Blast
Member of the Alien Nation
Pepe Le Pew
[Overview]
name: Offensive Support
move 1: Sucker Punch
move 2: Pursuit
move 3: Poison Jab / Crunch
move 4: Taunt
item: Black Sludge / Lum Berry
ability: Aftermath
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 176 SpD / 80 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
- Mainly used as an offensive support mon
- STAB Sucker Punch + Pursuit gives it some nice utility, backed up by access to Taunt
- Poison / Dark typing lets it trap most Psychics/Ghosts with relative ease, and as a bonus lets it absorb T-Spikes
- Aftermath can let it serve as a failsafe against physical attackers
- Not that bulky, and only has decent Attack
- Struggles heavily against common Fightings and Grounds
- In general, not that hard to beat outside of Psychics/Ghosts
name: Offensive Support
move 1: Sucker Punch
move 2: Pursuit
move 3: Poison Jab / Crunch
move 4: Taunt
item: Black Sludge / Lum Berry
ability: Aftermath
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 176 SpD / 80 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
- Combines all of Skunk's cool support options into one
- Functions as a revenge killer, Pursuit trapper, and momentum disruptor
- Sucker Punch can revenge most threats due to its good BP + Skunk's decent Attack
- Pursuit is really good for Skunk since mosts Psychics/Ghosts can't do much, letting him trap them easily
- Poison Jab gets coverage (esp. Sawk/Primeape), and has a nice poison chance to wear down opposing Pokemon
- Crunch provides a more reliable Dark STAB than Sucker/Pursuit
- Taunt shuts down walls/setup sweepers and protects from status
- Also forms a nice combo w/ Sucker Punch, forcing the opponent to attack
- EV spread outspeeds Gorebyss, maximizes Attack, and buffs up SpD to take stuff like Jynx's Ice Beam better
- 252 Atk / 152 SpD / 104 Spe outspeeds Mandibuzz/+Speed base 55s
- Max Speed Jolly outspeeds Timid Gardy, Jolly Drifblim, and Adamant Sawk, but usually the bulk is more important
- Full SpD spread for taking hits better (LO Jynx 3HKOes w/ Ice Beam after Black Sludge), but the loss of power makes it harder to revenge kill/trap
- However, it can utilize Roar a bit better w/ this spread
- Lum Berry avoids status, especially Missy's Willo, Mushy's T-wave, and Jynx's Kiss
- Black Sludge provides passive recovery, but makes you lose to Jynx and also to Missy if you switch into Willo
- Dread Plate 2HKOes Mushy w/ Crunch + OHKOes Zard w/ Sucker after SR, but usually a more reliable trap/passive recovery is better
- Teammates that enjoy Psychics/Ghosts gone love Skunk as a partner, such as Fightings who in return can kill Steels
- Primeape in particular lures in Psychics/Ghosts w/ U-turn so Skunk can trap w/o fear of status
- Psychics get rid of Fightings for Skunk, and form a PDF core
- Special Samurott can deal w/ Ground-types + physical walls
- Mixed set (Sucker, Pursuit, HP Grass, Fire Blast) lures in normal checks to Skunk, but detracts from his trapping abilities
- Full special set w/ Acid Spray is fun, but lacks the utility of Sucker Punch
- Hone Claws to boost Attack, but Skunk isn't meant to sweep and often never has the time to boost
- Sub is similar to Taunt, but Taunt is generally more useful
- Air Balloon helps trap Golurk easier/avoid random HP Grounds from stuff like Mushy, but not as consistent as Black Sludge/Lum
- Memento/Explosion can be useful at times, but Skunk usually has too much utility to pass up by killing yourself
- Haze to stop setup sweepers, but usually Taunt gets the job done
- Toxic (+ Taunt) for walls, but there's no room
- Iron Tail + Steel Gem for Rock-types/Piloswine, but doesn't do anything outside of that and there's no room
- Sets up rain and sun, but other mons do it better
- Punishment/Foul Play as alternative Dark STABs, but Punishment is unreliable and Foul Play is unnecessary since Skunk is strong enough
- Ground-types (bar Golurk) are best counters; taking nothing from any of Skunk's common attacks and OHKO w/ Earthquake
- Fightings resist Skunk's Dark STAB and kill it w/ Close Combat/Drain Punch
- Gurdurr gets a special mention, since Poison Jab can potentially activate Guts
- Most hard-hitters can beat Skunk 1v1, like Charizard/Samurott
- Bulky Rock-types (Golem, Regirock) tank its attacks for days
- Physical walls (Alomomola, Weezing) beat it, though Taunt is annoying
- Steel-types counter it well, though Metang must be careful of Fire Blast
- Probopass gets a special mention, since it totally walls Skunk and wears it down w/ Power Gem/Volt Switch
- SmashCosta checks it, since the threat of Smash forces Skunk to Taunt and eat an attack to the face
[Overview]
<p>Access to Sucker Punch and Pursuit coupled by access to Taunt make Skuntank one of the best offensive supporters in the tier. Its unique Poison / Dark typing is a blessing for it—not only does it allow Skuntank to serve as a near-perfect counter to the various Psychic- and Ghost-types that plague the tier, but grants it the ability to absorb Toxic Spikes as well. Its utility doesn't end there, as its ability Aftermath allows it to serve as an emergency check against various physical attackers such as Swellow and Zangoose. Unfortunately, Skuntank's rather average stats hold it back; it has mediocre bulk and only decent Attack. Skuntank does not fare well against the common Fighting- and Ground-types of NU; in general, it's not very hard to defeat outside of Psychic- and Ghost-types. Nonetheless, Skuntank performs many roles on a team, and it does them well.</p>
[SET]
name: Offensive Support
move 1: Sucker Punch
move 2: Pursuit
move 3: Poison Jab / Crunch
move 4: Taunt
item: Black Sludge / Lum Berry
ability: Aftermath
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 176 SpD / 80 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set is Skuntank's best, providing a multitude of ways to support its team and disrupt momentum on the opposing side. With Sucker Punch, Skuntank can serve as a revenge killer, being able to easily pick off weakened threats thanks to Skuntank's satisfactory Attack stat. With the combination of Pursuit and Sucker Punch, Skuntank can put many Pokemon—particularly Psychic- and Ghost-types—into a checkmate position, either forcing them to attack and be hit with Sucker Punch or switch and be hit by Pursuit. Poison Jab serves as a reliable STAB, providing nice coverage against Fighting-types such as Sawk and Primeape while also having a nice 30% poison chance to wear down bulkier opponents. On the other hand, Crunch is a viable alternative; while it provides considerably less coverage than Poison Jab, it acts as a reliable Dark-type STAB when Sucker Punch and Pursuit aren't needed. Finally, the last slot is reserved for Taunt, providing a way to disrupt momentum and shut down setup. It also forms an excellent combination with Sucker Punch and Pursuit, forcing the opponent to either attack or switch and be attacked accordingly.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The given EV spread achieves a few purposes. 80 EVs are put into Speed in order to outspeed Timid Gorebyss and either Taunt before its Shell Smash or simply attack it. Attack is maximized to get the most out of Sucker Punch and Pursuit. Finally, the rest of the EVs buff up Skuntank's special bulk, allowing it to tank hits such as Jynx's Ice Beam better. This EV spread is fairly variable; for example, 104 Speed EVs can be used to get the jump on standard Mandibuzz as well as positive-natured base 55s such as Exeggutor and Cacturne. Maximum Speed coupled with a Jolly nature allows for outspeeding Timid Gardevoir, Jolly Drifblim, and Adamant Sawk. Finally, a fully specially defensive spread can narrowly avoid the 2HKO from Life Orb Jynx's Ice Beam after Black Sludge; such a spread also encourages the use of Roar. However, the given EV spread is by far the most consistent.</p>
<p>Black Sludge is the preferred item here, providing passive recovery to allow Skuntank to switch in more often and do its job. However, Lum Berry is a perfectly viable alternative; it allows Skuntank to switch into Misdreavus's Will-O-Wisp and Musharna's Thunder Wave and trap them more efficiently, while also letting Skuntank beat Jynx one-on-one by absorbing Lovely Kiss and OHKOing in return. The most notable other alternative is Dread Plate; it allows Skuntank to 2HKO Musharna with Crunch and OHKO Charizard with Sucker Punch after Stealth Rock. Despite this, Black Sludge and Lum Berry are still generally preferred due to both providing a more reliable trap on the opponent.</p>
<p>Ideal teammates for Skuntank include those that benefit from Skuntank's Pursuit trapping abilities; Fighting-types such as Sawk, Primeape, and Gurdurr are some of the best examples, and in return can threaten the Steel-types that give Skuntank trouble. Primeape gets a special mention, being able to lure in Psychic- and Ghost-types with U-turn so Skuntank can freely trap them. Ironically, these very same Fighting-types are some of Skuntank's greatest nemeses; Psychic-types make fantastic partners for defeating them and can form an effective Psychic / Dark / Fighting core that can trouble a large majority of the metagame. Finally, specially oriented Samurott is a good partner, as it can deal with pesky Ground-types and physical walls that Skuntank struggles to break.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Perhaps the most interesting other option for Skuntank is a mixed attacker; a set consisting of Sucker Punch / Pursuit / Hidden Power Grass / Fire Blast can lure in many of Skuntank's traditional checks and defeat them. However, doing this makes Skuntank a much less reliable Pursuit trapper, its main role in the metagame. On that note, Skuntank can opt to use a fully specially offensive set with Acid Spray, but the loss of Sucker Punch alone often makes it inferior. Hone Claws can be used to boost Attack, but Skuntank is not built to sweep and often never finds the room to boost anyway. Substitute can block status in a similar fashion to Taunt, but Taunt allows Skuntank to support its team rather than just itself. Air Balloon is an interesting item choice; it makes trapping Golurk much easier while also avoiding any potential Hidden Power Grounds from the likes of Musharna or Exeggutor. Despite this, Black Sludge and Lum Berry are still far more consistent.</p>
<p>Memento and Explosion can be useful for ensuring a teammate can come in safely, but Skuntank generally has too much utility to pass up by killing itself. Haze can deter setup, but is outclassed by Taunt. Toxic can be used in conjunction with Taunt to systematically break down walls, but Skuntank has no room to spare for Toxic and is generally outdone by Mandibuzz in this regard. Iron Tail, with a Steel Gem intact and potentially a Hone Claws boost, can lure in common checks such as Golem and Piloswine and OHKO them. However, it doesn't do anything outside of this and there is still no room for it. Skuntank can set up Rain Dance and Sunny Day, but doesn't benefit from either and is outdone by other Pokemon in this role. Finally, Punishment and Foul Play can be used as alternative Dark-type STABs, but Punishment is unreliable and Skuntank's natural power makes Foul Play unnecessary.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Ground-types, barring Golurk, make for excellent counters, sporting the natural bulk to take all of Skuntank's common attacks and can OHKO with Earthquake. Fighting-types also serve as excellent answers to Skuntank, resisting its Dark-type STAB and pummeling it with Close Combat and Drain Punch. Gurdurr is an especially good switch-in to Skuntank, as Poison Jab can potentially activate Guts. Most hard hitters, such as Charizard and Samurott, can beat Skuntank one-on-one due to its relatively mediocre bulk. Bulky Rock-types, such as Regirock, can take Skuntank's attacks with relative ease and KO in return with Stone Edge or Earthquake. Alomomola and Weezing can also tank Skuntank's hits quite well, though they must be wary of Taunt. Steel-types make for good answers, as they resist Skuntank's STABs and can wear it down, though Metang must watch out for the occasional Fire Blast. Probopass in particular completely walls Skuntank and can defeat it with Earth Power or gain momentum with Volt Switch.</p>
Last edited: