Status: Post-skeleton proccess
http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/nidoqueen
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[SET]
name: Wall
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Roar / Toxic
item: Leftovers
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 208 Def / 48 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>High Defense and key resistances to Fighting- and Rock-type moves make Nidoqueen a solid check to many physical threats. In comparison with other physical defensive Ground-types, Nidoqueen boasts a surprisingly good Special Attack stat, which provides her with a way to deal with numerous physical attackers with weak Special Defense stats, such as Aggron and Rhyperior.</p>
<p>Take advantage of Nidoqueen's defensive typing and use the opportunity to set up Stealth Rock as the opponent switches out. For her attacking moves, Earth Power allows Nidoqueen to hit Aggron and Rhyperior for high damage, while Ice Beam covers Torterra and Altaria who will attempt to set up on Nidoqueen. The choice between Roar and Toxic in the final slot is completely situational. Roar is a fantastic move in tandem with Stealth Rock thanks to Nidoqueen's ability to force switches, which essentially lets her rack up more residual damage. Toxic is preferred if you want to cripple bulky Waters who will most likely switch into her.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs allow Nidoqueen to outpace Adamant Aggron, while the rest are given to maximize her ability to wall physical threats. You can choose to use 96 Speed EVs if you want to outpace pre-setup Adamant Torterra before he hits Nidoqueen with Earthquake. It's important to time your Ice Beam properly, since it can only deal 75% - 89% to offensive Torterra.</p>
<p>Nidoqueen can adapt a pure physical set with a moveset of Earthquake, Stone Edge, and Crunch. The difference between these two sets of moves and the current one is that Moltres and Scyther will no longer be able to switch into this set with impunity. Crunch lets her hit Ghost-types like Mismagius and Charge Beam Rotom for super effective damage.</p>
<p>Since Nidoqueen will most likely play a role on defensive teams, it would make sense to add a little Spikes support in the mix due to Nidoqueen's ability to effectively rack up residual damage with Roar. Cloyster makes a solid Spikes partner since they trade off damage quite nicely and he can set up Spikes quite easily in the lead slot.</p>
<p>This set has problems bypassing bulky Waters like Milotic, Blastoise, and Azumarill. Even nailing them with Toxic is unreliable since there is a chance for the former two to have Rest in their moveset. Venusaur is a great partner to pair Nidoqueen with since he has the ability to check almost every bulky Water with the appropriate EV investment. Take note that this will give your team an undesirable weakness to Alakazam (and Psychic-type moves in general), so pack a Spiritomb to remedy this problem.</p>
[SET]
name: Spiker
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Toxic Spikes
move 3: Earth Power
move 4: Ice Beam / Roar / Toxic
item: Leftovers
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 6 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>The main selling point of this set is Toxic Spikes; Nidoqueen can reliably set it up thanks to her respectable typing and defensive prowess. In contrast with other Toxic Spikers, Nidoqueen is capable of dealing with Rapid Spin users such as Donphan, Hitmontop, and Claydol - the former two being the most common Spinners, while the latter is less used. Other Toxic Spikers such as Omastar, Cloyster, and Drapion are hit by Close Combat from Hitmontop, which makes it quite difficult for them to set up Toxic Spikes. Hitmontop can't remotely threaten Nidoqueen with any move, and will eventually die to Earth Power if he lacks Rest.</p>
<p>Stealth Rock and Toxic Spikes are required for this set to place more entry hazards on the field. Earth Power is used to deal with Aggron and Rhyperior. In addition to this, Earth Power can effectively deal with Toxic Spikes absorbers like Toxicroak and Drapion. The selection for the final slot comes down to three moves. Ice Beam is the desirable move to use in the final slot if you prefer to limit any Spinning attempts from Donphan and Claydol. If you decide to leave out Ice Beam, Roar makes a great alternative to infect your opponent's team with poison much quicker. Toxic, on the other hand, provides Nidoqueen a way to deal with Blastoise, since he can be quite problematic with Rapid Spin, and crippling Levitators and Flying-types that are immune to Toxic Spikes.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>This set requires maximum HP and Defense in order to set up Toxic Spikes efficiently. Since Poison-types are quite prevalent in the tier, expect Toxic Spikes to be absorbed more often than you think; as such, Nidoqueen needs all the bulk she can get to frequently set it up. However, if you prefer to beat Aggron before he hits you, using 48 Speed EVs can help remedy this issue.</p>
<p>As previously mentioned, setting up Toxic Spikes is not a simple task in the UU tier due to the prevalence of Poison-types. The best way to prevent them from being absorbed is to limit their switch-ins. Arcanine makes a fantastic partner thanks to his ability to limit common Toxic Spikes absorbers such as Venusaur and Drapion from switching in. If you prefer to go for the swift kill, Dugtrio can trap Poison-types and weakened Venusaur and dispose of them with Earthquake.</p>
<p>Since Blastoise can switch into this set with near impunity and Rapid Spin away your entry hazards easily, using a Spin blocker can be beneficial for Nidoqueen. Rotom or Mismagius make excellent choices for Spin blocking; Rotom has STAB Thunderbolt to scare away Blastoise, and Mismagius has access to Taunt to shut down any Foresight attempts.</p>
<p>Using Pokemon who benefit from Toxic Spikes is highly recommended on this set. Mono-attacking Pokemon, such as Curse Registeel and Calm Mind Spiritomb, benefit from this since they can set up on many defensive Pokemon as the poison damage intensifies. A common check like Haze Milotic will eventually be beaten if it is infected with two layers of Toxic Spikes.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>On the first set, Spikes support is highly recommended if you want to pile up more residual damage with Roar. Cloyster is a good partner to use alongside Nidoqueen since they trade off attacks quite nicely and Cloyster can reliably set up Spikes at the start of the match. A Spin blocker would probably work best for either set, but it is preferred more in the second set due to the difficulty of maintaining Toxic Spikes on the field with all the Poison-types and Rapid Spinners around. Rotom and Mismagius make great choices for Spin blocking thanks to their ability to hurt Blastoise with Thunderbolt or Taunt to shut down Foresight, respectively.</p>
<p>Bulky Waters are problematic to Nidoqueen. Blastoise and Milotic often run Rest to bypass poison damage. Using a defensive Venusaur can help deal with these threats. It is advised that you use Spiritomb to patch up the Alakazam weakness gained by using Venusaur; using two Poison-types screams for trouble.</p>
<p>On the final set, mono-attacking Pokemon greatly benefit from Toxic Spikes support. Registeel gets a special mention since it is one of the best mono-attackers in the tier once its counters are removed. It can directly take on common counters like Haze Milotic with two layers of Toxic Spikes on the field. With the damage increasing per turn, Milotic has a difficult time erasing any Curse boosts.</p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>Choice Specs and Choice Band sets are better left to her male counterpart, Nidoking. However, both sets are viable if you want to surprise your opponent. Fire Blast and Shadow Ball are available for special sets, with the elemental punches available for physical sets. Superpower is a very powerful move that can prove useful against various Normal-types. Shadow Claw can be used over Crunch if you want to try for a critical hit. Poison Jab and Sludge Bomb are choices for STAB, but they offer poor coverage and are weaker options. Rivalry is too risky to use as her ability, as most Pokemon tend to be male so her already modest offensive prowess will be crippled; stick with Poison Point. Super Fang and Taunt make an interesting combination but Nidoqueen is quite slow to pull off Taunt and the lack of Recovery makes it difficult for her to pull this combo off.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Milotic, Blastoise, Slowbro, and Azumarill are perfect counters to Nidoqueen since they can switch into her attacks quite easily. However, they must watch out for Toxic and Toxic Spikes if they lack Rest. Alakazam and Espeon have respectable Special Defense stats and they can switch into Nidoqueen and threaten her with Psychic. Venusaur can also switch in to absorb Toxic Spikes and brush off Ice Beam thanks to his high Special Defense stat. He can also incapacitate Nidoqueen with Sleep Powder and set up Swords Dance as she sleeps.</p>
http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/nidoqueen
________________________________________________________________
[SET]
name: Wall
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Roar / Toxic
item: Leftovers
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 208 Def / 48 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>High Defense and key resistances to Fighting- and Rock-type moves make Nidoqueen a solid check to many physical threats. In comparison with other physical defensive Ground-types, Nidoqueen boasts a surprisingly good Special Attack stat, which provides her with a way to deal with numerous physical attackers with weak Special Defense stats, such as Aggron and Rhyperior.</p>
<p>Take advantage of Nidoqueen's defensive typing and use the opportunity to set up Stealth Rock as the opponent switches out. For her attacking moves, Earth Power allows Nidoqueen to hit Aggron and Rhyperior for high damage, while Ice Beam covers Torterra and Altaria who will attempt to set up on Nidoqueen. The choice between Roar and Toxic in the final slot is completely situational. Roar is a fantastic move in tandem with Stealth Rock thanks to Nidoqueen's ability to force switches, which essentially lets her rack up more residual damage. Toxic is preferred if you want to cripple bulky Waters who will most likely switch into her.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs allow Nidoqueen to outpace Adamant Aggron, while the rest are given to maximize her ability to wall physical threats. You can choose to use 96 Speed EVs if you want to outpace pre-setup Adamant Torterra before he hits Nidoqueen with Earthquake. It's important to time your Ice Beam properly, since it can only deal 75% - 89% to offensive Torterra.</p>
<p>Nidoqueen can adapt a pure physical set with a moveset of Earthquake, Stone Edge, and Crunch. The difference between these two sets of moves and the current one is that Moltres and Scyther will no longer be able to switch into this set with impunity. Crunch lets her hit Ghost-types like Mismagius and Charge Beam Rotom for super effective damage.</p>
<p>Since Nidoqueen will most likely play a role on defensive teams, it would make sense to add a little Spikes support in the mix due to Nidoqueen's ability to effectively rack up residual damage with Roar. Cloyster makes a solid Spikes partner since they trade off damage quite nicely and he can set up Spikes quite easily in the lead slot.</p>
<p>This set has problems bypassing bulky Waters like Milotic, Blastoise, and Azumarill. Even nailing them with Toxic is unreliable since there is a chance for the former two to have Rest in their moveset. Venusaur is a great partner to pair Nidoqueen with since he has the ability to check almost every bulky Water with the appropriate EV investment. Take note that this will give your team an undesirable weakness to Alakazam (and Psychic-type moves in general), so pack a Spiritomb to remedy this problem.</p>
[SET]
name: Spiker
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Toxic Spikes
move 3: Earth Power
move 4: Ice Beam / Roar / Toxic
item: Leftovers
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 6 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>The main selling point of this set is Toxic Spikes; Nidoqueen can reliably set it up thanks to her respectable typing and defensive prowess. In contrast with other Toxic Spikers, Nidoqueen is capable of dealing with Rapid Spin users such as Donphan, Hitmontop, and Claydol - the former two being the most common Spinners, while the latter is less used. Other Toxic Spikers such as Omastar, Cloyster, and Drapion are hit by Close Combat from Hitmontop, which makes it quite difficult for them to set up Toxic Spikes. Hitmontop can't remotely threaten Nidoqueen with any move, and will eventually die to Earth Power if he lacks Rest.</p>
<p>Stealth Rock and Toxic Spikes are required for this set to place more entry hazards on the field. Earth Power is used to deal with Aggron and Rhyperior. In addition to this, Earth Power can effectively deal with Toxic Spikes absorbers like Toxicroak and Drapion. The selection for the final slot comes down to three moves. Ice Beam is the desirable move to use in the final slot if you prefer to limit any Spinning attempts from Donphan and Claydol. If you decide to leave out Ice Beam, Roar makes a great alternative to infect your opponent's team with poison much quicker. Toxic, on the other hand, provides Nidoqueen a way to deal with Blastoise, since he can be quite problematic with Rapid Spin, and crippling Levitators and Flying-types that are immune to Toxic Spikes.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>This set requires maximum HP and Defense in order to set up Toxic Spikes efficiently. Since Poison-types are quite prevalent in the tier, expect Toxic Spikes to be absorbed more often than you think; as such, Nidoqueen needs all the bulk she can get to frequently set it up. However, if you prefer to beat Aggron before he hits you, using 48 Speed EVs can help remedy this issue.</p>
<p>As previously mentioned, setting up Toxic Spikes is not a simple task in the UU tier due to the prevalence of Poison-types. The best way to prevent them from being absorbed is to limit their switch-ins. Arcanine makes a fantastic partner thanks to his ability to limit common Toxic Spikes absorbers such as Venusaur and Drapion from switching in. If you prefer to go for the swift kill, Dugtrio can trap Poison-types and weakened Venusaur and dispose of them with Earthquake.</p>
<p>Since Blastoise can switch into this set with near impunity and Rapid Spin away your entry hazards easily, using a Spin blocker can be beneficial for Nidoqueen. Rotom or Mismagius make excellent choices for Spin blocking; Rotom has STAB Thunderbolt to scare away Blastoise, and Mismagius has access to Taunt to shut down any Foresight attempts.</p>
<p>Using Pokemon who benefit from Toxic Spikes is highly recommended on this set. Mono-attacking Pokemon, such as Curse Registeel and Calm Mind Spiritomb, benefit from this since they can set up on many defensive Pokemon as the poison damage intensifies. A common check like Haze Milotic will eventually be beaten if it is infected with two layers of Toxic Spikes.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>On the first set, Spikes support is highly recommended if you want to pile up more residual damage with Roar. Cloyster is a good partner to use alongside Nidoqueen since they trade off attacks quite nicely and Cloyster can reliably set up Spikes at the start of the match. A Spin blocker would probably work best for either set, but it is preferred more in the second set due to the difficulty of maintaining Toxic Spikes on the field with all the Poison-types and Rapid Spinners around. Rotom and Mismagius make great choices for Spin blocking thanks to their ability to hurt Blastoise with Thunderbolt or Taunt to shut down Foresight, respectively.</p>
<p>Bulky Waters are problematic to Nidoqueen. Blastoise and Milotic often run Rest to bypass poison damage. Using a defensive Venusaur can help deal with these threats. It is advised that you use Spiritomb to patch up the Alakazam weakness gained by using Venusaur; using two Poison-types screams for trouble.</p>
<p>On the final set, mono-attacking Pokemon greatly benefit from Toxic Spikes support. Registeel gets a special mention since it is one of the best mono-attackers in the tier once its counters are removed. It can directly take on common counters like Haze Milotic with two layers of Toxic Spikes on the field. With the damage increasing per turn, Milotic has a difficult time erasing any Curse boosts.</p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>Choice Specs and Choice Band sets are better left to her male counterpart, Nidoking. However, both sets are viable if you want to surprise your opponent. Fire Blast and Shadow Ball are available for special sets, with the elemental punches available for physical sets. Superpower is a very powerful move that can prove useful against various Normal-types. Shadow Claw can be used over Crunch if you want to try for a critical hit. Poison Jab and Sludge Bomb are choices for STAB, but they offer poor coverage and are weaker options. Rivalry is too risky to use as her ability, as most Pokemon tend to be male so her already modest offensive prowess will be crippled; stick with Poison Point. Super Fang and Taunt make an interesting combination but Nidoqueen is quite slow to pull off Taunt and the lack of Recovery makes it difficult for her to pull this combo off.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Milotic, Blastoise, Slowbro, and Azumarill are perfect counters to Nidoqueen since they can switch into her attacks quite easily. However, they must watch out for Toxic and Toxic Spikes if they lack Rest. Alakazam and Espeon have respectable Special Defense stats and they can switch into Nidoqueen and threaten her with Psychic. Venusaur can also switch in to absorb Toxic Spikes and brush off Ice Beam thanks to his high Special Defense stat. He can also incapacitate Nidoqueen with Sleep Powder and set up Swords Dance as she sleeps.</p>
