opted to put Double-Edge on here. While it isn't a specific counter to anything, it's another powerful attack that Cinderace can utilize on Pokemon that resist it's stronger STAB Pyro Ball. This can easily be swapped for something like Zen Headbutt too.

Damage Calcs

252 Atk Cinderace Pyro Ball vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Ferrothorn: 436-516 (124.2 - 147%) -- guaranteed OHKO
(436, 436, 444, 448, 456, 460, 468, 472, 472, 480, 484, 492, 496, 504, 508, 516)

252 Atk Cinderace Pyro Ball vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Darmanitan-Galar: 584-690 (165.9 - 196%) -- guaranteed OHKO
(584, 590, 600, 606, 612, 620, 626, 632, 638, 648, 654, 660, 668, 674, 680, 690)

252 Atk Cinderace Pyro Ball vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Aegislash-Shield: 254-302 (78.3 - 93.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
(254, 258, 260, 264, 266, 270, 272, 276, 278, 282, 284, 288, 290, 294, 296, 302)

252 Atk Cinderace Pyro Ball vs. +1 252 HP / 0 Def Grimmsnarl: 171-202 (43.4 - 51.2%) -- 6.6% chance to 2HKO after Figy Berry recovery
(171, 174, 175, 177, 180, 181, 183, 186, 187, 189, 192, 193, 195, 198, 199, 202)

252 Atk Cinderace Iron Head vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Mimikyu: 194-230 (76.9 - 91.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
(194, 196, 200, 202, 204, 206, 208, 210, 212, 216, 218, 220, 222, 224, 226, 230)

Soccer Pants

Cinderace @ Focus Sash
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Lonely Nature
IVs: 0 HP / 0 Def / 0 SpD
- Court Change
- Pyro Ball
- Iron Head
- High Jump Kick

Stats and Item

So right off the bat, this is starting to look like one of my Unconventional Sets isn't it, well that's sort of the point here. I've discovered a rather niche Cinderace set that works around Blaze. It's IVs in HP, Defense and Sp. Def are all 0 so that you'll be dropped to Blaze% HP as fast as possible, you will also have the Lonely Nature to help with this as more Physically stronger Pokemon tend to run the meta currently. This set is very specific but it works ridiculously well in practice. The Focus Sash will help it to live a hit that would OHKO it at full health. Do keep in mind this isn't a super serious set and is more experimental.

Moves

Remember when I said one of two signature moves? Well I wasn't lying, it's second signature move is called Court Change. In the event that you happen to be facing a trap setter, Court Change can be really useful as you will swap the field effects with the opponent. So say they've set up max Spikes, Rocks etc, Court Change will place those Hazards on the opponent's side instead of yours. I find this to be extremely useful, and unlike Rapid Spin which needs to hit the opponent to work, this is a Status move, meaning Corsola cannot block it. See above for the uses of Pyro Ball and Iron Head. High Jump Kick is a super strong fighting type move, 130 BP, but if it misses it will deal 50% recoil to the user. High risk, high reward, great against a lot of Pokemon if it lands.

Damage Calcs

252+ Atk Cinderace High Jump Kick vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Grimmsnarl: 204-241 (51.7 - 61.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Figy Berry recovery
(204, 207, 209, 212, 214, 216, 219, 221, 224, 226, 228, 231, 233, 236, 238, 241)

252+ Atk Cinderace High Jump Kick vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Hydreigon: 316-372 (96.9 - 114.1%) -- 81.3% chance to OHKO
(316, 318, 322, 326, 330, 334, 338, 342, 344, 348, 352, 356, 360, 364, 368, 372)

252+ Atk Blaze Cinderace Pyro Ball vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Aegislash-Shield: 420-494 (129.6 - 152.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
(420, 422, 428, 434, 438, 444, 450, 452, 458, 464, 468, 474, 480, 482, 488, 494)

252+ Atk Blaze Cinderace Pyro Ball vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Ferrothorn: 712-840 (202.8 - 239.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
(712, 720, 724, 736, 744, 756, 760, 768, 780, 784, 796, 804, 808, 820, 828, 840) lol

252+ Atk Cinderace High Jump Kick vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Tyranitar: 532-628 (131.6 - 155.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
(532, 540, 544, 552, 556, 564, 568, 576, 584, 588, 596, 600, 608, 612, 620, 628)

Threats

Dugtrio is back and is no stranger to stopping "OP" Pokemon, its Scarf Set can throw Cinderace for a loop and KO it with a STAB Earthquake. Gyarados and other strong Water Types will naturally pose a threat, and of course, like usual, Dragapult is a threat to just about everything in the meta at the moment.

Team Sets

Cinderace will take care of opposing Ice types with ease so utilizing it alongside Dragapult or Hydreigon can be a great pairing.

On the set without Court Change, a Rapid Spin Pokemon like Excadrill is a great way to get rid of hazards.

Torkoal with Drought can be of use to help power up Pyro Ball even further, and it also gets Rapid Spin.

Other Options

Realistically, this is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Cinderace's potential. You can easily opt to run Adamant Scarf, or Jolly Band on it.

And even then you can run Life Orb to have a more open moveset.

If you're really trying to scare off Fairy Types, Cinderace can also learn Gunk Shot.

On the Focus Sash set, you can also run Counter instead of HJK as a nice mixup and possibly OHKO a stronger opponent.

Gen 8 OU (Beta) Dragapult Competitive Analysis

Thu, 21 Nov 2019 16:01:54 -0800

Each new Gen we immediately look to the pseudo legend of that region to see how they stack up in Competitive, almost every time they have something that makes them stand out. And this time is no different, Sword & Shield gave us the new pseudo legendary Dragapult. Dragapult shares it's typing with Giratina making it the second Ghost Dragon Pokemon, along with it's pre evolutions. But, how good is it and how can we use it in the current meta? Let's take a look.

BST

Dragapult

Ability - Clear Body, Infiltrator and Cursed Body
HP - 88
Attack - 120
Defense - 75
Sp. Atk - 100
Sp. Def - 75
Speed - 142

Dragapult has a ridiculous 142 Base Speed, making it the third fastest Pokemon of the current gen meta, behind only Ninjask and Accelgor. It's able to out speed it's main threat of Gengar which is huge, and it can out speed every other common threat, and this is before we even apply modifiers. It's Ability Clear Body allows it to ignore stat changes, so Intimidate Gyarados does not scare it off, and it even gets Cursed Body as a Hidden Ability, but I find Infiltrator to be especially promising as stall Pokemon like to run Substitute, and this will completely ignore it. The go to Ability will be Clear Body, however, as there is much more practicality behind using it. It has a hefty 120 on the Attack, and with access to some hard hitting moves which we'll see later, it lends itself well to Physical sets. Don't copunt out it's special capabilities yet as Dragapult may have a much lower Special attack, it still recieves a few powerful moves that can work extremely well in different matchups. This time, however, I'll be going over the Physical set, and update when I learn the Special Set. So, with that said, it's set time.

Physical Sash

Dragapult @ Focus Sash
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Outrage
- U-turn
- Psychic Fangs

Stats, Item and Ability

Dragapult is a physical powerhouse, and as such will be a late game sweeper set seen on many teams. While it doesn't directly counter a lot of specific Pokemon, it counters Gengar, one of OU's biggest threats right now and will naturally counter other Dragon Types. EV Spread is self explanatory, it is optimized to give it the best Speed and Attack it can have. I have opted give Dragapult an Adamant Nature to give Dragapult even more power behind it's hits and pick up KOs much more effectively, even before boosts. I use Clear Body as it is Dragapult's most versatile tool, able to ignore stat drops from any Pokemon, except for the occasional Mold Breaker Pokemon. I gave my Dragapult a Focus Sash for a very obvious role, to take one hit after setting up Dragon Dance and proceeding to sweep anything it can. obviously this can be negated by traps and weaker moves, but generally this will be a late game sweeper, so it manages to work effectively.

Moves

Dragon Dance is the tried and true setup tool, and of course any physical Dragapult set will want to run this move, it will boost your attack and speed, increasing your KO potential even further. Outrage is Dragapult's strongest physical move (thats viable) and as such, is a great tool. Not only does Dragapult get STAB from it, it will naturally hit HARD. Even defensive Pokemon can still feel the brunt of this attack. Next I have U-Turn, a great move you can use even without boosting to get out bad matchups, or to scout opponents moves. As Dagapult naturally outspeeds many Pokemon in the current meta, it can get away with some free damage while saving it's HP. Of course you can't freely use it on Pokemon like Ferrothorn as the whole set revolves around the Focus Sash. Latly we have Psychic Fangs. Dragapult, despite being a Ghost Type, doesn't get Shadow Claw, and its next best Physcial Ghost move is Phantom Force, so instead Ive opted for Psychic Fangs. This move instantly breaks screens, which does include Aurora Veil, but it also hard counters Gengar, and other prominent Poison types like Toxapex, and also hard counters Hawlucha which can now run Throat Chop.

Damage Calcs

252+ Atk Dragapult Psychic Fangs vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Gengar: 232-274 (88.8 - 104.9%) -- 31.3% chance to OHKO
(232, 234, 238, 240, 242, 246, 248, 252, 254, 256, 260, 262, 264, 268, 270, 274)

+1 252+ Atk Dragapult Psychic Fangs vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Gengar: 348-410 (133.3 - 157%) -- guaranteed OHKO
(348, 352, 356, 360, 364, 368, 372, 376, 380, 384, 388, 392, 396, 400, 404, 410)

+1 252+ Atk Dragapult Psychic Fangs vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Toxapex: 154-182 (50.6 - 59.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
(154, 156, 158, 160, 160, 162, 164, 166, 168, 170, 172, 174, 176, 178, 180, 182)

+1 252+ Atk Dragapult Outrage vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Abomasnow: 387-456 (100.7 - 118.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO
(387, 391, 396, 400, 405, 409, 414, 418, 423, 427, 432, 436, 441, 445, 450, 456)

252+ Atk Dragapult Outrage vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Dragapult: 516-608 (180.4 - 212.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO
(516, 522, 528, 534, 540, 546, 552, 558, 564, 570, 576, 582, 588, 594, 600, 608)

252+ Atk Dragapult Outrage vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Hydreigon: 444-524 (136.1 - 160.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO
(444, 450, 456, 462, 464, 470, 476, 482, 486, 492, 498, 504, 506, 512, 518, 524)

+1 252+ Atk Dragapult Outrage vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Araquanid: 231-273 (67.9 - 80.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
(231, 234, 237, 240, 241, 244, 247, 250, 253, 256, 258, 261, 264, 267, 270, 273)

Threats

Opposing Dragapult can easily opt to run Jolly over Adamant and cause just as trouble for it, as it can to them. Gengar running scarf is also another threat to be wary of, as Shadow Ball can easily topple it. Golisopod and Weavile both get access to strong priority moves, making it's Focus Sash and Speed null. And, although I still cant believe I'm saying it, Corsola can be a terrifying counter to Dragapult as it's Eviolite lets it tank even a Boosted Outrage and burn in return.

Team Sets

On the flipside, Corsola can be a great help to Dragapult as it can drop rocks onto opponents and hit them with Whirlpool, slowly damaging them as Dragapult can setup. Especially useful if you trap weaker setup Pokemon like Ferrothorn, offering you up to two Dances in a row if possible.

Any Rapid Spin Pokemon is a must for Dragapult simply because traps will break it's sash.

Weavile or Hawlucha are great counters to Dark or Dragon types that can threaten Dragapult.

Other Options

As stated before, you can run Jolly to outspeed more effectively, but instead of sash, you can also run Scarf for speed increases, and you'll outspeed Gengar running scarf too.

A Life Orb can be run in place of the Sash to increase Dragapult's power even more.

Instead of Dance, You can run Phantom Force and a Choice Band as a mixup.

Gen 8 OU (Beta) Galarian Corsola (Eviolite Stall)

Wed, 20 Nov 2019 23:00:45 -0800

It's very easy to see that Pokemon Sun & Moon introduced us many rather lacking additions, but one that stood out was Alolan Forms, and while these forms were exclusive to Kanto Pokemon, they offered up interesting ideas. Generation 8, Sword & Shield, has followed suit with Galarian Forms. And in my opinion, none hold as much potential as Galarian Corsola. No longer held back by it's 4x weakness to Grass, G-Corsola is a pure Ghost type. The biggest addition to Corsola however, is it's ability to evolve into Cursola. While Cursola definitely is intriguing, today we're taking a look at Corsola and how it currently stacks in the Gen 8 OU Meta. For this I'll be going off of Smogon's Beta OU Singles format, information is subject to change be wary.

Comparison & BST

Corsola

HP - 65

Attack - 55

Defense - 95

Sp. Atk - 65

Sp. Def - 95

Speed - 35

Corsola-Galar

HP - 60
Attack - 55
Defense - 100
Sp. Atk - 65
Sp. Def - 100
Speed - 30

So, immediately we can see that Galarian Corsola got a slight increase to it's Defenses. Now, while it might seem like a little bit, don't forget, Corsola can now effectively use the violite item, making it far more viable than it used to be. While it did recieve a nerf to it's HP, it's Speed, in my opinion, got a nice buff because depending on the set you can run a Trick Room Corsola to set up on Pokemon you don't need to fear. Additionally, it's new type of Ghost helps it enter matchups regular Corsola just cant, and in a meta which will have the likes of Rillaboom, Appletun, Flapple anf a few other Grass types, as well as returning threats like Mudsdale, no longer being held back by Rock and Water is a huge help. Thats all there is to the main concept behind Corsola in Gen 8, lets look at the set I use at the moment.

Corsola-Galar @ Eviolite
Ability: Cursed Body
EVs: 252 HP / 128 Def / 128 SpD
Calm / Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Will-O-Wisp
- Protect / Strength Sap
- Stealth Rock
- Whirlpool

Stats, Item & Ability

Corsola's main role lies in being a stall Pokemon as noted by it's moves. It's HP is of course lowered in this new form, so we can't afford to not have that be max EVs, and I've gone for a split on the Defense EVs. You can interchange the Nature from Bold to Calm depending on the matchup, just as long as the nature you have makes it have low attack in case of confusion, and of course 0 IVs on the Attack. Cursed Body is a new tool Corsola gets access to in Gen 8, and I think it might be the best Cursed Body holder yet. CB gives a 30% chance for Pokemon to have their move disabled when used on Corsola. And this can be HUGE for Pokemon who are choiced, or in the case of Galarian Darmanitan, have Gorrila Tactics, as it can force a switch or ruin their set up entirely. And of course, we can now utilize the Eviolite item to increase Corsola's Defenses even further.

Moves

Now, heres where it gets really good for Corsola, it's new moves are really REALLY useful tools, but the one in particular you'll always want to run is Will-o-Wisp. Will-o-Wisp cuts the Pokemon's attack stat in half, and there are a large number of physical attacks in this current meta, from Rillaboom to Hawlucha, and the especially scary Galarian Darmanitan, however with this tool you can slow down those normally heavy hitters and seamlessly flow into your other moves. Whirpool is going to be Corsola's trapping move, and your main target will be Wisped opponents or other stall Pokemon which you can try to gimp with Cursed Body. Whirlpool will of course stack damage on over time, and this, like Will-o-Wisp will help you to set up better. Corsola is able to use Stealth Rock in this gen, and much like any other gen, Rocks will always be an effective setup tool. The key thing here however, unlike other rocks users, Corsola is a Ghost type so it can be affected by Rapid Spin and thus it makes that move entirely useless, which is where there trapping comes into play. Protect is the go to stall move, and not much can be said about it that we don't already know, but do keep in mind you can protect against Dynamax or Gigantamax Pokemon's attacks and you will still take some damage. Unfortunately, Corsola doesn't keep Recover so a work around had to be made, and Strength Sap is the way to go, for the same reason we have Will-o-Wisp. Getting hit by Strength Sap drops the opponent's attack and restores Corsola's HP, just increasing it's longevity even further. You can interchange this with Protect depending on the matchup.

Damage Calcs

Now, the best case scenario is you have the opponent Burned, maybe -2 in the attack and trapped as well as Disabled their main attack, all that combined makes Corsola surprisingly versatile and dangerous in Gen 8, but you need to crawl before you walk so lets see how Corsola's survivability is. (Pokemon are level 100, and Choice Band Darmanitan is in place of Gorrila Tactics for now)
252+ Atk Choice Band Darmanitan-Galar Icicle Crash vs. 252 HP / 128+ Def Eviolite Corsola-Galar: 130-154 (40.1 - 47.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
(130, 132, 133, 135, 136, 138, 139, 141, 142, 144, 145, 147, 148, 150, 151, 154)

252+ Atk Choice Band burned Darmanitan-Galar Icicle Crash vs. 252 HP / 128+ Def Eviolite Corsola-Galar: 65-77 (20 - 23.7%) -- guaranteed 5HKO
(65, 66, 66, 67, 68, 69, 69, 70, 71, 72, 72, 73, 74, 75, 75, 77)

252+ Atk Dragapult Phantom Force vs. 252 HP / 128+ Def Eviolite Corsola-Galar: 164-194 (50.6 - 59.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
(164, 164, 168, 170, 170, 174, 176, 176, 180, 182, 182, 186, 188, 188, 192, 194)

252+ Atk Life Orb Dragapult Phantom Force vs. 252 HP / 128+ Def Eviolite Corsola-Galar: 213-252 (65.7 - 77.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
(213, 213, 218, 221, 221, 226, 229, 229, 234, 237, 237, 242, 244, 244, 250, 252)

252+ Atk Life Orb burned Dragapult Phantom Force vs. 252 HP / 128+ Def Eviolite Corsola-Galar: 107-126 (33 - 38.8%) -- 99.5% chance to 3HKO
(107, 107, 109, 110, 110, 113, 114, 114, 117, 118, 118, 121, 122, 122, 125, 126)

252+ Atk Choice Band Rillaboom Wood Hammer vs. 252 HP / 128+ Def Eviolite Corsola-Galar: 169-199 (52.1 - 61.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
(169, 171, 172, 175, 177, 178, 181, 183, 184, 187, 189, 190, 193, 195, 196, 199)

252+ Atk Choice Band Overgrow Rillaboom Wood Hammer vs. 252 HP / 128+ Def Eviolite Corsola-Galar: 253-298 (78 - 91.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
(253, 256, 259, 262, 265, 268, 271, 274, 277, 280, 283, 286, 289, 292, 295, 298)

252+ Atk Life Orb Hawlucha Throat Chop vs. 252 HP / 128+ Def Eviolite Corsola-Galar: 107-127 (33 - 39.1%) -- 99.8% chance to 3HKO
(107, 109, 109, 112, 112, 114, 114, 117, 117, 120, 120, 122, 122, 125, 125, 127)

252 Atk Choice Band Weavile Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 128+ Def Eviolite Corsola-Galar: 240-284 (74 - 87.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
(240, 242, 246, 248, 252, 254, 258, 260, 264, 266, 270, 272, 276, 278, 282, 284)

Threats

Gengar is the main threat to Corsola as it's special attack can easily floor non Calm variants, and possibly OHKO Calm variants anyway using Shadow Ball. Additionally, other stall Pokemon like Toxapex can poison Corsola and don't mind the Burn in return due to their sets, and other Special Attack oriented Pokemon like Special Dragapult can be a tough challenge for Corsola, as they too, won't mind getting Burned.

Team Sets

Corsola can actually work well on many teams excluding Hail and Sand as the weather will chip away at it's HP, which cannot be so easily restored. The best team mates you can put in my opinion are;

- Gengar to counter Dragapult and other Gengar directly using it's G-Max form, and also can OHKO Toxapex and other Corsola.

- Rillaboom can setup Grassy Terrain using either a Grass Type Dynamax move or straight up Grassy Surge, and this will help Corsola out a lot.

- Any Pokemon capable of setting up Spikes to wear opponents down while Corsola adds on with Whirlpool. Note, I leave Toxic Spikes out to ensure Corsola still has access to Will-o-Wisp, and not hinder it's overall performance.

- Umbreon and / or Vaporeon as they still keep access to Wish and are key healers for Corsola.

The Best Sweeper in NU!

Fri, 19 Apr 2019 17:14:37 -0700

Hello there readers! Hope all is well. So, I've been playing NU for about 2 weeks now and I'm having a blast. If anybody is burned out or simply bored with Pokemon, I would suggest hoping onto showdown and jump into the NU tier and just have fun with all the Pokemon that you aren't used to seeing. One of those Pokemon is what this write up is focused on and trust me, the title of this article and the Pokemon I'm going to talk about wont make sense at 1st, but it is fact. If you dont believe me, hop onto NU so you can experience the power of... Comfey?!?

Type: Fairy
Base Stats: 51 HP / 52 Atk / 90 Def / 82 SpA / 110 SpD / 100 Spe
Weaknesses: Poison, Steel
Resistances: Fighting, Bug, Dark
Immunities: Dragon
Abilities: Flower Veil, Triage, Natural Cure

Thats Right! Comfey is the best Sweeper in the NU meta at this time and the reason for that is the ability it has access to that I highlighted above, Triage. Triage, for those who don't know, is an ability exclusive to Comfey that gives health stealing moves +3 Priority!!! So without further ado, lets build a Comfey set!

Comfey @ Life Orb
Ability: Triage
252 SpA
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Draining Kiss
- Giga Drain

So this is the start to every Comfey that you will use and you will face in NU. First off, like I mentioned above, Triage is the key to Comfey being such a great Pokemon. +3 Priority on Draining Kiss and Giga Drain make Comfey a very viable sweeper mid-late game. Calm Mind is to boost Comfey's Sp. Attack stat to make sweeping even easier. Modest nature + Life Orb lets Comfey hit as hard as possible. Plus with the health you get back from Draining Kiss and Giga Drain, the recoil from Life Orb isn't an issue.

Now, there are 2 things you will notice on this set that don't look right:
1) I left most of the EVs blank.
2) I left the 4th move blank.

There is a reason I did this. First off, EVs are interchangeable and can be run however anybody wants, but because Comfey has +3 priority on its 2 main moves, you don't need to run much Speed investment. On the flip side, Max SpA is mandatory so I put that in. As far as the 4th move goes, it depends on what coverage you want. The 3 most viable choices IMO are Hidden Power Ground/Fire/Psychic. Any of those 3 should be the 4th move depending on what coverage you need. So let me explain why.

So the 3 types that wall Comfey are Fire, Steel, and Poison. Below I will list every common Pokemon in NU Comfey should be afraid of as far as typing goes.

Hidden Power Ground, Fire, and Psychic all hit these Pokemon for Super Effective damage, you should pick the one that hits the pokemon your team struggles with the most. For example, the team I built around Comfey struggles with Delphox, so I run Hidden Power Ground on my Comfey. So let me show you my full Comfey set that I am currently using.

Comfey @ Life Orb
Ability: Triage
EVs: 236 HP / 252 SpA / 20 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Draining Kiss
- Giga Drain
- Hidden Power [Ground]

So as I mentioned before, you don't need to run much Speed investment on Comfey because of the +3 Priority you have. The 20 Speed EVs allow Comfey to outspeed Max Speed base 60 Pokemon, mainly Offensive Incineroar. The remaining 236 EVs went into HP to make Comfey as bulky as possible. Hidden Power Ground gives me coverage against types that resist both Fairy and Grass as I talked about above.

Good Team Options

Since Comfey is a sweeper, you need to pair it with Pokemon that can break through the types that wall it. Fire, Steel, and Poison. Ground is the 1 type that can hit all 3 of those types for Super Effective damage. Slowking is a good partner because its STAB attacks hit Fire and Poison Super Effectively and it also has access to Fire Blast to hit Steel types. Comfey also appreciates hazard support, both removing and setting them. Rhydon works well IMO because Comfey can actually set up and threaten a lot of the Water and Grass types that threaten Rhydon.

Comfey In Action

Below I will put a link to a Showdown replay of Comfey sweeping late game. I will also note that Im going to be doing a full write up for this team that I'm using in this battle in the "Competitive Pokemon Discussion Forum". I would suggest reading it because I use some unique sets on this team. Spoiler, my Gastrodon is Z-move! On a 2nd Side note, I also realized after this battle that the Comfey set I was using had the wrong EVs lol. The Comfey in this battle is Max SpA and Speed with Timid nature, so the damage percentages would be different with the set I wrote about.

I hope you all enjoyed reading this and the battle at the end! Comfey is a serious threat in NU and it is seriously fun to use. Honestly, if any of you read this and want to play in the NU tier, I HIGHLY recommend that you have an answer for Comfey on your team. If you don't and you go up against one, you are gonna have a bad time.

The World's Your Erster: Cloyster - Shell Smash

Tue, 16 Apr 2019 15:25:49 -0700

Hey guys,

Its been a while since I last wrote a competitive write-up, and I'm excited to be back!

I've mostly always played VGC. However, with the VGC metagame being rather poor right now, I've decided to try out singles instead. Surprisingly, I actually really enjoy it, and I've been having a ton of fun. Though I'm still shaping a team, I have the basics filled out, and I've encountered a Pokemon I really, really like using. It's not what you'd expect, and its certainly not orthodox, but it works well.

Cloyster @ Focus Sash
Skill Link Ability

Jolly Nature
252 Atk/252 Spe/4 HP
-Shell Smash
-Icicle Spear
-Rock Blast
-Ice Shard

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this set. It's my single favorite thing to use in singles. Let me explain how it works:
Skill Link is a pretty neat ability. It guarantees Multi-Strike moves (in this case, Icicle Spear and Rock Blast) to hit their maximum amount (in both of these cases, 5 times).
The Jolly nature is very useful. It increases Speed and decreases Special Attack, which this set doesn't use anyway. With 252 investment, Cloyster is a speedy Pokemon.
Here's the real magic of this set: Shell Smash. This move, while decreasing Defense and Special Defense by one stage (note the Focus Sash), raises Speed, Special Attack, and Attack by two stages. With the Jolly nature, +2 speed boost, and maximum speed investment, I have yet to ever be outsped. Ever, by anything. Also, note the +2 boost in Attack. Remember how we said Icicle Spear and Rock Blast will hit at all five times because of Skill Link? Each hit, at 25 power each, basically amounts to a 125 power move. At +2. You outspeed and get knockouts.

Like I said, I really like this set.

No, its not perfect. Like any other Focus Sash Pokemon, Cloyster is weak to priority moves (which is where Ice Shard comes in. If you predict a priority move by your opponent, Ice Shard to hit it), and it struggles to KO Steel Types, though it can still drop an Aegislash in Shield Forme to half HP. But, other than that, it really is quite useful.

I have had great success with this Cloyster set, and it is a blast to use. Hope you like it!

-Retro

P.S. I selected VGC or Smogon to show that this is a competitive set, as there is not a "Singles" option. I hate to ask these kinds of questions, but could we maybe add one? Thanks.

VGC18 - Tapu Fini - 2 Movesets - Calm Mind - Choice Specs

Sat, 05 May 2018 12:38:05 -0700

Picture removed due to coming from a questionable source. I apologize for those who had to see it.

Hello, everyone!

Tapu Fini is quite a prominent Pokemon in the VGC18 scene. Despite having dropped in useage recently, it is still the fourth most common Pokemon, and on nearly a third of all teams. With a powerful Water typing and good defenses, Tapu Fini is a 'mon with potential.

Set One: Calm Mind

Tapu Fini @ Wiki Berry
236 HP/4 Def/204 SpA/12 SpD/52 Speed
Modest Nature
Ability: Misty Surge
- Moonblast
- Calm Mind
- Protect
- Muddy Water/Scald/Ice Beam

This set takes advantage of Fini's defensive stats and makes sure it has ample attacking power. Already a powerful Pokemon without any boosts, Calm Mind raises Fini's SpA and SpD to make it both bulky and hard hitting. Moonblast is essential, and can be used on various Dragon threats and as STAB. Muddy Water is a great option if you need double-hitting moves, but if you need Water STAB, Scald is what you're looking for. Ice Beam is also an option for Landorus-Therian, one of the meta's biggest threats.

Set Two: Choice Specs

Tapu Fini @ Choice Specs
108 HP/252 SpA/108 Spe/20 Def
Modest Nature
Ability: Misty Surge
- Moonblast
- Scald
- Muddy Water/Dazzling Gleam
- Ice Beam

Two STAB coverage moves and the option to go for double-hitting attacks make this a great offensive option.This set is designed to be more of a sweeper than an all-around Pokemon, but its useful nonetheless. Because of Choice Specs, this Tapu Fini is an all-out attacker for high damage.

Good Matchups:

Incineroar has surpassed Landorus-Therian as the most commonly used Pokemon on the PGL. Due to Fini's excellent typing, it can easily check the John Cena lion.

Hope y'all enjoyed! I will add calcs in the future and update some of the less-elaborated parts. For now, I just wanted the thread published. Enjoy your VGC journey!

-Retro

VGC18 Zapdos Movesets [3 Options] | Z-Move, Bulky Support, Bulky Attacker

Wed, 11 Apr 2018 20:41:08 -0700

Zapdos
Type: /
Weakness: (x2) (x2)
Resistance: (x0.5) (x0.5) (x0.5) (x0.5) (x0.5)
Immunity:

Base Stats
HP: 90
Attack: 90
Defense: 85
Sp.Atk: 125
Sp.Def: 90
Speed: 100

Zapdos is a very versatile Pokemon, whose typing is really good for the current meta, as it's Ground type Immunity means it doesn't fear Landorus-T, and is a good Switch in for allies who struggle with it. It has a very good Special Attack stat, sitting at 125 Base Power, and surprisingly decent bulk, making it a great support Pokemon as it gets access to Tailwind. Upon Sun and Moon's release, Thundurus became nerfed heavily, making Zapdos the prime Electric type for VGC. Zapdos is such a well-rounded Pokemon, so it can fit into many teams well, it has many different roles such as being the bulky support, or all-out-attacker. Of course, Zapdos isn't without it's threats, and it has quite a few in this year's meta like Stakataka, Tyranitar, Tapu Koko and various Bulky Grass types.

Set 1

Zapdos @ Misty Seed / Psychic Seed
Ability: Pressure
Nature: Calm
EVs: 236 HP / 116 Def / 60 SpA / 4 SpD / 92 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice] / Heat Wave
-Tailwind
- Roost / Protect

Set Details

This is likely going to be one the standard Zapdos sets, it has amazing Bulk to survive a bunch Special orientated Z-Moves, notably Shattered Psyche from Tapu Lele, and with it's Special Attack being as high as it is, it can still dish out decent Damage. This Zapdos set doesn't require much Sp.Def investment as the Seed will increase it greatly already, allowing for defense investment. 116 Defense hits a key benchmark, in that it can make a Jolly 252 / 252 Mega Kangaskhan's Double Edge almost always be a 3HKO after Intimidate, credit to Conan Wild (RazerVGC) for finding this benchmark. Heat Wave and Hidden Power Ice are great overall coverage, Heat Wave notably handles Pokemon like Ferrothorn and HP Ice is notorius for stopping Landorus-T. A set like this will more often want to carry Roost, but Protect is always a very decent option to have.

Usage Tips

You obviously want to pair this with Tapu Lele / Fini as it will immediately activate the seed, but be wary of sending it out too late, as Stealth Rocks will wear it down, so have it out earlier if possible. Since many, many teams often lead with Landorus-T have ing it out first is decent way to pressure them into switching. Tailwind is used to help slower teammates outspeed common threats, so use it as soon as possible, and pressure opponents with your attacks. Roost when needed, or if you're running Protect, you can protect against Z-Moves effectively to take even less damage.

Damage Calculations

252 SpA Life Orb Tapu Koko Thunderbolt vs. +1 236 HP / 4+ SpD Zapdos in Electric Terrain: 79-95 (40.5 - 48.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO Possible damage amounts: (79, 82, 82, 83, 83, 86, 86, 87, 87, 90, 90, 91, 91, 94, 94, 95)
252+ SpA Tapu Lele Shattered Psyche (175 BP) vs. +1 236 HP / 4+ SpD Zapdos in Psychic Terrain: 163-193 (83.5 – 98.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO Possible damage amounts: (163, 165, 168, 169, 171, 174, 175, 177, 178, 181, 183, 184, 187, 189, 190, 193)
252+ SpA Ludicolo Hydro Vortex (185 BP) vs. +1 236 HP / 4+ SpD Misty Seed Zapdos: 90-106 (46.1 - 54.3%) -- 53.9% chance to 2HKO
Possible damage amounts: (90, 91, 91, 93, 94, 94, 96, 97, 99, 99, 100, 102, 102, 103, 105, 106)
252+ Atk Stakataka Rock Slide vs. 236 HP / 116 Def Zapdos: 144-170 (73.8 - 87.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Possible damage amounts: (144, 146, 146, 150, 150, 152, 152, 156, 158, 158, 162, 162, 164, 164, 168, 170)
252+ Atk Landorus-Therian Stone Edge vs. 236 HP / 116 Def Zapdos: 136-162 (69.7 - 83%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Possible damage amounts: (136, 138, 140, 142, 144, 144, 146, 148, 150, 152, 152, 154, 156, 158, 160, 162)
136+ Atk Tapu Bulu Stone Edge vs. 236 HP / 116 Def Zapdos: 116-138 (59.4 - 70.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Possible damage amounts: (116, 118, 120, 120, 122, 124, 124, 126, 128, 128, 130, 132, 132, 134, 136, 138)

Set 2

Zapdos @ Electrium Z
Ability: Pressure
Nature: Modest
EVs: 236 HP / 116 Def / 28 SpA / 84 SpD / 44 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice] / Heat Wave
-Tailwind
- Roost / Protect

Set Details

Another fantastic spread found by Conan Wild, this set is best use of Electrium Z thus far, and has still relatively great bulk investment, with 116 Def still hitting the Kangaskhan-M benchmark, and the 84 SpD investment can survive Tapu Lele's Shattered Psyche. Zapdos' naturally high Special Attack means it doesn't need a lot of investment, and Gigavolt Havoc can deal out a lot of damage. Protect is the preferred move for this set, as this is an offensive set and protecting against Z-Moves and Rock Slide can be crucial., however, Roost isn't the worst move to throw on.

Damage Calculations

28+ SpA Zapdos Thunderbolt vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Aerodactyl: 174-206 (111.5 - 132%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Possible damage amounts: (174, 176, 180, 180, 182, 186, 186, 188, 192, 192, 194, 198, 198, 200, 204, 206)
28+ SpA Zapdos Hidden Power Ice vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Landorus-Therian: 148-176 (90.2 - 107.3%) -- 43.8% chance to OHKO
Possible damage amounts: (148, 148, 152, 152, 156, 156, 160, 160, 160, 164, 164, 168, 168, 172, 172, 176)
28+ SpA Zapdos Gigavolt Havoc (175 BP) vs. 252 HP / 140 SpD Tapu Fini: 192-228 (108.4 - 128.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Leftovers recovery
Possible damage amounts: (192, 194, 198, 198, 200, 204, 206, 206, 210, 212, 216, 216, 218, 222, 224, 228

Set 3

Zapdos @ Assault Vest
Ability: Pressure
Nature: Modest
EVs: 236 HP / 116 Def / 44 SpA / 92 SpD / 20 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk if set does not have Sky Drop, or 31 Atk if set does have Sky Drop
-Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice] / Heat Wave
- Sky Drop / Heat Wave
- Volt Switch

Set Details

Zapdos has acces to utility moves, Volt Switch and Sky Drop, but often can't find use for them without sacrifing Tailwind, however Assault Vest sets can give these moves somelight. Volt Switch is a great pivot move, alowing Zapdos to switch out, dealing damage as it does, in case of dangerous situations, and Sky Drop can cripple Pokemon and allow a partner to safely set up. This spread, like the others, keeps the Kangaskhan benchmark in mind, but now with an Assault Vest, it can take certain attacks a little better, and the 20 Speed hits another key benchmark of outspeeding Adamant Bisharp, who is capable of OHKO'ing Zapdos with a +2 Knock Off. Heat Wave is generally wanted, as this will be Zapdos' answer to Bisharp, Ferrothorn and Skarmory, Sky Drop, although useful, requires specific circumstances to pull it off well, and isn't really best used for Zapdos as a lot can outspeed this set. Volt Switch is, as I said previously, a great pivot move, so use it when needed.

Damage Calculations

44+ SpA Zapdos Heat Wave vs. 248 HP / 8 SpD Skarmory: 132-156 (77.1 - 91.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Possible damage amounts: (132, 134, 134, 136, 138, 140, 140, 142, 144, 146, 148, 148, 150, 152, 154, 156)
44+ SpA Zapdos Heat Wave vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Bisharp: 132-156 (94.2 - 111.4%) -- 68.8% chance to OHKO
Possible damage amounts: (132, 134, 134, 136, 138, 140, 140, 142, 144, 146, 148, 148, 150, 152, 154, 156)
44+ SpA Zapdos Hidden Power Ice vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Landorus-Therian: 152-180 (92.6 - 109.7%) -- 56.3% chance to OHKO
Possible damage amounts: (152, 152, 156, 156, 160, 160, 160, 164, 164, 168, 168, 172, 172, 176, 176, 180)

Team Options

As previously stated, Zapdos' versatility means it can fit into many teams, and find many uses of supporting team mates, so you can really customize a lot when it comes to team selection. Common teams will include Rain setters paired with Tapu Koko, the CHALK team (Cresselia, Heatran, Amoongus, Landorus Kangaskhan) and Sand teams with Excadrill.

Because Tapu Lele and Tapu Fini have terrains, Zapdos can utilize them to its advantage by increasing its special bulk with the Psychic Seed or the Misty Seed, respectively. Tapu Lele can cover for Zapdos by dealing a large amount of damage, while Tapu Fini can cover for its weakness to Rock-types. In return, Zapdos can cover for these two against the likes of opposing bulky Water-types, as well as Mega Charizard Y.

Zapdos can utilize the Grassy Terrain to its advantage by increasing its physical bulk with the Grassy Seed. Although the synergy is not as common as it would be with Tapu Lele or Tapu Fini, Zapdos and Tapu Bulu have a more defensive synergy, namely against rain teams. While Zapdos can cover against Flying-types, including Mega Salamence with a Hidden Power Ice, Tapu Bulu can cover Zapdos’s weakness to Rock-types. Furthermore, Zapdos also resists Steel, another type that Tapu Bulu is weak to.

CHALK

Because Thundurus-I has been nerfed significantly, Zapdos is now one of the best Electric-types in VGC, and with the introduction of Tapu Fini, Zapdos pairs with this archetype fairly well. Kangaskhan can provide Fake Out support to help Zapdos set up a Tailwind, while Zapdos can take Fighting-type attacks with relative ease. Zapdos can easily switch into potential Ground-type moves that would target Heatran, namely those from Landorus-T, and Zapdos can easily retaliate with a Hidden Power Ice. With Cresselia, the opponent faces two very bulky Pokémon with different forms of speed control. Cresselia can provide support with Helping Hand to help Zapdos deal more damage, or even Icy Wind or Trick Room for speed control, while Zapdos can take Bug-type attacks in return. With Landorus, Zapdos can take care of Water-types, while Landorus-T can safely use Earthquake next to it. With Tapu Fini, Zapdos can gain a significant amount of bulk thanks to the Misty Seed.

RAIN

Zapdos can pair well with rain because Charizard Y can threaten weather control, and Zapdos is a secondary option in stopping Charizard Y should the weather be changed to sun. Politoed is the preferred rain setter for Zapdos because it’s bulky, it has access to Icy Wind, and it also has access to disruptive moves such as Encore and Perish Song. Ludicolo is an excellent partner for Fake Out support in case Zapdos needs to set up a Tailwind. Kingdra can slightly deal more damage than Ludicolo thanks to its base 95 special attack stat, and it also has access to Disable as a disruptive move. Swampert is the only rain abuser that deals physical damage, and it’s a great option for stopping Pokémon like Tapu Koko and Nihilego.

Checks and Counters

Tapu Koko can be a huge threat to Zapdos, Taunt can shut down Tailwind and Gigavolt Havoc can OHKO on the more offensive sets
Rock Types, Stakataka, Aerodactyl, Tyranitar-M and Terrakion can almost always 2HKO it with Rock Slide, severely crippling it's capability and usage, and Nihilego is especially troublesome, as it can deal Special Damage, meaning Intimidate isn't a worry for it.
Bulky Grass Types like Ferrothorn and Tapu Bulu resist Electric type attacks meaing without Heat Wave, Zapdos is practically powerless against them. While Hidden Power Ice is definitely useful, it's damage output isn't as good as needed.

Other Notable Options

A set running Grassy Seed and a reverse Defense Spread of the Misty Seed set is equally as viable to better survive Physical attacks.
A Life Orb set running 28 HP / 4 Def / 220 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe, with it's HP being set with recoil damage in mind, optimized to survive common threats, but now outspeeding more opponents and dealing more damage

King of VGC 2018 - Landorus-Therian Competitive Analysis (Assault Vest, Scarf)

Tue, 10 Apr 2018 19:54:22 -0700

Landorus-T Competitive Analysis

art by Xous54

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen! My name is Scott, and today I will be kicking off a series of competitve analysis posts concerning the current VGC2018 meta. And to kick it off, I figure there couldn't be a better 'mon to start with than the undisputed king of VGC18 himself, Landorus-Therian! As of today, Landorus-T holds a usage rating of over 50% across both cartridge play and Pokemon Showdown in VGC, so lets dive in and see what makes the orange demon so popular! I'll begin with some statistics!

HP: 89
Attack: 145
Defense: 90
Special Attack: 105
Special Defense: 80
Speed: 91
Total: 600

Looking at these stats, there are a few things to take note of at first glance: Lando's MONSTER Attack stat of 145 and his base 91 Speed. This means that he already outspeeds a good chunk of the metagame with base 90 and under, and can out damage a good majority of other strong sweepers. He also comes packing a decent defensive spread of 89/90/80. Thanks to his high Attack stat, Landorus requires little offensive investment, which means a good chunk of EV's can be spent bulking up his defenses. This, in addition to his signature ability, Intimidate, makes him quite hard to remove without the proper counters.

Landorus-Therian's popularity on the competitive scene is due mostly to his verstatility. A wide movepool and balanced stats gives him the ability to be whatever your team needs him to be. Choice Scarf, Life Orb, Groundium/Flyinium Z, and Assault Vest are all viable options. With that being said, let us get into the fun part: the sets! I will be discussing the two most used sets only, as its late and I don't wanna spent all day doig calcs. Just know that Landorus is a moldable Pokemon, and the possibilities are endless!

Landorus-Therian @ Assault Vest
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 50
EVs: 244 HP / 12 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Knock Off
- U-turn

Set One - Assault Vest: Certainly the most popular at the moment, an Assault Vest set give Landorus-T some much-needed bulk in exchange for offensive investment. The spread takes his 89/90/80 split and buffs it into an impresssive 195/111/102, while still boosting his speed up to an incredible 143! This allows Landorus to act as a support character, using Knock Off to remove opponent's items and allowing him to safely pivot with U-turn to reduce incoming damage from hard hitters. Earthquake is still a reliable STAB to cripple opponents and Rock Slide allows you to hit two opponents at once for potential KOs. But that's all talk. How effective is this set?

Some Defensive Calculations:
0 SpA Cresselia Icy Wind vs. 244 HP / 12 SpD Assault Vest Landorus-Therian: 56-68 (28.7 - 34.8%) -- 2.7% chance to 3HKO
0 SpA Cresselia Ice Beam vs. 244 HP / 12 SpD Assault Vest Landorus-Therian: 88-104 (45.1 - 53.3%) -- 21.9% chance to 2HKO
252 SpA Life Orb Tapu Koko Dazzling Gleam vs. 244 HP / 12 SpD Assault Vest Landorus-Therian: 56-68 (28.7 - 34.8%) -- 4.6% chance to 3HKO
252+ SpA Heatran Heat Wave vs. 244 HP / 12 SpD Assault Vest Landorus-Therian: 70-84 (35.8 - 43%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
0 SpA Tapu Fini Muddy Water vs. 244 HP / 12 SpD Assault Vest Landorus-Therian: 78-92 (40 - 47.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252+ SpA Aegislash-Blade Shadow Ball vs. 244 HP / 12 SpD Assault Vest Landorus-Therian: 67-79 (34.3 - 40.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

As you can see, this set allows Landorus to take multiple hits from attacks would normally OHKO and still be able to outspeed a big chunk of the metagame with 143 Speed. Even super-effective moves like Icy Wind become a non-threat even with a 4x weakness, possibly coming out to a 4 hit KO. That is HUGE for a generally offensivey-oriented Pokemon like Landorus. Most players will be expecting a Choice Scarf set, so it's best to keep your true intentions secret to gain an advantage over the opponent. Speaking of Choice Scarf...

Landorus-Therian @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- U-turn
- Superpower

Set Two - Choice Scarf: This is the mostly-standard set for Landorus-T, taking full advantage of his high Attack and Speed and making him into a monster of a sweeper. The set caps his Attack out at a blazing 216, with a Speed of 143 backing it up. Earthquake becomes a weapon that would put a pretty good dent into anything standing in front of it. With Rock Slide as an answer to prevelant Flying types and Superpower to take out Pokemon like Kangaskhan, and U-turn to pivot out of bad matchups, Landorus is a monstrous force to be reckoned with. Now for some calcs.

Some Offensive Calculations:
252+ Atk Landorus-Therian Earthquake vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Tapu Koko: 234-276 (160.2 - 189%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Landorus-Therian Rock Slide vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Charizard: 248-296 (162 - 193.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Landorus-Therian Earthquake vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Metagross-Mega: 144-170 (92.3 - 108.9%) -- 56.3% chance to OHKO
252+ Atk Landorus-Therian Superpower vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Kangaskhan-Mega: 164-194 (90.6 - 107.1%) -- 43.8% chance to OHKO
252+ Atk Landorus-Therian Earthquake vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Tapu Lele: 129-153 (88.3 - 104.7%) -- 25% chance to OHKO
252+ Atk Landorus-Therian Superpower vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Tyranitar: 300-356 (144.9 - 171.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO

As you can see, Landorus can dish out stupid amounts of damage in order to defeat his opponents. He also outspeeds most of these Pokemon under normal circumstances with his Choice Scarf, so KOing possible threats before taking any damage gives you an incredible advantage. That being said, all Pokemon have their counters, and Landorus is no exception. Some noteable counters:

Cresselia. Almost always carries an Ice attack, whether its Ice Beam or Icy Wind, and can usually take out Landorus with an OHKO due to his 4x weakness to Ice. Not to mention she's also immune to EQ thanks to levitate

Rotom Wash. Bulky, resists Lando's moves and can dish out super-effective Water attacks. Also immune to Earthquake

While this may seem kind of odd, a well equipped Landorus who can outspeed and outplay you can easily get the KO with a Rock Slide before you can attack it, so be wary

In Conclusion: Overall, Landorus-Therian is one of the most versatile Pokemon in the entire roster for the VCG18 season, and I don't see his usage dropping anytime soon. With the speed and power to outrun and outdamage his foes, he becomes an absolute beast under the command of the right player. I hope this analysis helped you to better understand the VGC King that is Landorus-Therian, or at least gave you some insight as to why he is so incredibly popular in the competitive scene. I hope to write more of these later on and consistently throughout this season, and I would love to hear your feedback. Until next time, have a fantastic night!

[VGC18] Outspeeding and OHKOing Landorus And Others? Enter Poliwrath!

Sat, 31 Mar 2018 12:04:37 -0700

Picture removed due to coming from a questionable source. I apologize for those who had to see it.

Hey guys,

Its RetroTyphlosion, and yes, you read that right. And yes, you saw the cover picture right. I don't want to sound cocky, but I found a hard to use, yet VERY high reward Pokemon in Poliwrath.

Poliwrath has always been considered the "other" Poliwhirl evolution. Without access to Drizzle like Politoed has, its kind of fallen into oblivion. The poor guy was outclassed by his frog cousin in almost any way. But, I think there is possibility for the amphibian to make a comeback. In spirit of 's Poliwrath write-up from last year, let's get this going!

Here's the set I've been looking at:

Poliwrath Band
252 Atk/ 252 Speed/4 HP
Adamant Nature (-SpA, + Atk)
Ability: Swift Swim
-Waterfall
-Poison Jab
-Brick Break
-Earthquake/Rock Slide

Okay, I know this doesn't look very special. But its easy to overlook some of Poliwrath's strengths. Here's what I mean...
With maximum EV investment, Poliwrath has 122 Speed. With Swift Swim, this is doubled to a 244 Speed maximum. Still not convinced? Landorus-Therian, with a Speed boosting nature, 252 investment, AND a Choice Scarf, has 235 Speed.
Think about that for a minute.

Poliwrath, with an Adamant Nature and 252 Atk investment, plus a Choice Band, gives it insane Attacking power. Here's an example....

Back to the Landorus. I already outspeed it, but how much damage does it do, exactly?

-1 252+ Atk Choice Band Poliwrath Waterfall vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Landorus-Therian in Rain: 200 (121.9%) - 236 (143.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO

Read it and weep. Outspeeds and OHKOs Landorus-Therian, even after the Intimidate.
Assault Vest set?

-1 252+ Atk Choice Band Poliwrath Waterfall vs. 248 HP / 8 Def Landorus-Therian in Rain: 198 (101.5%) - 234 (120%) -- guaranteed OHKO

Even after Intimidate, folks.

What about other common Pokemon?

252+ Atk Choice Band Poliwrath Waterfall vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Tapu Koko in Rain: 156 (107.5%) - 184 (126.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO

252+ Atk Choice Band Poliwrath Waterfall vs. 28 HP / 60 Def Tapu Lele in Rain: 160 (107.3%) - 189 (126.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO

252+ Atk Choice Band Poliwrath Poison Jab vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Tapu Bulu: 216 (122%) - 256 (144.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO

Also, Poliwrath outspeeds all of these.

Now, if I said that Poliwrath was the answer to every single Pokemon battle, I would be lying. It isn't, but it is a useful rain-team idea. It is difficult to use, both due to Choice Band's move-locking and the fact that it does need rain to reach its speedy potential. However, it can check various threats, (most notably Landorus), and would be a powerful rain member. There are common threats that it struggles with, such as Zapdos and Cresselia. It has little defenses, and won't live too long. After all, its designed to be a sweeper to take out what other Pokemon can't, not a full-on tanky warrior. But, if you're an experienced rain user, you might find some success out of the overgrown tadpole.this better be the VGC post that finally ends up on the homepage

-RetroTyphlosion

P.S. I'm thinking of writing many VGC posts this 2018 season. If you would like to see more, let me know in my poll!

[VGC18] Tapu Koko - 2 Movesets - Sweeper - Rain Pair

Thu, 29 Mar 2018 07:59:07 -0700

Art removed due to a questionable source, I apologize for those who had too see it.

Hey guys, its RetroTyphlosion, and with a slight feeling of deja vu from my write up of a VGC17 Tapu Koko, we're looking at Tapu Koko's presence in todays competitive format. Bear with me, I never was good at writing these, but I'll see what I can do. maybe this one will ACTUALLY end up on the front page smh

Type: /

HP: 70
Attack: 115
Defense: 85
Sp. Attack: 95
Sp. Defense: 75
Speed: 130

So, these are actually some pretty solid statstics; excellent typing gives it only two weaknesses, Poison and Ground (which we'll get to later), and allows it to run powerful STAB. Its stats are mostly well-rounded; a high speed stat allows it to outspeed most of the tier, and large attacking stats pack a punch. Its defenses are, however, not that great, and Koko probably won't be on the battleground for very long.

Set One:
(The Quick Sweeper)

Tapu Koko @ Choice Specs
Ability: Electric Surge
EVs: 252 SpA/252 Spe/ 4 SpD
Timid Nature
- Dazzling Gleam
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power Ice

This Tapu Koko is meant to use as a lead sweeper to start the game off right. T-Bolt is our main attack here, with STAB and the Terrain Boost. D-Gleam is for when you need to hit both Pokemon, but also for that Fairy Coverage, and HP Ice takes care of Grass, Dragon, and Ground types. However, Choice Scarf Landorus Therian outspeeds and OHKOs it, so be wary. However, Tapu Koko will outspeed the Assualt Vest Landorus Therian set, and, while unable to OHKO it, can Volt Switch out on its ally. Since it is a sweeper, its defenses are not the best, and it probably won't be able to take too many hits; but it should be able to survive through the first few turns if you play your cards right and protect it from Landorus.

Offensive Damage Calcs (Notable Calcs in Bold):

Set Two:

(The Rain Pair)

Tapu Koko @ Assault Vest
Ability: Electric Surge
EVs: 252 SpA/252 Spe/4 Def
Timid Nature
-Sky Drop
-Thunder
-Hidden Power Ice
-Dazzling Gleam

"What? Retro? A Tapu Koko in rain?" Yep, and you better believe it. I always like creating odd sets, and here's today's. This Tapu Koko can lead with Sky Drop to remove a threat from the field first turn, meaning the ally Pokemon can set up rain more easily, especially if you hit a Pokemon that may use Taunt. HP Ice and Dazzling Gleam are once again coverage moves, but the big one here is Thunder. Boosted to 100% accuracy in Rain, its also STAB boosted and Terrain boosted. Assault Vest to withstand an extra attack or two, but if you wanted to run Protect, I would replace the Vest with a Life Orb or Electrium Z. Z-Thunder doesn't sound bad, actually....

Checks and Counters:

Landorus. Need I say more? Choice Scarf can outspeed and OHKO, and Assault Vest survives HP Ice and OHKOs. Switch out if one comes on.
Pokemon too heavy to be affected by Sky Drop.
Powerful STAB moves or Super-effective hits. Koko isn't bulky, so watch out.

And there you are. Hope this helps!

-Retro

EDIT: Hold up, my computer deleted the calcs when I published this. The calcs will return soon...

Naganadel Moveset - Sweeper

Tue, 23 Jan 2018 20:21:16 -0800

Fanart by borbamena

After a long wait, I'm finally covering Naganadel, who was clearly the most popular of my Ultra Beast Discussion posts. Naganadel scored itself a spot in Ubers thanks to it's sheer power as a sweeper/stall breaker Pokemon. It's Poison and Dragon typying is really good, getting STAB from moves like Sludge Wave and Draco Meteor, and it's Posion typing also means it can absorb Toxic Spikes, making it the only one besides Mega Gengar who can fill this role on offense in the Uber tier. It's 121 Base Speed is also extremely good paired with Beast Boost to act as a "fake Speed Boost" whenever it picks up a KO, making up for it's mediocre defenses. It's defenses, however, leave it vulnerable to faster threats like Marshadow and Ultra Necrozma.

Type:
Base Stats: Hp: 73 Attack: 73 Defense: 73 Sp.Atk: 127 Sp.Def: 73 Speed: 121
Weaknesses: x2 x2 x2 x2
Resistances: x0.5 x0.5 x0.5 x0.25 x0.5 x0.5 x0.5
Immunities: None
Ability: Beast Boost

Set (Z-Draco Meteor)

Naganadel @ Dragonium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Nasty Plot
- Sludge Wave
- Fire Blast

Naganadel's most powerful STAB move is Draco Meteor, paired with Dragonium Z, it becomes a 195 Base Power nuke which can take out stronger threats like Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre after a Nasty Plot, all without losing any Special Attack. Nasty Plot is required to have Devistating Drake take out the aforementioned threats, plus overall it's a very handy move to have, being able to boost Sludge Wave, Naganadel's weakest move on this set. Sludge Wave is Naganadel's answer to Xerneas and Pixie Plate Arceus, being able to check both Pokemon after a Nasty Plot and easily get Beast Boost to have it potentially start sweeping as well as offering great neutral coverage. Fire Blast is the only good option against Ferrothorn, Bronzong and Necrozma Mane of Twilight, as all three are immune to Sludge Wave and can easily eat up Draco Meteor. 252 Speed EVs and a Timid Nature puts Naganadel's Speed higher than it's Special Attack and enhances Naganadel's sweeping potential greatly, and also allows it to outspeed max Speed Arceus variants. Naganadel is best switched in on a predicted status move, Toxic, Recover or Protect, and it's also safest to attack on a possible switch in from the opponent, rather than to try setup right away as a faster Pokemon or a strong priority attacker may switch in and KO Naganadel. Avoid switching into hazards as Naganadel will get worn down easily. It's Z-Move requires good prediction as it can be wasted if the opponent switches in to a Fairy type, and then you can't take out stronger and bulkier Pokemon like Ho-Oh.

Damage Calculations

Offensive:

+2 252 SpA Naganadel Devastating Drake (195 BP) vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Groudon-Primal: 483-568 (119.8 - 140.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Possible damage amounts: (483, 487, 493, 499, 505, 511, 516, 522, 528, 534, 540, 544, 550, 556, 562, 568)
+2 252 SpA Naganadel Devastating Drake (195 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Kyogre-Primal: 415-489 (102.7 - 121%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Possible damage amounts: (415, 420, 424, 429, 435, 439, 444, 448, 454, 459, 463, 468, 474, 478, 483, 489)
+2 252 SpA Naganadel Devastating Drake (195 BP) vs. 240 HP / 0 SpD Arceus: 535-630 (121.3 - 142.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Possible damage amounts: (535, 541, 547, 553, 559, 567, 573, 579, 585, 591, 598, 604, 610, 616, 622, 630)
+2 252 SpA Naganadel Sludge Wave vs. 72 HP / 100 SpD Xerneas: 560-662 (136.2 - 161%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Possible damage amounts: (560, 570, 576, 582, 588, 594, 602, 608, 614, 620, 626, 636, 642, 648, 654, 662)
252 SpA Naganadel Fire Blast vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Lucario-Mega: 316-374 (112.4 - 133%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Possible damage amounts: (316, 320, 324, 328, 332, 336, 340, 344, 346, 350, 354, 358, 362, 366, 370, 374)
+2 252 SpA Naganadel Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Aegislash-Blade: 510-602 (157.4 - 185.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Possible damage amounts: (510, 516, 522, 528, 534, 540, 546, 552, 558, 564, 570, 576, 582, 588, 594, 602)

Team Options

Hazard setters like Excadrill and Deoxys Speed Forme can help to wear down Naganadel's checks
Marshadow handles Extremespeed Arceus and Rayquaza, and in turn Naganadel handles Marshadow's Fairy type threats.
Choice Scarf Yveltal can handle Psychic types and is complimented with Naganadel's presence around Fairy types.

Threats

Faster Pokemon like Choice Scarf Yveltal or Xerneas can threaten Naganadel if it doesn't have a speed boost
Bulky attackers Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre can take any attack from unboosted Naganadel and easily OHKO it
Ho-Oh can take any boosted attacked, bar Devistating Drake, from Naganadel and OHKO it with Earthquake
Necrozma Mane of Twilight is immune to Sludge Wave and can only be OHKOed by Fire Blast, and in return can beat Naganadel with Photon Geyser, or if it's an Ultranecrozium Z variant, just Ultra Burst and proceed to OHKO it there.

Other Notable Moves

Flamethrower can be run for a more reliable, albeit weaker, option against Necrozma MoT, Ferrothorn and Bronzong

Ultra Necrozma Movesets - Sweeper [2 Options]

Tue, 23 Jan 2018 01:15:43 -0800

Artwork by GAME FREAK

Ultra Necrozma is an extremely powerful Pokemon, it's BST outclasses Arceus, it's Ability Neuroforce increases the power of super-effective moves by 20%, and it's Z-Move Light That Burns The Sky can pretty much act as a one time nuke to really tanky Pokemon. Necrozma's new signature attack Photon Geyser becomes Physical or Special depending on which stat is higher on Necrozma, essentially meaning Photon Geyser can be used on Physical and Special sets no worry. There is a minor drawback to Ultra Necrozma, and that is it needs to hold it's Z-Crystal in order to transform. It isn't too much of a drawback overall, but Necrozma's fused forms have really low Speed, making pre-transformation setup a little harder.

Type:
Base Stats: Hp: 97 Attack: 167 Defense: 97 Sp.Atk: 167 Sp.Def: 97 Speed: 129
Weaknesses: x2 x2 x2 x2 x2 x2
Resistances: x0.5 x0.5 x0.5 x0.5 x0.5 x0.5
Immunities: None
Ablities: Prism Armor (Base Form, Fused Forms), Neuroforce (Ultra Burst)

Set 1 (Calm Mind Sweeper)

Necrozma-Dusk-Mane @ Ultranecrozium Z
Ability: Prism Armor
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Earth Power
- Photon Geyser
- Dragon Pulse

This set is a fairly standard go-to Necrozma set, Calm Mind will boost Necrozma's Sp.Atk and Sp.Def by 1, and coupled with a monstrous 167 base Sp.Atk, Necrozma will be able to tear through a lot of Pokemon that don't resist it's moves or are Sp.Def tanks. The moves on this set are; Earth Power which is used to eliminate Aegislash, a common threat to Necrozma, as well as being able to hit Dialga, Mega Metagross and Solgaleo/Necrozma Mane of Twilight super-effectively, as well as non-Balloon Heatran and Mega Diancie. Photon Geyser is Necrozma's best Psychic STAB move, with no recharge turn like Prismatic Laser. It can hit Marshadow and easily OHKO it, as well as Naganadel, Pheromosa and Mega Gengar super-effectively. It's also Necrozma's most reliable attack against Landorus. Dragon Pulse brings it all together, hitting other dragon types such as other Necrozma and Mega Salamence. The EV Spread is all you need for this set to work, 252 Speed and a Timid Nature gives it it's best possible speed stat, and 252 Sp.Atk gives it an extremely high Sp.Atk stat of 433.

Damage Calculations

Offensive:

252 SpA Neuroforce Necrozma-Ultra Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Aegislash-Blade: 308-364 (95 - 112.3%) -- 68.8% chance to OHKO after Leftovers recovery
Possible damage amounts: (308, 312, 316, 320, 322, 326, 330, 334, 338, 342, 344, 348, 352, 356, 360, 364) (A CM Boost gets a guaranteed OHKO)
+1 252 SpA Necrozma-Ultra Photon Geyser vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Landorus-Therian: 357-420 (111.9 - 131.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Possible damage amounts: (357, 360, 364, 369, 373, 378, 381, 385, 390, 394, 399, 402, 406, 411, 415, 420)
252 SpA Neuroforce Necrozma-Ultra Dragon Pulse vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Necrozma-Ultra: 410-486 (122.3 - 145%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Possible damage amounts: (410, 416, 420, 426, 432, 434, 440, 446, 450, 456, 458, 464, 470, 474, 480, 486)
252 SpA Neuroforce Necrozma-Ultra Photon Geyser vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Toxapex: 266-314 (87.5 - 103.2%) -- 18.8% chance to OHKO
Possible damage amounts: (266, 270, 272, 276, 278, 282, 284, 288, 290, 294, 296, 300, 302, 306, 308, 314)
252 SpA Neuroforce Necrozma-Ultra Earth Power vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Diancie-Mega: 262-310 (108.7 - 128.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Possible damage amounts: (262, 266, 268, 272, 274, 278, 282, 284, 288, 290, 294, 296, 300, 302, 306, 310)

Set 2 (Mixed Attacker)

Necrozma-Ultra @ Ultranecrozium Z
Ability: Neuroforce
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Knock Off / Iron Head
- Earthquake
- Photon Geyser
- Dragon Pulse

The second set is a mixed set which uses Necrozma various Physical coverage moves like Earthquake, Knock Off and Iron Head for example. The only reason Dragon Pulse is still here is because Necrozma doesn't Dragon Claw, only Outrage, which is indeed strong, but unreliable with my testing. It offers an easy switch in for Z-Geomacy Xerneas to set up. the common Xerneas sets run Bold, max Defense / HP so Iron Head wont even 2HKO it, even with Neuroforce. However, Iron Head does OHKO Tapu Lele and Earthquake is great all-round coverage. Photon Geyser will now always be a Physical move as Necrozma's attack is higher than it's Special Attack. I go with a Naive Nature so it can still survive various priority moves notably Shadow Sneak and Sucker Punch.

Damage Calculations

4 SpA Neuroforce Necrozma-Ultra Dragon Pulse vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Kyurem-White: 344-408 (87.9 - 104.3%) -- 25% chance to OHKO
Possible damage amounts: (344, 348, 354, 356, 362, 366, 368, 374, 378, 380, 386, 390, 392, 398, 402, 408)
252 Atk Neuroforce Necrozma-Ultra Earthquake vs. 248 HP / 8 Def Groudon-Primal: 208-246 (51.6 - 61%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Possible damage amounts: (208, 210, 214, 216, 218, 220, 222, 226, 228, 230, 232, 236, 238, 240, 242, 246)
252 Atk Neuroforce Necrozma-Ultra Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 240 HP / 156 Def Mew: 264-312 (65.8 - 77.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
Possible damage amounts: (264, 268, 270, 274, 276, 280, 282, 286, 290, 292, 296, 298, 302, 304, 308, 312)

Team Options

Naganadel to clear Fairy types like the Tapus and Xerneas, a secondary option is of course Toxapex to instead tank heavy hits Necrozma can't take.
Tapu Lele can assist Necrozma with Psychic Surge which will block moves like Marshadow's Shadow Sneak and simultaneously boosting Necrozma's Psychic type attacks.
Landorus and other OU/Uber Trap Setters will obviously help the team out, just pick them to work around your team.

Notable Threats

Xerneas is able to take hits from Necrozma easily and OHKO it with Moonblast, even without a Geomacy boost
Z Dark Pulse Darkrai OHKOes Necrozma and also lives hits from non-boosted Necrozma
Bisharp's STAB priority in Sucker Punch poses a major threat to Necrozma, other priority users include Marshadow and Aegislash

Other Notable Moves

Rock Slide
Flash Cannon
Heat Wave

Unconventional Sets #2: Z-Heal Block Silvally

Thu, 11 Jan 2018 05:52:14 -0800

Hello! It's been a good minute since my last Unconventional Sets post, and I have been messing around with some various sets for one of my favorite Gen 7 Pokemon; Silvally. I'm happy to report my findings below, please enjoy.

Silvally

Type:
Stats: 95 in all
Ability: RKS System

Silvally is an Arceus clone in that it's Stats are all the same Base number and it's Ability changes it's type when it holds a Memory item. Common Silvally sets are the Z-Parting Shot, Z-Explosion and the VGC17 Roar Silvally, however I went and looked at Silvally's learnset and spotted Heal Block. Now I've been using this Silvally in UU and Gliscor and Mantine have proven to be severely crippled by this particular move. Z-Heal Block stops the opponent from recovering HP in any way, and boosts Silvally's Special Attack by 2. Silvally gets access to various Special moves for coverage like Tri Attack, Flash Cannon, Ice Beam and more. Let's take a look at the set.

Silvally @ Psychium Z

Ability: RKS System

EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

Timid Nature

IVs: 0 Atk

- Ice Beam / Shadow Ball / Surf / Thunderbolt

- Heal Block

- Tri Attack

- Flash Cannon

As mentioned earlier, Silvally's type coverage is amazing, specifically it's Special moves. Some of the most common UU Pokemon include Scizor, Latias, Hippowdon, Krookodile, Gliscor, Hydreigon and Klefki to name a few. All of these Pokemon can be handled by Silvally once it gets it's +2, finding an opportunity to use Z-Heal Block can be tricky, and is undoubtedly best used against Gliscor on switch in. It's moves are Tri Attack, which gets STAB, as Silvally will remain a Normal Type of course, Tri Attack also has a 20% chance of inflicting the target with Burn, Paralysis or Freeze. Ice Beam takes on Gliscor, Hydreigon, Togekiss, Latias and Celebi for super effective damage with the chance of freezing the target. Flash Cannon is a secondary option against Togekiss as well as Clefable, but this is interchangeable for just about any Special Attack Silvally has, Surf takes on Hippowdon, Krookodile and Infernape, Shadow Ball takes on Gengar and Latias, Thunderbolt takes on Primarina, Keldeo, Sharpedo, Starmie and Mega-Aerodactyl and lastly Hidden Power Grass can be thrown on to deal with Swampert.

Damage Calcs

Offensive

+2 252 SpA Silvally Ice Beam vs. 0 Hp / 4 SpD Mega-Aerodactyl {328 - 388} Guaranteed OHKO
+2 252 SpA Silvally Ice Beam vs. 0 Hp / 0 SpD Krookodile {424 - 500} Guaranteed OHKO
+2 252 SpA Silvally Ice Beam vs. 4 Hp / 0 SpD Latias {252 - 298} Guaranteed 2HKO
+2 252 SpA Silvally Flash Cannon vs. 252 Hp / 4 SpD Clefable {306 - 360} Guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

Defensive

252 Atk Mega-Aerodactyl Stone Edge vs. 4 Hp / 0 Def Silvally {177 - 208} Guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Hydreigon Draco Meteor vs. 4 Hp / 0 SpD Silvally {216 - 255} Guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Life Orb Latias Draco Meteor vs. 4 Hp / 0 SpD Silvally {257 - 304} Guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Starmie Hydro Pump vs. 4 Hp / 0 SpD Silvally {204 - 242} Guaranteed 2HKO

I'll close by saying this Silvally set has good potential, Silvally has so much coverage, getting access to even Draco Meteor. It relies on being able to get that boost when your opponent least expects it, as other than Z-Heal Block, Silvally cannot boost it's Special Attack. Try it out and tell me how it goes!

NU Incineroar Moveset

Tue, 28 Nov 2017 23:48:43 -0800

Incineroar got a bunch of new toys to play with thanks to the inclusion of Tutor Moves in Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. Of these, the notably best ones were Fire Punch, Drain Punch, Thunder Punch, Iron Head and Knock Off. It's terrible speed and Landorus' pressure in OU means it will never be viable in OU, and Starmie and Mega Blastoise in UU, but it can still be played well in NU as it directly counters Cryogonal, Alolan Sandslash and Froslass, for example. Incineroar has access to the strongest Dark type move in the game with Darkest Lariat, which with Incinium Z becomes Malicious Moonsault. It's Defenses are fairly average at 90 each, able to effectively have a slot for Bulk Up, and now it has better coverage thanks to Move Tutors.

Set

Incineroar @ Incinium Z
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Darkest Lariat
- Bulk Up
- Fire Punch
- Drain Punch / Thunder Punch

EV Spread is fairly standard, an Adamant Nature is needed to use Incineroar's Attack stat to it's best potential. There is no reason whatsoever to run Crunch over Darkest Lariat, unless you're banking on the Defense drop, which really isn't worth wasting a slot for. Malicious Moonsault is a 180 BP Dark type move, and when unboosted, is needed to OHKO Max Defense Jellicent. Bulk Up comes in very handy, after a +1 or +2 Incineroar's sweeping potential is amazing, also boosting it's Defense along the way. At +1 Defense, it surives Jolly 252 Atk Virizion's Z-Stone Edge and OHKOes it in return with Fire Punch. Fire Punch is now Incineroar's most reliable STAB Fire Move. Flare Blitz doing residual recoil really hurt it's usage, and Fire Fang isn't as useful due to a lower power. With a +1 Fire Punch can tear through almost anything that doesn't resist it or is a Physical wall. Drain Punch is more reliable than Thunder Punch, as everything Thunder Punch counters, Vaporeon and Jellicent for example, are OHKOed by a boosted Malicious Moonsault. Drain Punch hits Guzzlord and opposing Incineroar super effectively and heals your HP in return allowing Incineroar to potentially survive longer.

Damage Calculations
Offensive:

252+ Atk Incineroar Malicious Moonsault vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Slowbro: 398-470 (101 - 119.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Possible damage amounts: (398, 404, 408, 414, 416, 422, 426, 432, 438, 440, 446, 450, 456, 458, 464, 470)

+1 252+ Atk Incineroar Drain Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Guzzlord: 410-484 (69.8 - 82.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Possible damage amounts: (410, 416, 420, 424, 430, 434, 440, 444, 450, 454, 458, 464, 468, 474, 478, 484)

252+ Atk Incineroar Fire Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Virizion: 324-384 (100.3 - 118.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Possible damage amounts: (324, 330, 332, 336, 338, 344, 348, 350, 356, 360, 362, 366, 372, 374, 378, 384)

+1 252+ Atk Incineroar Malicious Moonsault vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Vaporeon: 435-513 (93.7 - 110.5%) -- 62.5% chance to OHKO
Possible damage amounts: (435, 441, 445, 450, 456, 460, 466, 471, 477, 481, 486, 492, 496, 502, 507, 513)

Defensive:

252 Atk Life Orb Lycanroc Stone Edge vs. +1 252 HP / 0 Def Incineroar: 283-338 (71.8 - 85.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Possible damage amounts: (283, 289, 291, 296, 299, 304, 307, 312, 312, 315, 320, 322, 328, 330, 335, 338)

252 Atk Virizion Close Combat vs. +1 252 HP / 0 Def Incineroar: 222-264 (56.3 - 67%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Possible damage amounts: (222, 224, 228, 230, 234, 236, 240, 240, 242, 246, 248, 252, 254, 258, 260, 264)

0 SpA Vaporeon Scald vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Incineroar: 204-242 (51.7 - 61.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Possible damage amounts: (204, 206, 210, 212, 216, 216, 218, 222, 224, 228, 228, 230, 234, 236, 240, 242)

252+ SpA Choice Specs Guzzlord Draco Meteor vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Incineroar: 312-367 (79.1 - 93.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Possible damage amounts: (312, 315, 319, 322, 327, 330, 333, 337, 340, 345, 348, 352, 355, 360, 363, 367)

252 SpA Omastar Surf vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Incineroar: 294-348 (74.6 - 88.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Possible damage amounts: (294, 296, 300, 306, 308, 312, 314, 318, 320, 326, 330, 332, 336, 338, 342, 348)

252 Atk Reckless Hitmonlee High Jump Kick vs. +2 252 HP / 0 Def Incineroar: 264-312 (67 - 79.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Possible damage amounts: (264, 266, 270, 272, 276, 278, 282, 284, 288, 290, 294, 296, 300, 302, 306, 312)

Checks & Counters

Clawitzer's Mega Launcher boosted Scald almost always tears right through Incineroar due to there being no Sp.Def investment in this set, (the 4 Sp.D doesn't really change much in this outcome anyway)

Gallade, Hitmonlee, Kingler, Seismitoad and Omastar can outspeed Incineroar, and even if it suvives, if it's non boosted it cant take out most of these threats.

Pokemon with Fake Out, notably Ambipom, can disrupt setup potential for Incineroar. In the case of Hitmonchan, it can then KO Incineroar with Drain Punch.

Bibarel is undeniably the strongest counter to Incineroar. Holding a Focus Sash, it can +4 Attack in one turn thanks to Simple, and then it has Speed control thanks to Aqua Jet.

Team Options

Vaporeon is the best partner for Incineroar with it's niche in having Water Absorb. It's access to Wish is important to keeping Incineroar alive.

Eelektross's Levitate allows it to bypass Ground weakness, allowing it to easily switch in for Incineroar. Also able to deal with Water Type threats due to it's Electric typing.

Shuckle as a Trap setter is a pretty solid option, also able to set Sticky Webs to give Incineroar some Speed control over opponents.

Other Options

Fake Out can go in the filler slot to stop opposing setup mons, i.e. Shuckle. Also you can run Swords Dance for better power coverage, but missing out on a defense boost may be a bad decision. Earthquake and Iron Head can also be considered for more coverage.

VGC18 Stakataka Movesets [3 Options] | Sweeper / Offensive Trick Room Setter

Sun, 19 Nov 2017 19:23:42 -0800

Stakataka
Type: /
HP: 61
Attack: 131
Defense: 211
Sp.Atk: 53
Sp.Def: 101
Speed: 13

Stakataka's role lies in being a Trick Room attacker/trap setter and tanking physical hits. It's 61 HP leaves much to be desired but it's 211 Defense is godly. Able to set Stealth Rock, double screens and Trick Room. It lacks the ability to recover outside of Leftovers and Grassy Terrain however, so it may fall short of competing with Clefable for example in terms of survivablity. It's Rock Steel typing is disgusting, 4x weak to Ground (Landorus) and Fighting (Superpower Bulu), however. Stakataka with 14 Defense EVs, a Lonely Nature and 252 Attack EVs makes it's Attack higher than it's Defense, crucial for it's sweeping potential.

Set 1

Stakataka @ Choice Band
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Lonely Nature
IVs: 15 Def / 0 Spe
- Earthquake
- Gyro Ball
- Iron Head
- Rock Slide

Set Details

Paired with a Trick Room setter, Stakataka is a powerhouse and when played right it will demolish opponents. It currently has the strongest Gyro Ball in the game sitting at a max of 150 BP and is Stakataka's most effective answer to Tapu Lele and Tapu Bulu as well as other Fairy Types. Earthquake will hit both opponents, hits Tapu Koko Super effectively, and hits opposing Stakataka super effectively. Iron Head is another good option for STAB, and also has a chance to flinch the target. Rock Slide is Stakataka's Rock type STAB, hits both opponents and has a chance to flinch. A Choice Band is a solid item choice as it will increase Stakataka's physical moves, a Life Orb works too, but the recoil is a setback.

Usage Tips

Stakataka's only good role lies in it being a Trck Room sweeper, so pair it with a fast Trick Room setter, i.e. Mimikyu, to make the most out of it's power. It should be used as a late game sweeper, but you can afford to use it first to avoid traps on switch in. It is able to answer every Tapu with just Gyro Ball alone, and can take a few hits in return. Opposing TR Pokemon will be something to watch out for however, especially Hariyama and Mudsdale.

Damage Calculations

Offensive

252+ Atk Stakataka Gyro Ball (150 BP) vs. 108 HP / 0 Def Tapu Bulu: 254-300 (159.7 - 188.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Possible damage amounts: (254, 258, 260, 264, 266, 270, 272, 276, 278, 282, 284, 288, 290, 294, 296, 300)
252+ Atk Choice Band Stakataka Gyro Ball (150 BP) vs. 108 HP / 0 Def Tapu Bulu: 378-446 (237.7 - 280.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Possible damage amounts: (378, 384, 386, 392, 396, 402, 404, 410, 414, 420, 422, 428, 432, 438, 440, 446)
252+ Atk Choice Band Stakataka Gyro Ball (145 BP) vs. 252 HP / 116+ Def Tapu Fini: 150-177 (84.7 - 100%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO
Possible damage amounts: (150, 151, 153, 154, 157, 159, 160, 162, 163, 165, 168, 169, 171, 172, 174, 177)
252+ Atk Stakataka Gyro Ball (150 BP) vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Tapu Koko: 162-192 (110.9 - 131.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Possible damage amounts: (162, 165, 166, 168, 169, 172, 174, 175, 178, 180, 181, 183, 186, 187, 189, 192)
252+ Atk Stakataka Gyro Ball (150 BP) vs. 28 HP / 60 Def Tapu Lele: 330-390 (221.4 - 261.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Possible damage amounts: (330, 332, 338, 342, 344, 350, 354, 356, 360, 366, 368, 372, 378, 380, 384, 390)
252+ Atk Stakataka Rock Slide vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Pheromosa: 150-177 (102 - 120.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Possible damage amounts: (150, 151, 153, 154, 157, 159, 160, 162, 163, 165, 168, 169, 171, 172, 174, 177)

Defensive

252 SpA Life Orb Tapu Koko Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Stakataka in Electric Terrain: 121-142 (72 - 84.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Possible damage amounts: (121, 121, 122, 125, 125, 126, 129, 130, 130, 133, 134, 136, 136, 138, 140, 142)
252+ SpA Life Orb Tapu Lele Psychic vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Stakataka in Psychic Terrain: 82-96 (48.8 - 57.1%) -- 94.1% chance to 2HKO
Possible damage amounts: (82, 82, 83, 84, 86, 86, 87, 88, 90, 90, 91, 92, 94, 94, 95, 96)
196+ Atk Tapu Bulu Wood Hammer vs. 252 HP / 0- Def Stakataka in Grassy Terrain: 99-117 (58.9 - 69.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Grassy Terrain recovery
Possible damage amounts: (99, 100, 100, 102, 103, 105, 105, 106, 108, 109, 111, 111, 112, 114, 115, 117)
252+ Atk Arcanine Flare Blitz vs. 252 HP / 0- Def Stakataka: 60-72 (35.7 - 42.8%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
Possible damage amounts: (60, 61, 61, 63, 63, 64, 64, 66, 66, 67, 67, 69, 69, 70, 70, 72)
0 Atk Kartana Sacred Sword vs. 252 HP / 0- Def Stakataka: 136-164 (80.9 - 97.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Possible damage amounts: (136, 140, 140, 144, 144, 144, 148, 148, 152, 152, 152, 156, 156, 160, 160, 164)
96+ Atk Metagross Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0- Def Stakataka: 140-168 (83.3 - 100%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO
Possible damage amounts: (140, 144, 144, 144, 148, 148, 152, 152, 156, 156, 156, 160, 160, 164, 164, 168)

Checks & Counters

Mudsdale, Landorus and Hariyama all survive Stakataka's moves and OHKO it in return.
Choice Scarf Garchomp will be able to outspeed before you get to setup TR and OHKO Stakataka with Earthquake.
Bulky Water types are capable of surving non-banded Stakataka's moves.
Sableye with Will-O-Wisp cuts Stakataka's Attack stat.

Team Options

Mimikyu with Trick Room is needed to make this work as Mimikyu is the fastest TR Setter and it gets useful Utility moves like Will-O-Wisp and Thunder Wave.
Tapu Fini is a good option with access to Defog and Misty Terrain to prevent Stakataka being inflicted with Status.
Sand setters to boost Stakataka's Special Defense, Tyranitar makes for a very good option.

Other Options

An Assault Vest makes Stakataka able to better survive Special Moves.
Infestation over Iron Head is a very good option to trap opponents, Iron Head isn't needed too much on this set, so removing it won't be a problem.

Set 2

Stakataka @ Rockium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Lonely Nature
IVs: 15 Def / 0 Spe
- Stone Edge
- Gyro Ball
- Trick Room
- Wide Guard

or

Stakataka @ Rockium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Stone Edge
- Gyro Ball
- Trick Room
- Wide Guard

Set Details

Stakataka has a niche in playing the role of an offensive Trick Room setter, paired with Wide Guard, it can shield allies from spread moves like Earthquake. Charizard will appreciate the protection from Rock Slide, making it a possible team mate for a full offensive team. Rockium Z and an Attack Boosting Nature secures kills on Pokemon Stakataka can't normally OHKO like Gliscor and Scizor, while Stone Edge alone provides good coverage to various Pokemon. Alternatively, if a partner has a Z-Crystal set, you may opt for Life Orb instead. While the 15 Defense IVs / Lonely nature set is made for a pseudo Moxie whenever Stakataka KOs a Pokemon, in a Landorus-T filled meta, a Max Defense IVs / Brave nature set will often be the safer option.

Usage Tips

For Stakataka to handle late game teams effectively, it needs it's counters eliminated as quickly as possible so that unnecessary chip damage is avoided. Take out it's threats and avoid switching in too early. When the time's right, send in Stakataka and begin the pick up sweep. Nuke bulkier Pokemon with Continental Crush, avoiding misplaying into an opponent's Switch, and use Wide Guard when predicting incoming Protect + Earthquake plays. Never lead with Stakataka to avoid getting into a double Intimidate lead.

Team Options

Secondary Trick Room setters like Cresselia are important to have as it's Levitate ignores Earthquake from Landorus-T, and simultaneously handles Fighting Types.
Because Stakataka needs Bulky Water types removed, strong Grass types like Serperior can often be of great assistance.
Stakataka needs Pokemon that can tank Fighting Types and Physically Defensive Sylveon is a good pairing.
Tapu Fini is a good option with access to Defog and Misty Terrain to prevent Stakataka being inflicted with Status.

From Shadows | Marshadow Analysis with Kris

Thu, 12 Oct 2017 05:36:51 -0700

I think what happened is someone at GAME FREAK said "YO Masuda Bro listen listen, what if we make a Pokemon that can outspeed almost every legendary, is a Ghost and fighting type to say "LOL" to Fake Out and has a move called "Win the Game"? Wouldn't that be great?"

Marshadow
Type: Ghost / Fighting
Weaknesses: Ghost / Flying / Fairy / Psychic
Resistances: Normal / Fighting / Poison / Bug
Ability: Technician
Moves with a Base Power of 60 or lower get boosted by 1.5x Power
Base Stats
HP: 90 | Attack: 125 | Defense: 80 | Special Attack: 90 | Special Defense: 90 | Speed: 125
Tier: Uber
Format: Uber

Overview
Marshadow is a Pokemon with one of the strongest typings in the Uber tier of Ghost/Fighting. Able to take on many opponents like Xerneas, Primal Groudon or Salamence's setup variants with it's signature attack of Spectral Thief to steal an opponent's stat boosts before dealing damage. Bye-bye Z-Geomancy Xerneas, Rock Polish/Bulk Up Groudon, Dragon Dance Salamence, the list goes on. It's impressive 125 Base Attack and Speed make it one of the more intimidating Ubers. Tieing with Darkrai for base Speed and being outsped by [non-mega threats] Pheromosa, Mewtwo, Shaymin-Sky and Deoxys/Deoxys-Attack/Deoxys-Speed. All of which get countered by Marshadow's STAB or coverage moves.

Set 1
Life Orb Physical Attacker

Marshadow @ Life Orb
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature [ - SpA + Spe ]
- Bulk Up
- Drain Punch
- Shadow Sneak
- Spectral Thief

Moves
With Technician boosting Marshadow's Shadow Sneak by 1.5x Power, it's an absolute asset for this set, getting doubly boosted by Life Orb AND STAB it's Marshadow's best priority move, the other one being Sucker Punch but we don't mention that here. Bulk Up boosts Marshadow's Attack and Defense by 1 stage, not crucial but if you stay in on a Pokemon prone to setting traps like Groudon or Deoxys-Speed you can possibly get a free Bulk Up on them and steal any potential stat boost they have. Close Combat is suggested by Smogon but in this case I prefer Drain Punch. With a base 75 power AND STAB from Marshadow's Fighting typing it's able to recover any lost HP, especially useful paired with Life Orb. Spectral Thief is Marshadow's signature attack and as previously stated, steal opponent's stat boosts, then deals damage.

Damage Calculations
Offensive:

252 Atk Life Orb Marshadow Spectral Thief Vs. 0 Hp / 0 Def Mewtwo Mega X {374 - 439 Damage} Guaranteed OHKO
252 Atk Life Orb Marshadow Spectral Thief Vs. 184 Hp / 0 Def Metagross Mega {256 - 312 Damage} Guaranteed to OHKO
252 Atk Life Orb Marshadow Spectral Thief Vs. 0 Hp / 0 Def Pheromosa {398 - 469 Damage} Guaranteed to OHKO
252 Atk Life Orb Technician Marshadow Shadow Sneak Vs. 0 Hp / 0 Def Pheromosa {265 - 313 Damage} 62.5% chance to OHKO

Defensive +1 or +2 refers to the boost from Bulk Up, which is only used when needed to survive a hit

252 Atk Mewtwo Mega X Zen Headbutt Vs +2 0 Hp / 0 Def Marshadow {212 - 252 Damage} Guaranteed to 2HKO (A +2 from Bulk Up is needed to have Zen Headbutt 2HKO)
148 Atk Tough Claws Metagross Mega Vs 0 Hp / 0 Def Marshadow {234 - 276 Damage} Guaranteed to 2HKO
252 Atk+ Arceus Shadow Claw Vs. 0 Hp / 0 Def Marshadow {192 - 226 Damage} Guaranteed to 2HKO

Team Options

Dark Types like Darkrai or Sableye Mega are able to switch in on Mewtwo Mega X / Metagross Mega's Zen Headbutt or Mewtwo Mega Y's Psystrike and take no damage from them. In the case of Sableye Mega a Will-o-wisp on Marshadow's Physical threats will greatly help it out.
Any Pokemon with access to Heal Bell is a great addition since Marshadow still faces Burn as a threat. Sylveon and Chansey are very reliable users but Umbreon is something to consider with it being a Dark Type. However Clefable is undoubtedly a better option.
Aegislash and Magearna having the steel typing to counter Fairy types that threaten Marshadow make them a good option to consider, and Magearna having Soul Heart just applies more pressure onto opponents.
Shuckle is not a Pokemon I'd ever expected to consider pairing with Marshadow, but having access to Sticky Web AND Stealth Rock is extremely handy.
Threats, Checks and Counters
Lando-T's now popular Supersonic Skystrike OHKOes Marshadow and is able to take a hit after it Intimidates Marshadow. This only applies if Landorus-T is the lead and you incorrectly predict SD.
Mewtwo Mega X / Y both outspeed and overpower Marshadow, Shadow Sneak ends up being the only move you can use against them and does not guarantee an OHKO against X.
Magearna and Fleur Cannon just....annihilates Marshadow. Even with 0 SpA investment, Magearna's Fleur Cannon will OHKO Marshadow.

Set 2
Marshadium Z

Marshadow @ Marshadium Z

Ability: Technician

EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature

- Ice Punch / Hidden Power Ice

- Drain Punch

- Bulk Up

- Spectral Thief > Soul-Stealing 7-Star Strike

Soul-Stealing 7-Star Strike
Marshadow gets a unique Z-Move in the form of Soul-Stealing 7-Star Strike. With 195 BP, it is Marshadow's strongest attack and is useful because after merely one Bulk Up, it delivers a powerful attack that threatens almost every Uber mon that doesn't resist Ghost. Even the likes of Toxapex fears this devastating Z-Move.
A little extra thing I forgot to mention is Marshadow gets access to the Elemental Punch attacks

Damage Calculaions (The +1 refers to the Bulk Up boost)
Offensive:

252 Atk +1 Marshadow Soul-Stealing 7-Star Strike Vs. 252 Hp / 252 Def+ Toxapex {247 - 292 Damage} Guaranteed to 2HKO after recovery from Black Sludge
252 Atk +2 Marshadow Soul-Stealing 7-Star Strike Vs. 252 Hp / 204 Def+ Ho-Oh {499 - 588 Damage} Guaranteed the OHKO
252 Atk +1 Marshadow Ice Punch Vs. 44 Hp / 0 Def Salamence Mega {384 - 452 Damage} Guaranteed to OHKO
252 Atk +2 Marshadow Soul-Stealing 7-Star Strike Vs. 248 Hp / 8 Def Primal Groudon {408 - 481 Damage} Guaranteed to OHKO {Must be a +2 Bulk Up boost to OHKO}
0 SpA- Technician Marshadow Hidden Power Ice Vs. 0 Hp / 0 SpD Landorus Therian {256 - 304 Damage} Guaranteed to 2HKO

There's no need for me to put Defensive Calculations up since this is the same EV Spread as before.

RIGHT. Now with those nooblet sets outta the way, we can get into the REAL star of the show here. Unconventionalism FTW!

Set 3
Kris' top tier Marshadow, would recommend twice
(aka Deer Slayer)
(aka love me please)
Look at dem feet >< Look at dem feet
Marshadow @ Life Orb
Ability: Technician
EVs: 232 Hp / 26 Def / 252 SpA
Modest Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power Ice
- Calm Mind
- Spectral Thief

Set Explanation Yo
This Marshadow is really really special so we have to be nice to him. Ok attacks! Shadow Ball is a move Marshadow accidentally got, see he saw Pokemon like Pikachu playing ball and so he wanted to have fun too. Except his actually hurts Oh it's also a really good STAB move for Marshadow that has a chance to lower the target's Special Defense. Hidden Power Ice is specifically to counter Landorus Therian, Mega Salamence, Mega Garchomp and Zygarde. It also makes Marshadow even cooler. Marshadow only has a Base of 90 in the Special Attack so we need to help the little dude out with Calm Mind. It's also going to boost his Special Defense too. Spectral Thief is literally here to serve one purpose and one purpose only. To tell Xerneas to stop being mean and OP. Say you have one or two CM boosts, and Xerneas comes in to be a late game sweeper and Z-Geomancy or PH Geomancy comes in, you'll be able to take the boosts and destroy it next turn. Even with no Speed investment, this set is able to outspeed 252 Speed Adamant Landorus Therian by exactly 5 points, which is crucial because this set will fall to Supersonic Skystrike.

"But Kris! Marshadow's not a good Special Attacker" - everyone ever
Damage Calculations

Offensive: the best kind of damage

252+ SpA Life Orb Marshadow Shadow Ball Vs. 0 Hp / 0 SpD Mega Gengar {304 - 359 Damage} Guaranteed to OHKO
0- Atk Life Orb Marshadow Spectral Thief Vs. 0 Hp / 4 Def Mega Gengar {330 - 390 Damage} Guaranteed to OHKO
252+ SpA Life Orb Marshadow Hidden Power Ice Vs. 252 Hp / 0 SpD Complete Zygarde {307 - 364 Damage} Guaranteed to 2HKO after recovery from Leftovers
252+ SpA Life Orb Marshadow Hidden Power Ice Vs. 4 Hp / 0 SpD Mega Garchomp {307 - 364 Damage} 12.5% chance to OHKO
252+ SpA Life Orb Marshadow Hidden Power Ice Vs. 0 Hp / 0 SpD Landorus Therian {354 - 416 Damage} Guaranteed to OHKO
+6 252+ SpA Life Orb Marshadow Hidden Power Ice Vs. 0 Hp / 0 SpD Level 1 Geodude {27,265 - 32,077 Damage} Guaranteed OVERKILL

Defensive:

252 SpA Mega Gengar Shadow Ball Vs. 232 Hp / 0 SpD Marshadow {350 - 414 Damage} 50% chance to OHKO
252 SpA Mega Gengar Shadow Ball Vs. 232 Hp / 0 SpD +1 Marshadow {236 - 275 Damage} Guaranteed to 2HKO
236+ Atk Primal Groudon Precipice Blades Vs. 232 Hp / 26 Def Marshadow {277 - 237 Damage} Guaranteed to 2HKO
252+ Atk Arceus Shadow Claw Vs. 232 Hp / 26 Def Marshadow {186 - 220 Damage} 96.1% Chance to 2HKO

Significance of this set

This set is able to OHKO Landorus Therian, a common Uber trap setter by picking out it's huge flaw of being x4 weak to Ice. Hidden Power Ice works on my second set, but the extra Special Attack investment will catch them off guard. The only problem is it only outspeeds 252 Speed Adamant Landorus Therian and not 252 Speed Jolly Landorus Therian. When it comes to it, you need to make the right prediction. Also able to stop Xerneas dead in it's tracks by stealing a Geomancy from it before it makes good use of it. Z-Geomancy gets hurt the most because you can Calm Mind the turn they charge, then steal the Z-Boost AND the Geomancy boost before they attack. Essentially, you'll have a +5 SpA Marshadow ready to sweep.

Replays:

My Drain Punch Life Orb set: http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ubers-644702832

With Close Combat, Marshadow's already weak defenses are exposed even further. At neutral defenses with no SpD drop, Marshadow, although still threatened, can stay in on certain Pokemon longer.

EXAMPLE First two calcs show Tapu Koko WITH a Life Orb boosted D-Gleam, second set of calcs show it with Electrium Z

252 SpA Life Orb Tapu Koko Dazzling Gleam vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Marshadow: 299-354 (93.1 - 110.2%) -- 56.3% chance to OHKO
Possible damage amounts: (299, 304, 307, 312, 312, 315, 320, 322, 328, 330, 335, 338, 343, 346, 351, 354)

252 SpA Life Orb Tapu Koko Dazzling Gleam vs. -1* 0 HP / 4 SpD Marshadow: 447-530 (139.2 - 165.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Possible damage amounts: (447, 452, 460, 463, 471, 476, 478, 486, 491, 494, 502, 507, 510, 517, 523, 530)

252 SpA Tapu Koko Dazzling Gleam vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Marshadow: 230-272 (71.6 - 84.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Possible damage amounts: (230, 234, 236, 240, 240, 242, 246, 248, 252, 254, 258, 260, 264, 266, 270, 272)

252 SpA Tapu Koko Dazzling Gleam vs. -1* 0 HP / 4 SpD Marshadow: 344-408 (107.1 - 127.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Possible damage amounts: (344, 348, 354, 356, 362, 366, 368, 374, 378, 380, 386, 390, 392, 398, 402, 408)

* -1 SpD drop from Close Combat

What matchups are improved by having Drain Punch over Close Combat?

One matchup in particular that get's majorly improved is Vs. Sash Kartana. Spectral Thief, without Bulk Up, will not OHKO Kartana, so we are forced to use a fighting type move. Close Combat obviously OHKOs Kartana, but Sash Kartana will take a major advantage from the Defense drop, as seen below. However, Drain Punch allows us to deal massive damage, heal anything from a previous attack, and, although not a guaranteed OHKO, which doesn't matter since it's the Focus Sash variant anyway, has no setback with defensive drops. It allows us to safely take a hit from a non-boosted Kartana, whom we outspeed anyway, so Sash Dance doesn't matter, and potentially survive even longer.

Calcs:

252 Atk Kartana Leaf Blade vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Marshadow: 228-268 (71 - 83.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Possible damage amounts: (228, 229, 232, 235, 238, 241, 243, 246, 249, 252, 255, 256, 259, 262, 265, 268)

252 Atk Kartana Leaf Blade vs. -1 0 HP / 0 Def Marshadow: 343-405 (106.8 - 126.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Possible damage amounts: (343, 348, 351, 355, 360, 364, 367, 372, 376, 379, 384, 388, 391, 396, 400, 405)

More will be added later

Unconventional Sets #1 : NU Special Luxray

Sun, 01 Oct 2017 23:36:22 -0700

Decided to make my unconventional sets into a series thing. Hope you enjoy.

Today we're looking at Luxray. Luxray is a pure Electric Type and is a Physical Attacker. So why am I building a Special set? Because you know me lol.

Stats:
Hp: 80 | Attack: 120 | Defense: 79 | Special Attack: 95 | Special Defense: 79 | Speed: 70

Abilities:
Intimidate | Rivalry | Guts {HA}

Type:
Electric ~~Dark~~
Weak to: Ground
Strong against: Flying, Water

The Set

Luxray @ Choice Specs
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 124 HP / 132 Def / 252 SpA
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Discharge / Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Signal Beam

No matter how you look at it, Luxray is not cut out for anything higher than NU, although it's tier is an even lower PU, it's abilities are good, and it has a 120 Base Attack, but it's Speed and Defenses are mediocre, if it were a Dark type, we may be seeing it used more, but that's not the case. Anyways, set explanation.

Luxray faces Ground type disadvantages in PU and NU in the forms of Rhydon, Claydol, Alolan Dugtrio and Gastrodon. The set EVs allow it to survive what would be an OHKO Earthquake from Alolan Dugtrio, and if you invest in 124 Special Defense instead it will survive a Modest 252 Special Attack Earth Power from Claydol. I opt Modest Nature on Luxray to ensure that with the Choice Specs, Luxray will be doing as much Damage as possible.

Moves are standard for the most part with Discharge having a 30% chance to Paralyze, I prefer it over T-bolt, Volt Switch allows good damage and a safe Switch out. HP Grass is where things start to get not as standard, HP Grass, although non-STAB, deals huge damage to Seismitoad, and the aforementioned Gastrodon. Signal Beam is a more powerful counter to Claydol.

Damage Calculations
OFFENSIVE

252+ SpA Choice Specs Luxray HP Grass vs. 252 Hp / 6 SpD Seismitoad; 440 - 520 {Guaranteed OHKO}
252+ SpA Choice Specs Luxray HP Grass vs 252 Hp / 0 SpD Gastrodon; 408 - 484 {75% chance to OHKO}
252+ SpA Choice Specs Luxray Discharge vs 0 Hp / 4 SpD Charizard; 396 - 468 {Guaranteed OHKO}

DEFENSIVE

252+ SpA Claydol Earth Power vs 124 Hp / 132 SpD Luxray; 224 - 266 {Guaranteed 2HKO}
252 SpA Seismitoad Earth Power vs 124 Hp / 132 SpD Luxray; 230 - 272 {Guaranteed 2HKO}
252+ Atk Sheer Force Life Orb Druddigon Dragon Claw vs 124 Hp / 132 Def Luxray; 144 - 169 {2% chance to 2HKO}
252+ SpA Life Orb Clawitzer Scald vs 124 Hp / 132 SpD Luxray; 185 - 218 {Guaranteed 2HKO}

Notable Team Options

- Togetic is a bulky Pokemon, thanks to Eviolte, and can use Tailwind to boost Luxray's Speed, Wish to recover Luxray's HP, and if you're feeling adventurous, slap Reflect + Light Screen on.

- Clawitzer is a great answer to Luxray's Ground weakness with it's STAB Scald to deal more damage to an opponent.

- Sunflora may seem like a weird choice but don't forget Sunflora gets access to Grassy Terrain, a move crucial to Luxray's healing options. Alternatively you can use Torterra to cover for Clawitzer's weakness to Electric

- Emolga's Motor Drive Tailwind combo may be a better option than Togetic in certain situations, Focus Sash Tailwind > Volt Switch / Nuzzle saves lives. I think a certain will be pleased I mentioned this guy.

Counters

- Any Ground type is capable of shutting down Luxray instantly, but the most dangerous counter would be Steelix. It forces Luxray to switch and is able to get a Curse off making this brute even harder to beat.

- Motor Drive users like Electivire and the previously mentioned Emolga render Luxray's Volt Switch useless and a good prediction switch can make things tougher for you.

- Knock Off users will get rid of the only thing boosting Luxray's Special Attack, meaning less damage overall.

- A Defiant Braviary / Primeape / Purugly lead won't care about Intimidate. All three will gladly take the +1 Attack boost and potentially Sweep if you're unprepared.

Luxray Set requested by
Please rate, feedback is appreciated