[SET]
name: Scarf Kit
move 1: ShadowStrike
move 2: U-turn
move 3: Ice Punch / Trick
move 4: Earthquake / Superpower
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Adamant
ability: Limber / Frisk
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Speed
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Kitsunoh, boasting great type coverage in combination with the resistances and immunities afforded by its Steel/Ghost typing, makes an excellent check to various sweepers. ShadowStrike makes for a very reliable STAB move, and can easily kill off opposing Ghost and Psychic-types. U-turn gives Kitsunoh the ability to scout your opponent's team while dealing a fair amount of damage. Ice Punch allows Kitsunoh to easily stop Salamence even after a Dragon Dance, and it is its best bet for dealing with other Flying-types such as Togekiss. Trick can also be used to mess with your opponent's Pokemon by locking them into a move, and it makes Kitsunoh an effective lead, as it can cripple bulkier Stealth Rock leads that are ordinarily unharmed. However, if you choose to go that way,you will have to rely on ShadowStrike to hit Salamence.</p>
<p>As with most Kitsunoh sets, there is a dilemma on whether or not it should use Superpower or Earthquake. This can be especially important when using Choice Scarf, as Kitsunoh's average Attack is not supplemented by an item. The choice comes down to what you would prefer to beat, though Earthquake will usually allow Kitsunoh better coverage. Earthquake has an excellent chance to 2HKO Metagross and Jirachi with Stealth Rock(space) on the field, and will OHKO various threats such as Magnezone, Heatran, and Infernape. Superpower, on the other hand, allows Kitsunoh to OHKO Tyranitar and 2HKO Blissey.</p>
<p>Because you will be locked into one attack at all times, this set is particularly vulnerable to being trapped and defeated by Dugtrio, Tyranitar and Magnezone. A Dugtrio of your own can be a useful teammate in this case. It traps and deals massive damage to both Tyranitar and Magnezone, OHKOing the latter. Choice Band Heracross OHKOes all three trappers with Close Combat and has its own Pursuit for Dugtrio. It also deals massive damage to many of the bulky Water, Ground, and Steel-type Pokemon that Kitsunoh attracts. Though it doesn't have Pursuit, Machamp works similarly to Heracross and is much more difficult to switch into, due to the large confusion chance from DynamicPunch.</p>
[SET]
name: Life Orb Attacker
move 1: ShadowStrike
move 2: Ice Punch
move 3: U-turn
move 4: Superpower / Earthquake
item: Life Orb
nature: Adamant / Jolly
ability: Limber
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Kitsunoh is a natural candidate for a Life Orb set, considering it has a high Attack stat, a good(space) Speed stat, and a decent physical movepool. ShadowStrike is quite potent on this set, as it has a 50% chance to drop the opponent’s Defense, making it difficult for even the bulkiest Pokemon to switch in without fear of being 2HKOd. Ice Punch is very useful, as it allows you to OHKO Salamence and 2HKO Bold Zapdos 82% of the time with a Jolly nature. U-turn is one of Kitsunoh’s most valuable moves, allowing you to scout for its common switch-ins and deal free damage to them as you switch to a counter.</p>
<p>The choice between Superpower and Earthquake on this set depends a lot upon the choice between using either Adamant or Jolly for its nature. Adamant is the main option, as it allows for maximum damage output and will also net you an OHKO on all but the most(space) physically bulky Blissey with Superpower. However, Jolly is still quite viable on Kitsunoh and will allow you to outrun positive base 100s and Infernape, who is defeated by Earthquake. Jolly also ties with Latias, but leaving Kitsunoh in isn’t a risk you will necessarily wish to take, as this set is not nearly as good at taking Surfs as other sets due to the Life Orb recoil.</p>
<p>You could use this same set with a Choice Band instead of Life Orb to increase the damage output. However, in most cases the difference is negligible and the ability to switch between moves is very useful.</p>
<p>This Kitsunoh set is more sweeper-oriented than the last set, and(remove comma) as such, you will want to give the opponent as few opportunities to respond to your offensive assault as possible. As it's been said, Kitsunoh attracts many bulky Steel and Water-types that won't hesitate to use your switching turn to support their team, or worse, heal. As such, wall-breakers make very good teammates when used in tandem with U-turn. Mixed Salamence and mixed Dragonite come in easily on many of these bulky support Pokemon and threaten to OHKO or 2HKO all of them with Draco Meteor, Fire Blast and Outrage. Mixed Infernape works similarly, though it is more difficult to switch in and may have trouble with some Water-types. Defense drops from ShadowStrike really help here, as they allow Infernape to get some extra 2HKOs with Close Combat. Mixed Electivire can 2HKO bulky Water-types more reliably than Salamence or Dragonite and has Flamethrower for Steel-types. Swampert can be dispatched with a surprise Hidden Power Grass.</p>
[SET]
name: Sub + Status
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Will-O-Wisp / Yawn
move 3: ShadowStrike
move 4: Superpower
item: Expert Belt
nature: Adamant / Jolly
ability: Limber
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Speed
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With all the switches it’s capable of forcing, Kitsunoh makes an effective user of Substitute. ShadowStrike and Superpower provide perfect coverage, hitting everything short of the bulkiest physical tanks hard. However, things that wall you don’t go unpunished, as they run the risk of being burned or slept when they try to remove you. In addition, many things that can ordinarily break Kitsunoh’s Substitutes are incapable of doing so once burned.</p>
<p>This set is very effective at “countering” Kitsunoh’s counters, as pretty much anything that can take ShadowStrike and Superpower really hate being burned or threatened with sleep. Because of this, it's very effective to use this set alongside a similar Pokemon like Metagross or Scizor, as you are effectively crippling their counters when you burn a Swampert or sleep a Skarmory.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>As previously mentioned, Kitsunoh is quite good at wearing down its counters. It is therefore worth using other Pokemon on your team that have similar counters. This mainly consists of offensive Steel-types. Arghonaut and Swampert will be able to stand up to Kitsunoh if they are at full health, but adding Metagross and Scizor to the equation puts constant pressure upon these Pokemon. Magnezone can be used on your team to take out Skarmory, Forretress, and Bronzong. If you use Magnezone for this purpose, Hidden Power Grass could be very useful for surprising Swampert. Heatran, while unable to trap Steel-types with Magnet Pull, can function similarly to Magnezone. Both of these Pokemon are capable of Exploding on potential counters for Kitsunoh.</p>
<p>Defensively, Kitsunoh needs to watch for faster users of Fire and Ground-type moves. This means Gyarados and Salamence are both good choices to pair with Kitsunoh, especially because many Pokemon using those moves(space) will need a Choice Scarf in order to outspeed Kitsunoh, and be locked into the move. Gyarados and Salamence, meanwhile, can set up with Dragon Dance. Surprisingly, Flygon can also be used for this purpose with U-turn, serving as a sort of "double scout" strategy. Flygon's immunity to Electric moves is also of some assistance here, though unfortunately Flygon doesn't resist Water (unlike Salamence and Gyarados). Latias and Stratagem with Levitate resist Fire-type moves, are immune to Ground-type moves, and can set up Calm Mind. Arghonaut, Swampert, and Hippowdon are bulkier Pokemon that can also switch into Fire and Ground-type moves and are worth noting because they can easily switch (or U-turn) into Tyranitar if you don't have Superpower. Due to a lack of recovery and Kitsunoh's frequent switching, Wish support can improve Kitsunoh's performance considerably, especially the Life Orb variant. Consider using Blissey or Vaporeon for this purpose.</p>
<p>Due to Kitsunoh's habit of forcing switches, it is effective to use entry hazards alongside it. Stealth Rock in particular should be set up as early in the battle as possible to maximize the damage Kitsunoh can do, particularly to Pokemon like Zapdos and Gyarados who you may have trouble with otherwise. Spikes and Toxic Spikes are also very effective, as bulky Water-types are some of Kitsunoh's best counters and they are devastated by these hazards.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Rock Slide is a decent move to use on a pure attacking Kitsunoh, as it allows you to deal fair damage to Gyarados without losing coverage on Salamence and Zapdos. ThunderPunch OHKOs Gyarados and will hit bulky Waters pretty hard on the Life Orb set, although it has little merit otherwise. Meteor Mash is a 100 base power STAB move with a small chance to raise Kitsunoh's Attack, but the coverage it gives is generally redundant on the main sets.</p>
<p>Kitsunoh gets Taunt, which can be of some use on a lead set to stop slower set up leads. It also has access to Psycho Shift, which it can use somewhat effectively in tandem with Trick and a Flame Orb. However, it is perfectly capable of running Will-O-Wisp, which is usually superior. Finally, Kitsunoh can use Knock Off on the Substitute set to punish its switch-ins as an alternative to Will-O-Wisp and Yawn. It is particularly useful in that Skarmory and Forretress, two great answers to most Kitsunoh, can have their Shed Shells removed, so that they can be trapped by Magnezone.</p>
[EVs]
<p>Kitsunoh generally gets the most use out of a simple 252 Attack and Speed EV spread, as most of its sets have little use for any Defense and its SpA is useless. However, an alternate EV spread of 252 HP, 16 Attack, 100 Speed, 140 SpD with a Careful nature can be useful on the Sub + Status set. Most defensive Latias are unable to break its Substitutes with Surf, while you easily 2HKO them with Shadow Strike even without Defense drops. Kitsunoh will also outrun Naïve Heatran and Adamant Lucario and hit them with Superpower for a 2HKO and OHKO, respectively.</p>
[Opinion]
<p>While it may be a stretch to call Kitsunoh “the ultimate scout”, it is definitely adept at forcing switches with its great resists and wide array of powerful attacks. Even Pokemon that resist its common moves won’t like having their Defense dropped by ShadowStrike, which leaves them vulnerable to other powerful attackers. With 110 Speed, Kitsunoh outpaces much of the metagame and is more than capable of forcing them into submission. Furthermore, it is not a glass cannon like many of its fast brethren like Gengar and Azelf, and is very capable of taking a hit when it has to. Kitsunoh is an asset to any team that is looking for a fast, hard-hitting attacker that forces switches and reveals team members.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Kitsunoh’s best counters are generally Steel-types who take neutral damage from Superpower. Skarmory is a great example, as Kitsunoh’s only move that hits it for super effective damage is the rare ThunderPunch, which can still be Roosted off. Forretress and Bronzong both have decent enough defenses to deal with Kitsunoh and take neutral damage at worst from its attacks. Bulkier versions of Metagross will also be able to take an Earthquake or two and threaten to hit back with their own Earthquakes.</p>
<p>Bulky Water-types such as Gyarados and Swampert will generally have an easy time with Kitsunoh. Although Gyarados does fear ThunderPunch, it is a solid answer to most Kitsunoh thanks to Intimidate. Swampert has good enough defenses to take Kitsunoh's hits and OHKO back with STAB Earthquake. Similarly, Arghonaut can take just about anything from Kitsunoh and set up on it with Bulk Up.</p>
<p>Some Kitsunoh sets, particularly Choice Scarf and Choice Band, are really prone to being trapped and revenge killed. Tyranitar can come in on a predicted Shadow Strike or Ice Punch and can do up to 98% with a Choice Band Pursuit. Scizor’s Pursuit isn’t nearly as powerful as Tyranitar’s, but it can still seriously injure any fleeing Kitsunoh. Magnezone also traps Choiced Kitsunohs with Magnet Pull and will Thunderbolt them to death. Scarf Magnezone will trap and kill even non-Choiced sets. Dugtrio can outrun and trap every Kitsunoh set except the Choice Scarfset (which is still susceptible to Choice Scarf Dugtrio), and easily OHKO with Earthquake.</p>
<p>Leading Choice Scarf Kitsunoh, however, almost always carries Trick, which is a nuisance for bulkier leads like Hippowdon and Bronzong. Leads such as Sash Heatran, Sash Azelf with Fire Blast or any lead Metagross with Earthquake will deal with most leading Kitsunoh nicely.</p>
<p>Kitsunoh with Will-O-Wisp and Substitute are particularly difficult to counter, as some of the Pokemon that can ordinarily switch in with impunity will be severely crippled while trying to scare it out. However, this can be counteracted by running Rest and Sleep Talk sets on many of Kitsunoh's conventional counters. Perfect candidates for this are Swampert, Arghonaut, and Gyarados, who are also capable of boosting while sleeping. Bulkier variants of RestTalk Machamp with Payback aren't a bad answer to Sub Status Kitsunoh either, though they must be careful of ShadowStrike defense drops.</p>