Beartic (Ubers Analysis - GP 2/2)

shrang

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BEARHUG



http://www.smogon.com/bw/pokemon/beartic

[Overview]

<p>How much more badass can you get when you're a polar bear? Unlike its aesthetically-pleasing NU friend Charizard, Beartic can actually function in the treacherous waters of the Uber tier. While it might look like just another crappy addition to the game, Beartic has a couple of tricks up its furry sleeves: Swift Swim combined with Ice-type STAB, as well as access to Encore and Swords Dance for setup opportunities. This means that, unlike other Swift Swim sweepers, Beartic can steamroll through Grass Arceus, Lugia, and Giratina without much trouble at all. However, even with the Speed boost from Swift Swim, Beartic's Speed is still pretty unimpressive, leaving it unable to outspeed Choice Scarf users that most other Swift Swim sweepers have absolutely no trouble outspeeding. Additionally, just like most other Ice-type Pokemon, Beartic is weak to Stealth Rock, and even with Encore, it finds itself difficult to set up. Also, while Beartic's Ice typing gives excellent super effective coverage, its attacks are still relatively weak against Pokemon they hit neutrally, as its STAB attacks are not boosted in the rain like those of other Swift Swim sweepers. Despite these flaws, no team can ignore the strengths that Beartic brings to the table unless they want to learn the hard way.</p>


[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Icicle Crash
move 3: Low Kick / Superpower
move 4: Encore
item: Life Orb
ability: Swift Swim
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>With max Speed and Swift Swim, Beartic reaches 396 Speed in the rain, just outspeeding Mewtwo. While nothing spectacular, it is just fast enough to run a sweeping set. With a Swords Dance boost, Beartic becomes extremely powerful, especially when backed by physical Ice-type STAB, smiting many of the Uber physical walls with super effective damage. After a Swords Dance, Icicle Crash OHKOes physically defensive Giratina after Stealth Rock damage. Low Kick hits most Pokemon that resist Icicle Crash, easily OHKOing Steel Arceus. Superpower is an option over Low Kick to OHKO Jirachi and Manaphy (two Pokemon that resist Icicle Crash and take a pittance from Low Kick) after Spikes, but Low Kick is generally more consistent. Superpower always OHKOes Darkrai without a boost, regardless of Stealth Rock, but if Stealth Rock is up, Low Kick gets the job done most of the time anyway. In the last slot, Encore is easily the best option, as it gives Beartic setup opportunities from support and setup moves, such as Calm Mind.</p>

[Additional Comments]

<p>A Jolly nature allows Beartic to outspeed neutral natured base 90 Choice Scarf users and Deoxys-A, as well as minimum Speed Groudon in the sun. However, not only is the drop in power significant, but many of these Pokemon also run positive natures, which means Beartic would be outsped even if it runs a Jolly nature. Groudon only requires 12 Speed EVs to outspeed Jolly Beartic anyway. Substitute can potentially replace Encore to avoid status and Dragon Tail, but Encore is generally much more useful for the setup opportunities. In terms of the item choice, Life Orb is generally the superior choice, as it provides Beartic with the additional power needed to KO certain threats, such as Giratina.</p>

<p>As Beartic's Speed is merely acceptable with the boost from rain, it is absolutely trash without it. This means that Kyogre support is essential to Beartic's success in the tier. Luring out and destroying Tyranitar, Hippowdon, Abomasnow, and, most importantly, Groudon is crucial. Bulk Up mixed Dialga is excellent at luring out pretty much all of these weather inducers, destroying Groudon and Hippowdon with Draco Meteor and Tyranitar and Abomasnow with Aura Sphere or Brick Break. Mixed Zekrom is also fairly proficient at luring out Groudon and Hippowdon and crippling them with Draco Meteor.</p>

<p>If Beartic is using Low Kick, Manaphy and Jirachi wall Beartic and can KO it with either rain boosted Surf or Iron Head. Max HP Fighting Arceus can take a boosted Icicle Crash and OHKO in return with Judgment. Latias can easily defeat both Fighting Arceus and Manaphy. Lugia and Giratina are both excellent counters to Fighting Arceus. Grass Arceus and Electric Arceus also counter Manaphy. As for Jirachi, it is generally easily walled by bulky Ground-types such as Sand Force Hippowdon, Ground Arceus, Landorus-T, and Gliscor, provided that they avoid paralysis from Body Slam. Ghost Arceus and Giratina with Will-O-Wisp also make Jirachi a non-factor. While Beartic is excellent at taking out traditional physical walls such as Lugia, Giratina, defensive Normal Arceus, and to a certain extent, Groudon, Icicle Crash still falls short of OHKOing bulky Pokemon that aren't weak to it, such as Fighting Arceus. This is why entry hazard support helps Beartic out greatly. Deoxys-S, Ferrothorn, Deoxys-A, and Skarmory are all excellent Spikes users.</p>

<p>Even with the Swift Swim boost, Beartic is still pretty slow. Any Choice Scarf user with base 90 Speed or above can outspeed Beartic and revenge kill it. In particular, Choice Scarf Kyogre can take both Icicle Crash and Low Kick and OHKO in return with Surf. Deoxys-A and Deoxys-S both naturally outspeed Beartic as well. Groudon, provided it runs a minimum of 12 Speed EVs, will always outspeed Beartic in the sun, while Rayquaza has Air Lock to neuter Beartic's Swift Swim Speed boosts and OHKO Beartic. Lugia and defensive Normal Arceus hard counter Rayquaza sets, while Choice Scarf Genesect, Jirachi, Palkia, Salamence, and Garchomp can revenge Dragon Dance variants. Wobbuffet makes an excellent teammate for Beartic, as it can trap and remove many Choice Scarf users, as well as Encoring support moves for Beartic to set up on. Giratina-O, as well as bulky Steel-types such as Jirachi, Scizor, and Steel Arceus check Deoxys-A relatively well.</p>


[Other Options]

<p>Aqua Jet can be used to revenge kill Blaziken and Deoxys-A, but that is pretty much where its usefulness ends. Stone Edge can be used to OHKO Ho-Oh without a boost, but is useless otherwise. Bulk Up can be used to make Beartic relatively resilient to physical attacks, but Swords Dance is better in general. Taunt can allow Beartic to set up on Skarmory without being forced out, as well as dealing with Multiscale Lugia a lot better. Other potential sets that Beartic can run are SubPunch and Endure + Flail, but these are rather gimmicky and there is generally no reason to run them over the Swords Dance set.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Scizor is probably the best Beartic counter. It is bulky and light enough to take unboosted Low Kicks and Superpowers, while easily wiping out Beartic with Bullet Punch. It also has Roost to heal off any damage that Beartic does to it. If Forretress carries Gyro Ball, it can also easily KO Beartic while taking little from Icicle Crash and Low Kick. Fighting Arceus can take a boosted Icicle Crash and Low Kick and OHKO with Judgment. Likewise, bulky Ghost Arceus can take anything that Beartic uses and OHKO with Focus Blast or burn Beartic with Will-O-Wisp. Physically defensive Kyogre can take a boosted Low Kick and OHKO with Surf or Scald. If Beartic uses Low Kick, Manaphy and Jirachi wall Beartic and KOs with rain boosted Surf or Iron Head. Metagross can take a +2 Low Kick and OHKO Beartic with Meteor Mash. Tentacruel resists both Icicle Crash and Low Kick and deals a lot of damage with Scald, but is generally losing if Scald fails to burn, as +2 Icicle Crash does over 65% to standard Tentacruel.</p>

<p>Most Choice Scarf users with base 90 Speed or more using a positive nature can revenge kill Beartic. Deoxys-A and Deoxys-S can also naturally outspeed it. Faster priority can also take down Beartic. Apart from the aforementioned Bullet Punch from Scizor, Extreme Killer Arceus and Rayquaza can deal heavy damage to Beartic with ExtremeSpeed. Otherwise, if you can take away the rain, Beartic becomes near useless most of the time. As long as it does not switch into Icicle Crash more than once, Groudon with 12 or more Speed EVs can always outspeed Beartic and KO with Stone Edge or a Fire-type move. Tyranitar that invest enough in Speed can also KO Beartic with Stone Edge or Fire Blast, as long as they avoid Low Kick.</p>
 

His Eminence Lord Poppington II

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[qc]1/3[/qc]

mention faster swift swimmers as checks

mention taunt in other options to thwart shit like skarm and multiscale lugia

mention gyro ball forretress in checks
 
Sorry for not really commenting lol, exams suck.

I will stamp this first before I leave again.


QC APPROVED 2/3

Missing Victini in counters section, it resists both your moves and OHKO with V-Create. Physically Defensive Kyogre beats you as well, because it can KO back with Surf/Scald. Ghost Arceus survives anything and KO with Focus Blast.

Blaziken resists Icicle Crash and is not OHKOed by Low Kick. +1 Jolly Blaziken also outspeeds you so it can switch in and Protect next turn.

Pretty sure physically defensive Ho-Oh beats you as well with Brave Bird/Sacred Fire. If SR is up, Ho-Oh dies.

Skarmory can phaze you out if you lack Taunt or Brave Bird for major damage lol. No special mention for Scarf Jirachi/Victini? They resist Ice and isn't weak to Low Kick and OHKO back.

Toxic Spikes screws you over so maybe pair it up with Qwilfish for killing Scarf Genesect, Terrakion and friends.

The Ice STAB and encore does make a difference over other rain abusers so I am approving it. Also Beartic stomps Grass Arceus/Lugia and maims Latias without getting stuck on Outrage like Kingdra or get smashed by Ferrothorn :D
 

shrang

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Sorry guys, Beartic can't learn Earthquake. I'll implement all the other changes though. Thanks for the checks.
 
Weavile might actually be better than Beartic but it got rejected. I was thinking about that because Weavile actually has higher Attack stat, keeps it Speed regardless of weather, Beartic is slow balls outside of rain and still isn't very fast in it. Night Slash from Weavile nails Ghost Arceus and Ice Shard owns DD Rayquaza.

SD Weavile breaks Giratina, Lugia, Groudon, Arceus, Grass Arceus and Blissey too. Although some of those require a little prior damage before a +2 Ice Punch OHKOes them. Low Kick kills Arceus and Weavile naturally outruns Arceus forms and Mach Punch is never seen in Ubers. Beartic's extra bulk over Weavile is rarely noticeable in my opinion.
.
Beartic can't revenge kill any Scarf user at all but it does outspeed Mewtwo in the rain which is huge I guess. Weavile loses to Mewtwo, and maybe Shaymin-S if you drop Ice Shard. Encore is good but I think Beartic rarely gets the chance to use it, besides on some random Calm Minds because just about any Attack KOes it.

Still Beartic > Weavile in the end but best to pair it up with another rain abuser such as Kabutops.
Besides Beartic, Qwilfish owns Grass Arceus too with Poison Jab.

UPDATE:Beartic should get an analysis, it sucks sometimes being slow shit but it excels in ripping walls.
 

Theorymon

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Since this is written now, I have a few things to nitpick before this is GP'd!

-You need to mention Beartic's biggest flaw in the overview: the inability to outspeed Scarfers. This is a huge flaw since most other Swift Swimmers have no issues with this! Also mention that by Swift Swimmer standards, Beartic is pretty weak despite breaking a bunch of Pokemon that most Swift Swimmers have issues with, mostly because of the lack of Water STAB. For example, +2 Beartic does 67-80% to max HP Ghost Arceus with Icicle Crash, while even Qwiflish is highly likely to OHKO the same Arceus after Stealth Rock with Waterfall.

- Forgive me for not noticing this before, but I don't think Lum Berry should really be mentioned, Beartic needs ALL the power it can possiblity get here, 110 isn't really that great of an attack stat when you aren't hitting stuff super effectively!

- Might want to mention that Low Kick almost always OHKOs Darkrai after Stealth Rock (does 86% minimum) BEFORE a boost, which is always handy. +2 Low Kick also OHKOs max HP Kyogre after Stealth Rock, which is always nice.

- In the counters section, change " As long as it does not switch into Icicle Crash too many times, Groudon...", because even support Groudon actually takes 50% minimum from Adamant unboosted Icicle Crash, so with SR on the field, you can only really switch into Icicle Crash once.
 

shrang

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I'll get around to that tomorrow, Theorymon, I'm on holidays and cannot readily change these. GP checkers, please refrain from checking these before I make these changes.
 
I honesly think that Charizard shouldn't be mentioned within the overview... it just doesn't seem relevant, and I think that the mere mention of Charizard seems to downgrade Beartic severley.
 
GP check. Good job on writing this.
Additions in Blue
Subtractions in Red
Comments in Purple

[Overview]

<p>How much more badass can you get when you're a polar bear? Unlike its aesthetically-pleasing-but-downright-horrible NU (you don't have to add this if you think it might make people dismiss Beartic out of hand, when they shouldn't and wouldn't otherwise) friend in Charizard, Beartic can actually function in the treacherous waters of the Uber tier. While it may might look like just a another crappy addition to the game, Beartic has a couple of tricks up its furry sleeves: Swift Swim combined with Ice-type STAB, as well as access to Encore and Swords Dance for setup opportunities. This means that (add comma) unlike other Swift Swimmers, Beartic gets to can steamroll through Grass Arceus, Lugia, and Giratina without much trouble at all. However, even with the Speed boost from Swift Swim, Beartic's Speed is still pretty unimpressive, leaving it unable to outspeed most Choice Scarf users that most other Swift Swimmers have absolutely no trouble outspeeding. Just Additionally, just like all other Ice-type Pokemon, Beartic is weak to Stealth Rock, and even with Encore, it finds itself difficult to set up. Also, while its Beartic's Ice-typing gives excellent super-effective (remove hyphen) coverage, Beartic is its attacks are still relatively weak against Pokemon it hits they hit neutrally, since as its STAB attacks are not boosted in the rain like other Swift Swimmers Swimmers' are. Despite these flaws, no team can ignore the strengths that Beartic brings to the table if they want to stay competitive.(I think this might be going a bit overboard; sure Beartic has a niche and all, but it also had .334% usage last month, so I'm not sure I'd go as far to say that its impossible to ignore Beartic's strengths and stay competitive)</p>


[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Icicle Crash
move 3: Low Kick / Superpower
move 4: Encore
item: Life Orb
ability: Swift Swim
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>With max Speed and Swift Swim, Beartic reaches 396 Speed in the rain, just outspeeding Mewtwo. While nothing spectacular, it is just fast enough to run a sweeping set. With a Swords Dance boost, Beartic becomes extremely powerful, especially when backed by physical Ice-type STAB, smiting many of the Uber physical walls for with super effective damage. After a Swords Dance, Icicle Crash OHKOes physically defensive Giratina after Stealth Rock damage. Low Kick hits most Pokemon that resist Icicle Crash, easily OHKOing Steel Arceus. Superpower is an option over Low Kick to OHKO Jirachi and Manaphy (two Pokemon which that resist Icicle Crash and takes a pittance from Low Kick) after Spikes, but Low Kick is generally more consistent. Superpower always OHKOes Darkrai without a boost, regardless of Stealth Rock, but if Stealth Rock is up, Low Kick gets the job done most of the time anyway. In the last slot, Encore is easily the best option, as it gives Beartic setup opportunities from support and setup moves, such as Calm Mind.</p>

[Additional Comments]

<p>A Jolly nature allows Beartic to outspeed neutral natured base 90 Choice Scarf users and Deoxys-A, as well as minimum Speed Groudon in the sun. However, not only is the drop in power significant, but many of these Pokemon also run positive natures, which means Beartic would be outsped even if it did run a Jolly nature. Groudon only requires 12 Speed EVs to outspeed Jolly Beartic anyway. Substitute can potentially replace Encore to avoid status and Dragon Tail, but Encore is generally much more useful for the set up setup opportunities. In terms of the item choice, Life Orb is generally the superior choice, as it provides Beartic with the additional power needed to KO certain threats, such as Giratina.</p>

<p>Since As Beartic's speed Speed is merely acceptable with the boost from rain, it is absolutely trash without it. This means that Kyogre support is absolutely essential to Beartic finding any kind of success in the tier. Luring out and destroying Tyranitar, Hippowdon, Abomasnow, and most importantly, Groudon, (remove comma) is absolutely crucial. Bulk Up Mixed mixed Dialga is excellent at luring out pretty much all of these weather inducers (add comma) and destroying Groudon and Hippowdon with Draco Meteor and Tyranitar and Abomasnow with Aura Sphere or Brick Break. Mixed Zekrom is also fairly proficient at luring out Groudon and Hippowdon and crippling them with Draco Meteor.</p>

<p>If Beartic is using Low Kick, Manaphy and Jirachi walls wall Beartic and can KO it with either rain boosted Surf or Iron Head. Max HP Fighting Arceus can take a boosted Icicle Crash and OHKO in return with Judgment. Latias can easily defeat both Fighting Arceus and Manaphy. Lugia and Giratina are both excellent counters to Fighting Arceus. Grass Arceus and Electric Arceus also counter Manaphy. As for Jirachi, it is generally easily walled with by bulky Ground-types such as Sand Force Hippowdon, Ground Arceus, and Gliscor, provided that they avoid paralysis from Body Slam. Ghost Arceus and Giratina with Will-O-Wisp also makes make Jirachi a non-factor. While Beartic is excellent at taking out the traditional physical walls such as Lugia, Giratina, defensive Normal Arceus, and to a certain extent, Groudon, Icicle Crash still falls short of OHKOing bulky Pokemon that aren't weak to its attacks it, such as Fighting Arceus. This is why entry hazard support helps Beartic out greatly. Deoxys-S, Ferrothorn, Deoxys-A, and Skarmory are all excellent Spikes users.</p>

<p>Even with the Swift Swim boost, Beartic is still pretty slow. Any Choice Scarf user with base 90 Speed or above can outspeed Beartic and revenge kill it. In particular, Choice Scarf Kyogre can take both Icicle Crash and Low Kick and OHKO in return with Surf. Deoxys-A and Deoxys-S both naturally outspeed Beartic as well. Groudon, provided it runs a minimum of 12 Speed EVs, will always outspeed Beartic in the sun, while Rayquaza has Air Lock to neuter Beartic's Swift Swim speed boosts and OHKO Beartic. Lugia and defensive Normal Arceus hard counters counter Rayquaza sets, while Choice Scarf Genesect, Jirachi, Palkia, Salamence, and Garchomp can revenge Dragon Dance variants. Wobbuffet makes an excellent teammate to for Beartic, as it can trap and remove many Choice Scarf users, as well as Encore Encoring support moves for Beartic to set up on. Giratina-O, as well as bulky Steel-types such as Jirachi, Scizor (add comma) and Steel Arceus check Deoxys-A relatively well.</p>


[Other Options]

<p>Aqua Jet can be used to revenge kill Blaziken and Deoxys-A, but that is pretty much where its usefulness ends. Stone Edge can be used to OHKO Ho-oh Ho-Oh without a boost, but is rather useless otherwise. Bulk Up can be used to make Beartic relatively resilient to physical attacks, but Swords Dance is better in general. Taunt can allow Beartic to set up on Skarmory without being forced out, as well as dealing with Multiscale Lugia a lot better. Other potential sets that Beartic can run are SubPunch sets, as well as a and Endure + Flail, but these are rather gimmicky and there are is generally no reason to run them over the Swords Dance set.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Scizor is probably the best Beartic counter. It is bulky and light enough to take unboosted Low Kicks and Superpower Superpowers, while easily wiping Beartic out with Bullet Punch. It also has Roost to heal off any damage that Beartic does to it. If Forretress carries Gyro Ball, it can also easily KO Beartic while taking little with from Icicle Crash and Low Kick. Fighting Arceus can take a boosted Icicle Crash and Low Kick and OHKO with Judgment. Likewise, bulky Ghost Arceus can take anything that Beartic uses and OHKO with Focus Blast or burn Beartic with Will-O-Wisp. Physically defensive Kyogre can take a boosted Low Kick and OHKO with Surf or Scald. If Beartic uses Low Kick, Manaphy and Jirachi walls wall Beartic and KOs can KO with rain boosted Surf or Iron Head. Metagross can take a +2 Low Kick and OHKO Beartic with Meteor Mash. Tentacruel resists both Icicle Crash and Low Kick and deal deals a lot of damage with Scald, but is generally losing if Scald fails to burn, as +2 Icicle Crash does over 65% to standard Tentacruel.</p>

<p>Most Choice Scarf users with 90 base 90 Speed or more using a positive nature can revenge kill Beartic. Deoxys-A and Deoxys-S can also naturally outspeed it. Faster priority can also take down Beartic. Apart from the aforementioned Bullet Punch from Scizor, ExtremeKiller Arceus and Rayquaza can deal heavy damage to Beartic with ExtremeSpeed. Otherwise, if you can take away the rain, Beartic becomes near useless most of the time. As long as it does not switch into Icicle Crash more than once, Groudon with more than 12 Speed EVs can always outspeed Beartic and KO with Stone Edge or a Fire-type move. Tyranitar that invests invest enough speed in Speed can also KO Beartic with Stone Edge or Fire Blast, as long as it avoids they avoid Low Kick.</p>


[gp]1/2[/gp]
 

shrang

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Thanks for the GP Check, melvni. Sorry I haven't gotten around to getting it done, I was busy moving interstate. It's been implemented now, though.

Ready for GP Check 2.
 
Amateur check. Omissions are in red and additions are in blue. Comments are in green.

[Overview]

<p>How much more badass can you get when you're a polar bear? Unlike its aesthetically-pleasing(omit hyphen) NU friend Charizard, Beartic can actually function in the treacherous waters of the Uber tier. While it might look like just another crappy addition to the game, Beartic has a couple of tricks up its furry sleeves: Swift Swim combined with Ice-type STAB, as well as access to Encore and Swords Dance for setup opportunities. This means that, unlike other Swift Swimmers, Beartic can steamroll through Grass Arceus, Lugia, and Giratina without much trouble at all. However, even with the Speed boost from Swift Swim, Beartic's Speed is still pretty unimpressive, leaving it unable to outspeed Choice Scarf users that most other Swift Swimmers have absolutely no trouble outspeeding. Additionally, just like most other Ice-type Pokemon, Beartic is weak to Stealth Rock, and even with Encore, it finds itself difficult to set up. Also, while Beartic's Ice-typing gives excellent super-effective coverage, its attacks are still relatively weak against Pokemon they hit neutrally, as its STAB attacks are not boosted in the rain like other those of other Swift Swimmers are. Despite these flaws, no team can ignore the strengths that Beartic brings to the table unless they want to learn the hard way.</p>


[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Icicle Crash
move 3: Low Kick / Superpower
move 4: Encore
item: Life Orb
ability: Swift Swim
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>With max Speed and Swift Swim, Beartic reaches 396 Speed in the rain, just outspeeding Mewtwo. While nothing spectacular, it is just fast enough to run a sweeping set. With a Swords Dance boost, Beartic becomes extremely powerful, especially when backed by physical Ice-type STAB, smiting many of the Uber physical walls with super effective damage. After a Swords Dance, Icicle Crash OHKOes physically defensive Giratina after Stealth Rock damage. Low Kick hits most Pokemon that resist Icicle Crash, easily OHKOing Steel Arceus. Superpower is an option over Low Kick to OHKO Jirachi and Manaphy (two Pokemon that resist Icicle Crash and take (not takes) a pittance from Low Kick) after Spikes, but Low Kick is generally more consistent. Superpower always OHKOes Darkrai without a boost, regardless of Stealth Rock, but if Stealth Rock is up, Low Kick gets the job done most of the time anyway. In the last slot, Encore is easily the best option, as it gives Beartic setup opportunities from support and setup moves, such as Calm Mind.</p>

[Additional Comments]

<p>A Jolly nature allows Beartic to outspeed neutral natured base 90 Choice Scarf users and Deoxys-A, as well as minimum Speed Groudon in the sun. However, not only is the drop in power significant, but many of these Pokemon also run positive natures, which means Beartic would be outsped even if it did run runs a Jolly nature. Groudon only requires 12 Speed EVs to outspeed Jolly Beartic anyway. Substitute can potentially replace Encore to avoid status and Dragon Tail, but Encore is generally much more useful for the setup opportunities. In terms of the item choice, Life Orb is generally the superior choice, as it provides Beartic with the additional power needed to KO certain threats, such as Giratina.</p>

<p>As Beartic's Speed is merely acceptable with the boost from rain, it is absolutely trash without it. This means that Kyogre support is absolutely (sounds weird with another absolutely up there, but it's your choice) essential to Beartic finding any kind of Beartic's success in the tier. Luring out and destroying Tyranitar, Hippowdon, Abomasnow, and most importantly, Groudon is absolutely (same reason) crucial. Bulk Up mixed Dialga is excellent at luring out pretty much all of these weather inducers, destroying Groudon and Hippowdon with Draco Meteor and Tyranitar and Abomasnow with Aura Sphere or Brick Break. Mixed Zekrom is also fairly proficient at luring out Groudon and Hippowdon and crippling them with Draco Meteor.</p>

<p>If Beartic is using Low Kick, Manaphy and Jirachi wall Beartic and can KO it with either rain boosted Surf or Iron Head. Max HP Fighting Arceus can take a boosted Icicle Crash and OHKO in return with Judgment. Latias can easily defeat both Fighting Arceus and Manaphy. Lugia and Giratina are both excellent counters to Fighting Arceus. Grass Arceus and Electric Arceus also counter Manaphy. As for Jirachi, it is generally easily walled by bulky Ground-types such as Sand Force Hippowdon, Ground Arceus, Landorus-T, and Gliscor, provided that they avoid paralysis from Body Slam. Ghost Arceus and Giratina with Will-O-Wisp also make Jirachi a non-factor. While Beartic is excellent at taking out traditional physical walls such as Lugia, Giratina, defensive Normal Arceus, and to a certain extent, Groudon, Icicle Crash still falls short of OHKOing bulky Pokemon that aren't weak to it, such as Fighting Arceus. This is why entry hazard support helps Beartic out greatly. Deoxys-S, Ferrothorn, Deoxys-A, and Skarmory are all excellent Spikes users.</p>

<p>Even with the Swift Swim boost, Beartic is still pretty slow. Any Choice Scarf user with base 90 Speed or above can outspeed Beartic and revenge kill it. In particular, Choice Scarf Kyogre can take both Icicle Crash and Low Kick and OHKO in return with Surf. Deoxys-A and Deoxys-S both naturally outspeed Beartic as well. Groudon, provided it runs a minimum of 12 Speed EVs, will always outspeed Beartic in the sun, while Rayquaza has Air Lock to neuter Beartic's Swift Swim speed boosts and OHKO Beartic. Lugia and defensive Normal Arceus hard counter Rayquaza sets, while Choice Scarf Genesect, Jirachi, Palkia, Salamence, and Garchomp can revenge Dragon Dance variants. Wobbuffet makes an excellent teammate to for Beartic, as it can trap and remove many Choice Scarf users, as well as Encoring support moves for Beartic to set up on. Giratina-O, as well as bulky Steel-types such as Jirachi, Scizor, and Steel Arceus check Deoxys-A relatively well.</p>


[Other Options]

<p>Aqua Jet can be used to revenge kill Blaziken and Deoxys-A, but that is pretty much where its usefulness ends. Stone Edge can be used to OHKO Ho-Oh without a boost, but is rather useless otherwise. Bulk Up can be used to make Beartic relatively resilient to physical attacks, but Swords Dance is better in general. Taunt can allow Beartic to set up on Skarmory without being forced out, as well as dealing with Multiscale Lugia a lot better. Other potential sets that Beartic can run are SubPunch and Endure + Flail, but these are rather gimmicky and there is generally no reason to run them over the Swords Dance set.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Scizor is probably the best Beartic counter. It is bulky and light enough to take unboosted Low Kicks and Superpowers, while easily wiping Beartic out with Bullet Punch. It also has Roost to heal off any damage that Beartic does to it. If Forretress carries Gyro Ball, it can also easily KO Beartic while taking little from Icicle Crash and Low Kick. Fighting Arceus can take a boosted Icicle Crash and Low Kick and OHKO with Judgment. Likewise, bulky Ghost Arceus can take anything that Beartic uses and OHKO with Focus Blast or burn Beartic with Will-O-Wisp. Physically defensive Kyogre can take a boosted Low Kick and OHKO with Surf or Scald. If Beartic uses Low Kick, Manaphy and Jirachi wall Beartic and KO (not KOs) with rain boosted Surf or Iron Head. Metagross can take a +2 Low Kick and OHKO Beartic with Meteor Mash. Tentacruel resists both Icicle Crash and Low Kick and deals a lot of damage with Scald, but is generally losing if Scald fails to burn, as +2 Icicle Crash does over 65% to standard Tentacruel.</p>

<p>Most Choice Scarf users with base 90 Speed or more using a positive nature can revenge kill Beartic. Deoxys-A and Deoxys-S can also naturally outspeed it. Faster priority can also take down Beartic. Apart from the aforementioned Bullet Punch from Scizor, ExtremeKiller Arceus and Rayquaza can deal heavy damage to Beartic with ExtremeSpeed. Otherwise, if you can take away the rain, Beartic becomes near useless most of the time. As long as it does not switch into Icicle Crash more than once, Groudon with more than 12 or more Speed EVs can always outspeed Beartic and KO with Stone Edge or a Fire-type move. Tyranitar that invest enough in Speed can also KO Beartic with Stone Edge or Fire Blast, as long as they avoid Low Kick.</p>
 

Oglemi

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[Overview]

<p>How much more badass can you get when you're a polar bear? Unlike its aesthetically-pleasing NU friend Charizard, Beartic can actually function in the treacherous waters of the Uber tier. While it might look like just another crappy addition to the game, Beartic has a couple of tricks up its furry sleeves: Swift Swim combined with Ice-type STAB, as well as access to Encore and Swords Dance for setup opportunities. This means that, unlike other Swift Swim sweepers, Beartic can steamroll through Grass Arceus, Lugia, and Giratina without much trouble at all. However, even with the Speed boost from Swift Swim, Beartic's Speed is still pretty unimpressive, leaving it unable to outspeed Choice Scarf users that most other Swift Swim sweepers have absolutely no trouble outspeeding. Additionally, just like most other Ice-type Pokemon, Beartic is weak to Stealth Rock, and even with Encore, it finds itself difficult to set up. Also, while Beartic's Ice typing gives excellent super effective coverage, its attacks are still relatively weak against Pokemon they hit neutrally, as its STAB attacks are not boosted in the rain like those of other Swift Swim sweepers. Despite these flaws, no team can ignore the strengths that Beartic brings to the table unless they want to learn the hard way.</p>

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Icicle Crash
move 3: Low Kick / Superpower
move 4: Encore
item: Life Orb
ability: Swift Swim
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>With max Speed and Swift Swim, Beartic reaches 396 Speed in the rain, just outspeeding Mewtwo. While nothing spectacular, it is just fast enough to run a sweeping set. With a Swords Dance boost, Beartic becomes extremely powerful, especially when backed by physical Ice-type STAB, smiting many of the Uber physical walls with super effective damage. After a Swords Dance, Icicle Crash OHKOes physically defensive Giratina after Stealth Rock damage. Low Kick hits most Pokemon that resist Icicle Crash, easily OHKOing Steel Arceus. Superpower is an option over Low Kick to OHKO Jirachi and Manaphy (two Pokemon that resist Icicle Crash and take a pittance from Low Kick) after Spikes, but Low Kick is generally more consistent. Superpower always OHKOes Darkrai without a boost, regardless of Stealth Rock, but if Stealth Rock is up, Low Kick gets the job done most of the time anyway. In the last slot, Encore is easily the best option, as it gives Beartic setup opportunities from support and setup moves, such as Calm Mind.</p>

[Additional Comments]

<p>A Jolly nature allows Beartic to outspeed neutral natured base 90 Choice Scarf users and Deoxys-A, as well as minimum Speed Groudon in the sun. However, not only is the drop in power significant, but many of these Pokemon also run positive natures, which means Beartic would be outsped even if it runs a Jolly nature. Groudon only requires 12 Speed EVs to outspeed Jolly Beartic anyway. Substitute can potentially replace Encore to avoid status and Dragon Tail, but Encore is generally much more useful for the setup opportunities. In terms of the item choice, Life Orb is generally the superior choice, as it provides Beartic with the additional power needed to KO certain threats, such as Giratina.</p>

<p>As Beartic's Speed is merely acceptable with the boost from rain, it is absolutely trash without it. This means that Kyogre support is essential to Beartic's success in the tier. Luring out and destroying Tyranitar, Hippowdon, Abomasnow, and, most importantly, Groudon is crucial. Bulk Up mixed Dialga is excellent at luring out pretty much all of these weather inducers, destroying Groudon and Hippowdon with Draco Meteor and Tyranitar and Abomasnow with Aura Sphere or Brick Break. Mixed Zekrom is also fairly proficient at luring out Groudon and Hippowdon and crippling them with Draco Meteor.</p>

<p>If Beartic is using Low Kick, Manaphy and Jirachi wall Beartic and can KO it with either rain boosted Surf or Iron Head. Max HP Fighting Arceus can take a boosted Icicle Crash and OHKO in return with Judgment. Latias can easily defeat both Fighting Arceus and Manaphy. Lugia and Giratina are both excellent counters to Fighting Arceus. Grass Arceus and Electric Arceus also counter Manaphy. As for Jirachi, it is generally easily walled by bulky Ground-types such as Sand Force Hippowdon, Ground Arceus, Landorus-T, and Gliscor, provided that they avoid paralysis from Body Slam. Ghost Arceus and Giratina with Will-O-Wisp also make Jirachi a non-factor. While Beartic is excellent at taking out traditional physical walls such as Lugia, Giratina, defensive Normal Arceus, and to a certain extent, Groudon, Icicle Crash still falls short of OHKOing bulky Pokemon that aren't weak to it, such as Fighting Arceus. This is why entry hazard support helps Beartic out greatly. Deoxys-S, Ferrothorn, Deoxys-A, and Skarmory are all excellent Spikes users.</p>

<p>Even with the Swift Swim boost, Beartic is still pretty slow. Any Choice Scarf user with base 90 Speed or above can outspeed Beartic and revenge kill it. In particular, Choice Scarf Kyogre can take both Icicle Crash and Low Kick and OHKO in return with Surf. Deoxys-A and Deoxys-S both naturally outspeed Beartic as well. Groudon, provided it runs a minimum of 12 Speed EVs, will always outspeed Beartic in the sun, while Rayquaza has Air Lock to neuter Beartic's Swift Swim Speed boosts and OHKO Beartic. Lugia and defensive Normal Arceus hard counter Rayquaza sets, while Choice Scarf Genesect, Jirachi, Palkia, Salamence, and Garchomp can revenge Dragon Dance variants. Wobbuffet makes an excellent teammate for Beartic, as it can trap and remove many Choice Scarf users, as well as Encoring support moves for Beartic to set up on. Giratina-O, as well as bulky Steel-types such as Jirachi, Scizor, and Steel Arceus check Deoxys-A relatively well.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Aqua Jet can be used to revenge kill Blaziken and Deoxys-A, but that is pretty much where its usefulness ends. Stone Edge can be used to OHKO Ho-Oh without a boost, but is useless otherwise. Bulk Up can be used to make Beartic relatively resilient to physical attacks, but Swords Dance is better in general. Taunt can allow Beartic to set up on Skarmory without being forced out, as well as dealing with Multiscale Lugia a lot better. Other potential sets that Beartic can run are SubPunch and Endure + Flail, but these are rather gimmicky and there is generally no reason to run them over the Swords Dance set.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Scizor is probably the best Beartic counter. It is bulky and light enough to take unboosted Low Kicks and Superpowers, while easily wiping out Beartic with Bullet Punch. It also has Roost to heal off any damage that Beartic does to it. If Forretress carries Gyro Ball, it can also easily KO Beartic while taking little from Icicle Crash and Low Kick. Fighting Arceus can take a boosted Icicle Crash and Low Kick and OHKO with Judgment. Likewise, bulky Ghost Arceus can take anything that Beartic uses and OHKO with Focus Blast or burn Beartic with Will-O-Wisp. Physically defensive Kyogre can take a boosted Low Kick and OHKO with Surf or Scald. If Beartic uses Low Kick, Manaphy and Jirachi wall Beartic and KOs with rain boosted Surf or Iron Head. Metagross can take a +2 Low Kick and OHKO Beartic with Meteor Mash. Tentacruel resists both Icicle Crash and Low Kick and deals a lot of damage with Scald, but is generally losing if Scald fails to burn, as +2 Icicle Crash does over 65% to standard Tentacruel.</p>

<p>Most Choice Scarf users with base 90 Speed or more using a positive nature can revenge kill Beartic. Deoxys-A and Deoxys-S can also naturally outspeed it. Faster priority can also take down Beartic. Apart from the aforementioned Bullet Punch from Scizor, Extreme Killer Arceus and Rayquaza can deal heavy damage to Beartic with ExtremeSpeed. Otherwise, if you can take away the rain, Beartic becomes near useless most of the time. As long as it does not switch into Icicle Crash more than once, Groudon with 12 or more Speed EVs can always outspeed Beartic and KO with Stone Edge or a Fire-type move. Tyranitar that invest enough in Speed can also KO Beartic with Stone Edge or Fire Blast, as long as they avoid Low Kick.</p>


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