(rewamp for Mambo QC with first QC contributes by Rowan, Amaura , macle, GP checks by fleurdyleurse and Lord Alphose )
QC Checks: Rowan / sparktrain and kingmidas / Tricking / Mambo
GP Checks: frenzyplant / Winry
[OVERVIEW]
Drifloon has access to an excellent ability in Unburden that lets it outspeed many Pokemon after activation. Though Drifloon is slower than Gastly, its good base Speed and decent Attack and Special Attack give it versatility, allowing it to use mixed attacking and support sets. Unfortunately, Drifloon is weak to Stealth Rock and common Dark-type moves such as Knock Off and priority Sucker Punch.
[SET]
name: AcroFloon
move 1: Acrobatics
move 2: Shadow Ball / Knock Off
move 3: Substitute
move 4: Destiny Bond / Will-O-Wisp / Hidden Power Fighting / Sucker Punch
item: Berry Juice
ability: Unburden
nature: Naive
evs: 196 Atk / 116 SpA / 196 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Acrobatics and Shadow Ball are powerful STAB moves with good coverage. After Berry Juice is consumed, Acrobatics often nets KOs while Shadow Ball hits Rock-, Steel-, and Electric-types, which all resist Acrobatics. It's possible to use Knock Off over Shadow Ball, which removes a foe's item, though it's recommended to use a different EV spread alongside HP Fighting. Substitute allows Drifloon to easily activate Unburden, avoid status moves, and play around threatening Sucker Punch users. The move in the last slot depends on what you want to do: Destiny Bond ensures at least one KO before Drifloon faints and is very effective with the Speed boost from Unburden, Will-O-Wisp can cripple physical attackers and Knock Off users, such as Pawniard, and Hidden Power Fighting allows Drifloon to hit Pawniard and Helioptile, the only Pokemon that resist both Ghost- and Flying-type attacks, as well as being Drifloon's best option against Aron and Amaura. Sucker Punch can be used to hit other priority users.
Set Details
========
EVs in Attack allow Drifloon to hit hard with Acrobatics, while the Speed EVs and a Naive nature let it outspeed Pawniard before Unburden is activated and outpace all Choice Scarf and +1 Pokemon afterwards. Berry Juice is Drifloon's only source of recovery and is the best item to activate Unburden. If Hidden Power Fighting is used in the fourth slot, the EV spread should be changed to 36 HP / 196 Atk / 8 Def / 40 SpA / 8 SpD / 200 Spe to accommodate the IV drops. When Knock Off is used over Shadow Ball, Drifloon should use a spread of 196 Atk / 104 Def / 8 SpD / 200 Spe with a Jolly nature.
Usage Tips
========
Drifloon's typing helps it safely switch into Normal-, Ground-, Fighting-, and Bug-type attacks. It's excellent in the late-game, when opposing priority users have been weakened. It can also be brought in early-game to weaken its switch-ins and neuter physical attackers with Will-O-Wisp or soften up Pokemon that resist Flying with Shadow Ball or Destiny Bond.
Team Options
========
Drifloon enjoys having Stealth Rock off the field, so a Rapid Spin or Defog user is appreciated. It has good synergy with Vullaby, which has access to Defog, resists Drifloon's Dark- and Ghost-type weaknesses, and can use Knock Off to soften up physical walls. Drifloon also pairs well with Vullaby's counters and switch-ins, such as Archen, because just Dark-types and Vullaby in particular can be real threats to Drifloon due to their resistance to Shadow Ball and super effective STAB attacks. Drilbur is a good teammate because it has access to Rapid Spin, resists Rock- and Electric- moves, and can hammer both of those types with a powerful STAB Earthquake. Fighting-types, such as Mienfoo and Scraggy, are exceptional partners for Drifloon thanks to their ability to beat Steel-, Dark-, and Rock-types. Drifloon can also form a Flying-type spam core with Fletchling.
[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Shadow Ball
move 3: Hidden Power Fighting
move 4: Recycle / Substitute / Will-O-Wisp
item: Berry Juice
ability: Unburden
nature: Modest
evs: 116 HP / 168 Def / 40 SpA / 8 SpD / 120 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Calm Mind patches up Drifloon's Special Defense and gives it a Special Attack stat of 24 after one boost. Shadow Ball is Drifloon's STAB attack and has great coverage on its own, only being stopped by Normal- and Dark-type Pokemon. Hidden Power Fighting gives Drifloon's perfect neutral coverage in conjunction with Shadow Ball. The fourth slot has more options: Recycle allows Drifloon to regain Berry Juice and thus its recovery, Substitute is a great way for Drifloon to avoid status and Sucker Punch and activate Berry Juice, and Will-O-Wisp allows Drifloon to patch up its Defense and cripple Normal- and Dark-types, most of which are physical attackers.
Set Details
========
The Speed investment gives Drifloon 30 Speed after an Unburden boost, which is enough to outspeed all relevant Choice Scarf users. Considering that Calm Mind boosts Drifloon's Special Attack and Special Defense, the remaining EVs are invested primarily in Defense. Berry Juice restores Drifloon's HP, activating Unburden essentially for free.
Usage Tips
========
Drifloon can switch in on a plethora of moves, thanks to its handy immunity to Normal-, Ground-, and Fighting-type moves; Calm Mind Drifloon is reliant on teammates to stop its hard counters, namely Normal- and Dark-types, as well as physically offensive Fire-types, which are immune to burns. While it can carry out secondary roles early- or mid-game, such as spinblocking against Staryu or switching in multiple times to spread burns with the help of Recycle, Drifloon does best as a late-game sweeper.
Team Options
========
Entry hazard removal is beneficial to sustain Drifloon's longevity and allow it to be used as a utility Pokemon as well as a sweeper. Vullaby is the first option for an entry hazard remover, as it resists Drifloon's Dark- and Ghost-type weaknesses and can cripple opposing walls with Knock Off. A slightly worse teammate is Drilbur, which resists Rock- and Electric-type moves despite sharing an Ice-type weakness with Drifloon, can provide Rapid Spin support, and clears away annoying foes with Earthquake. Pawniard also makes for a great partner, as its powerful Knock Off can definitely aid Drifloon's sweep. It also resists the Dark-, Ghost-, and Ice-type moves directed at Drifloon, which covers its Fighting- and Ground-type weaknesses in return. A Vullaby switch-in such as Archen is needed, as otherwise it can wreck Drifloon.
[SET]
name: TrickSpecs
move 1: Trick
move 2: Shadow Ball
move 3: Hidden Power Fighting
move 4: Air Cutter / Thunderbolt / Icy Wind
ability: Unburden
item: Choice Specs
evs: 88 Def / 200 SpA / 8 SpD / 200 Spe
nature: Timid
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
In conjunction with Choice Specs, Trick can cripple bulkier Pokemon that can switch into Drifloon's attacks, such as Vullaby. STAB Shadow Ball and Hidden Power Fighting ensure that Drifloon has perfect neutral coverage. The fourth slot depends on what coverage Drifloon's teammates have. Air Cutter is a good Special STAB attack with a decent accuracy and a boosted critical hit rate. Thunderbolt is perfect for nailing Water- and Flying-type foes, while Icy Wind is useful against foes that Drifloon can easily engage despite its low power, lowering their Speed.
Set Details
========
The EVs and a Timid nature maximize Drifloon's Special Attack and Speed. The remaining EVs are spread where possible, with more substantial investment in HP. Choice Specs allows Drifloon to hit extremely hard and cripple foes with Trick.
Usage Tips
========
After the boost from Choice Specs, Drifloon has 22 Special Attack, making it a good late-game sweeper. You can also use it as a wallbreaker early-game by attacking or Tricking Choice Specs onto a support Pokemon or physical attacker, such as Vullaby or Pawniard. Furthermore, Drifloon can serve such as a good spinblocker against Drilbur. Drifloon can surprise a physical attacker with Trick in the mid-game as well, but this takes away much of Drifloon's offensive ability.
Team Options
========
An entry hazard remover, such as Drilbur or Vullaby, is useful because it allows Drifloon to switch in and out cleanly. Driflloon also forms a good Flying-type spam core with Fletchling, blending priority Physical and Special Flying-type attacks.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
================
A Baton Pass set with Stockpile and Weakness Policy or Calm Mind and Berry Juice, Shadow Ball, and Will-O-Wisp is another good way to use Drifloon, as Unburden lets Drifloon outspeed every unboosted Pokemon in the metagame when activated and pass its boosts more easily. Status moves such as Hypnosis, Thunder Wave, and Toxic can be used; however, Will-O-Wisp is usually the best option to protect Drifloon. It can also carry Endure to avoid being OHKOed, activate Unburden, and revenge kill foes. Hidden Power Ground destroys Magnemite without Sturdy and also hits Helioptile, but it is much weaker against Pawniard in comparison with Hidden Power Fighting. Memento could be useful to allow sweeper teammates to set up. Haze and Clear Smog are options for a support Drifloon set, but this role is difficult to pull off because Drifloon is too fragile to switch in repeatedly, expecially with Stealth Rock on the field. Charge Beam could be used to boost Drifloon's Special Attack and hit Flying-type foes super effectively. A Substitute + Defog set allows Drifloon to force switches, especially against Fighting-types. Defog is a good support move, but Drifloon is not suited to this role.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Bulky Normal-types**: Porygon is one of the hardest counters to Drifloon, as it's immune to Shadow Ball, doesn't mind burns at all, and can threaten Drifloon with Ice Beam and Thunder Wave. Munchlax is immune to Shadow Ball, can tank even boosted hits, and can Whirlwind Drifloon away or simply use Pursuit.
**Dark-types**: Dark-types in general fare well against Drifloon, resisting Shadow Ball and threatening it with STAB Sucker Punch, Knock Off, or Pursuit. Vullaby wrecks Calm Mind variants and doesn't take too much from Acrobatics, but it and Pawniard must watch out for Will-O-Wisp or Trickspecs variants. Other Dark-types don't enjoy Acrobatics, however, and Substitute, Destiny Bond, Baton Pass, and Memento give Drifloon options to play around Sucker Punch.
**Electric-types**: Electric-types can easily switch into an Acrobatics and hit Drifloon with a super effective STAB attack. Shadow Ball can usually put a solid dent into them, but common bulky Electric-types, such as Chinchou and Magnemite, can still check Drifloon.
**Rock-types**: Rock-type Pokemon, such as Archen, Amaura, and Omanyte, can easily switch into Acrobatics. Drifloon can still hit them with Shadow Ball, but most Rock-types have enough bulk to take a hit before hitting back with a STAB Rock-type move. Onix, Tirtouga, and Aron resist Acrobatics, have a failsafe in Sturdy, and are able to OHKO Drifloon with STAB attacks.
**Spritzee**: Drifloon's attacks do not deal much damage to Spritzee while Moonblast is really dangerous.
**Stealth Rock**: Stealth Rock puts a damper on Drifloon's longevity, limiting the number of times it can switch in.
QC Checks: Rowan / sparktrain and kingmidas / Tricking / Mambo
GP Checks: frenzyplant / Winry
[OVERVIEW]
Drifloon has access to an excellent ability in Unburden that lets it outspeed many Pokemon after activation. Though Drifloon is slower than Gastly, its good base Speed and decent Attack and Special Attack give it versatility, allowing it to use mixed attacking and support sets. Unfortunately, Drifloon is weak to Stealth Rock and common Dark-type moves such as Knock Off and priority Sucker Punch.
[SET]
name: AcroFloon
move 1: Acrobatics
move 2: Shadow Ball / Knock Off
move 3: Substitute
move 4: Destiny Bond / Will-O-Wisp / Hidden Power Fighting / Sucker Punch
item: Berry Juice
ability: Unburden
nature: Naive
evs: 196 Atk / 116 SpA / 196 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Acrobatics and Shadow Ball are powerful STAB moves with good coverage. After Berry Juice is consumed, Acrobatics often nets KOs while Shadow Ball hits Rock-, Steel-, and Electric-types, which all resist Acrobatics. It's possible to use Knock Off over Shadow Ball, which removes a foe's item, though it's recommended to use a different EV spread alongside HP Fighting. Substitute allows Drifloon to easily activate Unburden, avoid status moves, and play around threatening Sucker Punch users. The move in the last slot depends on what you want to do: Destiny Bond ensures at least one KO before Drifloon faints and is very effective with the Speed boost from Unburden, Will-O-Wisp can cripple physical attackers and Knock Off users, such as Pawniard, and Hidden Power Fighting allows Drifloon to hit Pawniard and Helioptile, the only Pokemon that resist both Ghost- and Flying-type attacks, as well as being Drifloon's best option against Aron and Amaura. Sucker Punch can be used to hit other priority users.
Set Details
========
EVs in Attack allow Drifloon to hit hard with Acrobatics, while the Speed EVs and a Naive nature let it outspeed Pawniard before Unburden is activated and outpace all Choice Scarf and +1 Pokemon afterwards. Berry Juice is Drifloon's only source of recovery and is the best item to activate Unburden. If Hidden Power Fighting is used in the fourth slot, the EV spread should be changed to 36 HP / 196 Atk / 8 Def / 40 SpA / 8 SpD / 200 Spe to accommodate the IV drops. When Knock Off is used over Shadow Ball, Drifloon should use a spread of 196 Atk / 104 Def / 8 SpD / 200 Spe with a Jolly nature.
Usage Tips
========
Drifloon's typing helps it safely switch into Normal-, Ground-, Fighting-, and Bug-type attacks. It's excellent in the late-game, when opposing priority users have been weakened. It can also be brought in early-game to weaken its switch-ins and neuter physical attackers with Will-O-Wisp or soften up Pokemon that resist Flying with Shadow Ball or Destiny Bond.
Team Options
========
Drifloon enjoys having Stealth Rock off the field, so a Rapid Spin or Defog user is appreciated. It has good synergy with Vullaby, which has access to Defog, resists Drifloon's Dark- and Ghost-type weaknesses, and can use Knock Off to soften up physical walls. Drifloon also pairs well with Vullaby's counters and switch-ins, such as Archen, because just Dark-types and Vullaby in particular can be real threats to Drifloon due to their resistance to Shadow Ball and super effective STAB attacks. Drilbur is a good teammate because it has access to Rapid Spin, resists Rock- and Electric- moves, and can hammer both of those types with a powerful STAB Earthquake. Fighting-types, such as Mienfoo and Scraggy, are exceptional partners for Drifloon thanks to their ability to beat Steel-, Dark-, and Rock-types. Drifloon can also form a Flying-type spam core with Fletchling.
[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Shadow Ball
move 3: Hidden Power Fighting
move 4: Recycle / Substitute / Will-O-Wisp
item: Berry Juice
ability: Unburden
nature: Modest
evs: 116 HP / 168 Def / 40 SpA / 8 SpD / 120 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Calm Mind patches up Drifloon's Special Defense and gives it a Special Attack stat of 24 after one boost. Shadow Ball is Drifloon's STAB attack and has great coverage on its own, only being stopped by Normal- and Dark-type Pokemon. Hidden Power Fighting gives Drifloon's perfect neutral coverage in conjunction with Shadow Ball. The fourth slot has more options: Recycle allows Drifloon to regain Berry Juice and thus its recovery, Substitute is a great way for Drifloon to avoid status and Sucker Punch and activate Berry Juice, and Will-O-Wisp allows Drifloon to patch up its Defense and cripple Normal- and Dark-types, most of which are physical attackers.
Set Details
========
The Speed investment gives Drifloon 30 Speed after an Unburden boost, which is enough to outspeed all relevant Choice Scarf users. Considering that Calm Mind boosts Drifloon's Special Attack and Special Defense, the remaining EVs are invested primarily in Defense. Berry Juice restores Drifloon's HP, activating Unburden essentially for free.
Usage Tips
========
Drifloon can switch in on a plethora of moves, thanks to its handy immunity to Normal-, Ground-, and Fighting-type moves; Calm Mind Drifloon is reliant on teammates to stop its hard counters, namely Normal- and Dark-types, as well as physically offensive Fire-types, which are immune to burns. While it can carry out secondary roles early- or mid-game, such as spinblocking against Staryu or switching in multiple times to spread burns with the help of Recycle, Drifloon does best as a late-game sweeper.
Team Options
========
Entry hazard removal is beneficial to sustain Drifloon's longevity and allow it to be used as a utility Pokemon as well as a sweeper. Vullaby is the first option for an entry hazard remover, as it resists Drifloon's Dark- and Ghost-type weaknesses and can cripple opposing walls with Knock Off. A slightly worse teammate is Drilbur, which resists Rock- and Electric-type moves despite sharing an Ice-type weakness with Drifloon, can provide Rapid Spin support, and clears away annoying foes with Earthquake. Pawniard also makes for a great partner, as its powerful Knock Off can definitely aid Drifloon's sweep. It also resists the Dark-, Ghost-, and Ice-type moves directed at Drifloon, which covers its Fighting- and Ground-type weaknesses in return. A Vullaby switch-in such as Archen is needed, as otherwise it can wreck Drifloon.
[SET]
name: TrickSpecs
move 1: Trick
move 2: Shadow Ball
move 3: Hidden Power Fighting
move 4: Air Cutter / Thunderbolt / Icy Wind
ability: Unburden
item: Choice Specs
evs: 88 Def / 200 SpA / 8 SpD / 200 Spe
nature: Timid
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
In conjunction with Choice Specs, Trick can cripple bulkier Pokemon that can switch into Drifloon's attacks, such as Vullaby. STAB Shadow Ball and Hidden Power Fighting ensure that Drifloon has perfect neutral coverage. The fourth slot depends on what coverage Drifloon's teammates have. Air Cutter is a good Special STAB attack with a decent accuracy and a boosted critical hit rate. Thunderbolt is perfect for nailing Water- and Flying-type foes, while Icy Wind is useful against foes that Drifloon can easily engage despite its low power, lowering their Speed.
Set Details
========
The EVs and a Timid nature maximize Drifloon's Special Attack and Speed. The remaining EVs are spread where possible, with more substantial investment in HP. Choice Specs allows Drifloon to hit extremely hard and cripple foes with Trick.
Usage Tips
========
After the boost from Choice Specs, Drifloon has 22 Special Attack, making it a good late-game sweeper. You can also use it as a wallbreaker early-game by attacking or Tricking Choice Specs onto a support Pokemon or physical attacker, such as Vullaby or Pawniard. Furthermore, Drifloon can serve such as a good spinblocker against Drilbur. Drifloon can surprise a physical attacker with Trick in the mid-game as well, but this takes away much of Drifloon's offensive ability.
Team Options
========
An entry hazard remover, such as Drilbur or Vullaby, is useful because it allows Drifloon to switch in and out cleanly. Driflloon also forms a good Flying-type spam core with Fletchling, blending priority Physical and Special Flying-type attacks.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
================
A Baton Pass set with Stockpile and Weakness Policy or Calm Mind and Berry Juice, Shadow Ball, and Will-O-Wisp is another good way to use Drifloon, as Unburden lets Drifloon outspeed every unboosted Pokemon in the metagame when activated and pass its boosts more easily. Status moves such as Hypnosis, Thunder Wave, and Toxic can be used; however, Will-O-Wisp is usually the best option to protect Drifloon. It can also carry Endure to avoid being OHKOed, activate Unburden, and revenge kill foes. Hidden Power Ground destroys Magnemite without Sturdy and also hits Helioptile, but it is much weaker against Pawniard in comparison with Hidden Power Fighting. Memento could be useful to allow sweeper teammates to set up. Haze and Clear Smog are options for a support Drifloon set, but this role is difficult to pull off because Drifloon is too fragile to switch in repeatedly, expecially with Stealth Rock on the field. Charge Beam could be used to boost Drifloon's Special Attack and hit Flying-type foes super effectively. A Substitute + Defog set allows Drifloon to force switches, especially against Fighting-types. Defog is a good support move, but Drifloon is not suited to this role.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Bulky Normal-types**: Porygon is one of the hardest counters to Drifloon, as it's immune to Shadow Ball, doesn't mind burns at all, and can threaten Drifloon with Ice Beam and Thunder Wave. Munchlax is immune to Shadow Ball, can tank even boosted hits, and can Whirlwind Drifloon away or simply use Pursuit.
**Dark-types**: Dark-types in general fare well against Drifloon, resisting Shadow Ball and threatening it with STAB Sucker Punch, Knock Off, or Pursuit. Vullaby wrecks Calm Mind variants and doesn't take too much from Acrobatics, but it and Pawniard must watch out for Will-O-Wisp or Trickspecs variants. Other Dark-types don't enjoy Acrobatics, however, and Substitute, Destiny Bond, Baton Pass, and Memento give Drifloon options to play around Sucker Punch.
**Electric-types**: Electric-types can easily switch into an Acrobatics and hit Drifloon with a super effective STAB attack. Shadow Ball can usually put a solid dent into them, but common bulky Electric-types, such as Chinchou and Magnemite, can still check Drifloon.
**Rock-types**: Rock-type Pokemon, such as Archen, Amaura, and Omanyte, can easily switch into Acrobatics. Drifloon can still hit them with Shadow Ball, but most Rock-types have enough bulk to take a hit before hitting back with a STAB Rock-type move. Onix, Tirtouga, and Aron resist Acrobatics, have a failsafe in Sturdy, and are able to OHKO Drifloon with STAB attacks.
**Spritzee**: Drifloon's attacks do not deal much damage to Spritzee while Moonblast is really dangerous.
**Stealth Rock**: Stealth Rock puts a damper on Drifloon's longevity, limiting the number of times it can switch in.
[OVERVIEW]
[SET]
name: AcroFloon
move 1: Acrobatics
move 2: Shadow Ball / Knock Off
move 3: Substitute
move 4: Destiny Bond / Will-O-Wisp / Hidden Power Fighting / Sucker Punch
item: Berry Juice
ability: Unburden
nature: Naive
evs: 196 Atk / 116 SpA / 196 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
========
Usage Tips
========
==========
[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Shadow Ball
move 3: Hidden Power Fighting
move 4: Recycle / Substitute / Will-O-Wisp
item: Berry Juice
ability: Unburden
nature: Modest
evs: 116 HP / 168 Def / 40 SpA / 8 SpD / 120 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
========
========
========
name: TrickSpecs
move 1: Trick
move 2: Shadow Ball
move 3: Hidden Power Fighting
move 4: Air Cutter / Thunderbolt / Icy Wind
ability: Unburden
item: Choice Specs
evs: 88 Def / 200 SpA / 8 SpD / 200 Spe
nature: Timid
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Set Details
========
========
========
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
================
Checks & Counters
===================
**Bulky Normal-types**: Porygon is one of the hardest counters to Drifloon, as it's immune to Shadow Ball and doesn't mind burns at all while threatening Drifloon with an Ice Beam or Thunder Wave. Munchlax is immune to Shadow Ball, can tank boosted hits, and Whirlwind Drifloon away or simply use Pursuit.
**Dark-types**: Dark-types in general fare well against Drifloon, resisting Shadow Ball and threatening it with STAB Sucker Punch, Knock Off, or Pursuit. Vullaby deserves a mention in Dark-types because it wrecks Calm Mind, and doesn't take too much from Acrobatics (as Pawniard) must watch out for Wil-O-Wisp or Trickspecs. Other Dark-types don't enjoy Acrobatics and Substitute, Destiny Bond, Baton Pass, and Memento give to Drifloon options to play around Sucker Punch, however.
**Electric-types**: Electric-types can easily switch into an Acrobatics and hit Drifloon with a super effective STAB attack. Shadow Ball can usually put a solid dent into them, but bulkier Electric-types like Chinchou and Magnemite can still check Drifloon.
**Rock-types**: Rock-type Pokemon, such as Archen, Amaura and Omanyte can easily switch into an Acrobatics. Drifloon can still hit them with Shadow Ball, but most Rock-types have significant bulk and can take a hit before hitting Drifloon with a STAB Rock-type move.
**Sturdy Users**: Onix, Tirtouga, Aron resist Acrobatics and have a failsafe in Sturdy, and are able to OHKO with STAB attacks.
**Spritzee**: Drifloon's Attacks are not so effective against Spritzee while Moonblast is really dangerous.
**Stealth Rock**: Stealth Rock puts a damper on Drifloon's longevity, limiting the amount of times it can switch in.
- Access to a powerful ability in Unburden that let Drifloon be able to outspeed many opponents after its activation.
- Good base Speed (but less than Gasly) and enough Attack/Special Attack allow a real versatility and mixed attacker set. However it's not so strong.
- Excellent support movepool for attacking but for support, too. But Drifloon has low base power of Special STABs.
- Weakness to Stealth Rock, centralizing Knock Off and priority Sucker Punch.
[SET]
name: AcroFloon
move 1: Acrobatics
move 2: Shadow Ball / Knock Off
move 3: Substitute
move 4: Destiny Bond / Will-O-Wisp / Hidden Power Fighting / Sucker Punch
item: Berry Juice
ability: Unburden
nature: Naive
evs: 196 Atk / 116 SpA / 196 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
- Acrobatics and Shadow Ball are powerful STABs with a good coverage. First is often decisive, the second hits quite well everything which resists to Acrobatics as Rock-, Steel-, and Electric-types. Also when Berry Juice is consumed, Acrobatics becomes deadly.
- Substitute allows Drifloon to activate Unburden, consume Berry Juice easily, avoid status moves, and play around Sucker Punch users that threaten Driflon.
- Last slot depends to what we want to do in addition: Destiny Bond ensure at least one KO before Drifloon faints and its effectiveness increases with the Unburden speed boost, Will-O-Wisp can cripple Pawniard and others Knock Off users but it's also useful against other physical attackers, Hidden Power Fighting allows Drifloon to hit Pawniard and Helioptile, the only Pokemon that resist both Ghost- and Flying-type attacks, as well as being Drifloon's best option against Aron and Amaura. Sucker Punch can be used to hit other priority users.
========
- EVs in Attack and Speed (together a Naive nature) are respectively for strong Acrobatics and for outspeeding Pawniard before Unburden and outpace all Choice Scarf and +1 Pokemon afterwards.
- Berry Juice is Drifloon's main source of recovery and is the best item to activate Unburden.
- With Hidden Power Fighting on fourth slot, the EV spread should be changed to 36 HP / 196 Atk / 8 Def / 40 SpA / 8 SpD / 200 Spe.
- It's possible to use Knock Off over Shadow Ball; in the case it's used with a different EV spread alongside hp fighting, which is where its best. That's is 196 Atk / 104 Def / 8 SpD / 200 Spe with a Jolly nature.
Usage Tips
========
- Drifloon, helped for its typing, safely switch into Normal-, Ground-, Fighting and Bug-type attacks.
- It's excellent in late-game when priority move and foe Pokemon are weaker.
- It can be brought in early-game with use Will-O-Wisp to weaken its switch-ins and physical attackers or soften Flying-type resists with Shadow Ball or Destiny Bond.
==========
- Drifloon appreciates having Stealth Rock off the field, so a Rapid Spin user or Defog user is appreciated.
- It has a good synergy with Vullaby that resists Drifloon's Dark- and Ghost-type weaknesses and can use Knock Off to soften up physical walls. But also with Vullaby's counter (like Archen) because just Dark-types and Vullaby in particular can be a real threat for Drifloon. It's resisting Shadow Ball and Acrobatics and can hit Drifloon with its STAB attacks. So a good switch on it is appreciated.
- Another good-teamate is Drilbur. It resists Rock-type moves, is immune to Electric-types, and has access to a powerful STAB Earthquake to hammer both of them, as well as access to Rapid Spin.
- With Fletchling, Drifloon makes a real birdspam core.
- Fighting-types support is well-appreciated. In fact they are exceptional partners to Drifloon due to their ability to beat Steel-, Dark-, and Rock-types.
[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Shadow Ball
move 3: Hidden Power Fighting
move 4: Recycle / Substitute / Will-O-Wisp
item: Berry Juice
ability: Unburden
nature: Modest
evs: 116 HP / 168 Def / 40 SpA / 8 SpD / 120 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
- Calm Mind is the cornerstone's set. It's boosting Special Defense and its Shadow Ball with a Special Attack stat of 24 after one boost.
- Shadow Ball is Drifloon's STAB attack; it has great coverage on its own, only being stopped by Normal- and Dark-type Pokemon.
- Hidden Power Fighting integrates Drifloon's attacking skill, with a perfect neutral coverage.
- Fourth slot has more opitions: Recycle allows Drifloon to regain its Berry Juice and so its vitality. Substitute is a great way for Drifloon to avoid status and Sucker Punch and activate its Berry Juice. Will-O-Wisp can also be run, and allows Drifloon to patch up its Defense and cripple Normal- and Dark-types, most of which are physical attackers.
========
- The Speed investment gives Drifloon 30 Speed after an Unburden boost, enough to outspeed any relevant Choice Scarf Pokemon.
- Low investment in Special Attack and Special Defense is for boosting consideration, so the remaining EVs are invested primarily in physical Defense.
- Berry Juice restores HP, giving all at once a free Unburden boost.
- Drifloon has its best as a late game sweeper.
========
- Drifloon can switch in on a plethora of moves, due to its handy immunity to Normal-, Ground-, and Fighting-type moves.
- Calm Mind Drifloon is reliant on teammates to aid in stopping things that can hard counter it, namely Normal- and Dark-types, as well as physically offensive Fire-types, which are immune to burns.
- As secondary role, Drifloon could be a real hedge for physical attackers. In fact Drifloon can use Recycle and so it can switch in multiple times and spread burns.
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- Entry hazard removal is beneficial to sustain Drifloon's longevity and allow it to be used as a utility Pokemon as well as a sweeper. Vullaby is the first option that resists Drifloon's Dark- and Ghost-type weaknesses and can cripple opposing walls with Knock Off. A slightly lower grade is represented by Drilbur. Despite Drilbur is weak to Ice- as Drifloon, resists Rock- and Electric-type moves, can provide Rapid Spin support and clear away annoying foes with Earthquake.
- Pawniard also makes a great partner, as its ability to use Knock Off can definitely aid in Drifloon's attempt to sweep the opposing team. It also resists the Dark-, Ghost-, and Ice-type moves directed at Drifloon and has its Fighting- and Ground-type weaknesses covered by Drifloon.
- A Vullaby switch-in (like Archen) is needed, otherwise it can wrecks Drifloon.
name: TrickSpecs
move 1: Trick
move 2: Shadow Ball
move 3: Hidden Power Fighting
move 4: Air Cutter / Thunderbolt / Icy Wind
ability: Unburden
item: Choice Specs
evs: 88 Def / 200 SpA / 8 SpD / 200 Spe
nature: Timid
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
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- Trick can cripple even bulkier Pokemon which are used to switching into Drifloon's attacks, such as the aforementioned Vullaby, switching a Choice Specs.
- STAB Shadow Ball and Hidden Power Fighting ensure a overall attacks coverage.
- Fourth slot depends how Drifloon's teammates can attack foes; Air Cutter is good STAB attack with a good accuracy and a high critical hit rate (Drifloon can't learn Air Slash). Thuderbolt is perfect for Water- and Flying- opponents, Icy Wind despite its low power, it's useful against foes that Drifloon can easily be engaged, lowering their speed.
Set Details
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- EVs are for maximize Special Attack and Speed and Choice Specs and Timid Nature are for the same goal. Remaining is spread where is possible, with a more substantial investment on HP.
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- This set can rely on 22 SpA, then it's surely a good late-sweeper. You can use also as a wallbreaker on early game with attacks OR by tricking a specs onto something like vullaby, pawniard, etc.
- In mid-game Drifloon can surprise an physical attacker, imprisoning foe with an unexpected item switching. In any case this switch leaves Drifloon with its role, despite it's not so terrifying.
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- A spinner/defogger is useful because it may allow a Drifloon's clean entry on the battlefield.
- With Fletching, Driflloon builds a good birdspam core, half-run and priority and overriding.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
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- A Baton Pass set with Stockpile or Calm Mind (depending on item carried, respectively Weakness Policy or Berry Juice), Shadow Ball and Will-o-Wisp is other good chance to use Drifloon, Unburden lets Drifloon outspeed every unboosted Pokemon in the metagame and pass its boots.
- Hypnosis could be a valid option for its trait of putting to sleep the foe, so others status moves as Thunder Wave and Toxic; however, Will-O-Wisp is usually the best option to protect Drifloon.
- Drifloon can carry Endure. So it can outspeed its opponent (activating Unburden), avoid OHKOs and revenge kill foes.
- Hidden Power Ground destroys Magnemite without Sturdy and still hits Helioptile, but is much weaker against Pawniard.
- It's possible to use Memento could be useful to setup sweeper teammates
- Haze and Clear Smog are options for a support Drifloon set, but it's quite diffucult this role for Drifloon, too much fragile for switching in repeatedly (above all with Stealth Rock on field).
- Charge Beam could be used to boost its Special Attack and it's very effective against Flying opponents.
- A Substitute-Disable set allows to remove use for the time being, the opponent attack more effective and so forces it to switch out.
- Defog is a good support moves. Despite it's not its right role, Defog is an amazing option.
Checks & Counters
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**Bulky Normal-types**: Porygon is one of the hardest counters to Drifloon, as it's immune to Shadow Ball and doesn't mind burns at all while threatening Drifloon with an Ice Beam or Thunder Wave. Munchlax is immune to Shadow Ball, can tank boosted hits, and Whirlwind Drifloon away or simply use Pursuit.
**Dark-types**: Dark-types in general fare well against Drifloon, resisting Shadow Ball and threatening it with STAB Sucker Punch, Knock Off, or Pursuit. Vullaby deserves a mention in Dark-types because it wrecks Calm Mind, and doesn't take too much from Acrobatics (as Pawniard) must watch out for Wil-O-Wisp or Trickspecs. Other Dark-types don't enjoy Acrobatics and Substitute, Destiny Bond, Baton Pass, and Memento give to Drifloon options to play around Sucker Punch, however.
**Electric-types**: Electric-types can easily switch into an Acrobatics and hit Drifloon with a super effective STAB attack. Shadow Ball can usually put a solid dent into them, but bulkier Electric-types like Chinchou and Magnemite can still check Drifloon.
**Rock-types**: Rock-type Pokemon, such as Archen, Amaura and Omanyte can easily switch into an Acrobatics. Drifloon can still hit them with Shadow Ball, but most Rock-types have significant bulk and can take a hit before hitting Drifloon with a STAB Rock-type move.
**Sturdy Users**: Onix, Tirtouga, Aron resist Acrobatics and have a failsafe in Sturdy, and are able to OHKO with STAB attacks.
**Spritzee**: Drifloon's Attacks are not so effective against Spritzee while Moonblast is really dangerous.
**Stealth Rock**: Stealth Rock puts a damper on Drifloon's longevity, limiting the amount of times it can switch in.
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