|
-
Levitate
- This Pokémon is immune to Ground-type moves.
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Level 5 Statistics (see level 5, 50, 100)
|
Min- |
Min |
Max |
Max+ |
| HP |
40
|
- |
20 |
23 |
- |
| Atk |
65
|
11 |
13 |
16 |
17 |
| Def |
95
|
14 |
16 |
19 |
20 |
| SpA |
60
|
10 |
12 |
15 |
16 |
| SpD |
45
|
9 |
11 |
14 |
15 |
| Spe |
35
|
9 |
10 |
13 |
14 |
Overview
As Smogon's mascot, Koffing has a lot to live up to, and while it isn't the best Pokemon in Little Cup, it is definitely a viable choice. It has excellent Defense and access to Will-O-Wisp, allowing it to wall physical attackers. Koffing also has an awesome special movepool which, combined with its capability to reach 21 Speed with a Choice Scarf attached, allows it to serve as an effective revenge killer.
Koffing has the blessing of being able to reach 21 Speed with Choice Scarf attached, allowing it to outpace all other unboosted Pokemon. Koffing also boasts a magnificent special movepool, including Dark Pulse, Fire Blast, Flamethrower, Shadow Ball, Sludge Bomb, and Thunderbolt. At a glance, Koffing seems inferior to Gastly as a Choice Scarf user due to its lower Speed and lower Special Attack. However, Koffing does have its own unique traits that make it worth using. Koffing's bulk allows it to take priority hits much better than Gastly, as well as letting it switch in more easily. Koffing is also not weak to Pursuit, allowing it to flee from Munchlax without fear.
Sludge Bomb provides Koffing with a strong STAB attack and is the primary attacking option, offering decent neutral coverage and a Base Power of 135 (factoring in STAB). Fire Blast provides nice coverage alongside Sludge Bomb, hitting Steel-types that are immune to Sludge Bomb super effectively. It should be noted that Fire Blast is generally the preferred option over Flamethrower because the power increase is essential in the fast-paced Little Cup metagame. Choosing between Fire Blast and Thunderbolt is all about personal preference. Thunderbolt lets Koffing hit water types such as Mantyke and Staryu for super effective damage, while Fire Blast gives one more power overall and allows Koffing to hit Bronzor super effectively. Sludge Bomb and Fire Blast/Thunderbolt together do not provide neutral coverage for all Pokemon, so Dark Pulse / Shadow Ball take care of the rest. When choosing between Dark Pulse and Shadow Ball, the most important factor is which secondary effect one prefers: a 20% chance to flinch, or a 20% chance to lower Special Defense.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
Koffing works well with Dark-type Pokemon, as they are immune to Koffing's only weakness: Psychic. Physical Houndour and Carvanha are two great options, as they can hit hard physically and have strong STAB priority attacks, which Koffing lacks. Munchlax also works well with Koffing, as Koffing can take physical attacks quite well due to its high Defense stat, while Munchlax is one of the best Pokemon in Little Cup for taking special attacks.
Koffing makes a great physically defensive tank due to its high Defense stat and access to Will-O-Wisp and Pain Split. Koffing can very easily switch into most unboosted physical attacks, such as a DynamicPunch from Choice Scarf Machop. It then can use Will-O-Wisp, crippling a physical attacker or reducing the longevity of a special one after switching in. Alternatively, it can simply attack with an acceptable 13 Special Attack.
Will-O-Wisp is a great asset for Koffing as a physical wall because if it hits, a physical attacker will only be able to hit half as hard, thus making it even easier for Koffing to wall them. Pain Split is also very nice for Koffing because it gives it a recovery move once its Oran Berry has been used up. When choosing a move for the second slot, Pain Split is a nice move for healing up, albeit inconsistent. Explosion can also be very handy if Koffing is at low health, as it can take another Pokemon down with it. When choosing between Fire Blast, Dark Pulse, and Shadow Ball, it is important to decide which is more important: power or coverage and accuracy. Fire Blast is by far the more powerful attack; however it does not provide as much coverage and has a 15% chance to miss, which can be critical in some situations.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
Munchlax is the best partner for this set, hands down. This set provides exceptional protection on the physical side, while Munchlax is by far and away the best tank on the special side. Because Koffing will want to be doing a fair about of switching, this set works better if Stealth Rock is off the field and using a Taunt lead or having a Rapid Spinner is the best way to accomplish this. Ironically, this set will also cause a fair bit of switching, so having Stealth Rock down on the opponent's side will also be very beneficial. Thus, Phanpy, Kabuto, and Gligar make great partners to this set as they are all reliable Stealth Rockers.
Other Options
At first, Curse seems like an interesting move that Koffing could use. However, it has an extremely shallow physical movepool and is very difficult to set up because a special attacker can come in and instantly threaten Koffing. Should Koffing choose to run a Curse set, it has access to moves that complement it very well: Gyro Ball and Payback. Gyro Ball will become more powerful every time Koffing uses Curse, as its Speed will be lowered, while Payback’s power is doubled if the user moves second, which Koffing will be doing often with reduced Speed.
Checks and Counters
Most special attackers are the best counters to the tank set, as they immediately threaten it with strong attacks to Koffing's weaker defense side. Examples include Chinchou, Mantyke, Houndour, Gastly, Abra, and Staryu. For example, Mantyke's Life Orb boosted Hydro Pump will OHKO Koffing without question. Abra will outspeed the non-scarf set and OHKO with STAB super effective Psychic, and Houndour will also KO with STAB Fire Blast. Wynaut is another great counter to Koffing as it is guaranteed, barring critical hits, to live long enough to use Mirror Coat on Koffing, thereby KOing it. There are few counters to the Choice Scarf set, although the best ones are faster Choice Scarf users that wield special attacks, such as Chinchou or Staryu. Munchlax can also take Koffing's special attacks very well and hit hard back, though it does need to be wary of Explosion.
