Overview
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Deerling's decent Attack, good Speed, and access to coverage moves such as Jump Kick and Wild Charge allow it to be a potent Chlorophyll sweeper or Choice Scarf user. With Chlorophyll, Deerling can outspeed all Choice Scarf users, as well as several +2 threats, such as Tirtouga and Omanyte, in the sun. Sap Sipper is also quite useful, giving Deerling an immunity to Grass-type moves as well as a boost to its Attack if it's hit by one. However, Deerling is held back by its mediocre bulk and bad defensive typing, being quite susceptible to common attacking types such as Fighting, Fire, and Flying, so it requires team support to perform well.
Chlorophyll Sweeper
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name: Chlorophyll Sweeper
move 1: Return
move 2: Seed Bomb
move 3: Jump Kick
move 4: Wild Charge / Feint Attack / Synthesis
ability: Chlorophyll
item: Life Orb
evs: 36 HP / 196 Atk / 36 Def / 236 Spe
nature: Adamant
Moves
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Return is a reliable and powerful STAB move and hits quite hard with Life Orb. Seed Bomb functions as Deerling's secondary STAB move, hitting Pokemon like Chinchou and Tirtouga for super effective damage. Jump Kick rounds out Deerling's coverage by hitting Steel-types such as Pawniard and Ferroseed super effectively. It also OHKOes Berry Juice Munchlax, which is quite useful for sun teams. Wild Charge hits Flying-types hard, OHKOing Berry Juice Archen and 2HKOing Eviolite Vullaby. Feint Attack can be used to secure the OHKO on Gastly and defeat weakened Pumpkaboo. Synthesis can be used as an opponent switches to heal off damage taken from Life Orb recoil and other residual damage. Synthesis works especially well in the sun, healing Deerling for two-thirds of its maximum health.
Set Details
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Chlorophyll doubles Deerling's Speed in the sun, letting it hit 34 Speed with an Adamant nature. Life Orb maximizes Deerling's damage output while retaining Deerling's ability to switch moves. The EV spread maximizes Deerling's Attack and Speed. The leftover EVs give Deerling an extra point in HP and Defense to let it tank priority moves better.
Usage Tips
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Deerling is quite fast, even without Chlorophyll. However, it is most effective in the sun, where it outspeeds would-be revenge killers, such as Choice Scarf users or normally faster Pokemon. Deerling should be brought in on Pokemon lacking a super effective or status-inducing move, or via a slow U-turn or Volt Switch. Once Deerling is safely in, hit the foe hard with Deerling's wide coverage options. However, be cautious when using Jump Kick if your opponent has a Ghost-type or potential Protect user, as they can cause Deerling to miss Jump Kick and lose half of its health.
Team Options
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This set relies on Chlorophyll boosting Deerling's Speed, so Vulpix is a required partner to set up sun for Deerling. Since Ghost-types are immune to half of this set's attacks, Knock Off support or a Pursuit trapper is useful, as this can help to weaken or eliminate them. Knock Off support in general from the likes of Mienfoo and Pawniard is appreciated to remove Eviolite from opposing walls, allowing Deerling to clean up more easily late-game. Stealth Rock support from the likes of Tirtouga and Archen is appreciated, as it helps Deerling get KOs it otherwise couldn't. It also makes Fire- and Flying-types, and to a lesser extent, Ice- and Bug-types, think twice before switching in.
Choice Scarf
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name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Double-Edge / Return
move 2: Seed Bomb
move 3: Jump Kick
move 4: Wild Charge / Feint Attack
ability: Sap Sipper
item: Choice Scarf
evs: 36 HP / 196 Atk / 36 Def / 236 Spe
nature: Adamant / Jolly
Moves
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Double-Edge is a powerful STAB attack, heavily denting anything that doesn't resist it. Return trades some power for the lack of recoil. Seed Bomb provides good coverage and hits Water-types such as Chinchou and Tirtouga for super effective damage. Jump Kick provides important coverage against Pawniard and Ferroseed. Wild Charge hits Flying-types quite hard. Feint Attack can be used to limit Life Orb Gastly to one hit after Stealth Rock damage while also making it too weak to set up a Substitute.
Set Details
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Sap Sipper proves useful in potentially nabbing Deerling a handy Attack boost from Grass-type moves, as well as providing Deerling with a full immunity to them. The EVs maximize Deerling's Attack and Speed, with the remaining EVs giving it an extra point in HP and Defense. With an Adamant nature, Deerling reaches 25 Speed with Choice Scarf, allowing it to outspeed common Choice Scarf users such as Pawniard. A Jolly nature lets Deerling hit 27 Speed with Choice Scarf, allowing it to outspeed Choice Scarf Drilbur, Choice Scarf Mienfoo, and several common Shell Smash users.
Usage Tips
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Deerling should switch in on Grass-type attacks if at all possible, as doing so will give it an Attack boost thanks to Sap Sipper. However, be careful when switching in on certain Grass-types, as Foongus can OHKO Deerling with Sludge Bomb, and Ferroseed can cripple Deerling with Thunder Wave or Knock Off. Deerling should be used as a late-game cleaner, since its STAB combination can be easily walled early-game. Be cautious with Jump Kick if your opponent has a Ghost-type in their party, as Deerling will lose half of its health if they switch it in.
Team Options
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Deerling's Attack is decent, but not enough to break through defensive Pokemon. Therefore, Knock Off support from bulky Fighting-types or Pawniard is appreciated. Pawniard can also be used to Pursuit trap Ghost-types, easing prediction for Deerling and allowing it to clean more easily. Pokemon with a Grass weakness, such as Chinchou, can bait Grass-type attacks for Deerling so it can get an Attack boost from Sap Sipper. In turn, Chinchou covers Deerling's weaknesses to Ice, Fire, and Flying and can also heal Deerling and its teammates of status with Heal Bell. Stealth Rock support from the likes of Tirtouga and Archen is appreciated, as it helps Deerling get KOs it otherwise couldn't.
Other Options
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SubSeed and other support sets are possible, but they are generally done better by other Grass-types such as Cottonee and Foongus. Deerling could potentially run Sunny Day to provide its own sun support, but this is best left to Deerling's teammates, as Deerling is frail and loses important coverage if it runs the move. Deerling could use Bounce for coverage, but its two-turn aspect limits its effectiveness. A Baton Pass set with Agility and Work Up is possible, but it is outclassed by Torchic, which has Speed Boost and access to Swords Dance. Thunder Wave and Toxic could be used to cripple common switch-ins to Deerling. Deerling could use Aromatherapy to heal itself and its teammates of status. Deerling has access to Grass Whistle to induce sleep, but the move's 55% accuracy is terrible.
Checks & Counters
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**Ghost-types**: Ghost-types are immune to Double-Edge and Return, Deerling's most powerful STAB attacks, as well as Jump Kick. Pumpkaboo-XL in particular can tank all of Deerling's commonly used attacks and burn it with Will-O-Wisp.
**Fire-types**: If Deerling is locked into Seed Bomb or Jump Kick, Larvesta and Ponyta can come in quite easily and threaten it with their STAB moves. Flame Body can also cripple Deerling by burning it.
**Foongus**: Foongus can come in on any of Deerling's attacks except Life Orb Return or Double-Edge and OHKO Deerling with Sludge Bomb.
**Physical Walls**: Bulky walls such as Koffing and Spritzee aren't 2HKOed by any of Deerling's moves and can wear Deerling down with status or by simply attacking it.
**Status**: Deerling hates status of any kind, so Will-O-Wisp and Thunder Wave users are a large threat to Deerling.
**Priority Users**: Deerling is weak to common priority moves such as Fletchling's Acrobatics, Timburr's Mach Punch, and Croagunk's Vacuum Wave. Pawniard, along with other strong priority users, can revenge kill Deerling after it has taken some Double-Edge or Life Orb recoil.
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