Sinnoh Classic: Diamonds (and Pearls) Are Forever!

Cresselia

Roles: Calm Mind sweeper, Trick Room setter

Calm Mind

Cresselia @ Kee Berry / Chesto Berry / Sitrus Berry

Ability: Levitate

EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe

Bold Nature

- Calm Mind

- Psychic / Psyshock

- Moonlight / Rest

- Moonblast / Hidden Power Fire / Icy Wind

Trick Room

Cresselia @ Mental Herb / Lum Berry / Sitrus Berry

Ability: Levitate

EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD

Relaxed Nature

IVs: 0 Spe

- Trick Room

- Psychic

- Helping Hand

- Moonblast / Hidden Power Fire

What's the big deal?

No other Pokémon in Sinnoh Classic offers the incredible mixed bulk Cresselia has. Cresselia has a good movepool to take advantage of its bulk too, being both the best Calm Mind user and one of the best Trick Room setters in the metagame!

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Calm Mind: This is what Cresselia uses to boost its stats, making it a special sweeper that has almost impenetrable Special Defense.
• Psychic: Psychic deals the most damage out of Cresselia's moves, making it a decent sweeping move.
• Psyshock: Of Cresselia's STAB moves, Psyshock deals the most damage to Snorlax and Hitmontop and ignores opposing Calm Mind boosts.
• Moonlight: Moonlight provides some immediate recovery, which is less punishable than Rest, but rain and hail reduce its effectiveness.
• Rest: Combined with a Chesto Berry, Rest gives Cresselia a second chance at sweeping without rain or hail getting in the way.
• Moonblast: With Moonblast, Cresselia has a way of dealing serious damage to Weavile, Latios, and Garchomp.
• Hidden Power Fire: Because Scizor is such a huge problem for Cresselia, Hidden Power Fire is a serious option to consider, especially if you have a way of getting rid of the rain.
• Icy Wind: Icy Wind doesn't offer much in the way of coverage, but it does allow Cresselia to give some speed control support without using Trick Room, all while getting rid of Yache Berries from the likes of Garchomp and Zapdos.
• Trick Room: Trick Room is Cresselia's way of gaining the Speed advantage and allowing its slow teammates to become a huge threat.
• Helping Hand: For Trick Room Cresselia, Helping Hand is a fantastic option that allows its teammates to deal serious damage, especially if they have spread attacks.
• Sleep Talk: If you plan on using Cresselia on Moody Entrainment teams, you may want to consider Moonblast and Sleep Talk together so Cresselia can continue to set up Calm Mind while sleeping.

Items

• Kee Berry: Kee Berry raises Cresselia's Defense stat after it gets hit by a physical attack, making the Calm Mind set extremely difficult to take down!
• Chesto Berry: If you plan on using Rest, Chesto Berry makes the most sense for allowing Cresselia to absorb status as well before taking a nap.
• Sitrus Berry: Sitrus Berry is the perfect item to use if you simply want some extra recovery.
• Mental Herb: For Trick Room Cresselia, Mental Herb allows it to set up even if a foe has Taunted it.
• Lum Berry: If a teammate is already using a Chesto Berry, Lum Berry makes perfect sense as an alternative, especially if you are using Snorlax on a Trick Room team.
• Leftovers: If Sitrus Berry is already in use, Leftovers is fine for recovering some extra health while setting up Calm Mind.

Other Details

A Bold nature with maximum investment in HP and Defense fits Calm Mind the best, making Cresselia extremely difficult to KO. If you're using Trick Room, consider a Relaxed nature and 0 Speed IVs instead.

What partners should I consider?

• Arcanine: When it comes to roasting troublesome Bug-types and Weavile, few options are better than Arcanine, which even provides Intimidate support for Cresselia. Arcanine can also severely damage Snorlax with Close Combat.
• Ninetales: If your team especially hates rain or simply wants to boost Moonlight recovery, Ninetales makes a fine Pokémon to use against Bug-types and Weavile.
• Zapdos: Zapdos is a big help against Azumarill and Scizor, while Cresselia can make Garchomp think twice about staying in. Just watch out for Weavile, which threatens both.
• Hitmontop: Few Pokémon check Snorlax and Weavile as well as Hitmontop can. Hitmontop can also 2HKO Scizor and soften other threats up with Intimidate, while Cresselia can offer Trick Room or Icy Wind support for Hitmontop.
• Snorlax: Snorlax is one of the most dangerous Pokémon to face on Trick Room, making it a prime teammate for Trick Room Cresselia. It also has Fire Punch to deal with the fearsome Scizor.
• Azumarill: Azumarill does a great job on Trick Room teams thanks to its power. It also happens to defeat Weavile and deal massive damage to Scizor if using Waterfall.
• Abomasnow: Abomasnow may be the best spread attacker of Trick Room, and with Helping Hand, Cresselia makes it even more of a force to be reckoned with! Snow Warning also lets Cresselia handle Ludicolo more easily.
• Rhyperior: Rhyperior is a very bulky spread attacker for Trick Room teams that especially works well with Cresselia thanks to the latter's Levitate. It can also land a surprise Fire Punch on Scizor to put some pressure off of Cresselia.
• Smeargle: Because Cresselia is so bulky, it makes a fearsome teammate to Moody Smeargle, which can use Entrainment to give Cresselia Moody itself!

What are its flaws?

For all of Cresselia's bulk, its offensive power is rather mediocre, especially since it takes a while for the Calm Mind set to seriously sweep teams. This also makes Cresselia rather vulnerable to Taunt if it isn't carrying a Mental Herb.

• Scizor: Scizor only fears Hidden Power Fire outside rain. With its bulk, it can set up Swords Dance and threaten to sweep teams while Cresselia is helpless to stop it.
• Heracross: Psychic deals a big amount of damage to Heracross, but it's faster than Cresselia, and Megahorn can smash through Cresselia's bulk. Heracross even benefits from status unlike other Bug-types.
• Yanmega: Yanmega is one of the few special attackers that can bust through Cresselia even if it attempts to Calm Mind thanks to its Bug-type STAB.
• Sableye: Without a Mental Herb, Cresselia is a big target for Sableye's Taunt, which only fears a potentially boosted Moonblast.
• Weavile: While it might not be able to 2HKO Cresselia except for rare Punishment variants, Weavile's Knock Off deals a tremendous amount of damage to Cresselia while also removing its item.
• Azumarill: Cresselia's lack of immediate offensive presence makes it very easy for Azumarill to set up Belly Drum on it, threatening to sweep your team if Cresselia's partner can't handle it!
• Snorlax: Snorlax's bulk makes it difficult to 2HKO for Cresselia without four Calm Mind boosts, while Snorlax only needs two boosts from Curse to have a shot at 2HKOing Cresselia.

Azumarill

Roles: Belly Drum sweeper, priority attacker

Belly Drum

Azumarill @ Sitrus Berry

Ability: Huge Power

EVs: 244 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def / 4 SpD / 4 Spe

Adamant / Brave Nature

- Belly Drum

- Aqua Jet

- Play Rough

- Protect

All-out Attacker

Azumarill @ Life Orb / Choice Band

Ability: Huge Power

EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe

Adamant / Brave Nature

- Aqua Jet

- Play Rough

- Waterfall

- Protect / Knock Off

What's the big deal?

Azumarill is the best choice for an offensive Fairy-type, having a great deal of Attack (thanks to Huge Power), an excellent priority attack, and a dangerous setup move in Belly Drum.

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Belly Drum: Belly Drum turns Azumarill into a fearsome sweeper with Aqua Jet, giving it a good shot to OHKO most Pokémon. Cutting your health in half is risky, however, so keep in mind you don't always need to set it up to make Azumarill useful.
• Aqua Jet: This is Azumarill's priority attack, great for sweeping with Belly Drum and picking off threats otherwise.
• Play Rough: Play Rough is Azumarill's regular STAB attack, OHKOing most Fighting-types, Garchomp, and Weavile before a boost.
• Waterfall: If you're using the all-out attacker set, Waterfall is great for dealing massive damage to Scizor and Metagross, OHKOing Rhyperior, and defeating Fire-types with the proper speed control.
• Knock Off: For Choice Band Azumarill, this can be a useful filler move to deal a surprising amount of damage to Cresselia and Metagross.

Items

• Sitrus Berry: Sitrus Berry makes Belly Drum a bit less risky, giving Azumarill 25% of its health back after setting up.
• Life Orb: Life Orb makes a lot of sense for the all-out attacker set, guaranteeing a 2HKO on Scizor and even giving Azumarill a chance to 2HKO Metagross with Waterfall.
• Choice Band: If Life Orb is already used up or if you just need more power, Choice Band lets Azumarill have a shot at OHKOing Arcanine with Aqua Jet even after an Intimidate.

Other Details

An Adamant Nature with maximum Attack investment is needed for Azumarill to deal some serious damage. You'll want 248 HP EVs to have an even HP stat for Sitrus Berry, but otherwise just max the HP stat. If you're using Azumarill on a Trick Room team, it's reasonable to use a Brave nature and 0 Speed IVs as well.

What partners should I consider?

• Weavile: Weavile is one of the best users of Fake Out in Sinnoh Classic, making it easier for Azumarill to set up for Belly Drum. It can also smash through Zapdos with Icicle Crash, while Azumarill blasts Fighting-types.
• Metagross: Metagross learns Psych Up, which it can use to copy Azumarill's attack boosts after it has used a Belly Drum. If you pull this off, Metagross can OHKO almost every Pokémon in Sinnoh Classic! Outside of that, it's also a good check to Abomasnow.
• Entei: Entei also learns Psych Up, making it a frightening sweeping partner with Azumarill. It also helps against Abomasnow and Toxicroak.
• Raichu: Raichu is a good user of Fake Out that has a twist: thanks to Lightning Rod, it can ruin Thunderbolt Zapdos's ability to check Azumarill!
• Tangela: Tangela is a rather bulky user of Rage Powder thanks to Eviolite, making it good at redirecting the Electric- and Grass-type attacks Azumarill hates facing.
• Cresselia: If you need Trick Room support, Cresselia is one of the most reliable setters you can ask for. It can also OHKO Toxicroak with Psychic.
• Dusclops / Dusknoir: As Trick Room setters, Dusclops and Dusknoir stand out for their ability to burn physical threats to let Azumarill easily set up on them, and in the case of Dusknoir, for slamming Abomasnow with Fire Punch.
• Snorlax: Thick Fat allows Snorlax to switch in on Fire-type attacks, and as a partner on the field, it can hit Zapdos particularly hard. Just watch out for Arcanine and Infernape, which often carry Close Combat to slam Snorlax.
• Porygon2: Azumarill has especially good synergy with Trick Room Porygon2, since Azumarill OHKOes the Fighting-types that give Porygon2 trouble.

What are its flaws?

Azumarill is rather slow for a sweeper, making it reliant on Aqua Jet to clean up. This often just misses out on a KO against bulkier threats, leaving Azumarill open to getting its sweep stopped. It also has a bit of a hard time setting up against certain threats.

• Ludicolo: Ludicolo has a valuable 4x resistance to Aqua Jet, letting it slam Azumarill with Giga Drain or Energy Ball.
• Zapdos: Zapdos not only slams Azumarill with Thunderbolt, but it also has access to Discharge to ignore Follow Me and Rage Powder.
• Ninetales: Ninetales itself doesn't do very well against Azumarill, but its Drought ruins Aqua Jet's power, making Azumarill far easier to defeat.
• Gengar: Gengar often carries a Focus Sash, letting it slam Azumarill with Sludge Bomb.
• Abomasnow: Play Rough deals a serious amount of damage to Abomasnow, but since it's often used with Trick Room, it often moves before Azumarill can and smashes it with Giga Drain or Energy Ball.
• Toxicroak: Dry Skin makes Toxicroak immune to Aqua Jet, letting it blast Azumarill with Poison Jab or Gunk Shot.
• Dusclops / Dusknoir: Dusclops and Dusknoir often carry Will-O-Wisp, which ruins Azumarill's chances to sweep even after Belly Drum.
• Clefable: Because Clefable has Unaware and Follow Me, it can safely redirect Azumarill's attacks even after it has gotten a Belly Drum boost.

Scizor

Roles: Priority attacker, physical sweeper

Physical Attacker

Scizor @ Lum Berry / Life Orb / Occa Berry

Ability: Technician

EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe

Adamant Nature

- Bullet Punch

- Bug Bite / Knock Off

- Protect

- Swords Dance / Feint / Superpower / Tailwind

What's the big deal?

Scizor is one of the best users of priority attacks in Sinnoh Classic, with an excellent typing, a powerful priority attack, and the ability to defeat Cresselia. It is also one of the few physical setup sweepers seen.

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Bullet Punch: This is the big reason to use Scizor, giving it powerful priority that blitzes through Weavile, hits Abomasnow, Gardevoir, and Togekiss hard, and in general is great for picking off weakened Pokémon.
• Bug Bite: This is Scizor's other major selling point, making it one of the best checks to Calm Mind Cresselia in Sinnoh Classic! It's also great for eating the many Berries that you see in this metagame and is Scizor's strongest attack in general.
• Swords Dance: This is usually the best choice for Scizor's last move, letting it become a threatening sweeper if it gets in on Pokémon that have a hard time KOing it such as Cresselia and Weavile.
• Knock Off: If you're using Swords Dance, Knock Off makes an acceptable alternative to Bug Bite. While a boost will be needed to break through Cresselia, Knock Off hits Fire-types and Zapdos harder than Bug Bite could ever hope to and helpfully removes their item from play.
• Feint: Scizor gains added utility with Feint, allowing it to break through Protect and other guard moves. This is useful on its own for ensuring that a Pokémon gets hit by Scizor's partner, but it also does a great job of dealing with the dreaded Moody Smeargle near the beginning of the match.
• Superpower: The Attack and Defense drops can be problematic in doubles, but it deals massive damage to Snorlax, which will otherwise OHKO Scizor with Fire Punch. It's also the best Scizor can do against incoming Fire-types.
• Tailwind: Tailwind is rarely seen, but it can be a huge surprise to your opponent, allowing your team to get a much-needed Speed boost.
• Quick Guard: This move is very uncommon, but it can allow Scizor to protect your team against priority attacks, which can be useful because most teams won't see it coming. Note that Scizor is too slow to effectively block Fake Out.

Items

• Lum Berry: This is perfect for saving Scizor from Will-O-Wisp, which would otherwise cripple it. It also saves Scizor from Smeargle's Dark Void, making it a good choice against Moody teams if you can handle Infernape.
• Life Orb: Life Orb gives Scizor a much-appreciated boost to its attacks. This guarantees a 2HKO on Cresselia with Bug Bite, an OHKO on Choice Scarf Abomasnow with Bullet Punch, and even a 68.8% to OHKO maximum HP Abomasnow with Bullet Punch, which is useful when Trick Room is up.
• Occa Berry: Fire-type attacks are weakened when Scizor holds this Berry. This allows Scizor to survive the weaker, non-STAB Fire-type attacks, and with rain support, it allows Scizor to survive almost any Fire-type attack!
• Metal Coat / Iron Plate: If your team is already using Life Orb on another Pokémon, Metal Coat or Iron Plate can act as an alternative to still have a more powerful Bullet Punch.

Other Details

Technician should always be used, as it boosts the power of Bullet Punch and Bug Bite. An Adamant nature with maximum HP EVs is great for good bulk and power, but if you plan on using Scizor on Trick Room, a Brave nature with 0 Speed IVs is also acceptable.

What partners should I consider?

• Politoed: With Drizzle setting up the rain, Politoed is one of the best partners available for Scizor. The rain lets Scizor survive weaker Fire-type attacks, and Politoed itself does well against most Fire-type Pokémon. In return, Scizor gives Politoed some much-needed offensive support, being able to defeat Cresselia and most Grass-types.
• Azumarill: Azumarill might not be able to set up rain, but it applies plenty of offensive pressure on Fire-types and Snorlax for Scizor, while Scizor can help against Grass-types such as Abomasnow, Tangrowth, and Tangela.
• Garchomp: Garchomp effectively threatens Fire-types and Zapdos that lack Hidden Power Ice, while Scizor helps deal with Cresselia, Weavile, and Abomasnow.
• Gyarados: Gyarados's Intimidate allows it to make Scizor even more difficult to KO, and it effectively pressures Fire-type Pokémon; just watch out for Wild Charge Arcanine. In return, Scizor reduces Cresselia's ability to set up on Gyarados.
• Zapdos: While it doesn't provide great typing synergy for Scizor, Zapdos effectively handles Gyarados and prevents Azumarill from setting up, while Scizor smashes through Weavile, Abomasnow, and Cresselia for Zapdos.
• Cresselia: Cresselia's bulk allows it to set up Calm Mind on Zapdos and most Fire-type Pokémon. It can also support Scizor with Trick Room, allowing it to outspeed most offensive threats, making Bug Bite even more effective. In return, Scizor helps deal with Weavile.
• Latios: Latios's powerful special attacks and good Special Defense make it a fairly effective check to Zapdos, and it hits Fire-type Pokémon hard as well. Scizor helps out by defeating Weavile, Abomasnow, and Cresselia for Latios.
• Snorlax: Thick Fat allows Snorlax to switch in on Fire-type attacks, and as a partner on the field, it can hit Zapdos particularly hard. Just watch out for Arcanine and Infernape, which often carry Close Combat to slam Snorlax.
• Weavile: Sharing a Fire-type weakness can be a big problem, but Weavile's ability to OHKO Zapdos can be extremely valuable for Scizor.

What are its flaws?

Scizor is almost everywhere, but its 4x weakness to Fire-type attacks and so-so coverage tend to be its main downfall.

• Ninetales: Ninetales is especially problematic, since its Drought removes the valuable rain, making Scizor very easy to OHKO with any Fire-type attack.
• Arcanine: Scizor is easily OHKOed by Arcanine, but what makes it especially effective is Intimidate, which may weaken Scizor's partner as well. It also has access to Wild Charge, which can be an issue for Water-type partners.
• Zapdos: Even without STAB, Heat Wave is usually too much for Scizor to handle unless the rain is up, and Zapdos hits Water-type teammates hard as well with Thunderbolt.
• Snorlax: Snorlax is hit hard by physical attacks (Superpower in particular), but if Scizor hasn't set up yet, it has no chance of OHKOing Snorlax, while Snorlax will OHKO Scizor with Fire Punch as long as it isn't raining.
• Gyarados: Fire-type attacks aren't common on Gyarados, but it doesn't need them anyway, since it resists Scizor's STAB moves and weakens it with Intimidate.
• Politoed and rain sweepers: Politoed itself is rather weak, but its rain leaves Scizor very vulnerable to powerful Water-type attacks, since most rain sweepers resist Bullet Punch.
• Gengar: Gengar gets hit hard by Bullet Punch and Knock Off, but its fast Will-O-Wisp will cripple any Scizor that lacks Lum Berry.
• Dusclops: Dusclops must be watchful of Knock Off, but otherwise, it's among the few Trick Room Pokémon that aren't weak to Scizor, and it can threaten to burn Scizor that lack Lum Berry.

Weavile

Roles: Fake Out user, Feint user

Offensive Fake Out

Weavile @ Focus Sash / Life Orb

Ability: Pressure / Pickpocket

EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

Jolly Nature

- Fake Out

- Knock Off

- Icicle Crash

- Low Kick / Feint / Ice Shard / Protect

What's the big deal?

Weavile comes out of the shadows to become one of the most important Pokémon of Sinnoh Classic! With its excellent Speed stat and access to Fake Out, Weavile is one of the most important users of Fake Out in the format. It's Ice-type STAB also makes it one of the best Garchomp checks around.

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Fake Out: This is Weavile's biggest selling point, as its the fastest Fake Out user outside of Ludicolo under rain.
• Knock Off: This is Weavile's main STAB move, getting rid of items and dealing decent damage to Cresselia on the first hit.
• Icicle Crash: Icicle Crash is usually Weavile's best option for an Ice-type STAB move thanks to its chance to flinch and lack of making contact.
• Low Kick: Low Kick gives Weavile the capability to 2HKO Snorlax and Abomasnow without needing a Life Orb.
• Feint: Feint surprises Pokémon that think Protect will keep them safe, and it's especially useful against Smeargle.
• Ice Shard: Ice Shard is a stronger priority move that allows Weavile to seriously damage Garchomp even when its under Tailwind and hit Yanmega hard.
• Protect: Protect is often rather difficult to fit in on Weavile, but it can save it in emergencies if you're ok with giving up coverage and utility. Protect is especially useful for punishing double targeting, a common tactic used to defeat Weavile.
• Punishment: Punishment is rather rare and normally isn't as strong as Knock Off, but it's useful for defeating Cresselia after it has used Calm Mind several times.

Items

• Focus Sash: With this, Weavile can survive powerful hits it normally has no business taking on.
• Life Orb: Weavile's frailness makes Life Orb a riskier choice than Focus Sash, but the power boost can be very helpful, most notably letting Weavile OHKO Yache Berry Garchomp and maximum HP Zapdos with Icicle Crash.

Other Details

Weavile should always run a Jolly nature, since getting to use Fake Out first is very important. Pickpocket allows Weavile to steal an item if its Focus Sash is used up. This can be useful in a few situations against Pokémon that resist Dark, but this also weakens Knock Off, which is a bit risky. Otherwise, use Pressure, which has no drawbacks.

What partners should I consider?

• Zapdos: Zapdos helps with the matchup against Azumarill, and it can use Weavile's Fake Out to more easily set up Tailwind, which allows Weavile to outspeed even anything that uses weather-boosting abilities. It also threatens to OHKO Scizor with Heat Wave and helps against Suicune, which can use Weavile to set up Calm Mind.
• Azumarill: Azumarill has a fairly good matchup against Infernape and can use Fake Out support to set up Belly Drum more easily.
• Infernape: Infernape isn't known for its bulk, but it can threaten to OHKO Scizor and deal massive damage to Metagross (or outright OHKO it with Life Orb Overheat). It can also use Quick Guard to shield Weavile against priority attacks and acts as a backup user of Fake Out if Weavile has a bad matchup against a team.
• Arcanine: Arcanine is a more bulky Fire-type partner, providing Intimidate support to let Weavile take physical hits better while dealing with Scizor and threatening massive damage against Metagross. In return, Weavile helps with Garchomp.
• Yanmega: While they have poor typing synergy, Yanmega benefits from Fake Out support due to its Speed Boost ability. Weavile's ability to break Infernape's Focus Sash is also handy, letting Yanmega KO Infernape with Air Slash. Yanmega also does better against Cresselia than Weavile.
• Abomasnow: Abomasnow doesn't offer very good defensive synergy with Weavile, since they share many weaknesses. However, if you predict a rain lead with Ludicolo, Abomasnow can ensure that Weavile has the fastest Fake Out.

What are its flaws?

Weavile is a very frail Pokémon, so it's pretty easy to KO it after it loses its Focus Sash, and it's especially vulnerable to priority. Weavile is weak to a large number of prominent priority attacks such as Bullet Punch and Mach Punch as well. Since Weavile doesn't always carry Protect, it's also especially vulnerable to double targeting.

• Scizor: Scizor takes on Weavile's assaults very well and can smash through it with Bullet Punch.
• Hitmontop: Intimidate makes Weavile much less threatening, and Hitmontop OHKOes Weavile with Close Combat or Mach Punch.
• Azumarill: Azumarill resists Weavile's STAB moves and can set up Belly Drum on it if the other foe isn't threatening enough.
• Infernape: Infernape might not like losing its Focus Sash to Weavile's Fake Out, but in return, it easily OHKOes Weavile with Mach Punch.
• Metagross: Metagross's weakness to Knock Off can be problematic for switching in, but the move won't OHKO Megagross, while Meteor Mash or Iron Head easily OHKOes even full health Weavile, and Bullet Punch deals massive damage to it.
• Suicune: Suicune is bulky enough to simply use Calm Mind in front of Weavile, and it even threatens to burn it with Scald.

Garchomp

Roles: Spread attacker, Choice Scarf user

Physical Attacker

Garchomp @ Yache Berry / Focus Sash / Life Orb / Lum Berry

Ability: Rough Skin

EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

Jolly Nature

- Earthquake

- Dragon Claw

- Rock Slide

- Protect

Garchomp @ Choice Scarf

Ability: Rough Skin

EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

Jolly / Adamant Nature

- Earthquake

- Dragon Claw

- Rock Slide

- Poison Jab / Fire Fang

What's the big deal?

Garchomp is the major physical spread attacker of Sinnoh Classic, having the Speed and power to set it apart from its contemporaries!

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Earthquake: This is Garchomp's main spread attack, being fairly reliable and strong but coming at the cost of hitting its ally.
• Dragon Claw: Dragon Claw is Garchomp's main single-target move, and it also does a great deal of damage to Salamence and Kingdra.
• Rock Slide: Rock Slide allows Garchomp to keep using spread attacks against Flying-type Pokémon. The 30% chance to flinch can also lead to some clutch wins if it's used at the right time!
• Poison Jab: This is a useful filler move on the Choice Scarf set, as it allows Garchomp to 2HKO Azumarill and Abomasnow and deal decent damage to Togekiss.
• Fire Fang: On the Choice Scarf set, this can be used as a filler move to deal massive damage to Scizor as long as rain isn't up and OHKO Abomasnow.

Items

• Yache Berry: With this, Garchomp avoids getting OHKOed by most Ice-type attacks, only being at risk against Life Orb Weavile and Life Orb Abomasnow.
• Focus Sash: Focus Sash is a more universal alternative to Yache Berry. While it'll only work if Garchomp is at full health, it actually saves Garchomp from being OHKOed by Latios's Draco Meteor, unlike Yache Berry.
• Life Orb: This gives Garchomp a good Attack boost, giving Earthquake the chance to 2HKO important threats such as Azumarill and Scizor.
• Lum Berry: Garchomp is a big target for Will-O-Wisp and Spore, so Lum Berry gives Garchomp one shot to slip away from status.
• Choice Scarf: With a Choice Scarf, Garchomp outspeeds more offensive checks such as Weavile. This is useful for the surprise factor against Weavile and opposing Garchomp alone, but it also makes Garchomp one of the best users of Rock Slide around!

Other Details

Garchomp should always run a Jolly nature, since outspeeding Zapdos, Arcanine, and Entei is very important. Rough Skin is usually the best ability choice, punishing foes for using contact moves against Garchomp. This can be especially useful for breaking Focus Sashes by switching Garchomp into Fake Out. If you're using Choice Scarf Garchomp, an Adamant nature gives it a nice power boost if you aren't worried about Speed ties; just note that you will no longer be able to outspeed Choice Scarf users such as Staraptor and Salamence.

What partners should I consider?

• Zapdos: Zapdos is a good partner to consider, being immune to Earthquake, hitting slower Abomasnow and Azumarill hard, and being one of the best users of Tailwind in the game! Just note that this pair struggles against Weavile and Choice Scarf Abomasnow.
• Scizor: Scizor does a good job of dealing with Garchomp's most prominent checks. It can slam Cresselia with Bug Bite or set up Swords Dance on it and can hit Weavile, Abomasnow, and Togekiss hard with Bullet Punch. In return, Garchomp threatens Fire-types with Earthquake.
• Gyarados: Gyarados is unique as a Flying-type partner, avoiding the dreaded Ice-type weakness and providing Intimidate support to make Garchomp difficult to take down. Garchomp, in return, hits Electric-types hard with Earthquake.
• Hitmontop: Hitmontop does a great job against Weavile if running Mach Punch, and the Intimidate support it provides is rather helpful for Garchomp.
• Yanmega: Yanmega is notable for being a Flying-type that hits Cresselia hard thanks to Bug Buzz, outspeeds Choice Scarf Abomasnow after one round of Speed Boost, and it can defeat Weavile after it Focus Sash is gone. In return, Garchomp hits Electric- and Fire-types hard with Earthquake.
• Abomasnow: Abomasnow doesn't offer particularly good synergy with Garchomp on its own, but it's a big help against rain teams, which have Pokémon that can outspeed and OHKO Garchomp when rain is up, while Garchomp helps against Fire-types with Earthquake.
• Staraptor: While this combo doesn't do too great against Focus Sash Weavile, Staraptor stands out as a good offensive partner for Garchomp, OHKOing Abomasnow that lack Focus Sash and softening up Pokémon into Earthquake's KO range. It can even use a Choice Scarf set with Final Gambit and maximum HP to severely damage Cresselia. Garchomp, in return, helps out against Electric-types.
• Gardevoir: Telepathy allows Gardevoir to avoid your Garchomp's Earthquake, and it can deal massive damage to Weavile with Dazzling Gleam or Moonblast. It can even Trick a Choice Scarf to Cresselia to cripple it.

What are its flaws?

Garchomp may have good bulk, but its 4x weakness to Ice-type attacks, 2x weakness to Fairy-type attacks, and vulnerability to Intimidate tend to be a big problem.

• Cresselia: Cresselia is bulky enough to shrug off Garchomp's attacks and can either hit it hard with Ice Beam or use Garchomp as setup bait for Calm Mind.
• Suicune: Garchomp has no chance of 2HKOing Suicune, while Suicune can seriously damage Garchomp with Ice Beam.
• Weavile: Weavile outspeeds Garchomp and smashes it with Icicle Crash. If it's carrying a Life Orb, not even a Yache Berry will save Garchomp from getting OHKOed! It must watch out for Rock Slides from Choice Scarf Garchomp, however, but even that variant is hit hard by Ice Shard.
• Azumarill: Azumarill only fears a 2HKO from Poison Jab and annihilates Garchomp with Play Rough.
• Latios: Latios may be hit hard by Dragon Claw, but Latios outspeeds Garchomp and OHKOes it with Draco Meteor.
• Abomasnow: Abomasnow doesn't have to worry about getting KOed by anything except Fire Fang and deep freezes Garchomp with Blizzard. It can even run a Choice Scarf to outspeed Garchomp.
• Gyarados: While Gyarados might be weak to Rock Slide, it can buffer this with Intimidate and threaten to hit Garchomp with Ice Fang.
• Hitmontop: Hitmontop itself doesn't hit Garchomp very hard outside of Close Combat, but its bulk and Intimidate make Garchomp much easier to deal with.
• Gengar: Gengar might be hit hard by Dragon Claw, but its greater Speed, immunity to Earthquake, and access to Will-O-Wisp give Garchomp some serious headaches.
• Salamence: While it's rather uncommon, Choice Scarf Salamence can blast through Garchomp with Draco Meteor, and it has Intimidate to take one Rock Slide and one unboosted Dragon Claw.

Arcanine

Roles: Priority attacker, Intimidate support

Choice Band

Arcanine @ Choice Band

Ability: Intimidate

EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

Adamant / Jolly Nature

- Flare Blitz

- Extreme Speed

- Close Combat

- Wild Charge

Physical Attacker

Arcanine @ Life Orb / Sitrus Berry

Ability: Intimidate

EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

Adamant / Jolly Nature

- Flare Blitz

- Extreme Speed

- Close Combat / Wild Charge / Will-O-Wisp

- Protect

What's the big deal?

In a metagame full of physical attackers, Scizor, and Abomasnow, Arcanine stands tall as one of the best options as an offensive Fire-type, having a strong STAB move, access to priority, and the incredible Intimidate!

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Flare Blitz: This is Arcanine's strong STAB attack, OHKOing Abomasnow and Scizor even in the rain with no boosting items!
• Extreme Speed: With Extreme Speed, Arcanine is fully capable of picking off weakened threats, especially if using a Choice Band.
• Close Combat: Close Combat gives Arcanine coverage against Snorlax and Rhyperior, which would otherwise wall it. Just make sure to do a damage calculation against Rhyperior, since it often carries Weakness Policy. It's also a good move to use if the rain is up.
• Wild Charge: This is Arcanine's best shot of hurting Water-types, OHKOing offensive Gyarados and 2HKOing Azumarill.
• Will-O-Wisp: If you're ok with giving up coverage, burning physical Pokémon such as Azumarill and Hitmontop can be very useful for Arcanine's teammates.

Items

• Choice Band: This gives Arcanine a tremendous power boost, letting Flare Blitz 2HKO even the bulkiest of Zapdos. Choice Band also lets Arcanine 2HKO Garchomp with Close Combat and, if using an Adamant nature, OHKO offensive Politoed.
• Life Orb: Life Orb grants Arcanine some reasonable power while letting it change moves. Just note that Flare Blitz and Life Orb recoil quickly add up.
• Sitrus Berry: If you simply need Arcanine to check certain threats and would prefer it stay alive longer, then Sitrus Berry can be a big help.

Other Details

An Adamant nature is usually the best, since it lets Arcanine pick off more foes with Extreme Speed. However, if you're worried about opposing Arcanine, a Jolly nature is still a reasonable choice. Flash Fire's offensive boost may seem appealing, but Intimidate's power cut is just far too useful to get rid of!

What partners should I consider?

• Weavile: Zapdos helps with the matchup against Azumarill, and it can use Weavile's Fake Out to more easily set up Tailwind, which allows Weavile to outspeed even anything that uses weather-boosting abilities. It also threatens to OHKO Scizor with Heat Wave and helps against Suicune, which can use Weavile to set up Calm Mind.
• Zapdos: Zapdos's Electric-type STAB allows it to heavily damage the Water-types that give Ludicolo trouble, while Arcanine can smash through Weavile and severely damage Snorlax with Close Combat. Zapdos can even set up Tailwind for Arcanine!
• Cresselia: Cresselia works as a good deterrent against Garchomp in Team Preview, while Arcanine can roast Scizor and Heracross so Cresselia can more easily set up Calm Mind.
• Heracross: Heracross helps out against Cresselia, 2HKOing it with Megahorn. It can even run an Assault Vest to survive Ludicolo's Hydro Pump in the rain during emergencies.
• Snorlax: Snorlax has a good amount of bulk to take on most special Water-type attacks (especially if using Assault Vest) and hit hard back with Return. It can even usually win against Calm Mind Cresselia if it's using a Curse set. In return, Arcanine softens blows with Intimidate and roasts Superpower Scizor.
• Ninetales: This is a risky partner for Arcanine, since they share weaknesses and similar checks, but Ninetales's Drought makes Arcanine's Flare Blitz extremely powerful! It also gets rid of the rain, Arcanine's Achilles heel.
• Abomasnow: Snow Warning from Abomasnow is a big help with removing the rain, and as a bonus, Abomasnow deals with Politoed fairly well. Arcanine returns the favor by roasting Scizor and dealing massive damage to Snorlax with Close Combat.
• Tangela: With Rage Powder, Tangela can redirect single-target Water-type attacks, giving Arcanine the perfect chance to use Wild Charge. Arcanine cooks Scizor up for Tangela, making its job much easier.

What are its flaws?

• Politoed: Politoed's rain is a huge problem, making Flare Blitz hit like a pingpong ball and allowing Politoed to OHKO Arcanine with Scald.
• Azumarill: Azumarill may not be a fan of Intimidate, but it sets up on any Arcanine that can't use Wild Charge against it. It can even pick off Arcanine with a powerful Aqua Jet.
• Garchomp: Garchomp only fears Close Combat, with Earthquake dealing serious damage to Arcanine even after an Intimidate.
• Cresselia: Arcanine fails to 2HKO Cresselia without sun support due to Cresselia's incredible bulk, giving it a good chance of stalling Arcanine out with Moonlight while setting up Calm Mind.
• Snorlax: Close Combat is too much for Snorlax to handle, but if Arcanine finds itself in a position where it can't use it, Snorlax has enough bulk to take on Arcanine's other moves and severely damage it with Return or Double-Edge.
• Rhyperior: Solid Rock allows Rhyperior to take a Close Combat, meaning that Arcanine is perfect bait for activating Weakness Policy. Rock Slide and Earthquake deal a severe amount of damage, meaning that Arcanine's only hope is to burn Rhyperior with Will-O-Wisp.

Latios

Roles: Tailwind support

Life Orb Attacker

Latios @ Life Orb

Ability: Levitate

EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

Timid Nature

- Draco Meteor

- Psyshock / Psychic

- Tailwind / Dragon Pulse / Thunderbolt

- Protect

Choice Specs

Latios @ Choice Specs

Ability: Levitate

EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

Timid Nature

- Draco Meteor

- Psyshock / Psychic

- Thunderbolt / Trick

- Dragon Pulse / Trick

What's the big deal?

Latios is a very powerful special attacker in Sinnoh Classic, threatening most Pokémon thanks to its high Speed and strong STAB moves. It can also offer utility in the form of Tailwind as well as useful resistances and a Ground immunity.

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Draco Meteor: This is Latios's strongest attack and a staple on any Latios set, doing huge damage to anything that doesn't resist it. Draco Meteor is effective both for removing a dangerous threat early-game and as a last resort nuke.
• Psyshock: While Psyshock is significantly weaker than Draco Meteor, the consistent damage allows Latios to threaten foes without being forced to switch out after using it. It also allows Latios to break through Assault Vest users such as Hariyama and Ludicolo.
• Psychic: This is a stronger alternative to Psyshock if the ability to hit Assault Vest users is not necessary, though otherwise this isn't much different than Psyshock.
• Tailwind: The ability to double Speed for the entire team is very useful, and Latios's high Speed makes it an effective Tailwind user, as it can usually get Tailwind up even if it's unlikely to survive that turn.
• Dragon Pulse: While Dragon Pulse is usually redundant with Draco Meteor, having a safe Dragon-type STAB move is useful late-game when the Special Attack drops and chance of missing are undesirable. This is particularly useful on a Choice Specs set.
• Thunderbolt: Azumarill is a huge threat that Latios can't break through normally, but Thunderbolt does enough damage to stop Azumarill before or after it sets up with Belly Drum. Thunderbolt also hits Togekiss harder than Psyshock or Psychic.
• Trick: Locking a foe into a single move is incredibly useful in Doubles, especially since few Pokémon can deal with the inability to use Protect. This is also incredibly useful for locking a support Pokémon such as Cresselia or Dusclops into using Trick Room.

Items

• Life Orb: Latios greatly appreciates a boost to its damage output, allowing it to capitalize on its already impressive Special Attack and high Speed even further. Latios isn't meant to be taking strong hits in the first place, so the recoil isn't a big hindrance.
• Choice Specs: While being locked into a single move and losing the ability to run Protect is usually not great in Doubles, Latios has the Special Attack, Speed, and movepool to make use of the extra power from Choice Specs.

Other Details

Latios can opt for Hidden Power Fire in order to hit Scizor and Abomasnow without suffering Draco Meteor's Special Attack drops. Note that this requires moving 4 EVs out of both Special Attack and Speed in order to avoid wasting EVs. Typically, losing the Speed tie against other base 110 Speed Pokémon is not worth it, though.

What partners should I consider?

• Hitmontop: Latios benefits greatly from Fake Out support from Hitmontop in order to Tailwind more easily, with Hitmontop also threatening Weavile with Close Combat and Intimidate. Intimidate in general also helps Latios handle physical attackers better, while Feint helps Latios exert offensive pressure.
• Arcanine: Latios has a difficult time against Weavile and Scizor, so Arcanine is an effective teammate to deal with them. Latios can also switch into the Ground-type and Water-type moves that threaten Arcanine and deals with Garchomp.
• Scizor: Scizor handles Fairy-types that give Latios a difficult time and can also handle Calm Mind Cresselia effectively. In return, Latios can switch into Fire-types that threaten Scizor, and it generally has an advantageous matchup against most of them.
• Metagross: While they share a weakness to Ghost and Dark, Latios appreciates having a bulky Steel-type partner to deal with Fairy-types. Metagross can also use Earthquake safely next to Latios and appreciates Latios's ability to switch into Fire-type moves.
• Gengar: Gengar can handle Cresselia and Fairy-types such as Azumarill well while spreading burns that can help Latios against physical attackers. This does stack a weakness to Weavile, but Gengar often runs Focus Sash and can also use Icy Wind to give Weavile a tough time.
• Blaziken: Latios has great synergy with Blaziken, as they both cover each other's weaknesses relatively well. Blaziken can handle Steel-types and Snorlax for Latios and also appreciates having a teammate that can check Water-types and switch into Earthquake. However, both have issues with Cresselia, and Azumarill is problematic if Latios lacks Thunderbolt.

What are its flaws?

Latios relies on its great Speed, so it's very vulnerable to speed control such as Trick Room or a foe's Tailwind. Steel-types and Fairy-types in general give it a difficult time, since it has no way to hit them effectively and baiting Latios into using Draco Meteor at a bad time can quickly turn it into a liability, which can easily be taken advantage of. It's also not very bulky, particularly physically, so with Life Orb recoil it can quickly find itself worn down.

• Weavile: Latios has a difficult time against Weavile, one of the premier Fake Out users, which makes it more difficult to lead with it. It also has the fastest Fake Out barring Ludicolo under rain, which makes it difficult to pressure effectively, especially since it commonly runs Focus Sash.
• Gengar: While Speed ties normally makes things risky for both Latios and Gengar, Gengar commonly runs Focus Sash and can disrupt Latios's team with Icy Wind. Unless Latios can get Tailwind set up and has a partner that can afford to leave Gengar's teammate alone, Gengar usually has the advantage against Latios.
• Cresselia: Trick Room gives Latios a difficult time, which is made worse by the fact that Trick Room teams commonly run Abomasnow. Even without Trick Room, Latios struggles to break through Cresselia by itself and risks giving it a chance to start setting up with Calm Mind.
• Scizor: Draco Meteor does huge damage to Scizor, but Latios has no way to break through Scizor unless it runs the uncommon Hidden Power Fire. Meanwhile, Bug Bite OHKOes it return, and Scizor can even get an easy turn to set up if Latios has used Draco Meteor beforehand.
• Metagross: Latios has very little with which to hit Metagross, especially against Assault Vest variants. Due to Latios's below average Defense, Metagross can easily take down Latios with Meteor Mash or Iron Head. If Metagross's teammate manages to set Tailwind or use Icy Wind, Latios has an even more difficult time.

Zapdos

Roles: Tailwind setter, spread attacker, Choice Scarf user

Tailwind Support

Zapdos @ Sitrus Berry / Expert Belt / Yache Berry

Ability: Static / Pressure

EVs: 252 HP / 116 Def / 140 Spe

Bold / Modest / Timid Nature

- Tailwind

- Thunderbolt / Discharge

- Heat Wave

- Protect

Choice Attacker

Zapdos @ Choice Scarf / Choice Specs

Ability: Static / Pressure

EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

Modest / Timid Nature

- Discharge

- Thunderbolt / Volt Switch

- Heat Wave

- Hidden Power Ice

What's the big deal?

Zapdos is one of the best users of Tailwind in Sinnoh Classic, making it an excellent member for most offensive teams. Zapdos's good all-around stats that make it effective defensively and offensively make it rather versatile as well.

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Tailwind: This allows Zapdos to double its team's Speed for four turns, giving your team a massive offensive advantage unless it's facing a Trick Room team.
• Thunderbolt: Thunderbolt is a reliable STAB attack.
• Discharge: Discharge gives Zapdos a spread STAB attack. While it does unfortunately hit its partner, it also ignores Follow Me, allowing Zapdos to always hit Azumarill. The 30% chance to paralyze is also useful.
• Heat Wave: Heat Wave is the most reliable spread attack for Zapdos and gives it important coverage against Abomasnow and Scizor.
• Volt Switch: If you plan on using a Choiced Zapdos set, Volt Switch can be a useful alternative to Thunderbolt for switching out.
• Hidden Power Ice: While fairly difficult to fit on the Tailwind set, Hidden Power Ice is perfect on the Choiced set to hit Garchomp hard.

Items

• Sitrus Berry: Sitrus Berry lets Zapdos stick around longer in case it needs to set up Tailwind again.
• Expert Belt: If you plan on using a more offensive variant of the Tailwind set, Expert Belt allows Zapdos to OHKO Azumarill with Thunderbolt assuming a Timid nature.
• Yache Berry: This helps Zapdos take on Weavile better, giving it a chance to set up Tailwind even in the face of Icicle Crash.
• Choice Scarf: Choice Scarf is great for surprising common Zapdos checks such as Weavile, Garchomp, and Choice Scarf Abomasnow.
• Choice Specs: If you want much more power than Choice Scarf can provide, Choice Specs is an acceptable alternative, letting Zapdos usually OHKO Togekiss with Thunderbolt.

Other Details

Static is usually better than Pressure for the paralysis chance, but since it's difficult to get, Zapdos is still worth using with Pressure. Zapdos's nature is fairly customizable. A Bold nature with the given EV spread allows Zapdos to survive a +6 Azumarill Aqua Jet in neutral weather and outspeed Smeargle and Breloom. If you want more power instead of bulk, transfer the HP EVs to Special Attack, the Defense EVs to HP, and use a Modest nature. A Timid nature with maximum Speed and Special Attack is also fine for the Tailwind set. Finally, a Modest nature makes lots of sense on for the Choice Scarf set for more power, but if you're worried about Final Gambit Staraptor, a Timid nature is usable as well.

What partners should I consider?

• Garchomp: Zapdos and Garchomp go together like peanut butter and jelly, with Zapdos being able to use Discharge safely while Garchomp is able to use Earthquake freely. Just note that Weavile and Choice Scarf Abomasnow are an issue to this core.
• Weavile: Weavile's fast Fake Out allows Zapdos to more easily set up Tailwind, in addition to Weavile helping deal with Garchomp.
• Hitmontop: Hitmontop acts as a great deterrent against Weavile and supports Zapdos in general with Intimidate to soften physical blows and Wide Guard to block Rock Slide and Blizzard. Zapdos shows its gratefulness by zapping the dreaded Azumarill.
• Breloom: With Tailwind up, Breloom becomes an especially deadly sleep inducer, since its mediocre Speed is patched up! It can also use Mach Punch to crush Weavile and Choice Scarf Abomasnow.
• Heracross: Tailwind makes Heracross a far more fearsome Guts sweeper, and as a bonus, Zapdos helps deal with Azumarill as well. In return, Heracross blasts through Cresselia so it won't be setting up on Zapdos.

What are its flaws?

Zapdos's biggest flaw is that it has to choose between bulk and power. Zapdos may have good stats, but it must make sacrifices for the sake of specialization. Zapdos is also rather weak to Rock Slide and Blizzard, which are common spread attacks.

• Garchomp: Garchomp only fears Hidden Power Ice, letting it unleash Rock Slides against Zapdos.
• Weavile: Weavile has the Speed advantage over Zapdos, letting it deal a massive amount of damage with Icicle Crash.
• Sableye: Sableye won't be doing much damage to Zapdos, but Prankster allows it to block Tailwind via Taunt.
• Mamoswine: While it's uncommon, Mamoswine's Thick Fat and Ground typing allow it to tank Zapdos's attacks, letting it slam Zapdos with Icicle Crash.
• Rhyperior: Not even Hidden Power Ice will do enough to Rhyperior, letting it bury Zapdos under repeated Rock Slides. It doesn't help that Rhyperior is common on Trick Room teams either.
• Abomasnow: Heat Wave is an easy OHKO on Abomasnow, but if Trick Room is set up or you're facing Choice Scarf Abomasnow, Blizzard will deal massive damage to Zapdos at the very least.

Politoed

Roles: Rain setter, Perish Song user, Choice Scarf user

Bulky Rain Support

Politoed @ Sitrus Berry / Damp Rock / Wacan Berry

Ability: Drizzle

EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Spe

Calm / Sassy Nature

- Scald

- Icy Wind / Ice Beam

- Helping Hand / Perish Song / Encore / Rain Dance

- Protect

Choice Scarf

Politoed @ Choice Scarf

Ability: Drizzle

EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

Timid Nature

- Surf

- Hydro Pump / Scald

- Ice Beam

- Encore / Hidden Power Grass / Focus Blast

Choice Specs

Politoed @ Choice Specs

Ability: Drizzle

EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe

Modest Nature

- Surf

- Hydro Pump

- Ice Beam

- Focus Blast / Hidden Power Grass

What's the big deal?

Unlike in Diamond and Pearl, Politoed has the incredible Drizzle ability, making it the cornerstone of deadly rain teams. It's even capable of going on the offensive itself thanks to rain boosting the power of Water-type moves.

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Scald: This is the most reliable single-target Water-type attack. Scald is particularly useful on bulky Politoed sets for the burn chance.
• Icy Wind: For bulky Politoed sets, Icy Wind provides valuable speed control support and gets rid of Yache Berries from the likes of Garchomp and Salamence.
• Ice Beam: Ice Beam deals much more damage to Dragon-types and is the Ice-type attack of choice for more offensive Politoed.
• Helping Hand: Helping Hand is an excellent choice for rain teams, allowing teammates such as Ludicolo and Kingdra to get extra fast KOs.
• Perish Song: If your team has trouble with bulky boosters such as Cresselia and Suicune, Perish Song does a great job of forcing them to switch or even potentially granting your team a new win condition when you've knocked out half of your opponent's team.
• Encore: Encore punishes Pokémon that use support moves, making it a good choice against setup Pokémon. On Choice Scarf Politoed, while it's very risky to lock Politoed into, it can also be used to effectively punish Pokémon using Protect, while on Sassy Politoed, it can be used to underspeed Cresselia, forcing it to not use Trick Room.
• Rain Dance: If you're worried about the likes of Ninetales or Abomasnow changing the weather, you can use Rain Dance on the switch to ruin their plans.
• Surf: For offensive Politoed sets, Surf is a great spread attack to go with its single-target STAB move.
• Hydro Pump: If you're willing to risk that 20% chance to miss, Hydro Pump is the superior STAB option for offensive Politoed. In particular, this allows Choice Specs Politoed to 2HKO Cresselia and Snorlax.
• Hidden Power Grass: This Hidden Power will allow offensive Politoed to hit Azumarill and Gastrodon, which otherwise wall it.
• Focus Blast: Focus Blast severely damages Abomasnow, a common check to Politoed.

Items

• Sitrus Berry: Sitrus Berry gives Politoed a longer lifespan, allowing it to support your rain team for a longer period of time.
• Damp Rock: Damp Rock extends the rain's duration to eight turns, which is perfect for more reliably guaranteeing a sweep from the likes of Ludicolo and Kingdra.
• Wacan Berry: Since Electric-types like Zapdos and Raikou can be rather problematic for rain teams, a Wacan Berry lets Politoed take Electric-type attacks fairly easily, allowing Ludicolo to get some extra Helping Hand-boosted hits in.
• Choice Scarf: Politoed doesn't have much Speed, but with a Choice Scarf, it outruns the likes of Weavile and Crobat, letting it get surprise KOs with fast Water-type attacks.
• Choice Specs: Choice Specs gives Politoed a shocking amount of power, allowing it to 2HKO Snorlax and Cresselia with Hydro Pump.

Other Details

For the bulky Politoed set, you'll usually want to focus on its superior Special Defense, since its common checks such as Zapdos and Ludicolo are specially based. Calm is usually the best nature, but if you have trouble with Trick Room, consider a Sassy nature with 0 Speed IVs to underspeed Cresselia and therefore leaveit vulnerable to Encore after it uses Trick Room.

For Choice Scarf Politoed, a Timid nature is preferred, since it allows Politoed to outspeed Weavile and Crobat. For Choice Specs, you'll want a Modest nature for maximum power. Maximum HP gives Politoed reasonable bulk, but if you have Tailwind, consider 208 Speed EVs to outspeed Weavile and Crobat after set up.

What partners should I consider?

• Ludicolo: Ludicolo is the premier rain sweeper of Sinnoh Classic, making it Politoed's primary partner.
• Scizor: The rain lets Scizor survive weaker Fire-type attacks, making it much more difficult to check than usual. It also aids the bulkier Politoed by defeating Cresselia.
• Metagross: With the rain pouring down, Metagross no longer is weak to Fire-type attacks, making it very difficult to check.
• Kingdra: Kingdra works well as an alternative sweeper to Ludicolo. While it doesn't have the precious Grass-type STAB, it does deal with Abomasnow and Latios much better, and as a bonus, it has Muddy Water, a better spread attack than Surf.
• Mamoswine: If your team has big problems against Ninetales and Zapdos, Mamoswine can be a big help thanks to Thick Fat and its Ice- and Ground-type STAB attacks.
• Toxicroak: Toxicroak benefits greatly from the rain thanks to its Dry Skin ability. It can also help deal with Azumarill and Snorlax thanks to its STAB combination.

What are its flaws?

Weavile is a very frail Pokémon, so it's pretty easy to KO it after it loses its Focus Sash, and it's especially vulnerable to priority. Weavile is weak to a large number of prominent priority attacks such as Bullet Punch and Mach Punch as well. Since Weavile doesn't always carry Protect, it's also especially vulnerable to double targeting.

• Abomasnow: Abomasnow's Snow Warning gets rid of the rain, and it tanks anything Politoed can throw at it except for Focus Blast. Abomasnow's Grass-type STAB attacks are also capable of defeating Politoed.
• Ninetales: Ninetales may hate Water-type attacks, but with its Drought ability, it cripples rain teams' ability to deal damage.
• Snorlax: Snorlax only risks a 2HKO from Choice Specs Politoed's Hydro Pump, letting it slam Politoed with Return or Double-Edge.
• Raikou: Politoed hates Electric-type attacks in general, but Raikou is uniquely threatening because of its ability to use Calm Mind.
• Ludicolo: Ironically, the most common Pokémon on rain teams happens to be a big problem for Politoed because it can tank anything Politoed throws out and can defeat it with Grass-type STAB attacks.
• Azumarill: Azumarill only fears Choice Specs-boosted Hidden Power Grass or Scald burns, meaning that it can usually set up Belly Drum on Politoed if it isn't paired with a partner like Ludicolo.
• Azumarill / Illumise: These two Prankster users don't threaten Politoed directly, but they can cripple rain teams, since they often carry Sunny Day.

Ludicolo

Roles: Rain sweeper, Fake Out support

Rain Sweeper

Ludicolo @ Life Orb / Assault Vest

Ability: Swift Swim

EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

Modest Nature

- Fake Out

- Scald / Hydro Pump / Surf

- Giga Drain / Energy Ball

- Ice Beam

Choice Specs

Ludicolo @ Choice Specs

Ability: Swift Swim

4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

Modest Nature

- Surf

- Scald / Hydro Pump

- Giga Drain / Energy Ball

- Ice Beam

What's the big deal?

Ludicolo is the most dangerous rain sweeper in Sinnoh Classic thanks to Swift Swim! Its unique typing and movepool place it above the usual rain sweeper.

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Fake Out: With Drizzle support, Ludicolo becomes the fastest viable option for Fake Out support, which is great for getting momentum on your side.
• Scald: Scald is Ludicolo's most reliable option for a Water-type STAB move and also provides a potentially devastating chance to burn its target.
• Hydro Pump: Hydro Pump is the high-risk, high-reward STAB move. The 20% chance to miss can be devastating for Ludicolo, but if it hits, it deals massive damage, 2HKOing Snorlax in the rain if you use a Life Orb!
• Surf: Surf gives Ludicolo a fairly powerful spread attack under the rain, which is useful for cleaning up weakened teams. Just remember that it also hits your ally.
• Giga Drain: Giga Drain is a great STAB move for hitting Water-types, also giving Ludicolo a respectable amount of its health back.
• Energy Ball: If you're using Life Orb Ludicolo, Energy Ball is a reasonable option over Giga Drain, since it nearly guarantees a OHKO on Azumarill and a 2HKO on specially defensive Politoed, something that's impossible with Giga Drain without Choice Specs.
• Ice Beam: This is Ludicolo's way of hitting Dragon-types. It 2HKOs Latios and OHKOs Garchomp and Salamence that lack a Yache Berry.
• Focus Blast: If you desperately need to hit Abomasnow hard, Focus Blast is Ludicolo's best shot of putting it down despite its shaky accuracy.

Items

• Life Orb: With this, Weavile can survive powerful hits it normally has no business taking on.
• Assault Vest: If you prefer more bulk, Assault Vest allows Ludicolo to make great use of its good Special Defense. Just note that Ludicolo will lose out on important damage thresholds, such as the ability to 2HKO Snorlax with Hydro Pump.
• Choice Specs: If you're willing to give up Fake Out and the ability to switch moves, Choice Specs gives Ludicolo a tremendous power boost. For example, Hydro Pump in the rain now always OHKOes maximum HP Scizor when it connects, avoiding a KO from Bug Bite!

Other Details

Swift Swim is the whole point of Ludicolo, since it makes much better use of rain's limited turns than Rain Dish. A Timid nature may seem appealing for a faster Fake Out against opposing Ludicolo, but unless your team desperately needs it, you're better off using a Modest nature for the extra firepower.

What partners should I consider?

• Politoed: Considering Ludicolo's selling point is being a rain sweeper, it should be paired with Politoed thanks to its ability to summon rain! Drizzle isn't the only useful part either: Politoed makes great use of Helping Hand, which allows Ludicolo to get KOs much more easily.
• Hitmontop: Hitmontop does a great job of covering up Ludicolo's soft Defense stat with Intimidate while dealing with the dreaded Snorlax and Abomasnow with Close Combat.
• Scizor: Scizor is an excellent check to Calm Mind Cresselia. As a bonus, Scizor has great synergy with rain teams thanks to Fire-type attacks being weakened.
• Arcanine: Using Arcanine on a rain team may seem like madness, but since Abomasnow is such a big threat, Arcanine can be used to put it down while supporting Ludicolo with Intimidate. It's also a great check to Scizor when the rain is gone.
• Gastrodon: If you're using Surf Ludicolo, Gastrodon makes an excellent teammate thanks to the Special Attack boost it gains from Storm Drain. they have poor typing synergy, Yanmega benefits from Fake Out support due to its Speed Boost ability. Weavile's ability to break Infernape's Focus Sash is also handy, letting Yanmega KO Infernape with Air Slash. Yanmega also does better against Cresselia than Weavile.

What are its flaws?

Ludicolo heavily relies on rain to be dangerous. If the rain goes out for any reason, Ludicolo loses a lot of its effectiveness. It also has a somewhat low Defense stat, making it very vulnerable to physical attackers that are bulky enough to survive its amphibious assaults.

• Ninetales: Ninetales takes heavy damage from Water-type attacks, but if it comes in, it clears up the rain with its sun, which neuters Ludicolo's Speed and Water-type attacking power.
• Abomasnow: Aside from the rare Focus Blast, Abomasnow walls Ludicolo, hitting it hard with Blizzard or defeating Politoed.
• Snorlax: Snorlax's amazing special bulk allows it to avoid a 2HKO (except from Life Orb or Choice Specs boosted Hydro Pump), allowing it to deal serious damage to Ludicolo with Return or Double-Edge.
• Toxicroak: Toxicroak's unique Dry Skin ability gives it an immunity to Water-type attacks, meaning that it can take on Ludicolo's full STAB combination. This allows it to OHKO Ludicolo with its Poison-type STAB moves.
• Cresselia: Cresselia only fears a 2HKO from a rain-boosted Hydro Pump, meaning it can set up Calm Mind on Ludicolo if it doesn't have Helping Hand support.

Abomasnow

Roles: Hail setter, spread attacker, priority attacker, Choice Scarf user

Special Attacker

Abomasnow @ Life Orb / Focus Sash

Ability: Snow Warning

EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpA

Quiet / Modest Nature

- Blizzard

- Giga Drain / Energy Ball / Wood Hammer

- Protect

- Ice Shard / Hidden Power Fire

Choice Scarf

Abomasnow @ Choice Scarf

Ability: Snow Warning

EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

Timid / Naive Nature

- Blizzard

- Energy Ball

- Hidden Power Fire

- Frost Breath / Rock Slide

What's the big deal?

Abomasnow finds itself in a very unique position as the only Pokémon that summons hail on its entry. It happens to be one of the best checks to rain teams in Sinnoh Classic, but its utility goes beyond that: it's a powerful spread attacker, an excellent choice on Trick Room teams, and even a surprise Choice Scarf user!

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Blizzard: This is Abomasnow's main tool of destruction, being among the most powerful spread attacks in Sinnoh Classic. Thanks to Snow Warning, Blizzard will always hit as long as hail is up. Just note that once the hail is gone, Blizzard's accuracy can be rather shaky.
• Giga Drain: Giga Drain isn't a particularly strong STAB move, but when boosted by Life Orb, it hits Water-types hard while giving Abomasnow a nice amount of recovery.
• Energy Ball: Energy Ball provides a welcome power boost over Giga Drain, guaranteeing a OHKO on maximum HP Azumarill if Abomasnow is using a Life Orb and even having a chance of OHKOing maximum HP Politoed. It's also the Grass-type STAB move you'll want on Choice Scarf set, since that set needs all the power it can get when it's locked into the move.
• Wood Hammer: If Abomasnow is carrying a Life Orb, Wood Hammer can OHKO specially defensive Politoed and has a shot to OHKO Azumarill.
• Ice Shard: Ice Shard is rather weak without any real Attack investment, but the Ice STAB makes it a worthy attack, dealing good damage to the likes of Garchomp and Zapdos. It's especially useful for picking off threats when Trick Room has run out.
• Hidden Power Fire: Since Scizor is such a big problem for Abomasnow, Hidden Power Fire makes Abomasnow an effective lure against the red bug. With a Life Orb, Abomasnow gets a guaranteed OHKO on Scizor assuming it's not raining and it doesn't have an Occa Berry. Even without a Life Orb, it deals a serious amount of damage that makes it easy for its partners to KO Scizor.
• Frost Breath: Frost Breath is a filler move for the Choice Scarf set, allowing Abomasnow to have an attack that ignores Calm Mind. It also comes in handy if you know hail won't be staying up for long but you still need the Ice-type STAB move.
• Rock Slide: Rock Slide from Abomasnow is rather weak, but as a filler move, it can be used as a hail mary to get a last chance flinch. It also deals good damage to Moltres, which otherwise is a big problem for Abomasnow.

Items

• Life Orb: This gives Abomasnow the power it needs to deep freeze teams with Blizzard. This is especially important if you are taking advantage of Trick Room's limited turns.
• Focus Sash: While Abomasnow loses out on a lot of power if it uses this, it can let Abomasnow survive a surprise Fire-type attack.
• Choice Scarf: Using a Choice Scarf and a Timid or Naive nature lets Abomasnow outspeed important Pokémon that are weak to Blizzard such as Garchomp, Zapdos, and Latios, making it a surprisingly effective spread attacker that requires little support to work.
• Never-Melt Ice: This is an acceptable alternative to Life Orb if it's already taken up by another Pokémon, making Blizzard still fairly powerful.

Ability

Abomasnow should never leave its igloo without Snow Warning, since it's the entire reason it works so well.

Other Details

The special attacking set will usually want to go with maximum HP and Special Attack, giving it reasonable bulk and power. Abomasnow works especially well on Trick Room teams, so consider giving it 0 Speed IVs to go alongside the Quiet nature. If you don't use it on Trick Room and are using Hidden Power Fire over Ice Shard, a Modest nature works fine as well. The Choice Scarf set, on the other hand, wants a Timid or Naive nature so it can outspeed Garchomp, Zapdos, and Latios.

What partners should I consider?

• Cresselia: This is one of the premier users of Trick Room in Sinnoh Classic, making it a good Pokémon to consider for Abomasnow. Do note that they both have problems with Scizor.
• Dusclops / Dusknoir: These two are fairly bulky Trick Room users that happen to be able to deal with Scizor, one of Abomasnow's biggest problems once Trick Room is set up. Dusclops can cripple it with Will-O-Wisp, which prevents Scizor from 2HKOing Abomasnow with Bullet Punch. Dusknoir can take a more offensive approach, dealing massive damage to Scizor with Fire Punch.
• Porygon2: While it may share a Fighting-type weakness with Abomasnow, Porygon2 is a very reliable user of Trick Room that has enough offensive power to severely harm Scizor with Hidden Power Fire.
• Arcanine: Arcanine sets itself apart from other Scizor checks with access to the awesome Intimidate to soften blows against Abomasnow. In return, Abomasnow's Snow Warning erases the troublesome rain for Arcanine.
• Azumarill: Azumarill's typing makes it a superb Trick Room partner, making it an effective check against both Fighting- and Fire-type Pokémon. Abomasnow can also get rid of the harmful sun for Azumarill, allowing Abomasnow to switch in as Azumarill takes out a weakened Ninetales with Aqua Jet.
• Hitmontop: Intimidate is fairly helpful for Abomasnow, but Hitmontop has a secret weapon that sets it apart from most Abomasnow teammates: Wide Guard. With Wide Guard, Hitmontop can block Zapdos's Heat Wave, turning the tables and letting Abomasnow defeat Zapdos with Blizzard!
• Snorlax: Even though it shares a Fighting-type weakness with Abomasnow, Snorlax is a great offensive Trick Room partner that is slow and powerful enough to roast Scizor with Fire Punch.
• Garchomp: Garchomp works well with Choice Scarf Abomasnow, with the combination of Blizzard and Rock Slide knocking out Zapdos. Choice Scarf Abomasnow also deals heavy damage to Latios, one of Garchomp's checks.
• Weavile: Weavile shares most of its weaknesses with Abomasnow, but it can be a useful partner when leading. Weavile can smash through Zapdos, while Abomasnow's hail ensures that Weavile can use Fake Out before Ludicolo.

What are its flaws?

Abomasnow's typing may be great for dealing with rain teams, but it also gives it a ton of exploitable weaknesses, most notably a 4x weakness to Fire-type attacks. Because of this, KOing Abomasnow isn't terribly difficult if you have the right Pokémon. Abomasnow also struggles against Fire-types and Steel-types because they tend to wall it.

• Ninetales: Drought makes Ninetales especially problematic compared to most Fire-types, letting Ninetales force a potential Blizzard miss as it switches in.
• Arcanine: Arcanine's Intimidate weakens both Pokémon on the field, and it can even use Close Combat on Abomasnow if it doesn't want to take recoil damage.
• Entei: Sacred Fire can burn potential switch-ins, and if it forces out Abomasnow so Azumarill can set up Belly Drum, Entei has a chance to use Psych Up and sweep!
• Metagross: Hidden Power Fire isn't enough to 2HKO Metagross most of the time, meaning that Abomasnow is liable to get OHKOed by Meteor Mash.
• Scizor: As long as Abomasnow lacks Hidden Power Fire, Scizor totally walls it, meaning that it can OHKO with Bug Bite or deal a severe amount of damage with Bullet Punch.
• Snorlax: Snorlax's tremendous amount of special bulk and Thick Fat allow it to totally wall Abomasnow, giving it the chance to either OHKO it with Fire Punch or deal a severe amount of damage with Return.
• Dusknoir: Unlike Dusclops, Dusknoir has a reasonable Attack stat, allowing it to deal a severe amount of damage to Abomasnow with Fire Punch.
• Porygon2: Porygon2 often carries Hidden Power Fire, giving it an easy way to 2HKO Abomasnow.
• Hariyama: Hariyama is one of the few Fighting-types that is slower than Abomasnow, allowing it to OHKO it while Trick Room is up.
• Zapdos: Blizzard deals a severe amount of damage to Zapdos, but if Zapdos has the Speed advantage, it can roast Abomasnow with Heat Wave.

Metagross

Roles: Priority Attacker, Psych Up sweeper

Offensive Tank

Metagross @ Shuca Berry / Occa Berry / Life Orb

Ability: Clear Body

EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe

Adamant Nature

- Meteor Mash / Iron Head

- Bullet Punch / Ice Punch / Zen Headbutt

- Earthquake / Ice Punch / Psych Up

- Protect

Assault Vest

Metagross @ Assault Vest

Ability: Clear Body

EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe

Adamant Nature

- Meteor Mash / Iron Head

- Bullet Punch

- Ice Punch / Zen Headbutt

- Earthquake

Choice Band

Metagross @ Choice Band

Ability: Clear Body

EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe

Adamant Nature

- Meteor Mash / Iron Head

- Bullet Punch / Trick

- Ice Punch / Zen Headbutt

- Explosion / Earthquake

What's the big deal?

Metagross is a very durable physical attacker with a great defensive typing to go with it that allows it to fit very well on many teams. Clear Body also prevents Intimidate from lowering its damage output, and it also boasts a great movepool that lets it cover a wide range of threats despite its mediocre STAB combination.

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Meteor Mash: This is Metagross's strongest STAB move, hitting anything that doesn't resist it for huge damage and having a chance to raise its Attack further.
• Iron Head: Missing with Meteor Mash can be a pain, especially since one miss can easily cost you the game, so Iron Head is an option that trades some power for reliable accuracy. Unlike with Meteor Mash's Attack boost, though, Metagross is unlikely to make effective use of flinching its foe due to its middling Speed.
• Ice Punch: With Ice Punch, Metagross can handle Zapdos as well as Dragon-types such as Garchomp, Salamence, and Latios effectively. However, Garchomp commonly runs Yache Berry, and Metagross needs a Shuca Berry itself to deal with Garchomp safely.
• Zen Headbutt: There aren't many threats that warrant running Zen Headbutt over Ice Punch or Bullet Punch, but some teams appreciate the ability to hit Hariyama, Infernape, Breloom, and Hitmontop harder.
• Bullet Punch: Metagross is relatively slow, so Bullet Punch grants it useful priority to pick off weakened foes, which is useful against common Focus Sash users such as Gengar and Weavile that normally give Metagross a difficult time.
• Earthquake: Earthquake allows Metagross to threaten grounded Fire-types such as Arcanine and Blaziken, as well as opposing Metagross that might otherwise try to switch in against it. It also gives Metagross a useful spread move to take advantage of its great Attack.
• Explosion: Explosion is a devastating nuke on Choice Band Metagross that can create huge holes in the opponent's team when timed well. In a battle with only four Pokémon, the prospect of trading Metagross for possibly two of the opponent's Pokémon can tilt the game heavily in your favor, though it can backfire if used at the wrong time.
• Psych Up: This should only be used with Bullet Punch on teams with Azumarill in order to copy the Belly Drum boost. Ideally, this is used on a turn where you expect your opponent to attack Azumarill and Protect, since Psych Up still copies the boosts of a Pokémon protecting itself. It's a very risky move especially if the opponent is aware of this or tries to redirect Psych Up, but if used well this can quickly back your opponent into a corner.
• Trick: Trick can be very unexpected on Metagross, since Choice Band Metagross usually tries to surprise foes with its huge wallbreaking power instead, and it makes for an effective stop to support Pokémon such as Cresselia.

Items

• Shuca Berry: Metagross is naturally bulky, so it makes effective use of Shuca Berry to shrug off an Earthquake from Garchomp and retaliate with Ice Punch. This is also useful against other possible Earthquake users such as Rhyperior and opposing Metagross. The "neutrality" against Ground attacks makes Metagross more difficult to KO in rain which "neutralizes" incoming Fire attacks, both of which are the only common types that Metagross would expect to face.
• Occa Berry: Similarly to Shuca Berry, this allows Metagross to take a Fire-type attack and retaliate with an attack of its own, which allows it to surprise Heat Wave Zapdos and grounded Fire-types such as Arcanine, Infernape, and Blaziken.
• Life Orb: The recoil compromises Metagross's impressive bulk, but it gives Metagross a significant power boost on teams that aren't already using Life Orb on another Pokémon.
• Assault Vest: Metagross's Special Defense is slightly lacking, so Assault Vest turns Metagross into a more sturdy tank, allowing it to check Fairy-types better and switch into strong special attackers like Latios more comfortably.
• Choice Band: Metagross with a Choice Band is a nuke, dealing massive damage with Meteor Mash and blowing through teams with Explosion. As with Assault Vest, this leaves Metagross more vulnerable (because it can't run Protect) in exchange for a significant power boost.

Other Details

Metagross should run a Brave nature if being used on a Trick Room team. Alternatively, Metagross can run 208 Speed EVs in order to outspeed Weavile and Crobat under Tailwind, though this comes at the cost of Metagross's incredible bulk.

What partners should I consider?

• Latios: While Latios shares two weaknesses with Metagross, it appreciates Metagross's ability to check Fairy-types and can check Fire-types for Metagross. Latios can also offer Tailwind support to make Metagross into an even bigger threat.
• Azumarill: If Metagross wants to use Psych Up, Belly Drum Azumarill is a necessary partner to reliably pull it off and turn Metagross into an incredible threat with Bullet Punch. Azumarill can also deal with Weavile and Fire-types for Metagross and can pressure common users of Earthquake such as as Garchomp and Rhyperior.
• Weavile: Metagross has a difficult time against Gengar, so Weavile is an effective partner to threaten it. Metagross also appreciates the fast Fake Out support to make up for its middling Speed and can cover Fairy-types that threaten Weavile.
• Hitmontop: Fighting-types such as Hitmontop help Metagross deal with Weavile, while Metagross can check Fairy-types such as Clefable and Togekiss. Hitmontop also provides Fake Out and Intimidate support and can use Wide Guard to protect Metagross from Heat Wave and Earthquake.
• Politoed: Metagross is a huge threat under rain, so Politoed makes for an effective teammate. Metagross doesn't have to worry as much about Fire-types under rain, and such teams commonly use Kingdra or Ludicolo, which threaten Garchomp and Rhyperior.
• Cresselia: While Cresselia stacks weaknesses to Ghost and Dark, it makes for an effective check to Garchomp with Levitate and either Ice Beam or Icy Wind. Metagross greatly benefits from both Icy Wind and Trick Room due to its middling Speed as well, while Metagross can safely use Earthquake next to Cresselia.

What are its flaws?

Metagross is powerful and durable, but its Speed brings it down, since it's generally faster than most Trick Room attackers but relatively slow outside of it. While its typing grants it many useful resistances, it's also weak to very common and dangerous types. Offensively, its STAB combination is also mediocre, so it often relies on coverage moves to hit specific targets, meaning it can't cover everything at once.

• Weavile: Metagross is bulky enough to survive Knock Off, but it will take huge damage in the process and lose its item. Metagross can pick off Weavile with Bullet Punch as well, but the damage from Knock Off is usually enough for Weavile's partner to bring Metagross down.
• Gengar: Shadow Ball doesn't OHKO Metagross unless Gengar is running Life Orb, but as with Weavile, the damage is more about weakening Metagross to a point where its teammate can clean it up, though Meteor Mash is likely to OHKO back assuming Focus Sash isn't intact.
• Ninetales: Fire-types in general give Metagross trouble, but Ninetales can also mess with rain teams that Metagross is commonly found on. These teams also commonly run Cholorphyll sweepers, which further threaten Water-type Pokémon on Metagross's team.
• Garchomp: Metagross can win against Garchomp if it has a Shuca Berry, but Yache Berry Garchomp is common, so Ice Punch won't always OHKO Garchomp in return. Garchomp is also commonly paired with Zapdos, which can threaten Metagross further with Heat Wave.
• Gastrodon: Gastrodon resists Meteor Mash and can threaten Metagross in return with Earth Power. While Gastrodon doesn't like taking the occasional Zen Headbutt, Metagross variants lacking Zen Headbutt or Choice Band Explosion are unable to do much damage to it.

Snorlax

Roles: Trick Room attacker, Setup sweeper

Curse Sweeper

Snorlax @ Chesto Berry

Ability: Thick Fat

EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def

Brave Nature

- Return

- Curse

- Rest

- Fire Punch / Crunch

Belly Drum Sweeper

Snorlax @ Sitrus Berry

Ability: Thick Fat

EVs: 244 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def / 4 SpD

Brave Nature

- Return

- Belly Drum

- Protect

- Fire Punch / Crunch

All-out Attacker

Snorlax @ Choice Band / Assault Vest

Ability: Thick Fat

EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def

Brave / Adamant Nature

- Return / Double-Edge

- Fire Punch

- Superpower / Crunch

- Self-Destruct / Crunch

What's the big deal?

Snorlax may be one of the most dangerous Trick Room attackers in Sinnoh Classic, having access to excellent setup moves, plenty of power and bulk, and an extremely low Speed stat to become lightning fast under Trick Room!

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Return: This is the most reliable STAB move for Snorlax to choose, being the perfect choice for Snorlax that want to set up. If you don't want to make your Snorlax happy, Frustration works fine too.
• Curse: Curse is the slower, more reliable way to set up Snorlax. It makes Snorlax almost impossible to outspeed under Trick Room and extremely difficult to KO.
• Rest: If you plan on using Curse to set up, Rest is the best way to complement it, giving Snorlax room to recover and remove status.
• Belly Drum: Belly Drum is the high-risk, high-reward option for sweeping. Snorlax OHKOes almost every Pokémon in the game if you find an opportunity to set it up!
• Fire Punch: Fire Punch is a great choice for a coverage move, allowing Snorlax to OHKO Scizor and Abomasnow under favorable weather, in addition to dealing good damage to Metagross.
• Crunch: If you are worried about Metagross in the rain and need to deal serious damage to Gengar, Crunch is a fine option for coverage.
• Double-Edge: If you're using Choice Band Snorlax, consider Double-Edge over Return, since the significant power boost lets it take advantage of Trick Room's limited turns more efficently at the cost of its health.
• Superpower: If you plan on using the all-out attacker set, then Superpower is a good option for dealing massive damage to opposing Snorlax.
• Self-Destruct: While extremely difficult to get on Snorlax due to requiring a Pokébank transfer or a Munchlax, this is an incredibly powerful spread attack that can surprise your opponent at the cost of losing Snorlax. Just be mindful of opposing Protects!

Items

• Chesto Berry: For Curse Snorlax, this is the best item to have, since it allows Snorlax to take on status without losing its ability to have a free Rest.
• Sitrus Berry: Snorlax that run Belly Drum will want to consider a Sitrus Berry and an even HP stat, since this allows Snorlax to restore 25% of its health after one use of Belly Drum, reducing the risk factor.
• Choice Band: This makes Snorlax immediately very powerful, especially when given Trick Room support! For example, Choice Band Double-Edge always OHKOes offensive Zapdos and Superpower now has a shot of OHKOing some Snorlax.
• Assault Vest: While Snorlax may already have plenty of special bulk, Assault Vest is helpful for avoiding a 2HKO from rain sweepers such as Ludicolo in addition to giving special attackers a harder time inflicting valuable chip damage against Snorlax.

Other Details

A Brave nature is usually the best option, since Snorlax is best on Trick Room teams. However, if you want to get an edge against opposing Trick Room teams, Adamant can be useful for outspeeding opposing Snorlax.

What partners should I consider?

• Cresselia: Cresselia is one of the best users of Trick Room in the game thanks to its incredible bulk. It helps Snorlax in particular by hitting Fighting-types hard with Psychic, while Snorlax can use Fire Punch to take care of Scizor.
• Dusclops / Dusknoir: These two friendly ghosts are among the bulkiest Trick Room Pokémon around and happen to further support Snorlax with Will-O-Wisp.
• Azumarill: Azumarill is the best offensive Fairy-type of Sinnoh Classic, making it an awesome partner for dealing with Fighting-type Pokémon.
• Metagross: Metagross's immunity to Intimidate and Psychic-type STAB make it a great choice against Hitmontop.
• Togekiss: Togekiss is an excellent choice for Follow Me Pokémon thanks to its 4x resistance to Fighting-type attacks. It can even use Air Slash and Dazzling Gleam to deal massive damage to Fighting-types, while Snorlax helps out against Scizor.
• Clefairy: Clefairy isn't the bulkiest Follow Me user around, but it still takes Fighting-type attacks fairly well while providing Snorlax with even more bulk via Friend Guard.
• Abomasnow: Sharing a Fighting-type weakness with Snorlax can be a big issue, but its still a useful teammate for getting rid of the rain, which can be a big problem for Fire Punch and taking hits from Ludicolo. In return, Snorlax can use the hail to ensure a OHKO on Scizor with Fire Punch.

What are its flaws?

Snorlax's biggest issue is its soft Defense stat. While it doesn't take physical hits poorly, there are certain attackers that can take advantage of it, especially if they have a Fighting-type STAB move. When Trick Room runs out, Snorlax's low Speed makes it vulnerable to getting ganged up on as well.

• Hitmontop: Hitmontop is one of the best Snorlax checks in the game thanks to Intimidate and a STAB Close Combat.
• Heracross: Thanks to Guts, Heracross benefits from status, meaning that Will-O-Wisp won't stop it from smashing through Snorlax.
• Infernape: While it certainly can't take a hit from Snorlax, Close Combat is bad news for Snorlax, especially since Infernape can't be burned.
• Dusclops / Dusknoir: Not even Crunch will do much to these Ghost-types without a Belly Drum boost, letting them burn Snorlax with impunity.
• Metagross: Metagross 2HKOes Snorlax that haven't had the chance to Curse, which is especially problematic for Fire Punch Snorlax in the rain.
• Hariyama: Hariyama is the slowest Fighting-type you'll find in Sinnoh Classic, making it a common problem for Snorlax on Trick Room teams.
• Rhyperior: Being one of the few viable Rock-types, Rhyperior can wall Snorlax fairly easily.

Hitmontop

Roles: Intimidate support, Fake Out support, Priority attacker

Offensive Support

Hitmontop @ Lum Berry / Sitrus Berry / Eject Button

Ability: Intimidate

EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe

Adamant Nature

- Fake Out

- Close Combat

- Feint / Mach Punch

- Wide Guard / Feint / Sucker Punch / Detect

What's the big deal?

Few Pokémon offer so much support in one package. Hitmontop is an excellent Intimidater, has access to priority, and is one of the best Wide Guard users in Sinnoh Classic.

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Fake Out: This is Hitmontop's best support attack, guaranteeing a flinch as long as it doesn't face faster users of Fake Out such as Infernape and Weavile.
• Close Combat: Even coming off Hitmontop's base 95 Attack, Close Combat is a very strong attack, OHKOing Abomasnow and 2HKOing Scizor. Just note that the defensive drop can severely compromise Hitmontop's bulk.
• Feint: Feint allows Hitmontop to further support the team by breaking through Protects and other kinds of guards. This is especially helpful against Smeargle to prevent it from getting additional moody boosts for free.
• Mach Punch: This gives Hitmontop a priority STAB attack to easily pick off weakened threats. Most notably, Mach Punch allows Hitmontop to hit weakened Abomasnow and OHKO Weavile before they can move.
• Wide Guard: Few Pokémon block spread moves as well as Hitmontop with Wide Guard. Most notably, this makes Hitmontop a check to Abomasnow and makes Zapdos easier to check.
• Sucker Punch: Sucker Punch is Hitmontop's most powerful priority move outside of Technician-boosted Mach Punch. Most notably, it gives Hitmontop a way to hit Gardevoir for decent damage. Just note that Sucker Punch requires a generation IV game to get, as it's a tutor move exclusive to Platinum, Heart Gold, and Soul Silver.
• Detect: If you're willing to give up support moves, Detect can save Hitmontop from a KO.

Items

• Lum Berry: A Lum Berry protects Hitmontop from getting crippled by the likes of Will-O-Wisp and guards it more from Smeargle's Dark Void.
• Sitrus Berry: With a Sitrus Berry spinning around, Hitmontop will stick around longer.
• Eject Button: This may seem like a strange choice, but an Eject Button allows Hitmontop to switch out as soon as it gets hit, giving it another opportunity to set up Intimidate.

Other Details

An Adamant nature with maximum investment in HP and Attack gives Hitmontop good power while making it difficult to KO. Technician may seem appealing with Mach Punch, but Intimidate's utility is far too great to give up. If you are ok with giving up some bulk, Hitmontop can run 140 Speed EVs to outspeed minimum Speed Rotom-W, which can be useful for slamming it with Close Combat before it burns Hitmontop.

What partners should I consider?

• Cresselia: Hitmontop is a great benefit towards Cresselia, providing Intimidate support to make it even bulkier and dealing with Weavile. In return, Trick Room support can make Hitmontop rather speedy against more offensive teams.
• Scizor: Scizor provides a way out against Cresselia thanks to Swords Dance and Bug Bite, while Bullet Punch deals massive damage to Gardevoir and Togekiss.
• Metagross: Metagross does exceptionally well against Gardevoir, Togekiss, and opposing Hitmontop, while Hitmontop smashes Weavile with Mach Punch and blocks Earthquakes with Wide Guard.
• Zapdos: Zapdos can threaten to deal a severe amount of damage to Azumarill and Togekiss with Thunderbolt and provide speed control with Tailwind, while Hitmontop can blitz through Weavile with Mach Punch and protect Zapdos from Rock Slides with Wide Guard.
• Yanmega: If you need a speedy check to Cresselia, Yanmega is an effective choice that can also surprise Azumarill with Giga Drain. Meanwhile, Hitmontop can use Wide Guard to protect it from deadly Rock Slides.
• Abomasnow: Wide Guard is extremely beneficial to Abomasnow, since blocking Heat Wave turns the tables on Zapdos. Abomasnow also heavily pressures Azumarill that lack offensive items thanks to Giga Drain.

What are its flaws?

While Intimidate makes Hitmontop rather bulky, Close Combat makes it far easier to KO than you'd expect. Also, Hitmontop's poor coverage makes it very vulnerable to Ghost-, Psychic-, and Fairy-types.

• Azumarill: It may dislike Intimidate, but Hitmontop can't do much to Azumarill, making it a prime taget to smash with Play Rough or set up on Belly Drum.
• Cresselia: Hitmontop has no chance of dealing serious damage to Cresselia, giving it ample opportunity to set up Calm Mind or slam Hitmontop with Psychic.
• Togekiss: Togekiss presents a unique problem to Hitmontop, since it can use Follow Me to ruin Hitmontop's ability to grab KOs and can even go on the offensive with Air Slash or Dazzling Gleam.
• Metagross: With Clear Body, Hitmontop can't even get an Intimidate off on Metagross, while Metagross will simply OHKO with Zen Headbutt.
• Dusclops / Dusknoir: Hitmontop doesn't have a chance of dealing any significant damage to Dusclops or Dusknoir, leaving it open to being crippled by Will-O-Wisp.
• Gengar: While Gengar takes a serious amount of damage from Sucker Punch, it can simply dodge that by crippling Hitmontop with Will-O-Wisp.
• Gardevoir: Hitmontop can't even 2HKO Gardevoir with Sucker Punch, allowing it to OHKO Hitmontop with Psychic.

Gengar

Roles: Taunt user, burn support, speed control

Special Attacker

Gengar @ Focus Sash / Life Orb

Ability: Levitate

EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

Timid Nature

- Shadow Ball

- Sludge Bomb

- Taunt / Icy Wind / Will-O-Wisp

- Protect

What's the big deal?

Gengar offers great offensive pressure on any team, handling many top threats such as Cresselia and Azumarill while boasting many support options to help its team. Its high Speed as well as its excellent typing and ability makes it a nuisance for many teams.

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Shadow Ball: Shadow Ball offers fantastic neutral coverage and most importantly allows Gengar to effectively deal with Cresselia as well as opposing Gengar.
• Sludge Bomb: While Sludge Bomb doesn't complement Ghost-type coverage well, it's necessary in order to threaten Azumarill. Many redirectors are also Fairy-types, such as Togekiss and Clefable, so Sludge Bomb allows Gengar to deal with most redirectors effectively.
• Taunt: With Taunt, Gengar can stop Smeargle and other common users of support moves such as Trick Room Cresselia. Preventing a foe from being able to use Protect can also put pressure on an opponent, though Gengar typically won't Taunt a foe solely for this purpose.
• Icy Wind: Gengar can offer speed control with Icy Wind, allowing it to more directly support its team and 2HKO Garchomp lacking Yache Berry. Gengar's Icy Wind can't be stopped with Fake Out or Taunt either, making it a very difficult form of speed control to stop.
• Will-O-Wisp: Gengar is fast enough to cripple most physical attackers before they can move, making Will-O-Wisp an effective support option. However, Lum Berry is a common filler item to avoid status, so it can be difficult to use effectively when threats like Garchomp might be able to shrug off a burn once.

Items

• Focus Sash: Gengar is very frail, so despite its high Speed it will usually only get one attack in before going down. With Focus Sash, it becomes much more difficult to take down Gengar right away, especially since it's immune to Fake Out, so it can quickly become a huge threat when it's guaranteed to survive one hit.
• Life Orb: This is much less common than Focus Sash, but Gengar has the Special Attack and Speed to make effective use of Life Orb, especially on teams that want the extra power against Cresselia.

Other Details

While Gengar typically has no room for it, Trick Room can be a surprise for reversing an opponent's Trick Room. Gengar normally hates Trick Room, so this can be useful for the offensive teams it's usually on.

What partners should I consider?

• Garchomp: This greatly benefits from Gengar's ability to threaten Cresselia and Trick Room teams in general, which otherwise completely stop Garchomp. Gengar's Levitate also allows Garchomp to freely use Earthquake next to it.
• Infernape: Gengar has a difficult time against Weavile even though it's immune to Fake Out, so Infernape makes for an effective partner than can also offer Fake Out support to help Gengar pressure the opposing team.
• Salamence: Salamence benefits greatly from speed control from Icy Wind Gengar, which also threatens Garchomp effectively. Intimidate support from Salamence also helps Gengar take physical attacks better in case it runs Life Orb instead of Focus Sash.
• Clefable: Clefable can redirect moves from Weavile and helps Gengar stay on the field longer, which is particularly helpful for Life Orb Gengar. Will-O-Wisp can also help Clefable redirect physical attackers better, and Gengar can threaten both Scizor and Metagross for Clefable.
• Weavile: While both Weavile and Gengar compete for the same item slots, Weavile appreciates Gengar's ability to deal with Fairy-types. Weavile's Fake Out support also allows Gengar to more easily pressure the opposing team, which is especially useful against Cresselia.

What are its flaws?

Gengar is very frail and often forced to run a Focus Sash, so it usually won't last long. This also means it struggles to break through teams on its own despite its great Special Attack, so it usually won't be able to OHKO bulkies foes such as Cresselia. If Gengar's Focus Sash is broken, it also struggles to take unresisted hits, so it usually can't switch in directly without risking losing its Focus Sash.

• Weavile: While it dislikes being unable to use Fake Out on Gengar, Weavile outspeeds Gengar and KOes it with Knock Off. Focus Sash complicates things for Weavile, since this still gives Gengar a chance to do something before it goes down, though otherwise Gengar has trouble against Weavile.
• Scizor: Scizor hates being burned by Will-O-Wisp, but otherwise it can threaten Gengar with Bullet Punch. However, some Scizor run Lum Berry to avoid status such as burn which can allow Scizor to take down Gengar with relative ease.
• Snorlax: Snorlax is immune to Shadow Ball and takes Sludge Bomb very well, making it difficult for Gengar to do anything against it unless it runs Will-O-Wisp. However, Snorlax commonly runs Rest, so this won't necessarily stop Snorlax in the first place.
• Hariyama: Guts Hariyama fears very little from Gengar, especially if it's running Assault Vest, making it an effective check to Gengar thanks to Knock Off. While Trick Room teams usually struggle with Gengar, Hariyama is commonly seen on these teams and threatens Gengar even more effectively if Trick Room does go up.
• Porygon2: Porygon2 doesn't appreciate Taunt Gengar preventing it from setting up Trick Room and can't touch it if it's only offensive move is Tri Attack, but it's immune to Shadow Ball and will usually outlast Gengar if it has a coverage move that can hit Gengar. If Gengar lacks Taunt, it also has no way to prevent Trick Room from being set up, which gives Gengar a difficult time.
• Abomasnow: Gengar beats Abomasnow normally, but if Trick Room goes up, then Gengar struggles to take a Blizzard. Snow Warning also means that Gengar won't be able to make use of its Focus Sash, which bothers Gengar even if Trick Room doesn't go up.

Infernape

Roles: Fake Out user, Quick Guard user, Feint user

Fake Out Support

Infernape @ Focus Sash / Lum Berry / Life Orb

Ability: Blaze / Iron Fist

EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe

Naive / Jolly Nature

- Fake Out

- Close Combat

- Overheat / Flare Blitz

- Quick Guard / Mach Punch / Feint / Encore

What's the big deal?

Infernape is one of the premier Fake Out users as well as one of the few good Fire-types in Sinnoh Classic! Thanks to its excellent Speed tier, the only prominent Pokémon that outspeeds Infernape and can use Fake Out is Weavile, and Infernape's good STAB combination and support moves set it apart from other users of Fake Out.

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Fake Out: This is the big selling point of Infernape, so don't expect to see them without it.
• Close Combat: Close Combat allows Infernape to deal some good damage despite its somewhat average offenses and ensures that Infernape won't be totally useless against rain teams thanks to Focus Sash.
• Overheat / Flare Blitz: A Fire-type STAB move allows Infernape to roast Abomasnow and Scizor and avoid getting walled by Yanmega and Gengar. Overheat deals more damage and works great with Blaze, but if you aren't running Focus Sash, Flare Blitz can be used, as it doesn't lower Infernape's offensive power after use.
• Quick Guard: Quick Guard is an excellent choice for blocking slower Fake Outs from the likes of Hitmontop and, as a bonus, protects your team from other priority. You'll especially want to consider this move if you are using Smeargle.
• Mach Punch: Mach Punch is a decent choice if you're running Iron Fist that lets Infernape effectively revenge kill Weavile even when it has one HP left, and otherwise have a better shot of sniping weakened Pokémon.
• Feint: Feint works great against Pokémon that attempt to Protect, and in particular, it can help teams defeat Moody Smeargle.
• Encore: Encore is awesome for punishing Protect, since Infernape outspeeds a large number of Pokémon..

Items

• Focus Sash: Focus Sash is perfect for ensuring that Infernape will be able to take at least one hit. It also works great for activating Blaze to make Overheat more powerful.
• Lum Berry: Infernape loves to be paired with Smeargle, so this item is a good alternative when the Focus Sash slot is used up. Lum Berry gives Infernape one chance to escape from status. This is especially useful against Smeargle's Dark Void, but is also helpful against Raichu's Nuzzle and surprise Thunder Waves.
• Life Orb: This gives Infernape much more power than usual, guaranteeing an OHKO on Metagross with Overheat, and it gives Infernape a good chance of KOing Lapras with Fake Out + Close Combat.

Other Details

A Naive nature works best for the mixed attacking nature of Infernape, but Jolly works fine if you go for Flare Blitz. Blaze is usually the best ability choice, as it allows Infernape to deal out strong Fire-type attacks when low on health. However, if using Mach Punch, consider using Iron Fist for a boost in power.

What partners should I consider?

• Scizor: Scizor does a great job against the dreaded Cresselia thanks to its access to Bug Bite and Swords Dance and also makes Weavile think twice about staying in to use Fake Out. Scizor also does moderately well against Trick Room teams.
• Yanmega: Yanmega is a big help against Cresselia, and Fake Out could give it the turn it needs to activate Speed Boost. Just be warned, Crobat can be a bad matchup when you're using these two.
• Smeargle: This Pokémon greatly appreciates Quick Guard and Fake Out support, and in return, it can threaten to ruin teams with Dark Void!
• Zapdos: Zapdos can take advantage of the Fake Out turn to set up Tailwind, and it also does a great job against Azumarill and most Flying-types. In return, Infernape can use Mach Punch to smash through Weavile.
• Weavile: Weavile works well as a backup user of Fake Out while aiding against Garchomp, while Infernape roasts Steel-types for Weavile.

What are its flaws?

Infernape's slightly above average offenses leaves it very vulnerable to getting set up on by bulky Pokémon. Its poor defenses aren't doing it any favors either, making it very weak to priority attacks.

• Cresselia: Infernape has serious problems getting past Cresselia and is setup fodder for Calm Mind variants.
• Suicune: Close Combat isn't enough to KO Suicune, while Scald 2HKOes Infernape at worst.
• Azumarill: Azumarill walls Infernape's entire set and will either blast through it with Aqua Jet or set up Belly Drum if there aren't threatening partners in battle.
• Gyarados: Gyarados resists Infernape's STAB moves, weakens it with Intimidate, and has no issues OHKOing it with Waterfall.
• Crobat: Inner Focus makes Crobat immune to Fake Out's flinching, meaning that it can easily set up Tailwind on Infernape. It can also OHKO Infernape with Brave Bird.
• Togekiss: Togekiss is bulky enough to take on Infernape's assaults and can smash through it with Air Slash.
• Weavile: Weavile itself does poorly against Infernape, but its faster Fake Out means that it can have a lead advantage against Infernape that lack Rocky Helmet.
• Yanmega: Yanmega can't handle Fire-type attacks, but it can outspeed Infernape after one round of Speed Boost and threaten to slice Infernape with Air Slash.
• Staraptor: Staraptor can get hit hard by Infernape, but Choice Scarf variants will easily OHKO Infernape with Brave Bird.

Rotom-W

Roles: Burn support, Choice Scarf user

Offensive Support

Rotom-W @ Sitrus Berry / Rindo Berry

Ability: Levitate

EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe

Modest Nature

- Will-O-Wisp / Thunder Wave

- Hydro Pump

- Thunderbolt

- Protect

Choice Specs

Rotom-W @ Choice Specs

Ability: Levitate

EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe

Modest Nature

- Hydro Pump

- Thunderbolt

- Trick

- Hidden Power Ice / Will-O-Wisp / Volt Switch / Discharge

Choice Scarf

Rotom-W @ Choice Scarf

Ability: Levitate

EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

Timid Nature

- Hydro Pump

- Thunderbolt

- Trick

- Volt Switch / Will-O-Wisp / Hidden Power Ice

What's the big deal?

Rotom-W's unique typing and movepool give it a reasonable niche in Sinnoh Classic as a bulky special attacker with rather disruptive moves.

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Will-O-Wisp: Will-O-Wisp lets Rotom-W cripple dangerous physical attackers such as Garchomp. It can also work on Choice sets after Rotom-W's item has been Tricked away.
• Thunder Wave: Although uncommon on Rotom-W, Thunder Wave can be paired with a Rindo Berry to surprise Ludicolo with paralysis.
• Hydro Pump: This is Rotom-W's only Water-type STAB attack. While its accuracy can be a bit shaky, it's fairly powerful, especially when boosted by the rain.
• Thunderbolt: Thunderbolt is the most reliable Electric-type STAB move available for Rotom-W.
• Trick: Trick is fantastic on Choiced Rotom-W sets, allowing it to effectively cripple support Pokémon such as Cresselia, Dusclops, and Porygon2.
• Hidden Power Ice: If the sun is up, Hidden Power Ice is the best Rotom-W can do against Garchomp.
• Volt Switch: Volt Switch works well on Choiced Rotom-W, especially the Choice Scarf set, as it allows Rotom-W to get a quick hit in while switching in a better teammate.
• Discharge: If you are worried about Follow Me paired with Azumarill, Discharge can be a good spread attack on the Choice Specs set.
• Electroweb: Although it's rather difficult to fit into the offensive support set, Electroweb provides valuable speed control support, which most teams won't expect from Rotom-W.

Items

• Sitrus Berry: Sitrus Berry gives Rotom-W a longer lifespan, allowing it to stay in battle longer.
• Rindo Berry: This is rather uncommon on Rotom-W, but when paired with Thunder Wave, it makes Rotom-W a surprisingly effective Ludicolo lure.
• Choice Specs: Choice Specs gives Rotom-W a ton of power, especially when used on rain teams. For example, this allows Rotom-W to 2HKO Snorlax and Cresselia while the storm brews.
• Choice Scarf: Choice Scarf allows Rotom-W to outspeed important threats such as Weavile and Garchomp. It also makes Rotom-W even more effective at using Trick, since few of its targets benefit from the Speed boost.

Other Details

Rotom-W will usually want to maximize its HP stat so that it isn't 2HKOed by a huge number of attacks. However, Choice Scarf Rotom-W usually wants a Timid nature and maximum Speed so that it can outspeed Weavile. While Modest with maximum Special Attack is best for taking advantage of Hydro Pump, Bold and Calm natures are reasonable options as well if you desire bulk.

What partners should I consider?

• Politoed: While they both share an unfortunate weakness to Grass-type attacks, Politoed's Drizzle makes Rotom-W's Hydro Pump very powerful.
• Scizor: Not only does Scizor help out against Abomasnow and Latios, it also massively benefits from the setup opportunities Rotom-W can create with Trick. In return, Rotom-W does well against most Fire-type Pokémon.
• Garchomp: Rotom-W's immunity to Ground-type attacks and Garchomp's immunity to Electric-type attacks let the two throw out their spread attacks with very little consequences. Rotom-W can also cripple Cresselia with Trick as a bonus. Garchomp can also carry a Choice Scarf or a Focus Sash to surprise Latios.
• Arcanine: Arcanine's Intimidate softens physical blows for Rotom-W, making it much more difficult to KO. Arcanine also defeats the dreaded Abomasnow for Rotom-W. Meanwhile, Rotom-W's Electric-type STAB moves slam Politoed and Azumarill.
• Toxicroak: Toxicroak's Dry Skin and Poison typing make it an excellent check against Grass-types. It can even pick off weakened Latios with Sucker Punch. Rotom-W helps out by defeating most Fire-type Pokémon for Toxicroak.

What are its flaws?

Rotom-W's average stats force it to make a difficult choice between bulk and power. While Rotom-W certainly isn't frail, it isn't as bulky as you'd expect. It also has severe problems against Grass-types, and its middling Speed means that it faces heavy competition for a slot on rain teams.

• Abomasnow: Abomasnow walls Rotom-W outside of the rare Hidden Power Fire and doesn't mind getting Tricked too much, leaving Rotom-W open to getting slammed by a Grass-type attack.
• Ludicolo: Ludicolo is an extremely common Pokémon on rain teams, which is rather problematic because this is the type of weather Rotom-W thrives in. Rotom-W has a hard time breaking through Ludicolo before it gets slammed with Grass-type attacks.
• Latios: Latios doesn't care about anything Rotom-W throws at it except for the rare Thunder Wave, while Latios itself can easily crush Rotom-W with Draco Meteor or deal massive damage with Psyshock.
• Ninetales: Ninetales doesn't like switching into Hydro Pump, but its Drought ruins Rotom-W's coverage against Pokémon that resist Electric-type attacks.
• Gastrodon: Storm Drain makes Hydro Pump useless against the foe, meaning that Gastrodon effectively walls Rotom-W outside of the rare Hidden Power Grass.

Raikou

Roles: Calm Mind user, Snarl support

Calm Mind

Raikou @ Sitrus Berry / Life Orb

Ability: Pressure

EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

Timid Nature

-Calm Mind

-Thunderbolt

-Hidden Power Ice

-Protect

Support

Raikou @ Sitrus Berry / Light Clay

Ability: Pressure

EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe

Timid Nature

-Thunderbolt

-Reflect

-Snarl / Light Screen

-Protect

What's the big deal?

Raikou is an incredibly fast special attacker by Sinnoh Classic standards. It also has the movepool to set itself apart from other Electric-types thanks to moves like Calm Mind and Snarl.

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Calm Mind: Calm Mind lets Raikou become a strong special attacker that can be surprisingly hard to break through.
• Thunderbolt: Thunderbolt is a reliable STAB attack for Raikou.
• Hidden Power Ice: Hidden Power Ice is the only way Raikou can hit Garchomp, which is especially valuable because Raikou outspeeds it.
• Reflect: While Reflect only grants a 33% defensive boost in doubles, its still very useful for setting Pokémon up.
• Snarl: Snarl is a great way to lower Special Attack in Doubles, since it affects both foes and can be continuously used with little consequence.
• Light Screen: If you are particularly worried about foes switching out, Light Screen can be used at the cost of a lesser Special Attack drop.

Items

• Sitrus Berry: Sitrus Berry is the best option for giving Raikou more longevity.
• Life Orb: Life Orb gives Raikou a serious damage boost, letting it OHKO Azumarill without any boosts.
• Light Clay: If you are using Reflect and Light Screen, Light Clay is a decent choice for extending their duration to 8 turns instead of 5.

Other Details

Raikou should always run a Timid nature, so it can outspeed important threats such as Garchomp and Latios. Maximum Special Attack investment is recommended for the Calm Mind set for sweeping, but if you plan on using the support set, maximum HP investment makes more sense for giving Raikou a better chance to set up its support moves.

What partners should I consider?

• Weavile: Weavile is a big threat to Garchomp, letting Raikou finish it off with Hidden Power Ice even if Garchomp is carrying a Yache Berry or Focus Sash. Raikou returns the favor by defeating Azumarill for Weavile.
• Hitmontop: Hitmontop does a great job of dealing with Snorlax and also has Intimidate to help with Raikou's weaker Defense stat. It can even use Wide Guard to protect Raikou from Earthquake. In return, Raikou deals serious damage to Azumarill and Togekiss.
• Scizor: Scizor does a nice job of preventing Calm Mind wars against Cresselia while benefiting from the new set up opportunities that support Raikou can create.
• Azumarill: Azumarill has a much easier time setting up Belly Drum with support Raikou by its side. Azumarill also helps out by dealing massive damage to Garchomp with Play Rough and hitting Rhyperior hard with Aqua Jet.
• Snorlax: Snorlax becomes extremely difficult to break through with support Raikou on its side.

What are its flaws?

Raikou's Defense stat leaves something to be desired, making it very vulnerable to the powerful physical attackers of Sinnoh Classic. Outside of its Electric-type attacks, its forced to run Hidden Power Ice for coverage, making it very weak to Lightning Rod.

• Garchomp: With a Yache Berry, Garchomp is bulky enough to take on Hidden Power Ice, letting it deal serious damage to Raikou with Earthquake.
• Snorlax: Snorlax has enough special bulk to comfortably take on any Special Attack from Raikou, while Raikou takes massive damage from an underboosted Return.
• Rhyperior: Rhyperior can threaten to take advantage of Hidden Power Ice to set up with Weakness Policy, leaving Raikou helpless to do much while Rhyperior uses Earthquake or Drill Run.
• Gastrodon: Since Raikou doesn't usually have the slots to fit in Hidden Power Grass. Gastrodon can also deal a ton of damage with Earth Power even if Raikou uses Calm Mind.
• Raichu: Raichu's Lightning Rod redirects Raikou's Thunderbolt for free, which is a serious problem when Raichu is paired with Azumarill.
• Tangela: Tangela is one of the few redirection Pokémon who resists Electric-type attacks, making it especially problematic against Raikou.

Heracross

Roles: Status absorber, Choice Scarf user

Guts Attacker

Heracross @ Flame Orb

Ability: Guts

EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

Adamant Nature

- Protect

- Close Combat

- Megahorn

- Facade / Bullet Seed / Knock Off / Feint

Assault Vest

Heracross @ Assault Vest

Ability: Guts

EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

Adamant Nature

- Close Combat

- Megahorn

- Feint

- Bullet Seed

Choice Scarf

Heracross @ Choice Scarf

Ability: Guts / Moxie

EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

Jolly Nature

- Close Combat

- Megahorn

- Bullet Seed

- Rock Slide

What's the big deal?

Heracross isn't your typical Sinnoh Classic Fighting-type. With its STAB Megahorn, its a Fighting-type that deals massive damage to the dreaded Cresselia.

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Close Combat: Close Combat is Heracross's strong, reliable STAB move. Don't get too comfortable with using this, however, since the defense drop can be deadly in doubles.
• Megahorn: Megahorn is the key to 2HKOing Cresselia at minimum. Additionally, while its accuracy can be irritating, sometimes it's worth the risk to avoid Close Combat's defense drop.
• Facade: If you're using Flame Orb, Facade is perfect for giving Heracross a powerful move with no drawbacks and for hitting Flying- and Fairy-type Pokémon neutrally.
• Bullet Seed: For Heracross that lack Flame Orb, this is the most damage you can do to Azumarill. If you are using Flame Orb, Bullet Seed will actually OHKO Azumarill if you get at least four hits in.
• Knock Off: If your team desperately needs Gengar taken care of, then Knock Off can come in handy.
• Feint: Feint gives Heracross a weak priority attack and also lets it break Protects, which is rather useful when you need to guarantee a KO from your partner.
• Rock Slide: For Choice Scarf Heracross, Rock Slide is a weak spread attack that has a nasty chance to flinch in dire situations.

Items

• Flame Orb: Flame Orb gives Heracross a tremendous amount of power, letting it OHKO Cresselia 56% of the time! It also protects Heracross from sleep and paralysis.
• Assault Vest: Assault Vest gives Heracross a surprising amount of bulk, most noticeably letting it survive Life Orb Ludicolo's Hydro Pump in the rain even with no HP investment.
• Choice Scarf: Choice Scarf patches up Heracross's average Speed, letting it outspeed important threats such as Latios, Weavile, and Garchomp.

Other Details

Guts is an incredible ability that makes Heracross an effective status absorber, so it should almost always be run. The only exception is the Choice Scarf set, which has the Speed to make use of the Moxie boost. Usually, you'll want an Adamant nature and max Speed and Attack for plenty of power while outspeeding Modest Gardevoir. However, if you want to ensure you outspeed any Gardevoir or are using the Choice Scarf set, consider a Jolly Nature.

What partners should I consider?

• Zapdos: Zapdos provides the extremely valuable Tailwind support and deals massive damage to Azumarill and Togekiss. Heracross returns the favor by battering Snorlax and Cresselia.
• Gengar: Gengar does a great job of using Icy Wind to aid with Heracross's Speed issues, while Heracross crushes Snorlax and Weavile.
• Politoed: Politoed's rain neuters Heracross's Fire-type weakness, making it even more difficult to check, while dealing directly with the likes of Arcanine. It can also support Heracross with speed control via Icy Wind. In return, Heracross blasts through the likes of Cresselia and Snorlax.
• Garchomp: Garchomp scares out Arcanine, walls many Zapdos sets, and can use a Focus Sash or a Choice Scarf to get a surprise KO on Latios for Heracross, while Heracross stabs through Cresselia and threatens Weavile.
• Weavile: Weavile does poorly against Fairy-types, but it can deal massive damage to Zapdos, Togekiss, and Staraptor, which are big Heracross problems.

What are its flaws?

Heracross's biggest problem is its mediocre Speed. Heracross is difficult to switch into but fairly easy to revenge kill due to its numerous weaknesses. Fairy-types also wall its STAB attacks, which is especially problematic because several of them learn Follow Me.

• Togekiss: Togekiss is especially problematic, since it can use Follow Me to make Heracross's STAB moves useless or OHKO Heracross with Air Slash.
• Latios: Latios easily gets OHKOed by Megahorn, but as long as it isn't facing the Choice Scarf set, it outspeeds Heracross and slams it with a Psychic-type attack.
• Arcanine: Intimidate isn't enough to prevent Arcanine from taking massive damage from Close Combat, but Arcanine is fully capable of roasting Heracross with Flare Blitz.
• Azumarill: Bullet Seed can be rather dangerous, but any Heracross that doesn't run it risks getting OHKOed by Play Rough.
• Staraptor: Staraptor can't risk switching into anything but weaker Megahorns, but once it gets in, Brave Bird will easy OHKO Heracross.
• Zapdos: Any Heracross that lacks Facade won't be able to KO Zapdos, making it vulnerable to getting hit hard by Heat Wave.

Hariyama

Roles: Status absorber, Fake Out user

Guts Attacker

Hariyama @ Flame Orb

Ability: Guts

4 HP / 252 Atk / 124 Def / 124 SpD

Brave Nature

IVs: 0 Spe

-Fake Out

-Close Combat

-Poison Jab / Bullet Punch / Wide Guard / Protect

-Knock Off / Bullet Punch / Wide Guard / Protect

What's the big deal?

Hariyama might not provide as much support as Hitmontop, but in exchange, it is an extremely powerful physical attacker under Trick Room. With a Flame Orb in hand, Close Combat smashes through most Pokémon that don't resist it. As a bonus, Hariyama also boasts an immunity to sleep while it's burned.

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Fake Out: This is Hariyama's way of providing flinch support for the team. This is very helpful for helping your teammate set up Trick Room and can also be useful later in the game if you need to shut down a certain Pokémon for one turn (assuming that Hariyama has just come in).
• Close Combat: This is Hariyama's main STAB move. With just a bit of chip damage, Close Combat will obliterate almost anything that doesn't resist it! Just note that with the defense drop, it becomes rather easy to KO Hariyama, so if you can grab a KO without using Close Combat, take the chance if it isn't risky!
• Poison Jab: If you plan on dealing damage to Fairy-type Pokémon, you'll want to carry Poison Jab. Note that most Fairy-types outspeed Hariyama, so you'll need Trick Room up to stand a chance against them. Also note that bulky Fairy-types such as Azumarill and Togekiss will usually survive to tell the tale if they're at full health.
• Knock Off: Knock Off allows Hariyama to remove items and slam Ghost-types such as Dusknoir, Dusclops, and Gengar. This also lets Hariyama deal massive damage to Cresselia on the first hit, which can be extremely useful for Hariyama's partner.
• Bullet Punch: If you're willing to sacrifice coverage, Bullet Punch can be useful for picking off weakened Pokémon. This is especially handy against Weavile due to its weakness to Steel-type attacks.
• Wide Guard: Wide Guard allows Hariyama to block spread attacks. While Hariyama isn't the greatest user of it due to its burn putting it on a timer, the surprise alone can be devastating against common spread attackers such as Garchomp and Zapdos.
• Protect: Protect can be tough to fit in and it doesn't work as great as on other Pokémon due to Flame Orb limiting Hariyama's lifespan, but it can save Hariyama from a KO at important times.

Items

• Flame Orb: This is the all-important item that activates Hariyama's Guts, which is what makes it so powerful! You will need one turn to activate this, so make sure Hariyama doesn't get put to sleep before then!

Other Details

Thick Fat's Ice and Fire-type resistance can be useful, but Guts is so good that most of the time, Hariyama should not be leaving home without it. Since Hariyama works best with Trick Room support, you'll want a Brave nature with 0 Speed IVs. If you aren't using it on Trick Room, however, an Adamant nature is also usable. The EV spread equalizes Hariyama's defenses and gives it better bulk than maximizing HP would.

What partners should I consider?

• Cresselia: Togekiss is especially problematic, since it can use Follow Me to make Heracross's STAB moves useless or OHKO Heracross with Air Slash.
• / Dusclops / Dusknoir: Eviolite cause Dusclops to be extremely bulky, making Trick Room nearly guaranteed to go up against offensive Pokémon. Alternately, Dusknoir can be used to guarantee setup against Taunt users. These two Pokémon also get Helping Hand to support Hariyama, while Hariyama crushes Weavile for them.
• Abomasnow: Hail wears down Hariyama even more, but Abomasnow makes up for it by dealing massive damage to Azumarill and getting rid of the rain to weaken Politoed's Scalds. In exchange, Hariyama does nicely against Weavile and Scizor.
• Rhyperior: Rhyperior applies some much-needed offensive pressure against Staraptor and Crobat. Also, with Megahorn, it can help Hariyama defeat Cresselia, assuming it's running Knock Off.
• Tangrowth: Tangrowth's typing, physical bulk, and access to Rage Powder make it a great choice against Azumarill. In return, Hariyama is a big help against Weavile and Scizor.

What are its flaws?

Despite Hariyama's decent bulk, it tends to go down rather quickly because of burn damage and Close Combat's defense drops. It also struggles to make an impact if Trick Room isn't set up due to its poor Speed.

• Azumarill: Azumarill slices through Hariyama with Play Rough, and it usually isn't OHKOed by Poison Jab even if Hariyama has the Speed advantage under Trick Room.
• Togekiss: Poison Jab isn't enough to take out a healthy Togekiss. Meanwhile, Dazzling Gleam and Air Slash are usually too much for Hariyama to handle, especially after it has used Close Combat.
• Staraptor: While Staraptor isn't a big fan of Fake Out, it easily OHKOes Hariyama with Brave Bird.
• Crobat: Even with Crobat's average Attack stat, Brave Bird will deal serious damage to Hariyama.
• Cresselia: Cresselia is a bit shaky compared to other checks because the first Knock Off deals a serious amount of damage, but otherwise, it can blast Hariyama with Psychic after its defenses have dropped.
• Metagross: Metagross can't handle Close Combat, but otherwise, as long as Trick Room isn't up, it can outspeed and smash Hariyama with Zen Headbutt.

Salamence

Roles: Intimidate support, Choice Scarf user, Tailwind support

Choice Scarf

Salamence @ Choice Scarf

Ability: Intimidate

EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

Timid Nature

- Draco Meteor

- Dragon Pulse

- Flamethrower / Fire Blast

- Hydro Pump

Offensive

Salamence @ Yache Berry / Life Orb

Ability: Intimidate

EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

Timid / Naive Nature

- Draco Meteor

- Protect

- Tailwind / Dragon Claw / Hydro Pump

- Flamethrower / Fire Blast / Hydro Pump

What's the big deal?

Looking at its stats, you'd think that Salamence would just be an inferior Garchomp, but instead, it's a special attacker. It may not be as powerful or fast as Latios, but Intimidate and better coverage make it a very good alternative.

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Draco Meteor: This is Salamence's big STAB attack, dealing massive damage to anything that doesn't resist it.
• Dragon Pulse: If you plan on using Choice Scarf Salamence, Dragon Pulse gives it a way to fire off STAB attacks without dropping its Special Attack.
• Flamethrower: Flamethrower is Salamence's reliable option for hitting Steel-type Pokémon, most notably OHKOing Scizor and Abomasnow outside of the rain.
• Fire Blast: Fire Blast's chance to miss makes it less common than Flamethrower, but the extra power can be appealing to defeat Metagross with less chip damage.
• Hydro Pump: Hydro Pump's main use is to 2HKO non-Assault Vest Metagross in the rain and to OHKO Arcanine and Rhyperior in neutral weather.
• Tailwind: Tailwind is an excellent support move on Salamence, since Intimidate and Yache Berry usually prevent it from being OHKOed.
• Dragon Claw: If you are using Life Orb Salamence, Dragon Claw can be a good option to let Salamence deal decent chip damage after it has used Draco Meteor.

Items

• Choice Scarf: Choice Scarf allows Salamence to outspeed Garchomp and Latios and OHKO them with Draco Meteor.
• Yache Berry: If setting up Tailwind is important, Yache Berry is a great item that allows Salamence to survive Weavile's Icicle Crash, Ludicolo's Ice Beam, and Choice Scarf Abomasnow's Blizzard.
• Life Orbe: Life Orb gives Salamence much more firepower than usual while also making the idea of going mixed more reasonable.

Other Details

Salamence will usually want maximum Speed investment and a Timid nature, since the Salamence that wins the Speed tie will OHKO the other. A Naive nature is preferable if you are using Dragon Claw with Life Orb. Intimidate should always be chosen as Salamence's ability, since it's one of the big selling points of using it over Latios.

What partners should I consider?

• Scizor: Scizor does a great job of putting a lot of pressure on Cresselia and seriously threatening Fairy-types with Bullet Punch.
• Raikou: Electric-types in general are a good choice for dealing serious damage to Azumarill, but Raikou stands out for being an offensive Electric-type that doesn't share weaknesses with Salamence. Salamence's Intimidate support is also very helpful for Calm Mind Raikou.
• Breloom: They may share an unfortunate Fairy-type weakness, but Breloom's ability to Spore foes and slam Azumarill with Bullet Seed is very useful. Breloom also massively benefits from Tailwind Salamence to patch up its mediocre Speed stat.
• Metagross: Metagross does great against the Fairy-types that Salamence dreads so much, while Choice Scarf Salamence can threaten to OHKO Garchomp and Arcanine in return.
• Hitmontop: Salamence and Hitmontop can make an incredibly irritating double Intimidate combo. Hitmontop also supports Salamence by smashing through Snorlax and Weavile. Just note that this combination is extremely weak to Fairy-types.

What are its flaws?

Salamence is completely walled by Fairy-types, with the best it can do is using sun-boosted Fire-type attacks or rain-boosted Hydro Pump. Salamence's weakness to Ice-type attacks can also get the best of it, getting easily OHKOed by them without a Yache Berry. Salamence is also fairly vulnerable to special attacks, being 2HKOed by most Water-type Pokémon in the rain despite its resistance.

• Azumarill: Azumarill's typing means it completely walls Salamence's moveset, letting it set up Belly Drum if Salamence's partner can't deal with it.
• Weavile: Weavile may be OHKOed by Draco Meteor, but it usually carries Focus Sash, letting it OHKO Salamence with Icicle Crash.
• Cresselia: Salamence has no chance of 2HKOing Cresselia, leaving it vulnerable to getting set up on by Calm Mind or letting Cresselia get Trick Room up.
• Fairy-type redirectors: Fairy-type Pokémon with Follow Me such as Togekiss, Clefable, and Clefairy are a nightmare for Salamence, since they can block its Draco Meteors for the whole team.
• Snorlax: Snorlax's special bulk means that Draco Meteor fails to do over 50% to it, letting it set up Curse.
• Latios: Latios fails against Choice Scarf Salamence, but without that, Latios outspeeds Salamence and easily OHKOes it with its Dragon-type STAB attacks.

Yanmega

Roles: Speed Boost Attacker

Speed Boost Attacker

Yanmega @ Life Orb / Expert Belt

Ability: Speed Boost

252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

Modest Nature

-Bug Buzz

-Air Slash

-Giga Drain / Hidden Power Fire / Hidden Power Ice

-Detect

What's the big deal?

Unlike in most formats, Yanmega offers a very useful offensive typing in Sinnoh Classic that allows it to deal with many huge threats. After a few Speed Boosts it quickly becomes very dangerous for unprepared teams.

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Bug Buzz: This is Yanmega's strongest STAB move, hitting many significant threats such as Cresselia, Latios and Abomasnow for huge damage.
• Air Slash: Air Slash offers great neutral coverage, notably hitting common leads such as Infernape, Hitmontop, and Ludicolo, allowing Yanmega to function as an effective anti-lead. The 30% chance to flinch can also prove dangerous, since the flinch gives Yanmega a free Speed boost.
• Giga Drain: Giga Drain allows Yanmega to threaten Rhyperior and Azumarill and lets Yanmega heal damage it accumulates from Life Orb recoil and other weaker attacks.
• Hidden Power Fire: Hidden Power Fire allows Yanmega to serve as a surprise check to Scizor on teams that need it, as it has enough physical bulk to survive +2 Bullet Punch in an emergency.
• Hidden Power Ice: Hidden Power Ice allows Yanmega to deal with Garchomp and can even stop Choice Scarf variants after two Speed Boosts. However, Yanmega must be wary of Yache Berry Garchomp. Yanmega is commonly led with Weavile anyway, which already takes care of Ice-type coverage.
• Detect: While Detect is essentially no different than Protect other than having less PP, it circumvents attempts to seal Protect with Imprison. While this is very uncommon, it's even more unlikely that Yanmega will need the higher PP with Protect.

Items

• Life Orb: This gives Yanmega a very useful boost to its damage output, which is necessary to guarantee that Yanmega can OHKO threats such as Scizor and Garchomp with the respective Hidden Power.
• Expert Belt: Life Orb is often a highly contested item on teams so if a teammate needs it more, Expert Belt can be used instead. Expert Belt still guarantees most of the same KOs such as Abomasnow, Scizor and Garchomp, at the cost of less damage output against neutral targets.

Other Details

Yanmega needs a Modest nature in order to secure KOs, and with Speed Boost there's no reason to run Timid. An alternative spread of 108 HP / 252 SpA / 148 Spe can be used for slightly more bulk and lets it outspeed everything up to Base 130 Speed after a Speed Boost.

What partners should I consider?

• Weavile: One of the biggest partners for Yanmega is Weavile, as the two provide huge offensive pressure as a lead and can scare common Trick Room setters such as Cresselia. Weavile can also deal with Garchomp and Zapdos while Yanmega covers Fighting-types for Weavile. The Fake Out pressure also allows Yanmega to more safely get its first Speed Boost without being forced to Protect itself.
• Infernape: As with Weavile, the Fake Out pressure with Yanmega makes for a strong lead while offering a lot of offensive presence. However, Infernape's lower Speed and inability to pressure Cresselia as effectively mean that Weavile is usually a better partner.
• Garchomp: Garchomp greatly appreciates Yanmega's ability to remove Cresselia, Latios, and Abomasnow. Yanmega's Flying typing also makes it a great partner for safely using Earthquake, which can threaten Fire-types and Electric-types that Yanmega usually doesn't want to deal with.
• Rhyperior: While it's usually reserved for Trick Room teams, Rhyperior can be a great partner to Yanmega as a check to opposing Trick Room teams that shut Yanmega down. It can also safely used Earthquake alongside Yanmega, though bulky Water-types are still an issue.
• Hitmontop: Intimidate support is very nice for Yanmega and can help it survive weaker Rock Slides, but more importantly, Hitmontop can use Wide Guard to protect Yanmega from Rock Slides, as well as Heat Wave and Blizzard.
• Raichu: Yanmega can overcome Swift Swim users after a few Speed boosts, but if it lacks Giga Drain, Yanmega appreciates a partner that threatens Water-types other than Ludicolo. More importantly, Raichu offers Fake Out support and Lightning Rod to redirect Electric-type moves that threaten Yanmega.

What are its flaws?

Yanmega is very dependent on its Speed Boosts to outspeed and KO threats, making it very vulnerable to speed control such as Tailwind and Trick Room. Yanmega's use of Protect can also become predictable, making it risky if the opponent decides to double target Yanmega's partner in anticipation of it Protecting for that turn. While Rock Slide is significantly less common than it is in other Doubles formats, Yanmega has a hard time taking the hit. Yanmega's poor Special Defense also means that even resisted special hits will do a lot of damage.

• Zapdos: Yanmega has nothing to hit Zapdos with aside from Hidden Power Ice, which can't OHKO, while Zapdos easily OHKOes with Thunderbolt and still does huge damage with Heat Wave.
• Rhyperior: If Yanmega lacks Giga Drain, Rhyperior can threaten to OHKO Yanmega with Rock Slide, more so if Trick Room is in effect. However, Rhyperior's low Special Defense can put it at risk of being KOed by Bug Buzz if it's been weakened.
• Garchomp: While Garchomp hates Hidden Power Ice, Yache Berry is a common item that helps it shrug off a hit from Yanmega and KO it back with Rock Slide. Choice Scarf Garchomp can also surprise a Yanmega that thinks its safe after one Speed Boost and bring it down before it can do any damage.
• Ninetales: While Air Slash still hurts quite a bit and can flinch, Ninetales can threaten to OHKO Yanmega with Heat Wave regardless of whether or not Yanmega has redirection support.
• Arcanine: Flare Blitz easily OHKOes Yanmega, and Arcanine is only really bothered by repeated Air Slash flinches. Intimidate also bothers Weavile, which is commonly led alongside Yanmega, so Arcanine is usually an effective lead against Yanmega's team.

Smeargle

Roles: Supporter, Sleep Inducer, Wallbreaker, Transform Sweeper

Moody Supporter

Smeargle @ Focus Sash / Mental Herb

Ability: Moody

EVs: 4 HP / 252 Def / 252 Spe

Timid Nature

- Dark Void

- Fake Out / Sheer Cold / Transform

- Follow Me / Entrainment / Transform

- Spiky Shield

Trick Room Wallbreaker

Smeargle @ Focus Sash

Ability: Own Tempo / Moody

Level: 1

Brave / Relaxed / Quiet / Sassy Nature

- Dark Void

- Fake Out

- Endeavor

- Spiky Shield

What's the big deal?

Smeargle has the largest movepool of all Pokémon, including dangerous moves like Dark Void, Sheer Cold, Transform, and all the support moves a team could ever need. It is one of the few Pokémon with access to the, though luck-based, potentially broken ability Moody. These qualities make Smeargle a highly threatening and unpredictable Pokémon in Sinnoh Classic, and it has to be dealt with immediately when encountered.

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Dark Void: Expect every Smeargle to know Dark Void, the only sleep-inducing move that can put half a team to sleep in a single turn.
• Endeavor: Endeavor reduces the target's HP to the same amount Smeargle currently has. This is very effective with a low-level Smeargle, since this easily puts opponents into knockout range for practically anything and turns Smeargle into a wallbreaker.
• Entrainment: Unless it gets lucky, Smeargle is too fragile to take advantage of Moody effectively. Entrainment allows Smeargle to copy this ability onto bulkier partners, which can accumulate boosts more easily.
• Fake Out: Fake Out allows Smeargle to create opportunities for its team by making a threatening foe flinch. This gives Smeargle's teammates a turn to set up or attack more freely.
• Follow Me: Follow Me turns Smeargle into a redirection supporter by forcing the opponent's single-target attacks to hit Smeargle for a turn. This gives Smeargle's teammates an occasion to set up or attack unharmed and is especially effective with boosted Evasion.
• Sheer Cold: The OHKO move Sheer Cold offers Smeargle a chance to be an offensive threat, because otherwise it would have no offensive presence due to its atrocious stats. Sheer Cold also ignores Smeargle's accuracy drops and the foe's evasion boosts, which makes it an effective wallbreaking tool.
• Spiky Shield: Spiky Shield is Smeargle's protection move of choice. It deals chip damage to opponents that attack Smeargle with contact moves like Fake Out or Mach Punch and punishes them for double targetting Smeargle by wasting their turn.
• Transform: Transform gives Smeargle the option to turn into any other Pokémon on the field while copying the target's stats. This is especially useful after Smeargle has helped a teammate to set up, but it could also allow Smeargle to turn the opponent's threats against them.

Items

• Focus Sash: Smeargle is a very fragile Pokémon, and it can easily fall to a single strong or super effective hit. Focus Sash enables it to take one of these without fainting.
• Mental Herb: Smeargle relies heavily on status moves to be effective, which makes it very weak to Taunt. Mental Herb saves Smeargle from being Taunted once and could easily catch an unsuspecting opponent off guard, because the Focus Sash variant is alot more common.

Other Details

Transform Smeargle should move the EVs from Defense to HP, as HP is the only stat that isn't copied after transforming. However, it is advisable to maximize Defense for Smeargle without Transform, since this allows it to take common priority moves like Fake Out, Feint, Mach Punch, Aqua Jet, and Bullet Punch much better.

Level 1 Smeargle needs a Speed-reducing nature to be as slow as possible, which is essential in a mirror match. The Trick Room variant benefits less from Moody, since it has no use for Defense or Speed modifiers, so Own Tempo is a viable alternative. This also ensures that Smeargle doesn't get screwed by an unlucky accuracy drop, but it comes at the cost of potential evasion and accuracy increases.

What partners should I consider?

• Azumarill: Azumarill is a hard-hitting Belly Drum sweeper that puts the free turns Smeargle creates to great use by boosting and sweeping unharmed. In exchange it offers a powerful offensive presence, something that Smeargle can't provide, and threatens common Smeargle checks like Weavile, Infernape, Hitmontop, and Sableye with its STAB moves. Azumarill can also use Aqua Jet to finish Pokémon that have been weakened by Smeargle's Endeavor.
• Cresselia: Cresselia appreciates opportunities to use Calm Mind in peace. Icy Wind Cresselia makes it easier for Smeargle to outspeed Pokémon and put them to sleep. Trick Room is another form of speed control that Cresselia has and level 1 Smeargle can use to cause serious havoc. Further, Cresselia is an inherently bulky Pokémon that can stay alive for many turns, which makes it a great target for Smeargle to transfer Moody to with Entrainment.
• Dusclops / Dusknoir: Dusclops and Dusknoir stand out as bulky Trick Room setters with an immunity to Fake Out and provide Frisk support for Smeargle to scout for Lum and Chesto Berries before using Dark Void. Smeargle's presence helps the Ghost-type activate Trick Room against Taunt users, since it forces them to decide between Smeargle's team using either Trick Room or Dark Void.
• Hitmontop: Hitmontop offers Fake Out, Quick Guard, and Feint support for Smeargle and helps it to fire off Dark Void unhindered. Intimidate support makes it easier for Smeargle to survive weak priority moves or other neutral moves as long as they are physical.
• Illumise: Illumise offers two main things to a partner Smeargle: Prankster Encore and Prankster Tailwind. Encore punishes opponents hard if they try to avoid Dark Void by using Protect, Fake Out, or Safeguard. Tailwind support allows Smeargle to outspeed faster threats and put them to sleep before they can attack. Prankster Swagger can create free turns and boost targets for Transform Smeargle, but this is a very risky tactic.
• Infernape: Infernape has Fake Out to create free turns for Smeargle and save it from being double targeted by attacks or neutralized by Taunt users. Quick Guard allows Infernape to protect Smeargle from Prankster Taunt and other priority moves. Infernape's STAB moves KO Abomasnow, Scizor, and Weavile for Smeargle. Another one of Infernape's support options is Encore, but it is not easy to fit onto a moveset.
• Porygon2: Porygon2 helps Smeargle by offering speed control in the form of Icy Wind or Trick Room and functions as a bulky target for Entrainment.
• Raichu: Raichu has Fake Out to create free turns for Smeargle to use Dark Void. Raichu's Encore makes it harder for the opponent to check Smeargle with moves like Taunt, Safeguard, and their own Fake Out without losing a lot of momentum.
• Suicune: Suicune helps Smeargle by providing speed control in the form of Icy Wind or Tailwind and in exchange uses the free turns Smeargle creates to boost with Calm Mind. It also works as a bulky target for Entrainment.

What are its flaws?

Due to its horrible base stats, Smeargle suffers from very limited bulk and has to rely on Sheer Cold to get any direct KOs or Endeavor to offer some offensive presence for its team. It is very weak to Taunt and double targetting, which basically forces the Smeargle user to support a supporter. Smeargle will often have a hard time actually winning a game on its own if it is the last Pokémon standing.

• Abomasnow: Abomasnow is a big problem for Smeargle, because the hail it summons will break Smeargle's Focus Sash or finish it after the Focus Sash activates. Furthermore, Blizzard will never miss Smeargle during a hailstorm even if it has a boosted evasion.
• Hariyama: Hariyama offers Fake Out pressure during the first turn and will probably be burned by its Flame Orb by the second turn, which would allow it to hit Smeargle with super effective Fighting-type attacks without worrying about Dark Void. It has to watch out for Endeavor Smeargle, though.
• Lum Berry / Chesto Berry: Lum and Chesto Berries allow the holder to heal the sleep status once and hit a defenseless Smeargle on the turn it used Dark Void. Cresselia, Crobat, Hitmontop, Infernape, Metagross, Scizor, Snorlax, and Suicune are common holders of these berries, but they are far from the only Pokémon that can use them effectively.
• Priority Attackers: Smeargle often relies on speed control from teammates or Moody Speed boosts to put foes to sleep before they can attack it. Priority attackers can avoid this by hitting Smeargle before it gets a chance to use Dark Void. Mach Punch users are especially problematic for Smeargle.
• Feint: Pokémon with the move Feint are a major problem for Smeargle, because they break Smeargle's Spiky Shield protection or the Quick Guard support of Smeargle's partner and Smeargle's Focus Sash at the same time, which makes it very vulnerable to double targeting.
• Taunt: Taunt is very problematic for Smeargle, because it prevents Smeargle from using status moves. Common Taunt users are Crobat, Gengar, Gyarados, and Prankster Sableye, but Weavile and Gardevoir also run it sometimes.
• Magic Coat: Users of Magic Coat have the option to reflect Dark Void onto Smeargle's side of the field while avoiding the sleep status, which would be disastrous for the Smeargle user. They are also a lot less obvious than the rare Espeon or Xatu, which pose the same threat due to their ability Magic Bounce.
• Follow Me / Rage Powder: Redirection messes with Entrainment Smeargle, since it is an effective way to keep Smeargle from transferring its ability to its teammate.

Togekiss

Roles: Follow Me Support

Follow Me Support

Togekiss @ Sitrus Berry / Lum Berry / Babiri Berry

Ability: Serene Grace / Super Luck

EVs: 252 HP / 196 Def / 60 Spe

Bold Nature

- Follow Me

- Air Slash / Dazzling Gleam

- Tailwind / Thunder Wave / Helping Hand / Roost / Magic Coat

- Protect

What's the big deal?

Togekiss has an excellent typing for a redirection user, granting it immunities to both Dragon- and Ground-type moves. It also offers very useful support in the form of speed control and status protection.

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Follow Me: Redirection is the main reason to use Togekiss, and it it will almost always be redirecting attacks aimed at its teammates with Follow Me.
• Air Slash: When it isn't redirecting, Togekiss has Air Slash to take advantage of the chance to flinch the foe thanks to Serene Grace. While the damage isn't all that impressive, Togekiss has enough Special Attack to do noticeable damage even with no Special Attack investment.
• Dazzling Gleam: Dazzling Gleam is usually inferior to Air Slash because its damage is reduced in doubles, though some Togekiss may opt to run it in order to do more damage Dragon-types such as Garchomp and Latios.
• Tailwind: Tailwind provides speed control that allows Togekiss to support its team beyond redirecting a foe's attacks. This is most common on offensive teams in order to shift momentum in its team's favor, and it allows Togekiss to more effectively take advantage of Air Slash.
• Thunder Wave: While Thunder Wave only affects one target, permanently reducing a foe's Speed and preventing it from attacking 25% of the time can be incredibly useful, especially against rain teams. This is also particularly effective alongside Air Slash and it can be difficult for a foe to break through both paralysis and flinches.
• Helping Hand: Togekiss can support its teammate directly with Helping Hand, boosting the power of its next move by 1.5x. However, this requires a special Togepi from generation 3, so this is not easy to obtain despite it being an available move tutor in Gen 6.
• Roost: If Togekiss does not run Sitrus Berry, Roost can help it stay around longer and punishes a foe that chooses to ignore Togekiss for that turn.
• Magic Coat: While rare and limited in use, Magic Coat is a potentially deadly option against Smeargle to reflect Dark Void at the opponent's team.

Items

• Sitrus Berry: Togekiss usually doesn't have the chance to heal itself with Roost, so Sitrus Berry is the preferred item choice to help Togekiss stay healthy longer while it redirects attacks.
• Lum Berry: If Sitrus Berry is already being used, Lum Berry can be used in order to redirect status moves once without having Togekiss get crippled by status itself. This is particularly useful for redirecting sleep moves from the likes of Breloom and Tangela.
• Babiri Berry: Babiri Berry allows Togekiss to redirect a Steel-type move from Scizor or Metagross, both of which are very dangerous threats that Togekiss can't safely deal with otherwise.

Other Details

The EV spread maximizes physical bulk while allowing Togekiss to outspeed uninvested Rotom-A and attempt to make it flinch with Air Slash. A specially defensive spread with a Calm nature is also viable for teams that need Togekiss to redirect special attacks, while Relaxed or Sassy is preferred if using Togekiss on a Trick Room team. Serene Grace is useless if you're not using Air Slash, so Super Luck is the ideal ability if you're running Dazzling Gleam instead. Similarly to Babiri Berry, Wacan Berry or Yache Berry are also viable alternatives if Sitrus Berry is already used, while Leftovers can be used if the extra recovery is desired. An offensive set is viable, but an offensive role is better left to Gardevoir or other more offensive Pokémon.

What partners should I consider?

• Garchomp: Togekiss can redirect Dragon-type moves aimed at Garchomp, while Garchomp can safely use Earthquake next to Togekiss. Redirection also allows Garchomp to safely use Swords Dance and proceed to sweep with boosted Earthquakes. The shared Ice-type weakness makes Weavile problematic, though.
• Arcanine: Weavile and Steel-types give Togekiss a difficult time, and Arcanine deals with all of them effectively thanks to Intimidate and being a Fire-type. Togekiss also helps against Garchomp, since it's immune to both of its STAB moves and takes Rock Slide well thanks to Arcanine's Intimidate.
• Infernape: Infernape offers Fake Out support to help Togekiss set up Tailwind, and it also deals with Weavile and Steel-types such as Metagross and Scizor. Infernape also appreciates redirection support due to its frailty, especially if it runs Life Orb instead of Focus Sash.
• Azumarill: While Azumarill shares many weaknesses with Togekiss, it appreciates redirection in order to set up with Belly Drum. Azumarill also threatens Weavile for Togekiss, while Togekiss can still safely redirect Grass-type moves aimed at Azumarill.
• Cresselia: Cresselia appreciates redirection to safely set up Trick Room or Calm Mind without taking damage in the process. While both have issues with Weavile, Togekiss makes it tricky for Weavile to hit Cresselia with Knock Off and also resists Bug Bite from Scizor, which Cresselia also struggles with.
• Breloom: Breloom is a very frail attacker that becomes very dangerous when it can safely use Spore thanks to redirection from Togekiss's redirection. Breloom also greatly benefits from Tailwind due to its below average Speed tier, and despite the shared Ice-type weakness it threatens Weavile with Mach Punch.

What are its flaws?

Despite its great typing, Togekiss suffers from weaknesses to Ice-, Steel-, and Electric-type moves, all of which are very dangerous in Sinnoh Classic. Togekiss is also relatively passive and struggles to do much damage itself, and if it can't make the foe flinch, Togekiss has a difficult time winning if it's the last Pokémon remaining. It's also very vulnerable to Taunt unless it runs Mental Herb.

• Weavile: Weavile threatens Togekiss with Icicle Crash and can likely pressure Togekiss's team with Fake Out. Togekiss also hates losing its Sitrus Berry even if it takes very little damage from a redirected Knock Off, so Weavile is often a huge problem for Togekiss.
• Scizor: Scizor hates dealing with the rare Fire-type move from Togekiss, but otherwise it threatens Togekiss with boosted Bullet Punches. While Bug Bite does very little damage, Togekiss is often holding a Berry that it usually hates losing, and in the case of Sitrus Berry this results in Scizor healing off some of the damage it may have taken.
• Metagross: Togekiss has no way to beat Metagross barring an unrealistic number of Air Slash flinches. Metagross also threatens Togekiss more immediately than Scizor, since Meteor Mash is much stronger than Bullet Punch, and unlike Scizor, it doesn't immediately fall to the rare Fire-type move on Togekiss.
• Zapdos: Zapdos resists Air Slash and outspeeds Togekiss, so it doesn't fear flinches either, and threatens it with Thunderbolt or Discharge. It can also match Togekiss's Tailwind with its own, making it a difficult foe for Togekiss to deal with.
• Rotom formes: Togekiss can't do much to Rotom-W or Rotom-H other than hope they don't run Speed investment and attempt to flinch them. Otherwise, Rotom-W and Rotom-H easily take down Togekiss with Thunderbolt, with the latter resisting Dazzling Gleam in addition to Air Slash.
• Abomasnow: Abomasnow loses to Togekiss outside of Trick Room, but under Trick Room it takes huge damage from Blizzard and can't redirect the attack for its partner either. Hail damage also wears down Togekiss, which makes it more difficult to redirect attacks effectively, especially if it lacks Sitrus Berry. Abomasnow also commonly runs Focus Sash, so if it doesn't KO with Blizzard, it might still get a chance to take out Togekiss during the next turn.

Clefable

Roles: Follow Me Support

Follow Me Support

Clefable @ Sitrus Berry / Babiri Berry / Lum Berry

Ability: Unaware / Magic Guard

252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe

Bold Nature

-Follow Me

-Moonblast / Icy Wind

-Helping Hand / Thunder Wave / Heal Pulse / Magic Coat

-Protect

What's the big deal?

Clefable isn't as bulky as Togekiss, but it has plenty of tools that set it apart as a redirector, such as Unaware and access to Moonblast and Heal Pulse.

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Follow Me: Clefable is used for its redirection support, so this is necessary on any Clefable. Thanks to Unaware, Clefable can safely redirect moves from dangerous setup sweepers without taking huge damage, most notably Belly Drum Azumarill.
• Moonblast: Moonblast is Clefable's strongest STAB move and offers a useful 30% chance to lower the foe's Special Attack. This doesn't help Unaware Clefable at all but is still useful for its teammates.
• Icy Wind: Running Icy Wind over Moonblast reduces Clefable's already low offensive presence significantly, but this gives it a useful form of speed control and still does significant damage to Garchomp.
• Helping Hand: Helping Hand allows Clefable to directly support its teammate when redirection isn't necessary, providing a useful 1.5x damage boost to its partner's next attack. This is also useful if Clefable is unlikely to survive the next turn, since the boost still applies if Clefable faints.
• Thunder Wave: Thunder Wave allows Clefable to permanently lower a foe's Speed for the duration of the battle, which is useful if Clefable is not already running Icy Wind and helps more against rain teams. The 25% chance for the foe to be unable to move can shift the game in your favor as well.
• Heal Pulse: Heal Pulse is an unusual move that Clefable can use effectively in order to keep its teammate healthy. While this can be risky compared to simply redirecting an attack, it can punish defensive play from the opponent. It can also severely set back a foe's attempts to wear down Clefable's partner. Be careful against other redirectors, though, as Heal Pulse can be redirected.
• Magic Coat: While Magic Coat is rare, this can punish an unsuspecting Smeargle using Dark Void, which is useful for Trick Room teams that tend to struggle against it due to many Trick Room setters and sweepers being slower than Smeargle.

Items

• Sitrus Berry: Clefable usually doesn't have the opportunity to make use of Moonlight or Soft-Boiled, so a Sitrus Berry helps it stay a bit healthier for a longer amount of time and redirect more attacks.
• Lum Berry: Lum Berry is often a filler item in case Sitrus Berry has already been taken, but it allows Clefable to redirect status moves without being afflicted by the status move itself. This allows Clefable to redirect Spore from Breloom once without being put to sleep.
• Babiri Berry: Babiri Berry allows Clefable to more effectively redirect attacks from Scizor and Metagross, which is particularly useful if running Unaware for redirecting Bullet Punch from Swords Dance Scizor.

Other Details

Clefable wants to be as physically bulky as possible, since the attacks that Clefable is usually redirecting are physical. A Relaxed nature should be used if Clefable is being used on a Trick Room team. Magic Guard can be useful on Abomasnow teams to avoid taking damage from hail each turn and allows it to safely redirect a burn without taking damage each turn, though Unaware is usually a better option. Reliable recovery options such as Moonlight and Soft-Boiled are also viable, though Clefable doesn't usually have many opportunities to make use of recovery moves. Soft-Boiled also requires a generation 3 tutor and is thus illegal with Unaware, which is one of the primary reasons to use Clefable over Togekiss.

What partners should I consider?

• Azumarill: While they share most weaknesses, Clefable is not weak to Grass- or Electric-type moves, which allows Azumarill to more safely set up with Belly Drum. Clefable can also run Heal Pulse to keep Azumarill healthy even after using its Sitrus Berry to set up.
• Metagross: Metagross has a difficult time against Weavile, so Clefable makes an effective partner that Weavile has difficulty breaking through. Clefable can also help Metagross's Speed issues with Icy Wind and Thunder Wave, and it can threaten Garchomp, which usually gives Metagross trouble.
• Blaziken: Even with a Babiri Berry, Clefable can't beat Steel-types on its own, so a Fire-type such as Blaziken makes for an effective partner to deal with Metagross and Scizor. Blaziken is not very bulky, especially considering Life Orb recoil, so it appreciates Clefable's ability to redirect dangerous attacks aimed at it, particularly from Azumarill and Cresselia even after they boost.
• Cresselia: Cresselia appreciates Clefable's ability to redirect Weavile's attacks and it, which is useful for safely setting up Trick Room or Calm Mind. Both have issues with Gengar, though, but Clefable's redirection makes it tricky to effectively stop Cresselia.
• Weavile: Clefable has trouble dealing with Gengar, so Weavile makes for an effective partner to deal with it. Weavile also greatly benefits from redirection, since it has trouble taking hits and this makes it easier for Weavile to run Life Orb over Focus Sash.

What are its flaws?

Clefable's defensive stats are actually not very impressive, especially when compared to Togekiss's, so it's often relying completely on its typing and defensive investment to take hits. This means that Clefable has trouble taking strong special attacks, since it's often run with physically defensive sets, and it usually doesn't have the time to make use of recovery moves, so it will be worn down quickly. It's also very vulnerable to Taunt and not very powerful, so it's often a passive Pokémon that can't do much on its own.

• Gengar: Clefable is often physically defensive and unlikely to be holding a Kebia Berry to take a Sludge Bomb, so Gengar is a strong answer to Clefable. It can also run Taunt to stop Clefable from doing much to Gengar unless it runs Icy Wind, which makes it far easier to ignore due to its general passive nature.
• Scizor: While it can't boost effectively against Unaware Clefable and does very little to Babiri Berry variants, Scizor eventually beats Clefable, since it often lacks recovery outside of a Sitrus Berry. If Clefable is running Magic Guard instead of Unaware, though, Scizor beats it handily, since its boosts aren't ignored.
• Metagross: Metagross has little trouble beating Clefable even with a Babiri Berry, since Meteor Mash is significantly stronger than Bullet Punch and in some cases is boosted by a Choice Band, which Unaware doesn't ignore.
• Abomasnow: Abomasnow often runs special sets that can take advantage of Clefable's tendency to be physically defensive, and it doesn't mind redirection thanks to Blizzard. Hail damage also wears down Clefable, since it's often running Unaware instead of Magic Guard, which makes it difficult for Clefable to do its job.
• Typhlosion: Typhlosion resists all of Clefable's offensive moves and doesn't care about anything Clefable can do aside from the speed control of Icy Wind or Thunder Wave. Typhlosion's primary STAB options in Eruption and Heat Wave are also not affected by redirection and take advantage of the fact that Clefable usually invests more in Defense than in Special Defense.

Dusclops and Dusknoir

Roles: Trick Room user, burn support, Helping Hand support

Trick Room (Dusclops)

Dusclops @ Eviolite

Ability: Pressure / Frisk

EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD

Relaxed Nature

IVs: 0 Spe

- Trick Room

- Will-O-Wisp

- Night Shade

- Helping Hand / Pain Split / Skill Swap

Trick Room (Dusknoir)

Dusknoir @ Mental Herb / Lum Berry

Ability: Frisk / Pressure

EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD

Relaxed Nature

IVs: 0 Spe

- Trick Room

- Will-O-Wisp

- Night Shade / Fire Punch

- Fire Punch / Pain Split / Helping Hand / Skill Swap

What's the big deal?

Dusclops might have gotten an evolution in Diamond and Pearl, but that doesn't mean you need to send it on a trip with a Reaper Cloth, because Eviolite makes Dusclops one of the bulkiest, most reliable Trick Room users in Sinnoh Classic! Unlike in most metagames, however, Dusknoir is still a viable alternative to Dusclops, since its higher Attack stat is useful for Fire Punch, and it can run an alternative item.

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Trick Room: This is the big selling point of Dusclops and Dusknoir, allowing your slow, bulky Pokémon to become powerful speed demons!
• Will-O-Wisp: This sets Dusclops and Dusknoir apart from most users of Trick Room, allowing them to cripple physical attackers. This prevents the duo from doing too little during battle and is great for giving Snorlax and Azumarill the chance to set up.
• Night Shade: Night Shade is Dusclops's best way of dealing damage, always dealing 50 damage. This also ensures that Dusclops isn't totally useless if it gets hit by Taunt. It's also useful on Dusknoir if you don't want to totally rely on Fire Punch.
• Helping Hand: Pokémon XD gives Dusclops and Dusknoir Helping Hand, allowing them to give a one turn power boost to their teammates. This is especially great when using them with spread attackers. Just note that soft resetting in Pokémon XD is notoriously difficult, and if you are able to get your hands on a good one, it must use Pressure, since Dusclops and Dusknoir didn't get Frisk until Generation 5.
• Pain Split: This is Dusclops's and Dusknoir's only way of restoring health. While a bit unreliable, it does allow them to deal more damage than Night Shade when they're low on health, and the surprise value of Dusclops or Dusknoir living another turn can be a nasty shock. Note that this move is illegal with Helping Hand.
• Skill Swap: Skill Swap has a number of unusual uses. It can be used on Intimidate Pokémon to get an attack drop on your foes, it can be used to remove beneficial abilities from your opponent, and it can even be used to activate Frisk again.
• Fire Punch: If you are using Dusknoir, Fire Punch is highly recommended for hitting Abomasnow and Scizor much harder than Night Shade would.

Items

• Eviolite: This magical stone is needed to make Dusclops the bulky behemoth that's worth using!
• Mental Herb: If using Dusknoir, Mental Herb is a great way to get around Taunt users such as Sableye.
• Lum Berry: For Dusknoir, Lum Berry is a good way to get around sleep from faster threats such as Breloom or Smeargle, while freeing Chesto Berry for Snorlax.

Other Details

A Relaxed nature with 0 Speed IVs and maximum HP and Defense investment is best for taking advantage of Trick Room and allows Dusclops to tank Weavile's Knock Off. Frisk is a great ability for scouting your opponent's items and potentially revealing any surprises. However, if you're using Helping Hand, Frisk becomes illegal on Dusclops and Dusknoir, forcing you to use Pressure.

What partners should I consider?

• Abomasnow: Abomasnow becomes much more deadly under Trick Room. Dusclops and Dusknoir are not only able to cripple Pokémon that threaten Abomasnow, such as Scizor, but they can also use Helping Hand to make Abomasnow's Blizzards much more powerful!
• Azumarill: Azumarill is one of the most dangerous setup Pokémon of Trick Room thanks to Belly Drum, making it a superb teammate for Dusclops and Dusknoir. Will-O-Wisp makes it far easier for Azumarill to set up as well, while Azumarill helps deal with Weavile, Hariyama, and Heracross.
• Snorlax: Snorlax is possibly the bulkiest setup sweeper of Trick Room, making it an ideal teammate for Dusclops and Dusknoir. Will-O-Wisp makes Hitmontop less of a problem, and in general, burns make it much easier for Snorlax to set up Curse or Belly Drum.
• Hariyama: Fake Out makes it even easier to set up Trick Room for Dusclops and Dusknoir. With a Flame Orb, Guts, and a low base Speed, Hariyama becomes a dangerous Trick Room partner with Dusclops.
• Rhypherior: Rhyperior is an extremely physically bulky teammate that greatly benefits from Trick Room. With Dusclops's or Dusknoir's Will-O-Wisp, Rhyperior has an even easier time taking physical hits, making activating Weakness Policy even easier!

What are their flaws?

Dusclops and Dusknoir may be great at setting up Trick Room and supporting set teammates, but they can't do much on their own. Dusclops and Dusknoir usually lose last Pokémon situations when facing a special attacker or Fire-type. Dusclops's reliance on Eviolite also makes it very vulnerable to Knock Off, while Weavile deals massive damage to Dusknoir. Additionally, Dusclops is extremely vulnerable to Taunt, since it can't afford to run a Mental Herb.

• Sableye: Being one of the most common users of Taunt in Sinnoh Classic and having a Fake Out immunity, Sableye has little issues shutting Dusclops and Lum Berry Dusknoir down.
• Crobat: Inner Focus prevents it from Dusclops's or Dusknoir's teammate from flinching it, leaving it open to Taunt them into oblivion.
• Gengar: It may dislikes Trick Room, but otherwise, Gengar gets an easy 2HKO on Dusclops with Shadow Ball and has a chance to OHKO Dusknoir if using Life Orb, while Dusclops and Dusknoir can't do much else. Gengar can even cripple them with Taunt to prevent Trick Room.
• Hariyama: Hariyama actually loves status and Trick Room, meaning that its Knock Off will deal plenty of damage to Dusclops and Dusknoir.
• Heracross: Heracross is less fond of Trick Room than Hariyama, but its love of status and access to Knock Off are still a problem for Dusclops and Dusknoir.
• Weavile: Weavile itself hates Trick Room and Will-O-Wisp, but it's one of the best users of Knock Off around, ruining Dusclops's bulk and dealing a severe amount of damage to Dusknoir.

Toxicroak

Roles: Fake Out support, priority attacker

Rain Attacker

Toxicroak @ Focus Sash / Life Orb

Ability: Dry Skin

EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

Adamant / Jolly Nature

- Fake Out

- Gunk Shot

- Low Kick

- Sucker Punch

What's the big deal?

Toxicroak's stats may not be too impressive, but thanks to its unique ability and typing, it can be a terror against rain teams, and it is also one of the few Fighting-types that severely threaten Fairy-types.

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Fake Out: Fake Out provides valuable flinch support for your team, increasing Toxicroak's disruptive power. Just note that Toxicroak is among the slower users of Fake Out in Sinnoh Classic.
• Gunk Shot: Gunk Shot's accuracy is a bit iffy, but it allows Focus Sash Toxicroak to OHKO Azumarill and generally smashes through Fairy- and Grass-types.
• Low Kick: With Low Kick, Toxicroak is guaranteed to OHKO on Snorlax and Abomasnow, and it also deals more damage to Metagross than Sucker Punch.
• Sucker Punch: Sucker Punch gives Toxicroak a decent priority attack, most notably dealing a lot of damage to Latios.

Items

• Focus Sash: Since Toxicroak's bulk leaves much to be desired, Focus Sash is a good choice for letting it survive at least one powerful attack.
• Life Orb: If you've already used up Focus Sash, then Life Orb is a good choice for giving Toxicroak much more power. For example, Toxicroak now has an 87.5% chance of OHKOing Togekiss with Gunk Shot.

Other Details

No Toxicroak should leave home without Dry Skin, since it allows Toxicroak to be a big threat to Pokémon such as Ludicolo and Politoed. An Adamant nature with maximum investment in Attack and Speed is usually the best way to take advantage of Toxicroak's limited lifespan, but a Jolly nature also works for outspeeding Adamant Arcanine.

What partners should I consider?

• Politoed: Drizzle makes Toxicroak harder to take down despite its frailness, making Politoed a major teammate to consider in the face of Drought. Politoed also can use Surf to restore Toxicroak's health, while Toxicroak deals with Abomasnow, Ludicolo, and Azumarill.
• Scizor: Scizor does a great job of punishing Cresselia and the less bulky Fairy-types, and it fits well on rain teams.
• Weavile: While Weavile and Toxicroak do use similar items, which can be a problem, Weavile can crush Garchomp with Icicle Crash and hit Metagross and Cresselia hard with Knock Off, while Toxicroak makes Ludicolo think twice about staying in to Fake Out Weavile.
• Yanmega: Yanmega hits Cresselia hard with Bug Buzz and loves Fake Out support for letting Speed boosts accumulate more easily, while Toxicroak deals with meddlesome Fairy-types.
• Arcanine: Arcanine may sound strange on a rain team, but when you don't choose Politoed in Team Preview, Arcanine does a great job of blasting through Metagross, while Toxicroak is a big help against Water-types.

What are its flaws?

Dry Skin may give Toxicroak a lot of recovery options, but fact is, Toxicroak is rather frail and slow for Fighting-type. Toxicroak isn't very powerful either and also has a 4x weakness to Psychic-type attacks.

• Cresselia: Cresselia has an incredible amount of bulk, meaning that Toxicroak can't do much damage to it; in return, Cresselia OHKOes Toxicroak with a Psychic-type attack.
• Garchomp: Garchomp has the Speed advantage over Toxicroak, letting Garchomp bury it with Earthquake before it can move. It doesn't help that Rough Skin will destroy Toxicroak's Focus Sash if it attempts to use Fake Out either.
• Metagross: Metagross only fears a 2HKO from Life Orb Toxicroak's Sucker Punch, and it easily OHKOes Toxicroak with Zen Headbutt.
• Ninetales: Ninetales takes massive damage from Gunk Shot on the switch in, but with its Drought ability, it can cause residual damage through Toxicroak's Dry Skin and roast it with Fire-type attacks as well.
• Latios: Latios takes a lot of damage from Sucker Punch, but if it survives, Toxicroak is finished when Psyshock hits.
• Gardevoir: Gardevoir actually loses to Toxicroak because of Gunk Shot, but if it's running a Choice Scarf, it can outspeed Toxicroak and OHKO it with Psychic.
• Gengar: Gengar normally gets thrashed by Sucker Punch, but if it uses Will-O-Wisp, it can cripple Toxicroak for the rest of the game.

Staraptor

Roles: Physical attacker, Choice Scarf user

Physical Attacker

Staraptor @ Choice Band / Choice Scarf

Ability: Reckless

EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

Jolly Nature

- Brave Bird

- Double-Edge

- Close Combat

- U-turn / Quick Attack

Final Gambit Assassin

Staraptor @ Choice Scarf

Ability: Intimidate

EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Spe

Jolly Nature

- Final Gambit

- Brave Bird

- Close Combat

- U-turn / Return

What's the big deal?

Staraptor is one of the few Pokémon of Sinnoh Classic that can take advantage of the powerful Flying STAB type. With access to strong moves like Brave Bird and Close Combat and excellent abilities in Reckless and Intimidate, you have a great offensive Flying-type!

It has two distinct sets as well: an offensive set that focuses on breaking through Pokémon with Reckless, and one that focuses on getting an important OHKO with Final Gambit and weakens foes with Intimidate.

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Brave Bird: This is Staraptor's powerful STAB attack, which, when boosted by Reckless, will easily 2HKO anything that doesn't resist it.
• Double-Edge: Double-Edge is very similar to Brave Bird, except while it won't touch Ghost-types, it'll smash through Zapdos.
• Close Combat: Close Combat ensures that Staraptor can deal serious damage to Snorlax without taking massive recoil. It's also the best move Staraptor has against Metagross and Rhyperior, though note that hitting a healthy Rhyperior is just asking to activate its Weakness Policy.
• U-turn: U-turn lets Staraptor deal decent damage while getting out of a bad matchup. It's especially useful when using Intimidate Staraptor, letting it rack up multiple Attack drops.
• Quick Attack: Quick Attack isn't very powerful, but it allows Staraptor to pick off weakened threats and lets it deal some chip damage if your opponent has the dominant speed control.
• Final Gambit: When used with maximum HP investment, Choice Scarf Staraptor can OHKO a huge number of Pokémon at the cost of KOing itself with Final Gambit! Note that this tends to be used on a very different kind of Staraptor, one that doesn't have as much offensive presence beyond this move, and in general transforms Staraptor's role into more of a one-chance assassin than a huge offensive threat.
• Return: Because Staraptor's Final Gambit set relies on having a lot of HP to OHKO Pokémon, Return is usually the better choice for picking off weakened Pokémon than Double-Edge. If you're paranoid about Ditto or just don't want to make your Staraptor feel happy, Frustration is just as good.

Items

• Choice Band: A Choice Band on wing makes Staraptor extremely powerful when combined with Reckless, being able to smash through most Pokémon as long as you have some chip damage.
• Choice Scarf: Choice Scarf Staraptor isn't as good at breaking bulky Pokémon, but it's a great choice against more offensive teams that use fast Pokémon such as Garchomp and Weavile. It's also the only item Final Gambit Staraptor should be carrying, since its power depends on its HP stat, not its Attack stat.
• Life Orb: If you're alright with making Staraptor's lifespan even shorter, Life Orb can give it good power while enabling it to switch attacks.

Other Details

As tempting as more power may seem, Staraptor is a Pokémon that is not built to last, so a Jolly nature is preferred. For the usual offensive Staraptor, Reckless is an excellent ability, making Brave Bird and Double-Edge even more powerful! However, Intimidate is such a useful ability that if the potential KOs you miss aren't too much of a problem, it's still a very usable ability. For the Final Gambit set, Intimidate should always be used, since it gives Staraptor some extra utility before it sacrifices itself.

What partners should I consider?

• Garchomp: Garchomp is a fantastic offensive partner for Staraptor thanks to its strong STAB Earthquake. Garchomp does a good job of softening up threats with Earthquake, getting them within Staraptor's KO range. It even works well with Final Gambit Staraptor, since Staraptor can sacrifice itself to put Cresselia into Garchomp's KO range. Just note that this duo has big problems with Weavile and Abomasnow.
• Weavile: Weavile helps out against Zapdos. Even if Icicle Crash fails to OHKO the bulkier variants, it'll certainly put it into the KO range of Staraptor's Double-Edge! It's excellent Speed and Fake Out in general are great for giving Staraptor opportunities to deal massive damage without getting KOed.
• Scizor: Bullet Punch allows Scizor to become a huge threat to Weavile and Abomasnow. You can even pair this with Quick Attack Staraptor to defeat these two before they can even move, removing a big threat to Staraptor. It also does a good job of defeating Cresselia, a Pokémon that's problematic for Reckless Staraptor.
• Hitmontop: Hitmontop does a great job of dealing with Weavile, Mamoswine, and Abomasnow thanks to Close Combat and Mach Punch. To make the deal even sweeter, Hitmontop has Intimidate, which makes surviving weak attacks possible for Hitmontop, or you could even pair it with Intimidate Staraptor to really cripple physical attackers!
• Mamoswine: Mamoswine is unique for being a Earthquake partner that isn't weak to Ice-type attacks, which comes in handy against threats like Weavile and Choice Scarf Abomasnow. It's also a great check to Zapdos, which only needs to be softened with Ice Shard to be in KO range of Choice Band Double-Edge.

What are its flaws?

Staraptor practically encapsulates the saying "the flame that burns twice as fast burns half as long", since its reliance on Brave Bird and Double-Edge will quickly get it into KO range for a wide number of Pokémon.

• Metagross: Metagross is one of the few Pokémon even Choice Band Staraptor struggles to 2HKO. It's even immune to Intimidate, meaning that Metagross will easily smash Staraptor with Meteor Mash. Just note that Metagross will actually get OHKOed by Final Gambit.
• Raikou: Raikou outspeeds Staraptor and OHKOes it with Thunderbolt, only worrying about a Choice Scarf Final Gambit or Double-Edge.
• Weavile: Weavile certainly can't take a hit, but it's faster than Staraptor and crushes it with Icicle Crash. Not even Choice Scarf Staraptor is safe, since most Weavile run Focus Sash.
• Garchomp: Garchomp naturally outspeeds Staraptor, letting it hit the bird hard with Rock Slide or Dragon Claw. Garchomp even sometimes runs a Choice Scarf, ruining the Final Gambit set's usually safe move against Garchomp.
• Rhyperior: Final Gambit and Choice Band Close Combat do a lot of damage to Rhyperior, but otherwise, Rhyperior tanks any other attack Staraptor can throw at it and devastates it with Rock Slide. It doesn't help that Rhyperior is often seen on Trick Room teams, either.
• Zapdos: Zapdos can be a risky bet because it Speed ties with Staraptor, but if it's locked into Brave Bird, Zapdos can fry it with Thunderbolt.

Rhyperior

Roles: Spread attacker, Weakness Policy user

Trick Room Attacker

Rhyperior @ Weakness Policy / Life Orb

Ability: Solid Rock

EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def

Brave Nature

IVs: 0 Spe

- Rock Slide

- Earthquake / Drill Run

- Protect

- Megahorn / Fire Punch / Drill Run / Ice Punch

What's the big deal?

Rhyperior's typing leaves it rife with weaknesses. Unlike most Pokémon, Rhyperior can turn this into an advantage with Weakness Policy, because thanks to Solid Rock, physical super effective attacks rarely KO Rhyperior. Combine this with Rhyperior's low Speed, and you have a fearsome Trick Room attacker!

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Rock Slide: This is Rhyperior's main spread attack. It doesn't hit its partner, unlike Earthquake, and it has a nasty flinch chance once Trick Room is up.
• Earthquake: Earthquake is Rhyperior's other STAB spread attack. In fact, it's the most powerful physical spread attack of Sinnoh Classic!
• Drill Run: Drill Run gives Rhyperior a single-target STAB move, protecting it from Wide Guard and not forcing its teammate to use Protect like Earthquake.
• Megahorn: This is Rhyperior's main way around Cresselia, potentially dealing over 50% even before a Weakness Policy boost! Megahorn also OHKOes Abomasnow and Ludicolo, which can survive Rock Slide and OHKO Rhyperior back with Giga Drain.
• Fire Punch: If your team has other ways of dealing with Cresselia, you can opt for Fire Punch, which OHKOes Scizor before a boost, and still OHKOes Abomasnow.
• Ice Punch: If Garchomp is a serious threat to your team, you can use Ice Punch to severely damage it even if it has Yache Berry, at the cost of coverage against Scizor and Cresselia.

Items

• Weakness Policy: This is what makes Rhyperior such a big threat under Trick Room. If Rhyperior is hit with a super effective attack, its offenses are doubled. Since Rhyperior is extremely difficult to OHKO with physical moves, it lets Rhyperior potentially sweep under Trick Room!
• Life Orb: If you want immediate power, Life Orb is a reasonable choice, guaranteeing a 2HKO on Cresselia with Megahorn.

Other Details

A Brave nature with maximum HP and Attack investment is needed for Rhyperior to take hits and sweep under Trick Room. Solid Rock further boosts its chance to sweep thanks to lowering the amount of damage super effective attacks deal. However, if you want to support Pokémon that are weak to Electric-type attacks, such as Azumarill, Lightning Rod is a reasonable choice.

What partners should I consider?

• Cresselia: Cresselia is an excellent Trick Room partner for Rhyperior, since it's immune to its Earthquake and can deal good damage to Fighting-types with Psychic.
• Dusclops / Dusknoir: These two are fairly bulky choices for Trick Room setup. Dusclops is the bulkier option that is great at crippling key Pokémon with Will-O-Wisp such as Scizor and Hitmontop. Dusknoir can do this as well, but it trades bulk for being able to hit Scizor and Abomasnow with Fire Punch.
• Porygon2: Porygon2 may share an unfortunate weakness to Fighting with Rhyperior, but its great bulk still makes it a good user of Trick Room. It an also use Hidden Power Fire to hit Scizor hard.
• Scizor: If you don't want to rely on Megahorn, Scizor makes a great choice against Cresselia. It also deals a severe amount of damage to Abomasnow with Bullet Punch and even defeats Ludicolo with Bug Bite if Trick Room is up.
• Tangela: Tangela may seem like a strange choice, but thanks to Rage Powder and Eviolite, it effectively redirects single target Water-type and Grass-type moves away from Rhyperior, which can be a lifesaver against the likes of Ludicolo and Azumarill.
• Abomasnow: Abomasnow stands out as one of the best checks to rain teams in the game, a strategy that gives Rhyperior much trouble if Trick Room isn't up.
• Zapdos: Zapdos doesn't fit too great on Trick Room, but it does help check Azumarill and Politoed and is immune to Rhyperior's Earthquake.

What are its flaws?

The big hole in Rhyperior's armor is its poor Special Defense stat and its large array of weaknesses. This makes Rhyperior very easy to OHKO for Water- and Grass-types. Also, Rhyperior needs Trick Room to make a big impact due to its low Speed stat.

• Politoed: Politoed's rain lets Water-type moves grab an easy OHKO on Rhyperior, and it doesn't help that most rain teams have an easy time slamming Rhyperior with other Pokémon.
• Azumarill: Any Azumarill that fits Waterfall on their moveset can annihilate Rhyperior. Be warned though: not even Choice Band Azumarill can OHKO Rhyperior with Aqua Jet (unless the rain is up), making it an excellent target for Weakness Policy setup.
• Abomasnow: If Trick Room isn't set up, Abomasnow has no issues OHKOing Rhyperior with Giga Drain or Energy Ball.
• Cresselia: Without Megahorn, Rhyperior has no hope of breaking through Cresselia. Even with Megahorn, it's not a guaranteed 2HKO, meaning that Cresselia can wear Rhyperior down with Psychic to avoid the Weakness Policy boost.
• Dusclops / Dusknoir: With their bulk, Rhyperior has no chance of 2HKOing Dusclops or Dusknoir, leaving it open to getting crippled by Will-O-Wisp.

Entei

Roles: Burn support, Psych Up sweeper, priority attacker

Physical Attacker

Entei @ Life Orb / Leftovers

Ability: Pressure

EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

Adamant Nature

- Sacred Fire

- Extreme Speed / Stone Edge

- Psych Up / Stone Edge

- Protect

What's the big deal?

Entei sets itself apart from Arcanine by having the incredible Sacred Fire. With this attack, Entei doesn't have to worry about recoil while being able to spread burns. To make the deal even sweeter, Entei can copy the boosts of other sweepers to go on a rampage!

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Sacred Fire: Sacred Fire is a wonderful STAB attack, dealing good damage while having a 50% chance to burn its target.
• Extreme Speed: Much like Arcanine, Entei has the awesome Extreme Speed for priority attacking. Just note that Extreme Speed is exclusive to a shiny event Entei that was given out in Generation 4.
• Psych Up: Psych Up is Entei's secret weapon, allowing it to copy the boosts of any Pokémon it chooses. This makes Entei a force to be reckoned with when paired with sweepers!
• Stone Edge: If you don't have any setup sweepers or are unable to get the event Entei with Extreme Speed, Stone Edge is a fine option for hitting Arcanine, opposing Entei, and Zapdos hard.

Items

• Life Orb: Life Orb gives Entei plenty of power, making the most out of its chance to use Psych Up.
• Leftovers: If you prefer more lasting power, Leftovers is fine. Sitrus Berry may seem appealing, but note that it's the best item for Belly Drum Azumarill, which is a common partner for Entei.

Other Details

Entei has decent bulk, but since it's often based around a partner sweeper, you'll want as much speed and power as possible. An Adamant nature is required for Extreme Speed, since the event Entei only has that nature. However, if you can't get this Entei, a Jolly nature is fine if you need to outspeed Arcanine 100% of the time.

What partners should I consider?

• Azumarill: If you plan on using Psych Up, you should almost always use Belly Drum Azumarill, since an Entei with +6 Attack can OHKO almost anything in the game!
• Scizor: Scizor is a good backup partner for sweeping, since Entei still finds use in using Psych Up on Scizor' Swords Dance. Scizor also helps out against Cresselia while Entei is unboosted.
• Ninetales: If you despise rain, you can try out Ninetales to make Entei's Sacred Fire very powerful. Just note that Ninetales and Entei share a lot of similar counters.
• Clefable: Of all Follow Me users, Clefable's Unaware ability makes it fairly good at dealing with Azumarill. This allows Entei to copy an opposing Azumarill's boosts, OHKOing them with Extreme Speed before they can defeat Clefable.
• Tangela: Tangela is a great choice for redirection support, since it synergizes very well with Azumarill, giving it the chance to set up so Entei can sweep later.
• Abomasnow: Abomasnow is a safer option of changing weather in Entei's favor than Ninetales, since it does a great job against the dreaded rain teams.

What are its flaws?

Entei has severe problems getting past most Water-types without a Psych Up boost due to its rather iffy coverage. Also, Entei tends to be a bit reliant on Psych Up boosts and Sacred Fire burns to differentiate itself from Arcanine, which is often a better pick for teams without setup because of Intimidate.

• Politoed: Politoed's Drizzle makes it an especially problematic Water-type for Entei to handle, with Sacred Fire becoming very weak in the rain, a condition that persists even after Politoed is knocked out.
• Suicune: Unlike most Water-types, Suicune is adept at using Calm Mind, letting it set up on Entei that don't have partners that can lend a hand.
• Arcanine: Intimidate and its Fire typing allow Arcanine to take on any Entei without a boosting partner, especially if they lack Stone Edge.
• Garchomp: Garchomp only fears switching into a Sacred Fire, since its superior Speed and STAB Earthquake allow it to hit Entei very hard.
• Rhyperior: While it hates Sacred Fire burns, Rhyperior resists Entei's entire usable movepool for doubles, making it an effective check when Entei has no boosting partners.

Breloom

Roles: Sleep inducer, priority attacker

Spore Attacker

Breloom @ Focus Sash / Life Orb

Ability: Technician

EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

Adamant Nature

- Spore

- Bullet Seed

- Mach Punch

- Protect / Rock Tomb / Superpower

What's the big deal?

Spore makes Breloom a massive offensive threat, especially against slower teams or when paired with Tailwind!

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Spore: Spore is Breloom's ace in the hole, giving it a guaranteed shot at putting the foe to sleep.
• Bullet Seed: With Technician's boosts, Bullet Seed becomes a rather powerful STAB attack that annihilates Water-types.
• Mach Punch: Thanks to Technician, Mach Punch does as much damage as Scizor's Bullet Punch, making it a very valuable priority move.
• Rock Tomb: If you're willing to give up the safety of Protect, Rock Tomb can surprise Zapdos and Fire-types that think they can safely switch into Breloom.
• Superpower: Giving up Protect is risky, but with Superpower, Breloom grabs an easy OHKO on Snorlax that it'd otherwise miss.

Items

• Focus Sash: Focus Sash allows Breloom to survive any attack, giving it a good chance of putting a foe to sleep.
• Life Orb: If Focus Sash is already used by a teammate, Life Orb gives Breloom a big power increase, which is especially helpful for picking foes off with Mach Punch.

Other Details

Breloom may be slow, but it's so frail that there's no point in not investing in maximum Speed. An Adamant nature is best for giving Mach Punch its maximum power as well.

What partners should I consider?

• Zapdos: Few Pokémon are as good at using Tailwind as Zapdos, giving Breloom the ability to outspeed most threats and put them to sleep!
• Azumarill: Breloom tends to encourage double targeting because of its sleep based nature, giving Azumarill a great chance to set up Belly Drum. Breloom can also put a foe to sleep to make setup easier for it, while Azumarill aids against Fire-types.
• Arcanine: Arcanine is a big help against Scizor and Metagross, while Breloom defeats Azumarill and Politoed for Arcanine.
• Hitmontop: Breloom and Hitmontop share a lot of weaknesses, but Wide Guard lets Breloom defeat Zapdos and Abomasnow much more easily, while Breloom smashes Azumarill for Hitmontop. It also provides valuable Fake Out support.
• Weavile: Breloom is a very common target of Fake Out, so having the fastest Fake Out user an be a useful deterrent. Just note that this forces either Weavile or Breloom to give up the valuable Focus Sash.

What are its flaws?

Breloom is rather slow and frail, making it very weak to double targeting compared to most offensive Pokémon. Its reliance on putting foes to sleep also makes it very vulnerable to wasting turns on Pokémon with Lum or Chesto Berry.

• Hitmontop: Lum Berry is a fairly common item on Hitmontop, and its access to Fake Out often forces Breloom to use Protect on the first turn.
• Scizor: Scizor doesn't take much damage from anything besides Mach Punch, and it carrying Lum Berry often just makes more problems.
• Cresselia: Breloom isn't usually going to 2HKO Cresselia, while Cresselia often carries a Chesto or Lum Berry, letting it slam Breloom with Psychic.
• Entei: With Sacred Fire and a Speed advantage, not even Focus Sash is guaranteed to let Breloom survive Entei's assualts.
• Yanmega: Yanmega resists Breloom's STAB moves, and while it doesn't like Spore, Air Slash's chance to flinch can spell doom for Breloom.

Kingdra

Roles: Swift Swim sweeper

Rain Sweeper

Kingdra @ Life Orb / Choice Specs

Ability: Swift Swim

EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

Modest Nature

- Muddy Water

- Draco Meteor

- Hydro Pump / Dragon Pulse / Hidden Power Grass

- Protect / Hidden Power Grass

What's the big deal?

Kingdra is a a good alternative to Ludicolo. While it doesn't have the useful Grass-type STAB to use against opposing Water-types, it does have a much better spread attack than other Water-type Pokémon.

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Muddy Water: While Muddy Water's accuracy can be a bit iffy, the fact that it's a spread attack that doesn't harm your ally is very unique for a Water-type attack, making it a staple on Kingdra.
• Draco Meteor: Draco Meteor is Kingdra's strongest attack outside of the rain. It blasts through Dragon-types and is a good choice against most Pokémon that resist Water-type attacks. Just note that it usually forces Kingdra to switch out due to the Special Attack drop.
• Hydro Pump: Hydro Pump's accuracy is even shakier than Muddy Watter, but it allows Kingdra to 2HKO Snorlax and Cresselia in the rain, making Kingdra far more difficult to wall.
• Dragon Pulse: Dragon Pulse is a reliable STAB move that isn't affected by the weather and doesn't suffer from Special Attack drops, making it perfect for picking off threats. It also still OHKOes Latios.
• Hidden Power Grass: With Hidden Power Grass, Kingdra isn't totally walled by Azumarill and Gastrodon.

Items

• Life Orb: Life Orb lets Kingdra boost its power without too much drawback, since Kingdra isn't bulky enough to care too much about the recoil.
• Choice Specs: If you need Life Orb on a different Pokémon or just want even more power, Choice Specs is a worthy alternative to Life Orb even if you can't switch attacks.

Other Details

Kingdra usually wants a Modest nature to increase its sweeping power. There are rare instances where Timid Kingdra is useful, such as when facing other Kingdra, but otherwise, Modest is usually the best option.

What partners should I consider?

• Politoed: Politoed provides the all-important Drizzle that Kingdra needs to function. Kingdra also helps out by OHKOing Latios with Draco Meteor or Dragon Pulse.
• Toxicroak: Not only does Toxicroak like rain, but it deals massive damage to Fairy-types with Gunk Shot, which is of immense help to Kingdra. In return, Kingdra defeats Latios as long as the rain is up.
• Zapdos: Zapdos deals a ton of damage to Azumarill and Togekiss with Thunderbolt, while Kingdra OHKOes Garchomp with Draco Meteor or Hydro Pump as long as the rain is still up.
• Scizor: Scizor does a great job of checking Fairy-types (besides Azumarill) and Cresselia in the rain, while Kingdra is a massive threat to most Fire-types.
• Metagross: Metagross is a good check to most Fairy-types and can use Trick and Choice Band to cripple defensive threats like Cresselia, while Kingdra threatens Garchomp while the rain is up.

What are its flaws?

Kingdra is extremely reliant on the rain to become a threat, so without stormy skies, Kingdra becomes a weak, mediocre Dragon-type. Kingdra is also far weaker to Fairy-types than Ludicolo is, which is problematic considering the sheer number of them in Sinnoh Classic.

• Ninetales: Ninetales takes massive damage from Water-type attacks and Draco Meteor, but its Drought ruins any chance of sweeping for Kingdra.
• Abomasnow: Hail isn't as devastating as sun for Kingdra, but Abomasnow's Snow Warning still makes Kingdra a rather slow and weak Dragon-type.
• Azumarill: Kingdra's only hope to do any real damage to Azumarill is Hidden Power Grass, meaning that Azumarill can set up Belly Drum with impunity if Kingdra's partner can't stop it.
• Snorlax: Snorlax only has Hydro Pump in the rain to worry about, since its special bulk allows it to tank Draco Meteor while slamming Kingdra with Return or Double-Edge.
• Togekiss: Hydro Pump deals serious damage to Togekiss, but when it's paired with a Dragon-type, it can use Follow Me to leave Kingdra open for a KO.

Ninetales

Roles: Sun setter

Sun Setter

Ninetales @ Heat Rock / Focus Sash / Iron Ball

Ability: Drought

EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

Timid / Quiet Nature

- Heat Wave / Flamethrower

- Protect

- Will-O-Wisp / Disable / Sunny Day

- Energy Ball / Disable / Sunny Day

Drought Attacker

Ninetales @ Choice Specs

Ability: Drought

EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

Timid Nature

- Heat Wave

- Hidden Power Ice

- Energy Ball

- Flamethrower / Fire Blast

What's the big deal?

Ninetales is the black sheep of the weather Pokémon, since it's a bit frail and isn't particularly powerful. However, Drought is devastating to Politoed and Abomasnow, making Ninetales a good counterpick to most weather teams.

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Heat Wave: Heat Wave deals a good amount of damage to both foes as long as Drought is up. This move is particularly powerful if you're using Choice Specs Ninetales.
• Flamethrower: Flamethrower might not be a spread attack, but it's a welcome power boost over Heat Wave, 2HKOing Hitmontop.
• Will-O-Wisp: Will-O-Wisp lets Ninetales support teams despite its low offensive stats, burning key Pokémon such as Snorlax and Hitmontop. Just note that these Pokémon often carry Berries to get rid of burns.
• Energy Ball: Energy Ball is great for 2HKOing Azumarill with Choice Specs Ninetales. If you're not using Choice Specs, it's rather weak, but it's better than nothing versus Water-type Pokémon.
• Disable: Disable can be a good way to disrupt slower Pokémon by removing a move they commonly use. This works especially well considering Ninetales is often a big target to remove the sun.
• Sunny Day: If your team is especially weak against Politoed switching in, you can use Sunny Day to surprise them and remove the rain again.
• Hidden Power Ice: Hidden Power Ice is an alright filler move on Choice Specs Ninetales, giving it a shot at 2HKOing Latios switch-ins.
• Fire Blast: With a Choice Specs boost and sun, Fire Blast is actually extremely powerful, 2HKOing even Cresselia!

Items

• Heat Rock: If sun is important for your team, Heat Rock does a nice job of keeping it up longer.
• Focus Sash: Since Ninetales isn't exactly bulky, Focus Sash lets it survive a powerful attack, letting it fire off a Will-O-Wisp, Disable, or Sunny Day in peace.
• Iron Ball: Iron Ball is an odd item, but if you use a Quiet nature and 0 Speed IVs, Ninetales underspeeds every important weather inducer. This is especially devastating against Politoed leads.
• Choice Specs: If you want your Ninetales to pack a punch, then Choice Specs is the ticket, letting it deal serious damage with Heat Wave in the sun. It also lets Fire Blast 2HKO almost any Pokémon that doesn't resist it!

Other Details

Ninetales should almost always be running Timid with maximum Speed and Special Attack, because while Ninetales isn't very powerful, bulk won't do it much good either. The exception is if you're running Iron Ball. Iron Ball Ninetales should run maximum HP and Special Attack with a Quiet nature, since it's trying to be as slow as possible.

What partners should I consider?

• Arcanine: Arcanine is one of the prime candidates for sweeping in the sun, with Flare Blitz dealing insane amounts of damage. Unlike most Fire-types, Arcanine severely damages Snorlax with Close Combat and deals decent damage to Water-types with Wild Charge.
• Zapdos: Zapdos really appreciates getting a boosted Heat Wave from Ninetales, while in return it helps Ninetales deal with Water-types such as Azumarill.
• Cresselia: Cresselia gets boosted recovery from Moonlight in the sun, making it even harder to take down than usual. Cresselia is also a big help against the likes of Garchomp.
• Weavile: Weavile's big selling point is that it slams Garchomp with Icicle Crash and Latios with Knock Off. In return, Ninetales roasts Steel-types like Metagross and Scizor.
• Moltres: Moltres is a more off-the-beaten-path choice, having very powerful Heat Waves and the ability to use Tailwind. Just watch out for Garchomp, since Moltres is very weak to Rock Slide.

What are its flaws?

Ninetales is very reliant on the sun to deal any serious damage. Once the sun goes out or it has to rely on attacks that aren't Fire-type, you'll soon realize that Ninetales is very weak for a special attacker. Ninetales is also very frail for a weather inducer, so unlike Abomasnow and Politoed, it's difficult to base a team around sunny skies.

• Politoed: Politoed might hate Ninetales switch-ins, but it works the other way around too, with the rain crippling Ninetales. Politoed will usually get the rain up in a lead situation unless Ninetales is holding an Iron Ball as well.
• Garchomp: Garchomp outspeeds Ninetales and can generally take its Fire-type attacks, slamming Ninetales with Earthquake or Rock Slide.
• Latios: Only Choice Specs Hidden Power Ice has a chance of 2HKOing Ninetales, making it very vulnerable to getting slammed by Psyshock or Draco Meteor.
• Arcanine: Ninetales can't do much against Arcanine, and unfortunately for sun teams, Arcanine becomes much more difficult to check once the sun powers up its Flare Blitz.
• Snorlax: Thick Fat ruins any chance Ninetales has of 2HKOing Snorlax, while Snorlax blasts Ninetales with Return or Double-Edge.

Bronzong

Roles: Trick Room setter

Trick Room Setter

Bronzong @ Sitrus Berry / Mental Herb / Occa Berry

Ability: Levitate

EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD

Sassy Nature

- Trick Room

- Gyro Ball

- Light Screen / Reflect / Imprison / Safeguard

- Protect / Explosion

What's the big deal?

Bronzong faces huge competition from Cresselia on Trick Room teams, as the latter has superior bulk and more support options. However, Bronzong's Steel typing provides useful resistances that some teams might prefer.

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Trick Room: Trick Room is the main reason to use Bronzong, as it's bulky enough to reliably set Trick Room at least once against most foes due to its numerous resistances. Bronzong is also significantly slower than Cresselia, allowing it to more effectively threaten other Trick Room sweepers such as Abomasnow.
• Gyro Ball: Gyro Ball does significant damage against most fast threats because Bronzong is so slow, allowing it to deal noticeable damage even without offensive investment. Bronzong's Gyro Ball attacks can also prove surprisingly powerful if it does choose to run Attack investment.
• Light Screen: Bronzong's can use Light Screen to help its teammates take special attacks better, though its coverage slot is usually tailored to its team's needs, meaning it isn't necessarily better than any of Bronzong's other options by any means.
• Reflect: As with Light Screen, Bronzong can use Reflect to help its team take physical attacks better and complement Bronzong's preference to run a specially defensive spread. However, both Reflect and Light Screen have reduced strength in Doubles, so Bronzong and its team should not be relying on these moves too much.
• Imprison: Imprison is one of Bronzong's advantages as a Trick Room setter over Cresselia, as it can seal anything that might be running Trick Room solely for the purpose of reversing Bronzong's Trick Room. This should always be used with Protect as well so that it can prevent the foe from using Protect to stall out Trick room turns as long as Bronzong is on the field.
• Safeguard: Safeguard allows Bronzong to protect its teammates from Dark Void, since Smeargle is often an issue for Trick Room teams. However, Bronzong needs Fake Out support or a Lum Berry to make effective use of this, as it otherwise has no way to set this up before Smeargle starts using Dark Void.
• Explosion: If Protect isn't necessary and Bronzong is running more Attack investment, Explosion can be used as a last-ditch effort once its HP is low to soften up the opposing team for its teammates to clean up. However, doing so prevents Bronzong from being able to set up Trick Room later, so this is very risky unless you know that setting up Trick Room again later won't be necessary.

Items

• Mental Herb: Taunt prevents Bronzong from being able to support its team at all, so Mental Herb is an option to help it set up Trick Room more safely against surprise Taunt users such as Gardevoir.
• Sitrus Berry: Trick Room teams often have another Pokémon that may want Sitrus Berry more than Bronzong, but if no other Pokémon is using it, Sitrus Berry helps Bronzong stay healthy longer and set up Trick Room more safely against an opponent that tries to double target it. With Bronzong's low base HP, the ability to heal a bit of its HP really helps it stick around longer.
• Occa Berry: Occa Berry allows Bronzong to survive a Fire-type attack without having to give up Levitate for Heatproof, which can be a problem for teams that rely on a Fire-type to deal with Steel-types. However, unlike in Gen 4, Bronzong is now weak to Ghost and Dark, so this no longer patches up all of Bronzong's weaknesses.

Other Details

Colbur Berry and Kasib Berry are alternative items that function similarly to Occa Berry, allowing Bronzong to survive a hit from Weavile or Gengar better. However, Bronzong can usually take one hit from Weavile and Gengar depending on its EV spread, so this isn't necessary unless taking less damage from them is very important. Bronzong typically wants a specially defensive spread as opposed to a physically defensive spread, though, since its resistances are more useful against special attackers and Gengar tends to give Trick Room teams a tougher time than Weavile. As mentioned previously, Bronzong can give up defensive investment and run a Brave nature with maximum Attack investment, though Bronzong usually doesn't want to compromise its bulk because its primary role is setting Trick Room. Iron Head can also be used over Gyro Ball if Bronzong is being used to check Fairy-type redirectors, which don't take much damage from Gyro Ball.

What partners should I consider?

• Rhyperior: Bronzong has a difficult time against Fire-types such as Arcanine and Infernape, so Rhyperior makes for an effective teammate that can threaten both even without Trick Room. Rhyperior also appreciates having a teammate that can set Trick Room and allow it to use Earthquake safely, though Will-O-Wisp Gengar can still give both Rhyperior and Bronzong a lot of trouble.
• Hitmontop: Bronzong appreciates Fake Out support to set up Trick Room more easily, and Intimidate support from Hitmontop also complements Bronzong's preference for a specially defensive EV spread. Wide Guard support also helps Bronzong against Heat Wave users such as Ninetales and Typhlosion, which can quickly wear down Bronzong, and Hitmontop also deals with Weavile which Bronzong struggles against by itself. Bronzong itself threatens Fairy-types with its Steel-type STAB moves, which otherwise wall Hitmontop completely.
• Abomasnow: Abomasnow is a dangerous Trick Room attacker, so it appreciates Bronzong's ability to reliably set Trick Room. However, both Bronzong and Abomasnow are weak to Fire and neither really has a way to stop them, so teammates that can deal with Fire-types are incredibly important when bringing Abomasnow and Bronzong.
• Snorlax: Snorlax can threaten Weavile and Gengar, since neither can do much to Snorlax unless they run Low Kick and Will-O-Wisp, respectively. This helps out Bronzong a lot, since it usually struggles against both of them, and Snorlax can typically survive without immediate Trick Room support while it deals with them. However, Snorlax definitely appreciates Trick Room support to help it threaten the opposing team effectively.
• Azumarill: Azumarill beats most Fire-types by itself, which Bronzong greatly appreciates in order to set up Trick Room more easily. Azumarill also deals with Weavile and greatly appreciates Trick Room support to help it make better use of Play Rough and make it less dependent on Aqua Jet to deal with faster foes. However, both still have issues with Gengar, which Trick Room teams typically have trouble with.

What are its flaws?

Despite numerous resistances by virtue of its Steel / Psychic typing, Bronzong's typing gives it another weakness to Fire-type moves, which are commonly used to deal with Scizor regardless. Bronzong's low base HP also makes it less durable as a Trick Room setter than Cresselia, which can offer much more support than Bronzong. While its typing means it's no longer weak to Scizor's Bug Bite, it does make Bronzong less effective against Fighting-types such as Hitmontop and Hariyama that otherwise don't have the ability to threaten Cresselia much.

• Arcanine: Arcanine doesn't take much damage from Gyro Ball and even lowers Bronzong's Attack with Intimidate while immediately threatening it with Flare Blitz. Bronzong is also usually specially defensive, so its bulk is unlikely to help against Arcanine, which is known to run Life Orb and Choice Band to boost its damage output further.
• Gengar: Bronzong is usually bulky enough to take a Shadow Ball from Gengar, though the damage is often enough for its teammate to take Bronzong down afterwards. Gengar can also use Taunt instead to prevent Bronzong from setting up Trick Room if it lacks Mental Herb, so Bronzong is never completely safe against Gengar.
• Weavile: Weavile is a huge threat to Bronzong, since it effectively pressures Trick Room teams with a fast Fake Out and has Knock Off to deal with Bronzong. While Weavile needs a Life Orb to OHKO Bronzong with Knock Off, Bronzong still faces heavy pressure from it regardless, especially if it can't set up Trick Room. However, Weavile does need to be careful against Bronzong as well,, since Gyro Ball will OHKO Weavile in return if its Focus Sash is no longer intact.
• Rotom formes: Rotom-W and Rotom-H resist Gyro Ball and usually don't run much Speed investment, so they fear very little from Bronzong offensively. Rotom-H threatens Bronzong with Overheat while Rotom-W can safely wear down Bronzong even without a super effective STAB move, and neither is bothered much by Trick Room, since they're usually not relying on their Speed anyway. Those that do use Speed investment and hold a Choice Scarf can also lock Bronzong into one move with Trick, which permanently cripples it for the duration of the battle.
• Ninetales: Ninetales resists Gyro Ball and threatens Bronzong with sun-boosted Heat Waves and Fire Blasts, and it threatens a popular Trick Room attacker in Abomasnow. While it doesn't like Trick Room being set up, it still isn't bothered too much unless Bronzong has a teammate that can threaten Ninetales, such as Rhyperior.

Porygon2

Roles: Trick Room setter

Trick Room Setter

Porygon2 @ Eviolite

Ability: Trace / Download

EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD

Relaxed Nature

- Trick Room

- Ice Beam / Tri Attack

- Recover

- Tri Attack / Magic Coat / Protect

What's the big deal?

Porygon2 wasn't very threatening in Gen 4, but access to Eviolite now makes it a very resilient Trick Room setter that can be very difficult to take down without a Fighting-type.

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Trick Room: Porygon2 is primarily used for its ability to reliably set up Trick Room due to its incredible bulk with Eviolite, so Trick Room is essentially mandatory when using it.
• Ice Beam: Ice Beam allows Porygon2 to directly threaten Garchomp and Salamence; it usually offers very little offensive presence otherwise. Porygon2 is typically not used for its ability to damage foes, so running Ice Beam instead of a STAB move is perfectly fine. Ice Beam also prevents Gengar from completely walling Porygon2, which is useful because Gengar usually can't do too much damage to Porygon2 anyway.
• Tri Attack: Tri Attack doesn't have any specific targets, but it does more damage to neutral threats if the ability to threaten Garchomp and Salamence isn't necessary. Tri Attack is generally preferred if you're running Download over Trace, as the damage becomes more significant if Porygon2 obtains a Special Attack boost.
• Recover: Porygon2 is incredibly bulky, and unlike other Trick Room setters it has an easier time finding an opportunity to heal without being hindered by Abomasnow's hail. This makes it difficult to take down Porygon2 and allows it to survive long enough to set Trick Room multiple times if necessary.
• Magic Coat: Magic Coat allows Porygon2 to deal with Dark Void from Smeargle, which usually gives Trick Room team a difficult time. Magic Coat also allows Porygon2 to bounce Taunt back to the user, which is particularly useful because Porygon2 is huge Taunt bait, since most Pokémon can't OHKO it.

• Eviolite: Eviolite is the entire reason Porygon2 is as effective as it is for setting Trick Room, since this gives it the bulk it needs to survive powerful attacks without taking too much damage. There is no reason to use Porygon2 without Eviolite, but thankfully there are few viable Eviolite users, so it doesn't have to compete with many other Pokémon for the item slot.

Other Details

Porygon2 wants to be as physically bulky as possible to take Fighting-type attacks better, since any Fighting-type attacks aimed at it will be physical attacks. Trace is generally the superior ability to copy useful abilities such as Intimidate and Levitate, though Download can potentially give Porygon2 more of an offensive presence so that it isn't literally a sitting duck after setting Trick Room. Porygon2 has Icy Wind and Thunder Wave for speed control if you want to use it on non-Trick Room teams, though Cresselia is usually a better option for that. An offensive Trick Room setter with a Quiet nature and maximum Special Attack investment is viable, though this makes Porygon2 significantly less bulky.

What partners should I consider?

• Hariyama: Hariyama provides Fake Out support to help Porygon2 set up Trick Room more easily, and it deals with Weavile, which otherwise threatens Porygon2 with Knock Off. Hariyama also commonly runs Knock Off itself, which helps against Gengar, and greatly benefits from Trick Room due to its low Speed.
• Togekiss: Redirection from Togekiss helps Porygon2 set Trick Room safely and also makes it difficult for Fighting-types to hit Porygon2. Togekiss also deals with most Fighting-types by itself and can more easily induce flinches while Trick Room is active, though both hate dealing with Weavile.
• Abomasnow: Abomasnow appreciates Trick Room support from Porygon2 in order to better take advantage of perfectly accurate Blizzard while it's hailing. Unlike Cresselia's, Porygon2's main form of recovery isn't hindered by hail, so it has an easier time staying healthy than Cresselia.
• Rhyperior: Rhyperior benefits from Trick Room due to its low Speed, though it can't reliably use Earthquake next to Porygon2. While Rhyperior can take an Earthquake from Garchomp, it also appreciates Porygon2's ability to threaten it with Ice Beam.
• Azumarill: Azumarill deals with Weavile, which otherwise greatly threatens to remove Porygon2's Eviolite with Knock Off. Azumarill also threatens Fighting-types that Porygon2 hates dealing with, and it benefits from Trick Room due to its low Speed in order to make better use of Play Rough.

What are its flaws?

Porygon2 is very dependent on its Eviolite, so if it gets removed for any reason, then Porygon2 will have a difficult time taking hits. Porygon2 is also usually a very passive threat, which makes it very easy to ignore if the opposing team isn't bothered by Trick Room. Porygon2 doesn't do much damage even against teams that hate Trick Room, so it generally relies a lot on its teammates to threaten foes.

• Weavile: Porygon2 hates losing its Eviolite, and Weavile is a very common user of Knock Off in Sinnoh Classic. Weavile's Fake Out support puts pressure on Porygon2's team and can prevent it from safely setting up Trick Room.
• Hariyama: An opposing Hariyama can easily take advantage of Porygon2's Trick Room and threatens it with both Close Combat and Knock Off. Hariyama's Fake Out support also pressures Porygon2 and can prevent it from setting up Trick Room if Hariyama is being used on a non-Trick Room team.
• Gengar: While Gengar can't do much to Porygon2, it can threaten to Taunt Porygon2 and prevent it from setting up Trick Room. Porygon2 also has no way to hit Porygon2 if it lacks Ice Beam, so Gengar can easily ignore it for most of the battle and have a guaranteed win if Porygon2 is the final Pokémon remaining.
• Scizor: Scizor doesn't take much damage from any of Porygon2's common attacks and isn't bothered by Trick Room, so it can easily set up and break through Porygon2. Some Scizor run Knock Off instead of Bug Bite as well, so it can threaten to remove Porygon2's Eviolite without needing to set up.
• Metagross: Metagross has a tough time breaking through Porygon2 on its own without a Choice Band, but it takes very little damage from any of its attacks and isn't bothered too much by Trick Room. Even without a Choice Band, Metagross can hope for Meteor Mash boosts or Iron Head flinches to bring down Porygon2 if it's the last Pokémon remaining.

Gardevoir

Roles: Choice Scarf user

Choice Attacker

Gardevoir @ Choice Scarf / Choice Specs

Ability: Trace / Telepathy

EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

Modest Nature

- Psyshock

- Moonblast

- Dazzling Gleam

- Thunderbolt / Hidden Power Fire / Trick

Offensive Support

Gardevoir @ Life Orb / Focus Sash

Ability: Trace / Telepathy

4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

Modest / Quiet Nature

- Psyshock

- Moonblast / Dazzling Gleam

- Protect

- Taunt / Trick Room

What's the big deal?

Gardevoir is a good option for an offensive Fairy-type, having a good movepool and unique abilities that set it apart from the pack.

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Psyshock: Psyshock is Gardevoir's best Psychic STAB move, letting it hit Snorlax for good damage.
• Moonblast: Moonblast is a nice, reliable Fairy-type STAB attack, letting Gardevoir usually OHKO Hitmontop, Heracross, Garchomp, and Weavile.
• Dazzling Gleam: Dazzling Gleam gives Gardevoir a spread attack. While it's not very powerful compared to other spread attacks, it does let Gardevoir clean teams up later in the game.
• Thunderbolt: Thunderbolt is the best Gardevoir can do against Azumarill, dealing over 50% to it with no boosting item.
• Hidden Power Fire: If you're especially worried about Scizor switch-ins, then Hidden Power Fire is a reasonable choice to deal massive damage to them.
• Trick: Trick allows Choiced Gardevoir to mess up support Pokémon like Cresselia and Dusclops, since Pokémon like these hate Choice items.
• Taunt: Taunt is great for shutting down support Pokémon. This is especially nice for preventing Trick Room from getting set up.
• Trick Room: Gardevoir is fairly fast for a Trick Room user, but it's a great way to turn the tide of the battle if an opponent uses Tailwind. It can also be used to reverse opposing Trick Room.

Items

• Choice Scarf: Choice Scarf lets Gardevoir outspeed and OHKO threats it normally wouldn't dream of, such as Garchomp, Heracross, Latios, and Weavile.
• Choice Specs: Choice Specs gives Gardevoir a lot of power, letting it 2HKO Snorlax with Psyshock in particular.
• Life Orb: Life Orb is a nice middle ground from Choice Specs if you want to use support moves on Gardevoir.
• Focus Sash: Since Gardevoir is slow and frail, Focus Sash can go a long way towards surviving a powerful attack.

Other Details

Trace is usually the best ability for gaining helpful abilities such as Swift Swim and Intimidate. However, if you are using a spread attacker such as Garchomp, Telepathy can be a good alternative. While Gardevoir is slow, it'll still usually want maximum Speed to outspeed slower threats such as Breloom. A Modest nature is usually best for maximum power, but a Timid nature allows Choice Scarf Gardevoir to outspeed Crobat, and regular Gardevoir to outspeed Adamant Heracross. If you're using Trick Room, you can use maximum HP and a Quiet nature as well.

What partners should I consider?

• Arcanine: Arcanine is a fantastic teammate, deaing with the troublesome Steel-types, slamming Snorlax with Close Combat, and providing Intimidate support to soften physical blows for Gardevoir.
• Garchomp: If you're using Telepathy Choice Scarf Gardevoir, Garchomp can make a deadly teammate. Choice Scarf Gardevoir handles Weavile and cripples Cresselia with Trick, while Garchomp is free to use Earthquake against the likes of Metagross.
• Scizor: If you're worried about Calm Mind Cresselia, few answers are better than Scizor! Scizor can also set up a surprise Tailwind to make Gardevoir much faster than your opponents expect.
• Politoed and Ludicolo: Politoed and Ludicolo can use Surf more freely when Telepathy Gardevoir is around. Gardevoir also checks Latios, which can be a big problem for rain teams.
• Rhyperior: If you're using Trick Room Gardevoir, Rhyperior can be a good teammate, since Earthquake won't hit it thanks to Telepathy, and it can destroy Scizor with Fire Punch.

What are its flaws?

Gardevoir is physically frail, with many physical Pokémon outright OHKOing it. Gardevoir is also fairly slow, making it vulnerable to getting revenge killed unless Tailwind is up. Even if Gardevoir does set up Trick Room, it is often too fast to underspeed slower physical threats.

• Scizor: Scizor's powerful priority Bullet Punch doesn't even need a boosting item to OHKO Gardevoir, making it an ever-present threat. It only has to watch out for surprise Hidden Power Fires, which won't OHKO without a boosting item under neutral weather.
• Metagross: Metagross doesn't even need Meteor Mash to OHKO Gardevoir, with Iron Head doing just fine while Gardevoir can't do enough back.
• Bronzong: Bronzong is so slow and bulky that it can simply blast Gardevoir with Gyro Ball or set up Trick Room.
• Cresselia: Cresselia only fears incoming Tricks from Gardevoir; otherwise, it can set up Calm Mind with no issues.
• Snorlax: Snorlax must watch out for Choice Specs Psyshock, but otherwise, it deals a tremendous amount of damage with Return or Double-Edge while Gardevoir struggles to 2HKO it back.

Suicune

Roles: Calm Mind user, Snarl support, Tailwind support

Calm Mind

Suicune @ Chesto Berry

Ability: Pressure

EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD

Bold Nature

- Calm Mind

- Scald

- Rest

- Icy Wind / Ice Beam

Support

Suicune @ Sitrus Berry

Ability: Pressure

EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD

Bold Nature

- Scald

- Snarl

- Tailwind / Protect

- Reflect / Protect

What's the big deal?

Sinnoh Classic isn't as kind to Suicune as Battle Spot metagames normally are, but its bulk and good support movepool still make it a good choice for many teams.

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Calm Mind: Calm Mind lets Suicune boost its Special Attack and Special Defense, letting it become a threat if it gets enough boosts.
• Scald: Scald is the most reliable Water-type STAB attack Suicune has. Its 30% chance to burn can also be a lifesaver against the likes of Azumarill.
• Rest: With a Chesto Berry, Rest gives Suicune one shot at reliable recovery, which is essential for pulling off a Calm Mind set.
• Icy Wind: Icy Wind provides not only coverage against Dragon-types but also some useful speed control for the rest of your team.
• Ice Beam: Ice Beam hits the likes of Latios and Salamence harder, so if that's more important than speed control, Ice Beam is the better option.
• Snarl: For more supportive Suicune variants, Snarl weakens special attackers, which is perfect for setting teammates up.
• Tailwind: Tailwind is a great speed control move that many teams may not expect coming from Suicune. Suicune is also one of the few users of Tailwind that aren't weak to Weavile.
• Reflect: Reflect provides further setup opportunities against physical attackers.

Items

• Chesto Berry: Calm Mind Suicune will usually want a Chesto Berry so it can immediately wake up from Rest.
• Sitrus Berry: Sitrus Berry provides some extra recovery for support Suicune.

Other Details

Suicune will usually want a Bold nature with maximum HP and Defense to take on physical attackers. However, if you want to roll the dice and use Sheer Cold, you'll have to use a Relaxed nature.

What partners should I consider?

• Scizor: Scizor is a great stop to Calm Mind wars against Cresselia, and it also deals massive damage to most Grass-type Pokémon. In return, Suicune usually defeats most Fire-type Pokémon that plague Scizor.
• Raikou: Raikou deals serious damage to Azumarill and works great as a backup Calm Minder against Zapdos. Suicune helps out by defeating Garchomp and Rhyperior.
• Toxicroak: Toxicroak does a great job against Azumarill, Snorlax, and Grass-type Pokémon, while Suicune washes away the dreaded Fire-types.
• Breloom: Breloom loves the speed control Suicune offers, since this lets it use Spore with less risk of getting its Focus Sash broken. Suicune also gives those annoying Fire-types a bath.
• Weavile: Weavile is one of the best options against Zapdos thanks to its STAB Icicle Crash, and it hits Grass-type Pokémon and Snorlax fairly hard as well.

What are its flaws?

Unless Suicune gets a lot of Calm Minds in, it tends to lack a heavy offensive presence. This means that Suicune often relies on Scald to avoid getting set up on, and even then, some setup Pokémon have a Lum or Chesto Berry to get around that. Suicune also struggles against Grass- and Electric-types, since they can usually beat Suicune before it can set up.

• Zapdos: Zapdos is the biggest Electric-type around, which is rather problematic for Suicune, since Zapdos attacks it before it can set up Calm Mind.
• Azumarill: Azumarill must watch out for Scald burns, but otherwise, it can set up Belly Drum on Suicune and blast it with Play Rough.
• Snorlax: Snorlax only needs two uses of Curse to 2HKO Suicune, while Suicune needs to use Calm Mind five times to achieve the same. Snorlax can even use Rest to get rid of a potential burn.
• Ludicolo and Abomasnow: Ludicolo and Abomasnow wall Suicune's entire movepool, allowing them to severely damage it with Giga Drain or 2HKO it through Calm Mind with Energy Ball.
• Breloom: Breloom may fear Scald and Ice Beam, but it doesn't even need to Spore Suicune, since Bullet Seed does plenty of damage already.

Gyarados

Roles: Dragon Dance user, Taunt user, speed control

Dragon Dance

Gyarados @ Lum Berry / Wacan Berry

Ability: Intimidate

EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

Adamant Nature

- Dragon Dance

- Waterfall

- Stone Edge / Ice Fang

- Protect

Bulky Support

Gyarados @ Sitrus Berry / Wacan Berry

Ability: Intimidate

EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe

Impish Nature

- Waterfall

- Taunt

- Thunder Wave

- Protect

What's the big deal?

Gyarados is unique among Intimidate Pokémon, being one of the only holders of the ability that can handle rain teams. Gyarados also has a unique movepool that sets it apart from other users of Intimidate.

What can I expect to see?

Moves

• Waterfall: Waterfall is Gyarados's most reliable STAB attack. The 20% chance to flinch can also be very deadly with Dragon Dance or Thunder Wave.
• Dragon Dance: Dragon Dance boosts Gyarados's Attack and Speed, allowing it to become a sweeping force.
• Stone Edge: Stone Edge may have shaky accuracy, but it allows Gyarados to OHKO offensive Zapdos and deal a huge amount of damage to Salamence and opposing Gyarados after Intimidate.
• Ice Fang: If you're more worried about Breloom and Latios, Ice Fang can OHKO both of them two after a boost while also dealing with Salamence and Garchomp.
• Taunt: Taunt is great for shutting down support Pokémon such as Cresselia and Dusclops. Thanks to Gyarados's typing and bulk, it can also be used to prevent Azumarill from setting up Belly Drum.
• Thunder Wave: Thunder Wave is a fantastic support move on bulky Gyarados, allowing it to paralyze important Pokémon on rain teams such as Ludicolo.

Items

• Lum Berry: Since Gyarados is a very common target for Will-O-Wisp and sleep moves, Lum Berry lets it set up without worrying about status.
• Wacan Berry: With a Wacan Berry and Gyarados's good Special Defense stat, it'll now be able to survive most Electric-type attacks.
• Sitrus Berry: Sitrus Berry lets bulky Gyarados stick around for a while longer, letting it throw out more disruptive moves.

Other Details

For the Dragon Dance set, Adamant is usually the best nature for increasing power, and after one Dragon Dance Gyarados will only miss out on outspeeding Crobat. For the bulky set, you'll want an Impish nature to more effectively check physical attackers.

What partners should I consider?

• Weavile: Weavile's Speed and Ice-type STAB make it an excellent choice against Zapdos. It's fast Fake Out also helps Gyarados to set up more easily.
• Garchomp: Since Gyarados is part Flying-type, it makes a good teammate for Garchomp to use Earthquake with. Meanwhile, Gyarados's Intimidate makes Garchomp harder to take down.
• Raikou: If you're worried about Azumarill, Raikou can make a good partner for dealing a lot of damage to it with Thunderbolt. In return, Gyarados helps Raikou set up Calm Mind more easily thanks to Intimidate.
• Clefable: Clefable may be the best choice of redirection support for Gyarados. Clefable takes moves like Thunderbolt just fine, and thanks to Unaware, it can take care of Belly Drum Azumarill with Follow Me. Gyarados helps out by making Clefable even bulkier with Intimidate.
• Politoed: Though they are both weak to Electric-type attacks, Politoed's Drizzle is worth considering to make Gyarados's Waterfall much more powerful.
• Raichu: Raichu not only provides Fake Out support for Gyarados, but it also has the Lightning Rod ability, allowing it to redirect Electric-type attacks without even using a move!

What are its flaws?

Gyarados has a crippling weakness to Electric-type attacks, making it easy to OHKO with them as long as it isn't running Wacan Berry. While Intimidate patches up its mediocre physical bulk, this won't save it from getting hit hard by physical attackers. It also has rather poor Speed for an offensive Pokémon, making it easy to revenge kill if it can't set up a Dragon Dance.

• Zapdos: While Zapdos doesn't like Stone Edge or Ice Fang, it's the most common Electric-type around, which makes it a big problem for Gyarados.
• Azumarill: Azumarill isn't KOed by any of Gyarados's moves, letting it deal massive damage to it if it comes in after Intimidate fires off.
• Rotom-W: Rotom-W doesn't have to worry about rain-boosted Waterfalls and it can even burn Gyarados if it expects it to be holding a Wacan Berry.
• Latios: Latios takes a huge amount of damage from Gyarados's boosted Ice Fang, but otherwise it can threaten to KO Gyarados with Thunderbolt.
• Arcanine: Arcanine can't switch into Waterfall, but as long as it gets in before Intimidate, it can threaten to OHKO Gyarados with Wild Charge.

Gastrodon

Roles: Special attacker

Bulky Attacker

Gastrodon @ Sitrus Berry / Expert Belt / Rindo Berry

Ability: Storm Drain

EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe

Modest / Quiet Nature

- Scald / Muddy Water

- Earth Power

- Ice Beam

- Protect / Recover

What's the big deal?

Gastrodon didn't have much going for it in Generation 4, but now with a buffed Storm Drain it makes for an effective bulky attacker that helps teammates that struggle against Water-types. With only a weakness to Grass, it can also prove difficult to take down for teams that lack Grass-type moves.

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Scald: Scald is Gastrodon's strongest single-target Water-type STAB attack and has a useful chance to burn foes, which prevents Gastrodon from being a liability against foes that aren't threatened by its attacks.
• Muddy Water: Muddy Water gives Gastrodon a spread move that doesn't hit its teammate like Surf does and also has a nasty 30% chance to lower the foe's accuracy. However, the accuracy can prove problematic if Gastrodon is being relied upon to beat Ground-types, and as a spread move it also does less damage than Scald.
• Earth Power: Earth Power is Gastrodon's strongest Ground-type STAB move, which is also its more reliable STAB move if it's running Muddy Water. This also allows Gastrodon to beat Metagross and does more damage to opposing Water-types, though otherwise this hits many of the same targets as Scald and Muddy Water.
• Ice Beam: Ice Beam allows Gastrodon to threaten Garchomp and Salamence, as well as Flying-types such as Zapdos and Togekiss. Ice Beam also allows Gastrodon to punish opposing Grass-types that think Gastrodon will switch out or use Protect against them, though this is very risky unless Gastrodon is holding Rindo Berry and hasn't taken much prior damage.
• Recover: Recover allows Gastrodon to keep itself healthy longer and punishes the opponent if Gastrodon isn't targeted on that turn. However, Gastrodon has a difficult time making effective use of this unless it runs a much bulkier spread, and its coverage is too important to give up so it needs to give up Protect in order to run Recover.

Items

• Sitrus Berry: Sitrus Berry helps Gastrodon stick around longer without having to give up a coverage slot or Protect to run Recover. This is useful if Gastrodon is being used to check many threats for a team, as it has trouble taking too many hits without some form of recovery.
• Expert Belt: Expert Belt boosts Gastrodon's damage output and takes advantage of the excellent super effective coverage that Water-, Ground-, and Ice-type moves provide. This allows Gastrodon to check bulkier foes such as Metagross more effectively, and it is the preferred damage boosting item because Gastrodon doesn't want to compromise its bulk with Life Orb recoil wearing it down.
• Rindo Berry: Rindo Berry allows Gastrodon to take a surprise Grass-type move, surviving even Life Orb Giga Drain from Ludicolo, and throws off foes relying on a Grass-type coverage move to beat Gastrodon.

Other Details

Gastrodon should run a Quiet nature if being used on a Trick Room team or if it is relied on to beat opposing Rhyperior when Trick Room is active. Gastrodon can easily opt for a bulkier spread, though that depends solely on what moves you want Gastrodon to survive. Gastrodon gets Icy Wind if a bulkier spread is being used and speed control is desired, though it is too slow to make use of the Speed drops itself. Clear Smog is an unexpected move that lets Gastrodon check common users of setup moves like Calm Mind Cresselia and Belly Drum Azumarill, though Scizor is immune to it and Gastrodon has difficulty making room for this.

What partners should I consider?

• Blaziken: While Blaziken is relatively uncommon, it greatly appreciates Gastrodon's ability to redirect Water-type moves from Pokemon such as Azumarill that give Blaziken a difficult time. Gastrodon also makes it easier for Blaziken to deal with Rhyperior and checks Trick Room teams that Blaziken hates dealing with. While Gastrodon can't stand Abomasnow, Blaziken threatens it effectively outside of Trick Room and also helps Gastrodon against most Grass-types other than Ludicolo.
• Salamence: Salamence provides Intimidate support that helps Gastrodon take physical hits better, which is very helpful if Gastrodon isn't running significant defensive investment. It also commonly runs special moves such as Fire Blast, which helps Gastrodon against Grass-types, while Salamence appreciates Gastrodon's ability to check Garchomp, as well as Metagross in case Salamence can't fit Fire Blast on its moveset.
• Bronzong: While Gastrodon is often used to check opposing Trick Room teams, it functions well on Trick Room teams as well, making Bronzong an effective partner. Bronzong hates dealing with Fire-types, so Gastrodon's ability to effectively check opposing Fire-types helps Bronzong a lot, and Muddy Water accuracy drops can make Imprison Bronzong even more dangerous to take down.
• Infernape: Infernape appreciates Gastrodon's ability to redirect Water-type moves and deal with Ground-types such as Rhyperior and Garchomp, and in return it provides Fake Out support to make Gastrodon's job as a bulky attacker easier. Infernape also threatens Grass-types other than Ludicolo, which Gastrodon greatly appreciates because it usually a difficult time taking Grass-type moves.
• Togekiss: Gastrodon appreciates redirection from Togekiss to help it against Grass-types, and Togekiss's resistance to Grass-type moves can make an opponent think twice about using a Grass-type move against Gastrodon. Air Slash can also deal with Grass-types, including Ludicolo, and the flinch chance can help Gastrodon attack without taking too much damage because Gastrodon will often be moving last. Togekiss also appreciates Gastrodon's ability to deal with Metagross, which gives Togekiss huge issues.

What are its flaws?

Gastrodon is very slow and not particularly powerful, so it will often be taking a lot of damage before it attacks and won't always be able to do a lot of damage in return. Exploiting weak points is Gastrodon's main draw, so if it can't hit foes for super effective damage its damage output will be underwhelming unless it gets a Special Attack boost from Storm Drain. The Grass-type weakness is also huge and makes it trickier for Gastrodon to check rain teams due to the prominence of Ludicolo, and without recovery, Gastrodon has a hard time taking too many hits before it goes down.

• Ludicolo: Ludicolo is very common on rain teams, which otherwise have a difficult time against Gastrodon. Ludicolo commonly runs Assault Vest and isn't weak to Ice Beam like most Grass-types, so Gastrodon has a difficult time against it even if Trick Room is active. Fake Out pressure also gives Gastrodon further issues, as Gastrodon is so slow its partner will often be the preferred target, making it difficult for Gastrodon and its partner to do much.
• Yanmega: While Yanmega doesn't like Ice Beam and takes a lot of damage from any special attack, it commonly runs Giga Drain, which ruins Gastrodon's day if it lacks Rindo Berry. Yanmega also threatens common Trick Room setters such as Cresselia, so Gastrodon usually has a difficult time against teams with Yanmega.
• Abomasnow: Abomasnow resists both of Gastrodon's STAB moves and isn't weak to Ice Beam, and threatens Gastrodon with Giga Drain or Energy Ball. Abomasnow can also freely ignore Gastrodon or use Blizzard to hit it for decent damage, and hail damage wears down Gastrodon even further regardless of whether Abomasnow decides to attack it or not.
• Ninetales: Ninetales doesn't take Earth Power very well, but Drought greatly reduces Gastrodon's damage output with Scald or Muddy Water. Ninetales also commonly runs Grass-type coverage in Energy Ball, so Gastrodon can't rely on its Fire-type resistance against Ninetales.
• Cresselia: Cresselia doesn't threaten Gastrodon directly, but Gastrodon doesn't do much against Cresselia either and risks letting it set up with Calm Mind. After a few Calm Minds, Gastrodon struggles to do much of any damage and enters an uphill battle if it can't burn Cresselia with Scald. Cresselia can also easily ignore Gastrodon, which puts more pressure on Gastrodon's teammates.

Sableye

Roles: Prankster, Taunt user, burn support

Prankster Support

Sableye @ Focus Sash / Sitrus Berry

Ability: Prankster

EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD

Bold / Impish Nature

- Taunt

- Will-O-Wisp

- Foul Play / Quash

- Quash / Fake Out / Sunny Day / Feint / Detect / Swagger

What's the big deal?

Sableye isn't very bulky, but it more than makes up for that by being one of the best Prankster users in Sinnoh Classic!

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Taunt: Taunt allows Sableye to block important forms of speed control such as Tailwind and Trick Room. It can also stop setup moves, though in the case of physical attackers, it's better to chance a Will-O-Wisp.
• Will-O-Wisp: Will-O-Wisp makes Sableye an immediate threat to most physical attackers, especially ones that don't commonly run a Lum Berry such as Garchomp and Rhyperior.
• Foul Play: Foul Play at least gives Sableye something to do if it gets hit by an unexpected Taunt or predicts a Lum Berry Pokémon such as Scizor to set up. It also deals massive damage to Metagross.
• Quash: With Quash, Sableye can ensure that one foe will go last, which can be extremely helpful against fast, frail Pokémon such as Latios and Weavile.
• Fake Out: Fake Out support can always come in handy. Unlike most Fake Out users, Sableye is immune to opposing Fake Outs, so almost always something will flinch.
• Sunny Day: If your team has problems against rain, Sableye makes a great user of Sunny Day thanks to Prankster, crippling sweepers such as Ludicolo, Gyarados, and Kingdra.
• Feint: Feint allows Sableye to break through Protects, which can be useful if you absolutely need a certain Pokémon KOed to win.
• Detect: Sableye's Prankster antics often make it a big target, so Detect can be used to surprise attackers while avoiding the rare Imprison.
• Swagger: If you're willing to roll the dice, Swagger can make a devastatingly effective last-ditch move to potentially prevent the foe from moving. It can also be used to boost a teammate that holds a Lum Berry such as Scizor, Garchomp, or Hitmontop.

Items

• Focus Sash: Even with all the defensive investment, Sableye isn't very bulky and is especially weak to special attackers, so Focus Sash can be a big help in this regard.
• Sitrus Berry: If you're confident in your ability to deal with special attackers, Sitrus Berry can extend Sableye's lifespan a bit against physical attackers.

What partners should I consider?

• Scizor: Scizor is a big help against the Fairy-types that give Sableye so much trouble. Scizor also benefits from Sab;eye's Quash, potentially letting it KO a normally faster threat.
• Metagross: Metagross is an even better check to Fairy-types, since it doesn't have to risk getting KOed by weaker Fire-type attacks. Like Scizor, Metagross also greatly benefits from Sableye's Quash, letting it smack faster threats.
• Azumarill: Sableye's Will-O-Wisp gives Azumarill an easier time setting up against physical threats; plus, Azumarill can help defeat Fire-types that Sableye isn't fond of facing. Quash is also great news for Azumarill, since it's rather slow.
• Snorlax: Choice Band Snorlax in particular becomes far more deadly when Sableye is there to use Quash against fast threats or burn Hitmontop. Curse Snorlax benefits from this as well, although it takes longer to set up.
• Arcanine: Arcanine becomes extremely powerful under Sableye's Sunny Day, allowing it to 2HKO the likes of Cresselia with Flare Blitz! Sableye can also burn big threats to Arcanine, such as Garchomp and Gyarados, while Arcanine can deal with Heracross.

What are its flaws?

Even with maximum investment in HP and Defense, Sableye is still very frail, especially against special attackers, since Sableye usually isn't fast enough to effectively hit them with Snarl. Fairy-type Pokémon in particular are big issues, usually being able to OHKO Sableye.

• Gardevoir: Even unboosted Dazzling Gleam has a shot of OHKOing Sableye, meaning that Gardevoir's only fear is getting hit by Quash when Sableye is paired with a strong physical attacker.
• Clefable: Clefable can 2HKO Sableye with Moonblast, regardless of whether it tries to cripple Clefable with Taunt.
• Arcanine: Arcanine is immune to Will-O-Wisp, meaning that it can blast Sableye with Flare Blitz with few to no worries.
• Heracross: Heracross's Attack actually gets boosted by Will-O-Wisp, meaning that it can simply 2HKO Sableye with Megahorn.
• Azumarill: Azumarill may fear Will-O-Wisp, but even when burned, it can 2HKO Sableye with Play Rough, or predict a Wlll-O-Wisp and still be decently threatening after a Belly Drum.

Blaziken

Roles: Life Orb attacker

Life Orb Attacker

Blaziken @ Life Orb

Ability: Speed Boost

EVs: 52 Atk / 244 SpA / 212 Spe

Naive Nature

- Overheat / Fire Blast / Heat Wave

- Superpower

- Hidden Power Ice / Heat Wave

- Protect

What's the big deal?

Blaziken was nothing special in generation 4, but now with access to Speed Boost, it finds itself functioning as a very capable late-game cleaner thanks to its fantastic STAB combination and great offensive stats.

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Overheat: Overheat is Blaziken's strongest STAB move, doing huge damage to anything that doesn't resist it. Despite the Special Attack drop, this is an effective cleaning move late-game, since Blaziken will usually only need to use it once. If Blaziken is being used early in the game, it's likely to switch out shortly afterwards regardless.
• Fire Blast: Fire Blast is slightly weaker and less accurate than Overheat, but it offers similar power without suffering from the Special Attack drops. However, since Overheat is often used as a hit-and-run nuke, it is usually the superior option.
• Heat Wave: While Heat Wave is significantly weaker than Overheat due to being a spread move, Blaziken is a very dangerous Heat Wave user thanks to Speed Boost and not being forced to run a Choice item like Typhlosion or requiring Drought like Ninetales does to hit hard. This also gives Blaziken more offensive utility throughout the battle and allows Blaziken to threaten Abomasnow and Scizor without worrying about a foe redirecting its attack. However, running Heat Wave usually means giving up a stronger Fire-type STAB move or Hidden Power Ice, both of which are incredibly important.
• Superpower: Superpower does huge damage even without heavy investment, OHKOing Snorlax and almost always 2HKOing 252 HP / 252+ Def Porygon2 with the Attack drop factored in. As a physical attack, this also allows Blaziken to safely make use of one STAB move without worrying about the drops affecting its other STAB move.
• Hidden Power Ice: Blaziken has enough Special Attack to threaten Garchomp with Hidden Power Ice, usually OHKOing it provided Garchomp isn't running Yache Berry. This also OHKOes Salamence under the same conditions, though Blaziken still must be wary of Choice Scarf variants unless it can get two Speed boosts before they come in.

Items

• Life Orb: Blaziken needs Life Orb to secure the many KOs, and since it isn't always taking advantage of type effectiveness, it can't really afford to substitute its Life Orb for an Expert Belt. Blaziken wants to hit something as hard as possible and then leave the field, so Life Orb's consistent power boost is necessary for Blaziken to be effective.

Other Details

The EV spread makes sure that Blaziken has the best chance it can get to OHKO Garchomp with Hidden Power Ice, and this chance does not improve with full Special Attack investment. 52 Attack EVs ensure that Superpower will almost always 2HKO physically defensive Porygon2 and also OHKO Snorlax. The remaning EVs are placed in Speed to make Blaziken as fast as possible, outspeeding all unboosted threats up to Crobat at +1. Stone Edge can be used over Hidden Power Ice to hit Zapdos and Togekiss harder, but the accuracy is risky for such a hyper offensive Pokémon, and hitting Garchomp is usually more important. Poison Jab can surprise Fairy-types such as Clefable, Togekiss, Gardevoir, and Azumarill, but it doesn't OHKO any of them aside from Gardevoir, and Blaziken still loses to Azumarill unless it has redirection support.

What partners should I consider?

• Gengar: Gengar beats Azumarill and Cresselia, two threats that Blaziken has huge issues against. Gengar can also Taunt Cresselia or other Trick Room setters, which are particularly problematic for Blaziken due to Speed Boost. Blaziken reliably beats Weavile and Scizor for Gengar, as well as Normal-types such as Snorlax and Porygon2 that Gengar can't touch.
• Togekiss: Blaziken appreciates redirection support from Togekiss, since it's not very durable, allowing it to stay in and play more aggressively without being forced to use Protect so frequently. Togekiss likewise appreciates Blaziken's ability to deal with Weavile and Abomasnow, both of which Togekiss struggles with a lot.
• Latios: Latios appreciates Blaziken's ability to deal with Weavile and Abomasnow as well as deal with Porygon2 and Snorlax more reliably. Latios also threatens Garchomp so that Blaziken doesn't feel as pressured to use Protect against it, and while it needs Choice Specs to actually beat Azumarill, Latios resists Aqua Jet and can threaten Azumarill with Choice Specs-boosted Thunderbolt.
• Weavile: Blaziken benefits from Fake Out support to get its first Speed boost safely without needing to use Protect, and it appreciates Weavile's ability to threaten both Latios and Cresselia. Weavile also benefits from Blaziken's ability to beat Scizor and Metagross, both of which can beat Weavile with Bullet Punch. However, Azumarill is still a problem for both of them that Blaziken desperately needs addressed regardless.
• Raichu: Raichu provides Fake Out support that Blaziken really wants to help it nuke the opposing team without being forced into a predictable Protect. Raichu also threatens Azumarill, which gives Blaziken huge trouble, while Blaziken can threaten Garchomp and Rhyperior, both of which are common Ground-types that wall Raichu. However, Blaziken can't OHKO Rhyperior with Superpower due to its huge Defense and Solid Rock, so it needs prior damage in order to beat Rhyperior.
• Gastrodon: Gastrodon prevents Azumarill from trying to revenge kill Blaziken with Aqua Jet thanks to Storm Drain, and it generally helps Blaziken out by redirecting any Water-type moves. It can also reliably take on Rhyperior and functions as an effective check to Trick Room, which otherwise gives Blaziken huge issues. Gastrodon also appreciates Blaziken's ability to threaten Grass-types such as Abomasnow and Tangela, though both have issues against Ludicolo under rain.

What are its flaws?

Blaziken usually only fits on hyper offense teams, and with Speed Boost this means that Blaziken has a terrible time against Trick Room and other forms of speed control. Blaziken also lives and dies as a nuke; if it can't KO a foe, then it runs a huge risk of being KOed in return. Despite a fantastic offensive typing, it suffers from weaknesses to Ground-, Water-, and Psychic-type moves, all of which are commonly used by top-tier threats in Sinnoh Classic. Blaziken is also relatively slow before it gains any Speed boosts, which can make Protect somewhat predictable. Furthermore, its best STAB moves have significant drawbacks, so it requires proper prediction in order to use effectively or else its blaze of glory won't last be lasting very long.

• Cresselia: Cresselia fears nothing from Blaziken, so unless its teammate can threaten Cresselia it usually has an easy time setting up Calm Mind or Trick Room, both of which are bad news for Blaziken. Cresselia also commonly runs Thunder Wave or Icy Wind, which completely shut down Blaziken due to its reliance on Speed Boost.
• Azumarill: Azumarill easily OHKOes Blaziken with Aqua Jet and resists all of its common moves, so it can even find an opportunity to set up Belly Drum if Blaziken's teammate can't threaten it effectively. Even with Poison Jab, Blaziken usually won't be able to prevent Belly Drum by itself, since it usually doesn't run enough Attack investment to do at least 75% to Azumarill, so Blaziken needs to rely on its teammates to help it beat Azumarill.
• Latios: While Hidden Power Ice does a lot of damage to Latios, it isn't enough to OHKO it unless Latios has taken significant damage already. Otherwise, Latios resists both of its STAB moves and threatens to OHKO Blaziken with Psyshock, and it also outspeeds Blaziken naturally, which pressures it into using Protect. This can give Latios a free turn to set up Tailwind as well, which gives Blaziken huge problems.
• Ludicolo: Blaziken has huge issues against rain teams, especially against Swift Swim abusers that outspeed and OHKO it even after a Speed boost. Ludicolo in particular can outspeed whatever Fake Out support Blaziken has, and even if Blaziken gets enough boosts to outspeed Ludicolo, it doesn't risk being OHKOed by any of its common attacks either.
• Suicune: Suicune is very bulky and can take any hit Blaziken wants to throw at it, giving it an easier time setting up Tailwind, which Blaziken hates as well. Even without Tailwind, Suicune threatens Blaziken with Scald and can even reduce its damage output with Snarl if Blaziken's teammate is also hindered by the Special Attack drop. This can force a switch into something that can handle Suicune better, but a switch becomes more predictable, which the Suicune user can take advantage of.

Typhlosion

Roles: Spread attacker, Choice Scarf user

Choice Attacker

Typhlosion @ Choice Scarf / Choice Specs

Ability: Flash Fire / Blaze

EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

Timid Nature

- Eruption

- Heat Wave

- Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Electric / Hidden Power Grass

- Extrasensory / Focus Blast

What's the big deal?

Typhlosion is more niche compared to Infernape and Arcanine, but Eruption lets it stand out as one of the few viable Fire-type spread attackers of Sinnoh Classic!

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Eruption: This is the big selling point of Typhlosion over other Fire-types, giving it an extremely powerful spread move when its at near-full health!
• Heat Wave: When Typhlosion has 93 HP left (or 63% of its health), Heat Wave will be the superior move to Eruption. This is still a decent spread attack, and it becomes rather powerful if Typhlosion gets a boost from Flash Fire or Blaze.
• Hidden Power Ice: This is the best Typhlosion can do against Garchomp. While it doesn't come close to an OHKO, it does decent enough damage to it and the rare Salamence.
• Hidden Power Electric: This is the best Typhlosion can do against Water-types. It most notably 2HKOes Gyarados.
• Hidden Power Grass: Hidden Power Grass works much like Hidden Power Electric, except it trades hitting Gyarados for hitting Gastrodon and doing chip damage against Garchomp.
• Extrasensory: This works as a way to hit Fighting-types harder, 2HKOing Infernape and Hitmontop. It can also deal OK damage against Water-types if you opt for Hidden Power Ice.
• Focus Blast: If you are using Choice Specs, this can 2HKO Snorlax, which otherwise easily defeats Typhlosion.

Items

• Choice Scarf: This is the safest Choice item for Typhlosion, ensuring that it can use Eruption before getting hit by most threats.
• Choice Specs: Choice Specs is the more high-risk, high-reward option for Typhlosion. While it risks getting outsped by more threats and Speed ties with Zapdos and Staraptor, it becomes far more powerful with Choice Specs. For example, Eruption now has a chance of dealing over 50% to Cresselia.

Other Details

You'll want a Timid nature to ensure outspeeding as many Pokémon as possible. Flash Fire makes Typhlosion a great switch-in to Fire-type attacks, making it much more powerful. It also puts pressure on Zapdos to not use Heat Wave, which can be useful for your partner. However, Blaze can be more useful later in the game, giving a boost to Typhlosion's Fire-type attacks if it goes below 25% of its health.

What partners should I consider?

• Ninetales: Ninetales is a rather risky teammate, since it shares most of its weaknesses and checks with Typhlosion, but its Drought makes Eruption obscenely powerful!
• Scizor: Scizor has great synergy with Typhlosion's Flash Fire, forcing opponents to reconsider using Heat Wave against it. It also does a great job of handling Cresselia if Typhlosion is using Choice Scarf.
• Zapdos: Zapdos works well against the many Water-type Pokémon that give Typhlosion trouble, and it can even set up Tailwind for Choice Specs variants. Typhlosion aids by dealing massive damage to Weavile.
• Weavile: It offers no typing synergy and is also weak to Azumarill, but Weavile's Fake Out is very useful for Typhlosion, allowing it to get a less risky chance to use Eruption. Weavile can also surprise Snorlax with Low Kick or Pokémon using Protect with Feint.
• Azumarill: Azumarill does a good job of pressuring Arcanine and Snorlax for Typhlosion and can act as a decent check to Garchomp. Typhlosion returns the favor by ravaging Grass-types that attempt to check Azumarill.
• Gyarados: Intimidate is very useful for softening blows against Typhlosion. Gyarados also performs satisfactorily against rain teams (as long as Zapdos isn't out )and supports Choice Specs Typhlosion with paralysis.
• Abomasnow: Hail may seem like a poor idea for Typhlosion, but as for your team as a whole, Abomasnow is a big help against the rain teams that run through Typhlosion.

What are its flaws?

Typhlosion's threat level goes down dramatically once its Eruption has been weakened. Also, it has a very poor matchup against rain teams.

• Politoed: Drizzle absolutely ruins Typhlosion's STAB moves, making it more of a liability than a threat. Most rain sweepers will destroy Typhlosion as well.
• Azumarill: Aqua Jet negates Azumarill's Speed issues, and while it may not OHKO Typhlosion without a boost, it does enough to make Eruption useless.
• Gyarados: Gyarados has enough special bulk to comfortably take on anything but Hidden Power Electric. It easily smashes through Typhlosion with Waterfall as long as the sun isn't up as well.
• Arcanine: This Fire-type stands out as being bulky enough to wall anything but Choice Specs-boosted Focus Blast or Extrasensory and will weaken Eruption with Extreme Speed before Typhlosion can move.
• Snorlax: Snorlax's special bulk and Thick Fat allow it to comfortably take anything besides Choice Specs Focus Blast, while Typhlosion will get hit hard by Return or Double-Edge.
• Garchomp: Garchomp only fears Hidden Power Ice or boosted Eruption. It actually outspeeds Typhlosion and may even carry a Choice Scarf to slam it with Earthquake.
• Cresselia: Cresselia only fears boosted Choice Specs Eruption in particular, meaning that it has no issues setting up Calm Mind most of the time. It can also set up Trick Room, which ruins Typhlosion's Speed advantage, making Eruption much more difficult to pull off.
• Suicune: Suicune's bulk means that it has nothing to fear from Typhlosion, allowing it to set up Calm Mind or slam it with Scald.

Clefairy

Roles: Friend Guard support, Redirection support

Friend Guard Support

Clefairy @ Eviolite

Ability: Friend Guard

EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe

Bold Nature

- Follow Me

- Icy Wind / Moonblast

- Helping Hand / Thunder Wave / Heal Pulse / Magic Coat

- Protect

What's the big deal?

Normally, Clefable would be a better option, but Clefairy has access to the incredible Friend Guard ability, which boosts its teammate's Defense and Special Defense by 33%. This makes Clefairy a very dangerous partner for setup sweepers!

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Follow Me: This move allows Clefairy to effectively redirect attacks. Even though Friend Guard is valuable, it can be worth sacrificing Clefairy if it means a setup opportunity.
• Icy Wind: Icy Wind gives Clefairy some speed control, even if it gets Taunted.
• Moonblast: If your team is especially worried about Weavile, Moonblast allows Clefairy to 2HKO it.
• Helping Hand: Helping Hand allows Clefairy to boost its teammate's attacks, which is especially great for spread attackers.
• Thunder Wave: If you aren't afraid of Taunt, Thunder Wave makes a great speed control option, especially if Clefairy is paired with slower sweepers like Azumarill.
• Heal Pulse: Heal Pulse restores the health of Clefairy's teammate, which is great for surviving unexpected attacks.
• Magic Coat: If you're especially worried about Taunt or Sleep, Magic Coat can be used to reflect it right back on Clefairy's foe!

Items

• Eviolite: Since Clefairy has poor bulk, Eviolite should always be used to patch it up.

Other Details

Maximum HP and Defense with a Bold nature lets Clefairy become effective at redirecting Fighting- and Dark-type attacks with Follow Me. If you are fearless against Taunt, you can replace Moonblast or Icy Wind with another support move as well.

What partners should I consider?

• Snorlax: Snorlax has great synergy with Clefairy, with Friend Guard making it even tougher to take down and Clefairy taking on Fighting-type attacks. In return, Snorlax does very well against Scizor.
• Scizor: Scizor becomes much harder to take down with Friend Guard in effect. Clefairy also does a great job of taking weaker Fire-type attacks aimed at Scizor, letting Scizor set up Swords Dance.
• Zapdos: Since Azumarill is such a big threat to Clefairy, packing Zapdos might not be a bad idea, especially since Zapdos itself can be hard to take down with Friend Guard in effect.
• Cresselia: Friend Guard makes Cresselia insanely bulky, making Calm Mind setup very hard to stop. Clefairy also redirects troublesome Ghost-, Dark-, and Bug-type attacks.
• Azumarill: Azumarill does a good job of pressuring Arcanine and Snorlax for Typhlosion and can act as a decent check to Garchomp. Typhlosion returns the favor by ravaging Grass-types that attempt to check Azumarill.
• Garchomp: Clefairy's Follow Me protects Garchomp from Dragon-type attacks, giving it the opportunity to hit hard with little consequences.
• Acarnine: While Arcanine can't set up, it can deal with the troublesome Scizor and Metagross that plague Clefairy while also providing Intimidate support to make Clefairy even more difficult to KO.

What are its flaws?

Clefairy's biggest problem is that it has a complete lack of offensive presence. This makes it extremely vulnerable to Taunt and getting set up on. This also means that Clefairy usually loses when it's the last Pokémon on your team.

• Gengar: Clefairy can't do anything of significance to Taunt Gengar beyond lowering its Speed with Icy Wind, while Gengar can severely damage Clefairy after a Taunt with Sludge Bomb.
• Sableye: Clefairy isn't strong enough to 2HKO Sableye with Moonblast, meaning it'll get Taunted before it can do much.
• Scizor: Scizor might not be a big fan of redirection against certain Pokémon, but it can set up Swords Dance in Clefairy's face.
• Metagross: Clefairy can't handle Metagross's Meteor Mash, allowing Metagross to handle Clefairy before it becomes too much of a problem.
• Azumarill: Since Clefairy doesn't have Unaware like its evolution, Azumarill is an especially threatening setup sweeper.

Illumise

Roles: Support, speed control

Prankster Support

Illumise @ Sitrus Berry

Ability: Prankster

Level: 50

EVs: 252 HP / 196 Def / 60 SpD

Bold Nature

IVs: 0 Atk

- Encore

- Thunder Wave / Tailwind

- Struggle Bug / Light Screen

- Swagger / Sunny Day / Fake Tears

What's the big deal?

A wide supportive movepool and the ability Prankster, which very few other available have, give Illumise a niche in the Sinnoh Classic.

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Encore: Encore allows Illumise to lock Pokémon into moves like Protect, Tailwind, Trick Room, and Belly Drum, giving its partners relatively free turns.
• Thunder Wave: Paralysis is a very good form of speed control and can also cause free turns with full paralyses. The Speed drop can cripple threats such as Weavile, Ludicolo, and Latios.
• Tailwind: Tailwind can be used over Thunder Wave to make your Pokémon faster than both of the opponent's in one turn. It also does not have anything immune to it, unlike Thunder Wave.
• Struggle Bug: Struggle Bug provides a move for Illumise to use if it gets Taunted. It hits both opposing Pokémon and lowers their Special Attack, which can be useful for taking hits.
• Light Screen: Light Screen can be used over Struggle Bug if the increased Special Defense is necessary before the opponent attacks.
• Swagger: Swagger can be used on special attackers to give them only a 50% chance of moving for little risk on Illumise's part. This can be used to get out of very bad matchups with a bit of luck. Swagger can also be used on physical attackers, but should only be done when there are no other options, because if they break through confusion they will do a lot of damage. Swagger can also be used to double the Attack of a teammate that is holding a Lum or Persim Berry.
• Sunny Day: Sunny Day can be used on teams that are fairly weak to rain teams or Water-types in general, as it weakens their STAB moves and removes their Swift Swim boost. Similarly, Rain Dance can be used for teams weak to sun, but it is generally an inferior choice because sun teams are fairly uncommon.
• Fake Tears: Fake Tears can be used to boost the damage output of special partners; it turns most 2HKOs into OHKOs. Unfortunately, it cannot be used on Metagross due to Clear Body preventing stat drops.

Items

• Sitrus Berry: A Sitrus Berry is used to give Illumise recovery and can cause it stay on the field for a fairly long time. Leftovers and Mental Herb can also be used if a Sitrus Berry is necessary on another teammate such as Belly Drum Azumarill.

Other Details

A more physically invested EV spread is better for Illumise because it makes it have better overall bulk due to a low base Defense.

What partners should I consider?

• Metagross: Due to its mediocre Speed, Metagross especially appreciates Illumise's speed control. Metagross is also a good user of Lum Berry for Illumise to use Swagger.
• Salamence: Salamence appreciates Illumise's Fake Tears, which can cause it to pick up unexpected KOs. It also likes Illumise's ability to remove rain sweepers' Speed boosts.
• Garchomp: Garchomp appreciates Illumise's speed control and also commonly carries a Lum Berry, which means Illumise can boost its Attack with Swagger.
• Acarnine: Arcanine enjoys Illumise's Sunny Day, which causes its Flare Blitz to do insane amounts of damage and reduces its Water weakness.

What are its flaws?

Illumise's biggest flaw is that it has almost no offensive presence by itself.

• Fire-types: Fire-types can quickly take Illumise out with their STAB moves. Most Fire-types do not appreciate being paralyzed, though.
• Garchomp: Garchomp is immune to Thunder Wave and can hit Illumise for good damage using Rock Slide or Dragon Claw.
• Zapdos: Zapdos is immune to Thunder Wave and can 2HKO Illumise with Heat Wave when it is fully invested in Special Attack. However, Zapdos does have to deal with Swagger and the buffed Special Defense from Light Screen or Struggle Bug.
• Taunt: Taunt makes Illumise unable to use any of its moves except Struggle Bug. Pokémon that sometimes use Taunt include Sableye, Crobat, Gengar, Gyarados, Gardevoir, and the rare Murkrow.

Raichu

Roles: Fake Out Support

Fake Out Support

Raichu @ Focus Sash / Air Balloon / King's Rock

Ability: Lightning Rod

EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

Timid Nature

- Fake Out

- Thunderbolt

- Encore

- Protect / Hidden Power Ice / Feint / Fling

What's the big deal?

Raichu is a very unique redirection user thanks to its ability to threaten Azumarill. It also offers many support options such as a fast Fake Out, Lightning Rod, Encore, and Feint.

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Fake Out: Raichu will always run Fake Out, since it has an excellent Speed tier that lets it to maintain offensive pressure for its team. It's also one of the fastest viable Fake Out users, only behind Weavile and Swift Swim Ludicolo.
• Thunderbolt: Thunderbolt is Raichu's most reliable STAB move, which is necessary to threaten Azumarill and deal decent damage to foes that don't resist it. Lightning Rod can boost this further and turn Raichu into a significant threat despite its average Special Attack.
• Encore: Raichu is fast enough to make effective use of Encore, punishing careless uses of Protect and deterring slower Fake Out users. This can open up setup opportunities for a teammate and helps Raichu maintain offensive pressure.
• Hidden Power Ice: While Raichu usually needs to give up Protect in order to make use of it, Hidden Power Ice prevents it from being walled by Garchomp. However, Raichu can't OHKO Garchomp with it even if it isn't running Yache Berry, so don't rely on this to beat Garchomp.
• Feint: Raichu can make effective use of Feint to surprise a foe that thinks it's safe to use Protect, only to be hit by Raichu's teammate. However, Encore also punishes Protect, so this is used primarily when attacking the foe immediately is more valuable than forcing it to Protect or be locked into the wrong move.
• Fling: Fling should only ever be used with King's Rock, as it allows Raichu to make a foe flinch on the second turn and make a Ghost-type foe flinch that thinks it's safe because of its immunity to Fake Out. The surprise factor is the primary reason for this, which is very valuable in a fast-paced format, but otherwise there's no reason to run Fling.

Items

• Focus Sash: Raichu is very frail, so being able to survive any single hit is valuable to avoid being OHKOed on the same turn it uses Fake Out on the foe. Being able to survive an extra turn also allows it to effectively take advantage of its support options, as Raichu can quickly become a huge annoyance the longer it's on the field.
• Air Balloon: While Raichu generally wants Focus Sash, Air Balloon makes it difficult for the foe to simply use Earthquake to deal with it. This doesn't stop Garchomp or Rhyperior from simply using Dragon Claw or Rock Slide, respectively, since Raichu has low Defense, but it can force the foe to play differently, which can be used to your advantage.
• King's Rock: With Fling, King's Rock helps Raichu effectively support a teammate that wants to set up and sweep or prevent a Ghost-type from getting a free turn or set up Trick Room. This is useless if you aren't making use of Fling, but otherwise it's an effective surprise that can help you control the game.

Other Details

Raichu has a huge support movepool, so the last move can be very flexible in order to meet the team's needs. Charm can soften up physical attacks, while Thunder Wave and Nuzzle can provide speed control, with the latter not being blocked by Taunt and having the ability to break Focus Sashes. Endeavor can also take advantage of Focus Sash to bring down a dangerous threat to 1 HP, making it much easier for its teammates to take down. However, Endeavor requires an event, so it's not easy to obtain. Volt Switch can also be used on rain teams that want a Fake Out user that can maintain momentum and have a Swift Swim user other than Ludicolo, such as Kingdra.

What partners should I consider?

• Azumarill: The offensive pressure Raichu provides with Fake Out and Fling makes it easier for Azumarill to set up. Lightning Rod also prevents the foe from simply using Thunderbolt to hit Azumarill, and it punishes an unaware opponent if they do. Azumarill also deals with Ground-types that Raichu can't touch, as well as the Dragon-types that resist Thunderbolt.
• Togekiss: Raichu redirects Electric-type move aimed at Togekiss and offers Fake Out support to help Togekiss set up Tailwind safely. It also threatens Garchomp, which Raichu usually can't touch, and Raichu appreciates the redirection support because it struggles taking hits, especially if it lacks Focus Sash.
• Latios: Latios pressures Garchomp well, which is one of the biggest threats to Raichu due to its Electric-type immunity and Rough Skin punishing Fake Out. Latios also appreciates Fake Out support in order take advantage of the huge offensive pressure it provides, and it also helps Latios set up Tailwind more safely. Latios also has issues with Azumarill if it lacks Thunderbolt, so Raichu also helps it deal with Azumarill better.
• Politoed: Raichu offers useful Fake Out support on rain teams that aren't making use of Ludicolo in case another Swift Swim user is preferred, such as Kingdra. Politoed also helps out against Ground-types such as Garchomp and Rhyperior that Raichu can't touch otherwise, or at least provide the rain support for a Swift Swim user to deal with them.
• Suicune: Suicune threatens Ground-types that give Raichu trouble and is generally bulky enough to take any hit from the likes of Garchomp and Rhyperior. Suicune also appreciates the Fake Out support to help it set up Tailwind, as well as Lightning Rod to protect it from Electric-type moves from opposing Electric-types such as Zapdos.

What are its flaws?

Raichu offers very little offensive presence itself unless the foe is weak to Electric-type moves, so it's very dependent on its teammate to take advantage of the support it provides. Ground-types often wall Raichu completely, since it usually only has Thunderbolt as an attacking move, so unless it has a teammate that can immediately threaten Garchomp or Rhyperior, Raichu has a difficult time accomplishing much. Raichu also has a difficult time taking a hit, so if it loses its Focus Sash, then it is likely not going to survive the next strong hit.

• Garchomp: Raichu has almost no way to threaten Garchomp if it lacks Hidden Power Ice, and even those that do run Hidden Power Ice are unable to OHKO Garchomp. Rough Skin also punishes attempts to hit it with Fake Out, and Raichu hates losing its Focus Sash before anything else even attacks. Raichu is also very frail, so Garchomp doesn't mind having to use Dragon Claw in order to hit an Air Balloon Raichu if necessary.
• Rhyperior: Rhyperior has no trouble dealing with Raichu, and it doesn't even take significant damage from Hidden Power Ice thanks to Solid Rock. This also risks activating Weakness Policy, which makes Rhyperior an even bigger threat to Raichu's team. Lightning Rod Rhyperior also gives Raichu a tough time, as it prevents Raichu from being able to do any damage at all.
• Latios: Raichu struggles to do much to Latios unless it runs Nuzzle or Thunder Wave and wins the Speed tie, and it is easily OHKOed by Psyshock. It also doesn't fear being locked into a move by Encore as much as other Pokémon due to the Speed ties and the fact that it can set Tailwind and make its next move before Raichu can Encore Latios into Tailwind.
• Abomasnow: Abomasnow resists Thunderbolt and isn't weak to Hidden Power Ice, and it's slow enough to not be bothered by Thunder Wave or Nuzzle unless it runs Choice Scarf. Snow Warning also means that Raichu can't rely on its Focus Sash to survive a hit, which makes Raichu significantly less difficult to deal with.
• Weavile: Raichu's advantage usually lies in providing fast Fake Out support and being able to Encore slower foes, but Weavile makes that difficult for Raichu. If Raichu doesn't run Protect, this also gives Weavile an easy turn against Raichu and its teammate, since Weavile's teammate can safely attack and possibly take down Raichu in one turn, regardless of Focus Sash.

Moltres

Roles: Tailwind setter, spread attacker

Special Attacker

Moltres @ Life Orb / Choice Specs

Ability: Flame Body / Pressure

EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

Modest / Timid Nature

- Heat Wave

- Hurricane

- Tailwind / Hidden Power Electric / Hidden Power Grass

- Protect / Fire Blast / Ancient Power

What's the big deal?

Moltres is one of the less common Fire-types, but don't be fooled: it's one of the most powerful spread attackers in the sun. Unlike most Fire-types, Moltres has a great secondary STAB attack in Hurricane to use if the rain comes up as well.

What can I expect to see?

Moves

• Heat Wave: This is Moltres's main spread attack, dealing a good amount of damage, especially if boosted by the sun.
• Hurricane: Hurricane is Moltres's backup STAB move in case the rain goes up. Assuming you have Tailwind up, Moltres will actually outspeed Ludicolo and OHKO it with Hurricane, something that no other Fire-type can do!
• Tailwind: Tailwind is a great support move that allows Moltres to outspeed most Swift Swim Pokémon in the rain. This is especially important if you want to OHKO Ludicolo or deal massive damage to Kingdra.
• Hidden Power Electric: If you're using Choice Specs or are especially worried about Gyarados, Hidden Power Electric can be used to deal a massive amount of damage to it, as well as having a more accurate way to pick off Azumarill.
• Hidden Power Grass: If your team has problems with Rhyperior and Gastrodon, Hidden Power Grass is a good option to consider.
• Fire Blast: Fire Blast is extremely powerful on the Choice Specs set, allowing Moltres to actually deal over 70% to Fire-types like Entei and Arcanine under the sun!
• Ancient Power: If your team can't guarantee the sun, you can use Ancient Power on Choice Specs Moltres to 2HKO Fire-types.

Items

• Life Orb: Life Orb gives Moltres the damage boost it needs to become a dangerous spread attacker.
• Choice Specs: Choice Specs makes Moltres extremely powerful, allowing it to 2HKO Snorlax with Hurricane and also 2HKO Arcanine and Entei with Heat Wave in the sun.

Other Details

Flame Body is a great ability that can potentially burn Pokémon that rely on contact moves, but since it requires an obscure event to obtain, Pressure Moltres is still reasonable to use. A Modest nature is usually best, since it allows Moltres to 2HKO Pokémon such as Snorlax, but a Timid nature is reasonable if you want to guarantee outspeeding Heracross and Adamant Arcanine.

What partners should I consider?

• Ninetales: Ninetales may share a lot of weaknesses with Moltres, but it does provide the valuable sun that lets Moltres become extremely powerful.
• Weavile: Weavile is a good choice against Zapdos and Garchomp, two big problems for Moltres. In return, Moltres can fry Steel-types like Scizor and Metagross.
• Latios: Latios does okay against rain teams with Ludicolo and can set up Tailwind, which allows Moltres to OHKO Ludicolo with Hurricane. Moltres sweetens the deal by roasting Scizor and Metagross.
• Garchomp: Since Moltres is a Flying-type, Garchomp does fairly well with it as an Earthquaking partner. Garchomp also benefits a lot from Tailwind, since it can then defeat Weavile.
• Raichu: Raichu's Lightning Rod redirects Electric-type attacks, removing non-Discharge Zapdos's ability to check Moltres. It also provides valuable Fake Out support.
• Sableye: If you especially hate rain teams, you can use Sunny Day Sableye to remove the rain before the opponent can take out Moltres.

What are its flaws?

Moltres may have plenty of power, but its typing makes it extremely vulnerable to common attacking types such as Rock, Electric, and Water. Moltres is also rather slow, so if it doesn't set up Tailwind, outspeeding it isn't difficult.

• Garchomp: Garchomp is the king of Rock Slides in Sinnoh Classic, making it a big threat against Moltres, especially since it resists Fire-type attacks.
• Rhyperior: Barring Hidden Power Grass, Rhyperior walls Moltres, meaning that it can OHKO back with Rock Slide.
• Zapdos: Zapdos outspeeds Moltres and hits it hard with Thunderbolt, and it even benefits from Moltres's sun with its own Heat Wave.
• Politoed: Politoed removes Moltres's wonderful sun. While Hurricane still hits hard, it also makes Moltres much easier to wall with other Pokémon, and easy to OHKO with a Water-type attack.
• Azumarill: Azumarill fears Flame Body and Hurricane, but otherwise, it can hit Moltres hard with Aqua Jet or set up Belly Drum if Hurricane misses.

Crobat

Roles: Tailwind setter, Taunt user

Support

Crobat @ Focus Sash / Yache Berry / Wacan Berry / Mental Herb

Ability: Inner Focus

EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe

Timid / Jolly Nature

- Tailwind

- Taunt

- Super Fang

- Quick Guard / Brave Bird / Haze / Protect

What's the big deal?

Crobat is an incredibly fast support Pokémon. With Inner Focus, Crobat is nearly guaranteed to set up Tailwind or fire off a Taunt without worrying about Fake Out. It isn't toothless either thanks to Super Fang!

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Tailwind: Tailwind is an all-important setup move for Crobat, doubling your team's Speed for four turns.
• Taunt: Taunt allows Crobat to shut down support Pokémon such as Dusclops and non-Mental Herb Cresselia. You can even defeat Sableye if you elect to use Mental Herb Crobat.
• Super Fang: Super Fang gives Crobat some offensive punch despite the lack of Attack investment, ensuring that Crobat chops 50% of the opponent's health off.
• Quick Guard: Since Crobat is so fast, Quick Guard works great for blocking all Fake Outs except for Ludicolo's in the rain. It can also save other Pokémon from priority moves.
• Brave Bird: If you use a Jolly nature, Brave Bird allows Crobat to have a shot at 2HKOing some Hitmontop, 2HKO Hariyama, and OHKO Heracross and Breloom.
• Haze: Haze can destroy boosts of sweepers such as Azumarill and Snorlax and can work as an emergency check to Moody teams if you have good offensive Pokémon to back it up.
• Protect: Since Crobat is a popular Pokémon to double target, Protect can punish that strategy, allowing your partner to get a free hit in.

Items

• Focus Sash: Focus Sash guarantees that Crobat will survive at least one attack, which is very useful if it isn't double targeted.
• Yache Berry: Yache Berry lets Crobat survive Life Orb Weavile's Icicle Crash and have enough health left from Focus Sash Weavile's to survive Feint.
• Wacan Berry: Wacan Berry comes in handy for surviving Thunderbolt from the likes of Zapdos and Raikou, letting Crobat Super Fang them the next turn.
• Mental Herb: If you're worried about Sableye, Mental Herb lets Crobat take one Taunt, letting it Taunt Sableye right back!

Other Details

Crobat will usually want maximum HP and Speed to ensure it always sets up Tailwind and for the potential to use Super Fang against a foe before going down. A Timid nature is great for minimizing damage from confusion and Foul Play, but if you plan on using Brave Bird, a Jolly nature is preferred.

What partners should I consider?

• Breloom: With Tailwind beneath its feet, Breloom becomes a big threat, being able to outspeed and Spore almost any Pokémon it pleases.
• Garchomp: Since Crobat is immune to Earthquake, Garchomp makes a great teammate. Garchomp also loves Tailwind and the Super Fang support Crobat gives it.
• Scizor: Scizor is the way to go against Psychic-types such as Cresselia and Gardevoir. It also can use Bullet Punch to blast through Weavile.
• Weavile: Weavile is a big help against Zapdos and Latios thanks to STAB Icicle Crash and Knock Off, and it also hits Gengar when Crobat's only attack is Super Fang. In return, Crobat can use Quick Guard to block Mach Punch and Bullet Punch and even defeat certain Fighting-types with Brave Bird.
• Heracross: With Tailwind fixing its Speed issues, Heracross becomes an incredibly dangerous sweeper when holding a Flame Orb, since it easily OHKOes most fast Pokémon!

What are its flaws?

Crobat's only big offensive move is Super Fang, meaning that if it's the last Pokémon on the field, it almost always loses. Even with defensive investment, Crobat isn't that bulky either, with most strong neutral attacks being able to 2HKO it.

• Sableye: Because Sableye has Prankster, it can outspeed Crobat and Taunt it before it sets up Tailwind, which is devastating if Crobat isn't holding a Mental Herb.
• Latios: Latios hates Super Fang, but it can OHKO Crobat with Psyshock otherwise.
• Weavile: Unless Crobat is carrying a Yache Berry, Weavile has enough power to KO Crobat with Icicle Crash and Feint.
• Zapdos: Offensive Zapdos has a good shot of OHKOing Crobat that lack Wacan Berry.
• Cresselia and Dusknoir: While Crobat can actually be a problem to Cresselia and Dusknoir with Taunt, these two Trick Room setters sometimes carry Mental Herb, which ruins Crobat's speed control plans.

Tangela

Roles: Redirection user, sleep inducer

Redirector

Tangela @ Eviolite

Ability: Regenerator

EVs: 252 HP / 124 Def / 4 SpA / 124 SpD / 4 Spe

Calm / Sassy Nature

- Rage Powder

- Sleep Powder

- Giga Drain

- Protect

What's the big deal?

Tangrowth may exist, but Tangela is a more interesting option in Sinnoh Classic. With Eviolite, it can act much like Amoonguss does in other metagames, being a bulky redirection Pokémon that can threaten to put others to sleep!

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Rage Powder: Rage Powder lets Tangela redirect attacks to itself, which is great for setting up sweepers.
• Sleep Powder: With Sleep Powder, Tangela is more than a mere punching bag, threatening sleep to any Pokémon that thinks setting up is a good idea.
• Giga Drain: Giga Drain allows Tangela to at least deal some decent damage to Water-types while also giving it something to do in case it gets Taunted.

Items

• Eviolite: Eviolite is what makes Tangela better at redirection than Tangrowth, making it bulkier without using up a valuable Sitrus Berry slot.

Other Details

The given EV spread and nature allow Tangela to survive a Life Orb Draco Meteor from Latios and a Reckless Brave Bird from Choice Scarf Staraptor. Regenerator is the best choice for the ability slot, letting Tangela restore health every time it switches out. If you are using Tangela under Trick Room, consider a Sassy nature and 0 Speed IVs to outspeed many threats.

What partners should I consider?

• Azumarill: Azumarill should almost always be used with Tangela; since Tangela resists its Electric- and Grass-type weakness, it's perfect for allowing Azumarill to set up Belly Drum.
• Entei: Most Fire-types work well with Tangela, but Entei is an especially good choice, since in other situations, it can use Psych Up to copy Azumarill's Belly Drum boost, making it a very threatening sweeper. It also defeats Scizor and Abomasnow for Tangela and does well against most Fire-types if you use Stone Edge.
• Arcanine: Arcanine is one of the few Fire-types that can hit Water-types hard thanks to Wild Charge, making it a good teammate to consider for Tangela. The Intimidate support also makes Tangela even more difficult to KO.
• Gyarados: Tangela's key Electric-type resistance makes it a great partner for setting up Dragon Dance Gyarados, while Gyarados defeats Fire-type Pokémon in return.
• Dusclops / Dusknoir: These two work especially well as Trick Room Pokémon, being able to burn Scizor or, in the case of Dusknoir, hit Scizor and Abomasnow with Fire Punch.
• Snorlax: If you plan on using Tangela on a Trick Room team, then Snorlax is a good Pokémon to consider as well. Tangela can put fast Fighting-type Pokémon to Sleep or redirect their attacks, while Snorlax can set up Curse or roast Scizor with Fire Punch.

What are its flaws?

Tangela may be great at support, but its offensive power is rather poor. Unlike with other redirection Pokémon, since Tangela uses Rage Powder, Grass-types won't be affected by Tangela's attacks.

• Sableye: Sableye is one of the best users of Taunt in Sinnoh Classic, which will gimp Tangela's ability to support the team.
• Abomasnow: Since Abomasnow is a Grass-type, it doesn't fear Sleep Powder, letting it summon powerful Blizzards against Tangela.
• Scizor: Since many Scizor run Lum Berry, they can use Swords Dance to set up for a powerful Bug Bite that OHKOes Tangela.
• Arcanine: While Arcanine won't OHKO Tangela, it can deal massive damage to it with Flare Blitz.
• Ludicolo: Ludicolo itself can't do too much to Tangela, but since it's a Grass-type, it won't be affected by Rage Powder, which can be problematic when you're trying to set up Azumarill.
• Weavile: Icicle Crash has no hope of OHKOing Tangela, but Weavile can use Knock Off to get rid of its Eviolite, making it much easier to OHKO.