Water
========
Barraskewda is the premier Swift Swim user on rain-based Water teams due to its blazing high Speed, allowing it to outspeed the entire metagame in rain, and ability to hit hard. Due to these traits, Barraskewda is useful in a plethora of matches, namely Electric and other matchups such as Dark, which it can take on by itself. This is backed by its great coverage moves in Close Combat, Psychic Fangs, and Crunch, allowing it to hit a multitude of different threats such as Kyurem, Amoonguss, and Slowking. Flip Turn grants rain teams with more pivoting, allowing the archetype to have a lot of momentum. However, Barraskewda has pretty poor defensive stats, meaning it can be easily revenge killed by faster threats outside of the rain such as Dragapult and common priority such as Bisharp's Sucker Punch and Mimikyu's Shadow Sneak.
[SET]
name: Swift Swim (Water)
move 1: Waterfall
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Psychic Fangs / Crunch
move 4: Flip Turn
item: Choice Band
ability: Swift Swim
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Rain-boosted Waterfall OHKOes Pokemon such as Zeraora, Alolan Raichu, and Galarian Slowking and 2HKOes Water-resistant foes such as Choice Scarf Latias; it also comes with a useful flinch chance. Close Combat targets Water-resistant foes such as Zarude and OHKOes Ferrothorn and other Steel- and Normal-types such as Magnezone and Heliolisk after minor chip damage. Psychic Fangs grants Barraskewda coverage against Poison- and Fighting-types such as Amoonguss, Toxapex, Galarian Weezing, Keldeo, and Urshifu-R. Crunch can be used over Psychic Fangs to target Psychic- and Ghost-types such as Latios, Dragapult, and Jellicent. Flip Turn allows Barraskewda to chip foes such as physically defensive Rotom-W, allowing it to KO it later with Waterfall, and maintain momentum. Swift Swim allows Barraskewda to outpace threats such as Alolan Raichu in Electric Terrain, Choice Scarf Tapu Lele, Dragapult, and Choice Scarf Thundurus-T in rain. Maximum Speed investment alongside a Jolly nature allows Barraskewda to outspeed Tapu Koko and Spectrier outside of rain while outpacing +2 Adamant Dragapult in rain. An Adamant nature can be used to 2HKO Toxapex with Psychic Fangs and 2HKO Mandibuzz in rain with Waterfall. Barraskewda and its teammates can continually spam Flip Turn and their pivoting moves, allowing rain teams to continually generate momentum and bring in Barraskewda safely.
All of Barraskewda's teammates appreciate it taking on threats such as Alolan Raichu, Zeraora, and +2 Volcarona in rain and generating momentum with Flip Turn. Pelipper enables Swift Swim, making it a mandatory teammate for Barraskewda. Physically defensive Pelipper can take on threats such as Rillaboom and Tapu Bulu with Hurricane, bring Barraskewda in safely with U-turn, provide a reliable Ground immunity, and clear entry hazards for it with Defog. Urshifu-R is a powerful wallbreaker that can eliminate Pokemon such as Ferrothorn, clearing a path for Barraskewda in the Steel matchup. It can also help Barraskewda break down shared checks such as Iron Defense Corviknight with Surging Strikes and deal with bulky Water-types such as Mantine and Pelipper with Thunder Punch. Swampert sets Stealth Rock, provides an Electric immunity, takes on Electric-types like Zeraora outside of rain with Earthquake, and brings Barraskewda in safely with Flip Turn. Slowking provides a reliable switch-in into Psychic-type attacks such as Choice Scarf Tapu Lele's Psychic, helps Barraskewda pressure Poison- and Water-types like Toxapex with Future Sight, and safely brings in Barraskewda with Teleport. Slowking also acts as a nice sponge for special attacks such as Latios's Draco Meteor. Kingdra is Barraskewda's best partner, targeting matchups where Barraskewda struggles such as Dragon, taking on Grass-types like Amoonguss and Zarude with Hurricane, and generating momentum with Flip Turn. Like Kingdra, Choice Scarf Tapu Fini can help out in the Dragon matchup without being reliant on rain, cripple walls such as Porygon2 with Trick, and clear entry hazards with Defog. Crawdaunt can put in work in the Psychic and Ghost matchups, claiming an OHKO each time it is brought in safely, as well as disrupting opposing progress in the Water mirror by taking out Slowking and Toxapex.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Water
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Barraskewda can run Poison Jab over Psychic Fangs or Crunch to OHKO Tapu Bulu and Tapu Koko and 2HKO (unbold) Tapu Fini.
Checks and Counters
===================
Water
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**Revenge Killers**: Faster Pokemon outside of rain such as Choice Scarf Victini, Dragapult, Choice Scarf Zarude, and Zeraora can easily OHKO Barraskewda with their coverage and STAB attacks.
**Status**: Status moves severely hinder Barraskewda's ability to act as a wallbreaker and cleaner; paralysis prevents it from taking out threats such as Dragapult in rain, being burned prevents it from OHKOing Pokemon like Choice Specs Zapdos even with rain, and Toxic poison puts it on a timer.
**Water-immune and -resistant Pokemon**: Since Barraskewda primarily uses its Water-type attacks, Water-immune foes such as Mantine and Gastrodon can switch into Barraskewda easily and force it out. Barraskewda also has a hard time taking on Pokemon that resist Water-type attacks such as Amoonguss and Toxapex without a specific coverage move such as Psychic Fangs.
**Priority**: Common priority users such as Rillaboom, Bisharp, and Mimikyu can take on Barraskewda.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[maroon, 305839]]
- Water analysis by: [[maroon, 305839]]
- Quality checked by: [[Rotten, 491896], [Harpp, 320110]]
- Grammar checked by: [[DC, 449990], [Estronic, 240732]]
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