pancake
movement and location
qc 3/3: avocado, spirit, teachable
gp 2/2: tdp, marthaa
[OVERVIEW]
Slowking has a niche as one of the only effective Assault Vest users in the tier, and coupled with its very good HP and Special Defense stats, it can act as an effective blanket check to special attackers. Some of the Pokemon it checks include Nidoqueen, Salazzle, Gardevoir, Kommo-o, Swellow, and Moltres. It has a premier ability in Regenerator that allows it to check these Pokemon throughout the match. Its extensive movepool includes a plethora of coverage and utility options like Fire Blast, Ice Beam, and Dragon Tail. However, despite all its positives, it faces stiff competition for a slot on most teams from its Psychic-type counterparts such as Slowbro and Cresselia, which possess unique advantages including better natural physical bulk. It also has a crippling weakness to Pursuit and the ever-present Knock Off. Finally, Slowking struggles to take on the plethora of strong physical attackers in the tier, even ones without super effective coverage like Flygon, Zygarde-10%, and Bewear.
[SET]
name: Assault Vest
move 1: Scald
move 2: Future Sight
move 3: Fire Blast
move 4: Dragon Tail
item: Assault Vest
ability: Regenerator
nature: Modest
evs: 252 HP / 176 SpA / 80 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Scald is Slowking's main STAB move, allowing it to check Fire-types and deny free switch-ins to physical attackers, such as Feraligatr and Pangoro. Despite it not hitting immediately, Future Sight allows Slowking to limit future switches because it hits very hard. Fire Blast hits Grass-types such as Shaymin and Roserade as well as Steel-types such as Escavalier. Dragon Tail prevents Slowking from being setup fodder for Snorlax, Escavalier, and other bulky setup sweepers. It also works nicely with Future Sight because the foe will try to play around it by switching into a Dark- or Steel-type, which Dragon Tail will phaze out. Ice Beam is an option that allows Slowking to check Swellow, Dragalge, and Kommo-o more reliably.
Set Details
========
An Assault Vest bolsters Slowking's already great Special Defense, allowing it to act as a blanket check to special attackers. The main issue with running Assault Vest is that Slowking cannot run Slack Off, but Regenerator makes up for this and allows Slowking to check these attackers throughout the match. 252 HP EVs and 80 Special Defense EVs are used in order to take +2 Acid Downpour from Salazzle after Stealth Rock and check Swellow more reliably. The rest of the EVs are dumped into Special Attack, which, along with a Modest nature, allows Slowking to hit harder. Slowking can run many alternative EV spreads to check different threats. For example, it can run 44 Defense EVs to survive Life Orb Crunch from Jolly Feraligatr and Devastating Drake from Jolly Flygon, both after Stealth Rock. It can also run 68 Defense EVs to take Adamant Flygon's Tectonic Rage after Stealth Rock. These are just two examples of alternative EV spreads; spreads with Speed investment to outspeed Doublade and Bronzong or more Special Defense investment to be more forgiving against Salazzle are also possible.
Usage Tips
========
Pivot Slowking into Pokemon that it checks, such as Nidoqueen, Salazzle, and Kommo-o, so it can threaten the opposing team by using Future Sight or another STAB move. Remember that Regenerator is Slowking's only way of gaining back health, so it is even more important to pivot Slowking into Pokemon that it checks so it can recover health with its ability while avoiding losing it unnecessarily. Threaten physical attackers that try to switch into Slowking by going for Scald, which has a chance to burn and cripple them. Use Dragon Tail if you predict that the foe will attempt to set up. This is especially helpful against foes that cannot OHKO Slowking such as Snorlax, but you should be careful if the Pokemon in question is a strong physical attacker such as Groundium Z Flygon. In conjunction with entry hazards, use Dragon Tail to wear down the opposing team quickly.
Team Options
========
Slowking has a hard time taking on powerful physical attackers, even ones that do not have powerful super effective coverage, such as Bewear and Tyrantrum. As a result, Pokemon that take on these threats, such as Doublade, Rhyperior, Bronzong, and Gligar, make for great partners. Chesnaught also takes on these attackers while setting up Spikes, which Slowking can exploit by using Dragon Tail. Grass-types such as Shaymin and Roserade make for good teammates, as they take on the Grass- and Electric-types that threaten Slowking, like Chesnaught and Rotom-C. They also appreciate Slowking taking on the Fire-types that threaten them. Similarly, Slowking appreciates teammates that can take on the Dark- and Ghost-types that threaten it. Examples of such Pokemon are Comfey, Florges, and Snorlax. U-turn and Volt Switch users such as Flygon, Gligar, Rotom-H, and Mega Ampharos can give Slowking more opportunities to switch in, thus maximizing the amount of health it gains back from Regenerator.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Slowking has a plethora of other options due to its expansive movepool, but it does still face competition from other bulky Water- and Psychic-types. A defensive Nasty Plot set can be used, as it boosts its Special Attack and is threatening faster than Slowbro and Cresselia. An offensive Trick Room set is an option to check special attackers while posing a bigger threat to offensive teams. Shadow Ball hits bulkier Psychic-types, such as Slowbro, Cresselia, and opposing Slowking, as well as Hoopa. Psychic or Psyshock are alternate STAB moves that can hit Kommo-o and Dragalge without waiting for Future Sight to hit, but typically Future Sight's power is appreciated. Calm Mind sets, meanwhile, face a lot more competition from these Psychic-types, but a mixed defensive Calm Mind set could be run to have an easier time setting up against special attackers.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Strong Physical Attackers**: Slowking can take on most special attackers, but strong physical attackers such as Feraligatr, Flygon, and Tyrantrum can severely dent or OHKO or Slowking with their attacks.
**Special Walls**: Bulky special walls such as Snorlax, Cresselia, Umbreon, Bronzong, and Porygon2 can take on Slowking without much trouble, as the best thing Slowking can do to them is burn them with Scald or hit them with Future Sight in Snorlax's case.
**Dark-types**: Sharpedo, Umbreon, Zoroark, and Honchkrow all absorb the Future Sights that Slowking uses to wallbreak and can OHKO or 2HKO it with their STAB moves, but they should watch out for Scald.
**Grass-types**: Grass-types such as Shaymin, Roserade, Decidueye, Chesnaught and Mega Abomasnow can threaten Slowking with their super effective STAB moves and switch into Scald, but they should avoid Future Sight and Fire Blast.
gp 2/2: tdp, marthaa
[OVERVIEW]
Slowking has a niche as one of the only effective Assault Vest users in the tier, and coupled with its very good HP and Special Defense stats, it can act as an effective blanket check to special attackers. Some of the Pokemon it checks include Nidoqueen, Salazzle, Gardevoir, Kommo-o, Swellow, and Moltres. It has a premier ability in Regenerator that allows it to check these Pokemon throughout the match. Its extensive movepool includes a plethora of coverage and utility options like Fire Blast, Ice Beam, and Dragon Tail. However, despite all its positives, it faces stiff competition for a slot on most teams from its Psychic-type counterparts such as Slowbro and Cresselia, which possess unique advantages including better natural physical bulk. It also has a crippling weakness to Pursuit and the ever-present Knock Off. Finally, Slowking struggles to take on the plethora of strong physical attackers in the tier, even ones without super effective coverage like Flygon, Zygarde-10%, and Bewear.
[SET]
name: Assault Vest
move 1: Scald
move 2: Future Sight
move 3: Fire Blast
move 4: Dragon Tail
item: Assault Vest
ability: Regenerator
nature: Modest
evs: 252 HP / 176 SpA / 80 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Scald is Slowking's main STAB move, allowing it to check Fire-types and deny free switch-ins to physical attackers, such as Feraligatr and Pangoro. Despite it not hitting immediately, Future Sight allows Slowking to limit future switches because it hits very hard. Fire Blast hits Grass-types such as Shaymin and Roserade as well as Steel-types such as Escavalier. Dragon Tail prevents Slowking from being setup fodder for Snorlax, Escavalier, and other bulky setup sweepers. It also works nicely with Future Sight because the foe will try to play around it by switching into a Dark- or Steel-type, which Dragon Tail will phaze out. Ice Beam is an option that allows Slowking to check Swellow, Dragalge, and Kommo-o more reliably.
Set Details
========
An Assault Vest bolsters Slowking's already great Special Defense, allowing it to act as a blanket check to special attackers. The main issue with running Assault Vest is that Slowking cannot run Slack Off, but Regenerator makes up for this and allows Slowking to check these attackers throughout the match. 252 HP EVs and 80 Special Defense EVs are used in order to take +2 Acid Downpour from Salazzle after Stealth Rock and check Swellow more reliably. The rest of the EVs are dumped into Special Attack, which, along with a Modest nature, allows Slowking to hit harder. Slowking can run many alternative EV spreads to check different threats. For example, it can run 44 Defense EVs to survive Life Orb Crunch from Jolly Feraligatr and Devastating Drake from Jolly Flygon, both after Stealth Rock. It can also run 68 Defense EVs to take Adamant Flygon's Tectonic Rage after Stealth Rock. These are just two examples of alternative EV spreads; spreads with Speed investment to outspeed Doublade and Bronzong or more Special Defense investment to be more forgiving against Salazzle are also possible.
Usage Tips
========
Pivot Slowking into Pokemon that it checks, such as Nidoqueen, Salazzle, and Kommo-o, so it can threaten the opposing team by using Future Sight or another STAB move. Remember that Regenerator is Slowking's only way of gaining back health, so it is even more important to pivot Slowking into Pokemon that it checks so it can recover health with its ability while avoiding losing it unnecessarily. Threaten physical attackers that try to switch into Slowking by going for Scald, which has a chance to burn and cripple them. Use Dragon Tail if you predict that the foe will attempt to set up. This is especially helpful against foes that cannot OHKO Slowking such as Snorlax, but you should be careful if the Pokemon in question is a strong physical attacker such as Groundium Z Flygon. In conjunction with entry hazards, use Dragon Tail to wear down the opposing team quickly.
Team Options
========
Slowking has a hard time taking on powerful physical attackers, even ones that do not have powerful super effective coverage, such as Bewear and Tyrantrum. As a result, Pokemon that take on these threats, such as Doublade, Rhyperior, Bronzong, and Gligar, make for great partners. Chesnaught also takes on these attackers while setting up Spikes, which Slowking can exploit by using Dragon Tail. Grass-types such as Shaymin and Roserade make for good teammates, as they take on the Grass- and Electric-types that threaten Slowking, like Chesnaught and Rotom-C. They also appreciate Slowking taking on the Fire-types that threaten them. Similarly, Slowking appreciates teammates that can take on the Dark- and Ghost-types that threaten it. Examples of such Pokemon are Comfey, Florges, and Snorlax. U-turn and Volt Switch users such as Flygon, Gligar, Rotom-H, and Mega Ampharos can give Slowking more opportunities to switch in, thus maximizing the amount of health it gains back from Regenerator.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Slowking has a plethora of other options due to its expansive movepool, but it does still face competition from other bulky Water- and Psychic-types. A defensive Nasty Plot set can be used, as it boosts its Special Attack and is threatening faster than Slowbro and Cresselia. An offensive Trick Room set is an option to check special attackers while posing a bigger threat to offensive teams. Shadow Ball hits bulkier Psychic-types, such as Slowbro, Cresselia, and opposing Slowking, as well as Hoopa. Psychic or Psyshock are alternate STAB moves that can hit Kommo-o and Dragalge without waiting for Future Sight to hit, but typically Future Sight's power is appreciated. Calm Mind sets, meanwhile, face a lot more competition from these Psychic-types, but a mixed defensive Calm Mind set could be run to have an easier time setting up against special attackers.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Strong Physical Attackers**: Slowking can take on most special attackers, but strong physical attackers such as Feraligatr, Flygon, and Tyrantrum can severely dent or OHKO or Slowking with their attacks.
**Special Walls**: Bulky special walls such as Snorlax, Cresselia, Umbreon, Bronzong, and Porygon2 can take on Slowking without much trouble, as the best thing Slowking can do to them is burn them with Scald or hit them with Future Sight in Snorlax's case.
**Dark-types**: Sharpedo, Umbreon, Zoroark, and Honchkrow all absorb the Future Sights that Slowking uses to wallbreak and can OHKO or 2HKO it with their STAB moves, but they should watch out for Scald.
**Grass-types**: Grass-types such as Shaymin, Roserade, Decidueye, Chesnaught and Mega Abomasnow can threaten Slowking with their super effective STAB moves and switch into Scald, but they should avoid Future Sight and Fire Blast.
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