[Overview]
<p>From the cold, dark depths of the great Johto sea comes a fish that strikes fear into the hearts of Electric-types everywhere. Chinchou is the only Water / Electric type in Little Cup, which lets it check Electric-types while damaging opposing Water-types like Staryu.
This is furthered by theChinchou's lack of a weakness to Electric is further improved by its wonderful ability
known as, Volt Absorb. Not only does
thisit give Chinchou an immunity to Electric attacks, but it also heals Chinchou each time it activates; this makes even Water / Ground types jealous
. This ability is of Chinchou's ability to switch into Electric-type attacks. Chinchou's typing and ability are backed by a fabulous base 75 HP stat and a decent base 67 Speed stat. Finally, the best thing ever given to this floppy fish is Volt Switch, which gives Chinchou a brand new role as a scout. Even Ground-types fear Chinchou because it can blast them with a Hydro Pump and continue on its way. It also has a movepool as deep as the sea it came from, with both offensive and defensive options at its disposal,
which includ
esing the coveted Heal Bell.</p>
<p>With so many amazing qualities, you might wonder why Chinchou isn't on every Little Cup team in existence. Despite being a versatile Pokemon overall, Chinchou is held back by its other, less impressive
statattributes. It has very pitiful Defense,
which makesmaking the Fighting-types littered about Little Cup a major threat to it.
ItChinchou also has subpar Special Attack, which means any attempt at being
an offensive
threat will be a rather weak
one. Its Special Defense isn't good either, so Chinchou won't be taking hits if it isn't equipped with an Eviolite. Its Speed is also average,
and it iscausing it to be outsped by fast attackers.
Don't let these negative qualities take away from Chinchou's positive ones. IHowever, despite all of its shortcomings, Chinchou manages to be a threat in LC; if you're not careful, Chinchou will drag you down to the deepest trench in the ocean and make you its prey.</p>
[SET]
name: Eviolite Offensive
move 1: Hydro Pump
move 2: Volt Switch / Thunderbolt
move 3: Hidden Power Grass
move 4: Heal Bell
item: Eviolite
ability: Volt Absorb
nature: Modest
evs: 52 Def / 232 SAtk / 224 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This is Chinchou's most versatile set. It can be a great special attacker
and be supportive as wellwhile also supporting its team with Heal Bell. Hydro Pump is a must, as Chinchou needs it to ensure the highest power output
possible. Volt Switch is a great scouting move, and it deals good damage with STAB and the given EVs. However, as
itusing Volt Switch forces Chinchou
to switch out, Thunderbolt can be used as a more reliable attack
. Note that if you use Thunderbolt, you won't miss any KOs you could get with Volt Switch, but rather a significant loss at the expense of losing opportunities to gain momentum. Hidden Power Grass is used for opposing Chinchou, which can take both
a Hydro Pump and Volt Switch or Thunderbolt with ease. Heal Bell is the icing on the cake; Chinchou can
protectrelieve itself and its teammates from any status conditions at the cost of a
turn, taking the role of a cleric onto its shoulders. Coupled withsingle turn. With the combination of Volt Absorb and Heal Bell, Chinchou fills th
ise role
of a cleric nicely.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>With the given EV spread and Eviolite, Chinchou has 24 / 15 / 18 defenses, 16 Special Attack, and 16 Speed. This means Chinchou will
be having a ball with whatever it goes up againstmatch up well with almost anything in the tier so long as it's not
a Grass
-type
d.
Most troubling to our dear old friend is Drilbur in sandDrilbur in sand, however, is also troubling to Chinchou. Despite being able to hit the mole with Hydro Pump, Chinchou can't outspeed it in sand, and its
Electric typing means that Drilbur can easily OHKO it with Earthquake.
Therefore, Snover or Scarf Porygon make
an excellent teammate
s to deal with Drilbur. Another troubling opponent is Lileep, which blocks Hydro Pump with Storm Drain, takes little damage from anything else, and can KO
Chinchou with Giga Drain. Mienfoo and Timburr can easily dispatch Lileep, and Mienfoo enjoys having
its burns healedany burns inflicted to it healed away by Chinchou's Heal Bell. Misdreavus, with her high Special Defense, can handle all of Chinchou's attacks with ease and start wreaking havoc. Scraggy and Murkrow can both get rid of Misdreavus, and both of them receive aid in return; with Heal Bell support, Scraggy can use Moxie instead of Shed Skin and have an easier time sweeping teams.
In Murkrow
's case, the dark bird now has something to take pesky Thunderbolts and Thunder Waves for it, and can help remove Grass-types for Chinchou.</p>
[SET]
name: RestTalk
move 1: Scald
move 2: Heal Bell / Discharge
move 3: Rest
move 4: Sleep Talk
item: Eviolite
ability: Volt Absorb
nature: Bold
evs: 76 HP / 132 Def / 228 SDef / 60 Spd
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Say hello to the number one Murkrow counter to ever exist in Little Cup: RestTalk Chinchou. Most Murkrow are strong enough to harm
regular offensive Chinchou even with
resisted Brave Bird and then finish
itChinchou off with Sucker Punch.
Now, this is not the caseWith this set, however, the case is different. This Chinchou takes very little from Brave Bird and can avoid Sucker Punch with Rest and Sleep Talk. Poor old Murkrow now has no choice but to flee the scene, and is forever embarrassed by the fact that it is now a bird that can't beat a fish. Scald is preferred over Surf or Hydro Pump because it can spread burns despite being very weak. Heal Bell is
used again
to clear offused to remove status, and it works well in conjunction with RestTalk because it can wake up Chinchou early. However, Discharge can help spread paralysis and OHKO Murkrow. Its also useful in stopping Croagunk, who otherwise walls this set to hell and back thanks to Dry Skin.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>With Eviolite and the given spread, Chinchou
hitreaches a sturdy 18 Defense and 24 Special Defense, which makes dealing damage
ato it difficult
time. However, as Chinchou is relying on two attacks or even just one to
get it through, it's going to be walled by so much more. If you opt out ofdeal damage to the opposing team, it's going to be walled by many more Pokemon than its other sets. If Chinchou is not running Discharge, Water-types such as Tirtouga or Omanyte can set up in
yourits face and put
youits team in a tough spot.
Also, oOpposing Chinchou with Hidden Power Grass are even more threatening
, walling this Chinchou thoroughly no matter what attacks it carries. Lileep can effortlessly stop all three of these Pokemon
withthanks to Storm Drain. Croagunk
can scare out Chinchou with Dry Skin; therefore, Abra or Drilbur, which can take advantage of Croagunk's Poison typing, and Fire-types, using its Dry Skin ability, can easily scare out Chinchou; therefore, Pokemon that can take advantage of Croagunk's Poison typing such as Abra and Drilbur and Fire-types to exploit Dry Skin such as Ponyta
orand Houndour
that exploit Dry Skin can easily dispatch itmake for good teammates.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Hydro Pump / Surf
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Volt Switch
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Volt Absorb
nature: Modest
evs: 232 SpA / 52 Def / 224 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Chinchou has a
n excellent Speed stat, so decent Speed stat that is more than good enough to make a Choice Scarf set
is obviously viable. With a Scarf, Chinchou hits 24 Speed, which outspeeds every
thing non-scarfed and even soars past unboosted Pokemon in the tier and even outspeeds Dragon Dance Scaggy. Hydro Pump
can beis used for more power,
but Surf can be used for better accuracy. Thunderbolt is the main STAB attack, but being locked into it isn't very fun, so Volt Switch is for when you're unsure of what's going to happen nextwhile Surf is an option for better accuracy. Thunderbolt is Chinchou's main way of using its Electric STAB, but due to the problems of locking itself into Thunderbolt, Volt Switch is a good move to use when one is wary of an Electric resist switching in. Ice Beam is for the pesky Grass-types that
come aroundtend to switch into Chinchou, and it also helps combat Lileep to some extent. I
t's also useful force Beam also offers additional coverage to widen the pool of Pokemon that Chinchou can revenge kill
ing.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Without an Eviolite, Chinchou will not be taking hits. That means anything that can outspeed it will have a good chance to KO it.
This is complicated mChinchou's frailty is made wor
se by the fact that Chinchou has to switch out to change moves, which can make it setup fodder for many threats. Mienfoo can help
Chinchou deal with this to a
smalln extent by
makforming a VoltTurn core, which helps the two check each other's counters
by Volt Switching and U-Turning back and forth.</p>
[SET]
name: Agility
move 1: Agility
move 2: Hydro Pump / Surf
move 3: Thunderbolt
move 4: Hidden Power Grass / Ice Beam
item: Life Orb
ability: Volt Absorb
nature: Modest
evs: 232 SpA / 52 SpD / 224 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>What used to be a threatening force is now the equivalent of a war veteran; although it did well
atin its time
, i (the previous generation), this set now needs tons of support to work in the same way. With a single boost, Agility Chinchou hits 32 Speed, outspeeding everything in Little Cup. This would be great if Chinchou had stellar defenses to back it up, but again it must use Life Orb instead of Eviolite in order to deal a sufficient amount of damage. These weak defenses make setting up much harder.
Not only that, but Chinchou suffers fromThis issue is compounded by Chinchou's four-moveslot syndrome
, so; whatever
you choose will have a drawback somewhereattacking moves it carries, there will always be Pokemon that wall it. Choosing between Hidden Power Grass and Ice Beam depends on what you need to hit. The former gets rid of opposing Chinchou, but leaves you helpless against Grass-types; the latter is the exact opposite. Hidden Power Grass is recommended because the only thing Ice Beam hits that Hydro Pump or Surf and Thunderbolt don't hit is Grass-types, and opposing Chinchou
with Eviolite can actually beat
youthis set one on one
if it has an Evioliteshould it not carry Hidden Power Grass.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Depending on the fourth move you chose, the teammates you need will change drastically. If you opt for Hidden Power Grass, then Grass-types become a major problem. Therefore, Fire-types such as Houndour or Larvesta can help deal with them. Murkrow can also be helpful. If you go with Ice Beam, then Chinchou are problematic. Lileep, Snover, and even Foongus can help out with this.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Chinchou has a movepool that ranges from the ocean floor it lives on to the clouds it often gets carried away in by its predators in. It has so many options that tons of sets instantly
pop to thecome to mind. Sadly, not all of them are good. Water Absorb is Chinchou's Dream World Ability, and while it sounds good on a sand team, Lileep uses
an immunity to Water-type attacks (Storm Drain
) much better. Chinchou has
a large amount ofmany physical moves at its disposal, but
has a very weak Attack stat that can't abuse themdue to its low Attack stat, it is unable to use them effectively. Rain Dance seems like a fun way to help Hydro Pump and
abusutilize Thunder, but rain is generally unviable in Little Cup and Chinchou doesn't have a moveslot for it. If you have Snover on your team, you can
try forrun Blizzard over Ice Beam, but it's really situational and Ice Beam is almost always better in every situation
. It also has Confuse Ray, Supersonic, and Screech, but these are gimmicks and shouldn't be tried unless it fits your strategy somehow due to the presence of Sand in Little Cup. Chinchou also has access to Confuse Ray, Supersonic, and Screech, but these often amount to no more than gimmicks and shouldn't be run over the listed sets without a very specific purpose in mind. Psybeam can be used to get
thea surprise hit on Croagunk, but
there's really no place for it on any of Chinchdoing so will force Chinchou to lose preciou
's
setscoverage. Toxic can be used on the RestTalk set to help beat Lileep in a stall war, but
that requires almost a whole other set to work correctit does not fit with the purpose of the RestTalk set and would require nearly an entirely different set to work properly. Substitute might sound good with Chinchou's
goodhigh HP stat, but Heal Bell completely outclasses it in status blocking
, and Chinchou isn't meant to take hits. Hidden Power Fire might be useful in
hitting Snover as well as stopping Steel-types such as
Ferroseed and Bronzor Bronzor and especially Ferroseed, which wall
s Chinchou horribly, but it's best to leave those pesks to Fire-types.
Not only that, butEven Bronzor isn't
even 2HKOed by
itHidden Power Fire and is hit harder by Surf anyway.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>If you're hungry, you can chop up Chinchou into sushi, which is exactly what Munchlax does to this poor fish. Nothing Chinchou can do will hurt Munchlax, which can just use Earthquake to shake up a little fishy stir-fry. Lileep has Storm Drain and Giga Drain to easily dispose of Chinchou. Misdreavus can easily KO thanks to her good Speed and un
naturusually high Special Defense. Timburr and
Shed Skin Scraggy can counter the RestTalk set without fear of Scald burns and set up. Foongus, Shroomish, and even Cacnea can threaten Chinchou with their Grass STABs, but they fear Ice Beam. Drilbur can OHKO with Earthquake, and S
teel-types such as Ferroseed and Bronzornover and Ferroseed wall Chinchou to hell and back but only fear
the rare Hidden Power Fire
&mdashif you're using it, however, you're the only one. Diglett can trap and KO if it gets a free switch. If Chinchou switches in, Murkrow can beat all but the RestTalk set with a combination of Brave Bird and. Diglett can trap Chinchou and OHKO it if it gets a free switch. Murkrow can severely damage non-RestTalk Chinchou with Sucker Punch. Any faster threats with
a physical move
s can easily prey on Chinchou and make it their dinner.</p>
