Taken over from Kavatika
Overview
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Corphish is a great wallbreaker and late-game cleaner thanks to Adaptability, a great ability that boosts the power of Corphish's STAB moves by 50%. Backing up this ability, Corphish has great STAB moves in Crabhammer and priority Aqua Jet. Corphish also has access to Knock Off, a great move for a wallbreaker. Superpower gives Corphish Fighting-type coverage, and allows it to 2HKO Pokemon such as Ferroseed, Porygon, and Lileep. Although Corphish has access to two boosting moves in Swords Dance and Dragon Dance, it faces competition as a setup sweeper from Scraggy, Fletchling, Tirtouga, and Omanyte. Corphish's flaws lie in its only decent physical bulk, fairly mediocre special bulk, and sub-par speed, albeit it's still fast enough to outspeed most walls. Lastly, Corphish struggles against prominent threats such as Chinchou, Cottonee, and Croagunk.
Wallbreaker
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name: Wallbreaker
move 1: Crabhammer
move 2: Knock Off
move 3: Aqua Jet
move 4: Superpower / Swords Dance
ability: Adaptability
item: Eviolite
evs: 196 Atk / 76 Def / 236 Spe
nature: Adamant
Moves
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Crabhammer is an extremely strong Water-type STAB move that, thanks to Adaptability, does a heavy amount of damage to everything that doesn't resist it, OHKOing offensive Mienfoo after some prior damage. Knock Off removes items and allows Corphish to weaken its checks, such as Foongus and Chinchou. Aqua Jet is powerful priority that lets Corphish pick off weakened threats. Superpower gives Corphish great coverage to hit Porygon, Ferroseed, and Lileep really hard, 2HKOing all of them. Swords Dance is a good option over Superpower if you don't feel that the Fighting-type coverage Superpower provides is needed. Dragon Dance can also be used, but Swords Dance offers more wall-breaking power, and there are usually better options than Corphish when it comes to outright sweeping.
Set Details
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The following EV spread maximizes Corphish's Attack and Speed, reaching 18 Attack and 13 Speed, letting Corphish hit as hard as possible while still outspeeding most walls. Eviolite is used on this set in order to give Corphish more bulk, giving it fair physical bulk. If you want to use Dragon Dance, the preferred nature is Jolly, because it allows Corphish to outspeed threats hitting 19 and 20 Speed, such as Abra, Taillow, Elekid, and Diglett.
Usage Tips
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This set is fairly straightforward to use. Removing Eviolite is really helpful for Corphish and its partners; hit opposing switch-ins with Knock Off, and then attack with either Crabhammer or Superpower afterwards, or just switch out if they threaten Corphish. Try to keep Corphish alive against stall and bulky teams, as Corphish is great at weakening walls and bulkier Pokemon.
Team Options
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Corphish can help to wallbreak for other Water-type sweepers; Tirtouga, Omanyte, and Carvanha are therefore great teammates to use alongside Corphish. Corphish has no access to recovery, and is damaged by both Spikes and Stealth Rocks, so hazard removal is appreciated, especially because Corphish loves being able to switch in and out often. Archen can hit threats such as Croagunk and Chinchou with Earthquake, and can also beat Grass-types with Acrobatics, but shares a common Electric-type weakness. Hazard setters such as Drilbur and Ferroseed provides important residual damage to opponents with hazards, which can greatly aid Corphish when wallbreaking. Drilbur can also remove hazards thanks to Rapid Spin, and threaten Croagunk and Chinchou with its STAB Earthquake. Wish support is nice for Corphish on more balanced teams for recovery, so both Spritzee and Lickitung deserve a mention.
Choice Band
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name: Choice Band
move 1: Aqua Jet
move 2: Crabhammer
move 3: Knock Off
move 4: Switcheroo
ability: Adaptability
item: Choice Band
evs: 196 Atk / 76 Def / 236 Spe
nature: Adamant
Moves
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Aqua Jet is the main move on the set, and is great for revenge killing and cleaning the opposing team up, thanks to Choice Band. STAB Crabhammer can be used continuously thanks to the ability to hit switch-ins extremely hard, therefore weakening walls to open the way for a teammate to sweep. Knock Off is another great move Corphish has access to, and functions in a very similar manner to Crabhammer, except with the bonus effect of removing items. Switcheroo is used to cripple walls, such as Spritzee, Cottonee, and Foongus, giving them a Choice Band, while Corphish receives an Eviolite back.
Set Details
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The given EV spread is used to maximize Corphish's Attack and bolster Corphish's Speed so it can outspeed more walls. The remaining EVs are thrown into Defense to improve Corphish's physical bulk. Adaptability is an obvious choice when it comes to ability, as it boosts the power of Corphish's STAB moves by 50%. Choice Band is chosen to give Corphish even more power, and gives Corphish the ability
to cripple walls and special attackers.
Usage Tips
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Early- to mid-game, Corphish should be using Crabhammer and Knock Off to weaken switch-ins. Aqua Jet is used for revenge killing and cleaning late-game. If Corphish finds itself on the field against a faster Pokemon, it is, in most cases, best to switch out given its frailty. Slow Volt Switch and U-turn teammates are therefore very important for that reason. Switcheroo is best used on a predicted switch-in mid-game if it's unlikely for Corphish to clean with Aqua Jet later.
Team Options
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Omanyte and Tirtouga are the number one partners for Choice Band Corphish, given that Corphish can weaken or remove almost all of Omanyte and Tirtouga's checks. Slow Volt Switch and U-turn users, such as Mienfoo and Magnemite also work well with Corphish.
Other Options
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Dragon Dance can be used, but Swords Dance usually outclasses it, and there are many other good sweepers in Little Cup, such as Scraggy, Fletchling, Tirtouga, and Omanyte. Hone Claws should never be used, as it is outclassed by both Dragon Dance and Swords Dance. Substitute is an option as Corphish can force a lot of switches. Aerial Ace can be used instead of Superpower on the first set, giving Corphish the ability to beat Croagunk and Foongus.
Checks & Counters
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**Water-resistant walls and tanks**: Walls and tanks resisting Water-type moves, such as Croagunk, Foongus, Cottonee, and Chinchou are all a big problem for Corphish. Croagunk is immune to Corphish's STAB moves, and resists all of Corphish's other attacks except Aerial Ace. Foongus and Cottonee not only resist Corphish's STAB moves but Superpower as well (with Cottonee also resisting Knock Off), and they can also retaliate with their super effective Grass-type STAB or status moves. Chinchou resists Corphish's STAB moves and can easily outpace and retaliate with a super effective Electric-type STAB move. Lileep is also immune to Crabhammer and Aqua Jet, but has to be careful against Knock Off and Superpower.
**Faster offensive threats**: Corphish's biggest problems are its low Speed and no recovery options, so naturally strong or bulky offensive threats can check Corphish with little prior damage. However, Corphish does hit really hard so this can be tough. Examples include Chinchou, Magnemite, Mienfoo, and Cottonee.
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