Such Cavalry
Overview
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Escavalier used to be known by its somehwat misleading Pokedex entry and access to a shallow movepool, but a few things have changed since then for our cavalry friend. Drill Run was finally added to Escavalier's arsenal to hit potential switch-ins such as Heatran and Excadrill super effectively. Overcoat allows Escavalier to switch into powder-based moves such as Sleep Powder and Spore. Knock Off make Escavalier an awesome pivot and capable of crippling switch-ins. Finally, the addition of Assault Vest allow Escavalier take special attacks with ease, thanks to its wonderful base 105 Special Defense and plethora of resistances. However, the loss of Ghost- and Dark-type resists do hamper Escavalier's ability to absorb special attacks. Furthermore, not even Assault Vest will always save Escavalier from its quadruple weakness to Fire and its pitiful base 20 Speed.
En Garde!
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name: En Garde!
move 1: Iron Head
move 2: Megahorn
move 3: Drill Run
move 4: Knock Off / Pursuit
item: Assault Vest
nature: Adamant
ability: Overcoat
evs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Moves
========
Iron Head allows Escavalier to tackle threats such as Clefable and Sylveon, while Megahorn pierces Tyranitar and Greninja. Drill Run is great for preventing Pokemon such as Heatran and Aegislash from switching into Escavalier freely. The choice between Knock Off and Pursuit depends on what your team needs from Escavalier. With Knock Off, it can be used as a pivot that harasses opponents by forcing them to lose their item. Pursuit gives Escavalier extra utility in trapping potential threats such as Latias, Latios, Alakazam, and Gengar.
Set Details
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This set utilizes Assault Vest to help it take on Pokemon such as Greninja and Latios. As Escavalier's Special Defense stat is much higher than its HP, Escavalier should focus on investing in HP to sponge both special and physical attacks. Maximizing Special Defense yields little advantage, as demonstrated by the fact that both max HP and max Special Defense Escavalier are 3HKOed by Life Orb Gengar's STAB Shadow Ball. Adamant nature with max Attack EVs help Escavalier maximize its damage output. You can opt for a bulkier spread, but Escavalier specializes in doing hefty amounts of damage while providing utility. If Escavalier is used on a team revolving around Trick Room, a Brave nature with 0 Speed IVs is recommended.
Usage Tips
========
Assault Vest Escavalier's goal is to take on special attackers such as Latias, Latios, Gengar, Greninja, and Alakazam, while punishing potential switch-ins with its strong dual STAB attacks or Knock Off. One thing to never underestimate is Escavalier's special bulk; Clefable with no Special Attack investment fails to OHKO it with Flamethrower. Hydro Pump from Life Orb Greninja will fail to 2HKO Escavalier most of the time, while Escavalier will OHKO the former with STAB Megahorn. Specially defensive Mega Venusaur is 2HKOed by STAB Megahorn and Venusaur can only fight back if it has Hidden Power Fire. In sand, you can pressure Bold Mega Venusaur, as Megahorn will outdamage Synthesis's recovery.
Team Options
========
Escavalier is more of a team player than it is a Pokemon you build around. It can assist teammates such as Keldeo or Mega Charizard Y, as Escavalier easily eliminates most of their problematic opponents with either STAB Megahorn or Pursuit. Rotom-W is a great partner for handling threats such as Talonflame and Heatran while also using Will-O-Wisp to help Escavalier take on physical threats. Unfortunately, Escavalier has major issues against Charizard, which can freely switch into any attack Escavalier uses and Mega Evolve immediately. Hippowdon, thanks to Sand Stream and its bulk, can easily check either Mega Charizard forme. Alternatively, Goodra and Latias can handle Mega Charizard Y while Quagsire can tackle Mega Charizard X.
Other Options
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Due to Escavalier's poor Speed and shoddy movepool, Swords Dance is better left to other physical sweepers such as Scizor. Choice Band is another item that Escavalier can use, as it hits much harder than the Assault Vest variant. Battle Armor is nice, as the chance of an opponent landing a critical hit increases and makes switching into threats such as Hydro Pump Greninja much easier. Swarm can surprise the opponent when Escavalier is at low health with STAB Megahorn doing enough damage to OHKO specially defensive Mega Venusaur after Stealth Rock.
Checks & Counters
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**Fire-types**: Like many Bug-types, Escavalier is bait for Fire-types, as they can easily switch into its STAB attacks. Charizard, as its equipped with a Mega Stone, has an added perk of not taking boosted damage from Knock Off while also being able to scare Escavalier off with its STAB Fire-type attacks. Heatran is capable of taking almost anything Escavalier throws at it barring Drill Run. If Heatran has Air Balloon, it can safely switch into Escavalier at least once. Talonflame and Volcarona have to be wary of switching into Knock Off; however, they can easily scare off Escavalier and either boost their stats or attack the next switch-in.
**Physical Walls**: Skarmory easily shrugs off any attack Escavalier throws at it and can either use STAB Brave Bird to dent Escavalier or force it to take residual damage from Rocky Helmet. Physically defensive Hippowdon takes a maximum of 40% from STAB Megahorn and can at least wear down Escavalier with STAB Earthquake or merely Slack Off any damage. Zapdos shrugs off the majority of Escavalier's attacks and can target it with Heat Wave. Be careful when using Roost, as this leaves Zapdos vulnerable to both Megahorn and Drill Run.
Overview
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- Got a buff with a couple new viable toys - Drill Run, Knock Off, and Assault Vest
- Though losing Ghost- and Dark-type resists, 105 SpD and Assault Vest makes Escavalier a prime candidate of a Pokemon that can take on special attackers such as Gengar.
- Rise of the fairies really gives Escavalier a chance to shine.
- Drill Run and STAB Megahorn, as well as great durability without much investment, gives it an edge over Scizor.
- x4 weakness to Fire-type moves makes it very exploitable as Fire is extremely common in OU.
- Its entire moveset is shut down by Charizard, Talonflame, and Rotom-H.
- Slow despite its Pokedex description of it flying at high speeds. I wish I was joking:
En Garde!
########
name: En Garde!
move 1: Iron Head
move 2: Megahorn
move 3: Drill Run
move 4: Knock Off / Pursuit
item: Assault Vest
nature: Adamant
ability: Overcoat
evs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Moves
========
- Iron Head is the most mandatory STAB for Escavalier to hit Clefable, Sylveon, and at least hitting Azumarill for neutral damage.
- Megahorn is Escavalier's strongest STAB and allows it to hit Lati@s, Ferrothorn, and Mega Venusaur.
- Drill Run harms switch-ins such as Mega Mawile, Heatran, and Tentacruel.
- Knock Off prevents anyone barring Mega Evolutions like Charizard from being safe switch-ins. Alternatively, Pursuit allows Escavalier to trap threats such as Lati@s to aid Keldeo or Mega Charizard Y.
Set Details
========
- Adamant nature with max Attack for tons of damage.
- 248 HP helps with residual damage with the remainder of EVs going to SpD.
- All three of its abilities have great merits.
- Overcoat lets Escavalier block Spore and Sleep Powder from Breloom and Mega Venusaur. It also makes Escavalier immune to Hail to help counter Abomasnow and its Mega Evolution.
- Swarm is great for situations where Escavalier is put into dangerous health levels. This allows Megahorn to hit very hard and practically punish many switch-ins; even those that resist it.
- Shell Armor is the weakest of the three options; however, it completely prevents critical hits in the process.
- With Escavalier's lower HP and higher SpD, it is best to invest in max HP instead of SpD. Below are two calculations for examples:
252 SpA Life Orb Gengar Shadow Ball vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Assault Vest Escavalier: 109-130 (31.6 - 37.7%) -- 90.9% chance to 3HKO
252 SpA Life Orb Gengar Shadow Ball vs. 4 HP / 252 SpD Assault Vest Escavalier: 87-105 (30.8 - 37.2%) -- 78.4% chance to 3HKO
The differences of investing in more SpD is very minor when you also consider Escavalier would appreciate the extra HP to take some physical attacks easier.
- You can try for a bulkier spread, but Escavalier specializes in doing hefty amounts of damage while being utilitarian.
- Brave nature and 0 Speed IVs can be used to have Escavalier run at "high speeds" during Trick Room.
Usage Tips
========
- Assault Vest Escavalier has a dual purpose. Much like Assault Vest Conkeldurr and Assault Vest Tyranitar, the goal is to absorb Special Attacks with relative ease while punishing the opposing Pokemon in the process.
- Some examples of Pokemon that Escavalier can switch into include Greninja, Gengar, Alakazam, Celebi, Espeon, Starmie, Sylveon, and many more. Bear in mind that if any of these Pokemon carry Hidden Power Fire it does make the situation complicated.
- Despite the x4 weakness, un-STAB Fire-type attacks can still be taken from some Pokemon. For example, +1 Flamethrower from bulky Clefable fails to OHKO Escavalier while Iron Head will do 65.9% damage minimum.
- Since Escavalier will force a lot of switches, you may have to predict what is coming out. For example, using Drill Run when Heatran is expected to come in will heavily reward Escavalier and its teammates.
Team Options
========
- Escavalier is not really a Pokemon you build a team around; however, if you desire to think of Pokemon that hate nuisance special sweepers and Ghost-types.
- Keldeo or Mega Charizard Y appreciate Escavalier's capabilities of utilizing Pursuit to eliminate threats such as Latios and Latias.
- Rotom-W is a great partner for handling threats such as Talonflame and Heatran a bit easier. Greninja can be an offensive option that also shuts down tanks such as Hippowdon.
- Charizard is a huge concern for Escavalier because it obtains a free switch-in to any of its attacks. Hippowdon is great as it can somewhat handle both Mega Charizard formes. Goodra and Latias easily take care of Mega Charizard Y while Quagsire is great for handling Mega Charizard X.
Other Options
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- Swords Dance can boost Escavalier's Attack greatly. Unfortunately, its mediocre movepool and pitiful Speed really hamper it from becoming a major threat with it.
- Choice Band Escavalier isn't a bad choice (hue); however, Assault Vest is probably the best item for Escavalier as it sets it apart from Genesect and Scizor.
Checks & Counters
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**Fire-types**: Like many Bug-types, Escavalier is a hot topic for Fire-types as they can easily switch into Escavalier's STAB attacks. Charizard has an added perk of not taking boosted damage from Knock Off while able to scare Escavalier off with its STAB Fire-type attacks. Heatran is capable of taking almost anything Escavalier throws at it barring Drill Run. If Heatran has Air Balloon it can safely switch into Escavalier at least once. Talonflame and Volcarona have to be weary of switching into Knock Off; however, they can easily scare off Escavalier and either boost their stats or attack the next switch-in.
**Physical Walls**: Skarmory easily shrugs off any attack Escavalier throws at it and can either use STAB Brave Bird to dent Escavalier or force Escavalier to take residual damage from Rocky Helmet. Physically defensive Hippowdon takes 40% max from STAB Megahorn and at least wear down Escavalier with STAB Earthquake or Slack Off any damage Hippowdon takes. Zapdos shrugs off the majority of Escavaliers attacks and can target Escavalier with Heat Wave. Be careful when using Roost as Zapdos is prone to both Megahorn and Drill Run.
########
- Got a buff with a couple new viable toys - Drill Run, Knock Off, and Assault Vest
- Though losing Ghost- and Dark-type resists, 105 SpD and Assault Vest makes Escavalier a prime candidate of a Pokemon that can take on special attackers such as Gengar.
- Rise of the fairies really gives Escavalier a chance to shine.
- Drill Run and STAB Megahorn, as well as great durability without much investment, gives it an edge over Scizor.
- x4 weakness to Fire-type moves makes it very exploitable as Fire is extremely common in OU.
- Its entire moveset is shut down by Charizard, Talonflame, and Rotom-H.
- Slow despite its Pokedex description of it flying at high speeds. I wish I was joking:
En Garde!
########
name: En Garde!
move 1: Iron Head
move 2: Megahorn
move 3: Drill Run
move 4: Knock Off / Pursuit
item: Assault Vest
nature: Adamant
ability: Overcoat
evs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Moves
========
- Iron Head is the most mandatory STAB for Escavalier to hit Clefable, Sylveon, and at least hitting Azumarill for neutral damage.
- Megahorn is Escavalier's strongest STAB and allows it to hit Lati@s, Ferrothorn, and Mega Venusaur.
- Drill Run harms switch-ins such as Mega Mawile, Heatran, and Tentacruel.
- Knock Off prevents anyone barring Mega Evolutions like Charizard from being safe switch-ins. Alternatively, Pursuit allows Escavalier to trap threats such as Lati@s to aid Keldeo or Mega Charizard Y.
Set Details
========
- Adamant nature with max Attack for tons of damage.
- 248 HP helps with residual damage with the remainder of EVs going to SpD.
- All three of its abilities have great merits.
- Overcoat lets Escavalier block Spore and Sleep Powder from Breloom and Mega Venusaur. It also makes Escavalier immune to Hail to help counter Abomasnow and its Mega Evolution.
- Swarm is great for situations where Escavalier is put into dangerous health levels. This allows Megahorn to hit very hard and practically punish many switch-ins; even those that resist it.
- Shell Armor is the weakest of the three options; however, it completely prevents critical hits in the process.
- With Escavalier's lower HP and higher SpD, it is best to invest in max HP instead of SpD. Below are two calculations for examples:
252 SpA Life Orb Gengar Shadow Ball vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Assault Vest Escavalier: 109-130 (31.6 - 37.7%) -- 90.9% chance to 3HKO
252 SpA Life Orb Gengar Shadow Ball vs. 4 HP / 252 SpD Assault Vest Escavalier: 87-105 (30.8 - 37.2%) -- 78.4% chance to 3HKO
The differences of investing in more SpD is very minor when you also consider Escavalier would appreciate the extra HP to take some physical attacks easier.
- You can try for a bulkier spread, but Escavalier specializes in doing hefty amounts of damage while being utilitarian.
- Brave nature and 0 Speed IVs can be used to have Escavalier run at "high speeds" during Trick Room.
Usage Tips
========
- Assault Vest Escavalier has a dual purpose. Much like Assault Vest Conkeldurr and Assault Vest Tyranitar, the goal is to absorb Special Attacks with relative ease while punishing the opposing Pokemon in the process.
- Some examples of Pokemon that Escavalier can switch into include Greninja, Gengar, Alakazam, Celebi, Espeon, Starmie, Sylveon, and many more. Bear in mind that if any of these Pokemon carry Hidden Power Fire it does make the situation complicated.
- Despite the x4 weakness, un-STAB Fire-type attacks can still be taken from some Pokemon. For example, +1 Flamethrower from bulky Clefable fails to OHKO Escavalier while Iron Head will do 65.9% damage minimum.
- Since Escavalier will force a lot of switches, you may have to predict what is coming out. For example, using Drill Run when Heatran is expected to come in will heavily reward Escavalier and its teammates.
Team Options
========
- Escavalier is not really a Pokemon you build a team around; however, if you desire to think of Pokemon that hate nuisance special sweepers and Ghost-types.
- Keldeo or Mega Charizard Y appreciate Escavalier's capabilities of utilizing Pursuit to eliminate threats such as Latios and Latias.
- Rotom-W is a great partner for handling threats such as Talonflame and Heatran a bit easier. Greninja can be an offensive option that also shuts down tanks such as Hippowdon.
- Charizard is a huge concern for Escavalier because it obtains a free switch-in to any of its attacks. Hippowdon is great as it can somewhat handle both Mega Charizard formes. Goodra and Latias easily take care of Mega Charizard Y while Quagsire is great for handling Mega Charizard X.
Other Options
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- Swords Dance can boost Escavalier's Attack greatly. Unfortunately, its mediocre movepool and pitiful Speed really hamper it from becoming a major threat with it.
- Choice Band Escavalier isn't a bad choice (hue); however, Assault Vest is probably the best item for Escavalier as it sets it apart from Genesect and Scizor.
Checks & Counters
########
**Fire-types**: Like many Bug-types, Escavalier is a hot topic for Fire-types as they can easily switch into Escavalier's STAB attacks. Charizard has an added perk of not taking boosted damage from Knock Off while able to scare Escavalier off with its STAB Fire-type attacks. Heatran is capable of taking almost anything Escavalier throws at it barring Drill Run. If Heatran has Air Balloon it can safely switch into Escavalier at least once. Talonflame and Volcarona have to be weary of switching into Knock Off; however, they can easily scare off Escavalier and either boost their stats or attack the next switch-in.
**Physical Walls**: Skarmory easily shrugs off any attack Escavalier throws at it and can either use STAB Brave Bird to dent Escavalier or force Escavalier to take residual damage from Rocky Helmet. Physically defensive Hippowdon takes 40% max from STAB Megahorn and at least wear down Escavalier with STAB Earthquake or Slack Off any damage Hippowdon takes. Zapdos shrugs off the majority of Escavaliers attacks and can target Escavalier with Heat Wave. Be careful when using Roost as Zapdos is prone to both Megahorn and Drill Run.
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