Endorfins
Your Worst Nightmare
Cinccino
[Overview]
<p>The first reaction of many players when they see Cinccino is "Aww, isn't it cute?" After this they dismiss Cinccino as a threat, albeit, rather foolishly. Below the innocent exterior lies a Pokemon that can lay the hurt on most of the metagame with its phenomenal type coverage and amazing ability, Technician. Not only was Cinccino gifted with great power, but with it comes a blazing fast Speed stat that leaves UU staples such as Froslass in the dust. While you're busy wrecking your opponent's team with Cinccino, keep in mind its shortfalls. Cinccino's tiny stature doesn't bode well for its survivability, and many powerful neutral STAB moves can easily 2HKO, if not OHKO, the poor mouse. Cinccino also struggles against dedicated physical walls who are able to comfortably sit in front of Cinccino while it futily attempts to break through their immense bulk. But these walls can easily be weakened and after that, Cinccino can use its Speed, power and movepool to prove that it can stand tall amongst the giants of UU.</p>
[SET]
name: Life Orb
move 1: Tail Slap
move 2: Rock Blast
move 3: Bullet Seed
move 4: Wake-Up Slap / U-Turn
item: Life Orb
ability: Technician
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Here, Cinccino finds itself in the role of a late game cleaner. After Cinccino's teammates have sufficiently weakened the opposing team, Cinccino can sweep up the remnants. Late game cleaning isn't Cinccino's only niche in UU, as the abundance of Substitute abusers in the tier give Cinccino a free turn to switch in and spam its multi-hit move of choice. As many players will be reluctant to switch out with a Substitute still intact, Cinccino can often score some free KOs.</p>
<p>Tail Slap is Cinccino's STAB move of choice and just one of Cinccino's multiple multi-hit moves. After a STAB and Technician boost, Tail Slap can hit for an amazing base power of 250, easily being able to dispose of frailer threats. Rock Blast has excellent super effective coverage on a large portion of the metagame, and can maul the infamous Froslass and SubRoost Zapdos, regardless of whether they have a Substitute or not. The third move is used for the bulky Water-, Rock-, and Ground-types that often plague physical sweepers; Bullet Seed allows Cinccino to bombard them with a super effective Grass type move. The last slot is more flexible, with either Wake-Up Slap or U-turn, depending on what your team needs. The former hits Normal-types and, more importantly, Steel-types for super effective damage, while the latter allows Cinccino to scout the switch-in and go to a counter. U-turn is especially effective if you have a Dugtrio or Magneton to trap Steel-type switch-ins.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread shown is standard for most physical sweepers, maximizing Attack and Speed, and is the only spread that Cinccino should ever run, as any investment in bulk is wasted due to Cinccino's frailty. The choice of item is equally straight forward; a Life Orb grants Cinccino a much needed power boost, while also taking away from Cinccino's already negligible bulk. Even though most of Cinccino's options are pretty much set in stone, the choice of nature can vary depending on your team. Jolly allows it to outrun Froslass and Tornadus, whereas Adamant gives Cinccino even more power while still being able to outpace all unboosted base 100s. However, this comes at a price, as Cinccino will no longer be able to outspeed Pokemon such as Mismagius and Cobalion.</p>
<p>Cinccino has trouble sweeping when the opponent's physical walls and faster Choice Scarf holders can come in and halt the sweep. Powerful Choice Band users such as Heracross and Victini can use their insanely powerful STAB attacks to weaken opposing walls for Cinccino. Krookodile is an exceptional teammate as it can fill both the role of a Ghostbuster and Steel killer, removing the Pokemon that cause Cinccino the most trouble. Unfortunately Krookodile shares a Fighting-type weakness with Cinccino, so a bulky Ghost- or Psychic-type such as Cofagrigus or Uxie should be paired with them to take Fighting-type attacks. Cinccino can also lend back some help, easily removing troublesome Substitute spammers, such as Froslass, Zapdos and Whimsicott, giving your team more freedom to switch around and outpredict the opponent.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Unfortunately for Cinccino, its main STAB move has a frustrating 85% accuracy. If greater reliability is required, Cinccino has an alternative STAB in Return. However, Return is unboosted by Technician and doesn't keep attacking after breaking a Substitute, so it is often the inferior choice. Speaking of choice, a Choice Scarf may seem to be a natural fit for the Scarf Pokemon, but it unfortunately removes the power boost from Life Orb and only adds to Cinccino's Speed, a stat that is high enough already. A Choice Band set is the best option that Cinccino can run aside from the set already shown; the substantial boost to its attack scores Cinccino some extra KOs. However, Cinccino appreciates the ability to switch moves and abuse its excellent coverage, something the Choice sets take away. Like many Normal-types, Cinccino has access to a decent special movepool that includes Thunderbolt and Focus Blast, but it lacks the stats to abuse it. You're better off just sticking to physical moves when it comes to using Cinccino.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Most physically bulky Pokemon that are not hit super effectively by any of Cinccino's moves can easily counter it. Bulky Ghost-types such as Cofagrigus and Dusclops get special mention, as Cinccino's STAB moves pass straight through them. They can then proceed to burn Cinccino with Will-O-Wisp, leaving it crippled and almost useless. Registeel is another Pokemon that takes pittance from any of Cinccino's moves, even shrugging off multiple Wake-Up Slaps, and can pound Cinccino with a STAB Iron Head. Bulky Fighting-types can come in and live a couple of attacks before using their STAB moves to rearrange Cinccino's face. Sometimes, revenge killing Cinccino is the only option and although Cinccino is quite fast, most Choice Scarf users can outspeed and KO it. Often you won't be seeing Cinccino until the end of the game, when all its checks and counters have either been weakened or eliminated. So if Cinccino is seen in Team Preview, keep one of its checks or counters on high health, lest you be on the receiving end of Cinccino's wrath.</p>
[Dream World]
<p>If you thought Technician was good, just wait until Skill Link is released. With Skill Link, Cinccino's multi-hit moves can hit much more reliably, racking up five hits every time. Just be aware though, the boost to most of Cinccino's moves through Technician no longer applies, so Steel types can wall Cinccino with even greater ease.</p>
[Overview]
<p>The first reaction of many players when they see Cinccino is "Aww, isn't it cute?" After this they dismiss Cinccino as a threat, albeit, rather foolishly. Below the innocent exterior lies a Pokemon that can lay the hurt on most of the metagame with its phenomenal type coverage and amazing ability, Technician. Not only was Cinccino gifted with great power, but with it comes a blazing fast Speed stat that leaves UU staples such as Froslass in the dust. While you're busy wrecking your opponent's team with Cinccino, keep in mind its shortfalls. Cinccino's tiny stature doesn't bode well for its survivability, and many powerful neutral STAB moves can easily 2HKO, if not OHKO, the poor mouse. Cinccino also struggles against dedicated physical walls who are able to comfortably sit in front of Cinccino while it futily attempts to break through their immense bulk. But these walls can easily be weakened and after that, Cinccino can use its Speed, power and movepool to prove that it can stand tall amongst the giants of UU.</p>
[SET]
name: Life Orb
move 1: Tail Slap
move 2: Rock Blast
move 3: Bullet Seed
move 4: Wake-Up Slap / U-Turn
item: Life Orb
ability: Technician
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Here, Cinccino finds itself in the role of a late game cleaner. After Cinccino's teammates have sufficiently weakened the opposing team, Cinccino can sweep up the remnants. Late game cleaning isn't Cinccino's only niche in UU, as the abundance of Substitute abusers in the tier give Cinccino a free turn to switch in and spam its multi-hit move of choice. As many players will be reluctant to switch out with a Substitute still intact, Cinccino can often score some free KOs.</p>
<p>Tail Slap is Cinccino's STAB move of choice and just one of Cinccino's multiple multi-hit moves. After a STAB and Technician boost, Tail Slap can hit for an amazing base power of 250, easily being able to dispose of frailer threats. Rock Blast has excellent super effective coverage on a large portion of the metagame, and can maul the infamous Froslass and SubRoost Zapdos, regardless of whether they have a Substitute or not. The third move is used for the bulky Water-, Rock-, and Ground-types that often plague physical sweepers; Bullet Seed allows Cinccino to bombard them with a super effective Grass type move. The last slot is more flexible, with either Wake-Up Slap or U-turn, depending on what your team needs. The former hits Normal-types and, more importantly, Steel-types for super effective damage, while the latter allows Cinccino to scout the switch-in and go to a counter. U-turn is especially effective if you have a Dugtrio or Magneton to trap Steel-type switch-ins.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread shown is standard for most physical sweepers, maximizing Attack and Speed, and is the only spread that Cinccino should ever run, as any investment in bulk is wasted due to Cinccino's frailty. The choice of item is equally straight forward; a Life Orb grants Cinccino a much needed power boost, while also taking away from Cinccino's already negligible bulk. Even though most of Cinccino's options are pretty much set in stone, the choice of nature can vary depending on your team. Jolly allows it to outrun Froslass and Tornadus, whereas Adamant gives Cinccino even more power while still being able to outpace all unboosted base 100s. However, this comes at a price, as Cinccino will no longer be able to outspeed Pokemon such as Mismagius and Cobalion.</p>
<p>Cinccino has trouble sweeping when the opponent's physical walls and faster Choice Scarf holders can come in and halt the sweep. Powerful Choice Band users such as Heracross and Victini can use their insanely powerful STAB attacks to weaken opposing walls for Cinccino. Krookodile is an exceptional teammate as it can fill both the role of a Ghostbuster and Steel killer, removing the Pokemon that cause Cinccino the most trouble. Unfortunately Krookodile shares a Fighting-type weakness with Cinccino, so a bulky Ghost- or Psychic-type such as Cofagrigus or Uxie should be paired with them to take Fighting-type attacks. Cinccino can also lend back some help, easily removing troublesome Substitute spammers, such as Froslass, Zapdos and Whimsicott, giving your team more freedom to switch around and outpredict the opponent.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Unfortunately for Cinccino, its main STAB move has a frustrating 85% accuracy. If greater reliability is required, Cinccino has an alternative STAB in Return. However, Return is unboosted by Technician and doesn't keep attacking after breaking a Substitute, so it is often the inferior choice. Speaking of choice, a Choice Scarf may seem to be a natural fit for the Scarf Pokemon, but it unfortunately removes the power boost from Life Orb and only adds to Cinccino's Speed, a stat that is high enough already. A Choice Band set is the best option that Cinccino can run aside from the set already shown; the substantial boost to its attack scores Cinccino some extra KOs. However, Cinccino appreciates the ability to switch moves and abuse its excellent coverage, something the Choice sets take away. Like many Normal-types, Cinccino has access to a decent special movepool that includes Thunderbolt and Focus Blast, but it lacks the stats to abuse it. You're better off just sticking to physical moves when it comes to using Cinccino.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Most physically bulky Pokemon that are not hit super effectively by any of Cinccino's moves can easily counter it. Bulky Ghost-types such as Cofagrigus and Dusclops get special mention, as Cinccino's STAB moves pass straight through them. They can then proceed to burn Cinccino with Will-O-Wisp, leaving it crippled and almost useless. Registeel is another Pokemon that takes pittance from any of Cinccino's moves, even shrugging off multiple Wake-Up Slaps, and can pound Cinccino with a STAB Iron Head. Bulky Fighting-types can come in and live a couple of attacks before using their STAB moves to rearrange Cinccino's face. Sometimes, revenge killing Cinccino is the only option and although Cinccino is quite fast, most Choice Scarf users can outspeed and KO it. Often you won't be seeing Cinccino until the end of the game, when all its checks and counters have either been weakened or eliminated. So if Cinccino is seen in Team Preview, keep one of its checks or counters on high health, lest you be on the receiving end of Cinccino's wrath.</p>
[Dream World]
<p>If you thought Technician was good, just wait until Skill Link is released. With Skill Link, Cinccino's multi-hit moves can hit much more reliably, racking up five hits every time. Just be aware though, the boost to most of Cinccino's moves through Technician no longer applies, so Steel types can wall Cinccino with even greater ease.</p>