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Truant
- The wielder does nothing every other turn.
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Level 5 Statistics (see level 5, 50, 100)
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Min- |
Min |
Max |
Max+ |
| HP |
150
|
- |
31 |
34 |
- |
| Atk |
160
|
19 |
22 |
25 |
27 |
| Def |
100
|
14 |
16 |
19 |
20 |
| SpA |
95
|
14 |
16 |
19 |
20 |
| SpD |
65
|
11 |
13 |
16 |
17 |
| Spe |
100
|
14 |
16 |
19 |
20 |
Overview
When one looks upon the mighty Kong, king of the jungle, they see a beastly base 160 Attack stat, a stellar physical movepool, godly base 150 / 100 / 65 defenses, and a solid base 100 Speed. With a stat line like that, this great ape will have most onlookers wonder why such a monster is yet struggling in the depths of NU. That is, until they see Truant. Truant pretty much guarantees Slaking can never stay in for a full sweep and makes it complete setup bait to a whole variety of threats. Nonetheless, the eighth wonder of the world for all its worth functions extremely well as a hit-and-run truck.
This set is the epitome of hit-and-run. With Truant, Slaking is never going to stay in for more than one turn, so it should use that one turn to weaken something and give an opportunity for a teammate to step up and sweep. STAB Return dents everything in the tier that does not resist it. Earthquake hits Steel-, Rock-, and Fire-types for super effective damage. Night Slash maims Ghost-types that come in on Slaking, expecting to take nothing from a Return. The fourth slot is mainly a filler. Retaliate is Slaking's strongest move after one of its teammates has been KOed, and the extra power is welcome against defensive behemoths such as Tangela and Weezing. Pursuit traps and eliminates frail Ghost- and Psychic-types, or anything relatively weakened and looking to escape.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
Slaking has a variety of physical attacks that can go on this set and still hit for a lot of damage. If you still want a nasty Fighting-type attack but do not want to predict, Hammer Arm is a viable alternative, as its malicious secondary effect is inconsequential since Slaking is going to switch out the next turn anyway. Rock Slide maims Rotom-S, Rotom-F, and Armaldo for super effective damage. Toxic is a great support option to cripple anything, bar Steel- and Poison-types, that switches in, such as Eviolite Tangela. This EV spread gives maximum Attack to Slaking and the ability to outpace the Rotom formes by one Speed point. If the current EV spread is too frail for you, you can also take advantage of Slaking's bulk by going with 112 HP / 252 Atk / 152 Spe with an Adamant nature. Slaking will maintain its massive power and outspeed positive-natured base 75 Speed Pokemon and below, most notably Adamant Sawk.
As Slaking is set-up bait once it uses an attack, using a Choice Scarf user such as Rotom-S or Zebstrika may be worthwhile to revenge threats such as Shell Smash Gorebyss. Ditto is another Pokemon that fits this role well, but it can't switch in as a Pokemon is boosting otherwise it won't get the boosts.
Other Options
Slaking also has a bunch of moves that can support it if you are aiming to customize it. Giga Impact is Slaking's most powerful move and is capable of OHKOing the most physically bulky Weezing if it switches in while Stealth Rock is up. The downside to Giga Impact is that Slaking cannot switch out the next turn and will have no choice but to give the opponent a free turn. Only use this when you know you can handle whatever your opponent decides to set up. To assist with revenge killing, Retaliate is another option with just 10 Base Power less than Giga Impact once a teammate has died, and it also does not sacrifice the ability to switch after use. However, keep in mind that its massive Base Power will only last for that single turn before it reverts to its paltry 70 Base Power. Body Slam is another STAB alternative for its paralysis rate, but Slaking will really miss the extra power that Return provides. Sucker Punch also assists Slaking with revenge killing threatening sweepers; however, this is generally not recommended, as if Sucker Punch fails, you are giving the opponent at least two free turns to set up. Any of the elemental punches are an option, though STAB Return outdamages a super effective elemental punch. The only advantage they really have is their secondary effects, which only have a 10% chance of occurring.
Checks and Counters
Despite this great ape's amazing stats, it can be easily outplayed with a little bit of prediction. To beat it, you just need reliable switch-ins against its usual coverage moves. Armaldo and Regirock resist Slaking's STAB attacks and have the Defense to take all but a boosted Earthquake, and both can do a ton of damage in return with Stone Edge. Misdreavus is immune to Earthquake and Return, but fears Night Slash and Pursuit. If you do not have good resists, send out a physically bulky Pokemon with a recovery move. For example, Eviolite Tangela can come in on any of Slaking's attacks at full health, take the hit, and recover with Regenerator later when it switches out or with Synthesis. However, these generic walls must be wary of Toxic, as it makes it harder for them to handle Slaking's teammates. If worst comes to worst and you don't have that many good physical walls, anything with Protect and Substitute can work to take advantage of Truant and stall the one turn Slaking has to do anything. It can then use the free turn to do anything it wants. Your best bet at scaring Slaking off is to hammer it with hard attacks, especially special ones, as base 65 Special Defense is quite horrendous.
