Azumarill (BW2 Revamp)

[alexwolf]

Azumarill

[Overview]

<p>Azumarill holds the niche of the strongest priority user in OU under rain. This allows Azumarill to OHKO most offensive Pokemon that are not resistant to Water, such as Terrakion, Landorus, Volcarona, Thundurus-T, and Tornadus (the last two need Stealth Rock), making it a good revenge killer for rain teams. Furthermore, Azumarill has good coverage options in Superpower and Ice Punch, and an immensely strong Waterfall, meaning it is hard to wall even with dedicated physically defensive walls.</p>

<p>However, this is all that Azumarill has going for it. Due to its disappointing Speed stat, it is outsped by most of the unboosted metagame, including many defensive Pokemon such as Skarmory and Politoed, and because of this it is very prone to revenge killing and will almost always take a hit before using any move other than Aqua Jet. Another flaw of Azumarill is it reliance on Choice Band, which often makes it setup bait for common Pokemon, such as Ferrothorn, Substitute Kyurem-B, and Nasty Plot Celebi, and forces the Azumarill user to predict correctly if he wants to make Azumarill count. This flaw is further compounded by the fact that Water resists and immunities are everywhere, due to the popularity of rain and Keldeo, making Azumarill even more prediction reliant if it wants to do anything useful. Finally, Azumarill faces huge competition from the many offensive Water-types that reside in OU and its only real selling point over them is its strong priority; as long as you take advantage of the strong priority Azumarill offers, its slot on your team will be justified.</p>

[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Aqua Jet
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Superpower
move 4: Ice Punch / Double-Edge
item: Choice Band
ability: Huge Power
nature: Adamant
evs: 212 HP / 252 Atk / 44 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Aqua Jet is the reason to use Azumarill, so make sure to get the most out of it. Aqua Jet is an amazing revenge killing tool that OHKOes many offensive Pokemon that don't resist it and can even deal over 50% to the bulkiest offensive Pokemon in OU, Garchomp. Waterfall transforms Azumarill into an offensive powerhouse and makes sure that even resists will be 2HKOed unless they have good physical bulk or are straight up immune to Water. Superpower takes care of Pokemon that resist Water and can threaten Azumarill back or could wall it otherwise, such as Ferrothorn, Rotom-W, Politoed, Gastrodon, Keldeo, Hydreigon, and Kyurem-B, OHKOing many of them while dealing good amounts of damage to the rest. Ice Punch gives Azumarill coverage against Grass- and Dragon-types that check it, OHKOing Dragonite, Latios, Breloom, Amoonguss, Latias, and Salamence (Stealth Rock is needed for some of them) and 2HKOing Celebi. On the other hand, Double-Edge trades the better super effective coverage of Ice Punch for better neutral coverage and higher damage output against neutral targets. It hits almost everything in OU that resists Water (bar Ferrothorn and Jellicent) for neutral damage, lessening the need for prediction, and is also Azumarill's strongest move against Tentacruel and Toxicroak.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The Speed EVs enable Azumarill to outspeed Blissey and OHKO it before it can cripple Azumarill with status. Return is an option over Double-Edge that allows for the same great neutral coverage without the nasty recoil, but the greater power is sorely missed. Mystic Water is a good way to alleviate Azumarill's predictability problem and makes it less reliant on prediction every time it wants to revenge kill something with Aqua Jet, as even if the target switches out Azumarill can still hit it with a coverage move on the next turn. However, the loss of power is very noticeable, so only use Mystic Water if your team can't afford giving setup chances to the Pokemon that usually take advantage of Azumarill. Aqua Tail can be used over Waterfall if the lower accuracy is not a concern, as the sheer amount of power it has is stunning; it OHKOes Latios 50% of the time after Stealth Rock and 2HKOes defensive Politoed 94.14% of the time after Stealth Rock. Lastly, Toxic is the only move on Azumarill's movepool that can hurt Jellicent and cripples other common switch-in to Azumarill too, such as Gastrodon, Kyurem-B, and Gyarados.</p>

<p>Politoed support is a must for Azumarill, as its powerful Water attacks are what make Azumarill viable in OU in the first place. Ferrothorn is a good partner, as it can take Grass and Electric attacks aimed at Azumarill, sets up entry hazards to help its partner get KOs, and checks the plethora of Dragon-types that can take advantage of Azumarill. Weavile can trap and eliminate Jellicent, Celebi, Latios, and Latias, as well as revenge kill Pokemon that can set up on a Choice-locked Aqua Jet, such as Swords Dance Breloom and Dragon Dance Haxorus. Teammates that can handle Toxicroak, Gyarados, and Keldeo, dangerous offensive Pokemon that can set up on Azumarill, are also appreciated. Specially defensive Celebi with Perish Song handles Gyarados pretty well (as long as it is paired with a Pokemon that can tank a few Bounces) and can take on Keldeo and non-Swords Dance variants of Toxicroak. Choice Scarf Latios can switch into all of those threats, OHKOing the last two and crippling Toxicroak with Trick (to avoid Sucker Punch). Wish + Calm Mind Jirachi counters Gyarados and Toxicroak while also acting as a pretty good check to Dragon-types. Finally, any Keldeo variant, especially one with power boosting items or Calm Mind, makes a good combination with Azumarill, overwhelming the opponent's Water-type resists and immunities and allowing one of those two Pokemon to clean up, usually Keldeo.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>If one dislikes the locking effect of Choice Band and the lack of power that Azumarill's coverage moves suffer with Mystic Water, Life Orb is an option, but the recoil really hurts Azumarill's performance, especially when considering that Azumarill will often need to take a hit before attacking. Azumarill can use a set with Substitute / Focus Punch / Waterfall / Aqua Jet or Ice Punch to take advantage of the switches it forces and its ability to create 101 HP Substitutes, with Leftovers as the item. Water + Fighting moves provide really good coverage, and Azumarill has the ability to get a free Substitute against a Pokemon that can't deal more than 75% damage to it if Azumarill can OHKO back with Aqua Jet. Encore is a viable option in this set's last slot as well, allowing Azumarill to lock the opponent into harmless moves such as Stealth Rock and Spikes, or status moves and Leech Seed after Azumarill sets up a Substitute. Lastly, Toxic is another move that can fit on the Substitute set, and cripples many of Azumarill's common switch-ins, mainly Water-types such as Jellicent, Gyarados, and Politoed.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>The only sure-fire counters to Azumarill in OU are Jellicent and RestTalk Gyarados, which can effortlessly take anything Azumarill throws at them except for Toxic in Jellicent's case. As far as strong checks go, Celebi (especially the physically defensive variant), Toxicroak, Gastrodon, Ferrothorn, and Kyurem-B variants that invest in bulk all avoid the 2HKO from any of Azumarill's rain-boosted Water moves and can KO or set up on it. Aside from those Pokemon, any Pokemon that can take two Aqua Jets or one Waterfall while outspeeding and dealing good damage or OHKOing in return makes for an okay check. Such Pokemon include Tentacruel, bulky Dragon Dance Gyarados, Amoonguss, Rotom-W, Venusaur, offensive Kyurem-B, Kyurem, Dragon Dance Dragonite with Roost, Breloom, Calm Mind Latias, and Starmie.</p>

Skeleton

[Overview]

• Strongest available priority user under rain
• Because of this and the good attacking type that is Water Azumarill is able to revenge kill many dangerous offensive Pokemon such as Landorus, Terrakion, Volcarona, Tornadus, and Thundurus-T
• Is not easy to wall as it has good coverage and hits very hard
• Very slow
• Relies on Choice Band a lot in order to do real damage, which means that it gives many setup opportunities after it kills something with Aqua Jet
• Faces huge competition with the multitude offensive water-types that reside in OU, and its only real selling point over them is Aqua Jet, leaving it with a very small niche
• Water is not the most spammable move in today's meta as water resists or immunities are everywhere, making Azumarill quite prediction reliant to proves its worth

[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Aqua Jet
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Superpower
move 4: Ice Punch / Double-Edge
item: Choice Band
ability: Huge Power
nature: Adamant
evs: 212 HP / 252 Atk / 44 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

• Aqua Jet is the reason why you are using this so make sure to take advantage of it. It is an amazing revenge killing tool that can OHKO many frail sweepers after SR and deals over half to every single offensive Pokemon in OU not resistant or immune to it
• Waterfall makes Azumarill quite difficult to switch into, as only Pokemon that resist or are immune to this move can switch into it.
• Superpower takes care of Ferrothorn, Rotom-W, Politoed, Gastrodon, Keldeo, Hydreigon, and Kyurem-B
• Ice Punch for Grass and Dragon types, namely Celebi, Amoonguss, Latios, and Latias, Pokemon that can survive two Aqua Jet or one Waterfall and OHKO back
• Double-Edge has hits almost every Pokemon that resists water for neutral damage, giving great neutral coverage on Politoed and easing with prediction, and is the only way Azumarill is getting past Toxicroak and Tentacruel. However it deals less damage than Ice Punch against Grass and Dragon types that often switch into Azumarill and has recoil which cuts Azumarill's good bulk, making Ice Punch the preferred option

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

• Enough Speed for Blissey
• Return for no recoil and still OHKO-2HKOes many stuff that check Azumarill
• Mystic Water
• Aqua Tail
• Toxic for Jellicent, Gastrodon, Kyurem-B, and Gyarados, but Jellicent mainly
• Rain support
• Ferrothorn for hazards and to take Grass and Electric attacks. It also checks many Pokemon that can setup on a choice locked Azumarill (Dragons)
• Weavile is alost a good teammate to trap and eliminate Jellicent, Celebi, and Lati@s, as well as revenge kill Pokemon that can set-up on Azumarill locked into Aqua Jet (DD Dragons and NP Celebi)
• Something to take care of Toxicroak, Gyarados, and Keldeo, all dangerous offensive Pokemon that can take advantage of Azumarill. Celebi handles pretty well the last two, while Choice Scarf Latios can switch into all of those threats relatively easy, OHKO the latter two (Gyarados with Thunder), and cripple Toxicroak with Trick (to avoid Sucker Punch)
• Keldeo (will elaborate more on this one)

[Other Options]

• Life Orb
• Sub + Focus Punch with Lefties
• Encore can be useful on this set to Encore status moves after you block them with Sub
• Toxic can fit on the SubPunch set too

[Checks and Counters]

• Jellicent
• Toxicroak
• Gyarados
• Tentacruel
• Gastrodon
• Celebi
• Amoonguss
• Ferrothorn
• Rotom-W
• Venusaur
• Kyurem-Black
• Kyurem
• Bulky DDNite
• SubSeed Breloom
• CM Latias
• Starmie

 

[Jukain]

Why isn't Double-Edge the preferred option for the main set? Return is just too weak in my experience; Double-Edge does way more damage to the relevant Pokemon and overall. I do understand the point about recoil, but Double-Edge is really only needed for a few specific scenarios.

I think you really need to emphasize the point that what you really do with Azumarill is spam Aqua Jet / Waterfall. Honestly, the other moves are barely used. That's a very important point to convey in this analysis.

Water is not the most spammable move in today's meta as water resists or immunities are everywhere, making Azumarill quite prediction reliant to proves its worth

Wait what ?_? Water is absolutely spammable. Isn't that what you do with Keldeo (spam Water-type attacks)? I'm kind of confused by this statement.

Life Orb

I'd actually warn against Life Orb more than talk about how it could ever be useful, as it's absolutely terrible imo.

Encore can be useful on this set to Encore status moves after you block them with Sub

This is the kind of thing that should be in AC, not OO. You talk about how it could be useful in the Choice Band set; put it there then. Encore is actually very viable too, so I wouldn't relegate it to OO.

Venusaur

What is Venusaur really doing against Azumarill? In rain, Azumarill does over half to Venusaur. If you're going to talk about Venusaur, other weather (especially sun) in general is important to mention.

Lastly, a really cool Pokemon to pair with Azumarill is Keldeo. Between the two, Water-resisting Pokemon get overwhelmed. Many teams are not suited to handle dual Water-type attackers. When combined with something like Scizor, this core of Pokemon can really wreck.

 

[alexwolf]

Why isn't Double-Edge the preferred option for the main set? Return is just too weak in my experience; Double-Edge does way more damage to the relevant Pokemon and overall. I do understand the point about recoil, but Double-Edge is really only needed for a few specific scenarios.

Yeah maybe i will add Double Edge on the main set depending if it gets enough support or i see some really important calcs, but for now i am keeping Return as Azumarill really appreciates its good bulk.

I think you really need to emphasize the point that what you really do with Azumarill is spam Aqua Jet / Waterfall. Honestly, the other moves are barely used. That's a very important point to convey in this analysis.

I thought i already did, but don't worry i will stress it enough in the write-up.

Wait what ?_? Water is absolutely spammable. Isn't that what you do with Keldeo (spam Water-type attacks)? I'm kind of confused by this statement.

Water is spammable after the proper preperations have been made. It's not such a good idea to spam water-type moves in early game because the metagame is full of water-type resists due to the pressence of Keldeo and rain. Celebi, Ferrothorn, Latias, Rotom-W, Jellicent, and many other Pokemon all prevent the spamming of water moves early game, but once those threats are gone or weakened water becomes one of the most potent and spammable types. To give you an idea of what i mean, some really spammable choiced moves are Tornadus's Hurricane, Scizor's U-turn, Specs Latios's Draco Meteor, and CB Kyurem-B's Outrage. Those are moves that you can spam even early game, as long as the oppoent doesn't have a hard counter and sometimes even if they do (for those who lack recovery), and hard coutners for those Pokemon are very few so there will be plenty of games that you will be able to spam those moves from the get go.

I'd actually warn against Life Orb more than talk about how it could ever be useful, as it's absolutely terrible imo.

I will just mention how it is an option if you want power without being locked but is one of the worst options as Azumarill apprecaites his bulk, and if you don't want a choice itme, Mystic Water works better anyway.

This is the kind of thing that should be in AC, not OO. You talk about how it could be useful in the Choice Band set; put it there then. Encore is actually very viable too, so I wouldn't relegate it to OO.

I didn't tell that it could be ussed in the CB set, i told it could be used on the SubPunch set.

What is Venusaur really doing against Azumarill? In rain, Azumarill does over half to Venusaur. If you're going to talk about Venusaur, other weather (especially sun) in general is important to mention.

Yeah i will mention that weather needs sun up to switch into Azumarill.

Lastly, a really cool Pokemon to pair with Azumarill is Keldeo. Between the two, Water-resisting Pokemon get overwhelmed. Many teams are not suited to handle dual Water-type attackers. When combined with something like Scizor, this core of Pokemon can really wreck.

Will mention thanks!

 

[shrang]

Toxic needs a mention somewhere, IMO, especially in the SubPunch bit in OO, since it's really nice to cripple Jellicent with.

 

[alexwolf]

Toxic was added in both the AC of the main set and in the OO for the SubPunch set.

What about Double Edge people? Main set or AC, and in either case why? Specific calcs would be nice to convince me to put it in the main set...

 

[Pocket]

Here are some calcs:

Return:
252+ Atk Choice Band Huge Power Azumarill Return vs. 24 HP / 0 Def Toxicroak: 288-339 (92.01 - 108.3%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
252+ Atk Choice Band Huge Power Azumarill Return vs. 252 HP / 236+ Def Tentacruel: 193-228 (53.02 - 62.63%) -- 78.52% chance to 2HKO after weather
-1 252+ Atk Choice Band Huge Power Azumarill Return vs. 56 HP / 0 Def Gyarados: 164-194 (47.53 - 56.23%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252+ Atk Choice Band Huge Power Azumarill Return vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Starmie: 232-274 (88.88 - 104.98%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock
252+ Atk Choice Band Huge Power Azumarill Return vs. 252 HP / 20 Def Starmie: 232-274 (69.75 - 82.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock

Double-Edge
252+ Atk Choice Band Huge Power Azumarill Double-Edge vs. 24 HP / 0 Def Toxicroak: 339-399 (108.3 - 127.47%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Huge Power Azumarill Double-Edge vs. 252 HP / 236+ Def Tentacruel: 227-268 (62.36 - 73.62%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after weather
-1 252+ Atk Choice Band Huge Power Azumarill Double-Edge vs. 56 HP / 0 Def Gyarados: 193-228 (55.94 - 66.08%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Huge Power Azumarill Double-Edge vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Starmie: 273-322 (104.59 - 123.37%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Huge Power Azumarill Double-Edge vs. 252 HP / 20 Def Starmie: 273-322 (82.09 - 96.91%) -- 62.5% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock

 

[Lavos]

based on those calcs alone, double-edge looks like a better second slash for the fourth slot than return does. there's a ton of relevant guaranteed ohkos and potential ohkos for double-edge that return misses out on and i think that's enough to push said option above the other, despite how shitty recoil can be in tight scenarios. i'd like to see set

name: Choice Band
move 1: Aqua Jet
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Superpower
move 4: Ice Punch / Double-Edge

with return moved to ac because the calcs demonstrate to me that it's not really worth slashing over ice punch. speaking of ice punch, alexwolf, you need to emphasize why it's a better option than double-edge most of the time, since ice punch covers more threats type-wise but double-edge can be great in certain situations. once you make these changes i'm pretty sure this is qc ready

 

[alexwolf]

Ok guys Double Edge switched places with Return.

 

[Lavos]

this looks good, just make sure to elaborate on the pros/cons of mystic water and give a little explanation on keldeo. i assume you'll implement these changes quickly so i'll go ahead and qc this.

QC Approved (1/3)

 

[Jukain]

C&C needs:

- Breloom
- bulky Dragonite
- Latias

These are all Pokemon that can take Water-type attacks decently well and put the hurt on Azumarill (with the exception of bulky Dragonite).

 

[BKC]

qc approved 2/3

 

[elodin]

I believe you should add the ability tag, some people might actually think sap sipper is better. Also, running 164 evs might be good on ac to outspeed standard base 70's, but i haven't tested it so i can't be sure.

 

[alexwolf]

C&C needs:

- Breloom
- bulky Dragonite
- Latias

These are all Pokemon that can take Water-type attacks decently well and put the hurt on Azumarill (with the exception of bulky Dragonite).

I didn't mention Breloom because it is almost OHKOed by Waterfall after SR, or two Aqua Jet, and is OHKOed by every other move so it's not even a check tbh. However, SubSeed Breloom can check Breloom pretty well as adding it. Latias is 2HKOed by Waterfall, OHKOed by Ice Punch after SR, and 2HKOed by Return/Double-Edge, so it can really only switch into Aqua Jet, but i guess it won't hurt to mention it. Bulky DDnite added as well!

Thx for the checks guys, will get to writing this!

 

[alexwolf]

I believe you should add the ability tag, some people might actually think sap sipper is better. Also, running 164 evs might be good on ac to outspeed standard base 70's, but i haven't tested it so i can't be sure.

Only Politoed and Skarmory reside in the univested base 70 Speed territory, and the latter is 2HKOed and can't do back anything so the only reason would be Politoed, which unfortunately is not a reason to waste so much EVs.

Adding ability tag thx!

 

[Chillarmy]

Mystic Water is already in AC, Cherub.

This thing gets Aqua Tail LvUp, right? An AC mention of it would be nice since the extra base power could prove to be useful whenever it's relevant -- and wdf is Azu flinching with Waterfall, anyway?

 

[alexwolf]

You are right Chillarmy, Aqua Tail is definitely AC material, and i would go as far as say maybe main set material too. Resisted Aqua Tail has effectively the same BP as neutral Return in rain, and OHKO-2HKOes Pokemon that Waterfall can't, while also enabling Azumarill to always use Ice Punch to enhance its coverage. Here are some calcs:

• 252+ Atk Choice Band Huge Power Azumarill Waterfall vs. 252 HP / 236+ Def Tentacruel in rain: 170-201 (46.7 - 55.21%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after weather and 82.42% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock and weather
• 252+ Atk Choice Band Huge Power Azumarill Aqua Tail vs. 252 HP / 236+ Def Tentacruel in rain: 192-227 (52.74 - 62.36%) -- 74.22% chance to 2HKO after weather and guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and weather

• 252+ Atk Choice Band Huge Power Azumarill Waterfall vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Celebi in rain: 179-211 (44.3 - 52.22%) -- guaranteed 3HKO and 82.42% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock
• 252+ Atk Choice Band Huge Power Azumarill Aqua Tail vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Celebi in rain: 201-237 (49.75 - 58.66%) -- 69.53% chance to 2HKO and guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock

• 252+ Atk Choice Band Huge Power Azumarill Waterfall vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Starmie in rain: 204-241 (78.16 - 92.33%) -- 31.25% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
• 252+ Atk Choice Band Huge Power Azumarill Aqua Tail vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Starmie in rain: 231-272 (88.5 - 104.21%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock

 

[Jukain]

Tentacruel is discounting Rain Dish, btw, so it's really irrelevant. Though, those other calcs are convincing.

EDIT: Ah, okay.

 

[alexwolf]

Tentacruel is discounting Rain Dish, btw, so it's really irrelevant. Though, those other calcs are convincing.

No, Rain Dish has been acounted for.

 

[Tassa]

About Tentacruel, Rain Dish is counted once, but it is not counted twice. Seeing that Protect is used with 32,4% of Tentacruel (in my experience it was more but it's still relevant), it means that on these Tentacruel, there is 0% of OHKO without rocks, and OHKO is not guaranteed with rocks. Even if Protect can offer switch opportunities, and though it is only one calc on one mon, it should be counted.

 

[tehy]

Tassa, that still means you kill tentacruel more than two thirds of the time, and after stealth rocks, high rolls can push that number even higher.

And since Tentacruel is a rapid spinner, it often takes some damage in the line of duty. If there are no rocks, then usually it spun them, which is the perfect opportunity to get like 30% damage on it after healing.

 

[alexwolf]

Written and ready for the 3rd QC check!

 

[Lavos]

qc approved 3/3

 

[GatoDelFuego]

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[Overview]

<p>Azumarill holds the niche of the strongest priority user in OU under rain. This allows Azumarill to OHKO most offensive Pokemon that are not resistant to Water, such as Terrakion, Landorus, Volcarona, Thundurus-T, and Tornadus (the last two need Stealth Rock), making it a good revenge killer for rain teams. Furthermore, Azumarill has good coverage options in Superpower and Ice Punch, and an immensely strong Waterfall, meaning it is hard to wall even with dedicated defensive Pokemon physical walls.</p>

<p>However, this is all that Azumarill has going for it. Due to its disappointing Speed stat, (AC) it is outsped by most of the unboosted metagame, including many defensive Pokemon such as Skarmory and Politoed, and because of this it is very prone to revenge killing and will almost always take a hit before using any move other than Aqua Jet. Another flaw of Azumarill is it reliance to Choice Band, which often makes it setup bait for common Pokemon, such as Ferrothorn, Substitute Kyurem-B, and Nasty Plot Celebi, and forces the Azumarill user to predict correctly if it wants to make it Azumarill count. This is further compounded by the fact that Water-resists or Water resistances and immunities are everywhere, due to the popularity of rain and Keldeo, making Azumarill even more prediction reliant if it wants to do anything useful. Finally, Azumarill faces huge competition with the many offensive Water-types that reside in OU and its only real selling point over them is its strong priority.</p>

<p>So as long as you use Azumarill to take advantage of the strong priority it offers, its slot on your team will be justified.</p> Especially as one separate paragraph, this is entirely a recap of what the overview said. I thought that was what we were trying to cut down on, though I may be wrong.

[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Aqua Jet
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Superpower
move 4: Ice Punch / Double-Edge
item: Choice Band
ability: Huge Power
nature: Adamant
evs: 212 HP / 252 Atk / 44 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Aqua Jet is the reason to use Azumarill, (AC) so make sure to get the most out of it. Aqua Jet is an amazing revenge killing tool that OHKOes many offensive Pokemon that don't resist it and can even deal over 50% half of its life to even the bulkiest offensive Pokemon in OU, Garchomp. Waterfall transforms Azumarill into an offensive powerhouse and makes sure that even resists will be 2HKOed, (RC) unless they have good physical bulk or are straight up immune to Water. Superpower takes care of Pokemon that resist Water and can threaten Azumarill back or wall it otherwise, such as Ferrothorn, Rotom-W, Politoed, Gastrodon, Keldeo, Hydreigon, and Kyurem-B, OHKOing many of them while dealing good amounts of damage to the rest. Ice Punch gives Azumarill coverage against Grass- and Dragon-types that check it Azumarill, OHKOing Dragonite, Latios, Breloom, Amoonguss, Latias, and Salamence (Stealth Rock is needed for some of them), (RC) and 2HKOing Celebi. On the other hand, Double-Edge trades the better super effective coverage of Ice Punch for better neutral coverage and higher damage output against neutral targets. It hits almost anything that resists Water in OU (bar Ferrothorn and Jellicent) for neutral damage, lessening the need for prediction, and is Azumarill's strongest move against Tentacruel and Toxicroak.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The Speed EVs enables Azumarill to outspeed Blissey and OHKO it before it can cripple it Azumarill with status. Return is an option over Double-Edge that allows for the same great neutral coverage but without the nasty recoil, but the loss of power is sorely missed. Mystic Water is a good way to alleviate Azumarill's predictability problem and makes it less reliant on prediction every time it wants to revenge kill something with Aqua Jet, (AC) as even if the target switches out Azumarill can still hit it with a coverage another move in on the next turn. However, the loss of power is very noticeable, (AC) so only use Mystic Water if your team can't afford giving setup chances to the Pokemon that usually take advantage of Azumarill. Aqua Tail can be used over Waterfall if the lower accuracy is not a concern, as the sheer amount of power it has is stunning; for example it OHKOes Latios 50% of the time after Stealth Rock and 2HKOes defensive Politoed 94.14% of the time after Stealth Rock. Lastly, Toxic is the only move on Azumarill's movepool that can hurt Jellicent and cripples other common switch-in to Azumarill too, such as Gastrodon, Kyurem-B, and Gyarados.</p>

<p>Politoed support is a must for Azumarill, as boosted Water attacks is what makes Azumarill viable in OU in the first place. Ferrothorn is a good partner, (AC) as it can take Grass and Electric attacks aimed at Azumarill, sets up entry hazards to help its partner get KOs, and checks the plethora of Dragon-types that can take advantage of Azumarill. Weavile can trap and eliminate Jellicent, Celebi, Latios, and Latias, as well as revenge kill Pokemon that can set up on a Choice-locked Aqua Jet, such as Nasty Plot Celebi and Calm Mind Latias. If this is a point to include examples, make sure they weren't included in weavile's previous kill list Teammates that can handle Toxicroak, Gyarados, and Keldeo, dangerous offensive Pokemon that can set up on Azumarill, are also appreciated. Specially defensive Celebi with Perish Song handles Gyarados pretty well (as long as it is paired with a Pokemon that can tank a few Bounces), (RC) and can take on Keldeo, (RC) and non-Swords Dance variants of Toxicroak. Choice Scarf Latios can switch into all of those threats, OHKOing the last two and crippling Toxicroak with Trick (to avoid Sucker Punch). and lastly, Wish + Calm Mind Jirachi counters Gyarados and Toxicroak while also acting as a pretty good check to Dragon-types. Finally, any Keldeo variant, especially those one with power boosting items or Calm Mind, makes a good combination with Azumarill, overwhelming the opponent's Water-type resistances and immunities and allowing one of those two Pokemon to clean up, usually Keldeo.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>If one dislikes the locking effect of Choice Band and the lack of power that Azumarill's coverage moves suffer with Mystic Water, Life Orb is an option but the recoil really hurts Azumarill's performance, especially when considering that it Azumarill will often need to take a hit before attacking. Azumarill can use a set with this moveset: Substitute / Focus Punch / Waterfall / Aqua Jet or Ice Punch, (RC) to take advantage of the switches it forces and its ability to create 101 HP Substitutes, with Leftovers as the item. Water + Fighting provide really good coverage and Azumarill has the ability to get a free Substitute against a Pokemon that can't deal 75% damage or more to it while Azumarill can OHKO back with Aqua Jet. Encore is a viable option in this set's last slot as well, allowing Azumarill to lock the opponent into harmless moves such as Stealth Rock and Spikes, (RC) or into status moves and Leech Seed after Azumarill sets up a Substitute. Lastly, Toxic is another move that can fit on the Substitute set, and cripples many of Azumarill's common switch-ins, mainly Water-types such as Jellicent, Gyarados, and Politoed.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>The only sure-fire counters to Azumarill in OU are Jellicent and RestTalk Gyarados, which can effortlessly take anything Azumarill throws at it, (RC) except for Toxic in Jellicent's case. As far as strong checks go, Celebi, especially the physically defensive variant, Toxicroak, Gastrodon, Ferrothorn, and Kyurem-B variants that invest in bulk, (RC) all avoid the 2HKO from any of Azumarill's rain-boosted Water moves and KO it or setup on it. Aside from those Pokemon, every Pokemon that can take two Aqua Jets or one Waterfall while outspeeding and dealing great damage or OHKOing makes for an ok check. Such Pokemon are Tentacruel, Bulky Dragon Dance Gyarados, Amoonguss, Rotom-W, Venusaur, offensive Kyurem-B, Kyurem, Dragon Dance Dragonite with Roost, Breloom, Calm Mind Latias, and Starmie.</p>

[gp]1/2[/gp]

 

[alexwolf]

Thx Gato, added your check except for a few things. I didn't change the word ''resists'' with resistances and the reason can be seen here: http://www.smogon.com/forums/showpost.php?p=4308714&postcount=160

Also instead of removing the last paragraph of the overview, i combined it with the second paragraph in a nice way, with the help of some GP members on IRC, so i think it won't have any problem.

Keep the GP checks coming guys!

 

[Nutrix]

You're cool with amchecks, right?

REMOVE CHANGE COMMENTS

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[Overview]

<p>Azumarill holds the niche of the strongest priority user in OU under rain. This allows Azumarill to OHKO most offensive Pokemon that are not resistant to Water, such as Terrakion, Landorus, Volcarona, Thundurus-T, and Tornadus (the last two need Stealth Rock), making it a good revenge killer for rain teams. Furthermore, Azumarill has good coverage options in Superpower and Ice Punch, and an immensely strong Waterfall, meaning it is hard to wall even with dedicated physically defensive walls.</p>

<p>However, this is all that Azumarill has going for it. Due to its disappointing Speed stat, it is outsped by most of the unboosted metagame, including many defensive Pokemon such as Skarmory and Politoed, and because of this it is very prone to revenge killing and will almost always take a hit before using any move other than Aqua Jet. Another flaw of Azumarill is it reliance to on Choice Band, which often makes it setup bait for common Pokemon, such as Ferrothorn, Substitute Kyurem-B, and Nasty Plot Celebi, and forces the Azumarill user to predict correctly if it they wants to make Azumarill count. This weakness is further compounded by the fact that Water resists or and immunities are everywhere, due to the popularity of rain and Keldeo, making Azumarill even more prediction reliant if it wants to do anything useful. Finally, Azumarill faces huge competition with from the many offensive Water-types that reside in OU and its only real selling point over them is its strong priority; as long as you take advantage of the strong priority Azumarill offers, its slot on your team will be justified.</p>

[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Aqua Jet
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Superpower
move 4: Ice Punch / Double-Edge
item: Choice Band
ability: Huge Power
nature: Adamant
evs: 212 HP / 252 Atk / 44 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Aqua Jet is the reason to use Azumarill, so make sure to get the most out of it. Aqua Jet is an amazing revenge killing tool that OHKOes many offensive Pokemon that don't resist it and can even deal over 50% to the bulkiest offensive Pokemon in OU, Garchomp. Waterfall transforms Azumarill into an offensive powerhouse and makes sure that even resists will be 2HKOed unless they have good physical bulk or are straight up immune to Water. Superpower takes care of Pokemon that resist Water and can threaten Azumarill back or could wall it otherwise, such as Ferrothorn, Rotom-W, Politoed, Gastrodon, Keldeo, Hydreigon, and Kyurem-B, OHKOing many of them while dealing good amounts of damage to the rest. Ice Punch gives Azumarill coverage against Grass- and Dragon-types that check it, OHKOing Dragonite, Latios, Breloom, Amoonguss, Latias, and Salamence (Stealth Rock is needed for some of them) and 2HKOing Celebi. On the other hand, Double-Edge trades the better super effective coverage of Ice Punch for better neutral coverage and higher damage output against neutral targets. It hits almost anything everything in OU that resists Water in OU (bar Ferrothorn and Jellicent) for neutral damage, lessening the need for prediction, and is also Azumarill's strongest move against Tentacruel and Toxicroak.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The Speed EVs enable Azumarill to outspeed Blissey and OHKO it before it can cripple Azumarill with status. Return is an option over Double-Edge that allows for the same great neutral coverage but without the nasty recoil, but the loss of power greater power is sorely missed. Mystic Water is a good way to alleviate Azumarill's predictability problem and makes it less reliant on prediction every time it wants to revenge kill something with Aqua Jet, as even if the target switches out Azumarill can still hit it with a coverage move on the next turn. However, the loss of power is very noticeable, so only use Mystic Water if your team can't afford giving setup chances to the Pokemon that usually take advantage of Azumarill. Aqua Tail can be used over Waterfall if the lower accuracy is not a concern, as the sheer amount of power it has is stunning; it OHKOes Latios 50% of the time after Stealth Rock and 2HKOes defensive Politoed 94.14% of the time after Stealth Rock. Lastly, Toxic is the only move on Azumarill's movepool that can hurt Jellicent and cripples other common switch-in to Azumarill too, such as Gastrodon, Kyurem-B, and Gyarados.</p>

<p>Politoed support is a must for Azumarill, as boosted its powerful Water attacks is are what makes Azumarill viable in OU in the first place. Ferrothorn is a good partner, as it can take Grass and Electric attacks aimed at Azumarill, sets up entry hazards to help its partner get KOs, and checks the plethora of Dragon-types that can take advantage of Azumarill. Weavile can trap and eliminate Jellicent, Celebi, Latios, and Latias, as well as revenge kill Pokemon that can set up on a Choice-locked Aqua Jet, such as Swords Dance Breloom and Dragon Dance Haxorus. Teammates that can handle Toxicroak, Gyarados, and Keldeo, dangerous offensive Pokemon that can set up on Azumarill, are also appreciated. Specially defensive Celebi with Perish Song handles Gyarados pretty well (as long as it is paired with a Pokemon that can tank a few Bounces) and can take on Keldeo and non-Swords Dance variants of Toxicroak. Choice Scarf Latios can switch into all of those threats, OHKOing the last two and crippling Toxicroak with Trick (to avoid Sucker Punch). Wish + Calm Mind Jirachi counters Gyarados and Toxicroak while also acting as a pretty good check to Dragon-types. Finally, any Keldeo variant, especially one with power boosting items or Calm Mind, makes a good combination with Azumarill, overwhelming the opponent's Water-type resists and immunities and allowing one of those two Pokemon to clean up, usually Keldeo.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>If one dislikes the locking effect of Choice Band and the lack of power that Azumarill's coverage moves suffer with Mystic Water, Life Orb is an option, (AC) but the recoil really hurts Azumarill's performance, especially when considering that Azumarill will often need to take a hit before attacking. Azumarill can also use a set with Substitute / Focus Punch / Waterfall / Aqua Jet or Ice Punch to take advantage of the switches it forces and its ability to create 101 HP Substitutes, with Leftovers as the item. Water + Fighting provide really good coverage, (AC) and Azumarill has the ability to get a free Substitute against a Pokemon that can't deal more than 75% damage or more to it while if Azumarill can OHKO back with Aqua Jet. Encore is a viable option in this set's last slot as well, allowing Azumarill to lock the opponent into harmless moves such as Stealth Rock and Spikes, (AC) or status moves and Leech Seed after Azumarill sets up a Substitute. Lastly, Toxic is another move that can fit on the Substitute set, and cripples many of Azumarill's common switch-ins, mainly Water-types such as Jellicent, Gyarados, and Politoed.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>The only sure-fire counters to Azumarill in OU are Jellicent and RestTalk Gyarados, which can effortlessly take anything Azumarill throws at it them except for Toxic in Jellicent's case. Consider putting the last part in parentheses. As far as strong checks go, Celebi, especially the physically defensive variant, This too. Toxicroak, Gastrodon, Ferrothorn, and Kyurem-B variants that invest in bulk all avoid the 2HKO from any of Azumarill's rain-boosted Water moves, (AC) and can KO it or setup on it. Aside from those Pokemon, every any Pokemon that can take two Aqua Jets or one Waterfall while outspeeding and dealing great good damage in return or OHKOing makes for an ok OK check. Such Pokemon are include Tentacruel, Bulky Dragon Dance Gyarados, Amoonguss, Rotom-W, Venusaur, offensive Kyurem-B, Kyurem, Dragon Dance Dragonite with Roost, Breloom, Calm Mind Latias, and Starmie.</p>