http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/linoone
Since Trapinch isn't getting much more finished, I may as well post Linoone before someone else reserves it.
Major changes:
- Seed Bomb, which puts Linoone on a whole new scale of viability.
- A lot more in-depth info about ...everything.
- A lot more info on how to use Linoone and get your drum off successfully, which is probably the most important thing.
- Team Options, of course.
- Removed CB set and put it in other options.
----
[SET]
name: Belly Drummer
move 1: Belly Drum
move 2: ExtremeSpeed
move 3: Seed Bomb
move 4: Return / Shadow Claw
item: Salac Berry
ability: Gluttony
nature: Adamant
evs: 116 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 136 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Linoone possesses a holy trinity of sweeping power: Belly Drum, ExtremeSpeed and Gluttony. These three elements combine forming the ultimate one-turn setup. After a Belly Drum, Linoone's shabby Attack score of 262 skyrockets to an amazing 1048, ready for immediate sweepage. At the same time, Gluttony activates its Salac Berry, sending its Speed score from 270 (136 EVs) to 405, outspeeding Scarfed base 85 speed Pokemon. Linoone can then proceed to sweep with ExtremeSpeed, a STAB, 80 base power priority move, ensuring that the flipped-out polecat will almost never be struck before it can hit, and likely KO, its opponent.</p>
<p>Seed Bomb is the second attack in Linoone's sweeping arsenal. It KOs many Rock-types that resist ExtremeSpeed, and also does a hefty number on bulky Water- and Ground-types. Max Defense Slowbro, Milotic, Claydol, Omastar, Quagsire, Cloyster, Solrock, Lunatone, Rhydon, Sandslash, Relicanth, and Gastrodon will all survive a +6 Extremespeed, but will all fall to +6 Seed Bomb after accounting for Stealth Rocks.</p>
<b>Despite his large movepool, Linoone has very few useable offensive options. After ExtremeSpeed and Seed Bomb, those options boil down to the two in the last moveslot. Shadow Claw is for Ghost-types, and will OHKO any Ghost in UU, besides Spiritomb and +Def Sableye, without fail (SR is needed for a OHKO on Dusclops). Return, however, may prove more useful in the long run. Return may seem like redundant coverage with Extremespeed, allowing you to be walled by many more things, but consider the following:</p>
<p>There are four ghosts in UU that +6 Shadow Claw can OHKO but +6 Seed Bomb cannot. These are Drifblim, Dusclops, max Defense Rotom, and Shedinja. Drifblim and Dusclops, while not unseen, are rare. Drifblim is often a lead in UU and will probably have Substituted down to 25% of its health (easily KO range) by the time Linoone is on the scene. Bold Rotom is also a rare sight - offensive variations are much more common and are all KOed by Seed Bomb. Shedinja is the rarest of all, and though, while lacking Shadow Claw will leave you completely walled by Shedinja, even with Shadow Claw most will either kill you after Focus Sash activates, or with a Banded Sucker Punch. This is, of course, assuming there is no Stealth Rock on the field, which renders Shedinja useless anyway.</p>
<p>Return, meanwhile, rivaling in power practically any Explosion found in UU, will ensure a few KOs that ExtremeSpeed cannot. Max Defense Shaymin, Weezing, Nidoqueen, Torterra, Torkoal, Uxie, and Drapion are all OHKOed by +6 Return after Stealth Rock damage, while ExtremeSpeed (or Shadow Claw vs. Uxie) will fail to KO in each case by a small margin. Return also has a 65% chance of 2HKOing a 252 HP / 4 Def neutral-natured Registeel holding Leftovers and taking Stealth Rock damage. Finally, after possibly taking an Intimidate or two, the added power of Return will be welcome.</p>
<p>Steel-type Pokemon are one thing Linoone absolutely cannot sweep through, as they resist Linoone's STAB attacks as well as Seed Bomb. Two attack options, Dig and Rock Smash, were available in the past as Linoone's only super-effective attacks against the Steels, but neither is recommended over the listed attacks. Dig is nearly useless; not only is it easy to avoid and fails to OHKO Steelix, but the common Steels (Steelix and Registeel) usually carry Earthquake, which will hit you while underground. Rock Smash is generally a waste of a moveslot, considering a 2x super-effective Rock Smash has only 80 base power, and a resisted STAB Return has 76.5 base power. Seed Bomb hits Steelix with 80 base power as well. The only Steels that Rock Smash is able to hit for decent damage are the three Rock/Steel types (Bastiodon, Probopass, and Aggron), which are rarely seen.</p>
<p>It therefore falls upon Linoone's teammates to remove its counters if Linoone hopes to sweep. Before firing off a Belly Drum, scouting for opposing Steelix, Registeel, and Spiritomb is wise. Shuckle, Cradily, and Armaldo are not as common nor as perfect of counters, but can all pose problems for Linoone as well. These sweep-stopping Pokémon should be eliminated, or else brought within kill range, before Linoone Belly Drums. Assuming Stealth Rock is in play, Linoone will always KO these counters if they are taken down to a certain hit point percentage first:</p>
<ul>
<li>252 HP / 0 Def Impish Steelix, with Seed Bomb: <b>38.76%</b> or less HP remaining</li>
<li>252 HP / 252 Def Impish Registeel, with Return: <b>42.24%</b> or less HP remaining</li>
<li>252 HP / 0 Def Careful Registeel, with Return: <b>53.23%</b> or less HP remaining</li>
<li>252 HP / 252 Def Bold Spiritomb, with Seed Bomb: <b>69.74%</b> or less HP remaining (but beware of Sucker Punch)</li>
<li>252 HP / 208 Def Impish Shuckle, with Seed Bomb: <b>65.98%</b> or less HP remaining</li>
<li>252 HP / 240 Def Careful Cradly, with Seed Bomb: <b>67.55%</b> or less HP remaining</li>
<li>244 HP / 252 Def Impish Armaldo, with Seed Bomb: <b>76.99%</b> or less HP remaining</li>
</ul>
<p>Keeping these Pokemon in mind, a team packing Linoone would do well to carry Pokémon that can handle Linoone's counters. Powerful wallbreakers like mixed Blaziken, Swords Dance Pinsir, Specs Typhlosion, and Life Orb Honchkrow can soften these counters enough for Linoone to sweep, if not fainting them outright. As well, like any setup sweeper, lures and trappers make Linoone's life much easier. Crobat, Mismagius, Scyther, and Swellow are all terriffic lures that can coax your opponent's Linoone counter early. Trapinch and Magneton are fairly efficient at eliminating the Steels that give Linoone nightmares, especially when paired with lures.</p>
[TEAM OPTIONS]
<p>Belly Drum Linoone is an extremely dangerous sweeper, needing only one turn of setup to turn a game on its head. However, getting that crucial turn to set up, and then surviving it, is no easy task. Linoone has paper-thin 78/61/61 defenses - most Pokemon can easily hit it for more than 50% damage, and the things that cannot (weak walls like Blastoise and Registeel) can status or phaze Linoone as it Drums. That said, there are many exploitable opportunities that can allow Linoone the free turn it so desires.</p>
<p>Dual screen + Memento is perhaps the best and most reliable option. In UU, only Uxie, Gardevoir, and Magcargo can learn all three of Reflect, Light Screen, and Memento. Uxie does particularly well at this task as it has excellent defenses, decent Speed, and can Yawn (the merits of which are discussed below). Dual screen + Memento essentially reduces the opponent to 25% of its attacking power, meaning an opponent would have to be able to deal 200% damage to Linoone in normal conditions to KO it after it Drums. Behind both Screens and against a Memento-sapped opponent, only STAB Close Combats and Superpowers, powerful Brick Breaks, and Explosions can hope to KO Linoone after it gets its Belly Drum off. To give an example of the shielding power of dual screens + Memento, consider the following heavy hitters:</p>
<ul>
<li>-2 Modest 252 SpA Choice Specs Typhlosion Eruption (150 base power) vs 116 HP / 4 SpD Linoone behind Light Screen: <b>40.8% - 48.16%</b></li>
<li>-2 Adamant 252 Atk Life Orb Honchkrow Superpower vs 116 HP / 0 Def Linoone behind Reflect: <b>41.72% - 49.08%</b></li>
</ul>
<p>Simply dual screening without Memento may allow Linoone to get off a Belly Drum against a weaker attacker, but beware, as many offensive Pokemon have no trouble dealing over 50% even from behind screens.</p>
<p>Yawn is an excellent way to snag a free Belly Drumming opportunity. If the Yawner faints (from a Yawned enemy's attack or its own Memento) or uses a slow U-turn on the turn the opponent falls asleep, Linoone gets in for free against a sleeping Pokemon.</p>
<p>Encore from something like Clefable, Lopunny, Jumpluff, or Shuckle works wonders if the opponent is locked into a harmless move and refuses to switch out. Never drum on Encored Substitute, however, as the opponent will stall out the Encore and finish you off from behind its Sub more often than not.</p>
<p>Aside from these support-based options, Linoone can take advantage of "natural" free turns. Rest is a prime opportunity for Belly Drumming if your opponent doesn't use Sleep Talk. Predicting a Shaymin's Rest and switching in on it is one of the most common free turns you will encounter - be sure to keep Linoone hidden so your opponent does not consider the risks of Resting. Choiced Ghost attacks can be easily Drummed on, as can some non-STABed, Choiced Pursuits (beware, Honchkrow and Absol will both KO you after a Drum with CB Pursuit). -4 Choice Scarf (or -6 Specs) Leaf Storms, Overheats, and Draco Meteors can provide a Drumming opportunity, should your opponent keep his Choiced Pokémon in for 2-3 attacks. Slaking is rarely seen, but if you encounter one, consider it a blessing.</p>
<p>Stealth Rock is important for many key OHKOs, including Slowbro, Bold Shaymin, and Uxie, as well as anything holding a Focus Sash. In the same vein, a spinner on your team will remove the entry hazards that make Linoone more vulnerable. Without a spinner, make sure you at least carry a grounded Poison-type to remove Toxic Spikes.</p>
<p>Alongside its obvious role as a central end-game sweeper, Linoone can be worth its weight in gold without ever even Belly Drumming, instead harassing an opponent's playstyle through sheer intimidation. Facing the constant threat of a Linoone setup, your opponent will be forced to play very conservatively, which you can use to your advantage. Shaymin will be wary of Resting, and may sacrifice itself to avoid the possibility of a Linoone switch-in. Encore users become more potent, especially if they can spread status, like Clefable and Jumpluff - your opponent will not leave an Encored Pokémon in, allowing you to status another of his teammates. Choiced attacks will be chosen much more cautiously. Using Linoone as a lead is a great way to keep early Rocks and Spikes off the field, as any attempt to set up will be deterred by the risk of Belly Drum.</p>
<p>Linoone can potentially be used in OU, as it is not outclassed by anything as a priority-abusing Belly Drummer. However, there are many more Steel threats, faster and tougher Ghosts, and a very common Sandstorm to contend with in OU, so pulling off a full sweep is difficult.</p>
<p>In all cases, Linoone users have a choice to make. With dedicated team support, including things like dual screens, Memento, Encore, and a way to trap or otherwise eliminate its counters, Belly Drum Linoone can make a fairly reliable end-game sweeper. Without team support, Linoone will almost never get to Drum and sweep successfully, but keeping it in the wings allows you to take advantage of things like Choiced Ghost attacks and Pursuits, Rest-users without Sleep Talk, and Slaking's Truant. The threat of Linoone will keep your opponent on his toes and may allow you to set up other strategies, and even unboosted, ExtremeSpeed is useful for revenge killing. Whether this is worth Linoone's teamslot is up to your team and personal preference.</p>
[OTHER OPTIONS]
<p>Pretty much every viable attack option has been discussed on the Belly Drum set - others are either not powerful enough, or have no benefits in terms of coverage. There are item options, though. If you don't feel the need to abuse Gluttony, since you already have a priority attack in ExtremeSpeed, then a Silk Scarf can give you a nice 20% boost to your STAB moves. With the boost, Extremespeed OHKOs a few things it wouldn't without the boost, like Scarf Magneton, and Return can take out targets like Bold Shaymin and Impish Drapion without Stealth Rock support. However, you fail to outspeed Mismagius and Timid Rotom, both of whom you cannot hit with ExtremeSpeed, as well as Normal-resistant Scarfers and fast priority users. As well, you are pretty much forced to employ 252 Speed EVs, which slightly hampers your ability to set up safely. Other item options include Lum, Sitrus, and Chople (Fighting-type damage reduction) Berries, all of which help Linoone set up more easily, at the cost of speed during its sweep.</p>
<p>Linoone can use its reputation as a Belly Drummer to run a surprise Choice Band set. While weaker than most Choice Banders, Linoone does have its advantages. First and foremost, it poses a psychological threat. Feigning a Belly Drum set, it intimidates many weakened sweepers into attacking instead of switching out, and many dottering walls will give up the chance to recover damage in order to get a hit off on Linoone. Second, it is the only user of STAB ExtremeSpeed in UU, which by all accounts is a powerful and reliable priority attack, even on a Pokémon with a pathetic 70 base Attack. Third, it has access to Switcheroo (as well as its identical twin Trick), which it can use to foil many of its counters. Steelix, Registeel, and Spiritomb, the three best Belly Drum Linoone switch-ins in UU, are all crippled by receiving a Choice Band, unless they are already holding one. Choice Band Linoone should run a standard sweeper EV spread of 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe.</p>
[EVs]
<p>Max Attack is non-negotiable, as Linoone needs to pack all the power it can. The Speed EVs listed allow Linoone to outrun Choice Scarfed, neutral nature base 85s after a Salac boost. This includes Pinsir and Toxicroak, which might possibly (though unlikely) run Quick Attack/Sucker Punch with a Scarf. If you want to run less speed in favour of more bulk, 96 Speed EVs allows you to outrun Choice Scarfed, neutral nature base 80s, including Blaziken and Medicham, and 80 EVs outspeeds Jolly Swellow. If you want to run more Speed, 282 (184 EVs) is a good benchmark, as it allows you to outpace Modest Scarf Rotom and kill it with Seed Bomb. After Speed is decided, throw as many leftover EVs as you can into HP while keeping it even - an even number of Hit Points will activate Gluttony after a Belly Drum, while an odd number will not. After HP, place remaining EVs into Special Defense.</p>
[OPINION]
<p>Linoone is truly a blessed Pokemon. What would otherwise be a run-of-the-mill, throwaway Normal-type rodent in the ranks of Raticate and Furret has access to a one-turn, game-ending sweep setup. Belly Drum turns the mild-mannered mustelid into a pillar of hellfire, a screaming Harrier jet, a towering tornado of fury wielding 1048 Attack, 405 Speed, and an 80 base power, STAB priority attack. Packing Linoone gives you a deadly secret weapon for when your enemy shows a moment of weakness, and once its presence is known, Linoone becomes a powerful psychological threat that will have your opponent on his toes the entire match. Adding in team support makes Linoone a fairly reliable late-game sweeper. If you have an opportunistic, high-risk-high-reward playstyle, Linoone may be for you. Beware, however, that Linoone is extremely frail and unforgiving - improper scouting, or a single mistake in prediction, will quickly turn Linoone into dead weight.</p>
[COUNTERS]
<p>The best way to counter Linoone is to prevent it from setting up a Belly Drum. If there are no screens in play, almost any STAB attack along with Stealth Rock will deal more than 50% damage to Linoone. If screens are in play, it takes a fairly powerful STAB or Fighting attack from a sweeper or tank to deal the appropriate damage, although this is still not hard to do. Taking out a screen-shielded Linoone after eating a Memento takes serious Fighting STAB from the likes of Hitmonlee, Hitmontop, Primeape, or Medicham. Many support moves are also viable ways to halt Linoone's setup, and are unaffected by screens or Memento: Encore, Trick, burn, sleep, Haze, and phazing moves can all put Linoone on the sidelines for the rest of the match by making it waste its Belly Drum.</p>
<p>Once Linoone has drummed, it still has several solid counters. Steelix is undoubtedly the best counter: with Impish and 0 Def EVs, it is 3HKOed at best by Seed Bomb, and can KO Linoone with Earthquake or Gyro Ball or phaze it away with Roar. Spiritomb is also an excellent counter, since it is immune to Linoone's STAB, 2HKOed by Seed Bomb and can strike back first with its own priority STAB Sucker Punch or burn it with Will-o-Wisp. Registeel counters Linoone well, as long as it has Def EVs or doesn't switch into Return; however, 0 Atk Registeel needs Explosion to put 50% HP Linoone down, as Iron Head will not KO. Shuckle almost always survives 2 Seed Bombs, even with SR in play, but cannot do much back besides Toxic. Scarf Mismagius and Timid Scarf Rotom can both switch in on any Normal attack, outspeed the incoming Seed Bomb or Shadow Claw, and KO with Hidden Power Fighting or STAB Thunderbolt.</p>
<p>Without Shadow Claw, Linoone cannot OHKO the aforementioned ghosts (Dusclops, Bold Rotom, Drifblim, and Shedinja), which in turn can usually manage to KO, or at least burn, Linoone. Without Return, bulky Pokemon like Shaymin, Torterra, Torkoal, Gligar, and Weezing can survive a hit from Linoone if they are running max HP and Def. The same goes for bulky Grass weaks like Slowbro, Sandslash, Cloyster, and all Rock-types, if Linoone lacks Seed Bomb. Linoone needs Stealth Rock in play to get many key OHKOs; without it, almost any bulky Pokémon with max Defense will be able to survive a single +6 hit at full health, as will any Pokémon with Focus Sash.</p>
<p>Some battle conditions can prevent or hamper a Linoone's sweep. Toxic Spikes (either one or two layers) are the most harmful, limiting Linoone's maximum sweeping turns after a Belly Drum to 3, or 2 if Linoone switches in mid-turn. Stealth Rock and Spikes hamper Linoone's ability to take hits on its Belly Drumming turn. Sandstorm and Hail don't cut sweeps short quite like poison does, but it can finish off a damaged Linoone. Reflect on the defender's side reduces Linoone's attacking power by 50%, enough to halt its sweep.</p>
<p>If you carry a Pokémon with Intimidate, you can sap Linoone's attack until it is unable to KO your Pokémon. At +5 Attack (after one Intimidate), Linoone fails to OHKO many walls, such as the aforementioned max Defense Uxie, Weezing, and Slowbro, sometimes even with Stealth Rock in play. Offensive teams lacking a wall may have to sacrifice a Pokémon or two in order to harass Linoone with multiple Intimidates. Other abilities like Static, Flame Body, Rough Skin, and Aftermath can, with a little luck, disable or finish off Linoone in a pinch.</p>
Since Trapinch isn't getting much more finished, I may as well post Linoone before someone else reserves it.
Major changes:
- Seed Bomb, which puts Linoone on a whole new scale of viability.
- A lot more in-depth info about ...everything.
- A lot more info on how to use Linoone and get your drum off successfully, which is probably the most important thing.
- Team Options, of course.
- Removed CB set and put it in other options.
----
[SET]
name: Belly Drummer
move 1: Belly Drum
move 2: ExtremeSpeed
move 3: Seed Bomb
move 4: Return / Shadow Claw
item: Salac Berry
ability: Gluttony
nature: Adamant
evs: 116 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 136 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Linoone possesses a holy trinity of sweeping power: Belly Drum, ExtremeSpeed and Gluttony. These three elements combine forming the ultimate one-turn setup. After a Belly Drum, Linoone's shabby Attack score of 262 skyrockets to an amazing 1048, ready for immediate sweepage. At the same time, Gluttony activates its Salac Berry, sending its Speed score from 270 (136 EVs) to 405, outspeeding Scarfed base 85 speed Pokemon. Linoone can then proceed to sweep with ExtremeSpeed, a STAB, 80 base power priority move, ensuring that the flipped-out polecat will almost never be struck before it can hit, and likely KO, its opponent.</p>
<p>Seed Bomb is the second attack in Linoone's sweeping arsenal. It KOs many Rock-types that resist ExtremeSpeed, and also does a hefty number on bulky Water- and Ground-types. Max Defense Slowbro, Milotic, Claydol, Omastar, Quagsire, Cloyster, Solrock, Lunatone, Rhydon, Sandslash, Relicanth, and Gastrodon will all survive a +6 Extremespeed, but will all fall to +6 Seed Bomb after accounting for Stealth Rocks.</p>
<b>Despite his large movepool, Linoone has very few useable offensive options. After ExtremeSpeed and Seed Bomb, those options boil down to the two in the last moveslot. Shadow Claw is for Ghost-types, and will OHKO any Ghost in UU, besides Spiritomb and +Def Sableye, without fail (SR is needed for a OHKO on Dusclops). Return, however, may prove more useful in the long run. Return may seem like redundant coverage with Extremespeed, allowing you to be walled by many more things, but consider the following:</p>
<p>There are four ghosts in UU that +6 Shadow Claw can OHKO but +6 Seed Bomb cannot. These are Drifblim, Dusclops, max Defense Rotom, and Shedinja. Drifblim and Dusclops, while not unseen, are rare. Drifblim is often a lead in UU and will probably have Substituted down to 25% of its health (easily KO range) by the time Linoone is on the scene. Bold Rotom is also a rare sight - offensive variations are much more common and are all KOed by Seed Bomb. Shedinja is the rarest of all, and though, while lacking Shadow Claw will leave you completely walled by Shedinja, even with Shadow Claw most will either kill you after Focus Sash activates, or with a Banded Sucker Punch. This is, of course, assuming there is no Stealth Rock on the field, which renders Shedinja useless anyway.</p>
<p>Return, meanwhile, rivaling in power practically any Explosion found in UU, will ensure a few KOs that ExtremeSpeed cannot. Max Defense Shaymin, Weezing, Nidoqueen, Torterra, Torkoal, Uxie, and Drapion are all OHKOed by +6 Return after Stealth Rock damage, while ExtremeSpeed (or Shadow Claw vs. Uxie) will fail to KO in each case by a small margin. Return also has a 65% chance of 2HKOing a 252 HP / 4 Def neutral-natured Registeel holding Leftovers and taking Stealth Rock damage. Finally, after possibly taking an Intimidate or two, the added power of Return will be welcome.</p>
<p>Steel-type Pokemon are one thing Linoone absolutely cannot sweep through, as they resist Linoone's STAB attacks as well as Seed Bomb. Two attack options, Dig and Rock Smash, were available in the past as Linoone's only super-effective attacks against the Steels, but neither is recommended over the listed attacks. Dig is nearly useless; not only is it easy to avoid and fails to OHKO Steelix, but the common Steels (Steelix and Registeel) usually carry Earthquake, which will hit you while underground. Rock Smash is generally a waste of a moveslot, considering a 2x super-effective Rock Smash has only 80 base power, and a resisted STAB Return has 76.5 base power. Seed Bomb hits Steelix with 80 base power as well. The only Steels that Rock Smash is able to hit for decent damage are the three Rock/Steel types (Bastiodon, Probopass, and Aggron), which are rarely seen.</p>
<p>It therefore falls upon Linoone's teammates to remove its counters if Linoone hopes to sweep. Before firing off a Belly Drum, scouting for opposing Steelix, Registeel, and Spiritomb is wise. Shuckle, Cradily, and Armaldo are not as common nor as perfect of counters, but can all pose problems for Linoone as well. These sweep-stopping Pokémon should be eliminated, or else brought within kill range, before Linoone Belly Drums. Assuming Stealth Rock is in play, Linoone will always KO these counters if they are taken down to a certain hit point percentage first:</p>
<ul>
<li>252 HP / 0 Def Impish Steelix, with Seed Bomb: <b>38.76%</b> or less HP remaining</li>
<li>252 HP / 252 Def Impish Registeel, with Return: <b>42.24%</b> or less HP remaining</li>
<li>252 HP / 0 Def Careful Registeel, with Return: <b>53.23%</b> or less HP remaining</li>
<li>252 HP / 252 Def Bold Spiritomb, with Seed Bomb: <b>69.74%</b> or less HP remaining (but beware of Sucker Punch)</li>
<li>252 HP / 208 Def Impish Shuckle, with Seed Bomb: <b>65.98%</b> or less HP remaining</li>
<li>252 HP / 240 Def Careful Cradly, with Seed Bomb: <b>67.55%</b> or less HP remaining</li>
<li>244 HP / 252 Def Impish Armaldo, with Seed Bomb: <b>76.99%</b> or less HP remaining</li>
</ul>
<p>Keeping these Pokemon in mind, a team packing Linoone would do well to carry Pokémon that can handle Linoone's counters. Powerful wallbreakers like mixed Blaziken, Swords Dance Pinsir, Specs Typhlosion, and Life Orb Honchkrow can soften these counters enough for Linoone to sweep, if not fainting them outright. As well, like any setup sweeper, lures and trappers make Linoone's life much easier. Crobat, Mismagius, Scyther, and Swellow are all terriffic lures that can coax your opponent's Linoone counter early. Trapinch and Magneton are fairly efficient at eliminating the Steels that give Linoone nightmares, especially when paired with lures.</p>
[TEAM OPTIONS]
<p>Belly Drum Linoone is an extremely dangerous sweeper, needing only one turn of setup to turn a game on its head. However, getting that crucial turn to set up, and then surviving it, is no easy task. Linoone has paper-thin 78/61/61 defenses - most Pokemon can easily hit it for more than 50% damage, and the things that cannot (weak walls like Blastoise and Registeel) can status or phaze Linoone as it Drums. That said, there are many exploitable opportunities that can allow Linoone the free turn it so desires.</p>
<p>Dual screen + Memento is perhaps the best and most reliable option. In UU, only Uxie, Gardevoir, and Magcargo can learn all three of Reflect, Light Screen, and Memento. Uxie does particularly well at this task as it has excellent defenses, decent Speed, and can Yawn (the merits of which are discussed below). Dual screen + Memento essentially reduces the opponent to 25% of its attacking power, meaning an opponent would have to be able to deal 200% damage to Linoone in normal conditions to KO it after it Drums. Behind both Screens and against a Memento-sapped opponent, only STAB Close Combats and Superpowers, powerful Brick Breaks, and Explosions can hope to KO Linoone after it gets its Belly Drum off. To give an example of the shielding power of dual screens + Memento, consider the following heavy hitters:</p>
<ul>
<li>-2 Modest 252 SpA Choice Specs Typhlosion Eruption (150 base power) vs 116 HP / 4 SpD Linoone behind Light Screen: <b>40.8% - 48.16%</b></li>
<li>-2 Adamant 252 Atk Life Orb Honchkrow Superpower vs 116 HP / 0 Def Linoone behind Reflect: <b>41.72% - 49.08%</b></li>
</ul>
<p>Simply dual screening without Memento may allow Linoone to get off a Belly Drum against a weaker attacker, but beware, as many offensive Pokemon have no trouble dealing over 50% even from behind screens.</p>
<p>Yawn is an excellent way to snag a free Belly Drumming opportunity. If the Yawner faints (from a Yawned enemy's attack or its own Memento) or uses a slow U-turn on the turn the opponent falls asleep, Linoone gets in for free against a sleeping Pokemon.</p>
<p>Encore from something like Clefable, Lopunny, Jumpluff, or Shuckle works wonders if the opponent is locked into a harmless move and refuses to switch out. Never drum on Encored Substitute, however, as the opponent will stall out the Encore and finish you off from behind its Sub more often than not.</p>
<p>Aside from these support-based options, Linoone can take advantage of "natural" free turns. Rest is a prime opportunity for Belly Drumming if your opponent doesn't use Sleep Talk. Predicting a Shaymin's Rest and switching in on it is one of the most common free turns you will encounter - be sure to keep Linoone hidden so your opponent does not consider the risks of Resting. Choiced Ghost attacks can be easily Drummed on, as can some non-STABed, Choiced Pursuits (beware, Honchkrow and Absol will both KO you after a Drum with CB Pursuit). -4 Choice Scarf (or -6 Specs) Leaf Storms, Overheats, and Draco Meteors can provide a Drumming opportunity, should your opponent keep his Choiced Pokémon in for 2-3 attacks. Slaking is rarely seen, but if you encounter one, consider it a blessing.</p>
<p>Stealth Rock is important for many key OHKOs, including Slowbro, Bold Shaymin, and Uxie, as well as anything holding a Focus Sash. In the same vein, a spinner on your team will remove the entry hazards that make Linoone more vulnerable. Without a spinner, make sure you at least carry a grounded Poison-type to remove Toxic Spikes.</p>
<p>Alongside its obvious role as a central end-game sweeper, Linoone can be worth its weight in gold without ever even Belly Drumming, instead harassing an opponent's playstyle through sheer intimidation. Facing the constant threat of a Linoone setup, your opponent will be forced to play very conservatively, which you can use to your advantage. Shaymin will be wary of Resting, and may sacrifice itself to avoid the possibility of a Linoone switch-in. Encore users become more potent, especially if they can spread status, like Clefable and Jumpluff - your opponent will not leave an Encored Pokémon in, allowing you to status another of his teammates. Choiced attacks will be chosen much more cautiously. Using Linoone as a lead is a great way to keep early Rocks and Spikes off the field, as any attempt to set up will be deterred by the risk of Belly Drum.</p>
<p>Linoone can potentially be used in OU, as it is not outclassed by anything as a priority-abusing Belly Drummer. However, there are many more Steel threats, faster and tougher Ghosts, and a very common Sandstorm to contend with in OU, so pulling off a full sweep is difficult.</p>
<p>In all cases, Linoone users have a choice to make. With dedicated team support, including things like dual screens, Memento, Encore, and a way to trap or otherwise eliminate its counters, Belly Drum Linoone can make a fairly reliable end-game sweeper. Without team support, Linoone will almost never get to Drum and sweep successfully, but keeping it in the wings allows you to take advantage of things like Choiced Ghost attacks and Pursuits, Rest-users without Sleep Talk, and Slaking's Truant. The threat of Linoone will keep your opponent on his toes and may allow you to set up other strategies, and even unboosted, ExtremeSpeed is useful for revenge killing. Whether this is worth Linoone's teamslot is up to your team and personal preference.</p>
[OTHER OPTIONS]
<p>Pretty much every viable attack option has been discussed on the Belly Drum set - others are either not powerful enough, or have no benefits in terms of coverage. There are item options, though. If you don't feel the need to abuse Gluttony, since you already have a priority attack in ExtremeSpeed, then a Silk Scarf can give you a nice 20% boost to your STAB moves. With the boost, Extremespeed OHKOs a few things it wouldn't without the boost, like Scarf Magneton, and Return can take out targets like Bold Shaymin and Impish Drapion without Stealth Rock support. However, you fail to outspeed Mismagius and Timid Rotom, both of whom you cannot hit with ExtremeSpeed, as well as Normal-resistant Scarfers and fast priority users. As well, you are pretty much forced to employ 252 Speed EVs, which slightly hampers your ability to set up safely. Other item options include Lum, Sitrus, and Chople (Fighting-type damage reduction) Berries, all of which help Linoone set up more easily, at the cost of speed during its sweep.</p>
<p>Linoone can use its reputation as a Belly Drummer to run a surprise Choice Band set. While weaker than most Choice Banders, Linoone does have its advantages. First and foremost, it poses a psychological threat. Feigning a Belly Drum set, it intimidates many weakened sweepers into attacking instead of switching out, and many dottering walls will give up the chance to recover damage in order to get a hit off on Linoone. Second, it is the only user of STAB ExtremeSpeed in UU, which by all accounts is a powerful and reliable priority attack, even on a Pokémon with a pathetic 70 base Attack. Third, it has access to Switcheroo (as well as its identical twin Trick), which it can use to foil many of its counters. Steelix, Registeel, and Spiritomb, the three best Belly Drum Linoone switch-ins in UU, are all crippled by receiving a Choice Band, unless they are already holding one. Choice Band Linoone should run a standard sweeper EV spread of 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe.</p>
[EVs]
<p>Max Attack is non-negotiable, as Linoone needs to pack all the power it can. The Speed EVs listed allow Linoone to outrun Choice Scarfed, neutral nature base 85s after a Salac boost. This includes Pinsir and Toxicroak, which might possibly (though unlikely) run Quick Attack/Sucker Punch with a Scarf. If you want to run less speed in favour of more bulk, 96 Speed EVs allows you to outrun Choice Scarfed, neutral nature base 80s, including Blaziken and Medicham, and 80 EVs outspeeds Jolly Swellow. If you want to run more Speed, 282 (184 EVs) is a good benchmark, as it allows you to outpace Modest Scarf Rotom and kill it with Seed Bomb. After Speed is decided, throw as many leftover EVs as you can into HP while keeping it even - an even number of Hit Points will activate Gluttony after a Belly Drum, while an odd number will not. After HP, place remaining EVs into Special Defense.</p>
[OPINION]
<p>Linoone is truly a blessed Pokemon. What would otherwise be a run-of-the-mill, throwaway Normal-type rodent in the ranks of Raticate and Furret has access to a one-turn, game-ending sweep setup. Belly Drum turns the mild-mannered mustelid into a pillar of hellfire, a screaming Harrier jet, a towering tornado of fury wielding 1048 Attack, 405 Speed, and an 80 base power, STAB priority attack. Packing Linoone gives you a deadly secret weapon for when your enemy shows a moment of weakness, and once its presence is known, Linoone becomes a powerful psychological threat that will have your opponent on his toes the entire match. Adding in team support makes Linoone a fairly reliable late-game sweeper. If you have an opportunistic, high-risk-high-reward playstyle, Linoone may be for you. Beware, however, that Linoone is extremely frail and unforgiving - improper scouting, or a single mistake in prediction, will quickly turn Linoone into dead weight.</p>
[COUNTERS]
<p>The best way to counter Linoone is to prevent it from setting up a Belly Drum. If there are no screens in play, almost any STAB attack along with Stealth Rock will deal more than 50% damage to Linoone. If screens are in play, it takes a fairly powerful STAB or Fighting attack from a sweeper or tank to deal the appropriate damage, although this is still not hard to do. Taking out a screen-shielded Linoone after eating a Memento takes serious Fighting STAB from the likes of Hitmonlee, Hitmontop, Primeape, or Medicham. Many support moves are also viable ways to halt Linoone's setup, and are unaffected by screens or Memento: Encore, Trick, burn, sleep, Haze, and phazing moves can all put Linoone on the sidelines for the rest of the match by making it waste its Belly Drum.</p>
<p>Once Linoone has drummed, it still has several solid counters. Steelix is undoubtedly the best counter: with Impish and 0 Def EVs, it is 3HKOed at best by Seed Bomb, and can KO Linoone with Earthquake or Gyro Ball or phaze it away with Roar. Spiritomb is also an excellent counter, since it is immune to Linoone's STAB, 2HKOed by Seed Bomb and can strike back first with its own priority STAB Sucker Punch or burn it with Will-o-Wisp. Registeel counters Linoone well, as long as it has Def EVs or doesn't switch into Return; however, 0 Atk Registeel needs Explosion to put 50% HP Linoone down, as Iron Head will not KO. Shuckle almost always survives 2 Seed Bombs, even with SR in play, but cannot do much back besides Toxic. Scarf Mismagius and Timid Scarf Rotom can both switch in on any Normal attack, outspeed the incoming Seed Bomb or Shadow Claw, and KO with Hidden Power Fighting or STAB Thunderbolt.</p>
<p>Without Shadow Claw, Linoone cannot OHKO the aforementioned ghosts (Dusclops, Bold Rotom, Drifblim, and Shedinja), which in turn can usually manage to KO, or at least burn, Linoone. Without Return, bulky Pokemon like Shaymin, Torterra, Torkoal, Gligar, and Weezing can survive a hit from Linoone if they are running max HP and Def. The same goes for bulky Grass weaks like Slowbro, Sandslash, Cloyster, and all Rock-types, if Linoone lacks Seed Bomb. Linoone needs Stealth Rock in play to get many key OHKOs; without it, almost any bulky Pokémon with max Defense will be able to survive a single +6 hit at full health, as will any Pokémon with Focus Sash.</p>
<p>Some battle conditions can prevent or hamper a Linoone's sweep. Toxic Spikes (either one or two layers) are the most harmful, limiting Linoone's maximum sweeping turns after a Belly Drum to 3, or 2 if Linoone switches in mid-turn. Stealth Rock and Spikes hamper Linoone's ability to take hits on its Belly Drumming turn. Sandstorm and Hail don't cut sweeps short quite like poison does, but it can finish off a damaged Linoone. Reflect on the defender's side reduces Linoone's attacking power by 50%, enough to halt its sweep.</p>
<p>If you carry a Pokémon with Intimidate, you can sap Linoone's attack until it is unable to KO your Pokémon. At +5 Attack (after one Intimidate), Linoone fails to OHKO many walls, such as the aforementioned max Defense Uxie, Weezing, and Slowbro, sometimes even with Stealth Rock in play. Offensive teams lacking a wall may have to sacrifice a Pokémon or two in order to harass Linoone with multiple Intimidates. Other abilities like Static, Flame Body, Rough Skin, and Aftermath can, with a little luck, disable or finish off Linoone in a pinch.</p>
