UU Araquanid

vivalospride

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[OVERVIEW]

Araquanid carves its niche in the metagame as a reliable Sticky Web setter that can double as a wallbreaker using Liquidation in conjunction with its ability Water Bubble. It also has decent bulk, giving it opportunities to set up Sticky Web throughout the match against Pokemon that have a hard time breaking through it such as Celebi, Hydreigon, and Infernape instead of only functioning as a lead. Araquanid's decent defensive typing and ability make it capable of checking common threats such as Cobalion, Mamoswine, and Lucario while dishing out respectable amounts of damage in the process. However, it's still not bulky enough to consistently switch into threats, and its low Speed makes it less reliable because it will often have to take a hit before moving. Because of its low Speed and good wallbreaking power, though, it benefits well from the support that its own Sticky Web offers. Araquanid's weakness to Stealth Rock hurts its longevity a lot, making it more difficult to set Sticky Web throughout the match. It also has a tough matchup against several special attackers such as Mega Manectric, Togekiss, and Mega Blastoise, despite its bulk. The latter can also remove Araquanid's Sticky Web with Rapid Spin. Araquanid finds itself rather niche and inconsistent due to its best-fitting playstyle being matchup reliant; it also has a lot of competition as a wallbreaking Water-type, (semicolon -> comma) as Starmie, Crawdaunt, and Primarina generally outclass it with their higher Speed, better coverage, and overall consistency.

[SET]
name: Sticky Web
move 1: Sticky Web
move 2: Liquidation
move 3: Leech Life
move 4: Magic Coat
item: Splash Plate / Focus Sash
ability: Water Bubble
nature: Adamant
evs: 148 HP / 252 Atk / 108 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Leech Life lets Araquanid act as a soft check to Pokemon like Latias and Hydreigon and regain some HP in the process. Lunge can be used over Leech Life as a Bug-type STAB move that prevents foes like Haxorus, Mega Altaria, and Kommo-o from setting up with Dragon Dance and punishes other physical attackers that try to switch in. However, the longevity Leech Life gives is generally much more valuable. Magic Coat is helpful to Araquanid when it's up against Pokemon that can reliably set up Stealth Rock on it or irritate it with Taunt or Toxic such as Swampert, Azelf, and Alomomola. Toxic can also be used over Magic Coat or even Leech Life because it's capable of bugging common Water-resistant Pokemon; however, most of them either can be muscled through with a STAB attack or rely on Toxic to beat Araquanid, making Magic Coat equally as efficient in that sense alone.

Set Details
========

Splash Plate heightens the absurd damage output Araquanid dishes out, increasing its ability to break opposing teams. This is often preferred over Focus Sash due to it being more effective in the long run, as Araquanid is not a suicide lead. However, Focus Sash can still be useful; even though Araquanid has decent bulk, Pokemon like Mega Aerodactyl, Terrakion, and Zeraora can otherwise OHKO it with a STAB attack, which would prevent it from setting up Sticky Web. This can be more valuable than Splash Plate during times where you just need to reliably get Sticky Web onto the field, especially in lead scenarios. 108 EVs in Speed allow Araquanid to outpace Blissey and everything slower than it. Araquanid can also viably run Waterium Z if there is no other Z-Move user on the team for a 160-Base Power Water Bubble-enhanced Hydro Vortex.

Usage Tips
========

Araquanid should primarily be used to set Sticky Web and irritate opposing teams with Liquidation and Magic Coat. You should get Sticky Web on the field as early as you reliably can so that your team, including Araquanid, can take advantage of it throughout the match. Even though Araquanid has decent defenses, switch it in sparingly. While it does resist the STAB attacks of Cobalion, Mamoswine, and Lucario, recklessly switching into these Pokemon could, along with Stealth Rock, deal enough damage to Araquanid to leave it unable to set up Sticky Web later on in the match. However, you can use Araquanid to soft check these threats in emergency situations. While getting Sticky Web up early is important, Araquanid is durable enough and forces enough switches to set them up throughout the match reliably, so you should keep it healthy if you feel you won't be able to keep your hazards up and will need to set them again later to win. Araquanid is capable of beating a lot of the more passive Pokemon in the tier due to its high damage output, immunity to burns, and access to Magic Coat. Magic Coat should be used to bounce back status moves such as Taunt, Stealth Rock, and Toxic. Bouncing back the latter is especially important to beat other bulky Water-types such as Alomomola. Also keep in mind that while you can bounce Stealth Rock and other hazards back, you cannot keep them off the field due to Magic Coat having fewer PP. Araquanid can be used as a soft check to Latias and Hydreigon thanks to its access to Leech Life and its high Special Defense stat. As said before, switch it in sparingly, but be aware of these matchups because their immunity to Sticky Web could thus make Araquanid vital to the rest of the team's success. Early-game, especially after setting Sticky Web, Araquanid can spam Liquidation to put dents in the enemy team. Liquidation has an absurd damage output due to Araquanid's ability and can do decent chunks to the majority of tier, including Water-resistant switch-ins such as Empoleon, Tsareena, and Latias. Pressure the opponent's hazard removal as much as you can because keeping your hazards up is vital to the team's success more often than not.

Team Options
========

Araquanid only fits on offense teams that appreciates Sticky Web support, as its niche is setting Sticky Web. Wallbreakers with a mediocre Speed tier appreciate Sticky Web support; some examples of this are Chandelure, Swords Dance Haxorus, and Mega Blastoise. Sticky Web teams have several matchup problems by default, the main one being non-grounded Pokemon such as Latias, Hydreigon, and Mega Aerodactyl. A good way to pressure these Pokemon is with priority; specifically, Scizor and Mamoswine pressure each of these examples with Bullet Punch and Ice Shard, respectively. Stealth Rock support is very necessary to help chip the opposing team down, but specifically to punish Flying-type Pokemon that can ignore Sticky Web for coming onto the field. Stealth Rock setters that fit well on Sticky Web offense include Nidoking, Kommo-o, Terrakion, and the aforementioned Mamoswine. These examples fit well because of the offensive pressure they give off, which makes removing hazards against them very difficult and lets them take advantage of the Sticky Web themselves. Bisharp can be a nuisance to deal with for Sticky Web teams due to its access to Defiant and priority, giving it a free +2 Attack boost once it comes onto the field with Sticky Web up. Pokemon that can deal with Bisharp while taking advantage of Sticky Web such as Lucario, Cobalion, and Infernape are appreciated. Moltres specifically is really difficult to handle due to its STAB combination and defensive typing in conjunction with its immunity to Sticky Web. Pokemon that can help pressure Moltres in conjunction with Stealth Rock that appreciate Sticky Web support like Nihilego, Latias, Quick Attack Scizor, and Zeraora can make a nice fit. Offensive Ghost-types that can spinblock foes such as Starmie, Tsareena, and Tentacruel can help keep Sticky Web on the field. Decidueye, Gengar, and Doublade are good examples of this. However, all of these examples fail to reliably block Rapid Spin due to most spinners's ability to offensively pressure them, making this appreciated, but not a necessity. Similarly, Bisharp also works very well with Araquanid due to its ability to deter and punish Defog users with Defiant, and it can also take advantage of Sticky Web in its own right. Bisharp also can pressure floating non-grounded Pokemon such as Mega Aerodactyl, Latias, and Moltres with Sucker Punch. More niche options that can take advantage Sticky Web such as Choice Band Mienshao and Choice Band Darmanitan can also work due to their subpar Speed stats and absurdly high damage output.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Mirror Coat can be used on the same set with Sticky Web to allow it to beat special attackers that it'd usually lose to one-on-one, such as Mega Manectric, Volcanion, and Primarina. However, this isn't nearly as valuable as the other options for this set and is often unnecessary due to Liquidation doing a lot of damage to most foes anyways. On top of this, Araquanid doesn't like taking unnecessary damage, as it likes being able to set Sticky Web throughout the match. Choice Band could be useful due to the high damage output Araquanid already has due to its ability, although it is pretty much outclassed by other Water-type wallbreakers such as Crawdaunt and Primarina in that role. However, Araquanid is bulkier and isn't afraid of Scald, which gives it a niche over the former in some cases. Either way, its lack of power in its attacks bar Liquidation and lack of Speed or priority is a pain.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Flying-types**: Flying-types give Araquanid a tough time, as they all outpace it and can potentially OHKO it with a STAB move. Moltres and Mega Pidgeot are good examples of this, while Togekiss is able to cause it to flinch and 2HKO it with Air Slash, making Togekiss a good anti-lead. Flying-types also ignore Sticky Web's debuff, making dealing with them more difficult for Araquanid's team.

**Rock-types**: Rock-types can outspeed and OHKO Araquanid with a STAB move. Mega Aerodactyl, Terrakion, and Nihilego are good examples of this. However, Nihilego fails to KO it without using a Z-Move, and the former two lose if Araquanid has Focus Sash intact. Other Rock-types like Rhyperior, Diancie, and Stakataka are outsped and can be pressured with Liquidation, but Araquanid should still be wary of being KOed by a STAB move from Stakataka because Araquanid needs chip to reliably KO it.

**Electric-types**: Most of the Electric-types in the tier fail to reliably OHKO Araquanid but still pressure it with super effective STAB attacks all the same. Mega Manectric, Rotom-H, Rotom-C, and Zeraora are all good examples of this, although most of them aren't too hard to play around, fail to OHKO Araquanid, and are pressured by Liquidation, or, in Rotom-C's case, Leech Life.

**Stealth Rock**: Stealth Rock can limit Araquanid's longevity significantly and can be especially irritating if Araquanid is running Focus Sash.

**Strong Physical Attackers**: While Araquanid has good defenses, its poor HP stat and only decent Defense stat make it very scared of the more heavy-hitting physical attackers in the tier such as Scizor, Mega Sharpedo, and Choice Band Crawdaunt. While Araquanid can threaten all of these with its STAB moves, they outspeed it and do massive amounts of damage, potentially KOing it.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Zenin, 151509]]
- Quality checked by: [[Nuked, 382658], [martha, 384270], [Surgeon, 347604]]
- Grammar checked by: [[A Cake Wearing A Hat, 388157], [talkingtree, 232101]]
 
Last edited:


[OVERVIEW]

- Araquanid carves its niche in the metagame as a reliable Sticky Web setter that can double as a wallbreaker due to Liquidation in conjunction with its ability Water Bubble.
- It also has decent bulk, giving it opportunities to set up webs throughout the match against Pokemon that have a hard time breaking through it such as Celebi, Hydreigon, and Infernape instead of only functioning as a lead.
- It's bulk isn't all it has going for it though, it also has a decent defensive typing and ability, making it capable of checking common threats such as Cobalion, Mamoswine, and Lucario, while dishing out respectable amounts of damage in the process.
- However, regardless of its, bulk, it's still not bulky enough to consistently switch into threats and its lack of speed only makes it less reliable in that sense because it means it will have to take a hit before moving more often than not.
- Although this lack of speed in conjunction with it's breaking power works really well with the support that it's own Sticky Web offers.
- Despite all of this, it finds itself being rather niche and inconsistent due to how matchup reliant the play style it fits on is.
- On top of that, a weakness to Stealth Rock hurts it's longevity a lot, making it more difficult to set Sticky Web throughout the match.
- It also has a tough matchup against several special attackers such as Mega Manectric, Togekiss, and Mega Blastoise, despite its bulk. The latter can also remove Araquanid's Sticky Web with Rapid Spin.
- Araquanid also has a lot of competition as a wallbreaking water type; Starmie, Crawdaunt, and Primarina generally outclass it due to having higher Speed, better coverage, and being generally more consistent, meaning Araquanid's main niche over these Pokémon is its ability to set Sticky Web.

[SET]
name: Sticky Web
move 1: Sticky Web
move 2: Liquidation
move 3: Leech Life
move 4: Magic Coat
item: Splash Plate / Focus Sash
ability: Water Bubble
nature: Adamant
evs: 148 HP / 252 Atk / 108 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

- Magic Coat is helpful to Araquanid when up against pokemon that can reliably set up Stealth Rock on it or irritate it with Taunt or Toxic otherwise such as Swampert, Azelf, and Alomomola.
- Toxic can also be used over Magic Coat or even Leech Life because it's capable of bugging common water resistances, however most of the water resistances in the tier can either be muscled through with a STAB attack, or rely on Toxic to beat Araquanid, meaning Magic Coat would be equally as efficient in that sense alone.
- Lunge can also be used over Leech Life as bug STAB that prevents things like Haxorus, Mega Altaria, and Kommo-o setting up a free Dragon Dance, but the longevity Leech Life gives is generally much more valuable.

Set Details
========

- Splash Plate heightens the absurd damage output Araquanid dishes out due to its ability and reliable STAB, and due to its decent bulk and typing, Focus Sash isn't necessary most of the time.
- Focus Sash can be useful because even though Araquanid has decent bulk, things like Mega Aerodactyl, Mega Pidgeot, and Zeraora can still OHKO it with a STAB attack otherwise, which would prevent it from setting up Sticky Web. This can be more valuable than Splash Plate at times because Araquanid's damage output still remains extremely high regardless. (The roll on Hurricane from Mega Pidgeot is shaky at best so replace it with Terrakion)
- The 108 EVs in speed allow Araquanid to outpace Blissey and everything slower than it.
- Araquanid can also viably run Waterium Z if there is no other Z-Move user on the team for a 160 base power Water Bubble enhanced Hydro Vortex.

Usage Tips
========

- Araquanid should be primarily be used to setup Sticky Web and break through opposing teams with its water STAB and Magic Coat.
- You should get Sticky Web on the field as early as you reliably can so that your team, including Araquanid, can take advantage of them throughout the match.
- Even though it has decent defenses, you should switch it in sparingly. While it does resist the stabs of Cobalion, Mamoswine, and Lucario, recklessly switching into these things for example could mean you don't set Sticky Web up later on in the match due to consistent chip putting you in range of stronger attacks, especially due to its weakness to Stealth Rock.
- While getting Sticky Web up early is important, Araquanid is durable enough and forces enough switches to set them up throughout the match reliably, so you should keep it alive and healthy if you feel you won't be able to keep your hazards up and will need to put them back onto the field later to win.
- Araquanid is capable of beating a lot of the more passive Pokemon in the tier due to its high damage output, immunity to burns, and Magic Coat. Magic Coat should be used to bounce back non-attacking moves such as Taunt, Stealth Rock, and Toxic. The latter being important to beat other bulky waters such as Alomomola8. Also keep in mind that while you can bounce Stealth Rock and other hazards back, you cannot keep them off the field due to Magic Coat having less PP.
- It can also be used as a loose Latias and Hydreigon check due to its access to Leech Life and its high Special Defense stat. As said before, switch it in sparingly but be aware of the matchup because it could be vital to the rest of the team's success due to these Pokemon being immune to Sticky Web.
- Early in the game, especially after placing webs you can spam Liquidation to put dents in the enemy team. Liquidation has an absurd damage output due to Araquanid's ability and can do decent chunks to the majority of tier, including water resists such as Empoleon, Tsareena, and Latias.
- However if you see something like a Lucario, Cobalion, or Mamoswine on the enemy team, you should try to keep Araquanid as healthy as you can by not setting up Sticky Web recklessly and putting it onto the field a minimal amount of times with hazards up so it can check these threats in the late game.
- Teams that Araquanid fits on struggle a lot against floating Pokemon, especially Flying-types such as Moltres, Mega Pidgeot, and Togekiss. Meaning you should set Stealth Rock up as early as possible and try to keep them up as long as possible to deter these threats from consistently coming in.


Team Options
========

- Araquanid only fits on offense that appreciates Sticky Web support as its niche is setting Sticky Web.
- Wallbreakers with a mediocre speed tier by default appreciate Sticky Web support, some examples of this are Chandelure, Haxorus, and Mega Blastoise. (Mention SD haxorus in particular can help webs teams break past annoying stall teams that can just toxic stall everything)
- Sticky Web based teams have several matchup problems by default, the main one being floating Pokemon such as Latias, Hydreigon, and Mega Aerodactly. A good way to pressure these Pokemon is with priority, specifically Scizor and Mamoswine pressure each of these examples with Bullet Punch and Ice Shard respectively.
- Stealth Rock support is very necessary to help chip the opposing team down, but specifically to punish Flying-type Pokémon that can ignore Sticky Web for coming onto the field. Stealth Rock setters that fit well on Sticky Web offense include Nidoking, Kommo-o, and the aforementioned Mamoswine. These examples fit well because of the offensive pressure they give off which make removing hazards on them very difficult while also abusing the Sticky Web themselves.
- Bisharp can be a nuisance to deal with for Sticky Web based teams due to its access to Defiant and priority, giving it a free +2 Attack boost once coming onto the field with Sticky Web up. Pokemon that can deal with Bisharp while abusing webs such as Lucario, Cobalion, and Infernape are appreciated.
- Moltres specifically is really difficult to handle due to its unique STAB combination and defensive typing in conjunction with its immunity to Sticky Web. Pokemon that can help pressure Moltres in conjunction with Stealth Rock that appreciate Sticky Web support like Quick Attack Scizor, Nihilego, Latias, and Zeraora can make a nice fit.
- Offensive Ghost-types that can deter Rapid Spin users such as Starmie, Tsareena, and Tentacruel from using Rapid Spin can help keep Sticky Web on the field which can be vital to the team's success. Decidueye, Gengar, and Doublade are good examples of this. However, all of these examples fail to reliably and consistently block Rapid Spin due to most of the spinners being able to offensively pressure all of the spin-blockers in the tier, making this appreciated, but not a necessity.
- Similarly, Bisharp also works very well with Araquanid due to its ability to deter and punish Defog users with Defiant, while it can also abuse Sticky Web in its own right. Bisharp also can pressure floating Pokémon such as Mega Aerodactyl, Latias, and Moltres with Sucker Punch.
- More niche options that can take advantage Sticky Web such as Choice Band Mienshao and Choice Band Darmanitan can also work due to their subpar Speed stats and absurdly high damage output.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

- A set based around trapping with Spider Web, Toxic, Rest, and Liquidation can be used to break through bulkier teams by luring bulky waters such as Alomomola and Quagsire. However this set fails to be effective against most other builds and is heavily outclassed by Block Slowbro.
- Mirror Coat can be used on the same set with Sticky Web to allow it to beat special attackers one on one that it'd usually lose to such as Mega Manectric, Volcanion, and Primarina. However this isn't nearly as valuable as the other options for this set and is often unnecessary due to Liquidation doing a lot of damage to most everything anyways. On top of this Araquanid doesn't like taking unnecessary damage as it likes being able to set Sticky Web throughout the match.
- Choice Band could be useful due to the high damage output it already has due to its ability, although that is pretty much outclassed by other water type breakers such as Crawdaunt and Primarina, although Araquanid is bulkier and isn't afraid of Scald which gives it a niche over the former in some cases. Either way, its lack of power in its attacks bar Liquidation and lack of speed or priority is a pain.
- LOCK ON + ZAP CANNON

Checks and Counters
===================

**Flying Types**: Birds (Birds??) give Araquanid a tough time as they all outpace it and can potentially OHKO it with a STAB move, Moltres and Mega Pidgeot being good examples of this, while Togekiss is able to flinch it down and 2HKO with Air Slash. (Also mention this makes Togekiss good anti lead)

**Rock Types**: Rock-types can also outspeed and OHKO with a STAB move. Mega Aerodactyl, Terrakion, and Nihilego are good examples of this. However, Nihilego fails to KO without a Z-Move and the former two lose if Araquanid has Focus Sash intact. Other Rock-types like Rhyperior, Diancie, and Stakataka are outsped and can be pressured with Liquidation, but Araquanid should still be wary of being KOd by a STAB move because the latter Pokemon needs chip to reliably KO. (Why is this bolded part here? Delet this)

**Electric Types**: Most of the electric Electric-types in the tier fail to reliably OHKO Araquanid but still pressure it with super effective STAB all the same. Mega Manectric, Rotom-H, Rotom-C, Magneton, and Zeraora are all good examples of this, although most of them aren't too hard to play around, fail to OHKO Araquanid, and are pressured by Liquidation, or, in Rotom-C's, case Leech Life. (Magneton's trash and you don't need 5 examples so remove it)

**Stealth Rock**: Stealth Rock can limit Araquanid's longevity a lot due to it taking a quarter of it's health upon entry, and can be extra irritating if you're running Focus Sash.

**Strong Physical Attackers: While Araquanid has good defenses, its poor HP stat and only decent Defense stat make it very scared of the more heavy hitting physical attackers in the tier such as Choice Band Crawdaunt, Mega Sharpedo, and Scizor. While Araquanid can threaten all of these with STAB, they outspeed and do massive amounts of damage, potentially KOing it. (Order this Scizor -> Mega Sharpedo -> Crawdaunt)

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[vivalospride, 151509]]
- Quality checked by: [[, ], [, ], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]
QC 1/3
 

autumn

only i will remain
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C&C Leader


[OVERVIEW]

- Araquanid carves its niche in the metagame as a reliable Sticky Web setter that can double as a wallbreaker due to Liquidation in conjunction with its ability Water Bubble.
- It also has decent bulk, giving it opportunities to set up webs throughout the match against Pokemon that have a hard time breaking through it such as Celebi, Hydreigon, and Infernape instead of only functioning as a lead.
- It's bulk isn't all it has going for it though, it also has a decent defensive typing and ability, making it capable of checking common threats such as Cobalion, Mamoswine, and Lucario, while dishing out respectable amounts of damage in the process.
- However, regardless of its, bulk, it's still not bulky enough to consistently switch into threats and its lack of speed only makes it less reliable in that sense because it means it will have to take a hit before moving more often than not.
- Although this lack of speed in conjunction with it's breaking power works really well with the support that it's own Sticky Web offers. (this point should be higher so the overview flows from positives to negatives or the point needs to be finished with a drawback)
- Despite all of this, it finds itself being rather niche and inconsistent due to how matchup reliant the play style it fits on is. (despite all of this doesn’t work here because you’ve already been listing negatives of the mon (not bulky enough and low speed)
- On top of that, a weakness to Stealth Rock hurts it's longevity a lot, making it more difficult to set Sticky Web throughout the match.
- It also has a tough matchup against several special attackers such as Mega Manectric, Togekiss, and Mega Blastoise, despite its bulk. The latter can also remove Araquanid's Sticky Web with Rapid Spin.
- Araquanid also has a lot of competition as a wallbreaking water-type; Starmie, Crawdaunt, and Primarina generally outclass it due to having higher Speed, better coverage, and being generally more consistent, meaning Araquanid's main niche over these Pokémon is its ability to set Sticky Web.

[SET]
name: Sticky Web
move 1: Sticky Web
move 2: Liquidation
move 3: Leech Life
move 4: Magic Coat
item: Splash Plate / Focus Sash
ability: Water Bubble
nature: Adamant
evs: 148 HP / 252 Atk / 108 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

- Magic Coat is helpful to Araquanid when up against pokemon that can reliably set up Stealth Rock on it or irritate it with Taunt or Toxic otherwise such as Swampert, Azelf, and Alomomola.
- Toxic can also be used over Magic Coat or even Leech Life because it's capable of bugging common water resistances, however most of the water resistances in the tier can either be muscled through with a STAB attack, or rely on Toxic to beat Araquanid, (give some examples of these pokemon) meaning Magic Coat would be equally as efficient in that sense alone.
- Lunge can also be used over Leech Life as bug STAB that prevents things like Haxorus, Mega Altaria, and Kommo-o setting up a free Dragon Dance, but the longevity Leech Life gives is generally much more valuable. (can also punish physical attackers in general that try to switch in)

Set Details
========

- Splash Plate heightens the absurd damage output Araquanid dishes out due to its ability and reliable STAB, and due to its decent bulk and typing, Focus Sash isn't necessary most of the time. (talk about how it allows araq to break and set up webs throughout the game as opposed to being purely a sash lead. if there are relevant calcs mention them)
- Focus Sash can be useful because even though Araquanid has decent bulk, things like Mega Aerodactyl, Terrakion, and Zeraora can still OHKO it with a STAB attack otherwise, which would prevent it from setting up Sticky Web. This can be more valuable than Splash Plate during times where you just need to reliably get Sticky Web onto the field, especially in lead scenarios. The damage output of Liquidation still being very high regardless of having Splash Plate means there isn't much of a drawback for using Focus Sash as well. (optional but if you wanna make this less positive just talk about how it’s better in lead scenarios and against your examples)
- The 108 EVs in speed allow Araquanid to outpace Blissey and everything slower than it.
- Araquanid can also viably run Waterium Z if there is no other Z-Move user on the team for a 160 base power Water Bubble enhanced Hydro Vortex.

Usage Tips
========

- Araquanid should be primarily be used to setup Sticky Web and break through opposing teams with its water STAB and Magic Coat. (magic coat isn’t really something you use for breaking)
- You should get Sticky Web on the field as early as you reliably can so that your team, including Araquanid, can take advantage of them throughout the match.
- Even though it has decent defenses, you should switch it in sparingly. While it does resist the stabs of Cobalion, Mamoswine, and Lucario, recklessly switching into these things for example could mean you don't set Sticky Web up later on in the match due to consistent chip putting you in range of stronger attacks, especially due to its weakness to Stealth Rock.
- While getting Sticky Web up early is important, Araquanid is durable enough and forces enough switches to set them up throughout the match reliably, so you should keep it alive and healthy if you feel you won't be able to keep your hazards up and will need to put them back onto the field later to win.
- Araquanid is capable of beating a lot of the more passive Pokemon in the tier due to its high damage output, immunity to burns, and Magic Coat. Magic Coat should be used to bounce back non-attacking moves such as Taunt, Stealth Rock, and Toxic. The latter being important to beat other bulky waters such as Alomomola. Also keep in mind that while you can bounce Stealth Rock and other hazards back, you cannot keep them off the field due to Magic Coat having less PP.
- It can also be used as a loose Latias and Hydreigon check due to its access to Leech Life and its high Special Defense stat. As said before, switch it in sparingly but be aware of the matchup because it could be vital to the rest of the team's success due to these Pokemon being immune to Sticky Web.
- Early in the game, especially after placing webs you can spam Liquidation to put dents in the enemy team. Liquidation has an absurd damage output due to Araquanid's ability and can do decent chunks to the majority of tier, including water resists such as Empoleon, Tsareena, and Latias. (last two you would click bug move on if they were already out so talk about how it can dent switch-ins specifically)
- However if you see something like a Lucario, Cobalion, or Mamoswine on the enemy team, you should try to keep Araquanid as healthy as you can by not setting up Sticky Web recklessly and putting it onto the field a minimal amount of times with hazards up so it can check these threats in the late game. (you already have a similar point about keeping it healthy for these pokemon above so you can combine them)
- Teams that Araquanid fits on struggle a lot against floating Pokemon, especially Flying-types such as Moltres, Mega Pidgeot, and Togekiss. Meaning you should set Stealth Rock up as early as possible and try to keep them up as long as possible to deter these threats from consistently coming in. (this isn’t a usage tip for araquanid itself so it doesn’t really fit here)

Team Options
========

- Araquanid only fits on offense that appreciates Sticky Web support as its niche is setting Sticky Web.
- Wallbreakers with a mediocre speed tier by default appreciate Sticky Web support, some examples of this are Chandelure, Swords Dance Haxorus, and Mega Blastoise.
- Sticky Web based teams have several matchup problems by default, the main one being floating Pokemon such as Latias, Hydreigon, and Mega Aerodactly. A good way to pressure these Pokemon is with priority, specifically Scizor and Mamoswine pressure each of these examples with Bullet Punch and Ice Shard respectively.
- Stealth Rock support is very necessary to help chip the opposing team down, but specifically to punish Flying-type Pokémon that can ignore Sticky Web for coming onto the field. Stealth Rock setters that fit well on Sticky Web offense include Nidoking, Kommo-o, and the aforementioned Mamoswine. These examples fit well because of the offensive pressure they give off which make removing hazards on them very difficult while also abusing the Sticky Web themselves.
- Bisharp can be a nuisance to deal with for Sticky Web based teams due to its access to Defiant and priority, giving it a free +2 Attack boost once coming onto the field with Sticky Web up. Pokemon that can deal with Bisharp while abusing webs such as Lucario, Cobalion, and Infernape are appreciated.
- Moltres specifically is really difficult to handle due to its unique STAB combination and defensive typing in conjunction with its immunity to Sticky Web. Pokemon that can help pressure Moltres in conjunction with Stealth Rock that appreciate Sticky Web support like Quick Attack Scizor, Nihilego, Latias, and Zeraora can make a nice fit.
- Offensive Ghost-types that can deter Rapid Spin users such as Starmie, Tsareena, and Tentacruel from using Rapid Spin can help keep Sticky Web on the field which can be vital to the team's success. Decidueye, Gengar, and Doublade are good examples of this. However, all of these examples fail to reliably and consistently block Rapid Spin due to most of the spinners being able to offensively pressure all of the spin-blockers in the tier, making this appreciated, but not a necessity. (you say before it can be vital to a team’s success then it’s not a necessity. you don’t reslly need to mention that it’s not required after you list the drawbacks of it that give people the opportunity to weigh it up)
- Similarly, Bisharp also works very well with Araquanid due to its ability to deter and punish Defog users with Defiant, while it can also abuse Sticky Web in its own right. Bisharp also can pressure floating Pokémon such as Mega Aerodactyl, Latias, and Moltres with Sucker Punch.
- More niche options that can take advantage Sticky Web such as Choice Band Mienshao and Choice Band Darmanitan can also work due to their subpar Speed stats and absurdly high damage output.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

- A set based around trapping with Spider Web, Toxic, Rest, and Liquidation can be used to break through bulkier teams by luring bulky waters such as Alomomola and Quagsire. However this set fails to be effective against most other builds and is heavily outclassed by Block Slowbro.
- Mirror Coat can be used on the same set with Sticky Web to allow it to beat special attackers one on one that it'd usually lose to such as Mega Manectric, Volcanion, and Primarina. However this isn't nearly as valuable as the other options for this set and is often unnecessary due to Liquidation doing a lot of damage to most everything anyways. On top of this Araquanid doesn't like taking unnecessary damage as it likes being able to set Sticky Web throughout the match.
- Choice Band could be useful due to the high damage output it already has due to its ability, although that is pretty much outclassed by other water-type breakers such as Crawdaunt and Primarina, although Araquanid is bulkier and isn't afraid of Scald which gives it a niche over the former in some cases. Either way, its lack of power in its attacks bar Liquidation and lack of speed or priority is a pain.
- LOCK ON + ZAP CANNON (sadly not)!

Checks and Counters
===================

**Flying Types**: Flying-types give Araquanid a tough time as they all outpace it and can potentially OHKO it with a STAB move, Moltres and Mega Pidgeot being good examples of this, while Togekiss is able to flinch it down and 2HKO with Air Slash, making Togekiss a good anti lead.

**Rock Types**: Rock-types can also outspeed and OHKO with a STAB move. Mega Aerodactyl, Terrakion, and Nihilego are good examples of this. However, Nihilego fails to KO without a Z-Move and the former two lose if Araquanid has Focus Sash intact. Other Rock-types like Rhyperior, Diancie, and Stakataka are outsped and can be pressured with Liquidation, but Araquanid should still be wary of being KOd by a STAB move because the latter Pokemon needs chip to reliably KO.

**Electric Types**: Most of the Electric-types in the tier fail to reliably OHKO Araquanid but still pressure it with super effective STAB all the same. Mega Manectric, Rotom-H, Rotom-C, and Zeraora are all good examples of this, although most of them aren't too hard to play around, fail to OHKO Araquanid, and are pressured by Liquidation, or, in Rotom-C's, case Leech Life.

**Stealth Rock**: Stealth Rock can limit Araquanid's longevity a lot due to it taking a quarter of it's health upon entry, and can be extra irritating if you're running Focus Sash.

**Strong Physical Attackers: While Araquanid has good defenses, its poor HP stat and only decent Defense stat make it very scared of the more heavy hitting physical attackers in the tier such as Scizor, Mega Sharpedo, and Choice Band Crawdaunt. While Araquanid can threaten all of these with STAB, they outspeed and do massive amounts of damage, potentially KOing it.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[vivalospride, 151509]]
- Quality checked by: [[, ], [, ], [, ]] (update this)
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]
QC 2/3
 
Last edited:

Surgeon

venice bitch
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overview

Despite it's upsides, it finds itself being rather niche and inconsistent due to how matchup reliant the play style it fits on is
Araquanid also has a lot of competition as a wallbreaking water-type; Starmie, Crawdaunt, and Primarina generally outclass it due to having higher Speed, better coverage, and being generally more consistent, meaning Araquanid's main niche over these Pokémon is its ability to set Sticky Web.
I would combine these two sentences since they're pretty much connected in a way. "Araquanid only fits on Sticky Web teams, because x, y or z are better in any other type of build since they have a, b, or c to their advantage" or something along those lines. Mention the access to SD when you talk about Crawdaunt, though.

Although this lack of speed in conjunction with it's breaking power works really well with the support that it's own Sticky Web offers
Give some examples of what it can outspeed after Sticky Web has been set. Can only think of Scizor so remove if you can't!

moves

Toxic can also be used over Magic Coat or even Leech Life because it's capable of bugging common water resistances, however most of the water resistances in the tier can either be muscled through with a STAB attack, or rely on Toxic to beat Araquanid, meaning Magic Coat would be equally as efficient in that sense alone
insert examples of said water resistances

usage tips

However due to resisting the STABs of the aforementioned Pokémon, you can use Araquanid to soft check these threats, just do so sparingly
I don't think this line is very necessary honestly. I mean sure, you can use Araquanid as an emergency check if you need to but is that necessary to mention? It's not like it's false information but it might just confuse most readers since you just said a couple lines above that switching in consistently is not a good idea and since it's not exactly a vital element as to how this Pokemon works, you'd probably be better off removing it.

Araquanid is capable of beating a lot of the more passive Pokemon in the tier due to its high damage output, immunity to burns, and Magic Coat
examples (tenta, blissey, hippo, etc whatever u feel fits best)

team options

Offensive Ghost-types that can deter Rapid Spin users such as Starmie, Tsareena, and Tentacruel from using Rapid Spin can help keep Sticky Web on the field which can be vital to keeping hazards on the field. Decidueye, Gengar, and Doublade are good examples of this.
I feel like out of the three, Gengar really has the hardest time spin blocking due to how frail it is, so I'd consider removing it. Not exactly my first pick as breaker on webs either.

Great that this section is mostly talking about how to patch up webs weaknesses but supporting Araq is also good, so talk about how Rock-type answers like the aforementioned Scizor are also the kind of partners you're looking for.

other options

A set based around trapping with Spider Web, Toxic, Rest, and Liquidation can be used to break through bulkier teams by luring bulky waters such as Alomomola and Quagsire. However this set fails to be effective against most other builds and is heavily outclassed by Block Slowbro.
like u said, it's completely outclassed so is it really worth mentioning it? oo should be reserved for "applicable in certain teams but not good enough for a full set", and spider web toxic doesn't exactly scream that ;w; it's different than cb because at least cb has something over crawdaunt, while block bro just does this way better no matter what.

QC 3/3 but fix the little gp stuff like bulky Water-types > bulky waters or they'll actually come for your soul :psynervous:
 

A Cake Wearing A Hat

moist and crusty
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Community Leader
spo.ink/gpvideo please use this method for implementing, it uses an old forum version but all the buttons are still there.
add remove comments (AC=add comma, RC=remove comma, AP=add period, ASC=add semicolon)
[OVERVIEW]

Araquanid carves its niche in the metagame as a reliable Sticky Web setter that can double as a wallbreaker due to Liquidation in conjunction with its ability Water Bubble. It also has decent bulk, giving it opportunities to set up webs Sticky Web throughout the match against Pokemon that have a hard time breaking through it such as Celebi, Hydreigon, and Infernape instead of only functioning as a lead. It's bulk isn't all it has going for it though, it also has a (fluff) Araquanid's decent defensive typing and ability, (RC) making make it capable of checking common threats such as Cobalion, Mamoswine, and Lucario, (RC) while dishing out respectable amounts of damage in the process. However, regardless of its, (RC) bulk, it's still not bulky enough to consistently switch into threats, (AC) and its lack of speed only (it doesn't have 0 speed so lack is the wrong word to use) low Speed makes it less reliable in that sense because it means it will often have to take a hit before moving more often than not. (just cutting filler phrasing for conciseness) Although this lack of speed in conjunction with it's breaking power works really well with (not a complete sentence) Because of its low Speed and good wallbreaking power, though, it benefits well from the support that it's its own Sticky Web offers. A Araquanid's weakness to Stealth Rock hurts it's its longevity a lot, making it more difficult to set Sticky Web throughout the match. It also has a tough matchup against several special attackers such as Mega Manectric, Togekiss, and Mega Blastoise, despite its bulk. The latter can also remove Araquanid's Sticky Web with Rapid Spin. Araquanid also finds itself being rather niche and inconsistent due to how matchup reliant the play style playstyle it fits on is, while also as well as having a lot of competition as a wallbreaking water-type Water-type; Starmie, Crawdaunt, and Primarina generally outclass it due to having higher Speed, better coverage, and being generally more consistent better overall consistency.

[SET]
name: Sticky Web
move 1: Sticky Web
move 2: Liquidation
move 3: Leech Life
move 4: Magic Coat
item: Splash Plate / Focus Sash
ability: Water Bubble
nature: Adamant
evs: 148 HP / 252 Atk / 108 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Leech Life lets Araquanid act as a soft check to Pokemon like Latias and Hydreigon and regain some HP in the process. Lunge can be used over Leech Life as a Bug-type STAB move that prevents foes like Haxorus, Mega Altaria, and Kommo-o from setting up with Dragon Dance and punishes other physical attackers that try to switch in. However, the longevity Leech Life gives is generally much more valuable. Magic Coat is helpful to Araquanid when it's up against pokemon Pokemon that can reliably set up Stealth Rock on it or irritate it with Taunt or Toxic otherwise such as Swampert, Azelf, and Alomomola. Toxic can also be used over Magic Coat or even Leech Life because it's capable of bugging common water resistances, however most of the water resistances in the tier can Water-resistant Pokemon; however, most of them either can be muscled through with a STAB attack, (RC) or rely on Toxic to beat Araquanid, meaning Magic Coat would be equally as efficient in that sense alone. Lunge can also be used over Leech Life as bug STAB that prevents things like Haxorus, Mega Altaria, and Kommo-o setting up a free Dragon Dance, while also punishing physical attackers that try to switch in. However the longevity Leech Life gives is generally much more valuable.

Set Details
========

Splash Plate heightens the absurd damage output Araquanid dishes out due to its ability and reliable STAB attack, increasing it's its ability to break opposing teams. This is often preferred over Focus Sash due to it being more efficient and effective in the long run, as Araquanid is not a suicide lead. Focus Sash can be useful because even though Araquanid has decent bulk, things Pokemon like Mega Aerodactyl, Terrakion, and Zeraora can still OHKO it with a STAB attack otherwise, which would prevent it from setting up Sticky Web. This can be more valuable than Splash Plate during times where you just need to reliably get Sticky Web onto the field, especially in lead scenarios. The damage output of Liquidation still being very high regardless of having Splash Plate means there isn't much of a drawback for using Focus Sash as well. (this sentence provides a lot of mixed messages, removing for clarity, qc approved by myself) However, (AC) Araquanid should often not solely be used as a lead, (RC) and more so should moreso be treated as a breaker wallbreaker that sets Sticky Web, meaning Focus Sash is often not as efficient as Splash Plate due to it's its role. The 108 EVs in speed Speed allow Araquanid to outpace Blissey and everything slower than it. Araquanid can also viably run Waterium Z if there is no other Z-Move user on the team for a 160 base power 160-Base Power Water Bubble enhanced Bubble-enhanced Hydro Vortex.

Usage Tips
========

Araquanid should be primarily be used to setup set Sticky Web and irritate opposing teams with its water STAB Liquidation and Magic Coat. You should get Sticky Web on the field as early as you reliably can so that your team, including Araquanid, can take advantage of them it throughout the match. Even though it Araquanid has decent defenses, you should switch it in sparingly. While it does resist the STABs STAB attacks of Cobalion, Mamoswine, and Lucario, recklessly switching into these things for example Pokemon could mean you don't deal enough damage to Araquanid along with Stealth rock that it won't be able to set Sticky Web up later on in the match due to consistent chip putting you in range of stronger attacks, especially due to its weakness to Stealth Rock . However, (AC) due to resisting the STABs STAB moves of the aforementioned Pokémon Pokemon, you can use Araquanid to soft check these threats in emergency situations. While getting Sticky Web up early is important, Araquanid is durable enough and forces enough switches to set them up throughout the match reliably, so you should keep it alive and healthy if you feel you won't be able to keep your hazards up and will need to put them back onto the field set them again (subjective, optional; improves flow) later to win. Araquanid is capable of beating a lot of the more passive Pokemon in the tier due to its high damage output, immunity to burns, and access to Magic Coat. Magic Coat should be used to bounce back non-attacking status moves such as Taunt, Stealth Rock, and Toxic. The Bouncing back the latter being is especially important to beat other bulky Water-types such as Alomomola. Also keep in mind that while you can bounce Stealth Rock and other hazards back, you cannot keep them off the field due to Magic Coat having less PP. It Araquanid can also be used as a loose soft check to Latias and Hydreigon check due to its access to Leech Life and its high Special Defense stat. As said before, switch it in sparingly, (AC) but be aware of the matchup because it could be vital to the rest of the team's success due to these Pokemon being immune to Sticky Web. Early in the game Early-game, especially after placing webs you setting Sticky Web, Araquanid can spam Liquidation to put dents in the enemy team. Liquidation has an absurd damage output due to Araquanid's ability and can do decent chunks to the majority of tier, including water resists switching in Water-resistant switch-ins such as Empoleon, Tsareena, and Latias. Pressure the opponent's hazard removal as much as you can because keeping your hazards up is vital to the team's success more often than not.


Team Options
========

Araquanid only fits on offense that appreciates Sticky Web support, (AC) as its niche is setting Sticky Web. Wallbreakers with a mediocre speed Speed tier by default appreciate Sticky Web support,; (remove comma add semicolon) some examples of this are Chandelure, Swords Dance Haxorus, and Mega Blastoise. Sticky Web based teams have several matchup problems by default, the main one being floating non-grounded Pokemon such as Latias, Hydreigon, and Mega Aerodactly Aerodactyl. A good way to pressure these Pokemon is with priority, (RC) specifically; (ASC) specifically, Scizor and Mamoswine pressure each of these examples with Bullet Punch and Ice Shard, (AC) respectively. Stealth Rock support is very necessary to help chip the opposing team down, but specifically to punish Flying-type Pokémon Pokemon that can ignore Sticky Web for coming onto the field. Stealth Rock setters that fit well on Sticky Web offense include Nidoking, Kommo-o, Terrakion, and the aforementioned Mamoswine. These examples fit well because of the offensive pressure they give off, (AC) which make removing hazards on against them very difficult while also abusing and lets them take advantage of the Sticky Web themselves. Bisharp can be a nuisance to deal with for Sticky Web based teams due to its access to Defiant and priority, giving it a free +2 Attack boost once coming it comes onto the field with Sticky Web up. Pokemon that can deal with Bisharp while abusing webs taking advantage of Sticky Web such as Lucario, Cobalion, and Infernape are appreciated. Moltres specifically is really difficult to handle due to its unique (talonflame) STAB combination and defensive typing in conjunction with its immunity to Sticky Web. Pokemon that can help pressure Moltres in conjunction with Stealth Rock that appreciate Sticky Web support like Quick Attack Scizor, Nihilego, Latias, Quick Attack Scizor, (QA doesn't apply to the whole list so i'm moving scizor out of the first slot in the list) and Zeraora can make a nice fit. Offensive Ghost-types that can deter Rapid Spin users spinblock foes such as Starmie, Tsareena, and Tentacruel from using Rapid Spin can help keep Sticky Web on the field which can be vital to keeping hazards on the field. (redundant, keep the period pls) Decidueye, Gengar, and Doublade are good examples of this. However, all of these examples fail to reliably and consistently block Rapid Spin due to most of the spinners being able to offensively pressure all of the spin-blockers in the tier them, making this appreciated, but not a necessity. Similarly, Bisharp also works very well with Araquanid due to its ability to deter and punish Defog users with Defiant, while and it can also abuse take advantage of Sticky Web in its own right. Bisharp also can pressure floating Pokémon non-grounded Pokemon such as Mega Aerodactyl, Latias, and Moltres with Sucker Punch. More niche options that can take advantage Sticky Web such as Choice Band Mienshao and Choice Band Darmanitan can also work due to their subpar Speed stats and absurdly high damage output.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Mirror Coat can be used on the same set with Sticky Web to allow it to beat special attackers one on one that it'd usually lose to one-on-one, (AC) such as Mega Manectric, Volcanion, and Primarina. However this isn't nearly as valuable as the other options for this set and is often unnecessary due to Liquidation doing a lot of damage to most everything foes anyways. On top of this, (AC) Araquanid doesn't like taking unnecessary damage, (AC) as it likes being able to set Sticky Web throughout the match. Choice Band could be useful due to the high damage output it Araquanid already has due to its ability, although that it is pretty much outclassed by other water-type breakers Water-type wallbreakers such as Crawdaunt and Primarina, (RC) although in that role. However, (AC) Araquanid is bulkier and isn't afraid of Scald, (AC) which gives it a niche over the former in some cases. Either way, its lack of power in its attacks bar Liquidation and lack of speed Speed or priority is a pain.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Flying Types**: Flying-types give Araquanid a tough time, (AC) as they all outpace it and can potentially OHKO it with a STAB move,. (RC,AP) Moltres and Mega Pidgeot being are good examples of this, while Togekiss is able to flinch it down cause it to flinch and 2HKO it with Air Slash, making Togekiss a good anti lead anti-lead.

**Rock Types**: Rock-types can also outspeed and OHKO with a STAB move. Mega Aerodactyl, Terrakion, and Nihilego are good examples of this. However, Nihilego fails to KO it without using a Z-Move, (AC) and the former two lose if Araquanid has Focus Sash intact. Other Rock-types like Rhyperior, Diancie, and Stakataka are outsped and can be pressured with Liquidation, but Araquanid should still be wary of being KOd KOed by a STAB move from Stakataka because the latter Pokemon Araquanid needs chip to reliably KO it.

**Electric Types**: Most of the Electric-types in the tier fail to reliably OHKO Araquanid but still pressure it with super effective STAB attacks all the same. Mega Manectric, Rotom-H, Rotom-C, and Zeraora are all good examples of this, although most of them aren't too hard to play around, fail to OHKO Araquanid, and are pressured by Liquidation, or, in Rotom-C's, case Leech Life.

**Stealth Rock**: Stealth Rock can limit Araquanid's longevity a lot due to it taking a quarter of it's Araquanid's health upon entry, and which can be extra especially irritating if you're Araquanid is running Focus Sash.

**Strong Physical Attackers**: (<note this) While Araquanid has good defenses, its poor HP stat and only decent Defense stat make it very scared of the more heavy hitting physical attackers in the tier such as Scizor, Mega Sharpedo, and Choice Band Crawdaunt. While Araquanid can threaten all of these with its STAB moves, they outspeed it and do massive amounts of damage, potentially KOing it.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[vivalospride, 151509]]
- Quality checked by: [[Nuked, 382658], [martha, 384270], [Surgeon, 347604]]
- Grammar checked by: [[A Cake Wearing A Hat, 388157], [, ]]

good analysis man, GP 1/2
 

talkingtree

large if factual
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GP 2/2
add remove (comments)

[OVERVIEW]

Araquanid carves its niche in the metagame as a reliable Sticky Web setter that can double as a wallbreaker due to using Liquidation in conjunction with its ability Water Bubble. It also has decent bulk, giving it opportunities to set up Sticky Web throughout the match against Pokemon that have a hard time breaking through it such as Celebi, Hydreigon, and Infernape instead of only functioning as a lead. Araquanid's decent defensive typing and ability make it capable of checking common threats such as Cobalion, Mamoswine, and Lucario while dishing out respectable amounts of damage in the process. However, regardless of its bulk, it's still not bulky enough to consistently switch into threats, and its low Speed makes it less reliable because it will often have to take a hit before moving. Because of its low Speed and good wallbreaking power, though, it benefits well from the support that its own Sticky Web offers. Araquanid's weakness to Stealth Rock hurts its longevity a lot, making it more difficult to set Sticky Web throughout the match. It also has a tough matchup against several special attackers such as Mega Manectric, Togekiss, and Mega Blastoise, despite its bulk. The latter can also remove Araquanid's Sticky Web with Rapid Spin. Araquanid also finds itself being rather niche and inconsistent due to how matchup reliant the its best-fitting playstyle it fits on is, as well as having being matchup reliant; it also has a lot of competition as a wallbreaking Water-type, (semicolon -> comma) as Starmie, Crawdaunt, and Primarina generally outclass it due to having with their higher Speed, better coverage, and better (optional to remove this, I just think it flows better) overall consistency.

[SET]
name: Sticky Web
move 1: Sticky Web
move 2: Liquidation
move 3: Leech Life
move 4: Magic Coat
item: Splash Plate / Focus Sash
ability: Water Bubble
nature: Adamant
evs: 148 HP / 252 Atk / 108 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Leech Life lets Araquanid act as a soft check to Pokemon like Latias and Hydreigon and regain some HP in the process. Lunge can be used over Leech Life as a Bug-type STAB move that prevents foes like Haxorus, Mega Altaria, and Kommo-o from setting up with Dragon Dance and punishes other physical attackers that try to switch in. However, the longevity Leech Life gives is generally much more valuable. Magic Coat is helpful to Araquanid when it's up against Pokemon that can reliably set up Stealth Rock on it or irritate it with Taunt or Toxic such as Swampert, Azelf, and Alomomola. Toxic can also be used over Magic Coat or even Leech Life because it's capable of bugging common Water-resistant Pokemon; however, most of them either can be muscled through with a STAB attack or rely on Toxic to beat Araquanid, meaning making Magic Coat would be equally as efficient in that sense alone.

Set Details
========

Splash Plate heightens the absurd damage output Araquanid dishes out due to its ability and reliable STAB attack, (fluff) increasing its ability to break opposing teams. This is often preferred over Focus Sash due to it being more efficient and effective in the long run, as Araquanid is not a suicide lead. However, Focus Sash can still be useful; (ASC) because even though Araquanid has decent bulk, Pokemon like Mega Aerodactyl, Terrakion, and Zeraora can still otherwise OHKO it with a STAB attack otherwise, which would prevent it from setting up Sticky Web. This can be more valuable than Splash Plate during times where you just need to reliably get Sticky Web onto the field, especially in lead scenarios. However, Araquanid should often not solely be used as a lead and should moreso be treated as a wallbreaker that sets Sticky Web, meaning Focus Sash is often not as efficient as Splash Plate due to its role. (Everything in this sentence seems to be covered earlier in the paragraph already; if I'm wrong, just leave the sentence in) 108 EVs in Speed allow Araquanid to outpace Blissey and everything slower than it. Araquanid can also viably run Waterium Z if there is no other Z-Move user on the team for a 160-Base Power Water Bubble-enhanced Hydro Vortex.

Usage Tips
========

Araquanid should be primarily be used to set Sticky Web and irritate opposing teams with Liquidation and Magic Coat. You should get Sticky Web on the field as early as you reliably can so that your team, including Araquanid, can take advantage of it throughout the match. Even though Araquanid has decent defenses, you should switch it in sparingly. While it does resist the STAB attacks of Cobalion, Mamoswine, and Lucario, recklessly switching into these Pokemon could, (AC) deal enough damage to Araquanid along with Stealth rock Rock, deal enough damage to Araquanid to leave it unable that it won't be able to set up Sticky Web up later on in the match. However, due to resisting the STAB moves of the aforementioned Pokemon, (you already said this) you can use Araquanid to soft check these threats in emergency situations. While getting Sticky Web up early is important, Araquanid is durable enough and forces enough switches to set them up throughout the match reliably, so you should keep it healthy if you feel you won't be able to keep your hazards up and will need to set them again later to win. Araquanid is capable of beating a lot of the more passive Pokemon in the tier due to its high damage output, immunity to burns, and access to Magic Coat. Magic Coat should be used to bounce back status moves such as Taunt, Stealth Rock, and Toxic. Bouncing back the latter is especially important to beat other bulky Water-types such as Alomomola. Also keep in mind that while you can bounce Stealth Rock and other hazards back, you cannot keep them off the field due to Magic Coat having less fewer PP. Araquanid can be used as a soft check to Latias and Hydreigon due thanks to its access to Leech Life and its high Special Defense stat. As said before, switch it in sparingly, but be aware of the matchup these matchups because their immunity to Sticky Web could thus make Araquanid it could be vital to the rest of the team's success due to these Pokemon being immune to Sticky Web. Early-game, especially after setting Sticky Web, Araquanid can spam Liquidation to put dents in the enemy team. Liquidation has an absurd damage output due to Araquanid's ability and can do decent chunks to the majority of tier, including Water-resistant switch-ins such as Empoleon, Tsareena, and Latias. Pressure the opponent's hazard removal as much as you can because keeping your hazards up is vital to the team's success more often than not.

(remove extra space)
Team Options
========

Araquanid only fits on offense teams that appreciates Sticky Web support, as its niche is setting Sticky Web. Wallbreakers with a mediocre Speed tier appreciate Sticky Web support; some examples of this are Chandelure, Swords Dance Haxorus, and Mega Blastoise. Sticky Web teams have several matchup problems by default, the main one being non-grounded Pokemon such as Latias, Hydreigon, and Mega Aerodactyl. A good way to pressure these Pokemon is with priority; specifically, Scizor and Mamoswine pressure each of these examples with Bullet Punch and Ice Shard, respectively. Stealth Rock support is very necessary to help chip the opposing team down, but specifically to punish Flying-type Pokemon that can ignore Sticky Web for coming onto the field. Stealth Rock setters that fit well on Sticky Web offense include Nidoking, Kommo-o, Terrakion, and the aforementioned Mamoswine. These examples fit well because of the offensive pressure they give off, which make makes removing hazards against them very difficult and lets them take advantage of the Sticky Web themselves. Bisharp can be a nuisance to deal with for Sticky Web teams due to its access to Defiant and priority, giving it a free +2 Attack boost once it comes onto the field with Sticky Web up. Pokemon that can deal with Bisharp while taking advantage of Sticky Web such as Lucario, Cobalion, and Infernape are appreciated. Moltres specifically is really difficult to handle due to its STAB combination and defensive typing in conjunction with its immunity to Sticky Web. Pokemon that can help pressure Moltres in conjunction with Stealth Rock that appreciate Sticky Web support like Nihilego, Latias, Quick Attack Scizor, and Zeraora can make a nice fit. Offensive Ghost-types that can spinblock foes such as Starmie, Tsareena, and Tentacruel can help keep Sticky Web on the field. Decidueye, Gengar, and Doublade are good examples of this. However, all of these examples fail to reliably and consistently block Rapid Spin due to most of the spinners being able spinners's ability to offensively pressure them, making this appreciated, but not a necessity. Similarly, Bisharp also works very well with Araquanid due to its ability to deter and punish Defog users with Defiant, and it can also take advantage of Sticky Web in its own right. Bisharp also can pressure floating non-grounded Pokemon such as Mega Aerodactyl, Latias, and Moltres with Sucker Punch. More niche options that can take advantage Sticky Web such as Choice Band Mienshao and Choice Band Darmanitan can also work due to their subpar Speed stats and absurdly high damage output.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Mirror Coat can be used on the same set with Sticky Web to allow it to beat special attackers that it'd usually lose to one-on-one, such as Mega Manectric, Volcanion, and Primarina. However, (AC) this isn't nearly as valuable as the other options for this set and is often unnecessary due to Liquidation doing a lot of damage to most foes anyways. On top of this, Araquanid doesn't like taking unnecessary damage, as it likes being able to set Sticky Web throughout the match. Choice Band could be useful due to the high damage output Araquanid already has due to its ability, although it is pretty much outclassed by other Water-type wallbreakers such as Crawdaunt and Primarina in that role. However, Araquanid is bulkier and isn't afraid of Scald, which gives it a niche over the former in some cases. Either way, its lack of power in its attacks bar Liquidation and lack of Speed or priority is a pain.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Flying Types Flying-types**: Flying-types give Araquanid a tough time, as they all outpace it and can potentially OHKO it with a STAB move. Moltres and Mega Pidgeot are good examples of this, while Togekiss is able to cause it to flinch and 2HKO it with Air Slash, making Togekiss a good anti-lead. (might also be worth mentioning that they ignore Sticky Web?)

**Rock Types Rock-types**: Rock-types can outspeed and OHKO Araquanid with a STAB move. Mega Aerodactyl, Terrakion, and Nihilego are good examples of this. However, Nihilego fails to KO it without using a Z-Move, and the former two lose if Araquanid has Focus Sash intact. Other Rock-types like Rhyperior, Diancie, and Stakataka are outsped and can be pressured with Liquidation, but Araquanid should still be wary of being KOed by a STAB move from Stakataka because Araquanid needs chip to reliably KO it.

**Electric Types Electric-types**: Most of the Electric-types in the tier fail to reliably OHKO Araquanid but still pressure it with super effective STAB attacks all the same. Mega Manectric, Rotom-H, Rotom-C, and Zeraora are all good examples of this, although most of them aren't too hard to play around, fail to OHKO Araquanid, and are pressured by Liquidation, or, in Rotom-C's, (RC) case, (AC) Leech Life.

**Stealth Rock**: Stealth Rock can limit Araquanid's longevity a lot due to it taking a quarter of Araquanid's health upon entry, which significantly and (removing dex info) can be especially irritating if Araquanid is running Focus Sash.

**Strong Physical Attackers**: While Araquanid has good defenses, its poor HP stat and only decent Defense stat make it very scared of the more heavy-hitting (AH) physical attackers in the tier such as Scizor, Mega Sharpedo, and Choice Band Crawdaunt. While Araquanid can threaten all of these with its STAB moves, they outspeed it and do massive amounts of damage, potentially KOing it.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[vivalospride Zenin, 151509]]
- Quality checked by: [[Nuked, 382658], [martha, 384270], [Surgeon, 347604]]
- Grammar checked by: [[A Cake Wearing A Hat, 388157], [talkingtree, 232101]]
 

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