Biosci
Danger!?
He's a slippery one
Taken over from TrollFreak
[Overview]
<p>Eelektross was one of the more popular VGC 2011 Pokemon, and it returns in the VGC 2012 metagame to reclaim this fame. It isn't hard to see why Eelektross was so popular; thanks to its ability, Levitate, Eelektross is immune to Ground-type attacks, meaning that it has no weaknesses. This means that Eelektross can partner up with a Ground-type Pokemon to form the "DisQuake" combo. However, Eelektross is separated from other Electric-types not only because of its ability, but because of its great offensive stats. With base 115 Attack and 105 Special Attack, Eelektross is very unpredictable when it comes to what set it may have. It also has a great offensive movepool with physical attacks such as Acrobatics, Crunch, and Brick Break, and an even better special movepool with Flamethrower, Discharge, Hidden Power Ice, and Grass Knot, making Eelektross that much harder to predict. To make Eelektross even more intimidating, it has 85 / 80 / 80 defenses, which aren't bad when one considers that Eelektross has no weaknesses. However, that’s just about as good as Eelektross gets, as with only base 50 Speed, it finds it hard to use its offensive presence on the field. Trick Room fixes this to an extent, though it’s hard to rely on Trick Room alone for Eelektross to outspeed faster Pokemon. Moreover, thanks to Pokemon such as Zapdos being allowed in VGC 2012, Eelektross looks to be outclassed, as Zapdos and even Thundurus are faster and stronger on the special side, meaning that both are stronger competitive threats. However, don't underestimate the eel—it's beating the ground in anticipation of a fight.</p>
[SET]
name: Special
move 1: Thunderbolt / Discharge
move 2: Flamethrower
move 3: Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Protect / Grass Knot
item: Sitrus Berry
nature: Modest
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Thanks to the overall coverage this set provides, it's easy for Eelektross to nail common VGC 2012 threats hard. STAB Thunderbolt coming off base 105 Special Attack is nothing to laugh at, and it hits key Pokemon in VGC 2012, such as Politoed and Suicune, hard. Alternatively, Discharge can be used if Eelektross is being partnered with a Ground-type Pokemon or a Telepathy partner, as it is a great spread move thanks to a 30% paralysis rate, potentially crippling Pokemon for the match. Flamethrower gives Eelektross much-needed coverage, as it allows it to hit the Grass-type Pokemon that resist Electric-type attacks, such as Amoonguss; it also nails Steel- and Ice-type Pokemon such as Scizor, Metagross, and Abomasnow. Hidden Power Ice is to make sure Dragon-type Pokemon, such as Haxorus and Garchomp, don't completely wall Eelektross, as well as retaining coverage against Ground-type Pokemon. Finally, Protect ensures that Eelektross won't take unnecessary damage, while Grass Knot can be used to hit heavy Pokemon such as Tyranitar.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs are obvious, giving Eelektross maximum overall bulk as well as maximum attacking strength, making it a decent tank as well. An EV spread of 160 HP / 252 SpA / 96 Spe can be used to outspeed 0 Spe Jellicent and Tyranitar, giving Eelektross the opportunity to KO with Thunderbolt on Jellicent or Grass Knot on Tyranitar. However, Eelektross loses some much-needed bulk, so you need to take that into consideration when deciding on the EV spread. A Speed IV of 0 in tandem with a Quiet nature can make Eelektross an excellent Trick Room abuser coming off of a base Speed of 50. Sitrus Berry is the preferred item, allowing Eelektross gain lost HP mid-battle. A Modest nature helps Eelektross hit as hard as possible.</p>
<p>Eelektross doesn't have perfect coverage, walled by threats such as Rotom-H and Tyranitar (if lacking Grass Knot); to solve this issue, Eelektross can be paired with Pokemon such as Terrakion, Landorus, and Garchomp, who can defeat those two Pokemon. Garchomp and Landorus are especially good, as they can also allow Eelektross to fire off Discharge at will. Water- and Ground-types such as Gastrodon and Swampert are great assets, providing added coverage, easy Discharge use thanks to typing, and support to Eelektross in the form of Storm Drain and Wide Guard, respectively. Since Eelektross is painfully slow, Pokemon such as Togekiss, Tornadus, and Thundurus make great partners with support moves such as Tailwind or Thunder Wave to help Eelektross outrun more of the threats on the field. Togekiss is especially good as it can provide Follow Me support.</p>
[SET]
name: Physical
move 1: Wild Charge
move 2: Acrobatics
move 3: Brick Break / Dragon Claw
move 4: Protect
item: Flying Gem
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set was fairly well-known in VGC 2011 and widely effective; in this VGC season, however, with almost every other Pokemon to choose from, it can be done better by so many other Pokemon, such as Tyranitar and Scizor. However, that doesn't mean this set is bad at all. Eelektross's most powerful STAB move is Wild Charge, dealing heavy damage with the only drawback being recoil. Flying Gem Acrobatics is an excellent combination that hits extremely hard against Pokemon that are weak to it. Brick Break allows Eelektross to gain coverage on more Pokemon, including Tyranitar and Terrakion. Dragon Claw could also be used instead for coverage against Dragon-type Pokemon such as Garchomp and Salamence. Protect is a standard go-to move for VGC.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread maximizes bulk on Eelektross as well as keeping Eelektross's damage output at a maximum with an Adamant nature. Like the special set, an alternative EV spread of 160 HP / 252 Atk / 96 Spe can be used to outspeed Pokemon such as 0 Spe Tyranitar and Jellicent. A Flying Gem is used in conjunction with Acrobatics to be used as a one-time shot to put dents in a variety of Pokemon. 0 Speed IVs, in conjunction with a Brave nature, can be used to allow Eelektross to function well under the influence of Trick Room.</p>
<p>Bulky Rock- and Ground-types can easily take a Brick Break from Eelektross and some can even prevent the use of Wild Charge, such as Rhyperior or Marowak. To help with this, Eelektross can pair up with Water- and Ground-types such as Swampert and Gastrodon, who can use both of their STAB moves to get easy KOs on Rock- and Ground-types. Both can also pair with Eelektross to fire off Earthquakes at will thanks to Levitate. Grass-type Pokemon such as Venusaur and Ludicolo are also nice to have if your team abuses weather, as both can be very useful at taking out slow, bulky Rock- and Ground-types. Since Eelektross is painfully slow, Tailwind and Thunder Wave support are nice to have to help Eelektross outspeed and wreck the opposition.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Eelektross has decent base stats in each of its attacking areas to pull off a mixed set and have phenomenal coverage when doing so. However, using a mixed set limits Eelektross's available investment, which can be a huge turnoff. Choice Specs can be used to allow Eelektross to hit many of its normal counters quite hard. However, the use of Choice Specs means that Eelektross is outsped by many common threats, and having to deal with being locked into a non-spread attack can be very game-breaking if not played right. Rock Slide can be used on a physical set, but with lack of STAB and the weakening of spread moves, it can be very weak and underwhelming. Crunch can be used on a physical set as well, hitting Ghost- and Psychic-types—especially Chandelure and Cresselia—super effectively, who can otherwise annoy your team with Heat Wave or Icy Wind. Eelektross also has a vast majority of supporting moves that it can abuse such as Acid Spray, Light Screen, and Thunder Wave, but Eelektross is not as bulky nor fast enough to pull off a supporting set better than Pokemon such as Murkrow, Sableye, and Cresselia, who are all great supporters that easily outclass Eelektross. Charge Beam can be used to collect Special Attack boosts, but setting up in VGC is next to impossible in the face of a skilled opponent. U-turn and Volt Switch can be used on attacking sets for easy switching, but can be flat-out wasted if the opponent Protects that turn, making more offensive options a better choice over wasting a slot for these kinds of moves. On a special set that is used on a rain team, Thunder can be used over Thunderbolt or Discharge for a stronger single-target hit attack.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>The Special set is walled fairly easily by Rotom-H and bulky Rock- and Ground-types such as Tyranitar and Swampert, especially without Grass Knot. In fact, most Pokemon that are bulky physical attackers can KO Eelektross with little effort due to Eelektross lacking a solid option for beating them. Haxorus is a notable counter to Eelektross, as Mold Breaker nullifies the Levitate immunity and it is able to OHKO even with non-STAB Earthquake coming from its monstrous base 147 Attack. Faster hard-hitting attackers are just overall threatening to Eelektross. Even with no weaknesses thanks to Levitate, it's still not the bulkiest Pokemon around. Some rare, but possible, things to ruin Eelektross's Ground-type immunity are Gravity, Cofagrigus and Mummy, and Gastro Acid. Though uncommon, these options will still remove one of Eelektross's biggest benefits.</p>