Skuntank (GP 2/2)

Windsong

stumbling down elysian fields
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[Overview]

<p>Skuntank is one of the most overlooked Pokemon in the RU tier. It possesses decent offenses, wielding base stats of 93 Attack and 71 Special Attack. It has access to a number of useful moves, such as Pursuit, Explosion, Fire Blast, and Taunt. Unlike many of the other Dark-types in the tier, it is only hit neutrally by Fighting-type moves, allowing it to trap nearly all of the common spinblockers in RU. Finally, Skuntank's typing allows it to absorb Toxic Spikes. However, all of these boons aren't quite enough to outweigh Skuntank's shortcomings. Being a significantly weaker attacker than many of the other Dark-types in RU significantly hurts Skuntank, as it's usually incapable of destroying as many teams as Pokemon such as Honchkrow and Krookodile can. In addition, Drapion has the same resistances, along with an arguably better movepool and stats. Explosion's nerf this generation also was damaging to Skuntank, as one of its key moves was left almost unusable. However, despite these shortcomings, Skuntank is still quite an effective Pokemon, capable of handling a variety of common threats.</p>

[SET]
name: Trapper
move 1: Pursuit
move 2: Taunt
move 3: Sucker Punch
move 4: Crunch / Poison Jab
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
ability: Aftermath / Stench
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>With Pursuit and Taunt at its disposal, Skuntank is capable of beating nearly all of the Psychic- and Ghost-types in RU, which paves the way for a number of dangerous sweepers, and also allows most Rapid Spin users to spin freely. Pursuit is the crux of the set, as it prevents Pokemon such as Rotom and Dusknoir from freely switching out of Skuntank. Taunt works very well in conjunction with Pursuit, as it prevents Pokemon from hitting Skuntank with Will-O-Wisp, which would effectively kill Skuntank's usefulness. Sucker Punch is the best option available for Skuntank's third moveslot, as in addition to being one of the few moves that separates it from Drapion, it is incredibly useful in letting Skuntank beat some faster threats, such as Gardevoir and Rotom. Finally, either Crunch or Poison Jab can fit into Skuntank's fourth moveslot, both being useful for an outright STAB attack when Pursuit and Sucker Punch aren't effective.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Max Attack with a positive nature allows Skuntank to hit hard as possible, while max Speed lets it outpace neutral base 80s. Explosion is an option in Skuntank's last moveslot, but due to its mechanics this generation, it's not very useful. Flamethrower and Fire Blast are viable options, as they let Skuntank beat down the many Steel-types that can wall it. However, since this set's main job is to eliminate Ghost- and Psychic-types, it should be paired with Fighting-types easily capable of breaking through Steel-types, so using a Fire-type attack is usually unnecessary. Finally, both Aftermath and Stench are usable with this set. Aftermath is the slightly more reliable option, damaging anything that KOs Skuntank with a contact move, while the occasional flinch that Stench provides can get Skuntank out of some scrapes.</p>



<p>Skuntank pairs very well with Pokemon that enjoy having bulky Ghost- and Psychic-types removed. This means that most offensive Fighting-types make good partners for Skuntank, thanks to their ability to fire off high-powered STAB Fighting-type moves without fear of being walled by one of the many Ghost-types of RU. In addition, many Rapid Spin users, such as Claydol and Sandslash, also make good partners for Skuntank, as they gain the ability to spin freely with the removal of Ghost-types. Some other good partners are Pokemon that are hit hard by entry hazards, such as Moltres and Articuno, since spinners are able to remove entry hazards without fear of being blocked. Finally, Flying-types and Pokemon with Levitate make good partners for Skuntank, as they are immune to Ground-type attacks.</p>

[SET]
name: Wallbreaker
move 1: Sucker Punch
move 2: Taunt
move 3: Poison Jab / Pursuit
move 4: Fire Blast
item: Life Orb
ability: Aftermath / Stench
nature: Naughty
evs: 252 Atk / 104 SpA / 152 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Due to its useful offensive typing, along with its unique stat distribution and movepool, Skuntank can effectively use a moveset capable of breaking down stall teams and a number of common walls. Fire Blast is the most important move on this set, letting Skuntank break through a number of Pokemon that would otherwise wall it, such as Steelix, Ferroseed, and Tangrowth. Fire Blast is also one of the advantages that Skuntank has over Drapion, who can use a similar set but lacks the ability to easily break through bulky physical walls. Taunt protects Skuntank from Will-O-Wisp while also preventing the opponent from setting up against Skuntank easily. Sucker Punch lets Skuntank hit Pokemon that outspeed it, and is useful in conjunction with Taunt. Finally, either Poison Jab or Pursuit can be used in Skuntank's last moveslot. Poison Jab gives Skuntank decent neutral coverage and is more reliable than Sucker Punch, whereas Pursuit allows Skuntank to do more damage to stall cores by hitting fleeing Pokemon.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Max Attack allows Skuntank to tear through Pokemon such as Slowking, Rotom, and Cryogonal with Sucker Punch and Pursuit, while 104 Special Attack EVs let Skuntank easily 2HKO Steelix, Ferroseed, and offensive Aggron. 152 Speed EVs are necessary in order for Skuntank to outspeed neutral-natured max Speed Honchkrow. Both Aftermath and Stench are viable abilities for Skuntank; Aftermath damages the opponent significantly if Skuntank is KOed by a contact move, whereas Stench gives all of Skuntank's offensive moves a 10% flinch chance, which can be extremely helpful in getting Skuntank out of some sticky situations. Skuntank also has a few other useful moves that can be used on this set. Explosion lets it deal the finishing blow on a number of walls that aren't hit hard enough by Sucker Punch, Poison Jab, or Pursuit, but is generally an inferior option due to its power drop compared to previous generations. Crunch is another useable move for this set, but is somewhat redundant with Sucker Punch.</p>

<p>In terms of partners, anything that provides entry hazard support can pair nicely with Skuntank, who forces a fair amount of switches. Excellent options for setting up Stealth Rock include Uxie, Mesprit, and Claydol, while decent choices for Spikes and Toxic Spikes support include Omastar, Smeargle, and Crustle, all of whom pair nicely with Skuntank defensively as well. Pokemon that can spin away opposing entry hazards also partner well with Skuntank, due to its ability to trap and break down many common spinblockers. Good choices for spinners are Claydol, Cryogonal, and Sandslash. For offensive partners, any Pokemon that has trouble breaking through full stall teams can be helpful, as Skuntank can easily weaken most stall cores. Offensive Fighting-types pair well with Skuntank too, since they have trouble breaking through the Ghost- and Psychic-types that Skuntank can easily defeat.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Although it has a relatively sparse movepool, Skuntank has a few other options available to it. Hidden Power Ground or Hidden Power Fighting can be a more reliable alternative over Fire Blast in terms of accuracy, but although they give more power against Aggron, the loss of power against other threats makes them less viable. Screech can be combined with Pursuit to force and take advantages of switches, but is hard to pull off effectively and is a gimmicky strategy at best. Thanks to Skuntank's decent physical movepool, Choice Band sets are somewhat viable, although Drapion can pull those off much more effectively. Skuntank also has access to Night Slash, but it is usually inferior to Crunch. Punishment hits stat boosters hard, but isn't very useful in most situations. Return is the final competitive option in Skuntank's movepool, but doesn't provide Skuntank with any helpful additional coverage.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p> Bulky Steel-types are capable of countering Skuntank easily, as they resist every move it commonly carries, barring Fire Blast. Bulky Rock-types, such as Rhydon, are in a similar vein, even though they do not resist Dark-type attacks, as Skuntank can't really hurt them much. Many strong offensive Ground-types can do a lot of damage to Skuntank, due to their ability to hit it for super effective damage with Earthquake while avoiding Aftermath, as Earthquake is not a contact move. Krookodile and Drapion are especially effective counters, as they resist almost all the attacks Skuntank commonly carries, and can hit it hard with Earthquake. Most Ghost-types are capable of luring in Skuntank and hitting it with Will-O-Wisp on the switch-in, although they're not outright reliable counters. Pokemon such as Poliwrath, Gligar, Qwilfish, and Alomomola, however, can outright wall Skuntank with ease.</p>

[Dream World]

<p>Skuntank receives Keen Eye via the Dream World, but it's inferior to both Aftermath and Stench, and is situational at best.</p>
 
Is this really worth it? All it really has over Drapion is Sucker Punch (I admit, quite good), Explosion (is simply too weak) and Fire Blast (meh). It also doesn't resist Fighting, as stated in the OP

Drapion has superior bulk, power and speed, and has access to Toxic Spikes, not to mention Whirlwind and Earthquake. To be honest, I believe Skuntank is NU material.
 
^ Don't forget Aftermath. 25% off of any contact KO is decent for an ability; it's not Sniper or anything but it's still good.

As for Drapion outclassing Skuntank, the two don't really play much like each other; Drapion is better used as an offensive tank or a bulky T-Spikes setter/phaser. Skuntank makes a better trapper than Drapion; its attack stat is marginally higher (93 > 90) and Sucker Punch allows you to play mind games with your opponent, whereas with Drapion there's a lot less to worry about. The reliable priority allows Skuntank to deal with the teir's many frail Scarfers, something Drapion can't do.

As for the Wallbreaker set, Skuntank beats Tangrowth fairly quickly and cleanly, while Drapion has to resort to a protracted Taunt and Crunch job because Tangrowth is too bulky. If it gets a Leech Seed off Drapion basically can't with without Poison Jab, which no decent Drapion set carries. Same thing basically applies to Ferroseed; Skuntank has Fire Blast to 2HKO it while Drapion has nothing other than Brick Break, which none of its sets carry, and Fire Fang, which is literally only useful for Ferroseed in RU.

It's a good Pokemon and it does certain things better than Drapion, even if its first set is similar. I've used Skuntank briefly and I can account for its effectiveness.
 

Honko

he of many honks
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Stench is probably better than Aftermath. 10% flinch on all attacks is pretty cool.
 
Maybe both should get slashed? Aftermath fits with Skuntank's style of "do as much damage as possible then faint" while Stench is, like you said, pretty cool.
 

Honko

he of many honks
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This mon isn't very good :/

[SET]
name: Smells Like Nails
move 1: Taunt
move 2: Sucker Punch
move 3: Fire Blast
move 4: Poison Jab / Pursuit
item: Life Orb
ability: Stench / Aftermath
nature: Naughty
evs: 252 Atk / 104 SpA / 152 Spe

IMO it only needs one set, and it should look like this. When I used the trapper I kept wishing I had some coverage, it's just too specialized now that Explosion sucks. Crunch isn't very useful when you have Taunt + Sucker Punch, so move it to AC. Sucker Punch is obviously the most important move, Fire Blast actually hits a lot of things harder than anything else Skuntank could do, and Poison Jab is useful for things like Poliwrath and Hitmonchan. If you need to trap, just use Pursuit over Poison Jab. Explosion in AC for nostalgia.
 

Honko

he of many honks
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Programmer Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnus
OK FINE the trapper set is actually not bad. I talked with upstart a bit and we think Pursuit is actually the least important Dark move on the set though, because Ghosts virtually never switch out of an obvious trapper like Skuntank, and Explosion is fairly useful. Slash Explosion with Pursuit and Sucker Punch, but not with Crunch. Make sure to compare it with Drapion a little in the writeup, since Drapion can run the same set with better Defense (for taking Dusknoir EQs) and higher Speed (so it can Crunch Rotom before it Subs), but it lacks Sucker Punch and Explosion.

The wallbreaker set is not very good but whatever, Fire BLASTing Tangrowths and Steelixi is fun. Definitely remove the Pursuit slash since BLAST is the only reason to use that set at all, and definitely change the nature to Naughty. Doing more damage to with BLAST is way more important than trying to preserve Skuntank's terrible special bulk.

Stupid smelly skunk, I'll approve it when you make those changes because I'm such a kind and generous man.

EDIT: QC APPROVED 1/3
 

Windsong

stumbling down elysian fields
is a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnus
20:40< Nails> and windsong you CAN stamp your own stuff

Ok, so giving this QC APPROVED 3/3 then.

edit: ready for GP checks now!
 

Shame That

TAKE IT ALL OR LEAVE IT
is a Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
REMOVE ADD COMMENTS


[Overview]

<p>Skuntank is one of the most overlooked Pokemon available in the RU tier. It possesses decent offenses, wielding base stats of 93 Attack and 71 Special Attack, respectively. It has access to a number of useful moves, such as Pursuit, Explosion, Fire Blast, and Taunt,.[Remove Comma / Add Period] and Unlike many of the other Dark-types in the tier, it is only hit neutrally by Fighting-type moves, allowing it to trap nearly all of the common spinblockers in RU thanks to its ability to take their common Fighting-type coverage attacks. In addition, Finally, Skuntank's typing allows it also has the ability to absorb Toxic Spikes. However, all of these pros boons aren't quite enough to outweigh Skuntank's shortcomings in most situations. Being a significantly weaker attacker than many of the other Dark-types in RU significantly hurts Skuntank, as it's usually incapable of damaging destroying as many teams as teams as much as Pokemon such as Honchkrow and Krookodile can. In addition, Drapion has the same resistances, along with an arguably better movepool and stats. Explosion's nerf this generation also was damaging to Skuntank, as it lost one of its key moves was left almost unusable. However, despite these shortcomings, Skuntank is still quite an effective Pokemon,[Add Comma] and capable of handling a variety of common threats.</p>

[SET]
name: Trapper
move 1: Pursuit
move 2: Taunt
move 3: Sucker Punch
move 4: Crunch / Poison Jab
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
ability: Aftermath / Stench
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>With Pursuit and Taunt at its disposal, Skuntank is capable of beating nearly all of the Psychic- and Ghost-types in RU, which paves the way for a number of dangerous sweepers, while also allowing and allows most Rapid Spin users to spin freely. Pursuit is the crux of the set, as it prevents Pokemon such as Rotom and Dusknoir from simply freely switching out of Skuntank without having to take a hit. Taunt works very well in conjunction with Pursuit, as it prevents Pokemon from hitting Skuntank with Will-O-Wisp, which would effectively kills Skuntank's usefulness, and also prevents Pokemon from taking advantage of Skuntank's relatively weak Pursuit to set up. Sucker Punch is the best option available move for Skuntank's third moveslot, as in addition to being one of the few moves that separates it from Drapion, Sucker Punch is incredibly useful in letting Drapion beat some faster Pokemon threats such as Gardevoir and Rotom, who are capable of outspeeding and potentially hurting Skuntank with Hidden Power Ground. Finally, either Crunch or Poison Jab can fit well into Skuntank's final fourth moveslot, being useful for outright attacking an outright STAB attack when Pursuit or Sucker Punch aren't effective.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Max Attack with a positive nature allows Skuntank to hit hard as possible, while max Speed lets it outrun outpace neutral base 80s. Explosion is an option in Skuntank's last moveslot, over either Crunch or Sucker Punch, although but due to its mechanics this generation, it's not very useful. Skuntank can use either Flamethrower and Fire Blast quite effectively are viable options, as they let it Skuntank beat down the many Steel-types which that can wall it. However, since when using this sets Skuntank's main job is to eliminate Ghost- and Psychic-types, it's usually paired with Fighting-types easily capable of breaking through Steel-types, so using a Fire-type attack is usually unnecessary. Finally, both Aftermath and Stench are useable with this set,.[Remove Comma / Add Period] with Aftermath being is the slightly more reliable option, damaging anything that KOs Skuntank with a contact move, while the occasional flinch Stench provides can get Skuntank out of some scrapes.</p>



<p>Skuntank pairs very well with most Pokemon that enjoy having bulkier bulky Ghost- and Psychic-types removed. This means that most offensive Fighting-types make very good partners for Skuntank, thanks to their ability to fire off high powered STAB Fighting-type moves without fear of being walled by one of the many Ghost-types of RU. In addition, many Rapid Spin users such,[Add Comma] as Claydol and Sandslash,[Add Comma] that are incapable of breaking through some of the bulkier Ghost-types in the tier [Woah, trim the fat] also make good partners for Skuntank, as they gain the ability to spin freely with those Ghost-types removed. Some other good partners are Pokemon that are hit hard by entry hazards, such as Moltres and Articuno,[Add Comma] pair well with it, since spinners are able to remove entry hazards without fear of being blocked. Finally, Pokemon with Levitate and most Flying-typesand Pokemon with Levitate make good partners for Skuntank, as they resist its weakness immune to Ground-type attacks.</p>

[Remove Extra Line Space]
[SET]
name: Wallbreaker
move 1: Sucker Punch
move 2: Taunt
move 3: Poison Jab / Pursuit
move 4: Fire Blast
item: Life Orb
ability: Aftermath / Stench
nature: Naughty
evs: 252 Atk / 104 SpA / 152 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Due to its useful offensive typing, along with its unique and stat distribution and movepool, Skuntank can effectively use a moveset capable of breaking down stall teams and a number of common walls, as well as utterly destroying common stall cores such as Tangrowth and Slowking. Fire Blast is the most important move on this set, letting Skuntank break through a number of Pokemon that would otherwise wall it, such as Steelix, Ferroseed, and Tangrowth,.[Remove Comma / Add Period] Fire Blast and is also one of the advantages that Skuntank has over Drapion, who can use a similar set,[Remove Comma] but lacks the ability to easily break through bulky physical walls. Taunt lets protects Skuntank prevent Pokemon from hitting it with Will-O-Wisp, while also allowing it to preventing the opponent from setting up against it Skuntank easily. Sucker Punch lets Skuntank do some damage to hit Pokemon that outspeed it and is useful in conjunction with Taunt. Finally, either Poison Jab or Pursuit can be used in Skuntank's last moveslot. Poison Jab gives Skuntank decent neutral coverage, while being and is more reliable than Sucker Punch, while Pursuit allows Skuntank to do more damage to stall cores thanks to its ability to by hitting switching Pokemon.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Max Attack allows Skuntank to hurt tear through Pokemon such as Slowking, Rotom, and Cryogonal with Sucker Punch and Pursuit, while 104 Special Attack EVs let Skuntank easily 2HKO Steelix, Ferroseed, and offensive Aggron,.[Remove Comma / Add Period] and 152 Speed EVs are necessary in order for Skuntank to outspeed neutral natured max Speed Honchkrow. Both Aftermath and Stench are viable abilities for Skuntank,;[Remove Comma / Add Semicolon] with Aftermath damaging the opponent significantly if Skuntank is KOed by a contact move, while Stench gives all of Skuntank's offensive moves a 10% flinch chance, which can be extremely helpful in getting Skuntank out of some sticky situations. Skuntank also has a few other useful moves that can be used on this set. Explosion lets it deal the finishing blow on a number of walls that aren't hit hard enough by Sucker Punch, Poison Jab, or Pursuit, but is generally an inferior option due to its power drop from previous generations. Crunch is another useable move for this set, but is somewhat redundant with Sucker Punch.</p>

<p>In terms of partners, anything that provides entry hazard support can pair nicely with Skuntank, since it who forces a fair amount of switches. Excellent options for setting up Stealth Rock include Uxie, Mesprit, and Claydol, while decent choices for Spikes and Toxic Spikes support include Omastar, Smeargle, and Crustle, all of whom pair nicely with Skuntank defensively as well. Pokemon that can spin away opposing entry hazards also partner well with Skuntank, due to its ability to trap and break down many common spinblockers. Good choices for spinners are Claydol, Cryogonal, and Sandslash. For offensive partners, any Pokemon that have has trouble breaking through full stall teams are can be helpful, as Skuntank can easily weaken most stall cores. Offensive Fighting-types go pair well with Skuntank too, since they have trouble breaking through the Ghost- and Psychic-types that Skuntank can easily defeat.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Although it has a relatively sparse movepool, Skuntank has a few other options available to it. Hidden Power Ground or Hidden Power Fighting can be a more reliable alternative over Fire Blast in terms of accuracy, but although they give it more power against Aggron, the loss of power against other threats makes them less useful than they'd otherwise be viable. Screech can be combined with Pursuit to force and then take advantages of switches, but is hard to pull off effectively and is a gimmicky strategy at best. Thanks to its Skuntank's decent physical movepool, Choice Band sets are somewhat viable, although Drapion can pull those off much more effectively. Skuntank also has access to Night Slash, which but it is usually inferior to Crunch,[Remove Comma / Add Period] Punishment, which hits stat boosters hard, but isn't very useful in most situations,.[Remove Comma / Add Period] and Return is a final option in Skuntank's movepool, which but doesn't provide Skuntank with any helpful additional coverage.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Most Bulky Steel-types are capable of countering Skuntank easily, as they resist every move it commonly carries barring Explosion [Doesn't Steel resist Explosion?]. Bulky Rock-types, such as Rhydon,[Add Comma] are in a similar boat vein, although they do not resist Dark-type attacks, since Skuntank can't really hurt them much. Many strong offensive Ground-types can do a lot of damage to Skuntank, due to their ability to hit it for super effective damage with Earthquake,[Remove Comma] while also avoiding Aftermath due to it not being a contact move [I thought Earthquake was a contact move?]. Krookodile and Drapion are especially effective counters, as they resist almost all of the attacks Skuntank commonly carries, while being able to hit it hard with Earthquake. Most Ghost-types are capable of luring in Skuntank and hitting it with Will-O-Wisp on the switch-in, although they're not outright reliable counters,.[Remove Comma / Add Period] while Pokemon such as Poliwrath, Gligar, Qwilfish, and Alomomola can outright wall Skuntank with ease.</p>

[Dream World]

<p>Skuntank receives Keen Eye via the Dream World, but it's inferior to both Aftermath and Stench, and situational at best.</p>
Awesome. :D


GP 1/2
 
Add Remove

[Overview]

<p>Skuntank is one of the most overlooked Pokemon in the RU tier. It possesses decent offenses, wielding base stats of 93 Attack and 71 Special Attack, (comma) respectively. It has access to a number of useful moves, such as Pursuit, Explosion, Fire Blast, and Taunt. Unlike many of the other Dark-types in the tier, it is only hit neutrally by Fighting-type moves, allowing it to trap nearly all of the common spinblockers in RU. Finally, Skuntank's typing allows it to absorb Toxic Spikes. However, all of these boons aren't quite enough to outweigh Skuntank's shortcomings. Being a significantly weaker attacker than many of the other Dark-types in RU significantly hurts Skuntank, as it's usually incapable of destroying as many teams as Pokemon such as Honchkrow and Krookodile can. In addition, Drapion has the same resistances, along with an arguably better movepool and stats. Explosion's nerf this generation also was damaging to Skuntank, as one of its key moves was left almost unusable. However, despite these shortcomings, Skuntank is still quite an effective Pokemon, capable of handling a variety of common threats.</p>

[SET]
name: Trapper
move 1: Pursuit
move 2: Taunt
move 3: Sucker Punch
move 4: Crunch / Poison Jab
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
ability: Aftermath / Stench
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>With Pursuit and Taunt at its disposal, Skuntank is capable of beating nearly all of the Psychic- and Ghost-types in RU, which paves the way for a number of dangerous sweepers, (comma) and also allows most Rapid Spin users to spin freely. Pursuit is the crux of the set, as it prevents Pokemon such as Rotom and Dusknoir from freely switching out of Skuntank. Taunt works very well in conjunction with Pursuit, as it prevents Pokemon from hitting Skuntank with Will-O-Wisp, which would effectively kill Skuntank's usefulness. Sucker Punch is the best option available for Skuntank's third moveslot, as in addition to being one of the few moves that separates it from Drapion, Sucker Punch it is incredibly useful in letting Skuntank Drapion beat some faster threats, (comma) such as Gardevoir and Rotom. Finally, either Crunch or Poison Jab can fit into Skuntank's fourth moveslot, both being useful for an outright STAB attack when Pursuit and or Sucker Punch aren't effective.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Max Attack with a positive nature allows Skuntank to hit hard as possible, while max Speed lets it outpace neutral base 80s. Explosion is an option in Skuntank's last moveslot, but due to its mechanics this generation, it's not very useful. Flamethrower and Fire Blast are viable options, as they let Skuntank beat down the many Steel-types that can wall it. However, since this set'(apostrophe)s main job is to eliminate Ghost- and Psychic-types, it'(apostrophe)s usually should be paired with Fighting-types easily capable of breaking through Steel-types, so using a Fire-type attack is usually unnecessary. Finally, both Aftermath and Stench are usable with this set. Aftermath is the slightly more reliable option, damaging anything that KOs Skuntank with a contact move, while the occasional flinch that Stench provides can get Skuntank out of some scrapes.</p>



<p>Skuntank pairs very well with Pokemon that enjoy having bulky Ghost- and Psychic-types removed. This means that most offensive Fighting-types make good partners for Skuntank, thanks to their ability to fire off high-(hyphen)powered STAB Fighting-type moves without fear of being walled by one of the many Ghost-types of RU. In addition, many Rapid Spin users, (comma) such, (comma) as Claydol and Sandslash, also make good partners for Skuntank, as they gain the ability to spin freely with the removal of those Ghost-types removed. Some other good partners are Pokemon that are hit hard by entry hazards, such as Moltres and Articuno, since spinners are able to remove entry hazards without fear of being blocked. Finally, Flying-types and Pokemon with Levitate make good partners for Skuntank, as they are immune to Ground-type attacks.</p>

[SET]
name: Wallbreaker
move 1: Sucker Punch
move 2: Taunt
move 3: Poison Jab / Pursuit
move 4: Fire Blast
item: Life Orb
ability: Aftermath / Stench
nature: Naughty
evs: 252 Atk / 104 SpA / 152 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Due to its useful offensive typing, along with its unique stat distribution and movepool, Skuntank can effectively use a moveset capable of breaking down stall teams and a number of common walls. Fire Blast is the most important move on this set, letting Skuntank break through a number of Pokemon that would otherwise wall it, such as Steelix, Ferroseed, and Tangrowth. Fire Blast is also one of the advantages that Skuntank has over Drapion, who can use a similar set but lacks the ability to easily break through bulky physical walls. Taunt protects Skuntank from Will-O-Wisp, (comma) while also preventing the opponent from setting up against Skuntank easily. Sucker Punch lets Skuntank hit Pokemon that outspeed it, (comma) and is useful in conjunction with Taunt. Finally, either Poison Jab or Pursuit can be used in Skuntank's last moveslot. Poison Jab gives Skuntank decent neutral coverage and is more reliable than Sucker Punch, whereas while Pursuit allows Skuntank to do more damage to stall cores by hitting fleeing switching Pokemon.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Max Attack allows Skuntank to tear through Pokemon such as Slowking, Rotom, and Cryogonal with Sucker Punch and Pursuit, while 104 Special Attack EVs let Skuntank easily 2HKO Steelix, Ferroseed, and offensive Aggron. 152 Speed EVs are necessary in order for Skuntank to outspeed neutral-(hyphen)natured max Speed Honchkrow. Both Aftermath and Stench are viable abilities for Skuntank, (comma) ; Aftermath damagesing the opponent significantly if Skuntank is KOed by a contact move, whereas while Stench gives all of Skuntank's offensive moves a 10% flinch chance, which can be extremely helpful in getting Skuntank out of some sticky situations. Skuntank also has a few other useful moves that can be used on this set. Explosion lets it deal the finishing blow on a number of walls that aren't hit hard enough by Sucker Punch, Poison Jab, or Pursuit, but is generally an inferior option due to its power drop compared to from previous generations. Crunch is another useable move for this set, but is somewhat redundant with Sucker Punch.</p>

<p>In terms of partners, anything that provides entry hazard support can pair nicely with Skuntank, who forces a fair amount of switches. Excellent options for setting up Stealth Rock include Uxie, Mesprit, and Claydol, while decent choices for Spikes and Toxic Spikes support include Omastar, Smeargle, and Crustle, all of whom pair nicely with Skuntank defensively as well. Pokemon that can spin away opposing entry hazards also partner well with Skuntank, due to its ability to trap and break down many common spinblockers. Good choices for spinners are Claydol, Cryogonal, and Sandslash. For offensive partners, any Pokemon that has trouble breaking through full stall teams can be helpful, as Skuntank can easily weaken most stall cores. Offensive Fighting-types pair well with Skuntank too, since they have trouble breaking through the Ghost- and Psychic-types that Skuntank can easily defeat.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Although it has a relatively sparse movepool, Skuntank has a few other options available to it. Hidden Power Ground or Hidden Power Fighting can be a more reliable alternative over Fire Blast in terms of accuracy, but although they give more power against Aggron, the loss of power against other threats makes them less viable. Screech can be combined with Pursuit to force and take advantages of switches, but is hard to pull off effectively and is a gimmicky strategy at best. Thanks to Skuntank's decent physical movepool, Choice Band sets are somewhat viable, although Drapion can pull those off much more effectively. Skuntank also has access to Night Slash, but it is usually inferior to Crunch. Punishment hits stat boosters hard, but isn't very useful in most situations. Return is the a final competitive option in Skuntank's movepool, but doesn't provide Skuntank with any helpful additional coverage.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p> Bulky Steel-types are capable of countering Skuntank easily, as they resist every move it commonly carries, (comma) barring Fire Blast(space). Bulky Rock-types, such as Rhydon, are in a similar vein, even though although they do not resist Dark-type attacks, since as Skuntank can't really hurt them much. Many strong offensive Ground-types can do a lot of damage to Skuntank, due to their ability to hit it for super effective damage with Earthquake while avoiding Aftermath, (comma) as Earthquake is due to it not being a contact move. Krookodile and Drapion are especially effective counters, as they resist almost all the attacks Skuntank commonly carries, while being able to and can hit it hard with Earthquake. Most Ghost-types are capable of luring in Skuntank and hitting it with Will-O-Wisp on the switch-in, although they're not outright reliable counters. Pokemon such as Poliwrath, Gligar, Qwilfish, and Alomomola, (comma) however, (comma) can outright wall Skuntank with ease.</p>

[Dream World]

<p>Skuntank receives Keen Eye via the Dream World, but it's inferior to both Aftermath and Stench, and is situational at best.</p>



GP Approved 2/2
 

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