clown writing a clown's analysis lets go
[Overview]
Blacephalon stands out as an explosive wallbreaker in OU thanks to its excellent offensive stats, its STAB combination, and Beast Boost, which allows it to snowball through whole teams easily after picking off a weakened opponent. All of this, coupled with the tier's lack of sturdy Ghost checks, gives it plenty of opportunities to spam its powerful Shadow Ball and punch holes in opposing walls, defeating common defensive cores made of Pokemon like Landorus-T, Slowbro, and Heatran. Furthermore, Choice Scarf sets allow Blacephalon to act as both a cleaner and a revenge killer. On top of all this, its access to Trick makes it very hard to properly answer, as it allows Blacephalon to cripple checks like Blissey and Tyranitar. However, Blacephalon's weak defensive stats mean it has problems getting into the field, as it requires either pivot support from a teammate or a predicted double switch to start wallbreaking. This means that, if it fails to bring down its target, it is easily KOed by strong neutral hits or weak super effective attacks. Even though Blacephalon has a solid speed tier, it's not enough to get the jump on relevant threats like Weavile, Tapu Koko, Tornadus-T, Kartana, and Dragapult. This, coupled with its Stealth Rock weakness, makes it a very easy target to take down, requiring significant support to function properly.
[SET]
name: Special Wallbreaker
move 1: Overheat
move 2: Shadow Ball
move 3: Flamethrower
move 4: Trick
item: Choice Specs
ability: Beast Boost
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Choice Specs turns Blacephalon into a frightening wallbreaker, capable of 2HKOing or OHKOing most neutral targets. Even though Overheat has the disadvantage of dropping its Special Attack, it's a powerful nuke that deals insane damage and is able to muscle past most Pokemon that do not resist its attacks like Landorus-T, Heavy-Duty Boots Tornadus-T, and even sturdier checks like Choice Band Tyranitar. This, coupled with Trick, narrows Blacephalon's checks even further, as Trick permanently cripples Pokemon like Toxapex, Tyranitar, and Blissey. Shadow Ball is a great tool for snowballing due to the lack of Ghost-resistant Pokemon in the tier. Flamethrower is chosen over Fire Blast because of its perfect accuracy, and it 2HKOes the same targets as Fire Blast.
Blacephalon greatly appreciates support from pivots like Landorus-T, Tornadus-T, and Tapu Koko that can give Blacephalon a free switch into their checks to start snowballing. Furthermore, the former two can Defog the entry hazards that cripple Blacephalon. Speaking of which, Defog support from Pokemon like Corviknight, which also offers a slow U-turn, is necessary. Blacephalon also enjoys having teammates like Tapu Fini and Ferrothorn that can pivot into possible revenge killers like Weavile and Dragapult. Other wallbreakers like Kartana and Galarian Zapdos benefit from Blacephalon's presence too, as it can KO their checks like Zapdos and Corviknight for them to wreak havoc. Melmetal is a particularly good teammate, as it can help against threats like Weavile, Tapu Koko, and Scarf Tapu Lele that try to revenge kill Blacephalon while also weakening bulky walls like Heatran. Other late-game cleaners like Weavile benefit from Blacephalon's wallbreaking prowess, easily wiping out the opposing team once they get the chance; in exchange, Weavile can soft check Tornadus-T and Dragapult. Finally, making a double Ghost core with Blacephalon and Dragapult is a good idea, as together they can break down their shared checks like Heatran and Tapu Fini, which Blacephalon can also cripple with Trick, allowing one of them to clean late-game.
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Shadow Ball
move 2: Flamethrower
move 3: Fire Blast
move 4: Trick
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Beast Boost
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
This sets focuses on Blacephalon's already good Speed stat to make it harder to revenge kill after Beast Boost takes action, turning it into a fearsome cleaner. It also serves as a potent revenge killer against faster threats like Dragapult and Zeraora, which otherwise would force it out. Fire blast makes up for this set's lack of initial power, picking off most neutral targets after some chip damage, and unlike Overheat, it doesn't have the disadvantage of dropping its Special Attack. However, Flamethrower is a better option for late-game scenarios after Fire-resistant Pokemon like Tyranitar and Tapu Fini have been chipped, allowing for an easy clean. Trick rounds out the set, giving Blacephalon the opportunity to cripple a defensive Pokemon for its teammates if it's unable to clean efficiently in the match. A Timid Nature is chosen because it allows Blacephalon to outspeed other dangerous Choice Scarf users like Tapu Lele.
Choice Scarf Blacephalon is best used as a late-game cleaner when it can come in and snowball once the opposing team has been weakened. Because of this, it's advised to pair it with potent wallbreakers like Swords Dance Kartana, Tapu Lele, and Urshifu-R that can weaken the opposing team. In exchange, Blacephalon can outspeed and threaten faster Pokemon that pressure these wallbreakers. Blacephalon also enjoys Knock Off and Defog support, as the former from Pokemon like Weavile can weaken possible checks like Tapu Fini and Toxapex, while the latter from Tornadus-T and Corviknight ensures it doesn't get chipped if it tries to get into the field. Finally, Dragapult is an excellent teammate, forming the classic double Ghost core with Blacephalon that lets Dragapult to spam Shadow Ball to chip foes into range of a Blacephalon sweep. Dragapult also offers U-turn support, which gives Blacephalon the opportunity to get a KO early-game or force switches to gain momentum.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Windingsss, 477937]]
- Quality checked by: [[Clone, 218318], [Tysonslayer, 349443]]
- Grammar checked by: [[dex, 277988]
[Overview]
Blacephalon stands out as an explosive wallbreaker in OU thanks to its excellent offensive stats, its STAB combination, and Beast Boost, which allows it to snowball through whole teams easily after picking off a weakened opponent. All of this, coupled with the tier's lack of sturdy Ghost checks, gives it plenty of opportunities to spam its powerful Shadow Ball and punch holes in opposing walls, defeating common defensive cores made of Pokemon like Landorus-T, Slowbro, and Heatran. Furthermore, Choice Scarf sets allow Blacephalon to act as both a cleaner and a revenge killer. On top of all this, its access to Trick makes it very hard to properly answer, as it allows Blacephalon to cripple checks like Blissey and Tyranitar. However, Blacephalon's weak defensive stats mean it has problems getting into the field, as it requires either pivot support from a teammate or a predicted double switch to start wallbreaking. This means that, if it fails to bring down its target, it is easily KOed by strong neutral hits or weak super effective attacks. Even though Blacephalon has a solid speed tier, it's not enough to get the jump on relevant threats like Weavile, Tapu Koko, Tornadus-T, Kartana, and Dragapult. This, coupled with its Stealth Rock weakness, makes it a very easy target to take down, requiring significant support to function properly.
[SET]
name: Special Wallbreaker
move 1: Overheat
move 2: Shadow Ball
move 3: Flamethrower
move 4: Trick
item: Choice Specs
ability: Beast Boost
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Choice Specs turns Blacephalon into a frightening wallbreaker, capable of 2HKOing or OHKOing most neutral targets. Even though Overheat has the disadvantage of dropping its Special Attack, it's a powerful nuke that deals insane damage and is able to muscle past most Pokemon that do not resist its attacks like Landorus-T, Heavy-Duty Boots Tornadus-T, and even sturdier checks like Choice Band Tyranitar. This, coupled with Trick, narrows Blacephalon's checks even further, as Trick permanently cripples Pokemon like Toxapex, Tyranitar, and Blissey. Shadow Ball is a great tool for snowballing due to the lack of Ghost-resistant Pokemon in the tier. Flamethrower is chosen over Fire Blast because of its perfect accuracy, and it 2HKOes the same targets as Fire Blast.
Blacephalon greatly appreciates support from pivots like Landorus-T, Tornadus-T, and Tapu Koko that can give Blacephalon a free switch into their checks to start snowballing. Furthermore, the former two can Defog the entry hazards that cripple Blacephalon. Speaking of which, Defog support from Pokemon like Corviknight, which also offers a slow U-turn, is necessary. Blacephalon also enjoys having teammates like Tapu Fini and Ferrothorn that can pivot into possible revenge killers like Weavile and Dragapult. Other wallbreakers like Kartana and Galarian Zapdos benefit from Blacephalon's presence too, as it can KO their checks like Zapdos and Corviknight for them to wreak havoc. Melmetal is a particularly good teammate, as it can help against threats like Weavile, Tapu Koko, and Scarf Tapu Lele that try to revenge kill Blacephalon while also weakening bulky walls like Heatran. Other late-game cleaners like Weavile benefit from Blacephalon's wallbreaking prowess, easily wiping out the opposing team once they get the chance; in exchange, Weavile can soft check Tornadus-T and Dragapult. Finally, making a double Ghost core with Blacephalon and Dragapult is a good idea, as together they can break down their shared checks like Heatran and Tapu Fini, which Blacephalon can also cripple with Trick, allowing one of them to clean late-game.
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Shadow Ball
move 2: Flamethrower
move 3: Fire Blast
move 4: Trick
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Beast Boost
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
This sets focuses on Blacephalon's already good Speed stat to make it harder to revenge kill after Beast Boost takes action, turning it into a fearsome cleaner. It also serves as a potent revenge killer against faster threats like Dragapult and Zeraora, which otherwise would force it out. Fire blast makes up for this set's lack of initial power, picking off most neutral targets after some chip damage, and unlike Overheat, it doesn't have the disadvantage of dropping its Special Attack. However, Flamethrower is a better option for late-game scenarios after Fire-resistant Pokemon like Tyranitar and Tapu Fini have been chipped, allowing for an easy clean. Trick rounds out the set, giving Blacephalon the opportunity to cripple a defensive Pokemon for its teammates if it's unable to clean efficiently in the match. A Timid Nature is chosen because it allows Blacephalon to outspeed other dangerous Choice Scarf users like Tapu Lele.
Choice Scarf Blacephalon is best used as a late-game cleaner when it can come in and snowball once the opposing team has been weakened. Because of this, it's advised to pair it with potent wallbreakers like Swords Dance Kartana, Tapu Lele, and Urshifu-R that can weaken the opposing team. In exchange, Blacephalon can outspeed and threaten faster Pokemon that pressure these wallbreakers. Blacephalon also enjoys Knock Off and Defog support, as the former from Pokemon like Weavile can weaken possible checks like Tapu Fini and Toxapex, while the latter from Tornadus-T and Corviknight ensures it doesn't get chipped if it tries to get into the field. Finally, Dragapult is an excellent teammate, forming the classic double Ghost core with Blacephalon that lets Dragapult to spam Shadow Ball to chip foes into range of a Blacephalon sweep. Dragapult also offers U-turn support, which gives Blacephalon the opportunity to get a KO early-game or force switches to gain momentum.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Windingsss, 477937]]
- Quality checked by: [[Clone, 218318], [Tysonslayer, 349443]]
- Grammar checked by: [[dex, 277988]
Last edited:
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