darling buds of may
old skeleton, for reference
so this is my first analysis don't be too harsh please! :)
[Overview]
<p>From the dawn of RU to the present day, Lilligant has been a top-tier threat. Excellent Special Attack and decent Speed combined with Quiver Dance make her a formidable sweeper after just a turn of boosting. Furthermore, she has access to the deadly Sleep Powder, allowing her to disable a surefire counter or provide extra setup opportunities. Unfortunately, it's not all a walk in the park for our flowery queen. Lilligant's mono-Grass typing leaves her with bad STAB coverage and weaknesses to common attacking types. Furthermore, her lack of secondary attacking options means she must rely on Hidden Power, which limits her ability to sweep. Despite these flaws, Lilligant is very dangerous once her checks and counters are removed and should always be played around carefully.</p>
[SET]
name: Quiver Dance
move 1: Quiver Dance
move 2: Sleep Powder
move 3: Giga Drain
move 4: Hidden Power Rock / Hidden Power Fire
item: Life Orb / Lum Berry
ability: Chlorophyll
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Lilligant's stats make her a perfect user of Quiver Dance, being tailor-made for a move that raises her Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed one stage. As an added bonus, Lilligant also has access to Sleep Powder, enabling her to remove a troublesome check or counter as it switches in. These turns of sleep also create free opportunities to set up more. Giga Drain is Lilligant's most reliable STAB move and heals her in the process. Hidden Power Rock nets pretty good coverage alongside Giga Drain, hitting Fire-, Flying-, and Bug-types super effectively—such as Moltres and Entei—but misses out on Grass- and Steel-types. Alternatively, Hidden Power Fire hits Pokemon of these types, including Rotom-C and Escavalier, while also nailing Bug-types. It is especially useful early-game, when it can be used to lure out these Pokemon and remove them. Unfortunately, using it leaves Lilligant vulnerable to opposing Fire-types.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs on this set are rather straightforward: Special Attack and Speed are maximized to capitalize on Quiver Dance's boosts. A Timid nature is necessary to outpace various Pokemon just below Lilligant's Speed tier, including Choice Scarf Pinsir and Rotom-F at +1. Life Orb is naturally the item of choice, as the KOs it ensures are important considering Lilligant struggles to take a hit. That said, Lum Berry is an interesting alternative, offering a nice one-time save from otherwise crippling status such as Uxie's Thunder Wave or Slowking's Toxic. Chlorophyll is the most useful ability, enabling Lilligant to revenge kill Sunny Day sweepers like Victreebel. Substitute over Sleep Powder turns Pokemon like Slowking into setup fodder, allowing Lilligant to dodge status and obtain multiple boosts. However, she loses the ability to put an enemy to sleep, meaning this set plays very differently from the standard Quiver Dance set. Petal Dance is worth a mention along with her Own Tempo ability, but Grass is a bad type to be locked into and makes her even easier to revenge kill. That being said, the power boost is fantastic—Petal Dance can even 2HKO Pokemon that resist it like Entei at +1.</p>
<p>Generally, Lilligant fits well in Fire / Water / Grass cores as these give her teammates that can take on Pokemon that trouble her. With Hidden Power Fire, Fire-types like Moltres and Entei wall Lilligant; therefore, a strong Water-type, such as Kabutops, that can remove these foes is very useful. When running Hidden Power Rock, Grass- and Steel-types come in easily, so the Fire-types mentioned earlier pair well with Lilligant. A lack of a Fire-type move also makes Lilligant Escavalier bait, so a Pokemon like Qwilfish is a good teammate to tank its hits. Hidden Power Rock is better when using Lilligant late-game to hit the more common Fire- and Flying-types, as Lilligant can often beat Grass-types one-on-one regardless.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Hidden Power Ice hits Dragon-types like Druddigon, but otherwise offers poor coverage as it leaves Lilligant helpless against both Fire- and Steel-types. Leftovers is another interesting option, trading an immediate power boost for passive healing, which lets Lilligant set up more consistently. One can opt for a bulky spread of 252 HP / 188 Def / 68 Spe with a Timid nature to set up more easily, but it is usually not worth the loss in power. Lilligant can make good use of Choice Scarf or Choice Specs, utilizing moves such as Leaf Storm and Healing Wish. A Sunny Day set taking advantage of Chlorophyll could work, but without dedicated sun, Quiver Dance is more effective, and in sun, a more powerful sweeper like Sawsbuck or Victreebel is a better choice in her stead. Lilligant has various support options, including Aromatherapy, Healing Wish, Leech Seed, and Synthesis as well as the less conventional Light Screen and Stun Spore. Sadly, her bulk is rather subpar for a purely defensive set, and she is prone to being outclassed by fellow Grass-types like Tangrowth and Ferroseed.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Because of Lilligant's reliance on Hidden Power for coverage, many Pokemon wall her by virtue of their typing alone. Fire-types come in freely if Lilligant lacks a Rock-type move—notable examples are Magmortar, who is even immune to Sleep Powder with Vital Spirit, and Emboar, who can tank any hit and OHKO with Flare Blitz. Likewise, if Lilligant is using Hidden Power Rock, Steel- and Grass-types switch in with little worry. Roselia and Amoonguss are bulky enough to take even Hidden Power Fire and can hit Lilligant with Sludge Bomb. Escavalier can use Sleep Talk to OHKO Lilligant and walls her if she lacks Hidden Power Fire; other Steel-types like Klinklang also accomplish the same thing. As Lilligant rarely carries Hidden Power Ice, Druddigon can almost always phaze her out or outright KO her. Sap Sippers such as Bouffalant, Miltank, and Sawsbuck gain an Attack boost from Giga Drain and Sleep Powder and care little about Lilligant's common coverage moves with the exception of Hidden Power Fire in Sawsbuck's case, while Drapion has the bulk to survive most hits and deals heavy damage back. Gallade takes even a +1 Giga Drain and can avoid sleep with a Lum Berry, while Choice Scarf Primeape bypasses sleep altogether with Vital Spirit.</p>
<p>Lilligant also has a fair share of defensive checks. Clefable is not 2HKOed by +1 Giga Drain and can stop her with status moves. Mandibuzz will take heavy damage from a possible Hidden Power Rock, but can use Whirlwind to reset Lilligant's boosts. Any bulky wall with Thunder Wave that can survive a hit can cripple Lilligant because she relies on Speed to sweep; paralysis is a dead stop. Cryogonal makes another excellent counter, taking hits with ease thanks to its phenomenal special bulk, as well as having access to Haze and Ice Beam.</p>