Don't Use That, Use This! Second-Rate Sets in OverUsed
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Art by MiniArchitect.
Introduction
The OverUsed ladder, as anyone who has played on it will know, uses some quite... "interesting" sets, to say the least. This article will go through some common subpar sets seen on the ladder and why other sets should be used instead.
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Click the icons to switch between sets! |
Kartana @ Normalium Z
Kartana @ Choice ScarfThe premise of Timid Kartana is simple—its Attack becomes lower than its Speed because of the spread and nature listed, meaning Beast Boost will boost its Speed rather than its Attack. In theory, this lets you combine the sweeping potential of Choice Scarf Kartana with the wallbreaking potential of regular Swords Dance Kartana. The set may look good on paper due to its ability to sweep; however, this is usually not the case. While Kartana is still pretty strong even with a harmful nature and no Attack investment, the power drop is definitely noticeable, with examples of this being the inability to OHKO Z-Move Tornadus-T with unboosted Breakneck Blitz and Mega Venusaur with +2 Breakneck Blitz, and the extra bulk is not very useful. This drop in power means Kartana generally needs things to be weakened a lot more than it would otherwise in order for it to sweep, meaning it's more reliant on team support. Additionally, this set is incredibly reliant on perfect timing of its Z-Move to get the ball rolling, and Kartana is not hard to revenge kill, meaning it will rarely have the ideal circumstances under which to sweep. Generally, the better breaking power of the regular Swords Dance set and the more consistent cleaning ability of the Choice Scarf set make them more preferable than this set.
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Ferrothorn @ Rocky Helmet
Ferrothorn @ LeftoversThe moves aren't important for this one—the item is. Ferrothorn is a fantastic entry hazard setter that has some valuable defensive properties in checking Pokémon like Ash-Greninja, Magearna, and Tapu Koko. However, one of its main downsides is its lack of reliable recovery, which makes it vulnerable to being worn down over time. Using Rocky Helmet makes this problem even worse, as it doesn't get the passive recovery it desperately needs from Leftovers. The appeal of the item is of course the good chip damage it can incur alongside Iron Barbs, but Ferrothorn generally doesn't switch into many Pokémon that use contact attacks, and it is already good at dealing chip damage with Iron Barbs, hazards, and Leech Seed.
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Click the icons to switch between sets! |
Click the icons to switch between sets! |
The common theme of all three of Garchomp, Kyurem-B, and Tyranitar is that none of them really want a Choice Scarf. Garchomp is a pretty terrifying wallbreaker and good Stealth Rock setter when equipped with Swords Dance and a Z-Crystal—Choice Scarf Garchomp is neither of these things (unless you're a godless reprobate and run Choice Scarf Stealth Rock) and has horrible STAB moves to lock itself into due to Fairy-types and Pokémon immune to Ground being everywhere. Kyurem-B is also a scary wallbreaker thanks to its colorful coverage, and locking yourself into one move with Choice Scarf does not let you take advantage of this coverage. Additionally, Choice Scarf Kyurem-B doesn't really bring anything to the table that would make it worth using over other Choice Scarf users. Finally, Tyranitar is simply too slow to make proper use of a Choice Scarf, being unable to properly revenge kill common threats like Ash-Greninja, Shift Gear Magearna, and Mega Alakazam. As for alternatives, Landorus-T, Victini, and Kartana are much more effective Choice Scarf users, as they have access to spammable moves in U-turn and Knock Off and generally provide more to their team, be it through revenge killing more effectively in Kartana's case or providing defensive utility in Landorus-T's and Victini's.
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Volcarona @ Firium Z / Buginium ZGiga Drain allows Volcarona to reliably break through Gastrodon and Tapu Fini; however, the normal sets can already do that in some circumstances, and Giga Drain makes Volcarona's coverage much worse than it would be otherwise. If you drop your Fire-type move, Volcarona is walled by the likes of Magearna, Landorus-T, Tornadus-T, and Gliscor. Without Bug Buzz, Volcarona loses to Garchomp, Mega Latias, and Tyranitar. If running Giga Drain on 3 Attacks Volcarona, it can't hit Heatran and Toxapex anymore, which are much more important targets to hit than Gastrodon.
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Celesteela @ Metronome / Flyinium Z
Magearna @ Electrium ZNo matter the combination of moves, Autotomize Celesteela will always fail to break through several prominent metagame threats such as Toxapex, Rotom-W, Celesteela, and Zapdos, meaning you're pretty much just hoping that your opponent doesn't have any of these Pokémon, which doesn't bode well for a sweeper. The set gives up the majority of Celesteela's usual defensive merit in order to turn it into a sweeper, but it's pretty much just outclassed by Shift Gear Magearna.
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Tapu Bulu @ Assault VestThis set is a relic of the past. While it may be tempting, as the extra bulk allows Tapu Bulu to stomach attacks from even Choice Specs Tapu Lele, and the set allows you to run a cool utility option in Nature's Madness or an extra coverage option such as Stone Edge or Megahorn, the severe lack of recovery due to the loss of Synthesis / Protect and Leftovers means it has significantly less staying power than the regular specially defensive set. It also is arguably worse offensively even though it can run Wood Hammer and an extra coverage option due to Swords Dance and Bulk Up allowing Tapu Bulu to better muscle through Pokémon like Rocky Helmet Tornadus-T, Tangrowth, and Mega Latios without needing the correct coverage move.
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Mawile @ MawiliteFire Fang only targets Pokémon that Mega Mawile can already break through with Knock Off or Thunder Punch, namely Magearna, Ferrothorn, Kartana, and Mega Scizor. While Fire Fang does make it easier to beat these Pokémon, it worsens Mega Mawile's coverage, heavily crippling its ability to break through two of the best Pokémon in the tier: Heatran and Toxapex. Additionally, the set is easier to scout against, as it loses out on the fantastic neutral coverage and spammable nature of Knock Off. Just stick with the regular set.
Final Thoughts
Now you know some common set mistakes and how to adjust your sets accordingly, get out there and try these easy fixes out!
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