[Overview]
<p>With the huge presence popularity..? of Water-type Pokemon and rain teams in OU, Gastrodon stands out as being one of the most reliable counters to them in the entire metagame. Its ability, Storm Drain, not only makes Gastrodon immune to Water-type moves, but also grants it with a Special Attack boost every time it is hit by a Water-type attack. On top of that, Gastrodon's fantastic defensive typing gives it four resistances, an immunity to Electric-type moves, and only one sole weakness—to Grass to the Grass-type. It even has access to reliable recovery in the form of Recover. The combination of all these useful attributes makes Gastrodon a good pick for rain, sandstorm, or and weatherless teams alike because of its ability to completely wall common Pokemon such as Politoed, Rotom-W, Keldeo, and Starmie, while also checking Thundurus-T.</p>
<p>Although Gastrodon has the potential of being qualities of a great defensive Pokemon, it's by no means perfect. Grass-type Pokemon such as Ferrothorn, Celebi, and Breloom are certainly not uncommon, and they all threaten to KO Gastrodon with their respectable respective Grass-type STAB. It's Gastrodon is also extremely slow, which forces Gastrodon and is thus forced to rely on its bulk more than it wants to in order to stay alive. Nevertheless, Gastrodon's useful attributes make it one of the best defensive counters to rain teams in the metagame, and if used correctly, it can be an outstanding team player.</p>
[SET]
name: Physically Defensive
move 1: Earthquake / Earth Power
move 2: Scald
move 3: Toxic / Ice Beam
move 4: Recover
item: Leftovers
nature: Relaxed / Bold
ability: Storm Drain
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set aims to patch up Gastrodon's lackluster Defense stat so that it can take on physical attackers more efficiently. Because of its ability to stop a majority of rain teams in their tracks, defensive Gastrodon fits well on teams that have a weakness to a variety of Pokemon that are commonly found on rain teams, common rain threats such as Starmie, Keldeo, and Thundurus-T. It should be noted that with full investment in Defense, Gastrodon is capable of avoiding the 2HKO from Choice Specs Keldeo's Secret Sword, which is quite a feat. It can also avoid the 2HKO from Choice Band Tyranitar's Crunch,(remove) and Garchomp's Outrage, allowing Gastrodon to and then dispose of them the following turn. Earthquake is the primary Ground-type move of choice for a number of reasons. It deals more consistent damage to the likes of Jirachi, while also keeping the Calm Mind variants from setting up on Gastrodon. Earthquake is also useful for its ability to always 3HKO every variant of Tyranitar, a Pokemon that Gastrodon will commonly be walling. Earth Power is still an option, as it has the advantage of benefiting from Storm Drain's Special Attack boost. Scald is a staple on any bulky Water-type, and Gastrodon is no exception. The chance to burn physical attackers such as Kyurem-B or and Tyranitar is just too hard to pass up, as it makes Gastrodon that much harder to break. Toxic is a very useful utility move to cripple opposing bulky Water-types, like such as Jellicent and opposing Gastrodon, that would normally wall it with ease, while also keeping sweepers from potentially setting up on it. Ice Beam on the other hand,(remove) gives Gastrodon much-needed coverage against Dragon-types that Gastrodon it will oftentimes go up against, such as Salamence, Dragonite, and Garchomp. Recover is obligatory, because without it, Gastrodon wouldn't last very long at all.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Because of Gastrodon's decent mixed bulk, it can be EVed in many different ways depending on what you want it to wall. 252 HP / 84 Def / 172 SpD with a Calm nature is a more specially defensive spread that can better handle special attackers like such as Latios, while still retaining some physical bulk for Terrakion and Keldeo. Although a full-blown specially defensive set seems tempting to better handle Choice Specs Latios, it's not recommended, because otherwise Gastrodon is otherwise very susceptible to being 2HKOed by Keldeo, Tyranitar, and Terrakion.</p>
<p>Ironically, some of the best teammates for Gastrodon are Grass-types. Ferrothorn, Celebi, and Breloom can all switch into Grass-type attacks with relative ease and setup on them. Breloom has the advantage of being able to beat Ferrothorn, one of Gastrodon's the greatest roadblocks to Gastrodon. To maximize Gastrodon's walling capabilities, a Rapid Spinner is recommended, because it is very susceptible to entry hazards such as Spikes and Toxic Spikes. Tentacruel is probably the best spinner for the job, as it can absorb Toxic Spikes, spin away hazards, and switch into the move Toxic itself. Steel-types such as Scizor and Heatran can easily switch into Grass-types and threaten them with a STAB U-turn or Fire Blast respectively. Calm Mind Latias and Jirachi can set up on pretty much any Grass-type Pokemon in the tier that may threatens Gastrodon.</p>
[SET]
name: Special Attacker
move 1: Surf
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Recover
item: Wise Glasses / Mystic Water
nature: Modest
ability: Storm Drain
EVs: 172 HP / 84 Def / 252 SpA
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set takes full advantage of Gastrodon's ability, Storm Drain, to pose as a surprisingly effective offensive threat. The goal of this set is simple; switch into a Water-type attack so that Gastrodon can receive a Special Attack boost, then proceed to spam coverage moves to bust holes into the opposing team. One advantage that this set has over the defensive set is the sheer surprise factor. Most players don't expect to see an offensive Gastrodon, so they often let their guard down, which can lead to unexpected OHKOs and 2HKOs. move all the following items discussion to AC Although offensive Gastrodon can effectively run a number of different items to varying success, the two listed above are have been proven to be the most effective. The Wise Glasses give a 10% boost to all of Gastrodon's attacking moves, while Mystic Water boosts its Water-type attacks by 20%. Both of these choices are preferred over other boosting items such as Choice Specs or Life Orb to help maximize Gastrodon's overall longevity and effectiveness, while still giving it some extra firepower.</p>
<p>Surf is Gastrodon's the most powerful Water-type STAB move that it Gastrodon can learn. It decimates Ground-types such as Landorus-T, Gliscor, and Hippowdon, while also OHKOing a decent portion of the metagame that doesn't resist it. A rain-boosted +1 Surf can 2HKO Keldeo, who resists despite it resisting the attack, while also easily OHKOing Breloom, who might try to switch into it. Earth Power is to give gives Gastrodon STAB Ground-type coverage against the likes of Tentacruel, Toxicroak, and Jellicent, that which all resist or are immune to its Water-type STAB. It should be noted that Moreover, a +1 Earth Power has a slight chance of 2HKOing Ferrothorn after Stealth Rock, which can deter it from freely switching into Gastrodon without concern. Ice Beam gives this set near-perfect coverage by hitting Grass-types like such as Celebi on the switch and Dragon-types such as Salamence and Latios harder then anything else. Recover is once again heavily stressed,(remove) because it greatly improves Gastrodon's longevity and makes it more of an a more efficient attacker. Due to its very slow low Speed stat, Gastrodon will oftentimes be taking a hit before dealing a one, so Recover is all the more important.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The given EV spread is to give gives Gastrodon as much power as possible, while also giving it enough bulk to avoid the 2HKO from Choice Scarf Keldeo's Secret Sword. There are a few other items that Gastrodon can successfully run, but they all have their disadvantages over Wise Glasses and Mystic Water. Leftovers is probably the most viable of all the other options, as it gives Gastrodon a constant source of recovery while also potentially bluffing a defensive set. However, Gastrodon is relatively weak without any kind of boosting item, so the loss of power will be noticeable. A Life Orb can be used if Wise Glasses aren't powerful enough for you, but Gastrodon hates taking extra damage from recoil. If you do choose to run Life Orb, make sure to use an EV spread of 104 HP / 152 Def / 252 SpA to still avoid the 2HKO from Scarf Keldeo's Secret Sword while also giving it and to also hit a Life Orb number to minimize recoil. A Choice Specs set can be used for more instant power and the ability to 2HKO even Blissey and Ferrothorn with +1 Surf in the rain at +1 SpA, which is very impressive. On the flip side, The biggest problem with Choice Specs, however, is that Gastrodon really doesn't like being locked into one move;(semicolon) it likes i'd go with 'prefers' the freedom of switching moves, as well as being able the ability to use Recover reliably. When running Choice Specs, Hidden Power Grass should be used over Recover to hit Rotom-W, Jellicent, Politoed, and other Gastrodon harder then anything else. Scald can be used over Surf for a chance to burn physical attackers, but the power drop is noticeable. Rain Dance can be used in the fourth slot for a last-ditch effort to win the weather war, but losing out on the loss of reliable recovery is usually not worth it. If outspeeding Chansey is important, a spread of 160 HP / 252 SpA / 96 Spe can be used, but it Gastrodon becomes more susceptible to being 2HKOed by Keldeo's Secret Sword. </p>
<p>When choosing teammates for offensive Gastrodon, you should always first consider Politoed, Surf loses out on so much power if it isn't boosted by rain, and it loses out on a lot of OHKOes and 2HKOes. Honestly, as Surf loses out on so much power / so many OHKOs and 2HKOs (pick one) that you really shouldn't be using offensive Gastrodon without Politoed anyway. Ferrothorn is once again stressed as a a recommended partner because it can tank powerful attacks that threaten Gastrodon while also absorbing Toxic and resisting Grass-type moves. Ferrothorn can also support provide Gastrodon with hazard support, which can make it all the more threatening. Toxicroak pairs well with Gastrodon because it can set up on Breloom, Ferrothorn, and Celebi lacking that lack Psychic, while Tornadus pairs well with Gastrodon because it can bust through Jellicent and Celebi with Hurricane for Gastrodon.</p>
kind of thinking that damage calculations might be useful here - there are several instances where you assert that it gets many KOs, but you don't actually mention them by name, which leaves me wanting some more persuasion/ some actual proof, especially as "offensive gastrodon" might not be the first thing that comes to a beginner's mind, idk. imo, having a few damage calcs in set comments could help not only in showcasing the effectiveness of the set, but also backing up your case of the importance of rain later on in AC suggested teammates
[Other Options]
<p>Because of Gastrodon being As Gastrodon is such a niche Pokemon in OU, there aren't too many other viable options over in moves already listed above. Yawn seems like a decent option move to force switches and potentially put something to sleep, but Toxic is a much better option just reducing the number of times 'option' is used in these few sentences :p overall because of its ability to cripple opposing walls. Clear Smog is another option to keep sweepers from setting up on it Gastrodon, but Toxic is yet again preferred, as Clear Smog's damage output is extremely low does little damage anyway. Memento can be used to heavily weaken the opposing Pokemon enough so and allow a teammate could to potentially set up on it, but Gastrodon is too slow to use it effectively. Counter and Mirror Coat are gimmicky strategies that are very hard to fit onto its defensive set, but they can work with proper prediction. Stockpile might seem like an interesting move to make Gastrodon really hard to KO, but it doesn't really accomplish anything outside of pointless stalling, and it Gastrodon can just be phazed out anyway. Sand Force seems cool because it can make Gastrodon's Earth Power very powerful in the sand, but then it loses Gastrodon has to forgo its best and only niche in countering rain teams, which is one of the only reasons to use Gastrodon it in the first place.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Although Gastrodon's defensive typing, Storm Drain ability, and access to Recover might make it seem nearly unbreakable, there are many Pokemon that can take it on dispose of it. Any Grass-type Pokemon with a STAB Grass-type move can prey on its 4x weakness and easily OHKO pretty much any variant of Gastrodon, as it is 4x weak to it. Ferrothorn, Roserade, and Celebi are some of the best defensive counters to Gastrodon in the game, while Breloom and Venusaur are two of its best checks. Ferrothorn and Roserade can even set up Spikes all over it against Gastrodon, as they fear nothing from it. Special walls with access to Natural Cure or Heal Bell can easily wall any variant of Gastrodon, even if it carries Toxic. Anything with Toxic can heavily cripple Gastrodon, because it depends so much on its bulk and recovery to stay alive. some examples needed imo</p>
<p>Thundurus-T, one of the common Pokemon Gastrodon is commonly called on to check, can easily lure Gastrodon and KO it with Grass Knot, seeing as its commonly used to check it. Even though Gastrodon's defensive set is designed to wall them, it still fears powerful physical and special attackers. Choice Specs Latios threatens to OHKO physically defensive Gastrodon with Draco Meteor, while Choice Band Kyurem-B and Dragonite can easily 2HKO it with Outrage. Calm Mind Latias with Substitute SubCM Latias can easily set up on defensive Gastrodon, even it if has Ice Beam. Calm Mind Jirachi can also set up on defensive Gastrodon if it's running Earth Power over Earthquake.</p>
<p>[/color][/b]The Offensive variants of Gastrodon can be somewhat difficult to switch into, especially when it's in the rain and has nabbed a +1 Special Attack boost. Specially defensive Celebi is probably one of the most reliable counters to it because it's never OHKOed by Ice Beam, and it can threaten Gastrodon the following turn with Giga Drain. With some investment in Special Defense, Ferrothorn invested more in Special Defense is a solid counter to the offensive set, as it can avoid the 2HKO from any move. It must be wary of Scald from the defensive set though, as it which can burn Ferrothorn. idk seeing as you only mention grass-types as counters to offensive gastrodon, i think it'd make more sense to merge this paragraph (particularly the ferrothorn discussion) with the first. i'd put it in before you talk about special walls, splitting the special walls / toxic mons elaboration into a second paragraph if it gets too lengthy.</p>