Research Week 3 - Swinub, Shellos, and Numel

[Charmander]

If you don't know what Research Week is, slap yourself.
Then, read this:

Research Week attempts to investigate Pokemon who have potential, be it in stats, movepool, or supporting their team, to serve as an innovative choice in today's metagame. These are Pokemon that, for the most part, remain relatively untested. I have selected 3 Pokemon we feel, with help from everyone else, could see use as they fill a particular niche. Perhaps the title is a bit of a misnomer; in fact, this installment (and perhaps future ones) of Research Week will continue as long as the discussion does, and that's where you all come in.

This week aims to focus on general teammates. Gligar and other offensive Pokemon currently lead the metagame, so using anti-metagame Pokemon to defeat them is exactly how to win a game. Pokemon like Swinub, Shellos, and Numel are all the definition of anti-metagame, as they can tear apart common offensive and defensive Pokemon using different sets that people don't expect. Your job is to try out these Pokemon and report any discoveries back here. Remember, no discovery is a bad one! If you find something that you think works, don't hesitate to share it! We will be looking at the following Pokemon:

Swinub

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Swinub may not look like much, but it has one thing a ton of Pokemon crave: STAB Ice Shard. With a Choice Band or Life Orb, Swinub makes an excellent Gligar check, easily eliminating it. Choice Band Ice Shard or Icicle Crash won't be a pretty sight for Murkrow hoping to switch in on Earthquake. With additional Ground typing, Swinub gets excellent coverage just in its STAB moves, making it a great candidate for a Choice item. It can also set up Stealth Rock to aid its team.

Shellos

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Shellos actually has all the tools it needs to be a useful Gligar check and wall. Wonderful HP, above-average defenses, and access to a plethora of support moves like Scald, Clear Smog, and Yawn make Shellos very useful. Its typing leaves it with only Grass and Electric weaknesses, which its team can easily take care of with a Grass- or Dragon-type. Shellos also has Storm Drain, making it a good switch-in to Water-type moves.

Numel

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Numel is a strange case. The thing that makes it useful is its ability: Simple. With this cool ability, all stat changes are doubled, meaning moves such as Stockpile, Flame Charge, and Howl have much better effects. After a single Flame Charge, Numel sits at 28 Speed, which ties with Jolly Choice Scarf Gligar. Numel can even go mixed with Hidden Power Ice or Overheat to destroy Gligar. Stockpile and Toxic make it a good defensive Pokemon, too.

Test, discuss, and all that stuff.

[Ray Jay]

So this is obviously stealing from me because let's be honest, everyone knows I've been abusing Numel for the last 2 weeks. In any case, I've been using a sand semi stall team that utilizes the combo of Numel and Lileep to break through common cores. Once Numel gets a Stockpile up, the only thing threatening it is opposing Water-types which Lileep eats for breakfast. I guess Croagunk could fulfill such a role but honestly Lileep's cuter and has reliable recovery.

Lileep (M) @ Eviolite
Trait: Storm Drain
EVs: 228 HP / 140 Def / 140 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Energy Ball
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Recover
- Toxic

Numel (M) @ Eviolite
Trait: Simple
EVs: 196 HP / 196 Def / 76 SDef
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Stockpile
- Lava Plume

I have to say Simple Stockpile is the best set here simply because there are more offensive Fire-types that can do something better, even though they don't have Simple. Also notable is that Numel absorbs Toxic for Lileep, and handles the ubiquitous Bronzor with relative ease (after a Stockpile, it takes like 28% max or something like that). This core has beaten notable people, such as blarajan (with some major hax) and has had its 6-0s (PoJ I'm looking at you). Basically if the opponent uses Chinchou or Staryu as their Water-type you have a distinct advantage.

tl;dr: NUMEEP TOO STRONGTH

[Corkscrew]

No love for Research Week anymore.

Anyway, I've been using Shellos to some moderate success and it's very easy to compare to Slowpoke as they both pretty much fill the same role. (I've been using the set listed in the analysis, except I've been using 27/15/13 defenses instead of 27/14/14.) However there are a few things that separate the little sea slug from Slowpoke.
These being:

-Clear Smog
This is probably the biggest difference, as coupled with a lack of Dark weakness it means a healthy Shellos can be a decent check to Scraggy. If Shellos switches in as Scraggy DD's, It can tank a Drain Punch, retaliate with Clear Smog, and then recover off the damage.

-Storm Drain
Storm Drain is what sent Gastrodon shooting up the tiers from NU to OU. However, I feel that for Shellos, it is slightly redundant. Whilst a Special Attack boost seems nice, the only common water moves are hydro pump from Chinchou and Staryu. Both of which Shellos can hardly touch, having to resort to toxic (This is still useless against Staryu, due to natural cure) whilst Chou and Staryu can just hit Shellos with their electric coverage. Earth Power can be used to hit Chinchou, yet it is illegal with Clear Smog, Shellos's main niche over Slowpoke. Regenerator is so much better.

-No Psychic typing
As I said, Shellos doesn't have a weakness to Bug, Dark or Ghost. This can help it be a half-decent check to Scraggy, and it also takes Mienfoo's U-turns better. However, Mienfoo's U-turns don't particularly threaten Slowpoke anyway.
Psychic may not be the best defensive typing, but it is useful as it allows Slowpoke to counter some of the fighting types that are always running through the tier.

As for checking Gligar, Shellos can be used, as it can survive an Acrobatics. (A +2, Flight Gem Acrobatics will KO, but then again, it will KO anything that's neutral to it).
I do feel that Slowpoke is slightly better for the job though, due to 3 more points (eviolite taken into account) in defense, and the fantastic regenerator.
All in all, I was pleasantly surprised by Shellos, yet I think Slowpoke is slightly more useful, mainly because it's hard to kill due to regenerator giving Slowpoke free health all the time. Shellos is always an option though, if you don't want to be set up bait for Scraggy.


P.S. East Sea Shellos is so much cuter.



EDIT: @below
Earth Power and Sand Force are illegal together: Sand Force is DreamWorld and Earth Power is a gen IV tutor. Infact, the only moves Sand Force affects are Mud Bomb and Mud Slap. Not particularly useful. To be honest, an offensive Shellos is outclassed by a plethora of other water types. It can hit 14 speed for a choice scarf (just), and could maybe pull a CS set off if it managed to a get a Storm Drain boost. But with it's bulk, it would be a shame not to use eviolite.

[Chieliee]

IMO shellos's offensive potential should not be overlooked. It reaches 16 Sp.Atk with Modest, which might not seem much, but when factoring in Sand Force and possibly LO, Earth Power is going to hurt. Even without Eviolite, it has enough bulk to survive a hit or two and recover off the damage.

Actually, looking back on it, it's not that good. Ground is a terrible attacking type in LC.

As for Swinub, I think a Scarf set will be most popular, functioning in the same way as Scarf Shellder. LO will probably carry SR

[comatthew6]

I found Numel to be good but only when it has a Flame Charge up. With a Life Orb it can do some damage (and is kinda bulky as well) with Fire Blast and whatnot but without it, Numel really is a sitting duck. Sorry but every relevant Water-type not named Frillish will outspeed, and frillish still beats it.

Here's the set I use:

Numel (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Simple
EVs: 36 HP / 236 SAtk / 236 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Flame Charge
- Earth Power
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Fire Blast

EDIT: There is also almost no way that Numel can successfully set up a Swords Dance as well.

EDIT: This thing's got some power! It can come in on Bronzor or other Steels pretty easily (and Snover too relatively) but it really does need its Flame Charge....

[metsrule158]

Swinub may be frail, but it's got some offensive capabilities as well. This is the set that I use:

Swinub (M) @Choice Scarf
Trait: Snow Cloak
EVs: 116 HP / 196 Atk / 196 Spe
Jolly Nature (+Spe, - SpA)
- Icicle Crash
- Earthquake
- Ice Shard
- Frustration

Best with Snover, as its Snow Cloak ability can activate and then pray for a miss if Swinub can't KO its opponent.