[SET]
Swords Dance (Cubone) @ Thick Club
Ability: Rock Head
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake / Bonemerang
- Double-Edge
- Substitute
[SET COMMENTS]
Cubone is a terrifying wallbreaker thanks to Thick Club and its STAB Earthquake tearing through physical walls like Corsola, Rhyhorn, and Onix. Bonemerang trades some of Earthquake's reliability to break Substitute, strengthening Cubone's matchups against users like Anorith, Beedrill, and Onix. Swords Dance makes Cubone capable of blowing through even physical walls like Koffing and Tropius, and it can use it to take advantage of opponents attempting to switch in a weakened Pokemon as a sack. Double-Edge has effectively perfect coverage with Earthquake, destroying Koffing, Noctowl, and Volbeat. Substitute protects Cubone from Koffing's Will-O-Wisp and Mightyena's Toxic, and these two Pokemon would otherwise be the only Pokemon that can switch in and take a hit after Cubone has used Swords Dance. Similar to Swords Dance, Substitute also capitalizes on the switches Cubone often forces as a wallbreaker. Additionally, Substitute gives Cubone a cushion against revenge killers given its lackluster Speed. Rock Head lets Cubone use Double-Edge without fear of recoil damage. Thick Club is required to power up Cubone's underwhelming Attack stat, and the flexibility to switch moves that it provides differentiates Cubone from Choice Band wallbreakers like Anorith, Volbeat, and Doduo.
Cubone fits best on balance and offense teams looking for an especially powerful wallbreaker. Balance teams can compensate for Cubone's defensive shortcomings with bulky partners like Koffing, Tropius, Delcatty, and Noctowl. Delcatty is an especially good supporting partner to Cubone with Wish, Heal Bell, and Baton Pass, and Cubone destroys the Rock-types that Delcatty invites in. Fast offensive Pokemon, including Ponyta, Abra, and Aipom, can more easily clean up teams that Cubone weakens, and they compensate for its underwhelming Speed. Paralysis support from Gloom, Flaaffy, Porygon, and Castform enables Cubone to outspeed and run over paralyzed foes. Baton Pass users like Aipom, Ariados, and Delcatty offer Cubone much safer positioning, and they tend to lure in physical walls and Rock-types for it to threaten. Physical walls like Corsola and Koffing can handle fast Choice Band Normal-types like Aipom and Doduo that would threaten to revenge kill Cubone.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
An Adamant nature makes Cubone much stronger at the much steeper cost of being outsped by Timid Clamperl sets, Chinchou, and uninvested Mightyena variants. Rock Slide hits Flying- and Bug-types like Tropius and Volbeat harder, Double-Edge is already quite strong and much more damaging to Koffing and other neutral targets.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Koffing**: Koffing isn't 2HKOed by Cubone and runs Hidden Power types that are super effective against Cubone, though it must be careful about being worn into range of a +2 Double-Edge.
**Grass-types**: Gloom and Tropius have the bulk to withstand an attack from Cubone and threaten it back with Solar Beam after setting up with Sunny Day. However, both of them are outsped by Cubone and risk it setting up with Swords Dance as they switch in.
**Water-types**: Wartortle and Seaking can survive one attack from Cubone and threaten it back with their Water-type moves. Chinchou cannot switch in against Cubone, but it does OHKO it with Surf.
**Special Attackers**: Quilava can OHKO Cubone with Fire Blast thanks to its poor special bulk. Abra has a good chance to OHKO Cubone, and it can use Substitute to activate its Petaya Berry and guarantee its chances to do so. Flaaffy, Elekid, and Magnemite all hit Cubone hard with their super effective coverage moves. However, only Porygon has the bulk to withstand a hit from Cubone, and many special attackers need Cubone to be chipped down before they can KO it.
**Strong, Faster Physical Attackers**: Cubone's low Speed leaves it prone to revenge killers after just a bit of chip damage. Doduo has a good chance to OHKO Cubone with Double-Edge, while Aipom and Meditite can reliably take out Cubone once it's below 80% HP. Volbeat is one of few faster attackers with good odds to survive either of Cubone's attacks, but it's incapable of OHKOing Cubone after some chip damage.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/missangelic.452572/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/bp.272450/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sleid.601970/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/adorluigi.528364/
Swords Dance (Cubone) @ Thick Club
Ability: Rock Head
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake / Bonemerang
- Double-Edge
- Substitute
[SET COMMENTS]
Cubone is a terrifying wallbreaker thanks to Thick Club and its STAB Earthquake tearing through physical walls like Corsola, Rhyhorn, and Onix. Bonemerang trades some of Earthquake's reliability to break Substitute, strengthening Cubone's matchups against users like Anorith, Beedrill, and Onix. Swords Dance makes Cubone capable of blowing through even physical walls like Koffing and Tropius, and it can use it to take advantage of opponents attempting to switch in a weakened Pokemon as a sack. Double-Edge has effectively perfect coverage with Earthquake, destroying Koffing, Noctowl, and Volbeat. Substitute protects Cubone from Koffing's Will-O-Wisp and Mightyena's Toxic, and these two Pokemon would otherwise be the only Pokemon that can switch in and take a hit after Cubone has used Swords Dance. Similar to Swords Dance, Substitute also capitalizes on the switches Cubone often forces as a wallbreaker. Additionally, Substitute gives Cubone a cushion against revenge killers given its lackluster Speed. Rock Head lets Cubone use Double-Edge without fear of recoil damage. Thick Club is required to power up Cubone's underwhelming Attack stat, and the flexibility to switch moves that it provides differentiates Cubone from Choice Band wallbreakers like Anorith, Volbeat, and Doduo.
Cubone fits best on balance and offense teams looking for an especially powerful wallbreaker. Balance teams can compensate for Cubone's defensive shortcomings with bulky partners like Koffing, Tropius, Delcatty, and Noctowl. Delcatty is an especially good supporting partner to Cubone with Wish, Heal Bell, and Baton Pass, and Cubone destroys the Rock-types that Delcatty invites in. Fast offensive Pokemon, including Ponyta, Abra, and Aipom, can more easily clean up teams that Cubone weakens, and they compensate for its underwhelming Speed. Paralysis support from Gloom, Flaaffy, Porygon, and Castform enables Cubone to outspeed and run over paralyzed foes. Baton Pass users like Aipom, Ariados, and Delcatty offer Cubone much safer positioning, and they tend to lure in physical walls and Rock-types for it to threaten. Physical walls like Corsola and Koffing can handle fast Choice Band Normal-types like Aipom and Doduo that would threaten to revenge kill Cubone.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
An Adamant nature makes Cubone much stronger at the much steeper cost of being outsped by Timid Clamperl sets, Chinchou, and uninvested Mightyena variants. Rock Slide hits Flying- and Bug-types like Tropius and Volbeat harder, Double-Edge is already quite strong and much more damaging to Koffing and other neutral targets.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Koffing**: Koffing isn't 2HKOed by Cubone and runs Hidden Power types that are super effective against Cubone, though it must be careful about being worn into range of a +2 Double-Edge.
**Grass-types**: Gloom and Tropius have the bulk to withstand an attack from Cubone and threaten it back with Solar Beam after setting up with Sunny Day. However, both of them are outsped by Cubone and risk it setting up with Swords Dance as they switch in.
**Water-types**: Wartortle and Seaking can survive one attack from Cubone and threaten it back with their Water-type moves. Chinchou cannot switch in against Cubone, but it does OHKO it with Surf.
**Special Attackers**: Quilava can OHKO Cubone with Fire Blast thanks to its poor special bulk. Abra has a good chance to OHKO Cubone, and it can use Substitute to activate its Petaya Berry and guarantee its chances to do so. Flaaffy, Elekid, and Magnemite all hit Cubone hard with their super effective coverage moves. However, only Porygon has the bulk to withstand a hit from Cubone, and many special attackers need Cubone to be chipped down before they can KO it.
**Strong, Faster Physical Attackers**: Cubone's low Speed leaves it prone to revenge killers after just a bit of chip damage. Doduo has a good chance to OHKO Cubone with Double-Edge, while Aipom and Meditite can reliably take out Cubone once it's below 80% HP. Volbeat is one of few faster attackers with good odds to survive either of Cubone's attacks, but it's incapable of OHKOing Cubone after some chip damage.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/missangelic.452572/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/bp.272450/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sleid.601970/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/adorluigi.528364/
Last edited: