|
-
Aftermath
- Deals 25% damage when KOed by contact damage.
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Unburden
- Speed increases when an item is used or lost.
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Flare Boost
- Special Attack is increased by 50% when burned.
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Level 50 Statistics (see level 5, 50, 100)
|
Min- |
Min |
Max |
Max+ |
| HP |
150
|
- |
225 |
257 |
- |
| Atk |
80
|
90 |
100 |
132 |
145 |
| Def |
44
|
57 |
64 |
96 |
105 |
| SpA |
90
|
99 |
110 |
142 |
156 |
| SpD |
54
|
66 |
74 |
106 |
116 |
| Spe |
80
|
90 |
100 |
132 |
145 |
Overview
Drifblim is definitely a unique Pokemon, possessing unique typing, unique stats, unique abilities, and a unique movepool. All of these help in making Drifblim more than just a regular balloon. Unfortunately for it, uniqueness doesn't always translate to competitive viability. While Drifblim's typing gives it three immunities, including one to the Normal-type, it also curses Drifblim with a weakness to Stealth Rock, Pursuit, and the BoltBeam combination, which are common in NU. Drifblim boasts the seventh highest HP in the game as well, but is held back by its pathetic defensive stats and weaknesses to common attacking types. However, Drifblim was blessed with an excellent ability in Unburden and a movepool that it can abuse to the fullest. Although Drifblim may not seem too threatening at first, be careful, for it can easily blow away unprepared teams.
This set is specifically designed to take advantage of the rare Unburden ability that Drifblim possesses. Given the right circumstances, it can reliably pull off a sweep. Even if it can't sweep an entire team, Drifblim can usually guarantee a kill if played correctly due to the combination of Unburden and Destiny Bond. Acrobatics also has another huge advantage in that it can lure out and beat common checks to Drifblim such as Ludicolo. Common Rapid Spin users such as Armaldo are crippled by Will-O-Wisp or taken out by Destiny Bond. Drifblim can also dent almost everything that doesn't resist its Flying Gem-boosted Acrobatics. In addition, Drifblim can act as a decent check to weather teams and even sweep with the Unburden boost. Another thing that is notable about Drifblim is that it's one of the few sturdy counters to Swords Dance Sawsbuck; it resists all of the latter's attacks bar the rare Wild Charge and can OHKO it with Acrobatics.
Flying Gem doubles the Base Power of Acrobatics while also activating Unburden when the move is used. The main purpose of Will-O-Wisp is to cripple the many Rock-types in NU that can easily switch into Acrobatics. Once burned, they will be worn down and Drifblim can attempt to sweep later on. Destiny Bond makes a fantastic combination with Unburden; as Drifblim will outspeed almost the entire metagame once Unburden is activated, it is almost guaranteed to take an opponent down with it through Destiny Bond. The main use of Substitute is to avoid powerful Sucker Punches from Pokemon such as Skuntank, which will bring an untimely end to Drifblim's fun.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
The chosen EV spread is used to outspeed +1 positive-nature base 100 Speed Pokemon and those with Choice Scarf. These are just about the fastest threats in NU, meaning that Drifblim can outspeed almost everything after an Unburden boost. The extra investment in Defense lets Drifblim take on physically inclined targets, such as Armaldo and Samurott, much more easily in combination with Will-O-Wisp. Sucker Punch can also be used instead of Substitute as it can be very useful to hit other priority users such as Samurott, as well as causing other Sucker Punches to fail. It should be noted that even with the heavy investment in Attack, Drifblim fails to pack a real punch with anything besides its STAB Acrobatics.
This Drifblim set thrives on setting up as the opponent attempts to use Rapid Spin. Any attempts made to Rapid Spin will only give Drifblim an opportunity to set up. Hence, Pokemon that can set up entry hazards are great teammates for it. Armaldo can reliably set up Stealth Rock as well as spin them away so that Drifblim can switch in unharmed. As Drifblim lures out a lot of special walls, such as Lickilicky, it makes a good partner to any Pokemon that can sweep after those walls are gone. Ludicolo comes to mind, as the aforementioned wall is one of the most common checks to Rain Dance Ludicolo. Rock-types such as Golem and Regirock completely wall Drifblim, but must be careful of Will-O-Wisp. A Grass-type teammate, such as Torterra or Exeggutor, that can reliably switch in and beat these opponents is a good option to use.
This set is meant to set up with Calm Mind and sweep with boosted Special Attack and Speed after activating Unburden—if only it were that easy to to execute. Fortunately, Drifblim does have some handy resistances and immunities on which it can start setting up Calm Minds, the most useful being the immunity to Fighting-type attacks, which allows Drifblim to come in on most Choice-locked Fighting-types. After a few Calm Mind boosts, or when Drifblim's HP is running dangerously low, use Rest to heal up fully and instantly wake up with the Chesto Berry; this also activates Unburden to boost Drifblim's Speed past most Choice Scarf holders. If this strategy is pulled off successfully, there is little that can stop Drifblim from ravaging the opposing team. Shadow Ball is the obligatory STAB move that hurts opposing Psychic- and Ghost-types, while the last slot is for coverage. Thunderbolt has higher Base Power and hurts Flying- and Water-types, but Hidden Power Fighting has perfect neutral coverage alongside Shadow Ball.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
The Speed EVs allow Drifblim to outspeed Choice Scarf Sawk and Choice Scarf Magmortar after the Unburden boost, while the Defense EVs boost the defensive stat not raised by Calm Mind and help Drifblim in setting up. The leftover EVs are placed in Special Attack as any investment in HP is near-useless with Drifblim's already sky-high HP stat. Like most special sweepers, a Modest nature should be used too boost offensive potential while reducing Drifblim's unneeded Attack stat.
Without proper team support, this Drifblim will never be able to sweep, so the choice of teammates is an important decision. When using Drifblim early on, use it to lure out its counters, which should then be identified and eliminated; Fighting-types, such as Sawk, are the best partners for Drifblim as they can easily eliminate Dark-types and special walls. Only after all of Drifblim's counters have been suitably weakened or removed should it attempt a sweep. However, this is not all that Drifblim demands from its teammates. A Rapid Spinner, too, is almost mandatory to alleviate Drifblim's unfortunate Stealth Rock weakness. Entry hazards on the opponent's side are also helpful to wear down Drifblim's checks and counters.
Drifblim's typing gives it a whopping 6 resistances and immunities to take advantage of. It is only natural, then, to have a set that can abuse the switches it can cause with Substitute. Due to Drifblim's vast range of immunities and resistances, there are many Pokemon that this set can take advantage of; Choice Scarf holders locked into ineffective moves and physical sweepers such as Leafeon are just some of the potential victims. While under the protection of a Substitute, Drifblim can either start setting up with Calm Mind or just hit hard off the bat with its two attacks. Like the previous set, Drifblim's main STAB move is Shadow Ball, and its main coverage options are either Hidden Power Fighting or Thunderbolt; the former has perfect neutral coverage alongside Drifblim's Ghost-type STAB, while the latter packs greater power and hits Flying- and Water-types super effectively.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
Like most Pokemon that abuse Substitute, Leftovers is the item of choice; the ability to restore health at the end of every turn is more important than the Speed Boost granted from Unburden. Aftermath is also a decent ability for Drifblim as it makes it the perfect death fodder. When Drifblim can no longer be of much use, it can be sacrificed to physical attackers to inflict damage upon them.
This Drifblim should be used more offensively than the previous set, playing off its numerous immunities and resistances to force switches so it can safely set up a Substitute. More often than not, firing off unboosted attacks from behind a Substitute is better than using Calm Mind as Drifblim is quite easily outsped and killed while setting up. Only after the opponent can do little to threaten Drifblim should it attempt to set up. Steel-types such as Probopass make excellent teammates as they can switch into most of Drifblim's weaknesses. Once again, Rapid Spin support from the likes of Armaldo is much appreciated so Drifblim does not have to lose 25% of its health every time it switches in. Drifblim also appreciates hazards on the opponent's side to hurt switch-ins and due to Drifblim's Ghost typing, it can block any attempts to spin the hazards away.
Drifblim can also use its unique traits to become a valuable member in Baton Pass chains. Drifblim's main advantage over other Baton Pass users is its sky-high HP stat, which means Drifblim can create and pass huge Substitutes. To further bulk up Drifblim and its recipients, Drifblim can use Stockpile to boost both its Defense and Special Defense. While Stockpile only boosts up to +3, that is more than enough to make Drifblim's Substitutes very hard to break. If a more offensive boosting move is required, Drifblim can use Calm Mind instead of Stockpile to raise its Special Attack while still raising its Special Defense. The last move of the set is Shadow Ball, which means Drifblim is not helpless against taunt users. After a few Special Attack boosts, Shadow Ball can hit quite hard.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
This Drifblim dedicates itself to supporting the team, so its customizations reflect its job. The EVs and nature all contribute to giving Drifblim the maximum amount of physical and special bulk to support its team and take hits while setting up. Unfortunately for this set, the Unburden Speed boost cannot be Baton Passed, so Aftermath is the ability that should be used. The use of Aftermath also frees up the item slot for a more permanent item, which for this set should always be Leftovers, again, increasing Drifblim's respectable bulk. As Drifblim should only be run in Baton Pass teams, the choice of teammates should be quite specific. As this set cannot boost its Speed, Drifblim appreciates Speed being passed to it first before it attempts to boost up; good teammates that can pass Speed include Ninjask. Should Drifblim choose to use Calm Mind instead of Stockpile, then Defense boosts from the likes of Gorebyss or Mawile should definitely be passed to Drifblim as, despite full investment, powerful physical attacks such as Skuntank's Crunch can still easily shred through Drifblim. While all Pokemon appreciate stat boosts being passed to them, there at some who can use them more efficiently; Musharna can use the boosts accrued to unleash a powerful Stored Power while Octillery can counter phazing attempts with Suction Cups.
Other Options
Drifblim has a movepool as big as its HP stat so all I can say is, you've been warned! Like many Pokemon, Drifblim can summon rain and sun, but unlike others, it can actually abuse them efficiently with Weather Ball, which has excellent coverage with Shadow Ball regardless of which weather you choose. Drifblim also has numerous support moves, which range from status, such as Hypnosis and Will-O-Wisp, to Trick, and even Substitute and Disable. Drifblim's ability Aftermath is just one of the ways it can make its presence felt even after death. Drifblim can utilize Explosion to try to take the opponent with it, but with the nerf to Explosion that came with BW, it will do less damage than before. Another suicidal move that Drifblim can use is Memento, which can open up a window for powerful setup Pokemon, such as Gorebyss, to continue the destruction. Instead of dying with flair, Drifblim can choose to extend its life indefinitely with the combination of Recycle and Chesto Berry, which basically gives Drifblim unlimited recovery and status removal. In terms of other offensive options, Drifblim has access to Charge Beam, the Flare Boost ability, and Sucker Punch; however, Drifblim is better off using Calm Mind to boost its Special Attack and Unburden to overcome its Speed issues.
Checks and Counters
Drifblim is deathly afraid of Dark-types, who can easily switch in on Shadow Ball or a non-attacking move and proceed to pop Drifblim with their STAB move of choice, or Pursuit it as it tries to float away. Special walls are equally annoying, with their huge special bulk allowing them to easily tank Drifblim's moves and whittle it down or status it. Especially notable are Regice or Stunfisk, who can reply with a super effective STAB move to deflate Drifblim. Phazing is probably the most effective way to deal with any Drifblim sets; most of them rely on boosting or using Substitute, so phazing out Drifblim will remove any boosts and force possible hazard damage on Drifblim next time it switches in.
