[OVERVIEW]
Poison
======
* Salazzle's Special Attack and Speed make it a great choice for an offensive sweeper on a Poison team.
* Its Fire typing allows it to check Steel-type threats that are usually a problem for Poison teams, most notably Skarmory and Celesteela.
* Its good Special Attack can be further boosted with Nasty Plot, which can make Salazzle hard to stop.
* It has a good offensive STAB combination that gives it good neutral coverage against most types, with only Rock-types and a handful of other Pokemon like Gastrodon, Heatran and Toxapex being able to resist it.
* However, it's sweeping prowess is held back by the weakness to the ever-so-common Stealth Rock. It hinders Salazzle's effectiveness at switching in when needed to.
* Its bulk is very underwhelming, and it has a hard time surviving any strong neutral hit and is susceptible to being revenge killed by priority moves.
* Salazzle lacks access to reasonable coverage moves and has to rely on Hidden Power to be able to hit Pokemon that would otherwise check it.
* While its offensive typing is great, it's weak to Water-types and stacks another Ground- and Psychic-type weakness on Poison teams.
[SET]
name: Nasty Plot Sweeper (Poison)
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Fire Blast / Flamethrower
move 3: Sludge Wave
move 4: Hidden Power Ground
item: Life Orb
ability: Corrosion
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Nasty Plot doubles Salazzle's Special Attack stat, turning it into an effective wallbreaker and allowing it to OHKO most Pokemon that don't resist its STAB combination.
* Fire Blast allows it to hit Steel-types for super effective damage, which Poison-types have a bad match-up against.
* Flamethrower may be opted for over Fire Blast due to its perfect accuracy. However, there is a significant reduction in damage output. For example, it misses out on the chance to OHKO Xurkitree and Porygon Z after Stealth Rock damage.
* Sludge Wave gives it a reliable source of Poison STAB that can be spammed more than Fire Blast due to its higher PP and perfect accuracy. Sludge Wave also has surprisingly good coverage alongside Fire Blast.
* Hidden Power Ground gives Salazzle a way of hitting Heatran without Air Balloon and Toxapex to some extent, both of which completely wall it otherwise.
Set Details
========
* Maximum investment in Special Attack and Speed, along with a Timid nature, aims to maximize Salazzle's wallbreaking potential all the while allowing it to outspeed prominent threats like Kyurem-B and Latios.
* Life Orb is the preferred item, as it helps increase Salazzle's offensive potential, even heavily denting Celesteela, one of the best special walls on Steel-type teams.
* Corrosion lets Salazzle poison Poison-types like Toxapex and Alolan Muk with Sludge Wave, which helps in wearing them down.
* The 4 EVs in Special Defense ensure that Porygon-Z gets the Attack boost from Download instead of a boost in Special Attack.
Usage Tips
========
* Nasty Plot Salazzle works as a good late-game sweeper once its checks are gone.
* Salazzle is capable of denting slower teams quite well, so a perfectly timed Nasty Plot may give way to a sweep that is hard to stop.
* Finding the perfect opportunity to set up a Nasty Plot can be difficult, but the best time to use it is when you are up against a Pokemon that either is weakened or fears Salazzle's STAB moves, such as Mega Scizor, a weakened Mega Venusaur, or a physical wall like Porygon2.
* Sludge Wave should be used as often as possible so as to not risk Fire Blast missing.
* Be careful to have removed Heatran's Air Balloon beforehand, as otherwise it completely walls Salazzle.
* Salazzle should never try to switch into a move, even if it resists it. Its bulk is very underwhelming, and almost every decent attack is able to dent it.
* Salazzle may be used as a revenge killer thanks to its high speed. However, be aware of taking unnecessary damage early- and mid-game, as even a bit of damage hinders its effectiveness late-game.
* Salazzle should absolutely be kept away from paralysis, since a paralyzed Salazzle is almost useless.
* Salazzle should ideally only be sent out when Stealth Rock isn't on its side of the field, but that said, a perfect opportunity to set up and sweep should be taken whenever possible.
Team Options
============
* Mega Venusaur makes for an excellent teammate, handling Water- and Ground-types on its own very well and also being able to switch into a large variety of Choice Scarf users, such as Excadrill, Terrakion, Nidoking, and Heracross, all of which are able to easily KO Salazzle. Mega Venusaur also handles priority users such as Dragonite, Azumarill, and Bisharp.
* Crobat is an excellent teammate alongside Salazzle, being able to preserve momentum by pivoting with U-turn. Crobat also provides the essential Defog support, removing Stealth Rock and Sticky Web so that Salazzle is not hindered. It ts also provides an immunity to Ground-type moves.
* Nidoking is able to hit a large variety of types thanks to its great coverage and may act as a secondary Steel check with Earth Power and Fire Blast. Most notably, it is able to KO Toxapex, Tentacruel, bulky Garchomp with Ice Beam, as well as most Rock-types that give Salazzle trouble. It may also set up Stealth Rock.
* Nidoqueen may be used as a bulky lead with Stealth Rock and Toxic Spikes, making it easier for Salazzle to sweep teams by removing Focus Sashes and dealing residual damage to wear down foes. It is also able to check Heatran and most other slower Steel-types with Earth Power.
* Alolan Muk is able to switch into Psychic-type moves, and with access to Knock Off and great special bulk, it is able to remove Leftovers, Eviolite, and Choice Scarf from foes, which eases the pressure on Salazzle. It is also able to Pursuit trap Psychic- and Ghost- types.
* Scolipede is a great physical wallbreaker, being able to take on special walls like Dragalge and Chansey that Salazzle is unable to handle on its own. Thanks to Speed Boost, it is able to outspeed every viable Choice Scarf user after a single boost, and is able to outspeed weather sweepers like Kingdra and Excadrill after two boosts. It also outspeeds Alolan Raichu after two boosts. It is also able to act as a Psychic and Steel check, thanks to Megahorn, Superpower, and Earthquake.
* Nihilego is a great sweeper as well, and thanks to its good Speed and ability in Beast Boost, it dents teams quite well, setting up Salazzle for an easier sweep.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
* Taunt may be used to prevent the target from trying to use status or recovery moves or set up hazards. However, it comes at the cost of a coverage move, and is generally not worth having.
* Toxic may be used to catch Heatran and Toxapex off guard. However, Salazzle rarely needs to use it, and it isn't worth using over a coverage move.
* Hidden Power Grass may be used so as to hit Water-types that check Salazzle, such as Gastrodon, Swampert, and Jellicent. However, this leaves it completely walled by Heatran, and said checks are handled well by Mega Venusaur.
Checks and Counters
===================
Poison
--------
**Heatran**: Heatran is immune to both Sludge Wave and Fire Blast thanks to its ability Flash Fire. It is also strong enough to hit switch-ins hard and can threaten Salazzle directly with Earth Power or Stone Edge. Air Balloon variants are especially problematic, as they are also immune to Hidden Power Ground and would require Salazzle to switch out.
**Toxapex**: Toxapex's typing allows it to resist both Sludge Wave and Fire Blast, and given its bulk, it is able to tank Hidden Power Ground quite well. It also directly threatens Salazzle with Scald. However, Toxapex cannot switch into Hidden Power Ground from Salazzle at +2.
**Specially defensive Pokemon**: Specially defensive Pokemon like Mantine, Gastrodon, and Jellicent are able to eat up any of Salazzle's unboosted attacks. Mantine is notable to being able to prevent it from setting up due to Haze.
**Rock-types**: Rock-types resist both Sludge Wave and Fire Blast and are usually bulky enough to survive Salazzle's coverage moves. They also threaten Salazzle with their Rock STAB.
**Faster Pokemon**: Salazzle is outsped by almost every viable Choice Scarf user, most notably Excadrill and Victini, and given its poor bulk, it is easily KOed by any strong neutral attack. Faster Pokemon like Mega Alakazam, Dugtrio, and Greninja and weather sweepers like Kingdra and Sand Rush Excadrill are also able to easily KO it.
**Priority users**: Given Salazzle's poor bulk, it is susceptible to being revenge killed by Pokemon that are notable for using priority moves. Although it resists Breloom's Mach Punch, Infernape's Vacuum Wave, and Mamoswine's Ice Shard, it still takes quite a bit of damage from them, and is also easily KOed by Azumarill's Aqua Jet, Dragonite's Extreme Speed, and Bisharp's Sucker Punch.
**Entry Hazards**: Salazzle's Fire typing makes it weak to the ever-so-common Stealth Rock. This when combined with the recoil from Life Orb wears it down pretty quickly, and care should be taken so that Salazzle doesn't have to switch into Stealth Rock too much. Sticky Web also hinders it quite a bit, since it reduces Salazzle's Speed and makes it much more susceptible to being revenge killed.
**Paralysis**: One of the main things that make Salazzle a great Steel check and a fine attacker in general is its superior Speed, which allows it to outspeed most of the unboosted meta. Paralysis cuts Salazzle's Speed by half, and renders it useless against an offensive team.
Last edited:
