Gengar @ Black Sludge
Ability: Normalize
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
Timid Nature
- Skill Swap
- Mean Look
- Shadow Ball
- Toxic Spikes / Toxic
Normalize, one of the worst abilities in Pokemon, finds a surprising niche in AAA as a devious method of removing special walls, especially normally hard-to-wear-down RegenVest pivots. Conventional Gengar sets like Sheer Force are typically checked by RegenVest users like Manaphy and Swampert, but Normalize Gengar flips the matchup. As the RegenVest user switches in to tank an attack and pivot out, Gengar can hit it with Mean Look followed by Skill Swap, leaving it powerless to switch, pivot, or touch Gengar as it sets up Toxic Spikes and slowly KOes it with Shadow Ball. Gengar can also threaten switches against anything slower than it, reliably forcing out slow setup threats like Iron Hands and Stamina Calm Mind Primarina, and pairs well with Spikes users like Ogerpon-W. Other special attackers like Deoxys-S and Gholdengo appreciate RegenVest users being removed. It also appreciates being brought in by a physical pivot like Roaring Moon so it does not reveal its set when luring in the RegenVest user. Normalize Gengar must be played aggressively, as it typically only gets one chance to trap; after the strategy is revealed, it's reduced to "only" a disruptor and entry hazard setter.
Ability: Normalize
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
Timid Nature
- Skill Swap
- Mean Look
- Shadow Ball
- Toxic Spikes / Toxic
Normalize, one of the worst abilities in Pokemon, finds a surprising niche in AAA as a devious method of removing special walls, especially normally hard-to-wear-down RegenVest pivots. Conventional Gengar sets like Sheer Force are typically checked by RegenVest users like Manaphy and Swampert, but Normalize Gengar flips the matchup. As the RegenVest user switches in to tank an attack and pivot out, Gengar can hit it with Mean Look followed by Skill Swap, leaving it powerless to switch, pivot, or touch Gengar as it sets up Toxic Spikes and slowly KOes it with Shadow Ball. Gengar can also threaten switches against anything slower than it, reliably forcing out slow setup threats like Iron Hands and Stamina Calm Mind Primarina, and pairs well with Spikes users like Ogerpon-W. Other special attackers like Deoxys-S and Gholdengo appreciate RegenVest users being removed. It also appreciates being brought in by a physical pivot like Roaring Moon so it does not reveal its set when luring in the RegenVest user. Normalize Gengar must be played aggressively, as it typically only gets one chance to trap; after the strategy is revealed, it's reduced to "only" a disruptor and entry hazard setter.
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