Hi C&C, here is my Nosepass analysis.
http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/nosepass
[OVERVIEW]
<p>At first glance, Nosepass may seem like a sitting duck, possessing poor offensive stats, and weaknesses to several common attacking types. However, it does have a fairly large support movepool, which it can use to cripple opposing Pokemon, as well as heal itself while simultaneously damaging the opponent. These qualities, along with its high defenses, mean that Nosepass can fare quite well in the LC metagame.</p>
[SET]
name: Sandstorm Supporter
move 1: Thunder Wave
move 2: Stealth Rock
move 3: Explosion
move 4: Stone Edge / Protect / Taunt
item: Oran Berry
ability: Magnet Pull
nature: Impish
evs: 196 HP / 236 Def / 36 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set makes use of Nosepass's bulk in the sand, where it reaches 22 HP, 25 Defense, and 24 Special Defense, allowing it to tank both physical and special attacks with ease. Nosepass is great at setting up Stealth Rock because of its natural bulk. Thunder Wave allows Nosepass to cripple Pokemon who are faster than it, and gives Nosepass's teammates an easier time against them. Explosion allows Nosepass to knock out a Pokemon along with it, after Nosepass has accomplished what it needs to do. Stone Edge prevents Nosepass from being completely shut down by Taunt without needing to Explode, and is a good way to take out weakened Pokemon. Protect can be used to scout and stall for sandstorm damage, while Taunt is a good option to prevent Pokemon from setting up on Nosepass.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Oran Berry allows Nosepass to have a longer lifespan. Its EV spread maximizes its HP and Defense, while boosting its Special Defense by one point. Hippopotas is a must on any team that utilizes Nosepass, as its Sand Stream ability will boost Nosepass's Special Defense to 24. Having Stealth Rock on Nosepass frees up a moveslot on Hippopotas, allowing it to either use Roar or a coverage move instead. Slow Pokemon who hit hard appreciate the paralysis that Nosepass can spread throughout the opposing team. Thanks to Nosepass's bulk, it can easily come in throughout the battle to paralyze opponents and just be a general nuisance.</p>
[SET]
name: Torment
move 1: Torment
move 2: Protect
move 3: Pain Split
move 4: Toxic
item: Oran Berry
ability: Magnet Pull
nature: Bold / Calm
evs: 36 HP / 236 Def / 196 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Not many Pokemon can take out Nosepass without a super effective attack, and with Torment and Protect, it will be almost impossible. Nosepass can easily switch into a weak Pokemon, use Torment on the switch-in, and then Protect the next turn to defend itself from the super effective attack. The super effective move is now disabled, and Nosepass can proceed with Toxic to further cripple the opposing Pokemon. If Nosepass's health is running low, it can use Pain Split to heal up; Nosepass forces many switches, so once a healthy Pokemon switches in, Nosepass can use Pain Split to heal itself, while hurting the opponent at the same time.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Stealth Rock and Spikes support are greatly appreciated because Nosepass will be forcing a lot of switches. Since Nosepass will probably be used with Sand Stream support, Gligar is a good teammate, having good synergy with Nosepass, the bulk to set up Stealth Rock, as well as gaining an evasion boost in the sand thanks to Sand Veil. It should be noted that while Nosepass fares extremely well against Choice users, other Pokemon may take the chance to set up and defeat Nosepass. An example is Gligar, who can threaten Nosepass with Earthquake, while boosting its Attack with Swords Dance on the predicted Protect.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>All of Nosepass's sets will greatly appreciate Hippopotas's Sand Stream support, so Hippopotas should always make your team if you are using Nosepass. Since Nosepass will be putting up entry hazards on the opponent's field, a spinblocker is necessary to prevent your set-up from going to waste. Duskull makes a good spinblocker, having high defenses which makes it easy to switch in, and also access to Will-O-Wisp to prevent any Pursuit users from taking it out, and generally crippling physical threats that may hurt the team.</p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>As far as support moves go, Nosepass doesn't have many other options. Block can be used to prevent Pokemon from switching out from you, allowing you to have an easier time taking out the opponent's Pokemon. Nosepass should not run offensive sets because its offensive stats are terrible. Magnet Rise can be used to avoid getting hit by Ground-type attacks such as Gligar's Earthquake. A Gravity set consisting of Gravity, Stone Edge, Dynamicpunch, and Zap Cannon could work, but again, Nosepass's offensive stats are too disappointing.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Pokemon who have two super effective moves against Nosepass will usually end up winning. Gligar is a great counter to Nosepass, being able to take advantage of the sand, set up a Substitute to avoid status, before hurting Nosepass with Earthquake or Aqua Tail. Speaking of Substitute, all Pokemon who have Substitute can comfortably wall Nosepass because Nosepass often has no moves that can break it. From there, the Substitute Pokemon can either set up or defeat Nosepass outright. Taunt also shuts Nosepass down, forcing it to either attack off its weak Attack stat or switch. Finally, Pokemon with Toxic can completely debilitate Nosepass; Nosepass may be able to heal with Pain Split, but the Toxic damage will build up and eventually take Nosepass out.</p>
http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/nosepass
[OVERVIEW]
<p>At first glance, Nosepass may seem like a sitting duck, possessing poor offensive stats, and weaknesses to several common attacking types. However, it does have a fairly large support movepool, which it can use to cripple opposing Pokemon, as well as heal itself while simultaneously damaging the opponent. These qualities, along with its high defenses, mean that Nosepass can fare quite well in the LC metagame.</p>
[SET]
name: Sandstorm Supporter
move 1: Thunder Wave
move 2: Stealth Rock
move 3: Explosion
move 4: Stone Edge / Protect / Taunt
item: Oran Berry
ability: Magnet Pull
nature: Impish
evs: 196 HP / 236 Def / 36 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set makes use of Nosepass's bulk in the sand, where it reaches 22 HP, 25 Defense, and 24 Special Defense, allowing it to tank both physical and special attacks with ease. Nosepass is great at setting up Stealth Rock because of its natural bulk. Thunder Wave allows Nosepass to cripple Pokemon who are faster than it, and gives Nosepass's teammates an easier time against them. Explosion allows Nosepass to knock out a Pokemon along with it, after Nosepass has accomplished what it needs to do. Stone Edge prevents Nosepass from being completely shut down by Taunt without needing to Explode, and is a good way to take out weakened Pokemon. Protect can be used to scout and stall for sandstorm damage, while Taunt is a good option to prevent Pokemon from setting up on Nosepass.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Oran Berry allows Nosepass to have a longer lifespan. Its EV spread maximizes its HP and Defense, while boosting its Special Defense by one point. Hippopotas is a must on any team that utilizes Nosepass, as its Sand Stream ability will boost Nosepass's Special Defense to 24. Having Stealth Rock on Nosepass frees up a moveslot on Hippopotas, allowing it to either use Roar or a coverage move instead. Slow Pokemon who hit hard appreciate the paralysis that Nosepass can spread throughout the opposing team. Thanks to Nosepass's bulk, it can easily come in throughout the battle to paralyze opponents and just be a general nuisance.</p>
[SET]
name: Torment
move 1: Torment
move 2: Protect
move 3: Pain Split
move 4: Toxic
item: Oran Berry
ability: Magnet Pull
nature: Bold / Calm
evs: 36 HP / 236 Def / 196 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Not many Pokemon can take out Nosepass without a super effective attack, and with Torment and Protect, it will be almost impossible. Nosepass can easily switch into a weak Pokemon, use Torment on the switch-in, and then Protect the next turn to defend itself from the super effective attack. The super effective move is now disabled, and Nosepass can proceed with Toxic to further cripple the opposing Pokemon. If Nosepass's health is running low, it can use Pain Split to heal up; Nosepass forces many switches, so once a healthy Pokemon switches in, Nosepass can use Pain Split to heal itself, while hurting the opponent at the same time.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Stealth Rock and Spikes support are greatly appreciated because Nosepass will be forcing a lot of switches. Since Nosepass will probably be used with Sand Stream support, Gligar is a good teammate, having good synergy with Nosepass, the bulk to set up Stealth Rock, as well as gaining an evasion boost in the sand thanks to Sand Veil. It should be noted that while Nosepass fares extremely well against Choice users, other Pokemon may take the chance to set up and defeat Nosepass. An example is Gligar, who can threaten Nosepass with Earthquake, while boosting its Attack with Swords Dance on the predicted Protect.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>All of Nosepass's sets will greatly appreciate Hippopotas's Sand Stream support, so Hippopotas should always make your team if you are using Nosepass. Since Nosepass will be putting up entry hazards on the opponent's field, a spinblocker is necessary to prevent your set-up from going to waste. Duskull makes a good spinblocker, having high defenses which makes it easy to switch in, and also access to Will-O-Wisp to prevent any Pursuit users from taking it out, and generally crippling physical threats that may hurt the team.</p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>As far as support moves go, Nosepass doesn't have many other options. Block can be used to prevent Pokemon from switching out from you, allowing you to have an easier time taking out the opponent's Pokemon. Nosepass should not run offensive sets because its offensive stats are terrible. Magnet Rise can be used to avoid getting hit by Ground-type attacks such as Gligar's Earthquake. A Gravity set consisting of Gravity, Stone Edge, Dynamicpunch, and Zap Cannon could work, but again, Nosepass's offensive stats are too disappointing.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Pokemon who have two super effective moves against Nosepass will usually end up winning. Gligar is a great counter to Nosepass, being able to take advantage of the sand, set up a Substitute to avoid status, before hurting Nosepass with Earthquake or Aqua Tail. Speaking of Substitute, all Pokemon who have Substitute can comfortably wall Nosepass because Nosepass often has no moves that can break it. From there, the Substitute Pokemon can either set up or defeat Nosepass outright. Taunt also shuts Nosepass down, forcing it to either attack off its weak Attack stat or switch. Finally, Pokemon with Toxic can completely debilitate Nosepass; Nosepass may be able to heal with Pain Split, but the Toxic damage will build up and eventually take Nosepass out.</p>
