Poliwrath

[Take Azelfie]

[OVERVIEW]

Poliwrath's solid Water / Fighting typing along with Water Absorb grants it a unique array of resistances. This, combined with its impressive bulk, enables it to serve as an offensive check to many physical Water-types, such as Samurott, Kabutops, and Barbaracle, as well as Rock- and Steel-types such as Rhydon, Aggron, and Klinklang. Unfortunately, it is weak to many common offensive Pokemon like Rotom, Mesprit, Lilligant, and Ludicolo, which can all outspeed it. Poliwrath's lack of access to reliable recovery prevents it from fully utilizing its defensive typing. Poliwrath also lacks a good physical movepool, lacking a solid physical Fighting-type attack in particular, which leaves it reliant on its lower Special Attack stat to threaten most targets. Despite being a Water-type, it struggles to check Fire-types because of their strong secondary coverage like Magmortar's Thunderbolt or Charizard's Air Slash. Poliwrath is also slower than all the common Fire-types, forcing it to sponge at least one hit before attacking.

[SET]
name: Special Attacker
move 1: Scald
move 2: Focus Blast
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Vacuum Wave
item: Leftovers
ability: Water Absorb
nature: Modest
evs: 96 HP / 252 SpA / 160 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Scald is Poliwrath's main STAB move and can burn the opponent's Pokemon to wear them down faster. Focus Blast hits a lot of Water-resistant Pokemon like Ferroseed and Gastrodon while also severely damaging Normal- and Steel-types like Kangaskhan and Klinklang. Ice Beam hits Grass-types like Lilligant and Vileplume on the switch. Vacuum Wave lets Poliwrath pressure faster Pokemon like Pyroar, Tauros, Swellow, and Shiftry and Speed-boosting Rock-types like Shell Smash Omastar, Barbaracle, and Rock Polish Rhydon; it also allows Poliwrath to become a situational revenge killer.

Set Details
========

Leftovers provides passive recovery to let Poliwrath continuously come in on Pokemon like Kabutops and Swords Dance Samurott. Maximum Special Attack investment lets Poliwrath hit as hard as possible. 160 Speed EVs let Poliwrath outpace neutral-natured Aurorus and Torterra as well as base 55s like Exeggutor, Cacturne, and Golurk. The remaining 96 HP EVs are dumped into HP to boost Poliwrath's bulk. Water Absorb lets Poliwrath check certain Water-types like Floatzel and recover some HP off Water-type attacks.

Usage Tips
========

Preserve Poliwrath so it can check fast Pokemon like weakened Tauros, Pyroar, and Floatzel with Vacuum Wave. Note they all have ways of severely damaging Poliwrath, so make sure that Vacuum Wave will actually KO them before attempting to revenge kill them. Poliwrath should be brought out when a physical Water-type like Swords Dance Samurott hits the field, but beware of directly switching Poliwrath carelessly on Water-types, as they may be using a move like Grass Knot or Toxic to beat it. Poliwrath should try to be using Scald as often as possible to weaken traditional Water-type checks so it can punch through them later. Beware of switching Poliwrath into Fire-types like Magmortor and Combusken because they can hit it super effectively. Watch out for status users like Steelix or Pilowswine, since Poliwrath despises being worn down faster.

Team Options
========

Fire-types like Combusken, Magmortor, and Charizard appreciate Poliwrath's ability to check Water-types like Kabutops and Barbaracle for them. In exchange, they can KO the opponent's Grass-types like Vileplume and Lilligant. Dark-types like Liepard, Skuntank, and Shiftry can help to remove Psychic-types like Musharna and Mesprit for Poliwrath, limiting Focus Blast switch-ins and one of Poliwrath's main weaknesses, with the former two being able to Pursuit trap them. Pinsir and Scyther are great partners, as Poliwrath can check the Rock-, Steel, and Fire-types that they dislike, while Pinsir and Scyther can get rid of Psychic-types and pressure Grass-types. Heal Bell from teammates such as Audino and Altaria can help Poliwrath remove unwanted status effects that chip it down. Poliwrath is a nice priority sponge, as it resists Sucker Punch, is immune to Aqua Jet, and is able to take Quick Attacks and Fake Outs with relative ease. This can help out frailer Pokemon like Swellow, Pyroar, and Manectric, which are all susceptible to priority. Since Poliwrath doesn't like hazards, a good entry hazard remover is key. Skuntank stands out as a great example, since it removes Toxic Spikes on the switch while also pressuring Grass- and Psychic-types that want to threaten Poliwrath. Claydol is also another decent partner for Poliwrath, since it can pivot into Volt Switch users attempting to gain momentum on Poliwrath.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

A combination of RestTalk + Circle Throw allows Poliwrath to check Aggron and Swords Dance Samurott better than Gastrodon can and shuffle the opposing team, making them take entry hazard damage, but unlike the more consistent Gastrodon, Poliwrath doesn't have Recover or Clear Smog. Substitute can be used block status. It can also be combined with Toxic to punish defensive switch-ins or with Focus Punch to punch holes in the opponent's team. Swift Swim + Belly Drum on rain teams can act as a deadly wincon, although it can be difficult to execute in certain matchups. Life Orb can be used to gain some power but wears Poliwrath down faster, making it harder for it to check certain Pokemon later in the match. Life Orb is usually used on a lure set to help weaken checks for other teammates. Hidden Power Electric can allow Poliwrath to lure in and KO Mantine and Pelipper for teammates. Choice Specs can allow Poliwrath to 2HKO Vileplume with Ice Beam and Gastrodon with Focus Blast but comes at the cost of Leftovers and being locked into a move, which is unfavorable for Poliwrath. Toxic lets Poliwrath cripple common defensive switch-ins like Mantine, Gastrodon, and Mega Audino, which could pave a way for other teammates that struggle with them. Hidden Power Grass can be used to beat Gastrodon consistently. Earthquake can be used for dealing with Lanturn better.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Bulky Water-types**: Mantine can sponge Poliwrath's STAB moves and isn't weak to Ice Beam, and Air Slash heavily dents Poliwrath. Lanturn can also freely switch in and use Volt Switch but gets worn down faster by Focus Blast or a potential Scald. Gastrodon can beat Poliwrath if it isn't running some variation of the main set that is meant to beat Gastrodon.

**Specially Bulky Pokemon**: Pokemon like Sliggoo, Clefairy, Musharna, and Mega Audino can shake off Poliwrath's attacks and use it for setup bait or fire off some attacks. All of these Pokemon also have recovery.

**Grass-types**: Most Grass-types like Ludicolo and Lilligant can come in on Scald and set up Rain Dance and Quiver Dance, respectively. Shiftry can threaten Poliwrath with Seed Bomb or Leaf Storm depending on if it has already locked itself into a move other than Vacuum Wave. Vileplume comes in much more easily, since it resists Poliwrath's Fighting-type STAB moves, and it can threaten it back with Giga Drain.

**Faster Pokemon with Super Effective Attacks**: Pokemon with super effective attacks like Manectric, Scyther, Jynx, and Mesprit can all threaten to OHKO or 2HKO Poliwrath. Pokemon like Charizard, Scyther, and Mesprit also resist Vacuum Wave, making them harder for Poliwrath to win against.

 

[Take Azelfie]

QC oo

 

[Punchshroom]

[OVERVIEW]

• Unique typing and Water Absorb gives it a nice mix of offensive and defensive utility.
• Defensively it is able to check many physical Water-type sweepers like Samurott, Kabutops, and Carracosta as well as Klinklang and Aggron which are very hard to prep for usually.
• It has nice bulk to add on to its defensive typing.
• Weak to common offensive types such as Psychic and Electric.

- Barbaracle is another important Pokemon it stops, and it can check Rhydon to a decent extent.
- You can also make note of Poliwrath's resilience to most priority moves (although some users are strong enough to threaten Poliwrath naturally).
- Mention its lack of reliable recovery, which prevents it from making the most of its good defensive typing.
- Grass is a common weakness for Poliwrath to worry about as well, especially as you mentioned it in C&C.

[SET]
name: Special Attacker
move 1: Scald / Hydro Pump
move 2: Focus Blast
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Vacuum Wave
item: Leftovers / Choice Specs / Life Orb
ability: Water Absorb
nature: Modest
evs: 96 HP / 252 SpA / 160 Spe

Personally I feel there's too much slashes on the item slot here, especially as the first two items already drastically influence how Poliwrath plays, but you don't really have to make any changes for now, until QC says otherwise.

Moves
========

• Scald is the main STAB that can also burn the opponent.
• Hydro Pump has a lot more firepower than Scald but trades the chance to burn and perfect accuracy.
• Vacuum Wave let's Poliwrath pressure faster Pokemon like Pyroar, Swellow, and Shiftry while also becoming a situation revenge killer.
• Surf is a nice mid ground as it gains a little more power than Scald but still retains the perfect accuracy. Although snatching the occasional burn is generally better.

- You could mention Scald pairs better with Leftovers to increase Poliwrath's longevity and thus its chances to burn foes. You can also mention Life Orb boosting Hydro Pump to nab certain KOes / 2HKOes (such as?)
- Vacuum Wave also allows Poliwrath to continue pressure speed-boosting Rock-types (such as Shell Smashers, RP Rhydon) even if its health is too low to take a hit. Tauros can be listed as an example here as well (Swellow less so).
- Surf just doesn't seem worth it at all; if you can't list any scenario in which Surf's marginal power over Scald would matter you'd be better off removing it.

Set Details
========

• 160 Speed let's Poliwrath outpace base 55's like Exeggutor, Cacturne, and Golurk while also outspeeding neutral nature Aurorus and Torterra.

The EV investment is primarily for outrunning Aurorus, so it should be listed first, followed by the other mons in descending Speed order.

Usage Tips
========

• With Choice Specs try to predict Grass-types like Roselis and Vileplume switching in and hit them with an Ice Beam.
• Preserve Poliwrath so it can check fast Pokemon like Tauros with Vacuum Wave.
• Beware of switching Poliwrath carelessly on Water-types as they may be using a move like Grass Knot or Toxic to beat it.
• When using Leftovers Poliwrath should try to be using Scale as often as possible to cripple Pokemon and increase its longevity.

Didn't your Overview put some emphasis on Poliwrath checking things? You can mention those mons here as an opportunity for Poliwrath to enter battle and do its part.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

• RestTalk + Circle Throw, better checks Aggron and Swords Dance Samurott better than Gastrodon but doesn't have Recover or Clear Smog.
• Swift Swim on rain teams, can use Belly Drum to.

- I really hesitate to say RestTalk Wrath checks Aggron (or even arguably Samurott for that matter) better than Gastro. What's more important is its ability to phaze while checking those threats, but mention Gastrodon is the more consistent option if one wants a check with longevity to those mons.
- Belly Drum Swift Swim Poliwrath is the only Poliwrath I'd consider using on Rain; any other set sucks too much offensive momentum and doesn't hit hard enough, whereas Belly Drum can act as a wincon / cleaner after the other Rain sweepers have weakened the opposing team.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Mantine and Pelipper**: Both of these Pokemon can sponge Poliwrath's STABs and aren't weak to Ice Beam. Air Slash or Hurricane on the other dents Poliwrath a lot. The only moves that these two must be wary of are the uncommon Toxic and Hidden Power Electric.

**Specially Bulky Pokemon**: Pokemon like Sliggoo, Clefairy, and Mega Audino can shake off Poliwrath's attacks and use it for set up bait or fire off some attacks.

**Super Effective Attacks**: Pokemon with super effective attacks like Manectric, Scyther, Jynx, and Mesprit can all threaten to either KO or 2HKO Poliwrath.

- I'd just mention "bulky Water-types" as a whole here; Poliwrath struggles with Lanturn as well, and without a power-boosting item, Poliwrath cannot win against Gastrodon either.
- Musharna is another bulky Pokemon Poliwrath has difficulty overcoming, and can even Synchronize Scald burns back onto Poliwrath.
- 'Super Effective Attacks' is far too generic since it can be applied to literally anything. A better alternative is to list 'faster Pokemon with super effective attacks', and list the utterly numerous amount of Pokemon that'd fall into that category. You can give special mention to mons that deal with Poliwrath better than others, such as Rotom's immunity and Scyther / Charizard's resistance to Vacuum Wave.

Btw, you'd want to clean up some of your auto-correct; I had to double-back after seeing Scale (Scald), Pundits (Pinsir), and holl punch (holepunch).

 

[Take Azelfie]

I implemented everything but the benchmarks which ill get to soon

 

[etern]

Overview:

Unique typing and Water Absorb gives it a nice mix of offensive and defensive utility.

• I dont agree that its typing really gives it offensive utility, I'd just say that "Poliwrath's solid typing coupled with Water Absorb gives it a unique array of resistances.

Defensively it is able to check many physical Water-type sweepers like Samurott, Barbaracle, Kabutops, and Carracosta as well as Klinklang, Rhydon, and Aggron which are very hard to prep for usually.It has nice bulk to add on to its defensive typing.

• Since the defensive set isnt a main set, I'd prefer if you combined these two sentences into one sentence which highlights Poliwraths ability to act as an offensive check to these Pokemon. e.g "Due to its impressive bulk Poliwrath is able to serve as an offensive check to many physical Water-types such as Samurott, Kabutops, and Barbaracle, as well as Rock- and Steel-types such as Rhydon, Aggron, and Klinklang.

Weak to common offensive types such as Psychic, Grass, and Electric.

• Expand on this and explain that most offensive Pokemon of those types (Lilligant, Mesprit, Jynx, Manectric, Rotom, etc) can outspeed Poliwrath as it sits at a rather average speed tier.

No reliable recovery, which prevents it from fully utilizing its defensive typing.

• Note that this lack or recovery leaves Poliwrath dependent on Leftovers to stay healthy and check threats throughout a match.

Sub par physical coverage leaves it unable to fully abuse its base 95 attack and its special side doesn't really shine with only base 70 Special Attack.

• Explain that due to the low BP of Poliwrath's physical movepool it is forced to use its weaker Special Attack stat.

Struggles to check Fire-types.

• Why? Mention that Fire-types generally have powerful coverage to smack it with, e.g Magmortar's TBolt, Charizard's Air Slash, and Pyroar's Hyper Voice meaning it cannot reliably switch into them. Also note that they can all outspeed Poliwrath therefore forcing it to take a hit.

Moves:

• I understand what you're trying to imply, but Scald doesn't keep Poliwrath healthy. Just remove that bit and explain that it can wear down opponents thanks to the potential burn chance.

Set Details:

• You dont need to specify "Clear Smog Gastrodon" because even if it runs Toxic, Lefties Poliwrath is hard pressed to take Gastro out without getting a Spdef drop from Focus Blast. In fact I'd remove Gastrodon from this point and replace it with Kabutops instead.
• Deslash Life Orb, taking recoil is counter intuitive with what role Poliwrath tries to play (switching in and checking Water-, Rock-, and Ground-types).

Usage Tips:

With Choice Specs try to predict Grass-types like Roselis and Vileplume switching in and hit them with an Ice Beam.

• Mention that by predicting the switch you can also outspeed and 2HKO both of them.

Preserve Poliwrath so it can check fast Pokemon like Tauros with Vacuum Wave.

• Explain that Poliwrath can only pick off these Pokemon after they have been weakened.
• Give more examples of Pokemon it can pick off, such as Floatzel and Pyroar

Team Options:

Fire-types like Combusken and Charizard appreciates Poliwrath ability to check Water-types like Kabutops and Barbaracle for them. In exchange they can KO the opponents Grass-types.

• Give examples of the Grass-types that annoy Poliwrath
• Add Magmortar as a partner. Mention that it can absorb Lilligant's Sleep Powder and Lure in Water-types that Poliwrath can take advantage of. You could also make a point that Magmortar can chip away at Lanturn with Earthquake to clear the way for Poliwrath.

Dark-types like Liepard and Shiftry can help to remove Psychic-types like Musharna and Mesprit for Poliwrath limiting Focus Blast switchins.

• Skuntank should be mentioned here as it can Pursuit trap Psychic-types, also say that Liepard can Pursuit trap.

Pinsir and Scyther are great partners as Poliwrath can check the Rock-, Steel, and Fire-types that they dislike while Pinsir and Scyther can get rid of Psychic-types and pressure Grass-types. They can also make use of any burns Poliwrath's Scald managed to get in order to set up a Swords Dance.

• Get rid of the part about Scald. Most of the Pokemon Poliwrath can burn are already freely set up on by these Bug-types.

Poliwrath is a nice priority sponge resisting Sucker Punch and being able to take Quick Attacks and Fake Outs with relative ease. This can help out frailer Pokemon like Swellow, Pyroar, and Manectric who are all susceptible to priority.

• Mention the immunity to Aqua Jet.

Other Options:

• Earthquake is a cool option to lure and 2HKO Lanturn

Checks and Counters:

• Mention that those Specially Bulky Pokemon all have recovery to consistently switch into Poliwrath.

There are a few typos sprinkled throughout this analysis so make sure you go through and fix them up.

QC 1/3 when you've done all of this.

 

[Take Azelfie]

Added

 

[erisia]

Life Orb should definitely be other options as sometimes having powerful coverage while being able to switch moves is more important than tanking hits depending on your team setup. It's also pretty important for boosting Earthquake's damage output when you choose to run that. HP Grass could also be nice for Gastrodon considering how bad Specs Focus Blast is at whittling down Gastro due to its accuracy and low PP; HP Grass can lure it and still beats Recover even without a boosting item.

QC 2/3

 

[Take Azelfie]

Implemented, will write up soon

 

[Blast]

Take Azelfie write this up soon please

 

[Take Azelfie]

Got this done, gonna work on Shiftry rn

 

[Shadestep]

Overview:

Unfortunately it is weak to many common offensive types such as Psychic, Grass, and Electric like Mesprit, Lilligant, Ludicolo, Manectric, and Rotom which are all faster than Poliwrath to.
This sentence is phrased really awkwardly, please reword it because it's a bit confusing.

Moves:

Choice Specs should absolutely be deslashed here. We discussed this with the QC team and no-one disagreed with it. I think you can deslash Hydro Pump too, unless you can show some relevant calcs of when the power difference really matters.
Give both HP Grass and Earthquake a mention here. Ever since Gastrodon dropped HP Grass has become quite useful since Focus Blast doesn't do enough to beat Gastrodon, unless you get some crasy SpDef drops and hit all of them..
Mention that all the Vacuum Wave targets (Shiftry, Pyroar, Swellow, Tauros) all have ways to hurt Poliwrath hurt back. It's quite weak, so add something like 'severely weakened Tauros, Pyroar,' etc etc.

Usage Tips:

Replace Roselia with a more relevant Grass-type, like Trevenant or Torterra.
Mention why Leftovers is almost always better as it gives Poliwrath a lot of longevity, being able to continuously switch in to Barbaracle, Omastar, Samurott, etc. Move this all the way up, to like the first sentence.
The statement about Choice Specs should be moved down, maybe at the end of the section or something. Try to add some more relevant info here, like 'be wary of Fire-types like Magmortar and Pyroar as they both have ways to damage Poliwrath incredibly hard.
Mention that Poliwrath hates getting burned or poisoned and that it should be wary of switching in to Skuntank Poison Jab, and some other Pokemon that can status it, like Steelix.

Team Options:

Poliwrath is heavily pressured by Spikes and Toxic Spikes, so talk about some hazard removers that pair well with Poliwrath.

Checks and Counters:
Remove Pelipper from checks. With SR up, it needs to be at pretty much full health to live 2 Ice Beams.

I'm not entirely comfortable with pushing this to GP after you implement this, so don't count this as a QC check yet. Let someone else take a final look at it first

 

[boltsandbombers]

Take Azelfie Please implement the above changes asap.

Also mention toxic in moves, being able to cripple Gastro / Mantine / Pelipper / etc is really useful and its better than OO as Hootie and I discussed recently.

 

[Take Azelfie]

Done

 

[AJB]

Overview:

• Really nothing left to say here in terms of content, but please get rid of the obvious spelling errors that spell check catches anyway like "resistancea" and "movepoll", might as well make GP's job a little easier.

Usage tips:

• Poliwrath should try to be using Scald as often as possible to cripple Pokemon and increase its longevity

  When talking about Scald, just say that it is best to click Scald as often as possible to wear down traditional Water-type switch ins, allowing Poliwrath to punch through them later in the match. I don't quite understand what you mean by "increase its longevity" so take that point out as well.

• Don't bring Poliwrath in against Fire-types like Pyroar and Magmortor since they have ways to deal a lot of damage to Poliwrath.

  Rephrase this saying to "beware of switching in Poliwrath into these mons because they can hit it super effectively." (or something along those lines). Sometimes it is beneficial to use poli as a pivot to soak up a fire attack and force them to go for a different move afterwards so saying "don't switch in poli to these mons" isn't exactly correct.

Team Options:

• When discussing Psychic-types be sure to mention that clearing these out of the way is helpful not only because you can spam Focus Blast easier, but also because Psychic's are very threatening to Poli. Even if it is obvious to you it most likely isn't to someone reading the dex.

Implement that and you've got QC 3/3

 

[boltsandbombers]

One more thing:

Due to its impressive bulk Poliwrath is able to serve as an offensive check to many physical Water-types such as Samurott, Kabutops, and Barbaracle, as well as Rock- and Steel-types such as Rhydon, Aggron, and Klinklang.

Poliwrath doesn't have really impressive bulk like this statement implies, Poliwrath can check those Pokemon due to the virtue of its typing and its bulk. Reword this sentence to reflect that. Apart from that the content is good overall, just make sure to go over for simple spelling errors and the like.

 

[Pilo]

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[OVERVIEW]

Poliwrath's solid Water / Fighting typing along with Water Absorb grants it a unique array of resistance. Due to its impressive bulk Poliwrath is able to serve as an offensive check to many physical Water-types such as Samurott, Kabutops, and Barbaracle, as well as Rock- and Steel-types such as Rhydon, Aggron, and Klinklang. Unfortunately,(+comma) it is weak to many common offensive Pokemon like Rotom, Mesprit, Lilligant, and Ludicolo which can also all ("All" seems like a better fit) outspeed Poliwrath as well. Access to no reliable recovery prevents it from fully utilizing its defensive typing. Poliwrath also lacks a good physical movepool which leaves it reliant on its weaker special stat. Despite being a Water-type, it struggles to check Fire-types because of their strong secondary coverage like Magmortor's Thunderbolt or Charizard's Air Slash. Poliwrath is also slower than all the common Fire-types forcing it to sponge at least one hit before attacking.

[SET]
name: Special Attacker
move 1: Scald
move 2: Focus Blast
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Vacuum Wave
item: Leftovers
ability: Water Absorb
nature: Modest
evs: 96 HP / 252 SpA / 160 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Scald is the Poliwrath's main STAB that can also burn the opponent opponent's Pokemon (Largely subjective) to wear it down faster. Focus Blast hits a lot of Water resistant Pokemon like Ferroseed and Gastrodon while also severely damaging Normal- and Steel-types like Kangaskhan and Klinklang. Ice Beam hits Grass-types like Lilligant and Vileplume on the switch. Vacuum Wave let's lets Poliwrath pressure faster Pokemon like Pyroar, Tauros, Swellow, Shiftry, and speed boosting Rock-types like Shell Smash Omastar, Barbaracle, and Rock Polish Rhydon while also becoming a situational revenge killer. Toxic let's it cripple common defensive switchins like Mantine, Gastrodon, and Mega Audino which could pave a way for other teammates who struggle with the bulkier Pokemon. Hidden Power Grass can be used to beat Gastrodon consistantely. Earthquake can be used for dealing with Lanturn better.

Set Details
========

Leftovers provides passive recovery to let in Poliwrath continuously come in on Pokemon like Kabutops and Swords Dance Samurott. Maximum Special Attack investment lets Poliwrath hit as hard as possible. 160 Speed EVa EVs lets Poliwrath outpace neutral nature Aurorus and Torterra as well as base 55's like Exeggutor, Cacturne, and Golurk. The remaining 96 HP EVs are dumped into HP to boost its bulk. Water Absorb let's lets Poliwrath check certain Water-types like Floatzel and recover some HP off Water-type attacks.

Usage Tips
========

Preserve Poliwrath so it can check fast Pokemon like severely weakened Tauros, Pyoar Pyroar, and Floatzel with Vacuum Wave. Note they all have ways of severely damaging Poliwrath so make sure that Vacuum Wave will actually KO. Poliwrath should be brought out when a physical Water-type like Swords Dance Samurott hits the field. But beware of directly switching Poliwrath carelessly on Water-types as they may be using a move like Grass Knot or Toxic to beat it. Poliwrath should try to be using Scald as often as possible to weaken traditional Water-type checks so Poliwrath can punch through them later. Beware of switching in Poliwrath into Fire-type like Magmortor and Combusken because they can hit it super effectively. Watch out for status users like Steelix or Pilowswine since Poliwrath despises being worn down faster.

Team Options
========

Fire-types like Combusken, Magmortor, and Charizard appreciates appreciate Poliwrath Poliwrath's ability to check Water-types like Kabutops and Barbaracle for them. In exchange,(+comma) they can KO the opponents opponent's Grass-types like Vileplume and Lilligant. Dark-types like Liepard, Skuntank, and Shiftry can help to remove Psychic-types like Musharna and Mesprit for Poliwrath limiting Focus Blast switchins switch-ins and one of Poliwrath's main weaknesses, the former two being able to Pursuit trap them. Pinsir and Scyther are great partners as Poliwrath can check the Rock-, Steel, and Fire-types that they dislike while Pinsir and Scyther can get rid of Psychic-types and pressure Grass-types. Heal Bell from teammates such as Audino and Altaria can help Poliwrath remove unwanted status effects that chip it down. Poliwrath is a nice priority sponge resisting Sucker Punch, being immune to Aqua Jet, and being able to take Quick Attacks and Fake Outs with relative ease. This can help out frailer Pokemon like Swellow, Pyroar, and Manectric who are all susceptible to priority. Since Poliwrath doesn't like hazards a good remover is key. Skuntank stands out as a great example since it removes Toxic Spikes on the switch while also pressuring Grass- and Psychic-types that want to threaten Poliwrath. Clayton is also another decent partner for Poliwrath since it can pivot of Volt Switchers attempting to gain momentum on Poliwrath.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

A combination of RestTalk + Circle Throw, better checks Aggron and Swords Dance Samurott better than Gastrodon and can shuffle the opponent making them take hazard damage, but it doesn't have Recover or Clear Smog unlike Gastrodon and is more consistant cosistent thanks to Recover. Substitute can be used block status. It can also be combined with Toxic to punish defensive switchins switch-ins or Focus Punch to holepunch. Swift Swim + Belly Drum on Rain teams can act as a deadly win con although it can be difficult to execute in certain match ups. Life Orb can be used to mix up your coverage but wears Poliwrath down faster, making it harder for it to check certain Pokemon later in the match. Life Orb is usually used with on a lure set to help weaken checks for other teammates. Hidden Power Electric can lure in Mantine and Pelipper for teammates. Choice Specs can allow Poliwrath to 2HKO Vileplume with Ice Beam and Gastrodon with Focus Blast but comes at the cost of Leftovers and being locked into a move which is unfavorable for Poliwrath.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Bulky Water-types**: Mantine can sponge Poliwrath's STABs and isn't weak to Ice Beam. Air Slash,(+comma) on the other hand dents Poliwrath a lot. Lanturn can also freely and Volt Switch but gets worn down faster by Focus Blast and a potential Scald. Gastrodon can beat Poliwrath if it isn't running some variation of the main set that is meant to beat Gastrodon.

**Specially Bulky Pokemon**: Pokemon like Sliggoo, Clefairy, Musharna, and Mega Audino can shake off Poliwrath's attacks and use it for set up bait or fire off some attacks. All of these Pokemon also have recovery.

**Grass-Types**: Most Grass-types like Ludicolo and Lilligant can come in on Scald and set up Rain Dance and Quiver Dance respectively. Shiftry can threaten Poliwrath with Seed Bomb or Leaf Storm depending on if it has already locked itself into a move other than Vacuum Wave. Vileplume comes in much easier since resist Poliwrath's Fighting-Type STABs and it can threaten it back with Giga Drain.

**Faster Pokemon With Super Effective Attacks**: Pokemon with super effective attacks like Manectric, Scyther, Jynx, and Mesprit can all threaten to either OHKO or 2HKO Poliwrath. Pokemon like Charizard, Scyther, and Mesprit also resist Vacuum Wave make them harder for Poliwrath the win against.

 

[Rare Poison]

GP 1/2

Pilobacon: add remove comments
RP: add/change; remove; (comments)

changes with Pilobacon's amcheck

[OVERVIEW]

Poliwrath's solid Water / Fighting typing along with Water Absorb grants it a unique array of resistances. Due to its impressive bulk, (AC) Poliwrath is able to serve as an offensive check to many physical Water-types, (AC) such as Samurott, Kabutops, and Barbaracle, as well as Rock- and Steel-types such as Rhydon, Aggron, and Klinklang. Unfortunately,(+comma) it is weak to many common offensive Pokemon like Rotom, Mesprit, Lilligant, and Ludicolo, (AC) which can also all ("All" seems like a better fit) outspeed Poliwrath it as well. Poliwrath's lack of access to no reliable recovery prevents it from fully utilizing its defensive typing. Poliwrath also lacks a good physical movepool, (AC) which leaves it reliant on its weaker special Special Attack stat. Despite being a Water-type, it struggles to check Fire-types because of their strong secondary coverage like Magmortor's Magmortar's Thunderbolt or Charizard's Air Slash. Poliwrath is also slower than all the common Fire-types, (AC) forcing it to sponge at least one hit before attacking.

[SET]
name: Special Attacker
move 1: Scald
move 2: Focus Blast
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Vacuum Wave
item: Leftovers
ability: Water Absorb
nature: Modest
evs: 96 HP / 252 SpA / 160 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Scald is the Poliwrath's main STAB move that can also burn the opponent opponent's Pokemon (Largely subjective) (not really subjective! opponent=the player; Pokemon=the foe) to wear it them down faster. Focus Blast hits a lot of Water-resistant (hyphen) Pokemon like Ferroseed and Gastrodon while also severely damaging Normal- and Steel-types like Kangaskhan and Klinklang. Ice Beam hits Grass-types like Lilligant and Vileplume on the switch. Vacuum Wave let's lets Poliwrath pressure faster Pokemon like Pyroar, Tauros, Swellow, and Shiftry, (RC) and Speed-boosting (hyphen) Rock-types like Shell Smash Omastar, Barbaracle, and Rock Polish Rhydon; (semicolon) it also allows Poliwrath to become while also becoming a situational revenge killer. Toxic let's it lets Poliwrath cripple common defensive switch-ins (hyphen) like Mantine, Gastrodon, and Mega Audino, (AC) which could pave a way for other teammates who that struggle with the them bulkier Pokemon. Hidden Power Grass can be used to beat Gastrodon consistantely consistently. Earthquake can be used for dealing with Lanturn better. (either slash these moves or put them in Other Options)

Set Details
========

Leftovers provides passive recovery to let in Poliwrath continuously come in on Pokemon like Kabutops and Swords Dance Samurott. Maximum Special Attack investment lets Poliwrath hit as hard as possible. 160 Speed EVa EVs lets let Poliwrath outpace neutral-nature (hyphen) Aurorus and Torterra as well as base 55's (remove apostrophe) like Exeggutor, Cacturne, and Golurk. The remaining 96 HP EVs are dumped into HP to boost its Poliwrath's bulk. Water Absorb let's lets Poliwrath check certain Water-types like Floatzel and recover some HP off Water-type attacks.

Usage Tips
========

Preserve Poliwrath so it can check fast Pokemon like severely weakened Tauros, Pyoar Pyroar, and Floatzel with Vacuum Wave. Note they all have ways of severely damaging Poliwrath, (AC) so make sure that Vacuum Wave will actually KO them. Poliwrath should be brought out when a physical Water-type like Swords Dance Samurott hits the field. (remove period) , (AC) but beware of directly switching Poliwrath carelessly on Water-types, (AC) as they may be using a move like Grass Knot or Toxic to beat it. Poliwrath should try to be using Scald as often as possible to weaken traditional Water-type checks, (AC) so Poliwrath it can punch through them later. Beware of switching in Poliwrath into Fire-types like Magmortor and Combusken because they can hit it super effectively. Watch out for status users like Steelix or Pilowswine, (AC) since Poliwrath despises being worn down faster.

Team Options
========

Fire-types like Combusken, Magmortor, and Charizard appreciates appreciate Poliwrath Poliwrath's ability to check Water-types like Kabutops and Barbaracle for them. In exchange,(+comma) they can KO the opponents opponent's Grass-types like Vileplume and Lilligant. Dark-types like Liepard, Skuntank, and Shiftry can help to remove Psychic-types like Musharna and Mesprit for Poliwrath, (AC) limiting Focus Blast switchins switch-ins and one of Poliwrath's main weaknesses, with the former two being able to Pursuit trap them. Pinsir and Scyther are great partners, (AC) as Poliwrath can check the Rock-, Steel, and Fire-types that they dislike, (AC) while Pinsir and Scyther can get rid of Psychic-types and pressure Grass-types. Heal Bell from teammates such as Audino and Altaria can help Poliwrath remove unwanted status effects that chip it down. Poliwrath is a nice priority sponge, (AC) as it resisting resists Sucker Punch, being is immune to Aqua Jet, and being is able to take Quick Attacks and Fake Outs with relative ease. This can help out frailer Pokemon like Swellow, Pyroar, and Manectric, (AC) who are all susceptible to priority. Since Poliwrath doesn't like hazards, (AC) a good entry hazard remover is key. Skuntank stands out as a great example, (AC) since it removes Toxic Spikes on the switch while also pressuring Grass- and Psychic-types that want to threaten Poliwrath. Clayton Claydol is also another decent partner for Poliwrath, (AC) since it can pivot of into Volt Switchers Switch users attempting to gain momentum on Poliwrath.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

A combination of RestTalk + Circle Throw, (RC) better allows Poliwrath to checks Aggron and Swords Dance Samurott better than Gastrodon and can shuffle the opponent, (AC) making them take entry hazard damage, but unlike the more consistent Gastrodon, (AC) it Poliwrath doesn't have Recover or Clear Smog unlike Gastrodon and is more consistant cosistent thanks to Recover. Substitute can be used block status. It can also be combined with Toxic to punish defensive switchins switch-ins or with Focus Punch to holepunch punch holes in the opponent's team. Swift Swim + Belly Drum on Rain teams can act as a deadly win con wincon, (AC) although it can be difficult to execute in certain match ups matchups. Life Orb can be used to mix up your coverage but wears Poliwrath down faster, making it harder for it to check certain Pokemon later in the match. Life Orb is usually used with on a lure set to help weaken checks for other teammates. Hidden Power Electric can lure in Mantine and Pelipper for teammates. Choice Specs can allow Poliwrath to 2HKO Vileplume with Ice Beam and Gastrodon with Focus Blast but comes at the cost of Leftovers and being locked into a move, (AC) which is unfavorable for Poliwrath.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Bulky Water-types**: Mantine can sponge Poliwrath's STABs STAB moves and isn't weak to Ice Beam. Air Slash,(+comma) on the other hand, (AC) heavily dents Poliwrath a lot. Lanturn can also freely switch in and use Volt Switch but gets worn down faster by Focus Blast and or a potential Scald. Gastrodon can beat Poliwrath if it isn't running some variation of the main set that is meant to beat Gastrodon.

**Specially Bulky Pokemon**: Pokemon like Sliggoo, Clefairy, Musharna, and Mega Audino can shake off Poliwrath's attacks and use it for set up setup bait or fire off some attacks. All of these Pokemon also have recovery.

**Grass-Types**: Most Grass-types like Ludicolo and Lilligant can come in on Scald and set up Rain Dance and Quiver Dance, (AC) respectively. Shiftry can threaten Poliwrath with Seed Bomb or Leaf Storm depending on if it has already locked itself into a move other than Vacuum Wave. Vileplume comes in much easier, (AC) since it resists Poliwrath's Fighting-type STABs STAB moves, (AC) and it can threaten it back with Giga Drain.

**Faster Pokemon With Super Effective Attacks**: Pokemon with super effective attacks like Manectric, Scyther, Jynx, and Mesprit can all threaten to either OHKO or 2HKO Poliwrath. Pokemon like Charizard, Scyther, and Mesprit also resist Vacuum Wave, (AC) make making them harder for Poliwrath the to win against.

good job Take Azelfie

Pilobacon all of your changes were good, but I feel like you can be just a little more attentive to the very obvious errors (the last sentence, for example)

 

[Take Azelfie]

no one ever tells me good job for GP lol

implemented

 

[Lumari]

remove add / fix (comments); (AC=add comma; RC=remove comma; SC=semicolon)
GP 2/2

check

[OVERVIEW]

Poliwrath's solid Water / Fighting typing along with Water Absorb grants it a unique array of resistances. This, combined with Due to its impressive bulk, Poliwrath is able enables it (re. bolts's comment) to serve as an offensive check to many physical Water-types, such as Samurott, Kabutops, and Barbaracle, as well as Rock- and Steel-types such as Rhydon, Aggron, and Klinklang. Unfortunately, it is weak to many common offensive Pokemon like Rotom, Mesprit, Lilligant, and Ludicolo, which can all outspeed it. Poliwrath's lack of access to reliable recovery prevents it from fully utilizing its defensive typing. Poliwrath also lacks a good physical movepool, which leaves it reliant on its weaker lower Special Attack stat. Despite being a Water-type, it struggles to check Fire-types because of their strong secondary coverage like Magmortar's Thunderbolt or Charizard's Air Slash. Poliwrath is also slower than all the common Fire-types, forcing it to sponge at least one hit before attacking.

[SET]
name: Special Attacker
move 1: Scald
move 2: Focus Blast
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Vacuum Wave
item: Leftovers
ability: Water Absorb
nature: Modest
evs: 96 HP / 252 SpA / 160 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Scald is Poliwrath's main STAB move that and can burn the opponent's Pokemon to wear them down faster. Focus Blast hits a lot of Water-resistant Pokemon like Ferroseed and Gastrodon while also severely damaging Normal- and Steel-types like Kangaskhan and Klinklang. Ice Beam hits Grass-types like Lilligant and Vileplume on the switch. Vacuum Wave lets Poliwrath pressure faster Pokemon like Pyroar, Tauros, Swellow, and Shiftry and Speed-boosting Rock-types like Shell Smash Omastar, Barbaracle, and Rock Polish Rhydon; it also allows Poliwrath to become a situational revenge killer.

Set Details
========

Leftovers provides passive recovery to let Poliwrath continuously come in on Pokemon like Kabutops and Swords Dance Samurott. Maximum Special Attack investment lets Poliwrath hit as hard as possible. 160 Speed EVs let Poliwrath outpace neutral-nature neutral-natured Aurorus and Torterra as well as base 55s like Exeggutor, Cacturne, and Golurk. The remaining 96 HP EVs are dumped into HP to boost Poliwrath's bulk. Water Absorb lets Poliwrath check certain Water-types like Floatzel and recover some HP off Water-type attacks.

Usage Tips
========

Preserve Poliwrath so it can check fast Pokemon like severely weakened Tauros, Pyroar, and Floatzel with Vacuum Wave. Note they all have ways of severely damaging Poliwrath, so make sure that Vacuum Wave will actually KO them. Poliwrath should be brought out when a physical Water-type like Swords Dance Samurott hits the field, but beware of directly switching Poliwrath carelessly on Water-types, as they may be using a move like Grass Knot or Toxic to beat it. Poliwrath should try to be using Scald as often as possible to weaken traditional Water-type checks (RC) so it can punch through them later. Beware of switching Poliwrath into Fire-types like Magmortor and Combusken because they can hit it super effectively. Watch out for status users like Steelix or Pilowswine, since Poliwrath despises being worn down faster.

Team Options
========

Fire-types like Combusken, Magmortor, and Charizard appreciate Poliwrath's ability to check Water-types like Kabutops and Barbaracle for them. In exchange, they can KO the opponent's Grass-types like Vileplume and Lilligant. Dark-types like Liepard, Skuntank, and Shiftry can help to remove Psychic-types like Musharna and Mesprit for Poliwrath, limiting Focus Blast switch-ins and one of Poliwrath's main weaknesses, with the former two being able to Pursuit trap them. Pinsir and Scyther are great partners, as Poliwrath can check the Rock-, Steel, and Fire-types that they dislike, while Pinsir and Scyther can get rid of Psychic-types and pressure Grass-types. Heal Bell from teammates such as Audino and Altaria can help Poliwrath remove unwanted status effects that chip it down. Poliwrath is a nice priority sponge, as it resists Sucker Punch, is immune to Aqua Jet, and is able to take Quick Attacks and Fake Outs with relative ease. This can help out frailer Pokemon like Swellow, Pyroar, and Manectric, who which are all susceptible to priority. Since Poliwrath doesn't like hazards, a good entry hazard remover is key. Skuntank stands out as a great example, since it removes Toxic Spikes on the switch while also pressuring Grass- and Psychic-types that want to threaten Poliwrath. Claydol is also another decent partner for Poliwrath, since it can pivot into Volt Switch users attempting to gain momentum on Poliwrath.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

A combination of RestTalk + Circle Throw allows Poliwrath to check Aggron and Swords Dance Samurott better than Gastrodon can (ambiguity) and shuffle the opponent opposing team, making them take entry hazard damage, but unlike the more consistent Gastrodon, Poliwrath doesn't have Recover or Clear Smog. Substitute can be used block status. It can also be combined with Toxic to punish defensive switch-ins or with Focus Punch to punch holes in the opponent's team. Swift Swim + Belly Drum on rain teams can act as a deadly wincon, although it can be difficult to execute in certain matchups. Life Orb can be used to mix up (wdym) your coverage but wears Poliwrath down faster, making it harder for it to check certain Pokemon later in the match. Life Orb is usually used on a lure set to help weaken checks for other teammates. Hidden Power Electric can allow Poliwrath to lure in and KO Mantine and Pelipper for teammates. Choice Specs can allow Poliwrath to 2HKO Vileplume with Ice Beam and Gastrodon with Focus Blast but comes at the cost of Leftovers and being locked into a move, which is unfavorable for Poliwrath. Toxic lets Poliwrath cripple common defensive switch-ins like Mantine, Gastrodon, and Mega Audino, which could pave a way for other teammates that struggle with them. Hidden Power Grass can be used to beat Gastrodon consistently. Earthquake can be used for dealing with Lanturn better.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Bulky Water-types**: Mantine can sponge Poliwrath's STAB moves and isn't weak to Ice Beam, (comma) and Air Slash, on the other hand, (weird transition) heavily dents Poliwrath. Lanturn can also freely switch in and use Volt Switch but gets worn down faster by Focus Blast or a potential Scald. Gastrodon can beat Poliwrath if it isn't running some variation of the main set that is meant to beat Gastrodon.

**Specially Bulky Pokemon**: Pokemon like Sliggoo, Clefairy, Musharna, and Mega Audino can shake off Poliwrath's attacks and use it for setup bait or fire off some attacks. All of these Pokemon also have recovery.

**Grass-types**: Most Grass-types like Ludicolo and Lilligant can come in on Scald and set up Rain Dance and Quiver Dance, respectively. Shiftry can threaten Poliwrath with Seed Bomb or Leaf Storm depending on if it has already locked itself into a move other than Vacuum Wave. Vileplume comes in much easier more easily, since it resists Poliwrath's Fighting-type STAB moves, and it can threaten it back with Giga Drain.

**Faster Pokemon with Super Effective Attacks**: Pokemon with super effective attacks like Manectric, Scyther, Jynx, and Mesprit can all threaten to either OHKO or 2HKO Poliwrath. Pokemon like Charizard, Scyther, and Mesprit also resist Vacuum Wave, making them harder for Poliwrath to win against.

 

[Take Azelfie]

Thank you guys this is done