Welcome to the RU Teambuilding thread Mark II! The old thread became cluttered, and now that you have the chance to earn points for each submission, a new thread was started. We still kept all of the Pokemon added from the previous thread, so hopefully we can now fill it up with nearly every good RU Pokemon! Please read the paragraphs below if you are new:
RU is a tough metagame to start off in, probably because there is so much to use and lots of things to keep track of. Furthermore, there are limited resources as to where you can find info about the tier, as not every source you find about the tier is reliable (*coughusagestatscough*). Well worry no more! This thread will include some of the best Pokemon to perform roles including, Special Wall, Rapid Spinner, Physical Wall, Wallbreaker, Physical Sweeper, Special Sweeper, Late-game Cleaner, Tank, Revenge Killer, and Hazard User. You can then pick and choose roles that you have questions about, read and learn about each Pokemon that's good at performing that specific role, and then add it to your team! Also, if you think there is a Pokemon missing from one of the lists, check the "What not to use" section; this will include popular misconceptions about Pokemon that you may think are good at a specific role, but really aren't ie: Hitmonchan is good at spinning. If the Pokemon you are looking for is not in either section, feel free to post it yourself or even request that someone post some sets of that Pokemon! This project is an easy way to contribute to and learn about the RU tier, so don't be shy to post :).
The second part of this project includes discussing the sets posted down below and in the OP. You are all encouraged to comment on each set that is posted, whether you disagree with something or agree and want a move or something added. Furthermore, if you disagree or have something to add to a set that is already in the OP, you can rewrite it or comment on it, and the community will discuss your changes! If you have a good set that you like, post it here and follow the outline. If your set is not good, it will go in the "Sets not to use" category. Don't be offended if your set goes into the sets not to use section, as we'll explain why! This is a learning experience, so it is ok to try new things. However, please refrain from posting gimmicks, as those belong in the Project RarelyUsed thread!
If you are going to post a set, here is the format:
Code:
[SET]
[B]Role:[/B] Special Wall, Rapid Spinner, Physical Wall, Wallbreaker, Physical Sweeper, Special Sweeper, Late-game Cleaner, Hazard User, Revenge Killer, Bulky Attacker, Tank, Lure, Mixed Attacker, Support (weather support...) etc.
[B]What It Does:[/B] mention what it counters and why it is good at its role OR say why it's bad if you're purposely posting something not to use
[B]Good Teammates:[/B] stuff it works well with
[B]What Counters It:[/B]
[B]Any Additional Info:[/B]What to use:
Lanturn (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Volt Absorb
EVs: 40 HP / 252 Def / 216 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Volt Switch / Rest
- Thunder Wave / Sleep Talk
- Scald
- Heal Bell / Protect
Role: Special Wall
What it does: Lanturn has remarkably high HP and usable Special Defense, but what really makes it good is its Electric / Water typing, Volt Absorb ability, and good support moves. It walls many special attackers such as Moltres, Manectric, Galvantula, Magmortar, Magneton, Omastar (to an extent), Typhlosion, Slowking, Rotom, Cryogonal, and more. It's a great pivot on offensive teams, absorbing hits then Volt Switching out to give you the momentum. It also spreads paralysis, and can cure sweepers or walls from status with Heal Bell. You should use RestTalk if you need Lanturn to stay alive for a while; this works best on defensive oriented teams. Lanturn has a lot of resistances which makes it a great wall.
Good Teammates: Good teammates are those who appreciate cleric support, such as Steelix. Cryogonal is also a good teammate, as together, Lanturn and Cryogonal make a good specially defensive core and cover up each others weaknesses. Slower sweepers, such as Nidoqueen, appreciate Lanturn's paralysis support and benefit from the momentum Lanturn brings with Volt Switch. It's also good in a Fire/Water/Grass core as it takes on Fire-types well.
What counters it: Grass-types, such as Sceptile, Roselia, Rotom-C and Lilligant, are the biggest threats to Lanturn. Taking advantage of Lanturn's low Defense stat is also a good way to take it down, as it doesn't have reliable recovery.
Additional info: Use Volt Switch and Twave on offensive teams, RestTalk on defensive teams.
By DittoCrow
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Escavalier @ Leftovers
Trait: Swarm
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 SDef
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Megahorn
- Iron Head
- Toxic
- Protect / Pursuit / Rest
Role: Special Wall
What It Does: Escavalier can be a very solid special wall in the RU tier, being able to sponge a variety of hits, both physical and special, while still being able to hit very hard with Megahorn. Pokemon such as Jynx and HP Rock Lilligant have no chance against this behemoth. Megahorn and Iron Head provide strong STAB moves, while Toxic allows Escavalier to cripple Pokemon such as Lanturn that would otherwise beat it. Protect rounds out the set by allowing Escavalier to scout the opposition, as well as nab another turn of Leftovers recovery. Pursuit can also be useful, however, especially against Cryogonal; Rest is also an option to restore Escavalier's health back to full once per game.
Good Teammates: Rapid Spinners can be very good teammates for this set, especially since Escavalier lacks any recovery outside of Leftovers. Pokemon such as Kabutops and Cryogonal are solid partners for this reason. Teammates that can take Fire-type attacks, such as Slowking and Lanturn, are also very much appreciated, as Escavalier is destroyed by them. Amoongus can also be a solid partner, as it can switch in against Sceptile and Lillligant carrying HP Fire and put them to sleep. Physical walls, such as Steelix and Qwilfish, can also be good partners, as Escavalier is not built to take a large amount of physical attacks.
What Counters It: Fire-types can defeat this set easily, so Pokemon such as Entei and Magmortar are great options. Lilligant and Sceptile with Hidden Power Fire can also cause this set problems. Also, since Escavalier lacks a reliable recovery move, entry hazards are a great way to wear it down. Pokemon with Trick, such as Scarf Rotom and Scarf Rotom-C, can also cause problems, as they can give Escavalier a Choice Scarf if it attempts to switch in on them, effectively nullifying it for the match.
By ShakeItUp
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Clefable (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Wish
- Protect
- Seismic Toss
- Heal Bell / Toxic / Encore / Thunder Wave
Role: Special Wall
What it does: Clefable is a very potent wall in the RU tier, and is a solid choice for stall teams. This is due to its access to Wish, its solid special bulk, and Magic Guard. Clefable is the only Nidoqueen counter in RU, taking 46% maximum from a Life Orb-boosted Sludge Wave. While normally, this wouldn't make it a counter, Magic Guard stops it from taking entry hazard damage, and its access to Wish and Protect means it can heal itself easily. This alone makes it a very solid wall in the tier. Clefable can also Toxic Stall the opposition, or completely destroy the opponent's strategy by using Encore, which can leave set-up attackers helpless.
Good Teammates: Clefable does not require a lot of support due to Magic Guard and its access to healing. However, a solid physical wall is greatly appreciated, as Clefable cannot take Physical-attacks that well. Steelix is a prime candidate for this, being able to take a lot of physical attacks while benefiting from Clefable's Wishes. Qwilfish can also be a good partner, as it can set up Spikes against physical attackers and easily take the Fighting-type attacks aimed at Clefable. Entry hazard support in general is also appreciated, as Clefable can force a lot of switches if it runs Encore.
What Counters It: Physical attackers can easily dispatch of Clefable. Pokemon such as Choice Band Braviary, Aggron, and Gallade completely decimate Clefable. Mix Attackers that can hit hard physically or have access to a physical Fighting-type move are the best choices, as they can eliminate Clefable along with its partners. Magmortar is a great example of this, being able to defeat Clefable with Cross Chop while also being able to destroy potential teammates, such as Qwilfish and Steelix, with Thunderbolt and Fire Blast, respectively.
Any Additional Info: With Heal Bell in the last slot, Clefable makes a good cleric, but with Toxic it can Toxic stall the opponent to death with Protect. Encore can be annoying and will help a teammate set up. Finally, Thunder Wave can cripple special attackers such as Lilligant and Sigilyph who can set up on Clefable.
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Druddigon (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SDef
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Substitute / Stealth Rock
- Glare
- Roar / Dragon Tail
- Dragon Claw
Role: Special Wall
What it Does: While Druddigon is the best offensive Dragon type in RU, one shouldn't forget about its defenses. 77 / 90 / 90 defenses are pretty good in RU and this allows Druddigon to go with a more defensive set. Its odd movepool also sets Druddigon apart from other walls in the tier. Its well placed resistances to Water, Grass, Fire, and Electric allow it to be a great special wall capable of checking the likes of Sceptile, Manectric, Magmortar, and Rotom-C. Substitute is used to shield Druddigon from otherwise debilitating status such as poison or burn. Glare is a cool paralysis move that isn't widely distributed and it allows Druddigon to safely come in and paralyze many special attackers such as Manectric, Sceptile, and Lilligant. The choice between Dragon Tail and Roar comes down to what you want to phaze through. Dragon Tail is preferred as Druddigon's base 120 Attack stat will make it sting quite a bit after STAB. However, if Sub users such as Sceptile, Mesprit, and Uxie are of more concern to your team, Roar is perfectly viable. Dragon Claw is the preferred last move as it gives Druddigon a reliable STAB move to work with. Stealth Rock can be used if you can't fit another user on your team, but Druddigon has good synergy with most common users of the move.
Good Teammates: Lanturn and Cryogonal are good teammates as both resist Ice attacks and provide additional specially defensive support. Lanturn has access to Heal Bell to cure Druddigon of annoying status while Cryogonal provides Rapid Spin support and has reliable recovery. Speaking of recovery, Wish support is really good since Druddigon doesn't have reliable recovery. Clefable and Alomomola are the most notable thanks to their high HP stats and additional support. Poliwrath is a good partner who can continue the phazing process should Druddigon drag out a physical attacker it would rather not deal with. Hazard support is great to further support Druddigon's phazing tactics. Uxie and Steelix are both reliable SR users while Qwilfish is a good defensive Spiker. All 3 can take most physical attacks aimed at Druddigon.
What Counters It: Klinklang is public enemy #1. It resists Druddigon's STAB, has Sub to block Glare and Dragon Tail, and Shift Gear to boost up and sweep Druddigon's team. If Druddigon lacks Dragon Tail, it will struggle against bulky Taunt users like Drapion (who can also set up SD) Tangrowth generally doesn't care about paralysis since it's slow anyway and can incapacitate Druddigon or the switch-in with Sleep Powder. Escavalier and Aggron don't mind paralysis either and will have no issues with throwing out a powerful Megahorn or Head Smash respectively. Hard hitting physical attackers such as Gallade, Feraligatr, and Crawdaunt can usually punch through Druddigon but a well-timed Glare can cripple them for the match.
Any Additional Info: Although Druddigon's resistances are better for taking special attacks, Druddigon's equal defenses can allow it to go physically defensive. When Druddigon adopts a physically defensive spread (252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def EV spread with an Impish nature should be used) Druddigon can check powerful physical attackers such as Entei and Kabutops. This also allows Druddigon to abuse Rough Skin more effectively and force Entei to take a copious amount of damage from using Flare Blitz. However, Druddigon's resistances are better fit for taking special attacks, so the physically defensive spread should only be used should your team need an answer to the likes of Crawdaunt, Entei, or Kabutops. You also must ask yourself if Poliwrath, a Pokemon with much better physical resistances, would be a better fit for your team. Physically Defensive Druddigon is certainly viable and effective, but just know that the Specially Defensive spread will generally benefit Druddigon more.
By EonX-
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Mandibuzz @ Leftovers
Trait: Big Pecks
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SDef / 8 Def
Careful Nature
- Taunt
- Brave Bird
- Roost
- Whirlwind
Role: Special Wall
What it does: It breaks stall with taunt and walls tons of special attackers all day with it's huge special defense and hp. Pokemon like Accelgor, Liligant and Sceptile have nothing on it even with Hidden Power Rock. There are many Pokemon such as Aggron or Aerodactyl that switch in with no fear at all of being touched. This is when Mandibuzz should predict and use Whirlwind to keep wearing the opposing Pokemon down till it can no longer switch in. Mandibuzz should be used on a stall or a balanced team as offensive teams won't be able to handel Mandibuzz's switch-ins.
Good Teammates: Steelix is a great teammate for its incredible defense and its immunity to Electric and resistance to Rock allowing it to take things like Aggron's Head Smash. It has Roar, and a hazing core is always good for not letting sweepers setting up. And of course it has Stealth Rock which is a must for Mandibuzz to be able to deal damage to physical powerhouses on the switch in and Whirlwind them away so that they must take damage again to switch in. For this reason, a spiker is also very necessary as a teammate of Mandibuzz. It's weakness to Rock also requires a Rapid Spinner if it wants to be able to stop all it can stop.
What counters it: Aggron and Magneton resist Mandibuzz's only attack x4 and aren't affected by Toxic. Head Smash will wear down Mandibuzz's partners aside from Steelix, and Magneton will trap Steelix. Physical attackers that resist Brave Bird like Kabutops and Aerodactyl will always do the trick. Having a good Rapid Spinner will always stop Mandibuzz from doing what it does best.
Any Additional Info: Stealth Rock really hinders Mandibuzz's ability to wall certain threats and take hits, as losing 25% of its health upon switching in will force it to Roost, giving the opponent the advantage. Thus, Mandibuzz appreciates Rapid Spin support.
By mfhoundoom
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Lickilicky @ Leftovers
Trait: Own Tempo
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature (+SpD, -SAtk)
- Wish
- Protect
- Body Slam / Return
- Heal Bell / Power Whip / Earthquake
Role: Special Wall
What it Does: With great 110 / 95 / 95 Defenses, Lickilicky can tank hits from a variety of RU threats despite it's NU status. It can comfortably check many threats like Special Entei, Lilligant, Manectric, Rotom-C, Slowking, Rotom, Nidoqueen, Galvantula, and more. You may think to yourself why you would use Lickilicky over similar special walls, such as Lanturn, and especially Clefable, but Lickilicky has perks over them and is not outclassed. Lickilicky has reliable recovery over Lanturn and generally better offensive presence, as well as more special bulk AND physical bulk. Clefable has to rely on Seismic Toss to do any real damage as a wall, while Lickilicky has powerful moves such as Power Whip, STAB Return, and Earthquake at it's disposal. Lickilicky also has much better overall bulk than Clefable as well. Body Slam and Return are interchangable but Return gets a special mention because it can 2HKO Magmortar without Stealth Rock, which Body Slam cannot do. Both of them secure this 2HKO with Stealth Rock however. Heal Bell is a very rare move in RU and in general, and thanks to it's bulk LickiLicky can use it very well. It also means it cannot be worn down to status effects such as burn and toxic that easily. However, Power Whip can be used to OHKO incoming Kabutops, Omastar and hits water types hard. Earthquake can be used to 2HKO Klinklang, Spiritomb, Kabutops, and Aggron, while it OHKOs Manetric, Electivire, and Omastar.
Good Teammates: Those that can get rid Ghost and Fighting types are great Teammates for Lickilicky. Dark types such as Drapion and Spiritomb can get rid of many ghost types that block Lickylicky's STAB moves, and will benefit from LickyiLicky's Wish passing as they have no forms recovery for themselves. Psychic types such as Uxie can deter many Fighting types away, and once again Uxie greatly benefits from Lickyilicky's Wishes. Rapid Spin support is helpful because Lickyilicky will often come in multiple times in a match.
What Counters It: Most Ghost types can switch in freely without too much trouble, however, offensive ghost types much watch out switching into Earthquake. Fighting types like Gallade, Hariyama, and Hitmonlee can fire off STAB Fighting moves to KO or scare Lickyilicky, but must watch out for the threat of paralysis from Body Slam, and frail Fighting types will often take a big hit if they directly switch in. Be careful of throwing out High Jump Kicks because Lickyilicky can guard itself with protect. Many powerful physical attackers can force Lickyilicky out, but do not underestimate Lickyilicky's bulk as it can even take unboosted, neutral physical hits rather well.
Any Additional Info: Dragon Tail can be used along with spikes support as a phazing move, but it generally means free Substitutes for the opposition, while Lickyilicky would break most Substitutes with it's STAB or coverage move. However, it can be useful for pokemon that will want to set up on Lickyilicky. You can also use Toxic to cripple opposing walls.
By Shouting
Steelix (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 96 Def / 160 SDef
Relaxed Nature (+Def, -Spd)
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Gyro Ball
- Roar
Role: Physical Wall
What it does: Steelix is one of the best physical walls in RU due to its massive base 200 Defense and great support options. It is one of the most reliable users of Stealth Rock in the tier, and nothing can OHKO it unless it already has damage on it, due to Sturdy (it's not like Steelix is going to be easily OHKOed anyways). Steelix walls so many physical attackers in the tier, including Aggron, Aerodactyl, Archeops, Bouffalant, Crustle, Drapion, Druddigon, Escavalier, Klinklang, Scolipede, Scyther, and more. Gyro Ball and Earthquake are STAB moves, and hit the aforementioned Pokemon hard with Steelix's usable base 85 Attack. Finally, Steelix has access to Roar, so it can phaze out any threat such as SubCM Uxie or rack up entry hazard damage on the opponent.
Good Teammates: Good teammates for Steelix include those that can take on its weaknesses to Fire-, Fighting-, Ground-, and Water-type moves. Slowking is one of the best partners, as it resists three of these types and can take the special attacks aimed at Steelix. Poliwrath is another good partner, as the duo walls almost every physical attack in RU. Since Steelix lacks reliable recovery, it really appreciates Wish support so it can continue to wall the opponent. Basically, bulky Water-types and Wish supporters are great partners for Steelix.
What counters it: Special Attackers such as Moltres, Slowking, and Tangrowth manhandle Steelix. They also take little from Steelix's STAB moves. Additionally, because Steelix lacks reliable recovery, many strong physical attacks such as Choice Band Druddigon's Superpower will weaken Steelix. Some checks include Sceptile, Magmortar, Entei, Gallade, and Feraligatr.
By DittoCrow
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Poliwrath (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Relaxed Nature (+Def, -Spd)
- Circle Throw
- Scald
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
Role: Physical Wall
What it Does: Poliwrath is an excellent counter to many of the top physical threats in RU. It stops Pokemon such as Kabutops, Entei, Escavalier, Drapion, and Crawdaunt extremely easily. It is also nearly impossible to set up on, as Circle throw can phaze out the opponent and rack up entry hazard damage. Poliwrath can also spread status around the opposing team using Scald, thus cripple common switch-ins, such as Qwilfish. It also doesn't really mind status due to RestTalk, making it even harder to take down.
Good Teammates: Entry hazard support from Pokemon such as Ferroseed is very helpful, as Poliwrath can rack up a lot of entry hazard damage using Circle Throw. Poliwrath is best used on a stall team, with walls that can sponge hits it can't, such as a Psychic from Mesprit or a Thunderbolt from Nidoqueen. Rapid Spin support is also helpful, as entry hazards make it harder for Poliwrath to switch in and take attacks, so Pokemon such as Cryogonal are good partners; Cryogonal is especially good because it can sponge a lot of special attacks that Poliwrath can't take on. A cleric, such as Lanturn, is also a good partner, especially because it can get rid of the sleep from Rest that might otherwise be a nuisance to Poliwrath.
What Counters It: Special attackers are Poliwrath's worst enemy. Pokemon such as Nidoqueen and Mesprit can do major damage with their STAB moves; Mesprit is especially annoying since it can set up a Substitute and Calm Mind on Poliwrath. Lilligant can do the same, setting up Quiver Dances easily, as Poliwrath cannot afford to stay in since it is KO'd by Giga Drain. Moltres can also come in and use Substitute, which is especially effective is Poliwrath is sleeping, as Sleep Talk would only give it a 1/3 chance to pick Scald. Entry hazards can also plague Poliwrath, as they make it much harder for it to take a lot of hits.
By ShakeItUp
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Tangrowth (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Relaxed
- Sleep Powder
- Giga Drain
- Hidden Power Fire
- Leech Seed / Synthesis
Role: Physical Wall
What it does: Tangrowth is one the most physically bulky Pokemon in RU with 100 / 125 / 50 Defenses; these are better than even Skarmory! Tangrowth can repeatedly switch into attacks thanks to Regenerator, which means that even the lack of reliable recovery, means that Tangrowth won't get worn down. Tangrowth isn't dead weight that just walls attacks either, as it can use Sleep Powder to incapacitate any opposing Pokemon. Giga Drain provides STAB and recovery that hits Water-types that Tangrowth walls just so well, able to hit Kabutops, Poliwrath, and Feraligator, for example. Hidden Power Fire is useful to hit Escavalier, Ferroseed, and Grass-types that think Tangrowth is easy bait. Leech Seed rounds out the set by providing general utility and aids in recovering Tangrowth's health. Tangrowth is bested used as a central pivot against physical attacks thanks to Regenerator, so it doesn't get any net damage, and can annoy the opponent with the rest of its moveset.
Good Teammates: An abysmal 50 Special Defense means that Tangrowth can't take any semi-powered special attacks. An excellent partner is Slowking that also forms a Regenerator core, which can constantly switch in and out. All the constant switching can be affected by entry hazards, so a Rapid Spinner is advisable. Cryogonal has the Special Defense to take on the non Fire-type special attacks. Additionally, Kabutops is a more offensive oriented partner that can switch into predicted Fire-types attacks.
What Counters It: Once something is hit by Sleep Power, then Pokemon that can tank special attacks are great enemies to Tangrowth. Roselia and Clefable are great counters, because Leech Seed doesn't affect them, and Roselia can use Sludge Bomb or set up Spikes, Clefable can support its team with Wish or damage Tangrowth is Seismic Toss. Pokemon that use high-powered special attacks can easily take down Tangrowth, notably Fire- and Bug-type attacks. Moltres, Entei, Escavalier, Galvantula are common Pokemon with these STABs.
Any Additional Info: Power Whip can be used alongside a Relaxed nature, if hitting Pokemon that are specially bulky, such as Gallade and Cryogonal. Hidden Power Rock is a good choice to hit Fire-types, notable Moltres, on the switch in.
By Yonko7
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[SET]
Rotom @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 208 Def / 48 Spe
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split
- Shadow Ball
- Thunderbolt
Role: Physical Wall (Spinblocker)
What it does: While Rotom doesn't have amazing defenses, what it does have is an excellent typing in Electric/Ghost alongside Levitate that let it wall many troublesome Pokemon in the RU metagame. Flying-type Pokemon such as Swellow and Braviary deal little to no damage to Rotom, while the powerhouse Escavalier isn't capable of inflicting much damage on the switch. Electric/Ghost isn't just good for defense though, as it gives Rotom excellent STAB coverage that can threaten a lot of Pokemon in RU. Steelix, who would could come into Rotom's STABs fearlessly can't do much damage to Rotom thanks to it's defensive investment and access to Will-O-Wisp. This EV spread allows Rotom to outspeed positive Speed nature base 55 Pokemon such as Crawdaunt, Omastar, and Bouffalant and disrupt them before they lay a hand (or claw, tentacle, etc) on Rotom.
Good Teammates: Drapion is a great partner for Rotom as it takes advantage of Rotom shutting down Steelix and Escavalier for an easier SD sweep, while maintaining excellent type synergy. Clerics such as Lanturn, Clefable, and Lickilicky share good type synergy with Rotom and can cure Rotom of any status ailment.
What counters it: CRYOGONAL, it gets through most Ghost-types and can Toxic stall Rotom thanks to Recover and it's massive special bulk. Clefable is immune to burn thanks to Magic Guard, can easily take any hit Rotom has, and start setting up Calm Minds in its face.
Any Additional Info: This Pokemon is deceptively bulky and cute :3
By EBeast
Kabutops @ Life Orb
Trait: Weak Armor
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Aqua Jet
- Stone Edge
- Rapid Spin / Waterfall
Role: Physical Sweeper / Rapid Spinner
What it does: Kabutops is one of the most prominent threats in the RU metagame, and is a staple on almost all offensive teams as a physical sweeper, spinner, and Moltres check, all wrapped into one pokemon! With the ability to OHKO Ghost-types such as Dusknoir with stone edge at +2, while using aqua jet to dispose of rotom, kabutops is by far the best offensive rapid spinner in the tier. Swords Dance is the crux of this set, boosting kabutops's already high attack to insane levels. Stone Edge, while inaccurate is kabutops's most powerful STAB move, and is perfectly capable of tearing through even the bulkiest of pokemon if it doesnt miss. Aqua Jet allows Kabutops to pick off faster threats, most importantly moltres, one of the most dominant pokemon in the tier with ease. It also makes Kabutops much harder to revenge kill. Rapid Spin is great because kabutops forces many switches, giving kabutops many chances to spin. If you already have a Rapid Spinner, waterfall is a stronger alternative to Aqua Jet, but one of the main reasons you should be using Kabutops is because its a near foolproof spinner, making this a lesser option.
Good Teammates: Kabutops has trouble with Bulky Grass-types like tangrowth, Amoonguss, Ferroseed. Faster Grass-types such as lilligant and sceptile can revenge kill Kabutops. Therefore, Kabutops really needs a teammate to break through these pokemon. Moltres is one of the best teammates for kabutops, easily switching in on anything that isnt a super effective hidden power or a sleep move, and either setting up a Substitute or blasting the switch in. Kabutops also supports moltres by spinning away the ever present Stealth Rock. For faster grass-types such as lilligant and sceptile, Bulky Grasses such as amoonguss and Escavalier, and Ferroseed are all good options. They take any hit the pokemon can throw at them while striking back with strong poison and bug-type moves. Ferroseed can use thunder wave to cripple them for the rest of the match. Entry hazards really help Kabutops get a late game sweep going, putting many potential revenge killers in KO range for aqua jet. Roselia is by far the best option for spiking, taking all the grass-types kabutops hates, in return, kabutops can switch in on fire blasts and flare blitzes for Roselia.
What Counters it: Ferroseed and Tangrowth are the best counters to kabutops, being able to take even boosted Stone Edges and KOing kabutops in return with Gyro Ball/Seed Bomb and Giga Drain, respectively. Ferroseed can also set up spikes on Kabutops. Other Grass-types are also excellent checks, being able to take most hits from kabutops and destroying the crab with STAB grass-type moves. Lilligant, Sceptile, and Rotom-C are the best offensive checks available to kabutops, taking even a boosted Aqua Jet and KOing back with Giga Drain, Leaf Storm, or Volt Switch. Steelix and Rhydon are actually good checks to kabutops despite the water weakness, as most kabutops dont run waterfall these days. If you cant fit any of these pokemon on your team, try to make sure kabutops cannot set up a Swords Dance, kabutops is pretty frail on the special side and has many common weaknesses.
Any Additional Info: +2 LO Kabutops rapid spin vs 0/0 jynx. 722 Atk vs 106 Def & 271 HP (20 Base Power): 127 - 150 (46.86% - 55.35%)
By Molk
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Cryogonal @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 168 Def / 92 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Rapid Spin
- Ice Beam
- Haze
- Recover
Role: Rapid Spinner
What it does: Rapid Spins! Cryogonal is no doubt the best Rapid Spin user in the tier. The only two Ghost-type Pokemon it can't beat one-on-one are Spiritomb and Dusknoir. Dusknoir sucks, and with this EV spread, Cryogonal will always live a Choice Band Pursuit from Spiritomb. Cryogonal has Haze to beat setup sweepers such as Lilligant. Cryogonal also has access to Recover, allowing it to live longer and spin throughout the match. With it's high base 135 Special Defense, Cryogonal can take quite a few special hits as well.
Good Teammates: Slowking is a good teammate because it resists the Fire- and Fighting-type attacks aimed at Cryogonal. Defensive partners such as Poliwrath or Tangrowth are also good because they can take on the physical threats such as Entei and Feraligatr that give Cryogonal problems. And of course, Pokemon that appreciate the removal of entry hazards, such as Moltres, love having Cryogonal as a teammate.
What counters it: Physical attackers mainly: Entei, Aggron, Feraligatr, Escavalier. Also Munchlax and Hariyama due to their Thick Fat ability. Psychic-type Pokemon, such as Slowking (it also resists Ice Beam), with the move Psyshock can take advantage of Cryogonal's horrible base 30 Defense and KO it.
Any Additional Info: One of the best spinners, just watch out of CB Spiritomb. You can also go with an EV spread of 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 SpDef to make it a specially defensive wall, or add 24 Speed EVs to outspeed Modest Nidoqueen with 252 Spe EVs.
By DittoCrow
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Cryogonal @ Life Orb
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 64 HP / 252 SAtk / 192 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Ice Beam
- Rapid Spin
- Hidden Power Rock / Hidden Power Fire
- Recover
Role: Rapid Spinner
What it Does: Offensive Cryogonal can be a solid Rapid Spinner, being much more threatening than its defensive counterpart. Cryogonal can hit very hard offensively, meaning that it can KO a wide variety of Pokemon in the tier, especially with hazard support. An advantage this set has over its defensive counterpart is that it is not threatened by Moltres, as it can outrun and OHKO it with Hidden Power Rock. Ice Beam also hits very hard, which can allow this set to knock out Spiritomb on the switch after entry hazards; this alone makes it more effective than its defensive counterpart for a lot of teams. It can also heal off Life Orb Recoil easily with Recover.
Good Teammates: Entry hazard support from Pokemon such as Smeargle can be helpful, as hazards can make Cryogonal much more threatening. Pokemon that appreciate Moltres being gone, such as Torterra, can also be helpful. Magneton can also be a solid partner, as it can KO the Steel-types, such as Escavalier, that Cryogonal lures out. Escavalier and Spiritomb can also be good partners, as they can take out Pokemon such as Uxie and enemy Cryogonal that can cause problems for this set.
What Counters It: Escavalier is the best counter for this set (if Cryogonal lacks HP Fire). It can easily take any attack, and easily Trap and KO Cryogonal with Pursuit. Special Walls also wall this Cryogonal easily, so Pokemon such as Clefable and defensive Cryogonal can easily wall this set. Spiritomb can also trap this set as long as entry hazards are not up. Steel-types such as Magneton also wall this set easily.
By ShakeItUp
Smeargle (F) @ Focus Sash
Trait: Own Tempo
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Spikes
- Spore
- Stealth Rock
- Whirlwind / Magic Coat / Rapid Spin
Role: Hazards User
What it does: Smeargle is an amazing pokemon that is one of the strongest Setup leads in the RU metagame. It can easily setup hazards due to it being the most unique pokemon in whole metagame having access to the move sketch. Sketch allows Smeargle to run the combo of Spore and Hazards which in tandem with a focus sash allows Smeargle to Setup at least 2 layers of hazards before being taken down. Because it boasts a base 75 speed it only reaches 273 meaning it can put many leads to sleep before they can do anything rendering them useless.
Good Teamates: As Smeargle relies on spore and hazards to function, it almost always needs a pokemon that can counter Bouffalant as it has the ability sap sipper. Such counters include Spiritomb, Dusknoir as they can burn bouffant and break its subs, Quagsire also beat bouffalant 1 on 1. Because all that smeargle does is setup hazards, it is almost crucial to have a Ghost type to block rapid spin so all of Smeargle's work is not in vain. Some of the best spinner blockers include Spiritomb, and Dusknoir though other ghost types can work just as well such as Rotom and Misdreavus. Other pokemon that pair well with Smeargle and a Ghost type are Phazers to fully utilize the damage that hazards can bring to the board. Other pokemon that use U-Turn and Volt Switch can also force switches and will result in further hazards damage which fit snug on a team featuring smeargle.
What Counters it: The pokemon that best counter Smeargle are fast taunt users such as Aerodactyl and Whimsicott, but you must watch out for magic coat. Bouffalant can also stop Smeargle hard in its tracks as spore will be ineffective and Bouffalant can setup on Smeargle easily and 2HKO everything on the opposing team besides a few select counters. Another Pokemon to counter could be lum berry Crustle with rock blast but that is a really obsure option.
Additional Comments: Surprise Rapid Spinner
By Bigblue
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Uxie @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 80 Def / 40 SDef / 136 Spd
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Stealth Rock
- Thunder Wave / Yawn
- Psychic
- U-turn
Role: Hazard User
What it Does: As most good players know, Uxie it the ultimate team supporter in RU. It can be EVed in so many ways and has quite a great support movepool. This is Uxie's general Utility support set that allows it to check and counter the most threats. Stealth Rock is great on Uxie. With it's great bulk and decent Speed, Uxie will rarely have a problem in setting up SR at some point in the match. Next is your status move of choice. Thunder Wave cripples faster threats such as Moltres, Sceptile, and Kabutops who may try to break through Uxie or Spin on Uxie. Yawn is a perfectly viable move and will pretty much stop any setup sweeper cold. It's also a great way to get a teammate in safely for a free chance to setup. Psychic allows Uxie to 2HKO Nidoqueen, one of the biggest offensive threats in the tier. U-turn is great on Uxie as it allows the pixie to lure in checks and counters and allow you to start to gain momentum. The given EVs is just one spread Uxie can adopt, but this is the most reliable one as Uxie is a superb defensive answer to Nidoqueen, one of the tier's most feared attackers. First off, 136 Speed EVs are used to outrun Adamant Kabutops. 252 EVs are invested into HP to give Uxie overall bulk while 40 Special Defense EVs and a Calm nature allows Uxie to avoid the 2HKO from Modest LO Nidoqueen's Sludge Wave after SR. The rest of the EVs are placed in Defense to let Uxie take random physical hits better, especially from Fighting types.
Good Teammates: This could be really long as Uxie can work on virtually any type of team, but I'll try to keep it from getting too long. Fighting types and Dark types should be your first considerations as they can come in on the Dark and Ghost types Uxie doesn't want to stay in on. Gallade gets a Justified boost from Dark type moves and loves the paralysis support Uxie brings, lessening the need for it to use Shadow Sneak. Uxie can also come in on priority users trying to stop Gallade's sweep. Escavalier resists all 3 of Uxie's weaknesses and bashes in the heads of pretty much everything bar Steel types with Megahorn or Iron Head. Lanturn is a solid option as it can handle Moltres with ease and can cure Uxie of bothersome status it may pick up with Heal Bell. Lanturn can also utilize Thunder Wave effectively, allowing Uxie to use Yawn more freely. Outside of a Steel type and/or Fighting type, Uxie will fit onto pretty much any standard offensive team since it can build momentum with U-turn, slow faster threats with paralysis (or provide setup opportunities with Yawn) and check many powerful threats in the tier such as Gallade and Nidoqueen. Uxie generally supports the team instead of the team supporting it (outside of maybe a Steel or Fighting type)
What Counters It: Almost any Dark type will scare Uxie out. So, Absol, Spiritomb, Crawdaunt, and Drapion are the big ones. Fast Taunters such as Aerodactyl and faster variants of Qwilfish will prevent Uxie from supporting the team. However, a well-timed Psychic will end Qwilfish on the spot. Due to Uxie's stellar defenses and access to U-turn, it will be difficult to straight up counter Uxie. However, its lack of recovery will ultimately be its downfall as repeated beatings will take their toll. It should be noted that slower threats such as Druddigon and Escavalier don't care about paralysis, don't take much from Psychic, and can blast through Uxie with powerful boosted STAB moves.
Any Additional Info: Get comfortable, because this is where I explain all of the other support options Uxie can viably run on this set. Heal Bell is the most notable as this will let Uxie act as a cleric. Memento can be like a pseudo-U-turn. Uxie will sacrifice itself, but will provide a near-guaranteed setup opportunity for a sweeper like Crawdaunt or Gallade. Toxic screws over walls pretty badly if you're having trouble breaking through them. If Taunt users are annoying you, Magic Coat can be used to make the Taunt backfire on the user. If cleric support is being run, Uxie has access to Rest and Sleep Talk to form the RestTalk recovery method. Keep in mind that all of these moves, bar Heal Bell and Memento are highly situational and the given moveset is generally better. SR and U-turn should always be found on Uxie's moveset and the most interchangeable move is the 2nd slot. As for the EV spread, Uxie can shift EVs around accordingly to better meet the needs of a team. If outspeeding Adamant Kabutops isn't a priority, Uxie can drop its Speed EVs down to 104. This should be the bare minimum amount as this lets Uxie outspeed Modest max Speed Nidoqueen. You can shift the 80 Defense EVs around if you like. They'll see the most use in Special Defense to allow Uxie to handle more special attackers. You can run a Bold nature and move Uxie's Special Defense EVs to Defense to better handle Fighting types. If outspeeding Moltres and Lilligant is a priority, a Timid nature can be used with max Speed. However, keep in mind that the given EV spread is generally more efficient and should only be modified should your team require it.
By EonX-
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Rhydon (M) @ Eviolite
Trait: Rock Head
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def (Can Be evd many different ways to serve your team)
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Stealth Rock / Megahorn
- Earthquake
- Rock Blast
- Megahorn / Roar / Substitute
Role: Hazard User / Physical Wall
What it does: Rhydon is one of the most underrated pokemon in the RU tier. With its impressive physical stats, and surprisingly usable special defense after eviolite is factored in, rhydon is perhaps one of the best tanks available. Rhydon doesnt just boast the best physical bulk in RU, but also the best physical bulk in the entirety of pokemon, enabling it to take things like LO feraligatr waterfall. Stealth Rock is almost required on any bulky pokemon that learns it, its sheer utility of weakening some big threats like moltres is too much to give up. Earthquake and Rock Blast are very powerful STAB attacks that provide all the coverage rhydon needs for the most part, and they sure hurt even without investment, as rhydon's attack approaches 300 even without evs. The last slot depends on what you need, Megahorn takes down tangrowth and slowking on the switch, while roar allows rhydon to phaze every physical threat without a water or grass move (even +2 toxic boost zangoose). Substitute is best used with a more offensive ev spread to hit things hard from behind the safety of a sub that many opponents struggle to break. If using sunstitute, use megahorn in the first slot. Rhydon can run a myraid of ev spreads to adapt to what attacks you want it to take or how hard you want it to hit.
Good Teammates: Rhydon practically needs a teammate to take its water and grass weaknesses, this is really the only easy way to take out rhydon so most opponents will attempt to get their slowking, tangrowth or whatever in as quickly as possible. Grass types such as tangrowth, amoonguss, and roselia are excellent choices to take on these weaknesses, switching in easily and either crippling opposing pokemon with status, or in rose's case, stacking spikes up to rack up hazards damage. Slowking is also a good partenr, being able to take on all of rhydons weaknesses bat STAB grass-type moves, and also taking some of the load off of rhydon with regenerator, meanwhile rhydon beats drapion and choice band spiritomb for slowking with its impressive bulk. Due to rhydon's lack of reliable recovery, wish support from things such as clefable, lickilicky, audino, and shitmola is a good way to keep rhydon alive.
Any Additional Info: Life Orb Adamant Feraligatr Waterfall vs 252/252+ rhydon : 268 - 324 (64.73% - 78.26%)
By Molk
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Roselia @ Eviolite
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 164 SDef / 248 HP / 96 Def
Calm Nature
- Spikes
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Synthesis / Rest
Role: Hazard User / Special Wall
What It Does: With a huge Special Defense stat when equipped with Eviolite, Roselia is capable of walling many prominent specially-oriented threats, including Sceptile, Rotom-C, Lilligant, Tangrowth, and Accelgor, and can set up Spikes on many of the Bulky Waters in RU. Roselia is a great choice for stall teams, but with the recent rise of Lanturn, and the ever-present need for Water-types to check the dangerous Fire-types in RU, Roselia can set up valuable Spikes and offer great walling capabilities to any team. The EV's reduce SR damage, ensure that Roselia can survive an Adamant Kabutops Stone Edge after SR, and maximizes special bulk. Roselia has a solid 100 base Special Attack that allows it to actually threaten the things it is walling with Giga Drain for Water-types, and Sludge Bomb for Grass-types, unlike many other walls in the tier. What also sets Roselia apart from other walls and makes her shine is that 1. She is immune to Toxic. 2. Roselia can shrug off any status simply by switching out. 3. She has access to reliable recovery in Synthesis or Rest + Natural Cure.
Good Teammates: Roselia is capable of taking on Lanturn with ease and using it to setup Spikes. As such, Moltres makes for a great partner, as the entry hazards will help the fiery bird greatly in sweeping, and Roselia can counter Moltres's #1 counter. Well seeing as we already have a Fire- and Grass-type, it seems like a Water-type would be an easy choice. Slowking and Poliwrath are both great partners for Roselia, as they can take Fire attacks and physical attacks for her. Their ability to phaze with Dragon Tail or Circle Throw also pairs up well with Roselia's Spikes, quickly racking up residual damage. Finally, any Ghost-type would be a good idea for helping keep Roselia's hazards down by blocking Rapid Spin, although she already does a pretty decent job against the #1 spinner in the tier with the above EV spread. As with any Spiker, powerful sweepers greatly benefit from being on the same team as Roselia.
What Counters It: While the list of Pokemon that Roselia can force out is long, the amount of Pokemon that can force her out is almost just as long. Entei and Moltres both have the bulk to take a Sludge Bomb without many problems and force her out with the threat of a powerful Fire move. Escavalier walls Roselia to no end and can take her out with ease with Megahorn. To remedy this, Roselia does have the option of running HP Fire. In general, powerful SE special attacks and reasonably powerful physical hits will be able to overwhelm Roselia. Bulky set up sweepers such as Calm Mind users also can take advantage of Roselia's unboosted attacks and setup without many problems.
By MysticNova
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Accelgor @ Focus Sash
Trait: Sticky Hold
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Spikes
- Bug Buzz
- Hidden Power [Rock]
- Focus Blast
Role: Hazard User
What it does: With this set, Accelgor defines the term "suicide lead" that was commonly used during DPP. Basically, put Accelgor in the lead position, and try to set up as many layers of Spikes as possible before you die. Since it is the fastest pokemon in RU bar some choice scarf users, you will always outspeed the opponent if they attempt to Taunt you. Focus Sash guarantees you at least two layers of spikes. Use Bug Buzz on pokemon like Tangrowth and Sceptile. HP Rock is the most beneficial HP to use, as it hits other potential leads for super-effective damage such as Aerodactyl and Scolipede. Not to mention it surprises Moltres, who may think it is safe to switch in. For the last move slot, Focus Blast hits the many Steel types for SE damage that otherwise wall Bug Buzz and HP Rock.
Good teammates: You should pair Accelgor with a ghost type such as Spiritomb, who block your opponents attempts to spin Accelgor's hazards away. Spiritomb gets a special mention for being able to trap Cryogonal with Pursuit. Other good teammates to use are pokemon who aren't quite strong enough on their own, and need Spikes to earn some OHKOs or 2HKOs. These pokemon include Moltres and Sceptile.
What counters it: Since Accelgor's only goal here is to lay down Spikes, it doens't have any real "counters." However, Cryogonal can switch in, take a hit, and use Rapid Spin. Specially Defensive pokemon such as Roselia can take hits and set up its own hazards as well. Nidoqueen also resists every move here, meaning it gets a free opportunity to KO Accelgor or set up Stealth Rock.
Any Additional Info: Use Accelgor on offensive teams, as its amazing speed and decent special attack allow you to keep momentum. Final Gambit can be used over Focus Blast, if you want a pseudo-explosion. Use max speed and max HP if you use Final Gambit.
By Foster
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Aerodactyl (M) @ Focus Sash
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
Role: Hazard Users
What it Does: Aerodactyl is a solid lead that can give one's team the momentum by stopping the opponent from getting up hazards while getting up one's own Stealth Rock. Aerodactyl can shut down almost all Smeargle leads, bar Magic Coat versions, in which case it comes down to a 50-50 prediction. Earthquake and Stone Edge hit relatively hard, and can stop the opponent from being completely carefree when playing vs Aerodactyl. Earthquake does a solid 70% or more to Kabutops, the best Rapid Spinner in the tier. For Heavy Offense teams, Stealth Rock and momentum is all they need to win the game in the end, so Aerodactyl is a great choice for those teams.
Good Teammates: Aerodactyl works best on Heavy Offense teams, so sweepers, such as Sceptile and Entei, are good partners for this set. A Ghost-type is also necessary to stop the opponent from spinning away Stealth Rock. Spiritomb can be useful for getting rid of Cryogonal.
What Counters It: Magic Coat Smeargle can usually defeat this Aerodactyl, as most Aerodactyl users will use Taunt turn one, which will let Smeargle reflect it with Magic Coat, Spore it next turn, and set up its own hazards. Crustle is also a solid counter for Aerodactyl, being able to tank a Stone Edge and OHKO Aerodactyl. through Focus Sash with Rock Blast. Rhydon is in the same boat, hardly getting a scartch from Earthquake and being able to OHKO back with Rock Blast. Steelix also shuts down Aerodactyl, although it will not get Stealth Rock up while Aerodactyl will. Hidden Power Water or Hidden Power Rock Accelgor can also take down Aerodactyl easily. Also, Kabutops leads can Stone Edge Aerodactyl Turn 1, and then proceed to use Aqua Jet to finish it off, or use Rapid Spin to spin away Stealth Rock.
By ShakeItUp
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Druddigon @ Life Orb
Trait: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 6 Def
Adamant Nature
- Outrage
- Sucker Punch
- Fire Punch
- Stealth Rock
Role: Hazard User (Primarily), Physical Sweeper (Secondary)
What it does: Druddigon primary purpose is to be the glue that holds the team together. He can use his resistances to come in on common 'mons like Manectric, use the switches caused by it to set up SR, or simply outright attack the switch in. This guy is a godsend on offense teams, who need a switch-in for when saccing isn't the right move and don't want a hazard user that can't get any momentum when wanted.
Good Teammates: As it is adept at weakening steels (and Tangrowth) through recoiless Fire Punch, so most physical sweepers benefit from it to a small degree. It also helps hazard stacking teams, as it can beat Cryogonal after SR with Sucker Punch.
What counters it: Most physically bulky pokemon (say, Uxie) used along a live steel type (like Steelix). This combination means you can't Outrage without the steel switching in and taking the Outrages like they're nothing and wearing you down with LO recoil, and Fire Punch won't do much the physically bulky pokemon (Even with SF, it's still only a 75 BP attack). After which, you're very easy to revenge kill.
Any Additional Info: Gamefreak didn't give Druddigon Dragon Rush, which would be 100 BP STAB that is Sheer Force boosted and doesn't lock you into Outrage. And I checked, Sheer Force Dragon Rush is stronger than Outrage. Incredibly ironic, since Druddigon is the one pokemon who would use it.
By Sound
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Qwilfish (M) @ Black Sludge
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Spikes
- Taunt / Haze
- Pain Split
- Waterfall
Role: Hazard User / Physical Wall
What It Does: Although the rise of strong special attackers such as Moltres, Nidoqueen, and Sceptile have hurt the viability of Qwilfish, the spike fish is still one of the top defensive Spikers in RU as it can reliably check key physical attackers such as Entei, Kabutops, and Gallade. Spikes is the main move on Qwilfish and should generally be the go-to move when Qwilfish comes in to wall an opponent. Taunt is preferred in the 2nd slot to shut down slower defensive Pokemon. Haze is also an option to stop threats such as Gallade and Absol from setting up. Pain Split is a new addition to Qwilfish's movepool from BW2 tutors and it's a welcome addition to Qwilfish's moveset as it at least has semi-reliable recovery now. Finally, Waterfall is used to keep Qwilfish from becoming total Taunt bait. This also allows Qwilfish to come out on top against the top 2 spinners in RU, Kabutops and Cryogonal. The former typically runs Weak Armor while the latter already has very bad Defense.
Good Teammates: Pokemon that take special attacks are welcome teammates. Clefable is chief among these as it provides Qwilfish with Wish support while Qwilfish takes Fighting moves for Clefable. Other defensive Pokemon such as Ferroseed and Uxie can also be used to take on special attackers. Despite sharing a Ground weakness, Lanturn is a useful teammate if only for the ability to fully counter Moltres.
What Counters It: Almost any special attacker that can take a Waterfall or two can be considered a good Qwilfish counter. Sceptile, Rotom-C, Tangrowth, Slowking are such examples, but pretty much any Grass or Water type that hits on the special side will work. Moltres and Nidoqueen can take a Waterfall despite their Water weakness and proceed to outspeed and KO Qwilfish with powerful special attacks. However, the former can't switch in if SR is on the field. Manectric, Galvantula, Rotom, and Accelgor can't take much punishment, but they are able to hit Qwilfish hard with special attacks and the former 3 have STAB Electric moves. Omastar can outspeed Qwilfish to Shell Smash before a possible Taunt and proceed to threaten a sweep even surviving Waterfall easily thanks to its great Defense stat.
Any Additional Info: 96 Speed EVs are needed to outrun positive base 55 Speed Pokemon such as Omastar and Crawdaunt. This allows Qwilfish to Taunt both before they have a chance to setup. Toxic Spikes can be used, but the fact that Nidoqueen is so common (along with other grounded Poison types) makes this an inferior option.
By EonX-
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Accelgor @ Focus Sash
Trait: Sticky Hold
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Spikes
- Final Gambit
- Yawn
- Giga Drain
Role: Hazard User
What It Does: This set differs from the Offensive Spiker in that it uses Final Gambit to make sure the opposition cannot use Rapid Spin on it. Final Gambit OHKOs Cryogonal, Kabutops, and Sandslash, making it very effective. Even if Accelgor is knocked down to its Focus Sash, it can still use Final Gambit to stop Rapid Spin from working for that turn. Giga Drain allows Accelgor to hit Rock-types, including Kabutops, and massacre them. Yawn rounds out the set by letting Accelgor cripple Pokemon such as Spiritomb that Final Gambit has no effect on.
Good Teammates: Pokemon that can outrun and knock out Kabutops can be very helpful, as Final Gambit allows Accelgor to stop spinners from spinning on Accelgor. Also, due to Yawn, set-up sweepers can be good partners as well. Linoone can be a very good partner for this set, as it can set up with the help of Yawn while also being able to KO Kabutops with Seed Bomb. A Pokemon with Stealth Rock is also a good partner, as Stealth Rock goes hand-in-hand with Spikes.
What Counters It: Smeargle can be a major problem for this set, as it can Spore Accelgor and then set up its own hazards. Smeargle can also switch out if it is hit with Yawn. Crustle is also a major problem for this set, as it can knock out Accelgor in one hit with Rock Blast. Ghost-types wall this set, although they must be wary of Yawn. Uxie can U-Turn out of Accelgor after the Yawn, allowing one of its teammates to KO Accelgor.
By ShakeItUp
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Crustle (M) @ Lum Berry
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 244 HP / 252 Def / 12 SDef
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Rock Blast
- Earthquake / X-Scissor
Role: Hazard Users
What it Does: Crustle is easily one of the best leads in the metagame. Thanks to Sturdy, Crustle has an edge over other leads because it does not have to run a Focus Sash. With Lum Berry, it completely trolls Smeargle, breaking its Focus Sash and knocking it out with Rock Blast, stopping Smeargle from setting up any hazards and putting the opponent at a major disadvantage. Crustle also destroys other leads such as Aerodactyl and Accelgor very easily. It also has a solid amount of bulk, which means that it can get up Stealth Rock and Spikes relatively easily. Earthquake can nail Pokemon such as Kabutops and Omastar, but X-Scissor can be used to hit Grass-types, as well as Mesprit and Uxie.
Good Teammates: Crustle works best on Heavy Offense teams, so teams with a lot of sweepers, such as Entei and Kabutops, make great partners for this set. A Ghost-type is almost a necessity as well, as there's no point setting up entry hazards if a Kabutops can just spin them away later. Also, Pokemon that can take on possible set-up attackers that may set up on this Crustle are also appreciated; for example, Slowking can be a good partner since it can stop Pokemon such as Omastar from sweeping if they set up on Crustle.
What Counters It: Kabutops is a major problem for this set. It can Stone Edge to do massive damage to Crustle, and then Rapid Spin its hazards away later. Some set-up sweepers, such as Lilligant and Feraligatr, can also be a problem, as they can set up on Crustle relatively easily. Uxie and Mesprit leads also beat this set one-on-one easily.
By ShakeItUp
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Garbodor (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Aftermath
EVs: 252 HP / 168 Def / 88 SDef
Careful Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Spikes
- Gunk Shot
- Seed Bomb / Clear Smog
- Pain Split / Clear Smog
Role: Hazard Setter
What It Does: Despite being literal trash, garbodor has carved a little niche for itself in the RU tier. With Access to Spikes, along with a bunch of random stuff like clear smog, seed bomb, drain punch, and pain split, Garbodor can be a surprisingly effective setter of spikes in the RU tier. With its good bulk and mono poison typing, Garbodor has no trouble setting up entry hazards against the likes of tangrowth, Lilligant, and special sceptile, among other things. Garbodor is also a good "punching bag" pokemon, and can be switched in on many pokemon to set a layer of spikes. Gunk Shot is Garbodor's most powerful STAB move, and despite its inaccuracy, it gives garbodor much needed power to KO some pokemon, including Cryogonal, who garbodor can kill on the switch to protect its hazards. Seed Bomb gives garbodor a little defense against the rock and ground types in RU, especially kabutops, who can be OHKOed by the move on the switch. Pain Split is a decent recovery option to give garbodor some more time to set up hazards, but Clear Smog is also an option over either it or seed bomb for more defense against lilligant, and set up sweepers in general. The given EVs allow Garbodor to take a gem boosted acrobatics from +2 sceptile after rocks, while maximizing its special bulk to take special varients better as well.
Good Teammates: Garbodor may have the weirdest movepool known to man, but one thing it doesnt have is Stealth Rock, therefore anything that can set stealth rock goes well with garbodor, racking up even more entry hazard damage on the opposing side. Uxie is one of the best teammates available for garbodor, as the trash bag has a lot of trouble with opposing Poison and Ground types such as nidoqueen. Uxie also resists both of garbodor's weaknesses, while Garbodor resists bug attacks and can take a few hits from things such as absol and spiritomb for uxie. Garbodor can defend its hazards on its own with proper prediction, but a spinblocker is always welcome. Rotom and Spiritomb are all good choices to try and make sure Garbodor's hazards stay up, Rotom can take on Kabutops without any problem, while tomb is the best choice against cryogonal. Lastly, Garbodor loves sweepers that can take advantage of the entry hazards it sets to ease a late game sweep. Swellow, Sceptile, and Accelgor are both good choices, their counters dislike hazards for the most part, and eventually they will be weakened enough so that one of the sweepers can KO them.
What Counters It: Nidoqueen is the best option for countering garbodor, taking a pittance from seed bomb and 4x resisting its STAB attacks, in Return, Nidoqueen can OHKO garbodor with an earth power without much trouble. Uxie is also a pain for garbodor to handle, its sheer bulk means garbodor can do nothing but set a layer of hazards against it and eventually fall to psychic. steel types such as Klinklang, Escavalier, Aggron, and Steelix can also take advantage of garbodor, being completely immune to its STAB and resisting Seed Bomb. Sandslash counters it on paper but if your opponent is actually using it, chances are they arent a very good player and you will beat them without even trying anyway. Most things that resist Poison can check garbodor, but be aware that the spikes that garbodor sets may be very problematic later on in the game.
Any Additional Info:Garbodor is better than ferroshit
By Molk
Escavalier (M) @ Choice Band
Trait: Swarm
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SDef
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Megahorn
- Iron Head
- Pursuit
- Return
Role: Wallbreaker
What it does: Escavalier has a monstrous attack stat that can rip holes through damn near anything. With a massive base 135 Attack Stat AND access to the strongest Bug- type move in the game, Escavalier hits almost anything really hard. Megahorn will be your primary attack here, as a STAB'd Choice Banded BP 120 move coming off of a base Attack stat of 135 is frightening to all but the most physical of walls (a resistance is almost required, too). Iron Head acts as a nice secondary STAB move and can hit the likes of Rhydon hard. Pursuit is perfect if you need to get a quick revenge kill in and is a great way to take out already weakened Pokemon such as Slowking, especially if you predict the switch. Return adds some very nice neutral coverage to the set as well, hitting a lot of things very hard. Honestly, if Escavalier had gotten Drill Run from the move tutor, it would be damn near unstoppable.
Good Teammates: Due to Escavalier's abysmally slow Speed, Trick Room users can really help it out, as in Trick Room there are very few things that will actually go before it. It also loves working with Pokemon that can absorb those pesky Fire- type attacks aimed at it such as Slowking, who is also an excellent counter to Magmortar and Moltres who would otherwise destroy Escavalier.
What counters it: Steelix is the best counter there is to Escavalier, as it completely walls every move it can throw it's way (why did you not give it Drill Run, Game Freak?). Aggron also does well at walling it. In terms of offensive threats, any Fire- type such as Moltres or Magmortar can chase it out, but they have to be weary about taking a hit.
Any Additional Info: If it was given Drill Run, Escavalier would possibly be the hardest Pokemon to wall in the tier, as it would now have a way to hit Steelix super effectively. However, Escavalier can only resort to Reversal to hit Steelix. It also hits Aggron and Klinklang hard, if Escavalier is at low enough HP.
By assassinfred
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Nidoqueen (F) @ Life Orb
Trait: Sheer Force
EVs: 88 HP / 252 SAtk / 168 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Stealth Rock / Sludge Wave
- Earth Power
- Thunderbolt
- Fire Blast
Roles: Hazard User / Wallbreaker
What It Does: Nidoqueen has a great ability in Sheer Force, good natural bulk, and access to Stealth Rock. So what better way to take advantage of all of that then to use a SR + 3 Attacks set. Nidoqueen can use her good natural bulk to setup Stealth Rock for her team early in the game. After that, she can break down the opposing team with LO Sheer Force boosted attacks with exceptional coverage. Earth Power is a useful STAB move and anything that can't resist it will be taking heavy damage. Thunderbolt sticks it to Slowking, Mandibuzz, and Omastar among others. Fire Blast obliterates Tangrowth, Escavalier, Rotom-C, and Sceptile as well as many others.
Good Teamates: A Spikes user is a good place to start as the extra damage really helps Nidoqueen. Scolipede is a good Spiker for more offensive teams and Roselia is better suited for more defensive teams. Ghost types like Spiritomb are good spinblockers that can keep opponents from spinning Nidoqueen's SR away. Fast Special Sweepers are good options as well. Sceptile appreciates Nidoqueen's ability to force out and weaken things like Clefable, Munchlax, and Moltres. With these threats weakened or outright KOed, Sceptile can find it much easier to clean out a team. These two also have decent defensive synergy as Nidoqueen can come in on Poison and Bug type moves that threaten Sceptile while Sceptile appreciates Nidoqueen's knack for drawing out Water and Ground type attacks. Beware of the shared Ice weakness though.
What Counters It: Clefable and Munchlax are two of the few defensive Pokemon that can stand up to Nidoqueen's assaults. Faster threats such as Sceptile, Moltres, and Gallade can use their powerful moves to cut through Nidoqueen. Gallade is of particular note as it's not hit super-effectively by any of Nidoqueen's moves, has at least decent special bulk, and can come after Nidoqueen with STAB Zen Headbutt and Psycho Cut. Cryogonal outspeeds Nidoqueen, can spin away Stealth Rock, and KO with Ice Beam. However, a well-timed Fire Blast will quickly back it into a corner.
Any Additional Info: Sludge Wave can be used over Fire Blast or Stealth Rock, though the loss of super effective coverage on Cryogonal can be a pain. Focus Blast can be used to hit Munchlax and Clefable harder, but Nidoqueen is better off leaving those 2 to her teammates.
By EonX-
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Tangrowth (F) @ Choice Specs / Life Orb
Trait: Regenerator
EVs: 112 HP / 252 SAtk / 144 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Leaf Storm
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power [Rock]
- Sleep Powder
Role: Wallbreaker
What it Does: Despite the fact that Tangrowth is a great physical wall, it has an often overlooked base 110 Special Attack that's actually higher than that of Sceptile's. This allows Tangrowth to pull off a solid offensive set with Choice Specs. Access to Regenerator helps this immensely as it allows Tangrowth to actually be rewarded for being locked into an unfavorable move, restoring 33% of its max HP upon switching out. Leaf Storm just wrecks stuff. Not many things will take to kindly to taking it should they lack special bulk and a resistance. Focus Blast crushes common special walls such as Clefable and is also useful for hitting Sap Sipper Pokemon such as Bouffalant and Sawsbuck. Hidden Power Rock catches the Fire and Flying types roaming around in RU, specifically catching Moltres off-guard. Finally, there's Sleep Powder. Although it is often unwise to use a status move on a choiced Pokemon, Sleep Powder will force the opponent to switch as well unless the target has Sleep Talk.
Good Teammates: Having a Fighting type can prove useful. Even though Tangrowth can catch the common Sap Sipper Pokemon with Focus Blast, it would much rather unleash Leaf Storm with impunity. Gallade and Medicham are 2 solid choices as both can break down special walls alongside Tangrowth. Bulky Grass types, especially Roselia, are a pain for this set. Thus, Moltres can make for a wonderful partner as it eats Grass types for breakfast while Tangrowth can effortlessly remove Moltres's best counter, Lanturn, from play. Slowking once again is a great partner for Tangrowth, and it too can run a Specs set to form a Regenerator core that is sure to quickly break down the opposing team.
What Counters It: Roselia is the #1 counter to this set. 4x resist to Leaf Storm, resist to Focus Blast, and Natural Cure to fix sleep issues combine to make it a full stop to Specs Tangrowth. Sap Sipper Pokemon such as Bouffalant and Sawsbuck can keep Tangrowth in check by discouraging the use of both Leaf Storm and Sleep Powder. Fire types such as Moltres and Entei can withstand Leaf Storm and Moltres even takes Focus Blast decently well. However, both must be careful of HP Rock or Sleep Powder. Clefable has to be wary of Focus Blast, but it doesn't particularly mind Tangrowth's other moves and has Magic Guard to keep it from getting worn down by residual damage. Finally, most special attackers with at least a strong neutral move will typically be able to revenge kill Tangrowth as that base 50 Special Defense is even more exploitable without Leftovers and full HP investment.
By EonX-
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Slowking (M) @ Choice Specs
Trait: Regenerator
EVs: 212 HP / 252 SAtk / 44 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Surf
- Fire Blast
- Psyshock
- Grass Knot
Role: Wallbreaker
What it Does: Although the addition of Hurricane to Moltres's movepool has made Lanturn a better bulky Water over Slowking, our slow friend still has an incredibly good set up its sleeve in the current metagame. Donning a pair of Choice Specs, Slowking is able to turn into one of the most difficult Pokemon to get rid of in the tier. This is thanks in large part to Regenerator as Slowking's amazing ability quite possibly makes it the best Choice Specs user in the tier. The moveset is very simple. Surf is used to give Slowking a reliable STAB option that smashes most things that don't resist it. Psyshock lets Slowking bypass the likes of Clefable and Cryogonal who may get cute and think they can wall you. Fire Blast will roast the many Grass types in the tier alive and it's also cool to catch stuff like Escavalier and Ferroseed. Finally, Grass Knot is necessary to get past opposing Slowkings. Although it may seem like a good move to use on Lanturn, the special bulk and weight (or lack of weight) makes Psyshock a far better move to use on Lanturn.
Good Teammates: Steelix is a wonderful teammate for this Slowking. It provides SR support and has superb defensive synergy with Slowking that will allow it to come in most times that Slowking gets forced out. Tangwroth is another solid option and it can form a Specs Regenerator core that will easily break down the opposing team while remaining healthy. Slowking also appreciates strong physical attackers to lessen the need for prediction. Entei, Escavalier, and Aggron can all cover Slowking's weaknesses fairly well and keep offensive pressure on the opposing team. Last, but not least, cleaners are a very worthy investment as Slowking can quickly break the opposing defensive core with its powerful coverage. Chief among these is Sceptile. Sceptile can find its way in on Grass and Electric attacks while Slowking can masterfully lure out and KO the Grass and Steel types Sceptile wants weakened or outright KOed along with checking Fire types Sceptile can't stay in on.
What Counters It: Dark types, primarily Pursuit users, are very annoying for Slowking to face as they will discourage the use of Psyshock. Escavalier and Spiritomb are the worst 2. Both can stomach Slowking's attacks and play mindgames with Slowking between their STAB moves and Pursuit. Otherwise, Slowking's sheer coverage will make it very difficult to straight up counter. Without Pursuit, Slowking can simply switch out when locked into an unfavorable move and get Regenerator healing. Lanturn is probably the closest thing to a defensive counter as it resists Surf and Fire Blast, takes a pittance from Grass Knot, and only fears Psyshock. If it gets in safely, Lanturn can then support its team with Heal Bell, Thunder Wave, or regain momentum with Volt Switch should Slowking switch out in fear of this. Outside of Lanturn and powerful, bulky Pursuit users, countering Specs Slowking largely comes down to getting resists of the right move into play.
Any Additional Info: Specs Slowking is good. Don't knock it until you try it.
By EonX-
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Magmortar (M) @ Expert Belt
Trait: Vital Spirit
EVs: 44 HP / 32 Def / 252 SAtk / 180 Spe
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
-Fire Blast
-Thunderbolt
-Focus Blast
-Hidden Power [Grass]
Role: Wallbreaker
What it does: Well, I've been talking about Magmortar a lot in the past month, but I assure you that this will likely be my last post about it and its awesomeness. I'm sure we all know what it does by now; it switches in on Tangrowth, predicts the switch to Slowking and hits it with Thunderbolt, and then you win. It's arguably the best wallbreaker in the tier because its power and coverage means that even Slowking and Lanturn, the premier Fire-type resists, can't beat Magmortar. Fire Blast and Thunderbolt provide really good coverage in RU, with the only notable Pokemon that resist them being Quagsire, Rhydon, and Lanturn. HP Grass puts them all in their place, and Focus Blast is good for Clefable and Munchlax, although the latter will need some entry hazards to secure the 2HKO. It's also Magmortar's strongest move against opposing Fire-types such as Entei, Typhlosion, and other Magmortar. Magmortar is mainly good against stall, although it can check some offensive Pokemon too. Lilligant needs HP Rock in order to beat it, along with Stealth Rock and a Life Orb to secure the KO. Magmortar is a pretty strong Moltres check too, since it can take a Hurricane and KO back with Thunderbolt (although Moltres was significantly easier to check with Air Slash).
Good Teammates: Paralysis support is completely necessary for Magmortar to even stand a chance against most offensive Pokemon. Although it has decent special bulk, it's physical bulk is just bad and anything with Earthquake beats it (except for Tangrowth :P). Pursuit support is cool if you don't feel like playing the prediction game with Slowking. Spiritomb and Escavalier are your best choices for that, especially since Spiritomb can also dispose of Munchlax by getting rid of its Eviolite with Trick. Rhydon is a good partner that can switch into some of Magmortar's less common counters such as Flareon and Camerupt and beat them, and sets up Stealth Rock. Stealth Rock and other hazards are a priority to get up when using Magmortar; Smeargle is cool for offensive teams while Steelix, Rhydon, Ferroseed, etc. can all do it too.
What counters it: Not much. Munchlax is its best common counter, but with some hazards Focus Blast approaches the 2HKO. Other than that, a bunch of obscure things counter it, like Altaria, Camerupt, Grumpig, and Flareon. However, they are all dealt with by Rhydon.
Any Additional Info: The spread may look a little weird, but the Speed outruns Cryogonal before it can spin. I don't aim for Medicham, Absol, Ferliagatr, and other things around base 80 Speed because they all have priority, or in Medicham's case, are usually Scarfed so you wouldn't be staying in on them anyway. The HP and Defense allow Magmortar to always live univested Tangrowth's Earthquake after Stealth Rock. Of course, you could use 232 Speed Timid with Life Orb, but personally I like my spread better.
By complete_legitimacy
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Braviary (M) @ Choice Band
Trait: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk) / Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Brave Bird
- Superpower
- U-Turn
- Return
Role: Wallbreaker
What it does: Choice Band Braviary hits ridiculously hard with its STAB Brave Bird, easily being able to OHKO most of the RU tier. Steel- and Rock-types aren't even safe, as Superpower can heavily damage them, rendering them unable to take Brave Birds later on. Return also htis very hard, providing Braviary with a secondary STAB move. U-Turn also makes Choice Band Braviary a deadly weapon, allowing it to gain momentum while simultaneously damaging the opposition. This set hits much harder than its Choice Scarf counterpart, and can be very destructive against many teams.
Good Teammates: Magneton can be a good partner for this set, eliminating Steel-types, such as Steelix, that wall this set. Entry hazard support is also appreciated, as hazards make Braviary even more deadly; they also work very well alongside U-Turn. Rapid Spin support is also beneficial, as Stealth Rock greatly limits Braviar and will make it die very quickly, especially due to Brave Bird recoil. Paralysis support from Pokemon such as Uxie is also a good choice, as a paralyzed team has an extremely difficult time against a Choice Band Braviary.
What Counters It: Steelix can wall this set relatively easily, although it must be wary of taking a Superpower. Rhydon and Regirock are in the same boat, being able to easily take out braviary after taking an attack. All 3 of these Pokemon can also set up Stealth Rock, which is another great way to defeat Braviary. Also, Choice Band Braviary is relatively slow, so it can be easily revenge killed by Pokemon such as Moltres and Rotom-C.
By ShakeItUp
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Archeops (M) @ Life Orb / Expert Belt
Trait: Defeatist
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SAtk / 252 Spd
Naive Nature (+Spd, -SDef)
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- Heat Wave
- Roost / Aqua Tail
Role: Wallbreaker / Physically-based Sweeper (item and 4th move determine its role)
What it does: Gone are the days Archeops has to rely on Acrobatics to cause major damage to stuff. With BW2 move tutors, Archeops gained some much needed coverage moves and a recovery move in Roost. This set attempts to utilize all of this and turn Archeops into a really good Physically-based Sweeper or an even better Wallbreaker than it has been depending on the last move you choose. Stone Edge is Archeops's main STAB and if you don't pack a resist to it, you will take heavy damage. Moltres, Entei, non-Scarf Galvantula, Charizard, and Cryogonal are just a few of the things that get decimated by this move. Earthquake forms the ever-popular EdgeQuake combination and it will smack the likes of Drapion, Electivire, and Nidoqueen where it hurts. Heat Wave is really the move that Archeops needed. Before, bulky Steel types such as Steelix and Ferroseed were among the easiest things to throw out there to stop an Archeops in its tracks. Now, however, both of these Steel types are 2HKOed and OHKOed respectively. Heat Wave also allows Archeops to have a more reliable way around Tangrowth, Exeggutor, and the lesser seen Torterra by preying on their weaker Special Defense. The newcomer, Escavalier, also gets hit really hard by this move. The last move and item go hand-in-hand. When running Life Orb, Roost is the best move to use in order to keep Archeops from going into Defeatist range too quickly. Aqua Tail goes with Expert Belt and is the best move Archeops will have against Rhydon, OHKOing one of the best physical tanks with just a little bit of prior damage. Since Aqua Tail would make physical contact, Archeops would then gain Mummy, thus allowing it to not have to worry about going into Defeatist range.
Good Teammates: Archeops wants Rapid Spin support, even if it's running Roost. This will allow Archeops to dish out more attacks for longer periods of time. Cryogonal, Sandslash, and Hitmonchan are good for this. Wish Support from the likes of Clefable and Alomomola is also welcome. Tangrowth is a good defensive partner for Archeops thanks to Regenerator and helpful resistances to Water and Electric type moves. Tangrowth can also put something to sleep, which can be a big help to Archeops if it's a physical wall. Slowking can cripple faster threats with paralysis and also tanks the Ice and Water type moves that are aimed at Archeops. A Ghost type such as Spiritomb can switch into the Fighting types that Archeops can't get itself around without Acrobatics.
What counters it: Rhydon is a full stop to the Life Orb variation. Without Aqua Tail, Archeops is completely helpless against it. Qwilfish is also an issue with Intimidate and good physical bulk. Sturdy physical walls that aren't hit hard by Heat Wave can also be problematic. Stuff like Uxie and Mesprit can tank a Stone Edge and either cripple Archeops with paralysis or kill it off with Ice Beam or Thunderbolt. Faster attackers such as Sceptile and Choice Scarf users such as Manectric, Galvantula, and Primape can almost effortlessly revenge kill Archeops. Without a strong Flying move, Gallade, Hitmonchan, and other Fighting types can prove to be problematic.
Any Additional Info: Earth Power can be used over Earthquake if you want to get around Qwilfish and Rhydon should you forego Aqua Tail, but it has little use outside of this. Rock Slide is more accurate than Stone Edge, but the power loss is significant. The flinch rate can come in handy during a pinch though. Should you want to use Aqua Tail with the Life Orb variation, it should be used over Earthquake. You can also use a set with Flying Gem and Acrobatics.
By EonX-
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Tauros (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SAtk / 252 Spd
Naive Nature (+Spd, -SDef)
- Rock Climb
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Fire Blast
Role: Wallbreaker
What it does: Tauros is an excellent wallbreaker. Rock Climb after STAB, Life Orb, and Sheer Force hits ridiculously hard, and this easily allows it to break through Slowking. If people switch to Tangrowth, they get smashed by Fire Blast; this makes it one of the best counters to the TanKing core. Fire Blast also smashes Ferroseed and Escavalier. It is also very fast at 110 Base Speed, allowing it to outrun a lot of the metagame. Earthquake does a solid chunk to CB Tomb as well, and forces them to play a prediction game with you to see who gets out alive. Rock Slide provides excellent coverage alongside Earthquake, and is boosted by Sheer Force as well. This allows Tauros to take out things like Archeops and Moltres easily.
Good Teammates: Anything that benefits from the removal of annoying Steel-types and Tangrowth. Feraligatr is a good partner because Tauros can knock out both Ferroseed and Tangrowth. A plethora of other physical attackers are also good partners, such as Linoone and SD Sandslash. A Pursuiter, such as Spiritomb, is also a good partner in order to knock out the annoying Ghost-types that can trouble this set.
What counters it:[/B Rhydon is a major pain for Tauros since it doesn't take too much damage from Earthquake. Dusknoir is also a problem, as is Spiritomb, especially defensive variants.
Any Additional Info: Tauros is a motherfucking boss. That is all.
By ShakeItUp
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Golurk @ Choice Band
Trait: Iron Fist
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd OR 208 Hp / 252 Atk / 48 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Shadow Punch
- Ice Punch
- Drain Punch
Role:Wallbreaker
What it does: If you want to use Choice Band Golurk in RU, please use Iron Fist on it, not shitty No Guard which is currently in what not to use. Anyways, with a combination of 2 excellent STABs, Iron Fist to boost its coverage moves, an awesome attack stat, and usable bulk along with a mixed bag of a typing. Golurk is one of the strongest, if not most underrated wallbreakers available in RU. Earthquake OHKOs most offensive pokemon, and 2hkos any defensive pokemon that doesnt resist it. Shadow Punch provides good coverage, and is powered up by iron fist. Shadow Punch allows Golurk to OHKO slowking. Shadow punch also lets golurk break through many bulky psychic and ghost types more effectively, such as uxie, mesprit, and Rotom. Ice Punch scores a solid 2hko on tangrowth after Stealth Rock, while also KOing braviary, swellow, and other flying types. Drain Punch is mainly filler, but the recovery is awesome and is a good move to spam if the opponent has a ground immunity, but you need to break through some shit like steelix or klinklang.
Good Teammates: Although golurk is able to 2hko every pokemon in the tier, it still enjoys a bit of support to get past its checks. One of the best ways to support your golurk is through entry hazards. Stealth Rock and Spikes make golurk even more devastating then it already is, giving regenerator pokemon such as tangrowth and amoonguss less breathing room, while also securing 2hkos on alomomola and physically defensive tangrowth. Golurk also appreciates a fast teammate such as sceptile or manectric to clean up after golurk has broken down the opposing defensive core. Moltres and Magmortar are also good partners, as they can cleanly OHKO the only common pokemon that has any chance to wall golurk, tangrowth, in return golurk can threaten opposing slowking and lanturn (it can take weak scalds at least once, just be aware of a burn).
What counters it: Golurk is happy to say that it has a grand total of 2 shaky as hell counters. Weezing is not 2hkoed by any attack golurk has and can burn in return, but isnt very common and only has pain split for recovery, meaning golurk can still beat it. Tangrowth can freely switch in on any attack not named ice punch and sleep powder either it or one of its teammates to death, or giga drain/leaf storm for the KO. The most reliable way to beat golurk is to revenge kill it with a faster grass, water, ice, dark, or ghost type pokemon. Be aware that golurk is actually decently bulky and can take UnStabbed/weak moves that hit it super effectively.
Any Additional Info: Its a 9 foot tall possesed mecha that can fly, of course its going to smash shit.
By Molk
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Jynx @ Life Orb
Trait: Dry Skin
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 SDef
Timid Nature
- Lovely Kiss
- Psyshock
- Ice Beam
- Focus Blast / Hidden Power [Fire]
Role: Wall Breaker
What it does: Beat down whatever she wants t, while crippling another mon with Lovely Kiss. You come on something that Jynx will scare out the fuck out and Lovely Kiss whatever comes in or the mon Jynx is facing at the moment. Ice Beam is Jynx strongest STAB move and pretty reliable by doing plenty of damage to a lof of things in the tier, both defensive and offensive. Psyshock is how you get past Cryogonal without even trying and helps in checking Fighting-types not using priority/that are not sleeping .HP Fire is your best way to get past Escavalier. Life orb is to mazime Jynx damage output.
Good Teammates: Absol, Spiritomb, and Drapion to remove Slowking from the game and allow Jynx to have an easier time. Magneton is also a good choice because it removes KlinKlang(I know you can beat this with Focus Blast, but removing it reliably is nice. Hidden Power Fire doesn't kill) and Escavalier that could bother Jynx later. Nidoqueen is also a good partner by removing thing such as Lanturn easier without risking Jynx getting paralyzed, while Jynx aids Queen by absorbing water attacks from her checks such as Kabutops and Feraligatr.
What counters it: As soon sleep clause is in effect your best bets are: Slowking, and Escavalier if Jynx is not using HP Fire.
Any Additional Info: This thing is awesome and should be used more.
By TropiOUs
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Drapion @ Choice Band
Trait: Sniper
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd / 4 HP
Jolly Nature
- Crunch
- Pursuit
- Aqua Tail / Poison Jab
- Earthquake
Role: Wallbreaker
What It Does: What does CB Drapion do? Well, where to begin? With a Choice Band and Max attack, Drapion reaches 418.5 attack, which is enough to plow through many walls that stand in your way. The Sheer Force of CB Crunches is insane, meaning few walls will stand up to take several. Take Uxie and Cresselia, two of the bigger threats in RU at the moment. Would either of them enjoy taking a Choice Banded STAB Super Effective Crunch? In fact, a CB Crunch on Cress is a solid 2HKO, and Drapion is one of the few Pokemon that can claim to do that. However, Crunch can't hit everything, as with Steels running around, they make good switches. However, against a CB Drapion, switching is the last thing you want to do, as Drapion also packs Pursuit. Low HP Tangrowth trying to build up Regenerator? NO, Pursuit. Uxie conserving HP? NO, Pursuit. Pursuit is a great help against weakened walls hoping for a switch, as they will get trapped and KO'd.
The last two moves are coverage options. EQ is the crucial one, as it nets KOs on Magneton and Manectric, as well as being Drapion's best option against Ferroseed, which would otherwise shoo away Drapion like a pesky mosquito. Aqua Tail is mostly filler, but it does hit several opponents, like Moltres, which is the biggest threat in RU (IMO), and Ground-types.
Good Teammates: CB Drapion is a wallbreaker, not a sweeper. Logically, the best teammates are sweepers, as removing walls for a sweep is key. Crawdaunt can work as a teammate, as the Offensive DD Set can sweep fully without Cresselia and company in the way. Another good partner would be Smeargle or Crustle, as even though Drapion has immense power, it is sometimes not enough. Hazards can help out a lot when trying to take down very defensive opponents. Smeargle's Spore also helps to force a switch, hopefully right into a Pursuit.
What Counters It: I already mentioned Tangrowth as something to Pursuit, but if it isn't low health, Drapion can do jack shit to it. It has nothing Super-effective, and it's entire set is physical. Worse yet, All of Drapion's options inflict less than 33%, meaning it is all too easy to heal it off with Regenerator. Also, Crustle and Ferroseed take squat from anything on Drapion's set, especially Ferroseed, which also takes neutral or less from every move. Lanturn also can take anything except an EQ, and possibly burn with Scald. And finally, Poliwrath can take nearly any hit, and phaze it out with Circle throw or set up a Sub. However, the main reason you use Drapion is to handle Cress and Uxie.
By Phazon00
Gallade (M) @ Lum Berry
Trait: Steadfast
EVs: 200 HP / 252 Atk / 56 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Drain Punch
- Zen Headbutt
- Leaf Blade / Shadow Sneak
Role: Physical Sweeper
What it does: With its avarage bulk, decent speed and very good attack stats, after a single boost it can sweep entire teams. I mean this monster should really get more love, with a single boost it reaches an outstanding 766 Attack! And with 200 EVs in HP it can take several hits and heal simply back with that stab drain punch, it can even beat the mighty metang!!!. Lum berry provies it just a one time protection against status, and it lets it set up on opponents like non-dragon tail slowking, or sleep powder Tangrowth even easier. Zen headbutt is a very nice stab attack that doesnt let stuff like Qwilfish wall this monster, and it also hits the newly dropped Nidoqueen which has already a nice usage. Leaf Blade lets you hit Quagsire and Slowking which are very important, however Shadow sneak lets you hit Rotom just any other fast ghost types, it really just depends on the rest of your team.
Good Teammates: Entry hazards really come in handysince most if its counters are weak to rocks, Aerodactyl and rhydon are some examples as they resist stuff like air slash from moltres or brave bird from braviary and threat them with stabbed rock attack. Also SD taunt Drapion gets a special mention as it beats problematic ghost types and can take non hp groud/unboosted sigyliph down too. Also Gallade can bring down stuff like Steelix and Poliwrath which otherwise would wall drapion.
What counters it: Almost anything can have a good switch in to this guy, but it can be easily revenged kill by stuff like Acrobatics Archeops, Airslash Moltres or Sigyliph, or even aerial ace slyther. Also escavalier could take a hit or two and answer with that amazing Megahorn stab.
Oh yeah and of course Scarfed braviary.
Any Additional Info: Gallade should always be a threat to cover in any team. Idk why people havent had said anything about him
By TheMexican
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Entei @ Choice Band
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Flare Blitz
- Extreme Speed
- Stone Edge
- Sleep Talk / Bite
Role: Physical Sweeper / Revenge Killer
What it does: CB Entei is perhaps one of the most threatening Pokemon in the tier. 361 Attack alongside STAB Flare Blitz is a force to be reckoned with. Extreme Speed allows Entei to revenge kill a large amount of threats as well, such as Zangoose, Lilligant, Gallade, Absol and many others. Entei is the premiere physical Fire-type in RU, using its 115/100 offensive stats to the fullest. Bite is mostly used for a clean 2HKO on Slowking, but Sleep Powder allows Entei to absorb sleep from Tangrowth, Smeargle, Lilligant, and others while still being quite threatening.
Good Teammates: Rapid Spin Kabutops is a good way to keep Stealth Rock off of the field so Entei can continue to come in, as well as being a good way to weaken opposing bulky Water-types via Swords Dance + Life Orb boosted Stone Edges. Roselia can come into Bulky Water-types as well and set up Spikes, which Entei appreciates as they help to wear down Slowking + Tangrowth cores. On a more offensive team, Rotom-c and Sceptile can be used to come into Bulky Water-types and force them out with the threat of super effective attacks. Moltres makes good use of Entei smashing even Fire-type resists like Lanturn, and vice versa as well as being able to break the Slowking/Tangrowth core that is able to plague Entei with proper prediction.
What Counters It?: Rhydon, Poliwrath, Omastar. Most bulky Water/Rock mons can switch in atleast once
Any Additional Info:
By august
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Swellow @ Toxic Orb
Trait: Guts
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -Sp Atk)
- Protect / Quick Attack
- Facade
- Brave Bird
- U-Turn
Role: Physical Sweeper / Late Game Cleaner
What it does: Despite its NU status, Swellow has always been recognized as a dangerous threat even in the far reaches of UU. With its blazing base 125 speed, high-powered moves, and Guts ability, Swellow is perhaps the best late-game sweeper available. After a turn of being in battle, Swellow's Toxic Orb activates, triggering Guts and giving its Facade power comparable to a Life Orb Haxorus's Outrage. This amount of power can be easily attained by using Protect. If you feel like you dont need it, Quick Attack is an option over protect to pick off weakened/frail pokemon and still get your Guts boost! Facade and Brave Bird are both very strong, powerful enough to OHKO pretty much every Pokemon that doesnt resist them, and even put a large dent into Kabutops! U-turn is a very important move, giving Swellow the ability to escape from its counters while doing some damage to them on the switch, wearing the walls down until they are in KO range for Facade or Brave Bird. After its counters have been removed or even weakened, its go time, by this time all of the opponent's bulkier Pokemon should also be worn down into KO range, making the opponent's entire team vulnerable to Swellow's assaults.
Good Teammates: Due to its lack of coverage, Swellow requires quite a lot of support to function to its full potential. A spinner is almost required when using Swellow, because the frail bird will be worn down from multiple switches into Stealth Rock, along from the residual damage from the Toxic Orb it holds. Kabutops is the best spinner in the tier, hands down, and can smash most of the Rock-types in the tier with STAB Water moves, Cryogonal is also an option, but it has trouble with Swellow's checks itself. The majority of Swellow's counters are grounded, making Stealth Rock and Spikes support one of the best ways to support your bird. The combined damage from Stealth Rock, Spikes, and Swellow's U-turn will wear down the bulky Rock and Steel-types in RU down fast, very fast. Swellow also OHKOs Cryogonal and can really hurt Kabutops, putting the opponent in a bad position when it comes to spinning. Smeargle, Ferroseed, and Omastar are all good options for hazard setting, and they each have their pros and cons, if you have an extra teamslot left, you can split the work between two pokemon. Uxie, Rhydon, and Steelix are all great stealth rock setters, while Accelgor, Scolipede, and Roselia all work well as spikers. Lastly, Swellow appreciates a teammate to take advantage of all the Rock- and Steel-Types that are constantly coming in to wall Swellow. Gallade is perhaps the best option for this, it can easily come in on most of the bulky Rocks and Steels, and can either destroy them with a swift Close Combat, or set up a Swords Dance in their face, then OHKO them the next turn. Pokemon such as Hitmonlee, Entei, Sceptile, and Rotom-C are also good options for this role.
What Counters It: Despite its sheer power and speed, Swellow has many checks and counters that put its sweep to a stop. Thanks to Swellow's relative lack of coverage, almost any Rock- or Steel-type can slow it down. Steelix takes a pittance from any of Swellow's attacks and can even set up Swellow's worst enemy, Stealth Rock. Regirock, Rhydon, Klinklang, Aggron and Omastar are also great options for full stopping Swellow, be aware though, that none of them have recovery, and can easily be worn down with U-turn and entry hazards damage. Swellow is very frail, and therefore vulnerable to most priority. After Stealth Rock, almost any priority will put the bird in KO range for its own Toxic Orb, ending its sweep right then and there. Entei, Kabutops, and Absol can all easily stop a Swellow sweep without even trying bar quick attack. Lastly, Swellow hates residual damage, and between Toxic Orb, Stealth Rock, and Brave Bird recoil, Swellow will die rather quickly if played recklessly.
By Molk
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Carracosta (F) @ Life Orb
Trait: Solid Rock
EVs: 252 Atk / 16 SAtk / 240 Spd
Naive Nature (+Spd, -SDef)
- Stone Edge
- Aqua Jet
- Ice Beam
- Shell Smash
Role: Physical Sweeper
What it Does: Carracosta can set up a Shell Smash on a variety of Pokemon, and then proceed to rampage through their team. Life Orb Stone Edge hits ridiculously hard as +2, and is easily enough to KO most of the tier. Tangrowth is one of the only Pokemon who can survive it, and it is massacred by Ice Beam; because of this, this set is a very good Tangrowth lure as well. Aqua Jet allows Carracosta to knock out Pokemon such as Kabutops and Absol that would otherwise revenge kill it with priority moves, as well as Pokemon such as Choice Scarf Rotom that outrun Carracosta even after a shell Smash. Waterfall isn't really needed since Stone Edge KOs most of the tier anyway.
Good Teammates: Pokemon such as Spiritomb, and Magneton are all great partners for this set, as they can all trap dangerous threats to this set, such as Ferroseed, Steelix, and Sceptile. Entry hazard support from the likes of Smeargle is also appreciated, as entry hazards allow Carracosta to become even more threatening. Pokemon with Trick, such as Choice Scarf Rotom and Choice Scarf Rotom-C, are also good options, as they can lure in attacks that Carracosta can use to set up on. Rapid Spin support is also appreciated, as it will allow Carracosta to make the most use of its bulk.
What Counters It: Ferroseed can shut down this set relatively easily, although it is hampered by the fact that it has no reliable recovery moves. Steelix can take any hit and KO with Earthquake; however, +2 Ice Beam 2HKOs. Carracosta's main problem is that, even after a Shell Smash, it is still pretty slow, which means that Pokemon such as Sceptile and Scarf Rotom-C can easily outrun and KO it.
By ShakeItUp
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Sceptile (M) @ Flying Gem
Trait: Unburden
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 HP / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Leaf Blade
- Acrobatics
- Earthquake
- Swords Dance
Role: Physical Sweeper
What it does: Swords Dance Sceptile provides a nice change from the standard Special Life Orb variant, thus allowing it to completely catch the opponent off guard and have a chance at sweeping their team. Between Leaf Blade, Earthquake, and Acrobatics, few Pokemon can actually stand up to Sceptile after a Swords Dance. What makes it even better is that it is virtually impossible to outspeed after Acrobatics is used, as Unburden will double its speed once the Flying Gem is consumed. This allows it to do major damage to both offensive and stall teams alike, stall teams being handled relatively easily after the Steel-types are removed.
Good teammates: Pokemon such as Magneton are good partners for this set, as they can remove troublesome physically defensive Steel-types that can plague this set, such as Steelix and Ferroseed. Entry hazard support from the likes of Smeargle is also appreciated, as it makes Sceptile's job of sweeping even easier. Pokemon such as Absol, which can set up on things that can revenge kill this Sceptile, such as Spiritomb, are also appreciated.
What Counters It: Physically defensive Steel-types are the main problem for this set. Steelix, Ferroseed, and Metang all can stop this set easily. Also, even though Sceptile can boost its speed to ridiculous levels, it is still very susceptible to priority. This means that Pokemon such as Absol, Entei, and Spiritomb can make quick work of Sceptile with their respective priority moves.
Any Additional Info: A Lum Berry can be used to avoid status, such as Thunder Wave, while also activating Unburden at the same time. However, if you're using this, then Brick Break or Rock Slide can be used over Acrobatics.
By ShakeItUp
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Linoone (M) @ Sitrus Berry
Trait: Pickup
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- ExtremeSpeed
- Shadow Claw
- Rock Smash / Seed Bomb
- Belly Drum
Role: Physical Sweeper
What it does: Linoone sets up a Belly Drum and starts devastating the opposition. Nothing likes taking a +6 boosted ExtremeSpeed, especially if Linoone is equipped with a Silk Scarf. Ghost-types can also be easily dismantled using Shadow Claw, while Steel-types, such as Aggron, take massive damage forom Rock Smash. Seed Bomb devastates Pokemon such as Regirock, and can also stop Quagsire in its tracks. Linoone can easily set up a Belly Drum vs many walls, including Slowking and bulky Cryogonal. Offensive teams usually get immediately swept by Linoone, as there are few things that can STAB up to Linoone's boosted onslaught.
Good teammates: Dual Screen support is helpful since it allows Linoone to set up much more easily, and in a much wider variety of circumstances. Pokemon such as Magneton are also greatly appreciated, as they can knock out troublesome walls, such as Steelix and Tangrowth, for Linoone, thus making it even easier for it to sweep.
What Counters It: Physically defensive Steel-types are Linoone's worst enemy. Steelix laughs at Linoone's +6 Rock Smash, only taking 35% from it. Spiritomb is also a problem, as it is immune to ExtremeSpeed and can either destroy Linoone with Sucker Punch, or catch it on the switch and nab it with Pursuit. Choice Scarf Ghost-types also stop Linoone in its tracks, as they can outspeed it and destroy it with their STAB moves.
By ShakeItUp
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Kabutops @ Life Orb
Trait: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly or Adamant
- Waterfall
- Swords Dance
- Aqua Jet
- Stone Edge / Superpower
Role: Physical Sweeper
What it Does: Kabutops dominates RU in the Rain. Thanks to Rain Dance, it does not need to rely on 40 bp Aqua Jet and Stone Miss to sweep. Swift Swim makes it virtually the fastest mon in the tier while it's raining, and Waterfall is now a 120 bp move with 100% accuracy! Mashing the Waterfall button is all you have to do in most matches against opponents lacking a dedicated Kabutops counter.
Swords Dance is always nice to ensure Kabutops can power through everything. Aqua Jet beats priority users to the punch and cleans up after the down pour stops. Stone Edge is a solid coverage STAB move, but Superpower provides a less risky way of disposing frail Grass mons like Sceptile as well as easily eliminating Ferroseed, which is a surprisingly pain in the ass against Rain teams.
Good Teammates: Rain Summoners @ Damp Stone that can safely bring in Kabutops are the best teammates. Uxie has the bulk and Speed to guarantee Rain as well as SR. With either Yawn + U-turn or Memento, it allows Kabutops to come in safely. Memento may even provide Kabutops the opportunity to set up Swords Dance. Electrode's amazing base 140 Speed combined with Taunt prevents the opponent from setting up Sweepers or hazards while Electrode sets up Rain Dance and go kamikaze with Explosion. Lanturn is useful for its special bulk and absorbing Electric-type moves before the Rain goes up. It's a nice answer to mons like Slowking or opposing Lanturn that may harass Rain teams. It's slow Volt Switch guarantees Kabutops' entrance into the rainy battlefield unscathed. Finally, Volbeat makes a particular good Rain inducer, thanks to Prankster getting the Rain up virtually without fail. Encore + Sub Pass also provides clutch moments that offers Kabutops to not only switch in safely but even put up a SD for free.
Nidoqueen is a nice partner to remove bulky Grass- and Water-types with its Sheer Force-boosted Sludge Wave or Thunder, respectively. The ability to absorb TSpikes is also greatly appreciated, since LO recoil and poison damage easily adds up.
Just coupling Kabutops with Special Rain sweepers, such as Ludicolo and Gorebyss, works, too, but sometimes you need to be more elaborate when facing a stall team.
What Counters It: bulky Grass- and Water- mons can put a stop to Kabutops rampage in the storm. Tangrowth, physically bulky Amoonguss, Poliwrath, Water Absorb Quagsire, and physically defensive Qwilfish are particularly reliable.
By Pocket
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Drapion @ Leftovers
Trait: Battle Armor
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd / 4 HP
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Taunt
- Crunch
- Earthquake
Role: Physical Sweeper
What It Does: Drapion can use its good typing, high speed and decent attack to defeat most of the metagame after a swords dance. Crunch and Earthquake give pretty good coverage, and Taunt allows Drapion to set up on threats such as Spiritomb who would try to burn it with Will-O-Wisp. It also doesn't care about Uxie and Mesprit, and can taunt them and boost until its time to Crunch!
Good Teammates: Things that can beat Drapion counters such as Steelix and Poliwrath are very handy. Bulky Ground-types such as Rhydon also aren't bothered by this set at all, so using something like Torterra or Tangrowth to handle them is reccomended. Nidoqueen can handle most of the threats to Drapion quite well, they share a ground weakness so she cant switch in. Galvantula can OHKO nearly every threat to Drapion, since it has Bug / Electric / Grass type coverage.
What Counters It: Rhydon, Steelix, Poliwrath, Quagsire, even Sandslash can defeat Drapion. It really struggles until these threats are removed. It can be revenged killed by fast threats such as Aerodactyl and Archeops with ease as well.
Any Additional Info: I like Drapion, its a lot of fun to use and I find it on most of my teams!
By Raseri
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DEERGOD (Sawsbuck) @ Choice Band
Trait: Sap Sipper
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Jump Kick/Baton Pass
- Double-Edge
- Nature Power
- Horn Leech
Role: Physical Sweeper
What It Does: Sawsbuck is a boss. Have problems with grass types? (not named Sceptile) Say no more, Sawsbuck deals with one of the most dangerous set-up sweepers in ru Lilligant. Sawsbuck can survive a hp fire on the switch in and is immune to sleep powder thanks to sap sipper. Sawsbuck then ohkoes lilligant 100% of the time with double-edge. Sawsbuck also deals with other grass types such as rotom-c, whimsicott, roselia, tangrowth if u switch into a grass type, and ferroseed. With sawsbuck amazing typing, it can deal with some of the best physical walls such as Qwilfish, Poliwrath, Steelix, Tangrowth, and Ferroseed. Also Baton Pass can be used instead of jump kick so u can gain momentum on switches.
Some damage calcs of how good band buck is.
Band Sawsbuck...
vs 4/0 Lilligant Double-Edge: 310-366 (109.92 - 129.78%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+1 attack vs 252/252+ Tangrowth Double-Edge: 226-267 (55.94 - 66.08%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
vs 252/252+ Ferroseed Jump Kick: 140-166 (47.94 - 56.84%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
-1 attack vs 252/252+ Qwilfish Nature Power: 158-186 (47.3 - 55.68%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
vs 252/252+ Poliwrath Horn Leech: 230-272 (59.89 - 70.83%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
vs 252/96+ Steelix Jump Kick: 128-152 (36.15 - 42.93%) -- 100% chance to 3HKO after Stealth Rock
Good Teammates: Sawsbuck pairs well with pokes that can deal with ghost types easily such as Absol and Spiritomb who can take care of ghosts so sawsbuck can just spam Double-Edge all day. Spiritomb is also good for taking mach punches and e speeds because sawsbuck is quite frail and cant take priority very well. Also water types that lure in grass types pair well such as Kabutops, Omastar, and Feraligatr. I have found that Kabutops in particular make for a dangerous physical duo because sawsbuck can handle Poliwrath and Qwilfish while Kabutops can sponge the fire attacks from Moltres and Entei for Sawsbuck.
What Counters It: Escavalier can counter it once as nature power fails to 2hko and escavalier can just megahorn for an easy ohko. And although sawsbuck has very few counters there are a ton of checks such as scolipede, scyther, accelgor and basically anything faster then it and can hit it SE.
Any Additional Info: Sawsbuck is a boss and is very underated. I dont even know how it is nu BS!
By Double01
Absol (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Super Luck
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly or Adamant
- Swords Dance
- Sucker Punch
- Night Slash
- Superpower
Role: Physical Sweeper
What it does: Absol is an amazing physical sweeper despite its mediocre base 75 Speed. This is due to its powerful STAB priority Sucker Punch that is virtually unstoppable with a boost from Life Orb and a Swords Dance. It easily preys on the many Ghost- and Psychic-types that dominates this metagame, namely Slowking, Mesprit, and Uxie. Its powerful Sucker Punch allows Absol to not only pull off a splendid physical sweep, but also double up as a vital revenge-killer. Night Slash is also a big contributor to Absol's success as it provides reliable form of destruction without needing to fear the opponent setting up a Substitute or use a status move instead of attacking. Combined Night Slash's naturally high critical hit ratio with Super Luck, and this move has a nasty 25% chance to CH!
Jolly is recommended since it lets Absol to outpace Nidoqueen and OHKO it with a +2 Night Slash. It's also nice for mons like Adamant Kabutops and Feraligatr, who may otherwise bypass Absol's Sucker Punch with a faster Aqua Jet.
Good Teammates: Absol is a pretty self-sufficient mon, since it really does not need much support to wreck the opponent. It is fragile, though, so Pokemon that can bring it in safely are recommended. Slow Volt Switch from Lanturn or Yawn / Sleep Powder from Uxie or Lilligant can provide such opportunities. Absol appreciates offensive teammates that can soften up the opponent's team before Absol performs its grand finale. Since Absol's fragile, it appreciates tankish mons as offensive partners, such as Nidoqueen, Offensive Slowking, Sheer Force Druddigon, and Entei. Entry hazards are of course welcome to ensure more KOs - Smeargle is especially nice for stacking up hazards, although Nidoqueen or Druddigon are nice offensive partners that can also set up SR.
What counters it: The best way to defeat is Absol is to prevent it from setting up Swords Dance. Without the Attack boosts, many OHKOs are missed, allowing many buff Pokemon like Escavalier and Drapion to retaliate. Also entry hazards are nice for chipping away at Absol's health.
Even if Absol managed to set up a Swords Dance, there are still many opportunities to kill Absol. Bulky Fighting-types such as Poliwrath and Throh are most notable for reliably checking Absol. Eviolite Gurdurr and Hitmonchan punishes Absol with a strong Mach Punch. Fast priority from Entei can readily revenge-kill Absol. Kilinklang can stomache a Sucker Punch and Gear Grind KO or set up a Substitute. It's sweep will end short, though. Lilligant can put Absol to sleep; Sceptile or Moltres can set up a Substitute to block Absol's Sucker Punch. Drapion is faster and can dispatch a weakened Absol. Ultimately it's low Speed and dependence on Sucker Punch will be its downfall.
Any Additional Info: Overheat is an option for Escavalier and Steelix, but its use pales in comparison to having a reliable STAB move in Night Slash.
By Pocket
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Aerodactyl @ Choice Band
Trait: Rock Head
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- Aqua Tail
- Double-Edge
Role: Physical Sweeper / Wallbreaker
What it Does: While Aerodactyl is a great SR lead with its great base 130 Speed, that same Speed also lends itself to a great Choice Band set with Aerodactyl's solid base 105 Attack. Stone Edge is Aerodactyl's main tool of destruction as it smashes many things hard; being especially useful on the Fire and Flying types of the tier such as Entei and Archeops. Earthquake takes out Steel types such as Klingklang and Aggron who may think they can come in with little fear. Aqua Tail is Aerodactyl's strongest move on Rhydon as it 2HKOs without fail. Finally, Double-Edge is the last move on the set as Rock Head will block the recoil Aerodactyl would otherwise take from it.
Good Teammates: Entry hazard users and Rapid Spinners are the two big things Aerodactyl wants. Uxie, Accelgor, and Smeargle are good entry hazard users while Kabutops is a great Rapid Spin user that can also take advantage of the holes Aerodactyl can punch in an opposing team. Other physical attackers such as Entei and Gallade are good options as both can get rid of opposing Steel types with ease, lessening the need for Aerodactyl to predict with Earthquake. Entei can also get rid of Tangrowth, one of the best answers to this set. An Electric type such as Manectric or Rotom-C can threaten the bulky Water types this set doesn't like. Manectric can also deter the opponent from using Electric type moves to KO Aerodactyl while Rotom-C can also handle Ground types with its powerful Leaf Storm.
What Counters It: The best way to beat this set is to just have the sheer bulk to handle multiple hits. Thus, Slowking is one of the best answers as it isn't weak to any move and has Regenerator and Slack Off to stay in good health. Tangrowth is another great answer as it can threaten to put Aerodactyl to sleep with Sleep Powder or it can just KO it with Leaf Storm. Support Uxie can take a couple of hits and ruin Aerodactyl's chances of sweeping with Thunder Wave. Steel types, especially Steelix, have little to fear from this set. Steelix doesn't even mind Earthquake and can use Aerodactyl's great Speed stat against it with a powerful Gyro Ball. Common Scarfers such as Manectric and Rotom-C can easily revenge kill Aerodactyl, though they can't directly switch in. Priority users, Feraligatr and Kabutops in particular, can revenge kill Aerodactyl thanks to its low Defense stat. Lastly, LO Accelgor can revenge Aerodactyl with HP Rock.
Any Additional Info: You can use Life Orb should you run Rapid Spin support as Aerodactyl will appreciate the ability to switch moves. With Life Orb, Roost is an option over Double-Edge to take advantage of Aero's good defensive typing.
By EonX-
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Hitmonlee (M) @ Liechi Berry
Trait: Unburden
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Reversal
- Endure
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
Role: Physical Sweeper / Cleaner
What it Does: It's basically an automatic win as long as the opponent has no active priority users or bulky Psychics (or Tangrowth...) above 60-70% health. The purpose of the set is pretty straightforward: Endure a hit at 1%, eat the Liechi Berry to get well over 500 Attack, and activate Unburden to instantly double your Speed. With max Speed and an Adamant nature, Hitmonlee will outspeed everything including Jolly Scarf Archeops, plus Pokemon like Klinklang after a Shift Gear. Once you get down to 1 HP, you now have EdgeQuake coverage plus a 200 Power STAB move AND an attack boost. Basically, you OHKO the metagame with a neutral hit, except for 252/252+ Tangrowth who takes 84% on average. Even Psychic-type Pokemon need high health to stand up to Hitmonlee. Uxie (252/160+) will lose half its health to a Reversal, and 0/0 Mesprit can be OHKO'd with Rocks. Anything else of note will be taken down in one hit. Note that a not very effective Reversal at 1 HP is still stronger than an Earthquake or a Stone Edge, so unless the opponent is a Ghost or Flying-type, it's a good bet to just click the Reversal button. Also slowking sucks.
Good Teammates: You need two things removed in order to sweep with Hitmongod, and those are bulky Psychics and priority users. However, note that the Psychic types do not have to be killed, just weakened. The same goes for super-bulky Pokemon like Tangrowth. There is only one move that guarantees damage on an opponent no matter what, and that's Pursuit. Therefore, Escavalier is a perfect teammate since he can just wreck Psychics with Pursuit, and usually do enough damage whether or not the opponent switches. Remember, a Psychic at 40, even 50% cannot stand up to Hitmonlee, so a weak Pursuit is better than letting the opponent switch. Priority users like Kabutops can be taken out by bulky Pokemon like Uxie or Steelix, who also sets up Stealth Rock that lowers Hitmonlee's checks into KO range. A backup sweeper like Mesprit or Lilligant is a nice addition to a team, as Hitmonlee will almost always get one KO per game, since just about anything will be taken down in two hits from Reversal (as in, nothing can switch in very well).
What Counters It: Priority will kill it when it's at 1 HP. Uxie, Mesprit, other bulky Psychic-types, and Tangrowth can kill it. Most of the stuff was mentioned above.
Any Additional Info: Hitmonlee is just plain strong, and the opponent will have a lot of trouble staying out of trouble even if Hitmonlee gets worn down. Remember, Hitmonlee doesn't care about Stealth Rock or Spikes since he shouldn't switch into much and actually prefers lower health to higher. If you predict an attack that can do about 80% or 90% to Hitmonlee and switch the fighter in, the game can be over right there. Mach Punch is acceptable as an out against priority users, but often it's more important to cover Pokemon like NIDOQUEEN. Seriously, Nidoqueen is a boss and Hitmonlee kills it. gg.
By DetroitLolcat
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Zangoose (M) @ Toxic Orb
Trait: Toxic Boost
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance / Night Slash
- Close Combat
- Facade
- Quick Attack
Role: Physical Sweeper
What it does: Zangoose hits ridiculously hard because of Toxic Boost, and after 1 SD and a Toxic Boost, it reaches over 1000 Attack, with a massive base 140 STAB move at its disposal. Needless to say, it hits ridiculously hard. It even has Close Combat to massacre Steel-types such as Steelix. Even faster Pokemon can't stop it, as a +2 Toxic Boost Quick Attack massacres most of the things faster than Zangoose after entry hazard support. However, one can use Night Slash over Swords Dance in order to hit the Ghost-types that wall this set.
Good Teammates: Pursuiters are very good partners, as Zangoose will draw in Ghost-types quite easily. Entry hazard support is also very helpful, so this makes Pokemon such as Qwilfish good partners.
What counters it: Ghost-types are a major problem for this Zangoose if it lacks Night Slash. Spiritomb is also a problem, and can trap and kill Zangoose with Pursuit.
Any Additional Info: Zangoose is amazing. This shit is one of the best Pokemon in the metagame, and should seriously be used more.
By ShakeItUp
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Fraxure @ Eviolite
Trait: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Outrage
- Aqua Tail / Low Kick
- Taunt
Role: Physical Sweeper
What it does:It sets up Dragon Dance to boost its already good Attack Stat to beat down most pokemon in the tier with. Outrage is obvious, it is Fraxure's strongest Attack and everything that is not a steel type won't want to take one of those, even when unboosted. Third Slot is up to what you feel you need to hit harder, Aqua Tail his Rhydon and Archeops pretty hard without Locking itself in outrage and has overall pretty good coverage being resisted only by Ferroseed, if you danced before, it also helps in checking Moltres. Low Kick offers perfect coverage and hits pokemon such as Steelix, and Aggron harder than Aqua Tail would, it also allows Fraxure to OHKO defensive Cryogonal no matter what without locking itself in Outrage. Taunt is awesome for DD fraxure, because it allows it to set up on most defensive pokemon that will try to status it first, allowing it to get at least a Dragon Dance.Eviolite is the preferred item because it gives Fraxure extra bulk that allows it to set up on pokemon such as Tangrowth lacking hidden power Ice,and non specs Manectric, but a Life Orb can work too if you really want the extra power, but the added bulk will be more helpful most of time. Jolly allows Fraxure to hit a prety good 384 speed stat , allowing it to outspeed everything unboosted in the tier that is not called Aerodactyl and Accelgor.
Good Teammates: Pretty much anything that can set up hazards and fits on an offensive team. Gallade is also a great partner because it beats down the few things that Fraxure can't 2HKO depending on its coverage move. Magneton is also a great teammate, trapping the steel-types that resist Fraxure STAB, and helps him in allowing Fraxure to mindlessly click Outrage later.
What counters it: Ferroseed is probably the closest thing to a counter, but unless it is packing Gyro Ball, Fraxure uses it as set up fodder. Steelix is also close to being a counter and can avoid the 2HKO from a +1 Aqua Tail and hit Fraxure pretty hard with Gyro Ball in return. Rhydon is also a great counter if Fraxure is not using Aqua Tail, because Low Kick is barly a 3HKO while Earthquake 2HKOes Fraxure.
Any Additional Info: Strongth. Don't use Superpower on DD Fraxure please, Low Kick gets overall the same kills, the only thing you are really missing a stronger hit on is Ferroseed.
By TropiOUs
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Feraligatr @ Life Orb
Trait: Torrent
EVs: 104 HP / 252 Atk / 152 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Aqua Jet
- Waterfall
- Return / Crunch
Role: Physical Sweeper
What it does: Sweeps lategame with powerful Swords Dance boosted attacks, one of which is priority to destroy weakened revenge killers. The Speed EVs let Feraligatr outspeed Timid Omastar and the rest go in HP. Torrent is a great ability that Feraligatr can easily use after taking a few hits and suffering from Life Orb recoil, a Torrent boosted +2 Waterfall is extremely powerful as is Aqua Jet. Return provides perfect neutral coverage except for Ferroseed and Cradily while Crunch takes care of Slowking and other Psychic- and Ghost-types.
Good Teammates: Anything that can get rid of Tangrowth basically. Magmortar, Entei, etc can all break through Tangrowth and Ferroseed and weaken walls such as Druddigon for Feraligatr. Hazard support from Pokemon such as Ferroseed is useful to weaken revenge killers into Aqua Jets OHKO range. Ferroseed also resists Grass and Electric type attacks.
What counters it: Tangrowth is the biggest counter as it can easily sponge Feraligatr's attacks and reply with Giga Drain. Quagsire and Ferroseed also wall Feraligatr although Torrent boosted Waterfalls will hurt Quagsire. Revenge killers that resist Aqua Jet such as Rotom-C are also good as long as they aren't weakened a lot.
Any additional info: Pretty underrated sweeper that can actually sweep fairly easily after certain Pokemon have been removed
By Endorphins
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Crawdaunt (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Adaptability
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Dragon Dance
- Substitute
- Waterfall
- Crunch
Role: Physical Sweeper, Late-game Cleaner
What it does: SubDD Crawdaunt is getting more common these days, and for good reason! Crawdaunt is a very threatening sweeper capable of doing major damage to the opposing team if it can get in safely (hint: send it in vs slowking, bar toxic or twave Slowking cant do much damage to it). Crawdaunt is pretty good at forcing switches, and Substitute takes full advantage of this, giving Crawdaunt either a free turn to Dragon Dance, or seriously hurt their check to Crawdaunt with a powerful Adaptability boosted STAB attack. Dragon Dance is the crux of this set, boosting Crawdaunts already intimidating Attack stat to monsturous levels, while boosting its lackluster Speed stat to the point where it can outspeed a good amount of the unboosted metagame. Waterfall and Crunch are Crawdaunt's STAB attacks, and are only resisted by Poliwrath and Ferroseed in this tier. Superpower can also be used over Substitute with a Life Orb, but the utility of sub is much preferred.
Good Teammates: Crawdaunt may be powerful, but it needs a fair amount of support to work to its full potential. Crawdaunt greatly appreciates entry hazards on the field to help ease its sweep and weaken its counters, most of which are vulnerable to Stealth Rock and Spikes. Roselia is an excellent partner for hazard setting, being able to sponge electric, grass, fighting, and even some bug moves with the right EVs, while setting up spikes for crawdaunt to abuse, and as a bonus it also threatens the bulky grass-types that plauge Crawdaunt with sludge bomb, while taking out Poliwrath and Quagsire with Giga Drain. Even after a Dragon Dance, fast Pokemon such as sceptile, cincinno, and scarfers are still able to outspeed and KO it, therefore paralysis support is a great idea. Slowking is pretty good at spreading Thunder Wave around with its good bulk, and due to its similar typing it tends to lure in pokemon that threaten crawdaunt such as sceptile and lilligant. Lastly, Crawdaunt appreciates having teammates with U-turn and Volt Switch, as they can get crawdaunt in safely if the opponent decides to switch out.
What counters it: Bulky grass types, Poliwrath, Quagsire, and fast revenge killers all pose a problem to crawdaunt, completely walling it and striking back with STAB attacks to wear it down, Crawdaunt's physical bulk is acceptable, but its nothing amazing. Aside from those things, good luck lol
Any Additional Info: Get on Crawdaunt's level kids
By Molk
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Klinklang @ Leftovers
Trait: Clear Body
EVs: 100 HP / 252 Atk / 156 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Shift Gear
- Gear Grind
- Return
- Substitute
Role: Physical Sweeper / Late game cleaner
What it does: Klinklang is the sole holder of Shift Gear (bar smeargle ofc!), and with excellent bulk, great typing, and good stats all around, it can make good use of the move. After a Shift Gear boost, Klinklang reaches 492 Attack and 510 Speed, this coupled with its other Substitute breaking signature move, Gear Grind makes Klinklang rather hard to stop later in the game. When Klinklang first comes into the match, the first thing you will probably do is set up a Substitute. With a mono steel typing and Klinklang's solid natural bulk, many opponents will struggle to break the substitute in one hit, giving Klinklang a free chance to set up a Shift Gear or two. A +1 / +2 Klinklang behind a substitute is one of the scariest things an offensive team can possibly face. Substitute can also be used to Life Orb stall a pokemon into KO range, or block status. Gear Grind is Klinklang's only worthwile STAB attack, but with an effective 100 base power, and the ability to break substitutes, its all Klinklang really needs. Return hits most of the things Gear Grind cant, and gives the set of gears acceptable coverage for sweeping, wild charge can also be used, but the recoil is really annoying.
Good Teammates: Klinklang can be devastating in the right hands, but it needs significant amounts of support to get past its counters. Klinklang also appreciates entry hazard support to ease its sweep and weaken one of its main checks, Entei. Smeargle is the best spiker in the tier, and can easily get stealth rock and a layer of spikes up against the majority of teams. Other spikers include accelgor, scolipede, crustle, omastar, and qwilfish.
What counters it: When it comes to countering Klinklang, nothing is better than Steelix. Steelix takes a pittance from anything klinklang can possibly throw at it due to its unholy bulk and resistances to steel, normal, and electric-type moves. Steelix can also use roar to phaze klinklang out of the match, taking all of its boosts with it. Magneton can trap Klinklang, and take nearly nothing from any of its coverage moves, 2hkoing Klinklang with tbolt in return. Poliwrath, Slowking, and Quagsire also counter klinklang very well, only fearing a wild charge or hidden power grass, respectively. Entei can check Klinklang as well, being able to take even a +2 return and KO klinklang in return with flare blitz. and Shedinja
Any Additional Info: Klinklang is terrible, Banded stoutland fire fang literally 2hkos it - TLC
By Molk
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Rhydon @ Eviolite / Life Orb
Trait: Rock Head
EVs: 40 HP / 252 Atk / 216 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Rock Polish
- Earthquake
- Rock Blast / Stone Edge
- Megahorn
Role: Physical Sweeper
What it Does: Rhydon can be a very threatening sweeper after it gets off a Rock Polish, boasting an extraordinary base 130 Attack Stat. After a Rock Polish, Rhydon reaches 374 Speed, enough to outrun Sceptile. Rhydon hits very hard, being able to smash through the opposition with Earthquake, Rock Blast, and Megahorn. Rock Blast allows Rhydon to set up a Rock Polish on one of the most threatening sweepers in the tier, SubRoost Moltres, and destroy it with Rock Blast the following turn. Megahorn decimates Grass-types, meaning that almost nothing is safe from Rhydon's destructive path. Rhydon's solid bulk, especially with Eviolite, means that finding set up opportunities is easy.
Good Teammates: In order for Rhydon to work, Choice Scarfers, mainly Special Attacking ones, and Kabutops should be removed, as then Rhydon will be almost unstoppable. Rhydon can easily take priority from Pokemon such as Spiritomb, but a 4x effective Aqua Jet from Kabutops will destroy it. Spiritomb can be a good partner for this set, as it can trap some Choice Scarfers and can also knock out Kabutops, making it easier for Rhydon. Entry hazard support from Pokemon such as Smeargle is also appreciated, making Rhydon even more deadly.
What Counters It: Special Attacking Choice Scarf users can easily outrun Rhydon after a Rock Polish and revenge kill it. Rotom-C is a great example of this; however, it cannot switch in since it is KO'd by Megahorn. Kabutops can also revenge kill Rhydon easily with Aqua Jet, although, like Rotom-C, cannot switch in due to Earthquake. Water-types and Grass-types as a whole can easily knock out Kabutops, although most of them cannot switch in for fear of being KO'd. Tangrowth, however, can take a Megahorn, meaning that it can defeat Rhydon even though it is slower; it is 2HKO'd b Megahorn, however, so can't switch in 100% of the time.
By ShakeItUp
Moltres @ Life Orb
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Fire Blast
- Hurricane
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Roost
Role: Special Sweeper
What it does:
Moltres is one of the most dominant threats in RU and functions really well as a special sweeper. Moltres is able to 2 or 3HKO the entire tier which is really powerfull. Fire Blast is the main STAB move and severely weakens anything that does not resist it. BW2 gave Moltres Hurricane, which is chosen above Air Slash as the power difference is easily notable. This 120 BP STAB move backend by LO can even 2HKO SpD Slowking (if it hits twice in a row, which is a 0,49% chance). Its accuracy hinder the move and will act like Focus Miss with only a 70% accuracy. Hidden Power Grass OHKO's switchins like Kabutops and Rhydon (if not with max SpD), even without hazards. Roost is there for survivabilty and can mean the difference between a sweep or death.
Good Teammates:
Stealth Rocks are a problem for Moltres, thus it needs a spinner to function well. Kabutops is a nice choice since it fits on an offensive team and can beat the tiers spinblockers. Moltres in return beats the many grass types threatening Kabutops. Another option for a rapid spinner is Cryognoal. If you do this, be sure to add a solid rock resistance since both are weak to Rock. Lanturn is one of the few things that wall Moltres and thus a way to deal with Lanturn s a good choice. A strong physical pokemon can usually break through Lanturn. An example is Drapion, who can use Earthquake to dispose of Lanturn. A Grass type like Sceptile or Tangrowth can deal with Lanturn pretty well too. Roselia is also a good choice since it can even take toxics and ice beams while setting up spikes. Speaking of spikes, Moltres appreciates hazards support. For example, with SR up, Moltres can beat Slowking with a combination of Hurricane and HP Grass rather than relying on Hurricane hitting twice.
What counters it:
Stealth Rocks limits Moltres's opportunities of switching in and also makes revenge killing a lot easier. Aside from that, Lanturn is the best counter to Moltres. It resists it's STAB moves and HP grass is a 3HKO after Leftovers (not counting hazards). It can paralyse Moltres with Thunder Wave or 2HKO with Scald because of Life Orb recoil. It can also Volt Switch to a revenge killer. Specially defensive Rhydon gets a special mention, as HP Grass does 78,26% - 92,75% to 252/252 with a boosting nature and eviolite and Rhydon can OHKO back with Rock Blast. For offensive checks, anything that is faster and with a strong Super Effective move can beat Moltres. Examples include Archeops's Head Smash, Kabutops's Waterfall or Rotom's Thunderbolt.
Any Additional Info:
252 SpAtk Life Orb Moltres (+SpAtk) Hurricane vs 252 HP/252 SpDef Slowking (+SpDef) : 46,7% - 55,08%, 2HKO after SR
(but who runs max/max Slowking these days?)
By Twannes
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Sigilyph @ Life Orb
Trait: Magic Guard
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Calm Mind
- Psyshock
- Heat Wave / Air Slash
- Roost / Hidden Power [Ground]
Role: Special Sweeper / Wallbreaker, depending on the team you're playing against and your fourth move
What it does: Demolishes the bulky cores you know and love. Slowking / Tangrowth? Sets up on both and proceeds to dominate the other team. Roselia? It can't even touch you. You think you can Whirlwind it away with Munchlax? Think again, +1 Psyshock does like 63%. This thing cleanly 6-0's nearly every stall team lacking something like Pursuit Escavalier (which can be eliminated with proper teambuilding, too). Teams like SV and DC's have no hope to stop this monster. It's definitely not useless against offensive teams, either; it outruns stuff like Drapion and Moltres and OHKOes with the appropriate move. Its main role depends on whether you're using Roost or HP Ground; HP Ground eliminates the need for team support, KOing some troubling stuff like bulky Rock-types, Steelix, and Aggron (as well as doing quite a bit more to SpD Drapion), but Roost allows it to not worry so much about switching into Pokemon like Slowking and can really be important for a late-game sweep.
Good Teammates: Sigilyph cannot get through Escavalier (or other Steel-types, if you're not running HP Ground) very easily even with a couple of boosts under its belt, so pairing it with Magneton may be a good idea. Other Pursuit users like Spiritomb can be very obnoxious to handle, so it's important to get them out of the way before trying to send in Sigilyph so that you can avoid unnecessary mindgames with Pursuit / Sucker Punch. Sceptile can be used in conjunction with Sigilyph; while it does share a counter in Escavalier with Sigilyph, it can severely damage most Pursuit users and other Steel-types with its incredibly strong Leaf Storm (remember, it does upwards of 60% on offensive Drapion) and greatly appreciates Sigilyph's ability to switch freely into Roselia and Munchlax (although Body Slam paralysis is rather annoying). Other Pokemon who have trouble with prominent defensive cores like Entei, Klinklang, and Hitmonlee will definitely appreciate Sigilyph's ability to shake things up.*
What counters it: SpD Escavalier is a solid option, CB works just as well. Pursuit/Sucker Punch users: Spiritomb, Absol. Steel-types are very frustrating if Sigilyph doesn't carry HP Ground; Aggron takes like 25% from +2 Air Slash and dominates it with Head Smash. Faster Pokemon can prove difficult to handle before it gets some boosts, thanks to its mediocre defenses. Tricking it a Choice item will make life difficult for Sigilyph, as it's unable to boost and loses to power from LO. Bulky Rock-types like Regirock can be a pain, although they're rare.*
Any additional info: It's a fucking boss and several people can attest to it cleanly sweeping them.
By Zebraiken
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Sceptile @ Life Orb
Trait: Overgrow
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Substitute / Leaf Storm
- Giga Drain
- Hidden Power [Rock]
- Focus Blast
Role: Special Sweeper
What it does: With a blazing base 120 speed coupled with a powerful 105 Special Attack, Sceptile is hands down one of the best Special Sweepers in the tier. Most people dont run Substitute on Life Orb Sceptile, but its a very effective option, probably moreso than leaf storm. Sceptile forces a lot of switches, giving it ample oppritunity to set up. Substitute also means sceptile can safely bring itself to overgrow range to OHKO some bulkier threats, while getting most of its hp back in the process. Leaf Storm gives sceptile some incredible raw power to blast through walls with, but sceptile loses to utility of Substitute. Giga Drain is an excellent move, especially on sceptile. With Sceptile's low hp stat, one giga drain can bring sceptile back to near full hp, basically giving sceptile reliable recovery. Hidden Power Rock takes care of Fire and Flying-types, most importantly Moltres and Entei. Focus Blast rounds off Sceptile's coverage, hitting ferroseed, bulky normal-types, and most importantly, Bouffalant. Its also Sceptile's best non hidden power attack against Escavalier.
Good Teammates: Moltres is an excellent teammate for sceptile, Sceptile removes Slowking, Kabutops, Feraligatr, and Lanturn for Moltres, giving Moltres a much better chance at sweeping. Moltres kills Roselia, Amoonguss, Escavalier, and Cryogonal for Sceptile, allowing Sceptile to clean up late game. Kabutops is also a great teammate for Sceptile, switching in on Entei, provided Sceptile doesnt have a Substitute up. Kabutops also spins away entry hazards for Sceptile, which can severely decrease its longetiveity otherwise. Escavalier is also a good teammate, taking on many of Sceptile's counters, while Sceptile can lure in Fire-Types for escavalier and hit them with Hidden Power Rock.
What Counters It:Roselia and Amoonguss are the best switch ins to Special Sceptile available, resisting Giga Drain and Focus Blast, while not caring very much about Hidden Power Rock, they can also hit back with Sludge Bomb and Clear Smog, respectively, Mandibuzz can take any Attack Sceptile has to throw at her, and can either phaze Sceptile out, or simply KO it with Brave Bird, Roosting off all damage in the process. Specially defensive Drapion Can Easily Switch in on Sceptile, and can 2hko with Crunch. Druddigon and Escavalier can come in on Sceptile rather easily, and threaten the opponents team with some of the most powerful unboosted attacks in the tier. Bouffalant and Nidoqueen have the bulk to take on sceptile once, but will be worn down by repeated switch ins. Entei can reliably revenge kill Sceptile with a Banded Extremespeed.
Any Additional Info: Sceptile is strong as hell, and more people should use substitute, its a great move on it.
By Molk
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Mesprit @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Calm Mind
- Ice Beam
- Psyshock
Role: Special Sweeper
What it Does: Mesprit is a very good Calm Mind sweeper, being able to outrun a lot of threats while being bulky enough to take some attacks, as well as being able to hit very hard after a boost. Very few things can stand up to Mesprit's excellent coverage, especially if it has a sub up. Special walls aren't even safe, as Mesprit can use Psyshock to easily knock out threats such as Cryogonal. If Mesprit runs Substitute with Leftovers, it can easily set up a sub against many walls, such as Slowking, and boost until to its heart's content.
Good Teammates: Entry hazard support from Pokemon such as Smeargle is always appreciated, as it makes Mesprit even more deadly. Magneton is also a good partner, as it can eliminate pesky Steel-types, such as Ferroseed and Escavalier, that can hinder Mesprit's sweep. A Pokemon that can set up on Spiritomb, such as Absol, is also a good partner, as Spiritomb is one of the best ways to take out Mesprit.
What Counters It: Escavalier, especially specially defensive variants, can stop Mesprit in its tracks. Ferroseed can also be a nuisance to it with Leech Seed, provided Mesprit is using Ice Beam > Substitute. Spiritomb is also a problem, being able to KO Mesprit with Sucker Punch or knock it out on the switch with Pursuit.
By ShakeItUp
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Lilligant (F) @ Lum Berry / Life Orb
Trait: Chlorophyll
EVs: 24 HP / 252 SpA / 232 Spe
Timid Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Sleep Powder
- Quiver Dance
- Giga Drain
- Hidden Power Rock / Hidden Power Fire
Role: Special Sweeper
What it does: Lilligant is one of RU's most dangerous special sweepers, thanks to its access to Sleep Powder and Quiver Dance. In addition, Lilligant boasts a great base 90 Speed, which allows it to outrun the majority of the RU tier and get off a Sleep Powder + Quiver Dance combination. In addition, it has a great base 110 Special Attack stat, the highest of any Grass-type in the tier along with Tangrowth. Despite the fact that it has almost no coverage moves, it doesn't really need it. With a boosted Giga Drain and Hidden Power of your choice, Lilligant easily decimates teams. Of course, Lilligant will either be walled by Escavalier or Moltres depending on which Hidden Power is chosen, but that's what teammates are for. Lum Berry is a great option for getting rid of troublesome status such as paralysis or Toxic poison, while Life Orb provides a good power boost. Leftovers is also an option, but usually inferior since Lilligant is rather frail anyway, and Giga Drain also provides healing of some sort.
Good Teammates: Depending on what Hidden Power type is chosen, certain targets need to be eliminated before attempting to sweep with Lilligant. If Hidden Power Fire is chosen, Moltres, Entei, and Fire-types in general need to be taken out, as they will completely wall Lilligant's moveset. If Hidden Power Rock is chosen, Steel-types not neutral to Grass-type moves such as Escavalier, Magneton, and Klinklang need to be eliminated before attempting a sweep. In addition, Lilligant may be quite powerful, but if you aren't running a Life Orb, entry hazards are crucial to get some easier KOes.
What Counters It: As previously mentioned, counters to Lilligant depends on what Hidden Power type you choose - Fire-types wall Lilligant with HP Fire, while Steel-types wall Lilligant with HP Rock. Of course, even then, they aren't completely safe due to Lilligant's access to Sleep Powder. Pokemon with the Sap Sipper ability, such as Bouffalant or Sawsbuck make decent checks, but they must beware a boosted Hidden Power.
Any Additional Info: Lilligant is one of RU's most prominent threats, and should always be taken into consideration when building a team. Make sure to figure out what Hidden Power type it is running, and then you can more easily gain the upper hand.
By Omicron
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Entei @ Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 136 HP / 120 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Calm Mind
- Flamethrower / Lava Plume
- Hidden Power Grass
Role: Special Sweeper
What it does: This Entei completely deviates from the very common Choice Band, taking advantage of its popularity to pose more of a threat. This set can easily destroy most switch-ins to the standard Choice Band Entei set, being able to annihilate Pokemon such as Rhydon and Omastar with Hidden Power Grass while keeping its Substitute up. With Substitute and Calm Mind, Entei can easily set up on most special walls, being able to wreak havoc on the opposition, as Entei's Substitute becomes very difficult to break after a couple of Calm Mind boosts.
Good Teammates: Spiritomb can be a good partner for this set, as it can trap and knock out Slowking, which can cause this set problems. Entry hazard support is also helpful, as hazards make Entei much more threatening. Rapid Spin support is also necessary, as Stealth Rock alone shaves off half of Entei's health. Pokemon with Rock Blast can cause problems for this set, so Water-types and Grass-types can be solid partners as well.
What Counters It: Slowking can tank Hidden Power Grasses relatively easily, so it is a solid counter. Dragon-types are the best counters for this set, however, resisting all of Entei's attacking moves and being able to destroy it. Druddigon and Fraxure are good examples of this. Entry hazards can also cause major problems for Entei, especially since they can reveal that Entei has Leftovers, thus revealing its set.
By ShakeItUp
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Uxie @ Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 96 HP / 188 SAtk / 196 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Calm Mind
- Psychic
- Thunderbolt
Role: Special Sweeper
What it does: This set can be a surprising one that can take advantage of Uxie's status as a solid wall in the RU tier. It can easily set up on a variety of Pokemon, such as Slowking and Smeargle. This set trades the higher Special Attacking power of Mesprit for higher HP and Speed; this Speed can be very useful, allowing Uxie to outrun Pokemon such as Lilligant and Moltres. Uxie's raw bulk makes its Substitutes difficult to break, and it becomes even harder to do so after Calm Mind boosts. Psychic and Thunderbolt provide solid coverage that can knock out a lot of the tier after a couple of boosts.
Good Teammates: Magneton can be a very good partner for this set, as Uxie really appreciates the Steel-types, such as Escavalier and Steelix, that Uxie draws in. Entry hazard support is also very helpful, as Uxie has trouble KOing Pokemon without or with only 1 Calm Mind boost. A cleric can also be useful, as Uxie can be ruined easily if it gets hit by status before it gets a Substitute off.
What Counters It: Spiritomb can shut down and counter Uxie very easily, even after a couple of Calm Mind boosts. Steel-types can also wall this set easily, so Pokemon such as Escavaier and Steelix are solid counters. Also, even after one or two Calm Mind boosts, Uxie is relatively weak, so Pokemon such as Clefable can easily defeat it.
By ShakeItUp
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Galvantula (M) @ Life Orb / Expert Belt
Trait: Compoundeyes
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Thunder
- Bug Buzz
- Giga Drain / Volt Switch
- Hidden Power Ground / Volt Switch
Role: Special Sweeper
What It Does: Galvantula can OHKO a large portion of the RU tier with its solid Base 97 Special Attack stat and solid coverage. What really makes Galvantula stand out, however, is Compoundeyes, which allows it to forgo Thunderbolt and run thunder instead, making it very strong. Its excellent 108 Base Speed also means it can outrun a large part of the unboosted RU metagame. Giga Drain destroys Pokemon such as Rhydon and Lanturn that would otherwise wall this set. HP Ground gets super effective hits against Steelix, Lanturn, and Nidoqueen. However, Hidden Power Fire can annihilate Pokemon such as Ferroseed and Escavalier. Volt Switch can also be used here, allowing Galvantula to gain momentum for its team.
Good Teammates: A Rapid Spinner is almost essential when using Galvantula, as its weakness to Stealth Rock and Life Orb recoil can pile up. Kabutops is a very good partner for this reason, as is Cryogonal. Entry hazards are also very helpful for Galvantula, so Pokemon such as Smeargle and Crustle can be solid partners as well. Pokemon that can take on priority users are also helpful, as Pokemon such as Feraligatr and Kabutops can cause problems for this set.
What Counters It: Faster Pokemon can usually OHKO Galvantula with a neutral / super effective move due to its frailty. Entry hazards can greatly cripple Galvantula, Stealth Rock and 3 layers of Spikes shaving off 50% of its health upon entry. Priority users, such as Entei and Kabutops, can also take out Galvantula very easily, although they can't switch in. Steelix does well vs Galvantula that lack a super effective Hidden Power. Lanturn can take a Giga Drain and paralyze Galvantula with Thunder Wave. Clefable, Ferroseed, Lickilicky, and specially defensive Druddigon can wall Galvantula and inflict it with a status condition.
By ShakeItUp
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Ludicolo @ Life Orb
Trait: Swift Swim
EVs: 12 HP / 252 SpA / 244 Spe
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
- Surf
- Hydro Pump
- Giga Drain
- Ice Beam
Role: Special Sweeper
What it Does: Ludicolo is an integral part of rain offense, and it's easy to see why. It's unique Grass / Water typing neutralizes the traditional Electric- and Grass-type weakness of Water-types, while providing a useful secondary STAB to fend off against bulky Water-types. It's also noteworthy that it's the fastest Rain Sweeper on the special side (that's viable), with the next fastest one being Omastar :(
Rain provides an especially powerful boost to Special Swift Swimmers, who have access to a 95 bp Surf and 120 bp Hydro Pump (in comparison to Physical Swift Swimmer's Waterfall). With these powerful STAB moves augmented by Rain and Life Orb, Ludicolo can usually clean floor. You want both Surf and Hydro Pump - the former is for sweeping through teams, while the latter is to break through the team's defense. Giga Drain provides an efficient way to punish specially-defensive Water-types like Slowking and Lanturn, while recovering its health. Ice Beam is to punish Grass-types.
The Spe EVs give it 260 Speed, enough to be faster than Scarf Galvantula.
Good Teammates: Rain Summoners @ Damp Stone that can safely bring in Ludicolo are the best teammates. Uxie has the bulk and Speed to guarantee Rain as well as SR. With either Yawn + U-turn or Memento, it allows Ludicolo to come in safely. Electrode's amazing base 140 Speed combined with Taunt prevents the opponent from setting up Sweepers or hazards while Electrode sets up Rain Dance and go kamikaze with Explosion. Lanturn is useful for its special bulk and absorbing Electric-type moves before the Rain goes up. It's slow Volt Switch guarantees Ludicolo's entrance into the rainy battlefield unscathed. Lanturn can also provide Heal Bell support should Ludicolo ends up being Scald-burned or paralyzed by T-Wave. Finally, Volbeat makes a particular good Rain inducer, thanks to Prankster getting the Rain up virtually without fail. Encore + Sub Pass also provides clutch moments that offers Ludicolo to not only switch in safely but even a free Sub.
Physical wallbreakers like CB Escavalier or LO Druddigon is nice to punish these special walls; they can shrug off most hits thrown at them by these non-threatening walls and start punching holes. CB Escavalier is particularly note-worthy for its ability to Pursuit bitch-slap them. Bulky SD Gallade can also deal with most of Ludicolo's checks - Drain Punch for Ferroseed and Clefable; Zen Headbutt for Amoonguss; and Leaf Blade for Lanturn and Slowking.
Ludicolo can always be paired with Kabutops, in the hopes of Kabutops overcoming the special walls, but against stall-tastic teams, Kabutops may simply be walled by the opponent's physical defense.
What Counters It: Ferroseed can tank hits from this Ludicolo and T-Wave it. Specially-defensive Amoonguss only takes 48% max from Ice Beam, so it can then Spore or Sludge Bomb it. Defensive Slowking can also tank a super-effective Giga Drain with relative ease and cripple Ludicolo with T-Wave. Thanks to Regenerator, Amoonguss and Slowking can be really hard to wear down just by slugging it with heavy special moves.
A healthy Lanturn can tank a Giga Drain in order to paralyze Ludicolo. Similarly a healthy bulky Gallade can tank a hit and retaliate with Drain Punch / Zen Headbutt. Specially defensive Clefable takes 68% max from Hydro Pump, while it paralyzes Ludicolo or stall out Rain. Lickilicky is a rare sight, but it fares even better, especially if it has Cloud Nine.
Otherwise, 110+ Scarfers like Tauros or powerful priority like Sucker Punch from Spiritomb / Absol or ExtremeSpeed from Entei can put an end to Ludicolo's fiesta time.
Any Additional Info: Rain Dance often replaces one of its Water STAB moves, but I'd much rather have more reliable Rain inducers to set up the Rain and free the moveslot on Ludicolo. Focus Blast is a possible option for Ferroseed and Cloud Nine Lickilicky, but thse are rare threats, and Rain-boosted Hydro Pump does more to Clefable. Substitute may be an option to block priority and status moves.
By Pocket
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Gorebyss @ White Herb or Life Orb
Trait: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
- Surf / Hydro Pump
- Shell Smash
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power [Grass]
Role: Special Sweeper
What it Does: Sporting base 114 SpA and the ability Swift Swim, Gorebyss is a nasty threat in the Rain. What makes it even more terrific is its access to Shell Smash, which patches up its shoddy base 52 Spe (even Scarf Rotom-C can revenge-kill a Gorebyss with only the Rain speed boost). Fortunately, its pure Water-typing and decent physical bulk enables Gorebyss to set up Shell Smash without dying the next turn. With Shell Smash, Gorebyss can continue annihilating the opponent with its mermaid powers even after the storm has passed.
White Herb is preferred for a safer Shell Smash set up, but Life Orb provides enough power to Gorebyss to make Shell Smash less mandatory.
Good Teammates: Rain Summoners @ Damp Stone that can safely bring in Gorebyss are the best teammates. Uxie has the bulk and Speed to guarantee Rain as well as SR. With either Yawn + U-turn or Memento, it allows Gorebyss to come in safely. Electrode's amazing base 140 Speed combined with Taunt prevents the opponent from setting up Sweepers or hazards while Electrode sets up Rain Dance and go kamikaze with Explosion. Lanturn is useful for its special bulk and especially for absorbing Electric-type moves from Scarf revenge killers. It's slow Volt Switch guarantees Gorebyss's entrance into the rainy battlefield unscathed. Finally, Volbeat makes a particular good Rain inducer, thanks to Prankster getting the Rain up virtually without fail. Encore + Sub Pass also provides clutch moments that offers Gorebyss to not only switch in safely but a free opportunity to smash its shells behind a Substitute.
Also offensive physical tanks mentioned in Ludicolo's submission, such as SD Gallade, CB Escavalier, and LO Druddigon still comes in handy to take advantage of the special walls. Kabutops is a powerful Rain Sweeper that can rampage while the special walls are still around.
What Counters It: Gorebyss shares similar counters to Ludicolo. Ferroseed, specially-defensive Amoonguss, and Slowking can tank hits from Gorebyss before Shell Smash. Lanturn is now a safe counter, since Gorebyss lacks STAB Grass-typing of Ludicolo.
Clefable takes an upwards of 80% from LO Hydro Pump, so it's a shaky check. If it's White Herb, then Gorebyss is hitting softer than Ludicolo, so Clefable can check those. Unaware Clefable gets a special mention for ignoring the boost from Shell Smash. Lickilicky, especially those with Cloud Nine, is another solid defensive counter. If bulky SD Gallade is healthy, it can tank an unboosted Water move and retaliate with Leaf Blade.
Due to Gorebyss's abysmal Speed, it's much easier to check Gorebyss in the rain before it Shell Smashes. Scarf Rotom-C or faster scarfers can defeat Gorebyss even in the rain. Priorities from Spiritomb or Entei are less reliable, but can still pick off weakened Gorebyss, especially the LO variants.
By Pocket
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Victreebel @ Life Orb
Trait: Chlorophyll
EVs: 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
- SolarBeam
- Weather Ball
- Sludge Bomb
- Growth
Role: Special Sweeper
What It Does: Nothing sweeps better in Sun than Victreebel. Unlike other special Grass mons, it does not suffer from poor coverage (Lilligant), shaky accuracy (Sceptile), or power (both). STAB Sludge Bomb and the Sun-enhanced Weather Ball provides powerful and reliable coverage moves to plow through all Grass-resists of RU.
In addition to its already high-powered offense is a ridiculously good stat boosting move in Growth; after the double SpA boosts, Victreebel dgaf even Special Walls. It is almost rarely used, however, since Victreebel shines best end-game (although it can easily start its rampage any moment in the game).
Timid is useful to be faster than Scarf Galvantula.
Good Teammates: Reliable Sun summoners with Heat Rock are Victreebel's best friend. Uxie; Prankster Sun summoners, such as Whimsicott and Volbeat; or even offensive mons like Moltres can accomplish this. Prankster Sun summoners are especially helpful, since they have Memento to offer Victreebel a guarantee turn to set up Growth. Heal Wish users, like Lilligant can also come in handy to give Victreebel a round 2 (or 3 >:D)
Victreebel also appreciates having sturdy walls shaken up a bit so it can overpower them when its turn arrives. Such targets include Clefable, Munchlax, Entei, Moltres, and specially-defensive Slowking. Solar Power Charizard and CB Entei can indiscriminately annihilate the opponent's defense. Flame Charge Emboar has the nifty STAB Superpower to eliminate Normal special walls. SR support from Uxie or Regirock also facilitates Victreebel's clean sweep. As for non-Sun abuser partners, Archeops can check opposing Fire-types and render special walls half-dead, while benefiting from the Sun halving Aqua Jet.
What Counters It: Uxie, Clefable and Muchlax can absorb hits from Victreebel best. A healthy Entei can survive a Sludge Bomb and blitz Victreebel. If the opponent was successful in keeping rocks off of their fields, Moltres can also blast Victreebel. Cryogonal cannot switch into Victreebel without risking a KO the following turn, but it can survive a Weather Ball at 75% and revenge-kill Victreebel. Without a Growth boost, Slowking and Lanturn can survive a Giga Drain easily and paralyze or dispatch Victreebel. Druddigon, Nidoqueen, and Bouffalant are offensive answers that can also survive a hit to retaliate.
Strong ExtremeSpeed and Sucker Punch are useful revenge-killing tools. Utilizing your own Prankster Pokemon to change the weather or paralyze Victreebel also works. Scarf Tauros can surprise KO Victreebel. Unburden Hitmonlee with Fake Out can outrun Victreebel after the consumption of Normal Gem and proceed to Blaze Kick the shit out of it.
Any Additional Info: Giga Drain may replace SolarBeam for the sweet sweet recovery to offset LO recoils - however the loss in power is severe. For instance, Lanturn safely tanks a Giga Drain to cripple Victreebel with T-Wave. Power Whip over Growth is another option for a sure-fire OHKO against defensive Slowking (after Rocks) and easy OHKO against Cryogonal. It also 2HKOs specially-defensive Clefable, and it's Victreebel's best bet against Munchlax. Make sure to change Victreebel's nature to Naive if you choose to go mixed.
By Pocket
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Manectric (F) @ Expert Belt
Trait: Lightningrod
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Thunderbolt
- Flamethrower
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Volt Switch
Role: Special Sweeper
What it Does: Manectric is widely regarded as the best Choice Scarf user in RU due to its great 3 move coverage, akin to Zapdos in UU, minus the SR weakness and bulk. However, that same 3 move coverage can be put to good use through the use of an Expert Belt to bluff a Choice Scarf and attempt to sweep a weakened team. Thunderbolt is absolutely necessary to have a reliable STAB to clean up with. Flamethrower roasts Steel and Grass types alive. HP Grass is needed to get at those pesky Ground types who think they can waltz in on an Electric move. Volt Switch allows Manectric to scout switches early on and weaken possible counters before going for a sweep later.
Good Teammates: EBelt Manectric loves 2 things. Wallbreakers and things that draw Electric attacks. Moltres can accomplish both and forces special walls to take heavy damage from its assaults. Archeops is another candidate that can break down walls and draw in Electric attacks. Entry hazards are also helpful. Qwilfish can setup Spikes, check Entei, and draw in Electric attacks all at once. Uxie provides general bulk, SR, an immunity to Ground moves, and a relatively slow U-turn to get Manectric in safely. Kabutops is a good offensive partner as Manectric can easily destroy bulky Grass types like Tangrowth, possibly opening the opposing team up to a Kabutops sweep. Tops also draws in Electric attacks.
What Counters It: Very few defensive mons will counter EBelt Manectric due to the great coverage and power Manectric possesses. However, faster threats are a different story. Aerodactyl, Archeops, Sceptile, and friends all make Manectric wish it had a Choice Scarf. Remember, Manectric will 2HKO most things thanks to the boost from Expert Belt. However, that is also the key. If you can survive one hit from Manectric and hit back, Manectric will likely fall due to its frail defenses. So, think stuff like Cryogonal, Amoonguss, and Magmortar who can take a hit and hit back hard. Clefable and Munchlax are the 2 special walls that Manectric will have no chance to get past unless they're severely weakened first. Also, Druddigon and Lanturn are pretty much hard counters to this set due to thier set of resistances and special bulk respectively.
Any Additional Info: Have fun using Zapdos-esque coverage to tear stuff up!
By EonX-
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Jynx @ Leftovers
Dry Skin / Timid
EVs: 8 HP / 248 SpA / 252 Spe
- Substitute
- Nasty Plot
- Lovely Kiss
- Ice Beam
Role: Special Sweeper
What it does: Jynx is a fantastic Pokemon in this metagame. Dry Skin was a beautiful ability for her, as an immunity to Water really helps in setting up. Jynx has the Water immunity, not to mention Ice and Psychic resistances, which allow her to comfortably set up in the faces of bulky Water-types (especially Slowbro if it lacks Fire Blast). Don't be put off by the fact that she relies only on Ice Beam to damage opponents, as it has excellent neutral coverage in the tier. Furthermore, Jynx can actually OHKO specially defensive Cryogonal when at +6 and after Stealth Rock. Her power really isn't to be underestimated, since Ice Beam cheerfully OHKOs practically all Pokemon weak to it, such as Rhydon and Nidoqueen, without a boost. Jynx's great Speed means that she can also outpace significant offensive threats in the metagame, including Moltres, Lilligant and Nidoqueen, and OHKO them all even without a boost after Stealth Rock (only needed for Moltres). Resists such as Crawdaunt and even Entei face a OHKO after some entry hazard damage and a Nasty Plot boost. The Evs allow Jynx to switch into Stealth Rock five times if it's used on a Rain team, and 4 times if used without weather.
Good Teammates: Jynx really appreciates having either Steelix or Magneton as a partner, as they can remove and counter Klinklang, Escavalier and Cinccino. A Poison-type that can absorb Toxic Spikes is also a really big help, as they really limit Jynx's longevity. Roselia is an excellent choice, as she can also setup hazards for Jynx. Rapid Spinners are always good choices for Pokemon weak to Stealth Rock; Kabutops is an excellent choice and can also switch in on Entei and take it down. Jynx can come in on the Water- and Grass-type moves aimed at Ground-types, while they can come in on the Rock-type moves aimed at Jynx. Rhydon is a fantastic choice as it hard counters Entei and can also lay down Stealth Rock.
What Counters It: This is a bit tricky, as Jynx can simply put her best counter to sleep and use it as setup bait. However, Lovely Kiss can miss, so it's always best to set upa Substitute when Jynx forces a switch before using Lovely Kiss, as not only does it grant Jynx a safety net in case the move misses, but it could also be that the opponent would switch in a Pokemon that's no longer any use in the match and hope to use it as sleep fodder. Behind a Substitute, Jynx can choose what Pokemon to put to sleep. However, once Sleep Clause is active, there are a number of Pokemon that can cause Jynx trouble. Chief among these are the unholy trio of Klinklang, Escavalier and Cinccino. Klinklang resists Ice Beam, and can set up on Jynx, knowing that Gear Grind will both break the Substitute Jynx is hiding behind and KO on the consecutive hit. Escavalier has plenty of bulk to withstand Ice Beam, not to mention the fact that it resists it, and can OHKO Jynx with any of its moves. Cinccino can't switch in, but it is an excellent way to make sure that Jynx doesn't run through your entire team, thanks to its multi-hit moves that can all KO Jynx. Then there's a number of Pokeon that can outrun and OHKO Jynx if it's not behind a Substitute, such as Scolipede, Scyther, Accelgor, Manectric, Entei, and others. Magneton and Steelix are excellent answers to most of these, as is having Stealth Rock on the field, as loads of these Pokemon are weak to Rock
Any Additional Info: There's a reason Jynx was banned from NU :) Not to mention it has an analysis for every tier it's allowed in...
By Cherub Agent
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Rotom @ Life Orb
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Substitute
- Thunderbolt
- Shadow Ball
- Pain Split
Role: Special Sweeper
What it Does: An old favorite of mine that seems to have been forgotten, subsplit rotom is a potent threat in the RU tier. With a combination of its high speed, good special attack, near perfect coverage, and excellent electric/ghost typing, Rotom forces more than enough switches to get up a substitute against most teams. From there Rotom can either attack with its STAB moves, or use pain split to recover the HP lost from the substitute, while also possibly bringing the opponent into KO range of one of Rotom's attacks. Rotom is also *okay* at spinblocking, it has the potential to beat lol sandslash, but struggles against +2 kabutops and cryogonal, though. Thankfully rotom has the potential to OHKO kabutops if it comes in safely. Rotom can also do other cool things like substitute as spiritomb comes in, and put it in a lose/lose situation. If it shadow sneaks, it takes 60%+ from tbolt and rotom gets away, if it uses pursuit, rotom beats spiritomb and keeps on sweeping.
Good Teammates: Rotom has troubles with fast pursuit users such as drapion, so pokemon to take advantage of these pokemon are advised. Klinklang, Escavalier and Aggron can switch in on a pursuit locked spiritomb or drapion, and either set up, or KO something on the opposing team with head smash/megahorn. A pokemon to remove Steelix and ferroseed from the match is also a good idea, as they are often an annoyance to Rotom. Gallade and Moltres are excellent choices for this role, both can hit the two with a super effective STAB, and in ferroseed's case, set up on it. rotom also enjoys entry hazards support, as even stealth rock and 1 layer of spikes can push many pokemon into KO range for one of rotom's attacks. Rotom is also a ghost-type, meaning it can spinblock all the shitty spinners no matter what (sandslash, sandslash, sandslash, and sandslash, stop using sandslash please, its shit lol).
What Counters It: Rotom isnt easy to straight up counter due to its typing and excellent STABs, but there are many pokemon that can do the job. Drapion can come in on rotom, and take even a thunderbolt with some investment, then it can outspeed the lightning ball and trap it with pursuit, spiritomb does the same, but with intelligent use of substitute, rotom can get past it. Cryogonal completely walls rotom, taking all of its attacks, recovering off all the damage, and eventually KOing it with ice beam. Steelix and ferroseed have the potential to completely wall rotom, but they struggle to damage it and return, and dont have reliable recovery. Sawsbuck resists thunderbolt and doesnt care about shadow ball, and can outspeed rotom and KO it with horn leech. If Rotom isnt behind a substitute, anything that can take an attack from it and KO back can be called a check, examples include lilligant, sceptile and Nidoqueen.
By Molk
Spiritomb (F) @ Choice Band / BlackGlasses
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Sucker Punch
- Shadow Sneak
- Pursuit
- Trick / Return / Will-O-Wisp
Role: Revenge Killer / Spinblocker
What it does: Spiritomb is the bane of pretty much every Psychic- and Ghost-type in the RU Tier. STAB Pursuit decimates any Psychic- or Ghost-type that tries to flee, pretty much allowing Spiritomb to net at least one kill every game. It also destroys Cryogonal, thus allowing entry hazards to thrive and making it much harder for the opponent to win, especially if they are using stall. Shadow Sneak and Sucker Punch allow Spiritomb to revenge kill faster Pokemon; Sucker Punch hits very hard after STAB and Choice Band / Blackglasses. With Trick, it can cripple walls, such as Tangrowth, while with BlackGlasses and Will-O-Wisp, Spiritomb can cripple any physical attacker that tries to set up on it thinking it's locked into one of its STAB moves. It is also one of the best spinblockers in the tier, and can take down enemy spinners as well, such as the aforementioned Cryogonal.
Good teammates: Anything that appreciates the removal of Psychic-types and/or Ghost-types are good partners for Spiritomb. Fighting-types, such as Gallade, are good examples of this. Rapid Spinners also make good partners, as Spiritomb has an easy time destroying the opponent's Ghost-types, thus making it easier for the user to spin. Entry hazard Pokemon are also appreciated, as Spiritomb can spinblock the opponent and kill some of them, such as Cryogonal.
What Counters It: Steel-types can be problematic, especially Pokemon such as Klinklang. Ferroseed can set up hazards on it, and stuff like Absol can boost on Spiritomb. However, it will have usually have fulfilled its role by then, wiping out the Psychic- and Ghost-types on the opposing team.
By ShakeItUp
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Rotom-C @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Volt Switch
- Leaf Storm
- Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Fire
- Trick / Thunderbolt
Role: Revenge Killer
What it Does: Rotom-C is the best Choice Scarf user in the tier. It can outrun almost all of the metagame with a Choice Scarf equipped, and gain momentum using Volt Switch, which also doubles as its STAB move. Leaf Storm hits very hard, and can easily knock out anything that is weak to Grass, and also deal hefty damage to anything that it hits neutrally. Hidden Power Fire can knock out the Grass- and Steel-types that resist Leaf Storm, such as Escavalier and Ferroseed; Hidden Power Ice also hits Grass-types, but hits Dragon-types, such as Druddigon, instead of Steel-types. Rotom-C can also use Trick in order to greatly cripple walls, which is another trait that makes it the best revenge killer in the tier.
Good Teammates: Rapid Spinners, such as Kabutops, can be good partners for this set, as Rotom-C is much more effective when it doesn't have to worry about Stealth Rock every time it switches in. Entry hazard support from Pokemon such as Smeargle can also be helpful, as Rotom-C forces a lot of switches. Pokemon such as Klinklang that can set up on common switches to Rotom-C, such as Cryogonal and Ferroseed, are also appreciated.
What Counters It: Special walls can take any hits that Rotom-C tries to dish out against them, but they must be wary of Trick. Druddigon can take almost any hit Rotom-C tries to hit it with, and isn't too bothered by Trick; however, it must be wary of Hidden Power Ice. Stealth Rock can also cripple Rotom-C, as it will be switching in and out and Stealth Rock limits its ability to do so.
By ShakeItUp
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Emboar (F) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Blaze
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Flare Blitz
- Wild Charge
- Superpower
- Earthquake / Head Smash
Role: Revenge Killer / Physical Sweeper
What it Does: Despite being in the depths of the NU tier, Emboar has a very important perk over the Fire types of RU in that it is neutral to SR. Although it may seem silly to slap a Choice Scarf on something as slow as Emboar, the Speed boost is just what Emboar needs to compete effectively in RU. With a Choice Scarf, Emboar is able to outspeed everything up to, and including, Sceptile. Flare Blitz turns Emboar into a battering ram. Without a resist, most offensive Pokemon will vaporize into ashes. Superpower will make most resists to Flare Blitz cry and the stat drops aren't that important as Emboar will rarely be staying in for more than a turn. Wild Charge lets Emboar effectively revenge kill the likes of Archeops and Moltres despite being weak to their STAB moves. Finally, Earthquake is used in the last slot. Although it gets redundant coverage with Emboar's other moves, there are 2 major targets it will catch: Nidoqueen and Entei. It also gives Emboar a move to use that has no drawbacks with recoil or stat dropping.
Good Teammates: Emboar's common weaknesses let it down a lot, so have Pokemon that can cover these weaknesses. Uxie can provide SR, switch into Ground and Psychic attacks, and provide a slow U-turn to get Emboar in safely on. Spinners such as Kabutops and Cryogonal aren't exactly necessary for this set to function, but it is very helpful since Emboar will switch in and out a lot. Slowking is also a good partner as it can come in on Water and Psychic attacks aimed at Emboar and either spread burns with Scald or break down walls with a Specs set to set the stage for Emboar later. Spikes support is helpful to limit the recoil damage from Flare Blitz. Accelgor, Smeargle, and Scolipede are all good for offensive teams. Finally, Grass types such as Rotom-C, Sceptile, and Lilligant can switch into the Water types that are bound to come in on Emboar and possibly setup their own sweep. Swellow is a great offensive partner as Emboar will have few problems getting rid of the Rock and Steel types that hold Swellow back. With them gone, few things will stop a game-ending sweep by Swellow.
What Counters It: Qwilfish and Alomomola are the big 2 counters to this set. Both have abilities that even thwart prediction with Wild Charge. Intimidate for the former will cut the damage Wild Charge causes while the latter has Regenerator to basically act as a scout and switch back into a resist should Emboar use Wild Charge. Slowking is also difficult for this set to get past thanks to Regenerator and resistances to both of Emboar's STAB moves. Outside of these Water types, it will often take a combination of Pokemon to actually counter Emboar. A Ghost type paired with a Fire type like Entei will ensure that Emboar will never have a chance to freely use a single STAB without fear. Checking Emboar is much easier though. Moltres can literally come in on 3 of Emboar's 4 moves, but that 4th move will take it down without question thanks to the Speed boost from Scarf. Nidoqueen is immune to Wild Charge and resists SuperPower, but it won't like Flare Blitz one bit and EQ is sure to take it out.
Any Additional Info: Choice Scarf Emboar is underrated, but it's very effective and viable for the advantages it has over its fellow Fire types (mainly neutrality to SR, great secondary typing, and ability to run Scarf without getting owned by SR).
By EonX-
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Rotom @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Volt Switch
- Shadow Ball
- Trick
- Hidden Power [Ice] / Thunderbolt
Role: Revenge Killer
What it does: Scarf Rotom outruns the majority of the tier, and can revenge kill many threats with it's combination of Electric- and Ghost-type STAB moves. Vot Switch is what makes Rotom a truly excellent Scarfer, allowing its user to gain momentum if the opponent switches. Trick can cripple walls, such as Clefable and Ferroseed, that try to come in to wall Rotom. Rotom can also spinblock against Pokemon such as Sandslash, and can utilize its Ground- and Fighting-type immunities very well.
Good teammates: Entry hazard support is beneficial, since Rotom can force the opponent to switch around utilizing Volt Switch. Rapid Spin support is also helpful, as it makes sure that Rotom can come in as many times as possible. Rotom can be a good teammate for teams that allow for set-up opportunities, as it can revenge kill many boosting threats in the RU tier.
What Counters It: Rotom is hard countered by Pokemon such as Clefable, Lanturn, and Ferroseed (outside of Trick), and being choice-locked means that it is easy fodder for Spiritomb. Ground-types, especially Nidoqueen, can also put Rotom in a bad position, leaving it choice-locked into Volt switch and forcing the user to switch.
By ShakeItUp
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Ditto @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Imposter
EVs: 252 Hp / 252 Def / 4 SDef
IVs: 30 Atk / 30 Def
Relaxed Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Transform
-
-
-
Role: Revenge Killer / Scout
What it Does: Ditto recieved a godsend of an ability in BW2, imposter. This ability lets Ditto automatically transform into its opponent as it comes in, copying every aspect of the opposing pokemon, stats, nature, boosts and drops, everything! This ability changes Ditto from an lolworthy gimmick to one of the most potent revenge killers and scouts in the RU tier. Using a choice scarf, Ditto will always outspeed his opponent, no matter what. This just makes Ditto's job as a revenge killer easier, and if the opponent tries to boost their speed to escape ditto's wrath, they only make it worse! Ditto copies all of the opposing pokemon's stat boosts as well, meaning that a crawdaunt or fraxure spamming Dragon Dance is in for a rude awakening when ditto comes in. Also, not just does ditto copy boosts, but it also copies the opposing pokemons exact set as well, making it an excellent scout. Knowing exactly what set the opponent is using can be difference between life and death in a lot of matches, and ditto can give you that information. Ditto can also take advantage of the opponents ability to boost itself, for example, ditto can come in on a Manectric thats using volt switch, copy lightningrod, block volt switch, and force manectric out! Ditto can also come in on pokemon like slowking, tangrowth, or amoonguss and then immediately switch out again, getting a third of its hp back in the process. Ditto can even come in on a stall team's cryogonal and use its own rapid spin to rid the battlefield of hazards. Contrary to popular belief Even if the opponent does not have any boosting sweepers, Ditto can still perform its job as a revenge killer against any offensive team. Most pokemon on offensive teams can check and counter themselves, making Ditto a useful weapon.
Good Teammates: Ditto is difficult to think of teammates for thanks to the fact that its always changing into a different pokemon, but there are a few pokemon that can make Ditto's job easier. As a Scout and choice scarf user, ditto will be switching in and out a LOT, making a rapid spinner a great option for a teammate. Kabutops and Cryogonal are both good spinners, and can pull of the job with ease most of the time, just never use sandslash. Ditto functions well on fast, offensive teams that might have trouble with boosting sweepers, most offensive teams carry priority of some form these days, but Ditto's role as a catch all revenge kill and soft check to many pokemon in the tier simply cannot be ignored. Ditto also pairs well with pokemon that attract set up sweepers thanks to its ability to pull a countersweep. Very few competent players will set up something like dragon dance when ditto is around, making something like Ferroseed's job easier. Thanks to the fact that Ditto's choice scarf locks it into one move with no boost like a life orb or a choice band, Ditto might have trouble breaking through defensive cores even with a boost, this makes wallbreakers such as nidoqueen and Escavalier great teammates, they can just charge through the walls ditto has trouble with, and then ditto can transform into the opponents sweeper or attacker and clean up late game.
What Counters It: Ditto technically cannot be countered due to the nature of its ability, it is constantly changing its shape depending on what you have in at the moment, but its not like Ditto is some unstoppable monster that will wreck your team simply because it lacks counters in the traditional sense! The move substitute prevents imposter from activating, thus making Ditto completely unable to revenge kill an opponent with it set up, Ditto also has problems with bulky calm mind and bulk up users, they boost their own defenses to match their boosted offenses, making it much harder for ditto to revenge kill them. Another way to counter ditto is to simply not set up if you can help it, setting up things like swords dance, dragon dance, and shift gear only make the little blob more dangerous. If all else fails, just make sure that you still have a check to the pokemon ditto is transforming into alive, make sure your not incredibly weak to one of your own pokemon, and just play carefully, you should be able to work around ditto if you predict well enough.
By Molk
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Manectric (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Lightningrod
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Volt Switch
- Overheat
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Switcheroo
Role: Revenge Killer / Scarfer
What it Does: Plainly and simply, Choice Scarf Manectric is a "panic button" for offensive teams. Manectric outruns every boosting threat in RU with a Choice Scarf and will likely have a move to destroy them with. Volt Switch is what makes Manectric so difficult to handle. With it, Manectric is difficult to counter directly since it just comes in and then goes out about as quickly as it came in. Think of it as a special version of Scarf Genesect up in OU. Overheat is preferred over Flamethrower on this set. Unlike the EBelt set which aims to stay in over a long period of time at a point, this set is just used to revenge kill big threats and then retreat. That being said, the immediate power of Overheat is almost mandatory to break through the likes of QD Lilligant. HP Grass gives Ground types something to think about before they switch-in. Finally, we have the move that makes Manectric such a major dual threat as a Choice Scarf user. Switcheroo adds another dimension to Manectric. Commonly, you want to wall the attack that's most likely to come from a Scarfer. However, there is no wall that appreciates taking a Switcheroo. Common walls such as Lanturn, Roselia, Amoonguss, and Cryogonal will despise being handed a Choice Scarf.
Good Teammates: Rapid Spin support is really nice as Manectric wants to switch in and out a lot. Kabutops can draw in Electric attacks while Cryogonal is immune to Ground types. Otherwise, you should think of what Manectric provides more than you should think of what you need to provide it. Offensive partners such as Moltres, Archeops, and Kabutops appreciate having insurance against faster threats such as Sceptile. All 3 can draw in Electric attacks as well.
What Counters It: Lanturn is public enemy #1. It isn't 2HKOed by any of Manectric's moves and is barely 3HKOed by HP Grass (it becomes a 4HKO if Lanturn should run the minimum amount of special bulk needed to always avoid a 2HKO from Moltres's HP Grass) It won't like Switcheroo, but it can at least make some use of it with Volt Switch. Otherwise, standard special walls will prevent Manectric from revenge killing threats reliably. Clefable and Munchlax are the big 2, though you shouldn't see the latter much. Strong Fighting types like Gallade are more than willing to bash their heads in and appreciate Manectric's ability to remove faster threats, especially Moltres.
Any Additional Info: Use Flamethrower only if you find yourself using Switcheroo early and often. Otherwise, let your offensive team enjoy the insurance Choice Scarf Manectric provides against faster threats.
By EonX-
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Braviary (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- U-turn
- Return
- Superpower
- Brave Bird
Role: Physical Sweeper, Late-game Cleaner, Revenge Killer
What it does: Braviary is perhaps one of the best Choice Scarf pokemon in RU. U-turn in conjunction with 123 Base Attack allow you to do a fair amount of damage while still scouting switch ins. With 2 100+ bp STAB attacks, Braviary is also an incredible late game cleaner, 2HKOing the omnipresent Tangrowth / Slowking core with Brave Bird, or playing it safe against offensive teams with a non recoil Return. Superpower, although situational, gives Braviary flawless coverage and allows it to hit Steel-type switch ins like Aggron or Steelix.
Good Teammates: Braviary faces violent opposition from a good deal of Rock and Steel-type pokemon, like Steelix and Rhydon. The beautiful thing about all of Braviary's counters, though, is that they are grounded. Spikes Roselia can set up hazards to wear down Steelix and Rhydon, as well as scaring Rhydon out with the threat of Giga Drain. Braviary should be used in conjunction with a powerful set up sweeper capable of taking out bulky Rock and Steel-types, like Crawdaunt or potentially Feraligatr. While not completely necessary, a Rapid Spinner will alleviate Braviary's Stealth Rock weakness.
What counters it: As mentioned previously: Rhydon, Steelix, Omastar, bulky Rock/Steel-types, etc.
Any Additional Info: When in doubt, U-turn out~
By august
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Accelgor (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Sticky Hold
EVs: 252 Spa / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid / Modest Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Bug Buzz
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power Rock / Hidden Power Water
- Giga Drain / Spikes / Recover
Role: Revenge Killer
What It Does: Despite its fraility, Accelgor can use its impressive speed stat (even outspeeding scarf base 80s with timid), Above average special attack, and good coverage to be a very threatening Special Sweeper. Bug Buzz is Accelgor's main STAB attack, and will hit most opponents that dont resist the move hard, it also gets a super effective hit on the likes of Uxie, Slowking, and Sceptile, all of which are big threats in the RU tier, among others. Focus Blast gives Accelgor secondary coverage to hit Pokemon such as Steelix, Aggron, and Ferroseed for super effective damage. It also gets a solid hit on cryogonal, possibly pushing it into the KO range for Bug Buzz. Accelgor can use two hidden powers effectively, Rock and Water. Rock is generally the preferred option for the OHKO on moltres, but water is also an option to still hit fires such as Moltres and Entei, and also be able to dent Nidoqueen, who is a thorn in Accelgor's side otherwise. Accelgor has many moves it can use in the last moveslot, but im only covering 3 of them so this doesnt get overly long. Giga Drain can net Accelgor some extra hp, while also OHKOing quagsire, hitting lanturn harder than any other move, and killing omastar/kabutops. Spikes is also an option if you think you can pull it off, when accelgor is backed into a corner and can no longer do much for your team, he can set up a layer of spikes to help your teammates, with smart switching and rapid spin support, accelgor can set spikes on forced switches to clear the way for a late game sweep of its own. lastly, recover is useful for restoring hazard damage on forced switches, but accelgor's fraility makes it unreliable.
Good Teammates: Above all things, Accelgor hates entry hazards more than anything else in the world, it hates entry hazards even more than Escavalier hates your pet Stoutland after its eaten something spicy. Therefore, Rapid Spin is one of the best ways to support it. Kabutops and Cryogonal are both good teammates in this scenario. Kabutops can easily beat any entei as long as it doesnt get hit by a hidden power grass, who is one of Accelgor's worst nightmares. Cryogonal takes on most of the other ghost types in the tier, both can revenge kill nidoqueen in a pinch, another problem for Accelgor. While entry hazards are Accelgor's worst enemy, they are also his best friend at times, Accelgor can pick up a ton of 2hkos and OHKOs with some entry hazards up, easing its sweep late game. Pineco, Smeargle, Steelix, Crustle, and Omastar are all great options for setting entry hazards for Accelgor, Omastar also checks entei for him, making him a great teammate. Spiritomb can spinblock hazards that either accelgor or one of its teammates set, making it an optimal partner. a Bulky Psychic-type such as Uxie is also a good teammate to take on nidoqueen, even with hidden power water a full health nidoqueen will force Accelgor out at least once, so something to fall back on is nice.
What Counters It: Despite its late game potential, Accelgor has quite a few problems early on in the match. For one thing, Nidoqueen is a big threat to accelgor, she can switch in on any of its moves except the rare hp water, and can OHKO it with Fire Blast or Sludge Wave, respectively. Entei is also annoying, as it resists bug buzz, is bulky enough to take coverage, and can stop its sweep with an extremespeed. As mentioned before, Accelgor hates entry hazards, and multiple layers will wear it down quickly. Most priority will also give Accelgor problems, otherwise, accelgor is very hard to revenge kill.
Any Additional Info: Ninja Bugs 2 Gud
By Molk
Slowking (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SAtk
Quiet Nature (+SAtk, -Spd)
IVs: 0 Speed
- Trick Room
- Surf
- Psyshock
- Fire Blast / Nasty Plot
Role: Bulky Attacker / Tank
What it Does: Slowking is a highly effective Trick Room Pokemon, being ridiculously slow and being able to tear through offensive teams under Trick Room. It can also take hits well, as it a hard counter to a lot of the Fighting-types in the tier. Slowking will have a plethora of opportunities to set up Trick Room, which means that even if goes down to something like Spiritomb, its teammates can clean up. Surf, Psyshock, and Fire Blast provide perfect coverage, being able to tear through a large part of the tier. Ice Beam is an option over Fire Blast to nail Druddigon, but Fire Blast is much better most of the time due to its massive power. Regenerator also helps Slowking be one of the best Trick Room setters out there, as it means it does not truly need a recovery move to be effective.
Good Teammates: Pokemon such as Druddigon and Escavalier that can decimate the opposition under a Trick Room are key partners for this set. Pokemon that can take advantage of Spiritomb can also be helpful, as it will switch into Slowking often. Other Trick Room setters, such as Mesprit, can also be very helpful, as they can take the pressure off of Slowking since it won't be the only Trick Room setter on one's team. Something to take out bulky Special Walls, such as enemy Slowking, is also appreciated, meaning Pokemon like Spiritomb can be great partners.
What Counters It: Bulky Special walls are major problems for this set. Pokemon such as Clefable and enemy Slowking wall this set to hell and back. Also, Spiritomb can trap and KO this Slowking easily. Escavalier can also be a problem, as it is slower than Slowking and can OHKO it with Megahorn under Trick Room. Druddigon can also be a problem, especially since it can live Ice Beam even if Slowking is carrying it.
By ShakeItUp
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Mesprit @ Leftovers / Life Orb
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SAtk
IVs: 0 Spd
Quiet Nature (+SAtk, -Spd)
- Trick Room
- Psychic
- Thunderbolt
- Healing Wish / Ice Beam
Role: Bulky Attacker / Tank
What it Does: Mesprit makes for a solid Trick Room sweeper and / or supporter. Its unique access to both Trick Room and Healing Wish makes it a unique user of Trick Room. With Trick Room, a negative Speed nature, and 0 Speed IVs, Mesprit can attempt to fix its Speed issues when typically attempting to sweep. Psychic and Thunderbolt get the best general coverage in the tier and leaves the 4th move up to whether you want to use Mesprit for a little more support or if you want it to beat as many threats as possible. Healing Wish is preferred as it takes advantage of the unique qualities Mesprit brings to a Trick Room team. Upon using Healing Wish (after TR late-game ideally) Mesprit will sacrifice itself and bring in a teammate, fully restoring its status and HP. This is huge as that could be all that a TR sweeper needs to finish what it started earlier in the match. Should you not want Healing Wish, Ice Beam gives Mesprit BoltBeam coverage alongside Psychic and gives Mesprit the best chance to sweep on its own. Leftovers should be used with Healing Wish while Life Orb is preferred when using Ice Beam.
Good Teammates: Almost any typical Trick Room sweeper will appreciate Mesprit as a teammate. Druddigon, Escavalier, Aggron, and Marowak are all solid choices. Most teams are unable to handle one of these threats for 2 full rounds of Trick Room and Healing Wish will provide just that, a 2nd round of dealing with a single threat that has likely weakened its checks or counters from previous encounters. Other Trick Room setters such as Slowking and Exeggutor make for fine teammates as well, lessening the pressure on Mesprit to continually supply its team with Trick Room. Should Mesprit use Ice Beam over Healing Wish, entry hazard support is nice to turn some 3HKOs into 2HKOs. Aggron and Druddigon can both do this early on before Mesprit sets up Trick Room.
What Counters It: The 4th moveslot will really end up determining this as it determines what Mesprit sets out to do late-game. Steelix will wall Mesprit to hell and back should it lack Ice Beam. Ferroseed is in the same boat as Steelix as neither care about Psychic or Thunderbolt and both will actually outspeed most things in Trick Room due to their naturally pathetic Speed. Spiritomb spells bad news for Mesprit as the pixie is incappable of OHKOing it while Sucker Punch, Pursuit, and Shadow Sneak are all capable of giving Mesprit problems. Priority users such as Entei and Kabutops can keep Mesprit from successfully using Healing Wish late-game when its low on HP, however the latter has to be careful of Thunderbolt. The problem with countering Mesprit, especially when it's low on HP, is the fact it has Healing Wish. It basically provides a U-turn that heals whatever comes in, so stopping it from using Healing Wish should be your first priority on most occasions. Taunt users would be your first thought, but Drapion is the only safe one as Aerodactyl is ravaged by Thunderbolt and Qwilfish has no business coming in on Mesprit in the first place.
Any Additional Info: Do note that Healing Wish can be used over Thunderbolt as well. However, without Thunderbolt, Mesprit is walled by Steel types, but more importantly, it has no way to instantly take out Moltres without Thunderbolt.
By EonX-
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Druddigon @ Life Orb
Trait: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SpA)
- Outrage
- Fire Punch
- Sucker Punch
- Earthquake / ThunderPunch
Role: Tank
What it Does: Druddigon is the premier Dragon-type of RU. Unlike pre-evo dragons like Fraxure and Dragonair, it has both bulk and power. Combine dragon's virtually unresisted offense with the useful water, fire, and grass resistances of a Dragon-type, Druddigon proves to be a very practical mon on a team.
This particular set is meant to be a pivot for offensive teams that can soften up the opponent's team for fellow sweepers; giving this monster easy switch-ins would cost the opponent dearly. Even more, Druddigon makes a fantastic TR Sweeper, hitting incredibly hard and fast while stomaching hits when necessary. Unlike Escavalier, a well-known TR beneficiary, Druddigon can plow through even Steel-types with a Sheer Force-boosted Fire Punch. For reference, even the most physically defensive Steelix would crumble in two blows. Sucker Punch equips Druddigon with a powerful priority to revenge frailer but faster Sweepers. The final slot is rather flexible. Earthquake provides the best coverage, as it readily OHKO the occasional Aggron; the move also allows Druddigon to finish off Fire-, Electric-, Rock-types, and Nidoqueen without resorting to Outrage. Same story for ThunderPunch, except now it's for Water- and Flying-types, such as Feraligatr, Slowking, Moltres, and Aerodactyl. The lack of LO recoil is also another one up for ThunderPunch.
Good Teammates: Druddigon is more of a team player, so it is the one that usually help fill the holes in the team's weakness. A team that requires a solid wallbreaker that can also check some dangerous threats like Lilligant, Feraligatr, and Entei would appreciate its presence. Druddigon would also pair effectively with physical sweepers in needing help in weakening the opponent's physical defense, such as Crawdaunt or Klinklang.
Residual damage adds up, however, so either Wish or Healing Wish support may be optimal. Status conditions are also the bane of Druddigon, so a Heal Beller like Lanturn comes in handy. Lanturn can also provide some nifty paralysis support, as well as luring and Volt-switching out of Grass-types that Druddigon can chow down on.
A Trick Room setter, would provide amazing offensive support to allow Druddigon to plow through teams. Uxie and Mesprit are effective for this, and they also come in handy to check Nidoqueen that can bother Druddigon with her bulk and immense special powers. Mesprit even has Healing Wish to recover Druddigon for another round!
What Counters It: Nothing outright counters it, since it virtually O-2HKOs the metagame. The best way to counter Druddigon is to bait it to Outrage with mons like Gallade, and bring in your Steel-type. Steelix can shrug off Outrages and proceed to weaken Druddigon with Toxic and Earthquake. Escavalier lethally retaliates with a CB Megahorn. If you don't have a Steel-type, you can sac the least useful member and revenge-kill it with the likes of Cryogonal.
Uxie and Rhydon are probably the most reliable non-steel switch-ins to Druddigon. Uxie can tank a hit from Druddigon and paralyze or Psychic it. Rhydon weakens Druddigon with a powerful STAB Earthquake. Faster power hitters, such as Nidoqueen and Moltres can finish it off.
By Pocket
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Bouffalant (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Sap Sipper
EVs: 132 HP / 252 Atk / 124 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Return
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge / Megahorn
- Substitute
Role: Bulky Attacker / Tank
What It Does: With many abusers of Sleep Powder and Spore in the tier, Sap Sipper Pokemon are a common way players use to prevent another Pokemon from being put out of commission for the rest of the match. Bouffalant is one of the most common Sap Sipper Pokemon (the other being Sawsbuck) and it has all the right stats for a bulky attacker set. Substitute is pretty easy to get up since Bouffalant will often find itself coming in on the likes of Lilligant and defensive Tangrowth, 2 common threats that want nothing to do with a +1 Bouffalant. Return is chosen as the STAB move over Head Charge as the recoil caused by the latter is often suicidal when combined with Substitute. Earthquake is mandatory to hit Steel types, Steelix in particular as the silver snake would just laugh at this set otherwise. The last move is slightly dependent on what the rest of the team has an easier time switching into. Stone Edge smashes levitating Ghosts types such as Rotom and will get a heavy hit on Aerodactyl and Archeops as well. However, Megahorn can be used to break through bulky Ghost and Psychic type Pokemon such as Uxie and Tangrowth. The given Speed EVs let Bouffalant outspeed uninvested base 70 Speed Pokemon. This seems pointless until one sees that Poliwrath is in this speed tier, thus always allowing Bouffalant to hit it hard should it be weakened mid or late game.
Good Teammates: Nidoqueen is one of the best out there. Not only does she take Fighting type moves relatively well, but she also happens to break down physical walls that could stand in Bouffalant's way. Bulky Water types are also a worthy investment as they tend to lure out Grass types. Lanturn and Slowking are the best two. The former is especially useful when using Megahorn over Stone Edge as it fully stops Moltres. Slowking provides better synergy by resisting Fighting type moves. Both can spread paralysis effectively as well. Entry hazard users such as Uxie, Qwilfish, and Smeargle can all setup SR and Spikes that punishes the switches Bouffalant is sure to cause when it breaks out Sub.
What Counters It: Poliwrath is a solid answer as it doesn't take massive damage from any of Bouffalant's moves and can eventually phaze it out with Circle Throw. Bulkier variants of Gallade can take a hit on the switch and hit back hard with Drain Punch, but more offensive variants will have issues switching in. Sceptile is one of the few Grass types that actually beat Bouffalant 1-on-1 thanks to Drain Punch and Focus Blast on its respective sets. Bulky Ghost types such as bulky Rotom can usually handle Bouffalant. If all else fails, revenge killing with powerful attackers such as Nidoqueen, Moltres, and Entei can do the trick as all 3 can take down a Bouffalant that's taken residual damage from hazards or making Subs.
Any Additional Info: You can bump all the way up to 216 Speed EVs if outrunning Aggron is necessary. Head Charge is still a usable move if only for the pure power it possesses. However, Substitute already drains health from Bouffalant and Return will have sufficient power in most cases.
By EonX-
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Rhydon (M) @ Eviolite
Trait: Rock Head
EVs: 88 HP / 252 Atk / 84 SDef / 84 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Rock Blast
- Megahorn
Role: Bulky Attacker / Tank
What it Does: Rhydon is ridiculously bulky on the physical side, meaning it can take almost any physical attack without much effort. Rhydon reaches an extremely high Attack stat of 394 with Max Attack and an Adamant nature, allowing it to easily take down most physical attackers. Rhydon is even better in the current metagame due to the popularity of SubRoost Moltres, which this set eats alive with a resistance to both Hurricane and Fire Blast, as well as being able to hit through the sub with Rock Blast. Rhydon can even take attacks such as Hidden Power Grass from Entei, allowing it to be a solid Entei switch-in. Fighting-types are also becoming less common in the metagame, meaning Rhydon has less to worry about. Rhydon can also destroy most leads in the metagame, with the exception of Smeargle.
Good Teammates: Pokemon that can take Grass-type attacks are very good partners. Roselia is a very good partner, for example, as it can counter Sceptile easily. Roselia can also handle the Water-types that give Rhydon trouble. Bouffalant can also be a good partner due to sap Sipper, although Sceptile can eat it alive with Focus Blast. Rapid Spin and Wish support can also be very helpful, as Rhydon has no access to reliable recovery. A Pokemon that can take on Smeargle, such as Lum Berry Kabutops, is also a good partner.
What Counters It: Grass- and Water-types are major problems for Rhydon. Pokemon like Lilligant, Sceptile, and Omastar all can destroy Rhydon easily; however, all must be careful when switching in, as Grass-types can be decimated by Megahorn while Omastar can be easily killed by Earthquake. Tangrowth is also a good answer for Rhydon, though must be wary of Megahorn. Smeargle is a solid lead against teams with Rhydon, as it can put rhydon to sleep and proceed to set up entry hazards, stopping Rhydon's user from getting Stealth Rock up in the process. Entry hazards are also a good way to take down Rhydon, as it does not have any recovery.
By ShakeItUp
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Aggron (M) @ Choice Band
Trait: Rock Head
EVs: 116 HP / 252 Atk / 140 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Head Smash
- Heavy Slam
- Earthquake
- Fire Punch
Role: Bulky Attacker / Tank
What it does: Aggron OHKOs almost the entirety of the RU tier with a Choice Band equipped. CB Head Smash hits ridiculously hard, allowing Aggron to knock out almost anything its path. Heavy Slam is also extremely powerful, especially since Aggron weighs more than most other Pokemon. Earthquake allows Aggron to deal massive damage to Steelix, rendering it incapable of tanking Aggron's Head Smashes later on. Fire Punch is mainly just a filler, but can get an easy OHKO against Ferroseed. Aggron is almost impossible to switch into, and this makes it a truly scary behemoth.
Good teammates: Trick Room support from Pokemon such as Uxie and Slowking is greatly appreciated, as this will allow Aggron to outrun almost the entire RU tier and OHKO almost all of it. If used on a Trick Room team, a Brave Nature should be used, with 0 Speed IVs and 0 Speed EVs. Entry hazard support can also be helpful, as it weakens Pokemon such as Steelix so that it becomes even more difficult to switch into Head Smash.
What Counters It: Countering this Aggron is almost impossible. Steelix can tank most of the moves on this set, but must be wary of Earthquake since it lacks a reliable recovery move. Under Trick Room, one's best bet at stopping Aggron is to either underspeed it with a Pokemon such as Slowking or attempt to stall out Trick Room with something like Protect. Outside of Trick Room, once Aggron kills a Pokemon, its low Speed and wide variety of weaknesses means it can be revenge killed easily by Pokemon such as Sceptile, Tauros, Archeops, and Gallade.
By ShakeItUp
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Gurdurr (M) @ Eviolite
Trait: Guts
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Drain Punch
- Mach Punch
- Bulk Up
- Ice Punch
Role: Bulky Attacker
What it does: Gurdurr can do some major damage to the RU metagame with a Bulk Up set. With Eviolite, Gurdurr has solid bulk that is only heightened by Bulk Up. It also hits very hard, especially after a boost, and can revenge kill faster threats with Mach Punch. The thing that makes Gurdurr really good is its ability, Guts, which allows it to benefit from any status thrown on it, which allows it to set up on Pokemon such as Defensive Slowking without worrying about a Scald Burn. Ice Punch allows Gurdurr to defeat Nidoqueen, making it even better.
Good Teammates: Entry hazard support from Pokemon such as Smearge is very helpful, as it allows Gurdurr to be more threatening since hazards will have weakened the opposing team severely. Spiritomb is a very good partner, as it can trap the Ghost- and Psychic-types that plague this set; something like Spiritomb is essentially a must. With these threats gone, Gurdurr becomes much more of a force to be reckoned with.
What counters it: Psychic- and Ghost-types plague Gurddur, Pokemon such as OTR Slowking completely laugh at this set. Pokemon such as Qwilfish and Quagsire are also major problems for this set. Moltres can also threaten Gurdurr out and proceed to set up a Substitute, making it a major problem as well.
By ShakeItUp
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[SET]
Aggron (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Rock Head
EVs: 116 HP / 252 Atk / 140 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Substitute
- Head Smash
- Focus Punch
- Aqua Tail / Toxic / Magnet Rise
Role: Bulky Attacker / Tank
What it does: Aggron can OHKO a large part of the tier using its STAB Head Smash, and because of this, it can easily force switches. This set takes advantage of that by using Substitute, which also provides Aggron with a means to use Focus Punch, destroying the Steel-types that come in to take Head Smash. This set also uses Magnet Rise, which can be very effective, allowing Aggron to completely troll Pokemon such as Archeops and Rhydon that try to come in and use Earthquake on it. This lets it get a free kill almost all of the time while keeping its Substitute up.
Good teammates: Entry hazard support from Pokemon such as Smeargle is helpful, as Aggron forces a lot of switches, and hazards make it even harder for opponents to take Head Smash. Paralysis support from Pokemon such as Druddigon and Uxie is also helpful, since against a paralyzed team, this Aggron is virtually unstoppable.
What Counters It: Countering this Aggron is difficult due to the insane power of STAB Head Smash, Focus Punch, and Magnet Rise. Quagsire, however, can put a stop t this set easily, resisting Head Smash, being able to tank Focus Punch, and easily destroy Aggron with Scald. Nidoqueen can also defeat this Aggron, being able to defeat it with Flamethrower or Thunderbolt should Aggron use Magnet Rise. Moltres can potentially PP stall Head Smash and attempt to defeat Aggron, although this is pretty difficult since Aggron can use Focus Punch to break the Substitute, as well as destroy it if Head smash runs out of PP. However, without Head Smash, Aggron is much less threatening.
By ShakeItUp
Uxie @ Light Clay
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
- Stealth Rock
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Memento / Yawn / U-Turn
Role: Dual Screens user
What it Does: Uxie is the best Dual Screener in the RU by far. With Max Speed and a Timid nature, it can outrun a large part of the metagame and set up Reflect and Light Screen easily. Also, thanks to Uxie's great bulk, it can take hits even if it's outsped, making it even better at its role. Uxie also learns Stealth Rock, which makes it a perfect option for Heavy Offense teams, as they get Reflect, Light Screen, and Stealth Rock with one Pokemon. The last thing that makes Dual Screens Uxie so good is Memento, which makes it much easier for Uxie's teammates to set up. Yawn is also an option, however, and can shut down Pokemon that try to set up on Uxie. U-Turn can also work in the last slot, and is good for when the user feels like the Pokemon that is in against Uxie is not an immediate threat and that they might need Uxie for later.
Good Teammates: Teammates that can set up and wreak havoc on the opposition are great partners for this set. Pokemon such as Lilligant, Linone, Omastar, and Feraligatr are all excellent choices for teammates. Pokemon that can handle Aerodactyl and Smeargle leads are also appreciated, as they can truly mess up the strategy of a Dual Screens Hyper Offense team. Lum Berry Crustle is a good example of this; it can also run Stealth Rock itself, which frees up a slot for Uxie to use Yawn or U-Turn over Stealth Rock. Other Dual Screeners are also appreciated, as Reflect and Light Screen only last for 8 turns.
What Counters It: Aerodactyl can completely shut down Uxie, and is its best counter. Smeargle can Spore Uxie after it gets up either Stealth Rock or one of the screens, proceed to set up its own hazards, and Whirlwind out any Pokemon that tries to set up under the benefit of Dual Screens. Choice Scarf Rotom-C and Choice Scarf Rotom can also be problematic, as they can Trick away Uxie's Light Clay and give it a Choice Scarf, which makes it much less effective.
By ShakeItUp
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Whimsicott @ Heat Rock
Trait: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 120 Def / 136 SpD
Calm Nature (+SpD, -Atk)
- Taunt
- Sunny Day
- Encore / U-turn
- Memento
Role: Sun Inducer
What It Does: Prankster weather inducers are fantastic support for weather teams, and Whimsicott is no surprise. One should highlight the advantage in using Whimsicott over Volbeat, an arguably more popular weather supporter, and that would be Taunt. This is especially helpful for Sun teams, because many of the Fire-types that abuse the solar powers dislike SR. Taunt also prevents general set-ups, which is nice to prevent the opponent from setting up a Substitute or start using moves like Cosmic Power. It's nice Speed can also come in handy when shutting down opposing Rain teams. Encore and Memento provides a safe switch-in and even set-up opportunities for the Sun-blessed warriors.
Good Teammates: Pokemon that can take advantage of the sun to its fullest would appreciate Whimsicott's support; particularly Fire-types that enjoys SR off of the field. These threats include Solar Power Scarf Charizard, CB Entei, Sunnybeam Moltres, and Victreebel.
Lilligant can partner up as a Sun Inducer; it can put problematic mons like SR Nidoqueen and SR Druddigon to sleep before they can set up SR.
What Counters It: SR Nidoqueen and SR Druddican can put Whimsicott in a tough spot, guessing whether to Taunt the possible SR or set up Sun before it dies to Sludge Wave or Fire Punch. Otherwise, nothing short of the likes of Magic Coat Smeargle can prevent Whimsicott from blocking SR and summoning sunshine.
If the sun is summoned, the next best solution is to limit the extent of damage caused by Sun sweepers. One can utilize specially-bulky mons like Slowking or Munchlax to stall out Sunny Day. Protect, a faster Substitute, and using resistances work, too. Bouffalant or Druddigon can also be a decent check to chlorophyll sweepers. Powerful priority moves such as Absol's Sucker Punch and CB Entei's ExtremeSpeed can knock out weakened mons. Your own Lilligant or Fire-types can take advantage of the sun to counter attack the opposing team.
Any Additional Info: Stun Spore is another viable alternative over Memento.
By Pocket
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Volbeat (M) @ Damp Rock / Heat Rock
Trait: Prankster
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SDef
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Rain Dance / Sunny Day
- Encore
- Substitute
- Baton Pass
Role: Weather Setter
What it Does: Volbeat is probably the best weather setter in RU due to Prankster. It can get off a clutch Rain Dance or Sunny Day almost whenever necessary, making it a true staple for weather teams. It is also essentially impossible to set up on (unless the opponent has a Linoone), as Encore will thwart any attempts for that. Encore can also give your own sweepers a chance to set up. Substitute allows for status protection and can work very well with Encore, as with Baton Pass, Volbeat can pass a Substitute to its teammate. Substitute can also be useful if there's only one turn of Rain Dance or Sunny Day left, as Volbeat can then use it to stall out the last turn and then set it up again for a full 8 turns. Max HP and Max Defense are used in order to take priority attacks from the likes of Entei and Kabutops relatively well.
Good Teammates: Swift Swim sweepers, such as Kabutops, Omastar, and Gorebyss are essential partners for this set if one is running Rain Dance. Pokemon such as Charizard and Victreebel can be good partners if one is running Sunny Day. Rapid Spin support from a Pokemon such as Kabutops is also appreciated, as it will allow Volbeat to come in as many times as possible and do its job. Volbeat tends to force a lot of switches, so entry hazard support can be beneficial as well.
What Counters It: Because of the fact that Volbeat is merely a support pokemon, countering it isn't really possible. However, Volbeat's biggest enemy is Linoone. Linoone can come in on a Rain Dance, set up a Belly Drum, and then proceed to smash one's team with ExtremeSpeed. If Volbeat doesn't have something like Scarf Rotom as its partner, there's a good chance that Linoone will easily be able to smash them. Entry hazards are also a good way to get rid of Volbeat, as without any recovery whatsoever, it will be worn down quickly, especially if it is using Substitute.
By ShakeItUp
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Uxie @ Damp Rock / Heat Rock
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 240 SDef / 16 Spd
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Rain Dance / Sunny Day
- Stealth Rock
- Heal Bell
- U-turn
Role: Weather Setter / Supporter
What it Does: Although Volbeat may be the best at guaranteeing at least one Rain Dance or Sunny Day, Uxie is the best at being able to use a weather move multiple times in a match. Uxie is fully capable of setting up either Rain Dance or Sunny Day on more than one occasion. There is no better or worse move. Just make sure you use the right item with the right weather move. Stealth Rock and Heal Bell further aid weather teams. SR provides invaluable entry hazards while Heal Bell can cure a weather sweeper of paralysis or sleep, allowing it to get back in the match. U-turn is the last move, and thanks to Uxie's low-ish Speed, it can often get in a weather sweeper unscathed. As with any defensive Uxie set, the EVs are flexible. A specially defensive spread is chosen as many prominent RU attackers hit from the special side. 16 Speed EVs ensure Uxie is able to outspeed max base 55s. This is more useful on Sun teams as Uxie can then provide one last Sunny Day before Crawdaunt or Omastar break through it.
Good Teammates: This really depends on the weather Uxie is setting up. The only universal teammate is Volbeat, as it's one of the few other Pokemon that can setup either weather condition. Otherwise, use Swift Swimmers with RD Uxie and Chlorophyllers with SD Uxie. Ludicolo, Omastar, Kabutops, and Gorebyss all appreciate the rain Uxie can setup while Shiftry, Moltres, Entei, Victreebel, and Lilligant can all take advantage of the Sun Uxie can bring. Do note that if Uxie is using Rain Dance, Lanturn is a quality partner as it too can take hits and setup Rain Dance, easing pressure on Uxie to take hits from special attackers such as Moltres.
What Counters It: Pursuit users such as Spiritomb and Escavalier are a real pain in the neck as Uxie can't even escape with U-turn. Taunt users such as Aerodactyl will shut down Uxie completely. Trick users can also be a nuissance. Things such as Rotom, Rotom-C, and Manectric can Trick (Switcheroo in Manectric's case) Uxie a choice item and cripple it for the rest of the match. Otherwise, few things will be able to "counter" Uxie in the traditional sense as its job is to setup weather multiple times throughout the match.
Any Additional Info: A physically defensive spread is viable to handle physical attackers better. Many of the tier's prominent attackers are special attackers though. Memento is an option over U-turn to ensure a free setup opportunity for a weather sweeper. This sacrifices Uxie though, and is thus, not recommended over U-turn. Otherwise, just make sure you have Damp Rock with Rain Dance and Heat Rock with Sunny Day.
By EonX-
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Escavalier @ Damp Rock
Trait: Swarm
EVs: 8 Atk / 248 HP / 252 SDef
Careful Nature
- Rain Dance
- Megahorn
- Iron Head
- Sleep Talk
Role: Rain Inducer
What it does: This set capitalizes on Escavalier's one weakness by setting up rain, which ends up helping Rain Dance teams. Escavalier's 70 / 105 / 105 bulk should not be underestimated, as with no weaknesses it can hang around for a long time. Also, Rain Dance teams have trouble with Grass-types and Escavalier is one of the best switch-ins to Grass-type Pokemon. To provide further support, Sleep Talk allows Escavalier to take one for the team and still do its duty. A base 135 Attack means that Escavalier is no slouch offensively either, as both its STABs will hit hard.
Good Teammates: Pokemon which appreciate rain being up, such as Swift Swim sweepers. Pokemon like Ludicolo, Qwilfish, and Kabutops like rain up and Escavalier's ability to handle Grass-type Pokemon. Seismitoad is a great partner as well because it can lay down Stealth Rock to punish opposing Fire-types.
What Counters It: The physical walls of the tier block Escavalier from dealing too much damage. Pokemon like Steelix, Qwilfish, and Poliwrath can take Escavalier's attacks in strides and retaliate accordingly. Moltres can switch in if Stealth Rock is gone, and proceed to fire off a Fire Blast, Hurricane, or set up a Substitute. Powerful Water-type Pokemon are beefed up thanks to Rain Dance so Pokemon like Kabutops, Feraligator, and Crawdaunt can put heavy offensive pressure once they can switch in on the predicted Rain Dance.
Any Additional Info: Chivalry isn't dead.
By Yonko7
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Lanturn (M) @ Damp Rock
Trait: Volt Absorb
EVs: 40 HP / 252 SAtk / 216 SDef
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Rain Dance
- Thunder
- Surf / Hydro Pump
- Volt Switch
Role: Weather Setter
What it Does: Although Lanturn is most commonly seen sporting a defensive set to be the tier's best Moltres counter, Lanturn is perfectly capable of setting up Rain Dance. After setting up Rain Dance, Lanturn still has choices to make. It can either use a slow Volt Switch to bring in a weather sweeper unscathed, or it can choose to take advantage of the rain itself. Thunder has 100% accuracy and will still hit relatively hard despite Lanturn's low base 76 Special Attack. Surf is the preferred Water move for its reliability as Lanturn should not focus on breaking down opposing walls. However, Hydro Pump is there if you want to try and drown anything that has thoughts of switching in. The EVs maximize Lanturn's damage output while still not neglecting its great special bulk.
Good Teammates: As with any Rain Dance user, Swift Swimmers are valuable partners for their ability to run through teams in the rain. Ludicolo is the most noteworthy for its ability to sponge Ground type attacks for Lanturn. Other Swift Swimmers such as Gorebyss, Omastar, and Kabutops become very menacing in the rain. Teammates that can setup Rain Dance are also good teammates. Uxie, Rotom-C, and Volbeat are all viable users of the move with the latter two resisting both of Lanturn's weaknesses.
What Counters It: Like with most other Lanturn sets, Grass types are big issues. Most can come in without too many problems and keep Lanturn from going out to a Rain Dance sweeper. However, almost all of them need to watch out for possible Rain-boosted Hydro Pumps. Ground types have to watch out for Lanturn's Water STAB of choice, but they can come in on any other move and threaten with a powerful super effective STAB move. Physical attackers such as Gallade can easily break through Lanturn due to its lack of defense investment.
Any Additional Info: Should Volt Switch not be wanted, then Heal Bell and Ice Beam are two good options for the last moveslot. The former lets Lanturn perform cleric duties while the latter can smack Grass types looking to get a relatively free switch-in.
By EonX-
Rotom-C @ Expert Belt / Chesto Berry
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Volt Switch
- Leaf Storm
- Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Fire
- Thunderbolt / Thunder Wave / Will-O-Wisp / Rest
Role: Lure
What it Does: Because Rotom-C is so often seen with a Choice Scarf set, it can be a very good lure. Rotom-C can easily bluff a Choice Scarf with either an Expert Belt or a Chesto Berry equipped. With Volt Switch, it can still gain momentum very easily, making it even more deadly. Once the opponent switches in something like Ferroseed to take a Thunderbolt, Rotom-C can surprise it with Hidden Power Fire to knock it out. This technique can be very effective due to the surprise factor. Rest can also be used with a Chesto Berry, as this still lets Rotom-C bluff a Choice Scarf, while also letting it deal with its lack of recovery by allowing it to restore its health to full and get rid of any status that may be ailing it. This can be very effective, as the thought of a full health Rotom-C isn't pleasant for most teams.
Good Teammates: Rapid Spinners, such as Kabutops, can be good partners for this set, as Rotom-C is much more effective when it doesn't have to worry about Stealth Rock every time it switches in. Entry hazard support from Pokemon such as Smeargle can also be helpful, as Rotom-C forces a lot of switches. Pokemon like Feraligatr that can take advantage of Rotom-C removing its counters are also helpful. Sceptile and Lilligant can also be very good partners, as the switch-ins to Rotom-C are often the same switch-ins to both Sceptile and Lilligant, which means that once Rotom-C takes them out, it will be much more difficult for your opponent to defeat against these two.
What Counters It: Special walls stop this Rotom-C in its tracks, so Pokemon such as Cryogonal and Clefable are solid switch-ins. Ferroseed and Escavalier wall this set if Rotom-C doesn't run Hidden Power Fire, while Dragon-types, such as Druddigon, wall it if Rotom-C doesn't run Hidden Power Ice. Stealth Rock can also plague this Rotom-C, especially if it is running an Expert Belt instead of Rest with a Chesto Berry.
By ShakeItUp
Electivire @ Expert Belt / Life Orb
Trait: Motor Drive
EVs: 144 Atk / 140 SAtk / 224 Spd
Naive Nature (+Spd, -SDef)
- Wild Charge
- Flamethrower
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Grass]
Role: Mixed Attacker
What It Does: Electivire is really one of the few viable mixed attackers in RU. This is thanks in large part to its super effective coverage. Wild Charge is Electivire's STAB move and it hits most Water and Flying types in the tier really hard. Electivire can even outrun Moltres and kill it off instantly so you don't have to worry about it anymore. Flamethrower is for Steel types, primarily Steelix, but also for Ferroseed and the odd Air Balloon Klinklang. Earthquake is almost mandatory now with Nidoqueen in the tier as she gets promptly OHKOed after thinking she has a free switch-in on Wild Charge. It also crushes the likes of Lanturn, Manectric, Entei, and opposing Electivire. Finally, HP Grass is the final move and is used to get the upper hand on pesky Ground types such as Rhydon, Quagsire, and Sandslash. Life Orb can be used for a power boost at all times, but the recoil incurred from Wild Charge alongside LO recoil means Electivire will wear itself down much more quickly.
Good Teammates: Entry hazard users and almost anything that can lure Electric attacks. Omastar and Qwilfish can setup hazards and draw Electric type moves. Accelgor, Smeargle, and Lum Berry Uxie are also solid hazard setters for offensive teams. Kabutops, Aerodactyl, and Omastar are examples of offensive threats that can lure Electric attacks for Electivire. Aerodactyl is especially notable as it can easily force out a Scarfed Electric type such as Manectric or Rotom-C due to its high base 130 Speed stat. Swellow is also very notable as Electivire can easily lure out and defeat or at least weaken opposing Steel and Rock types that would wall the bird.
What Counters It: Standard Rotom is one of the better counters out there as it can use its typing to avoid super effective hits and burn Electivire with Will-o-Wisp. Outside of Rotom, almost everything in RU risks being hit by a super effective move or just being 2HKOed and outsped. Grass types can take anything but Flamethrower on the set. However, Sceptile is the only one that naturally outspeeds Electivire and Scarf Rotom-C is very predictable due to Motor Drive. Steelix is immune to Wild Charge and can shake off EQ, but detests Flamethrower unless Sturdy is still intact. Although it's very risky due to their frailty and vulnerability to EQ, Manectric and opposing Electivire can try to get in on Wild Charge and threaten a boosted Overheat or EQ respectively.
Any Additional Info: Using Electivire as more of a wallbreaker instead of a sweeper is an effective way to use this set. You have the coverage, but without a Motor Drive boost, you lack the Speed. However, you're still fast enough to outrun everything slower than Moltres, so use this to your advantage and break down everything you can that's slower than Moltres as you'll usually have the right coverage move. Use Wild Charge wisely. If there's another move that's super effective against the opponent in question (such as Kabutops) then use that other move so you can save yourself some HP for when you really need to use Wild Charge. (such as when you're face to face with Moltres)
By EonX-
What not to use:
Munchlax (M) @ Eviolite
Trait: Thick Fat
EVs: 136 HP / 124 Def / 248 SDef
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Body Slam
- Whirlwind
Role: Special Wall
Why it's bad: Munchlax is terrible at absorbing special attacks. It doesn't have reliable recovery, no recovery in Leftovers, and most strong special moves can 3HKO it. This means that it will sometimes be 2HKOed after hazards damage by something like Magmortar. Munchlax is also set up fodder for a lot of Pokemon, such as Kabutops, who resists Body Slam. If you choose Whirlwind, you will take a lot of damage in the process and be unable to restore your health easily because Rest is so unreliable.
What counters it: Any strong Fighting-type or Pokemon with Psyshock. Most physical attackers also do a lot of damage, such as Kabutops and Druddigon. Taunt users such as Mandibuzz and Drapion also shut it down.
Any Additional Info: Don't use Munchlax.
Trait: Thick Fat
EVs: 136 HP / 124 Def / 248 SDef
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Body Slam
- Whirlwind
Role: Special Wall
Why it's bad: Munchlax is terrible at absorbing special attacks. It doesn't have reliable recovery, no recovery in Leftovers, and most strong special moves can 3HKO it. This means that it will sometimes be 2HKOed after hazards damage by something like Magmortar. Munchlax is also set up fodder for a lot of Pokemon, such as Kabutops, who resists Body Slam. If you choose Whirlwind, you will take a lot of damage in the process and be unable to restore your health easily because Rest is so unreliable.
What counters it: Any strong Fighting-type or Pokemon with Psyshock. Most physical attackers also do a lot of damage, such as Kabutops and Druddigon. Taunt users such as Mandibuzz and Drapion also shut it down.
Any Additional Info: Don't use Munchlax.
Whimsicott @ Leftovers
Trait: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Bold Nature
- Leech Seed
- Substitute
- Encore
- Toxic
Role: Physical Wall (Death Fodder)
Why it's bad: Priority subseed sounds really annoying in theory, but in actual practice it is not as successful as one might think thanks to the availability of plenty of good grass-types in the tier that simply don't give a fuck about anything Whimisccott will do to them. Giving free +1 to Bouffalant and the rare but still effective Sawsbuck is not something you really want to happen when it can do shit to them. Also if it gets forced out, giving Sigylyph a free turn to boost or simply sit there to outstall you is not a good idea either.
Any Additional Info: this thing gets walled and stopped by a mighty lv 1 bulbasaur. If you really want to use Whimsicott, use it with U-turn, Stun Spore, and Taunt to keep momentum in your favor and maybe prevent hazards fro being layed down, because except for Scolipede, Roselia, and Accelgor, Whimsicott has pretty good matchup against common hazard setters and can taunt them before they do anything or simply u-turn the fuck out.
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Dusknoir (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Impish Nature (+Def, -SpA)
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split
- Shadow Sneak
- Earthquake
Role: Physical Wall (Spinblocker)
What it does and why it's outclassed: Dusknoir's Ghost-typing allows it to block Rapid Spin while walling the Fighting-type powerhouses in RU with it's great 45 / 135 / 135 defenses. The addition of Spiritomb in the tier made matters even worse for Dusknoir as Spiritomb holds similar bulk to Dusknoir, but better offensive options. Even with it's decent base 100 Attack Dusknoir isn't hitting very hard with it's weak Shadow Sneak and most Pokemon with Substitute can beat Dusknoir one on one. Even as a physical attacking Spinblocker Cryogonal can still deal with it thanks to Toxic and Ice Beam being a 3HKO, while Dusknoir's Shadow Sneak only pulls off being a 2HKO. In this regards Spiritomb does a better job thanks to it's ability to Pursuit trap Cryogonal or deal devastating damage with Sucker Punch.
What counters it: CroTomb sets up on this like no tomorrow and Moltres doesn't care about Shadow Sneak and can set up a Substitute or get a free hit off.
Any Additional Info: Due to Dusknoir's hands I always thought he looked like a bouncer, preventing threats from passing through your team. Sadly this isn't true anymore as Spiritomb and even Rotom do a better job in this metagame.
Trait: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Bold Nature
- Leech Seed
- Substitute
- Encore
- Toxic
Role: Physical Wall (Death Fodder)
Why it's bad: Priority subseed sounds really annoying in theory, but in actual practice it is not as successful as one might think thanks to the availability of plenty of good grass-types in the tier that simply don't give a fuck about anything Whimisccott will do to them. Giving free +1 to Bouffalant and the rare but still effective Sawsbuck is not something you really want to happen when it can do shit to them. Also if it gets forced out, giving Sigylyph a free turn to boost or simply sit there to outstall you is not a good idea either.
Any Additional Info: this thing gets walled and stopped by a mighty lv 1 bulbasaur. If you really want to use Whimsicott, use it with U-turn, Stun Spore, and Taunt to keep momentum in your favor and maybe prevent hazards fro being layed down, because except for Scolipede, Roselia, and Accelgor, Whimsicott has pretty good matchup against common hazard setters and can taunt them before they do anything or simply u-turn the fuck out.
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Dusknoir (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Impish Nature (+Def, -SpA)
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split
- Shadow Sneak
- Earthquake
Role: Physical Wall (Spinblocker)
What it does and why it's outclassed: Dusknoir's Ghost-typing allows it to block Rapid Spin while walling the Fighting-type powerhouses in RU with it's great 45 / 135 / 135 defenses. The addition of Spiritomb in the tier made matters even worse for Dusknoir as Spiritomb holds similar bulk to Dusknoir, but better offensive options. Even with it's decent base 100 Attack Dusknoir isn't hitting very hard with it's weak Shadow Sneak and most Pokemon with Substitute can beat Dusknoir one on one. Even as a physical attacking Spinblocker Cryogonal can still deal with it thanks to Toxic and Ice Beam being a 3HKO, while Dusknoir's Shadow Sneak only pulls off being a 2HKO. In this regards Spiritomb does a better job thanks to it's ability to Pursuit trap Cryogonal or deal devastating damage with Sucker Punch.
What counters it: CroTomb sets up on this like no tomorrow and Moltres doesn't care about Shadow Sneak and can set up a Substitute or get a free hit off.
Any Additional Info: Due to Dusknoir's hands I always thought he looked like a bouncer, preventing threats from passing through your team. Sadly this isn't true anymore as Spiritomb and even Rotom do a better job in this metagame.
Hitmonchan (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Iron Fist
EVs: 252 HP / 40 Def / 216 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Foresight / Mach Punch
- Rapid Spin
- Drain Punch
- Ice Punch
Role: Rapid Spinner
Why it's bad: Hitmonchan cannot beat Ghost-types, it's as simple as that. Not only are Ghost-types immune to Rapid Spin, but also to Hitmonchan's STAB Fighting-type moves, so Hitmonchan becomes useless. It's also surprisingly frail, and Drain Punch is a horrible recovery move, if you can even call it that. Sacrificing a move for Foresight is extremely unappealing, and Hitmonchan is usually useless outside of using Foresight + Rapid Spin.
What counters it: GHOST-TYPES and Psychic-types such as Slowking and Sigilyph.
Any Additional Info: Hitmonchan's brother, Hitmonlee, is also horrible at spinning.
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Wartortle
Why it's bad: Wartortle is just awful. This thing cannot spin vs. any Ghost-type in the tier since it has no form of recovery. Spiritomb beats it 1 on 1, as does Rotom and Dusknoir even. The only way to reliably get a spin off is to run Foresight, and if you run that, you have to forgo Haze, which means that every Pokemon with Substitute / Steel- or Poison-Type will use you as set-up fodder as you attempt to Rapid Spin. Even with Foresight, Rotom outpeeds and slaughters Wartortle. Also, since this thing has no form of recovery, it can get weakened easily, especially since it doesn't even have Leftovers. Cryogonal is a much, much better choice due to recovery, the ability to not be set-up fodder since it actually has room to run Haze, good Special Attack, and the ability do major damage to the Ghost-types in the tier. Even Sandslash is a better option since it can at least dent Rotom with Stone Edge, and set up an SD on Spiritomb and kill it.
Trait: Iron Fist
EVs: 252 HP / 40 Def / 216 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Foresight / Mach Punch
- Rapid Spin
- Drain Punch
- Ice Punch
Role: Rapid Spinner
Why it's bad: Hitmonchan cannot beat Ghost-types, it's as simple as that. Not only are Ghost-types immune to Rapid Spin, but also to Hitmonchan's STAB Fighting-type moves, so Hitmonchan becomes useless. It's also surprisingly frail, and Drain Punch is a horrible recovery move, if you can even call it that. Sacrificing a move for Foresight is extremely unappealing, and Hitmonchan is usually useless outside of using Foresight + Rapid Spin.
What counters it: GHOST-TYPES and Psychic-types such as Slowking and Sigilyph.
Any Additional Info: Hitmonchan's brother, Hitmonlee, is also horrible at spinning.
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Wartortle
Why it's bad: Wartortle is just awful. This thing cannot spin vs. any Ghost-type in the tier since it has no form of recovery. Spiritomb beats it 1 on 1, as does Rotom and Dusknoir even. The only way to reliably get a spin off is to run Foresight, and if you run that, you have to forgo Haze, which means that every Pokemon with Substitute / Steel- or Poison-Type will use you as set-up fodder as you attempt to Rapid Spin. Even with Foresight, Rotom outpeeds and slaughters Wartortle. Also, since this thing has no form of recovery, it can get weakened easily, especially since it doesn't even have Leftovers. Cryogonal is a much, much better choice due to recovery, the ability to not be set-up fodder since it actually has room to run Haze, good Special Attack, and the ability do major damage to the Ghost-types in the tier. Even Sandslash is a better option since it can at least dent Rotom with Stone Edge, and set up an SD on Spiritomb and kill it.
Nidoqueen (F) @ Black Sludge
Trait: Poison Point
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Sassy Nature (+SpD, -Spe)
-Stealth Rock
-Toxic Spikes
-Dragon Tail
-Earth Power
Reason: Toxic Spikes is horrible in RU, as there are so many Poison-types to absorb them. Nidoqueen is much better used as an offensive sweeper.
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THIS SUCKS @ Eviolite
Trait: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Stealth Rock
- Meteor Mash
- Earthquake
- Explosion
Role: Death Fodder, Hazard Setter
Why it's bad: Metang is absolutely terrible, and is the worst steel type in the game that people actually use, it has literally nothing over escavalier, steelix, or klinklang. As i always say: Metang does nothing, it sets up Stealth Rock and does nothing else. If you seriously want to use this shit, you need to go to B101 for a LONG time.
Any Additional Info: Metang loses to everything, INCLUDING ITSELF. Metang losing to magikarp: http://pokemon.aesoft.org/replay-MrT...ad--2012-05-03 Bp team but still lol
Trait: Poison Point
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Sassy Nature (+SpD, -Spe)
-Stealth Rock
-Toxic Spikes
-Dragon Tail
-Earth Power
Reason: Toxic Spikes is horrible in RU, as there are so many Poison-types to absorb them. Nidoqueen is much better used as an offensive sweeper.
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THIS SUCKS @ Eviolite
Trait: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Stealth Rock
- Meteor Mash
- Earthquake
- Explosion
Role: Death Fodder, Hazard Setter
Why it's bad: Metang is absolutely terrible, and is the worst steel type in the game that people actually use, it has literally nothing over escavalier, steelix, or klinklang. As i always say: Metang does nothing, it sets up Stealth Rock and does nothing else. If you seriously want to use this shit, you need to go to B101 for a LONG time.
Any Additional Info: Metang loses to everything, INCLUDING ITSELF. Metang losing to magikarp: http://pokemon.aesoft.org/replay-MrT...ad--2012-05-03 Bp team but still lol
Golurk @ Choice Band
Trait: No Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Earthquake
- DynamicPunch
- Ice Punch
- Shadow Punch
Role: Wallbreaker
Why it's bad: With the introduction of the tutors in BW2 any use No Guard Gourk would have is simply gone. First with access to the new punching moves, it gets some kind of recovery with Drain Punch that gets a decent boost to 90 bp that in the long run is not really far from what Dynamic Punch would do. Calcs:
Drain Punch: 96-114 (23.76 - 28.21%) -- possible 4HKO after Stealth Rock. This is CB Iron Fist Drain Punch vs Physically Defensive Tangrowth.
DynamicPunch: 107-127 (26.48 - 31.43%) -- guaranteed 4HKO after Stealth Rock. This is the same target but with CB No Guard Dynamic Punch.
Ice Punch while it might never happen in a battle, has the potential to 2HKO Tangrowth ,though it is small chance, but still possible. Iron Fist also turns Shadow Punch from pathetic STAB move to a simply below average STAB move. Stone Edge could be argued here for a No Guard use here, but Golurk already gets all the kills on Stone Edge Targets if it picks any punching move that is not Drain Punch while they try to come in an Earthquake that they are inmune to, the only real benefit over Ice Punch is having a guaranteed OHKO on Mandibuzz after Stealth Rock Damage.
Any Additional Info:Out of "lol su random confusion hax XD", this set does nothing than an Iron Fist Golurk wouldn't do better. Only No Guard is bad. Iron Fist is usable.
Trait: No Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Earthquake
- DynamicPunch
- Ice Punch
- Shadow Punch
Role: Wallbreaker
Why it's bad: With the introduction of the tutors in BW2 any use No Guard Gourk would have is simply gone. First with access to the new punching moves, it gets some kind of recovery with Drain Punch that gets a decent boost to 90 bp that in the long run is not really far from what Dynamic Punch would do. Calcs:
Drain Punch: 96-114 (23.76 - 28.21%) -- possible 4HKO after Stealth Rock. This is CB Iron Fist Drain Punch vs Physically Defensive Tangrowth.
DynamicPunch: 107-127 (26.48 - 31.43%) -- guaranteed 4HKO after Stealth Rock. This is the same target but with CB No Guard Dynamic Punch.
Ice Punch while it might never happen in a battle, has the potential to 2HKO Tangrowth ,though it is small chance, but still possible. Iron Fist also turns Shadow Punch from pathetic STAB move to a simply below average STAB move. Stone Edge could be argued here for a No Guard use here, but Golurk already gets all the kills on Stone Edge Targets if it picks any punching move that is not Drain Punch while they try to come in an Earthquake that they are inmune to, the only real benefit over Ice Punch is having a guaranteed OHKO on Mandibuzz after Stealth Rock Damage.
Any Additional Info:Out of "lol su random confusion hax XD", this set does nothing than an Iron Fist Golurk wouldn't do better. Only No Guard is bad. Iron Fist is usable.
Whimsicott @ Life Orb
Trait: Chlorophyll
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 HP
Modest Nature
- Sunny Day
- Giga Drain
- Growth
- Hidden Power [Fire]
Role: "Special Sweeper"
Why it's bad: Not only Whimsicott is weak as fuck, you are also giving up its only niche in favor of a set that is outclassed by about any chloro pokemon that you can use in RU. I get it is the fastest weather mon in the game, but as I said before, Whimsicott should stick to grabbing momentum thanks to prankster instead of trying pathetic sets that will only make your opponent laugh.
Any Additional info: I wish I was joking about actually playing against this before.
Trait: Chlorophyll
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 HP
Modest Nature
- Sunny Day
- Giga Drain
- Growth
- Hidden Power [Fire]
Role: "Special Sweeper"
Why it's bad: Not only Whimsicott is weak as fuck, you are also giving up its only niche in favor of a set that is outclassed by about any chloro pokemon that you can use in RU. I get it is the fastest weather mon in the game, but as I said before, Whimsicott should stick to grabbing momentum thanks to prankster instead of trying pathetic sets that will only make your opponent laugh.
Any Additional info: I wish I was joking about actually playing against this before.
Electivire @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Motor Drive
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spd / 4 HP
Modest Nature
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Flamethrower
- Hidden Power [Grass]
Role: "Revenge Killer"
Why it's bad: From the onsite analysis: Electivire can use a Choice Scarf or to boost its middling Speed a. However, Electivire is effective mostly due to its ability to hit almost everything in the game for super effective damage, and locking it into one move is generally not a good thing.
Any Additional info: Use Manectric or Galvantula instead. I know Evire has Vital Spirit, but there are far better things to stop Liligant, Smeargle, and any sleep move in general.
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Archeops @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Defeatist
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd / 4 SDef
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Head Smash
- U-turn
- Aqua Tail
Role: Revenge Killer.
Why it's bad: Of all Stealth Rock weak scarfers, did you really have to pick the one that is fucked as soon it hits 50% and prevent it from doing its job?
Any Additional Info:
Trait: Motor Drive
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spd / 4 HP
Modest Nature
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Flamethrower
- Hidden Power [Grass]
Role: "Revenge Killer"
Why it's bad: From the onsite analysis: Electivire can use a Choice Scarf or to boost its middling Speed a. However, Electivire is effective mostly due to its ability to hit almost everything in the game for super effective damage, and locking it into one move is generally not a good thing.
Any Additional info: Use Manectric or Galvantula instead. I know Evire has Vital Spirit, but there are far better things to stop Liligant, Smeargle, and any sleep move in general.
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Archeops @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Defeatist
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd / 4 SDef
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Head Smash
- U-turn
- Aqua Tail
Role: Revenge Killer.
Why it's bad: Of all Stealth Rock weak scarfers, did you really have to pick the one that is fucked as soon it hits 50% and prevent it from doing its job?
Any Additional Info:
This exercise is for learning, so don't be afraid to post your own sets. Remember, it's not a bad thing to have a set in the "What not to use section."
Credit to SilentVerse for helping with the idea!
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