jake
underdog of the year
Lickilicky
qc'd: shake, texas, honko
gp'd: badalcristiano, (gato), komodo
[Overview]
<p>Even with above average defenses and a movepool twice as long as its tongue, Lickilicky finds itself firmly entrenched in the lower tiers. Lickilicky's great 110 / 95 / 95 defenses are among the best available in RU, and its respectable base 85 Attack prevents it from being a sitting duck. Additionally, Lickilicky boasts the second largest Wish in RU, second to only Alomomola. The fun doesn't stop there; Lickilicky has a ton of other support options, including Heal Bell, Dragon Tail, Knock Off, Disable, and Seismic Toss, making it an excellent team supporter. Clefable is Lickilicky's only real challenger in RU as a specially defensive Wish passer; thanks to Magic Guard, Clefable maintains an immunity to entry hazard damage and status moves, as well as all other forms of indirect damage. However, Lickilicky has several advantages over Clefable, including superior natural defenses, a bigger Wish, and Dragon Tail. If you really need another reason to use Lickilicky, it's worth noting that Lickilicky has the strongest Explosion in the game, letting it go out with quite a bang.</p>
[SET]
name: Support
move 1: Wish
move 2: Protect
move 3: Body Slam / Return
move 4: Dragon Tail
item: Leftovers
ability: Own Tempo
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Thanks to its good bulk, ability to pass enormous Wishes, and access to phazing in Dragon Tail, Lickilicky makes for an outstanding team supporter. Wish in combination with Protect allows Lickilicky to both heal itself and its teammates. With a monstrous 212 HP being passed every time Lickilicky uses Wish, the recipient will often be recovering more than half of their health. Furthermore, Protect allows Lickilicky to scout a potential Trick from a known Choice item user, such as Rotom-C, and respond accordingly. Body Slam provides Lickilicky with a reliable STAB move with a nifty chance of paralysis, while Return does more damage overall. Lastly, Dragon Tail is a fantastic move that allows Lickilicky to phaze out opposing Pokemon that try to set up on it, and it also spreads entry hazard damage.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Maximum HP and Special Defense investment allows Lickilicky to pass the largest Wishes possible and makes the most use of Lickilicky's typing and defenses. A physically defensive set is largely outclassed for several reasons: Alomomola functions better as a physically defensive Wish passer; Lickilicky is weak to one of the most prominent physical types, Fighting; and there are superior physical walls available in RU, such as Gligar, Steelix, and Cofagrigus.</p>
<p>Lickilicky has many viable options on this set. Heal Bell grants Lickilicky the opportunity to act as a cleric, curing your team of status ailments. Disable is an interesting option that received a huge boost in BW; it now functions over a longer period of time, meaning that Lickilicky can lock the opponent out of using a critical move. Knock Off cripples nearly every Pokemon, ridding Eviolite users of their magnified defenses, Leftovers users of their recovery, and offensive Pokemon of their Life Orb or Choice item. Seismic Toss is usable, although it neutralizes one of Lickilicky's main draws over Clefable, a higher Attack stat and access to Body Slam. Toxic works wonders in conjunction with Protect and Wish, but Lickilicky simply doesn't have enough reason to use it over other useful moves.</p>
<p>Physically defensive partners, especially those that resist Fighting-type moves, are capable teammates. Gligar, Cofagrigus, and Tangrowth are all viable options and can handle the plethora of Fighting-types that can hit Lickilicky. Entry hazard support is critical for Lickilicky, as Dragon Tail's effectiveness is greatly boosted when Stealth Rock and several layers of Spikes or Toxic Spikes are up. Qwilfish has Intimidate to weaken physical assaults and can lay both Spikes and Toxic Spikes, while Uxie can set up Stealth Rock and KO opposing Fighting-types with Psychic. Both of these Pokemon do not have access to recovery moves outside of Rest, so Lickilicky's Wish support is greatly appreciated. If a more offensively inclined Spikes user is desirable, Scolipede has a 4x resistance to Fighting-type moves and can maim the opposition with STAB Megahorn. Ghost-type Pokemon such as Spiritomb, Dusknoir, and Rotom all pair well with Lickilicky, as they can easily handle obnoxious Fighting-type Pokemon and burn them with Will-O-Wisp, as well as block Rapid Spin from ridding the hazards that generally come with Lickilicky. Lastly, Steelix or bulky Water-types, such as Lanturn and Slowking, make for good partners, as they can handle Klinklang and other Steel-type Pokemon who try to set up on Lickilicky.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Lickilicky has an incredible movepool that many offensive powerhouses can only dream of. Lickilicky has many great coverage moves, including Earthquake, Power Whip, Aqua Tail, Brick Break, Rock Slide, Hammer Arm, Zen Headbutt, ThunderPunch, Fire Punch, Ice Punch, and Gyro Ball on the physical side, and Surf, Focus Blast, Ice Beam, Thunderbolt, Fire Blast, and Shadow Ball on the special end. Any of these moves can be used for coverage over a particular Pokemon—for example, if Omastar is a huge threat to your team, you could use Power Whip to OHKO it after it uses Shell Smash. Lickilicky gets a variety of boosting moves, including Curse, Work Up, and Swords Dance, but is often outclassed by more offensively inclined Pokemon, such as Sceptile and Kabutops. Lickilicky has enough HP to make 101 HP Substitutes coupled with Focus Punch, but there are stronger Pokemon, like Golurk and Hitmonchan, who use such a set better. Rain Dance and Sunny Day are both interesting options, but Lickilicky doesn't benefit from the weather itself, and it doesn't receive STAB on the moves that do. Rest and Sleep Talk are severely outclassed by Wish, which can be passed to a teammate, and Heal Bell rids it of status already. Cloud Nine, Lickilicky's Dream World ability, would be the primary option if it were not illegal with several of Lickilicky's key moves, including Wish.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Fighting-types, such as Hitmonchan, Gallade, Medicham, and Hitmonlee, can all devastate Lickilicky with their STAB moves, although the latter two must be wary when using Hi Jump Kick because of Protect. Taunt prevents Lickilicky from healing itself, which often means a swift demise. If not using Heal Bell, Toxic and other forms of status will quickly wear down Lickilicky. Aggron, Klinklang, and other bulky Rock- and Steel-types are not bothered by anything Lickilicky can throw at them bar the rare Earthquake, and can either set up on it or simply attack. Golurk can set up a Substitute and then Focus Punch away, as Dragon Tail will not break its Substitute.</p>