Swirlix [QC 2/3]

[apt-get]

cotton candy

[QC 2/3] Prem - Macle - ???
[GP 0/2] ??? - ???

Overview
########

-CUTE
-unburden is a godsend along with berry juice
-fairy typing is excellent on it
-good stats, pretty bulky, kinda slow but unburden fixes that issue
-good offenses
-excellent special coverage, with moves like surf, flamethrower, thunderbolt, psychic, dazzling gleam...
-limited physical coverage, essentially play rough/return/thief
-has setup moves for both attacking sides, belly drum and calm mind, excellent user of both moves thanks to its ability
-has problems with revenge killers and skrelp/tentacool, but a top tier pokémon nonetheless


Cotton Guard
########
name: Cotton Guard
move 1: Cotton Guard
move 2: Calm Mind
move 3: Draining Kiss
move 4: Flamethrower / Aromatherapy
ability: Unburden
item: Berry Juice
evs: 180 HP / 124 SpA / 60 SpD / 124 Spe
nature: Calm

Moves
========

-Cotton Guard lets swirlix tank any physical attack, even super effective ones
-Calm Mind patches up the special weakness, and lets it boost its SpA
-Draining Kiss becomes decently strong after a CM or two, and allows for recovery thanks to 75% recovery rate
-Flamethrower KOes steel-types like ferroseed (which has iron barbs for dkiss) and Pawniard (which threatens it with iron head), and Draining Kiss + Flamethrower KOes Magnemite
-Aromatherapy heals status like poison that my stop your sweep, but you won't be able to hit steels


Set Details
========

-EV spread gives it some needed bulk to tank attacks before boosting up
-some SpA investment to power up DKiss and flamethrower
-Hits 13 speed, doubled to 26 after unburden
-Berry Juice provides a much-needed full healing after using cotton guard and/or CM
-Calm Nature provides some special bulk

Usage Tips
========

-Set up on things that can't OHKO you
-Cotton Guard first, then CM, draining kiss when healing is needed
-Don't be afraid to greed, the only thing you should be careful of are crits
-Fightings are setup bait, it can survive a meditite zen headbutt too, which is cool
-Not as pivot-y as the classic CM set, but can still take some hits if needed

Team Options
========

-Something to take care of Sturdy Magnemite, which can do >80% after one CM with flash cannon, and has SturdyJuice
-Wynaut provides setup opportunities for Swirlix, which is rly cool, especially with this set, since setting up basically means gg
-Something to take care of Spritzee AKA the only thing that can beat swirlix, as CM + moonblast will beat swirlix in a CM war, along with WishTect


Belly Drum
########
name: Belly Drum
move 1: Belly Drum
move 2: Play Rough
move 3: Return
move 4: Substitute / Protect / Flamethrower / Thief
ability: Unburden
item: Berry Juice
evs: 212 Atk / 68 Def / 204 Spd
nature: Adamant

Moves
========

-Belly Drum is crux of this set (sorry), boosts swirlix's attack and activates unburden
-Play Rough is good STAB and obliterates everything, but 90% accuracy ;_;
-Return is more of a spammable move that hits fire types, seeing it has 100% accuracy and still kills most non-bulky things
-Substitute guarantees that a will-o-wisp or a thunder wave won't stop your sweep
-Protect stops meditite from revenging you with fake out + bullet punch, still hits hard but won't KO it after fake out's damage
-Flamethrower 2HKOes Honedge and Ferroseed, but if you choose to run it, use 52 SpA EVs instead of 68 Def and have a Naughty nature
-Thief beats honedge and Tirtouga, and steals evio on some things so you can tank a hit if you don't OHKO, but it removes the unburden boost


Set Details
========

-EV spread maximises attack and speed, dump rest in bulk and physical defense to ease initial boost and take priority better
-Adamant nature boosts attack, since it's only decent
-Berry Juice restores all of Swirlix's health after Belly Drum and activates Unburden
-hits 14 speed, when doubled, goes to 28 and ties with 19 speed scarfers, like gligar and murkrow and missy

Usage Tips
========

-Plays less recklessly than the Calm Mind set, as you usually only have one shot at sweeping
-Won't like priority as much as the other set, also doesn't get a special defense boost unlike with CM, so be careful with it
-Way higher sweep potential, but higher risk too
-Fighting-types are mostly setup bait, things such as Timburr and Mienfoo cannot do anything since Knock Off will just activate Berry Juice, just watch out for the odd Poison Jab variant

Team Options
========

-Something to eliminate priority users: since they're mainly fighting-types, a Gothita is really useful
-This set doesn't need to worry about opposing bulk, as it just OHKOes everything, but Stealth Rock or Spikes is useful for removing opposing Sturdy on pokémon like Tirtouga/Magnemite/etc
-Aromatherapy/Heal Bell support from something like Spritzee or Chinchou is good since this set hates status
-Pawniard and Swirlix have really good offensive synergy, as they're both powerful setup sweepers, and Pawniard can knock off things and switch in poison- and steel-type attacks while Swirlix can switch in the fighting-types that threaten Pawniard and set up on them.
-Wynaut helps, as it beats meditite and can encore things so that swirlix has a free setup

Calm Mind
########
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Dazzling Gleam
move 3: Flamethrower
move 4: Surf / Substitute
ability: Unburden
item: Berry Juice
evs: 20 HP / 68 Def / 204 SpA / 204 Spe
nature: Modest

Moves
========

-Calm Mind boosts attack and special defense, allowing it to sweep
-Dazzling Gleam is basically the most spammable move, some common shit is weak to it like fighting and dark types, and it has a good base power
-Flamethrower is here for those nasty steel-types, also helps to ko things weak to it like yanma and tangela
-Surf allows you to beat fire-types, since they resist every other move swirlix has; it also helps vs some rock-types that may threaten it, like archen
-Substitute prevents it from revenge killing, and since it forces out a lot of shit, it can setup behind a sub. paired with calm mind, you can make them even harder to break


Set Details
========

-EV spread maximises special attack and speed, dumping remaining EVs in defense to take priority attacks better
-Berry Juice is essential for unburden shenanigans, essentially restoring all of its health and doubling its speed
-hits 14 speed, when doubled, goes to 28 and ties with 19 speed scarfers, like gligar and murkrow and missy
-Modest nature is preferred to hit as hard as possible, timid can be used to tie with +1 timid yanma after the unburden boost

Usage Tips
========

-One of the best knock off switch-ins, since it resists dark and can activate Unburden
-Be careful when setting up, as a lot of shit can OHKO it if it outspeeds it, like Bunnelby, if they switch out directly without activating your berry juice
-Don't be afraid to setup more against specially attacking things if you have an Unburden boost, you can tank their hits anyway with Calm Mind's SDef boosts
-Fighting-types are mostly setup bait, things such as Timburr and Mienfoo cannot do anything since Knock Off will just activate Berry Juice, just watch out for the odd Poison Jab variant

Team Options
========

-Something with SR or Spikes, like Ferroseed and Dwebble, since it really helps Swirlix getting some KOes, like on Vullaby, which is not OHKOed by a +1 Dazzling Gleam except with SR
-Knock Off users are cool, as they can help Swirlix's sweep by removing Berry Juices, Eviolites, and whatnot
-Missy appreciates Swirlix since it hates knock off; Missy can wallbreak with Nasty Plot to allow for a lategame Swirlix sweep
-Pawniard and Swirlix have really good offensive synergy, as they're both powerful setup sweepers, and Pawniard can knock off things and switch in poison- and steel-type attacks while Swirlix can switch in the fighting-types that threaten Pawniard and set up on them.
-Wynaut helps, as it beats meditite and can encore things so that swirlix has a free setup


Other Options
########

-Draining Kiss on offensive set can be useful to restore health
-Psychic can be cool for Grimer/Tentacool/Skrelp/Koffing/etc on CM set
-Thunderbolt too, can beat frillish easier but that's it
-Yawn in any of the sets, grants some free setup on a switch

Checks & Counters
########

-Fake Out + Bullet Punch Meditite beats it
-Vulpix, Drought renders surf neutral, and it resists Dazzling Gleam, meaning it can stall it out and slowly whittle it with fire blast/flamethrower or Pain Split on a defensive set
-Magnemite beats it pretty well, flash cannon has a good shot at KOing vs +1 swirlix, and Berry Juice sturdy ensures it will always survive two hits from it, even if they would have KOed it
-Priority users in general are good checks
-Ferroseed can easily take on the Belly Drum set and thunder wave/iron head and can take an unboosted flamethrower, however if swirlix has a CM
-Bulky normal-types like Porygon/Munchlax/Lickitung can easily tank swirlix's hits and paralyze/KO it
-Skrelp/Tentacool are good checks to the special set, given they resist every move and have STAB sludge bomb to beat it, Grimer too has poison jab and good bulk to tank any move at +1 or +2
-Sturdy Pokémon in general, Dwebble can smash and outspeed and KO with rock blast, while tirt has the stone edge + aqua jet to revenge kill it

 

[apt-get]

ready for QC checks

 

[prem]

id like to see the set order switched. i know CM is the more common set, but BD is a lot more threatening in the metagame. other QC can weigh in on this but this is my opinion.

Calm mind
i wouldnt slash psychic. yes it beats those poison types, but you say it yourself; they dont really exist. just move it to other options
mention how its one of the prime knock off switch ins.
good teammate for things like missy who hate knock off.
give examples for the sr things. like tesshiido or dwebble

belly drum
I'd slash flamethrower with theft. it actually beats things ask Corkscrew for a better explaination.
aromathherapy support from something like chinchou cause you hate status.

c&c
vulpix is not immune to dazzling gleam
ferro can actually take a flamethrower if its not at +1. doesnt stop swirlix from winning but it does let it use twave.
porygon
munchlax
lickitung

do everything besides MAYBE the set order thing. ask other people about that... then

1/3

 

[Camden]

When running the Belly Drum set, make sure your HP is an even number, or else Belly Drum won't drop you to the 50% needed to trigger Berry Juice/Unburden, leaving you prone to be KO'd. As it stands, your BD Swirlix will only drop to BJ range assuming Stealth Rock is up, which isn't always a guarantee.

 

[apt-get]

id like to see the set order switched. i know CM is the more common set, but BD is a lot more threatening in the metagame. other QC can weigh in on this but this is my opinion.

Calm mind
i wouldnt slash psychic. yes it beats those poison types, but you say it yourself; they dont really exist. just move it to other options
mention how its one of the prime knock off switch ins.
good teammate for things like missy who hate knock off.
give examples for the sr things. like tesshiido or dwebble

belly drum
I'd slash flamethrower with theft. it actually beats things ask Corkscrew for a better explaination.
aromathherapy support from something like chinchou cause you hate status.

c&c
vulpix is not immune to dazzling gleam
ferro can actually take a flamethrower if its not at +1. doesnt stop swirlix from winning but it does let it use twave.
porygon
munchlax
lickitung

do everything besides MAYBE the set order thing. ask other people about that... then

1/3

implemented, I'm not sure about the set order because Belly Drum is waaay riskier than CM and switches into Knock Off harder, so it can't abuse its qualities as much as the CM set, but I guess it's way more powerful, however I still prefer CM as the first set

When running the Belly Drum set, make sure your HP is an even number, or else Belly Drum won't drop you to the 50% needed to trigger Berry Juice/Unburden, leaving you prone to be KO'd. As it stands, your BD Swirlix will only drop to BJ range assuming Stealth Rock is up, which isn't always a guarantee.

implemented

 

[macle]

2/3 everything looks good

 

[Rowan]

Flamethrower is only actually that much better for Ferroseed. +6 Thief OHKOs Honedge, whilst Flamethrower doesn't and does slightly more damage than Flamethrower to Magnemite (though Play Rough still does more than both to Mag). I'd only mention Flamethrower in OO tbh

 

[Goddess Briyella]

I am shocked that there is no mention of Cotton Guard in this entire analysis, a move that shoots Defense up to +3 in only one turn. A set with Cotton Guard, Calm Mind, and Draining Kiss is extremely hard to take down, especially after the Speed advantage provided by Unburden kicks in when Berry Juice restores its health back to full; until this happens Swirlix often gets two turns of setup and is prepared for the long haul in a match, even in the face of super effective attacks it may have to put up with later. Draining Kiss is a weak move but it offers 75% healing of the damage it causes instead of the typical 50% of draining attacks, and this greatly assists in Swirlix's survival, which is made even more potent after Calm Mind boosts, providing even more continuous healing in the process. Due to the potency of this combination, I think this warrants its own set entitled Cotton Guard. It's more stally and therefore less immediately powerful than the other two sets, but is incredible nonetheless, especially if it comes in on something it can force out. The set I've been using is below. The Speed EVs allow it to hit 26 Speed, which isn't quite as good as 28 Speed, but still outspeeds the entire unboosted tier and the majority of Scarfers. The HP EVs even let it hit 25, a Stealth Rock number.

Cotton Guard
########
name: Cotton Guard
move 1: Cotton Guard
move 2: Calm Mind
move 3: Draining Kiss
move 4: Flamethrower
ability: Unburden
item: Berry Juice
evs: 180 HP / 124 SpA / 60 SpD / 124 Spe
nature: Calm

This set should be added underneath the other two. I apologize if this is extra work and I'll be glad to battle with this set to show how potent it is, but Cotton Guard is way too good to just relegate to the Other Options segment. Swirlix is one of the more conspicuous threats in the tier and as such, a set this good cannot be kept out of the analysis. It's less common than the other two but still sees reasonable usage. Add this set and the information that goes with it, and this is good to go as far as I'm concerned.



Add this in and that's QC 3/3. Otherwise, talk to me about it.

 

[Heysup]

If it's not too late, I think you should definitely throw Yawn as the filler slot in a lot of the sets because it forces a switch or gives you a free turn to set up, while the fillers have their merits, sometimes the free turn is more important.

 

[DTC]

The Belly Drum EVs should be 212 Atk / 68 Def / 204 Spe instead of the current spread, as it gives Swirlix 1 more Defense. Special Attack is useless to boost if you're not using Flamethrower which isn't even on the set, but make sure to note to use an alternate EV spread (the one currently in the analysis) if you choose to use Flamethrower.

 

[Punchshroom]

Speaking of which, the Belly Drum set still has mentions of Flamethrower. Replace them with Thief which lets it hit Honedge and also steal shit.

 

[Rowan]

Been using BD swirlix a lot recently and a thing I've found is Protect in the last slot goes pretty well. If you have decent enough health, this will stop Meditite from revenging you with Fake Out + Bullet Punch which is Swirlix's no. 1 check. Ofc Bullet Punch still hits hard (over 50%) but if you do manage to set up vs. Timburr, Mienfoo or anything else which can't do shit, chances are you'll be at a high enough health for this to be worth it.

also wynaut in teammates is cool... not only can it eliminate meditite, it can also use encore to guarantee swirlix set up.

also other sturdy pokemon in C&C.

 

[Ray Jay]

Hi apt-get, just need you to look at briyellas check and respond to that. Also, I would highly recommend looking at some different slashes for the third slot of BD Swirlix, personally I'm not the biggest fan of Sub there, would definitely recommend it be Thief / Protect / Aromatherapy. But yeah respond to the people that have posted, this is an important analysis for us to finish up!

 

[Goddess Briyella]

I just want to throw in that Thief is horrible on the Belly Drum set, because you lose your Unburden boost if you steal an item with it, which will happen after Berry Juice is consumed, and then your Speed is no longer doubled and your sweeping capabilities become severely limited (i.e. Pawniard outspeeds and OHKOs with Iron Head, etc). Apart from that, the only relevant thing you'd be needing Thief for to get a OHKO on (and therefore not steal an item) is Honedge, and its viability is hugely hampered by the prevalence of Gligar.

I recommend using Protect, Aromatherapy, or Flamethrower for the final slot on the Belly Drum set for this reason.

 

[DTC]

the belly drum set should be first as i'm pretty sure most of the active lc players agree that BD is the most threatening because of how scary it gets from a single turn of setup. not that cm is bad, it's just belly drum is the shit atm.

 

[Unowninator]

Belly Drum
########
name: Belly Drum
move 1: Belly Drum
move 2: Play Rough
move 3: Return
move 4: Thief / Substitute
ability: Unburden
item: Berry Juice
evs: 212 Atk / 44 SpA / 204 Spd
nature: Naughty

This set has no special attacks.

 

[Goddess Briyella]

This set has no special attacks.

I think Flamethrower was originally an option for the fourth moveslot, and that's why it's here. It should be Naughty/Adamant though, for when using Flamethrower and not using it, respectively.

 

[apt-get]

decided to stop being lazy and updated everything

I also put cotton guard as the first set, this may be controversial but imo it's the most threatening set of all three. BDrum is the second set, and really, CM isn't as good as it was before.

 

[Rowan]

Thief isn't horrible on the Belly Drum set. It is the only way you are going to sweep through Sturdy Tirtouga, therefore it should be there and is viable. You're not going to be spamming it all the time. It just should be noted not to spam it against eviolite mons. but vs. tirt if you are at full health you can steal the berry juice, take a hit, heal back up and still outspeed and KO. if you are at 50% health, you steal berry juice, go straight back up and survive the next hit. otherwise tirtouga just 2hkos with stone edge whilst you only succeed in activating sturdy twice. Goddess Briyella

 

[apt-get]

Thief isn't horrible on the Belly Drum set. It is the only way you are going to sweep through Sturdy Tirtouga, therefore it should be there and is viable. You're not going to be spamming it all the time. It just should be noted not to spam it against eviolite mons. but vs. tirt if you are at full health you can steal the berry juice, take a hit, heal back up and still outspeed and KO. if you are at 50% health, you steal berry juice, go straight back up and survive the next hit. otherwise tirtouga just 2hkos with stone edge whilst you only succeed in activating sturdy twice. Goddess Briyella

It's in anyway

 

[Goddess Briyella]

Thief isn't horrible on the Belly Drum set. It is the only way you are going to sweep through Sturdy Tirtouga, therefore it should be there and is viable. You're not going to be spamming it all the time. It just should be noted not to spam it against eviolite mons. but vs. tirt if you are at full health you can steal the berry juice, take a hit, heal back up and still outspeed and KO. if you are at 50% health, you steal berry juice, go straight back up and survive the next hit. otherwise tirtouga just 2hkos with stone edge whilst you only succeed in activating sturdy twice. Goddess Briyella

This is true, but it's one instance, and it's pretty useless in most other cases. You lose to Fake Out Meditite if you're not running Protect, and you lose to status if you're not running Substitute or Aromatherapy. Intimidate Growlithe can survive a hit from Play Rough, Return, or Thief after Belly Drum, and cripple Swirlix with Will-O-Wisp.

+5 252+ Atk Swirlix Play Rough vs. 76 HP / 156+ Def Eviolite Growlithe: 12-14 (52.1 - 60.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

+5 252+ Atk Swirlix Return vs. 76 HP / 156+ Def Eviolite Growlithe: 18-22 (78.2 - 95.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

+5 252+ Atk Swirlix Thief vs. 76 HP / 156+ Def Eviolite Growlithe: 11-13 (47.8 - 56.5%) -- 75% chance to 2HKO


Given this point, I can say that Thief deserves a slash like it already has, but I think the other options are superior to it in most cases. You can get past Tirtouga by running Stealth Rock.

Also, you are walled by Ferroseed (and therefore probably paralyzed/seeded) without Flamethrower.

+6 252+ Atk Swirlix Play Rough vs. 0 HP / 188+ Def Eviolite Ferroseed: 10-12 (50 - 60%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

+6 252+ Atk Swirlix Return vs. 0 HP / 188+ Def Eviolite Ferroseed: 8-9 (40 - 45%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

+6 252+ Atk Swirlix Thief vs. 0 HP / 188+ Def Eviolite Ferroseed: 10-12 (50 - 60%) -- guaranteed 2HKO


The fourth moveslot should be specifically dependent on what the player wants to be able to beat, to be objectively honest. It depends on preference and what its team already has covered. As long as this point is highlighted in the writeup, I'm fine with it.

 

[Rowan]

Cotton Guard set:
usage tips:
mention that unburden isn't as important on this set as the other sets so if it's berry juice gets wasted it's not too much of a problem switching out.

team options:
be more specific instead of saying 'something', provide examples etc. (e.g. poison types take care of spritzee, can also toxic/toxic spikes random stuff which actually helps this swirlix a lot since it can't OHKO stuff)
add Stealth Rock users, to beat sturdy Mag.
diglett can take out any poison or fire or the odd steel mon that could wall it. can also provide set up opportunity with memento.

----------

Belly Drum set:
moves:
mention that stealing a berry juice with thief can be pretty cool, but say that stealing a permanent item that stops unburden could be very costly.
talk about how the final moveslot depends on what the team can handle... e.g. if you have something to remove tite, protect is less useful, if you have something to remove sturdy, thief is less useful.

set details:
comment on the fact that HP must be an even number, and that's why the spare EVs don't go there.
the alternate spread if you're using flamethrower.

team options:
stealth rock and spikes also help you net some KOs. after SR you have an 83% chance to OHKO 124/156+ foongus. guarantess the KO on evioliteless koffing.
mention goth and wynaut at the same time.
other set up sweepers like tirtouga and dwebble are actually really good for weakening the opposing team beforehand.

----------

Calm Mind set:

team options:
again, SR breaks sturdies like mag, tirt.

---------

Other options:
hidden power ground gives almost perfect coverage (excluding koffing, zubat, bronzor and gastly) so can be used on cotton guard set... flamethrower is generally better for ferroseed though.

Checks & Counters:
foongus and koffing alongside the other poison types, both can survive a +6 return. gunk shot> poison jab on grimer, guarantees the KO.
Haze (especially from krow), clear smog from the poisons.
munchlax can whirlwind it out removing unburden forever.

QC 3/3. Quick, write it up before it gets banned!

 

[Expulso]

checks and counters; unaware woobat, wooper

hurry not much time gogogo

 

[Goddess Briyella]

QC 3/3. Quick, write it up before it gets banned!

This.

 

[Pancham]

Goodbye, Swirlicute. We will all miss you very much, even though you swept our asses countless times during your reign of supremacy. It's time for the new Supreme to show itself, now that our previous has been forsaken.