PU Basculin [QC 3/3] [GP 2/2] Complete!

[Oathkeeper]

uploading -mz

[OVERVIEW]

Basculin's access to Adaptability and good Speed tier give it a slight niche as a physical Water-type that can more easily break through more physical walls like Mesprit and Weezing and revenge kill targets with Aqua Jet than other physical Water-types. However, Basculin's wallbreaking capabilities are limited due to its poor movepool causing it to struggle against teams with more defined Water-type answers and its only decent Attack stat preventing it from reliably sweeping and making its coverage less powerful. Because its base Attack stat is not the greatest, its coverage moves don't deal the best damage, and Basculin is overreliant on Adaptability. Along with susceptibility to all entry hazards, Basculin's poor bulk is not doing it any favors and makes it vulnerable to being knocked out by priority moves such as Sucker Punch and Mach Punch. While Basculin's Speed is good, it sits at that uncertain point where it is fast but not fast enough to outspeed everything that it wants to, such as Lycanroc and Dodrio. It also faces competition from its Water-type brethren such as Floatzel and Carracosta, which can hit harder and have access to Shell Smash, respectively.

[SET]
name: All-out Attacker
move 1: Waterfall / Liquidation
move 2: Aqua Jet
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Crunch / Zen Headbutt
item: Waterium Z / Life Orb
ability: Adaptability
nature: Naive
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Waterfall has a chance to make the opposing Pokemon flinch, while running Liquidation is another option for slightly more power. Aqua Jet allows Basculin to revenge kill faster Pokemon that are weakened such as Choice Scarf Togedemaru. Ice Beam deals with Grass- and Dragon-types such as Lilligant, Alolan Exeggutor, Tangela, and Altaria that would otherwise check Basculin. Crunch is for threats such as Jellicent and Jynx, while Zen Headbutt covers Poliwrath and Qwilfish.

Set Details
========

Waterium Z gives Basculin a one-time nuke against Pokemon like Regirock and Type: Null, whereas Life Orb is more consistent in dealing damage to the opposing team for the course of the entire battle. The recoil can end up being Basculin's enemy over time, however. Adaptability boosts Basculin's Water-type STAB moves even further to the point where they heavily wear down the opposing team. A Naive nature enhances Basculin's Speed without hindering its Ice Beam. The extra Speed allows Basculin to outspeed support Togedemaru and non-Choice Scarf Oricorio-G.

Usage Tips
========

Basculin functions primarily as a physical wallbreaker by slowly breaking down physically bulky Pokemon over time. Due to its poor bulk, Basculin should never be switched into any attacking move unless it absolutely has to to preserve its longevity. Basculin does have to be aware of Pokemon with Water-type immunities such as Poliwrath, Jynx, and Jellicent as well as Pokemon that resist Water, which include Ludicolo, Qwilfish, and Silvally-Water. However, with its coverage moves, Basculin functions really well as a lure for other Water-type Pokemon such as Poliwrath, Qwilfish, and Jellicent. Basculin should almost always be using Liquidation or Aqua Jet and not reveal coverage until absolutely necessary, since both Water-type moves are Adaptability-boosted. Basculin should use its Adaptability-boosted Aqua Jet to revenge kill threats that are faster than it such as Dodrio, Choice Scarf Primeape, and Alolan Dugtrio.


Team Options
========

Grass- and Electric-types such as Lurantis and Togedemaru threaten Basculin, so Pokemon such as Alolan Exeggutor and Mudsdale are helpful to come in and check these Pokemon. Basculin dislikes priority users such as Kangaskhan and Lycanroc, so physical walls such as Regirock and Weezing are ideal teammates that can come in to take their priority moves and force them out. Similarly, Basculin loses to most Choice Scarf users such as Primeape and Scyther, so pair it with a physical wall like the ones mentioned above or others such as Mesprit so that they can keep these revenge killers in check. Basculin does not appreciate entry hazards because they wear it down over the course of the battle, so a hazard remover such as Hitmonchan or Skuntank can remove them and open doors for Basculin's teammates. Skuntank also resists Grass-type moves from Pokemon such as Lilligant that hurt Basculin and can also Pursuit trap Jellicent and Mesprit. Teammates that appreciate Rock- or Ground-types such as Aggron and Mudsdale removed work well with Basculin; these teammates include physical Skuntank and Scyther. Entry hazard setters such as Mesprit, Regirock, and Froslass make great teammates, as Basculin can force switches to wear down the opposing team with the hazards. Mesprit also provides pivot and Healing Wish support should Basculin need it. Although Basculin does possess the moves to deal with Water-type Pokemon such Poliwrath and Jellicent, having faster or powerful Pokemon such as Manectric and Lilligant to cover them will help it.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Superpower allows Basculin to hit Pokemon such as Drampa and Alolan Persian; however, it's not recommended, because its coverage overlaps with Liquidation and Waterfall, and it lowers Basculin's Attack and Defense. Running Superpower also means that Basculin also loses out on Crunch or Zen Headbutt, which means it can no longer hit Jellicent, Poliwrath, or Qwilfish. A Choice Band set is a double-edged sword in that it boosts Basculin's Attack but is prediction reliant and leaves Basculin locked into one move, potentially allowing the opponent to switch to a threat such as Gurdurr, Lilligant, or Scyther and set up.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Water-type Pokemon**: Fellow Water-type Pokemon such as Poliwrath, Jellicent, Qwilfish, and Silvally-Water give Basculin a hard time and don't give it much room for error, since the former two have Water Absorb and the latter two run bulky sets. Qwilfish also is able to set up entry hazards, and Silvally-Water chips Basculin down with Surf.

**Physically Bulky Pokemon**: Due to Basculin's mediocre Attack stat and poor bulk, it struggles to break through physically bulky Pokemon such as Gurdurr, Mesprit, and Weezing without prior damage. Basculin does chip them easily, and the number of times they can switch in decreases over time.

**Faster Pokemon**: While Basculin has nice Speed, it gets outsped and OHKOed by common faster Pokemon such as Choice Scarf Togedemaru, Alolan Persian, Alolan Raichu, and Manectric. Aqua Jet can pick off these Pokemon if they're weak enough, though.

**Priority**: Due to Basculin's poor bulk, it can be picked off by priority move users such as Gurdurr, Absol, Spiritomb, and Kangaskhan. Pokemon such as Dodrio pressure it more due to Quick Attack. It is also forced into mind games with the aforementioned Sucker Punch users.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Oathkeepre, 83980]]
- Quality checked by: [[Akir, 231726], [allstarapology, 400292], [Darkinium, 448296]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [lotiasite, 302985]]

 

[Oathkeeper]

This is ready for QC

 

[Akir]

[OVERVIEW]

• Basculin's access to Adaptability and rather decent good Speed tier together carves a niche for itself in the tier because stronger STAB allows Basculin to break through blanket physical checks like Mesprit, Weezing, and Gurdurr easier than other physical Water-types and it can revenge kill better than other Aqua Jet users such as Floatzel, Qwilfish, and Kabutops.
• It has a rather poor movepool which generally doesn't make Basculin the ideal wallbreaker because it struggles more against teams with good Water-type resists and its base Attack stat is not the best which can prevent it from being a reliable sweeper. Because it's base Attack stat is not the greatest, its coverage moves don't deal the best damage.
• Along with it being susceptible to all hazards, Basculin's poor bulk of 70/65/55 is not doing it any favors and makes it susceptible to being knocked out by priority moves such as Sucker Punch or Mach Punch.
• Something about how the speed sits at an awkward enough point where it's faster than most but not fast enough to cleanly outspeed everything it wants. Additionally, it is outclassed as a Water by a number of things

[SET]
name: All-Out Attacker
move 1: Liquidation
move 2: Crunch / Zen Headbutt
move 3: Aqua Jet
move 4: Ice Beam
item: Waterium Z / Life Orb
ability: Adaptability
nature: Naive
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

• Liquidation is Basculin's strongest STAB move that hits any non-resist hard and has the chance to lower the foe's Defense and can to help break down defensive Pokemon such as Mesprit and Weezing.
• Crunch is the main attacking move to hit Jellicent and Psychic-types such as Jynx.
• Zen Headbutt hits Water-resists and -immunities such as Poliwrath and Qwilfish. So I think it would make more sense to make this slot the 4th slot, and then add a part like "last move is for covering common checks to Basculin's Water STAB. Crunch is for threats like Jellicent and Jynx and Zen Headbutt is for threats like Poliwrath and Qwilfish" From experience, this slot is the least used anyway
• Aqua Jet acts as a reliable STAB priority move that can revenge kill faster Pokemon that are severely weakened such as Choice Scarf Togedemaru.
• Ice Beam deals with the Grass- and Dragon-types such as Lilligant, Alolan Exeggutor, and Silvally-Dragon that would otherwise check Basculin.

Set Details
========

• Waterium Z turns Liquidation into Hydro Vortex and allows Basculin to one-time nuke Pokemon like Regirock and Type: Null, whereas Life Orb is more consistent in dealing damage to the opposing team for the course of the entire battle.
• Adaptability boosts Basculin's Water-type STAB moves to the point where they wear down the opposing team (it would be easier to say that Adaptability boosts Basculin's STAB even further, making it a strong wallbreaker).
• Naive nature enhances Basculin's Speed without hindering Basculin's Special Attack Ice Beam.
• Maximum Speed EVs allows Basculin to outspeed support Togedemaru and Choice Band Primeape; maximum Attack EVs allows Basculin to hit as hard as possible.

Usage Tips
========

• Basculin functions primarily as a physical wallbreaker by slowly breaking down physically bulky Pokemon over time.
• Due to it's poor bulk, Basculin should never be switched into any attacking move unless it absolutely has to to preserve it's longevity since it loses to one Volt Switch from Pokemon such as Alolan Raichu, one Giga Drain from Pokemon such as Lilligant, or even one hit from a neutral hit such as Double-Edge from Kangaskhan. (All of this is filler)
• If running Zen Headbutt, Basculin works as a good lure for Water-type resists such as Poliwrath, Qwilfish, and Ludicolo.
• As with Zen Headbutt, Crunch works the same way but for Pokemon such as Jellicent.
• Basculin is able to pressure Pokemon that are weak to Water-type moves such as Aggron and Mudsdale which in turn allows Basculin to double switch to prevent giving the opponent a free turn (this is a pretty advanced take on it. you are correct, but even so this might just not be worth it to write it down...although rewording it to say that: "Basculin forces many switches and these switches can be taken advantage of in multiple ways such as putting heavy damage on a switchin or predicting the switch to double switch" or something, but cleaned up more. basically im asking you to dumb it down lol).
• Basculin should not use its Z move until all checks and counters are removed from the field, especially be careful if the opponent has a Water-type immunity such as Jellicent or Poliwrath. (i actually personally disagree with this entirely. the z move can be used to nuke a water switchin and weaken it...which is Basculin's job)

Team Options
========

• Grass- and Electric-types such as Lurantis and Togedemaru threaten Basculin so Pokemon such as Alolan Exeggutor and Manectric Mudsdale can come in and check these Pokemon.
• Basculin loses to priority users such as Kangaskhan and Gurdurr so Pokemon such as Oricorio-G and Weezing are ideal teammates that can come in to take a Fake Out or Mach Punch respectively and choose to force it out or set up with Calm Mind or Toxic Spikes.
• Basculin loses to most Choice Scarf users such as Primeape and Scyther so running a Choice Scarf user such as Togedemaru or Alolan Raichu is a great idea.
• Basculin does not appreciate entry hazards because they wear it down over the course of the battle, so using a hazard remover such as Hitmonchan or Skuntank can remove them and open doors for Basculin's teammates. Hitmonchan and Skuntank can also resist Grass moves that hurt Basculin such as Lilligant and that benefits Basculin. Skuntank can also Pursuit trap Jellicent and Mesprit and potentially use up their Colbur Berry.
• Teammates that appreciate Rock- or Ground-types removed such as Aggron and Mudsdale work well with Basculin; these teammates include Alolan Raichu, Aurorus, and Scyther.
• Entry hazard setters such as Mesprit, Regirock, and Qwilfish make great teammates with Basculin as they Basculin can force switches to wear down the opposing team with the hazards.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

• Superpower allows Basculin to hit Togedemaru and Alolan Persian as well as neutrally hit Lanturn and Ludicolo; however, it's not recommended because it overlaps on coverage with Liquidation and it lowers your Attack and Defense. Running Superpower also means that Basculin also loses out on Crunch and Zen Headbutt which means it can no longer hit Jellicent, or Poliwrath.
• Choice Band is a double-edged sword being that it boosts Basculin's Attack, but it is locked into one move and is prediction-reliant. Being locked in to one move allows the opponent to switch into a threat such as Gurdurr and set up with Bulk Up. (definitely build on the hazards of being choiced locked. there are a crapton of mons that can utilize it, and better than gurdurr)

Checks and Counters
===================

**Physically Bulky Pokemon**: Basculin's mediocre Attack stat and frail bulk don't go hand-in-hand and loses to Physically Bulky Pokemon such as Gurdurr, Mesprit, and Weezing. (you said earlier in the analysis that Basculin is supposed to be beating these?? which is it??)

**Fast Grass- and Electric-types**: While Basculin has nice Speed it gets outsped and OHKOed by common faster Grass- and Electric-types such as Choice Scarf Togedemaru, Choice Scarf Abomasnow, Alolan Raichu, and Manectric.

**Priority**: Due to Basculin's poor bulk it allows it to be picked off by priority move users such as Gurdurr, Absol, Spiritomb, and Kangaskhan.

**Entry Hazards**: If using Life Orb, entry hazards make it easier for Basculin to get worn down by Stealth Rock users such as Mesprit and Spikes users such as Qwilfish. (this is the case with every single mon that doesn't have some built-in avoidance. not worth the bullet)

**Water-type Pokemon**: Fellow Water-type Pokemon such as Poliwrath, Jellicent, Qwilfish, and Silvally-Water give Basculin a hard time and don't give Basculin much room for error.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[, ]]
- Quality checked by: [[, ], [, ], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]

Just a pass, but yeah 1/3

 

[Oathkeeper]

Ready for QC 2!

 

[asa]

[OVERVIEW]

• Basculin's access to Adaptability and good Speed tier together carves a niche for itself in the tier because stronger STAB allows Basculin to break through blanket physical checks like Mesprit, Weezing, and Gurdurr easier than other physical Water-types and it can revenge kill better than other Aqua Jet users such as Floatzel, Qwilfish, and Kabutops.
• It has a rather poor movepool which generally doesn't make Basculin the ideal wallbreaker because it struggles more against teams with good Water-type resists and its base Attack stat is not the best which can prevent it from being a reliable sweeper. Because it's base Attack stat is not the greatest, its coverage moves don't deal the best damage.
• Along with it being susceptible to all hazards, Basculin's poor bulk of 70/65/55 is not doing it any favors and makes it susceptible to being knocked out by priority moves such as Sucker Punch or Mach Punch.
• While Basculin's Speed is good, it sits at that uncertain point where it is fast but not fast enough to outspeed everything that it wants to such as Lycanroc. (add another example here like dodrio.)
• It is also outclassed by its other Water-type brethren such as Floatzel and Carracosta which can hit harder or has access to Shell Smash respectively.

The information here is fine, but you should consider compressing certain bits and simplifying things when you write this up. For example, the first two bullets in particular are more complicated than they need to be. Something like, "Basculin's access to Adaptability and good Speed tier gives it a slight niche as a physical Water-type. It can more easily break through physical walls like Mesprit and Weezing and revenge kill targets with Aqua Jet than other physical Water-types. However, Basculin's wallbreaking capabilities are limited due to its poor movepool causing it to struggle against teams with more defined Water-resistant Pokemon and its only decent Attack stat preventing it from reliably sweeping and making its coverage less powerful." would still get the points across.

[SET]
name: All-Out Attacker
move 1: Liquidation
move 2: Aqua Jet
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Zen Headbutt / Crunch (i kind of want crunch slashed first, but wait until 3/3 says smth about it.)
item: Waterium Z / Life Orb
ability: Adaptability
nature: Naive
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

• Liquidation is Basculin's strongest STAB move that hits any non-resist hard and has the chance to lower the foe's Defense and can help break down defensive Pokemon such as Mesprit and Weezing. (more or less the kind of stuff we're trying to avoid with the new standards.)
• Aqua Jet acts as a reliable STAB priority move that can revenge kill faster Pokemon that are severely weakened such as Choice Scarf Togedemaru.
• Ice Beam deals with the Grass- and Dragon-types such as Lilligant, Alolan Exeggutor, and Silvally-Dragon that would otherwise check Basculin.
• Crunch is for threats such as Jellicent and Jynx while Zen Headbutt is for Poliwrath and Qwilfish. (in the future, make this kind of stuff separate bullet points.)

Set Details
========

• Waterium Z turns Liquidation into Hydro Vortex and allows Basculin to one-time nuke Pokemon like Regirock and Type: Null, whereas Life Orb is more consistent in dealing damage to the opposing team for the course of the entire battle. (should probs mention the recoil that lo forces you to take.)
• Adaptability boosts Basculin's Water-type STAB moves even further to the point where they wear down the opposing team.
• Naive nature enhances Basculin's Speed without hindering Basculin's its Ice Beam.
• Maximum Speed EVs allows Basculin to outspeed support Togedemaru and Choice Band Primeape; maximum Attack EVs allows Basculin to hit as hard as possible.

Usage Tips
========

• Basculin functions primarily as a physical wallbreaker by slowly breaking down physically bulky Pokemon over time.
• Due to it's poor bulk, Basculin should never be switched into any attacking move unless it absolutely has to to preserve it's longevity.
• If running Zen Headbutt, Basculin works as a good lure for Water-type resists such as Poliwrath, Qwilfish, and Ludicolo.
• As with Zen Headbutt, Crunch works the same way but for Pokemon such as Jellicent. (you could just make both of these points about not immediately revealing coverage until attempting to lure one of these in, idk. just stating that you can you use x move to lure x mon feels kinda lackluster on its own.)
• Basculin is able to pressure Pokemon that are weak to Water-type moves such as Aggron and Mudsdale which in turn allows Basculin to force many switches to keep those aforementioned Pokemon in play which then leads to wearing down the opposing team's other Pokemon. (what is this point trying to say? from what i can gather, it just seems like it's saying that basculin can force out water-weak mons and wear down the other mons, but it doesn't specify if it means by predicting them and using coverage or simply attacking. even if it is about the former, it feels a bit too similar to the points about luring certain mons with coverage.)
• This section as a whole feels pretty generic and like what you'd expect to see for a frail wallbreaker, though I'm not 100% sure about how to fix that atm. There could also be points made for switching in and when it's best to use Aqua Jet.

Team Options
========

• Grass- and Electric-types such as Lurantis and Togedemaru threaten Basculin so Pokemon such as Alolan Exeggutor and Mudsdale can come in and check these Pokemon.
• Basculin loses to priority users such as Kangaskhan and Gurdurr (gurdurr deals with basc for other reasons besides just having priority, and if necessary, aqua jet outprioritizes mach punch.) so Pokemon such as Oricorio-G and Weezing are ideal teammates that can come in to take a Fake Out or Mach Punch respectively and choose to force it out or set up with Calm Mind or Toxic Spikes. (oricorio-g is a weird mention for priority sponge. smth like regirock feels more appropriate.)
• Basculin loses to most Choice Scarf users such as Primeape and Scyther so running a Choice Scarf user such as Togedemaru or Alolan Raichu is a great idea. (scarf alolachu :sick:) (the current wording sort of makes it seem like you'd be switching these scarfers in on the others, which you wouldn't.)
• Basculin does not appreciate entry hazards because they wear it down over the course of the battle, so using a hazard remover such as Hitmonchan or Skuntank can remove them and open doors for Basculin's teammates. Skuntank can also resist Grass moves that hurt Basculin such as Lilligant and that benefits Basculin. Skuntank can also Pursuit trap Jellicent and Mesprit and potentially use up their Colbur Berry. (wouldn't you just use your water stab on mesprit?)
• Teammates that appreciate Rock- or Ground-types removed such as Aggron and Mudsdale work well with Basculin; these teammates include Alolan Raichu, Aurorus, (alolachu with gknot and aurorus can easily obliterate most rock- and ground-types, especially these two examples.) and Scyther.
• Entry hazard setters such as Mesprit, Regirock, and Qwilfish make great teammates with as Basculin can force switches to wear down the opposing team with the hazards. (this point just seems super easy to say about any wallbreaker, and it doesn't even go into any additional benefits like mesprit providing hw and pivoting support.) (replace qwil with froslass, better typing synergy.)
• Has the coverage to lure stuff like Jellicent, Poliwrath, and Weezing, so possibly teammates that could capitalize on that?

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

• Superpower allows Basculin to hit Togedemaru and Alolan Persian as well as neutrally hit Lanturn and Ludicolo; (zhb and crunch already hit them neutrally, sp is just a stronger neutral hit.) however, it's not recommended because it overlaps on coverage with Liquidation and it lowers your Attack and Defense. Running Superpower also means that Basculin also loses out on Crunch and Zen Headbutt which means it can no longer hit Jellicent or Mesprit. (replace mesprit with poliwrath.)
• Choice Band is a double-edged sword being that it boosts Basculin's Attack, but it is locked into one move and is prediction-reliant. Being locked in to one move allows the opponent to switch into a threat such as Gurdurr and set up with Bulk Up, Lilligant with Quiver Dance, and Scyther with Swords Dance.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Physically Bulky Pokemon**: Basculin's mediocre Attack stat and frail bulk don't go hand-in-hand and loses to Physically Bulky Pokemon such as Gurdurr, Mesprit, and Weezing. (didn't you say in the overview that it could break through these exact example?)

**Fast Grass- and Electric-types**: While Basculin has nice Speed it gets outsped and OHKOed by common faster Grass- and Electric-types such as Choice Scarf Togedemaru, Choice Scarf Abomasnow, Alolan Raichu, and Manectric. (imo, just make a section for faster pokemon in general, it's a lot less specific, and most of them can KO basc anyway.)

**Priority**: Due to Basculin's poor bulk it allows it to be picked off by priority move users such as Gurdurr, Absol, Spiritomb, and Kangaskhan.

**Water-type Pokemon**: Fellow Water-type Pokemon such as Poliwrath, Jellicent, Qwilfish, and Silvally-Water give Basculin a hard time and don't give Basculin much room for error.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[, ]]
- Quality checked by: [[, ], [, ], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]

tag me when you implement this so that i can see how it turns out before giving it 2/3 bc there is a lot here, but this isn't bad work.

 

[Oathkeeper]

allstarapology I did have a few questions.

1) Usage Tips (point 4): Could you elaborate?
2) Team Options (point 3): Can't seem to word what you're asking for. Also elaborate?
3) Team Options (point 5): Are you telling me information I already know?

 

[asa]

1) Usage Tips (point 4): Could you elaborate?

When I say that the section feels a bit too generic, I mean that I feel like most / all of it could be said about a lot of frail wallbreakers and that it doesn't try to stand out much or say anything new, though like I said, I'm not exactly sure how to fix it, and it's a simple Pokemon, so it might just be me looking a bit too deep into it or w/e. Just ignore that and add points for using Aqua Jet and switching it in and expand on the initial point by explaining when it's best for Basculin to wallbreak.

2) Team Options (point 3): Can't seem to word what you're asking for. Also elaborate?

(...so pair it with Choice Scarf users, such as x and y, that can keep these revenge killers in check.)

3) Team Options (point 5): Are you telling me information I already know?

Not 100% sure what you mean here. Is it the point about using Water STAB against Mesprit? You mention Skuntank using up its Colbur Berry alongside Jellicent, but you'd almost always use Liquidation against Mesprit anyway.

252 Atk Life Orb Adaptability Basculin Liquidation vs. 252 HP / 240+ Def Mesprit: 135-161 (37 - 44.2%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 Atk Life Orb Basculin Crunch vs. 252 HP / 240+ Def Colbur Berry Mesprit: 64-75 (17.5 - 20.6%) -- possible 5HKO
252 Atk Life Orb Basculin Crunch vs. 252 HP / 240+ Def Mesprit: 127-151 (34.8 - 41.4%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 Atk Life Orb Adaptability Basculin Liquidation vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Mesprit: 182-216 (60.4 - 71.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Life Orb Basculin Crunch vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Mesprit: 172-203 (57.1 - 67.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

 

[Oathkeeper]

allstarapology Ready for you to check it again!

 

[asa]

[OVERVIEW]

• Basculin's access to Adaptability and good Speed tier gives it a slight niche as a physical Water-type. It can more easily break through more physical walls like Mesprit and Weezing and revenge kill targets with Aqua Jet than other physical Water-types. However, Basculin's wallbreaking capabilities are limited due to its poor movepool causing it to struggle against teams with more defined Water-resistant Pokemon and its only decent Attack stat preventing it from reliably sweeping and making its coverage less powerful."
• It has a rather poor movepool which generally doesn't make Basculin the ideal wallbreaker because it struggles more against teams with good Water-type resists and its base Attack stat is not the best which can prevent it from being a reliable sweeper. Because it's base Attack stat is not the greatest, its coverage moves don't deal the best damage.
• Along with it being susceptible to all hazards, Basculin's poor bulk of 70/65/55 is not doing it any favors and makes it susceptible to being knocked out by priority moves such as Sucker Punch or Mach Punch.
• While Basculin's Speed is good, it sits at that uncertain point where it is fast but not fast enough to outspeed everything that it wants to such as Lycanroc and Dodrio.
• It is also outclassed by its other Water-type brethren such as Floatzel and Carracosta which can hit harder or has access to Shell Smash respectively.

[SET]
name: All-Out Attacker
move 1: Liquidation
move 2: Aqua Jet
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Zen Headbutt / Crunch
item: Waterium Z / Life Orb
ability: Adaptability
nature: Naive
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

• Aqua Jet acts as a reliable STAB priority move that can allows Basculin to revenge kill faster Pokemon that are severely weakened such as Choice Scarf Togedemaru. (nitpick, but togedemaru takes about 50% or so from aqua jet, so "severely" is kind of exaggerating.)
• Ice Beam deals with the Grass- and Dragon-types such as Lilligant, Alolan Exeggutor, and Silvally-Dragon (put tangela and altaria over silv-dragon, they're both more common.) that would otherwise check Basculin.
• Crunch is for threats such as Jellicent and Jynx while Zen Headbutt is for Poliwrath and Qwilfish. (change the order of slashes to match with how these two moves are listed.)

Set Details
========

• Waterium Z turns Liquidation into Hydro Vortex and allows Basculin to one-time nuke Pokemon like Regirock and Type: Null, whereas Life Orb is more consistent in dealing damage to the opposing team for the course of the entire battle. The Life Orb recoil can end up being Basculin's enemy over time however.
• Adaptability boosts Basculin's Water-type STAB moves even further to the point where they wear down the opposing team.
• Naive nature enhances Basculin's Speed without hindering it's Ice Beam.

Usage Tips
========

• Basculin functions primarily as a physical wallbreaker by slowly breaking down physically bulky Pokemon over time.
• Due to it's poor bulk, Basculin should never be switched into any attacking move unless it absolutely has to to preserve it's longevity.
• If running Zen Headbutt, Basculin works as a good lure for Water-type resists such as Poliwrath, Qwilfish, and Ludicolo.
• Basculin uses Crunch to hit the Water-type lures such as Jellicent which is nice given that Basculin is a glass cannon and wearing down tough threats is a must. (both of these points just feel like they're acknowledging that these coverage moves hit certain pokemon that completely wall basculin otherwise. perhaps make one singular point about not revealing coverage until absolutely necessary in order to effectively lure stuff?)
• Basculin is able to pressure Pokemon that are weak to Water-type moves such as Aggron and Mudsdale which in turn allows Basculin to force many switches to keep those aforementioned Pokemon in play which then leads to wearing down the opposing team's other Pokemon. (this isn't a usage tip, it's just explaining what happens during battles.)
• Adaptability-boosted Aqua Jet lets Basculin revenge kill threats that are faster than it such as Dodrio, Choice Scarf Primeape, and Alolan Dugtrio. Basculin does have to be aware of Pokemon with Water-type move immunities such as Poliwrath, Jynx, and Jellicent. (specifically should think twice about using aqua jet if they're still present.)

Team Options
========

• Grass- and Electric-types such as Lurantis and Togedemaru threaten Basculin so Pokemon such as Alolan Exeggutor and Mudsdale can come in and check these Pokemon.
• Basculin loses to priority users such as Kangaskhan and Lycanroc so Pokemon such as Regirock and Weezing are ideal teammates that can come in to take a Fake Out or Mach Punch respectively and choose to force it out or set up with Calm Mind or Toxic Spikes.
• Basculin loses to most Choice Scarf users such as Primeape and Scyther so pair it with Choice Scarf users such as Alolan Raichu and Togedemaru so that they can keep these revenge killers in check.
• Basculin does not appreciate entry hazards because they wear it down over the course of the battle, so using a hazard remover such as Hitmonchan or Skuntank can remove them and open doors for Basculin's teammates. Skuntank can also resist Grass moves that hurt Basculin such as Lilligant and that benefits Basculin. Skuntank can also Pursuit trap Jellicent and Mesprit.
• Teammates that appreciate Rock- or Ground-types removed such as Aggron and Mudsdale work well with Basculin; these teammates include physical Skuntank and Scyther.
• Entry hazard setters such as Mesprit, Regirock, and Froslass make great teammates as Basculin can force switches to wear down the opposing team with the hazards. Mesprit also provides pivot and Healing Wish support should Basculin need it.
• Basculin is able to lure Pokemon that resist its moves or do no damage such as Jellicent, Poliwrath, and Weezing (liquidation does slightly more to weezing than zen headbutt.) so teammates such as Oricorio-G and Eelektross can deal with those Pokemon. (what i meant was add examples of pokemon that benefit from having these targets lured, but this is probably better. still, the wording needs fixing. explaining that although basculin does possess coverage for pokemon like poliwrath and jellicent, it shouldn't be a team's only means of dealing with them is better.)

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

• Superpower allows Basculin to hit Togedemaru (it already doesn't want to take your STAB moves, replace this example.) and Alolan Persian; however, it's not recommended because it overlaps on coverage with Liquidation and it lowers your Attack and Defense. Running Superpower also means that Basculin also loses out on Crunch and Zen Headbutt which means it can no longer hit Jellicent or Poliwrath.
• Choice Band is a double-edged sword being that it boosts Basculin's Attack, but it is locked into one move and is prediction-reliant. Being locked in to one move allows the opponent to switch into a threat such as Gurdurr and set up with Bulk Up, Lilligant with Quiver Dance, and Scyther with Swords Dance.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Physically Bulky Pokemon**: Due to Basculin's mediocre Attack stat and frail bulk, it can wear down the Physically Bulky Pokemon such as Gurdurr, Mesprit, and Weezing, but needs prior damage first. (the wording here is confusing. its bulk has nothing to do with breaking through stuff. saying that it struggles to break through physically bulky pokemon like x and y without prior damage is good.)

**Faster Pokemon**: While Basculin has nice Speed it gets outsped and OHKOed by common faster Pokemon such as Choice Scarf Togedemaru, Choice Scarf Abomasnow, (not exactly the most relevant example atm, replace it with alolan persian.) Alolan Raichu, and Manectric. (explain that aqua jet can pick most of them off if they're weakened enough.)

**Priority**: Due to Basculin's poor bulk it allows it to be picked off by priority move users such as Gurdurr, Absol, Spiritomb, and Kangaskhan. (you could technically play around sucker punch with aqua jet, idk. say that it's forced into mind games with sucker punch users, but after you mention some that 100% pressure it like kanga and dodrio.)

**Water-type Pokemon**: Fellow Water-type Pokemon such as Poliwrath, Jellicent, Qwilfish, and Silvally-Water give Basculin a hard time and don't give Basculin much room for error. (make this section come first.)

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[, ]]
- Quality checked by: [[, ], [, ], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]] (ik it's only 2/3, but pls don't forget to do this. some people forget and putting it in right before it has to be uploaded is annoying.)

qc 2/3

 

[Darkinium]

[OVERVIEW]

Basculin's access to Adaptability and good Speed tier gives it a slight niche as a physical Water-type. It can more easily break through more physical walls like Mesprit and Weezing and revenge kill targets with Aqua Jet than other physical Water-types. However, Basculin's wallbreaking capabilities are limited due to its poor movepool causing it to struggle against teams with more defined Water-resistant Pokemon and its only decent Attack stat preventing it from reliably sweeping and making its coverage less powerful. It has a rather poor movepool which generally doesn't make Basculin the ideal wallbreaker because it struggles more against teams with good Water-type resists and its base Attack stat is not the best which can prevent it from being a reliable sweeper. This sentence kinda says the exact same thing as the previous one so just remove it. Because it's base Attack stat is not the greatest, its coverage moves don't deal the best damage. Along with it being susceptible to all hazards, Basculin's poor bulk is not doing it any favors and makes it susceptible to being knocked out by priority moves such as Sucker Punch or Mach Punch. While Basculin's Speed is good, it sits at that uncertain point where it is fast but not fast enough to outspeed everything that it wants to such as Lycanroc and Dodrio. It is also outclassed nitpicky, but I think "faces competition with" would be more appropriate since neither have the exact same role or initial power Basc does by its other Water-type brethren such as Floatzel and Carracosta which can hit harder or has access to Shell Smash respectively.

[SET]
name: All-Out Attacker
move 1: Liquidation QC decided for this slot should be Waterfall / Liquidation, as the flinch chance is a lot more valuable than a little extra BP, and both have the same Hydro Vortex power.
move 2: Aqua Jet
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Zen Headbutt / Crunch QC agreed Crunch should be first, as Jelli is a more important target than Qwil
item: Waterium Z / Life Orb
ability: Adaptability
nature: Naive
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Aqua Jet allows Basculin to revenge kill faster Pokemon that are weakened such as Choice Scarf Togedemaru. Ice Beam deals with the Grass- and Dragon-types such as Lilligant, Alolan Exeggutor, Tangela, and Altaria that would otherwise check Basculin. Zen Headbutt is for Poliwrath and Qwilfish while Crunch is for threats such as Jellicent and Jynx. Rearrange the order of ZHB and Crunch to follow the updated slashes.

Add descriptions for Waterfall and Liquidation at the beginning and explain the pros and cons of each

Set Details
========
Waterium Z turns Liquidation into Hydro Vortex and allows Basculin to one-time nuke Pokemon like Regirock and Type: Null, whereas Life Orb is more consistent in dealing damage to the opposing team for the course of the entire battle. The Life Orb recoil can end up being Basculin's enemy over time however. Adaptability boosts Basculin's Water-type STAB moves even further to the point where they wear down the opposing team. Naive nature enhances Basculin's Speed without hindering it's Ice Beam.

Usage Tips
========
Basculin functions primarily as a physical wallbreaker by slowly breaking down physically bulky Pokemon over time. Due to it's poor bulk, Basculin should never be switched into any attacking move unless it absolutely has to to preserve it's longevity. If running Zen Headbutt, Basculin works as a good lure for Water-type resists such as Poliwrath, Qwilfish, and Ludicolo. Basculin uses Crunch to hit the Water-type lures such as Jellicent which is nice given that Basculin is a glass cannon and wearing down tough threats is a must. These two sentences can be merged into one with the main idea being predicting Water resists switching in and using the appropriate coverage move if Basc is carrying it. Basculin should almost always be using Liquidation or Aqua Jet and not reveal coverage until absolutely necessary since both are Adaptability-boosted. Mention that using these coverage moves on the switch can go a long way in grabbing chip and/or keeping momentum. Also, I think the reasoning for keeping your coverage hidden is less bc your Water moves are boosted by Adapt and more to bait Water resists in when they might not switch in otherwise if you had revealed a certain move Adaptability-boosted Aqua Jet lets Basculin revenge kill threats that are faster than it such as Dodrio, Choice Scarf Primeape, and Alolan Dugtrio. Basculin does have to be aware of Pokemon with Water-type move immunities such as Poliwrath, Jynx, and Jellicent.

After the first two sentences, I think the other points would be best ordered as: Basc should be wary of Water resists -> use the appropriate coverage move if opp has a Water resist -> try to keep coverage hidden -> Aqua Jet can be used to rkill stuff

Team Options
========
Grass- and Electric-types such as Lurantis and Togedemaru threaten Basculin so Pokemon such as Alolan Exeggutor and Mudsdale can come in and check these Pokemon. Basculin loses "loses" is kinda strong, maybe "dislikes"? to priority users such as Kangaskhan and Lycanroc so Pokemon specifically physical walls such as Regirock and Weezing are ideal teammates that can come in to take a Fake Out or Mach Punch respectively and choose to force it out or set up with Calm Mind I'd rather this be replaced with some other move given neither of the aforementioned Pokemon use it or Toxic Spikes. Basculin loses to most Choice Scarf users such as Primeape and Scyther so pair it with Choice Scarf users such as Alolan Raichu and Togedemaru so that they can keep these revenge killers in check. I dunno if I like this point, I think it would fit in more with the sentence talking about physical walls because imo physical walls answer scarfers better than using your own scarfer. Basculin does not appreciate entry hazards because they wear it down over the course of the battle, so using a hazard remover such as Hitmonchan or Skuntank can remove them and open doors for Basculin's teammates. Skuntank can also resist Grass moves that hurt Basculin such as Lilligant and that benefits Basculin. Skuntank can also Pursuit trap Jellicent and Mesprit. Teammates that appreciate Rock- or Ground-types removed such as Aggron and Mudsdale work well with Basculin; these teammates include physical Skuntank and Scyther. Entry hazard setters such as Mesprit, Regirock, and Froslass make great teammates as Basculin can force switches to wear down the opposing team with the hazards. Mesprit also provides pivot and Healing Wish support should Basculin need it. Although Basculin does possess the moves to deal with Water-type Pokemon such Poliwrath and Jellicent, having faster or powerful Pokemon such as Manectric or Lilligant will help Basculin.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Superpower allows Basculin to hit Drampa and Alolan Persian; however, it's not recommended because it overlaps on coverage with Liquidation and Waterfall and it lowers your Attack and Defense. Running Superpower also means that Basculin also loses out on Crunch and Zen Headbutt which means it can no longer hit Jellicent or Poliwrath. Qwilfish definitely should be mentioned there. Choice Band is a double-edged sword being that it boosts Basculin's Attack, but it is locked into one move and is prediction-reliant. Being locked in to one move allows the opponent to switch into a threat such as Gurdurr and set up with Bulk Up, Lilligant with Quiver Dance, and Scyther with Swords Dance.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Water-type Pokemon**: Fellow Water-type Pokemon such as Poliwrath, Jellicent, Qwilfish, and Silvally-Water give Basculin a hard time and don't give Basculin much room for error. Elaborate on what they can do/how they take advantage of Basculin.

**Physically Bulky Pokemon**: Due to Basculin's mediocre Attack stat and frail bulk, it struggles to break through physically bulky Pokemon such as Gurdurr, Mesprit, and Weezing without prior damage first. I think this point undersells Basc a bit, because all of these Pokemon are susceptible to chip and are already taking ~35%+ from STAB attacks. Maybe point out that they can't switch in too often and can be chipped easily?

**Faster Pokemon**: While Basculin has nice Speed it gets outsped and OHKOed by common faster Pokemon such as Choice Scarf Togedemaru, Alolan Persian, Alolan Raichu, and Manectric. Aqua Jet can pick off these Pokemon if they're weak enough.

**Priority**: Due to Basculin's poor bulk it allows it to be picked off by priority move users such as Gurdurr, Absol, Spiritomb, and Kangaskhan. Pokemon such as Dodrio pressure it more due to Quick Attack. It is also forced into mind games with the aforementioned Sucker Punch users.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[, ]]
- Quality checked by: [[, ], [, ], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]

Remember to fill out this section, the last check reminded you to do it as well but it seems you forgot.

Let me know when you're done implementing this and I'll look over it again

 

[Oathkeeper]

Hey Darkinium I'm ready for it be checked. Also, not sure how to fill out that last part since I've never done this before. My apologies!

 

[Darkinium]

[OVERVIEW]

Basculin's access to Adaptability and good Speed tier gives it a slight niche as a physical Water-type. It can more easily break through more physical walls like Mesprit and Weezing and revenge kill targets with Aqua Jet than other physical Water-types. However, Basculin's wallbreaking capabilities are limited due to its poor movepool causing it to struggle against teams with more defined Water-resistant Pokemon and its only decent Attack stat preventing it from reliably sweeping and making its coverage less powerful. Because it's base Attack stat is not the greatest, its coverage moves don't deal the best damage. I would add that this is bc Basc is overreliant on Adaptability Along with it being susceptible to all hazards, Basculin's poor bulk is not doing it any favors and makes it susceptible to being knocked out by priority moves such as Sucker Punch or Mach Punch. While Basculin's Speed is good, it sits at that uncertain point where it is fast but not fast enough to outspeed everything that it wants to such as Lycanroc and Dodrio. It faces competition by its other Water-type brethren such as Floatzel and Carracosta which can hit harder or has access to Shell Smash respectively.

[SET]
name: All-Out Attacker
move 1: Waterfall / Liquidation
move 2: Aqua Jet
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Crunch / Zen Headbutt
item: Waterium Z / Life Orb
ability: Adaptability
nature: Naive
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Waterfall is a nice STAB move for Basuclin that has a chance to flinch the opponent. Running Liquidation is another option for slightly more power and a chance to lower Defense. Aqua Jet allows Basculin to revenge kill faster Pokemon that are weakened such as Choice Scarf Togedemaru. Ice Beam deals with the Grass- and Dragon-types such as Lilligant, Alolan Exeggutor, Tangela, and Altaria that would otherwise check Basculin. Crunch is for threats such as Jellicent and Jynx while Zen Headbutt is for Poliwrath and Qwilfish.

Set Details
========
Waterium Z turns Liquidation into Hydro Vortex and allows Basculin to one-time nuke Pokemon like Regirock and Type: Null, whereas Life Orb is more consistent in dealing damage to the opposing team for the course of the entire battle. The Life Orb recoil can end up being Basculin's enemy over time however. Adaptability boosts Basculin's Water-type STAB moves even further to the point where they wear down the opposing team. Naive nature enhances Basculin's Speed without hindering it's Ice Beam.

Usage Tips
========
Basculin functions primarily as a physical wallbreaker by slowly breaking down physically bulky Pokemon over time. Due to it's poor bulk, Basculin should never be switched into any attacking move unless it absolutely has to to preserve it's longevity. Basculin does have to be aware of Pokemon with Water-type move immunities such as Poliwrath, Jynx, and Jellicent. I would expand this to include Pokemon who resist Water as well. Basculin functions really well as a lure for it's fellow Water-type Pokemon such as Poliwrath, Qwilfish, and Jellicent. If I understand what you mean, I would remove the word "fellow" because it makes it seem like these Water-types are being used alongside Basc when really they're on the other team but share the same type. "Water-types" should also be changed to "Pokemon that resist Water" for technical purposes. Therefore, running Zen Headbutt deals with the former two and Crunch beats the latter. Something more like "Catching these Pokemon on the switch if the appropriate coverage move is being carried helps gain momentum and deal chip damage" makes it more of a usage tip, bc atm the sentence kinda just tells the reader which targets the moves hit, which is already in the Moves section. Basculin should almost always be using Liquidation or Aqua Jet and not reveal coverage until absolutely necessary since both Water-type moves (if unspecified "both" could be taken to mean the two slashed coveraged moves) are Adaptability-boosted and is essential for dealing chip damage and/or gaining momentum. I know last time I told you to add this but seeing how you wrote it and that it fits better with the previous sentence, you can remove the underlined part from this sentence now. Adaptability-boosted Aqua Jet lets Basculin revenge kill threats that are faster than it such as Dodrio, Choice Scarf Primeape, and Alolan Dugtrio.


Team Options
========
Grass- and Electric-types such as Lurantis and Togedemaru threaten Basculin so Pokemon such as Alolan Exeggutor and Mudsdale can come in and check these Pokemon. Basculin dislikes priority users such as Kangaskhan and Lycanroc so Pokemon, specifically physical walls, such as Regirock and Weezing are ideal teammates that can come in to take a Fake Out or Accelerock respectively and choose to force it out. Basculin loses to most Choice Scarf users such as Primeape and Scyther so pair it with a physical wall like the ones mentioned above or others such as Mesprit so that they can keep these revenge killers in check. Basculin does not appreciate entry hazards because they wear it down over the course of the battle, so using a hazard remover such as Hitmonchan or Skuntank can remove them and open doors for Basculin's teammates. Skuntank can also resist Grass moves that hurt Basculin such as Lilligant and that benefits Basculin. Skuntank can also Pursuit trap Jellicent and Mesprit. Teammates that appreciate Rock- or Ground-types removed such as Aggron and Mudsdale work well with Basculin; these teammates include physical Skuntank and Scyther. Entry hazard setters such as Mesprit, Regirock, and Froslass make great teammates as Basculin can force switches to wear down the opposing team with the hazards. Mesprit also provides pivot and Healing Wish support should Basculin need it. Although Basculin does possess the moves to deal with Water-type Pokemon such Poliwrath and Jellicent, having faster or powerful Pokemon such as Manectric or Lilligant will help Basculin.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Superpower allows Basculin to hit Pokemon such as (because Drampa and Alolan Persian aren't the only Pokemon Superpower helps against) Drampa and Alolan Persian; however, it's not recommended because it overlaps on coverage with Liquidation and Waterfall and it lowers your Attack and Defense. Running Superpower also means that Basculin also loses out on Crunch and Zen Headbutt which means it can no longer hit Jellicent, Poliwrath, or Qwilfish. Choice Band is a double-edged sword being that it boosts Basculin's Attack, but it is locked into one move and is prediction-reliant. Being locked in to one move allows the opponent to switch into a threat such as Gurdurr and set up with Bulk Up, Lilligant with Quiver Dance, and Scyther with Swords Dance.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Water-type Pokemon**: Fellow Water-type Pokemon such as Poliwrath, Jellicent, Qwilfish, and Silvally-Water give Basculin a hard time and don't give Basculin much room for error since the former two have Water Absorb and the latter two run bulky sets. Specifically, Qwil can set hazards, Silv chips it with Surf

**Physically Bulky Pokemon**: Due to Basculin's mediocre Attack stat and frail bulk, it struggles to break through physically bulky Pokemon such as Gurdurr, Mesprit, and Weezing without prior damage first. Basculin does chip them easily though and the likelihood of them switching in becomes less over time. It's less "likelihood" (the chance of them switching in isn't random), it's more that they can only switch in a certain number of times.

**Faster Pokemon**: While Basculin has nice Speed it gets outsped and OHKOed by common faster Pokemon such as Choice Scarf Togedemaru, Alolan Persian, Alolan Raichu, and Manectric. Aqua Jet can pick off these Pokemon if they're weak enough.

**Priority**: Due to Basculin's poor bulk it allows it to be picked off by priority move users such as Gurdurr, Absol, Spiritomb, and Kangaskhan. Pokemon such as Dodrio pressure it more due to Quick Attack. It is also forced into mind games with the aforementioned Sucker Punch users.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[, ]]
- Quality checked by: [[, ], [, ], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]

3/3

 

[Oathkeeper]

Done with QC, ready for GP! Thanks to Akir allstarapology and Darkinium for them!

 

[Lumari]

remove add / fix (comments); (AC=add comma; RC=remove comma; SC=semicolon)
GP 1/2

check

[OVERVIEW]

Basculin's access to Adaptability and good Speed tier gives give it a slight niche as a physical Water-type (RP) It that can more easily break through more physical walls like Mesprit and Weezing and revenge kill targets with Aqua Jet than other physical Water-types. However, Basculin's wallbreaking capabilities are limited due to its poor movepool causing it to struggle against teams with more defined Water-resistant Pokemon Water-type answers and its only decent Attack stat preventing it from reliably sweeping and making its coverage less powerful. Because it's its base Attack stat is not the greatest, its coverage moves don't deal the best damage, (AC) and Basculin is too over-reliant overreliant on Adaptability. Along with it being susceptible its susceptibility to all entry hazards, Basculin's poor bulk is not doing it any favors and makes it susceptible vulnerable (repetition) to being knocked out by priority moves such as Sucker Punch or and Mach Punch. While Basculin's Speed is good, it sits at that uncertain point where it is fast but not fast enough to outspeed everything that it wants to, (AC) such as Lycanroc and Dodrio. It also faces competition by from its other Water-type brethren such as Floatzel and Carracosta, (AC) which can hit harder or has and have access to Shell Smash, (AC) respectively.

[SET]
name: All-out Attacker
move 1: Waterfall / Liquidation
move 2: Aqua Jet
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Crunch / Zen Headbutt
item: Waterium Z / Life Orb
ability: Adaptability
nature: Naive
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Waterfall is a nice STAB move for Basuclin that has a chance to flinch make the opponent. opposing Pokemon flinch, while running Liquidation is another option for slightly more power and a chance to lower Defense. (this is dex info, if you're mentioning those two moves at all then mention some practical scenarios where the difference comes into play) Aqua Jet allows Basculin to revenge kill faster Pokemon that are weakened such as Choice Scarf Togedemaru. Ice Beam deals with the Grass- and Dragon-types such as Lilligant, Alolan Exeggutor, Tangela, and Altaria that would otherwise check Basculin. Crunch is for threats such as Jellicent and Jynx, (AC) while Zen Headbutt is for covers Poliwrath and Qwilfish.

Set Details
========
Waterium Z turns Liquidation into Hydro Vortex, (AC) and allows giving Basculin to a one-time nuke on Pokemon like Regirock and Type: Null, whereas Life Orb is more consistent in dealing damage to the opposing team for the course of the entire battle. The Life Orb recoil can end up being Basculin's enemy over time, (AC) however. Adaptability boosts Basculin's Water-type STAB moves even further to the point where they heavily wear down the opposing team. A Naive nature enhances Basculin's Speed without hindering it's its Ice Beam. (also dex info, mention a couple notable Pokemon the extra Speed gives it the jump on)

Usage Tips
========
Basculin functions primarily as a physical wallbreaker by slowly breaking down physically bulky Pokemon over time. Due to it's its poor bulk, Basculin should never be switched into any attacking move unless it absolutely has to to preserve it's its longevity. Basculin does have to be aware of Pokemon with Water-type move immunities such as Poliwrath, Jynx, and Jellicent (RC) While there are Pokemon that are immune to Water-type moves, there are as well as Pokemon that resist it. These Pokemon Water, which include Ludicolo, Qwilfish, and Silvally-Water. However, with its coverage moves, (afaik? sentence doesn't make a lot of sense in context otherwise) Basculin functions really well as a lure for other Water-type Pokemon such as Poliwrath, Qwilfish, and Jellicent. Basculin should almost always be using Liquidation or Aqua Jet and not reveal coverage until absolutely necessary, (AC) since both Water-type moves are Adaptability-boosted. Adaptability-boosted Aqua Jet lets Basculin revenge kill threats that are faster than it such as Dodrio, Choice Scarf Primeape, and Alolan Dugtrio.


Team Options
========
Grass- and Electric-types such as Lurantis and Togedemaru threaten Basculin, (AC) so Pokemon such as Alolan Exeggutor and Mudsdale can are helpful to come in and check these Pokemon. Basculin dislikes priority users such as Kangaskhan and Lycanroc, (AC) so Pokemon, specifically physical walls (RC) such as Regirock and Weezing are ideal teammates that can come in to take a Fake Out or Accelerock respectively their priority attacks and choose to force it them out. Similarly, Basculin loses to most Choice Scarf users such as Primeape and Scyther, (AC) so pair it with a physical wall like the ones mentioned above or others such as Mesprit so that they can keep these revenge killers in check. Basculin does not appreciate entry hazards because they wear it down over the course of the battle, so using a hazard remover such as Hitmonchan or Skuntank can remove them and open doors for Basculin's teammates. Skuntank can also resists Grass moves from Pokemon such as Lilligant that hurt Basculin such as Lilligant and that benefits Basculin. Skuntank and can also Pursuit trap Jellicent and Mesprit. Teammates that appreciate Rock- or Ground-types removed such as Aggron and Mudsdale work well with Basculin; these teammates include physical Skuntank and Scyther. Entry hazard setters such as Mesprit, Regirock, and Froslass make great teammates, (AC) as Basculin can force switches to wear down the opposing team with the hazards. Mesprit also provides pivot and Healing Wish support should Basculin need it. Although Basculin does possess the moves to deal with Water-type Pokemon such Poliwrath and Jellicent, having faster or powerful Pokemon such as Manectric or and Lilligant to cover them will help Basculin it.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Superpower allows Basculin to hit Pokemon such as Drampa and Alolan Persian; however, it's not recommended, (AC) because its coverage overlaps on coverage with Liquidation and Waterfall, (AC) and it lowers your Basculin's Attack and Defense. Running Superpower also means that Basculin also loses out on Crunch and Zen Headbutt, (AC) which means it can no longer hit Jellicent, Poliwrath, or Qwilfish. A Choice Band set is a double-edged sword being in that it boosts Basculin's Attack (RC) but it is locked into one move and is prediction reliant (RH, RP) Being and leaves it locked in to into one move, (AC) allows potentially allowing the opponent to switch into to a threat such as Gurdurr, Lilligant, or Scyther and set up with Bulk Up, Lilligant with Quiver Dance, and Scyther with Swords Dance.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Water-type Pokemon**: Fellow Water-type Pokemon such as Poliwrath, Jellicent, Qwilfish, and Silvally-Water give Basculin a hard time and don't give Basculin it much room for error, (AC) since the former two have Water Absorb and the latter two run bulky sets. Qwilfish also is able to set up entry hazards, (AC) and Silvally-Water chips Basculin down with Surf.

**Physically Bulky Pokemon**: Due to Basculin's mediocre Attack stat and frail poor bulk, it struggles to break through physically bulky Pokemon such as Gurdurr, Mesprit, and Weezing without prior damage first. Basculin does chip them easily, (AC) and the number of times they can switch in decreases over time.

**Faster Pokemon**: While Basculin has nice Speed, (AC) it gets outsped and OHKOed by common faster Pokemon such as Choice Scarf Togedemaru, Alolan Persian, Alolan Raichu, and Manectric. Aqua Jet can pick off these Pokemon if they're weak enough, though.

**Priority**: Due to Basculin's poor bulk, (AC) it allows it to can be picked off by priority move users such as Gurdurr, Absol, Spiritomb, and Kangaskhan. Pokemon such as Dodrio pressure it more due to Quick Attack. It is also forced into mind games with the aforementioned Sucker Punch users.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Oathkeepre, 83980]]
- Quality checked by: [[Akir, 231726], [allstarapology, 400292], [Darkinium, 448296]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]

 

[Oathkeeper]

Ready for GP #2

 

[lotiasite]

GP 2/2

check

[OVERVIEW]

Basculin's access to Adaptability and good Speed tier give it a slight niche as a physical Water-type that can more easily break through more physical walls like Mesprit and Weezing and revenge kill targets with Aqua Jet than other physical Water-types. However, Basculin's wallbreaking capabilities are limited due to its poor movepool causing it to struggle against teams with more defined Water-type answers and its only decent Attack stat preventing it from reliably sweeping and making its coverage less powerful. Because its base Attack stat is not the greatest, its coverage moves don't deal the best damage, and Basculin is overreliant on Adaptability. Along with susceptibility to all entry hazards, Basculin's poor bulk is not doing it any favors and makes it vulnerable to being knocked out by priority moves such as Sucker Punch and Mach Punch. While Basculin's Speed is good, it sits at that uncertain point where it is fast but not fast enough to outspeed everything that it wants to, such as Lycanroc and Dodrio. It also faces competition from its Water-type brethren such as Floatzel and Carracosta, which can hit harder and have access to Shell Smash, respectively.

[SET]
name: All-out Attacker
move 1: Waterfall / Liquidation
move 2: Aqua Jet
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Crunch / Zen Headbutt
item: Waterium Z / Life Orb
ability: Adaptability
nature: Naive
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Waterfall has a chance to make the opposing Pokemon flinch, while running Liquidation is another option for slightly more power. Aqua Jet allows Basculin to revenge kill faster Pokemon that are weakened such as Choice Scarf Togedemaru. Ice Beam deals with Grass- and Dragon-types such as Lilligant, Alolan Exeggutor, Tangela, and Altaria that would otherwise check Basculin. Crunch is for threats such as Jellicent and Jynx, while Zen Headbutt covers Poliwrath and Qwilfish.

Set Details
========
Waterium Z turns Liquidation into Hydro Vortex, givinggives (you can run waterfall too right?) Basculin a one-time nuke onagainst Pokemon like Regirock and Type: Null, whereas Life Orb is more consistent in dealing damage to the opposing team for the course of the entire battle. The recoil can end up being Basculin's enemy over time, however. Adaptability boosts Basculin's Water-type STAB moves even further to the point where they heavily wear down the opposing team. A Naive nature enhances Basculin's Speed without hindering its Ice Beam. The extra Speed allows Basculin to outspeed support Togedemaru and non-scarfedChoice Scarf Oricorio-G.

Usage Tips
========

Basculin functions primarily as a physical wallbreaker by slowly breaking down physically bulky Pokemon over time. Due to its poor bulk, Basculin should never be switched into any attacking move unless it absolutely has to to preserve its longevity. Basculin does have to be aware of Pokemon with Water-type immunities such as Poliwrath, Jynx, and Jellicent as well as Pokemon that resist Water, which include Ludicolo, Qwilfish, and Silvally-Water. However, with its coverage moves, Basculin functions really well as a lure for other Water-type Pokemon such as Poliwrath, Qwilfish, and Jellicent. Basculin should almost always be using Liquidation or Aqua Jet and not reveal coverage until absolutely necessary, since both Water-type moves are Adaptability-boosted. Basculin should use its Adaptability-boosted Aqua Jet lets Basculinto (make it more into a usage tip rather than a rehash of the moves section) revenge kill threats that are faster than it such as Dodrio, Choice Scarf Primeape, and Alolan Dugtrio.


Team Options
========
Grass- and Electric-types such as Lurantis and Togedemaru threaten Basculin, so Pokemon such as Alolan Exeggutor and Mudsdale are helpful to come in and check these Pokemon. Basculin dislikes priority users such as Kangaskhan and Lycanroc, so physical walls such as Regirock and Weezing are ideal teammates that can come in to take their priority moves and force them out. Similarly, Basculin loses to most Choice Scarf users such as Primeape and Scyther, so pair it with a physical wall like the ones mentioned above or others such as Mesprit so that they can keep these revenge killers in check. Basculin does not appreciate entry hazards because they wear it down over the course of the battle, so a hazard remover such as Hitmonchan or Skuntank can remove them and open doors for Basculin's teammates. Skuntank also resists Grass-type moves from Pokemon such as Lilligant that hurt Basculin and can also Pursuit trap Jellicent and Mesprit. Teammates that appreciate Rock- or Ground-types removed such as Aggron and Mudsdale removed work well with Basculin; these teammates include physical Skuntank and Scyther. Entry hazard setters such as Mesprit, Regirock, and Froslass make great teammates, as Basculin can force switches to wear down the opposing team with the hazards. Mesprit also provides pivot and Healing Wish support should Basculin need it. Although Basculin does possess the moves to deal with Water-type Pokemon such Poliwrath and Jellicent, having faster or powerful Pokemon such as Manectric and Lilligant to cover them will help it.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Superpower allows Basculin to hit Pokemon such as Drampa and Alolan Persian; however, it's not recommended, because its coverage overlaps with Liquidation and Waterfall, and it lowers Basculin's Attack and Defense. Running Superpower also means that Basculin also loses out on Crunch andor (you only miss out on one of them) Zen Headbutt, which means it can no longer hit Jellicent, Poliwrath, or Qwilfish. A Choice Band set is a double-edged sword in that it boosts Basculin's Attack but is prediction reliant and leaves itBasculin locked into one move, potentially allowing the opponent to switch to a threat such as Gurdurr, Lilligant, or Scyther and set up.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Water-type Pokemon**: Fellow Water-type Pokemon such as Poliwrath, Jellicent, Qwilfish, and Silvally-Water give Basculin a hard time and don't give it much room for error, since the former two have Water Absorb and the latter two run bulky sets. Qwilfish also is able to set up entry hazards, and Silvally-Water chips Basculin down with Surf.

**Physically Bulky Pokemon**: Due to Basculin's mediocre Attack stat and poor bulk, it struggles to break through physically bulky Pokemon such as Gurdurr, Mesprit, and Weezing without prior damage. Basculin does chip them easily, and the number of times they can switch in decreases over time.

**Faster Pokemon**: While Basculin has nice Speed, it gets outsped and OHKOed by common faster Pokemon such as Choice Scarf Togedemaru, Alolan Persian, Alolan Raichu, and Manectric. Aqua Jet can pick off these Pokemon if they're weak enough, though.

**Priority**: Due to Basculin's poor bulk, it can be picked off by priority move users such as Gurdurr, Absol, Spiritomb, and Kangaskhan. Pokemon such as Dodrio pressure it more due to Quick Attack. It is also forced into mind games with the aforementioned Sucker Punch users.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Oathkeepre, 83980]]
- Quality checked by: [[Akir, 231726], [allstarapology, 400292], [Darkinium, 448296]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [lotiasite, 302985]]

 

[Oathkeeper]

Ready for upload!