Snowball Regigigas
Regigigas @ Lum Berry
Ability: Slow Start
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant/Jolly Nature
- Knock Off
- Return
- Power-Up Punch
- Rock Polish
Stat Totals
361 HP
230/460 Atk (Adamant) 209/419 (Jolly)
256 Def
176 SAtk
257 Sdef
149/299 Spe (Adamant) 164/328 (Jolly)
A major problem I've seen with Regigigas is it's treated as a 670 BST that is useless until Slow Start ends, which tends to push sets into hoping for a miracle with Parafusion to let it get rolling. Even then, with most sets I've seen once Slow Start ends it still has problems with status, defensive walls like Regice and Avalugg, Rock and Steel types, and is completely shut down by any Ghost type.
This set reverses that mindset. Instead, Regigigas is treated as a 540 BST (110/80/110/110/80/50) bulky Tank/Physical Setup Sweeper hybrid, giving Regigias the ability to actually be useful without waiting out Slow Start. Rock Polish is its main setup move, allowing it to cancel out Slow Start's speed drop and gives Regigigas a very useful 298/299 (not sure exactly which one it ends up at after Slow Start & +2 Speed) or 328 speed, and after just one Power Up Punch, Adamant Regigigas' offense is comparable to Adamant Tauros. Additionally, it can use Rock and Steel types that resist its STAB or Regice and Avalugg as punching bags to build up its attack power, which combined with a Rock Polish turns Regigigas into a mighty powerhouse while passing time for Slow Start. Knock Off allows it to 2HKO Haunter and Mismagius (or OHKO with +1) that expect a free switch, as well as punish Phasers and keep momentum by dishing out decent damage (depending on how many boosts its acquired) while stripping them of their items. The Lum Berry is invaluable, allowing Regigigas to shrug off status and keep on snowballing its attack power. By reversing the mindset of Slow Start, Slow Start actually becomes a very useful ability: Unless Regigigas is paralyzed, Ditto can't revenge it once Slow Start ends. No matter how many boosts you build up, when Ditto switches in its Slow Start starts from the beginning, giving Regigigas 5 turns of out-speeding Scarf Ditto while hammering it with twice Ditto's attack power without being Choice Locked.
While Adamant maximizes its attack, Jolly can be used with Rock Polish to out-speed Haunter, +2 Carracosta, Gourgeist-Small, Frogadier, Leafeon (out of sun), Sawsbuck (out of sun), +1 Ursaring and Basculin, as well as speed tie Mega Glalie, Dodrio and Ninetales.
Once Slow Start ends, if you've gotten decent boosts Regigigas becomes a nigh-unstoppable titan. With one prior Rock Polish, Regigigas reaches 598/656 speed allowing it to even out-speed Scarf Zebstrika. With each Power Up Punch, Regigigas' insane 419/460 Attack is boosted even further while possessing the coverage to break through most anything. Additionally, it can use its boosts to cancel out Burn or Paralysis, preventing Regigigas from being completely crippled by status.
It isn't without its counters, though. Some PU powerhouses such as Poliwrath, Marowak and Tauros can switch in before Regigigas racks up boosts and threaten it with a 2HKO. Throh can tank most of Regigigas' attacks and phase it with Circle Throw while dealing heavy damage to Regigigas. Trick users can also try to cripple it with Scarf, but if it gets locked into Power Up Punch Regigigas can still potentially snowball anyway. However, most of them require the use of Normal, Ground or Fighting type moves to threaten it. This can give Ghost teammates a free switch in. Scarf Gourgeist and Haunter partner with Regigigas very well, resisting or boasting immunities to the moves that threaten Regigigas and can cripple those threats with Will-O-Wisp or Trick if they try to stay in, or in some situations straight up KO them.
In conclusion, choosing between Regigigas and other normal type powerhouses like Tauros and Bouffalant depends on what you want out of them. Tauros provides the most immediate offensive pressure with its very high speed and attack, Bouffalant can provide monstrous (but not very fast) attacks with Band or Swords Dance, while Snowball Regigigas can quickly get out of control and start dismantling entire teams
before Slow Start ends if it isn't handled immediately.
Here's a replay of this set in action, gonna have a few more later:
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/pu-195578215 - The only thing that stopped Regigigas from wrecking this team was Ditto out-speeding Paralyzed Regigigas like I mentioned above. In the end it didn't matter, as it still punched a hole in the enemy team anyway.