Lanturn
Hi C&C. I just uploaded the rest of the OU Lanturn update and I noticed that there was no discussion anywhere about the OU Parafusion set. While it's not nearly as excellent in a random team as the OU Substitute + Charge Beam set is, it's certainly good enough to be of niche value in the tier, so I think it deserves a rewrite as well.
Status:
Copyediting (GP Checking Stage)
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[SET]
name: OU Parafusion
move 1: Thunder Wave
move 2: Confuse Ray
move 3: Thunderbolt / Discharge
move 4: Ice Beam / Surf
item: Leftovers
ability: Volt Absorb
nature: Calm
evs: 36 HP / 220 Def / 252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Lanturn is a relatively bulky Pokemon with a valuable niche in the OU metagame. Investing in Lanturn's bulk makes him a very effective defensive Pokemon, and his movepool further enables him to be a great staller. Thunder Wave is paired with Confuse Ray to give the opponent a mere 3/8 chance to move every turn.</p>
<p>Playing with this set is relatively simple, but still requires some forethought. On Lanturn's first turn out, he can either use Confuse Ray or Thunder Wave. Thunder Wave will catch Pokemon that are not immune to Electric-type attacks, which then allows Lanturn to outspeed them the following turn and hit them with Confuse Ray. However, as this strategy fails against Ground-type Pokemon and other Pokemon that are immune to Electric-type moves, like Electivire and Jolteon, leading with Confuse Ray also works. The problems with using Confuse Ray first are that you're missing out on the true status effect, paralysis, on the opposing Pokemon and that Lanturn isn't guaranteed to hit the opponent with Thunder Wave before being attacked in return.</p>
<p>As for attacking moves, Thunderbolt and Ice Beam are preferred to form the infamous BoltBeam coverage combo. Discharge can be used over Thunderbolt if you'd like Lanturn to have a handy chance of paralyzing opponents while doing some damage. Additionally, Lanturn's secondary STAB move, Surf, is very effective for putting down opposing Fire-types, as well as Ground-type Pokemon that are neutral to Ice-type attacks, so it may be worth considering over Ice Beam.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread is fairly straightforward for a defensive Pokemon. 36 HP EVs hit a Leftovers number, and maximizing Special Defense investment with a Calm nature is critical for switching into Starmie over the course of a match. The rest of the EVs are placed in Defense to bolster that lower defensive stat. Leftovers goes without saying on Lanturn to give it some semblance of durability. Substitute is an option over either an attacking move or Confuse Ray to scout for switch-ins and to guarantee Lanturn a free turn. If using Substitute over an attacking move, Surf becomes the recommended attack due to its great neutral coverage.</p>
<p>It's not often that you can say this about a Pokemon, but Lanturn actually pairs exceptionally well with Togekiss. Togekiss can switch into Grass- and Ground-type attacks aimed at Lanturn and abuse paralysis with Serene Grace Air Slash's flinch rate to form the paraflinch combo. In return, Lanturn will happily switch into the Ice- and Electric-type attacks that Togekiss lures, and resists all of the common moves that Starmie and other threats will throw at Togekiss. Jirachi also partners well with Lanturn thanks to Serene Grace Iron Head and its ability to effortlessly switch into Grass-type attacks. Both Lanturn and Jirachi fear Ground-type attacks, though, so other partners should cover that. Generally speaking, even teams without Togekiss or Jirachi should benefit from Lanturn's ability to check Starmie and other users of the BoltBeam attacking combo, such as some variants of Zapdos.</p>