The one and only set for Wobbuffet. With little prediction, or none at all if Encore is used, Wobbuffet can guarantee at least one kill against a Choiced Pokémon (preferably a Pokémon with Choice Scarf). Choose Counter if your opponent is clearly a Choiced physical attacker, or Mirror Coat if it's a Choiced special attacker. If it's a Pokémon without a Choice item, simply use Encore and proceed from there since your opponent can't switch out. Encore can also work to your benefit if the opponent chooses to use a stat up move, as this will allow a free switch in for one of your Pokémon and at least one turn of set up. Encore is especially effective against defensive Pokémon, such as Lugia and Blissey, as the best they can do is use Toxic on Wobbuffet, and the move is rare on Lugia. Forcing a Pokémon to repeat a move while preventing them from switching is one of the most sadistic, and effective, strategies in Pokémon. Wobbuffet can also switch into a lead Choice Scarf Darkrai’s Dark Void, forcing it to struggle to death. This can be risky, because if Darkrai uses Trick, Wobbuffet is crippled, and if Darkrai uses Dark Pulse, then Wobbuffet will take a massive amount of damage (and it cannot use Mirror Coat, as Darkrai is immune to it). Both Safeguard and Tickle will be helpful as your last move. Safeguard is obviously there to prevent Wobbuffet from being crippled by status ailments and can help it support the team at the same time. The only downside is that Wobbuffet is very slow and will most likely be statused before it can use Safeguard. Still, Encoring a status move and Safeguarding can be an effective way to set up a sweeper. With Tickle, Wobbuffet can become an effective wall breaker when paired with a user of Pursuit (such as Tyranitar or Scizor). Tickle Wobbuffet’s main targets are Lugia and Blissey. Once Lugia is Tickled and Pursuited to death, most stall teams will be vulnerable to sweeps from deadly physical set up sweepers, like Rayquaza or Garchomp. The given EVs are fairly obvious, since Wobbuffet has a massive base HP stat and poor defenses. The 28 HP EVs allow Wobbuffet to gain maximum Leftovers recovery and, with a Calm nature, allows it to survive a Modest Kyogre's full powered Water Spout and OHKO back with Mirror Coat. Calm is emphasized over Bold because of the concentration on special attackers in Ubers; however, Bold can be useful to better handle Groudon, Rayquaza, Garchomp, and other physical threats in the Uber metagame. Thanks to Wobbuffet’s ability, Shadow Tag, Wobbuffet is hard to stop. However, Wobbuffet is most vulnerable after a revenge kill. After a revenge kill, Darkrai can easily switch in and ether set up on Wobbuffet by using Taunt or outright kill it with Dark Pulse. Mewtwo can also Taunt Wobbuffet and set up Calm Mind as a result. Because of this, Choice Scarf Heracross can be a useful Pokémon to pair with Wobbuffet, as Heracross can force both Darkrai and Mewtwo out, thanks to its STAB super effective Megahorn. Choice Specs Kyogre can also switch in on Wobbuffet after a revenge kill, so having a Pokémon who can survive Kyogre’s Water Spout and scare it off is important. Latias is a good choice for scaring off Kyogre, because despite Water Spout 2HKOing Latias, Latias can use Thunder or Grass Knot before Kyogre can move, thus weakening the Base Power of its Water Spout. Palkia is a good choice as well, because Palkia takes less from Water Spout than Latias, at the cost of no recovery move. Team OptionsThe secret to Wobbuffet’s success is to use Pokémon who work well with him. Rayquaza is an excellent Pokémon to pair with Wobbuffet for a number of reasons. Wobbuffet can easily revenge kill Choice Scarf Dialga via Mirror Coat, which is many teams' best hope of stopping Swords Dance Rayquaza. Wobbuffet also helps out Dragon Dance Rayquaza by destroying its primary revenge killers, Choice Scarf Palkia and Choice Scarf Garchomp. Wobbuffet can also destroy Lugia via Tickle plus a Pursuit user, such as Tyranitar or Scizor, which greatly aids Rayquaza’s attempts to sweep stall teams. Lucario also works in a similar manner to Rayquaza, but Lucario makes up for its weaker offenses with a typing that covers Wobbuffet’s weaknesses. Lucario resists Ghost-type attacks and has a 4x resistance to Dark- and Bug-type, all of which are types to which Wobbuffet has a weakness. One of Wobbuffet’s main weaknesses is that it can often only revenge kill one Pokémon per match, thanks to its lack of a recovery move; thus Wish support can greatly aid Wobbuffet. The main users of Wish in Ubers are Blissey, Jirachi, and Latias. Jirachi has the benefit of being able to Wish and then U-turn right back to Wobbuffet. Jirachi is very vulnerable to Groudon though, so it is best if you eliminate Groudon by U-turning on the switch, and bring in a powerful special attacker, such as Kyogre. Blissey and Latias are also viable Wishers; however both are vulnerable to Scizor, a Pokémon who Wobbuffet often has trouble with as well, so only use those two if Jirachi cannot fit in your team. Blissey can also provide Aromatherapy support for Wobbuffet, which can be useful, but is risky because the opponent can easily send in a physical sweeper or an opposing Wobbuffet to set up on Blissey. Wobbuffet has problems with powerful Choiced Pokémon, such as Choice Specs Kyogre and Choice Band Groudon, as they can easily OHKO or do a severe amount of damage to Wobbuffet. Because of this, Pokémon who can use Light Screen and Reflect can help Wobbuffet take the powerful attacks of Ubers much more easily. The prime Pokémon for the job are Mewtwo and Deoxys-S. Deoxys-S can make a good lead, and thanks to Taunt and its massive base 180 Speed stat, Deoxys-S can shut down attempts to Taunt it. Deoxys-S can then proceed to use Light Screen and Reflect. If Deoxys-S is not a good lead for your team, then Mewtwo is the better choice, as Mewtwo can use Selfdestruct after it sets up Reflect and Light Screen. If you are using Tickle on Wobbuffet, there are two main Pursuit users to consider: Tyranitar and Scizor. After Tickling Lugia or neutral natured 4 HP/252 Def Blissey two times, a neutral natured Tyranitar with 56 Attack EVs and a Choice Band will OHKO either of them while they switch. Adamant Scizor with Life Orb and 100 Attack EVs requires a switching Lugia to be Tickled five times and Blissey to be Tickled four times to OHKO them with Pursuit. This can also work with Giratina, but Giratina must lack Will-O-Wisp, or else Giratina can burn the Pursuit-user and live. An Impish 248 HP / 248 Defense Giratina must be Tickled five times for a 87% chance of Scizor's Pursuit to KO on the switch, and three Tickles for Tyranitar to KO. While Tyranitar requires less Tickles to KO these walls, Scizor is not affected by Toxic, which Blissey or Lugia may use on Wobbuffet. While it may be tempting to use less Tickles so the walls will be KOed by the next switch in to Stealth Rock, this is not recommended because a common Pokémon on Uber stall teams, Forretress, can easily use Rapid Spin to get rid of Stealth Rock. In general, any set-up sweeper will enjoy support from Wobbuffet, but Wobbuffet is especially effective with users of Substitute. For example, Wobbuffet can Encore a support move from a Pokémon like support Groudon, and send in Darkrai. Darkrai can then Substitute, and scout out the opponent's team. if the opponent sends in a Pokémon who ends up breaking your Substitute before you move, then it is evident that it has a Choice Scarf, and you can then send in the appropriate counter or revenge kill the Pokémon later with Wobbuffet. This strategy is also effective for setting up SubSeeders, such as Jumpluff and Shaymin-S. Another strategy to employ is abusing Thunder Wave. Since Wobbuffet will be faster than any paralyzed Pokémon under a Speed stat of 408, Wobbuffet can easily switch in on a weak move (such as Mewtwo's Aura Sphere), Encore, and then proceed to KO the paralyzed target. Other OptionsWobbuffet's large and diverse movepool consists of a whopping eight moves. Besides the absolutely useless Splash, the only moves not covered above are Destiny Bond and Charm. Destiny Bond may seem like an appealing option since it allows you to take one more opponent down when you're low on heath, but Wobbuffet does not have the Speed to pull this off effectively and thus it should only be used on Trick Room teams. Charm may appear an interesting way to set up on physical attackers, such as Groudon and Rayquaza, but by the time Wobbuffet switches in to them, they will usually have already set up, OHKOing Wobbuffet before it can use Charm. EVsWobbuffet has the third highest base HP stat of any Pokémon, but its defenses are terrible. Similar to Blissey, who needs maximum Defense in order to take physical hits, Wobbuffet needs to pour almost all of its EVs into both Defense and Special Defense so that it can take hits without losing too much health in the process. A much faster EV spread with a positive Speed nature can also be used on Wobbuffet, but it is usually a poor choice in because the only significant Pokémon who Wobbuffet can outspeed in Ubers is Blissey. OpinionDespite its tiny movepool, a lot can be said about Wobbuffet. It jumped straight into the Ubers tier in the Advance generation mainly because of its unique ability, which utterly shatters the concept of switching and countering. Nintendo changed Shadow Tag around in D/P/P so that two Pokémon with this same ability will be able to switch if both are sent out. This means the dreaded scenario of two Wobbuffet facing each other will no longer end in a draw. However, Shadow Tag is still a ridiculous ability and the abundance of Choice items limiting Pokémon to only one attack makes Wobbuffet's job even easier. The only thing that prevents Wobbuffet from being a complete god among Pokémon is its lack of a recovery move, which can be rectified by surrounding it with Wish support. While Wobbuffet isn't able to take some of the hardest hitters in the Uber tier, such as Swords Dance Groudon or Choice Specs Kyogre, Wobbuffet's ability to turn the game in your favor by eliminating that problem Pokémon or allowing you free turns of set up should never be underestimated. While some stall teams that revolve around Pokémon who use Substitute + Leech Seed (such as Shaymin-S. Jumpluff, and Ludicolo) will appreciate Wobbuffet's support, it is on the offensive team where Wobbuffet is truly a superb team player due to its nearly unrivaled ability to open up or set up sweeps for its teammates. With the insanely fast and powerful sweepers that inhabit the Uber metagame (such as Mewtwo and Darkrai), many teams are pressured to rely on Choice Scarfed revenge killers (such as Choice Scarf Palkia and Choice Scarf Dialga) to stop said sweepers. Thanks to Counter, Mirror Coat, and Shadow Tag, Wobbuffet is able to effectively trap and kill almost every single Choice Scarfed Pokémon in the game. With these these Choice Scarfed revenge killers gone, Wobbuffet can then let fast sweepers, such as Darkrai and Mewtwo, decimate the opposing team. With Encore and Shadow Tag, Wobbuffet can punish any attempts of using support moves by switching in a sweeper to set up as the Encored Pokémon is forced to switch out. Wobbuffet can also Encore common attacks, such as Earthquake, to allow its fellow teammates to take advantage of their resistances and immunities without prediction (such as Rayquaza setting up on an Encored Groudon's Earthquake). Wobbuffet even has the option of using Tickle on Blissey and Lugia to soften their Defense to the point where Tyranitar or Scizor can crush them with Pursuit. With such walls being so easily destroyed, powerful special attackers, such as Choice Specs Dialga, can wreck teams, while Lugia's absence means that physical sweepers, such as Rayquaza, can rip teams to shreds without worry. Overall, Wobbuffet should always be seriously considered for almost any offensive team, as its ability to remove Choice Scarf revenge killers, walls, and provide room to set up make already dangerous sweepers, such as Darkrai and Rayquaza, far more deadly than normal. CountersBy definition, a proper counter must be able to switch in against whatever it is they are trying to counter. As mentioned, Wobbuffet's ability prevents the opponent from switching if they lack the moves Baton Pass or U-turn or aren't holding a Shed Shell, which means it essentially has no real counters. So if you should meet this Pokémon during one of your battles, what can you do against it? Taunt is probably the most effective defense against the blue blob. It will completely shut down Wobbuffet for a few turns, and all it can do is Counter and Mirror Coat for no damage. The most effective users of Taunt against Wobbuffet are Tyranitar, Mew, Mewtwo, and Darkrai, as they can use the time to set up. Sleep-inducing moves are also a temporary solution. By putting it to sleep, you can force it to switch out, use the opportunity to stat boost, or simply hit it with your strongest moves and hope you can score a KO before it wakes up. The Trick + Choice item strategy is also effective since it will limit it to only one move and therefore ruin its usefulness; just make sure you do this on the switch, or Wobbuffet can Encore Trick. A particularly effective Trick-user is Lugia, a Pokémon who Wobbuffet commonly switches in on. Toxic will help only if Wobbuffet is the last Pokémon on the team. Otherwise, it will simply Encore your Toxic and switch out to a cleric, one of the many Pokémon immune to Poison-type moves, or Wobbuffet will simply use Safeguard to set up a sweeper. However, Toxic Spikes can hinder Wobbuffet's jobs in revenge killing and setting up sweepers, as Aromatherapy can not get rid of them. Finally, Roar and Whirlwind will force it to switch out, although it will still come back to haunt you later in the battle. Never attempt to Roar or Whirlwind Wobbuffet if he is already in on said phazer, or else Wobbuffet will Encore your last used move, thanks to phazing moves' negative priority. As mentioned, Baton Pass and U-turn are the only moves that have the ability to allow users to escape from Shadow Tag's grip. U-turn is super effective, but if you use it and Wobbuffet Counters in the same turn, the Pokémon who switches in will receive a pretty nasty dent (provided that they are not a Ghost-type). Scizor is the best user of this, so if you use U-turn on a full health Wobbuffet, make sure you have a Ghost-type Pokémon, or Wobbuffet has a chance of surviving and KOing the next Pokémon to be switched in. Giratina is usually the best choice here. Shed Shell also allows you to switch, but the only practical Uber users of it, Blissey and Lugia, will not enjoy losing Leftovers recovery. Since Mirror Coat is a Psychic-type move, it will not affect Dark-types, which means Dark-type Pokémon can pound Wobbuffet with special attacks without fear of getting Mirror Coated back. Darkrai is a particularly good choice for this when battling in Ubers. Tyranitar also falls into this category but it must be using Dark Pulse and special Tyranitar isn't as useful in Ubers as it is in standard. Choice Band Tyranitar can also use Crunch or Pursuit against it. Likewise, Ghost-types are unaffected by the Fighting-typed Counter and can hit it with physical moves. Giratina-O can slam Wobbuffet with physical attacks. Spiritomb, being both Dark- and Ghost-type, is completely immune to both Counter and Mirror Coat; however, it is unlikely that any intelligent trainer will leave their Wobbuffet in against a Dark- and/or Ghost-type Pokémon. Dugtrio with Toxic can also turn the tables on Wobbuffet, as Wobbuffet will be unable to switch out and will slowly die off from Toxic damage. Extremely hard hitters, like Choice Specs Kyogre or Choice Band Ho-oh, can bring Wobbuffet down, but if Reflect or Light Screen are in play then Wobbuffet will probably come out on top. Choice Specs Palkia, Choice Specs Dialga, and Choice Band Garchomp can be a nasty surprise to Wobbuffet, since these pokemon often carry Choice Scarf, and their Dragon-type moves can 2HKO Wobbuffet with an attack-boosting Choice item. A common mistake in using Wobbuffet is to send him in on common Uber Spikes users, like Forretress. This is not a good idea, because Encoring Spikes will almost ensure that the opponent can set up 3 layers of Spikes; thus all grounded Pokémon on the team will take a whopping 25% of their health by just switching in. In the end, you will probably lose one Pokémon (especially if it is a Choice Scarf user) to Wobbuffet simply because you weren't expecting it. If this happens at the right time, this can put you at risk of being destroyed by powerful sweepers, such as Darkrai and Garchomp. Thus, it is often best to keep your Choice Scarf revenge killers (such as Choice Scarf Palkia) hidden until Wobbuffet is significantly weakened, because losing such vital revenge killers can potentially cost you the game. |
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