Camerupt
gp'd: November Blue, Calm Pokemaster
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[Overview]
<p>As intimidating as the sound of a volcano-wielding camel might be, Camerupt rarely instills fear in its opponents. Despite its explosive offensive stats and good STAB coverage, Camerupt is plagued by the dreaded Surfs and Waterfalls that litter the upper tiers, each a potential OHKO looming around the corner. NU has no lack of Water-types; between Gorebyss, Samurott, Quagsire, and even Ludicolo, Camerupt has plenty to be wary of. Outside the massive weakness to Water-type attacks, Camerupt has a solid defensive typing which allows it to handle several popular NU threats, such as Magmortar, Raichu, and Rotom-S. Camerupt's 70 / 70 / 75 defenses are not exceptionally bulky by any means, but they are enough to allow it to survive a few assaults and retaliate accordingly. Solid Rock is a somewhat useful ability, allowing Camerupt to survive the occasional non-STAB Earthquake. Camerupt is no slouch offensively, either—alongside its 100 / 105 offensive stats, Camerupt's dual STAB moves sport excellent coverage. This combination is only resisted by the likes of Altaria, Pelipper, and Swanna, which are all swiftly dealt with by Hidden Power Rock. Camerupt can be a quality performer both offensively and defensively, as long as you steer clear of any bodies of water.</p>
[SET]
name: Tank
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Lava Plume / Fire Blast
move 4: Roar / Toxic
item: Leftovers
ability: Solid Rock
nature: Calm
evs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Camerupt's excellent typing gives it a unique niche as a defensive Pokemon in NU, allowing it to handle many powerful, specially-oriented threats. It's one of the few Pokemon that can boast the ability to fully counter and defeat Magmortar, and it provides a great switch-in to the Electric-types that inhabit the tier, such as Electabuzz, Rotom-S, Eelektross, and Raichu. Camerupt is also one of the most reliable users of Stealth Rock, as it can switch into the aforementioned threats and set up the entry hazard as they switch. Earth Power is its most powerful and accurate STAB attack and will deal quite a bit of damage to Magmortar and friends, even with minimal Special Attack investment. Lava Plume has a 30% chance to inflict a burn on the opponent, which can be incredibly helpful for potential Samurott switch-ins. On the other hand, Fire Blast offers a great deal more power and will ensure a KO on Tangela, but it also has imperfect accuracy, and Camerupt cannot afford to miss. Roar allows Camerupt to prevent opposing Pokemon from setting up on it and will shuffle the opponent's team around, causing entry hazard damage. Ninjask and other common Baton Pass users generally have no way to deal with Camerupt either, so Roar will usually spell doom for such a team. However, Toxic can surprise Quagsire and other bulky Water-types that expect to get a free switch-in.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>A physically defensive EV spread can be used, but Camerupt's typing is more inclined towards handling the prominent special attackers of the tier, thanks to its Fire-type resistance and Electric-type immunity. You can invest more in Camerupt's offenses, in order to assure KOs on Pokemon such as Magmortar; 60 Special Attack EVs will guarantee the OHKO on Magmortar and gives Camerupt a decent chance to 2HKO Rotom-S with Lava Plume, both after Stealth Rock damage. Earthquake can also be used in place of Earth Power with a Sassy nature, as it allows Camerupt to hit Magmortar, Probopass, Bastiodon, and Skuntank harder than any other move. If recovery is a necessity, Rest can be used in the fourth moveslot, but be warned that Camerupt is essentially dead weight while it's asleep. In that case, it would be ideal to carry a teammate which knows Aromatherapy or Heal Bell; Lickilicky, Misdreavus, and Meganium are some of the best available options.</p>
<p>Teammates that can tank Water- and Ground-type attacks for Camerupt are a necessity. Bulky Grass-types such as Exeggutor, Leafeon, and Vileplume can handle the likes of Golem and Samurott with impunity and have a wide variety of support moves, including Leech Seed, Wish, and Aromatherapy. Vileplume in particular is a great partner, as it can absorb pesky Toxic Spikes and easily handle Samurott, which can otherwise switch into Camerupt freely. Tentacool also absorbs Toxic Spikes and can deal with Gorebyss while setting up set Toxic Spikes of its own to help wear down the opposing team. Camerupt is immune to Will-O-Wisp and Thunder Wave, so teammates that don't like either should be considered. For example, Swords Dance Leafeon despises both kinds of status, and can also defeat the Water-types which plague Camerupt, so they work together well. Camerupt has no recovery of its own outside Rest, so Pokemon that can pass large Wishes, such as Alomomola and Lickilicky, will make for superb partners; these Pokemon also appreciate Camerupt's ability to defeat Magmortar.</p>
[SET]
name: Rock Polish
move 1: Rock Polish
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Earth Power
move 4: Hidden Power Rock / Hidden Power Ice
item: Life Orb
ability: Solid Rock
nature: Modest
evs: 40 HP / 252 SpA / 216 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With its pitiful base 40 Speed, it's hard to believe that Camerupt could pull off any kind of sweep, but after a Rock Polish, it becomes surprisingly fast and can work well as a late-game sweeper when special walls have been broken down, outspeeding everything up to positive-natured base 105s; this includes threats such as Charizard, Sawsbuck, and Jynx. This doesn't mean that Camerupt has suddenly transformed into a speed demon, though—Cinccino and Swellow can both outrun it even after a Rock Polish boost, and Camerupt will be hard-pressed to outrun most common Choice Scarf users. Earth Power and Fire Blast are Camerupt's strongest moves and provide great coverage together, only resisted by four Pokemon in the NU metagame. The fourth moveslot is simply a decision of who you want to hit harder: Hidden Power Rock OHKOes Charizard and deals heavy damage to Altaria, Swanna, and Pelipper, while Hidden Power Ice is largely for the purpose of cleanly OHKOing Altaria.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The given EV spread allows Camerupt to outpace positive-natured base 105 Speed Pokemon after a Rock Polish. Special Attack is maximized, and the rest is dropped into bulk. It's generally not worth running maximum Speed on Camerupt because the only notable threat it then outspeeds after a Rock Polish is Serperior. Otherwise, there is very little point in using that much Speed; even when maxed out, Camerupt cannot outpace +1 neutral-natured base 70 Speed Pokemon. Camerupt can go mixed or even entirely physical if the need arises, thanks to its good base 100 Attack and access to Earthquake, Stone Edge, and Explosion.</p>
<p>Entry hazard support is incredibly useful for Camerupt. Cacturne is one of the best partners available, as it can sponge Water- and Ground-type attacks with ease and set up Spikes so Camerupt may sweep after the opposing team has been sufficiently weakened. It's also very important to eliminate any and all Water-types before attempting to sweep, as many of them can survive a single hit from Camerupt and OHKO in return with their STAB moves. Floatzel, Samurott, and Basculin can also OHKO with Aqua Jet before Camerupt can even make a move. Because of this, bulky Grass-types are excellent teammates for Camerupt in general. Amoonguss can cripple faster Pokemon and Choice Scarf users with Stun Spore and buy Camerupt a free setup turn with Spore. Vileplume can do much of the same, but it also carries Aromatherapy, which can remove Toxic and allow Camerupt to ravage for that much longer. Physical wallbreakers such as Choice Band Sawk are great teammates, as they can break down special walls such as Lickilicky for Camerupt to sweep.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Camerupt can work very well when paired with a Trick Room user, as it is abysmally slow and will outpace most Pokemon under Trick Room; it can also abuse a powerful Eruption with such a set, as it's unlikely that it will take damage before Eruption hits. Will-O-Wisp and Yawn are two more defensive options to inflict status and potentially force switches, respectively, but both moves are generally inferior to the listed options. Camerupt can set up Sunny Day and use SolarBeam to lure and KO bulky Water-types such as Quagsire and Alomomola, but faster Water-types such as Gorebyss can OHKO Camerupt (even in sun!). Explosion can take advantage of Camerupt's good base 100 Attack stat and act as a parting blow if Camerupt is already on low HP. Stockpile and Amnesia are interesting options, but even with defensive boosts, Camerupt can hardly tank super effective attacks. Solid Rock is pretty much the best ability for Camerupt; Magma Armor is hardly useful at all because the chance of being frozen is rare, and Camerupt won't be able to live through a critical hit to take advantage of Anger Point.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Camerupt is incredibly slow and has no recovery moves apart from Rest, so any Pokemon that can outspeed and hit it with a super effective attack can be considered a good check. Gorebyss and Samurott have very little to fear from any of Camerupt's moves and can OHKO it with their STAB attacks. Bulkier Water-types such as Quagsire and Alomomola are better equipped to handle the more offensively-inclined sets, as they have access to recovery and can Toxic stall Camerupt to death. Camerupt's defenses are not exactly proficient, and it also relies heavily on resistances to wall effectively, so powerful Pokemon that can hit it hard neutrally can also handle Camerupt well. Swellow, Choice Band Sawk, and Braviary will all 2HKO Camerupt with their STAB attacks.</p>
