Carvanha
QC Approved [2/2] (Zeph, Aerrow)
GP Approved [2/2] (Calm Pokemaster, Aeron Ee1)
[Overview]
<p>Carvanha is one of the biggest offensive threats in Little Cup. With amazing STAB attacks and the ability to run either a physical or mixed set, it can effectively sweep unprepared teams. Its movepool is limited, but it has a STAB priority move in Aqua Jet which lets it revenge kill many Pokemon easily. The addition of Speed Boost this generation brought a way for Carvanha to outspeed many of its old counters. Unfortunately, while it has amazing offensive stats, it has extremely thin defenses. Overall, Carvanha is one of the most feared sweepers in Little Cup as it can either do massive damage early game or function as a late-game sweeper.</p>
[SET]
name: Physical Attacker
move 1: Waterfall
move 2: Crunch
move 3: Aqua Jet
move 4: Protect
item: Life Orb
ability: Speed Boost
nature: Adamant
evs: 196 Atk / 36 Def / 36 SpD / 236 Spe
ivs: 0 HP
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This is Carvanha's most feared set. After just one Speed boost, Carvanha outspeeds all unboosted Pokemon. Waterfall and Crunch act as the main STAB attacks and have nearly unresisted neutral coverage together. Waterfall can also flinch the opponent at times, which is a sweet bonus. Aqua Jet is used for its priority, revenge killing weakened Pokemon that would either outspeed, or use priority against Carvanha. Protect allows Carvanha to safely gain a Speed boost, and scout the opponent's move. With 196 Attack EVs and an Adamant nature, Carvanha reaches 19 Attack. Life Orb maximizes Carvanha's damage output.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>With Speed Boost raising Carvanha's Speed every turn, a Speed-boosting nature is not needed. The 236 Speed EVs give Carvanha 16 Speed. This means that every turn, Carvanha's Speed increases by 8 points. The remaining EVs are placed into Defense and Special Defense for slightly more bulk. Lowering the HP IV to 0 gives Carvanha 19 HP, which means it will only lose 1 HP per turn from Life Orb recoil. This set is best used in conjunction with entry hazard support. Ferroseed can lay down both Stealth Rock and Spikes, and can take the Electric- and Grass-type attacks that Carvanha is weak to. It should be noted, however, that it shares a common Fighting-type weakness with Carvanha.</p>
<p>This set can function either early or late game. Early game, it puts pressure on the opponent, can scout for its counters, and do some nice damage during switches before switching back out for late-game use. When Carvanha is used late game, it can finish off the opponent's weakened team. Ferroseed resists both of Carvanha's STAB attacks, and walls this entire set. Gligar can take a Waterfall and hit back with Earthquake. For this reason, Scarf Snover will be a good teammate for Carvanha as it can handle both threats with Hidden Power Fire and Blizzard, respectively.</p>
[SET]
name: Mixed Attacker
move 1: Hydro Pump
move 2: Crunch
move 3: Hidden Power Fire
move 4: Protect / Substitute
item: Life Orb
ability: Speed Boost
nature: Rash
evs: 120 Atk / 240 SpA / 36 SpD / 80 Spe
ivs: 0 HP
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Carvanha has good enough base offenses to run a mixed set. This set doesn't have the raw power that the physical set has, but it deals with its counters, namely Ferroseed and Gligar, in a much better way. The EVs and nature give Carvanha 17 Attack and Special Attack. Hydro Pump has a higher base power than Waterfall and hits most physically defensive Ground-types harder. Crunch is Carvanha's physical STAB. Ferroseed is Carvanha's main counter, as it resists both Water- and Dark-type attacks. Hidden Power Fire nails unsuspecting Ferroseed for heavy damage. It also hits Snover harder than Crunch does. Protect is used to both and gain a Speed boost safely, which is more important as this set is slower than the physical set. Life Orb boosts Carvanha's damage, and a Rash nature raises its lesser Special Attack.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Substitute can be used over Protect and is useful when Carvanha forces a switch. Carvanha can be a nightmare to kill from behind a Substitute as it will most likely outspeed the opponent and can hit almost everything very hard. The HP IV is dropped to minimize Life Orb recoil damage. This set is slower than Carvanha's physical set. The Speed EVs only give Carvanha 14 Speed, and every turn it is boosted by 7. The remaining EVs are placed in Special Defense to balance out the loss from using a Rash nature. Mixed Carvanha is more of a surprise because its other set is much more common. If more Attack and less Special Attack is desired, a Naughty nature can be used with the same EVs. Carvanha does appreciate a Rash nature because of the slight boost to Hydro Pump and Hidden Power Fire though, as it is needed to hit Ferroseed as hard as possible.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Granted that Carvanha's movepool is quite shallow, it does have some other moves it can use. Ice Fang hits Grass-types such as Cottonee and Paras, who resist or are immune to Waterfall, for super effective damage. It also hits Swablu harder than Crunch. Zen Headbutt hits Fighting-types, but is illegal with Speed Boost, which is the ability Carvanha always wants to use. Substitute can always be used over Protect to ease prediction. It also makes it harder to outright KO Carvanha. Super Fang hits Ferroseed and Magnemite, but Hidden Power Fire is the better option. For special alternatives, Carvanha can use Dark Pulse as STAB and can also use Ice Beam. Dark Pulse is also illegal with Speed Boost, however.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Even with its amazing STAB coverage, Carvanha still has several counters. Ferroseed is the number one counter, as it resists both of Carvanha's STAB moves, and can OHKO with Bullet Seed or Seed Bomb. Gligar can also check Carvanha with its high Defense stat. It can withstand a super effective Waterfall and KO back with Earthquake. Finally, any Fighting-type bulky enough to survive a Waterfall can KO back with a STAB attack.</p>