RU Pokemon of the Week: Cinccino


Type: Grass / Ice
Ability: Snow Warning / Soundproof
Base Stats: 60 HP / 62 Atk / 50 Def / 62 SpA / 60 SpD / 40 Spe

Heeeee's baaaaack~

Now that we've all had a few days to play with our old buddy here, and considering he's already a suspect, it only seems fitting to pick Snover. You know how this works; post his best sets, roles, niches, counters, teammates, or anything else you'd like to discuss about him.
 
Oh snover, harbinger of hail in every lower tier he's allowed in. One look at his stats pretty much sum up that he's going to be used just for his weather, but oh what a potent thing hail is in this meta. With no other auto weather inducer to rain on his parade he is unchallenged as the best weather starter in the tire, and in the interest of utilizing the team slot for a productive set I'v found that the 2 best are scarf and sub seed.



CHOICE SCARF​
4Atk / 252SpAtk / 252Spd Mild nature
-Blizzard
-Giga Drain
-Ice Shard
-Hidden Power Rock/Fire
Blizzard is the main move you should be spamming as a 120 bp move with 100% accuracy is nothing to laugh at, and ice is a pretty solid attacking type. Giga Drain Is useful for water types that resist Blizzard, plus i useful for recovering some HP. The hidden power of choice is used for other hail teams mainly, with fire smacking opposing Snovers around or rock one of the slower ice types such as Walrein. Because of the bulk of most slow ice types I'v found HP Fire to be more useful, and most fire types that HP Rock could hit usually out speed it. Ice shard is good for a parting shot on things like Aerodactyle and other faster threats that can 1HKO our little Christmas tree without breaking a sweat, putting some hurt on and bravely sacrificing itself for one of it's fellow blizz spammers to come in. The nature maximises Snovers SpAtk without jeopardizing Ice Shards power, and the reduced defences doesn't matter much considering it's probably going to take huge damage regardless.

Unfortunately, for all this, Snover is still very slow and prone to revenge killing. It's paper thin defenses only serve to magnify this problem, meaning as a pure scarfer it's completely out outclassed by other scarfers such as Rotom-Mow or Manectric and can't just be slapped on a team as a revenge killer.

Being as how this is to be used on an offensive team as a lead good pokes to compliment this would be powerful Blizzard spammers such as Glaceon, Rotom-Frost, and Jynx to take advantage of 100% accuracy Blizzards. A powerful fire type such as Entei or Rapidash usually synchronizes well with hail teams and offer a fantastic counter to opposing hail teams, even though they wont be immune to the hail.



SUB SEED​
252HP / 4Def / 252SpDef Calm Nature
- Blizzard
- Leech Seed
- Substitute
- Protect / Giga Drain

This set, unlike the other set that just tries to hit hard and either get out or die, seeks to stick around and pester the opponent as much as possible for as long as possible. Leech seed and Substitute form the crux of this set, offering reliable recovery and slow damage to further wear down opponents along with hail damage, and Substitute seeks to act as a buffer for powerful attacks. Blizzard is used so that Snover isn't complete Taunt bait, and because it still does a decent amount of damage even without investment. Protect is usually the better option and is used to stall out even more turns of hail and leech seed recovery damage, although Giga Drain can also be used if you'd like a move that gives you even more recovery. The given ev's are tho maximize Snover's staying power and maximizing his better SpDef stat.

The downside is that this set, like the scarf set, is also severely outclassed as a pure sub seeder. Lackluster defences and slow speed means it's even more prone to revenge killing. Cincinno is the bane of this sets existence, out speeding and delivering a OHKO Snover even when behind a Substitute. Whimsicott has prankster and a better support movepool, and even more bulk than Snover; while Sceptile is also much faster and has a much greater offensive presence.

This set can be used on an offensive or stall team easily. Powerful Blizzard spammers such as Glacion, Rotom-Frost, and Jynx once again act as great partners, although more stall based partners such as Walrein, Regice, and Overcoat Mandibuzz also fit well as a hail stall team. Support Nidoqueen is also quite useful for the always helpful stealth rocks, along with toxic spikes to wear down the opposition.

So, in conclusion, Snover is not a Poke just tossed onto a team willy nilly. It's instead used as the crux of a very effective play style thanks to it's ability to summon permanent hail, and so therefor whatever set is used is just used to somewhat make up for the otherwise down slot. A team has to be built around this little terror to fully exploit the hail, and so his main function is to get up hail and either annoy the opponent or act as a suicide lead and pave the way for a host of deadly sweepers and stallers hailing from the frozen North to proceed to clean house.
 

TROP

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Snover @ Focus Sash
Trait: Snow Warning
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Rash Nature
- Blizzard
- Giga Drain
- Ice Shard
- Hidden Power [Fire]



The only thing snover should be really doing is getting hail up and nothing else. How this set works is simple: unless opponent has a weather team, just lead with it to get hail up and except for like Aerodactyl, you can pretty much stop all suicide leads with Blizzard that will most likely kill them, or at worst, leave them in Ice Shard kill range after hail damage. For Smeargle leads you will limit it to a layer at most no matter what. Hidden Power Fire does 2 things: Killing opposing Snover and dealing decent damage to Escavalier (LITERALLY 2HKOED!) , it also ohkoes Durant if for some reason it wants to face the suicide christmas tree. Giga Drain is because it is Snover's best secondary STAB move and allows Snover to eliminate Omastar and Kabutops if for some reason they face each other that would be pretty big threats to hail teams if they survive for long. Ev Spread is also simple: max special attack to maximize Blizzard's Damage that will be the move Snover will use the most and gives it the power to its other special moves to do what they are supposed to. Max speed might look silly on something with 40 base speed, but it allows snover to beat Poliwrath and Lanturn for the blizzspammers to have an easier time later if really needed, as well as weakening Piloswine that otherwise would be able to tank blizzards with ease(if Piloswine stays for 2 turns against Snover because LOL MUST GET ROCKS AND HIT BACK!!!!!, it will be at about 20% at worst), it also beats Sandslash that the mighty ladder has a boner for and eliminates their only source of getting hazards up. 4 attack is because, well, did you really think any other stat will matter when it is meant to get hail up and die?



I think Subseed is bad considering the only close to doable thing it will do is stall bulky water-types, and that is done 10000x better by Walrein(snover loses to the common ones that are good anyway).

Seriously, this thing is so terrible that it makes Ninetales look like the best pokemon in the game.
 
Okie, so basically I'm not going to sugarcoat anything here, Snover is really damn mediocre. Like, really. It's stats are pretty pathetic, only turning decent after Eviolite is factored in, it's weaknesses are super exploitable in the current metagame, and literally the only really to use it over something like Ferroseed (who has better defensive typing and some semblance of a support movepool) is Snow Warning. That being said, my primary goal of using Snover is to make him accomplish something, anything that isn't just being a sitting duck for whatever comes in. That being said, this is the set I've been running to get mileage out of the tree:

Snover @ Focus Sash
Trait: Snow Warning
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spd / 4 Atk
Mild Nature
- Blizzard
- Giga Drain
- Ice Shard
- Hidden Power [Rock] / Hidden Power [Fire]

Obviously not meant to hang around for long, Focus Sash Snover is actually a pretty decent option for offensively paced Hail teams. Most players expect a bulkier Eviolite variant of Snover, sending in Pokemon like Entei to threaten it out with it's Flare Blitz. However, with Focus Sash, Snover has the leniency to stay in, sponge the Flare Blitz, and fire off a Hidden Power Rock (or Blizzard, if you opt for HP Fire). At the end of the exchange, CB Entei takes 76.8-84.1% (assuming it uses Flare Blitz and Snover uses HP Rock) from the compiled damage, putting an otherwise annoying check to Hail teams at a pittance of HP. Similar "Hail checks" such as Escavalier can also be worn down by Snover, paving the way for Blizzspammers to push through later into the match.

edit: Wow, I must be a mad slow typer, because I get ninja'd so hard :[
 

Molk

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I agree that snover's main purpose in the RU tier is simply to provide hail support for the rest of the player's team, its stats are really subpar, and its plethora of weaknesses, vulnerability to every entry hazard hamper its bulk on say, a Subseed set. I also agree that the best Snover set at the moment is a Focus Sash set (i gave trop the idea) so Snover can at least hit something with Blizzard and maybe break a Focus Sash before it goes down. While snover's Special Attack stat is no better than the rest of its stats, Blizzard's high BP combined with the residual damage caused by hail makes Snover's Blizzard strong enough to pose a significant threat. Snover can also further increase the amount of damage it does by hitting its opponent with Ice Shard on the next turn, possibly even KOing them. Focus Sash Snover is capable of beating Lead Aerodactyl and Accelgor easily simply by using Blizzard on them and letting Hail do the rest, Snover can also help out against Smeargle by breaking its Focus Sash with Snow Warning, and can beat it on its own as well if you get lucky with sleep turns. Its also capable of beating those lead Sandslash that people use for some reason. Im using Hidden Power Fire on my Snover at the moment to lure in Escavalier and Durant, but im pretty sure that another Hidden Power might also be a good option on Snover such as Ground or Rock to help with the various Fire-types that threaten Hail, such as Entei, what do you guys think? Im going to try out various other Snover sets over the course of the round, but i feel this is the best Snover can do at the moment.
 

Pocket

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HP Fire is the bar none the best Hidden Power choice for Snover, because a free switch-in to Escavalier is never a good thing, ESPECIALLY for a Hail team ;o. Fire-types would not enjoy taking moderately powerful STAB Blizzards anyways.

If you're looking for alternative choices over HP Fire, then Leech Seed would work in conjunction with Protect > Ice Shard. This way you can at least put that Escavalier, Entei, or Moltres in an awkward position. Protect is also nice to scout choiced Escavalier and Entei's moves, and the 2 turns of Leech Seed means 25% health lost (+ 12.5% from two turns Hail damage and maybe 12.5-25% entry hazard damage). Leech Seed is also a great support move that would allow Walrein or SubSplit Rotom-F to set up with ease, as the opponent is either forced out or have their health leached by the snow sweepers.

I like TROP's set, but outspeeding Poliwrath is unnecessary, since the only thing it can do is Circle Throw, a negative priority move. It makes sense to invest enough Speed to outpace Lanturn (so it wont Volt Switch out before Snover can Giga Drain) and Sandslash (before it can set up SR). The leftovers EVs can be used to pump its shitty Attack or shitty defenses.

PS: In hindsight, it does help to be faster than Poliwrath to finish it off before it Rests or start pulling off +0 priority Sleep Talk Circle Throws x0
 
I agree with the sets: Leech Seed and Sash, the only viables sets that I know.
Probably I should change the Evs Spread in the Seeder set to another more useful.
I feel that its missing GrassWhistle, seems a very good idea in Snover mainly in the Focus Sash set, ok I know that the accuracy is pretty bad with only 55% to sleep the opponent but Snover is just awful and usually you're playing with only 5 mons and hail.
 
Actually, I've been running a Leech Seed set (mostly for the sake of testing the usefulness of it), and I hate the fully specially defensive one. Even with a full investment in Special Defense, it really only realistically checks Water-types, which can be accomplished adequately solely off the use of Eviolite. I've been utilizing a more offensively based Leech Seed Snover, and it actually holds up decently. This is what I've been using:

Snover (F) @ Eviolite
Trait: Snow Warning
EVs: 168 HP / 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 84 Spd
Modest Nature
- Blizzard
- Giga Drain
- Leech Seed
- Protect

I don't think I've ever really missed the extra bulk, whereas the more powerful attacks allow him to do more than just sit there.
 

Type: Water / Fighting
Ability: Water Absorb / Damp / Swift Swim
Base Stats: 90 HP / 85 Atk / 95 Def / 70 SpA / 90 SpD / 70 Spe

Poliwrath's bulk and typing have turned it into one of the top defensive threats in the tier. So, what are its best sets, roles, teammates, counters, etc.? Let's talk Poliwrath :3
 


Poliwrath (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Relaxed Nature (+Def, -Spd)
- Rest
- Scald
- Circle Throw
- Sleep Talk

Probably the best Poliwrath set, with this set can check a lot of physical threats in the RU metagame: Aggron, Crawdaunt, Entei, Kabutops, Feraligatr, Carracosta, Durant, Drapion, Aerodactyl, Klinkang, etc
This set needs a bit support like Spikes, Cleric and Spinner. The Spikes are really necessary, by itself, it isn't capable of doing much apart of sponging attack because Circle Throw work nice with Spikes and Stealth Rock. While the rapid spin can quit others Spikes in your field this help a lot against offensive team that can struggle this set. Finally, Heal Bell / Aromatherapy is a good idea to awake quickly since you dont need wait a few turns to keep safely. Very good candidate for any balance or stall team, just only choose the right temmates.
 

Pocket

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Poliwrath @ Leftovers
Trait: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
~ Waterfall
~ Belly Drum
~ Brick Break
~ Substitute / Ice Punch

Nothing surprises the opponent like Swift Drum Wrath! If you need a Pokemon that can bulldoze through mons in the moment's notice, then look no further than Poliwrath! When people think of a rain sweeper toad they usually think of Seismitoad. However, Poliwrath trumps Seismitoad no question about it. This fighter is known for its amazing defensive bulk that complements well with its nifty typing. What's cool is that this same bulkiness allows it to find easy opportunities to set up BDrum and crash the opponent's team with its super toad surge!

To realize the raw power of BD Wrath, check these Honko calcs out:

+6 252+ Atk Poliwrath Waterfall vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Cresselia in rain: 409-483 (92.11 - 108.78%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock

+6 252+ Atk Poliwrath Waterfall vs. 248 HP / 144 Def Slowking in rain: 327-385 (83.2 - 97.96%) -- 68.75% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock

+6 252+ Atk Poliwrath Waterfall vs. 252 HP / 236+ Def Qwilfish in rain: 282-333 (84.43 - 99.7%) -- 75% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock

+6 252+ Atk Poliwrath Brick Break vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Druddigon: 310-366 (86.59 - 102.23%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock

+6 252+ Atk Poliwrath Ice Punch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Tangrowth: 332-392 (82.17 - 97.02%) -- 62.5% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock

+6 252+ Atk Poliwrath Brick Break vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Poliwrath: 300-354 (78.12 - 92.18%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
0 Atk Poliwrath Circle Throw vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Poliwrath: 58-70 (18.01 - 21.73%) -- can't break sub!

85 Base Atk Politoed DGF! What makes Poliwrath so good is that it can even plow through conventional Rain checks, such as Cresselia (and by extension Uxie / Mesprit), Slowking, Lanturn, Druddigon, Poliwrath, and Grass-types (needs Ice Punch for Tangrowth), Ferroseed, and Clefable / Munchlax. It works perfectly as an early-game wallbreaker and can clean games late-game with Lunar Dance / Healing Wish support. Resistance to Sucker Punch / Aqua Jet and good physical bulk prevent Poliwrath to be taken down by priority revenge-killers. Omastar is a nice offensive partner to Shell Smash on CB Entei locked into ExtremeSpeed, the only priority strong enough to knock out a battered Poliwrath.

Uxie is probably the best teammate for Poliwrath, setting up the stage perfectly for a BD sweep. This pixie sets up those rocks, summons rain, and Memento the fuck out. With their offenses halved, Poliwrath can BDrum at its leisure. The fact that Uxie draws in Pokemon Bug- and Dark-types that are set-up bait for Poliwrath is another major plus.
 

Type: Fire
Ability: Pressure / Flash Fire
Base Stats: 115 HP / 115 Atk / 85 Def / 90 SpA / 75 SpD / 100 Spe

With solid offenses, speed, and bulk, Entei is one of the top powerhouses in the metagame. So, what are its best sets, niches, teammates, counters, etc.? All aspects of Entei are up for discussion this week ^.^
 
Entei is and always has been a really solid 'mon in RU (from my experiences anyway :P ), having really solid stats across the board, a decent enough movepool, and of course being one of the only good Extremespeed users in the metagame. The envoy of Hail in the metagame only made Entei better, being good for switching into Blizzards without much trouble and threatening with a powerful Fire STAB. Of course, with many Hail teams commonly carrying bulky Water-types such as Poliwrath and Slowking to combat this, Entei's overall usefulness in such match-ups isn't as distinct as I would like, but notwithstanding it remains an extensively useful 'mon.

Since the Physical Attacker set is too mainstream or whatever, and I like using the weird stuff, here's a set I've been running to good effect recently:

Entei @ Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Sunny Day
- Fire Blast
- SolarBeam
- Calm Mind

SunnyBeamer Entei was always pretty mediocre for me in the past, but with Hail popping up (among other things), it actually became pretty feasible. Sunny Day utilizing Fire-types are a horror for Hail teams, as they not only remove their preferred weather condition, but also can play around common bulky Water-type switch-in's. With Focus Sash Snover developing into the most common variant, SunnyBeamer Entei can usually just sit in the wings as the opponent lets it die, then proceed to Sunny Day up on a free turn, then CM is the face of the Poliwrath / Slowking / whatever switch-in. Of course, that makes Entei a fantastic lure for Poliwrath and Kabutops, smashing both with a moderately powerful Solarbeam.

Kabutops, despite being somewhat nerfed by Sunny Day, makes a very solid partner to this set, as he not only keeps hazards off the field, but also appreciates Entei's ability to lure in Poliwrath. It also makes a solid switch-in for the Fire-types that check Entei. Escavalier is also useful in it's ability to switch into Druddigon and [non-HP Fire] Cresselia, both of whom bother this set.
 
It's Entei, for goodness sake, so I basically have to post...

It seems almost heresy to say so, but Entei's best move isn't actually Flare Blitz. Yes, ExtremeSpeed has come in more useful over the months (is that a legitimate phrase?). Entei is basically a revenge killer nowadays, and it almost is worth a place on the team just because you can always rely on it to do so. But that kind of stuff is boring now as it's been there since the start of the meta, so let's swiftly move on.

HP Grass. When I first saw that Entei users were using it I was rather incredulous, as in "70 base power, non STAB, no EVs and negative nature" incredulous. However, thanks to a bizarre quirk of fate, half the non-HP Entei "counters" in the tier are doubly weak to Grass. (Kabutops, Omastar, and another that I can't remember the name of). So it actually works, especially with the abundance of Kabutops in the tier. It almost solves the infamous Three-Move Syndrome of Entei, where people wonder whether there are more than three decent moves on physical Entei variants. HP Grass is the fourth. The alternative, of course, is to go special.

What with Hail teams running rampant, special Entei may be worth another try. I've been meaning to create a team around it for quite some time now, and I suddenly have a lot more time on my hands for Pokemon so it will come in the near future.

Re: Sunnybeamer, col49 is right as it is almost the perfect Hail counter (although I recommend Flamethrower over Fire Blast for the STAB; priority for that sort of set is removing Snover, which seems to die from any Fire attack the correct side of Incinerate).

That fourth slot is a bit problematic, as Entei has always been at home as a "kamikaze" Pokemon that has no time for setting up. Although SubCM and RestTalk sets may work in theory, I've always found that there are simply too many Earthquakers in the game for it. So it's pretty niche. I recommend Flame Charge myself, as Entei really needs that 1.5x speed boost to sweep well if there are fast Pokemon out there that die to a Solarbeam but have a Rock or Ground move.

One tactic I have found works with Entei is Baton Pass support. Although the "Entei can't switch in" stereotype is prevalent, that does not apply to when the opponent's Pokemon is a setup. If you're running a physical set, then Ninjask would be a good choice; if it's special Entei, then Volbeat for the +3 special attack boost and Encore. (Again, Flame Charge is recommended on offensive special sets).

P.S. col49, where did you find that Entei sprite?

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to playtest special Entei...
 

Type: Bug / Steel
Base Stats: 70 HP / 135 Atk / 105 Def / 60 SpA / 105 SpD / 20 Spe
Ability: Swarm / Shell Armor / Overcoat

One of the most fearsome threats in the metagame right now, Escavalier has certainly made an impact on the tier. So, what are this Pokemon's best sets, roles, niches, counters, teammates, etc. You know the drill; anything about Esca is open for discussion this week~
 

Limitless

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Entei @ Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SDef
Calm Nature
- Lava Plume
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Roar

I apologize in advance for posting this, as Entei was last week; I never really got a chance to post my special set.

Anyways, when I first started team building in RU, I was really needing something that could take grass-type attacks and fire-type attacks like a champ. I looked all over, and stumbled upon Entei. After asking SilentVerse whether or not Entei was viable as a Special Defense RestTalker, he said he wasn't sure. In fact, even after I started using it on the ladder with much success, I get random people telling me that Entei as a RestTalker is not viable.

With Snover being on quite a few teams, I don't see why this set isn't used more. And before I hear anything about how it's likely only viable on balance or stall, I've used it successfully on hail and heavy offensive teams. The great thing about it is that it can be used as a counter, pivot, or shuffler. Thus, it can be used on balance, offense, and stall. With resistances to grass and fire, it also makes it viable outside of a hail metagame.
 
There really aren't any weird Escavalier sets (maybe defensive?) so I'll just talk about the Pokemon in general. Escavalier recently got a bit better due to its ability to wall and KO a bunch of hail Pokemon. Its Overcoat ability also helps it in slaying hail teams, as it is one of the many Pokemon that hates residual damage. Many teams prepare for this, though, in the for of Hidden Power Fire. I've seen a lot of Cryogonal and Lilligant recently with HP Fire, which is probably due to the fact that not many Pokemon can directly switch into Escavalier without taking a huge chunk of damage. Poliwrath is definitely the most relevant counter, as Steelix, one of Escav's other best counters, has a tough time doing well in this metagame with hail and hard hitters like Gallade and Nidoqueen.

I'm curious as to whether people have tried the defensive set in this meta, or if it's just best to stick with CB.
 

Molk

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Escavalier is an excellent pokemon in RU atm. its low speed and 4x weakness to common Fire-type attacks (Stoutland Fire Fang!) may seem unappealing at first, but its immense power, good bulk, and excellent typing more than make up for it. As Dittocrow mentioned, Escavalier has been seeing more usage recently as a good hail check, overcoat negates any hail damage it would take, and its perfectly capable of OHKOing almost every common hail Pokemon (this is why all hail teams NEED a Poliwrath or Qwilfish imo, Escavalier is that important). Escavalier's good bulk allows it to soft check a myriad of common threats such as Uxie, Slowking (watch out for fire blast!), Sceptile, Lilligant, Drapion, Spiritomb, and Cryogonal, making it invaluable on many teams offensive and defensive alike. I usually use Choice Band Escavalier merely due to the firepower it provides (it 2hkos entei with fucking megahorn ._.), but a defensive set doesnt seem too bad. Escavalier has the typing needed to run a specially defensive set for sure, and even without any attack investment it has 306 Attack, the equivalent of a max attack+ base 90, which means its no sitting duck even when played defensively. One thing that stands out is that Escavalier lacks reliable recovery, so i would probably use Restalk escavalier or pair it with a Pokemon with wish such as Clefable if i were to go defensively. Another cool set that i remember from last round was a SubSD set that level 51 used, with good prediction SubSD escavalier was perfectly capable of beating Poliwrath, a Pokemon that would completely wall Esca otherwise. He paired it with an OTR Slowking (Escavalier+Slowking is a really good core btw, i urge everyone to give it a shot) to absorb the Fire-attacks that would often be sent Esca's way and provide it with a clutch speed boost to ensure a late game sweep in a pinch. Imo, theres no denying that Escavalier is a top tier threat in this metagame, and it should always be considered when making a team, as failing to prepare for the snail will often result in a crushing defeat.
 

Type: Bug / Steel
Ability: Swarm / Hustle / Truant
Base Stats: 58 HP / 109 Atk / 112 Def / 48 SpA / 48 SpD / 109 Spe

Moving on from the slow Steel / Bug to the fast one~

Durant here is a vicious mix of Speed and power. So, let's discuss it's best sets, roles, niches, teammates, and counters. Every aspect of Durant is up for discussion this week ^.^
 

Yonko7

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Durant is one of the best Pokemon on paper, but in practice it--sadly--doesn't meet expectations. Great high base Attack, Defense, and Speed makes Durant a dangerous sweeper once it has a boost and / or Hustle lets its attacks actually hit. Durant's weaknesses are its low HP and Special Defense, which means special attackers can take it out easily, especially specially-based revenge killers like Manectric.

The Hone Claws set is the most popular and arguably the most effective set because it can change attacks and has the power of Swords Dance. Durant's coverage is so-so, which its dual STAB hitting decently, and with Superpower hitting at least neutrally what the STABs don't. There aren't a lot of super effective type coverage with the STABs, hitting predominately Grass- and Psychic-types; low Base Power STABS (80) doesn't add much either, and basically make up for Hustle's boost. I find that pairing Hone Claws Durant with Escavalier overloads their counters, analogous to Dragon spam in OU, because even Poliwrath can only take so much from CB Megahorn and then a +1 X-Scissor with hazards everywhere. Also, what I've noticed is that Durant is particularly effective against offensive and defensive teams. For example, some Pokemon like CB Aggron is effective against slower teams. Durant doesn't have the coverage to hit defensive Pokemon super effectively, and doesn't particularly have the power due to the low Base Power of its STABs. On the other side, it isn't that great against offensive teams due to its low Special Defense and HP, because fast specially offensive Pokemon like Sceptile can take it out. It's more of a sweeper, rather than a breaker, which is the biggest difference between it and Escavalier. that being said, when Durant is seen in Team Preview, it makes you play carefully because only Pokemon that resist Durant's attacks will beat it and those that can outspeed it.

Durant's other viable set, Choice Band, is risky, but has great advantages. The total power output is a free Swords Dance boost from turn one. CB is a good wallbreaker that overpowers defensive Pokemon that don't resist its STABs, so Pokemon like Qwilfish can still tank Durant's attacks, but repeated attacks will take its toll. The biggest disadvantage is the accuracy from Hustle so every regular attack basically hits like Fire Blast. Great partners for Durant are Pokemon that can get it in without getting hit. Lanturn and Uxie are great thanks to their slow Volt Switch and U-turn, respectively, and their defensive utility means that they can set up screens, Heal Bell, etc. Again, doubling Durant with Escavalier gets a quick 1-2 punch, where Escavalier is a good switch-in to defensive Pokemon, and Durant can sweep by outspeeding the opposition, but will most likely get stopped by the accuracy.

Durant doesn't have any notable synergy with popular Spike-setters, but it appreciates hazards as the opposition will get worn down for HC set or the CB. In general, Durant doesn't need too much support, because it's not weak to Stealth Rock, for example.

Durant is a great Pokemon in RU; it's a unique blend of Escavalier and Scolipede, the power and Speed, but also inherits the weaknesses too.
 
I kind of hate Durant, a lot. It is one of those Pokemon that I am completely and utterly incapable of using, as every single one of my attacks miss, a consequence that none of my opponents seem troubled by. If I had to pick a single Pokemon that restricted teambuilding, I would have to choose Durant (at least for me, personally). I find it that way because the sheer power and versatility of Durant's Life Orb set of X-Scissor / Iron Head / Rock Slide / Superpower can basically demolish any offensive switch-in imaginable. Besides Pokemon such as Qwilfish and Poliwrath, I honestly can't figure out a Pokemon that bests Durant's fiery wrath (Emboar is pretty cool though). It's a desperately fast bugger, and the fact that all priority in RU is physical really lets Durant shine. When Durant lands its attacks, it can basically outmuscle and dismantle any team in RU, in my opinion. That being said, I don't find it broken or unmanageable. I just find it difficult and slightly restricting. Before, you could get away with running slow teams--I feel as if Durant requires you to run faster things to check it as, once again excluding Qwilfish and Poliwrath...everything else is basically OHKOed.

Damn good Pokemon when Hustle isn't a dick. fuck silentverse
 

Ah Durant, it's one of the mons I use a lot on my teams as a late game sweeper or cleaner. It's hone claws set is by far my favorite but it's limited coverage and low base power STAB moves hurt it, plus it's often surprisingly difficult to find a safe oppurtunity to set up. With out Iron Head Nidoqueen beats it, without Stone Edge Moltres mauls it, without X Scissor Uxie can Paralyze it and render it useless, and without Superpower Steelix walls it cold. It also hates status of any kind, only being immune to poison which it doesn't really fear anyways. It's really the embodiment of high risk high reward strategies, and one must know what there doing when trying to set up something this frail.

Poliwrath is one of it's best true counters, resisting it's STAB's and either phazing it out to get rid of the boosts or hitting it on it's pitiful Special Defense with scald and threatening the burn. Bulky sub wisp Rotom is also a solid counter, resisting it's STAB's and most of it's coverage options and either burning it or just killing it with Thunderbolt. Intimidate Qwilfish is also a pretty good counter, resisting Durant's STAB moves while crippling it with status and setting up or beating it down.

What does make it dangerous is it's unpredictability, as without knowing the coverage move and guessing wrong you could be a mon down very quickly and without warning, and it's this degree of unpredictability with it's limited movepool that makes it dangerous. However, once the set is found out it's weak special defense lets it down, meaning anything faster and Special will be revenge killing it without much hassle. Still, despite it's flaws and counters it's still an absolute beast and very threatening to bulky offensive and stall teams especially.
 

Molk

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Durant is a great pokemon in RU imo, even though i just cant ever get it to work correctly (hustle ;_;). Previously banned for its deadly combination of power and speed, its no doubt that Durant is a physical juggernaut in the RU tier, and should be treated as such. Because of a combination of Hustle, pretty good coverage, and Durant's already high Attack stat, switching into Durant can be a nightmare. Thankfully, while Durant is still a powerful threat, its not anywhere near as broken as it was in the BW1 metagame. Durant's most common defensive counters, Poliwrath and Qwilfish are really good in BW2 RU, other niche Pokemon such as Emboar step up to the plate when it comes to checking Durant, as well. The more offensively paced nature of BW2 RU also makes it that much harder to safely set up a hone claws, being 2HKO'd at best by most of the common offensive threats, while being crippled by status by the defensive ones. Its because of the latter part that i like to use Lum Berry as my item on Durant, it really comes in handy against the common defensive Pokemon that attempt to cripple Durant with burns and paralysis before it can become much of a threat, making it much easier to nab a Hone Claws boost and start dealing some serious damage. Leftovers is also a good option on Durant as it increases its durability substantially, giving it more time to set up, it also preserves Durant's hp so it can do better against priority late game. I just wish there was an option to give your Pokemon glasses, because without a Hone Claws boost, Durant cant see straight :[.

Really good mon imo, and while its not anywhere near broken like it was in BW1, its still a solid Pokemon.
 

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