Perhaps, but why anyone would switch Venusaur into Scizor, who resists both of Venusaur's STABs, is beyond me.
-
Welcome to Smogon! Take a moment to read the Introduction to Smogon for a run-down on everything Smogon, and make sure you take some time to read the global rules.
-
Congrats to the winners of the 2023 Smog Awards!
Other A Guide to Lures in OU
- Thread starter doughboy
- Start date
- Status
You said it, because it's not standard, and in general doesn't have the overall effectiveness that the standard sets do, but rather focuses on eliminating certain threats for another Pokemon to sweep.
The Genesect lure, Ebelt, is by far hell for opponents to face. The thing has insane coverage, and Energy ball is actually pretty nifty, and after smashing R-W, it can then take down a slower mon with its insane coverage, despite the Grass resist (Expecting it to be scarf). or just nope the fuck out of there with U-Turn.
Shroomisaur
Smogon's fantastical fun-guy.
You guys are doing this "Lure" thing all wrong. Here is the only true lure:
ChandeLURE
Item: Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Fire Blast
- Taunt
- Will-O-Wisp
OK OK, I'll be honest, there's a lot of great lures shared in this thread (EB Genesect, King of Lures), but I had to.
Names aside, Chandelure can still be an interesting lure. When Chandy appears, most opponents will switch out into their primary special wall, usually something like Blissey, SpD Heatran, or the like. The trouble with these Pokemon is that they can only stall Chandy out or phaze. SubSplit is well known for harrasing the blobs, but Chandelure has access to the rarely-seen Taunt to completely stop their stalling/phazing antics in their tracks. This is especially useful because standard Blissey/Chansey and Heatran will be absolutely unable to touch you after a Taunt, forcing them to switch out or fall. Taunt also allows Chandelure to get past specially defensive Fairies like Sylveon, or Calm Minders like Clefable.
Will-O-Wisp is another unexpected move on Chandelure, and it works similarly to Substitute to beat a few of Chandy's biggest enemies. Against Bisharp, WoW will cause Sucker Punch to fail and it will be left with a crippling Burn instead. Tyranitar can be neutered on the switch as well, allowing you to switch out safely even if it packs Pursuit. Colbur Berry could be an alternative, which could not only lure in Bisharp for a KO, but be used to bluff a Scarf.
ChandeLURE
Item: Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Fire Blast
- Taunt
- Will-O-Wisp
OK OK, I'll be honest, there's a lot of great lures shared in this thread (EB Genesect, King of Lures), but I had to.
Names aside, Chandelure can still be an interesting lure. When Chandy appears, most opponents will switch out into their primary special wall, usually something like Blissey, SpD Heatran, or the like. The trouble with these Pokemon is that they can only stall Chandy out or phaze. SubSplit is well known for harrasing the blobs, but Chandelure has access to the rarely-seen Taunt to completely stop their stalling/phazing antics in their tracks. This is especially useful because standard Blissey/Chansey and Heatran will be absolutely unable to touch you after a Taunt, forcing them to switch out or fall. Taunt also allows Chandelure to get past specially defensive Fairies like Sylveon, or Calm Minders like Clefable.
Will-O-Wisp is another unexpected move on Chandelure, and it works similarly to Substitute to beat a few of Chandy's biggest enemies. Against Bisharp, WoW will cause Sucker Punch to fail and it will be left with a crippling Burn instead. Tyranitar can be neutered on the switch as well, allowing you to switch out safely even if it packs Pursuit. Colbur Berry could be an alternative, which could not only lure in Bisharp for a KO, but be used to bluff a Scarf.
The best thing with this Chandelure is that it's a great stop to CM Unaware Clefable, something that not many Pokemon can do. Even after a Calm Mind, Clefable can't do much back with Moonblast, while you can burn it, shut down its recovery, and switch into something else that can 2HKO a burned Clefable and take a few Moonblast hits, such as Mega Venusaur, Tentacruel, Talonflame, and Aegislash. Btw, i would use a bit more bulk on such a set. 80 HP / 252 SpA / 176 Spe still outspeeds Adamant Bisharp and the extra bulk is nice to take advantage of Chandelure's decent bulk.
I guess I'll take the easy spot here and mention Zoroark. Assuming you can pull off the Illusion, it is pretty much made for luring.
First thing that feels really fun is to Sucker Punch something that thought it could outspeed you. Disguise as a Landorus and Sucker Punch that Latios that thought it could come in and throw out a Draco Meteor, for example.
Since it has a decent attacking movepool, it can run whatever coverage you think you need to take down the counters to your disguise. Your STAB can annihilate spin blockers, for example, and it can now use Knock Off for some things like Chansey who didn't expect to get crippled like that. Flamethrower and Focus Blast takes out Steels if you disguise as a dragon or similar. Grass Knot will do a big chunk to Gastrodon and Tyranitar, though it doesn't guarantee a OHKO on either. Even Extrasensory can 2HKO physically defensive Venusaur (though honestly it's not that useful). In general, you can disguise as a physical attacker, lure out physical walls and smack them with special attacks, or the other way too.
Even without using Zoroark, you can make your opponent play extra cautious which can give you the extra turn or two on any other pokemon that you need. They often make extra switches to scout if something is what it appears to be, which is something you can take advantage of to wear down counters.
First thing that feels really fun is to Sucker Punch something that thought it could outspeed you. Disguise as a Landorus and Sucker Punch that Latios that thought it could come in and throw out a Draco Meteor, for example.
Since it has a decent attacking movepool, it can run whatever coverage you think you need to take down the counters to your disguise. Your STAB can annihilate spin blockers, for example, and it can now use Knock Off for some things like Chansey who didn't expect to get crippled like that. Flamethrower and Focus Blast takes out Steels if you disguise as a dragon or similar. Grass Knot will do a big chunk to Gastrodon and Tyranitar, though it doesn't guarantee a OHKO on either. Even Extrasensory can 2HKO physically defensive Venusaur (though honestly it's not that useful). In general, you can disguise as a physical attacker, lure out physical walls and smack them with special attacks, or the other way too.
Even without using Zoroark, you can make your opponent play extra cautious which can give you the extra turn or two on any other pokemon that you need. They often make extra switches to scout if something is what it appears to be, which is something you can take advantage of to wear down counters.
I'll try to respond to as many of you as possible o.o
Ash Borer with EQ Latios and HP Ground Focus Sash Genesect
I have definitely considered using EQ Latios in the past. If you are running Latios with lead Deoxys-S or Deoxys-D, consider using a spread of 40 Atk / 216 SAtk / 252 Spd to always 2HKO 252 HP Tyranitar with SR and Spikes on the field. Although you can 2 shot specially defensive Heatran with Surf on some sets, the appeal of EQ Latios is that you can remove Heatran right from the game and the opponent can't play conservatively with it to prevent the 2HKO and then bring it out on your sweeper (which happens with Surf Latios).
I have mixed feeling about HP Ground. I know it can sell Heatran very well, but I always felt like you sacrificed too much. Your fourth moveslot is dedicated to a base 60 power move that can only hit Heatran hard. At least with the other attacks one could put in that slot for expert belt Genesect you retain a pretty good base power move that also preserves your coverage against water types. It definitely has its niche though and I will add it to the OP.
Also, specially defensive Heatran is probably one of the hardest pokemon to lure in because it spams Protect a lot in order to gain Leftovers recovery. One mispredict on Protect means your plan is over; so it is very high risk, high reward.
sidakarya with SubPunch Mawile and Nasty Plot Dazzling Gleam Togekiss
Unfortunately, SubPunch Mawile isn't the most "stealthy" of lures. First, the use of Substitute is a strong indication that you might have Focus Punch. SubSD is certainly plausible, but Mawile having Focus Punch will definitely be in the Heatran user's mind. Second, you have to tread very carefully when using Focus Punch, because Heatran loves to spam Protect for HP recovery. On a good day you could pull it off, you just have to bear in mind that certain Steel-types and Poison types will be more annoying to you.
FYI Mawile also learns Brick Brick, which still hits Heatran hard while giving you the freedom to run something else other than Substitute in the first slot. If you really felt like it, you could run an SD set with max speed (neutral nature) and Brick Break to lure out Heatran. Easier to sell and it still has the potential to sweep offensive teams with Sucker Punch.
That Togekiss set looks pretty good though.
Small Comments:
TC Terra You don't need Bullet Seed if you wanted to cause severe damage to Rotom-W. A much better idea would be to have enough speed to outrun the Rotom-W on the analysis (220 speed @ 136 Spe) and use Pin Missile to 2HKO. You gain another powerful STAB this way that can beat Psychic types that resist Fighting. Also consider Close Combat > Focus Punch with more speed.
Kadabrium Some of these are sets use moves that are non-standard, which is how they bring out and beat their counters. Some don't involve an unusual change in coverage at all, such as Expert Belt Genesect. Rather than using an unexpected move, it beats the opponent by making them believe it is locked into a resisted "standard-coverage" move.
BlackSIlk90 Go to the "Ask a Simple Question, Get a Simple Answer" Thread. This isn't the place to ask those types of questions >.<
alexwolf Interesting set. U-turn / Quick Attack is a luxury that is hard to give up but I suppose Final Gambit is good on bird teams and U-turn is not necessary. Kinda sucks you can't pull it out mid-game because of SR and recoil from Brave Bird or Double Edge though. Also consider that it can block Defog if you absolutely needed to get damage done + keep hazards down.
Ash Borer with EQ Latios and HP Ground Focus Sash Genesect
I have definitely considered using EQ Latios in the past. If you are running Latios with lead Deoxys-S or Deoxys-D, consider using a spread of 40 Atk / 216 SAtk / 252 Spd to always 2HKO 252 HP Tyranitar with SR and Spikes on the field. Although you can 2 shot specially defensive Heatran with Surf on some sets, the appeal of EQ Latios is that you can remove Heatran right from the game and the opponent can't play conservatively with it to prevent the 2HKO and then bring it out on your sweeper (which happens with Surf Latios).
I have mixed feeling about HP Ground. I know it can sell Heatran very well, but I always felt like you sacrificed too much. Your fourth moveslot is dedicated to a base 60 power move that can only hit Heatran hard. At least with the other attacks one could put in that slot for expert belt Genesect you retain a pretty good base power move that also preserves your coverage against water types. It definitely has its niche though and I will add it to the OP.
Also, specially defensive Heatran is probably one of the hardest pokemon to lure in because it spams Protect a lot in order to gain Leftovers recovery. One mispredict on Protect means your plan is over; so it is very high risk, high reward.
sidakarya with SubPunch Mawile and Nasty Plot Dazzling Gleam Togekiss
Unfortunately, SubPunch Mawile isn't the most "stealthy" of lures. First, the use of Substitute is a strong indication that you might have Focus Punch. SubSD is certainly plausible, but Mawile having Focus Punch will definitely be in the Heatran user's mind. Second, you have to tread very carefully when using Focus Punch, because Heatran loves to spam Protect for HP recovery. On a good day you could pull it off, you just have to bear in mind that certain Steel-types and Poison types will be more annoying to you.
FYI Mawile also learns Brick Brick, which still hits Heatran hard while giving you the freedom to run something else other than Substitute in the first slot. If you really felt like it, you could run an SD set with max speed (neutral nature) and Brick Break to lure out Heatran. Easier to sell and it still has the potential to sweep offensive teams with Sucker Punch.
That Togekiss set looks pretty good though.
Small Comments:
TC Terra You don't need Bullet Seed if you wanted to cause severe damage to Rotom-W. A much better idea would be to have enough speed to outrun the Rotom-W on the analysis (220 speed @ 136 Spe) and use Pin Missile to 2HKO. You gain another powerful STAB this way that can beat Psychic types that resist Fighting. Also consider Close Combat > Focus Punch with more speed.
Kadabrium Some of these are sets use moves that are non-standard, which is how they bring out and beat their counters. Some don't involve an unusual change in coverage at all, such as Expert Belt Genesect. Rather than using an unexpected move, it beats the opponent by making them believe it is locked into a resisted "standard-coverage" move.
BlackSIlk90 Go to the "Ask a Simple Question, Get a Simple Answer" Thread. This isn't the place to ask those types of questions >.<
alexwolf Interesting set. U-turn / Quick Attack is a luxury that is hard to give up but I suppose Final Gambit is good on bird teams and U-turn is not necessary. Kinda sucks you can't pull it out mid-game because of SR and recoil from Brave Bird or Double Edge though. Also consider that it can block Defog if you absolutely needed to get damage done + keep hazards down.
Yeah after using it a little while I was thinking of Pin Missile. Any idea how much it does to other bulky waters when I don't have the chance to Focus Punch?
Charizard @ Charizardite Y
Blaze/Solar Power
252 SPA/252 SPD/4 ATK
Hasty nature
-Fire Blast
-Earthquake
-Solarbeam
-Flare Blitz/Hidden Power Ice
EQ 2HKOs Heatran and does at least 28% to standard Tyranitar, potentially allowing you to megaevolve next turn and finish the KO with solar beam. Flare Blitz 2HKOs standard Blissey and 3HKOs standard Chansey. Hidden Power Ice is a great option if dragons and scarf-lando are more of an issue than blobs. Fire/Flying types with high SpD will give this set trouble in any form. Using EQ and flare blitz before mega evolving can also help bluff an X set.
Blaze/Solar Power
252 SPA/252 SPD/4 ATK
Hasty nature
-Fire Blast
-Earthquake
-Solarbeam
-Flare Blitz/Hidden Power Ice
EQ 2HKOs Heatran and does at least 28% to standard Tyranitar, potentially allowing you to megaevolve next turn and finish the KO with solar beam. Flare Blitz 2HKOs standard Blissey and 3HKOs standard Chansey. Hidden Power Ice is a great option if dragons and scarf-lando are more of an issue than blobs. Fire/Flying types with high SpD will give this set trouble in any form. Using EQ and flare blitz before mega evolving can also help bluff an X set.
Don't some heatran also run earth power?
Mfw I switched in to that Latios
Latios (M) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Surf
- Shadow Ball
This set is really straight forward and works really well. Since Aegislash is a really common switch in to Latios, using Shadow Ball makes your opponent pay for bringing it in to take a Draco Meteor or Psyshock. Specs Shadow Ball deal 56.7 - 67.2% to the standard 252 HP / 0 Spd Aegislash. This severely weakens Aegislash and makes your opponent more cautious of what they can switch in to take a hit from Latios. For example, this replay showcases luring in Aegislash and nailing it with a Shadow Ball early game thus rendering less of a threat in the rest of the game.
Hm okay, I don't actually know if this can be considered a lure or something of that sort. But from my experience it does work as a 'lure' although I never intended to make it a lure (I didn't even know what a lure was up till now). So here it is:
Breloom @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Spore
- Mach Punch
- Seed Bomb
- Stone Edge / Rock Tomb
Adamant because, POWER. I don't know why I went max speed probably to just ensure I outpace Rotom-W most of the time. I first made this to sort of check/counter Rotom-W with Poison Heal making Breloom un-burnable and it resisting both of Rotom-W's attacking moves. With max speed it often outpaces Landorus-T too and can Spore it which is very nice.
Now for the real lure which is Stone Edge or Rock Tomb. When people see that my Breloom has Poison Heal they often believe it's some sort of SubSeed set or doesn't carry a Rock move, a lot of times people just switch in their Talonflame (if I already Spored something) to take any hit I go for and then they get destroyed.
252+ Atk Breloom Stone Edge vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Talonflame: 384-452 (128.8 - 151.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO (This is Rock Tomb, couldn't find it on the calc so I changed it to 60 BP).
The reason I use Stone Edge over Rock Tomb though, is because Breloom is a nice lure to another common Pokémon as well:
252+ Atk Breloom Stone Edge vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Mandibuzz: 168-198 (39.6 - 46.6%) -- 96.1% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
Mandibuzz can be considered a hard counter to Breloom if it doesn't pack Stone Edge, because it's also immune to Spore with the ability Overcoat. I guess the major drawback is that you have to count on Stone Miss to hit twice (or at all).
Just ran into an Aegislash with Head Smash. Didn't expect that and switched Rotom-H in. OHKO.
It isn't standard is fire blast , focus blast, solar beam, roost. Not that their is a point if eq cuz Zard y 2hkoes heatran and ttar anyways, although relying on focus blast sux
It is standard based on its OU analysis. Just because people aren't using its best set doesn't mean it's not the standard. Focus Blast is good if you are using Roost, however without Roost, Earthquake + Dragon Pulse are the two best moves for the last slots.
Another lure I've been using (well, kind of - I normally pass it speed and special attack boosts using timid LO 252 SAtk / 252 Spe, but the luring potential is definitely here):
Clefable @ Focus Sash
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 HP / 4 Def
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Flamethrower
- Moonblast
- Focus Blast
- Soft-Boiled
Fairy typing having only two weaknesses means that Poison and Steel types switch in with aplomb, only to find you have something horrible waiting for them - as it's impossible to 2HKO you without a move that hits twice (Magic Guard always leaves your Sash intact, regardless of hazards).
252+ SpA Clefable Flamethrower vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Mega Scizor: 348-412 (101.1 - 119.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO (sames goes for a banded Scizor, obviously)
252+ SpA Clefable Focus Blast vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Mega Lucario: 308-364 (109.6 - 129.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO (I know, Focus Miss)
Because of Clefable's enormous move pool however, and the ability to use a Life Orb without recoil, you can give it EVs to do different things:
176+ SpA Life Orb Clefable Flamethrower vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Mega Lucario: 281-333 (100 - 118.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO (a lot better than the shaky KO from Focus Blast, and you can put enough EVs into HP to avoid the KO from Flash Canon as long as Lucario isn't boosted)
Modest Specs 252 HP / 48 SAtk / 44 SDef / 164 Spe (enough to outspeed Mega Venusaur):
48+ SpA Choice Specs Clefable Psychic vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Mega Venusaur: 182-216 (50 - 59.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (A LO set is also possible, but you have a 6.8% chance of a KO from Venusaur).
252+ SpA Mega Venusaur Sludge Bomb vs. 252 HP / 44 SpD Clefable: 320-380 (81.2 - 96.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
And with Talonflame (not so much a counter to Clefable, but people seem to use Talonflame whenever they feel a heavy hit is needed):
252+ SpA Life Orb Clefable Thunderbolt vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Talonflame: 307-361 (103 - 121.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Talonflame Brave Bird vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Clefable: 303-357 (76.9 - 90.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
The point I'm getting at is that Clefable is versatile enough for you to specify it for a certain Clefable counter you want it to take out, and with Magic Guard it is never affected by hazards. No matter how you specify its EVs, you'll usually do good damage with it as it is consistently an underestimated quantity (I've swept with the previously mentioned Timid LO set max speed and special attack with a +2/+2 boost simply because its coverage is so good).
Clefable @ Focus Sash
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 HP / 4 Def
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Flamethrower
- Moonblast
- Focus Blast
- Soft-Boiled
Fairy typing having only two weaknesses means that Poison and Steel types switch in with aplomb, only to find you have something horrible waiting for them - as it's impossible to 2HKO you without a move that hits twice (Magic Guard always leaves your Sash intact, regardless of hazards).
252+ SpA Clefable Flamethrower vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Mega Scizor: 348-412 (101.1 - 119.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO (sames goes for a banded Scizor, obviously)
252+ SpA Clefable Focus Blast vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Mega Lucario: 308-364 (109.6 - 129.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO (I know, Focus Miss)
Because of Clefable's enormous move pool however, and the ability to use a Life Orb without recoil, you can give it EVs to do different things:
176+ SpA Life Orb Clefable Flamethrower vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Mega Lucario: 281-333 (100 - 118.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO (a lot better than the shaky KO from Focus Blast, and you can put enough EVs into HP to avoid the KO from Flash Canon as long as Lucario isn't boosted)
Modest Specs 252 HP / 48 SAtk / 44 SDef / 164 Spe (enough to outspeed Mega Venusaur):
48+ SpA Choice Specs Clefable Psychic vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Mega Venusaur: 182-216 (50 - 59.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (A LO set is also possible, but you have a 6.8% chance of a KO from Venusaur).
252+ SpA Mega Venusaur Sludge Bomb vs. 252 HP / 44 SpD Clefable: 320-380 (81.2 - 96.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
And with Talonflame (not so much a counter to Clefable, but people seem to use Talonflame whenever they feel a heavy hit is needed):
252+ SpA Life Orb Clefable Thunderbolt vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Talonflame: 307-361 (103 - 121.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Talonflame Brave Bird vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Clefable: 303-357 (76.9 - 90.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
The point I'm getting at is that Clefable is versatile enough for you to specify it for a certain Clefable counter you want it to take out, and with Magic Guard it is never affected by hazards. No matter how you specify its EVs, you'll usually do good damage with it as it is consistently an underestimated quantity (I've swept with the previously mentioned Timid LO set max speed and special attack with a +2/+2 boost simply because its coverage is so good).
As far as lures go, the closest things I've been running are Gyarados who tries to force a physical poke out with intimidate, sets up DD, mega evolves, and OHKO's Rotom with EQ. I also run a Charizard X on one team that lures Azumarill and KO's with thunderpunch. Both of those are known coverage moves, but the power comes from baiting the specific pokes by bluffing regular Gyarados and most people assuming Charizard runs EQ or roost. When it comes to lures, I think the way you portray your pokemon is just as important as which moves it carries. Dedicated lures can sometimes be hindering and requires specific conditions to grant maximum success, but plenty of pokemon can bait and eliminate their checks, so I'd appreciate if we at least mention those pokemon for the sake of not getting caught off guard in simulator play.
Ash Borer
I've heard they're short of room in hell
I call this a "status lure". Basic idea is it to pair it with a sweeper than hates status (mega mawile *-*) and use a double anti status Lum + Substitute to let you play incredibly aggressively against status users, often forcing the opp to sack their status user.
Garchomp @ Lum Berry
Nature: Jolly
Evs: 252 spe / 252 atk
Ability: Rough Skin
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Outrage
- Substitute
With this set you switch in ON will o wisp, then bait them to use it again, while you sub. At that point, you can achieve +2 cleanly, and then force your opponent to have something die to the mighty Garchomp on the switch as it basically 2HKOs everything, or sack their will o wisp user, both are favorable. Lum also protects from stray scald and lava plume burns for users of both that move and will o wisp, such as Jellicent, or Heatran.
Garchomp @ Lum Berry
Nature: Jolly
Evs: 252 spe / 252 atk
Ability: Rough Skin
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Outrage
- Substitute
With this set you switch in ON will o wisp, then bait them to use it again, while you sub. At that point, you can achieve +2 cleanly, and then force your opponent to have something die to the mighty Garchomp on the switch as it basically 2HKOs everything, or sack their will o wisp user, both are favorable. Lum also protects from stray scald and lava plume burns for users of both that move and will o wisp, such as Jellicent, or Heatran.
Something similar with Jojobobo's set, but this is the overall most effective one imo:
Clefable @ Life Orb
Nature: Modest
Evs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe
Ability: Magic Guard
- Moonblast
- Fire Blast
- Thunderbolt
- Softboiled
With this set, you can eliminate or weaken common switch-ins to Clefable, such as Aegislash, Talonflame, Excadrill, Mega Charizard Y, and Mega Scizor, assuming you hit them on the switch. Here are the calcs:
Clefable @ Life Orb
Nature: Modest
Evs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe
Ability: Magic Guard
- Moonblast
- Fire Blast
- Thunderbolt
- Softboiled
With this set, you can eliminate or weaken common switch-ins to Clefable, such as Aegislash, Talonflame, Excadrill, Mega Charizard Y, and Mega Scizor, assuming you hit them on the switch. Here are the calcs:
- 252+ SpA Life Orb Clefable Fire Blast vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Excadrill: 393-463 (108.5 - 127.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO
- 252+ SpA Life Orb Clefable Fire Blast vs. 120 HP / 252 SpD Assault Vest Excadrill: 190-226 (48.5 - 57.8%) -- 94.1% chance to 2HKO
- 252+ SpA Life Orb Clefable Fire Blast vs. 4 HP / 4 SpD Aegislash-Shield: 192-229 (73.2 - 87.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
- 252+ SpA Life Orb Clefable Thunderbolt vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Talonflame: 307-361 (103 - 121.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO
- 252+ SpA Life Orb Clefable Thunderbolt vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Mega Charizard Y: 203-239 (68.1 - 80.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
- 252+ SpA Life Orb Clefable Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Mega Scizor: 551-650 (160.1 - 188.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO
I guess now that Bisharp is OU (and because both of these are effective Pokemon in OU anyways), I can re-post about my Bisharp/Mega Medicham core that is designed to lure in and take out Mega Medicham's best defensive checks.
Basically, the idea is to cut Mega Medicham's priority or coverage so that you can run Baton Pass. This allows you to bring Mega Medicham in relatively early into the game against something it can force out as you Baton Pass into Bisharp to Pursuit trap whatever comes in. The concept works really well in practice because all of the best checks to Mega Medicham are Psychic- and Ghost-types, including Aegislash and Slowbro, which Bisharp can destroy pretty easily without having to worry about hard-switching into a Secret Sword, Scald, or status move. This also requires you to run Pursuit over Low Kick, Swords Dance, or Substitute on Bisharp, but let's act for a second like this really matters lol. All in all, it's a pretty fun offensive core that manages to cover pretty much everything on its own. Even if you aren't feeling frisky enough to run Baton Pass on Mega Medicham, you can still run this core anyways because Bisharp is like the perfect offensive partner for Mega Medicham anyways.
Basically, the idea is to cut Mega Medicham's priority or coverage so that you can run Baton Pass. This allows you to bring Mega Medicham in relatively early into the game against something it can force out as you Baton Pass into Bisharp to Pursuit trap whatever comes in. The concept works really well in practice because all of the best checks to Mega Medicham are Psychic- and Ghost-types, including Aegislash and Slowbro, which Bisharp can destroy pretty easily without having to worry about hard-switching into a Secret Sword, Scald, or status move. This also requires you to run Pursuit over Low Kick, Swords Dance, or Substitute on Bisharp, but let's act for a second like this really matters lol. All in all, it's a pretty fun offensive core that manages to cover pretty much everything on its own. Even if you aren't feeling frisky enough to run Baton Pass on Mega Medicham, you can still run this core anyways because Bisharp is like the perfect offensive partner for Mega Medicham anyways.
I have always enjoyed HP: ground on superachi! as a +1 252 spa jirachi can ohko both of its 'surefire' counters in magnetzone and heatran(heatran only has a 44% chance of surviving with 252 hp EVs), and more importantly a +1 spd jirachi is not ko'd by scarf heatran's fire blast which will outspeed it.
jirachi Leftovers
252 spa/speed
psychic or flash cannon
thunderbolt
HP:ground
clam mind
jirachi Leftovers
252 spa/speed
psychic or flash cannon
thunderbolt
HP:ground
clam mind
- Status