Aren't we a loving couple?
[OVERVIEW]
Contrary is an amazing ability, turning the detrimental effect of Leaf Storm into a pseudo-Nasty Plot boost. It also can come in handy at deterring the likes of Defog and Sticky Web by giving Servine a +1 boost in evasion and Speed, respectively. With access to Contrary and STAB Leaf Storm, Servine can get a free Nasty Plot boost while simultaneously hitting the foe. It also has access to a plethora of support moves such as Knock Off, Glare, and Taunt, which further increase Servine's utility. However, Servine has limited attacking options outside of its Grass-type STAB moves, relying on Hidden Power for coverage. Servine is also too slow to be used on offensive teams without a Choice Scarf, as its base 83 Speed leaves it outsped by a lot of common Pokemon on offense such as Archeops, Jynx, and Tauros. Servine is also too frail to be on bulky teams even with Eviolite, as its typing hinders its otherwise decent bulk, being weak to Poison, Fire, and Flying. While Servine has a very spammable STAB type, it is still walled by Poison-, Steel-, Fire-, Flying-, and opposing Grass-types and must rely on its utility to power through.
[SET]
name: Eviolite
move 1: Leaf Storm
move 2: Giga Drain
move 3: Hidden Power Fire / Hidden Power Ground
move 4: Glare / Substitute
item: Eviolite
ability: Contrary
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Leaf Storm allows Servine to easily snowball slow teams, as thanks to Contrary, Leaf Storm gives it a free +2 boost to its Special Attack, allowing Servine to boost while it attacks. Giga Drain provides Servine with a more reliable STAB move that is also a form of recovery. Hidden Power Fire allows Servine to hit opposing Grass-types such as Ferroseed and Lilligant, while Hidden Power Ground hits Steel- and Fire-types such as Klinklang and Magmortar as well as Skuntank. Glare allows Servine to cripple faster switch-ins such as Scyther and Pyroar, preventing them from stopping a sweep late-game. Substitute can allow Servine to avoid status moves and set up on faster Pokemon such as Tauros and Archeops. Taunt can be used instead as a way for Servine to break stall and be able to completely destroy slow Pokemon such as Lanturn, Quagsire, and Gourgeist-S. Hidden Power Rock can retain coverage on Flying-types while hitting Scyther harder, but it loses out on coverage for opposing Grass-types. Hidden Power Ice loses out on Ferroseed but allows Servine to hit Flying-types such as Xatu and Rotom-S.
Set Details
========
Maximum Special Attack and Speed EVs are used to allow Servine to hit as hard and as fast as possible. A Timid nature is used to outspeed positive-natured Mesprit, Jolly Kabutops, Adamant Sawk, Adamant Kangaskhan, Adamant Zangoose, neutral-natured Magmortar, and Adamant Pinsir, all of which hit Servine very hard with their STAB moves. Eviolite allows Servine to tank weak hits while it sets up and gives it better overall bulk. Contrary allows Servine to boost up while attacking and overpower the opposing team if it lacks a switch-in to Grass-types, although most Pokemon that resist Grass do not like a +2 Leaf Storm.
Usage Tips
========
Servine can snowball slow threats such as Mega Audino, as it has a decent Speed tier and is able to attack and boost at the same time. Servine must be careful of very fast Pokemon, such as Tauros and Archeops, as most of them can beat it one-on-one thanks to its only decent base 83 Speed stat. However, if Servine hits them with Glare on the switch, Servine can outspeed them and proceed to snowball the opposing team. Pokemon that can survive a Leaf Storm and retaliate with a status move, such as Mega Audino and Weezing, must be weakened before Servine can set up, as Servine has a limited number of Leaf Storm uses and doesn't run super effective coverage for such foes. Try to bring in Servine safely, as it has a lot of common weaknesses and doesn't like taking repeated hits even with Eviolite. This can be done by forcing double switches or bringing it in via a slow Volt Switch or U-turn. Servine can use its handy resistances to Water, Electric, and Grass to set up easily.
Team Options
========
Thunder Wave support is really nice, as Servine can then outspeed and beat a lot of Pokemon that can threaten it, such as Archeops. Xatu and Lanturn are ideal partners, as Xatu's amazing ability to pivot with U-turn means that Servine can get in safely. Lanturn, on the other hand, can provide Heal Bell support while still providing momentum via Volt Switch. Sticky Web support from Pokemon such as Leavanny and Kricketune also allows Servine to outspeed a lot of prominent threats. Even if Sticky Web happens to end up on your side of the field due to foes with Magic Bounce or opposing Sticky Web users, Servine can benefit thanks to Contrary giving it a +1 Speed boost. It also deters Defog to an extent, as a +1 evasion boost is nice. Entry hazard support from Pokemon such as Garbodor and Rhydon allows Servine to pressure the opposing team efficiently, as Servine can force a lot of switches. Garbodor and Rhydon also have decent defensive and offensive synergy with Servine, with Garbodor being able to take Poison- and Bug-type moves for Servine while Servine pressures Ground-types. Rhydon can beat up on Steel-types such as Pawniard and Mawile as well as most Fire-types, such as Pyroar and Magmortar, while Servine can beat most Water-types for Rhydon. Heal Bell support from clerics such as Lanturn is appreciated, as Servine is really susceptible to status ailments, which will otherwise cripple it for the rest of the match. Lanturn also checks Flying-types, which resist Servine's STAB moves, can outspeed it, and threaten it with a super effective STAB move.
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Leaf Storm
move 2: Glare
move 3: Knock Off
move 4: Hidden Power Rock
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Contrary
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Leaf Storm allows Servine to easily snowball teams, as thanks to Contrary, Leaf Storm gives Servine a free +2 boost to its Special Attack, powering it up while it attacks the foe. Glare allows Servine to cripple a Pokemon before it either faints or is forced out, allowing teammates to take advantage of the foe's paralysis. Knock Off allows Servine to get rid of foes' items, such as Magmortar's Assault Vest and Tangela's Eviolite, whittling them down to potentially allow a sweep later. Hidden Power Rock allows Servine to hit Scyther hard while retaining coverage on other Flying-types such as Xatu and Swellow as well as Fire-types such as Magmortar and Pyroar.
Set Details
========
Choice Scarf allows Servine to revenge kill a lot of faster threats such as Archeops while also getting easy boosts from Leaf Storm. Maximum Special Attack and Speed EVs allow Servine to outspeed as many foes as possible and hit everything hard. A Timid nature allows Servine to get the jump on positive-natured base 80 Speed Pokemon that commonly run Choice Scarf such as Mesprit. Modest can be used instead, however, as Servine outspeeds every unboosted Pokemon and can hit harder with Leaf Storm. Contrary allows Servine to boost up while attacking and overpower the opposing team if it lacks a switch-in to Grass-types, although most Pokemon that resist Grass are OHKOed after some prior damage.
Usage Tips
========
Pokemon that can survive a Leaf Storm and retaliate with a status move, such as Mega Audino, must be weakened before Servine can set up, as Servine has a limited number of Leaf Storm uses and doesn't run super effective coverage for such foes. Be aware of how much Servine does to switch-ins. A Pokemon switching in has to take a neutral Leaf Storm followed by a +2 Leaf Storm and be able to cripple or OHKO back. Servine is best used as a cleaner, so try to preserve it until the late-game, where it can do the most damage. Try to bring in Servine safely via a slow Volt Switch or U-turn, as it is very frail and has a lot of common weaknesses. Servine can also come in on passive Pokemon that can't do anything back to it, such as Mega Audino.
Team Options
========
Pokemon such as Life Orb Pyroar can wallbreak very easily, allowing Servine to spam Leaf Storm more freely and acquire boosts more easily. Pyroar can destroy Grass- and Steel-types while also providing Will-O-Wisp support. Entry hazard support is necessary, as this Servine set can force the foe out a lot more easily once the set is revealed, wearing down the opponent's team. Pokemon such as Garbodor and Rhydon have a lot of staying power, allowing them to set up those entry hazards repeatedly. Stealth Rock also cripples many Flying-types, such as Scyther and Xatu, that may force Servine out. Heal Bell support from the likes of Lanturn is appreciated, as Servine is really susceptible to status ailments, which will otherwise cripple it for the rest of the match. Lanturn can also beat up on Flying-types as well, allowing Servine to have an immensely easier time setting up and sweeping. Slow Volt Switch or U-turn users such as Lanturn and Xatu can bring in Servine safely while also providing Heal Bell support in Lanturn's case and entry hazard control in Xatu's case.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Substitute + Leech Seed can be a good alternative, as it provides Servine with a semi-reliable means of recovery while also forcing switches, racking up entry hazard damage as well as wearing down the opponent's team overall. Sadly, this leaves Servine walled by Grass-types, as they are immune to Leech Seed and resist Servine's Grass-type STAB moves. Synthesis provides reliable recovery; however, Synthesis's effect gets crippled in any weather besides sun, only allowing Servine to regain 1/4 of its HP instead of 1/2. Moreover, Servine already has a way to reliably recover, being able to restore a good portion of its HP with Giga Drain after a couple of boosts. Aromatherapy can be nice to get rid of any status ailments Servine and its teammates happen to acquire. However, Servine is better off spamming Leaf Storm to gain boosts or Glare to cripple faster checks such as Archeops, Jynx, and Scyther.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Poison-types**: Skuntank, Vileplume, Roselia, and Garbodor resist Servine's Grass-type STAB moves and threaten it offensively with their Poison-type STAB moves. However, all Poison-types are slower than Servine, which means that they must watch out for a +2 super effective Hidden Power.
**Faster Pokemon That Resist Grass**: Pyroar and Scyther outspeed Servine and can cripple or OHKO it, leaving any boosts Servine has accumulated useless. Both, however, do not like being crippled by Glare. Rotom-S is also very annoying, as it not only resists Servine's STAB moves but is also immune to paralysis due to its Electric typing.
**Pokemon with Sap Sipper**: Miltank and Bouffalant are immune to Servine's STAB moves and can proceed to set up on or cripple it.
**Specially Bulky Pokemon**: Assault Vest Magmortar and specially defensive Mega Audino can either hit Servine super effectively or stall out Leaf Storm, rendering Servine's ability to boost useless.
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