Status: Ready for GP Checks
[Overview]
<p>Elgyem is one of the few Pokemon that work in most forms of teams. On defensive teams, it is a great supportive Pokemon, being able use moves like Dual Screens, Thunder Wave, Trick Room, and Disable, and it has instant recovery in Recover. On Offensive teams, it has a great 85 Special Attack and a great attacking movepool that includes Thunderbolt, Energy Ball, and Shadow Ball, and has access to boosting moves such as Nasty Plot and Calm Mind. It also one of the few offensive Pokemon that can set up Trick Room effectively. It also has a resistance to Fighting-type moves, so that also gives it a unique niche in LC. </p>
<p>But no Pokemon come without downsides, and Elgyem is not an exception. First and foremost, it's Psychic- typing grants it weaknesses to common Dark- and Ghost- type moves. Second, outside of the aforementioned moves, most of his movepool consists of gimmick moves like Wonder Room, Guard Swap, Power Swap, Simple Beam, Guard Split, and Power Split. Third, it's counter list includes a few of the most used Pokemon in LC, consisting of Scraggy, Frillish, and Houndour. Last, it is abysmally slow, with 30 base Speed and no way to boost it and no priority to fix it. Not to mention, it has tough competition with other Psychic- types like Abra and Solosis. All in all, Elgyem is a powerful, bulky Pokemon that is useful in most roles it is put in.</p>
[SET]
name: Trick Room Sweeper
move 1: Trick Room
move 2: Psychic / Nasty Plot
move 3: Hidden Power Fighting
move 4: Shadow Ball
item: Life Orb / Eviolite
nature: Quiet
ability: Synchronize
evs: 236 HP / 236 SAtk
ivs: 3 Spe / 30 Def / 30 SDef / 30 SAtk
[Set Comments]
<p>Probably the most effective set Elgyem can use. Thanks to Elgyem's abmyssal speed, decent defenses and access to Trick Room, Elgyem can turn into both a support Pokemon and an offensive powerhouse at the same time. Psychic is for STAB but Nasty Plot can be used to give Elgyem huge power. Hidden Power Fighting and Shadow Ball have perfect coverage together, and they both hit Elgyem's counters.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>The item choice depends on if you want more power or have more staying power. As with Eviolite Hidden Power Fighting will 2HKO Scraggy, sometimes 3HKO +1 Scraggy, and Crunch with 2HKO Elgyem. With Life Orb, Hidden Power Fighting OHKOs Scraggy without Eviolite, but 2HKOs variants with Eviolite, but is OHKOd by Scraggy's Crunch. Timburr is a great teammate for this set, as it's abmyssal Speed can work in Trick Room and it can take out counters like Houndour and Scraggy.</p>
[SET]
name: Bulky CM
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Psychic / Psyshock
move 3: Hidden Power Fighting
move 4: Recover
item: Eviolite
nature: Bold
ability: Synchronize
evs: 236 HP / 236 Def
[Set Comments]
<p> Calm Mind makes Elgyem a great tank with heavy defensive investment. Psychic is for STAB and is the move that Elgyem should be using most of the time. Psyshock is an alternative if you are scared of Munchlax, but Hidden Power Fighting already 2HKOs at +2. Shadow Ball works best alongside of Hidden Power Fighting for neutral coverage on every Pokemon, and hits Misdreavus for good damage.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p> Psyshock could be used to hit specially defensive Pokemon like Munchlax, but you wan't as much power as possible. Dual Screen support is recommended to make sure that Elgyem gets a free turn of setup, and gives Elgyem an elongated sweep. Stealth Rock is also suggested so Elgyem can get some extra KOs, like with Stealth Rocks Psyshock will OHKO Munchlax.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>A Choice Scarf could be used to give Elgyem an extra boost in Speed, but sadly, Elgyem can't reach a Speed stat of 14, so you'll still be revenged easily by the likes of Elekid and other Choice Scarfed Pokemon. Skill Swap is an interesting choice and could be used with Elgyem's useless ability, Telepathy, to screw up Chinchou locked into Thunderbolt etc. Imprison could be used against other Dual Screen users and Psychic- types, but it is kind of a waste of a moveslot. </p>
[SET]
name: Support
move 1: Recover
move 2: Thunder Wave / Psychic
move 3: Reflect
move 4: Light Screen
item: Eviolite
nature: Bold
ability: Synchronize
evs: 236 HP / 116 Def / 156 SDef
[Set Comments]
<p>While the last set took a more offensive approach to Elgyem, this team is more based around a stall team or one that's based on a frail setup sweeper (Example: Abra). Recover makes sure Elgyem has full health almost all the time. The second slot depends on your team. Thunder Wave can slow down Scarfed Pokemon or setup sweepers, and can sometimes get Elgyem or your teammates a free turn with full paralyses. Reflect and Light Screen give Elgyem's teammates a few extra turns to setup, like making sure that Scraggy takes little to nothing from a Super-Effective attack, making sure that RP Larvitar always gets a free turn, and making sure that Elgyem can almost always live a hit. Psychic can make sure that you aren't Taunt bait, but then you lose out on a support move.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>Synchronize is always the preferred ability for Elgyem, as it can also absorb status so stall teams get easily dismantled. Disable could be used to make sure that Scraggy doesn't ruin Elgyem's fun, as it can stop it from setting up, or spamming Crunch. Trick Room could be used as support to a slow, but powerful teammate like Azurill. Good teammates for this set are preferably Choice Pokemon so that they can absorb Taunts and kill off Pokemon who resist Elgyem's STAB. Most notably, Scarfed Mienfoo can work best as a partner to hit Dark- types and to take Taunts, as it will always be running an attack move. Another good teammate is Natu to absorb Taunt, but that makes 2 people on your team have 1 more weakness to Dark- type attacks.<p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>The problem with countering Elgyem is it's unpredictability. The most common, though, is using TR, and that can be handled easily by priority or Taunt users. Another problem is that the moves listed get super-effective coverage on every type that can kill it off with a super-effective STAB attack. Your best bet is a fast U-Turn user that isn't a Fighting-type, like Meowth. Frillish is also a safe check as long as you shy away from Shadow Ball. Most users of Sucker Punch or Pursuit can kill it off, just beware of Hidden Power Fighting. Pokemon with Sucker Punch, especially ones behind a sub. Barrier could be used to give Elgyem a tankish role, but it just wastes a moveslot. Energy Ball could hit Wooper and Chinchou, but at the expense of not hitting Mantyke. Miracle Eye can make sure that Houndour doesn't wall all of your attacks, but like Barrier and Imprison, it's a waste of a moveslot. As you can see, Elgyem suffers greatly from 4 moveslot syndrome, as if it loses any of the moves mentioned, it loses coverage.</p>
[Dream World]
<p>From Dream World, Elgyem gets the saving grace of Analytic, meaning that if Elgyem goes last, it gets the attack boost equivalent to a Life Orb. This is an amazing ability and should be used for all sets that don't include Trick Room or Support.</p>