THIS. People should use it more, this set is awesome at crippling stall. Best Trick/Switcheroo user imo. NO-ONE expects it. Although I'd personally use a Choice Band since Ambipom already has amazing speed, and a CB Retaliate is going to destroy most opponents.
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Ambipom
- Thread starter archyboy
- Start date
I decided to Trick Scarf because my team is generally pretty fast anyway, and the majority of the things the Switcheroo cripples (lots of ferro, forre, scizor, metagross, skarm, [-physical steels and ghosts here-]) are slower than my team even with a Scarf, where as Switcheroo'ing CB to something that might be able to use it could bite me in the ass. I can see the benefits of both choices.
I've been trying out Low Sweep over Retaliate specifically because I have Heatran issues. Low Kick would have also been nice, but sadly it's illegal with Switcheroo. At least Sweep gets the Tech boost though.
It really is a fun set to use. I encourage anyone that hates annoying Ferrothorn and Chans/Bliss and the like to try it. It even works well in OU!
Some fairly typical OU switch-ins:
- Gliscor loves having his Toxic Orb taken before Poison Heal activates.
- Scarfed Conkeldurr is stupid easy to deal with.
- Most Jirachis don't like being Scarfed.
- Jellicent is a very likely draw on the Fake Out lure, and it HATES being Scarfed.
- SubSplit Gengars (the more popular ones imo) lose most of their use with a Scarf.
- All your typical defensive pivot Pokemon that you would likely switch in to an Ambipom Fake Out don't like being Scarfed.
/ramble about one of my favorite Pokemon being awesome this gen.
The 10% accuracy drop you accept by using Double Hit is not worth the risk. Double Hit allows you around 2-3% more damage output than Return which hardly compensates those crucial misses.
It would allow you to break the sub and deliver some damage (around 50% on Subpunch Breloom not including the HP already taken to make the sub), but unless you KO them (which isn't likely unless they've already sustained considerable damage) you lose your Ambipom in the process from their counter-attack. Having more consistency with Return in most cases outweighs the risk and situational benefit from Double Hit. Of course Double Hit will always have its use as a way to take on Substitutes, but it's situational. Return offers consistency.
Trait: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd / 4 HP
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- DynamicPunch
- Double Hit
- Pursuit
- Hone Claws
That may seem stupid, but works well. Hone Claws boosts Attack and Accuracy, with +2 Acc DynamicPunch will never fail. Double-Hit is the main attack, STAB and boosted by Technician, while Pursuit can trapkill some leads such as Politoed
The thing is you will need 2 free turns for that, and dynamic punch is meh at only 100 power, I would rather use brick break 3 times, then dynamic punch once.
fixed
DynamicPunch is meh, I'd rather just use Machamp for that. Low Kick provides better consistency. I mean, what's the point of confusing that steel, when you just OHKO/2HKO it outright?
Minor problem is that after 2 Hone Claws, dynamicpunch's acc. is still only 83%. Still useable, but not perfect. Honestly, I think Baton Pass would fit better over either Pursuit or DPunch since he'd be baton passing out of bulkier ghosts that he couldn't KO at +1 or bulkier steels (and that Payback is a better dark move to use than Pursuit).
I was thinking maybe;
Ambipom
Pickup
King´s Rock/Razor Fang
Return/Headbutt/Body Slam
Brick Break/Low Kick
U-Turn
Fling
If im not mistaken the combination of pickup+fling+King´s Rock/Razor Fang should flinch the foe continuosly because once you fling the item then pickup will activate and regenerate the item to use it again and again, until you rack up enough damage on the target until you can K.O. it with any of the other moves.
Since the most common reaction into seing a lead ambipom is to switch in a ghost type then using u-turn to start and then taking out a Shadow Tag Chandelure its a good option to get rid of ghosts and then proceed to flinch sweep.
In case you feel more power its needed then couple him with a baton passer, most likely Ninjask or Blaziken in Ubers, and pass up a sword dance and substitute to it, in this case you should maximize ambipoms hp, attack (adamant) & a bit in his defenses so he can survive some hits in any case.
Other pokemon who have pickup and may also play this role with certain success will be Linoone & Pachirisu which are the more faster ones besides ambipom. Also i should say this combo may be controversial if ever playing it competitively since some (if not most) people like to play with hax item clause.
Ambipom
Pickup
King´s Rock/Razor Fang
Return/Headbutt/Body Slam
Brick Break/Low Kick
U-Turn
Fling
If im not mistaken the combination of pickup+fling+King´s Rock/Razor Fang should flinch the foe continuosly because once you fling the item then pickup will activate and regenerate the item to use it again and again, until you rack up enough damage on the target until you can K.O. it with any of the other moves.
Since the most common reaction into seing a lead ambipom is to switch in a ghost type then using u-turn to start and then taking out a Shadow Tag Chandelure its a good option to get rid of ghosts and then proceed to flinch sweep.
In case you feel more power its needed then couple him with a baton passer, most likely Ninjask or Blaziken in Ubers, and pass up a sword dance and substitute to it, in this case you should maximize ambipoms hp, attack (adamant) & a bit in his defenses so he can survive some hits in any case.
Other pokemon who have pickup and may also play this role with certain success will be Linoone & Pachirisu which are the more faster ones besides ambipom. Also i should say this combo may be controversial if ever playing it competitively since some (if not most) people like to play with hax item clause.
I don't think that works. Pick Up only lets you get items that are used or tossed by your opponent.
If you were in a Double/Triple battle then your partner (w/ Pickup) would get the item rather then the opponent. Which makes for a deadly combo of Linoone+Ambipom, both with Fling. One with King's Rock, the other with Razor Fang, which would would be true infini-flinch.