Battle Spot Special Season 1 Report Part 1: Say Alola To The Special Pokémon!

Lunala

Typing: /

Ability: Shadow Shield

Stats: 137 HP / 113 Attack / 89 Def / 137 SpA / 107 SpD / 97 Spe

Calm Mind

Lunala

Ability: Shadow Shield

EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

Timid Nature

- Calm Mind

- Moongeist Beam

- Roost

- Moonblast / Will-O-Wisp / Focus Blast / Ice Beam

Offensive Support

Lunala

Ability: Shadow Shield

EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

Timid Nature

- Will-O-Wisp

- Moongeist Beam

- Roost

- Moonblast

What's the big deal?

All hail the queen of this season's Battle Spot Special! Lunala's typing may be poor, but thanks to the incredible Shadow Shield, Lunala is the most high-profile threat of the metagame!

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Calm Mind: Calm Mind turns Lunala into a fearsome setup sweeper that's almost impossible to break with special attacks.
• Moongeist Beam: This is Lunala's fearsome STAB attack. As a bonus, it has a Mold Breaker-like side effect, which means that this will OHKO Mimikyu even with its Disguise up. This comes in handy, since even if Shadow Shield is broken, a healthy Lunala will survive Mimikyu's Shadow Sneak.
• Roost: Regardless of the kind of Lunala you are using, recovery works perfectly in tandem with Shadow Shield.
• Moonblast: This is for more than just keeping in with the lunar motif: Moonblast deals a ton of damage to most Dark-types, including a OHKO on Hydreigon, Weavile, and Ash-Greninja.
• Will-O-Wisp: Will-O-Wisp lets Lunala cripple Alolan Muk and certain Snorlax, both of which are big threats otherwise. It also helps Lunala set up more easily on physical foes.
• Focus Blast: Focus Blast's shaky accuracy usually makes it an inferior choice, but it deals more damage to Snorlax or Incineroar than any other move.
• Ice Beam: Ice Beam doesn't offer as good coverage as Lunala's other options, but it does let it OHKO Garchomp, which can win the matchup otherwise.

Other Moves

Lunala actually has a fairly diverse movepool. If you're willing to leave things up to Lady Luck, you can use Hypnosis to let Lunala set up more easily. It also gets Thunder Wave for paralyzing sweepers, and Thunderbolt can be used to OHKO Gyarados and beat Celesteela without the need for Calm Mind.

Other Details

With Lunala being 4x weak to its own STAB type, you'll usually want to run a Timid nature and maximum Speed to at least tie with opposing Lunala. If you really hate Alolan Muk, you have the option of running a Bold nature and maximum HP and Defense to avoid a 2HKO from its Crunch after it gets burned. Just note that you will want to wear down opposing Lunala a bit, since neither Lunala will go down before Shadow Shield is taken care of!

What are its flaws?

Since Lunala is the queen of this metagame, almost every competitive player's team revolves around eliminating it. While Shadow Shield makes Lunala impossible to OHKO without a critical hit, it's certainly possible to revenge kill it once Shadow Shield is down. Many Pokémon will run Dark- or Ghost-type coverage in general just to hit Lunala hard.

• Bulky Dark-types: Alolan Muk is a huge problem for Lunala, since it isn't hit super effectively by any attack and has good Special Defense. It just has to watch out for Will-O-Wisp. Mandibuzz may be weak to Moonblast, but it can weaken Lunala with Snarl and has recovery. While rarer, Incineroar isn't 2HKOed by any move other than Focus Blast, and unlike Alolan Muk, it can't be burned.
• Garchomp: Garchomp isn't OHKOed by anything except Ice Beam, while it 2HKOes Lunala back with Crunch.
• Gyarados: While Moongeist Beam 2HKOes it, be warned: if Lunala's Shadow Shield is broken, Gyarados can set up Dragon Dance and KO it with a boosted Crunch.
• Aegislash: While Moongeist Beam will do a lot, Aegislash will defeat Lunala with Shadow Ball + Shadow Sneak as long as Lunala hasn't boosted its stats with Calm Mind.
• Alolan Ninetales: While Alolan Ninetales has no chance of KOing Lunala, its combination of Aurora Veil and Hail will make Lunala much easier to deal with. Alolan Ninetales even gets Encore, so setting up on it is futile.
• Faster Dark-types: Once Shadow Shield has been broken, the likes of Ash-Greninja, Weavile, and Hydreigon can smash through Lunala.
• Blissey: Commonly found on stall teams, Blissey completely walls Lunala that lack Substitute and laughs as Lunala struggles with Toxic poison.
• Lunala: Funnily enough, if your Lunala's Shadow Shield is broken, it's easily revenge killed by opposing Lunala that still have Shadow Shield up.

Solgaleo

Typing: /

Ability: Full Metal Body

Stats: 137 HP / 137 Attack / 107 Defense / 113 Special Attack / 89 Special Defense / 97 Speed

Bulky Flame Charge

Solgaleo

Ability: Full Metal Body

EVs: 196 Atk / 172 SpD / 140 Spe

Adamant Nature

- Sunsteel Strike

- Flame Charge

- Crunch

- Flare Blitz / Earthquake / Morning Sun

All-Out Attacker

Solgaleo

Ability: Full Metal Body

EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

Jolly / Adamant Nature

- Sunsteel Strike

- Crunch

- Flare Blitz

- Earthquake / Morning Sun / Flame Charge / Wild Charge

What's the big deal?

Lunala may be the monarch of this land, but don't let that fool you: Solgaleo is still an excellent choice as an offensive Steel-type. Solgaleo is still rather difficult to KO (especially when given Grassy Terrain support), and unlike Lunala, it is capable of boosting its Speed.

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Sunsteel Strike: This is Solgaleo's main STAB attack. Not only is it fairly strong, it also has a Mold Breaker-like side effect, meaning that Solgaleo OHKOes Mimikyu through its Disguise! Just note that Shadow Shield still halves the damage of Sunsteel Strike.
• Flame Charge: Flame Charge may not be strong, but the Speed boost it gives allows Solgaleo to outpace most of the metagame. It also breaks Lunala's Shadow Shield, which is perfect for bulky Solgaleo.
• Crunch: Crunch is Solgaleo's best bet against Lunala. If you manage to break Lunala's Shadow Shield, Crunch will usually OHKO it.
• Flare Blitz: This is Solgaleo's main move against Steel-types such as Celesteela, Kartana, and opposing Solgaleo. However, the recoil can sting a bit, especially on bulky Solgaleo, which want to be as healthy as possible to survive Lunala's Moongeist Beam.
• Earthquake: Earthquake hits Alolan Muk and Incineroar harder than any other move and still does good damage against opposing Solgaleo. Earthquake also prevents Solgaleo from being walled by the rare Incineroar.
• Morning Sun: Solgaleo has the bulk to use Morning Sun effectively, which is especially helpful if you're using bulky Solgaleo. However, this does come at the cost of coverage.
• Wild Charge: If you are especially desperate against Mandibuzz and Gyarados, Wild Charge does more than any other attack.
• Zen Headbutt: Zen Headbutt hits a lot of threats for neutral damage, pairing well with the rest of Solgaleo's moves if you want to hit Gyarados without giving Garchomp a potential free switch in.

Other Details

The EV spread given for the bulky Flame Charge set gives Solgaleo around a 93% chance of surviving a Modest Lunala Moongeist Beam (close to the chance of avoiding a critical hit). This allows Solgaleo to defeat Lunala one-on-one with Flame Charge followed by Crunch. The Speed EVs allow Solgaleo to outspeed Ash-Greninja after one Flame Charge. If you don't care about the bulk to beat Lunala, consider a Jolly nature so Solgaleo can outspeed Mimikyu naturally and Pheromosa after a Flame Charge.

What are its flaws?

All the Dark-types that are gunning for Lunala aren't exactly great news for Solgaleo either. While it won't be KOed by them, this means that many Pokémon will be able to hit Solgaleo super effectively.

• Lunala: Lunala being everywhere isn't great news for Solgaleo. While Solgaleo can come out on top one-on-one, it needs to be healthy to do so. Otherwise, Lunala can win.
• Zygarde and Garchomp: Zygarde is bulky enough to use Solgaleo as total setup bait, especially if it's running the Coil set. It doesn't even care if Tapu Bulu's Grassy Surge is in effect. Garchomp is a less reliable check due to getting 2HKOed by Sunsteel Strike and being scared of Grassy Terrain, but it's still very problematic for Solgaleo due to its superior Speed.
• Celesteela: Any Solgaleo that lacks Flare Blitz will risk getting walled by this dangerous Leech Seed user.
• Mandibuzz: Mandibuzz does have a slight risk of getting 2HKOed by Sunsteel Strike, but otherwise, it can blast through Solgaleo with Foul Play.
• Aegislash: Despite Solgaleo's bulk, Shadow Ball + Shadow Sneak from Aegislash will KO it.
• Gyarados: Without Wild Charge, Solgaleo can't 2HKO Gyarados, which gives the latter time to set up Dragon Dance and 2HKO back with Crunch.
• Hydreigon: Hydreigon may be 2HKOed by Sunsteel Strike, but it outspeeds Solgaleo and 2HKOes it in return with Dark Pulse, making it a good revenge killer.
• Incineroar: Although uncommon, Incineroar defeats any Solgaleo that lack Earthquake.
• Alomomola: As strange as Alomomola is, some stall teams use this Pokémon specially to beat Solgaleo, with even Wild Charge failing to 2HKO it.

Magearna

Typing: /

Ability: Soul-Heart

Stats: 80 HP / 95 Attack / 115 Defense / 130 Special Attack / 115 Special Defense / 65 Speed

Trick Room Attacker

Magearna

Ability: Soul-Heart

EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA

IVs: 0 Spe

Quiet Nature

-Trick Room

-Fleur Cannon

-Shadow Ball

-Flash Cannon / Dazzling Gleam / Volt Switch / Heart Swap

Speed Booster

Magearna

Ability: Soul-Heart

EVs: 44 HP / 252 SpA / 212 Spe

Modest Nature

-Shift Gear

-Shadow Ball

-Fleur Cannon / Dazzling Gleam

-Flash Cannon / Dazzling Gleam / Thunderbolt

What's the big deal?

Magearna may seem easy to dismiss, since it's allowed in the Smogon OU metagame. However, with all the Dark-types out to get Lunala and Solgaleo, Magearna has an excellent typing to deal with them. It's also a master of speed control, having two moves that let it outspeed most of the metagame. Finally, with Soul-Heart, Magearna has serious potential to actually sweep teams!

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Trick Room: With Trick Room, Magearna outspeeds most of the metagame while still getting to invest in its bulk. This also lets slower Pokémon such as Alolan Muk, Incineroar, Tapu Bulu, and Snorlax become bigger threats.
• Fleur Cannon: This is Magearna's most powerful attack. While the two-stage Special Attack drop can be a bummer, this is somewhat mitigated by the Special Attack boost Magearna gains after a KO.
• Shadow Ball: Shadow Ball is your ticket against Lunala and Solgaleo. It 2HKOes offensive Solgaleo and has a shot at OHKOing Lunala after Shadow Shield is broken.
• Flash Cannon: Flash Cannon is a decent secondary STAB attack that allows Magearna to OHKO Alolan Ninetales even if it sets up Aurora Veil. It also hits opposing Magearna harder than any other move.
• Dazzling Gleam: Dazzling Gleam is a more reliable Fairy-type STAB that doesn't lower Magearna's Special Attack. While weak, it does still 2HKO Mandibuzz and OHKOes Ash-Greninja.
• Volt Switch: Volt Switch works well on the Trick Room set, allowing slow, powerful Pokémon such as Incineroar and Snorlax to come in right away.
• Heart Swap: This may seem a bit gimmicky, but it's deadly against special attackers that come in after a KO. The idea is to swap Magearna's lowered Special Attack from Fleur Cannon onto the likes of Lunala. This gives Magearna a good shot at winning that matchup at the cost of coverage.
• Shift Gear: Shift Gear is an alternate way for Magearna to sweep. While this set isn't as bulky as the Trick Room sweeper, it also requires less team support, since it uses a boost instead of a field condition.
• Thunderbolt: Viable on both the Trick Room set and the Shift Gear set, Thunderbolt allows Magearna to deal with Gyarados and Celesteela.

Other Moves

If you are paranoid about Incineroar, you can use Aura Sphere to deal massive damage to it. Magearna gets Reflect and Light Screen to help out other sweepers. Pain Split can make up for Magearna's lack of recovery, though note that Magearna does have a decent HP stat. If your team really hates Blissey, you can use Iron Head and try to use Shift Gear three times to 2HKO it. You can even use Thunder Wave to paralyze foes, though note that Magearna tends to lure in Garchomp in desperate situations.

Other Details

Obviously for the Trick Room set, you will want 0 Speed IVs so Magearna can underspeed Celesteela for Trick Room. For the Shift Gear set, the given EVs allow Magearna to outspeed Pheromosa after one boost.

What are its flaws?

Magearna may be a good sweeper, but fact is, it needs to set up before it can outspeed anything significant. This means that against Pokémon that apply serious offensive pressure, such as Garchomp and Solgaleo, Magearna can have a hard time setting up safely. Magearna's coverage is also rather awkward due to being forced to run Shadow Ball for Lunala, meaning that it risks getting walled by several prominent Pokémon.

• Bulky Solgaleo: Solgaleo that invest in Special Defense are not 2HKOed by Shadow Ball, while they can 2HKO Magearna back with Earthquake or Flare Blitz.
• Celesteela: Any Magearna that lacks an Electric-type attack will get walled by Celesteela.
• Garchomp: Garchomp isn't able to safely switch in due to Fleur Cannon, but as long as Grassy Terrain isn't up, it can hit Magearna hard with Earthquake.
• Gyarados: Without an Electric-type move, Gyarados is free to hit Magearna hard with Earthquake. Just note that Fleur Cannon still deals serious damage to Gyarados.
• Alolan Ninetales: Alolan Ninetales is easy to handle with Flash Cannon, but without it, the tables are turned, and it's Magearna that becomes the setup bait via Aurora Veil.
• Scizor: Thanks to its good resistances, Scizor can threaten Magearna by setting up Swords Dance as long as Magearna isn't packing boosted Thunderbolts.
• Blissey: Blissey's insane special bulk means that Magearna has no hope of breaking past it without boosted Iron Heads.
• Incineroar: Although uncommon, Incineroar survives any attack from Magearna that lack Aura Sphere and threatens to blast through Magearna with Flare Blitz. It's even slower than Magearna under Trick Room.

Ash-Greninja

Typing: /

Ability: Battle Bond

Stats (after forme change): 72 HP / 145 Attack / 67 Defense / 155 Special Attack / 71 Special Defense / 132 Speed

All-Out Attacker

Greninja

Ability: Battle Bond

EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

Timid Nature

-Dark Pulse

-Ice Beam

-Hydro Pump / Surf / Scald

-Water Shuriken / U-turn

What's the big deal?

With Greninja getting a forme based off of everyone's favorite Pokémon League choker, it may seem like Greninja is just a fanboy Pokémon. While its usage is certainly inflated by that fact, Greninja's Dark typing still saves the day, making it a very viable late-game sweeper once Battle Bond activates, with Ash-Greninja being powerful and outspeeding most Pokémon in the metagame.

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Dark Pulse: This is Greninja's most important STAB attack, allowing it to 2HKO Solgaleo and OHKO Lunala after Shadow Shield is down.
• Ice Beam: This is Greninja's way of OHKOing Garchomp. It's also your best hope against Zygarde, though note that this won't OHKO specially defensive variants.
• Hydro Pump: While it's a bit risky with its 20% chance of missing, Hydro Pump is Greninja's strongest STAB attack. Most notably, this gives Ash-Greninja a 50% shot at OHKOing Tapu Koko!
• Surf: Surf doesn't net as many KOs as Hydro Pump does, but it's the more reliable move overall.
• Scald: While weaker than Surf, Scald has a chance of burning switch-ins like Gyarados.
• Water Shuriken: Battle Bond boosts Water Shuriken to acceptable levels. While it still isn't very powerful, it does allow Greninja to pick off weakened foes such as Tapu Koko.
• U-turn: U-turn does very little damage on its own, but it can be good for scouting switch-ins. It also breaks Lunala's Shadow Shield, making it easier to check.

What are its flaws?

Unfortunately, since Greninja needs to net a KO to transform into Ash-Greninja, it's rather weak when it can't nail Pokémon super effectively. This is especially problematic considering Greninja's pathetic defenses, making it get 2HKOed by almost every Pokémon in the metagame at minimum.

• Trick Room Magearna: Greninja has no hope of 2HKOing bulky Magearna, while Dazzling Gleam OHKOes Greninja back.
• Gyarados: Gyarados avoids a 2HKO before Greninja transforms, allowing it to set up and 2HKO Greninja back with a boosted Earthquake.
• Alolan Ninetales: Any Alolan Ninetales with Moonblast will grab an easy OHKO on Ash-Greninja. Just note Ash-Greninja has a chance at KOing Alolan Ninetales with Hydro Pump if it switches into Dark Pulse.
• Pheromosa: Pheromosa can't switch into Ash-Greninja, but it outspeeds Ash-Greninja and OHKOes it with its STAB attacks.
• Mimikyu: Water Shuriken is too weak to blast Mimikyu through its Disguise, meaning that it can simply OHKO Ash-Greninja with Play Rough.
• Tapu Koko: As long as Greninja has not transformed into Ash-Greninja, Tapu Koko can outspeed it and OHKO it with Thunderbolt.
• Tapu Bulu: Ice Beam hits Tapu Bulu hard, but Ash-Greninja still can't OHKO it, letting Tapu Bulu revenge kill it and gain back a ton of its health with Horn Leech.

Zygarde-C

Typing: /

Ability: Power Construct

Stats (after forme change): 216 HP / 100 Attack / 121 Defense / 91 Special Attack / 95 Special Defense / 85 Speed

Dragon Dance

Zygarde

Ability: Power Construct

EVs: 156 Atk / 116 SpD / 236 Spe

Adamant Nature

-Dragon Dance

-Thousand Arrows

-Crunch

-Outrage

Coil + Rest

Zygarde

Ability: Power Construct

EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Spe

Careful Nature

-Coil

-Rest

-Sleep Talk

-Thousand Arrows

What's the big deal?

Once one of the most awkward ends of a Pokémon trio, Power Construct has given Zygarde a new leash of life with its extremely bulky Complete forme. While Zygarde is rather weak for an Alolan Uber, it makes up for it by using its bulk to easily set up.

What can I expect to see?

Moves

• Thousand Arrows: Regardless of which kind of Zygarde you see, all of them will have Thousand Arrows. This lets Zygarde actually take care of Celesteela, unlike Garchomp, and ensures that it's a good check to Alolan Muk.
• Dragon Dance: Dragon Dance gives Zygarde plenty of Speed and a decent amount of power to sweep.
• Crunch: Because Lunala is so insanely bulky with Shadow Shield, Crunch is Zygarde's only way of 2HKOing it (or OHKOing it after a boost while Shadow Shield is down).
• Outrage: This is Zygarde's most powerful Attack, letting it OHKO Garchomp after a Dragon Dance. Just be careful about using it, however, since it makes Zygarde much easier to revenge kill with Magearna.
• Coil: If you want to really focus on Zygarde-C's bulk, use Coil on a specially defensive set, and watch as it survives insane hits. It also makes Zygarde the best check to Solgaleo and Alolan Muk in the metagame, making it a fairly good teammate for Lunala.
• Rest and Sleep Talk: If you are using Coil Zygarde, you'll want Rest and Sleep Talk so it can stay healthy throughout the match, especially after it becomes Zygarde-C.

Other Details

For the Dragon Dance set, the above spread allows Zygarde to survive a boosted Moonblast from Lunala 93.7% of the time (about the same chance of getting slammed by a critical hit) while outspeeding Ash-Greninja after a Dragon Dance. If you're good with less bulk, you can simply use maximum Attack and maximum Speed for the Dragon Dance set. For the Coil set, maximum investment in HP and Special Defense makes it nearly impossible to OHKO with special attacks once it becomes Zygarde-C.

What are its flaws?

Zygarde-C is extremely bulky, but you'll need to get Zygarde down to 50% of its health to activate the forme change. This is a very awkward task, since moves will often either not do enough damage to Zygarde, or in the cases of super effective ones such as Ice Beam, Zygarde might get KOed before it can activate its forme change. Despite its menacing looks, Zygarde-C also only has base 100 Attack, making it the weakest of the Ubers offensively and forcing it to compete with Garchomp for a slot.

• Alolan Ninetales: Even with all that bulk, Alolan Ninetales has an 81% chance to OHKO specially defensive Zygarde-C, while not even maximum Attack +1 Thousand Arrows is guaranteed to OHKO Alolan Ninetales.
• Lunala: Lunala is a fairly good check to the Coil set, since it only needs to use Calm Mind twice to 2HKO Zygarde-C with Moonblast. However, Lunala is not an effective check against the Dragon Dance set.
• Pheromosa: Pheromosa certainly can't take a hit and does poorly against a healthy specially defensive Zygarde, but against the Dragon Dance set, Pheromosa Speed ties with rare Jolly sets at worst, letting it revenge kill Zygarde with Ice Beam.
• Ash-Greninja: If Zygarde doesn't get to its Complete forme in time, Greninja or Ash-Greninja can OHKO non-specially defensive Zygarde with Ice Beam.
• Hydreigon: Hydreigon outspeeds Dragon Dance Zygarde and OHKOes it with Draco Meteor before it can change to its Complete forme. However, specially defensive Zygarde does survive Draco Meteor, meaning it can use Rest as it changes forme and stall out Hydreigon!
• Mandibuzz: Mandibuzz is notable for being one of the few users of Taunt in this metagame, meaning it can outstall the Coil set.

Necrozma

Typing:

Ability: Prism Armor

Stats: 97 HP / 107 Attack / 101 Defense / 127 Special Attack / 89 Special Defense / 79 Speed

What's up with this Pokémon?

Once again, Game Freak has elected to make the third legendary of a boxart trio into a weakling until the next game. Necrozma isn't completely useless, however. While it's extremely rare, Prism Armor is actually a great ability that, unlike Filter and Solid Rock, is not blasted through by Moongeist Beam!

What can it do?

If you see Necrozma, it's likely to be some kind of support set. Prism Armor lets it actually survive Lunala's Moongeist Beam, meaning it can paralyze it with Thunder Wave and deal some decent damage with Dark Pulse. Note that Necrozma will need massive Special Defense investment to survive Moongeist Beam, however.

Necrozma gets some other interesting support moves as well, such as Stealth Rock (handy for breaking Shadow Shield) and Trick Room, which could make it a decent alternative to Magearna (though it lacks Magearna's coverage). Necrozma also gets Calm Mind and Morning Sun / Moonlight, but as a Calm Minder, Lunala is usually a far more dangerous choice.

What holds it back?

Simply put, Necrozma has a hard time doing any of its roles better than other Pokémon in the format. As a Calm Minder, Lunala rules with an iron wing, while Magearna is the queen of Trick Room. Necrozma is a decent user of Stealth Rock, but even with that helping against Lunala, most teams are better off using designated Lunala checks such as Alolan Muk and Mandibuzz. It doesn't help that Klefki and Garchomp are arguably better hazards setters as well.

Zygarde-10%

Typing: /

Abilities: Power Construct / Aura Break

Stats: 54 HP / 100 Attack / 71 Defense / 61 Special Attack / 85 Special Defense / 115 Speed

What's up with this Pokémon?

Zygarde-10% is the forgotten forme of Zygarde. Thankfully, it can have Power Construct, so it can become the far more powerful Zygarde-C at the very least.

What can it do?

Zygarde-10%'s one good aspect is that it's fairly fast, outspeeding Lunala, Solgaleo, Hydreigon, and Garchomp. This is pretty nice considering its typing, meaning it can hypothetically run a Substitute set by forcing out Pokémon it can OHKO (such as Garchomp) and harassing its opponent until it becomes the much better (but slower) Zygarde-C. Zygarde-10%'s lower defenses can also let it change into Zygarde-C more quickly if switched into a weak attack, but this is still risky.

What holds it back?

For all that extra Speed, Zygarde-10% still only has base 100 Attack, which isn't going to OHKO many neutral targets. Zygarde-10% is also rather frail, making it difficult to hit that Power Construct sweet spot without getting KOed. It's usually best to stick to regular Zygarde for your Power Construct needs because of this.