|
-
Synchronize
- When afflicted with status, the enemy is afflicted also. Can pass nature to wild Pokemon.
-
Early Bird
- Reduces sleep time.
-
Magic Bounce
- Bounces back certain non-damaging moves.
|
Level 100 Statistics (see level 5, 50, 100)
|
Min- |
Min |
Max |
Max+ |
| HP |
65
|
- |
271 |
334 |
- |
| Atk |
75
|
167 |
186 |
249 |
273 |
| Def |
70
|
158 |
176 |
239 |
262 |
| SpA |
95
|
203 |
226 |
289 |
317 |
| SpD |
70
|
158 |
176 |
239 |
262 |
| Spe |
95
|
203 |
226 |
289 |
317 |
Overview
With the transition into BW2, Xatu gained nothing more than additional threats and more Pokemon to have to switch into thanks to the Stealth Rock tutor. Xatu's typing still proves to be a burden in the lethal Underused tier, as some Pokemon Xatu had little to no issues with in BW1 come back to the tier with new moves from the BW2 tutors that allow them to beat Xatu. Regardless of the Underused tier becoming all the more threatening, Xatu still maintains its status of being a great support Pokemon thanks to its vast support movepool and godsend ability, Magic Bounce.
Xatu's only viable set is meant to support its team to the fullest by blocking hazards and crippling certain threats. Thunder Wave and Toxic both cripple these threats, with Thunder Wave slowing offensive threats such as Heracross and other Choice Scarf users down, and Toxic slowly eating away at the health of bulky Pokemon such as Slowbro and Milotic. Roost restores Xatu's rather low HP, increasing its staying power immensely. U-turn works as a great scouting move that allows you to bring a counter in against opposing threats and create momentum for your team. Psychic provides a STAB attack and can keep Fighting-types at bay, but Night Shade deals 100 points of damage every turn, usually breaking enemy Substitutes. Both are fairly reliable, but should be used with their corresponding nature.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
The EV spread allows Xatu to outspeed Modest Empoleon, allowing it to Roost before getting hit by Ice Beam, all while maintaining its special bulk. Reflect or Light Screen can also be used to help your team tank hits from either physical or special attacks, but requires Xatu to drop one of its key support moves, reducing their usability. Wish can be used over Roost in order to pass semi-reliable recovery to allies while maintaining self-healing, but won't be passing much due to Xatu's low HP stat, and in order for Xatu to reliably heal itself, it must run Protect as well.
Pokemon that can remove threats such as Zapdos and Rhyperior, for example Flygon and Swampert, make good teammates for Xatu, as they allow Xatu to come in more often and not worry about taking powerful STAB attacks. Pokemon that appreciate not having to worry about entry hazards, such as Yanmega or Darmanitan, also make good teammates for Xatu, as they can pull off sweeps without needlessly losing their HP.
Other Options
Protect may be used alongside Roost for semi-stalling and HP recovery, but forces Xatu to drop one of its moves, reducing its viability. Grass Knot can be used to catch Rhyperior and Swampert, common switch-ins to Xatu, off guard and deal the pair some heavy damage. However, once those two are off the field, Grass Knot becomes a waste of a moveslot. Heat Wave and Giga Drain provide decent offensive coverage, but Xatu isn't typically designed for offense, a task better left to Pokemon such as Azelf, who has similar coverage and has better Special Attack and Speed stats. A Calm Mind set utilizing Calm Mind, Stored Power, Roost, and Hidden Power Fighting is possible, as it increases Xatu's two best stats. Xatu can, more often than not, can find the time to set it up, but lacks solid Defense and Speed stats to make it worthwhile. A Choice set can be used with either Choice Scarf or Choice Specs, as it can be used to somewhat damage an opponent or hinder a setup Pokemon via Trick, but is outclassed by stronger and faster Pokemon such as Azelf, Raikou, and Chandelure.
Checks and Counters
Despite preventing it from being placed on your side of the field, Stealth Rock really hurts Xatu's staying power, removing 25% of its health per switch-in, forcing Xatu to worry more about recovering its health rather than supporting its teammates. Strong Choice item users such as Darmanitan and Heracross, pose dangers to Xatu, as they threaten with powerful STAB moves in Flare Blitz and Megahorn, respectively. Every Electric-type Pokemon in the UU tier — Zapdos, Raikou, and Rotom-H — can come in on basically anything but Thunder Wave or Toxic and heavily threaten Xatu with STAB Thunderbolt. Setup sweepers that are immune to or have a way to cure themselves from the effects of Thunder Wave or Toxic, such as Scrafty or Togekiss, can set up on Xatu and threaten it with powerful attacks. Rhyperior carries Stealth Rock but doesn't allow Xatu to switch in for free thanks to Rock Blast. Krookodile can trap Xatu with Pursuit and is immune to both Thunder Wave and Psychic. Krookodile can also threaten it with Crunch and Stone Edge if need be. Finally, Zoroark can lure Xatu by posing as an entry hazard setter thanks to Illusion and set up a Nasty Plot on Xatu, leaving it room to KO with Dark Pulse.
