Wynaut is one of the strangest yet most effective support Pokemon in Little Cup due to its ability to trap almost any Pokemon. Using this set is very simple, first you must send Wynaut in on an attack that it easily survives, or a non-damaging move such as Stealth Rock or a status move. You then use Encore on that move and proceed to do one of two things. Firstly, it can abuse Counter or Mirror Coat by simply using the correct attack to smack your opponent back for double the damage. This makes Wynaut a great revenge killer, and an excellent answer to dispose of Choice Scarf users, however, Wynaut's true strength comes in its second option. With the right move Encored, a Pokemon on Wynaut's team can potentially gain a free opportunity to set up. For example, if Wynaut Encores a Dragon Dance from Dratini, Wynaut can simply switch to a set-up sweeper and attempt to wreak havoc. If it happens to Encore a move like Waterfall, a Pokemon such as Mantyke could come in and set up an Agility without taking any damage, and then proceed to sweep. Safeguard or Destiny Bond are both good options in the last slot, depending if you would rather be able to be immune to the uncommon status effects, or attempt to take out the opposing Pokemon as they try to finish Wynaut off. Using Destiny Bond when you have low HP will start a mind game, allowing Wynaut to possibly Encore a non-damaging attack because your opponent may not want to KO their own Pokemon, but with Wynaut's pitiful Speed, this is not always going to happen. Tickle is also a very solid option in the last slot if you carry a Pursuit user on your team to take out specific threats such as Bronzor. It also helps your other Pokemon take attacks while trying to set up. Wynaut is also awesome at trapping and killing Choice Scarf users like mentioned above, especially the ever common Fighting-type variants. Since most Choice Scarf users do not have the ability to KO Wynaut, and since it doesn't have to take the turn to Encore, Wynaut can simply use Counter or Mirror Coat and KO that Pokemon with ease. First and foremost, Wynaut needs to be paired with a strong set of set-up sweepers to take advantage of Encore. These Pokemon need to have pretty good defensive synergy as well, because it might be hard to set up if Wynaut Encores an attack like Earthquake and you have no Ground-type resist or immunity. This means Pokemon like Gligar and Aron work quite well together with Wynaut, as Gligar resists the Fighting-type attacks and is immune to the Ground-type attacks that would OHKO Aron. Similarly, Aron resists Ice-type attacks which Gligar wouldn't be able to set up on. Like Gligar, Dratini would work well with anything that resists Ice-type attacks, because it has such a high damage output after a single turn of setting up Dragon Dance. With Tickle, Wynaut works great with Pokemon such as Taillow and Zigzagoon who need Bronzor removed. For example, if you send Wynaut in on something like Bronzor using Stealth Rock, you can Encore it and start using Tickle. After Bronzor is at -6 Defense, you wait until the Encore runs out and use Encore again. Then you switch to a Pokemon such as Stunky or Houndour to Pursuit Bronzor and KO it. This leaves your opponent open for a Taillow or Zigzagoon sweep. Wish support is also greatly appreciated by Wynaut. Wish support gives Wynaut the ability to take more hits, and thus KO more Pokemon with Counter and Mirror Coat. This makes Lickitung a great teammate for Wynaut, as not only does it carry Wish, it also is immune to Ghost-type attacks and lures in Fighting-type attacks for Wynaut to switch into. Team OptionsWynaut really benefits from any Pokemon that can help it take hits more effectively. Pokemon with Reflect and Light Screen, Wish, or even Leech Seed can help Wynaut out by giving it the ability to take more hits, and in turn use Counter, Mirror Coat, and even Encore more. Wynaut also really appreciates entry hazards being put on your opponent's side of the field, since Wynaut forces many switches with Encore, after you have switched out to your set-up sweeper of course. Offensively, Wynaut should be put with Pokemon who can take advantage of Encore. Any Pokemon who can achieve a game-ending sweep with one turn of set up is dangerous alongside Wynaut, because Wynaut almost ensures that one turn of set up will be obtainable. Pokemon such as Dragon Dance Dratini, Swords Dance Gligar, Rock Polish Aron, and Nasty Plot Misdreavus are some examples of Pokemon who can use this turn well. It also helps to use a couple of sweepers who can set up on different moves. For example, if you use Rock Polish Rhyhorn along with Swords Dance Gligar, you are going to have a ton of trouble setting up on any sort of special attack not named Thunderbolt. If your sweepers have great synergy, such as Misdreavus and Aron, you will have a much easier time finding a turn to set up a sweep. Pokemon such as Elekid, Swords Dance Gligar, and Nasty Plot Misdreavus also appreciate the fact that Wynaut is great at removing Choice Scarf users. The combination of Diglett and Wynaut is also quite effective. Wynaut can Encore a non-damaging move, and switch to Diglett to ensure that the opponent's Pokemon faints without being able to switch out. On the defensive side, Lickitung really helps Wynaut out. With great defenses to take the odd Choice Scarf Houndour attack, and the immunity to Ghost-type attacks in addition to having Wish, Lickitung is one of best pairings for Wynaut. If you prefer to use a more offensive Pokemon with Wish support, Eevee can also work, still boasting the immunity to Ghost-type attacks. Both Normal-types also lure in Fighting-type attacks, one of Wynaut's few key resistances. This gives Wynaut a chance to safely switch in and heal itself from Wish. Other OptionsWynaut really doesn't have many options with a whopping eight moves.; However, Wynaut can run a decent Choice Scarf set. With maximum Speed, Wynaut reaches 19 Speed, which outpaces a good portion of Little Cup and can use Encore before many Pokemon can switch moves. Choice Scarf Wynaut with Encore specifically helps against Pokemon such as Houndour who are using Sucker Punch or medium-paced Pokemon using Protect. Destiny Bond is also neat with 19 Speed. However, 19 Speed just isn't enough for something locked into an attack, especially when its useful attacks can only be used eight times. EVsWynaut needs to maximize its defensive capabilities, and can't use any attacks that rely on Attack or Special Attack, so bulky EVs are pretty much the only option. Before maximizing Wynaut's bulk, 12 EVs are put into Speed so that Wynaut can come in on Bronzor and use Encore before Bronzor can switch attacks. Wynaut gets 27 HP with 76 EVs and will obtain a total of 14 in both defenses after putting 212 EVs in Special Defense and 132 EVs in Defense with an Impish nature. OpinionWynaut is definitely one of the most unique Pokemon in the Little Cup metagame. With Shadow Tag, Encore, Counter, and Mirror Coat at its disposal, Wynaut can become a very dangerous threat, especially to Pokemon holding a Choice Scarf or Pokemon who are slower than Wynaut, such as Bronzor. Shadow Tag and Encore in particular are Wynaut's most dangerous tools. With Shadow Tag keeping the opponent from switching, and Encore forcing the opponent to use the same attack over and over, Wynaut can do one of many things after Encore has been used. If the opponent uses a weak attack, Wynaut can either switch to a powerful Pokemon with a stat boosting move, or just simply Counter or Mirror Coat the Pokemon to death without any prediction. With the proper sweepers by its side, Wynaut can turn the tide of a battle with one turn. Why not use Wynaut on your team? CountersWynaut doesn't really have "counters", per se. It has Pokemon that can OHKO it via revenge kills, which are the closest things to counters that Wynaut has. Misdreavus, Houndour, Gastly, and possibly Stunky can come in on Wynaut and OHKO it with their STAB moves. Houndour works especially well as it is immune to Mirror Coat, so even if Dark Pulse doesn't KO, Houndour is safe from harm. Mankey with U-turn makes a great lure if you use it with something like Stunky or Houndour with Pursuit as well. Diglett with Substitute makes a decent revenge killer as well (via Arena Trap). Diglett can use Substitute on Encore and eventually 3HKO Wynaut with Earthquake before Wynaut can do anything back to Diglett, besides Encore Earthquake. Be aware that Earthquake is a very good move to have Encored though, because Misdreavus and Gligar can both set up on it. Obviously Taunt works well against Wynaut, but be careful when attacking Wynaut after you Taunt it, because it can still use Counter and Mirror Coat. |
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