Paint The Town Red: A Retrospective on Smeargle

By erisia. Art by FellFromtheSky.
« Previous Article Home Next Article »
Smeargle by FellFromtheSky

Introduction

While many Pokémon are known throughout the ages for their excellent stats, awesome typing, or outstanding design, Smeargle has none of these. Like with all art, the design quality is subjective, but it's basically a dog with a paintbrush for a tail, so take it as you will. Nonetheless, Smeargle has endured as one of the most iconic Pokémon from the second generation due to a single move: Sketch. This move lets Smeargle copy any move that its opponent uses, permanently, and it learns the move ten times on its long journey up to Lv 100. This means that Smeargle can essentially run any combination of four moves in the game (excluding the microphone-dependent Chatter), making it one of the most versatile Pokémon in existence. While Smeargle's poor stats make similarly versatile Pokémon such as Arceus and Mew better choices in general in their respective tiers, base 75 Speed is still enough to pull off some decent sets, and throughout the generations it kept getting blessed with even more powerful tools than before, giving it new niches in every metagame with each release. Below are some of the most prominent sets that have been seen since Smeargle's debut in 1999, along with some predictions on what Game Freak has in store for our little Beagle Ross.

GSC

Smeargle

Smeargle had somewhat of a slow start in the second generation, as many of the tools it relies upon today simply hadn't been invented. That said, it was still a reasonably viable Pokémon with a stat-boosting set that became the foundation of much of Smeargle's niche in the future while simultaneously being able to trap-pass. Trapping moves in GSC (such as Spider Web) maintained their trapping even if passed to a teammate via Baton Pass, giving threats such as Snorlax opportunities to set up with impunity, while other targets can make good use of the Speed boost from Agility. Disable could also be used to cripple trapped Pokémon further to make them even easier to set up on or to get them to Struggle to death in the process. Spore also allowed Smeargle to put slower targets to sleep reliably, giving it at least one turn to set up whatever move it wants to Baton Pass away. Spikes was also a good option for some teams due to Smeargle's ability to force switches against slower foes with Spore. Furthermore, the lack of EVs as a mechanic meant that Smeargle had the equivalent of 252 EVs in all stats at once, giving it the bulk to avoid being OHKOed by most non-super effective attacks while still maintaining a good Speed tier.

ADV OU

Smeargle

The third generation was both a blessing and a curse for Smeargle. On the one hand, it now had to split investment between its defenses and Speed due to the introduction of EVs as a mechanic, making it much frailer. On the other hand, many more moves were introduced that gave Smeargle more consistent matchups against a lot of targets and increased the scope and versatility of its Baton Pass sets. While Ingrain + Baton Pass is currently banned in the metagame, it was one of Smeargle's most defining niches, preventing Baton Pass teams from being phazed by Roar or Whirlwind. Own Tempo also allowed it to avoid confusion; a mild passive benefit.

Smeargle

As Ingrain + Baton Pass is now banned, Smeargle's stat passing set remained as its strongest niche. While stat passing Smeargle previously used Agility to make its teammates more dangerous and to ensure a smoother pass, Belly Drum became much more popular in ADV, which maximized the user's Attack stat to +6 while cutting Smeargle's HP by 50% (a small price to pay considering Smeargle now died to a stiff breeze anyway). Combined with skilled use of Substitute and a Salac Berry, this allowed Smeargle to pass +6 Attack and +1 Speed to threats like Salamence and Metagross, making them super deadly.

Smeargle

A Spikes set was also decently effective, using moves like Taunt, Thunder Wave, Will-O-Wisp, and Toxic to lock down switch-ins after Spore executes against a slower target, while Explosion let Smeargle sacrifice itself so a teammate could enter battle without taking damage. However, without the existence of Focus Sash to ensure it survived any single attack, this set had to be played more carefully to avoid becoming dead weight against faster foes.

DPP OU

Smeargle

While the fourth generation didn't provide Smeargle with a huge number of gifts (outside of the useless Technician), it did give it one that truly mattered; the Focus Sash. This item allows Smeargle to survive at least one hit provided it stays at full health and doesn't switch into entry hazards. This made Smeargle an unconventional but effective choice for a lead, as it could guarantee a Spore against almost any target and then use whatever move was needed the most from there. Spikes was a common choice, as Smeargle could usually ensure at least one layer thanks to Focus Sash, while the newly introduced Stealth Rock could also be used if it didn't fit anywhere else on the team. Counter could also be used with Focus Sash to OHKO most physical attackers that would go straight for the KO if necessary; Own Tempo ensures that Smeargle doesn't get confused by lead Machamp's Dynamic Punch and KOes back reliably with Counter, for instance. Meanwhile, the new U-turn was also a popular choice, as it let Smeargle scout the team's responses and seize momentum. Attack-invested sets with Explosion were also seen, as the move inflicted a lot of damage prior to the fifth generation, halving the target's Defense stat when calculating damage.

Smeargle

Although Baton Passing sets were still popular, the fourth generation also produced one of the most amusing yet deadly gimmicks in the game; level 1 Smeargle! While this set also saw moderate use in BW RU, it was invented in DPP. This set worked as a lead, using the new Trick Room as the foe tried to KO it, allowing the slowest Pokémon to move first. Suddenly, Smeargle's Speed stat of 6 outshines everything else in existence, and it can fire off a free Spore against any target that lacks a priority move. Next, Endeavor can be used to set the foe's HP stat equivalent to Smeargle's; i.e., some number between 1 and 12, regardless of whether they switch or stay in. Finally, Dragon Rage can be used to secure the KO, dealing a fixed 40 HP of damage to any target, which is enough to KO almost any target of Endeavor even after Leftovers recovery. While this strategy wasn't foolproof (Ghost-types could block Endeavor, for example), it was surprising and could be extremely deadly against unprepared players, at least crippling one Pokémon and potentially cleaning through two or three! Slow teammates such as Tyranitar and Machamp could also use remaining Trick Room turns to their advantage.

BW2 UU and above

Smeargle

With the advent of the fifth generation, even more overpowered boosting moves became available for Smeargle to use. Shell Smash boosts Attack, Special Attack, and Speed each by +2 while only inflicting -1 to Defense and Special Defense, making almost any offensive threat infinitely more dangerous. Meanwhile, White Herb could be used to remove the drops in defenses and allow a bulkier recipient to make better use of the boosts. Other options such as Quiver Dance and Shift Gear also became available for those who didn't want to give up their precious Focus Sash. This set was eventually banned due to the ease with which it made certain threats unstoppable, but Smeargle had little use in the higher tiers anyway after this ban due to the introduction of Team Preview, allowing players to choose which Pokémon to send into battle first after looking at their opponent's team. This made Smeargle much less useful in general, as the opponent could start to play around it from the first turn. Nonetheless, Baton Pass chains, where all Pokémon continually passed boosts to each other until the end recipient had almost maximized stats, continued to be a common and viable strategy until the move was limited to one Pokémon per team, and Smeargle was a big part of what made those teams viable.

BW2 RU and below

Smeargle

After the complex ban on stat passing (and combined with a ban on its hidden ability, Moody), Smeargle could mostly be found in lower tiers with a dedicated hazards lead set. Lower tiers in the fifth generation were notorious for their lack of effective Rapid Spin users, as Defog did not remove entry hazards until the release of XY, so Smeargle would occasionally run Rapid Spin too for a team that couldn't fit another spinner such as Cryogonal, Hitmonchan, Kabutops, or Sandslash. While less effective than in previous metagames due to the introduction of Team Preview, Smeargle's unique combination of moves allowed it to compress a large number of roles and remain valuable if brought in against safe matchups. Furthermore, BW's sleep mechanics played heavily in Smeargle's favor, with the sleep turn counter resetting when a Pokémon switches out, making Spore much more useful overall. However, this also played against Smeargle (alongside other threats such as Amoonguss, Tangrowth, and Lilligant) as it encouraged most teams to pack a sleep absorber. Faster hazard leads such as Qwilfish could also check it effectively with Taunt, while other Pokémon such as Sceptile and Gallade could easily set up Substitutes on it.

ORAS AG

Smeargle

While Black and White blessed Smeargle with one of the most broken abilities in the game, it was banned from all major formats until the formation of the Anything Goes metagame, where common-sense clauses are removed and the true frontier of competitive Pokémon can be found. Moody provides +2 to one random stat and -1 to another every turn; over time, these random boosts eventually tend towards Smeargle getting +6 in every stat and being able to pass these off to a teammate. This set is generally seen on full Baton Pass teams due to Smeargle's unique access to Ingrain removing phazing as a counterplay option, so the usual end recipient is Espeon, which also bypasses status as a counterplay option via Magic Bounce and can OHKO any non-Dark type with Stored Power. While Smeargle's lack of initial bulk usually makes it a poor passer on its own, it can accrue a decent amount of Evasion boosts after a few turns, becoming very difficult to hit and passing them off to an even more threatening teammate. Spiky Shield and King's Shield are new, upgraded versions of Protect introduced in this generation, with the former punishing contact attackers with -12.5% HP if their attack lands and the latter punishing them with a nasty -2 Attack drop, letting Smeargle stall out turns even more effectively. Spore obviously gives Smeargle more opportunities to stall for Moody boosts, but as most teams run sleep checks due to the threat of Darkrai, this is less consistent than in other tiers.

ORAS Ubers

Smeargle

SmashPass and similar strategies are banned in the OU tier and below this generation, but the strategy can be somewhat useful in Ubers, where it's still legal. Smeargle is far superior to other users of this combination such as Gorebyss due to Spore giving it a free turn to boost up. Although Mega Diancie would normally be able to block such a play with Magic Bounce, a +2 Flash Cannon actually OHKOes it at full investment, letting Smeargle get around it. However, while this set is certainly legal, it still struggles to be effective due to fast Taunt users such as Darkrai and Deoxys-S and is only rarely seen, mostly in tournament matches. Other sets such as hazard leads are also nonexisent due to Smeargle's terrible stats and the plethora of more generally useful Pokémon available, and Sticky Web is a mediocre option in general with so many non-grounded threats such as Rayquaza, Ho-Oh, and Mega Salamence.

ORAS OU and below

Smeargle

In early XY, Smeargle's Baton Pass sets were highly popular and dominant to the extent that the current Baton Pass clause needed to be implemented because of them. However, with Smeargle's most potent niches now being confined to the tiers above OU and the other standard metagames, the only set seen commonly in the lower tiers is a hazards lead with emphasis on the newest entry hazard: Sticky Web. This move lowers the Speed of any incoming grounded Pokémon by -1, essentially cutting it by one-third and giving your Pokémon the same relative Speed boost as a Choice Scarf without the drawbacks, which can be helpful for slow-but-powerful threats. While Galvantula and Shuckle are generally better users of the move in OU (where the strategy is fairly lackluster to begin with) and UU, Smeargle carves a small niche for itself with Spore giving it guaranteed setup in a variety of matchups, while in the tiers below Smeargle is the best option full-stop outside of niche choices like Leavanny. Smeargle certainly fills a unique niche for offense teams here, but it is mediocre in ORAS due the change in Defog mechanics allowing the move to remove hazards in almost any circumstance, with Pokémon such as Flygon giving Smeargle trouble. In addition, dangerous non-grounded Pokémon such as Hydreigon and Mega Aerodactyl are unaffected by Sticky Web, posing a severe threat to teams that depend too much on the hazard. Contrary Pokémon such as Malamar and Serperior also get +1 Speed from switching into the hazard, while Defiant Pokémon such as Bisharp and Primeape get +2 Attack, making Sticky Web an even more risky playstyle.

Being able to set up Stealth Rock at the same time is highly useful in maximizing your teamslots available for Sticky Web attackers or other Pokémon, while the remaining options all provide assistance against various checks to the strategy. Magic Coat and Taunt are generally the most useful for preventing Taunt users from stopping it or Defog users from simply removing the hazards. Whirlwind forces setup Pokémon out that might use Smeargle as fodder after Sleep Clause is activated, while Nuzzle can cripple anything that tries to switch in after Sleep Clause, even Magic Bounce and Taunt users. Skill Swap meanwhile lets Smeargle set up hazards against Magic Bounce Pokémon such as Mega Sableye and Xatu that would normally be full counters. Another important change to Smeargle's moveset in the sixth generation is the newfound immunity of Grass-types (as well as users of the revamped Overcoat such as Mandibuzz) to powder attacks, which include Spore. This makes Dark Void viable in singles metagames where Grass-types are common, such as NU, where the risk of Dark Void's lower accuracy is less than the risk of Spore being blocked as a Grass-type switches in. Combined with the reversal of BW's sleep mechanics, with the sleep turn counter no longer resetting upon switching, this makes sleep a somewhat less useful tool overall than before.

VGC 2016

Smeargle

While Smeargle is well known in singles metagames due to its old sets if nothing else, it's actually much more dangerous in the official doubles metagame! Firstly, Moody is legal here, so random stat boosts can help Smeargle outspeed random targets or take random hits after stalling a few turns with Fake Out / Wide Guard or Spiky Shield. However, Smeargle's most important tool by far in this metagame is Dark Void, which targets both opposing Pokémon and is not limited by Sleep Clause in this metagame! This makes Smeargle an extremely dangerous threat if a team is not designed to handle it. Meanwhile, Follow Me lets Smeargle redirect attacks away from teammates in a crucial situation, while Wide Guard can be used to protect the team from other spread attacks such as Surf or Earthquake, and Fake Out can be used to prevent a foe from moving in the first turn.

Smeargle

Alternatively, Smeargle can run a slow set for Trick Room teams, which are a big deal in the VGC metagame and commonly run Gravity to support threats such as Primal Groudon, giving Smeargle a 100% accurate Dark Void. The semi-unique Crafty Shield can be used here to protect teammates from status attacks (such as another Smeargle's Dark Void!), which other tactics such as Follow Me and Wide Guard do not work on.

^ Back to menu

Other Options

Needless to say, Smeargle has a wider range of options than any other Pokémon; the trick is to find which ones are viable. Toxic Spikes can be used instead of Spikes if your team doesn't have room for another user of the move such as Weezing or Garbodor. Tail Glow provides +3 Special Attack and can be passed with Baton Pass, but Volbeat usually does this better. Memento can be a decent option for giving a teammate a setup option, while Destiny Bond can lure a foe into KOing itself as it goes for the KO or, if it doesn't attack, let you set more hazards or fire off another Spore. Endeavor + Extreme Speed can be used on a conventional lead set to score a surprise KO, but usually this isn't worth two moveslots, as Extreme Speed only deals chip damage to most targets. Mental Herb can be used as an item to prevent Smeargle from being Taunted without having to dedicate a moveslot to it. Parting Shot can be used to both pivot around foes and potentially produce setup opportunities. Grudge can permanently disable any move that is used to KO Smeargle, crippling Choice-locked Pokémon that rely on a single strong STAB attack. Encore can be used to dissude foes from setting up boosts or hazards, while Heart Swap + Baton Pass can let you take advantage of any Speed-boosting sweeper that thinks it can set up on Smeargle without consequence. In doubles, Helping Hand can boost a teammate's attacking power while Role Play can be used on a Primal Groudon or Kyogre to reset its weather, and Smeargle can even be given a Choice Scarf to spam Dark Voids against faster Pokémon, with a teammate pulling up the slack. Finally, Smeargle also gets access to attacking moves, but outside of specific uses against hazard removers in the lower tiers (i.e. Overheat vs Forretress, Technician Icy Wind vs Flygon) these don't do enough damage to be generally useful. That said, Smeargle has been seen running a Belly Drum set in its new home of PU, where there are less Normal-resistant Pokémon and defensive checks such as Probopass, Gourgeist-XL, and Golem take heavy damage from Technician Bonemerang, Icicle Spear, and Bullet Seed. However, even there it has major issues setting up and is only moderately threatening after a boost, relying mostly on surprise value to be effective.

Predictions

Smeargle will always benefit indirectly from each new generation as the power creep ensures that more and more broken impactful moves are released. Obviously a rare new entry hazard, such as Stealth Icicles or Burning Spikes, or a stat boosting move like a special Belly Drum or even a reverse Shell Smash, would see use if it was strong enough, as existing sets can easily be adapted to follow them. An auto-Freeze move would obviously be A TERRIBLE IDEA superior to Spore/Dark Void in most situations; if it had low accuracy like Hypnosis or Grass Whistle, it could be paired with Gravity to devastating effect. A rare-but-powerful field effect, such as one that removes enemy resistances or team weaknesses for five turns, could also help define a new niche for Smeargle. Another factor that could benefit Smeargle is the introduction of a new non-exclusive item, such as one that gives the first move Smeargle uses priority, or a Trick Room-extending item. Similarly, one of Smeargle's abilities could be replaced with something a little more consistent, such as Oblivious or Wonder Guard. However, anyone who's enjoyed this generation will know what the best solution to Smeargle's declining popularity is...

Mega Smeargle X

All great artists die before they truly become immortal, and Smeargle is no exception. With newfound bulk, Smeargle no longer needs to run a Focus Sash so long as it finds a safe opportunity to Mega Evolve (which it surely can with King's Shield or Spiky Shield), and it can now spam Recover until the heat death of the universe with an excellent defensive typing with, what, one weakness? Pfff. As Mega Sableye proves, defensive Mega Evolutions do occasionally get considered by Game Freak, and a bulky set could be an excellent Defog user, spinblocker, status platform, or even a mono-attacking bulky booster with Quiver Dance, Recover, Refresh, and Boomburst or Stored Power. The options such a set would have are almost limitless, especially considering it can use moves like Parting Shot to pivot out with priority and a wide plethora of support moves such as Dark Void and Follow Me would make this set even more obnoxious to face in Doubles formats. On the other hand...

Mega Smeargle Y

Who needs defensive merit when you have access to almost every attack in the game? While even a Mega Evolution would struggle to give Smeargle the stats it needs to be a huge offensive threat (without cutting out its versatility at least), access to moves such as Belly Drum, Extreme Speed, Sacred Fire, and Close Combat would make it very hard to wall if it managed to get a boost with even a below-average attack stat. Alternatively, it could use its special movepool instead with an offensive Shell Smash set and the excellent Boomburst / Sacred Sword / Blue Flare combination. The extra Speed and power could also be useful for certain support sets, making it less passive with access to a strong Boomburst and a higher Speed tier to use moves such as Destiny Bond and Taunt more effectively while boasting some surprise value over its largely superior counterpart. While Scrappy makes Mega Smeargle Y's STAB combination much harder to wall, the ridiculous potential of Simple Shell Smash is too good to ignore.

Conclusion

Smeargle is a unique Pokémon that has passed the test of time and has been able to run a number of different sets throughout its history. While Smeargle has declined overall in the standard metagame since its debut, the various clauses that keep it in check have turned Smeargle into some sort of weird demigod that transcends the tier system altogether, being usable from Anything Goes to PU, from singles to doubles, and everywhere in between. While we won't know what the future holds for the seventh generation for a few months yet, one thing is certain; Smeargle will find a way to persevere and prove its worth.

« Previous Article Home Next Article »