Slowpoke
Status: Done
QC Checks: Elevator Music, Aerrow
GP Checks: Calm Pokemaster, NatGeo
[Overview]
<p>Slowpoke has emerged as a top threat in Little Cup in this generation, as it has benefited from many changes. The first of said changes is the presence of many good Fighting-types, with Pokemon such as Timburr and Mienfoo being popular. Slowpoke can take Fighting-type moves quite well while also being slow enough to not take double damage from Payback. Slowpoke also has a good movepool that helps it do all it needs to despite only gaining Scald in the generation shift.</p>
<p>On top of its good defenses and reliable recovery, Slowpoke has Eviolite to become more defensive. It also gained Regenerator from the Dream World, meaning it gains one-third of its HP when switching out. Despite having troubles with the quite common Scraggy and Chinchou, it is a good Pokemon to handle Fighting-types and should be considered when building a team.</p>
[SET]
name: Physically Defensive
move 1: Surf / Scald
move 2: Slack Off
move 3: Fire Blast / Psychic
move 4: Toxic / Thunder Wave
item: Eviolite
ability: Regenerator
nature: Bold
evs: 116 HP / 236 Def / 36 SpA / 116 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Slowpoke fills its main role of dealing with Fighting-types other than Scraggy here with this set, and it is by far the most common for good reason. Surf is Slowpoke's primary STAB move, being powerful and reliable. Scald is another option in the slot, but the burn chance can get in the way of a helpful Toxic or Thunder Wave. Slack Off is the mandatory healing move for Slowpoke, letting it continue its job for longer.</p>
<p>The third slot brings some options to the table. The main choice is Fire Blast, as Ferroseed is a major problem for Slowpoke otherwise. Psychic is the alternative, being a second STAB and hitting Fighting-types hard. The fourth slot depends on your team's needs. Toxic is the first option, as it can cripple Pokemon such as other Slowpoke, but Thunder Wave is a viable option to slow down sweepers that switch in. Pick the one which fits your team the most, since both are worthy of a move slot.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Slowpoke has problems with only one Fighting-type, which is Scraggy. Timburr and Mienfoo work well as teammates for Slowpoke as well, being able to beat Scraggy.</p>
<p>Slowpoke also has other Pokemon to consider for teammates other than Fighting-types. If Slowpoke is not using Fire Blast, Magnemite can trap and KO Ferroseed. Ferroseed itself actually makes a good teammate, resisting all of Slowpoke's weaknesses while Slowpoke does the same for Ferroseed. Pawniard does the same other than an Electric-type resistance, and if Slowpoke can get rid of opposing Fighting-types it can open up an opportunity for Pawniard to sweep. Lastly, Slowpoke can use physical attacks, as its Attack stat is slightly higher than its Special Attack, but its special moves have much more utility.</p>
[SET]
name: Trick Room
move 1: Trick Room
move 2: Slack Off
move 3: Scald / Surf
move 4: Fire Blast / Psychic
item: Eviolite
ability: Regenerator
nature: Relaxed
evs: 116 HP / 236 Def / 36 SpA / 116 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Slowpoke's base 15 Speed is incredibly slow, making Slowpoke a good Trick Room user. The moves are mostly for the same reason as the first set, the most important being Slack Off so Slowpoke can set up Trick Room more than once. Scald is the main STAB choice here, as without Toxic or Thunder Wave the burn is helpful. Fire Blast is the preferred fourth move since Ferroseed is slower than Slowpoke, and Fire Blast hits it for heavy damage.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Slowpoke sets up effectively for slow and powerful teammates. Cubone is a good physical option for a Trick Room sweeper, while Solosis is a good special option. On a Trick Room team, more than one user of Trick Room is preferred, so Porygon and Duskull make good teammates as well. Porygon has the advantage of being a rare Trick Room user that lacks a weakness to Dark- and Ghost-type attacks. Bronzor is a more defensive Trick Room user that can be considered as well, and also lacks weaknesses to Dark- and Ghost-type moves.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Slowpoke has a wide movepool, meaning it has plenty of other options to consider. Ice Beam can hit Dratini and Cottonee, among others, but Dratini is uncommon and Flamethrower hits Grass-types anyway. Hidden Power Grass is an option for other Water-types, but Toxic helps against them along with other threats, making it a lesser choice. Psyshock could hit specially defensive Pokemon such as Munchlax, though Psychic is more powerful in general. Calm Mind could boost Special Attack and Special Defense, but Slowpoke isn't one to set up and attack.</p>
<p>On the physical side, Slowpoke gets Curse and Belly Drum to boost Attack. Both can work with Trick Room and Slowpoke has moves such as Zen Headbutt, Earthquake, and Aqua Tail for coverage, but are more gimmicky as most special Pokemon can stop the sweep. Slowpoke has a few support moves as well, including Yawn for a sleep-inducing and phazing move. Light Screen can be set up multiple times due to Slowpoke's good physical bulk and ability to heal itself, but Slowpoke doesn't get Reflect and other Pokemon are better at setting up screens.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Scraggy is a top counter, being able to use Crunch and shrug off status thanks to Shed Skin. If Ferroseed avoids Flamethrower, it also becomes a good counter. Chinchou resists Water-type moves and hit with a super effective STAB move, making it a good counter as well. Although uncommon, Pursuit users can work if Slowpoke lacks the appropriate move to hit them with. Pawniard and Munchlax are two such examples. Lastly, mixed Dratini can take down Slowpoke in two hits and has Shed Skin to handle status moves.</p>
Status: Done
QC Checks: Elevator Music, Aerrow
GP Checks: Calm Pokemaster, NatGeo
[Overview]
<p>Slowpoke has emerged as a top threat in Little Cup in this generation, as it has benefited from many changes. The first of said changes is the presence of many good Fighting-types, with Pokemon such as Timburr and Mienfoo being popular. Slowpoke can take Fighting-type moves quite well while also being slow enough to not take double damage from Payback. Slowpoke also has a good movepool that helps it do all it needs to despite only gaining Scald in the generation shift.</p>
<p>On top of its good defenses and reliable recovery, Slowpoke has Eviolite to become more defensive. It also gained Regenerator from the Dream World, meaning it gains one-third of its HP when switching out. Despite having troubles with the quite common Scraggy and Chinchou, it is a good Pokemon to handle Fighting-types and should be considered when building a team.</p>
[SET]
name: Physically Defensive
move 1: Surf / Scald
move 2: Slack Off
move 3: Fire Blast / Psychic
move 4: Toxic / Thunder Wave
item: Eviolite
ability: Regenerator
nature: Bold
evs: 116 HP / 236 Def / 36 SpA / 116 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Slowpoke fills its main role of dealing with Fighting-types other than Scraggy here with this set, and it is by far the most common for good reason. Surf is Slowpoke's primary STAB move, being powerful and reliable. Scald is another option in the slot, but the burn chance can get in the way of a helpful Toxic or Thunder Wave. Slack Off is the mandatory healing move for Slowpoke, letting it continue its job for longer.</p>
<p>The third slot brings some options to the table. The main choice is Fire Blast, as Ferroseed is a major problem for Slowpoke otherwise. Psychic is the alternative, being a second STAB and hitting Fighting-types hard. The fourth slot depends on your team's needs. Toxic is the first option, as it can cripple Pokemon such as other Slowpoke, but Thunder Wave is a viable option to slow down sweepers that switch in. Pick the one which fits your team the most, since both are worthy of a move slot.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Slowpoke has problems with only one Fighting-type, which is Scraggy. Timburr and Mienfoo work well as teammates for Slowpoke as well, being able to beat Scraggy.</p>
<p>Slowpoke also has other Pokemon to consider for teammates other than Fighting-types. If Slowpoke is not using Fire Blast, Magnemite can trap and KO Ferroseed. Ferroseed itself actually makes a good teammate, resisting all of Slowpoke's weaknesses while Slowpoke does the same for Ferroseed. Pawniard does the same other than an Electric-type resistance, and if Slowpoke can get rid of opposing Fighting-types it can open up an opportunity for Pawniard to sweep. Lastly, Slowpoke can use physical attacks, as its Attack stat is slightly higher than its Special Attack, but its special moves have much more utility.</p>
[SET]
name: Trick Room
move 1: Trick Room
move 2: Slack Off
move 3: Scald / Surf
move 4: Fire Blast / Psychic
item: Eviolite
ability: Regenerator
nature: Relaxed
evs: 116 HP / 236 Def / 36 SpA / 116 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Slowpoke's base 15 Speed is incredibly slow, making Slowpoke a good Trick Room user. The moves are mostly for the same reason as the first set, the most important being Slack Off so Slowpoke can set up Trick Room more than once. Scald is the main STAB choice here, as without Toxic or Thunder Wave the burn is helpful. Fire Blast is the preferred fourth move since Ferroseed is slower than Slowpoke, and Fire Blast hits it for heavy damage.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Slowpoke sets up effectively for slow and powerful teammates. Cubone is a good physical option for a Trick Room sweeper, while Solosis is a good special option. On a Trick Room team, more than one user of Trick Room is preferred, so Porygon and Duskull make good teammates as well. Porygon has the advantage of being a rare Trick Room user that lacks a weakness to Dark- and Ghost-type attacks. Bronzor is a more defensive Trick Room user that can be considered as well, and also lacks weaknesses to Dark- and Ghost-type moves.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Slowpoke has a wide movepool, meaning it has plenty of other options to consider. Ice Beam can hit Dratini and Cottonee, among others, but Dratini is uncommon and Flamethrower hits Grass-types anyway. Hidden Power Grass is an option for other Water-types, but Toxic helps against them along with other threats, making it a lesser choice. Psyshock could hit specially defensive Pokemon such as Munchlax, though Psychic is more powerful in general. Calm Mind could boost Special Attack and Special Defense, but Slowpoke isn't one to set up and attack.</p>
<p>On the physical side, Slowpoke gets Curse and Belly Drum to boost Attack. Both can work with Trick Room and Slowpoke has moves such as Zen Headbutt, Earthquake, and Aqua Tail for coverage, but are more gimmicky as most special Pokemon can stop the sweep. Slowpoke has a few support moves as well, including Yawn for a sleep-inducing and phazing move. Light Screen can be set up multiple times due to Slowpoke's good physical bulk and ability to heal itself, but Slowpoke doesn't get Reflect and other Pokemon are better at setting up screens.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Scraggy is a top counter, being able to use Crunch and shrug off status thanks to Shed Skin. If Ferroseed avoids Flamethrower, it also becomes a good counter. Chinchou resists Water-type moves and hit with a super effective STAB move, making it a good counter as well. Although uncommon, Pursuit users can work if Slowpoke lacks the appropriate move to hit them with. Pawniard and Munchlax are two such examples. Lastly, mixed Dratini can take down Slowpoke in two hits and has Shed Skin to handle status moves.</p>
