SV Monotype Suspect Coverage: Gliscor
| « Previous Article | Next Article » |
Art by DaWolfKid.
Introduction
Gliscor is a unique case for Scarlet and Violet Monotype's suspect roster so far by being the only Pokémon not to originate in generation 8 or 9, which is especially surprising when reflecting on older generations like BW, ORAS, and USUM Monotype, where, conversely, Gliscor remains legal. Not to say Gliscor didn't have detractors, but never to this extent, so what happened? A majority of the changes that benefited Gliscor came from Sword and Shield, the games Gliscor missed out on. The removal of Hidden Power and omissions from each generation, such as Nidoking and Buzzwole for SV, reduced the number of Pokémon that could slot in tools to actively scare Gliscor out or do so themselves, while the introduction of Heavy-Duty Boots greatly benefited its teammates, enabling the likes of Moltres and Articuno to take on opposing Ice-types and other threats that could be used to remove it, such as Mamoswine, Kyurem, Scizor, and Primarina. Attempts to check Gliscor's teammates, whether it be through removing their held items, inflicting status, or using Electric-type attacks, often completely fumble, as they're all stopped by Gliscor. Generation 9 has also been particularly beneficial to Flying as a whole, as types normally capable of scaring it, such as Electric and Ice, are struggling to find any relevance, while Fighting and Ground prove to be strong offensive types that Flying can stomp out fairly easily. Gliscor's place on Ground, meanwhile, is not as solid. While sand-less teams are starting to see an uptick and greatly enjoy Gliscor as a defensive linchpin and setup threat, the archetype still remains less common than sand, which Gliscor is not a major player on.
Sets
Specially Defensive (Flying)
Gliscor @ Toxic Orb- Ability: Poison Heal
- EVs: 244 HP / 168 SpD / 96 Spe
- Careful Nature
- - Earthquake
- - Protect
- - Knock Off / Toxic
- - Stealth Rock / Toxic
The premier Gliscor set on Flying comes packing solid defensive capabilities, with its neat toolkit making it highly versatile and capable of fitting on nearly any Flying team. Earthquake and Protect are considered mandatory, as Earthquake is Gliscor's best offensive tool and Protect allows Gliscor to scout out opponents and recover through Poison Heal. But where this set really shines is Gliscor's utility. Gliscor's last two moves are generally some combination of Knock Off, Stealth Rock, and Toxic depending on what roles its teammates have already filled or what Gliscor needs to do. Knock Off enables Gliscor to directly threaten Air Balloon users such as Gholdengo and Heatran. Toxic shuts down bulkier foes that think they can set up on Gliscor, like Volcarona, by putting them on dangerous timers and preventing free switches. Finally, Stealth Rock provides Flying with a strong entry hazard and pairs well with Knock Off to remove Heavy-Duty Boots from other bulky targets such as Mandibuzz and Archaludon to help wear them down. Of course, Gliscor does have an issue fitting all the moves it wants on this set, but its teammates are usually able to help pick up the slack, with the Landorus formes being capable of setting Stealth Rock and Tornadus-T able to use Knock Off. This set's EV spread is also flexible; while outspeeding Modest Raging Bolt is very desirable, some Flying teams are more than capable of handling Raging Bolt and can let Gliscor run a slower spread, or they may need it to invest a bit in Defense to help take on foes such as Ceruledge.
Swords Dance
| Flying | Ground |
|---|---|
|
|
Swords Dance still finds regular usage on Flying builds that want it as a bulky wallbreaker. The move is a great way to ease certain matchups, making Gliscor a menace in the mirror while helping it beat Dragon and bulkier Water teams. Knock Off is generally preferred for its ability to OHKO Latios on a predicted switch in after a Swords Dance boost while also enabling Gliscor to threaten Air Balloon Gholdengo, but Facade does have the advantage of being far more threatening against Flying builds lacking Skarmory and allowing Gliscor to bully Poison without remorse. It is usually considered important for Swords Dance sets to outspeed Raging Bolt, and they appreciate some physical bulk investment to take a sun-boosted Ivy Cudgel from Ogerpon-H, but like all Gliscor sets, the spread is flexible and up to the user to decide.
Ground teams, meanwhile, primarily use Swords Dance Gliscor on sand-less builds as a bulky late-game sweeper or dedicated wallbreaker depending on the matchup. Given Ground's overall reduced concern of Air Balloon Gholdengo, Facade is a lot more common and thus essential in improving the Flying matchup. However, Earthquake is also regularly dropped for Facade and Knock Off to still break Flying while also giving Ground a good way to help deter Sinistcha. While going all in on special bulk would be nice, some Speed investment is still generally ideal, though, at least to outspeed Scizor. This generally serves as sand-less teams' main Gliscor build, as it helps provide a win condition alongside stacking entry hazards.
SubToxic
- Gliscor @ Toxic Orb
- Ability: Poison Heal
- EVs: 244 HP / 36 Def / 184 SpD / 44 Spe
- Jolly Nature
- - Toxic
- - Substitute
- - Protect
- - Earthquake
While it's the least common of the core Gliscor sets, SubToxic can arguably stand as the most notorious. Now, unlike the other two, there are some matchups where it can completely fumble, such as Flying and Poison. However, if it gets one free turn, it becomes a nightmare, as wallbreakers that can normally handle Gliscor, such as Mamoswine and Latios, can be put on timers through Toxic and stalled out. This set is also more reliant on Speed than most Gliscor builds, opting to run enough to outspeed Adamant Mamoswine and Dragonite before they are able to fire off their Ice-type attacks. This enables Gliscor to get up a Substitute and begin stalling them out.
Other Options
Gliscor's movepool is deep enough that it can generally tech moves for certain matchups; notably, alternative entry hazards like Spikes and Toxic Spikes see play to more reliably pressure types such as Steel and Dark.
Ban Side
Most other defensive stalwarts, such as Clodsire and Mandibuzz, generally have multiple flaws that can be exploited, such as lacking recovery tools and being easily worn down by status ailments or entry hazards. None of these apply to Gliscor all that well: Poison Heal gives it a great and effectively effortless recovery option; Toxic Orb grants it status immunity once it activates, which also makes it excellent at taking Knock Off for its teammates; and hazards can't wear it down well over time due to its neutrality to Stealth Rock and immunity to the others. These all present a problem with how great Gliscor's teammates are. It is commonly suggested to just hit Gliscor with an Ice-type move like Ice Beam or Ice Spinner; however, Gliscor's teammates are nearly always able to cover for this weakness. Ice Beam can be checked fairly reliably by specially defensive Corviknight and Articuno, both of which are able to directly take on the likes of Kyurem and Greninja, while Ice Spinner from the likes of Iron Treads and Great Tusk, alongside other physical Ice-type moves such as Meowscarada's Triple Axel and Iron Hands's Ice Punch, can be thrown into Skarmory and Moltres, which can punish them through Rocky Helmet and Flame Body. This also implies a type has an effective enough Ice-type option for the situation; a type like Poison lacks the high-powered Ice-type moves needed to break Gliscor quickly and slowly falls piece by piece to the pressure. And as outlined within Gliscor's set options, it had a lot of variety in what it could do. Each set had different checks, and guessing wrong could give up a lot of ground, if not make the player lose the game entirely. Hatterene could handle mono-attacking Gliscor sets and the bulkier support variants but had to flee against Swords Dance ones, while Latios would struggle greatly to handle SubToxic Gliscor.
Do Not Ban Side
Types with naturally immense offensive pressure, such as Dragon and Dark, and builds relying on high-powered offense, such as rain Water, can put immense pressure on Gliscor. They give it minimal chances to get in safely and heal back up, making each hit truly matter and quickly sending the scorpion crashing down. It should also be mentioned that Gliscor provides some near-essential defensive utility and enables Flying to serve as one of the most capable balance types within the metagame. Gliscor helps check highly problematic threats to the type like Volcarona, Flutter Mane, and Raging Bolt that teammates like Dragonite and Landorus can struggle with on their own, and its bulk, Grass neutrality, and Ground immunity make it excellent at helping sand-less Ground teams keep Sinistcha and Breloom from completely running through them. There are also a fair few Pokémon Gliscor is nearly helpless against, such as Iron Defense Skarmory and Bulk Up Corviknight, as they just laugh in the face of Gliscor and turn it into an easy setup opportunity. Besides that, running only Earthquake as an attacking option leaves Gliscor vulnerable to the conditional Ground immunity of Air Balloon users like Iron Treads, Gholdengo, and Hatterene. Each Pokémon mentioned can safely switch in on it and begin an assault on Gliscor and its teammates. There are also plenty of strong wallbreakers capable of breaking Gliscor in two, as Swords Dance Urshifu-R and mixed Iron Valiant can easily decimate unprepared Flying teams.
The Final Result
Surprising many, Gliscor did end up getting banned from Scarlet and Violet Monotype. Prior to the vote, it looked to barely be in the Do Not Ban side's favor, with a vocal set of supporters on said side, but their support wasn't enough. And now with Gliscor gone, Flying is forced to rethink its structures; it will be interesting to see which of the Landorus formes ends up becoming the mainstay on Flying, along with a possible resurgence of Thundurus-T to provide a backup Electric immunity.
| « Previous Article | Next Article » |