Molk
Godlike Usmash
does way more than keep your food cold
[Overview]
<p>Despite previously being regarded as a mediocre Pokemon due to its Stealth Rock weakness and inaccurate secondary STAB, the reintroduction of Snow Warning has made Rotom-F a force to be reckoned with in RU. Coming equipped with one of the best dual STAB combinations in the game and the Special Attack stat to use it, counters to Rotom-F are few and far between, and most of the Pokemon that do have the capability to check Rotom-F are prone to being worn down over time, especially with hail in play. Despite its destructive potential when used in the hail, Rotom-F is quite mediocre when hail isn't in play, making Snover an absolute requirement when using it. To make matters worse, while Rotom-F's typing is incredible offensively, it's very flawed defensively; it's weak to Stealth Rock as well as common attacks such as Fire Blast, Drain Punch, and Stone Edge, limiting its opportunities to switch in and attack. Nonetheless, Rotom-F is an excellent Pokemon and should always be considered when building a hail team.</p>
[SET]
name: SubSplit
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Blizzard
move 3: Thunderbolt
move 4: Pain Split
item: Life Orb
nature: Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 Spa / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Rotom-F's excellent dual STAB combination makes SubSplit an amazing option on it, taking advantage of its STABs and the combination of Substitute and Pain Split to wear down the opponent's team and do as much damage as possible. Substitute gives Rotom-F protection against status moves, priority, and attacks from faster Pokemon such as Moltres, Sigilyph, and Sceptile while simultaneously easing prediction, making it invaluable. In addition, Rotom-F has ample opportunity to set up a Substitute thanks to its decent bulk and natural ability to force switches. Blizzard is Rotom-F's most powerful attack, at worst 2HKOing anything that doesn't resist Ice-type moves, and is significantly more consistent with the reintroduction of hail into the tier, bypassing the accuracy check when used under the weather condition. Thunderbolt is Rotom-F's best secondary STAB attack and compliments Blizzard well, hitting Pokemon that can stomach Blizzard with ease, such as Slowking, hard. Blizzard and Thunderbolt have excellent neutral coverage together, only missing out on a few Pokemon such as Lanturn, Magneton, and Piloswine; this is where Pain Split comes into play. While the aforementioned Pokemon can switch into both Blizzard and Thunderbolt, they lack any form of reliable recovery outside of Rest, leaving them vulnerable to being worn down by Pain Split.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The given EVs are very simple, maximizing Rotom-F's damage output while making sure it outpaces as many Pokemon as possible. A Modest nature can be used over Timid if you think Rotom-F needs the extra power, but the extra Speed Timid provides is almost always better, making Modest a lesser option. Furthermore, Leftovers can be used over Life Orb if Rotom-F needs some more longevity, but Pain Split is usually enough to keep Rotom-F healthy, and the power difference is rather noticeable.</p>
<p>Snover is a must when using Rotom-F, as it provides the hail support that makes Rotom-F so threatening in the first place, buffing Blizzard's accuracy while also doing passive damage to any Pokemon that isn't an Ice-type, making it much easier for Rotom-F to wear down bulkier Pokemon through a combination of its STAB attacks, Substitute, and Pain Split. Furthermore, Snover can help wear down Rotom-F's checks with its own Blizzard, making it even easier for Rotom-F to clean up late-game. Although almost every other Pokemon appreciates hazards support, entry hazards are especially effective with Rotom-F due to its innate ability to force switches and the fact that the vast majority of Pokemon that can stomach its attacks, such as Lanturn, Magneton, and Piloswine, are grounded, making them really easy to wear down via multiple layers of hazards. Omastar and Qwilfish are excellent choices for this role, as they can reliably set up hazards while checking Pokemon that pose an offensive threat to Rotom-F such as Emboar, Entei, Escavalier, and Durant.</p>
<p>Golurk's also a good teammate for Rotom-F, being able to reliably set Stealth Rock while still checking Escavalier and posing an immediate threat to Lanturn and Magneton, two of Rotom-F's best checks. Bulky Water-types such as Slowking, Alomomola, Quagsire, and Poliwrath are excellent teammates for Rotom-F as well, being able to take on multiple Pokemon that threaten Rotom-F such as Entei, Emboar, and Piloswine. Alomomola deserves a special mention because of its ability to pass gigantic Wishes to Rotom-F, completely healing it no matter how much damage it has taken.</p>
<p>Rotom-F's weakness to Stealth Rock can wear it down over time if it doesn't get the chance to use Pain Split, meaning Rapid Spin is always appreciated. Kabutops is an excellent option for this role, reliably spinning away Stealth Rock while having good synergy with Rotom-F; it's able to take Fire-type attacks from Entei and Emboar for Rotom-F with ease, while Rotom-F can take out checks to Kabutops such as Tangrowth with Blizzard in return. Lastly, Rotom-F can be paired with other hail sweepers such as Glaceon, Walrein, and Jynx to help wear down each other's checks, eventually giving the other the chance to clean up the opposing team unimpeded. Keep in mind that packing multiple Ice-types on a team takes a toll on your defensive synergy, leaving you more vulnerable to big threats such as Entei, Durant, and Escavalier when not properly supported.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Volt Switch
move 2: Blizzard
move 3: Thunderbolt
move 4: Trick
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 Spa / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Like all of the other Rotom formes, Rotom-F is perfectly capable of running an effective Choice Scarf set, becoming one of the best scouts, revenge killers, and late-game sweepers available for hail teams in RU. Volt Switch is what separates Rotom-F from other Choice Scarf hail sweepers such as Glaceon and Jynx, giving it the ability to switch out while doing a decent amount of damage and easily gaining momentum for its team. Blizzard is Rotom-F's most powerful attack, and what makes Rotom-F the late-game cleaner it is, having more than enough power to muscle through the remains of the opponent's weakened team. Blizzard also hits the vast majority of Electric resists hard, often making switching into Choice Scarf Rotom-F a deadly guessing game. Thunderbolt provides Rotom-F with a much more powerful Electric STAB that doesn't force it to switch out, giving it the capability to clean up even when bulky Blizzard resists such as Slowking are still around. Lastly, Trick gives Rotom-F the ability to cripple almost every defensive Pokemon in the tier by stealing their Leftovers or Eviolite and replacing it with a Choice Scarf, an item that's completely useless on defensive Pokemon. Meanwhile, Trick also gives Rotom-F a way to get rid of its Choice Scarf when it no longer needs the extra Speed to pose a threat, giving it the ability to switch moves against slower teams and stay in for multiple turns without being locked into an undesirable move.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Snover is an absolute requirement when using Rotom-F, as without the hail support it provides, Rotom-F is incredibly prone to missing Blizzard, and there are often better options to consider than Choice Scarf Rotom-F when not using a hail team. Because of Choice Scarf Rotom-F's innate ability to force switches due to its Choice Scarf-boosted Speed stat, Volt Switch, and excellent dual STABs, entry hazards work exceptionally well with it, forcing the opposing team to take residual damage every time they attempt to check Rotom-F, wearing them down over time and making it infinitely easier for Rotom-F to pull off that final cleanup with Blizzard. Qwilfish is perfect for this role, setting both Spikes and Toxic Spikes for Rotom-F while also taking priority attacks such as Aqua Jet and ExtremeSpeed that are often aimed at it. Other options for hazard setting include Roselia, Omastar, Golurk, and Druddigon, all of which have their individual merits and further support Rotom-F in different ways. Due to the nature of the set, Rotom-F will be switching in and out quite often, making Rapid Spin support a necessity. Kabutops in particular makes an excellent teammate when it comes to spinning, reliably clearing the field of entry hazards while simultaneously checking Pokemon such as Entei and Emboar that might switch in on Rotom-F while it's locked into Blizzard. In return, Rotom-F can terrorize many of Kabutops's checks such as Lilligant, Sceptile, Tangrowth, and Ferroseed with Blizzard and, in Ferroseed's case, Trick. Cryogonal is a decent option as well, sacrificing some defensive synergy for the ability to batter the Pokemon that might try to switch into Rotom-F's Blizzard with its own Blizzard, softening them up so Rotom-F can break through them with ease later on. Lastly, Hidden Power Fire and Hidden Power Ground can be used over Trick if you really need Rotom-F to hit threats such as Durant, Escavalier, Typhlosion, Entei, Lanturn, and Aggron harder, but the utility of Trick will be missed.</p>
[SET]
name: All-Out Attacker
move 1: Volt Switch
move 2: Blizzard
move 3: Hidden Power Fire
move 4: Thunderbolt
item: Expert Belt
nature: Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With excellent super effective coverage between its dual STABs, Rotom-F is capable of using an Expert Belt set to good effect. While Rotom-F is usually seen tearing apart slower, more defensive teams with its SubSplit set or serving as an invaluable scout and revenge killer with its Choice Scarf set, Expert Belt Rotom-F functions as a lure, bluffing Choice Scarf to get surprise KOs on unsuspecting Pokemon. When the opponent doesn't notice any Leftovers recovery or Life Orb recoil on Rotom-F, they'll most likely assume that its holding a Choice item, and switch in various Volt Switch immunities and Blizzard resistances to try to force it out, only to watch in awe as their switch-in gets demolished the next turn by one of Rotom-F's other attacks. Outside of bluffing a Choice Item, Rotom-F still gets the full benefit of using an Expert Belt thanks to its good super effective coverage. Volt Switch allows Rotom-F to gain momentum when needed and deal a decent amount of damage as it switches out. Having a slower Volt Switch than Choice Scarf Rotom-F is a huge help as well, allowing it to take a hit from a faster opponent, then Volt Switch out on the same turn, essentially giving Rotom-F's teammate a free switch. Hidden Power Fire is used to OHKO both Ferroseed and Escavalier after Stealth Rock after luring them in.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Aside from Snover, who should always be used alongside Rotom-F, Expert Belt Rotom-F pairs well with Pokemon that appreciate the removal of the Pokemon that it lures in and KOs, including Escavalier and Slowking. Druddigon's a good example, as the removal of Escavalier from the match allows Druddigon to use Outrage much more freely. In return, Druddigon can pivot into Pokemon such as Entei, Emboar, Lanturn, and Magneton that threaten Rotom-F, possibly wearing the former two down rather quickly via the combination of Rough Skin, Flare Blitz recoil, and residual hail damage. Druddigon can also set up Stealth Rock for Rotom-F's team, wearing down Pokemon without reliable recovery over time and making it easier for Rotom-F to score KOs on Ferroseed and Escavalier with Hidden Power Fire. Other hail sweepers such as Glaceon, Jynx, and Cryogonal appreciate Expert Belt Rotom-F's ability to lure in and eliminate Slowking and Escavalier, since without those pesky Ice-type resists in the way, they can simply plow through the rest of the opponent's team with ease.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>A Choice Specs set is a viable option if you want Rotom-F to have more power while still being able to scout with Volt Switch, but most of the time you'll usually end up missing the Speed of Choice Scarf or the ability to switch moves that comes with Expert Belt, making it a lesser option. Rotom-F can run a somewhat effective ChestoRest set as well, greatly increasing its longevity, although Rotom-F's mediocre defensive typing often gets in the way of this. Likewise, Rotom-F's decent bulk and access to support moves such as Will-O-Wisp and Pain Split makes a defensive set an option, but once again its mediocre defensive typing gets in the way too much for the set to be effective.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Due to Rotom-F's excellent dual STAB combination and access to moves such as Trick and Pain Split, finding a foolproof counter to Rotom-F is a difficult task. Lanturn is probably the best answer to Rotom-F, possessing an immunity to Rotom-F's Electric-type moves while taking Blizzard with ease due to its excellent special bulk and resistance to Ice-type attacks, and in return can either paralyze Rotom-F or wear it down with repeated Scalds. Keep in mind, though, that Lanturn has no form of reliable recovery, making it vulnerable to repeated Blizzards and residual hail damage. Magneton and Piloswine are in the same boat, taking both of Rotom-F's STAB attacks handily but being prone to being worn down over the course of the match, necessitating careful play to fully counter Rotom-F. Furthermore, both Piloswine and Magneton are vulnerable to Trick, which removes their Eviolite and thus cuts their bulk significantly. Clefable and Lickilicky make decent checks to the Choice Scarf and Expert Belt sets, using their immense special bulk to take both of its STABs without a resistance, but they struggle against the SubSplit set, which can use Substitute to dodge status and slowly sap their HP with Pain Split until they end up in Blizzard's KO range. Cryogonal can check Rotom-F as well, resisting Blizzard and having enough bulk to take repeated Thunderbolts, but struggles to do anything to Rotom-F in return without running a super effective Hidden Power or Toxic. Escavalier resists Rotom-F's Blizzard and has enough bulk to take a Thunderbolt while possessing an immunity to hail thanks to Overcoat, making it a viable check as well, but it still takes a significant amount from Thunderbolt and Volt Switch and lacks a reliable recovery move, which means it gets worn down quickly. If all else fails, there are a few Pokemon such as Entei, Klinklang, Sceptile, and Emboar that can check Rotom-F, being able to switch in on either Thunderbolt or Blizzard, outspeed Rotom-F, and OHKO it with the appropriate attack, but these Pokemon aren't as reliable as the ones listed above, as they can only safely switch into one of Rotom-F's STABs safely.</p>