[OVERVIEW]
Amoonguss is one of the metagame's best redirection support Pokemon, with high enough bulk to comfortably absorb neutral and resisted attacks and secondary utility through its access to Spore. Its ability Regenerator allows it to recover one-third of its HP whenever it switches out, making it extremely tough to KO if it isn't taken down in one strong blow. Amoonguss's bulk, combined with its Grass / Poison typing and Rage Powder utility, allows it to outright wall some top-tier threats like Tapu Koko and Zapdos. Other foes like Landorus-T, Zygarde, and Kingdra can bypass Amoonguss with spread attacks, but they still struggle to deliver meaningful damage to it and risk being afflicted by Spore. In general, Amoonguss poses an immediate threat to foes if Misty Terrain or Electric Terrain isn't active, as they risk being put to sleep by Spore if Amoonguss isn't dealt with promptly.
However, Amoonguss is easily forced out by strong Flying-, Psychic-, and Fire-types like Mega Salamence, Tapu Lele, and Mega Charizard Y. Amoonguss's utility as a Spore user is also severely hampered by the metagame's omnipresence of Electric Terrain and Misty Terrain, set by Tapu Koko and Tapu Fini, respectively. Furthermore, Amoonguss has a very passive presence on the battlefield. It struggles to deal meaningful damage to the majority of the metagame, only really posing a threat to foes with severe Poison or Grass weaknesses, like Tapu Bulu and Mega Swampert.
[SET]
name: Redirection Support
move 1: Rage Powder
move 2: Spore
move 3: Sludge Bomb / Giga Drain
move 4: Protect / Clear Smog
item: Sitrus Berry / Iapapa Berry
ability: Regenerator
nature: Sassy
evs: 240 HP / 80 Def / 188 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Rage Powder allows Amoonguss to redirect single-target attacks from its allies. Spore allows Amoonguss to put foes to sleep with 100% accuracy. Combined with Amoonguss's rock-bottom Speed, this lets Amoonguss pose a significant threat to the opposing team when Trick Room is set. Sludge Bomb is generally the preferred attacking move on Amoonguss, as it hits the four island guardians for respectable damage. Giga Drain is an alternative option, hitting prominent Water-types like Tapu Fini, Milotic, and Mega Swampert for decent damage while also providing another form of recovery to Amoonguss. Protect is generally used in the last slot, allowing Amoonguss to stall out a turn while its ally deals with any pressing threats on the battlefield. However, Amoonguss is bulky enough that it can afford to do away with Protect, so running Clear Smog in this slot is another option to reset the stat boosts of prominent setup attackers such as Curse Snorlax, Calm Mind Tapu Fini, and Coil Milotic.
Set Details
========
The given spread, combined with a Sitrus Berry, a Sassy nature, and 0 Speed IVs, minimizes Amoonguss's Speed for optimal performance inside of Trick Room, allows Amoonguss to survive two Heat Waves from Modest Heatran after Sitrus Berry recovery, and maximizes its overall bulk. 240 HP EVs give Amoonguss 429 HP, which is the highest HP to maximize recovery from Sitrus Berry while minimizing residual damage from sand, hail, and burns. Instead of a Sitrus Berry, an Iapapa Berry can be used to receive twice as much recovery, but it requires Amoonguss's HP to dip below 25% to activate. An alternative EV spread of 240 HP / 208 Def / 60 SpD in combination with a Sassy nature and Iapapa Berry allows Amoonguss to survive a Adamant Landorus-T's Tectonic Rage, plus a subsequent Earthquake after Iapapa Berry recovery, while maximizing Special Defense after hitting that benchmark. Regenerator is the preferred ability for Amoonguss, as it allows Amoonguss to recover a third of its HP every time it switches out.
Usage Tips
========
Amoonguss works well at almost any point in the game to provide redirection support for its allies or just serve as a bulky pivot that absorbs attacks in place of teammates that don't want to. When Electric and Misty Terrain are down, use Spore to immobilize the foes that are particularly threatening to your team. Keep in mind that even when the aforementioned Terrains are active, Spore can still be used on Flying-types and levitating Pokemon. Be wary of Grass-types and foes carrying Safety Goggles, as they can ignore both Rage Powder and Spore. Regenerator gives Amoonguss plenty of opportunities to recover, so don't be afraid to pivot Amoonguss in on a neutral or resisted hit and definitely don't think twice about switching it out if it's in danger. Offensively, Amoonguss is very weak and passive, so don't keep it in when Terrains prevent sleep, or when redirection support isn't needed.
Team Options
========
Most ally Pokemon appreciate Amoonguss's ability to redirect attacks, but setup attackers like Mega Salamence, Zygarde, Tapu Fini, and Porygon-Z especially appreciate Amoonguss's presence. Trick Room setters like Hoopa-U and Diancie have great synergy with Amoonguss, as Amoonguss helps the setters activate Trick Room while Amoonguss gets to move first once Trick Room is set. Out of the four island guardians, Tapu Lele is usually the best teammate for Amoonguss, as Psychic Terrain cancels out Electric and Misty Terrain, allowing Amoonguss to freely use Spore on its foes. Tapu Bulu is also able to reset sleep-cancelling Terrains, but it shares most of the same weaknesses Amoonguss has. Although less than ideal, Amoonguss is still capable of being on the same team as Tapu Koko and Tapu Fini; Amoonguss is redirection utility first and foremost, and it still does an excellent job at that when paired with them. Although Amoonguss is usually placed on teams to support allies and not be supported by them, it certainly appreciates teammates that can clear out the strong Flying-, Psychic-, Fire-, and Ice-type Pokemon that Amoonguss struggles with. Tyranitar stands out as a Pokemon that clears out all of the aforementioned threats, and in return Amoonguss can help it set up a Dragon Dance. Rain sweepers like Kingdra and Mega Swampert are adept at clearing out Fire-types with their STAB moves, Flying-types with Ice coverage, and Psychic-types with rain-boosted sheer force. Landorus does a decent job at threatening out Flying- and Fire-types like Mega Salamence and Mega Charizard Y. Because Amoonguss is so passive offensively, try not to use too many other passive Pokemon besides Amoonguss on your team.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Resist Berries like Payapa Berry, Occa Berry, and Coba Berry can be used over Sitrus or Iapapa Berry to patch up some of Amoonguss's weaknesses, allowing it to lure would-be counters like Tapu Lele, Mega Charizard Y, and Mega Salamence into attacking before retaliating with Spore. Sunny Day can be used to hard counter rain teams, since Amoonguss has ample opportunity to reset weather in the face of opposing rain sweepers due to its high bulk and Grass typing. While Amoonguss is traditionally known for its access to Spore, it is also capable of running other status moves like Toxic and Stun Spore, which still work under Electric Terrain. Finally, Mental Herb can be used to counter Taunt users like Mega Gengar and Tapu Koko.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Flying-types**: Prominent Flying-types like Mega Salamence and Shaymin-S threaten severe damage, if not an outright KO, against Amoonguss with their STAB attacks. Shaymin-S's Air Slash also has a 60% chance to cause Amoonguss to flinch, and its Grass typing lets it ignore Amoonguss's powder moves.
**Psychic-types**: Prominent Psychic-types like Tapu Lele, Mega Metagross, and Deoxys-A all threaten to OHKO Amoonguss with their STAB attacks, especially when Psychic Terrain is activated.
**Fire-types**: Powerful Fire-types like Heatran, Mega Charizard Y, and Volcarona are able to quickly tear away at Amoonguss's HP, if not OHKO it outright under sun. These threats are also able to bypass Rage Powder using Heat Wave.
**Ice-types**: Strong Ice-types like Kyurem-B, Alolan Ninetales, and Mega Abomasnow are able to swiftly tear away at Amoonguss's HP with their STAB attacks, and the latter is immune to Amoonguss's powder attacks due to its Grass typing.
**Grass-types**: Grass-types like Shaymin-S, Mega Abomasnow, and Tapu Bulu are able to ignore Amoonguss's presence on the battlefield, as they're immune to Amoonguss's powder moves. However, Tapu Bulu must be wary of Sludge Bomb, which exploits its 4x weakness to Poison-type attacks.
**Taunt and Substitute**: Amoonguss is primarily a support Pokemon, with little to no use as an offensive threat. Therefore, Taunt users like Mega Gengar and Tapu Koko render it virtually useless, and Substitute users like Heatran and Aegislash are able to set up freely against Amoonguss with little consequence.
**Misty Terrain and Electric Terrain**: Misty Terrain and Electric Terrain, as set by top-tier threats Tapu Fini and Tapu Koko, both shut down Spore, thereby preventing Amoonguss from using Spore as a means of pressuring foes.
**Safety Goggles**: Although uncommon, opposing Pokemon may opt to counterteam Amoonguss by wearing Safety Goggles as a means of bypassing Rage Powder and Spore.
Amoonguss is one of the metagame's best redirection support Pokemon, with high enough bulk to comfortably absorb neutral and resisted attacks and secondary utility through its access to Spore. Its ability Regenerator allows it to recover one-third of its HP whenever it switches out, making it extremely tough to KO if it isn't taken down in one strong blow. Amoonguss's bulk, combined with its Grass / Poison typing and Rage Powder utility, allows it to outright wall some top-tier threats like Tapu Koko and Zapdos. Other foes like Landorus-T, Zygarde, and Kingdra can bypass Amoonguss with spread attacks, but they still struggle to deliver meaningful damage to it and risk being afflicted by Spore. In general, Amoonguss poses an immediate threat to foes if Misty Terrain or Electric Terrain isn't active, as they risk being put to sleep by Spore if Amoonguss isn't dealt with promptly.
However, Amoonguss is easily forced out by strong Flying-, Psychic-, and Fire-types like Mega Salamence, Tapu Lele, and Mega Charizard Y. Amoonguss's utility as a Spore user is also severely hampered by the metagame's omnipresence of Electric Terrain and Misty Terrain, set by Tapu Koko and Tapu Fini, respectively. Furthermore, Amoonguss has a very passive presence on the battlefield. It struggles to deal meaningful damage to the majority of the metagame, only really posing a threat to foes with severe Poison or Grass weaknesses, like Tapu Bulu and Mega Swampert.
[SET]
name: Redirection Support
move 1: Rage Powder
move 2: Spore
move 3: Sludge Bomb / Giga Drain
move 4: Protect / Clear Smog
item: Sitrus Berry / Iapapa Berry
ability: Regenerator
nature: Sassy
evs: 240 HP / 80 Def / 188 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Rage Powder allows Amoonguss to redirect single-target attacks from its allies. Spore allows Amoonguss to put foes to sleep with 100% accuracy. Combined with Amoonguss's rock-bottom Speed, this lets Amoonguss pose a significant threat to the opposing team when Trick Room is set. Sludge Bomb is generally the preferred attacking move on Amoonguss, as it hits the four island guardians for respectable damage. Giga Drain is an alternative option, hitting prominent Water-types like Tapu Fini, Milotic, and Mega Swampert for decent damage while also providing another form of recovery to Amoonguss. Protect is generally used in the last slot, allowing Amoonguss to stall out a turn while its ally deals with any pressing threats on the battlefield. However, Amoonguss is bulky enough that it can afford to do away with Protect, so running Clear Smog in this slot is another option to reset the stat boosts of prominent setup attackers such as Curse Snorlax, Calm Mind Tapu Fini, and Coil Milotic.
Set Details
========
The given spread, combined with a Sitrus Berry, a Sassy nature, and 0 Speed IVs, minimizes Amoonguss's Speed for optimal performance inside of Trick Room, allows Amoonguss to survive two Heat Waves from Modest Heatran after Sitrus Berry recovery, and maximizes its overall bulk. 240 HP EVs give Amoonguss 429 HP, which is the highest HP to maximize recovery from Sitrus Berry while minimizing residual damage from sand, hail, and burns. Instead of a Sitrus Berry, an Iapapa Berry can be used to receive twice as much recovery, but it requires Amoonguss's HP to dip below 25% to activate. An alternative EV spread of 240 HP / 208 Def / 60 SpD in combination with a Sassy nature and Iapapa Berry allows Amoonguss to survive a Adamant Landorus-T's Tectonic Rage, plus a subsequent Earthquake after Iapapa Berry recovery, while maximizing Special Defense after hitting that benchmark. Regenerator is the preferred ability for Amoonguss, as it allows Amoonguss to recover a third of its HP every time it switches out.
Usage Tips
========
Amoonguss works well at almost any point in the game to provide redirection support for its allies or just serve as a bulky pivot that absorbs attacks in place of teammates that don't want to. When Electric and Misty Terrain are down, use Spore to immobilize the foes that are particularly threatening to your team. Keep in mind that even when the aforementioned Terrains are active, Spore can still be used on Flying-types and levitating Pokemon. Be wary of Grass-types and foes carrying Safety Goggles, as they can ignore both Rage Powder and Spore. Regenerator gives Amoonguss plenty of opportunities to recover, so don't be afraid to pivot Amoonguss in on a neutral or resisted hit and definitely don't think twice about switching it out if it's in danger. Offensively, Amoonguss is very weak and passive, so don't keep it in when Terrains prevent sleep, or when redirection support isn't needed.
Team Options
========
Most ally Pokemon appreciate Amoonguss's ability to redirect attacks, but setup attackers like Mega Salamence, Zygarde, Tapu Fini, and Porygon-Z especially appreciate Amoonguss's presence. Trick Room setters like Hoopa-U and Diancie have great synergy with Amoonguss, as Amoonguss helps the setters activate Trick Room while Amoonguss gets to move first once Trick Room is set. Out of the four island guardians, Tapu Lele is usually the best teammate for Amoonguss, as Psychic Terrain cancels out Electric and Misty Terrain, allowing Amoonguss to freely use Spore on its foes. Tapu Bulu is also able to reset sleep-cancelling Terrains, but it shares most of the same weaknesses Amoonguss has. Although less than ideal, Amoonguss is still capable of being on the same team as Tapu Koko and Tapu Fini; Amoonguss is redirection utility first and foremost, and it still does an excellent job at that when paired with them. Although Amoonguss is usually placed on teams to support allies and not be supported by them, it certainly appreciates teammates that can clear out the strong Flying-, Psychic-, Fire-, and Ice-type Pokemon that Amoonguss struggles with. Tyranitar stands out as a Pokemon that clears out all of the aforementioned threats, and in return Amoonguss can help it set up a Dragon Dance. Rain sweepers like Kingdra and Mega Swampert are adept at clearing out Fire-types with their STAB moves, Flying-types with Ice coverage, and Psychic-types with rain-boosted sheer force. Landorus does a decent job at threatening out Flying- and Fire-types like Mega Salamence and Mega Charizard Y. Because Amoonguss is so passive offensively, try not to use too many other passive Pokemon besides Amoonguss on your team.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Resist Berries like Payapa Berry, Occa Berry, and Coba Berry can be used over Sitrus or Iapapa Berry to patch up some of Amoonguss's weaknesses, allowing it to lure would-be counters like Tapu Lele, Mega Charizard Y, and Mega Salamence into attacking before retaliating with Spore. Sunny Day can be used to hard counter rain teams, since Amoonguss has ample opportunity to reset weather in the face of opposing rain sweepers due to its high bulk and Grass typing. While Amoonguss is traditionally known for its access to Spore, it is also capable of running other status moves like Toxic and Stun Spore, which still work under Electric Terrain. Finally, Mental Herb can be used to counter Taunt users like Mega Gengar and Tapu Koko.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Flying-types**: Prominent Flying-types like Mega Salamence and Shaymin-S threaten severe damage, if not an outright KO, against Amoonguss with their STAB attacks. Shaymin-S's Air Slash also has a 60% chance to cause Amoonguss to flinch, and its Grass typing lets it ignore Amoonguss's powder moves.
**Psychic-types**: Prominent Psychic-types like Tapu Lele, Mega Metagross, and Deoxys-A all threaten to OHKO Amoonguss with their STAB attacks, especially when Psychic Terrain is activated.
**Fire-types**: Powerful Fire-types like Heatran, Mega Charizard Y, and Volcarona are able to quickly tear away at Amoonguss's HP, if not OHKO it outright under sun. These threats are also able to bypass Rage Powder using Heat Wave.
**Ice-types**: Strong Ice-types like Kyurem-B, Alolan Ninetales, and Mega Abomasnow are able to swiftly tear away at Amoonguss's HP with their STAB attacks, and the latter is immune to Amoonguss's powder attacks due to its Grass typing.
**Grass-types**: Grass-types like Shaymin-S, Mega Abomasnow, and Tapu Bulu are able to ignore Amoonguss's presence on the battlefield, as they're immune to Amoonguss's powder moves. However, Tapu Bulu must be wary of Sludge Bomb, which exploits its 4x weakness to Poison-type attacks.
**Taunt and Substitute**: Amoonguss is primarily a support Pokemon, with little to no use as an offensive threat. Therefore, Taunt users like Mega Gengar and Tapu Koko render it virtually useless, and Substitute users like Heatran and Aegislash are able to set up freely against Amoonguss with little consequence.
**Misty Terrain and Electric Terrain**: Misty Terrain and Electric Terrain, as set by top-tier threats Tapu Fini and Tapu Koko, both shut down Spore, thereby preventing Amoonguss from using Spore as a means of pressuring foes.
**Safety Goggles**: Although uncommon, opposing Pokemon may opt to counterteam Amoonguss by wearing Safety Goggles as a means of bypassing Rage Powder and Spore.
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