[OVERVIEW]
Thwackey is one of NFE's top wallbreakers, pivots, and cleaners, and it's a staple for offensive teams. Whether it runs Choice Band to immediately empower its moves or Swords Dance to make it even scarier to switch into, its threatening Grassy Terrain-powered attacks like the powerful Wood Hammer and priority move in Grassy Glide can decimate teams without a Grass-resistant Pokemon, and even Grass-resistant Pokemon do not appreciate its utility in Knock Off and U-turn. Unlike most wallbreakers, Thwackey's Grassy Glide also enables it to pick off faster wallbreakers like Frogadier and Pikachu, and its Grassy Surge ability also provides valuable healing for offensive and defensive Pokemon that need recovery, like Pignite and Tinkatuff. However, Thwackey can struggle to bypass Grass-resistant checks like Tinkatuff and Ivysaur due to relying on its utility moves for coverage. Outside of Grassy Terrain, its merely good Speed leaves it vulnerable to getting picked off by faster attackers like Frogadier and Drakloak.
[SET]
Choice Band (Thwackey) @ Choice Band
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Grassy Glide
- Knock Off
- U-turn
- Wood Hammer
[SET COMMENTS]
Choice Band Thwackey is one of the best wallbreakers in the metagame, compressing priority, pivoting, and utility in one team slot. Grassy Glide is Thwackey's calling card, picking off faster revenge killers like Frogadier and Pikachu. Knock Off creates progress against foes resistant to its STAB moves like Monferno and Koffing, helping out teammates like Vigoroth and Pignite. U-turn lets Thwackey pivot out from unfavorable matchups like Tinkatuff and Pignite. Wood Hammer is its strongest STAB option and is strong enough to 2HKO Dunsparce and OHKO Misdreavus after Stealth Rock. An Adamant nature is needed to achieve these breakpoints, as these damage breakthroughs otherwise would be more difficult to achieve.
Thwackey fits on a variety of builds, from balanced to offensive builds, and partners well with multiple Pokemon. Quaxwell stands out as one of Thwackey's best partners, checking Fire-types and providing Flip Turn support to create a pivoting core. Fast revenge killers like Monferno and Drakloak can be similarly effective in forming pivoting cores. Walls like Misdreavus and Tinkatuff can spread paralysis and initiate progress through chipping threats down such as opposing Misdreavus and Clefairy with Night Shade and Knock Off, respectively; Tinkatuff also checks Poison-types. In return, Thwackey forces out Ground-types like Gabite and Piloswine and weakens Ground-type attacks. Cleaners like Nasty Plot Girafarig and Fraxure can work together to overwhelm shared Steel-type checks. Opposing Grass-types and Grass-immune Pokemon like Ivysaur and Girafarig are challenging foes if Thwackey is locked into the wrong move; Steel-types like Hisuian Sliggoo and the aforementioned Tinkatuff can help check these foes and retaliate with powerful STAB moves and defensive utility, respectively.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
A Grassy Seed + Acrobatics set gives Thwackey extra coverage against Grass-types like Servine, Ivysaur, and opposing Thwackey without needing to pivot, though Grassy Seed's one-time nature and needing to give up U-turn or Swords Dance makes this set more difficult to fit.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Poison-types**: Poison-types like Koffing, Ivysaur, and Varoom give Thwackey immense trouble by resisting its STAB moves and can heavily threaten it out with status and their own STAB moves in return.
**Fire-types**: Monferno, Raboot, and the uncommon Fletchinder can threaten immense damage on Thwackey with their STAB moves, though Raboot has a small chance of getting OHKOed by a boosted Wood Hammer, and Fletchinder hates stomaching Knock Off. While Pignite is slower and lacks U-turn, its bulk makes up for it and remains similarly threatening.
**Steel-types**: Steel-types like Hisuian Sliggoo and Tinkatuff resist its STAB moves and retaliate with powerful STAB moves or utility with Thunder Wave and Knock Off, respectively.
**Faster Revenge Killers and Priority Moves**: Once Grassy Terrain's duration ends, Thwackey's merely good Speed leaves it vulnerable to getting picked off by faster threats like Pikachu, Frogadier, and Drakloak, especially if Thwackey is holding a Choice Band. Priority moves like Fraxure's First Impression and Piloswine's Ice Shard also deal significant amounts of damage to it.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/5dots.543866/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sleid.601970/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/mirbro.451786/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/a-blue-banana.649096/
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