Stratagem's Analysis Workshop

Fuzznip · Mar 15, 2010

Fuzznip here again! Now that Syclant is basically done, it's time to revamp Stratagem. All I think Stratagem needs is a Trick slash on the lead and Choice set and Colossoil mentions in the CAP Metagame section. I also need to update the format to reflect the new changes. If anyone has any suggestions to Stratagem's analysis, speak up!

Special thanks to ZystraL and Rising_Dusk for helping me complete this analysis.

Status: COMPLETE (ready for uploading)

Stratagem

[Overview]

Stratagem is a very unique Pokemon for many reasons. It's the fastest Rock-type in the OU metagame, tying with Aerodactyl; has excellent attacks available to it from its giant offensive movepool, such as Earth Power, Flamethrower, and Energy Ball; and has two equally viable abilities in Levitate and Technician. On top of this, Stratagem has ways of overcoming the special wall named Blissey, who a majority of special sweepers have problems with. It can either Trick its Choice item to instantly make Blissey less of a threat, or it can use Substitute and Calm Mind to beat Blissey that lack Seismic Toss. It should also be noted that Stratagem is the fastest user of Calm Mind in the OU metagame.

Due to the fact that Stratagem is a frail Rock-type, it's vulnerable to the commonly used Bullet Punch. Scizor, the most devastating user of Bullet Punch, can switch into many of Stratagem's attacks and revenge kill it with Bullet Punch or use Pursuit to catch a fleeing Stratagem off-guard. Also, because Stratagem is defensively weak, it has a harder time switching into most attacks, even ones that it resists, meaning it's hard to get Stratagem onto the battlefield without letting one of your Pokemon die. Despite these problems, through Stratagem's wide type coverage and excellent Special Attack and Speed stats, Stratagem poses a constant threat that teams need to prepare for.

[SET]
name: Lead
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Paleo Wave
move 3: Earth Power
move 4: Flamethrower / Energy Ball / Trick
item: Focus Sash / Choice Scarf
nature: Timid
ability: Levitate
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

Stratagem is the fastest user of Stealth Rock in the OU metagame, tying with Aerodactyl. It has a few unique traits that differentiate its from Aerodactyl, though, including the fact that it's special-based and has a broader movepool. The only move Aerodactyl has that Stratagem would love to use is Taunt, but through Stratagem's great type coverage and high Speed, it will often find itself threatening many opposing leads from staying in to set up, rendering Taunt unnecessary.

Stealth Rock is obviously the crux of this set, as with Stratagem’s lightning-fast Speed, it's almost guaranteed to set it up. Paleo Wave is the primary STAB move due to its relatively high 85 Base Power and 20% chance to reduce the opponent's Attack, which can help significantly against physical leads, such as Tyranitar and Aerodactyl. Earth Power aids Stratagem in hitting Metagross and Heatran, and also gives Stratagem the great Rock- and Ground-type combo, resisted by only Flygon, Breloom, and Bronzong. In the last slot, Stratagem has several options to choose from. Flamethrower helps Stratagem hit Bronzong and Breloom, as well as hitting Metagross harder than Earth Power, while Energy Ball allows Stratagem to hit Swampert for major damage, who would otherwise laugh at anything Stratagem uses against it. If neither option appeals to you, Trick can be used in conjunction with Choice Scarf to potentially cripple leads that Stratagem would have trouble against, such as Swampert and Tyranitar. The Choice Scarf can also turn Stratagem into an effective revenge killer later in the match against Dragon Dance Salamence and Gyarados. Trick can also cripple troublesome Pokemon, like Blissey, who enjoy switching into Stratagem.

This Stratagem has different problems depending on the last move it uses. Swampert and Hippowdon will be tough to take down without Energy Ball, while Bronzong will wall Stratagem lacking Flamethrower. If you don't use Trick, Blissey and Snorlax will laugh at Stratagem with their high Special Defense and HP. To deal with these aforementioned issues, Celebi is an excellent counter towards Hippowdon and Swampert thanks to its great bulk and access to Grass Knot. Rotom-H is a very effective switch-in to Bronzong, resisting Gyro Ball and threatening it with Overheat or Will-O-Wisp. As for Blissey and Snorlax, Machamp fares well against them with DynamicPunch, and it can use Rest to rejuvenate itself from status and previous hits. Machamp also does well against Tyranitar leads, a Pokemon that Stratagem can't really threaten.

[SET]
name: Substitute + Calm Mind
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Calm Mind
move 3: Paleo Wave
move 4: Earth Power
item: Leftovers
nature: Timid
ability: Levitate
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Stratagem is the fastest user of Calm Mind in the OU metagame, reaching a lightning-fast Speed stat of 394. With the use of Substitute and Calm Mind, Stratagem is capable of beating threats it otherwise cannot, specifically Blissey that lack Seismic Toss, all while firing off powerful STAB Paleo Waves at the opponent.

Paleo Wave is the STAB move of choice for Stratagem, being able to OHKO a vast majority of threats after a couple of boosts. Even Pokemon that resist it but don't pack a lot of Special Defense, such as Breloom, take a heavy blow. Also, Paleo Wave's 20% chance to the lower the opponent's Attack by one stage means Stratagem can potentially make Substitutes that are harder to break from both physical and special attacks. Earth Power completes the set by hitting Steel-types that resist Paleo Wave super effectively and generally providing excellent coverage in tandem with Paleo Wave, the two being resisted by only Bronzong, Breloom, and Flygon.

Levitate is recommended for Stratagem's ability, as a free switch in on Ground attacks is something Stratagem can take advantage of. Technician may seem appealing at first because it gives Stratagem a stronger STAB to work with in AncientPower, but its poor PP makes it a rather lackluster option considering the stall-ish nature of this set. Opening Stratagem up to the abundant Ground-type moves in the OU metagame as well as all entry hazards will hurt Stratagem more than weaker STAB option would.

Even though Stratagem becomes a dangerous sweeper after a couple of Calm Minds, it still has some problems. Pokemon that resist the Paleo Wave and Earth Power combo will obviously become a big nuisance, particularly Bronzong and Flygon. The former has great overall bulk and can easily ruin Stratagem's sweep with Gyro Ball, while the latter can destroy it with Outrage. To deal with these threats, Heatran can come into Bronzong's Gyro Ball with impunity and scorch it with a STAB Fire Blast, while Skarmory can switch into almost any move Flygon uses and either set up Spikes, phaze it with Whirlwind, or smack it with Brave Bird.

Toxic Spikes support should be considered, as it allows Stratagem to set up Calm Minds and Substitutes while the poison damage takes its toll, most likely putting your opponent in KO range for one of Stratagem's moves. Tentacruel is a great option for Toxic Spikes support, thanks to its excellent special bulk, resistance to Stratagem's Water, Steel, and Fighting weakness, and access to Rapid Spin and Knock Off. To further aid Stratagem in achieving multiple Calm Mind boosts, it's definitely not a bad idea to support it with Reflect and Light Screen. Dual screens will make Stratagem's Substitutes considerably harder to break, allowing it to boost up safely without worrying about being KOed as easily. Azelf and Bronzong are two excellent dual screeners, and both of them can set up Stealth Rock and give Stratagem a free switch in by using Explosion. Tyranitar or Hippowdon are excellent teammates as well, due to the the everlasting sandstorm they set up that will boost Stratagem's Special Defense by 50%, giving it an easier time setting up against special threats.

[SET]
name: Offensive Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: AncientPower
move 3: Earth Power
move 4: Flamethrower / Giga Drain
item: Life Orb
nature: Timid
ability: Technician
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Calm Mind is known for boosting Stratagem's Special Attack to sky-high levels, and this set takes full advantage of this, unlike the more defensively-inclined Substitute + Calm Mind set. With Technician, AncientPower and Giga Drain both have 90 Base Power, making them stronger options than Paleo Wave and Energy Ball while providing Stratagem with invaluable secondary effects: AncientPower's 10% chance to boost all of Stratagem's stats and Giga Drain's ability to recover HP lost from any damage taken.

Earth Power is still recommended on this set, simply because it is Stratagem's best coverage option, and at 90 Base Power, not much - even with a Technician boost - can match it. Flamethrower is generally the preferred option over Giga Drain, as it is Stratagem's best answer to the likes of Scizor, Breloom, and Bronzong who are not instantly threatened by the Rock and Ground attacking combination. Giga Drain can be used over Flamethrower, however, as it allows Stratagem to deal with the likes of Swampert and Suicune, the former being OHKOed, while still recovering any damage Stratagem has taken. AncientPower's low PP rate isn't that important anymore either, as you'll be looking to grab one or two Calm Mind boosts then start sweeping as much as you can before you're killed.

The EVs are straightforward, maximizing Stratagem's offensive potential in power and Speed, with the 4 EVs going into Defense rather than HP, to allow up to 11 uses of Life Orb. Life Orb is the recommended item for this set, as Stratagem needs all the power it can get to sweep effectively. An Expert Belt can be used instead of Life Orb if the recoil damage throws you off, as the difference in power is nothing dramatic; however, with only three attacks, Stratagem's coverage is limited, so the actual damage boost Expert Belt provides will never be as consistent as Life Orb.

Technician is generally preferred as it gives Stratagem the most power for quick sweeping, but if you are after reliability, using Levitate with Paleo Wave and Energy Ball is acceptable. This isn't recommended, though, as the power and secondary effects of AncientPower and Giga Drain are too good to pass up on a frail sweeper like Stratagem.

It's best to pair up Stratagem with physical sweepers, as Stratagem experiences extreme difficulties with Blissey and, to a lesser extent, Snorlax. Both of these threats are capable of switching into Stratagem with ease thanks to their high HP and Special Defense, and threaten Stratagem with Thunder Wave and Body Slam, respectively. Machamp is a great Pokemon to look into, as it doesn't necessarily worry about status ailments when using Rest, and can OHKO both with its STAB DynamicPunch. Depending on what move you use in the last slot, you will be vulnerable to either Flygon or Breloom and Bronzong. Flygon resists the Rock, Ground, and Fire combination and can hit Stratagem with a powerful Outrage, while Breloom and Bronzong resist the Rock, Ground, and Grass combination and can easily OHKO Stratagem with Seed Bomb and Gyro Ball, respectively. That being said, Skarmory can take on almost any attack from Flygon and Bronzong and deal with Breloom somewhat effectively. On top of this, Skarmory can aid Stratagem with Spikes support that will guarantee some OHKOs, such as against Breloom, who is OHKOed by a +1 AncientPower with a few layers of Spikes. Infernape is another valuable teammate to look into, as it can threaten all of Blissey, Snorlax, Bronzong, and Breloom, and can even catch Flygon off-guard with Hidden Power Ice.

[SET]
name: Choiced Sweeper
move 1: Paleo Wave
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Flamethrower
move 4: Energy Ball / Trick
item: Choice Specs / Choice Scarf
nature: Timid / Modest
ability: Levitate
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

With a Choice item, Stratagem can boost either its Special Attack or Speed to immediately threaten its opponents. With Choice Specs and a Timid nature, Stratagem's Special Attack reaches a terrifying 508, enough to crush anyone that doesn't invest in Special Defense. With Choice Scarf and a Modest nature, Stratagem sacrifices that immense power for the ability to outpace almost every threat in the metagame with its 538 Speed, including Salamence and Gyarados after a Dragon Dance.

Paleo Wave and Earth Power combined give the near-unresisted type coverage of Rock and Ground. Flamethrower rounds off the coverage by hitting Pokemon like Skarmory, Scizor, Forretress, and Bronzong super effectively. Energy Ball is the primary option for the last slot, as it hits the numerous bulky Water-types that will try to threaten you out, such as Swampert and Suicune. Energy Ball also gives Stratagem a means to hit Flygon for neutral damage, who otherwise resists Stratagem's entire moveset. Trick is another effective option for the fourth slot that can help you cripple Stratagem's defensive counters, most notably Blissey and Snorlax.

Levitate is chosen for this set, as it maximizes Stratagem's ability to switch in. Because Stratagem is locked into an attack, it'll be switching in a lot and needs every opportunity it can get. The EVs are incredibly straightforward, placed to maximize both Stratagem's Special Attack and Speed stats. When using Choice Specs, you should definitely be running a Timid nature to maximize your Speed. With a Choice Scarf, however, you need all of the power you can get and should run Modest instead; Modest Stratagem with a Choice Scarf outspeeds everyone except base 115 Speed Pokemon carrying their own Choice Scarfs, all of whom are uncommon. If you plan on running a Choice Scarf with a Modest nature, be careful when using Trick, as Stratagem will be unable to outpace the threats that it would have been able to, such as Starmie and Azelf.

This Stratagem, with a bit of prediction, has the means to defeat nearly every threat that it will come up against. Stratagem pairs exceptionally well with Pokemon that can scout the opponent's team so that you're aware of what the first switch-in to Stratagem will be. Scizor excels at scouting with its powerful U-turns, potentially giving Stratagem free switch-ins, and can also dispose of Blissey and Snorlax with Superpower.

Since Stratagem can force out a lot of Pokemon, entry hazard support is invaluable. Skarmory is an excellent supporting Pokemon for the job, being able to set up Spikes and scout the opponent's team with Whirlwind. Stealth Rock at the very least is necessary with Choiced Stratagem, as it can turn many of its 2HKOs into OHKOs for the Choice Specs set and 3HKOs into 2HKOs for the Choice Scarf set.

[Levitate or Technician?]

A common problem with Stratagem is that it has two really good abilities to choose from, so it's difficult to decide which ability best fits the set you are using. However, there are a few points you should keep in mind that will help you select the right ability for your chosen set.

Levitate is the preferred ability on sets that take a more defensive approach, such as the Substitute + Calm Mind set. The reason for this is because Stratagem needs to remove as many potential weaknesses as possible so it becomes more difficult to take down. Not only that, but sets that rely on switching in and out, like the Choiced Sweeper, should be using Levitate for its ability to grant Stratagem more opportunities to switch in, making it a more effective sweeper and revenge killer in general.

On the other hand, all-out offensive sets, like the Offensive Calm Mind set, should be using Technician along with a 90 Base Power AncientPower and Giga Drain. These type of sets don't necessarily fear Stratagem's Ground-type weakness, since their job is to stay in and quickly gain as much damage and as many KOs against the opponent's team as possible before falling under a KO itself.

[Team Options]

Offensively, Stratagem will always appreciate having entry hazards set up on the opponent's field, particularly Stealth Rock and Spikes as they chip off health instantly, unlike Toxic Spikes which takes more time. Bronzong and Swampert are excellent Pokemon to set up Stealth Rock with their great overall bulk and typing. Skarmory and Forretress are great providers of Spikes, the former being able to Roost off any damage taken and having Whirlwind to force the opponent to take entry hazard damage, while the latter carrying great physical bulk and having Rapid Spin to remove entry hazards set up on your field. The more defensive sets like the Substitute + Calm Mind set will definitely enjoy having Toxic Spikes set up, as it allows Stratagem to keep setting up Substitute and Calm Mind as the opponent gradually lowers their health to the point where Stratagem can knock them out. Tentacruel and Roserade are both fantastic at setting up Toxic Spikes, thanks to their considerable Special Defense and access to multiple support moves, the former having Knock Off and Rapid Spin, while the latter having Sleep Powder.

Pairing up Stratagem with Tyranitar or Hippowdon is definitely recommended as well, as the sandstorm they provide will give Stratagem a 50% Special Defense boost thanks to its Rock-type. This also helps Stratagem's Calm Mind sets, as it gives Stratagem much higher special bulk that allows it to survive many super effective special hits coming from the likes of Starmie and Vaporeon. To further aid Stratagem's boosting capabilities, providing it with dual screen support is a good idea. Azelf is an incredible dual screen supporter, having a high Speed stat, Stealth Rock, and Explosion. Jirachi is a reliable defensive screener with Wish and U-turn to help Stratagem come in safely.

Scizor, Metagross, and Choice Scarf Jirachi are Stratagem's worst nightmare, the former two having Bullet Punch and the latter having Iron Head. Even though they all hate being hit by Flamethrower on the switch, one misprediction may cost Stratagem's life. That being said, Choice Scarf Magnezone is one of the most effective switch-ins to these threats, resisting their Steel-typed moves by 4x and trapping them with its Magnet Pull ability, allowing it to easily dispose of them with Hidden Power Fire or Thunderbolt. Rotom-H is also an effective counter, shrugging off their Steel-type attacks and threatening them with Overheat or Will-O-Wisp.

Blissey is the biggest threat to practically any Stratagem that don't carry Trick, especially ones with Seismic Toss as she can even deal with the Substitute + Calm Mind set. To deal with her, Machamp is an excellent consideration, as it obliterates Blissey with DynamicPunch and can use Rest to remove any status or damage it has taken. Flygon can also be a nuisance due to the fact that it resists Paleo Wave and Flamethrower, is immune to Earth Power, and threatens it with Outrage. Bronzong is one of Flygon's most effective counters, being resistant and immune to both Outrage and Earthquake, respectively, and threatening it with a powerful Gyro Ball. Swampert can also dispose of Flygon with Ice Beam, especially Flygon locked into using Outrage.

[Optional Changes]

Stratagem has a really wide offensive movepool; however, many of the moves it has are outclassed by or provide redundant coverage with Stratagem's primary options. Calm Mind is more viable than Charge Beam, as the Special Defense and Special Attack boosts it provides are more helpful than the chance scoring +1 Special Attack from Charge Beam. Focus Blast can hit Blissey for some decent damage, but isn't strong enough to 2HKO and lacks reliability. Ice Beam and Thunderbolt provide redundant coverage with Flamethrower and Energy Ball, with only Latias being hit super effectively by Ice Beam over the other two. Weather Ball gives Stratagem a 100 Base Power Rock-type move in the sand, its strongest available STAB move. Beware of other weather teams, though, as they may leave Stratagem with no STAB attack to use. On the physical side, Explosion may seem appealing to use against Blissey and Snorlax, but it will never come even close to an OHKO. The only way to make Explosion worthwhile is to invest in Attack EVs and hold a Life Orb, but that should generally be looked away from as Stratagem has better things to do than to kill itself.

Stratagem also has an odd support movepool, consisting of Thunder Wave, Magnet Rise, and Gravity. Thunder Wave might be helpful for team support, otherwise Stratagem is fast enough as it is. Magnet Rise could work on Technician sets so you can keep the Ground immunity for a few turns, but the loss of type coverage isn't worth it. Gravity could help Earth Power hit Levitators and Flying-types and might support your team in general.

Metal Sound could be used to force switches, as well as allowing Stratagem to hit the struck opponent for double the damage should they stay in, but Stratagem is too frail to abuse this tactic effectively. Similarly, a surprise set with Swords Dance could be used to catch your opponent off-guard, especially against the likes of Blissey. Stratagem's pathetic Attack stat usually keeps it from gaining much from Swords Dance, though, making this an inferior option.

As for item choices, Stratagem can run an Expert Belt on the Choice set to feign a Choice item, allowing for one or two surprise KOs. In terms of power, though, it is underwhelming. Expert Belt could be combined with Calm Mind to hit even harder, but the coverage given with four attacks backed by an Expert Belt is preferred.

[CAP Metagame]

Stratagem is one of the most feared Pokemon in the CAP metagame. It has gone a long way in requiring dedicated special tanks on each team in order to successfully check or counter it. Revenankh stands out from the crowd as the best counter to Stratagem that lack Trick, being 4HKOed at best by even Choice Specs variants. Revenankh can then return with a super effective Hammer Arm, removing Stratagem from the picture, or use it as setup fodder. Kitsunoh, Colossoil, Arghonaut, and Fidgit all resist Paleo Wave and can force out Choiced Stratagem. Arghonaut, similarly to Revenankh, can use Stratagem lacking Energy Ball as setup fodder. Colossoil deserves its own special mention for being able to nearly kill Stratagem with a Pursuit as it flees or with Sucker Punch if it stays in to fight.

Stratagem itself serves as one of the best checks to many of the other CAP Pokemon. Its base 130 Speed stat allows it to reliably outspeed even max Speed variants of Pyroak with a Dragon Dance under their belt and attack with a super effective STAB Paleo Wave. Stratagem also serves as an effective revenge killer for almost all Syclant variants, both outspeeding it and carrying two 4x super effective attacks in Paleo Wave and Flamethrower to take it down. Furthermore, Stratagem smashes apart Cyclohm, Kitsunoh, and Fidgit with Earth Power, its guaranteed coverage move.

Stratagem's movesets will not be varying virtually at all from the prescribed sets in the CAP metagame. Trick becomes even more useful on Choice sets due to its crippling effect on common switch-ins like Arghonaut and Revenankh. Technician sets are also slightly less viable, if only because of how common Colossoil is and how important the Ground-type immunity is.

[Counters]

Blissey is by far Stratagem's worst nightmare, boasting insane Special Defense and HP which allows it to shrug off anything Stratagem throws at her. Snorlax works the same way, except it would need to watch out for boosted Paleo Wave attacks, as they can put a dent in it and also potentially reduce Snorlax's Attack. Basically, any Pokemon with high Special Defense and who doesn't fear Stratagem's moves can effectively counter it, such as Cresselia and Bronzong. Bronzong can even live through Flamethrower or Fire Blast and OHKO Stratagem with Gyro Ball.

Scizor, Metagross, and Choice Scarf Jirachi can easily deal with Stratagem. Scizor and Metagross are able to switch in to Stratagem's STAB move and penetrate it with Bullet Punch, while Choice Scarf Jirachi can outpace it and revenge kill it with Iron Head. They should all watch out for Flamethrower and Earth Power if they are switching into Stratagem, though.

Flygon has a resistance to Paleo Wave and Flamethrower and an immunity to Earth Power, so it can reliably switch into Stratagem and threaten it with a STAB Outrage. Tyranitar, who gains a 50% Special Defense boost from the sandstorm it summons, can effectively switch into Stratagem with little worry and revenge kill it with Pursuit. Lastly, Machamp's great overall bulk and resistance to Paleo Wave help it switch into Stratagem and threaten an OHKO with DynamicPunch.

Zystral · Mar 18, 2010

[Optional Changes]

Stratagem is very simple to use; a high-speed, high-powered Special Sweeper. In terms of movepool, the options listed are generally your best choice for coverage and power. However, options range from Heat Wave to Shadow Ball to Weather Ball to Signal Beam to Charge Beam. Charge Beam, and similarly Thunderbolt are generally unused due to Paleo Wave or AncientPower getting STAB while still hitting the Flying-types, or because Energy Ball or Giga Drain have better coverage. Heat Wave can be used over Flamethrower if you really want the power, but the drop in accuracy would have to be watched. Of course, in that case, you could also use Fire Blast, but with Stratagem's low defences, a single miss could spell doom. Shadow Ball doesn't provide enough coverage and neither does Signal Beam. At most, you would hit Ghosts and Latias with the former and Celebi with the latter. Weather Ball can be interesting in Sandstorm, as it provides Stratagem with his most powerful STAB attack, but is generally unreliable otherwise as you are left STABless outside of Sandstorm.

Stratagem also has an odd support movepool, consisting of Thunder Wave, Magnet Rise and Gravity, but these are usually not worth the time. Thunder Wave might be helpful for team support, otherwise Stratagem is fast enough as it is. Magnet Rise could work on Technician sets, but the loss of power and coverage isn't worth it. Gravity would prove for interesting combos with Earth Power and other teammates.

Metal Sound could be used to force switches as well has allowing Stratagem to double damage if they stay in, but Stratagem is too frail to abuse this tactic. Similarly, a surprise set with Swords Dance could be used to catch your opponents off-guard, as by Swords Dancing as they bring in their Special Wall, you might catch an extra Swords Dance. However, Stratagem lacks the physical power, even with two Swords Dances.

Stratagem can run an Expert Belt on the Choice set to feign a Choice item, allowing for one or two KOs, but in terms of power, it is underwhelming. Expert Belt could be combined with Calm Mind to get even more power, but the coverage given with 4 attacks on Expert Belt is preferred. Calm Mind itself could be used on a Levitate set for more power, at the cost of your Choice item.

Offensive CM:

[SET COMMENTS]

Calm Mind is known for boosting Stratagem's attacks to sky-high levels, but with the Substitute set, you lack coverage. Using Technician, AncientPower and Giga Drain become better options than Paleo Wave and Energy Ball, not just due to the rise in power, but also due to the side effects they provide Stratagem with; a +1 boost to all stats and the ability to recover a lot of HP lost through Life Orb respectively.

Earth Power is still on this set simply because it is Stratagem's best coverage option, and at 90 Base Power not much - even with a Technician boost - can match it. Flamethrower is generally the preferred option as it is Stratagem's answer to the likes of Scizor and Breloom / Bronzong who can either kill this set or resists Paleo Wave and Earth Power respectively. Giga Drain can be used over Flamethrower, however, simply because it allows Stratagem to deal with the likes of Swampert and Suicune, while still recovering any damage it has taken. AncientPower's low PP rate isn't that important anymore either, as you'll be looking to grab one or two boosts then start sweeping as much as you can before you're killed.

The EVs are straightforward, maximising Stratagem's offensive potential in power and speed, with the 4 EVs going into Defense rather than HP, as it allows for 11 uses of Life Orb, provided Stratagem does not take damage, use Giga Drain or switches into Stealth Rock. The Life Orb is made to deal as much damage as possible while still retaining flexibility over Stratagem's attacks, as its damage can be off-setted with Giga Drain, or can be used 11 times with the given EVs.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

An Expert Belt can be thrown over the Life Orb if the recoil damage throws you, as the difference in power is small. However, with only three attacks, Stratagem's coverage is limited, so the actual damage boost provided by Expert Belt won't be as consistent. In terms of attacks, there's not much else you could use. Most of Stratagem's useful other attacks, such as Ice Beam, Thunderbolt and Shadow Ball are too powerful to benefit from the Technician boost and don't supply enough coverage to warrant any actual use. Icy Wind and Shock Wave are the only moves that are notable enough for being boosted, but as mentioned with their more powerful counterparts, they lack sufficient coverage when compared to Stratagem's STAB move of choice.

Technician is generally preferred as it gives Stratagem the most power for his quick sweeping, but if you are after reliability, then using Levitate with Paleo Wave and Energy Ball is acceptable as well, although generally unpreferred as the power and side-effects of AncientPower and Giga Drain are too good to pass up on a frail sweeper such as Stratagem. You could also drop your third coverage move for something such as Metal Sound to further boost damage or to cause a switch, racking up Stealth Rock damage and allowing another Calm Mind, but Stratagem doesn't have the time nor the bulk to pull it off.

Stratagem's biggest problem are the likes of Blissey, Snorlax, or any dedicated Special Wall, as Stratagem will be unable to damage them significantly unless it has set-up beforehand. If Flamethrower is not being used, then the likes of Breloom, Bronzong and Scizor become potent threats, resisting all three attacks Stratagem has. If using Flamethrower, Swampert and Suicune can just set up on it. The best thing to deal with all of these is Nasty Plot Mixed Infernape, who can Close Combat Blissey or Snorlax, use Fire Blast on Breloom or Scizor and Grass Knot Swampert or Suicune. Other good partners also include Machamp, who can beat Blissey and aren't that afraid of Breloom or Bronzong. Heracross is also quite good and can even beat Bronzong if it has used Hypnosis.

Rising_Dusk · Apr 4, 2010

I wrote up the Choice Sweeper set. Let me know if I accidentally skipped over anything.

[SET]
name: Choiced Sweeper
move 1: Paleo Wave
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Flamethrower
move 4: Energy Ball / Trick
item: Choice Specs / Choice Scarf
nature: Timid / Modest
ability: Levitate
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

With a Choice item, Stratagem boosts either his Special Attack or his Speed to threaten his opponents immediately and severely. With a Choice Specs equipped, Stratagem's Special Attack reaches a terrifying 508, sufficient to crush anything not immensely specially defensive with its attacks. However, when carrying a Choice Scarf, Stratagem sacrifices that immense power for the ability to outpace and revenge kill dozens of threats across the metagame with its 538 Speed, including Salamence and Gyarados, among others.

Paleo Wave and Earth Power combined give the near-unresisted type coverage of Rock and Ground. Flamethrower rounds out the coverage by hitting Pokemon like Skarmory, Scizor, Forretress, and Bronzong super effectively. Energy Ball is the primary option for the last slot, as it hits the numerous bulky Water-types that will try to threaten you out. Energy Ball also gives Stratagem a means to hit Flygon for neutral damage. For either item choice, however, Trick is an effective option that can help you cripple common switch-ins such as Blissey.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

Levitate is chosen for this set, as it maximizes Stratagem's ability to switch in. Because Stratagem is locked into an attack, it'll be switching in a lot and needs every opportunity to do so that it can get. The EVs are incredibly straightforward, maximizing both Stratagem's Special Attack and Speed while adding a point to Defense. When using Choice Specs, you should definitely be running a Timid nature to maximize your Speed. With a Choice Scarf, however, you need all of the power you can get and will outspeed most of the entire metagame anyways even when using Modest.

This Stratagem, with a bit of prediction, has the means to defeat nearly every threat that it will come up against. This Stratagem pairs exceptionally well with Pokemon that can scout the opponent's team, so that you're aware of what the first switch-in to Stratagem will be. Scizor excels at scouting with its powerful U-turns and can give Stratagem free switch-ins. Scizor can also dispose of Blissey with its Superpower if you are not running Trick.

With all of the switching a sweeper Stratagem can force, entry hazard support in the form of Stealth Rock and Spikes is invaluable. Skarmory is an excellent supporting Pokemon for the job, being able to set up Spikes and scout the opponent's team with Whirlwind. Stealth Rock at the very least is necessary with a choiced Stratagem, as it can turn many of its 2HKOs into OHKOs for the Specs set and 3HKOs into 2HKOs for the Scarf set.

Umbreon Dan · Apr 5, 2010

[SET]
name: Choiced Sweeper
move 1: Paleo Wave
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Flamethrower
move 4: Energy Ball / Trick
item: Choice Specs / Choice Scarf
nature: Timid / Modest
ability: Levitate
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

With a Choice item, Stratagem boosts either his Special Attack or his Speed to threaten his opponents immediately and severely. With a Choice Specs equipped, Stratagem's Special Attack reaches a terrifying 508, sufficient to crush anything not immensely specially defensive with its attacks. However, when carrying a Choice Scarf, Stratagem sacrifices that immense power for the ability to outpace and revenge kill dozens of threats across the metagame with its 538 Speed, including Dragon Dance Salamence and Gyarados, among others.

Paleo Wave and Earth Power combined give the near-unresisted type coverage of Rock and Ground. Flamethrower rounds out the coverage by hitting Pokemon like Skarmory, Scizor, Forretress, and Bronzong super effectively. Energy Ball is the primary option for the last slot, as it hits the numerous bulky Water-types that will try to threaten you out. Energy Ball also gives Stratagem a means to hit Flygon for neutral damage. For either item choice, however, Trick is an effective option that can help you cripple common switch-ins such as Blissey and Snorlax.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

Levitate is chosen for this set, as it maximizes Stratagem's ability to switch in. Because Stratagem is locked into an attack, it'll be switching in a lot and needs every opportunity to do so that it can get. The EVs are incredibly straightforward, maximizing both Stratagem's Special Attack and Speed while adding a point to Defense why not put the last four in hp?. When using Choice Specs, you should definitely be running a Timid nature to maximize your Speed. With a Choice Scarf, however, you need all of the power you can get and will outspeed most of the entire (doesn't really flow. remove "entire" imo) metagame anyway even when using Modest.

This Stratagem, with a bit of prediction, has the means to defeat nearly every threat that it will come up against. This Stratagem pairs exceptionally well with Pokemon that can scout the opponent's team, so that you're aware of what the first switch-in to Stratagem will be. Scizor excels at scouting with its powerful U-turns and can give Stratagem free switch-ins. Scizor can also dispose of Blissey with its Superpower if you are not running Trick.

With all of the switching a sweeper Stratagem can force, entry hazard support in the form of Stealth Rock and Spikes is invaluable. Skarmory is an excellent supporting Pokemon for the job, being able to set up Spikes and scout the opponent's team with Whirlwind. Stealth Rock at the very least is necessary with a choiced Stratagem, as it can turn many of its 2HKOs into OHKOs for the Specs set and 3HKOs into 2HKOs for the Scarf set.

is skarmory really the sort of thing you would put on the same team as a stratagem?

imo mention empoleon as a teammate. maybe not on this set specifically, but in general. empoleon LOVES to set up on the choice band bullet punches that stratagem tends to lure and strata is great at weakening empoleon's counters. also tricking a blissey will pretty much guarantee that empoleon kicks any team's ass

Rising_Dusk · Apr 5, 2010

Thanks for the review. :)

Anyways, you put the last 4 EVs in Defense because your HP is the higher of the two stats. Honestly, as it's one point, it really doesn't matter; you can put it in HP if you want to and be none the wiser.

I use Skarmory and Stratagem together a lot, actually. They work really well together, and Skarmory definitely helps scout a bit. And you're right about Empoleon, I've done that before too and its been great.

[SET]
name: Choiced Sweeper
move 1: Paleo Wave
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Flamethrower
move 4: Energy Ball / Trick
item: Choice Specs / Choice Scarf
nature: Timid / Modest
ability: Levitate
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

With a Choice item, Stratagem boosts either his Special Attack or his Speed to threaten his opponents immediately and severely. With a Choice Specs equipped, Stratagem's Special Attack reaches a terrifying 508, sufficient to crush anything not immensely specially defensive with its attacks. However, when carrying a Choice Scarf, Stratagem sacrifices that immense power for the ability to outpace and revenge kill dozens of threats across the metagame with its 538 Speed, including Dragon Dance Salamence and Gyarados, among others.

Paleo Wave and Earth Power combined give the near-unresisted type coverage of Rock and Ground. Flamethrower rounds out the coverage by hitting Pokemon like Skarmory, Scizor, Forretress, and Bronzong super effectively. Energy Ball is the primary option for the last slot, as it hits the numerous bulky Water-types that will try to threaten you out. Energy Ball also gives Stratagem a means to hit Flygon for neutral damage. For either item choice, however, Trick is an effective option that can help you cripple common switch-ins such as Blissey and Snorlax.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

Levitate is chosen for this set, as it maximizes Stratagem's ability to switch in. Because Stratagem is locked into an attack, it'll be switching in a lot and needs every opportunity to do so that it can get. The EVs are incredibly straightforward, placed to maximize both Stratagem's Special Attack and Speed. When using Choice Specs, you should definitely be running a Timid nature to maximize your Speed. With a Choice Scarf, however, you need all of the power you can get and should run Modest instead; Modest Stratagem with a Choice Scarf outspeeds everything except base 115 Speed Pokemon carrying their own Choice Scarfs.

This Stratagem, with a bit of prediction, has the means to defeat nearly every threat that it will come up against. This Stratagem pairs exceptionally well with Pokemon that can scout the opponent's team, so that you're aware of what the first switch-in to Stratagem will be. Scizor excels at scouting with its powerful U-turns and can give Stratagem free switch-ins. Scizor can also dispose of Blissey with its Superpower if you are not running Trick.

With all of the switching a sweeper Stratagem can force, entry hazard support in the form of Stealth Rock and Spikes is invaluable. Skarmory is an excellent supporting Pokemon for the job, being able to set up Spikes and scout the opponent's team with Whirlwind. Stealth Rock at the very least is necessary with a choiced Stratagem, as it can turn many of its 2HKOs into OHKOs for the Specs set and 3HKOs into 2HKOs for the Scarf set.

Plus · Apr 5, 2010

Skimmed through your analysis Fuzznip, and for your counters I would like to have seen Machamp, who is a very good response to Stratagem compared to some others. Restalk Champ can actually switch into stuff like Paleo Wave easily and force it out with Dpunch, Strata's other moves to a lesser extent but still doable.

Rising_Dusk · Apr 5, 2010

Finished the CAP Metagame section.

[CAP Metagame]

Stratagem is one of the most feared Pokemon in the CAP metagame. It has gone a long way in requiring dedicated special tanks on each team in order to successfully check or counter it. Revenankh stands out from the crowd as the best counter to Stratagem, being 4HKO'd at best by even Choice Specs variants. Revenankh can then return fire with a super effective Hammer Arm, removing Stratagem from the picture, or use it as setup fodder. Kitsunoh, Colossoil, Arghonaut, and Fidgit all resist Paleo Wave, and can force Stratagem out if it's choiced. Arghonaut, similar to Revenankh, can use Stratagem lacking Energy Ball as setup fodder. Colossoil deserves its own special mention for being able to nearly kill Stratagem with a Pursuit as it flees or bashing it with Sucker Punch if it stays in to fight.

Offensively, Stratagem serves as one of the best checks itself to numerous of the other CAP Pokemon. Stratagem's base 130 Speed stat allows it to reliably outspeed even max Speed variants of Pyroak with a Dragon Dance under their belt. This allows Stratagem to revenge kill a slightly weakened Pyroak with Paleo Wave. Stratagem also serves as an effective revenge killer for all Syclant variants, both outspeeding and carrying a 4x super effective attack against it. Furthermore, Stratagem smashes apart Cyclohm, Kitsunoh, and Fidgit with Earth Power, it's guaranteed coverage move.

Stratagem's movesets will not be varying virtually at all from the prescribed sets in the CAP metagame. Trick becomes even more useful on choice sets in the CAP metagame due to its crippling effect on common switch-ins like Arghonaut and Revenankh. Technician sets are also slightly less viable, if only because of how common Colossoil is and how important the Ground-type immunity is against it.

Umbreon Dan · Apr 5, 2010

[CAP Metagame]

Stratagem is one of the most feared Pokemon in the CAP metagame. It has gone a long way in requiring dedicated special tanks on each team in order to successfully check or counter it. Revenankh stands out from the crowd as the best counter to Stratagem, being 4HKO'd at best by even Choice Specs variants mention explosion imo. Revenankh can then return fire with a super effective Hammer Arm, removing Stratagem from the picture, or use it as setup fodder. Kitsunoh, Colossoil, Arghonaut, and Fidgit all resist Paleo Wave, and can force Stratagem out if it's choiced. Arghonaut, similar to Revenankh, can use Stratagem lacking Energy Ball as setup fodder. Colossoil deserves its own special mention for being able to nearly kill Stratagem with a Pursuit as it flees or bash it with Sucker Punch if it stays in to fight.

Offensively, Stratagem serves as one of the best checks itself to numerous of the other CAP Pokemon. Stratagem's base 130 Speed stat allows it to reliably outspeed even max Speed variants of Pyroak with a Dragon Dance under their belt. This allows Stratagem to revenge kill a slightly weakened Pyroak with Paleo Wave. Stratagem also serves as an effective revenge killer for almost all Syclant variants, both outspeeding and carrying a 4x super effective attack against it. Furthermore, Stratagem smashes apart Cyclohm, Kitsunoh, and Fidgit with Earth Power, its guaranteed coverage move.

Stratagem's movesets will not be varying virtually at all from the prescribed sets in the CAP metagame. Trick becomes even more useful on choice sets in the CAP metagame due to its crippling effect on common switch-ins like Arghonaut and Revenankh. Technician sets are also slightly less viable, if only because of how common Colossoil is and how important the Ground-type immunity is against it.

sd ice shard syclant beats noobgem and revenankh's immunity to explosion rocks

Rising_Dusk · Apr 5, 2010

Stratagem's Explosion is nearly as bad as Electrode's, and honestly, it has much better things to do than kill itself (or even invest in its Attack stat) and hope to actually beat something with it. Also, for the record, a +2 Ice Shard from SDClant fails to beat the standard Stratagem even after SR. I mentioned it anyways, though.

Code:

4/0 Timid Choice Scarf Stratagem 
  
  vs. 252 Jolly Focus Sash Syclant +2 Ice Shard  : 53.1% - 62.7%
  vs. 252 Jolly Life Orb Syclant +2 Ice Shard  : 68.9% - 81.4%

Fixed your other remarks. Thanks. :)

[CAP Metagame]

Stratagem is one of the most feared Pokemon in the CAP metagame. It has gone a long way in requiring dedicated special tanks on each team in order to successfully check or counter it. Revenankh stands out from the crowd as the best counter to Stratagem, being 4HKO'd at best by even Choice Specs variants. Revenankh can then return fire with a super effective Hammer Arm, removing Stratagem from the picture, or use it as setup fodder. Kitsunoh, Colossoil, Arghonaut, and Fidgit all resist Paleo Wave, and can force Stratagem out if it's choiced. Arghonaut, similar to Revenankh, can use Stratagem lacking Energy Ball as setup fodder. Colossoil deserves its own special mention for being able to nearly kill Stratagem with a Pursuit as it flees or bash it with Sucker Punch if it stays in to fight.

Stratagem itself serves as one of the best checks to many of the other CAP Pokemon. Stratagem's base 130 Speed stat allows it to reliably outspeed even max Speed variants of Pyroak with a Dragon Dance under their belt. This allows Stratagem to revenge kill a slightly weakened Pyroak with Paleo Wave. Stratagem also serves as an effective revenge killer for almost all Syclant variants, both outspeeding it and carrying a 4x super effective attack to take it down with. Furthermore, Stratagem smashes apart Cyclohm, Kitsunoh, and Fidgit with Earth Power, its guaranteed coverage move.

Stratagem's movesets will not be varying virtually at all from the prescribed sets in the CAP metagame. Trick becomes even more useful on choice sets due to its crippling effect on common switch-ins like Arghonaut and Revenankh. Technician sets are also slightly less viable, if only because of how common Colossoil is and how important the Ground-type immunity is against it.

Fuzznip · Apr 5, 2010

Thank you everyone for your contributions to this analysis. I have updated the analysis with what you all have said.

Stratagem is almost complete, as all I have left to do is Team Options and the Lead set.

Doctor_G33K · Apr 5, 2010

I was just reading a little bit and I noticed a typo. On the first Set Comments, second paragragh, second line, it should be "a lot of special," not "a lot o special."

Just a quick thing I thought I'd let you know.

SinisterSamurai · Apr 6, 2010

Fuzznip said:
...If anyone has any suggestions to Stratagem's analysis, speak up!
...It can either Trick its Choice item to make instantly make Blissey less of a threat...

I'll proofread more tomorrow, but this is the most glaring error I've encountered so far. Other than that, there are a couple of very minor typos that aren't really worth mentioning.

Fuzznip · Apr 6, 2010

Thank you Doctor. I got that.

I have finished the rest of the sections for Stratagem, so I would love to have some people proofread this for me. Thanks!

EDIT: Thanks SinisterSamurai for the correction. However, if you can, I would like you to point out some of those typos you have encountered so I can fixed them. Thanks. :)

Korski · Apr 6, 2010

I got this far tonight, will finish up tomorrow (it's mostly concise-ish proofreading). Looks like good stuff.

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[Overview]

Stratagem is a very unique Pokemon in the OU metagame for many reasons. It's the fastest Rock-type in the OU metagame, tying with Aerodactyl; has excellent attacks available to it from its giant offensive movepool, such as Earth Power, Flamethrower, and Energy Ball; and has two equally viable abilities in Levitate and Technician. On top of this, Stratagem has its ways to of overcomeing the special wall named Blissey, who that the a majority of special sweepers have problems with. It can either Trick its Choice item to instantly make Blissey less of a threat, or it can use the common a Substitute and Calm Mind strategy to beat Blissey that lack Seismic Toss. It should also be noted that Stratagem is the fastest user of Calm Mind in the OU metagame.

Due to the fact that Stratagem is a frail Rock-type, it's vulnerable to the commonly used Bullet Punch. Scizor, the most devastating user of Bullet Punch, can switch into many of Stratagem's attacks and revenge kill it with Bullet Punch; it or use Pursuit to catch a fleeing Stratagem off-guard. Also, because Stratagem is frail, it has a significantly hard time switching into most attacks, even ones that it resists, meaning it's hard to get Stratagem onto the battlefield without letting one of your Pokemon die. Despite these supportable problems, through Stratagem's wide type coverage and excellent Special Attack and Speed stats, Stratagem postes as a constant threat that teams need to prepare for.

[SET]
name: Lead
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Paleo Wave
move 3: Earth Power
move 4: Flamethrower / Energy Ball / Trick
item: Focus Sash / Choice Scarf
nature: Timid
ability: Levitate
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

Stratagem is the fastest user of Stealth Rock in the OU metagame, tying with Aerodactyl. It has a few unique traits that differentiates itself from Aerodactyl, however, those being the fact that it's special-based and has a broader movepool, something Aerodactyl wishes to accomplish. The only move Aerodactyl has that Stratagem would love to use is Taunt, but through Stratagem's great type coverage and high Speed, it will often find itself threatening many opposing leads from staying in to set up, leaving Taunt relatively unneeded.

Stealth Rock is obviously the crux of this set, as with Stratagem’s lightning-fast Speed, it's almost guaranteed to set it up. Paleo Wave is the primary STAB move due to its relatively high 85 Base Power, and its 20% chance to reduce Attack can help significantly against leads that are physical, such as Tyranitar and Aerodactyl. Earth Power aids Stratagem in hitting Metagross and Heatran, and also gives Stratagem the great Rock and Ground type combo, only resisted by Flygon, Breloom, and Bronzong. In the last slot, Stratagem has several options to choose from.: Flamethrower helps Stratagem hit Bronzong and Breloom, as well as hitting Metagross harder than Earth Power, while Energy Ball allows Stratagem to hit Swampert for major damage, who would otherwise laugh at anything Stratagem uses against it. However, Iif neither option appeals to you, Trick can be used in conjunction with Choice Scarf to potentially cripple leads that Stratagem would have trouble against, such as Swampert and Tyranitar. You can even also save your Choice Scarf and keep Stratagem to revenge kill the likes of Gyarados and Salamence with Paleo Wave, or even cripplinge Blissey or other problematic Pokemon with Trick.

This Stratagem has different problems dDepending on the last move Stratagem it uses, it will fall under different problems. Swampert and Hippowdon will be tough to take down without Energy Ball, while Bronzong and Scizor can easily destroy Stratagem with Gyro Ball or Bullet Punch, respectively, without Flamethrower. If you don't use Trick, Blissey and Snorlax will laugh at it all day thanks to their high Special Defense and HP. To deal with these aforementioned issues, Celebi is an excellent counter towards Hippowdon and Swampert thanks to its great bulk and access to Grass Knot. Rotom-H is a very effective switch-in towards Bronzong and Scizor, resisting their Steel-type attacks and threatening them with Overheat or Will-O-Wisp. As for Blissey and Snorlax, Machamp fares well against them with DynamicPunch, and it can use Rest to rejuvenate itself from status and previous hits. Machamp also does well against Tyranitar leads, a Pokemon that Stratagem can't threaten significantly.

[SET]
name: Substitute + Calm Mind
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Calm Mind
move 3: Paleo Wave
move 4: Earth Power
item: Leftovers
nature: Timid
ability: Levitate
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Stratagem is the fastest user of Calm Mind in the OU metagame, reaching a lightning-fast Speed stat of 394. With the use of Substitute and Calm Mind, Stratagem is capable of beating threats it otherwise cannot, specifically Blissey that lack Seismic Toss, and firing off powerful STAB Paleo Waves at the opponent.

Paleo Wave is the STAB move of choice for Stratagem, being able to OHKO a vast majority of threats after a couple of boosts. Even Pokemon that resist it but don't pack a lot of Special Defense, such as Breloom, take a heavy blow. Another good thing to note is that Paleo Wave's has a 20% chance the lower the opponent's Attack by one stage, which meansing Stratagem can potentially make Substitutes that are harder to break from both physical and special attacks, and it just makesing Stratagem less likely to fall under an OHKO from powerful physical attacks from the likes of Tyranitar and Mamoswine. Earth Power finishes off the set by providing great coverage in tandem with Paleo Wave (only resisted by Bronzong, Breloom, and Flygon), as well as hitting Steel-types that resist Paleo Wave super effectively.

Levitate is recommended for Stratagem's ability, as the opportunity to switch into Ground attacks with immunity is something Stratagem can take advantage of when trying to switch in. Technician may seem appealing because it gives Stratagem a stronger STAB to work with in AncientPower (by 5 Base Power), but its poor PP makes it a rather lackluster option considering the stall-ish nature of this set, and makes Stratagem weak to the commonly used Ground moves in the OU metagame.

Even though Stratagem becomes a dangerous sweeper after a couple of Calm Minds, it does fall undermultiple still has some problems. Pokemon that resist the Paleo Wave and Earth Power combo will obviously become a big nuisance, particularly Bronzong and Flygon. The former has great overall bulk and can easily ruin Stratagem's sweep with Gyro Ball, while the latter can destroy it with Outrage. To deal with these threats, Heatran can come into Bronzong's Gyro Ball with impunity and scorch it with a STAB Fire Blast, while Skarmory can switch into almost any move Flygon uses and either set up Spikes, phaze it with Whirlwind, or just smacking attack (you can also use "smack" for flavor, it's mainly just the tense issue I'm suggesting you fix here) it with Brave Bird.

Toxic Spikes support should be considered, as it allows Stratagem to set up Calm Minds and Substitutes as the opponent gradually takes more poison damage each turn, which would most likely putting them in KO range for one of Stratagem's moves in the end. Tentacruel is an effective Pokemon to set up Toxic Spikes, thanks to its excellent special bulk, resistance to Stratagem's Water, Steel, and Fighting weakness, and access to a few support moves, including Rapid Spin and Knock Off. To further aid Stratagem in achieving multiple Calm Mind boosts, it's definitely not a bad idea to support it with Reflect and Light Screen. Dual screens will make Stratagem's Substitutes considerably harder to break, allowing it to boost up safely without worrying of being KOed as easily. Azelf and Bronzong are two excellent dual screeners, and both of them can set up Stealth Rock and give Stratagem a free switch in by using Explosion. Tyranitar or Hippowdon are excellent teammates you should look into as well, due to the fact that they provide an everlasting sandstorm. Since Stratagem is Rock-type, that will boost it's Special Defense will increase by 1.5x, meaning giving it will have an easier time setting up against special threats.

Fuzznip · Apr 6, 2010

Thanks for the proofread Admiral!

Paradox · Apr 6, 2010

A few little things:

[Overview]

Stratagem is a very unique Pokemon in the OU metagame for many reasons. It's the fastest Rock-type in the OU metagame, tying with Aerodactyl; has excellent attacks available to it from its giant offensive movepool, such as Earth Power, Flamethrower, and Energy Ball; and has two equally viable abilities in Levitate and Technician. On top of this, Stratagem has ways to overcome Blissey, whom a majority of special sweepers have problems with. It can either Trick its Choice item to make Blissey less of a threat, or it can use Substitute and Calm Mind to beat Blissey that lack Seismic Toss.It should also be noted that Stratagem is the fastest user of Calm Mind in the OU metagame.

Due to the fact that Stratagem is a frail Rock-type, it's vulnerable to the commonly used Bullet Punch. Scizor, the most devastating user of Bullet Punch, can switch into many of Stratagem's attacks and revenge kill it with Bullet Punch or use Pursuit to catch a fleeing Stratagem off-guard. Also, because Stratagem is frail, it has a significantly harder (or significantly harder)time switching into most attacks, even ones that it resists, meaning it's hard to get Stratagem onto the battlefield without letting one of your Pokemon die. Despite these supportable (I'm not sure what this was supposed to mean, maybe "considerable", "significant" - if taken out before-, or just take it out) problems, through Stratagem's wide type coverage and excellent Special Attack and Speed stats, Stratagem postes as a constant threat that teams need to prepare for.

...

[SET]
name: Substitute + Calm Mind
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Calm Mind
move 3: Paleo Wave
move 4: Earth Power
item: Leftovers
nature: Timid
ability: Levitate
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Stratagem is the fastest user of Calm Mind in the OU metagame, reaching a lightning-fast Speed stat of 394. With the use of Substitute and Calm Mind, Stratagem is capable of beating threats it otherwise cannot, specifically Blissey that lack Seismic Toss, and firing off powerful STAB Paleo Waves at the opponent.

Paleo Wave is the STAB move of choice for Stratagem, being able to OHKO a vast majority of threats after a couple of boosts. Even Pokemon that resist it but don't pack a lot of Special Defense, such as Breloom, take a heavy blow. Paleo Wave's 20% chance to lower the opponent's Attack by one stage means Stratagem can potentially make Substitutes that are harder to break from both physical and special attacks, making Stratagem less likely to fall under an to be OHKO'd from by powerful physical attacks from the likes of Tyranitar and Mamoswine. Earth Power finishes off the set by providing great coverage in tandem with Paleo Wave (only resisted by Bronzong, Breloom, and Flygon), as well as hitting Steel-types that resist Paleo Wave super effectively.

Levitate is recommended for Stratagem's ability, as the opportunity to switch into Ground attacks with immunity as a free switch-in on ground attacks (it was fine as it was, but I didn't really like how it was worded) is something Stratagem can take advantage of. Technician may seem appealing because it gives Stratagem a stronger STAB to work with in AncientPower (by 5 Base Power), but its poor PP makes it a rather lackluster option considering the stall-ish nature of this set, and makes Stratagem weak to the commonly used common/omnipresent/abundant (try one of the other options to spice things up!) Ground moves in of the OU metagame.

...

Toxic Spikes support should be considered, as it allows Stratagem to set up Calm Minds and Substitutes as the opponent gradually takes more poison damage each turn, most likely putting them in KO range for one of Stratagem's moves. Tentacruel is an effective Pokemon to set up great option for Toxic Spikes support, thanks to its excellent special bulk, resistance to Stratagem's Water, Steel, and Fighting weakness, and access to a few support moves, including Rapid Spin and Knock Off (not necessary to change, but helps keep parallel structure). To further aid Stratagem in achieving multiple Calm Mind boosts, it's definitely not a bad idea to support it with Reflect and Light Screen. Dual screens will make Stratagem's Substitutes considerably harder to break, allowing it to boost up safely without worrying of being KOed as easily. Azelf and Bronzong are two excellent dual screeners, and both of them can set up Stealth Rock and give Stratagem a free switch in by using Explosion. Tyranitar or Hippowdon are excellent teammates as well, due to the fact that they provide an everlasting sandstorm that will boost its Stratagem's Special Defense by 1.5x, giving it an easier time setting up against special threats.

Korski · Apr 6, 2010

Okay here's the rest. Great work, guys!

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[SET]
name: Offensive Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: AncientPower
move 3: Earth Power
move 4: Flamethrower / Giga Drain
item: Life Orb
nature: Timid
ability: Technician
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Calm Mind is known for boosting Stratagem's Special Attack to sky-high levels, and this set takes full advantage of this, unlike the more defensively-inclined Substitute + Calm Mind set. Using With Technician, AncientPower and Giga Drain both have 90 Base Power, making them become stronger options than Paleo Wave and Energy Ball, each of them reaching 90 Base Power. On top of this the side effects they and provideing Stratagem with are invaluable secondary effects;: AncientPower's 10% chance to boost all of Stratagem's stats and Giga Drain's ability to recover HP lost from any damage taken.

Earth Power is still recommended on this set, simply because it is Stratagem's best coverage option, and at 90 Base Power, not much - even with a Technician boost - can match it. Flamethrower is generally the preferred option over Giga Drain, as it is Stratagem's best answer to the likes of Scizor, Breloom, and Bronzong who are not instantly threatened by the Rock and Ground attacking combination. Giga Drain can be used over Flamethrower, however, as it allows Stratagem to deal with the likes of Swampert and Suicune, the former being OHKOed, while still recovering any damage Stratagem has taken. AncientPower's low PP rate isn't that important anymore either, as you'll be looking to grab one or two Calm Mind boosts then start sweeping as much as you can before you're killed.

The EVs are straightforward, maximizing Stratagem's offensive potential in power and Speed, with the 4 EVs going into Defense rather than HP, as it allows for 11 uses of Life Orb, provided Stratagem does not take damage, uses Giga Drain, or switches into Stealth Rock. Life Orb is the recommended item for this set, as Stratagem needs all the power it can get to sweep effectively. An Expert Belt can be used instead of Life Orb if the recoil damage throws you off, though, as the difference in power is nothing dramatic; however, with only three attacks, Stratagem's coverage is limited, so the actual damage boost provided by Expert Belt will never be as consistent as Life Orb.

Technician is generally preferred as it gives Stratagem the most power for his quick sweeping, but if you are after reliability, then using Levitate with Paleo Wave and Energy Ball is acceptable as well, although generally unpreferred as the power and sidecondary-effects of AncientPower and Giga Drain are too good to pass up on a frail sweeper like Stratagem.

It's best to pair up Stratagem with physical sweepers, as Stratagem experiences extreme difficulties with Blissey and, to a lesser extent, Snorlax. Both of these threats are capable of switching into Stratagem with ease thanks to their high HP and Special Defense, and threaten Stratagem with Thunder Wave and Body Slam, respectively. Machamp is a great Pokemon to look into, as it doesn't necessarily worry about status ailments by using Rest, and can OHKO both with its STAB DynamicPunch. Depending on what move you use in the last slot, you will be vulnerable to either Flygon or Breloom and Bronzong. Flygon resists the Rock, Ground, and Fire combination and can hit Stratagem with a powerful Outrage, while Breloom and Bronzong resist the Rock, Ground, and Grass combination and can easily OHKO Stratagem with Seed Bomb and Gyro Ball, respectively (Spore Puncher Breloom still takes 74.7% - 88.3% from +1 LO AncientPower, which could be mentioned here or in the Skarmory part below as Breloom isn't so much of a threat if it's taken entry hazard or other damage already). That being said, Skarmory can help deal with the problem against take on almost any attack from Flygon, as well as taking care of or Bronzong and somewhat dealing deal with Breloom somewhat effectively. On top of this, Skarmory can aid Stratagem with Spikes support that may turn some of its would-be OHKOs to guaranteed OHKOs. Infernape is another valuable teammate to look into, as it can threaten all of Blissey, Snorlax, Bronzong, and Breloom, and can even catch Flygon off-guard with Hidden Power Ice.

[SET]
name: Choiced Sweeper
move 1: Paleo Wave
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Flamethrower
move 4: Energy Ball / Trick
item: Choice Specs / Choice Scarf
nature: Timid / Modest
ability: Levitate
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

With a Choice item, Stratagem can boosts either its Special Attack or Speed to immediately threaten its opponents immediately and severely. With a Choice Specs equipped and a Timid nature, Stratagem's Special Attack reaches a terrifying 508, sufficient enough to crush anyonething not immensely that doesn't invest in Sspecially Ddefensive with or resist its attacks of chioce. However, when carrying a With a Choice Scarf and a Modest nature, Stratagem sacrifices that immense power for the ability to outpace almost every threat across in the metagame with its 538 Speed, including Dragon Dance Salamence and Gyarados after a Dragon Dance, among others.

Paleo Wave and Earth Power combined give the near-unresisted type coverage of Rock and Ground. Flamethrower rounds off the coverage by hitting Pokemon like Skarmory, Scizor, Forretress, and Bronzong super effectively. Energy Ball is the primary option for the last slot, as it hits the numerous bulky Water-types that will try to threaten you out, such as Swampert and Suicune. Energy Ball also gives Stratagem a means to hit Flygon for neutral damage, who otherwise resists Stratagem's entire moveset. For either item choice, however, Trick is another effective option for the fourth slot that can help you cripple common switch-ins to Stratagem's defensive counters, most notably Blissey and Snorlax.

Levitate is chosen for this set, as it maximizes Stratagem's ability to switch in. Because Stratagem is locked into an attack, it'll be switching in a lot and needs every opportunity to do so that it can get. The EVs are incredibly straightforward, placed to maximize both Stratagem's Special Attack and Speed stats (space before period). When using Choice Specs, you should definitely be running a Timid nature to maximize your Speed. With a Choice Scarf, however, you need all of the power you can get and should run Modest instead; Modest Stratagem with a Choice Scarf outspeeds everyonething except base 115 Speed Pokemon carrying their own Choice Scarfs, whoich are not very common (*cough Starmie). If you plan on running a Choice Scarf with a Modest nature, be careful when using Trick, as Stratagem will be unable to outpace the threats that it would've normally been able to, such as Starmie and Azelf.

This Stratagem, with a bit of prediction, has the means to defeat nearly every threat that it will come up against. Stratagem pairs exceptionally well with Pokemon that can scout the opponent's team so that you're aware of what the first switch-in to Stratagem will be. Scizor excels at scouting with its powerful U-turns, and can potentially giveing Stratagem free switch-ins, and. Scizor can also dispose of Blissey or Snorlax with Superpower if you are not running Trick.

Since Stratagem can force out a lot of Pokemon, entry hazard support in the form of Stealth Rock and Spikes is invaluable. Skarmory is an excellent supporting Pokemon for the job, being able to set up Spikes and scout the opponent's team with Whirlwind. Stealth Rock at the very least is necessary with Choiced Stratagem, as it can turn many of its 2HKOs into OHKOs for the Choice Specs set and 3HKOs into 2HKOs for the Choice Scarf set.

[Levitate or Technician?]

A common problem with Stratagem is that it has two really good abilities to choose from, so it's difficult to decide which ability fits the set you are using the most. However, there are a few points you should keep in mind that will help you select the right ability for your chosen set.

Levitate is the preferred ability on sets that take a more defensive approach, such as the Substitute + Calm Mind set. The reason for this is because Stratagem needs to remove as many potential weaknesses as possible so it becomes more difficult to take down. Not only that, but sets that rely on switching in and out, like the Choiced Sweeper, should be using that Levitate as well for its ability as well. It will to grant Stratagem more opportunities to switch in, and will makeing it a more effective sweeper and revenge killer in general.

On the other hand, all-out offensive sets, like the Offensive Calm Mind set, should be using Technician, as Stratagem will be granted along with a 90 Base Power AncientPower and Giga Drain. Also, Tthese types of sets don't necessarily rely on switching in or being afraid of having a fear Stratagem's Ground-type weakness, since their job of offensive sets is to create as many holes stay in and quickly gain as much damage and as many KOs against the opponent's team as possible, before it fallsing under a KO itself, as opposed to switching in often and doing more damage over time.

[Team Options]

Offensively, Stratagem will always appreciate having entry hazards set up on the opponent's field, particularly Stealth Rock and Spikes as they chip off health instantly, unlike Toxic Spikes which takes more time. Bronzong and Swampert are excellent Pokemon to set up Stealth Rock with their great overall bulk and typing. Skarmory and Forretress are great providers of Spikes, the former being able to Roost off any damage taken and having Whirlwind to force the opponent to take entry hazard damage, while the latter carrying great physical bulk and having Rapid Spin to remove entry hazards set up on your field. The more defensive sets like the Substitute + Calm Mind set will definitely enjoy having Toxic Spikes set up, as it allows Stratagem to keep setting up Substitute and Calm Mind as the opponent gradually lowers their health to the point where Stratagem can knock them out. Tentacruel and Roserade are both fantastic at setting up Toxic Spikes, thanks to their considerable Special Defense and access to multiple support moves, the former having Knock Off and Rapid Spin, while the latter having Sleep Powder.

Pairing up Stratagem with Tyranitar or Hippowdon is definitely recommended as well, because they provide Stratagem with an everlasting sandstorm. Since Stratagem is Rock-type, its Special Defense will increase by 1.5x, giving it 264 Special Defense rather than 176. This also helps Stratagem's sets that use Calm Mind, as it gives Stratagem much higher special bulk, allowing it to survive many super effective special hits coming from the likes of Starmie and Vaporeon. To further aid Stratagem's boosting capabilities, providing it with dual screen support is not at all a bad idea. Azelf is an incredible dual screen supporter, having a high Speed stat, Stealth Rock, and Explosion. Jirachi is a reliable defensive screener, and it also has Wish and U-turn to help Stratagem come in safely.

Scizor, Metagross, and Choice Scarf Jirachi are Stratagem's worst nightmare, the former two having Bullet Punch, while the latter having Iron Head. Even though they all hate being hit by Flamethrower on the switch, one misprediction may cost Stratagem's its life. With that being said, Choice Scarf Magnezone is one of the most effective switch-ins to these threats, resisting their Steel-typed moves by 4x and trapping them with its Magnet Pull ability, allowing it to easily dispose of them with Hidden Power Fire or Thunderbolt. Rotom-H is also an effective counter, shrugging off their Steel-type attacks and threatening them with Overheat or Will-O-Wisp.

Blissey is the biggest threat to practically any Stratagem that don't carry Trick, especially ones that carry Seismic Toss as it can just laugh at the Substitute + Calm Mind set. With her insane Special Defense and HP, Stratagem will never pass through the pink blob. To deal with her, Machamp is an excellent Pokemon to take into consideration, as it obliterates Blissey with DynamicPunch and can use Rest to remove any status or damage it has taken. Aside from Blissey, Flygon can also be proven to be a nuisance due to the fact that it resists Paleo Wave and Flamethrower, is immune to Earth Power, and threatens it with Outrage. Bronzong is one of the Flygon's most effective counters, being resistant and immune to both of its STAB Outrage and Earthquake attacks, respectively, and threatening it with a powerful Gyro Ball (Swampert could also maybe be mentioned here for dealing with Flygon, especialy Outrage-locked Flygon).

[Optional Changes]

Stratagem has a really wide offensive movepool; however, many of the moves it has are generally unneeded and outclassed by Stratagem's more important moves. Calm Mind tends to be more viable then Charge Beam, as the Special Defense and Special Attack boosts it provides is more helpful than the potential chance at scoring +1 Special Attack from Charge Beam. Focus Blast can be proven useful to hit Blissey for some decent damage, but it's not strong enough to threaten Blissey. Ice Beam and Thunderbolt can be useful, but Paleo Wave already hits Dragon-types, Flamethrower already hits Grass-types, and Energy Ball already hits Ground-types super effectively, so it doesn't provide any additional coverage outside of hitting Latias for super effective damage. All Thunderbolt is useful for is Gyarados, who is already taken care of by Paleo Wave. Weather Ball is an interesting move to use, since its power doubles in the weather and its type depends on the weather as well. With that being said, giving Stratagem can easily gain a 100 Base Power Rock-type move in the sand, its strongest available STAB move much stronger than Paleo Wave. Beware The only downside to this is if your opponent is using another weather teams, though, as they will leave meaning Stratagem will potentially have with no STAB attack to use if their weather of choice is active. On the physical side, Explosion may seem appealing to use against Blissey and Snorlax, but it will never come even close to an OHKO, and it won't be bringing down anything notable with it anyway. The only way to make Explosion worthwhile is to invest in Attack EVs and holding a Life Orb, but that should generally be looked away from as Stratagem has better things to do than having as much power as possible to just suicide itself.

Stratagem also has an odd support movepool, consisting of Thunder Wave, Magnet Rise, and Gravity. Thunder Wave might be helpful for team support, otherwise Stratagem is fast enough as it is. Magnet Rise could work on Technician sets so you can keep the Ground immunity for a few turns, but the loss of type coverage isn't worth it. Gravity could help Earth Power hit Levitators and Flying-types and your team in general.

Metal Sound could be used to force switches, as well has allowing Stratagem to hit the Metal Sounded opponent for double the damage should they stay in, but Stratagem is too frail to abuse this tactic effectively. Similarly, a surprise set with Swords Dance could be used to catch your opponent off-guard, especially against the likes of Blissey. However, Stratagem's pathetic Attack stat usually leaves it so weak that a Swords Dance boost won't help it as much.

As for item choices, Stratagem can run an Expert Belt on the Choice set to feign a Choice item, allowing for one or two surprise KOs, but in terms of power, it is underwhelming. Expert Belt could be combined with Calm Mind to score even more power, but the coverage given with four attacks on Expert Belt is preferred.

[CAP Metagame]

Stratagem is one of the most feared Pokemon in the CAP metagame. It has gone a long way in requiring dedicated special tanks on each team in order to successfully check or counter it. Revenankh stands out from the crowd as the best counter to Stratagem, being 4HKOed at best by even Choice Specs variants. Revenankh can then return with a super effective Hammer Arm, removing Stratagem from the picture, or use it as setup fodder (Revenankh fears Trick). Kitsunoh, Colossoil, Arghonaut, and Fidgit all resist Paleo Wave and can force Stratagem out if it's Choiced (Kitsunoh and Fidgit have no business being in against non-Choice Strata unless they are choiced themselves). Arghonaut, similar to Revenankh, can use Stratagem lacking Energy Ball as setup fodder. Colossoil deserves its own special mention for being able to nearly kill Stratagem with a Pursuit as it flees or bash it with Sucker Punch if it stays in to fight.

Stratagem itself serves as one of the best checks to many of the other CAP Pokemon. ItStratagem's base 130 Speed stat allows it to reliably outspeed even max Speed variants of Pyroak with a Dragon Dance under their belt. This allows Stratagem to revenge kill a slightly weakened Pyroak and attack with a super effective STAB Paleo Wave. Stratagem also serves as an effective revenge killer for almost all Syclant variants, both outspeeding it and carrying two 4x super effective attacks in Paleo Wave and Flamethrower to take it down with. Furthermore, Stratagem smashes apart Cyclohm, Kitsunoh, and Fidgit with Earth Power, its guaranteed coverage move.

Stratagem's movesets will not be varying virtually at all from the prescribed sets in the CAP metagame. Trick becomes even more useful on Choice sets due to its crippling effect on common switch-ins like Arghonaut and Revenankh. Technician sets are also slightly less viable, if only because of how common Colossoil is and how important the Ground-type immunity is for it.

[Counters]

Blissey is by far Stratagem's worst nightmare, boasting insane Special Defense and HP which allows it to rub off anything Stratagem throws at her. Snorlax works the same way, except it would need to watch out for boosted Paleo Wave attacks, as they can put a dent in it and also potentially reduce Snorlax's Attack (maybe mention how Stragem resists or is immune to Snorlax's STAB or other common attacks like Fire Punch and Earthquake). Basically, any Pokemon that boasts high Special Defense and doesn't fear Stratagem's moves can effectively counter it, such as Cresselia and Bronzong (Bronzong can live through Flamethrower or Fire Blast and OHKO Stratagem with Gyro Ball).

Scizor, Metagross, and Choice Scarf Jirachi can easily deal with Stratagem. Scizor and Metagross are able to switch in to Stratagem's STAB move and penetrate it with Bullet Punch, while Choice Scarf Jirachi can outpace it and revenge kill it with Iron Head; however, they should all watch out for Flamethrower and Earth Power if they are switching into Stratagem.

Flygon has a resistance to Paleo Wave and Flamethrower and an immunity to Earth Power, so it can reliably switch into Stratagem and threaten it with a STAB Outrage. Tyranitar, who gains a 1.5x Special Defense boost from the sandstorm it summons, can effectively switch into Stratagem with little worry and revenge kill it with Pursuit. Lastly, Machamp's great overall bulk and resistance to Paleo Wave helps it switch into Stratagem and threaten an OHKO with DynamicPunch.

Paradox · Apr 6, 2010

Few more little things, generally nitpicks for better flow:

Offensive Calm Mind:
Paragraph 3
The EVs are straightforward, maximizing Stratagem's offensive potential in power and Speed, with the 4 EVs going into Defense rather than HP, as it allows for 11 uses of Life Orb, provided Stratagem does not take damage, uses Giga Drain, or switches into Stealth Rock. Life Orb is the recommended item for this set, as Stratagem needs all the power it can get to sweep effectively. An Expert Belt can be used instead of Life Orb if the recoil damage throws you off, though, as the difference in power is nothing dramatic; however, with only three attacks, Stratagem's coverage is limited, so the actual damage boost provided by Expert Belt will never be as consistent as Life Orb.

[Team Options]

Offensively, Stratagem will always appreciate having entry hazards set up on the opponent's field, particularly Stealth Rock and Spikes as they chip off health instantly, unlike Toxic Spikes which takes more time. Bronzong and Swampert are excellent Pokemon to set up Stealth Rock with their great overall bulk and typing. Skarmory and Forretress are great providers of Spikes, the former being able to Roost off any damage taken and having Whirlwind to force the opponent to take entry hazard damage, while the latter carrying great physical bulk and having Rapid Spin to remove entry hazards set up on your field. The more defensive sets like the Substitute + Calm Mind set will definitely enjoy having Toxic Spikes set up, as it allows Stratagem to keep setting up Substitute and Calm Mind as the opponent gradually lowers their health to the point where Stratagem can knock them out. Tentacruel and Roserade are both fantastic at setting up Toxic Spikes, thanks to their considerable Special Defense and access to multiple support moves, the former having Knock Off and Rapid Spin, while the latter having Sleep Powder.

Pairing up Stratagem with Tyranitar or Hippowdon is definitely recommended as well, as the sandstorm they provide will give Stratagem a because they provide Stratagem with an everlasting sandstorm. Since Stratagem is Rock-type, its Special Defense will increase by 1.5x Special Defence boost, giving it 264 Special Defense rather than 176 I think this part is unnecessary, but it's not important. This also helps Stratagem's Calm Mind sets that use Calm Mind, as it gives Stratagem much higher special bulk, allowing it to survive many super effective special hits coming from the likes of Starmie and Vaporeon. To further aid Stratagem's boosting capabilities, providing it with dual screen support is not at all a bad idea. Azelf is an incredible dual screen supporter, having a high Speed stat, Stealth Rock, and Explosion. Jirachi is a reliable defensive screener, and it also has Wish and U-turn to help Stratagem come in safely.

Scizor, Metagross, and Choice Scarf Jirachi are Stratagem's worst nightmare, the former two having Bullet Punch, while and the latter having Iron Head. Even though they all hate being hit by Flamethrower on the switch, one misprediction may cost Stratagem's its life. With tThat being said, Choice Scarf Magnezone is one of the most effective switch-ins to these threats, resisting their Steel-typed moves by 4x and trapping them with its Magnet Pull ability, allowing it to easily dispose of them with Hidden Power Fire or Thunderbolt. Rotom-H is also an effective counter, shrugging off their Steel-type attacks and threatening them with Overheat or Will-O-Wisp.

Fuzznip · Apr 6, 2010

Wonderful! Thank you Paradox and Admiral for the proofreads. I really appreciate it.

HD · Apr 6, 2010

[Overview]

Stratagem is a very unique Pokemon in the OU metagame for many reasons. It's the fastest Rock-type in the OU metagame, tying with Aerodactyl; has excellent attacks available to it from its giant offensive movepool, such as Earth Power, Flamethrower, and Energy Ball; and has two equally viable abilities in Levitate and Technician. On top of this, Stratagem has ways to overcome the special wall named Blissey, who the majority of special sweepers have problems with. It can either Trick its Choice item to instantly make Blissey less of a threat, or it can use the Substitute and Calm Mind strategy to beat Blissey that lack Seismic Toss. It should also be noted that Stratagem is the fastest user of Calm Mind in the OU metagame.

Due to the fact that Stratagem is a frail Rock-type, it's vulnerable to the commonly used Bullet Punch. Scizor, the most devastating user of Bullet Punch, can switch into many of Stratagem's attacks and revenge kill it with Bullet Punch or use Pursuit to catch a fleeing Stratagem off-guard. Also, because Stratagem is frail[not important, but you used frail already, so maybe another word?], it has a harder time switching into most attacks, even ones that it resists, meaning it's hard to get Stratagem onto the battlefield without letting one of your Pokemon die. Despite these problems, through Stratagem's wide type coverage and excellent Special Attack and Speed stats, Stratagem poses a constant threat that teams need to prepare for.

[SET]
name: Lead
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Paleo Wave
move 3: Earth Power
move 4: Flamethrower / Energy Ball / Trick
item: Focus Sash / Choice Scarf
nature: Timid
ability: Levitate
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

Stratagem is the fastest user of Stealth Rock in the OU metagame, tying with Aerodactyl. It has a few unique traits that differentiates itself from Aerodactyl, however, those being the fact that it's special-based and has a broader movepool. The only move Aerodactyl has that Stratagem would love to use is Taunt, but through Stratagem's great type coverage and high Speed, it will often find itself threatening many opposing leads from staying in to set up, leaving Taunt relatively unneeded.

Stealth Rock is obviously the crux of this set, as with Stratagem’s lightning-fast Speed, it's almost guaranteed to set it up. Paleo Wave is the primary STAB move due to its relatively high 85 Base Power, and its 20% chance to reduce Attack can help significantly against leads that are physical[physical leads sounds better imo], such as Tyranitar and Aerodactyl. Earth Power aids Stratagem in hitting Metagross and Heatran, and also gives Stratagem the great Rock and Ground type combo, only resisted by Flygon, Breloom, and Bronzong. In the last slot, Stratagem has several options to choose from. Flamethrower helps Stratagem hit Bronzong and Breloom, as well as hitting Metagross harder than Earth Power, while Energy Ball allows Stratagem to hit Swampert for major damage, who would otherwise laugh at anything Stratagem uses against it. If neither option appeals to you, Trick can be used in conjunction with Choice Scarf to potentially cripple leads that Stratagem would have trouble against, such as Swampert and Tyranitar. You can also save your Choice Scarf and revenge kill the likes of Gyarados and Salamence with Paleo Wave or cripple Blissey or other problematic Pokemon with Trick.

This Stratagem has different problems depending on the last move it uses. Swampert and Hippowdon will be tough to take down without Energy Ball, while Bronzong and Scizor can easily destroy Stratagem with Gyro Ball or Bullet Punch, respectively, without Flamethrower. If you don't use Trick, Blissey and Snorlax will laugh at it all day thanks to their high Special Defense and HP. To deal with these aforementioned issues, Celebi is an excellent counter towards Hippowdon and Swampert thanks to its great bulk and access to Grass Knot. Rotom-H is a very effective switch-in towards Bronzong and Scizor, resisting their Steel-type attacks and threatening them with Overheat or Will-O-Wisp. As for Blissey and Snorlax, Machamp fares well against them with DynamicPunch, and it can use Rest to rejuvenate itself from status and previous hits. Machamp also does well against Tyranitar leads, a Pokemon that Stratagem can't threaten significantly.

[SET]
name: Substitute + Calm Mind
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Calm Mind
move 3: Paleo Wave
move 4: Earth Power
item: Leftovers
nature: Timid
ability: Levitate
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Stratagem is the fastest user of Calm Mind in the OU metagame, reaching a lightning-fast Speed stat of 394. With the use of Substitute and Calm Mind, Stratagem is capable of beating threats it otherwise cannot, specifically Blissey that lack Seismic Toss, and firing off powerful STAB Paleo Waves at the opponent.

Paleo Wave is the STAB move of choice for Stratagem, being able to OHKO a vast majority of threats after a couple of boosts. Even Pokemon that resist it but don't pack a lot of Special Defense[this is kinda derimental to the overall meaning, and its kinda obvious pokemon that don't pack a lot of Special Defense would take a heavy blow], such as Breloom, take a heavy blow. Also, Paleo Wave's 20% chance to the lower the opponent's Attack by one stage means Stratagem can potentially make Substitutes that are harder to break from both physical and special attacks, making Stratagem less likely to be OHKOed by powerful physical attacks from the likes of Tyranitar and Mamoswine[since this set runs Levitate, and Mamo's only way of hitting Gem is EQ (unless Blizzard/Ice Fang take out the sub), why mention Mamo?]. Earth Power finishes off the set by providing great coverage in tandem with Paleo Wave (only resisted by Bronzong, Breloom, and Flygon), as well as hitting Steel-types that resist Paleo Wave super effectively.

Levitate is recommended for Stratagem's ability, as a free switch in on Ground attacks is something Stratagem can take advantage. Technician may seem appealing because it gives Stratagem a stronger STAB to work with in AncientPower (by 5 Base Power), but its poor PP makes it a rather lackluster option considering the stall-ish nature of this set, and makes Stratagem weak to the abundant Ground moves in the OU metagame.

Even though Stratagem becomes a dangerous sweeper after a couple of Calm Minds, it still has some problems. Pokemon that resist the Paleo Wave and Earth Power combo will obviously become a big nuisance, particularly Bronzong and Flygon. The former has great overall bulk and can easily ruin Stratagem's sweep with Gyro Ball, while the latter can destroy it with Outrage. To deal with these threats, Heatran can come into Bronzong's Gyro Ball with impunity and scorch it with a STAB Fire Blast, while Skarmory can switch into almost any move Flygon uses and either set up Spikes, phaze it with Whirlwind, or smack it with Brave Bird.

Toxic Spikes support should be considered, as it allows Stratagem to set up Calm Minds and Substitutes as the opponent gradually takes more poison damage each turn, most likely putting them in KO range for one of Stratagem's moves. Tentacruel is great option for Toxic Spikes support, thanks to its excellent special bulk, resistance to Stratagem's Water, Steel, and Fighting weakness, and access to Rapid Spin and Knock Off. To further aid Stratagem in achieving multiple Calm Mind boosts, it's definitely not a bad idea to support it with Reflect and Light Screen. Dual screens will make Stratagem's Substitutes considerably harder to break, allowing it to boost up safely without worrying of being KOed as easily. Azelf and Bronzong are two excellent dual screeners, and both of them can set up Stealth Rock and give Stratagem a free switch in by using Explosion. Tyranitar or Hippowdon are excellent teammates as well, due to the fact that they provide an everlasting sandstorm that will boost Stratagem's Special Defense by 1.5x, giving it an easier time setting up against special threats.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

I'll do the rest later, but v. good so far.

Rising_Dusk · Apr 7, 2010

Hi Fuzz, proofread everything. Red to remove, bold to add.

[Overview]

Stratagem is a very unique Pokemon in the OU metagame for many reasons. It's the fastest Rock-type in the OU metagame, tying with Aerodactyl;, has excellent attacks available to it from its giant offensive movepool, such as Earth Power, Flamethrower, and Energy Ball;, and has two equally viable abilities in Levitate and Technician. On top of this, Stratagem has ways to overcome of overcoming the special wall named Blissey, who the a majority of special sweepers have problems with. It can either Trick its Choice item to instantly make Blissey less of a threat, or it can use the Substitute and Calm Mind strategy to beat Blissey that lack Seismic Toss. It should also be noted that Stratagem is the fastest user of Calm Mind in the OU metagame.

Due to the fact that Stratagem is a frail Rock-type, it's vulnerable to the commonly used Bullet Punch. Scizor, the most devastating user of Bullet Punch, can switch into many of Stratagem's attacks and revenge kill it with Bullet Punch or use Pursuit to catch a fleeing Stratagem off-guard. Also, because Stratagem is defensively weak, it has a harder time switching into most attacks, even ones that it resists, meaning it's hard to get Stratagem onto the battlefield without letting one of your Pokemon die. Despite these problems, through Stratagem's wide type coverage and excellent Special Attack and Speed stats, Stratagem poses a constant threat that teams need to prepare for.

[SET]
name: Lead
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Paleo Wave
move 3: Earth Power
move 4: Flamethrower / Energy Ball / Trick
item: Focus Sash / Choice Scarf
nature: Timid
ability: Levitate
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

Stratagem is the fastest user of Stealth Rock in the OU metagame, tying with Aerodactyl. It has a few unique traits that differentiates itself from Aerodactyl, though however, those being including the fact that it's special-based and has a broader movepool. The only move Aerodactyl has that Stratagem would love to use is Taunt, but through Stratagem's great type coverage and high Speed, it will often find itself threatening many opposing leads from staying in to set up, leaving rendering Taunt relatively unneeded unnecessary.

Stealth Rock is obviously the crux of this set, as with Stratagem’s lightning-fast Speed, it's almost guaranteed to set it up. Paleo Wave is the primary STAB move due to its relatively high 85 Base Power., and iIts 20% chance to reduce Attack can help significantly against physical leads, such as Tyranitar and Aerodactyl. Earth Power aids Stratagem in hitting Metagross and Heatran, and also gives Stratagem the great Rock- and Ground-type combo, only resisted only by Flygon, Breloom, and Bronzong. In the last slot, Stratagem has several options to choose from. Flamethrower helps Stratagem hit Bronzong and Breloom, as well as hitting Metagross harder than Earth Power, while Energy Ball allows Stratagem to hit Swampert for major damage, who would otherwise laugh at anything Stratagem uses against it. If neither option appeals to you, Trick can be used in conjunction with Choice Scarf to potentially cripple leads that Stratagem would have trouble against, such as Swampert and Tyranitar. The Choice Scarf can also turn Stratagem into an effective revenge killer later in the match against Dragon Dance Salamence or Gyarados. Trick can also cripple troublesome Pokemon, like Blissey, who enjoy switching into Stratagem. You can also save your Choice Scarf and revenge kill the likes of Gyarados and Salamence with Paleo Wave or cripple Blissey or other problematic Pokemon with Trick.

This Stratagem has different problems depending on the last move it uses. Swampert and Hippowdon will be tough to take down without Energy Ball, while Bronzong will wall Stratagem lacking Flamethrower. and Scizor can easily destroy Stratagem with Gyro Ball or Bullet Punch, respectively, without Flamethrower. (Flamethrower won't save you unless Scizor switches into it, it only helps against Bronzong) If you don't use Trick, Blissey and Snorlax will laugh at Stratagem with at it all day thanks to their high Special Defense and HP. To deal with these aforementioned issues, Celebi is an excellent counter towards Hippowdon and Swampert thanks to its great bulk and access to Grass Knot. Rotom-H is a very effective switch-in towards Bronzong and Scizor, resisting their Steel-type attacks and threatening them with Overheat or Will-O-Wisp. As for Blissey and Snorlax, Machamp fares well against them with DynamicPunch, and it can use Rest to rejuvenate itself from status and previous hits. Machamp also does well against Tyranitar leads, a Pokemon that Stratagem can't really threaten significantly.

[SET]
name: Substitute + Calm Mind
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Calm Mind
move 3: Paleo Wave
move 4: Earth Power
item: Leftovers
nature: Timid
ability: Levitate
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Stratagem is the fastest user of Calm Mind in the OU metagame, reaching a lightning-fast Speed stat of 394. With the use of Substitute and Calm Mind, Stratagem is capable of beating threats it otherwise cannot, specifically Blissey that lack Seismic Toss, and all while firing off powerful STAB Paleo Waves at the opponent.

Paleo Wave is the STAB move of choice for Stratagem, being able to OHKO a vast majority of threats after a couple of boosts. Even Pokemon that resist it but don't pack a lot of Special Defense, such as Breloom, take a heavy blow. Also, Paleo Wave's 20% chance to the lower the opponent's Attack by one stage means Stratagem can potentially make Substitutes that are harder to break from both physical and special attacks, making Stratagem less likely to be OHKOed by powerful physical attacks from the likes of Tyranitar and Flygon. Earth Power finishes off completes the set by hitting Steel-types that resist Paleo Wave super effectively and generally providing great excellent coverage in tandem with Paleo Wave, (only the two being resisted only by Bronzong, Breloom, and Flygon), as well as and hitting Steel-types that resist Paleo Wave super effectively.

Levitate is recommended for Stratagem's ability, as a free switch in on Ground attacks is something Stratagem can take advantage of. Technician may seem appealing at first because it gives Stratagem a stronger STAB to work with in AncientPower (by 5 Base Power), but its poor PP makes it a rather lackluster option considering the stall-ish nature of this set., and makes Opening Stratagem up weak to the abundant Ground-type moves in the OU metagame as well as all entry hazards will hurt Stratagem more than a weaker STAB option would.

Even though Stratagem becomes a dangerous sweeper after a couple of Calm Minds, it still has some problems. Pokemon that resist the Paleo Wave and Earth Power combo will obviously become a big nuisance, particularly Bronzong and Flygon. The former has great overall bulk and can easily ruin Stratagem's sweep with Gyro Ball, while the latter can destroy it with Outrage. To deal with these threats, Heatran can come into Bronzong's Gyro Ball with impunity and scorch it with a STAB Fire Blast, while Skarmory can switch into almost any move Flygon uses and either set up Spikes, phaze it with Whirlwind, or smack it with Brave Bird.

Toxic Spikes support should be considered, as it allows Stratagem to set up Calm Minds and Substitutes while the poison damage takes its toll as the opponent gradually takes more poison damage each turn, most likely putting them your opponent in KO range for one of Stratagem's moves. Tentacruel is a great option for Toxic Spikes support, thanks to its excellent special bulk, resistance to Stratagem's Water, Steel, and Fighting weakness, and access to Rapid Spin and Knock Off. To further aid Stratagem in achieving multiple Calm Mind boosts, it's definitely not a bad idea to support it with Reflect and Light Screen. Dual screens will make Stratagem's Substitutes considerably harder to break, allowing it to boost up safely without worrying of about being KOed as easily. Azelf and Bronzong are two excellent dual screeners, and both of them can set up Stealth Rock and give Stratagem a free switch in by using Explosion. Tyranitar or Hippowdon are excellent teammates as well, due to their fact that they provide providing an everlasting sandstorm that will boost Stratagem's Special Defense by 50% 1.5x, giving it an easier time setting up against special threats.

[SET]
name: Offensive Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: AncientPower
move 3: Earth Power
move 4: Flamethrower / Giga Drain
item: Life Orb
nature: Timid
ability: Technician
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Calm Mind is known for boosting Stratagem's Special Attack to sky-high levels, and this set takes full advantage of this, unlike the more defensively-inclined Substitute + Calm Mind set. With Technician, AncientPower and Giga Drain both have 90 Base Power, making them stronger options than Paleo Wave and Energy Ball and provide while providing Stratagem with invaluable secondary effects: AncientPower's 10% chance to boost all of Stratagem's stats and Giga Drain's ability to recover HP lost from any damage taken.

Earth Power is still recommended on this set, simply because it is Stratagem's best coverage option, and at 90 Base Power, not much - even with a Technician boost - can match it. Flamethrower is generally the preferred option over Giga Drain, as it is Stratagem's best answer to the likes of Scizor, Breloom, and Bronzong who are not instantly threatened by the Rock and Ground attacking combination. Giga Drain can be used over Flamethrower, however, as it allows Stratagem to deal with the likes of Swampert and Suicune, the former being OHKOed, while still recovering any damage Stratagem has taken. AncientPower's low PP rate isn't that important anymore either, as you'll be looking to grab one or two Calm Mind boosts then start sweeping as much as you can before you're killed.

The EVs are straightforward, maximizing Stratagem's offensive potential in power and Speed, with the 4 EVs going into Defense rather than HP, as it to allows for up to 11 uses of Life Orb, provided Stratagem does not take damage, use Giga Drain, or switch into Stealth Rock. Life Orb is the recommended item for this set, as Stratagem needs all the power it can get to sweep effectively. An Expert Belt can be used instead of Life Orb if the recoil damage throws you off, though, as the difference in power is nothing dramatic; however, with only three attacks, Stratagem's coverage is limited, so the actual damage boost provided by Expert Belt will never be as consistent as Life Orb.

Technician is generally preferred as it gives Stratagem the most power for quick sweeping, but if you are after reliability, using Levitate with Paleo Wave and Energy Ball is acceptable., although generally unpreferred This isn't recommended, though, as the power and secondary effects of AncientPower and Giga Drain are too good to pass up on a frail sweeper like Stratagem.

It's best to pair up Stratagem with physical sweepers, as Stratagem experiences extreme difficulties with Blissey and, to a lesser extent, Snorlax. Both of these threats are capable of switching into Stratagem with ease thanks to their high HP and Special Defense, and threaten Stratagem with Thunder Wave and Body Slam, respectively. Machamp is a great Pokemon to look into, as it doesn't necessarily worry about status ailments by when using Rest, and can OHKO both with its STAB DynamicPunch. Depending on what move you use in the last slot, you will be vulnerable to either Flygon or Breloom and Bronzong. Flygon resists the Rock, Ground, and Fire combination and can hit Stratagem with a powerful Outrage, while Breloom and Bronzong resist the Rock, Ground, and Grass combination and can easily OHKO Stratagem with Seed Bomb and Gyro Ball, respectively. That being said, Skarmory can take on almost any attack from Flygon and Bronzong and deal with Breloom somewhat effectively. On top of this, Skarmory can aid Stratagem with Spikes support that may turn some of its would-be OHKOs to guaranteed will guarantee some OHKOs, such as against Breloom, who is OHKOed by a +1 AncientPower with a few layers of Spikes. Infernape is another valuable teammate to look into, as it can threaten all of Blissey, Snorlax, Bronzong, and Breloom, and can even catch Flygon off-guard with Hidden Power Ice.

[SET]
name: Choiced Sweeper
move 1: Paleo Wave
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Flamethrower
move 4: Energy Ball / Trick
item: Choice Specs / Choice Scarf
nature: Timid / Modest
ability: Levitate
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

With a Choice item, Stratagem can boost either its Special Attack or Speed to immediately threaten its opponents. With Choice Specs and a Timid nature, Stratagem's Special Attack reaches a terrifying 508, enough to crush anyone that doesn't invest in Special Defense. With Choice Scarf and a Modest nature, Stratagem sacrifices that immense power for the ability to outpace almost every threat in the metagame with its 538 Speed, including Salamence and Gyarados after a Dragon Dance.

Paleo Wave and Earth Power combined give the near-unresisted type coverage of Rock and Ground. Flamethrower rounds off the coverage by hitting Pokemon like Skarmory, Scizor, Forretress, and Bronzong super effectively. Energy Ball is the primary option for the last slot, as it hits the numerous bulky Water-types that will try to threaten you out, such as Swampert and Suicune. Energy Ball also gives Stratagem a means to hit Flygon for neutral damage, who otherwise resists Stratagem's entire moveset. Trick is another effective option for the fourth slot that can help you cripple Stratagem's defensive counters, most notably Blissey and Snorlax.

Levitate is chosen for this set, as it maximizes Stratagem's ability to switch in. Because Stratagem is locked into an attack, it'll be switching in a lot and needs every opportunity it can get. The EVs are incredibly straightforward, placed to maximize both Stratagem's Special Attack and Speed stats. When using Choice Specs, you should definitely be running a Timid nature to maximize your Speed. With a Choice Scarf, however, you need all of the power you can get and should run Modest instead; Modest Stratagem with a Choice Scarf outspeeds everythingone except base 115 Speed Pokemon carrying their own Choice Scarfs, who all of which are not very uncommon. If you plan on running a Choice Scarf with a Modest nature, be careful when using Trick, as Stratagem will be unable to outpace the threats that it would have been able to, such as Starmie and Azelf.

This Stratagem, with a bit of prediction, has the means to defeat nearly every threat that it will come up against. Stratagem pairs exceptionally well with Pokemon that can scout the opponent's team so that you're aware of what the first switch-in to Stratagem will be. Scizor excels at scouting with its powerful U-turns, potentially giving Stratagem free switch-ins, and can also dispose of Blissey and Snorlax with Superpower.

Since Stratagem can force out a lot of Pokemon, entry hazard support is invaluable. Skarmory is an excellent supporting Pokemon for the job, being able to set up Spikes and scout the opponent's team with Whirlwind. Stealth Rock at the very least is necessary with Choiced Stratagem, as it can turn many of its 2HKOs into OHKOs for the Choice Specs set and 3HKOs into 2HKOs for the Choice Scarf set.

[Levitate or Technician?]

A common problem with Stratagem is that it has two really good abilities to choose from, so it's difficult to decide which ability best fits the set you are using the most. However, there are a few points you should keep in mind that will help you select the right ability for your chosen set.

Levitate is the preferred ability on sets that take a more defensive approach, such as the Substitute + Calm Mind set. The reason for this is because Stratagem needs to remove as many potential weaknesses as possible so it becomes more difficult to take down. Not only that, but sets that rely on switching in and out, like the Choiced Sweeper, should be using Levitate as well for its ability to grant Stratagem more opportunities to switch in, making it a more effective sweeper and revenge killer in general.

On the other hand, all-out offensive sets, like the Offensive Calm Mind set, should be using Technician along with a 90 Base Power AncientPower and Giga Drain. These type of sets don't necessarily fear Stratagem's Ground-type weakness, since their job is to stay in and quickly gain as much damage and as many KOs against the opponent's team as possible before falling under a KO itself. , as opposed to switching in often and doing more damage over time.

[Team Options]

Offensively, Stratagem will always appreciate having entry hazards set up on the opponent's field, particularly Stealth Rock and Spikes as they chip off health instantly, unlike Toxic Spikes which takes more time. Bronzong and Swampert are excellent Pokemon to set up Stealth Rock with their great overall bulk and typing. Skarmory and Forretress are great providers of Spikes, the former being able to Roost off any damage taken and having Whirlwind to force the opponent to take entry hazard damage, while the latter carrying great physical bulk and having Rapid Spin to remove entry hazards set up on your field. The more defensive sets like the Substitute + Calm Mind set will definitely enjoy having Toxic Spikes set up, as it allows Stratagem to keep setting up Substitute and Calm Mind as the opponent gradually lowers their health to the point where Stratagem can knock them out. Tentacruel and Roserade are both fantastic at setting up Toxic Spikes, thanks to their considerable Special Defense and access to multiple support moves, the former having Knock Off and Rapid Spin, while the latter having Sleep Powder.

Pairing up Stratagem with Tyranitar or Hippowdon is definitely recommended as well, as the sandstorm they provide will give Stratagem a 1.5x 50% Special Defense boost thanks to its Rock-type. This also helps Stratagem's Calm Mind sets, as it gives Stratagem much higher special bulk, allowing that allows it to survive many super effective special hits coming from the likes of Starmie and Vaporeon. To further aid Stratagem's boosting capabilities, providing it with dual screen support is a good idea not at all a bad idea. Azelf is an incredible dual screen supporter, having a high Speed stat, Stealth Rock, and Explosion. Jirachi is a reliable defensive screener, and it also has with Wish and U-turn to help Stratagem come in safely.

Scizor, Metagross, and Choice Scarf Jirachi are Stratagem's worst nightmare, the former two having Bullet Punch and the latter having Iron Head. Even though they all hate being hit by Flamethrower on the switch, one misprediction may cost Stratagem its life. That being said, Choice Scarf Magnezone is one of the most effective switch-ins to these threats, resisting their Steel-typed moves by 4x and trapping them with its Magnet Pull ability, allowing it to easily dispose of them with Hidden Power Fire or Thunderbolt. Rotom-H is also an effective counter, shrugging off their Steel-type attacks and threatening them with Overheat or Will-O-Wisp.

Blissey is the biggest threat to practically any Stratagem that don't carry Trick, especially ones with that carry Seismic Toss as it can just laugh at even deal with the Substitute + Calm Mind set. To deal with her, Machamp is an excellent consideration, as it obliterates Blissey with DynamicPunch and can use Rest to remove any status or damage it has taken. Flygon can also be a nuisance due to the fact that it resists Paleo Wave and Flamethrower, is immune to Earth Power, and threatens it with Outrage. Bronzong is one of Flygon's most effective counters, being resistant and immune to both of its STAB Outrage and Earthquake attacks, respectively, and threatening it with a powerful Gyro Ball. Swampert can also dispose of Flygon with Ice Beam, especially Flygon locked into using Outrage.

[Optional Changes]

Stratagem has a really wide offensive movepool; however, many of the moves it has are generally unneeded and outclassed by or provide redundant coverage with Stratagem's primary options more important moves. Calm Mind tends to be is more viable then than Charge Beam, as the Special Defense and Special Attack boosts it provides are is more helpful than the potential chance at of getting scoring +1 Special Attack from Charge Beam. Focus Blast can be proven useful to hit Blissey for some decent damage, but it's not isn't strong enough to 2HKO and lacks reliability threaten Blissey. Ice Beam and Thunderbolt provide redundant coverage with Flamethrower and Energy Ball, with only Latias being hit super effectively by Ice Beam over the other two. can be useful, but Paleo Wave already hits Dragon-types, Flamethrower already hits Grass-types, and Energy Ball already hits Ground-types super effectively, so it doesn't provide any additional coverage outside of hitting Latias for super effective damage. All Thunderbolt is useful for is Gyarados, who is already taken care of by Paleo Wave. Weather Ball is an interesting move to use, giving gives Stratagem a 100 Base Power Rock-type move in the sand, its strongest available STAB move. Beware of other weather teams, though, as they may leave Stratagem with no STAB attack to use. On the physical side, Explosion may seem appealing to use against Blissey and Snorlax, but it will never come even close to an OHKO, and it won't be bringing down anything notable with it anyway. The only way to make Explosion worthwhile is to invest in Attack EVs and hold a Life Orb, but that should generally be looked away from as Stratagem has better things to do than kill killing itself.

Stratagem also has an odd support movepool, consisting of Thunder Wave, Magnet Rise, and Gravity. Thunder Wave might be helpful for team support, otherwise Stratagem is fast enough as it is. Magnet Rise could work on Technician sets so you can keep the Ground immunity for a few turns, but the loss of type coverage isn't worth it. Gravity could help Earth Power hit Levitators and Flying-types and might support your team in general.

Metal Sound could be used to force switches, as well as has allowing Stratagem to hit the Metal Sounded struck opponent for double the damage should they stay in, but Stratagem is too frail to abuse this tactic effectively. Similarly, a surprise set with Swords Dance could be used to catch your opponent off-guard, especially against the likes of Blissey. However, Stratagem's pathetic Attack stat keeps it from gaining much from Swords Dance, though, making this an inferior option. usually leaves it so weak that a Swords Dance boost won't help it as much.

As for item choices, Stratagem can run an Expert Belt on the Choice set to feign a Choice item, allowing for one or two surprise KOs, but in In terms of power, though, it is underwhelming. Expert Belt could be combined with Calm Mind to hit even harder score even more power, but the coverage given with four attacks backed by an on Expert Belt is preferred.

[CAP Metagame]

Stratagem is one of the most feared Pokemon in the CAP metagame. It has gone a long way in requiring dedicated special tanks on each team in order to successfully check or counter it. Revenankh stands out from the crowd as the best counter to Stratagem that lack Trick, being 4HKOed at best by even Choice Specs variants. Revenankh can then return with a super effective Hammer Arm, removing Stratagem from the picture, or use it as setup fodder. Kitsunoh, Colossoil, Arghonaut, and Fidgit all resist Paleo Wave and can force out Choiced Stratagem. Arghonaut, similarly to Revenankh, can use Stratagem lacking Energy Ball as setup fodder. Colossoil deserves its own special mention for being able to nearly kill Stratagem with a Pursuit as it flees or bash it with Sucker Punch if it stays in to fight.

Stratagem itself serves as one of the best checks to many of the other CAP Pokemon. Its base 130 Speed stat allows it to reliably outspeed even max Speed variants of Pyroak with a Dragon Dance under their belt and attack with a super effective STAB Paleo Wave. Stratagem also serves as an effective revenge killer for almost all Syclant variants, both outspeeding it and carrying two 4x super effective attacks in Paleo Wave and Flamethrower to take it down. Furthermore, Stratagem smashes apart Cyclohm, Kitsunoh, and Fidgit with Earth Power, its guaranteed coverage move.

Stratagem's movesets will not be varying virtually at all from the prescribed sets in the CAP metagame. Trick becomes even more useful on Choice sets due to its crippling effect on common switch-ins like Arghonaut and Revenankh. Technician sets are also slightly less viable, if only because of how common Colossoil is and how important the Ground-type immunity is.

[Counters]

Blissey is by far Stratagem's worst nightmare, boasting insane Special Defense and HP which allows it to rub shrug off anything Stratagem throws at her. Snorlax works the same way, except it would need to watch out for boosted Paleo Wave attacks, as they can put a dent in it and also potentially reduce Snorlax's Attack. Basically, any Pokemon with that boasts high Special Defense and that doesn't fear Stratagem's moves can effectively counter it, such as Cresselia and Bronzong. (Bronzong can even live through Flamethrower or Fire Blast and OHKO Stratagem with Gyro Ball).

Scizor, Metagross, and Choice Scarf Jirachi can easily deal with Stratagem. Scizor and Metagross are able to switch in to Stratagem's STAB move and penetrate it with Bullet Punch, while Choice Scarf Jirachi can outpace it and revenge kill it with Iron Head.; however, they They should all watch out for Flamethrower and Earth Power if they are switching into Stratagem, though.

Flygon has a resistance to Paleo Wave and Flamethrower and an immunity to Earth Power, so it can reliably switch into Stratagem and threaten it with a STAB Outrage. Tyranitar, who gains a 50% 1.5x Special Defense boost from the sandstorm it summons, can effectively switch into Stratagem with little worry and revenge kill it with Pursuit. Lastly, Machamp's great overall bulk and resistance to Paleo Wave helps it switch into Stratagem and threaten an OHKO with DynamicPunch.

The only real style thing I want to mention is that you use x1.5 for the sandstorm boost to SpD, whereas I recommend a 50% boost. Percents in that case are more understandable, I think.

Anyways, cheers.

Fuzznip · Apr 7, 2010

Fantastic, thanks a ton Dusk! I believe this is pretty much finished.

Rising_Dusk · Apr 7, 2010

On a quick read-over once more, nothing jumped out at me. Lookin' good. :)

Paradox · Apr 8, 2010

Tiny nit-pick, this was mentioned before, and maybe you disagree with the edits or missed them, but I just want to bring them to your attention again.

[Overview]

Stratagem is a very unique Pokemon for many reasons. It's the fastest Rock-type in the OU metagame, tying with Aerodactyl; has excellent attacks available to it from its giant offensive movepool, such as Earth Power, Flamethrower, and Energy Ball; and has two equally viable abilities in Levitate and Technician. On top of this, Stratagem has ways of overcoming (or "to overcome", I'm not sure which would sound better) the special wall named Blissey, who a majority of special sweepers have problems with. It can either Trick its Choice item to instantly make Blissey less of a threat, or it can use the Substitute and Calm Mind strategy to beat Blissey that lack Seismic Toss. It should also be noted that Stratagem is the fastest user of Calm Mind in the OU metagame.

Fuzznip · Apr 8, 2010

Thanks Paradox. This has been uploaded!

Stratagem's Analysis Workshop

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