[OVERVIEW]
* Nihilego boasts great Special Attack and Special Defense with solid Speed.
* Nihilego's offensive typing and movepool make it a very unique Pokemon in OU.
* Beast Boost allows Nihilego to boost its Special Attack or Speed upon getting a KO, making it either a powerful wallbreaker or a potential sweeper.
* Nihilego, however, has very poor Defense.
* Nihilego's primary STAB attacks are not very spammable due to the frequency of Steel- and Ground-types.
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Power Gem
move 2: Sludge Wave
move 3: Hidden Power Fire / Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Thunder / Thunderbolt
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Beast Boost
nature: Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Power Gem is Nihilego's best Rock-type STAB attack. This lets Nihilego hit Flying and Fire-types hard.
* Sludge Wave is Nihilego's best Poison-type STAB attack. This allows Nihilego to nail Fairy and Grass-types. Sludge Wave is used over Sludge Bomb because the power difference is extremely noticable in a few important cases, especially vs Pokemon such as Tapu Lele.
* Hidden Power Fire OHKOes Choice Scarf Genesect while also hitting Mega Scizor and Ferrothorn extremely hard.
* Hidden Power Ice lets Nihilego hit Landorus-T, Garchomp, Salamence, and Zygarde hard.
* Thunder has a noticeably higher damage output than Thunderbolt, most notably being able to OHKO Greninja. The extra power is also useful against Manaphy, Celesteela, and Toxapex.
* Thunderbolt can be used over Thunder for a more reliable Electric-type attack; however, generally the power boost from Thunder is more useful than the accuracy.
Set Details
========
* Maximum Special Attack and maximum Speed are optimal with Choice Scarf; Modest is not viable due to the multitude of relevant threats that now outspeed Nihilego, so Timid is the only viable nature.
* Choice Scarf allows Nihilego to revenge kill important threats such as +1 Mega Charizard X, Salamence, Pheromosa, Tapu Koko, and Choice Scarf Tapu Lele.
Usage Tips
========
* Choice Scarf Nihilego can be used to revenge kill a multitude of threats, including +1 Mega Charizard X, Tapu Koko, and Choice Scarf Tapu Lele.
* Be cautious switching Scarf Nihilego into attacks, as its physical bulk is very poor and it is easy to wear down.
* Choice Scarf Nihilego can also potentially clean up late-game, as, thanks to Beast Boost, gain a Special Attack boost from finishing off a weakened Pokemon. However, common Pokemon resist or even are immune to Nihilego's STAB attacks, so either the enemy team must either be weakened or specific Pokemon must be removed from the picture.
Team Options
========
* Pokemon that can wear down enemy Ground-types, such as Genesect, Heatran, Excadrill, Tapu Koko, Garchomp, and Mega Charizard X, are good teammates.
* Likewise, Pokemon that can wear down enemy Steel-types, such as Tapu Lele, Tapu Bulu, Mega Metagross, Magearna, Rotom-Wash, Genesect, and Tapu Fini, are also good.
* Pokemon able to either switch into or counter powerful physical attackers, such as Mega Venusaur, Landorus-T, Tangrowth, Slowbro, and Rotom-Wash, are also good teammates to help cover Nihilego's poor defense.
[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Power Gem
move 2: Sludge Bomb
move 3: Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Fire
move 4: Thunderbolt
item: Choice Specs
ability: Beast Boost
nature: Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Power Gem is Nihilego's best Rock-type STAB attack. This lets Nihilego hit Flying- and Fire-types hard.
* Sludge Bomb is used over Sludge Wave for the odds of poisoning potential Ground-type switchins that don't mind taking Hidden Power Ice, such as Gastrodon and Hippowdon.
* Sludge Wave can be used over Sludge Bomb for the slight power difference, which is important and notable against Pokemon such as specially defensive Clefable, Assault Vest Tangrowth, and defensive Mega Venusaur.
* Hidden Power Ice lets Nihilego OHKO Landorus-T, Garchomp, and Zygarde.
* Alternatively, Hidden Power Fire lets Nihilego hit Ferrothorn and Mega Scizor extremely hard, both of which otherwise trouble it.
* Thunderbolt 2HKOes Celesteela and hits Toxapex really hard, which otherwise could switch in and pivot out to a Rock-resistant teammate if Nihilego uses Power Gem.
* Psychic is an option to nail Mega Venusaur, Amoonguss, and Toxapex.
Set Details
========
* Maximum Special Attack and maximum Speed with a Timid Nature is optimal on a Choice Specs set; Modest isn't remotely viable due to the many base 100 speed Pokemon that would now outspeed Nihilego.
* 80 Def / 176 SpA / 252 Spe can be used to allow Nihilego gain Speed via Beast Boost rather than Special Attack, but the drop in power is noticeable and the majority of the time Choice Specs Nihilego appreciates the added power while spamming its STAB attackss over the boosted Speed.
* Choice Specs lets Nihilego become quite powerful and spam its STAB attacks with more freedom.
Usage Tips
========
* Choice Specs Nihilego should primarily be brought in when it has the potential to OHKO an opposing Pokemon or at the very least defeat it one-on-one.
* Be wary of spamming Nihilego's STAB attacks against a team that can easily switch into either Rock or Poison-type attacks. If they have a Steel-type that is likely to switch in, it is usually best to not use nihilego's Poison-type attacks whenever possible.
* Against some teams, playing with Choice Specs Nihilego is very prediction based. It is important to not give up momentum with Choice Specs Nihilego, and it is just as important to not lose Nihilego on a misprediction.
* Nihilego generally will be used to weaken enemy teams and potential switch-ins, thus allowing other teammates to win later on.
Team Options
========
* Pokemon that can allow it to come in easily are phenomenal teammates for Choice Specs Nihilego. Pokemon such as Choice Band Genesect, Rotom-W, Jirachi, Landorus-T, and bulky Magearna all can grab momentum for Nihilego with ease and have good defensive synergy together. Genesect also appreciates Nihilego's ability to wear down potential checks.
* Pokemon capable of switching into powerful physical attacks are incredibly important, as Nihilego's abhorrent defenses leaves it vulnerable to being knocked out by a multitude of Pokemon. Good options include Mega Venusaur, Tangrowth, Rotom-W, Landorus-T, Buzzwole, Celesteela, and Mega Scizor.
* While Choice Specs Nihilego is quite a powerful balance breaker, it struggles against teams that have a very bulky special wall and isn't very effective vs offensive teams. Therefore, powerful stallbreakers and faster Pokemon are good teammates for it. Stallbreakers include Substitute + Toxic Zygarde, offensive Tapu Lele, Hoopa-U, and Manaphy, while faster Pokemon include Pheromosa, Weavile, Tapu Koko, Mega Alakazam, and a multitude of Choice Scarf Pokemon.
[SET]
name: Offensive Entry Hazard Setter
move 1: Stealth Rock / Toxic Spikes
move 2: Power Gem
move 3: Sludge Wave
move 4: Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Fire
item: Focus Sash
ability: Beast Boost
nature: Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Nihilego can be a decent offensive Stealth Rock setter due to its typing.
* Nihilego is also one of the few viable offensive Toxic Spikes setters
* Power Gem is Nihilego's best Rock-type STAB attack, letting it hit Flying and Fire-types hard.
* Sludge Wave is Nihilego's best Poison-type STAB attack. This allows Nihilego to nail Fairy- and Grass-types. The power difference over Sludge Bomb is quite useful against Fairy-types such as Tapu Lele, Tapu Fini, and Clefable as well as providing a general power boost against Pokemon such as Amoonguss and Mega Venusaur
* Sludge Bomb can be used over Sludge Wave for the better odds of poisoning potential Ground-type switch-ins that don't mind taking Hidden Power Ice, such as Gastrodon and Hippowdon.
* Hidden Power Ice lets Nihilego nail Landorus-T, Garchomp, and Zygarde.
* Alternatively, Hidden Power Fire lets Nihilego hit Ferrothorn and Mega Scizor extremely hard, both of which otherwise trouble it.
Set Details
========
* Maximum Special Attack and Speed with a Timid Nature is optimal on Choice Specs; Modest isn't remotely viable due to the many base 100 Speed Pokemon that would now outspeed Nihilego.
* 80 Def / 176 SpA / 252 Spe can be potentially used to allow Nihilego gain Speed via Beast Boost rather than SpA, but a non-boosted Nihilego is quite weak and would not likely be able to make use of a Speed boost.
* Focus Sash covers Nihilego's horrid physical bulk by granting it the ability to survive any one hit.
* Alternatively, Rockium Z allows Nihilego's main STAB to become extremely powerful and gives Nihilego the ability to potentially knock out Latios and Landorus-T after Stealth Rock, allows extremely bulky Pokemon such as Slowbro and Mega Sableye to be defeated after a Continental Crush and Power Gem, and guarantees a kill on KO Buzzwole.
* Life Orb can also be potentially used to boost Nihilego's power without locking it into a single attack.
* Items to help with Ground-type attacks such as Air Balloon and Shuca Berry are also usable on Nihilego, but generally they are inferior to Focus Sash. However, being able to use them even with Stealth Rock up can be incredibly useful.
Usage Tips
========
* Depending upon the item used, Nihilego should be played differently. Items such as Focus Sash, Air Balloon, and Shuca Berry allow Nihilego to be played more as a lead and as such a lot more aggressively. Boosting items like Life Orb and Rockium Z allow Nihilego to both set entry hazards and be used as a breaker; however, the power difference is quite noticeable. If Life Orb is used, the passive recoil is also quite a bane, and if Rockium Z is used, the attacks not boosted by Rockium Z are a lot weaker and make easily walled after its Z move was used.
* Entry hazard setter Nihilego should be played as you see fit for your game. If Nihilego should need to set hazards again, it is important to preserve it. If Nihilego does not need to set hazards, it can be played very aggressively to weaken enemy teams and gain boosts from Beast Boost.
Team Options
========
* Entry hazard setter Nihilego is best off used on offensive minded teams, as they are able to keep up momentum, regain momentum, wear down enemy teams, and handle faster threats better than more defensively oriented teams. Therefore, Pokemon best found on bulky offense teams are best teammates, such as Mega Venusaur, Landorus-T Magearna, Rotom-W, and Buzzwole. All of these Pokemon also share good synergy with Nihilego, as they are able to handle powerful attacks that threaten it.
* Pokemon that appreciate the damage done by Nihilego are also great teammates. For Focus Sash sets, this includes Pokemon like Mega Metagross, Zygarde, Mega Charizard X, and Genesect, which appreciate the removal of Ground-types, such as Garchomp, Landorus-T, and Zygarde.
* Since Rockium Z and Life Orb Nihilego can lure and dispose of bulky Pokemon, Pokemon that appreciate the removal of Slowbro, Mega Sableye, and Toxapex, such as Pheromosa, Landorus-T, and Keldeo.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
* Nihilego can run Trick Room, as it is one of the few viable Trick Room Pokemon capable of setting Stealth Rock. Nihilego can also double as a way to weaken or revenge kill an enemy Manaphy, as without a maximum Speed Nihilego, most Trick Room teams rely on a very bulky setter like Cresselia to set up Trick Room and then fall to a boosted Water-type attack.
* Nihilego can also run both Stealth Rock and Toxic Spikes together, allowing offensively minded teams to have a viable way to set both entry hazards. However, generally Nihilego needs at least three attacks to be effective.
* Mirror Coat can potentially be used in unison with Focus Sash, allowing Nihilego to eliminate powerful special attackers such as Greninja and Latios which would otherwise knock it out. However, Nihilego typically doesn't have the moveslots to viably fit Mirror Coat onto a set.
* Grass Knot can be used to help lure and nail bulky Ground-types, such as Hippowdon, Gastrodon, and Quagsire, which will otherwise commonly switch into Nihilego without fear.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Bulky Steel-types** Pokemon such as Jirachi, Metagross, Magearna, Celesteela, and Ferrothorn are capable of shrugging off Nihilego's STAB attacks with ease and threaten Nihilego out. Mega Scizor can also switch in and force a switch due to Bullet Punch. However, Nihilego can potentially chip away at them or knock them out with Hidden Power Fire, preventing most Steel-types from being guaranteed switch-ins.
**Bulky Ground-types** Extremely bulky Ground-types, such as Hippowdon, Gastrodon, and Quagsire are typically able to shrug off all of Nihilego's attacks without an issue. Pokemon such as Garchomp and Zygarde can also switch into Nihilego as long as they do not get hit by a Hidden Power Ice.
**Special Walls** Generally specially bulky Pokemon, such as Chansey, Slowking, and specially defensive Amoonguss, can all switch into Nihilego with relatively little fear, as they can all shrug off Nihilego's attacks regardless of the set.
**Strong Physical Attackers** Due to Nihilego's abhorrent defense, nearly any faster physical attacker will be able to knock itout with ease. This includes Pokemon such as Pheromosa, Mega Metagross, Zygarde-10%, and a multitude of Choice Scarfed Pokemon.
**Fast Psychic-types** With Nihilego's weakness to Psychic, it will find itself revenge killed by one of the many prevalent OU Psychic-types, such as Mega Metagross, Mega Alakazam, Latios, and Choice Scarf Tapu Lele.
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