Status: QC Rejections: 0/2
QC Stamps: 2/2 [Heysup] [Macle]
GP Stamps: 2/3 [Bugmaniacbob] [Oglemi]
[Overview]
<p>Corphish is one of the most uncommon Pokemon in Little Cup. It has good physical stats, but disappointingly poor Speed and average HP stats that undermine them. It doesn't help that Croagunk, the premier priority abuser in LC, walks all over it either. However, Corphish's access to both Dragon Dance and Crunch give it an advantage over Krabby as a physical Water-type, allowing it to boost both its Attack and Speed simultaneously, and hit Ghost-types super effectively. All in all, you should not expect too much from Corphish, as it is still a rather average Pokemon, but you should know that it isn't without its niche.</p>
[SET]
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Return
move 4: Crunch
item: Life Orb / Oran Berry
ability: Shell Armor
nature: Jolly
evs: 196 Atk / 76 Def / 236 Spe
ivs: 0 HP
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Corphish, unboosted, hits 14 Speed with a Jolly nature, allowing it to outpace all un-Scarfed Pokemon in Little Cup after a Dragon Dance. Waterfall is for STAB, and Return provides solid neutral coverage. Crunch is what sets Corphish apart from Krabby, as it crushes Ghosts who switch in to a predicted Return. Also, without a single Dragon Dance, Corphish can OHKO Duskull with Crunch, unlike Krabby, who can't with Crabhammer. After a single Dragon Dance, Corphish hits 25 Attack (backed by Life Orb) and 21 Speed. With this raw power, Corphish destroys a lot of the metagame with its assortment of attacks. Gligar is OHKOed regardless of its set, which is a testament to how powerful Corphish can be if it is set up properly. Corphish can also OHKO Munchlax 29% of the time after one Dragon Dance with Waterfall.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p> X-Scissor, Brick Break, and Rock Slide may sound great on this set, but Corphish just can't afford the moveslots, as all of the moves already on the set are very important. Hidden Power Psychic Croagunk, Hidden Power Flying Mantyke, and Gligar are good partners as they destroy opposing Croagunk, who can deal massive damage to Corphish with its priority attacks. In terms of support, Pineco is a good choice to Rapid Spin away entry hazards. You will also want a Pokemon who can set up entry hazards of your own, as Corphish appreciates the support for breaking Focus Sash and chipping away at the opponent's HP. Pineco is good for this as well, and it can be used as a lead.</p>
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Crunch
move 4: Return
item: Life Orb
ability: Shell Armor
nature: Jolly
evs: 196 Atk / 76 Def / 236 Spe
ivs: 0 HP
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>After a Swords Dance, Corphish reaches a mind-blowing Attack stat of 34. With proper support, this Corphish can rip apart teams. Once again, priority is a problem, but that is solved to an extent by Baton Passing it a Substitute. Waterfall, Crunch, and Return are the token attacks, and together, have excellent coverage in tandem with each other.</p>
<p>Low Speed and a weakness to priority are this Corphish's main problems when attempting to sweep. Corphish's low Speed stat, while quite crippling, can be fixed by proper team support. This set works extremely well against the rare stall teams, as they usually have slow Pokemon such as Munchlax and Bronzor, against whom Speed is not an issue. Corphish is able to set up on them and then do some sweeping. On the other hand, offensive teams make Corphish cry, as even if it manages to get a Swords Dance up, it can usually only score a single KO at most because of its terrible Speed. Another unfortunate piece of news is that very few people use stall teams in Little Cup, which means that it will be hard for Corphish to set up on anything.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>This is probably Corphish's most devastating set, but it definitely needs the most team support as well. Rapid Spin and Stealth Rock are helpful for minimizing damage to Corphish, and for breaking the enemy's Focus Sash. Corphish is also held back by its mediocre 14 Speed. This can be fixed by Baton Passing it a Substitute (this is optional, but it gives Corphish a safe Swords Dance behind the Substitute) and an Agility (giving it 28 Speed, enough to rip through teams at a blistering pace). Gligar is great at this, due to its access to Agility, Substitute, and Baton Pass, in addition to its ability to take on Croagunk. Aipom can also do this well. Also, the 0 HP IV gives 19 HP, which means Corphish only takes 1 point of damage from the recoil of Life Orb.</p>
<p>Once again, Croagunk is a problem for weakened Corphish due to Fake Out and Vacuum Wave. Hidden Power Psychic Croagunk is a good partner to take out opposing Croagunk. This set appreciates Stealth Rock and Rapid Spin support, both of which can be provided by a Pokemon like Pineco.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Waterfall
move 2: Crunch
move 3: Return
move 4: Brick Break / Rock Slide
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Shell Armor
nature: Jolly
evs: 12 HP / 196 Atk / 236 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Corphish reaches the magical number of 14 in its Speed stat, allowing it to use a Choice Scarf effectively. This set doesn't pack as much power as the others, but it does has good revenge killing potential. This set can hit everything in Little Cup for at least neutral damage; as usual, Waterfall is a good STAB move, while Crunch and Return are hard-hitting coverage moves. The last slot is mostly filler, and should be decided based on what bonus hits you want Corphish to achieve; Rock Slide coves Flying-types, while Brick Break covers Dark-types, and also 2HKOes Snover. Superpower is an outside choice for hit-and-run tactics, but it is not recommended due to the difficulty of bringing Corphish in without suffering a lot of damage.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>This Corphish set needs Stealth Rock support to help revenge kill, due to its relatively low unboosted Attack stat. Again, Croagunk can do a lot of damage with Fake Out + Vacuum Wave, thus necessitating your own Croagunk with Hidden Power Psychic. However, unlike the Swords Dance set, this Corphish doesn't need Baton Passed Speed, freeing up a slot on your team. Mantyke is a good Croagunk check who can be placed in this slot.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Slapping a Choice Band on Corphish sounds viable, but Corphish is so slow that it essentially gives your opponent free turns. Besides, the Dragon Dance and Swords Dance sets are vastly superior to Choice Band.</p>
<p>A specially-based set sounds good, but it is walled by Munchlax, who will inevitably come in when the surprise is revealed. Payback is outclassed by Crunch, as Corphish can't take a hit anyway. Protect is good for scouting, but has no place on Corphish's sets. Superpower is another option, but the Attack drops are unwelcome. A mixed sweeper set is also a viable option, since Corphish gets many good special attacks, such as Ice Beam, Sludge Bomb, and STAB Surf.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Croagunk is the best counter to Corphish, being able to switch in on Waterfall with impunity, and use Fake Out followed by Vacuum Wave to deal massive damage. However, it should be wary of switching into Return from the Dragon Dance and Sword Dance sets.</p>
<p>The sets that need setup are stopped by Croagunk and Dratini, while the Choice Scarf set requires prediction, and can be taken advantage of when Corphish is locked in on the wrong move. Waterfall is an entry hole for Croagunk, Return allows Gastly in to set up a Substitute, while Crunch and Rock Slide are setup fodder for Rock Polish Aron. All of these Pokemon become dangerous if given a free turn, and must be played around carefully. All of these Pokemon, as well as others, can easily set up on Corphish while you have to switch out.</p>
