[OVERVIEW]
Wooper has one notable niche, which is that its unique set of immunities and access to reliable recovery allow it to almost completely wall several prominent threats. In addition, its decent physical bulk and access to Scald allow it to act as a soft check to certain physical attackers. However, Wooper remains a generally unviable Pokemon, as its pitiful offensive presence makes it extremely passive, its terrible special bulk means that it loses to almost any special attacker that has a neutral or super effective STAB move, and its double weakness to Grass means that rarer coverage moves shut it down.
[SET]
name: Water Absorb
move 1: Scald
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Recover
move 4: Yawn / Toxic / Encore / Haze
item: Eviolite
ability: Water Absorb
nature: Sassy
evs: 76 HP / 236 Def / 156 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Scald is Wooper's most spammable move, as it is boosted by STAB and carries a handy burn chance. Earthquake is Wooper's most powerful move, and it hurts the Electric- and Steel-types that Wooper will be switching into most often. Recover is necessary for Wooper to stick around and counter what it needs to counter repeatedly. The remaining slot is best used to help deter setup sweepers: Yawn pairs well with entry hazards, as it forces plenty of switches, Toxic cripples certain walls and puts a timer on foes, Encore can be used to gain momentum with proper prediction, and Haze ensures that the foe cannot set up on Wooper.
Set Details
========
The given EVs allow Wooper to reach respectable 23 / 21 / 18 bulk factoring in Eviolite, which is enough to usually avoid the 2HKO from Elekid's Life Orb-boosted Psychic from full health, even if the first Psychic lowers Wooper's Special Defense. The combination of EVs and nature gives Wooper Eviolite numbers for greater mixed bulk. Eviolite is necessary for Wooper to consistently avoid KOs from the Pokemon it needs to check. Water Absorb allows Wooper to wall a number of key Pokemon that could otherwise be difficult to deal with for many teams.
Usage Tips
========
Switch into Magnemite, Chinchou, Skrelp, Staryu, Stunky, Honedge, and Slowpoke with impunity; except for niche coverage moves, they barely threaten Wooper. Omanyte, Elekid, Surskit, and Tentacool are more likely to run Grass-type coverage moves, but they are otherwise mostly walled as well. Tirtouga, Ponyta, Larvesta, and Croagunk lose handily to Wooper; however, they can cripple Wooper with Knock Off or Will-O-Wisp in the process, so be careful if you need Wooper to check other threats. Wooper has the raw physical bulk needed to check some physical attackers, such as Eviolite Drilbur without Swords Dance. Use Recover frequently to stay healthy enough to wall what is necessary. Avoid Knock Off when possible, as Wooper needs its Eviolite to avoid a multitude of important 2HKOs. The most Wooper can do to most of its switch-ins is try to burn them with Scald, so use that most of the time; be wary of Guts Timburr, however.
Team Options
========
Wooper is far too ineffective overall to be used on a team that does not appreciate a full stop to one or more of the Pokemon that Wooper counters, so use it on a team that appreciates such a stop. Entry hazard removal is helpful to ensure that Wooper is not crippled by Toxic Spikes or other entry hazards, which may impede its walling capabilities. In particular, Skrelp and Tentacool greatly enjoy having a hard wall to most of their checks and can absorb Toxic Spikes; the latter is also able to utilize Rapid Spin to clear away other entry hazards. Entry hazard control in general is helpful; Wooper is somewhat adept at forcing switches to take advantage of hazards on the opponent's side of the field, so setters such as Ferroseed are beneficial. Wooper should only be used on slower teams, as it tends to kill momentum. Knock Off absorbers such as Mienfoo and Trubbish are good teammates, as Wooper needs to maintain its Eviolite. Clerics such as Spritzee can be used to deal with burns that Wooper may sustain from switching into Fire-types.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Unaware can be used over Water Absorb to make Wooper check a completely different set of Pokemon, including Zigzagoon and Fletchling. However, the Pokemon that Unaware Wooper attempts to check often have means to get around it; for example, Seed Bomb is a common coverage move on Zigzagoon. Additionally,Water Absorb Wooper arguably walls a more unique set of threats than Unaware Wooper does. None of Wooper's moves other than the ones listed are of any notable use. Ice-type coverage moves are much too weak to be worth using. Scald is superior to Waterfall because of its burn chance, which provides the majority of Wooper's damage output. Setup moves such as Stockpile and Curse are unlikely to result in a sweep, as they do not mitigate Wooper's enormous drawbacks.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Grass-types**: Grass-types resist both of Wooper's STAB types and easily force it out with their own.
**Gothita**: Wooper is weak enough to allow Gothita to directly switch into it. Once it's in play, Gothita can trap Wooper and eliminate it with Energy Ball.
**Grass-type Coverage Moves**: Running uncommon moves such as Hidden Power Grass allows Pokemon that Wooper would otherwise wall to beat it, although Wooper alone is not nearly viable enough to actually warrant doing so.
**Powerful Special Attackers**: Special attackers are able to prey on Wooper's lower Special Defense and KO it with powerful STAB moves, provided Wooper does not resist them.
**Knock Off**: Without its Eviolite, Wooper is quite frail, putting it into 2HKO range against a variety of Pokemon that it could otherwise check.
**Burns and Poison**: Damaging status conditions can force Wooper to use Recover more often than it would otherwise need to, eventually stalling out its PP, and can also make it harder to check threats in general.
Wooper has one notable niche, which is that its unique set of immunities and access to reliable recovery allow it to almost completely wall several prominent threats. In addition, its decent physical bulk and access to Scald allow it to act as a soft check to certain physical attackers. However, Wooper remains a generally unviable Pokemon, as its pitiful offensive presence makes it extremely passive, its terrible special bulk means that it loses to almost any special attacker that has a neutral or super effective STAB move, and its double weakness to Grass means that rarer coverage moves shut it down.
[SET]
name: Water Absorb
move 1: Scald
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Recover
move 4: Yawn / Toxic / Encore / Haze
item: Eviolite
ability: Water Absorb
nature: Sassy
evs: 76 HP / 236 Def / 156 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Scald is Wooper's most spammable move, as it is boosted by STAB and carries a handy burn chance. Earthquake is Wooper's most powerful move, and it hurts the Electric- and Steel-types that Wooper will be switching into most often. Recover is necessary for Wooper to stick around and counter what it needs to counter repeatedly. The remaining slot is best used to help deter setup sweepers: Yawn pairs well with entry hazards, as it forces plenty of switches, Toxic cripples certain walls and puts a timer on foes, Encore can be used to gain momentum with proper prediction, and Haze ensures that the foe cannot set up on Wooper.
Set Details
========
The given EVs allow Wooper to reach respectable 23 / 21 / 18 bulk factoring in Eviolite, which is enough to usually avoid the 2HKO from Elekid's Life Orb-boosted Psychic from full health, even if the first Psychic lowers Wooper's Special Defense. The combination of EVs and nature gives Wooper Eviolite numbers for greater mixed bulk. Eviolite is necessary for Wooper to consistently avoid KOs from the Pokemon it needs to check. Water Absorb allows Wooper to wall a number of key Pokemon that could otherwise be difficult to deal with for many teams.
Usage Tips
========
Switch into Magnemite, Chinchou, Skrelp, Staryu, Stunky, Honedge, and Slowpoke with impunity; except for niche coverage moves, they barely threaten Wooper. Omanyte, Elekid, Surskit, and Tentacool are more likely to run Grass-type coverage moves, but they are otherwise mostly walled as well. Tirtouga, Ponyta, Larvesta, and Croagunk lose handily to Wooper; however, they can cripple Wooper with Knock Off or Will-O-Wisp in the process, so be careful if you need Wooper to check other threats. Wooper has the raw physical bulk needed to check some physical attackers, such as Eviolite Drilbur without Swords Dance. Use Recover frequently to stay healthy enough to wall what is necessary. Avoid Knock Off when possible, as Wooper needs its Eviolite to avoid a multitude of important 2HKOs. The most Wooper can do to most of its switch-ins is try to burn them with Scald, so use that most of the time; be wary of Guts Timburr, however.
Team Options
========
Wooper is far too ineffective overall to be used on a team that does not appreciate a full stop to one or more of the Pokemon that Wooper counters, so use it on a team that appreciates such a stop. Entry hazard removal is helpful to ensure that Wooper is not crippled by Toxic Spikes or other entry hazards, which may impede its walling capabilities. In particular, Skrelp and Tentacool greatly enjoy having a hard wall to most of their checks and can absorb Toxic Spikes; the latter is also able to utilize Rapid Spin to clear away other entry hazards. Entry hazard control in general is helpful; Wooper is somewhat adept at forcing switches to take advantage of hazards on the opponent's side of the field, so setters such as Ferroseed are beneficial. Wooper should only be used on slower teams, as it tends to kill momentum. Knock Off absorbers such as Mienfoo and Trubbish are good teammates, as Wooper needs to maintain its Eviolite. Clerics such as Spritzee can be used to deal with burns that Wooper may sustain from switching into Fire-types.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Unaware can be used over Water Absorb to make Wooper check a completely different set of Pokemon, including Zigzagoon and Fletchling. However, the Pokemon that Unaware Wooper attempts to check often have means to get around it; for example, Seed Bomb is a common coverage move on Zigzagoon. Additionally,Water Absorb Wooper arguably walls a more unique set of threats than Unaware Wooper does. None of Wooper's moves other than the ones listed are of any notable use. Ice-type coverage moves are much too weak to be worth using. Scald is superior to Waterfall because of its burn chance, which provides the majority of Wooper's damage output. Setup moves such as Stockpile and Curse are unlikely to result in a sweep, as they do not mitigate Wooper's enormous drawbacks.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Grass-types**: Grass-types resist both of Wooper's STAB types and easily force it out with their own.
**Gothita**: Wooper is weak enough to allow Gothita to directly switch into it. Once it's in play, Gothita can trap Wooper and eliminate it with Energy Ball.
**Grass-type Coverage Moves**: Running uncommon moves such as Hidden Power Grass allows Pokemon that Wooper would otherwise wall to beat it, although Wooper alone is not nearly viable enough to actually warrant doing so.
**Powerful Special Attackers**: Special attackers are able to prey on Wooper's lower Special Defense and KO it with powerful STAB moves, provided Wooper does not resist them.
**Knock Off**: Without its Eviolite, Wooper is quite frail, putting it into 2HKO range against a variety of Pokemon that it could otherwise check.
**Burns and Poison**: Damaging status conditions can force Wooper to use Recover more often than it would otherwise need to, eventually stalling out its PP, and can also make it harder to check threats in general.
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