[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Grassy Glide
move 2: Wood Hammer
move 3: U-turn
move 4: Knock Off
item: Choice Band
ability: Grassy Surge
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Choice Band Thwackey is a versatile physical attacker, able to wallbreak, clean, and bring utility. Thanks to its Grassy Terrain, Grassy Glide is an amazing priority move that can OHKO faster offensive threats like Cinccino and Choice Scarf Rotom, as well as cleaning weakened teams. Grassy Terrain also makes Wood Hammer extremely hard to switch into, 2HKOing defensive behemoths like Uxie and Thick Fat Miltank, as well as common Grass-resistant Pokemon like Skuntank and Frosmoth. U-turn lets Thwackey weaken its checks like Skuntank, Eldegoss, and Rotom-S while keeping momentum. Knock Off removes Thwackey's checks' items, like Eviolite from Tangela and Golbat and Heavy-Duty Boots from Articuno, Altaria, and Rapidash, jeopardizing their ability to come on Thwackey's STAB moves. Additionally, it provides reliable coverage for Gourgeist formes, notably always OHKOing standard Gourgeist-S after Stealth Rock.
This set pairs well in offensive teams with other VoltTurn users, from offensive ones like Perrserker, Morpeko, Rotom, and Silvally-Poison to defensive ones like Uxie, Rotom-S, and Wishiwashi. The resulting cores appreciate entry hazard support to further weaken teams and make up for Grassy Terrain's passive recovery, especially since Thwackey removes Heavy-Duty Boots from common users with Knock Off. Therefore, the likes of Qwilfish and Coalossal make for great partners, also handling some Thwackey checks like Unfezant and appreciating the Earthquake damage reduction from Grassy Terrain. Special wallbreakers like Thievul, Jynx, and Skuntank enjoy Thwackey creating switch-in opportunities with U-turn on the likes of Tangela, Altaria, and Gourgeist formes. Alternatively, Thwackey works well in physical spam teams with the likes of Sawk, Silvally formes, and Kangaskhan, since it can heavily cripple and damage physical behemoths like Tangela, Uxie, and Miltank.
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Grassy Glide
move 3: Knock Off
move 4: U-turn
item: Eviolite
ability: Grassy Surge
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Wielding an Eviolite, Thwackey has the bulk to perform several roles during the game. Swords Dance enables it to clean late-game with its STAB priority Grassy Glide, which is also quite useful mid-game to revenge kill weakened foes like Silvally formes, Sawk, and Rotom. Knock Off and U-turn let Thwackey be an early-game pivot, crippling checks like Tangela, Articuno, and Rapidash and keeping momentum with U-turn. However, the latter can punish Thwackey thanks to Flame Body. U-turn + Swords Dance allows Thwackey to take advantage of bulky Regenerator Grass-types in Tangela and Eldegoss, consistently threatening and weakening them.
Swords Dance Thwackey fits well in balance and bulky offense teams looking for an a secondary revenge killer, late-game cleaner, and check to Rhydon and Rotom. Entry hazard setters including Coalossal, Rhydon, and Qwilfish appreciate the passive recovery from Grassy Terrain and it weakening Earthquake from Kangaskhan and Sawk. In return, they can check some of Thwackey's checks such as Altaria, Rapidash, and Skuntank. Other pivots like Wishiwashi, Rotom, and Silvally formes are also great to form VoltTurn cores with Thwackey, pivoting on each others' checks. Special wallbreakers such as Thievul, Jynx, and Skuntank enjoy Thwackey bringing them safely on the field versus physical walls such as Altaria and Tangela. Other physical wallbreakers such as Swords Dance Silvally formes, especially Poison, appreciate Thwackey removing Tangela's Eviolite, and in return they can weaken physical walls, opening the way for a Thwackey sweep.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Drain Punch is an option on Swords Dance sets,super effectively hitting Steel-types like Perrserker and Klinklang as well as Sap Sipper Bouffalant and Miltank. However, due to its low Base Power and the importance of Knock Off and U-turn for Thwackey's offensive pivot role, it is often not worth using. Terrain Extender is an option if paired with other Grassy Glide users like Flapple, Trevenant, and Gourgeist-S. However, teams built around Grassy Terrain are quite bad due to having few other ways to maximize the Terrain.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Poison-types**: The likes of Silvally-Poison, Skuntank, and Golbat resist Thwackey's STAB moves and U-turn and can take it out with their super effective STAB moves. However, the last one dislikes losing its Eviolite to Knock Off.
**Fire-types**: Fire-types like Rapidash and Ninetales outspeed and OHKO Thwackey with their super effective STAB moves. They also resist Thwackey's STAB moves and U-turn, even if they dislike switching into Knock Off. Due to Rapidash and Coalossal's ability in Flame Body, Thwackey is deterred from coming in and using U-turn, even if Coalossal doesn't resist its STAB moves.
**Defensive Grass-types**: Bulky Grass-types like Tangela, Eldegoss, and Appletun can take Thwackey's STAB moves. However, U-turn hits them quite hard. Additionally, Tangela dislikes losing its Eviolite to Knock Off, as this jeopardizes its ability to handle other physical attackers like Sawk and Silvally-Dark. Some bulky Grass-types like Gourgeist formes and Shiinotic don't mind U-turn as much but are less common, and Gourgeist-S must watch out for Knock Off instead.
**Flying-types**: Pokemon such as Articuno, Rotom-S, and Altaria can sponge Thwackey's STAB moves, resist U-turn, and retaliate with their super effective STAB moves, take advantage of it with Defog, or use their own pivoting moves.
**Steel-types**: Perrserker and Klinklang resist Thwackey's STAB moves and U-turn while sporting decent physical bulk, meaning they can comfortably switch into Thwackey and threaten it with their powerful STAB moves.
**Sap Sipper**: While quite scarce in the current metagame, Sap Sipper Bouffalant and Miltank are immune to Thwackey's STAB moves, making it very hard for it to clean late-game with Grassy Glide.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Tuthur, 369076]]
- Quality checked by: [[Jett, 226429], [kay, 240237]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Finland, 517429]]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Grassy Glide
move 2: Wood Hammer
move 3: U-turn
move 4: Knock Off
item: Choice Band
ability: Grassy Surge
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Choice Band Thwackey is a versatile physical attacker, able to wallbreak, clean, and bring utility. Thanks to its Grassy Terrain, Grassy Glide is an amazing priority move that can OHKO faster offensive threats like Cinccino and Choice Scarf Rotom, as well as cleaning weakened teams. Grassy Terrain also makes Wood Hammer extremely hard to switch into, 2HKOing defensive behemoths like Uxie and Thick Fat Miltank, as well as common Grass-resistant Pokemon like Skuntank and Frosmoth. U-turn lets Thwackey weaken its checks like Skuntank, Eldegoss, and Rotom-S while keeping momentum. Knock Off removes Thwackey's checks' items, like Eviolite from Tangela and Golbat and Heavy-Duty Boots from Articuno, Altaria, and Rapidash, jeopardizing their ability to come on Thwackey's STAB moves. Additionally, it provides reliable coverage for Gourgeist formes, notably always OHKOing standard Gourgeist-S after Stealth Rock.
This set pairs well in offensive teams with other VoltTurn users, from offensive ones like Perrserker, Morpeko, Rotom, and Silvally-Poison to defensive ones like Uxie, Rotom-S, and Wishiwashi. The resulting cores appreciate entry hazard support to further weaken teams and make up for Grassy Terrain's passive recovery, especially since Thwackey removes Heavy-Duty Boots from common users with Knock Off. Therefore, the likes of Qwilfish and Coalossal make for great partners, also handling some Thwackey checks like Unfezant and appreciating the Earthquake damage reduction from Grassy Terrain. Special wallbreakers like Thievul, Jynx, and Skuntank enjoy Thwackey creating switch-in opportunities with U-turn on the likes of Tangela, Altaria, and Gourgeist formes. Alternatively, Thwackey works well in physical spam teams with the likes of Sawk, Silvally formes, and Kangaskhan, since it can heavily cripple and damage physical behemoths like Tangela, Uxie, and Miltank.
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Grassy Glide
move 3: Knock Off
move 4: U-turn
item: Eviolite
ability: Grassy Surge
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Wielding an Eviolite, Thwackey has the bulk to perform several roles during the game. Swords Dance enables it to clean late-game with its STAB priority Grassy Glide, which is also quite useful mid-game to revenge kill weakened foes like Silvally formes, Sawk, and Rotom. Knock Off and U-turn let Thwackey be an early-game pivot, crippling checks like Tangela, Articuno, and Rapidash and keeping momentum with U-turn. However, the latter can punish Thwackey thanks to Flame Body. U-turn + Swords Dance allows Thwackey to take advantage of bulky Regenerator Grass-types in Tangela and Eldegoss, consistently threatening and weakening them.
Swords Dance Thwackey fits well in balance and bulky offense teams looking for an a secondary revenge killer, late-game cleaner, and check to Rhydon and Rotom. Entry hazard setters including Coalossal, Rhydon, and Qwilfish appreciate the passive recovery from Grassy Terrain and it weakening Earthquake from Kangaskhan and Sawk. In return, they can check some of Thwackey's checks such as Altaria, Rapidash, and Skuntank. Other pivots like Wishiwashi, Rotom, and Silvally formes are also great to form VoltTurn cores with Thwackey, pivoting on each others' checks. Special wallbreakers such as Thievul, Jynx, and Skuntank enjoy Thwackey bringing them safely on the field versus physical walls such as Altaria and Tangela. Other physical wallbreakers such as Swords Dance Silvally formes, especially Poison, appreciate Thwackey removing Tangela's Eviolite, and in return they can weaken physical walls, opening the way for a Thwackey sweep.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Drain Punch is an option on Swords Dance sets,super effectively hitting Steel-types like Perrserker and Klinklang as well as Sap Sipper Bouffalant and Miltank. However, due to its low Base Power and the importance of Knock Off and U-turn for Thwackey's offensive pivot role, it is often not worth using. Terrain Extender is an option if paired with other Grassy Glide users like Flapple, Trevenant, and Gourgeist-S. However, teams built around Grassy Terrain are quite bad due to having few other ways to maximize the Terrain.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Poison-types**: The likes of Silvally-Poison, Skuntank, and Golbat resist Thwackey's STAB moves and U-turn and can take it out with their super effective STAB moves. However, the last one dislikes losing its Eviolite to Knock Off.
**Fire-types**: Fire-types like Rapidash and Ninetales outspeed and OHKO Thwackey with their super effective STAB moves. They also resist Thwackey's STAB moves and U-turn, even if they dislike switching into Knock Off. Due to Rapidash and Coalossal's ability in Flame Body, Thwackey is deterred from coming in and using U-turn, even if Coalossal doesn't resist its STAB moves.
**Defensive Grass-types**: Bulky Grass-types like Tangela, Eldegoss, and Appletun can take Thwackey's STAB moves. However, U-turn hits them quite hard. Additionally, Tangela dislikes losing its Eviolite to Knock Off, as this jeopardizes its ability to handle other physical attackers like Sawk and Silvally-Dark. Some bulky Grass-types like Gourgeist formes and Shiinotic don't mind U-turn as much but are less common, and Gourgeist-S must watch out for Knock Off instead.
**Flying-types**: Pokemon such as Articuno, Rotom-S, and Altaria can sponge Thwackey's STAB moves, resist U-turn, and retaliate with their super effective STAB moves, take advantage of it with Defog, or use their own pivoting moves.
**Steel-types**: Perrserker and Klinklang resist Thwackey's STAB moves and U-turn while sporting decent physical bulk, meaning they can comfortably switch into Thwackey and threaten it with their powerful STAB moves.
**Sap Sipper**: While quite scarce in the current metagame, Sap Sipper Bouffalant and Miltank are immune to Thwackey's STAB moves, making it very hard for it to clean late-game with Grassy Glide.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Tuthur, 369076]]
- Quality checked by: [[Jett, 226429], [kay, 240237]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Finland, 517429]]
Last edited:
