[Overview]
<p>Slowking is one of the best walls in the RU metagame. Its excellent HP and Special Defense stats allow it to take any resisted or neutral special move with ease. While its typing partially limits it due to the abundance of Grass- and Electric-types in RU, Slowking makes up for this with its ability to take powerful physical hits such as Entei's Flare Blitz, as well as its amazing ability, Regenerator. On top of this, it can also utilize its good Special Attack and coverage with offensive sets. All of this combine to make Slowking a good choice for all kinds of teams.</p>
[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Slack Off
move 2: Scald
move 3: Thunder Wave / Toxic
move 4: Fire Blast / Psychic
item: Leftovers
ability: Regenerator
nature: Calm
evs: 248 HP / 144 Def / 116 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set works as an excellent mixed wall with the ability to take almost any hit and then cripple the attacker with Thunder Wave, or hit it back with the appropriate move. Regenerator allows Slowking to switch into Pokemon it can threaten, take a hit, and retaliate before switching out without losing much health in the process. If it does stay in longer, it can also use Slack Off to recover its health. This combination means that Slowking can stay at high health throughout the match and do its job for a long period of time. Scald does decent damage to anything that doesn't resist it and can burn any switch-in, while Fire Blast hits Grass-types such as Tangrowth and Ferroseed, which otherwise have nothing to fear from this set. However, Psychic is an option to hit Qwilfish and Fighting-types, especially Poliwrath, which is immune to Scald. Slowking can also opt to use Toxic over Thunder Wave to cripple opposing Slowking and other walls.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>248 HP EVs hit an HP stat divisible by three, which maximizes Slowking's recovery from Regenerator. The Defense EVs prevent Slowking from being 2HKOed by Choice Band Entei's Flare Blitz, and the remainder is invested in Special Defense to beat Moltres and Omastar. Slowking can phaze with Dragon Tail, but it's generally not necessary, and Fire Blast and Psychic are important for coverage. Psyshock is an option over Psychic to hit threats such as Hitmonchan and Gallade harder, while Psychic does more damage to Qwilfish, Poliwrath, and Tangrowth.</p>
<p>This set pairs well with physical walls such as Tangrowth, which can form a Regenerator core with Slowking, or Steelix, which offers good defensive coverage. Slowking takes Water-, Fighting-, and Fire-type attacks for Steelix, while Steelix takes Electric-, Ghost-, and Dark-type attacks well. Other good partners are Roselia, which can take out almost all Grass- and Electric-types in the tier, as well as most offensive Pokemon that enjoy paralysis support, such as Bouffalant with its immunity to Grass-type attacks, Druddigon, which resists Electric and Grass, and Aggron and Crawdaunt, which resist Ghost and Dark.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Surf
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Psyshock
move 4: Grass Knot
item: Choice Specs
ability: Regenerator
nature: Modest
evs: 212 HP / 252 SpA / 44 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>While an offensive set might not immediately come to mind on such an excellent defensive Pokemon, Slowking can run a Choice Specs set very well. The key to this set, aside from its amazing coverage and bulk, is Regenerator; it allows Slowking to recover health without Leftovers or Slack Off and makes it durable even when focusing solely on offense. This set can also easily catch opponents off-guard, as defensive variants are much more common. A Choice Specs-boosted Surf off of base 100 Special Attack will severely hurt anything that doesn't resist it, while Fire Blast takes care of Grass-type switch-ins. Psyshock hits Qwilfish, Lanturn, and Fighting-types such as Gallade. It's also very useful against Substitute Jynx, because unlike Fire Blast, it is not limited by its accuracy. Grass Knot's use is rather limited, but it's still important to hit opposing Slowking.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread is rather simple: 252 Special Attack EVs and a Modest nature maximize Slowking's damage output, while 44 Speed EVs let it outspeed uninvested Spiritomb; the remaining EVs are placed in HP to add some bulk. Ice Beam is an option to hit Druddigon and Altaria, but neither of them enjoy being hit by Psyshock, and hitting other Slowking is almost always more important. Lastly, Slowking can use a Life Orb and drop Grass Knot for Slack Off, but it's generally better off switching in and out rather than staying in for long.</p>
<p>This set is not very dependent on its teammates and does well on its own, but defensive partners such as Tangrowth, Steelix, and Roselia, as well as offensive partners such as Druddigon and Aggron, are never a bad idea. This set also pairs nicely with Sceptile, as it can catch opposing Grass-types by surprise while checking Fire-type attackers that also give Sceptile trouble.</p>
[SET]
name: Offensive Trick Room
move 1: Trick Room
move 2: Surf
move 3: Fire Blast
move 4: Nasty Plot / Psyshock
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
ability: Regenerator
nature: Quiet
evs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Slowking is a very good choice for Trick Room teams thanks to its good bulk and Special Attack combined with its low Speed. After setting up Trick Room, it can either switch out to a teammate or stay in to do the damage itself. Surf and Fire Blast provide good coverage, and with a Nasty Plot boost, Slowking destroys pretty much everything that doesn't resist both moves. The biggest problem facing this set is that Lanturn and opposing Slowking completely wall it. To partially remedy this, Nasty Plot can be replaced with Psyshock, as it 2HKOes Lanturn with a bit of prior damage and hits Fighting-types and Qwilfish harder than both Surf and Fire Blast do. However, getting past other Slowking will still be impossible.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>0 Speed IV and a Quiet nature minimize Slowking's Speed so that it goes first under Trick Room. Life Orb helps Slowking do as much damage as possible before Trick Room runs out, and Regenerator heals the damage it takes from three turns of Life Orb recoil. Alternatively, Leftovers allows Slowking to survive a bit longer, which is especially helpful while setting up Nasty Plot. A Grass-type move might seem like a good choice to hit Lanturn and other Slowking, but in reality, Lanturn is too light for Grass Knot to do any significant damage, while Psyshock still hits it harder than Hidden Power Grass does. Moreover, Slowking is not 2HKOed by either move.</p>
<p>This set works well on Trick Room teams to set up Trick Room for its teammates and to provide a switch-in to threats such as Moltres. In particular, Druddigon is an excellent partner with its resistances to Grass and Electric. Aggron is also a good choice, as it resists Dark- and Ghost-type attacks while attracting Fighting-types that Slowking can set up on.</p>
[SET]
name: Nasty Plot
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Surf
move 3: Fire Blast
move 4: Hidden Power Grass
item: Leftovers
ability: Regenerator
nature: Modest
evs: 212 HP / 252 SpA / 44 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set makes excellent use of Nasty Plot with Slowking's good Special Attack and its amazing coverage; after a Nasty Plot boost, it's practically impossible to wall. Surf is the obligatory STAB move, while Fire Blast covers Grass-types such as Ferroseed and Roselia, as well as Jynx. Hidden Power Grass might seem like an odd choice, but it is preferred over Grass Knot because the latter does very little damage to Lanturn, and Hidden Power Grass still 2HKOes other Slowking. This set's only real problem are strong, fast attackers that can outspeed and OHKO it, such as Scolipede and Sceptile.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>252 Special Attack EVs and a Modest nature allow Slowking to hit as hard as possible, 44 Speed EVs allow it to outspeed uninvested Spiritomb, and the HP EVs improve its bulk. Slowking can use Ice Beam over Fire Blast to hit the rare Altaria and Druddigon, but this leaves it beaten by Jynx, and gives Ferroseed an opportunity to use Leech Seed.</p>
<p>As the only effective way to stop Nasty Plot Slowking is outspeeding and OHKOing it, it appreciates paralysis support, for example from Clefable, Ferroseed, or Uxie, to get past even the fastest threats in the tier. Good defensive partners are Pokemon who can take Electric- and Grass-type attacks, such as Roselia, Rotom-C, Bouffalant, and Druddigon. Pokemon that can take strong physical attacks in general, such as Tangrowth and Steelix, work as well.<p>
[Other Options]
<p>Slowking can run a defensive Trick Room set to fill a more supportive role. However, the offensive set is usually preferred as it poses an immediate threat and avoids wasting Trick Room turns with switching. A Calm Mind set is also viable, but it is easier to wall and more vulnerable to status than the Nasty Plot set, and Slowking is bulky enough without Special Defense boosts.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Slowking is hard to counter due to its versatility. Strong Grass-types such as Sceptile, Tangrowth, and Rotom-C can threaten it with their super effective STAB moves, but they need to watch out for Fire Blast and Thunder Wave. Similarly, Electric-types can threaten it, but they take a decent amount of damage from Scald, and ones without Lightningrod or Volt Absorb also fear Thunder Wave. Jynx and Lilligant are good checks as they are immune to and resist Water-type attacks, respectively, and can put Slowking to sleep and set up on it; Jynx has to watch out for Psyshock, however. Ferroseed can freely set up Spikes on sets without Fire Blast, but those are not very common. Finally, defensive Slowking beats offensive variants without Nasty Plot, and when two defensive Slowking face each other, the one with Toxic wins.</p>
<p>Slowking is one of the best walls in the RU metagame. Its excellent HP and Special Defense stats allow it to take any resisted or neutral special move with ease. While its typing partially limits it due to the abundance of Grass- and Electric-types in RU, Slowking makes up for this with its ability to take powerful physical hits such as Entei's Flare Blitz, as well as its amazing ability, Regenerator. On top of this, it can also utilize its good Special Attack and coverage with offensive sets. All of this combine to make Slowking a good choice for all kinds of teams.</p>
[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Slack Off
move 2: Scald
move 3: Thunder Wave / Toxic
move 4: Fire Blast / Psychic
item: Leftovers
ability: Regenerator
nature: Calm
evs: 248 HP / 144 Def / 116 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set works as an excellent mixed wall with the ability to take almost any hit and then cripple the attacker with Thunder Wave, or hit it back with the appropriate move. Regenerator allows Slowking to switch into Pokemon it can threaten, take a hit, and retaliate before switching out without losing much health in the process. If it does stay in longer, it can also use Slack Off to recover its health. This combination means that Slowking can stay at high health throughout the match and do its job for a long period of time. Scald does decent damage to anything that doesn't resist it and can burn any switch-in, while Fire Blast hits Grass-types such as Tangrowth and Ferroseed, which otherwise have nothing to fear from this set. However, Psychic is an option to hit Qwilfish and Fighting-types, especially Poliwrath, which is immune to Scald. Slowking can also opt to use Toxic over Thunder Wave to cripple opposing Slowking and other walls.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>248 HP EVs hit an HP stat divisible by three, which maximizes Slowking's recovery from Regenerator. The Defense EVs prevent Slowking from being 2HKOed by Choice Band Entei's Flare Blitz, and the remainder is invested in Special Defense to beat Moltres and Omastar. Slowking can phaze with Dragon Tail, but it's generally not necessary, and Fire Blast and Psychic are important for coverage. Psyshock is an option over Psychic to hit threats such as Hitmonchan and Gallade harder, while Psychic does more damage to Qwilfish, Poliwrath, and Tangrowth.</p>
<p>This set pairs well with physical walls such as Tangrowth, which can form a Regenerator core with Slowking, or Steelix, which offers good defensive coverage. Slowking takes Water-, Fighting-, and Fire-type attacks for Steelix, while Steelix takes Electric-, Ghost-, and Dark-type attacks well. Other good partners are Roselia, which can take out almost all Grass- and Electric-types in the tier, as well as most offensive Pokemon that enjoy paralysis support, such as Bouffalant with its immunity to Grass-type attacks, Druddigon, which resists Electric and Grass, and Aggron and Crawdaunt, which resist Ghost and Dark.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Surf
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Psyshock
move 4: Grass Knot
item: Choice Specs
ability: Regenerator
nature: Modest
evs: 212 HP / 252 SpA / 44 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>While an offensive set might not immediately come to mind on such an excellent defensive Pokemon, Slowking can run a Choice Specs set very well. The key to this set, aside from its amazing coverage and bulk, is Regenerator; it allows Slowking to recover health without Leftovers or Slack Off and makes it durable even when focusing solely on offense. This set can also easily catch opponents off-guard, as defensive variants are much more common. A Choice Specs-boosted Surf off of base 100 Special Attack will severely hurt anything that doesn't resist it, while Fire Blast takes care of Grass-type switch-ins. Psyshock hits Qwilfish, Lanturn, and Fighting-types such as Gallade. It's also very useful against Substitute Jynx, because unlike Fire Blast, it is not limited by its accuracy. Grass Knot's use is rather limited, but it's still important to hit opposing Slowking.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread is rather simple: 252 Special Attack EVs and a Modest nature maximize Slowking's damage output, while 44 Speed EVs let it outspeed uninvested Spiritomb; the remaining EVs are placed in HP to add some bulk. Ice Beam is an option to hit Druddigon and Altaria, but neither of them enjoy being hit by Psyshock, and hitting other Slowking is almost always more important. Lastly, Slowking can use a Life Orb and drop Grass Knot for Slack Off, but it's generally better off switching in and out rather than staying in for long.</p>
<p>This set is not very dependent on its teammates and does well on its own, but defensive partners such as Tangrowth, Steelix, and Roselia, as well as offensive partners such as Druddigon and Aggron, are never a bad idea. This set also pairs nicely with Sceptile, as it can catch opposing Grass-types by surprise while checking Fire-type attackers that also give Sceptile trouble.</p>
[SET]
name: Offensive Trick Room
move 1: Trick Room
move 2: Surf
move 3: Fire Blast
move 4: Nasty Plot / Psyshock
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
ability: Regenerator
nature: Quiet
evs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Slowking is a very good choice for Trick Room teams thanks to its good bulk and Special Attack combined with its low Speed. After setting up Trick Room, it can either switch out to a teammate or stay in to do the damage itself. Surf and Fire Blast provide good coverage, and with a Nasty Plot boost, Slowking destroys pretty much everything that doesn't resist both moves. The biggest problem facing this set is that Lanturn and opposing Slowking completely wall it. To partially remedy this, Nasty Plot can be replaced with Psyshock, as it 2HKOes Lanturn with a bit of prior damage and hits Fighting-types and Qwilfish harder than both Surf and Fire Blast do. However, getting past other Slowking will still be impossible.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>0 Speed IV and a Quiet nature minimize Slowking's Speed so that it goes first under Trick Room. Life Orb helps Slowking do as much damage as possible before Trick Room runs out, and Regenerator heals the damage it takes from three turns of Life Orb recoil. Alternatively, Leftovers allows Slowking to survive a bit longer, which is especially helpful while setting up Nasty Plot. A Grass-type move might seem like a good choice to hit Lanturn and other Slowking, but in reality, Lanturn is too light for Grass Knot to do any significant damage, while Psyshock still hits it harder than Hidden Power Grass does. Moreover, Slowking is not 2HKOed by either move.</p>
<p>This set works well on Trick Room teams to set up Trick Room for its teammates and to provide a switch-in to threats such as Moltres. In particular, Druddigon is an excellent partner with its resistances to Grass and Electric. Aggron is also a good choice, as it resists Dark- and Ghost-type attacks while attracting Fighting-types that Slowking can set up on.</p>
[SET]
name: Nasty Plot
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Surf
move 3: Fire Blast
move 4: Hidden Power Grass
item: Leftovers
ability: Regenerator
nature: Modest
evs: 212 HP / 252 SpA / 44 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set makes excellent use of Nasty Plot with Slowking's good Special Attack and its amazing coverage; after a Nasty Plot boost, it's practically impossible to wall. Surf is the obligatory STAB move, while Fire Blast covers Grass-types such as Ferroseed and Roselia, as well as Jynx. Hidden Power Grass might seem like an odd choice, but it is preferred over Grass Knot because the latter does very little damage to Lanturn, and Hidden Power Grass still 2HKOes other Slowking. This set's only real problem are strong, fast attackers that can outspeed and OHKO it, such as Scolipede and Sceptile.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>252 Special Attack EVs and a Modest nature allow Slowking to hit as hard as possible, 44 Speed EVs allow it to outspeed uninvested Spiritomb, and the HP EVs improve its bulk. Slowking can use Ice Beam over Fire Blast to hit the rare Altaria and Druddigon, but this leaves it beaten by Jynx, and gives Ferroseed an opportunity to use Leech Seed.</p>
<p>As the only effective way to stop Nasty Plot Slowking is outspeeding and OHKOing it, it appreciates paralysis support, for example from Clefable, Ferroseed, or Uxie, to get past even the fastest threats in the tier. Good defensive partners are Pokemon who can take Electric- and Grass-type attacks, such as Roselia, Rotom-C, Bouffalant, and Druddigon. Pokemon that can take strong physical attacks in general, such as Tangrowth and Steelix, work as well.<p>
[Other Options]
<p>Slowking can run a defensive Trick Room set to fill a more supportive role. However, the offensive set is usually preferred as it poses an immediate threat and avoids wasting Trick Room turns with switching. A Calm Mind set is also viable, but it is easier to wall and more vulnerable to status than the Nasty Plot set, and Slowking is bulky enough without Special Defense boosts.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Slowking is hard to counter due to its versatility. Strong Grass-types such as Sceptile, Tangrowth, and Rotom-C can threaten it with their super effective STAB moves, but they need to watch out for Fire Blast and Thunder Wave. Similarly, Electric-types can threaten it, but they take a decent amount of damage from Scald, and ones without Lightningrod or Volt Absorb also fear Thunder Wave. Jynx and Lilligant are good checks as they are immune to and resist Water-type attacks, respectively, and can put Slowking to sleep and set up on it; Jynx has to watch out for Psyshock, however. Ferroseed can freely set up Spikes on sets without Fire Blast, but those are not very common. Finally, defensive Slowking beats offensive variants without Nasty Plot, and when two defensive Slowking face each other, the one with Toxic wins.</p>