Overview
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Don't be fooled by its cute and seemingly harmless exterior, because Azumarill happens to be one of the most threatening Pokemon in OU. Gifted with an amazing ability in
the form of Huge Power, which gives it a massive Attack stat nearly equivalent to that of Groudon, Azumarill is no slouch when it comes to wallbreaking. It was even given a major buff this generation with its new
Fairy typing Fairy-typing, which gives it an incredible STAB combination to go along with its previously bland lone Water-typing,
and also as well as a useful immunity to the
Dragon typing Dragon-type attacks, among a few other
new resistances. Unfortunately for Azumarill, its very low Speed stat leaves it vulnerable to being revenge killed by common Pokemon such as Thundurus, Mega Venusaur, and Rotom-W. Luckily
, Azumarill has access to priority
in Aqua Jet and solid 100 / 80 / 80 defenses to help offset its abysmal Speed stat
a bit. The new breeding mechanics now make it possible for Azumarill to run both Aqua Jet and Belly Drum on the same set, allowing for it to function as a terrifying sweeper. Despite its few shortcomings, Azumarill is a top-tier threat that every team
needs to must prepare for in order to succeed.
Choice Band
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name: Choice Band
move 1: Aqua Jet
move 2: Play Rough
move 3: Superpower
move 4: Waterfall
ability: Huge Power
item: Choice Band
evs: 212 HP / 252 Atk / 44 Spe
nature: Adamant
Moves
========
Because of Azumarill's awful Speed stat, Aqua Jet is an absolute necessity
in order to get the jump on faster Pokemon that would normally outspeed it, such as Mamoswine, Excadrill, and Volcarona. Play Rough is an incredibly powerful STAB
Fairy-type move that can 2HKO bulky Water-types
that would wall Azumarill otherwise, such as Rotom-W and Gastrodon
that would normally wall Azumarill otherwise, and
it provides very useful coverage against the likes of Greninja, Dragonite, and Latias. Superpower is specifically for dealing massive damage to Ferrothorn,
which as it resists both of Azumarill's STAB moves and could potentially set up entry hazards against it with ease. As for the last moveslot, Waterfall is the preferred option for a much more powerful Water-type STAB
attack to hit bulkier threats such as Heatran, Hippowdon, and Scizor, which can all take at least one Aqua Jet.
Although Azumarill doesn't really have too many other viable attacking options, there are a few moves in particular that
Azumarill it can use to get around a few of its counters. Return or Double-Edge can be used to 2HKO Tentacruel, which resists every single one of Azumarill's coverage moves, but it's not entirely worth the loss in power from
dropping Waterfall. Knock Off can smack predicted switch-ins such as Gourgeist and dispose of their item, but it's not the best move to be locked into.
Set Details
========
Max Attack investment and an Adamant nature give this set maximum power, while the Speed EVs are to outpace Blissey and OHKO it with Play Rough before it can cripple Azumarill with Thunder Wave or Toxic. Although Azumarill will primarily want to invest as much in bulk as possible to take advantage of its above-average
bulk defenses, there are a few significant Pokemon that Azumarill can choose to outspeed. By running 84 Speed EVs, Azumarill can outpace Jellicent and 2HKO it on the switch with Play Rough before it can cripple it with Will-O-Wisp
,. 92 Speed EVs are
enough for Tyranitar, and 124
EVs for Choice Band Scizor. If you would prefer
for Azumarill to have more move flexibility, then Mystic Water is an option for
the ability being able (you use "the ability to" later) to switch between moves and bluff
the a Choice Band, but Azumarill loses out on a lot of power and
the ability to break through bulkier Pokemon, such as Rotom-W.
Usage Tips
========
The purpose of this set is to punch massive holes into the opponent's defenses so a teammate can come in and clean up. Thanks to Aqua Jet and Azumarill's high Attack stat, it can also pose as a decent revenge killer, capable of picking off weakened foes and frail sweepers. One must not forget that Azumarill is also quite bulky, so it's more than capable of taking weaker hits multiple times in a battle if it has to, but keep in mind that without reliable recovery
, (<== COMMA) it can be worn down quite easily. Because of Azumarill's low Speed stat and Choice Band locking it into one move, it's best to use a hit-and-run strategy to get the best results with this set, or else you open up opportunities for the opponent to set up on one of its attacks.
Team Options
========
One of the best offensive teammates that can be paired with Azumarill is
Mixed mixed Thundurus,
because as it not only lures
in Celebi and deals massive damage to it with U-turn, but it
can also
deals deal with a few of Azumarill's biggest counters, such as Jellicent, Tentacruel, and Skarmory. Thundurus-I also benefits from the
amount of pressure Azumarill puts on Hippowdon, Chansey, Mamoswine, and Latias, which are some of its most common checks. Rotom-W also checks bulky Water-types and can provide Azumarill with tons of free switch-ins
with thanks to Volt Switch. Aegislash and Talonflame can both set up on Grass-type Pokemon such as Breloom and Mega Venusaur that threaten Azumarill. Much like Thundurus, Heatran also appreciates the
lack removal of special walls, and can also deal with many problematic Pokemon such as Gourgeist, Trevanent, Scizor, and Genesect.
The latter two On the topic of Scizor and Genesect, they are also good teammates as they can use U-turn to bring Azumarill in safely. Even with the recent nerf to
the Drizzle
ability, Politoed can
heavily buff power up Azumarill's Water-type attacks, allowing for it to be a much more potent wallbreaker. Because Azumarill will be switching in and out quite often, Defog or Rapid Spin support is very beneficial to remove those pesky entry hazards. Defog Latias is by far the best entry hazard remover due to its fantastic defensive
type synergy with Azumarill, resisting both Electric- and Grass-type moves while Azumarill can easily shrug off Ice-, Bug-, Dragon-, and Dark-type attacks.
Belly Drum
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name: Belly Drum
move 1: Belly Drum
move 2: Aqua Jet
move 3: Play Rough
move 4: Waterfall / Superpower
ability: Huge Power
item: Sitrus Berry
evs: 92 HP / 252 Atk / 164 Spe
nature: Adamant
Moves
========
While the Choice Band set focuses on wallbreaking, this set aims to turn Azumarill into one of the most terrifying and unstoppable sweepers in the metagame. For the cost of 50% of its HP, Belly Drum skyrockets Azumarill's Attack stat all the way to a jaw dropping 1308, allowing for it to OHKO
a the majority of the metagame with
just Aqua Jet alone. Aqua Jet is the most important attack, because it allows Azumarill to hit Pokemon that would normally be able to outspeed and revenge kill it, such as Garchomp, Gengar, and Alakazam. Play Rough is essential to break through Pokemon that aren't KOed by Aqua Jet, such as Gourgeist, Trevenant, Latias, and Jellicent. Waterfall provides Azumarill with a backup Water STAB move to OHKO very bulky Steel-types such as Skarmory, which can live an Aqua Jet and
threaten to phaze it out with Whirlwind the following turn. On the other hand, Superpower is Azumarill's only chance at OHKOing Ferrothorn at full health, but with the added disadvantage of lowering Azumarill Attack and Defense stats, which makes Azumarill more vulnerable to priority moves.
Set Details
========
The EV spread allows Azumarill to outpace minimum Speed Skarmory before it can use Brave Bird, as well as Choice Band Scizor, which can KO Azumarill with Bullet Punch at 50% health otherwise. If Rotom-W is a huge issue for your team, Azumarill with 252 Speed EVs and a Jolly nature can outrun the defensive variants and OHKO them with Play Rough. A Sitrus Berry is the preferred item because it gives Azumarill an extra bit of HP after using Belly Drum, which keeps it from being worn down
so too quickly by residual damage or faster
users of priority
users. Leftovers is also a fine option to give Azumarill some form of passive recovery before it sweeps, but it's not nearly as helpful as
the a Sitrus Berry once Azumarill sets up. Lum Berry gives Azumarill free setup opportunities against Pokemon
that carry status-inducing moves such as Jellicent and Blissey
that carry status-inducing moves, but it's pretty situational.
Usage Tips
========
This set is meant to tear apart teams once its few checks and counters are gone, so it is important not to sweep before they are removed or else it can be cut short. It's best to set up on Dragon-types locked into a move, such as Choice Band Dragonite or Choice Scarf Salamence. Azumarill is also quite bulky, so it can successfully set up on weaker Bug-, Dark-, Water-, Fighting-, and Fire-type attacks. Because Azumarill forces a lot of switches, it finds many opportunities to set up on predicted switches. It's very important to keep Azumarill as healthy as possible before it sets up, because once its HP reaches below 50%, it's no longer possible for it to use Belly Drum.
Team Options
========
As with most sweeping Pokemon, the best partners for this set are the ones that can eliminate Azumarill's checks and counters, allowing for it to sweep without worry. Mega Venusaur is a fantastic partner because it completely sponges Electric- and Grass-type attacks, and it's an amazing check to Rotom-W, Jellicent, and Quagsire. Scizor and Genesect can deal with Celebi and most other Grass-types that threaten to cut Azumarill's sweep short, and both of them can provide Azumarill
with safe
switch-in opportunities
to switch in with U-turn. Garchomp and Landorus can remove Aegislash before it tries to come in and lower Azumarill's Attack with King's Shield or pick it off with Shadow Sneak. Thundurus-I is once again a great partner because it heavily weakens Rotom-W and OHKOes most bulky Water-types. Scolipede can pass Speed boosts to Azumarill so it no longer has to rely so much on Aqua Jet, while Galvantula can use Sticky Web to slow down opposing grounded Pokemon. Users of Rapid Spin or Defog are very important because Azumarill needs to be as healthy as possible before it can sweep; Excadrill and Forretress are good spinners while Latias and Scizor can use Defog. Entry hazard support is also extremely important for breaking Focus Sashes, Sturdy, and securing a few OHKOs. Ferrothorn is probably the best partner for the job because it can easily shrug off all Electric-,
Water- Grass-, and
Grass-type Poison-type attacks
(I assume you meant Poison instead of Water), and
use them to freely set up Stealth Rock
in their user's faces.
Assault Vest
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name: Assault Vest
move 1: Aqua Jet
move 2: Play Rough
move 3: Power-Up Punch
move 4: Knock Off / Waterfall
ability: Huge Power
item: Assault Vest
evs: 16 HP / 252 Atk / 240 SDef
nature: Adamant
Moves
========
Aqua Jet is mandatory because without it, Azumarill can't revenge kill weakened Pokemon or outspeed faster Pokemon such as Mamoswine, Volcarona, and Landorus. Play Rough is a powerful STAB move that is great for wearing down Rotom-W, Jellicent, and other bulky Water-types that resist Aqua Jet, as well as dealing massive damage to Dragon-, Dark-, and Fighting-types. Because this set is significantly weaker than the Choice Band set, Power-Up Punch helps remedy that issue by allowing Azumarill to raise its Attack stat. Thanks to its massive special bulk
with granted by an Assault Vest and ability to force a lot of switches, Azumarill gets plenty of opportunities to set up. The major advantage that this set has over the Choice Band set is that Azumarill is no longer restricted to using one move at a time, giving it the freedom to alternate between moves
, and limiting its pool of reliable switch-ins. Knock Off is the preferred move in the last moveslot because Azumarill can screw around with its common switch-ins
and remove by removing their item. It's also a decently powerful Dark-type move to hit Gourgeist, Celebi, and Trevanent with on the switch, along with hitting Tentacruel, Amoonguss, and Mega Venusaur for neutral damage. Waterfall gives Azumarill a much more powerful Water-type STAB
move to hit bulkier Pokemon such as Hippowdon and Skarmory, but it loses out on valuable utility.
Set Details
========
With the given EVs, Azumarill's Special Defense is maximized in order to make it as bulky as possible, while an Adamant nature and max Attack EVs allows it to become a powerful offensive tank. Azumarill already has very solid defensive stats, but with an Assault Vest and the given
special defense bulk investment, its Special Defense stat reaches a whopping 399, allowing
for it to sponge special attacks with ease.
Usage Tips
========
Although most of its
set sets are designed to put immense offensive pressure on the opposing team, this set is meant to transform Azumarill into an amazing offensive tank. Azumarill's massive special bulk when equipped with an Assault Vest allows it to take on a plethora of special attackers, such as Greninja, Kingdra, Mega Lucario, Hydreigon, Landorus, Keldeo, Genesect, Starmie, Mega Charizard Y, and Manaphy. It does particularly well against rain offense in general due to its useful Water-, Ice-, and Dragon-type resistances, combined with the fact that most Pokemon found on these teams are destroyed by Azumarill's STABs (Kabutops, Kingdra, Mega Ampharos, etc). Azumarill is even able to take on Pokemon it couldn't before, such as Thundurus, which does a maximum of 79% to Azumarill with a Life Orb Thunderbolt and its KOed with the combination of Play Rough and Aqua Jet.
Assault Vest Azumarill
is best
fit fits on
more teams in need of a reliable offensive pivot. Azumarill is
easily able to
easily switch
into in on common special attackers that threaten offensive teams, such as Greninja and Keldeo, and can deal massive damage to them in return without losing valuable momentum. Remember to play conservatively with Assault Vest Azumarill, because its lack of recovery and susceptibility to
every entry
hazard hazards can wear it down relatively fast. Only directly switch Azumarill into resisted or weak special attacks, because very powerful special attackers such as Landorus and Mega Charizard Y can still deal a significant amount of damage to it on the switch.
Team Options
========
As usual, this set struggles to break through bulky Grass-types. Scizor is a great offensive partner because it is able to provide Azumarill with useful
switch switching initiative
thanks to with U-turn and it can set up on Grass-types such as Mega Venusaur, Celebi, and Amoonguss. Mega Manectric is able to weaken physical attackers with Intimidate and bring in Azumarill safely with Volt Switch, which makes it immensely hard to break through physically and specially. On top of that, Manectric can lure Electric-type attacks before it Mega Evolves with its Lightningrod ability, OHKO Gyarados, and fry Grass-types such as Ferrothorn and Tangrowth with Flamethrower or Overheat. Breloom can deal massive damage to bulky Water-types such as Rotom-W and Jellicent while also breaking through Ferrothorn. Entry hazards are a huge problem for Azumarill due to its lack of reliable recovery. Latias is once again the best Pokemon for removing them with Defog, and also has useful Electric- and Grass-type resistances.
Other Options
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Azumarill has a few other move and set options that all have decent potential. A Life Orb can be used on the Choice Band set for more move freedom, but Azumarill's lack of reliable recovery, susceptibility to
all entry hazards, and recoil from Life Orb can wear it down very quickly. A SubPunch set with Leftovers is somewhat viable because it forces a lot of switches and can demolish Ferrothorn, but it requires a lot of prediction to work properly. Encore can give Azumarill opportunities to potentially set up a Belly Drum, but
it then
it misses out on the extra coverage move or
reliable Water-type STAB the reliability of Waterfall. Aqua Tail is slightly more powerful than Waterfall, but it has a 10% drop in accuracy and loses out on the ability to flinch, and it doesn't score any significant OHKOes.
Checks & Counters
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**Steel-types**: Skarmory is a fantastic switch-in to most of Azumarill's sets, as it resists Play Rough and can avoid the 2HKO from Waterfall. Ferrothorn walls the hell out of any set lacking Superpower because it resists both of Azumarill's STAB moves. Mega Scizor is extremely bulky and
threatens can threaten to set up on Aqua Jet or Play Rough. Aegislash can check Azumarill very well
because of with King's Shield, which can harshly lower Azumarill's Attack stat. It can also deal heavy damage with Shadow Ball or set up
a Swords Dance once Azumarill's Attack stat
is has been lowered.
** Bulky Water-types**: Jellicent cannot reliably switch into Azumarill because it takes a ton of damage from Play Rough, but it is immune to Azumarill's Water-type STAB
moves and can threaten
a to burn
it with Will-O-Wisp. Rotom-W resists Azumarill's Water-type STAB and can also burn Azumarill with Will-O-Wisp, or
it can deal heavy damage to it with an Electric-type attack. RestTalk Gyarados can lower Azumarill's Attack stat with Intimidate and
can phaze it out with Roar. Tentacruel resists both of Azumarill's STAB moves and can hit it super effectively with Sludge Bomb.
**Grass-, Poison-, and Electric-types**: Mega Venasaur is by far the greatest counter to Azumarill in OU, as it resists both of its STAB moves and can threaten back with either Giga Drain or Sludge Bomb. It's also
no longer not weak to Ice Punch due to
its Thick Fat
ability, nor can its item be taken away by Knock Off. Amoonguss is also a great counter to Azumarill, but it must be careful of a stray Ice Punch. Gourgeist and Tangrowth are both incredibly bulky physically and can avoid the 2HKO from Play Rough, and the former can burn Azumarill with Will-O-Wisp. Thundurus, Magnezone, and Mega Manectric are very powerful Electric-types that can deal a ton of damage to Azumarill with Thunderbolt; Mega Manectric can also lower its Attack with Intimidate. Breloom and Gengar outspeed Azumarill and
can threaten to OHKO it with their respective STAB moves.
