http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/gulpin
Quality Control: 2/2 [macle] [GoldenKnight]
Grammar-Prose: 2/2 [Engineer Pikachu] [comatthew6]
[Overview]
<p>At first glance, Gulpin might seem to be a decent Pokemon to use in Little Cup. Its fair defenses and Poison typing seem to make it a good defensive Pokemon. However, Gulpin's movepool is horrendous; a complete lack of moves to use at all completely destroys any viability Gulpin would have. In addition, being a pure Poison-type means than Gulpin is extremely weak to the very common Gligar. Gulpin should never be considered seriously for a Little Cup team, as there are better pure Poison-type Pokemon if you are looking for a Fighting-type resist.</p>
[SET]
name: Bulky Attacker
move 1: Sludge Bomb
move 2: Ice Beam
move 3: Shadow Ball / Hidden Power Ground
move 4: Pain Split
item: Oran Berry
nature: Modest
evs: 196 HP / 12 Def / 252 SpA / 12 SpD / 36 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This is the best set that Gulpin can muster from its terrible movepool. Sludge Bomb is a decently powerful STAB move, and should be used despite its terrible coverage. Ice Beam can catch unsuspecting Ground-types such as Gligar on the switch in. Shadow Ball hits Gastly and other Ghost-types for super effective damage, but it leaves Gulpin walled by Steel-types. Hidden Power Ground can be used to alleviate this, but Gulpin loses an entire point of Special Attack due to the IV drop. Pain Split, while mediocre, is Gulpin's only form of recovery aside from Rest and can help Gulpin stay alive longer with its decent bulk.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs maximize Gulpin's mediocre Special Attack before adding to its bulk. Oran Berry is used to give Gulpin more survivability, but Life Orb is an option to boost Gulpin's power. If Hidden Power Ground is used, Gulpin should use an EV spread of 196 HP / 12 Def / 176 SpA / 16 SpD / 36 Spe. For teammates, Snover is a fantastic partner for Gulpin, as it is able to eliminate the pesky Gligar while Gulpin resists the Fighting- , Bug-, and Poison-type attacks that Snover hates. Every sweeper appreciates entry hazards, but they are almost a necessity for Gulpin because it is weak even with maximum Special Attack. Chimchar is a good choice, as it is able to not only set up Stealth Rock reliably as a lead but also hit Steel-types super effectively. Magnemite can remove Steel-types with Magnet Pull if Gulpin is not using Hidden Power Ground. Unfortunately, both share a common Ground-type weakness with Gulpin.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Gulpin has a few support moves that it could use. Yawn and Encore are both options to make sweepers with setup moves think twice about trying to set up on Gulpin. A physical set with Gunk Shot, two of the elemental punches, and Explosion can be used over the special set, but it is generally inferior. Destiny Bond is an interesting move that potentially allows Gulpin to get an extra KO, but it is too slow to use it effectively. Finally, although Gulpin can reach 21 Speed with a Timid nature and Choice Scarf, there are much better options a for Choice Scarf user—Gulpin is simply too weak to use it effectively.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Ground-types such as Gligar can switch in on any move not named Ice Beam and deliver a swift OHKO with Earthquake. Steel-types, such as Magnemite or Aron, can wall every move that Gulpin carries (bar Hidden Power Ground). In general, Gulpin is fairly weak—as long as it does not use a super effective move, most Pokemon in Little Cup will be able to beat it by virtue of stats alone.</p>
