Threw
cohiba
[OVERVIEW]
Numerous helpful and unique resistances and two immunities give Bronzong the unique ability to hard check several relevant threats such as Abomasnow and Venusaur in one slot. It has numerous forms of utility, as access to Stealth Rock and the ability to wall every Defog user in the tier make it one of the most reliable setters in RU, and its extremely low Speed and access to Trick Room and Gyro Ball make it an ideal Trick Room setter and attacker. However, while Bronzong is a good glue Pokemon that handles several common threats, it cannot be counted on as a reliable catch-all check without cleric support, as it is easily worn down due to its total lack of recovery and offensive presence as well as a crippling weakness to the ubiquitous Knock Off and Pursuit. In addition, poor Speed and mediocre offensive stats make it setup bait for a number of threats, and it faces competition as a bulky Steel-type from Registeel due to inferior bulk and lack of access to Seismic Toss and Thunder Wave.
[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Gyro Ball
move 3: Toxic
move 4: Earthquake
item: Leftovers
ability: Levitate
nature: Sassy
evs: 252 HP / 72 Def / 184 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Stealth Rock allows Bronzong to support its teammates by racking up chip damage and weakening their checks and counters. Gyro Ball, backed by Bronzong's extremely low Speed, deals serious damage to many offensive threats and setup sweepers. Earthquake hits the Fire-, Electric-, and Steel-types that resist Gyro Ball super effectively as well as gaining neutral coverage on Water-types. Toxic prevents Bronzong from being setup bait for bulky sweepers such as Slowking. If you have another Stealth Rock setter, Protect can be run in the first slot, enabling Bronzong to scout and stall for Toxic damage.
Set Details
========
Leftovers constitutes Bronzong's sole form of recovery, while Levitate grants Bronzong a vital immunity to Ground-type attacks, nullifying one of its weaknesses. Near maximum investment in Special Defense along with a Sassy nature allows Bronzong to more comfortably check threatening special attackers such as Venusaur and Magneton. The Defense EVs allow it to avoid the 3HKO from Choice Band Flygon's Outrage and Mega Glalie's Double-Edge after Stealth Rock. In addition, the EV spread enables it to survive Life Orb Sneasel's Knock Off from full, allowing it to trade a one-for-one if necessary.
Usage Tips
========
Bronzong can pivot into resisted attacks liberally due to its immunity to Spikes and Toxic and resistance to Stealth Rock; however, be wary of switching it into even relatively weak neutral attacks, as it can get worn down quickly. Although special bulk is preferable for Bronzong's typing, the fact that it is one of the rare Pokemon that resist the vaunted EdgeQuake combination makes it a stellar check for dangerous physical threats such as Aerodactyl. The numerous switches Bronzong forces and the fact that it walls every Defogger in the tier bar Fire Blast or Fire Punch Flygon allow it to set up Stealth Rock multiple times throughout a match. Take care to avoid Taunt, which renders Bronzong useless against certain foes because it is unable to use Toxic, and burn, which will wear it down very quickly and make its attacks pitifully weak. Also be wary of opposing Pursuit trappers, which can prevent Bronzong from setting up Stealth Rock repeatedly.
Team Options
========
Alomomola and Aromatisse, whose typings synergize well with Bronzong's, can also relieve Bronzong's lack of recovery with Wish support. Grass-types such as Virizion appreciate Bronzong's ability to deal with Flying-types and can switch into bulky Water-types that wall it and threaten it with a Scald burn, including Blastoise, the main entry hazard remover that Bronzong loses to. Togetic, Granbull, Diancie, and other Fairy-types are vital as ways of handling Dark-types that would try to Pursuit trap Bronzong. These three can also provide Heal Bell support, which is helpful for keeping Bronzong healthy, and Diancie can free up a slot for Bronzong to run Protect by running Stealth Rock itself. Spiritomb makes for an excellent partner as well—the combination of Taunt and spinblocking ability enables it to prevent opponents from removing Bronzong's Stealth Rock, and Will-O-Wisp cripples physical attackers that Bronzong struggles to switch into. Emboar is capable of checking all of Spiritomb, Absol, and Sneasel, which seriously threaten Bronzong. Qwilfish synergizes well with Bronzong, as it switches into the Fire- and Fighting-types that pressure Bronzong while appreciating Bronzong's ability to switch easily into Ground- and Psychic-type attacks.
[SET]
name: Offensive Trick Room
move 1: Trick Room
move 2: Gyro Ball
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Explosion
item: Macho Brace
ability: Levitate
nature: Brave
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Trick Room takes advantage of Bronzong's extremely low Speed, allowing it to punish offensive teams. Gyro Ball is incredibly powerful due to Bronzong's very low Speed and Macho Brace. Earthquake provides great coverage with Gyro Ball, hitting Fire-, Electric-, and Steel-types super effectively. Explosion allows Bronzong to deal massive damage to the opposition without killing momentum and prevent opposing hazard removal. If necessary, Stealth Rock can be run over Earthquake, although lack of Earthquake will worsen Bronzong's matchup against a large number of Pokemon.
Set Details
========
Macho Brace halves Bronzong's Speed, significantly increasing the power of Gyro Ball. A Brave nature and the given EVs maximize Bronzong's Attack and contribute to its bulk to maximize its offensive prowess while making it as slow as possible.
Usage Tips
========
This set should be primarily played as a powerful late-game sweeper, catching offensive teams off guard and smashing any foes of 186 Speed or greater with a STAB 150-Base Power attack. While Bronzong should be kept relatively healthy, it is still bulky enough to use its numerous resistances to switch into certain threats until the optimal time to set up Trick Room and sweep. Before you even attempt a sweep, any Sucker Punch users absolutely must be taken care of, as they can circumvent being slower in Trick Room, and common users of it such as Absol can OHKO Bronzong. Similarly, avoid setting up and revealing your set until Bronzong's hard counters, including other Bronzong, have been dispatched and the opposing team as a whole has been weakened.
Team Options
========
Slower attackers such as Emboar, Rhyperior, and Mega Camerupt are ideal partners for this set. Granbull in particular is very slow and has good type synergy with Bronzong. Alomomola enjoys excellent defensive synergy with Bronzong and can pass it Wishes to cover its total lack of recovery. Slowking and Diancie can serve well as secondary Trick Room setters due to their good defensive synergy with Bronzong, as the former sets up on Fire-types and the latter sets up on Fire- and Dark-types, including most Taunt users.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
A Colbur Berry can be equipped over Leftovers to give Bronzong a leg up on Dark-types if it's not weakened, although this removes its only form of recovery. Bronzong can also be used as a suicide screens lead with a moveset of Reflect / Light Screen / Earthquake / Explosion. Stealth Rock can also be used over Earthquake to maximize utility. Bronzong has the bulk and typing ideal for a setter for rain teams, although it faces considerable competition from Uxie due to this Pokemon's access to Thunder Wave as well as momentum moves such as U-turn and Memento. Hypnosis can cripple opposing switch-ins, preventing them from setting up and freeing up turns for teammates to do so. Grass Knot is an option that 2HKOes Rhyperior and Seismitoad; however, its damage output is pitiful against foes that do not take 4x super effective damage. Using Trick with a Toxic Orb or an Iron Ball can surprise and cripple offensive and defensive Pokemon alike. Psywave allows Bronzong to put out semi-consistent damage on Pokemon that it normally could not touch, such as opposing Bronzong.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Dark-types**: Absol, Spiritomb, and other Dark-types seriously threaten Bronzong with their STAB attacks and are capable of Pursuit trapping it, virtually guaranteeing a KO if they manage to come in for free on an even slightly weakened Bronzong.
**Fire-types**: Although they must be wary of switching directly into Bronzong due to Earthquake, every Fire-type in the tier outspeeds Bronzong and deals it massive damage. Fire-type coverage, particularly from Pokemon such as Flygon and Druddigon that Bronzong typically switches into, is also problematic.
**Burn**: Although Bronzong is immune to Toxic and not particularly bothered by paralysis, a burn from Scald or a Will-O-Wisp from Ghost-types such as Cofagrigus will seriously hinder its defensive capabilities and make its attacks even less threatening.
**Taunt**: Taunt prevents Bronzong from setting Stealth Rock or Trick Room, which prevents it from supporting its team, and using Toxic, which makes it easy setup bait for bulky sweepers. Jellicent is an extremely threatening Pokemon that often carries Taunt and also has Will-O-Wisp.
**Levitate Users**: Rotom and Weezing in particular completely wall Bronzong, as both take minimal damage from Gyro Ball, can burn Bronzong with Will-O-Wisp, and can easily avoid Toxic (the former with Substitute, the latter with an immunity).
**Offensive Pressure**: Offensive teams will often not have a hard time wearing Bronzong down, even with Pokemon it's supposed to check such as Registeel, because it fails to threaten back anything that it cannot hit for good damage with Gyro Ball and cannot recover. Furthermore, Knock Off is not uncommon on certain Pokemon such as Venusaur that it normally switches into, and even if it does not do a massive amount of damage, it removes Bronzong's only form of recovery.
Numerous helpful and unique resistances and two immunities give Bronzong the unique ability to hard check several relevant threats such as Abomasnow and Venusaur in one slot. It has numerous forms of utility, as access to Stealth Rock and the ability to wall every Defog user in the tier make it one of the most reliable setters in RU, and its extremely low Speed and access to Trick Room and Gyro Ball make it an ideal Trick Room setter and attacker. However, while Bronzong is a good glue Pokemon that handles several common threats, it cannot be counted on as a reliable catch-all check without cleric support, as it is easily worn down due to its total lack of recovery and offensive presence as well as a crippling weakness to the ubiquitous Knock Off and Pursuit. In addition, poor Speed and mediocre offensive stats make it setup bait for a number of threats, and it faces competition as a bulky Steel-type from Registeel due to inferior bulk and lack of access to Seismic Toss and Thunder Wave.
[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Gyro Ball
move 3: Toxic
move 4: Earthquake
item: Leftovers
ability: Levitate
nature: Sassy
evs: 252 HP / 72 Def / 184 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Stealth Rock allows Bronzong to support its teammates by racking up chip damage and weakening their checks and counters. Gyro Ball, backed by Bronzong's extremely low Speed, deals serious damage to many offensive threats and setup sweepers. Earthquake hits the Fire-, Electric-, and Steel-types that resist Gyro Ball super effectively as well as gaining neutral coverage on Water-types. Toxic prevents Bronzong from being setup bait for bulky sweepers such as Slowking. If you have another Stealth Rock setter, Protect can be run in the first slot, enabling Bronzong to scout and stall for Toxic damage.
Set Details
========
Leftovers constitutes Bronzong's sole form of recovery, while Levitate grants Bronzong a vital immunity to Ground-type attacks, nullifying one of its weaknesses. Near maximum investment in Special Defense along with a Sassy nature allows Bronzong to more comfortably check threatening special attackers such as Venusaur and Magneton. The Defense EVs allow it to avoid the 3HKO from Choice Band Flygon's Outrage and Mega Glalie's Double-Edge after Stealth Rock. In addition, the EV spread enables it to survive Life Orb Sneasel's Knock Off from full, allowing it to trade a one-for-one if necessary.
Usage Tips
========
Bronzong can pivot into resisted attacks liberally due to its immunity to Spikes and Toxic and resistance to Stealth Rock; however, be wary of switching it into even relatively weak neutral attacks, as it can get worn down quickly. Although special bulk is preferable for Bronzong's typing, the fact that it is one of the rare Pokemon that resist the vaunted EdgeQuake combination makes it a stellar check for dangerous physical threats such as Aerodactyl. The numerous switches Bronzong forces and the fact that it walls every Defogger in the tier bar Fire Blast or Fire Punch Flygon allow it to set up Stealth Rock multiple times throughout a match. Take care to avoid Taunt, which renders Bronzong useless against certain foes because it is unable to use Toxic, and burn, which will wear it down very quickly and make its attacks pitifully weak. Also be wary of opposing Pursuit trappers, which can prevent Bronzong from setting up Stealth Rock repeatedly.
Team Options
========
Alomomola and Aromatisse, whose typings synergize well with Bronzong's, can also relieve Bronzong's lack of recovery with Wish support. Grass-types such as Virizion appreciate Bronzong's ability to deal with Flying-types and can switch into bulky Water-types that wall it and threaten it with a Scald burn, including Blastoise, the main entry hazard remover that Bronzong loses to. Togetic, Granbull, Diancie, and other Fairy-types are vital as ways of handling Dark-types that would try to Pursuit trap Bronzong. These three can also provide Heal Bell support, which is helpful for keeping Bronzong healthy, and Diancie can free up a slot for Bronzong to run Protect by running Stealth Rock itself. Spiritomb makes for an excellent partner as well—the combination of Taunt and spinblocking ability enables it to prevent opponents from removing Bronzong's Stealth Rock, and Will-O-Wisp cripples physical attackers that Bronzong struggles to switch into. Emboar is capable of checking all of Spiritomb, Absol, and Sneasel, which seriously threaten Bronzong. Qwilfish synergizes well with Bronzong, as it switches into the Fire- and Fighting-types that pressure Bronzong while appreciating Bronzong's ability to switch easily into Ground- and Psychic-type attacks.
[SET]
name: Offensive Trick Room
move 1: Trick Room
move 2: Gyro Ball
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Explosion
item: Macho Brace
ability: Levitate
nature: Brave
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Trick Room takes advantage of Bronzong's extremely low Speed, allowing it to punish offensive teams. Gyro Ball is incredibly powerful due to Bronzong's very low Speed and Macho Brace. Earthquake provides great coverage with Gyro Ball, hitting Fire-, Electric-, and Steel-types super effectively. Explosion allows Bronzong to deal massive damage to the opposition without killing momentum and prevent opposing hazard removal. If necessary, Stealth Rock can be run over Earthquake, although lack of Earthquake will worsen Bronzong's matchup against a large number of Pokemon.
Set Details
========
Macho Brace halves Bronzong's Speed, significantly increasing the power of Gyro Ball. A Brave nature and the given EVs maximize Bronzong's Attack and contribute to its bulk to maximize its offensive prowess while making it as slow as possible.
Usage Tips
========
This set should be primarily played as a powerful late-game sweeper, catching offensive teams off guard and smashing any foes of 186 Speed or greater with a STAB 150-Base Power attack. While Bronzong should be kept relatively healthy, it is still bulky enough to use its numerous resistances to switch into certain threats until the optimal time to set up Trick Room and sweep. Before you even attempt a sweep, any Sucker Punch users absolutely must be taken care of, as they can circumvent being slower in Trick Room, and common users of it such as Absol can OHKO Bronzong. Similarly, avoid setting up and revealing your set until Bronzong's hard counters, including other Bronzong, have been dispatched and the opposing team as a whole has been weakened.
Team Options
========
Slower attackers such as Emboar, Rhyperior, and Mega Camerupt are ideal partners for this set. Granbull in particular is very slow and has good type synergy with Bronzong. Alomomola enjoys excellent defensive synergy with Bronzong and can pass it Wishes to cover its total lack of recovery. Slowking and Diancie can serve well as secondary Trick Room setters due to their good defensive synergy with Bronzong, as the former sets up on Fire-types and the latter sets up on Fire- and Dark-types, including most Taunt users.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
A Colbur Berry can be equipped over Leftovers to give Bronzong a leg up on Dark-types if it's not weakened, although this removes its only form of recovery. Bronzong can also be used as a suicide screens lead with a moveset of Reflect / Light Screen / Earthquake / Explosion. Stealth Rock can also be used over Earthquake to maximize utility. Bronzong has the bulk and typing ideal for a setter for rain teams, although it faces considerable competition from Uxie due to this Pokemon's access to Thunder Wave as well as momentum moves such as U-turn and Memento. Hypnosis can cripple opposing switch-ins, preventing them from setting up and freeing up turns for teammates to do so. Grass Knot is an option that 2HKOes Rhyperior and Seismitoad; however, its damage output is pitiful against foes that do not take 4x super effective damage. Using Trick with a Toxic Orb or an Iron Ball can surprise and cripple offensive and defensive Pokemon alike. Psywave allows Bronzong to put out semi-consistent damage on Pokemon that it normally could not touch, such as opposing Bronzong.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Dark-types**: Absol, Spiritomb, and other Dark-types seriously threaten Bronzong with their STAB attacks and are capable of Pursuit trapping it, virtually guaranteeing a KO if they manage to come in for free on an even slightly weakened Bronzong.
**Fire-types**: Although they must be wary of switching directly into Bronzong due to Earthquake, every Fire-type in the tier outspeeds Bronzong and deals it massive damage. Fire-type coverage, particularly from Pokemon such as Flygon and Druddigon that Bronzong typically switches into, is also problematic.
**Burn**: Although Bronzong is immune to Toxic and not particularly bothered by paralysis, a burn from Scald or a Will-O-Wisp from Ghost-types such as Cofagrigus will seriously hinder its defensive capabilities and make its attacks even less threatening.
**Taunt**: Taunt prevents Bronzong from setting Stealth Rock or Trick Room, which prevents it from supporting its team, and using Toxic, which makes it easy setup bait for bulky sweepers. Jellicent is an extremely threatening Pokemon that often carries Taunt and also has Will-O-Wisp.
**Levitate Users**: Rotom and Weezing in particular completely wall Bronzong, as both take minimal damage from Gyro Ball, can burn Bronzong with Will-O-Wisp, and can easily avoid Toxic (the former with Substitute, the latter with an immunity).
**Offensive Pressure**: Offensive teams will often not have a hard time wearing Bronzong down, even with Pokemon it's supposed to check such as Registeel, because it fails to threaten back anything that it cannot hit for good damage with Gyro Ball and cannot recover. Furthermore, Knock Off is not uncommon on certain Pokemon such as Venusaur that it normally switches into, and even if it does not do a massive amount of damage, it removes Bronzong's only form of recovery.
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