|
-
Levitate
- The wielder is immune to Ground-type moves.
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Level 5 Statistics (see level 5, 50, 100)
|
Min- |
Min |
Max |
Max+ |
| HP |
50
|
- |
21 |
24 |
- |
| Atk |
65
|
11 |
13 |
16 |
17 |
| Def |
107
|
15 |
17 |
20 |
22 |
| SpA |
105
|
15 |
17 |
20 |
22 |
| SpD |
107
|
15 |
17 |
20 |
22 |
| Spe |
86
|
13 |
15 |
18 |
19 |
Overview
Most competitive battlers will agree that Rotom-F is the worst Rotom forme. Ice is a poor defensive typing that burdens Rotom-F with a Stealth Rock weakness. Rotom-F also lacks Ice Beam and must use Blizzard as a STAB move. Blizzard, while powerful, is deemed to be too inaccurate to use by many. Rotom-F also lost a superb niche as a powerful Blizzard spammer when hail was banned from NU, falling from grace, as it were.
But, "worst Rotom forme" doesn't mean bad Pokemon by any stretch of the imagination. Remember that Rotom-F shares the same movepool and stats as the mighty Rotom-W, the top dog of OU. The freaky freezer is quite bulky and has great resistances to Flying-, Ice-, and Electric-type moves, plus a Ground-type immunity. The Stealth Rock weakness might hurt, but gliding seamlessly above Spikes and Toxic Spikes with its Levitate ability is one of Rotom-F's little tricks; with a full set of entry hazards down, Rotom-F actually takes less damage than grounded Pokemon do. Speaking of tricks, Rotom-F has a huge movepool which includes Trick! It has a number of options at its disposal, such as Will-O-Wisp and Pain Split. Despite all of these excellent support moves, Rotom-F is best used as a sweeper. It sits in a great Speed tier, which makes it just a pinch faster than a lot of important Pokemon, such as Gardevoir and Sawk. The best part is that Rotom-F's dual STAB moves (Ice and Electric, the BoltBeam combo) have perfect coverage in NU, hitting every Pokemon in the tier for at least neutral damage. Rotom-F is powerful, versatile, can work well with the rest of your team, and keeps your booze cold too!
Rotom-F sits in an excellent Speed tier, and makes for a great Choice item user. Access to Volt Switch gives it a powerful attack that provides scouting and momentum grabbing capabilities. Though inaccurate, Blizzard is Rotom-F's most powerful option for an Ice-type move and can really blow opponents away, especially with a Choice Specs boost. Trick can be used to steal an Eviolite or Leftovers from one of the opponent's Pokemon, which can cripple it considerably. A timely Trick can put several Pokemon out of commission, such as Tangela, Miltank, Lickilicky, Altaria, and Gurdurr. Rotom-F could also receive a useful item in return, such as Leftovers. Thunderbolt is chosen for the last slot to provide a reliable attack with no fancy side effects; Thunderbolt is a powerful, accurate STAB move that is useful for situations where Rotom-F will need to attack multiple times in succession, and is a great move to use to clean up late-game.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
This Rotom-F variant will be switching in and out constantly, so unless you want it to blow up, Rapid Spin support will be needed. Wartortle is the best candidate, as it is bulky enough to tank most Fighting- and Rock-type moves and can use Haze. Additionally, its Electric-type weakness is covered by Rotom-F. This variant forces switches easily, so pre-preparing the opponent's field by laying entry hazards can really pile the damage on. The EV spread is standard for an offensive Pokemon: maximum investment in Special Attack and Speed. The Timid nature is non-negotiable, as Rotom-F needs the Speed to outspeed common foes such as Gardevoir, Skuntank, and Sawk. The Timid Choice Scarf variant outruns foes such as specially defensive Altaria with two Dragon Dances, Swellow, Swoobat, and Timid Gorebyss with one Shell Smash.
Miltank, widely known as "that annoyingly bulky damn cow," walls this set with her Thick Fat Ice-type resistance (the Choice Scarf variant moreso than Choice Specs) so a Fighting-type can be hired to slaughter her. Fighting-types employed by the opponent can threaten Rotom-F, so a Pokemon that can deal with them, such as Misdreavus or Exeggutor, helps immensely. Choice Scarf Sawk is a great teammate for Rotom-F, as it can bust Miltank, Zangoose, and Lickilicky, who all give the freezer a hard time. Teammates that have either U-turn or Volt Switch can form a VoltTurn combo with Rotom-F. Pokemon such as Swellow or Eelektross can switch amongst themselves to seize momentum, damaging their checks with repeated hits.
The aim of this set is to stay in for multiple turns and deal as much damage as possible. Substitute allows Rotom-F to protect itself from priority moves, status, and faster opponents, and when combined with Pain Split, the freezer can make a real nuisance of itself. Using these two moves, Rotom-F can keep its HP full and maintain a constant shield from attacks and status. Many Pokemon have a tough time breaking through Rotom-F's Substitute and Pain Split cycle, and this gives it plenty of opportunities to attack. Blizzard and Thunderbolt are chosen because they are Rotom-F's best STAB moves. In Blizzard's case it's Rotom-F's only STAB move, but Thunderbolt is the most powerful, accurate, and reliable Electric-type move in its repertoire. Rotom-F finds plenty of opportunities to switch in and set up a Substitute over the course of a battle by abusing its Speed, typing, and resistances. Some walls will struggle to harm Rotom-F, as it can block status and heal any damage dealt by their weak attacks. Pokemon such as Wartortle, Vileplume, and Weezing have "setup fodder" written all over them.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
Life Orb drains Rotom-F's HP quicker, and the lower HP that results allows it to abuse Pain Split more effectively, stealing more HP from the victim. However, you might find that Life Orb drains HP too quickly (especially with Stealth Rock thrown into the mix), which will place pressure on you to use the move more frequently just to keep Rotom-F alive. Leftovers avoids this problem and makes Rotom-F much sturdier. A Timid nature is crucial, as without it, Rotom-F would be outsped by prominent threats such as Gardevoir, Skuntank, and Sawk. SubSplit Rotom-F can force a lot of switches and deal loads of damage to the opponent's walls, so entry hazards and offensive Pokemon that can clean up pair with Rotom-F like peanut butter and jelly. This Rotom-F variant can stall weaker defensive Pokemon quite well, especially when supplied with Toxic Spikes support.
Fighting-type Pokemon are a real pain. Sawk and Gurdurr are the main culprits, so packing a teammate that can deal with them, such as Misdreavus, makes it much easier for Rotom-F to function. A powerful Fighting-type of your own, such as Choice Band Sawk, can get rid of Miltank, who walls Rotom-F's attacks and can use Milk Drink and Heal Bell to hold her ground. Armaldo and Golem can all threaten Rotom-F with Rock Blast, which will break through its Substitute and KO with multiple super effective hits. Alomomola can wall these threats quite well.
Other Options
Will-O-Wisp is a great move on Rotom-F, but didn't make it into any of the freezer's sets, unfortunately. The move is a great way to catch out foes that can cause Rotom-F trouble, such as Miltank and Braviary. Rain Dance is also a good choice, as Rotom-F can abuse the downpour with Thunder, which is by far its most devastating move. Volt Switch on a rain set is useful for switching out to a rain abuser such as Gorebyss or Floatzel. Thunder Wave or Discharge can be used to spread paralysis in place of Will-O-Wisp and Thunderbolt, respectively. If you do not want to use Blizzard, Hidden Power Ice is your only alternative. While it is much weaker, 70 Base Power is by no means bad, and the move is much more reliable than Blizzard. Signal Beam is a nifty alternative that can be used when a sure hit (read: not Blizzard) is needed and is useful for foes such as Exeggutor and Cacturne. Finally, Hidden Power Ground can be useful for foes such as Golem and Probopass.
Checks and Counters
Keeping Stealth Rock on Rotom-F's side of the battlefield can really hamper it, especially because its most popular set is the Choice item set. Miltank is a great check, as she can tank Rotom-F's attacks, resists Blizzard thanks to her Thick Fat ability, and can paralyze with Body Slam. Lickilicky is in a similar boat to Miltank, and can use Wish to heal its teammates. Fighting-types can exploit Rotom-F's weakness to their STAB moves, and Gurdurr is the best in the business. It has enough bulk to shrug off most of Rotom-F's attacks and can heal itself with Drain Punch, or use Mach Punch for a speedy KO. Rock-types that can use Rock Blast, such as Golem and Armaldo, can KO Rotom-F from behind its Substitute, but most players opt for Stone Edge over Rock Blast. Pokemon that resist Electric-type moves have a better chance of beating Rotom-F, as Blizzard's accuracy is so shaky. Choice Specs Exeggutor, for example, can evade Blizzard and retaliate with Sleep Powder or a powerful STAB Psychic. Swellow and Choice Scarf Braviary both outspeed Rotom-F and can wallop it with Facade and Superpower, respectively.
