Ghost
========
Blacephalon is a good offensive option on Ghost-type teams because of its high Special Attack, which allows it to serve as an effective wallbreaker, and Speed, which helps it revenge kill Pokemon with base 100 Speed such as Mega Charizard X, Mega Charizard Y, and Volcarona. Blacephalon notably is able to take on Steel-, Grass-, and Ice-type threats such as Mega Scizor, Ferrothorn, and Alolan Ninetales because of its Fire-type coverage. Its Special Attack is further increased after every KO by its ability, Beast Boost, allowing it to snowball if its checks and counters have been worn down enough. Blacephalon also pairs well with many offensive Pokemon on Ghost, such as Gengar and Mimikyu, because of its high offensive stats and typing. Although it has high Special Attack, Blacephalon lacks coverage, thus getting walled by Pokemon such as Tyranitar, though it can use Trick to cripple some of its usual switch-ins such as Chansey and Mantine. Blacephalon also is easily worn down by Stealth Rock because of its Fire typing, and due to its lackluster defensive typing and bulk, Blacephalon can rarely switch in for free and is easily knocked out by a strong attack. In addition, Blacephalon is prone to getting revenge killed by faster threats such as Latios and Keldeo when not holding a Choice Scarf. Blacephalon is also easily trapped and eliminated by Pursuit because of its Ghost typing.
[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Fire Blast / Flamethrower
move 2: Shadow Ball
move 3: Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Trick
item: Choice Specs
ability: Beast Boost
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Fire Blast allows Blacephalon to hit Steel-, Grass-, and Ice-type Pokemon for super effective damage, although it can miss at crucial moments. Alternatively, Flamethrower can be used if missing tends to be a problem, although Flamethrower hits less hard than Fire Blast, meaning it misses out on knocking out Pokemon such as Landorus from full health. Shadow Ball allows Blacephalon to 2HKO Pokemon such as Toxapex while also hitting many Pokemon neutrally, and Hidden Power Ice gives Blacephelon the ability to hit Dragon-, Flying-, and Ground-types, such as Dragonite and Garchomp, for super effective damage. Trick cripples walls that may switch in to Blacephalon, which is particularly useful for Pokemon such as Chansey and Mantine.
Set Details
========
Maximum investment in Speed along with a Timid nature makes Blacephalon as fast as possible, while maximum investment in Special Attack allows Blacephalon to hit as hard as possible. Choice Specs further increases Blacephalon's Special Attack, allowing it to be an effective wallbreaker that can OHKO threats such as Landorus and Diggersby. Beast Boost is Blacephalon's only ability and increases its Special Attack every time it manages to collect a KO, making it easy for Blacephalon to snowball when its checks and counters have been weakened and eliminated.
Usage Tips
========
Try to remove entry hazards on your side before sending in Blacephalon to avoid any potential chip damage. Stealth Rock noticeably wears Blacephalon down over time, allowing Pokemon with priority moves such as Scizor, Mega Pinsir, and Mega Lopunny to knock it out. Double out of predicted Pursuit trapper switch-ins, such as Alolan Muk, so that Blacephalon doesn't get trapped. As it is primarily a wallbreaker, send Blacephalon in on defensive threats like Mega Venusaur and Celesteela that the rest of your team could have trouble dealing with. Blacephalon can also be a sweeper late-game when its checks and counters have been severely weakened or eliminated. Use Trick on special walls such as Mantine and Chansey that would otherwise wall Blacephalon, although it should be wary of using Trick because losing Choice Specs makes Blacephalon significantly weaker. Keep Blacephalon from getting inflicted with paralysis, as getting paralyzed makes Blacephalon slow and vulnerable to faster attackers. Try getting Stealth Rock on the field before sending in Blacephalon, as Stealth Rock breaks Focus Sashes and weakens Blacephalon's checks and counters, making a potential sweep much easier to achieve, and helps Blacephalon take out Pokemon such as Toxapex, Assault Vest Celesteela, and Dragonite. Bluffing a Choice Scarf is perfectly doable in order to force out Pokemon such as Victini, Tapu Koko, Latios, and Mega Lopunny.
Team Options
========
Choice Specs Blacephalon is generally a good option on Ghost teams due to the range of Pokemon it can take on as a wallbreaker. As a result of this, Gengar is a very good partner for Blacephalon, as they pair together very well offensively. Choice Scarf Gengar can beat threats such as Choice Scarf Terrakion, Choice Scarf Keldeo, and Mantine for Blacephalon due to its Speed and coverage. Decidueye and Dhelmise make good teammates for Blacephalon due to their ability to remove Stealth Rock and any other potential entry hazards that may limit Blacephalon switching in. Decidueye and Dhelmise are also able to switch into Water- and Ground-type attacks for Blacephalon, and Blacephalon can beat Steel-type Pokemon such as Skarmory, Ferrothorn, and Mega Scizor for them in return. Decidueye and Dhelmise trap Pokemon such as Toxapex and Tapu Koko, which Blacephalon may have a hard time against, with their respective trapping moves. Like many other offensive Ghost-type Pokemon, Blacephalon appreciates Mega Sableye as a partner because of its ability to reflect entry hazards, switch into attacks, and act as a defensive backbone to pivot into. Mega Sableye is also able to switch into various Dark- and Ghost-type moves for Blacephalon when needed, while Blacephalon is able to beat many Fairy-type Pokemon such as Clefable and Tapu Bulu for Mega Sableye. Because of their ability to set Stealth Rock, Alolan Marowak and Golurk are good partners for Blacephalon to weaken the opposing team by destroying Focus Sashes and chipping Pokemon, therefore paving the way for Blacephalon to sweep. Alolan Marowak can also switch into Tapu Koko for Blacephalon. Jellicent is a good option, as it can absorb Water-type attacks and break many defensive threats such as Toxapex and Chansey with Taunt. Mimikyu is an excellent partner for Blacephalon, as it beats Dark-type Pokemon that Blacephalon struggle with such as Mega Sharpedo, Hydreigon, Alolan Muk, and Tyranitar, while Blacephalon can knock out Steel-type Pokemon such as Mega Scizor, Skarmory, and Ferrothorn that Mimikyu might have trouble getting past.
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Fire Blast / Flamethrower
move 2: Shadow Ball
move 3: Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Trick
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Beast Boost
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Fire Blast allows Blacephalon to hit Steel-, Grass-, and Ice-type Pokemon for super effective damage, as well as knocking out Tapu Koko from full health, although it can miss at crucial moments. Alternatively, Flamethrower can be used over Fire Blast if missing tends to be a problem, although it hits less hard. Sometimes Fire Blast's power also is crucial for breaking bulky threats such as specially defensive Celesteela and Porygon2. Shadow Ball allows Blacephalon to revenge kill Pokemon such as Victini and Latios and provides neutral coverage to revenge kill Pokemon effectively. Hidden Power Ice gives Blacephelon the ability to hit Dragon-, Flying-, and Ground-types such as Dragonite and Choice Scarf Landorus-T for super effective damage. Trick is used to cripple Blacephalon's defensive checks like Chansey, Mantine, and Porygon2 by locking them into one move.
Set Details
========
Maximum investment in Special Attack allows Blacephalon to hit as hard as possible. Maximum Speed investment with a Choice Scarf and a Timid nature makes Blacephalon as fast as possible, therefore allowing it to beat various Pokemon such as Tapu Koko, Mega Lopunny, and Choice Scarf Landorus-T by outspeeding them while also acting as a late-game cleaner, although it is forced to be locked into one move. Beast Boost is Blacephalon's only ability and can be used in conjunction with a Choice Scarf to sweep late-game by raising its Special Attack every time it manages to knock a Pokemon out.
Usage Tips
========
Send Blacephalon in late-game when its checks and counters such as Mantine and Alolan Muk have been weakened or eliminated so Blacephalon will be able to sweep. Try to remove entry hazards before Blacephalon comes in so it doesn't take unnecessary damage and potentially get revenge killed. Double switch out if the opponent has a Pursuit trapper such as Tyranitar in order to retain momentum and avoid losing Blacephalon. As it is not holding a damage boosting item, Blacephalon's checks and counters are much more reliable, meaning it will have to switch out against anything it cannot kill. Choice Scarf Blacephalon cannot beat many bulky Pokemon, such as Toxapex and Porygon2. Switch out of Pokemon that carry paralysis-inflicting moves, as Blacephalon needs to maintain its Speed to be an effective revenge killer. Use Trick on predicted specially bulky switch-ins such as Chansey, Mantine, and Toxapex. Although Trick is useful for crippling the aforementioned threats, losing Choice Scarf means Blacephalon cannot revenge kill threats like Mega Lopunny and Tapu Koko anymore, so be careful of using Trick when these Pokemon are still active. Try to lay down Stealth Rock before Blacephalon comes in, as Stealth Rock helps weaken Blacephalon's checks and counters while also removing Focus Sashes.
Team Options
========
Choice Scarf Blacephalon is a consistent revenge killer that can take out many foes because of its Speed tier, coverage, and power. As a result of this, Choice Specs Gengar is a good partner for Choice Scarf Blacephalon because they form an effective offensive core. Gengar can handle Pokemon such as Toxapex and Mantine, while Blacephalon is able to knock out Tapu Koko and Mega Lopunny for Gengar. Mega Sableye pairs well with Blacephalon, as it can switch into Dark- and Ghost-type attacks that could potentially knock Blacephalon out as well as reflect entry hazards. Jellicent is a good partner for Blacephalon, as it can absorb Water-type attacks with Water Absorb while being able to break down many defensive threats such as Porygon2 and Mantine with Taunt. Alolan Marowak and Golurk support Blacephalon with Stealth Rock, which can break Focus Sashes and whittle down Blacephalon's checks in order for it to sweep with Choice Scarf as well as net important KOs such as Tapu Koko through Stealth Rock chip. Alolan Marowak can also switch into and beat Zapdos for Blacephalon. Decidueye and Dhelmise support Blacephalon by offering hazard control and switch-ins to Ground- and Water-type attacks because of their defensive typings. Decidueye and Dhelmise are both able to trap various threats, with Decidueye trapping Mantine and Dhelmise trapping Toxapex for Blacephalon. Mimikyu is a great partner for Blacephalon, as it knocks out Dark-types that could threaten Blacephalon such as Greninja, Hydreigon, and Tyranitar. Trick Room Ghost teams usually have slow Pokemon to take advantage of Trick Room so having Choice Scarf Blacephalon as a revenge killer helps outside of Trick Room.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Ghost
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A Substitute + Calm Mind set can be run with a Z-Move, although Blacephalon rarely finds a setup opportunity and the Z-Crystal could easily be used on something else, such as Mimikyu. Psychic can be run over Hidden Power Ice or Trick on a Choice Scarf set in order to hit Pokemon such as Toxapex and Keldeo for super effective damage, although it is very situational and Alolan Muk still switches into Blacephalon and traps it with Pursuit. A Life Orb set is an option, allowing Blacephalon to switch between its attacks in order to hit various targets while also boosting its power. Holding a Life Orb also allows Blacephalon to utilize moves such as Taunt and Explosion, with the former allowing it to break down defensive Pokemon such as Chansey and the latter allowing it to knock out Alolan Muk after Stealth Rock. Mind Blown can be used on the Choice Specs set to nuke certain Pokemon, such as Alolan Muk, harder. However, Mind Blown generally isn't a good idea, as it can be situational and the recoil massively wears Blacephalon down and puts it in range of common priority moves.
Checks and Counters
===================
Ghost
--------
**Tyranitar**: Tyranitar hard-counters Blacephalon because it has the typing and bulk to switch into its STAB attacks and trap it with Pursuit. Dragon Dance variants of Tyranitar can also use Blacephalon as setup fodder, which can prove to be fatal to the rest of the team.
**Water-types**: Water-type Pokemon, such as Greninja and Keldeo, threaten Blacephalon with their STAB attacks.
**Dark-types**: Like many other Ghost-type Pokemon, Blacephalon is threatened by Dark-types such as Hydreigon and Mega Sharpedo, as they are able to knock it out with their STAB moves.
**Rock-types**: Rock-type Pokemon, such as Terrakion and Mega Diancie, are able to KO Blacephalon with their Rock-type moves.
**Pursuit Trappers**: Pursuit users, such as Alolan Muk and Tyranitar, have both the bulk and typing to switch into any of Blacephalon's attacks and trap it.
**Revenge Killers** Revenge killers such as Choice Scarf users Latios, Terrakion, and Gengar outspeed Blacephalon and knock it out with their respective attacks, although they can't directly switch in in fear of getting knocked out themselves.
**Specially Defensive Pokemon**: Special walls, such as Mantine and Chansey, have no problem taking any of Blacephalon's attacks, although they do need to be wary of Trick.
**Priority**: Priority users such as Bisharp and Azumarill revenge kill Blacephalon by outspeeding it and exploiting its low bulk.
**Residual Damage**: Entry hazards and status both wear Blacephalon down over time, making it easier for opposing Pokemon to knock it out. Wearing Blacephalon down also makes it much more vulnerable to priority, as its terrible bulk rarely lets it take a hit.
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