(Approved by blarajan)
Many players, new and experienced, sometimes have problems with a very important aspect of battling that sometimes isn't considered in the teambuilding phase, and this aspect is setup. Many Pokemon have moves that boost their stats to make them a lot more threatening than they normally are and therefore can be expected to pose much more of a threat, while using up turns in battle in different scenarios, as opposed to relying on an item. There are many different kinds of setup, there are several means of achieving boosts, and these buffs can even be passed on to teammates. This thread will cover the most common ways that setup can be used and taken advantage of, as well as how these methods can be overcome so that an enemy with boosted stats doesn't steamroll through your team.
Common Methods Of Setup
Swords Dance
This move is pretty straightforward; it uses up a turn to increase the user's Attack by two stages, a fairly simple move with no drawback. This offers any user of the move a notable increase in physical power, and can really make a difference, but isn't overwhelmingly hard to deal with. That said, there are quite a few users of this simple move that can greatly benefit from it if the circumstances are right.
High-threat users: Pawniard, Fletchling
Common users: Torchic, Drilbur
Uncommon users: Mienfoo, Corphish, Cubone, Teddiursa, Cacnea, Drilbur, Axew
Other users: Anorith, Bellsprout, Binacle, Budew, Bulbasaur, Charmander, Cherubi, Chespin, Chikorita, Chimchar, Clauncher, Cranidos, Dwebble, Exeggcute, Hoppip, Karrablast, Krabby, Ledyba, Lickitung, Lileep, Lotad, Oddish, Oshawott, Pancham, Paras, Patrat, Rhyhorn, Riolu, Sandshrew, Seedot, Shroomish, Snivy, Snover, Sunkern, Tentacool, Totodile, Treecko, Turtwig, Zorua, Skorupi
Pawniard is by far the most fearsome user of Swords Dance in the current metagame, pushing its already ridiculous STAB Knock Off attack to panic levels, not to mention its STAB Iron Head. Its STAB Sucker Punch provides the priority necessary to slam faster enemies hard and it becomes even more dangerous at +2. Torchic is not necessarily a Pokemon that can make good use of Swords Dance, but instead is one that can pass the merits of the boost to a teammate along with the Speed increases provided by its ability Speed Boost, and this makes Torchic a very threatening "enabler" of sorts that can set almost any teammate up for a sweep. Fletchling is actually pretty frail but an opponent will often find themselves in a lot of pain if it manages to become itemless (e.g. consumes Berry Juice) with a Swords Dance boost, which will cause its priority STAB Acrobatics (given +1 priority by its Gale Wings ability) to wreak extreme havoc. Honedge and Corphish can use Swords Dance to crank up the power of their Shadow Sneak and Adaptability-boosted Aqua Jet attacks, respectively, and are additionally a force to be reckoned with if they manage to hit something with one of their more powerful moves after having set up. Mienfoo can make effective use of Swords Dance on its own or to pass to a teammate with Baton Pass, but it is usually seen more often doing what it does best. Cubone and Teddiursa can use the move to further complement the boosts provided to them by Thick Club and Toxic Orb, respectively, and can work well with Sticky Web support, but are not seen often. Cacnea, Drilbur, and Axew are known users of Swords Dance that can use the boost well but are not as commonly used as they once were.
Nasty Plot
This move accomplishes basically the same thing as Swords Dance, but on a different offensive spectrum, increasing Special Attack by two stages instead of Attack. This offers any user of the move a notable increase in special offense, and can really make a difference, but usually isn't overwhelmingly hard to deal with. That said, there are quite a few users of this simple move that can greatly benefit from it if the circumstances are right.
High-threat users: Misdreavus
Common users: Croagunk
Uncommon users: Vullaby, Houndour, Mime Jr.
Other users: Aipom, Cacnea, Chimchar, Elgyem, Meowth, Panpour, Pansage, Pansear, Pichu, Purrloin, Riolu, Seedot, Smoochum, Togepi, Yamask, Zorua, Zubat, Drowzee
Misdreavus is without question the most menacing user of Nasty Plot, and has been for generations now in Little Cup. Its place in the 19 Speed tier and its impressive Special Attack make it highly threatening after it manages to get a boost, and it should never be underestimated. Croagunk has become more specially inclined this generation and can become quite threatening with its unique STABs and access to priority STAB Vacuum Wave, especially after a Nasty Plot. Vullaby can make excellent use of Nasty Plot to run a bulky special setup set, though it is more commonly seen running Defog and Knock Off for their utility and support provision. Houndour becomes truly fearsome if it manages to get a Nasty Plot boost, though it often cannot afford to go for one with its sub-par ability to take hits. Mime Jr. is an avid user of this setup move and can crank its own special offense up with it or pass it to a teammate or through a chain by way of Baton Pass.
Dragon Dance
This move offers a kick to both Attack and Speed, providing a +1 boost to each. Dragon Dance is very useful in that it often results in a Speed advantage as well as a welcome buff to the user's physical power, more or less acting as a Choice Band and Choice Scarf boost in one while still allowing the user to hold another item, and all it costs is a turn to achieve it. This move doesn't have a very large distribution in Little Cup, but it can be very beneficial to the few Pokemon who have access to it, under the right conditions.
High-threat users: Scraggy
Common users: Tyrunt, Corphish
Uncommon users: Axew, Bagon, Dratini, Larvitar, Charmander
Other users: Totodile, Barboach, Horsea
Scraggy is the most threatening and also by far the most versatile user of Dragon Dance, as it has the bulk to pull it off and the STAB coverage to put it to great use. The buffed Knock Off is a great STAB move in Scraggy's arsenal and so is STAB Drain Punch for recovery, while it also gets Iron Head/Poison Jab for the Fairy-types whose STAB Scraggy is 4x weak to and it gets Zen Headbutt for Croagunk as well. Shed Skin also works wonders for it, keeping it free of crippling status. Tyrunt is an awesome user of Dragon Dance and can benefit from the boosts to nail many kinds of foes hard with the additional boost provided to its bite-based attacks, courtesy of its Strong Jaw ability. Corphish is sometimes seen using Swords Dance but some players opt to use it for Dragon Dance so it can use its Speed increase to hit things hard with Adaptability-boosted Crabhammer. Axew, Bagon, and Dratini are known users of this move but they have more or less faded into obscurity; if you ever do see one of these, you can be pretty sure they will have Dragon Dance. Larvitar is offensively a very good Dragon Dance sweeper, without a doubt, but defensively it is another story. It has far too many weaknesses and is weak to too many priority moves for it to reliably sweep in most situations. Charmander began seeing a little more use with the addition of Fairy-types and auto-Sun, and it can generally be expected to run Dragon Dance if you run into one.
Shell Smash
This is probably the most broken setup move ever introduced, and it will be covered in detail in this segment. In a single turn, the user will gain +2 in Attack, Special Attack, and Speed upon using this move, while suffering the drawback of having its Defense and Special Defense lowered by one stage. This can quickly turn a decently powerful Pokemon into a top threat that is capable of dishing out massive damage and usually with a clear Speed advantage. Users of this move with access to the Sturdy ability can hold Berry Juice and make themselves annoyingly difficult to deal with, as they will be able to survive any hit from full health and then be fully restored, causing Sturdy to restore itself and assuring the user will survive yet another hit, despite the defensive drops from Shell Smash.
High-threat users: Tirtouga, Omanyte
Common users: Clamperl, Shellder
Uncommon users: Binacle, Dwebble
Tirtouga is by far the most threatening and most commonly seen user of this move. Its combination of the aforementioned Shell Smash, Sturdy, and Berry Juice allows it to become highly problematic, with its impressive STABs combined with its access to Aqua Jet to beat out important priority attacks that might be used in an attempt to bring it down after its defenses have been lowered during setup. Omanyte has an impressive 90 base Special Attack stat and can work well as a special sweeper, but what really makes it stand out as a Shell Smash user is its Flying resistance, backed by Eviolite, which lets it wall standard Fletchling. Dwebble can make effective use of this combination as well, but has worse defensive typing and no priority attacks. Nonetheless, its offensive coverage is still very strong, though its STABs are both walled by Fighting-types. Shellder is an avid user of Shell Smash that is particularly threatening due to its access to hard-hitting multi-hit attacks that always hit 5 times, thanks to its Skill Link ability. The great coverage provided by its STAB, Icicle Spear, and Rock Blast makes it a definite force to be reckoned with, and it also has the option of running Ice Shard for priority. Clamperl has Shell Armor to block critical hits, and can benefit from its Special Attack being automatically doubled if it holds the item DeepSeaTooth, which becomes very frightening after a Shell Smash is added into the mix; the drawback of this is that it can't have Eviolite to help soften the blows it might have to take, and it can't have Berry Juice to heal itself after having taken damage either, and Clamperl usually requires specific support to be able to function reliably because of this. Binacle is a user of this move that is generally overshadowed by Tirtouga as a physical Rock/Water Shell Smasher due to not having Sturdy, though it has a few interesting things going for it, like Tough Claws and access to Switcheroo.
Belly Drum
This is a rather high-risk, high-reward tactic that has a huge payoff if the user is able to set up successfully without being stopped. It maximizes the Attack stat (+6!) with the side effect of losing half of the user's maximum health. In Little Cup, however, the existence of Berry Juice as a recovery item significantly reduces the risk factor of this move by instantly restoring its holder back to full health upon using it, providing the user has an even-numbered HP stat. Berry Juice will also reliably restore health if the user is struck with a move that cannot 2HKO it before using Belly Drum, and if it is taken below half of its health before using the move, Berry Juice will still restore health and assure that Belly Drum is able to take effect afterward (though half the user's HP will remain gone in this scenario). Belly Drum makes any Pokemon an extremely potent physical threat and should never be underestimated. This strategy is commonly supported by Memento, a move that sacrifices its user and neutralizes the opponent's offenses to ease setup for a teammate.
High-threat users: Zigzagoon
Common users: Magby, Poliwag
Uncommon users: Munchlax
Other users: Charmander, Chespin, Cleffa, Cubone, Darumaka, Drowzee, Lickitung, Magby, Makuhita, Slowpoke, Spheal, Teddiursa
Zigzagoon is unquestionably the most threatening user of Belly Drum, as it also has access to STAB Extreme Speed, which lets it not only sweep after setting up, but also prevent priority attacks (bar Fake Out) from interrupting its sweep. Magby is a very fast Belly Drum sweeper that hits 19 Speed and can set up while forcing out something that is weak to Fire, such as Foongus or Ferroseed. It's notable that Magby cannot be revenge killed by Pawniard unless it has both Choice Scarf and Sucker Punch, because Magby has a priority attack itself in Mach Punch, which outspeeds and easily OHKOs Pawniard in any other circumstance. Poliwag is another 19 Speed Belly Drum sweeper that is particularly risky to use because of not only its frailty, but also that it relies on the shaky accuracy of Hypnosis to successfully set up unless it has huge team support. Munchlax is an uncommon user of Belly Drum, but the fact that it has ample bulk and the ability to Recycle its Berry Juice can make it very difficult to stop despite its poor Speed, if the opponent's Fighting-type(s) has been removed.
Common Methods Of Supporting Setup
Dual Screens (Reflect / Light Screen)
The use of Reflect and Light Screen together is commonly referred to as Dual Screens on Smogon, and both moves act as an effect that supports the team no matter which Pokemon is active at the time, for 5 turns. Reflect cuts the damage received by physical attacks in half, while Light Screen cuts the damage received by special attacks in half. This can be greatly useful in assisting in setup, as the Pokemon will only take half the usual damage from attacks that hit it while it's boosting stats. The effects of these moves can be extended to 8 turns instead of 5 if the item Light Clay is held by the user of the moves. Safeguard can be used to protect the team from status for 5 turns but is generally hard to fit onto a moveset; also, this move is not extended to 8 turns by Light Clay.
U-Turn / Volt Switch / Parting Shot (Switch Advantage)
Capitalizing on a predicted switch can give a user of one of these moves the opportunity to bring in a setup sweeper that isn't threatened by what the opponent switched to. This immediately puts the setup sweeper in a position where it can safely go for its boosts and then proceed to sweep. Parting Shot is especially good in that it lowers the Attack and Special Attack of its target by one stage each before making the switch to the setup sweeper, making it even more difficult for them to stop it, though this move does not deal damage like the other two; this move is also exclusive to Pancham in Little Cup. It should be noted that U-turn makes contact and therefore will activate Rough Skin, Iron Barbs, Rocky Helmet, and has a chance of getting the burn from Flame Body and the paralysis from Static. It also triggers the Rattled ability, as it is a Bug-type attack. Volt Switch will fail if used against a Ground-type or a Pokemon with Volt Absorb (will also heal the target), Lightningrod (will also give the target +1 Special Attack) or Motor Drive (will also give the target +1 Speed). Additionally, a user of one of these moves can be set to have low Speed intentionally, to ensure that it can get a teammate in safely without it taking damage or being hit by status moves.
Forcing A Switch
A setup sweeper can quite easily get a free turn to boost if it can scare the active foe into fleeing to avoid a painful, and potentially fatal, attack. For instance, Doduo does not want to stay in and die to Tirtouga's Stone Edge, so the player calls it back to exchange it with a teammate better suited for the situation. In doing so, Tirtouga can capitalize on this and nab a free turn to go for a Shell Smash, now having become much more threatening and at no cost. This is a very important fear tactic of sorts to manipulate the game to attain stat boosts, and scenarios that might arise such as this should always be thought about in advance whenever possible. It never hurts to plan ahead.
Memento
Depending on how badly you want to get your setup sweeper rolling, this is an excellent option that gets the job done. The target of Memento has its Attack and Special Attack stats decreased by two stages, and the drawback is that the user faints and is removed from the game. The bad part about this is obviously the fact that it's literally sacrificing the life of a team member, but on the bright side, it gets a setup sweeper in the fray without taking damage and with the active foe basically stripped of all offensive ability. This guarantees at least one solid turn of setup, but it can backfire if the affected enemy has a disruptive move to mess up the sweep attempt. This is commonly used as a drastic measure to assure a successful Belly Drum sweep.
Baton Pass
Preservation of boosts by way of this method became a lot more popular in Little Cup when Torchic's Speed Boost ability became compatible with its access to this move. Baton Pass allows a non-manual switch to another team member that passes along certain effects from the user of the move to its recipient, and this includes stat changes as well as Substitutes. This means that a Pokemon that sets up can forward what it racked up to a totally different Pokemon, depending on what teammate is most appropriate to bring in at the time, and this can be hard to play around without the right move(s) to combat it. Torchic is the most common lead for this type of strategy, and other avid Baton Pass users include Mienfoo and Mime Jr., though Baton Pass has lost a great deal of popularity after the ban of both Gligar and Meditite. Baton Pass can also be used similarly to the way U-turn, Volt Switch, and Parting Shot are, to take advantage of a predicted switch and then grab momentum; this can be done with or without boosts and is commonly referred to as Dry-Passing.
Conventional Methods Of Dealing With Setup
Taunt / Encore
These moves are pretty much staples when it comes to screwing up most tactics that don't require attacking. Taunt blocks the use of any setup move that does not deal damage, which includes everything listed above except for U-turn and Volt Switch. It also stops Baton Pass in its tracks and forces the enemy to either attack or manually switch out and lose all of its accumulated boosts. Encore does not prevent the use of setup moves, but it forces the user of one to repeat the same move over and over, causing it to never be able to benefit from the stat increases, and this tactic will screw up any setup sweeper as long as you lock the foe into their setup move and not an attacking move after it has already set up. These moves are helped greatly by the Prankster ability, which gives +1 priority to all non-attacking moves. Pokemon with access to the Prankster ability and both of these moves include Cottonee and Purrloin. Purrloin can apply additional pressure since it also has access to U-turn. Taunt Mienfoo with 17 Speed totally shuts down Dwebble, a common hyper offense lead.
Best users of Taunt: Cottonee, Mienfoo, Purrloin
Notable users of Taunt: Misdreavus, Mime Jr., Voltorb, Archen, Mienfoo
Other users of Taunt: Abra, Aipom, Axew, Bidoof, Binacle, Chespin, Chimchar, Chingling, Corphish, Croagunk, Darumaka, Deino, Drowzee, Duskull, Fletchling, Frillish, Froakie, Gastly, Glameow, Gothita, Grimer, Houndour, Inkay, Koffing, Larvitar, Litleo, Litwick, Mankey, Meowth, Mime Jr., Noibat, Nosepass, Onix, Oshawott, Panpour, Pansage, Pansear, Pawniard, Pidove, Poochyena, Ralts, Rattata, Sandile, Scraggy, Shieldon, Shuppet, Skorupi, Snivy, Snubbull, Spoink, Stunky, Teddiursa, Tepig, Timburr, Vanillite, Vullaby, Woobat, Zorua, Zubat
Best users of Encore: Cottonee, Purrloin
Notable users of Encore: Wynaut, Mime Jr., Buneary
Other users of Encore: Abra, Amaura, Azurill, Bellsprout, Cacnea, Chimchar, Cleffa, Cubchoo, Darumaka, Gulpin, Hoppip, Ledyba, Machop, Mankey, Minccino, Oshawott, Pichu, Poliwag, Psyduck, Ralts, Seel, Shelmet, Slakoth, Spheal, Sunkern, Togepi, Wooper
Haze
Haze is a move that eliminates all stat changes of both teams, which brings any setup sweeper down to size and makes it not near as threatening. This move is also a full stop to Baton Pass.
Notable users of Haze: Wooper, Grimer, Koffing, Trubbish, Tentacool, Gastly, Mantyke
Other users of Haze: Amaura, Doduo, Dratini, Drifloon, Duskull, Ekans, Feebas, Goldeen, Krabby, Litwick, Omanyte, Poliwag, Remoraid, Skrelp, Squirtle, Stunky, Surskit, Swablu, Yamask, Zubat
Clear Smog
Clear Smog is a move that works similarly to Haze, but it deals Poison-type damage, requires a target and only affects that target, and the stat-resetting effect is blocked by Steel-types and Substitute. This move has the advantage of not being blocked by Taunt, whereas Haze would be blocked by it.
Best users of Clear Smog: Foongus, Koffing, Shellos
Notable users of Clear Smog: Gastly, Trubbish
Other users of Clear Smog: Bellsprout, Drifloon, Horsea, Litwick, Magby, Psyduck, Wailmer
Forced Switching (Phazing)
The moves Roar, Whirlwind, Circle Throw, and Dragon Tail force their target to switch out and lose their stat changes in the process. The item Red Card will also force a switch against the foe if the holder is attacked and not knocked out by the hit. Roar and Whirlwind are blocked by Taunt, and Roar is also blocked by Soundproof. Circle Throw and Dragon Tail are not blocked by Taunt but their forced switching effect does not trigger against Substitutes; additionally, Circle Throw does nothing against Ghost-types and Dragon Tail does nothing against Fairy-types. The ability Suction Cups and the move Ingrain will void the forced switching effects of everything mentioned in this segment, but Circle Throw and Dragon Tail will still deal damage normally. The downside to using one of these moves is that you are forced to move last, as they have -6 priority. Copycat no longers calls Roar, so Riolu's days of spamming Copycat Roar to drag opposing teams through hazards are over.
Best users of Roar: Archen, Growlithe
Notable users of Roar: Snubbull, Stunky
Other users of Roar: Amaura, Aron, Axew, Bagon, Chespin, Cranidos, Darumaka, Deino, Electrike, Gible, Hippopotas, Houndour, Lillipup, Litleo, Onix, Pancham, Phanpy, Poochyena, Rhyhorn, Riolu, Sandile, Scraggy, Shieldon, Shinx, Skiddo, Swinub, Teddiursa, Tepig, Tyrunt, Wailmer, Whismur, Zorua
Best users of Whirlwind: Hippopotas
Notable users of Whirlwind: Vullaby, Munchlax
Other users of Whirlwind: Cranidos, Hoothoot, Makuhita, Noibat, Pidgey, Rufflet, Skorupi, Spearow, Spoink, Starly, Taillow, Zubat
Best users of Circle Throw: Pancham
Notable users of Circle Throw: Riolu
Other users of Circle Throw: Buneary, Whismur
Best users of Dragon Tail: Tyrunt, Lickitung
Notable users of Dragon Tail: Onix
Other users of Dragon Tail: Helioptile, Dratini, Deino, Scraggy, Amaura
Thunder Wave / Stun Spore (Paralysis)
Paralyzing a dangerous enemy with Thunder Wave or Stun Spore slows it down so that you always have the Speed advantage when facing it from then on. In the case of setup sweepers that are particularly fast or have their Speed boosted by Dragon Dance, Shell Smash, or other means, hitting them with paralysis status can oftentimes be all you need to get past them; the 25% chance of having the afflicted enemy not able to move each turn also comes in handy often. Thunder Wave has 100% accuracy but does not affect Ground-types; Stun Spore has a rather inaccurate 75% chance of landing and does not affect Grass-types or Pokemon with the ability Overcoat or the item Safety Goggles. It is important to bear in mind that Electric-types are entirely immune to paralysis status this generation and thus cannot be stopped with this method. Purrloin is the only Prankster carrier in the tier to have access to Thunder Wave, while Cottonee is the only Prankster carrier to get Stun Spore, making them standout users of these moves. Also worth noting is that Glare is an option for paralyzing foes, but its distribution is pitiful in all tiers and Little Cup is no exception. However, it does make a better option than Thunder Wave in the case of Helioptile, as it makes it the only Electric-type in LC to be able to paralyze Ground-types with a move. Paralysis can also be inflicted on a foe that makes contact with a Pokemon that has the Static ability, but this method is far less conventional and only has a 30% chance of activating.
Best users of Thunder Wave: Purrloin, Chinchou, Slowpoke, Porygon, Ferroseed
Notable users of Thunder Wave: Magnemite, Buneary, Staryu, Misdreavus, Pawniard, Snubbull, Mime Jr., Nosepass, Voltorb
Other users of Thunder Wave: Aipom, Amaura, Bidoof, Blitzle, Chingling, Cleffa, Deerling, Deino, Dratini, Drifloon, Drowzee, Electrike, Elekid, Elgyem, Espurr, Gothita, Happiny, Helioptile, Igglybuff, Joltik, Klink, Lillipup, Mareep, Minccino, Munna, Pichu, Ralts, Rattata, Remoraid, Shinx, Shuppet, Skitty, Solosis, Spoink, Staryu, Togepi, Tynamo, Woobat, Zigzagoon, Abra
Best users of Stun Spore: Cottonee
Notable users of Stun Spore: Foongus
Other users of Stun Spore: Bellsprout, Budew, Exeggcute, Hoppip, Oddish, Paras, Petilil, Scatterbug, Shroomish, Venonat
Will-O-Wisp (Burn)
Will-O-Wisp is an answer only to physically inclined sweepers, as it inflicts burn status, which effectively cuts the target's Attack stat down to half of its original value. This move does not affect Fire-types or Pokemon with the Water Veil ability. Enemies with the Flash Fire ability are not only immune but will also get a boost to their Fire-type attacks if they are targeted by this move. Additionally, a Pokemon with the Guts ability that is burned will not have its Attack cut in half and will instead receive a 1.5x boost to all their physical attacks. Burn status can also be inflicted on a foe that makes contact with a Pokemon that has the Flame Body ability, but this method is far less conventional and only has a 30% chance of activating. That said, it is still the optimal ability on the majority of Pokemon in Little Cup that have access to it. There are unfortunately no Pokemon in the tier that have access to both Prankster and Will-O-Wisp.
Best users of Will-O-Wisp: Misdreavus, Larvesta, Growlithe, Ponyta, Koffing
Notable users of Will-O-Wisp: Torchic, Gastly, Frillish, Vulpix
Other users of Will-O-Wisp: Charmander, Chimchar, Cyndaquil, Darumaka, Drifloon, Duskull, Fennekin, Houndour, Litleo, Litwick, Magby, Numel, Pansear, Phantump, Pumpkaboo, Ralts, Shuppet, Slugma, Tepig, Yamask
Priority
Every team in Little Cup should be expected to carry some form of priority. Priority allows the user to move first against a target regardless of their Speed advantage, whether it is by natural comparison, by Choice Scarf, or by setup. In addition to the previously mentioned Prankster ability that gives +1 priority to all non-attacking moves, there are several attacks that also give +1 priority and can come in handy when dealing with fast attackers. Fake Out is a somewhat weak +3 priority attack that can only be used on the first turn the user is out, and also causes a flinch to its target, which is essentially free damage, though usually not very much; this is good for racking up chip damage, breaking Sturdy, or pushing a foe into KO range from another attack. Mach Punch and Vacuum Wave are Fighting-type priority options from the physical and special sides of offense, respectively, and are reliable for getting fast hits in against many Fighting-weak foes in particular, notably Carvanha, Tyrunt, Pawniard, Scarf Snover, and Scarf Amaura. Aqua Jet is a handy Water-type priority attack, while Ice Shard is also handy as an Ice-type priority option. Quick Attack is not so commonly seen, and scores no super effective hits due to being Normal-type, but it can be very useful when the time is right; Extreme Speed also hits nothing super effectively for the same reason, but is especially notable as a priority attack, as it is twice as strong as Quick Attack and gets +2 priority, therefore outspeeding all other priority attacks besides Fake Out. Sucker Punch is a strong Dark-type priority attack that only lands if the target selected an attacking move for the same turn. Gale Wings is and ability exclusive to Fletchling and causes all Flying-type moves to have +1 priority, whether they are attacking moves or not. It should be noted that all of the attacks in this segment, besides Vacuum Wave and Ice Shard, make contact and will therefore trigger Static (30% chance), Flame Body (30% chance), Rough Skin, Iron Barbs, and Rocky Helmet.
Best users of Fake Out: Mienfoo, Meowth
Notable users of Fake Out: Aipom, Croagunk, Buneary, Purrloin
Other users of Fake Out: Chimchar, Espurr, Glameow, Makuhita, Mime Jr., Pichu, Scraggy, Seel, Skitty, Smoochum, Squirtle, Tyrogue
Best users of Mach Punch: Timburr
Notable users of Mach Punch: Magby
Other users of Mach Punch: Ledyba, Tyrogue
Best users of Vacuum Wave: Croagunk
Notable users of Vacuum Wave: Chimchar
Other users of Vacuum Wave: Machop, Makuhita, Mankey, Riolu, Tyrogue
Best users of Aqua Jet: Tirtouga, Carvanha
Notable users of Aqua Jet: Corphish
Other users of Aqua Jet: Anorith, Buizel, Clauncher, Dratini, Kabuto, Oshawott, Seel, Squirtle, Surskit, Totodile
Best users of Ice Shard: Snover, Shellder
Notable users of Ice Shard: Swinub, Phanpy
Other users of Ice Shard: Vanillite, Seel, Snorunt
Best users of Quick Attack: Bunnelby
Notable users of Quick Attack: Rattata, Spearow, Bidoof, Eevee, Trapinch
Other users of Quick Attack: Archen, Blitzle, Buizel, Buneary, Charmander, Cyndaquil, Doduo, Eevee, Electrike, Elekid, Fletchling, Froakie, Glameow, Helioptile, Pidgey, Pidove, Ponyta, Riolu, Seedot, Sentret, Shinx, Starly, Surskit, Taillow, Torchic, Treecko, Wingull, Zubat
Best users of Extreme Speed: Zigzagoon
Notable users of Extreme Speed: Dratini
Best users of Sucker Punch: Pawniard, Stunky, Houndour
Notable users of Sucker Punch: Croagunk, Diglett, Purrloin, Zorua, Nidoran-M, Rattata, Bellsprout, Cacnea, Geodude
Other users of Sucker Punch: Bonsly, Chinchou, Drifloon, Ekans, Gastly, Glameow, Houndour, Joltik, Nidoran-F, Poochyena, Sentret, Shuppet, Skitty, Slakoth, Spinarak, Tepig, Voltorb
Knock Off
There are sweepers that rely on their held item to achieve their expected potential, and this is especially true for holders of the item Berry Juice; Knock Off scores the 1.5x damage output bonus against the holder and then removes it without it activating. This is also very helpful in removing Choice items and Life Orb, items that are commonly relied on for instant offensive advantages. The awesome thing about this attack is that the distribution is insanely huge, giving tons of Pokemon the opportunity to make use of it, even ones that can't use it to offensive ends.
Best users of Knock Off: Pawniard, Scraggy, Vullaby
Notable users of Knock Off: Mienfoo, Timburr, Lickitung, Cubone, Tentacool, Archen, Cottonee
Other users of Knock Off: Abra, Aipom, Anorith, Azurill, Bellsprout, Bulbasaur, Chingling, Corphish, Croagunk, Doduo, Drifloon, Dwebble, Gastly, Glameow, Goldeen, Kabuto, Karrablast, Krabby, Ledyba, Machop, Makuhita, Meowth, Minccino, Omanyte, Panpour, Pansage, Pansear, Paras, Phanpy, Purrloin, Sandshrew, Sentret, Shuppet, Skorupi, Snivy, Tentacool, Tirtouga, Vullaby, Wingull, Woobat, Yamask, Zorua
Trick / Switcheroo + Choice Item
If there's anything that will throw a wrench into setup, especially Baton Pass, it's giving the opponent an item that locks them into an undesirable move and crippling them for the remainder of the battle. Trick and Switcheroo both accomplish the same thing here, and this strategy can also serve as an extension of using a Choice item for your Pokemon to gain the instant boost from it when it's not trying to disrupt an enemy, and then get rid of it later. It can also suffice to force the enemy to hold damaging items such as Sticky Barb and Flame Orb, as they are gifts the opponent certainly will not appreciate, but what's more is that you're not only giving them something to screw them up permanently, but you're also depriving them of their preferred item and stealing it for your own use. Purrloin is the only Prankster carrier to get Trick; Cottonee is the only Prankster carrier in the tier to get Switcheroo.
Best users of Trick: Purrloin, Misdreavus
Notable users of Trick: Gastly, Bronzor, Mime Jr., Slowpoke, Porygon, Frillish
Other users of Trick: Abra, Baltoy, Chingling, Cleffa, Drifloon, Drowzee, Duskull, Elgyem, Espurr, Gothita, Litwick, Munna, Pumpkaboo, Ralts, Sentret, Shuppet, Smoochum, Solosis, Spoink, Togepi, Woobat, Yamask, Zigzagoon, Zorua
Best users of Switcheroo: Cottonee, Buneary
Notable users of Switcheroo: Binacle, Noibat, Archen, Buizel, Inkay
Other users of Switcheroo: Aipom, Cacnea, Corphish, Ekans, Electrike, Snorunt
Keep these things in mind during teambuilding and have fun combating setup! ♥
Dealing With Setup
in XY Little Cup
Tirtouga preparing to use Shell Smash
Art by the incredible Magistrum
in XY Little Cup
Tirtouga preparing to use Shell Smash
Art by the incredible Magistrum
Many players, new and experienced, sometimes have problems with a very important aspect of battling that sometimes isn't considered in the teambuilding phase, and this aspect is setup. Many Pokemon have moves that boost their stats to make them a lot more threatening than they normally are and therefore can be expected to pose much more of a threat, while using up turns in battle in different scenarios, as opposed to relying on an item. There are many different kinds of setup, there are several means of achieving boosts, and these buffs can even be passed on to teammates. This thread will cover the most common ways that setup can be used and taken advantage of, as well as how these methods can be overcome so that an enemy with boosted stats doesn't steamroll through your team.
Common Methods Of Setup
Swords Dance
This move is pretty straightforward; it uses up a turn to increase the user's Attack by two stages, a fairly simple move with no drawback. This offers any user of the move a notable increase in physical power, and can really make a difference, but isn't overwhelmingly hard to deal with. That said, there are quite a few users of this simple move that can greatly benefit from it if the circumstances are right.
High-threat users: Pawniard, Fletchling
Common users: Torchic, Drilbur
Uncommon users: Mienfoo, Corphish, Cubone, Teddiursa, Cacnea, Drilbur, Axew
Other users: Anorith, Bellsprout, Binacle, Budew, Bulbasaur, Charmander, Cherubi, Chespin, Chikorita, Chimchar, Clauncher, Cranidos, Dwebble, Exeggcute, Hoppip, Karrablast, Krabby, Ledyba, Lickitung, Lileep, Lotad, Oddish, Oshawott, Pancham, Paras, Patrat, Rhyhorn, Riolu, Sandshrew, Seedot, Shroomish, Snivy, Snover, Sunkern, Tentacool, Totodile, Treecko, Turtwig, Zorua, Skorupi
Pawniard is by far the most fearsome user of Swords Dance in the current metagame, pushing its already ridiculous STAB Knock Off attack to panic levels, not to mention its STAB Iron Head. Its STAB Sucker Punch provides the priority necessary to slam faster enemies hard and it becomes even more dangerous at +2. Torchic is not necessarily a Pokemon that can make good use of Swords Dance, but instead is one that can pass the merits of the boost to a teammate along with the Speed increases provided by its ability Speed Boost, and this makes Torchic a very threatening "enabler" of sorts that can set almost any teammate up for a sweep. Fletchling is actually pretty frail but an opponent will often find themselves in a lot of pain if it manages to become itemless (e.g. consumes Berry Juice) with a Swords Dance boost, which will cause its priority STAB Acrobatics (given +1 priority by its Gale Wings ability) to wreak extreme havoc. Honedge and Corphish can use Swords Dance to crank up the power of their Shadow Sneak and Adaptability-boosted Aqua Jet attacks, respectively, and are additionally a force to be reckoned with if they manage to hit something with one of their more powerful moves after having set up. Mienfoo can make effective use of Swords Dance on its own or to pass to a teammate with Baton Pass, but it is usually seen more often doing what it does best. Cubone and Teddiursa can use the move to further complement the boosts provided to them by Thick Club and Toxic Orb, respectively, and can work well with Sticky Web support, but are not seen often. Cacnea, Drilbur, and Axew are known users of Swords Dance that can use the boost well but are not as commonly used as they once were.
Nasty Plot
This move accomplishes basically the same thing as Swords Dance, but on a different offensive spectrum, increasing Special Attack by two stages instead of Attack. This offers any user of the move a notable increase in special offense, and can really make a difference, but usually isn't overwhelmingly hard to deal with. That said, there are quite a few users of this simple move that can greatly benefit from it if the circumstances are right.
High-threat users: Misdreavus
Common users: Croagunk
Uncommon users: Vullaby, Houndour, Mime Jr.
Other users: Aipom, Cacnea, Chimchar, Elgyem, Meowth, Panpour, Pansage, Pansear, Pichu, Purrloin, Riolu, Seedot, Smoochum, Togepi, Yamask, Zorua, Zubat, Drowzee
Misdreavus is without question the most menacing user of Nasty Plot, and has been for generations now in Little Cup. Its place in the 19 Speed tier and its impressive Special Attack make it highly threatening after it manages to get a boost, and it should never be underestimated. Croagunk has become more specially inclined this generation and can become quite threatening with its unique STABs and access to priority STAB Vacuum Wave, especially after a Nasty Plot. Vullaby can make excellent use of Nasty Plot to run a bulky special setup set, though it is more commonly seen running Defog and Knock Off for their utility and support provision. Houndour becomes truly fearsome if it manages to get a Nasty Plot boost, though it often cannot afford to go for one with its sub-par ability to take hits. Mime Jr. is an avid user of this setup move and can crank its own special offense up with it or pass it to a teammate or through a chain by way of Baton Pass.
Dragon Dance
This move offers a kick to both Attack and Speed, providing a +1 boost to each. Dragon Dance is very useful in that it often results in a Speed advantage as well as a welcome buff to the user's physical power, more or less acting as a Choice Band and Choice Scarf boost in one while still allowing the user to hold another item, and all it costs is a turn to achieve it. This move doesn't have a very large distribution in Little Cup, but it can be very beneficial to the few Pokemon who have access to it, under the right conditions.
High-threat users: Scraggy
Common users: Tyrunt, Corphish
Uncommon users: Axew, Bagon, Dratini, Larvitar, Charmander
Other users: Totodile, Barboach, Horsea
Scraggy is the most threatening and also by far the most versatile user of Dragon Dance, as it has the bulk to pull it off and the STAB coverage to put it to great use. The buffed Knock Off is a great STAB move in Scraggy's arsenal and so is STAB Drain Punch for recovery, while it also gets Iron Head/Poison Jab for the Fairy-types whose STAB Scraggy is 4x weak to and it gets Zen Headbutt for Croagunk as well. Shed Skin also works wonders for it, keeping it free of crippling status. Tyrunt is an awesome user of Dragon Dance and can benefit from the boosts to nail many kinds of foes hard with the additional boost provided to its bite-based attacks, courtesy of its Strong Jaw ability. Corphish is sometimes seen using Swords Dance but some players opt to use it for Dragon Dance so it can use its Speed increase to hit things hard with Adaptability-boosted Crabhammer. Axew, Bagon, and Dratini are known users of this move but they have more or less faded into obscurity; if you ever do see one of these, you can be pretty sure they will have Dragon Dance. Larvitar is offensively a very good Dragon Dance sweeper, without a doubt, but defensively it is another story. It has far too many weaknesses and is weak to too many priority moves for it to reliably sweep in most situations. Charmander began seeing a little more use with the addition of Fairy-types and auto-Sun, and it can generally be expected to run Dragon Dance if you run into one.
Shell Smash
This is probably the most broken setup move ever introduced, and it will be covered in detail in this segment. In a single turn, the user will gain +2 in Attack, Special Attack, and Speed upon using this move, while suffering the drawback of having its Defense and Special Defense lowered by one stage. This can quickly turn a decently powerful Pokemon into a top threat that is capable of dishing out massive damage and usually with a clear Speed advantage. Users of this move with access to the Sturdy ability can hold Berry Juice and make themselves annoyingly difficult to deal with, as they will be able to survive any hit from full health and then be fully restored, causing Sturdy to restore itself and assuring the user will survive yet another hit, despite the defensive drops from Shell Smash.
High-threat users: Tirtouga, Omanyte
Common users: Clamperl, Shellder
Uncommon users: Binacle, Dwebble
Tirtouga is by far the most threatening and most commonly seen user of this move. Its combination of the aforementioned Shell Smash, Sturdy, and Berry Juice allows it to become highly problematic, with its impressive STABs combined with its access to Aqua Jet to beat out important priority attacks that might be used in an attempt to bring it down after its defenses have been lowered during setup. Omanyte has an impressive 90 base Special Attack stat and can work well as a special sweeper, but what really makes it stand out as a Shell Smash user is its Flying resistance, backed by Eviolite, which lets it wall standard Fletchling. Dwebble can make effective use of this combination as well, but has worse defensive typing and no priority attacks. Nonetheless, its offensive coverage is still very strong, though its STABs are both walled by Fighting-types. Shellder is an avid user of Shell Smash that is particularly threatening due to its access to hard-hitting multi-hit attacks that always hit 5 times, thanks to its Skill Link ability. The great coverage provided by its STAB, Icicle Spear, and Rock Blast makes it a definite force to be reckoned with, and it also has the option of running Ice Shard for priority. Clamperl has Shell Armor to block critical hits, and can benefit from its Special Attack being automatically doubled if it holds the item DeepSeaTooth, which becomes very frightening after a Shell Smash is added into the mix; the drawback of this is that it can't have Eviolite to help soften the blows it might have to take, and it can't have Berry Juice to heal itself after having taken damage either, and Clamperl usually requires specific support to be able to function reliably because of this. Binacle is a user of this move that is generally overshadowed by Tirtouga as a physical Rock/Water Shell Smasher due to not having Sturdy, though it has a few interesting things going for it, like Tough Claws and access to Switcheroo.
Belly Drum
This is a rather high-risk, high-reward tactic that has a huge payoff if the user is able to set up successfully without being stopped. It maximizes the Attack stat (+6!) with the side effect of losing half of the user's maximum health. In Little Cup, however, the existence of Berry Juice as a recovery item significantly reduces the risk factor of this move by instantly restoring its holder back to full health upon using it, providing the user has an even-numbered HP stat. Berry Juice will also reliably restore health if the user is struck with a move that cannot 2HKO it before using Belly Drum, and if it is taken below half of its health before using the move, Berry Juice will still restore health and assure that Belly Drum is able to take effect afterward (though half the user's HP will remain gone in this scenario). Belly Drum makes any Pokemon an extremely potent physical threat and should never be underestimated. This strategy is commonly supported by Memento, a move that sacrifices its user and neutralizes the opponent's offenses to ease setup for a teammate.
High-threat users: Zigzagoon
Common users: Magby, Poliwag
Uncommon users: Munchlax
Other users: Charmander, Chespin, Cleffa, Cubone, Darumaka, Drowzee, Lickitung, Magby, Makuhita, Slowpoke, Spheal, Teddiursa
Zigzagoon is unquestionably the most threatening user of Belly Drum, as it also has access to STAB Extreme Speed, which lets it not only sweep after setting up, but also prevent priority attacks (bar Fake Out) from interrupting its sweep. Magby is a very fast Belly Drum sweeper that hits 19 Speed and can set up while forcing out something that is weak to Fire, such as Foongus or Ferroseed. It's notable that Magby cannot be revenge killed by Pawniard unless it has both Choice Scarf and Sucker Punch, because Magby has a priority attack itself in Mach Punch, which outspeeds and easily OHKOs Pawniard in any other circumstance. Poliwag is another 19 Speed Belly Drum sweeper that is particularly risky to use because of not only its frailty, but also that it relies on the shaky accuracy of Hypnosis to successfully set up unless it has huge team support. Munchlax is an uncommon user of Belly Drum, but the fact that it has ample bulk and the ability to Recycle its Berry Juice can make it very difficult to stop despite its poor Speed, if the opponent's Fighting-type(s) has been removed.
Common Methods Of Supporting Setup
Dual Screens (Reflect / Light Screen)
The use of Reflect and Light Screen together is commonly referred to as Dual Screens on Smogon, and both moves act as an effect that supports the team no matter which Pokemon is active at the time, for 5 turns. Reflect cuts the damage received by physical attacks in half, while Light Screen cuts the damage received by special attacks in half. This can be greatly useful in assisting in setup, as the Pokemon will only take half the usual damage from attacks that hit it while it's boosting stats. The effects of these moves can be extended to 8 turns instead of 5 if the item Light Clay is held by the user of the moves. Safeguard can be used to protect the team from status for 5 turns but is generally hard to fit onto a moveset; also, this move is not extended to 8 turns by Light Clay.
U-Turn / Volt Switch / Parting Shot (Switch Advantage)
Capitalizing on a predicted switch can give a user of one of these moves the opportunity to bring in a setup sweeper that isn't threatened by what the opponent switched to. This immediately puts the setup sweeper in a position where it can safely go for its boosts and then proceed to sweep. Parting Shot is especially good in that it lowers the Attack and Special Attack of its target by one stage each before making the switch to the setup sweeper, making it even more difficult for them to stop it, though this move does not deal damage like the other two; this move is also exclusive to Pancham in Little Cup. It should be noted that U-turn makes contact and therefore will activate Rough Skin, Iron Barbs, Rocky Helmet, and has a chance of getting the burn from Flame Body and the paralysis from Static. It also triggers the Rattled ability, as it is a Bug-type attack. Volt Switch will fail if used against a Ground-type or a Pokemon with Volt Absorb (will also heal the target), Lightningrod (will also give the target +1 Special Attack) or Motor Drive (will also give the target +1 Speed). Additionally, a user of one of these moves can be set to have low Speed intentionally, to ensure that it can get a teammate in safely without it taking damage or being hit by status moves.
Forcing A Switch
A setup sweeper can quite easily get a free turn to boost if it can scare the active foe into fleeing to avoid a painful, and potentially fatal, attack. For instance, Doduo does not want to stay in and die to Tirtouga's Stone Edge, so the player calls it back to exchange it with a teammate better suited for the situation. In doing so, Tirtouga can capitalize on this and nab a free turn to go for a Shell Smash, now having become much more threatening and at no cost. This is a very important fear tactic of sorts to manipulate the game to attain stat boosts, and scenarios that might arise such as this should always be thought about in advance whenever possible. It never hurts to plan ahead.
Memento
Depending on how badly you want to get your setup sweeper rolling, this is an excellent option that gets the job done. The target of Memento has its Attack and Special Attack stats decreased by two stages, and the drawback is that the user faints and is removed from the game. The bad part about this is obviously the fact that it's literally sacrificing the life of a team member, but on the bright side, it gets a setup sweeper in the fray without taking damage and with the active foe basically stripped of all offensive ability. This guarantees at least one solid turn of setup, but it can backfire if the affected enemy has a disruptive move to mess up the sweep attempt. This is commonly used as a drastic measure to assure a successful Belly Drum sweep.
Baton Pass
Preservation of boosts by way of this method became a lot more popular in Little Cup when Torchic's Speed Boost ability became compatible with its access to this move. Baton Pass allows a non-manual switch to another team member that passes along certain effects from the user of the move to its recipient, and this includes stat changes as well as Substitutes. This means that a Pokemon that sets up can forward what it racked up to a totally different Pokemon, depending on what teammate is most appropriate to bring in at the time, and this can be hard to play around without the right move(s) to combat it. Torchic is the most common lead for this type of strategy, and other avid Baton Pass users include Mienfoo and Mime Jr., though Baton Pass has lost a great deal of popularity after the ban of both Gligar and Meditite. Baton Pass can also be used similarly to the way U-turn, Volt Switch, and Parting Shot are, to take advantage of a predicted switch and then grab momentum; this can be done with or without boosts and is commonly referred to as Dry-Passing.
Conventional Methods Of Dealing With Setup
Taunt / Encore
These moves are pretty much staples when it comes to screwing up most tactics that don't require attacking. Taunt blocks the use of any setup move that does not deal damage, which includes everything listed above except for U-turn and Volt Switch. It also stops Baton Pass in its tracks and forces the enemy to either attack or manually switch out and lose all of its accumulated boosts. Encore does not prevent the use of setup moves, but it forces the user of one to repeat the same move over and over, causing it to never be able to benefit from the stat increases, and this tactic will screw up any setup sweeper as long as you lock the foe into their setup move and not an attacking move after it has already set up. These moves are helped greatly by the Prankster ability, which gives +1 priority to all non-attacking moves. Pokemon with access to the Prankster ability and both of these moves include Cottonee and Purrloin. Purrloin can apply additional pressure since it also has access to U-turn. Taunt Mienfoo with 17 Speed totally shuts down Dwebble, a common hyper offense lead.
Best users of Taunt: Cottonee, Mienfoo, Purrloin
Notable users of Taunt: Misdreavus, Mime Jr., Voltorb, Archen, Mienfoo
Other users of Taunt: Abra, Aipom, Axew, Bidoof, Binacle, Chespin, Chimchar, Chingling, Corphish, Croagunk, Darumaka, Deino, Drowzee, Duskull, Fletchling, Frillish, Froakie, Gastly, Glameow, Gothita, Grimer, Houndour, Inkay, Koffing, Larvitar, Litleo, Litwick, Mankey, Meowth, Mime Jr., Noibat, Nosepass, Onix, Oshawott, Panpour, Pansage, Pansear, Pawniard, Pidove, Poochyena, Ralts, Rattata, Sandile, Scraggy, Shieldon, Shuppet, Skorupi, Snivy, Snubbull, Spoink, Stunky, Teddiursa, Tepig, Timburr, Vanillite, Vullaby, Woobat, Zorua, Zubat
Best users of Encore: Cottonee, Purrloin
Notable users of Encore: Wynaut, Mime Jr., Buneary
Other users of Encore: Abra, Amaura, Azurill, Bellsprout, Cacnea, Chimchar, Cleffa, Cubchoo, Darumaka, Gulpin, Hoppip, Ledyba, Machop, Mankey, Minccino, Oshawott, Pichu, Poliwag, Psyduck, Ralts, Seel, Shelmet, Slakoth, Spheal, Sunkern, Togepi, Wooper
Haze
Haze is a move that eliminates all stat changes of both teams, which brings any setup sweeper down to size and makes it not near as threatening. This move is also a full stop to Baton Pass.
Notable users of Haze: Wooper, Grimer, Koffing, Trubbish, Tentacool, Gastly, Mantyke
Other users of Haze: Amaura, Doduo, Dratini, Drifloon, Duskull, Ekans, Feebas, Goldeen, Krabby, Litwick, Omanyte, Poliwag, Remoraid, Skrelp, Squirtle, Stunky, Surskit, Swablu, Yamask, Zubat
Clear Smog
Clear Smog is a move that works similarly to Haze, but it deals Poison-type damage, requires a target and only affects that target, and the stat-resetting effect is blocked by Steel-types and Substitute. This move has the advantage of not being blocked by Taunt, whereas Haze would be blocked by it.
Best users of Clear Smog: Foongus, Koffing, Shellos
Notable users of Clear Smog: Gastly, Trubbish
Other users of Clear Smog: Bellsprout, Drifloon, Horsea, Litwick, Magby, Psyduck, Wailmer
Forced Switching (Phazing)
The moves Roar, Whirlwind, Circle Throw, and Dragon Tail force their target to switch out and lose their stat changes in the process. The item Red Card will also force a switch against the foe if the holder is attacked and not knocked out by the hit. Roar and Whirlwind are blocked by Taunt, and Roar is also blocked by Soundproof. Circle Throw and Dragon Tail are not blocked by Taunt but their forced switching effect does not trigger against Substitutes; additionally, Circle Throw does nothing against Ghost-types and Dragon Tail does nothing against Fairy-types. The ability Suction Cups and the move Ingrain will void the forced switching effects of everything mentioned in this segment, but Circle Throw and Dragon Tail will still deal damage normally. The downside to using one of these moves is that you are forced to move last, as they have -6 priority. Copycat no longers calls Roar, so Riolu's days of spamming Copycat Roar to drag opposing teams through hazards are over.
Best users of Roar: Archen, Growlithe
Notable users of Roar: Snubbull, Stunky
Other users of Roar: Amaura, Aron, Axew, Bagon, Chespin, Cranidos, Darumaka, Deino, Electrike, Gible, Hippopotas, Houndour, Lillipup, Litleo, Onix, Pancham, Phanpy, Poochyena, Rhyhorn, Riolu, Sandile, Scraggy, Shieldon, Shinx, Skiddo, Swinub, Teddiursa, Tepig, Tyrunt, Wailmer, Whismur, Zorua
Best users of Whirlwind: Hippopotas
Notable users of Whirlwind: Vullaby, Munchlax
Other users of Whirlwind: Cranidos, Hoothoot, Makuhita, Noibat, Pidgey, Rufflet, Skorupi, Spearow, Spoink, Starly, Taillow, Zubat
Best users of Circle Throw: Pancham
Notable users of Circle Throw: Riolu
Other users of Circle Throw: Buneary, Whismur
Best users of Dragon Tail: Tyrunt, Lickitung
Notable users of Dragon Tail: Onix
Other users of Dragon Tail: Helioptile, Dratini, Deino, Scraggy, Amaura
Thunder Wave / Stun Spore (Paralysis)
Paralyzing a dangerous enemy with Thunder Wave or Stun Spore slows it down so that you always have the Speed advantage when facing it from then on. In the case of setup sweepers that are particularly fast or have their Speed boosted by Dragon Dance, Shell Smash, or other means, hitting them with paralysis status can oftentimes be all you need to get past them; the 25% chance of having the afflicted enemy not able to move each turn also comes in handy often. Thunder Wave has 100% accuracy but does not affect Ground-types; Stun Spore has a rather inaccurate 75% chance of landing and does not affect Grass-types or Pokemon with the ability Overcoat or the item Safety Goggles. It is important to bear in mind that Electric-types are entirely immune to paralysis status this generation and thus cannot be stopped with this method. Purrloin is the only Prankster carrier in the tier to have access to Thunder Wave, while Cottonee is the only Prankster carrier to get Stun Spore, making them standout users of these moves. Also worth noting is that Glare is an option for paralyzing foes, but its distribution is pitiful in all tiers and Little Cup is no exception. However, it does make a better option than Thunder Wave in the case of Helioptile, as it makes it the only Electric-type in LC to be able to paralyze Ground-types with a move. Paralysis can also be inflicted on a foe that makes contact with a Pokemon that has the Static ability, but this method is far less conventional and only has a 30% chance of activating.
Best users of Thunder Wave: Purrloin, Chinchou, Slowpoke, Porygon, Ferroseed
Notable users of Thunder Wave: Magnemite, Buneary, Staryu, Misdreavus, Pawniard, Snubbull, Mime Jr., Nosepass, Voltorb
Other users of Thunder Wave: Aipom, Amaura, Bidoof, Blitzle, Chingling, Cleffa, Deerling, Deino, Dratini, Drifloon, Drowzee, Electrike, Elekid, Elgyem, Espurr, Gothita, Happiny, Helioptile, Igglybuff, Joltik, Klink, Lillipup, Mareep, Minccino, Munna, Pichu, Ralts, Rattata, Remoraid, Shinx, Shuppet, Skitty, Solosis, Spoink, Staryu, Togepi, Tynamo, Woobat, Zigzagoon, Abra
Best users of Stun Spore: Cottonee
Notable users of Stun Spore: Foongus
Other users of Stun Spore: Bellsprout, Budew, Exeggcute, Hoppip, Oddish, Paras, Petilil, Scatterbug, Shroomish, Venonat
Will-O-Wisp (Burn)
Will-O-Wisp is an answer only to physically inclined sweepers, as it inflicts burn status, which effectively cuts the target's Attack stat down to half of its original value. This move does not affect Fire-types or Pokemon with the Water Veil ability. Enemies with the Flash Fire ability are not only immune but will also get a boost to their Fire-type attacks if they are targeted by this move. Additionally, a Pokemon with the Guts ability that is burned will not have its Attack cut in half and will instead receive a 1.5x boost to all their physical attacks. Burn status can also be inflicted on a foe that makes contact with a Pokemon that has the Flame Body ability, but this method is far less conventional and only has a 30% chance of activating. That said, it is still the optimal ability on the majority of Pokemon in Little Cup that have access to it. There are unfortunately no Pokemon in the tier that have access to both Prankster and Will-O-Wisp.
Best users of Will-O-Wisp: Misdreavus, Larvesta, Growlithe, Ponyta, Koffing
Notable users of Will-O-Wisp: Torchic, Gastly, Frillish, Vulpix
Other users of Will-O-Wisp: Charmander, Chimchar, Cyndaquil, Darumaka, Drifloon, Duskull, Fennekin, Houndour, Litleo, Litwick, Magby, Numel, Pansear, Phantump, Pumpkaboo, Ralts, Shuppet, Slugma, Tepig, Yamask
Priority
Every team in Little Cup should be expected to carry some form of priority. Priority allows the user to move first against a target regardless of their Speed advantage, whether it is by natural comparison, by Choice Scarf, or by setup. In addition to the previously mentioned Prankster ability that gives +1 priority to all non-attacking moves, there are several attacks that also give +1 priority and can come in handy when dealing with fast attackers. Fake Out is a somewhat weak +3 priority attack that can only be used on the first turn the user is out, and also causes a flinch to its target, which is essentially free damage, though usually not very much; this is good for racking up chip damage, breaking Sturdy, or pushing a foe into KO range from another attack. Mach Punch and Vacuum Wave are Fighting-type priority options from the physical and special sides of offense, respectively, and are reliable for getting fast hits in against many Fighting-weak foes in particular, notably Carvanha, Tyrunt, Pawniard, Scarf Snover, and Scarf Amaura. Aqua Jet is a handy Water-type priority attack, while Ice Shard is also handy as an Ice-type priority option. Quick Attack is not so commonly seen, and scores no super effective hits due to being Normal-type, but it can be very useful when the time is right; Extreme Speed also hits nothing super effectively for the same reason, but is especially notable as a priority attack, as it is twice as strong as Quick Attack and gets +2 priority, therefore outspeeding all other priority attacks besides Fake Out. Sucker Punch is a strong Dark-type priority attack that only lands if the target selected an attacking move for the same turn. Gale Wings is and ability exclusive to Fletchling and causes all Flying-type moves to have +1 priority, whether they are attacking moves or not. It should be noted that all of the attacks in this segment, besides Vacuum Wave and Ice Shard, make contact and will therefore trigger Static (30% chance), Flame Body (30% chance), Rough Skin, Iron Barbs, and Rocky Helmet.
Best users of Fake Out: Mienfoo, Meowth
Notable users of Fake Out: Aipom, Croagunk, Buneary, Purrloin
Other users of Fake Out: Chimchar, Espurr, Glameow, Makuhita, Mime Jr., Pichu, Scraggy, Seel, Skitty, Smoochum, Squirtle, Tyrogue
Best users of Mach Punch: Timburr
Notable users of Mach Punch: Magby
Other users of Mach Punch: Ledyba, Tyrogue
Best users of Vacuum Wave: Croagunk
Notable users of Vacuum Wave: Chimchar
Other users of Vacuum Wave: Machop, Makuhita, Mankey, Riolu, Tyrogue
Best users of Aqua Jet: Tirtouga, Carvanha
Notable users of Aqua Jet: Corphish
Other users of Aqua Jet: Anorith, Buizel, Clauncher, Dratini, Kabuto, Oshawott, Seel, Squirtle, Surskit, Totodile
Best users of Ice Shard: Snover, Shellder
Notable users of Ice Shard: Swinub, Phanpy
Other users of Ice Shard: Vanillite, Seel, Snorunt
Best users of Quick Attack: Bunnelby
Notable users of Quick Attack: Rattata, Spearow, Bidoof, Eevee, Trapinch
Other users of Quick Attack: Archen, Blitzle, Buizel, Buneary, Charmander, Cyndaquil, Doduo, Eevee, Electrike, Elekid, Fletchling, Froakie, Glameow, Helioptile, Pidgey, Pidove, Ponyta, Riolu, Seedot, Sentret, Shinx, Starly, Surskit, Taillow, Torchic, Treecko, Wingull, Zubat
Best users of Extreme Speed: Zigzagoon
Notable users of Extreme Speed: Dratini
Best users of Sucker Punch: Pawniard, Stunky, Houndour
Notable users of Sucker Punch: Croagunk, Diglett, Purrloin, Zorua, Nidoran-M, Rattata, Bellsprout, Cacnea, Geodude
Other users of Sucker Punch: Bonsly, Chinchou, Drifloon, Ekans, Gastly, Glameow, Houndour, Joltik, Nidoran-F, Poochyena, Sentret, Shuppet, Skitty, Slakoth, Spinarak, Tepig, Voltorb
Knock Off
There are sweepers that rely on their held item to achieve their expected potential, and this is especially true for holders of the item Berry Juice; Knock Off scores the 1.5x damage output bonus against the holder and then removes it without it activating. This is also very helpful in removing Choice items and Life Orb, items that are commonly relied on for instant offensive advantages. The awesome thing about this attack is that the distribution is insanely huge, giving tons of Pokemon the opportunity to make use of it, even ones that can't use it to offensive ends.
Best users of Knock Off: Pawniard, Scraggy, Vullaby
Notable users of Knock Off: Mienfoo, Timburr, Lickitung, Cubone, Tentacool, Archen, Cottonee
Other users of Knock Off: Abra, Aipom, Anorith, Azurill, Bellsprout, Bulbasaur, Chingling, Corphish, Croagunk, Doduo, Drifloon, Dwebble, Gastly, Glameow, Goldeen, Kabuto, Karrablast, Krabby, Ledyba, Machop, Makuhita, Meowth, Minccino, Omanyte, Panpour, Pansage, Pansear, Paras, Phanpy, Purrloin, Sandshrew, Sentret, Shuppet, Skorupi, Snivy, Tentacool, Tirtouga, Vullaby, Wingull, Woobat, Yamask, Zorua
Trick / Switcheroo + Choice Item
If there's anything that will throw a wrench into setup, especially Baton Pass, it's giving the opponent an item that locks them into an undesirable move and crippling them for the remainder of the battle. Trick and Switcheroo both accomplish the same thing here, and this strategy can also serve as an extension of using a Choice item for your Pokemon to gain the instant boost from it when it's not trying to disrupt an enemy, and then get rid of it later. It can also suffice to force the enemy to hold damaging items such as Sticky Barb and Flame Orb, as they are gifts the opponent certainly will not appreciate, but what's more is that you're not only giving them something to screw them up permanently, but you're also depriving them of their preferred item and stealing it for your own use. Purrloin is the only Prankster carrier to get Trick; Cottonee is the only Prankster carrier in the tier to get Switcheroo.
Best users of Trick: Purrloin, Misdreavus
Notable users of Trick: Gastly, Bronzor, Mime Jr., Slowpoke, Porygon, Frillish
Other users of Trick: Abra, Baltoy, Chingling, Cleffa, Drifloon, Drowzee, Duskull, Elgyem, Espurr, Gothita, Litwick, Munna, Pumpkaboo, Ralts, Sentret, Shuppet, Smoochum, Solosis, Spoink, Togepi, Woobat, Yamask, Zigzagoon, Zorua
Best users of Switcheroo: Cottonee, Buneary
Notable users of Switcheroo: Binacle, Noibat, Archen, Buizel, Inkay
Other users of Switcheroo: Aipom, Cacnea, Corphish, Ekans, Electrike, Snorunt
Keep these things in mind during teambuilding and have fun combating setup! ♥
Last edited:
