Wizard of Osmosis: Reuniclus in UU

By IronBullet. Art by ZapDraws.
« Previous Article Home Next Article »
Reuniclus art by ZapDraws

Introduction

Don't let Reuniclus's cute and huggable appearance fool you. It's one of UU's most notorious setup sweepers and has probably been the tier's biggest success story in recent months, rising all the way from RU to become an S Rank UU Pokémon. So, what makes it so threatening and why has it had such a profound impact on the metagame? Its stats don't seem overwhelming at first glance apart from that impressive base 125 Special Attack, but what sets it apart from other bulky sweepers is its fantastic ability, Magic Guard. Magic Guard grants it an immunity to all forms of indirect damage, which includes burns, poison, entry hazards, Leech Seed, and Life Orb recoil. This, in conjunction with its above-average defenses and access to Recover, makes it incredibly difficult to wear down over the course of a match. Apart from being a scarily good bulky setup sweeper with Calm Mind, it can also function effectively as an all-out sweeper with Trick Room thanks to its base 30 Speed stat. As of now, it is one of UU's most defining threats, and every player must keep it in mind when building a team.

Reuniclus's Qualities

Reuniclus's best quality is, without a doubt, Magic Guard. Immunity to all forms of residual damage gives Reuniclus a huge advantage over other bulky sweepers, as it can use Recover without having to worry about Toxic and other status conditions and isn't forced to run Rest or a status healing move. Backed up by its solid defenses, Magic Guard also gives Reuniclus the ability to switch in on many Pokémon and set up relatively easily. In fact, its particular attributes and access to Psyshock make it an excellent check to other Calm Mind sweepers, such as Suicune, Florges, and Cresselia. Reuniclus's movepool is also quite wide and gives it all the necessary tools and coverage options to be effective in this metagame. With HP and Defense investment, it becomes very bulky and can check many common threats, such as Mega Aerodactyl, Cobalion, Crobat, Mienshao, and Lucario. It can even run Thunder Wave in place of a coverage move to be even more of an annoyance for opposing offensive teams.

Reuniclus's two most effective sets are its bulky Calm Mind set and its offensive Trick Room set. Reuniclus is very well suited to a Calm Mind set thanks to its access to Recover and Magic Guard and its impressive physical bulk with EV investment. It also has excellent coverage with Psyshock and Focus Blast, which let Reuniclus hit a wide variety of Pokémon in UU for at least neutral damage. Reuniclus's Trick Room set can be devastating for both offensive and defensive teams to face thanks to its wide coverage and incredible power when boosted by a Life Orb. Its very low Speed stat means that most offensive Pokémon will be outsped under Trick Room, while defensive teams will struggle to wear it down thanks to Magic Guard.

The only things holding Reuniclus back are its terrible Speed stat, which leaves it outsped by nearly every Pokémon in UU when Trick Room isn't in play, and its mediocre defensive typing, which makes it vulnerable to many common offensive Pokémon, such as Hydreigon, Mega Beedrill, and Doublade. Its typing also means that it is hit super effectively by the ever-present U-turn, although defensive Reuniclus is bulky enough to survive most non-STAB U-turns comfortably and use Recover. Reuniclus is also damaged heavily by Knock Off, which also rids it of its valuable item, and Pursuit, which will significantly cripple it if it attempts to switch out.

Playing with Reuniclus

Calm Mind

This is Reuniclus's bread and butter set and the one you are most likely to encounter if you come across it in a match. It has gained a lot of notoriety in UU due to how difficult Reuniclus is to break down. It is one of the best stallbreakers in the tier, as Reuniclus cannot be worn down by entry hazards or status ailments and can set up with ease against many walls. Calm Mind boosts its already impressive Special Attack to dangerous levels and also increases its Special Defense, which means that this set, after a few boosts, will have impressive bulk both physically and specially thanks to the heavy EV investment in Defense. Psyshock is a reliable, decently powerful STAB move. It is preferred to Psychic, as it allows Reuniclus to win Calm Mind wars against Pokémon such as Suicune and Cresselia and also do significantly more damage to Blissey. Focus Blast is the primary coverage option, as it lets Reuniclus hit Steel-types, such as Empoleon and Mega Aggron, and Dark-types, such as Hydreigon and Krookodile, super effectively. Shadow Ball is an alternative coverage move that can be used to hit opposing Reuniclus and other Psychic-types, such as Slowking, Azelf, and Cresselia, super effectively. Thunder Wave is a useful option that can be used to cripple some of Reuniclus's checks, such as Hydreigon and Mandibuzz, and also offers useful team support. Keep in mind, though, that using Thunder Wave leaves Reuniclus helpless against Dark-type Pokémon, outside of crippling them.

When using this set, it's important that you weaken or KO potential counters to Reuniclus on the opposing team before attempting to set up. For all of Reuniclus's impressive qualities, it is still very threatened by offensive Pokémon that can smack it with super effective STAB attacks, such as Hydreigon, Heracross, Krookodile, and Mega Beedrill. Also, make sure to keep Reuniclus healthy before attempting to set up, as letting it get worn down too quickly without recovering makes it difficult for it to set up. The good news (or bad news, depending on whether you're using Reuniclus or facing it) is that it is much easier to keep Reuniclus healthy than its offensive checks because of its access to Magic Guard and Recover. Reuniclus has a less challenging time against more defensive teams, which will struggle to wear it down due to Magic Guard and often lack the power to even 2HKO it. As such, Reuniclus can attempt to set up right from the start against such teams, which will likely have to resort to phazing it to stop a potential sweep. This allows Reuniclus to pummel the opposing team with boosted attacks, opening up holes for its teammates to take advantage of and making it easier for Reuniclus itself to potentially sweep late-game.

Offensive Trick Room

While the previous set takes time to set up and requires Reuniclus to accumulate multiple boosts before being able to sweep, this one aims to have a more immediate impact. Thanks to Reuniclus's extremely low Speed stat, Trick Room turns it into an effective sweeper, likely making it the fastest Pokémon on the field for a few turns. Maximum Special Attack investment and a Life Orb allow Reuniclus to hit incredibly hard, and its coverage moves allow it to hit most of the UU tier for at least neutral damage. Psyshock is the primary STAB attack and hits special walls such as Florges and Blissey for more damage than Psychic. Psychic can be used, though, as it has a higher Base Power than Psyshock and hits Pokémon with high Defense, such as Entei and Rhyperior, harder than Psyshock. Focus Blast provides super effective coverage against Dark- and Steel-type Pokémon, such as Krookodile, Hydreigon, and Mega Aggron, and hits Snorlax for considerable damage. Shadow Ball rounds off the moveset by hitting Psychic-types, such as opposing Reuniclus, Slowking, and Cresselia, for super effective damage.

In contrast to the defensive Calm Mind set, Trick Room Reuniclus lacks reliable recovery and is significantly weaker defensively. As such, it's a good idea to only set up Trick Room late-game when Reuniclus's counters and checks have been weakened, as it will likely only get one chance to do so against most teams. Earlier in the match, Reuniclus can switch in by using its decent bulk to come in on weak moves or after one of its teammates is KOed and launch powerful attacks to open up holes in the opposing team. Defensive teams are not as heavily troubled by this set as they are to the previous one, as Trick Room Reuniclus is incapable of boosting its Special Attack, but they will still struggle to deal with it thanks to its immunity to status conditions and entry hazards. Reuniclus's raw power and coverage with this set make it a terrifying wallbreaker against more defensive teams, which are unable to wear it down easily.

Playing against Reuniclus

If you're using an offensive team, your best bet against Reuniclus is, quite simply, to hit it as hard as possible and hopefully KO it before it can retaliate. While outspeeding it is no big issue seeing as it is one of the slowest Pokémon in the tier with a paltry base 30 Speed stat, doing significant damage to it is much more difficult with Reuniclus being immune to status and generally hard to wear down. Only powerful Pokémon with super effective STAB moves, such as Heracross, Chandelure, Escavalier, and Hydreigon, can outright OHKO Reuniclus. Many common sweepers are also capable of 2HKOing it with either STAB moves or super effective coverage moves, such as Doublade, Feraligatr, Dragalge, Kyurem, Mamoswine, Mega Beedrill, and Tyrantrum. The problem is that most of these Pokémon find it very difficult to switch into Reuniclus, as they are either weak to its STAB move or one of its coverage moves or crippled heavily by Thunder Wave. Overall, though, the best way to outright deal with Reuniclus is to utilize Dark-, Bug-, and Ghost-type Pokémon, all of which can inflict a lot of damage on it with their STAB moves.

Reuniclus is also weak to Knock Off, so hitting it hard and removing its valuable Leftovers or Life Orb in the process can go a long way towards defeating it. However, keep in mind that most Knock Off users fail to 2HKO defensive Reuniclus due to the damage drop after the item is removed, so it can comfortably sponge the Knock Off and Recover off the damage. As a result, Knock Off can be a good way to cripple Reuniclus, but don't rely on it as your only way of beating it.

Taunt is a great way to stop Reuniclus from boosting and using Recover. If Reuniclus lacks Focus Blast, Dark-type Pokémon such as Hydreigon, Mandibuzz, and Krookodile can utilize Taunt to render Reuniclus useless and proceed to KO it. Whimsicott can lock Reuniclus into a non-attacking move with Encore and force it to switch out. Phazing can also be used to nullify Reuniclus's boosts and force it to switch in again and accumulate additional damage before attempting to set up. Roar + Calm Mind Suicune is an ideal example of such a Pokémon to accomplish this. Perish Song Meloetta can be utilized on more defensive teams for similar purposes and to prevent Reuniclus from achieving a sweep as the last Pokémon remaining.

Defensive teams can also utilize Curse users, such as Mega Swampert, Snorlax, and Mega Aggron, to boost up alongside Reuniclus and minimize the damage they take from Psyshock. They can then proceed to KO Reuniclus with their own boosted attacks. Keep in mind, though, that Snorlax and Mega Aggron are both hit very hard by Focus Blast.

As for the Trick Room set, offensive teams will find it much easier to KO it than the defensive set due to its relatively weaker defenses and lack of recovery. There are also certain Pokémon that can tank its hits relatively comfortably and hit it hard in return, such as Mandibuzz, Escavalier, Suicune, and Mega Blastoise. Overall, while it is a much more immediate threat than the bulky Calm Mind set, it has a lot less staying power, as it can be worn down easily with repeated hits and lacks a way to boost its Special Attack.

Fitting Reuniclus onto your team

Reuniclus can fit well on both offensive and defensive teams depending on which set you want to use. The Calm Mind set ideally fits the role of a bulky wincon that also provides teams with a cushion to fall back on against several hard-hitting threats and most bulky sweepers. On the other hand, the Trick Room set provides teams with an extremely dangerous late-game sweeper that can threaten both offensive and defensive teams with its incredible power and coverage.

Whichever one you use, Reuniclus forces a lot of switches, so it appreciates entry hazard support. Spikes in particular can help Reuniclus set up a sweep, as most of its counters are grounded and are easily worn down by entry hazard damage. Pokémon that can switch into Bug- and Dark-type attacks, such as Florges and Aromatisse, also make for good partners, as they can tank hits from the likes of Hydreigon and Krookodile with little trouble and either KO them with a STAB Moonblast or pass Wishes to Reuniclus if needed.

As Reuniclus can set up on many walls found on balance and stall teams, sweepers that struggle to break down such playstyles but work well against offensive teams, such as Dragon Dance Feraligatr, Choice Scarf Mienshao, and Swords Dance Cobalion, are all good partners for Reuniclus. Cobalion can also set up on Dark-type moves aimed at Reuniclus.

While not necessary, one can also utilize other Pokémon that can take advantage of Trick Room alongside Reuniclus. Mega Abomasnow, Machamp, and Mega Camerupt all appreciate Trick Room support and can punch holes into defensive teams if brought in safely, allowing Reuniclus to potentially clean up later.

Get out there!

Reuniclus has cemented itself as one of UU's top threats and must always be considered, both for a spot on your team and as a potential threat on opposing teams. Go and experience it for yourself; you won't be disappointed. Thanks for reading!

« Previous Article Home Next Article »