Deck Knight
Blast Off At The Speed Of Light! That's Right!
So this was the first day I ever used Azurill. I looked at its terrible move diversity and saw something that looked like it could work. So I tested it with support and it was pretty damned beastly. Enjoy.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/azurill
Status: Grammar edits completed. Double-Edge (slashed) and Sub put on the first set. Iron Tail in other options.
[SET]
name: THE Azurill
move 1: Return / Double-Edge
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Encore
move 4: Substitute
item: Life Orb / Focus Sash
ability: Huge Power
nature: Adamant
evs: 116 HP / 196 Atk /116 Spe / 36 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Azurill has two competitive attacks given its stats: Return (or Double-Edge) and Waterfall. Thankfully these provide perfect neutral coverage and Azurill's attack is a massive 24.</p>
<p>Being able to choose between attacks this powerful is crucial. Azurill is the quintessential glass cannon: it has massive attack but its defenses are lacking. Its terrible speed at base 20 means it is good in only two scenarios: Trick Room and vs. paralyzed opponents. Trick Room is the more lethal of the two, as it will be slower than a Munchlax not built for Trick Room. Azurill's low speed makes it easily convertible to a Trick Room set, use a Brave nature with 116 HP / 196 Atk / 36 Def / 116 SpD and 0 Spe IVs.</p>
<p>The choice between Return and Double-Edge comes down mostly to preference. Double-Edge has massive power but destroys any chance at all of Azurill surviving any attack, even from walls. Return has less power but lets you conserve more of Azurill's HP.</p>
<p>Encore allows you to punish setup and get in a powerful attack unharmed. If you can catch an opponent using Stealth Rock or Agility, by all means Encore them, nothing can survive two hits from Azurill.</p>
<p>Substitute has excellent synergy with Encore and Azurill's coverage capability. You can attack easily behind the Substitute to KO an opponent's Pokemon at no risk to Azurill</p>
<p>Item choice here is between increased general damage and a second shot. If using Focus Sash, run Return, as the opportunity is wasted with Double-Edge.</p>
<p>Azurill really needs support to function at all. Trick Room and Rain Dance are both solid, and if you have both at once you end up with a monstrous beast that makes maximum usage of the timer Azurill lives on. If your opponent does not have a Dry Skin/Water Absorb Pokemon and a Ghost-type, it will be difficult for them to address Azurill because they can't run down the timer with a prediction game. Therefore in addition to Pokemon that can set up Trick Room, choose teammates that can get rid of Croagunk, the most common Pokemon with Water immunity. Diglett can trap and KO Croagunk although it has to watch out for priority attacks. You also want Pokemon that can set up Stealth Rock to break an opponent's Focus Sash.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Iron Tail hits Snorunt and Lileep harder than Return and Waterfall, but is otherwise inferior. Body Slam provides a decent hit, but has substantial power loss and only an iffy chance of paralysis. Knock Off can get rid of an opponent's item while doing semi-decent damage, especially to Ghost-types. Sing has terrible accuracy but could conceivably put something to sleep. Special attacks are largely pointless, as Return or Waterfall OHKOs anything that Hidden Power would.</p>
<p>Sing has the unlikely chance of putting something to sleep, but its there. Azurill can also set up its own Rain Dance. It has some notable stat-downs in Charm and Tickle, although its timer generally trends toward maximizing damage.</p>
[EVs]
<p>Azurill is generally EV'd to have more Special Defense than Defense so Porygon always gets an Attack boost. Azurill's defenses are paper anyway, so this maximizes competitive usefullness. Azurill is so slow that only Trick Room and Paralysis serve it well, so there's little functional difference between 6 and 8 Speed. You'll beat Munchlax and Trapinch outside of Trick Room with it, but that's it.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Azurill works best with Trick Room and Stealth Rock support. Choose Pokemon who can reliably set up one or both of these conditions. Duskull is immune to Fighting attacks and sets up Trick Room, and can also lure out Ghost attacks for Azurill to switch into unscathed. Bronzor is another durable Pokemon that can set up Trick Room and it can also use Stealth Rock. Because Azurill also benefits from Rain Dance, Rain Sweepers can also work with it. Kabuto and Omanyte can both set up Stealth Rock and abuse Swift Swim in Rain. Mantyke and Croagunk can help Azurill deal with boosted Water attacks.</p>
[Opinion]
<p>Azurill is a glass cannon on a timer. It hits with devastating power, but it can't take a hit to save itself. It functions incredibly well in Trick Room, dealing massive amounts of damage. It needs support to do its duty which is a considerable weakness. If you're tired of the old Trick Room sweepers and want to try something new, Azurill can hit everything hard with only minor amounts of prediction. Do remember to always use Huge Power. Thick Fat Azurill is a terrible Munchlax.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Azurill is a Normal-type with powerful Water-type attacks. This makes countering it directly difficult because one of its two attacks will hit your switch-in like a truck. Send in a Ghost-type or a Pokemon with a Water immunity and hope for the best.</p>
<p>Revenge killing Azurill is fairly simple, however. Croagunk has Vacuum Wave which can easily finish off an Azurill who has attacked already. Most non-Ghost priority attacks keep it in check. A Munchlax or Trapinch built around Trick Room will also be slower. If Rain Dance is up, Aqua Jet works pretty well, as Azurill does not resist Water. If Trick Room isn't active, nearly anything with decent offensive power that outspeeds Azurill will do the job.</p>
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/azurill
Status: Grammar edits completed. Double-Edge (slashed) and Sub put on the first set. Iron Tail in other options.
[SET]
name: THE Azurill
move 1: Return / Double-Edge
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Encore
move 4: Substitute
item: Life Orb / Focus Sash
ability: Huge Power
nature: Adamant
evs: 116 HP / 196 Atk /116 Spe / 36 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Azurill has two competitive attacks given its stats: Return (or Double-Edge) and Waterfall. Thankfully these provide perfect neutral coverage and Azurill's attack is a massive 24.</p>
<p>Being able to choose between attacks this powerful is crucial. Azurill is the quintessential glass cannon: it has massive attack but its defenses are lacking. Its terrible speed at base 20 means it is good in only two scenarios: Trick Room and vs. paralyzed opponents. Trick Room is the more lethal of the two, as it will be slower than a Munchlax not built for Trick Room. Azurill's low speed makes it easily convertible to a Trick Room set, use a Brave nature with 116 HP / 196 Atk / 36 Def / 116 SpD and 0 Spe IVs.</p>
<p>The choice between Return and Double-Edge comes down mostly to preference. Double-Edge has massive power but destroys any chance at all of Azurill surviving any attack, even from walls. Return has less power but lets you conserve more of Azurill's HP.</p>
<p>Encore allows you to punish setup and get in a powerful attack unharmed. If you can catch an opponent using Stealth Rock or Agility, by all means Encore them, nothing can survive two hits from Azurill.</p>
<p>Substitute has excellent synergy with Encore and Azurill's coverage capability. You can attack easily behind the Substitute to KO an opponent's Pokemon at no risk to Azurill</p>
<p>Item choice here is between increased general damage and a second shot. If using Focus Sash, run Return, as the opportunity is wasted with Double-Edge.</p>
<p>Azurill really needs support to function at all. Trick Room and Rain Dance are both solid, and if you have both at once you end up with a monstrous beast that makes maximum usage of the timer Azurill lives on. If your opponent does not have a Dry Skin/Water Absorb Pokemon and a Ghost-type, it will be difficult for them to address Azurill because they can't run down the timer with a prediction game. Therefore in addition to Pokemon that can set up Trick Room, choose teammates that can get rid of Croagunk, the most common Pokemon with Water immunity. Diglett can trap and KO Croagunk although it has to watch out for priority attacks. You also want Pokemon that can set up Stealth Rock to break an opponent's Focus Sash.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Iron Tail hits Snorunt and Lileep harder than Return and Waterfall, but is otherwise inferior. Body Slam provides a decent hit, but has substantial power loss and only an iffy chance of paralysis. Knock Off can get rid of an opponent's item while doing semi-decent damage, especially to Ghost-types. Sing has terrible accuracy but could conceivably put something to sleep. Special attacks are largely pointless, as Return or Waterfall OHKOs anything that Hidden Power would.</p>
<p>Sing has the unlikely chance of putting something to sleep, but its there. Azurill can also set up its own Rain Dance. It has some notable stat-downs in Charm and Tickle, although its timer generally trends toward maximizing damage.</p>
[EVs]
<p>Azurill is generally EV'd to have more Special Defense than Defense so Porygon always gets an Attack boost. Azurill's defenses are paper anyway, so this maximizes competitive usefullness. Azurill is so slow that only Trick Room and Paralysis serve it well, so there's little functional difference between 6 and 8 Speed. You'll beat Munchlax and Trapinch outside of Trick Room with it, but that's it.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Azurill works best with Trick Room and Stealth Rock support. Choose Pokemon who can reliably set up one or both of these conditions. Duskull is immune to Fighting attacks and sets up Trick Room, and can also lure out Ghost attacks for Azurill to switch into unscathed. Bronzor is another durable Pokemon that can set up Trick Room and it can also use Stealth Rock. Because Azurill also benefits from Rain Dance, Rain Sweepers can also work with it. Kabuto and Omanyte can both set up Stealth Rock and abuse Swift Swim in Rain. Mantyke and Croagunk can help Azurill deal with boosted Water attacks.</p>
[Opinion]
<p>Azurill is a glass cannon on a timer. It hits with devastating power, but it can't take a hit to save itself. It functions incredibly well in Trick Room, dealing massive amounts of damage. It needs support to do its duty which is a considerable weakness. If you're tired of the old Trick Room sweepers and want to try something new, Azurill can hit everything hard with only minor amounts of prediction. Do remember to always use Huge Power. Thick Fat Azurill is a terrible Munchlax.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Azurill is a Normal-type with powerful Water-type attacks. This makes countering it directly difficult because one of its two attacks will hit your switch-in like a truck. Send in a Ghost-type or a Pokemon with a Water immunity and hope for the best.</p>
<p>Revenge killing Azurill is fairly simple, however. Croagunk has Vacuum Wave which can easily finish off an Azurill who has attacked already. Most non-Ghost priority attacks keep it in check. A Munchlax or Trapinch built around Trick Room will also be slower. If Rain Dance is up, Aqua Jet works pretty well, as Azurill does not resist Water. If Trick Room isn't active, nearly anything with decent offensive power that outspeeds Azurill will do the job.</p>