Level 100 Statistics (see level 5, 50, 100)
|
Min- |
Min |
Max |
Max+ |
| HP |
75
|
- |
291 |
354 |
- |
| Atk |
95
|
203 |
226 |
289 |
317 |
| Def |
125
|
257 |
286 |
349 |
383 |
| SpA |
45
|
113 |
126 |
189 |
207 |
| SpD |
75
|
167 |
186 |
249 |
273 |
| Spe |
95
|
203 |
226 |
289 |
317 |
Overview
Respectable bulk, few weaknesses, resistances to Fighting and Bug, and key immunities to grounded entry hazards, status, and Ground- and Electric-type moves provide Gliscor with ample opportunities to come in and set up a Substitute or just threaten opponents with its STAB Earthquake from its very usable Attack stat. Poison Heal and Protect provide excellent passive recovery. As one of the premier Groudon counters in the game, Gliscor can also contribute excellently to a defensive core if necessary. Unfortunately, it is very weak on the special side, so in some scenarios Gliscor can turn out to be completely dead weight. However, if you play to Gliscor's strengths, it will prove to be a marvelous asset to your team.
Come in on Choice-locked Ground- or Electric-type attacks, Groudon, or something that Gliscor can force out with Earthquake, and set up a Substitute. Gliscor can then proceed to cripple the switch-in with Toxic, or just use Earthquake if they are immune to the status. The combination of Protect and Substitute provides a full 32 turns of undisturbed stalling, which means that anything with Life Orb, burn, poison, or Choice-locked into a low PP move will be forced to switch or die. Taunt is an excellent option over Protect, Toxic, or Earthquake, as without it this set is a sitting duck for Skarmory, Ferrothorn, and Forretress to set up on. Roost is an option worth considering as it gives Gliscor instant recovery, letting it wall certain threats far more reliably such as Terrakion and Rayquaza. Keep in mind though that Gliscor then loses its ability to scout, and will also lose its Flying typing for a turn. Taunt allows Gliscor to take on Chansey, Blissey, and Pokemon with healing moves attempting to heal off damage and poison. Unfortunately, removing any of the moves listed above for Taunt can pose severe problems to the set's overall effectiveness. The loss of Protect reduces Gliscor's healing capabilities and means that it can't scout as easily or PP and Toxic stall for 32 turns. Removing Earthquake leaves Gliscor vulnerable to being countered continually by any Steel- or Poison-type with Leftovers. Removing Toxic is also a bad idea, as even with Toxic Spikes up, Levitators, Flying-types, and Air Balloon users can all come in with impunity.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
Another option for the set is using 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD with an Impish nature, as this allows Gliscor to take on Choice Scarf Zekrom far more easily, in addition to setting up on support Groudon variants with little to no trouble. However, the loss of that much Speed is not without its disadvantages.
The beauty of Gliscor's Speed stat is that it outspeeds the common base 90 group, meaning that Gliscor can use Toxic as they break the Substitute, then set up another before they have the opportunity to move. Better yet, faster Pokemon that could prevent Gliscor from using Toxic before executing the Substitute and Protect chain, such as Palkia, Rayquaza, Mewtwo, Shaymin-S, and Darkrai, tend to carry Life Orb or Choice Scarf. Substitute allows Gliscor to scout the move that Choiced Pokemon use and either PP stall it to give itself yet another free turn or switch to the appropriate counter. Due to the fact that Life Orb incurs recoil if the user attacks a Substitute, Gliscor doesn't even need Toxic to inflict passive damage on Pokemon that use it. These Pokemon will often faint without even relieving Gliscor of its Substitute, which means that it can simply start the process all over again on the opponent's next Pokemon.
As mentioned previously, this Gliscor variant handles almost any Groudon set extremely well, being immune to Earthquake and neutral to Fire Punch, Stone Edge, and Dragon Claw. For offensive versions, simply Toxic and then SubStall away. Support versions are even easier to deal with, as they typically lack the punch needed to break Gliscor's Substitute with Dragon Tail, and may have only the inaccurate and low PP Stone Edge to retaliate with. Support Groudon can easily provide Gliscor with several free Substitute opportunities throughout the game, each one often netting a KO. The standard Dragon Tail / Will-O-Wisp Giratina set provides equally good setup fodder, as Dragon Tail cannot break Gliscor's Substitute. Gliscor can also set up against Dragon Claw variants of Giratina-O, as Dragon Claw does only so-so damage and Draco Meteors are absorbed by the Substitute. Outrage variants are handled pretty easily as well, but Gliscor will take a good chunk of damage when Toxicing on an Outrage. Ground Arceus, although relatively rare, is also a good Pokemon to switch in on.
Gliscor can also do some other important things for your team. It is an excellent switch-in to U-turn because it is resistant to Bug, immune to Spikes, and can heal back HP and scout the opposing switch-in with Poison Heal and Protect. Gliscor's 12.5% passive recovery is also useful for taking on Leech Seed users such as Whimsicott and Jumpluff, as Leech Seed will do 0 net damage after Poison Heal recovery, meaning that Gliscor can switch around and easily waste Leech Seed PP. If your team is especially weak to Choice Specs Kyogre, you can use Gliscor's Substitute and Protect to stall Kyogre out of Water Spout PP.
Other Options
Gliscor has Baton Pass, Swords Dance, and Agility at its disposal, but it is generally inferior to Mew for Baton Pass sets, as it is easily dispatched by Kyogre, even when behind dual screens.
Checks and Counters
Manaphy with rain support is arguably the best Gliscor counter, with immunity to Toxic and high defenses to avoid taking heavy Earthquake damage; it is further aided by its excellent healing option in Rest, and STAB Surf with which to hit Gliscor's Water-type weakness. Defensive Kyogre with Rest, and Refresh Arceus and Latias variants can easily shrug off Gliscor's moves and set up Calm Mind. You should also be careful of Palkia, as it can fake a Choice Scarf with Lustrous Orb and ruin your attempts to switch in something else to take the hit. Ferrothorn is immune to Toxic and takes relatively little from Earthquake; it can retaliate with Power Whips and Gyro Balls that deal enough damage to easily break Gliscor's Substitute. Skarmory has to watch out for Taunt, but is immune to Earthquake and Toxic and can set up Spikes or Whirlwind Gliscor out. Bronzong, although less common, is also immune to both moves, but cares even less about Taunt. All of these Pokemon are also more than capable of PP stalling Gliscor as well if necessary.
A number of other things also resist the combination of Toxic and Earthquake, although they rarely if ever show up in Ubers. Crobat, Gengar, Weezing, opposing Gliscor, and Magic Bounce Xatu can halt Gliscor without the need for items, while any Poison- or Steel-type with Air Balloon, most notably Excadrill and Heatran, can switch in with impunity. Anything faster with Taunt or Substitutes that aren't broken by Earthquake can also be a problem for this set, although Toxic Spikes support can mitigate this issue somewhat.
