Ok, I have Hippowdon out, having just switched into your Metagross. I use Stealth Rock as you switch to Shaymin, and then switch my Heracross into your Seed Flare. Seeing no reason to risk your Shaymin to MegaHorn, you switch to Skarmory, who takes negligable damage from MH + SR and recovers most of that with Leftovers. Feeling as though you have the upper hand again, you deem it safe to use a Stealth Rock of your own. I switch to Wobbuffet as you do that though, about to assert maybe once and for all that the blue blob is definitely more uber than OU.
Whatever, you just WW, not about to fall for being Countered. I use Encore, though, locking you into your previous Stealth Rock thanks to move priority. Not really phased, you wonder what I plan on switching to...you know I don't use Magnezone because I don't care enough about trapping Skarmory with it. What you don't know and won't for another seven turns is why I don't need Zone to beat Skarmory.
So anyway, stuck in your place, you hastily click the only button you can to see what I'm going to do next. To your surprise, I use Tickle, dropping your Attack and Defense one stage. I do this for the next three turns, refreshing the Encore as I see it run out. When you reach -6 Atk and Def, I finally switch out...to CB Tyranitar.
Adamant Tyranitar using an Choice Banded Pursuit on a 334HP/390Def (standard), switching, -6 Def Skarmory: 81-95%
Skarmory is effectively dead over 50% the second it switches back in if you can't get rid of Stealth Rock.
Pretty damn annoying, huh? Well, user Alice (Futami Eriko on Shoddy) has been employing this strategy for some time on the ladder, Skarmory being one of the most difficult pokemon to take down. Blissey, Bronzong, Hippowdon, Swampert, Cresselia...all fall victim to this strategy rather easily, or so I would think. I've only seen it used against Cresselia but Alice told me she actually succeeded in OHKOing an evidently poorly EVed Skarmory with Pursuit, and the scenario I crafted above is as unrigged as possible. Wobby can come in on Hippowdon's SR or Slack Off and do much the same as above, or Blissey's Softboiled or Aroma, or Cresselia in general (CB Tar doesn't need much help OHKOing it).
Tyranitar also works with Life Orb or even something like Muscle Band if you're not really worried about OHKOing Skarmory. Basically anything slow with a set up move that's not Curse risks being OHKOed by Tyranitar after being tickled by Wobbuffet. Bronzong even has the disadvantage of largely being slower than its 33 Base Speed cousin thanks to a Relaxed or Sassy nature, meaning that Stealth Rock will usually be Encored instead of Bronzong having a chance to directly attack or use Hypnosis. Hippowdon even has the disadvantage of not exactly wanting to EQ, since that will spell its doom in two turns in exchange for less than a 4HKO on Wobby even in the sand.
So all in all, losing Safeguard doesn't seem like too much of a disadvantage when you can treat Skarmory and Bronzong as if they were a Slowbro without anything to hit a (CB Pursuit) Tyranitar. This strategy is really, really easy to employ, almost to the point that it's "cheap". Thoughts?
Whatever, you just WW, not about to fall for being Countered. I use Encore, though, locking you into your previous Stealth Rock thanks to move priority. Not really phased, you wonder what I plan on switching to...you know I don't use Magnezone because I don't care enough about trapping Skarmory with it. What you don't know and won't for another seven turns is why I don't need Zone to beat Skarmory.
So anyway, stuck in your place, you hastily click the only button you can to see what I'm going to do next. To your surprise, I use Tickle, dropping your Attack and Defense one stage. I do this for the next three turns, refreshing the Encore as I see it run out. When you reach -6 Atk and Def, I finally switch out...to CB Tyranitar.
Adamant Tyranitar using an Choice Banded Pursuit on a 334HP/390Def (standard), switching, -6 Def Skarmory: 81-95%
Skarmory is effectively dead over 50% the second it switches back in if you can't get rid of Stealth Rock.
Pretty damn annoying, huh? Well, user Alice (Futami Eriko on Shoddy) has been employing this strategy for some time on the ladder, Skarmory being one of the most difficult pokemon to take down. Blissey, Bronzong, Hippowdon, Swampert, Cresselia...all fall victim to this strategy rather easily, or so I would think. I've only seen it used against Cresselia but Alice told me she actually succeeded in OHKOing an evidently poorly EVed Skarmory with Pursuit, and the scenario I crafted above is as unrigged as possible. Wobby can come in on Hippowdon's SR or Slack Off and do much the same as above, or Blissey's Softboiled or Aroma, or Cresselia in general (CB Tar doesn't need much help OHKOing it).
Tyranitar also works with Life Orb or even something like Muscle Band if you're not really worried about OHKOing Skarmory. Basically anything slow with a set up move that's not Curse risks being OHKOed by Tyranitar after being tickled by Wobbuffet. Bronzong even has the disadvantage of largely being slower than its 33 Base Speed cousin thanks to a Relaxed or Sassy nature, meaning that Stealth Rock will usually be Encored instead of Bronzong having a chance to directly attack or use Hypnosis. Hippowdon even has the disadvantage of not exactly wanting to EQ, since that will spell its doom in two turns in exchange for less than a 4HKO on Wobby even in the sand.
So all in all, losing Safeguard doesn't seem like too much of a disadvantage when you can treat Skarmory and Bronzong as if they were a Slowbro without anything to hit a (CB Pursuit) Tyranitar. This strategy is really, really easy to employ, almost to the point that it's "cheap". Thoughts?
