Almost Any Ability
Overview
Minior's excellent Speed stat makes it one of the fastest Pokemon in the metagame after a Shell Smash boost, and its solid offensive stats allow it to function as a powerful mixed sweeper, particularly with boosts. Minior's decent movepool gives it access to Shell Smash and near-perfect coverage, allowing it to sweep most offensive teams. Its rare Rock / Flying typing allows Minior to freely switch into Ground-type attacks and Spikes while not giving many resistances that prevent Focus Sash from triggering. However, a reliance on Focus Sash activation leaves Minior vulnerable to chip damage and weak attacks. Minior falls short of KOing bulky attackers or walls such as Tapu Fini and Unaware Skarmory, giving it issues with defeating bulky offense and stall.
Shell Smash Sweeper
- Minior @ Focus Sash
- Ability: Dazzling
- EVs: 252 Atk / 252 SpA / 4 Spe
- Lonely Nature
- - Shell Smash
- - Acrobatics
- - Earthquake
- - Power Gem
Set Comments
Moves
Shell Smash boosts Minior's Attack, Special Attack, and Speed by two stages, turning it into a fearsome sweeper. Acrobatics is the chief STAB move, hitting 110 Base Power with no side effects after Focus Sash is broken. Earthquake has nearly perfect coverage alongside Acrobatics, only missing out on a select few Flying-types and Pokemon with Levitate; in particular, it allows Minior to defeat the common Magearna. Power Gem rounds out Minior's all-but-perfect coverage and allows it to function as a mixed attacker, particularly against Intimidate users and Pokemon such as Skarmory and Zapdos. Stone Edge is another slightly more powerful option for a physical attack that isn't crippled by Focus Sash failing to activate and allows Minior to invest more in Speed, but it is generally inferior to Power Gem.
Set Details
Dazzling protects Minior from priority, preventing it from being revenge killed after a Shell Smash drop and allowing it to clean slightly weakened offensive teams. Focus Sash allows Minior to safely set up even with the defensive drops and gives Minior a reliable way to boost Acrobatics to full power. 252 EVs are placed into Attack alongside a Lonely nature to maximize Minior's damage output. 252 Special Attack EVs are used to increase Power Gem's damage output. Should Stone Edge be run, 252 EVs should instead be placed in Speed.
Usage Tips
Whenever possible, keep Stealth Rock off your side of the field so that Minior remains as healthy as possible in order to sweep in the late-game. Avoid setting up on passive Pokemon or resisted attacks, as Focus Sash must be activated for Minior to reliably clean. If facing a bulky team, freely use Minior to scout sets or as switch fodder, as it can contribute little to breaking them. Post-Shell Smash Minior is one of the fastest Pokemon in the AAA metagame, so it can set up on Choice Scarf users or boosted attackers and KO them before they can move. Avoid setting up until checks such as Tapu Fini and Unaware Skarmory are weakened or KOed, as Minior is forced out or KOed for little gain. Stealth Rock and Spikes should be kept on the opposing side of the field when possible to let Minior beat Pokemon like Tapu Fini.
Team Options
Wallbreakers and stallbreakers such as Hoopa-U, Choice Band Terrakion, and Tapu Fini are handy to break down bulky cores for Minior, as it can do little to them. Magnet Pull Pokemon such as Victini are handy to trap Steel-type Pokemon like Skarmory and Celesteela. Entry hazard clearers such as Zapdos and Tapu Fini are neccesary to allow Minior's Focus Sash to stay intact, and Magic Bounce from Pokemon such as Zygarde proactively prevents Stealth Rock from being set and prevents momentum drom being lost. Other physical attackers such as Landorus-T, Golisopod, and Mega Metagross are useful for wearing down shared answers like Skarmory and Doublade. Entry hazard support from Pokemon like Ferrothorn and Landorus-T is useful to weaken switch-ins like Tapu Fini, as Minior falls short of many crucial KOs.
Strategy Comments
Other Options
White Herb may seem useful for removing an item versus passive threats such as Chansey and preventing Stealth Rock from entirely crippling Minior, but Minior is too frail to effectively run such a set reliably. Maximum Speed investment allows Minior to clean versus weather offense teams and function before a Shell Smash. An Aerilate set with Return over Acrobatics may be used for a more powerful and reliable Flying-type STAB move, but this allows opposing priority to pick off Minior and does not greatly increase the number of Pokemon it KOes. A Special Attack-boosting nature may be run to increase the damage output of Power Gem, but even maximum investment is not enough to guarantee a 2HKO on Unaware Skarmory without Stealth Rock damage.
Checks and Counters
- Unaware Pokemon: Minior is extremely reliant on its boosts to sweep, as its damage output is low without them. While it can 2HKO some answers such as Skarmory, it has no such aid versus others, and even Skarmory may shuffle it with Whirlwind.
- Physically Bulky Pokemon: While not as directly threatening as Unaware due to Power Gem, Minior is chiefly reliant on its physical attacks to deal reliable damage. It can take on a few physical walls such as Buzzwole by virtue of its typing, but even that doesn't save it from being phazed by the likes of Hippowdon or KOed by Tapu Fini's Scald.
- Stealth Rock: Acrobatics is Minior's main attack, and Stealth Rock prevents it from utilizing it by denying Minior the ability to trigger Focus Sash. It also greatly reduces Minior's setup opportunities and leaves it prey to being OHKOed before accomplishing anything.
- Status: All status conditions cripple Minior to varying degrees. Sleep prevents it from moving, allowing foes to KO it, paralysis ruins its Speed tier, and burn cripples its damage output—particularly on Acrobatics—while also removing many setup opportunities. While less dangerous than a burn, poison is still a threat since it breaks Focus Sash.