Wailord
|Status: Done|
|QC Approved: [badass][bluewind]|
|GP Checks: [Flora][Zystral|
So I was browsing through the NU section of the Strategy Pokedex, and I cam across Wailord's analysis. It seemed to be ancient, so I though it would need a revamp. I talked with a couple of the UU quality control members and we agreed that choice scarf and choice specs were the only sets worth keeping, so I decided to write up the update for Wailord.
Changes I Have Made:
- Removed the following sets
- Sleep Talk
- Curse
- Curse + Sleep Talk
- Choice Band
- Revamped whole analysis to the new format
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[Overview]
<p>Wailord is one of the most underrated threats in the UU metagame. At a glance, it seems to have lackluster base defenses, even with its enormous base 170 HP, and only passable base offenses, which are further hindered by Wailord’s low base Speed stat of 60. However, if you take a closer look, it becomes clear that Wailord does actually have a niche in the UU metagame; its access to Water Spout, a powerful 150 Base Power move that is dependent on the user’s HP at the time of use, allows Wailord to act as a destructive special attacker. By simply spamming Water Spout, Wailord can become a dangerous offensive threat to any team not prepared for it.</p>
[SET]
Name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Water Spout
move 2: Hydro Pump / Surf
move 3: Ice Beam / Hidden Power Grass
move 4: Selfdestruct
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Water Veil
nature: Naive
evs: 28 Atk / 252 SpA / 228 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>As one of Wailord's biggest setbacks is its mediocre base Speed stat, running a Choice Scarf set in order to remedy the aforementioned problem is a logical choice, allowing Wailord to act as a great revenge killer or even a late-game sweeper. Water Spout is Wailord's strongest attack that can dent any Pokemon bar Chansey, specially defensive Water- and Grass-types, and Pokemon immune to Water-type attacks. Hydro Pump is used as a secondary form of STAB since, if Wailord is low on HP, Water Spout's Base Power will decrease. Surf can be utilized over Hydro Pump if you value accuracy over power. The third moveslot depends on what foes you want Wailord to specifically revenge kill; Ice Beam hits Flying- and Grass-types, like Altaria and Venusaur, while Hidden Power Grass takes care of bulky Water-types, like Lanturn and Milotic. Finally, Selfdestruct allows Wailord to go out with a bang after it has served its purpose on its team.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>A Naive nature is recommended over a Timid nature as it boosts Wailord's Speed without decreasing Selfdestruct's power. 228 Speed EVs allow Wailord to outpace Pokemon with up to base 110 Speed stat. Special Attack is maximized to peak the power of Wailord's special attacking moves, and the rest of the EVs are put into Attack in order to slightly power up Selfdestruct. If you wish, you can use Hidden Power Grass or Ice Beam over Selfdestruct for greater coverage. If you decide to go with this, then use a Timid nature with the extra EVs put into a different stat, preferably HP as it will make Wailord slightly more bulky.</p>
<p>This set appreciates Pokemon that can remove special walls, such as Clefable, Chansey, and Milotic, with ease. Although Selfdestruct is available to dent the walls, it is not a reliable tool, especially when Wailord has a Choice Scarf. Thus, Fighting-types, most notably Toxicroak, are great partners to Wailord as they can eliminate most of the special walls with their powerful physical attacks. Toxicroak is immune to Toxic, has Dry Skin to absorb Milotic's Surf, and Swords Dance to smash through the opposition. Hitmonlee can also be considered due to its immunity to Thunder Wave and high Special Defense.</p>
[SET]
Name: Choice Specs
move 1: Water Spout
move 2: Hidden Power Grass
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Surf / Selfdestruct
item: Choice Specs
ability: Water Veil
nature: Quiet
evs: 128 Def / 252 SpA / 128 SpD
ivs: 30 Def / 30 SpA / 3 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With the use of Choice Specs, Wailord's special attacks will become insanely powerful. Water Spout can 2HKO even the most defensive of Pokemon, such as Clefable, as well as inflict large amounts of damage to other considerably bulky Pokemon. Hidden Power Grass allows Wailord to dent Water-types such as Milotic, Blastoise, and Lanturn, which would otherwise wall Wailord. Ice Beam further complements Wailord's moves by blasting through Grass-types like Venusaur and Leafeon. The last move comes down to personal preference; Surf (or Hydro Pump) can be used as an alternative to Water Spout if Wailord gets low on health, although Selfdestruct allows Wailord to potentially take down a foe with it after it has peaked its usefulness in a battle.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs maximize Wailord's offensive prowess while simultaneously making it significantly bulky in order to lengthen a potential sweep. Also, note that if you opt for Selfdestruct on the set, moving a couple of EVs from either defenses to Attack would be a good choice. For instance, 108 Attack EVs guarantee an OHKO on Chansey. Due to Wailord's low Speed, it's highly recommended that you utilize Trick Room support, as without it, Wailord will fall before it can even attempt a sweep. Good Trick Room partners to consider include Claydol and Exeggutor, as both can use Explosion to bring in Wailord with ease. However, if you want to use Wailord outside of Trick Room support, you can run a faster EV spread with a Timid or Naive nature, although this approach is not recommended due to the fact that without it, Wailord will become more susceptible to faster attacks than it already is.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Since all forms of entry hazards will slowly diminish Wailord's most powerful attack, you will find it very useful to include a Rapid Spinner on your team. Donphan is a great choice as not only can it provide Rapid Spin support, but it also shares great type synergy with Wailord. As much as Wailord hates entry hazards set up by the opponent, it loves entry hazards set up by your teammates, since oftentimes the residual damage collected allows Wailord to more efficiently do its job. Although rarely seen, Defensive Spikes Cacturne is one of the best Spikers to use alongside Wailord due to its resistances to Electric- and Grass-type attacks. Alternatively, you can opt for Nidoqueen to set up Stealth Rock and Toxic Spikes. Also, Wish support can help preserve Wailord's health throughout a battle, which is important to keep Water Spout's Base Power as high as possible. Lastly, any Pokemon that can deal with the ever-so-troublesome Water- and Grass-types make great offensive partners to Wailord; Sceptile and Registeel are both prime examples of such Pokemon, which share great offensive synergy with Wailord.</p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>Aside from the sets given, there aren't many other options that Wailord can effectively run, as it lacks a proper base stat distribution to run any other types of offensive or defensive roles on a team. RestTalk sets can be utilized to an extent, but as Wailord's base defenses are quite mediocre, the viability of this set is questionable. Likewise, a Curse set can be used, but it would be quite ineffective due to Wailord's poor Special Defense. Due to Wailord's 90 base Attack and access to a great physical movepool consisting of Waterfall, Earthquake, Double-Edge, Avalanche, and Selfdestruct, a physical moveset with Choice Band or Life Orb can be an option to surprise your foes. However, the damage output will be overall lower than the standard special sets. Lastly, a special Life Orb set can be utilized with Hydro Pump, Ice Beam, Hidden Power Grass, and Selfdestruct, as well as a Naive nature. This set has the niche advantage of switching between attacks while applying pressure on your opponent, but it lacks the Speed and ability to properly use Water Spout.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Anything that can outpace Wailord and has a decent amount of offensive prowess can generally beat Wailord as long as they switch into the right attack. Examples of such Pokemon include Sceptile, Scyther, and even Blaziken. Bulky Water-types like Milotic and Lanturn have a field day when facing Choiced Wailord, as they resist half of Wailord's moveset and can wear down the whale with their own attacks. Ludicolo also spells trouble for Wailord due to its 4x resistance to Water, neutrality to Ice Beam and Hidden Power, and ability to OHKO Wailord with Energy Ball. Likewise, bulky Grass-types like Venusaur and Leafeon are great checks to Wailord due to their key resistances and immense bulk, although the aforementioned Grass-types must beware of repeated Ice Beams from Wailord. Toxicroak deserves a special mention thanks to its ability to absorb Water-type attacks, resistance to Hidden Power Grass, and access to boosting moves that can take advantage of Wailord's switch-out. Lastly, if Wailord is at low health, a large array of Pokemon can easily set up on it once Water Spout's power has been significantly reduced.</p>
