Pokémon Chesnaught (Revamp Occurring)

[alexwolf]

The only problem is that rapid spin spins leech seed away too. However, it is also a solid counter to donphan.

That's not such a big problem as Chesnaught is slower than Mega Blastoise and can use Leech Seed again after Blastoise spins, still causing it to lose damage at the end of the turn. Of course a bit of prediction will be involved there, as if Blastoise goes for Aura Shpere as you use Leech Seed you will be left in a bad spot, but Chesnaught still has the upper hand if Blastoise switches into him, thanks to reliable recovery. You could always use Seed Bomb too on the last slot, although no Roar for Aegislash sucks, but you still wall the hell out of non attack-boosting sets of Aegislash and set up Spikes all over its face.

 

[Anartya]

That's not such a big problem as Chesnaught is slower than Mega Blastoise and can use Leech Seed again after Blastoise spins, still causing it to lose damage at the end of the turn. Of course a bit of prediction will be involved there, as if Blastoise goes for Aura Shpere as you use Leech Seed you will be left in a bad spot, but Chesnaught still has the upper hand if Blastoise switches into him, thanks to reliable recovery. You could always use Seed Bomb too on the last slot, although no Roar for Aegislash sucks, but you still wall the hell out of non attack-boosting sets of Aegislash and set up Spikes all over its face.

Bulletproof makes Chesnaught immune to Aura Sphere. So it can only use Water Pulse if it doesn't carry Ice Beam.

 

[alexwolf]

Bulletproof makes Chesnaught immune to Aura Sphere. So it can only use Water Pulse if it doesn't carry Ice Beam.

True, forgot about that. So Chesnaught owns Ice Beam-less Mega Blastoise, with or without Seed Bomb.

 

[BuddhaSmite]

So is there a front runner set yet? He really likes to have both his STAB moves, and that doesn't leave a ton of room for spikes, leech seed, toxic, spiky shield. The sets I've seen in person so far are all over the place.

 

[MagnetBoy]

subseed with 2 attacking moves seems like his best set. if you are playing a stall team then you can take out a move for toxic/spikes

 

[NotSoClutch]

So is there a front runner set yet? He really likes to have both his STAB moves, and that doesn't leave a ton of room for spikes, leech seed, toxic, spiky shield. The sets I've seen in person so far are all over the place.

I personally run max defense and hp with a negative spa nature and leftovers. I give him leftovers as an item with a moveset of leech seed, spikey shield, hammer arm and seed bomb.

 

[Garrus01]

Isn't hammer arm and seed bomb rather redundant though, even taking in the fact the latter lacks recoil? I would rather give him something else for coverage.

 

[RabidChipmunk]

His set-analysis over in Contributions and Corrections recommends Spikes, Synthesis, Hammer Arm, and either Seed Bomb, Roar, or Leech Seed. Personally, I'd write off Synthesis for another move and give him Roar. Losing reliable recovery sucks, but Synthesis isn't that reliable; Tyranitar is everywhere, you know. Leech Seed is probably a bit more reliable, seeing as it's not weather dependent and it can force switches (it may even mesh well with Roar to get rid of Grass-types like Ferrothorn you don't want bothering you, but in most other circumstances, the two moves have poor synergy). But there's really no one "best" set; Chesnaught's 4MSS is massive, so you'll always be wanting in some way.

I will say that every Chesnaught should carry Spikes; he's such a good user of the move that it's a massive waste of his potential if you don't.

DON'T use Sub/Seed by the way. For the same reasons that Chesnaught can't sweep, he can't stay in and stall either. He's best suited to switching in, disrupting or attacking, and switching out.

Also, I'd say no to Spiky Shield too. Yeah, it's Chesnaught's signature move, but it's predictable and not that helpful, and Chesnaught simply doesn't have enough moveslots to waste on it.

 

[Bravadorado]

Losing reliable recovery sucks, but Synthesis isn't that reliable; Tyranitar is everywhere, you know.

4 Atk (custom) Hammer Arm vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Tyranitar: 432-508 (106.93 - 125.74%) -- guaranteed OHKO

I dare TTar to come in on Chesnaught.

Edit: By the way, can some one teach me/tell me how to use spikes well? I've never used it and it seems like everyone loves it on Chesnaught and it just doesn't seem super useful to me. Especially since one of the biggest dangers to Chesnaught (Flying types) could easily be carrying defog. If it's Skarmory then he forces the switch, defogs, and is free to set up for the most part.

 

[RabidChipmunk]

4 Atk (custom) Hammer Arm vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Tyranitar: 432-508 (106.93 - 125.74%) -- guaranteed OHKO

I dare TTar to come in on Chesnaught.

I'm not talking about a 1v1 scenario. Yes, obviously Chesnaught beats Tyranitar one on one, but if Tyranitar has come in before, or if you switch in on Tyranitar, or hell, if you're running a Tyranitar of your own (the two actually have decent synergy), then Snythesis is gimped temporarily. So long as there's a Tyranitar on either player's team, Chesnaught has to accept the fact that it may not have a source of reliable recovery.

 

[Anartya]

4 Atk (custom) Hammer Arm vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Tyranitar: 432-508 (106.93 - 125.74%) -- guaranteed OHKO

I dare TTar to come in on Chesnaught.

Edit: By the way, can some one teach me/tell me how to use spikes well? I've never used it and it seems like everyone loves it on Chesnaught and it just doesn't seem super useful to me. Especially since one of the biggest dangers to Chesnaught (Flying types) could easily be carrying defog. If it's Skarmory then he forces the switch, defogs, and is free to set up for the most part.

I use a Tyranitar/M. Tyranitar Chesnaught core. Specially Defensive Tyrantitar checks all psychic types, fire types, ice attacks, flying types and poison types that threaten Chesnaught like Talonflame. Tyranitar has access to Stealth Rock and by setting that up you make Chesnaught's counters much harder to switch-in to. Chesnaught on the other hand check's Tyranitar's counters like Excadrill, Breloom, M. Venusaur, Ferrothorn etc. And can set up spikes. With spikes and stealth rock in play, Roar becomes amazing on Chesnaught!

 

[Bravadorado]

I use a Tyranitar/M. Tyranitar Chesnaught core. Specially Defensive Tyrantitar checks all psychic types, fire types, ice attacks, flying types and poison types that threaten Chesnaught like Talonflame. Tyranitar has access to Stealth Rock and by setting that up you make Chesnaught's counters much harder to switch-in to. Chesnaught on the other hand check's Tyranitar's counters like Excadrill, Breloom, M. Venusaur, Ferrothorn etc. And can set up spikes. With spikes and stealth rock in play, Roar becomes amazing on Chesnaught!

I'm considering using him with Empoleon. The two together have near perfect resistance coverage. Empoleon can Defog, SR, and then switch to Chesnaught when the counter comes with little fear.

 

[Anartya]

I'm considering using him with Empoleon. The two together have near perfect resistance coverage. Empoleon can Defog, SR, and then switch to Chesnaught when the counter comes with little fear.

That's an amazing core! Specially Defensive Heatran with Stealth rock also works, but sadly not at the moment, we have to wait for pokebank.

 

[alexwolf]

subseed with 2 attacking moves seems like his best set. if you are playing a stall team then you can take out a move for toxic/spikes

SubSeed sets are bad. You are walled and become set up bait for a ton of Pokemon, such as Mega Venusaur, Trevenant, Gourgeist, Skarmory, Swords Dance Aegislash, Forretress, Dragon Dance + Roost Mega Char X, Nasty Plot + Roost Togekiss, Swords Dance + Roost Scizor, and many more. Not to mention that assuming you set up a Sub on the switch you forced, after using Leech Seed against the opponent you will be forced out as you will be facing a faster opponent that can deal a lot of damage back without a Sub up. So you just wasted 25% of your health with Sub and a free turn to do 12.5% damage to the opponent? SubSeed hasn't been a viable strategy in OU since ages now, with a few exceptions such as SubSeed Trevenant, which only works because of WoW + passive recovery from Sitrus + Harvest. Don't use SubSeed Chesnaught it sucks, simple as that.

Also, always use Synthesis. Tyranitar is common yeah, but sand will only be up for 4 turns after he enters the field (unless he comes in after something dies), which means that there are plenty of turns that sand is not up even against teams with Tyranitar, and thus many chances to heal with Synthesis. Not to mention that Tyranitar would never want to switch into Chesnaught to interrupt Synthesis as it's OHKOed by Hammer Arm.

 

[Bravadorado]

That's an amazing core! Specially Defensive Heatran with Stealth rock also works, but sadly not at the moment, we have to wait for pokebank.

I'm also thinking about throwing in Zapdos. That way I can run Roar on him without needing it on Chesnaught. The strategy would be to throw out Empoleon, set up rocks, then go to either Yzard for a quick drought or straight to Chesnaught, at this point the enemy will have switched in something with like edgequake or maybe a grass type to deal with charizard/Empoleon. So chesnaught has at least 1 turn to set up spikes. As soon as the counter comes in for Chesnaught, switch to Zapdos. Zapdos can OHKO blastoise, excadrill, starmie, virtually every defogger, etc. and can roar them around. It also has roost.

 

[Quaily]

subseed seems entirely pointless when you can run spiky shield over sub.

 

[Fundance]

So I tried using the spiker set on my shuffle/recall team as a physical tank. I may have been using it wrong, but I encountered a frustrating situation where a lot of the time, Chesnaught's options against ghost pokemon were severely limited. This is especially frustrating since Bulletproof usually allows him to threaten Gengar, but not when his only attacking move is Hammer Arm.

That said, he performed effectively as a tank, surviving and out healing a lot of things that really surprised me.

 

[Psylink]

It's been quite awhile since I've updated this thread. alexwolf , and maybe some other people you can think of, what are the some of the better sets on Chesnaught? The best things I can come up with are a utility set, Assault Vest, and the Bulk Up set I have now. I feel like the OP of this thread is way too crowded with inviable stuff.

+ Fantastic support movepool with the stats and ability to use it.
+ Hits hard for a supportive Pokemon.
+ Hard counters many spinners such as Tentacruel without a STAB and Excadrill.
+ Bulletproof makes it immune to a surprising amount of special attacks.
- Subpar attacking movepool for Chesnaught to use it's solid Attack with
- Assault Vest is needed in order to tank the special attacks it isn't immune to, like Sludge Wave, but blocks off great moves like Synthesis, Leech Seed, and Spikes from use.

What do you think?

 

[Psylink]

subseed seems entirely pointless when you can run spiky shield over sub.

Substitute may have been nerfed, but if set up correctly, can serve as a long-term Protect.

 

[Todd]

It's been quite awhile since I've updated this thread. alexwolf , and maybe some other people you can think of, what are the some of the better sets on Chesnaught? The best things I can come up with are a utility set, Assault Vest, and the Bulk Up set I have now. I feel like the OP of this thread is way too crowded with inviable stuff.

+ Fantastic support movepool with the stats and ability to use it.
+ Hits hard for a supportive Pokemon.
+ Hard counters many spinners such as Tentacruel without a STAB and Excadrill.
+ Bulletproof makes it immune to a surprising amount of special attacks.
- Subpar attacking movepool for Chesnaught to use it's solid Attack with
- Assault Vest is needed in order to tank the special attacks it isn't immune to, like Sludge Wave, but blocks off great moves like Synthesis, Leech Seed, and Spikes from use.

What do you think?

The utility defensive spiker set is far and away the best, IMO. The unique attributes of bulletproof coupled with his good, physically defensive inclined typing and stats allow him to switch in and set up a few layers of spikes on many pokemon. Spiky shield is a cool trick that wears down spinners, as well. The BU sets are alright, but .... others do it better. While Chesnaught's typing is good for walling a lot of physical attackers, it is not conducive to staying in for long periods of time given his weak special defense, speed, and many other weaknesses. Chesnaught is more of a spiking pivot. I find the subseeding sets to be similarly lacking.

 

[zferolie]

I don't run spikes on mine(my Dragalge has toxic spikes instead. Much more effective, and so far my Leech seed, Spiky Shield, Seed Bomb, Power up punch has done quite well for my in Wi-Fi. I do wish I had Bulletproof, but I always use my starters, so unless there is a way to change to hidden, sticking with Overgrow for now(though I know Bulletproof is much Better).

He is an amazing physical wall, and can slowly build up a threat with power up punch. If the special threats are gone, then he will wreck house.

 

[Plasma.EXE]

How well does he fair against technician Breloom? I do want to try him out for fun switching mega venasaur for a bit (not permenantly of course, but it'd be nice to try other mega's while I'm at it), but if he doesn't fair too well against him, I'd have to find another way to use him on my team.

 

[TheEvergreenChameleon]

It's been quite awhile since I've updated this thread. alexwolf , and maybe some other people you can think of, what are the some of the better sets on Chesnaught? The best things I can come up with are a utility set, Assault Vest, and the Bulk Up set I have now. I feel like the OP of this thread is way too crowded with inviable stuff.

+ Fantastic support movepool with the stats and ability to use it.
+ Hits hard for a supportive Pokemon.
+ Hard counters many spinners such as Tentacruel without a STAB and Excadrill.
+ Bulletproof makes it immune to a surprising amount of special attacks.
- Subpar attacking movepool for Chesnaught to use it's solid Attack with
- Assault Vest is needed in order to tank the special attacks it isn't immune to, like Sludge Wave, but blocks off great moves like Synthesis, Leech Seed, and Spikes from use.

What do you think?

I wouldn't really say that Chesnaught 'hard counters' either Excadrill or Tentacruel. It can take Tentacruel's attacks, but really can't do much in , doesn't appreciate being poisoned or burned. You'll also find far more Excadrill utilising Iron Head due to the increased popularity of Gourgeist, Trevenant and Togekiss, which presents a 2HKO.

How well does he fair against technician Breloom? I do want to try him out for fun switching mega venasaur for a bit (not permenantly of course, but it'd be nice to try other mega's while I'm at it), but if he doesn't fair too well against him, I'd have to find another way to use him on my team.

Depends on what tech Breloom is running. It fares pretty well against the Life Orb set, since it can threaten Breloom out if it switches in on Mach Punch, Bullet Seed, Spore or Rock Tomb, but risks being 2HKOed if it comes in on Swords Dance, whilst CB Techniloom 2HKOs with either Superpower or Power Up Punch. Unless Chesnaught is running Poison Jab or Aerial Ace, it cannot OHKO in return, so it's a decent switch in, but it does take some prediction on your part to utilise effectively.

 

[FlameUser64]

So I've been thinking, Chesnaught has a lot of coverage moves available to it. I've also noticed, however, that this presents something of a problem as it also really likes to run Spiky Shield, Leech Seed, and/or Synthesis, and it needs a boosting move such as Bulk Up. Is it viable to use Chesnaught as an offensive mon without running Spiky Shield? Something like Bulk Up, Hammer Arm, Seed Bomb, Rock Slide/Stone Edge? Is Feint viable for any reason ever, such as poking opponents whose Focus Sash has triggered before they can do anything else?

I'm new to competitive battling and to Smogon, so forgive me if I say something too noobish. I just happen to really, REALLY like Chesnaught.

 

[Psylink]

So I've been thinking, Chesnaught has a lot of coverage moves available to it. I've also noticed, however, that this presents something of a problem as it also really likes to run Spiky Shield, Leech Seed, and/or Synthesis, and it needs a boosting move such as Bulk Up. Is it viable to use Chesnaught as an offensive mon without running Spiky Shield? Something like Bulk Up, Hammer Arm, Seed Bomb, Rock Slide/Stone Edge? Is Feint viable for any reason ever, such as poking opponents whose Focus Sash has triggered before they can do anything else?

I'm new to competitive battling and to Smogon, so forgive me if I say something too noobish. I just happen to really, REALLY like Chesnaught.

Chesnaught is the type of Pokemon you would use if you need a slow, yet hard hitting, defensive Pokemon. When used as a boosting sweeper, it is outclassed by Conkeldurr if it's slow, and Lucario-M if fast. As an All-Out Attacker, it's outclassed by Breloom. Generally, Chesnaught's great support movepool is too important to fit into a set, or outclassed. This is the best set we have right now:

Chesnaught @ Leftovers
Bulletproof
252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Atk (might change based on damage calcs for Excadrill and co)
Impish Nature
Spikes
Leech Seed / Synthesis
Low Sweep
Seed Bomb / Taunt

-----

Zarel , when will we have a damage calc for X and Y?