Old Analysis.
[Overview]
<p>Sporting 90/75/75 defenses, Lickitung is one of the bulkiest Pokemon in the LC metagame. Not only does Lickitung have fantastic bulk, it also has access to some great support moves such as Wish, Heal Bell, and Dragon Tail. Despite these great qualities, Lickitung possesses dreadful defensive typing in Normal, especially in a tier where Fighting-types run rampant. However, this should not rule Lickitung out if you’re looking for a bulky support Pokemon.</p>
[SET]
name: Wish
move 1: Wish
move 2: Protect
move 3: Dragon Tail
move 4: Heal Bell / Toxic / Return
item: Eviolite
ability: Own Tempo
nature: Careful
evs: 196 HP / 76 Def / 236 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Lickitung functions very similarly to how Blissey does in OU; it can wall many special attackers and support its team by passing large Wishes or healing status ailments with Heal Bell. Wish works in tandem with Lickitung's massive HP, and this is complimented by Protect, which guarantees Lickitung can reliably heal itself. What makes Lickitung stand out from many other walls is its access to Dragon Tail, which allows it to phaze anything that tries to set up on it whilst racking up entry hazard damage on the opponent's team.</p>
<p>Whilst these three moves are necessary for Lickitung to be able to function properly, the last moveslot comes down to personal preference. Heal Bell is the preferred option as it prevents Lickitung from being crippled by Toxic and also aids the rest of the team. If, for whatever reason, Heal Bell isn’t necessary, Toxic is the next best option, allowing Lickitung to stall out opponents with Wish and Protect. Finally, if you already have Toxic Spikes support, Return is a reliable STAB attack which Lickitung can make good use of.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV Spread is pretty self-explanatory; it maximizes special bulk and allows Lickitung to pass 14 HP wishes. Unfortunately, Cloud Nine is illegal with Wish and Heal Bell because Lickitung can only get these moves from previous generations, which is why Own Tempo is used. Other moves which could be used in the last slot include Body Slam, should the 30% paralysis rate appeal to you, and Fire Blast to hit Ferroseed, who would otherwise wall this set. If you are going to use Fire Blast in the last slot, be sure to change the nature from Careful to Calm.</p>
<p>As for team support, entry hazards are extremely important to make Lickitung’s Dragon Tail much more effective. Dwebble is the obvious candidate for this job as it can almost always get down at least Stealth Rock or one layer of Spikes. Bronzor and Ferroseed are also good entry hazard setters and they both appreciate Wish support from Lickitung. Unfortunately, neither have particularly good defensive synergy with it.</p>
<p>Lickitung also struggles against Fighting-types, so Pokemon that can handle them are great partners. Koffing and Misdreavus are both good choices as they can switch in on most Fighting-types and love the Wish support that Lickitung offers them. Finally, Lickitung struggles to switch in repeatedly if entry hazards are on the field, so Natu and Tentacool are also good teammates to remove them with Magic Bounce and Rapid Spin, respectively. In addition, both of them resist Fighting type attacks and Tentacool can set up Toxic Spikes.</p>
[SET]
name: RestTalk + Curse
move 1: Rest
move 2: Sleep Talk
move 3: Curse
move 4: Dragon Tail
item: Eviolite
ability: Cloud Nine
nature: Careful
evs: 196 HP / 76 Def / 236 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This particular set uses Lickitung’s already great defenses to set up with Curse and make Lickitung very hard to take down. It can then proceed to shuffle through the opponent’s team with Dragon Tail, dealing serious damage in tandem with entry hazards. Dragon Tail can also prevent your opponent from setting up on you. Rest is used to keep Lickitung healthy and immune to status, while Sleep Talk allows it to continue setting up and phazing in its sleep.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Perhaps one of the best things about this set is Cloud Nine, which means Lickitung won’t take damage from Sandstorm or Hail. This is a fantastic ability for Lickitung, as passive damage wears it down quickly. The EVs maximize Lickitung’s special bulk; as you are boosting your Defense stat anyway, Defense investment isn’t as important.</p>
<p>In the same vein as the Wish set, entry hazard support is a must. Dwebble and Ferroseed have access to both Stealth Rock and Spikes, so they make good partners, although it must be noted that Ferroseed shares a Fighting type weakness with Lickitung. Additionally, Tentacool can set up Toxic Spikes, which will help Lickitung immensely in stalling out the opponent’s team.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, Lickitung can’t set up on Fighting-types, so teammates that can defeat them make great partners. Great examples of these include Larvesta, Misdreavus, Shelmet, and Natu. Natu has the added advantage of bouncing back hazards with Magic Bounce, allowing Lickitung to switch in repeatedly. Tentacool and Staryu can also remove hazards with Rapid Spin to help Lickitung switch in more easily. Both work well with Lickitung, as Tentacool resists Fighting type attacks and Staryu can use Psychic to hit Fighting types super effectively.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Lickitung has access to a wide variety of offensive moves that could be used to hit certain targets, although it does not have enough power or Speed to run a completely offensive set. Fire Blast can be useful to hit Ferroseed, who can otherwise wall Lickitung quite well. Power Whip is useful if you want to hit Water-, Ground-, or Rock-types for large amounts of damage. Shadow Ball can hit Misdreavus super effectively, but she is often bulky enough to shrug off the damage. Lickitung has access to the infamous BoltBeam combination, but is usually outclassed by Porygon who can utilise the coverage better. A Swords Dance set may be tempting, but it is usually nothing more than a gimmick as Lickitung’s Speed lets it down severely. Finally, a SubPunch set could be used to nail Scraggy or Ferroseed switch-ins but it is quite situational and outclassed by Munchlax.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Lickitung’s Normal typing leaves it vulnerable to the Fighting-types in the tier. Mienfoo, Scraggy, Timburr, and Croagunk can all switch in on Lickitung and deal large amounts of damage with their Fighting-type STABs. Mienfoo and Croagunk also possess Knock Off, which can severely dent Lickitung’s bulk. Other notable Knock Off users include Tentacool, defensive Tirtouga, and Bulbasaur. Taunt is another support move which Lickitung has to be wary of, allowing the opposing team to take it down before it has a chance to heal up. Status conditions, especially Toxic, will be a large hindrance to Lickitung if it is not running Rest or Heal Bell. Vullaby is a Pokemon that will often carry Knock Off, Taunt and Toxic and therefore can cripple Lickitung greatly. Ferroseed can switch in on Lickitung and set up Spikes whilst taking very little damage from anything Lickitung has, bar the rare Fire Blast. Lickitung also hates the passive damage from Ferroseed’s Iron Barbs. Lastly, entry hazards give Lickitung a much harder time switching into powerful moves such as Hydro Pump from Chinchou and Staryu.</p>
