taken over Aaron's Aron 's analysis, implemented Kavatika's last QC check.
[OVERVIEW]
Frillish is one of the only Pokemon that has access to both Water Spout and Trick, meaning that it can Trick its Choice Scarf onto a bulky Pokemon that it can't break through to cripple them. On the offensive side, Frillish has a good coverage in Ice Beam and Energy Ball. Defensively, Frillish has a great typing and ability to spinblock It is also one of only two Pokemon in LC to receive Cursed Body as an ability, meaning it has a chance to disable its foe's strongest attack. Frillish has access to Recover which allows it to spinblock numerous time throughout the match. Frillish gets access to Will-O-Wisp, which allows it to check both Staryu and Drilbur, the two most common spinners in LC. On top of all this, Frillish even has a fairly high Special Attack stat, so it can hit foes hard, even on the defensive set. However, Knock Off runs rampant in LC, which hinders Frillish's ability to check Pokemon with access to this move, especially Fighting-types. It competes for a team slot with other fast Pokemon such as Choice Scarf Mienfoo, Choice Scarf Chinchou, and Fletchling, which are often preferred to Frillish.
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Water Spout
move 2: Shadow Ball / Hydro Pump / Surf
move 3: Ice Beam / Energy Ball / Giga Drain
move 4: Trick
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Water Absorb / Cursed Body
nature: Timid
evs: 76 HP / 236 SpA / 196 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
With a Choice Scarf, Frillish outspeeds the entire unboosted metagame and can use a massively strong Water Spout to put a dent in foes. Shadow Ball is a safe option to use if you want to hit most Pokemon for neutral damage. It also provides good coverage by hitting Ghost-types such as Gastly and Psychic-types such as Slowpoke for super effective damage. Surf can be used as a back-up Water-type move over Shadow Ball if Frillish gets low on health and Water Spout is greatly weakened. Frillish doesn't mind losing Shadow Ball too much because it only hits most targets for neutral damage. Hydro Pump can also be used as a back-up move with greater power, but it has lower accuracy. Ice Beam hits the Grass-types that resist Water Spout, such as Cottonee and Foongus. Energy Ball hits the Water-types that resist Water Spout, such as Chinchou and Omanyte. Giga Drain does the same thing, but it can heal Frillish in return for slightly less power. Power is really important on this set because Frillish doesn't want to be missing KOs, but the healing does mitigate this somewhat. Trick allows Frillish to cripple opposing walls that try to switch in by giving them a Choice Scarf and locking them into a useless move.
Set Details
========
196 Speed EVs allow Frillish to reach 14 Speed and outspeed the entire unboosted metagame with its Choice Scarf. 236 Special Attack EVs are used to maximize damage, with the remaining 76 EVs being tossed into HP. Water Absorb allows Frillish to switch into Water-type moves without taking damage, which can increase the power of Water Spout. Cursed Body can be a nice option in order not to be resisted completely by Porygon, which otherwise would get Water Absorb thanks to Trace and therefore would be immune to Water Spout.
Usage Tips
========
Frillish can be used two ways. It can be sent in early-on for revenge killing and breaking down the opponent, or it can be saved until the end-game and clean up the opponent's team after its counters have been weakened or KOed. Either way you decide to play it, you need to watch out for entry hazards. If you know your opponent has an entry hazard setter, try to use Frillish before their entry hazard setter sets up so that its Water Spout isn't weakened. If you have a way to remove them, do it preferably quickly, then Frillish can be saved for later in the match instead.
Team Options
========
Even with Energy Ball, Frillish has trouble denting bulky Water-types, especially Chinchou, so Pokemon that are immune to its Electric-type attacks such as Hippopotas are good partners for Frillish. While Frillish is unaffected by Fighting-type attacks, it is severely damaged by Knock Off, which most Fighting-type Pokemon also carry. Pokemon such as Trubbish and Fletchling are good partners for Frillish, as they can handle these Fighting-type threats. Frillish strongly dislikes entry hazards, as they slowly chip away at its health and weaken its strongest attack, Water Spout. Pokemon such as Drilbur and Vullaby are great teammates. However, Frillish enjoys having the entry hazards on the opponent's side of the field so it is easier to KO the foe without having to take a hit back. Ferroseed can set up hazards for Frillish's team.
[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Scald
move 2: Shadow Ball / Hex
move 3: Recover
move 4: Will-O-Wisp
item: Eviolite
ability: Cursed Body / Water Absorb
nature: Bold
evs: 236 HP / 116 Def / 76 SpA / 76 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Scald is Frillish's main STAB attack and is useful for checking Pokemon such as Mienfoo while also nailing Fire-types that might be switching into a predicted Will-O-Wisp, with the added bonus of potentially burning the foe. Shadow ball provides good coverage, hitting Pokemon that resist Scald such as Slowpoke hard. Hex can be used over Shadow Ball if your team utilizes status moves often, and Frillish itself can use Will-O-Wisp. Recover gives Frillish longevity to take multiple hits throughout a match. Will-O-Wisp supports the team by halving the foe's Attack while slowly chipping away at their health. It also allows Frillish to beat Pokemon that cannot break Frillish with Knock Off such as Mienfoo.
Set Details
========
The EV spread given and a Bold nature maximize bulk with even numbers for Eviolite. With a Bold nature, Frillish reaches 21 Defense and 24 Special Defense after the Eviolite boost. The rest are invested in Special Attack to increase damage output. Cursed Body is generally the best ability for Frillish. Most Pokemon only have one move that is able to 2HKO Frillish, so if it gets disabled Frillish can stay in and be able to potentially beat the Pokemon it is checking. Water Absorb is an acceptable ability as well, as it gives an immunity to Water-type moves and it provides Frillish with a form of healing. This allows Frillish to switch into predicted Water-type attacks and be able to take an extra hit. However, most Pokemon with Water-type moves, such as Chinchou, Carvanha, and Shell Smash Tirtouga, can hit Frillish extremely hard, and it can be difficult to stay in on them.
Usage Tips
========
Frillish is best used as a check for certain Fire- and Normal-types, such as Aipom, Larvesta, Ponyta, and even Choice-locked Fighting-types, as it can burn them to weaken them or hit them with super effective moves. It also works alright as a check to other physical attackers as well. However, you must be careful with Fighting-types because they almost always carry Knock Off. As a result, it is usually best to use Frillish as a check to most Pokemon as opposed to a counter, as it has trouble switching in on predicted attacks, but has no trouble forcing Pokemon out.
Team Options
========
Frillish can barely dent Pokemon such as Chinchou on the switch, so any Pokemon immune to Volt Switch such as Drilbur would make a good teammate for Frillish. While Frillish can absorb Fighting-type attacks, it cannot effectively take a Knock Off from the Fighting-types that carry it. With this in mind, Pokemon that don't mind taking a Knock Off and losing their item such as Mienfoo, Trubbish, and Fletchling are good teammates for Frillish. Frillish has no way to handle Dark-types, so a Fighting-type teammate that can handle them such as Timburr is much-appreciated. Entry hazard setters such as Ferroseed and Trubbish really appreciate Frillish as a teammate because it is one of the best spinblockers in Little Cup.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
===========
Choice Specs can be used on the Choice Scarf set, but the set lacks the Speed to be effective and generally should not be used. Dazzling Gleam is a good option for hitting Scraggy and other Dark-types that would otherwise cause a lot of trouble for Frillish. Psychic is an option for dealing with Skrelp and Croagunk, as Frillish's Water-type moves will actually heal it due to Dry Skin. However, Psychic won't provide a great deal of usefulness outside of that. Taunt can be used to prevent the foe from using status moves, but Frillish is a bit slow to use it effectively, and Taunt generally isn't as good of a choice as Will-O-Wisp or Recover, as they are much more useful. Toxic can be used on the defensive set to outstall Pokemon with recovery such as Porygon, but Will-O-Wisp will be better most of the time because of the Attack drop. Trick Room can be set up effectively by Frillish if your team needs or requires it, but there are generally better Pokemon to do so such as Porygon, Pumpkaboo, and Spritzee.
Checks and Counters
=============
**Bulky Normal-types**: Porygon makes a great check to Frillish because it can Trace Water Absorb to be healed Frillish's Water-type moves and is already immune to Shadow Ball. Munchlax can also check and PP stall Frillish with its great special bulk.
**Croagunk**: Croagunk absorbs Water Spout and takes 43 percent from Shadow Ball at most while hitting Frillish with Knock Off.
**Chinchou**: Chinchou is bulky enough to not care too much about Shadow Ball or Energy Ball and can use any Electric-type attack to deal major damage to Frillish.
**Grass-types**: Ferroseed, Foongus, Cottonee, and Snivy resist Water Spout and can hit Frillish with their super effective STAB moves. Cottonee can also Taunt or Encore the defensive set and force out Frillish. However, all of them, barring Ferroseed, dislike Ice Beam. Pumpkaboo-S gets hurt by Shadow Ball too much, even if it is able to deal enough damage to check the Choice Scarf set.
**Faster Revenge Killers**: Choice Scarf users can outspeed Frillish and attack it hard, which greatly weakens its Water Spout. Gastly, Pawniard, and Scraggy are all notable because they can OHKO Frillish with their STAB moves. In particular, Choice Scarf Magnemite can outspeed Frillish, KOing it before it can take Magnemite out.
**Timburr**: Timburr cannot be neutralized by Will-O-Wisp, as it is actually strengthened due to Guts, and it can deal big damage back with Knock Off. If it runs another ability instead of Guts, the burn will weaken it, but most run Guts, so this is of minimal importance.
**Dark-types**: While Frillish has Scald or Water Spout, it has to outspeed and KO Dark-types because it will generally not survive a STAB Dark-type attack. Dark-types with Pursuit, such as Pawniard and Stunky, also give Frillish a great deal of trouble. However, most Dark-types do not enjoy being burned, so that is a plus for Frillish against them.
[OVERVIEW]
Frillish is one of the only Pokemon that has access to both Water Spout and Trick, meaning that it can Trick its Choice Scarf onto a bulky Pokemon that it can't break through to cripple them. On the offensive side, Frillish has a good coverage in Ice Beam and Energy Ball. Defensively, Frillish has a great typing and ability to spinblock It is also one of only two Pokemon in LC to receive Cursed Body as an ability, meaning it has a chance to disable its foe's strongest attack. Frillish has access to Recover which allows it to spinblock numerous time throughout the match. Frillish gets access to Will-O-Wisp, which allows it to check both Staryu and Drilbur, the two most common spinners in LC. On top of all this, Frillish even has a fairly high Special Attack stat, so it can hit foes hard, even on the defensive set. However, Knock Off runs rampant in LC, which hinders Frillish's ability to check Pokemon with access to this move, especially Fighting-types. It competes for a team slot with other fast Pokemon such as Choice Scarf Mienfoo, Choice Scarf Chinchou, and Fletchling, which are often preferred to Frillish.
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Water Spout
move 2: Shadow Ball / Hydro Pump / Surf
move 3: Ice Beam / Energy Ball / Giga Drain
move 4: Trick
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Water Absorb / Cursed Body
nature: Timid
evs: 76 HP / 236 SpA / 196 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
With a Choice Scarf, Frillish outspeeds the entire unboosted metagame and can use a massively strong Water Spout to put a dent in foes. Shadow Ball is a safe option to use if you want to hit most Pokemon for neutral damage. It also provides good coverage by hitting Ghost-types such as Gastly and Psychic-types such as Slowpoke for super effective damage. Surf can be used as a back-up Water-type move over Shadow Ball if Frillish gets low on health and Water Spout is greatly weakened. Frillish doesn't mind losing Shadow Ball too much because it only hits most targets for neutral damage. Hydro Pump can also be used as a back-up move with greater power, but it has lower accuracy. Ice Beam hits the Grass-types that resist Water Spout, such as Cottonee and Foongus. Energy Ball hits the Water-types that resist Water Spout, such as Chinchou and Omanyte. Giga Drain does the same thing, but it can heal Frillish in return for slightly less power. Power is really important on this set because Frillish doesn't want to be missing KOs, but the healing does mitigate this somewhat. Trick allows Frillish to cripple opposing walls that try to switch in by giving them a Choice Scarf and locking them into a useless move.
Set Details
========
196 Speed EVs allow Frillish to reach 14 Speed and outspeed the entire unboosted metagame with its Choice Scarf. 236 Special Attack EVs are used to maximize damage, with the remaining 76 EVs being tossed into HP. Water Absorb allows Frillish to switch into Water-type moves without taking damage, which can increase the power of Water Spout. Cursed Body can be a nice option in order not to be resisted completely by Porygon, which otherwise would get Water Absorb thanks to Trace and therefore would be immune to Water Spout.
Usage Tips
========
Frillish can be used two ways. It can be sent in early-on for revenge killing and breaking down the opponent, or it can be saved until the end-game and clean up the opponent's team after its counters have been weakened or KOed. Either way you decide to play it, you need to watch out for entry hazards. If you know your opponent has an entry hazard setter, try to use Frillish before their entry hazard setter sets up so that its Water Spout isn't weakened. If you have a way to remove them, do it preferably quickly, then Frillish can be saved for later in the match instead.
Team Options
========
Even with Energy Ball, Frillish has trouble denting bulky Water-types, especially Chinchou, so Pokemon that are immune to its Electric-type attacks such as Hippopotas are good partners for Frillish. While Frillish is unaffected by Fighting-type attacks, it is severely damaged by Knock Off, which most Fighting-type Pokemon also carry. Pokemon such as Trubbish and Fletchling are good partners for Frillish, as they can handle these Fighting-type threats. Frillish strongly dislikes entry hazards, as they slowly chip away at its health and weaken its strongest attack, Water Spout. Pokemon such as Drilbur and Vullaby are great teammates. However, Frillish enjoys having the entry hazards on the opponent's side of the field so it is easier to KO the foe without having to take a hit back. Ferroseed can set up hazards for Frillish's team.
[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Scald
move 2: Shadow Ball / Hex
move 3: Recover
move 4: Will-O-Wisp
item: Eviolite
ability: Cursed Body / Water Absorb
nature: Bold
evs: 236 HP / 116 Def / 76 SpA / 76 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Scald is Frillish's main STAB attack and is useful for checking Pokemon such as Mienfoo while also nailing Fire-types that might be switching into a predicted Will-O-Wisp, with the added bonus of potentially burning the foe. Shadow ball provides good coverage, hitting Pokemon that resist Scald such as Slowpoke hard. Hex can be used over Shadow Ball if your team utilizes status moves often, and Frillish itself can use Will-O-Wisp. Recover gives Frillish longevity to take multiple hits throughout a match. Will-O-Wisp supports the team by halving the foe's Attack while slowly chipping away at their health. It also allows Frillish to beat Pokemon that cannot break Frillish with Knock Off such as Mienfoo.
Set Details
========
The EV spread given and a Bold nature maximize bulk with even numbers for Eviolite. With a Bold nature, Frillish reaches 21 Defense and 24 Special Defense after the Eviolite boost. The rest are invested in Special Attack to increase damage output. Cursed Body is generally the best ability for Frillish. Most Pokemon only have one move that is able to 2HKO Frillish, so if it gets disabled Frillish can stay in and be able to potentially beat the Pokemon it is checking. Water Absorb is an acceptable ability as well, as it gives an immunity to Water-type moves and it provides Frillish with a form of healing. This allows Frillish to switch into predicted Water-type attacks and be able to take an extra hit. However, most Pokemon with Water-type moves, such as Chinchou, Carvanha, and Shell Smash Tirtouga, can hit Frillish extremely hard, and it can be difficult to stay in on them.
Usage Tips
========
Frillish is best used as a check for certain Fire- and Normal-types, such as Aipom, Larvesta, Ponyta, and even Choice-locked Fighting-types, as it can burn them to weaken them or hit them with super effective moves. It also works alright as a check to other physical attackers as well. However, you must be careful with Fighting-types because they almost always carry Knock Off. As a result, it is usually best to use Frillish as a check to most Pokemon as opposed to a counter, as it has trouble switching in on predicted attacks, but has no trouble forcing Pokemon out.
Team Options
========
Frillish can barely dent Pokemon such as Chinchou on the switch, so any Pokemon immune to Volt Switch such as Drilbur would make a good teammate for Frillish. While Frillish can absorb Fighting-type attacks, it cannot effectively take a Knock Off from the Fighting-types that carry it. With this in mind, Pokemon that don't mind taking a Knock Off and losing their item such as Mienfoo, Trubbish, and Fletchling are good teammates for Frillish. Frillish has no way to handle Dark-types, so a Fighting-type teammate that can handle them such as Timburr is much-appreciated. Entry hazard setters such as Ferroseed and Trubbish really appreciate Frillish as a teammate because it is one of the best spinblockers in Little Cup.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
===========
Choice Specs can be used on the Choice Scarf set, but the set lacks the Speed to be effective and generally should not be used. Dazzling Gleam is a good option for hitting Scraggy and other Dark-types that would otherwise cause a lot of trouble for Frillish. Psychic is an option for dealing with Skrelp and Croagunk, as Frillish's Water-type moves will actually heal it due to Dry Skin. However, Psychic won't provide a great deal of usefulness outside of that. Taunt can be used to prevent the foe from using status moves, but Frillish is a bit slow to use it effectively, and Taunt generally isn't as good of a choice as Will-O-Wisp or Recover, as they are much more useful. Toxic can be used on the defensive set to outstall Pokemon with recovery such as Porygon, but Will-O-Wisp will be better most of the time because of the Attack drop. Trick Room can be set up effectively by Frillish if your team needs or requires it, but there are generally better Pokemon to do so such as Porygon, Pumpkaboo, and Spritzee.
Checks and Counters
=============
**Bulky Normal-types**: Porygon makes a great check to Frillish because it can Trace Water Absorb to be healed Frillish's Water-type moves and is already immune to Shadow Ball. Munchlax can also check and PP stall Frillish with its great special bulk.
**Croagunk**: Croagunk absorbs Water Spout and takes 43 percent from Shadow Ball at most while hitting Frillish with Knock Off.
**Chinchou**: Chinchou is bulky enough to not care too much about Shadow Ball or Energy Ball and can use any Electric-type attack to deal major damage to Frillish.
**Grass-types**: Ferroseed, Foongus, Cottonee, and Snivy resist Water Spout and can hit Frillish with their super effective STAB moves. Cottonee can also Taunt or Encore the defensive set and force out Frillish. However, all of them, barring Ferroseed, dislike Ice Beam. Pumpkaboo-S gets hurt by Shadow Ball too much, even if it is able to deal enough damage to check the Choice Scarf set.
**Faster Revenge Killers**: Choice Scarf users can outspeed Frillish and attack it hard, which greatly weakens its Water Spout. Gastly, Pawniard, and Scraggy are all notable because they can OHKO Frillish with their STAB moves. In particular, Choice Scarf Magnemite can outspeed Frillish, KOing it before it can take Magnemite out.
**Timburr**: Timburr cannot be neutralized by Will-O-Wisp, as it is actually strengthened due to Guts, and it can deal big damage back with Knock Off. If it runs another ability instead of Guts, the burn will weaken it, but most run Guts, so this is of minimal importance.
**Dark-types**: While Frillish has Scald or Water Spout, it has to outspeed and KO Dark-types because it will generally not survive a STAB Dark-type attack. Dark-types with Pursuit, such as Pawniard and Stunky, also give Frillish a great deal of trouble. However, most Dark-types do not enjoy being burned, so that is a plus for Frillish against them.
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