Pokémon Whimsicott

[Hrothgar]

U-turn by itself is better than sub seeding, which takes two moveslpts.

Like dude said, Leech Seed has a ridiculous amount of hard counters. Why bother wasting time and health by dropping a sub and then being forced to switch when you could have just u-turned? If they stay in and let themselves get chipped to death, they are bad players. If you're waiting for its plethora of hard counters to be removed before you unleash the lukewarm wrath of seedicott unto your opponent, you are then sweeping with leech seed. Pick any other sweeper because its going to be infinitely more effective.

 

[Toljik]

U-turn by itself is better than sub seeding, which takes two moveslpts.

Like dude said, Leech Seed has a ridiculous amount of hard counters. Why bother wasting time and health by dropping a sub and then being forced to switch when you could have just u-turned? If they stay in and let themselves get chipped to death, they are bad players. If you're waiting for its plethora of hard counters to be removed before you unleash the lukewarm wrath of seedicott unto your opponent, you are then sweeping with leech seed. Pick any other sweeper because its going to be infinitely more effective.

If Pokemon are going to be constantly switching out of Whimsicott, then Encore's not going to be very useful either. If all Whimsicott can do is use a paralysis move that has even more counters than SubSeed, spam weak U-turns, and kill itself with Memento, why bother with it?

 

[Viserion]

I feel that there are better pranksters out there than Whismsicott. The likes of those such as Thundurus Klefki severely out classes her in both typing and moveset. IMO she's far too frail.

 

[toreutic]

What about mixed wall with cotton guard?

252 HP 252 SpD 4 Def

Stun Spore/Leech Seed
Cotton Guard
Uturn
Taunt

 

[Magolor]

What about mixed wall with cotton guard?

252 HP 252 SpD 4 Def

Stun Spore/Leech Seed
Cotton Guard
Uturn
Taunt

You may be able to somewhat wall but what are you gonna do back? Leech Seed is not enough Damage to win any sort of game. Also U-Turn + Stat Boosting go together like Skittles and Gravy.

This is the sort of set you should be running

Whimsicott @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SDef
Calm Nature
- Stun Spore
- Encore
- U-turn
- Giga Drain (This slot can have anything your team lacks tbh.)

Whisimicott can only do one thing and that is disrupt. Stun Spore spreads around status while Prankster Encore is fantastic and locks defensive mons/setup sweepers into one move where you can proceed to U-Turn out into the appropriate pokemon. Those 3 moves should be mandatory on this thing.

Admittedly despite its good typing its bad stats mean that I wouldn't really advise using it unless you know what you're doing.

 

[Hrothgar]

If Pokemon are going to be constantly switching out of Whimsicott, then Encore's not going to be very useful either. If all Whimsicott can do is use a paralysis move that has even more counters than SubSeed, spam weak U-turns, and kill itself with Memento, why bother with it?

The mere threat of priority encore is more useful than the move itself. I've always said that you don't even need encore on the set. It's a diversion. It's like the nuclear bomb. You don't have to use it for it to prevent war.

Bring whimsicott in on a dragon dance or something and your opponent knows exactly what's about to happen. You use that to your advantage.

Edit: I think I spoke a bit about Cotton Guard already. A general rule with whimsicott is "if you leave it in for more than two turns, you're doing it wrong". Whimsicott doesn't want to get hit, ever. It wants to wreck your opponent's momentum and get out. You can cotton guard three times and have a hugely defensive paperweight. It can't do anything but sit there.

 

[Seth Vilo]

All of the support sets posted so far have 252 hp / 252 def for their EVs, but the BW OU analysis suggests running 68 speed EVs to be able to naturally outrun jolly Mamoswine. Is outrunning jolly Mamo's ice shard with a prankster encore (locking it in to EQ or something) no longer relevant, or did I miss something? And does the extra speed impact your survivability significantly?

While that could be a good benchmark to hit, it does possibly increase the damage one takes from Gyro Ball. However, if Ferro (the most common user) is running 0 Spe and a hindering nature like it should if running Gyro Ball, either way it's hitting Whims for 150 base power, so that is irrelevant. It also may not be as much of an issue since, now that Whims is weak to it, it's not going to stay in on something like a Ferrothorn using that move. I think the 68 Spe boost could be handy both for outrunning Mamo, and creeping Mega Scizor. Jolly 252 Spe Scizor only reaches 251 (aka, no threat ever), and Jolly 252 Spe Mega Scizor reaches 273. 0 Spe Whimsicott sits at 268, so a few more points to lock all Mega Scizor into Swords Dance or something and not eat a Bullet Punch seems worthwhile.

In the Volt Turn craziness of OU, I'm not getting all that I want out of Memento on this guy... I'm going to experiment with Knock off over that slot. I also hate just sacrificing the cotton ball, even if it eases my sweeper set up. My problem is that Whimsicott likes to come out early or mid battle, and may not make it all the way to when my sweeper wants to come out at all, or even really can yet. Knock Off sounds more appetizing in my non-caffeinated haze right now, so I'm trying it and will report back I guess.

 

[Evil Einstein]

I think the speed creep from the 68 EVs is worth running, for the reasons stated above and because it hasn't really decreased my cotton ball's bulk.

I've been running this particular set along side an offensive pivot Lamdorus-T with SR as a sort of lead/anti-lead pair.

Whimsicott @ Leftovers
Prankster
Careful| 252 HP | 188 Def | 68 Spd
- U-turn
- Encore
- Taunt
- Knock Off

While they're both weak to ice, they complement each other very well in just about every way. They make a pretty good support backbone to an offensive team. I've contemplated swapping knock off for stun spore, but the amount of grass types that Whimsicort attracts makes me wary of that change. Regardless, Whimsicott is better than most people are giving her credit for, at least in my opinion.

 

[Araquel]

What about switcheroo? It may be wort mentioning.

 

[/B/utterfree]

SubSeed is still a thing? I thought that would've died and gone since Prankster SubSeed isn't all it's cracked up to be.

That said, Whimsicott is my go-to support Prankster for Tailwinds and other stuff, while also shutting down other Pranksters with a Taunt that's generally faster than most. If I use a move, it's Hurricane to do damage and deal confusion, as well as hit the Grass-types who are now immune to Stun Spore with some oomph. Whimsicott's new typing of Grass/Fairy is pretty cool, albeit you are tasked with working around a x4 Poison weakness (easy - pick someone up like Skarmory or Aggron who doesn't give a shit about it) while getting some more key resistances which help Whimsi do its thing.

 

[X3H]

Is this still RU tier?

 

[Vaughnster]

Has anyone used Cottonee? I know it sounds silly but it can actually put in a lot of work. I run

Cottonee @ Focus Sash
Ability: Prankster
Level: 1
EVs: 252 SDef / 252 HP / 4 SAtk
Calm Nature
- Taunt
- Endeavor
- Substitute
- Leech Seed

Have your team take out any Grass types or Pokemon you know can break/hit through a sub, maybe any priority users, and let it go to town. 1st turn use Leech Seed, then spam Substitute til it dies. If the opponent switches, use Leech Seed again and repeat. If they're mass-switching, use Endeavor on the predicted switch and they should stop. Obviously it gets shut down pretty easily, but if the opponent doesn't have anything to stop it, it can win you games.

 

[Unowninator]

Has anyone used Cottonee? I know it sounds silly but it can actually put in a lot of work. I run

Cottonee @ Focus Sash
Ability: Prankster
Level: 1
EVs: 252 SDef / 252 HP / 4 SAtk
Calm Nature
- Taunt
- Endeavor
- Substitute
- Leech Seed

Have your team take out any Grass types or Pokemon you know can break/hit through a sub, maybe any priority users, and let it go to town. 1st turn use Leech Seed, then spam Substitute til it dies. If the opponent switches, use Leech Seed again and repeat. If they're mass-switching, use Endeavor on the predicted switch and they should stop. Obviously it gets shut down pretty easily, but if the opponent doesn't have anything to stop it, it can win you games.

Why not use Whimsicott for that role?

 

[Vaughnster]

Why not use Whimsicott for that role?

Honestly, I just forgot that you can have a level 1 Whimsicott. That would work too.

 

[magic_claw93]

After hearing all the trash-talk regarding subseed Whimsicott, I am mildly infuriated as I am currently going 16-1, 11-0, and 8-0 in pokemonshowdown ladder with said subseed build:

Whimsicott @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Bold Nature
- Encore
- Leech Seed
- Substitute
- Tailwind

All the people who are saying that Whimsicott is walled by grass pokemons, how many grass pokemons have you actually seen in OU? I've only seen like two Ferrothorns, three Mega-Venasaurs, and one Breloom in the 36 games I played. Even then, all you have to do is switch out to a hard counter (*cough* Heatran *cough*) and get a free Lava Plume off to burn the pokemon on the switch or KO. If anything, I use my Whimsicott as death fodder to get off my Tailwind so I can wreak havoc with my Kyurem-B.

With this set, you can pretty much switch into any dragons, set up Substitute, and decide where you want to go from there. If the opponent goes out to a counter, what stops you from going out to its counter and getting free damage off?

EDIT: Replay added http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-107930680

 

[Toljik]

After hearing all the trash-talk regarding subseed Whimsicott, I am mildly infuriated as I am currently going 16-1, 11-0, and 8-0 in pokemonshowdown ladder with said subseed build:

Whimsicott @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Bold Nature
- Encore
- Leech Seed
- Substitute
- Tailwind

All the people who are saying that Whimsicott is walled by grass pokemons, how many grass pokemons have you actually seen in OU? I've only seen like two Ferrothorns, three Mega-Venasaurs, and one Breloom in the 36 games I played. Even then, all you have to do is switch out to a hard counter (*cough* Heatran *cough*) and get a free Lava Plume off to burn the pokemon on the switch or KO. If anything, I use my Whimsicott as death fodder to get off my Tailwind so I can wreak havoc with my Kyurem-B.

With this set, you can pretty much switch into any dragons, set up Substitute, and decide where you want to go from there. If the opponent goes out to a counter, what stops you from going out to its counter and getting free damage off?

EDIT: Replay added http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-107930680

You need to pick a better opponent, because yours had absolutely no idea how Whimsicott works.

 

[magic_claw93]

You need to pick a better opponent, because yours had absolutely no idea how Whimsicott works.

Would you like to be that opponent? Because everybody keeps losing to my subseed Whimsicott, I need people who know how it works and can play against it.

 

[BurningFury101]

Guys, what part of "SubSeed is bad" do you not understand? SubSeeding was a decent (But not a great) strategy last generation, due to the lower amounts of Grass-Types, but now there are many more roaming in OU. Despite Grass-Type being one of the least used and common types, Whimsicott will get stalled out before the opponent. Want to know more? It's extremely straight forward and easy to predict. Switch in on an Encore, you an now freely do what you want as Whimsicott can't do shit if it happens. SubSeed does work, but it's too easy to predict in high ladder, and it's very unreliable in general.

 

[56k]

Here's one of my favorite replays exhibiting an effective whimsicott set on a stall team:

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/oususpecttest-103418239

Whimsicott @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 248 HP / 192 Def / 68 Spd
Bold Nature
- Switcheroo
- Taunt
- Memento
- <Filler> (Choose a handful of pokemon you wanna be able to specifically hit)

Just a completely disruptive pokemon. First it anti-leads against DeoSharp and eventually I have full hazard control. It later makes a nice switch in to disrupt Thundurus and make it think twice of possibly boosting. Finally, it SHOULD just barely outspeed mamoswine's Ice Shard but I got paralyzed, but defensive investment gives me survival.

A note on the replay; my bulkier aerodactyl only outspeeds keldeo after it mevolves, which should explain my actions.

 

[dkkc19]

Here's one of my favorite replays exhibiting an effective whimsicott set on a stall team:

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/oususpecttest-103418239

Whimsicott @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 248 HP / 192 Def / 68 Spd
Bold Nature
- Switcheroo
- Taunt
- Memento
- <Filler> (Choose a handful of pokemon you wanna be able to specifically hit)

Just a completely disruptive pokemon. First it anti-leads against DeoSharp and eventually I have full hazard control. It later makes a nice switch in to disrupt Thundurus and make it think twice of possibly boosting. Finally, it SHOULD just barely outspeed mamoswine's Ice Shard but I got paralyzed, but defensive investment gives me survival.

A note on the replay; my bulkier aerodactyl only outspeeds keldeo after it mevolves, which should explain my actions.

Ughh that guy, why did he go for sucker punch against Aerodactyl. Could've changed the game had he used Iron Head.

 

[dr00]

Guys, what part of "SubSeed is bad" do you not understand? SubSeeding was a decent (But not a great) strategy last generation, due to the lower amounts of Grass-Types, but now there are many more roaming in OU. Despite Grass-Type being one of the least used and common types, Whimsicott will get stalled out before the opponent. Want to know more? It's extremely straight forward and easy to predict. Switch in on an Encore, you an now freely do what you want as Whimsicott can't do shit if it happens. SubSeed does work, but it's too easy to predict in high ladder, and it's very unreliable in general.

subseed never works, but this isn't really why. its usefulness doesn't really have any relation to the prevalence (or lack thereof) of grass types blocking leech seed. in fact, leech seed by itself is viable (although i prefer other options generally, it can be useful). it's that substitute never is. cott's job is come in, cause mischief, then uturn/switch the eff out immediately. it has absolutely zero offensive pressure, so he has no business staying in, behind a sub or otherwise.
if you want to use whimsicott, leech seed, encore, taunt, switcheroo, whatever... then get out of the way and let someone else do the heavy lifting. if you ever leave whimsicott in for more than a few turns at a time, you're not using him effectively.
good prediction on your part and bad prediction by the opponent won't really help. subseed has been and will always be a terrible strategy on whimsicott in any gen.

 

[NoahStar]

Would you like to be that opponent? Because everybody keeps losing to my subseed Whimsicott, I need people who know how it works and can play against it.

You need to fight better opponents. In this gen where grass is more prevalent and fully stops SubSeed (and Stun Spore), Whimsicott is very easy to stop now. Especially since the grass types in OU and UU aren't weak to U-Turn (Venusaur, Ferrothrorn, Chesnaught, and Roserade) and Amoonguss is everywhere in RU right now, they just aren't afraid to switch in and do almost whatever they want.

Honestly, I think the best thing it has going for it is its amazing utility in gaining momentum.

Whimsicott @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 248 HP / 192 Def / 68 Spd
Bold Nature
-Tailwind
-Encore
-Taunt
-U-Turn

Stops/deters most threats from setting up and Tailwinds on the switch. There isn't much Whimsicott can do that others can't do better, but this is definitely Whimsy's one niche that can be useful.

 

[56k]

Ughh that guy, why did he go for sucker punch against Aerodactyl. Could've changed the game had he used Iron Head.

<_<

252+ Atk Life Orb burned Bisharp Iron Head vs. 248 HP / 180 Def Mega Aerodactyl: 172-203 (47.3 - 55.9%)
252 Atk Aerilate Mega Pinsir Quick Attack vs. 248 HP / 180 Def Mega Aerodactyl: 46-54 (12.6 - 14.8%)

Besides Sucker Punch or not is something that you can only talk about with Hindsight! It's awfully un-fun to be in those situations lol.

 

[dkkc19]

<_<

252+ Atk Life Orb burned Bisharp Iron Head vs. 248 HP / 180 Def Mega Aerodactyl: 172-203 (47.3 - 55.9%)
252 Atk Aerilate Mega Pinsir Quick Attack vs. 248 HP / 180 Def Mega Aerodactyl: 46-54 (12.6 - 14.8%)

Besides Sucker Punch or not is something that you can only talk about with Hindsight! It's awfully un-fun to be in those situations lol.

I didn't know you had 180 in Def, but it would have been a much better option than Sucker Punch. At least he'd have lost while you were very low on health, rather than getting beaten in that fashion (Especially after being in control early in the game)

When you are burnt, low on health, and facing a Pokemon with access to roost and other non-attacking moves it should be obvious that you're gonna get stalled. I learnt that the hard way, Sucker punch is not an attacking to use against everyone.

 

[Brosheep]

I'd like to share my own Whimsicott set, as it's been doing surprisingly well. You could say it's a bit unorthodox.

Whimsicott @ Life Orb
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 HP
Timid Nature
- Moonblast
- Energy Ball
- Taunt
- Tailwind

Moonblast and Energy Ball are resisted by the same types, but should you predict a switch into one, that may just be a free Tailwind for you. Whimicott also really needs STAB to do damage. It can however do a surprising lot of damage to uninvested mons, which are mostly what it's going to hit anyway. Just to give one example:
252 SpA Life Orb Whimsicott Moonblast vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Mega Heracross: 276-328 (91.3 - 108.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock
If for some reason you're going to run this in OU: Priority Taunt, Pursuit resistance, and the sheer fact that no one sees a Life Orb on Whimsicott coming help Whimsicott to distinguish from fellow priority Tailwinder, Talonflame.
I think it's quite niche, but it's fun, and like I said it's been doing surprisingly well.