Battle Spot Singles Interactive Threat List

This thread will be updated in the OP with sets of Pokemon you'll find on the Battle Spot. Please post any interesting, strong, etc sets for Pokemon you encounter on Battle Spot. This is not a personal creative moveset thread... we want to limit this to Pokemon you've actually encountered enough to know about, or are known to be good. Your own creative movesets will have their own thread so don't worry!

Feel free to reserve a threat, but if you don't update the post with a writeup within a few hours, it's liable to be deleted and opened up to someone else.

So, to get this thread started, here's an example of what we're looking for:


Mawile:
Mawile is currently one of the biggest threats in the metagame and surprisingly one of the best mega evolutions to come with Pokemon XY. With its attack maxed, Mawile packs a whopping 344 attack after Huge Power. Its Steel/Fairy typing gives it ample opportunities to set up a Swords Dance and pretty good type coverage with Play Rough/Iron Head. Furthermore, it has Sucker Punch to slightly make up for its extremely lackluster speed. The only thing holding Mawile back from being untouchable is its extremely poor base 50 HP. Even after the initial Intimidate in normal form and the boosted defense from mega form, Mawile can have trouble taking even resisted attacks such as Talonflame's Brave Bird. If you're faster and resist Sucker Punch, Mawile isn't that difficult to bring down. Hopefully by that point it hasn't already taken down two of your Pokemon though. If you can avoid letting it set up, you're even better. Things like non-CB Talonflame can serve as pretty good bait for Mawile that think they're getting a free setup.
 
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Jibaku

Who let marco in here????
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Klefki:

Klefki probably wins the title of the most annoying Pokemon in the game. This Pokemon may not be statistically impressive, but its other qualities are terrifying. With Prankster and a wide array of supporting moves at its command, Klefki is armed and ready to unleash absolute torment on its enemies. Furthermore, its Steel/Fairy typing makes up for its lackluster stats and making it deceptively bulky. Now put those two together and you have have just met your worst nightmare. Right out of Liepard's book, it is capable of utilizing the dreaded Thunder Wave/Swagger/Foul Play combination to wreak some havoc, with some luck on its side. Klefki can also set up Dual Screens very effectively, or even use Spikes to disable Focus Sash (although Spikes is generally not very effective in this format). All said and done, however, Klefki is far from uncounterable. Sure, its strategies can turn almost anything facing it into a gamble, but there are some Pokemon that it a bigger gamble for Klefki instead. Defensive Electric types with Volt Switch are effective counters, as they are immune to Thunder Wave and can simultaneously switch out of Swagger's effects while damaging Klefki (or breaking its Substitute). Lum Berry Garchomp can also take a Swagger and turn the Attack boost against Klefki and its team. Klefki will also be hard pressed to fight against Taunt.
 

Kangaskhan:
Kangaskhan is one of the most terrifying setup sweepers in the 3v3 metagame right now. With 105/100/100 defenses and that 125 atk coupled with that great 100 speed, it can take hits while dishing out ridiculously powerful returns, especially after a double power-up punch boost. Return + Power-up punch + Crunch is completely unresisted coverage that can crush slower things while sucker punch can stop revenge killers in their tracks. Mega Kangaskhan is a true beast right now with a few true counters and a handful of checks. Blaziken does a good job of countering MegaKhan, while Talonflame can take weakened MegaKhans out. For this reason Rotom-W and Talonflame are good teammates for MegaKhan. A team built around MegaKhan can be very devastating, as its lack of counters makes it easy to build a team that counters MegaKhan's counters. I have been killed more than a few times by MegaKhan, which is a testament to its devastating power.
 
Venasaur has been giving me trouble.



Venusaur:
Poison / Grass as a typing has been extremely buffed this generation, and only moreso when Venusaur has gained Thick Fat, losing both its Ice and Fire weaknesses. With only a weakness to the rare Flying and Psychic attacks, while walling common fairies (Mawile, Azumaril, Togekiss) and threatening dibilitating status all around... Venusaur has been THE tank I'm most afraid of in the 3v3 format. At very least, if you run Mawile, you're gonna have to be ready for this guy. Venusaur's typical set seems to be Sub / Seed / Sleep Powder / Giga Drain, but he can easily run other offensive options like Earthquake and Sludge Bomb: which deals with a fair number of threats. (EQ deals with Aegislash, Mawile, Sludge Bomb deals with Togekiss and Azumaril).

I'm probably gonna run one with Hydreigon. Hydreigon definitely draws all of those damn Fairies in, and can easily U-Turn into Venusaur.
 

CoolStoryBrobat

The hero Smogon needs, but not the one it deserves
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I've used this guy to some intense success, literally turning games around at a whim with 1 turn of setup:



Dragonite:

Thanks to the ability Multiscale, Dragonite's always been able to differentiate itself from its other Dragon/Flying brethren such as Salamence and newcomer Noivern by being able to tank even super-effective hits at full HP and set up on the opponent in order to propagate a sweep. With the new Weakness Policy item, this is taken a step further. In order to successfully KO Dragonite as quickly as possible, a super-effective move is usually the optimal route due to the bulk added by Multiscale. Weakness Policy gives Dragonite a free +2 in both Attack and Special Attack, allowing it to safely use Dragon Dance or even Agility when at full HP regardless of whether you activate its item or not. Once Dragonite has set up it's able to go all-out attacking with a purely physical set, or even a mixed set, potentially coming off +2 or +3 attacking stats, depending on how the situation plays out. On top of that, with moves like STAB Outrage/Dragon Claw, Earthquake, Fire Punch, Fire Blast, and Extremespeed (Post Pokebank), Dragonite's coverage renders it incredibly difficult to wall after it's set up, hitting everything for at least neutral, if not Super-Effective damage. The best way to deal with this Pokemon is by quickly shutting it down either with a crippling status move such as Thunder Wave or Will-O-Wisp, or by using an attack strong enough to OHKO it through Multiscale, such as Garchomp's Outrage, or Cinccino's Rock Blast. Aside from this, your only alternative would be using a bulky Pokemon who can handle Dragonite after it's set up without using a super-effective move on it. Slowbro is a solid example, as it has the defenses to easily sponge even a +1 Outrage and cripple with Thunder Wave, burn with Scald, or KO it with Ice Beam after Multiscale has been broken.
 

Greninja

The best starter Pokemon since Blaziken, Greninja has been making waves in Battle Spot. It's pretty easy to get a hold of, especially if you picked it as a starter, but the most common Greninja in Battle Spot run its Hidden Ability, Protean, which changes its type to the same type of the move its using, guaranteeing STAB on every attack it uses. One of the coolest parts about this is that a STAB Ice Beam coming from Greninja OHKOs Dragonite through Multiscale. This is a pretty rare sight because most Ice-types are garbage due to their atrocious defensive typing, but Greninja is only an Ice-type when it has to be. The icing on the cake for an offensive Pokemon like Greninja is its fantastic Speed stat. Sitting at a pretty base 122 Speed, Greninja will pretty much always outspeed everything but priority users, and despite its low defensive stats, access to U-turn in conjunction with that fantastic Speed keeps it around until the end of the match. The main fault of Greninja is its attacking prowess; while it does get STAB on every move it uses, this can only push Greninja so far with its base 103 Special Attack and even lower base 95 Attack. Even so, having a fast and fairly powerful attacker with U-turn is a huge blessing in a fast-paced metagame like Battle Spot, and while it might not deserve to be on as many teams as it is (almost every team I run into carries it), it's still a top contender.
 

Stellar

of the Distant Past
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Admin Alumnusis a Top Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Discord Contributor Alumnusis a Researcher Alumnusis a CAP Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnusis an Administrator Alumnusis a Past SPL Champion

Rotom-W
Rotom-W is one of the most popular Pokémon found on Battle Spot due to its ability to counter Talonflame, Garchomp, and Azumarill. As you climb higher on the Battle Spot totem pole, you will run into two main variants of Rotom-W: defensive and Choice. Defensive Rotom-W typically use Hydro Pump, Volt Switch, and a mixture of Will-o-Wisp, Thunderbolt, Rest, Reflect, and Light Screen (in order from most common to least common). Defensive Rotom-W use Sitrus Berry, Chesto Berry, or Light Clay depending on its support moves. Usually, Rotom-W has max HP and Defense EVs; however, EVs may be reallocated from Defense to Speed in order to outspeed specific Pokémon. Higher-ranking Battle Spot trainers usually equip offensive Rotom-W with Choice Specs or Choice Scarf, with Choice Specs being the most common. Offensive Rotom-W use Hydro Pump, Thunderbolt, Volt Switch, and one of Will-o-Wisp, Trick, or Hidden Power (uncommon). While some Choice Specs Rotom-W run Speed EVs, they usually invest in HP, and it is rare to find one with max Speed. Pokémon with good Special Defense and/or resistances to Rotom-W's STAB moves (e.g., Mega Venusaur/Goodra) and Pokémon who can bypass Will-o-Wisp's burn (e.g., Lum Swords Dance Garchomp) are the best answers to Rotom-W.
 
Been using this guy to some actual success, so here I go.



Blaziken

You hear that sound? That's the sound of a flaming martial artist chicken High Jump Kicking your team into submission. While this blazing poultry may have been banished to the Uber tier in Smogon, no such rule exists on the Battle Spot, and Mega Blaziken is something all teams should be prepared for. Instead of the raw power of Mega Mawile or the bulkiness and ability to break subs of Mega Kangaskhan, Mega Blaziken's uniqueness comes from his fantastic ability: Speed Boost. Every turn, his speed is increased by 1, which makes it harder and harder as the turns press on to outspeed him without priority with his base 100 Speed. In fact, +1 Adamant Mega Blaziken at level 50 outspeeds the likes of Mega Alakazam and Mega Aerodactyl! Along with speed comes power. Mega Blaziken boasts a whopping 160 base Attack stat. Even with no attack boosts, Adamant Mega Blaziken can deal at least 63% damage to 252HP/252Def Bold Rotom-W, a common physical wall. Heck, if it's running Jolly you'll still do at least 57% damage, a guaranteed 2HKO. Finally, after speed and power comes versatility. There are two moves that will be guaranteed on a Mega Blaziken: HJK and Flare Blitz. For his other slots, it depends. Earthquake is a common move to add coverage against Electric and Poison types, or to deal with Aegislash. Protect is also useful to survive the turn he Mega Evolves, seeing as his speed does not increase in base stats during that turn. Swords Dance can be used to boost Mega Blaziken's attack to absurd levels, and Baton Pass can be used to pass along his Speed and/or Attack boosts if facing something he cannot reliably beat to something that can.

However, even with all this power, Mega Blaziken must watch out for a few things. Priority users are a must to deal with Mega Blaziken, as Speed boosts are irrelevant then. Talonflame and Azumarill are the only real checks to this badass bird, but if weakened other priority users like Mega Lucario's Extremespeed, Aegislash's Shadow Sneak, or Breloom's Mach Punch can pummel this chicken onto the dinner plate. If running only Flare Blitz and HJK, Mega Blaziken can lose coverage on defensive mons who resist both STABs, like Slowbro. Flare Blitz, while powerful, can rack up the recoil quickly, weakening Mega Blaziken over time. And finally, one missed HJK can spell its demise.
 
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Battle Spot's Metagame has been since its beginning infested by this monster:

Talonflame

Talonflame's unique trait (Gale Wings) makes him a Unique pokémon and a solid choice for any team seeking victory. Gale Wings gives all flying moves a +1 Priority, giving Talonflame a reliable and strong revenge-killing prowess. By giving priority to flying moves, Gale Wings enables the pokémon to invest in its bulk rather than its speed, though its speed will still be awesome even uninvested. One of its weaknesses is the average base attack (81), which somewhat balances the uber absurdiness that is Gale Wings. It is also four times weak to rock, which can be crippling sometimes (Stealth Rock). Its attacking moveset isn't great, too. It lacks coverage - a decent fighting move. Still, Brave Bird and Flare Blitz are all it needs to deal damage, as seen in Battle Spot.

Talonflame can strike hard and fast with Life Orb sets that can be found everywhere in the BSpot. With and Adamant Nature+ 2 attacking moves, priority roost and tail wind, a last resort move best used when about to die, a brief but welcome buff to the remaining party's speed, which can turn a match to the user's favor.
Swords dance sets are also common and many people use in conjunction with Life-Orb and Roost.

Choice Band is an item most Talonflames carry and is something a player MUST be aware of when playing against.

Last, access to Bulk Up opens up defensive possibilities to this versatile bird. Priority roost to recover damage. This set is not so popular but people need to be aware of.

Talonflame can dent a good part of the metagame with its priority attacks, but must watch out for defensive rock pokémons (T-tar and Mega T-tar).
Whoever has good HP stats and investment in defense can survive unboosted attacks and retaliate back, but must be aware of a Swords Dance set.
The premier counter to Talonflame is the everpresent Rotom-W, resisting all of Talonflame's STAB attacks while killing it back with either Volt Switch or Hydro Pump.

EDIT: Talonflame's special option: Salac or Apicot Berry Natural Gift, which deals some Fighting and Ground 100 bp damage, respectively. A nice option for those who wants to have a coverage move. Taking in account it's a single-use move.
 
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Stellar

of the Distant Past
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Battle Spot's Metagame has been since its beginning infested by this monster:

Talonflame

Talonflame's unique trait (Gale Wings) makes him a Unique pokémon and a solid choice for any team seeking victory. Gale Wings gives all flying moves a +1 Priority, giving Talonflame a reliable and strong revenge-killing prowess. By giving priority to flying moves, Gale Wings enables the pokémon to invest in its bulk rather than its speed, though its speed will still be awesome even uninvested. Its weaknesses are the average base attack (81), which somewhat balances the uber absurdiness that is Gale Wings. It is also four times to rock, which can be crippling sometimes (Stealth Rock). His attacking moveset isn't great, too. He lacks coverage - a decent fighting move. Still, Brave Bird and Flare Blitz is all he need to deal damage, as seen in Battle Spot.

Talonflame can strike hard and fast with Life Orb sets that can be found everywhere in the BSpot. With and Adamant Nature+ 2 attacking moves, priority roost and tail wind, a last resort move best used about to die, a brief but welcome buff to the remaining party's speed, which can end the match quickly.
Swords dance sets are also common and many people use focus sash to guarantee at least 1 or 2 kills.

Lastly, access to Bulk Up opens defensive possibilities to this versatile bird. Priority roost to recover damage. This set is not so popular but people need to be aware of.
You definitely need to mention CB, it is one of the most common (if not the most common) sets.
 
This new dragon is worth a mention.

Noivern
With its unique base 123 speed and access to an interesting array of coverage moves, this overgrown bat will outspeed opposing Greninja and its ice beam by one point at level 50 and threaten an OHKO with Choice Specs Draco Meteor. The standard sets you will encounter on wifi will be something like this

Timid, Frisk
Choice Specs
-Flamethrower
-Draco Meteor/(Dragon Pulse)
-Boomburst/(Air Slash)/(Hurricane)
-Switcheroo/(U-Turn)

The moves in parenthesis are generally inferior in my testing experience, but are still very common on many sets. Uninvested U-Turn doesn't even break Dragonite's Multiscale after Leftovers recovery, and only does about 40% to Greninja. A -2 Draco Meteor does almost as much damage as Dragon Pulse, and choosing to stay in after a KO may net you some significant unexpected damage against an opponent who expects an immediate switch.

Noivern is an excellent choice as a lead since Frisk can tell you key information about your opponent, letting you make important battle decisions. For example, a Choice Band Talonflame will OHKO Noivern with Brave Bird about 50% of the time, although the Life Orb variants will fail to OHKO and instead be defeated by Boomburst. A focus sash on a Greninja means you must switch to something that can tank an ice beam and two attacks, or you could opt to Switcheroo and steal the sash to survive the ice beam. Otherwise defeating opposing Greninja leads is as easy as clicking Draco Meteor, provided it hits. Without Frisk, you would be flying blind into situations where you could easily gain a quick advantage.

Maximum HP/SDf Assault Vest Goodra can not switch in on Noivern's initial Draco Meteor, as it will be possibly 2HKO'd and most likely 3HKO'd should Noivern stay in, while Goodra's slower Dragon Pulse is a 2HKO. Should Goodra opt for Draco Meteor, it will survive at -2 and about 15% health

The item I want to frisk the least is an opposing megastone, as that takes away my Switcheroo chance and usually nets the opponent a free setup turn since Noivern has a difficult time KO'ing most common megas.

It is worth mentioning Noivern gets some interesting coverage moves and has some neat weather tricks, although these strategies are almost nonexistent on wifi. Notable moves: Super Fang, Taunt, Solarbeam, Psychic, Shadow Ball, Focus Blast, and Dark Pulse.
 
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Alright, so since Pokebank has been out for a bit, let's take a look at some of the things that the Japanese once terrorized us with, but are now available to us!


Despite being an underused mon last generation with all the power creep running rampant, with Pokebank access, Cresselia has emerged as one of the most common walls seen on the ladder. With max physical defenses, it becomes a formidable road block for many of the physical attackers in the tier, a matter exacerbated further by its tendency to run either Rocky Helmet or Leftovers, and its access to Moonlight means it's not easily worn down over the course of battle. Most sets run an ice move to take care of the Dragons in the tier, usually Ice Beam or Icy Wind, depending on the user's preferences - Slowing down a Garchomp or Dragonite on a rampage can earn it the opportunity to outspeed and land a second, potentially deciding blow, or at the very least, soften them up enough for your team to finish the job. Levitate forces Garchomp to lock itself into Outrage just for the 2hKO after a Swords Dance, which can enable your Steels or Fairies a switch-in opportunity. On occasion, it may run a Psychic move to unleash against the numerous Fighting types in the tier. Typically, it runs the usual gamut of support options, a common option being Thunder Wave, and another being Toxic. It can even run Lunar Dance to revive the ailing Mega in your bench, if you decide to go down that route. Bringing back your best mon for another round can potentially turn around games, especially if their checks are gone or greatly disadvantaged.

Of course, not all is gravy for the lunar quacker. The common Life Orb/Spooky Plate Mixed Aegislash is nigh a hard counter for this thing, resisting most moves it may carry (Aside from the rare Hidden Power Fire), generally not caring too much about Thunder Wave, and does a mean number with Shadow Ball. Its tendency to not run speed EVs means its susceptible to getting hit by Spore from the faster Breloom, and can thus be worn down by some lucky Bullet Seed hits (Although 4EV Psychic has under a 50% shot of OHKOing in return, should it wake up). Also, many Knock Off users such as Bisharp (Or the rare Knock Off Mega Mawile) can cleanly OHKO it after a Swords Dance, or at least cripple its walling effectiveness.

Nevertheless, despite its flaws, its walling capabilities are nevertheless good enough for most players, a fact displayed by its prevalence throughout all stages of the ladder.
 
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Now for a Public Enemy Number One spotlight:

LANDSHARK GARCHOMP

The most used Pokemon on the Singles ladder as well as on Battle Spot overall (!!), Garchomp slots into teams more easily than a coin into a vending machine. Bulk, speed, and great attack means there's almost nothing the sandsurfing shark can't do, although generally its great combination of attributes earns it the role of a lead or a revenge killer. As a lead, it can set up Stealth Rock, or just boost its attack to ballistic levels with Swords Dance. Choice Scarf and Focus Sash give it heavy utility as a full stop to rampaging Dragon Dancers. Lum Berry allows it to set up on predicted Wisps and dodge other status, while Rocky Helmet in combination with Rough Skin means Mega Kangaskhan will shave off a lot of its own health even if it only used Fake Out on Garchomp.

Top 5 Item Usage Stats
1 Focus Sash 48.6%
2 Choice Band 19.9%
3 Choice Scarf 15.0%
4 Lum Berry 7.3%
5 Rocky Helmet 4.5%
Focus Sash is by far the most popular item on this guy in Singles, clocking it at 48.6% of all played Garchomps as of this writing, whilst Choice Band and Choice Scarf trails behind at 19.9% and 15% respectively. Rounding up the top five most used items are the Lum Berry at 7.3% and the Rocky Helmet at 4.5%. These statistics mean you can't rely on a faster Ice Beam/Punch to polish him with a pre-emptive strike (Although Focus Sash are also quite usable items on both Greninja and Weavile and allows you a window to return the favor).

Checks and Counters:
Trying to take advantage of Garchomp's quad-ice weakness can be slightly trickier than it seems. The heavy prevalence of Focus Sash is one of the primary reasons why Mamoswine on Battle Spot heavily prefer Icicle Spear to Icicle Crash, but rest assured that it is a guaranteed kill even with 2 hits. Greninja and Weavile are the fastest non-scarf STAB ice-type users in the tier, easily outspeeding non-scarf Chomp variants, but need to be wary of possible sashers if Garchomp is at full health. Several Hidden Power Ice users such as Life Orb Thundurus can secure a OHKO. As mentioned in the Cresselia post, it serves as a rather good wall against Garchomp, and can take a +2 Outrage rather decently, before retaliating with either Ice Beam or Icy Wind.

Fairies can do a decent job of checking him, but tend to be slower, although a +2 Sucker Punch from Adamant Mawile has an 87.5% of OHKOing the regular 4 HP variant, and Sub variants of MegaWile turn Garchomp into yesterday's leftovers with a successfully landed Play Rough. (+2 Sucker Punch from Adamant Bisharp ensures the OHKO, in that respect.) Play Rough from max attack Azumarill will make Garchomp cry any day of the week (Assuming it doesn't miss!), and focus sash can be picked off with Aqua Jet. It just about survives a Choice Band (+1) Earthquake at max HP, but can't do much against a +2 Chomp, who will outspeed and OHKO.

Of course, there is also the option of using Dragon-type attacks. Latios/Latias and Noivern can outspeed and clean up Garchomp with Draco Meteor.
 
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