-
Welcome to Smogon! Take a moment to read the Introduction to Smogon for a run-down on everything Smogon, and make sure you take some time to read the global rules.
-
Congrats to the winners of the 2023 Smog Awards!
Espeon (Analysis) [GP 2/2]
- Thread starter MatchMaster
- Start date
Got it, sorry, and thanks :)
please please don't imply uniqueness has a scale. there is no such thing as 'semi-unique', things are either unique or they aren't. it can be rare if that's what you're looking for.
@MatchMaster Please address Icecream's am check so that this can be moved along. Be careful about the comma additions though, if you're unsure about them ignore them for now, there's a few in there that I didn't like. Everything else looks good.
Am check implemented. Sorry about taking so long.
Because better bulk + higher speed and taunt. A few post back someone also mentioned the dual screens set didn't do well in testing.
add/edit
remove
GP Approved 2/2
remove
[Overview]
<p>At first, Espeon might seem completely out of place in the Ubers metagame. Aside from its Special Attack and Speed its other stats are pitiful, as base 65 / 60 / 95 defenses make Espeon very vulnerable to the powerful attacks thrown around in the tier, especially priority ones. It also has a barren movepool, making it one-dimensional and easy to play around. Being Pursuit weak is another undesirable quality, making Espeon easy pickings for Tyranitar and Scizor. To top it all off, its only form of recovery, Morning Sun, is near useless in the rain-infested metagame.</p>
<p>However, it's Espeon's phenomenal ability, Magic Bounce, that makes it worth using in Ubers. This coveted ability allows it to deflect all forms of entry hazards, ensuring that dangerous sun sweepers, such as Ho-Oh and Kyurem-W, don't go down prematurely. Magic Bounce also allows Espeon to ward off other support moves such as Will-O-Wisp, Thunder Wave, Toxic, Roar, and Whirlwind, giving stall team headaches, as they usually rely on these moves to stall out their opponents. Espeon also happens to be capable of stopping Forretress and Skarmory, two common hazard setters, in their tracks and KO them. When thinking of a team supporter that can perform these roles, Xatu might come to mind first due to its immunity to Earthquake, reliable recovery, and slightly higher Defense. Unlike Xatu, however, Espeon can deal a fair amount of damage, preventing it from becoming setup bait. Espeon cannot be used recklessly though; it needs a good deal of team support to get its job done. One slight misprediction could result in Espeon's demise.</p>
[SET]
name: Focus Sash Attacker
move 1: Psyshock / Shadow Ball
move 2: Yawn / Psyshock
move 3: Grass Knot
move 4: Hidden Power Fire
item: Focus Sash
ability: Magic Bounce
nature: Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>As Espeon is fast, frail, and fairly powerful, a Focus Sash set immediately comes to mind. Being able to stop most defensive hazard setters—and even some offensive ones—this set can make way for powerful teammates that are troubled by entry hazards. Psyshock is preferred in the first slot as it is Espeon's better STAB move, allowing it to OHKO Tentacruel and Terrakion after Stealth Rock. Shadow Ball is another viable option to hit Deoxys-S and KO heavily weakened Mewtwo, Giratina-O, and Ghost Arceus on the switch. Yawn prevents Espeon from being setup bait for from the likes of Arceus and Mewtwo. Grass Knot is important, as it is Espeon's best move against Kyogre, Groudon, and Tyranitar, 2HKOing all of them after Stealth Rock. Lastly, Hidden Power Fire hits Skarmory and Forretress, two common hazard setters, for super effective damage.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>There are two other options that Espeon can make use of. The first is Baton Pass, which can be used to scout for counters and escape Pursuit. This can help preserve Espeon's Focus Sash and possibly allow it to come back later and bounce back entry hazards. The second viable option is Hidden Power Fighting, which is its best option against Tyranitar and Dialga; however, it will still fail to OHKO both and the former takes a good amount of damage from Grass Knot.</p>
<p>The most obvious partner for Espeon is Groudon; it can easily take on Tyranitar, Scizor, and Dialga, all of which can force Espeon out. The sun it summons also powers up the Fire-type moves of Ho-Oh, Reshiram, and Kyurem-W, all of which appreciate Magic Bounce support, making them good teammates as well. Sun support also makes Morning Sun restore up to 67% of Espeon's health, making it a viable option. Another good teammate to consider is Choice Scarf Terrakion, who threatens Extreme Killer Arceus, Darkrai, and both Kyurem formes, all of which those Pokemon can otherwise trouble Espeon's other teammate, Groudon. Finally, Calm Mind Ghost Arceus can stop Genesect, which easily threatens Espeon with its powerful STAB U-turn.</p>
<p>It should be noted that due to Espeon's frailty, it will usually only block hazards twice; once when at full health, and once when it is down to its Focus Sash. However, Tyranitar will only let Espeon block them once, as it will Pursuit trap Espeon if it switches out, leaving it at 1 HP. Tyranitar can then proceed to set up Stealth Rock, thus taking Espeon out the moment it attempts to switch in. Excadrill sets up Stealth Rock with impunity due to Mold Breaker bypassing the effects of Magic Bounce. Groudon, and to a lesser extent, Terrakion, make good teammates as they can threaten these two entry hazard setters with STAB Earthquake or Close Combat.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>A dual screens set has merits, as Espeon is not stopped by Taunt and isn't neither is it setup fodder for entry hazard setters, but Deoxys-S pulls this off better thanks to higher Speed and makes up for its vulnerability to Taunt with access to the move itself. A set with Trick and a Choice Scarf or Choice Specs can allow Espeon to outpace or hit opposing Pokemon hard, while being able to cripple a wall—but again, Deoxys-S outclasses it in this role.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Hard-hitting priority users, such as Arceus, Giratina-O, and Scizor, will quickly dispatch of Espeon due to its frailty, although Scizor will have to watch out for Hidden Power Fire. Speaking of Scizor, it can also Pursuit trap Espeon if it decides to switch out. Tyranitar does this job even better, as it is at best 2HKOed by Hidden Power Fighting or Grass Knot after Stealth Rock. Ho-Oh can easily take anything bar Psyshock and OHKO back. Like a lot of Pokemon, Espeon can be preyed upon by revenge killers, as almost any Choice Scarf user in the tier can outpace and KO Espeon with the appropriate move. The most prominent of these is Genesect, which easily OHKOes it with U-turn after Espeon's Focus Sash is broken.</p>
<p>At first, Espeon might seem completely out of place in the Ubers metagame. Aside from its Special Attack and Speed its other stats are pitiful, as base 65 / 60 / 95 defenses make Espeon very vulnerable to the powerful attacks thrown around in the tier, especially priority ones. It also has a barren movepool, making it one-dimensional and easy to play around. Being Pursuit weak is another undesirable quality, making Espeon easy pickings for Tyranitar and Scizor. To top it all off, its only form of recovery, Morning Sun, is near useless in the rain-infested metagame.</p>
<p>However, it's Espeon's phenomenal ability, Magic Bounce, that makes it worth using in Ubers. This coveted ability allows it to deflect all forms of entry hazards, ensuring that dangerous sun sweepers, such as Ho-Oh and Kyurem-W, don't go down prematurely. Magic Bounce also allows Espeon to ward off other support moves such as Will-O-Wisp, Thunder Wave, Toxic, Roar, and Whirlwind, giving stall team headaches, as they usually rely on these moves to stall out their opponents. Espeon also happens to be capable of stopping Forretress and Skarmory, two common hazard setters, in their tracks and KO them. When thinking of a team supporter that can perform these roles, Xatu might come to mind first due to its immunity to Earthquake, reliable recovery, and slightly higher Defense. Unlike Xatu, however, Espeon can deal a fair amount of damage, preventing it from becoming setup bait. Espeon cannot be used recklessly though; it needs a good deal of team support to get its job done. One slight misprediction could result in Espeon's demise.</p>
[SET]
name: Focus Sash Attacker
move 1: Psyshock / Shadow Ball
move 2: Yawn / Psyshock
move 3: Grass Knot
move 4: Hidden Power Fire
item: Focus Sash
ability: Magic Bounce
nature: Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>As Espeon is fast, frail, and fairly powerful, a Focus Sash set immediately comes to mind. Being able to stop most defensive hazard setters—and even some offensive ones—this set can make way for powerful teammates that are troubled by entry hazards. Psyshock is preferred in the first slot as it is Espeon's better STAB move, allowing it to OHKO Tentacruel and Terrakion after Stealth Rock. Shadow Ball is another viable option to hit Deoxys-S and KO heavily weakened Mewtwo, Giratina-O, and Ghost Arceus on the switch. Yawn prevents Espeon from being setup bait for from the likes of Arceus and Mewtwo. Grass Knot is important, as it is Espeon's best move against Kyogre, Groudon, and Tyranitar, 2HKOing all of them after Stealth Rock. Lastly, Hidden Power Fire hits Skarmory and Forretress, two common hazard setters, for super effective damage.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>There are two other options that Espeon can make use of. The first is Baton Pass, which can be used to scout for counters and escape Pursuit. This can help preserve Espeon's Focus Sash and possibly allow it to come back later and bounce back entry hazards. The second viable option is Hidden Power Fighting, which is its best option against Tyranitar and Dialga; however, it will still fail to OHKO both and the former takes a good amount of damage from Grass Knot.</p>
<p>The most obvious partner for Espeon is Groudon; it can easily take on Tyranitar, Scizor, and Dialga, all of which can force Espeon out. The sun it summons also powers up the Fire-type moves of Ho-Oh, Reshiram, and Kyurem-W, all of which appreciate Magic Bounce support, making them good teammates as well. Sun support also makes Morning Sun restore up to 67% of Espeon's health, making it a viable option. Another good teammate to consider is Choice Scarf Terrakion, who threatens Extreme Killer Arceus, Darkrai, and both Kyurem formes, all of which those Pokemon can otherwise trouble Espeon's other teammate, Groudon. Finally, Calm Mind Ghost Arceus can stop Genesect, which easily threatens Espeon with its powerful STAB U-turn.</p>
<p>It should be noted that due to Espeon's frailty, it will usually only block hazards twice; once when at full health, and once when it is down to its Focus Sash. However, Tyranitar will only let Espeon block them once, as it will Pursuit trap Espeon if it switches out, leaving it at 1 HP. Tyranitar can then proceed to set up Stealth Rock, thus taking Espeon out the moment it attempts to switch in. Excadrill sets up Stealth Rock with impunity due to Mold Breaker bypassing the effects of Magic Bounce. Groudon, and to a lesser extent, Terrakion, make good teammates as they can threaten these two entry hazard setters with STAB Earthquake or Close Combat.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>A dual screens set has merits, as Espeon is not stopped by Taunt and isn't neither is it setup fodder for entry hazard setters, but Deoxys-S pulls this off better thanks to higher Speed and makes up for its vulnerability to Taunt with access to the move itself. A set with Trick and a Choice Scarf or Choice Specs can allow Espeon to outpace or hit opposing Pokemon hard, while being able to cripple a wall—but again, Deoxys-S outclasses it in this role.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Hard-hitting priority users, such as Arceus, Giratina-O, and Scizor, will quickly dispatch of Espeon due to its frailty, although Scizor will have to watch out for Hidden Power Fire. Speaking of Scizor, it can also Pursuit trap Espeon if it decides to switch out. Tyranitar does this job even better, as it is at best 2HKOed by Hidden Power Fighting or Grass Knot after Stealth Rock. Ho-Oh can easily take anything bar Psyshock and OHKO back. Like a lot of Pokemon, Espeon can be preyed upon by revenge killers, as almost any Choice Scarf user in the tier can outpace and KO Espeon with the appropriate move. The most prominent of these is Genesect, which easily OHKOes it with U-turn after Espeon's Focus Sash is broken.</p>
GP Approved 2/2
Thanks for the approval. I've implemented your am check, so this should be ready for uploading.
