Slaking Discussion

[ParaChomp]

#289
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Truant: can't attack consecutive turns

[SET]
name: Mummified Sloth
move 1: Pursuit
move 2: Return / Body Slam
move 3: Earthquake / Focus Punch
move 4: Substitute / Slack Off
item: Leftovers
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET]
name: Choice
move 1: Return
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Shadow Claw / Pursuit
move 4: Ice Punch / Fire Punch
item: Choice Scarf / Choice Band
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

Nothing bar the viable partner in Cofagrigus (who is coincidentally also RU) has changed for Slaking. It can manage to be quite destructive in the correct hands.

 

[waterwarrior]

I'm sorry, but i HATE this argument. Cofagrigus is only on 6% of teams, meaning this strategy is only possible 6% of the time, and you're not gaurenteed to have the opponents Cofagrigus come into the Slaking anyways. A third thing is that this will normally occur:

If Slaking is already out, Cofagrigus will come in and burn you while you're on your off turn
If Slaking comes in, any smart player would leave their Cofagrigus in, take the Pursuit, then burn you.

Either way against a smart player, you'll end up with a Burned Slaking, even though it gained Mummy. Slaking is by no means unusable, just make it more than "Cofagrigus makes this awesome"

Also, you put 200 for Base Speed. It's only 100.

 

[ParaChomp]

I'm sorry, but i HATE this argument. Cofagrigus is only on 6% of teams, meaning this strategy is only possible 6% of the time, and you're not gaurenteed to have the opponents Cofagrigus come into the Slaking anyways. A third thing is that this will normally occur:

I don't know, I really like using this strategy though so I thought I'd bring it up.

If Slaking is already out, Cofagrigus will come in and burn you while you're on your off turn
If Slaking comes in, any smart player would leave their Cofagrigus in, take the Pursuit, then burn you.

That's why you should always use your own Cofagrigus alongside Slaking. From personal experience, I have found Mean Look aids with this strategy. Same can be said about Substitute, if you acquire Mummy from your foe switching (which if they were smart, they wouldn't). You aim to mummify physical attackers that lack Taunt and Will-O-Wisp and there are quite a few. To boot, majority of the Pokemon that use Will-O-Wisp are slower than Slaking allowing it to set up a Substitute before. That said, Focus Punch can be used over Earthquake.

Either way against a smart player, you'll end up with a Burned Slaking, even though it gained Mummy. Slaking is by no means unusable, just make it more than "Cofagrigus makes this awesome"

Okay, rewording my first post and adding a choice set.

Also, you put 200 for Base Speed. It's only 100.

Thanks for the correction.

 

[zdrup15]

I'm sorry, but i HATE this argument. Cofagrigus is only on 6% of teams, meaning this strategy is only possible 6% of the time, and you're not gaurenteed to have the opponents Cofagrigus come into the Slaking anyways. A third thing is that this will normally occur:

If Slaking is already out, Cofagrigus will come in and burn you while you're on your off turn
If Slaking comes in, any smart player would leave their Cofagrigus in, take the Pursuit, then burn you.

Either way against a smart player, you'll end up with a Burned Slaking, even though it gained Mummy. Slaking is by no means unusable, just make it more than "Cofagrigus makes this awesome"

Also, you put 200 for Base Speed. It's only 100.

The goal isn't to Pursuit opposite Cofagrigus, it's to have your own Cofagrigus passing Mummy to an opposing Pokemon and then Pursuit THAT Pokemon. So you only need your opponent to have a physical attacker and to make sure your Cofagrigus is weak enough so that it dies immediatly after the attack.

I've seen this strategy in action and it can be a good plan late-game.

 

[moonbound]

No one is stupid enough anymore to use a physical attack on cofagrigus if they see slaking in team preview. Even if you do stay in and attack, you can just switch out at the same time cofagrigus does.

 

[zdrup15]

No one is stupid enough anymore to use a physical attack on cofagrigus if they see slaking in team preview. Even if you do stay in and attack, you can just switch out at the same time cofagrigus does.

The goal is to have Cofagrigus in KO range on your party. Then, when you think Slaking can sweep, you send Cofagrigus on a physical attack to be KOed on the turn it switches in. Then send Slaking and Pursuit.

And don't tell me your opponent won't use physical attacks on none of your mons during the battle. You just have to lure them (through the use of a specially bulky Pokemon for example).

It needs support yes, but what sweeper doesn't?

 

[gali]

I use Mummy Slaking, and it absolutely RAPES almost everything in RU. Heck, it rapes teams in OU. But it has a lot going for it down here:
1. Not many bulky Steels, and not much phazing.
2. No Conkeldurr.
3. It's naturally faster than Yanmega, and since most Yanmega run Tinted Lens over speed Boost, it's almost always able to outspeed and OHKO it.
4. It's also naturally naturally faster than Cresselia, and can normally OHKO if it has 2-3 Bulk Ups in.
Being able to reliably kill the 2 biggest threats in the metagame is an amazing accomplishment. Mummy Slaking is amazing but highly underrated.
Also, I've found that this set works better for Slaking:
Slaking @ Leftovers
Jolly nature
128 Atk, 252 SpD, 128 Spe
-Pursuit
-Return
-Bulk Up
-Slack off

 

[Twannes]

Gligar just plain walls Slaking .. (I can tell from experience)

 

[ParaChomp]

The goal is to have Cofagrigus in KO range on your party. Then, when you think Slaking can sweep, you send Cofagrigus on a physical attack to be KOed on the turn it switches in. Then send Slaking and Pursuit.

I use Mean Look alongside Will-O-Wisp on mine. Results have been surprisingly good. There's also the strategy of giving your Cofagrigus an Eject Button and switch into a contact move, on the same turn you give your foe Mummy you switch to Slaking, and then use Pursuit.

 

[jim995]

I use Mean Look alongside Will-O-Wisp on mine. Results have been surprisingly good. There's also the strategy of giving your Cofagrigus an Eject Button and switch into a contact move, on the same turn you give your foe Mummy you switch to Slaking, and then use Pursuit.

A problem I see is that many physical attackers will likely not stay in with Cofragrius due to fear of Wil-o-Wisp, making it more likely that Cofragrius will get a special (and non-contact, not activating Mummy) hit and get ejected anyway, so I don't really agree with that choice.

The only other thing Slaking gets that it can actually use other than this is basically Retaliate with the Scarf set, making it a powerful revenge killer with a base 140 (before stab) power move. However, if a KO has not occured then Return still has more power, making this option somewhat dubious due to the inconsistency.

 

[Vratix]

As I read through this I saw both a lot of excitement and reservation about Mummy+Slaking (a.k.a. King Tut).

I ran a team based around Slaking+Cofagrigus for kicks and giggles for several weeks. You are all correct. Sometimes it works great and ypu get to sweep early and hard. Sometimes people see it coming from a mile away. Sometimes, you trap someone into it. Sometimes you end up with a burned Slaking that has Mummy. And gligar walls Slaking just fine.

It is a fun strategy that requires a lot more work for a similar payout to many other strategies. It's viable but I would not encourage that you try to ladder with it.

 

[Molk]

Gligar just plain walls Slaking .. (I can tell from experience)

if you run ice punch or something it doesnt, anyways, i saw someone using this strategy and i believe that it is pretty overrated, i took it down with not much effort, didnt take out a single poke.

and sableye Is a pretty good check to slaking not using sub, its either get burned or get truant back.

 

[Pocket]

Mummified sloth is too situational. Slaking shines at dishing meteorite-level hurt with CB-boosted attacks

Slaking really appreciates an effective Rapid Spinner, since it's strategy is Guerrilla warfare (hit-and-run). At times it doesn't even need to switch, since it has respectable bulk. If you could prevent Slaking from wasting-away through entry hazards, it can suck up a hit and retaliate with a killing blow.

Pursuiters are also recommended to quickly dispatch Ghosts that takes NOTHING from its fearsome STAB move. These Pursuiters would probably benefit from Lum Berry to not be crippled by Wisp. Sableye is still problematic, so have something that can deal with it.