jake
underdog of the year
Alomomola
qc'd: tennis, steam, natgeo, omi
gp'd: engineer pikachu, badal
[Overview]
<p>Thanks to an enormous base 165 HP stat, a decent base 80 Defense, and access to Wish, Alomomola is the very definition of "bulky Water-type." Many physical attackers in NU, such as Swellow, Tauros, Sawk, Pinsir, and Kangaskhan, have no hope of breaking through Alomomola's unreal physical bulk, and will fall to a combination of Toxic, Protect, and Wish. In addition, Alomomola's monstrous Wishes are the largest available in NU, passing 267 HP each time—this is often enough to heal almost the entirety of the recipient's HP. However, it isn't all just good news for Alomomola. Its pitiful offenses force it to rely heavily on Toxic to inflict damage, meaning that it is often setup bait for Substitute users, or Pokemon that have a means to ignore Toxic, such as Calm Mind Duosion. Alomomola's Special Defense is similarly horrid, allowing most special attackers to switch in with impunity and threaten to OHKO it. This shouldn't discourage you from using it, though; if you're looking for an efficient physical wall, or are in need of Wish support, look no further than Alomomola.</p>
[SET]
name: Support
move 1: Wish
move 2: Protect
move 3: Waterfall
move 4: Toxic
item: Leftovers
ability: Hydration
nature: Impish
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Alomomola makes for an excellent bulky support Pokemon in RU, thanks to its massive HP stat, access to Wish, and various other support moves. Wish is the cornerstone of this set, as it is Alomomola's most reliable form of recovery. It also allows Alomomola to heal its teammates, who will often recover more than half of their health. Protect can be utilized to scout an opponent's moveset, but its primary use is to prevent the opponent from attacking and stalling for Toxic damage. If Alomomola is in danger, Protect is especially useful as it can ensure that Wish will heal Alomomola. Waterfall works off of Alomomola's higher Attack stat and prevents it from becoming complete setup bait. Toxic is Alomomola's primary form of dealing damage, and functions well in conjunction with Wish and Protect, allowing it to wear down bulkier Pokemon, while taking little damage itself.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Maximum investment in both HP and Defense, allows Alomomola to avoid a 2HKO from a statused Swellow's Facade, as well as pass the largest Wishes possible. Leftovers is the preferred item choice; its minimal recovery quickly adds up, thanks to Protect and Alomomola's stall-based nature. Scald can be used with a Bold nature to scrounge for burns, but it hits for abysmal damage due to Alomomola's awful base 40 Special Attack.</p>
<p>Bulky Grass-types, such as Vileplume, Leafeon, and Amoonguss, all make for excellent partners, as they resist Alomomola's weaknesses to Grass- and Electric-type moves. In return, Alomomola easily handles the Flying-types that plague them, such as Swellow and Braviary. Heal Bell or Aromatherapy support is a fantastic idea, as Alomomola is rendered useless when statused. Lickilicky is a top-notch choice, as it can tank hits from special attackers that Alomomola has no business dealing with, such as Life Orb Magmortar, and Rotom-S. However, coupling Alomomola with Lickilicky is somewhat redundant, as both rely on Wish for recovery. Vileplume can provide Aromatherapy support, as well as handle Leafeon, Serperior, and other Grass-type Pokemon that Alomomola struggles with. Although it has little synergy type-wise, Garbodor can lay Toxic Spikes, which greatly eases Alomomola's stalling duties by poisoning opposing Pokemon on entry. This reduces the need for Toxic, allowing Alomomola to forgo it for another support move, if need be. Alomomola is welcome on any team that has a lack of reliable recovery, so teammates, such as Weezing, Regice, and Probopass will definitely appreciate its presence.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Alomomola has a few other options, but many of them are not worth straying from the standard set. Rest, coupled with Hydration sounds neat, as it offers full recovery in one turn as well as status immunity, but Alomomola would then need to use another moveslot for Rain Dance, which often isn't worth it. Healing Wish is an interesting option, but it throws away Alomomola's excellent bulk, for fully recovering a weakened Pokemon, which Wish can generally do on its own, thanks to Alomomola's massive HP. Refresh removes status, but Alomomola has trouble finding a moveslot for it. Pain Split is entirely inferior to Wish, as Alomomola's high HP stat means that splitting its HP with the opponent will often leave Alomomola in a worse position than it was in before. Alomomola has access to both Reflect and Light Screen as well as Wish, but there are Pokemon who are much better equipped for such a set. Aqua Jet is an option for priority, but it's very weak coming off of Alomomola's uninvested base 70 Attack.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Taunt completely shuts down Alomomola, as it prevents Alomomola from recovering with Wish, and forces it to rely on a pitifully weak Waterfall to deal damage. Alomomola is heavily stunted by Toxic (and to a lesser extent, burn), as it is quickly worn down by status damage and has no reliable way to remove it. Jynx, Gorebyss, and other Substitute users can avoid Alomomola's Toxic, and set up on it while taking little in return. Specially based Grass- and Electric-type Pokemon, such as Rotom-S, Exeggutor, and Raichu, can wreck Alomomola by targeting its lower Special Defense with their STAB moves. Leafeon is one of the few physical attackers who can power through Alomomola, as it can Substitute on an incoming Toxic, then proceed to boost with Swords Dance and KO with Leaf Blade.</p>
[Dream World]
<p>Alomomola's Dream World ability, Regenerator, restores 33% of its HP when it switches out. This is superior to both Hydration and Healer, and should be the primary ability when released.</p>