Overview
########
- One of the best rapid spinners in the tier, as it can beat all spin blockers one-on-one with Mega Launcher-boosted Dark Pulse
- Mega Launcher boosts the power of many of its moves, meaning it is not a dead-weight rapid spinner but a bulky special attacker as well.
- Its lack of speed allows it to be taken advantage of by faster threats.
- Being a grounded rapid spinner with Water typing, Blastoise is vulnerable to all kinds of entry hazards, especially to Toxic Spikes. And, it has no recovery move to offset that.
- takes up a mega slot
########
name: Mega Spinner
move 1: Rapid Spin
move 2: Dark Pulse
move 3: Hydro Pump / Scald / Water Pulse
move 4: Ice Beam / Dragon Pulse / Aura Sphere
ability: Rain Dish
item: Blastoisinite
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
nature: Modest
Moves
========
- Rapid Spin is essential for spinning away hazards.
- Mega Launcher-boosted Dark Pulse threatens spin blockers.
- Hydro Pump is a STAB move that hits the hardest.
- Water Pulse gets a Mega Launcher and STAB, making it a hard-hitting move with a nice chance of confusion.
- Scald, though weaker than Water Pulse, helps Blastoise wear down the opposing team with random unwanted burns.
- Ice Beam hits Grass- and Dragon-types like Chesnaught, Flygon and Shaymin decently well.
- Dragon Pulse is a pseudo-STAB move that offers good neutral coverage and helps against Dragon-types like Kyurem and Hydreigon
- Aura Sphere is another pseudo-STAB move that helps Blastoise wear down Dark- and Steel-types like Umbreon and Aggron, but is not generally useful in most cases.
Set Details
========
- Rain Dish turns to Mega Launcher; very situational and most of the time does not matter
- Mega Launcher boosts the power of Water Pulse, Dark Pulse, Aura Sphere and Dragon Pulse by 50%.
- Max HP and Max Sp. Attack allow for a bulky, hard hitting rapid spinner.
- Modest Nature allows for maximum power output.
Usage Tips
========
- With Mega Launcher-boosted Dark Pulse, Blastoise can defeat spin blockers one-on-one and safely spin hazards away.
- Blastoise's bulk and Water typing helps it soft check the numerous Fire-types that run around the tier.
- Blastoise's bulk also allows it to take neutral hits very well; Mega Launcher also helps Blastoise hit back hard.
========
- Blastoise has no form of reliable recovery and is very susceptible to hazards damage and status, so a Cleric/Wish Passer like Florges or Umbreon helps Blastoise spin hazards away throughout the match.
- Blastoise is not strong enough to break through walls like Florges and Umbreon (if lacking Aura Sphere) so it appreciates wall breakers like Nidoking, Heracross, and Mienshao
- Blastoise needs strong Electric- and Grass-types like Raikou, Mega Manectric, Shaymin and Roserade removed in order to spin successfully; Victini, Darmanitan, and Nidoking remove these well.
Defensive Rapid Spinner
########
name: Defensive Rapid Spinner
move 1: Rapid Spin
move 2: Scald
move 3: Dark Pulse
move 4: Toxic / Roar / Dragon Tail
ability: Rain Dish
item: Blastoisinite
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
nature: Bold
Moves
========
- Rapid Spin spins hazards away
- Scald is a STAB move that has a good burn chance
- Dark Pulse does damage to Ghost-type spin blockers and gets a 50% power increase
- Toxic helps break down Pokemon with residual damage
- Roar is phazing that cannot be blocked and prevents WishTect recovery
- Dragon Tail gets residual damage but Florges is immune to it since its a Dragon-type move
========
- Rain Dish is again, highly situational and does not really matter
- Full Physical Defense and HP investment makes Blastoise a pretty bulky defensive rapid spinner that checks Fire-types in a pinch
- Bold nature increases Defense to be as physically defensive as possible
========
- Use Rapid Spin to remove hazards, but use Dark Pulse / Foresight if a Ghost-type is suspected to come in
- Scald offers nice residual damage with potential burns, so use it on physical attackers or just as an attacking move
- Toxic offers better residual damage, but Roar and Dragon Tail help with setup sweepers and, if hazards are up, help to gain residual damage.
========
- Helps check Fire-types pretty well, but cannot take repeated hits due to its lack of reliable recovery, so a Wish Passer or Cleric works well; Florges and Umbreon fulfill this role nicely
- Blastoise would prefer to spin without Ghost-types present, so strong Dark-type attacks from pokemon like Hydreigon help Blastoise spin easier
- Blastoise is threatened from spinning by strong Electric- and Grass-type Pokemon like Raikou, Mega Manectric, Roserade and Shaymin, so Victini, Darmanitan and Nidoking serve as good partners
########
name: All Out Attacker
move 1: Hydro Pump / Water Pulse
move 2: Ice Beam
move 3: Dark Pulse
move 4: Dragon Pulse / Aura Sphere
ability: Rain Dish
item: Blastoisinite
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
nature: Timid
Moves
========
- Hydro Pump is Blastoise's strongest STAB move.
- Water Pulse can be used for its confusion chance and better accuracy but is much weaker than Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam hits Grass-types like Chesnaught, Shaymin and Roserade for good damage.
- Dark Pulse is a pseudo-STAB move that murders Ghost-types that are lured in to spin block
- Dragon Pulse is a pseudo-STAB move that gets good neutral coverage and is more effective at hitting Kyurem and Hydreigon for more damage than Ice Beam
- Aura Sphere is another pseudo-STAB move that gets coverage against Steel- and Dark-types, but is generally worse coverage than other moves Blastoise has
========
- Rain Dish moves into Mega Launcher, but is highly situational and in general doesn't really matter.
- Mega Launcher boosts the power of Water Pulse, Dark Pulse, Dragon Pulse and Aura Sphere by 50%
- Maxed Special Attack and Speed allow for Blastoise to be faster than normal and hit hard
- Timid nature lets it go as fast as possible, outspeeding up to max-invested neutral natured base 90 speed Pokemon.
========
- Use with another Rapid Spinner who needs Ghost-types removed, as this set lures in Ghost-types and nukes them with Dark Pulse
- Use as a moderately fast, relatively hard-hitting special attacker with really good coverage.
- This set is not as bulky, but can take many neutral and resisted hits very well with its natural bulk, especially Fire-type moves.
========
- This set works well with another rapid spinner who needs help getting rid of spin blockers; rapid spinners like Forretress appreciate this
- Blastoise has no form of reliable recovery and is very susceptible to entry hazards and status, so a Wish Passer or Cleric makes a great teammate; Florges and Umbreon do this particularly well
- Blastoise is not a wallbreaker, so it needs help removing walls like Florges and Umbreon in order to wreak the most havoc; wallbreakers like Heracross, Mienshao and Nidoking or Nidoqueen make great partners
- Blastoise is also susceptible to strong and faster Electric- and Grass-type attackers like Raikou, Mega Manectric, and Shaymin; Victini, Darmanitan and Nidoking make great partners
Other Options
########
- A more physically or specially defensive EV spread can help to better check the Fire-types in the tier.
- A set that replaces the Mega Stone with Leftovers can be used if you need another Mega slot; note that though it gains recovery it also loses important bulk and power.
- RestTalk set with Water Spout
- Blastoise has access to some phazing/status moves like Roar, Dragon Tail, and Toxic.
- Blastoise also has priority in Aqua Jet but is mostly not appealing for its lack of power.
- Max Speed with a Timid nature allows Blastoise to outspeed up to max invested neutral nature base 90 speed Pokemon, which includes things like Nidoqueen, minimally invested Mew and Celebi; Max Speed with a Modest Nature outspeeds these things but just misses out on max invested neutral nature base 80 speed Pokemon
- Foresight can be used as a less optimal option instead of Dark Pulse, but only on the Defensive Rapid Spinner set, since Dark Pulse destroys Ghost-type spin blockers anyways.
Checks & Counters
########
- Florges and Umbreon
- Fast, strong Electric- and Grass-types like Raikou and Shaymin
- Gastrodon
- Toxicroak and Chesnaught can take all attacks but Ice Beam and Dragon Pulse
Last edited:
