Ping_Pong_Along
Bitches love underscores
QC [3/3]: Arikado / Spirit / 49
GP [2/2]: frenzyplant / The Dutch Plumberjack
[OVERVIEW]
Access to Spikes and Toxic Spikes gives Roselia a niche as a bulky entry hazard setter on stall or heavily defensive balance teams. Thanks to its typing, Roselia is immune to poison and absorbs Toxic Spikes, and it can switch into most Water- and Grass-types and hit them super effectively. Roselia is a particularly good counter to Tangrowth, though Amoonguss surpasses it in this role. The combination of Natural Cure and a resistance to Water-type attacks makes Roselia one of the top switch-ins to Scald, only second to the likes of Jellicent, Cradily, Seismitoad, and Gastrodon, which are immune to Water-type attacks.
Unfortunately, even with Eviolite, Roselia's terrible base 45 Defense makes it susceptible to physical attackers. Common Fire- and Psychic-types such as Emboar, Delphox, and Medicham can OHKO Roselia, and Calm Mind users such as Sigilyph and Meloetta are especially dangerous because they can switch into Roselia and set up on it. Roselia depends on Eviolite for its bulk, so Knock Off and Trick users such as Gurdurr, Rotom-C, and Escavalier severely threaten it. Because Defoggers like Flygon and Togetic are very common, keeping entry hazards on the field can be difficult. Toxic Spikes is particularly difficult for Roselia to keep on the field because it has trouble getting past grounded Poison-types such as Drapion and Amoonguss, though it can 3HKO Qwilfish with Giga Drain. Roselia faces strong competition as a Spiker from Qwilfish, which is the better option on most teams because it can take Knock Off better and use its fast Taunt to prevent foes from setting up. Other than Spikes-stacking, Roselia is outclassed as a bulky Grass / Poison type by Amoonguss, which is less crippled by Knock Off, has superior bulk, and has access to Spore and Regenerator.
[SET]
name: Bulky Spiker
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Synthesis
move 3: Giga Drain
move 4: Sludge Bomb
item: Eviolite
ability: Natural Cure
nature: Calm
evs: 248 HP / 172 Def / 88 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Spikes is what sets Roselia apart from Amoonguss. Synthesis prevents Roselia from being worn down, allowing it to absorb status more easily and set up Spikes multiple times if needed. Giga Drain hits many common Stealth Rock setters super effectively, such as Seismitoad and Rhyperior, as well as Water- and Ground-types in general. Sludge Bomb lets Roselia damage common Grass- and Fairy-types, such as Tangrowth, Rotom-C, Aromatisse, and Virizion. Hidden Power Fire is an option to hit Durant and Escavalier on the switch. While Durant is OHKOed by Hidden Power Fire, Escavalier is either 2HKOed or 3HKOed, depending on its set.
If your team already has an answer to bulky Water-types or opposing Grass-types, you can opt to swap Giga Drain or Sludge Bomb for one of Roselia's other support moves. Toxic Spikes is particularly good against offensive teams and provides more passive damage throughout the match than Spikes does. Sleep Powder helps Roselia set up more entry hazards, cripple foes, and ensure that it can KO Jellicent, which would otherwise be able to recover the damage taken from Giga Drain. Aromatherapy is another solid option if you're having difficulty fitting cleric support on your team.
Set Details
========
248 HP EVs improve Roselia's overall bulk, while the Defense investment guarantees that Adamant Samurott's Megahorn will at best 3HKO Roselia even after Stealth Rock damage. The remaining 88 EVs go into Special Defense to improve Roselia's already solid bulk, making it a good switch-in to all common Grass- and Water-types except Clawitzer. Eviolite is the only item Roselia should ever hold because it drastically improves Roselia's bulk. A Calm nature further enhances Roselia's special bulk, giving it more opportunities to switch in.
Usage Tips
========
Roselia can switch into many common defensive Pokemon, such as Amoonguss, Aromatisse, and Alomomola, lay down Spikes or Toxic Spikes, and apply pressure with Giga Drain and Sludge Bomb. Roselia also does well against common Stealth Rock setters, such as Seismitoad and Rhyperior, which are both 4x weak to Giga Drain, although Roselia can only 2HKO Rhyperior's tank set. If the opponent does not have a grounded Poison-type, it is generally best to start with a layer of Toxic Spikes. Against offensive teams, a single layer of Toxic Spikes is plenty, while two layers are often preferred against defensive teams to wear down walls with access to recovery, such as Alomomola and Jellicent.
Team Options
========
Strong Dark-types make for good partners for Roselia, as they can take on Psychic-types. Spiritomb provides Pursuit support, hits through Substitute thanks to Infiltrator, spinblocks, and can Taunt setup sweepers. Drapion hits hard with Knock Off, lays down Toxic Spikes, and can use Whirlwind to phaze setup sweepers and rack up entry hazard damage. Houndoom is an option on more balanced teams, as it helps against opposing Fire-types, provides Pursuit support, and can KO Escavalier.
Strong Ground-types help against Poison-, Fire-, and to a lesser extent Steel-types, which either threaten Roselia or resist its attacks. Rhyperior and Mega Steelix offer powerful Earthquakes and can phaze foes and set up Stealth Rock. Piloswine is a good partner for Roselia because it can set up Stealth Rock, check most Fire-types in RU, take on opposing Ice-types, and deter Flygon from switching in to remove entry hazards.
Bulky Water-types such as Alomomola and Jellicent can help check Ice- and Fire-types, though Jellicent has terrible matchups against Houndoom and Sneasel and Alomomola offers next to no offensive presence. Alomomola pairs particularly well with Roselia if it is running Aromatherapy, as Toxic is a common way of wearing down Alomomola. Seismitoad pairs well too thanks to Stealth Rock, but they must both be careful of Mega Glalie's Freeze-Dry.
Knock Off is very common in RU, so having a switch-in to the move, such as Aromatisse, Hitmontop, or Granbull, helps. Mega Steelix is an option as well, though it has trouble against the Fighting-type Knock Off users such as Scrafty and Hitmonlee.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Roselia's EV spread can be changed to 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD or 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD; full Defense investment allows Roselia to take less damage from Rhyperior and Mega Steelix, while more investment in Special Defense helps it against Rotom-C and Choice Specs Tangrowth, but neither of these spreads helps much against common wallbreakers such as Exploud and Emboar. Synthesis can be dropped in favor of Toxic Spikes, but you should keep in mind that this severely cuts down on Roselia's longevity, so Wish support is highly recommended for this build. Rest can be used as an alternative to Synthesis because Natural Cure removes sleep upon switching out, but switching Roselia out is predictable and gives the opponent a free turn. Leech Seed drains the health of predicted switches, but the active recovery of Synthesis is generally preferred. Stun Spore is another option to cripple predicted switch-ins. Leaf Storm can be used in conjunction with a more offensive EV spread to net surprise KOs on bulky Water-types.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fire-types**: Fire-type Pokemon such as Delphox, Mega Camerupt, and Emboar can switch into any of Roselia's moves bar Sleep Powder and OHKO it. Unboosted Houndoom and Fletchinder also have a chance to OHKO Roselia from full health and can use it as setup bait.
**Psychic-types**: Nearly all Psychic-types, such as Meloetta, Sigilyph, and Medicham, can either OHKO or 2HKO Roselia or set up Calm Mind on it. Tank Bronzong and support Uxie are exceptions because they deal little damage and are primarily used to set up Stealth Rock.
**Knock Off and Trick**: Losing Eviolite drastically cuts Roselia's bulk. Knock Off users are extremely common in RU and include Scrafty, Eelektross, and Drapion. Rotom-C is the only common user of Trick in RU.
**Physical Attackers**: Despite Eviolite and Defense investment, Roselia is easily OHKOed by powerful physical attackers, particularly those with a type advantage such as Escavalier, Durant, Sneasel, and Mega Glalie. Tyrantrum and Reckless Hitmonlee can OHKO or 2HKO Roselia even without a super effective hit.
**Entry Hazard Removal**: The two most common Defoggers in RU, Flygon and Togetic, take no damage from both Spikes and Toxic Spikes and can remove them easily. While Togetic hates taking repeated Sludge Bombs and deals little damage to Roselia, mixed defensive Flygon takes little damage from Roselia's attacks and can U-turn out or pick off a weakened Roselia. Grounded Poison-types also absorb Roselia's Toxic Spikes merely by switching in, and barring Qwilfish, they take little damage from Sludge Bomb and Giga Drain.
GP [2/2]: frenzyplant / The Dutch Plumberjack
[OVERVIEW]
Access to Spikes and Toxic Spikes gives Roselia a niche as a bulky entry hazard setter on stall or heavily defensive balance teams. Thanks to its typing, Roselia is immune to poison and absorbs Toxic Spikes, and it can switch into most Water- and Grass-types and hit them super effectively. Roselia is a particularly good counter to Tangrowth, though Amoonguss surpasses it in this role. The combination of Natural Cure and a resistance to Water-type attacks makes Roselia one of the top switch-ins to Scald, only second to the likes of Jellicent, Cradily, Seismitoad, and Gastrodon, which are immune to Water-type attacks.
Unfortunately, even with Eviolite, Roselia's terrible base 45 Defense makes it susceptible to physical attackers. Common Fire- and Psychic-types such as Emboar, Delphox, and Medicham can OHKO Roselia, and Calm Mind users such as Sigilyph and Meloetta are especially dangerous because they can switch into Roselia and set up on it. Roselia depends on Eviolite for its bulk, so Knock Off and Trick users such as Gurdurr, Rotom-C, and Escavalier severely threaten it. Because Defoggers like Flygon and Togetic are very common, keeping entry hazards on the field can be difficult. Toxic Spikes is particularly difficult for Roselia to keep on the field because it has trouble getting past grounded Poison-types such as Drapion and Amoonguss, though it can 3HKO Qwilfish with Giga Drain. Roselia faces strong competition as a Spiker from Qwilfish, which is the better option on most teams because it can take Knock Off better and use its fast Taunt to prevent foes from setting up. Other than Spikes-stacking, Roselia is outclassed as a bulky Grass / Poison type by Amoonguss, which is less crippled by Knock Off, has superior bulk, and has access to Spore and Regenerator.
[SET]
name: Bulky Spiker
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Synthesis
move 3: Giga Drain
move 4: Sludge Bomb
item: Eviolite
ability: Natural Cure
nature: Calm
evs: 248 HP / 172 Def / 88 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Spikes is what sets Roselia apart from Amoonguss. Synthesis prevents Roselia from being worn down, allowing it to absorb status more easily and set up Spikes multiple times if needed. Giga Drain hits many common Stealth Rock setters super effectively, such as Seismitoad and Rhyperior, as well as Water- and Ground-types in general. Sludge Bomb lets Roselia damage common Grass- and Fairy-types, such as Tangrowth, Rotom-C, Aromatisse, and Virizion. Hidden Power Fire is an option to hit Durant and Escavalier on the switch. While Durant is OHKOed by Hidden Power Fire, Escavalier is either 2HKOed or 3HKOed, depending on its set.
If your team already has an answer to bulky Water-types or opposing Grass-types, you can opt to swap Giga Drain or Sludge Bomb for one of Roselia's other support moves. Toxic Spikes is particularly good against offensive teams and provides more passive damage throughout the match than Spikes does. Sleep Powder helps Roselia set up more entry hazards, cripple foes, and ensure that it can KO Jellicent, which would otherwise be able to recover the damage taken from Giga Drain. Aromatherapy is another solid option if you're having difficulty fitting cleric support on your team.
Set Details
========
248 HP EVs improve Roselia's overall bulk, while the Defense investment guarantees that Adamant Samurott's Megahorn will at best 3HKO Roselia even after Stealth Rock damage. The remaining 88 EVs go into Special Defense to improve Roselia's already solid bulk, making it a good switch-in to all common Grass- and Water-types except Clawitzer. Eviolite is the only item Roselia should ever hold because it drastically improves Roselia's bulk. A Calm nature further enhances Roselia's special bulk, giving it more opportunities to switch in.
Usage Tips
========
Roselia can switch into many common defensive Pokemon, such as Amoonguss, Aromatisse, and Alomomola, lay down Spikes or Toxic Spikes, and apply pressure with Giga Drain and Sludge Bomb. Roselia also does well against common Stealth Rock setters, such as Seismitoad and Rhyperior, which are both 4x weak to Giga Drain, although Roselia can only 2HKO Rhyperior's tank set. If the opponent does not have a grounded Poison-type, it is generally best to start with a layer of Toxic Spikes. Against offensive teams, a single layer of Toxic Spikes is plenty, while two layers are often preferred against defensive teams to wear down walls with access to recovery, such as Alomomola and Jellicent.
Team Options
========
Strong Dark-types make for good partners for Roselia, as they can take on Psychic-types. Spiritomb provides Pursuit support, hits through Substitute thanks to Infiltrator, spinblocks, and can Taunt setup sweepers. Drapion hits hard with Knock Off, lays down Toxic Spikes, and can use Whirlwind to phaze setup sweepers and rack up entry hazard damage. Houndoom is an option on more balanced teams, as it helps against opposing Fire-types, provides Pursuit support, and can KO Escavalier.
Strong Ground-types help against Poison-, Fire-, and to a lesser extent Steel-types, which either threaten Roselia or resist its attacks. Rhyperior and Mega Steelix offer powerful Earthquakes and can phaze foes and set up Stealth Rock. Piloswine is a good partner for Roselia because it can set up Stealth Rock, check most Fire-types in RU, take on opposing Ice-types, and deter Flygon from switching in to remove entry hazards.
Bulky Water-types such as Alomomola and Jellicent can help check Ice- and Fire-types, though Jellicent has terrible matchups against Houndoom and Sneasel and Alomomola offers next to no offensive presence. Alomomola pairs particularly well with Roselia if it is running Aromatherapy, as Toxic is a common way of wearing down Alomomola. Seismitoad pairs well too thanks to Stealth Rock, but they must both be careful of Mega Glalie's Freeze-Dry.
Knock Off is very common in RU, so having a switch-in to the move, such as Aromatisse, Hitmontop, or Granbull, helps. Mega Steelix is an option as well, though it has trouble against the Fighting-type Knock Off users such as Scrafty and Hitmonlee.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Roselia's EV spread can be changed to 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD or 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD; full Defense investment allows Roselia to take less damage from Rhyperior and Mega Steelix, while more investment in Special Defense helps it against Rotom-C and Choice Specs Tangrowth, but neither of these spreads helps much against common wallbreakers such as Exploud and Emboar. Synthesis can be dropped in favor of Toxic Spikes, but you should keep in mind that this severely cuts down on Roselia's longevity, so Wish support is highly recommended for this build. Rest can be used as an alternative to Synthesis because Natural Cure removes sleep upon switching out, but switching Roselia out is predictable and gives the opponent a free turn. Leech Seed drains the health of predicted switches, but the active recovery of Synthesis is generally preferred. Stun Spore is another option to cripple predicted switch-ins. Leaf Storm can be used in conjunction with a more offensive EV spread to net surprise KOs on bulky Water-types.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fire-types**: Fire-type Pokemon such as Delphox, Mega Camerupt, and Emboar can switch into any of Roselia's moves bar Sleep Powder and OHKO it. Unboosted Houndoom and Fletchinder also have a chance to OHKO Roselia from full health and can use it as setup bait.
**Psychic-types**: Nearly all Psychic-types, such as Meloetta, Sigilyph, and Medicham, can either OHKO or 2HKO Roselia or set up Calm Mind on it. Tank Bronzong and support Uxie are exceptions because they deal little damage and are primarily used to set up Stealth Rock.
**Knock Off and Trick**: Losing Eviolite drastically cuts Roselia's bulk. Knock Off users are extremely common in RU and include Scrafty, Eelektross, and Drapion. Rotom-C is the only common user of Trick in RU.
**Physical Attackers**: Despite Eviolite and Defense investment, Roselia is easily OHKOed by powerful physical attackers, particularly those with a type advantage such as Escavalier, Durant, Sneasel, and Mega Glalie. Tyrantrum and Reckless Hitmonlee can OHKO or 2HKO Roselia even without a super effective hit.
**Entry Hazard Removal**: The two most common Defoggers in RU, Flygon and Togetic, take no damage from both Spikes and Toxic Spikes and can remove them easily. While Togetic hates taking repeated Sludge Bombs and deals little damage to Roselia, mixed defensive Flygon takes little damage from Roselia's attacks and can U-turn out or pick off a weakened Roselia. Grounded Poison-types also absorb Roselia's Toxic Spikes merely by switching in, and barring Qwilfish, they take little damage from Sludge Bomb and Giga Drain.
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