QC: (Chou Toshio, Heysup, Delta 2777) GP: (,)
Nidoking
[Overview]
<p>Nidoking has always made up for its less-than-stellar stats with an enormous movepool and useful resistances. Now, with boosted power from its new ability, Sheer Force, Nidoking can finally abuse its wide coverage to great effect. With a unique defensive typing, packing resistances to both Rock- and Fighting-type moves, the ability to absorb Toxic Spikes, and an immunity to Thunder Wave, Nidoking can also be useful in a supporting role despite its weakness to Ground-type attacks. The ability to avoid common status moves also contributes to its offensive effectiveness, keeping it from being shut down by Thunder Wave or worn down by Toxic. Overall, the combination of a fantastic movepool, huge power, and great defensive typing make Nidoking a good choice for many teams.</p>
[SET]
name: Special Attacker
move 1: Earth Power
move 2: Fire Blast / Sludge Wave / Focus Blast
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Thunderbolt
item: Life Orb
ability: Sheer Force
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set aims to take advantage of Nidoking's expansive special movepool, now boosted in both power and by Sheer Force. With a free 1.3x boost in conjunction with the lack of Life Orb recoil, Nidoking can spam its powerful special moves to deal great amounts of damage to the opponent's team. Besides all-out attacking, this set also functions as a fantastic Baton Pass receiver, as Nidoking's only true weakness is its low Speed stat. Earth Power is Nidoking's primary STAB attack, dealing super effective damage to Rock- and Steel-type Pokemon. Fire Blast ensures important OHKOes on Pokemon such as Abomasnow and Escavalier. Sludge Wave is also usable in this slot, as it receives a STAB boost while still hitting Grass-type Pokemon super effectively, although Fire Blast has better coverage in general. Focus Blast is also usable, as it can 2HKO Snorlax and Umbreon after Stealth Rock damage, and hits Rotom-H reasonably hard. It also has the added benefit of 2HKOing Chansey if Nidoking is passed a +2 boost to its Special Attack, although hitting twice in a row with Focus Blast is never something you want to rely on. Ice Beam and Thunderbolt are used in conjunction for their fantastic coverage, hitting most common Pokemon for at least neutral damage. These two moves, alongside Earth Power, hit a large portion of the metagame for super effective damage.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread maximizes Nidoking's Speed and Special Attack stats so it can hit as hard and fast as possible. Substitute can be used in the third or fourth moveslot, as it takes advantage of the switches Nidoking forces to ease prediction and bypass Nidoking's relatively low Speed. As this set uses only special attacks, it stands to reason that specially defensive Pokemon such as Chansey will be able to take its hits with ease. Therefore, Pokemon such as Gallade and Heracross, which can easily deal with special walls, make great partners for Nidoking. An especially useful teammate is Dugtrio, which can trap specially defensive Pokemon and ensure a KO, clearing the field for Nidoking to spam its powerful special attacks. Rotom-H is one of this set's biggest counters, as it resists every move except Sludge Wave and can dispatch Nidoking with a powerful Choice Specs-boosted hit. For this reason, Pokemon that can reliably set up Stealth Rock, such as Blastoise or Hitmontop, work well with Nidoking, minimizing the number of times Rotom-H can switch in and absorb Nidoking's attacks. Finally, Gorebyss and Huntail make excellent partners as well, since Nidoking becomes virtually unstoppable with a Shell Smash passed to it.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Earth Power
move 2: Sludge Wave / Fire Blast
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Thunderbolt
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Sheer Force
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set abuses the power boost from Sheer Force while bypassing Nidoking's relatively low Speed through the use of a Choice Scarf. With the pseudo-Life Orb boost from Sheer Force, Nidoking can use Choice Scarf without fear of a steep drop in power. Earth Power is Nidoking's best STAB option, hitting Rock- and Steel-type Pokemon super effectively. Fire Blast does the most damage to Grass-type Pokemon that resist Earth Power, such as Abomasnow and Shaymin. Sludge Wave can be used over Fire Blast for double STAB, as it still hits Grass-type Pokemon super effectively, and the boost in power can compensate somewhat for the reduced coverage. Ice Beam and Thunderbolt form the infamous BoltBeam combo, and have great coverage in conjunction with each other.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread gives Nidoking the greatest power along with the Speed to abuse the Choice Scarf. Choice Scarf Nidoking is easily walled by specially defensive Pokemon such as Chansey. Therefore, Pokemon that can easily deal with specially defensive walls, such as Escavalier and Mamoswine, make excellent partners for Nidoking, as they can clear the field for Nidoking to spam its powerful special attacks without worry. Dugtrio makes one of the best teammates for Nidoking, as it can trap and guarantee a KO on these specially defensive Pokemon. Since Choice Scarf Nidoking relies entirely on the power boost from Sheer Force to do significant damage, bulky attackers such as Rotom-H can take a few hits from Nidoking and likely KO in return with their own powerful attacks. In terms of nature, a Timid nature allows Nidoking to outpace Pokemon such as Jolly Choice Scarf Mamoswine and tie with Pokemon such as Jolly Choice Scarf Heracross, while a Modest Nature gives Nidoking the most power, while still allowing it to outspeed all Pokemon with base 130 Speed and lower not holding a Choice Scarf.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Sucker Punch can be used on the Special Attacker set, as even with no Attack investment and only a neutral nature Nidoking can do good damage to Pokemon such as Victini and Mew, and even revenge kill them if they are significantly weakened. Other options are outclassed by Nidoking's normal movesets.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>As Nidoking is primarily a special attacker, specially defensive walls such as Chansey can take its hits with ease and KO it with repeated attacks. A strong attacker that outspeeds Nidoking and carries a super effective attack, such as Azelf or Mew, can usually OHKO it. Flygon is one of the best checks to Nidoking, as it resists all of Nidoking's common moves outside of Ice Beam and can KO it with Earthquake. Rotom-H is also a strong check to Nidoking, as it can switch in on any of Nidoking's moves besides Sludge Wave and get off a free attack. Nidoking can also be trapped and KOed by Dugtrio for a revenge kill.</p>
Nidoking
[Overview]
<p>Nidoking has always made up for its less-than-stellar stats with an enormous movepool and useful resistances. Now, with boosted power from its new ability, Sheer Force, Nidoking can finally abuse its wide coverage to great effect. With a unique defensive typing, packing resistances to both Rock- and Fighting-type moves, the ability to absorb Toxic Spikes, and an immunity to Thunder Wave, Nidoking can also be useful in a supporting role despite its weakness to Ground-type attacks. The ability to avoid common status moves also contributes to its offensive effectiveness, keeping it from being shut down by Thunder Wave or worn down by Toxic. Overall, the combination of a fantastic movepool, huge power, and great defensive typing make Nidoking a good choice for many teams.</p>
[SET]
name: Special Attacker
move 1: Earth Power
move 2: Fire Blast / Sludge Wave / Focus Blast
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Thunderbolt
item: Life Orb
ability: Sheer Force
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set aims to take advantage of Nidoking's expansive special movepool, now boosted in both power and by Sheer Force. With a free 1.3x boost in conjunction with the lack of Life Orb recoil, Nidoking can spam its powerful special moves to deal great amounts of damage to the opponent's team. Besides all-out attacking, this set also functions as a fantastic Baton Pass receiver, as Nidoking's only true weakness is its low Speed stat. Earth Power is Nidoking's primary STAB attack, dealing super effective damage to Rock- and Steel-type Pokemon. Fire Blast ensures important OHKOes on Pokemon such as Abomasnow and Escavalier. Sludge Wave is also usable in this slot, as it receives a STAB boost while still hitting Grass-type Pokemon super effectively, although Fire Blast has better coverage in general. Focus Blast is also usable, as it can 2HKO Snorlax and Umbreon after Stealth Rock damage, and hits Rotom-H reasonably hard. It also has the added benefit of 2HKOing Chansey if Nidoking is passed a +2 boost to its Special Attack, although hitting twice in a row with Focus Blast is never something you want to rely on. Ice Beam and Thunderbolt are used in conjunction for their fantastic coverage, hitting most common Pokemon for at least neutral damage. These two moves, alongside Earth Power, hit a large portion of the metagame for super effective damage.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread maximizes Nidoking's Speed and Special Attack stats so it can hit as hard and fast as possible. Substitute can be used in the third or fourth moveslot, as it takes advantage of the switches Nidoking forces to ease prediction and bypass Nidoking's relatively low Speed. As this set uses only special attacks, it stands to reason that specially defensive Pokemon such as Chansey will be able to take its hits with ease. Therefore, Pokemon such as Gallade and Heracross, which can easily deal with special walls, make great partners for Nidoking. An especially useful teammate is Dugtrio, which can trap specially defensive Pokemon and ensure a KO, clearing the field for Nidoking to spam its powerful special attacks. Rotom-H is one of this set's biggest counters, as it resists every move except Sludge Wave and can dispatch Nidoking with a powerful Choice Specs-boosted hit. For this reason, Pokemon that can reliably set up Stealth Rock, such as Blastoise or Hitmontop, work well with Nidoking, minimizing the number of times Rotom-H can switch in and absorb Nidoking's attacks. Finally, Gorebyss and Huntail make excellent partners as well, since Nidoking becomes virtually unstoppable with a Shell Smash passed to it.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Earth Power
move 2: Sludge Wave / Fire Blast
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Thunderbolt
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Sheer Force
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set abuses the power boost from Sheer Force while bypassing Nidoking's relatively low Speed through the use of a Choice Scarf. With the pseudo-Life Orb boost from Sheer Force, Nidoking can use Choice Scarf without fear of a steep drop in power. Earth Power is Nidoking's best STAB option, hitting Rock- and Steel-type Pokemon super effectively. Fire Blast does the most damage to Grass-type Pokemon that resist Earth Power, such as Abomasnow and Shaymin. Sludge Wave can be used over Fire Blast for double STAB, as it still hits Grass-type Pokemon super effectively, and the boost in power can compensate somewhat for the reduced coverage. Ice Beam and Thunderbolt form the infamous BoltBeam combo, and have great coverage in conjunction with each other.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread gives Nidoking the greatest power along with the Speed to abuse the Choice Scarf. Choice Scarf Nidoking is easily walled by specially defensive Pokemon such as Chansey. Therefore, Pokemon that can easily deal with specially defensive walls, such as Escavalier and Mamoswine, make excellent partners for Nidoking, as they can clear the field for Nidoking to spam its powerful special attacks without worry. Dugtrio makes one of the best teammates for Nidoking, as it can trap and guarantee a KO on these specially defensive Pokemon. Since Choice Scarf Nidoking relies entirely on the power boost from Sheer Force to do significant damage, bulky attackers such as Rotom-H can take a few hits from Nidoking and likely KO in return with their own powerful attacks. In terms of nature, a Timid nature allows Nidoking to outpace Pokemon such as Jolly Choice Scarf Mamoswine and tie with Pokemon such as Jolly Choice Scarf Heracross, while a Modest Nature gives Nidoking the most power, while still allowing it to outspeed all Pokemon with base 130 Speed and lower not holding a Choice Scarf.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Sucker Punch can be used on the Special Attacker set, as even with no Attack investment and only a neutral nature Nidoking can do good damage to Pokemon such as Victini and Mew, and even revenge kill them if they are significantly weakened. Other options are outclassed by Nidoking's normal movesets.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>As Nidoking is primarily a special attacker, specially defensive walls such as Chansey can take its hits with ease and KO it with repeated attacks. A strong attacker that outspeeds Nidoking and carries a super effective attack, such as Azelf or Mew, can usually OHKO it. Flygon is one of the best checks to Nidoking, as it resists all of Nidoking's common moves outside of Ice Beam and can KO it with Earthquake. Rotom-H is also a strong check to Nidoking, as it can switch in on any of Nidoking's moves besides Sludge Wave and get off a free attack. Nidoking can also be trapped and KOed by Dugtrio for a revenge kill.</p>