QC 3/3: HeaLnDeaL, sparktrain, cbrevan
GP 1/2: The Dutch Plumberjack, Snobalt
[OVERVIEW]
Slowbro is a huge defensive threat in the CAP Metagame. Mega Slowbro acts as a fantastic physical wall thanks to its huge 95 / 180 physical bulk. Slowbro can also be used as a bulky pivot before Mega Evolving thanks to its access to Regenerator. Mega Slowbro also has a good ability in Shell Armor, which prevents the foe from taking it down because of a lucky critical hit. Slowbro's base 130 Special Attack when Mega-Evolved and 100 in its base forme allow it to also net KOs against a great number of offensive Pokemon. Slowbro's typing is also great, as Water / Psychic gives it super effective STAB coverage on common Pokemon in the metagame such as Tomohawk, Talonflame, and Colossoil, as well as a plethora of resistances, particularly to common attacking types such as Fire and Fighting.
However, Slowbro's pitiful base 30 Speed means that it will go last against most of the metagame. Slowbro is also very vulnerable to users of the move Taunt, as they can completely shut down most Slowbro sets. Due to its reliance on Slack Off and its lack of status-healing moves outside of Rest, Slowbro is also very vulnerable to status ailments, especially Toxic poison. Its 90 / 80 special bulk is, while not bad per se, can be pretty disappointing. Finally, while Slowbro's typing does grant it a good set of resistances, it also gives it some nasty weaknesses to Electric, Dark, and Bug, which are pretty common types in the CAP metagame.
[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Scald
move 2: Slack Off
move 3: Calm Mind
move 4: Psyshock / Flamethrower / Iron Defense
item: Slowbronite
ability: Regenerator
nature: Calm
evs: 252 HP / 72 Def / 184 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Scald functions as Slowbro's main attack thanks to its STAB boost and high chance to burn the foe. Slack Off is Mega Slowbro's only way to recover health. Calm Mind allows Slowbro to function as a setup sweeper, patching up its weaker Special Defense stat as well as boosting its already high Special Attack. Psyshock and Flamethrower are Slowbro's main coverage moves, and each one hits different Pokemon in the CAP metagame. Psyshock allows Slowbro to hit Pokemon such as Mollux, Plasmanta, Mega Venusaur, and Tomohawk for super effective damage and gives it both a secondary STAB move and a way to hit more specially defensive Pokemon. Alternatively, Flamethrower allows Slowbro to check Cawmodore more reliably and take on its common threats such as Syclant, Ferrothorn, Necturna, and unboosted Mega Scizor. If none of these Pokemon are a threat to your team, Iron Defense can be used instead to boost Slowbro's already high Defense to godly levels and allow it to set up on more powerful physical attackers.
Set Details
========
Slowbronite is used on this set in order to allow Slowbro to Mega Evolve. Regenerator allows Slowbro to function as a pivot before Mega Evolving by letting it switch in and out without needing to worry about entry hazards as much. 252 HP and 184 Special Defense EVs with a Calm nature allow Slowbro to patch up its lower Special Defense in order to avoid an OHKO from Syclant's Bug Buzz and a 2HKO from Technician Stratagem's Ancient Power and Mega Metagross's Grass Knot. The remaining 72 EVs are put into Defense in order to capitalize on Slowbro's high Defense stat, especially as Mega Slowbro. An alternate spread of 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD can be used in order to allow Slowbro to wall physical attackers even better, allowing it to taking minimal damage from even super effective attacks from physical attackers such as Colossoil and Aurumoth in exchange for not being able to take special attacks as well.
Usage Tips
========
This set is best suited for more defensive and balanced teams thanks to its ability to both deal great amounts of damage and take physical hits very well. Oftentimes, it is better to wait to Mega Evolve Slowbro until it is needed in order to take on a powerful physical attacker or a super effective physical attack, as base Slowbro has much less physical bulk than Mega Slowbro. It can also find many opportunities to set up for a sweep thanks to its ability to act as a bulky pivot with Regenerator. If Slowbro does not need to take hits from physical attackers, it is recommended to use it as more of a late-game sweeper thanks to its ability to set up rather easily. When using Slowbro, be cautious when dealing with Pokemon that can run both physical and special sets such as Mega Altaria, Charizard, and Aurumoth because Slowbro has trouble dealing with the special sets of these Pokemon. Additionally, try to avoid letting Slowbro get hit by Taunt because it almost completely shuts down this set, and if Slowbro does happen to be hit by Taunt, switch out unless you feel that Slowbro can outlast the turns that Taunt is in effect, which usually won't be the case.
Team Options
========
Clerics such as Heal Bell Cyclohm, Clefable, and Chansey make for great partners for Slowbro thanks to their ability to remove the status effects that severely hinder Slowbro's ability to sweep and wall. In return, Slowbro can help deal with the Ground-types that trouble Cyclohm, such as Landorus-T, Garchomp, Diggersby, and, to a lesser extent, Colossoil, and it can help deal with Steel- and Poison-types that cripple Clefable such as Heatran and Mollux without Thunderbolt, although it needs Psyshock to beat the latter. Chansey makes for an especially good partner thanks to its huge special bulk and its ability to provide Wish support for Slowbro, making a nice stall core. Status absorbers such as Mollux, Heatran, and Plasmanta are also great partners for Slowbro thanks to their ability to soak up Toxic and, in the case of the latter, Thunder Wave, both of which are commonly used against Slowbro. Colossoil gets a special mention thanks to its ability to threaten Latios, Latias, and Cyclohm, as well as soak up both status moves and, if running Rebound, Taunt. In return, Slowbro can deal with Pokemon such as Arghonaut and Azumarill. Gothitelle also makes for a great partner thanks to its ability to trap Chansey and Plasmanta, both of which are dangerous threats to Slowbro. Slowbro also works well on a Trick Room team thanks to its low Speed and its ability to take on certain threats to Fidgit.
[SET]
name: Wall
move 1: Scald
move 2: Psyshock / Flamethrower / Fire Blast
move 3: Toxic / Thunder Wave
move 4: Slack Off
item: Slowbronite / Leftovers
ability: Regenerator
nature: Calm
evs: 252 HP / 72 Def / 184 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Scald functions as a reliable STAB move that can inflict burns and cripple physical attackers. Psyshock can be used as a secondary STAB move to hit threats such as Mollux, Plasmanta, and Mega Venusaur. Flamethrower and Fire Blast can both be used to check Cawmodore more reliably and hit Ferrothorn, Scylant, Necturna, and unboosted Mega Scizor for super effective damage. The choice between Flamethrower and Fire Blast comes down to preference. Flamethrower is more accurate , while Fire Blast 2HKOes Ferrothorn and gives Slowbro a chance to OHKO bulky Swords Dance Mega Scizor on the switch. Toxic can be used to cripple more defensively oriented Pokemon such as Pyroak and, to a lesser extent, Tomohawk. Thunder Wave, on the other hand, can be used to severely cripple setup sweepers. Slack Off functions as Slowbro's primary source of recovery.
Set Details
========
The EV spread allows Slowbro to avoid an OHKO from Syclant's Bug Buzz and a 2HKO from Technician Strategem's Ancient Power and Mega Metagross's Grass Knot as well as allowing Slowbro function as a bulky pivot more effectively. Slowbronite is used in order to Mega Evolve Slowbro. If you plan on using a different Mega Evolution, Leftovers should be used in order to gradually restore Slowbro's health. If using Slowbronite, an alternate EV spread of 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD with a Bold nature can be used instead, which sacrifices some of Mega Slowbro's special bulk in order to increase its already large Defense to sky-high levels. A Calm nature can also be used on this spread, but Bold is generally preferred.
Usage Tips
========
This Slowbro set works most effectively when used on a stall team. When you're using Slowbro, even though it can function as a pivot, it is going to be used primarily as a wall, so it is best to treat it that way. If running Slowbronite, it is best to wait to Mega Evolve until it needs to take a powerful attack, particularly a super effective physical one, as move because Slowbro's ability to function as a pivot is drastically reduced as Mega Slowbro due to the loss of Regenerator. When holding Leftovers, it is strongly recommended to avoid switching Slowbro into Pokemon that commonly use Knock Off such as Colossoil and Malaconda because of the large amount of damage Slowbro will take from it, not to mention that it will lose its passive recovery. Also, if using Toxic, be careful when using the move if your opponent has Colossoil, as it can either severely cripple Slowbro if Colossoil has Rebound or can power Colossoil up if it has Guts.
Team Options
========
Tomohawk functions as a great partner for Slowbro, as they can form a great defensive core. Tomohawk can deal with the Bug- and Dark-type Pokemon that haunt Slowbro, while Slowbro can take the Psychic- and Ice-type attacks directed towards Tomohawk in return. Clerics such as Heal Bell Cyclohm and Clefable can patch up Slowbro's weakness to status ailments, while Slowbro can take on some of the Ground-types that Cyclohm fears as well as some of the Steel-types that Clefable fears in return. Status absorbers such as Mollux, Heatran, Colossoil, and, if running Leftovers, Mega Sableye are also recommended for to their ability to soak up status moves used against Mega Slowbro, such as Toxic and Will-O-Wisp. The latter two can also absorb Taunt, although Colossoil needs Rebound to do so.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
A RestTalk set with Calm Mind and Scald can be used in order to help patch up Slowbro's weakness to status ailments; however, because there are plenty of clerics available in the CAP Metagame and the set is hard countered by Mollux and Plasmanta, it is generally not worth it. If Slowbro is being used on a Trick Room team, it can function as a backup Trick Room setter in case Fidgit happens to fall in battle. Slowbro can also work as an Assault Vest user, patching up its lower Special Defense and allowing it to perform as a nice pivot by taking advantage of Regenerator. Mega Slowbro can also use a set that utilizes three attacks and Slack Off, giving it more options for coverage; however, Calm Mind is usually preferred thanks to the Special Defense boost it grants. Ice Beam can also be used to discourage Zapdos and Cyclohm from switching in on Slowbro; however, it usually is not worth the moveslot.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Clefable**: Clefable is a huge threat to Slowbro because of Magic Guard and Unaware, which allow it to wall Slowbro by negating damage from Scald burns or turning it into setup fodder by completely ignoring the boosts that Slowbro has obtained from using Calm Mind, respectively. However, Magic Guard Clefable has a harder time beating Mega Slowbro thanks to Shell Armor.
**Cyclohm**: Cyclohm gets a special mention as a hard check to Slowbro thanks to its ability to hit it for super effective damage, immunity to Scald burns if it running Shield Dust, resistance to most of Slowbro's attacks, and ability to heal off Scald burns and Toxic poison if it is carrying Heal Bell, although sets without Heal Bell are crippled by Toxic.
**Powerful Special Attackers**: Unless Slowbro has already snagged a couple of Calm Mind boosts, strong special attackers such as Choice Specs Sylveon and Stratagem can easily take care of Slowbro; however, the latter doesn't like to switch into it.
**Special Setup Sweepers**: Special setup sweepers such as Quiver Dance Aurumoth and Tail Glow Syclant can be problematic for Slowbro, as they can boost enough to negate some of the Calm Mind boosts from the more offensive sets and deal massive amounts of damage to Slowbro.
**Special Bulky Pokemon**: Very specially bulky Pokemon such as Chansey can switch into most, if not all, of Slowbro's moves and stall it out.
**Gothitelle**: Gothitelle is a great check to Slowbro because it can trap it and easily KO it with Thunderbolt or Energy Ball.
**Grass-types**: Grass-types such as Ferrothorn and Necturna as they are able to either deal large amounts of damage to Slowbro or cripple it with status conditions and Leech Seed, although most Grass-types, including Ferrothorn and Necturna, don't want to take a Flamethrower or Fire Blast.
**Electric-types**: Electric types such as Zapdos, Rotom-W, and Plasmanta are able to put large amounts of offensive pressure onto Slowbro, even as Mega Slowbeo, thanks to their super effective STAB attacks, and they don't mind taking a couple of hits from Slowbro either, although Plasmanta does not want to take Psyshock and Zapdos and Rotom-W are crippled by Toxic.
**Dragon-types**: Dragon-types such as Latias, Latios, and Hydreigon are able to apply large amounts of offensive pressure onto Slowbro while also resisting most of its attacks.
**Status Spreaders**: Unless Slowbro is using Rest, status spreaders such as Mega Sableye and Tomohawk can severely hinder its longevity with Will-O-Wisp and Toxic respectively
**Taunt**: Taunt almost completely shuts down Mega Slowbro, as it neuters its ability to wall certain threats; however, Slowbro can still deal a good amount of damage with Scald and its other attacks.
Last edited:
