Shiftry @ Life Orb
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 SAtk
Naive Nature
- Defog
- Low Kick
- Knock Off
- Leaf Storm
This is a set I'm still working on, because I want a reliable way to remove entry hazards without stacking stealth rock weaknesses or using Gligar. Shiftry and Skuntank are the main 2 choices, but i like Shiftry's typing and movepool, so I decided to give it a shot. The weird part of this set is Low Kick, the main reason i put it there is to hit Kyurem, though I did consider a lot of different choices in that slot, and I think its something that can be experimented with a lot. Knock Off is a super strong STAB move that doesn't afraid of anything, while leaf Storm lets you actually hurt Milotic and Rhyperior. Shiftry isn't an amazing top tier RU Pokemon by any means, but I think the utility of being a hazard remover that isnt that vulnerable is a niche that's worth exploring!
So, does anyone have experience with Shiftry to help me out a bit? Is it shit and im wasting my time?
I've been using Shiftry a fair amount on the laddder and tbh Low Kick is only really useful for catching Kyurem on switch ins. I much prefer Sucker Punch on that slot as the combination of Knock Off + Sucker Punch is a guaranteed OHKO after SR, as is Low Kick for that matter. However, Sucker Punch has priority. It also is a guaranteed OHKO on Yanmega and has an 83% chance to OHKO Moltres after a switch in on SR. Obviously not putting this thing forward as a counter, or even really a check but for a last ditch effort it is there. Shiftry can be good, but that is more because people aren't aware of what it does a lot of the time. However I have cleaned up games with Sucker Punch, strong priority is really good.