Overview
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Albeit situational, Bronzong has some unique perks as a defensive Steel-type in OU. Thanks to Levtiate, its Fighting neutrality, and only a 2x weakness to Fire, Bronzong can check many Pokemon that most Steel-types struggle to deal with, such as Latios, Latias, Mega Gardevoir, Greninja, Landorus, Thundurus, Excadrill, Mega Pinsir, Garchomp, Landorus-T, Mamoswine, Diggersby, Mega Tyranitar, Mega Aerodactyl, Mega Alakazam, and Gliscor. Bronzong also has Stealth Rock to support its team, giving it something useful to do when walling something. Thanks to those traits, it's able to act as an utility Pokemon on offensive teams that don't like investing more than one slot in pivots and utility Pokemon and prefer to focus on offensive synergy. Bronzong can also run a Trick Room set, which, although a bit of a gimmicky playstyle, is viable nonetheless.
That's where the good news end though. Bronzong has multiple flaws that prevent it from being a great option in OU, including three common weaknesses (Fire, Dark, Ghost), a Pursuit weakness, being so slow that it always has to take a hit before doing anything, and lack of offensive pressure, which leaves Bronzong as setup bait for a plethora of dangerous Pokemon, such as Mega Scizor, Mega Charizard X, Thundurus, Talonflame, and Mega Gyarados.
Special Tank
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name: Special Tank
move 1: Gyro Ball
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Stealth Rock
move 4: Hidden Power Ice / Protect / Toxic
ability: Levitate
item: Leftovers
evs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe
nature: Sassy
Moves
========
Gyro Ball is the main move, deals good damage to most offensive Pokemon neutral to it, and allows Bronzong to deal with many of the Pokemon that it checks, such as Mega Gardevoir, Mamoswine, Latios, Latias, Mega Aerodactyl, and Mega Alakazam. Earthquake provides coverage against Fire- and Steel-types, including Magnezone and Bisharp, which would otherwise be able to trap and KO Bronzong effortlessly. Stealth Rock is Bronzong's way of supporting its team and the move that should be used on forced switches early-game. Hidden Power Ice takes care of many of the Pokemon that Bronzong checks, such as Garchomp, Landorus-T, Landorus, and Gliscor. Protect enhances Bronzong's longevity and is a very useful option for a defensive Pokemon that lacks reliable recovery, provided you have other means of dealing with the aforementioned Ground-types that Hidden Power Ice covers. Toxic cripples many of Bronzong's checks, such as Keldeo, Mega Charizard Y, Talonflame, Mew, Slowbro, and Mega Gyarados, making Bronzong less of setup bait for dangerous offensive Pokemon.
As for some other useful moves, Zen Headbutt 3HKOes Mega Venusaur, 2HKOes Keldeo, and deals decent damage to Water-, Electric-, and Fire-types that like to switch into Bronzong. Finally, Rock Slide takes care of Thundurus, Mega Pinsir, Mega Charizard Y, and Talonflame, all Pokemon that either like to switch into Bronzong or that Bronzong checks.
Set Details
========
Special bulk is maximized because Bronzong needs all the special bulk it can get to reliably deal with threats such as Greninja, Landorus, Latios, and Mega Gardevoir. Physical attackers that rely on Ground + Rock / Ice coverage, such as Landorus-T, Garchomp, Excadrill, and Mamoswine, are walled even without Defense investment anyway. 0 Speed IVs and a Speed-hindering nature are used to power up Gyro Ball.
Usage Tips
========
Don't use Bronzong as a wall; it lacks reliable recovery and is very easy to wear down, so use it to set up Stealth Rock, as a check to special attackers, and as a pivot to bring in other Pokemon. Never leave Bronzong in for too long, as it's very easy to take advantage of. As soon as you suspect that the Pokemon that Bronzong checks is going to switch out, make a double switch to keep your momentum. Finally, beware of Pursuit Bisharp and Pursuit Tyranitar; they can destroy Bronzong if they switch into it for free.
Team Options
========
Bronzong appreciates teammates that check Fire-, Dark-, and Water-types. Keldeo does all of this, while Bronzong takes care some of Keldeo's most common checks, Latios and Latias. Rotom-W also takes care of many Pokemon that trouble Bronzong, while Bronzong takes care of Latios, Latias, and Mega Gardevoir for Rotom-W. Bronzong is a momentum killer and doesn't have the tools to be a wall, which means that you should pair it with offensive Pokemon that can apply lots of offensive pressure in order to not give many free switches. Offensive teams can't afford more than one momentum killer, so keep this in mind when picking partners. Any hard hitter that has good synergy with Bronzong is a nice partner. Mega Heracross can threaten or switch into many Pokemon that Bronzong attracts, such as Bisharp, Tyranitar, and Heatran. Terrakion can also check the aforementioned Pokemon, in addition to Mega Charizard Y, Mega Charizard X, and Victini, all big threats to Bronzong. Lastly, Mega Gyarados can set up in the face of many Pokemon that Bronzong fears, such as Fire-types and Bisharp.
Trick Room Support
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name: Trick Room Support
move 1: Trick Room
move 2: Stealth Rock
move 3: Gyro Ball
move 4: Explosion
ability: Levitate
item: Mental Herb / Focus Sash
evs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe
nature: Sassy
Moves
========
Trick Room helps the team and allows Bronzong to move first on the next turn, making Bronzong a great suicide lead in tandem with Stealth Rock and Explosion. Stealth Rock is great on any team, and Bronzong is one of the best users of the move on Trick Room teams. Gyro Ball allows Bronzong to deal solid damage to some Pokemon it checks, and Explosion gives Bronzong's offensive teammates a free switch while Trick Room is still active. Rock Slide over Gyro Ball can be used to check Mega Pinsir, a big threat to many Trick Room teams if it manages to set up.
Set Details
========
Special bulk is maximized because the Pokemon that Bronzong checks are mostly special attackers. Mental Herb lets Bronzong set up Trick Room in the face of Taunt users such as Azelf, Terrakion, Mew, and Talonflame, which is very important to get the upper hand early-game. Focus Sash is useful to avoid the OHKO from Bisharp, Mega Charizard Y, and Mega Charizard X, all hard hitters that trouble Trick Room teams. A Sassy nature and 0 Speed IVs are used to be as fast as possible when Trick Room is up.
Usage Tips
========
This set plays as a suicide lead on Trick Room teams. Set up Trick Room and Stealth Rock, then use Explosion. Bronzong can be kept alive for later use if the opponent has a dangerous Pokemon you need Bronzong to check though, such as Mega Pinsir or Excadrill. If you are facing a stall team you might not wan to set up Trick Room, as your wallbreakers might be faster than most of the opponent's Pokemon.
Team Options
========
Hard hitters that can take advantage of Trick Room are the best partners to this set. Crawdaunt, Mega Heracross, Trick Room Victini, and Conkeldurr are all great options, especially Crawdaunt, which OHKOes most Fire-types that trouble Bronzong. Trick Room Slowbro is a good partner to take care of Talonflame and Mega Charizard X, two big threats to Bronzong and Trick Room teams in general. Mega Heracross and Conkeldurr are great checks to Bisharp, while Cresselia and Victini check Mega Charizard Y, making for solid teammates as well.
Other Options
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Rest with a Chesto Berry can give Bronzong a one-time recovery move, allowing it to be a more reliable check to the Pokemon it handles, if Bronzong's team is fast-paced. Hidden Power Fire usually 3HKOes Ferrothorn and Mega Scizor, making it a useful move for teams that struggle a lot against those two.
Checks & Counters
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**Fire-types**: Talonflame, Mega Charizard X, Victini, and Mega Charizard Y are all good counters to Bronzong, as long as it lacks Toxic. Heatran is also a good check but is 2HKOed by Earthquake.
**Steel-types**: Skarmory, Ferrothorn, and Mega Scizor wall Bronzong and can either set up on or slowly KO it. Magnezone, Bisharp, and Mold Breaker Excadrill are also big threats to Bronzong, especially Choice Specs Magnezone and Pursuit Bisharp, as they can trap and KO Bronzong before they get 2HKOed back; however, all three of them are 2HKOed by Earthquake.
**Water-types**: Keldeo, Rotom-W, Azumarill, Gyarados, Slowbro, Manaphy, Politoed, Starmie, Suicune, and Kingdra all wall Bronzong, as long as it lacks Toxic.
**Pursuit users**: Bisharp, Tyranitar, and Weavile deserve a special mention for their ability to deal tons of damage with Pursuit to Bronzong if it switches out.
**Walls**: Most defensive Pokemon with reliable recovery wall Bronzong, especially those immune to Toxic, such as Chansey, Magic Guard Flamethrower Clefable, and Hidden Power Fire Amoonguss.
########
Albeit situational, Bronzong has some unique perks as a defensive Steel-type in OU. Thanks to Levtiate, its Fighting neutrality, and only a 2x weakness to Fire, Bronzong can check many Pokemon that most Steel-types struggle to deal with, such as Latios, Latias, Mega Gardevoir, Greninja, Landorus, Thundurus, Excadrill, Mega Pinsir, Garchomp, Landorus-T, Mamoswine, Diggersby, Mega Tyranitar, Mega Aerodactyl, Mega Alakazam, and Gliscor. Bronzong also has Stealth Rock to support its team, giving it something useful to do when walling something. Thanks to those traits, it's able to act as an utility Pokemon on offensive teams that don't like investing more than one slot in pivots and utility Pokemon and prefer to focus on offensive synergy. Bronzong can also run a Trick Room set, which, although a bit of a gimmicky playstyle, is viable nonetheless.
That's where the good news end though. Bronzong has multiple flaws that prevent it from being a great option in OU, including three common weaknesses (Fire, Dark, Ghost), a Pursuit weakness, being so slow that it always has to take a hit before doing anything, and lack of offensive pressure, which leaves Bronzong as setup bait for a plethora of dangerous Pokemon, such as Mega Scizor, Mega Charizard X, Thundurus, Talonflame, and Mega Gyarados.
Special Tank
########
name: Special Tank
move 1: Gyro Ball
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Stealth Rock
move 4: Hidden Power Ice / Protect / Toxic
ability: Levitate
item: Leftovers
evs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe
nature: Sassy
Moves
========
Gyro Ball is the main move, deals good damage to most offensive Pokemon neutral to it, and allows Bronzong to deal with many of the Pokemon that it checks, such as Mega Gardevoir, Mamoswine, Latios, Latias, Mega Aerodactyl, and Mega Alakazam. Earthquake provides coverage against Fire- and Steel-types, including Magnezone and Bisharp, which would otherwise be able to trap and KO Bronzong effortlessly. Stealth Rock is Bronzong's way of supporting its team and the move that should be used on forced switches early-game. Hidden Power Ice takes care of many of the Pokemon that Bronzong checks, such as Garchomp, Landorus-T, Landorus, and Gliscor. Protect enhances Bronzong's longevity and is a very useful option for a defensive Pokemon that lacks reliable recovery, provided you have other means of dealing with the aforementioned Ground-types that Hidden Power Ice covers. Toxic cripples many of Bronzong's checks, such as Keldeo, Mega Charizard Y, Talonflame, Mew, Slowbro, and Mega Gyarados, making Bronzong less of setup bait for dangerous offensive Pokemon.
As for some other useful moves, Zen Headbutt 3HKOes Mega Venusaur, 2HKOes Keldeo, and deals decent damage to Water-, Electric-, and Fire-types that like to switch into Bronzong. Finally, Rock Slide takes care of Thundurus, Mega Pinsir, Mega Charizard Y, and Talonflame, all Pokemon that either like to switch into Bronzong or that Bronzong checks.
Set Details
========
Special bulk is maximized because Bronzong needs all the special bulk it can get to reliably deal with threats such as Greninja, Landorus, Latios, and Mega Gardevoir. Physical attackers that rely on Ground + Rock / Ice coverage, such as Landorus-T, Garchomp, Excadrill, and Mamoswine, are walled even without Defense investment anyway. 0 Speed IVs and a Speed-hindering nature are used to power up Gyro Ball.
Usage Tips
========
Don't use Bronzong as a wall; it lacks reliable recovery and is very easy to wear down, so use it to set up Stealth Rock, as a check to special attackers, and as a pivot to bring in other Pokemon. Never leave Bronzong in for too long, as it's very easy to take advantage of. As soon as you suspect that the Pokemon that Bronzong checks is going to switch out, make a double switch to keep your momentum. Finally, beware of Pursuit Bisharp and Pursuit Tyranitar; they can destroy Bronzong if they switch into it for free.
Team Options
========
Bronzong appreciates teammates that check Fire-, Dark-, and Water-types. Keldeo does all of this, while Bronzong takes care some of Keldeo's most common checks, Latios and Latias. Rotom-W also takes care of many Pokemon that trouble Bronzong, while Bronzong takes care of Latios, Latias, and Mega Gardevoir for Rotom-W. Bronzong is a momentum killer and doesn't have the tools to be a wall, which means that you should pair it with offensive Pokemon that can apply lots of offensive pressure in order to not give many free switches. Offensive teams can't afford more than one momentum killer, so keep this in mind when picking partners. Any hard hitter that has good synergy with Bronzong is a nice partner. Mega Heracross can threaten or switch into many Pokemon that Bronzong attracts, such as Bisharp, Tyranitar, and Heatran. Terrakion can also check the aforementioned Pokemon, in addition to Mega Charizard Y, Mega Charizard X, and Victini, all big threats to Bronzong. Lastly, Mega Gyarados can set up in the face of many Pokemon that Bronzong fears, such as Fire-types and Bisharp.
Trick Room Support
########
name: Trick Room Support
move 1: Trick Room
move 2: Stealth Rock
move 3: Gyro Ball
move 4: Explosion
ability: Levitate
item: Mental Herb / Focus Sash
evs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe
nature: Sassy
Moves
========
Trick Room helps the team and allows Bronzong to move first on the next turn, making Bronzong a great suicide lead in tandem with Stealth Rock and Explosion. Stealth Rock is great on any team, and Bronzong is one of the best users of the move on Trick Room teams. Gyro Ball allows Bronzong to deal solid damage to some Pokemon it checks, and Explosion gives Bronzong's offensive teammates a free switch while Trick Room is still active. Rock Slide over Gyro Ball can be used to check Mega Pinsir, a big threat to many Trick Room teams if it manages to set up.
Set Details
========
Special bulk is maximized because the Pokemon that Bronzong checks are mostly special attackers. Mental Herb lets Bronzong set up Trick Room in the face of Taunt users such as Azelf, Terrakion, Mew, and Talonflame, which is very important to get the upper hand early-game. Focus Sash is useful to avoid the OHKO from Bisharp, Mega Charizard Y, and Mega Charizard X, all hard hitters that trouble Trick Room teams. A Sassy nature and 0 Speed IVs are used to be as fast as possible when Trick Room is up.
Usage Tips
========
This set plays as a suicide lead on Trick Room teams. Set up Trick Room and Stealth Rock, then use Explosion. Bronzong can be kept alive for later use if the opponent has a dangerous Pokemon you need Bronzong to check though, such as Mega Pinsir or Excadrill. If you are facing a stall team you might not wan to set up Trick Room, as your wallbreakers might be faster than most of the opponent's Pokemon.
Team Options
========
Hard hitters that can take advantage of Trick Room are the best partners to this set. Crawdaunt, Mega Heracross, Trick Room Victini, and Conkeldurr are all great options, especially Crawdaunt, which OHKOes most Fire-types that trouble Bronzong. Trick Room Slowbro is a good partner to take care of Talonflame and Mega Charizard X, two big threats to Bronzong and Trick Room teams in general. Mega Heracross and Conkeldurr are great checks to Bisharp, while Cresselia and Victini check Mega Charizard Y, making for solid teammates as well.
Other Options
########
Rest with a Chesto Berry can give Bronzong a one-time recovery move, allowing it to be a more reliable check to the Pokemon it handles, if Bronzong's team is fast-paced. Hidden Power Fire usually 3HKOes Ferrothorn and Mega Scizor, making it a useful move for teams that struggle a lot against those two.
Checks & Counters
########
**Fire-types**: Talonflame, Mega Charizard X, Victini, and Mega Charizard Y are all good counters to Bronzong, as long as it lacks Toxic. Heatran is also a good check but is 2HKOed by Earthquake.
**Steel-types**: Skarmory, Ferrothorn, and Mega Scizor wall Bronzong and can either set up on or slowly KO it. Magnezone, Bisharp, and Mold Breaker Excadrill are also big threats to Bronzong, especially Choice Specs Magnezone and Pursuit Bisharp, as they can trap and KO Bronzong before they get 2HKOed back; however, all three of them are 2HKOed by Earthquake.
**Water-types**: Keldeo, Rotom-W, Azumarill, Gyarados, Slowbro, Manaphy, Politoed, Starmie, Suicune, and Kingdra all wall Bronzong, as long as it lacks Toxic.
**Pursuit users**: Bisharp, Tyranitar, and Weavile deserve a special mention for their ability to deal tons of damage with Pursuit to Bronzong if it switches out.
**Walls**: Most defensive Pokemon with reliable recovery wall Bronzong, especially those immune to Toxic, such as Chansey, Magic Guard Flamethrower Clefable, and Hidden Power Fire Amoonguss.
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