Taking this over for DittoCrow
Escavalier
[Overview]
<p>Escavalier is one of the best Pokemon in RU. A fantastic Steel / Bug typing, huge defenses, and a huge Attack stat all make for one of the best possible "tanks" ever conceived, and those characteristics grant Escavalier the freedom to switch into a very large portion of the tier. On top of that, its typing provides a lot of synergy with many of the other top Pokemon of the tier, particularly Fire-types like Emboar and Entei and Water-types like Slowking. That massive Attack stat combined with a high Base Power STAB move in Megahorn makes Escavalier one of the hardest Pokemon to switch into. To top it off, Escavalier's traits lend it to being one of the best Pursuit trappers in the tier, striking fear into the hearts of nearly every Psychic- and Ghost-type.</p>
<p>The rise of "random" Fire-type moves on many sets in the tier is attributed almost solely to the rise of Escavalier, indicating just how metagame-defining the lancer is. These Fire-type moves are a particular problem for Escavalier, considering that the user can choose to wait until it is on the field to fry it. This is because they will never have to fear being outsped by Escavalier, meaning even if Escavalier switches in on a resisted attack, it will still take a Fire-type attack next turn. While most Fire-type moves will quickly eliminate it, Escavalier can overcome even this obstacle through other means should it forgo the power of Choice Band for Occa Berry. In short, Escavalier's role on the team is one that helps patch up weaknesses and demolishes most defensively weak switch-ins, creating the necessary holes in the opposition for other Pokemon to clean up.</p>
[SET]
name: Tank
move 1: Megahorn
move 2: Pursuit
move 3: Iron Head
move 4: Sleep Talk
item: Choice Band / Occa Berry
ability: Swarm
nature: Adamant
evs: 132 HP / 252 Atk / 124 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>OHKOing Escavalier is a near impossibility, creating a situation for the opponent once it's in to decide between the risk of staying in and being KOed by Megahorn or its appropriate coverage move or predicting incorrectly and losing a different Pokemon (or taking a ton of damage). Pursuit destroys the likes of Uxie, Roselia, Cryogonal, and most Cinccino, which have almost no way of harming Escavalier and face a lose-lose situation in either staying in or switching out. Iron Head is Escavalier's "safe move," providing a reliable STAB move that can also do more damage to those that resist Megahorn, such as Aggron and Golurk. The last moveslot is dedicated to Sleep Talk, as Escavalier makes one of the best switch-ins to nearly every sleep inducer in the tier, including Jynx, Lilligant, Amoonguss, and Tangrowth. Hidden Power Fire is a constant threat from these sleep inducers, but the threat of a Choice Band-boosted Megahorn once Escavalier's on the field is usually enough to scare them out, preventing any further setup, and even if they decide to stay in, an item change to Occa Berry can make Escavalier a dedicated counter to these threats.</p>
<p>Speaking of item, Choice Band is typically the best option for Escavalier. The sheer power of Escavalier's Choice Band-boosted Megahorn is what makes it the absolute threat that it is, and is one of the most powerful off-hand attacks available in the tier. However, because of the popularity of the Choice Band set and the inability of the opponent to risk the chance of not playing to the threat it brings, Escavalier has the advantage of bluffing pretty effectively with either an Occa or Chesto Berry. Occa Berry allows Escavalier to beat a handful of Pokemon it normally wouldn't be able to go one-on-one with due to the threat of Hidden Power Fire, particularly from the likes of Grass-types like Lilligant and Amoonguss and Psychic-types like Mesprit. Occa Berry even allows Escavalier to comfortably tank a Fire Blast from Absol, Aerodactyl, and defensive Slowking, which all typically carry the move almost solely for Escavalier. This item bluff is particularly effective when using Escavalier to Pursuit trap a Pokemon such as Uxie and the opponent switches in a Pokemon such as Absol to set up on the assumed Choice-locked Pursuit, only to be met with a KO from Megahorn.</p>
<p>Chesto Berry allows Escavalier to run Rest in the last slot over Sleep Talk, letting it either absorb a sleep attack once or use Rest to give itself a new lease on life and possibly tank and KO not one, but two of the opponent's Pokemon. This is particularly effective when Escavalier is taking on a setup sweeper like Hidden Power Rock Lilligant, which will typically use Quiver Dance as Escavalier switches in and then attempt to put it to sleep with Sleep Powder, only to have Escavalier wake up immediately and smash it with Megahorn. ChestoRest is fantastic against slow defensive teams too, where Escavalier will typically be able to out-tank at least one Pokemon, survive the hit of the incoming Pokemon and use Rest, and continue its relentless pummeling of the opposition.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>With a Pokemon as slow as Escavalier, your initial reaction would probably be to ignore its Speed altogether and just focus on Attack and bulk. However, in RU, Escavalier resides in a very interesting Speed tier, meaning even at its snail's pace, speed is still the name of the game. The Speed EVs given on the above set allow it to outspeed minimum Speed Spiritomb, as well as Slowking and Amoonguss. Dropping down to 84 Speed EVs is doable to still outspeed minimum Speed Slowking and Amoonguss, and Escavalier gains a bit of bulk in the process. If you don't care about outspeeding, or figure that those defensive threats will be Speed creeping ahead of Escavalier anyway, max HP can be used instead to take hits more reliably. In particular, Sceptile and Accelgor have a much lower chance of 2HKOing Escavalier with Focus Blast, and Druddigon's Outrage will only 4HKO max HP Escavalier (assuming no entry hazards).</p>
<p>Escavalier's movepool is hilariously tiny, but Return is a definite alternative option to place in the last slot or over even Iron Head to nail Fire-types like Moltres and Emboar really hard. If you're choosing to not run Choice Band, Protect is a great option to run in the last slot to scout for Hidden Power Fire or Fire Blast and plan accordingly. While Knock Off is pretty weak, it's still a very helpful option to remove Leftovers and Choice Scarf from the opponent, particularly considering Emboar is one of the most common switch-ins and is significantly less threatening without a Choice Scarf boosting its Speed. Don't bother with anything else, honestly; Escavalier is very one-dimensional and that's fine, even if your opponent knows exactly what's going to happen, Escavalier will accomplish its goal.</p>
<p>As for teammates, Escavalier has great synergy with basically every other top-tier threat. Slowking in particular has amazing defensive and offensive synergy with Escavalier, and it can even set up Trick Room to initiate a one-two sweep by the pair as almost nothing else with outspeed them in Trick Room, especially if they're both running 0 Speed IVs. Alomomola has great defensive synergy with Escavalier as well, taking on the likes of Emboar and Steelix like it was getting paid, and provides Wish support for the otherwise-recoverless Escavalier. Escavalier works great in the middle of Regenerator and Fire / Water / Grass cores because it covers the attacking types that they normally miss out on. Escavalier provides the core's Druddigon check, as well as countering Sceptile and Dark-types and Pursuit trapping Psychic- and Ghost-types.</p>
<p>Due to most of Escavalier's checks being grounded and all the switches it forces, Escavalier works very well on Spikes-stacking teams. Spikes wear down the defensive counters to Escavalier that don't have reliable recovery very quickly, with Poliwrath and Steelix being prime examples. Escavalier even traps and eliminates Cryogonal for the team and can force Kabutops out. Finally, in general, Pokemon that love having Ghost- and Psychic-types removed from the battle, such as Hitmonlee and other Fighting-types, love having Escavalier as a partner. Offensive Grass-types, such as Lilligant and Rotom-C, also enjoy Escavalier's ability to either Pursuit trap or eliminate via Megahorn other Grass-types such as Amoonguss and Roselia.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Historically, Escavalier's main set as been the offensive Choice Band set, and for good reason. Few other sets have ever been good enough to be worth using in its stead. A defensive set with a focus on Special Defense was once very popular, thanks to Escavalier's fantastic defensive typing and ability to still pose as an offensive threat. Its staying power could also be increased by using a RestTalk set, allowing it to absorb sleep and other status and continue on its warpath. However, its main function was as a hail team counter, and with hail now banned from RU, the need for Escavalier to tank strong Ice-type attacks is no longer as relevant. The set is still effective, as Escavalier makes one of the best Ghost-, Psychic-, and Dark-type counters in the game. However, Escavalier still retains the ability to check or eliminate almost all of these threats with its offensive set as it is.</p>
<p>For alternative movepool changes, Toxic can be run in the last slot of the offensive set. Toxic is generally not as important for offensive teams (which is typically where Escavalier will be used), but it can still be effective to cripple the likes of Moltres and Poliwrath and generally wear down defensive teams. If not running Choice Band, Swords Dance can make an appearance on the offensive set. Because Escavalier forces switches like there's no tomorrow, it'll usually find an opportunity to set up. However, Escavalier can't sweep due to its low Speed, meaning that while the next Pokemon to come in is almost assured to be KOed (unless it's a Fire-type), that's the extent of Escavalier's sweep. It's usually just better off pummeling the opponent with Megahorn. Finally, Escavalier is one of the best Pokemon to set up Rain Dance, and it benefits from the rain by then being able to tank Hidden Power Fires without the need for Occa Berry.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Choice Band-boosted Megahorn is the big gun Escavalier will be firing for most of the match, and few Pokemon comfortably tank the hit in the tier. Among them, Emboar and Moltres are one of the better ones, as they also force Escavalier to switch out. However, Moltres will need to Roost if it switches into Stealth Rock as well, and Return will completely wreck both of them (though it's a rare move on Escavalier). Steelix is one of the few defensive Pokemon in the tier that straight up walls Escavalier to no end, and can wear down Escavalier with Earthquake. Aggron works as well, avoiding the 2HKO from a Choice Band-boosted Megahorn and OHKOing back with Head Smash.</p>
<p>Qwilfish makes a pretty good check with Intimidate, and it resists both of Escavalier's STAB moves. Even if Qwilfish is at low health and assured to be KOed, the Intimidate Attack drop will help its teammates tank the next hit from Escavalier. Poliwrath is a pretty solid answer to Escavalier, though it's not as good in the current metagame and will be forced to Rest quickly if Spikes are on the field. Eviolite Magneton is the best answer to assuredly trap and defeat Escavalier with Hidden Power Fire; Choice Specs Magneton works as well, but will take massive damage from Megahorn in the process if it switches into it. Choice Scarf Magneton can work, but it only has a small chance to OHKO Escavalier without Stealth Rock damage.</p>
<p>Instead of using a dedicated counter to deal with Escavalier, another option is to lure it out and smack it with Hidden Power Fire or Fire Blast. While Escavalier has a way of dealing with these surprise attacks through Occa Berry, Choice Band is still far and away the most common set, making it a generally consistent option to deal with it. The Pokemon that best lure out Escavalier are Grass-types, such as Lilligant, Amoonguss, Tangrowth, Roselia, and Exeggutor. Running a Fire-type attack on something truly unexpected, such as Hidden Power Fire on Cryogonal, will really throw the Escavalier user off. Other Pokemon capable of dedicating a moveslot include Fire Blast Slowking, Fire Punch or Flamethrower Druddigon, and Hidden Power Fire Mesprit, though these are more common and the Escavalier user will probably be prepared for it.</p>
<p>Finally, there are several Pokemon that can tank a hit from Escavalier and defeat it, but they will be severely maimed in the process. Alomomola will lose to Choice Band Escavalier if it switches into Stealth Rock (though it might be able to burn it with Scald), but will win against Occa Berry and Leftovers Escavalier one-on-one. Rotom, Durant, Entei, and other Escavalier can all tank a Choice Band-boosted Megahorn and KO a partially weakened Escavalier in return, but this is generally a poor way of preparing for it, particularly considering these Pokemon need to be at full health in order to stand the best chance of winning.</p>
Escavalier
[Overview]
<p>Escavalier is one of the best Pokemon in RU. A fantastic Steel / Bug typing, huge defenses, and a huge Attack stat all make for one of the best possible "tanks" ever conceived, and those characteristics grant Escavalier the freedom to switch into a very large portion of the tier. On top of that, its typing provides a lot of synergy with many of the other top Pokemon of the tier, particularly Fire-types like Emboar and Entei and Water-types like Slowking. That massive Attack stat combined with a high Base Power STAB move in Megahorn makes Escavalier one of the hardest Pokemon to switch into. To top it off, Escavalier's traits lend it to being one of the best Pursuit trappers in the tier, striking fear into the hearts of nearly every Psychic- and Ghost-type.</p>
<p>The rise of "random" Fire-type moves on many sets in the tier is attributed almost solely to the rise of Escavalier, indicating just how metagame-defining the lancer is. These Fire-type moves are a particular problem for Escavalier, considering that the user can choose to wait until it is on the field to fry it. This is because they will never have to fear being outsped by Escavalier, meaning even if Escavalier switches in on a resisted attack, it will still take a Fire-type attack next turn. While most Fire-type moves will quickly eliminate it, Escavalier can overcome even this obstacle through other means should it forgo the power of Choice Band for Occa Berry. In short, Escavalier's role on the team is one that helps patch up weaknesses and demolishes most defensively weak switch-ins, creating the necessary holes in the opposition for other Pokemon to clean up.</p>
[SET]
name: Tank
move 1: Megahorn
move 2: Pursuit
move 3: Iron Head
move 4: Sleep Talk
item: Choice Band / Occa Berry
ability: Swarm
nature: Adamant
evs: 132 HP / 252 Atk / 124 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>OHKOing Escavalier is a near impossibility, creating a situation for the opponent once it's in to decide between the risk of staying in and being KOed by Megahorn or its appropriate coverage move or predicting incorrectly and losing a different Pokemon (or taking a ton of damage). Pursuit destroys the likes of Uxie, Roselia, Cryogonal, and most Cinccino, which have almost no way of harming Escavalier and face a lose-lose situation in either staying in or switching out. Iron Head is Escavalier's "safe move," providing a reliable STAB move that can also do more damage to those that resist Megahorn, such as Aggron and Golurk. The last moveslot is dedicated to Sleep Talk, as Escavalier makes one of the best switch-ins to nearly every sleep inducer in the tier, including Jynx, Lilligant, Amoonguss, and Tangrowth. Hidden Power Fire is a constant threat from these sleep inducers, but the threat of a Choice Band-boosted Megahorn once Escavalier's on the field is usually enough to scare them out, preventing any further setup, and even if they decide to stay in, an item change to Occa Berry can make Escavalier a dedicated counter to these threats.</p>
<p>Speaking of item, Choice Band is typically the best option for Escavalier. The sheer power of Escavalier's Choice Band-boosted Megahorn is what makes it the absolute threat that it is, and is one of the most powerful off-hand attacks available in the tier. However, because of the popularity of the Choice Band set and the inability of the opponent to risk the chance of not playing to the threat it brings, Escavalier has the advantage of bluffing pretty effectively with either an Occa or Chesto Berry. Occa Berry allows Escavalier to beat a handful of Pokemon it normally wouldn't be able to go one-on-one with due to the threat of Hidden Power Fire, particularly from the likes of Grass-types like Lilligant and Amoonguss and Psychic-types like Mesprit. Occa Berry even allows Escavalier to comfortably tank a Fire Blast from Absol, Aerodactyl, and defensive Slowking, which all typically carry the move almost solely for Escavalier. This item bluff is particularly effective when using Escavalier to Pursuit trap a Pokemon such as Uxie and the opponent switches in a Pokemon such as Absol to set up on the assumed Choice-locked Pursuit, only to be met with a KO from Megahorn.</p>
<p>Chesto Berry allows Escavalier to run Rest in the last slot over Sleep Talk, letting it either absorb a sleep attack once or use Rest to give itself a new lease on life and possibly tank and KO not one, but two of the opponent's Pokemon. This is particularly effective when Escavalier is taking on a setup sweeper like Hidden Power Rock Lilligant, which will typically use Quiver Dance as Escavalier switches in and then attempt to put it to sleep with Sleep Powder, only to have Escavalier wake up immediately and smash it with Megahorn. ChestoRest is fantastic against slow defensive teams too, where Escavalier will typically be able to out-tank at least one Pokemon, survive the hit of the incoming Pokemon and use Rest, and continue its relentless pummeling of the opposition.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>With a Pokemon as slow as Escavalier, your initial reaction would probably be to ignore its Speed altogether and just focus on Attack and bulk. However, in RU, Escavalier resides in a very interesting Speed tier, meaning even at its snail's pace, speed is still the name of the game. The Speed EVs given on the above set allow it to outspeed minimum Speed Spiritomb, as well as Slowking and Amoonguss. Dropping down to 84 Speed EVs is doable to still outspeed minimum Speed Slowking and Amoonguss, and Escavalier gains a bit of bulk in the process. If you don't care about outspeeding, or figure that those defensive threats will be Speed creeping ahead of Escavalier anyway, max HP can be used instead to take hits more reliably. In particular, Sceptile and Accelgor have a much lower chance of 2HKOing Escavalier with Focus Blast, and Druddigon's Outrage will only 4HKO max HP Escavalier (assuming no entry hazards).</p>
<p>Escavalier's movepool is hilariously tiny, but Return is a definite alternative option to place in the last slot or over even Iron Head to nail Fire-types like Moltres and Emboar really hard. If you're choosing to not run Choice Band, Protect is a great option to run in the last slot to scout for Hidden Power Fire or Fire Blast and plan accordingly. While Knock Off is pretty weak, it's still a very helpful option to remove Leftovers and Choice Scarf from the opponent, particularly considering Emboar is one of the most common switch-ins and is significantly less threatening without a Choice Scarf boosting its Speed. Don't bother with anything else, honestly; Escavalier is very one-dimensional and that's fine, even if your opponent knows exactly what's going to happen, Escavalier will accomplish its goal.</p>
<p>As for teammates, Escavalier has great synergy with basically every other top-tier threat. Slowking in particular has amazing defensive and offensive synergy with Escavalier, and it can even set up Trick Room to initiate a one-two sweep by the pair as almost nothing else with outspeed them in Trick Room, especially if they're both running 0 Speed IVs. Alomomola has great defensive synergy with Escavalier as well, taking on the likes of Emboar and Steelix like it was getting paid, and provides Wish support for the otherwise-recoverless Escavalier. Escavalier works great in the middle of Regenerator and Fire / Water / Grass cores because it covers the attacking types that they normally miss out on. Escavalier provides the core's Druddigon check, as well as countering Sceptile and Dark-types and Pursuit trapping Psychic- and Ghost-types.</p>
<p>Due to most of Escavalier's checks being grounded and all the switches it forces, Escavalier works very well on Spikes-stacking teams. Spikes wear down the defensive counters to Escavalier that don't have reliable recovery very quickly, with Poliwrath and Steelix being prime examples. Escavalier even traps and eliminates Cryogonal for the team and can force Kabutops out. Finally, in general, Pokemon that love having Ghost- and Psychic-types removed from the battle, such as Hitmonlee and other Fighting-types, love having Escavalier as a partner. Offensive Grass-types, such as Lilligant and Rotom-C, also enjoy Escavalier's ability to either Pursuit trap or eliminate via Megahorn other Grass-types such as Amoonguss and Roselia.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Historically, Escavalier's main set as been the offensive Choice Band set, and for good reason. Few other sets have ever been good enough to be worth using in its stead. A defensive set with a focus on Special Defense was once very popular, thanks to Escavalier's fantastic defensive typing and ability to still pose as an offensive threat. Its staying power could also be increased by using a RestTalk set, allowing it to absorb sleep and other status and continue on its warpath. However, its main function was as a hail team counter, and with hail now banned from RU, the need for Escavalier to tank strong Ice-type attacks is no longer as relevant. The set is still effective, as Escavalier makes one of the best Ghost-, Psychic-, and Dark-type counters in the game. However, Escavalier still retains the ability to check or eliminate almost all of these threats with its offensive set as it is.</p>
<p>For alternative movepool changes, Toxic can be run in the last slot of the offensive set. Toxic is generally not as important for offensive teams (which is typically where Escavalier will be used), but it can still be effective to cripple the likes of Moltres and Poliwrath and generally wear down defensive teams. If not running Choice Band, Swords Dance can make an appearance on the offensive set. Because Escavalier forces switches like there's no tomorrow, it'll usually find an opportunity to set up. However, Escavalier can't sweep due to its low Speed, meaning that while the next Pokemon to come in is almost assured to be KOed (unless it's a Fire-type), that's the extent of Escavalier's sweep. It's usually just better off pummeling the opponent with Megahorn. Finally, Escavalier is one of the best Pokemon to set up Rain Dance, and it benefits from the rain by then being able to tank Hidden Power Fires without the need for Occa Berry.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Choice Band-boosted Megahorn is the big gun Escavalier will be firing for most of the match, and few Pokemon comfortably tank the hit in the tier. Among them, Emboar and Moltres are one of the better ones, as they also force Escavalier to switch out. However, Moltres will need to Roost if it switches into Stealth Rock as well, and Return will completely wreck both of them (though it's a rare move on Escavalier). Steelix is one of the few defensive Pokemon in the tier that straight up walls Escavalier to no end, and can wear down Escavalier with Earthquake. Aggron works as well, avoiding the 2HKO from a Choice Band-boosted Megahorn and OHKOing back with Head Smash.</p>
<p>Qwilfish makes a pretty good check with Intimidate, and it resists both of Escavalier's STAB moves. Even if Qwilfish is at low health and assured to be KOed, the Intimidate Attack drop will help its teammates tank the next hit from Escavalier. Poliwrath is a pretty solid answer to Escavalier, though it's not as good in the current metagame and will be forced to Rest quickly if Spikes are on the field. Eviolite Magneton is the best answer to assuredly trap and defeat Escavalier with Hidden Power Fire; Choice Specs Magneton works as well, but will take massive damage from Megahorn in the process if it switches into it. Choice Scarf Magneton can work, but it only has a small chance to OHKO Escavalier without Stealth Rock damage.</p>
<p>Instead of using a dedicated counter to deal with Escavalier, another option is to lure it out and smack it with Hidden Power Fire or Fire Blast. While Escavalier has a way of dealing with these surprise attacks through Occa Berry, Choice Band is still far and away the most common set, making it a generally consistent option to deal with it. The Pokemon that best lure out Escavalier are Grass-types, such as Lilligant, Amoonguss, Tangrowth, Roselia, and Exeggutor. Running a Fire-type attack on something truly unexpected, such as Hidden Power Fire on Cryogonal, will really throw the Escavalier user off. Other Pokemon capable of dedicating a moveslot include Fire Blast Slowking, Fire Punch or Flamethrower Druddigon, and Hidden Power Fire Mesprit, though these are more common and the Escavalier user will probably be prepared for it.</p>
<p>Finally, there are several Pokemon that can tank a hit from Escavalier and defeat it, but they will be severely maimed in the process. Alomomola will lose to Choice Band Escavalier if it switches into Stealth Rock (though it might be able to burn it with Scald), but will win against Occa Berry and Leftovers Escavalier one-on-one. Rotom, Durant, Entei, and other Escavalier can all tank a Choice Band-boosted Megahorn and KO a partially weakened Escavalier in return, but this is generally a poor way of preparing for it, particularly considering these Pokemon need to be at full health in order to stand the best chance of winning.</p>
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