Overview
########
Timburr is one of the biggest threats in the Little Cup metagame, both before and after setting up Bulk Up. Using its fantastic bulk and high Attack stat, Timburr can survive plenty of hits and then heal off all the damage it has taken with Drain Punch. Timburr's main goal is forcing out one of the opponent's Pokemon or finding a member of the opponent's team that can't harm it and then setting up a Bulk Up or two. After that, Timburr is set to tear big holes into the opponent's team. Knock Off makes trying to wall Timburr with a Ghost- or Psychic-type futile and takes away Eviolites from Fairy-type switch-ins that Timburr cannot otherwise touch. Mach Punch is what differentiates Timburr from all the other Fighting-types in the tier, giving it a way to pick off weakened targets that would otherwise get a free hit on it before going down. Not even burning Timburr will help, thanks to its Guts ability, which instead gives it a power boost.
As scary as Timburr is, Fairy-types are very solid counters to it. Spritzee, Snubbull, and Cottonee can switch into Timburr while taking practically nothing from even boosted Drain Punches, fearing only Knock Off and the rare Poison Jab. From there, their super effective STAB moves will force Timburr out and make it lose any boosts it has accumulated. Timburr also suffers from not having true reliable recovery, making it prone to being worn down. If Timburr can't find a turn to safely boost, it won't have enough Defense or recovery from Drain Punch to tank hits such as those from Fletchling and Archen. Volt Switch users, like Chinchou and Magnemite, can also wear Timburr down easily while not taking any damage. Timburr can absorb Knock Off in a pinch, but it really wants to keep its Eviolite to shore up its lower Special Defense.
Bulky Attacker
########
name: Bulky Attacker
move 1: Drain Punch
move 2: Mach Punch
move 3: Knock Off
move 4: Bulk Up
ability: Guts
item: Eviolite
evs: 116 Atk / 156 Def / 236 SpD
nature: Careful
Moves
========
Drain Punch is Timburr's best STAB move, letting it attack and recover health at the same time. Knock Off stops Ghost-, Psychic-, and Fairy-types from switching freely into what they may expect to be a Drain Punch or Mach Punch. It also removes Eviolite and Berry Juice to aid Timburr in its sweep. Mach Punch is vital to Timburr's success, as without it, Timburr could be worn down by very weakened threats that could get in a free hit and don't provide much Drain Punch recovery. Bulk Up is the move that makes Timburr threatening, providing it with a way to boost both its Attack and Defense and then sweep. If you really don't want to run Bulk Up on Timburr, Poison Jab is the next best option. After a Knock Off, Timburr can 2HKO Spritzee with Poison Jab while surviving the Moonblast thanks to its bulk. That said, Bulk Up is superior in almost every case and is highly recommended.
Set Details
========
The EV spread maximizes the boosts Timburr receives from Eviolite and Bulk Up while maxing its Special Defense, which it is unable to boost. With this spread, Timburr can survive very powerful attacks, such as Fletchling's Acrobatics and Focus Sash Abra's Psychic, even after taking Stealth Rock damage. If Timburr is supported by special walls, it can run a spread of 76 HP / 196 Atk / 76 Def / 156 SpD with an Impish nature instead. This gives it more power and a little bit more physical bulk at the cost of its Special Defense. This spread practically guarantees that Timburr will win any Bulk Up wars with opposing Timburr, as well as grabbing a few extra KOs at +1. If Timburr needs to take more hits, it can run a spread of 76 HP / 36 Atk / 156 Def / 236 SpD with a Careful nature. This lets it survive attacks such +2 Omanyte's Hydro Pump, but does mean that Timburr will not hit as hard, especially after boosts.
Usage Tips
========
Using Bulk Up at the right time is the key to getting the most out of Timburr. Weak attackers, such as Chinchou and Trubbish, and walls forced out by Timburr, such as Lileep and Lickitung, present the perfect setup opportunity. It's also easy to set up on Pokemon that want to spend a turn doing something like setting or removing hazards. Finally, Timburr can also set up in front of other setup Pokemon, such as Tirtouga and Zigzagoon. Even with Memento support, these Pokemon can't get past Timburr after it has used Bulk Up and regained some health with Drain Punch. Once Timburr has attained a Bulk Up boost or two, otherwise solid checks such as Fletchling and some Croagunk sets become incapable of stopping Timburr. If you need it to, Timburr can also absorb Knock Off well thanks to its resistance to the move, natural bulk, and ability to force out the move's most threatening user, Pawniard.
Team Options
========
Timburr absolutely needs a Pokemon that can switch into and remove Fairy-types to function well, and it doesn't hurt to also have a switch-in to Psychic- and Flying-types as well. Skrelp is a great teammate for Timburr, as it can can take on Fairies with ease with its powerful attacks and great bulk. Calm Mind Gothita can be used to trap and set up on Spritzee, the most common Fairy-type. As for Flying- and Psychic-types, Archen and Pawniard can handle those threats well. Pursuit users can help out a lot if your team has no solid way to remove Abra and Gastly, which hit Timburr hard and dissuade it from recovering with Drain Punch. Also, another Fighting-type such as Croagunk or Mienfoo used alongside Timburr can work well, as the two can wear down each other's checks.
Other Options
########
Timburr gets Iron Fist as a Hidden Ability that boosts the damage output of Drain Punch and Mach Punch. This is useful, but Guts is generally superior, as being immune to the Attack drop from being burned is one of Timburr's main selling points. Superpower is Timburr's most powerful reliable Fighting-type STAB move, but its stat drops after use and lack of recovery make it inferior to Drain Punch in most cases. Besides Poison Jab, Timburr has some other coverage options in Ice Punch and Stone Edge; Ice Punch lets it hit Flying-types and Foongus super effectively, while Stone Edge takes on Larvesta and Ponyta, as well as getting a more powerful but less accurate hit on Flying-types. What makes Poison Jab superior to these moves is the fact that Timburr cannot get past Fairies at all without it, while with enough boosts, Timburr can get through the aforementioned Pokemon without needing the respective coverage move. Finally, a RestTalk set can work, giving Timburr even more recovery along with a reliable way to trigger Guts, but Timburr must sacrifice one of its important moves in order to fit it in.
Checks & Counters
########
**Fairy-types:** Spritzee, Snubbull, Cottonee, and other Fairies stop Timburr cold, only fearing Knock Off and the rare Poison Jab.
**Revenge Killers:** Abra, Gastly, Gothita, and Fletchling can revenge kill Timburr if it's not at full health.
**Poison-types:** Skrelp, Croagunk, Foongus, and most other Poison-types resist Fighting and are not weak to Knock Off, so Timburr cannot hit them very hard without boosts.
########
Timburr is one of the biggest threats in the Little Cup metagame, both before and after setting up Bulk Up. Using its fantastic bulk and high Attack stat, Timburr can survive plenty of hits and then heal off all the damage it has taken with Drain Punch. Timburr's main goal is forcing out one of the opponent's Pokemon or finding a member of the opponent's team that can't harm it and then setting up a Bulk Up or two. After that, Timburr is set to tear big holes into the opponent's team. Knock Off makes trying to wall Timburr with a Ghost- or Psychic-type futile and takes away Eviolites from Fairy-type switch-ins that Timburr cannot otherwise touch. Mach Punch is what differentiates Timburr from all the other Fighting-types in the tier, giving it a way to pick off weakened targets that would otherwise get a free hit on it before going down. Not even burning Timburr will help, thanks to its Guts ability, which instead gives it a power boost.
As scary as Timburr is, Fairy-types are very solid counters to it. Spritzee, Snubbull, and Cottonee can switch into Timburr while taking practically nothing from even boosted Drain Punches, fearing only Knock Off and the rare Poison Jab. From there, their super effective STAB moves will force Timburr out and make it lose any boosts it has accumulated. Timburr also suffers from not having true reliable recovery, making it prone to being worn down. If Timburr can't find a turn to safely boost, it won't have enough Defense or recovery from Drain Punch to tank hits such as those from Fletchling and Archen. Volt Switch users, like Chinchou and Magnemite, can also wear Timburr down easily while not taking any damage. Timburr can absorb Knock Off in a pinch, but it really wants to keep its Eviolite to shore up its lower Special Defense.
Bulky Attacker
########
name: Bulky Attacker
move 1: Drain Punch
move 2: Mach Punch
move 3: Knock Off
move 4: Bulk Up
ability: Guts
item: Eviolite
evs: 116 Atk / 156 Def / 236 SpD
nature: Careful
Moves
========
Drain Punch is Timburr's best STAB move, letting it attack and recover health at the same time. Knock Off stops Ghost-, Psychic-, and Fairy-types from switching freely into what they may expect to be a Drain Punch or Mach Punch. It also removes Eviolite and Berry Juice to aid Timburr in its sweep. Mach Punch is vital to Timburr's success, as without it, Timburr could be worn down by very weakened threats that could get in a free hit and don't provide much Drain Punch recovery. Bulk Up is the move that makes Timburr threatening, providing it with a way to boost both its Attack and Defense and then sweep. If you really don't want to run Bulk Up on Timburr, Poison Jab is the next best option. After a Knock Off, Timburr can 2HKO Spritzee with Poison Jab while surviving the Moonblast thanks to its bulk. That said, Bulk Up is superior in almost every case and is highly recommended.
Set Details
========
The EV spread maximizes the boosts Timburr receives from Eviolite and Bulk Up while maxing its Special Defense, which it is unable to boost. With this spread, Timburr can survive very powerful attacks, such as Fletchling's Acrobatics and Focus Sash Abra's Psychic, even after taking Stealth Rock damage. If Timburr is supported by special walls, it can run a spread of 76 HP / 196 Atk / 76 Def / 156 SpD with an Impish nature instead. This gives it more power and a little bit more physical bulk at the cost of its Special Defense. This spread practically guarantees that Timburr will win any Bulk Up wars with opposing Timburr, as well as grabbing a few extra KOs at +1. If Timburr needs to take more hits, it can run a spread of 76 HP / 36 Atk / 156 Def / 236 SpD with a Careful nature. This lets it survive attacks such +2 Omanyte's Hydro Pump, but does mean that Timburr will not hit as hard, especially after boosts.
Usage Tips
========
Using Bulk Up at the right time is the key to getting the most out of Timburr. Weak attackers, such as Chinchou and Trubbish, and walls forced out by Timburr, such as Lileep and Lickitung, present the perfect setup opportunity. It's also easy to set up on Pokemon that want to spend a turn doing something like setting or removing hazards. Finally, Timburr can also set up in front of other setup Pokemon, such as Tirtouga and Zigzagoon. Even with Memento support, these Pokemon can't get past Timburr after it has used Bulk Up and regained some health with Drain Punch. Once Timburr has attained a Bulk Up boost or two, otherwise solid checks such as Fletchling and some Croagunk sets become incapable of stopping Timburr. If you need it to, Timburr can also absorb Knock Off well thanks to its resistance to the move, natural bulk, and ability to force out the move's most threatening user, Pawniard.
Team Options
========
Timburr absolutely needs a Pokemon that can switch into and remove Fairy-types to function well, and it doesn't hurt to also have a switch-in to Psychic- and Flying-types as well. Skrelp is a great teammate for Timburr, as it can can take on Fairies with ease with its powerful attacks and great bulk. Calm Mind Gothita can be used to trap and set up on Spritzee, the most common Fairy-type. As for Flying- and Psychic-types, Archen and Pawniard can handle those threats well. Pursuit users can help out a lot if your team has no solid way to remove Abra and Gastly, which hit Timburr hard and dissuade it from recovering with Drain Punch. Also, another Fighting-type such as Croagunk or Mienfoo used alongside Timburr can work well, as the two can wear down each other's checks.
Other Options
########
Timburr gets Iron Fist as a Hidden Ability that boosts the damage output of Drain Punch and Mach Punch. This is useful, but Guts is generally superior, as being immune to the Attack drop from being burned is one of Timburr's main selling points. Superpower is Timburr's most powerful reliable Fighting-type STAB move, but its stat drops after use and lack of recovery make it inferior to Drain Punch in most cases. Besides Poison Jab, Timburr has some other coverage options in Ice Punch and Stone Edge; Ice Punch lets it hit Flying-types and Foongus super effectively, while Stone Edge takes on Larvesta and Ponyta, as well as getting a more powerful but less accurate hit on Flying-types. What makes Poison Jab superior to these moves is the fact that Timburr cannot get past Fairies at all without it, while with enough boosts, Timburr can get through the aforementioned Pokemon without needing the respective coverage move. Finally, a RestTalk set can work, giving Timburr even more recovery along with a reliable way to trigger Guts, but Timburr must sacrifice one of its important moves in order to fit it in.
Checks & Counters
########
**Fairy-types:** Spritzee, Snubbull, Cottonee, and other Fairies stop Timburr cold, only fearing Knock Off and the rare Poison Jab.
**Revenge Killers:** Abra, Gastly, Gothita, and Fletchling can revenge kill Timburr if it's not at full health.
**Poison-types:** Skrelp, Croagunk, Foongus, and most other Poison-types resist Fighting and are not weak to Knock Off, so Timburr cannot hit them very hard without boosts.
Last edited:
