Ash Borer
I've heard they're short of room in hell
[OVERVIEW]
* Terrakion's excellent offensive typing, good Attack, useful Speed tier, and access to some key utility moves make it a great Choice Scarf and Stealth Rock user.
* It also can run wallbreaking and sweeping sets, but in general they're not suited well for SM OU.
* This is because Landorus-T usually outclasses it as a sweeper or wallbreaker, and Dugtrio's presence really solidifies this.
* Terrakion faces competition as a Stealth Rock or Choice Scarf user too, but overall it has enough advantages to carve itself a place in these roles.
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: Stone Edge
move 3: Rock Slide
move 4: Earthquake / Poison Jab
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Justified
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Close Combat is Terrakion's most powerful move with little practical drawbacks. Thanks to its high power Terrakion remains a strong attacker against less-than-defensive teams, even though it lacks any kind of boosting item or move.
* Stone Edge completes the STAB combination and achieves very good neutral coverage.
* Rock Slide, although seemingly redundant with Stone Edge, is worth a moveslot for its accuracy. Many of Terrakion's targets for revenge killing such as Volcarona, Mega Charizard X, Salamence, and Gyarados are weak to Rock-type attacks, and relying on Stone Edge's poor accuracy is too inconsistent. It also has a high flinch chance, which has good synergy with a Choice Scarf.
* Earthquake is good filler to harass potential Magearna, Metagross, and Toxapex switch-ins better than anything else Terrakion has.
* Poison Jab is also an option, letting Terrakion more reliably revenge kill Tapu Koko and Choice Scarf Tapu Lele. It also has a handy poison chance to inflict potential chip damage on defensive switch-ins like Tangrowth.
Set Details
========
* 252 Speed EVs, a Jolly nature, and a Choice Scarf empower Terrakion to act as a very effective revenge killer, outspeeding nearly every sweeper.
* 252 Attack EVs are obligatory for doing as much damage as possible.
Usage Tips
========
* Choice Scarf Terrakion is purely a revenge killer, so it should primarily be used for checking fast threats as necessary. Be conservative of Terrakion if the opponent has specific targets like Volcarona and Salamence.
* However, there are situations where revenge killing may not be necessary, should the opponent's team be very defensive and slow. In this case Terrakion is probably the least important member of your team and can be used for strategic sacrificing, and dangerously switching into predicted resisted hits.
* In general, think about how much you need Terrakion in the match, and play it as carefully or aggressively as this dictates.
Team Options
========
* As is the nature of Choice Scarf Pokemon, it's more of a patch over weaknesses to certain threats, rather than something a team builds around. Pokemon that are very strong, but are otherwise weak to what Terrakion revenge kills effortlessly are going to take advantage of its presence best.
* Top setup sweepers that Terrakion can fairly reliably revenge kill include Volcarona, Salamence, Gyarados, Mega Charizard X, Shift Gear Magearna, Porygon-Z, Celesteela, Dragonite, and Z-Rain Dance Manaphy. When building a team, assess how weak it is to these threats, and use Terrakion to rectify this.
[SET]
name: Stealth Rock
move 1: Stone Edge
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Stealth Rock
move 4: Taunt / Swords Dance
item: Focus Sash
ability: Justified
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Stone Edge and Close Combat together form excellent coverage and have great power.
* Setting Stealth Rock is the main purpose of this set, and Terrakion's offensive presence makes it a convincing user of the move.
* Taunt is quite useful for preventing opponents from laying their own Stealth Rock or Defogging against Terrakion.
* Swords Dance is used to make a fool of defensive entry hazard countermeasures like Sableye and Skarmory. Boosting as they switch in will result in their demise. In general Swords Dance makes Terrakion more adept against stall, but less so against more balanced and offensive teams.
Set Details
========
* Focus Sash gives Terrakion a guaranteed turn to lay Stealth Rock. Even without a boosting item one can get past defensive Defog users, so the item makes Terrakion very good against offense and defense alike.
* Maximum Attack, maximum Speed, and a Jolly nature are obligatory on account of Terrakion's all-out offensive nature.
Usage Tips
========
* Calculating how easy it is for the opponent to remove your hazards is key to using this set. Should the opponent have an entry hazard removal user that can quite easily switch into something on your team, it's a poor idea to simply lead with Terrakion and use Stealth Rock in a suicidal fashion. However, if they lack easy hazard removal, this is usually a good idea.
* Obviously don't lead with Terrakion against a team with Mega Sableye; ideally you want to boost while it switches into Terrakion.
* Choice Scarf is by far Terrakion's most used set. You can bluff that set fairly effectively, as long as you have other potential Stealth Rock users on the team.
* Unlike Pokemon like Azelf, Terrakion's Taunt has good surprise factor. Feel free to use it whenever you think the opponent intends to use a non-attacking move; they will almost never predict Taunt and attack.
Team Options
========
* Offensive Stealth Rock users are best suited for offensive teams. Powerful attackers like Metagross, Pheromosa, Tapu Koko, Tapu Lele, and Greninja are a good place to start when looking to capitalize on guaranteed entry hazards.
* Late-game sweepers like Salamence, Volcarona, and Trick Room Magearna complement Terrakion well, taking advantage of the excessive chip damage early-game hazards cause.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
* Wallbreaking Z-Crystal and Choice Band sets hit extremely hard, but the metagame is fairly unkind to them. Other wallbreakers like Landorus-T, Tapu Bulu, and Alolan Marowak have significantly better defensive merits while evading the threat of Dugtrio.
* Double Dance / Rock Polish-based sets are solid, but again Landorus-T can also get past nearly every wall and outrun nearly every revenge killer, while having much better defensive attributes.
* A mixed 4 attacks Life Orb set with Hidden Power Ice to 2HKO Landorus-T is a fun attacker, but there are better choices in the tier. Tapu Lele, Greninja, Metagross, and Tapu Koko are examples.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Physical Walls**: Anything with solid physically defensive attributes and no weakness to Terrakion's attacks, like Hippowdon, Landorus-T, Tangrowth, or Mega Venusaur, can rightfully claim to counter Terrakion. Though this is the case, a Swords Dance-boosted Stone Edge or Close Combat will deal hefty damage to any of these walls before Terrakion faints.
**Dugtrio**: The main reason why Dugtrio is so problematic to Terrakion is that it prevents Terrakion from effectively running wallbreaking sets. While neither of the sets detailed are particularly stifled by Dugtrio, Terrakion can certainly be trapped and KOed by it.
**Revenge Killers**: Terrakion's Speed without a boost is not enough to ever be in a position to outspeed everything. Plenty of attackers in the tier like Greninja, Pheromosa, Mega Metagross, and Alakazam can simply outspeed Terrakion and KO it. There is also no shortage of Pokemon that can absorb a Choice Scarf Terrakion's attack and retaliate with an OHKO. Magearna, Tapu Bulu, and Keldeo are among many examples.
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