[Overview]
<p>It's not fast. It's not attractive. It's making a fashion statement with all that pink. And yet, Slowpoke holds a special place in the hearts of many players who are looking for the best physically defensive bulky Water-type in the business. Slowpoke's awesome HP is complemented by a more than usable base 65 Defense. Tack this onto good defensive typing and it seems like you've got a wall that can take a hit here and there. And that would be correct, had BW not bestowed the enviable Regenerator upon Slowpoke. Through the Dream World, Slowpoke now has access to one of the best defensive abilities in the game, allowing it to have a true point of distinction from every other bulky Water-type out there. Staryu and Chinchou may be made better, faster, and stronger, but they cannot sponge hits and then switch out, nor do they have an always useful Fighting-type resistance. Frillish is another big rival of Slowpoke, but it lacks the invaluable Regenerator, despite having the ability to spinblock amongst a few other boons. Nonetheless, Slowpoke stands out as one of the few Pokemon in the metagame capable of repeatedly absorbing strong attacks from the myriad of physical threats including Gligar, Mienfoo, Murkrow, Drilbur, and Timburr. And because all of this is backed by a wide movepool and adequate offensive stats, don't think you'll be coming to LC to start selling SlowpokeTail anytime soon.</p>
[SET]
name: Physically Defensive
move 1: Scald / Surf
move 2: Psychic
move 3: Slack Off
move 4: Toxic / Thunder Wave
item: Eviolite
ability: Regenerator
nature: Bold
evs: 116 HP / 236 Def / 36 SpA / 116 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Due to a combination of fantastic stats and ideal moves, Slowpoke's presence in Little Cup allows it to serve as a self-supporting wall or invaluable team supporter. Scald, another of BW's gifts to bulky Water-types, allows Slowpoke to deal damage while inflicting a burn by happenstance just often enough. If one prefers to wear down defensive teams and not occasionally inflict a burn, however, then the slightly more powerful Surf can be used; Surf also has the added bonus of in-game utility. Psychic hits the wealth of Fighting-types within LC, excluding Scraggy, for massive damage. Croagunk is still a pest to look out for, however, as it may carry Shadow Ball or Dark Pulse. Fire Blast is an alternative in this slot, as it could catch Ferroseed by surprise and deals more damage to Shroomish than any of Slowpoke's other moves.</p>
<p>Slowpoke prefers to save its last two slots for defensive moves, and Slack Off is a prime candidate. Although Slowpoke already has recovery through Regenerator, Slack Off allows Slowpoke to stall out the opposition that cannot deal more than 50% damage to it. A prime example of this is Eviolite Murkrow; Jolly max Attack Brave Bird does 44% maximum to Slowpoke, meaning it has only a 0.07% chance to 2HKO Slowpoke after Stealth Rock damage. The other 99.3% of the time, Slowpoke is capable of reliably Slacking Off Murkrow's main STAB attack. Slack Off also synergizes nicely with Toxic, as it allows Slowpoke to stall out Fighting-types late-game. However, if Slowpoke is being used as a defensive pivot on an offensive team, Thunder Wave is most likely the more suitable move.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Eviolite is undeniably Slowpoke's best friend; any usefulness an Oran Berry would have is negated by Regenerator. Speaking of Regenerator, it's one of Slowpoke's biggest strengths, and should be played as such: keep Slowpoke healthy as long as the match allows. Slowpoke's EVs emphasize its defensive side. Primarily, HP must be odd in order to minimize residual damage, especially since Slowpoke intends to stick around as long as it needs to. Defense is even more important than HP in many regards; Slowpoke's HP is naturally higher, and Slowpoke needs to reach as high a Defense as possible so Eviolite can provide a larger boost. Yawn could be considered as an option, but Slowpoke needs an offensive teammate who can capitalize off of sleep, such as a Shell Smash user, for this to work. It also prevents Slowpoke from taking out defensive Pokemon. Although Slowpoke's base Attack is higher than its Special Attack, its specially based moves have more utility; notably, Scald is infinitely more useful than Aqua Tail or its kin.</p>
<p>Among other big threats in LC, such as the aforementioned Eviolite Murkrow, Slowpoke deserves a special mention as being easily the best switch-in to Shellder, taking Icicle Spear, Rock Blast, Razor Shell, Hidden Power Fire, and Ice Shard with relative impunity. This is useful for teammates such as Murkrow and Gligar, who despise Shellder. If you really want to, the status move in the fourth slot can be ditched entirely in favor of running both Fire Blast and Psychic with some offensive EVs. Staryu does this with higher Speed and better coverage, but offensive Slowpoke still has its uses as a lure (especially since it can use Regenerator to get rid of any Life Orb recoil damage).</p>
<p>Ferroseed is easily one of the best defensive partners Slowpoke can ask for, as Slowpoke can take Fire- and Fighting-type attacks while Ferroseed sets up entry hazards and acts as a check to Chinchou and Staryu. Lileep is virtually the same, although it has no weakness to Fire-type moves, lacks Spikes, and absorbs Water-type attacks. Lileep also merits more use on sandstorm teams, where it gets a nifty Special Defense boost to complement Slowpoke's massive physical Defense. Scraggy is Slowpoke's worst nightmare (even more than Team Rocket!). For this reason, Mienfoo is also an outstanding teammate, as it can set up a Regenerator duo in conjunction with Slowpoke while eliminating Scraggy. Croagunk and Timburr are useful alternatives, and Croagunk has the added benefit of absorbing Toxic Spikes. Chinchou can absorb Electric-type attacks aimed at Slowpoke, and can run a specially defensive set to complement Slowpoke's physical bulk. While both are weak to Grass-types, Chinchou still gets a mention for possessing Heal Bell; the only other Pokemon that can actively assist Slowpoke as a cleric is Lickitung. Slowpoke appreciates hazards out of the way, and while Staryu can Rapid Spin, it is important to note its poor synergy with Slowpoke. Drilbur is an interesting alternative to use Rapid Spin on sandstorm teams, and there really aren't many other good Rapid Spin users within LC. Tentacool is an option to absorb Toxic Spikes and set some down to assist Slowpoke's stalling, but poor type synergy once again makes this a difficult core to perfect.</p>
[SET]
name: Trick Room Support
move 1: Trick Room
move 2: Surf
move 3: Psychic
move 4: Slack Off
item: Eviolite
ability: Regenerator
nature: Relaxed
evs: 116 HP / 236 Def / 36 SpA / 116 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>While Slowpoke is most often seen walling Fighting-types to oblivion, deep down, it desperately yearns to be used offensively. Unfortunately, its abysmal base 15 Speed prevents it from pulling off anything... except for a Trick Room set. Due to its incredible defensive prowess and Regenerator, Slowpoke can repeatedly set up Trick Room for itself and its slow, powerful teammates, such as Cubone. Surf is the best STAB option here, as it attains great neutral coverage whilst decimating Drilbur and Gligar, two Pokemon Slowpoke can set Trick Room up on. Psychic is always useful due to both its power and chance for Special Defense drops, and will easily 2HKO Mienfoo (if Stealth Rock is set up, it will do this most of the time even if Mienfoo switches out once to regain some HP from Regenerator). Slack Off means Slowpoke can clean up late-game when no physical threats are strong enough to break through it. It also proves useful to stay healthy in the rare case that Slowpoke has to stay in and set Trick Room up twice.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The IVs and nature allow Slowpoke to join the ranks of the slowest of the slow, even being outsped by the lightning-fast Ferroseed. Once Trick Room is up, it's a different story; nigh nothing will be outspeeding Slowpoke. The EVs provide the same longevity as the previous set, but the entire goal of this set is different. Slowpoke can run Fire Blast to take out Ferroseed, but it should have teammates such as Timburr that can eliminate Ferroseed. Bronzor is an incredible teammate who also has high Defense, is terribly slow, and can set up Trick Room, along with Stealth Rock and Toxic. Cubone and Porygon are two of the best sweepers once Trick Room is set up due to their good coverage and incredible power within a few moveslots. Timburr can take on Scraggy for Slowpoke and is also notably slow. Solosis has poor synergy with Slowpoke, but it is inarguably the best specially based Trick Room sweeper in Little Cup. Litwick is not quite as strong as Solosis, but has better synergy with Slowpoke. Croagunk has a mess of priority attacks, can handle Scraggy for Slowpoke, and can absorb Toxic Spikes that would otherwise make life tough for Slowpoke. Overall, Porygon stands out as the best teammate overall due to its complementary typing, Download, and usable coverage moves. Larvesta can be a useful teammate as well, as its Flame Body scares Mienfoo and Croagunk, who would otherwise try to preemptively drain Trick Room of turns via Fake Out. Ferroseed is a notable mention due to its incredible synergy and low Speed, but it cannot use Trick Room like Bronzor.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Safeguard is a niche move, but if anyone could use it, it's Slowpoke. Slowpoke can opt for Psychock over Psychic on any set, but LC generally has more physically defensive walls than specially defensive ones. Slowpoke is too slow to make any real use of Icy Wind, and although it could potentially use an Oran Berry + Recycle set, Bronzor does this better due to an immunity to Toxic. Slowpoke gets both Curse and Belly Drum, but it is best to leave the sweeping to its team members. Although Rest heals Slowpoke fully, Slack Off is better in nearly every situation. Shadow Ball deals more damage to Misdreavus than any of Slowpoke's other moves, but Slowpoke will not be lasting long against Misdreavus anyway. Slowpoke has a higher Attack than Special Attack, but its physical moves lack much utility at all. Aqua Tail would seem like a good alternative, but it is illegal with Regenerator. Zen Headbutt is weaker than Psychic, and lacks perfect accuracy. If Slowpoke is being used alongside Snover, Blizzard is an option, and can catch Murkrow expecting to spam Brave Bird by surprise.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Scraggy sets Dragon Dance up on Slowpoke all day, taking a pittance from any attack and using Shed Skin to avoid being crippled by status. Pawniard can do the same, but fears a burn from Scald and has to rely on Sucker Punch to take out Slowpoke, which is never a good idea. If Murkrow runs Dark Pulse or Life Orb with its Brave Bird, it can beat Slowpoke; in the latter case, however, it will be taking a lot of recoil damage from Brave Bird and Life Orb. Misdreavus is powerful and incredibly bulky, but lacks reliable recovery. Gastly can technically beat Slowpoke most of the time, but it can't switch into Psychic. Abra and Drifloon can both take Slowpoke out with their powerful Shadow Balls, although the latter is better off using Acrobatics and attaining a boost from Unburden. Without Fire Blast, Ferroseed can come in on Slowpoke and start setting up Spikes. Lileep only fears Toxic, but it can overcome this if it has a cleric alongside it and can inflict massive damage to Slowpoke with Energy Ball. Defensive Pokemon with an immunity to Toxic are incredibly annoying to Slowpoke, and Bronzor is a prime example of this. Slowpoke can't do much of anything to Bronzor, who will use Toxic to make its life miserable. Chinchou can take any of Slowpoke's attacks, and if it runs Rest, can eventually stall Slowpoke out. The story is much the same for Munchlax, but Munchlax also has access to Pursuit to deal massive damage to an unsuspecting Slowpoke. Toxic is one of the best ways to handle Slowpoke, as it limits the amount of time Slowpoke can safely wall opposing threats. Smaller, repeated hits aren't really the way to deal with Slowpoke, as it will simply use Regenerator to get rid of any minute damage, but big hits that will at least 2HKO, such as Murkrow's Dark Pulse or Croagunk's Shadow Ball, are the way to go.</p>
