(Competitive) A Guide on How to Deal With Entry Hazards in BW2 NU - WIP

[Governess]

A Guide on How to Deal With Entry Hazards in BW2 NU

1. Introduction
2. Entry Hazards

• • Stealth Rock
  • Spikes
  • Toxic Spikes
  • Other

3. How Can I Prevent or Remove Entry Hazards?

• • Rapid Spin
  • Taunt
  • Magic Bounce
  • Spinblocking
  • Other

4. Common Users of Entry Hazards to Watch Out For
5. What if I'm Unable to Remove the Entry Hazards?
6. Conclusion



Introduction

<p>Almost everyone has experienced a moment in time where entry hazards have cost them the match. One minute, you have potent sweepers at full HP, ready to demolish the adversary. The next minute, you find yourself at the mercy to one of the forms of entry hazards, preventing you from switching into your all-star. Other times, you may even feel remorse about the preparation of your team, thinking, "Why did I not plan a tactic to deal with entry hazards?". Although, some of us are so new to the competitive environment that they can't even comprehend what entry hazards are, let alone know how to handle them.</p>

<p>Entry hazards are long-term effects on the battlefield that effects any Pokemon switching into the field. There are three types of entry hazards: Stealth Rock, Spikes, and Toxic Spikes, each of them wielding an unique trait. Entry hazards have shaped our metagame so powerfully, we have made several strategies on how to prevent them, such as Spinblocking, and NU is no exception to the change. The NU metagame is crawling with entry hazard users, specifically Scolipede, Golem, and Roselia. If you can recognize a Pokemon that might attempt to shower you in entry hazards, you will have a much easier time preventing it or removing it from play.</p>

<p>This guide will inform you of the three types of entry hazards in-detail, as well as the methods of how to prevent or remove them, including the list of Pokemon that can aid you in the removal or prevention of entry hazards. This guide will also inform you of the common NU Pokemon that you must watch out for pertaining to entry hazards. Finally, you will learn of what to do if you are unable to prevent entry hazards from reaching its way to your side of the field. You should feel pretty confident: You have taken your first step on how to become a master tamer of entry hazards in NU!</p>

Entry Hazards

<p>There are a total of three different kinds of entry hazards: Stealth Rock, Spikes, and Toxic Spikes. Each of them have a certain purpose, and understanding that purpose really helps in knowing how to deal with them. Some things you may want to know about entry hazards is that they make you re-consider how often you wish to switch in and out. From passive damage to crippling statuses, the last thing you want for your sweeper is for it to be weakened, especially when you need it most. Some forms of entry hazards allow you to place them in layers, adding even more pressure to the ones who receive it. Let's take an in-depth look into each form of entry hazards.</p> (Will add more 'meat' to this, ik its short, but i want to get the general idea down before I add on to it.)


Stealth Rock

<p>Stealth Rock is the most popular and essential entry hazard in the NU metagame. Not only can it inflict damage on every Pokemon that switches in (bar Magic Guard Kadabra), it can seriously harm some of NU's most dangerous threats, including Jynx, Scolipede, and Charizard. The most common users of Stealth Rock are Golem and Regirock due to their amazing physical bulk and access to a great ability in Sturdy.</p>

<p>Stealth Rock only requires one layer, making it the easiest and most efficient entry hazard. The damage it inflicts depends on the typing of the opponent; Stealth Rock is a Rock-type move, and the passive damage taken will reflect on whether the Pokemon's typing is neutral, super effective, or weak to Rock-type moves. If the Pokemon has a 4x resistant to Rock, such as a Lairon, it would only take 1/32(3.125%) damage. If a Pokemon has a 2x resistance to Rock-types, such as a Sawk, it would only take 1/16(6.25%) damage. A Pokemon defensively neutral to Rock-types, such as a Normal-type, would take 1/8 (12.5%) damage. A Pokemon that has a 2x weakness to Rock-types, such as Flying-, Fire-, and Bug-types, take 1/4 (25%) damage. Finally, a Pokemon that suffers a 4x weakness to Rock-types, such as Butterfree, takes 1/2 (50%) damage from Stealth Rock. Knowing these damage calculations help in knowing which Pokemon on your team is safe to switch into.</p>

Spikes

<p>Spikes is the oldest of the entry hazards, and while it hasn't achieved as big an impact as Stealth Rock had on the metagame, Spikes has made its mark in the NU tier. For a while, Spikes wasn't used much in NU, but with the grand arrival of Scolipede, a Pokemon that was designed to lay Spikes, the usage in the entry hazard skyrocketed. It is the most difficult entry hazard to get up, since it has three layers, but it inflicts the most damage to the opponent. Spikes is a Ground-type move, so any Pokemon that isn't a Flying-type, has Levitate, or claims Magic Guard will be affected by Spikes. Unlike Stealth Rock, unless a Pokemon is flat-out immune to Spikes, it will take a specific amount of damage, regardless of the typing. If one layer of Spikes are down, the opponent would take 1/8 (12.5%) damage. If two layers are laid down, the opponent would take 1/6 (16-17%) damage. Finally, if all three layers of hazards are successfully laid, the opponent will take 1/4 (25%) from Spikes.</p>

Toxic Spikes

<p>-Toxic Spikes is the least used entry hazard, especially in the NU tier
-Very few Pokemon in the NU tier has Toxic Spikes
-Roselia and Scolipede increase Toxic Spikes usage
-Two layers; 1 layer = Poison. 2 layers= Badly Poison (Toxic)
-Every Pokemon is hit except Flying-types, Levitate users, Poison-types, and other
</p>

How Can I Prevent or Remove Entry Hazards?



Rapid Spin
-Armaldo
-Wartortle
-Torkoal

Taunt
-Gardevoir
-Liepard
-Samurott
-Serperior
-Skuntank
-Murkrow
-Sawk
-Jynx
-Haunter

Magic Bounce
-Natu

Spinblocking
-Drifblim
-Golurk
-Misdreavus
-Lampent
-Haunter

Other
-Sawk



Common Users of Entry Hazards to Watch Out For:
-Regirock (Stealth Rock)
-Cradily (Stealth Rock)
-Gigalith (Stealth Rock)
-Golem (Stealth Rock)
-Piloswine (Stealth Rock)
-Seismitoad
-Probopass (Stealth Rock)
-Golurk (Stealth Rock)
-Carracosta (Stealth Rock)
-Cacturne (Spikes, Leech Seed)
-Garbodor (Spikes, Toxic Spikes)
-Roselia (Spikes, Toxic Spikes, Leech Seed)
-Scolipede (Spikes, Toxic Spikes)
-Serperior (Leech Seed)
-Torterra (Leech Seed)
-Sawsbuck (Leech Seed)
-Ludicolo (Leech Seed)
-Tangela (Leech Seed)
-Jumpluff (Leech Seed)
-Tropius (Leech Seed)



What if I'm Unable to Remove the Entry Hazards?




Conclusion

Yes, I know that atm, there isn't alot of data for each section. I'll add more and more to it as time goes on, just getting the basic info out there.

[Governess]

Daily To-Do List
*Will add / change this list when needed.*
Friday, May 3rd:
Post all the Pokemon's name needed for each section by testing them, and deciding which one goes where. [✓]

---I think that's as far as I'll get to today; If i have free time, I can always add more to my daily to-do list. Just doing pieces at a time.---

Saturday, May 4th
Write out the Introduction for the Article. [✓]


Monday, May 6th - Sunday, May 12th
Write out the final draft of descriptions for each of the three kind of entry hazards. [✓]
Edit what I have witten so far. [✓]

Wednesday, May 15 - June 7th
Work on little pieces for this article until Summer, where I will be very active with this article.

Feel free to comment at any point on any part of the process, I'm always willing for suggestions and feedback! :)

School gets in the way of things, but I'll try to keep it on schedule.
EDIT: Ugh, school ruins my schedule.. I'll try to keep up with what I want to get done.

This is a serious WIP; I probably won't do any serious work with this until summer starts, but I'll add little things every now and then.