Zubat
Quality Control 2/2 (Crux / Aerrow)
GP 2/2 (Komodo, Chou Toshio)
[Overview]
<p>This little guy is definitely under appreciated in Little Cup, with incredible STAB, and a pretty good movepool, Crobat's little brother is quite an asset to the team. Zubat is a very versatile Pokemon, it can pull off many jobs and is an overall great Pokemon. Why he is almost never seen on the ladder is beyond me. While Murkrow is a popular flying type that generally outclasses it, Zubat has a number of unique characteristics to it's name, with its most useful attribute coming in the form of a 4x resistance to Fighting-type moves.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Bat
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Steel Wing / Super Fang
move 3: Bite / Pursuit
move 4: Pursuit / Heat Wave / U-turn
item: Choice Scarf / Choice Band
nature: Jolly / Adamant
Ev's: 36 HP / 236 Atk / 236 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Zubat makes for a pretty good lead, starting the match and by firing off immensely powerful Brave Birds, with the added power of STAB and Choice Band. Steel Wing is mostly unused, but the seldom Rock-types who switch into a predicted Brave Bird can be 2HKOed by it. The third slot provides more type coverage, Zubat can use either Dark-type move to damage opponents without resorting to Brave Bird. The last move is mainly a filler, Pursuit can be used if you didn't choose it as your primary Dark move, although without Heat Wave, Steel-types wall this set. If you decide to run Heat Wave, a Naive or Hasty nature can be used. U-turn is also a great option to force offensive pressure on the opponent. If you don't mind the Brave Bird recoil, you can use it to hit Ghosts for plenty of damage and forgo a Dark-type attack, and can use the last two slots for both U-turn and Heat Wave.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Double-Edge or Facade can be used in the final slot, but they're pretty lackluster compared to the other good options available. Zubat's 4x resistance to Fighting-type attacks makes it an excellent counter to Fighting-types in Little Cup, and gives it an easy switch in to start firing off STAB Brave Bird. Ferroseed is the main Steel-type seen in Little Cup, but is still hit neutrally by Brave Bird because of its Grass / Steel typing, making Heat Wave less important. Scarf Zubat is a great check to Dragon Dance Scraggy, a huge threat in Little Cup. Life Orb is also viable on this set.</p>
[SET]
name: Stallbreaker
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Super Fang
move 3: Taunt / Toxic
move 4: Roost
item: Eviolite
nature: Jolly
Ev's: 236 HP / 32 Atk / 236 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Although stall is very uncommon in Little Cup, it would be unwise to be unprepared for it, when done right, not only is stall viable in Little Cup, it can be very successful. This Zubat has good stall breaking abilities. With an Eviolite, most slower defensive Pokemon are not going to out damage Zubat's Roost. Taunt stops them from setting up or inflicting status, whereas Super Fang bypasses defenses and swiftly deals 50% to the opposing Pokemon. When you're not against stall, this still functions as a decent bulky Pokemon capable of checking many Fighting-types, and can also deal a hefty amount of damage with STAB Brave Bird, despite being on the defensive side. Toxic can be used over Taunt, but it is down to personal preference.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>With Taunt and Roost, Zubat can switch into, and defeat boosted Timburr. Any Pokemon slower than it can be hit with Super Fang, and usually knocked out by a followup Brave Bird. Zubat also renders Ferroseed useless. Not only does it break stall, it can do a decent job of stalling itself between Taunt, Roost, and its respectable bulk.</p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>Zubat can pull off a mediocre Nasty Plot set with Air Slash and Hidden power Fighting with a filler. Zubat has an astonishing pool of viable support moves for any teams benefits. Whirlwind can prove useful if you can use it at the right time, just make sure you have entry hazards on the field. Zubat has access to Hypnosis, and although Platinum and subsequent games have cut down Hypnosis's accuracy, it is by no means unusable in this metagame. Though gimmicky, Zubat can make use of many other support moves such as Confuse Ray, Attract, and Captivate. Haze can be used to stop Pokemon that attempt to set up, notably Calm Mind variants of Murkrow.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Most Steel-types can give Zubat trouble, although there aren't many in this metagame. Magnemite isn't seen often, but it can switch into Brave Bird and threaten Zubat with its STAB Electric-type attacks. Chinchou and most other Electric Pokemon that resist Brave Bird can force it to switch out most instances, increasing residual damage from Stealth Rock. Despite many Pokemon being able to switch in and threaten Zubat, nothing can safely switch in to Super Fang except for Ghost-types, which are conveniently 2HKOed by Brave Bird. Scarf Chinchou can switch in, but it is 2HKOed by Brave Bird or a Super Fang followed by Brave Bird.</p>
