Samurott (Update) (GP 2/2)

[Overview]

<p>Samurott is one of the only Water-types that hits hard physically and specially, making it unpredictable in a sense because both sets it can run have different counters. It has a usable movepool on both sides, as well as Swords Dance, to limit the amount of Pokemon that can wall it, including access to moves such as Megahorn which are rarely seen on Pokemon of its type. Thanks to its above-average defenses, it also can take a hit or two when it needs to, even without any investment. Despite these quirks, Samurott is a bit slow and often finds itself outpaced, a problem considering it has no way to boost its speed, and individual sets suffer from having a bit of competiton with other Pokemon such as Feraligatr and Slowking, which have similar options. RegardlessDespite its status as an NU Pokemon, Samurott is a threat to watch out for in RU, despite its status as a NU Pokemon.</p>

[SET]
name: Mixed Attacker
move 1: Hydro Pump
Move 2: Grass Knot / Hidden Power Grass
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Megahorn / Superpower
item: Life Orb
ability: Torrent
nature: Naive
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Thanks to Samurott's great Special Attack and good coverage, along with a decent Attack stat to back it up, makes Samurott a fearsome wallbreaker that is difficult to switch into. While its speed isn't that great, it's by no means slow, and its speed is enough to outspeed many of the Pokemon within the tier, including almost all walls and neutral natured base 80 speed Pokemon such as Adamant Feraligatr and Adamant Gallade. Hydro Pump is the main STAB option here, and with 120 Base Power, it powers through many Pokemon in the tier with ease. Grass Knot's power is inconsistent, but most of the Water-types in the tier, such as Poliwrath and Feraligatr, are rather heavy and will be hit harder by Grass Knot than Hidden Power Grass. However, if Lanturn, which is lighter, is an annoyance, Hidden Power Grass can be used to hit it hard, but iSamurott loses out on a bit of power against other Water-types. Ice Beam hits Grass-types for a lot of damage and Dralso hits Druddigon for Super effective damage, as-types, both typesof which resist the combination of Grass and Water, for super effective damage. The final slot is used for the physical attacking option. Megahorn hits for the many Psychic-types in the tier, such as Uxie and Jynx, as it hits them very hard – it, while also hitsting Slowking harder than Grass Knot. However, if these Pokemon are not a concern, Samurott can use Superpower in order to blast through Clefable and Ferroseed, which otherwise completely wall this set.</p>


[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Naive is the preferred nature here, as ito gets the jump on manyNidoqueen and Pokemon with base 80 Speed, as well as Nidoqueen, that usend Adamant or Modest Nnatures wif they ru maximum investment in speed. In addition, because almost all Grass- and Electric-type moves are used on the Special side, it's better to lose Sspecial defense than Pphysical defense. If accuracy is an issue, Surf can be used to hit more often, but its lack of power compared to Hydro Pump makes it much less appealing. In addition, Samurott can be an effective stallbreaker if it decides to go with Taunt, and if it uses this over a physical move, it can use a Timid nature. However, note that Stall is not a very common playstyle in RU at the moment due to many powerful wallbreakers being in the tier, such as Nidoqueen, being in the tier.</p>

<p>As Samurorutt tends to force a lot of switches, entry hazard support is useful. Also, despite having both Ice Beam and Megahorn, there are a few Grass-types, such as Lilligant and Sceptile, which can outspeed and OHKO. Roselia knowsis a great defensive partner that can use Spikes to wear down switch-ins, and can also easily deal with Grass-types due to its typing, Natural Cure, great Special Defense, and a STAB Sludge Bomb to hit them hard. As for offensive partners, Flying-types such as Braviary and Swellow can destroy Grass-types with their STAB Brave Birds. In return, Samurott hits Rock- and Steel-type Pokemon very hard with Hydro Pump, allowing both of them to not have to worry about getting walled, meaning both have a much easier time sweeping or wallbreaking. Due to Ferroseed being an annoyance due to its typing, iIf Superpower can't find its way onto the set, or it just simply isn't desired, Magneton is a good partner because it can trap and kill Ferroseed thanks to Magnet Pull - Magneton also, while enjoysing the threat Samurott poses to Ground-type Pokemon. Finally, Druddigon is a good partner to Samurott as well due to its rare resistances to Electric and Grass, and with its stellar bulk, it ends up coverings up Samurott's weaknesses nicely.</p>



[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Megahorn
move 4: Aqua Jet
item: Life Orb / Lum Berry
ability: Torrent
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Usually, when you think of a Swords Dancing Water-type in RU, you think of Feraligatr or Kabutops, as the former has a better bulk while the latter gets a STAB Stone Edge -, and both are also more powerful and faster. However, Samurott has one trick up its sleeve; Megahorn. With this move, Samurott can get past Grass-types far more easily, meaning Pokemon such as Tangrowth cannot wall it - assuming it has a Life Orb, it OHKOs Tangrowth after a boost. Water/Bug also gets good neutral coverage, with only a few Pokemon resisting the combination, and a few of them are irrelevant in RU.</p>



<p>It o Otherwise than that, Samurott functions fairly similar to the other two Pokemon. Swords Dance allows Samurott to get a boost, and it obtains 598 Attack at +2. Waterfall demolishes any Pokemon that doesn't resist it, and for faster foes, iAqua Jet can pick thems off with Aqua Jet. Notably, tfaster foes. Thanks to Torrent, Samurott hits a lot harder when at low health with its Water moves, allowing it to destroy Pokemon that could previously take its hits. Megahorn, as mentioned before, is the advantage of using this set - hitting as hard as a STAB Waterfall on neutral targets, it is a powerful move that blasts through Psychic-types and especially Grass-types.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>A Jolly Nature is used to outspeed Pokemon atround base 80 speed and around that which usually don't use a boosting Nature, including Nidoqueen and Gallade, but due to the fact that it is usually using a priority move, an Adamant nature makgives Aqua Jet have more of a sting, such as boosting the chance to OHKO Manectric after Stealth Rock from 18.75% to 75%. The choice of item depends on the circumstances. Generally, a Life Orb is more useful because it makes Samurott harder to switch into and helps it pick off fioes with Aqua Jet, but a Lum Berry lets it avoid a crippling status such as a burn or paralysis which Samurott is heavily crippled by. Using a Mystic Water can be a viable alternative because two of the three attacking moves are Water-type moves, which emphasizes Torrent, but Samurott needs a Life Orb if it wants additional power in its Megahorn to put more of a dent oin Pokemon such as Uxie and Tangrowth with Megahorn.</p>




<p>If you are using a Lum Berry, Stealth Rock is needed to ensure the OHKO on Tangrowth, and even with a Life Orb it apppeciates Stealth Rock to pick off frailer Pokemon with Aqua Jet, such as Manectric, more easier, such as Manectricly with Aqua Jet. Nidoqueen stands out as a good partner, as it is immune to Electric-type moves, can set up Stealth Rock, and threatens Qwilfish (who walls this set) with a strong Earth Power, as well as Ferroseed and Amoonguss (which also wall this set) with Fire Blast. On the subject of Grass-types, Fire-types in general, such as Magmortar and Entei, are helpful to get past Grass-type Pokemon, especially considering many of them are faster and all of them cannot be easily revenge killed by Aqua Jet due to their resisance. Bouffalant is also a good option to take down Grass-types (other than Ferroseed) because it gets a boost from Grass moves thanks to Sap Sipper. Ironically, Grass-types such as Rotom-C and Sceptile can make good partners for Samurott, as they can get past bulky waters such as Qwilifsh and Poliwrath that can wall Samurott, and in return Samurott can use Fire-types as setup fodder as they flee from a predicted Aqua Jet.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Samurott has a few other options to consider. Samurott's physical bulk is fairly good, being equal to that of Quagsire's, and its access to moves such as Scald, Encore, and Dragon Tail are interesting, but a lack of recovery and a lack of a good defensive ability results in it being outclassed most of the time by other bulky waters. A Choice Band allows it to hit hard immediately, but its movepool isn't really enough to fit in a Choice set on the Physical side; using Choice Specs results in a similar fate. Return is interesting because it creates Water/Normal coverage, which is resisted only by Ferroseed, but Feraligatr's generally higher stats involving physical Attack stattacking makes this option mediocreoutclassed.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>To deal with Samurott, you first must know what set it is running, and even from there many Pokemon must be careful if they switch into the wrong move, as Samurott's coverage is good. In general, Grass-types stand out as the best checks due to their resistance to Samurott's STAB. Ferroseed is arguably the best option to take down Samurott, as it can take all hits aside from the rare Superpower with ease and wear it down with Leech Seed or set up entry hazards. Other Grass-types need to be careful about Ice Beam and Megahorn, but faster ones such as Sceptile, Rotom-C, and Lilligant can destroy Samurott with their STAB moves and also resist Aqua Jet, making them decent checks to both variants of Samurott. Although Samurott can hit Amoonguss hard with Ice Beam, Amoonguss can use Spore to temporarily shut down Samurott or heal itself with Giga Drain.</p>

<p>There exist Pokemon that can take down one of the two vairants. The Mixed Attacker is in particularly difficult to deal with due to its great coverage dealing with most threats, but for that set, Lanturn has an easy time dealing with it due to its resistance to Water- and Ice-type moves, its light weight making Grass Knot not hit very hard and its special defense ensuring that even Hidden Power Grass won't be doing much. It is also not weak to any other coverage move Samurott has. Electric-types such as Manectric and Rotom cannot switch into Samurott easily due to their general fraility making Hydro Pump extremely dangerous against them, but they can easly OHKO Samurott with Thunderbolt thanks to its relatively low special defense. Due to a high special defense, Roselia takes hits fairly easily from the mixed attacker, including Ice Beam, and it lacks a weakness to Megahorn as well. The Swords Dance set is arguably a bit easier to defeat, although a +2 Aqua Jet, possibly backed up by Torrent, ensures Electric-types cannot revenge kill that seit without taking tons of damage. Thanks to Intimidate and its resistance to Megahorn, Qwilfish walls this particular Samurott and can paralyze it or set up entry hazards - note that despite not being weak to anything the mixed attacker has, Hydro Pump can actually 2HKO 252/0 Qwilfish despite the resistance! Poliwrath is similar to Qwilfish, and although it cannot inflict a status on Samurott, it gets healed by its Water STAB and can phaze out Samurott, ridding it of its Swords Dance boost(s). Finally, although Altaria is not seen often in RU, but its good defense and resistance to both moves it caries means that Altaria can set up on it or wall it.</p>

[Unreleased]

<p>Samurott gains Shell Armor through the Dream World. It helps prevents Samurott from getting hit by a critical hit; however, Torrent is more useful as it gives Samurott a boost to its Water-type attacks when at 1/3 health or less, and this is especially useful for Aqua Jet so then it can take out revenge killers easily when it has almost bitten the dust.</p>


Comments:
I'm not really a big fan of how you talk about its movepool in the overview, it seems like that could be better.
In your SD paragraph, you say "a few" twice in in one sentence, change that please.

Overview]

<p>Samurott is one of the only Water-types that hits hard physically and specially, making it unpredictable because both sets it can run have different counters. It has a usable movepool on both sides, as well as Swords Dance, to limit the amount of Pokemon that can wall it, including access to moves such as Megahorn which are rarely seen on Pokemon of its type. Thanks to its above-average defenses, it also can take a hit or two when it needs to, even without any investment. Despite these quirks, Samurott is a bit slow and often finds itself outpaced, a problem considering it has no way to boost its speed, and individual sets suffer from having a bit of competiton with other Pokemon such as Feraligatr and Slowking, which have similar options. Despite its status as an NU Pokemon, Samurott is a threat to watch out for in RU.</p>

[SET]
name: Mixed Attacker
move 1: Hydro Pump
Move 2: Grass Knot / Hidden Power Grass
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Megahorn / Superpower
item: Life Orb
ability: Torrent
nature: Naive
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Samurott's great Special Attack and good coverage, along with a decent Attack stat to back it up, makes Samurott a fearsome wallbreaker that is difficult to switch into. While its Speed isn't that great, it's enough to outspeed many of the Pokemon within the tier, including almost all walls and neutral natured base 80 Speed Pokemon such as Adamant Feraligatr and Adamant Gallade. Hydro Pump is the main STAB option here, and as it powers through many Pokemon in the tier with ease. Grass Knot's power is inconsistent, but most of the Water-types in the tier, such as Poliwrath and Feraligatr, will be hit harder by Grass Knot than Hidden Power Grass. However, if Lanturn, which is lighter, is an annoyance, Hidden Power Grass can be used to hit it hard, but Samurott loses out on a bit of power against other Water-types. Ice Beam hits Grass- and Dragon-types, both of which resist the combination of Grass and Water, for super effective damage. The final slot is used for the a physical option. Megahorn hits the many Psychic-types in the tier, such as Uxie and Jynx, very hard, while also hitting Slowking harder than Grass Knot. However, if these Pokemon are not a concern, Samurott can use Superpower in order to blast through Clefable and Ferroseed, which otherwise completely wall this set.</p>


[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Naive is the preferred nature here to get the jump on Nidoqueen and Pokemon with base 80 Speed and Adamant or Modest natures with maximum investment in Speed. In addition, because almost all Grass- and Electric-type moves are used on the special side, it's better to lose special bulk defense than physical defense. If accuracy is an issue, Surf can be used to hit more often, but its lack of power compared to Hydro Pump makes it much less appealing. In addition, Samurott can be an effective stallbreaker with Taunt, and if it uses this over a physical move, it can use a Timid nature. However, note that stall is not a very common playstyle in RU at the moment due to the many powerful Pokemon, such as Nidoqueen, being in the tier.</p>

<p>As Samurott tends to force a lot of switches, entry hazard support is useful. Also, there are a few Grass-types, such as Lilligant and Sceptile, which can outspeed and OHKO. Roselia is a great defensive partner that can use Spikes to wear down switch-ins, (RC) and can also easily deal with Grass-types due to its typing, Natural Cure, great Special Defense, and a STAB Sludge Bomb to hit them hard. As for offensive partners, Flying-types such as Braviary and Swellow can destroy Grass-types with their STAB Brave Birds. In return, Samurott hits Rock- and Steel-type Pokemon very hard with Hydro Pump, allowing both of them to have a much easier time sweeping or wallbreaking. If Superpower can't find its way onto the set, Magneton is a good partner because it can trap and kill Ferroseed thanks to Magnet Pull, (RC) while enjoying the threat Samurott poses to Ground-type Pokemon. Finally, Druddigon is a good partner to Samurott as well due to its rare resistances to Electric and Grass, and with its stellar bulk, it covers up Samurott's weaknesses nicely.</p>



[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Megahorn
move 4: Aqua Jet
item: Life Orb / Lum Berry
ability: Torrent
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Usually, when you think of a Swords Dancing Water-type in RU, you think of Feraligatr or Kabutops, as the former has a better bulk while the latter gets a STAB Stone Edge -, and both are also more powerful and faster. However, Samurott has one trick up its sleeve; Megahorn. With this move, Samurott can get past Grass-types far more easily, meaning Pokemon such as Tangrowth cannot wall it&mdash;assuming it has a Life Orb, it OHKOes Tangrowth after a boost. Water/Bug also gets good neutral coverage, with only a few Pokemon resisting the combination, many of which are irrelevant in RU.</p>

<p>Other than that, Samurott functions fairly similar to the other two Pokemon. Swords Dance allows Samurott to get a boost, (RC) and it obtains 598 Attack at +2. Waterfall demolishes any Pokemon that doesn't resist it, and Aqua Jet picks off faster foes. Thanks to Torrent, Samurott hits a lot harder when at low health with its Water moves, allowing it to destroy Pokemon that could previously take its hits. Megahorn, as mentioned before, is the advantage of using this set&mdash;hitting as hard as a STAB Waterfall on neutral targets, it is a powerful move that blasts through Psychic-types and especially Grass-types.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>A Jolly Nature is used to outspeed Pokemon around base 80 Speed which usually don't use a boosting nature, including Nidoqueen and Gallade, but due to the fact that it is usually using a priority move, an Adamant nature gives Aqua Jet more of a sting, boosting the chance to OHKO Manectric after Stealth Rock from 18.75% to 75%. The choice of item depends on the circumstances. Generally, a Life Orb is more useful because it makes Samurott harder to switch into and helps it pick off foes with Aqua Jet, but a Lum Berry lets it avoid a crippling status such as a burn or paralysis. Using a Mystic Water can be a viable alternative because two of the three attacking moves are Water-type moves, but Samurott needs a Life Orb to put more of a dent in Pokemon such as Uxie and Tangrowth with Megahorn.</p>

<p>If you are using a Lum Berry, Stealth Rock is needed to ensure the OHKO on Tangrowth, and even with a Life Orb it apppeciates Stealth Rock to pick off frailer Pokemon, such as Manectric, more easily with Aqua Jet. Nidoqueen stands out as a good partner, as it is immune to Electric-type moves, can set up Stealth Rock, and threatens Qwilfish (who which walls this set) with a strong Earth Power, as well as Ferroseed and Amoonguss (which also wall this set) with Fire Blast. On the subject of Grass-types, Fire-types in general, such as Magmortar and Entei, are helpful to get past Grass-type Pokemon, especially considering many of them are faster and cannot be easily revenge killed by Aqua Jet due to their resisance. Bouffalant is also a good option to take down Grass-types (other than Ferroseed) because it gets a boost from Grass moves thanks to Sap Sipper. Ironically, Grass-types such as Rotom-C and Sceptile can make good partners for Samurott, as they can get past bulky Water-types such as Qwilifsh and Poliwrath that can wall Samurott, and in return Samurott can use Fire-types as setup fodder as they flee from a predicted Aqua Jet.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Samurott has a few other options to consider. Samurott's physical bulk is fairly good, being equal to that of Quagsire's, and its access to moves such as Scald, Encore, and Dragon Tail are interesting, but a lack of recovery and a lack of a good defensive ability results in it being outclassed most of the time by other bulky Water-types. A Choice Band allows it Samurott to hit hard immediately, but its movepool isn't really enough to fit in a Choice set on the physical side; using Choice Specs results in a similar fate. Return is interesting because it creates Water/Normal coverage, which is resisted only by Ferroseed, but Feraligatr's higher Attack stat makes this option outclassed.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>To deal with Samurott, you first must know what set it is running, and even from there many Pokemon must be careful if they switch into the wrong move. In general, Grass-types stand out as the best checks due to their resistance to Samurott's STAB. Ferroseed is arguably the best option to take down Samurott, as it can take all hits aside from the rare Superpower with ease and wear it down with Leech Seed or set up entry hazards. Other Grass-types need to be careful about Ice Beam and Megahorn, but faster ones such as Sceptile, Rotom-C, and Lilligant can destroy Samurott with their STAB moves and also resist Aqua Jet, making them decent checks to both variants of Samurott. Although Samurott can hit Amoonguss hard with Ice Beam, Amoonguss can use Spore to temporarily shut down Samurott or heal itself with Giga Drain.</p>

<p>The mixed attacker set is particularly difficult to deal with due to its great coverage dealing with most threats, but Lanturn has an easy time dealing with it due to its resistance to Water- and Ice-type moves, its light weight making reducing Grass Knot's power Grass Knot not hit very hard, (AC) and its Special Defense ensuring that even Hidden Power Grass won't be doing much. It is also not weak to any other coverage move Samurott has. Electric-types such as Manectric and Rotom cannot switch into Samurott easily due to their general fraility, (AC) making Hydro Pump extremely dangerous against them, but they can easly OHKO Samurott with Thunderbolt thanks to its relatively low Special Defense. Due to a high Special Defense, Roselia takes hits fairly easily from the mixed attacker, including Ice Beam, and it lacks a weakness to Megahorn as well. The Swords Dance set is arguably a bit easier to defeat, although a +2 Aqua Jet, possibly backed up by Torrent, ensures Electric-types cannot revenge kill it without taking tons of damage. Thanks to Intimidate and its resistance to Megahorn, Qwilfish walls this particular Samurott and can paralyze it or set up entry hazards&mdash;note that despite not being weak to anything the mixed attacker has, Hydro Pump can actually 2HKO 252/0 Qwilfish despite the resistance! Poliwrath is similar to Qwilfish, and although it cannot inflict a status on Samurott, it gets healed by its Water-type STAB and can phaze out Samurott, ridding it of its Swords Dance boosts. Finally, although Altaria is not seen often in RU, its good Defense and resistance to both Waterfall and Megahorn moves it caries means that Altaria can set up on or wall Samurott it or wall it.</p>

[Unreleased]

<p>Samurott gains Shell Armor through the Dream World. This prevents Samurott from getting hit by a critical hit; however, (RC) Torrent is more useful as it gives Samurott a boost to its Water-type attacks when at 1/3 health or less, and this is especially useful for Aqua Jet so Samurott can take out revenge killers easily when it has almost bitten the dust.</p>

[Overview]

<p>Samurott is one of the onlyfew Water-types that can hits hard physically and specially, making it unpredictable because boteach set has it cas own run have different counters. It has a usable movepool on both sides, as well as Swords Dance, to limit the amount of Pokemon that can wall it, including access to moves such as Megahorn, which are rarely seen on a Pokemon of its type. Thanks to its above-average defenses, it also can take a hit or two when it needs to, even without any investment. Despite these quirks, Samurott is a bit slow and often finds itself outpaced, a problem considering it has no way to boost its sSpeed, and. The individual sets suffer from having a bit of competition with other Pokemon such as Feraligatr and Slowking, which have similar options. Despite its status as an NU Pokemon, Samurott is a threat to watch out for in RU.</p>

[SET]
name: Mixed Attacker
move 1: Hydro Pump
Move 2: Grass Knot / Hidden Power Grass
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Megahorn / Superpower
item: Life Orb
ability: Torrent
nature: Naive
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Samurott's great Special Attack and good coverage, along withbacked by a decent Attack stat to back it up, makes Samurott a fearsome wallbreaker that is difficult to switch into. While its Speed isn't that great, it's enough to outspeed many of the Pokemon within the tier, including almost all walls and neutral natured base 80 Speed Pokemon such as Kabutops and Gallade. Hydro Pump is the main STAB option here, as it powers through many Pokemon in the tier with ease. Grass Knot's power is inconsistent, but most of the Water-types in the tier, such as Poliwrath and Feraligatr, will be hit harder by Grass Knot than Hidden Power Grass. However, if Lanturn, which is lighter, is an annoyance, Hidden Power Grass can be used to hit it hard. Ice Beam hits Grass- and Dragon-types, both of which resist the combination of Grass and Water, for super effective damage. The final slot is used for a physical option. Megahorn hits the many Psychic-types in the tier, such as Uxie and Jynx, very hard, while also hitting Slowking harder than Grass Knot. However, if these Pokemon are not a concern, Samurott can use Superpower in order to blast through Clefable and Ferroseed, which would otherwise completely wall this set.</p>


[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Naive is the preferred nature here to get the jump on Nidoqueen and Pokemon with base 80 Speed and Adamant or Modest natures with maximum investment in Speed. In addition, because almost all Grass- and Electric-type moves are used on the special side, it's better to lose special bulk than physical. If accuracy is an issue, then Surf can be used to hit more often, but its lack of power compared to Hydro Pump makes it much less appealing. In addition, Samurott can be an effective stallbreaker with Taunt, and if it uses thisd over a physical move, it can usethen a Timid nature is recommended. However, note that stall is not a very common in RU at the moment due to the many powerful Pokemon, such as Nidoqueen, in the tier.</p>

<p>As Samurott tends to force a lot of switches, entry hazard support is useful. Also, there are a few Grass-types, such as Lilligant and Sceptile, which can outspeed and OHKO. Roselia is a great defensive partner that can use Spikes to wear down switch-ins and can easily deal with Grass-types duethanks to its typing, Natural Cure, great Special Defense, and a STAB Sludge Bomb to hit them hard. As for offensive partners, Flying-types such as Braviary and Swellow can destroy Grass-types with their STAB Brave Bird. In return, Samurott hits Rock- and Steel-type Pokemon very hard with Hydro Pump, allowing both of them to have a much easier time sweeping or wallbreaking. If Superpower can't find its way onto the set, Magneton is a good partner because it can trap and kill Ferroseed thanks to Magnet Pull while enjoying the threat Samurott poses to Ground-type Pokemon. Finally, Druddigon is a good partner to Samurott as well duethanks to its rare Dragon-type resistances to Electric and Grass, and with its stellar bulk, it covers up Samurott's weaknesses nicely.</p>

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Megahorn
move 4: Aqua Jet
item: Life Orb / Lum Berry
ability: Torrent
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Usually, when you think of a Swords Dancing Water-type in RU, you think of Feraligatr or Kabutops, as the former has a better bulk while the latter gets a STAB Stone Edge -, and both are also more powstrongerful and faster. However, Samurott has one trick up its sleeve; Megahorn. With this move, Samurott can get past Grass-types far more easily, meaning Pokemon such as Tangrowth cannot wall it&mdash;assuming it has a Life Orb, it OHKOes Tangrowth after a boost. Water / Bug also gets good neutral coverage, with only a few Pokemon resisting the combination, many of which are irrelevant in RU.</p>

<p>Other than that, Samurott functions fairly similar to the other two Pokemon. Swords Dance allows Samurott to get a boost and obtain 598 Attack at +2. Waterfall demolishes any Pokemon that doesn't resist it, and Aqua Jet picks off faster foes. Thanks to Torrent, Samurott hits a lot harder when at low health with its Water-type moves, allowing it to destroy Pokemon that could have previously taken its hits. Megahorn, as mentioned before, is the advantage of using this set&mdash;hitting as hard as a STAB Waterfall on neutral targets, and it is a powerful move that blasts through Psychic-types and especially Grass-types.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>A Jolly Nature is used to outspeed Pokemon around base 80 Speed whichthat usually don't use a boosting nature, including Nidoqueen and Gallade, but due to the fact that it is usually using a priority move, an Adamant nature gives Aqua Jet more of a sting, boosting the chance to OHKO Manectric after Stealth Rock from 18.75% to 75%. The choice of item depends on the circumstances. Generally, a Life Orb is more useful because it makes Samurott harder to switch into and helps it pick off foes with Aqua Jet, but a Lum Berry lets it avoid a crippling burn or paralysis. Using a Mystic Water can beis a viable alternative because two of the three attacking moves are Water-type moves, but Samurott needs a Life Orb to put more of a dent in Pokemon such as Uxie and Tangrowth with Megahorn.</p>

<p>If you are using a Lum Berry, Stealth Rock is needed to ensure the OHKO on Tangrowth, and even with a Life Orb it appreciates Stealth Rock to pick off frailer Pokemon, such as Manectric, more easily with Aqua Jet. Nidoqueen stands out as a good partner, as it is immune to Electric-type moves, can set up Stealth Rock, and threatens Qwilfish (which walls this set) with a strong Earth Power, as well as Ferroseed and Amoonguss (which also wall this set) with Fire Blast. On the subject of Grass-types, Fire-types in general, such as Magmortar andor Entei, are helpful to get past Grass-type Pokemon, especially considering many of them are faster and cannot be easily revenge killed by Aqua Jet due to their resistance. Bouffalant is also a good option to take down Grass-types (other than Ferroseed) because it gets a boost from Grass moves thanks to Sap Sipper. Ironically, Grass-types such as Rotom-C and Sceptile can makbe good partners for Samurott, as they can get past bulky Water-types such as Qwilifish and Poliwrath that can wall Samurott, and in return Samurott can use Fire-types as setup fodder as they flee from a predicted Aqua Jet.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Samurott has a few other options to consider. Samurott's physical bulk is fairly good, being equal to that of Quagsire's, and its access to moves such as Scald, Encore, and Dragon Tail are interesting, but a lack of recovery and good defensive ability results in it being outclassed most of the time by other bulky Water-types. A Choice Band allows Samurott to hit hard immediately, but its movepool isn't really enough to fit in a Choice set on the physical side; using Choice Specs results in a similar fate. Return is interesting because it creates Water / Normal coverage, which is resisted only by Ferroseed, but Feraligatr's higher Attack stat makes this option outclassed.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>To deal with Samurott, you first must know what set it is running, and even from there many Pokemon must be careful if they switch into the wrong move. In general, Grass-types stand out as the best checks due to their resistance to Samurott's STAB. Ferroseed is arguably the best option to take down Samurott, as it can take all hits aside from the rare Superpower with ease and wear it down with Leech Seed or set up entry hazards. Other Grass-types need to be careful about Ice Beam and Megahorn, but faster ones such as Sceptile, Rotom-C, and Lilligant can destroy Samurott with their STAB moves and also resist Aqua Jet, making them decent checks to both variants of Samurott. Although Samurott can hit Amoonguss hard with Ice Beam, Amoonguss can use Spore to temporarily shut down Samurott or heal itself with Giga Drain.</p>

<p>The mixed attacker set is particularly difficult to deal with due to its great coverage dealing with most threats, but Lanturn has an easy time dealing with it due to its resistance to Water- and Ice-type moves, its light weight reducing Grass Knot's power, and its Special Defense ensuring that even Hidden Power Grass won't be doing much. It is also not weak to any other coverage move Samurott has. Electric-types such as Manectric and Rotom cannot switch into Samurott easily due to their general frailty, making Hydro Pump extremely dangerous against them, but they can easily OHKO Samurott with Thunderbolt thanks to its relatively low Special Defense. Due to a high Special Defense, Roselia takes hits fairly easily from the mixed attacker, including Ice Beam, and it lacks a weakness to Megahorn as well. The Swords Dance set is arguably a bit easier to defeat, although a +2 Aqua Jet, possibly backed up by Torrent, ensures Electric-types cannot revenge kill it without taking tons of damage. Thanks to Intimidate and its resistance to Megahorn, Qwilfish walls this particular Samurott and can paralyze it or set up entry hazards&mdash;note that despite not being weak to anything the mixed attacker has, Hydro Pump can actually 2HKO 252/0 Qwilfish despite the resistance! Poliwrath is similar to Qwilfish, and although it cannot inflict a status on Samurott, it gets healed by its Water-type STAB and can phaze out Samurott, ridding it of its Swords Dance boosts. Finally, although Altaria is not seen often in RU, its good Defense and resistance to both Waterfall and Megahorn mean that Altaria can set up on or wall Samurott.</p>

[Unreleased]

<p>Samurott gains Shell Armor through the Dream World. This prevents Samurott from getting hit by a critical hit; however, Torrent is more useful as it gives Samurott a boost to its Water-type attacks when at 1/3 health or less, and this is especially useful for Aqua Jet so Samurott can take out revenge killers easily when it has almost bitten the dust.</p>

[Overview]

<p>Samurott is one of the few Water-types that can hit hard physically and specially, making it unpredictable because each set has its own counters. It has a usable movepool on both sides, as well as Swords Dance, to limit the amount of Pokemon that can wall it, including access to moves such as Megahorn, which are rarely seen on a Pokemon of its type. Thanks to its above-average defenses, it also can take a hit or two when it needs to, even without any investment. Despite these quirks, Samurott is a bit slow and often finds itself outpaced, a problem considering it has no way to boost its Speed. The individual sets suffer from a bit of competition with other Pokemon such as Feraligatr and Slowking, which have similar options. Despite its status as an NU Pokemon, Samurott is a threat to watch out for in RU.</p>

[SET]
name: Mixed Attacker
move 1: Hydro Pump
Move 2: Grass Knot / Hidden Power Grass
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Megahorn / Superpower
item: Life Orb
ability: Torrent
nature: Naive
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Samurott's great Special Attack and good coverage, backed by a decent Attack, makes Samurott a fearsome wallbreaker that is difficult to switch into. While its Speed isn't that great, it's enough to outspeed many of the Pokemon within the tier, including almost all walls and neutral natured base 80 Speed Pokemon such as Kabutops and Gallade. Hydro Pump is the main STAB option here, as it powers through many Pokemon in the tier with ease. Grass Knot's power is inconsistent, but most of the Water-types in the tier, such as Poliwrath and Feraligatr, will be hit harder by Grass Knot than Hidden Power Grass. However, if Lanturn, which is lighter, is an annoyance, Hidden Power Grass can be used to hit it hard. Ice Beam hits Grass- and Dragon-types, both of which resist the combination of Grass and Water, for super effective damage. The final slot is used for a physical option. Megahorn hits the many Psychic-types in the tier, such as Uxie and Jynx, very hard, while also hitting Slowking harder than Grass Knot. However, if these Pokemon are not a concern, Samurott can use Superpower in order to blast through Clefable and Ferroseed, which would otherwise completely wall this set.</p>


[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Naive is the preferred nature to get the jump on Nidoqueen and Pokemon with base 80 Speed and Adamant or Modest natures with maximum investment in Speed. In addition, because almost all Grass- and Electric-type moves are used on the special side, it's better to lose special bulk than physical. If accuracy is an issue, then Surf can be used, but its lack of power compared to Hydro Pump makes it much less appealing. In addition, Samurott can be an effective stallbreaker with Taunt, and if used over a physical move, then a Timid nature is recommended. However, note that stall is not a very common in RU at the moment due to the many powerful Pokemon, such as Nidoqueen, in the tier.</p>

<p>As Samurott tends to force a lot of switches, entry hazard support is useful. Also, there are a few Grass-types, such as Lilligant and Sceptile, which can outspeed and OHKO. Roselia is a great defensive partner that can use Spikes to wear down switch-ins and can easily deal with Grass-types thanks to its typing, Natural Cure, great Special Defense, and a STAB Sludge Bomb to hit them hard. As for offensive partners, Flying-types such as Braviary and Swellow can destroy Grass-types with their STAB Brave Bird. In return, Samurott hits Rock- and Steel-type Pokemon very hard with Hydro Pump, allowing both of them to have a much easier time sweeping or wallbreaking. If Superpower can't find its way onto the set, Magneton is a good partner because it can trap and kill Ferroseed thanks to Magnet Pull while enjoying the threat Samurott poses to Ground-type Pokemon. Finally, Druddigon is a good partner to Samurott as well thanks to its rare Dragon-type resistances to Electric and Grass, and with its stellar bulk, it covers up Samurott's weaknesses nicely.</p>

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Megahorn
move 4: Aqua Jet
item: Life Orb / Lum Berry
ability: Torrent
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Usually, when you think of a Swords Dancing Water-type in RU, you think of Feraligatr or Kabutops, as the former has a better bulk while the latter gets a STAB Stone Edge, and both are stronger and faster. However, Samurott has one trick up its sleeve; Megahorn. With this move, Samurott can get past Grass-types far more easily, meaning Pokemon such as Tangrowth cannot wall it&mdash;assuming it has a Life Orb, it OHKOes Tangrowth after a boost. Water / Bug also gets good neutral coverage, with only a few Pokemon resisting the combination, many of which are irrelevant in RU.</p>

<p>Other than that, Samurott functions fairly similar to the other two Pokemon. Swords Dance allows Samurott to get a boost and obtain 598 Attack at +2. Waterfall demolishes any Pokemon that doesn't resist it, and Aqua Jet picks off faster foes. Thanks to Torrent, Samurott hits a lot harder when at low health with its Water-type moves, allowing it to destroy Pokemon that could have previously taken its hits. Megahorn, as mentioned before, is the advantage of using this set&mdash;hitting as hard as a STAB Waterfall on neutral targets, and it is a powerful move that blasts through Psychic-types and especially Grass-types.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>A Jolly Nature is used to outspeed Pokemon around base 80 Speed that usually don't use a boosting nature, including Nidoqueen and Gallade, but due to the fact that it is usually using a priority move, an Adamant nature gives Aqua Jet more of a sting, boosting the chance to OHKO Manectric after Stealth Rock from 18.75% to 75%. The choice of item depends on the circumstances. Generally, a Life Orb is more useful because it makes Samurott harder to switch into and helps it pick off foes with Aqua Jet, but a Lum Berry lets it avoid a crippling burn or paralysis. Using a Mystic Water is a viable alternative because two of the three attacking moves are Water-type moves, but Samurott needs a Life Orb to put more of a dent in Pokemon such as Uxie and Tangrowth with Megahorn.</p>

<p>If you are using a Lum Berry, Stealth Rock is needed to ensure the OHKO on Tangrowth, and even with a Life Orb it appreciates Stealth Rock to pick off frailer Pokemon, such as Manectric, more easily with Aqua Jet. Nidoqueen stands out as a good partner, as it is immune to Electric-type moves, can set up Stealth Rock, and threatens Qwilfish (which walls this set) with a strong Earth Power, as well as Ferroseed and Amoonguss (which also wall this set) with Fire Blast. On the subject of Grass-types, Fire-types in general, such as Magmortar or Entei, are helpful to get past Grass-type Pokemon, especially considering many of them are faster and cannot be easily revenge killed by Aqua Jet due to their resistance. Bouffalant is also a good option to take down Grass-types because it gets a boost from Grass moves thanks to Sap Sipper. Ironically, Grass-types such as Rotom-C and Sceptile can be good partners for Samurott, as they can get past bulky Water-types such as Qwilfish and Poliwrath that can wall Samurott, and in return Samurott can use Fire-types as setup fodder as they flee from a predicted Aqua Jet.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Samurott has a few other options to consider. Samurott's physical bulk is fairly good, being equal to that of Quagsire's, and its access to moves such as Scald, Encore, and Dragon Tail are interesting, but a lack of recovery and good defensive ability results in it being outclassed most of the time by other bulky Water-types. A Choice Band allows Samurott to hit hard immediately, but its movepool isn't really enough to fit in a Choice set on the physical side; using Choice Specs results in a similar fate. Return is interesting because it creates Water / Normal coverage, which is resisted only by Ferroseed, but Feraligatr's higher Attack stat makes this option outclassed.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>To deal with Samurott, you first must know what set it is running, and even from there many Pokemon must be careful if they switch into the wrong move. In general, Grass-types stand out as the best checks due to their resistance to Samurott's STAB. Ferroseed is arguably the best option to take down Samurott, as it can take all hits aside from the rare Superpower with ease and wear it down with Leech Seed or set up entry hazards. Other Grass-types need to be careful about Ice Beam and Megahorn, but faster ones such as Sceptile, Rotom-C, and Lilligant can destroy Samurott with their STAB moves and also resist Aqua Jet, making them decent checks to both variants of Samurott. Although Samurott can hit Amoonguss hard with Ice Beam, Amoonguss can use Spore to temporarily shut down Samurott or heal itself with Giga Drain.</p>

<p>The mixed attacker set is particularly difficult to deal with due to its great coverage dealing with most threats, but Lanturn has an easy time dealing with it due to its resistance to Water- and Ice-type moves, its light weight reducing Grass Knot's power, and its Special Defense ensuring that even Hidden Power Grass won't be doing much. It is also not weak to any other coverage move Samurott has. Electric-types such as Manectric and Rotom cannot switch into Samurott due to their general frailty, making Hydro Pump extremely dangerous against them, but they can easily OHKO Samurott with Thunderbolt thanks to its relatively low Special Defense. Due to a high Special Defense, Roselia takes hits fairly easily from the mixed attacker, including Ice Beam, and it lacks a weakness to Megahorn as well. The Swords Dance set is arguably a bit easier to defeat, although a +2 Aqua Jet, possibly backed up by Torrent, ensures Electric-types cannot revenge kill it without taking tons of damage. Thanks to Intimidate and its resistance to Megahorn, Qwilfish walls this particular Samurott and can paralyze it or set up entry hazards&mdash;note that despite not being weak to anything the mixed attacker has, Hydro Pump can actually 2HKO 252/0 Qwilfish despite the resistance! Poliwrath is similar to Qwilfish, and although it cannot inflict a status on Samurott, it gets healed by its Water-type STAB and can phaze out Samurott, ridding it of its Swords Dance boosts. Finally, although Altaria is not seen often in RU, its good Defense and resistance to both Waterfall and Megahorn mean that Altaria can set up on or wall Samurott.</p>

[Unreleased]

<p>Samurott gains Shell Armor through the Dream World. This prevents Samurott from getting hit by a critical hit; however, Torrent is more useful as it gives Samurott a boost to its Water-type attacks when at 1/3 health or less, and this is especially useful for Aqua Jet so Samurott can take out revenge killers easily when it has almost bitten the dust.</p>