Cottonee (QC 2/3)

[SevenSins]

Overview
########

• Very Annoying
• Massive support move pool
• Prankster to add insult to injury
• Can set up sun for sun teams
• Obtained fairy typing in gen 6 for new resistances
• Great switch in to fighting types
• Great switch in to set up sweepers thanks to prio encore
• 4x weak to poison
• Leech seed for recovery
• Attack stats are horrible
• Grass types immune to leech seed
• Gen 6 also brings grass immunity to spore based moves
• Easily stopped by taunt

Utility
========
name: Utility
move 1: Encore
move 2: Leech Seed / Knock Off
move 3: Dazzling Gleam
move 4: Substitute / Stun Spore / Taunt
ability: Prankster
item: Eviolite
evs: 116 HP / 196 Def / 196 SpD
nature: Bold

Moves
========

• Substitute protects cottonee from any status moves (besides taunt)
• Sub allows cottonee to stall with leech seed, recoil, burn, or poison damage
• Knock Off, which gained a boost this gen, allows Cottonee to rid the opponent of its item, which is a very useful tactic.
• Stun spore can quickly paralyze any set up sweeper, preventing a speed sweep
• Dazzling Gleam gives Cottonee a means to defend itself and is useful against fighting types (If you use this make sure to put Ev's into SpA)
• Encore traps stealth rockers or set up mons into a non damaging move
• Taunt prevents non damaging moves and stops opposing taunt which is great for Cottonee

Set Details
========

• Max Defense and HP Ev's for max annoyance levels
• Eviolite for further defense
• Bold for even MORE defense

Usage Tips
========

• Use Cottonee as a lead and taunt Stealth Rockers
• Substitute to scout your opponent's moves
• Encore and Stun Spore set up sweepers like dwebble, tirtouga, or scraggy
• Leech Seed for recovery and then sub

Team Options
========

• Good teammates for this set include mons that can take out Tangela and other grass types: Larvesta, Fletchling, Houndour.
• Fire types such as Larvesta and Ponyta, or bulky fighting types such as Timburr or Mienfoo who can switch into steel types
• Abra makes a good counter against poison types
• Magnemite can also take out grass types with Hidden Power Fire, while also benefiting from the paralyzation that Cottonee spreads
• Pawniard enjoys the status that Cottonee spreads around, and is immune to Cottonee's 4x weakness to poison, allowing Pawniard to come in and Swords Dance
• Munchlax, being very slow, can benefit from Stun Spore support by evening out speed levels
• Meditite, Eevee, Honedge, and other powerful yet slow sweepers also benefit greatly from the paralyzation that Cottonee spreads around
• Steel types such as Bronzor are immune to Cottonee's 4x poison weakness, making them excellent partners.

Sunny Day Support
########
name: Sunny Day Support
Move 1: Sunny Day
Move 2: Encore
Move 3: Stun Spore
Move 4: Taunt / Memento
ability: Prankster
item: Eviolite / Eject Button / Heat Rock
evs: 116 HP / 196 Def / 196 Sp Def
nature: Bold

Moves
========

• Sunny Day obviously for allied sun sweepers
• Memento lowers the opponent's attack and special attack, and allows another sun sweeper to come in
• Taunt for stopping taunt and other non damaging moves, which is useful for Cottonee
• Stun spore and Encore to stop sweepers just in case

Set Details
========

• Max Defense again so Cottonee can live to the fullest
• Bold for more defense
• Eviolite used in conjunction with memento
• Heat Rock for longer Sun
• Cottonee can lead off the battle, use Sunny Day and Eject with the Eject button, allowing a set up sun sweeper to come in

Usage Tips
========

• Cottonee can lead off the battle, use Sunny Day and Eject with the Eject button, allowing a set up sun sweeper to come in
• Sunny day, then memento, allowing the next pokemon to come in without worries
• Stun Spore and Taunt to be used as needed
• If Memento isn't being used, the Eject button can be very useful.

Team Options
========

• Good Teammates = sun sweepers: Tangela, Bellsprout and Bulbasaur
• Also Fire types benefit from the sun such as Larvesta and Ponyta
• Things that can wall Fletchling (i.e. Steel Types and Rock Types)

Utility
========
name: Offensive utility
move 1: Giga Drain
move 2: HP Fighting / Dazzling Gleam
move 3: Encore
move 4: Stun Spore / Memento / Dazzling Gleam / Knock Off
ability: Prankster
item: Eviolite
36 HP / 40 Def / 144 SpA / 40 SpD / 232 Spe
nature: Timid


Moves
========

• Giga Drain for strong STAB and recovery
• Dazzling Gleam for more STAB
• Encore for stopping set up sweepers and stopping fake out
• Knock Off for knocking off eviolites
• Stun Spore to paralyze foes
• Memento for a kamikaze strike
• HP fighting for Pawniard and extra coverage

Set Details
========

• Max Speed for max destruction
• HP and Defense Stats so Cottonee can live a few hits
• Decent Special Attack so Cottonee can do damage
• Timid to outspeed 16 speeders and outspeed Pawniard, which is very important (especially if you're running HP fighting)
• Eviolite so Cottonee can take a hit

Usage Tips
========

• Use Cottonee conveniently against good match ups
• Switch in on Set up sweepers and use encore
• Knock off eviolites on bulky walls
• Cotton Guard against physical attackers
• Memento when Cottonee is at low health and cannot take another hit

Team Options
========

• Things that can take care of Poison and Steel types, such as ground types like Drilbur
• Things that can take a fire blast, such as Chinchou
• Things that can take out Fletchling, such as Pawniard
• Frail set up sweepers that enjoy memento
• Things that like Pawniard gone, such as Shellder or Misdreavus

Other Options
########

• Toxic allows for further stall action
• Switcheroo and Knock Off can negate the opponent's item effect
• Tailwind as a last gambit move and lasting speed increase
• Cotton Guard for defense boost
• Swagger can confuse opponents for parafuse action
• Cotton Spore further slows down the opponent
• Tickle, Confide, and Fake Tears lower the opponent's Att and Def stats.
• HP fire for other grass types, especially Ferroseed and Snover

Checks and Counters
########

• Grass types such as Foongus (and other grass/poison types), and Ferroseed can switch in undisturbed and Cottonee can only taunt them
• Tentacool also has liquid ooze which can damage cottonee with a switch in to Leech Seed
• Natu completely walls Cottonee with its magic bounce
• Vullaby, which is immune to Cottonee's spores due to overcoat, and usually runs super effective STAB Brave Bird
• Poison Types such as Foongus, Grimer, and Koffing
• Abra is immune to Cottonee's passive damage thanks to magic guard
• Steel types such as Pawniard and especially Magnemite, which doesn't mind a Stun Spore
• Sap Sippers such as Blitzle and Deerling can switch in and nab an attack boost.
• Snover is particularly dangerous as it can switch in on a Stun Spore and destroy Cottonee with a STAB Blizzard.
• Fletchling is a major threat as it can take out Cottonee in one hit with a Gale Wings STAB acrobatics

 

[prem]

LOL i think you did this backwards... save the words but can you bullet point the sets

 

[Goddess Briyella]

SevenSins, before this goes ANY further, you need to be sure to put everything in this format for now:

New Template Format

Overview
########

OVERVIEW GOES HERE
YOU CAN DO IT PROS & CONS STYLE BUT THIS WILL LIKELY NOT BE THE FINAL FORM OF THE OVERVIEW SO MAYBE CONSIDER WRITING ONE


SET NAME
########
name: SET NAME
move 1:
move 2:
move 3:
move 4:
ability:
item:
evs:
nature:

Moves
========

INFO ABOUT MOVES GOES HERE

Set Details
========

EVS / ITEM / NATURE INFORMATION GOES HERE

Usage Tips
========

USAGE TIPS GO HERE

Team Options
========

TEAM OPTIONS GO HERE


SET NAME
########
name: SET NAME
move 1:
move 2:
move 3:
move 4:
ability:
item:
evs:
nature:

Moves
========

INFO ABOUT MOVES GOES HERE

Set Details
========

EVS / ITEM / NATURE INFORMATION GOES HERE

Usage Tips
========

USAGE TIPS GO HERE

Team Options
========

TEAM OPTIONS GO HERE


Other Options
########

OTHER OPTIONS GOES HERE. STUFF LIKE ALTERNATE MOVES, ALTERNATE SETS, NICHE STUFF THAT DOESN'T GET A MAIN SET MENTION


Checks & Counters
########

CHECKS & COUNTERS GO HERE
NOTE THAT THIS WILL BE MORE THREATLISTY SO MENTION POKEMON / OTHER EFFECTS ONE AT A TIME

Also always start with "WIP" in your title, and only change it to "Quality Control" after having everything correctly done in this format. Use bullet points instead of paragraphs as well before giving this to Quality Control to look at; it makes it easier on both you and us with outlining the main points. After you've gotten your Quality Control approvals, you may then convert everything to paragraph form and begin writing after receiving QC 3/3.

But please make the title "WIP", put your work in the format I gave you, and then change it back to "Quality Control" when you're sure it is ready.

 

[SevenSins]

All right I'll fix it hold on

 

[Ray Jay]

• Priority Encore is essentially the reason you use the first set. Change it to Encore / Leech Seed / Stun Spore or Dazzling Gleam / Sub or Taunt
• SpD, not Sp Def
• Dazzling Gleam on the first set: Cottonee is no longer weak to Mienfoo's U-turn and is a good Fighting-type check (not to Croagunk however) so Dgleam can be used in that third slot for combination of good coverage in a single move + SE hit on Fighting-types
• In the first set, replace "Utility/Annoyer" with "name: Utility". Make sure to change the second set from "Name: Sun Caster" to "name: Sun Caster" or even better, "name: Sunny Day" for sake of simplicity
• Mention that the best Cottonee can do against other Grass-types is Taunt them (you've touched on this with Tangela but it technically goes for all of them)
• Team options, set 1: Houndour, Pawniard, Magnemite, Munchlax all deserve mentions
• Second set: just make sure it's clear that if you don't have Memento you need Eject Button
• Counters: mention Goomy

I think that takes care of most of it, I'll give you QC 1/3 for now but make sure you post and tag me in it here when you've implemented these changes so I can see.

 

[SevenSins]

• Priority Encore is essentially the reason you use the first set. Change it to Encore / Leech Seed / Stun Spore or Dazzling Gleam / Sub or Taunt
• SpD, not Sp Def
• Dazzling Gleam on the first set: Cottonee is no longer weak to Mienfoo's U-turn and is a good Fighting-type check (not to Croagunk however) so Dgleam can be used in that third slot for combination of good coverage in a single move + SE hit on Fighting-types
• In the first set, replace "Utility/Annoyer" with "name: Utility". Make sure to change the second set from "Name: Sun Caster" to "name: Sun Caster" or even better, "name: Sunny Day" for sake of simplicity
• Mention that the best Cottonee can do against other Grass-types is Taunt them (you've touched on this with Tangela but it technically goes for all of them)
• Team options, set 1: Houndour, Pawniard, Magnemite, Munchlax all deserve mentions
• Second set: just make sure it's clear that if you don't have Memento you need Eject Button
• Counters: mention Goomy

I think that takes care of most of it, I'll give you QC 1/3 for now but make sure you post and tag me in it here when you've implemented these changes so I can see.

Added Changes
Ray Jay

 

[Ray Jay]

Just one thing to fix:
old:
Utility
========
Name: Utility
Move 1: Substitute / Taunt
Move 2: Leech Seed
Move 3: Stun Spore / Dazzling Gleam
Move 4: Encore
Ability: Prankster
Item: Eviolite
Ev's: 116 HP / 196 Def / 196 SpD
Nature: Bold

new:
SET NAME
========
name: Utility
move 1: Substitute / Taunt
move 2: Leech Seed
move 3: Stun Spore / Dazzling Gleam
move 4: Encore
ability: Prankster
item: Eviolite
evs: 116 HP / 196 Def / 196 SpD
nature: Bold

Notice the words "SET NAME" appear first and not the name of the set, the words "name, move, ability" etc. are not capitalized, "evs" instead of "Ev's".

 

[SevenSins]

Got it Ray Jay

 

[SevenSins]

Just one thing to fix:
old:
Utility
========
Name: Utility
Move 1: Substitute / Taunt
Move 2: Leech Seed
Move 3: Stun Spore / Dazzling Gleam
Move 4: Encore
Ability: Prankster
Item: Eviolite
Ev's: 116 HP / 196 Def / 196 SpD
Nature: Bold

new:
SET NAME
========
name: Utility
move 1: Substitute / Taunt
move 2: Leech Seed
move 3: Stun Spore / Dazzling Gleam
move 4: Encore
ability: Prankster
item: Eviolite
evs: 116 HP / 196 Def / 196 SpD
nature: Bold

Notice the words "SET NAME" appear first and not the name of the set, the words "name, move, ability" etc. are not capitalized, "evs" instead of "Ev's".

fixed it

 

[Darkamber8828]

Giga Drain hits Water- and Ground-types and helps heal Cottonee, although Dazzling Gleam is usually the superior option to hit stuff you can't Leech Seed. Priority Tailwind is also pretty cool.

 

[SevenSins]

Giga Drain hits Water- and Ground-types and helps heal Cottonee, although Dazzling Gleam is usually the superior option to hit stuff you can't Leech Seed. Priority Tailwind is also pretty cool.

Cottonee usually shouldn't run any direct attacks
Since it is walled by grass, giga drain really isn't a good choice

 

[Goddess Briyella]

• I don't find Leech Seed to be very optimal, and I don't find the SubSeed strategy to be very good in this tier at all. Reason being, as Ray Jay mentioned, one of the prime new advantages Cottonee has this generation is having a neutrality to U-turn. This is true, but Leech Seed cannot take advantage of this at all, since Prankster makes Leech Seed go first and the switch that happens with their following U-turn attack will nullify it completely before it can even sap any health. Lack of Leftovers also hurts greatly and makes it even less of a BW RU Whimsicott clone, as you need multiple turns from Leech Seed sapping to make up for the damage lost by using Substitute, and that's IF they don't switch out (people always switch out of Leech Seed). If anything, Big Root would be a better item for Cottonee than Eviolite if Leech Seed is used, but with the huge amount of VoltTurn going around, it's too easy to switch out of and wear Cottonee down by hitting it repeatedly as they switch out while it recovers no health back. I find Taunt to be much better and more important; some might say Encore is better because it locks them into something undesirable, but Taunt blocks very important status moves before they even happen, including but not limited to Stealth Rock, Defog, Trick/Switcheroo, and Rain Dance. I also think Knock Off deserves to be move on the Utility set, and I'm actually very surprised to see it not mentioned outside of Other Options. At the very least, this could punish a foe switching out of Leech Seed, Taunt, or Encore and can be very good for breaking down teams while screwing them up with Prankster status moves. I personally think Leech Seed belongs in Other Options. I was thinking something more along the lines of this:

Utility
========
name: Utility
move 1: Taunt
move 2: Encore
move 3: Stun Spore / Dazzling Gleam
move 4: Knock Off
ability: Prankster
item: Eviolite
evs: 116 HP / 196 Def / 196 SpD
nature: Bold

• There needs to be a huge mention of Steel-types in Team Options, as they are immune to Cottonee's 4x Poison weakness. I know that Croagunk is a special case because its secondary STAB is super effective on Steel-types, which is why Bronzor should be highlighted as a good partner, as Bronzor is immune to Poison, neutral to Fighting, and can drill Croagunk's 4x weakness with STAB Psychic.

• Snover and Natu should definitely be added to Checks & Counters. Snover is immune to Stun Spore and hits home with Blizzard, while Natu bounces back every status move Cottonee has courtesy of Magic Bounce.

Withholding QC approval for now, but good job. I'm hoping to discuss this Cottonee set with Ray Jay.



Edit: SevenSins, I've spoken with Ray Jay about this. The set we decided on is the same as his original suggestion, but with Knock Off sharing a slash with Leech Seed. Here is the new set, as per our deliberation:


Utility
========
name: Utility
move 1: Encore
move 2: Leech Seed / Knock Off
move 3: Stun Spore / Dazzling Gleam
move 4: Substitute / Taunt
ability: Prankster
item: Eviolite
evs: 116 HP / 196 Def / 196 SpD
nature: Bold


Important note: There was some confusion about this a little while back and this is not your fault. The 100% correct way to format this is with the name of the set above the ######## line (over where "SET NAME" is in the template), as well as below it next to the "name" label, like so:

Defensive
########
name: Defensive
move 1:
move 2:
move 3:
move 4:
ability:
item:
evs:
nature:


Please remember this for future reference. Tag Ray Jay when you've implemented our changes so that he can take another look. I am withholding QC approval until I am sure he's fine with your changes.

 

[TUO]

Take some of Briyella's Advice there, it's really good stuff. Though HP Fire can be used over Dazzling Gleam against Pokes like Ferroseed, or Memento in the other possible move options. Although never memento Pawn, that's a thing. Encore support is the best thing about Cottonee now, being able to do real well in the regard.

 

[Darkamber8828]

Why is Substitute on the Sunny Day set, when Leech Seed is not? Cottonee doesn't really care about status that isn't Toxic, which is the rarest status in Little Cup, and it's immune to powder moves. Encore/Stun Spore / Sunny Day / Memento, with Knock Off and Taunt slashed somewhere in there, seems like the better way to go.

Also, where's Heat Rock?

 

[Wobbyble]

Utility
========
name: Offensive utility
move 1: Giga Drain
move 2: HP Fighting / Dazzling Gleam
move 3: Encore
move 4: Memento / Stun Spore / Dazzling Gleam
ability: Prankster
item: Eviolite
36 HP / 40 Def / 144 SpA / 40 SpD / 232 Spe
nature: Timid

I might format this properly later... maybe. But I've been using this to great success, basically this set absolutely dumpsters Carvanha, Corphish, and slightly damaged or Berry Juice Pawniards. HP Fight wrecks Pawniard and Dazzling Gleam beats things like Timburr, Mienfoo, incoming Murks, etc. Pair it with some VoltTurn and stuff, and you can easily stop set up sweepers and force them out. Memento is the key to this, once you've checked Water threats, stopped set ups, or you feel like Cottonee is no longer useful, sacrifice it LATE GAME and shift momentum completely in your favor. Send a set up poke out afterwards and win. Stun Spore is another good support move if you don't like set up sweeping. 3 attacks + Encore Cottonee would also work I imagine, haven't tried it yet.

IMO very anti meta right now, craps on many popular things like carv, corph, pawn, sd gligar, swirlix, etc.

edit: lol thanks amber, im dum

 

[Darkamber8828]

that set has 664 evs

36 HP / 40 Def / 144 SpA / 40 SpD / 232 Spe?

 

[Wobbyble]

Yeah... that's what I meant to put. Shhhhh...

 

[SevenSins]

Goddess Briyella I had Natu in the Checks and Counters. You must have missed it. I implemented your other suggestions.
Thanks.

 

[Darkamber8828]

ok wobby's set is ridiculously amazing but

i feel like dazzling gleam should be slashed first on the set

cottonee destroys basically every fighting-type, it can even tank a LO bullet punch + fake out like 99.6% of the time or something

196+ Atk Life Orb Pure Power Meditite Bullet Punch vs. 36 HP / 36 Def Eviolite Cottonee: 13-16 (61.9 - 76.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
196+ Atk Life Orb Pure Power Meditite Fake Out vs. 36 HP / 36 Def Eviolite Cottonee: 6-8 (28.5 - 38%) -- 1.1% chance to 3HKO

252 SpA Cottonee Dazzling Gleam vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Meditite: 18-24 (94.7 - 126.3%) -- 81.3% chance to OHKO

also encoring fake out is sexy, as your speed lets you actually lock them in before they can bullet punch

anyway hp fighting doesn't even OHKO eviolite pawniard (and most people run eviolite pawniard) and the only other thing that cares about hp fighting is magnemite (but you have to hit it on the switch with giga drain / break sturdy some other way or it'll OHKO with flash cannon)

anyway fairy STAB has awesome coverage and mauling dark and fighting-types is more important than hurting those 2 things situationally imo

 

[SevenSins]

Still waiting for QC
Goddess Briyella
Ray Jay
prem

 

[Darkamber8828]

um

have you actually changed anything since post #8

Sap Sippers such as Blitzle, Deerling, and Goomy can switch in and nab an attack boost.

only deerling is viable of this list and it's running Chlorophyll 90% of the time

 

[SevenSins]

Obviously.
Briyella insists that I include blitzle and goomy. Also, I'm pretty sure deerling doesn't run chloropyll that often.

 

[Goddess Briyella]

Obviously.
Briyella insists that I include blitzle and goomy. Also, I'm pretty sure deerling doesn't run chloropyll that often.

I don't remember suggesting this. Mention that Goomy can wall it reasonably well as long as Cottonee is not running Dazzling Gleam. Cottonee is immune to Goomy's STAB but is hurt by its Sludge Bomb. Also it's important to note that Goomy doesn't need the Attack boost that Sap Sipper grants it upon taking a Grass-type move because it never runs physical attacks and therefore cannot benefit from it anyway; all it needs is the Grass immunity.

Anything else with Sap Sipper can generally take advantage of Cottonee in a similar manner.

 

[Darkamber8828]

| Chlorophyll 47.587% |
| Sap Sipper 39.813% |
| Serene Grace 12.600% |

You're right, my bad, they are about equal.

 

[SevenSins]

I don't remember suggesting this. Mention that Goomy can wall it reasonably well as long as Cottonee is not running Dazzling Gleam. Cottonee is immune to Goomy's STAB but is hurt by its Sludge Bomb. Also it's important to note that Goomy doesn't need the Attack boost that Sap Sipper grants it upon taking a Grass-type move because it never runs physical attacks and therefore cannot benefit from it anyway; all it needs is the Grass immunity.

Anything else with Sap Sipper can generally take advantage of Cottonee in a similar manner.

Ah sorry. Ray Jay told me to include Goomy. Changes inputted.