Slowking (Analysis)

[Overview]

<p>In the wake of a new metagame, which is plagued with weather, Slowking emerges as the premier counter to the weather teams running rampant.; taking advantage of the speed boosts many gain from weather, it twists it around with Trick Room, making them the slowest on the field With Trick Room and its atrocious Speed stat, Slowking can take advantage of the Speed boosts which many Pokemon gain from the weather, "outrunning" most of its opponents. Furthermore, Slowking itself can take advantage of the weather itself, powering its attacks through Rain and Hail, with its good as it also has a usable base 100 Special Attack stat and a fantastic movepool. With its bulk and power, Slowking thus has the potential to make a huge splash in this metagame.</p>

[SET]
name: Trick Room
move 1: Trick Room
move 2: Scald / Surf
move 3: Psychic / Blizzard / Ice Beam
move 4: Protect / Flamethrower
item: Mental Herb / Sitrus Berry
nature: Quiet
ability: Regenerator
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe IVs

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Slowking's bulk and good Special Attack stat allows it to set up Trick Room with relative ease, and afterwards, start pounding at your enemies with STAB attacks and immediately start pounding its opponents with its powerful STAB attacks. Scald is Slowking's main Water-type STAB—it is boosted by the rain and also allows Slowking to cripple physical attackers occasionally. Surf can be used, but it is advised to have a partner who benefits from Water-type moves, like Ludicolo and Toxicroak, or atleast resists them. Trick Room is obviously the crux of this set, allowing Slowking to utilize its very low Speed to become one of the fastest Pokemon on the field. Psychic is used for a strong STAB attack in conjunction with its high Special Attack stat; furthermore, it allows Slowking to take down the Fighting-types such as Hariyama, Hitmontop, and Toxicroak while also providing it with a strong secondary STAB move. Utilising its bulk, an To put things into perspective, Slowking's excellent bulk allows it to survive even Adamant Toxicroak's Sucker Punch and an orAdamant Hitmontop's Sucker Punch will do at max 62.9% and 58.9% on Slowking, while Slowking KOs back (which will do only a maximum of 62.9% or 58.9%, respectively), while it KOes with Psychic. Scald may be a secondary attack, allowing Slowking to hit enemies hard with another STAB attack and deal the occasional burn; in conjunction with Rain on the field, Scald will do major damage to almost any Pokemon who does not resist it. Surf may be used, but the player is advised to run a partner who either resists Water-type attacks, or has an ability to absorb it such as Ludicolo or Toxicroak. (I am shifting this to the beginning of the paragraph and simplifying it) Blizzard is also a good choice for anyone who will run Abomasnow as Slowking's partner, allowing Slowking to hit both enemies hard. Ice Beam may be used if you do not have a Abomasnow on your team, allowing Slowking to hit single targets accurately Blizzard and Ice Beam are also options for the third moveslot; the former can be used on hail teams, allowing Slowking to hit both opponents hard, while the latter gives Slowking an accurate Ice-type move for all other situations. Finally, Protect is used in order to guard Slowking against any super effective attacks, while your teammate can attempt to eliminate them from the field allows Slowking to guard itself against super effective attacks while its teammate takes the threat out. However, this may leave you vulnerable to Metagross, and other Steel-types that resist Blizzard for your Hail and Trick Room team, so Flamethrower may be a recommendable option over Protect. this leaves Slowking vulnerable to Steel-types such as Metagross that can upset your apple cart if you are running a hail team, so packing Flamethrower instead of Protect may be a wiser option.</p>

<p>With the ubiquity of priority Taunt users such as Whimsicott and Thundurus, it is no wonder that Mental Herb is the primary item option on this set, as it allows Slowking to set up Trick Room unhindered. However, Sitrus Berry can be used to extend Slowking's longevity in conjunction with Regenerator, which allows it to retreat from battle and switch back in later when the opportunity arises with an additional 33% health. This can prove to be very useful, as Slowking will be able to set up Trick Room once more or score one last hard hit before going down.</p>

<p>Mental Herb is used in order to guard against Taunt users such as Whimsicott, Thundurus and others. However, Sitrus Berry may be run in order to lengthen Slowking's longevity on the field, by giving it a one time HP boost. Combined with Regenerator, Slowking can heal almost 50% of its HP.</p>

<p>Regenerator is Slowking's ability of choice, as it allows Slowking to retreat from the battle and come back when opportunity rises, with an additional 33% health, allowing it to potentially set up Trick Room later in the game, or to deal heavy damage to its opponents. </p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>252 HP EVs are given in order to increase Slowking's longevity on the field in order to, allowing it to set up Trick Room with ease. Furthermore, due to withRegenerator healing 33% of Slowking's health each time it switches in, the increased maximum investment in HP allows for greater recovery when retreating. 252 Special Attack EVs add more bite to Slowking's attacks, allowing it Slowking to use powerful attacks while taking takeadvantage of Trick Room. Quiet is used in order to minimze Slowking's Speed and to boost its Special Attack. Since Slowking won't be outspeeding anything significant without Trick Room, it is recommended that Slowking uses 0 IVs for Speed in order to boost its Speed in Trick Room, where it will do the most amount of damage A Quiet nature, in conjunction with 0 Speed IVs, enable Slowking to outspeed a large proportion of the metagame under Trick Room while further boosting its Special Attack.</p>

<p>Slowking appreciates having teammates that can take advantage of Trick Room while still providing it with much-needed support, Grass-types in particular. Ferrothorn has great defensive synergy synergy with Slowking—it resists all of Slowking's weaknesses, while Slowking can deal with the Fire- and Fighting-types that plague it. It can also make great use of Trick Room with its awful base 20 Speed and powerful STAB Power Whip. Abomasnow is a good choice as well, as it allows Slowking to make use of an accurate Blizzard while still outspeeding most opponents under Trick Room. Hippowdon is immune to Electric-type moves, and also scuppers the plans of most weather teams.</p>

[OTHER OPTIONS]

<p>Because Slowking possesses a great movepool, there are a few Slowking's massive movepool gives it a plethora of other options to consider. Fire Blast may be run if you if you prefer raw power over accuracy. Magic Mirror Coat may be a rather gimmicky but potentially successful option due to Slowking's bulk and its tendency to attract any Electric- and Ghost-type special attacks. Slack Off provides Slowking a reliable method of recovery, but Slowking's ability Regenerator makes it a bit redundant. Yawn may be used to force switches or to put opponents to sleep. Slowking also has a few support techniques such as Thunder Wave, and Light Screen, allowing it to act more of a supporter rather than an attacker Slowking can also run a support set with options such as Yawn, Thunder Wave, and Light Screen, but it is better off attacking. Slowking also has other attacking options such as Grass Knot, Shadow Ball, and Icy Wind. If your team already has a reliable Trick Room user, Trick Room may be replaced with any of these moves mentioned, which can be used instead of Trick Room if your team already has a Trick Room user.</p>

<p>If the other item options are rendered unusable by Item Clause, Slowking can run either Lum Berry to take Spore from Parasect and Amoonguss, Leftovers for steady recovery, or Wacan Berry to to weaken the Electric-type moves that will inevitably come Slowking's way.</p>

<p>Due to item clause, if both items are taken, Slowking may run Lum Berry to fend off status from the Spores from Parasect and Amoonguss, Leftovers to provide Slowking with a reliable method of recovery, or Wacan Berry to weaken any Electric-type moves that will inevitably come Slowking's way.</p>

<p>Because of Slowking's great Special Defense stat, you may want to consider giving up power in order to boost Slowking's Special Defense by using a Sassy nature, allowing Slowking to act as more of a supporter with a greater lifespan with powerful offensive options.</p>

[TEAM OPTIONS/ CHECKS AND COUNTERS]

<p>It goes without saying that Slowking works best with Trick Room set up, with its teammates ready to take advantage of it. Slowking fears mainly strong Grass-, Electric-, Dark-, and Ghost-type attacks. Ferrothorn is a great partner, as not only does it take advantage of the Trick Room Slowking can set up, but also it resists all of Slowking's weaknesses. In return, Slowking can counter the Fire- and Fighting-type Pokemon Ferrothorn has trouble with. Hippodown is a great option, as not only does it provide weather control, but also, it is immune to Electric-type attacks and can take advantage of Trick Room. Abomasnow also has a low speed that is compatible with Trick Room, and can also set up Hail, where Slowking can use to fire off powerful Blizzards. Basically, any Pokemon who can take advantage of Trick Room will be excellent with Slowking.</p>

<p>In order to counter Slowking, it is best to Fake out Slowking and hit him with a super effective attack in order to wear it down and prevent Trick Room from going up. Pokemon such as Zapdos carry strong STAB moves that can do major damage on Slowking. Ironically, Ferrothorn appears to be Slowking's greatest counter; it resists the majority of its attacks, is only susceptible to the rare Fire Blast or Flamethrower, and is faster than Slowking under Trick Room, where it can fire off powerful Power whips that faint Slowking easily. Scizor also is a great counter to Slowking, taking advantage of Trick Room, and hitting hard with Bug Bite. Finally, Metagross will wall any variants that choose to carry Blizzard in order to run a Trick Hail team; however, Metagross must be wary of Flamethrower, as a few will opt to carry it over Protect.</p>

<p>When faced with Slowking, it is best to hit it with Fake Out and go for the KO with a super effective move to stop Trick Room from being set up. Otherwise, having powerful attackers who can take out Slowking quickly with a super effective move will be your best bet. Electric-types such as Thundurus and Zapdos carry STAB Thunderbolt to pack off Slowking. The former can also stop Trick Room from being set up with Taunt. Ironically, Ferrothorn also makes a great check, as it only fears the rare Fire-type move, outspeeds Slowking under Trick Room, and can OHKO with STAB Power Whip. Other Steel-type powerhouses such as Scizor and Metagross also fall in the same category, as they only need to avoid Flamethrower while dishing out heavy damage if not KOing outright.</p>

pic and pokedex link?
[Overview]

<p>In the wake of a new metagame,[remove comma] [/COLOR]plagued with weather, Slowking emerges as the premier counter to the weather such teams running rampant. With Trick Room and its atrocious Speed stat, Slowking can take advantage of the Speed boosts which many Pokemon gain from the weather, "outrunning" most of its opponents. Furthermore, Slowking can take advantage of the weather itself as it also has a usable base 100 Special Attack stat and a fantastic movepool. With its bulk and power, Slowking has the potential to make a huge splash in this metagame.</p>

[SET]
name: Trick Room
move 1: Trick Room
move 2: Scald / Surf
move 3: Psychic / Blizzard / Ice Beam
move 4: Protect / Flamethrower
item: Mental Herb / Sitrus Berry
nature: Quiet
ability: Regenerator
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe IVs

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Slowking's bulk and good Special Attack stat allows it to set up Trick Room with relative ease and immediately start pounding its opponents with its powerful STAB attacks. Scald is Slowking's main Water-type STAB [<=remove space]—it is boosted by the rain and also allows Slowking to cripple physical attackers occasionally. Surf can be used, but it is advised to have a partner that who benefits from Water-type moves, like such as Ludicolo and Toxicroak, or at least resists them. Trick Room is obviously the crux of this set, allowing Slowking to utilize its very low Speed to become one of the fastest Pokemon on the field. Psychic allows Slowking to take down the Fighting-types such as Hariyama, Hitmontop, and Toxicroak,[comma] while also providing it with a strong secondary STAB move. To put things into perspective, Slowking's excellent bulk allows it to survive even Adamant Toxicroak's and Adamant Hitmontop's Sucker Punch (which will do only a maximum of 62.9% or 58.9% respectively), while it KOes with Psychic. Blizzard and Ice Beam are also options for the third moveslot; the former can be used on hail teams, allowing Slowking to hit both opponents hard, while the latter gives Slowking an accurate Ice-type move for all other situations. Finally, Protect allows Slowking to guard itself against super effective attacks while its teammate takes the threat out. However, this leaves Slowking vulnerable to Steel-types such as Metagross that can upset your apple cart if you are running a hail team, so packing Flamethrower instead of Protect may be a wiser option.</p>

<p>With the ubiquity of priority Taunt users such as Whimsicott and Thundurus, it is no wonder that Mental Herb is the primary item option on this set, as it allows Slowking to set up Trick Room unhindered. However, Sitrus Berry can be used to extend Slowking's longevity in conjunction with Regenerator, which allows it to retreat from battle and switch back in later when the opportunity arises with an additional 33% health. This can prove to be very useful, as Slowking will be able to set up Trick Room once more or score one last hard hit before going down.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>252 HP EVs increase Slowking's longevity on the field,[comma] allowing it to to set up Trick Room with ease. Furthermore, with Regenerator healing 33% of Slowking's health each time it switches in, maximum investment in HP allows for greater recovery. 252 Special Attack EVs add more bite to Slowking's attacks, allowing it to take advantage of Trick Room. A Quiet nature, in conjunction with 0 Speed IVs, enables Slowking to outspeed a large proportion of the metagame under Trick Room while further boosting its Special Attack.</p>

<p>Slowking appreciates having teammates, Grass-types in particular, [it is best that the partners in question are moved closer to the mention of teammates so there is less confusion]that can take advantage of Trick Room while still providing it with much-needed support, Grass-types in particular. Ferrothorn has great defensive synergy synergy with Slowking—it resists all of Slowking's weaknesses, while Slowking can deal with the Fire- and Fighting-types that plague KO it. It can also make great use of Trick Room with its awful base 20 Speed and powerful STAB Power Whip. Abomasnow is a good choice as well, as it allows Slowking to make use of an accurate Blizzard while still outspeeding most opponents under Trick Room. Hippowdon is immune to Electric-type moves, and also scuppers the plans of most weather teams.</p>

[OTHER OPTIONS]

<p>Slowking's massive movepool gives it a plethora of other options to consider. Fire Blast may be run if you if you prefer raw power over accuracy. Mirror Coat may be a rather gimmicky but potentially successful option due to Slowking's bulk and its tendency to attract Electric- and Ghost-type special attacks. Slack Off provides Slowking a reliable method of recovery, but Regenerator makes it a bit redundant. Slowking can also run a support set with options such as Yawn, Thunder Wave, and Light Screen, but it is better off attacking. Slowking also has other attacking options such as Grass Knot, Shadow Ball, and Icy Wind, which can be used instead of Trick Room if your team already has a Trick Room user.</p>

<p>If the other item options are rendered unusable by Item Clause, Slowking can run either Lum Berry to take Spore from Parasect and Amoonguss, Leftovers for steady recovery, or Wacan Berry to to weaken the Electric-type moves that will inevitably come Slowking's way.</p>

[CHECKS AND COUNTERS]

<p>When faced with Slowking, it is best to hit it with Fake Out and go for the KO with a super effective move to stop Trick Room from being set up. Otherwise, having powerful attackers who can take out Slowking quickly with a super effective move will be your best bet. Electric-types such as Thundurus and Zapdos carry STAB Thunderbolt to pack[odd word choice, but ok i guess] off Slowking. The former can also stop Trick Room from being set up with Taunt. Ironically, Ferrothorn also makes a great check, as it only fears the rare Fire-type move, outspeeds Slowking under Trick Room, and can OHKO with STAB Power Whip. Other Steel-type powerhouses such as Scizor and Metagross also fall in the same category, as they only need to avoid Flamethrower while dishing to dish out heavy damage,[comma] if not KOing outright.</p>