Uh, yeah. I thought I'd write something up about phazing moves. Very rough draft.
EDIT 1: Added rough, crappy info on Perish Song, fixed Haze up, started expanding Counters way more.
EDIT 2-3: Leech Seed and Encore, more Counters.
EDIT 4: Expanding the residual damage section, fixing an error.
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What is pseudo-hazing and why should I do it?
Phazing (from "pseudo Hazing", Haze) is defined as getting rid of an enemy's stat boosts, usually by forcing a switch of Pokémon. Phazing comes from the move Haze, which eliminates stat changes from both Pokémon. Since Haze is such a rare move, other moves that essentially accomplish the same thing were called pseudo-Hazing moves. Eventually, the term became phazing and the word applies to all manner of forcing a switch to remove stat-ups (except Haze of course).
Phazing is a useful support option for a Pokémon. Getting rid of stat changers is good for stopping Baton Passers like Ninjask and Smeargle. Without a phazer, tanks like Calm Mind Suicune and Curse Snorlax are also harder to deal with. Since the vast majority of phazing moves trigger a switch, they can also help to rack up Spikes damage. In some cases, phazing moves even do cool things like (possibly) put your opponent to sleep (Yawn), give you some nice healing (Leech Seed), or even give something a chance to kill more easily (Screech).
What are the different kinds of phazing moves?
There are several different moves that accomplish the end result of removing stat boosts. These include:
(comnig soon)
Countering phazing moves
If you're upping stats, the simplest way to stop a phazing move from being used on you is Taunt. As no attacking move (reliably) lowers stats or forces a switch, Taunt makes one's tanking effort immune to phazing. Pokémon like Gyarados, Mr. Mime, and Floatzel take advantage of this frequently.
Since Roar and Whirlwind are easily the most common phazing moves, some strategies that specifically guard against these can be effective to stop most phazers. The ability Soundproof (Mr. Mime, Exploud) will stop Roar (and Perish Song) from working, while Suction Cups (Cradily, Octillery) stops Whirlwind and Roar. The move Ingrain (baton passed by Smeargle) will stop them from working as well; this is why Smeargle is common on BP chains. Unless your sweeper happens to be one of these Pokémon, it's not really possible to "counter" with the abilities above, but Smeargle and Mr. Mime are effective on BP chains due to their talents.
EDIT 1: Added rough, crappy info on Perish Song, fixed Haze up, started expanding Counters way more.
EDIT 2-3: Leech Seed and Encore, more Counters.
EDIT 4: Expanding the residual damage section, fixing an error.
----
What is pseudo-hazing and why should I do it?
Phazing (from "pseudo Hazing", Haze) is defined as getting rid of an enemy's stat boosts, usually by forcing a switch of Pokémon. Phazing comes from the move Haze, which eliminates stat changes from both Pokémon. Since Haze is such a rare move, other moves that essentially accomplish the same thing were called pseudo-Hazing moves. Eventually, the term became phazing and the word applies to all manner of forcing a switch to remove stat-ups (except Haze of course).
Phazing is a useful support option for a Pokémon. Getting rid of stat changers is good for stopping Baton Passers like Ninjask and Smeargle. Without a phazer, tanks like Calm Mind Suicune and Curse Snorlax are also harder to deal with. Since the vast majority of phazing moves trigger a switch, they can also help to rack up Spikes damage. In some cases, phazing moves even do cool things like (possibly) put your opponent to sleep (Yawn), give you some nice healing (Leech Seed), or even give something a chance to kill more easily (Screech).
What are the different kinds of phazing moves?
There are several different moves that accomplish the end result of removing stat boosts. These include:
- Haze. Haze eliminates all stat changes with use. Its main advantage over phazing moves is that it works on the last Pokémon. The disadvantages of Haze are that few Pokémon with reliable defenses get access to the move and it does not force a switch and by extension does no Spikes damage. Popular Hazers include Weezing and occasionally Vaporeon in OU.
- Roar. Easily the most common phazing move, Roar is a negative priority move that forces the opponent's Pokémon to switch with another randomly selected member of the opponent's party. It's frequently used for its ability to rack up Spikes damage. The drawbacks of Roar are that it fails when hitting a Soundproof or Suction Cups Pokémon and when only one Pokémon remains on the opponent's side. Common Roar users include Hippowdon, Gliscor, Suicune, and Empoleon.
- Whirlwind. Nearly identical to Roar, with the added benefit of hitting Soundproof Pokémon; thus it is better if you're using one of the relatively few Pokémon with access to it. Common Whirlwind users include Skarmory and Hariyama.
- Yawn. The move Yawn is a never-miss move that makes the opposing Pokémon fall asleep next turn, unless it switches out. Any rational opponent would switch from this move over losing a team member for a random number of turns, making it an effective forced switch. It's benefits include always hitting any opponent (including Suction Cups users) and causing Sleep if the opponent does not stay in. The drawback is, of course, that the opponent isn't truly forced to switch and it doesn't work if they have a Substitute up on the turn you used the move. Common Yawners include Vaporeon, Empoleon, and some Hippowdon.
- Defense-drop moves (Screech, Metal Sound, Fake Tears). These moves lower a Defense stat on the opponent 2 stages, effectively making the next hit deal double damage. That is, if your opponent stays in. Often, Pokémon will want to switch out of these to avoid major damage; in this case they'll lose any stat ups they have. Not usually used in a defensive role, Screech-type moves work on teams heavily focused on Spikes damage. Its advantages are that it leaves your Pokémon a chance of doing double damage next turn and it puts pressure on your opponent. The drawbacks are that these moves do not have 100% accuracy, are walled by Clear Body Pokémon (Metagross and the Regis, mostly), and do not actually FORCE a switch, thus not guaranteeing removal of stat boosts. These moves are very uncommon, but occasionally you'll see Flygon and Tyranitar Screech, Magnezone and Zapdos Metal Sounding, and the Eeveelutions using Fake Tears.
- Perish Song. The move Perish Song puts a Baton Passable, 3-turn counter on both Pokémon in battle. At the end of each turn, the "perish count" drops 1, and when it hits 0, the Pokémon faints. Unless you switch, that is. The coolest part about this phazing move is that it completely messes up Baton Pass teams, as something is guaranteed to die and by extension all stat ups are guaranteed to be removed. However, it has a fairly major drawback in that your opponent still gets a turn or two to attack and stuff before switching (or dying). It's also blocked by Soundproof.
- Leech Seed is stretching the definition of phazing a bit, but sapping health does lead to switching. Leech Seed drains away 12% of your opponent's health each turn. This steady loss in damage is negated by switching, and thus Leech Seeders can be used to (in a way) phaze your opponent, especially if the Leech Seeder is a faster Substitute user. Also of note is that the Leech Seed drain effect is Baton Passable, so it should at least partly cripple Baton Pass teams. Its main drawback is that Grass types are immune to it, though other than CM Celebi, Sceptile, and the occasional Leafeon you shouldn't need to phaze these. Common Leech Seeders include Sceptile, Celebi, and Jumpluff.
- Encore is an extremely annoying way to phaze a stat-upper. By forcing the opponent to do nothing but stat up, the opponent has to either decide to wait out the 2-6 turns or switch. If they wait out the turns, you have several free turns to set up a sweep. If (more likely) they switch, you have phazed the opponent AND bought your team a free turn. Effective Encore users include Jumpluff, Clefable, Machamp, Raichu, and Alakazam.
(comnig soon)
Countering phazing moves
If you're upping stats, the simplest way to stop a phazing move from being used on you is Taunt. As no attacking move (reliably) lowers stats or forces a switch, Taunt makes one's tanking effort immune to phazing. Pokémon like Gyarados, Mr. Mime, and Floatzel take advantage of this frequently.
Since Roar and Whirlwind are easily the most common phazing moves, some strategies that specifically guard against these can be effective to stop most phazers. The ability Soundproof (Mr. Mime, Exploud) will stop Roar (and Perish Song) from working, while Suction Cups (Cradily, Octillery) stops Whirlwind and Roar. The move Ingrain (baton passed by Smeargle) will stop them from working as well; this is why Smeargle is common on BP chains. Unless your sweeper happens to be one of these Pokémon, it's not really possible to "counter" with the abilities above, but Smeargle and Mr. Mime are effective on BP chains due to their talents.
