OU Escavalier

Colonel M

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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!
########
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
========

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
########

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
########

**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
########
- 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
########
- 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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Colonel M

I COULD BE BORED!
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I know it wasn't quite approved by QC but I did it anyway for a few reasons:

- Assault Vest Escavalier is an awesome trapper; arguably better than Scizor. While it lacks U-turn, it has a slightly stronger Pursuit and Knock Off (assuming on Pursuit the enemy switches out).
- Furthermore Escavalier's greater SpD allows it to trap threats such as Gengar much easier.
- Drill Run allows Escavalier to clear the path against Heatran with no trouble whatsoever (barring random Shuca Berry) and Heatran with Air Balloon isn't a safe switch-in thanks to Escavalier not having a non-attacking move.
- Overcoat buff is pretty cool and the increased critical hit ratios give Shell Armor some decency to use as well.
- Jibaku hates its Pokedex description.

- I'm the fucking Tyrant.
 
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Oh cool I like using Escavalier a ton.

Not QC but to me Escavalier doesn't really need Drill Run almost ever. It deals with a surprising amount of Steel-types by knocking off their items, which makes them a lot more vulnerable. Although Heatran is still annoying, Knock Off does around 40% to offensive Heatran, and while Drill Run is definitely cool I feel like eliminating some important Pokemon from the match completely via Pursuit has been more important to me than catching Heatran on the switch, especially since you need to have gotten rid of the balloon already to even propose a remote threat to it since all Heatrans OHKO it. imo it just requires the other four moves to do well, as a lot of Eacavalier's merit is using Pursuit, so I don't feel like Drill a Run deserves a slash...

Also I like Overcoat a bit more than Shell Armor. It takes on Grass-types so well and threatening Breloom is a very good trait, probably a bit more than the crit retooling.
 
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I think Escavalier prefers to run 248 HP EVs to minimize Stealth Rock damage with 8 EVs in Special Defense (same base HP as Scizor, which runs 248 HP as well), especially if you don't feel like running Rapid Spin/Defog support.
 

Ash Borer

I've heard they're short of room in hell
esca is definitely good in OU, the new moves it has make it far from exploitable. other than thay that it really does have the bulk, power and typing to stand up to the OU tier. w why shell armour over swarm? swarm alongside megahorn give a massive boost in power, and considering the assault vest role being in swarm range is common. Shell armour really isn't that useful in comparison especially after the crit nerf. Drill run is necessary btw. without it Lucario sets up on you, considering how dangerous it is, that's just too big of a hole imo
 

alexwolf

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Yeah, Drill Run is really important for two metagame defining threats (Lucario and Heatran), as well as Tentacruel, Aegislash that has already lost its item, and Excadrill, which you can check, at least bulky versions, all of which are important too. I think that until Lucarionite gets banned, Drill Run > Pursuit.

EDIT: Forgot to mention that Drill Run covers Mega Mawile too, which is super important and immune to Knock Off's secondary effect. Iron Head can't 2HKO and you don't want to be giving free switches to this thing.
 
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Shroomisaur

Smogon's fantastical fun-guy.
I'm glad to see Escavalier getting an analysis I'm totally not jealous that you snatched up Escavalier before I could! I've tried out both CB and AV sets and they both worked decently, the Knock Off buff was huuuuuge for Esca. Drill Run is icing on the cake.

Unfortunately Escavalier's biggest issue is always going to be "why use this when you can use Gene/Scizor?", considering Scizor has Knock Off as well and can do everything listed here, yet has Technician Pursuit and the all-too-amazing Bullet Punch. Drill Run is at least unique for Esca so it should probably be first in the last moveslot, because you really need to show what this guy does better than Scizor!

Edit: forgot to say I agree with porky as well, Swarm should be slashed.
 

Colonel M

I COULD BE BORED!
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w why shell armour over swarm? swarm alongside megahorn give a massive boost in power, and considering the assault vest role being in swarm range is common. Shell armour really isn't that useful in comparison especially after the crit nerf.
Even though the crit's power was nerfed to x1.5, remember that the chances of a critical hit have also increased. Pokemon like Tyranitar also carry high critical-hit ratio moves like Stone Edge and such. Furthermore you don't want your possible Pursuit trapper to be screwed over by not being able to stop it.

That said, Swarm definitely isn't bad and it is rather easy enough to get into Swarm range with this thing taking abuse. It's kind of funny how only Swarm was good last gen and now all three of its abilities have some viability (don't ignore Shell Armor - it really is underestimated in that it guarantees the 3HKO to be a 3HKO and such).

RE: Drill Run - I definitely agree with Drill Run but the problem is it is very hard to fit into the set. Pursuit is necessary for some teams that really need threats like Lati@s, Gengar, and co shooed off. Pursuit does an excellent job in fucking around with these Pokemon so that it opens up opportunities to sweep. On the other hand the rise of Mega Lucario now (since MKhan is banned) and the mentioned Mega Mawile really does make sense with using Drill Run as well as fucking up Heatran and co.

I might be shot in the foot for saying this but I think the problem is actually that Pursuit and Knock Off are somewhat interchangeable. Knock Off is great for utility purposes, but so is Pursuit. Both can theoretically be ran on Escavalier too without much issue barring the Mega Lucario / Mega Mawile situations (which actually can be solved with Moltres) as I as well as McGrr ran without Drill Run on Escavalier for a while too.

So tl;dr version:

SET NAME
########
name: En Guarde!
move 1: Iron Head
move 2: Megahorn
move 3: Drill Run
move 4: Knock Off / Pursuit
item: Assault Vest / Choice Band
nature: Brave
evs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe

What this does:

- This solves the issue with Knock Off, Pursuit, and Drill Run. Pursuit still gives Escavalier utility with trapping Pokemon while Knock Off harasses the next switch-in.
- The ability tag will have nothing in it and, instead, all three abilities will be explained with their pros and cons. Shell Armor helps prevent critical hits that can otherwise hamper Escavalier. Overcoat allows Escavalier to switch into Breloom and Mega Venusaur with little issue. Swarm allows Megahorn to get a boost when within that range and works well with Choice Band in general.
- I've added Choice Band. I decided that it actually isn't bad if you want more offensive crushing power on Escavalier.
- Just renamed the set. It kind of works.

Other things to note:

- The Overview will note on why to use this over Genesect and Scizor. Mainly that Escavalier does not have to heavily invest into its durability for prime results with items such as Assault Vest, has access to STAB Megahorn that can be boosted further if Swarm is chosen, has Shell Armor to guarantee no critical hits, and Overcoat to fuck with Breloom and Mega Venusaur. Access to Drill Run will also be mentioned as Genesect and, to some extent, Scizor struggle against Heatran. Also being slower than Aegislash is good to ensure that maximum damage output is being done.
- Less emphasis on trapping and more on how it can harass threats.
- Maybe note on how well Megahorn in Swarm range does since it might require some explanation as to why to use it.
 

alexwolf

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I like a lot the moveset change, and actually i was thinking about proposing the same thing, so well done! However, i am not so sure about Choice Band being slashed with Assault Vest. Skarmory, Landorus-T, Gliscor, Mega Charizard X, Roost Talonflame, and Gyarados, are all Pokemon that can counter the CB set, regardless of how good your prediction is. Also, Megahorn is a bad move to be locked into when so many types are 2x or 4x resistant to it, including Fairy-types (and incredibly dangerous ones such as Mega Mawile). I would argue that it's even worse of a move to be locked into than Earthquake. Same goes with Iron Head, which has a ton of 2x and 4x resists. This means that there is no safe choice with CB Escavalier. You will need to be predicting good all the time and often ending up using coverage moves anyway, and all this while it is very possible that you may not even able to get get past your target, as Esavalier counters are not sparse at all. So what is the point of all this prediction if you are not even guaranteed to maul something with good prediction and if you will end up becoming set up bait for some of the most dangerous set up sweepers no matter in which move you get locked into? Let's leave CB sets to the Pokemon that is able to use them well, Scizor.

So, imo, either mention CB in the set comments very briefly if you really must, or otherwise don't mention it at all (or maybe in OO to say it's outclassed?).
 
why am I only finding out about drill run now. I like this poke but didn't know he now has decent coverage options.

Also I don't see how u can slash assault vest and choice band. I understand u might use the same ev's and moves but they would have such different uses its strange to see these items slashed on the same set.
 
Overview:

In the second point, just mention that its high Special Defense and Assault Vest make it a prime candidate against a slew of special attackers, not just Ghost- and Dark-type Pokemon, since you're insinuating that Escavalier can deal with physical threats of that type which is not necessarily true.

You need to add that it has an exploitable 4x weakness to Fire, which is really common in OU from the likes of Heatran, Talonflame, Genesect, and Charizard. You also need to add that its whole moveset is shut down by Talonflame and Charizard, among whatever else I'm missing.

Moves:

Mention Megahorn before Knock Off / Pursuit, mention those last. I really wouldn't consider anyone to drop Drill Run, as it's a very, very important move that allows Escavalier to handily deal with many of its typical switch-ins, so remove that comment. If they want Pursuit, they will use it instead of Knock Off. Knock Off isn't this be-all-end-all of moves that people make it out to be; sometimes there are better options to consider.

Set Details:

I would actually add in the nature and make it Overcoat / Swarm with Shell Armor mentioned in the comments. While you talk about Overcoat, you can add that it is immune to hail from Abomasnow, making it one of the best counters to it and its mega counterpart.

Remove Choice Band in the set comments and keep it exclusive to OO. Assault Vest Esca is the best it can do in this metagame.

Usage Tips:

I'm not a fan with the way you laid this out. You mention a bunch of Pokemon that can't do much to it, but you don't really mention how Esca should be used. The first point is fine. The next 5 points can be easily combined into a sentence saying something like "bring Escavalier on the many special attacking threats that don't carry a STAB Fire-type attack, such as Alakazam, Gengar, Starmie, and Clefable, and either hit them with the appropriate STAB attack or if you predict them to switch out , Pursuit to beat them or Knock Off to cripple the switch-in." You can reword this to your liking.

In your last point, you should mention that if the opponent carries Magnezone, Heatran, or Lucario or whatever, predicting them to switch in and using Drill Run will be a huge boon, as Esca can now safely spam its STAB attacks and stuff.

Team Options:

Mention Swords Dance/Choice Band Terrakion specifically, since those are the only sets that come close to demolishing Skarmory.

Remove point 4 when you talk about not having Drill Run, as that will never be the case. Drill Run is mandatory.

I would remove Heatran and Magnezone as Pokemon Escavlier struggles with. That's the whole point of Drill Run, as it can catch these guys on the switch and eliminate them easily. I'm almost certain Escavalier survives Magnezone's Hidden Power Fire, while if you predict wrong against Heatran, then yeah you gotta switch out. Charizard is fine because before it mega evolves, you can't do anything to it. Rotom-H is fine too, so I'm okay with mentioning Gastrodon. Remove Landorus-I as a mention, as that is mostly never Choice Scarfed. Heatran doesn't beat Charizard-X, since it always carries Earthquake. Rotom-W can't deal with it either since it can't do anything significant back to Charizard-X. You can try bulky Landorus-T. It also deals with Talonflame who can cause issues.

Other Options:

Remove Screech.

Checks & Counters:

I would remove Heatran and mention it on its own. Mention regular Charizard getting a free boost/mega evo basically, Charizard-Y that can consistently wall Esca unlike Charizard-X, and Talonflame (combine the Talonflame mention from the last point). Then with Heatran, you can mention Air Balloon variants or, because of Drill Run, only as a revenge killer when it's brought in safely.

Also, Will-O-Wisp users need to be talked about. Jellicent, Trevenant, and Rotom-W are bulky enough to take any hit and burn Esca, effectively making it worthless.

QC APPROVED 1/3
 

Colonel M

I COULD BE BORED!
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Done the suggested and thanks for the stamp.

Since Escavalier is one of those Pokemon that you don't really build around per-se it makes its team options a bit more flexible. I mentioned a few others given (Landorus-T and I kept Gyarados with the mention that it can hamper Charizards). I was trying to think of some other sweepers and do have some off-hand. If more needs to be mentioned I would be more than happy to do so. I just kept it bare since I don't want to, well you know, "write it out just yet".
 

Ash Borer

I've heard they're short of room in hell
Ok so I've played a crapload of ladder games with AV esca today and it is damn good. Like I thought it would be it's really, really good at switching into special fairies like garde, togekiss, clefable, and sylveon taking little damage from their attacks, and threatening them wiht a monstrous iron head. The issue is that becuase they resist pursuit and despite the very useful in practice drill run as newly found coverage there still exist a pretty cool number of mons that can switch into esca. Knock off really mitigates that, especially with rocks up knock off ruins talonflame's day, that thing relaly relies on CB to do damage. At the same time, pursuit reks gengar, latios, zam, and a bunch of pretty important shit. it also just offers good chip away damage against scarfers and shit you force out so I really like it too.

Basically, I'd say as a usage tip; if you want to use esca as a fairy sponge and pivot, knock off is ideal because more often than not youre scaring fairies away (though some are dumb enough to try and KO with flamethrower, sadly you gotta scout for their intelligence. sometimes creaming them with iron head), and a pretty decent switch in to your other moves will meet you. Nothing but a small handful of mons dont care about getting smacked with knock off. If you wanna beat down pursuit weak mons then pursuit is of course what you want, but always carry a good talonflame switch in, giving that thing some leeway isnt fun. Also, Zard-Y is basically immune to your moves, so get your rocks up quick or have a really good check to it if running ESca.

so yeah zard and talonflame switch in very useful. LAtios, heatran, tyranitar, rotom-h are good partners. Also, fighting types really enjoy psychic attacks removed from the picture, escavalier makes a good partner to them, you can mention that in team option maybe?
 

alexwolf

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- As Escavalier can handle some of the dirty work against some of the Ghost-types like Gengar and Aegislash, Pokemon such as Terrakion really appreciate the removal of Ghost-types. In return Terrakion can demolish threats such as Skarmory that otherwise trouble Escavalier.
The majority of Aegislash run King's Shield, which allows it to switch out relatively safely, not to mention that Escavalier doesn't have any non-contact move to bypass King's Shield. So simply mention that it can only trap Aegislash sets without King's Shield.

Remove Fell Stinger from OO.

Mention an all out attacking set with LO with TR support in OO.



QC APPROVED 2/3
 
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Colonel M

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Silly alex that would be 2/3.

Anyway I can do these and I will rephrase Aegislash because you could catch Aegislash on the switch with Knock Off.
 

alexwolf

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I meant that Escavalier won't be able to trap Aegislash with King's Shield and why would Aegislash would switch into a Pokemon that walls it and can do a lot of damage with Knock Off? All in all, King's Shield Aegislash doesn't really mind Escavalier's pressence at all, so Terrakion is unaffected by having it as a partner.
 

Shroomisaur

Smogon's fantastical fun-guy.
Why 248 EVs in HP and not 252?

Edit: +in HP
252 HP would be evenly divisible by 8, so by using only 248 EVs you get less passive damage from SR, Spikes, and Burns.



Talk about a necrobump, poor Esca hasn't been touched at all this year. The analysis is nearly done, although it needs to updated with mentions of Gene/MLuke removed.
 
252 HP would be evenly divisible by 8, so by using only 248 EVs you get less passive damage from SR, Spikes, and Burns.



Talk about a necrobump, poor Esca hasn't been touched at all this year. The analysis is nearly done, although it needs to updated with mentions of Gene/MLuke removed.
Ah, makes sense to me. Thanks for the reply!
 

Colonel M

I COULD BE BORED!
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Next week is Spring Break so I will have plenty of time to write everything up. Sorry about the delay.
 
I know it wasn't quite approved by QC but I did it anyway for a few reasons:

- Assault Vest Escavalier is an awesome trapper; arguably better than Scizor. While it lacks U-turn, it has a slightly stronger Pursuit and Knock Off (assuming on Pursuit the enemy switches out).
- Furthermore Escavalier's greater SpD allows it to trap threats such as Gengar much easier.
- Drill Run allows Escavalier to clear the path against Heatran with no trouble whatsoever (barring random Shuca Berry) and Heatran with Air Balloon isn't a safe switch-in thanks to Escavalier not having a non-attacking move.
- Overcoat buff is pretty cool and the increased critical hit ratios give Shell Armor some decency to use as well.
- Jibaku hates its Pokedex description.

- I'm the fucking Tyrant.
that almost beats Hypno'sdex entree from fire red leaf green
 

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