http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/slowking
Made changes such as removing any mentions of banned Pokemon and such, putting it through QC again since a fairly long period of time has passed and I've made some changes to the sets.
[Overview]
<p>Despite facing stiff competition from its cousin Slowbro, Slowking stands strong thanks to its excellent special bulk. Plus, its access to Nasty Plot allows it to quickly go on the offensive. Instant recovery in the form of Slack Off only adds to Slowking's credentials as a top-tier UU bulky Water-type, and despite its poor Speed stat, it can play various roles effectively. However, weaknesses to Electric, Grass, Bug, Ghost, and Dark are not very appealing, and that’s the main reason why Slowking usually gets the shaft in favor of other special walls like Chansey. Nevertheless, Slowking's Special Attack is higher than Chansey's, and its array of special attacks is much wider, making it capable of hitting its counters harder. If your team is ever in need of an all-purpose wall that is capable of attacking back, then Slowking is just right for you.</p>
[SET]
name: Bulky Water
move 1: Surf
move 2: Psychic / Ice Beam
move 3: Slack Off
move 4: Toxic / Thunder Wave
item: Leftovers
ability: Own Tempo
nature: Calm
evs: 252 HP / 144 Def / 112 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With access to instant-recovery in the form of Slack Off, useful resistances to Fire, Water, Ice, Fighting, and Psychic, and solid overall bulk, Slowking can become a sturdy wall that is capable of blocking many of UU's largest threats, such as Azumarill and Hitmonlee. Slowking also has the additional benefit of always being able to take on Blaziken, something that other bulky Waters cannot always claim.</p>
<p>This set allows Slowking to alternate between replenishing its health and attacking, or inflicting status on an opposing Pokemon and stalling. Surf from Slowking's base 100 Special Attack stat provides a solid STAB attack that hits the majority of the metagame neutrally, and Psychic provides good coverage alongside it, as well as dealing with Fighting- and Poison-types. Ice Beam is a valuable alternative over Psychic for super effectively hitting Grass- and Flying-types. Psychic, however, is the better choice if one is concerned about Venusaur. Slack Off makes sure that Slowking can keep switching in throughout the game. Finally on the last slot, Toxic is usually the preferred choice, as it allows Slowking to slowly weaken other bulky Pokemon such as Milotic and Blastoise, though Thunder Wave does have its merit against hyper-offensive teams by crippling fast switch-ins such as Mismagius, Scyther, and Sceptile. Thunder Wave also allows your sweepers to have an easier time plowing through the opponent's crippled team.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread allows Slowking to function as an effective mixed wall, being able to take both physical and special attacks. With 144 Defense EVs, Slowking can more comfortably take on Altaria's +1 Outrage, Ambipom's Return, and Donphan's Earthquake, while with 112 SpD, Slowking is never 2HKOed from Moltres's Hidden Power Grass, +0 Leftovers Mismagius's Shadow Ball, and Lanturn's Thunderbolt. An alternative EV spread of 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD with the same Calm nature can be considered so that Slowking is never 2HKOed by +2 Curse Miltank's Return, Choice Band Azumarill's and Kangaskhan's Return, and +1 Feraligatr's Earthquake. However, Slowking's value as a special wall will slightly diminish and you'd be better off using Slowbro if your goal is a physically defensive Water-type.</p>
<p>Slowking appreciates Pokemon that can cover its five weaknesses and benefit from the status it spreads around. Nidoking and Venusaur make good offensive partners for Slowking by covering its Electric- and Bug- or Grass-type weaknesses, respectively, and having the tools to sustain offensive pressure upon the opponent. Both Pokemon also love Thunder Wave support from Slowking to make up for their average Speed. Defensively, Chansey and Clefable are valuable choices to consider, especially since their Fighting weaknesses are covered by Slowking. If Slowking has Toxic, it is likely to cripple most bulky switch-ins with ease; as such, the aforementioned Pokemon can help by stalling the opponents with their great bulk and access to Encore (for Clefable) and Wish. Suffice to say, Slowking appreciates support against Chansey and Clefable as well, as they will wall it to no end. As such, Fighting-type Pokemon like Toxicroak and Hitmonlee make great partners as they can eliminate the special walls in a single swoop. Lastly, Steelix can make a splendid defensive core with Slowking as they cover each other's weaknesses well, with the exception of Ground and Grass. Also, Steelix is capable of taking the physical attacks aimed at Slowking, while Slowking takes the special attacks aimed at Steelix.</p>
[SET]
name: Defensive Trick Room
move 1: Trick Room
move 2: Surf
move 3: Psychic
move 4: Slack Off
item: Leftovers
ability: Own Tempo
nature: Sassy
evs: 252 HP / 144 Def / 112 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Slowking and Slowbro share a lot of things in common, and one of these is the ability to set up Trick Room. When opting for one of them on a Trick Room team, it is important to choose the right one for your team's needs, as both do have their advantages. Despite Slowbro being chosen more often over its sibling, mostly due to its higher physical bulk being better suited for the metagame, Slowking does possess the ability to come in on special attackers more easily.</p>
<p>Surf and Psychic have perfect coverage in the UU metagame, outside of Shiftry, Cacturne, Exeggutor, Shedinja, Slowbro, Sharpedo, Crawdaunt, and opposing Slowking. Slack Off allows Slowking to come in and use Trick Room multiple times, which is a great asset to have in a Trick Room supporter since the field effect lasts for only five turns. The way this set works is simple: switch into a Pokemon that cannot severly hurt Slowking, such as a bulky Water-type, and set up Trick Room. Afterward, switch in a Trick Room sweeper resistant to the opponent's attacks and thrash the opponent. A Sassy nature is beneficial to this set as it lowers Slowking's already poor Speed, and combined with a reduction of its IVs to 0, Slowking will outspeed almost every Pokemon in the metagame after Trick Room is set up.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Good partners for this set are Pokemon that can make the most out of Trick Room, specifically slow and powerful bulky sweepers. Rhyperior and Marowak are both extremely threatening in this regard and have some limited type synergy with Slowking in that they can come in on predicted Electric attacks unscathed. However, because of the rarity of Electric-type attacks, and because of the shared crippling weakness to Grass, it's highly recommended to run a Pokemon that can come into Grass-type moves with little trouble alongside them. Exeggutor is a wonderful Trick Room partner as it resists Slowking's Electric and Grass weaknesses, can wreak havoc with Leaf Storm, sleep foes with Sleep Powder, and take down a threatening Pokemon with Explosion. Additionally, Exeggutor can reset Trick Room again in case it runs out of turns. Hariyama is another great partner, as with Close Combat at its disposal, it can demolish teams. It also has useful resistances to Dark and Bug.</p>
[SET]
name: Offensive Trick Room
move 1: Trick Room
move 2: Nasty Plot
move 3: Psychic
move 4: Surf
item: Life Orb
ability: Own Tempo
nature: Quiet
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Due to Slowking's bulk on both sides, ability to set up Trick Room, and high Special Attack, it is a prime candidate for an offensive Trick Room set. Unlike its counterpart, Slowbro, Slowking is able to quickly boost its Special Attack with Nasty Plot, distinguishing itself. Slowking's bulk allows it to come in on a wide array of Pokemon and set up Trick Room for its teammates, while also potentially allowing Slowking itself to sweep. Slowking's base 30 Speed enables it to "outspeed" almost every Pokemon in UU when under Trick Room, which makes sweeping easier. After a single Nasty Plot, Slowking reaches a beastly 658 Special Attack, making it more than capable of tearing through teams that lack Chansey. Psychic and Surf are STAB moves that provide excellent coverage in UU. Life Orb is equipped since Slowking appreciates the extra power to turn 2HKOs into OHKOs. In addition, Slowking actually has a chance to 2HKO Chansey with a +2 Surf after Stealth Rock damage, which is an impressive feat.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Since this set is Trick Room based, minimum Speed is recommended for Slowking to outspeed almost everything in the metagame once Trick Room is set up. A Quiet nature helps lower Slowking's Speed, while also boosting its Special Attack. Although Slowking's Water / Psychic typing is primarily advantageous, it does cause some trouble at times. Dark-types such as Drapion and Absol are often seen switching in on Slowking and posing an immediate threat. It is therefore best to pair Slowking with something a Pokemon that can handle both of these threats. Rhyperior is perhaps the best partner to aid Slowking against these threats. Not only does it take advantage of Slowking's Trick Room with its sluggish 40 base Speed, but it also has incredible physical bulk to cushion their attacks and the ability to OHKO both of them with a single Earthquake.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Trick
move 2: Surf
move 3: Psychic
move 4: Slack Off
item: Choice Specs
ability: Own Tempo
nature: Modest
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Although a bit of a novelty, Slowking sports the devastating Trick, which has the potential to cripple one of the most common Slowking switch-ins, Chansey, allowing it to viably run a Choice Specs set. Additionally, this set has the power to 2HKO Clefable, and Slowking's considerable bulk makes up for its lacking Speed, making it a very practical slow and powerful Choice Specs user.</p>
<p>Surf and Psychic are staples on any Slowking set, as they provide great coverage in the UU metagame, which is an excellent quality for any Specs user to have since it makes prediction much less of an issue when you can just choose between Slowking's powerful STAB attacks and catch the switch-in. Choice Specs Psychic has the ability to OHKO Support Venusaur after Stealth Rock damage, as well as all Weezing variants. Trick is self-explanatory and is the real reason why this set is viable in UU, although it is not advisable to use it before scouting the opponent's team, as Slowking may end up giving Choice Specs to Pokemon such as Venusaur or Mismagius. Slowking also runs the risk of receiving an unfavorable item in return, such as a Choice Band from Spiritomb; afterward, Spiritomb can trap and remove Slowking with Pursuit as it switches out. Slack Off keeps Slowking alive for a longer period of time once it has Tricked an opposing Pokemon.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Complements to this specific set should be Pokemon that can take advantage of special walls locked into a single move. Bulky special sweepers with Substitute and Calm Mind can often take advantage of a Choiced Chansey. Espeon is a nice offensive teammate, being able to boost up and sweep with its high base Speed. Similarly, Nasty Plot Houndoom is able to decimate locked special walls after it gets the necessary boosts. Slowking also complements Houndoom defensively, taking Water-type attacks with ease. Of course, it is important to take into account common switch-ins to Slowking, such as Mismagius and Rotom, which can be quite problematic after receiving Choice Specs as a result of Trick. For the aforementioned common switch-ins, packing a Pursuit user such as Skuntank or Drapion can be useful to remove the Ghosts.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Because of Slowking's great overall bulk, it often causes switches. Perhaps the most common switch-in to Slowking is Chansey. There are quite a few Pokemon in UU that can eliminate Chansey. Dugtrio is the most obvious, being able to trap and 2HKO Chansey with Earthquake. Blaziken and Hitmontop can both OHKO Chansey as well as deal with other tanks that Slowking cannot get through, such as Registeel.</p>
<p>Offensive switch-ins to Slowking include Mismagius and Venusaur, as both possess strong STAB moves that will KO Slowking. Bulky Steel-types partner quite well with Slowking because of this. Registeel is a great partner, taking hits with ease and being able to cripple the aforementioned Pokemon with Thunder Wave or even set up with Curse. Chansey is quite a feasible partner as well, since it can take on the majority of special attackers that threaten Slowking. Chansey also sports Aromatherapy, which can get rid of status should Slowking be affected. Note that Slowking also attracts physical attackers, most notably Tangrowth and Leafeon. Although Slowking can smack them hard with Psychic or Ice Beam on the switch in, they can still switch in on Surf and begin terrorizing Slowking. Therefore, it is helpful to pair Slowking with a teammate like Weezing or Moltres to sponge Power Whip and Leaf Blade. If you opt to use Moltres, then spin support is necessary as Moltres is crippled by Stealth Rock. If this is not possible, then Weezing is the better choice for your teammate.</p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>Slowking has a rather large special movepool, although most of it isn't suitable for UU play. The most interesting special attacks include Flamethrower, Fire Blast, Grass Knot, and Focus Blast. Sadly, Flamethrower and Fire Blast are the only valuable moves as they can hit Registeel for more damage than Surf, but are essentially useless besides that. Registeel cannot do much back to Slowking anyway, other than use Toxic, Thunder Wave, or Explosion, meaning that it is often a wasted moveslot. Grass Knot can give a world of hurt to Omastar, Quagsire, and Kabutops that would usually try and set up on Slowking, although outside of that it does not have many uses as it fails to do significant damage to other Water-types. Focus Blast is a shaky option simply because of its unwelcoming accuracy and the poor coverage it provides with Slowking's STAB moves. Yawn is an interesting option for Slowking because it can cause an unsuspecting opponent to switch and reveal other members of the opponent's team.</p>
<p>Support-wise, Slowking gets a few noteworthy moves. Light Screen can be used to further increase Slowking's large Special Defense and can provide overall team support. Psych Up is an interesting option to steal boosts from a stat booster like Calm Mind Slowbro. Curse can be utilized pretty effectively thanks to Slowking's relatively high base Special Defense and the fact that Curse will boost its average Defense stat. Although Slowking has a rather pitiful base 75 Attack stat, a few Curses can make Slowking a rather terrifying sweeper. However, due to the absence of Waterfall from Slowking's movepool, it must rely on the shaky accuracy of Aqua Tail. The lack of a reliable way to cure itself of status is another reason why Slowking is rarely seen carrying Curse.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Generally, the best counter to Slowking is Toxic. The likelihood of Slowking running Rest is extremely low, meaning that Toxic can slowly deplete Slowking's health. Chansey comes out as the number one counter to Slowking, as it is able to take any attack easily and cripple Slowking with Toxic, although it should watch out for Trick. Grass-types are usually a safe bet to defeat Slowking, specifically Exeggutor. Exeggutor resists both Surf and Psychic, and can retaliate with a powerful Power Whip or Leaf Storm. Although it takes quite some damage from Psychic, Venusaur can switch in on Surf and Toxic with ease, and either render Slowking useless with Sleep Powder or smack it with Power Whip or Leaf Storm. Dark-types such as Absol and Drapion can switch in on a predicted Psychic, and threaten with Dark-type attacks. Clefable falls in the same category as Chansey, as it has the special bulk to take repeated hits well enough, although it should steer clear of Nasty Plot variants. It also has access to Encore, allowing it to lock Slowking into a single move and switch to an appropriate counter or begin setting up. Basically, any Pokemon that can hit hard with a super effective move and outspeed Slowking can easily deal with it as long as they avoid being afflicted with status.</p>
Made changes such as removing any mentions of banned Pokemon and such, putting it through QC again since a fairly long period of time has passed and I've made some changes to the sets.
[Overview]
<p>Despite facing stiff competition from its cousin Slowbro, Slowking stands strong thanks to its excellent special bulk. Plus, its access to Nasty Plot allows it to quickly go on the offensive. Instant recovery in the form of Slack Off only adds to Slowking's credentials as a top-tier UU bulky Water-type, and despite its poor Speed stat, it can play various roles effectively. However, weaknesses to Electric, Grass, Bug, Ghost, and Dark are not very appealing, and that’s the main reason why Slowking usually gets the shaft in favor of other special walls like Chansey. Nevertheless, Slowking's Special Attack is higher than Chansey's, and its array of special attacks is much wider, making it capable of hitting its counters harder. If your team is ever in need of an all-purpose wall that is capable of attacking back, then Slowking is just right for you.</p>
[SET]
name: Bulky Water
move 1: Surf
move 2: Psychic / Ice Beam
move 3: Slack Off
move 4: Toxic / Thunder Wave
item: Leftovers
ability: Own Tempo
nature: Calm
evs: 252 HP / 144 Def / 112 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With access to instant-recovery in the form of Slack Off, useful resistances to Fire, Water, Ice, Fighting, and Psychic, and solid overall bulk, Slowking can become a sturdy wall that is capable of blocking many of UU's largest threats, such as Azumarill and Hitmonlee. Slowking also has the additional benefit of always being able to take on Blaziken, something that other bulky Waters cannot always claim.</p>
<p>This set allows Slowking to alternate between replenishing its health and attacking, or inflicting status on an opposing Pokemon and stalling. Surf from Slowking's base 100 Special Attack stat provides a solid STAB attack that hits the majority of the metagame neutrally, and Psychic provides good coverage alongside it, as well as dealing with Fighting- and Poison-types. Ice Beam is a valuable alternative over Psychic for super effectively hitting Grass- and Flying-types. Psychic, however, is the better choice if one is concerned about Venusaur. Slack Off makes sure that Slowking can keep switching in throughout the game. Finally on the last slot, Toxic is usually the preferred choice, as it allows Slowking to slowly weaken other bulky Pokemon such as Milotic and Blastoise, though Thunder Wave does have its merit against hyper-offensive teams by crippling fast switch-ins such as Mismagius, Scyther, and Sceptile. Thunder Wave also allows your sweepers to have an easier time plowing through the opponent's crippled team.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread allows Slowking to function as an effective mixed wall, being able to take both physical and special attacks. With 144 Defense EVs, Slowking can more comfortably take on Altaria's +1 Outrage, Ambipom's Return, and Donphan's Earthquake, while with 112 SpD, Slowking is never 2HKOed from Moltres's Hidden Power Grass, +0 Leftovers Mismagius's Shadow Ball, and Lanturn's Thunderbolt. An alternative EV spread of 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD with the same Calm nature can be considered so that Slowking is never 2HKOed by +2 Curse Miltank's Return, Choice Band Azumarill's and Kangaskhan's Return, and +1 Feraligatr's Earthquake. However, Slowking's value as a special wall will slightly diminish and you'd be better off using Slowbro if your goal is a physically defensive Water-type.</p>
<p>Slowking appreciates Pokemon that can cover its five weaknesses and benefit from the status it spreads around. Nidoking and Venusaur make good offensive partners for Slowking by covering its Electric- and Bug- or Grass-type weaknesses, respectively, and having the tools to sustain offensive pressure upon the opponent. Both Pokemon also love Thunder Wave support from Slowking to make up for their average Speed. Defensively, Chansey and Clefable are valuable choices to consider, especially since their Fighting weaknesses are covered by Slowking. If Slowking has Toxic, it is likely to cripple most bulky switch-ins with ease; as such, the aforementioned Pokemon can help by stalling the opponents with their great bulk and access to Encore (for Clefable) and Wish. Suffice to say, Slowking appreciates support against Chansey and Clefable as well, as they will wall it to no end. As such, Fighting-type Pokemon like Toxicroak and Hitmonlee make great partners as they can eliminate the special walls in a single swoop. Lastly, Steelix can make a splendid defensive core with Slowking as they cover each other's weaknesses well, with the exception of Ground and Grass. Also, Steelix is capable of taking the physical attacks aimed at Slowking, while Slowking takes the special attacks aimed at Steelix.</p>
[SET]
name: Defensive Trick Room
move 1: Trick Room
move 2: Surf
move 3: Psychic
move 4: Slack Off
item: Leftovers
ability: Own Tempo
nature: Sassy
evs: 252 HP / 144 Def / 112 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Slowking and Slowbro share a lot of things in common, and one of these is the ability to set up Trick Room. When opting for one of them on a Trick Room team, it is important to choose the right one for your team's needs, as both do have their advantages. Despite Slowbro being chosen more often over its sibling, mostly due to its higher physical bulk being better suited for the metagame, Slowking does possess the ability to come in on special attackers more easily.</p>
<p>Surf and Psychic have perfect coverage in the UU metagame, outside of Shiftry, Cacturne, Exeggutor, Shedinja, Slowbro, Sharpedo, Crawdaunt, and opposing Slowking. Slack Off allows Slowking to come in and use Trick Room multiple times, which is a great asset to have in a Trick Room supporter since the field effect lasts for only five turns. The way this set works is simple: switch into a Pokemon that cannot severly hurt Slowking, such as a bulky Water-type, and set up Trick Room. Afterward, switch in a Trick Room sweeper resistant to the opponent's attacks and thrash the opponent. A Sassy nature is beneficial to this set as it lowers Slowking's already poor Speed, and combined with a reduction of its IVs to 0, Slowking will outspeed almost every Pokemon in the metagame after Trick Room is set up.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Good partners for this set are Pokemon that can make the most out of Trick Room, specifically slow and powerful bulky sweepers. Rhyperior and Marowak are both extremely threatening in this regard and have some limited type synergy with Slowking in that they can come in on predicted Electric attacks unscathed. However, because of the rarity of Electric-type attacks, and because of the shared crippling weakness to Grass, it's highly recommended to run a Pokemon that can come into Grass-type moves with little trouble alongside them. Exeggutor is a wonderful Trick Room partner as it resists Slowking's Electric and Grass weaknesses, can wreak havoc with Leaf Storm, sleep foes with Sleep Powder, and take down a threatening Pokemon with Explosion. Additionally, Exeggutor can reset Trick Room again in case it runs out of turns. Hariyama is another great partner, as with Close Combat at its disposal, it can demolish teams. It also has useful resistances to Dark and Bug.</p>
[SET]
name: Offensive Trick Room
move 1: Trick Room
move 2: Nasty Plot
move 3: Psychic
move 4: Surf
item: Life Orb
ability: Own Tempo
nature: Quiet
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Due to Slowking's bulk on both sides, ability to set up Trick Room, and high Special Attack, it is a prime candidate for an offensive Trick Room set. Unlike its counterpart, Slowbro, Slowking is able to quickly boost its Special Attack with Nasty Plot, distinguishing itself. Slowking's bulk allows it to come in on a wide array of Pokemon and set up Trick Room for its teammates, while also potentially allowing Slowking itself to sweep. Slowking's base 30 Speed enables it to "outspeed" almost every Pokemon in UU when under Trick Room, which makes sweeping easier. After a single Nasty Plot, Slowking reaches a beastly 658 Special Attack, making it more than capable of tearing through teams that lack Chansey. Psychic and Surf are STAB moves that provide excellent coverage in UU. Life Orb is equipped since Slowking appreciates the extra power to turn 2HKOs into OHKOs. In addition, Slowking actually has a chance to 2HKO Chansey with a +2 Surf after Stealth Rock damage, which is an impressive feat.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Since this set is Trick Room based, minimum Speed is recommended for Slowking to outspeed almost everything in the metagame once Trick Room is set up. A Quiet nature helps lower Slowking's Speed, while also boosting its Special Attack. Although Slowking's Water / Psychic typing is primarily advantageous, it does cause some trouble at times. Dark-types such as Drapion and Absol are often seen switching in on Slowking and posing an immediate threat. It is therefore best to pair Slowking with something a Pokemon that can handle both of these threats. Rhyperior is perhaps the best partner to aid Slowking against these threats. Not only does it take advantage of Slowking's Trick Room with its sluggish 40 base Speed, but it also has incredible physical bulk to cushion their attacks and the ability to OHKO both of them with a single Earthquake.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Trick
move 2: Surf
move 3: Psychic
move 4: Slack Off
item: Choice Specs
ability: Own Tempo
nature: Modest
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Although a bit of a novelty, Slowking sports the devastating Trick, which has the potential to cripple one of the most common Slowking switch-ins, Chansey, allowing it to viably run a Choice Specs set. Additionally, this set has the power to 2HKO Clefable, and Slowking's considerable bulk makes up for its lacking Speed, making it a very practical slow and powerful Choice Specs user.</p>
<p>Surf and Psychic are staples on any Slowking set, as they provide great coverage in the UU metagame, which is an excellent quality for any Specs user to have since it makes prediction much less of an issue when you can just choose between Slowking's powerful STAB attacks and catch the switch-in. Choice Specs Psychic has the ability to OHKO Support Venusaur after Stealth Rock damage, as well as all Weezing variants. Trick is self-explanatory and is the real reason why this set is viable in UU, although it is not advisable to use it before scouting the opponent's team, as Slowking may end up giving Choice Specs to Pokemon such as Venusaur or Mismagius. Slowking also runs the risk of receiving an unfavorable item in return, such as a Choice Band from Spiritomb; afterward, Spiritomb can trap and remove Slowking with Pursuit as it switches out. Slack Off keeps Slowking alive for a longer period of time once it has Tricked an opposing Pokemon.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Complements to this specific set should be Pokemon that can take advantage of special walls locked into a single move. Bulky special sweepers with Substitute and Calm Mind can often take advantage of a Choiced Chansey. Espeon is a nice offensive teammate, being able to boost up and sweep with its high base Speed. Similarly, Nasty Plot Houndoom is able to decimate locked special walls after it gets the necessary boosts. Slowking also complements Houndoom defensively, taking Water-type attacks with ease. Of course, it is important to take into account common switch-ins to Slowking, such as Mismagius and Rotom, which can be quite problematic after receiving Choice Specs as a result of Trick. For the aforementioned common switch-ins, packing a Pursuit user such as Skuntank or Drapion can be useful to remove the Ghosts.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Because of Slowking's great overall bulk, it often causes switches. Perhaps the most common switch-in to Slowking is Chansey. There are quite a few Pokemon in UU that can eliminate Chansey. Dugtrio is the most obvious, being able to trap and 2HKO Chansey with Earthquake. Blaziken and Hitmontop can both OHKO Chansey as well as deal with other tanks that Slowking cannot get through, such as Registeel.</p>
<p>Offensive switch-ins to Slowking include Mismagius and Venusaur, as both possess strong STAB moves that will KO Slowking. Bulky Steel-types partner quite well with Slowking because of this. Registeel is a great partner, taking hits with ease and being able to cripple the aforementioned Pokemon with Thunder Wave or even set up with Curse. Chansey is quite a feasible partner as well, since it can take on the majority of special attackers that threaten Slowking. Chansey also sports Aromatherapy, which can get rid of status should Slowking be affected. Note that Slowking also attracts physical attackers, most notably Tangrowth and Leafeon. Although Slowking can smack them hard with Psychic or Ice Beam on the switch in, they can still switch in on Surf and begin terrorizing Slowking. Therefore, it is helpful to pair Slowking with a teammate like Weezing or Moltres to sponge Power Whip and Leaf Blade. If you opt to use Moltres, then spin support is necessary as Moltres is crippled by Stealth Rock. If this is not possible, then Weezing is the better choice for your teammate.</p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>Slowking has a rather large special movepool, although most of it isn't suitable for UU play. The most interesting special attacks include Flamethrower, Fire Blast, Grass Knot, and Focus Blast. Sadly, Flamethrower and Fire Blast are the only valuable moves as they can hit Registeel for more damage than Surf, but are essentially useless besides that. Registeel cannot do much back to Slowking anyway, other than use Toxic, Thunder Wave, or Explosion, meaning that it is often a wasted moveslot. Grass Knot can give a world of hurt to Omastar, Quagsire, and Kabutops that would usually try and set up on Slowking, although outside of that it does not have many uses as it fails to do significant damage to other Water-types. Focus Blast is a shaky option simply because of its unwelcoming accuracy and the poor coverage it provides with Slowking's STAB moves. Yawn is an interesting option for Slowking because it can cause an unsuspecting opponent to switch and reveal other members of the opponent's team.</p>
<p>Support-wise, Slowking gets a few noteworthy moves. Light Screen can be used to further increase Slowking's large Special Defense and can provide overall team support. Psych Up is an interesting option to steal boosts from a stat booster like Calm Mind Slowbro. Curse can be utilized pretty effectively thanks to Slowking's relatively high base Special Defense and the fact that Curse will boost its average Defense stat. Although Slowking has a rather pitiful base 75 Attack stat, a few Curses can make Slowking a rather terrifying sweeper. However, due to the absence of Waterfall from Slowking's movepool, it must rely on the shaky accuracy of Aqua Tail. The lack of a reliable way to cure itself of status is another reason why Slowking is rarely seen carrying Curse.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Generally, the best counter to Slowking is Toxic. The likelihood of Slowking running Rest is extremely low, meaning that Toxic can slowly deplete Slowking's health. Chansey comes out as the number one counter to Slowking, as it is able to take any attack easily and cripple Slowking with Toxic, although it should watch out for Trick. Grass-types are usually a safe bet to defeat Slowking, specifically Exeggutor. Exeggutor resists both Surf and Psychic, and can retaliate with a powerful Power Whip or Leaf Storm. Although it takes quite some damage from Psychic, Venusaur can switch in on Surf and Toxic with ease, and either render Slowking useless with Sleep Powder or smack it with Power Whip or Leaf Storm. Dark-types such as Absol and Drapion can switch in on a predicted Psychic, and threaten with Dark-type attacks. Clefable falls in the same category as Chansey, as it has the special bulk to take repeated hits well enough, although it should steer clear of Nasty Plot variants. It also has access to Encore, allowing it to lock Slowking into a single move and switch to an appropriate counter or begin setting up. Basically, any Pokemon that can hit hard with a super effective move and outspeed Slowking can easily deal with it as long as they avoid being afflicted with status.</p>
