QC: -kal- / Spirit
GP:
[OVERVIEW]
Cofagrigus fills a couple of unique niches in the RU metagame; it can stop Fighting-types and other physical attackers thanks due to its Ghost typing, whopping base 145 Defense, and access to Will-O-Wisp, or it can function as a unique late-game sweeper that can easily sweep through weakened offensive and balanced teams with the combination of Nasty Plot and Trick Room. Both sets run Leftovers as their primary item choice, meaning that the opponent might be unable to tell the two sets apart until it's too late. Additionally, Cofagrigus's ability Mummy further allows the defensive set to mess with the likes of common physical attackers such as Mega Glalie, Durant, Emboar, Hitmonlee, Medicham, and Fletchinder. Unfortunately, it isn't all peaches and daisies for Cofagrigus; for one, Cofagrigus is incredibly prone to residual damage. Status effects and entry hazards only shorten Cofagrigus's lifespan, and with no reliable recovery or way to get rid of status, Cofagrigus is often dependent on teammates for support. On top of this, many of the Pokemon Cofagrigus is able to check, such as Hitmonlee and Escavalier, can predict the switch and slam Cofagrigus with a super effective Knock Off, removing its Leftovers and doing quite a bit of damage in the process. Additionally, Cofagrigus's lack of immediate power may prevent the Offensive Trick Room set from putting in work against fatter teams. Cofagrigus also has to compete for a teamslot with other Ghost-types such as Spiritomb and Jellicent, which have better defensive typings as well as reliable recovery in the latter's case. Finally, Cofagrigus faces competition from more reliable Fighting-type checks, such as Aromatisse, Togetic, and Granbull.
[SET]
name: Offensive Trick Room
move 1: Trick Room
move 2: Nasty Plot
move 3: Shadow Ball
move 4: Hidden Power Fighting
item: Leftovers
ability: Mummy
nature: Quiet
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Trick Room allows Cofagrigus to "outspeed" most of the RU metagame for 4 turns after using it. Nasty Plot combines with Trick Room for a Double Dance-esque set and doubles Cofagrigus's Special Attack, making it easy to plow through offensive and balanced teams after a boost. Shadow Ball is Cofagrigus's preferred STAB move, as it is fairly consistent and comes with a decent 80 Base Power. Hidden Power Fighting provides important coverage against Normal- and Dark-types, such as Exploud, Absol, and Houndoom. Will-O-Wisp is a viable alternative over Hidden Power Fighting, as it cripples some of Cofagrigus's biggest checks, such as Drapion, Spiritomb, Skuntank, Absol, and Braviary; however, forgoing Hidden Power Fighting leaves Cofagrigus without an option to hit Ghost resists and Normal-types with, especially Houndoom and Meloetta.
Set Details
========
- A Quiet nature is used to boost Cofagrigus's Special Attack and lower its Speed, allowing it to "outrun" most Pokemon under Trick Room
- Since Cofagrigus won't be using its Speed, it can invest EVs into Special Attack and HP to improve its power and ability to take hits
- Leftovers gives Cofagrigus some passive recovery, which may be important to keep the sweep going. It also gives Cofagrigus the ability to bluff a defensive set
- Life Orb could be used for more power, although Cofagrigus will be a bit more prone to revenge killers and priority users
Usage Tips
========
- Probably the most important thing is to remember that Cofagrigus is not very powerful, even after a boost, and its moves have low Base Power
- As such, Cofagrigus usually shouldn't be brought out into battle until it has a clear path to sweep (AKA its checks have been sufficiently weakened) or if it can weaken a check for a teammate to sweep later
- An interesting strategy is to set up Trick Room and switch out into a slow Pokemon such as Escavalier or Druddigon, which can then take advantage of the remaining Trick Room turns
- Cofagrigus can still act as a decent check to Fighting-types and other physical physical attackers, although one should watch Cofagrigus's health carefully if they choose to do this
- Try to make use of Mummy to set up Trick Room against Pokemon that depend on their ability, such as Mega Glalie and Durant
========
- This set generally fits well onto offensive and balance teams looking for a win condition and a check to certain physical attackers
- Slow but powerful Pokemon such as Escavalier, Mega Camerupt, and Druddigon can take advantage of Trick Room. Notably, these Pokemon can also heavily damage Cofagrigus's counters
- Similarly, faster wallbreakers such as Tyrantrum, Sneasel, and Sawk can blast huge holes in the opposing team for Cofagrigus to take advantage of
- Entry hazard support from the likes of Mega Glalie, Accelgor, Rhyperior, and Omastar is useful to wear down the opposing team
- Generally, Pokemon that can take care of Normal- and Dark-types pair well with Cofagrigus; defensively, Mega Steelix, Registeel, Bronzong, and Rhyperior can tank hits from Normal-types, while Aromatisse, Virizion, Granbull, Togetic, and Mega Audino are all great answers to Dark-types
- If you're looking for less passive answers, Durant, Hitmonlee, Emboar, Medicham, and Houndoom can all hold their ground against more offensive teams and threaten Normal- and Dark-types in some way
[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Will-O-Wisp
move 2: Hex
move 3: Pain Split
move 4: Toxic Spikes / Haze
item: Leftovers
ability: Mummy
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
- Will-O-Wisp is one of the main draws of using a defensive Cofagrigus set, allowing Cofagrigus to burn physical attackers such as Hitmonlee and Medicham
- Hex goes hand-in-hand with Will-O-Wisp, hitting burned foes with a tasty STAB 130 Base Power move
- Shadow Ball has more power against non-burned foes and thus is a more consistent option, though the difference in power is marginal and the merits of using Hex are often too good to pass up
- Pain Split provides a way for Cofagrigus to stay healthy throughout the match, as well as wear down Pokemon with high HP stats, such as Aromatisse
- Protect could be used over Pain Split to scout moves and get an extra bit of passive recovery, but Pain Split just heals more of Cofagrigus's HP, and Cofagrigus will often be switching into Pokemon that may carry Knock Off
- There are a few options for the last moveslot; Cofagrigus makes for a great user of Toxic Spikes, as it is able to set them up after switching into a foe it can handle reliably. It should be noted that the poison conflicts with Will-O-Wisp a bit
- Haze is also a great option to halt setup sweepers such as Gallade and Tyrantrum
- Knock Off could be used in the last slot if you're worried about SubCM Meloetta setting up on you, although Knock Off doesn't always break Meloetta's Substitute
Set Details
========
- Maximum investment in Defense and a Bold nature allows Cofagrigus to stand up to the likes of Medicham and Mega Glalie
- Likewise, 252 EVs in HP improve Cofagrigus's ability to take hits while hitting a Leftovers number
- A Relaxed nature should be used if you opt for Knock Off
- Mummy is great for hindering Pokemon that rely on their ability to be effective, such as Mega Glalie, Durant, and Medicham
- Leftovers provides some passive recovery and works well in tandem with Protect
- Colbur Berry is a cool option to eat up Knock Offs from Escavalier and Hitmonlee a bit better
Usage Tips
========
- This set is able to hard switch into pretty any physical attacker that doesn't carry a super effective coverage move
- It is best to switch in on Normal- and Fighting-type moves in order to preserve Cofagrigus's HP
- Once you switch in, Will-O-Wisp is generally the best move to use on the switch, or you can use Toxic Spikes or Knock Off if you choose to run them
- Haze should be used on opponents that try to use Cofagrigus as setup fodder
- Don't forget to heal up with Pain Split against healthier opponents, as Cofagrigus gets worn down rather easily
- Try to make use of Mummy to create free turns; for example, you could switch into Mega Glalie and disable its Refrigerate, allowing Cofagrigus to get off a free Pain Split
Team Options
========
- Fairy-types such as Togetic, Aromatisse, Mega Audino, and Granbull make for some of Cofagrigus's best teammates due to their good type synergy; Cofagrigus can take on most Poison- and Steel-types, while most Fairies can stomach Dark-type moves and provide additional support
- Aromatisse and Mega Audino can keep Cofagrigus's health up with Wish, while the latter three can comfortably switch into Knock Off users such as Sneasel. All four Pokemon can also cure Cofagrigus in a pinch if it happens to get afflicted with poison or a burn
- As good as this core may be, a Pokemon such as Dugtrio, Houndoom, Quagsire, or Flygon is needed to deal with Drapion, who can easily dismantle the core. Quagsire can also deal with setup sweepers, while Flygon can keep entry hazards off of Cofagrigus's side of the field
- Virizion and Hitmontop can both absorb Knock Off; Hitmontop can also spin away entry hazards, which otherwise wear Cofagrigus down, without compromising its Toxic Spikes
- Alomomola provides Wish support and appreciates a backup Pokemon that can deal with Fighting-types as well as stuff like Freeze Dry Mega Glalie
- Cofagrigus is a physical wall, so Pokemon that can sponge special hits, such as Mega Camerupt, Assault Vest Escavalier, and Bronzong, make for great partners
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
- A spread of 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD can be used to better take special attacks
- Disable is a cool option to prevent your opponent from using a coverage move twice or to force Choice-locked attackers to switch out
- Destiny Bond can take a Pokemon down with Cofagrigus on the TR set and could be used in place of HP Fighting
- Similarly, Memento could be used on the TR set to pave the way for a teammate to start boosting up
- Magic Coat has some merit on the defensive set to deflect entry hazards and status moves, although Cofagrigus has a bit of trouble finding a moveslot for it
- A mono-attacking set with Rest, Sleep Talk, Calm Mind, and Shadow Ball is an alternate way to boost up and could allow Cofagigus to take status moves for its team, but this type of set is done better by Spiritomb. Mean Look could replace Sleep Talk on such a set to mess with Pokemon such as Alomomola looking to stay in an extra turn to status the OTR set
- A Choice Specs set with Trick, Shadow Ball, Hidden Power Fighting, and another move is an interesting option, and could see use on teams in need of a Fighting-type check and pivot in one teamslot. However, such a role is rather niche and not a very practical option, especially considering Cofagrigus's bad Speed and low Base Power moves
Checks and Counters
===================
**Residual Damage**: Cofagrigus is extremely prone to being worn down by residual damage; entry hazard damage stacks up over time, and status effects such as burn and poison tack on even more damage. On top of all this, Cofagrigus has no reliable recovery to heal itself and no way to get rid of status, making it dependent on teammates for support. Cofagrigus also doesn't appreciate Knock Off coverage from the likes of Hitmonlee and Gallade, which removes its passive recovery.
**Taunt**: Taunt users such as Skuntank, Drapion, Qwilfish, and Archeops can pretty much render Cofagrigus useless, making it unable to boost up or status a foe. Drapion in particular can shut down both sets and set up a Swords Dance, while having Knock Off to hit Cofagrigus super effectively. The former three can also absorb Cofagrigus's Toxic Spikes.
**Normal-types**: Normal-type Pokemon such as Meloetta, Exploud, Braviary, and Mega Audino can give Cofagrigus trouble, as they all are immune to Shadow Ball and don't care about Will-O-Wisp too much, with the exception of Braviary. Exploud needs to be wary of HP Fighting, but also gets Scrappy, allowing it to OHKO Cofagrigus with Boomburst. Meloetta and Mega Audino can also set up on Cofagrigus with Calm Mind. Likewise, Substitute + Bulk Up Braviary can easily set up on Cofagrigus if it lacks Haze.
**Dark-types**: Dark-type Pokemon such as Spiritomb, Drapion, and Skuntank are problematic for Cofagrigus, as they can shut Cofagrigus down with Taunt and hit it super effectively, as well as boost up with Swords Dance in Drapion's case. They don't take too kindly to being burned, however.
**Special Attackers**: Strong special attackers such as Meloetta, Rotom-C, Jolteon, and Houndoom don't care about Will-O-Wisp and can hit Cofagrigus on its weaker Special Defense and often OHKO or 2HKO it. Houndoom deserves a special mention, as it absorbs Will-O-Wisp with Flash Fire and resists Shadow Ball.
**Special Walls**: Specially defensive Pokemon such as Mega Audino, Meloetta, Drapion, and Amoonguss can tank hits from the Offensive Trick Room set and either wear Cofagrigus down or, in Amoonguss's case, remove its boosts with Clear Smog.
Previous skeleton (for reference)
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