Nidoqueen (Update)

Hello C&C, I am taking over for franky, who's thread can be found (and locked) here. Oglemi asked me to run this through QC and add the Overview, so here it is. Credit goes to franky for writing this (excluding the Overview and OC).

http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/nidoqueen

STATUS: Written, awaiting GP checks
QC Approval: 2/2 [uragg][Bluewind]
GP Checks: 2/2 [Zystral][fatecrashers]
______________________________________________________________

[Overview]

<p>Although she is often overlooked for her offensive male counterpart, Nidoqueen has proven herself to be a reliable member on defensive teams. Her unique typing of Poison and Ground gives her useful resistances to Rock-, Fighting-, and Bug-type attacks as well as an immunity to Electric-type attacks. Combine these resistances with very solid 90/87/85 defenses and an immunity to Toxic, and Nidoqueen will find herself with numerous opportunities to switch in and set up Toxic Spikes and Stealth Rock. However, Nidoqueen lacks the stats to use her expansive offensive movepool effectively, and lacks recovery outside of Rest, so having a teammate to buffer any Water-, Ice-, and Psychic-type attacks aimed at Nidoqueen will be required and will greatly increase her longevity, allowing her to continuously support your team.</p>

[SET]
name: Support
move 1: Earth Power
move 2: Stealth Rock
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Toxic Spikes / Roar
item: Leftovers
ability: Poison Point
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Thanks to her high Defense and decent typing, Nidoqueen is able to check numerous physical threats. Unlike other physically defensive Ground-types, Nidoqueen has a usable Special Attack stat that allows her to strike physical attackers, such as Aggron and Rhyperior, on their weaker Special Defense stat.</p>

<p>Nidoqueen's typing grants her resistances to many common UU attacking types, such as Rock, Fighting, and Bug, which enables her to set up Stealth Rock and Toxic Spikes with ease. As for her attacking moves, Earth Power allows Nidoqueen to hit Rhyperior and Aggron for super effective damage, while Ice Beam allows her to strike Donphan, Torterra, and Altaria. Bulky Pokemon, such as Milotic and Slowbro, are severely crippled by Toxic Spikes. Roar can be used instead to rack up entry hazard damage, scout your opponent's team, and phaze out any stat-boosters.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The given EVs are self-explanatory, but you can shift some Defense EVs into Speed if you wish. 48 Speed EVs allow Nidoqueen to outspeed Rhyperior and Adamant Aggron and strike them with a super effective Earth Power. With 96 EVs, Nidoqueen outspeeds Adamant Torterra and minimum Speed Altaria. Finally, Nidoqueen is able to outspeed Jolly Aggron with 124 Speed EVs, but the loss of bulk generally isn't worth it. Nidoqueen can use Toxic in her last slot, giving her a way to poison Levitators and Flying-types, such as Uxie and Moltres. Nidoqueen can also choose to adopt a purely physical set with a moveset of Earthquake, Stone Edge, and Crunch. A physical set will hit Chansey and Registeel harder, Stone Edge will ward off Moltres, while Crunch will allow Nidoqueen to hit Ghost- and Psychic-types for super effective damage.</p>

<p>Since Nidoqueen will most likely be used on defensive teams, it makes sense to add Spikes support, due to Nidoqueen's ability to rack up residual damage with Roar. Cloyster makes a solid Spikes partner since he can set up on Donphan and Steelix's Earthquake, while Nidoqueen buffers Rock- and Electric-type attacks directed at Cloyster. This set has problems with bulky Waters like Milotic, Blastoise, and Azumarill. Even Toxic is somewhat unreliable since Milotic and Blastoise both have viable RestTalk sets. Venusaur is a great partner to pair Nidoqueen with since he has the ability to check almost every bulky Water with the appropriate EV investment. Do note, however, that this will give your team an undesirable weakness to Alakazam (and Psychic-type moves in general), so be sure to pack a Spiritomb, Drapion, or Skuntank to remedy this problem.</p>

[Team Options]

<p>Nidoqueen makes a great teammate to Pokemon that can make the most of the entry hazards she sets up. Registeel and Spiritomb can take on common counters like Haze Milotic with two layers of Toxic Spikes on the field. With poison damage increasing every turn, Milotic will have a difficult time erasing their Curse and Calm Mind boosts. Weather stall teams can also make great use of the Toxic Spikes that Nidoqueen sets up, as well as her ability to absorb them on your side of the field. Hail teams in particular enjoy Nidoqueen as a teammate, thanks to her defensive synergy with Ice-types. Nidoqueen is able to buffer Rock- and Fighting-type attacks aimed at your Ice-types, while she benefits from having an 100% accurate Blizzard, and having teammates that are able to take any Ice and Water attacks aimed at her.</p>

<p>Spikes support is highly recommended if you want to pile up more residual damage with Nidoqueen's Roar. Cloyster is a good partner to use alongside Nidoqueen due to their defensive synergy, and it can also reliably set up Spikes at the start of the match. A spinblocker is recommended to keep these hazards on the field. Rotom and Mismagius make great choices; Rotom can hurt Blastoise with Thunderbolt, while Mismagius can block Foresight with Taunt, and both can use Will-O-Wisp to cripple Donphan and Hitmontop.</p>

<p>Bulky Waters are problematic to Nidoqueen, especially Blastoise and Milotic who often run Rest to negate poison damage. Using a defensive Venusaur can help deal with these threats, though using two Poison-types on the same team is just asking for trouble from Alakazam, so a Spiritomb or Drapion can be used to patch up this weakness. Leafeon can also remove opposing bulky Waters. In addition, Leafeon can take any Ground- and Water-types attacks aimed at Nidoqueen, while providing Wish support, thus keeping Nidoqueen healthy.</p>


[Optional Changes]

<p>Nidoqueen has such a vast offensive movepool that you could expect the words “super effective” to appear many times throughout a battle. Aqua Tail, Blizzard, Body Slam, Crunch, Dragon Pulse, Fire Blast, Flamethrower, Focus Blast, Focus Punch, Outrage, Pursuit, Rock Slide, Shadow Ball, Superpower, and Thunderbolt are just some of the moves that she has at her disposal. Unfortunately, Nidoqueen lacks the stats to effectively make use of purely offensive sets, so you are better off using Nidoking, who has an almost identical movepool, higher Speed, and hits harder than Nidoqueen.</p>

<p>Nidoqueen also has other support options outside of entry hazards and Roar. Nidoqueen has access to both Taunt and Super Fang, allowing her to take down walls that she wouldn't be able to otherwise. However, because of Nidoqueen's lack of recovery, forcing your opponent to attack will significantly reduce her survivability. Nidoqueen also has access to Charm and Captivate to reduce her opponent's Attack and Special Attack, respectively, forcing them to switch and thus racking up entry hazard damage. However, note that Captivate will only work on male Pokemon, so female special attackers will still be able to set up on Nidoqueen.</p>

<p>Rest is Nidoqueen's only method of recovery, but thanks to her typing and defensive stats, a RestTalk set is quite a viable option for Nidoqueen. With Rest and Sleep Talk, Nidoqueen becomes an excellent status absorber and her survivability greatly increases. Nidoqueen has multiple options for her other moves; Roar could be considered the best choice, since Sleep Talk negates its negative priority, and it prevents your opponent from setting up on Nidoqueen. Toxic Spikes can be used, but once you get two layers up it is a waste of a slot, and Sleep Talk will end up only having a 1/3 chance of selecting a useful move. Ice Beam and Dragon Pulse are Nidoqueen's best options for the last moveslot; Dragon Pulse has amazing neutral coverage, only being resisted by Steel-types, while Ice Beam allows Nidoqueen to hit opposing Ground- and Grass-types for super effective damage.</p>

[Counters]

<p>Milotic, Blastoise, Slowbro, and Azumarill are perfect counters to Nidoqueen since their bulk allows them to switch into her attacks quite easily. However, they must watch out for Toxic and Toxic Spikes if they lack Rest. Gardevoir and Espeon have respectable Special Defense stats and can switch into Nidoqueen and threaten her with Psychic. Venusaur absorbs Toxic Spikes and brushes off Ice Beam thanks to his high Special Defense stat. He can also incapacitate Nidoqueen with Sleep Powder and set up Swords Dance or attack outright with Leaf Storm or Earthquake.</p>
 
There should be a mention somewhere (Overview? Team Options? AC of Spiker set?) that Nidoqueen functions well on Hail stall (and to a smaller extent, Sand stall) teams due to the increased ability to pile up residual damage and patching up the Rock and Fighting weaknesses of the Ice type. Nidoqueen can take advantage of Blizzard in Hail as well. Also, Stallrein loves Nidoqueen.

Perhaps the Overview can mention Queen is one of the bulkiest Toxic Spikers in UU?
 
Thanks YaM, I thought there was already a mention of Hail Stall in Team Options, so I will add it. Also, I was going to mention it's ability to get Toxic Spikes set up when I was writing the Overview, adding on to the benefits of it's typing.
 

Nexus

Forever the Recusant
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnus
Since Nidoqueen has two abilities and not both are equally as useful on the sets you posted, please specify the ability (Poison Point) in the set, as shown below

name:
move 1:
move 2:
move 3:
move 4:
item:
ability:
nature:
evs:
 
In the analysis, you mention that Nidoqueen can 'deal with Donphan', yet Nidoqueen can't 1hitko with Ice Beam, whereas Donphan's EQ will take a huge chunk of health. Explain please (:
 

Oglemi

Borf
is a Top Contributoris a Tournament Director Alumnusis a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Researcher Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Smogon Media Contributor Alumnusis an Administrator Alumnusis a Top Dedicated Tournament Host Alumnus
"It can deal with" Donphan because Nidoqueen outspeeds it and 2HKOs it with Ice Beam before Donphan can 2HKO her with Earthquake.

Saying "it can deal with" doesn't mean that she does it particularly well or good, just that she can do it and eliminate Donphan if need be.
 

uragg

Walking the streets with you in your worn-out jeans
is a Contributor Alumnus
combine the two sets into one, since they are virtually identical and don't really play differently. the set should be this:

[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Earth Power
move 2: Stealth Rock
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Toxic Spikes / Roar
item: Leftovers
ability: Poison Point
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 6 SpD

the speed EVs aren't really needed since now you have earth power to get rid of aggron, who is doing lol damage anyway. Toxic goes to AC of this set, it's not useful enough to warrant a slash in the set.

also, expand the OC section a bit, talk about how nidoqueen can work in hail teams with blizzard over ice beam, mention a set without hazards if your team already has them, and mention a RestTalk set to give it more survivability.

other than that this looks good to go, nice job on this.

QC APPROVED 1/2
*KOFFING*
 

Oglemi

Borf
is a Top Contributoris a Tournament Director Alumnusis a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Researcher Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Smogon Media Contributor Alumnusis an Administrator Alumnusis a Top Dedicated Tournament Host Alumnus
Don't forget to add all of this in OC as well + what uragg said:

Aqua Tail, Aerial Ace, Avalanche, Blizzard, Body Slam, Charm, Crunch, Dragon Pulse, Fire Blast, Flamethrower, Focus Blast, Focus Punch, Substitute, Pursuit, Rock Slide, Sunny Day, Shadow Claw, Shadow Ball, Taunt, and Thunder.

Just mention them, and a little description as to why they aren't recommended, (i.e. Nidoqueen hits like a baby, too slow, etc..)

If the OC section ends up being 3 huge paragraphs, so be it.
 

Komodo

Huff
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis an Artist Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnus
[Overview]

<p>Although Nidoqueen is often overlooked for her more offensive, male counterpart; Nidoqueen has proven herself to be a reliable member on defensive teams. With Her unique Ground / Poison typing, that gives her resistances to Rock-, Fighting-, and Bug-type attacks, and immunity to Electric attacks. Combined with very solid 90/87/85 defenses, and being immune to Toxic, Nidoqueen will find herself with numerous opportunities to switch in and set up Toxic Spikes and Stealth Rock. However, Nidoqueen lacks the stats to use her expansive offensive movepool effectively,(comma) and lacks any recovery outside of Rest, so having a teammate to buffer any Water-, Ice-, and Psychic-type attacks aimed at Nidoqueen will greatly increase her longevity, allowing her to support your team.</p>

[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Earth Power
move 2: Stealth Rock
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Toxic Spikes / Roar
item: Leftovers
ability: Poison Point
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Thanks to her high Defense and decent (without "decent" it soubds like "high typing")typing, Nidoqueen is able to be a reliable check to numerous physical threats. Unlike other physically defensive Ground-types, Nidoqueen has a usable Special Attack stat that allows her to strike physical attackers, such as Aggron and Rhyperior, on their weaker Special Defense stat.</p>

<p>Nidoqueen is able to use the her (belonging to Nidoqueen) many resistances, which include Rock-, Fighting- and Bug-type attacks, that her typing offers, and use those opportunities to set up Stealth Rock and Toxic Spikes. For her attacking moves, Earth Power allows Nidoqueen to hit Rhyperior and Aggron for super effective damage, while Ice Beam allows her to strike Donphan, Torterra, and Altaria. Toxic Spikes is used to wear down your opponent's Pokemon, crippling bulky Pokemon like Milotic and Slowbro. Roar can be used instead of Toxic Spikes to help rack up entry hazard damage, scout your opponent's team, and phaze out any stat-boosters.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The given EVs are self explanatory, but you can choose to move Defense EVs to Speed. 48 Speed EVs will allow Nidoqueen to outspeed Rhyperior and Adamant Aggron, allowing her to strike them with a super effective Earth Power. With 96 EVs placed in Speed, Nidoqueen will be able to outspeeds Adamant Torterra and Altaria with a minimal investment in Speed. Nidoqueen is able to outspeed Jolly Aggron with 124 EVs, but the loss of bulk generally makes this not isn't worth it.</p>

<p>Nidoqueen can choose to use Toxic in her last slot, giving her a way to poison Levitators (ability is capital)and Flying-types, such as Uxie and Moltres. Nidoqueen can also choose to adapt a pure physical set with a moveset of Earthquake, Stone Edge, and Crunch. The difference between this moveset and the current one is that a physical one will hit Chansey and Registeel harder, and Nidoqueen will be able to ward off Moltres with Stone Edge. Crunch lets her hit Ghost-types like Mismagius and Rotom for super effective damage.</p>

<p>Since Nidoqueen will most likely play a role on defensive teams, it makes sense to add Spikes support due to Nidoqueen's ability to rack up residual damage with Roar. Cloyster makes a solid Spikes partner since he can set up on Donphan's and Steelix's Earthquake, while Nidoqueen buffers Rock- and Electric-type attacks directed at Cloyster.</p>

<p>This set has problems with bulky Waters like Milotic, Blastoise, and Azumarill. Even Toxic is somewhat unreliable since Milotic and Blastoise have viable RestTalk sets. Venusaur is a great partner to pair Nidoqueen with since he has the ability to check almost every bulky Water with the appropriate EV investment. Take note that this will give your team an undesirable weakness to Alakazam (and Psychic-type moves in general),
so pack a Spiritomb to remedy this problem.</p>

[Team Options]

<p>Nidoqueen makes a great teammate to Pokemon that can make the most of the entry hazards it she sets up. Mono-attackers love to be used in tandem with Toxic Spikes. Registeel and Spiritomb can directly take on common counters like Haze Milotic with two layers of Toxic Spikes on the field. With Toxic poison damage increasing every turn, Milotic will have a difficult time erasing their Curse and Calm Mind boosts.</P>

<p>Weather stall teams can also make great use of the Toxic Spikes that Nidoqueen sets up, as well as her ability to absorb any on your side of the field. Hail teams enjoy Nidoqueen as a teammate, thanks to her defensive synergy with Ice-types. Nidoqueen is able to buffer and Rock- and Fighting-type attacks aimed at your Ice-types, while Nidoqueen benefits from being able to use a 100% accurate Blizzard, instead of Ice Beam, and having teammates that are able to take any Ice attacks aimed at her.</p>

<p>Spikes support is highly recommended if you want to pile up more residual damage with Roar. Cloyster is a good partner to use alongside Nidoqueen due to their defensive synergy. Cloyster can also reliably set up Spikes at the start of the match. A spinblocker is recommended to keep these hazards on the field. Rotom and Mismagius make great choices; Rotom can hurt Blastoise with Thunderbolt, while Mismagius can Taunt to shut down Foresight block Foresight with Taunt, and both can use Will-O-Wisp to cripple Donphan.</p>

<p>Bulky Waters are problematic to Nidoqueen, (comma)especially Blastoise and Milotic who often run Rest to bypass poison damage. Using a defensive Venusaur can help deal with these threats, (comma)though using two Poison-types is just asking for trouble from Alakazam, so a of your own Spiritomb or Drapion can patch up this weakness. A Leafeon of your own can also help remove opposing bulky waters. It Leafeon can take any Ground- and Water-types attacks aimed at Nidoqueen, while providing Wish support, keeping Nidoqueen healthy.</p>


[Optional Changes]

<p>Nidoqueen has such a vast offensive movepool, that you can easily see the words “super effective” many times throughout a battle. Aqua Tail, Blizzard, Body Slam, Crunch, Dragon Pulse, Fire Blast, Flamethrower, Focus Blast, Focus Punch, Outrage, Pursuit, Rock Slide, Shadow Ball, Superpower, and Thunderbolt are all just some of the moves that Nidoqueen has at her disposal. Although Nidoqueen most certainly has the movepool, she lacks the stats to effectively use offensive sets, so you are better off using Nidoking, who has a similar movepool, is faster has higher Speed, and hits harder than Nidoqueen.</p>

<p>Nidoqueen also has other support options, outside of entry hazards and Roar. Nidoqueen has access to both Taunt and Super Fang, allowing her to take down walls that she wouldn't be able to otherwise. However, because of Nidoqueen's lack of recovery, forcing your opponent to attack her will significantly reduce the amount of time she can stay in the battle. Nidoqueen also has access to Charm and Captivate to reduce her opponent's Attack and Special Attack, respectively, to forcing switches, and racking up entry hazard damage. However, Captivate will only work on male Pokemon, so if your opponent has a female special attacker they can get around these two moves Captivate (Charm hits both genders)and set up on Nidoqueen.</p>

<p>Rest is Nidoqueen's only way of recovery, but thanks to her typing and defensive stats she can use a RestTalk set effectively. With Rest and Sleep Talk, Nidoqueen becomes an excellent status absorber and her survivability greatly increases. Nidoqueen has multiple options for her other moves;(semi colon) Roar could be considered the best choice, since Sleep Talk negates the negative priority, and it will prevents your opponent from setting up on Nidoqueen. Toxic Spikes can be used, but it is a waste of a slot after you get two layers, and Sleep Talk will only have a 1/3 chance of selecting a useful move. Ice Beam and Dragon Pulse are Nidoqueen's best options for the last moveslot, (comma)Dragon Pulse has amazing neutral coverage, only being resisted by Steel-types, while Ice Beam allows Nidoqueen to hit opposing Ground- and Grass-types for super effective damage.</p>

[Counters]

<p>Milotic, Blastoise, Slowbro, and Azumarill are perfect counters to Nidoqueen since they can switch into her attacks quite easily. However, they must watch out for Toxic and Toxic Spikes if they lack Rest. Alakazam and Espeon have respectable Special Defense stats and can switch into Nidoqueen and threaten her with Psychic. Venusaur absorbs Toxic Spikes and brushes off Ice Beam thanks to his high Special Defense stat. It He can also incapacitate Nidoqueen with Sleep Powder and set up Swords Dance or attack with Leaf Storm.</p>


One or two grammar errors, a little inconsistency with genders he/she/it etc. Removed some pointless fluff as well.

Red is remove
Blue is change
Bold is comment / explaination
 

Honko

he of many honks
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Programmer Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnus
Nice writeup, I enjoyed reading it. Just a few things I noticed that could be changed.

Red for removals
Blue for additions/changes
Navy for comments

[Overview]

<p>Although she is often overlooked for her offensive male counterpart, Nidoqueen has proven herself to be a reliable member on defensive teams. Her unique Ground / Poison typing gives her useful resistances to Rock-, Fighting-, and Bug-type attacks, (remove comma) and an immunity to Electric attacks. Combined with very solid 90/87/85 defenses, (remove comma) and being immune to Toxic, Nidoqueen will find herself with numerous opportunities to switch in and set up Toxic Spikes and Stealth Rock. However, Nidoqueen lacks the stats to use her expansive offensive movepool effectively, and lacks recovery outside of Rest, so having a teammate to buffer any Water-, Ice-, and Psychic-type attacks aimed at Nidoqueen will greatly increase her longevity, allowing her to support your team.</p>

[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Earth Power
move 2: Stealth Rock
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Toxic Spikes / Roar
item: Leftovers
ability: Poison Point
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Thanks to her high Defense and decent typing, Nidoqueen is able to check numerous physical threats. Unlike other physically defensive Ground-types, Nidoqueen has a usable Special Attack stat that allows her to strike physical attackers, such as Aggron and Rhyperior, on their weaker Special Defense stat.</p>

<p>Nidoqueen is able to use the many resistances that her typing offers, including Rock-, Fighting-, and Bug-type attacks, that her typing offers, and use those opportunities to set up Stealth Rock and Toxic Spikes. For her attacking moves, Earth Power allows Nidoqueen to hit Rhyperior and Aggron for super effective damage, while Ice Beam allows her to strike Donphan, Torterra, and Altaria. Toxic Spikes is used to wear down your opponent's bulky Pokemon like Milotic and Slowbro. Roar can be used instead of Toxic Spikes to rack up entry hazard damage, scout your opponent's team, and phaze out any stat-boosters.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The given EVs are self explanatory, but you can move Defense EVs to Speed. 48 Speed EVs allow Nidoqueen to outspeed Rhyperior and Adamant Aggron, allowing her to strike them with a super effective Earth Power. With 96 EVs, Nidoqueen outspeeds Adamant Torterra and Altaria that have minimal investment in Speed. Nidoqueen is able to outspeed Jolly Aggron with 124 EVs, but the loss of bulk generally isn't worth it.</p>

<p>Nidoqueen can use Toxic in her last slot, giving her a way to poison Levitators and Flying-types, such as Uxie and Moltres. Nidoqueen can also choose to adopt a purely physical set with a moveset of Earthquake, Stone Edge, and Crunch. The difference between this moveset and the current one is that a physical one A physical set will hit Chansey and Registeel harder, and Stone Edge will ward off Moltres with Stone Edge. Crunch lets her hit Ghost-types like Mismagius and Rotom for super effective damage.</p> (Maybe include a sentence here about the disadvantages of a physical set? From this paragraph it seems much superior, so the reader will wonder why that isn't the primary option.)

<p>Since Nidoqueen will most likely be used on defensive teams, it makes sense to add Spikes support due to Nidoqueen's ability to rack up residual damage with Roar. Cloyster makes a solid Spikes partner since he can set up on Donphan and Steelix's Earthquake, while Nidoqueen buffers Rock- and Electric-type attacks directed at Cloyster.</p>

<p>This set has problems with bulky Waters like Milotic, Blastoise, and Azumarill. Even Toxic is somewhat unreliable since Milotic and Blastoise have viable RestTalk sets. Venusaur is a great partner to pair Nidoqueen with since he has the ability to check almost every bulky Water with the appropriate EV investment. Take note that this will give your team an undesirable weakness to Alakazam (and Psychic-type moves in general),
so pack a Spiritomb to remedy this problem.</p> (These last two paragraphs get repeated almost exactly in Team Options. I'd say either remove them from this section entirely or mention different Pokemon that fill similar roles here instead.)

[Team Options]

<p>Nidoqueen makes a great teammate to Pokemon that can make the most of the entry hazards she sets up. Mono-attackers love to be used in tandem with Toxic Spikes. Registeel and Spiritomb can take on common counters like Haze Milotic with two layers of Toxic Spikes on the field. With poison damage increasing every turn, Milotic will have a difficult time erasing their Curse and Calm Mind boosts.</P>

<p>Weather stall teams also make great use of the Toxic Spikes that Nidoqueen sets up, as well as her ability to absorb them on your side of the field. Hail teams in particular enjoy Nidoqueen as a teammate, thanks to her defensive synergy with Ice-types. Nidoqueen is able to buffer and Rock- and Fighting-type attacks aimed at your Ice-types, and she benefits from having a 100% accurate Blizzard, (remove comma) instead of Ice Beam, (remove comma) and having teammates that are able to take any Ice attacks aimed at her.</p>

<p>Spikes support is highly recommended if you want to pile up more residual damage with Roar. Cloyster is a good partner to use alongside Nidoqueen due to their defensive synergy. Cloyster can also reliably set up Spikes at the start of the match. A spinblocker is recommended to keep these hazards on the field. Rotom and Mismagius make great choices; Rotom can hurt Blastoise with Thunderbolt, while Mismagius can block Foresight with Taunt, and both can use Will-O-Wisp to cripple Donphan.</p>

<p>Bulky Waters are problematic to Nidoqueen, especially Blastoise and Milotic who often run Rest to bypass poison damage. Using a defensive Venusaur can help deal with these threats, though using two Poison-types is just asking for trouble from Alakazam, so a Spiritomb or Drapion can patch up this weakness. Leafeon can also remove opposing bulky waters. Leafeon can take any Ground- and Water-types attacks aimed at Nidoqueen, while providing Wish support, to keep Nidoqueen healthy.</p>


[Optional Changes]

<p>Nidoqueen has such a vast offensive movepool, (remove comma) that you can easily see the words “super effective” many times throughout a battle. Aqua Tail, Blizzard, Body Slam, Crunch, Dragon Pulse, Fire Blast, Flamethrower, Focus Blast, Focus Punch, Outrage, Pursuit, Rock Slide, Shadow Ball, Superpower, and Thunderbolt are just some of the moves that she has at her disposal. Although Nidoqueen most certainly has the movepool, she lacks the stats to effectively use offensive sets, so you are better off using Nidoking, who has a similar movepool, has higher Speed, and better offensive stats than Nidoqueen.</p>

<p>Nidoqueen also has other support options, (remove comma) outside of entry hazards and Roar. Nidoqueen has access to both Taunt and Super Fang, allowing her to take down walls that she wouldn't be able to otherwise. However, because of Nidoqueen's lack of recovery, forcing your opponent to attack her will significantly reduce the amount of time she can stay in the battle. Nidoqueen also has access to Charm and Captivate to reduce her opponent's Attack and Special Attack, respectively, forcing switches, (remove comma) and racking up entry hazard damage. However, Captivate will only work on male Pokemon, so if your opponent has a female special attacker they can get around Captivate and set up on Nidoqueen.</p>

<p>Rest is Nidoqueen's only way of recovering health, but thanks to her typing and defensive stats she can use a RestTalk set effectively. With Rest and Sleep Talk, Nidoqueen becomes an excellent status absorber and her survivability greatly increases. Nidoqueen has multiple options for her other moves; Roar could be considered the best choice, since Sleep Talk negates the negative priority, and it prevents your opponent from setting up on Nidoqueen. Toxic Spikes can be used, but once you get two layers up it becomes a waste of a slot after you get two layers, and Sleep Talk will only have a 1/3 chance of selecting a useful move. Ice Beam and Dragon Pulse are Nidoqueen's best options for the last moveslot; Dragon Pulse has amazing neutral coverage, only being resisted by Steel-types, while Ice Beam allows Nidoqueen to hit opposing Ground- and Grass-types for super effective damage.</p>

[Counters]

<p>Milotic, Blastoise, Slowbro, and Azumarill are perfect counters to Nidoqueen since they can switch into her attacks quite easily. However, they must watch out for Toxic and Toxic Spikes if they lack Rest. Alakazam and Espeon have respectable Special Defense stats and can switch into Nidoqueen and threaten her with Psychic. Venusaur absorbs Toxic Spikes and brushes off Ice Beam thanks to his high Special Defense stat. He can also incapacitate Nidoqueen with Sleep Powder and set up Swords Dance or attack with Leaf Storm.</p>
 

Oglemi

Borf
is a Top Contributoris a Tournament Director Alumnusis a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Researcher Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Smogon Media Contributor Alumnusis an Administrator Alumnusis a Top Dedicated Tournament Host Alumnus
If anything just rephrase those paragraphs, but I'd rather not have you remove them.

I've been a little irked that we've been removing team suggestions from AC to the Team Options section simply because there's only one set.

We can't assume that that's the only set this Pokemon will ever have onsite (however unlikely that may be), so if the author wrote them, leave them, however if they didn't write them they won't have to add any (since we didn't do it for the other ones).

EDIT: I don't care how repeated it is, if I had to suffer through repetition for team options with Muk then everybody has to.
 
One quick thing that caught my eye ...

<p>Milotic, Blastoise, Slowbro, and Azumarill are perfect counters to Nidoqueen since they can switch into her attacks quite easily. However, they must watch out for Toxic and Toxic Spikes if they lack Rest. Alakazam and Espeon have respectable Special Defense stats and can switch into Nidoqueen and threaten her with Psychic. Venusaur absorbs Toxic Spikes and brushes off Ice Beam thanks to his high Special Defense stat. He can also incapacitate Nidoqueen with Sleep Powder and set up Swords Dance or attack with Leaf Storm.</p>
I find it hard to imagine Alakazam switching into anything. If it comes to bulky Psychic types, the first I'd think of are Uxie and Mesprit ... perhaps those are better options? If it comes to direct attacking and threatening an OHKO, I'd think of Gardevoir first, too.
 
Thanks Banedon. I changed the mention of Alakazam to Gardevoir, since it certainly has the defenses to take a hit and is still more offensive than the pixies, which seems like what franky was going for when this was written.
 

Zystral

めんどくさい、な~
is a Contributor Alumnusis a Top Smogon Media Contributor Alumnus
[Overview]

<p>Although she is often overlooked for her offensive male counterpart, Nidoqueen has proven herself to be a reliable member on defensive teams. Her unique Ground / Poison typing typing of Ground and Poison gives her useful resistances to Rock-, Fighting-, and Bug-type attacks as well as an immunity to Electric-type attacks. Combined with very solid 90/87/85 defenses and being immune to Toxic, Nidoqueen will find herself with numerous opportunities to switch in and set up Toxic Spikes and Stealth Rock. However, Nidoqueen lacks the stats to use her expansive offensive movepool effectively, and lacks recovery outside of Rest, so having a teammate to buffer any Water-, Ice-, and Psychic-type attacks aimed at Nidoqueen will greatly increase her longevity, allowing her to support your team.</p>

[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Earth Power
move 2: Stealth Rock
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Toxic Spikes / Roar
item: Leftovers
ability: Poison Point
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Thanks to her high Defense and decent typing, Nidoqueen is able to check numerous physical threats. Unlike other physically defensive Ground-types, Nidoqueen has a usable Special Attack stat that allows her to strike physical attackers, such as Aggron and Rhyperior, on their weaker Special Defense stat.</p>

<p>Nidoqueen is able to use the many resistances her typing offers, which include Rock-, Fighting-, and Bug-type attacks, to set up Stealth Rock and Toxic Spikes. For her attacking moves, Earth Power allows Nidoqueen to hit Rhyperior and Aggron for super effective damage, while Ice Beam allows her to strike Donphan, Torterra, and Altaria. Toxic Spikes is used to wear down your opponent's bulky Pokemon like Milotic and Slowbro. Roar can be used instead of Toxic Spikes to rack up entry hazard damage, scout your opponent's team, and phaze out any stat-boosters.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The given EVs are self explanatory, but you can move Defense EVs to Speed. 48 Speed EVs allow Nidoqueen to outspeed Rhyperior and Adamant Aggron, allowing her to strike them with a super effective Earth Power. With 96 EVs, Nidoqueen outspeeds Adamant Torterra and Altaria with a minimal investment in Speed. Nidoqueen is able to outspeed Jolly Aggron with 124 EVs, but the loss of bulk generally isn't worth it.</p>

<p>Nidoqueen can use Toxic in her last slot, giving her a way to poison Levitators and Flying-types, such as Uxie and Moltres. Nidoqueen can also choose to adopt a purely physical set with a moveset of Earthquake, Stone Edge, and Crunch. A physical set will hit Chansey and Registeel harder, Stone Edge will ward of Moltres, and Crunch will allow Nidoqueen to hit Ghost- and Psychic-types for super effective damage.</p>

<p>Since Nidoqueen will most likely be used on defensive teams, it makes sense to add Spikes support due to Nidoqueen's ability to rack up residual damage with Roar. Cloyster makes a solid Spikes partner since he can set up on Donphan and Steelix's Earthquake, while Nidoqueen buffers Rock- and Electric-type attacks directed at Cloyster.</p>

<p>This set has problems with bulky Waters like Milotic, Blastoise, and Azumarill. Even Toxic is somewhat unreliable since Milotic and Blastoise have viable RestTalk sets. Venusaur is a great partner to pair Nidoqueen with since he has the ability to check almost every bulky Water with the appropriate EV investment. Take note that this will give your team an undesirable weakness to Alakazam (and Psychic-type moves in general), so pack a Spiritomb to remedy this problem.</p>

[Team Options]

<p>Nidoqueen makes a great teammate to Pokemon that can make the most of the entry hazards she sets up. Mono-attackers love to be used in tandem with Toxic Spikes. Registeel and Spiritomb can take on common counters like Haze Milotic with two layers of Toxic Spikes on the field. With poison damage increasing every turn, Milotic will have a difficult time erasing their Curse and Calm Mind boosts.</P>

<p>Weather stall teams also make great use of the Toxic Spikes that Nidoqueen sets up, as well as her ability to absorb them on your side of the field. Hail teams in particular enjoy Nidoqueen as a teammate, thanks to her defensive synergy with Ice-types. Nidoqueen is able to buffer and Rock- and Fighting-type attacks aimed at your Ice-types, while she benefits from having a 100% accurate Blizzard, instead of Ice Beam, and having teammates that are able to take any Ice attacks aimed at her.</p>

<p>Spikes support is highly recommended if you want to pile up more residual damage with Roar. Cloyster is a good partner to use alongside Nidoqueen due to their defensive synergy. Cloyster can also reliably set up Spikes at the start of the match. A spinblocker is recommended to keep these hazards on the field. Rotom and Mismagius make great choices. Rotom can hurt Blastoise with Thunderbolt, while Mismagius can block Foresight with Taunt, and both can use Will-O-Wisp to cripple Donphan.</p>

<p>Bulky Waters are problematic to Nidoqueen, especially Blastoise and Milotic who often run Rest to bypass poison damage. Using a defensive Venusaur can help deal with these threats, though using two Poison-types is just asking for trouble from Alakazam, so a Spiritomb or Drapion can patch up this weakness. Leafeon can also remove opposing bulky waters. Leafeon can also take any Ground- and Water-types attacks aimed at Nidoqueen, while providing Wish support, keeping Nidoqueen healthy.</p>

[Optional Changes]

<p>Nidoqueen has such a vast offensive movepool that you can easily see the words “super effective” many times throughout a battle. Aqua Tail, Blizzard, Body Slam, Crunch, Dragon Pulse, Fire Blast, Flamethrower, Focus Blast, Focus Punch, Outrage, Pursuit, Rock Slide, Shadow Ball, Superpower, and Thunderbolt are just some of the moves that she has at her disposal. Although Nidoqueen most certainly has the movepool, she lacks the stats to effectively use offensive sets, so you are better off using Nidoking, who has a similar movepool, higher Speed, and hits harder than Nidoqueen.</p>

<p>Nidoqueen also has other support options outside of entry hazards and Roar. Nidoqueen has access to both Taunt and Super Fang, allowing her to take down walls that she wouldn't be able to otherwise. However, because of Nidoqueen's lack of recovery, forcing your opponent to attack her will significantly reduce the length of time she can stay in the battle. Nidoqueen also has access to Charm and Captivate to reduce her opponent's Attack and Special Attack, respectively, forcing switches and racking up entry hazard damage. However, Captivate will only work on male Pokemon, so if your opponent has a female special attacker they can get around Captivate and set up on Nidoqueen.</p>

<p>Rest is Nidoqueen's only way of recovery, but thanks to her typing and defensive stats she can use a RestTalk set effectively. With Rest and Sleep Talk, Nidoqueen becomes an excellent status absorber and her survivability greatly increases. Nidoqueen has multiple options for her other moves: Roar could be considered the best choice, since Sleep Talk negates the negative priority, and it prevents your opponent from setting up on Nidoqueen. Toxic Spikes can be used, but once you get two layers up it is a waste of a slot, and Sleep Talk will only have a 1/3 chance of selecting a useful move. Ice Beam and Dragon Pulse are Nidoqueen's best options for the last moveslot; Dragon Pulse has amazing neutral coverage, only being resisted by Steel-types, while Ice Beam allows Nidoqueen to hit opposing Ground- and Grass-types for super effective damage.</p>

[Counters]

<p>Milotic, Blastoise, Slowbro, and Azumarill are perfect counters to Nidoqueen since they can switch into her attacks quite easily. However, they must watch out for Toxic and Toxic Spikes if they lack Rest. Gardevoir and Espeon have respectable Special Defense stats and can switch into Nidoqueen and threaten her with Psychic. Venusaur absorbs Toxic Spikes and brushes off Ice Beam thanks to his high Special Defense stat. He can also incapacitate Nidoqueen with Sleep Powder and set up Swords Dance or attack with Leaf Storm.</p>
 

Fatecrashers

acta est fabula
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Top Artist Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Top Smogon Media Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
GP CHECK 2: Black Hole Rising

removals
additions

[Overview]

<p>Although she is often overlooked for her offensive male counterpart, Nidoqueen has proven herself to be a reliable member on defensive teams. Her unique typing of Poison and Ground gives her useful resistances to Rock-, Fighting-, and Bug-type attacks and as well as an immunity to Electric-type attacks. Combined Combine these resistances with very solid 90/87/85 defenses and being immune an immunity to Toxic, and Nidoqueen will find herself with numerous opportunities to switch in and set up Toxic Spikes and Stealth Rock. However, Nidoqueen lacks the stats to use her expansive offensive movepool effectively, and lacks recovery outside of Rest, so having a teammate to buffer any Water-, Ice-, and Psychic-type attacks aimed at Nidoqueen will greatly increase her longevity, allowing her to continuously support your team.</p>

[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Earth Power
move 2: Stealth Rock
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Toxic Spikes / Roar
item: Leftovers
ability: Poison Point
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Thanks to her high Defense and decent typing, Nidoqueen is able to check numerous physical threats. Unlike other physically defensive Ground-types, Nidoqueen has a usable Special Attack stat that allows her to strike physical attackers, such as Aggron and Rhyperior, on their weaker Special Defense stat.</p>

<p>Nidoqueen is able to use the many resistances her typing offers, which include Rock-, Fighting-, and Bug-type attacks, to set up Stealth Rock and Toxic Spikes. Nidoqueen's typing grants her resistances to many common UU attacking types, such as Rock, Fighting, and Bug, which enables her to set up Stealth Rock and Toxic Spikes with ease. As for her attacking moves, Earth Power allows Nidoqueen to hit Rhyperior and Aggron for super effective damage, while Ice Beam allows her to strike down Donphan, Torterra, and Altaria. Toxic Spikes is used to wear down your opponent's bulky Pokemon like Milotic and Slowbro. Bulky Pokemon, such as Milotic and Slowbro, are severely crippled by Toxic Spikes. Roar can be used instead of Toxic Spikes to rack up entry hazard damage, scout your opponent's team, and phaze out any stat-boosters.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The given EVs are self-explanatory, but you can move shift some Defense EVs to into Speed if you wish. 48 Speed EVs allow Nidoqueen to outspeed Rhyperior and Adamant Aggron, allowing her to and strike them with a super effective Earth Power. With 96 Speed EVs, Nidoqueen outspeeds Adamant Torterra and minimum Speed Altaria with a minimal investment in Speed. Nidoqueen is able to outspeed Jolly Aggron with 124 Speed EVs, but the loss of bulk generally isn't worth it.</p>

<p>Nidoqueen can use Toxic in her last slot, giving her a way to poison Levitators and Flying-types, such as Uxie and Moltres. Nidoqueen can also choose to adopt a purely physical set with a moveset of Earthquake, Stone Edge, and Crunch. A physical set will hit Chansey and Registeel harder, Stone Edge will ward of off Moltres, and while Crunch will allow Nidoqueen to hit Ghost- and Psychic-types for super effective damage.</p>

<p>Since Nidoqueen will most likely be used on defensive teams, it makes sense to add Spikes support, due to Nidoqueen's ability to rack up residual damage with Roar. Cloyster makes a solid Spikes partner since he can set up on Donphan and Steelix's Earthquake, while Nidoqueen buffers Rock- and Electric-type attacks directed at Cloyster.</p>

<p>This set has problems with bulky Waters like Milotic, Blastoise, and Azumarill. Even Toxic is somewhat unreliable since Milotic and Blastoise both have viable RestTalk sets. Venusaur is a great partner to pair Nidoqueen with since he has the ability to check almost every bulky Water with if given the appropriate EV investment. Take Do note, however, that this will give your team an undesirable weakness to Alakazam (and Psychic-type moves in general), so be sure to pack a Spiritomb to remedy this problem.</p>

[Team Options]

<p>Nidoqueen makes a great teammate to Pokemon that can make the most of the entry hazards she sets up. Mono-attackers love to be used in tandem with Toxic Spikes. Registeel and Spiritomb can take on common counters like Haze Milotic with two layers of Toxic Spikes on the field. With poison damage increasing every turn, Milotic will have a difficult time erasing their Curse and Calm Mind boosts.</P>

<p>Weather stall teams can also make great use of the Toxic Spikes that Nidoqueen sets up, as well as her ability to absorb them on your side of the field. Hail teams in particular enjoy Nidoqueen as a teammate, thanks to her defensive synergy with Ice-types. Nidoqueen is able to buffer and Rock- and Fighting-type attacks aimed at your Ice-types, while she benefits from having a an 100% accurate Blizzard, instead of Ice Beam, and having teammates that are able to take any Ice attacks aimed at her.</p>

<p>Spikes support is highly recommended if you want to pile up more residual damage with Nidoqueen's Roar. Cloyster is a good partner to use alongside Nidoqueen due to their defensive synergy, and it Cloyster can also reliably set up Spikes at the start of the match. A spinblocker is recommended to keep these hazards on the field. Rotom and Mismagius make great choices; Rotom can hurt Blastoise with Thunderbolt, while Mismagius can block Foresight with Taunt, and both can use Will-O-Wisp to cripple Donphan and Hitmontop.</p>

<p>Bulky Waters are problematic to Nidoqueen, especially Blastoise and Milotic who often run Rest to bypass negate poison damage. Using a defensive Venusaur can help deal with these threats, though using two Poison-types on the same team is just asking for trouble from Alakazam, so a Spiritomb or Drapion can be used to patch up this weakness. Leafeon can also remove opposing bulky Waters. Leafeon can also In addition, Leafeon can take any Ground- and Water-types attacks aimed at Nidoqueen, while providing Wish support, thus keeping Nidoqueen healthy.</p>

[Optional Changes]

<p>Nidoqueen has such a vast offensive movepool that you can easily see expect the words “super effective” to appear many times throughout a battle. Aqua Tail, Blizzard, Body Slam, Crunch, Dragon Pulse, Fire Blast, Flamethrower, Focus Blast, Focus Punch, Outrage, Pursuit, Rock Slide, Shadow Ball, Superpower, and Thunderbolt are just some of the moves that she has at her disposal. Although Nidoqueen most certainly has the movepool Unfortunately, Nidoqueen she lacks the stats to effectively make use of offensive sets, so you are better off using Nidoking, who has a similar movepool, higher Speed, and hits harder than Nidoqueen.</p>

<p>Nidoqueen also has other support options outside of entry hazards and Roar. Nidoqueen has access to both Taunt and Super Fang, allowing her to take down walls that she wouldn't be able to otherwise. However, because of Nidoqueen's lack of recovery, forcing your opponent to attack her will significantly reduce her survivability. the length of time she can stay in the battle. Nidoqueen also has access to Charm and Captivate to reduce her opponent's Attack and Special Attack, respectively, forcing switches them to switch and thus racking up entry hazard damage. However, note that Captivate will only work on male Pokemon, so if your opponent has a female special attacker they can get around Captivate and any female special attackers on your opponent's team will still be able to set up on Nidoqueen.</p>

<p>Rest is Nidoqueen's only way method of recovery, but thanks to her typing and defensive stats, a RestTalk set is quite a viable option for Nidoqueen. she can use a RestTalk set effectively. With Rest and Sleep Talk, Nidoqueen becomes an excellent status absorber and her survivability greatly increases. Nidoqueen has multiple options for her other moves; Roar could be considered the best choice, since Sleep Talk negates the its negative priority, and it prevents your opponent from setting up on Nidoqueen. Toxic Spikes can be used, but once you get two layers up it is a waste of a slot, and Sleep Talk will end up only have having a 1/3 chance of selecting a useful move. Ice Beam and Dragon Pulse are Nidoqueen's best options for the last moveslot; Dragon Pulse has amazing neutral coverage, only being resisted by Steel-types, while Ice Beam allows Nidoqueen to hit opposing Ground- and Grass-types for super effective damage.</p>

[Counters]

<p>Milotic, Blastoise, Slowbro, and Azumarill are perfect counters to Nidoqueen since they can their bulk allows them to switch into her attacks quite easily. However, they must watch out for Toxic and Toxic Spikes if they lack Rest. Gardevoir and Espeon have respectable Special Defense stats and can switch into Nidoqueen and threaten her with Psychic. Venusaur absorbs Toxic Spikes and brushes off Ice Beam thanks to his high Special Defense stat. He can also incapacitate Nidoqueen with Sleep Powder and set up Swords Dance or attack outright with Leaf Storm.</p>


no complaints here

 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 1, Guests: 0)

Top