Since Floatzel was aimed at OU before, I've pretty much rewrote the whole thing to reflect UU so its taken a bit of time.
STATUS: Done.
http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/floatzel
__________________
Changes:
-Rewrite of all sets to reflect UU
-Slight change to some sets
-Rewrite of other sections
-Addition of Team Options for individual sets in relation to UU
-Addition of Team Options at end in relation to UU
-Team Options in blue
___________________
[Overview]
<p>Floatzel can be a deadly Pokemon, especially when used correctly. Being the fastest Swift Swimmer is quite an accomplishment, and Floatzel doesn't lack in the movepool department either. It even has a pretty good Special Attack stat to take advantage of Surf and Ice Beam. Being one of the few reliable Pokemon who can Baton Pass Bulk Up is something to also brag about, and Floatzel isn't afraid to show it either.</p>
<p>Sweeping with Floatzel needs some leeway though. It has problems, but many other Pokemon do as well. Aside from the usual bulky Water-types, Tangrowth is a problem for Floatzel, despite having Ice Punch at its disposal. Floatzel's mediocre defensive stats don’t give Floatzel a lot of opportunities to switch into direct attacks either. If you can bypass these shortcomings, Floatzel is a powerful threat late-game with the rain boosting its Speed as well as Waterfall.</p>
[SET]
name: Swift Swim Sweeper
move 1: Waterfall
move 2: Ice Punch
move 3: Return
move 4: Rain Dance
item: Life Orb / Damp Rock
nature: Adamant
evs: 232 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Def / 16 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Floatzel is a fast Water-type Pokemon who can cause quite a bit of destruction in the rain. The rain acts similar to an Agility and a Howl (for Waterfall that is) boost, which is why little Speed investment is necessary. After the rain is set up, it's time for Floatzel to wreak havoc upon its opponents. Waterfall will be the main attack for Floatzel and hits incredibly hard in the rain. Ice Punch adds coverage while stopping Grass-types from absorbing the boosted Waterfall, as well as hitting Altaria hard. Return is your best weapon against opposing Water-types and complements Waterfall for nearly perfect coverage. It's also your strongest attack against Toxicroak, who will often come in to absorb Waterfall. Rain Dance is in the last slot as you can never have too many Rain Dance users on a Rain Dance team.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Although Floatzel may seem outclassed by both Qwilfish and Kabutops due to their access to Swords Dance and moves with higher Base Power, Floatzel's higher Speed makes it a lot harder to revenge kill, and it can still deal some damage without the rain. Also, Floatzel can afford to invest less EVs in Speed and instead invest in HP to take hits better, whereas Qwilfish and Kabutops need all the Speed they can get. Floatzel has access to Ice Punch which gives it an easier time against Altaria, unlike Qwilfish, who has to rely on Poison Jab. Kabutops may have Stone Edge to take Altaria out, but its shaky accuracy can let it down at times.</p>
<p>Life Orb is the best option for this set. Floatzel's rather lackluster Attack and low base power moves make Life Orb appealing, and without it Floatzel will have a much harder time against the bulkier physical walls such as Venusaur, Drapion, and Uxie. Damp Rock is a possible alternative though as it means you get more Rain Dance turns to abuse; however, the extra power of Life Orb is generally preferred. Max Attack is needed for Floatzel to hit as hard as possible, especially considering its lackluster Attack - it needs all the power it can get. 16 Speed EVs are best for our flotation sac friend. This gives 270 Speed before a Rain Dance, just enough to outpace Adamant Toxicroak. After the rain is present, Floatzel has enough Speed to outrun every common Choice Scarf user in UU. The HP EVs give Floatzel a little durability and offers less recoil from Life Orb. The rest of the EVs are allocated into Defense.</p>
<p>This Floatzel should only be used on a Rain Dance team, and therefore Rain Dance support is required. Even though Floatzel may have Rain Dance, it can't rely on itself to always set it up. Claydol, Lanturn, and Rotom are all effective partners to Floatzel, taking the Electric-type moves it hates with ease, while setting up Rain Dance and also Stealth Rock in the case of Claydol. Lanturn can also do well against those annoying bulky Water-types. Altaria, Muk, and Registeel are great partners to take the Grass-type moves Floatzel hates while setting up Rain Dance to support Floatzel. Muk can also absorb the Toxic Spikes which hamper Floatzel, while Registeel can set up Stealth Rock and Altaria can cure Floatzel of status through Heal Bell.</p>
<p>Bulky Water-types are the number one counters to Floatzel, and your team needs some way to deal with them. Ludicolo is an amazing partner, dealing with Milotic, Slowbro, and Quagsire with ease, and with Ice Beam, it can hit Tangrowth, whose high Defense means it can take Ice Punch from Floatzel easily. Omastar and Gorebyss are good partners as they can deal with many of the physically defensive Pokemon who Floatzel hates, such as Tangrowth and Quagsire. They also have Earth Power and Psychic, respectively, to take out Toxicroak who is immune to Water-type attacks due to Dry Skin. Registeel and Uxie can take a few attacks while being able to cripple Floatzel with Thunder Wave, but Lanturn can do well against Registeel who lack Earthquake. Omastar and Gorebyss with Hydro Pump have a very high chance to OHKO the standard 252 HP / 4 SpD Relaxed Uxie with the aid of Stealth Rock, and so can make nice partners to Floatzel.</p>
[SET]
name: Bulk Up Sweeper
move 1: Bulk Up
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Ice Punch
move 4: Return
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
nature: Jolly
evs: 32 HP / 252 Atk / 48 Def / 176 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Floatzel lacks Swords Dance; however, having Bulk Up still gives Floatzel the Attack boost that it needs. After using Bulk Up, Floatzel will obtain 417 Attack and 237 Defense. Once Floatzel has used Bulk Up once or twice, it should follow up by attacking. Waterfall provides reliable STAB, dealing significant damage to the many Fire-, Rock-, and Ground-types in the UU metagame. Ice Punch picks off Grass-types, as well as hitting Altaria hard. Return pairs well with Waterfall and offers good coverage while hitting the many bulky Water-types who resist the Water + Ice combination. Brick Break and Crunch are the main other options for this set. Crunch will hit Ghost- and Psychic-types harder than any move, which is especially important for Slowbro who resists Water-type moves. Brick Break, however, hits Lapras hard, since Lapras resists Water- and Ice-type moves. Brick Break also hits most Steel-, Dark-, and Normal-types harder than any other move. Aqua Jet is a minor option but does allow you to hit priority users before they hit you, as well as hitting faster Choice Scarf users, like Dugtrio and Swellow.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Life Orb makes Floatzel more like a kamikaze weasel. It gives Floatzel the necessary boost to its acceptable Attack stat. Leftovers is a fine option if you feel that Floatzel can survive a couple of hits after using Bulk Up or if sandstorm and hail are a concern. Jolly nature with the Speed EVs outpace Timid Mismagius and Jolly Scyther. Max Attack is used to make Floatzel hits as hard as possible, while the HP EVs give Floatzel 319 HP, a Life Orb number. The leftover EVs are placed in Defense since Floatzel is using Bulk Up. You can use an Adamant nature should you prefer more power, but generally the extra Speed is more beneficial.</p>
<p>Rain Support can be used with this set from the likes of Lanturn, Registeel, and others, but it's generally better to stick to just pure attacking in the rain. Bulky Water-types utilizing special moves give this set problems as they can take Floatzel's hits well provided it doesn't have too many boosts, while hitting its unboosted Special Defense stat. Milotic, Slowbro, and Lapras are among the best counters. Milotic has Hidden Power Grass to badly hurt Floatzel, while Lapras has Thunderbolt and Slowbro can hit the weasel with Psychic or Grass Knot. They all have the defenses to take a few hits as well. Grass-types can do well against the aforementioned Pokemon as their powerful Grass-type moves will scare them off. Venusaur is one of the best as it has high Special Defense to take Ice Beams and Psychics. Ludicolo is one of the best possible partners; with its high Special Defense, 4x resistance to Surf, and only being hit neutrally by Thunderbolt, Hidden Power Grass, and Psychic, it can scare them off whether it be through the SubSeed tactic or just its powerful Grass-type moves. Powerful Electric-types such as Rotom are other good partners; although they often have trouble switching in, once they are in they can scare those bulky Water-types off with a powerful STAB Thunderbolt. Lanturn is probably the best Electric-type to counter the aforementioned Pokemon as its high Special Defense lets it take even super effective special attacks with relative ease, while its STAB Thunderbolt will send them running. Calm Minders such as Espeon and Mismagius can set up against these bulky Water-types while Mismagius has Substitute to block status, and Espeon's ability Synchronize means if they inflict Espeon with status, they will also be inflicted.</p>
<p>Tangrowth can take Floatzel's hits while incapacitating it with Sleep Powder. Therefore, a powerful special sweeper is needed to deal with it. Ludicolo has Ice Beam to hurt Tangrowth, and even has Substitute to block Sleep Powder. Powerful Fire-types are probably the best counters to Tangrowth. Moltres can do very well as it's resistant or immune to most of Tangrowth's attacks, while hitting back with a powerful Flamethrower. Its Stealth Rock weakness does hurt, but if you can keep Stealth Rock off the field, it can do very well. Other Fire-types such as Blaziken and Houndoom have a harder time getting in, but once in, they will scare off Tangrowth. When using this Floatzel on your team, you need some way to deal with Sceptile since it is faster than Floatzel and can hit it with a powerful Leaf Storm, and even Aqua Jet won't save you. Moltres can do well against Sceptile barring the odd Rock- or Electric-type moves. Swellow is faster than Sceptile, and can take it out with Brave Bird, but its fragility means it can only revenge as it can't risk switching in. Altaria is another good counter with its resistance to Grass-type moves and super effective attacks to force Sceptile out, but it has to be wary of Hidden Power Ice.</p>
[SET]
name: Baton Passer
move 1: Waterfall
move 2: Bulk Up
move 3: Taunt
move 4: Baton Pass
item: Leftovers
nature: Jolly
evs: 80 HP / 252 Def / 176 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Floatzel is one of the few Pokemon who can Baton Pass Bulk Up boosts. The weasel's high Speed and access to Taunt help this set successfully pass the boosts. Since Whirlwind, Roar, and Perish Song are common ways to prevent Pokemon from Baton Passing boosts, Taunt helps patch that problem. It can also make certain offensively weak Pokemon setup bait. Waterfall is used as the sole attack since it's Floatzel's most reliable Water-type move, and Floatzel is not meant to be a sweeper with this set. Therefore, another attack isn't needed.</p>
<p>A Jolly nature and 176 Speed EVs allows Floatzel to outspeed Timid Mismagius and Jolly Scyther while Floatzel's Defense is maximized so it can take hits as best as possible with the rest placed in HP. Floatzel doesn't need Attack EVs on this set as it's not meant to be a sweeper; it's meant to be a team supporter. Floatzel should only retaliate when it feels that it is absolutely necessary to. Otherwise, Floatzel should simply use Baton Pass to escape from harm. Leftovers is the preferred item as free recovery can help Floatzel last longer.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>This set has a lot of trouble with certain phazers, such as Raikou, who Floatzel can't risk Taunting, due to their ability to OHKO Floatzel; therefore, pairing this with a Pokemon with either Soundproof or Suction Cups is highly recommended to prevent your boosts from being eliminated. Mr. Mime can add Calm Mind boosts should you need them while its Soundproof ability can help your team not lose its boosts because of Roar. Cradily and Octillery can make use of their Suction Cup abilities to stop the phazing, and with the right amount of boosts, they make good Baton Pass receivers. Exploud has Soundproof and with the ability to attack from both sides of the spectrum, it can make a good Baton Pass receiver as well.</p>
<p>Bulky Water-types cause this set problems as they take Waterfall easily while being able to take Floatzel out with Hidden Power Grass or other moves; however, Floatzel can just Baton Pass away. Therefore, Venusaur and physical Ludicolo can make nice partners to scare off these bulky Water-types with STAB Grass-type moves and also take advantage of Bulk Up boosts. Sceptile can cause this set a lot of problems as it resists Waterfall, is faster than Floatzel, and can easily take it out with Leaf Storm. Moltres can deal with Sceptile provided you remove Stealth Rock, which makes it a good partner. Scyther can Baton Pass Agility boosts to help out your team or just take advantage of the Bulk Up boosts so it can make a nice partner to Floatzel as well.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Bander
move 1: Waterfall
move 2: Ice Punch
move 3: Return
move 4: Crunch / Aqua Jet / Brick Break
item: Choice Band
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>The ingredients to Choice Band are rather simple: a good movepool, acceptable Attack, and high Speed. You may lose the versatility of switching attacks, but the Attack boost is welcomed. While Floatzel has an impressive Speed stat, its Attack is mediocre compared to the likes of Absol and Hitmonlee, but that higher Speed can come in use at times, as well as its powerful STAB Waterfall. Waterfall is Floatzel's main attack to hit the many Ground-, Rock-, and Fire-types in UU, while Ice Punch falls close behind in hitting the many Grass-types. Ice Punch also hits Altaria hard. Return gives reliable damage; however, use a coverage move or priority here if you want. Crunch damages Slowbro and Rotom, Aqua Jet provides useful priority and makes Sucker Punch from Absol and others fail, while Brick Break isn't exactly a necessary option; however, it hits most Normal-, Steel-, and Dark-types harder than any other attack. Another option is Pursuit to trap fleeing Pokemon, such as Mismagius who is OHKOed by a Jolly Choice Band Waterfall after Stealth Rock damage, so will unlikely risk staying in.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Adamant isn't a horrible option. It sacrifices Floatzel's Speed (361 to 329) for more power (463 to 508). Fortunately, Floatzel will still outpace positive Speed base 100s by a single point. The increase of power is welcome as it gives you a chance of 2HKOing max HP / max Defense Bold Slowbro with Crunch, assuming Stealth Rock is up; however, it will be outpaced by Timid Mismagius. Because Mismagius is a common threat, the loss of power may be worth the extra Speed provided by Jolly.</p>
<p>This particular Floatzel has a lot of trouble with bulky Water-types, as even with the Attack boost, it won't be damaging them enough as they can recover off the damage. They also can switch in easily on Waterfall; therefore, having someone to counter them is a good idea. Grass-types such as Venusaur and Ludicolo can scare off these bulky Water-types with their STAB Grass-type attacks. Powerful Electric-types such as Rotom and offensive Lanturn variants can do very well against the bulky Water-types, while strong Fire-types such as Houndoom, Blaziken, and Moltres will scare off Tangrowth and also Venusaur who takes most attacks from Floatzel easily. These Fire-types can also deal with Registeel who may come in to Thunder Wave Floatzel; however, most Pokemon don't like Thunder Wave, so the Fire-types will need a Lum Berry or predict Registeel coming in.</p>
<p>Faster Choice Scarf users can also cause this set problems. Choice Scarf Rotom and Mismagius are some examples as although they can't easily switch in, once in they will be able to take Floatzel out with Thunderbolt. Registeel can make a nice partner to Floatzel to take many of the special moves aimed at Floatzel, paralyze faster enemies with Thunder Wave, and it can also deal with Sceptile who sometimes causes this set problems. Toxicroak can cause this set problems as Dry Skin means it is immune to Water-type attacks. Therefore, a bulky Poison-type such as Weezing, Muk, or Nidoqueen can do well against most sets, although Muk has to watch out for Earthquake while Nidoqueen has to watch out for Earthquake and Ice Punch. Arcanine, Moltres, and Altaria are other good partners, and can do very well against Toxicroak, although they have to be wary of Stone Edge, and Ice Punch as well in the case of Altaria.</p>
[SET]
name: Mixed Swift Swim Sweeper
move 1: Rain Dance
move 2: Surf
move 3: Waterfall
move 4: Ice Beam
item: Life Orb
nature: Rash
evs: 240 Atk / 252 SpA / 16 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Floatzel is a surprisingly good mixed sweeper thanks to decent offensive stats and Rain Dance. This set works just like any other Rain Dancer: find a turn to Rain Dance and start inflicting pain. Surf is the primary STAB here, and hits some of the physically defensive Pokemon who think they can take Floatzel's hits easily. Waterfall is the second move to hit Chansey, Clefable, and others hard. Ice Beam is used in the last slot to hit the many Grass-types of UU, while also OHKOing Altaria.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>As for other options, Toxic, Hidden Power Grass, Hidden Power Electric, Crunch, Brick Break, Return, and Aqua Jet are the best. Toxic is Floatzel's best attempt at crippling bulky Water-types, as most of them can shrug off Floatzel's other attacks. Hidden Power Grass allows it to take out Quagsire and Gastrodon while also hitting the many Water-types in UU, but Hidden Power Electric also hits most Water-types and gives a harder hit on Mantine and Qwilfish. Generally, Hidden Power Grass is better though as Quagsire and Gastrodon are more common than Mantine and Qwilfish. Crunch hits Slowbro harder than any other move while also hitting Psychic- and Ghost-types. Brick Break strikes most Normal-, Dark-, and Steel-types much harder compared to the other attacks. Return doesn't hit anything super effectively but does offer good coverage alongside Water-type moves. However, most of these Pokemon have high defenses and can thus shrug off these attacks. Aqua Jet's priority may be useful, but usually that's better left for all physical sets.</p>
<p>With these EVs, Floatzel hits an amazing 540 Speed in the rain, and 270 Speed to beat neutral Toxicroak even without rain. Its Special Attack is then maximized since that's the main stat it's using, with the rest put in Attack. Life Orb is the item of choice for the power boost, but Mystic Water is a good alternative as there's no recoil. However, the loss of power in Floatzel's other attacks may hurt. Damp Rock will allow it to set up eight turns of rain, but usually the cost of losing power isn't worth it.</p>
<p>Rain Dance support is needed for this set to function properly as it may not always be able to set up Rain Dance. Claydol, Rotom, and Lanturn can take Electric-type moves aimed at it and set up Rain Dance, while Claydol can set up Stealth Rock and Rapid Spin away hazards to help Floatzel and your team out. Registeel, Muk, and Altaria can take the Grass-type moves aimed at Floatzel, while setting up Rain Dance. Altaria can also support it with Heal Bell, while Muk can absorb the Toxic Spikes it hates, and Registeel can set up Stealth Rock. Uxie is another good Rain Dance supporter who can also set up Stealth Rock.</p>
<p>Bulky Water-types completely laugh at this set, barring the odd Hidden Power Grass or Toxic, and even Hidden Power Grass usually doesn't do enough to most. Powerful Electric-types such as Rotom can make good partners although boosted Water-type moves from the aforementioned Pokemon may hurt, but otherwise it can do well. Rotom can also set up Rain Dance to support Floatzel and its team. Lanturn is perhaps the best Electric-type partner as its high Special Defense and resistance to most of the moves commonly used by bulky Water-types means it can switch in and scare them off with a powerful Thunder, which, thanks to Rain Dance, has 100% accuracy. Toxicroak will often try and switch in, but Muk can usually deal with it, while also being able to set up Rain Dance and absorb Toxic Spikes. Dugtrio can trap and OHKO Toxicroak, but has to watch out for it using Nasty Plot on the switch, as after a boost, Toxicroak will OHKO Dugtrio with Vacuum Wave.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Rain Dance support is a requirement for the Rain Dance sets as Floatzel's low defenses mean it can't easily take a hit and set up Rain Dance. Lanturn, Rotom, and Claydol are very good options to set up the rain as they can all take Electric-type moves aimed at Floatzel. Registeel, Muk, and Altaria can set up the rain while taking Grass-type moves aimed at Floatzel. Stealth Rock support is very useful for the offensive sets to make dealing with Pokemon such as Uxie an easier task as well as making Moltres a much less scary sweeper. Claydol, Registeel, and Uxie are very good Pokemon to set up Stealth Rock for the Rain Dance sets as they can also set up Rain Dance. They also work well for other sets. Donphan can make a nice partner to set up Stealth Rock as its high Defense lets it take on physically offensive Toxicroak. Dual screen or Memento support can be useful for the Bulk Up and Baton Pass sets to help them set-up more boosts. Rotom, Claydol, and Uxie are good options to set up dual screens, while Uxie can also provide Memento support. Muk and Weezing can also provide Memento support while dealing with Toxicroak who causes Floatzel problems. Spikes and Toxic Spikes support from Pokemon such as Omastar, Kabutops, and Qwilfish can also be helpful as they will let Floatzel have an easier time with bulky Water-types.</p>
<p>For offensive support Pokemon, Ludicolo is the best option for the Rain Dance sets as it can deal with the bulky Water-types which wall Floatzel, and also hits Tangrowth hard with Ice Beam. Powerful special sweepers such as Omastar and Gorebyss make good partners to the Rain Dance sets to deal with some of the more physically defensive Pokemon such as Tangrowth. They also have Earth Power and Psychic, respectively, to OHKO Toxicroak who otherwise can be a major pain for Floatzel. Offensive Rotom, Sceptile, and Venusaur can make good partners to the Choice Band and Bulk Up sets as they scare off the bulky Water-types that Floatzel hates. Moltres, Houndoom, and Blaziken can scare off Tangrowth, and Moltres can also do very well against Toxicroak who lack Stone Edge. Cradily, Exploud, and Octillery make very good offensive partners to the Baton Pass set as their abilities block Roar and Whirlwind while they can all take advantage of Bulk Up boosts. Absol, Hitmonlee, and other powerful physical sweepers make great partners to the Baton Pass set to take advantage of Bulk Up boosts.</p>
<p>As for defensive partners, Claydol, Lanturn, and Rotom are great, taking Electric-types moves aimed at Floatzel easily and can also set up Rain Dance. Registeel, Muk, and Altaria are effective partners as they can all set up Rain Dance, but also take Grass-type moves aimed at Floatzel well. Mr. Mime can make a good partner to Baton Pass sets as Soundproof blocks Roar, and it can add Calm Mind to your Baton Pass chain should you need it. Muk, Weezing, and Nidoqueen are all great defensive partners to take on Toxicroak; however, Muk has to watch out for Earthquake, and Nidoqueen has to watch out for Earthquake and Ice Punch. Chansey and Clefable with Toxic can do well against the bulky Water-types as they have high Special Defense, Wish + Protect for stalling, and with Natural Cure and Magic Guard, respectively, they can shrug off status.</p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>Aqua Tail is another STAB option that has a higher Base Power than Waterfall. Waterfall outclasses Aqua Tail though, as Waterfall has the nifty 20% chance of a flinch occurring as well as 100% accuracy. Aqua Jet is a priority move that Floatzel has access to; however, Floatzel is usually fast enough that it is almost redundant to use it. Focus Punch can be used alongside Substitute, Waterfall, and Crunch. Speaking of Substitute, Liechi Berry and Substitute make a good set thanks to Floatzel's high Speed.</p>
<p>Adamant with maximum Speed is fine on the Bulk Up set due to the fact that Floatzel will outspeed positive natured base 100s. Adamant and maximum Speed is fine for more power on the Choice Bander.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Bulky Water-types are the best counters to Floatzel. Milotic can easily Recover the damage and retaliate with Hidden Power Grass or repeated Surfs. Milotic commonly uses Rest and Sleep Talk as well to take advantage of Marvel Scale, thus making the weasel look unsatisfied rather than the usual joyous emotion. Quagsire can do very well against Floatzel as long as Floatzel doesn't have Hidden Power Grass or Bulk Up. Lapras with Thunderbolt is a great counter, taking most attacks easily and hitting back hard. Slowbro can also do well, and has many ways to deal with Floatzel; Thunder Wave, Psychic, and Grass Knot are the main ones. Toxicroak also causes most sets problems with Sucker Punch priority and a Water immunity.</p>
<p>Tangrowth has high Defense and access to the powders to cripple Floatzel. Against non-Rain Dance versions, Sceptile will be faster while being able to take out Floatzel with Leaf Storm. Electrode is also faster than the non-Rain Dance versions, and can hit Floatzel hard with Thunderbolt.</p>
STATUS: Done.
http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/floatzel
__________________
Changes:
-Rewrite of all sets to reflect UU
-Slight change to some sets
-Rewrite of other sections
-Addition of Team Options for individual sets in relation to UU
-Addition of Team Options at end in relation to UU
-Team Options in blue
___________________
[Overview]
<p>Floatzel can be a deadly Pokemon, especially when used correctly. Being the fastest Swift Swimmer is quite an accomplishment, and Floatzel doesn't lack in the movepool department either. It even has a pretty good Special Attack stat to take advantage of Surf and Ice Beam. Being one of the few reliable Pokemon who can Baton Pass Bulk Up is something to also brag about, and Floatzel isn't afraid to show it either.</p>
<p>Sweeping with Floatzel needs some leeway though. It has problems, but many other Pokemon do as well. Aside from the usual bulky Water-types, Tangrowth is a problem for Floatzel, despite having Ice Punch at its disposal. Floatzel's mediocre defensive stats don’t give Floatzel a lot of opportunities to switch into direct attacks either. If you can bypass these shortcomings, Floatzel is a powerful threat late-game with the rain boosting its Speed as well as Waterfall.</p>
[SET]
name: Swift Swim Sweeper
move 1: Waterfall
move 2: Ice Punch
move 3: Return
move 4: Rain Dance
item: Life Orb / Damp Rock
nature: Adamant
evs: 232 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Def / 16 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Floatzel is a fast Water-type Pokemon who can cause quite a bit of destruction in the rain. The rain acts similar to an Agility and a Howl (for Waterfall that is) boost, which is why little Speed investment is necessary. After the rain is set up, it's time for Floatzel to wreak havoc upon its opponents. Waterfall will be the main attack for Floatzel and hits incredibly hard in the rain. Ice Punch adds coverage while stopping Grass-types from absorbing the boosted Waterfall, as well as hitting Altaria hard. Return is your best weapon against opposing Water-types and complements Waterfall for nearly perfect coverage. It's also your strongest attack against Toxicroak, who will often come in to absorb Waterfall. Rain Dance is in the last slot as you can never have too many Rain Dance users on a Rain Dance team.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Although Floatzel may seem outclassed by both Qwilfish and Kabutops due to their access to Swords Dance and moves with higher Base Power, Floatzel's higher Speed makes it a lot harder to revenge kill, and it can still deal some damage without the rain. Also, Floatzel can afford to invest less EVs in Speed and instead invest in HP to take hits better, whereas Qwilfish and Kabutops need all the Speed they can get. Floatzel has access to Ice Punch which gives it an easier time against Altaria, unlike Qwilfish, who has to rely on Poison Jab. Kabutops may have Stone Edge to take Altaria out, but its shaky accuracy can let it down at times.</p>
<p>Life Orb is the best option for this set. Floatzel's rather lackluster Attack and low base power moves make Life Orb appealing, and without it Floatzel will have a much harder time against the bulkier physical walls such as Venusaur, Drapion, and Uxie. Damp Rock is a possible alternative though as it means you get more Rain Dance turns to abuse; however, the extra power of Life Orb is generally preferred. Max Attack is needed for Floatzel to hit as hard as possible, especially considering its lackluster Attack - it needs all the power it can get. 16 Speed EVs are best for our flotation sac friend. This gives 270 Speed before a Rain Dance, just enough to outpace Adamant Toxicroak. After the rain is present, Floatzel has enough Speed to outrun every common Choice Scarf user in UU. The HP EVs give Floatzel a little durability and offers less recoil from Life Orb. The rest of the EVs are allocated into Defense.</p>
<p>This Floatzel should only be used on a Rain Dance team, and therefore Rain Dance support is required. Even though Floatzel may have Rain Dance, it can't rely on itself to always set it up. Claydol, Lanturn, and Rotom are all effective partners to Floatzel, taking the Electric-type moves it hates with ease, while setting up Rain Dance and also Stealth Rock in the case of Claydol. Lanturn can also do well against those annoying bulky Water-types. Altaria, Muk, and Registeel are great partners to take the Grass-type moves Floatzel hates while setting up Rain Dance to support Floatzel. Muk can also absorb the Toxic Spikes which hamper Floatzel, while Registeel can set up Stealth Rock and Altaria can cure Floatzel of status through Heal Bell.</p>
<p>Bulky Water-types are the number one counters to Floatzel, and your team needs some way to deal with them. Ludicolo is an amazing partner, dealing with Milotic, Slowbro, and Quagsire with ease, and with Ice Beam, it can hit Tangrowth, whose high Defense means it can take Ice Punch from Floatzel easily. Omastar and Gorebyss are good partners as they can deal with many of the physically defensive Pokemon who Floatzel hates, such as Tangrowth and Quagsire. They also have Earth Power and Psychic, respectively, to take out Toxicroak who is immune to Water-type attacks due to Dry Skin. Registeel and Uxie can take a few attacks while being able to cripple Floatzel with Thunder Wave, but Lanturn can do well against Registeel who lack Earthquake. Omastar and Gorebyss with Hydro Pump have a very high chance to OHKO the standard 252 HP / 4 SpD Relaxed Uxie with the aid of Stealth Rock, and so can make nice partners to Floatzel.</p>
[SET]
name: Bulk Up Sweeper
move 1: Bulk Up
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Ice Punch
move 4: Return
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
nature: Jolly
evs: 32 HP / 252 Atk / 48 Def / 176 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Floatzel lacks Swords Dance; however, having Bulk Up still gives Floatzel the Attack boost that it needs. After using Bulk Up, Floatzel will obtain 417 Attack and 237 Defense. Once Floatzel has used Bulk Up once or twice, it should follow up by attacking. Waterfall provides reliable STAB, dealing significant damage to the many Fire-, Rock-, and Ground-types in the UU metagame. Ice Punch picks off Grass-types, as well as hitting Altaria hard. Return pairs well with Waterfall and offers good coverage while hitting the many bulky Water-types who resist the Water + Ice combination. Brick Break and Crunch are the main other options for this set. Crunch will hit Ghost- and Psychic-types harder than any move, which is especially important for Slowbro who resists Water-type moves. Brick Break, however, hits Lapras hard, since Lapras resists Water- and Ice-type moves. Brick Break also hits most Steel-, Dark-, and Normal-types harder than any other move. Aqua Jet is a minor option but does allow you to hit priority users before they hit you, as well as hitting faster Choice Scarf users, like Dugtrio and Swellow.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Life Orb makes Floatzel more like a kamikaze weasel. It gives Floatzel the necessary boost to its acceptable Attack stat. Leftovers is a fine option if you feel that Floatzel can survive a couple of hits after using Bulk Up or if sandstorm and hail are a concern. Jolly nature with the Speed EVs outpace Timid Mismagius and Jolly Scyther. Max Attack is used to make Floatzel hits as hard as possible, while the HP EVs give Floatzel 319 HP, a Life Orb number. The leftover EVs are placed in Defense since Floatzel is using Bulk Up. You can use an Adamant nature should you prefer more power, but generally the extra Speed is more beneficial.</p>
<p>Rain Support can be used with this set from the likes of Lanturn, Registeel, and others, but it's generally better to stick to just pure attacking in the rain. Bulky Water-types utilizing special moves give this set problems as they can take Floatzel's hits well provided it doesn't have too many boosts, while hitting its unboosted Special Defense stat. Milotic, Slowbro, and Lapras are among the best counters. Milotic has Hidden Power Grass to badly hurt Floatzel, while Lapras has Thunderbolt and Slowbro can hit the weasel with Psychic or Grass Knot. They all have the defenses to take a few hits as well. Grass-types can do well against the aforementioned Pokemon as their powerful Grass-type moves will scare them off. Venusaur is one of the best as it has high Special Defense to take Ice Beams and Psychics. Ludicolo is one of the best possible partners; with its high Special Defense, 4x resistance to Surf, and only being hit neutrally by Thunderbolt, Hidden Power Grass, and Psychic, it can scare them off whether it be through the SubSeed tactic or just its powerful Grass-type moves. Powerful Electric-types such as Rotom are other good partners; although they often have trouble switching in, once they are in they can scare those bulky Water-types off with a powerful STAB Thunderbolt. Lanturn is probably the best Electric-type to counter the aforementioned Pokemon as its high Special Defense lets it take even super effective special attacks with relative ease, while its STAB Thunderbolt will send them running. Calm Minders such as Espeon and Mismagius can set up against these bulky Water-types while Mismagius has Substitute to block status, and Espeon's ability Synchronize means if they inflict Espeon with status, they will also be inflicted.</p>
<p>Tangrowth can take Floatzel's hits while incapacitating it with Sleep Powder. Therefore, a powerful special sweeper is needed to deal with it. Ludicolo has Ice Beam to hurt Tangrowth, and even has Substitute to block Sleep Powder. Powerful Fire-types are probably the best counters to Tangrowth. Moltres can do very well as it's resistant or immune to most of Tangrowth's attacks, while hitting back with a powerful Flamethrower. Its Stealth Rock weakness does hurt, but if you can keep Stealth Rock off the field, it can do very well. Other Fire-types such as Blaziken and Houndoom have a harder time getting in, but once in, they will scare off Tangrowth. When using this Floatzel on your team, you need some way to deal with Sceptile since it is faster than Floatzel and can hit it with a powerful Leaf Storm, and even Aqua Jet won't save you. Moltres can do well against Sceptile barring the odd Rock- or Electric-type moves. Swellow is faster than Sceptile, and can take it out with Brave Bird, but its fragility means it can only revenge as it can't risk switching in. Altaria is another good counter with its resistance to Grass-type moves and super effective attacks to force Sceptile out, but it has to be wary of Hidden Power Ice.</p>
[SET]
name: Baton Passer
move 1: Waterfall
move 2: Bulk Up
move 3: Taunt
move 4: Baton Pass
item: Leftovers
nature: Jolly
evs: 80 HP / 252 Def / 176 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Floatzel is one of the few Pokemon who can Baton Pass Bulk Up boosts. The weasel's high Speed and access to Taunt help this set successfully pass the boosts. Since Whirlwind, Roar, and Perish Song are common ways to prevent Pokemon from Baton Passing boosts, Taunt helps patch that problem. It can also make certain offensively weak Pokemon setup bait. Waterfall is used as the sole attack since it's Floatzel's most reliable Water-type move, and Floatzel is not meant to be a sweeper with this set. Therefore, another attack isn't needed.</p>
<p>A Jolly nature and 176 Speed EVs allows Floatzel to outspeed Timid Mismagius and Jolly Scyther while Floatzel's Defense is maximized so it can take hits as best as possible with the rest placed in HP. Floatzel doesn't need Attack EVs on this set as it's not meant to be a sweeper; it's meant to be a team supporter. Floatzel should only retaliate when it feels that it is absolutely necessary to. Otherwise, Floatzel should simply use Baton Pass to escape from harm. Leftovers is the preferred item as free recovery can help Floatzel last longer.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>This set has a lot of trouble with certain phazers, such as Raikou, who Floatzel can't risk Taunting, due to their ability to OHKO Floatzel; therefore, pairing this with a Pokemon with either Soundproof or Suction Cups is highly recommended to prevent your boosts from being eliminated. Mr. Mime can add Calm Mind boosts should you need them while its Soundproof ability can help your team not lose its boosts because of Roar. Cradily and Octillery can make use of their Suction Cup abilities to stop the phazing, and with the right amount of boosts, they make good Baton Pass receivers. Exploud has Soundproof and with the ability to attack from both sides of the spectrum, it can make a good Baton Pass receiver as well.</p>
<p>Bulky Water-types cause this set problems as they take Waterfall easily while being able to take Floatzel out with Hidden Power Grass or other moves; however, Floatzel can just Baton Pass away. Therefore, Venusaur and physical Ludicolo can make nice partners to scare off these bulky Water-types with STAB Grass-type moves and also take advantage of Bulk Up boosts. Sceptile can cause this set a lot of problems as it resists Waterfall, is faster than Floatzel, and can easily take it out with Leaf Storm. Moltres can deal with Sceptile provided you remove Stealth Rock, which makes it a good partner. Scyther can Baton Pass Agility boosts to help out your team or just take advantage of the Bulk Up boosts so it can make a nice partner to Floatzel as well.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Bander
move 1: Waterfall
move 2: Ice Punch
move 3: Return
move 4: Crunch / Aqua Jet / Brick Break
item: Choice Band
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>The ingredients to Choice Band are rather simple: a good movepool, acceptable Attack, and high Speed. You may lose the versatility of switching attacks, but the Attack boost is welcomed. While Floatzel has an impressive Speed stat, its Attack is mediocre compared to the likes of Absol and Hitmonlee, but that higher Speed can come in use at times, as well as its powerful STAB Waterfall. Waterfall is Floatzel's main attack to hit the many Ground-, Rock-, and Fire-types in UU, while Ice Punch falls close behind in hitting the many Grass-types. Ice Punch also hits Altaria hard. Return gives reliable damage; however, use a coverage move or priority here if you want. Crunch damages Slowbro and Rotom, Aqua Jet provides useful priority and makes Sucker Punch from Absol and others fail, while Brick Break isn't exactly a necessary option; however, it hits most Normal-, Steel-, and Dark-types harder than any other attack. Another option is Pursuit to trap fleeing Pokemon, such as Mismagius who is OHKOed by a Jolly Choice Band Waterfall after Stealth Rock damage, so will unlikely risk staying in.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Adamant isn't a horrible option. It sacrifices Floatzel's Speed (361 to 329) for more power (463 to 508). Fortunately, Floatzel will still outpace positive Speed base 100s by a single point. The increase of power is welcome as it gives you a chance of 2HKOing max HP / max Defense Bold Slowbro with Crunch, assuming Stealth Rock is up; however, it will be outpaced by Timid Mismagius. Because Mismagius is a common threat, the loss of power may be worth the extra Speed provided by Jolly.</p>
<p>This particular Floatzel has a lot of trouble with bulky Water-types, as even with the Attack boost, it won't be damaging them enough as they can recover off the damage. They also can switch in easily on Waterfall; therefore, having someone to counter them is a good idea. Grass-types such as Venusaur and Ludicolo can scare off these bulky Water-types with their STAB Grass-type attacks. Powerful Electric-types such as Rotom and offensive Lanturn variants can do very well against the bulky Water-types, while strong Fire-types such as Houndoom, Blaziken, and Moltres will scare off Tangrowth and also Venusaur who takes most attacks from Floatzel easily. These Fire-types can also deal with Registeel who may come in to Thunder Wave Floatzel; however, most Pokemon don't like Thunder Wave, so the Fire-types will need a Lum Berry or predict Registeel coming in.</p>
<p>Faster Choice Scarf users can also cause this set problems. Choice Scarf Rotom and Mismagius are some examples as although they can't easily switch in, once in they will be able to take Floatzel out with Thunderbolt. Registeel can make a nice partner to Floatzel to take many of the special moves aimed at Floatzel, paralyze faster enemies with Thunder Wave, and it can also deal with Sceptile who sometimes causes this set problems. Toxicroak can cause this set problems as Dry Skin means it is immune to Water-type attacks. Therefore, a bulky Poison-type such as Weezing, Muk, or Nidoqueen can do well against most sets, although Muk has to watch out for Earthquake while Nidoqueen has to watch out for Earthquake and Ice Punch. Arcanine, Moltres, and Altaria are other good partners, and can do very well against Toxicroak, although they have to be wary of Stone Edge, and Ice Punch as well in the case of Altaria.</p>
[SET]
name: Mixed Swift Swim Sweeper
move 1: Rain Dance
move 2: Surf
move 3: Waterfall
move 4: Ice Beam
item: Life Orb
nature: Rash
evs: 240 Atk / 252 SpA / 16 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Floatzel is a surprisingly good mixed sweeper thanks to decent offensive stats and Rain Dance. This set works just like any other Rain Dancer: find a turn to Rain Dance and start inflicting pain. Surf is the primary STAB here, and hits some of the physically defensive Pokemon who think they can take Floatzel's hits easily. Waterfall is the second move to hit Chansey, Clefable, and others hard. Ice Beam is used in the last slot to hit the many Grass-types of UU, while also OHKOing Altaria.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>As for other options, Toxic, Hidden Power Grass, Hidden Power Electric, Crunch, Brick Break, Return, and Aqua Jet are the best. Toxic is Floatzel's best attempt at crippling bulky Water-types, as most of them can shrug off Floatzel's other attacks. Hidden Power Grass allows it to take out Quagsire and Gastrodon while also hitting the many Water-types in UU, but Hidden Power Electric also hits most Water-types and gives a harder hit on Mantine and Qwilfish. Generally, Hidden Power Grass is better though as Quagsire and Gastrodon are more common than Mantine and Qwilfish. Crunch hits Slowbro harder than any other move while also hitting Psychic- and Ghost-types. Brick Break strikes most Normal-, Dark-, and Steel-types much harder compared to the other attacks. Return doesn't hit anything super effectively but does offer good coverage alongside Water-type moves. However, most of these Pokemon have high defenses and can thus shrug off these attacks. Aqua Jet's priority may be useful, but usually that's better left for all physical sets.</p>
<p>With these EVs, Floatzel hits an amazing 540 Speed in the rain, and 270 Speed to beat neutral Toxicroak even without rain. Its Special Attack is then maximized since that's the main stat it's using, with the rest put in Attack. Life Orb is the item of choice for the power boost, but Mystic Water is a good alternative as there's no recoil. However, the loss of power in Floatzel's other attacks may hurt. Damp Rock will allow it to set up eight turns of rain, but usually the cost of losing power isn't worth it.</p>
<p>Rain Dance support is needed for this set to function properly as it may not always be able to set up Rain Dance. Claydol, Rotom, and Lanturn can take Electric-type moves aimed at it and set up Rain Dance, while Claydol can set up Stealth Rock and Rapid Spin away hazards to help Floatzel and your team out. Registeel, Muk, and Altaria can take the Grass-type moves aimed at Floatzel, while setting up Rain Dance. Altaria can also support it with Heal Bell, while Muk can absorb the Toxic Spikes it hates, and Registeel can set up Stealth Rock. Uxie is another good Rain Dance supporter who can also set up Stealth Rock.</p>
<p>Bulky Water-types completely laugh at this set, barring the odd Hidden Power Grass or Toxic, and even Hidden Power Grass usually doesn't do enough to most. Powerful Electric-types such as Rotom can make good partners although boosted Water-type moves from the aforementioned Pokemon may hurt, but otherwise it can do well. Rotom can also set up Rain Dance to support Floatzel and its team. Lanturn is perhaps the best Electric-type partner as its high Special Defense and resistance to most of the moves commonly used by bulky Water-types means it can switch in and scare them off with a powerful Thunder, which, thanks to Rain Dance, has 100% accuracy. Toxicroak will often try and switch in, but Muk can usually deal with it, while also being able to set up Rain Dance and absorb Toxic Spikes. Dugtrio can trap and OHKO Toxicroak, but has to watch out for it using Nasty Plot on the switch, as after a boost, Toxicroak will OHKO Dugtrio with Vacuum Wave.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Rain Dance support is a requirement for the Rain Dance sets as Floatzel's low defenses mean it can't easily take a hit and set up Rain Dance. Lanturn, Rotom, and Claydol are very good options to set up the rain as they can all take Electric-type moves aimed at Floatzel. Registeel, Muk, and Altaria can set up the rain while taking Grass-type moves aimed at Floatzel. Stealth Rock support is very useful for the offensive sets to make dealing with Pokemon such as Uxie an easier task as well as making Moltres a much less scary sweeper. Claydol, Registeel, and Uxie are very good Pokemon to set up Stealth Rock for the Rain Dance sets as they can also set up Rain Dance. They also work well for other sets. Donphan can make a nice partner to set up Stealth Rock as its high Defense lets it take on physically offensive Toxicroak. Dual screen or Memento support can be useful for the Bulk Up and Baton Pass sets to help them set-up more boosts. Rotom, Claydol, and Uxie are good options to set up dual screens, while Uxie can also provide Memento support. Muk and Weezing can also provide Memento support while dealing with Toxicroak who causes Floatzel problems. Spikes and Toxic Spikes support from Pokemon such as Omastar, Kabutops, and Qwilfish can also be helpful as they will let Floatzel have an easier time with bulky Water-types.</p>
<p>For offensive support Pokemon, Ludicolo is the best option for the Rain Dance sets as it can deal with the bulky Water-types which wall Floatzel, and also hits Tangrowth hard with Ice Beam. Powerful special sweepers such as Omastar and Gorebyss make good partners to the Rain Dance sets to deal with some of the more physically defensive Pokemon such as Tangrowth. They also have Earth Power and Psychic, respectively, to OHKO Toxicroak who otherwise can be a major pain for Floatzel. Offensive Rotom, Sceptile, and Venusaur can make good partners to the Choice Band and Bulk Up sets as they scare off the bulky Water-types that Floatzel hates. Moltres, Houndoom, and Blaziken can scare off Tangrowth, and Moltres can also do very well against Toxicroak who lack Stone Edge. Cradily, Exploud, and Octillery make very good offensive partners to the Baton Pass set as their abilities block Roar and Whirlwind while they can all take advantage of Bulk Up boosts. Absol, Hitmonlee, and other powerful physical sweepers make great partners to the Baton Pass set to take advantage of Bulk Up boosts.</p>
<p>As for defensive partners, Claydol, Lanturn, and Rotom are great, taking Electric-types moves aimed at Floatzel easily and can also set up Rain Dance. Registeel, Muk, and Altaria are effective partners as they can all set up Rain Dance, but also take Grass-type moves aimed at Floatzel well. Mr. Mime can make a good partner to Baton Pass sets as Soundproof blocks Roar, and it can add Calm Mind to your Baton Pass chain should you need it. Muk, Weezing, and Nidoqueen are all great defensive partners to take on Toxicroak; however, Muk has to watch out for Earthquake, and Nidoqueen has to watch out for Earthquake and Ice Punch. Chansey and Clefable with Toxic can do well against the bulky Water-types as they have high Special Defense, Wish + Protect for stalling, and with Natural Cure and Magic Guard, respectively, they can shrug off status.</p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>Aqua Tail is another STAB option that has a higher Base Power than Waterfall. Waterfall outclasses Aqua Tail though, as Waterfall has the nifty 20% chance of a flinch occurring as well as 100% accuracy. Aqua Jet is a priority move that Floatzel has access to; however, Floatzel is usually fast enough that it is almost redundant to use it. Focus Punch can be used alongside Substitute, Waterfall, and Crunch. Speaking of Substitute, Liechi Berry and Substitute make a good set thanks to Floatzel's high Speed.</p>
<p>Adamant with maximum Speed is fine on the Bulk Up set due to the fact that Floatzel will outspeed positive natured base 100s. Adamant and maximum Speed is fine for more power on the Choice Bander.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Bulky Water-types are the best counters to Floatzel. Milotic can easily Recover the damage and retaliate with Hidden Power Grass or repeated Surfs. Milotic commonly uses Rest and Sleep Talk as well to take advantage of Marvel Scale, thus making the weasel look unsatisfied rather than the usual joyous emotion. Quagsire can do very well against Floatzel as long as Floatzel doesn't have Hidden Power Grass or Bulk Up. Lapras with Thunderbolt is a great counter, taking most attacks easily and hitting back hard. Slowbro can also do well, and has many ways to deal with Floatzel; Thunder Wave, Psychic, and Grass Knot are the main ones. Toxicroak also causes most sets problems with Sucker Punch priority and a Water immunity.</p>
<p>Tangrowth has high Defense and access to the powders to cripple Floatzel. Against non-Rain Dance versions, Sceptile will be faster while being able to take out Floatzel with Leaf Storm. Electrode is also faster than the non-Rain Dance versions, and can hit Floatzel hard with Thunderbolt.</p>
