[OVERVIEW]
Initially, Fomantis may seem like a potent threat given its access to the very good combination of Contrary + Leaf Storm. It is able to carve a small yet notable niche over its competition in Snivy thanks to its access to Defog. This allows Fomantis to function as both an entry hazard remover and a wallbreaker, as well as clearing entry hazards away as it forces switches. However, Fomantis is horribly outclassed as a Contrary sweeper by Snivy, as it isn’t as bulky, is substantially slower and doesn’t have access to the utility moves that allow Snivy to thrive, such as Glare and Knock Off. Furthermore, Fomantis's special movepool is very barren, which prevents it from properly complementing its access to Contrary Leaf Storm. Lastly, Fomantis still struggles to wallbreak or remove entry hazards too well due to competition as a Grass-type entry hazard remover from Rowlet and its poor stats. Overall, Fomantis is a pretty mediocre Pokemon that only justifies usage on teams that want an offensive Grass-type and entry hazard remover, though it’s still pretty bad at these roles.
[SET]
name: Contrary Wallbreaker
move 1: Leaf Storm
move 2: Synthesis
move 3: Hidden Power Fire / Hidden Power Ground / Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Defog
item: Eviolite
ability: Contrary
nature: Timid
evs: 36 HP / 196 SpA / 236 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Leaf Storm is a powerful STAB attack that alongside Contrary allows Fomantis to increase its Special Attack by two stages and turn itself into a powerful special threat. Synthesis is reliable recovery and allows Fomantis to remain healthy throughout the match, and it is generally preferred over Giga Drain due to the guaranteed 50% recovery in HP. Fomantis's Hidden Power of choice allows it to hit Pokemon of certain types for more damage. Hidden Power Fire allows Fomantis to hit the Steel-, Grass- and Bug-type Pokemon of the tier that resist Leaf Storm, while Hidden Power Ground hits common threats in Mareanie and Magnemite for more damage. Hidden Power Ice is another option that allows Fomantis to hit its Grass- and Flying-type switch-ins, such as Foongus and Vullaby, for good damage. Defog allows Fomantis to remove entry hazards that its partners may be weak to, and is mandatory considering the only reason you should be running Fomantis over Snivy is because of Defog.
Set Details
========
Eviolite and 36 HP EVs allow Fomantis to usually avoid the 2HKO from unboosted Timburr’s Drain Punch, as well as avoiding the OHKO from Modest Omanyte’s Ice Beam and unboosted Scraggy’s STAB attacks, and retaliate back with STAB Leaf Storm. Contrary is absolutely mandatory, as it allows Fomantis to accumulate Special Attack boosts with Leaf Storm. Maximum Special Attack investment allows Fomantis to hit as hard as possible, and a Timid nature with maximum Speed investment allows Fomantis to outspeed some variants of Vullaby and slow Mienfoo. This also allows Fomantis to hit 21 Speed when Sticky Web is on its side of the field. It is worth noting that Hidden Power won’t do much damage unless Fomantis has boosted its Special Attack, which means it should acquire at least one Special Attack boost from Leaf Storm before using the move.
Usage Tips
========
Due to its mediocre bulk even with Eviolite, Fomantis should only be switched into resisted attacks or supported by slow pivots that can afford to take a hit and then safely get Fomantis into the field, such as Mienfoo or defensive Vullaby. Fomantis's access to Contrary allows it to switch into a Sticky Web-infested field to gain a +1 Speed boost, thus patching up its Speed problem. Leaf Storm and Fomantis's Hidden Power of choice allow it to become powerful and break various threats, such as Magnemite if it's using Hidden Power Ground or Ferroseed if it's using Hidden Power Fire. Lastly, Defog should usually only be used when Fomantis is healthy enough to take a hit or is forcing a switch.
Team Options
========
Diglett is a fantastic partner, as it can allow Fomantis to choose its Hidden Power more easily by eliminating its common checks in Mareanie and Ponyta. Pokemon with access to Sticky Web, such as Surskit and Spinarak, can use the move to help Fomantis patch up its Speed problem a bit. Ironically, Fomantis is also able to function well on teams that need a stop to Sticky Web, as it can gain a boost in Speed from the hazard and proceed to remove it via Defog. Switch-ins to Fire-type attacks, such as Ponyta and Mareanie, are helpful to Fomantis and allow it to forego using Hidden Power Ground, while switch-ins to Poison-type attacks, such as Mudbray and Cranidos are also able to make Fomantis's choice of Hidden Power easier and take care of Pokemon with these types, such as Alolan Grimer and Croagunk. Flying-type checks, such as Onix and Dwebble, are able to switch into powerful Flying-type attacks that Fomantis hates, such as Doduo’s Brave Bird and Vullaby’s Air Slash, as well as provide Fomantis with entry hazards that allow it to break its foes more easily. Although hazard-weak Pokemon like Vulpix and Vullaby appreciate Fomantis's ability to clear entry hazards with Defog, they should not heavily rely on it to remove hazards due to its poor bulk and Speed.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Fomantis can use Aromatherapy over Defog in some situations to act as an offensive cleric. However, it can’t reliably use the move due to its poor bulk. Choice Scarf can be used to help Fomantis patch up its Speed problem and get off a fast Defog when it needs to, though it can't reliably spam Leaf Storm due to the tier's large number of Grass-resistant Pokemon and is outsped by other users of Choice Scarf in Mienfoo and Vullaby. Fomantis can utilize a support-based set consisting of the moves Leaf Storm, Defog, Aromatherapy, and Synthesis to provide its team with both a cleric and entry hazard remover, though even after heavy bulk investment, it is quite frail and still very slow. Lastly, Toxic can be run to cripple some of Fomantis's switch-ins. However, it has to give up either coverage or Defog to do this, which isn’t worth it more often than not.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fire-types**: Fire-types such as Vulpix and Larvesta can outspeed Fomantis and OHKO it with their super effective STAB moves.
**Steel-types**: Steel-types such as Pawniard and Ferroseed can easily switch into Fomantis depending on what type of Hidden Power it's using and set up on it, remove its Eviolite with Knock Off, or inflict it with status.
**Poison-types**: LC is full of defensive Poison-types that can tank Hidden Power Ground like Alolan Grimer and Mareana and cripple Fomantis with status or, in Alolan Grimer's case, KO it with Gunk Shot.
**Flying-types**: Although they can’t always reliably switch in, Flying-types such as Rufflet, Doduo and Vullaby are all able to revenge kill Fomantis with relative ease.
**Faster Pokemon**: Due to its abysmal Speed, Fomantis is outsped by the likes of Abra, Mienfoo, Croagunk, and more and either forced out or KOed due to its poor bulk.
Initially, Fomantis may seem like a potent threat given its access to the very good combination of Contrary + Leaf Storm. It is able to carve a small yet notable niche over its competition in Snivy thanks to its access to Defog. This allows Fomantis to function as both an entry hazard remover and a wallbreaker, as well as clearing entry hazards away as it forces switches. However, Fomantis is horribly outclassed as a Contrary sweeper by Snivy, as it isn’t as bulky, is substantially slower and doesn’t have access to the utility moves that allow Snivy to thrive, such as Glare and Knock Off. Furthermore, Fomantis's special movepool is very barren, which prevents it from properly complementing its access to Contrary Leaf Storm. Lastly, Fomantis still struggles to wallbreak or remove entry hazards too well due to competition as a Grass-type entry hazard remover from Rowlet and its poor stats. Overall, Fomantis is a pretty mediocre Pokemon that only justifies usage on teams that want an offensive Grass-type and entry hazard remover, though it’s still pretty bad at these roles.
[SET]
name: Contrary Wallbreaker
move 1: Leaf Storm
move 2: Synthesis
move 3: Hidden Power Fire / Hidden Power Ground / Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Defog
item: Eviolite
ability: Contrary
nature: Timid
evs: 36 HP / 196 SpA / 236 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Leaf Storm is a powerful STAB attack that alongside Contrary allows Fomantis to increase its Special Attack by two stages and turn itself into a powerful special threat. Synthesis is reliable recovery and allows Fomantis to remain healthy throughout the match, and it is generally preferred over Giga Drain due to the guaranteed 50% recovery in HP. Fomantis's Hidden Power of choice allows it to hit Pokemon of certain types for more damage. Hidden Power Fire allows Fomantis to hit the Steel-, Grass- and Bug-type Pokemon of the tier that resist Leaf Storm, while Hidden Power Ground hits common threats in Mareanie and Magnemite for more damage. Hidden Power Ice is another option that allows Fomantis to hit its Grass- and Flying-type switch-ins, such as Foongus and Vullaby, for good damage. Defog allows Fomantis to remove entry hazards that its partners may be weak to, and is mandatory considering the only reason you should be running Fomantis over Snivy is because of Defog.
Set Details
========
Eviolite and 36 HP EVs allow Fomantis to usually avoid the 2HKO from unboosted Timburr’s Drain Punch, as well as avoiding the OHKO from Modest Omanyte’s Ice Beam and unboosted Scraggy’s STAB attacks, and retaliate back with STAB Leaf Storm. Contrary is absolutely mandatory, as it allows Fomantis to accumulate Special Attack boosts with Leaf Storm. Maximum Special Attack investment allows Fomantis to hit as hard as possible, and a Timid nature with maximum Speed investment allows Fomantis to outspeed some variants of Vullaby and slow Mienfoo. This also allows Fomantis to hit 21 Speed when Sticky Web is on its side of the field. It is worth noting that Hidden Power won’t do much damage unless Fomantis has boosted its Special Attack, which means it should acquire at least one Special Attack boost from Leaf Storm before using the move.
Usage Tips
========
Due to its mediocre bulk even with Eviolite, Fomantis should only be switched into resisted attacks or supported by slow pivots that can afford to take a hit and then safely get Fomantis into the field, such as Mienfoo or defensive Vullaby. Fomantis's access to Contrary allows it to switch into a Sticky Web-infested field to gain a +1 Speed boost, thus patching up its Speed problem. Leaf Storm and Fomantis's Hidden Power of choice allow it to become powerful and break various threats, such as Magnemite if it's using Hidden Power Ground or Ferroseed if it's using Hidden Power Fire. Lastly, Defog should usually only be used when Fomantis is healthy enough to take a hit or is forcing a switch.
Team Options
========
Diglett is a fantastic partner, as it can allow Fomantis to choose its Hidden Power more easily by eliminating its common checks in Mareanie and Ponyta. Pokemon with access to Sticky Web, such as Surskit and Spinarak, can use the move to help Fomantis patch up its Speed problem a bit. Ironically, Fomantis is also able to function well on teams that need a stop to Sticky Web, as it can gain a boost in Speed from the hazard and proceed to remove it via Defog. Switch-ins to Fire-type attacks, such as Ponyta and Mareanie, are helpful to Fomantis and allow it to forego using Hidden Power Ground, while switch-ins to Poison-type attacks, such as Mudbray and Cranidos are also able to make Fomantis's choice of Hidden Power easier and take care of Pokemon with these types, such as Alolan Grimer and Croagunk. Flying-type checks, such as Onix and Dwebble, are able to switch into powerful Flying-type attacks that Fomantis hates, such as Doduo’s Brave Bird and Vullaby’s Air Slash, as well as provide Fomantis with entry hazards that allow it to break its foes more easily. Although hazard-weak Pokemon like Vulpix and Vullaby appreciate Fomantis's ability to clear entry hazards with Defog, they should not heavily rely on it to remove hazards due to its poor bulk and Speed.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Fomantis can use Aromatherapy over Defog in some situations to act as an offensive cleric. However, it can’t reliably use the move due to its poor bulk. Choice Scarf can be used to help Fomantis patch up its Speed problem and get off a fast Defog when it needs to, though it can't reliably spam Leaf Storm due to the tier's large number of Grass-resistant Pokemon and is outsped by other users of Choice Scarf in Mienfoo and Vullaby. Fomantis can utilize a support-based set consisting of the moves Leaf Storm, Defog, Aromatherapy, and Synthesis to provide its team with both a cleric and entry hazard remover, though even after heavy bulk investment, it is quite frail and still very slow. Lastly, Toxic can be run to cripple some of Fomantis's switch-ins. However, it has to give up either coverage or Defog to do this, which isn’t worth it more often than not.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fire-types**: Fire-types such as Vulpix and Larvesta can outspeed Fomantis and OHKO it with their super effective STAB moves.
**Steel-types**: Steel-types such as Pawniard and Ferroseed can easily switch into Fomantis depending on what type of Hidden Power it's using and set up on it, remove its Eviolite with Knock Off, or inflict it with status.
**Poison-types**: LC is full of defensive Poison-types that can tank Hidden Power Ground like Alolan Grimer and Mareana and cripple Fomantis with status or, in Alolan Grimer's case, KO it with Gunk Shot.
**Flying-types**: Although they can’t always reliably switch in, Flying-types such as Rufflet, Doduo and Vullaby are all able to revenge kill Fomantis with relative ease.
**Faster Pokemon**: Due to its abysmal Speed, Fomantis is outsped by the likes of Abra, Mienfoo, Croagunk, and more and either forced out or KOed due to its poor bulk.
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