Metagame PU Pokemon of the Week [Week 14 - Floatzel]

[gasquakee]

Approved by galbia and WhiteDMist
OP stolen from firehusky
Taken over from Simipour (Dundies)
Art by Tazonite

Hi there! I'm starting a Pokemon of the Week Project for ORAS PU. For those of you who do not know what Pokemon of the Week is, we have one victim Pokemon each week, and the goal of the thread is to spark discussion of that Pokemon one by one. Not only do we hope to bring some underrated sets and Pokemon out into the exposure of the PU community, but we hope to bolster discussion of well established threats at the same time. I will post every Sunday, and we eventually seek to make this a good resource for new players to refer to in order to look at how certain pokemon fair in the current metagame, and create serious discussion amongst ourselves!

What Topics Do We Talk About?
In general, some topics that I hope will be discussed are:

1. • The Pokemon of the Week's current role in the PU metagame, and the niches that it fulfills.
   • What sets the Pokemon of the Week has that are most viable or popular in the current state of the metagame.
   • Underrated or underused sets on the Pokemon of the Week, which are still viable.
   • How the Pokemon of the Week is fares against other Pokemon in the tier.
   • What advantages and disadvantages it has compared to Pokemon of the Week with a similar niche.
   • What Pokemon are able to check, counter, threaten, or stop the Pokemon of the Week.
   • What Pokemon does the Pokemon of the Week check, counter, threaten, or stop.
   • What Pokemon make for good teammates for the Pokemon of the Week.
   • How the Pokemon of the Week should be played.
   • To what extent does the Pokemon of the Week influence the current metagame.
   • What misconceptions people often have about the Pokemon of the Week.

What Are the Goals of This Thread?

1. • Spark deep analysis of a Pokemon to fully explain how it functions, what sets it can run, its viability in the tier, etc.
   • Generate more exposure to Pokemon or sets not commonly seen in the current metagame.
   • Develop a resource which newcomers can reference in order to gain knowledge and understanding of PU.
   • Little side note, try and keep away from one-liner posts :] (TRC)
   • Please note that this is not just a thread for posting sets for the Pokemon of the week.

[Pokemon of the Week Archive]
Week 1 - Poliwrath
Week 2 - Mr. Mime
Week 3 - Articuno
Week 4 - Grumpig
Week 5 - Rapidash
Week 6 - Chatot
Week 7 - Stoutland
Week 8 - Simipour
Week 9 - Misdreavus
Week 10 - Weepinbell
Week 11 - Mightyena
Week 12 - Carracosta
Week 13 - Klang
Week 14 - Floatzel​

 

[gasquakee]

Pokemon of the Week for Week 9 is Misdreavus!

Misdreavus
Base Stats: 60 HP / 60 Atk / 60 Def / 85 SpA / 85 SpD / 85 Spe
Abilities: Levitate
​

Misdreavus has fallen out of usage lately and was dropped to A- rank but its still a nice Pokemon both offensively and defensively as well as providing the role of spinblocker to your team. Lets discuss Misdreavus fits the current meta at the moment. Remember this isnt just a thread for sets. Lets discuss. :]

 

[Dr Ciel]

My fave Ghost type. <3

Misdreavus is a really weird Pokemon, but in a good way. 60 / 60 / 85 Defenses are nothing to write home about, but with an Eviolite boost, it becomes a excellent defensive wall, checking such threats like Physical Poliwrath, Pilowsine, and several others. 85 Special Attack and 85 Speed are nothing to scoff at either, as Misdreavus can be turned into a very powerful Bulky sweeper with Nasty Plot along with very solid coverage. Misdreavus also boasts an excellent support move-pool, with such moves like Taunt, Will-O-Wisp, Pain Split, and Perish song, which can make it a very dangerous threat. The NP set is a set that I think is the most effective, as Misdreavus can set up on several threats, such as Poliwrath, and Golem, with Will-O-Wisp helping out a lot if you choose to run it. Shadow Ball + Dazzling Gleam has perfect coverage in PU, while Thunderbolt hits common Flying and Water type Pokemon, such as Pelipper and Poliwrath. Taunt and Will-O-Wisp are excellent support moves to help it set up much, much easier. To conclude, Misdreavus is a very versatile threat, being able to perform a handful of roles very effectively. A well played Missy can cause misery for an opposing team, so it must be prepared for accordingly.

Also, Missy gif cause it's another cutemon.

 

[ManOfMany]

Misdreavus @ Eviolite
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 16 Spe
Timid Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Will-O-Wisp
- Taunt/ Pain Split
- Thunder Wave

I think Dual Status Misdreavus is one of the most effective set in this metagame. Misdreavus struggles a lot with Fire Types like Ninetales and Rapidash due to Will-o-Wisp immunity and Thunder-wave is a great way to check them. It is also just a really spammable move in general.

Missy overall is a strong pokemon in this metagame. It is almost impossible to OHKO, and it really excels in spreading status. Its Nasty Plot set can deal with stall pretty well, especially with the prevalence of Clefairy/Grumpig over Lickilicky these days. However, while Missy is good at a lot of things, it isn’t great at anything. It is easily worn down by repeated attacks and because of its low Special Attack and weak STAB, most of the special attackers it can check but cannot kill them off quickly enough before they kill it.

 

[MaroGod]

Misdreavus Aka Missy Aka Mistress Spinblocker Aka Bitch Ghost Aka that chick from grudge.

One of our best Ghost types in the tier it be used in multiple roles from sweeper to support to straight out defensive. Able to cripple and KO some of the biggest threats in PU thanks to its vast supportive move pool with moves such as Thunder Wave,Will-O-Wisp,Toxic and Taunt. It's Offensive sets can abuse the power of Nasty Plot giving +2 Spa with each use and with a base 85 Spa stat its not to shabby for taking down a team. for special attacks it has its main STAB Shadow Ball and support in Hidden Power Fighting and Thunder Bolt although Thunder Bolt can be replaced with a support move for the ability to hamper your opponents motive. Misdreavus also has Foul Play which works nicely on its defensive set to weaken monsters such as urs,stout,barb and costa which are only a few examples. It is also one a great Spinblocker thanks to its bulk with Eviolite

I currently use a bulky offensive set:
Misdreavus @ Eviolite
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 124 HP / 252 SpA / 132 Spe
Modest Nature
- Nasty Plot
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
- Taunt

But considering this is only one of many fantastic sets it can run Misdreavus will always be mystery for the opponent until its to late.

 

[Anty]

Misdreavus @ Eviolite
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 136 Def / 124 Spe
Timid Nature
- Foul Play
- Will-O-Wisp
- Taunt
- Pain Split
This is my favourite spread to use and its nice on offensive teams as a solid check to plenty of physical attackers while spinblocking. This was originally a more offensive spread (with shadow ball over foul play), but with the surge of stoutlands foul play is just too useful, though shadow ball would be preferred in some situations (eg 2hkoing tales w/ rocks + a bit of chip). The speed lets it outspeed stoutland and then the rest is just for maximum bulk.

Not long ago as the metagame started to get a lot more offensive the NP set lost a lot of popularity as it could no longer weaken teams like it used to as the teams were no longer based on a defensive back bone. However now since the meta is getting more defensive, the nasty plot set could get better now as it can set up on pokemon such as clefairy, torterra, etc and break them. Unfortunately you have to either run taunt or willowisp which can determine what you can or cant set up on, and misdreavus still isnt hard to overwhelm due to its lack of recovery.

I personally dislike thunder wave on it (galbia is italian) as the moveslot really isnt worth it imo. Utility missy cannot afford to drop a move really, as attack is obviously crucial, willowisp means it checks physical attackers more easily while whittling down random walls, pain split is required for recovery, and taunt helps vs set up sweepers, clefairy, etc. Although thunder wave can help vs faster pokemon in general, it is mainly for fire types (ninetales and rapidash) that dgaf about willowisp, and of them, rapidash cannot take 2 attacks w/ stealth rock, so the main target is ninetales, and i just dont think stopping ninetales is worth it as not only has it gotten worse recently, but substitute sets still set up on you (ofc this means it cannot switch in). On fat teams this missy fits on generally the passive damage done by burn is more important than the speed drop (unless ur lucky w/ FP). Obviously it is niche, but definitely not the best move to run.

 

[gasquakee]

Pokemon of the Week for Week 10 is Weepinbell!

Weepinbell
Base Stats: 65 HP / 90 Atk / 50 Def / 85 SpA / 45 SpD / 55 Spe
Abilities: Chlorophyll / Gluttony (k)​

So with the recent ban of Victreebel this guys reign may or may not be coming and thats what where here to talk about! Id like to see some matchups and how much sun has been nerfed and if its even worth running anymore! Remember this isnt just a thread for sets. Lets discuss. :]

 

[tom holland]

The Pokemon of the Week's current role in the PU metagame, and the niches that it fulfills.

Obviously based cannibal flower is best on dedicated sun teams as a wallbreaker or cleaner. Definitely the best sun sweeper now that Vic is gone.

What sets the Pokemon of the Week has that are most viable or popular in the current state of the metagame.

Weepinbell @ life orb
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 252 spA / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Solar beam
- sludge bomb
- weather ball
- sleep powder

Also make sure your hp ends on a 9 for a life orb number

This is the only set you will see weepinbell run on competitive teams most likely, and it is only used in the sun.

How the Pokemon of the Week is fares against other Pokemon in the tier.

Offensively weepinbell bops most of the tier, which is very good. Whatever it can't bop it usually can put to sleep, but beware the accuracy. Some things like choice scarf snow warning aurorus ruins your life though. You also need hazards for some bops and kos so be aware of that.

What Pokemon are able to check, counter, threaten, or stop the Pokemon of the Week.

Weepinbell is checked by most scarfers such as mime and simipour, and it is way too frail to live a hit. Priority checks it hardcore as well since its a glass cannon. Jumpluff with Chlorophyl, ninjask, etc. this is what really hinders weepinbell as a sun sweeper.

As for counters, snow warning aurorus does a good number, sleep talk zweilous is very niche but hard counters, grumpig does well. I'm sure that I'm missing many things and remember them and edit this. Oh, and quilladin gives Weep a good nightmare

What Pokemon make for good teammates for the Pokemon of the Week.

Volbeat is a wonderful sun setter, definitely reccomend. Leafeon is cool because it has knock off to cripple things weepinbell needs crippled to ko, like vibrava. Leafeon in general also loves abusing sun. Sawsbuck is cool, something interesting I have been wanting to try it healing wish sunny day mime but I don't reccomend until I actually test it.

How the Pokemon of the Week should be played.

Never switch it in attacks or else. Always get it pivoted in, which is why Volbeat is so good as a partner. It can set up sun and u-turn out. If playing as a wallbreaker, make sure you have its checked either removed or without their scarves so you can actually wallbreak without having to switch out early. This is substantial as a cleaner, and you Also want bulkier pokemon crippled before you start your sweep.

To what extent does the Pokemon of the Week influence the current metagame.

It definitely isn't as influential as Vic was, but weepinbell still makes people double check their teams for checks and counters to this pokemon before they start testing it, because this pokemon is too frightening to not prepare for. It also is terrifying to see in team preview, so it has a pretty good influence, but nothing like Poliwrath or Pawniard influential.

What misconceptions people often have about the Pokemon of the Week.

What I see a lot of ladder players do is underestimate this Pokemon. DO NOT underestimate the power of weepinbell. I know it is nothing like Vic, but it still is very good and can shred unprepared teams, so don't think it's bad just because it isn't victreebell


Ok I will post some matches with weepinbell later but right now I can't so yeah. I also might answer some more of the questions later and do some in depth analysis, but this is my surface thoughts for the first day of this project.​

 

[tom holland]

Idc that i'm double posting it is worth it. I'm posting some weepinbell battles here and some other thoughts about this set i'm trying. first of all, the team i'm using weepinbell on is real af, so don't hate. like look at my leafeon and tell me it isnt real. Anyways, growth weepinbell. It's pretty darn cool. besides for the fact that i accidently gave it giga drain. but besides for that, it can set up pretty well and especially with misdreavus memento support. however, outside of misdreavus memento sunny day support, find it hard to set up a growth.

Weepinbell @ Eviolite
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Solar Beam
- Sludge Bomb
- Weather Ball
- Growth

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/pu-249357411

 

[rubsomebacononit]

The Pokemon of the Week's current role in the PU metagame, and the niches that it fulfills

It fulfils its role as a Special sweeper in Sun, as Ztstaffo said. It is able to outspeed the unboosted metagame in Sun bar Ninjask.
What sets the Pokemon of the Week has that are most viable or popular in the current state of the metagame

Weepinbell @ Life Orb
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 29 HP
- Solar Beam
- Sludge Bomb
- Weather Ball
- Sleep Powder / Growth

This set allows it to sweep in sun
Underrated or underused sets on the Pokemon of the Week, which are still viable

Weepinbell @ Life Orb / Eviolite
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Rash Nature
IVs: 29 HP
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Sucker Punch
- Sleep Powder / Swords Dance

It could run a mixed attacking set, but it is quite frail without Eviolite and has a low Speed stat outside of Sun. It has to rely on Sucker Punch for priority, which it doesn't get STAB from. Simisage also faces tough competition for a mixed attacking set

How the Pokemon of the Week is fares against other Pokemon in the tier

Basically every Pokemon that is outspeed by Victreebel and isn't immune to sleep will be put to sleep by Sleep Powder. Giga Drain and Sludge Bomb have nice coverage and is only resisted by Steel-types, which are hit by Weather Ball. Growth is an alternative to Sleep Powder to boost on Insomnia/Vital Spirit users such as Noctowl, Vigoroth and Hypno, or just sweep more easily in general.

What advantages and disadvantages it has compared to Pokemon of the Week with a similar niche

Weepinbell is the only special sweeper in sun, so it faces no competition. However, as a Chlorophyll sweepers, Sawsbuck and Leafeon face competition as they have more bulk and are faster in Sun.

What Pokemon are able to check, counter, threaten, or stop the Pokemon of the Week

Basically Insomnia users such as Noctowl and Hypno are able to switch in on a Sleep Powder and have high a Special Defense stat to take attacks. The former has a super effective Air Slash while the latter has a super effective Psychic. Vigoroth can also switch in on a Sleep Powder, or Taunt Weepinbell if it tries to set up a Growth, and set up a Bulk Up in its face. Fire-types can also switch in on a Weather Ball and gain a Fire-type move Boost in order to sweep easily if Sleep Clause has activated.

What Pokemon does the Pokemon of the Week check, counter, threaten, or stop

Anything that doesn't like having a Sleep Powder.

What Pokemon make for good teammates for the Pokemon of the Week

Other Chlorophyll sweepers, such as Leafeon and Sawsbuck, are able to take on physical walls that Weepinbell has trouble with. Carbink is also a really cool sun setter, as it has Magic Coat to bounce back Taunt, and Sturdy allows it to live at least one hit. Volbeat is also really cool, as Ztstaffo mentioned, as it can get a slow U-turn to get Weepinbell in easily.

How the Pokemon of the Week should be played

The most important thing is to not switch in on attacks, as it is very frail. It also should be wary of Scarf users, such as Mr. Mime, Dodrio, and Rotom-F, as they are able to outspeed Weepinbell even in Sun. Weepinbell should set up a Sleep Powder or Growth early game, and then make use of the remaining sun turns to sweep.

To what extent does the Pokemon of the Week influence the current metagame.

It makes teams bring a Scarfer or a sleep absorber in order to take care of Weepinbell more easily. It doesn't have much of an impact as Victreebel did, but it is definitely something to watch out for.

What misconceptions people often have about the Pokemon of the Week

Weepinbell is pretty underrated as it may look like an NFE Pokemon, but it is a potent mid- to late-game sweeper if you use it correctly

And here is a cool Weepinbell gif

 

[gasquakee]

Sorry its been a while but its back now with a brand new tier shift!

Pokemon of the Week for Week 11 is Mightyena!

Mightyena​

Base Stats: 70 HP / 90 Atk / 70 Def / 60 SpA / 60 SpD / 70 Spe

Abilities: Intimidate / Moxie / Quick Feet​

Mightyena has definetely gotten better with the new lack of Pawniard being able to take any hit, Poliwrath being able to use Vacuum Wave, Torterra walling it, and potentially Carracosta with its defensive set. How do you think this new meta will treat Mightyena? Remember this isnt just a thread for sets. Lets discuss. :]

 

[tom holland]

Mightyena

What sets the Pokemon of the Week has that are most viable or popular in the current state of the metagame.

The most popular mightyena set is definitely the all out attacker Mightyena set. It aims to get a late game sweep, or just to overall chip the opponents team with sucker punch, crunch, play rough, and iron tail. You also can use thunder fang to hit pelipper if that is more of a threat to your team than say, machoke.
Underrated or underused sets on the Pokemon of the Week, which are still viable.

Honestly I never really innovated with Mightyena to say much about this. Like i said thunder fang is a nice move to have over like play rough if your team benefits from it more. Besides for that, someone else hopefully as some nice innos with this, but I don't

How the Pokemon of the Week is fares against other Pokemon in the tier.

While this is really just speculation since this is a new stage and I haven't used mightyena in this new meta, I think its a pretty good assumption to say that Mightyena fare very well in the meta, and much better than last stage thanks to the pokemon that moved up. It has fewer swithins now thanks to the rise of poliwrath, and torterra. Both of these can take a hit and deal damage back and either ohko or 2hko. Resttalk Poliwrath was especially a pain to Mightyena, and now that it is gone its job can be done a little easier. However, one problem is that people will have to find a new dark spam core for mightyena if that is the direction they want to go, since pawniard moved up to nu as well.

What Pokemon are able to check, counter, threaten, or stop the Pokemon of the Week.

Tangela is a big one, it checks, threatens, AND stops mightyena. They will also be around a lot now that smashers will be everywhere. Defensive costa also can tank mightyena pretty well, and this pokemon would be so amazing if costa actually moved up. It still is great, but not as good as it wouldve been. Avalugg, torkoal, and physical defense pelipper also come to mind too. Pelipper is only if you arent running thunder fang though, and even then it is a shaky counter. The two biggest out of these really are avalugg and tangela, as they can recover their health back, while you can slowly wittle away at the other counters.

What Pokemon does the Pokemon of the Week check, counter, threaten, or stop.

Thanks to its poweful priority in sucker punch, it can try to play around and check kadabras, though you need to predict correctly. Mightyena really checks any frail pokemon that gets 2hko's by sucker punch, like raichu and zebstrika. as for counter thats not really an option as mightyena is offensive and frail. It doesn't really stop much either as it mainly is a check to things, since it is a cleaner/wall breaker.

How the Pokemon of the Week should be played.

You should never be switching Mightyena into attacks, so don't do that. Mightyena is best brought in after a teammate has dies or a slow pivot in without taking damage. Mightyena should be played as a cleaner, and should use the correct move to get the ko for the moxie boost, as you don't want to waste your life to life orb recoil on predicted switches. For example, you are in against a grumpig, it is obvious you are going to crunch probably. (assume it isn't colbur berry) You could predict that he is going to switch to machoke, and use play rough. Now you got a 2hko on it and you still have that moxie boost. Playing with Mightyena is really risk and reward mid game, and autopilot late game once all your counters and checks have been weakened enough for the appropriate attack.

To what extent does the Pokemon of the Week influence the current metagame.

It is hard to say now that it is the first day of the meta, but I think Mightyena will influence the meta a fair amount. Being the only powerful dark type in the tier now with the absence of poliwrath and torterra, teams will definitely make sure they have a good switchin to this pokemon and one check, because if not it will wreak havoc on the poor guys team. Mightyena feels like to me to be another premier offensive threat you need to be wary of.

What misconceptions people often have about the Pokemon of the Week.

You should only be using moxie on mightyena new players, I have seen people use intimidate mightyena, and that is really bad so don't use that xD. Also another misconception i guess is that it is one of those route one/two encounters ingame, so it must be weak. However, its ability moxie can make it very threatening, so be very careful and don't underestimate it.​

 

[Akir]

Mightyena is taking the breakup between it and Pawniard pretty hard...but Pawniard just had a bigger future in store and chased it. Poor Mightyena, left all alone...the Darkspam core broken up and a thing of the past.

Losing Pawniard is a big deal to Mightyena. Without pawn to break down their counters, Mightyena has a harder time sweeping. I'm not saying that wallbreaking isn't possible anymore, but I am saying that pawn was the best at helping Mightyena since they had the exact same counters and pawn had the power to soften them up for mightyena.

But on the other hand, a lot of the said counters are now gone, ESPECIALLY poliwrath! I would argue that a mightyena sweep is now easier to manage now that wrath is gone...but there are still many hurdles to overcome. If people can find a poke that wallbreaks for mightyena then mightyena will be very successful. A shame the best fit for the job left...

RIP darkspam...but not really.

 

[tom holland]

Mightyena is taking the breakup between it and Pawniard pretty hard...but Pawniard just had a bigger future in store and chased it. Poor Mightyena, left all alone...the Darkspam core broken up and a thing of the past.

Losing Pawniard is a big deal to Mightyena. Without pawn to break down their counters, Mightyena has a harder time sweeping. I'm not saying that wallbreaking isn't possible anymore, but I am saying that pawn was the best at helping Mightyena since they had the exact same counters and pawn had the power to soften them up for mightyena.

But on the other hand, a lot of the said counters are now gone, ESPECIALLY poliwrath! I would argue that a mightyena sweep is now easier to manage now that wrath is gone...but there are still many hurdles to overcome. If people can find a poke that wallbreaks for mightyena then mightyena will be very successful. A shame the best fit for the job left...

RIP darkspam...but not really.

I actually think the meta has shifted A LOT in Mightyenas favor. Now the only reliable counters for it are really just pelipper, torkoal, avalugg, tangela, and costa. I guess, Piloswine too but not really considering iron tail+stealth rock. I have been using Mightyena a lot lately, even in trick room team, and it has become so much easier to clean up. With the meta shifting more and more towards offense, and Mightyena has its strong priority sucker punch, Mightyena is even more a threat than it was last stage.

Yeah, pawn leaving kind of hurts, but there are still plenty of offensive partners to choose from for Mightyena. In particular, the popular trend of water spam breaks through all of Mightyenas counters, so that is worth looking at.

 

[Akir]

I actually think the meta has shifted A LOT in Mightyenas favor. Now the only reliable counters for it are really just pelipper, torkoal, avalugg, tangela, and costa. I guess, Piloswine too but not really considering iron tail+stealth rock. I have been using Mightyena a lot lately, even in trick room team, and it has become so much easier to clean up. With the meta shifting more and more towards offense, and Mightyena has its strong priority sucker punch, Mightyena is even more a threat than it was last stage.

Yeah, pawn leaving kind of hurts, but there are still plenty of offensive partners to choose from for Mightyena. In particular, the popular trend of water spam breaks through all of Mightyenas counters, so that is worth looking at.

I agree! The main thing i was going for was that Pawniard was best suited for the job, and now that it is gone Mightyena is not QUITE as good as it could have been. The news that Water Spam is a good replacement is worrisome though...I made a post about Water being better in the 'What If' thread but I didn't think it would completely take over the tier like it is.

Still, I wonder about just how good that Sucker Punch really is. Certainly it helps against a lot of lower people on the ladder who don't know better, but against competent players Sucker Punch has a pretty interesting skill cap. I wonder if Mightyena will be put aside for more...reliable sweepers. Or will Sticky Web finally rise to fame? That would be fun, I think.

 

[gasquakee]

Pokemon of the Week for Week 12 is Carracosta!

Carracosta​

Base Stats: 74 HP / 108 Atk / 133 Def / 83 SpA / 65 SpD / 32 Spe

Abilities: Solid Rock / Sturdy / Swift Swim​

Haha no Poliwrath! Mr. Broken himself. I wanted to take this week to dissect why Carracosta is so good and your views on a suspect test! Post at will. Remember this isnt just a thread for sets. Lets discuss. :]

 

[2xTheTap]

Carracosta @ Life Orb
Ability: Solid Rock
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Shell Smash
- Ice Beam
- Stone Edge
- Aqua Jet

This is the set to run right now. Naive doesn't take away power from Ice Beam, which means you can OHKO bulky Grass types like Tangela, Quilladin and others. You should use a Naive nature rather than a Naughty one, so that you can outspeed and OHKO ubiquitous threats like Jumpluff and non-Scarf Raichu at 358 Speed total (rather than 326 Speed with Naughty). +2 LO boosted Aqua Jets maul things faster than 358 Speed, like Zebstrika or Scarf Raichu:

+2 252 Atk Life Orb Carracosta Aqua Jet vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Zebstrika: 218-257 (74.9 - 88.3%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
+2 252 Atk Life Orb Carracosta Aqua Jet vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Raichu: 242-285 (92.7 - 109.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock

The only checks I can think of that beat this thing solidly are bulky Grass types with some SpDef investment (or a Yache berry, though Leftovers is generally much better), or faster things that don't care about Aqua Jet, like Floatzel / Scarf Gourgeist-Small / Scarf Sawsbuck / Scarf Simipour. Oddly enough, Palpitoad can also beat Carracosta, but I would never recommend using this over an offensive check.

Palpitoad being seen on teams at all is really a testament to how ridiculous Carracosta has become with the absence of Poliwrath in the tier, so I would definitely support a Suspect and would probably vote to ban it from the tier given its lack of true counters.

 

[ExplosiveChaos]

Carracosta
​

Carracosta @ Life Orb
Ability: Solid Rock
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Shell Smash
- Ice Beam
- Stone Edge
- Aqua Jet

This set is the most popular and effective Carracosta set. It can KO so many things with 1 Shell Smash, and it can take a hit because of Solid Rock and good defenses. Ice Beam just finishes off this set because it kills what Barbaracle doesn't, bulky Grass-types. It isn't invincible, but Aqua Jet means a very limited amount of Pokemon with some specialized sets need to be used. This usually means praying on Kadabra, Sp. Defensive Gourgeist, or Scarf Sawsbuck.

Carracosta's niche is having one of the best boosting moves in the game, Shell Smash. Due to Shell Smash and good bulk, it can easily pull off a Shell Smash and get off a sweep. A scarfer? No problem with Aqua Jet. What makes Carracosta better than Barbaracle is Aqua Jet and Ice Beam. Even though Carracosta hits harder and is faster, it doesn't have any priority and is stopped cold by Bulky Grass types, even with Poison Jab. Carracosta can easily deal with bulky Grass-types with Ice Beam, and scarfers with Aqua Jet.

Carracosta isn't invincible though. I mentioned above some of the Pokemon that can kill it (I mostly feel like Kadabra is the most splashable one because it stops other threats like Linoone or Jolly Barbaracle) but there are so little of them that Carracosta can sweep in most games. What makes it even more dangerous is Memento support to almost always insure a Shell Smash. Due to this, Carracosta is influencing the tier by being almost unstoppable, and all you need is for your only counters / checks to be weakened for Carracosta to sweep. It just fares really well against most of the tier, and is limiting teambuilding in high level playing to always having 1 spot empty for a Carracosta check.

This is how I would play Carracosta against a less skilled player: lure in the check to Carracosta such as Kadabra with another Pokemon, damage it enough with hazards (if you have any) and that lure so that Carracosta can KO them later on, such as breaking Kadabra's sash, and then Memento / switch in into Carracosta on a Pokemon Carracosta can set up a SS on.
Against a skilled player: A skilled player would probably think, I won't use ___ Pokemon until after Carracosta is set up so that it doesn't sweep my team. My thought process would be, make sure that he has to switch in to hazards with that threat or has to get weakened so that he won't lose too many Pokemon, because still having a Carracosta check with only one Pokemon left and the opponent having six will not be much help since Carracosta is not the only Pokemon that can KO.

Some good teammates would be other set up sweepers. This is so you can break through that check or counter with either Carracosta or the other setup sweeper(s) such as Fraxure or NP Raichu. It also makes it so that you have two threats that the opponent has to worry about instead of only one, meaning that they have to play much more carefully because they have to keep two Pokemon healthy resulting in much more pressure on the other 3-4 Pokemon on the team.

 

[gasquakee]

Pokemon of the Week for Week 13 is Klang!

Klang​

Base Stats: 60 HP / 80 Atk / 95 Def / 70 SpA / 85 SpD / 50 Spe

Abilities: Clear Body / Plus / Minus​

Magnemite made me. Dundies told me. It has some good setup reliant sets but maybe we can explore other possibilities. Id still like to see some discussion on those sets though. Remember this isnt just a thread for sets. Lets discuss. :]

mag edit: i didn't make you i told you to use wormadam-g :(

 

[2xTheTap]

No one has written anything about Klang yet even though this has been up for about a week, so I'm going to post here now to show that Klang is a great Pokemon in this current meta, both thanks to its superior defensive typing and how dangerous it can be once it's setup (or even before then if it's using a Choice Band for more immediate power). We've lost Pawniard thanks to the recent tier shift, so it's one of the few remaining Steel types that is viable in PU. I'll talk about a few sets and spreads, and even some options that have gone unused on Klang:

Klang's RestTalk set is probably its most common one thanks to both its Smogdex entry popularizing this method of using Klang, and the fact that it has really usable bulk with base 60 HP / 95 Def / 85 SpD in conjunction with Eviolite and a great defensive typing.

RestTalk Klang:

Klang @ Eviolite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 156 Def / 100 SpD
Impish Nature
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Shift Gear
- Gear Grind

In a nutshell, this set largely seeks to maximize Klang's mixed bulk, while avoiding OHKOs and 2HKOs from the meta's most prominent offensive threats. For example, an Impish nature with 252 HP / 156 Def lets Klang avoid the 2HKO from QF Ursaring's Close Combat. Another 2HKO that it avoids with this mixed bulk is LO Zebstrika's Overheat, with the drop in SpA already factored into the damage calculations on that second Overheat.

Uninvested Klang hits 136 Spe as a neutral nature base 50 Spe pokemon, therefore, it speed-ties with uninvested Piloswine before it sets up with Shift Gear. You can run slightly more Speed to creep it, but this is optional because you'll be faster than Piloswine after using Shift Gear anyway. Creeping Piloswine is only useful if you have to take down a wounded 'Swine before you setup, so the situations where these Speed EVs are put to good use are fairly limited. If you decide to use more Speed on RestTalk Klang, it's best to also consider what Pokemon it will be able to outspeed after a turn of setup.

This Klang should be brought in on Pokemon that can't scratch it, such as Roselia, Tangela, Gourgeist, etc. (essentially, Pokemon who rely on their STABs or status to cripple or KO offensive threats). At the same time, you should avoid bringing out Klang and setting up until you've taken down these problematic Pokemon who either resist its Steel STAB or hit it super effectively, such as Stunfisk, Rapidash, Machoke, Ninetales, Stoutland, Ursaring, Raichu, Zebstrika, Pelipper, Swanna, etc. Similarly, faster Taunt users such as Misdreavus (assuming it's Speed invested), Floatzel, and Simipour can easily disable the RestTalk set as it's sleeping, which means you should scout out these Pokemon's sets before setting up.


The next set and spread I personally enjoy using is much more threatening with just 1 turn of setup, and therefore can be very rewarding if you've already removed the Pokemon I listed above before attempting a sweep:

Offensive Shift Gear Klang:

Klang @ Eviolite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 120 HP / 252 Atk / 136 Spe
*Optional Spread: 64 HP / 252 Atk / 192 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Frustration / Substitute or Magnet Rise
- Wild Charge / Substitute or Magnet Rise
- Shift Gear
- Gear Grind

The threats Klang needs to outspeed is first based on your team's needs. For example, in order to outspeed Timid 252 Spe Chatot after a Shift Gear by 1 point, it should invest 76 EVs into Speed (i.e. 155 Spe pre Shift Gear, 310 after the boost). In order to outspeed Dodrio, it should run 120 Spe EVs (while maintaining an odd number of HP) to hit 332 Speed after a Shift Gear. Finally, the given spread allows Klang to outspeed Timid 252 Spe Kadabra and other positive nature 252 Spe base 105s by letting Klang hit 340 Speed after a Shift Gear. I believe 136 Spe is the minimum spread this should run, as being able to break through Kadabra's Focus Sash with Gear Grind can be very potent on offensively based teams, which need Kadabra gone in order to continue a sweep.

Klang can still be ran faster; rather than setting your sights on Kadabra, you can aim higher and outspeed other threats like QF Ursaring (343 Spe), base 110s like Jumpluff and Raichu (350 Spe - a much more important benchmark), all the way up to Zebstrika (or 364 Spe total). 64 HP / 252 Atk / 192 Spe with an Adamant nature can be used to outspeed Zebstrika after a Shift Gear, and take a large chunk of Zebstrika's HP with Frustration:

+1 252+ Atk Klang Frustration vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Zebstrika: 192-227 (65.9 - 78%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

This does not score the OHKO, but with hazards and the fact that recoil from its Life Orb will definitely be wearing Zebstrika down over the course of the match means that running 192 Spe EVs can work on more offensive teams where Spikes setters such as Roselia are present:

+1 252+ Atk Klang Frustration vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Zebstrika: 192-227 (65.9 - 78%) -- 25% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock and 1 layer of Spikes

This spread and set is definitely played differently from RestTalk, as it doesn't have the bulk to live through a Probopass' Earth Power as Klang is trapped (especially if Probopass gets a SpDef drop), and as stated before, is susceptible to status. At the same time though, this set breaks through faster Water types such as Swanna, Basculin, Simipour and Floatzel with Wild Charge and faster Electric types (Raichu, Zebstrika) after some prior damage with Frustration.

This means that rather than running a third coverage move, it's optional to instead run Substitute or even Magnet Rise if your team composition can already handle one group of these Water / Electric threats competently. Substitute obviously protects you from Status and can often help setup against weaker threats or on the switch, while Magnet Rise protects you from Piloswine, Stunfisk and from being trapped by Probopass' Earth Power here.


This last set is used much differently, as it forgoes Shift Gear entirely in favor for a slow Volt Switch and more immediate power with a Choice Band:

CB Klang:

Klang @ Choice Band
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 Atk / 40 SpA / 216 Spe
*Optional Spread: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Gear Grind
- Wild Charge
- Frustration
- Volt Switch

216 Spe Klang hits 190 Speed, which is tailored to outspeeding and OHKOing Adamant Golem, Armaldo, 2HKOing all variants of Roselia, etc. However, if you'd like to outspeed SpDef Grumpig and have a slight chance to OHKO it after Stealth Rock, you can forgo these SpA EVs for some extra Speed. In the case of defensive Pelipper, boosting Volt Switch's power via 40 EV investment can be noticeable, so the choice between these two EV spreads is up to the user and is somewhat inconsequential.

The main goal of this spread is to win against slower defensive threats such as Piloswine, so Pokemon like Jumpluff, Zebstrika, Dodrio and many others that appreciate Piloswine's absence can be safe and threaten your opponent's team more effectively. Basically, when you opt for a Choice Band over Eviolite, you start with the power of a +1 Shift Gear Klang, which has much more immediate power.

Another perk of this set is its slow Volt Switch. By threatening out a Pokemon like Roselia, you're free to Volt Switch out to a counter to the predicted switch-in (if you predict Roselia switching out, that is). If Roselia stays in, defensive Roselia is easily 2HKO'd via Gear Grind. Here are some additional damage calculations that show how effective CB Klang is against slower, bulkier defensive threats in PU:

252+ Atk Choice Band Klang Gear Grind (2 hits) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Golem: 312-372 (103.6 - 123.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Klang Gear Grind (2 hits) vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Piloswine: 312-372 (77.4 - 92.3%) -- approx. 12.5% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
252+ Atk Choice Band Klang Gear Grind (2 hits) vs. 252 HP / 128 Def Eviolite Roselia: 194-230 (63.8 - 75.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Klang Gear Grind (2 hits) vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Grumpig: 276-326 (76 - 89.8%) -- approx. 6.3% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
252+ Atk Choice Band Klang Gear Grind (2 hits) vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Armaldo: 388-460 (133.3 - 158%) -- guaranteed OHKO

And of course, +1 Gear Grind always OHKOs Venipede and Kadabra through their Focus Sashes, which makes Klang an especially viable choice if you need to win against an HO team:

252+ Atk Choice Band Klang Gear Grind (2 hits) vs. 248 HP / 8 Def Venipede: 294-348 (111.7 - 132.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Klang Gear Grind (2 hits) vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Kadabra: 476-564 (214.4 - 254%) -- guaranteed OHKO

As a final note, if you're unsure how to use Klang and want to see an example of it being built around Pokemon that complement its strengths and help patch up its weaknesses, see the teams that were built around Klang for a teambuilding competition recently:
http://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/oras-pu-teambuilding-competition-voting.3547370/page-2

 

[scorpdestroyer]

Klang @ Eviolite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 60 HP / 252 Atk / 196 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Gear Grind
- Wild Charge
- Shift Gear
- Return

Klang is good. I don't advise getting rid of any of the offensive moves as they are all kind of important in PU as there are lots of Water-types that can't be dealt with just by using Return. The nice thing about Klang is that it has a great defensive typing and Eviolite gives it decent bulk, so it gets a shit ton of setup opportunities on mons that can be found on literally any team: Jumpluff (after sleep clause), Roselia, many Psychic-types, Stoutland, Dodrio, weak walls, in fact a lot of things cannot OHKO Klang, the ones listed are the ones that give Klang the chance to set up more than one Shift Gear. The EV spreads listed by 2x above gives you pretty much all the info you need, but I just ran 4 more because it outspeeds Scarf Mime under webs iirc? I like faster spreads and although you do give up on some bulk, Klang still finds a surprising amount of setup opportunities.

+1 252+ Atk Klang Wild Charge vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Pelipper: 340-400 (105.2 - 123.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO

252+ Atk Choice Band Stoutland Return vs. 60 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Klang: 84-100 (30.4 - 36.2%) -- 54.6% chance to 3HKO

252 SpA Kadabra Hidden Power Fighting vs. 60 HP / 0 SpD Eviolite Klang: 96-114 (34.7 - 41.3%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

252+ SpA Grumpig Focus Blast vs. 60 HP / 0 SpD Eviolite Klang: 170-202 (61.5 - 73.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

Some replays of Klang doing a lot of work:
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/pu-267404298
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/pu-267412370
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/pu-267804514

So yeah I recommend this mon

 

[gasquakee]

Pokemon of the Week for​

Week 14​

is​

Floatzel​

!​

Floatzel
Base Stats: 85 HP / 105 Atk / 55 Def / 85 SpA / 50 SpD / 115 Spe
Abilities: Swift Swim / Water Veil​

So, Floatzel just recently moved to S rank so I thought this would be an apt time to analyze just why its so good and maybe through a few innovative and fun, but still good, sets. Remember this isnt just a thread for sets. Lets discuss.

(ps: does anyone know if you can autocenter?)

mag edit: did, it's under alignment options which is the four lines at the top

 

[Anty]

Oh god, where do you start with Floatzel.. It is clear that Floatzel is a top tier Pokemon due to several factors; speed, offensive presence, and versitility. Obviously its speed makes it one of the best revenge killers in the tier as it has ways to OHKO many other fast pokemon such as Jumpluff, Rapidash, etc, unlike Zebstrika and (possibly) Ninjask. Although 85 Spa isn't much compared to stronger attackers like stoutland, floatzel does have a very strong STAB move with Hydro Pump. Water STAB is such an amazing thing to have, as resistances are limited to Grass, Dragon, and Water. Politoed is the only popular water-type that happily takes a HP electric, Dragon types are rare and all dislike ice beam, however grass-types are a big issue as they are common (particularly the best mon in the tier) and several avoid the 2HKO. Utility moves like Switcheroo and Baton Pass are nice for crippling counters and gaining mometum respectively, while on Life Orb Floatzel can run aqua jet to get chip damage on faster mons, Taunt to prevent mons like clefairy recovering after switching in. Floatzel is still annoyed by many defensive Pokemon like Politoed, Roselia, Lickilicky, and Clefairy, and if it were to cripple them with switcheroo, floatzel would lose a lot wallbreaking and some revenge killing capabilities.

The reason Floatzel is S-rank though is its versatility. Choice Band is also a very good set, as Floatzel has 100 attack stat and a solid movepool, however, these moves are fairly weak so floatzel is stopped by relicanth and tangela among others. What makes the choice band set so good is that it has completely different switch ins for each set, for example Politoed, Roselia and Grumpig are 2HKOd by return, ice punch, and waterfall respectively. Luring these threats helps other special attackers like Zebstrika, so floatzel should hide the set till you are in the position to bait something (note that most players assume special bc its better).

Floatzel is the reason why Water resists are so crucial in this metagame, and even then it has the ability to get around them. However, Floatzel isnt too difficult for offensive teams to revenge kill, or defensive teams to wall after finding out the set.