credit to SsAaVv for the previous analysis
[Overview]
<p>Another generation has arrived, and for some returning Pokemon, it has been amazing. Then, there are those who cannot keep up with the new threats that have shown up. Empoleon is of the latter because, aside from a few minor additions to its movepool, nothing much has changed for it. It also has to contend with the many new Ground- and Fighting-types that dominate the standard metagame. Nonetheless, Empoleon still possesses well-distributed stats and many resistances that can be critical on a competitive team that is built to support it.</p>
[SET]
name: Specially Defensive
move 1: Scald
move 2: Roar / Yawn
move 3: Stealth Rock / Protect
move 4: Ice Beam / Grass Knot
nature: Calm
ability: Torrent
item: Leftovers
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With base 84 HP and 101 Special Defense, Empoleon is good at taking hits on the special side. Leftovers is a given for any defensive set, and is Empoleon's only way to heal outside of Rest and Wish support. Scald is a great new STAB move for Empoleon that has a 30% chance of burn, which usually proves quite helpful against those targeting its weaker Defense stat. Empoleon also has 2 ways to force switches, through Roar or Yawn (Roar generally being the better option due to Sleep Clause). The choice between Grass Knot and Ice Beam is always a tough one, so you might want to adapt your team with the choice in mind as depending on what you choose, Empoleon will not be dealing much damage to either Grass- or Water-types.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread allows Empoleon to take special attacks extremely well, including Latios' infamous Draco Meteor. A Modest Choice Specs Latios' Draco Meteor will only take away around 39.5% to 46.8% of Empoleon's health. However, an EV spread of 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD can be used to balance out Empoleon's defenses, but this is generally not advised, as Empoleon's defenses are not high enough for it to be an effective mixed wall unlike other Pokemon such as Ferrothorn. If you are running another Pokemon that carries Stealth Rock, then Protect can replace it on the moveset. Protect is good for stalling and causing passive damage / healing, but do note that it can be used against you as a free turn can allow your opponent to switch or set up on you. With no source of recovery outside Leftovers, Empoleon greatly appreciates Wish support from Pokemon such as Blissey or Jirachi. Electric-types and special walls are the bane of Empoleon's existence, so it is suggested to run Empoleon on a sandstorm team as Excadrill can easily remove most of its counters.</p>
[SET]
name: Agility
move 1: Agility
move 2: Hydro Pump / Surf
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Grass Knot
nature: Modest
ability: Torrent
item: Life Orb / Air Balloon
evs: 16 HP / 252 SpA / 240 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Empoleon is a unique special sweeper having base 84 / 88 / 101 defensive stats to back up its base 111 Special Attack. As a sweeper, maximum Special Attack through a Modest nature and 252 Special Attack EVs is an obvious choice. Hydro Pump is preferred for the extra power, but it is perfectly fine to use Surf if accuracy bugs you. Grass Knot hits Water-types , and Ice Beam hits Grass-types. Life Orb boosts the power of Empoleon's attacks significantly, but the Air Balloon grants it an immunity to Ground-type moves, a good choice considering the continued popularity of Earthquake.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Unfortunately, the Petaya Berry is currently unreleased, but a set with it and Substitute would be superior if it was available. 240 Speed EVs allow Empoleon to reach a blistering 432 Speed after an Agility, helping it to outrun most common threats. The 16 EVs in HP give it an odd amount of HP for residual damage. This set fits well on both rain and sandstorm teams. Gliscor is a good teammate, as it easily sponges Mach Punch and can attack with a STAB Acrobatics. Blissey, Chansey, and the odd Snorlax are also troublesome for this set, so bringing your own Fighting-types to kill or set up on the fat blobs is probably a good idea. Against rain teams, Ludicolo's typing and abilities also help out against common Water-type counters.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Hydro Pump / Surf
move 2: Ice Beam
move 3: Grass Knot
move 4: Hidden Power Fire
nature: Modest
ability: Torrent
item: Choice Specs
evs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 Spe
ivs: 30 Def / 30 SpA / 30 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Despite having Agility to hit opponents fast, Empoleon might just not be able to finish them off, making a Choice Specs set favorable. The EV spread allows Empoleon to take more hits and hit harder. What makes it better are Empoleon's resistance to Stealth Rock and immunity to Toxic Spikes, allowing it to switch in and switch out without much worry. Nonetheless, 248 HP EVs give it an odd number of HP for reduced passive damage against the likes of Spikes and hail. As for attacks, it is similar to the Agility set. Again, Hydro Pump is preferred for more power, but Surf can be used if accuracy bugs you. Grass Knot takes care of Water-types, and Ice Beam takes care of Grass-types, both of which resist Empoleon's Water-type STAB. Hidden Power Fire gives Empoleon a way to deal with the ever so common Ferrothorn. In order to get the highest stats possible and Hidden Power Fire with 70 Base Power, the following IVs are used.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Choice Specs Empoleon is not a bad choice on rain teams, considering the power of its boosted Water-type attacks in rain. With rain teams in mind, Politoed an obvious team option. Do not look at Politoed as a burden to Empoleon's Hidden Power Fire, as it still deals more damage to Ferrothorn than Surf in the rain. Conkeldurr's Mach Punch also ruins Empoleon's fun, so Gliscor is a good option once more. Electivire is also a handy teammate, as it can take Electric-type attacks to boost its Speed and then finish the job. Conkeldurr is a notable potential teammate for its ability to defeat common special walls such as Chansey and Blissey.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>A set with Swords Dance is possible with access to Earthquake, Aqua Jet, Waterfall, Drill Peck, Return, Avalanche, and other viable options, but Empoleon's Attack stat is rather lacking. Flash Cannon might be an appealing STAB move, but it does not help against Empoleon's counters. Scald can be used on offensive sets, but the lack of power really diminishes its value. On the Choice set, Sleep Talk could potentially find some use against sleep-inducing enemies, but is generally inferior in usefulness to a coverage move. Rest can heal Empoleon instantly, but even with Sleep Talk, Empoleon's low Speed, common weaknesses, and relatively low offensive power (without EV investment) make it an unappealing choice for a RestTalk user. Knock Off can be used to rid foes of their items. Hidden Power Electric can be used to hit light Water-types harder. Signal Beam is an okay special attack, but does little for Empoleon's type coverage.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>As for counters, special walls such as Blissey and Chansey are obvious. The Agility set has trouble with enemies that outspeed it at +2, as well as Mach Punch or Vacuum Wave users. Conkeldurr and Mienshao (with a Choice Scarf) are good choices, as they strike at Empoleon's weaker Defense, have great Attack, powerful super effective STAB moves, and either priority or greater Speed. Magnezone has Magnet Pull, allowing it to trap Empoleon, though it must be wary of Empoleon's boosted STAB Water-type attacks. Ferrothorn is an excellent counter, as it easily shrugs off all of Empoleon's main moves including Ice Beam, but it has to be careful about Hidden Power Fire. Suicune and Vaporeon resist Water- and Ice-type moves, while Vaporeon's low weight also allows it to easily absorb Grass Knot.</p>
[Dream World]
<p>Empoleon's Dream World ability has been released. Defiant raises Attack by two stages when any stat is lowered. A Swords Dance set can be used, with Defiant netting a +1 Attack from Intimidate users. Unfortunately, Empoleon has a lot of problems with Defiant. Its 86 base Attack leaves much to be desired, making any purely physical Empoleon set something of a gimmick. Furthermore, the most common Intimidate users, Salamence and Gyarados, resist Aqua Jet (not that opponents will opt to switch Intimidate users into a Defiant user). It is best to stick with Torrent.</p>
