QC Checks: Snunch, Chou Toshio, Delta 2777
GP Checks: NixHex, (one check still needed)
Accelgor (UU Analysis)
[Overview]
<p>Accelgor has several things going for it in the UU metagame. It is the fastest user of Spikes in UU, outspeeding even Froslass. Its Speed is so high that it will outspeed anything lacking a Choice Scarf that is not named Ninjask .Additionally, its Special Attack of 100 is quite respectable when paired with its blazing fast Speed. Its Special Attack is higher than any other Spikes user other than Omastar, Maractus and Roserade, all three of which are much slower than Accelgor. Its Bug-type STAB can deal massive damage to many Pokemon in UU, particularly Azelf and Deoxys-D. Lastly, Accelgor has Sticky Hold, which prevents it from being crippled by Trick leads.</p>
<p>Despite being an incredibly awesome ninja bug, Accelgor is not perfect. It has pitiful 80/40/60 defences, which leave it prone to being KOed by priority, especially an Arcanine's ExtremeSpeed. Also, Accelgor's pure bug typing forces it to lose 25% of its health should it switch in while Stealth Rock is active. However, with proper team support, Accelgor's blazing fast Speed, access to Spikes, immunity to Trick, and decent Special Attack can outweigh these disadvantages.</p>
[SET]
name: Spikes
move 1: Spikes
move 2: U-turn
move 3: Bug Buzz
move 4: Focus Blast / Yawn
nature: Naive
item: Focus Sash
ability: Sticky Hold
evs: 120 HP / 252 SpA / 136 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This is Accelgor's main set in UU. Thanks to Focus Sash and Accelgor's amazing speed, it can almost always get two layers of Spikes up. However, there are some situations where it is not safe for Accelgor to set up Spikes. In this case, U-turn is to help Accelgor switch out of situations it can't handle, while still dealing damage to the opponent. U-turn won't help against Choice Scarf or priority users, though. Bug Buzz occupies the third slot, and thanks to full Special Attack investment, it can KO several frail sweepers, especially Azelf. There are two main options that can fit in Accelgor's fourth slot. The first is Focus Blast, which, while infamously inaccurate, deals a respectable amount of damage to some Pokemon that resist Bug Buzz, such as Empoleon. Yawn can also be used in the fourth slot as it can either force a switch or incapacitate the opposing Pokemon. While Yawn has pseudo-phazing capabilities, it forces Accelgor to U-turn against Steel-types instead of hitting them with Focus Blast.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs allow Accelgor to outspeed nearly all of UU, barring Choice Scarf users and the rare Ninjask, while allowing Accelgor to deal decent damage and to take some priority attacks. A Naive nature should be used over Hasty to lessen the damage Accelgor takes from priority, though Accelgor won't be taking more than one STAB priority hit from most attackers either way. If you decide to run Rash over Naive, a spread of 24 HP / 252 SpA / 232 Spe is recommended, but this leaves Accelgor outsped by the rather uncommon max Speed Crobat. One of the main reasons to use Accelgor is its ability Sticky Hold, which prevents Accelgor's item from being removed or switched by the opponent. This makes Accelgor immune to Trick, which allows Accelgor to set up Spikes without having to fear being given a Choice item. Since this set's main goal is to set up Spikes, a Ghost-type Pokemon that can prevent opposing Donphan, Hitmontop, Blastoise, or Claydol from spinning away Spikes is recommended. Dusclops, Spiritomb, and Cofagrigus tend to be better spinblockers on defensive teams, while Golurk and Mismagius work better on offensive teams.</p>
[SET]
name: Special Attacker
move 1: Bug Buzz
move 2: Focus Blast
move 3: Giga Drain
move 4: Hidden Power Ice
nature: Modest / Timid
item: Life Orb
ability: Sticky Hold
evs: 24 HP / 252 SpA / 232 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set takes a different approach to Accelgor, using its high Speed along with its decent Special Attack to sweep through the opposing team. Bug Buzz is Accelgor's STAB, KOing any Pokemon weak to it, including Azelf, Celebi, and weakened Slowbro. However, there are some Pokemon that take Bug Buzz with ease. In this case, Focus Blast gives Accelgor much-needed coverage, allowing it to hit Steel-types super effectively. Its poor accuracy is a letdown, though. Giga Drain gives Accelgor additional coverage as well as healing off any residual damage Accelgor takes. Given that Accelgor is weak to Stealth Rock, this can be very useful while trying to survive priority. Lastly, Hidden Power Ice can be used to take out Pokemon such as Flygon.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>While this set may seem like an inferior Yanmega, it has two major advantages: Accelgor takes half the damage Yanmega takes from Stealth Rock, and has higher speed before Yanmega starts accumulating Speed Boosts. Like the previous set, the given EV spread and Modest nature allow Accelgor to deal as much damage as possible, while outspeeding anything slower than Crobat. While Choice Specs can be used over Life Orb, the slight boost in power is usually not worth the drawback of being locked into one move, especially when Giga Drain can remove the Life Orb recoil. As Accelgor won't be laying Spikes with this set, Stealth Rock support is appreciated. There are many Pokemon who can set up Stealth Rock in UU, but Rhyperior and Empoleon have the best type synergy with Accelgor. Accelgor itself is weak to Stealth Rock, so a Rapid Spinner such as Hitmontop or Donphan is recommended. Donphan is especially good with Accelgor due to its ability to set up Stealth Rock.</p>
[OTHER OPTIONS]
<p> Accelgor has several good boosting moves, as well as access to Encore Baton Pass, which can earn it a spot on a Baton Pass team. However, the only boosting move that Accelgor learns that can increase an offensive stat is Curse, and Curse's speed drop is less than desirable on a fast Pokemon such as Accelgor. Furthermore, Encore is illegal with Spikes. Therefore, proper team support is recommended should you assign Accelgor to a Baton Passing role. Accelgor can also run a Final Gambit set with an EV spread of 252 HP / 120 SpA / 136 Spe with Bug Buzz and your choice of Focus Blast, Spikes, and Recover. However, Accelgor really doesn't have a lot of HP even with full investment, and Final Gambit will fail to KO many Pokemon if Accelgor is even slightly damaged. Accelgor's other ability is Hydration, which prevents Accelgor from being crippled by status while rain is active. As such, Accelgor can run a set consisting of Rain Dance and Rest for full damage recovery and healing of status. Apart from this, Accelgor doesn’t benefit from the rain, with no Water-type moves to use itself. One fact that is often overlooked is that Accelgor has access to Power Swap and Guard Swap, which can steal the offensive boosts of the opposing Pokemon. Neither move can really be used enough to be worth a moveslot, though. As for other offensive options, Accelgor gets Acid Spray, which can weaken non-Steels-types and force a switch. However, Acid Spray has a miserable 40 base power, and Accelgor doesn't really have the bulk to use it more than once.</p>
[CHECKS AND COUNTERS]
<p>Hitmontop and Donphan can spin away Accelgor's Spikes, and both can KO Accelgor with Stone Edge. Blastoise and Claydol can also use Rapid Spin, though neither Pokemon usually carries a move that is super effective against Accelgor. Common Choice Scarf users such as Heracross can outspeed Accelgor and KO it (in Heracross's case, with Stone Edge). Chansey is one of the biggest counters to Specially Offensive Accelgor, as it can wall even a Focus Blast from Accelgor, and can status and Seismic Toss Accelgor into oblivion. Similarly, Snorlax can wall any special attacks Accelgor tries to fire at it, while eliminating Accelgor more quickly with any physical attack. Neither Pokemon is really a threat to Spikes Accelgor, though, as it can simply U-turn out of these slow walls. Arcanine can check both Accelgor sets, as Arcanine can KO Accelgor with ExtremeSpeed, though Arcanine can be phazed out with Yawn. Other priority users can KO Accelgor by ignoring Accelgor's Speed stat, though Accelgor may be able to survive one priority hit from most attackers even without a Focus Sash. Xatu's ability Magic Bounce can bounce any Spikes Accelgor tries to set up when Xatu switches in, while being immune to Yawn. However, special attacking Accelgor has a chance to OHKO 252 / 0 Xatu after Stealth Rock with Hidden Power Ice. Lastly, Murkrow and Cottonee with Eviolite use their Prankster ability to Taunt Accelgor, preventing it from laying down Spikes. However, Cottonee is weak to Accelgor's Bug-type attacks and neither Pokemon can really do much to the special attacking set.</p>
[DREAM WORLD]
<p> Accelgor's Dream World ability happens to be Unburden, which doubles Accelgor's speed should it lose its held item. While it seems that Accelgor has no use for its Dream World ability due to its extremely high Speed even before a boost, it may see some use in some gimmick sets. One such possible set utilizes a pinch berry as well as Baton Pass to pass an Acid Armor or an Agility as well as a pinch berry boost to another Pokemon. Endure would be recommended on such a set; if Accelgor boosts on the first turn without losing enough HP to consume the pinch berry, it can Endure on the second turn to hopefully get down to one HP and consume the berry. Another possible set involves Accelgor holding a Petaya Berry and using it when Accelgor's HP falls below 33%, which allows it to outspeed practically all Pokemon as well as deal a lot of damage with the Petaya Berry boost. Such a set must really watch out for priority, though. However, if Accelgor ever gets its Dream World ability, it is not recommended for the Spikes set as this removes Accelgor's immumity to Trick. </p>
Special thanks to zdrup15 for Accelgor's OU analysis.
GP Checks: NixHex, (one check still needed)
Accelgor (UU Analysis)
[Overview]
<p>Accelgor has several things going for it in the UU metagame. It is the fastest user of Spikes in UU, outspeeding even Froslass. Its Speed is so high that it will outspeed anything lacking a Choice Scarf that is not named Ninjask .Additionally, its Special Attack of 100 is quite respectable when paired with its blazing fast Speed. Its Special Attack is higher than any other Spikes user other than Omastar, Maractus and Roserade, all three of which are much slower than Accelgor. Its Bug-type STAB can deal massive damage to many Pokemon in UU, particularly Azelf and Deoxys-D. Lastly, Accelgor has Sticky Hold, which prevents it from being crippled by Trick leads.</p>
<p>Despite being an incredibly awesome ninja bug, Accelgor is not perfect. It has pitiful 80/40/60 defences, which leave it prone to being KOed by priority, especially an Arcanine's ExtremeSpeed. Also, Accelgor's pure bug typing forces it to lose 25% of its health should it switch in while Stealth Rock is active. However, with proper team support, Accelgor's blazing fast Speed, access to Spikes, immunity to Trick, and decent Special Attack can outweigh these disadvantages.</p>
[SET]
name: Spikes
move 1: Spikes
move 2: U-turn
move 3: Bug Buzz
move 4: Focus Blast / Yawn
nature: Naive
item: Focus Sash
ability: Sticky Hold
evs: 120 HP / 252 SpA / 136 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This is Accelgor's main set in UU. Thanks to Focus Sash and Accelgor's amazing speed, it can almost always get two layers of Spikes up. However, there are some situations where it is not safe for Accelgor to set up Spikes. In this case, U-turn is to help Accelgor switch out of situations it can't handle, while still dealing damage to the opponent. U-turn won't help against Choice Scarf or priority users, though. Bug Buzz occupies the third slot, and thanks to full Special Attack investment, it can KO several frail sweepers, especially Azelf. There are two main options that can fit in Accelgor's fourth slot. The first is Focus Blast, which, while infamously inaccurate, deals a respectable amount of damage to some Pokemon that resist Bug Buzz, such as Empoleon. Yawn can also be used in the fourth slot as it can either force a switch or incapacitate the opposing Pokemon. While Yawn has pseudo-phazing capabilities, it forces Accelgor to U-turn against Steel-types instead of hitting them with Focus Blast.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs allow Accelgor to outspeed nearly all of UU, barring Choice Scarf users and the rare Ninjask, while allowing Accelgor to deal decent damage and to take some priority attacks. A Naive nature should be used over Hasty to lessen the damage Accelgor takes from priority, though Accelgor won't be taking more than one STAB priority hit from most attackers either way. If you decide to run Rash over Naive, a spread of 24 HP / 252 SpA / 232 Spe is recommended, but this leaves Accelgor outsped by the rather uncommon max Speed Crobat. One of the main reasons to use Accelgor is its ability Sticky Hold, which prevents Accelgor's item from being removed or switched by the opponent. This makes Accelgor immune to Trick, which allows Accelgor to set up Spikes without having to fear being given a Choice item. Since this set's main goal is to set up Spikes, a Ghost-type Pokemon that can prevent opposing Donphan, Hitmontop, Blastoise, or Claydol from spinning away Spikes is recommended. Dusclops, Spiritomb, and Cofagrigus tend to be better spinblockers on defensive teams, while Golurk and Mismagius work better on offensive teams.</p>
[SET]
name: Special Attacker
move 1: Bug Buzz
move 2: Focus Blast
move 3: Giga Drain
move 4: Hidden Power Ice
nature: Modest / Timid
item: Life Orb
ability: Sticky Hold
evs: 24 HP / 252 SpA / 232 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set takes a different approach to Accelgor, using its high Speed along with its decent Special Attack to sweep through the opposing team. Bug Buzz is Accelgor's STAB, KOing any Pokemon weak to it, including Azelf, Celebi, and weakened Slowbro. However, there are some Pokemon that take Bug Buzz with ease. In this case, Focus Blast gives Accelgor much-needed coverage, allowing it to hit Steel-types super effectively. Its poor accuracy is a letdown, though. Giga Drain gives Accelgor additional coverage as well as healing off any residual damage Accelgor takes. Given that Accelgor is weak to Stealth Rock, this can be very useful while trying to survive priority. Lastly, Hidden Power Ice can be used to take out Pokemon such as Flygon.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>While this set may seem like an inferior Yanmega, it has two major advantages: Accelgor takes half the damage Yanmega takes from Stealth Rock, and has higher speed before Yanmega starts accumulating Speed Boosts. Like the previous set, the given EV spread and Modest nature allow Accelgor to deal as much damage as possible, while outspeeding anything slower than Crobat. While Choice Specs can be used over Life Orb, the slight boost in power is usually not worth the drawback of being locked into one move, especially when Giga Drain can remove the Life Orb recoil. As Accelgor won't be laying Spikes with this set, Stealth Rock support is appreciated. There are many Pokemon who can set up Stealth Rock in UU, but Rhyperior and Empoleon have the best type synergy with Accelgor. Accelgor itself is weak to Stealth Rock, so a Rapid Spinner such as Hitmontop or Donphan is recommended. Donphan is especially good with Accelgor due to its ability to set up Stealth Rock.</p>
[OTHER OPTIONS]
<p> Accelgor has several good boosting moves, as well as access to Encore Baton Pass, which can earn it a spot on a Baton Pass team. However, the only boosting move that Accelgor learns that can increase an offensive stat is Curse, and Curse's speed drop is less than desirable on a fast Pokemon such as Accelgor. Furthermore, Encore is illegal with Spikes. Therefore, proper team support is recommended should you assign Accelgor to a Baton Passing role. Accelgor can also run a Final Gambit set with an EV spread of 252 HP / 120 SpA / 136 Spe with Bug Buzz and your choice of Focus Blast, Spikes, and Recover. However, Accelgor really doesn't have a lot of HP even with full investment, and Final Gambit will fail to KO many Pokemon if Accelgor is even slightly damaged. Accelgor's other ability is Hydration, which prevents Accelgor from being crippled by status while rain is active. As such, Accelgor can run a set consisting of Rain Dance and Rest for full damage recovery and healing of status. Apart from this, Accelgor doesn’t benefit from the rain, with no Water-type moves to use itself. One fact that is often overlooked is that Accelgor has access to Power Swap and Guard Swap, which can steal the offensive boosts of the opposing Pokemon. Neither move can really be used enough to be worth a moveslot, though. As for other offensive options, Accelgor gets Acid Spray, which can weaken non-Steels-types and force a switch. However, Acid Spray has a miserable 40 base power, and Accelgor doesn't really have the bulk to use it more than once.</p>
[CHECKS AND COUNTERS]
<p>Hitmontop and Donphan can spin away Accelgor's Spikes, and both can KO Accelgor with Stone Edge. Blastoise and Claydol can also use Rapid Spin, though neither Pokemon usually carries a move that is super effective against Accelgor. Common Choice Scarf users such as Heracross can outspeed Accelgor and KO it (in Heracross's case, with Stone Edge). Chansey is one of the biggest counters to Specially Offensive Accelgor, as it can wall even a Focus Blast from Accelgor, and can status and Seismic Toss Accelgor into oblivion. Similarly, Snorlax can wall any special attacks Accelgor tries to fire at it, while eliminating Accelgor more quickly with any physical attack. Neither Pokemon is really a threat to Spikes Accelgor, though, as it can simply U-turn out of these slow walls. Arcanine can check both Accelgor sets, as Arcanine can KO Accelgor with ExtremeSpeed, though Arcanine can be phazed out with Yawn. Other priority users can KO Accelgor by ignoring Accelgor's Speed stat, though Accelgor may be able to survive one priority hit from most attackers even without a Focus Sash. Xatu's ability Magic Bounce can bounce any Spikes Accelgor tries to set up when Xatu switches in, while being immune to Yawn. However, special attacking Accelgor has a chance to OHKO 252 / 0 Xatu after Stealth Rock with Hidden Power Ice. Lastly, Murkrow and Cottonee with Eviolite use their Prankster ability to Taunt Accelgor, preventing it from laying down Spikes. However, Cottonee is weak to Accelgor's Bug-type attacks and neither Pokemon can really do much to the special attacking set.</p>
[DREAM WORLD]
<p> Accelgor's Dream World ability happens to be Unburden, which doubles Accelgor's speed should it lose its held item. While it seems that Accelgor has no use for its Dream World ability due to its extremely high Speed even before a boost, it may see some use in some gimmick sets. One such possible set utilizes a pinch berry as well as Baton Pass to pass an Acid Armor or an Agility as well as a pinch berry boost to another Pokemon. Endure would be recommended on such a set; if Accelgor boosts on the first turn without losing enough HP to consume the pinch berry, it can Endure on the second turn to hopefully get down to one HP and consume the berry. Another possible set involves Accelgor holding a Petaya Berry and using it when Accelgor's HP falls below 33%, which allows it to outspeed practically all Pokemon as well as deal a lot of damage with the Petaya Berry boost. Such a set must really watch out for priority, though. However, if Accelgor ever gets its Dream World ability, it is not recommended for the Spikes set as this removes Accelgor's immumity to Trick. </p>
Special thanks to zdrup15 for Accelgor's OU analysis.
