Status: COMPLETE! (ready for uploading)
http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/gligar
Still need to do:
- Defensive set *Done*
- Boosting Sweeper set *Done*
- Lead set *Done*
- Pure Baton Passer set *Done*
- Choice Band/Scarf set *Done*
- Team Options *Done*
- Other Options *Done*
- EVs *Done*
- Opinion *Done*
- Counters *Done*
Please notify me if I should add any other set or remove any set.
I'm just posting what I have done so far, I'd just like some insight on what I've got. I thought writing a Gligar analysis would be easy, but it's not really that easy since I have nothing to refer to. Anyway, this is it:
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[SET]
name: Pure Baton Passer
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Agility
move 3: Baton Pass
move 4: Taunt
item: Yache Berry
ability: Hyper Cutter
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Gliscor is arguably the best Baton Passer in the OU metagame, but now, Gligar takes on the role as one of the best Baton Passers in the UU metagame. Gligar is one of the few Pokemon in UU that is capable of Passing on both Swords Dance and Agility, which really makes it stand out from other used Baton Passers that fail to achieve such a combo. Not only that, but Gligar definitely boasts decent overall bulk, including a high base Defense stat of 105. With the help of its resistances, immunities, and many neutralities, and the fact that it has only two weaknesses in Ice- and Water-type moves, Gligar will definitely achieve several boosts under its belt, ready to Baton Pass away.</p>
<p>The execution of this set is simple: switch Gligar in on something that it can set up Agility with little fear, Taunt any Pokemon attempting to phaze or set up themselves, Swords Dance at every opportunity, and then Baton Pass your boosts to your sweeper to have a guaranteed sweep.</p>
<p>The EV spread mentioned allows Gligar to have high overall bulk and Speed to make it easier to achieve boosts. Gligar needs to have as much Speed as possible to outpace threats, such as Milotic and Mesprit, before they have a chance at hurting Gligar, and it also ensures that Gligar will be able to outpace every Pokemon after an Agility boost. The preferred item for Gligar would be Yache Berry. When opponents see Gligar, its 4x Ice-type weakness springs into their heads, meaning that they will most likely switch in a Pokemon that wields an Ice-type move. This allows Gligar to have a guaranteed Swords Dance boost and an Agility boost, assuming the opponent switches out to their Ice-type user as Gligar uses Agility.</p>
<p>To use this set to full effect, providing dual screen support is definitely recommended. Not only will Gligar be harder to take down, but it also allows it to have a chance at achieving more than just a couple of boosts, meaning your sweeper will have higher Attack and Speed to take advantage of. Clefable and Gardevoir are amazing dual screeners because of their great overall bulk and access to many support moves. Clefable for instance has a measly Fighting-type weaknesses, but Gligar has the typing to resist it. Gardevoir, on the other hand, has Memento, a move that suicides Gardevoir to cut the opponent's offensive stats. This allows Gligar to switch in unharmed and will guarantee Gligar several boosts, ready to Pass away to the final sweeper.</p>
<p>As for selecting a receiver, there are several Pokemon to choose from. Feraligatr is an extremely powerful Pokemon once it has a couple of boosts because of its decent movepool with access to a powerful Waterfall and priority Aqua Jet; it can generally sweep an entire team that doesn't have anything to counter it. Torterra can be seen as a strong sweeper as well. With its high Attack stat and access to a powerful STAB Earthquake and Wood Hammer, Torterra can decimate basically anything that interferes with it. One of the most doubted Baton Pass receivers also deserves a mention, that being Bibarel. With its ability, Simple, one Swords Dance boost and one Agility boost turn into two Swords Dance boosts and two Agility boosts. This means that Gligar needs to set up less, which means you get to Baton Pass to your receiver faster to still take advantage of the dual screens before they fade away. On top of that, Bibarel has an unresisted STAB combo in Waterfall and Return (only walled by Shedinja) that no other Pokemon boasts. Bibarel may seem doubted at first sight, but it can sweep an entire team with ease.</p>
[SET]
name: Lead
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Stone Edge / U-turn
move 3: Stealth Rock / Roost
move 4: Taunt / Roost
item: Leftovers
ability: Hyper Cutter
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Gligar has all the assets to make a great lead: decent overall bulk, supporting moves, and great typing. Gligar can reliably combat most common UU leads, as many of them cannot severely damage or cripple Gligar, while Gligar can hit them back reasonabley hard.</p>
<p>The Earthquake and Stone Edge combo is only resisted by Claydol and Torterra in the UU metagame, meaning those moves provide excellent coverage. Besides using Stone Edge, U-turn is also a reasonable option, as it serves as a means of scouting the opponent’s team. If you do opt to use U-turn, you must remember that you will lose the OHKOs against leads like Moltres. Stealth Rock and Taunt is one combo that Gligar has that not many other fast paced Pokemon are capable of achieving in UU. With its relatively high Speed stat, Gligar can make use of Taunt to stop the opposing lead from trying to set up entry hazards, such as the common Stealth Rock, or stop leads that are attempting to boost their stats. Roost is also a decent option to use in either of the last two slots if you need Gligar to have more survivability.</p>
<p>The EV spread suggested provides as much overall bulk as possible, while also providing Gligar the Speed it needs to outpace opposing leads and attempt to set up Stealth Rock as fast as possible. Hyper Cutter is the preferred ability, allowing Gligar to ignore any Intimidate users that switch into Gligar, such as Hitmontop and Arcanine.</p>
<p>Sadly, Gligar isn’t capable of combatting every lead. To be more specific, Gligar can’t handle leads like Omastar and Mesprit. Omastar can easily destroy Gligar with a powerful STAB Surf or Ice Beam, and with its great Defense, Gligar's Earthquake won't be beating it. On the other hand, Mesprit outpaces Gligar and can go for an OHKO with Ice Punch or Ice Beam. Not only do these leads give Gligar trouble, but any lead that carries a super effective attack can easily decimate Gligar. Registeel is an excellent Pokemon to pair Gligar with, as they complement each other’s weaknesses reasonably well. Registeel shrugs off Gligar’s scary 4x Ice-type weakness, while Gligar resists and is immune to Registeel’s Fighting-type and Ground-type weaknesses, respectively. Milotic is also a great partner with its great overall bulk, and it is resistant to Gligar’s weaknesses, while Gligar is immune to Milotic's Electric weakness. It can fearlessly switch into Pokemon that attempt to end Gligar with super effective Water- or Ice-type moves with little fear, and can proceed to cripple the opponent with Toxic or attempt to deal a decent amount of damage with its STAB move.</p>
[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Roost
move 3: Stealth Rock / Knock Off / Toxic
move 4: Stone Edge / Aerial Ace
item: Leftovers
ability: Sand Veil
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Most of Gligar’s sets tend to take an offensive approach, but this set attempts to make use of Gligar’s Defense stat and great dual typing. Gligar is capable of reaching an HP stat of 334 and a Defense stat of 339, which is extremely good, considering Gligar is an NFE Pokemon. Not only does it boast great defensive stats, Gligar doesn’t suffer from having a low Speed stat, which most walls and tanks have, as it scores a reasonable stat of 207.</p>
<p>Gligar has the typing and movepool to counter many physical attackers in UU, and it’s also capable of supporting the team at the same time. Gligar has the potential to put the hurt against Pokemon that don’t resist its STAB Earthquake, while shrugging off any physical attacks that don’t hit Gligar super effectively. An example of how defensive Gligar is can be seen with Donphan. The standard Donphan can never 3HKO Gligar with Ice Shard, which isn’t bad, considering Gligar’s 4x Ice-type weakness. What makes Gligar even better is its access to instant recovery in Roost. Now Gligar is capable of out-stalling and KOing several physical threats by alternating between Roost and one of Gligar’s attacking moves. As for supporting the team, Gligar has several options to choose from: Stealth Rock, Knock Off, or Toxic. Gligar makes an excellent Stealth Rock user because of all of the opportunities it has to switch in, thanks to its great typing, resistances, and immunities. Knock Off is an excellent supporting move, as it can easily knock off Choice Specs from an incoming Mismagius, or Leftovers from Milotic. Lastly, Toxic is an excellent choice because it allows Gligar to become a threatening staller. Having only two weaknesses, Gligar can definitely pull off the Toxic stalling strategy. For the final moveslot, Gligar can once again use the Stone Edge and Earthquake combo, or it can use Aerial Ace as another reliable STAB attack if the opposing Pokemon resists or is immune to Earthquake, such as Grass-types like Torterra (who even resists the EdgeQuake combo).
<p>Since Gligar is using Sand Veil as its ability, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to add Hippopotas to your team, allowing Gligar to take advantage of the sand. Besides using Hippopotas, most Water-types make excellent partners towards Gligar, due to the fact that many of them resist Gligar’s weakness to Ice- and Water-type moves. Milotic and Slowbro are amazing at taking hits with their fantastic overall bulk. They also have access to many support moves that can aid the team, like Milotic’s Toxic or Slowbro’s Thunder Wave.</p>
[SET]
name: Choiced Attacker
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Stone Edge
move 3: Aqua Tail
move 4: U-turn
item: Choice Band / Choice Scarf
ability: Hyper Cutter
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Choice Gligar can potentially catch your opponent off-guard, as many of them will suspect either a Swords Dance, Agility, or a defensive set. Gligar is now capable of hitting really hard or outpacing threats that it wouldn’t be able to do so normally.</p>
<p>With a Choice Band equipped, Gligar reaches a relatively high Attack stat of 373; not bad considering that Gligar is an NFE Pokemon. This allows Gligar to fire off powerful Earthquake attacks in the hopes of OHKOing or 2HKOing anything that attempts to take the hit. Stone Edge takes on the role as a powerful move against Flying-types that are immune to Earthquake, while Aqua Tail serves as a powerful attack against Pokemon like Claydol, which happens to resist the EdgeQuake move combo. Lastly, U-turn is an excellent attack, as it allows Gligar to simply scout the opponent’s switch-in, meaning you can then select the appropriate Pokemon in the situation at hand. As for Choice Scarf, Gligar sacrifices its high Attack stat for an exceptional Speed stat, reaching at a maximum of 403 with an Adamant nature. Now Gligar becomes a reliable revenge killer, being able to kill off anything that is weak to one of its moves and able to surprise Pokemon that think they will outpace it, only to be left badly damaged or possibly OHKOed.</p>
<p>The EV spread is completely straightforward. Max Attack and max Speed is recommended to give Gligar all the power it needs to deal as much damage as possible. If you are running a Choice Band version, a Jolly nature is recommended to outrun threats like Magmortar and Mesprit, while an Adamant nature is recommended on a Choice Scarf version to add the extra power to score more KOs then usual.</p>
<p>Gligar will have a lot of trouble against bulky threats. Weezing, Dusclops, Uxie, Porygon2, and Slowbro can easily switch into Gligar's attacks and threaten it with a crippling move or a straight KO. Weezing and Dusclops both have access to Will-O-Wisp and can instantly drain Gligar's effectiveness, while Uxie shrugs off any move Gligar attempts to throw at it (besides U-turn) and bring it down with repeated Psychics. Porygon2 and Slowbro can also sponge Gligar's moves with their fantastic physical bulk and can then OHKO Gligar with Ice Beam. Houndoom is a very good choice to counter the aforementioned Pokemon, since it's capable of OHKOing all of these threats with a Nasty Plot boosted attack. Houndoom can easily switch into Weezing or Dusclops as they attempt to Will-O-Wisp, only to activate Flash Fire, allowing Houndoom to OHKO both of them with Fire Blast. Houndoom can also severely damage (or possibly OHKO) the others, as a boosted Dark Pulse decimates Uxie and Slowbro, while a boosted Fire Blast destroys Porygon2. Milotic also works well against Weezing and Dusclops, due to the fact that Will-O-Wisp will only increase Milotic's Defense thanks to its ability, Marvel Scale, and it can also hit them very hard with Surf or Hydro Pump. Registeel is capable of crippling Uxie, Porygon2, and Slowbro with Thunder Wave, making them less effective and providing a helpful paralysis turn here and there.</p>
<p>Besides answers to the things that can stop Gligar, it can really benefit from entry hazard support. Entry hazards can potentially allow Gligar to score a OHKO that Gligar wouldn't be able to achieve without the added damage they provide. For example, the standard Registeel has the bulk to survive a Choice Banded Earthquake from Jolly Gligar, as it does 73% - 86%. If you had Stealth Rock and three layers of Spikes in play, that racks up to 31% damage upon switching in, so 73 + 31 means that Registeel has no chance at survival. Registeel and Froslass are two Pokemon that are excellent at setting up entry hazards. Registeel's excellent overall bulk, resistance to Gligar's Ice-type weakness, and access to a variety of support moves, such as Thunder Wave and Toxic, make it one of the most reliable Stealth Rock users in UU. As for Froslass, it boasts a very high Speed stat, allowing it to set up several layers of Spikes before it falls under a KO. It can also use Destiny Bond to force the opponent not to attack it, letting it set up even more layers of Spikes.</p>
[SET]
name: Boosting Sweeper
move 1: Swords Dance / Rock Polish
move 3: Earthquake
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: X-Scissor / Baton Pass
item: Life Orb
ability: Hyper Cutter
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Like the Choiced Attacker set, Gligar can become quite threatening after a boost in Attack or Speed, but this time, Gligar is capable of alternating between moves instead of being locked into one.</p>
<p>After a single Swords Dance boost, Gligar’s Attack stat sky rockets to 498 with a Jolly nature, making it a big threat when it comes to sweeping. On the other hand, after one Rock Polish boost, Gligar reaches a high Speed stat of 538 with an Adamant nature, outpacing practically every Pokemon in UU. As for its moveset, Earthquake is Gligar’s primary way at dealing huge amounts of damage, due to the STAB it receives, while Stone Edge provides excellent coverage alongside Earthquake; the Rock + Ground combination is only resisted by Claydol and Torterra in UU. For the final attacking slot, X-Scissor is recommended. Since Torterra and Claydol are the only UU threats that are capable of resisting the Earthquake and Stone Edge combo, X-Scissor helps hit them both for super effective damage, giving Gligar perfect coverage. With a Jolly nature, a Swords Dance and Life Orb boosted X-Scissor almost OHKOes the standard 252 HP/144 Def Bold Claydol (does 73% - 87%), while it always 2HKOes the standard 212 HP/252 Def Impish Torterra (does 57% - 68%). X-Scissor also helps with bulky Psychic- and Grass-types, like Slowbro, Uxie, and Tangrowth. If you want Gligar to attack and support your team at the same time, Baton Pass can be used instead of X-Scissor. That way, when Gligar comes across a bulky wall, such as Weezing or Slowbro, it won't be wasting its gathered boosts, and can Baton Pass them to an appropriate sweeper. Also, since Claydol and Torterra are the only Pokemon that resist Earthquake and Stone Edge, the Baton Pass reciever could be a Pokemon that threatens them. For example, Arcanine would be an excellent Baton Pass reciever, because Claydol will most likely use Ice Beam and Torterra will most likely use Wood Hammer against Gligar; Arcanine resists both of those moves and can beat the aforementioned threats with a Swords Dance boosted (if you choose Swords Dance) Flare Blitz.</p>
<p>Like always, Gligar should be running max Attack and max Speed to gain as much offensive prowess as possible. If you decide to use Swords Dance instead of Rock Polish, a Jolly nature is recommended to ensure that Gligar outpaces all base 80s, while an Adamant nature is recommended if you opt to use Rock Polish to give Gligar as much attacking power as it can manage.</p>
<p>Weezing comes back as a huge threat, due to the fact that Gligar can never hit it hard enough, meaning Weezing can simply burn Gligar with Will-O-Wisp and beat it down with Flamethrower. Slowbro and Dusclops are capable of surviving a +2 Earthquake and then destroying Gligar with Surf or burning it with Will-O-Wisp, respectively. To deal with these Pokemon, Houndoom loves to switch into Will-O-Wisp from Weezing and Dusclops because of its ability, Flash Fire. Not only does it love switching into it, Houndoom can OHKO Weezing with a boosted Fire Blast and destroy Dusclops with Dark Pulse. Sceptile can switch into Surf or Slack Off from Slowbro and can pose an immediate threat due to its powerful STAB Grass-type moves. Entry hazard support is definitely recommended. With a full layer of Spikes and Stealth Rock in play, Gligar is capable of OHKOing Dusclops. Dusclops will be taking 62 - 73% from a boosted Life Orbed Earthquake, meaning with Spikes and Stealth Rock, Duslops will be OHKOed 100% of the time. It also gives Gligar a good shot against Slowbro, although Slowbro is capable of surviving even with the entry hazards. Cloyster deserves a mention as a great Spiker, thanks to its high Defense and resistance to Ice- and Water-type attacks. Registeel is one of the most reliable Stealth Rock users, thanks to its amazing overall bulk and access to multiple support options.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Gligar really enjoys entry hazard support as a sweeper, mainly because it helps Gligar score more KOs on bulkier threats than it would without them. Stealth Rock can be easily set up by Registeel, which in fact is an excellent partner to Gligar because of its resistance to its 4x Ice-type weakness, while Gligar resists Registeel's Fighting-type weakness and is immune to its Ground-type weakness. Another excellent Stealth Rock user is Uxie. Even though Uxie and Gligar have no type synergy, Uxie has the bulk to survive Water- and Ice-type attacks coming from the likes of Milotic and Slowbro, which it can then cripple with Thunder Wave or Toxic. Cloyster is great at setting up Spikes or Toxic Spikes because of its great Defense and resistance to Water- and Ice-type attacks. Closyter can also set up against bulky Water-types, like Slowbro and Milotic, as they are not powerful enough to beat Cloyster fast enough.</p>
<p>Dual screen support is recommended if you are using the Boosting Sweeper set or the Pure Baton Passer set. With dual screens in play, Gligar will have a much easier time at boosting its stats and won't lose as much HP as it would without the support. This means that Gligar will still be at a healthy HP stat with a couple of boosts under its belt, ready to sweep a team or Baton Pass to a sweeper.</p>
<p>Bulky threats can easily end Gligar's potential sweep, as Gligar can't do as much damage to score a 2HKO against them. These threats include: Weezing, Dusclops, Slowbro, Donphan, Claydol, and Torterra. Weezing and Dusclops have no fear when it comes to switching in against Gligar because of their amazing physical bulk, and they love to burn Gligar with Will-O-Wisp to drain its effectiveness completely. Slowbro laughs at whatever Gligar attempts to throw at it and can proceed to nail Gligar with Surf or Ice Beam, while Donphan can easily withstand a +2 Earthquake and destroy Gligar with Ice Shard. Claydol and Torterra can easily switch in on Gligar if it doesn't have a move to hit them super effectively, and they resist the EdgeQuake combo, leaving Gligar close to useless in that situation. To deal with the aforementioned threats, Houndoom enjoys switching into Weezing or Dusclops to absorb Will-O-Wisp and turn it into a Flash Fire boost, allowing it to pulverize both of them with Fire Blast. Houndoom can also decimate Claydol and Slowbro with Dark Pulse and Torterra with Fire Blast. Also, Sceptile can handle Slowbro, Dusclops, Donphan, and Claydol by destroying them with Leaf Storm, while also OHKOing Torterra with Hidden Power Ice if it runs it.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Screech is a possible move that Gligar can use, as it can lower the opponent's Defense stage by two, and it works extremely well with U-turn. The reason for this because the opponent will most likely switch out when their Pokemon has been Screeched, meaning you can U-turn as they switch out and switch in a Pokemon that handles the situation at hand. With Gligar's great physical bulk, it can definitely take advantage of using Counter. Most physical attacks that don't hit Gligar super effectively won't be able to 2HKO Gligar, meaning Counter can be used to retaliate against the opponent. Night Slash serves as a great move against bulky Ghost-types, like Mismagius and Dusclops, while Quick Attack is a decent option to use as a finisher when the Pokemon is severely weakened.</p>
[EVs]
<p>If you are planning to use Gligar as a sweeper, 252 Attack and 252 Speed EVs are required to allow Gligar to deal maximum damage and to outrun as many Pokemon as possible. On the other hand, the Defensive set should be using 252 HP and 252 Defense because Gligar needs as much physical bulk as possible to take hits fired at it. Also, it makes Gligar that much tougher to take down, due to its two weaknesses in Ice- and Water-type moves and its many neutralities, resistances, and immunities. The Pure Baton Passer set must be using maximum HP to give Gligar as much overall bulk as possible, so it can take several hits before using Baton Pass. Running 252 Speed EVs isn't entirely necessary, but it's recommended so that Gligar can become as fast as possible to use Taunt or Baton Pass before the opponent has a chance to use a move.</p>
[Opinion]
<p>For a NFE Pokemon, Gligar is not to be looked down upon. It has great Attack and Speed, multiple support moves, access to Swords Dance and Agility (which few Pokemon boast), and it's the only Pokemon with the superb Ground + Flying dual typing. Not only that, but it can play multiple roles; whether it's sweeping a team, Baton Passing stat boosts, or even Toxic stalling, Gligar can accomplish almost anything.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Bulky Pokemon will generally give Gligar huge amounts of trouble. Weezing and Dusclops love to switch into Gligar, as Gligar can't hurt them hard enough. Being burnt by Will-O-Wisp doesn't help Gligar either. Slowbro's huge physical bulk makes it a prime candidate at countering Gligar, mainly because Gligar can't do anything towards it and is quickly dispatched by Surf. If Gligar lacks Aqua Tail or X-Scissor, Claydol can become insanely difficult to take down since it resists the common EdgeQuake combo, leaving Gligar completely useless against it. Like Claydol, Torterra can to be difficult to take down if Gligar lacks Aerial Ace, since Torterra has huge physical bulk and resists the EdgeQuake combo as well. Donphan is capable of surviving boosted Earthquakes and can easily score a KO on a less defensive Gligar with Ice Shard, as can Cloyster and Lapras. Speaking of priority users, Aqua Jet users like Azumarill, Feraligatr, and Kabutops can put an end to Gligar as well.</p>
http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/gligar
Still need to do:
- Defensive set *Done*
- Boosting Sweeper set *Done*
- Lead set *Done*
- Pure Baton Passer set *Done*
- Choice Band/Scarf set *Done*
- Team Options *Done*
- Other Options *Done*
- EVs *Done*
- Opinion *Done*
- Counters *Done*
Please notify me if I should add any other set or remove any set.
I'm just posting what I have done so far, I'd just like some insight on what I've got. I thought writing a Gligar analysis would be easy, but it's not really that easy since I have nothing to refer to. Anyway, this is it:
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[SET]
name: Pure Baton Passer
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Agility
move 3: Baton Pass
move 4: Taunt
item: Yache Berry
ability: Hyper Cutter
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Gliscor is arguably the best Baton Passer in the OU metagame, but now, Gligar takes on the role as one of the best Baton Passers in the UU metagame. Gligar is one of the few Pokemon in UU that is capable of Passing on both Swords Dance and Agility, which really makes it stand out from other used Baton Passers that fail to achieve such a combo. Not only that, but Gligar definitely boasts decent overall bulk, including a high base Defense stat of 105. With the help of its resistances, immunities, and many neutralities, and the fact that it has only two weaknesses in Ice- and Water-type moves, Gligar will definitely achieve several boosts under its belt, ready to Baton Pass away.</p>
<p>The execution of this set is simple: switch Gligar in on something that it can set up Agility with little fear, Taunt any Pokemon attempting to phaze or set up themselves, Swords Dance at every opportunity, and then Baton Pass your boosts to your sweeper to have a guaranteed sweep.</p>
<p>The EV spread mentioned allows Gligar to have high overall bulk and Speed to make it easier to achieve boosts. Gligar needs to have as much Speed as possible to outpace threats, such as Milotic and Mesprit, before they have a chance at hurting Gligar, and it also ensures that Gligar will be able to outpace every Pokemon after an Agility boost. The preferred item for Gligar would be Yache Berry. When opponents see Gligar, its 4x Ice-type weakness springs into their heads, meaning that they will most likely switch in a Pokemon that wields an Ice-type move. This allows Gligar to have a guaranteed Swords Dance boost and an Agility boost, assuming the opponent switches out to their Ice-type user as Gligar uses Agility.</p>
<p>To use this set to full effect, providing dual screen support is definitely recommended. Not only will Gligar be harder to take down, but it also allows it to have a chance at achieving more than just a couple of boosts, meaning your sweeper will have higher Attack and Speed to take advantage of. Clefable and Gardevoir are amazing dual screeners because of their great overall bulk and access to many support moves. Clefable for instance has a measly Fighting-type weaknesses, but Gligar has the typing to resist it. Gardevoir, on the other hand, has Memento, a move that suicides Gardevoir to cut the opponent's offensive stats. This allows Gligar to switch in unharmed and will guarantee Gligar several boosts, ready to Pass away to the final sweeper.</p>
<p>As for selecting a receiver, there are several Pokemon to choose from. Feraligatr is an extremely powerful Pokemon once it has a couple of boosts because of its decent movepool with access to a powerful Waterfall and priority Aqua Jet; it can generally sweep an entire team that doesn't have anything to counter it. Torterra can be seen as a strong sweeper as well. With its high Attack stat and access to a powerful STAB Earthquake and Wood Hammer, Torterra can decimate basically anything that interferes with it. One of the most doubted Baton Pass receivers also deserves a mention, that being Bibarel. With its ability, Simple, one Swords Dance boost and one Agility boost turn into two Swords Dance boosts and two Agility boosts. This means that Gligar needs to set up less, which means you get to Baton Pass to your receiver faster to still take advantage of the dual screens before they fade away. On top of that, Bibarel has an unresisted STAB combo in Waterfall and Return (only walled by Shedinja) that no other Pokemon boasts. Bibarel may seem doubted at first sight, but it can sweep an entire team with ease.</p>
[SET]
name: Lead
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Stone Edge / U-turn
move 3: Stealth Rock / Roost
move 4: Taunt / Roost
item: Leftovers
ability: Hyper Cutter
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Gligar has all the assets to make a great lead: decent overall bulk, supporting moves, and great typing. Gligar can reliably combat most common UU leads, as many of them cannot severely damage or cripple Gligar, while Gligar can hit them back reasonabley hard.</p>
<p>The Earthquake and Stone Edge combo is only resisted by Claydol and Torterra in the UU metagame, meaning those moves provide excellent coverage. Besides using Stone Edge, U-turn is also a reasonable option, as it serves as a means of scouting the opponent’s team. If you do opt to use U-turn, you must remember that you will lose the OHKOs against leads like Moltres. Stealth Rock and Taunt is one combo that Gligar has that not many other fast paced Pokemon are capable of achieving in UU. With its relatively high Speed stat, Gligar can make use of Taunt to stop the opposing lead from trying to set up entry hazards, such as the common Stealth Rock, or stop leads that are attempting to boost their stats. Roost is also a decent option to use in either of the last two slots if you need Gligar to have more survivability.</p>
<p>The EV spread suggested provides as much overall bulk as possible, while also providing Gligar the Speed it needs to outpace opposing leads and attempt to set up Stealth Rock as fast as possible. Hyper Cutter is the preferred ability, allowing Gligar to ignore any Intimidate users that switch into Gligar, such as Hitmontop and Arcanine.</p>
<p>Sadly, Gligar isn’t capable of combatting every lead. To be more specific, Gligar can’t handle leads like Omastar and Mesprit. Omastar can easily destroy Gligar with a powerful STAB Surf or Ice Beam, and with its great Defense, Gligar's Earthquake won't be beating it. On the other hand, Mesprit outpaces Gligar and can go for an OHKO with Ice Punch or Ice Beam. Not only do these leads give Gligar trouble, but any lead that carries a super effective attack can easily decimate Gligar. Registeel is an excellent Pokemon to pair Gligar with, as they complement each other’s weaknesses reasonably well. Registeel shrugs off Gligar’s scary 4x Ice-type weakness, while Gligar resists and is immune to Registeel’s Fighting-type and Ground-type weaknesses, respectively. Milotic is also a great partner with its great overall bulk, and it is resistant to Gligar’s weaknesses, while Gligar is immune to Milotic's Electric weakness. It can fearlessly switch into Pokemon that attempt to end Gligar with super effective Water- or Ice-type moves with little fear, and can proceed to cripple the opponent with Toxic or attempt to deal a decent amount of damage with its STAB move.</p>
[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Roost
move 3: Stealth Rock / Knock Off / Toxic
move 4: Stone Edge / Aerial Ace
item: Leftovers
ability: Sand Veil
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Most of Gligar’s sets tend to take an offensive approach, but this set attempts to make use of Gligar’s Defense stat and great dual typing. Gligar is capable of reaching an HP stat of 334 and a Defense stat of 339, which is extremely good, considering Gligar is an NFE Pokemon. Not only does it boast great defensive stats, Gligar doesn’t suffer from having a low Speed stat, which most walls and tanks have, as it scores a reasonable stat of 207.</p>
<p>Gligar has the typing and movepool to counter many physical attackers in UU, and it’s also capable of supporting the team at the same time. Gligar has the potential to put the hurt against Pokemon that don’t resist its STAB Earthquake, while shrugging off any physical attacks that don’t hit Gligar super effectively. An example of how defensive Gligar is can be seen with Donphan. The standard Donphan can never 3HKO Gligar with Ice Shard, which isn’t bad, considering Gligar’s 4x Ice-type weakness. What makes Gligar even better is its access to instant recovery in Roost. Now Gligar is capable of out-stalling and KOing several physical threats by alternating between Roost and one of Gligar’s attacking moves. As for supporting the team, Gligar has several options to choose from: Stealth Rock, Knock Off, or Toxic. Gligar makes an excellent Stealth Rock user because of all of the opportunities it has to switch in, thanks to its great typing, resistances, and immunities. Knock Off is an excellent supporting move, as it can easily knock off Choice Specs from an incoming Mismagius, or Leftovers from Milotic. Lastly, Toxic is an excellent choice because it allows Gligar to become a threatening staller. Having only two weaknesses, Gligar can definitely pull off the Toxic stalling strategy. For the final moveslot, Gligar can once again use the Stone Edge and Earthquake combo, or it can use Aerial Ace as another reliable STAB attack if the opposing Pokemon resists or is immune to Earthquake, such as Grass-types like Torterra (who even resists the EdgeQuake combo).
<p>Since Gligar is using Sand Veil as its ability, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to add Hippopotas to your team, allowing Gligar to take advantage of the sand. Besides using Hippopotas, most Water-types make excellent partners towards Gligar, due to the fact that many of them resist Gligar’s weakness to Ice- and Water-type moves. Milotic and Slowbro are amazing at taking hits with their fantastic overall bulk. They also have access to many support moves that can aid the team, like Milotic’s Toxic or Slowbro’s Thunder Wave.</p>
[SET]
name: Choiced Attacker
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Stone Edge
move 3: Aqua Tail
move 4: U-turn
item: Choice Band / Choice Scarf
ability: Hyper Cutter
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Choice Gligar can potentially catch your opponent off-guard, as many of them will suspect either a Swords Dance, Agility, or a defensive set. Gligar is now capable of hitting really hard or outpacing threats that it wouldn’t be able to do so normally.</p>
<p>With a Choice Band equipped, Gligar reaches a relatively high Attack stat of 373; not bad considering that Gligar is an NFE Pokemon. This allows Gligar to fire off powerful Earthquake attacks in the hopes of OHKOing or 2HKOing anything that attempts to take the hit. Stone Edge takes on the role as a powerful move against Flying-types that are immune to Earthquake, while Aqua Tail serves as a powerful attack against Pokemon like Claydol, which happens to resist the EdgeQuake move combo. Lastly, U-turn is an excellent attack, as it allows Gligar to simply scout the opponent’s switch-in, meaning you can then select the appropriate Pokemon in the situation at hand. As for Choice Scarf, Gligar sacrifices its high Attack stat for an exceptional Speed stat, reaching at a maximum of 403 with an Adamant nature. Now Gligar becomes a reliable revenge killer, being able to kill off anything that is weak to one of its moves and able to surprise Pokemon that think they will outpace it, only to be left badly damaged or possibly OHKOed.</p>
<p>The EV spread is completely straightforward. Max Attack and max Speed is recommended to give Gligar all the power it needs to deal as much damage as possible. If you are running a Choice Band version, a Jolly nature is recommended to outrun threats like Magmortar and Mesprit, while an Adamant nature is recommended on a Choice Scarf version to add the extra power to score more KOs then usual.</p>
<p>Gligar will have a lot of trouble against bulky threats. Weezing, Dusclops, Uxie, Porygon2, and Slowbro can easily switch into Gligar's attacks and threaten it with a crippling move or a straight KO. Weezing and Dusclops both have access to Will-O-Wisp and can instantly drain Gligar's effectiveness, while Uxie shrugs off any move Gligar attempts to throw at it (besides U-turn) and bring it down with repeated Psychics. Porygon2 and Slowbro can also sponge Gligar's moves with their fantastic physical bulk and can then OHKO Gligar with Ice Beam. Houndoom is a very good choice to counter the aforementioned Pokemon, since it's capable of OHKOing all of these threats with a Nasty Plot boosted attack. Houndoom can easily switch into Weezing or Dusclops as they attempt to Will-O-Wisp, only to activate Flash Fire, allowing Houndoom to OHKO both of them with Fire Blast. Houndoom can also severely damage (or possibly OHKO) the others, as a boosted Dark Pulse decimates Uxie and Slowbro, while a boosted Fire Blast destroys Porygon2. Milotic also works well against Weezing and Dusclops, due to the fact that Will-O-Wisp will only increase Milotic's Defense thanks to its ability, Marvel Scale, and it can also hit them very hard with Surf or Hydro Pump. Registeel is capable of crippling Uxie, Porygon2, and Slowbro with Thunder Wave, making them less effective and providing a helpful paralysis turn here and there.</p>
<p>Besides answers to the things that can stop Gligar, it can really benefit from entry hazard support. Entry hazards can potentially allow Gligar to score a OHKO that Gligar wouldn't be able to achieve without the added damage they provide. For example, the standard Registeel has the bulk to survive a Choice Banded Earthquake from Jolly Gligar, as it does 73% - 86%. If you had Stealth Rock and three layers of Spikes in play, that racks up to 31% damage upon switching in, so 73 + 31 means that Registeel has no chance at survival. Registeel and Froslass are two Pokemon that are excellent at setting up entry hazards. Registeel's excellent overall bulk, resistance to Gligar's Ice-type weakness, and access to a variety of support moves, such as Thunder Wave and Toxic, make it one of the most reliable Stealth Rock users in UU. As for Froslass, it boasts a very high Speed stat, allowing it to set up several layers of Spikes before it falls under a KO. It can also use Destiny Bond to force the opponent not to attack it, letting it set up even more layers of Spikes.</p>
[SET]
name: Boosting Sweeper
move 1: Swords Dance / Rock Polish
move 3: Earthquake
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: X-Scissor / Baton Pass
item: Life Orb
ability: Hyper Cutter
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Like the Choiced Attacker set, Gligar can become quite threatening after a boost in Attack or Speed, but this time, Gligar is capable of alternating between moves instead of being locked into one.</p>
<p>After a single Swords Dance boost, Gligar’s Attack stat sky rockets to 498 with a Jolly nature, making it a big threat when it comes to sweeping. On the other hand, after one Rock Polish boost, Gligar reaches a high Speed stat of 538 with an Adamant nature, outpacing practically every Pokemon in UU. As for its moveset, Earthquake is Gligar’s primary way at dealing huge amounts of damage, due to the STAB it receives, while Stone Edge provides excellent coverage alongside Earthquake; the Rock + Ground combination is only resisted by Claydol and Torterra in UU. For the final attacking slot, X-Scissor is recommended. Since Torterra and Claydol are the only UU threats that are capable of resisting the Earthquake and Stone Edge combo, X-Scissor helps hit them both for super effective damage, giving Gligar perfect coverage. With a Jolly nature, a Swords Dance and Life Orb boosted X-Scissor almost OHKOes the standard 252 HP/144 Def Bold Claydol (does 73% - 87%), while it always 2HKOes the standard 212 HP/252 Def Impish Torterra (does 57% - 68%). X-Scissor also helps with bulky Psychic- and Grass-types, like Slowbro, Uxie, and Tangrowth. If you want Gligar to attack and support your team at the same time, Baton Pass can be used instead of X-Scissor. That way, when Gligar comes across a bulky wall, such as Weezing or Slowbro, it won't be wasting its gathered boosts, and can Baton Pass them to an appropriate sweeper. Also, since Claydol and Torterra are the only Pokemon that resist Earthquake and Stone Edge, the Baton Pass reciever could be a Pokemon that threatens them. For example, Arcanine would be an excellent Baton Pass reciever, because Claydol will most likely use Ice Beam and Torterra will most likely use Wood Hammer against Gligar; Arcanine resists both of those moves and can beat the aforementioned threats with a Swords Dance boosted (if you choose Swords Dance) Flare Blitz.</p>
<p>Like always, Gligar should be running max Attack and max Speed to gain as much offensive prowess as possible. If you decide to use Swords Dance instead of Rock Polish, a Jolly nature is recommended to ensure that Gligar outpaces all base 80s, while an Adamant nature is recommended if you opt to use Rock Polish to give Gligar as much attacking power as it can manage.</p>
<p>Weezing comes back as a huge threat, due to the fact that Gligar can never hit it hard enough, meaning Weezing can simply burn Gligar with Will-O-Wisp and beat it down with Flamethrower. Slowbro and Dusclops are capable of surviving a +2 Earthquake and then destroying Gligar with Surf or burning it with Will-O-Wisp, respectively. To deal with these Pokemon, Houndoom loves to switch into Will-O-Wisp from Weezing and Dusclops because of its ability, Flash Fire. Not only does it love switching into it, Houndoom can OHKO Weezing with a boosted Fire Blast and destroy Dusclops with Dark Pulse. Sceptile can switch into Surf or Slack Off from Slowbro and can pose an immediate threat due to its powerful STAB Grass-type moves. Entry hazard support is definitely recommended. With a full layer of Spikes and Stealth Rock in play, Gligar is capable of OHKOing Dusclops. Dusclops will be taking 62 - 73% from a boosted Life Orbed Earthquake, meaning with Spikes and Stealth Rock, Duslops will be OHKOed 100% of the time. It also gives Gligar a good shot against Slowbro, although Slowbro is capable of surviving even with the entry hazards. Cloyster deserves a mention as a great Spiker, thanks to its high Defense and resistance to Ice- and Water-type attacks. Registeel is one of the most reliable Stealth Rock users, thanks to its amazing overall bulk and access to multiple support options.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Gligar really enjoys entry hazard support as a sweeper, mainly because it helps Gligar score more KOs on bulkier threats than it would without them. Stealth Rock can be easily set up by Registeel, which in fact is an excellent partner to Gligar because of its resistance to its 4x Ice-type weakness, while Gligar resists Registeel's Fighting-type weakness and is immune to its Ground-type weakness. Another excellent Stealth Rock user is Uxie. Even though Uxie and Gligar have no type synergy, Uxie has the bulk to survive Water- and Ice-type attacks coming from the likes of Milotic and Slowbro, which it can then cripple with Thunder Wave or Toxic. Cloyster is great at setting up Spikes or Toxic Spikes because of its great Defense and resistance to Water- and Ice-type attacks. Closyter can also set up against bulky Water-types, like Slowbro and Milotic, as they are not powerful enough to beat Cloyster fast enough.</p>
<p>Dual screen support is recommended if you are using the Boosting Sweeper set or the Pure Baton Passer set. With dual screens in play, Gligar will have a much easier time at boosting its stats and won't lose as much HP as it would without the support. This means that Gligar will still be at a healthy HP stat with a couple of boosts under its belt, ready to sweep a team or Baton Pass to a sweeper.</p>
<p>Bulky threats can easily end Gligar's potential sweep, as Gligar can't do as much damage to score a 2HKO against them. These threats include: Weezing, Dusclops, Slowbro, Donphan, Claydol, and Torterra. Weezing and Dusclops have no fear when it comes to switching in against Gligar because of their amazing physical bulk, and they love to burn Gligar with Will-O-Wisp to drain its effectiveness completely. Slowbro laughs at whatever Gligar attempts to throw at it and can proceed to nail Gligar with Surf or Ice Beam, while Donphan can easily withstand a +2 Earthquake and destroy Gligar with Ice Shard. Claydol and Torterra can easily switch in on Gligar if it doesn't have a move to hit them super effectively, and they resist the EdgeQuake combo, leaving Gligar close to useless in that situation. To deal with the aforementioned threats, Houndoom enjoys switching into Weezing or Dusclops to absorb Will-O-Wisp and turn it into a Flash Fire boost, allowing it to pulverize both of them with Fire Blast. Houndoom can also decimate Claydol and Slowbro with Dark Pulse and Torterra with Fire Blast. Also, Sceptile can handle Slowbro, Dusclops, Donphan, and Claydol by destroying them with Leaf Storm, while also OHKOing Torterra with Hidden Power Ice if it runs it.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Screech is a possible move that Gligar can use, as it can lower the opponent's Defense stage by two, and it works extremely well with U-turn. The reason for this because the opponent will most likely switch out when their Pokemon has been Screeched, meaning you can U-turn as they switch out and switch in a Pokemon that handles the situation at hand. With Gligar's great physical bulk, it can definitely take advantage of using Counter. Most physical attacks that don't hit Gligar super effectively won't be able to 2HKO Gligar, meaning Counter can be used to retaliate against the opponent. Night Slash serves as a great move against bulky Ghost-types, like Mismagius and Dusclops, while Quick Attack is a decent option to use as a finisher when the Pokemon is severely weakened.</p>
[EVs]
<p>If you are planning to use Gligar as a sweeper, 252 Attack and 252 Speed EVs are required to allow Gligar to deal maximum damage and to outrun as many Pokemon as possible. On the other hand, the Defensive set should be using 252 HP and 252 Defense because Gligar needs as much physical bulk as possible to take hits fired at it. Also, it makes Gligar that much tougher to take down, due to its two weaknesses in Ice- and Water-type moves and its many neutralities, resistances, and immunities. The Pure Baton Passer set must be using maximum HP to give Gligar as much overall bulk as possible, so it can take several hits before using Baton Pass. Running 252 Speed EVs isn't entirely necessary, but it's recommended so that Gligar can become as fast as possible to use Taunt or Baton Pass before the opponent has a chance to use a move.</p>
[Opinion]
<p>For a NFE Pokemon, Gligar is not to be looked down upon. It has great Attack and Speed, multiple support moves, access to Swords Dance and Agility (which few Pokemon boast), and it's the only Pokemon with the superb Ground + Flying dual typing. Not only that, but it can play multiple roles; whether it's sweeping a team, Baton Passing stat boosts, or even Toxic stalling, Gligar can accomplish almost anything.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Bulky Pokemon will generally give Gligar huge amounts of trouble. Weezing and Dusclops love to switch into Gligar, as Gligar can't hurt them hard enough. Being burnt by Will-O-Wisp doesn't help Gligar either. Slowbro's huge physical bulk makes it a prime candidate at countering Gligar, mainly because Gligar can't do anything towards it and is quickly dispatched by Surf. If Gligar lacks Aqua Tail or X-Scissor, Claydol can become insanely difficult to take down since it resists the common EdgeQuake combo, leaving Gligar completely useless against it. Like Claydol, Torterra can to be difficult to take down if Gligar lacks Aerial Ace, since Torterra has huge physical bulk and resists the EdgeQuake combo as well. Donphan is capable of surviving boosted Earthquakes and can easily score a KO on a less defensive Gligar with Ice Shard, as can Cloyster and Lapras. Speaking of priority users, Aqua Jet users like Azumarill, Feraligatr, and Kabutops can put an end to Gligar as well.</p>
