Bronzong
QC: Bouff / x / x
GP: x
[OVERVIEW]
* A great defensive typing with 9 resistances supported by a good ability and amazing bulk allow Bronzong to switch into many common threats, although it posses a weakness to common offensive typings such as Dark, Fire and Ghost.
* Sadly, Bronzong's offensive capabilities are limited, so it is very passive unless it runs an offensive Trick Room set.
* A Lack of recovery make it easy to wear down throughout the match.
* A weakness to the Dark-type allow common Pursuit trappers to remove it, which can open up holes in its team.
[SET]
name: Support
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Toxic / Earthquake
move 3: Protect / Psywave
move 4: Gyro Ball / Heavy Slam
item: Leftovers
ability: Levitate
nature: Sassy / Careful
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Stealth Rock is used to give entry hazard support to Bronzong's teammates.
* Toxic pressures common switch-ins such as Mandibuzz and Entei.
* Earthquake can be used to hit catch checks such as Chandelure and Infernape on the switch-in for immediate damage, and can OHKO Magneton attempting to trap it.
* Protect is useful as it allows Bronzong to gain an extra turn of Leftovers recovery, and helps with racking up Toxic damage.
* Gyro Ball is a Steel-type STAB move and lets Bronzong defeat Pokemon such as Mega Aerodactyl and Alakazam.
* Heavy Slam can be used over Gyro Ball to better take on bulky Fairy-types such as Togekiss, and beat Clefable and Sylveon.
* Psywave is an option with Heavy Slam and Toxic, as it lets Bronzong deal damage to common checks such as Swampert and Cobalion and gives it a bit more of an offensive presence.
Set Details
========
* Maximum Special Defense investment allows Bronzong to check Alakazam better, as it avoids the 2HKO from Life Orb Shadow Ball. If Stealth Rock are up, Bronzong will have to Protect to be out of range, though.
* Levitate lets Bronzong switch into Pokemon like Hippowdon with ease, and can even take on Nidos lacking Fire Blast.
* Other spreads can be used over the proposed one, as Bronzong can be customized to take on different threats to support its team better.
Usage Tips
========
* Bring Bronzong in on Pokemon that it walls such as Kyurem and Togekiss. Try to lay down Stealth Rock if possible. If you expect a defogger like Mandibuzz that beats Bronzong, but is susceptible to status, to enter the field, Toxic is a great option as well.
* Try to use Toxic to catch common Bronzong answers such as Entei and Hydreigon on the switch.
* You can also try to switch Bronzong in on Pokemon such as Latias, but they may carry coverage for it. Avoid getting worn down, but do not be afraid to use Bronzong.
* Do not let Bronzong's health get too low; as long as Bronzong can still switch in on a Pokemon that would typically try to beat its cleric partner, it can receive wishes to heal up again.
Team Options
========
* Clerics and Wish users such as Clefable and Alomomola are Bronzong's ideal partners. Although Bronzong does not mind volatile status conditions too much, it still appreciates Heal Bell support. As it does not have reliable recovery options, it would like to receive large Wishes to keep functioning properly.
* Pokemon that can absorb Knock Off are good partners for Bronzong. Cobalion can take advantage of getting hit by the move, and Fighting-type Z Move users such as Keldeo generally work well.
* Pursuit trappers help Bronzong out by removing Ghost-types such as Gengar and Chandelure from the game. Mega Aerodactyl and Krookodile are especially good partners, as they also threaten Fire-types that Bronzong is weak to and can switch into Knock Off in a pinch. They also benefit from Bronzong's ability to switch into Ice-type attacks.
* Bulky water-types such as Suicune, Volcanion and Mantine can absorb Fire-type attacks from Pokemon such as Entei and Infernape for Bronzong.
* Dragon-type Pokemon such as Hydreigon work well in tandem with Bronzong, as their weaknesses are to Fairy-, Ice and their own Dragon-type. Bronzong resists all of those, and they can take on Fire-types for Bronzong.
* Fairy-types such as Togekiss and Primarina offer a resist to Dark-types, and benefit from having Bronzong switch into Poison- and Steel-types such as Nidoking and Metagross for them. However, Bronzong must watch out for their coverage and needs an attack that allows it to beat them.
[SET]
name: Offensive Trick Room
move 1: Trick Room
move 2: Gyro Ball
move 3: Earthquake / Stealth Rock
move 4: Explosion
item: Life Orb
ability: Levitate
nature: Brave
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Trick Room creates an absurd condition under which the slower Pokemon moves first for a few turns.
* Gyro Ball's base power rises the slower the user is, so it makes for an ideal STAB move.
* Earthquake hits Fire- and Steel-types such as Entei and Cobalion super effectively.
* Explosion is used to get off one last, strong hit, and potentially break walls for its partners. It also gives Bronzong the option to set up Trick Room and KO itself to let one of its partners in safely, which can then make use of said Trick Room.
* Stealth Rock can be used instead of Earthquake if nothing else on the team carries them. However, this will severely limit Bronzong's offensive capabilities.
Set Details
========
* Maximum Attack is used to hit as hard as possible.
* Maximum HP allows Bronzong to set up Trick Room more easily.
* A Brave nature is used to be as slow as possible for both, Trick Room and Gyro Ball.
* A Life Orb boosts the damage output of all of Bronzong's attacks, which lets Earthquake OHKO Entei after Stealth Rock damage.
Usage Tips
========
* This set works best on offense teams.
* Find an opportunity to set Trick Room against one of the multitude of Pokemon that you wall. Be mindful of when you use Trick Room, though, as not all of your teammates will appreciate it and if the opponent posses a Pokemon that walls you, it can be a hindrance.
* Use Trick Room turns to deal as much damage as possible.
* If you do not think you can set Trick Room again in a match, use Explosion on its last turn to deal as much damage as possible and gain momentum.
* In match-ups where Bronzong is likely to be walled until the end, you can also set Trick Room and then use Explosion to allow another slow wallbreaker on your team to take advantage of it.
* If you are facing slower balance or stall teams, not using Explosion to have a lasting presence can be useful. Explosion should only be used if it is necessary to break walls for a teammate, or when Bronzong is unlikely to get another hit off.
Team Options
========
* Slow wallbreakers such as Crawdaunt and Conkeldurr are good partners as they can make use of Trick Room. However, unless you build a full team around the move with multiple Trick Room users, avoid on stacking too many slow wallbreakers together.
* Offensive Pokemon that do not mind scaldburns and checks Fire-types, such as Hydreigon and Keldeo, make for great partners.
* Answers to bulky Water-types like Suicune are appreciated. Raikou and Decidueye are good examples of this.
* Pursuit Trappers such as Krookodile can deal with bulky Psychic-types like Necrozma and fellow Bronzong.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
* Hypnosis can be used as it puts an opposing Pokemon to sleep, and as such gains at least one free turn. Its accuracy, however, is shaky.
* Heal Block prevents walls from healing up, which is especially useful in conjunction with Toxic.
* Grass Knot can serve as a lure to Pokemon such as Swampert and break them for teammates.
* Setup moves such as Light Screen, Reflect and Rain Dance are an option. Bronzong faces competition from Pokemon such as Klefki, though, and they are generally better at this job.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Water-types**: Many common Water-types can easily deal with Bronzong. Specially offensive Water-types such as Keldeo, Primarina and Mega Blastoise can hit it for massive damage, whereas physically offensive ones like Mega Sharpedo and Feraligatr can Crunch it. Bulkier Water-types such as Suicune, Empoleon, can either set up on Bronzong, or wear it down with Scald, as it can often not do much back. Swampert and Slowbro can also wear Bronzong down through use of Scald, but usually avoid it as they do not want to be hit by a Toxic.
**Fire-types*: While Pokemon such as Entei, Infernape and Chandelure do not enjoy switching into Bronzong's Earthquake, they can easily KO it.
**Ghost-types**: Pokemon such as Gengar and Decidueye can KO it with a STAB move. Doublade can even set up Swords Dances on it, as Earthquake is a 5HKO at best.
**Dark-types**: Krookodile can not just threaten Bronzong with a powerful Knock Off, but also Pursuit trap it. Hydreigon can easily switch in and fire off powerful Dark Pulses. Bisharp can also come in on non-Earthquake variants with ease and start setting up. Although it is unable to switch in safely, Mega Absol can either KO Bronzong with Knock Off or Pursuit trap it. Mandibuzz can switch in easily and defog away Bronzong's hazard, but must be wary of Toxic.
**Walls**: In general, walls can take on Bronzong well. Although it can Toxic them, it will not do much damage, and Pokemon like Blissey and Chesnaught can generally outlast it due to their recovery options.
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