I WILL MURDER YOU IN YOUR SLEEP.
[Overview]
<p>Joke or gimmick characters can be found in nearly every video game, and Pokemon is no exception. Ever since the dawn of RBY, Pokemon such as Farfetch'd, Unown, and Castform were stamped with a "gimmick" label on their foreheads and flung to the lowest possible tier, never to see the light of usage. Game Freak has not grown merciful over time, as BW introduced even more joke Pokemon, and it would appear that Stunfisk is one of them.</p>
<p>However, Stunfisk is different because it has two special qualities to distinguish itself from other gimmick Pokemon: 109 / 84 / 99 defenses and a unique Electric / Ground typing. As Stunfisk slowly fought its way up the usage ladder, players started to notice that Stunfisk could easily sponge blows from NU powerhouses and bite back with moves such as Discharge, Scald, and Earth Power. Stunfisk even surprised a few players by proving that it could run an effective lure with Choice Specs. Unfortunately, there are still many obstacles that prevent it from becoming the king of NU. Stunfisk has weaknesses to Ground-, Water-, Grass-, and Ice-type attacks, all of which are common in NU, and also also has trouble breaking through Regice, Altaria, and other special walls. However, as long as Stunfisk has teammates that can cover its weaknesses and dent these special walls, Stunfisk is sure to leave a lasting impression on both you and your opponent.</p>
[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Discharge / Thunderbolt
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Scald
move 4: Toxic
item: Leftovers
ability: Static
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 192 Def / 64 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Despite its initial appearance, Stunfisk's great defensive stats and its Electric / Ground typing makes it a lovely check to Pokemon such as Braviary. Stunfisk can also inflict many status conditions, such as paralysis, on foes. First off is its Static ability, which works well against physical attackers, and is also one reason why this set is more geared towards physical defense rather than special defense. Discharge is a great way to inflict even more paralysis, especially on special attackers or frequent users of Earthquake. Thunderbolt can be used if you want Stunfisk to deal out more damage, although the difference will rarely be noticeable. While not technically a status condition, Earth Power's chance to lower the foe's Special Defense, combined with STAB and decent coverage, makes it an excellent move to use. Scald is chosen because it can hit Ground-type Pokemon and comes with a high burn rate. The only downside to using Scald is that physical attackers are more likely to already be paralyzed due to Static. This is by no means a bad thing, but there can be times where you would rather have the foe burned instead of paralyzed. If paralysis and burn are not enough for you, then fear not! Toxic allows Stunfisk to inflict yet another status condition, and is its best option against defensive Pokemon who can shrug off Stunfisk's attacks.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Stunfisk is primarily a defensive Pokemon, so this EV spread focuses on its ability to sponge both physical and special attack. This spread is more emphasized towards Defense in order to abuse Static more, but feel free to alter the spread to make Stunfisk more resilient against special attacks. However, no matter which spread you choose, Stunfisk will still have a glaring weakness to Grass-, Water-, Ground-, and Ice-type attacks. Pokemon who can resist, or are immune to, these types of attack therefore make excellent teammate. Altaria deserves a special mention as she can tank the former three types, as well as any other special attacks aimed at Stunfisk. Another noteworthy teammates is Parasect, who is immune to Water-type attacks and boasts a 4x resistance against Grass- and Ground-type attacks. However, these two Pokemon share a weakness to Ice-type attacks, so have teammates that resist it. Regice, Lapras, and Cryonogal are some good examples; they also pack enormous special defense.
Stunfisk has trouble taking on specially defensive Pokemon, especially those that are faster than it. Stunfisk also loathes Grass-type Pokemon since none of its attacking moves can hit these Pokemon for super effective damage. In return, Grass-type Pokemon can quickly knock out Stunfisk. Powerful offensive Pokemon are the solution to both of these problems. Pokemon such as Swellow, Braviary, Magmortar, and Gorebyss can nail Grass-type Pokemon and are powerful enough to plow through most walls. These Pokemon will also appreciate Stunfisk's bulk.</p>
[SET]
name: RestTalk
move 1: Rest
move 2: Sleep Talk
move 3: Discharge / Thunderbolt
move 4: Earth Power / Scald
item: Leftovers
ability: Static
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 192 Def / 64 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Stunfisk is one the lucky few BW Pokemon that can use Sleep Talk. The combination of Rest and Sleep Talk gives Stunfisk a reliable method of recovery, allowing it to sponge even more hits than the defensive set. Rest also removes any nasty status conditions, essentially making them a non-issue. Meanwhile, Stunfisk can use Sleep Talk to fire off attacks while resting. The choice between Discharge and Thunderbolt is the same: choose Discharge if you want Stunfisk to inflict paralysis more often, or Thunderbolt for more power. Earth Power is a nice option in the fourth slot due to STAB and arguably better coverage. Scald can be used instead for its high burn rate, which makes Stunfisk even more difficult to take down.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs for this set are exactly the same as those for the set above because the two sets are played in a similar manner. Stunfisk can use Pain Split over Rest or use a Chesto Berry over Leftovers if Sleep Talk is too unreliable for your tastes. The advantage of doing so is that it gives Stunfisk a free moveslot. The disadvantage of using Pain Split, however, is that Stunfisk's large base HP stat means that it will not recover a lot of health against Pokemon with a lower base HP. Also, keep in mind that the ChestoRest strategy is a one-time deal, whereas Stunfisk can use RestTalk repeatedly.</p>
<p>Sweepers may have an easier time setting up on Stunfisk while it is resting. Having Quagsire and revenge killers such as Absol, Skuntank, and Mesprit on your team is a good way to deal with boosting sweepers. Another problem are Grass-type Pokemon such as Exeggutor, Leafeon, Parasect, and Torterra, who take little damage from either of Stunfisk's attacks and can easily 2HKO it in return. Stunfisk therefore appreciates teammates who resist Grass-type attacks. Leafeon will quickly fall to powerful special attackers such as Magmortar and Jynx. These two Pokemon can also defeat all but boosted Rock Polish Torterra, which can be dispatched by Choice Scarf users. Exeggutor and Parasect are trickier to handle: Choice Specs Exeggutor can 2HKO nearly every Pokemon in NU, and Parasect can use Spore to cripple anything you switch in. Altaria, Regice, and Cryonogal can usually absorb a few hits (Altaria will have to watch out for Hidden Power Ice) and either phaze Exeggutor away or attack it. Parasect falls quickly against Flying-type Pokemon, particularly Murkrow. Stunfisk also has trouble with defensive Pokemon since it no longer carries Toxic on this set. Having powerful sweepers on your team will keep these walls away from Stunfisk.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Thunderbolt
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Surf
move 4: Sludge Wave / Hidden Power Ice
item: Choice Specs
ability: Static
nature: Modest
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Stunfisk is often seen as a defensive Pokemon with an adequate, but certainly not stellar, base Special Attack, so many players will usually send in either a wall or frail sweeper to dispatch it. However, what your opponents did not realize was that Stunfisk becomes a dangerous lure with Choice Specs. Did your opponent send out Regirock to wall Stunfisk? Was he or she foolish enough to switch in an Absol to set up? Choice Specs Stunfisk can OHKO or 2HKO these Pokemon and more with its STAB Thunderbolt and Earth Power, both of which can deal heavy damage to any Pokemon that do not resist it or pack a lot of Special Defense. Surf hits Rotom-S and is a nice way to dispatch Ground-type Pokemon that try to switch into a Thunderbolt. The last two options are for coverage. Sludge Wave may seem like an odd move to use because Poison-type attacks have poor coverage. However, Sludge Wave is Stunfisk's strongest attack against Grass-type Pokemon. Hidden Power Ice deals less damage to Grass-type Pokemon, but is noteworthy for having a high chance to 2HKO defensive Altaria. Just remember that unless your opponent is a complete idiot, he or she will not fall for the same lure twice, so make sure that Stunfisk's initial attack counts.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Investing EVs in Speed is a bad idea due to Stunfisk's terrible base Speed stat. Instead, you should max out Stunfisk's HP and Special Attack to make it dish out as much damage as possible while still being able to sponge attacks. Speaking of which, you may find Life Orb a suitable substitute for Choice Specs since it allows Stunfisk to choose moves. However, using Life Orb takes away some of Stunfisk bulk and offensive power. With a base Special Attack of 81, Stunfisk definitely needs all the strength it can get.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, even with Choice Specs, Stunfisk cannot break through tough specially defensive Pokemon, particularly Regice, Cryonogal, and any Miltank that invests EVs in Special Defense. A powerful Fighting-type Pokemon, such as Sawk or Gallade, can quickly shatter these walls. Another solution is for Stunfisk to run Toxic in place of Surf. However, this is not recommended because Stunfisk will lose coverage against Ground-type Pokemon. Another threat to Stunfisk is Mesprit and other frequent users of Calm Mind, especially after they set up. Since most of these Calm Mind users are Psychic-type Pokemon, Dark-type Pokemon such as Skuntank and Absol should have no problem dealing with them. Unaware Quagsire can also take on Calm Mind users provided that it invests a few extra EVs in Special Defense.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Outside of Rest, the only other recovery move that Stunfisk can use is Pain Split. The only problem with Pain Split is that Stunfisk has a high base HP stat, so it may not recover a lot of health if the move is used against a Pokemon with a lower base HP stat. You should avoid using Thunder Wave because Stunfisk already has a high chance of inflicting paralysis with Static (and Discharge), making Thunder Wave a waste of a moveslot. The same thing applies for Yawn: while putting foes to sleep sounds heavenly, Toxic is arguably more important due to its ability to cripplewalls. Stunfisk could theoretically do well with a Curse set, since it has wonderful physical moves such as Bounce, Earthquake, Stone Edge, and Payback. However, Stunfisk's abysmal base 66 Attack stat means that it will require a lot of boosts to break through walls. In addition, Quagsire gives Stunfisk a lot of competition as the premier Curse user.</p>.
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Grass-types, Grass-types, GRASS-TYPES. Defensive and RestTalk Stunfisk can barely dent these Pokemon, while they can quickly defeat Stunfisk with their STAB super effective Grass-type attacks. These Grass-type Pokemon need to be careful around Choice Specs Stunfisk, but can come in safely after it's locked itself into an ineffective move or KOed a foe because Stunfisk has a terrible Speed stat—even Torterra can outspeed it! Substitute + Calm Mind users, particularly Mesprit, can use Substitute to evade Toxic and use Calm Mind until Stunfisk's attacks bounce right off. Pokemon who typically invest EVs in Special Defense, such as Altaria, Articuno, Regice, Regirock, and Meganium can shrug off blows from the first two sets and either set up or phaze Stunfisk out. However, Choice Specs Stunfisk can easily 2HKO these Pokemon with the exception of Regice. Finally, Stunfisk will fold under repeated attacks from powerful sweepers. Gardevoir, Jynx, Absol, Swellow, and other powerhouses can quickly dispatch Stunfisk before it even has time to react.</p>
