[OVERVIEW]
* Alolan Persian has a great Speed tier, outspeeding most of the non-Choice Scarf metagame.
* It also has a wide variety of support moves, including Fake Out, Parting Shot, and Snarl.
* Fur Coat gives it great physical bulk, especially with some EV investment.
* However, it has poor attacking stats and therefore little offensive presence outside of Foul Play.
* It is also pretty specially frail and stuck with a poor defensive typing.
* Additionally, four-moveslot syndrome severely limits its supportive capabilities.
* It ultimately relies on a lot of prediction due to using moves like Fake Out, Taunt, Feint, and Parting Shot.
[SET]
name: Parting Shot
move 1: Parting Shot
move 2: Fake Out
move 3: Foul Play
move 4: Snarl / Taunt / Feint
item: Darkium Z
ability: Fur Coat
nature: Timid
EVs: 156 HP / 100 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Parting Shot allows Alolan Persian to switch to a better matchup and weaken something dangerous. Z-Parting Shot also heals an injured ally.
* Fake Out ruins the opponent's plans on the first turn, and allows Alolan Persian to either have a teammate set something up or get a head start with damage. Parting Shot allows Alolan Persian to do this multiple times in a game.
* Foul Play is Alolan Persian's only reliable damage option, and while it struggles to do much to special attackers, it can do good damage to physical ones like Kartana and Alolan Marowak.
* Snarl lowers the foes' Special Attack stats, allowing Alolan Persian and its partner to better take hits. It also breaks Focus Sash and can force switches.
* Taunt allows Alolan Persian to stop the use of Trick Room, Tailwind, Protect, and other status moves, shutting down other supporters and often scoring a free turn.
* Feint breaks through Protect, allowing your teammate to strike them. However, it requires some predicting.
Set Details
========
* Most of Alolan Perisan's EVs are in Speed to Speed creep Tapu Koko that lack a Speed-boosting nature, as well as max Speed Gengar.
* 156 EVs are in HP for general mixed bulk.
* The rest is in Special Defense to make Porygon2's Download boost the Attack stat.
* Fur Coat is the only usable ability, boosting Defense to high enough of a level that Alolan Persian can take some hits.
* Darkium Z makes it a good pivot that can heal a bulkier attacker.
Usage Tips
========
* It's best for Alolan Persian to adopt a hit-and-run playstyle, using Fake Out, then whatever support moves are deemed important, and finally retreating with Parting Shot. This way, Alolan Persian can frequently provide Fake Out support and avoid being KOed despite its poor Special Defense.
* Use Fake Out and, then Parting Shot on either the Pokemon that is the most threatening or the one that you want to knock out right away. It also helps to target Pokemon that often do not run Protect.
* As Parting Shot allows Alolan Persian to switch in on most of the metagame, it can make for a good lead to scout the opponent and find a good matchup, with the bonus of weakening the foes' offences.
* Be more apt to switch out Alolan Persian's weakened teammates if they are in a bad matchup, rather than sack them outright. A well-timed Z-Parting Shot can put them back in the game if they find a better matchup.
Team Options
========
* Alolan Persian needs something to counter Fairy-types and switch into the island guardians. Celesteela is bulky enough to take all but Electric-type attacks, while Alolan Muk can generally deal massive damage to Fairy-types and has good bulk. Kartana and Nihilego can both take on Fairy-types with their high Speed and super effective STAB moves.
* Alolan Persian also needs something reliably bulky to switch out to after using Parting Shot. Celesteela can again again to deal with Fairy- and Bug- types, and so can other steel types like Magnezone. Tapu Fini has good mixed bulk and resists incoming Fighting-type moves. Assault Vest Goodra, though sharing a weakness to Fairy, can take many of the special attacks Alolan Persian can't and knock out Fairy-types with Sludge Bomb.
* Intimidate users like Arcanine and Gyarados work well too, as the Attack drop enhances the bulk of your team more than the effect of Parting Shot alone.
* Alolan Persian usually wants to be with something that can use the Fake Out support, like other support Pokemon such as Alolan Ninetales and Tailwind setters as well as frail attackers such as Pheromosa and Tapu Koko. It can also work with bulky attackers to bolster their bulk with Snarl and Parting Shot.
[SET]
name: Assault Vest
move 1: Fake Out
move 2: Snarl
move 3: Foul Play
move 4: Feint / U-turn
item: Assault Vest
ability: Fur Coat
nature: Timid
EVs: 220 HP / 36 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Fake Out disables an opponent for a turn to allow Alolan Persian's ally to get a head start.
* Snarl is Alolan Persian's main move in the set, as when combined with the Assault Vest, Alolan Persian gets good mixed bulk. This gives Alolan Persian more staying power, changing its role from a supporting pivot to a check to special attackers.
* Foul Play is Alolan Persian's best offensive option with the lack of offencive investment and can do solid damage to physical attackers like Garchomp, Kartana, and Alolan Marowak.
* Feint expands on the set's supportive ability and is best paired with a powerful attacker to surprise and break through a Protect user as well as break Focus Sashes.
* U-turn provides an option for pivoting, though the low damage output makes it underwhelming.
Set Details
========
* Maximum Speed investment to hit threats with Foul Play and Snarl quickly before they strike back, and the defensive EVs give solid bulk and cause Download to give Porygon2 an Attack boost
* Assault Vest boosts its Special Defense to usable levels, making it somewhat bulky when combined with Snarl to further bolster its Special Defense.
* Fur Coat gives it enough physical bulk to complement its special bulk.
Usage Tips
========
* This set focuses more on keeping Alolan Persian in play as opposed to pivoting. That being said, don't be afraid to switch out it either when Alolan Persian has little to do or when doing so can create a better matchup, as this allows you to use Fake Out again.
* Fairy types are a significant threat, so you should carry a good Poison-type, such as Alolan Muk and Nihlego, or Steel-type, such as Celesteela and Kartana, to deal with them.
* As Snarl is Alolan Persian's most useful move, make sure it gets plenty of chances to use it. Try to send it out more as a check to special attackers than a lead; it works really well when the foe is at a disadvantage and cannot switch.
* Feint, though it requires a lot of prediction, can be used to finish off a threat with a teammate. It's especially useful in combination with Z-Moves.
* Foul Play is largely an emergency move, as it lacks power against most of the metagame. However, it can be useful against foes like Alolan Marowak and Kartana, or if you need more offence presence to secure a win.
Team Options
========
* As this Alolan Persian set is less mobile, it is much more important to find a partner that can exert offensive pressure to take advantage of Snarl, Fake Out, and Feint.
* Setup Sweepers like Gyarados and Snorlax appreciate the Fake Out to immediately set up, as well as increased special bulk through Snarl.
* Physically bulky offensive Pokemon like Tapu Bulu and Gigalith can use the Snarl support to become well-rounded powerhouses and put immediate pressure on the opposing team.
* Powerful Z-Move users like Kommo-o and Araquanid appreciate Feint, as it allows their Z-Moves to go off without a hitch.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
* Thunder Wave can provide some Speed control against something fast, but isn't as useful as some of Alolan Persian's other options.
* Roar can force out setup sweepers and Trick Room users, but its negative priority limits its utility.
* Quash can be somewhat useful with a powerful teammate, giving them a chance to OHKO a glass cannon before it strikes.
* Technician with maximum Special Attack and Focus Sash can do solid damage with Snarl and any coverage moves like Hidden Power, but Alolan Persian loses much of it's bulk and still doesn't hit that hard.
* Dark Pulse can hit foes hard when combined with Darkium Z, but base 75 Special Attack means most other Z-Move users work better, and Dark Pulse lacks significant power without the Z-Move.
* Protect allows Alolan Persian to survive longer and distract your opponent it they target it, but is hard to fit into the moveset.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fairy-types**: Considering that Bug- and Fighting- types are relatively uncommon in this metagame, Fairy types are Alolan Persian's biggest concern. Tapu Koko and Tapu Lele perfectly countering it, with the former outspeeding and OHKOing, and the latter preventing priority, out speeding with a Choice Scarf, and also OHKOing. Switch it out of these if you can. Tapu Fini and Tapu Bulu are lesser concerns, thanks to Alolan Persian being able to outspeed the two and Parting Shot away.
**Faster Threats**: While not very much outspeeds Alolan-Persian, the few that do can be threatening. Phermosa can nail it with any STAB move, while Aerodactyl and Whimsicott use can Taunt or Tailwind freely. Plus, powerful Choice Scarf users and weather Speed boosters like Golduck and Lilligant can also quickly take out Alolan Persian. In these cases, where the faster pokemon is a serious threat, it is often best to simply switch out after a Fake Out rather than using Parting Shot.
**Special Tanks**: Bulky special attackers like Porygon2, Tapu Fini, and Goodra can put a serious dent in Alolan Persian and are often hard to take down without the right ally. Luckily, it can usually outspeed them with and escape Parting Shot and switch out assuming you have more than two pokemon left. The Assault Vest set can generally take their hits better to realitate with Snarl, but still would like to avoid super effective hits.
**Speed Control**: While Alolan Persian can shut down Tailwind, Trick Room, and Thunder Wave, if your opponent manages to pull one of them off, you could be in some serious hurt. The Assault Vest set has an even harder time dealing with this. Trick Room sweepers like Drampa and Hariyama can dish out massive damage, and Alolan Persian's high Speed means it will go last much of the time. Keep it out of these situations if possible, relying on other teammates to stall out Trick Room.
**Counters to Status Moves**: While Substitute isn't overly common in the meta, a foe using Substitute effectively leaves Alolan Persian unable to do anything to them. Ghost-types pose another threat, being immune to both Fake Out and Feint. Pokemon immune to stat changes like Metagross can limit Alolan Persian's options, and Milotic can switch in on a predicted Parting Shot or Snarl in order to gain a Special Attack boost. Make sure your team is ready to deal with any of these possibilities.
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