[overview]
**Draft order**: Round 4 onwards
**Price Range**: 12-13 points
**Tera Price Range**: 14-15 points
**Overview**: Annihilape's good bulk, typing, and access to Rage Fist make it a uniquely deadly attacker, capable of using non-lethal attacks from foes to become more immediately threatening. It can make for a great setup sweeper with Bulk Up or fast revenge killer with Choice Scarf, while always having the ability to punish common pivoting moves with Rage Fist's damage boosts. Annihilape also has a uniquely anti-hazard removal profile, as it can both spinblock and discourage the use of Defog from foes with Defiant. However, despite its near-unresisted STAB combination, its only average Attack and Speed means that without setup or Rage Fist boosts, it can lack the means to immediately threaten foes, and can be taken advantage of itself by faster wallbreakers and disrupters.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Bulky Setup Sweeper**: With Bulk Up and recovery from Drain Punch, these sets aim to stay on the field for a long period of time and force multiple attacks on it to empower Rage Fist. To add to Annihilape's staying power, it can also heavily invest into Special Defense thanks to Bulk Up, while greatly enjoying Terastallization to bolster its defensive profile. Since it can usually rely on the coverage of its STAB moves, utility options like Taunt, Substitute, and Encore are good options to prevent various forms of disruption from impeding Annihilape, or it can use Rest + Chesto Berry to stay healthy and remove status effects.
**Revenge Killer**: Annihilape can utilize a Choice Scarf, along with its powerful STAB moves and coverage, to pick off offensive foes while using U-turn to generate momentum for its team. It can also switch in on weak attacks or pivoting moves to build up Rage Fist damage throughout the match.
**Bulky Utility**: By leveraging its bulk in tandem with its utility movepool, Annihilape can lean into a more supportive role for its team while still wielding Rage Fist as an offensive tool. With either Leftovers or Assault Vest, these sets can defensively check certain foes, such as users of Rapid Spin, and either disrupt them with moves like Taunt and Encore or punish their other attacks with a boosted Rage Fist. Other utility in Stealth Rock and U-turn can gain momentum on opposing switches that are in response to Annihilape.
**Dedicated Lead**: As a lead, Annihilape can set up Stealth Rock and prevent foes from doing the same with Taunt, which also negates most opposing means of hazard removal. It can then either fire off potentially boosted Rage Fists or immediately bring in a teammate with U-turn or Final Gambit.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB moves**: Rage Fist, Drain Punch, Close Combat, Low Kick
**Setup Moves**: Bulk Up
**Utility Moves**: Taunt, Substitute, Encore, Rest, U-turn, Stealth Rock, Sleep Talk, Protect. Brick Break
**Coverage**: Gunk Shot, Earthquake, Ice Punch, Stone Edge, Poison Jab, Fire Punch, Throat Chop, Seed Bomb, Thunder Punch, Acrobatics, Tera Blast
Niche Moves
========
**Final Gambit**: Though it usually wants to stay on the field for a longer period of time without immediately trading itself, Annihilape can use Final Gambit mostly on lead sets to guarantee a KO on a specific target and immediately get in another teammate.
**Endure**: Endure allows Annihilape to survive a hit and boost Rage Fist, and can also be paired with Salac Berry as a Speed-boosting option or Custap Berry for a surprise trade.
**Shadow Claw**: Shadow Claw can be a passable alternative on Choice Scarf sets since they're less guaranteed to always have boosted Rage Fists or access to Ghost-type Tera Blast.
Common Items
========
**Leftovers**: Since Annihilape aims to stay on the field for a long time on Bulk Up sets, Leftovers are the best option to bolster its longevity, especially when paired with Substitute as well.
**Chesto Berry**: Chesto Berry is paired with Rest on Bulk Up sets as an alternative method of healing, as the immediate health and status recovery can make Annihilape difficult to take down if its already accrued many stat boosts.
**Choice Scarf**: Choice Scarf can turn Annihilape into an unexpectedly fast revenge killer, letting it outspeed and pick off nearly all unboosted offensive foes while generating momentum for its team.
Niche Items
========
**Damage-boosting Items**: Items like Spell Tag and Choice Band can supplement Annihilape's initial power in certain matchups.
**Assault Vest**: Assault Vest helps Annihilape tank special attacks better for easier Rage Fist boosting, at the cost of its setup and utility moves.
**Sitrus Berry**: Sitrus Berry is an alternative to Leftovers that can give a burst of healing in more immediately threatening matchups.
**Mental Herb**: Mental Herb is a strong option against faster Pokemon with Taunt or Encore so that it gets more opportunities to set up or doesn't get stuck using Bulk Up.
**Heavy-Duty Boots**: Heavy-Duty Boots can be used to stave off hazard damage on sets that aim to switch in often during the game for Rage Fist boosting.
**Punching Glove**: Punching Glove allows Annihilape to avoid adverse contact effects primarily on its two most common moves in Rage Fist and Drain Punch while slightly boosting them.
**Air Balloon**: Air Balloon helps Annihilape stave off some of the most popular Rapid Spin users in the format in Great Tusk and Iron Treads, often forcing them to first click a weaker move that can guarantee an easier Rage Fist boost.
**Lum Berry**: Lum Berry can be used over Chesto Berry on non-Rest Annihilape sets that still want a burst of status healing.
**Custap Berry**: On lead sets, Custap Berry can take advantage of Annihilape getting worn down by multiple hits to surprise a faster foe with a high-powered Rage Fist, especially in tandem with Endure.
**Resistance Berries**: Resistance berries can bolster Annihilape's bulk in the face of attackers that actually threaten to KO it with a super-effective move, allowing it to survive and fire back hard with Rage Fist.
**Weakness Policy**: In situations where Annihilape is healthy enough to stomach a super-effective hit, the combination of Weakness Policy and Rage Fist can grant it immediate firepower with which it can usually KO back any opposing attacker.
Tera
========
Annihilape can be a good Tera Captain since it greatly benefits from Tera as an option, but it has notable flaws compared to higher-priced ones, especially its lack of initial damage and mediocre Speed, that mostly make it unfavorable as at least a primary Tera Captain. If made a Tera Captain, Annihilape will primarily use defensive types like Tera Fairy, Water, Steel, and Poison to ease setup on its Bulk Up sets, usually forcing foes to hit it neutrally and allowing more Rage Fist boosts. It can also use its own STAB typings for a more offensive approach usually on choiced sets, with Tera Ghost often being the most potent for either giving access to a more immediate Ghost STAB attack in Tera Blast or further boosting Rage Fist to incredible heights, though Tera Fighting can also be good to spam Annihilape's most immediately powerful move in Close Combat.
Draft Strategy
========
Annihilape primarily acts as a setup sweeper that seeks out passive foes or weaker attacks to boost up on, so it relies on teammates to both handle stronger threats and provide it the opportunities it desires. Outside of sweeping, Annihilape can also support its team, especially other paired high- to mid tier Tera Captains like Iron Moth, Mew, Or Iron Crown, with its various forms of utility, mostly in the form of it being an ideal spinblocker for any laid hazards, as well as potentially bringing in allies with pivoting options or wearing down foes with Rage Fist.
**Entry Hazard Setters**: Annihilape appreciates the entry hazards set by the likes of Gliscor and Hisuian Samurott to put extra pressure on opponents that try to play around Rage Fist with switching, while Annihilape can keep said hazards up with its spinblocking and Defog-deterrent capabilities.
**Fast Offensive Pivots**: Fast offensive teammates like Greninja, Darkrai, and Cinderace can provide the speed to a team that Annihilape otherwise lacks and bring it in on the passive walls they usually draw in.
**Grounded Poison-types**: Toxic Spikes can greatly hinder the effectiveness of non-Rest Annihilape sets as it almost never wants to run Heavy-Duty Boots, so allies like Galarian Slowking and Fezandipiti are appreciated to easily absorb them as well as handle the Fairy-types Annihilape might struggle against.
**Healing Wish Users**: As a bulky setup sweeper, Annihilape greatly appreciates the second chance given by Healing Wish-using allies like Latias, Jirachi, and Shaymin to potentially heal off any accrued damage or status while still wielding any number of Rage Fist boosts to sweep with.
Checks and Counters
========
**Physically Defensive Foes**: Bulkier walls like Corviknight, Mandibuzz, and Alomomola, while they usually cannot handle Annihilape by themselves, can easily tank its initial attacks and utilize Rocky Helmet to chip away at it without boosting Rage Fist, while also using slow pivot moves as needed to bring in a more threatening teammate.
**Fast Disruption**: Annihilape's reliance on either setup or initially weak moves can make it vulnerable to Taunt, Encore, or Trick from the likes of Tornadus-T, Iron Valiant, and Scream Tail.
**Strong Wallbreakers**: Wallbreakers like Enamorus, Urshifu-R, and Chi-Yu can blow through Annihilape's bulk with enough prior chip damage.
**Status**: The likes of burn, poison, and paralysis can greatly hinder Annihilape's sweeping capability on any set that lacks Rest. Even on sets that carry it, Annihilape can still be forced to burn its Chesto Berry early on to solely heal off the status, making it more exploitable later in the game.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/monkeboi215.582038/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/furyy.529077/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/nyx.564960/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/dartrix-joker.356084/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno.527276/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/big-pharma.657717/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/jscurf.608304/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/ken.594478/
**Draft order**: Round 4 onwards
**Price Range**: 12-13 points
**Tera Price Range**: 14-15 points
**Overview**: Annihilape's good bulk, typing, and access to Rage Fist make it a uniquely deadly attacker, capable of using non-lethal attacks from foes to become more immediately threatening. It can make for a great setup sweeper with Bulk Up or fast revenge killer with Choice Scarf, while always having the ability to punish common pivoting moves with Rage Fist's damage boosts. Annihilape also has a uniquely anti-hazard removal profile, as it can both spinblock and discourage the use of Defog from foes with Defiant. However, despite its near-unresisted STAB combination, its only average Attack and Speed means that without setup or Rage Fist boosts, it can lack the means to immediately threaten foes, and can be taken advantage of itself by faster wallbreakers and disrupters.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Bulky Setup Sweeper**: With Bulk Up and recovery from Drain Punch, these sets aim to stay on the field for a long period of time and force multiple attacks on it to empower Rage Fist. To add to Annihilape's staying power, it can also heavily invest into Special Defense thanks to Bulk Up, while greatly enjoying Terastallization to bolster its defensive profile. Since it can usually rely on the coverage of its STAB moves, utility options like Taunt, Substitute, and Encore are good options to prevent various forms of disruption from impeding Annihilape, or it can use Rest + Chesto Berry to stay healthy and remove status effects.
**Revenge Killer**: Annihilape can utilize a Choice Scarf, along with its powerful STAB moves and coverage, to pick off offensive foes while using U-turn to generate momentum for its team. It can also switch in on weak attacks or pivoting moves to build up Rage Fist damage throughout the match.
**Bulky Utility**: By leveraging its bulk in tandem with its utility movepool, Annihilape can lean into a more supportive role for its team while still wielding Rage Fist as an offensive tool. With either Leftovers or Assault Vest, these sets can defensively check certain foes, such as users of Rapid Spin, and either disrupt them with moves like Taunt and Encore or punish their other attacks with a boosted Rage Fist. Other utility in Stealth Rock and U-turn can gain momentum on opposing switches that are in response to Annihilape.
**Dedicated Lead**: As a lead, Annihilape can set up Stealth Rock and prevent foes from doing the same with Taunt, which also negates most opposing means of hazard removal. It can then either fire off potentially boosted Rage Fists or immediately bring in a teammate with U-turn or Final Gambit.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB moves**: Rage Fist, Drain Punch, Close Combat, Low Kick
**Setup Moves**: Bulk Up
**Utility Moves**: Taunt, Substitute, Encore, Rest, U-turn, Stealth Rock, Sleep Talk, Protect. Brick Break
**Coverage**: Gunk Shot, Earthquake, Ice Punch, Stone Edge, Poison Jab, Fire Punch, Throat Chop, Seed Bomb, Thunder Punch, Acrobatics, Tera Blast
Niche Moves
========
**Final Gambit**: Though it usually wants to stay on the field for a longer period of time without immediately trading itself, Annihilape can use Final Gambit mostly on lead sets to guarantee a KO on a specific target and immediately get in another teammate.
**Endure**: Endure allows Annihilape to survive a hit and boost Rage Fist, and can also be paired with Salac Berry as a Speed-boosting option or Custap Berry for a surprise trade.
**Shadow Claw**: Shadow Claw can be a passable alternative on Choice Scarf sets since they're less guaranteed to always have boosted Rage Fists or access to Ghost-type Tera Blast.
Common Items
========
**Leftovers**: Since Annihilape aims to stay on the field for a long time on Bulk Up sets, Leftovers are the best option to bolster its longevity, especially when paired with Substitute as well.
**Chesto Berry**: Chesto Berry is paired with Rest on Bulk Up sets as an alternative method of healing, as the immediate health and status recovery can make Annihilape difficult to take down if its already accrued many stat boosts.
**Choice Scarf**: Choice Scarf can turn Annihilape into an unexpectedly fast revenge killer, letting it outspeed and pick off nearly all unboosted offensive foes while generating momentum for its team.
Niche Items
========
**Damage-boosting Items**: Items like Spell Tag and Choice Band can supplement Annihilape's initial power in certain matchups.
**Assault Vest**: Assault Vest helps Annihilape tank special attacks better for easier Rage Fist boosting, at the cost of its setup and utility moves.
**Sitrus Berry**: Sitrus Berry is an alternative to Leftovers that can give a burst of healing in more immediately threatening matchups.
**Mental Herb**: Mental Herb is a strong option against faster Pokemon with Taunt or Encore so that it gets more opportunities to set up or doesn't get stuck using Bulk Up.
**Heavy-Duty Boots**: Heavy-Duty Boots can be used to stave off hazard damage on sets that aim to switch in often during the game for Rage Fist boosting.
**Punching Glove**: Punching Glove allows Annihilape to avoid adverse contact effects primarily on its two most common moves in Rage Fist and Drain Punch while slightly boosting them.
**Air Balloon**: Air Balloon helps Annihilape stave off some of the most popular Rapid Spin users in the format in Great Tusk and Iron Treads, often forcing them to first click a weaker move that can guarantee an easier Rage Fist boost.
**Lum Berry**: Lum Berry can be used over Chesto Berry on non-Rest Annihilape sets that still want a burst of status healing.
**Custap Berry**: On lead sets, Custap Berry can take advantage of Annihilape getting worn down by multiple hits to surprise a faster foe with a high-powered Rage Fist, especially in tandem with Endure.
**Resistance Berries**: Resistance berries can bolster Annihilape's bulk in the face of attackers that actually threaten to KO it with a super-effective move, allowing it to survive and fire back hard with Rage Fist.
**Weakness Policy**: In situations where Annihilape is healthy enough to stomach a super-effective hit, the combination of Weakness Policy and Rage Fist can grant it immediate firepower with which it can usually KO back any opposing attacker.
Tera
========
Annihilape can be a good Tera Captain since it greatly benefits from Tera as an option, but it has notable flaws compared to higher-priced ones, especially its lack of initial damage and mediocre Speed, that mostly make it unfavorable as at least a primary Tera Captain. If made a Tera Captain, Annihilape will primarily use defensive types like Tera Fairy, Water, Steel, and Poison to ease setup on its Bulk Up sets, usually forcing foes to hit it neutrally and allowing more Rage Fist boosts. It can also use its own STAB typings for a more offensive approach usually on choiced sets, with Tera Ghost often being the most potent for either giving access to a more immediate Ghost STAB attack in Tera Blast or further boosting Rage Fist to incredible heights, though Tera Fighting can also be good to spam Annihilape's most immediately powerful move in Close Combat.
Draft Strategy
========
Annihilape primarily acts as a setup sweeper that seeks out passive foes or weaker attacks to boost up on, so it relies on teammates to both handle stronger threats and provide it the opportunities it desires. Outside of sweeping, Annihilape can also support its team, especially other paired high- to mid tier Tera Captains like Iron Moth, Mew, Or Iron Crown, with its various forms of utility, mostly in the form of it being an ideal spinblocker for any laid hazards, as well as potentially bringing in allies with pivoting options or wearing down foes with Rage Fist.
**Entry Hazard Setters**: Annihilape appreciates the entry hazards set by the likes of Gliscor and Hisuian Samurott to put extra pressure on opponents that try to play around Rage Fist with switching, while Annihilape can keep said hazards up with its spinblocking and Defog-deterrent capabilities.
**Fast Offensive Pivots**: Fast offensive teammates like Greninja, Darkrai, and Cinderace can provide the speed to a team that Annihilape otherwise lacks and bring it in on the passive walls they usually draw in.
**Grounded Poison-types**: Toxic Spikes can greatly hinder the effectiveness of non-Rest Annihilape sets as it almost never wants to run Heavy-Duty Boots, so allies like Galarian Slowking and Fezandipiti are appreciated to easily absorb them as well as handle the Fairy-types Annihilape might struggle against.
**Healing Wish Users**: As a bulky setup sweeper, Annihilape greatly appreciates the second chance given by Healing Wish-using allies like Latias, Jirachi, and Shaymin to potentially heal off any accrued damage or status while still wielding any number of Rage Fist boosts to sweep with.
Checks and Counters
========
**Physically Defensive Foes**: Bulkier walls like Corviknight, Mandibuzz, and Alomomola, while they usually cannot handle Annihilape by themselves, can easily tank its initial attacks and utilize Rocky Helmet to chip away at it without boosting Rage Fist, while also using slow pivot moves as needed to bring in a more threatening teammate.
**Fast Disruption**: Annihilape's reliance on either setup or initially weak moves can make it vulnerable to Taunt, Encore, or Trick from the likes of Tornadus-T, Iron Valiant, and Scream Tail.
**Strong Wallbreakers**: Wallbreakers like Enamorus, Urshifu-R, and Chi-Yu can blow through Annihilape's bulk with enough prior chip damage.
**Status**: The likes of burn, poison, and paralysis can greatly hinder Annihilape's sweeping capability on any set that lacks Rest. Even on sets that carry it, Annihilape can still be forced to burn its Chesto Berry early on to solely heal off the status, making it more exploitable later in the game.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/monkeboi215.582038/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/furyy.529077/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/nyx.564960/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/dartrix-joker.356084/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno.527276/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/big-pharma.657717/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/jscurf.608304/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/ken.594478/
Last edited:
