[OVERVIEW]
* A strong defensive typing and solid mixed bulk allow Amoonguss to check a diverse range of threats, including Tapu Bulu, Tapu Koko, Keldeo, and Serperior.
* Amoonguss has near-exclusive access to Spore, a 100% accurate sleep move.
* Regenerator makes it easy to keep Amoonguss healthy throughout the match.
* Amoonguss is effective against the VoltTurn archetype, as it can repeatedly soak up Electric attacks without being worn down.
* It is extremely slow.
* Amoonguss is offensively impotent; once Spore has been used it invites threatening Pokemon to come in and start firing off powerful attacks.
* The prevalence of Misty Terrain and Electric Terrain hampers Amoonguss's ability to cripple Pokemon with status.
[SET]
name: Defensive Pivot
move 1: Spore
move 2: Giga Drain
move 3: Clear Smog / Sludge Bomb
move 4: Hidden Power Fire / Stun Spore / Foul Play
item: Black Sludge
ability: Regenerator
nature: Calm
evs: 248 HP / 44 Def / 216 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Spore incapacitates one Pokemon on your opponent's team.
* Giga Drain is a solid STAB move that deals damage and heals Amoonguss.
* Clear Smog allows Amoonguss to stop certain boosting sweepers such as Calm Mind Clefable.
* Sludge Bomb is a much more powerful STAB option — notably, it cleanly OHKOes maximum HP Tapu Bulu.
* Hidden Power Fire hits certain Pokemon with a x4 Fire weakness such as Ferrothorn, Mega Scizor, and Kartana that Amoonguss would otherwise give a free switch in.
* Stun Spore cripples various offensive Pokemon that would treat Amoonguss as setup bait after Spore has been used.
* Foul Play easily 2HKOes Mega Metagross and Hoopa-U, deterring these threats from switching in.
Set Details
========
* A fully defensive EV spread, including 248 HP EVs, maximizes Amoonguss's ability to repeatedly switch in on threats.
* Black Sludge improves Amoonguss's longevity.
* A Calm nature boosts Amoonguss's Special Defense, allowing it to more easily soak up special attacks from the likes of Ash-Greninja, Tapu Koko, and Tapu Fini.
* 216 SpD EVs ensure that Amoonguss is never 2HKOed by Life Orb Pheromosa's Ice Beam.
* The remaining EVs are placed in Defense to better ward Amoonguss against stray physical attacks.
* An alternative EV spread of 248 HP / 136 Def / 124 SpD with a Calm nature can be used to better cushion Amoonguss from physical attacks, avoiding the 2HKO from attacks such as Choice Scarf Kartana's Smart Strike and Choice Band Tapu Bulu's Stone Edge after Stealth Rock. However, the drop in special bulk with this spread is appreciable.
Usage Tips
========
* Amoonguss should switch in early and often on threats such as Tapu Bulu and Keldeo to force them out and get an opportunity to fire off Spore or Stun Spore.
* Lure sets are not uncommon on some of the Pokemon that Amoonguss checks; if Amoonguss is needed to check multiple Pokemon on your opponent's team, try using double switches to scout for moves such as Brave Bird on Tapu Koko and Zen Headbutt on Tapu Bulu.
* Regenerator makes it easy to keep Amoonguss healthy throughout the match by simply switching it out.
* Spore is your trump card. Play it thoughtfully; your opponent may try and get you to waste it on Pokemon that are already weakened.
* Once Spore has been used Amoonguss's poor offensive presence will grant opposing Pokemon opportunities to switch in freely. Careful double switches can tip momentum in your favor and prevent threatening Pokemon or entry hazard setters from switching in without repercussion.
* If using Stun Spore, be aware that the changes to paralysis in SM mean that Amoonguss will still be slower than most offensive targets after they have been paralyzed.
* Special care should be taken when Electric Terrain or Misty Terrain is active, as an Amoonguss that is unable to inflict status conditions is a sitting duck.
Team Options
========
* Amoonguss's ability to repeatedly switch into Electric-types commonly seen on VoltTurn teams, such as Tapu Koko and Rotom-W, makes it a great teammate for Water- and Flying-types whose Electric weakness means they struggle against this archetype. Particularly noteworthy are other Pokemon with Regenerator, such as Tornadus-T and Slowbro; these Pokemon form strong Regenerator cores with Amoonguss, where each member is able to pivot into the other's checks.
* Bulky Steel-types have good type synergy with Amoonguss; Celesteela, Heatran, Skarmory and Mega Scizor resist many types that threaten Amoonguss while appreciating Amoonguss's ability to soak up Electric-, Fighting-, and Water-type attacks.
* As a Grass-type, Amoonguss has excellent type synergy with Water- and Fire-types. The Fire / Water / Grass core formed with partners such as Mantine and Heatran can be difficult to break, as each member covers the others' weaknesses well.
* Particularly noteworthy is Amoonguss's strong performance on sand teams; it reliably beats Water-, Fighting-, and Grass-types that threaten the core of Tyranitar and Excadrill, and, unlike for Mega Venusaur, its healing is not impaired by the sand.
* Dark-type teammates can be useful, as the presence of a Psychic immunity discourages Psychic-types, which threaten Amoonguss, from using their STAB moves; this is especially true for Psychic-types that typically run Choice items, such as Tapu Lele and Hoopa-U. Dark-types with Pursuit such as Tyranitar and Bisharp are even able to trap and eliminate many of the Psychic-types that would want to switch into Amoonguss.
* As Amoonguss's Spore is blocked by Misty Terrain and Electric Terrain, Tapu Lele can be a useful partner; while Amoonguss receives little direct benefit from Psychic Terrain, the ability to clear the field of other Terrain effects allows Amoonguss to freely use Spore.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
* Toxic can be used to put a timer on common switch-ins to Amoonguss, including Fire-types such as Alolan Marowak and both of Charizard's Mega Evolutions, Psychic-types such as Latias and Latios, and Ice-types such as Kyurem-B. Unfortunately, many common Amoonguss switch-ins are immune to Toxic.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fire-types**: Fire-types such as Heatran and Mega Charizard Y take little damage from Amoonguss's offensive moves and can deal massive damage in return. They dislike switching into Spore or Stun Spore but otherwise have little to fear.
**Psychic-types**: Psychic-types such as Mega Metagross, Tapu Lele, Latios, and Hoopa-U can OHKO Amoonguss with their Psychic STAB attacks. However, they are all bothered by Spore and Stun Spore, and most take significant damage from Foul Play or Sludge Bomb.
**Fying-types**: Flying-types such as Mega Pinsir and Tornadus-T can OHKO Amoonguss with their Flying STAB and aren't too worried by Amoonguss's offensive moves. They should avoid switching directly into Spore or Stun Spore, though.
**Ice-types**: Ice-types such as Kyurem-B and Weavile can OHKO Amoonguss with their Ice STAB attacks and aren't overly threatened by Amoonguss's offensive options, but they dislike switching into Spore and Stun Spore.
**Electric Terrain and Misty Terrain**: While Amoonguss actually counters Tapu Koko and Tapu Fini, the Terrain effects they leave grant grounded Pokemon immunity to sleep and all status moves, respectively, for five turns. This greatly reduces Amoonguss's ability to threaten offensive Pokemon.
**Defensive Pokemon**: Amoonguss's low offensive stats mean it poses little threat to most bulky Pokemon, so long as they are not weak to Amoonguss's STAB moves. Once Spore has been spent, Pokemon such as Skarmory and Mew can freely switch into Amoonguss and use the opportunity to set up or remove entry hazards. Mandibuzz deserves a special mention, as it sports complete immunity to Amoonguss's powder moves and takes minimal damage from Amoonguss's attacks.
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