Zweilous
QC 3/3 (PK Gaming, Chou Toshio, Oglemi)
GP 2/2 (Zdrup15, NixHex)
Before any of you say, yes I did recycle one of my posts a bit for the overview.
[Overview]
<p>When asked which Pokemon has the most powerful Outrage in the game, very few people would answer correctly. No, it's not Haxorus, and neither is it Zekrom or Rayquaza. As you may by now have guessed, the answer is indeed Zweilous; thanks to a decent base 85 Attack and Hustle, it has the equivalent of over 150 base Attack with full investment. With few viable Steel-types in the metagame, it is clear what sort of damage this Outrage can do. Let's not forget that Zweilous also has the game's most powerful Crunch, letting it destroy many of UU's Ghost- and Psychic-type behemoths. Unfortunately, the good news pretty much ends there. Zweilous is quite slow, with base 58 Speed, and is not especially bulky naturally. This means that it will die very fast by locking itself into Outrage. Even worse is Zweilous's movepool. Oh come on, surely it gets Dragon Claw? How about Dragon Dance? Hone Claws, Pursuit, Sucker Punch, Earthquake, or Fire Punch? The extent of Zweilous's useful movepool outside of Outrage and Crunch is Fire Fang, Dragon Tail, and Thunder Wave. This is not to mention Hustle's nasty side-effect either: all of its physical moves are reduced to 80% of their normal accuracy, which is truly infuriating; at best, its attacks are as reliable as the infamous Stone Edge. Bearing all of this in mind, it is very difficult to use Zweilous in a truly offensive role. Much more effective is an Eviolite tank set, as Zweilous's defensive stats become more than passable; Zweilous can then afford the occasional miss, and can afford not to outrun the opponent. This combination of power and bulk, along with a unique and useful typing, makes Zweilous a truly viable Pokemon in UU.</p>
[SET]
name: Physical Attacker
move 1: Outrage
move 2: Crunch
move 3: Fire Fang
move 4: Thunder Wave / Dragon Tail
item: Eviolite
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Though it may seem tempting to take advantage of Zweilous's monstrous attacking power through a more offensive set, it is best to use Zweilous as a tank; Zweilous's 72 / 70 / 70 defensive stats are excellent for an NFE Pokemon, giving it defensive abilities comparable to Mew and Celebi with an Eviolite equipped. Let's not forget that Zweilous also hits like a truck thanks to Hustle, its Outrage 2HKOing all but Steel-types and dedicated physical walls. Crunch is also very powerful, but is much less risky, slamming many of UU's Ghost- and Psychic-types, including Slowbro, Deoxys-D, and Dusclops, which are normally problematic when attacking physically. Fire Fang completes Zweilous's coverage, hitting Steel-types that resist Crunch and Outrage, especially Escavalier and Ferroseed, albeit with a disappointing 76% accuracy. Thunder Wave is generally the best option in the last slot, as it lets Zweilous cripple an opponent and allows Zweilous to bypass its low Speed. Notably, this also has 100% accuracy, meaning that Zweilous can guarantee at least to cripple an opponent before potentially missing with its attack. However, Dragon Tail is also a very good option; since Zweilous does not learn Dragon Claw, this is its best alternative to Outrage. This allows Zweilous to check threats, albeit unreliably due to its 72% accuracy, and to force its counters in and out of entry hazards with a heavy hit.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread on this set is very simple, offering maximum power and overall bulk. You may choose to add a little Speed at the expense of HP, for example 20 EVs to outrun 0 Speed base 60s. Alternative moves are also very few, due to Zweilous's barren movepool; Toxic may be viable to cripple walls such as Hitmontop, but Zweilous is generally more troubled by Steel-types, which are immune. The only truly notable change that can be made is Zweilous's item; the best options are Choice Band and Life Orb. More offensive use of Zweilous is entirely possible, though to be effective, Trick Room or paralysis support is mandatory. With Trick Room, you will want to use a 0 Speed IV and a Brave nature. It is also worth noting that Zweilous is one of very few Choice item users to be viable on Trick Room teams, due to the sheer power and coverage of Outrage. Wide Lens is worth mentioning in that you should not use it; Wide Lens Zweilous is outclassed by non-Hustle Pokemon such as Druddigon.<p>
<p>As far as team support is concerned, Spikes are crucial for Zweilous, especially if running Dragon Tail. This is because the majority of Zweilous's checks, including every Steel-type, is grounded, and will be worn down by repeated switches. Though Roserade and Deoxys-D each share a weakness with Zweilous, they can easily provide the Spikes Zweilous needs; Froslass and Qwilfish are perhaps even better, as they have truly excellent defensive synergy with Zweilous. Wish support, such as from Chansey, is also helpful, since Zweilous lacks any form of recovery. For offensive partners, you should consider anything that benefits from the denting of physical walls; a "double dragon" strategy can be effective, since Zweilous will considerably dent or cripple most Steel-types. Magneton and Dugtrio are also notable, since they can trap the Steel-types that plague Zweilous and remove them from the game.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Since Zweilous's movepool is terrible, other options are few. Thunder Fang, Head Smash, Ice Fang, Return, and Body Slam offer Zweilous little in terms of coverage. Work Up can be used to boost Zweilous's Attack, but the increase is small and therefore not worth the turn of setup. Zweilous can also use special attacks to some effect, getting great coverage from Dragon Pulse / Draco Meteor + Earth Power, but its Special Attack stat is too low to make much of an impression. The only other set that may actually be worth using is Choice Scarf Zweilous; this faces competition from Choice Band Flygon, but can outrun base 110s with a Jolly nature, giving it something of a niche.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Steel-types are the most obvious switch-ins to Zweilous due to their resistance to Outrage, but many, such as Escavalier, must watch out for Fire Fang. Most notably, Cobalion has great Defense, positively benefits from Crunch, and has STAB Close Combat with which to hit Zweilous. It is a little vulnerable to Thunder Wave, however. Otherwise, you should be looking towards physical walls, such as Hitmontop, Arcanine, Rhyperior, and Donphan. Be warned, though, that Hitmontop can be 2HKOed after a Defense drop from Close Combat, which will not OHKO Zweilous. Additionally, all of the checks mentioned are vulnerable to Spikes, and as such will hate Dragon Tail if it hits. Hitmontop and Donphan, therefore, get special mention for their ability to use Rapid Spin.</p>
QC 3/3 (PK Gaming, Chou Toshio, Oglemi)
GP 2/2 (Zdrup15, NixHex)
Before any of you say, yes I did recycle one of my posts a bit for the overview.
[Overview]
<p>When asked which Pokemon has the most powerful Outrage in the game, very few people would answer correctly. No, it's not Haxorus, and neither is it Zekrom or Rayquaza. As you may by now have guessed, the answer is indeed Zweilous; thanks to a decent base 85 Attack and Hustle, it has the equivalent of over 150 base Attack with full investment. With few viable Steel-types in the metagame, it is clear what sort of damage this Outrage can do. Let's not forget that Zweilous also has the game's most powerful Crunch, letting it destroy many of UU's Ghost- and Psychic-type behemoths. Unfortunately, the good news pretty much ends there. Zweilous is quite slow, with base 58 Speed, and is not especially bulky naturally. This means that it will die very fast by locking itself into Outrage. Even worse is Zweilous's movepool. Oh come on, surely it gets Dragon Claw? How about Dragon Dance? Hone Claws, Pursuit, Sucker Punch, Earthquake, or Fire Punch? The extent of Zweilous's useful movepool outside of Outrage and Crunch is Fire Fang, Dragon Tail, and Thunder Wave. This is not to mention Hustle's nasty side-effect either: all of its physical moves are reduced to 80% of their normal accuracy, which is truly infuriating; at best, its attacks are as reliable as the infamous Stone Edge. Bearing all of this in mind, it is very difficult to use Zweilous in a truly offensive role. Much more effective is an Eviolite tank set, as Zweilous's defensive stats become more than passable; Zweilous can then afford the occasional miss, and can afford not to outrun the opponent. This combination of power and bulk, along with a unique and useful typing, makes Zweilous a truly viable Pokemon in UU.</p>
[SET]
name: Physical Attacker
move 1: Outrage
move 2: Crunch
move 3: Fire Fang
move 4: Thunder Wave / Dragon Tail
item: Eviolite
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Though it may seem tempting to take advantage of Zweilous's monstrous attacking power through a more offensive set, it is best to use Zweilous as a tank; Zweilous's 72 / 70 / 70 defensive stats are excellent for an NFE Pokemon, giving it defensive abilities comparable to Mew and Celebi with an Eviolite equipped. Let's not forget that Zweilous also hits like a truck thanks to Hustle, its Outrage 2HKOing all but Steel-types and dedicated physical walls. Crunch is also very powerful, but is much less risky, slamming many of UU's Ghost- and Psychic-types, including Slowbro, Deoxys-D, and Dusclops, which are normally problematic when attacking physically. Fire Fang completes Zweilous's coverage, hitting Steel-types that resist Crunch and Outrage, especially Escavalier and Ferroseed, albeit with a disappointing 76% accuracy. Thunder Wave is generally the best option in the last slot, as it lets Zweilous cripple an opponent and allows Zweilous to bypass its low Speed. Notably, this also has 100% accuracy, meaning that Zweilous can guarantee at least to cripple an opponent before potentially missing with its attack. However, Dragon Tail is also a very good option; since Zweilous does not learn Dragon Claw, this is its best alternative to Outrage. This allows Zweilous to check threats, albeit unreliably due to its 72% accuracy, and to force its counters in and out of entry hazards with a heavy hit.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread on this set is very simple, offering maximum power and overall bulk. You may choose to add a little Speed at the expense of HP, for example 20 EVs to outrun 0 Speed base 60s. Alternative moves are also very few, due to Zweilous's barren movepool; Toxic may be viable to cripple walls such as Hitmontop, but Zweilous is generally more troubled by Steel-types, which are immune. The only truly notable change that can be made is Zweilous's item; the best options are Choice Band and Life Orb. More offensive use of Zweilous is entirely possible, though to be effective, Trick Room or paralysis support is mandatory. With Trick Room, you will want to use a 0 Speed IV and a Brave nature. It is also worth noting that Zweilous is one of very few Choice item users to be viable on Trick Room teams, due to the sheer power and coverage of Outrage. Wide Lens is worth mentioning in that you should not use it; Wide Lens Zweilous is outclassed by non-Hustle Pokemon such as Druddigon.<p>
<p>As far as team support is concerned, Spikes are crucial for Zweilous, especially if running Dragon Tail. This is because the majority of Zweilous's checks, including every Steel-type, is grounded, and will be worn down by repeated switches. Though Roserade and Deoxys-D each share a weakness with Zweilous, they can easily provide the Spikes Zweilous needs; Froslass and Qwilfish are perhaps even better, as they have truly excellent defensive synergy with Zweilous. Wish support, such as from Chansey, is also helpful, since Zweilous lacks any form of recovery. For offensive partners, you should consider anything that benefits from the denting of physical walls; a "double dragon" strategy can be effective, since Zweilous will considerably dent or cripple most Steel-types. Magneton and Dugtrio are also notable, since they can trap the Steel-types that plague Zweilous and remove them from the game.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Since Zweilous's movepool is terrible, other options are few. Thunder Fang, Head Smash, Ice Fang, Return, and Body Slam offer Zweilous little in terms of coverage. Work Up can be used to boost Zweilous's Attack, but the increase is small and therefore not worth the turn of setup. Zweilous can also use special attacks to some effect, getting great coverage from Dragon Pulse / Draco Meteor + Earth Power, but its Special Attack stat is too low to make much of an impression. The only other set that may actually be worth using is Choice Scarf Zweilous; this faces competition from Choice Band Flygon, but can outrun base 110s with a Jolly nature, giving it something of a niche.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Steel-types are the most obvious switch-ins to Zweilous due to their resistance to Outrage, but many, such as Escavalier, must watch out for Fire Fang. Most notably, Cobalion has great Defense, positively benefits from Crunch, and has STAB Close Combat with which to hit Zweilous. It is a little vulnerable to Thunder Wave, however. Otherwise, you should be looking towards physical walls, such as Hitmontop, Arcanine, Rhyperior, and Donphan. Be warned, though, that Hitmontop can be 2HKOed after a Defense drop from Close Combat, which will not OHKO Zweilous. Additionally, all of the checks mentioned are vulnerable to Spikes, and as such will hate Dragon Tail if it hits. Hitmontop and Donphan, therefore, get special mention for their ability to use Rapid Spin.</p>
