Parallel Protectors: Defensive Type Spam in SM OU

« Previous Article

Next Article »

Another Promising Preamble

As we've discussed previously in a closely related article, type spam makes for a very effective method of forming an offensive core in SM OU. But on the flip side, this concept isn't as easy when trying to build for one defensively. One—and arguably the most important—attribute that makes a good defensive Pokémon is their typing, which greatly dictates their matchup against the whole metagame; when this overlaps, it is highly probable that a given defensive core will crumble to a similar group of offensive threats, which tends to be a very significant list of names. Regardless, some Pokémon in SM OU can still make this concept work to surprisingly great effect. Having a complementary secondary typing is one thing, but they also tend to possess a unique attribute that makes them mesh even tighter together. Thus, this article will go through some prominent pairings of these unwavering walls and why they've managed to defy the odds:

Persistent Pillars - The Proficient Partners-in-Crime

Floody Friends

Even though this Pokémon is residing below in the depths of RU, Slowbro manages to find a remarkable niche in the metagame as a classic bulky Water, and it can even do so by supporting the tier's other—and undoubtedly the best—bulky Water, Toxapex. Slowbro's typing and physical bulk are useful to cover for offensive behemoths like Mega Medicham, non-Draco Meteor Mega Latios, and Ground-types such as Landorus-T, Mega Swampert, Gliscor, and Garchomp that would give Toxapex trouble. In return, specially defensive Toxapex is adept at switching into and handling foes like Volcarona, Mega Charizard Y, Ash-Greninja, and Choice item Blacephalon for Slowbro. Furthermore, its Grass neutrality and Bug resistance are similarly useful against some Serperior variants, unboosted Kartana, and Swords Dance + U-turn Mega Scizor, checking the latter two—even Knock Off variants of Mega Scizor—thanks to its huge natural physical bulk. The starfish being able to run a more specially defensive spread in general is also in part due to Slowbro handling other foes like Mega Lopunny, Mega Charizard X, Hawlucha, and even Weavile if it decides to Mega Evolve, all of which would otherwise overwhelm Toxapex that lacks the appropriate Defense investment. Generally found on balance structures, they notably form a sturdy Regenerator core together as well, capable of outlasting the opposition—especially in conjunction with their reliable recovery —to switch into neutral foes like Tornadus-T and Kommo-o as well as scout for Choice item users like Victini without getting easily overwhelmed. Speaking of Regenerator, their ability to keep themselves moderately healthy without spending turns recovering gives them more freedom to annoy the opposition; spreading status with Scald burns, Toxic and Toxic Spikes's poison, and Thunder Wave means they can ruin any attempts of taking advantage of them, even limiting the likes of Tapu Koko, Kartana, and Mega Tyranitar from breaking through the core in the long run.

Metallic Mates

Heatran's most important niche as a defensive Steel-type partner is its unique Fire immunity thanks to Flash Fire, giving it a way to play around and check dangerous Fire-types like Volcarona, Mega Charizard Y, and Victini, as well as foes that often run Fire coverage in general, like Clefable, Magearna, Tapu Lele, and Mega Alakazam—especially since the latter three will generally forgo Focus Blast in the process. And of course, what better option to pair Heatran with other than a Steel-type that is 4x weak to Fire, Ferrothorn? Aside from the Ground neutrality being handy against the likes of Landorus-T and Garchomp, Ferrothorn also provides a crucial Water resistance against Pokémon like Mega Swampert, Ash-Greninja, and Rotom-W for Heatran. While seemingly unrelated, the tier's common Ground-types in Landorus-T, Gliscor, and Garchomp—which are common Heatran partners in general—are afraid of blindly switching into Choice Specs Tapu Koko out of fear of Hidden Power Ice or Dazzling Gleam, making specially defensive pivots that include Heatran itself decent midground switch-ins against it; in this case, Heatran is therefore no longer forced into this task with Ferrothorn gladly taking on that mantle thanks to its typing matching better into the Alolan Guardian. Outside of their defensive synergy, Ferrothorn can also keep Heatran somewhat healthy with Leech Seed, which is also beneficial in spreading further chip damage alongside their status, Iron Barbs, and especially entry hazards, as they form a strong hazard stacking core together. But if another Stealth Rock setter is present on the team, which can even be Ferrothorn itself if it decides to run double hazards, Heatran can even run the niche Roar to make sure hazard damage sticks!

Similarly to the above core, Heatran's Fire immunity is crucial to support the tier's other 4x-weak-to-Fire Steel-type, Mega Scizor, which brings a decent Ground neutrality to the table as well. However, Mega Scizor trades a Water and Electric resistance for a neutrality to Fighting-type moves, allowing this core to stand up against Focus Blast variants of Magearna, Tapu Lele, and Mega Alakazam, as well as Pokémon like Kartana, Tapu Bulu, and offensive Mega Scizor that always carry Fighting coverage in general, more reliably. Even if it's not the team's dedicated answer to them, Mega Scizor's huge natural physical bulk can even let it comfortably stomach Mega Lopunny's High Jump Kick and Kommo-o's Close Combat, which would otherwise obliterate Heatran. It is also one of the best Knock Off absorbers in the metagame courtesy of, on top of its unremovable Scizorite, its good matchup against the move's common users, letting it switch into the likes of Weavile, Kartana, bulky Tornadus-T lacking Heat Wave, and utility Clefable, allowing Heatran to maintain its survivability from its precious Leftovers. Defense isn't their only thing either, as they possess decent offensive synergy as well; Heatran's ability to overwhelm Rotom-W alongside trapping and disposing off Toxapex—especially with U-turn Mega Scizor to bring Heatran safely on it—with the combination of Magma Storm + Earth Power + Taunt is beneficial for Mega Scizor to sweep late-game more easily. Swords Dance is generally the way to go, but an alternative setup option with Curse is notable to go toe to toe against even Swords Dance Gliscor, which can otherwise use Heatran as setup fodder.

Surprisingly, Heatran's Fire immunity isn't the only important quality in forming sturdy Steel cores. This one in particular is mostly seen on hazard stacking semi-stall structures that appreciate Ferrothorn's Spikes and Celesteela's immunity to opposing ones, allowing the team to completely forgo Defog and stack their own hazards more freely. Defensively, Ferrothorn's value comes from its ability to take on Electric-types like Tapu Koko, Rotom-W, and non-Heat Wave Zapdos that would shock Celesteela to its core. In return, Celesteela's Ground immunity relieves Ferrothorn from being constantly pressured by the likes of Gliscor and Landorus-T. However, its Fighting neutrality is even more significant, letting it deal with Focus Blast users like Tapu Lele, Mega Alakazam, and non-Thunderbolt Magearna and even take on Mega Lopunny and Hawlucha slightly better, especially with Protect to punish their High Jump Kicks. With Celesteela handling the aforementioned special attackers, Ferrothorn can run a slightly more physically defensive spread to better check the likes of Weavile, Mega Swampert, and Mega Gyarados, the latter of which can use Celesteela as setup fodder otherwise. Another notable thing they have in common is their propensity to spam Leech Seed, which, aside from keeping themselves healthy, can seriously whittle down shared checks like Heatran over the course of the game. And if one tries to switch around to remove Leech Seed's effect, they get punished further by Ferrothorn's hazards, which makes breaking through them that much more aggravating!

Aerial Allies

	WITH		OR
Celesteela @ Leftovers Ability: Beast Boost EVs: 252 HP / 24 Def / 232 SpD Sassy Nature - Leech Seed - Protect - Heavy Slam - Flamethrower		Zapdos @ Rocky Helmet Ability: Static EVs: 248 HP / 188 Def / 72 Spe Bold Nature IVs: 0 Atk - Discharge / Volt Switch - Heat Wave - Hidden Power [Ice] - Roost		Tornadus-Therian (M) @ Rocky Helmet / Flyinium Z Ability: Regenerator EVs: 240 HP / 64 Def / 204 Spe Timid Nature - Hurricane - Knock Off - U-turn / Heat Wave - Defog / Taunt

Aside from Celesteela's Steel typing that lets it take on the likes of Kyurem and Mega Diancie for either of the birds, this core is most importantly crucial for sand teams as a sturdy means to answer the dangerous Kartana. This is mostly due to sand team structures being consequently weak to it from running the obligatory (Mega) Tyranitar + Excadrill alongside a bulky Water as part of the team's defensive core, which makes the Kartana matchup very alarming. Celesteela itself truly hates losing its Leftovers, as the item plays a gigantic part in its survivability, so having Zapdos or Tornadus-T as the dedicated Knock Off absorber against Kartana is truly appreciated, especially since the latter can run a Z-Crystal to stomach its Knock Off more easily. Preventing Celesteela from being overwhelmed by Kartana—especially if it's paired with teammates like Tapu Bulu—is one thing, but the birds provide another layer of protection for the team in case Kartana's other common partner in Magnezone has promptly removed Celesteela. The choice in favor of Zapdos lies in its better defensive profile thanks to higher physical bulk, reliable recovery in Roost, and Smart Strike resistance against Choice item Kartana, and it can even punish it with Static to make the team's offensive core capable of revenge killing and beating it one-on-one, even if Excadrill is outside of sand. On the other hand, Tornadus-T's valuable Speed tier means it has an easier time playing around Swords Dance Kartana, which can otherwise beat Zapdos easily with a +2 Breakneck Blitz or Grassy Terrain-boosted Bloom Doom.

An Electric immunity in general is one of the most crucial roles to fill on a team, as it helps prevent the opponent's free use of Volt Switch from going unpunished. Gliscor provides exactly that, stopping the likes of Tapu Koko, Zapdos, and Magnezone from getting free offensive momentum, especially since it covers for another Flying-type that truly hates facing them, Skarmory. Gliscor's subsequent Special Defense investment is also helpful in turning it into one of the tier's sturdiest long-term answers to Heatran—which, aside from forcing Skarmory out, is generally devastating to switch into with the bulkier structures that the core is generally found in—courtesy of its status immunity, insane longevity, and ability to outspeed and threaten an OHKO. Alternatively, it can even go the other direction with a niche physically defensive spread to better handle Mega Charizard X and Victini, both physical attackers that Skarmory struggles with. Moreover, Gliscor's deceivingly high Speed tier can come in handy to play around mid-Speed wallbreakers like Hoopa-U and Mega Mawile that can otherwise brute force past Skarmory. In return, Skarmory's typing alongside titanic physical bulk lets it stave off a whole range of wallbreakers that Gliscor has no business dealing with, including but not limited to Weavile, Mega Swampert, Kartana, and Ice Punch Mega Lopunny. With Rocky Helmet, Skarmory can also punish U-turn attempts from foes like Landorus-T, Mega Scizor, and Jirachi, making this core even sturdier against VoltTurn strategies, especially with Skamory's Spikes to punish their constant switches. Spikes in general is also hugely beneficial in letting Swords Dance Gliscor, which is one of the best wincons on balance and fatter structures, take over games more effortlessly.

Draconic Duos

The Dragon type is mostly known for its brutal offensive prowess throughout the generations, but the typing's plentiful resistances shouldn't be ignored at all either, with the one and only Mega Latias being the metagame's best at taking advantage of it. A Pokémon that tends to be used offensively—whether it's running its signature Kommonium Z, Belly Drum, or everything else in between—Kommo-o makes for a great backbone to support Mega Latias; it switches into troublesome foes like Ash-Greninja, Taunt Heatran, non-Psychium Z Volcarona, and, alongside Bulletproof, Blacephalon as well. It can also use Roar to prevent Substitute variants of the latter two from setting up freely on it. Physically defensive Kommo-o is another option to deal with other dangerous Dark-types like Mega Tyranitar, Crawdaunt, and Choice Band Hoopa-U lacking Zen Headbutt, the former of which can otherwise Pursuit trap Mega Latias easily, while the latter two are generally difficult to handle with the bulky teams that the core is commonly found in. Moreover, with Mega Latias being unable to afford running a coverage move like Hidden Power Fighting or Hidden Power Fire and Kartana often being paired with a Pursuit trapper like Weavile or the aforementioned Mega Tyranitar to take care of it, Kommo-o's role as a secondary soft check to Kartana is absolutely appreciated. In return, Mega Latias's defensive profile and Speed let it reliably answer Swords Dance Gliscor, which would otherwise use Kommo-o lacking Roar as complete setup fodder, with a Psychic resistance being helpful against foes like Z-Celebrate Victini and Choice item Tapu Lele, especially if Kommo-o has scouted the latter with Protect. Though its Dark weakness is detrimental in this scenario, Mega Latias can even switch into weak Knock Offs from Pokémon like Tangrowth, Serperior, Tornadus-T, and utility Gliscor, which allows Kommo-o to maintain its longevity from Leftovers.

Spooky Sidekicks

Exclusively found on hardcore stall teams, Shedinja carves a tiny niche as a stopgap to a variety of dangerous stallbreakers, including foes like Swords Dance Gliscor, Z-Wild Charge Tapu Koko, Swords Dance + Normalium Z Kartana, Manaphy in rain, and Calm Mind Reuniclus lacking Shadow Ball thanks to the incredibly broken valuable Wonder Guard. However, Shedinja's biggest issue lies in its other unique aspect, being 1 HP, which makes it highly fragile and vulnerable to the tier's plethora of passive damage. This is where Mega Sableye sneaks into the portrait; thanks to Magic Bounce, it becomes a reliable source of entry hazard control against passive hazard setters like Ferrothorn, Skarmory, Gliscor, Toxapex, and defensive Heatran—blocking their debilitating status like Toxic and Leech Seed as well—and even making offensive ones like Swords Dance Garchomp and Landorus-T think twice before setting up theirs. In addition to the aforementioned threats, Shedinja in return can also switch into and wall Fairy-type stallbreakers like Nature's Madness Tapu Fini, Calm Mind + Pain Split Magearna, Calm Mind + Life Orb Clefable lacking a Fire move, and—after Mega Sableye has scouted with Protect—Choice Specs Tapu Lele, all of which can usually obtain free entries onto the field in the face of Mega Sableye, especially for Magearna, which doesn't fear Knock Off like the other three. A well-timed status move from Shedinja to cripple otherwise-threatening foes looking to take advantage of it, like Toxic for Mega Charizard X or Will-O-Wisp for Weavile that attempts to Pursuit trap it, provides Mega Sableye breathing room against them as well, especially because it's complete setup fodder for Mega Charizard X if forgoing Foul Play. So, if you were never scared of them before, you should be now!

Another Parting Piece

Although the list above might not be as long as the offensive counterpart's, lots of the tier's well-known walls are still capable of utilizing the concept of type spam defensively, and even to notable success. They might not always be paired together on the same team, but when they do, they will make sure to always pull their weight. Though there is something else that cannot be understated, which is to be very mindful of their overlapping weaknesses; for instance, running the two bulky Waters makes the team very vulnerable to Tapu Koko and a boosted Kartana, or Celesteela and Tornadus-T makes the Zapdos matchup more annoying—consdering it's a also great stopgap against their fellow Excadrill—or even double Steel with Heatran exposes the team's further vulnerability to Fighting-types like Mega Medicham and Kommo-o. So, be very mindful of covering this issue with other teammates, and you should be good to go!

« Previous Article

Next Article »

All guides and strategy information are © 2004 Smogon.com and its contributors. Pokémon is © 1995 Nintendo. Privacy Policy