Status: QC Rejections: 0/2
QC Stamps: 2/2 [Dracoyoshi8] [GoldenKnight]
GP Stamps: 2/2 [Komodo] [Bugmaniacbob]
[Overview]
<p>Of the Psychic-types in Little Cup, Drowzee stands out as a Pokemon who can fulfill many roles for a team, but not all at the same time, or as well as more dedicated Pokemon. While it doesn't have the sweeping capabilities of Abra, or the solid bulk of Slowpoke, Drowzee holds a niche in being a physically-inclined Psychic-type, and has an above-average movepool at its disposal.</p>
[SET]
name: SubPunch
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Focus Punch
move 3: Zen Headbutt
move 4: Ice Punch / Reflect / Hypnosis
item: Oran Berry
ability: Insomnia
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 212 Atk / 76 Def / 196 SpD / 20 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>What sets Drowzee apart from its Psychic counterparts is its plethora of physical moves, which its fellow Psychic-types such as Spoink and Slowpoke do not receive, or cannot use effectively. Substitute and Focus Punch are the the most important moves on this set, with Drowzee finding opportunities to use Substitute against Choiced Fighting-type moves and many other attacks it can shrug off with its good defenses. Once safely behind a Substitute, the strategy is simple - pound most of the metagame into oblivion with Focus Punch, and defeat those who resist Focus Punch with the last two moves. Zen Headbutt is a surprisingly powerful move, OHKOing walls such as Koffing and annihilating Croagunk. Ice Punch 2HKOes Gligar, who will never OHKO Drowzee with Earthquake. Reflect is another option to further sponge physical hits, but generally type coverage gains more precedence.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Drowzee's base 48 Attack isn't astounding, so using an Oran Berry is recommended to make Drowzee survive longer, as Muscle Band doesn't score any more KOs or 2HKOs. Although you could use a Muscle Band, Oran Berry is usually more reliable. Life Orb is another option, though it doesn't gain any significant KOs that Muscle Band does not. When using an Oran Berry, an Impish or Careful nature is also viable to further boost Drowzee's Defense and Special Defense respectively. The other elemental punches are possible replacements for Ice Punch, but should only be used if your team has particular problems with Mantyke or Paras (though Drowzee shouldn't really be staying in on the latter). Finally, you could use Hypnosis to incapacitate an opponent's Pokemon. Not many Pokemon use Psychic-type moves, and the only other is Bronzor, who deosn't resist Focus Punch.</p>
<p>20 Speed EVs allow Drowzee to outrun Phanpy and 2HKO it with Ice Punch; the remaining EVs give Drowzee as much physical power as possible, while increasing its survivability with defensive EVs. This set in particular pairs well with Croagunk - Drowzee can switch into Psychic-type attacks aimed at the poison frog, while Croagunk can switch into Bug- and Dark-type attacks aimed at Drowzee. They also pair well strategically - Drowzee creates massive holes with Focus Punch, and priority-based Croagunk will mop up the rest with a combination of Fake Out, Vacuum Wave, or Sucker Punch.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Zen Headbutt / Psycho Cut
move 2: ThunderPunch
move 3: Ice Punch
move 4: Brick Break
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Jolly / Adamant
EVs: 212 Atk / 116 SpD / 180 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set utilizes a Choice Scarf to make Drowzee fast enough to use its best physical moves. Zen Headbutt is a great STAB move and has a good chance to flinch the opponent. ThunderPunch is mainly for Mantyke, though it hits other Water-types super effectively as well. Ice Punch is for hitting Gligar, Dragon-types, and Grass-types super effectively. Lastly, Brick Break provides additional type coverage.</p>
<p>With 180 Speed EVs, a positive nature, and Choice Scarf, Drowzee reaches a Speed of 21, outspeeding all non-Scarfed Pokemon in Little Cup. The 212 Attack EVs allow Drowzee to deal more physical damage to its opponents. Lastly, the Special Defense EVs give it some special bulk.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Some people are probably wondering, "why use a weaker STAB move when you have Zen Headbutt?" Although Psycho Cut's Base Power is slightly lower, (10 Base Power) the 30% chance of landing a critical hit is usually worth it. Pursuit users are devastating to Drowzee because of its poor Defense, so a scout Pokémon such as Gligar would be useful as it can use either U-turn or Baton Pass. Drowzee has a tough time revenge killing Croagunk due to the fact that is has Sucker Punch, which totally messes it up. Any Pokémon faster than Choice Scarf can easily revenge kill it because of Drowzee's frailty. Trick is not a viable option because Drowzee probably will not be fast enough to make a move again. Aside from the ones stated before, Drowzee doesn't really get any other moves it could use on this set except for Return or Drain Punch. Pokémon that would appreciate this type of Drowzee are the ones that use priority to finish off their opponents (Croagunk).</p>
[SET]
name: Trick Room
move 1: Trick Room
move 2: Zen Headbutt
move 3: Fire Punch / Ice Punch / Brick Break
move 4: ThunderPunch / Hypnosis
item: Oran Berry
nature: Brave
Evs: 212 Atk / 236 Def / 36 SpD
Ivs: 0 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set uses Drowzee's low Speed to abuse Trick Room; when it's set up, not much can stop Drowzee in Trick Room, especially with its decent physical movepool and average Attack stat. Zen Headbutt is its strongest STAB attack, hitting Bellsprout hard, while Fire Punch hits Pokemon such as Bronzor super effectively. ThunderPunch can defeat common Water-types such as Mantyke and Buizel, and it also hits Flying-types super effectively.</p>
<p>An Oran Berry allows Drowzee to survive longer, as it isn't the most bulky Pokemon. The defensive EVs help Drowzee withstand attacks from more defensive Pokemon who can take Drowzee's physical attacks. The 0 Speed IVs make Drowzee as slow as possible, making it faster in Trick Room.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Instead of Fire Punch, Ice Punch can be used to OHKO Gligar with ease. Brick Break makes it much easier to defeat Munchlax. Hypnosis is another good idea because it scores Drowzee free turns to attack. Bulky Pokémon that can set up Trick Room (Duskull, Bronzor) can also help this set out because Drowzee does not have the kind of defensive stats they do, which means it might not be able to set up Trick Room. Pokémon such as Shroomish greatly appreciate Trick Room because it can set up Spore before its opponent gets a turn to react.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Drowzee has a surprisingly wide movepool, but most of these options tend to be outclassed by other Pokemon. For example, it has access to Nasty Plot and a decent movepool it use it with, but Croagunk tends to perform this role better due to its high Special Attack and access to priority in Vacuum Wave. Drowzee can use both protective screens, but bulkier Pokemon such as Bronzor (who has better typing) are usually better. Drowzee's status options are also better done by other Pokemon, though access to Hypnosis - albeit having an unreliable 60% accuracy - is one move that it can boast over Slowpoke.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Oddly enough, Drowzee is quite the tough nut to crack, even though it doesn't have much defense. Strong attacks in general will overcome the Hypnosis Pokemon as it lacks consistent recovery that walls such as Gligar can boast. In particular, Ghost-types such as Gastly and Drifloon cause problems with STAB super effective Ghost-type attacks and their access to Trick. Stunky can easily counter Drowzee with Sucker Punch, but must watch out if it has a Substitute. Taunt will cause problems for most Drowzee sets, nullifying its attempt to use support moves or set up aSubstitute. Drowzee is quite weak offensively if not hitting with a super effective move, so Pokemon such as Stunky who are immune to Drowzee's STAB Zen Headbutt and take neutral damage from other attacks are good counters.</p>
