Floatzel (QC 0/3)

[AJB]

[OVERVIEW]

• Floatzel's prolific Speed tier allows for it to out-speed almost all relevant Pokemon bar Swellow, including potenet offensive threats such as Tauros, Archeops, and Pyroar.
• Floatzel has access to a terrific movepool with options such as Ice Beam, Focus Blast, and Taunt.
• Swift Swim allows for Floatzel to have an edge versus Rain teams, out-speeding the entire tier with a +2 boost.
• Floatzel is fairly weak, sporting only average attacking stats.
• Floatzel is also incredibly frail, leaving it vulnerable to being revenge killed through priority such as Knagaskhan's Fake Out + Sucker Punch, Hitmonchan's Mach Punch, and the vast amount of Sucker Punch users.
• Floatzel also faces heavy competition from other Water-types, mainly Samurott who sports greater bulk and much more power.

[SET]
name: Specially Offensive Life Orb Attacker
move 1: Hydro Pump
move 2: Ice Beam
move 3: Focus Blast
move 4: Taunt / Baton Pass
item: Life Orb
ability: Swift Swim
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

• Hydro Pump is Floatzel's most powerful Water-type attack and does solid damage to anything that doesn't resist it.
• Ice Beam provides great coverage alongside Hydro Pump, nailing Grass-types such as Vileplume, Gourgeist, and Tangela for super effective damage.
• Focus Blast rounds out Floatzel's coverage, hitting Ferroseed and Abomasnow for super effective damage, while also providing solid neutral damage on Water-type Pokemon.
• Taunt allows for Floatzel to break through incredibly bulky Pokemon such as Musharna and Mega Audino by preventing them from using their respective recovery moves.
• Baton Pass is a solid option on Floatzel over Taunt, as it forces a lot of switches which in conjunction with Baton Pass, and can easily generate momentum and provide wall breakers such as Magmortar, Abomasnow, and Aurorus with free switch ins.
  
• HP Electric is useful for luring in Mantine, while also allowing Floatzel to more reliably hit Water-types for solid damage.

Set Details
========

• Life Orb is the item of choice as provides Floatzel with a necessary power boost while also allowing it to take full advantage of its coverage options.
• Maximum Speed and Special Attack allow for Floatzel to hit as hard and fast as possible.
• A Timid nature allows for Floatzel to get the most out of it's incredible Speed stat, outpacing base 110's such as Tauros and Archeops.
• Swift Swim is chosen to give Floatzel an edge versus dedicated rain teams, and the ability to avoid burns with Water Veil is not as useful for this set.

Usage Tips
========

• Floatzel is best used as a late game cleaner, where it can run through weakened teams with it's fantastic Speed and coverage.
• Floatzel also has utility in revenge killing fast offensive threats such as Archeops, Scyther, and Tauros.
• In situations where your opponent has a counter to Floatzel such as Lanturn at high HP, it is often optimal to use Baton Pass to generate momentum and get a pokemon which can handle said counter in safely.
• Avoid switching Floatzel into anything other than weak resisted attacks, as it's pitiful defenses mean that even neutral attacks will do heavy damage.

Team Options
========

• Strong wall breakers such as Primeape, Aurorus, and Archeops can heavily weaken the opposing team and clear the way for Floatzel to sweep late-game. These wallbreakers also appreciate the free switches Floatzel generates with Baton Pass.
• Grass-types such as Lilligant and Vileplume can make quick work of Water-types that are troublesome for Floatzel such as Lanturn and Poliwrath, while Floatzel can conversely demolish the Fire-types that threaten them.
• Floatzel greatly appreciates entry hazard support from Pokemon such as Omastar, Ferroseed, and Garbodor, as most of its checks and counters lack reliable recovery, making them fairly easy to wear down.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

• Floatzel can run a Bulk Up + Baton Pass set to decent success, as it's naturally high base speed combined with increased bulk allows it to pass boosts efficiently. This set is often less reliable than the special offensive set, though, as it lacks the ability to effectively revenge kill offensive threats, and relies on mono-water coverage to actually deal damage.
• A Choice Band set capitalizes on Floatzel's naturally higher Attack stat, although this set is usually sub-optimal as Choice Banded Floatzel is unable to switch attacks which restricts its coverage, and Floatzel's physical movepool is far less impressive than its special.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Lanturn**: Lanturn resists Floatzel's main STAB and takes very little damage from any of it's coverage options. In return, Lanturn can hit Floatzel super effectively with STAB Volt Switch for huge damage.

**Water-types**: Floatzel can struggle to reliably damage Water-types such as Mantine, Poliwrath, and Prinplup, especially if HP Electric is not used as coverage.

**Choice Scarf Users**: Choice Scarf users such as Rotom, Scyther, and Lilligant all outspeed Floatzel can can force it out.

**Bulky Pokemon**: Incredibly bulky Pokemon such as Malamar and Hariyama that can tank a hit from Floatzel and retaliate back with a strong STAB move a big threats as they need to be sufficiently weakened before Floatzel can begin to sweep.

 

[AJB]

This is out of WIP and ready for QC checks. Thoughts on Baton Pass being slashed behind Taunt on the main set? I bring it up quite often throughout the analysis an feel like it is worth the slash.

e: Bolts and I agreed it's worth the slash so did this

 

[erisia]

I wouldn't say Floatzel's movepool is terrific and list like three options; just say that it has enough options to hit most of the tier and keep opponents on their toes about what Floatzel's third and fourth slots are. Mention Ludicolo as another Water-type that Floatzel competes, due to its increased power and speed in the Rain it sets, as well as STAB Giga Drain to hit opposing Water-types. I would definitely include a sentence somewhere in the overview stating why a special set is generally more effective than a physical one; namely that there's a lot more physical tanks in NU than special ones.

In moves, mention that Focus Blast also hits Normal-types hard, such as Audino if it tries to switch in before Mega-Evolving, as well as Kangaskhan, Miltank, and Kecleon.

252 SpA Life Orb Floatzel Hydro Pump vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Kangaskhan: 211-250 (60.1 - 71.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252 SpA Life Orb Floatzel Focus Blast vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Kangaskhan: 309-364 (88 - 103.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock

I think Substitute should also be mentioned in moves as an alternative to Focus Blast and in combination with Baton Pass. Some teams would find it more useful for Floatzel to set up a Substitute and pass it to a teammate when something like Ferroseed or Abomasnow comes in to block you, so the incoming mon doesn't get hit by status or a powerful attack. Idk whether it should be slashed but definitely mention it either here or in OO.

In usage tips, maybe mention that Floatzel can use Ice Beam to pick off weakened foes to avoid risking a miss. If you talk about Substitute in moves, mention it in usage tips as well where you talk about using Baton Pass against foes like Lanturn.

Also maybe change "Choice Scarf Users" to "Faster Pokemon" and add Swellow, as Boomburst reliably OHKOes Floatzel.

QC 1/3