Throh/Nageki.
Status: Going through, removing Ubers mentions. testing the viability of these sets as well.
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[Overview]
- Most defensive Fighting-type made yet (120 HP and 85 Defenses).
- Related to above, has few exploitable weaknesses and key resistances to Rock, Bug, and Dark attacks.
- Excellent phazing potential with Overhead Throw.
- Poor STAB options but excellent coverage movepool.
- Limited offensive potential (100 Atk) and poor Speed (45).
name: Phazer
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Overhead Throw
move 3: Body Slam
move 4: Payback
item: Leftovers
ability: Guts
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 64 Atk / 136 Def / 56 SpD
[set comments]
- With excellent physical defense, Nageki's Substitutes can withstand basically every unboosted Dragon Tail, allowing it to avoid being phazed away.
- EVs are split to survive STAB Dragon Tails, then to maximize special bulk. Resultingly Nageki takes 48% maximum from Life Orb Gengar Shadow Ball.
- 111 HP Substitutes also survive Seismic Toss, allowing an undamaged Nageki to phaze out a Blissey that switches in without losing Sub in the process.
- The Substitute also survive all U-turns (including CB Scizor's at 18.9-22.3%), reducing the effectiveness of scouting against Nageki.
- Overhead Throw phazes out opponents, preventing the opponent from setting up.
- Body Slam's high paralysis rate allows Nageki to paralyze faster opponents and phaze them out before they can Roar or Whirlwind.
- Payback 2HKO's Rapid Spin Starmie and OHKO's Gengar after Stealth Rock damage.
- Nageki is at the same Base Speed as Dusknoir, so if you run Relaxed or alter speed IVs you can get double damage from Payback.
- If you run paralysis support on the rest of your team, Bulk Up can be used over Body Slam to let Nageki phaze bulkier set-up Pokemon like Roobushin.
- Taunt can also be used over Body Slam to prevent phazing from Roar and Whirlwind without relying on paralysis.
- Pokemon that can set up hazards are ideal for Nageki, especially if they draw primarily Rock Attacks. Skarmory does this quite well, while also drawing the fire and electric attacks that can status Nageki, activating Guts.
- A Spinblocker is also ideal, so bulky Ghosts like Desukan or Dusknoir
- If running Bulk Up, multiple pokemon with paralysis moves is ideal. Jarooda is particularly notable for being a fast pokemon with Glare that tends to lure out Skarmory, while chasing away Swampert. Both are common phazers that can act before Nageki.
- Bulky Pokemon with Substitute keep Nageki from phazing them out, they can then try and overpower it over time.
- A successful use of Rapid Spin ruins much of the damage potential that Nageki gets out of repeatedly switching opponents into hazards.
- Faster Roar and Whirlwind users like Swampert and Skarmory can phaze Nageki out before it do the same to them with Overhead Throw.
- If Nageki is not behind a Subsitute, powerful Psychic and Flying attacks can usually take it out.
name: Special Defensive Booster
move 1: Bulk Up
move 2: Mountain Storm / Brick Break
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Payback
item: Leftovers
ability: Guts
nature:Careful
evs: 208 HP / 48 Atk / 252 SpD
[Set Comments]
- Ideal switch-in to Boiling Water or Will-o-Wisp, able to capitalize on the low damage and become a very bulky threat with Guts and Bulk Up.
- Only Toxicroak resists the combination of Fighting/Dark/Rock, everything else is hit for neutral or better damage.
- Mountain Storm has more technical power than Brick Break (80 after guaranteed crit is factored ib) and ignores opposing stat boosts, but is ineffective against Battle Armor Pokemon and can set off Anger Point. Brick Break breaks down the opponent's screens and has no drawback. Nageki's other STAB options are either weaker or more situational.
- Earthquake may be substituted in for Stone Edge or Payback depening on how your team covers other threats.
- Facade is risky because Nageki is not guaranteed to be statused, but is Nageki's most powerful move when boosted.
- Nageki's other STAB options are Revenge, which requires being hit to be worth the payoff and has negative priority, Ankle Sweep which is weak and won't lower much of anything important to Nageki's speed, and Superpower, which has the most immediate power but balances out a Bulk Up boost.
- Overhead Throw can be used over a coverage move to help secure any boosts Nageki gets and force out scarier sweepers.
- Strong physical sweepers that can lure out Bulky Waters and bait Will-o-Wisp to provide Nageki a chance to wear the opponent down.
- Rapid Spin support to keep entry damage on Nageki's initial switch-in to a minimum. Donphan and Doryuuzu are notable for luring out Bulky Waters.
- Toxic Spikes make it much easier for Nageki to wear down Bulky Waters for your other sweepers.
- Skarmory counters Nageki like it does most physical threats.
- Milotic can still Haze or Phaze away most of its boosts with Dragon Tail, although it can't win in a direct confrontation.
- Nageki has a fairly limited movepool and a very specific niche; it performs offensive sets poorly in comparison to its counterparts.
- However, this means Toxic is always an option for crippling those bulky Pokemon that aren't utilizing Rest.
- Skarmory counters Nageki expertly and is difficult to wear down.
- Bulky Waters that can phaze and possess reliable recovery of their own can minimize Nageki's attempts to wear an opposing team down.
- Mold Breaker enhances the Phazing set's prowess by allowing Nageki to bypass odd abilities like Battle Armor and Suction Cups and making Earthquake a comparable coverage move to Payback. Both will KO Gengar, but Earthquake will also nail defensive Pokemon like Bronzong and Rotom-A. Since the phazing set operates much of the time behind a Substitute, Status isn't as big an issue, and it'd prefer Leftovers recovery to a Guts boost anyway.
