QC: Soulgazer / Punchshroom / Dat Blast
GP: Weebl / Frenzyplant
Taken over from Raseri (I scrapped his skeleton and started this from scratch)
Overview
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With strong offensive stats and powerful STAB moves, Kabutops makes its place in NU as a very threatening physical attacker and Rapid Spinner. Kabutops's STAB moves hit the majority of the tier for neutral damage, and this is complemented by its diverse movepool. Kabutops is also very effective on rain teams thanks to its ability Swift Swim, allowing it to outspeed the entire unboosted tier in the rain. Kabutops's Rock / Water typing allows it to check common Fire-types such as Typhlosion, Pyroar, and Magmortar. Kabutops also has access to Aqua Jet, a strong priority move that somewhat makes up for its average Speed stat outside of the rain. Unfortunately, Kabutops has a very low Special Defense stat, leaving it vulnerable to common special attackers such as Mismagius and Mesprit. Kabutops's typing gives it a 4x weakness to Grass-type attacks from Pokemon such as Vileplume, Tangela, Lilligant, and Sceptile.
Offensive Rapid Spin
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name: Offensive Rapid Spin
move 1: Rapid Spin
move 2: Stone Edge
move 3: Aqua Jet
move 4: Waterfall / Knock Off / Swords Dance
ability: Swift Swim
item: Life Orb / Lum Berry
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Jolly / Adamant
Moves
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Rapid Spin provides great team support by removing entry hazards from your side of the field. Stone Edge is a strong STAB move that has good coverage overall and hits Grass- and Flying- types very hard. It is also notable because it is not a contact move, so it will not cause Kabutops to take Rocky Helmet, Aftermath, or Iron Barbs damage from the likes of Garbodor and Ferroseed, both of which are common switch-ins to physical attackers. Aqua Jet is important to hit faster Pokemon and revenge kill Fire-types such as Typhlosion and Pyroar. Waterfall is a strong secondary STAB move that hits the bulky Ground-types that resist Stone Edge, such as Rhydon and Sandslash. Knock Off hits Ghost-types that try to spinblock for super effective damage and is also helpful to wear down bulky Pokemon such as Seismitoad and Ferroseed by removing their Leftovers or Eviolite. Swords Dance can be used to pressure the opponent further, allowing Kabutops to muscle past some bulkier Pokemon so it can give its teammates an easier time later in the game.
Set Details
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A Jolly nature and maximum Speed investment let Kabutops outspeed as many threats as possible, notably all variants of Ludicolo in the rain, and Adamant Kangaskhan, Sawk, and Zangoose outside of the rain. However, an Adamant nature is a viable option if outspeeding those Pokemon is not a concern, as it gives Kabutops a significant boost in power. Maximum Attack investment is used to hit as hard as possible. Swift Swim is the preferred ability to double Kabutops's Speed in the rain, which is helpful when used on a full rain team or to check opposing rain teams. Life Orb gives an increase in power to all of Kabutops's moves, while a Lum Berry gives Kabutops a one-time cure for status. It should be noted that when using Waterfall or Knock Off in the last moveslot, Life Orb is the preferred item, while a Lum Berry works well in tandem with Swords Dance to ease setup.
Usage Tips
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Stone Edge is usually the safest attack to go for early- and mid-game, as although it has imperfect accuracy, it hits extremely hard against Pokemon that do not resist it. Waterfall should be used on a predicted Ground-type switch-in that is expecting a Stone Edge and is also a more reliable attack to go for when the foe is hit for neutral damage by both of Kabutops's STAB moves. Aqua Jet should be used to revenge kill Fire-types such as Typhlosion and Pyroar, as well as weakened sweepers such as Slurpuff and Vivillon. Kabutops should Rapid Spin against opponents that it threatens out with its STAB moves, such as Rhydon, Sandslash, Probopass, and Typhlosion. However, sometimes it may be more useful to fire off a powerful attack if clearing entry hazards is not necessary. It is important to Rapid Spin away entry hazards if one of Kabutops's teammates is greatly crippled by entry hazards, such as Pyroar or Sneasel.
Team Options
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Fire-types, such as Magmortar, Typhlosion, Pyroar, and Flareon, appreciate Rapid Spin support and threaten Grass-types with their strong STAB moves. Bouffalant is a good partner that gains an Attack boost from Grass-type attacks and also appreciates entry hazard removal. Grass-types such as Lilligant and Tangela are also good partners because Kabutops easily handles Fire-types, which pressure them. If Kabutops is used on a rain team, Rain Dance users such as Liepard and Uxie are helpful to double Kabutops's Speed and power up its Water-type attacks. Other Swift Swim users, such as Ludicolo and Seismitoad, form an offensive rain core with Kabutops.
Swords Dance
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name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Stone Edge
move 3: Aqua Jet
move 4: Waterfall / Superpower
ability: Swift Swim
item: Life Orb / Lum Berry
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Jolly / Adamant
Moves
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Swords Dance boosts Kabutops's Attack to extremely high levels, allowing it to break through many bulky Pokemon. Stone Edge is a strong STAB move that OHKOes or 2HKOes Pokemon that do not resist it after a boost. Aqua Jet prevents Kabutops from being revenge killed by faster Pokemon and also outprioritizes Sucker Punch from Kangaskhan and Pawniard. Waterfall is preferred in the last slot as a secondary STAB move to hit bulky Ground- and Fighting-types such as Rhydon, Sandslash, Steelix, and Hariyama. Superpower allows Kabutops to OHKO Ferroseed after a Swords Dance and also hits Seismitoad and Poliwrath for neutral damage. However, the Attack and Defense drop after using Superpower is a significant downside. Knock Off is also useful to hit Ghost-types, but every common one, bar Gourgeist, is hit hard enough by a boosted Waterfall or Stone Edge. Knock Off is also useful to remove the items of bulky Pokemon, such as Seismitoad, mid-game to be able to power through them later on.
Set Details
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A Jolly nature and maximum Speed investment are used to let Kabutops outspeed as many threats as possible, notably all variants of Ludicolo in the rain, and Adamant Kangaskhan, Sawk, and Zangoose outside of the rain. However, an Adamant nature is a viable option if outspeeding those Pokemon is not a concern, as it gives a significant boost to Kabutops's wallbreaking ability after a Swords Dance boost. Maximum Attack investment is used to let Kabutops hit as hard as possible. Swift Swim is the preferred ability to double Kabutops's Speed in the rain, which is helpful when it's used on a full rain team or to check opposing rain teams. Life Orb gives an increase in power to all of Kabutops's moves, while a Lum Berry instantly cures Kabutops of a status effect, after which it is consumed. Life Orb helps Kabutops achieve an OHKO on Ferroseed with Superpower after a Swords Dance and Stealth Rock damage, as well as an OHKO on Vileplume with +2 Stone Edge after Stealth Rock damage. However, a Lum Berry is a great option to avoid status conditions from the likes of Weezing, Granbull, and Vivillon.
Usage Tips
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Kabutops should set up a Swords Dance against Pokemon that it threatens with its STAB moves, such as Rhydon, Sandslash, Probopass, and Typhlosion. It can often be helpful to use Swords Dance early-game to pressure the opponent, as this set is best used mid-game to punch holes in the opponent's team to let another teammate clean up later on. Kabutops should use the appropriate coverage move to hit its targets, such as Superpower on Ferroseed. Even though this set is meant to be a powerful wallbreaker, it can still act as an effective revenge killer with a strong Aqua Jet.
Team Options
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Stealth Rock support from the likes of Mesprit and Seismitoad is helpful to wear down Kabutops's switch-ins, notably guaranteeing an OHKO on Vileplume with a +2 Stone Edge after Stealth Rock damage. Fire-types that resist Grass-type attacks and threaten them with a strong STAB move, such as Typhlosion, Magmortar, Ninetales, and Pyroar, make for great partners. Most Fire-types often carry Hidden Power Grass or Energy Ball, both of which lure in and heavily dent Seismitoad, a very common switch-in for Kabutops. Seismitoad, Liepard, and Uxie are helpful to set up Rain Dance, doubling Kabutops's Speed and increasing Waterfall's power. Choice Band Bouffalant is a good wallbreaker to help Kabutops punch holes in the opposing team after a boost and also gains an Attack boost from Grass-type attacks aimed at Kabutops. Late-game cleaners such as Slurpuff, Lilligant, and Klinklang all appreciate Kabutops breaking down defensive Pokemon. In particular, they all appreciate Kabutops luring in and KOing Ferroseed with a boosted Superpower, allowing them to have an easier time sweeping or the ability to use a better coverage move.
Other Options
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A Choice Band amplifies Kabutops's Attack to massive levels, but Kabutops prefers to have the ability to switch moves. Stealth Rock can be used, but it should only be used if you cannot fit a different Stealth Rock user onto your team. A Focus Sash guarantees Kabutops gets off a Rapid Spin or Stone Edge, but the power of a Life Orb boost or Lum Berry's curing a status condition is almost always better. Rock Slide is a more reliable Rock-type move than Stone Edge, but the decrease in power in comparison to Stone Edge means that it misses out on many significant OHKOs and 2HKOs. Weak Armor boosts Kabutops's Speed after being hit with a contact move, but boosting Kabutops's Speed with rain is more reliable. Lastly, a mixed set with moves such as Giga Drain and Hidden Power Fire is viable to use Kabutops's salvageable Special Attack stat to lure in Seismitoad, Poliwrath, and Ferroseed.
Checks & Counters
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**Grass-types**: Ferroseed easily tanks Kabutops's STAB moves and can whittle it down with Leech Seed and Gyro Ball, but has to fear Superpower and losing its Eviolite to Knock Off. Tangela is another bulky Grass-type that can eat up any of Kabutops's attacks, even a +2 Stone Edge, and easily KO it with Giga Drain. Gourgeist-S blocks Kabutops's Rapid Spin and resists Waterfall while being able to outspeed and cripple it with Will-O-Wisp or KO it with Seed Bomb. Faster Grass-types such as Lilligant, Leafeon, and Sceptile are good checks to Kabutops, as they resist its priority Aqua Jet and threaten it with their respective STAB moves, but they must be wary of switching into a Stone Edge.
**Seismitoad**: Seismitoad is a great switch-in to Kabutops, as it is immune to Waterfall and resists Stone Edge and can either cripple it with a Scald burn or 2HKO it with Earthquake.
**Physically Bulky Pokemon**: Pokemon such as Weezing, Uxie, Gurdurr, and Granbull can take a hit or two from Kabutops and cripple it with status if it is not carrying a Lum Berry. However, most of these Pokemon are 2HKOed by a Life Orb Waterfall in the rain.
**Faster Pokemon**: Faster Pokemon can check Kabutops outside of the rain, especially those that resist Aqua Jet, such as the aforementioned Lilligant and Sceptile. Other faster Pokemon include Jynx, Primeape, and Rotom. However, all of these Pokemon cannot safely switch into a Stone Edge.
**Status**: Lum Berry-lacking Kabutops is severely crippled by all forms of status. Burn from Scald and Will-O-Wisp halves Kabutops's Attack, paralysis lowers its Speed, and poison puts a timer on it.
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