Unova Classic: A War of Truth and Ideals!

Landorus-T

Choice Scarf

Landorus-T @ Choice Scarf

Ability: Intimidate

EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

Adamant Nature

- Earthquake

- Rock Slide

- Knock Off

- U-turn / Superpower

General Attacker

Landorus-T @ Life Orb / Soft Sand / Assault Vest

Ability: Intimidate

EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

Adamant Nature

- Earthquake

- Rock Slide

- Knock Off

- Protect / U-turn

What's the big deal?

With an impressive Attack stat and an incredible ability in Intimidate, Landorus-T may just be the best spread attacker in Unova Classic.

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Earthquake: Earthquake is Landorus-T's most powerful spread attack, though it does come at the cost of hitting its teammates.
• Rock Slide: 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.
• U-turn: U-turn is a great choice on Choice Scarf Landorus-T, allowing it to get out of the battlefield while scouting your opponent's next move. It also works on the general attacker, though Landorus-T is likely to take a hit before returning to its Poké Ball.
• Knock Off: Knock Off is much more important on Landorus-T than usual, since it gives it a decently powerful attack that isn't blocked by Wide Guard and deals massive damage to Jellicent. This is especially handy on Life Orb Landorus-T, grabbing an OHKO on offensive Jellicent.
• Superpower: Superpower doesn't have as many high-value targets as usual, but it is Landorus-T's most powerful non-spread attack, which can be a lifesaver with Wide Guard around.

Items

• Choice Scarf: With Choice Scarf, Landorus-T outspeeds everything important in the game, making it especially effective at cleaning weakened teams!
• Life Orb: Life Orb gives Landorus-T much more power, most notably allowing it to OHKO Jellicent with Knock Off and having a good chance of OHKOing maximum HP Tyranitar with Earthquake.
• Soft Sand: If you are already using Life Orb on another Pokémon, Soft Sand can be a good compromise for still giving Earthquake a good damage boost.
• Assault Vest: With Assault Vest, Landorus-T can be shockingly difficult to take down, surviving attacks such as Choice Scarf Politoed's rain-boosted Scald!

Other Details

Landorus-T will usually want to maximize its Attack stat with an Adamant nature, since with a Choice Scarf, it outspeeds almost everything it needs to. However, if you are scared of getting KOed by Choice Scarf Braviary, a Jolly nature is acceptable.

Where should I place this Pokémon?

At the start of the game, Landorus-T works great in the middle. This allows it to hit everything with Earthquake and Rock Slide, and debuff all foes with Intimidate. However, since Landorus-T is a big target, putting it on the sides later in the game can be useful to avoid certain attacks.

What partners should I consider?

• Crobat: Crobat is one of the best supportive partners for Landorus-T. It's one of the most reliable users of Tailwind around, and thanks to its Ground-type immunity, it doesn't have to worry about Earthquake. Crobat can even use Snatch to get rid of troublesome Wide Guards for Landorus-T.
• Rotom-W: Rotom-W also stands out as a great user of Snatch thanks to its Ground-type immunity.
• Hitmontop: Hitmontop and Landorus-T can form a nasty double Intimidate core that can cripple teams that don't have Defiant or Competitive Pokémon. Hitmontop also uses Feint to let Landorus-T's Rock Slide smash Flying-types with impunity or uses Wide Guard to protect the rest of the team from Landorus-T's own Earthquakes.
• Amoonguss: Amoonguss lures away Water-type attacks with Rage Powder except those coming from Ludicolo. Amoonguss also works as a great response to Trick Room teams that Landorus-T hates facing.
• Ninetales and Sunny Day users: Ninetales may share a Water-type weakness with Landorus-T, but its Drought does a great job of potentially crippling rain teams that don't have a back up Rain Dancer. You can also slap Sunny Day on support Pokémon to give rain teams a shock.

What are its flaws?

Wide Guard is the bane of Landorus-T's existence, blocking the important Earthquake and Rock Slide. Landorus-T may be difficult to take down physically, but its Special Defense is rather soft. It's also extremely weak to Ice-type attacks and rain teams in particular.

• Politoed and rain teams: Politoed on its own will 2HKO Landorus-T at worst, but Swift Swimmers such as Ludicolo and Kingdra can outspeed even Choice Scarf Landorus-T and easily OHKO it.
• Wide Guard users: Wide Guard is the bane of Landorus-T's existence, blocking its two most used moves. Hitmontop is especially problematic with its Intimidate.
• Rotom-W: The best Landorus-T can do to Rotom-W is use Knock Off or Superpower, since Rotom-W is immune to Earthquake, doesn't take much from Rock Slide, and can either OHKO Landorus-T with Hydro Pump or cripple it with Will-O-Wisp.
• Trick Room setters: Landorus-T has serious problems under Trick Room, letting it get outsped by dangerous threats such as Abomasnow. Jellicent is notable for being the best offensive Trick Room Pokémon, while Dusclops can burn Landorus-T and Cresselia can 2HKO it with Ice Beam.
• Milotic: With Milotic's Competitive ability, its Special Attack is doubled by Intimidate, making it into a potent offensive threat if Landorus-T is sent out!
• Defiant Pokémon: These Pokémon will get the equivalent of a Choice Band boost if hit by Landorus-T's Intimidate. While Bisharp is weak to Earthquake, it can become a huge problem when paired with Wide Guard support. Meanwhile, Braviary and Tornadus are immune to Earthquake and will usually outspeed non-Choice Scarf Landorus-T.

Politoed

Support

Politoed @ Damp Rock / Sitrus Berry / Iron Ball

Ability: Drizzle

EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD

Sassy / Relaxed Nature

- Scald / Surf

- Protect

- Perish Song

- Helping Hand / Icy Wind

Choice Scarf

Politoed @ Choice Scarf

Ability: Drizzle

EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

Timid Nature

- Surf

- Hydro Pump / Scald

- Ice Beam

- Hidden Power Grass

Choice Specs

Politoed @ Choice Specs

Ability: Drizzle

EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe

Modest Nature

- Surf

- Hydro Pump / Scald

- Ice Beam

- Hidden Power Grass

What's the big deal?

Politoed is already well known for being the best setter of rain, so it becomes a huge threat in a metagame where rain is the dominant weather. It's also one of the best users of Perish Song, putting it on a higher level than usual.

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Scald: Scald is the most reliable single target Water-type attack that Politoed has to offer, with the bonus of having a chance to burn.
• Surf: Surf is the best spread attack to use in the rain. It's absolutely needed for the offensive Politoed sets, but it can still be useful on supportive Politoed if you pair it with Jellicent or Gastrodon.
• Perish Song: Since you send out half of your team in Unova Classic, Perish Song is particularly disruptive. If you pair this with Gothitelle or use it when your opponent only has three Pokémon left, it could potentially win you the game with it as well. Just note that slower Pokémon faint last, so don't use it in last Pokémon situations if your opponent has the slower Pokémon.
• Helping Hand: Since support Politoed is rather weak even with the rain on its side, Helping Hand is perfect for beefing up the offenses of a partner Pokémon.
• Icy Wind: Icy Wind lets Politoed provide some speed control, which can be useful against opposing rain teams.
• Hydro Pump: Hydro Pump is a much more powerful alternative to Scald, at the cost of accuracy. This makes it a reasonable option to consider for the offensive Politoed sets.
• Ice Beam: Ice Beam hits Dragon-types such as Hydreigon harder than anything else will and is great for smashing Landorus-T even when the weather is changed.
• Hidden Power Grass: For offensive Politoed, this is the only way it has a chance at defeating Gastrodon and damaging Jellicent.

Items

• Damp Rock: Damp Rock lets Politoed's rain last for eight turns instead of five, letting your Swift Swim Pokémon have a better shot at sweeping.
• Sitrus Berry: Sitrus Berry gives Politoed a longer lifespan than normal.
• Iron Ball: Making Politoed even slower may seem strange, but it allows it to underspeed other weather setters such as Tyranitar and Abomasnow, ensuring that the rain is set up.
• Choice Scarf: Politoed has just enough Speed to outspeed Crobat with a Choice Scarf, making it a surprisingly effective offensive Pokémon.
• Choice Specs: With Choice Specs, Politoed becomes shockingly powerful, being able to 2HKO the likes of Amoonguss with the right attack, and even having the ability to OHKO Hitmontop with Hydro Pump.

Other Details

Regardless of which Politoed set you choose, Drizzle is required for it to function. For supportive Politoed sets, a Sassy nature works great for taking on Politoed's weaknesses and making the most effective use of Perish Song, but a Calm nature also works if you want to outspeed Quiet Heatran. Likewise, going physically defensive with a Relaxed or Bold nature is fine if you wish to take attacks like Hitmontop's Close Combat better.

For Choice Scarf Politoed, you'll want a Timid nature so it can outspeed Crobat. Outspeeding Pokémon isn't as important for Choice Specs, so a Modest nature is fine for outspeeding Quiet Heatran.

Where should I place this Pokémon?

Support Politoed generally prefers to be on the sides so it isn't as easy to gang up on. The same goes for the more offensive Politoed sets if you don't plan on using Surf. However, when you aim to clean teams up with Surf, then Politoed works well in the middle.

What partners should I consider?

• Ludicolo and Kingdra: Ludicolo is one of the most effective Swift Swim Pokémon around, making it a partner that should be considered for almost any rain team! Kingdra may not have Fake Out or Grass-type STAB, but it works similarly to Ludicolo otherwise, having a less risky spread attack in Muddy Water and the ability to attack any Pokémon with Dragon Pulse.
• Jellicent: Jellicent is the conerstone of Trick Room rain teams, being able to set it up and retaliate with powerful Water Spouts. Jellicent can also take advantage of Water Absorb to restore some of its health from Politoed's Surfs.
• Gastrodon: With Politoed's Surf, Gastrodon becomes a fairly powerful Pokémon, especially if Trick Room is set up.
• Crobat and Tornadus: Crobat and Tornadus are among the best users of Tailwind in Unova Classic, which could let your rain team gain an edge against opposing rain teams. Tornadus happens to love the rain, and both Pokémon can OHKO Ludicolo with their STAB moves.
• Amoonguss and Togekiss: Amoonguss does a great job of luring away troublesome Electric-type attacks from Politoed, and it can deal serious damage to Ludicolo with Sludge Bomb. Togekiss may share an unfortunate Electric-type weakness, but its Follow Me allows it to lure away attacks from Grass-types such as Ludicolo.
• Gothitelle: Since Politoed is one of the best users of Perish Song, it pairs very well with Gothitelle, which can use Shadow Tag to force Pokémon to stay in until they're KOed!
• Rain dancers: Ninetales may share a Water-type weakness with Landorus-T, but its Drought does a great job of potentially crippling rain teams that don't have a back up Rain Dancer. You can also slap Sunny Day on support Pokémon to give rain teams a shock.

What are its flaws?

Politoed is always going to be restricted offensively somehow. The support set has very low offensive output, while the offensive Politoed sets are restricted by their need for a Choice item to function. Regardles, Politoed has poor coverage that makes it easy to wall with opposing Water-types. Politoed also hates getting its weather changed, since without the rain, Politoed becomes deadweight.

• Ludicolo: Ironically, the most common Pokémon on rain teams happens to be the best counter to Politoed, taking little damage from Politoed's attacks and threatening to severely damage it with Giga Drain or Energy Ball.
• Amoonguss: Amoonguss only fears a 2HKO from a Choice Specs Ice Beam, allowing it to redirect Politoed's attacks with Rage Powder or put it to sleep with Spore.
• Rotom-W: Rotom-W's typing lets it resist everything but Hidden Power Grass, letting it slam Politoed with Thunderbolt.
• Gastrodon: Thanks to Storm Drain, Scald and Hydro Pump become liabilites that boost Gastrodon. However, Gastrodon just must watch out for Hidden Power Grass from offensive Politoed.
• Abomasnow: Abomasnow changes the weather to hail, which is especially bad news for Politoed since Abomasnow can then slam it hard with its Grass-type STABs.
• Ninetales and Sunny Day users: Politoed may land super effective hits on Ninetales, but the drought will ruin a rain team's offense. Sunny Day users are especially brutal, since it has such a wide range of users.
• Zapdos and Thundurus: These two offensive Electric-types threaten to deal massive damage to Politoed with Thunderbolt, though neither of them takes Water-type attacks in the rain very well.

Amoonguss

Powdershroom

Amoonguss @ Sitrus Berry / Coba Berry

Ability: Regenerator

EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD

IVs: 0 Spe

Relaxed / Sassy Nature

- Spore

- Rage Powder

- Giga Drain / Protect

- Sludge Bomb / Protect

What's the big deal?

Amoonguss is the most dangerous support Pokémon in Unova Classic, being able to redirect attacks and put Pokémon to sleep. Its low Speed makes it especially dangerous when Trick Room is up!

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Spore: This lets Amoonguss put its foe to sleep with 100% accuracy. This is especially effective because there is no Sleep Clause here!
• Rage Powder: Rage Powder allows Amoonguss to redirect attacks. Just note that Grass-types and Pokémon with Safety Goggles are not affected by this.
• Giga Drain: With Giga Drain, Amoonguss can become an effective Gastrodon check and deal good damage to Water-types like Politoed and Milotic.
• Slugde Bomb: Sludge Bomb lets Amoonguss OHKO Whimsicott and deal massive damage to Ludicolo and Togekiss.
• Protect: Protect is great for letting Amoonguss dodge deadly attacks, but it comes at the cost of coverage.
• Sunny Day: If you especially hate rain teams, you can use Sunny Day to cripple them at the cost of coverage.

Items

• Sitrus Berry: With Sitrus Berry, Amoonguss becomes even more difficult to take down than usual!
• Coba Berry: A Coba Berry allows Amoonguss to survive one Flying-type attack, letting it act as a one-time redirector to the likes of Brave Bird and Hurricane.
• Mental Herb: If you are especially paranoid about Taunt, Mental Herb can save Amoonguss from it for one turn.

Other Details

The big choice to make for Amoonguss is between going physically defensive or specially defensive. Physically defensive Amoonguss can survive weaker Brave Birds without a Coba Berry and does better against Landorus-T, while specially defensive Amoonguss does better against Ice Beams from rain teams. Regardless, you should have Regenerator so Amoonguss can restore some health upon switching out.

Where should I place this Pokémon?

Amoonguss's placement can be a bit tricky. Putting Amoonguss in the middle is great for having all targets in range of Spore and Rage Powder, especially if you are giving Amoonguss Trick Room support. However, Amoonguss is a very high-value target, making it vulnerable to getting ganged up on by multiple foes. Because of this, Amoonguss can still work on the sides of the battlefield, especially late-game, where you can choose which Pokémon you want to target.

What partners should I consider?

• Trick Room setters: Pokémon that can set up Trick Room such as Jellicent, Cresselia, and Dusclops are highly recommended, since this allows Amoonguss to put most Pokémon to sleep before they can move.
• Politoed: Politoed's Drizzle will prevent Amoonguss from getting KOed by strong Fire-type attacks, while Amoonguss can at least deal good damage to Ludicolo.
• Hitmontop and Hariyama: These two Fighting-types can use Wide Guard to protect Amoonguss from spread Fire- and Ice- type attacks. Hitmontop further aids Amoonguss with Intimidate, while Hariyama works especially well under Trick Room.
• Landorus-T and Rhyperior: These two despise Water-type attacks, which Amoonguss can use Rage Powder to redirect unless it's facing Ludicolo or Surf. Amoonguss can also help them by putting Wide Guard users to sleep, while they can hit Flying-types hard with Rock Slide.
• Togekiss: Having another redirector may seem extreme, but it does lure away deadly Flying-type attacks from Amoonguss.

What are its flaws?

Amoonguss's Achilles heel is that it has a weakness to Flying-type attacks, which can hit it anywhere on the field. It also has big problems with Taunt if it doesn't have Mental Herb. Amoonguss's low offensive presence can also be an issue if it's one of the last Pokémon left.

• Crobat: Not only is Crobat the most common user of Flying-type STAB in Unova Classic, but it also has Taunt to block Amoonguss's support moves.
• Safety Goggles: Safety Goggles makes a Pokémon immune to Amoonguss's Spore and Rage Powder, making Amoonguss almost useless against these Pokémon.
• Tornadus: With the rain up, Tornadus easily OHKOes physically defensive Amoonguss with Hurricane.
• Heatran: If Trick Room isn't up, Heatran's Fire-type attacks will deal massive damage to Amoonguss under neutral weather, while Amoonguss can't do much back.
• Ludicolo: Ludicolo will have a hard time KOing specially defensive Amoonguss, but its Grass typing makes it immune to Rage Powder, which can be a problem for the rest of the team.

Crobat

Offensive Support

Crobat @ Sharp Beak / Lum Berry / Mental Herb

Ability: Inner Focus

EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

Jolly Nature

- Brave Bird

- Tailwind

- Quick Guard / Super Fang

- Snatch / Taunt / Super Fang

Bulky Support

Crobat @ Lum Berry / Mental Herb

Ability: Inner Focus

EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe

Jolly / Timid Nature

- Tailwind

- Taunt

- Brave Bird / Super Fang

- Quick Guard / Snatch / Super Fang

What's the big deal?

With Talonflame banned, Crobat becomes quite possibly the best replacement for it, having a similar movepool and good enough Speed to still outspeed most threats. Crobat even has Inner Focus, which means it won't have to worry about Fake Out!

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Brave Bird: This is Crobat's best STAB attack. Even without Attack investment, Crobat OHKOes Ludicolo with it. The most important part of Brave Bird is that it ignores placement, allowing Crobat to attack any Pokémon regardless of where it is on the battlefield.
• Tailwind: Tailwind is the most important support move Crobat has to offer, allowing it to boost the Speed of the entire team for four turns.
• Quick Guard: Since Crobat outspeeds every viable user of Fake Out except for Ludicolo in the rain, it is one of the best users of Quick Guard. Not only is it great for blocking Fake Outs, but it can also save your teammates from other priority attacks such as Bullet Punch.
• Snatch: With Snatch, Crobat can steal opposing Wide Guards and Quick Guards, making it even more of a team player.
• Taunt: Taunt is useful for shutting down support Pokémon. Just note that prominent users of Trick Room such as Cresselia and Jellicent often carry a Mental Herb to block one use of Taunt.
• Super Fang: Super Fang allows Crobat to slice off half the foe's health even if it resists Brave Bird. This is especially handy on bulky Crobat that don't invest in Attack.
• Cross Poison: While difficult to fit into Crobat's moveslots, Cross Poison allows Crobat to hit Fairy-types hard without worrying about far-off redirection. This is especially handy against Togekiss.

Items

• Sharp Beak / Sky Plate: Sharp Beak and Sky Plate give Brave Bird some extra damage without using up a valuable Life Orb slot. Most notably, these guarantee an OHKO on specially defensive Amoonguss.
• Lum Berry / Chesto Berry: If you're especially worried about Smeargle, Lum Berry can be a good choice to take one Dark Void. Use a Chesto Berry if you only care about sleep.
• Mental Herb: With Mental Herb, Crobat no longer has to worry about priority Taunt from the likes of Whimsicott, Thundurus, and Tornadus, nearly guaranteeing a Tailwind setup.

Other Details

If you want to make the most out of Brave Bird, maximize Crobat's Attack, as this allows it to OHKO Timid Whimsicott, Hitmontop (without an Intimidate drop), and specially defensive Amoonguss. If you need Crobat's support moves more or just want to use Super Fang, maximize Crobat's HP stat instead. Regardless, you'll always want Inner Focus so Fake Out isn't a problem for Crobat.

Where should I place this Pokémon?

Since Crobat loves to use Brave Bird and doesn't want to get ganged up on, it works best on the sides of the battlefield, since it can hit any Pokémon with Brave Bird anyway. Only put Crobat in the middle if you desperately need to Taunt a certain Pokémon or after a KO in emergencies.

What partners should I consider?

• Landorus-T: Landorus-T has great synergy with Crobat. It can use Earthquake next to Crobat with no worries, since Crobat is immune to it and can use Snatch to bypass Wide Guard. In return, Landorus-T defeats Heatran and Raikou.
• Terrakion: Terrakion is a good Pokémon to support with Tailwind, since this allows Whimsicott to do things besides boost Terrakion with Beat Up. It also helps Crobat by smashing through Heatran and Togekiss.
• Politoed and rain teams: Even with all the Speed boosts they have, rain teams greatly appreciate Crobat for setting up Tailwind in case they lose their weather or are facing opposing rain teams. Crobat also seriously damages Grass-types like Amoonguss and Whimsicott for them.
• Tyranitar and Excadrill: Since sand teams rely heavily on spread attacks such as Earthquake and Rock Slide, Crobat is an excellent teammate with its Earthquake immunity and Snatch. Tailwind support is also much appreciated when the sand goes away.
• Smeargle: Crobat is one of the best Quick Guarders in the game, making it an especially effective teammate for Smeargle to block Fake Out, allowing it to unleash the deadly Dark Void!

What are its flaws?

Crobat isn't very bulky, even with maximum HP investment. Also, since Crobat heavily relies on its Flying-type STAB, Pokémon that resist it are a big roadblock if Crobat can't fit in Super Fang.

• Electric-types: Electric-types have very little trouble OHKOing Crobat, only fearing rare variants with Wacan Berries and Super Fang.
• Tyranitar: Tyranitar's bulk and Rock typing let it shrug off Brave Bird, allowing it to slam back hard with Rock Slide.
• Togekiss: While Togekiss is hit hard by the rare Cross Poison, it otherwise effectively lures Brave Bird away regardless of where Crobat is, which is a big problem when it's needed for defeating Grass- and Fighting-types.
• Mental Herb + Trick Room Pokémon: Jellicent and Cresselia often have a Mental Herb to ensure a Trick Room setup, which is a big problem for Crobat because it despises Trick Room.
• Heatran: Heatran resists Brave Bird and can hit Crobat hard with its Fire-type STAB moves.
• Slowbro and Slowking: Although uncommon, Slowbro and Slowking have Oblivious, making them free to ignore Taunt while setting up Trick Room.

Hitmontop

Offensive Support

Hitmontop @ Lum Berry / Eject Button / Sitrus Berry

Ability: Intimidate

EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe

Adamant Nature

- Fake Out

- Close Combat

- Wide Guard

- Feint

What's the big deal?

Hitmontop is almost like the Swiss army knife of Unova Classic, offering an incredible amount of support in one package!

Moves

• Fake Out: Hitmontop is one of the best users of Fake Out in Unova Classic, perfect for being a disruptive force.
• Close Combat: Close Combat is Hitmontop's major damage-dealing move, 2HKOing plenty of Pokémon even coming off Hitmontop's average Attack stat.
• Wide Guard: With Wide Guard, Hitmontop can block spread attacks, making it an excellent check to the likes of Landorus-T. Just note that Wide Guard doesn't block Dark Void.
• Feint: Feint allows Hitmontop to break through protection moves. Not only is this good for ensuring a Pokémon using Protect will get hit, it also breaks through Wide Guard and Quick Guard.

Items

• Lum Berry: Lum Berry protects Hitmontop from status one time. This is especially useful against Smeargle, which may choose to Dark Void Hitmontop.
• Eject Button: Eject Button makes Hitmontop switch out after getting hit, letting it get a quick Fake Out in before you switch in something else.
• Sitrus Berry: Sitrus Berry gives Hitmontop a bit of extra health.
• Safety Goggles: Safety Goggles protects Hitmontop against powder moves, which means Amoonguss's Rage Powder and Spore will fail to work against it.

Other Details:

Usually a spread with maximum HP and Attack is the best route for Hitmontop, allowing it to support while dealing out good damage with Close Combat. Technician might be tempting because Hitmontop gets plenty of weaker moves, but Intimidate is too big of a selling point to give up.

Where should I place this Pokémon?

Early-game, it's best to place Hitmontop in the middle so it can Intimidate all of its foes and choose any target to use Fake Out on. However, later in the game, Hitmontop can work well on the sides to avoid getting KOed by certain targets.

What partners should I consider?

• Landorus-T: With Landorus-T, you not only get double the Intimidate power, but you also can use Hitmontop's Feint to clear Wide Guard for Landorus-T. Hitmontop's own Wide Guard also prevents your teammates from getting hit by your Landorus-T's Earthquake.
• Togekiss: Togekiss can use Follow Me to redirect deadly Flying-type attacks away from Hitmontop. In return, Hitmontop deals serious damage to most Steel-types and can block Rock Slide with Wide Guard.
• Hydreigon: Hitmontop has massive problems with Ghost-types and Psychic-types, making Hydreigon an excellent partner with its ability to hit any Pokémon on the field with Dark Pulse.
• Scizor: Scizor loves Hitmontop's extra Feint support, making Quick Guard a cinch to deal with. In return, Scizor is a big help against Gardevoir and Gothitelle.

What are its flaws?

Hitmontop may be a great support Pokémon, but its offensive coverage is pitiful, meaning that anything that resists Fighting-type attacks will totally wall it. Hitmontop also has a big problem with the prominent Flying-type Pokémon.

• Jellicent: Thanks to it being a Ghost-type, Hitmontop can't even touch Jellicent, while it can set up Trick Room or unleash powerful Water Spouts in return.
• Crobat: Crobat doesn't like Hitmontop breaking its Quick Guards with Feint, but otherwise, Hitmontop is easily 2HKOed by Brave Bird even with Intimidate.
• Tornadus: Tornadus is an even bigger issue than usual if using Hitmontop, since it either doesn't care about Intimidate or gets an Attack boost from it, easily OHKOing Hitmontop.
• Togekiss / Amoonguss: These two redirection users resist Close Combat, neutering Hitmontop's offensive capabilities. Togekiss is especially problematic, since it can also hit Hitmontop with Air Slash no matter where it is.
• Milotic: If Milotic is hit by Hitmontop's Intimidate, its Special Attack is doubled, making it a serious offensive threat.
• Braviary: Braviary is especially threatening compared to other Flying-types, since Intimidate will boost its powerful Brave Birds, making Hitmontop easy prey for it.

Whimsicott

Terrakion Trainer

Whimsicott @ Focus Sash

Ability: Prankster

EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe

Timid Nature

- Beat Up

- Tailwind

- Encore

- Safeguard / Taunt / Moonblast / Protect

General Support

Whimsicott @ Coba Berry / Focus Sash

Ability: Prankster

EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe

Bold / Timid Nature

- Moonblast

- Encore

- Tailwind / Trick Room

- Safeguard / Taunt / Protect / Sunny Day

What's the big deal?

Whimsicott is a fast Pokémon with access to Beat Up, making it a perfect partner to Terrakion, forming the TerraCott core. Whimsicott also has access to many other support options including Tailwind, Taunt, and Encore, all of which have priority due to Prankster.

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Beat Up: When used on a Terrakion, Whimsicott can activate Justified up to six times before it attacks. If you've lost a teammate, Beat Up will hit fewer times, however.
• Tailwind: Tailwind is a great form of speed control that also gets priority from Prankster. This allows Whimsicott to use the move before Thundurus and Tornadus can use Taunt.
• Taunt: Whimsicott's high Speed and Prankster give it the fastest Taunt in the game. This allows it to prevent other Pranksters from using status moves. It is also useful for preventing moves such as Trick Room, Spore, and Smeargle's Dark Void. However, many Trick Room users hold a Mental Herb to avoid Taunt once.
• Encore: Encore is useful for locking opponents into relatively useless moves. Good examples of these are Tailwind, Protect, and Fake Out. Successfully locking an opponent into Trick Room means they will actually reverse it. Note that Encore is also blocked by Mental Herb.
• Safeguard: Safeguard is useful for preventing status moves like Dark Void, Spore, and Thunder Wave for five turns. Unlike Taunt, it affects your whole team, so you do not need to worry about placement.
• Moonblast: Whimsicott isn't known for its offensive power, but Moonblast can still come in handy for OHKOing Hydreigon and 2HKOing Kingdra. It also gives Whimsicott something to do if it gets hit by Taunt.
• Protect: Whimsicott is a very valuable target to Fake Out, so using Protect can ruin that idea.
• Trick Room: Trick Room might seem nonsensical on something so fast, but Whimsicott can actually use it against Trick Room teams to reverse it. Also, it can be used as a tool against rain teams as well, removing their Speed advantage.
• Sunny Day: Sunny Day might seem like a strange move, but with Whimsicott's Prankster ability, it stands out as one of the most disruptive Pokémon a rain team could face!

Items

• Focus Sash: With Focus Sash, Whimsicott can heavily punish single targeting, leaving Whimsicott free to support for another turn.
• Coba Berry: If you plan on using a bulkier Whimsicott, Coba Berry is great for surviving Flying-type attacks even after getting hit by the likes of Fake Out.

Other Details

If you are using Whimsicott to support Terrakion, then running a Timid nature is required so Whimsicott can outspeed your own Terrakion. For other Whimsicott, using a Bold nature with a Coba Berry works well against Brave Birds, while using a Calm nature makes Whimsicott harder to take down for rain teams. You can even use Sassy or Relaxed if using Trick Room Whimsicott, to ensure your Encore goes before opposing Whimsicott under Trick Room.

Where should I place this Pokémon?

Whimsicott is such a high-value target that putting it in the middle is almost suicidal at times, so you're better off sticking Whimsicott to the sides, where it has less of a chance of being ganged up on.

What partners should I consider?

• Terrakion: Terrakion forms the other half of the TerraCott core, with Whimsicott making it a fearsome sweeper after using Beat Up. It can also use Quick Guard so Whimsicott can set up Safeguard safely.
• Fake Out Pokémon: Users of Fake Out such as Hitmontop, Hariyama, Ludicolo, and Mienshao love having Whimsicott around, since Fake Out encourages the use of Protect, which Whimsicott can prey on with Encore. Just make sure to watch out for Quick Guard users such as Crobat and Terrakion.
• Gothitelle and Perish Trap: Since Perish Trap teams are all about stalling until Perish Song does its dirty deed, Whimsicott can heavily punish Pokémon that use the wrong move. Also, if you time your Encore right, you can switch Gothitelle in to further punish the opponent.
• Landorus-T and Heatran: If you're using Sunny Day Whimsicott, these two Pokémon especially appreciate the crippling of rain teams. Heatran takes this a step further, being able to unleash powerul Heat Waves or Eruptions when the sun is up!
• Crobat: Having two Tailwind users might be a bit overkill, but Crobat is a big help against Amoonguss, and can even use Quick Guard to block Fake Out for Whimsicott.

What are its flaws?

Like many of the more extreme support Pokémon, Whimsicott only does as well as it teammates: on its own, Whimsicott will lose to most Pokémon one-on-one. Whimsicott also hates Quick Guard, which can be used to block its Encore and Taunts. Whimsicott also has plenty of weaknesses that can be exploited due to its Grass typing.

• Amoonguss: Amoonguss might not be able to lure Whimsicott's Moonblast, but that doesn't matter too much when Amoonguss can OHKO it with Sludge Bomb.
• Flying-types: Since Flying-type attacks ignore placement, Whimsicott can't escape their wrath! Common Flying-types include Crobat, Togekiss, and Tornadus.
• Quick Guard: Because of Prankster, Quick Guard will block Taunt and Encore, limiting Whimsicott's options. Crobat and Terrakion are the most common users of this.
• Scizor: Scizor doesn't really fear much from Whimsicott, as it can use Bullet Punch to hit it before Whimsicott's partners can attack.
• Heatran: Whimsicott only threatens timely Encores on Heatran, otherwise getting OHKOed by a Fire-type attack.
• Gastrodon: In a horribly ironic twist, since Whimsicott doesn't usually run a Grass-type attack, it's threatened by Gastrodon's Sludge Bomb!

Ludicolo

Rain Sweeper

Ludicolo @ Life Orb / Assault Vest

Ability: Swift Swim

EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

Modest / Timid Nature

- Fake Out

- Scald / Hydro Pump / Surf

- Giga Drain / Energy Ball

- Ice Beam

What's the big deal?

Talonflame being stuck in Kalos makes Ludicolo the premier rain sweeper of Unova Classic, since it can hit opposing Water-types hard and is immune to Amoonguss's Rage Powder.

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Fake Out: With rain support, Ludicolo becomes the fastest user of Fake Out in the game! Not only does this allow Ludicolo to outspeed other users of Fake Out, it also means that Ludicolo will outspeed Quick Guard users as well.
• Scald: This is Ludicolo's most reliable Water-type attack, dealing plenty of damage in the rain and having a nice 30% chance to burn foes.
• Hydro Pump: Hydro Pump does have a riskier 80% accuracy, but it makes up for this by giving Ludicolo new potential KOs, such as a 2HKO on Tyranitar in the sand and chances to OHKO Crobat and Hitmontop in the rain.
• Surf: Surf is the least powerful of Ludicolo's Water-type STAB moves, but it gives Ludicolo a spread attack, which can be very useful for cleaning up late-game.
• Giga Drain: Giga Drain is a great choice for a Grass-type STAB attack, allowing Ludicolo to restore a lot of its health against Water-types.
• Energy Ball: Energy Ball is a more high-powered alternative to Giga Drain, guaranteeing a 2HKO on specially defensive Politoed with a Life Orb boost.
• Ice Beam: Ice Beam rounds out Ludicolo's coverage, allowing it to hit Hydreigon hard and OHKO Landorus-T even when the rain isn't up.

Items

• Life Orb: Life Orb gives Ludicolo a healthy amount of power to sweep teams.
• Assault Vest: With Assault Vest, Ludicolo is much more difficult to KO with special attacks, making it a great option against opposing rain teams.

Other Details

Ludicolo will usually prefer a Modest nature so it can deal as much damage as possible in the rain. Timid is reasonable for outspeeding other Ludicolo, but it usually isn't worth the power drop.

Where should I place this Pokémon?

Ludicolo does well in the middle, since this allows it to use Fake Out on any opponent it pleases and hit everything with Surf. Ludicolo can work well on the sides in the late-game, however, if you need to avoid a powerful hit of some sort or only want one teammate to get hit by Surf. Be warned, though, as Ludicolo is especially vulnerable to Pokémon with Flying-type STAB moves when it's used on the side.

What partners should I consider?

• Politoed: Since Ludicolo is based around sweeping in the rain, Politoed is a required teammate with its Drizzle ability.
• Rotom-W: Rotom-W fits well on rain teams, but it's especially useful when paired with Ludicolo. Not only does Rotom-W do a good job at defeating most Flying-type Pokémon, it also has access to Snatch, allowing it to get rid of troublesome Quick Guards and Wide Guards for Ludicolo!
• Zapdos: Zapdos works well against Flying-type Pokémon and can use Tailwind to give Ludicolo a speed advantage even when the rain is gone. In return, Ludicolo does a good job of handling Landorus-T and Terrakion in the rain.
• Landorus-T: Landorus-T's Intimidate softens blows for Ludicolo, and it threatens Ninetales and Tyranitar, while Ludicolo is a big help by dealing massive damage to Water-type Pokémon.
• Gastrodon: If you are using Surf Ludicolo, Gastrodon is an excellent teammate, with Surf increasing its Special Attack due to Storm Drain. Gastrodon also has a better matchup against Trick Room, an archetype that Ludicolo has issues with.
• Togekiss: With Follow Me, Togekiss can redirect harmful Flying-type attacks away from Ludicolo, making it much more difficult to take down. In return, Ludicolo is a great check against Rotom-W.

What are its flaws?

Ludicolo may be an excellent offensive Pokémon in the rain, but as soon as the weather changes, Ludicolo becomes rather easy to defeat due to its mediocre Speed stat. Even when the rain is up, Ludicolo's somewhat low Defense stat makes it very vulnerable against teams that use multiple physical Pokémon, potentially KOing it before it can sweep. It's also rather vulnerable to Flying-type Pokémon when used on the side.

• Whimsicott: While Whimsicott does take severe damage from Ice Beam, it can use Encore to heavily punish any other attack, especially Fake Out. It can even set up Trick Room to cripple Ludicolo.
• Cresselia / Dusclops: Cresselia and Dusclops are extremely bulky users of Trick Room that Ludicolo has little chance of breaking through, which is problematic because Ludicolo struggles against Trick Room teams.
• Crobat: Crobat takes a huge amount of damage from Water-type attacks and Ice Beam, but if Ludicolo is on the side of the field, Crobat can simply OHKO it with Brave Bird without Ludicolo being able to retaliate.
• Weather Changers: These Pokémon can remove the rain, making Ludicolo much easier to defeat. Abomasnow is the most threatening weather changer, since it doesn't fear Ludicolo's STAB attacks. Tyranitar doesn't like Ludicolo's STAB attacks, but only Hydro Pump has a good shot at 2HKOing it. Ninetales isn't very common, but its Drought will even make Ludicolo's Water-type attacks extremely weak.

Terrakion

Justified Sweeper

Terrakion @ Life Orb

Ability: Justified

EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

Jolly Nature

- Rock Slide

- Close Combat

- Protect

- Quick Guard

What's the big deal?

Terrakion has a fast, powerful STAB Rock Slide, which is already enough reason to use it. However, Terrakion takes this a step further with Justified: if you use Beat Up on it, it nearly maxes out its Attack stat, making it an extremely powerful spread sweeper!

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Rock Slide: This is Terrakion's spread attack. It isn't too powerful until Terrakion gets a boost, but it can still be good to use for chip damage and potential flinches.
• Close Combat: This is Terrakion's most powerful attack and a way to get around Wide Guard.
• Quick Guard: Quick Guard lets Terrakion stop priority moves.

Items

• Life Orb: Since Terrakion's goal is to rapidly sweep teams with boosted Rock Slides, it's best to use Life Orb for the extra damage.

Other Details

You'll want a Jolly nature, since Terrakion doesn't last long, and going first can make the difference in battle!

Where should I place this Pokémon?

Since Terrakion is all about spread attack sweeping, you'll want to place it in the middle so it can slam every target with Rock Slide. However, if you don't think Terrakion will be able to sweep a certain team, then placing it on the sides to avoid getting ganged up on can still work.

What partners should I consider?

• Whimsicott: Terrakion should almost always be paired with Whimsicott, since it's by far the best user of Beat Up in Unova Classic. It also can use Trick Room to undo a foe's use of it for Terrakion.
• Crobat: Crobat is an excellent offensive support Pokémon to pair with Terrakion. Crobat is the best user of Tailwind in the game and can use Quick Guard to prevent Terrakion from getting sniped by priority. It also deals with Fighting-types quite well. Finally, it can also use Snatch to get rid of Wide Guard.
• Hitmontop: While their typings overlap, Hitmontop is one of the best users of Feint in the game, getting rid of pesky Wide Guards while providing useful Intimidate support for Terrakion. Hitmontop can use Wide Guard itself to save Terrakion from Earthquakes, while Terrakion hits Flying-types hard with Rock Slide.
• Rotom-W: Rotom-W is a user of Snatch that does particularly well against Politoed, an issue for Terrakion.
• Ninetales: While they both share an unfortunate weakness to Ground-type attacks, Ninetales can use its Drought to save Terrakion from the onslaught of rain teams.

What are its flaws?

Terrakion isn't a very bulky Pokémon, making it fairly easy to revenge kill with faster Pokémon. Also, if you can't manage to boost its Attack with Beat Up, while it's still very usable, it becomes much easier to check. Finally, the Beat Up Terrakion strategy has big problems with rain teams.

• Politoed and rain teams: Politoed itself is hit hard by Close Combat, but the fast rain sweepers are too much for Terrakion to handle.
• Landorus-T: Most Landorus-T equip themselves with a Choice Scarf, letting them outspeed Terrakion and destroy it with Earthquake.
• Hitmontop: With an Intimidate drop, Terrakion has no chance of defeating Hitmontop without boosts, while Hitmontop easily OHKOes with Close Combat.
• Scizor: While Terrakion can protect itself with Quick Guard, Scizor's Bullet Punch makes it difficult for Terrakion to go on the offensive.
• Excadrill: If the sand is up, Excadrill has little issues outspeeding and OHKOing Terrakion with Iron Head or Earthquake.

Cresselia

Trick Room Setter

Cresselia @ Mental Herb / Chesto Berry

Ability: Levitate

EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD

IVs: 0 Spe

Sassy Nature

- Trick Room

- Psychic

- Helping Hand / Safeguard

- Skill Swap / Safeguard

What's the big deal?

Cresselia is one of the most reliable users of Trick Room in Unova Classic. While its offenses are lackluster compared to those of Jellicent, it makes up for that with an excellent support movepool and far better bulk.

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Trick Room: Trick Room is the entire point of Cresselia, letting slower Pokémon move first.
• Psychic: Psychic gives Cresselia something to do while it's Taunted, and it also can 2HKO threats such as Hitmontop and offensive Crobat.
• Helping Hand: With Helping Hand, you can give any partner next to Cresselia the equivalent of a Choice Band or Choice Specs boost for one turn. This is especially useful with spread attackers.
• Skill Swap: Many people who played VGC may remember Skill Swap Cresselia for resetting the weather. While it can do that too, it's especially good when paired with Heatran, since Heatran is much more difficult to take out with Levitate!
• Safeguard: If you're using a Chesto Berry, Safeguard is highly recommended; since Cresselia is a major target of sleep moves, it can shut them down and cripple opponents like Smeargle and Amoonguss.

Items

• Mental Herb: Taunt is a big problem for Cresselia, which is why Mental Herb is a great choice for preventing Pokémon such as Crobat from getting their way!
• Chesto Berry: Cresselia is a big target for sleep moves, so when paired with Safeguard, Chesto Berry can shock sleep users into submission. While Lum Berry also works, running Chesto Berry on Cresselia lets you put Lum Berry on physical attackers such as Hitmontop or Scizor.

Other Details

The given Cresselia spread lets it take the lowest amount of damage from Choice Specs Hydreigon's Dark Pulse, but feel free to use a damage calculator to make your own custom spread.

Where should I place this Pokémon?

Even with Cresselia's bulk, ganging up on it can be a big problem when the team relies on it to set up Trick Room, so it usually does its job best on the sides.

What partners should I consider?

• Heatran: Eruption Heatran is a terror under Trick Room, and it gets further buffed by Levitate if Cresselia uses Skill Swap on it. Cresselia also deals good damage to Fighting-types with Psychic, so they can be softened up in the range of Heat Wave KOs.
• Jellicent: Jellicent is an excellent backup user of Trick Room, because unlike Cresselia, Jellicent tends to be used offensively. This means you can even send both of them out together to keep your opponent guessing as to which one will set up Trick Room!
• Amoonguss: Amoonguss is terrifying under Trick Room thanks to its high-speed Spore. It also supports Cresselia with Rage Powder, which will lure Hydreigon's dreaded Dark Pulses away from Cresselia.
• Hariyama: Hariyama is extremely powerful under Trick Room, and as a bonus, it smashes Hydreigon and Tyranitar to pieces with Close Combat.
• Abomasnow: Abomasnow may not have a high Special Attack stat, but its 100% accurate Blizzards and weather changing more than make up for that! It also appreciates Cresselia's ability to weaken Fighting-types into Blizzard's KO range.

What are its flaws?

Cresselia is incredibly lacking in the offensive department, meaning it relies on its teammates to pick up the slack. This means that Cresselia does poorly when it's the last Pokémon standing. Also, Cresselia is forced to choose between blocking Taunt or sleep, which can be very frusterating.

• Amoonguss: Any Cresselia that lacks Safeguard and/or Chesto Berry will have a difficult time with Amoonguss, as it can put Cresselia to sleep before it can set up Trick Room.
• Whimsicott: Whimsicott shuts down Cresselia that lack Mental Herb with Taunt, but it also learns Trick Room itself, which it can use to undo Cresselia's hard work!
• Crobat: Crobat is one of the best users of Taunt, so any Cresselia that lacks Mental Herb must beware. Just note that Psychic deals serious damage to Crobat.
• Tyranitar: Tyranitar not only loves Trick Room, it also loves taking bites out of Cresselia with Crunch while Cresselia unable to do anything in return.
• Hydreigon: Being a Dark-type, Hydreigon has nothing to fear from Cresselia's assaults, letting it slam Cresselia with Dark Pulse.
• Perish Trap: With Politoed and Gothitelle together, Cresselia stands out as a total deadweight when it comes to stopping the threat of Perish Song.

Togekiss

Follow Me!

Togekiss @ Sitrus Berry / Chesto Berry / Mental Herb

Ability: Serene Grace

EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD

Calm / Bold Nature

- Follow Me

- Air Slash

- Tailwind / Safeguard

- Dazzling Gleam / Safeguard / Helping Hand / Protect

What's the big deal?

Amoonguss may be the most dangerous Pokémon with redirection in the game, but never underestimate Togekiss, because it puts a totally different spin on the job thanks to Follow Me and a dramatically different typing!

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Follow Me: This is the reason to use Togekiss, as it's actually the best redirection move in the game, since unlike Rage Powder, Grass-types and users of Safety Goggles have no chance of avoiding it!
• Air Slash: Air Slash is even better than usual. Not only does it have a 60% chance to flinch your opponent, but it's also a cross-field move since it's a Flying-type attack.
• Tailwind: Tailwind is great for giving your team a Speed advantage. While most Togekiss use this, it doesn't have to if your team already has Tailwind support or if you are using Togekiss on Trick Room.
• Safeguard: If sleep from the likes of Amoonguss worries you, Safeguard can be a good way to put that to a stop.
• Dazzling Gleam: Dazzling Gleam is a rather weak spread move, but it OHKOes Hydreigon and 2HKOes Kingdra, so it makes Togekiss a useful check against Dragon-types.
• Helping Hand: Helping Hand is a big surprise to most opponents, since it's only obtainable in Pokémon XD. While this is a great support move for Togekiss's offensive partners, it is very difficult to get a good Helping Hand Togepi.
• Protect: Using Protect requires giving up coverage or support moves, but since Togekiss is a high value target, it can be worth it in the end!

Items

• Sitrus Berry: Since Togekiss is all about attracting attacks to itself, Sitrus Berry is highly reccomended so it can use its meat shield powers for a while longer.
• Chesto Berry: If you're using Safeguard, Chesto Berry can screw up the plans of Choice Scarf Smeargle while still freeing up a Lum Berry slot.
• Mental Herb: If you're especially worried about Taunt, then consider using Mental Herb to block one use of it.

Other Details

A Calm nature and maximum HP and Special Defense investment let Togekiss take on the more powerful special attacks of Unova Classic, such as rain-boosted attacks and Flash Cannons. However, making a customized spread isn't out of the question either, since Togekiss is bulky enough to survive surprising attacks if you EV it to.

Where should I place this Pokémon?

If you want to lure in the maximum amount of attacks, then Togekiss fits in well in the middle. However, if you don't lead with Togekiss, switching it in on the sides isn't a bad idea, since even something as bulky as Togekiss can fall if it's attacked by three Pokémon at once!

What partners should I consider?

• Hydreigon and Kingdra: Ironically, Hydreigon's arch-nemesis is its best friend too, since Togekiss can lure Fighting- and Dragon-type attacks away from Hydreigon. Kingdra is in a similar boat, loving the disposal of Dragon-type attacks.
• Tyranitar and Excadrill: Togekiss takes on Fighting- and Bug-type attacks like a breeze, which is great news for Tyranitar. It also helps that Togekiss is immune to Excadrill's Earthquake, making it a great option on sand teams.
• Gastrodon: Most Water-types like having Grass-type attacks lured away by Togekiss, but this is especially useful for Gastrodon with its 4x weakness to them.
• Fighting-types: Hitmontop, Hariyama, and Mienshao loathe how Flying-type attacks can come from any direction, but Togekiss can save the day with Follow Me!
• Gothitelle and Perish Trap: Togekiss is an extremely deadly teammate for Perish Trap teams, since it can lure the likes of Dark Pulse away from Gothitelle while not having to worry about Pokémon like Ludicolo or Amoonguss touching it depending on the positioning.
• Amoonguss: While having two redirectors can be a bit overkill, Amoonguss happens to take Electric-type attacks like a rug shock, while Togekiss deals with Amoonguss's big Flying-type issues.
• Thundurus: Thundurus is one of the few good users of Thunder Wave in Unova Classic. If you get a Pokémon paralyzed, they may be in for a rude awakening when hit by Air Slash!
• Heatran: Togekiss lures those devastating Fighting- and Water-type attacks away from Heatran, while in return, Heatran roasts Steel-types such as Scizor and Bisharp.

What are its flaws?

Togekiss is highly reliant on Follow Me to be a big part of the team. If Togekiss is shut down via Taunt or isn't positioned correctly, it can end up being a bit of a dead weight outside of fishing for flinches. This is especially true against Steel-types, which Togekiss struggles against.

• Crobat: Crobat can't even be stopped by Fake Out, so if Togekiss lacks Mental Herb, it's easily shut down by Taunt.
• Scizor: Scizor doesn't have to worry about Air Slash thanks to Bullet Punch, only fearing the rare Flamethrower Togekiss.
• Heatran: Heatran doesn't always run Flash Cannon, but even without that, Heatran tends to use spread attacks that ignore Follow Me, forcing Togekiss to rely on flinches to harm it.
• Bisharp: Unlike most Steel-types, Bisharp gets boosted from Intimidate, so little is stopping this Pokémon from hitting Togekiss hard with Iron Head.
• Electric-types: Zapdos, Thundurus, and Rotom-W don't have much to fear from Togekiss, hitting it hard with Thunderbolt or even Thunder in the rain.
• Abomasnow: Air Slash deals plenty of damage to Abomasnow, but if Trick Room is up, Togekiss is easily 2HKOed by Blizzard.
• Smeargle: Unless Togekiss has a Chesto or Lum Berry, a Choice Scarf Smeargle could ignore Follow Me and go straight for a sleep with Dark Void.

Kingdra

Choice Specs

Kingdra @ Choice Specs

Ability: Swift Swim

EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

Modest / Timid Nature

- Muddy Water / Surf

- Dragon Pulse

- Hydro Pump / Scald

- Draco Meteor / Ice Beam

Life Orb Attacker

Life Orb Attacker

Kingdra @ Life Orb

Ability: Swift Swim

EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

Modest / Timid Nature

- Muddy Water / Surf

- Dragon Pulse

- Hydro Pump / Scald / Ice Beam

- Protect

What's the big deal?

In many metagames in the past, Ludicolo has tended to overshadow Kingdra. Unova Classic is a different story, however, with Kingdra having a better spread attack and a move that ignores placement.

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Muddy Water: While Muddy Water has slightly shaky accuracy, it's a great spread attack compared to Surf because it doesn't hit Kingdra's teammates and has a shot at lowering the opposing Pokémon's accuracy.
• Surf: While Surf's better accuracy isn't usually a reason to use it over Muddy Water, it can be very useful if Kingdra is paired with Jellicent or Gastrodon to restore their health or boost their Special Attack, respectively.
• Dragon Pulse: While Dragon Pulse isn't that powerful, it does ignore placement, letting Kingdra hit Pokémon no matter where they are! It also slams Hydreigon with no Special Attack drop.
• Hydro Pump: Hydro Pump is Kingdra's most powerful single-target attack in the rain, allowing it to OHKO threats such as bulky Crobat.
• Scald: If you're worried about the reliability of Hydro Pump, Scald makes an acceptable attack that gets around Wide Guard.
• Draco Meteor: Draco Meteor is Kingdra's strongest attack outside of rain-boosted moves. However, the Special Attack drop usually forces Kingdra to switch, so this should be used sparingly compared to Dragon Pulse.
• Ice Beam: While Ice Beam doesn't offer much in the way of coverage, it does much more damage to Amoonguss and Whimsicott than any other option besides Draco Meteor and outright 2HKOes physically defensive Amoonguss.

Items

• Choice Specs: Choice Specs is a great choice for boosting Kingdra's power, since Kingdra is often paired with Life Orb Ludicolo.
• Life Orb: If you aren't running Life Orb Ludicolo, then the item is still a good choice on Kingdra to give it a slot for Protect and the ability to change moves.

Other Details

Usually, you'll want a Modest nature for Kingdra to deal as much damage as possible, since it has more than enough Speed to outspeed almost everything under the rain. However, Kingdra is common enough to the point where Timid can be a reasonable option to outspeed and OHKO opposing Kingdra with Dragon Pulse, but the power drop is noticable.

Where should I place this Pokémon?

Kingdra is among the few Pokémon that are very versatile in their placement options. It works great on the sides to snipe Pokémon with Dragon Pulse early-game, while later in the game, it can switch or shift to the middle to slam foes with Muddy Water.

What partners should I consider?

• Politoed: Politoed's Drizzle is a requirement for Kingdra to become a big threat, so don't leave home without it!
• Ludiculo: Ludicolo fills a similar role to Kingdra, but because they don't share weaknesses, they can become a devastating duo against teams that can't stop the rain.
• Amoongus: Amoonguss comes in handy with dealing with Whimsicott and lures away Dragon Pulses from the likes of Hydreigon, letting Kingdra choose its targets more freely.
• Jellicent and Gastrodon: Jellicent and Gastrodon are Trick Room extraordinaires that love being hit by Surf, with Jellicent restoring some of its health while Gastrodon gets its Special Attack boosted.
• Zapdos and Thundurus: These Electric-types can be useful for hitting Togekiss hard, which can make Dragon Pulse useless with Follow Me.
• Crobat: Crobat's Tailwind actually comes in handy by giving Kingdra an advantage over opposing rain teams. Crobat can also use Snatch to get rid of Wide Guard so Kingdra can freely use Muddy Water.
• Hitmontop: Hitmontop is one of the best users of Feint in the game, making it a prime remover of Wide Guard for Kingdra. Intimidate also comes in handy, allowing Kingdra to take physical hits better.
• Rain Dance Pokémon: Rain Dance might not seem needed with Politoed around, but weather changers and manual weather moves like Sunny Day can be devastating for Kingdra, so packing in Rain Dance can be a good emergency tactic.

What are its flaws?

Kingdra is highly reliant on the rain. Without a storm brewing, Kingdra is practically crippled compared to Pokémon like Hydreigon, being slow and not very powerful. Kingdra also isn't that bulky, meaning that if its spread attacks are blocked with Wide Guard, it's fairly easy to take out for most offensive Pokémon.

• Whimsicott: Whimsicott can take anything Kingdra throws at it except for Ice Beam, while it 2HKOes Kingdra with Moonblast or nullifies the Speed advantage with Tailwind.
• Weather changers: As soon as the rain is gone, Kingdra has a much harder time functioning. Abomasnow is the worst news for Kingdra, since it can tank Kingdra's Water-type attacks and hit back with powerful Blizzards. Ninetales and Sunny Day users cripple Kingdra's Water-type attacks as well, while the sand makes Kingdra helpless against Excadrill.
• Trick Room setters: Kingdra despises Trick Room, since it transforms it from a speed demon to a couch potato! Jellicent is the most fearsome one, since it's immune to Water-type attacks and has the bulk to take Dragon-type ones. Cresselia and Dusclops are threats as well, though they get hit hard by boosted Water-type attacks.
• Amoonguss and Togekiss: Amoonguss and Togekiss are the most prominent redirection Pokémon, meaning they can make Dragon Pulse useless against big threats such as Hydreigon. Just note that Amoonguss can get 2HKOed by Ice Beam, while Togekiss is 2HKOed by Water-type attacks in the rain.

Gastrodon

Storm Drainer

Gastrodon @ Life Orb / Expert Belt / Rindo Berry

Ability: Storm Drain

EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA

IVs: 0 Spe

Quiet Nature

- Earth Power

- Muddy Water / Surf

- Sludge Bomb

- Protect

What's the big deal?

Gastrodon is the best Storm Drain Pokémon in Unova Classic, making it an effective blocker of Water-type attacks, and it is actually fairly dangerous under Trick Room as well.

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Earth Power: This is Gastrodon's least risky STAB move, not having to worry about weather and grabbing an easy OHKO on Heatran.
• Muddy Water: Muddy Water is an excellent spread attack, not hitting Gastrodon's teammates (unlike Surf) and being able to lower the accuracy of its foes, at the cost of having a 15% chance to miss.
• Surf: If you are pairing Gastrodon with Jellicent, Surf can be a good way to support it.
• Sludge Bomb: With Sludge Bomb, Gastrodon can actually deal serious damage to the Grass-types it hates so much, OHKOing Whimsicott and 2HKOing Ludicolo.

Items

• Life Orb: Life Orb may seem strange on Gastrodon, but it gives Gastrodon plenty of power to take advantage of switching into Water-type attacks.
• Expert Belt: If another Pokémon is already using Life Orb, Expert Belt makes for a fine replacement, though Gastrodon will lose the ability to 2HKO Assault Vest Ludicolo.
• Rindo Berry: With Rindo Berry, Gastrodon can survive one Grass-type attack, which is especially useful against the likes of Ludicolo.

Other Details

Since Gastrodon is so incredibly slow, it's best to use a Quiet nature and a Speed IV of 0 so that it can function on Trick Room teams. Storm Drain should always be used, since drawing in Water-type attacks is too valuable to ignore.

Where should I place this Pokémon?

Like most spread attackers, Gastrodon likes to go in the middle so it can hit all of its foes. However, because Gastrodon is all about using Storm Drain, many times it's best to switch it in on a predicted Water-type attack, so in these cases, sending it in on the sides isn't a bad idea.

What partners should I consider?

• Politoed: With Politoed on Gastrodon's side, the rain will make Muddy Water much more powerful. As a bonus, Politoed can also use Surf to boost Gastrodon's Special Attack.
• Trick Room Pokémon: Gastrodon's low Speed makes it perfect to use under Trick Room. Jellicent is very notable if you are using Surf Gastrodon, since then you can restore its health. Cresselia and Dusclops are still fine options otherwise.
• Heatran: Heatran benefits a lot from Storm Drain, ironically letting it wall many Water-types. In return, Heatran is a great tool against Amoonguss and Whimsicott.
• Scizor and Escavalier: Scizor benefits from rain, but most notably, if Trick Room is up it can OHKO Ludicolo with Bug Bite, which is great news for Gastrodon. In return, Gastrodon protects Scizor from powerful Scalds and Hydro Pumps. Escavalier works in a similar manner, but it trades priority attacking for being immune to Amoonguss's Spore.
• Hitmontop and Hariyama: These two are among the premier users of Feint, and when Trick Room is up, they can hit Ludicolo hard with Close Combat. Hariyama is an excellent choice on Trick Room teams, but Hitmontop can come in handy with Intimidate.
• Amoonguss: While Amoonguss won't be attracting Grass-type attacks, it does a fantastic job on Trick Room teams of putting dangerous foes to sleep, while Gastrodon helps it out against Heatran.
• Togekiss: Togekiss can use Follow Me to make a mockery of attempts to hit Gastrodon with Grass-type attacks, allowing Gastrodon to actually defeat Pokémon such as Ludicolo with Sludge Bomb.

What are its flaws?

The big elephant in the room is Gastrodon's 4x Grass-type weakness, which is a big problem with Amoonguss and Ludicolo being so common. Gastrodon also has a mediocre Defense stat, leaving it rather vulnerable to physical attackers without Intimidate support.

• Amoonguss: Amoonguss is Gastrodon's worst nightmare, being able to tank anything it has while slamming Gastrodon with Giga Drain or Spore.
• Ludicolo: Ludicolo always carries a Grass-type attack, meaning it OHKOes Gastrodon that lack Rindo Berry and often is the key rain teams have for beating Gastrodon. Just note that Ludicolo takes a lot from Sludge Bomb.
• Abomasnow: Abomasnow gets rid of the valuable rain while slamming Gastrodon with STAB Grass-type attacks. However, Sludge Bomb does serious damage to Abomasnow, and Gastrodon will move before it under Trick Room.
• Jellicent: Although it is not very common on Jellicent, some do run Energy Ball specifically to hit Gastrodon, which is bad news because Jellicent is far too bulky for Gastrodon to take down on its own.

Heatran

Trick Room Attacker

Heatran @ Charcoal / Shuca Berry / Safety Goggles

Ability: Flash Fire

EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA

IVs: 0 Spe

Quiet Nature

- Eruption

- Flamethrower / Heat Wave

- Earth Power

- Protect

Special Attacker

Heatran @ Life Orb / Safety Goggles / Shuca Berry

Ability: Flash Fire

EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe

Modest Nature

- Heat Wave

- Earth Power

- Flash Cannon

- Protect

What's the big deal?

Heatran is by far the best Fire-type of Unova Classic. With great spread attacks and a good defensive typing, Heatran is a threat both in and out of Trick Room.

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Eruption: On Trick Room Heatran, Eruption is a tour de force of a move, being the most powerful spread attack in Unova Classic! However, note that getting an Eruption Heatran requires an old Wi-Fi event on Pokémon Ranger
• Flamethrower: On Trick Room Heatran, Flamethrower should get serious consideration over Heat Wave, since it gives Heatran a STAB attack that doesn't get blocked by Wide Guard.
• Heat Wave: Heat Wave is Heatran's second best choice for a spread attack if you can't get a good Eruption Heatran, and it still packs enough power to be threatening.
• Earth Power: In order to deal with opposing Heatran, you'll need Earth Power to even touch them.
• Flash Cannon: On non-Trick Room Heatran, you can fit in Flash Cannon to hit Fairies such as Togekiss and Gardevoir hard.

Items

• Charcoal: Since Eruption relies on Heatran having nearly full health, Life Orb is a no-go, with Charcoal acting as a fine way to boost Eruption instead.
• Life Orb: For Heatran that don't have Eruption, Life Orb is a good choice for boosting Heat Wave's power.
• Shuca Berry: Heatran's Ground-type weakness can get a bit crippling at times, so Shuca Berry will let it take one Earthquake before going down.
• Safety Goggles: For those of you who hate Amoonguss, Safety Goggles Heatran is an excellent choice, as without Spore and Rage Powder looming over Heatran, Amoonguss is helpless against it!

Other Details

For the Trick Room attacker, you'll want 0 Speed IVs so you can underspeed potential threats such as Tyranitar.

Where should I place this Pokémon?

Heatran is at its most dangerous in the center of the battlefield, where it can use Eruption or Heat Wave with impunity. However, Heatran is fine with going on the side as well to conserve HP for Eruption.

What partners should I consider?

• Trick Room Pokémon: Of course, for the Trick Room attacker to work, it'll need Trick Room Pokémon. Dusclops and Whimsicott stand out in this case, since they're also both effective users of Sunny Day, which will make Heatran obscenely powerful. Jellicent also works out in a dual weather sort of way, while Cresselia can aid Heatran by Skill Swapping it Levitate.
• Wide Guard Pokémon: Hitmontop and Hariyama are the prime users of Wide Guard, and they work out great for Heatran by blocking out the deadly Earthquakes and Surfs heading its way. In return, Heatran does well against most Flying-type Pokémon in Unova Classic.
• Amoonguss: Amoonguss is a terror on Trick Room teams in general, and it fits in with Heatran for being able to use Rage Powder to whisk away deadly Water-type attacks. In return, Heatran deep fries Steel-types.
• Gastrodon: For those of you who are worried about single-target Water-type attacks, Gastrodon takes care of that nicely with Storm Drain, while Heatran can help against the fight with Amoonguss by wearing Safety Goggles.
• Zapdos: Zapdos does very well against most Water-types thanks to its Electric-type STAB, and it can use Tailwind so Heatran can outspeed many more Pokémon than usual (provided you have EVed it to do so).
• Ninetales: Ninetales and Heatran don't cover each other very well, but Ninetales can screw up rain teams and provide Heatran with some serious firepower via the sun.

What are its flaws?

Besides the huge weakness to Ground-type attacks, Heatran does rather poorly against rain teams without Sunny Day support. Heatran also has a weakness to Fighting, which is a big problem because most Fighting-types in Unova Classic have high-powered STAB moves.

• Politoed and rain teams: As soon as Politoed comes into play, Heatran is in big trouble, because its STAB attacks don't hit very hard when the rain's pouring down.
• Gastrodon: Gastrodon totally walls Heatran except for the rare Hidden Power Grass variants.
• Landorus-T and Excadrill: These two can't really handle Heatran's STAB moves, but they are faster and learn Earthquake.
• Hitmontop and Hariyama: Neither of these two take Fire-type attacks well, but they can slam Heatran hard with Close Combat. This is especially a problem with Hariyama, which underspeeds Heatran in Trick Room.

Jellicent

Offensive Trick Room Setter

Jellicent @ Mental Herb / Lum Berry / Sitrus Berry

Ability: Water Absorb / Cursed Body

EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD

IVs: 0 Spe

Quiet Nature

- Trick Room

- Water Spout

- Shadow Ball / Energy Ball

- Recover

What's the big deal?

Unlike most Trick Room setters, Jellicent has a potent offensive move in the form of Water Spout. Combine this with rain support, and you have one of the most dangerous Trick Room Pokémon in Unova Classic!

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Trick Room: This is what Jellicent needs to set up for its team to become bulky speed demons, and what it needs to sweep.
• Water Spout: When Jellicent has a good amount of health, Water Spout can be devastating even off its average Special Attack stat!
• Shadow Ball: Shadow Ball is a good backup move for when Jellicent is at too low health for Water Spout to do much or the weather is unfavorable, and it is a good way to slam Gothitelle and opposing Jellicent.
• Recover: With Recover, Jellicent can get its health back up to a reasonable enough level so it can deal a huge amount of damage with Water Spout again.
• Will-O-Wisp: While difficult to fit in Jellicent's moveset, Will-O-Wisp can be a nasty surprise to physical attackers.
• Energy Ball: Energy Ball Jellicent is more than just a meme: it can be used to defeat Gastrodon, a big problem for Jellicent! However, it is rather difficult to fit on Jellicent's moveset, as it'd have to replace Shadow Ball.

Items

• Mental Herb: Mental Herb ensures a setup of Trick Room even in the face of Taunt, which is particularly devastating for fast support Pokémon such as Crobat.
• Lum Berry: If you're more worried about being put to sleep than being Taunted, then Lum Berry is a good option to consider.
• Sitrus Berry: Sitrus Berry gives Jellicent another recovery source besides Recover, which can come in handy if it gets ganged up on.

Other Details

Like most spread attackers, Jellicent feels most at home in the middle, where it can use Water Spout to hit every Pokémon. However, since Jellicent sets up Trick Room, it's an extremely high-value target that's vulnerable to being ganged up on. Because of this, putting Jellicent on the sides isn't a bad idea if you need Trick Room up above all else.

Where should I place this Pokémon?

Ludicolo does well in the middle, since this allows it to use Fake Out on any opponent it pleases and hit everything with Surf. Ludicolo can work well on the sides in the late-game, however, if you need to avoid a powerful hit of some sort or only want one teammate to get hit by Surf. Be warned, though, as Ludicolo is especially vulnerable to Pokémon with Flying-type STAB moves when it's used on the side.

What partners should I consider?

• Politoed: With Politoed's rain, Jellicent's Water Spouts become much more powerful! It can also use Surf to restore some of Jellicent's health, letting Jellicent attack instead of using Recover.
• Amoonguss: Amoonguss is an absolute terror under Jellicent's Trick Room, being able to put almost anything to sleep before it moves! As a bonus, Amoonguss is a great counter to Gastrodon and a decent check to Ludicolo, while Jellicent can slam Heatran with Water Spout.
• Heatran: If you aren't using Jellicent in rain, Heatran is a very deadly partner with its strong Eruptions. The deadly Eruption Heatran has will in fact discourage foes from using Sunny Day against Jellicent.
• Smeargle: A level 1 Smeargle is a deadly partner for Jellicent, being able to put most Pokémon to sleep after Trick Room and slamming threats with Endeavor that Jellicent can't hurt much.
• Abomasnow: Abomasnow becomes a much deadlier spread attacker under Trick Room and also appreciates Jellicent's ability to check Heatran.
• Hariyama and Hitmontop: Hariyama and Hitmontop are among the best Feint users around, which is important for allowing Water Spout to break through Wide Guard. Hariyama works especially well because it becomes a big threat on Trick Room teams, but Hitmontop is still a reasonable option for its useful Intimidate support. Both of these Pokémon are also good Hydreigon checks.
• Kecleon: Althrough rather obscure, Kecleon makes a great backup user of Trick Room that can also break through Wide Guard with Feint.

What are its flaws?

Jellicent is highly reliant on Trick Room to work. If Jellicent can't set it up, it becomes much easier to check. Jellicent also doesn't have fantastic coverage with Shadow Ball being fairly weak, making it easy to wall with Pokémon that resist Water.

• Hydreigon: Hydreigon is Jellicent's archnemesis, being able to hit it hard with Dark Pulse regardless of its placement and resisting Water Spout.
• Amoonguss: Amoonguss is a big threat to any Jellicent that lacks Lum Berry, since it can use Spore to put Jellicent to sleep before Trick Room is set up. It can also deal decent damage to Jellicent with Giga Drain.
• Abomasnow: Abomasnow loves Trick Room and is able to 2HKO Jellicent with its Grass-type attacks. Thanks to Snow Warning, Water Spout won't be able to deal its full rain-boosted damage either.
• Gastrodon: Gastrodon has an immunity to Water Spout and takes little damage from Shadow Ball, making Jellicent nearly useless against it.
• Ludicolo: While Ludicolo hates Trick Room, it can deal serious damage to Jellicent with Giga Drain or Energy Ball.
• Taunt Users: Pokémon that use Taunt such as Crobat, Whimsicott, Tornadus, and Thundurus can stop Trick Room from going up if Jellicent isn't using Mental Herb.

Zapdos

Offensive Tailwind

Zapdos @ Sitrus Berry / Chesto Berry / Safety Goggles

Ability: Static

EVs: 68 HP / 252 SpA / 188 Spe

Modest Nature

- Tailwind

- Thunderbolt

- Heat Wave / Hidden Power Ice / Roost

- Roost / Light Screen

What's the big deal?

Zapdos is an excellent choice for an offensive user of Tailwind, having decent bulk, great power, and an awesome typing to take advantage of it.

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Tailwind: Tailwind doubles your team's Speed, which is especially good for Zapdos because it's fairly fast itself.
• Thunderbolt: Thunderbolt is Zapdos's main STAB attack.
• Heat Wave: With this, Zapdos has a spread attack that seriously damages most Steel- and Grass-types.
• Hidden Power Ice: If your main goal is to blast Landorus-T, then Hidden Power Ice is a good choice.
• Roost: Roost takes advantage of Zapdos's bulk while removing an annoying weakness to Rock-type attacks. Just watch out for Earthquake!
• Light Screen: Even with it only boosting your team's Special Defense by 33%, this can still be enough to screw up your opponent's plans.

Items

• Sitrus Berry: Even with the offensive investment, Zapdos still prefers the extra recovery from Sitrus Berry over an offensive item.
• Chesto Berry: If you're especially worried about Smeargle, Chesto Berry can save the day and allow you to set up Tailwind in its face!
• Safety Goggles: If you're worried about Amoonguss using Rage Powder or Spore, Safety Goggles will make Zapdos immune to these shenanigans.

Other Details

The given EV spread gives Zapdos maximum power while outspeeding Adamant Landorus-T by one point. However, Zapdos is a very customizable Pokémon, with Bold, Calm, and Timid natures being viable too depending on the build you want.

Where should I place this Pokémon?

Zapdos is very flexible placement-wise. Going on the sides isn't a bad idea to give it a longer lifespan, but Zapdos also works on the middle so it can hit everything with Heat Wave.

What partners should I consider?

• Landorus-T: Landorus-T always appreciates a support Pokémon that's immune to Earthquake, especially one that can zap troublesome Water-types.
• Hitmontop: Zapdos despises Rock Slide and Blizzard, so Hitmontop is just the medicine Zapdos needs thanks to Wide Guard and Intimidate. In return, Zapdos can fry Jellicent for Hitmontop.
• Tyranitar and Excadrill: Zapdos is great insurance for sand teams, providing useful Tailwind support in case Politoed comes to rain on their parade. It also helps that Zapdos hits Water-types hard while being immune to Earthquake.
• Ninetales: Unlike most Electric-types, Zapdos fits in fairly well on sun teams thanks to Heat Wave. Zapdos and Ninetales together can terrorize rain teams in particular.

What are its flaws?

Zapdos's biggest problem is that it gets hit rather hard by Rock Slide, and it also has to choose between great bulk and great offense.

• Tyranitar: Zapdos has no hope of breaking through Tyranitar, leaving it open to getting hit hard by Rock Slide.
• Landorus-T and Excadrill: These two are often faster than Zapdos, either via Choice Scarf or Sand Rush, and they can hit Zapdos hard with Rock Slide.
• Whimsicott: While Whimsicott hates Heat Wave, be careful about using Tailwind against it, as it can lock Zapdos into it with Encore.
• Abomasnow: Under normal circumstances, Zapdos incinerates Abomasnow with Heat Wave. However, if Zapdos lacks Heat Wave or if Trick Room is up, Abomasnow can deep freeze it with Blizzard.
• Gastrodon: Gastrodon's typing means it totally walls Zapdos.

Rotom-W

Support

Rotom-Wash @ Sitrus Berry / Safety Goggles

Ability: Levitate

EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe

Modest / Calm Nature

- Hydro Pump

- Thunderbolt

- Snatch / Electroweb / Light Screen

- Will-O-Wisp / Thunder Wave / Electroweb

What's the big deal?

When people think of Rotom-W's supporting powers, they think of Will-O-Wisp. Unova Classic is a different story, however, with Rotom-W possessing some unique Triples-specific moves to aid your team.

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Hydro Pump: Rotom-W loves its Water-type STAB move, since it lets Rotom-W become a very effective check to Ground-types like Landorus-T and Sand Rush Excadrill.
• Thunderbolt: Rotom-W's more reliable STAB move, Thunderbolt lets it deal good damage to Water-types such as Politoed and Jellicent.
• Snatch: With Snatch, Rotom-W can steal very useful moves for its own team, such as Tailwind and Wide Guard. Most notably, Rotom-W nullifies the opposing guards when it steals them, leaving the opponent open to spread and priority attacks.
• Will-O-Wisp: Will-O-Wisp always comes in handy for burning troublesome physical attackers such as Hitmontop and Bisharp.
• Thunder Wave: With Ludicolo being such a high-profile threat, Thunder Wave can be a rude wakeup call to it if Rotom-W survives the onslaught.
• Light Screen: Light Screen can be a nasty surprise for teams that heavily rely on special attackers, such as Trick Room teams and rain teams, making their timer-based strategies more difficult to pull off.
• Electroweb: Electroweb gives Rotom-W the option to use speed control, which is especially useful against teams that rely on boosting their Speed.

Items

• Sitrus Berry: With Sitrus Berry, Rotom-W will last longer, especially useful if you go with a defensive nature.
• Safety Goggles: Amoonguss's Rage Powder is so problematic for Rotom-W that using Safety Goggles can be a good idea if you really need to hit another opponent.

Other Details

A Modest nature lets Rotom-W take advantage of its decent offenses, most notably letting Rotom-W 2HKO Jellicent through Sitrus Berry. However, a Bold or Calm nature is fine if you need to take certain hits better.

Where should I place this Pokémon?

Rotom-W is fairly flexible in regards to placement compared to most Pokémon. Putting it on the sides isn't a bad idea if you're worried about it getting ganged up on, but Rotom-W can also work in the middle to hit everything with Electroweb.

What partners should I consider?

• Landorus-T: Rotom-W is an excellent choice for any team with Landorus-T, since it can use Snatch to get rid of the dreaded Wide Guard and hit Water-types hard with Electric-type attacks. Just note that Ludicolo is a big problem for both of them.
• Togekiss: With Ludicolo being such a big threat, Togekiss is just what the doctor ordered, since it can use Follow Me to get rid of the threat of Grass-type attacks. Togekiss also loves the potential paralysis support.
• Crobat: Crobat puts Ludicolo in a difficult situation, often forcing it to attack Crobat while Rotom-W can potentially paralyze it.
• Heatran: Heatran is a big help against Amoonguss, while Rotom-W returns the favor by hitting Water-types hard with Thunderbolt.
• Tyranitar and Excadrill: Rotom-W is a pretty good fit for sand teams, since it can steal Wide Guard and doesn't have to worry about Earthquake hitting it. Meanwhile, Tyranitar's weather change makes Ludicolo easier to deal with.

What are its flaws?

Rotom-W has big problems with Grass-types, since they wall its movepool and hit it hard with their STAB moves. Rotom-W is also forced to choose between offense and bulk most of the time, making it bit of a jack-of-all-trades, but master-of-none Pokémon.

• Ludicolo: Ludicolo is a huge thorn in Rotom-W's side, often acting as a guard against Rotom-W on rain teams.
• Amoonguss: Without Safety Goggles, Amoonguss makes life miserable for Rotom-W with Rage Powder or Spore.
• Whimsicott: Whimsicott usually doesn't have a Grass-type attack, but Rotom-W has no chance of breaking past it, meaning that it can find itself locked into a move via Encore.
• Gastrodon: Gastrodon's Storm Drain not only takes on Rotom-W's Hydro Pump, but it also means that Gastrodon is completely immune to Rotom-W's attacks.

Gothitelle

Perish Trapper

Gothitelle @ Sitrus Berry

Ability: Shadow Tag

EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD

Sassy Nature

- Protect

- Trick Roon

- Psychic

- Heal Pulse

What's the big deal?

Trapping Pokémon is deadly enough, but with the two extra teammates Gothitelle can have on its side in Triples, it forms the basis of the deadly Perish Trap archetype in Unova Classic!

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Trick Room: Trick Room is great to set up while whittling down Perish Song turns, since it makes Amoonguss extra deadly and lets powerful Pokémon clean up after Perish Song is done.
• Psychic: Psychic is mainly here so Gothitelle won't use Struggle when Taunted, but it does decent damage to Fighting-types as well.
• Heal Pulse: With Heal Pulse, Gothitelle can allow its redirection teammates to last much longer than usual!

Items

• Sitrus Berry: Since Gothitelle must stall as long as possible during the Perish Song turns, Sitrus Berry is pratically required for the extra health.

Other Details

Gothitelle is best at going specially defensive so it survives a Choice Specs Hydreigon's Dark Pulse, which is especially important since this is a common way to defeat Gothitelle.

Where should I place this Pokémon?

While Gothitelle is vulnerable to getting ganged up on, the sad fact is that Shadow Tag is actually affected by placement, so it must go in the middle to trap all three foes.

What partners should I consider?

• Politoed: Politoed is the number one user of Perish Song, so it should almost always be paired with Gothitelle!
• Amoonguss: Amoonguss is extremely dangerous on Perish Trap teams, since it can put threatening Pokémon to sleep, especially when Gothitelle sets up Trick Room. It can also use Rage Powder to lure attacks away from Gothitelle.
• Clefairy: Although uncommon, Clefairy deserves special mention for having Friend Guard to up Gothitelle's defenses, while having Heal Pulse to restore Gothitelle's health and Follow Me to lure attacks away from Gothitelle.
• Intimidate support: Pokémon such as Hitmontop and Landorus-T help Gothitelle soak up hits better, giving it a better chance of pulling off its Perish Trap gambit.
• Smeargle: Smeargle is a bit risky, but if it uses Dark Void on the sides, it could put two-thirds of the opponent's active Pokémon to sleep, making it much easier to pull off the Perish Trap.

What are its flaws?

Gothitelle is highly reliant on Perish Song to work its magic. While trapping still isn't bad if this tactic fails, Gothitelle isn't nearly as good without it. Gothitelle also has a soft spot on the physical side, and its Protect stalling can be defeated with Feint.

• Feint users: Pokémon such as Hitmontop and Hariyama can use Feint to open up new opportunities to hit Gothitelle hard.
• Scizor: Scizor is not only a good user of Feint, but it can also use Bug Bite to OHKO Gothitelle.
• Hydreigon: Choice Specs Hydreigon may not OHKO, but it's powerful enough that a double target with Dark Pulse will put Gothitelle out of business.
• Taunt: Taunt users such as Crobat and Whimsicott may hit Politoed, ruining any chances of using Perish Song.
• Jellicent: Jellicent can't usually take out Gothitelle on its own, but since it's a Ghost-type, it at least avoids being trapped.
• Bisharp: Bisharp actually benefits from the Intimidates that might be paired with Gothitelle, threatening to slam Gothitelle with Knock Off.
• Tyranitar: Choice Band Tyranitar scores an easy OHKO on Gothitelle.

Hydreigon

Choice Attacker

Hydreigon @ Choice Specs

Ability: Levitate

EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

Modest / Timid Nature

- Dragon Pulse

- Dark Pulse

- Draco Meteor

- Flash Cannon

Offensive Tailwind

Hydreigon @ Life Orb

Ability: Levitate

EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

Modest / Timid Nature

- Tailwind

- Dragon Pulse

- Dark Pulse

- Protect

What's the big deal?

With Mega Blastoise out of the picture, Hydreigon gets a big boost in Unova Classic as one of the best placement-ignoring attackers in the format!

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Dragon Pulse: This is the strongest placement-ignoring move that Hydreigon has to offer, hitting most Pokémon neutrally.
• Dark Pulse: This is Hydreigon's other placement-ignoring attack, hitting Steel-types neutrally and dealing massive damage to Psychic- and Ghost-types such as Gothitelle and Jellicent.
• Draco Meteor: Draco Meteor is by far Hydreigon's most powerful attack, and since it does take placement into account, it won't be lured in by faraway users of Follow Me or Rage Powder.
• Flash Cannon: Flash Cannon is Hydreigon's best shot of hitting Fairy-types, 2HKOing Togekiss with a Choice Specs and dealing massive damage to Whimsicott if you have Tailwind support to outspeed it.
• Tailwind: Tailwind gives the Life Orb Hydreigon set a niche over the Choice Specs set, letting it provide unexpected speed control for its team.

Items

• Choice Specs: Choice Specs gives Hydreigon some serious power at the cost of switching moves, giving it a great shot at OHKOing Jellicent with Dark Pulse in particular.
• Life Orb: If you want the Tailwind support, Life Orb is the best choice for augmenting Hydreigon's offenses.
• Choice Scarf: While uncommon on Hydreigon, Choice Scarf can be used to surprise faster threats such as Whimsicott and Choice Scarf Landorus-T. Just note that there will be a dramatic power loss, such as not always 2HKOing Togekiss with Flash Cannon.

Other Details

Hydreigon will usually want a Modest nature for maximum power, but a Timid nature is perfectly fine for outspeeding opposing Hydreigon as well.

Where should I place this Pokémon?

Hydreigon works best on the sides, where it avoids constantly getting ganged up on while still being able to hit any Pokémon it wishes with Dragon Pulse or Dark Pulse.

What partners should I consider?

• Crobat: Crobat provides more reliable Tailwind support than Hydreigon, and it can also smash through Whimsicott with Brave Bird. You can even run Cross Poison to slam other Fairy-types hard.
• Heatran: Heatran annihilates Whimsicott and can seriously damage Togekiss with Flash Cannon if you can fit that in. In return, Hydreigon smashes through Jellicent and can possibly set up Tailwind for Heatran.
• Scizor: Scizor does a great job against Fairy-types thanks to its Bullet Punch, while Hydreigon helps it out by slamming Ghost-types with Dark Pulse and doing plenty of damage to Heatran.
• Amoonguss and Togekiss: These two are excellent choices that provide redirection support for Hydreigon. Amoonguss tanks Fairy- and Fighting-type attacks and is a great anti-Trick Room Pokémon, while Togekiss takes on Dragon- and Fighting-type attacks and can set up Tailwind.
• Gardevoir: Gardevoir is a good offensive Fairy-type to consider, smashing through Fighting-types such as Hitmontop and Hariyama, while Hydreigon can deal tons of damage to Scizor and Heatran for Gardevoir.
• Weather changers against rain: Since Kingdra can be a big problem for Hydreigon under the rain, having some anti-rain strategies isn't a bad idea. Random users of Sunny Day work great, but you can also use Ninetales, Tyranitar, or Abomasnow.

What are its flaws?

Hydreigon isn't particularly frail, but it does have some devastating weaknesses that don't make it hard to KO, such as weaknesses to Fighting, Ice, and Dragon and a 4x weakness to Fairy.

• Whimsicott: Whimsicott is Hydreigon's archnemesis, resisting its STAB moves, outspeeding it, and OHKOing it with Moonblast.
• Redirection users: Since Dark Pulse and Dragon Pulse ignore placement, this means that they are always attracted by Follow Me and Rage Powder. Togekiss and Clefairy are especially problematic, since they can also OHKO Hydreigon with their Fairy-type STAB moves.
• Kingdra and rain teams: With the rain under its fins, Kingdra can outspeed and OHKO Hydreigon. Ludicolo won't OHKO, but it can still 2HKO Hydreigon with Ice Beam.
• Fighting-types: While they take massive damage from Hydreigon's Dragon-type attacks, Pokémon like Hitmontop, Hariyama, and Mienshao will usually OHKO Hydreigon with their STAB moves.
• Landorus-T: Unless Hydreigon has a Choice Scarf of its own, Choice Scarf Landorus-T can hit Hydreigon very hard with U-turn or Superpower.
• Scizor: Dark Pulse does plenty of damage to Scizor, but if Hydreigon is locked into a Dragon-type move or Flash Cannon, it can OHKO Hydreigon with Bug Bite.

Smeargle

Choice Scarf Sleeper

Smeargle @ Choice Scarf

Ability: Own Tempo

EVs: 4 HP / 252 Def / 252 Spe

Jolly Nature

- Dark Void

- Fake Out

- Follow Me / Quick Guard

- Wide Guard / Quick Guard

General Sleeper

Smeargle @ Focus Sash

Ability: Moody / Own Tempo

EVs: 4 HP / 252 Def / 252 Spe

Jolly / Relaxed Nature

- Dark Void

- Follow Me

- Wide Guard

- Spiky Shield / Fake Out / Crafty Shield / Feint

Level 1 Endeavor

Smeargle @ Focus Sash

Ability: Own Tempo

- Endeavor

- Dark Void

- Spikey Shield

- Fake Out / Wide Guard / Feint / After You

What's the big deal?

Anyone who's fresh off of VGC this year knows how dangerous Smeargle can be. However, since this is Triples, Smeargle tends to work a bit differently than you may be used to, with Choice Scarf being dominant.

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Dark Void: Dark Void is why Smeargle is such a nightmare, being able to put all three opposing Pokémon to sleep at once! To make things worse, Wide Guard is unable to block it!
• Fake Out: Fake Out works like you'd expect on the other Smeargle sets, but even Choice Scarf uses it, because while getting locked into Fake Out is bad news, it does let Smeargle outspeed every user of Fake Out except for Ludicolo in the rain, potentially throwing plans off the rails.
• Follow Me: When Smeargle's usefulness is dried up, it can at least act as a last-minute meatshield with Follow Me.
• Wide Guard: Another useful support move that allows Smeargle to block spread attacks.
• Quick Guard: Quick Guard isn't as good as Wide Guard, but blocking priority moves isn't bad for filler.
• Spiky Shield: Spiky Shield is a slightly better version of Protect that deals a bit of damage to any Pokémon that use contact moves against Smeargle.
• King's Shield: Though King's Shield leaves Smeargle vulnerable to status moves, this can unexpectedly ruin physical Pokémon that use Fake Out such as Hariyama and Hitmontop.
• Crafty Shield: Crafty Shield will block status for one turn with priority, which will ironically make your Smeargle a big threat against opposing Smeargle!
• Feint: If you desperately need a Guard to be taken out, Feint is perfect for that role.
• Endeavor: For Level 1 Smeargle, this is your ticket for actually dealing some serious damage under Trick Room!
• After You: For Level 1 Smeargle, you can use After You under Trick Room to make a partner next to it go before anything else in the same priority bracket.

Items

• Choice Scarf: Unlike in most metagames, Choice Scarf Smeargle is a potent threat in Unova Classic and Triples, since putting half the team to sleep in one turn outweighs the problems of being locked in.
• Focus Sash: For other kinds of Smeargle, Focus Sash is your best bet for surviving one attack.

Other Details

Maximum Speed and Defense is usually the best option, since only weak priority moves will fail to OHKO Smeargle. The exception is Trick Room Smeargle, which wants a Relaxed Nature and maximum HP and Defense.

Moody is part of what made Smeargle notorious in VGC, but Choice Scarf and Level 1 Smeargle have no need for it; only the general sleeper appreciates stalling for Moody boosts!

Where should I place this Pokémon?

With Dark Void targeting everything, Smeargle is a risky but rewarding choice for the middle, especially if using Choice Scarf Smeargle with Quick Guard support. The slower sets may prefer to hide in the corner, however, so they can last long enough for Trick Room to be set up. In general, in the later parts of the game, putting Smeargle on the side can be helpful to avoid priority attacks.

What partners should I consider?

• Crobat: Considering Smeargle's hate for Fake Out, Crobat is a fantastic choice, since it's fast and has Quick Guard.
• Amoonguss and Togekiss: With redirectors, Smeargle can live another day to put things to sleep with Dark Void.
• Trick Room Pokémon: If using a slower Smeargle, Trick Room Pokémon such as Jellicent, Cresselia, and Dusclops are good ideas to bring.
• Fake Out users: Fake Out Pokémon such as Hariyama and Hitmontop can give Smeargle the free turns it needs to successfully throw out Dark Void, or even prevent Safeguard from taking effect.
• Gothitelle and Perish Trap teams: Although risky, if you can get Smeargle to put two Pokémon to sleep on the sides, Perish Trapping becomes much easier to pull off

What are its flaws?

Smeargle is a high-risk, high-reward Pokémon. If it gets hit by the likes of Fake Out or misses Dark Void, it's likely to go down without doing much. Slower Smeargle also need Trick Room set up to function, or else they might as well be dead weights with Follow Me and Wide Guard. Smeargle hates priority in general, but Feint is especially problematic, since it removes any kind of protection Smeargle has.

• Whimsicott: Watch out, since if Whimsicott is not hit by Fake Out for any reason, it can use a priority Safeguard to ruin Dark Void.
• Chesto and Lum Berry: With these Berries, Pokémon will wake up one time from Dark Void, potentially letting them knock out Smeargle before it can do anything else.
• Tyranitar: Tyranitar may not deal with Smeargle directly without a Lum Berry, but with the sand up, Focus Sash will no longer be in play, and Excadrill will also outspeed Smeargle.
• Feint users: Pokémon that use Feint such as Hitmontop, Hariyama, and Scizor are huge problems for Smeargle.

Dusclops

Trick Room Setter

Dusclops @ Eviolite

Ability: Frisk / Pressure

EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD

Sassy Nature

- Trick Room

- Snatch

- Night Shade

- Sunny Day / Rain Dance / Helping Hand

What's the big deal?

Thanks to Eviolite, Dusclops is an incredibly bulky user of Trick Room, one that has room to manually change the weather, too!

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Trick Room: Trick Room is the entire reason to use Dusclops.
• Snatch: Unique among Trick Room Pokémon, Dusclops can use Snatch to get rid of Wide Guard, which comes in handy for the many spread attackers of Trick Room.
• Night Shade: Night Shade lets Dusclops deal at least some damage and is a far better option than seeing Dusclops use Struggle when Taunted.
• Sunny Day: With Sunny Day, Dusclops can cripple rain teams and allow Pokémon such as Heatran to flourish.
• Rain Dance: Rain Dance isn't quite as good, since Politoed fits on Trick Room teams just fine, but it can be a good option anyway if you want Jellicent to sweep.
• Helping Hand: Helping Hand is awesome for neutral weather Trick Room teams; however, it forces Dusclops to use Pressure instead of Frisk, and it can only be gotten on the Nintendo GameCube game Pokémon XD.

Items

• Eviolite: Eviolite is what makes Dusclops much better than its evolution, giving it a massive 50% boost to both its defenses.

Other Details

Dusclops will usually want to go specially defensive, since this lets it survive one Dark Pulse from Hydreigon, allowing Dusclops to still set up Trick Room. Frisk is recommended unless you're using Helping Hand, since it's great for scouting what kind of Pokémon the opponent is using via their items.

Where should I place this Pokémon?

Dusclops should stick to the sides of the battlefield, since there is no reason for it to be put in the middle.

What partners should I consider?

• Heatran: Heatran is the posterboy for the Pokémon that benefits the most from manual weather setters, with Dusclops having the strong capability of ruining weather teams.
• Abomasnow: With Abomasnow on your side, rain won't catch a break with two Pokémon that can change the weather!
• Amoonguss: Like most Trick Room Pokémon, it's hard to pass up on Amoonguss for its fast deadly Spores.
• Jellicent: Jellicent and Dusclops have some overlap typing-wise, but Dusclops can remove the annoying Wide Guard for Jellicent to burst open with Water Spout.
• Hariyama: Hariyama is always a great choice on Trick Room teams, especially in the case of Dusclops, where Hariyama can tear Dark-types apart for it.

What are its flaws?

Dusclops is extremely vulnerable to Taunt, since it's forced to hold Eviolite to be viable and can't use Mental Herb. To make things worse, if Dusclops is hit by Knock Off, it'll become fairly easy to KO.

• Taunt Pokémon: Pokémon with Taunt such as Whimsicott and Crobat shut Dusclops down with no problems.
• Knock Off: Bisharp is a huge problem with its STAB Knock Offs ravaging Dusclops. Hariyama deals much less damage but will still destroy Dusclops's Eviolite.
• Tyranitar and Hydreigon: Tyranitar will grab an easy 2HKO on Dusclops with Crunch, while Choice Specs Hydreigon will 2HKO it as well with Dark Pulse.

Tyranitar

Choice Band

Tyranitar @ Choice Band

Ability: Sandstream

EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe

Adamant / Brave Nature

- Rock Slide

- Crunch

- Ice Punch

- Low Kick

General Attacker

Tyranitar @ Expert Belt / Life Orb

Ability: Sandstrom

EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe

Adamant / Brave Nature

- Rock Side

- Crunch

- Ice Punch

- Protect

What's the big deal?

Tyranitar is by far the best way to get a sandstorm whipped up. Not only does it make Excadrill much more dangerous, but the sand itself is useful too for getting rid of the opposing team's weather.

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Rock Slide: Tyranitar is among the few Pokémon to get STAB on Rock Slide in Unova Classic. While it isn't nearly as fast as Terrakion, Tyranitar can still get nasty flinches against Trick Room teams or while under Trick Room itself.
• Crunch: This is Tyranitar's STAB single-target move. Most notably, Crunch OHKOes Jellicent and 2HKOes Cresselia and Dusclops, making Tyranitar fairly potent against Trick Room teams.
• Ice Punch: Ice Punch OHKOes the dreaded Landorus-T, a big problem for Tyranitar.
• Low Kick: For the Choice Band set, Low Kick is filler move that OHKOes Bisharp, Heatran, Hydreigon, and opposing Tyranitar.

Items

• Choice Band: Choice Band gives Tyranitar a healthy boost in power, making it a rather effective spread attacker.
• Expert Belt: With Expert Belt, Tyranitar focuses more on KOing specific targets such as Jellicent and Landorus-T, rather than powerful spread attacking.
• Life Orb: Life Orb is a happy medium between Choice Band and Expert Belt, but it means that you can't use Life Orb on Excadrill.

Other Details

Tyranitar will usually want to maximize its HP and Attack so it can survive attacks like Choice Scarf Landorus-T's Earthquake. If you plan on using Tyranitar under Trick Room, consider a Brave nature to always underspeed Pokémon like Heatran.

Where should I place this Pokémon?

At first, it may seem like Tyranitar works best in the middle. However, while Tyranitar can work well in the middle as a spread attacker, it's a bit too slow to do this effectively without Trick Room support. Instead, putting it on the side lets it last longer and avoid friendly Excadrill Earthquakes, making Tyranitar one of the few spread attackers that work best on the side.

What partners should I consider?

• Excadrill: Since Tyranitar is the best sand setter in Unova Classic, it only makes sense to consider the most dangerous Pokémon in the sand, Excadrill! However, don't feel too pressured into using Excadrill if it doesn't fit your team, Tyranitar is good for more than just setting sand!
• Trick Room Pokémon: Tyranitar is slow enough to be a rather effective spread attacker under Trick Room. Cresselia is a particularly good choice here, since it can use Skill Swap to give Tyranitar Levitate, and also reactive the sand. Dusclops and Jellicent are still fine choices otherwise, though.
• Crobat: Crobat is a fantastic partner for Tyranitar, hitting Fighting-types hard with Brave Bird and using Snatch to get rid of troublesome Wide Guards.
• Hitmontop: Despite being Tyranitar's archnemesis, it also makes for a good partner, providing valuable Wide Guard support against Earthquake.
• Togekiss and Amoonguss: These two are experts at redirecting moves Tyranitar hates. Togekiss works out the best thanks to its 4x Fighting-type and Bug-type resistances, but Amoonguss is much more dangerous when given Trick Room support.
• Braviary: If you especially hate Hitmontop and Landorus-T, Choice Scarf Braviary fits right in with Tyranitar, threatening to OHKO both of them with Brave Bird after a boost from Intimidate.

What are its flaws?

Tyranitar may be bulky, but it has a gigantic number of weaknesses, enough that it's easier to KO than you'd expect from its stats.

• Hitmontop: Fighting-types are already a death sentence against Tyranitar, but Hitmontop is especially problematic with its ability Intimidate, which weakens Tyranitar before it can even react.
• Landorus-T: Landorus-T has to fear a powerful Ice Punch, but any Landorus-T with Superpower is sure to beat Tyranitar.
• Politoed and rain: Once Politoed gets the rain up, Tyranitar becomes much softer to special attacks, usually succumbing to rain-boosted Water-type attacks.
• Togekiss: Togekiss takes massive damage from Rock Slide, but it can seriously threaten Tyranitar that are locked into other moves via Follow Me.
• Scizor: Scizor doesn't care whether or not Trick Room is up, since it can simply slam Tyranitar with Bullet Punch.

Excadrill

Sandy Attacker

Excadrill @ Life Orb

Ability: Sand Rush

EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

Adamant / Jolly Nature

- Earthquake

- Rock Slide

- Iron Head

- Protect

What's the big deal?

Excadrill is the only viable sand sweeper in Unova Classic. Compared to other weather sweepers, Excadrill is a fast and furious spread attacker.

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Earthquake: The one and only Earthquake, the devastating STAB move that Excadrill can clean up teams with!
• Rock Slide: If you can't afford to have your team use Protect against Earthquake, Rock Slide is still a great move on a spread attacker, especially with the deadly flinch chance.
• Iron Head: Unlike Landorus-T, Excadrill has a STAB move it can use in the face of Wide Guard. Iron Head is also great for destroying Fairy-types.
• Drill Run: Although difficult to fit in, Drill Run can be useful, since it's a Ground-type attack that doesn't hit Excadrill's teammates.

Items

• Life Orb: Excadrill always has a short but powerful lifespan, so Life Orb is the only item that really makes sense on it.

Other Details

Usually, an Adamant nature is the best choice for Excadrill for the extra power, but if you're paranoid about opposing Excadrill, a Jolly nature is workable too.

Where should I place this Pokémon?

Like most spread attackers, Excadrill finds itself at home in the middle so it can hit all of its foes. However, because Excadrill needs the sand to become a huge threat, there is an odd problem: Tyranitar is weak to Earthquake, but it often runs a Choice Band set. If you can't afford to run a Wide Guard Pokémon on the side, you may want to actually put Excadrill and Tyranitar on opposite sides. This way, Excadrill can use Earthquake without hitting Tyranitar.

What partners should I consider?

• Tyranitar: They may share many weaknesses with each other, but Tyranitar is Excadrill's best teammate just because its the best summoner of the sandstorm.
• Crobat and Rotom-W: Crobat works great on sandstorm teams. It has Tailwind that works as a good backup in case the rain comes in, it can use Snatch to get rid of opposing Wide Guard, and it's immune to Earthquake. Rotom-W's speed control options aren't as good, but it too is a levitating Snatch user, which always works well with Excadrill.
• Hitmontop: Hitmontop is an excellent Wide Guard user for sand teams, letting Excadrill use Earthquake more freely while blocking the foe's. Excadrill returns the favor by defeating most Fairy-types with Iron Head.
• Togekiss: Fighting-types are a huge problem for Excadrill and Tyranitar, so that's where Togekiss comes in to use Follow Me and make them a non-issue. It's also immune to Earthquake.

What are its flaws?

Excadrill is rather frail compared to other weather sweepers, which means that it often gets KOed rather early in the match. Excadrill also has a poor matchup against rain and Trick Room teams, which are the dominant playstyles of Unova Classic.

• Hitmontop: Hitmontop not only cripples Excadrill and Tyranitar with Intimidate, but it can also use Wide Guard to block Earthquake or outright OHKO either of them with Close Combat.
• Landorus-T: Without Wide Guard support, Landorus-T can potentially tear throuh sand teams with Earthquake, being fairly unfearful of Iron Head when it's been debuffed by Intimidate.
• Politoed and rain teams: If Politoed switches in at any moment, Excadrill's sand will be ruined, making it fairly trivial to revenge kill.
• Cresselia: Excadrill can't do enough to Cresselia in time for it to stop a Trick Room set up, which is a nightmare scenario, especially if Cresselia is out of Tyranitar's range.

Tornadus

Offensive Support

Tornadus @ Focus Sash

Ability: Prankster

EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

Timid / Naive Nature

- Tailwind

- Hurricane

- Taunt / Superpower

- Protect

Defiant Attacker

Tornadus @ No Item

Ability: Defiant

EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

Jolly Nature

- Acrobatics

- Superpower

- Knock Off / Taunt / Sky Drop / Tailwind

- Protect

What's the big deal?

With Talonflame out of the picture, Tornadus is the only offensive user of priority Tailwind around, giving it a niche over Crobat and Whimsicott on rain teams. Tornadus is also tied with Thundurus as the fastest viable user of Defiant, giving it an edge against teams with Intimidate. Offensively, Tornadus's Flying-type STAB moves are excellent for ignoring placement, allowing it to attack any foe it wishes regardless of their position.

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Tailwind: Prankster is a big selling point of Tornadus, allowing it to set up Tailwind before almost any Pokémon except for Whimsicott. Tailwind can still work on the Defiant set if you don't want to deal with Thundurus as well.
• Hurricane: Hurricane is an excellent STAB move on Tornadus, allowing it to ignore placement and deal a serious amount of damage to offensive Pokémon. Just note that without rain support, it has a shaky 70% accuracy.
• Taunt: Taunt is excellent for stopping support Pokémon such as Choice Scarf Smeargle in their tracks thanks to the priority. Just note that it's blocked by Quick Guard unless you are using it on the Defiant set.
• Superpower: Superpower allows special attacking Tornadus to deal massive damage to Heatran, OHKO Bisharp, and have a 56% shot at OHKOing maximum HP Tyranitar. With the Defiant set, Tornadus will always OHKO Tyranitar with Superpower.
• Acrobatics: Acrobatics is the best usable STAB move for Defiant Tornadus, with no item giving it 110 Base Power.
• Knock Off: Knock Off gives Defiant Tornadus a move to hit Thundurus and Zapdos with, in addition to destroying their items.
• Sky Drop: Sky Drop is a weak STAB move, but it can be a very disruptive move on Defiant Tornadus, picking up Pokémon and preventing them from moving that turn. Just note that Pokémon that weighing at least 440.9 pounds (or 200 kilograms) are immune to Sky Drop, so be sure to look up a Pokémon's weight before you use the move!

Items

• Focus Sash: Since Tornadus is rather frail, Focus Sash potentially gives Tornadus an extra turn to deal damage after it has set up Tailwind.
• No Item: For Defiant Tornadus, carrying no item is the best choice, since it allows Acrobatics to become a powerful STAB move. However, note that opponents will see Tornadus's lack of an item in Team Preview, giving away the set.

Other Details:

On the Prankster set, Tornadus will want maximum Special Attack and Speed so it can be an offensive force when Tailwind isn't needed. If you are using Superpower, Naive is a better nature than Timid, since it gives Tornadus a better shot at OHKOing Tyranitar. For the Defiant set, you'll want a Jolly nature so Tornadus can outspeed Terrakion.

Where should I place this Pokémon?

Since Tornadus relies on its Flying-type STAB moves, it will almost always want to be on the sides so it can only be targeted by two Pokémon. Tornadus has very little reason to go in the middle outside of when a teammate gets KOed or if you must have a certain partner be on the sides to set up a support move.

What partners should I consider?

• Politoed: If you're using the Prankster set, then Politoed is a must, making Hurricane 100% accurate. Tornadus itself is a big help to Politoed, giving the offensive sets more speed with Tailwind and dealing massive damage to Amoonguss and Tyranitar if using Superpower.
• Ludicolo: Since Tornadus is usually used on rain teams, Ludicolo deserves serious consideration as a teammate. Ludicolo is able to deal with Rotom-W and doesn't add more Electric-type weaknesses, while Tornadus can punish Whimsicott for attempting to Encore Fake Out.
• Landorus-T: While they might share an Ice-type weakness, Landorus-T is a great teammate for Tornadus. Landorus-T helps against Tornadus-T's Electric-type issues (except against Rotom-W), while Tornadus is free to attack during Earthquake and smashes through Hitmontop and Hariyama.
• Amoonguss: Amoonguss doesn't benefit much from Tailwind, but it works as an excellent backup plan against Trick Room teams due to its low Speed and access to Spore. Amoonguss can also use Rage Powder to save Tornadus against Electric-type attacks.
• Hitmontop: Hitmontop is a big help against Tyranitar if you aren't using Superpower. If you're worried about Snatch, Hitmontop can even use Wide Guard to prevent Tailwind from being stolen by the opponent.

What are its flaws?

Tornadus is rather frail, meaning that it has a short lifespan in comparison to the more common user of Tailwind, Whimsicott. The Prankster set needs rain teams to function well, limiting the number of teams it can be used on compared to Whimsicott and Crobat. Meanwhile, the Defiant set is given away by its lack of an item on Team Preview, and compared to Thundurus, Bisharp, and Braviary, Tornadus isn't as strong as them due to its lack of a boosting item.

• Rotom-W: Rotom-W is the most troublesome Electric-type for Tornadus. Not only can it blast Tornadus with Thunderbolt, it can even use Snatch to steal Tornadus's Tailwind!
• Crobat: Crobat is one of the best users of Quick Guard, ruining Prankster Tornadus's ability to shut down support Pokémon. This is especially problematic when facing Smeargle.
• Cresselia / Jellicent: Cresselia and Jellicent commonly use Mental Herb to guarantee Trick Room setup, which is team style that Tornadus struggles to defeat due to its high Speed.
• Ninetales: Although it's uncommon, Ninetales's sun is a big problem for Prankster Tornadus, making Hurricane only 50% accurate.
• Tyranitar: Any Tornadus that lacks Superpower will be totally walled by Tyranitar, letting it get destroyed by a combination of Rock Slide and sandstorm damage.
• Togekiss: While Togekiss is crippled by Taunt, it is very problematic if Togekiss is not adjacent to Tornadus, since it can redirect Hurricane and Acrobatics regardless of its position with Follow Me.

Abomasnow

Trick Room Attacker

Abomasnow @ Life Orb / Never-Melt Ice

EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpA

Ability: Snow Warning

Quiet Nature

IVs: 0 Spe

- Blizzard

- Ice Shard

- Giga Drain / Energy Ball

- Protect

What's the big deal?

Abomasnow may not be quite as dangerous as it was in Sinnoh Classic, but don't be fooled: with Trick Room set up, Abomasnow can still be a very dangerous spread attacker in Unova Classic!

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Blizzard: This is Abomasnow's powerful spread attack, having perfect accuracy in hail without hitting Abomasnow's teammates.
• Ice Shard: Ice Shard gives Abomasnow priority, which comes in handy when Trick Room is gone. It's especially handy for picking off weakened Landorus-T.
• Giga Drain: While not very powerful, Giga Drain will still 2HKO most Water-types with a Life Orb boost and restore plenty of Abomasnow's health.
• Energy Ball: Energy Ball is the more powerful alternative to Giga Drain, especially useful if you go with Never-melt Ice.

Items

• Life Orb: Abomasnow is usually a centerpiece of Trick Room teams, so giving it Life Orb to maximize its offenses is generally a smart idea.
• Never-Melt Ice: If you simply can't afford to give the Life Orb slot to Abomasnow, this item works as a decent alternative at the cost of weakening Grass-type attacks compared to Life Orb.

Other Details

Since Abomasnow focuses on Trick Room offense, it's best to use a Quiet nature with 0 Speed IVs to make it as slow as possible. Unlike most Trick Room attackers, however, Abomasnow does use both attacking stats, so make sure it has a perfect Attack IV!

Where should I place this Pokémon?

As a spread attacker, Abomasnow is at its most dangerous when it's placed in the middle of the battlefield. However, Abomasnow has a huge number of weaknesses, so don't be afraid to have it on the sides to avoid certain KOs later in the game.

What partners should I consider?

• Trick Room Pokémon: Abomasnow will need the help of its Trick Room brethren to become a big threat! Jellicent is particularly notable because it can slam Heatran with Water Spout, but Cresselia and Dusclops make fine options as well. Althrough uncommon, Kecleon also deserves a mention for being able to break Wide Guard with Feint.
• Gastrodon: Gastrodon is an excellent response to Heatran, and as a bonus, Gastrodon works very well on Trick Room teams.
• Hariyama and Hitmontop: These two Fighting-types are great at breaking Wide Guard, but can also set it up themselves against spread Fire-type attacks. Hariyama works extremely well on Trick Room teams, but Hitmontop is still a reasonable choice for Intimidate support.
• Togekiss: With Abomasnow's large swath of weaknesses, Togekiss can save the day with Follow Me support.
• Heatran: Eruption Heatran is spectacular on Trick Room teams, and thanks to Flash Fire, it can discourage usage of spread Fire-type attacks and Scizor from coming in. In return, Abomasnow can blast most of the Water-types that give Heatran problems.

What are its flaws?

Abomasnow has a massive number of weaknesses that heavily compromise its decent bulk, to the point where most common Pokémon in Unova Classic can hit it super effectively. Abomasnow is also highly reliant on hail: without it, Blizzard has a 30% chance to miss each Pokémon. Finally, Abomasnow's rather lackluster coverage leaves it easily walled by Steel- and Fire-type Pokémon.

• Heatran: Heatran is Abomasnow's archnemesis, totally walling it and OHKOing in return with Fire-type attacks.
• Hariyama: Most Fighting-types are a big problem for Abomasnow, but Hariyama is especially problematic because it's slower than Abomasnow, outspeeding it under Trick Room.
• Scizor: Scizor will go first regardless of Trick Room thanks to Bullet Punch, making it nearly impossible for Abomasnow to win.
• Ninetales: Ninetales not only OHKOes Abomasnow, but it'll also reduce the accuracy of Blizzard with Drought if it switches in.
• Tyranitar: Tyranitar dislikes Abomasnow's Grass-type attacks, but Sand Stream allows it to survive them, while Abomasnow gets seriously damaged by Rock Slide.
• Zapdos: While Trick Room is up, Zapdos fears Blizzard, but when it's down, the tables are turned, since Zapdos can fry Abomasnow with Heat Wave.

Thundurus

Prankster Wave

Thundurus @ Focus Sash

Ability: Prankster

EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

Timid Nature

- Thunder Wave

- Thunderbolt

- Hidden Power Ice / Swagger / Taunt

- Protect / Taunt

Defiant Attacker

Thundurus @ Life Orb

Ability: Defiant

EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

Jolly Nature

- Wild Charge

- Superpower / Sky Drop

- Knock Off / Sky Drop

- Protect

What's the big deal?

Thundurus may not be nearly as big in Unova Classic (or Triples for that matter) as it is in Doubles, but don't be fooled: Thundurus has two dramatically different sets that can throw off individual counters.

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Thunder Wave: This is the backbone of the Prankster set, allowing Thundurus to cripple any fast Pokémon it pleases provided that Quick Guard hasn't been put up.
• Thunderbolt: The primary STAB of the Prankster set, Thundurus has a very good Special Attakc stat, being able to 2HKO most Water-types at worst.
• Hidden Power Ice: If you want to hit Landorus-T with special attacking Thundurus, Hidden Power Ice is the only option.
• Swagger: If you want to play with Lady Luck, Swagger can be incredibly frustrating to face when coupled with paralysis!
• Taunt: Taunt is great for stopping certain setups in their tracks, though note that most Trick Room Pokémon carry a Mental Herb to prevent this.
• Wild Charge: This is the primary STAB move of physical attacking Thundurus. If you manage to get a boost from Intimidate, Wild Charge will 2HKO almost anything that doesn't resist it!
• Superpower: Superpower lets Thundurus get a quick OHKO on the likes of Tyranitar and Excadrill, though the Attack drop can be a bother.
• Knock Off: Knock Off is the best physical Thundurus can do to Landorus-T, actually having a 25% chance to OHKO Landorus-T after an Intimidate boost!
• Sky Drop: Sky Drop may seem like an odd move, but it's incredibly disruptive, denying any one Pokémon a move for a turn as long as they weigh under 440.9 pounds (or 200 kilograms). It also lets Thundurus 2HKO Amoonguss, something it can't normally do.

Items

• Focus Sash: The item of choice for the Prankster set, Focus Sash allows Thundurus to survive one attack, which is useful if it isn't double targeted.
• Life Orb: The Defiant Attacker should stick to Life Orb, since before the boost, it isn't quite as powerful as most physical attackers.

Other Details

For the Prankster set, Bold and Calm Natures with a Sitrus Berry are possible to use, but unlike in doubles, this is much more vulnerabble to getting ruined by double targeting.

Where should I place this Pokémon?

Thundurus often works best on the sides, where it doesn't fear getting targeted by multiple Pokémon as much. However, being on the sides does limit its options for paralysis, so it is possible to use Thundurus in the middle if you desperately need something to get paralyzed.

What partners should I consider?

• Hitmontop: Hitmontop is a great check to the dreaded Tyranitar, and as a bonus, the Intimidate lets Thundurus survive more risky attacks than usual. Meanwhile, Thundurus returns the favor by zapping Jellicent for Hitmontop and spreading paralysis.
• Tyranitar: If you manage to paralyze important, fast Pokémon, Tyranitar becomes much harder to check with its powerful, Choice Band-boosted Rock Slides. The Defiant Attacker works well here too, taking advantage of Hitmontop and Landorus-T switch-ins.
• Togekiss: If you manage to paralyze certain troublesome targets, Togekiss can become the demon of hax with Air Slash!
• Landorus-T: With paralysis on the table, Landorus-T isn't as pressured to use a Choice Scarf as usual. Even if you do use Choice Scarf though, Thundurus's immunity to Earthquake is a big boon teammate-wise.
• Scizor: Paralysis support makes Scizor giddy with new Pokémon to defeat, such as Ludicolo. It also makes an excellent Intimidate lure for Defiant Thundurus.

What are its flaws?

The biggest flaw with Thundurus is that its very frail and vulnerable to double targeting. Even with Prankster, it also struggles to function well under Trick Room.

• Tyranitar: The Prankster set has no chance of getting past Tyranitar without Superpower, dooming it to get destroyed by Rock Slide.
• Gastrodon: Gastrodon hopelessly walls specially attacking Thundurus due to its typing.
• Cresselia: While Cresselia hates Taunt, it often runs Mental Herb to combat that, setting up Trick Room to cripple Thundurus.
• Amoonguss: The only way to 2HKO Amoonguss is Sky Drop, and Sludge Bomb actually does serious damage to Thundurus.
• Excadrill and Landorus-T: Without Superpower, Excadrill can Rock Slide to its heart's content. Landorus-T can do something similar if Thundurus lacks Knock Off or Hidden Power Ice.

Hariyama

Trick Room Attacker

Hariyama @ Flame Orb

Ability: Guts

EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 124 Def / 124 SpD

IVs: 0 Spe

Brave Nature

- Fake Out

- Close Combat

- Knock Off / Feint

- Wide Guard / Feint

What's the big deal?

Hariyama may not have the incredible Intimidate compared to Hitmontop, but with Guts, Flame Orb, and its low Speed, Hariyama is a much more dangerous force under Trick Room!

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Fake Out: For Hariyama, Fake Out not only provides flinches, but it's also a good tool to help one of its teammates set up Trick Room.
• Close Combat: With Hariyama's good Attack stat and the boost from Guts, Close Combat often OHKOes Pokémon that don't resist it!
• Knock Off: Knock Off has excellent coverage with Close Combat, allowing Hariyama to take on Ghost-types such as Jellicent and Dusclops!
• Wide Guard: With this, Hariyama stops spread attacks such as Earthquake and Blizzard right in their tracks.
• Feint: With Feint in tow, Hariayma can break foe's guards too, which is especially handy against the likes of Wide Guard.

Items

• Flame Orb: Since Hariyama has the wonderful Guts ability, the burn Flame Orb gives Hariyama is the same as a Choice Band boost! It also protects Hariyama from other status such as sleep.

Other Details

The given EV spread for Hariyama maximizes its defensive capabilites while granting max power, since Hariyama has such a large HP stat.

Where should I place this Pokémon?

Placing Hariyama in the middle gives it the ability to use Fake Out on any foe it wants, but this comes at the cost of getting Hariyama potentially KOed before it can even pick a fight, so putting it on the sides is fine.

What partners should I consider?

• Trick Room Pokémon: Hariyama becomes a forced to be reckoned with when Trick Room is set up, so it should almost always be considered. Jellicent is an especially good choice, since Hariyama can use Feint to make way for Water Spout. Otherwise, Dusclops and Cresselia are fine choices too, and both like Hariyama's ability to OHKO Hydreigon.
• Heatran: Hariyama and Heatran work great together, with Hariyama using Wide Guard to thwart attempts at using Earthquake against Heatran, while Heatran can heavily damage Fairy-types.
• Amoonguss: Amoonguss works well on Trick Room teams in general, but most importantly, it also tanks the Fairy-type attacks it lures with Rage Powder, while Hariyama crushes Heatran in return.
• Scizor: Scizor is all right on Trick Room teams, and it is capable of hitting Fairy-types hard with Bullet Punch. In return, Hariyama OHKOes Heatran with Close Combat.
• Abomasnow: Abomasnow loves the Feint support Hariyama provides, and they both work well on Trick Room teams.

What are its flaws?

Hariyama may have decent bulk thanks to its massve HP stat, but with Flame Orb ticking down, it tends not to last very long. Hariyama also has a severe problem with Fairy-types, which completely wall it.

• Togekiss: Togekiss is bad news for Hariyama, being able to lure Close Combat or Knock Off away with Follow Me or even 2HKO Hariyama with Dazzling Gleam.
• Crobat: Crobat can't flinch, meaning it can threaten to slam Hariyama with Brave Bird.
• Amoonguss: Amoonguss can't put Hariyama to sleep, but it can lure away Close Combat with Rage Powder.
• Intimidate: Since Hariyama is on a timer with Flame Orb, Intimidate from the likes of Hitmontop and Landorus-T encourages it to switch out as to not waste burn turns as a weak husk.

Scizor

Offensive Guard Breaker

Scizor @ Life Orb / Lum Berry / Metal Coat

Ability: Technician

EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe

Adamant / Brave Nature

- Feint

- Bullet Punch

- Knock Off / Bug Bite / Superpower

- Protect

What's the big deal?

Scizor is an interesting user of Feint, having a powerful priority attack and the ability to deal with Fairy-types, unlike Hitmontop.

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Feint: Scizor makes excellent use of Feint, since it tends to attract use of Quick Guard.
• Bullet Punch: Scizor's Bullet Punch is one of the strongest priority attacks in Unova Classic, perfect for smashing through Fairy-types.
• Knock Off: Knock Off is the most Scizor can do to Jellicent, and its ability to remove items can come in handy.
• Bug Bite: While Bug Bite means that Jellicent will wall Scizor, it does let Scizor become a better check to Gothitelle and give it the ability to OHKO Ludicolo, and the ability to eat Berries can come in handy.
• Superpower: Superpower can be a good way to deter the Heatran roaming around, especially Trick Room variants, which may be slower than Scizor, or if you are using Trick Room Scizor yourself.

Items

• Life Orb: Life Orb is the most offensive option for Scizor, letting it make the most of Bullet Punch's ability to pick off threats.
• Lum Berry: Lum Berry is great for absorbing surprise burns and lets Scizor become an even better check to Smeargle than usual.
• Metal Coat / Iron Plate: If you're already using Life Orb, Metal Coat and Iron Plate are good alternatives if you need an extra-strong Bullet Punch.

Other Details

Usually you'll want to maximize Scizor's HP and Attack, since it'll mostly be using priority attacks. You can use a Brave nature if you plan on using Scizor in Trick Room, but most Trick Room Pokémon are slower anyways. If going with a Brave nature, seriously consider Superpower so Scizor can underspeed and seriously damage Heatran under Trick Room.

Where should I place this Pokémon?

Scizor isn't particularly dependent on placement compared to most Pokémon. Feint will break Guards regardless, so Scizor is fine with any placement depending on the flow of the match, what Pokémon it needs to avoid, and what Pokémon it needs to hit.

What partners should I consider?

• Politoed: Politoed's rain is very helpful for Scizor, letting it survive weaker Fire-type attacks. In return, Scizor does a great job of punishing Tyranitar that attempt to change the weather.
• Trick Room Pokémon: Although Scizor isn't normally a major player on Trick Room teams, it benefits a lot from it, letting it check new threats such as Ludicolo. Jellicent in particular is a good option because it can wash away Heatran, but Cresselia and Dusclops are fine alternatives as well.
• Hydreigon: Scizor does a great job of dealing with the Fairy-types that scare Hydreigon so much, while Hydreigon blasts Ghost-types with Dark Pulse, making Bug Bite easier for Scizor to carry.
• Hitmontop: Scizor may already have Feint, but having a backup user such as Hitmontop lets Scizor use Bullet Punch more freely. Intimidate also makes Scizor difficult to take down, while Hitmontop can slam Heatran with Close Combat.

What are its flaws?

The obvious flaw is Scizor's glaring 4x weakness to Fire-type attacks. Scizor's Special Defense stat isn't bad, but it's low enough that Water-type Pokémon under the rain can usually blast through it as well. Scizor also doesn't have fantastic coverage, often finding itself walled depending on its last attack.

• Heatran: Heatran is the number one Fire-type of Unova Classic, which is bad news because Scizor has no chance of beating it without Superpower, and even then Heatran runs variable Speed spreads, so it's hard to know which one will go first.
• Politoed and rain teams: Since most rain teams heavily use Water-type Pokémon, Scizor has a difficult time sniping them with their Steel-type resistance, making it an easy target for powerful Water-type attacks.
• Jellicent and Dusclops: If Scizor doesn't have Knock Off, it won't effectively hit these two Ghost-types hard, letting them set up Trick Room or possibly even status Scizor with Will-O-Wisp.
• Intimidate: Intimidate from the likes of Landorus-T and Hitmontop dramatically reduces Scizor's ability to pick off Pokémon, often forcing it to switch unless it plans on throwing out Feint to break Guards.
• Rotom-W: While Rotom-W is hit hard by Scizor's coverage moves, Bullet Punch does laughable damage to it, meaning it can burn Scizor before it attacks if it lacks a Lum Berry.

Braviary

Choice Scarf

Braviary @ Choice Scarf

Ability: Defiant

EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

Jolly Nature

- Brave Bird

- Superpower / Return

- Rock Slide

- Sky Drop / U-turn / Superpower

What's the big deal?

Braviary's ability Defiant allows it to take advantage of the common Intimidate with Attack boosts. With such a boost, Braviary's Brave Bird hits very hard while also ignoring placement.

What should I expect to see?

Moves

• Brave Bird: Brave Bird is Braviary's best STAB move. It can hit any place on the field and usually OHKOes Landorus-T when boosted.
• Superpower: Superpower provides coverage for Steel- and Rock-types, notably Heatran, Terrakion, and Tyranitar. Note that it will usually not OHKO Heatran or Terrakion.
• Return: Return is a reliable Normal-type STAB move that hits Electric-types hard, and it also does not have recoil, unlike Brave Bird. The move can be dropped, however, since it offers little coverage.
• Rock Slide: Rock Slide is a spread move that can help turn around bad matchups with its high flinch chance.
• U-turn: U-turn allows Braviary to switch out of poor matchups and get some chip damage on its foes.

Items

• Choice Scarf: A Choice Scarf and a Jolly nature allow Braviary to outspeed most of the metagame outside of Tailwind. A Jolly nature is necessary for Braviary to outspeed the common Adamant Choice Scarf Landorus-T.

Other Details

The given EV spread allows Braviary to hit as hard as possible and outspeed neutral-natured Choice Scarf Landorus-T.

Where should I place this Pokémon?

Braviary can target foes from any placement, but putting it on the side can allow the opponent to safely switch in an Intimidate user on the other side.

What partners should I consider?

• Heatran: Heatran appreciates Braviary discouraging Hitmontop and Landorus-T from switching in.
• Sand: Sand teams also love Braviary dealing with Hitmontop and Landorus-T. Braviary is also immune to Excadrill's Earthquake.
• TerraCott: Braviary can take out Hitmontop and Landorus-T, which also threaten TerraCott teams.

What are its flaws?

Braviary does not hit very hard without a boost and relies mostly on single-target attacks.

• Electric-types: Electric-types resist Braviary's main STAB move and deal heavy damage to it with Thunderbolt. They also commonly carry speed control moves, allowing their teams to deal with Braviary more easily.
• Trick Room: Trick Room removes Braviary's speed advantage, leaving it vulnerable to powerful Trick Room sweepers. Braviary's Brave Bird also doesn't do major damage to Cresselia and Dusclops.
• Politoed and rain teams: Pokémon with the ability Swift Swim will usually outspeed and deal major damage to Braviary.

Niche Pokémon

These Pokémon are a bit too niche to cover in depth, but they are worth considering for certain teams. Check out the Battle Spot Triples stats on the Global Link site to learn more about them, since they run similar sets there!

• Clefairy: Clefairy is an alternate Follow Me user, with an excellent defensive boosting ability called Friend Guard. However, it is extremely weak to Taunt.
• Bisharp: Bisharp is actually a very common Defiant Pokémon in Battle Spot Triples, but its usage was low for the Pokémon Showdown ladder. It could make a big appearance in the tournament, though, so be prepared!
• Gardevoir: Gardevoir is the most powerful specially attacking Fairy in Unova Classic, and it has the useful Telepathy for avoiding allied spread attacks. It is frail and somewhat slow, though.
• Ninetales: Ninetales can change the weather to sun, which is devastating for rain teams, but most teams are better off using Pokémon with Sunny Day such as Whimsicott, Amoonguss, and Dusclops.
• Raikou: Raikou is a fast Electric-type that learns Calm Mind, which is useful, but its low physical bulk can be problematic.
• Milotic: Milotic gets Competitive, which gives it an edge against Pokémon with Intimidate by doubling its Special Attack. It is a bit slow and physically frail, though.
• Mienshao: Mienshao is one of the fastest users of Fake Out in Unova Classic, though it's frail and has poor physical Fighting-type STAB moves and a Special Attack stat too low for effectively using Aura Sphere.
• Breloom: Breloom is a much faster user of Spore than Amoonguss, which can be dangerous in certain situations; however, it's also much frailer.
• Garchomp: Garchomp is faster than Landorus-T, but without Intimidate, it often feels outclassed.
• Escavalier: Escavalier has Overcoat, which makes it immune to Spore and Rage Powder. This is pretty nice for Trick Room teams if Amoonguss is too dangerous, though it isn't as versatile as Scizor.
• Thundurus-T: Thundurus-T is more powerful than Thundurus, but the lack of Prankster or Defiant relegates it to obscurity.
• Conkeldurr: Conkeldurr as trouble competing with Hariyama and Hitmontop, but it is the best user of Drain Punch, making it last longer than Hariyama.
• Kecleon: Kecleon is a unique Trick Room Pokémon that has Fake Out and Feint, making it useful with Heatran and Jellicent. However, its Defense stat leaves something to be desired.
• Cherrim: Cherrim under the sun gives its teammates Attack and Special Defense boosts, making certain Pokémon such as Landorus-T into monsters to face. However, Cherrim doesn't do much beyond that.
• Sableye: Sableye is an alternate Prankster user that is immune to Fake Out and has the awesome move Quash. However, its even frailer than Whimsicott, and much slower too.
• Blastoise: With a Choice Scarf, Blastoise is a much faster Water Spout user than Jellicent, leading to potentially devastating sweeps under the rain. However, Blastoise is a one-trick turtle compared to Jellicent, making it difficult to justify over Swift Swimmers.
• Typhlosion: Typhlosion is similar to Blastoise, except with Eruption. It's very powerful under the sun, but most of the time, you're better off using Heatran under Trick Room.
• Ambipom: Ambipom manages to outspeed Terrakion, which is very useful for a Fake Out Pokémon considering its Quick Guard. Ambipom itself, however, is rather frail and weak.
• Kangaskhan: Kangaskhan is the only Fake Out Pokémon that can hit Ghosts, which makes it worth consideration against Jellicent. Otherwise, it's just an average Normal-type.
• Unfezant and Krookodile: Unfezant and Krookodile can be a devastating combo: with Super Luck, Night Slash, and Scope Lens, Unfezent will unleash a critical hit to trigger Krookodile's Anger Point, maximizing its Attack stat! This is extremely dangerous when unprepared for, and can work late-game, unlike TerraCott, but Unfezant itself isn't very useful beyond this.
• Slowbro and Slowking: Slowbro and Slowking have Oblivious, which makes them immune to Taunt. This gives them a niche on rain Trick Room teams, being able to use a Chesto Berry to be immune to sleep and taunt, nearly guaranteeing a Trick Room setup. Offensively, though, Jellicent is still the better choice.