[OVERVIEW]
Minior is an amazing late-game cleaner on offensive teams in the RU metagame thanks to its Shields Down ability, which gives it good bulk and an immunity to status until its HP is below half, thus nearly guaranteeing setup alongside giving its offensive stats and Speed immense boosts upon entering its Core forme. Complementing Minior's useful ability is an amazing offensive Rock / Flying typing that, alongside Earthquake, is unresisted by almost the entire metagame. Furthermore, upon boosting with Shell Smash and exiting its Meteor forme, Minior will be able to outpace the entire unboosted metagame, thus forcing foes to rely on priority or tanking a hit to revenge kill it. It can also create easy setup opportunities and chances to activate Shields Down thanks to its access to Substitute and ability to force switches. Unfortunately, despite its perks, Minior's typing leaves it with weaknesses to Stealth Rock as well as common types in Electric, Water, and Ice. Minior also only has decent bulk and offensive stats in its Meteor and base formes, respectively, meaning that especially powerful attacks may KO it before it can set up, and it will lack power even after it boosts. It will also be quite slow before a boost or before it's out of its Meteor forme, which leaves it prone to Taunt. Lastly, the presence of certain defensive Pokemon, like Bronzong, Doublade, and Porygon2, also hurts it, as these threats are all bulky enough to withstand even boosted hits and in return KO or status Minior.
[SET]
name: Shell Smash
move 1: Shell Smash
move 2: Acrobatics
move 3: Substitute / Stone Edge
move 4: Earthquake
item: White Herb
ability: Shields Down
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Shell Smash is mandatory for boosting Minior's Attack and Speed by two stages each and, after Shields Down activates, turning it into an extremely threatening late-game cleaner. Acrobatics is Minior's most powerful STAB option after its White Herb has been consumed and allows it to reliably break past the likes of Chesnaught, Heracross, Venusaur, and Dhelmise. Substitute is a reliable option for giving Minior an opportunity to set up, as well as whittling down its HP more quickly to activate Shields Down. Stone Edge is an option over Substitute that offers decent coverage alongside Acrobatics, allowing Minior to hit Fire-, Flying-, and Ice-types such as Rotom-H, Mantine, and Cloyster super effectively. Earthquake rounds off Minior's excellent coverage, hitting Rock- and Steel-types like Gigalith, Doublade, and Registeel super effectively.
Set Details
========
Maximum investment in Attack allows Minior to hit as hard as possible, while maximum investment in Speed allows it to outpace the entire boosted metagame after it has boosted its Speed and is in its base forme. White Herb is the preferred item, as it allows Minior to remove the drop in its defenses that it will receive upon setting up, as well as boosting the power of its Acrobatics afterward. An Adamant nature is useful for giving Minior's attacks as much power as possible while still allowing it to outpace the entire boosted metagame after a boost, meaning that a Jolly nature isn't usually preferred. Shields Down is Minior's only possible ability but is useful for allowing it to set up reliably thanks to the good bulk that it's provided with before transforming to its base forme.
Usage Tips
========
This set's best use is as a late-game cleaner, as Minior will only be able to successfully sweep once its checks have been weakened or removed due to its slight lack of power even after a boost. Most Steel-types should be weakened a considerable amount before Minior attempts a sweep, as many, such as Escavalier, Doublade, and Registeel, are all bulky enough to even take super effective hits and KO Minior with STAB attacks. Bronzong in particular should be removed completely, as it is either immune or resistant to all of Minior's attacks. Bulky Pokemon such as Gligar, Porygon2, and Rhyperior should also be weakened quite a bit, as even when boosted, Minior can struggle to break past these threats, which threaten it with either super effective attacks or status. Bulky Water-types are another concern of Minior's and should also be removed or weakened before it attempts to clean up late-game. In order to reliably set up with Shell Smash, Minior should aim to set up against foes that it forces out, such as Torkoal, Salazzle, and Honchkrow, as well as against Pokemon that likely won't be able to do anything to Minior, like Necrozma, Florges, and Choice-locked Stoutland. Passive Pokemon that generally rely on status to deal damage, such as Cresselia, also make good setup bait thanks to Minior's immunity to status when in its Meteor forme. If Minior is running Substitute, it should feel free to use the move against the aforementioned setup targets, as it will then ensure an opportunity to use Shell Smash. Minior should almost never try switching into attacks, as Shields Down must be preserved in order to guarantee a chance to set up. Due to this, Minior is best brought into play via slow pivot support or after a teammate has fainted.
Team Options
========
Whimsicott is a particularly useful teammate, as it can dent bulky Water-types like Blastoise and Milotic with STAB Giga Drain, lock foes into moves that don't threaten Minior with Encore, provide pivot support, and support Minior with Memento. Other Pokemon capable of providing Minior with pivot support, such as Gligar and Rotom-C, are good teammates, as they can safely bring Minior into play. Checks to Steel-types, which pose quite the threat to Minior, are very appreciated. Examples of Pokemon that can check Steel-types include Chesnaught and Toxicroak, which can both also threaten bulky Water-types, and Torkoal, which upon summoning sun, can help reduce the power of the Water-type attacks that threaten Minior. Rotom-H is a particularly useful teammate, as it can break past both bulky Steel- and Water-types and cripple physical attackers with Will-O-Wisp to help give Minior more setup opportunities. Checks to bulky Water-types, such as Shaymin, Heliolisk, and Roserade, make great teammates, as Minior hates dealing with the likes of Milotic, Mantine, and Blastoise. Powerful wallbreakers like Swellow, Fire Blast Nidoqueen, Honchkrow, and Dragalge can all weaken or remove the checks they share with Minior that it would otherwise fail to defeat by itself. Cloyster in particular is a useful teammate, as it shares many of Minior's checks and can weaken them with Breakneck Blitz from Explosion. Entry hazard removal from the likes of Mantine, Dhelmise, or Donphan is optimal, as without hazard control support, Minior will be forced to take 25% of its health from Stealth Rock upon switching in, which severely compromises its setup capabilities. Dark-types such as Honchkrow, Sneasel, and Zoroark, which can lure Steel-types with Flamethrower thanks to Illusion, generally make useful partners, as they can threaten Minior's two biggest checks in Bronzong and Doublade and use Knock Off to remove Eviolites from the likes of Ferroseed and Porygon2, which Minior can then have an easier time breaking past. Sneasel and Zoroark also come with the benefit of Pursuit, which can be used to ensure the removal or weakening of Bronzong and Doublade.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Normalium Z + Explosion is a powerful option that aids Minior in breaking past some of its traditional checks, but this is better done by Cloyster, which has more room for the move and isn't as reliant on the removal of Steel-types. Substitute alongside a Liechi Berry can help to even further boost Minior's Attack when it's been weakened enough, as well as giving it better chances to activate Shields Down. Rock Slide can be used over Stone Edge for its better accuracy and flinch chance; however, Minior generally wants as much power as it can get and thus prefers the better damage output that Stone Edge provides. A specially offensive set is an option due to Minior's access to good coverage in the form of Psychic, Dazzling Gleam, and Hidden Power. Unfortunately, Minior lacks a good special Flying-type attack and breaks past more foes with its main set. Autotomize with a Sitrus Berry is plausible on paper but rather ineffective in practice, as Minior will lack power and rely on a far more situational method of item consumption to power up Acrobatics.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Bulky Water-types**: Mantine, Milotic, Blastoise, and Slowbro can all tank at least one hit from full HP and in return dent Minior with their super effective STAB attacks, as well as threatening to burn it with Scald.
**Steel-types**: Steel-types can easily tank a boosted Earthquake and KO Minior with super effective STAB attacks. Examples include Escavalier, Registeel, and particularly Bronzong and Doublade; the former's typing and access to Levitate leave it resistant to all of Minior's attacks and makes it fully capable of tanking hits and threatening Minior with STAB Gyro Ball, while the latter can capitalize on its good bulk to tank an Earthquake or two and OHKO Minior with a boosted Iron Head.
**Electric-types**: Although they can't take care of it when boosted, Electric-types like Galvantula, Heliolisk, Rotom-H, and Jolteon can all threaten to outpace Minior when it's in its base forme and KO it with super effective STAB attacks. Rotom-C is particularly threatening, as its access to Levitate and additional Grass typing prevent it from taking super effective damage from any of Minior's attacks.
**Physically Bulky Pokemon**: Due to Minior's slight lack of power even after a boost, it can struggle to break through the likes of especially bulky Pokemon in Donphan, Porygon2, Necrozma, and Slowbro, which can all threaten Minior with powerful attacks or status.
**Stealth Rock**: If Stealth Rock is on Minior's side of the field and there is no way to remove it, Minior is forced to lose 25% of its HP upon switching in, thus worsening its chances of reliable setup.
**Powerful Wallbreakers**: Despite Minior's adequate bulk in its Meteor forme, particularly powerful wallbreakers such as Araquanid, Nidoqueen, Goodra, and Bruxish can threaten to OHKO it from full HP.
**Strong Priority**: Minior's typing and poor bulk after Shields Down has activated leaves it extremely susceptible to common priority, such as Sneasel's Ice Shard, Bruxish's Aqua Jet, Zoroark and Honchkrow's Sucker Punch, and Lycanroc's Accelerock.
Minior is an amazing late-game cleaner on offensive teams in the RU metagame thanks to its Shields Down ability, which gives it good bulk and an immunity to status until its HP is below half, thus nearly guaranteeing setup alongside giving its offensive stats and Speed immense boosts upon entering its Core forme. Complementing Minior's useful ability is an amazing offensive Rock / Flying typing that, alongside Earthquake, is unresisted by almost the entire metagame. Furthermore, upon boosting with Shell Smash and exiting its Meteor forme, Minior will be able to outpace the entire unboosted metagame, thus forcing foes to rely on priority or tanking a hit to revenge kill it. It can also create easy setup opportunities and chances to activate Shields Down thanks to its access to Substitute and ability to force switches. Unfortunately, despite its perks, Minior's typing leaves it with weaknesses to Stealth Rock as well as common types in Electric, Water, and Ice. Minior also only has decent bulk and offensive stats in its Meteor and base formes, respectively, meaning that especially powerful attacks may KO it before it can set up, and it will lack power even after it boosts. It will also be quite slow before a boost or before it's out of its Meteor forme, which leaves it prone to Taunt. Lastly, the presence of certain defensive Pokemon, like Bronzong, Doublade, and Porygon2, also hurts it, as these threats are all bulky enough to withstand even boosted hits and in return KO or status Minior.
[SET]
name: Shell Smash
move 1: Shell Smash
move 2: Acrobatics
move 3: Substitute / Stone Edge
move 4: Earthquake
item: White Herb
ability: Shields Down
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Shell Smash is mandatory for boosting Minior's Attack and Speed by two stages each and, after Shields Down activates, turning it into an extremely threatening late-game cleaner. Acrobatics is Minior's most powerful STAB option after its White Herb has been consumed and allows it to reliably break past the likes of Chesnaught, Heracross, Venusaur, and Dhelmise. Substitute is a reliable option for giving Minior an opportunity to set up, as well as whittling down its HP more quickly to activate Shields Down. Stone Edge is an option over Substitute that offers decent coverage alongside Acrobatics, allowing Minior to hit Fire-, Flying-, and Ice-types such as Rotom-H, Mantine, and Cloyster super effectively. Earthquake rounds off Minior's excellent coverage, hitting Rock- and Steel-types like Gigalith, Doublade, and Registeel super effectively.
Set Details
========
Maximum investment in Attack allows Minior to hit as hard as possible, while maximum investment in Speed allows it to outpace the entire boosted metagame after it has boosted its Speed and is in its base forme. White Herb is the preferred item, as it allows Minior to remove the drop in its defenses that it will receive upon setting up, as well as boosting the power of its Acrobatics afterward. An Adamant nature is useful for giving Minior's attacks as much power as possible while still allowing it to outpace the entire boosted metagame after a boost, meaning that a Jolly nature isn't usually preferred. Shields Down is Minior's only possible ability but is useful for allowing it to set up reliably thanks to the good bulk that it's provided with before transforming to its base forme.
Usage Tips
========
This set's best use is as a late-game cleaner, as Minior will only be able to successfully sweep once its checks have been weakened or removed due to its slight lack of power even after a boost. Most Steel-types should be weakened a considerable amount before Minior attempts a sweep, as many, such as Escavalier, Doublade, and Registeel, are all bulky enough to even take super effective hits and KO Minior with STAB attacks. Bronzong in particular should be removed completely, as it is either immune or resistant to all of Minior's attacks. Bulky Pokemon such as Gligar, Porygon2, and Rhyperior should also be weakened quite a bit, as even when boosted, Minior can struggle to break past these threats, which threaten it with either super effective attacks or status. Bulky Water-types are another concern of Minior's and should also be removed or weakened before it attempts to clean up late-game. In order to reliably set up with Shell Smash, Minior should aim to set up against foes that it forces out, such as Torkoal, Salazzle, and Honchkrow, as well as against Pokemon that likely won't be able to do anything to Minior, like Necrozma, Florges, and Choice-locked Stoutland. Passive Pokemon that generally rely on status to deal damage, such as Cresselia, also make good setup bait thanks to Minior's immunity to status when in its Meteor forme. If Minior is running Substitute, it should feel free to use the move against the aforementioned setup targets, as it will then ensure an opportunity to use Shell Smash. Minior should almost never try switching into attacks, as Shields Down must be preserved in order to guarantee a chance to set up. Due to this, Minior is best brought into play via slow pivot support or after a teammate has fainted.
Team Options
========
Whimsicott is a particularly useful teammate, as it can dent bulky Water-types like Blastoise and Milotic with STAB Giga Drain, lock foes into moves that don't threaten Minior with Encore, provide pivot support, and support Minior with Memento. Other Pokemon capable of providing Minior with pivot support, such as Gligar and Rotom-C, are good teammates, as they can safely bring Minior into play. Checks to Steel-types, which pose quite the threat to Minior, are very appreciated. Examples of Pokemon that can check Steel-types include Chesnaught and Toxicroak, which can both also threaten bulky Water-types, and Torkoal, which upon summoning sun, can help reduce the power of the Water-type attacks that threaten Minior. Rotom-H is a particularly useful teammate, as it can break past both bulky Steel- and Water-types and cripple physical attackers with Will-O-Wisp to help give Minior more setup opportunities. Checks to bulky Water-types, such as Shaymin, Heliolisk, and Roserade, make great teammates, as Minior hates dealing with the likes of Milotic, Mantine, and Blastoise. Powerful wallbreakers like Swellow, Fire Blast Nidoqueen, Honchkrow, and Dragalge can all weaken or remove the checks they share with Minior that it would otherwise fail to defeat by itself. Cloyster in particular is a useful teammate, as it shares many of Minior's checks and can weaken them with Breakneck Blitz from Explosion. Entry hazard removal from the likes of Mantine, Dhelmise, or Donphan is optimal, as without hazard control support, Minior will be forced to take 25% of its health from Stealth Rock upon switching in, which severely compromises its setup capabilities. Dark-types such as Honchkrow, Sneasel, and Zoroark, which can lure Steel-types with Flamethrower thanks to Illusion, generally make useful partners, as they can threaten Minior's two biggest checks in Bronzong and Doublade and use Knock Off to remove Eviolites from the likes of Ferroseed and Porygon2, which Minior can then have an easier time breaking past. Sneasel and Zoroark also come with the benefit of Pursuit, which can be used to ensure the removal or weakening of Bronzong and Doublade.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Normalium Z + Explosion is a powerful option that aids Minior in breaking past some of its traditional checks, but this is better done by Cloyster, which has more room for the move and isn't as reliant on the removal of Steel-types. Substitute alongside a Liechi Berry can help to even further boost Minior's Attack when it's been weakened enough, as well as giving it better chances to activate Shields Down. Rock Slide can be used over Stone Edge for its better accuracy and flinch chance; however, Minior generally wants as much power as it can get and thus prefers the better damage output that Stone Edge provides. A specially offensive set is an option due to Minior's access to good coverage in the form of Psychic, Dazzling Gleam, and Hidden Power. Unfortunately, Minior lacks a good special Flying-type attack and breaks past more foes with its main set. Autotomize with a Sitrus Berry is plausible on paper but rather ineffective in practice, as Minior will lack power and rely on a far more situational method of item consumption to power up Acrobatics.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Bulky Water-types**: Mantine, Milotic, Blastoise, and Slowbro can all tank at least one hit from full HP and in return dent Minior with their super effective STAB attacks, as well as threatening to burn it with Scald.
**Steel-types**: Steel-types can easily tank a boosted Earthquake and KO Minior with super effective STAB attacks. Examples include Escavalier, Registeel, and particularly Bronzong and Doublade; the former's typing and access to Levitate leave it resistant to all of Minior's attacks and makes it fully capable of tanking hits and threatening Minior with STAB Gyro Ball, while the latter can capitalize on its good bulk to tank an Earthquake or two and OHKO Minior with a boosted Iron Head.
**Electric-types**: Although they can't take care of it when boosted, Electric-types like Galvantula, Heliolisk, Rotom-H, and Jolteon can all threaten to outpace Minior when it's in its base forme and KO it with super effective STAB attacks. Rotom-C is particularly threatening, as its access to Levitate and additional Grass typing prevent it from taking super effective damage from any of Minior's attacks.
**Physically Bulky Pokemon**: Due to Minior's slight lack of power even after a boost, it can struggle to break through the likes of especially bulky Pokemon in Donphan, Porygon2, Necrozma, and Slowbro, which can all threaten Minior with powerful attacks or status.
**Stealth Rock**: If Stealth Rock is on Minior's side of the field and there is no way to remove it, Minior is forced to lose 25% of its HP upon switching in, thus worsening its chances of reliable setup.
**Powerful Wallbreakers**: Despite Minior's adequate bulk in its Meteor forme, particularly powerful wallbreakers such as Araquanid, Nidoqueen, Goodra, and Bruxish can threaten to OHKO it from full HP.
**Strong Priority**: Minior's typing and poor bulk after Shields Down has activated leaves it extremely susceptible to common priority, such as Sneasel's Ice Shard, Bruxish's Aqua Jet, Zoroark and Honchkrow's Sucker Punch, and Lycanroc's Accelerock.
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