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UU Chesnaught
- Thread starter Epikhairz
- Start date
hi
gp 1/2
Overview
########
Enter Chesnaught, one of the best bulkysSpikers in the metagame. Sporting an impressive base 122 Defense stat and a vast support movepool that includinges Spikes, Leech Seed, and Spiky Shield, Chesnaught is one of the best when it comes to walling physical threats. It also has a unique ability in Bulletproof, which helps it shut down select threats such as Roserade without Hidden Power Fire. However, while Chesnaught's Defense stat is massive, its Special Defense is quite the opposite, and Chesnaught will often find itself hard pressed to deal with themspecial attackers. Finally, Chesnaught is slow and will constantly find itself being outsped by offensive threats.
Defensive Spikes
########
name: Defensive Spikes
move 1: Leech Seed
move 2: Synthesis / Spiky Shield
move 3: Spikes
move 4: Wood Hammer
ability: Bulletproof
item: Leftovers / Rocky Helmet
evs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
nature: Impish
Moves
========
This is Chesnaught's bread-and-butter set, and the one you will most likely be seeing on the UU ladder. Leech Seed is an important move for Chesnaught, as it allows Chesnaught to gain additional recovery while wearing opponents down. For the second moveslot, Synthesis is great for Chesnaught to gain immediate recovery, as it gets worn down quite easily; however,, though Spiky Shield can also be used to stall with Leech Seed and scout the opponent's team. Spikes is essential on this set, as Chesnaught will be laying them down in its free turns and can cause the opponent to rack up some serious damage over time. Finally, Wood Hammer allows Chesnaught to do direct damage and deal with the plethora of common Water-types in the tier. However, Hammer Arm can be used over Wood Hammer to hit the Steel-types in the tier, as well as not take recoil damage.
Set Details
========
The EVs in this set maximize Chesnaught's physical bulk, allowing it to wall many physical attackers with relative ease. Leftovers is used for passive recovery and allows Chesnaught to heal a significant amount of HP when stacked with Leech Seed recovery. However, a Rocky Helmet can also be used;because Chesnaught will be walling physical attackers most of the time, it can do a lot of recoil damage to them. It also allows Chesnaught to punish Knock Off users with recoil damage. Finally, as stated in the Overview, Bulletproof is a great ability for shutting down select threats like Roserade without Hidden Power Fire and should be used over Overgrow at all times because of this.
Usage Tips
========
When switching in Chesnaught, make sure it switches in on something it can comfortably wall, of course. On the first turn, it is generally safe to use Leech Seed unless something immune to it is switching in because when Leech Seed is set down successfully, Chesnaught can get passive recovery and even pass it on to a teammate if it chooses to switch out. If Chesnaught is low on HP when it switches in, it could also use Synthesis on that first turn as well to immediately get its HP back up. If something immune to Leech Seed is expected to switch in, Spikes can be used if it's still early- or mid-game.
If unsure of what an opponent is going to do or what set its running, you can use Spiky Shield to scout the opponent and determine your next move accordingly. Also,whenif Chesnaught does walls the opponent, set down Spikes if it's still early- or mid-game and attack afterwards, using Synthesis to heal when necessary.
Team Options
========
Because Chesnaught's Special Defense is so low, it's a good idea to have a special wall as a teammate to sponge special attacks. Bulky Water-typeslikesuch as Slowbro and Suicune are also good teammates as they can cover some of Chesnaught's weaknesses, such as Fire and Ice. SinceAs entry hazards wear down Chesnaught significantly, a hazard remover is good to have for removing them. Rhyperior and other Rock-types can help deal with the Flying-type weakness that Chesnaught loathes, as can physically defensive Zapdos. Finally, cleric support from Pokemon likesuch as Florges and Umbreon or having a status absorber like Starmie is great for keeping status away from Chesnaught because it hates Toxic, and burns to a lesser extent.
Other Options
########
Toxic can be used because as a wall, this can be used to wear down opponents significantly and wear down other walls. Substitute can also be used in conjunction with Leech Seed for a SubSeed set. Stone Edge can also be used to hit Flying-types on the switch. Chesnaught has a variety of boosting moves that it could use, such as Bulk Up, Curse, and Belly Drum, though Chesnaught's poor Speed and Special Defense leaves it prone to being revenge killed. Roar can be used to phaze things that have accumulated too many boosts or are just troublesome, while Taunt can shut down other walls. Finally, a specially defensive EV spread with an Impish nature can be used to deal with some Water-types better.
Checks & Counters
########
**Flying-types**: Flying-types are easily the best counters that there are to Chesnaught, as they can attack with a 4x super effective STAB attack, as well asnd they resist both of Chesnaught's STAB attacks. Examples of good Flying-types in the metagame include Crobat and Thundurus-T.
**Special Attackers**: Special attackers can take advantage of Chesnaught's mediocre Special Defense and are generally good at keeping Chesnaught in check.
**Taunt**: Taunt is bothersome for Chesnaught as it will prevent Chesnaught from using moves from its amazing support movepool and force it to rely on one of its STAB attacks. This makes Chesnaught significantly easier to handle, and it will allow other Pokemon to switch in without fearing Chesnaught healing with Synthesis or using Leech Seed.
**Status**: There are two kinds of status ailments that Chesnaught absolutely hates: poison and burn. Toxic will prevent Chesnaught from staying in and walling other Pokemon, while burns will weaken Chesnaught's STAB attacks significantly and leave it with no offensive presence whatsoever.
**Grass-types**: Grass-types can be a nuisance for Chesnaught, since they are immune to Leech Seed, and most either have coverage to take down Chesnaught or can set up in its face. Pokemon that have a Grass / Ghost typing such as Gourgeist do especially well against Chesnaught as it is immune to Fighting while resisting Grass, and Gourgeist can also burn it with Will-O-Wisp.
**Fire-types**: Fire-types such as Darmanitan, Victini, and Chandelure usually have no trouble taking down Chesnaught with their super effective STAB attacks. They also resist Wood Hammer. However, as many common Fire-types wield Choice items, they can easily be scouted with Spiky Shield.
########
Enter Chesnaught, one of the best bulky
Defensive Spikes
########
name: Defensive Spikes
move 1: Leech Seed
move 2: Synthesis / Spiky Shield
move 3: Spikes
move 4: Wood Hammer
ability: Bulletproof
item: Leftovers / Rocky Helmet
evs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
nature: Impish
Moves
========
This is Chesnaught's bread-and-butter set, and the one you will most likely be seeing on the UU ladder. Leech Seed is an important move for Chesnaught, as it allows Chesnaught to gain additional recovery while wearing opponents down. For the second moveslot, Synthesis is great for Chesnaught to gain immediate recovery, as it gets worn down quite easily
Set Details
========
The EVs in this set maximize Chesnaught's physical bulk, allowing it to wall many physical attackers with relative ease. Leftovers is used for passive recovery and allows Chesnaught to heal a significant amount of HP when stacked with Leech Seed recovery. However, a Rocky Helmet can also be used;
Usage Tips
========
When switching in Chesnaught, make sure it switches in on something it can comfortably wall
If unsure of what an opponent is going to do or what set its running, you can use Spiky Shield to scout the opponent and determine your next move accordingly. Also,
Team Options
========
Because Chesnaught's Special Defense is so low, it's a good idea to have a special wall as a teammate to sponge special attacks. Bulky Water-types
Other Options
########
Toxic can be used because as a wall, this can be used to wear down opponents significantly and wear down other walls. Substitute can also be used in conjunction with Leech Seed for a SubSeed set. Stone Edge can also be used to hit Flying-types on the switch. Chesnaught has a variety of boosting moves that it could use, such as Bulk Up, Curse, and Belly Drum, though Chesnaught's poor Speed and Special Defense leaves it prone to being revenge killed. Roar can be used to phaze things that have accumulated too many boosts or are just troublesome, while Taunt can shut down other walls. Finally, a specially defensive EV spread with an Impish nature can be used to deal with some Water-types better.
Checks & Counters
########
**Flying-types**: Flying-types are easily the best counters that there are to Chesnaught, as they can attack with a 4x super effective STAB attack, a
**Special Attackers**: Special attackers can take advantage of Chesnaught's mediocre Special Defense and are generally good at keeping Chesnaught in check.
**Taunt**: Taunt is bothersome for Chesnaught as it will prevent Chesnaught from using moves from its amazing support movepool and force it to rely on one of its STAB attacks. This makes Chesnaught significantly easier to handle, and it will allow other Pokemon to switch in without fearing Chesnaught healing with Synthesis or using Leech Seed.
**Status**: There are two kinds of status ailments that Chesnaught absolutely hates: poison and burn. Toxic will prevent Chesnaught from staying in and walling other Pokemon, while burns will weaken Chesnaught's STAB attacks significantly and leave it with no offensive presence whatsoever.
**Grass-types**: Grass-types can be a nuisance for Chesnaught, since they are immune to Leech Seed, and most either have coverage to take down Chesnaught or can set up in its face. Pokemon that have a Grass / Ghost typing such as Gourgeist do especially well against Chesnaught as it is immune to Fighting while resisting Grass, and Gourgeist can also burn it with Will-O-Wisp.
**Fire-types**: Fire-types such as Darmanitan, Victini, and Chandelure usually have no trouble taking down Chesnaught with their super effective STAB attacks. They also resist Wood Hammer. However, as many common Fire-types wield Choice items, they can easily be scouted with Spiky Shield.
Overview
########
Enter Chesnaught, one of the best bulky Spikers in the metagame. Sporting an impressive base 122 Defense stat and a vast support movepool that includes Spikes, Leech Seed, and Spiky Shield, Chesnaught is one of the best when it comes to walling physical threats. It also has a unique ability in Bulletproof, which helps it shut down select threats such as Roserade without Hidden Power Fire. However, while Chesnaught's Defense stat is massive, its Special Defense is quite the opposite, and Chesnaught will often find itself hard pressed to deal with special attackers. Finally, Chesnaught is slow and will constantly find itself being outsped by offensive threats.
Defensive Spikes
########
name: Defensive Spikes
move 1: Leech Seed
move 2: Synthesis / Spiky Shield
move 3: Spikes
move 4: Wood Hammer
ability: Bulletproof
item: Leftovers / Rocky Helmet
evs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
nature: Impish
Moves
========
This is Chesnaught's bread-and-butter set, and the one you will most likely be seeing on the UU ladder. Leech Seed is an important move for Chesnaught, as it allows Chesnaught to gain additional recovery while wearing opponents down. For the second moveslot, Synthesis is great for Chesnaught to gain immediate recovery, as it gets worn down quite easily, though Spiky Shield can also be used to stall with Leech Seed and scout the opponent's team. Spikes is essential on this set, as Chesnaught will be laying them down in its free turns and can cause the opponent to rack up some serious damage over time. Finally, Wood Hammer allows Chesnaught to do direct damage and deal with the plethora of common Water-types in the tier. However, Hammer Arm can be used over Wood Hammer to hit the Steel-types in the tier, as well as not take recoil damage.
Set Details
========
The EVs in this set maximize Chesnaught's physical bulk, allowing it to wall many physical attackers with relative ease. Leftovers is used for passive recovery and allows Chesnaught to heal a significant amount of HP when stacked with Leech Seed recovery. However, a Rocky Helmet can also be used; as Chesnaught will be walling physical attackers most of the time, it can do a lot of recoil damage to them. It also allows Chesnaught to punish Knock Off users with recoil damage. Finally, as stated in the Overview, Bulletproof is a great ability for shutting down select threats like Roserade without Hidden Power Fire and should be used over Overgrow at all times because of this.
Usage Tips
========
When switching in Chesnaught, make sure it switches in on something it can comfortably wall. On the first turn, it is generally safe to use Leech Seed unless something immune to it is switching in because when Leech Seed is set down successfully, Chesnaught can get passive recovery and even pass it on to a teammate if it chooses to switch out. If Chesnaught is low on HP when it switches in, it could also use Synthesis on that first turn as well to immediately get its HP back up. If something immune to Leech Seed is expected to switch in, Spikes can be used if it's still early- or mid-game.
If unsure of what an opponent is going to do or what set its running, you can use Spiky Shield to scout the opponent and determine your next move accordingly. Also, if Chesnaught walls the opponent, set down Spikes if it's still early- or mid-game and attack afterwards, using Synthesis to heal when necessary.
Team Options
========
Because Chesnaught's Special Defense is so low, it's a good idea to have a special wall as a teammate to sponge special attacks. Bulky Water-types such as Slowbro and Suicune are also good teammates as they can cover some of Chesnaught's weaknesses, such as Fire and Ice. As entry hazards wear down Chesnaught significantly, a hazard remover is good to have for removing them. Rhyperior and other Rock-types can help deal with the Flying-type weakness that Chesnaught loathes, as can physically defensive Zapdos. Finally, cleric support from Pokemon such as Florges and Umbreon or having a status absorber like Starmie is great for keeping status away from Chesnaught because it hates Toxic, and burns to a lesser extent.
Other Options
########
Toxic can be used because as a wall, this can be used to wear down opponents significantly and wear down other walls. Substitute can also be used in conjunction with Leech Seed for a SubSeed set. Stone Edge can also be used to hit Flying-types on the switch. Chesnaught has a variety of boosting moves that it could use, such as Bulk Up, Curse, and Belly Drum, though Chesnaught's poor Speed and Special Defense leaves it prone to being revenge killed. Roar can be used to phaze things that have accumulated too many boosts or are just troublesome, while Taunt can shut down other walls. Finally, a specially defensive EV spread with an Impish nature can be used to deal with some Water-types better.
Checks & Counters
########
**Flying-types**: Flying-types are easily the best counters that there are to Chesnaught, as they can attack with a 4x super effective STAB attack, and they resist both of Chesnaught's STAB attacks. Examples of good Flying-types in the metagame include Crobat and Thundurus-T.
**Special Attackers**: Special attackers can take advantage of Chesnaught's mediocre Special Defense and are generally good at keeping Chesnaught in check.
**Taunt**: Taunt is bothersome for Chesnaught as it will prevent Chesnaught from using moves from its amazing support movepool and force it to rely on one of its STAB attacks. This makes Chesnaught significantly easier to handle, and it will allow other Pokemon to switch in without fearing Chesnaught healing with Synthesis or using Leech Seed.
**Status**: There are two kinds of status ailments that Chesnaught absolutely hates: poison and burn. Toxic will prevent Chesnaught from staying in and walling other Pokemon, while burns will weaken Chesnaught's STAB attacks significantly and leave it with no offensive presence whatsoever.
**Grass-types**: Grass-types can be a nuisance for Chesnaught, since they are immune to Leech Seed, and most either have coverage to take down Chesnaught or can set up in its face. Pokemon that have a Grass / Ghost typing such as Gourgeist do especially well against Chesnaught as it is immune to Fighting while resisting Grass, and Gourgeist can also burn it with Will-O-Wisp.
**Fire-types**: Fire-types such as Darmanitan, Victini, and Chandelure usually have no trouble taking down Chesnaught with their super effective STAB attacks. They also resist Wood Hammer. However, as many common Fire-types wield Choice items, they can easily be scouted with Spiky Shield.
########
Enter Chesnaught, one of the best bulky Spikers in the metagame. Sporting an impressive base 122 Defense stat and a vast support movepool that includes Spikes, Leech Seed, and Spiky Shield, Chesnaught is one of the best when it comes to walling physical threats. It also has a unique ability in Bulletproof, which helps it shut down select threats such as Roserade without Hidden Power Fire. However, while Chesnaught's Defense stat is massive, its Special Defense is quite the opposite, and Chesnaught will often find itself hard pressed to deal with special attackers. Finally, Chesnaught is slow and will constantly find itself being outsped by offensive threats.
Defensive Spikes
########
name: Defensive Spikes
move 1: Leech Seed
move 2: Synthesis / Spiky Shield
move 3: Spikes
move 4: Wood Hammer
ability: Bulletproof
item: Leftovers / Rocky Helmet
evs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
nature: Impish
Moves
========
This is Chesnaught's bread-and-butter set, and the one you will most likely be seeing on the UU ladder. Leech Seed is an important move for Chesnaught, as it allows Chesnaught to gain additional recovery while wearing opponents down. For the second moveslot, Synthesis is great for Chesnaught to gain immediate recovery, as it gets worn down quite easily, though Spiky Shield can also be used to stall with Leech Seed and scout the opponent's team. Spikes is essential on this set, as Chesnaught will be laying them down in its free turns and can cause the opponent to rack up some serious damage over time. Finally, Wood Hammer allows Chesnaught to do direct damage and deal with the plethora of common Water-types in the tier. However, Hammer Arm can be used over Wood Hammer to hit the Steel-types in the tier, as well as not take recoil damage.
Set Details
========
The EVs in this set maximize Chesnaught's physical bulk, allowing it to wall many physical attackers with relative ease. Leftovers is used for passive recovery and allows Chesnaught to heal a significant amount of HP when stacked with Leech Seed recovery. However, a Rocky Helmet can also be used; as Chesnaught will be walling physical attackers most of the time, it can do a lot of recoil damage to them. It also allows Chesnaught to punish Knock Off users with recoil damage. Finally, as stated in the Overview, Bulletproof is a great ability for shutting down select threats like Roserade without Hidden Power Fire and should be used over Overgrow at all times because of this.
Usage Tips
========
When switching in Chesnaught, make sure it switches in on something it can comfortably wall. On the first turn, it is generally safe to use Leech Seed unless something immune to it is switching in because when Leech Seed is set down successfully, Chesnaught can get passive recovery and even pass it on to a teammate if it chooses to switch out. If Chesnaught is low on HP when it switches in, it could also use Synthesis on that first turn as well to immediately get its HP back up. If something immune to Leech Seed is expected to switch in, Spikes can be used if it's still early- or mid-game.
If unsure of what an opponent is going to do or what set its running, you can use Spiky Shield to scout the opponent and determine your next move accordingly. Also, if Chesnaught walls the opponent, set down Spikes if it's still early- or mid-game and attack afterwards, using Synthesis to heal when necessary.
Team Options
========
Because Chesnaught's Special Defense is so low, it's a good idea to have a special wall as a teammate to sponge special attacks. Bulky Water-types such as Slowbro and Suicune are also good teammates as they can cover some of Chesnaught's weaknesses, such as Fire and Ice. As entry hazards wear down Chesnaught significantly, a hazard remover is good to have for removing them. Rhyperior and other Rock-types can help deal with the Flying-type weakness that Chesnaught loathes, as can physically defensive Zapdos. Finally, cleric support from Pokemon such as Florges and Umbreon or having a status absorber like Starmie is great for keeping status away from Chesnaught because it hates Toxic, and burns to a lesser extent.
Other Options
########
Toxic can be used because as a wall, this can be used to wear down opponents significantly and wear down other walls. Substitute can also be used in conjunction with Leech Seed for a SubSeed set. Stone Edge can also be used to hit Flying-types on the switch. Chesnaught has a variety of boosting moves that it could use, such as Bulk Up, Curse, and Belly Drum, though Chesnaught's poor Speed and Special Defense leaves it prone to being revenge killed. Roar can be used to phaze things that have accumulated too many boosts or are just troublesome, while Taunt can shut down other walls. Finally, a specially defensive EV spread with an Impish nature can be used to deal with some Water-types better.
Checks & Counters
########
**Flying-types**: Flying-types are easily the best counters that there are to Chesnaught, as they can attack with a 4x super effective STAB attack, and they resist both of Chesnaught's STAB attacks. Examples of good Flying-types in the metagame include Crobat and Thundurus-T.
**Special Attackers**: Special attackers can take advantage of Chesnaught's mediocre Special Defense and are generally good at keeping Chesnaught in check.
**Taunt**: Taunt is bothersome for Chesnaught as it will prevent Chesnaught from using moves from its amazing support movepool and force it to rely on one of its STAB attacks. This makes Chesnaught significantly easier to handle, and it will allow other Pokemon to switch in without fearing Chesnaught healing with Synthesis or using Leech Seed.
**Status**: There are two kinds of status ailments that Chesnaught absolutely hates: poison and burn. Toxic will prevent Chesnaught from staying in and walling other Pokemon, while burns will weaken Chesnaught's STAB attacks significantly and leave it with no offensive presence whatsoever.
**Grass-types**: Grass-types can be a nuisance for Chesnaught, since they are immune to Leech Seed, and most either have coverage to take down Chesnaught or can set up in its face. Pokemon that have a Grass / Ghost typing such as Gourgeist do especially well against Chesnaught as it is immune to Fighting while resisting Grass, and Gourgeist can also burn it with Will-O-Wisp.
**Fire-types**: Fire-types such as Darmanitan, Victini, and Chandelure usually have no trouble taking down Chesnaught with their super effective STAB attacks. They also resist Wood Hammer. However, as many common Fire-types wield Choice items, they can easily be scouted with Spiky Shield.
Last edited:
Epikhairz
REMOVE CHANGE COMMENTS
2/2
REMOVE CHANGE COMMENTS
Overview
########
Enter Chesnaught, one of the best bulky Spikers in the metagame. Sporting an impressive base 122 Defense stat and a vast support movepool that includes Spikes, Leech Seed, and Spiky Shield, Chesnaught is one of the best when it comes to walling physical threats. It also has a unique ability in Bulletproof, which helps it shut down select threats such as Roserade without Hidden Power Fire. However, while Chesnaught's Defense stat is massive, its Special Defense is quite the opposite, and Chesnaught will often find itself hard-pressed to deal with special attackers. Finally, Chesnaught is slow and will constantly find itself being outsped by offensive threats. Good concise overview imo no fluff gj
Defensive Spikes
########
name: Defensive Spikes
move 1: Leech Seed
move 2: Synthesis / Spiky Shield
move 3: Spikes
move 4: Wood Hammer
ability: Bulletproof
item: Leftovers / Rocky Helmet
evs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
nature: Impish
Moves
========
This is Chesnaught's bread-and-butter set, and the one you will most likely be seeing on the UU ladder. Leech Seed is an important move for Chesnaught, as it allows Chesnaught to gain additional recovery while wearing opponents down. For the second moveslot, Synthesis is great for Chesnaught to gain immediate recovery, as it gets worn down quite easily, though Spiky Shield can also be used to stall with Leech Seed and scout the opponent's team. Spikes is essential on this set, as Chesnaught will be laying them down in its free turns and can cause the opponent to rack up some serious damage over time. Finally, Wood Hammer allows Chesnaught to do direct damage and deal with the plethora of common Water-types in the tier. However, Hammer Arm can be used over Wood Hammer to hit the Steel-types in the tier, as well as not take recoil damage.
Set Details
========
The EVs in this set maximize Chesnaught's physical bulk, allowing it to wall many physical attackers with relative ease. Leftovers is used for passive recovery and allows Chesnaught to heal a significant amount of HP when stacked with Leech Seed recovery. However, a Rocky Helmet can also be used; as Chesnaught will be walling physical attackers most of the time, it can do a lot of recoil damage to them. It also allows Chesnaught to punish Knock Off users with recoil damage. Finally, as previously stated in the Overview, Bulletproof is a great ability for shutting down select threats like Roserade without Hidden Power Fire and should be used over Overgrow at all times because of this.
Usage Tips
========
When switching in Chesnaught, make sure it switches in on something it can comfortably wall. On the first turn, it is generally safe to use Leech Seed unless something immune to it is switching in because when Leech Seed is set down successfully, Chesnaught can get passive recovery and even pass it on to a teammate if it chooses to switch out. If Chesnaught is low on HP when it switches in, it could also use Synthesis on that first turn as well to immediately get its HP back up. If something immune to Leech Seed is expected to switch in, Spikes can be used if it's still early- or mid-game.
If unsure of what an opponent is going to do or what set its running, you can use Spiky Shield to scout the opponent and determine your next move accordingly. Also, if Chesnaught walls the opponent, set down Spikes if it's still early- or mid-game and attack afterwards, using Synthesis to heal when necessary.
Team Options
========
Because Chesnaught's Special Defense is so low, it's a good idea to have a special wall as a teammate to sponge special attacks. Bulky Water-types such as Slowbro and Suicune are also good teammates as they can cover some of Chesnaught's weaknesses, such as Fire and Ice. As entry hazards wear down Chesnaught significantly, a hazard remover is good to have for removing them. Rhyperior and other Rock-types can help deal with the Flying-type weakness that Chesnaught loathes, as can physically defensive Zapdos. Finally, cleric support from Pokemon such as Florges and Umbreon or having a status absorber like Starmie is great for keeping status away from Chesnaught because it hates Toxic, and burns to a lesser extent.
Other Options
########
Toxic can be used because as a wall, this can be used to wear down opponents significantly and wear down other walls. Substitute can also be used in conjunction with Leech Seed for a SubSeed set. Stone Edge can also be used to hit Flying-types on the switch. Chesnaught has a variety of boosting moves that it could use, such as Bulk Up, Curse, and Belly Drum, though Chesnaught's poor Speed and Special Defense leaves it prone to being revenge killed. Roar can be used to phaze things that have accumulated too many boosts or are just troublesome, while Taunt can shut down other walls. Finally, a specially defensive EV spread with an Impish nature can be used to deal with some Water-types better. such as
Checks & Counters
########
**Flying-types**: Flying-types are easily the best counters that there are to Chesnaught, as they can attack with a 4x super effective STAB attack, (RC) and they resist both of Chesnaught's STAB attacks. Examples of good Flying-types in the metagame include Crobat and Thundurus-T.
**Special Attackers**: Special attackers can take advantage of Chesnaught's mediocre Special Defense and are generally good at keeping Chesnaught in check.
**Taunt**: Taunt is bothersome for Chesnaught as it will prevent Chesnaught from using moves from its amazing support movepool and force it to rely on one of its STAB attacks. This makes Chesnaught significantly easier to handle, and it will allow other Pokemon to switch in without fearing Chesnaught healing with Synthesis or using Leech Seed.
**Status**: There are two kinds of status ailments that Chesnaught absolutely hates: poison and burn. Toxic will prevent Chesnaught from staying in and walling other Pokemon, while burns will weaken Chesnaught's STAB attacks significantly and leave it with no offensive presence whatsoever.
**Grass-types**: Grass-types can be a nuisance for Chesnaught, since as they are immune to Leech Seed, and most either have coverage to take down Chesnaught or can set up in its face. Pokemon that have a Grass / Ghost typing such as Gourgeist do especially well against Chesnaught as it is they are immune to Fighting while resisting Grass, and Gourgeist can also burn it with Will-O-Wisp.
**Fire-types**: Fire-types such as Darmanitan, Victini, and Chandelure usually have no trouble taking down Chesnaught with their super effective STAB attacks. They also resist Wood Hammer. However, as many common Fire-types wield Choice items, they can easily be scouted with Spiky Shield.
########
Enter Chesnaught, one of the best bulky Spikers in the metagame. Sporting an impressive base 122 Defense stat and a vast support movepool that includes Spikes, Leech Seed, and Spiky Shield, Chesnaught is one of the best when it comes to walling physical threats. It also has a unique ability in Bulletproof, which helps it shut down select threats such as Roserade without Hidden Power Fire. However, while Chesnaught's Defense stat is massive, its Special Defense is quite the opposite, and Chesnaught will often find itself hard-pressed to deal with special attackers. Finally, Chesnaught is slow and will constantly find itself being outsped by offensive threats. Good concise overview imo no fluff gj
Defensive Spikes
########
name: Defensive Spikes
move 1: Leech Seed
move 2: Synthesis / Spiky Shield
move 3: Spikes
move 4: Wood Hammer
ability: Bulletproof
item: Leftovers / Rocky Helmet
evs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
nature: Impish
Moves
========
This is Chesnaught's bread-and-butter set, and the one you will most likely be seeing on the UU ladder. Leech Seed is an important move for Chesnaught, as it allows Chesnaught to gain additional recovery while wearing opponents down. For the second moveslot, Synthesis is great for Chesnaught to gain immediate recovery, as it gets worn down quite easily, though Spiky Shield can also be used to stall with Leech Seed and scout the opponent's team. Spikes is essential on this set, as Chesnaught will be laying them down in its free turns and can cause the opponent to rack up some serious damage over time. Finally, Wood Hammer allows Chesnaught to do direct damage and deal with the plethora of common Water-types in the tier. However, Hammer Arm can be used over Wood Hammer to hit the Steel-types in the tier, as well as not take recoil damage.
Set Details
========
The EVs in this set maximize Chesnaught's physical bulk, allowing it to wall many physical attackers with relative ease. Leftovers is used for passive recovery and allows Chesnaught to heal a significant amount of HP when stacked with Leech Seed recovery. However, a Rocky Helmet can also be used; as Chesnaught will be walling physical attackers most of the time, it can do a lot of recoil damage to them. It also allows Chesnaught to punish Knock Off users with recoil damage. Finally, as previously stated in the Overview, Bulletproof is a great ability for shutting down select threats like Roserade without Hidden Power Fire and should be used over Overgrow at all times because of this.
Usage Tips
========
When switching in Chesnaught, make sure it switches in on something it can comfortably wall. On the first turn, it is generally safe to use Leech Seed unless something immune to it is switching in because when Leech Seed is set down successfully, Chesnaught can get passive recovery and even pass it on to a teammate if it chooses to switch out. If Chesnaught is low on HP when it switches in, it could also use Synthesis on that first turn as well to immediately get its HP back up. If something immune to Leech Seed is expected to switch in, Spikes can be used if it's still early- or mid-game.
If unsure of what an opponent is going to do or what set its running, you can use Spiky Shield to scout the opponent and determine your next move accordingly. Also, if Chesnaught walls the opponent, set down Spikes if it's still early- or mid-game and attack afterwards, using Synthesis to heal when necessary.
Team Options
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Because Chesnaught's Special Defense is so low, it's a good idea to have a special wall as a teammate to sponge special attacks. Bulky Water-types such as Slowbro and Suicune are also good teammates as they can cover some of Chesnaught's weaknesses, such as Fire and Ice. As entry hazards wear down Chesnaught significantly, a hazard remover is good to have for removing them. Rhyperior and other Rock-types can help deal with the Flying-type weakness that Chesnaught loathes, as can physically defensive Zapdos. Finally, cleric support from Pokemon such as Florges and Umbreon or having a status absorber like Starmie is great for keeping status away from Chesnaught because it hates Toxic, and burns to a lesser extent.
Other Options
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Toxic can be used because as a wall, this can be used to wear down opponents significantly and wear down other walls. Substitute can also be used in conjunction with Leech Seed for a SubSeed set. Stone Edge can also be used to hit Flying-types on the switch. Chesnaught has a variety of boosting moves that it could use, such as Bulk Up, Curse, and Belly Drum, though Chesnaught's poor Speed and Special Defense leaves it prone to being revenge killed. Roar can be used to phaze things that have accumulated too many boosts or are just troublesome, while Taunt can shut down other walls. Finally, a specially defensive EV spread with an Impish nature can be used to deal with some Water-types better. such as
Checks & Counters
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**Flying-types**: Flying-types are easily the best counters that there are to Chesnaught, as they can attack with a 4x super effective STAB attack, (RC) and they resist both of Chesnaught's STAB attacks. Examples of good Flying-types in the metagame include Crobat and Thundurus-T.
**Special Attackers**: Special attackers can take advantage of Chesnaught's mediocre Special Defense and are generally good at keeping Chesnaught in check.
**Taunt**: Taunt is bothersome for Chesnaught as it will prevent Chesnaught from using moves from its amazing support movepool and force it to rely on one of its STAB attacks. This makes Chesnaught significantly easier to handle, and it will allow other Pokemon to switch in without fearing Chesnaught healing with Synthesis or using Leech Seed.
**Status**: There are two kinds of status ailments that Chesnaught absolutely hates: poison and burn. Toxic will prevent Chesnaught from staying in and walling other Pokemon, while burns will weaken Chesnaught's STAB attacks significantly and leave it with no offensive presence whatsoever.
**Grass-types**: Grass-types can be a nuisance for Chesnaught, since as they are immune to Leech Seed, and most either have coverage to take down Chesnaught or can set up in its face. Pokemon that have a Grass / Ghost typing such as Gourgeist do especially well against Chesnaught as it is they are immune to Fighting while resisting Grass, and Gourgeist can also burn it with Will-O-Wisp.
**Fire-types**: Fire-types such as Darmanitan, Victini, and Chandelure usually have no trouble taking down Chesnaught with their super effective STAB attacks. They also resist Wood Hammer. However, as many common Fire-types wield Choice items, they can easily be scouted with Spiky Shield.
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