Ambipom

[sax king]

While we're making threads, why not make one for this BAMF?

Normal / Badass
HP: 75
Attack: 100
Defence: 66
Special Attack: 60
Special Defence: 66
Speed: 115
Abilitites: Technician, Pick Up, Skill Link​

This pokemon has several incredible sets, but let's start off with the first one.

Scoutpom
Ambipom@Life Orb / Silk Scarf
Technician
252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Speed
Jolly / Adamant
--Fake Out
--Return
--Ankle Sweep / Taunt
--U-Turn / Payback
This is the most infamous Ambipom set, known for its hit and run tactics. Ambipom hits incredibly hard with its STAB Technician boosted Fake Out, and can follow up with the attack of its choice. Return with STAB is very powerful, especially after a free Fake Out beforehand. Ankle Sweep can be used to lower the speed of incoming pokemon to allow Ambipom to switch out with U-Turn afterwards (Ankle Sweep + U-Turn is a fantastic scouting combo) or to hit again with Return. It can be used as a suicide move as well. For example, Ambipom can outspeed Kyurem and hit it for a good deal of damage with Ankle Sweep before it OHKO's Ambipom. But now the next pokemon in can outspeed it and kill it. Taunt can shut down other leads that want to set up hazards and helps to shut down stall. Payback is a great coverage move alongside Ankle Sweep. It has 75 power if Ambipom moves first and 100 power if Ambipom moves second. Life Orb tends to take a toll on Ambipom, because repeated fake outs cause a lot of LO damage alongside entry hazard damage, but it really allows you to pack a punch.

Passpom
Ambipom @ Focus Sash
Technician
252 SAtk / 252 Spe / 4 HP
Timid
--Nasty Plot
--Swift
--Water Pulse / Agility
--Baton Pass
This can be played to ways. Ambipom can use Nasty Plot to boost its SAtk, then sweep for a little bit off of its limited but usable SAtk stat (this is helped a lot by Technician boosting two moves, on of which has STAB, which have great coverage together), then Baton Pass these boosts to a friend when its sweep is over. Ambipom can also throw in Agility in there to allow its friend to sweep even better, but Ambipom can't sweep at all then. Of course, if your team doesn't need Nasty Plot support or Agility support, you can remove the respective move. Also, as a tip: Nasty Passing is great with Speed Boost Yanmega, and Agility+Nasty Plot passing is great for Nidoking.

 

[LightningNapkin]

Nasty Plot? its SPAtk sucks. first one's the best, but a fast Fighting (Infernape) kills it easily. Even if Ambipom outspeeds it, it can't kill it

 

[Forsety]

In OU, you have way better options. In UU however Ambipom is a deadly scout and probably ranks up there with Flygon and Jolteon as hardest to take down threats because it never stays still. Only things it really has to watch out for is Intimidate Hitmontop/Arcanine and super bulky stuff like Gligar, Slowbro and Kyurem.

 

[sax king]

BTW this is UU, Infernape doesn't exist. But just for kicks:
Jolly Ambipom's Fake Out vs Infernape: 48.1% - 56.7%
Jolly Ambipom's Return vs Infernape: 81.2% - 96.2% (OHKO with Fake Out, or high chance of OHKO with SR up)

And the second set isn't meant to sweep teams, it's meant to deal considerable damage before passing the boosts to a friend. But special Ambipom isn't that terrible. It has 436 special attack with the set given at +2, and with its high speed and base 90 power swift and water pulse, it is very capable of killing things.

EDIT:
@ above: yeah, faster threats are definitely difficult to take out, simply because Ambipom is frail and if it's not outspeeding, it's not winning. But Ambipom can win against Jolteon (Flygon with Rocks) by switching in (either on a free turn or on a revenge kill) and faking out, then doing this again. Ambipom's Fake Out is powerful enough to 2HKO both these pokemon (Flygon with rocks up). Hitmontop is probably one of the best counters with Technician Mach Punch, but Intimidate can really shut Ambipom down well. And I find that Ambipom generally wins against the slower threats, even if it doesn't deal a ton of damage. Ambipom wins against Slowbro by Faking Out and U-Turning to a counter, like Zapdos. So although Ambipom can't kill them, it can really help. And actually, Fake Out + Ankle Sweep OHKO's Kyurem with any type of entry hazard up (together, they do a minimum of about 90%).

 

[kingdra22]

Nasty Plot? its SPAtk sucks. first one's the best, but a fast Fighting (Infernape) kills it easily. Even if Ambipom outspeeds it, it can't kill it

BATON PASS. NUFF SAID -.-"

 

[evolutia]

It's a cute disrupter. Fake Out is the primary reason, in my opinion to use it. Other than that, I'd rather use the new Chinchilla pokemon for offensive output (even with technician) and Mew for baton passing needs.

 

[chuie]

Even with a Technician boost I think Low Kick would be the better fighting move. Most of the steels/rocks that Ambipom would be up against are heavy and would deal more damage than Ankle Sweep. The speed drop effect hardly matters either; even if you predict perfectly, whatever you could KO in two hits thanks to Ankle Sweep would generally be taken down in one with Low Kick.

I also don't think Payback is as effective as it was in Gen 4. You can no longer deal double damage on the switch, so unless you go second (which you really shouldn't) its base power is nothing to get excited about. Compare this with Shadow Claw, which while slightly weaker at 70 has a high Critical Hit rate that can actually mean something in a pinch. Then there is also Pursuit, which is a good alternative depending on what you need from Ambipom.

 

[aussieman000]

If there's going to be a set with Return, it should be called "All Out Attacker", with Fake Out to cause damage on the way in and a fighting move + Shadow Claw / Payback for coverage. The scouting set should probably be the same as Gen IV's Attacking Lead set:

Ambipom (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Fake Out
- Taunt
- Low Kick / Ankle Sweep / Pursuit
- U-turn / Return

Pursuit could also be slashed in with U-Turn. Taunt is pretty necessary though since at 361 Spe, it stops practically everything from setting up on you or statusing you... especially Ghosts who like to come in on Fake Out.

 

[Delko]

You should really mention that Ambipom got a new toy this gen, Switcheroo.
I've tried running a Choice Band with this and it's actually pretty usefull. Here is a set:

Ambipom @ Choice Band
Nature: Jolly
Ability: Technician
EV's: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spe

- Switcheroo
- Fake Out / Thunder Wave
- Double Hit
- U-turn / Pursuit

This set is pretty effective when you use it right. Switcheroo is a new toy Ambipom got in gen 5, and it allows him to cripple most of his checks and counters. Technician, CB Double hit is a great move, hitting through Substitute making it a great move to deal with pokes like Sub Garchomp. Fake Out is a very strong move on this Ambipom set but Ambipom must switch out after if he still has it's CB. Thunder Wave might look weird on a frail poke as Ambipom but I've actualy found it very useful on occasion, getting a fast t-wave of helps against faster sweepers. Last move is a option, U-turn after you Trick'ed the Choice Band will give you switch advantage but Choice Band Pursuit allows you to deal with frail sweepers.

The Ev's are simple, max Speed and Attack. Leftovers are dumped into SDef so Download pokemon (Porygon2, Genosect, ..) don't get a SAtk raise.

EDIT: on the Baton Pass set you could also go with Taunt or Substitute.

 

[Forsety]

Oh god, I so did NOT even notice Ambipom gets Switcheroo this gen, that almost automatically ups its general versatility with the Eviolite abuse going about. Though only issue I can see with that is Fake Out really does not work on a Choiced set which is the primary reason to use Switcheroo.

And I find that Ambipom generally wins against the slower threats, even if it doesn't deal a ton of damage. Ambipom wins against Slowbro by Faking Out and U-Turning to a counter, like Zapdos. So although Ambipom can't kill them, it can really help. And actually, Fake Out + Ankle Sweep OHKO's Kyurem with any type of entry hazard up (together, they do a minimum of about 90%).

Reason I specifically mentioned those guys is Slowbro generally doesn't give a rats ass about the passive damage, he takes fairly little even from SE hits and everytime he switches back in he gets a free heal anyway so those Fake Outs and U-Turns never add up to anything. Kyurem though provided you catch him on a switch maybe, but if you're facing him up hes likely to Protect on you to kill your Fake Out on top of some of the bulker variations laughing off Ankle Sweep.

But then as I said Ambipom shouldn't be trying to take them out anyway, what it does best is smacking you senseless before you can attack and running away before you can even switch being a general nuisance.

 

[BKC]

Ambipom @ Choice Band
Nature: Jolly
Ability: Technician
EV's: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spe

- Switcheroo
- Fake Out / Thunder Wave
- Double Hit
- U-turn / Pursuit

I've been using this set and it's surprisingly effective but Fake Out/Thunder Wave always felt like the weak link. I've been using Low Kick and it does extremely well in killing Kyurem.

 

[Delko]

I've been using this set and it's surprisingly effective but Fake Out/Thunder Wave always felt like the weak link. I've been using Low Kick and it does extremely well in killing Kyurem.

Yeah, I used this Ambipom set in OU, where a fast Thunder Wave is usefull to cripple stuff like Terakion, Latios, ...

Anyway, Low Kick is illegal with Switcheroo as Switcheroo is a gen 5 egg move and Low Kick is gen 4 move tutor attack. Unfortunately that means that elemental punches are also not possible. Low Sweep can be used instead though (also gets a Technician boosts).

 

[cartercr]

I hate do be an annoyance and bring up a dead thread, but it seems to me that on a lead set Double Hit would be a very good option to break Sashes. It's only a 10 point drop in power, and that could mean a broken sash. (Though that also means a possible paralyze by Static.)

 

[sax king]

Lower accuracy is risky for the possibility to be able to break sashes (which are rare) and subs. Even still, I'd rather use fake out to break subs and return for the kill. Double hit is too risky on such a frail mon.

 

[Avery and Avery]

RAZOR FLINCH AMBIPOM

Item: King's Rock/Razor Fang
Ability: Technician
EV: 252 Speed, 252 Attack, 4 HP
Nature: Jolly (-Sp.Attack, +Speed)
Moves: Fake Out, Covet, U-Turn, Fling

I created this set today when experimenting with some of the more gimmicky item combinations (i.e. Unburden + Fling/Herbs) and ended up falling in love with it. What you're looking at is a treacherous monkey who offers an amazing lead with its consecutive flinching strategy. You will start with Fake Out, causing the first flinch with priority as well as STAB and Technician boosts. Ambipomb's significant speed should then allow him to start the next turn with Fling, which although only deals a mere 45 damage even with boost (perhaps twice that against the right typing), it will annoyingly flinch your target for the second time if a King's Rock or Razor Fang was thrown. Now that you have no item, you're free to snatch your opponent's with Covet, which is one of the most damaging Technician-influenced move Ambipom can have, thanks to its perfect 60 base power and STAB. This consecutive pattern in itself is enough to knock out some of the less bulky Pokemon, but even if they aren't defeated, you now have their item, which in itself will screw over plenty of strategies. As long as you didn't nab unwanted Choice items or something damaging, you've done yourself well. Now you can U-Turn out of there, signifying the start of Ambipom's hit-and-run routine.

Besides against Ghost-types (and even then, Fling delivers 2x effectiveness in most cases), the initial strategy doesn't really have any downsides. Even against types that resist or Pokemon that are more bulky, in the end you still manage to steal their item, which will definitely ruin the more common threats such as Scizor that rely on Life Orb. Now, this set sort of restricts Ambipom from consistently battling for any decent amount of time, but Ambipom was never really the sort to hold its ground, even with moves such as Low Kick or Return. Let me know your thoughts!​

 

[chuie]

Want an Ambipom moveset? http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/ambipom

Nothing has changed for Ambipom. The two new moves that potentially could be used have better alternatives. Ankle Sweep in most cases is inferior to Low Kick due to the heavy weight steels and rocks tend to carry. Acrobat requires an item to be sacrificed to be worth using, and Ambipom really needs that Life Orb/Silk Scarf to be doing damage. In that case you might as well use Aerial Ace, and even then I wouldn't recommend it due to poor type coverage.

The only real difference is that Pursuit is now more viable than Payback.

 

[Onicon]

Ever tried a Hone Claw set?

Ambipom (M) @ Life Orb Trait: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Hone Claws
- Double Hit
- Shadow Claw
- Low Kick/Fire Punch


Note, that you can use Adamant nature, still outspeeding those base 100 ones, but in UU it would loose to Persian, Weavile, Mienshao, Virizion and Cobalion.

It's simple: Switch in a frail sweeper and threat to use Fake Out. While they switch out Hone Claw. Low Kick is the preferred option but Fire Punch can win against Escavalier.

 

[SJCrew]

I think you're referring to PO's UU list because Virizion and Kojondo are OU on our tier list. Persian is pretty bad on all tier lists. Also, for future references Snibuuna = Weavile, and Kojondo = Mienshao in the localized games. That's what we refer to them as around here.

 

[Onicon]

Ever tried a Hone Claw set?

Ambipom (M) @ Life Orb Trait: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Hone Claws
- Double Hit
- Shadow Claw
- Low Kick/Fire Punch


Note, that you can use Adamant nature, still outspeeding those base 100 ones, but in UU it would loose to Persian, Weavile, Virizion and Cobalion.

It's simple: Switch in a frail sweeper and threat to use Fake Out. While they switch out Hone Claw. Low Kick is the preferred option but Fire Punch can win against Escavalier.

Edit: Fixed

Edit2: The the Edit Butten, dang.

 

[AART3MiS]

Ambipom is probably the most underrated lead this generation.
I have yet to see a Hone Claws Ambipom but it definitely looks interesting.
Currently, I'm running a Fake Out set which revolves around flinching the enemy and either continuing if possible or U-turning out. I included Payback to take out those pesky ghosts, though Brick Break may be used to improve versatility. The EV's are pretty balanced allowing it to outspeed most threats and U-turn out.

Ambipom (M) @ Life Orb/Silk Scarf Trait: Technician
EVs: 4HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Fake Out
- U-turn
- Double Hit
- Payback/Brick Break

 

[Molk]

Ambipom is probably the most underrated lead this generation.
I have yet to see a Hone Claws Ambipom but it definitely looks interesting.
Currently, I'm running a Fake Out set which revolves around flinching the enemy and either continuing if possible or U-turning out. I included Payback to take out those pesky ghosts, though Brick Break may be used to improve versatility. The EV's are pretty balanced allowing it to outspeed most threats and U-turn out.

Ambipom (M) @ Life Orb/Silk Scarf Trait: Technician
EVs: 4HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Fake Out
- U-turn
- Double Hit
- Payback/Brick Break

Why not run low sweep or low kick over brick break? they get boosts from techician to make them stronger than brick break. Leads dont really exist this gen due to the advent of team preview so this is not a lead nesecarrily.

 

[AART3MiS]

Why not run low sweep or low kick over brick break? they get boosts from techician to make them stronger than brick break. Leads dont really exist this gen due to the advent of team preview so this is not a lead nesecarrily.

Well that's the main reason I put Payback before Brick Break as it checks Ghost types AND gets a Technician boost. Although I suppose in hindsight Low Sweep would have been more effective. I'll try it I guess...

 

[Shy Glizzy]

Ambipom was pretty bad late 4th gen, and it's just worse now, imo, since there isn't really a lead metagame anymore.

 

[elchupo]

Actually, things aren't as dire for Ambipom as the poster above would make seem.

Ambipom still has a very good speed stat, even for this gen, and can still rock the "flinch and flee" set like nobodies business. It's other sets are much more dubious this generation with the introduction of Cinccino, who is essentially Ambipom V1.5, at least when it comes to all out attacking.

However, with a Fake Out + U Turn set I don't see the merit of LO on Ambipom. Ambipom is going to be switching a lot, and between LO recoil and entry hazards damage it is going to be worn down a lot quicker than it would if it ran something like Silk Scarf.

Earlier this gen I ran a set like this:

Ambipom @Silk Scarf
252 Atk| 252 Spe |4 HP
+ Spe
-Fake Out
-Return
-U-Turn
-Low Kick/ Payback

I can't remember what exactly went in the last slot. Anyway, the crux of the set was Fake Out + Return which literally KO'ed 90% of the Pokemon that didn't resist it. I remember Ambipom was often the last Pokemon on my team, and usually around full health too since it was very fast and could KO before the opponent could blink. It did struggle with Ghosts, but a sturdy Pursuit user easily remedies that.

Ambipom is still very, very good.

 

[Woodbg91]

Kings Rock

This set is kinda fun to use

FlinchPom
Ambipom w/ King's Rock
Technician (or skill link)
252 Atk / 4 HP / 252 Spe
Jolly/Adamant
- Fake Out
- Low Kick
- Beat Up
- Fury Swipes

This set is best used very early in the game, possibly even as a lead. Obviously start with fake out unless you predict a switch into a ghost type, if you do, get straight to the beating (up). The whole point of this set is to use beat up continuously and flinching your opponent, whenever someone comes in that resists beat up or fury swipes, give the low kick. I know this isn't a game breaking set, but it is fun to use.

comments welcome.