[Overview]
<p>Chinchou returns this generation with a vengeance, but its revenge will have to be a dish served cold. With all of the new threats, both offensively and defensively, it cannot effectively be the same Pokemon that it was in the times of DPP. However, it still keeps a couple of tricks up its sleeve. It is a great scout, due to receiving the amazing Volt Switch. Though it is harder to do so this generation, Chinchou can also act as a decent revenge killer with a Choice Scarf. It can also opt for a bulkier set, courtesy of Eviolite, that is still able to dish out reasonable damage. With the re-introduction of both Gligar and Murkrow, Chinchou becomes a great teammate to the both of them due to great synergy. However, that's not to say that all Chinchou can do is attack. With high stats in HP and Special Defense, it can also run a support set without needing backup form other Pokemon.</p>
<p>Still, Chinchou has some decent counters that can easily bring an early end to its blitzkrieg. Ferroseed and Lileep are pretty much surefire counters, and opposing Gligar make for strong revenge killers. Even so, Chinchou is still a great Pokemon that should always be considered when looking for a strong special attacker.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Hydro Pump / Surf
move 2: Volt Switch
move 3: Thunderbolt
move 4: Hidden Power Fire / Ice Beam
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Volt Absorb
nature: Modest
evs: 52 Def / 232 SpA / 220 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With a Choice Scarf equipped, Chinchou's decent Speed increases to a level that surpasses all unboosted Pokemon in the Little Cup metagame. Out of all the new moves Chinchou received in the new generation, Volt Switch is, without a doubt, the best one. This special variant of U-turn allows it to inflict damage and then switch out to an appropriate counter, and also gets a nice STAB bonus to boot. For a Water-type STAB attack, Hydro Pump is preferred because of the sheer amounts of damage it can inflict even without boosts, but the accuracy can be shaky. Because of this, Surf is a viable alternative which trades power for consistency. Thunderbolt goes in the third slot to provide Chinchou with a powerful Electric-type attack that does not require it to switch out upon use. Finally, Hidden Power Fire is a great move to strike Ferroseed, while Ice Beam hits Grass-types harder and is Chinchou's strongest attack against Gligar.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs on this set maximize Chinchou's Speed and Special Attack, while the remaining EVs go into Defense. Because of Chinchou's high Speed, this set makes for a great revenge killer and works phenomenally alongside Gligar. This is because one of Gligar's most popular switch-ins is Choice Scarf Shellder, who can KO Gligar with Icicle Spear regardless of if Gligar has a Substitute up or not. Chinchou doesn't mind switching in on Icicle Spear so long as it has not sustained too much prior damage, and can easily take out Shellder with Thunderbolt or Volt Switch. Stunky is another good teammate to this set; despite their shared weakness to Ground-type attacks, Stunky is valuable in taking out Misdreavus, one of Chinchou's most common checks.</p>
[SET]
name: Bulky Sweeper
move 1: Hydro Pump / Surf
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Hidden Power Fire / Hidden Power Grass
move 4: Volt Switch / Substitute
item: Eviolite
ability: Volt Absorb
nature: Modest
evs: 52 Def / 232 SpA / 220 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With an Eviolite equipped, Chinchou can become quite the bulky sweeper. Even though it cannot raise its attacking power by conventional means, and doesn't have the best Speed around, it can still do enough damage to pose quite a threat. Hydro Pump and Thunderbolt are the best STAB attacks that Chinchou has at its disposal, but Surf can once again be used over the former for greater accuracy. Hidden Power Fire does huge damage to Grass- and Ice-types, while Hidden Power Grass can be used in order to hit opposing Chinchou. Volt Switch is preferred in the final slot to keep the momentum on your side, but Substitute can be used in case Chinchou is up against a Pokemon that cannot do much damage to it, such as Staryu, as it can essentially net Chinchou a kill, or, at the very least, guarantee it two attacks.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Ice Beam is a viable alternative attack over Hidden Power in order to get a surefire KO on Gligar, and also gives Chinchou BoltBeam coverage, which in LC is resisted only by Magnemite. That interesting fact doesn't even matter, as Hydro Pump will easily 2HKO the magnet while it will fail to 2HKO back with Hidden Power Grass, its most (and only) effective attack on Chinchou. Finally, Snover is a good teammate to pair with this Chinchou, as it can revenge kill Gligar with ease should it take out Chinchou.</p>
[SET]
name: Support
move 1: Scald
move 2: Thunder Wave
move 3: Volt Switch
move 4: Heal Bell
item: Eviolite
ability: Volt Absorb
nature: Bold
evs: 236 HP / 212 Def / 60 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>While most Chinchou are focused on offense, this variant plays a more defensive role on the battlefield. With maximum HP and Defense EVs, it can actually survive an Earthquake from Gligar and strike back with Scald, potentially burning it. Thunder Wave is another clutch move to have, as it is pretty much guaranteed to quarter the opponent's Speed and might occasionally prevent it from moving. Volt Switch is important not only for secondary STAB, but also to let Chinchou switch out to a decent counter to the opponent's Pokemon. Heal Bell is another great support move, because your Bronzor is now cured of that freeze from Blizzard, your Misdreavus's paralysis due to that Thunderbolt, and your Mienfoo's or Croagunk's burn, allowing your team members to attack more often without fear of being statused; or at the very least, not become a sitting duck after getting statused.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Eviolite is important on this set so Chinchou can have maximum protection when supporting the team. In addition to the Pokemon mentioned in the last paragraph, Lickitung is a fantastic teammate to have, as it can pass Wishes to Chinchou and the rest of the team, while Chinchou has Heal Bell. Because of this, Chinchou would most likely be seen on defensively oriented or balanced teams, a defensive Gligar with Toxic is a great teammate to rack up passive damage as you constantly heal your team. Finally, Stunky is a good teammate because Heal Bell can cure it of Misdreavus's Will-O-Wisp burn.</p>
[SET]
name: Agility
move 1: Agility
move 2: Hydro Pump / Surf
move 3: Thunderbolt
move 4: Hidden Power Fire / Hidden Power Grass
item: Life Orb
ability: Volt Absorb
nature: Modest
evs: 76 HP / 52 Def / 232 SpA / 144 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>The most popular Chinchou set from the DPP era is back with a vengeance, and shows no signs of slowing down (geddit?). After a single boost, this Chinchou will easily outpace even all +1 Pokemon, and can also beat most common sweepers and Shell Smash users not named Dwebble. Hydro Pump is the best attack to use with this set, as it is Chinchou's most powerful STAB attack, while Thunderbolt is a more reliable choice over Thunder. Hidden Power Fire smacks Grass-types for super effective damage, while Hidden Power Grass stomps opposing Chinchou (and Wooper) thinking they can switch in.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Though Surf will do more than enough damage to KO Gligar, Ice Beam can be used over Hidden Power if Chinchou is using Hydro Pump and you don't enjoy shaky accuracy, but still want to beat Gligar 100% of the time. Hidden Power Ground is an option to defeat other Chinchou and Croagunk, but has inferior coverage compared to the other two attacks. The EVs will grant Chinchou 30 Speed, but more can be put in if you fear Shell Smash Dwebble. Life Orb is very important for the power boost, as it allows Chinchou to smash past Eviolite users' extra defenses. An Eviolite can be used for increased defenses, but it will deprive Chinchou of the power it needs to get crucial 2HKOs on Misdreavus, Scraggy, and Eviolite Mienfoo.</p>
<p>An entry hazard user, such as Dwebble, is important for laying down Spikes and Stealth Rock so Chinchou can get assured OHKOs and 2HKOs. With Stealth Rock and one layer of Spikes, Slowpoke cannot in any way stand up to a Thunderbolt, while enemy Chinchou with defensive spreads risk being 2HKOed by Hidden Power Grass. Ferroseed is another good teammate for this, and can also provide Chinchou with Leech Seed support.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Confuse Ray + Thunder Wave is a viable combination of attacks, but Chinchou will not be able to do much damage to Porygon. A RestTalk set can also be used, with Scald and Thunderbolt as attacking options. Signal Beam is always an option, but Ice Beam will be doing more damage to most Grass-types anyways. Charge Beam can be used to increase Chinchou's Special Attack, but Chinchou lacks a reliable recovery move, so it should not be used. Finally, Water Absorb can be used over Volt Absorb, but Electric-type attacks are much more common in Little Cup, and Chinchou already sports a resistance to Water-type attacks.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Dragon- and Grass-types will laugh at Chinchou's attacks if it doesn't run Ice Beam, but will often lose if it does. Gligar outspeeds Chinchou, but cannot directly switch in unless it knows for a fact that it's locked into an Electric-type attack. Diglett is in the same boat, but has the added ability to trap Chinchou courtesy of Arena Trap. Lileep is a surefire counter, as it can use Stockpile and Recover to boost its defenses, then KO with Energy Ball. Snover's Giga Drain will inflict a lot of damage, but it should make sure that Chinchou doesn't have Hidden Power Fire. Finally, other Chinchou with Hidden Power Grass match up well against Chinchou.</p>
<p>Chinchou returns this generation with a vengeance, but its revenge will have to be a dish served cold. With all of the new threats, both offensively and defensively, it cannot effectively be the same Pokemon that it was in the times of DPP. However, it still keeps a couple of tricks up its sleeve. It is a great scout, due to receiving the amazing Volt Switch. Though it is harder to do so this generation, Chinchou can also act as a decent revenge killer with a Choice Scarf. It can also opt for a bulkier set, courtesy of Eviolite, that is still able to dish out reasonable damage. With the re-introduction of both Gligar and Murkrow, Chinchou becomes a great teammate to the both of them due to great synergy. However, that's not to say that all Chinchou can do is attack. With high stats in HP and Special Defense, it can also run a support set without needing backup form other Pokemon.</p>
<p>Still, Chinchou has some decent counters that can easily bring an early end to its blitzkrieg. Ferroseed and Lileep are pretty much surefire counters, and opposing Gligar make for strong revenge killers. Even so, Chinchou is still a great Pokemon that should always be considered when looking for a strong special attacker.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Hydro Pump / Surf
move 2: Volt Switch
move 3: Thunderbolt
move 4: Hidden Power Fire / Ice Beam
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Volt Absorb
nature: Modest
evs: 52 Def / 232 SpA / 220 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With a Choice Scarf equipped, Chinchou's decent Speed increases to a level that surpasses all unboosted Pokemon in the Little Cup metagame. Out of all the new moves Chinchou received in the new generation, Volt Switch is, without a doubt, the best one. This special variant of U-turn allows it to inflict damage and then switch out to an appropriate counter, and also gets a nice STAB bonus to boot. For a Water-type STAB attack, Hydro Pump is preferred because of the sheer amounts of damage it can inflict even without boosts, but the accuracy can be shaky. Because of this, Surf is a viable alternative which trades power for consistency. Thunderbolt goes in the third slot to provide Chinchou with a powerful Electric-type attack that does not require it to switch out upon use. Finally, Hidden Power Fire is a great move to strike Ferroseed, while Ice Beam hits Grass-types harder and is Chinchou's strongest attack against Gligar.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs on this set maximize Chinchou's Speed and Special Attack, while the remaining EVs go into Defense. Because of Chinchou's high Speed, this set makes for a great revenge killer and works phenomenally alongside Gligar. This is because one of Gligar's most popular switch-ins is Choice Scarf Shellder, who can KO Gligar with Icicle Spear regardless of if Gligar has a Substitute up or not. Chinchou doesn't mind switching in on Icicle Spear so long as it has not sustained too much prior damage, and can easily take out Shellder with Thunderbolt or Volt Switch. Stunky is another good teammate to this set; despite their shared weakness to Ground-type attacks, Stunky is valuable in taking out Misdreavus, one of Chinchou's most common checks.</p>
[SET]
name: Bulky Sweeper
move 1: Hydro Pump / Surf
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Hidden Power Fire / Hidden Power Grass
move 4: Volt Switch / Substitute
item: Eviolite
ability: Volt Absorb
nature: Modest
evs: 52 Def / 232 SpA / 220 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With an Eviolite equipped, Chinchou can become quite the bulky sweeper. Even though it cannot raise its attacking power by conventional means, and doesn't have the best Speed around, it can still do enough damage to pose quite a threat. Hydro Pump and Thunderbolt are the best STAB attacks that Chinchou has at its disposal, but Surf can once again be used over the former for greater accuracy. Hidden Power Fire does huge damage to Grass- and Ice-types, while Hidden Power Grass can be used in order to hit opposing Chinchou. Volt Switch is preferred in the final slot to keep the momentum on your side, but Substitute can be used in case Chinchou is up against a Pokemon that cannot do much damage to it, such as Staryu, as it can essentially net Chinchou a kill, or, at the very least, guarantee it two attacks.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Ice Beam is a viable alternative attack over Hidden Power in order to get a surefire KO on Gligar, and also gives Chinchou BoltBeam coverage, which in LC is resisted only by Magnemite. That interesting fact doesn't even matter, as Hydro Pump will easily 2HKO the magnet while it will fail to 2HKO back with Hidden Power Grass, its most (and only) effective attack on Chinchou. Finally, Snover is a good teammate to pair with this Chinchou, as it can revenge kill Gligar with ease should it take out Chinchou.</p>
[SET]
name: Support
move 1: Scald
move 2: Thunder Wave
move 3: Volt Switch
move 4: Heal Bell
item: Eviolite
ability: Volt Absorb
nature: Bold
evs: 236 HP / 212 Def / 60 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>While most Chinchou are focused on offense, this variant plays a more defensive role on the battlefield. With maximum HP and Defense EVs, it can actually survive an Earthquake from Gligar and strike back with Scald, potentially burning it. Thunder Wave is another clutch move to have, as it is pretty much guaranteed to quarter the opponent's Speed and might occasionally prevent it from moving. Volt Switch is important not only for secondary STAB, but also to let Chinchou switch out to a decent counter to the opponent's Pokemon. Heal Bell is another great support move, because your Bronzor is now cured of that freeze from Blizzard, your Misdreavus's paralysis due to that Thunderbolt, and your Mienfoo's or Croagunk's burn, allowing your team members to attack more often without fear of being statused; or at the very least, not become a sitting duck after getting statused.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Eviolite is important on this set so Chinchou can have maximum protection when supporting the team. In addition to the Pokemon mentioned in the last paragraph, Lickitung is a fantastic teammate to have, as it can pass Wishes to Chinchou and the rest of the team, while Chinchou has Heal Bell. Because of this, Chinchou would most likely be seen on defensively oriented or balanced teams, a defensive Gligar with Toxic is a great teammate to rack up passive damage as you constantly heal your team. Finally, Stunky is a good teammate because Heal Bell can cure it of Misdreavus's Will-O-Wisp burn.</p>
[SET]
name: Agility
move 1: Agility
move 2: Hydro Pump / Surf
move 3: Thunderbolt
move 4: Hidden Power Fire / Hidden Power Grass
item: Life Orb
ability: Volt Absorb
nature: Modest
evs: 76 HP / 52 Def / 232 SpA / 144 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>The most popular Chinchou set from the DPP era is back with a vengeance, and shows no signs of slowing down (geddit?). After a single boost, this Chinchou will easily outpace even all +1 Pokemon, and can also beat most common sweepers and Shell Smash users not named Dwebble. Hydro Pump is the best attack to use with this set, as it is Chinchou's most powerful STAB attack, while Thunderbolt is a more reliable choice over Thunder. Hidden Power Fire smacks Grass-types for super effective damage, while Hidden Power Grass stomps opposing Chinchou (and Wooper) thinking they can switch in.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Though Surf will do more than enough damage to KO Gligar, Ice Beam can be used over Hidden Power if Chinchou is using Hydro Pump and you don't enjoy shaky accuracy, but still want to beat Gligar 100% of the time. Hidden Power Ground is an option to defeat other Chinchou and Croagunk, but has inferior coverage compared to the other two attacks. The EVs will grant Chinchou 30 Speed, but more can be put in if you fear Shell Smash Dwebble. Life Orb is very important for the power boost, as it allows Chinchou to smash past Eviolite users' extra defenses. An Eviolite can be used for increased defenses, but it will deprive Chinchou of the power it needs to get crucial 2HKOs on Misdreavus, Scraggy, and Eviolite Mienfoo.</p>
<p>An entry hazard user, such as Dwebble, is important for laying down Spikes and Stealth Rock so Chinchou can get assured OHKOs and 2HKOs. With Stealth Rock and one layer of Spikes, Slowpoke cannot in any way stand up to a Thunderbolt, while enemy Chinchou with defensive spreads risk being 2HKOed by Hidden Power Grass. Ferroseed is another good teammate for this, and can also provide Chinchou with Leech Seed support.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Confuse Ray + Thunder Wave is a viable combination of attacks, but Chinchou will not be able to do much damage to Porygon. A RestTalk set can also be used, with Scald and Thunderbolt as attacking options. Signal Beam is always an option, but Ice Beam will be doing more damage to most Grass-types anyways. Charge Beam can be used to increase Chinchou's Special Attack, but Chinchou lacks a reliable recovery move, so it should not be used. Finally, Water Absorb can be used over Volt Absorb, but Electric-type attacks are much more common in Little Cup, and Chinchou already sports a resistance to Water-type attacks.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Dragon- and Grass-types will laugh at Chinchou's attacks if it doesn't run Ice Beam, but will often lose if it does. Gligar outspeeds Chinchou, but cannot directly switch in unless it knows for a fact that it's locked into an Electric-type attack. Diglett is in the same boat, but has the added ability to trap Chinchou courtesy of Arena Trap. Lileep is a surefire counter, as it can use Stockpile and Recover to boost its defenses, then KO with Energy Ball. Snover's Giga Drain will inflict a lot of damage, but it should make sure that Chinchou doesn't have Hidden Power Fire. Finally, other Chinchou with Hidden Power Grass match up well against Chinchou.</p>
