QC: Rowan / TCR / Hawkstar
GP: fleurdyleurse / Ender
Overview
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Inkay has a powerful niche due to the combination of Contrary and Superpower, which creates a snowball effect: after using Superpower, Inkay's Attack and Defense are raised, which allows it to slowly accumulate boosts. However, Inkay's low Speed holds it back greatly, and it needs either Trick Room or Choice Scarf to mitigate this. Its bulk is also severely lacking, and without any boosts, it fails to be able to take many hits. Although Inkay only has two weaknesses, it also has no resistances, which gives it a lack of opportunities to switch in. Inkay's movepool is also quite small, so it does not have very much to work with. Finally, it lacks recovery, meaning it is worn down quickly. Although Inkay has its fair share of flaws, its unique niche still makes it a fine choice for your team.
Choice Scarf
########
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Superpower
move 2: Psycho Cut
move 3: Switcheroo
move 4: Night Slash
ability: Contrary
item: Choice Scarf
evs: 12 HP / 244 Atk / 12 Def / 236 Spe
nature: Jolly
Moves
========
Inkay has a unique niche in its ability Contrary, and it also has access to the move Superpower, which is benefitted by Contrary. After one or two Superpowers, Inkay becomes quite powerful and bulky. Psycho Cut is Inkay's other STAB move and gets great coverage alongside Superpower. Switcheroo is used to steal the opponent's items, such as Berry Juice or Eviolite, while also crippling Pokemon that rely on these items. Night Slash gets good neutral coverage and is another STAB option for Inkay.
Set Details
========
Choice Scarf is essential to bolster Inkay's Speed; with Choice Scarf equipped, Inkay reaches 22 Speed, outspeeding the entire unboosted tier. The given Speed and Attack EVs give Inkay the maximum power and Speed possible, while 12 EVs in Defense and HP give it an extra boost in both of these stats. Adamant nature is a possibility; however, Inkay's damage isn't increased enough to merit its use over Jolly.
Usage Tips
========
Inkay is fairly simple to use: spam Superpower to attempt to create a snowball effect to accumulate boosts. However, be careful about being locked into certain moves; being locked into Superpower leaves Inkay vulnerable to Ghost-types, while Psycho Cut leaves Inkay vulnerable to being revenge-killed by Dark-types. Although Inkay should mainly focus on setting up with Superpower, try to predict when to set up early- or late-game, and if you can't find a proper time to sweep, use Switcheroo.
Team Options
========
Steel-types such as Pawniard and Honedge have great synergy with Inkay because they resist Inkay's Fairy-type weakness and Inkay can revenge kill Fighting-types in return. Pawniard, in particular, is a good partner, as it can Pursuit trap Ghost-types and allow Inkay to freely spam Superpower; it also can Knock Off Eviolites to help Inkay do more damage. Hazards are essential to wear down potential switch-ins, thus making Dwebble a good partner. Rapid Spin or Defog support is helpful because Inkay switches often and can be worn down quickly.
Other Options
########
Rock Slide is an option for coverage, hitting Flying- and Fire-type Pokemon. Topsy-Turvy could potentially be of use; however, it is difficult to pull off and Inkay is too slow to utilize it effectively. Hypnosis gets a notable mention to cripple a Pokemon and wreak havoc, but it has shaky accuracy, thus making it unreliable. Trick Room is an alternative to Choice Scarf to mitigate Inkay's Speed issues, although its other uses are limited. Destiny Bond can catch something off guard as a last resort. Payback can work well with Inkay's poor Speed, although it is a bit unreliable. Substitute has merit, as Inkay can often find room for it, although the loss of HP is a bit of a downfall. Finally, Sticky Web support can be used and allows Inkay to run Eviolite instead of Choice Scarf.
Checks & Counters
########
**Bug-types**: Bug-types such as Dwebble and Larvesta resist Superpower, and can effectively remove Inkay with their STAB moves, which Inkay is 4x weak to. Pokemon that carry U-turn also can take down Inkay and keep up momentum.
**Fairy-types**: Fairy-types like Spritzee and Cottonee resist Superpower and have super effective STAB moves to dispose of Inkay with.
**Faster Pokemon**: Pokemon equipped with a Choice Scarf or Pokemon with naturally higher Speed can revenge kill Inkay easily.
**Special Attackers**: Most special attackers such as Misdreavus can give Inkay a hard time and can often leave it very weak, as Inkay lacks much Special Defense.
**Residual Damage**: Residual damage adds up quickly because Inkay switches often. Toxic Spikes in particular wears it down especially quickly.
GP: fleurdyleurse / Ender
Overview
########
Inkay has a powerful niche due to the combination of Contrary and Superpower, which creates a snowball effect: after using Superpower, Inkay's Attack and Defense are raised, which allows it to slowly accumulate boosts. However, Inkay's low Speed holds it back greatly, and it needs either Trick Room or Choice Scarf to mitigate this. Its bulk is also severely lacking, and without any boosts, it fails to be able to take many hits. Although Inkay only has two weaknesses, it also has no resistances, which gives it a lack of opportunities to switch in. Inkay's movepool is also quite small, so it does not have very much to work with. Finally, it lacks recovery, meaning it is worn down quickly. Although Inkay has its fair share of flaws, its unique niche still makes it a fine choice for your team.
Choice Scarf
########
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Superpower
move 2: Psycho Cut
move 3: Switcheroo
move 4: Night Slash
ability: Contrary
item: Choice Scarf
evs: 12 HP / 244 Atk / 12 Def / 236 Spe
nature: Jolly
Moves
========
Inkay has a unique niche in its ability Contrary, and it also has access to the move Superpower, which is benefitted by Contrary. After one or two Superpowers, Inkay becomes quite powerful and bulky. Psycho Cut is Inkay's other STAB move and gets great coverage alongside Superpower. Switcheroo is used to steal the opponent's items, such as Berry Juice or Eviolite, while also crippling Pokemon that rely on these items. Night Slash gets good neutral coverage and is another STAB option for Inkay.
Set Details
========
Choice Scarf is essential to bolster Inkay's Speed; with Choice Scarf equipped, Inkay reaches 22 Speed, outspeeding the entire unboosted tier. The given Speed and Attack EVs give Inkay the maximum power and Speed possible, while 12 EVs in Defense and HP give it an extra boost in both of these stats. Adamant nature is a possibility; however, Inkay's damage isn't increased enough to merit its use over Jolly.
Usage Tips
========
Inkay is fairly simple to use: spam Superpower to attempt to create a snowball effect to accumulate boosts. However, be careful about being locked into certain moves; being locked into Superpower leaves Inkay vulnerable to Ghost-types, while Psycho Cut leaves Inkay vulnerable to being revenge-killed by Dark-types. Although Inkay should mainly focus on setting up with Superpower, try to predict when to set up early- or late-game, and if you can't find a proper time to sweep, use Switcheroo.
Team Options
========
Steel-types such as Pawniard and Honedge have great synergy with Inkay because they resist Inkay's Fairy-type weakness and Inkay can revenge kill Fighting-types in return. Pawniard, in particular, is a good partner, as it can Pursuit trap Ghost-types and allow Inkay to freely spam Superpower; it also can Knock Off Eviolites to help Inkay do more damage. Hazards are essential to wear down potential switch-ins, thus making Dwebble a good partner. Rapid Spin or Defog support is helpful because Inkay switches often and can be worn down quickly.
Other Options
########
Rock Slide is an option for coverage, hitting Flying- and Fire-type Pokemon. Topsy-Turvy could potentially be of use; however, it is difficult to pull off and Inkay is too slow to utilize it effectively. Hypnosis gets a notable mention to cripple a Pokemon and wreak havoc, but it has shaky accuracy, thus making it unreliable. Trick Room is an alternative to Choice Scarf to mitigate Inkay's Speed issues, although its other uses are limited. Destiny Bond can catch something off guard as a last resort. Payback can work well with Inkay's poor Speed, although it is a bit unreliable. Substitute has merit, as Inkay can often find room for it, although the loss of HP is a bit of a downfall. Finally, Sticky Web support can be used and allows Inkay to run Eviolite instead of Choice Scarf.
Checks & Counters
########
**Bug-types**: Bug-types such as Dwebble and Larvesta resist Superpower, and can effectively remove Inkay with their STAB moves, which Inkay is 4x weak to. Pokemon that carry U-turn also can take down Inkay and keep up momentum.
**Fairy-types**: Fairy-types like Spritzee and Cottonee resist Superpower and have super effective STAB moves to dispose of Inkay with.
**Faster Pokemon**: Pokemon equipped with a Choice Scarf or Pokemon with naturally higher Speed can revenge kill Inkay easily.
**Special Attackers**: Most special attackers such as Misdreavus can give Inkay a hard time and can often leave it very weak, as Inkay lacks much Special Defense.
**Residual Damage**: Residual damage adds up quickly because Inkay switches often. Toxic Spikes in particular wears it down especially quickly.
Overview
########
Choice Scarf
########
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Superpower
move 2: Psycho Cut
move 3: Switcheroo
move 4: Night Slash
ability: Contrary
item: Choice Scarf
evs: 12 HP / 244 Atk / 12 Def / 236 Spe
nature: Jolly
Moves
========
Set Details
========
Usage Tips
========
Team Options
========
Other Options
########
Checks & Counters
########
########
- Pros:
- Unique typing with only two weaknesses.
- Contrary in conjunction with Superpower gives it a powerful niche.
- Topsy-Turvy can play mind games and make set up sweepers wary of setting up.
- Great Attack and Defense after using Superpower.
- Cons:
- Low Speed, needing either Trick Room or Choice Scarf to make up for this.
- Low Special bulk, which is easily taken advantage of.
- 4x weakness to U-turn is a bummer.
- Small movepool, with not many options.
- Has no resistances whatsoever.
- Lack of reliable recovery.
Choice Scarf
########
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Superpower
move 2: Psycho Cut
move 3: Switcheroo
move 4: Night Slash
ability: Contrary
item: Choice Scarf
evs: 12 HP / 244 Atk / 12 Def / 236 Spe
nature: Jolly
Moves
========
- Superpower turns Inkay into a very powerful physical attacker and also buffs its Defense.
- Psycho Cut gets great coverage with Superpower and is a powerful STAB move.
- Switcheroo steals away viable items for other opponents such as Eviolite or Berry Juice, while crippling some Pokemon as well.
- Night Slash is another STAB move that gets great neutral coverage.
Set Details
========
- Choice Scarf allows Inkay to reach 22 Speed with Jolly, outspeeding the entire unboosted tier.
- 236 Speed and 244 Attack EVs give Inkay maximum Attack and Speed that is possible.
- 12 Defense and 12 HP give it an extra stat boost into both of these stats, but isn't necessary by any means.
- An Adamant nature can be used, however, this does not increase Inkay's damage output enough to be worthy of use instead of Jolly.
Usage Tips
========
- Be careful about being locked into certain moves, as being locked into Superpower leaves it walled against Ghost-types, while Psycho Cut leaves you open to being revenge killed by Dark-types.
- Predict when to set up; either early game or late game, if you can't find a time to sweep, use Switcheroo.
Team Options
========
- Steel-types, such as Pawniard and Honedge, form great cores with Inkay because they cover its weakness to Fairy, while Inkay can revenge kill Fighting-types in return.
- Dwebble can set hazards such as Spikes and Stealth Rock to wear down potential switch-ins.
- Rapid Spin support or Defog support is helpful as Inkay will be switching often.
- Pawniard makes for a good partner because it can Pursuit trap Ghost-types to allow for a free Superpower spam, it also can Knock Off Eviolites because Inkay is not very powerful.
Other Options
########
- Rock Slide for coverage; hitting Flying- and Fire-types.
- Topsy-Turvy is a nifty move, but it is somewhat difficult to pull off.
- Hypnosis allows Inkay to cripple a Pokemon and continue to wreak havoc, but it has a very shaky accuracy, making it somewhat unreliable.
- Trick Room as an alternative way to get around its poor Speed can be used, but it takes up a moveslot and doesn't last very long.
- Destiny Bond can catch an opponent off guard and bring something down with it.
- Payback can work well with Inkay's poor Speed, but it is somewhat unreliable.
- Substitute has merit, as Inkay doesn't have very severe four-moveslot syndrome, so it can afford a slot to run Substitute.
- Sticky Web support can be utilized and allow Inkay to run Eviolite instead of Choice Scarf.
Checks & Counters
########
- Most Bug-types, including Dwebble and Larvesta.
- Fairy-types such as Spritzee and Cottonee.
- Any faster Scarfer can outspeed and hit Inkay.
- A lot of Special Attackers can leave it weak, as it lacks much Special Defense.
- Toxic Spikes wear it down very quickly, it absolutely hates them.
- Anything with U-Turn will take down Inkay and give the opponent momentum.
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