[Overview]
<p>In a metagame dominated by boosting sweepers, a brave Pokemon stands out as one of the best counters to almost all of them: Quagsire. Dream World brought him the fantastic ability Unaware, and Quagsire can make excellent use of it, especially since there is very little competition in that area (Clefable has Magic Guard, and Bibarel and Swoobat are useless). Despite losing a Water-type immunity by forgoing Water Absorb
for Unaware, he becomes one of the best checks to Swords Dance Excadrill, Shell Smash Cloyster
,(comma) and Swords Dance Landorus in the game. However, if you think that Quagsire's only new trick is Unaware, think again. He also got Scald as a bonus in this generation, which allows him to cripple many physical sweepers thanks to its high burn chance (although Quagsire's Special Attack is admittedly substandard).</p>
<p>However, all is not sunshine for Quagsire. His fellow Water / Ground friend Gastrodon got an update to his Storm Drain ability, making him a better choice for walling opposing Water-type Pokemon. One of his best moves, Encore, was severely reduced in power, and with Ferrothorn completely shutting Quagsire down, it's hard to find room for Quagsire in your team. Quagsire is still mortally afraid of Grass-type moves and Taunt in general. However, do not be discouraged by these flaws, as Quagsire is still a good Pokemon to use, especially if you have a weakness to boosting sweepers.</p>
[SET]
name: Curse
move 1: Curse
move 2: Recover
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Waterfall / Stone Edge
item: Leftovers
ability: Unaware
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
[Set comments]
<p>Quagsire can boost his mediocre Attack as well as his respectable Defense with Curse. There is one main reason to use Curse Quagsire over Gastrodon or Swampert: Unaware. This allows Quagsire to set up Curse in the face of sweepers that can't damage it much, since boosting alongside Quagsire will have no effect. As before, Recover is necessary to keep Quagsire alive for as long as possible. Earthquake is his main damaging move, and attains super effective coverage against Excadrill, Jirachi, Tyranitar, Heatran, Metagross, Magnezone,(comma) and others (just watch out for Air Balloon users). His last move should be chosen depending on whether you want another reliable STAB move (Waterfall) or the best coverage possible (Stone Edge).</p>
[Additional comments]
<p>Generally the best course of action for the EVs is to maximize HP and Special Defense, while the leftovers can go in Defense. There are other options for the last slot; Aqua Tail is stronger than Waterfall but has less accuracy, Body Slam can paralyze the foe with some luck, and Brick Break is a super effective move against Ferrothorn and stronger against Tyranitar, and also breaks screens. Ice Punch, while a good move, is unfortunately illegal with Unaware. Rest is also an option over Recover if status is annoying.</p>
<p>Grass-types are still an obstacle for this set. Status effects like poison and burn are also a pain for Quagsire. Celebi is thus a good partner for Quagsire, as it can remove status via Aromatherapy or Heal Bell while also resisting the Grass-type attacks that Quagsire hates. Forretress is also a good teammate, as it can spin away dangerous Toxic Spikes, and also resists Grass-type attacks. This set enjoys entry hazards because Quagsire's Attack is quite substandard; Forretress, mentioned above, can also set up all three entry hazards.</p>
[SET]
name: Specially Defensive
move 1: Scald
move 2: Recover
move 3: Yawn / Toxic
move 4: Earthquake
item: Leftovers
ability: Unaware
nature: Sassy
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
[Set comments]
<p>The goal of this set is to counter countering the potent special sweepers without Grass-type moves that also plague the metagame,(comma) such as Calm Mind Reuniclus, Calm Mind Latios, and Nasty Plot Lucario. Quagsire, while often seen as a physically defensive Pokemon, has enough bulk to pull off a specially defensive set. However, one must not forget that Quagsire's cousin Gastrodon can also pull off the same set with better Special Defence Defense. However, Quagsire has something that Gastrodon doesn't (again): Unaware.</p>
<p>Scald is great with its high burn chance on this set, capable of potentially crippling most physical and even some mixed and special sweepers. Recover keeps Quagsire alive, and is a must on this set. Assuming the opponent isn't afflicted with a status condition yet, Yawn can either phaze or put the foe to sleep, while Toxic severely manhandles bulky walls such as Jellicent and Cresselia. Earthquake adds some coverage to Scald and is good to take out Nasty Plot Lucario and other fearsome Pokemon that are weak to Ground.</p>
[Additional comments]
<p>The EVs are focused on special walling. Basically, 252 EVs in HP and 252 EVs in Special Defense lets Quagsire sponge special hits quite well, considering Quagsire's base 65 Special Defense stat. The remaining EVs are put in the into Defense. Quagsire can run Ice Beam on this set to deal with Grass-types as well as special attacking specially inclined Dragon-types with an immunity to Ground-type moves, such as Latios and Hydreigon, but coming from 65 base Special Attack, Ice Beam won't hurt enough barring a 4x weakness.
<p>Even with full investment in his Special Defense, STAB Grass-type moves will severely hurt, if not OHKO Quagsire. With that in mind, any Pokemon that resist and has have a super
effective move against Grass-types and resist their STAB moves are good partners for Quagsire. Volcarona gets a special mention because it can come in on Grass-type moves aimed at Quagsire, while Quagsire can take the Rock-type moves that Volcarona hates with despair. Pokemon that can set up entry hazards, especially those with a Fire-type weakness such as Ferrothorn, Skarmory, and Forretress,(comma) also pair well with Quagsire because of his natural ability to force switches.</p>
[SET]
name: Physically Defensive
move 1: Scald
move 2: Recover
move 3: Yawn / Toxic
move 4: Earthquake
item: Leftovers
ability: Unaware
nature: Relaxed
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
[Set comments]
<p>With Unaware, Quagsire becomes one of the best counters to some of the most dangerous physical sweepers in the OU metagame, such as Cloyster, Excadrill, Scrafty, and Landorus. Scald is a staple on this set, due to its high 30% chance of burning the foe, and with Quagsire's moderately high Defense stat, it will take physical hits easily if the foe is burned. Recover is another great move for reliable recovery, lengthening Quagsire's lifespan. In the third slot, Yawn can force some switches, while Toxic can cripple bulky Pokemon such as Jellicent, while also threatening the special attackers that do not mind being burned. Finally, in the last slot, Earthquake is a good secondary STAB move that adds some coverage.</p>
[Additional comments]
<p>There are several alternate alternative moves that can fill the last slot. Safeguard protects Quagsire and its comrades against status. Ice Beam helps against Gliscor, Landorus, and a variety of Dragon- and Grass-types, but again, it won't hurt much coming from Quagsire's mediocre Special Attack. Stone Edge hurts Volcarona more than Scald. Finally, Stockpile can turn Quagsire into an unbreakable wall if the foe doesn't have a Grass-type move. </p>
<p>
The EVs listed give Quagsire maximum physical bulk, while the remaining 4 EVs are put in Special Defense. Alternatively, you can move these EVs to Quagsire's Attack or Special Attack for more power, or to his Speed to Speed tie with Reuniclus with a neutral nature. This also allows Quagsire to outspeed opposing Quagsire that do not do the same.</p>
<p>Grass types that don't (apostrophe) fear status, like Celebi, Shaymin, and Roserade, are also excellent counters. Again, Volcarona is a good partner for Quagsire, as it resists Quagsire's sole weakness to Grass-type attacks while Quagsire resists Volcarona's weakness to Rock-type attacks. Thus, Volcarona can switch into Grass-type attacks aimed at Quagsire and then either proceed to kill the Grass-types with its powerful atttacks or set up with Quiver Dance. Generally speaking, a Pokemon that benefits from Quagsire’s resistances and immunities also pairs well with him, like Skarmory, who can survive the Grass-type moves that plague Quagsire, and in return, Quagsire can switch in on the Fire- and Electric-type attacks aimed at Skarmory. If Yawn is selected, entry hazards are welcome since Yawn will force many switches.</p>
[Other
Options]
<p>On the Curse set, Quagsire can also invest in his Defense by using a 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def spread with an Impish nature, which allows him to take on physical threats more easily. Quagsire has some interesting options under his belt.
Counter works because Quagsire can take a physical hit and then heal off the damage taken with Recover. Safeguard can protect Quagsire and his teammates against random status. While Haze resets all stat changes, it is redundant with Unaware. Mist prevents the foe from lowering one of Quagsire's or the rest of the team's stats, but is very situational. Rest + Sleep Talk is good if you are worried about status. Encore, formerly a good option, got nerfed to last only three turns, and is no longer viable. Stockpile can make Quagsire an unbreakable wall if the opponent lacks a Grass-type move.</p>
<p>Acid Spray lowers the foe's Special Defense by 2 stages, but should only be used with Water Absorb since Unaware ignores that drop. Quagsire also has Surf, Ice Beam and Earth Power, but with his mediocre 65 Special Attack, the only special move that should really be used is Scald. Ice Punch is great against Dragon and Grass-types, but is illegal with Unaware. Water Absorb is a good ability, but Quagsire is outclassed by Gastrodon at absorbing Water-type moves. Finally, Lum Berry cures Quagsire of harmful status, but the loss of Leftovers is significant. </p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Grass-type Pokemon are a thorn in Quagsire's foot, in particular those that have Poison as their secondary type, such as Roserade, Amoonguss and Venusaur who are immune to Toxic. Grass-types like Lilligant, Shaymin, Nasty Plot Shiftry, and Celebi, that don't fear the burn from Scald, are also great counters. Physical Grass-types such as
Breloom, Leafeon, Abomasnow and Ferrothorn can smack Quagsire with a powerful Seed Bomb, Leaf Blade, Wood Hammer, or Power Whip,(comma) respectively, but they can’t switch into Scald due to its high burn rate (Breloom is an exception if it's already poisoned by Toxic Orb). Other Pokemon that often use Grass-type moves also fare well against Quagsire. Haxorus is the only non Grass-type physical sweeper that Quagsire hates because Mold Breaker can bypass Unaware, but it can't switch into Scald. Quagsire will often use status moves more than attacking moves, so if a Pokemon can use Taunt and isn’t weak to Scald or Earthquake, it can be considered as a Quagsire check. Good examples include Whimsicott, Azelf, Tornadus, and Thundurus.</p>
