puns suck
[Overview]
<p>Golbat has a lot of great qualities that make it a unique defensive threat in NU. First off, it has great bulk with Eviolite and awesome Speed for a defensive Pokemon, something few other defensive Pokemon in the tier can claim. Golbat also has a fantastic defensive typing, granting it a 4x resistance to both Fighting- and Bug-type attacks, as well as immunities to Ground-type attacks and the common Toxic. On top of that, Roost gives Golbat a form of reliable recovery to compensate for its lack of Leftovers. Unfortunately, Golbat's weaknesses to common Psychic- and Electric-type attacks are rather exploitable, and a weakness to Stealth Rock further hampers its ability to switch into attacks repeatedly. It also faces competition from Mandibuzz, as while their bulk may be comparable, Mandibuzz's immunity to Psychic-type attacks sometimes outshines Golbat's immunity to Toxic and resistance to Fighting-type attacks.</p>
[SET]
name: Physically Defensive
move 1: Taunt
move 2: Roost
move 3: Toxic / Super Fang
move 4: Brave Bird
item: Eviolite
ability: Inner Focus
nature: Impish
evs: 248 HP / 228 Def / 32 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Golbat is best played as a fast physical wall and stallbreaker. When used in this role, Golbat matches up well against offensive and defensive teams alike, as it is able to wall many offensive threats and Taunt defensive ones. As such, Taunt is the most important move on the set. Without it, Golbat can be used as setup fodder by a variety of threats that do not fear anything else on the set. Roost is used for reliable recovery, which helps sustain Golbat throughout the match and gives it the ability to switch into offensive threats multiple times. Toxic is used as a way to wear down and beat many bulky walls, and it comes with the added benefit of crippling many setup sweepers before they use Substitute. However, Super Fang is still a viable alternative that can deal massive damage to defensive Pokemon, softening them up for a teammate to sweep later on. Finally, Brave Bird is used as a reliable STAB move to keep Golbat from being Taunt bait itself and helps it handle Fighting-type Pokemon and Scolipede reliably.
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The Speed EVs for this set are used to outspeed Timid Gorebyss before a Shell Smash so that Golbat can Taunt it or use Toxic to prevent a sweep. Inner Focus is the chosen ability, as it helps Golbat against certain Pokemon, such as Fake Out Kangaskhan and Rock Slide Scolipede, and Infiltrator is generally useless for a defensive Pokemon. There are also many other moves that Golbat could use effectively depending on your team's needs; Knock Off, U-turn, and Whirlwind are all great examples.</p>
<p>As a weakness to Stealth Rock is often such a bother for a defensive Pokemon, Golbat really appreciates team support to handle it. A Rapid Spin user can be paired with Golbat for this purpose if you have room for it. Wartortle is the most reliable defensive Rapid Spin user; it can use Foresight and Rapid Spin against Ghost-types, can take on Ice-type attacks well, and has a good matchup against Rock-type Pokemon. Seismitoad and Metang also synergize well with Golbat. Seismitoad can take on Rock- and Electric-type attacks aimed at Golbat, while Metang can do the same for Ice-, Rock-, and Psychic-type attacks. Meanwhile, Golbat can take on Grass-type attacks for Seismitoad and Ground-type attacks for Metang. Skuntank also pairs well with Golbat, as it can remove the Psychic-type Pokemon that threaten Golbat without compounding weaknesses thanks to their immunities. Finally, Golbat can form a good defensive core with both Audino and Lickilicky, as each can provide Heal Bell support to handle bothersome burns for Golbat while it can take on the Fighting-type Pokemon that threaten them.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Golbat's movepool is filled with good support moves, many of which can be useful depending on what support your team needs. Haze is a good option to eliminate stat boosts the opponent might have gained if the negative priority of Whirlwind is off-putting. Tailwind is another interesting option that can give Golbat a fast Taunt and help some slower offensive Pokemon take on the opponent's team. As sleep is such a crippling status, Hypnosis might seem like a good idea, but its unreliable accuracy generally makes it not worthwhile. Additionally, it is illegal with Brave Bird, and even if the accuracy is not a huge concern, missing out on Golbat's greatest offensive option is. Pursuit could be used as well, but its main targets—Psychic- and Ghost-type Pokemon—will usually stay in against Golbat, making U-turn a superior option in most cases. You might also be considering a specially defensive set, as Golbat's Special Defense is slightly higher than its Defense. However, Golbat's weaknesses to common Psychic-, Electric-, and Ice-type attacks, all of which are typically specially based, make this set inferior. Finally, a Nasty Plot set could be viable, especially since Golbat has great special coverage with moves such as Sludge Bomb, Air Slash, Giga Drain, and Heat Wave, but due to Golbat's low Special Attack, such a set would rely on getting multiple boosts before it could really hit hard.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Trying to take on Golbat can be difficult, especially if it is running Super Fang. Plenty of Pokemon can beat it, but few would want to take half of their health or a Toxic in order to do so. Still, while Golbat might be a very sturdy physical wall, it can be taken down by exploiting its weaknesses. Psychic-types take on Golbat very well, as it cannot use Roost to negate this weakness before they attack. In particular, Jynx has both Psychic- and Ice-type STABs to hit Golbat for super effective damage, and Duosion doesn't mind taking a Toxic thanks to Magic Guard. Musharna can also take on Golbat well, as it can hit it hard with Psychic and use Moonlight and Heal Bell to recover from whatever Golbat uses against it. Faster Electric-type Pokemon also handle Golbat fairly well. Rotom-A and Raichu can both hit it hard with their Electric-type STABs, and Electrode can even outspeed Golbat and Taunt it before it gets the chance to use Roost or Toxic. SubRoost Articuno can avoid Toxic from Golbat and hit it hard with Ice Beam, while Choice Specs Glaceon can muscle past it with repeated powerful Ice Beams. Piloswine can use its Ice-type STAB or Earthquake against Golbat, depending on whether you predict it will Roost. Similarly, Golem can beat Golbat with a combination of Rock Blast on the turns it does not Roost and Earthquake on the turns it does. Finally, Haunter is immune to both Super Fang and Toxic, and it can even use Substitute and Disable to force Golbat out once it has used Brave Bird. Even if your team packs none of these ways of handling Golbat, its Stealth Rock weakness and lack of passive recovery hamper it tremendously, so keeping up offensive pressure and never giving it a chance to Roost are other ways of dealing with it in a pinch.</p>
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