Taken over from The Unlucky One. Approved by macle.
Overview
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Wynaut can be one of the most annoying Pokemon to fight against. With access to an amazing ability in Shadow Tag, great 95 / 48 / 48 defenses, and the ability to take down most threats with Mirror Coat and Counter, Wynaut is a solid Pokemon. Wynaut is a nice check to almost anything that lacks a super effective move against it. With Safeguard, it can also trap and counter slow walls such as Foongus, Lileep, and Slowpoke. Sadly, a solid part of the metagame can easily break through it, due to the abundance of Knock Off. However, Wynaut is still a great support Pokemon and a nice safety blanket against many Pokemon. Encore is also a great move in combination with Shadow Tag, and can greatly aid a teammate in setting up. Wynaut does a brilliant job in trapping and removing certain threats, while also helping teammates to switch in.
Standard
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name: Standard
move 1: Encore
move 2: Counter
move 3: Mirror Coat
move 4: Safeguard / Tickle / Destiny Bond
ability: Shadow Tag
item: Berry Juice
EVs: 236 HP / 132 Def / 132 SpD
Nature: Bold
Moves
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Encore is used to lock opposing Pokemon into non-attacking moves such as Stealth Rock, Defog, or even setup moves such as Shell Smash and Swords Dance, giving a teammate the ability to get a free switch-in. Encore can also lock a foe into a attacking move, and Wynaut can then hit it hard back with either Counter or Mirror Coat. Counter and Mirror Coat are used to counter physical and special attacks respectively, dealing twice the damage Wynaut took back. Encore, Counter, and Mirror Coat are all mandatory moves for Wynaut. For the last slot, Wynaut has three options: Safeguard, Tickle, and Destiny Bond. Safeguard allows Wynaut to avoid Toxic, Thunder Wave, and Sleep-based moves such as Sleep Powder, and Spore, which otherwise would greatly hinder Wynaut. Tickle can be used in conjunction with Pursuit users or Diglett to trap a opponent and OHKO it with ease. Destiny Bond is a useful last ditch effort to take out another Pokemon.
Set Details
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The following EV spread maximizes Wynaut's HP, totaling 49 with Berry Juice. This means that Wynaut is technically capable of dealing 96 damage to opponents before fainting. A Bold nature is chosen to absorb Fighting-types attacks more effectively. However, the Defense and Special Defense EVs can be customized to deal with specific threats. Wynaut also has the ability to Speed creep on many walls, depending on what threats you want to remove. 92 Speed EVs give it 10 Speed, allowing it to outspeed slower walls.
Usage Tips
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Use Encore on non-attacking moves such as Stealth Rock or setup moves such as Shell Smash, then switch out for free momentum. This also gives a teammate the ability to get a free turn to use a set up move on. Keep in mind that Spritzee isn't affected by Encore, so Spritzee can therefore use Wynaut as setup bait.
Team Options
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Wynaut is a good choice if you have a frail setup team, and can reliably get rid of Choice Scarf users that lack a super effective move. Setup sweepers love the free turns Wynaut gives them by encoring a moves like Stealth Rock and Defog. Diglett or Pursuit users are very useful with Tickle, meaning the opponent is stuck using a move such as Stealth Rock and can easily end up having -6 Defense after being trapped by Wynaut. Volt Switch and U-turn users are fantastic partners as they can often give Wynaut a free switch in.
Other Options
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Wynaut's movepool is incredibly small, only having access to eight moves. Tickle is a much better option than Charm, as it also lowers the opponents Defense. Splash is totally useless. Eviolite instead of Berry Juice as a item is really the only other option for Wynaut. However, this is rarely recommended as Berry Juice, in most situations, is much better.
Checks & Counters
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**Taunt users**: Taunt users such as Mienfoo, Onix, Stunky, and Misdreavus are a huge problem for Wynaut, and forces it to only use Counter and Mirror Coat.
**Ghost-types**: Ghost-types are immune to the effects of Shadow Tag this generation, and Ghost-types such as Misdreavus and Gastly also OHKO Wynaut with Shadow Ball.
**U-turn and Volt Switch users**: U-turn and Volt Switch users are a huge problem for Wynaut, because U-turn and Volt Switch ignore Shadow Tag. Wynaut can Counter / Mirror Coat the switch-in, however, Ghost-types and Dark-types are immune to Counter and Mirror Coat, respectively, giving threats such as Misdreavus and Pawniard a free switch-in, both of which can also OHKO Wynaut with their STAB moves.
**Spritzee**: Spritzee is immune to Encore due to its ability Aroma Veil, and can therefore use Wynaut as a setup bait.
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