Wailord
QC: [Ice-eyes] [tennisace] [Zebraiken]
GP: [Jellicent] [badal]
[Overview]
<p>Wailord is one giant whale, so to speak. It has a massive HP that matches its enormous size, it has decent offenses, but poor Speed and defenses. There is pretty much only one viable set that Wailord can feasibly run, that is a Choice Scarf set. What makes this set viable, is Wailord's access to the near-exclusive move, Water Spout. Water Spout has a ridiculous amount of power, especially when Wailord is at full health, not to mention the fact that it gets a STAB boost. In general, Wailord is outclassed by several Pokemon when it comes to serious competitive play, but should you be unlucky enough to be swept by Wailord's STAB Water Spout, you will understand its true power.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Water Spout
move 2: Hydro Pump / Surf
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Hidden Power Grass
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Wailord is one of the few Pokemon with STAB Water Spout, and it hits hard even off of an average base 90 Special Attack. Hydro Pump or Surf are excellent alternatives when Wailord is low on HP, as Water Spout's power is greatly diminished with a low HP stat. Ice Beam hits the numerous Flying- and Grass-types in the tier, and destroys Altaria, who resists Wailord's STAB moves. Hidden Power Grass is Wailord's best bet against opposing Water-types, but it won't do much damage to most Pokemon, thanks to Hidden Power's low Base Power and Wailord's relatively low Special Attack.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>A Choice Scarf mitigates Wailord's poor Speed and turns it into a great revenge killer, especially as it has access to such a powerful STAB attack in Water Spout. The given EV spread, along with a Timid nature allows Wailord to outspeed everything up to Swoobat (base 114 Speed). However, Modest can be used for more power, which is something Wailord happens to lack when it is not using its STAB Water Spout. Hidden Power Electric is an option over Hidden Power Grass if you really care about hitting Mantine, but is generally an inferior option, given that Quagsire is much more common and Hidden Power Grass provides better overall coverage.</p>
<p>Since Wailord likes to spam the all-powerful Water Spout (which is what it does best), teammates such as Cryogonal and Torkoal that can rid the field of entry hazards are extremely useful. Wailord works best if played either early-game, before entry hazards are set up, or mid-game, where it can come in and surprise the opponent with a powerful STAB Water Spout, leaving big holes in its wake. Since Wailord serves as a revenge killer, it doesn't necessarily need a whole lot of support; because it is easily walled depending on its locked move, several obstacles will need to be removed before attempting to sweep, namely bulky Water-types, such as Wartortle, Mantine, and Gorebyss.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Wailord can run a Choice Specs set that functions well under Trick Room, but it requires quite a bit of support, making it rather unreliable, furthermore, there are many other Trick Room sweepers that do the job much better than Wailord. Toxic is an option over one of Wailord's moves in order to hit bulky Water-types and other walls on the switch, but being locked into Toxic can prove to be troublesome, and Wailord's moveset is very appropriate. Scald works as an alternative over Surf / Hydro Pump, but the 30% chance of a burn is usually not worth the loss of power. A defensive RestTalk set is possible, but highly unreliable due to the new sleep mechanics, and with Wailord's terrible defenses, it won't last too long, even with investment.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Since Wailord isn't particularly powerful, most teams shouldn't have a major problem with it. Dry Skin allows Jynx to switch in with impunity, as she resists Ice Beam as well, and takes pitiful damage from Hidden Power Grass. Bulky Water-types, such as Mantine and Alomomola can wall with ease and use Toxic in order to cripple it. Faster Choice Scarf users also work well, especially if they have a super effective move to hit Wailord with. Strong priority from the likes of Swords Dance Absol can also put a huge dent in it, despite its high HP stat.</p>
