QC: Adrian Marin / Kl4ng
GP: The Dutch Plumberjack / Snobalt
[OVERVIEW]
Huge bulk and a decent defensive typing let Suicune take on the majority of the physical threats in the AAA metagame, and coupled with Calm Mind, this makes Suicune a great wincon for stall and balance that can outlast a lot of its checks because of Scald's burn chance and Poison Heal's recovery. Its great Speed tier for a defensive Pokemon also helps it sweep by allowing Suicune to phaze opposing phazers before they can shuffle Suicune out. However, an overreliance on Scald, due to Suicune's low Special Attack, makes it struggle with foes that don't mind a burn and can hit back in return, such as certain Perish Song users, Skill Swap users like Celebi that can remove Suicune's Poison Heal, Desolate Land users such as Heatran, and Poison Heal users with enough power to break through Suicune. Without Roar, Suicune also may end up as setup fodder for Pokemon that don't mind Scald, such as opposing Suicune and Calm Mind Latios, although Ice Beam also does decent damage to the latter. Finally, its lack of instant recovery holds it back from functioning as a dedicated wall.
[SET]
name: Poison Heal
move 1: Scald
move 2: Calm Mind
move 3: Protect
move 4: Roar / Ice Beam
item: Toxic Orb
ability: Poison Heal
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Scald is Suicune's main way of dealing damage to the foe and helps Suicune sweep by threatening Pokemon that switch in with a 30% chance to burn. Calm Mind grants Suicune a way of boosting its Special Attack and Special Defense, which, coupled with its high Defense, turns Suicune into a formidable setup sweeper. Protect gives Suicune a shield to hide behind to recover more of its health with Poison Heal. Roar allows Suicune to defeat opposing Suicune without Roar, phazes Pokemon that would otherwise use Suicune as setup fodder, and, coupled with entry hazards, allows Suicune to defeat Desolate Land users such as Heatran and Victini in the long run. Ice Beam is another solid option in the last moveslot, as it deals with Grass-types such as Shaymin-S and some Celebi variants, as well as Dragon-types such as Latios.
Set Details
========
The given EV spread with a Bold nature maximizes Suicune's physical bulk, allowing it to take on physical attackers such as Doublade and Entei while it boosts its Special Defense and Special Attack with Calm Mind. A Toxic Orb together with Poison Heal gives Suicune great passive recovery so that it is not worn down too fast and grants Suicune a pseudo-immunity to status ailments.
Usage Tips
========
It's often a good idea to use Scald a lot early-game, as burns wear down a lot of Suicune's checks. Set up on Pokemon that cannot do a lot of damage to Suicune, such as Doublade, Chansey, Entei, and non-Desolate Land Heatran. If facing foes immune to Water, have a teammate set up as many entry hazards as possible, and then send in Suicune shuffle the foe around with Roar, slowly whittling down their health. However, if the opponent has a Magic Bounce user, this can be turned against you. Protect can be used to scout the moves of foes, particularly Choice-locked Pokemon such as some Genesect and Raikou. Watch out with using Protect, though, as while the extra Poison Heal recovery is often appreciated, it also provides a free turn for the foe to do whatever they want, such as set up a boosting move or lay down entry hazards. Do not be too afraid of super effective attacks because Suicune usually has enough bulk and recovery to take at least one of them, especially with a Calm Mind boost under its belt. You have to be very careful around Pokemon that can carry Knock Off, Trick, or a status move that doesn't inflict poison before Suicune has activated its Toxic Orb, as failing to do so heavily cripples Suicune for the rest of the match.
Team Options
========
Suicune struggles a lot with Pokemon immune to Water, especially Desolate Land users such as Heatran, so Pokemon that can take them on, such as Goodra, are good teammates. Pokemon like Ferrothorn and Heatran that can set entry hazards are great teammates to force the opposing team to take extra chip damage, especially if Suicune is using Roar. Other defensive Pokemon, such as Skarmory and Chansey, make for great partners because they can cover each other's weaknesses quite well on a stall team. Additionally, Suicune is quite a momentum killer on purely offensive teams and thus should not be used on one under normal circumstances. Pokemon like Latios and Refrigerate Thundurus, which can take on Grass-types such as Celebi and Water-types such as opposing Roar Suicune, are great teammates because Suicune struggles a lot with them.
[SET]
name: Unaware
move 1: Scald
move 2: Calm Mind
move 3: Rest
move 4: Sleep Talk / Roar
item: Leftovers
ability: Unaware
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Scald is Suicune's primary way of dealing damage and can cripple Pokemon that switch in with a burn. Calm Mind turns Suicune into a fearsome setup sweeper by increasing its Special Attack and Special Defense, making it stronger and harder to take down. Rest recovers all of Suicune's health and relieves it of any status condition it may have. Sleep Talk makes Suicune not a sitting duck after using Rest by granting it chances to use its moves while asleep. Roar can be used over Sleep Talk to improve Suicune's matchup against Pokemon that are immune to Water-type attacks, such as Desolate Land Heatran, by shuffling them around and slowly wearing them down with entry hazards. It also allows Suicune to phaze slower opposing phazers such as Mandibuzz.
Set Details
========
The given EV spread with a Bold nature maximizes Suicune's physical bulk, allowing it to take strong physical hits while boosting its Special Defense with Calm Mind. Leftovers grants Suicune passive recovery to increase its longevity. Unaware helps Suicune take on boosting Pokemon such as Snorlax and Lucario.
Usage Tips
========
Early-game, it is often wise to click Scald as much as possible, as many of Suicune's switch-ins heavily dislike a burn and cannot wall Suicune as effectively when inflicted with one. Suicune can set up on passive Pokemon such as Chansey and physical attackers such as Entei that it checks because they fail to break through Suicune's solid Defense. Thanks to Unaware, it can also set up on boosting sweepers such as Mega Charizard X. If facing foes immune to Water, such as Desolate Land Heatran and Victini, have a teammate set up as many entry hazards as possible and then send in Suicune to shuffle the opposing team around with Roar, slowly whittling down their health. If not using Roar, simply baiting them in and then switching out as they come in also reduces their health if entry hazards are up. Suicune has a decent matchup against all playstyles, especially against passive stall teams without an Unaware user that doesn't mind Scald burns.
Team Options
========
Dragon-types such as Latios and Goodra that can take on Desolate Land users such as Heatran and Victini are great teammates because Suicune has a lot to fear from them. Entry hazards from Pokemon like Ferrothorn are a must if using Roar, as without them, Desolate Land users still don't have a lot to fear from Suicune. Grass-types such as Celebi and Ferrothorn can be quite annoying, as can bulky Water-types, making Pokemon like Latios and Desolate Land Heatran good teammates to take them on. Other bulky Pokemon such as Ferrothorn and Goodra can cover each other's weaknesses and form a stall team together. Because stall teams tend to be somewhat passive, Suicune's teammates really appreciate it checking boosting sweepers such as Swords Dance Absol and Lucario.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Offensive sets with Primordial Sea face some competition from Pokemon like Manaphy but distinguish themselves with added bulk and access to supportive moves such as Tailwind. Choice Specs is a very viable item on sets like these to maximize Suicune's damage output. Magnet Pull can also be used with Choice Specs to trap Pokemon like Skarmory and some Heatran without stacking weaknesses with Fire-, Ground-, or Fighting-types. Volt Absorb grants Suicune an immunity to Electric-type moves, making it a great answer to Pokemon that would otherwise be able to check it, such as Thundurus. Mold Breaker, while not as much of an obvious improvement as other viable abilities, allows Suicune to ignore the odd Water Absorb and Storm Drain and break through a few Unaware walls such as Mew. Regenerator helps Suicune stay healthy without wasting moveslots on Protect or Rest + Sleep Talk, and Suicune distinguishes itself as a Regenerator user with access to Roar and all-around great bulk. Hidden Power Ground allows Suicune to defeat Heatran and most other Desolate Land users without having to resort to racking up entry hazard damage with Roar.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Desolate Land Users**: Desolate Land users, most notably Victini and Heatran, fear nothing from Scald and can do whatever they want against Suicune. However, with entry hazards up, they fail to defeat Roar variants in the long term.
**Strong Pokemon**: Exceptionally strong Pokemon such as Hoopa, Calm Mind + Adaptability Latios, and Manaphy have or can attain enough power to break through Suicune.
**Grass-types**: Grass-types such as Celebi and Shaymin-S can switch into Scald and defeat Suicune with Skill Swap or Perish Song in Celebi's case or break through it with brute force in Shaymin-S's case.
**Electric-types**: Electric-types such as Thundurus and Raikou hit Suicune super effectively with their STAB attacks but have a hard time breaking through it once it has boosted its Special Defense with Calm Mind.
**Phazers**: Phazers such as opposing Suicune and Skarmory can stop Suicune from sweeping by forcing it to switch out, getting rid of any possible Calm Mind boost and thus preventing a sweep. However, they lose in a last Pokemon situation and, if your own Suicune is faster, can be phazed before they can phaze your Suicune.
**Special Walls**: Although many special walls are setup bait for Suicune, multiple special walls can sometimes PP stall Suicune because they don't take that much damage from Scald. In particular, walls using Unaware have an easy time doing this because they don't care about Suicune's Special Attack boosts. Water-resistant Pokemon with Poison Heal, such as Vaporeon, Celebi, Slowbro, and Slowking, also deserve a mention because they will often outlast Suicune.
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