DPP OU Threat List

sandshrewz

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Lol I'm referring it as a whole, not calling out anyone :O

Sorry if I wasn't clear :x

edit: will look through the remaining stuff tomorrow or something !
 

sandshrewz

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Time to hit the water. Reserving for Defensive Empoleon and Quagsire.


Empoleon (defensive)
Type: Water/Steel
Base Stats: 84 HP / 86 Atk / 88 Def / 111 SpA / 101 SpD / 60 Spe
Ability: Torrent

Description
In a metagame where many threats are primarily special attackers, Empoleon's unique Water/Steel typing coupled with it's defensive stats make it a
very good tank. It's typing gives it 11 resistances, and most of them are common attacking types in the metagame including the sought after Water and Rock resists. With a focus on maximizing Special Defense, Empoleon can support a team utilizing coverage moves such as STAB Surf, Ice Beam, Grass Knot and Hidden Power Electric. It can also help the team by using support moves such as Roar and Stealth Rock. Empoleon does face some form of competition from Specially Defensive Heatran. However, Empoleon handles Water types much better than Heatran, particularly Gyarados if Empoleon has Hidden Power Electric. Empoleon doesn't have to resort to blowing itself up either. Resist berries such as Shuca and Chople, combined with some Defense EV's, can be used to surprise threats such as Dragonite, Flygon, Offensive Gyarados, and Infernape and OHKO them, but Leftovers is the superior option overall.

Although DPP isn't as Dragon-oriented as BW, might want to mention that it's one of those Steel-types that can OHKO a Dragon-type locked into Outrage thanks to Ice Beam instead of phazing it out or hitting with a neutral move.
You stole my Jolteon D:


Umbreon
Base stats: 95 HP / 65 Atk / 110 Def / 60 SpA / 130 SpD / 65 Spe
Ability: Synchronize

Umbreon has some of the most titanic defensive stats in OU, along with a particularly handy type that doesn't leave it vulnerable to Pursuit (poor Cresselia...). It is also the only Pokemon able to lock an opponent in with Mean Lock and Baton Pass the value out to a counter, which can continue a Baton Pass chain that leads to a sweep. It will often carry Taunt, Toxic, or Yawn as utility moves to compliment Mean Look and Baton Pass. While it doesn't see much use, Umbreon can forgo passing Mean Look entirely and opt for a more walling set, utilizing Wish and Protect to keep it healthy along with Toxic or Payback to wear down the opponent. Umbreon also has Curse up its sleeve, which it can either pass off or attempt to sweep with.

Heal Bell should get a mention somewhere though it isn't very common. It works well for both Baton Pass and a defensive set. Pure Dark is also a pretty poor defensive typing though :/ Especially with all the Scizor and Fighting-types running around. Curse is terrible but just keep that I guess :d



Walrein
Base stats: 110 HP / 80 Atk / 90 Def / 95 SpA / 90 SpD / 65 Spe
Ability: Ice Body

With great natural bulk, Walrein is set to become a solid wall. Even though its typing gives it a slew of weaknesses, when paired with Abomasnow, Walrein can become unstoppable. With Ice Body granting it an extra Leftovers each turn in the Hail, Walrein can utilize a combination of Protect and Substitute to wear down the opponent with Toxic and Hail damage while taking no overall damage. When not carrying Toxic, it will most likely be using Blizzard, Surf, Roar, Earthquake, or Super Fang to further wear down the opponent. If Walrein gets a Substitute up, be prepared for a long battle to wear it down, as in the Hail it's nearly impossible.

Might mention that despite opposing Ice-types being immune to hail, Walrein still has tools to weaken them, ie Toxic stall with Protect and. It can hit Mamoswine with Surf if it's behind Substitute. Earthquake is specifically used for Steel-types as they are immune to Toxic and Toxic Spikes. It can Roar out standard Swampert and other slower phazers trying to stop the hail stall cycle. Faster phazers will still win but you can Super Fang them and maybe wreck them with your switch-in.
Defensive Registeel

Registeel is a very rare sight in OU, but its immense 80 / 150 / 150 bulk and adequate support movepool make it a solid choice for some teams. Although its offensive capabilities are nonexistent, access to both Thunder Wave and Toxic makes Registeel an excellent multipurpose check to common offensive threats. Stealth Rock is a given on all sets since Registeel can set it up against such a wide range of Pokemon. For damaging moves, Registeel has access to Seismic Toss, Iron Head, Earthquake, Shadow Claw, and Explosion. Seismic Toss is a particularly useful move considering Registeel’s depressing Attack stat since it does a reasonable amount of damage against all but two OU Pokemon; the other four attacks are mostly situational. Compared to Bronzong, Registeel sports significantly higher defenses, Seismic Toss, and Thunder Wave, but gains a weakness to Ground moves.

Ice Punch is for the situational Dragon that lock themselves into Outrage. :O Shadow Claw 2HKOes Gengar after SR, nvm.

<&Earthworm|Away> you forgot to mention
<&Earthworm|Away> that registeel is a worthless piece of sh*t

Offensive Rhyperior

Rhyperior’s niche in OU is that of an incredibly powerful yet bulky physical attacker. Even though it has a lot of common weaknesses, Rhyperior’s high HP and Defense coupled with Solid Rock make it much more difficult to take down than its two 4x weaknesses would lead you to believe, especially when it’s in a sandstorm. Its two viable sets are Substitute + Swords Dance and Choice Band. SubSD seeks to set up 101 HP Substitutes on a switch and proceed to either unleash a strong Earthquake / Stone Edge against a frail switch-in or set up Swords Dance against a bulkier one. With a Choice Band, all Rhyperior cares about is smashing switch-ins with Earthquake / Stone Edge for STAB along with Megahorn, Aqua Tail, or Rock Blast for coverage and utility.

Celebi
Typing: Grass / Psychic
Base Stats: 100 HP / 100 Atk / 100 Def / 100 SpA / 100 SpD / 100 Spe
Ability: Natural Cure

While 7 weaknesses might sound horrible for a defensive threat, Celebi makes up for it with a solid 6 resistances (including Ground, Water, Electric, and Fighting). It's typing also pairs up perfectly with Heatran, forming the famed CeleTran combination. Base 100 stats across the board means Celebi has solid bulk on both sides, is quite fast for a wall, and can take off the gloves when push comes to shove. Recover offers it a reliable recovery move, though it can also opt for Rest, ridding itself of sleep by switching out thanks to Natural Cure. With a great support movepool, there's no telling just what sort of set Celebi will be running. It can set up Stealth Rock, force switches with Perish Song or Leech Seed, scout with Baton Pass or U-turn, cripple threats with Thunder Wave or Trick, or keep the team nice and healthy with Heal Bell. Despite all of it's pluses, Celebi can still be hammered down by attacks that prey on it's many weaknesses; Pursuit in particular can put a quick end to this pixie's trickery.

Scizor often likes to switch in on Celebi but the latter can carry HP Fire which is something to look out for, even on defesive Celebi. Defensive Celebi don't use Trick ?_? HP Ice works against Dragons too

Infernape
Type: Fire / Fighting
Ability: Blaze
Base Stats: 76 HP / 104 Atk / 71 Def / 104 SpA / 71 SpD / 108 Spe


Infernape has a highly offensive presence in DPP OU due to its high Speed and decent attacking stats. Most Infernape are physically oriented, decimating foes with STAB Close Combat, scouting for checks with U-Turn, and finishing off faster foes with Mach Punch. While most physically oriented Infernape run Flare Blitz as their Fire-type STAB move of choice to dent common Fighting-type switch-ins Gliscor, Skarmory, and Rotom-A, others prefer to go mixed with Overheat or Fire Blast along with other Special moves for coverage to attack those switch-ins' weaker offensive stat, namely Hidden Power Ice, Grass Knot, or Hidden Power Electric. Furthermore, Infernape can take advantage of the switches it forces to set up with either Swords Dance or Nasty Plot to boost its damage output. Some uncommon moves that are also at Infernape's disposal include Thunderpunch, Vacuum Wave, and Focus Blast. Infernape can also take advantage of its high Speed and perform as an excellent Choice user as it outspeeds the Base 100 Speed Pokemon. Infernape also sees use as a lead, commonly running a Choice set or a Focus Sash set that utilizes Infernape's common moves in addition to Fake Out and Stealth Rock.

I've never seen Choice lead Infernape lol o.o I'm not really sure if they exist haha. >.> edit: they exist !! /me headdesk
I'll continue next time~
 
Choice (scarf) lead infernapes do exist though they are rarer than Fake out overheat ones. I think they are more common than the Fire blast endeavor vacuum wave variants though.
 
Everything before post 88 is qc approved by me. My opinions on certain posts are below the qoutes.

Ojama's post was good, but I am not sure 100% since there was some grammar errors.

[Unreserved] Hariyama

...really?

Aight, imma do it. I gotta rep my boy. That is unless someone else has already taken it(I only read the OP, so I'm sorry if I missed the post).



I will patiently wait then until I get the OK.


Hariyama
Type: Fighting
Base Stats: 144 HP / 120 Atk / 60 Def / 40 SpA / 60 SpD / 50 Spe

Description
Although he is relegated to the UU tier, Hariyama is a unique Fighting type that can hold it's own in the OU metagame, particularly as an anti-lead. He will forever be compared to Machamp. However, as a lead, Hariyama has some slight differences in both moveset and the way he is played that differentiate the sumo Pokémon from the four-armed giant. Toxic and Flame Orb, combined with Guts and Fake Out, allow Hariyama to boost his Attack from turn 1. This allows lead Hariyama to hit much harder than lead Machamp ever could. It also allows him to break the Focus Sashes of most leads, flinching them in the process. Guts-boosted Close Combat deals horrendous amounts of damage to Pokémon that don't resist Fighting. Payback is for the Ghost-types that are immune to Close Combat, dealing 77% minimum to 252/252 Bold Rotom-A to give an idea of his power after a Guts boost. Ice Punch allows Hariyama to murder the physical wall known as Gliscor, also eliminating any Dragonite or Flygon daring enough to switch in or set up. Gyarados is a popular switch-in to Hariyama, so both ThunderPunch and Stone Edge are viable options as well, the latter also dealing with Zapdos. The main drawback is that Hariyama will be losing health every turn, so despite it's natural bulk, smart HP management is necessary.
It looks good, but a selling point to lead Hariyama is you were able to use Machamp on the same team as Hariyama. Mainly because you didn't have to waste the Machamp in the lead position.

I'm on it!!

Offensive


Gyarados
Type: Water / Flying
Ability: Intimidate
Base Stats: 95 HP / 125 Atk / 79 Def / 60 SpA / 100 SpD / 81 Spe

Gyarados is a fearsome physical offensive threat thanks to its remarkable base 125 Attack and access to Dragon Dance. While Gyarados's Water / Flying typing means that it is weak to Stealth Rock, it can set up on many common Pokemon such as Heatran, Choice-locked Flygon, and many more. Intimidate also helps it set up on some physical attackers. Gyarados is quite hard to take down after a single boost as it can outspeed even Jolteon with a Jolly nature and is not weak to any priority move. One of the most common way to revenge kill Gyarados is via Choice Scarf users such as Flygon, Rotom-A, and Jirachi. Gyarados has useful high-powered moves such as Waterfall, Earthquake, Stone Edge, and bounce to utilize. Gyarados can also set up on common phazers and prevent incoming phazers from doing their job by using Taunt. With Taunt, Gyarados can comfortably set up some phazers such as Swampert and Skarmory. It also has decent bulk to attempt multiple Dragon Dances. Though Stealth Rock is really a limiting factor for Gyarados, it can utilize Choice Band to hit hard right off the bat and severely denting or even KOing common switch-ins such as Flygon.

I guess I'll edit it when I have the time again ;-; sorry for the slowness .-.
Mention how bulky waters such as HP Electric Vaporeon or HP Electric Suicune are powerful and common checks to Gyarados.


Celebi
Typing: Grass / Psychic
Base Stats: 100 HP / 100 Atk / 100 Def / 100 SpA / 100 SpD / 100 Spe
Ability: Natural Cure

While 7 weaknesses might sound horrible for a defensive threat, Celebi makes up for it with a solid 6 resistances (including Ground, Water, Electric, and Fighting). It's typing also pairs up perfectly with Heatran, forming the famed CeleTran combination. Base 100 stats across the board means Celebi has solid bulk on both sides, is quite fast for a wall, and can take off the gloves when push comes to shove. Recover offers it a reliable recovery move, though it can also opt for Rest, ridding itself of sleep by switching out thanks to Natural Cure. With a great support movepool, there's no telling just what sort of set Celebi will be running. It can set up Stealth Rock, force switches with Perish Song or Leech Seed, scout with Baton Pass or U-turn, cripple threats with Thunder Wave or Trick, or keep the team nice and healthy with Heal Bell. Despite all of it's pluses, Celebi can still be hammered down by attacks that prey on it's many weaknesses; Pursuit in particular can put a quick end to this pixie's trickery.
Pursuit is a way to deal with Celebi, but I feel like it should be stated with caution. Pursuiting Celebi can be easier said than done because of Grass Knot vs a weakened Tyranitar or a predicted Tyranitar switch in. Or HP Fire vs Scizor who tries to Pursuit you.

Pursuit | Crunch is a 50/50 prediction vs defensive Celebi. Most Tyranitar are choice scarf, so this can be very crucial.

Dragonite, SpDef Skarmory, and Heatran are counters to defensive Celebi.

I'd still like to reserve Hippowdon and Swampert. Will finish by tomorrow.

Defensive Threat

Hippowdon
Type: Ground
Base Stats: 108 HP / 112 Atk / 118 Def / 68 SpA / 72 SpD / 47 Spe
Ability: Sand Stream
Hippowdon is the quintessential physical wall. It is the only Sand Stream user other than Tyranitar, but plays quite differently. With huge defensive stats, it is capable of holding more overall defenses than Skarmory! Even though it lacks Skarmory's superior defensive typing, it can actually pose a threat to more frail offensive Pokemon with its STAB Earthquake, even with minimal investment. Most of the time, though, Hippowdon will be laying down Stealth Rock, phazing with Roar, and recovering off any damage it took in the mean time with Slack Off. Its physical bulk is enough to hold up to strong physical attackers, taking very little from Scizor, Metagross, Tyranitar, and other physical attackers. Hippowdown has enough HP to supplement its somewhat low Special Defense, so it can easily be used as a mixed wall. It can also run a Stockpile set to boost both of its defenses, giving Hippowdon supreme overall bulk. If it has problems with Dragonite, it can even run Ice Fang for decent damage. Ice Fang also allows Hippowdon to win against Gliscor one-on-one. It has low Speed meaning it can become Taunt bait, but this hardly matters when, most of the time, it doesn't need Speed, especially when phazing. Hippowdon is not unbreakable though, as Grass-types such as Celebi or Shaymin can switch in on anything it uses barring Roar or Ice Fang and KO it with Leaf Storm or Seed Flare, respectively.

Defensive Threat

Swampert
Type: Water / Ground
Base Stats: 100 HP / 110 Atk / 90 Def / 85 SpA / 90 SpD / 60 Spe
Ability: Torrent
Swampert is one of DPP OU's toughest walls to break. It is most commonly seen as a hazard setter, able to set down Stealth Rock while hitting its opponent back with Earthquake or Ice Beam coming off its decent mixed offenses. Roar gives it a means by which to phaze its opponents, preventing set up sweepers such as Gyarados from taking advantage of an uninvested Ice Beam, or make Suicune think twice about getting greedy with Calm Mind boosts. Curse allows it to boost its excellent physical bulk and offenses; it can even run a pseudo-CroCune set, slowly boosting its Attack and Defense to sky high levels while recovering all of its HP and relieving it from crippling status when it needs to. Despite these traits, it has low Speed and a crippling weakness to Grass, but even Grass-types must be careful not to switch into an Ice Beam or Avalanche.
Mention how water pokemon can beat Hippowdown too. Gliscor still beats Ice Fang Hippodown one on one. Since it Toxics Hippowdown, lives an Ice Fang, then starts Roosting.

Mention how Swampert lacks recovery. This is very huge because it allows pokemon like Vaporeon to win one on one very easily, since they wear down tank Swampert slowly but surely. Lacking recovery also allows repeated hits from powerful sweepers to wear it down.

Edit:Oops, sorry DracoMalfoy. I didn't realize I messed this up. xD
 

Tamahome

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@LizardMan: I understand your QC check, but your comments about how 'certain mon is countered by something' are not useful here. I mean, this is a threat list, at least from my point of view we should be mentioning how that mon could be dangerous/effective, not how you beat it on any purpose. I'm sorry if I got the whole idea wrong, but at least that's how I was checking it with Steven Snype.

Also, I'll give it a proper read as I told Jellicent I would so I can stamp my check or not. Just didn't really have time, sorry Jelli. @.@
 

sandshrewz

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Offensive Gengar

Gengar
Type: Ghost / Poison
Ability: Levitate
Base Stats: 60 HP / 65 Atk / 60 Def / 130 SpA / 75 SpD / 110 Spe

Gengar's high Special Attack and Speed combined with an unpredictable moveset make it an extremely threatening Pokemon. Even though its movepool of damagiing attacks is rather limited (Shadow Ball, Focus Blast, Thunderbolt, Hidden Power, and Explosion), Gengar's different sets are largely countered by different Pokemon. It frequently utilizes Substitute + Pain Split in conjunction with the perfect coverage provided by Shadow Ball and Focus Blast. Three attack sets add either Thunderbolt or Hidden Power Fire in place of Pain Split. Finally, Explosion, Hypnosis, and Protect also make familiar appearances on Gengar sets.
Choice Scarf Gengar, while uncommon, should probably be mentioned as a revenge killer to something like Dragon Dance Dragonite with HP Ice. It's also cool if you can Trick Scarf to Blissey. Icy Wind lead should also get a mention here. I remember when I lose Metagross to Gengar when I was unfamiliar with what Gengar's lead set was... >.> Ehhh fsr SubPunch is on the analysis. Don't think it needs a mention here and it's horribly uncommon >.> Gengar's immunity to Ground, Normal, and Fighting are what grants it many chances to switch in despite its non-existent bulk. It's also a great offensive spinblocker / pivot against spinblockers as long as it doesn't get whacked by something like Payback from Forry / Surf from Starmie. Substitute is Gengar's lifeline against Pursuit users and also helps its poor defenses. It's the only way Gengar has a chance to launch multiple attacks along with its high Speed.


Spiritomb
Type: Ghost / Dark
Base Stats: 50 HP / 92 Atk / 108 Def / 92 SpA / 108 SpD / 35 Spe
Ability: Pressure

With no exploitable weaknesses and 3 handy immunities to Fighting, Normal, and Psychic, Spiritomb is a solid spinblocker. Although it lacks reliable recovery, it's low HP coupled with strong defenses makes Pain Split a great option for keeping it healthy. It can weaken offensive threats with Will-O-Wisp, trap opposing spinblockers with Pursuit, and even revenge kill in a pinch with STAB Sucker Punch. RestTalking is also a viable method for keeping Spiritomb in good health, and RestTalk sets are usually seen running Will-O-Wisp and Shadow Ball. Alternatively, it can run Rest, Will-O-Wisp, Curse, and Pursuit to become truly difficult to break through. The best bet for defeating Spiritomb is to just smack it hard with neutral hits, especially from special attackers that fear little from burns.
Spiritomb works well with Rapid Spin users thanks to Pursuit and is sometimes even more reliable in Pursuiting spinblockers since it can Rest a possible burn. Spiritomb is generally a good mixed wall + spinblocker but it really relies on Rest a lot to heal from experience. 50 / 108 / 108 is just okayish bulk :/ It still gets wrecked by really powerful attackers eg Heatran which it can't do anything to it, and CB Scizor can just spam U-turn and evade the burn. Spiritomb is also a great niche counter to Machamp thanks to Pressure + typing + Will-O-Wisp. On the topic of Pursuit trapping, it shines against offensive Pokemon, especially Gengar that have their Sub down since it has no way of crippling Spiritomb. Gengar is pretty much dead against Spiritomb without Sub. Emphasize that its neutrality to Pursuit is what makes it a premier spinblocker despite not having Levitate to evade Spikes. It does run a risk of being set up on my several Pokemon, especially those that doesn't mind getting burned / can Heal Bell eg NP Heal Bell Togekiss. Spiritomb is good and usable but hardly doesn't have that much of bulk. Also, mention Curse for it being used for mainly last Pokemon scenarios and forcing switches instead of saying it's hard to break through. Rest is the only reason Spiritomb can stick around quit long. geez I wrote too long ;_;

Continue another day~ >.>
 

Andy Snype

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Though I've sort of drifted off away from the threatlist, some of the stuff I've seen written is just wrong after briefly skimming through the latest post.


Choice Scarf Gengar, while uncommon, should probably be mentioned as a revenge killer to something like Dragon Dance Dragonite with HP Ice. It's also cool if you can Trick Scarf to Blissey. Icy Wind lead should also get a mention here. I remember when I lose Metagross to Gengar when I was unfamiliar with what Gengar's lead set was... >.> Ehhh fsr SubPunch is on the analysis. Don't think it needs a mention here and it's horribly uncommon >.> Gengar's immunity to Ground, Normal, and Fighting are what grants it many chances to switch in despite its non-existent bulk. It's also a great offensive spinblocker / pivot against spinblockers as long as it doesn't get whacked by something like Payback from Forry / Surf from Starmie. Substitute is Gengar's lifeline against Pursuit users and also helps its poor defenses. It's the only way Gengar has a chance to launch multiple attacks along with its high Speed.

Barely anyone uses Scarf Gengar, least of all with HP Ice. If any Gengar is going to run a Choice set, they don't want to be vulnerable to Tyranitar/Scizor traps. How Gengar actually does get in most of the time is to come in when the enemy is forced to make a non-attacking move (ex: Taunt, heal, switch). Icy Wind Gengar is also rather bad and nobody really uses it.


Emphasize that its neutrality to Pursuit is what makes it a premier spinblocker despite not having Levitate to evade Spikes.
"Premier" basically equates to "amazing". Spiritomb is a shabby spinblocker. If anything, the ability to not evade Spikes puts a lot of pressure on Spiritomb, weakening itself. At best, the wording would be "what gives Spiritomb a niche."
 

sandshrewz

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Though I've sort of drifted off away from the threatlist, some of the stuff I've seen written is just wrong after briefly skimming through the latest post.

Barely anyone uses Scarf Gengar, least of all with HP Ice. If any Gengar is going to run a Choice set, they don't want to be vulnerable to Tyranitar/Scizor traps. How Gengar actually does get in most of the time is to come in when the enemy is forced to make a non-attacking move (ex: Taunt, heal, switch). Icy Wind Gengar is also rather bad and nobody really uses it.

"Premier" basically equates to "amazing". Spiritomb is a shabby spinblocker. If anything, the ability to not evade Spikes puts a lot of pressure on Spiritomb, weakening itself. At best, the wording would be "what gives Spiritomb a niche."
I agree that Scarf Gengar is pretty rare, if not non-existent. It'll need plenty of double switching etc to scout for Pursuit. I doubt anyone uses Icy Wind Gengar lead now, but a small mention should be okay? It's a threatlist afterall, and at least it isn't a random set that isn't on-site... If you feel it shouldn't be there I'm fine with that haha :P

Sorry for the wrong word choice .-. Spiritomb is ideally used if you are really paranoid about getting Pursuit trapped and you can spin quite reliable so that it doesn't have to care about Spikes as long as they're spun. Rotom-A can evade Pursuit with Substitutes and Will-O-Wisps anyway.

Thanks for raising this up~ :)

edit: I edited my posts after some discussion with Steven Snype. There will probably be more changes! ~!
 

sandshrewz

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Offensive Threats


Abomasnow
Type: Grass / Ice
Base Stats: 90 HP / 92 Atk / 75 Def / 92 SpA / 85 SpD / 60 Spe
Ability: Snow Warning

Abomasnow's use lies in that it is the only viable summoner of permanent hail. It has a few somewhat decent offensive options throughout its limited movepool. It has access to powerful STABs in Blizzard and Wood Hammer, a STAB priority attack in Ice Shard, and decent coverage moves in Earthquake, Focus Punch, and Hidden Power Fire. Its best bet is as a mixed Choice Scarf user, using both of its STABs and two coverage moves to revenge kill Pokemon weak to its moves or just generally frail Pokemon. Other options include a non-Choice mixed attacker with Ice Shard and sets utilizing Leech Seed. Abomasnow also has access to Seed Bomb and Energy Ball as other STAB options. Since its STABs leave it open to Steel-types, Hidden Power Fire and Earthquake are often used to hit Steel-types, or even Focus Punch for Blissey and Snorlax.


Azelf
Type: Psychic
Base Stats: 75 HP / 125 Atk / 70 Def / 125 SpA / 70 SpD / 115 Spe
Ability: Levitate

Despite being one of the most versatile Pokemon in existence, Azelf is most commonly seen as a suicide lead. With a great base 115 Speed, access to moves such as Stealth Rock, U-turn, Explosion, Taunt and useful attacking moves against other leads including Fire Blast and Psychic, it is easy to understand why Azelf would run such a set. Lead Azelf sets include a dual screen set to support heavy offense teams, Colbur Berry leads to defeat Tyranitar and Machamp leads, and a Choice Band lead to give it an enormous offensive advantage from the get-go. While all of its support options are great, Azelf isn't bad on the offensive side: 125 attacking stats are more than good. Access to Nasty Plot means it can be a devastating sweeper in the end of the game with the coverage that Psychic, Fire Blast, Hidden Power Fighting and Grass Knot grants, usually running one of the latter two. Heatran is one of the most common switch-ins to Azelf, which means that Hidden Power Ground is sometimes used to eliminate it once lured in. It can even choose to forgo Nasty Plot for an all-out offensive set which switches Nasty Plot with Explosion, allowing it to nail the likes of Blissey with a powerful blast. Finally, Choice items can fit Azelf very well since it has great movepool and access to Trick, with physical versions usually running Zen Headbutt, Fire Punch, and two of these three: U-turn, Explosion and Trick, while special ones prefer Psychic, Flamethrower, Grass Knot and one of these: U-turn, Explosion, or Trick.


Breloom
Type: Grass / Fighting
Base Stats: 60 HP / 130 Atk / 80 Def / 60 SpA / 60 SpD / 70 Spe
Abilities: Effect Spore / Poison Heal

Breloom is a complete terror. With Spore, it can incapacitate at least one opponent per battle, giving it an easy opportunity to set up. Often, it will set up a Substitute, allowing it to freely fire off STAB Focus Punches from its base 130 Attack or wear the opponent down with Leech Seed. Seed Bomb or Stone Edge are the usual coverage moves on such a set. Alternatively, it can set up Swords Dance to boost that great Attack stat even higher, allowing it to sweep mercilessly. From there, it can fire off souped up priority STAB Mach Punches. Poison Heal, coupled with a Toxic Orb, keeps Breloom consistently healthy enough to set up multiple Substitutes. Toxic Orb also allows Breloom to act as a great status absorber, and gives it a boosted Facade to toy around with to boot. While its base 70 Speed is a downside, it's high enough to make a Choice Scarf set viable; typically, it will run Spore, Superpower, Seed Bomb, and Stone Edge when holding Choice Scarf.


Celebi
Type: Psychic / Grass
Base Stats: 100 HP / 100 Atk / 100 Def / 100 SpA / 100 SpD / 100 Spe
Ability: Natural Cure

Celebi is blessed with having both decent offenses, Speed, and excellent bulk, all making it a perfect candidate for a bulky attacker. It can utilize setup moves like Nasty Plot and Calm Mind in combination with Recover and its great movepool to sweep teams with the right support. Its STAB moves on their own already have decent coverage, and adding in Hidden Power Fire or Earth Power allows it to hit Steel-types super effectively. Psychic, in addition to being a powerful STAB, keeps slower Fighting-types with super effective coverage moves at bay. With access to Leaf Storm and an array of useful coverage moves, Celebi can run a support move + 3 attacks set. Access to a myriad of setup moves like Swords Dance, Calm Mind, and Nasty Plot along with Baton Pass offers a lot of momentum on offensive teams. Leech Seed is also often seen on bulkier sets to spread chip damage and increase its longevity. Last but definitely not least, it can combine both its offensive and defensive traits into a set commonly known as Tinkerbell, which utilizes Thunder Wave to cripple fast opponents, Leaf Storm for power, a coverage move, and a recovery move. The main advantage Celebi has as an offensive Pokemon is its typing, as while it may be a curse against U-turn users, it also provides solid resists to Ground, Fighting, Electric, Psychic, and Water that allow it multiple switch-ins. Its versatility as an offensive Pokemon means that you will never know exactly what it is running, and one wrong guess can give Celebi an opportunity to setup or hit something hard.


Crobat
Type: Poison / Flying
Base Stats: 85 HP / 90 Atk / 80 Def / 70 SpA / 80 SpD / 130 Spe
Ability: Inner Focus

Crobat isn't the most powerful Pokemon, but more than makes up for it with its phenomenal Speed and decent movepool. A set with Taunt, Roost, and Super Fang breaks through stall with relative ease, preventing recovery and paralysis with Taunt and taking half of a wall's health with Super Fang. It is an excellent tool for offensive and defensive teams alike, allowing offensive teams to break through walls that may trouble it and defensive teams to outlast opposing stall that it may otherwise struggle against. Access to Brave Bird, Cross Poison, and U-turn make for an excellent Choice Band set, even getting Pursuit to trap Ghost- and Psychic-types. U-turn keeps momentum on Crobat's side, getting Crobat away from its checks and counters with a small chunk of health taken from the target in the process. It even gets access to Nasty Plot, which in combination with its usable Special Attack stat and okay bulk allows multiple setup opportunities, after 2 or more boosts dealing solid damage to many common threats. Its special movepool consists of gems like Sludge Bomb and Heat Wave to accommodate this, with Hidden Power Fighting often used to round out coverage, mainly against Tyranitar.


Electivire
Type: Electric
Base stats: 75 HP / 123 Atk / 67 Def / 95 SpA / 85 SpD / 95 Spe
Ability: Motor Drive

Electivire has two things going for it: the best coverage in OU and one of the most useful abilities in the game. Unfortunately, due to a lack of raw power and strong physical STAB, Electivire was never going to overrun the metagame. Because of a lack of a strong physical STAB, Electivire often plays mixed, using Thunderbolt, Hidden Power Ice, and Flamethrower alongside Cross Chop to gain super effective damage on most every Pokemon in the tier. Other sets will go completely physical, opting for the elemental punches and Earthquake. Electivire's greatest weapon is its coverage, but it has an added bonus in the ability to boost its Speed. Electivire can easily switch in on a predicted Electric-type attack (even Thunder Wave) and begin wreaking havoc, though it remains outsped by Choice Scarf Flygon and the like. It also sports a resistance to the most common form of priority in the tier, Scizor's Bullet Punch. It is often used in a bait-and-switch strategy, getting free boosts from Electric-type attacks aimed at a Gyarados or Skarmory. Offensive teams are often easily swept, as often their fastest Pokemon is usually Choice Scarf Rotom-A, which is slower than Electivire and cannot use a STAB Thunderbolt on it. Until Electivire is revealed, it remains a dangerous secret weapon.


Empoleon
Type: Water / Steel
Base Stats: 84 HP / 86 Atk / 88 Def / 111 SpA / 101 SpD / 60 Spe
Ability: Torrent

Empoleon has quite a few movesets it can run, though many are not all that common. Regardless, it has many different options that it can run, each with a different set of checks and counters. Its most common set features Substitute, Agility, 2 attacks, and a Petaya Berry, aiming to use Substitute whilst boosting its low Speed in order to reach Petaya Berry range, from where it can use its likely boosted Speed and +1 Special Attack from the Petaya Berry to sweep unhindered once certain threats are out of the way. In addition, once Empoleon has used Substitute to a range where Petaya Berry is activated, it is also in Torrent range, which makes its STAB Water-type attacks even more powerful. A similar set with Shuca Berry in place of Petaya Berry is also common. Empoleon also has access to Stealth Rock and Aqua Jet to function as a great lead, Stealth Rock near-guaranteed to be setup with Aqua Jet to finish off leads down to their Focus Sash. It can even utilize Choice Specs effectively with its solid Special Attack stat and access to great moves like Hydro Pump, Ice Beam, and Grass Knot to get great coverage against the majority of Pokemon.


Flygon
Type: Dragon / Ground
Base Stats: 80 HP / 100 Atk / 80 Def / 80 SpA / 80 SpD / 100 Spe
Ability: Levitate

Flygon is one of the best Choice Scarf revenge killers in the game. Powerful dual STABs in Outrage and Earthquake give it all the coverage it needs, resisted only by Skarmory and Bronzong. Not only that, but it can also use U-turn to scout an opponent's moveset and gain switch advantage. Flygon will also be carrying a coverage move, usually Stone Edge or Fire Blast. It will also sometimes use ThunderPunch, as Flygon with a Choice Scarf can outspeed +1 Gyarados. A Choice Scarf is Flygon's most common set, but will sometimes be seen using a Choice Band for added power, or will sometimes go mixed, using a combination of Draco Meteor, Earthquake, and Fire Blast for great coverage with Roost to keep it healthy.


Froslass
Type: Ice / Ghost
Base Stats: 70 HP / 80 Atk / 70 Def / 80 SpA / 70 SpD / 110 Spe
Ability: Snow Cloak

Froslass's main claim to fame as an offensive Pokemon is its ability to set up Spikes and spinblock at the same time. It does so with its blistering Speed and mediocre but usable Special Attack stat, as well as Snow Cloak in hail to boost its evasion. Spikes is on every Froslass, often with Taunt to prevent opposing hazard setup and/or Destiny Bond to take down the opponent when it kills Froslass. Destiny Bond is especially effective because of Froslass's high Speed stat and extreme frailness. It is almost always a lead, using a Focus Sash to guarantee two layer of Spikes. Icy Wind or Blizzard is usually the attack, allowing Froslass to do solid STAB damage if all 3 layers of Spikes manage to be setup. Shadow Ball and Hidden Power Fire are also excellent choices to help handle Ghost-types with the former, Forretress and Scizor with the latter. Froslass is an excellent choice for any offensive team wanting quick Spikes, easily the best in its class.


Gallade
Type: Psychic / Fighting
Base stats: 68 HP / 125 Atk / 65 Def / 65 SpA / 115 SpD / 80 Spe
Ability: Steadfast

Gallade is a unique Pokemon, boasting some of the highest Attack and Special Defense stats for any Fighting-type. While its Speed may be lackluster, top-notch coverage and the ability to increase its Attack with Swords Dance still make it very dangerous. Gallade is also one of the best anti-leads available, able to defeat Machamp, Azelf, Heatran, Aerodactyl, and Gengar. Thanks to Steadfast, it can use an opponent's Fake Out to its advantage, boosting its Speed a great deal. A STAB Close Combat coming off a base 125 Attack and boosted by a Life Orb is nothing to joke about, but Gallade will also commonly carry Zen Headbutt, Stone Edge, Ice Punch, or Shadow Sneak, giving it all the coverage it needs to beat common Fighting-type counters.



Heatran
Type: Fire / Steel
Base Stats: 91 HP / 90 Atk / 106 Def / 130 SpA / 106 SpD / 77 Spe
Ability: Flash Fire

Heatran is the face of DPP OU, consistently one of the most-used Pokemon in the tier, and it doesn't take much digging to figure out why. Its typing gives it the resistances of a Steel-type and the coverage of a Fire-type, along with a neutrality to the ever-so-common Stealth Rock instead of the weakness that plagues most other Fire-types. Its main set is a Stealth Rock lead with Shuca Berry, allowing it to setup Stealth Rock against the likes of Metagross and Flygon. It can also don a Choice Scarf to revenge kill many top threats, taking away any issues Heatran may have with Speed and utilizing its excellent coverage, STAB Fire-type moves, and Explosion to take down special walls by sacrificing itself. However, those are only a few of Heatran's many options. Heatran can also use Torment to annoy opponents to great effect, as well as Magma Storm to function as a trapper. Substitute, Choice Specs, and Life Orb are all just as threatening offensive options, the former protecting Heatran from faster Pokemon with STAB Water-, Fighting-, and Ground-type attacks. It even has access to Taunt, which prevents paralysis and sleep from crippling Heatran.


Heracross
Type: Bug / Fighting
Base Stats: 80 HP / 125 Atk / 75 Def / 40 SpA / 95 SpD / 85 Spe
Abilities: Guts / Swarm

Heracross is a very threatening physical attacker, and it is easy to see why. Threatening STABs with decent coverage together and Stone Edge to hit all resists barring Toxicroak, in combination with a base 125 Attack stat, make Heracross one of the most powerful physical attackers in existence. It is most commonly seen donning a Choice Scarf to revenge kill common threats, or even a Choice Band to punch holes in teams. Those sets use another of Heracross's many options, namely Toxic to cripple walls that will not fall to Heracross's attacks, Night Slash to reliably hit Ghost-types, Pursuit to trap Ghost-types, or Sleep Talk to use sleep as an advantage with Guts boosting the move selected by Sleep Talk. Speaking of Guts, it makes Swords Dance a much more viable and harder-hitting option with a Flame Orb or Toxic Orb, essentially getting a Choice Band boost without being locked in. Furthermore, when using a status Orb Facade is boosted, providing decent neutral coverage and hitting extremely hard. While Heracross hits super hard, it's easily revenge killed, which accounts for why it's not seen very often despite its power.


Jirachi
Type: Steel / Psychic
Base Stats: 100 HP / 100 Atk / 100 Def / 100 SpA / 100 SpD / 100 Spe
Ability: Serene Grace

As an offensive Pokemon, Jirachi is known for three prominent sets. Taking advantage of its ability Serene Grace, Jirachi can afford to utilize Iron Head, U-turn, the elemental punches, and the occasional Zen Headbutt to be quite the physical nuisance, especially when equipped with a Choice Scarf to revenge kill most Pokemon, including Dragonite, Gyarados, Scizor, Starmie, and Tyranitar. Jirachi can also utilize an Expert Belt to feign a Choice Scarf with the same moves to surprise slower teams and becoming a greater nuisance against them, sometimes running Thunderbolt, Grass Knot, and Hidden Power Ice too. Jirachi can also utilize its amazing Steel / Psychic defensive typing and 100 / 100 / 100 defensive stats to take advantage of a Calm Mind set. With Substitute, Wish, Thunderbolt, Psychic, and Flash Cannon at its disposal, Jirachi can be quite a pest to most teams. A similar straight specially defensive set allows Jirachi to tank through slower teams as well. Faster versions of Calm Mind Jirachi, dubbed "SuperRachi," take advantage of Jirachi's base 100 Speed to outspeed common checks to Jirachi and utilize the aforementioned moves in addition to Hidden Power Ground, specifically to defeat Heatran, who otherwise walls any Jirachi that lacks it.


Kingdra
Type: Water / Dragon
Base Stats: 75 HP / 95 Atk / 95 Def / 95 SpA / 95 SpD / 85 Spe
Abilities: Sniper / Swift Swim

Kingdra is easily one of the most dangerous sweepers in OU because of its great combination of bulk, typing and movepool. While the latter might not be as impressive as its Dragon-typed brethren, it includes pretty much anything Kingdra needs. Sets including the ever popular Dragon Dance are the most commonly seen, notably the Chesto Berry + Rest set, made of Rest, Outrage, Waterfall, and Dragon Dance, or the Substitute + Dragon Dance set using the same moves as the previous set, swapping Rest for Substitute. Kingdra's typing reduces the exploitable weaknesses a boosting sweeper can have and makes it much more difficult to revenge kill. Despite Kingdra's immense potential as a physical boosting sweeper, it can use the great coverage granted by its STAB and run a powerful Choice Specs set. Using the sheer power of Hydro Pump and Draco Meteor and the reliability of Surf and Dragon Pulse, it turns Kingdra into an absolute monster which is incredibly difficult to switch into. But Kingdra's special attacking options are not limited to Choice Specs. It can run an extremely powerful Rain Dance set using Rain Dance, Hydro Pump, Dragon Pulse, and Signal Beam, which is an extremely destructive late-game sweeper that requires very little set-up, boosting both of its Speed and Water STAB to incredible levels. It can also run a variant of this set sacrificing Signal Beam for Waterfall, allowing Kingdra to break through special walls such as Blissey.


Lucario
Typing: Fighting / Steel
Base Stats: 70 HP / 110 Atk / 70 Def / 115 SpA / 70 SpD / 90 Spe
Abilities: Steadfast / Inner Focus

Lucario is the most fearsome late-game sweeper in DPP OU and can dismantle many teams after very little set up. With an above average Attack stat and Fighting STAB, it can do some serious damage even to the bulkiest physical walls. The most popular set is without a doubt the Swords Dance one, usually consisting of Swords Dance, Close Combat, ExtremeSpeed, and one of Crunch, Bullet Punch, or Stone Edge. Lucario can also fix its average speed using Agility instead of Swords Dance, giving it the opportunity to mow down frail offensive teams. Agility will almost always be carrying Ice Punch in order to break through its most common counter, Gliscor. Lucario also has great Special Attack stat, allowing it to use a Choice Specs set very effectively with Aura Sphere, Shadow Ball, Hidden Power Ice, and Vacuum Wave. Finally, Lucario can be turned in a fine revenge killer using Choice Scarf with Close Combat, Crunch, Ice Punch, and ThunderPunch. While Lucario blows most offensive teams lacking Mach Punch Infernape out of the water, it does tend to struggle against bulkier offensive teams that are able to tank one of its hits and cripple or KO it in return.


Ludicolo
Type: Water / Grass
Base Stats: 80 HP / 70 Atk / 70 Def / 90 SpA / 100 SpD / 70 Spe
Abilities: Swift Swim / Rain Dish

While it might not look like much, Ludicolo is a top threat in the rain. Its unique Water / Grass typing offers good offensive coverage, resisted only by Dragon- and Grass-types, which Ice Beam hits super effectively. Usually, Ludicolo will set up rain to power up its Surf or Hydro Pump while doubling its Speed thanks to Swift Swim. Although normally a special attacker, Ludicolo can also run a surprise Swords Dance set that punishes Blissey switch-ins, though it needs Rain Dance support from a teammate to function optimally. Resistances to the common Earthquake, Surf, and Bullet Punch provide it with several opportunities to set up rain or a Swords Dance throughout the battle. Once Rain Dance's timer runs out, however, it's a sitting duck for any powerful physical hits from faster sweepers. It will sometimes be seen outside of rain using a Leech Seed set, so beware of that if you're running a Rain Dance Kingdra.


Machamp
Type: Fighting
Base Stats: 90 HP / 130 Atk / 80 Def / 65 SpA / 85 SpD / 55 Spe
Abilities: Guts / No Guard

Machamp's high Attack, perfectly accurate moves, natural bulk, and lack of common weaknesses make it one of the most reliable Pokemon in OU. It's most commonly seen as an all-out attacker, carrying an incredibly frustrating DynamicPunch and coverage moves such as Payback, Ice Punch, Stone Edge, and Bullet Punch. This set is frequently used in the lead position, usually with a Lum Berry or Focus Sash. When not leading the charge, Machamp usually uses Substitute (with paralysis support) to eliminate the need for prediction, or a RestTalk set to absorb status and force switches throughout the match with DynamicPunch.


Magneton
Type: Electric / Steel
Base Stats: 50 HP / 65 Atk / 95 Def / 120 SpA / 70 SpD / 70 Spe
Abilities: Sturdy / Magnet Pull

There is only one reason to use Magneton over its evolution, Magnezone, and that is its increased Speed stat. Because of this, Choice Scarf is by far its best set. With a Choice Scarf attached, Magneton can revenge kill many common threats, including Gyarados and Dragonite, as well as trap and kill Steel-types. This set uses Explosion to eliminate Blissey and other threats that its other moves cannot deal with. Specifically, the added Speed allows Magneton to outspeed most Scizor with little-to-no investment, KOing with Thunderbolt or Hidden Power Fire.


Magnezone
Type: Electric / Steel
Base Stats: 70 HP / 70 Atk / 115 Def / 130 SpA / 90 SpD / 60 Spe
Abilities: Sturdy / Magnet Pull

Magnezone's claim to fame is its ability to kill bulky Steel-types like Skarmory and Forretress that wall many otherwise nigh-uncounterable Pokemon. It does so by trapping them with Magnet Pull and then proceeding to do basically whatever it wants. It can utilize Substitute, leaving it free wear down Steel-types and just generally hitting hard with Thunderbolt with whatever Hidden Power it wants for coverage and Explosion for Blissey in the last slot. Alternatively, Magnezone can use Magnet Rise instead of Explosion and get a temporary immunity to Ground-type moves. A Choice Scarf set can revenge kill common Steel-types that it normally falls to, including Lucario and Scizor. With Choice Specs attached, Magnezone is turned into a powerhouse, steamrolling through anything that does not resist its STABs. With Endure and a Custap Berry Magnezone can get the jump on Ground-types like Flygon looking to revenge kill it. Magnezone can even throw all of this behind and set up dual screens via trapping Steel-types.


Mamoswine
Type: Ice / Ground
Base Stats: 110 HP / 130 Atk / 80 Def / 70 SpA / 60 SpD / 80 Spe
Abilities: Oblivious / Snow Cloak

Mamoswine can be an effective physical attacker once the things that wall it are removed. It has all of the tools: an off-the-charts Attack stat, a great STAB combination, and a powerful priority attack in Ice Shard no less. Its Earthquake steamrolls through all but the bulkiest of resists, holding the crown of the most powerful Ground-type attack commonly found in OU. Its Ice Shard is one of the most potent attacks found in OU, allowing it to revenge kill common Dragon-types such as Dragonite and Flygon. It also has access to powerful coverage moves like Stone Edge to nail Gyarados and Superpower to put a dent in the only common Pokemon that resists Mamoswine's STABs, Bronzong. Stealth Rock and Endeavor allow it to function as an excellent lead, with the Endeavor + Ice Shard combination being a great way to ensure that opposing leads faint. Its typing makes it immune to both sandstorm and hail and takes away the curse of being weak to Stealth Rock that is normally attributed to Ice-types. To top all of this off, Mamoswine has a useful ability in Snow Cloak that allows it to utilize hail with a 20% boost to its evasion.


Metagross
Type: Steel / Psychic
Base Stats: 80 HP / 135 Atk / 130 Def / 95 SpA / 90 SpD / 70 Spe
Ability: Clear Body

If Pokemon were The Goonies, Metagross would be Chunk. Slow, but quite bulky, Metagross is a formidable foe. Everyone seems to forget him until he shows up with that gigantic Attack stat. Even when uninvested in Attack, STAB Meteor Mash hurts everything that doesn't resist it. With a Choice Band, even Pokemon that resist Steel won't like switching into Metagross often, especially if it gets an Attack boost or worse, a critical hit. Defensive Pokemon will not appreciate being Tricked a Choice Band either. Metagross is typically the average Pokemon player's Stealth Rock user and a common lead as it can also Explode to make a hole in the opponent's team and let a teammate come in for free. The lead set will commonly be using a Lum or Occa Berry to ensure that it has the best chance possible to get Stealth Rock up. To help overcome its mediocre Speed, Metagross can finish off faster foes with Bullet Punch. Metagross can also use Agility to nab a boost in Speed and sweep frailer, offensive teams with Meteor Mash, Earthquake, and an elemental punch or Zen Headbutt. In the same vein, Metagross can utilize Choice Scarf for a surprise instantaneous Speed boost to take out faster attackers. Naturally, Metagross's typical counters are immune to Earthquake and resist Meteor Mash. Fortunately, Metagross gets around that easily with the combination of Trick and Iron Ball. Metagross is also capable of running a mixed set with Psychic, Hidden Power Fire, and Grass Knot to make itself a bigger nuisance to Rotom-A, Forretress, and Swampert.


Mismagius
Type: Ghost
Base Stats: 60 HP / 60 Atk / 60 Def / 105 SpA / 105 SpD / 105 Spe
Ability: Levitate

Mismagius has only one card to play in order to not be outclassed by other Ghost-types, and a good one at that. Mismagius is the only viable Ghost-type that can use Nasty Plot, boasting a high Speed stat and decent Special Defense to help it setup. Its STAB Shadow Ball in combination with Hidden Power Fighting is more than enough for coverage. Mismagius even has access to Thunderbolt to hit bulky Water-types. Substitute can even be used to help setup, as Shadow Ball + Hidden Power Fighting equates to perfect coverage, allowing the last slot to be a choice of whatever is wanted. It also gets access to Taunt and Will-O-Wisp, both of which can fill the last slot quite nicely, the former preventing status attempts and the latter making up for Mismagius's low Defense stat. It even has access to Calm Mind, which capitalizes on Mismagius's high Special Defense stat.


Ninjask
Type: Bug / Flying
Base stats: 61 HP / 90 Atk / 45 Def / 50 SpA / 50 SpD / 160 Spe
Ability: Speed Boost

Ninjask is the fastest Pokemon in OU by a long shot. Unfortunately, this isn't enough for it to succeed on its own. However, Ninjask makes great use of Baton Pass, which can really destroy opponents. With the ability to pass off a possible Attack boost, Speed Boost, and Substitute, Ninjask can set up another Pokemon for an easy sweep. Ninjask will often also use Protect or X-scissor to give it a fighting chance against opponents. As much potential as it has, Ninjask will have trouble setting up on teams that carry a Taunt user or phazer. Ninjask can easily lure these Pokemon in, allowing for a double switch to, say, a Magnezone to take out a Skarmory, but with a 4x weakness to Stealth Rock Ninjask will find trouble switching in as well. Countering it isn't about beating Ninjask, but rather about beating Ninjask's team's style.


Porygon-Z
Type: Normal
Base stats: 85 HP / 80 Atk / 70 Def / 135 SpA / 75 SpD / 90 Spe
Abilities: Download / Adaptability

Hailed as the only special attacker able to OHKO Blissey, Porygon-Z boasts the highest Special Attack in OU with two killer abilities that allow it to boost its attacks to sky-high levels. Porygon-Z can run a variety of sets, but using mostly the same coverage: Tri Attack, Dark Pulse, Ice Beam, and a Hidden Power, usually Fighting, Ground, or Fire. The most common set uses Choice Specs to blast serious holes in any opponent, even heavily dedicated walls. However, it also can use Agility or Nasty Plot to beat foes that outspeed it or outright OHKO many walls. Porygon-Z can also utilize a Choice Scarf, outpacing many foes that would beat it previously and allows it to function as a viable revenge killer.



Raikou
Type: Electric
Base Stats: 90 HP / 85 Atk / 75 Def / 115 SpA / 100 SpD / 115 Spe
Ability: Pressure

Raikou's base Speed lets it Speed tie with Starmie and Azelf as well as outspeed Infernape, Gengar, and everything in the base 100 Speed tier. A STAB Thunderbolt coming off of a 329 Special Attack stat scares off most frail Pokemon. Hidden Power Ice and Hidden Power Grass complement its coverage to take out bulky Ground-types that are immune to Thunderbolt. Shadow Ball hits Rotom-A and Celebi, Pokemon that resist Thunderbolt, for super effective damage. Hidden Power Fighting is also an option to dent Tyranitar. Furthermore, Raikou can capitalize on its switches to use Calm Mind to make it a bigger threat. Raikou can also afford to use its 90 / 75 / 100 defenses to set up a Substitute and Calm Mind, surviving weaker attacks to set up for a sweep. It may also use a ChestoRest combination in place of Substitute and Leftovers. Raikou also has Aura Sphere in its arsenal, but because it is an event-only move, Raikou is forced to run a Rash nature and deal with being slower than Infernape, Gengar, Starmie, and Azelf.


Rotom-A
Type: Electric / Ghost
Base Stats: 50 HP / 65 Atk / 105 Def / 107 SpA / 105 Def / 86 Spe
Ability: Levitate

Rotom-A is a very unique Pokemon in that it gains an extra move by changing its forme, said move being Leaf Storm for Rotom-C, Blizzard for Rotom-F, Air Slash for Rotom-S, Overheat for Rotom-H, and Hydro Pump for Rotom-W. Rotom-W and Rotom-H are the most common formes by far due to their much superior coverage moves. When combined with its STAB Thunderbolt and Shadow Ball, along with its respectable Special Attack stat, it can succeed immensely as an offensive Pokemon. Rotom-A is most commonly seen utilizing a Choice item (Specs or Scarf) with both of its STABs and a coverage move, rounding the moveset out with Trick to cripple walls. Will-O-Wisp may also make an appearance, allowing Rotom-A to cripple physical attackers. Hidden Power Ice can also be used for coverage against Dragon- and Grass-types if using Rotom-W or Rotom-C. Rotom-A has access to Pain Split, which in combination with Substitute and its low HP stat allows it to semi-reliably recover its health. Rotom-A learns Charge Beam, which can be used as a boosting move to sweep teams. It even has access to two weather-inducing moves, one being Rain Dance, which can be setup to boost Rotom-W's Hydro Pumps. Rotom-W and Rotom-H are the two most common formes and the two to look out for, as they got the better end of the stick when it comes to the move that they received. To top all of this off, it has Ground-, Normal-, and Fighting-type immunities along with a myriad of resistances to grant it many switch-in opportunities, which it can utilize to make use of a defensive RestTalk set.


Scizor
Type: Bug / Steel
Base Stats: 70 HP / 130 Atk / 100 Def / 55 SpA / 80 SpD / 65 Spe
Abilities: Swarm / Technician

Scizor is easily the most popular priority user in OU because of the sheer power of Technician Bullet Punch. Coupled with one of the highest Attack stats in OU, Scizor is sure to hit faster, frailer threats very hard. The Choice Band set is the most commonly seen, usually including Bullet Punch, U-turn, Superpower, and Pursuit, sometimes replacing the latter with Quick Attack. It is often used to revenge kill threats such as Dragon-types locked into Outrage, or weakened ones that do not resist Bullet Punch. However, Scizor is capable of utilizing its great priority move, good typing, and capacity to force switches to use Swords Dance to boost its already high Attack, turning it into a powerful late-game cleaner. Swords Dance Scizor will either be a more offensive version or a bulky version, the latter of which can be very hard to revenge kill. Scizor is also capable of surprising the opponent with a Choice Scarf set bringing its Speed above base 115, which include Pokemon like Starmie that normally check Scizor. This set uses almost the same moves as the Choice Band set, sometimes replacing Bullet Punch with Iron Head for the higher power, given that Bullet Punch's priority is now less beneficial.


Starmie
Type: Water / Psychic
Base Stats: 60 HP / 75 Atk / 85 Def / 100 SpA / 85 SpD / 115 Spe
Abilities: Illuminate / Natural Cure

With a generous base 115 Speed, an above-average base 100 Special Attack, and extraordinary coverage, Starmie is without a doubt one of the best late-game cleaners in OU. The Life Orb set is terrifying to face because of the devastating power it packs. Usually consisting of Hydro Pump (or Surf), Thunderbolt, Ice Beam, and one of Recover and Rapid Spin, the coverage it has is only resisted by Shedinja, which is very rare due to Tyranitar's Sand Stream and the prevalence of Stealth Rock. Although Starmie's coverage makes Life Orb the most popular item choice, it is by no means a bad user of Choice Specs, which turns Starmie into a devastating powerhouse capable of crippling common switch-ins such as Blissey with Trick. Bulky Starmie with Leftovers is also a common sight, as it allows it to tank a few hits and better ensure it will be able to Rapid Spin. Finally, Starmie is an awesome lead because of its great Speed and access to Rapid Spin: it is able to bring many common leads to 1 HP due to Focus Sash and then KO them using Rapid Spin while also removing Stealth Rock from the field for the rest of the game.


Suicune
Type: Water
Base Stats: 100 HP / 75 Atk / 115 Def / 90 SpA / 115 SpD / 85 Spe
Ability: Pressure

Offensive Suicune is almost synonymous with modern bulky offense. Its incredible natural bulk essentially ensures opportunities to set up with Calm Mind, after which Suicune can use its near-perfect coverage and deceptively high Speed to tear through weakened teams. Suicune's attacks typically include Surf (or Hydro Pump), Ice Beam, and Hidden Power Electric. Battlers looking to take a more balanced approach to Suicune can take advantage of its ability to create 101 HP Substitutes, or even use Roar in order to get free wins during Calm Mind wars. Of course, the classic RestTalk + Calm Mind set can also be used, and it easily foils teams whose contingency plan is to to deal with Suicune by gradually whittling down its health.


Swampert
Type: Water / Ground
Base stats: 100 HP / 110 Atk / 90 Def / 85 SpA / 90 SpD / 60 Spe
Ability: Torrent

With huge defensive stats coupled with only one weakness, Swampert is immediately thought of as a defensive threat. However, Swampert is also very effective on offensive teams. It is capable of setting up Stealth Rock early in a game, while fairing very well against common suicide leads such as Azelf and Aerodactyl. When equipped with a Choice Band, Swampert's combination of Waterfall, Earthquake, and Ice Beam/Avalanche allow it to use its natural bulk to sponge hits while dishing out major damage. Once the opposing Grass-type has been removed, Swampert becomes an even more dangerous threat. With access to Curse, Swampert can boost its Attack and Defense to untouchable levels. It can also use Rest to alleviate itself of a pesky burn or poison, healing back all the health lost from boosting up with Curse. Swampert that use Rest will also carry Sleep Talk, allowing it to take down the opponent even when sleeping.


Togekiss
Type: Normal / Flying
Base Stats: 85 HP / 50 Atk / 95 Def / 120 SpA / 115 SpD / 80 Spe
Abilities: Serene Grace / Hustle

Despite the Jubilee Pokemon's appearance, Togekiss can be a terror to face. Togekiss is granted a heavenly ability, Serene Grace, which she can use with Air Slash to have a 60% flinch rate (70% chance of the opponent being unable to move when paralyzed). Furthermore, Togekiss gets near perfect with just two moves, Air Slash and Aura Sphere, though it will also commonly use Flamethrower or Fire Blast for Steel-types like Scizor. In addition, Togekiss is blessed with 85 / 95 / 115 defenses and access to instant recovery moves, making her very bulky. She also has a dangerous base 120 Special Attack which she can boost even higher with the excellent boosting move Nasty Plot. Though having a rather average base 80 Speed, she can make great use of a Choice Scarf with perfect coverage in 3 moves and access to Trick.


Toxicroak
Type: Poison / Fighting
Base stats: 83 HP / 106 Atk / 65 Def / 86 SpA / 65 SpD / 85 Spe
Abilities: Dry Skin / Anticipation

While Toxicroak's stats leave much to be desired, it makes up for it with moves other Pokemon would kill for. Access to fantastic priority attacks, both physical and special, powerful STAB moves, and a handy immunity to Water-type attacks thanks to Dry Skin give Toxicroak ample opportunities to come in and damage opponents. Toxicroak often carries Cross Chop, Sucker Punch, and Swords Dance, though is not unknown to use Substitute and Focus Punch. However, Toxicroak has no way to boost its Speed, and even with multiple options for priority, will often wind up being revenge killed.


Tyranitar
Type: Rock / Dark
Base Stats: 100 HP / 134 Atk / 110 Def / 95 SpA / 100 SpD / 61 Spe
Ability: Sand Stream

Great stats, good typing, and formidable movepool make Tyranitar one of the most versatile threats in OU. The most common sets include Choice Scarf, Choice Band, and Dragon Dance, all of which focus on its monstrous Attack stat, with the Choice sets carrying the ever useful Pursuit, allowing it to remove dangerous foes such as Rotom-A, Gengar, and Starmie. The most common moves on these sets are Stone Edge, Crunch, Earthquake, Superpower, Fire Punch, and Ice Punch. Even though the physical attacking variations are the most popular, Tyranitar is more than capable of utilizing special attacks, having great movepool options including Fire Blast, Dark Pulse, Ice Beam, and Thunderbolt, turning it into a powerful mixed wallbreaker. With its ability Sand Stream (useful for negating Focus Sash) and access to Stealth Rock, Tyranitar can also be a very useful lead, having a good match-up against other popular leads such as Starmie and Azelf. Finally, Tyranitar is an excellent lure for a team looking to get rid of a threat such as Scizor, which is a common switch-in for Tyranitar, only to get KOed by Flamethrower after Bullet Punch's power is reduced by Babiri Berry.
 
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sandshrewz

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Defensive Threats


Blissey
Type: Normal
Base Stats: 255 HP / 10 Atk / 10 Def / 75 SpA / 135 SpD / 55 Spe
Abilities: Natural Cure / Serene Grace

Blissey is and has always been the premier special wall of OU. Its gigantic HP and Special Defense stats allow it to wall most special attackers in existence that lack Explosion, the few that can beat it including SubSplit Gengar and CroCune. With base 255 HP, its absolutely horrific Defense stat is alleviated, allowing it to take some physical hits from some walls and cripple them with Toxic. It has all of the support options it could ever need, including a recovery move, status moves like Thunder Wave, Wish, and Aromatherapy. These allow it to take on many roles, including a Wish passer to keep the rest of the team healthy, a cleric to keep the rest of the team free of status, or even a paralysis spreader to allow some slower Pokemon to shine. It can even setup Stealth Rock if desired, finding many opportunities throughout the match against numerous special attackers that it walls oh-so-well. Yet another plus is its usable Special Attack stat and expansive special movepool, including notable options like Flamethrower and Ice Beam, the former for Steel-types and the latter for Dragon- and Flying-types. With all of this, it even gets the ability Natural Cure to heal off all status, including the Toxic that most every wall deathly fears. Blissey can also run some Speed EVs to outspeed certain threats like Scizor and KO with the appropriate move.


Bronzong
Type: Steel / Psychic
Base Stats: 67 HP / 89 Atk / 116 Def / 79 SpA / 116 SpD / 33 Spe
Abilities: Levitate / Heatproof

Solid bulk, a plethora of resistances, and just a singular weakness (to Fire, assuming Levitate) provide Bronzong with just what it needs to wall many common threats. It's one of the sturdiest Stealth Rock users in the tier, can easily set up dual screens to soften blows for the whole team, and is able make a quick but deadly escape with Explosion when its job is done. Although inaccurate, it can even use Hypnosis to cripple potential switch-ins. It's also a fine user of Trick, usually carrying a Macho Brace to boost its STAB Gyro Ball before Tricking a fast but fail sweeper, taking away its opponent's Speed and item. Payback allows it to hit its usual Ghost-type switch-ins, while Earthquake is great for hitting the Fire- and Electric-types that love to come in on Bronzong. Bronzong also readily sets up rain or Trick Room, providing its teammates with the opportunity wreak havoc; it's an all around sturdy Rain Dance user, while Trick Room can transform it into a surprisingly potent offensive threat. Finally, a set with Protect + Toxic can be really annoying for some teams to play around. Bronzong's biggest drawback is its lack of reliable recovery, which can make taking repeated hits difficult for it.


Dusknoir
Type: Ghost
Base Stats: 45 HP / 100 Atk / 135 Def / 65 SpA / 135 SpD / 45 Spe
Ability: Pressure

Armed with some of the biggest defensive stats in OU, a boosted Attack stat from its pre-evolution, and Will-O-Wisp, Dusknoir is ready to take on most offensive threats. Facing a heavy amount of competition as a spinblocker from Rotom-A, Dusknoir can still find places to do its job. Dusknoir will almost always be running Will-O-Wisp, allowing it to cripple almost every physical attacker in OU, including most prominently Machamp as its slower and therefore takes less damage from Payback, as well as Gyarados, Scizor, and Tyranitar. It can also use coverage moves, such as the elemental punches and Earthquake, to get the jump on many common Will-O-Wisp absorbers, including Infernape and Heatran. Lacking a reliable recovery move, Dusknoir can still use Pain Split to great effect, especially on Pokemon like Blissey, considering its extremely low base 45 HP. SubPunch sets are also sometimes seen to make use of Dusknoir's decent Attack stat. Above all, Dusknoir is resilient. It may be worn down after repeated strikes, but can often cripple an attacker with Will-O-Wisp.


Hitmontop
Type: Fighting
Base Stats: 50 HP / 95 Atk / 95 Def / 35 SpA / 110 SpD / 70 Spe
Abilities: Intimidate / Technician

Hitmontop's main defensive niche is that it's a spinner with the option of taking out threats that normally defeat it. Base 70 Speed means that it outspeeds Tyranitar, one of the most prominent threats in the game, something that fellow Fighting-type Machamp wishes it could do. Intimidate cuts most physical attackers' Attack stat, making it easier for teammates to switch in. Rapid Spin and Foresight guarantee the removal of hazards. STAB Close Combat is great and generally lures in Ghost- and Flying-types, which have to deal with Sucker Punch, Pursuit, Stone Edge, and Toxic. Unfortunately, Hitmontop is forced to rely on Rest as its only source of recovery. However, Hitmontop has a small offensive niche. In a similar vein to Scizor's Technician and Bullet Punch / Quick Attack, Hitmontop's Technician functions with its Mach Punch, Fake Out, Bullet Punch, and Pursuit to finish off weakened frail Pokemon.


Rotom-A
Typing: Electric / Ghost
Base Stats: 50 HP / 65 Atk / 105 Def / 105 SpA / 105 SpD / 86 Spe
Ability: Levitate

Rotom-A's typing and resistances make it a great check to Fighting-, Ground-, and Steel-type Pokemon. Switching into most of these Pokemon fairly easy, Rotom-A can stave them off with the threat of a burn from Will-O-Wisp. Rotom-A's general moves of choice to prevent itself from becoming Taunt bait are Thunderbolt and Shadow Ball. Its Electric typing makes Rotom-A arguably the best spinblocker in the game; it defeats Tentacruel, Starmie, and Forretress with Thunderbolt (though it will not like taking Forretress's Paybacks nor Starmie's Hydro Pumps) and cripples the less prominent physical spinners such as Donphan and Hitmontop with a burn from Will-O-Wisp. Rotom-A is also capable of utilizing other status moves such as Toxic and Thunder Wave, but these are generally preferred on other Pokemon due to Rotom-A's full moveset and general utility against common Pokemon. Rotom-A's most prominent forme in DPP OU is Rotom-W, with occasional sightings of Rotom-H and even rarer occurrences of Rotom-C. Thus, Rotom-A will have Hydro Pump, Overheat, or Leaf Storm for coverage in its own respective forme. For recovery, Rotom-A generally uses RestTalk for longevity and usually runs Will-O-Wisp, Thunderbolt, Shadow Ball, or Hydro Pump.


Tentacruel
Type: Water / Poison
Base Stats: 80 HP / 70 Atk / 65 Def / 80 SpA / 120 SpD / 100 Spe
Abilities: Clear Body / Liquid Ooze

Solid special bulk, a decent defensive typing, and a great support movepool combine to make Tentacruel a good spinner in OU. Additionally, it sets up Toxic Spikes with ease and absorbs them to boot. Typically, it runs Toxic Spikes and Rapid Spin, with Surf and a coverage attack to maintain some offensive pressure on the opponent as well. Base 100 Speed is a great boon to any wall and it's a handy check to Infernape (lacking ThunderPunch), one of the biggest threats to most stall teams. Tentacruel's biggest drawback is its far frailer physical defense, along with a weakness to the ever so common Earthquake.


Togekiss
Type: Normal / Flying
Base Stats: 85 HP / 50 Atk / 95 Def / 120 SpA / 115 SpD / 80 Spe
Abilities: Serene Grace / Hustle

Having great 85 / 95 / 115 defenses and a large support movepool, Togekiss makes for a fantastic defensive Pokemon. Togekiss can take on rolls such as Baton Passing Nasty Plots, spreading status with Thunder Wave and Tri Attack, healing with Wish and Heal Bell, and even setting up dual screens. Togekiss is also no sitting duck with its base 120 Special Attack. Having reliable recovery and great bulk, Togekiss is sure to stay awhile, though its Stealth Rock weakness can kind of undermine this to a degree.


Vaporeon
Type: Water
Base Stats: 130 HP / 65 Atk / 60 Def / 110 SpA / 95 SpD / 65 Spe
Ability: Water Absorb

With great bulk and a good defensive typing in Water, Vaporeon is a great pivot for many teams. It is typically seen running a Wish support set, using Wish and Protect to heal itself or simply switching out after Wish to heal up an ally. Surf is its standard STAB attack, and its last slot normally contains either a coverage move (such as Hidden Power Electric or Ice Beam) or a support option (usually Toxic or Roar). It can also run an effective Baton Pass set on dedicated teams, often passing a combination of Substitute, Wish, Acid Armor, or Aqua Ring. Most Vaporeon are EVed to maximize physical bulk, as its special bulk is already superb. Despite this, it is easier to prey on its weaker Defense when trying to break through Vaporeon.


Zapdos
Type: Electric / Flying
Base Stats: 90 HP / 90 Atk / 85 Def / 125 SpA / 90 SpD / 100 Spe
Ability: Pressure

Zapdos is part of a small group that has remained in OU all four generations, and it's easy to see why. A unique Electric / Flying typing gives it five resistances and an immunity to the bane of all Electric-types, Earthquake. With respectable natural bulk, a reliable recovery move, just two weaknesses (one if Roost is used), and Pressure, Zapdos is capable of walling many, many opponents. One of its most common sets is the physically defensive set, one of the best counters to Scizor and non-Ice Punch Lucario. It can also run a specially defensive set to better take on the likes of Celebi and Shaymin. Unlike most defensive Pokemon, Zapdos also has base 125 Special Attack and base 100 Speed, as well as handy STAB and coverage moves in Thunderbolt, Heat Wave, and Hidden Power, usually Grass or Ice, that enable it to hit back hard. With Substitute and Toxic in its moveset, Zapdos gains a semi-immunity to status, whittling down the opponent with Toxic and healing with Roost. With entry hazard support and Roar, this kind of set can be especially devastating.


Compiling all the entries so it's easier to QC. Compiled till post 36. Will continue compiling again tomorrow and QC it again after I'm done compiling.

This is huge e_e Please don't QC anything for now because updating + compiling at the same time is messy >_> haha. Thanks! Let's get this done soon~ :)
 
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sandshrewz

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ugh, actually, there's a whole bunch of things out of order (type / base stats / ability)
ugh crappppp I thought it was type / ability / stat :((( I'll fix that tomorrow as well e_e

edit: hadn't had the time to update the posts yet :dd I'll try to get it done asap
 
comments in bold

Abomasnow
Type: Grass / Ice
Base Stats: 90 HP / 92 Atk / 75 Def / 92 SpA / 85 SpD / 60 Spe
Ability: Snow Warning

Abomasnow's use lies in that it is the only viable summoner of permanent hail. It has a few somewhat decent offensive options throughout its limited movepool. It has access to powerful STABs in Blizzard and Wood Hammer, a STAB priority attack in Ice Shard, and decent coverage moves in Earthquake, Focus Punch, and Hidden Power Fire. Its best bet is as a mixed Choice Scarfer, using both of its STABs and two coverage moves to revenge kill Pokemon weak to its moves or just generally frail Pokemon. Other options include a non-choiced mixed attacker with Ice Shard and a Choice Specs set to make Blizzard hit fairly hard. Abomasnow also has access to Seed Bomb and Energy Ball as other STAB options, the former a physical Grass-type attack without recoil and the latter a special Grass-type attack for non-mixed sets. Since its STABs leave it open to Steel-types, Hidden Power Fire and Earthquake are often used to hit Steel-types, or even Focus Punch for Blissey and Snorlax.

gotta mention LEECH SEED, its the best/most common set. specs is garbage


Azelf
Type: Psychic
Base Stats: 75 HP / 125 Atk / 70 Def / 125 SpA / 70 SpD / 115 Spe
Ability: Levitate

Despite being one of the most versatile Pokémon in existence, Azelf is most commonly seen as a suicide lead. With a great base 115 Speed, access to moves such as Stealth Rock, U-turn, Explosion, Taunt and useful attacking moves against other leads including Fire Blast and Psychic, it is easy to understand why Azelf would run such a set. Lead Azelf also commonly runs both Reflect and Light Screen to support an heavy offense team. While all of its support options are great, Azelf isn't bad on the offensive side: 125 attacking stats are more than good. Access to Nasty Plot means it can be a devastating sweeper in the end of the game with the coverage that Psychic, Fire Blast, Hidden Power Fighting and Grass Knot grants, usually running one of the latter two. It can even choose to forego Nasty Plot for an all-out offensive set which switches Nasty Plot with Explosion, allowing it to nail the likes of Blissey with a powerful blast. Finally, Choice items can fit Azelf very well since it has great movepool and access to Trick, with physical versions usually running Zen Headbutt, Fire Punch, and two of these three: U-turn, Explosion and Trick, while special ones prefer Psychic, Flamethrower, Grass Knot and one of these: U-turn, Explosion or Trick.

mention cb and colbur leads. its one of the best heatran lures in the game and hp ground makes good use of it.


Breloom
Type: Grass / Fighting
Base Stats: 60 HP / 130 Atk / 80 Def / 60 SpA / 60 SpD / 70 Spe
Ability: Effect Spore / Poison Heal

Breloom is a complete terror. With Spore, it can incapacitate at least one opponent per battle, giving it an easy opportunity to set up. Often, it will set up a Substitute, allowing it to freely fire off STAB Focus Punches from a base 130 Attack or wear the opponent down with Leech Seed. Seed Bomb or Stone Edge are the usual coverage moves on such a set. Alternatively, it can set up Swords Dance to boost that great Attack stat even higher, allowing it to sweep mercilessly. From there, it can fire off souped up priority STAB Mach Punches. Poison Heal, coupled with a Toxic Orb, keeps Breloom consistently healthy enough to set up multiple Substitutes. Toxic Orb also allows Breloom to act as a great status absorber, and gives it a souped-up Facade to toy around with to boot. While its base 70 Speed is a downside, it's high enough to make a Choice Scarf set viable; typically, it will run Spore, Superpower, Seed Bomb, and Stone Edge when holding Choice Scarf.

this is fine.


Celebi
Type: Psychic / Grass
Base Stats: 100 HP / 100 Atk / 100 Def / 100 SpA / 100 SpD / 100 Spe
Ability: Natural Cure

Celebi is blessed with having both decent offenses, Speed, and excellent bulk, all making it a perfect candidate for a bulky attacker. It can utilize setup moves like Nasty Plot and Calm Mind in combination with Recover and its great movepool to sweep teams with the right support. Its STAB moves on their own already have decent coverage, and adding in Hidden Power Fire or Earth Power allows it to hit Steel-types super effectively. Psychic, in addition to being a powerful STAB, keeps slower Fighting-types with super effective coverage moves at bay. With access to Leaf Storm and an array of useful coverage moves, Celebi can run a support move + 3 attacks set. Last but definitely not least, it can combine both its offensive and defensive traits into a set commonly known as Tinkerbell, which utilizes Thunder Wave to cripple fast opponents, Leaf Storm for power, a coverage move, and a recovery move. The main advantage Celebi has as an offensive Pokemon is its typing, as while it may be a curse against U-turn users, it also provides solid resists to Ground, Fighting, Electric, Psychic, and Water that allow it multiple switch-ins. Its versatility as an offensive Pokemon means that you will never know exactly what it is running, and one wrong guess can give Celebi an opportunity to setup or hit something hard.

don't forget that celebi can baton pass nasty plot/calm mind/even swords dance. leech seed also needs a mention.


Crobat
Type: Poison / Flying
Base Stats: 85 HP / 90 Atk / 80 Def / 70 SpA / 80 SpD / 130 Spe
Ability: Inner Focus

Crobat isn't the most powerful Pokemon, but more then makes up for it with its phenomenal Speed and decent movepool. A set with Taunt, Roost, and Super Fang breaks through stall with relative ease, preventing recovery and paralysis with Taunt and taking half of a wall's health whilst recovering its own with Roost. It is an excellent tool for offensive and defensive teams alike, allowing offensive teams to break through walls that may trouble it and defensive teams to break through opposing stall that it may struggle against. Access to Brave Bird, Cross Poison, and U-turn make for an excellent Choice Band set, even getting Pursuit to trap Steel-types. U-turn keeps momentum on Crobat's side, getting Crobat away from its checks and counters with a small chunk of health taken from the target in the process. It even gets access to Nasty Plot, which in combination with its usable Special Attack stat and okay bulk allows multiple setup opportunities, after 2 or more boosts dealing solid damage to many common threats. Its special movepool consists of gems like Sludge Bomb and Heat Wave to accommodate this, with Hidden Power Fighting often used to round out coverage, mainly against Tyranitar.

pursuit to trap ghost/psychic types, not steels :toast: otherwise this is fine


Electivire
Type: Electric
Base stats: 75 HP / 123 Atk / 67 Def / 95 SpA / 85 SpD / 95 Spe
Ability: Motor Drive

Electivire has two things going for it: the best coverage in OU and one of the most useful abilities in the game. Unfortunately, due to a lack of raw power and Physical STAB, Electivire was never going to overhaul the metagame. Because of a lack of Physical STAB, Electivire often plays mixed, using Thunderbolt, Hidden Power Ice, Flamethrower alongside Cross Chop to gain super effective damage on most every Pokemon in the tier. Other sets will go completely Physical, opting for the elemental punches and Earthquake. Electivire's greatest weapon is its coverage, but it has an added bonus in the ability to boost its Speed. Electivire can easily switch in on a predicted Electric-type attack (even Thunder Wave) and begin wreaking havoc. It also sports a resistance to the most common form of priority in the tier, Scizor's Bullet Punch. It is often used in a bait-and-switch strategy, getting free boosts from Electric-type attacks aimed at a Gyarados or Skarmory. Offensive teams are often easily swept, as often their fastest Pokemon is Scarfed Rotom-A, which is slower than Electivire and cannot use a STAB Thunderbolt on it. Until Electivire is revealed, it remains a dangerous secret weapon.

might want to mention scarf flygon or even scarf infernape as being able to outrun evire at +1 but this is good otherwise


Empoleon
Type: Water / Steel
Base Stats: 84 HP / 86 Atk / 88 Def / 111 SpA / 101 SpD / 60 Spe
Ability: Torrent

Empoleon has quite a few movesets it can run, though many are not all that common. Regardless, it has many different options that it can run, each with a different set of checks and counters. Its most common set features Substitute, Agility, 2 attacks, and a Petaya Berry, aiming to use Substitute whilst boosting its low Speed in order to reach Petaya Berry range, from where it can use its likely boosted Speed and +1 Special Attack from the Petaya Berry to sweep unhindered once certain threats are out of the way. In addition, once Empoleon has used Substitute to a range where Petaya Berry is activated, it is also in Torrent range, which makes its STAB Water-type attacks even more powerful. Empoleon also has access to Stealth Rock and Aqua Jet to function as a great lead, Stealth Rock near-guaranteed to be setup with Aqua Jet to finish off leads down to their Focus Sash. It can even utilize Choice Specs effectively with its solid Special Attack stat and access to great moves like Hydro Pump, Ice Beam, and Grass Knot to get great coverage against the majority of Pokemon.

mid-game shuca utility set needs mentioning. shuca agility with 3 attacks is also very good and it's probably the most common set atm.


Flygon
Type: Dragon / Ground
Base Stats: 80 HP / 100 Atk / 80 Def / 80 SpA / 80 SpD / 100 Spe
Ability: Levitate

Flygon is one of the best Choice Scarfed revenge killer in the game. Powerful dual STABs in Outrage and Earthquake give it all the coverage it needs, resisted only by Skarmory and Bronzong. Not only that, but it can also use U-turn to scout an opponent's moveset and gain switch advantage. Flygon will also be carrying a coverage move, usually Stone Edge or Fire Blast. It will also sometimes use ThunderPunch, as Flygon with a Choice Scarf can outspeed +1 Gyarados. A Choice Scarf is Flygon's most common set, but will sometimes go mixed, using a combination of Draco Meteor, Earthquake, and Fire Blast among another coverage move to dish out damage to anything that doesn't resist it. However, it will more often be used as a revenge killer, as that's what it does best.

the mixed set doesn't run a 4th attack, it runs roost! choice band set is also very dangerous.


Froslass
Type: Ice / Ghost
Base Stats: 70 HP / 80 Atk / 70 Def / 80 SpA / 70 SpD / 110 Spe
Ability: Snow Cloak

Froslass's main claim to fame as an offensive Pokemon is its ability to setup Spikes and spinblock at the same time. It does so with its blistering Speed and mediocre but usable Special Attack stat, as well as Snow Cloak in hail to boost its evasion. Spikes is on every Froslass, often with Taunt to prevent opposing hazard setup and/or Destiny Bond to take down the opponent when it kills Froslass. Taunt is occasionally used in combination with Pain Split to give stall teams a hard time against it. Destiny Bond is especially effective because of Froslass's high Speed stat and extreme frailness. It is almost always a lead, using either a Focus Sash to guarantee two layer of Spikes or a Choice Scarf to outspeed Aerodactyl and Azelf, as well as anti-leads donning a Choice Scarf. Trick is the main reason to use a Choice Scarf, crippling opposing bulky leads for the rest of the match, as well as giving Froslass a weapon if it doesn't die in the lead position against Blissey and Snorlax. It can even use an extremely frustrating set to abuse Snow Cloak, using Substitute and Thunder Wave to make opponents even less likely to hit Froslass, setting up Spikes with ease due to having a fairly low chance of being hit by an attack. Ice Beam or Blizzard is usually the attack, allowing Froslass to do solid STAB damage if all 3 layers of Spikes manage to be setup. Shadow Ball and Hidden Power Fire are also excellent choices to help handle Ghost-types with the former, Forretress and Scizor with the latter. Froslass is an excellent choice for any offensive team wanting quick Spikes, easily the best in its class.

pain split sucks, as does trickscarf. just stick with sash, spikes/taunt/dbond/icy wind (no, not ice beam).


Gallade
Type: Psychic / Fighting
Base stats: 68 HP / 125 Atk / 65 Def / 65 SpA / 115 SpD / 80 Spe
Ability: Steadfast

Gallade is a unique Pokemon, boasting some of the highest Attack and Special Defense stats for any Fighting-type. While its Speed may be lackluster, top-notch coverage and the ability to increase its Attack with Swords Dance still make it very dangerous. Gallade is also one of the best anti-leads available, able to best Machamp, Azelf, Heatran, Aerodactyl, and Gengar. Thanks to Steadfast, it can use an opponents Fake Out to its advantage, boosting its Speed a great deal. A STAB Close Combat coming off a base 125 Attack and boosted by a Life Orb is nothing to joke about, but Gallade will also commonly carry Zen Headbutt, Stone Edge, Ice Punch, or Shadow Sneak, giving it all the coverage it needs to beat common Fighting-type counters. Gallade has never been a top-tier threat, but by no means should be forgotten about.

ok cool


Heatran
Type: Fire / Steel
Base Stats: 91 HP / 90 Atk / 106 Def / 130 SpA / 106 SpD / 77 Spe
Ability: Flash Fire

Heatran is the face of DPP OU, consistently one of the most-used Pokemon in the tier, and it doesn't take much digging to figure out why. Its typing gives it the resistances of a Steel-type and the coverage of a Fire-type, along with a neutrality to the ever-so-common Stealth Rock instead of the weakness that plagues most Fire-types. Its main set is a Stealth Rock lead with Shuca Berry, allowing it to setup Stealth Rock against the likes of Metagross and Flygon. That set may also use Passho Berry to setup Stealth Rock against any lead carrying a Water-type attack, such as Empoleon or Gyarados. It can also don a Choice Scarf to revenge kill many top threats, taking away any issues Heatran may have with Speed and utilizing its excellent coverage, STAB Fire-type moves, and Explosion to take down special walls by sacrificing itself. However, those are only a few of Heatran's many options. Heatran can also use Torment to annoy opponents to great effect, as well as Magma Storm to function as a trapper. Substitute, Choice Specs, and Life Orb are all just as threatening offensive options, the former protecting Heatran from faster Pokemon with STAB Water-, Fighting-, and Ground-type attacks. It can also utilize Metal Sound to allow Fire Blast and its coverage moves to hit even resists and special walls hard, particularly allowing Heatran to defeat Blissey without fainting itself in the process. It even has access to Taunt, which prevents paralysis and sleep from crippling Heatran. Heatran can literally fill any role and excel at it, so beware whenever it leaves its Poke Ball, lest it tear apart one's team.

i havent seen metal sound heatran for about 3 years. passho is more of a midgame thing to bait in and kill starmie/suicune. i wouldnt say it can fill any role and its not exactly the epitome of diversity so maybe tone that down a bit.


Heracross
Type: Bug / Fighting
Base Stats: 80 HP / 125 Atk / 75 Def / 40 SpA / 95 SpD / 85 Spe
Abilities: Guts / Swarm

Heracross is a very threatening physical attacker, and it is easy to see why. Threatening STABs with decent coverage together and Stone Edge to hit all resists barring Toxicroak, in combination with a base 125 Atk stat, make Heracross one of the most powerful physical attackers in existence. It is most commonly seen donning a Choice Scarf to revenge kill common threats, or even a Choice Band to punch holes in teams. Those sets use another of Heracross's many options, namely Toxic to cripple walls that will not fall to Heracross's attacks, Night Slash to reliably hit Ghost-types, Pursuit to trap Ghost-types, or Sleep Talk to use sleep as an advantage with Guts boosting the move selected by Sleep Talk. Speaking of Guts, it makes Swords Dance a much more viable and harder-hitting option with a Flame Orb or Toxic Orb, essentially getting a Choice Band boost without being locked in. Furthermore, when using a status orb Facade is boosted, providing decent neutral coverage and hitting extremely hard.

mention how easily hera is revenge killed but otherwise this is fine


Jirachi
Type: Steel / Psychic
Base Stats: 100 HP / 100 Atk / 100 Def / 100 SpA / 100 SpD / 100 Spe
Ability: Serene Grace

As an offensive Pokemon, Jirachi is known for three prominent sets. Taking advantage of its ability Serene Grace, Jirachi can afford to utilize Iron Head, U-Turn, the elemental punches, and the occasional Zen Headbutt to be quite the physical nuisance, especially when equipped with a Choice Scarf to revenge kill most Pokemon, including Flygon, Scizor, Starmie, and Tyranitar. Jirachi can also utilize an Expert Belt to feign a Choice Scarf with the same moves to surprise slower teams and becoming a greater nuisance against them, sometimes running Thunderbolt, Grass Knot, and Hidden Power Ice too. Jirachi can also utilize its amazing Steel / Psychic defensive typing and 100 / 100 / 100 defensive stats to take advantage of a Calm Mind set. With Substitute, Wish, Thunderbolt, Psychic, and Flash Cannon at its disposal, Jirachi can be quite a pest to most teams. Faster versions of Calm Mind Jirachi, dubbed "Superrachi," take advantage of Jirachi's base 100 Speed to outspeed commmon checks to Jirachi and utilize the aforementioned moves in addition to Hidden Power Ground, specifically to defeat Heatran, who otherwise walls any Jirachi that lacks it.

scarf jirachi doesnt (usually) revenge flygon so id remove him from the list of mons rachi keeps in check. mention setuppers like dragonite/gyarados/lucario instead. the sdef set is also quite good.


Kingdra
Type: Water / Dragon
Base Stats: 75 HP / 95 Atk / 95 Def / 95 SpA / 95 SpD / 85 Spe
Abilities: Sniper / Swift Swim

Kingdra is easily one of the most dangerous sweepers in OU because of its great combination of bulk, typing and movepool. While the latter might not be as impressive as its Dragon- typed brethen it includes pretty much anything Kingdra needs. Sets including the ever popular Dragon Dance are the most commonly seen, notably the Chesto Berry + Rest set, made of Rest, Outrage, Waterfall and Dragon Dance, or the Substitue + Dragon Dance set using the same moves as the previous set, swapping Rest for Substitute. Kingdra's typing reduces the exploitable weaknesses a boosting sweeper can have and makes it much more difficult to revenge kill. Despite Kingdra's immense potential as a physical boosting sweeper, it can use the great coverage granted by its STAB and run a powerful Choice Specs set. Using the sheer power of Hydro Pump and Draco Meteor and the reliability of Surf and Dragon Pulse, it turns Kingdra into an absolute monster which is incredibly difficult to switch into. But Kingdra's Special Attacking options are not limited to Choice Specs. It can run an extremely powerful Rain Dance set using Rain Dance, Hydro Pump, Dragon Pulse and one of Signal Beam and Hidden Power Electric, which is an extremely destructive late-game sweeper that requires very little set-up, boosting both of its Speed and Water STAB to incredible levels. It can also run a variant of this set sacrficing its coverage move for Waterfall, allowing Kingdra to break through special walls such as Blissey.

hp electric blows, good otherwise


Lucario
Typing: Fighting / Steel
Base Stats: 70 HP / 110 Atk / 70 Def / 115 SpA / 70 SpD / 90 Spe
Abilities: Steadfast / Inner Focus

Lucario is a fearsome sweeper that can dismantle many teams after very little set up. With an above average Attack stat and the very potent Fighting type, it can do some serious damage even to the bulkiest physical walls. The most popular set is without a doubt the Swords Dance one, usually consisting of Swords Dance, Close Combat, ExtremeSpeed, and one of Crunch, Bullet Punch or Stone Edge. Lucario can also fix its average speed using Agility instead of Swords Dance, giving it the opportunity to mow down frail offensive teams. Its great typing gives it a quadruple resistance to Stealth Rock and plenty of opportnities to set up. Even then, it still has great Special Attack allowing it to use a Choice Specs set very effectively with Aura Sphere, Shadow Ball, Hidden Power Ice and Vaccuum Wave. Finally, Lucario can be turned in a fine revenge killer using Choice Scarf with Close Combat, Crunch, Ice Punch and Thunderpunch.

the best lategame sweeper in dpp. mention that the agility set always carries ice punch as part of its appeal is luring and smashing its most common counter, gliscor. while it often slaughters more offensive teams lacking mach punch infernape, it struggles against bulkier, more defensive teams.


Ludicolo
Type: Water / Grass
Base Stats: 80 HP / 70 Atk / 70 Def / 90 SpA / 100 SpD / 70 Spe
Abilities: Swift Swim / Rain Dish

While it might not look like much, Ludicolo is a top threat in the rain. It's unique Water / Grass typing offers good offensive coverage, resisted only by Dragon- and Grass-types, which Ice Beam hits super effectively. Usually, Ludicolo will set up rain to power up its Surf or Hydro Pump while doubling its Speed thanks to Swift Swim. Although normally a special attacker, Ludicolo can also run a surprise Swords Dance set that punishes Blissey switch-ins, though it needs Rain Dance support from a teammate to function optimally. Resistances to the common Earthquake, Surf, and Bullet Punch provide it with several opportunities to set up rain or a Swords Dance throughout the battle. Once Rain Dance's timer runs out, however, it's a sitting duck for any powerful physical hits from faster sweepers.

leech seed set is pretty cool (its amazing when youre facing an opposing rd kingdra), id mention it


Machamp
Type: Fighting
Base Stats: 90 HP / 130 Atk / 80 Def / 65 SpA / 85 SpD / 55 Spe
Abilities: Guts / No Guard

Machamp's high Attack, perfectly accurate moves, natural bulk, and lack of common weaknesses make it one of the most reliable Pokemon in OU. It's most commonly seen as an all-out attacker, carrying an incredibly frustrating DynamicPunch and coverage moves such as Payback, Ice Punch, Stone Edge, and Bullet Punch. This set is frequently used in the lead position, usually with a Lum Berry or Focus Sash. When not leading the charge, Machamp usually uses Substitute (with paralysis support) to eliminate the need for prediction.

mention restalk, otherwise this is good


Magneton
Type: Electric / Steel
Base Stats: 50 HP / 65 Atk / 95 Def / 120 SpA / 70 SpD / 70 Spe
Abilities: Sturdy / Magnet Pull

There is only one reason to use Magneton over its evolution, Magnezone, and that is its increased Speed stat. Because of this, Choice Scarf is by-and-far its best set. With a Choice Scarf attached, Magneton can revenge kill many common threats, including Gyarados and Dragonite, as well as trap and kill Steel-types. This set uses Explosion to kill Blissey and other threats that its other moves cannot deal with. Specifically, the added Speed allows Magneton to outspeed most Scizor with little-to-no investment, KOing with Thunderbolt or Hidden Power Fire. Magneton's main use is still trapping Steel-types, taking advantaged of its increased Speed to do so.

yea


Magnezone
Type: Electric / Steel
Base Stats: 70 HP / 70 Atk / 115 Def / 130 SpA / 90 SpD / 60 Spe
Abilities: Sturdy / Magnet Pull

Magnezone's claim to fame is its ability to kill bulky Steel-types like Skarmory and Forretress that wall many otherwise nigh-uncounterable Pokemon. It does so by trapping them with Magnet Pull and then proceeding to do basically whatever it wants. It can utilize Substitute, leaving it free wear down Steel-types and just generally hitting hard with Thunderbolt with whatever Hidden Power it wants for coverage and Explosion for Blissey in the last slot. Alternatively, Magnezone can use Magnet Rise instead of Explosion and get a temporary immunity to Ground-type moves. A Choice Scarf set can revenge kill common Steel-types that it normally falls to, including Lucario and Scizor. With Choice Specs attached, Magnezone is turned into a powerhouse, steamrolling through anything that does not resist its STABs. Magnezone can even throw all of this behind and setup dual screens via trapping Steel-types.

a lot of people have been using endure + custap lately, mention it!


Mamoswine
Type: Ice / Ground
Base Stats: 110 HP / 130 Atk / 80 Def / 70 SpA / 60 SpD / 80 Spe
Abilities: Oblivious / Snow Cloak

Mamoswine is can be an effective physical attacker once the things that wall it are removed. It has all of the tools: an off-the-charts Attack stat, a great STAB combination, and a powerful priority attack, Ice Shard no less. Its Earthquake steamrolls through all but the bulkiest of resists, holding the crown of the most powerful Ground-type attack commonly found in OU. An Ice Shard coming from it is one of the most potent attacks found in OU, allowing it to revenge kill common Dragon-types, such as Dragonite and Flygon. It also has access to powerful coverage moves like Stone Edge and Superpower, the latter putting a dent in the only common Pokemon that resists Mamoswine's STABs, Bronzong. Stealth Rock and Endeavor allow it to function as an excellent lead, with the Endeavor + Ice Shard combination being a great way to ensure that opposing leads faint. Its typing makes it immune to both sandstorm and hail and takes away the curse of being weak to Stealth Rock that is normally attributed to Ice-types. To top all of this off, Mamoswine has a useful ability in Snow Cloak that allows it to abuse hail with a 20% boost to its evasion.

stone edge is mainly for gyarados


Metagross
Type: Steel / Psychic
Base Stats: 80 HP / 135 Atk / 130 Def / 95 SpA / 90 SpD / 70 Spe
Ability: Clear Body

If Pokemon were The Goonies, Metagross would be Chunk. Slow, but quite bulky, Metagross is a formidable foe. Everyone seems to forget him until he shows up with that gigantic Attack stat. Even when uninvested in Attack, STAB Meteor Mash hurts everything that doesn't resist it. With a CB, even Pokemon that resist Steel won't like switching into Metagross often, especially if it gets an Attack raise or worse, a critical hit. Defensive Pokemon will not appreciate being Tricked a Choice Band either. Metagross is typically the average Pokemon player's Stealth Rock user and a common lead as it can also explode to make a hole in the opponent's team and let a teammate come in for free. To help overcome its mediocre Speed, Metagross can finish off faster foes with Bullet Punch. Metagross can also use Agility to nab a boost in Speed and sweep frailer, offensive teams with Meteor Mash, Earthquake, an elemental punch, or Zen headbutt. In the same vein, Metagross can utilize Choice Scarf for a surprise instantaneous Speed boost to take out faster attackers. Naturally, Metagross' typical counters are immune to Earthquake and resist Meteor Mash. Fortunately, Metagross gets around that easily with the combination of Trick and Iron Ball. Metagross is also capable of running a mixed set with Psychic, Hidden Power Fire, and Grass Knot to make itself a bigger nuisance to Rotom-A, Forretress, and Swampert.

don't forget that hes one of the best leads with lum/occa, fine otherwise


Mismagius
Type: Ghost
Base Stats: 60 HP / 60 Atk / 60 Def / 105 SpA / 105 SpD / 105 Spe
Ability: Levitate

Mismagius has only one card to play in order to not be outclassed by other Ghost-types, and a good one at that. Mismagius is the only viable Ghost-type that can use Nasty Plot, boasting a high Speed stat and decent Special Defense to help it setup. Its STAB Shadow Ball in combination with Hidden Power Fighting is more than enough for coverage. Mismagius even has access to Thunderbolt to hit bulky Water-types. Substitute can even be used to help setup, as Shadow Ball + Hidden Power Fighting equates to perfect coverage, allowing the last slot to be a choice of whatever is wanted. It also gets access to Taunt and Will-O-Wisp, both of which can fill the last slot quite nicely, the former preventing status attempts and the latter making up for Mismagius's low Defense stat. It even has access to Calm Mind, which abuses Mismagius's high Special Defense stat. Trick and a choice item, Scarf or Specs, can cripple many a Pokemon by locking them into a move, with Scarf making a quite decent revenge killer due to Mismagius's high Speed and Special Attack stats and Specs hitting hard without having to setup and still having excellent Speed.

scarf mismag is a worse rotom/gengar, stick to sub + cm/np


Ninjask
Type: Bug / Flying
Base stats: 61 HP / 90 Atk / 45 Def / 50 SpA / 50 SpD / 160 Spe
Ability: Speed Boost

Ninjask is the fastest Pokemon in OU, by a long shot. Unfortunately, this isn't enough for it to succeed on its own. However, Ninjask makes great use of Baton Pass, which can really destroy opponents. With the ability to pass off a possible Attack boost, Speed Boost, and Substitute, Ninjask can set up another Pokemon for an easy sweep. Ninjask will often also use Protect or X-scissor to give it a fighting chance against opponents. As much potential as it has, Ninjask will have trouble setting up on teams that carry a Taunt user or phazer. Ninjask can easily lure these Pokemon in, allowing for a double switch to, say, a Magnezone to take out a Skarmory, but with a 4x weakness to Stealth Rock Ninjask will find trouble switching in as well. Countering it isn't about beating Ninjask, but rather about beating Ninjask's team's style - and without a dedicated Baton Pass counter, you'll be in for a world of hurt.

ninjask is trash but whatev


Porygon-Z
Type: Normal
Base stats: 85 HP / 80 Atk / 70 Def / 135 SpA / 75 SpD / 90 Spe
Abilities: Download / Adaptability

Once hailed as the only Special Attacker able to OHKO Blissey, Porygon-Z boasts the highest Special Attack in OU with two killer abilities that allow it to boost its attacks to sky-high levels. Porygon-Z can run a variety of sets, but using mostly the same coverage: Tri Attack, Dark Pulse, a Hidden Power, usually Fighting, Ground, or Fire, and Ice Beam. The most common set uses Choice Specs to blast serious holes in any opponent, even heavily dedicated walls. However, it also can use Agility or Nasty Plot to beat foes that outspeed it or outright OHKO many walls. Porygon-Z can also utilize a Choice Scarf, outpacing many foes that would beat it previously and allows it to function as a viable revenge killer. Beating Porygon-Z boils down to mostly knowing its set, but until that point it should remain a big red flag in your opponent's team.

p-z kinda blows but this works


Raikou
Type: Electric
Base Stats: 90 HP / 85 Atk / 75 Def / 115 SpA / 100 SpD / 115 Spe
Ability: Pressure

Raikou's base Speed lets it Speed tie with Starmie and Azelf as well as outspeed Infernape, Gengar, and everything in the Base 100 Speed tier. A STAB Thunderbolt coming off of a 329 Special Attack Stat scares off most frail Pokemon. Hidden Power Ice and Hidden Power Grass complement its coverage to take out bulky Grounds that are immune to Thunderbolt. Shadow Ball hits Rotom-A and Celebi, Pokemon that resist Thunderbolt, for supereffective damage. Hidden Power Fighting is also an option to dent Tyranitar. Furthermore, Raikou can capitalize on its switches to use Calm Mind to make it a bigger threat. Raikou can also afford to use its 90 / 75 / 100 defenses to set up a Substitute and Calm Mind, living weaker attacks to set up for a sweep. Raikou can also utilize a Choice set efficiently. Choice Specs Raikou hits for more damage, whereas Choice Scarf Raikou can revenge faster threats, such as Infernape, Azelf, and Starmie. Raikou also has Aura Sphere in its arsenal, but because it is an event-only move, Raikou is forced to run a Rash nature and deal with being slower than Infernape, Gengar, Starmie, and Azelf.

i wouldnt use specs raikou over rotom/jolteon so id edit that out, chestorest is a neat alternative to sub + lefties


Rotom-A
Type: Electric / Ghost
Base Stats: 50 HP / 65 Atk / 105 Def / 107 SpA / 105 Def / 86 Spe
Ability: Levitate

Rotom-A is a very unique Pokemon in that it gains an extra move by changing its forme, said move being Leaf Storm for Rotom-C, Blizzard for Rotom-F, Air Slash for Rotom-S, Overheat for Rotom-H, and Hydro Pump for Rotom-W. Rotom-W and Rotom-H are the most common forms by far due to their much superior coverage moves. When combined with its STAB Thunderbolt and Shadow Ball, along with its respectable Special Attack stat, it can succeed immensely as an offensive Pokemon. Rotom-A is most commonly seen utilizing a Choice item (Specs or Scarf) with both of its STABs and a coverage move, rounding the moveset out with Trick to cripple walls by giving them a Choice item. Will-O-Wisp may also make an appearance, allowing Rotom-A to cripple physical attackers. Hidden Power Ice can also be used for coverage against Dragon-types and Grass-types if using Rotom-W or Rotom-C. Rotom-A has access to Pain Split, which in combination with Substitute and its low HP stat allow it to recover its health from a lower amount. Rotom-A learns Charge Beam, which can be used as a boosting move to sweep teams. It even has access to two weather-inducing moves, one being Rain Dance, which can be setup to boost Rotom-W's Hydro Pumps. Rotom-W and Rotom-H are the two most common formes and the two to look out for, as they got the better end of the stick when it comes to the move that they received. To top all of this off, it has Ground-, Normal-, and Fighting-type immunities along with a myriad of resistances to grant it many switch-in opportunities.

mention defensive restalk


Scizor
Type: Bug / Steel
Base Stats: 70 HP / 130 Atk / 100 Def / 55 SpA / 80 SpD / 65 Spe
Abilities: Swarm / Technician

Scizor is easily the most popular priority user in OU because of the sheer power of Technician Bullet Punch. Coupled with one of the highest Attack stats in OU, Scizor is sure to hit faster, frailer threats very hard. The Choice Band set is the most commonly seen, usually including Bullet Punch, U-turn, Superpower and Pursuit, sometimes replacing the latter with Quick Attack. It is often used to revenge kill threats such as Dragons locked into Outrage, or weakened ones that do not resist Bullet Punch. However Scizor is capable of utilizing its great priority move, good typing and capacity to force switches to use Swords Dance to boost its already high attack turning it into a powerful late-game cleaner. Scizor is also capable of surprising the opponent with a Choice Scarf set bringing its speed above base 115, which include pokémon like Starmie, who normally check Scizor. This set uses almost the same moves as the Choice Band set, albeit sometimes replacing Bullet Punch with Iron Head for the higher power, given that Bullet Punch's priority is now less beneficial.

bulky sd set needs mentioning, its amazing


Starmie
Type: Water / Psychic
Base Stats: 60 HP / 75 Atk / 85 Def / 100 SpA / 85 SpD / 115 Spe
Abilities: Illuminate / Natural Cure

With a generous base 115 Speed, an higher than average base 100 Special Attack and extraordinary coverage, Starmie is without a doubt one of the best late-game cleaners in OU. The Life Orb set is terrifying to face because of the devastating power it packs. Usually consisting of Hydro Pump (or Surf), Thunderbolt, Ice Beam and one of Recover and Rapid Spin, the coverage it has is only resisted by Shedinja, which is very rare due to Tyranitar's Sand Stream and the prevalence of Stealth Rock. Altough Starmie's coverage makes Life Orb the most popular item choice, it is by no means a bad user of other items such as Choice Specs and Choice Scarf. The first turns Starmie into a devastating powerhouse capable of crippling common switch-ins such as Blissey with Trick, while the latter makes it an awesome revenge killer capable of putting an end to the sweep of common threats such as Gyarados and Dragonite, while also being able to use Trick. Finally, Starmie is an awesome lead because of its great Speed and access to Rapid Spin: it is able to bring many common leads to 1 HP due to Focus Sash and then KO them using Rapid Spin while also removing Stealth Rock from the field for the rest of the game.

scarf starmie is horrible, just stick to specs as far as choice items are concerned. bulky spinning sets with leftovers also need mentioning.


Suicune
Type: Water
Base Stats: 100 HP / 75 Atk / 115 Def / 90 SpA / 115 SpD / 85 Spe
Ability: Pressure

Offensive Suicune is almost synonymous with modern bulky offense. Its incredible natural bulk essentially ensures opportunities to set up with Calm Mind, after which Suicune can use its near-perfect coverage and deceptively high Speed to tear through weakened teams. Suicune's attacks typically include Surf (or Hydro Pump), Ice Beam, and Hidden Power Electric. Battlers looking to take a more balanced approach to Suicune can take advantage of its ability to create 101 HP Substitutes, or even use Roar in order to get free wins during Calm Mind wars. Of course, the classic RestTalk Calm Mind set can also be used, and it easily foils teams whose contingency plan is to to deal with Suicune by gradually whittling down its health.

this is good. i really like the first sentence, describes cune really well


Swampert
Type: Water / Ground
Base stats: 100 HP / 110 Atk / 90 Def / 85 SpA / 90 SpD / 60 Spe
Ability: Torrent

With huge defensive stats coupled with only one weakness, Swampert is immediately thought of as a defensive threat. However, Swampert is also very effective on offensive teams. It is capable of setting up Stealth Rock early in a game, while fairing very well against common suicide leads, such as Azelf or Aerodactyl. While equipped with a Choice Band, Swampert's combination of Waterfall, Earthquake, and Ice Beam/Avalanche allow it to use its natural bulk to sponge hits while dishing out major damage. Once an opposing Grass-type, such as Celebi or Breloom, has been removed, Swampert becomes an even more dangerous threat. With access to Curse, Swampert can boost its Attack and Defense to untouchable levels. It can also use Rest to alleviate itself of a pesky burn or poison, healing back all the health lost from boosting up with Curse. Swamperts that use Rest will also carry Sleep Talk, allowing it to take down the opponent even when sleeping.

yep


Togekiss
Type: Normal / Flying
Base Stats: 85 HP / 50 Att / 95 Def / 120 SpA / 115 SpD / 80 Spe
Abilities: Serene Grace / Hustle

Despite the Jubilee pokemon's appearance, Togekiss can be a terror to face. Togekiss is granted a heavenly ability, Serene Grace, which she can abuse with air slash having a 60% flinch rate with Serene Grace (70% chance of the opponent being unable to move when paralyzed). Furthermore, Togekiss gets near perfect With just two moves: Air Slash and Aura Sphere. Infact, That move duo only misses out on Zapdos and the Rotoms. In addition, Togekiss is blessed with 85/95/115 defenses and access to instant recovery moves making her very bulky. She also has a dangerous 120 base sp. att which she can boost even higher with the excellent boosting move nasty plot. Though having a rather average base 80 speed, she can make great use of a choice scarf having perfect coverage in 3 moves and access to trick. Togekiss can even make a physical set with hustle, life orb, and extreme speed. Don't under-estimate, Togekiss or you may be flinched till the point of insanity.

dont forget that togekiss also gets flamethrower/fire blast to destroy steels!!


Toxicroak
Type: Poison / Fighting
Base stats: 83 HP / 106 Atk / 65 Def / 86 SpA / 65 SpD / 85 Spe
Abilities: Dry Skin / Anticipation

While Toxicroak's stats leave much to be desired, it makes up for it with moves other Pokemon would kill for. Access to fantastic priority attacks, both Physical and Special, powerful STAB moves, and a handy immunity in Dry Skin to Water-type attacks give Toxicroak ample opportunities to come in and damage opponents. Toxicroak often carries Cross Chop, Sucker Punch, and Swords Dance, though is not unknown to use Substitute and Focus Punch. It can also opt to go Special, using Nasty Plot to surprise opponents. However, Toxicroak has no way to boost its Speed, and even with multiple options for priority, will often wind up being revenge killed.

np croak really blows, only sd is worth mentioning


Tyranitar
Type: Rock / Dark
Base Stats: 100 HP / 134 Atk / 110 Def / 95 SpA / 100 SpD / 61 Spe
Ability: Sand Stream

Great stats, good typing and formidable movepool make Tyranitar one of the most versatile threat in OU. The most common sets include Choice Scarf, Choice Band and Dragon Dance, all of which focusing on its monstrous Attack stat, with the Choice sets carrying the ever useful Pursuit, allowing it to remove dangerous foes such as Rotom-A, Gengar and Starmie. The most common moves on these sets are Stone Edge, Crunch, Earthquake, Superpower, Fire Punch and Ice Punch. Even though the physical attacking variations are the most popular, Tyranitar is more than capable of utilizing Special Attacks, having great movepool including Fire Blast, Dark Pulse, Ice Beam and Thunderbolt turning it into a powerful mixed wallbreaker. With its ability Sand Stream (useful for negating Focus Sash) and access to Stealth Rock, Tyranitar can also be a very useful lead, having a good match-up against other popular leads such as Starmie and Azelf. Finally Tyranitar is an excellent lure for a team looking to get rid of a threat such as Scizor, which is a common switch-in for Tyranitar, only to get KOed by Flamethrower after Bullet Punch's power was reduced by Babiri Berry.

this is p accurate


Def


Blissey
Type: Normal
Base Stats: 255 HP / 10 Atk / 10 Def / 75 SpA / 135 SpD / 55 Spe
Abilities: Natural Cure / Serene Grace

Blissey is and has always been the premier special wall of OU, barring Chansey in RBY. Its gigantic HP and Special Defense stats allow it to wall most special attackers in existence that lack Explosion, the few that can beat it including SubSplit Gengar and CroCune. With 255 base HP, its absolutely horrific Defense stat is alleviated, allowing it to take some physical hits from some walls and cripple them with Toxic. It has all of the support options it could ever need, including a recovery move, status moves, Wish, and Aromatherapy. These allow it to take on many roles, including a Wish passer to keep the rest of the team healthy, a cleric to keep the rest of the team free of status, or even a paralysis spreader to allow some slower Pokemon to shine. It can even setup Stealth Rock if desired, finding many opportunities throughout the match against numerous special attackers that it walls oh-so-well. Yet another plus is its usable Special Attack stat and expansive special movepool, including notable options like Flamethrower and Ice Beam, the former for Steel-types and the latter for Dragon- and Flying-types. With all of this, it even gets the ability Natural Cure to heal off all status, including the Toxic that most every wall deathly fears. Blissey can also run some Speed EVs to outspeed certain threats like Scizor and KO with the appropriate move, in Scizor's case Fire Blast, due to its access to many coverage moves, the aforementioned Fire Blast, Ice Beam, and Thunderbolt being the most notable.

mention thunder wave! it fucks up shit like breloom infernape lucario etc that like to switch into bliss. stick to flamethrower, not fire blast. tbolt sucks.


Bronzong
Type: Steel / Psychic
Base Stats: 67 HP / 89 Atk / 116 Def / 79 SpA / 116 SpD / 33 Spe
Abilities: Levitate / Heatproof

Solid bulk, a plethora of resistances, and just a singular weakness (to Fire, assuming Levitate) provide Bronzong with just what it needs to wall many common threats. It's one of the sturdiest Stealth Rock users in the tier, can easily set up dual screens to soften blows for the whole team, and is able make a quick but deadly escape with Explosion when it's job is done. Although inaccurate, it can even resort to Hypnosis to cripple potential switch-ins. It's also a fine user of Trick, usually carrying a Macho Brace to boost its STAB Gyro Ball before Tricking a fast but fail sweeper, taking away its opponent's Speed and item. Payback allows it to hit its usual Ghost-type switch-ins, while Earthquake is great for hitting the Fire- and Electric-types that love to come in on Bronzong. Bronzong also readily sets up rain or Trick Room, providing its teammates with the opportunity wreak havoc; it's an all around sturdy Rain Dance user, while Trick Room can transform it into a surprisingly potent offensive threat. Bronzong's biggest drawback is it's lack of reliable recovery, which can make taking repeated hits difficult for it.

offensive trick room zong needs more emphasis, its amazing. protect + toxic is actually really really annoying, especially with magnezone support.


Dusknoir
Type: Ghost
Base Stats: 45 HP / 100 Atk / 135 Def / 65 SpA / 135 SpD / 45 Spe
Ability: Pressure

Armed with some of the biggest defensive stats in OU, a boosted Attack stat from its pre-evolution, and Will-O-Wisp, Dusknoir is ready to take on most offensive threats. Facing a heavy amount of competition as a spinblocker from Rotom-A, Dusknoir can still find places to do its job. Dusknoir will almost always be running Will-o-Wisp, allowing it to cripple almost every Physical attacker in OU, including Gyarados, Scizor, and Tyranitar. It can also use coverage moves, such as the elemental punches and Earthquake, to get the jump on many common Will-o-Wisp absorbers, including Infernape and Heatran. Lacking a reliable recovery move, Dusknoir can still use Pain Split to great effect, especially on Pokemon like Blissey, considering its extremely low base 45 HP. If all else fails, Dusknoir can use Shadow Sneak to pick off weakened foes, such as Gengar or Starmie. However, due to its incredibly low base power, it will often fail to do much damage. Above all, Dusknoir is resilient. It may be worn down after repeated strikes, but can often cripple an attacker with Will-o-Wisp.

noir is one of the few counters to machamp because its slower therefore it doesnt take such a beating from payback. sub + focus punch (+ sneak + eq) is a good set.


Hitmontop
Type: Fighting
Base Stats: 50 HP / 95 Atk / 95 Def / 35 SpA / 110 SpD / 70 Spe
Abilities: Intimidate / Technician

Hitmontop's main defensive niche is that it's a spinner with the option of taking out threats that normally defeat it. Base 70 Speed means that it outspeeds Tyranitar, one of the most prominent threats in the game, something that fellow Fighting-type Machamp wishes it could do. Intimidate cuts most physical attackers' Attack stat, making it easier for teammates to switch in. Rapid Spin and Foresight guarantee the removal of hazards. STAB Close Combat is great and generally lures in Ghost- and Flying-types, which have to deal with Sucker Punch, Pursuit, and Stone Edge. Unfortunately, Hitmontop is forced to rely on Rest as its only source of recovery. However, Hitmontop has a small offensive niche. In a similar vein to Scizor's Technician and Bullet Punch / Quick Attack, Hitmontop's Technician functions with Hitmontop's Mach Punch, Fake Out, Bullet Punch, and Pursuit to finish off weakened frail Pokemon.

toxic fucks up shit like gliscor swampert hippowdon


Rotom-A
Typing: Electric / Ghost
Base Stats: 50 HP / 65 Atk / 105 Def / 105 SpA / 105 SpD / 86 Spe
Ability: Levitate

Rotom-A's typing and resistances make it a great check to Fighting-, Ground-, and Steel-type Pokemon. Switching into most of these Pokemon fairly easy, Rotom-A can stave them off with the threat of a burn from Will-o-Wisp. Rotom-A's general moves of choice to prevent itself from becoming Taunt bait are Thunderbolt and Shadow Ball. Its Electric-typing makes Rotom-A arguably the best spinblocker in the game. It defeats Tentacruel, Starmie, and Forretress with Thunderbolt (though it will not like taking Forretress's Paybacks nor Starmie's Hydro Pumps) and cripples the less prominent physical spinners such as Donphan and Hitmontop with a burn from Will-O-Wisp. Rotom-A is also capable of utilizing other status moves such as Toxic and Thunder Wave, but these are generally preferred on other Pokemon due to Rotom-A's Four-Moveslot Syndrome and general utility against common Pokemon. Rotom-A's most prominent forme in DPP OU is Rotom-W, with occasional sightings of Rotom-H and even rarer occurrences of Rotom-C. Thus, Rotom-A will have Hydro Pump, Overheat, or Leaf Storm for coverage in its own respective forme. For recovery, Rotom-A generally uses RestTalk for longevity and usually runs Will-O-Wisp, Thunderbolt, Shadow Ball, or Hydro Pump. However, on faster-paced teams, it is uncommon to see Pain Split Rotom-A.

last sentence isnt true! pain split + 3 atks/sub is great on offensive teams. scarf rotom is an amazing defensive mon as well that cleans up well at the end of the game.


Tentacruel
Type: Water / Poison
Base Stats: 80 HP / 70 Atk / 65 Def / 80 SpA / 120 SpD / 100 Spe
Abilities: Clear Body / Liquid Ooze

Solid special bulk, a decent defensive typing, and a great support movepool combine to make Tentacruel a top notch wall in OU. It can clear hazards away with Rapid Spin, and even absorbs Toxic Spikes merely by switching in. Speaking of Toxic Spikes, Tentacruel sets them up with ease. Typically, it runs both moves, with Surf and a coverage attack to maintain some offensive pressure on the opponent as well. Base 100 Speed is a great boon to any wall. It's also a handy check to Infernape (without ThunderPunch), one of the biggest threats to most stall teams. Tentacruel's biggest drawback is its far frailer physical defense, along with a weakness to the ever so common Earthquake.

tentacruel sucks because it dies way too fast but this is a good description. scarf tenta is actually pretty cool...


Togekiss
Type: Normal / Flying
Base Stats: 85 HP / 50 Atk / 95 Def / 120 SpA / 115 SpD / 80 Spe
Abilities: Serene Grace / Hustle

Having great 85/95/115 defenses and a large support movepool, Togekiss makes for a fantastic defensive Pokemon. Togekiss can take on rolls such as, Baton Passing Nasty Plots, Spreading status with Thunder Wave and Tri Attack, healing with Wish and Heal Bell, and even setting up dual screens. Togekiss is also no sitting duck possessing a base 120 SpA. Having reliable recovery and great bulk, Togekiss is sure to stay awhile. Not all is great for Togekiss though, as Stealth Rock chips 25% of her health making switches difficult. All in all, Togekiss makes for a very efficient supporter, despite the competition for a spot on a team.

this is cool


Vaporeon
Type: Water
Base Stats: 130 HP / 65 Atk / 60 Def / 110 SpA / 95 SpD / 65 Spe
Ability: Water Absorb

With great bulk and a good defensive typing in Water, Vaporeon is a great pivot for many teams. It is typically seen running a Wish support set, using Wish and Protect to heal itself or simply switching out after Wish to heal up an ally. Surf is its standard STAB attack, and its last slot normally contains either a coverage move (such as Hidden Power Electric or Ice Beam) or a support option (usually Toxic or Roar). It can also run an effective Baton Pass set on dedicated teams, often passing a combination of Substitute, Wish, Acid Armor, or Aqua Ring. Most Vaporeon are EVed to maximize physical bulk, as its special bulk is already superb. Despite this, it is easier to prey on its weaker Defense when trying to break through Vaporeon.

thats vap alright. hp electric used to be popular for gyarados...


Zapdos
Type: Electric / Flying
Base Stats: 90 HP / 90 Atk / 85 Def / 125 SpA / 90 SpD / 100 Spe
Ability: Pressure

Zapdos is part of a small group that has remained in OU all four generations, and it's easy to see why. A unique Electric/Flying typing gives it five resistances and an immunity to the bane of all Electric-types, Earthquake. With respectable natural bulk, a reliable recovery move, just two weaknesses (one if Roost is used), and pressure, Zapdos is capable of walling many, many opponents. One of its most common sets is the physically defensive set, one of the best counters to Scizor and Ice Punch-lacking Lucario. Unlike most defensive Pokemon, Zapdos also has base 125 Special Attack and base 100 Speed, as well as handy STAB and coverage moves in Thunderbolt, Heat Wave, and Hidden Power, usually Grass or Ice, that enable it to hit back hard. With Substitute and Toxic in its moveset, Zapdos forms the infamous SubRoost set, with a semi-immunity to status, whittling down the opponent with Toxic and healing with Roost. While it might seem like Zapdos' qualities are never-ending, it does have a few flaws. Weaknesses to the common Stealth Rock and Ice-type attacks can keep it grounded throughout a match. Zapdos is nothing to be underestimated, but keep Steath Rocks up and Ice Beams at the ready and you will have no trouble with it.

spdef set is really cool. hazard support + ROAR
 

Jukain

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New Celebi:

Celebi is blessed with having both decent offenses, Speed, and excellent bulk, all making it a perfect candidate for a bulky attacker. It can utilize setup moves like Nasty Plot and Calm Mind in combination with Recover and its great movepool to sweep teams with the right support. It can also Baton Pass them in addition to Swords Dance. Its STAB moves on their own already have decent coverage, and adding in Hidden Power Fire or Earth Power allows it to hit Steel-types super effectively. Psychic, in addition to being a powerful STAB, keeps slower Fighting-types with super effective coverage moves at bay. With access to Leaf Storm and an array of useful coverage moves, Celebi can run a support move + 3 attacks set. Leech Seed is among the best of said support moves, sucking the foe's HP while healing Celebi. Last but definitely not least, it can combine both its offensive and defensive traits into a set commonly known as Tinkerbell, which utilizes Thunder Wave to cripple fast opponents, Leaf Storm for power, a coverage move, and a recovery move. The main advantage Celebi has as an offensive Pokemon is its typing&mdash;while it may be a curse against U-turn users, it also provides solid resistances to Ground, Fighting, Electric, Psychic, and Water that allow it multiple switch-ins. Its versatility as an offensive Pokemon means that you will never know exactly what it is running, and one wrong guess can give Celebi an opportunity to set up or hit something hard.

New Crobat:

Crobat isn't the most powerful Pokemon, but it more than makes up for it with its phenomenal Speed and decent movepool. A set with Taunt, Roost, and Super Fang breaks through stall with relative ease, preventing recovery and paralysis with Taunt and taking half of a wall's health whilst recovering its own with Roost. It is an excellent tool for offensive and defensive teams alike, allowing offensive teams to break through walls that may trouble it and defensive teams to break through opposing stall that it may struggle against. Access to Brave Bird, Cross Poison, and U-turn make for an excellent Choice Band set, even getting Pursuit to trap Ghost- and Psychic-types. U-turn keeps momentum on Crobat's side, getting Crobat away from its checks and counters with a small chunk of health taken from the target in the process. It even gets access to Nasty Plot, which in combination with its usable Special Attack stat and okay bulk allows multiple setup opportunities, after 2 or more boosts dealing solid damage to many common threats. Its special movepool consists of gems like Sludge Bomb and Heat Wave to accommodate this, with Hidden Power Fighting often used to round out coverage, mainly against Tyranitar.

New Empoleon:

Empoleon has quite a few movesets it can run, though many are not all that common. Regardless, it has many different options that it can run, each with a different set of checks and counters. Its most common set features Substitute, Agility, 2 attacks, and a Petaya Berry, aiming to use Substitute whilst boosting its low Speed in order to reach Petaya Berry range, from where it can use its likely boosted Speed and +1 Special Attack from the Petaya Berry to sweep unhindered once certain threats are out of the way. In addition, once Empoleon has used Substitute to a range where Petaya Berry is activated, it is also in Torrent range, which makes its STAB Water-type attacks even more powerful. Empoleon also has access to Stealth Rock and Aqua Jet to function as a great lead, Stealth Rock near-guaranteed to be setup with Aqua Jet to finish off leads down to their Focus Sash. It can even utilize Choice Specs effectively with its solid Special Attack stat and access to great moves like Hydro Pump, Ice Beam, and Grass Knot to get great coverage against the majority of Pokemon. Finally, a utility set with a Shuca Berry is great for mid-game. Another common variant is Shuca Berry + Agility. Enabling Empoleon to take a stray Earthquake and then sweep makes the Shuca Berry invaluable on it.

New Froslass:

Froslass's main claim to fame as an offensive Pokemon is its ability to setup Spikes and spinblock at the same time. It does so with its blistering Speed and mediocre but usable Special Attack stat, as well as Snow Cloak in hail to boost its evasion. Spikes is on every Froslass, often with Taunt to prevent opposing hazard setup and/or Destiny Bond to take down the opponent when it kills Froslass. Taunt is occasionally used in combination with Pain Split to give stall teams a hard time against it. Destiny Bond is especially effective because of Froslass's high Speed stat and extreme frailness. It is almost always a lead, using a Focus Sash to guarantee at least two layers of Spikes in most cases. Icy Wind is usually the attack, allowing Froslass to do solid STAB damage as well as lower the foe's Speed if all 3 layers of Spikes manage to be set up. Shadow Ball and Hidden Power Fire are also excellent choices to help handle Ghost-types with the former, Forretress and Scizor with the latter. Froslass is an excellent choice for any offensive team wanting quick Spikes&mdash;one of the best in its class.

New Heatran:

Heatran is the face of DPP OU, consistently one of the most-used Pokemon in the tier, and it doesn't take much digging to figure out why. Its typing gives it the resistances of a Steel-type and the coverage of a Fire-type, along with a neutrality to the ever-so-common Stealth Rock instead of the weakness that plagues most Fire-types. Its main set is a Stealth Rock lead with Shuca Berry, allowing it to setup Stealth Rock against the likes of Metagross and Flygon. It can also don a Choice Scarf to revenge kill many top threats, taking away any issues Heatran may have with Speed and utilizing its excellent coverage, STAB Fire-type moves, and Explosion to take down special walls by sacrificing itself. However, those are only a few of Heatran's many options. Heatran can also use Torment to annoy opponents to great effect, as well as Magma Storm to function as a trapper. Substitute, Choice Specs, and Life Orb are all just as threatening offensive options, the former protecting Heatran from faster Pokemon with STAB Water-, Fighting-, and Ground-type attacks. It can also utilize a Passho Berry as a safeguard against Water-type attacks. It even has access to Taunt, which prevents paralysis and sleep from crippling Heatran. Heatran has a solid place in the metagame and is a stellar as well as slightly unpredictable attacker, so beware whenever it leaves its Poké Ball, lest it tear apart your team.

New Heracross:

Heracross is a very threatening physical attacker, and it is easy to see why. Threatening STABs with decent coverage together and Stone Edge to hit all resists barring Toxicroak, in combination with a base 125 Atk stat, make Heracross one of the most powerful physical attackers in existence. It is most commonly seen donning a Choice Scarf to revenge kill common threats, or even a Choice Band to punch holes in teams. Those sets use another of Heracross's many options, namely Toxic to cripple walls that will not fall to Heracross's attacks, Night Slash to reliably hit Ghost-types, Pursuit to trap Ghost-types, or Sleep Talk to use sleep as an advantage with Guts boosting the move selected by Sleep Talk. Speaking of Guts, it makes Swords Dance a much more viable and harder-hitting option with a Flame Orb or Toxic Orb, essentially getting a Choice Band boost without being locked in. Furthermore, when using a status orb Facade is boosted, providing decent neutral coverage and hitting extremely hard. Unfortunately, such a set is easily revenge killed due to its unfortunate Speed and exploitable weaknesses. However, Heracross makes up for it with frightening power that has the potential to rip apart teams.

New Magnezone:

Magnezone's claim to fame is its ability to kill bulky Steel-types like Skarmory and Forretress that wall many otherwise nigh-uncounterable Pokemon. It does so by trapping them with Magnet Pull and then proceeding to do basically whatever it wants. It can utilize Substitute, leaving it free wear down Steel-types and just generally hitting hard with Thunderbolt with whatever Hidden Power it wants for coverage and Explosion for Blissey in the last slot. Alternatively, Magnezone can use Magnet Rise instead of Explosion and get a temporary immunity to Ground-type moves. A Choice Scarf set can revenge kill common Steel-types that it normally falls to, including Lucario and Scizor. With Choice Specs attached, Magnezone is turned into a powerhouse, steamrolling through anything that does not resist its STABs. Magnezone can even throw all of this behind and setup dual screens via trapping Steel-types. Finally, an Endure + Custap Berry set can be used in order to ensure Magnezone gets off at least one hit. It uses Endure, which leaves it at 1 HP (obviously in Custap Berry range), at which point it can consume its Custap Berry and get off one final hit.

New Mamoswine:

Mamoswine is can be an effective physical attacker once the things that wall it are removed. It has all of the tools: an off-the-charts Attack stat, a great STAB combination, and a powerful priority attack&mdash;Ice Shard no less. Its Earthquake steamrolls through all but the bulkiest of resists, holding the crown of the most powerful Ground-type attack commonly found in OU. An Ice Shard coming from it is one of the most potent attacks found in OU, allowing it to revenge kill common Dragon-types, such as Dragonite and Flygon. It also has access to powerful coverage moves like Stone Edge and Superpower, the former handling Gyarados mainly and the latter putting a dent in the only common Pokemon that resists Mamoswine's STABs, Bronzong. Stealth Rock and Endeavor allow it to function as an excellent lead, with the Endeavor + Ice Shard combination being a great way to ensure that opposing leads faint. Its typing makes it immune to both sandstorm and hail and takes away the curse of being weak to Stealth Rock that is normally attributed to Ice-types. To top all of this off, Mamoswine has a useful ability in Snow Cloak that allows it to abuse hail with a 20% boost to its evasion.

New Mismagius:

Mismagius has only one card to play in order to not be outclassed by other Ghost-types, and a good one at that. Mismagius is the only viable Ghost-type that can use Nasty Plot, boasting a high Speed stat and decent Special Defense to help it setup. Its STAB Shadow Ball in combination with Hidden Power Fighting is more than enough for coverage. Mismagius even has access to Thunderbolt to hit bulky Water-types. Substitute can even be used to help setup, as Shadow Ball + Hidden Power Fighting equates to perfect coverage, allowing the last slot to be a choice of whatever is wanted. It also gets access to Taunt and Will-O-Wisp, both of which can fill the last slot quite nicely, the former preventing status attempts and the latter making up for Mismagius's low Defense stat. It even has access to Calm Mind, which perfectly utilizes Mismagius's high Special Defense stat.

I'll do my defensive threats sometime soon.

It'd be nice to finish this before X&Y, lol.
 
Not sure about Froslass being the "best in its class" for quick Spikes (Smeargle, Occa Skarm), barring that it's fine.

Gotta mention Leech Seed somewhere on Celebi!

Everything else looks good, I may nitpick later.
 
Just lettin' people know that I did finally edit my Hariyama description a week or two ago to include what LizardMan suggested about using it and Machamp on the same team. I know that shrewz mentioned that I should edit defensive Empoleon to include that it can OHKO Dragons with Ice Beam, but I didn't touch that analysis because I kinda already mention it with the"Resist berries such as Shuca and Chople, combined with some Defense EV's, can be used to surprise threats such as Dragonite, Flygon, Offensive Gyarados, and Infernape and OHKO them". IMO, if I mention Ice Beam for dragons, then I have to mention HP Electric for Gyarados and Surf for Infernape. It feels like it's a bit redundant that way.

Just thought of something, though. I could add something like "OHKO them with the respective coverage move" to that sentence bit. Would that sound good?

EDIT: It is finished.

EDIT 2: Made changes per BKC
 
Last edited:

sandshrewz

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Just lettin' people know that I did finally edit my Hariyama description a week or two ago to include what LizardMan suggested about using it and Machamp on the same team. I know that shrewz mentioned that I should edit defensive Empoleon to include that it can OHKO Dragons with Ice Beam, but I didn't touch that analysis because I kinda already mention it with the "Resist berries such as Shuca and Chople, combined with some Defense EV's, can be used to surprise threats such as Dragonite, Flygon, Offensive Gyarados, and Infernape and OHKO them". IMO, if I mention Ice Beam for dragons, then I have to mention HP Electric for Gyarados and Surf for Infernape. It feels like it's a bit redundant that way.

Just thought of something, though. I could add something like "OHKO them with the respective coverage move" to that sentence bit. Would that sound good?
Yep that would be the best! Thanks! :)
 

GatoDelFuego

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Here's a list of the mons not yet QCed! (defensive is a bit more down).

Dugtrio
Type: Ground
Base Stats: 35 HP / 80 Atk / 50 Def / 50 Spa / 70 SpD / 120 Spe
Ability: Arena Trap / Sand Veil

With one of the best abilities in the game and a blistering base 120 Speed, Dugtrio is perhaps the ultimate revenge killer. Not only that, but it has the coverage and power to score the KOes it needs on most Pokemon in the tier. While it might be difficult to get more than one KO a match, Dugtrio can easily make that one essential KO happen. Its ability, Arena Trap, will keep any grounded foe in the game, such as Heatran, Blissey, Tyranitar, or Infernape. EdgeQuake gives Dugtrio plenty of coverage, along with Aerial Ace, Sucker Punch, Night Slash, Beat Up, or Pursuit. The latter can be especially dangerous, as some frail Psychic- or Ghost-type Pokemon with Levitate (Azelf, Gengar, or Choice Rotom-A locked onto Thunderbolt) will try to use Arena Trap's loophole to escape from Dugtrio, only to be caught by a super effective hit.

Qwilfish
Type: Water / Poison
Base Stats: 65 HP / 95 Atk / 75 Def / 55 SpA / 55 SpD / 85 Spe
Ability: Swift Swim

Qwilfish is a very simple threat. First, a teammate sets up Rain Dance, preferable with Damp Rock to maximize the amount of turns Qwilfish has to sweep, in turn boosting Waterfall by an additional 50% and doubling Qwilfish's Speed thanks to Swift Swim. Next Qwilfish should switch into a resisted attack, hopefully a Choice-locked one, set up Swords Dance, and proceed to have 4 turns to KO Pokemon on the opposing team. On the last turn of rain, although it could potentially be any turn, Qwilfish Explodes, meaning something will faint. This simple process is, in reality, a fairly easy sweep once the possible opposing Tyranitar or Abomasnow is removed. Other than that, Qwilfish has an excellent utility in removing Toxic Spikes, which rain teams hate, as well as setting them up itself as a suicide lead, but there isn't much else. If you run into Qwilfish under rain and you are not prepared for it, you should be prepared for it to sweep you, simple as that.

Feraligatr
Type: Water
Base Stats: 85 HP / 105 Atk / 100 Def / 79 SpA / 83 SpD / 78 Spe
Ability: Torrent

Feraligatr has only one niche in the metagame and that is as a Water-type Swords Dance sweeper. Access to Aqua Jet differentiates it from the pack and makes it more of a mix of the setup power of Gyarados and priority of Azumarill. Return is almost always used, solely because of the great coverage it has with Feraligatr's Water-type attacks. Feraligatr has a great Speed stat that outspeeds Heatran by one point, allowing it to KO before Heatran KOes Feraligatr.

Aggron
Type: Rock / Steel
Base Stats: 70 HP / 110 Atk / 180 Def / 60 SpA / 60 SpD / 50 Spe
Abilities: Sturdy / Rock Head

Aggron's physical bulk is simply monstrous, and access to the coveted Head Smash + Rock Head combination and a solid 110 base Attack give it the power to fit in among the titans in OU. Coverage moves include Earthquake to create a pseudo-EdgeQuake combination, Aqua Tail for Hippowdon, and Ice Punch for Flygon, Breloom, and Celebi. Aggron is most commonly seen utilizing a Choice Band with the mentioned moves, but can also function as an excellent Rock Polish sweeper. Aggron's Speed is quite low, limiting its abilities without any sort of boost to its Speed, but with the +2 boost from Rock Polish, Aggron can sweep teams with just one setup opportunity and some entry hazards to help it out. Aggron can also use a set that relies on the switches it forces to set up Substitute and follow up with Magnet Rise to make it even harder to take out.

Alakazam
Type: Psychic
Base Stats: 55 HP / 50 Atk / 45 Def / 135 SpA / 85 SpD / 120 Spe
Abilities: Synchronize / Inner Focus

Alakazam is perhaps blessed with the best combination of Speed and Special Attack in OU, outrunning many common threats and striking fear in the hearts of all but the bulkiest of special walls. Psychic alone does not have that great of coverage, but access to Focus Blast fixes much of this, hitting Tyranitar as well as Steel- and Dark-types for super effective damage. With such great coverage between just two moves, the other two moves are up-in-the-air. Substitute is almost always on Alakazam's moveset, protecting it from priority. Because Substitute protects it from priority, Hidden Power Fire is often used to OHKO Scizor and Forretress. Signal Beam is used to hit Psychic-types super effectively that resist the combination of Psychic + Focus Blast. Alakazam can even utilize Calm Mind to boost its already frightening Special Attack, with access to Taunt, Encore, Recover, and Substitute making setup easier. Alakazam is also the fastest user of dual screens, getting them up quickly in the lead position to allow a frail sweeper like Lucario to set up.

Gengar
Type: Ghost / Poison
Base Stats: 60 HP / 65 Atk / 60 Def / 130 SpA / 75 SpD / 110 Spe
Ability: Levitate

Gengar's high Special Attack and Speed combined with an unpredictable moveset make it an extremely threatening Pokemon. Even though its movepool of damaging attacks is rather limited (Shadow Ball, Focus Blast, Thunderbolt, Hidden Power Fire, and Explosion), Gengar's different sets are largely countered by different Pokemon. It frequently utilizes Substitute + Pain Split in conjunction with the perfect coverage provided by Shadow Ball and Focus Blast. Three attack sets add either Thunderbolt or Hidden Power Fire in place of Pain Split. Finally, Explosion, Hypnosis, and Protect also make familiar appearances on Gengar sets. As the best answer to stallbreaker Gliscor, Gengar can make use of Will-O-Wisp and Taunt on more defenses teams.

Honchkrow
Type: Dark / Flying
Base Stats: 100 HP / 125 Atk / 52 Def / 105 SpA / 52 SpD / 71 Spe
Abilities: Insomnia / Super Luck

Honchkrow is a very rare Pokemon to come by, but its rarity should not give anyone a reason to underestimate it. Because of Insomnia, it's already one of the best Breloom switch-ins in the game. Possessing the strongest Brave Bird in OU almost always warrants a switch-in to a Flying resistance, which Honchkrow almost certainly has an answer for. Heatran and Tyranitar must watch out for Superpower, and Skarmory, Jirachi, and Metagross must be wary of Heat Wave. Faster foes that resist Brave Bird, namely Aerodactyl and Jolteon, will not like taking STAB Sucker Punches. If these frail foes attempt to switch out, they can instead be smacked by Pursuit. To damage the bulkier Electric-types, Honchkrow can also opt to run Night Slash, OHKOing most Rotom-A and hurting defensive Zapdos. Though Honchkrow's middling Speed and terrible defense stats are detrimental to its overall success, Honchkrow can capitalize upon switches with Spikes support, Substitute, or even Roost to negate residual damage from Stealth Rock, Life Orb, Brave Bird recoil, and sand.

Staraptor
Type: Normal / Flying
Base Stats: 85 HP / 120 Atk / 70 Def / 50 SpA / 50 SpD / 100 Spe
Ability: Intimidate

Staraptor is unique in that it holds the title of the second-most powerful Brave Bird in OU, the most belonging to the rare Honchkrow. With just STAB Brave Bird alone, Staraptor is already a huge threat, but once you add in its STAB Return you have a combo only resisted by Steel- and Rock-types. What's worse is that this seemingly large obstacle is no longer a roadblock with access to Close Combat, giving Staraptor great coverage. Staraptor's power is its main focus, often using a Choice Band or Life Orb to make it hit even harder. Access to Roost benefits Staraptor as well, mainly because it is weak to Stealth Rock and loses health to the recoil from Brave Bird. U-turn is another great move for Staraptor, putting momentum in its favor and getting it away from its checks and counters without needing to predict. Pursuit can trap Ghost-types, particularly Rotom-A, which is immune to two of Staraptor's staple moves and resistant to the rest. Choice Band-boosted Quick Attack is another great tool, as the neutral coverage that Quick Attack provides in combination with the power added by the item provides a tool for Staraptor to revenge kill faster Pokemon that aren't very bulky. Agility can even be used to grant Staraptor the ability to hit even Choice Scarf users with its powerful STAB moves.

Hariyama
Type: Fighting
Base Stats: 144 HP / 120 Atk / 60 Def / 40 SpA / 60 SpD / 50 Spe
Abilities: Guts / Thick Fat

Although it is relegated to the UU tier, Hariyama is a unique Fighting-type that can hold its own in the OU metagame, particularly as an anti-lead. Comparisons to Machamp are inevitable; however, as a lead, Hariyama has some slight differences in both moveset and the way it is played. In fact, the largest benefit of lead Hariyama is that Machamp can be used on the same team. Toxic and Flame Orb, combined with Guts and Fake Out, allow Hariyama to boost its Attack from turn 1. This allows lead Hariyama to hit much harder than lead Machamp ever could. It also allows Hariyama to break the Focus Sashes of most leads, flinching them in the process. A Guts-boosted Close Combat deals horrendous amounts of damage to Pokemon that don't resist Fighting. Payback is for the Ghost-types that are immune to Close Combat, dealing 77% minimum to 252 / 252 Bold Rotom-A. Ice Punch allows Hariyama to murder Gliscor, also eliminating any Dragonite or Flygon daring enough to switch in or set up. Gyarados is a popular switch-in to Hariyama, so both ThunderPunch and Stone Edge are viable options as well, the latter also dealing with Zapdos. Aside from its coverage, Hariyama can play defensively as well, utilizing RestTalk, Whirlwind, and Close Combat to annoy foes.

Gyarados
Type: Water / Flying
Base Stats: 95 HP / 125 Atk / 79 Def / 60 SpA / 100 SpD / 81 Spe
Ability: Intimidate

Gyarados is a fearsome physical offensive threat thanks to its remarkable base 125 Attack and access to Dragon Dance. While Gyarados's Water / Flying typing means that it is weak to Stealth Rock, it can set up on many common Pokemon such as Heatran, Choice-locked Flygon, and many more. Intimidate also helps it set up on physical attackers. Gyarados is quite hard to take down after a single boost as it can outspeed even Modest Jolteon with a Jolly nature and is not weak to any priority move. One of the most common way to revenge kill Gyarados is via Choice Scarf users such as Flygon, Rotom-A, and Jirachi. However, with Thunder Wave, Gyarados can cripple these Choice Scarf users and set up. Gyarados has useful high-powered moves such as Waterfall, Earthquake, Stone Edge, and Bounce to utilize. Gyarados can also set up on common phazers and prevent incoming phazers from doing their job by using Taunt. With Taunt, Gyarados can comfortably set up against Swampert and Skarmory. It also has decent bulk to attempt multiple Dragon Dances. Though Stealth Rock is really a limiting factor for Gyarados, it can utilize Choice Band to hit hard right off the bat, severely denting or even KOing common switch-ins such as Flygon.

Kabutops
Type: Rock / Water
Base Stats: 60 HP / 115 Atk / 105 Def / 65 Spa / 70 SpD / 80 Spe
Abilities: Battle Armor / Swift Swim

Kabutops is typically seen on Rain Dance teams, pummeling the opposition with its base 115 Attack and great STAB coverage. Rain activates Swift Swim's Speed boost while also boosting the power of Waterfall and Aqua Jet; the former is its main attack of choice, and the latter allows it to pick off foes as rain ends. Stone Edge rounds off coverage and gives it another powerful STAB attack. As it is easy for Kabutops to force switches in rain, it can use that opportunity to set up Swords Dance, buffing up its assault even more. It is rather frail, however, and outside of rain, it is rather easy to revenge kill, especially with Grass-type attacks. Besides sweeping, Kabutops can make a good bulky Rapid Spin user, especially on sand teams.

Moltres
Type: Fire / Flying
Base Stats: 90 HP / 100 Atk / 90 Def / 125 SpA / 85 SpD / 90 Spe
Ability: Pressure

Moltres's strengths are numerous, despite its weakness to Stealth Rock. It has decent bulk and an extremely high Special Attack stat, as well as reliable recovery and two equally useful STAB moves with great coverage. Moltres is heralded as the best counter of Scizor in existence, boasting usable defenses and resistances to both of Scizor's STAB moves and Superpower, KOing easily with its powerful STAB Flamethrower. Moltres's main set accomplishes the goal of breaking apart non-Steel-type walls with the combination of SubRoost and Toxic, making Moltres one of the few special attackers that can break through Blissey without Explosion. Even without investment, Flamethrower will do solid damage to anything that does not resist it, smashing the Steel- and Poison-types immune to Toxic. Moltres can even counter Lucario lacking Stone Edge and most Celebi. Moltres also counters most Heatran, and can U-turn out of Heatran and similar threats, such as Tyranitar, into a teammate to gain momentum. Moltres can also opt for a more offensive set, using Life Orb, Choice Scarf, or Choice Specs to hit hard with Fire Blast, Air Slash, and Hidden Power, typically Grass or Ground.

Rhyperior
Type: Ground / Rock
Base Stats: 115 HP / 140 Atk / 130 Def / 55 SpA / 55 SpD / 40 Spe
Ability: Solid Rock / Lightningrod

Rhyperior's niche in OU is that of an incredibly powerful yet bulky physical attacker. Even though it has a lot of common weaknesses, Rhyperior's high HP and Defense coupled with Solid Rock make it much more difficult to take down despite its two 4x weaknesses, especially when it's in a sandstorm. Its two viable sets are Substitute + Swords Dance and Choice Band. The first seeks to set up 101 HP Substitutes on a switch and proceed to either unleash a strong Earthquake or Stone Edge against a frail switch-in or set up Swords Dance against a bulkier one. With a Choice Band, all Rhyperior cares about is smashing switch-ins with Earthquake and Stone Edge along with Megahorn and Aqua Tail.

Sceptile
Type: Grass
Base Stats: 70 HP / 85 Atk / 65 Def / 105 SpA / 85 SpD / 120 Spe
Ability: Overgrow

Sceptile's main use lies in its extremely high Speed stat, outspeeding threats like Starmie. It also boasts a decent Special Attack and usable Attack. Sceptile is also the fastest user of SubSeed other than the banned Shaymin-S, allowing it to wear down many top threats with the combination of Substitute to protect itself from Choice Scarf users and priority. Access to Leaf Storm allows Sceptile to punch holes similarly to Celebi. Dragon Pulse can hit Dragon-types that Sceptile lacks any other coverage for outside of Hidden Power Ice, with Focus Blast also viable to hit Steel-types that resist Sceptile's other moves. Hidden Power Fire normally rounds out the coverage, hitting Forretress for more damage than any of Sceptile's other moves. Sceptile's usable Attack means Earthquake can be used to get a reliable hit on Heatran, particularly to take down variants that invest in Special Defense and/or HP.


Shaymin
Type: Grass
Base Stats: 100 HP / 100 Atk / 100 Def / 100 SpA / 100 SpD / 100 Spe
Ability: Natural Cure

Don't let its undeniably endearing appearance fool you; Shaymin is a potent offensive Pokemon that easily fits onto teams. Shaymin + Heatran + Suicune is a particularly popular Fire / Water / Grass core that can easily keep pressure on opposing teams. Shaymin is usually seen terrorizing teams with offensive sets that utilize its signature move, Seed Flare. This powerful attack is what differentiates Shaymin from its fellow Grass-type brethren, and with an unbelievable 40% chance of reducing its opponent's Special Defense by two stages, it can be a very daunting attack to switch into. Unfortunately, Grass doesn't have the greatest offensive coverage, but Shaymin can make up for this shortcoming with the appropriate Hidden Power. Hidden Power Fire will smack around Scizor, Forretress, and Skarmory, and Hidden Power Ice is equally useful to nail Dragonite and other Flying-types. In addition, Earth Power gives Shaymin a means of defeating Fire-types such as Heatran and Infernape. Shaymin doesn't really have many other options, but it can use either Leech Seed or Rest in the final slot of offensive sets to increase longevity, and the latter is especially useful on Shaymin thanks to its ability, Natural Cure. Shaymin can also use Growth to attempt a sweep of its own. Although Shaymin is almost exclusively used with Life Orb or Leftovers, it can make good use of either Choice Scarf or Choice Specs for the element of surprise.

Smeargle
Type: Normal
Base Stats: 55 HP / 20 Atk / 35 Def / 20 SpA / 45 SpD / 75 Spe
Abilities: Own Tempo / Technician

With every move at its disposal, Smeargle is definitely versatile. Unfortunately, its terrible stats limit it to just support sets. No matter what Smeargle set you're up against, you can be assured it's carrying Spore. Almost every common Smeargle set is in the lead position. The standard set uses Focus Sash to survive a hit, guaranteeing it can put something to sleep and set up at least one layer of Spikes. It often has Counter as well, meaning physical attackers are gonna be taking some damage when they try to knock it out. Specifically, this allows Smeargle to defeat lead Machamp thanks to Own Tempo ignoring confusion. Smeargle is fast enough to run a Choice Scarf lead set as well. Spore and Spikes will still be used, but this Smeargle will also have Trick to cripple an opponent and U-turn to scout out riskier situations. If you see a Level 1 Smeargle, your opponent is probably running Trick Room. This set will survive a hit with Focus Sash, set up Trick Room to outspeed anything, and use Spore and Endeavor to start dismantling the opposition. Dragon Rage allows it to pick off foes that it's brought down to 1 HP after Endeavor. Smeargle can function outside of the lead position as well, but in such cases, it is almost always being used on a pure Baton Pass team. As the only Ingrain passer in the game (a niche that allows it to safeguard its team from phazing), Smeargle is an outright requirement for these teams. Taunt is probably your best bet for preventing Smeargle from devastating your team.

Snorlax
Type: Normal
Base Stats: 160 HP / 110 Atk / 65 Def / 65 SpA / 110 SpD / 30 Spe
Abilities: Immunity / Thick Fat

Snorlax is most often seen utilizing Curse, perhaps being the best user in existence thanks to its high Attack, low Speed, and amazing special bulk. Access to Body Slam means that Snorlax can worry less about its low Speed thanks to paralysis, also supporting the rest of the team if Snorlax cannot manage a sweep. Earthquake, Crunch, and Fire Punch are all great coverage moves, with Earthquake hitting Heatran, Rock-types, and non-Levitating Ghost-types. Crunch hits all Ghost-types that resist Snorlax's STAB moves, and Fire Punch hits Skarmory, Forretress, Bronzong, and other Steel-types. Rest is always useful to keep Snorlax healthy as well. Selfdestruct is a powerful weapon in that it can OHKO nearly anything that is not a Ghost-type, even almost KOing Skarmory, possibly taking a huge threat out with Snorlax. Pursuit can allow Snorlax to trap Ghost-types, best used with a Choice Band to hit as hard as possible.

Venusaur
Type: Grass / Poison
Base Stats: 80 HP / 82 Atk / 83 Def / 100 SpA / 100 SpD / 80 Spe
Ability: Overgrow

At first glance, it might seem as though Venusaur is yet another average Pokemon, but it has a niche in access to Swords Dance and Power Whip. When combined with Sleep Powder, Venusaur can set up multiple times and boost its relatively low Attack stat to attempt a sweep. Sleep Powder can allow Venusaur to bypass some of its usual checks. Power Whip and Earthquake provide all of the needed physical coverage, although it does miss out on Skarmory. Sludge Bomb is another great STAB move, but it leaves Venusaur open to Steel-types when combined with a STAB Grass-type attack and two non-attacking moves, so Hidden Power Fire is preferred. Venusaur even has the utility of removing Toxic Spikes, which can be extremely useful when paired with walls like Blissey that abhor Toxic Spikes.

Yanmega
Type: Bug / Flying
Base Stats: 86 HP / 76 Atk / 86 Def / 116 SpA / 56 SpD / 95 Spe
Abilities: Speed Boost / Tinted Lens

Yanmega's high Special Attack stat and two amazing and equally useful abilities give it no equal in the realm of smashing apart teams early-game. Yanmega's best use is as an anti-lead with Speed Boost, using Protect the first turn to net a quick boost to its Speed and start wrecking with its powerful STAB moves in Bug Buzz and Air Slash. On the other hand, Yanmega can use Choice Specs along with Tinted Lens to hit anything hard. Access to U-turn is one of the reasons it's an excellent user of Choice Specs, allowing it to scout the opponent. It even has room for a Hidden Power of choice, usually Ground for Heatran, but Fire is a just as viable to hit Skarmory and Forretress. Lastly, Yanmega can use Hypnosis, which, while unreliable, can potentially cripple an opposing Pokemon for the remainder of the match. While its switch-ins are numbered because of its 4x weakness to Stealth Rock, it often doesn't need to switch in more than once to leave a gap in all of its opposition.

Zapdos
Type: Electric / Flying
Base Stats: 90 HP / 90 Atk / 85 Def / 125 SpA / 90 SpD / 100 Spe
Ability: Pressure

While most people rave about Zapdos's incredible defensive typing and great overall stats, many forget that it packs a monstrous base 125 Special Attack and that Electric is one the best offensive typings in DPP OU. With a Life Orb attached, Zapdos epitomizes what it means to be a "bulky attacker," as it can fire off powerful, boosted attacks while shrugging off a variety of hits with Roost. However, Zapdos can still use Leftovers for increased longevity while still hitting hard without a boost. Thunderbolt is a given on all sets, while Zapdos gets almost all the coverage it needs between Heat Wave and Hidden Power Grass. Agility can be used in lieu of Roost to transform Zapdos into a fearsome late-game sweeper, and Hidden Power Ice is generally given the nod in this case as Zapdos can outspeed Choice Scarf Flygon after an Agility. Choice Specs Zapdos is also an effective anti-lead when paired with Hidden Power Flying to OHKO Machamp, as Zapdos can 2HKO nearly every lead while it has the bulk to avoid being OHKOed by most Pokemon in the lead position.

Infernape
Type: Fire / Fighting
Base Stats: 76 HP / 104 Atk / 71 Def / 104 SpA / 71 SpD / 108 Spe
Ability: Blaze

Infernape has a large offensive presence in DPP OU due to its high Speed and decent attacking stats. Most Infernape are physically oriented, decimating foes with STAB Close Combat, scouting for checks with U-turn, and finishing off faster foes with Mach Punch. While most physically oriented Infernape run Flare Blitz as their Fire-type STAB move of choice to dent common Fighting-type switch-ins like Gliscor, Skarmory, and Rotom-A, others prefer to go mixed with Overheat or Fire Blast along with other special moves for coverage to attack those switch-ins' weaker offensive stat, namely Hidden Power Ice, Grass Knot, or Hidden Power Electric. Furthermore, Infernape can take advantage of the switches it forces to set up with either Swords Dance or Nasty Plot to boost its damage output. Some uncommon moves that are also at Infernape's disposal include ThunderPunch, Vacuum Wave, and Focus Blast. Infernape can also take advantage of its high Speed and perform as an excellent Choice user, as it outspeeds the base 100 Speed Pokemon. Infernape also sees use as a lead, commonly running a Choice set or a Focus Sash set that utilizes Infernape's common moves in addition to Fake Out and Stealth Rock.

Dragonite
Type: Dragon / Flying
Base Stats: 91 HP / 134 Atk / 95 Def / 100 Spa / 100 SpD / 80 Spe
Ability: Inner Focus

An incredible movepool, an incredible typing, and incredible stats; Dragonite is a true definition of power. With its crazy movepool, Dragonite is really unpredictable. The most effective set is probably a Dragon Dance one. With ExtremeSpeed, Dragonite is able to KO faster Pokemon after a Dragon Dance, such as Flygon and Jolteon. After a Dragon Dance, Dragonite is almost unstoppable as it can almost OHKO even Swampert with Outrage, for example. Just as effective, Dragonite can use a bulkier Dragon Dance set to take a hit and set up in the face of some checks. It can be also used as a mixed sweeper with a powerful Draco Meteor. In addition, Superpower allows Dragonite to not be walled by Blissey. An offensive lead set is also viable as it has ExtremeSpeed, allowing it to break Focus Sash leads like Azelf or Aerodactyl. A little more gimmick but still effective, an Agility set is also viable. Last but not least, there is the famous Choice Band set that 2HKOes 99% of the metagame.

Lanturn
Type: Water / Electric
Base Stats: 125 HP / 58 Atk / 58 Def / 76 SpA / 76 SpD / 67 Spe
Abilities: Volt Absorb / Illuminate

Lanturn doesn't even look like it's capable of being an offensive threat with its abysmal base 76 Special Attack and an even lower base 67 Speed. However, its huge base 125 HP, good typing, and great ability allow Lanturn to turn into a formidable offensive threat if given the opportunity to set up. Lanturn can come in on many Water-types that lacks Earthquake, Toxic, or Roar and thanks to its high HP, it can make 101 HP Substitutes to prevent it from being broken by Seismic Toss. Offensive Lanturn has only one set it uses in OU: SubCharge. While its low base 76 Special Attack doesn't look threatening, Lanturn often has little difficulty getting multiple boosts with Charge Beam thanks to its good special bulk and Substitute. It can begin taking down foes at just +2. Lanturn has unresisted coverage against everything bar opposing Lanturn and Shedinja, allowing it to take down many prominent OU threats. Its base 67 Speed isn't too bad considering Lanturn can outspeed extremely slow foes such as Machamp, which it can take down with a boosted Hydro Pump. To show how impressive SubCharge Lanturn might be, it can even win against a weakened Blissey one-on-one. What makes Lanturn threatening is how hard it is to take it down without sacrificing a Pokemon in the process thanks to its good bulk and its habit of hiding behind a Substitute. Revenge killing Lanturn by taking out its Substitute is not the best way to take out Lanturn, as it can simply find another opportunity to set up again. Grass-types are the best bet as long as Lanturn has not accumulated many boosts. However, take note that uninvested Grass Knots might not even be able to break Lanturn's Substitutes due to Lanturn's low weight; Grass Knot only reaches 40 Base Power against it.


Offensive is DONE
 
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comments in bold
OFFENSIVE

Dugtrio
Base stats: 35 HP / 80 Atk / 50 Def / 50 Spa / 70 SpD / 120 Spe
Ability: Arena Trap / Sand Veil

With one of the best abilities in the game and a blistering base 120 Speed, Dugtrio is perhaps the ultimate revenge killer. Not only that, it has the coverage and attack power to score the KOs it needs on most Pokemon in the tier. While it may be difficult to get more than one kill a match, Dugtrio can easily make that one essential kill happen. Its ability, Arena Trap, will keep any grounded foe in the game, such as Heatran, Blissey, Tyranitar, or Infernape. The ever-so-wonderful EdgeQuake gives Dugtrio plenty of coverage options, as well as Aerial Ace, Sucker Punch, Night Slash or Pursuit. The latter can be especially dangerous, as some frail Psychic- or Ghost-type Pokemon with levitate (Azelf, Gengar, or Choiced Rotom-A locked on Thunderbolt) will try to use Arena Trap's loophole to escape from Dugtrio, only to be caught by a double-damage super effective hit

BEAT UP

Qwilfish
Type: Water / Poison
Base Stats: 65 HP / 95 Atk / 75 Def / 55 SpA / 55 SpD / 85 Spe
Abilities: Swift Swim

Qwilfish is a very simple threat, the turns it is alive being a very simple process. First, a teammate sets up Rain Dance, preferable with Damp Rock to maximize the amount of turns Qwilfish has to sweep, in turn boosting Waterfall by an additional 50% and doubling Qwilfish's Speed thanks to Swift Swim. The next move is to switch Qwilfish into a resisted attack, hopefully a choiced one, setup Swords Dance, and proceed to have 4 turns to KO Pokemon on the opposing team. On the last turn of rain, although it could potentially be any turn, Qwilfish explodes, meaning something will die. This simple process is, in reality, a fairly easy sweep once the possible opposing Tyranitar or Abomasnow is removed. Other than that, Qwilfish has an excellent utility in removing Toxic Spikes, which rain teams hate, but there isn't much else. If you run into Qwilfish under rain and you are not prepared for it, you should be prepared for it to sweep you, simple as that.

suicide (t)spiker is also pretty cool!

Feraligatr
Type: Water
Base Stats: 85 HP / 105 Atk / 100 Def / 79 SpA / 83 SpD / 78 Spe
Ability: Torrent

Feraligatr has only one niche in the metagame and that is as a Water-type physical attacker that can utilize Swords Dance. Its relatively high Attack stat and usable defenses allow it to setup and sweep. Access to Aqua Jet, differentiates it from the pack and makes it more of a mix of the setup power of Gyarados and priority of Azumarill all in one fearsome package. Return is almost always used, solely because of the great coverage it has with Feraligatr's Water-type attacks. Feraligatr has a great Speed stat in that it outspeeds Heatran by one point, allowing it to KO it before it KOes Feraligatr, particularly in the case of the latter. Its pure Water typing gives it a mere two weaknesses. In short, Feraligatr is a niche Pokemon, that, after a Swords Dance, can sweep unprepared teams.

GGATR (this is fine)

Aggron
Type: Rock / Steel
Base Stats: 70 HP / 110 Atk / 180 Def / 60 SpA / 60 SpD / 50 Spe
Abilities: Sturdy / Rock Head

When most people take their first look at Aggron, they look no further than its weaknesses, without paying any attention to its strengths. Its physical bulk is simply monstrous, and access to the coveted Head Smash + Rock Head combination and a solid 110 base Attack gives its power that enables it to fit in among the titans that find their home in OU. Coverage moves in Earthquake to create a pseudo-EdgeQuake combination as well as Aqua Tail for Hippowdon and Ice Punch for Flygon, Breloom, and Celebi. Aggron is most commonly seen utilizing a Choice Band with the mentioned moves, but can also function as an excellent Rock Polish sweeper. Aggron's Speed is quite low, limiting its abilities without any sort of boost to its Speed, but with the +2 boost from Rock Polish, Aggron can sweep teams with just one setup opportunity and some hazards to help it out. Aggron can also use a set that relies on the switches it forces to setup Substitute, which can be very effective in that given a free turn against offensive teams, there is not one Pokemon that will be able to take on the might that is Aggron.

magnet rise on the sub set is pretty cool!

Alakazam
Type: Psychic
Base Stats: 55 HP / 50 Atk / 45 Def / 135 SpA / 85 SpD / 120 Spe
Abilities: Synchronize / Inner Focus

Alakazam is perhaps blessed with the best combination of Speed and Special Attack in OU, outrunning many common threats due its 120 Speed and striking fear in the hearts of all but the bulkiest of special walls. Psychic alone of course does not have that great of coverage, but access to Focus Blast fixes much of this, hitting the common Tyranitar as well as Steel- and Dark-types for super effective damage. With such great coverage between just two moves, the other two moves are up-in-the-air. Substitute is almost always on Alakazam's moveset, protecting it from priority threatening to KO it. Since Substitute protects it from priority, Hidden Power Fire is often used to OHKO Scizor and Forretress. Signal Beam is used as an way to hit Psychic-types super effectively that resist the combination of Psychic + Focus Blast. It can even utilize Calm Mind and setup to boost its already frightening Special Attack, with access to Taunt, Encore, Recover, and Substitute making setup easier. Alakazam is also the fastest user of dual screens, getting them up quickly in the lead position to allow a frail sweeper like Lucario to setup. Anything that has a lot of power and Speed is always a large threat, and Alakazam is no different.

yea

Offensive Gengar

Gengar
Type: Ghost / Poison
Ability: Levitate
Base Stats: 60 HP / 65 Atk / 60 Def / 130 SpA / 75 SpD / 110 Spe

Gengar's high Special Attack and Speed combined with an unpredictable moveset make it an extremely threatening Pokemon. Even though its movepool of damagiing attacks is rather limited (Shadow Ball, Focus Blast, Thunderbolt, Hidden Power, and Explosion), Gengar's different sets are largely countered by different Pokemon. It frequently utilizes Substitute + Pain Split in conjunction with the perfect coverage provided by Shadow Ball and Focus Blast. Three attack sets add either Thunderbolt or Hidden Power Fire in place of Pain Split. Finally, Explosion, Hypnosis, and Protect also make familiar appearances on Gengar sets.

mention that the hidden power is always fire. best switch in the game to stallbreaker gliscor. will-o-wisp and taunt are also cool!

Honchkrow
Type: Dark / Flying
Ability: Insomnia / Super Luck
Base Stats: 100 HP / 125 Atk / 52 Def / 105 SpA / 52 SpD / 71 Spe

Honchkrow is a very rare Pokemon to come by in DPP OU, but its rarity should not give anyone a reason to underestimate it. Possessing the strongest Brave Bird in OU almost always warrants a switch-in to a Flying resistance, which Honchkrow almost certainly has an answer for. Heatran and Tyranitar must watch out for Superpower from this mafia bird, and Skarmory, Jirachi, and Metagross must be wary of Heat Wave. Faster foes that resist Brave Bird, namely Aerodactyl and Jolteon, will not like taking STAB Sucker Punches from the same Pokemon that 2HKOes defensive Swampert, a Pokemon that many teams relied on to check Dragon Dance Mence back when it wasn't banned. To damage the bulkier Electrics, Honchkrow can also opt to run Night Slash, OHKOing most Rotom and hurting defensive Zapdos. Though Honchkrow's middling Speed and terrible Defense stats are subpar, Honchkrow can capitalize upon switches with Spikes support, Pursuit, or even Roost to negate residual damage from Stealth Rock, Life Orb, Brave Bird recoil, and sand.

mention insomnia as it is amazing, having a perfect sleep move switch-in is always useful. it can also make use of pursuit. sub is decent. i wouldn't mention dd mence lol


Staraptor
Type: Normal / Flying
Base Stats: 85 HP / 120 Atk / 70 Def / 50 SpA / 50 SpD / 100 Spe
Ability: Intimidate

Staraptor is unique in that it holds the title of the second-most powerful Brave Bird in OU, the most belonging to the rare Honchkrow. With just STAB Brave Bird alone, Staraptor is already a huge threat, but once you add in its other STAB in Return you have a combo only resisted by nefarious Steel- and Rock- types. What's worse is that this seemingly large obstacle is no longer a roadblock with access to Close Combat, giving Staraptor some of the best coverage in the game. Staraptor's power is its main focus, often using a Choice Band or Life Orb to make it hit even harder. Access to Roost benefits Staraptor as well, mainly because it is weak to Stealth Rock and loses health to the recoil from Brave Bird. U-turn is another great move for Staraptor, putting momentum in its favor and getting it away from its checks and counters without needing to predict and nail them with the correct move. Pursuit can trap Ghost-types, particularly Rotom-A which is immune to two of Staraptor's staple moves and resistant to the rest. Choice Band Quick Attack is another great tool, as the neutral coverage that Quick Attack provides in combination with the power added by the Choice Band provides a tool for Staraptor to revenge kill faster Pokemon that aren't very bulky. Agility can even be used to grant Staraptor the ability to hit even Choice Scarf users with its powerful STABs.

i love raptor. it can use return/double-edge as generally solid normal stab. i think muscle band is the best set. it can also use pursuit and sub well!

Hariyama
Type: Fighting
Base Stats: 144 HP / 120 Atk / 60 Def / 40 SpA / 60 SpD / 50 Spe

Description
Although he is relegated to the UU tier, Hariyama is a unique Fighting type that can hold it's own in the OU metagame, particularly as an anti-lead. He will forever be compared to Machamp. However, as a lead, Hariyama has some slight differences in both moveset and the way he is played that differentiate the sumo Pokémon from the four-armed giant. Toxic and Flame Orb, combined with Guts and Fake Out, allow Hariyama to boost his Attack from turn 1. This allows lead Hariyama to hit much harder than lead Machamp ever could. It also allows him to break the Focus Sashes of most leads, flinching them in the process. Guts-boosted Close Combat deals horrendous amounts of damage to Pokémon that don't resist Fighting. Payback is for the Ghost-types that are immune to Close Combat, dealing 77% minimum to 252/252 Bold Rotom-A to give an idea of his power after a Guts boost. Ice Punch allows Hariyama to murder the physical wall known as Gliscor, also eliminating any Dragonite or Flygon daring enough to switch in or set up. Gyarados is a popular switch-in to Hariyama, so both ThunderPunch and Stone Edge are viable options as well, the latter also dealing with Zapdos. Another nice perk to using Hariyama as a lead is that it allows you to use Machamp at another spot on the same team, thereby not wasting Machamp at the lead position and creating offensive synergy between the two. The main drawback is that Hariyama will be losing health every turn, so despite it's natural bulk, smart HP management is necessary.

restalk/fighting move/whirlwind is decent.

GyaradosType: Water / Flying
Ability: Intimidate
Base Stats: 95 HP / 125 Atk / 79 Def / 60 SpA / 100 SpD / 81 Spe

Gyarados is a fearsome physical offensive threat thanks to its remarkable base 125 Attack and access to Dragon Dance. While Gyarados's Water / Flying typing means that it is weak to Stealth Rock, it can set up on many common Pokemon such as Heatran, Choice-locked Flygon, and many more. Intimidate also helps it set up on some physical attackers. Gyarados is quite hard to take down after a single boost as it can outspeed even Jolteon with a Jolly nature and is not weak to any priority move. One of the most common way to revenge kill Gyarados is via Choice Scarf users such as Flygon, Rotom-A, and Jirachi. Gyarados has useful high-powered moves such as Waterfall, Earthquake, Stone Edge, and bounce to utilize. Gyarados can also set up on common phazers and prevent incoming phazers from doing their job by using Taunt. With Taunt, Gyarados can comfortably set up some phazers such as Swampert and Skarmory. It also has decent bulk to attempt multiple Dragon Dances. Though Stealth Rock is really a limiting factor for Gyarados, it can utilize Choice Band to hit hard right off the bat and severely denting or even KOing common switch-ins such as Flygon.

dd twave gyara will rape your scarf rotom and make pursuiting starmie with cb tar so much easier

Kabutops
Type: Rock / Water
Base Stats: 60 HP / 115 Atk / 105 Def / 65 Spa / 70 SpD / 80 Spe
Ability: Battle Armor / Swift Swim

Kabutops is typically seen on Rain Dance teams, pummeling the opposition with its base 115 Attack and great STAB coverage. Rain activates Swift Swim's Speed boost while also boosting the power of Waterfall and Aqua Jet; the former is its main attack of choice, while the latter allows it to pick off foes as rain ends. Stone Edge rounds off coverage and gives it another powerful STAB attack. As it is easy for Kabutops to force switches in rain, it can use that opportunity to set up Swords Dance, buffing up its assault even more. It is rather frail, however, and outside of rain, it is rather easy to revenge kill, especially with Grass-type attacks.

tops is a surprisingly good bulky spinner in sand. mention that and this is good to go.

Moltres
Type: Fire / Flying
Base Stats: 90 HP / 100 Atk / 90 Def / 125 SpA / 85 SpD / 90 Spe
Ability: Pressure

Moltres's strengths are numerous, despite its weakness to Stealth Rock. It has decent bulk and an extremely high Special Attack stat, as well as reliable recovery and two equally useful STAB moves with great coverage. Moltres is heralded as the best counter of Scizor in existence, boasting usable defenses and resistances to both of Scizor's STABs and its Superpower, KOing with ease courtesy of its powerful STAB Flamethrower. Moltres's main set accomplishes the goal of breaking apart non-Steel-type walls with the combination of SubRoost and Toxic, making Moltres one of the few special attackers that can break through Blissey without Explosion. Even without investment, Flamethrower will do solid damage to anything that does not resist it, smashing the Steel- and Poison-types immune to Toxic. Moltres can even counter Lucario lacking Stone Edge and most Celebi. Moltres also counters most Heatran, though it fails to do much in return, although it can run Hidden Power Ground for the purpose of KOing Heatran, also getting coverage on other Fire-types. A niche can make any Pokemon usable, and Moltres is no different as one of the best counters to many of the top threats present in the current metagame.

scarf, subroost, LO and specs are all good. it can use roar relatively effectively as well. u-turn out of heatran / tyranitar into dugtrio and GG

Offensive Rhyperior

Rhyperior’s niche in OU is that of an incredibly powerful yet bulky physical attacker. Even though it has a lot of common weaknesses, Rhyperior’s high HP and Defense coupled with Solid Rock make it much more difficult to take down than its two 4x weaknesses would lead you to believe, especially when it’s in a sandstorm. Its two viable sets are Substitute + Swords Dance and Choice Band. SubSD seeks to set up 101 HP Substitutes on a switch and proceed to either unleash a strong Earthquake / Stone Edge against a frail switch-in or set up Swords Dance against a bulkier one. With a Choice Band, all Rhyperior cares about is smashing switch-ins with Earthquake / Stone Edge for STAB along with Megahorn, Aqua Tail, or Rock Blast for coverage and utility.

rock blast sucks.

Sceptile
Type: Grass
Base Stats: 70 HP / 85 Atk / 65 Def / 105 SpA / 85 SpD / 120 Spe
Ability: Overgrow

Sceptile's main use lies in its extremely high Speed stat, outspeeding threats like Starmie. It also boasts a decent Special Attack and usable Attack that it can use to punch holes in teams. Sceptile is also the fastest user of SubSeed other than the banned Shaymin-S, allowing it to wear down many top threats with the combination of Substitute to protect itself from Scarfers and priority. Access to Leaf Storm allows it to punch holes in anything that does not resist it, even more powerful when boosted by a Life Orb or Choice Specs. Dragon Pulse can hit Dragon-types that Sceptile lacks any other coverage for outside of Hidden Power Ice, with Focus Blast also viable to hit Steel-types that resist Sceptile's other moves. Hidden Power Fire normally rounds out the coverage, hitting Forretress for more damage than any of its other moves. A decent physical movepool and usable Attack stat, as well as access to Swords Dance, mean that Sceptile can run a decent Swords Dance set, with Leaf Blade as the main STAB and Earthquake + Rock Slide for pseudo-EdgeQuake coverage. Earthquake can be used to get a reliable hit on Heatran on special sets as well, particularly to take down variants that invest in Special Defense and/or HP. Overall, Sceptile has use simply because of its Speed and Special Attack: everything else is just icing on the cake.


specs sucks, it's too limiting especially with sceptile's amazing coverage. swords dance is also terrible. subseed is really cool!

Shaymin (Offensive)
Don't let its undeniably endearing appearance fool you; Shaymin can be a very dangerous Pokemon in the right hands. This cute little hedgehog is usually seen terrorizing teams with offensive sets that utilize its signature move, Seed Flare. This powerful attack is what differentiates Shaymin from its fellow Grass-type brethren, and with an unbelievable 40% chance of reducing its opponent's Special Defense by two stages, it can be a very daunting attack to switch into. Unfortunately, Grass doesn't have the greatest offensive coverage, but Shaymin can make up for this shortcoming with the appropriate Hidden Power. While Hidden Power Fire will smack around Scizor, Forretress, and Skarmory, Hidden Power Ice is equally useful to nail Dragonite and other Flying-types. In addition, Earth Power gives Shaymin a means of defeating Fire-types like Heatran and Infernape. Shaymin doesn't really have many other options, but it can use either Leech Seed or Rest in the final slot of offensive sets to increase longevity, and the latter is especially useful on Shaymin thanks to its ability, Natural Cure. Although Shaymin is almost exclusively used as a Life Orb or Leftovers user, it can make good use of either Choice Scarf or Choice Specs for a nice element of surprise.

specsmin blows. growth is a cool sweeper.

Smeargle
Type: Normal
Base Stats: 55 HP / 20 Atk / 35 Def / 20 SpA / 45 SpD / 75 Spe
Ability: Own Tempo / Technician

With every move at its disposal, Smeargle is definitely versatile. Unfortunately, it's terrible stats all around limit it to essentially just support sets. No matter what Smeargle set you're up against, you can be assured it's carrying Spore. Almost every common Smeargle set is in the lead position. The standard set uses Focus Sash to survive a hit, guaranteeing it can put something to sleep and set up at least one layer of Spikes. It often has Counter as well, meaning physical attackers are gonna be taking some damage when they try to knock it out. Specifically, this allows Smeargle to defeat lead Machamp, thanks to Own Tempo ignoring confusion. Smeargle is fast enough to run a Choice Scarf lead set as well. Spore and Spikes will still be used, but this Smeargle will also have Trick to cripple an opponent and U-turn to scout out riskier situations. If you see a Level 1 Smeargle, your opponent is probably running Trick Room. This set will survive a hit with Focus Sash, set up Trick Room to outspeed anything, and use Spore and Endeavor to start dismantling the opposition. Dragon Rage allows it to pick off foes that it's brought down to 1 HP after Endeavor. Smeargle can function outside of the lead position as well, but in such cases, it is almost always being used on a pure Baton Pass team. As the only Ingrain passer in the game (a niche that allows it to safeguard its team from phazing), Smeargle is an outright requirement for these teams. Taunt is probably your best bet for preventing Smeargle from devastating your team.

ye

Snorlax
Type: Normal
Base Stats: 160 HP / 110 Atk / 65 Def / 65 SpA / 110 SpD / 30 Spe
Abilities: Immunity / Thick Fat

Snorlax is most often seen utilizing Curse, perhaps being the best user in existence thanks to its high Attack, low Speed, and amazing special bulk. Access to Body Slam means that Snorlax can worry less about its low Speed with paralysis, also supporting the rest of the team if Snorlax cannot manage a sweep. Earthquake, Crunch, and Fire Punch are all great coverage moves, with Earthquake hitting Heatran, Rock-types, and non-levitating Ghost-types. Crunch hits all Ghost-types that resist Snorlax's STAB, and Fire Punch hits Skarmory, Forretress, Bronzong, and other Steel-types. Rest is always useful to keep Snorlax healthy as well. Selfdestruct is a powerful weapon in that it can OHKO literally anything that is not a Ghost-type, possibly taking a huge threat out with it. Pursuit can allow it to trap Ghost-types, best used with a Choice Band to hit as hard as possible. It can even use Swords Dance to become a more immediate offensive threat after one turn of setup. Unique in that in can wall and sweep at the same time, Snorlax is indeed a huge threat.

no idea how this gets selfdestruct and not explosion. also i'm pretty sure sd doesn't kill skarm.

Venusaur
Type: Grass / Poison
Base Stats: 80 HP / 82 Atk / 83 Def / 100 SpA / 100 SpD / 80 Spe
Ability: Overgrow

At first glance, it may seem as though Venusaur is yet another average Pokemon, boasting nothing particularly special and having a typing that gives it weaknesses to common Fire- and Ice-type attacks, but like many other OU-viable Pokemon, it has a niche in access to Swords Dance and Power Whip. When combined with Sleep Powder, Venusaur can setup multiple times and boost its relatively low Attack stat to attempt a sweep. Sleep Powder can allow Venusaur to bypass some of its usual checks that aren't such great checks after Venusaur has setup multiple times. Power Whip and Earthquake provide all of the needed physical coverage, although it does miss out on Skarmory. Sludge Bomb is another great STAB, but it does leave Venusaur open to Steel-types when combined with a STAB Grass-type attack and two non-attacking moves, so Hidden Power Fire is by-and-far preferred and more used than Sludge Bomb to hit the nefarious Steel-types that resist Leaf Storm. Venusaur even has the utility of removing Toxic Spikes, which can be extremely useful when paired with walls like Blissey that abhor Toxic Spikes. Venusaur is not a threat to be taken lightly, as its seemingly low attacking stats may be sweeping your team.

i wouldn't use non-sd offensive venusaur so i'd edit that out.


Yanmega
Type: Bug / Flying
Base Stats: 86 HP / 76 Atk / 86 Def / 116 SpA / 56 SpD / 95 Spe
Abilities: Speed Boost / Tinted Lens

Yanmega is a Pokemon tailor-made to punch holes in teams early-game. Its high Special Attack stat and two amazing and equally useful abilities give it no equal in the realm of smashing apart teams early-game. Yanmega's best use is as an anti-lead with Speed Boost, using Protect the first turn to net a quick boost to its Speed and start wrecking with its powerful STABs in Bug Buzz and Air Slash. Access to U-turn is one of the reason is an excellent user of Choice Specs, allowing it to scout. It even has room for a Hidden Power of choice, usually Ground for Heatran, but Fire is a just as viable Hidden Power to hit Skarmory and Forretress. Lastly, Yanmega can use Hypnosis, which, while unreliable, can potentially cripple an opposing Pokemon for the remainder of the match. While its switch-ins are numbered because of its 4x weakness to Stealth Rock, it often needs not much more than one switch-in to leave a gap in all of its opposition.

specs tinted lens is devastating.

Zapdos (Offensive)
While most people rave at Zapdos's incredible defensive typing and great overall stats, many forget that it packs a monstrous base 125 Special Attack and that Electric is one the best offensive typings in DPP OU. With a Life Orb attached, Zapdos epitomizes what it means to be a 'bulky attacker', as it can fire off powerful, boosted attacks while shrugging off a variety of hits with Roost. Thunderbolt is a given on all sets, while Zapdos gets almost all the coverage it needs between Heat Wave and Hidden Power Grass. Agility can be used en lieu of Roost to transform Zapdos into a fearsome late-game sweeper, and Hidden Power Ice is generally given the nod in this case since Zapdos can outspeed Choice Scarf Flygon after an Agility. Choice Specs Zapdos is also an effective anti-lead when paired with Hidden Power Flying to OHKO Machamp, as Zapdos can 2HKO nearly every lead while it has the bulk to avoid being OHKOed by most Pokemon in the lead position.

i actually prefer leftovers > life orb on the bulky attacker. it still hits plenty hard while not being worn down ridiculously easily. agility + roost is a great set.

Infernape
Type: Fire / Fighting
Ability: Blaze
Base Stats: 76 HP / 104 Atk / 71 Def / 104 SpA / 71 SpD / 108 Spe


Infernape has a highly offensive presence in DPP OU due to its high Speed and decent attacking stats. Most Infernape are physically oriented, decimating foes with STAB Close Combat, scouting for checks with U-Turn, and finishing off faster foes with Mach Punch. While most physically oriented Infernape run Flare Blitz as their Fire-type STAB move of choice to dent common Fighting-type switch-ins Gliscor, Skarmory, and Rotom-A, others prefer to go mixed with Overheat or Fire Blast along with other Special moves for coverage to attack those switch-ins' weaker offensive stat, namely Hidden Power Ice, Grass Knot, or Hidden Power Electric. Furthermore, Infernape can take advantage of the switches it forces to set up with either Swords Dance or Nasty Plot to boost its damage output. Some uncommon moves that are also at Infernape's disposal include Thunderpunch, Vacuum Wave, and Focus Blast. Infernape can also take advantage of its high Speed and perform as an excellent Choice user as it outspeeds the Base 100 Speed Pokemon. Infernape also sees use as a lead, commonly running a Choice set or a Focus Sash set that utilizes Infernape's common moves in addition to Fake Out and Stealth Rock.

yea

Dragonite
Type : Dragon / Flying
Base Stats : 91 HP / 134 Atk / 95 Def / 100 Spa / 100 SpD / 80 Spe
Ability : Inner Focus

An incredible move pool, an incredible double type and incredible stats : hello I'm Dragonite. Fortunately it has a weakness to Stealth Rock. But you are allowed to pair it with a Spinner... With its incredible move pool, Dragonite is really unpredictable. The most effective set is probably the Dragon Dance one. With ExtremSpeed, Dragonite is able to kill faster Pokemon after a Dragon Dance like Flygon and Jolteon. After a Dragon Dance, Dragonite is almost unstoppable since it can almost OHKO Swampert with Outrage for example. It can be also used as a Mixed Sweeper with a really powerfull Draco Meteor. In addition, Superpower allows it to not be walled by Blissey. An offensive Lead is also viable since it has an interesting ExtremSpeed allowing it to break Focus Sash Lead like Azelf or Aerodactyl. Those were the most used Sets but since Dragonite has an incredible Move Pool and really good Defenses + HP, it can be used as a Bulky Sweeper. A bulky Dragon Dance or a Cleric Dancer can also work. A little more gimmick but still effective, an Agility Set is also viable on it. Last but not least, the famous Choice Band Set that 2HKO 99% of the Metagame. I think you got it, this thing is one of the most dangerous Pokemon in the game.

bulky dd nite is definitely deserving of mention, it is excellent.

LanturnType: Water / Electric
Ability: Volt Absorb / Illuminate
Base Stats: 125 HP / 58 Atk / 58 Def / 76 SpA / 76 SpD / 67 Spe

Lanturn doesn't even look like it's capable of being an offensive threat with its abysmal base 76 Special attack and an even lower base 67 Speed. However, its huge base 125 HP, good typing, and great ability allows Lanturn to turn into a formidable offensive threat if given the opportunity to set up. Lanturn's unique typing and its Volt Absorb ability finds it many chances to switch in. It can come in on many Water-types that lacks Earthquake, Toxic, or Roar. Thanks to its high HP, it can make 101 HP Substitutes to prevent it from being broken by Seismic Toss. Offensive Lanturn has only one set it uses in OU: SubCharge. While its low base 76 Special Attack doesn't look threatening, Lanturn often has little difficulty getting multiple boosts with Charge Beam thanks to its good special bulk and Substitute. It can begin taking down foes at just +2. Lanturn has unresisted coverage bar opposing Lanturns and Shedinja, allowing it to take down many prominent OU threats in a single boosted hit or two. Its base 67 Speed isn't too bad when it lets it outspeed extremely slow foes such as Machamp, which it can take down with a boosted Hydro Pump. To show how impressive SubCharge Lanturn might be, it can even win against a weakened Blissey one-on-one. What makes Lanturn threatening is how hard it could be to take it down without sacrificing a Pokemon in the process thanks to its good bulk and it hiding behind a Substitute most of the time. Revenge killing Lanturnby taking out its Substitute is not the best way to take out Lanturn as it can simply find another opportunity to set up again. Grass-types are the best bet as long as Lanturn has not accumulated many boosts. However, take note that uninvested Grass Knots might not even be able to break Lanturn's Substitutes due to Lanturn's light weight; Grass Knot only reaches 40 Base Power

yep!
DEFENSIVE
AbomasnowType: Grass / Ice
Ability: Snow Warning
Base Stats: 90 HP / 92 Atk / 75 Def / 92 SpA / 85 SpD / 60 Spe

Abomasnow is the sole hail inducer. Although its Grass / Ice typing isn't one of the best defensive typings, it does have its own favorable traits that make it a good defensive threat, albeit a rare one, to look out for; with Snow Warning summoning the hail, most Pokemon in OU will start getting their health chipped of by the hail or have their Leftovers recovery negated due to the fact that Ice-types are quite rare in OU. While 6.25% of damage every turn might not look like much, Abomasnow has the tools to stall foes and quickly deplete their health. With a combination of Substitute + Leech Seed, Abomasnow can quickly stall out foes in a few SubSeed cycles. Abomasnow can also use Protect to keep Substitute up even longer, allowing it to replenish its own health with Leftovers and minimizing the net HP loss from making Substitutes. Abomasnow also has good special bulk to wall bulky Water-types, especially if they lack Roar what does roar have to do with how well abomasnow beats waters?? if sr is up you're probably not going to be too comfortable switching in anyway or are slower than Abomasnow so that they cannot Toxic it. Abomasnow also happens to be one of the counters to Life Orb Starmie as its good special bulk coupled with the fact that it is neutral to Ice Beam. Grass-types are also wary of trying to switch into Abomasnow to stop its SubSeed cycle as they fear getting hit by its Ice-type attacks.

this looks fine, gotta mention ice shard + wood hammer/seed bomb being good attacks though


Celebi
Typing: Grass / Psychic
Base Stats: 100 HP / 100 Atk / 100 Def / 100 SpA / 100 SpD / 100 Spe
Ability: Natural Cure

While 7 weaknesses might sound horrible for a defensive threat, Celebi makes up for it with a solid 6 resistances (including Ground, Water, Electric, and Fighting). It's typing also pairs up perfectly with Heatran, forming the famed CeleTran combination. Base 100 stats across the board means Celebi has solid bulk on both sides, is quite fast for a wall, and can take off the gloves when push comes to shove. Recover offers it a reliable recovery move, though it can also opt for Rest, ridding itself of sleep by switching out thanks to Natural Cure. With a great support movepool, there's no telling just what sort of set Celebi will be running. It can set up Stealth Rock, force switches with Perish Song or Leech Seed, scout with Baton Pass or U-turn, cripple threats with Thunder Wave or Trick, or keep the team nice and healthy with Heal Bell. Despite all of it's pluses, Celebi can still be hammered down by attacks that prey on it's many weaknesses; Pursuit in particular can put a quick end to this pixie's trickery.

it can baton pass boosts or sub too. rest sucks. defensive calm mind is really good and it should be mentioned since it's a defensive mon first, sweeper second.

Claydol
Type: Ground / Psychic
Base Stats: 60 HP / 70 Atk / 105 Def / 70 SpA / 120 Def / 75 Spe
Ability: Levitate

Claydol is among those niche Pokemon with limited use, but excel at their use, and Claydol's is the coveted combination of Stealth Rock and Rapid Spin. Claydol makes a decent spinner because it resists Stealth Rock and is immune to Spikes and Toxic Spikes thanks to Levitate, as well as boasting resistances to Stone Edge, immunity to Earthquake, immunity to Electric-type moves, and resistance to Fighting-type moves, all combined with excellent defenses and a few offensive options that hit a few notable Pokemon super effectively. Even with such low offensive stats, Ground-type STAB is still Ground-type STAB, and that means Pokemon such as Metagross and Lucario will lose quite a chunk of their health to such attacks. Ice Beam threatens Flygon and Dragonite, both of which Claydol can check rather adequately. Claydol can even utilize Explosion and take out an opposing threat as it survives an attack. While very niche, Claydol's access to Stealth Rock and Rapid Spin, as well as its unique set of resistances, particularly its rare resistance to the famed EdgeQuake combo, Claydol can function as a decent spinner and Stealth Rock setter for any team in need of such a Pokemon that needs both roles to be filled by one Pokemon.

trickscarf / flame orb claydol is a cool lead. pursuit / u-turn aren't too nice to it.


Cloyster
Type: Water / Ice
Base Stats: 50 HP / 95 Atk / 180 Def / 85 SpA / 45 SpD / 70 Spe
Ability: Shell Armor / Skill Link

Cloyster is a Pokemon with rather unremarkable stats other than its stand-out 180 base Defense. Due to its great physical bulk, Cloyster can be a great user of Spikes and an excellent lead for any offensive team in need of Spikes to support their sweepers. Against many leads, Cloyster can setup 2 or even 3 layers of Spikes. Cloyster has access to Surf, which, in combination with its decent Special Attack stat, allows it to defeat many other opposing leads before they get the chance to setup their own hazards, like Metagross, Gliscor, Hippowdon, Bronzong, Skarmory, and Forretress, among others. The combination of Surf and Ice Shard can take down any opposing frail leads, such as Azelf and Aerodactyl. If facing off against something that could potentially sweep Cloyster's teammates, Cloyster can simply explode and KO any Pokemon it wants without any worry, as Cloyster need not survive past the first few turns. Overall, any offensive team appreciates the Spikes that Cloyster provides, and Cloyster has all of the tools it needs to be an excellent lead.

looks good

Cradily
Type: Rock / Grass
Base Stats: 86 HP / 81 Atk / 97 Def / 81 SpA / 107 SpD / 43 Spe
Ability: Suction Cups

Cradily is an excellent Curse sweeper for a number of reasons. For one, its already stellar Special Defense stat gets boosted by 50% under sand, a very common weather condition due to the prevalence of Tyranitar. Also, it has a low Speed stat and usable Attack stat to abuse, as well as coveted access to Recover, giving it a niche as the only viable user of Curse that has reliable recovery. Cradily has all of the coverage it needs in pseudo-EdgeQuake, which very few Pokemon resist, all of which can be easily removed by the right teammates. Due to its excellent defensive stats and Recover, Cradily can often obtain multiple boosts to makes it attacks hit hard and make it nigh-impenetrable as a wall. RestTalk mono-attacker variants are also threatening, as in that case even Toxic cannot stop Cradily, making playing stall against it all but a fools' game. Although it has a weakness to the very common Fighting-type attacks, that is its only negative attribute. With Suction Cups, it can't even be phazed, making one of the most common detriments to setup sweepers a non-issue. Cradily also has access to Swords Dance, which gives it the ability to boost its Attack quickly, and Cradily can dish out quite a bit of pain after it has boosted up. Trick is the best option to beat Cradily; it limits the many-tentacled beast to one move, which turns it from a monster to a failed fossil recovery. Cradily is a Pokemon to watch out for, as, although it is rarely seen, it could potentially set up to a point where it walls your entire team and OHKOes them as well.

mono attacker sucks, you need 2-move coverage. i would never use recover, getting rid of toxic/burn is too important.

Cresselia
Type: Psychic
Base Stats: 120 HP / 70 Atk / 120 Def / 75 SpA / 130 SpD / 85 Spe
Ability: Levitate

Cresselia is blessed with the best defenses of almost every Pokemon usable in OU, allowing it to wall many powerful attackers. Although it does struggle against the very common Tyranitar and Scizor, as well as failing to do much lasting damage against anything with much bulk, it has enough bulk to repeatedly take hits and setup screens, whether it be just Reflect or both. Cresselia can use Thunder Wave to cripple the many faster Pokemon that fail to do any meaningful damage to it. Its STAB Psychic gives it super effective coverage on Infernape and other Fighting-types, as well as on Gengar. Ice Beam can take down Dragon-types, which Cresselia easily walls. Cresselia even has access to recovery in Moonlight, though it is crippled in sand and hail. Cresselia may also sport Charge Beam along with RestTalk and Ice Beam, with its great bulk allowing it to boost its Special Attack and have pseudo-BoltBeam coverage. A Calm Mind set can be used to take on many special sweepers and sometimes even pull off a sweep of its own. Cresselia has a niche as a user of screens due to access to Lunar Dance, which allows Cresselia to sacrifice itself and fully revive a teammate, acting even before entry hazards, so Pokemon in range of being KOed by entry hazards can have a second chance at life. Against a decent amount of OU threats, Cresselia can shine, walling them to no tomorrow, and although it falters against Tyranitar and Scizor, two very common Pokemon, it can do well against many other threats and is a wall to be reckoned with.

yep


DonphanType: Ground
Ability: Sturdy
Base Stats: 90 HP / 120 Atk / 120 Def / 60 SpA / 60 SpD / 50 Spe

Donphan is one of the more offensive Rapid Spin user available. It takes on a more defensive role in being quite efficient in removing opposing Ghost-types and keeping the field clean of entry hazards by using Rapid Spin. Many Ghost-types have difficulty trying to spinblock Donphan thanks to the latter's high base 120 Attack. Furthermore, it has access to Assurance, a move that doubles its Base Power to a good 100 Base Power when the target has taken damage before this move was used. This means that a Ghost-type switching in with Stealth Rock present will be dealt with a super effective 100 Base Power move, and most Ghost-types will have difficulty surviving that and probably will not be able to take repeated hits. After one or two Assurances, most Ghost-types would have been defeated with a few exceptions such as Spiritomb, which in that case, Earthquake would hit harder. Donphan easily lures Ghost-types and defeats them so that it can Rapid Spin without being hindered. However, Rapid Spinning and defeating Ghost-types isn't all that it can do; it has an excellent base 120 Attack and Defense. It can sponge physical attacks and retaliate back. If Donphan has enough HP left, it can even survive a +1 Outrage from Dragonite and proceed to 2HKO it with Ice Shard, acting as a last resort check. As a defensive Ground-type, it checks many common Rock-types such as Tyranitar. While bulky Water-types are often the best answer to Donphan, beware of the occasional Seed Bomb that can easily deal with a weakened Water-type and Swampert. Its special bulk is also terrible and almost any decently strong special attack can OHKO or 2HKO it.

head smash is pretty cool!

Empoleon (defensive)
Type: Water/Steel
Base Stats: 84 HP / 86 Atk / 88 Def / 111 SpA / 101 SpD / 60 Spe
Ability: Torrent

Description
In a metagame where many threats are primarily special attackers, Empoleon's unique Water/Steel typing coupled with it's defensive stats make it a
very good tank. It's typing gives it 11 resistances, and most of them are common attacking types in the metagame including the sought after Water and Rock resists. With a focus on maximizing Special Defense, Empoleon can support a team utilizing coverage moves such as STAB Surf, Ice Beam, Grass Knot and Hidden Power Electric. It can also help the team by using support moves such as Roar and Stealth Rock. Empoleon does face some form of competition from Specially Defensive Heatran. However, Empoleon handles Water types much better than Heatran, particularly Gyarados if Empoleon has Hidden Power Electric. Empoleon doesn't have to resort to blowing itself up either. Resist berries such as Shuca and Chople, combined with some Defense EV's, can be used to surprise threats such as Dragonite, Flygon, Offensive Gyarados, and Infernape and OHKO them with the respective coverage move, but Leftovers is the superior option overall.

spdef heatran (usually) doesn't explode. fine otherwise.

Forretress (defensive)

Forretress is truly a utility Pokemon. It can set up all three entry hazards, use Rapid Spin to eliminate the opponent's hazards, and stay alive throughout a battle with its Steel / Bug typing and absurdly high Defense stat. Depending on team needs, Forretress usually doesn't carry all three entry hazards. Rapid Spin is a staple of all sets, and a variety of attacks fill the remaining slots. These include Payback, Explosion, Earthquake, and Gyro Ball.

usually uses a spdef spread other than that its good ol forre


Gliscor
Type : Ground / Flying
Base Stats : 75 HP / 95 Atk / 125 Def / 45 SpA / 65 SpD / 95 Spe
Ability : Sand Veil / Hyper Cutter

Gliscor's typing is just fantastic for a defensive Pokemon like it. In addition, it has a great defense, one of the highest of the metagame and an annoying ability: sand veil. Paired with Tyranitar / Hippowdon, this thing is almost impossible to kill. Gliscor also gets Roost allowing it to recover itself. If that wasn't enough, Gliscor has a great STAB known as Earthquake and an incredible move : Taunt. Since it has a good speed, Gliscor is the perfect Stallbreaker with Earthquake / Taunt / Roost / Toxic. Instead of Toxic, you can carry Stealth Rock and use Gliscor as a Lead. It also works as a perfect anti-lead with Taunt...
An underrated Set but still very good, the Swords Dance one. Even though you're totally walled by Skarmory, Gliscor can still destroy a Team, especially with Sand Veil... Stone Edge / Night Slash on the last slot depend on what you need Gliscor to hit.
If Gliscor's Movepool wasn't enough good, it also has Baton Pass. With a Yache Berry and Light Screen + Reflect, Gliscor can easily pass a Rock Polish and a Swords Dance before getting killed.

Gliscor is now only used with a Jolly Nature, so we can't really talk about a "defensive-gliscor" since it is only used now as a StallBreaker. It can still be used with an Impish Nature though, but it will lose its ability to Taunt Heatran /Gyarados / Dragonite etc and it will be slower than Lucario.

covered quite nicely, just mention u-turn

GyaradosType: Water / Flying
Ability: Intimidate
Base Stats: 95 HP / 125 Atk / 79 Def / 60 SpA / 100 SpD / 81 Spe

While Gyarados is often seen as an offensive Dragon Dance sweeper, it occasionally takes on a more defensive role by capitalizing on its decent 95 / 79 / 100 defenses and its great Intimidate ability. Defensive Gyarados mostly take on the role as a physical wall by utilizing Intimidate to switch in on physical attacks and soften their attacks. Intimidate also let's it check physical sweepers such as Swords Dance Scizor and then phaze it out with Roar. Due to its weakness to Stealth Rock, most defensive Gyarados rely on RestTalk for recovery and Sleep Talk prevents it from being a complete setup bait while it sleeps. Gyarados occasionally sports a specially defensive EV spread to allow it to take on some threats, such as mixed Infernape and Heatran, better. With Intimidate, Gyarados can sponge most physical attacks and even some super effective ones such as a -1 Stone Edge, though it'll have a hard time surviving any Electric-type attack. Gyarados's great defensive typing also grants it only two weaknesses to Rock and Electric. Gyarados often serves as a bulky Water-type and one of the fastest phazers on stall teams. It also has little difficulty walling many physical threats thanks to Intimidate, RestTalk, and Roar. Sometimes, it could even phaze out slower foes such as CurseLax before getting attacked when Sleep Talk uses Roar. Gyarados is hard to break through with physical attackers unless it can hit it super effectively. The best way to take down defensive Gyarados is by wearing it down with Stealth Rock and defeating it with strong special attackers or simply with an Electric-type attack. However, one has to look out for the rare Thunder Wave before sending out Rotom-A and the likes against a defensive Gyarados.

yea

Heatran (defensive)

Although Heatran is typically seen on the offensive, a specially defensive Heatran is also an incredibly difficult Pokemon to crack. With a Steel / Fire typing and Flash Fire, Heatran resists Dragon-, Fire-, Ghost-, Grass-, Steel-, and Psychic-type attacks, making it an excellent counter or check to many threats. The most prominent of these are Jirachi, Dragonite, Rotom-A, Shaymin, and Celebi. Additionally, its high Special Attack and Fire STAB gives defensive teams a simple way to threaten Forretress and Skarmory. Defensive Heatran sets vary greatly based on team needs, but typically include Lava Plume, Earth Power, and Roar; Protect, Toxic, or Stealth Rock round out the set. One variant uses Torment with Substitute and Protect, and operates under the fact that most Pokemon only carry a single attack that is effective against Heatran. Finally, RestTalk is also a possibility to increase Heatran's longevity.

plz emphasise more just how goddamn good protect is. it is not a dragonite counter/check, please edit that out. on the other hand it checks zapdos nicely!


Hippowdon
Type: Ground
Base Stats: 108 HP / 112 Atk / 118 Def / 68 SpA / 72 SpD / 47 Spe
Ability: Sand Stream
Hippowdon is the quintessential physical wall. It is the only Sand Stream user other than Tyranitar, but plays quite differently. With huge defensive stats, it is capable of holding more overall defenses than Skarmory! Even though it lacks Skarmory's superior defensive typing, it can actually pose a threat to more frail offensive Pokemon with its STAB Earthquake, even with minimal investment. Most of the time, though, Hippowdon will be laying down Stealth Rock, phazing with Roar, and recovering off any damage it took in the mean time with Slack Off. Its physical bulk is enough to hold up to strong physical attackers, taking very little from Scizor, Metagross, Tyranitar, and other physical attackers. Hippowdown has enough HP to supplement its somewhat low Special Defense, so it can easily be used as a mixed wall. It can also run a Stockpile set to boost both of its defenses, giving Hippowdon supreme overall bulk. If it has problems with Dragonite, it can even run Ice Fang for decent damage. Ice Fang also allows Hippowdon to win against Gliscor one-on-one. It has low Speed meaning it can become Taunt bait, but this hardly matters when, most of the time, it doesn't need Speed, especially when phazing. Hippowdon is not unbreakable though, as Grass-types such as Celebi or Shaymin can switch in on anything it uses barring Roar or Ice Fang and KO it with Leaf Storm or Seed Flare, respectively.

to give you an idea of how bulky sdef hippo is, specs kingdra surf does around 90%. stockpile sucks.

Jirachi
Type: Steel / Psychic
Base Stats: 100 HP / 100 Atk / 100 Def / 100 SpA / 100 SpD / 100 Spe
Ability: Serene Grace

Despite being more known as an annoying offensive threat that abuses Serene Grace, Jirachi also makes for a great defensive Pokemon with a part Steel typing and base 100 stats across the board. It's one of the best Wish passers out there, using Wish and then switching out with U-turn. On such sets, it still normally abuses Serene Grace to net paralyses and flinches with Body Slam and Iron Head. Jirachi is also a reliable dual screens user, setting up screens to keep its team healthy while healing teammates up with Wish and scouting with U-turn. A specially defensive set that spreads paralysis (usually through Thunder Wave, but sometimes Body Slam), heals the team up with Wish, and maintains some offensive presence with Iron Head and Fire Punch is also viable. Fire Punch's 20% chance to burn can also help patch up this Jirachi's lower physical bulk.

spdef set needs mentioning of protect.

Milotic (defensive)

Milotic is a rare sight in OU, but nonetheless an effective bulky Water with several traits that set it apart from the competition. Recover gives Milotic a reliable source of recovery, something that Gyarados, Swampert, and Suicune all lack. Haze is a niche move, but makes Milotic impenetrable to most Calm Mind sweepers and allows it to hold against bulkier Dragon Dance Kingdra and Dragonite. Milotic also learns Toxic, giving it a way to defeat bulkier Pokemon or those that resist Water. Hypnosis allows Milotic to take another Pokemon out of the fight; although it's an unreliable move, Milotic finds many opportunities to switch in. Surf is Milotic's reliable STAB attack, while Ice Beam and Hidden Power Electric can be used as coverage attacks in place of a third utility move. Alternatively, Milotic can use RestTalk for recovery, which allows it to take advantage of its Marvel Scale ability (+50% Defense while statused).

restalk blows. dragon pulse is cool vs kingdra.

NidoqueenType: Poison / Ground
Ability: Poison Point / Rivalry
Base Stats: 90 HP / 82 Atk / 87 Def / 75 SpA / 85 SpD / 76 Spe

Nidoqueen has rather average stats for a defensive Pokemon; it doesn't even have a single base stat that reaches 100. However, Nidoqueen provides great defensive in Toxic Spikes and Stealth Rock. Nidoqueen's Poison / Ground typing also allows it to check several common OU threats such as Lucario and Tyranitar and is able to consistently keep the entry hazards up on the field. Not only does it have little difficulty maintaining its entry hazards, it also deters many other entry hazard users such as Heatran, Skarmory, and Forretress from setting theirs up as Nidoqueen can dent or even KO them with Earthquake or Fire Blast. Nidoqueen is not and easy foe to take down and this helps ensure that Toxic Spikes can be kept on the field for a long time even if the opponent has a Rapid Spin user or a grounded Poison-type capable of absorbing it.

queen is amazing ^_^

Quagsire
Type: Water/Ground
Base Stats: 95 HP / 85 Atk / 85 Def / 65 SpA / 65 SpD / 35 Spe
Abilities: Damp, Water Absorb

Description
Quagsire has a specific niche in the DPP OU metagame: it is one of the few hard counters to Life Orb Starmie and Offensive Suicune. Water/Ground is also an excellent defensive typing to ward off popular Electric types such as non-HP Grass Zapdos, Raikou, and Jolteon. Water Absorb is a rare gem to come by in OU since Vaporeon is the only other Pokèmon in OU to wield the ability and it is weak to Electric attacks. With a moveset of Toxic, Encore, Earthquake, and Recover, combined with a Careful 252 HP/56 Def/200 SpD spread, Quagsire is able to switch into any common attack that Life Orb Starmie and Offensive Suicune can throw and neither of them can 2HKO Quagsire, even if Suicune has a boost. Quagsire can effectively stall both threats out. Ice Beam and Ice Punch can also be run over Toxic to deal with Gliscor, Dragonite, and Flygon better, as well as to hit predicted Grass type switch-ins, but you lose out on putting Offensive Suicune and other sweepers on a timer. The dash of Defense EV's allows Quagsire to take on Metagross and come out on top. Quagsire fits best on teams where it can give a sweeper free turns as well as teams that struggle with Starmie and/or Suicune in general. It is a viable member of any Fire/Water/Grass core.

sucks against stall, mention that, other than that this is fine


Regirock
Type: Rock
Base Stats: 80 HP / 100 Atk / 200 Def / 50 SpA / 100 SpD / 50 Spe
Ability: Clear Body

Blessed with amazing defenses and a decent Attack stat, Regirock can function as a check to some of the top sweepers in the OU tier, including Heatran and Zapdos. Very few special attackers can do much of anything to Regirock once sand is up, and with Tyranitar being so prevalent, this situation is very common. Regirock can even beat Pokemon with super effective moves, such as Gyarados, Dragonite, Lucario, Scizor, and Celebi, all due to Regirock's phenomenal Defense stat and Special Defense stat under sand. Regirock is usually sporting a Curse set, with Rest providing recovery and pseudo-EdgeQuake with Rock Slide. It does take multiple turns of setup for Regirock to be actually threatening offensively, but the Defense boosts are invaluable against such foes as Gyarados, Lucario, and Scizor. Regirock is not something often seen, but if sand is up, breaking it is not going to be an easy task.

regirock ~_~ i have seen a rock polish set used to decent effect and in theory it seems cool.

Defensive Registeel

Registeel is a very rare sight in OU, but its immense 80 / 150 / 150 bulk and adequate support movepool make it a solid choice for some teams. Although its offensive capabilities are nonexistent, access to both Thunder Wave and Toxic makes Registeel an excellent multipurpose check to common offensive threats. Stealth Rock is a given on all sets since Registeel can set it up against such a wide range of Pokemon. For damaging moves, Registeel has access to Seismic Toss, Iron Head, Earthquake, Shadow Claw, and Explosion. Seismic Toss is a particularly useful move considering Registeel’s depressing Attack stat since it does a reasonable amount of damage against all but two OU Pokemon; the other four attacks are mostly situational. Compared to Bronzong, Registeel sports significantly higher defenses, Seismic Toss, and Thunder Wave, but gains a weakness to Ground moves.

yep

Roserade (defensive)

Roserade is an alternative choice for laying Spikes and Toxic Spikes that has been proven successful at the highest levels of play. Traditional spikers Forretress and Skarmory are both physically defensive Steel-types, while Roserade is a specially defensive Grass-type. This allows it to capitalize on Water-, Electric-, and Grass-type resistances to set up on a wide range of specially oriented Pokemon. While Roserade learns both Spikes and Toxic Spikes, usually only one is chosen. Grass Knot and Energy Ball are Roserade's STAB options, and Hidden Power Fire or Ground are typically used for coverage. In the last slot, Synthesis operates like Recover unless in a sandstorm, while Rest (with Natural Cure) works in all weathers at the cost of necessitating a switch. Stun Spore is another option that lets Roserade cripple switch-ins and deters sweepers from using Roserade as setup bait.

synthesis blows, just stick with natural cure rest.


Shaymin
Type: Grass
Base Stats: 100 HP / 100 Atk / 100 Def / 100 SpA / 100 SpD / 100 Spe
Ability: Natural Cure

Shaymin's 100-all base stats make it well rounded defensively. A pure Grass-typing allows it to comfortably take common Ground-, Water-, Electric-, and Grass-type assaults, while Natural Cure lets it work as a makeshift status absorber. Typically, defensive Shaymin will be using Leech Seed alongside either Protect or Substitute to stall out the enemy and drain them of health. Shaymin's signature Seed Flare is great for netting Special Defense drops and forcing switches, while Hidden Power Fire or Ice usually rounds out coverage. Despite lacking reliable recovery, Shaymin can use Rest to heal up and switch out to rid itself of sleep.

epower needs a mention


Skarmory (defensive)

Half of the vaunted SkarmBliss core, Skarmory is a staple spiker and phazer for many defensive teams. Its moveset, stats, and typing are almost perfectly suited for its role. Flying / Steel typing grants it excellent immunities and resistances, while a sky-high 140 Defense stat enables it to tank neutral hits. Essentially all Skarmory run Spikes, Roost, and Whirlwind, while the last slot is either Brave Bird or Taunt. It's worth noting that since Skarmory's Defense is already so high, a common EV spread focuses on its Special Defense instead, allowing it to tank neutral special hits.

torment + protect is pretty hilarious

Slowbro
Type: Water / Psychic
Base Stats: 95 HP / 75 Atk / 110 Def / 100 SpA / 80 SpD / 30 Spe
Abilities: Oblivious / Own Tempo

Slowbro is extremely bulky and has many more tricks up its shell than the average bulky Water-type. Unlike Suicune, it has reliable recovery, and its solid mixed defenses and Special Attack further bolster its unique uses as a bulky Water-type. Slowbro is most commonly seen as a counter to Water-type attackers, taking little from anything bar a Thunderbolt. Offensive options like Surf, Fire Blast, Ice Beam, and Psychic make it stand out, and standard Slowbro can take advantage of any of these. Slowbro is often seen wielding one of Thunder Wave or Toxic, the former helping with its and some teammates' low Speed and the latter allowing Slowbro to stall out walls and Gyarados if it lacks Hidden Power Electric. Ice Beam in particular is a great offensive choice to hit Dragon- and Grass-types, though Psychic is useful for Machamp and Fire Blast for an OHKO on Forretress and Skarmory. Slowbro is also one of the best physical Dragonite counters in the business, never 2HKOed by its STABs. It is also an excellent counter to Machamp, as Slowbro's lesser Speed stat means that Payback fails to do all that much, and Slowbro can take all of Machamp's other attacks. It can also use Trick Room to support itself and the rest of the team, or Counter in combination with its decent HP and high Defense. Slowbro has a few utilities that make it stand out from other bulky Water-types, and it takes advantage of all of them to be a separate and equally as big threat as the other bulky Water-types that populate OU.

i don't think slowbro is that good but this describes it nicely


Spiritomb
Type: Ghost / Dark
Base Stats: 50 HP / 92 Atk / 108 Def / 92 SpA / 108 SpD / 35 Spe
Ability: Pressure

With no exploitable weaknesses and 3 handy immunities to Fighting, Normal, and Psychic, Spiritomb is a solid spinblocker. Although it lacks reliable recovery, it's low HP coupled with strong defenses makes Pain Split a great option for keeping it healthy. It can weaken offensive threats with Will-O-Wisp, trap opposing spinblockers with Pursuit, and even revenge kill in a pinch with STAB Sucker Punch. RestTalking is also a viable method for keeping Spiritomb in good health, and RestTalk sets are usually seen running Will-O-Wisp and Shadow Ball. Alternatively, it can run Rest, Will-O-Wisp, Curse, and Pursuit to become truly difficult to break through. The best bet for defeating Spiritomb is to just smack it hard with neutral hits, especially from special attackers that fear little from burns.

mention that tomb is one of two 100% machamp counters! cb is pretty cool too


Starmie (defensive)

Starmie's high Speed and unique movepool make it a good choice for teams looking to fill a specific role. Although it's defensive stats are middling, Starmie packs all the resistances that a traditional bulky Water would have. A Psychic subtype gives it a resistance to Fighting-type attacks, which partially compensates for its mediocre Defense. Very high Speed and access to Recover further extend Starmie's longevity. In return, Starmie can use Rapid Spin to eliminate the opposing team's hazards. Unlike Forretress, the other OU spinner, Starmie outpaces both Rotom-A and Gengar (unscarfed), making it much more difficult to spinblock. Due to its Speed, Starmie also serves as a welcome check to Infernape, a Pokemon who normally terrorizes bulky teams. All of Starmie's defensive sets run Surf, Rapid Spin, and Recover, while the last slot goes to either Thunderbolt or Ice Beam.

reflect is also worthy of mention

Suicune
Type: Water
Base Stats: 100 HP / 75 Atk / 115 Def / 90 SpA / 115 SpD / 85 Spe
Ability: Pressure

Suicune is blessed with perhaps the best mixed defenses of anything available in OU. Decent Special Attack and good enough Speed further supplement Suicune's defensive capabilities. Its use defensively is mainly via Calm Mind. By-and-far its best set is the acclaimed CroCune, a set that uses Rest and Sleep Talk to keep itself healthy as well as Calm Mind to boost its Special Defense. With maximum defense investment and Calm Mind boosting its Special Defense, Suicune is a near impenetrable tank, dealing solid damage with its decent Special Attack and powerful STAB move in Surf. It can even put Ice Beam to good use against Dragon- and Grass-types expecting to comfortably handle CroCune. Pressure and the RestTalk combination when paired with its stone wall of bulk allow it to stall out the PP of many moves, particularly Stone Edges and Draco Meteors. Access to Roar lends Suicune to a great defensive set, keeping healthy with RestTalk and phazing with Roar, removing boosts from setup sweepers and racking up damage from entry hazards. CroCune possesses such staying power that it can stall out even the famed Blissey, the bane of many a special attacker. Suicune's bulk and sweeping potential keep on the pinnacle of a bulky Water-type, a threat to be reckoned with for any sweeper.

yea that's cune

Swampert
Type: Water / Ground
Base Stats: 100 HP / 110 Atk / 90 Def / 85 SpA / 90 SpD / 60 Spe
Ability: Torrent
Swampert is one of DPP OU's toughest walls to break. It is most commonly seen as a hazard setter, able to set down Stealth Rock while hitting its opponent back with Earthquake or Ice Beam coming off its decent mixed offenses. Roar gives it a means by which to phaze its opponents, preventing set up sweepers such as Gyarados from taking advantage of an uninvested Ice Beam, or make Suicune think twice about getting greedy with Calm Mind boosts. Curse allows it to boost its excellent physical bulk and offenses; it can even run a pseudo-CroCune set, slowly boosting its Attack and Defense to sky high levels while recovering all of its HP and relieving it from crippling status when it needs to. Despite these traits, it has low Speed and a crippling weakness to Grass, but even Grass-types must be careful not to switch into an Ice Beam or Avalanche.

protect helps it stay healthy

Tangrowth
Type: Grass
Ability: Chlorophyll / Leaf Guard
Base Stats: 100 HP / 100 Atk / 125 Def / 110 SpA / 50 SpD / 50 Spe

Tangrowth is extremely physically bulky (moreso than Skarmory), though it's a less common sight due to its limited movepool and poorer defensive typing. That said, resistances to Water, Ground, Electric, and Grass are all useful. Most often, Tangrowth is seen running a disruptive set with Sleep Powder to shut down one opponent and Knock Off to cripple item-dependent foes. It can also run an effective double powder set with Stun Spore over Knock Off. Typically, it uses Power Whip and Earthquake for offensive coverage, though it can also opt to go the special route with Grass Knot and Hidden Power Ice. The best bet for dealing with Tangrowth is hitting it on its weaker special side with moves such as Fire Blast and Ice Beam.

yea

Umbreon
Base stats: 95 HP / 65 Atk / 110 Def / 60 SpA / 130 SpD / 65 Spe
Ability: Synchronize

Umbreon has some of the most titanic defensive stats in OU, which can be used to some extent along with a type that doesn't leave it vulnerable to Pursuit (poor Cresselia...). It is also the only Pokemon able to lock an opponent in with Mean Lock and Baton Pass the value out to a counter, which can continue a Baton Pass chain that leads to a sweep. It will often carry Taunt, Toxic, or Yawn as utility moves to compliment Mean Look and Baton Pass. While it doesn't see much use, Umbreon can forgo passing Mean Look entirely and opt for a more walling set, utilizing Wish and Protect to keep it healthy along with Toxic or Payback to wear down the opponent. Umbreon also has Curse up its sleeve, which it can either pass off or attempt to sweep with. It can also use Heal Bell and Wish to support its team.

yea

Uxie
Type: Psychic
Base Stats: 75 HP / 75 Atk / 130 Def / 75 SpA / 130 SpD / 95 Spe
Ability: Levitate

Uxie's superb mixed bulk, solid support movepool, and good Speed make it a prime candidate for a utility Pokemon. In the lead position, it will usually carry Stealth Rock and U-turn. Most often, it will also have Trick and a Choice Scarf to cripple slower leads, along with either Thunder Wave or Yawn for support or Psychic for STAB. A dual screens set with Reflect, Light Screen, and Light Clay is also a common sight for lead Uxie. If not leading, Uxie tends to drop Stealth Rock for either Memento or Yawn on the dual screens set. It can also set up rain, sun, or Trick Room for teams built around those effects, and thanks to U-turn and Yawn, it can both scout and force switches after doing so.

yea

VenusaurType: Grass / Poison
Ability: Overgrow
Base Stats: 80 HP / 82 Atk / 83 Def / 100 SpA / 100 SpD / 80 Spe

Venusaur is often overlooked due to the presence of other great defensive Grass-types in the tier such as Celebi. Still, Venusaur is a good defensive threat to look out for. Although its stats might not look like much, it actually has good overall bulk with its 80 / 83 / 100 defenses. Its better overall bulk than Roserade means that its not completely physically or specially frail and makes it much harder to take down. Venusaur is fully capable of taking non-super effective physical hits with some Defense EVs investment and can withstand even some super effective special attacks such as a Life Orb Starmie's Ice Beam. Although its Grass / Poison typing burdens Venusaur with four weaknesses, it also grants it resistance to four common types&mdash;Fighting, Water, Grass, and Electric. Defensive Venusaur might be difficult to counter and requires some good predictions due to its access to Sleep Powder; it could quickly put your switch-in and only counter to sleep if you're caught off guard. Furthermore, sending in your sleep absorber doesn't always mean that Venusaur will put it to sleep with Sleep Powder. It can aways opt for Leech Seed to regain health and wear down foes while playing conservatively with Sleep Powder so as not to waste it on an opposing sleep absorber such as RestTalk Gyarados. While defensive Venusaur can annoy foes with Sleep Powder and Leech Seed, do not forget that it has an acceptable base 100 Special Attack. Its uninvested special attacks can still put a dent to frailer Pokemon.

leaf storm is really strong stab, also mention roar and sludge bomb

Walrein
Base stats: 110 HP / 80 Atk / 90 Def / 95 SpA / 90 SpD / 65 Spe
Ability: Ice Body

With great natural bulk, Walrein is set to become a solid wall. Even though its typing gives it a slew of weaknesses, when paired with Abomasnow, Walrein can become unstoppable. With Ice Body granting it an extra Leftovers each turn in hail, Walrein can utilize a combination of Protect and Substitute to wear down the opponent with Toxic and hail damage while taking no overall damage. Alongside Toxic, it will most likely be using a combination Blizzard, Surf, Roar, Earthquake, or Super Fang to further wear down the opponent and check switch-ins that threaten to stop its cycle of hail stal. If Walrein gets a Substitute up, be prepared for a long battle to wear it down, as in the hail it's nearly impossible.

BRINE

Weezing
Type: Poison
Base Stats: 65 HP / 90 Atk / 120 Def / 85 SpA / 70 SpD / 60 Spe
Ability: Levitate

Weezing is quite the strange Pokemon, boasting a high Defense stat but low HP stat, as well as a Poison typing but immunity to Ground-type moves due to Levitate. Its movepool is just as strange, including options non-characteristic to a Poison-type like Fire Blast and Thunderbolt. However, all of these traits combine to create an excellent check to many top-tier physical attackers like Gyarados, Lucario, and Tyranitar. Due to Levitate, it can switch-in on powerful Ground-type attacks from the likes of Mamoswine and Hippowdon. Although its Special Defense stat is disappointing, it doesn't take very much damage from any of Celebi's attacks not named Psychic, an attack most Celebi don't carry, boasting an immunity to Earth Power and resistance to Grass-type attacks, as well as not being affected all that much by Thunder Wave and being immune to Toxic, with Hidden Power Fire not doing much damage either. Weezing has Fire Blast to take on Steel-types like Skarmory and Forretress, something less experienced players may not even expect. Thunderbolt does solid damage to Gyarados. which it checks exceptionally well due to its great physical bulk. To top it all off, Weezing has recovery in Pain Split, which is great for wearing down opposing threats and is even better due to Weezing's low HP stat, turning that downside into a selling point. Access to Will-O-Wisp only furthers Weezing's ability to check physical attackers, with Taunt and even Explosion sometimes making an appearance. When Weezing comes out on the field, there are very few physical attackers that can beat it, and it occupies a solid niche for this reason.

yep
 
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