This thing would've been a great Pokemon if it weren't for competition from Gorebyss and Carracosta. :(
I'm very cool, sucks that I'm outclassed
[Overview]
<p>Huntail is a prime example of a Pokemon with stolen potential; while it has one of the best boosting moves in the game, Shell Smash, it faces heavy competition as a Shell Smash user from the likes of Gorebyss and Carracosta, and simply struggles to find a niche. Its bulk is inferior to that of Carracosta, and it does not have the useful Solid Rock ability, which makes it harder to set up. Huntail also does not pack as much power as Gorebyss, as it relies on a weaker STAB move than the latter does. That said, Huntail does have a few things going for it. Shell Smash is nonetheless a great move, and after a boost, Huntail is still a legitimate threat to contend with. Huntail also has higher Speed than Carracosta, which means it can outspeed Pokemon such as Swellow at +2. Huntail can also go mixed, allowing it to lure the likes of Tangela and still pull off a sweep. Overall, always consider your other options before using Huntail, but don't discount it completely.</p>
[SET]
name: Shell Smash
move 1: Shell Smash
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Return
move 4: Ice Beam
item: White Herb
ability: Water Veil
nature: Naive
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This is Huntail's best way to pose a threat as well as to stand out from its competition in Gorebyss and Carracosta. With its usable offensive stats and good enough Speed to use Shell Smash with, Huntail is a capable mixed sweeper in NU. Shell Smash is chosen to make Huntail fast and powerful and hence give it a chance to sweep. Waterfall is a strong and reliable STAB for Huntail to use, and the flinch chance can also come in handy. Return provides great overall coverage with Waterfall; although it doesn't hit anything super effectively, it can handle most Pokemon that resist Waterfall, such as Jynx and Samurott. Finally, Ice Beam serves as a usable coverage move to handle Tangela and other Grass-types.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>A Naive nature is chosen to enhance Huntail's middling Speed without lowering its Special Attack. Water Veil is a great ability to avoid burns from Misdreavus and Weezing that could potentially stop Huntail from sweeping. A White Herb is chosen to avoid the Defense drops from Shell Smash so that Huntail can still make use of its decent bulk. Swift Swim can be useful to give Huntail greater Speed in rain to make sweeping easier, but it has little utility otherwise. A Life Orb can be used to allow Huntail to hit harder, but the decrease in bulk hurts Huntail's performance, given its usable defenses and the ubiquity priority attacks are in NU.</p>
<p>Huntail appreciates entry hazard support for it to sweep; Scolipede and Roselia are great teammates to provide this, and they also handle opposing Grass-types such as Exeggutor. Jynx is also a great teammate for Huntail, as it dismantles Grass- and Dragon-types while Huntail can handle opposing Fire-types. Eelektross and Exeggutor are both great to handle Alomomola, one of Huntail's best counters. The former can effectively Volt Switch into Huntail, which is helpful as it is not very easy for Huntail to switch directly into battle, while the latter can maim Seismitoad.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Huntail's small movepool means there isn't much else going for it. It has some special moves such as Hydro Pump, Surf, and Hidden Power to use off of its decent Special Attack, but Gorebyss is significantly better as a pure special sweeper. Ice Fang could be used to handle Grass-types, but it is a very weak move in general. Sucker Punch is a useful priority move to nail faster targets, but it is illegal with Shell Smash. Huntail also has Baton Pass, but sadly, it can't be used alongside Shell Smash in NU. Huntail does have Barrier and Aqua Ring to use with Baton Pass, but they are very situational moves.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>There aren't many complete counters to Huntail; however, there are plenty of checks. Alomomola is the greatest counter to Huntail, due to its ability to take repeated hits and stall with Toxic, Wish, and Protect, but it is massive setup fodder due to its lack of offensive presence. Seismitoad is also capable of taking hits from Huntail and can even recovery off Waterfall thanks to Water Absorb. Priority users, such as Kangaskhan and Skuntank, can revenge kill Huntail after a Shell Smash boost. Huntail is not extraordinarily fast even after a Shell Smash boost, so Choice Scarf users such as Primeape and Rotom-S can still revenge kill it quite easily. Electric-types such as Electabuzz can make quick work of Huntail before it grabs a Shell Smash boost, but they can be beaten after a boost. Finally, if all else fails, paralysis from Pokemon such as Regirock can cripple Huntail and cut its sweep short.</p>
I'm very cool, sucks that I'm outclassed
[Overview]
<p>Huntail is a prime example of a Pokemon with stolen potential; while it has one of the best boosting moves in the game, Shell Smash, it faces heavy competition as a Shell Smash user from the likes of Gorebyss and Carracosta, and simply struggles to find a niche. Its bulk is inferior to that of Carracosta, and it does not have the useful Solid Rock ability, which makes it harder to set up. Huntail also does not pack as much power as Gorebyss, as it relies on a weaker STAB move than the latter does. That said, Huntail does have a few things going for it. Shell Smash is nonetheless a great move, and after a boost, Huntail is still a legitimate threat to contend with. Huntail also has higher Speed than Carracosta, which means it can outspeed Pokemon such as Swellow at +2. Huntail can also go mixed, allowing it to lure the likes of Tangela and still pull off a sweep. Overall, always consider your other options before using Huntail, but don't discount it completely.</p>
[SET]
name: Shell Smash
move 1: Shell Smash
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Return
move 4: Ice Beam
item: White Herb
ability: Water Veil
nature: Naive
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This is Huntail's best way to pose a threat as well as to stand out from its competition in Gorebyss and Carracosta. With its usable offensive stats and good enough Speed to use Shell Smash with, Huntail is a capable mixed sweeper in NU. Shell Smash is chosen to make Huntail fast and powerful and hence give it a chance to sweep. Waterfall is a strong and reliable STAB for Huntail to use, and the flinch chance can also come in handy. Return provides great overall coverage with Waterfall; although it doesn't hit anything super effectively, it can handle most Pokemon that resist Waterfall, such as Jynx and Samurott. Finally, Ice Beam serves as a usable coverage move to handle Tangela and other Grass-types.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>A Naive nature is chosen to enhance Huntail's middling Speed without lowering its Special Attack. Water Veil is a great ability to avoid burns from Misdreavus and Weezing that could potentially stop Huntail from sweeping. A White Herb is chosen to avoid the Defense drops from Shell Smash so that Huntail can still make use of its decent bulk. Swift Swim can be useful to give Huntail greater Speed in rain to make sweeping easier, but it has little utility otherwise. A Life Orb can be used to allow Huntail to hit harder, but the decrease in bulk hurts Huntail's performance, given its usable defenses and the ubiquity priority attacks are in NU.</p>
<p>Huntail appreciates entry hazard support for it to sweep; Scolipede and Roselia are great teammates to provide this, and they also handle opposing Grass-types such as Exeggutor. Jynx is also a great teammate for Huntail, as it dismantles Grass- and Dragon-types while Huntail can handle opposing Fire-types. Eelektross and Exeggutor are both great to handle Alomomola, one of Huntail's best counters. The former can effectively Volt Switch into Huntail, which is helpful as it is not very easy for Huntail to switch directly into battle, while the latter can maim Seismitoad.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Huntail's small movepool means there isn't much else going for it. It has some special moves such as Hydro Pump, Surf, and Hidden Power to use off of its decent Special Attack, but Gorebyss is significantly better as a pure special sweeper. Ice Fang could be used to handle Grass-types, but it is a very weak move in general. Sucker Punch is a useful priority move to nail faster targets, but it is illegal with Shell Smash. Huntail also has Baton Pass, but sadly, it can't be used alongside Shell Smash in NU. Huntail does have Barrier and Aqua Ring to use with Baton Pass, but they are very situational moves.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>There aren't many complete counters to Huntail; however, there are plenty of checks. Alomomola is the greatest counter to Huntail, due to its ability to take repeated hits and stall with Toxic, Wish, and Protect, but it is massive setup fodder due to its lack of offensive presence. Seismitoad is also capable of taking hits from Huntail and can even recovery off Waterfall thanks to Water Absorb. Priority users, such as Kangaskhan and Skuntank, can revenge kill Huntail after a Shell Smash boost. Huntail is not extraordinarily fast even after a Shell Smash boost, so Choice Scarf users such as Primeape and Rotom-S can still revenge kill it quite easily. Electric-types such as Electabuzz can make quick work of Huntail before it grabs a Shell Smash boost, but they can be beaten after a boost. Finally, if all else fails, paralysis from Pokemon such as Regirock can cripple Huntail and cut its sweep short.</p>
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