Sunflora (Update)

[Overview]

<p>This pretty flower has been blessed with a great Special Attack stat, which is higher than most other Grass-types, two useful abilities in Chlorophyll and Solar Power, and a pretty good movepool to take advantage of. Although she seems great at first glance, you'll notice her poor Speed and defensive stats, make it much harder for her to sweep and leaves her vulnerable to priority moves. Her lack of useful supporting moves is a disappointment as well, resorting to GrassWhistle as she is without Sleep Powder, which most other Grass-types have access to. With the correct teammates and/or field effects, Sunflora becomes a decent offensive Pokemon, just play safe because she's as delicate as a rose.</p>

[SET]
name: Chlorophyll
move 1: SolarBeam
move 2: Hidden Power Fire
move 3: Earth Power
move 4: Sunny Day / Grass Knot
item: Life Orb
ability: Chlorophyll
nature: Modest / Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Although Sunflora looks like "just another Chlorophyll user", she has higher Special Attack and a better movepool than most of them. When the weather is sunny, Sunflora has enough Speed to outrun base 95 Pokemon in the sun, and base 105's with a Timid nature. SolarBeam is used for STAB, while the sun removes its charging turn, Hidden Power Fire is used to hit other Grass-types and gains a boost from the sun, and Earth Power hits Fire-types. Grass Knot is used for STAB outside the sun and deals a lot of damage to heavy opponents.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Sunflora needs partners who can switch into Fire-type attacks as she is unable to stay in against them. Bulky Water-types such as Slowbro and Milotic are great examples because of their great defenses and access to reliable recovery moves. Flash Fire Pokemon such as Houndoom and Arcanine are good choices as well. Finally, bulky Rock-types such as Rhyperior and Omastar are good partners as they take little damage from Fire-type attacks and can hit back super effectively, just watch out for Hidden Power Grass though.</p>

<p>As Sunflora is so frail she usually requires a teammate to set up Sunny Day for her. Uxie is a great defensive option and he also has access to other support moves such as Yawn and Stealth Rock, which are a great asset to offensive teams. Ambipom is another good option because of his blistering Speed, access to Taunt, and the ability to scout the opponent's team with U-turn and Fake Out. Finally, Exeggutor can set up Sunny Day, cripple an opponent with Sleep Powder, then Explode in their face, allowing you to bring in Sunflora unscathed. As well as setting up the sun, Sunflora also appreciates teammates who take advantage of the sun. Fire-types such as Moltres and Blaziken get a boost on their STAB moves, Chlorophyll users such as Shiftry and Vileplume have their Speed doubled, and Leaf Guard Pokemon such as Leafeon and Tangrowth are all excellent teammates.</p>

<p>Being a specially-based sweeper, Sunflora has trouble breaking through special walls such as Chansey and Clefable, making a teammate who can dispose of them a neccessity. A powerful Fighting-type such as Hariyama is a good option as they can thrash special walls with their STAB Fighting-type attacks, while Guts will turn status into an asset rather than a liability. Dugtrio is another option as Arena Trap will stop them fleeing the field, while STAB Earthquake will KO them with ease.</p>

[SET]
name: Life Orb
move 1: Leaf Storm
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Synthesis
item: Life Orb
nature: Modest
ability: Solar Power
evs: 12 HP / 252 SpA / 244 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>This set takes advantage of Sunflora's alternative ability, Solar Power, boosting her Special Attack to insane levels. This does come with its drawbacks however, using a Life Orb when the sun is active, Sunflora loses 22.5% of her health per turn, making her extremely frail, and gives her little time to sweep. Leaf Storm is an immensely powerful attack coming from 105 base Special Attack, boosted by Life Orb and Solar Power, and gaing STAB as well. Earth Power is used to hit Fire-types such as Houndoom, Blaziken, and Magmortar on the switch, while Hidden Power is used to hit opposing Grass-types. Synthesis is used to recover Life Orb and Solar Power recoil, which also benefits from the sun by restoring 2/3 of Sunflora's health.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>A Modest nature along with 244 Speed EVs allow Sunflora to outrun the likes of Weezing and Clefable not investing in Speed, while maximum Special Attack is used for extra power. Alternatively, a Quiet nature can be used with 2 Speed IVs and Trick Room support. Choice Specs are also Viable to boost Sunflora's attacking power, though this makes Synthesis pretty useless and doesn't help much in the long run.</p>

<p>If Trick Room is used, Pokemon who can set it up are important. Slowking is a great example as he has low Speed, a resistance to Fire- and Ice-type attacks, and access to Slack Off. Porygon2 is another defensive partner who also has reliable recovery. Pokemon who take advantage of Trick Room are also useful in this case, slow sweepers such as Camerupt, Rhyperior, and Omastar can be used to plough through the opponent's team. To activate Solar Power, Sunny Day is required, making defensive Pokemon like Uxie prime examples of Pokemon who can change the weather. More offensive Pokemon such as Shiftry and Exeggutor can be used along with Explosion as well.</p>

<p>Again, Chansey and Clefable will be difficult to break through, making powerful physical attackers great teammates. Outside of physical attackers, Taunt Mismagius is immune to Seismic Toss, blocks status or stat boosting moves with Taunt, and has access to Nasty Plot to boost his Special Attack. A +6 Hidden Power Fighting can 2HKO Chansey with ease. Neither Chansey nor Clefable like being Tricked a Choice item either, so Pokemon such as Choice Band Spiritomb or Choice Scarf Uxie can catch the opponent off-guard, making a sweep much easier.</p>

[Team Options]

<p>Sunflora appreciates support from entry hazards, making it much easier for her to score KOes and cripple opponents. Stealth Rock will severely damage Flying-types such as Moltres and Altaria. Uxie, Registeel, and Claydol can set up Stealth Rock with their huge defenses and access to Explosion, Yawn, or other support options. Spikes deal a lot of damage to grounded Pokemon such as Arcanine and Pokemon such as Cloyster and Cacturne can set them up. Toxic Spikes help cripple bulkier opponents such as Chansey, Clefable, and Spiritomb, and are easily set up by the likes of Qwilfish and Drapion.</p>

<p>Sunny Day is necessary on all sets Sunflora can run, making team support very helful. Bulky Pokemon such as Uxie, Registeel, and Claydol can be used to set up Sunny Day, while they can utilize other status and support moves such as Stealth Rock as well. More offensive Pokemon can be used as well; Exeggutor and Shiftry can set up Sunny Day, plough through the opponent's team, and when they're done, Explode on the opponent for massive damage.</p>

<p>As for defensive partners, Pokemon who can switch into Fire-, Ice-, Bug-, and Flying-type attacks are the best. Flash Fire Pokemon such as Arcanine and Houndoom are great partners as they are immune to Fire-type attacks, resist Ice- and Bug-type attacks, and have powerful STAB attacks to pummel the opponent with. Bulky Water-types can switch into Fire- and Ice-types with a resistance and Toxic stall the opponent or hit them with STAB Surf. Rock-types such as Rhyperior and Regirock are good choices as well, they resist Fire- and Flying-type attacks, have access to stat boosting or support moves, and their massive defenses allow them to stick around for some time.</p>

<p>Chansey and Clefable are two of the most troublesome Pokemon for Sunflora due to their huge HP and Special Defense, reliable recovery, and ability to stall for an eternity. Physical attackers such as Hariyama and Venusaur are good choices as they can set up against Chansey and Clefable, boost their stats with Bulk Up and Swords Dance, respectively, and sweep the opposing team with boosted attacks. Dugtrio is another great choice as he can trap Chansey and Clefable with his ability, hit them with STAB Earthquake, and proceed to break the ground beneath the opponent's feet. Taunt Mismagius is another good partner as he can stop any attemt to set up, use status moves, and is immune to Seismic Toss. Nasty Plot can be used to raise his Special Attack, and after three boosts he can 2HKO Chansey with Hidden Power Fighting. Trick users cause problems for Chansey and Clefable, forcing them to use a single move over and over. Choice Band Spiritomb, Choice Scarf Uxie, and Choice Specs Rotom are a few examples. Mixed attackers such as Magmortar and Blaziken are also good choices as they can lure the opponent's special wall with moves like Fire Blast, then proceed with physical attacks such as Cross Chop and Superpower, respectively.</p>

[Optional Changes]

<p>Sunflora has a pretty good movepool, though half of her attacks are rendered useless by her mediocre stats. Encore can be used against slower Pokemon trying to set up stat boosts, giving a teammate extra time to set up. Leech Seed can be used alongside Substitute to restore Sunflora's health, though her low Speed makes it difficult to pull off before she gets KOed. Endeavour can be used with a Focus Sash to severely weaken the opponent, but a lack of priority makes it difficult to finish off the opponent. Growth can be used to raise Sunflora's already high Special Attack, and GrassWhistle can put an opponent to sleep, just beware of its shaky accuracy. Light Screen raises Sunflora's Special Defense and supports her teammates, and Sludge Bomb hits other Grass-types super effectively, though provides poor coverage. Swords Dance can be used alongside Seed Bomb and Return, but Venusaur is a much better user of this strategy as he has access to Sleep Powder and Earthquake.</p>

[Counters]

<p>Most Flying-types can take on Sunflora with ease as they resist her main STAB, and have super effective attacks to KO her. Moltres, Swellow, and Altaria are just a few examples. Chansey and Clefable can take on any Sunflora thanks to their massive HP and Special Defense stats, access to status moves, and reliable recovery. Golduck can cause problems with Cloud Nine as he outruns Sunflora without her Chlorophyll boost and has access to Ice Beam to hit her super effectively. Specially defensive Weezing is immune to Earth Power, has a resistance to Grass-type attacks, and has Sludge Bomb to dispose of Sunflora. Specially defensive Arcanine is another good option as he can survive Earth Power, has a resistance to Grass-, Ice-, and Fire-type attacks, and has STAB Fire-type attacks to scorch Sunflora with. Although Sunflora is fast when her Speed is boosted by Cholorophyll, she's still to slow to beat Pokemon such as Alakazam, Dugtrio, and Sceptile, all of them can hit Sunflora on her average defenses and KO her. Finally, Sunflora's poor Defense leaves her vulnerable to physical priority moves such as Sucker Punch and Ice Shard, so take advantage of them when you can.</p>

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Oglemi said:

guddagudda, if you could bold your colors and not use white/gray that'd be fantastic.

Also, please include at the top what the colors in your check stand for (deletion, addition, etc.)

Do that, and I'll stamp your check.

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Komodo said:

Hey don't worry about editing it all in, just let me know what each colour means :) PM/VM me quickly if you don't have time :D I think I understand, just explain the grey to me, I know green is edit, red is remove, and pink is preferred wording. As for the orange parts in team options, the first one, Sunflora isn't always going to be on a sun team, and for the second, yes, Mismagius blocks status with Taunt.

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