Statistics
|
Min- |
Min |
Max |
Max+ |
| HP |
60
|
- |
261 |
324 |
- |
| Atk |
115
|
239 |
266 |
329 |
361 |
| Def |
105
|
221 |
246 |
309 |
339 |
| SpA |
65
|
149 |
166 |
229 |
251 |
| SpD |
70
|
158 |
176 |
239 |
262 |
| Spe |
80
|
176 |
196 |
259 |
284 |
This is a flailing set for Kabutops. It can actually be used in OU since it is a Rock-type and therefore, it resists Tyranitar's Sand Stream. This can also work in UU, but be mindful of Quick Attackers since combos like Endure/Flail are common in UU. 264 Speed is all that is needed since with Salac Berry, reaches 396 Speed. Jolly is required, because otherwise you won't reach that 264 Speed. With a Swords Dance, Rock Slide can do a little bit to Skarmory. With multiple Sword Dances, it is possible to 2HKO Skarmory (OHKOing with 3 Swords Dances is impossible though).
Knock Off makes Kabutops very annoying and can really help out your team. This is actually usable in OU as well, but that's not really the best idea since Kabutops is so slow, it has poor HP, and it has a large number of weaknesses to attacks that are common in OU. However, it can be useful on a team with Tyranitar since it makes Pokémon more vulnerable to Sandstream. This set also has its uses in UU since it means that Pokémon like Hypno have to recover more and Pokémon like Fearow that use Choice Band a lot cannot sweep as effectively.
This set is very straight forward and really should only be used in UU. In OU it is pointless to use this since Sandstream is so commonplace. However, this can definitely work in UU since Swift Swimmers can be fairly potent. Use Rain Dance to double your speed and sweep. You can Swords Dance as well to make yourself faster and your attacks much stronger. However, you don't necessarily have to use Surf, but it is a good idea. If you don't want to, use an Adamant Nature and put the Special Attack power into Speed. Surf is useful though for beating things like Solrock since Solrock and other similar Pokémon don't take as much damage from your main attack. Lum Berry is a good item choice so that your sweep isn't ruined by paralysis or burn.
This can be useful with some prediction since Kabutops has above-average Attack. The lack of Earthquake as a move choice though, really hinders Kabutops' ability to sweep. Double-Edge can really damage something, but Return works if you don't like recoil damage. Rock Slide is a good move in general and is a good STAB attack to have. Hidden Power Ground can hit Steel-types. It's a toss-up between Brick Break and Knock Off though, since Brick Break can hurt Normals much harder (it does ~10% more to a Snorlax than Double-Edge, if you choose to use this in OU). Knock Off, on the other hand, is good for a hit-and-run and is generally annoying.
Other Options
Rapid Spin is useful in OU since it clears away Spikes. Giga Drain can be used to attack Ground, Rock, and Water-types in the switch in, just in case they might be resistant to one of your physical attacks, most notably Swampert in standard and Quagsire in UU. Thief can be fun for stealing items, such as Choice Bands and Leftovers to help make life hard for your opponents, but Knock Off is superior. Confuse Ray can give you a bit more time to sweep. Body Slam gives the chance of some Paralysis, which can also be useful.
EVs
At least 264 Speed for the Endure set. Rain Dance Kabutops only needs 8 EVs of speed to get it at 198. Swords Dancing versions might want to attempt max Speed. Maximum attack power is always good on Kabutops as well. Don't use a -Special Attack nature if you plan on using a special attack since Kabutops has below-average Special Attack. If you're using Substitute with Flail, make sure your HP is not divisible by 4 so you are able to Substitute four times and maximize Flail's power.
Opinion
Kabutops can put the hurt on Skarmory with some boosts under its belt, but has trouble killing standards like Metagross and Swampert. Lacks Earthquake, which hurts it A LOT in terms of usability. Kabutops is a threat in UU matches, however.
Counters
OU: Suicune is a counter because of its high Defense and HP. Metagross can hurt Kabutops badly and Kabutops has nothing super effective against it but the weak Hidden Power Ground. Swampert counters Kabutops for the same reasons as Metagross. Donphan's high Defense means that Kabutops cannot hit it effectively. The same goes for Claydol. Kabutops cannot really touch Flygon either. However, Claydol, Flygon, and Donphan will take some damage from Surf.
UU: Golem, Solrock and Aggron counter most of Kabutops' sets because of their physical resistances and high Defense. They are weak to Surf though. Kabutops cannot really hit Meganium and kill it quickly, so Meganium can Counter an attack back or kill it outright. Blastoise has good defensive stats, and because it is a Water-type, Kabutops cannot get around its Defense without being hit hard by Blastoise. Hypno can wall Kabutops fairly well because of Wish, Reflect, and its ability to status Kabutops. However, if Kabutops knocks off Hypno's Leftovers, it can have a chance to dent it. Quagsire and Whiscash counter Kabutops in the same way Swampert does: they resist Rock and have decent Defense while packing a STAB Earthquake.
