[SET]
Stallbreaker (Hypno) @ Leftovers
Ability: Forewarn
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Seismic Toss
- Taunt
- Wish
- Protect
[SET COMMENTS]
Hypno's good defensive stats and access to the combination of Wish, Taunt, and Seismic Toss grant it a unique role as a stallbreaker and supporter. Seismic Toss allows Hypno to put out consistent damage with no offensive investment, and common Eviolite-reliant staples such as Clefairy and Mienfoo are hugely pressured by Seismic Toss's consistent 100 damage thanks to their low base HP and their inability to hit Hypno back significantly. Taunt locks down all sorts of utility or status aimed at Hypno as well as preventing the foe from healing manually, which is extremely valuable against opposing walls like Clefairy, Wormadam-S, and Hippopotas. Reliable recovery in Wish and Protect differentiates Hypno as a consistent stallbreaker, easily shrugging off weak hits from uninvested Pokemon and breaking them down with Taunt and Seismic Toss. Hypno's great HP stat accentuates the Wishes it passes to its teammates, restoring a large amount of health to recovery-lacking tanks like Muk and Lairon. This is in contrast to Leafeon and Clefairy that tend not to fit in Wish due to their much lower HP stats, resulting in measly recovery. Maximum HP and Defense is used to make Hypno take as little damage from stray physical hits as possible and notably allows it to stall Lairon's low Head Smash PP one-on-one. Higher Speed can be used to try to outrun staples like Solrock and Meganium, but this makes Hypno significantly less bulky. Forewarn is the ability of choice, as it can scout a foe's surprise offensive set, such as Leaf Storm Meganium, Overheat Simisear, or Explosion Solrock. Inner Focus is a viable alternative, allowing Hypno to ignore the annoying flinch chance from Solrock's Rock Slide or Persian's Fake Out. However, Hypno usually does not want to stay in against a faster Solrock for fear of Will-O Wisp, and Hypno can block Fake Out with Protect.
Hypno is best used on bulky offense and very defensive teams because of its supportive qualities and slower pace. Muk is an ideal partner; its tendency to trade quite heavily to make progress can be offset by Hypno's reliable Wish passing, and when Muk does not need to worry as much about its HP, it can focus entirely on breaking down the foe and trading for KO's. In turn, Muk can provide Hypno protection against item removal and a valuable immunity to poison, as Hypno's recovery is significantly less effective if it is statused. Walrein is an even more offensive tank that partners well with Hypno. Wish helps offset Walrein's weakness to Stealth Rock and penchant for using Substitute, which allows it to wreak havoc on the many teams that are only able to answer it once. Clefairy has strong synergy with Hypno as well. Magic Guard makes Clefairy a reliable switch-in to Will-O Wisp and Toxic, which would otherwise ruin Hypno's ability to stay healthy, let alone continuously pass Wishes. Clefairy's Knock Off is also particularly appreciated by Pokemon using Wish and Protect, as the turn spent by Hypno using Protect to receive its own Wish is a turn the foe could be accruing Leftovers healing, were it not for Clefairy. Lairon fulfills a team's mandate for Stealth Rock and a Normal-type resistance, but it is famously susceptible to being worn down due to a lack of recovery and is regularly placed on very offensive teams to compensate. Hypno is one of the few capable Wish users in the tier, shoring up Lairon's main flaw and allowing it to trade HP to set Stealth Rock and fire off Head Smashes. Hypno's passivity against faster offensive Pokemon such as Leafeon and Whiscash is notable, so Pokemon with anti-offense traits such as Persian, Emolga, and Leafeon make excellent partners. While they're somewhat uncommon, Hypno is entirely unable to damage Ghost-types with its standard moveset, so a reliable check to them such as the previously mentioned Muk, Meganium, or Pawniard should be considered.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Hypno is very reliant on all four of its moves to function, so it is very difficult to fit any other options. Psychic makes use of Hypno's STAB and alright Special Attack for solid all-around damage, but Hypno would sorely miss both the reliability and PP of Seismic Toss. Foul Play is a very strong move against physical attackers that could threaten setup, such as Leafeon and Whiscash, but it shares the same issues as Psychic and is even less consistent. Hypno could use Toxic or Thunder Wave over Taunt to spread status on offensive Pokemon attempting to take advantage of its passivity, but this makes Hypno more vulnerable to status itself and compromises its ability to threaten walls like Clefairy. Hypno has the coverage for a setup set with either Nasty Plot or Calm Mind as well as Trick for a Choice Scarf set, but any offensive set is entirely outclassed by Mr. Mime and Grumpig. Hypno could use a Belly Drum and Salac Berry set to catch opponents by surprise for a sweep, but this is easily revenge killed by most Choice Scarf users and priority moves like Fake Out.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Faster Status Inducers**: Faster Pokemon with status moves can go before Hypno's Taunt and threaten it with debilitating status. Solrock, Staryu, and Mienfoo are all regularly faster than Hypno and carry status moves, although investment into Speed can help Hypno mitigate some of these matchups.
**Offensive Pokemon with Recovery**: Hypno is relatively passive, so strong attackers with recovery are unbothered by Seismic Toss and can threaten Hypno out. Leafeon, Emolga, and Pelipper are examples of attackers that can easily offset Seismic Toss.
**Setup Sweepers**: Wish and Protect make Hypno very exploitable to setup. Pokemon like Calm Mind Grumpig, Coil Arbok, and Nasty Plot Raichu can come in on a predictable Wish or Protect to get their offense going.
**Ghost-types**: While Seismic Toss is reliable damage across the board, Hypno cannot hit Gastly, Lampent, and Frillish whatsoever while they threaten back with huge damage, setup, and status from Scald, respectively.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/monai.482455/#profile-post-comment-2774420
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/gangsta-spongebob.535530/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sleid.601970/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/a-blue-banana.649096/
Stallbreaker (Hypno) @ Leftovers
Ability: Forewarn
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Seismic Toss
- Taunt
- Wish
- Protect
[SET COMMENTS]
Hypno's good defensive stats and access to the combination of Wish, Taunt, and Seismic Toss grant it a unique role as a stallbreaker and supporter. Seismic Toss allows Hypno to put out consistent damage with no offensive investment, and common Eviolite-reliant staples such as Clefairy and Mienfoo are hugely pressured by Seismic Toss's consistent 100 damage thanks to their low base HP and their inability to hit Hypno back significantly. Taunt locks down all sorts of utility or status aimed at Hypno as well as preventing the foe from healing manually, which is extremely valuable against opposing walls like Clefairy, Wormadam-S, and Hippopotas. Reliable recovery in Wish and Protect differentiates Hypno as a consistent stallbreaker, easily shrugging off weak hits from uninvested Pokemon and breaking them down with Taunt and Seismic Toss. Hypno's great HP stat accentuates the Wishes it passes to its teammates, restoring a large amount of health to recovery-lacking tanks like Muk and Lairon. This is in contrast to Leafeon and Clefairy that tend not to fit in Wish due to their much lower HP stats, resulting in measly recovery. Maximum HP and Defense is used to make Hypno take as little damage from stray physical hits as possible and notably allows it to stall Lairon's low Head Smash PP one-on-one. Higher Speed can be used to try to outrun staples like Solrock and Meganium, but this makes Hypno significantly less bulky. Forewarn is the ability of choice, as it can scout a foe's surprise offensive set, such as Leaf Storm Meganium, Overheat Simisear, or Explosion Solrock. Inner Focus is a viable alternative, allowing Hypno to ignore the annoying flinch chance from Solrock's Rock Slide or Persian's Fake Out. However, Hypno usually does not want to stay in against a faster Solrock for fear of Will-O Wisp, and Hypno can block Fake Out with Protect.
Hypno is best used on bulky offense and very defensive teams because of its supportive qualities and slower pace. Muk is an ideal partner; its tendency to trade quite heavily to make progress can be offset by Hypno's reliable Wish passing, and when Muk does not need to worry as much about its HP, it can focus entirely on breaking down the foe and trading for KO's. In turn, Muk can provide Hypno protection against item removal and a valuable immunity to poison, as Hypno's recovery is significantly less effective if it is statused. Walrein is an even more offensive tank that partners well with Hypno. Wish helps offset Walrein's weakness to Stealth Rock and penchant for using Substitute, which allows it to wreak havoc on the many teams that are only able to answer it once. Clefairy has strong synergy with Hypno as well. Magic Guard makes Clefairy a reliable switch-in to Will-O Wisp and Toxic, which would otherwise ruin Hypno's ability to stay healthy, let alone continuously pass Wishes. Clefairy's Knock Off is also particularly appreciated by Pokemon using Wish and Protect, as the turn spent by Hypno using Protect to receive its own Wish is a turn the foe could be accruing Leftovers healing, were it not for Clefairy. Lairon fulfills a team's mandate for Stealth Rock and a Normal-type resistance, but it is famously susceptible to being worn down due to a lack of recovery and is regularly placed on very offensive teams to compensate. Hypno is one of the few capable Wish users in the tier, shoring up Lairon's main flaw and allowing it to trade HP to set Stealth Rock and fire off Head Smashes. Hypno's passivity against faster offensive Pokemon such as Leafeon and Whiscash is notable, so Pokemon with anti-offense traits such as Persian, Emolga, and Leafeon make excellent partners. While they're somewhat uncommon, Hypno is entirely unable to damage Ghost-types with its standard moveset, so a reliable check to them such as the previously mentioned Muk, Meganium, or Pawniard should be considered.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Hypno is very reliant on all four of its moves to function, so it is very difficult to fit any other options. Psychic makes use of Hypno's STAB and alright Special Attack for solid all-around damage, but Hypno would sorely miss both the reliability and PP of Seismic Toss. Foul Play is a very strong move against physical attackers that could threaten setup, such as Leafeon and Whiscash, but it shares the same issues as Psychic and is even less consistent. Hypno could use Toxic or Thunder Wave over Taunt to spread status on offensive Pokemon attempting to take advantage of its passivity, but this makes Hypno more vulnerable to status itself and compromises its ability to threaten walls like Clefairy. Hypno has the coverage for a setup set with either Nasty Plot or Calm Mind as well as Trick for a Choice Scarf set, but any offensive set is entirely outclassed by Mr. Mime and Grumpig. Hypno could use a Belly Drum and Salac Berry set to catch opponents by surprise for a sweep, but this is easily revenge killed by most Choice Scarf users and priority moves like Fake Out.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Faster Status Inducers**: Faster Pokemon with status moves can go before Hypno's Taunt and threaten it with debilitating status. Solrock, Staryu, and Mienfoo are all regularly faster than Hypno and carry status moves, although investment into Speed can help Hypno mitigate some of these matchups.
**Offensive Pokemon with Recovery**: Hypno is relatively passive, so strong attackers with recovery are unbothered by Seismic Toss and can threaten Hypno out. Leafeon, Emolga, and Pelipper are examples of attackers that can easily offset Seismic Toss.
**Setup Sweepers**: Wish and Protect make Hypno very exploitable to setup. Pokemon like Calm Mind Grumpig, Coil Arbok, and Nasty Plot Raichu can come in on a predictable Wish or Protect to get their offense going.
**Ghost-types**: While Seismic Toss is reliable damage across the board, Hypno cannot hit Gastly, Lampent, and Frillish whatsoever while they threaten back with huge damage, setup, and status from Scald, respectively.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/monai.482455/#profile-post-comment-2774420
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/gangsta-spongebob.535530/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sleid.601970/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/a-blue-banana.649096/
Last edited:
