Item Assault Vest

[silenced]

For that particular set Mr Omgness, I'd be using HP Ice as you don't really want ground types blocking your volt switch momentum, so nailing gliscor, garchomp and Landorous (after pokebank) I'd consider to be of highest importance. Hippodown I think avoids any problems though, sadly.

 

[Mr Omgness]

For that particular set Mr Omgness, I'd be using HP Ice as you don't really want ground types blocking your volt switch momentum, so nailing gliscor, garchomp and Landorous (after pokebank) I'd consider to be of highest importance. Hippodown I think avoids any problems though, sadly.

You're right, I went a bit hastily over the hidden power department figuring it wasnt the most important part but I added it into the description :).

 

[Jaroda]

Hmm I tend to disagree as a 1.5x boost to special defense becomes bigger and bigger as the stat itself increases, it's the same with Choice Specs/Scarf isn't it? Assault Vest can allow Special Defensive Walls to invest in something else than Special Defense, might it be Offense or Physical Defense. I've been experimenting a lot lately with Assault Vest and the biggest successes I had were Sylveon and Goodra. Ever since I used that set on Sylveon I don't make a team without Sylveon, although I now prefer it as WishPasser for my Assault Vest user as Sylveondoes that job superb.

Also Regice does not have any recovery options outside of Leftovers and Rest anyway which are available for all pokémon.

I think when using Assault Vest you have to take this in consideration:
- Use it on something that has workable special defense or atleast a high HP stat or a good set of resistances (p.e. don't use it on Mienshao)
- Use it on something that has a good offensive stat and the coverage to take advantage of it (p.e. don't use it on Claydol or Amoonguss).
- Use it on something that doesn't rely on status moves mainly to carve it's niche in it's respective metagame (especially important recovery moves) (p.e. don't use it on Jellicent or Blissey).
- Wish Support is something to take into consideration, an Assault Vest user should have many switch-in opportunities anyway and should therefore not have much trouble to receive a Wish.

That being said I thought of another set:
Magnezone @ Assault Vest
Analytic
252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Flash Cannon
- Hidden Power

With resistances to Bug, Fairy, Electric, Grass, Steel, Flying, Psychic, Dragon, Rock, Normal, Poison and Ice Magnezone can handle quite some special attacks and has many switch-in opportunities. With maximum investment into SpA and by running Analytic you also simulate having a Life Orb (without the recoil) in most cases because Analytic will also trigger when your opponent switches. The power of this set lies especially in Volt Switch which gives you momentum while hitting pretty hard. You can also bluff Magnet Pull early game and use this to your advantage. This Magnezone shouldn't be played as a wall but as a pivot with Volt Switch giving you momentum throughout the game while also dishing out some respectable damage. With a slow Volt Switch it pairs greatly with M-Gengar who can use Shadow Tag to trap and finish off whatever you like, Gyarados and Salamence who resist all weaknesses Magnezone has (and vice versa) and can find an opportunity to setup or you can build a VoltTurn team with it.

Hidden Power depends on what you like to hit hard: Fire for Ferrothorn/Scizor, Ice for Dragons & Ground/Flying-types, Ground for Heatran and Grass for Gastrodon/Quagsire.

It's a simple matter of SpD to HP ratio. You start seeing a diminishing return in overall damage mitigation the more skewed the stats become. I think it's been said that AV affects the SpD damage you would have taken, so you naturally see a bigger reduction in damage the lower your
SpD. So lowering an attack that would do 15% damage instead of 20% doesn't look as impressive when Leftovers restores a set 1/16 of HP every turn. And for every turn you are not hit with a special attack, the more HP is preserved as a whole from Leftovers.

And actually AV isn't a horrible choice on Mienshao if only because of Regenerator, a natural pairing for this item. So if you were going to use Regice primarily as a SpD pivot then AV makes a bit more sense, but that role is still topped by Chansey who has far less weaknesses and the absolute best special bulk with Eviolite and her HP, and she can also heal and absorb status to boot. Magnezone however seems like a viable AV candidate.

 

[Mr Omgness]

It's a simple matter of SpD to HP ratio. You start seeing a diminishing return in overall damage mitigation the more skewed the stats become. I think it's been said that AV affects the SpD damage you would have taken, so you naturally see a bigger reduction in damage the lower your
SpD. So lowering an attack that would do 15% damage instead of 20% doesn't look as impressive when Leftovers restores a set 1/16 of HP every turn. And for every turn you are not hit with a special attack, the more HP is preserved as a whole from Leftovers.

And actually AV isn't a horrible choice on Mienshao if only because of Regenerator, a natural pairing for this item. So if you were going to use Regice primarily as a SpD pivot then AV makes a bit more sense, but that role is still topped by Chansey who has far less weaknesses and the absolute best special bulk with Eviolite and her HP, and she can also heal and absorb status to boot. Magnezone however seems like a viable AV candidate.

I see your point, thanks for the explanation!

Although AV on Mienshao is a horrible choice in my eyes with it's 65/60/60 defenses even with Regenerator, I'd much rather give it a Life Orb to a mon like Mienshao to do extra damage than to give it an Assault Vest, you'd really miss out on a lot of KO's, which has always been important for Mienshao. By experimenting with Assault Vest on different kinds of mons I have really come to appreciate Life Orb, I always took the extra damage it provided for granted but it makes a lot more difference than you'd think. Off course I could be wrong but unless I see this thing in action I'm not convinced.

Assault Vest does sound very good for Regenerator mons indeed but some of them don't have the synergy with it: Mienshao does not have the defenses imo, Amoonguss and Alomomola don't like running 4 attacking moves as they have bad coverage and under average attacking stats, Reuniclus has a niche with AV but will still prefer Magic Guard LO and the ability to use Recover / Trick Room / Calm Mind I think.

Slowking and Slowbro have good offensive presence and a movepool to take use of it so they are the prime Regenerator AV users and I can see this becoming one of their main sets, although not being able to run Slack Off and the fact that they were rather used as a physical wall in Gen V might interfere. Tangrowth is another good candidate as it has great coverage (and Knock Off) and offensive stats while the AV set does not care about the nerf to Sleep Powder.

 

[Jaroda]

No I'd rather use LO on Mienshao too. I was speaking more to the ability than the pokemon.

I've used AV Slowbro, it's a fantastic mixed wall that can switch into Fire, Steel, Water, Fighting, Psychic and Ice moves. It also has great coverage with Scald/Ice Beam/Flamethrower/Psychic. It can take a beating. Tornadus - I may just be the best Regenerator abuser being fast and with high damaging moves. Only Stealth Rock is an issue really.

 

[Mega Mantine]

I think it's been covered numerous times already that Assault Vest becomes less and less useful the higher your SpD already is, as the return investment pales compared to Leftovers, which recovers HP overall that could have been damaged by either stat. Assault Vest is the most reliable on pokemon that have poor SpD, great HP, great initial attacking stats, great coverage, and has the resistances to switch in repeatedly and not minding hazards. The list is short.

Regice is weak to Stealth Rock and it's SpD is already so good that Assault Vest does nothing but hinder him since he can't use recovery options. Not to mention he'll get murdered by the numerous physical Fire, Fighting, Rock and Steel moves.

What about Regirock? It has Drain Punch for some recovery, decent HP, amazing Defense and alright Special Defense.

 

[Jaroda]

I actually attempted to make a Regirock thread so I'm kind of his biggest advocate actually lol. Regirock is perfect for an Assault Vest for those very reasons, especially in the sand. Lots of Rock types make great AV users for these reasons, normally having good HP, Attack and Defense, lots of attack moves and an additional SpD boost from Sandstorm.

 

[DaiGuren]

What do you guys think about an AV scizor? It has only 1 weakness, a pletora of resistances and a slow u-turn, the makings of a great defensive pivot.

It can run Knock Off/U-Turn/Bullet Punch/?

Of course there's always the option of just mega-evolving him, but i feel it has a niche as a bulky defensive pivot that can hit pretty hard, has access to powerful priority, great utlity move and u-turn.

 

[MagicMissingno]

Azumarill is one of the best users of this item. Choice band is neat in some situations, but you often extra bulk, definitely use this over mystic water. Pre bank it refuses to die to greninja, ever, and will not die to sludge bombs. Did I mention his typing is amazing? Also wish blissey to heal it most of the way up, don't max HP if AV and wish support. The only problem is he isn't super strong like with a choice band, stuff like gourgeist and rotom-w will have a much easier time.

Which is why PuP is a good idea to use on this set to boost attack.

 

[Judicator]

I find Assault Vest fascinating. I'm still trying to find interesting Pokémon to use it with, but the main thing I'm looking for is things that accomplish the same ends as support/status/recovery/boosting moves, without actually being non-offensive moves. Examples of what I'm talking about: Scald, Regenerator, Contrary Superpower, etc.

One that came to me literally just now is Moxie. You can boost your Atk while keeping the SDef boost and 'playing by the rules of Assault Vest'. Any ideas for potential users of this? Something with Pursuit, like Heracross or Krookodile perhaps? Is it even worth trying?

 

[Jaroda]

I find Assault Vest fascinating. I'm still trying to find interesting Pokémon to use it with, but the main thing I'm looking for is things that accomplish the same ends as support/status/recovery/boosting moves, without actually being non-offensive moves. Examples of what I'm talking about: Scald, Regenerator, Contrary Superpower, etc.

One that came to me literally just now is Moxie. You can boost your Atk while keeping the SDef boost and 'playing by the rules of Assault Vest'. Any ideas for potential users of this? Something with Pursuit, like Heracross or Krookodile perhaps? Is it even worth trying?

Slowbro gets Scald and Regenerator. It's a fantastic AV user, one of the best actually.

Salamence with an Iron Defense Scolipede BP would give you great mixed bulk and mixed attack stats. Provided there's no stealth rock it can run an effective mixed sweep and Assault Vest will help with those Fairy and Ice moves a bit. Should be able to get Moxie boosts fairly well. Isn't weak to Talonflame particularly like Heracross so yeah that could be an effective combo.

 

[Mega Mantine]

I find Assault Vest fascinating. I'm still trying to find interesting Pokémon to use it with, but the main thing I'm looking for is things that accomplish the same ends as support/status/recovery/boosting moves, without actually being non-offensive moves. Examples of what I'm talking about: Scald, Regenerator, Contrary Superpower, etc.

One that came to me literally just now is Moxie. You can boost your Atk while keeping the SDef boost and 'playing by the rules of Assault Vest'. Any ideas for potential users of this? Something with Pursuit, like Heracross or Krookodile perhaps? Is it even worth trying?

Slowbro and Tangrowth make fantastic mixed walls thanks to Regenerator, beefy HP, and other advantages. Slowbro has Scald, Tangrowth has Giga Drain, Knock Off and sweet offenses.

 

[Bedschibaer]

Slowbro and Tangrowth make fantastic mixed walls thanks to Regenerator, beefy HP, and other advantages. Slowbro has Scald, Tangrowth has Giga Drain, Knock Off and sweet offenses.

Not to mention that Slowbro actually has quite alot offensive pressure with moves like Fire Blast, Surf/Hydro Pump/Scald, Psychic/Psyshock, Ice Beam/Blizzard, Shadow Ball, Focus Blast and probably a couple of others that i forgot. Coming off a base 100 Special Attack stat that makes an ideal pokemon on a bulky offense team or as a pivot. Regenerator makes it a come-in-get-out attacker too.
Tangrowths offensive presence is imo not that overwhelming, mostly because everytime i used it so far i relied on it's great support movepool.

 

[alexwolf]

I am koko's bitch

Tornadus-T @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 92 HP / 192 SpA / 8 SpD / 216 Spe
Nature: Timid / Hasty
- Aeroblast
- Heat Wave
- U-turn
- Superpower / Grass Knot / Knock Off

Enough SpA to OHKO Keldeo after Stealth Rock, enough Speed to outrun Choice Scarf Tyranitar, and rest in HP and SpD to avoid the 2HKO from Choice Scarf Genesect's Ice Beam and round down the damage from SR. A Timid nature is preferred even with Superpower as you don't gain or miss any extra OHKO/2HKOes in comparison with a Hasty nature and not lowering your Defense is great because it allows Tornadus-T to be a great switch-in to any Scizor set bar offensive SD variants with Life Orb / Metal Coat, easily taking U-turn and Superpower from choiced sets or scouting for Bullet Punch (with Regenerator you can take one and then switch out) and avoiding the OHKO even from a +2 Adamant Bullet Punch and OHKOing back with Heat Wave. Also, not lowering your Defense helps in general against priority users and allows Tornadus-T to avoid the OHKO from CB Talonflame most of the time. However, if you don't care about Talonflame and Scizor, go with Hasty. On the last slot, Grass Knot is for teams that struggle against Hippowdon, while Knock Off is a great move to annoy your checks and counters and works great on Tornadus-T because it has the means to outlast its counters with U-turn + Regenerator.

This set makes for a great check to Pokemon such as Gengar, Keldeo, Sheer Force Landorus, Scizor, Genesect, Alakazam without Psyshock, and Starmie, while being a great offensive Pokemon in general, with solid power, coverage, speed, U-turn, and of course the godlike Regenerator. Here are some calcs:

• 252 SpA Keldeo Hydro Pump vs. 100 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Tornadus-T: 130-154 (40.1 - 47.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
• 252 SpA Life Orb Keldeo Hydro Pump vs. 100 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Tornadus-T: 169-200 (52.1 - 61.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
• 252 SpA Gengar Shadow Ball vs. 100 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Tornadus-T: 96-114 (29.6 - 35.1%) -- 14.6% chance to 3HKO
• 252 SpA Life Orb Gengar Shadow Ball vs. 100 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Tornadus-T: 125-148 (38.5 - 45.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
• 252+ SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Landorus Sludge Wave vs. 100 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Tornadus-T: 130-153 (40.1 - 47.2%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
• 252 SpA Genesect Ice Beam vs. 92 HP / 8 SpD Assault Vest Tornadus-T: 136-160 (42.2 - 49.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
• +1 252+ SpA Expert Belt Genesect Ice Beam vs. 92 HP / 8 SpD Assault Vest Tornadus-T: 266-314 (82.6 - 97.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
• +1 252+ SpA Life Orb Genesect Ice Beam vs. 92 HP / 8 SpD Assault Vest Tornadus-T: 289-341 (89.7 - 105.9%) -- 37.5% chance to OHKO
• +2 252+ Atk Technician Scizor Bullet Punch vs. 92 HP / 0 Def Tornadus-T: 259-306 (80.4 - 95%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
• 252 SpA Alakazam Psychic vs. 92 HP / 8 SpD Assault Vest Tornadus-T: 109-130 (33.8 - 40.3%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

And here are Rotom-W and Excadrill:

Excadrill @ Assault Vest
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 SpD
Nature: Adamant
- Earthquake
- Rapid Spin
- Shadow Claw
- Rock Slide / Iron Head

Max Atk is needed in order to have the best possible chance at getting past Trevenant with Shadow Claw and getting the spin off (96.1% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock) and SpD is maximized because Excadrill gains more special bulk by investing in SpD rather than in HP due to its very high HP stat. Going more speedy or more bulky are both options, but this is the the best spread in general.

Rotom-W @ Assault Vest
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 140 HP / 160 SpA / 208 Spe
Nature: Timid
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Thunderbolt / Signal Beam
- Hidden Power Fire / Hidden Power Ice

Enough SpA to OHKO Naive Genesect with Hidden Power Fire after SR, as well as 2HKO most Ferrothorn, enough Speed to outrun everything up to Jolly Mamoswine, and rest to HP.

 

[SomeDrunkRockLee]

First off, I think it's important to look for pokemon who have damaging support moves; the ones that spring to mind off the top of my head are rapid spin, knock off, dragon tail, and circle throw.

That being said, in the bulky attacker department, I think an assault vest Chandelure could have some potential. The ability to take hits with 60/90/90 defenses plus assault vest will be a huge help, alongside a huge 145 base special attack and good coverage, something which it's choice sets don't fully abuse.

 

[Karmacharged]

Ok, so after creating my Torkoal Set (Pg. 15), I decided to toy around with Duskinoir a bit...

Why in the hell Dusknoir?

Suddenly, Gengar (Mega) got banned in OU; afterwards, I decided to come back to the thread to showcase yet another excellent case of The Assault Vest.

People, say Goodbye to M-Gengar, and Hello to:

Dusknoir W/ Infestation.

Pretty much, self explain explanatory:

Dusknoir's SpD W/o Assault Vest and 0+ SpD Evs: 275
Dusknoir's SpD W/o Assault Vest and 252+ SpD Evs and Positive Nature: 405
Dusknoir's SpD W/ Assault Vest and 0+ SpD Evs: 412+
Dusknoir's SpD W/ Assault Vest and 252+ SpD Evs and Positive Nature: 607+

(wow, just wow)

Dusknoir - Rudy The Clown (M) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 248 Def / 8 Atk - Spe
Adamant / Impish / Jolly Nature
- Infestation
- Power Up Punch / Dynamic Punch / (Insert Elemental Punch Here)
- Shadow Sneak / Shadow Punch / Sucker Punch
- Earthquake / Pursuit

Dusknoir has alot of moves in it's Little Bag O' Secrets; Infestation is the first, and most important one in this set, as it allows Duskinoir to be a B+ Trapper. "BUT WAIT", said someone in the audience, "WHAT IF THEY TRY TO SWITCH OUT WHEN THEY SEE THIS MAJESTIC, YET, HORRIFYING SPIRIT?!?!11".

One word: Pursuit.

Pursuit is the 1# Counter to keep your victims from not escaping from you, if you haven't setted up Infestation yet. Combine that with 100+ BST Attack stat, and 80+ BP of Pursuit, and you get an extra helping of "Whoop-Asse" on anything that even tries to move an inch from you....if they can't resist it, of course. Power Up Punch just makes Dusknoir more dangerous to deal with; especially with priority moves such as Shadow Sneak and Sucker Punch, and Coverage Moves such as Earthquake, and Dynamic Punch, Dusknoir won't be the "Cherry Tapper" it used to be anymore. 135 BST Defenses and 2x boosted Attack completely outright outclass even M-Gengars stats, although, it's HP and Speed are outright horrendous, and it won't have access to Pain Split anymore. That can be completely fixed with a Wish Passer of any kind, or something that can learn Leech Seed; either way, you aren't completely hopeless if you have stationary recovery on the way.

Overall, I haven't looked at this set fully, unlike Torkoal, but my first impression is that Dusknoir is probably going to be a completely dangerous Tank with those stats, even if it's HP is miserable, the fact it really doesn't have much of a movepool at all, or it's SpA is outright "meh".

Anyways, feel free to critique me and tell me what I should change first on this currently being worked on set.

 

[InoCyan247]

Users of intimidate may work well with assault vest, an example of this could be Salemence. With reasonable base 95/80/80 defences, the physical side is improved by intimidate allowing it to take physical hits better then the assault vest improves its special defence. This could possibly work on an all out attacker such as MixMence exchanging some power for the increased ability to take special hits. One other possible user is Landorus-T because it can also use u-turn.

 

[alexwolf]

Here is another fantastic Assault Vest user i have had great success with lately:

Tangrowth @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Nature: Relaxed
- Giga Drain
- Knock Off
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Fire / Rock Slide

With this EV spread Tangrowth has 404 HP / 315 Def / 298 SpD bulk, which is crazy, especially when coupled with Regenerator. Tangrowth just checks so many shit it's crazy. Excadrill, Azumarill, Keldeo, Rotom-W, Landorus, Landorus-T, Aegislash, Garchomp, Mega DD Gyarados, Alakazam, Gengar without a Poison move, Starmie, Thundurus, Thundurus-T, you name it. Knock Off is the reason why this set works and it's not just a weak piece of shit to switch into, getting rid of items and providing actual coverage, OHKOing Gengar and dealing a great deal of damage to bulky Psychic-types such as Celebi and Latias. Earthquake is a must to 2HKO Excadrill, OHKO or dent Heatran that want to switch in, and have a strong move for Aegislash after you have got rid of its item with Knock Off. Hidden Power Fire hits a lot of Pokemon that like to switch into Tangrowth, such as Scizor, Genesect, and Ferrothorn, while Hidden Power Ice handles Garchomp, Thundurus, Thundurus-T, Landorus, and Landorus-T, Pokemon that Tangrowth checks. Finally, Rock Slide is Tangrowth's strongest option against Talonflame, Volcarona, regular Gyarados, Mega Pinsir, Thundurus, and Thundurus-T, although it's better not to go with three physical attacks as Tangrowth is a great switch-in to Rotom-W, which often carries WoW.

I am using this Tangrowth in a Volt-turn team and so far it has been working great. Just make sure you have good anti-hazards measures, as Tagnrowth often gets burned by Rotom-W, and taking 25% damage every time you switch in (SR + burn) limits Tagnrowth's potential and prevents it from checking threats that it otherwise could.

I don't know if this EV spread is the best one, but it has been working great for me.

 

[Shroomisaur]

Eelektross @ Assault Vest
Nature: Quiet
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA
- Volt Switch
- Knock Off
- Flamethrower
- Giga Drain / Acid Spray / Superpower

I just posted this in the Creative Sets thread, but it deserves discussion here. While its biggest problem is obvious competition from Rotom, Eelektross combines no weaknesses, solid defenses, and good mixed attacking stats with amazing coverage. It's a slow, bulky pivot and is perfectly suited to using Assault Vest. Volt Switch is the slow STAB pivot move, Knock Off is obviously amazing, and then you have coverage moves of your choice. Flamethrower ends Aegislash, Ferrothorn, Scizor, and Genesect's days early, while Giga Drain lets Eelektross function as an amazing switch-in to Rotom-W, Gastrodon, and Quagsire.

Acid Spray is a really unique option that lets Eelektross "boost" despite holding an Assault Vest. Using Acid Spray followed by Volt Switch is a wonderful combination, either smashing the opponent hard or forcing another switch while you gain momentum. Superpower is there too, OHKOing 252/0 TTar after SR. Honestly I could list dozens of more options because this Eel gets nearly everything, from Dragon Tail to Super Fang, but these are my recommended picks. I like heavy offense investment because even without SpD it takes hits incredibly well from very common threats:

252+ SpA Spooky Plate Aegislash-Blade Shadow Ball vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Eelektross: 154-183 (41.1 - 48.9%)
252+ SpA Eelektross Flamethrower vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Aegislash-Blade: 322-380 (99.3 - 117.2%) -- 93.8% chance to OHKO

252 SpA Keldeo Hydro Pump vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Eelektross: 144-171 (38.5 - 45.7%)
252+ SpA Eelektross Volt Switch vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Keldeo: 236-282 (72.8 - 87%)
252+ SpA Eelektross Giga Drain vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Keldeo: 170-200 (52.4 - 61.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

0 SpA Rotom-W Hydro Pump vs. 252 HP / 8 SpD Assault Vest Eelektross: 99-117 (26.4 - 31.2%)
252+ SpA Eelektross Giga Drain vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Rotom-W: 146-174 (48 - 57.2%) -- 40.2% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

252 SpA Alakazam Psychic vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Eelektross: 121-144 (32.3 - 38.5%)
0 Atk Eelektross Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Alakazam: 294-348 (116.6 - 138%) -- guaranteed OHKO


Eelektross can also go physical, as it has an even higher Attack stat. It's nice because your opponent won't know which to expect:

Eelektross @ Assault Vest
Nature: Adamant / Brave
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
- Wild Charge / Thunderbolt
- Knock Off
- U-Turn
- Drain Punch / Fire Punch

As a side note, 152 Def EVs guarantee survival against a +2 252+ Talonflame Flare Blitz (spread of 252 hp / 96+ atk / 152 def / 8 SpD).

 

[alexwolf]

For reasons stated in this post, i think that a physically based set is much more viable for Assault Vest Eelektross.

 

[Shroomisaur]

For reasons stated in this post, i think that a physically based set is much more viable for Assault Vest Eelektross.

Haha yes I just saw that after I made this post, so it's funny we have nearly the same identical physical set. I simply posted the special version first because that's what I've been testing so far (will be testing physical next)!

Special does have a few advantages, most obviously is that Burn/Rocky Helmet/etc don't bother you. Volt Switch is your #1 move and is much more powerful than U-Turn. Flamethrower is great coverage for Genesect & Ferrothorn (who can easily stall Drain Punch with Leech Seed + Iron Barbs and set up on you). Giga Drain lets it reliably beat Rotom-W/Gastro/Quagsire and use Hippowdon as an HP buffet:

252+ SpA Eelektross Giga Drain vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Hippowdon: 204-240 (48.5 - 57.1%) -- 43.4% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

I agree with most of your points though, physical Vestross has a lot of advantages over special, the main one being U-Turn's lack of immunities of course. It has great coverage and utility and as you can see I already had the same set in mind lol. I'll have more thoughts on which is best later, but both have their own perks.

 

[JayHankEdLyon]

So, Assault Vest Conkeldurr is a fucking monster:

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/pokebankoubeta-68877468

My set is
Conkeldurr @ Assault Vest, Iron Fist
Adamant, 252 HP/252 Attack/4 Special Def
Mach Punch
Drain Punch
Knock Off
Ice Punch

Obviously adjustments can be made, as Guts lets you absorb status a bit (although without Leftovers it's a bit harder to survive; still, switching in on Rotoms with nigh-impunity is awfully tempting). With Assault Vest, Conk is suddenly a completely safe switch-in on the likes of Heatran and Gengar. Knock Off is a great coverage move for its power and utility, while Ice Punch helps me with Landorus and Gliscor (dragons, as you see, are a nice bonus).

I'd consider it the optimal example of an Assault Vester, even moreso than Tyranitar, because it doesn't just supplement its great bulk but it works well with Drain Punch, which makes up for the lack of Leftover healing. TTar is great, but without healing it NEEDS wish support to not be whittled down over multiple switch-ins. My Conk enjoys Florges's Wish, yes, but as you can see from the replay, Drain Punch does it just fine.

 

[Xiammes]

I've been loving Assault Vest with Machamp, even a crit from rotom wash hydropump only does around 50%. With bullet punch, he makes a effective counter to the likes gengar and is a decent revenge killer. You would be amazed how many people switch in Heatran on Machamp, only to do paltry damage and get hit with dynamic punch.

 

[Molk]

So, Assault Vest Conkeldurr is a fucking monster:

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/pokebankoubeta-68877468

My set is
Conkeldurr @ Assault Vest, Iron Fist
Adamant, 252 HP/252 Attack/4 Special Def
Mach Punch
Drain Punch
Knock Off
Ice Punch

Obviously adjustments can be made, as Guts lets you absorb status a bit (although without Leftovers it's a bit harder to survive; still, switching in on Rotoms with nigh-impunity is awfully tempting). With Assault Vest, Conk is suddenly a completely safe switch-in on the likes of Heatran and Gengar. Knock Off is a great coverage move for its power and utility, while Ice Punch helps me with Landorus and Gliscor (dragons, as you see, are a nice bonus).

I'd consider it the optimal example of an Assault Vester, even moreso than Tyranitar, because it doesn't just supplement its great bulk but it works well with Drain Punch, which makes up for the lack of Leftover healing. TTar is great, but without healing it NEEDS wish support to not be whittled down over multiple switch-ins. My Conk enjoys Florges's Wish, yes, but as you can see from the replay, Drain Punch does it just fine.

Agreeing that Conkeldurr is a pretty excellent Assault Vest user, i haven't used it *too* much myself, but i've faced it enough to know that its a threatening Pokemon and a very solid user of the item. It doesn't have the same level of outright bulk that other Assault Vest users such as Tyranitar and Goodra do, but the vest still makes it frighteningly hard to OHKO without a very strong super effective attack, and between the combination of Drain Punch+Mach Punch, Ice Punch, Knock Off and Conkeldurr's massive base 140 Attack stat, it'll definitely be crippling whatever it took the hit from in return.

One of the coolest things about Assault Vest Conkeldurr imo is that as Jayhankedlyon mentioned, while other Assault Vest users who might struggle with being worn down because of a lack of Leftovers and Assault Vest's drawback, Conkeldurr can recover even just a bit of health on its own just by using its strongest STAB move, Drain Punch, ensuring it stays healthy long enough to hold off the opponents it needs to and make its mark on the opposing team. The choice between Iron Fist and Guts is a tough one, but so far i've ended up using Guts most often, simply because i really love having Conkeldurr benefit from all the Will-O-Wisps flying around because of Rotom-W, and while wisp might cripple other assault vest users, Will-O-Wisp just makes Conkeldurr stronger, while Drain Punch recovers off the residual burn damage, however Iron Fist seems nice too as it gives a healthy 1.2 boost to 3/4 of Conkeldurr's moveset. So has anyone else had experiences using/facing Assault Vest Conkeldurr? if so, how did it do?

 

[Patrick1088]

Assaukt vest conkeldurr sounds very good although id lean more towards guts over sheer force/iron fist tbh.

What do you think of assault vest overcoat escavalier with megahorn, iron head, knock off, drill run/return? Factor in the nerf to hidden power and you have a very bulky attacker. Megahorn and iron head are for stab and knock off hits steels neutrally and removes their item. Drill run and return both have merits imo. Drill run hits steel types supereffectively while return hits flying pokes like zapdos harder. What do you think?