TMNF
Overview
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Protean gives Frogadier STAB on any move it uses, making its attacks tough to comfortably take. This, when coupled with its good coverage and decent Speed, makes Frogadier one of PU's most interesting sweepers. Sadly, its poor defensive stats mean that Frogadier takes significant damage from nearly any kind of attack, and Protean's defensive benefits only carry it so far. While Frogadier has multiple STAB moves, its average power holds it back. Frogadier also faces competition from Simipour in the role of an offensive Water-type; Simpour offers higher power and Speed, as well as ways of boosting its stats.
Life Orb
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name: Life Orb
move 1: Hydro Pump
move 2: Ice Beam
move 3: Hidden Power Electric
move 4: U-turn / Toxic Spikes
ability: Protean
item: Life Orb
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Naive / Timid
Moves
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Hydro Pump is Frogadier's strongest move and grants good neutral coverage in the tier. Ice Beam serves as a reliable move that nails Grass- and Dragon-types that resist Hydro Pump. Hidden Power Electric hits Water-types, particularly the numerous Water / Flying types such as Mantine and Pelipper that resist Hydro Pump and aren't weak to Ice Beam. U-turn grants momentum when used on switch-ins, with Protean giving it decent power for a utility move. Toxic Spikes softens up walls to make them easier for Frogadier and its teammates to break through, though the hazard can be removed by the opponent's grounded Poison-types, such as Garbodor, Roselia, and Arbok. Grass Knot can be used over Hidden Power Electric if Rock / Water types, such as Carracosta and Barbaracle, are of greater concern, and Grass Knot lands an especially hard hit on Lapras; however, Hidden Power Electric is usually just as strong, if not stronger, against the Water-types in the tier.
Set Details
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Maximum Speed investment allows Frogadier to outspeed as much as possible, while maximum Special Attack investment and a Life Orb grant Frogadier maximum power. Frogadier's HP when uninvested is a perfect Life Orb number, so moving the remaining EVs to HP would be detrimental, as it would survive only 9 rounds of Life Orb recoil instead of 10. A Naive nature is used to let Frogadier take less damage from priority moves while not weakening U-turn, though a Hasty nature can still be used to make better use of the resistances granted by Protean. If U-turn is not used, Timid is the nature of choice, and the 4 Attack EVs can be moved to Defense or Special Defense.
Usage Tips
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Frogadier should use a hit-and-run playstyle, aiming to KO foes before they can strike back. Frogadier can either threaten out Pokemon that are vulnerable to its attacks to land clean hits, or whittle foes down with U-turn or Toxic Spikes. Mid-game, Frogadier should use U-turn more and only attack when things are in KO range. Only one layer of Toxic Spikes is needed against offensive teams, as the immediate damage is more useful for Frogadier when it comes to OHKOing opponents; defensive teams are more vulnerable to two layers of Toxic Spikes, though do note the presence of Poison-types on the opponent's team that can render Frogadier's efforts useless. Frogadier can make use of Protean to evade status moves or even survive certain attacks, but keep in mind that Frogadier's frailty makes this maneuver somewhat risky.
Team Options
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Frogadier's good Speed, coverage, and access to U-turn make it a natural candidate for VoltTurn teams. Fellow VoltTurn users that work well with Frogadier are Purugly, Zebstrika, and Rotom-F; Togetic's slow Baton Pass can be considered a form of VoltTurn as well, as it can bring Frogadier into battle safely. Frogadier dislikes entry hazards because they can limit its staying power and the number of times it can spam U-turn. Pokemon that can prevent hazards, such as Mold Breaker Rampardos, Taunt Misdreavus, and Bonemerang Marowak, make good teammates and can also keep up offensive pressure. Hazard removers such as Togetic and Avalugg can clear the field of entry hazards, though their passiveness can potentially cost Frogadier's team momentum.
Wallbreakers such as Flareon, Bouffalant, and Ursaring can weaken the opponent's defensive cores to allow Frogadier to break through them; the former two can also switch into Grass-type moves, while the latter can absorb status moves. The majority of Pokemon that outspeed Frogadier are physical attackers, so physically defensive Pokemon such as Solid Rock Carracosta, Avalugg, and Piloswine are good teammates because they respond well against the likes of Sneasel, Tauros, Scyther, and Dodrio. Other tanks, such as Throh, Klang, and Golem, can stop a smaller range of threats. These Pokemon can also use their good bulk to take priority attacks for Frogadier.
Frogadier can take advantage of entry hazards by forcing switches with U-turn or stacking Toxic Spikes alongside them. Pokemon such as Roselia and Garbodor can provide Spikes support, while Carracosta, Golem, and Piloswine can set up Stealth Rock. Kricketune, Leavanny, and Masquerain are also options as they can aid Frogadier with Sticky Web. Naturally, Pokemon that can counter anti-hazard moves are appreciated as teammates; Defiant Purugly deters Defog, while Ghost-types such as Haunter, Lampent, and Misdreavus block Rapid Spin.
Other Options
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Frogadier does not have many other options at its disposal. Dark Pulse is nice for coverage against the likes of Misdreavus and Beheeyem, but U-turn already dents most Psychic-types nicely, and Dark Pulse does not offer much that Frogadier's main attacks do not already cover. Its physical movepool, which includes Rock Slide and Acrobatics, is by no means bad, but Simipour can pull off a physical set to better effect, and Protean is not enough to offset the much more noticeable difference in physical strength. Taunt can stop status and healing attempts, but Frogaider's frailty keeps it from effectively using the move.
Checks & Counters
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**Specially Bulky Pokemon**: Lickilicky, Throh, Articuno, Grumpig, Hypno, Kecleon, Politoed, and Regice can shrug off Frogadier's Protean attacks due to their high special bulk and neutrality to its attacks, and can easily respond to it with status or attacks. Most of them do not appreciate Toxic Spikes, however, while Grumpig and Hypno also have to worry about Protean U-turn.
**Entry Hazards**: Entry hazards can limit Frogadier's longevity as well as hamper its ability to spam U-turn freely. Sticky Web slows Frogadier down, putting it at great risk of being revenge killed. Hazard setters such as Garbodor, Roselia, Golem, Piloswine, Bastiodon, and Kricketune do well at keeping Frogadier in check, though note that almost no entry hazard user can set up safely against Frogadier.
**Faster Pokemon**: A lot of Pokemon are able to outspeed Frogadier and can often take advantage of whatever type Frogadier is due to Protean for easy KOes. Such Pokemon include Raichu, Electabuzz, Zebstrika, Dodrio, Sneasel, Tauros, Scyther, Serperior, Basculin, Ninetales, Rapidash, and Simipour, all of which can check Frogadier unless it happens to be healthy enough and they have trouble revenge killing Pokemon of whatever type Frogadier is at the moment.
**Priority Moves**: Priority moves keep Frogadier in check, as they can limit Frogadier's time on the field when coupled with its Life Orb recoil. Keep in mind that Aqua Jet won't do much against Water- and Grass-type Frogadier, while Ice Shard won't do well against Water- and Ice-type Frogadier, but does work against Grass-type Frogadier. Fake Out and Sucker Punch are the most useful priority moves against Frogadier, making Kecleon and even Mightyena decent responses. That said, most of the tier's prominent priority users are already faster than Frogadier, so they should only be used as a last resort.
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