Dpp Rotom-A
[OVERVIEW]
Rotom-A is critical member of the DPP OU metagame due to its unique Ghost / Electric typing, offensive utility, and defensive profile. Rotom-A is the most reliable spinblocker in the tier: its wide assortment of resistances, Levitate ability, and well-rounded stats make it the best choice to keep entry hazards up in the long term. These well-rounded stats allow Rotom-A to fulfill a wide variety of roles: an excellent revenge killer with Choice Scarf, a great defensive piece with RestTalk, and an effective offensive Pokemon with either Substitute or its assortment of coverage and utility moves. Rotom-A's solid speed tier, resilience to priority, and offensive presence makes it one of the best revenge killers in the metagame, as it can stop many set up sweepers such as Gyarados, Lucario, and Dragonite while potentially crippling a wall with Trick. Rotom-A is one of the best Will-O-Wisp user in the tier, as its bulk and resistances allow it to burn prominent attackers such as Tyranitar, Jirachi, Scizor, and Metagross. Rotom-A’s utility sets are notorious for being difficult to answer, as with its Speed, Will-O-Wisp, Pain Split, and great coverage, it is difficult to stop from fulfilling its role.
The unique part of Rotom-A is its 5 different formes, which are all Ghost / Electric type in DPP. Rotom-w: Rotom-w is one of the premier Rotom-A formes. Hydro Pump hits prominent checks such as Tyranitar, Heatran, and Hippowdon more reliably than the other formes. It is additionally effective support for rain teams due to its resistances and ability to cripple Tyranitar, Jirachi, and Skarmory while appreciating the boost to Hydro Pump. Even if Rotom-w doesn’t have Hydro Pump, the ability to threaten it against its biggest offensive checks makes Rotom-w one of the best forme choices.
Rotom-h: Rotom-h is an excellent choice for a Rotom-A forme. Overheat is especially helpful with Choice Scarf, as it takes advantage of Rotom-h’s Steel-type resistance and easily OHKOs Scizor and Lucario while 2HKOing Metagross and offensive Jirachi. It also is effective for defensive sets, as the ability to threaten Overheat, even if Rotom-h doesn’t have it, makes Breloom trying to sleep and break through RestTalk Rotom-h more cautious. Being able to threaten Steel-types offensively instead of burning them with Will-O-Wisp makes Rotom-h a fantastic choice for a Rotom-A forme.
Rotom-m: Rotom-m is a fine choice for a Rotom-A forme due to the unique utility of Leaf Storm. Leaf Storm provides an immediate OHKO on Swampert, something no other forme can do, while it also hits Tyranitar and Hippowdon very hard. Rotom-m is also relatively uncommon, meaning opponents are more likely to believe Rotom-m has Leaf Storm and, for example, preemptively switch the their Swampert out of offensive Rotom-A even if it does not have Leaf Storm. Being able to threaten both Tyranitar and Ground-types makes Rotom-m a good choice for a Rotom-A forme.
Rotom-f: Blizzard gives Rotom-f fantastic coverage alongside Thunderbolt, making it a good choice for a Rotom-A forme. Being able to threaten a strong Ice-type attack makes prominent Pokemon such as Flygon, Dragonite, and Gliscor much more cautious of dealing with Rotom-f, even if it doesn’t have Blizzard. While Blizzard has subpar accuracy, Rotom-f’s defensive sets are bulky enough to use it repeatedly. Rotom-f is the premier forme choice alongside Abomasnow, as permanent Hail makes Blizzard perfectly accurate, while Rotom-f helps with Steel-types that heavily threaten Abomasnow. Altogether, access to Blizzard make Rotom-f a nice choice for a Rotom-A forme.
Rotom-s: Unfortunately, Rotom-s has the short end of the stick, as Air Slash simply is not enough of an advantage to use it. Rotom-s’s only perk of using Air Slash is a strong hit to Breloom and the flinch chance. While Rotom-s functions perfectly fine as a defensive Rotom-A, it does not bluff the good coverage the other formes have. As such, Rotom-s should not be used outside of novelty, as it is outclassed by its other formes.
Rotom-A’s primary flaws are its weakness to Pursuit, unreliable recovery, and lack of power. Tyranitar is the biggest menace, as although it doesn’t enjoy being burned, Rotom-A struggles to damage Tyranitar much at all due to the Special Defense boost in sand while it gets potentially OHKOed by Crunch or trapped via Pursuit. This vulnerability dampens its revenge killing prowess, as it can be easily removed by one of the most popular Pokemon in the metagame. Dark- and Ghost-type coverage in general is dangerous to Rotom-A, as Gengar OHKOs it and even threats it walls like Machamp and Lucario can hit it hard with Payback and Crunch, respectively. Rotom-A also lacks reliable recovery—RestTalk forces Rotom-A to either be walled easily or lack Will-O-Wisp and forces it to sleep for two turns, while Pain Split is easy to manipulate and struggles to keep Rotom-A healthy. Due to its lack of a generally strong attack, Rotom-A is easily walled by most special walls that can shrug off a burn, such as specially defensive Heatran, Clefable, Blissey, and even Breloom once Toxic Orb activates. Heatran is especially dangerous, as it gains a Flash Fire boost from Will-O-Wisp and easily OHKOs Rotom-A. While Rotom-A has good coverage due to its formes, it doesn’t get STAB on these special moves and often is short on moveslots.
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Thunderbolt
move 2: Overheat (rotom-h only) / Hydro Pump (rotom-w only) / Shadow Ball / Leaf Storm (rotom-c only)
move 3: Shadow Ball / Hidden Power Ice / Will-O-Wisp
move 4: Trick / Hidden Power Ice
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Levitate
nature: Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Rotom-A’s Speed tier and good coverage make it an excellent revenge killer with a Choice Scarf. Thunderbolt is Rotom-A strongest attack, revenge killing Water-types such as Gyarados, Suicune, and Empoleon. Rotom-A has many different coverage options it can use. Overheat is a prominent one, as despite doing almost nothing to Pursuit Tyranitar, it is fantastic at revenge killing Steel-types who can shrug off a Thunderbolt such as Lucario without a Special Defense drop, Metagross, and especially Scizor. It also nails Grass-types such as Breloom, Roserade, and Shaymin. Another choice is Hydro Pump, which crucially 2HKOs bulkless Tyranitar after Stealth Rock and prevents it from being Pursuit trapped. It also hits Heatran trying to absorb Will-O-Wisp and Ground-types immune to Thunderbolt such as Hippowdon, Mamoswine, and Camerupt. Leaf Storm OHKOs Swampert and Gastrodon while also dissuading Tyranitar from switching in.
Shadow Ball completes Rotom-A’s coverage, as it prominently hits Latias, Gengar, and other Rotom-A while providing good neutral coverage should Rotom-A not use one of its forme moves. Hidden Power Ice is another excellent option, as it KOs Dragonite after Stealth Rock, OHKOs Flygon, and threatens Gliscor. Hidden Power Ice is both more reliable than Rotom-f’s Blizzard and does enough damage to its targets. Rounding out the set is Trick, as it is a fantastic way of crippling a special wall such as Clefable, Latias, and Blissey. Trick can also stop a boosted sweeper by locking them into one attack, although doing this often leads to sacrificing Rotom-A. Another option is Will-O-Wisp, which burns Tyranitar on the switch-in to survive a potential Pursuit trap attempt. As the only move Choice Scarf Rotom-A needs is Thunderbolt, it is free to mix and match these as needed for its team.
Set Details
========
Rotom-A generally should be running maximum Special Attack and Speed EVs, as it has 447 Speed after the Choice Scarf boost and sits at a crowded Speed tier. Maximum Special Attack notably gives it the best chance to KO itself and 2HKO Latias with Shadow Ball, KO Wacan Berry Gyarados without Stealth Rock with Thunderbolt, 2HKO bulkless Tyranitar after Stealth Rock with Hydro Pump, and KO Dragonite with Hidden Power Ice after Stealth Rock. However, Rotom-A can spare some bulk to better survive Tyranitar’s Pursuit and act as a bulkier revenge killer, especially against strong attackers after it uses Trick and to better protect against Scizor and Lucario’s boosted Bullet Punch and Gyarados's +1 Waterfall. The fastest threat it needs to revenge kill besides itself is Modest Agility Empoleon, which requires 236 Speed EVs. Another choice is to drop down to 188 Speed EVs to outspeed Adamant Lucario and Heatran without the Choice Scarf. Rotom-A can also use less Special Attack: it achieves the bulkless Dragonite KO after Stealth Rock with Hidden Power Ice with 160 Special Attack EVs, allowing it invest into its bulk. A common choice for bulkier Rotom-A spreads is to minimize sand damage with the desired Speed and put the rest in Special Attack: some example EV spreads would be 56 HP / 216 SpA / 236 Spe, which has an HP stat divisible by 16 - 1 while maximizing the other stats, and 108 HP / 164 SpA / 236 Spe, which KOs Gyarados after Stealth Rock through Wacan Berry, survives +1 Waterfall after Stealth Rock, and still outspeeds +2 Modest Empoleon.
Usage Tips
========
Choice Scarf Rotom-A should switch in sparingly or on its immunities, as it is not very bulky, its choice locked moves are easy to set up on, and it is vulnerable to Pursuit. It enjoys switching in either when a foe such as Gyarados, Lucario, or Scizor sets up or after a KO to appropriately deal with the threat. This can be dangerous, however, as all of them can hit Rotom-A hard on the switch. Keeping Rotom-A hidden also can allow it to sweep late game against weakened threats should its checks be removed. This is especially prevalent against frail hyper offensive teams or those without a Ground-type. Rotom-A’s Trick is an excellent weapon to cripple walls and set up sweepers alike, but make sure Rotom-A’s Speed is no longer needed. Beware of opponents switching in another Choice Scarf Pokemon to nullify it or, worse, a Choice Scarf Tyranitar and Pursuit trapping Rotom-A. Another complication is with Knock Off: in DPP, if either the user or foe is hit with Knock Off, Trick will fail. Be careful with using Trick around Clefable and defensive Empoleon for this reason.
Team Options
========
Choice Scarf Rotom-A is a premier revenge killer in DPP OU and features on many team styles. Most midpaced offensive teams carry a Choice Scarf revenge killer to backstop them against set up sweepers—Rotom-A is one of the best at it with its Speed, coverage, and Trick. As Rotom-A is easily covered by the special walls in the tier, it appreciates teammates that can break though them. Breloom and Heatran are fantastic choices, as Breloom takes advantage of Tyranitar, Blissey, Clefable, and Swampert while Heatran can trap them with Magma Storm and then burn Tyranitar, use Explosion on Blissey and Clefable, or OHKO Swampert with Hidden Power Grass. Breloom can also use Mach Punch or a bulky EV spread to revenge kill Dragon Dance Tyranitar. Another Tyranitar check, such as Machamp, bulky Metagross, and Jirachi are appreciated. Rotom-A also enjoys other strong special attackers such as Choice Specs Latias, Zapdos, and offensive Calm Mind Jirachi to weaken Tyranitar to the point it cannot switch into Rotom-A. Rotom-A appreciates threats that can set up on a choice locked Pursuit: Lucario is an excellent choice, as is Dragon Dance Tyranitar. Another excellent option is Torment Heatran, as it appreciates Rotom-A's Trick to set up on choiced locked Pokemon. Rotom-A is a good stopgap to mitigate the propensity of powerful choiced attackers such as Choice Band Gyarados, Choice Specs Heatran, Choice Band Tyranitar, and Choice Specs Zapdos to get set up on if they’re locked into the wrong move.
Choice Scarf Rotom-A is also fantastic on more frail hyper offenses as speed control and potentially a spinblocker for Spikes. Some prominent offensive partners include Dragon Dance Gyarados, Dragon Dance or mixed Tyranitar, Dragon Dance or mixed Dragonite, Swords Dance or Agility Lucario, offensive Empoleon, offensive Calm Mind Suicune, and Swords Dance Scizor. These Pokemon can set up on a choice locked Pursuit as well. Azelf is also an excellent choice to weaken Tyranitar with either paralysis or Explosion. Offensive Spikes Skarmory or Froslass are also good choices, as Choice Scarf Rotom-A can provide spinblocking and appreciates entry hazards wearing down its grounded answers.
[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Rest
move 2: Sleep Talk
move 3: Thunderbolt / Shadow Ball
move 4: Will-O-Wisp / Shadow Ball
item: Leftovers
ability: Levitate
nature: Bold
evs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Rotom-A’s typing, ability, and bulk make it the best defensive spinblocker in the metagame. Rest and Sleep Talk are Rotom-A’s only form of recovery outside of Pain Split and prevent it from succumbing to status and residual damage. It also makes Rotom-A a reliable sleep absorber; however, without Shadow Ball, Rotom-A struggles to damage Breloom while getting 3HKOed by Seed Bomb. Rest also gives Rotom-A a massive stock of PP, making it useful for PP staling.
Rotom-A’s last two slots give it some versatility beyond walling. The most prominent of these is Thunderbolt, which gives Rotom-A a reliable attack while also OHKOing Gyarados. Thunderbolt also hits Steel-types such as Heatran, Metagross, Empoleon, and Scizor and at least 2HKOs Starmie and Skarmory. However, as Thunderbolt is useless against Ground-types and can’t hit Breloom well, another option is to use Shadow Ball. Shadow Ball prevents RestTalk Rotom-A from being completely unable to damage Taunt Gliscor while also hitting Ghost-weak targets such as Gengar, opposing Rotom-A, and Starmie hard. For the last slot, Rotom-A can either spread burns effectively with Will-O-Wisp or maintain better coverage with both Shadow Ball and Thunderbolt. Will-O-Wisp is preferred, as being able to burn opponents is one of Rotom-A’s core niches. It notably is the best response to Tyranitar, as it will not enjoy a burn unless it has a Lum Berry. Will-O-Wisp also limits switch ins to foes immune to burn damage such as Clefable, Heatran, Camerupt, and Breloom after Toxic Orb activates. Additionally, Natural Cure Pokemon such as Celebi and Blissey can pivot in on Will-O-Wisp despite taking burn damage. Another option for an Electric-type attack is Discharge, but it suffers from being noticably weaker than Thunderbolt and potentially giving unwanted paralysis.
Set Details
========
Rotom-A generally needs all of the physical bulk it can get to stave off Tyranitar, Metagross, Machamp, and Lucario. Take care that absolute maximum HP investment gives Rotom-A makes its HP stat divisible by 16, increasing the damage it takes from sand and heals from Leftovers. Rotom-A also is at a crowded speed tier—many Pokemon such as Empoleon, Tyranitar, Swampert, Machamp, and Breloom aim to outspeed minimum speed Rotom-A. As such, it can invest 56 EVs to outspeed max Speed neutral nature Tyranitar, Empoleon, and Swampert. Additionally, Rotom-A can add some Special Defense EVs to better handle special coverage from Swampert, survive Gengar’s Shadow Ball, and help prevent Starmie’s Rapid Spin; however, going with a fully specially defensive RestTalk Rotom-A is not advised due to its huge Pursuit weakness. A few Special Attack EVs, such as 20 EVs, also help Thunderbolt break maximum HP Breloom’s Substitutes guaranteed and give better chances to OHKO Starmie and Skarmory.
Usage Tips
========
Rotom-A should generally be used early to spread burns and block Rapid Spin, preferably before Breloom has activated its Toxic Orb. Rotom-A can lead, as it has good match ups against all common physical leads with the exception of Tyranitar and is immune to Explosion. Mastering the timing of when to use Rest with Rotom-A is critical, as it only has a 24.8% to burn physical attackers such as Tyranitar while asleep. However, Rotom-A needs to stay status free and healthy to stave off Starmie and Forretress trying to Rapid Spin and Fighting-types with Dark-type coverage such as Machamp and Lucario. Rotom-A should generally be careful about trying to block Rapid Spin too much, as offensive Starmie sets can OHKO Rotom-A with Hydro Pump while defensive Starmie and Forretress can 3HKO it in sand with Surf and Payback, respectively. Other than these, there are nuances with its usage depending on match up.
Against offensive teams, Rotom-A is typically one of the more difficult walls to handle, as foes typically absorb burns with either Heatran, Refresh Swampert, Lum Berry Tyranitar, or Breloom. These teams also typically lack reliable Rapid Spin users, meaning Rotom-A can lean fully into its defensive roll and more recklessly wall opposing physical attackers and spread burns. As Heatran cannot absorb Rotom-A’s Thunderbolts forever, aggressively predicting it as it comes in can wear it down easily. Be careful against Metagross and Bronzong, as they can Trick Rotom-A an Iron Ball and ruin its ability to handle physical attackers with Earthquake. Despite being able to handle Gyarados, Rotom-A should not be the primary answer, as boosted Gyarados 2HKOs with Waterfall and can flinch Rotom-A—in addition, Gyarados survives Thunderbolt with a Wacan Berry even after Stealth Rock, meaning it can break through Rotom-A coming in on Dragon Dance. Rotom-A should be kept away from foes that can set up on it, including set up sweepers with Lum Berry such as Dragon Dance Dragonite and Tyranitar; mixed attackers such as Dragonite, Flygon, and Swampert; Taunt users such as Gliscor; and faster Substitute users such as Substitute + Calm Mind Jirachi and Breloom.
Against more defensive teams, Rotom-A’s main value are its ability to block Rapid Spin, huge pool of PP, and handling problem Pokemon such as Skarmory, Breloom, physical Jirachi, and Starmie. Since Clefable is commonly the first switch into Rotom-A due to being immune to burn damage, absorbing Knock Off with Rotom-A is one of the better ways to PP Stall it, as Clefable cannot threaten it outside of Calm Mind and Rotom-A will always be able to use Rest if sand is active. Once Rotom-A goes to sleep, not using Sleep Talk greatly increases how much PP Rotom-A has, to 108 if Rotom-A has Thunderbolt and Will-O-Wisp. Beware of continually relying on Rotom-A for spinblocking, as it will get worn down.
Team Options
========
RestTalk Rotom-A provides valuable defensive niches and spinblocking, meaning it has many viable partners. On more defensive teams, it keeps entry hazards up and spreads burns. Spikes setters such as Skarmory and Forretress appreciate this, as neither can prevent Starmie, Donphan, or opposing Forretress from using Rapid Spin. Rotom-A prevents Machamp from spamming DynamicPunch, meaning prominent Fighting-weak walls such as Tyranitar, Clefable, and Blissey appreciate its presence. Clefable also spreads Knock Off for adding onto residual damage. Tyranitar provides sand and traps prominent Pokemon that threaten Rotom-A such as Gengar and offensive Starmie. Both Clefable and Blissey can provide cleric support for Rotom-A. All three provide a switch into Heatran, which greatly threaten Rotom-A with Flash Fire. Rotom-A is a possible choice on big 5 defensive archetypes over the typical Ground-type alongside Skarmory, Choice Scarf Tyranitar, Clefable, defensive Latias, and Jirachi. Both offensive and defensive Jirachi sets work: offensive sets appreciate the Spikes and residual damage Rotom-A helps to wrack up, while defensive Jirachi helps shore the team against Dragon Dance sweepers such as Dragonite and Tyranitar that Rotom-A struggles with. Defensive Jirachi also enjoys foes worn down due to Will-O-Wisp and appreciates Rotom-A hitting Skarmory hard. Other bulky Steel-types such as Bronzong are great choices, especially for fully Spikes immune teams. Additionally, Hippowdon, Celebi, and defensive Gyarados can also make solid partners, as they further answer powerful sweepers and are effective with Spikes support that Rotom-A helps keep active.
Rotom-A’s defensive prowess make it a strong partner for more offensive Spikes based offensive as well, as it has more resilience than more offensive spinblockers such as Gengar and Choice Scarf Rotom-A. Alongside Swampert and Skarmory, Rotom-A does not have to worry about Tyranitar as much, as entry hazards wear Tyranitar down, while Swampert at least 2HKOs it. Both offensive and defensive Latias sets are fantastic partners for Rotom-A: Choice Specs Latias hammers Tyranitar and weakens it heavily so it can’t handle Rotom-A effectively, while defensive Latias’s resistances and bulk ease some of Rotom-A defensive responsibilities against attackers such as Gyarados and Breloom. Choice Scarf Lucario takes on revenge killing duty against attackers that can set up and OHKO Rotom-A, such as Lum Berry Dragon Dance Dragonite and Dragon Dance Tyranitar. Mixed Flygon is an excellent partner, as it’s offensive prowess is greatly enhanced by Spikes and it enjoys Rotom-A switching into Steel-types such as Bronzong and offensive Jirachi and burning them. Empoleon is another excellent partner, as it spreads Knock Off and Rotom-A is immune or resists all of its weaknesses. It also helps against specially offensive Water-types such as Kingdra that Rotom-A cannot deal with. Tyranitar can take on a more offensive role, such as Choice Band to remove special walls or Starmie guaranteed or Dragon Dance to take advantage of Spikes wearing down its answers.
[SET]
name: Utility
move 1: Pain Split
move 2: Substitute / Shadow Ball / Hydro Pump (Rotom-w only) / Blizzard (Rotom-f only)
move 3: Will-O-Wisp / Shadow Ball
move 4: Thunderbolt
item: Leftovers
ability: Levitate
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Rotom-A can maximize its utility options by using Pain Split as its primary recovery option. Despite being unreliable, Rotom-A can easily heal on special walls like Clefable and Blissey due to its immunity to Seismic Toss. Substitute maximizes Pain Split and gives it more reliability. Substitute blocks status, making Clefable without Encore and Blissey complete set up bait. It also gives Rotom-A a free chance to burn Tyranitar and other Pursuit users such as Scizor.
As Substitute limits Rotom-A’s offensive options, it can instead use a coverage move such as Shadow Ball, Hydro Pump, and Blizzard. Shadow Ball notably allows Rotom-A to damage opposing Rotom-A and Gengar, while Hydro Pump and Blizzard provide additional coverage. Hydro Pump hammers Heatran and Ground-types such as Hippowdon trying to phase out Substitute Rotom-A while Blizzard OHKOs Taunt Gliscor, Flygon, Breloom, and Dragonite trying to take advantage of it. Will-O-Wisp is perfect alongside Substitute, as it burns Steel-types that otherwise wall Rotom-A and gives it an option to threaten Tyranitar. Thunderbolt allows it to KO Water-types and is it’s main offensive option with Substitute.
Set Details
========
There are numerous ways to EV utility Rotom-A. This specific spread aims to outspeed as much as possible so it can get a Substitute up, burn Gliscor before it can use Taunt, and then maximize its bulk. Rotom-A can minimize its HP and instead invest in Special Attack EVs to get as much health back as possible from Pain Split and power up it’s coverage moves, but since Rotom-A’s HP stat is low, it should otherwise aim to maximize HP to be as bulky as possible. Rotom generally tries to have a specific Speed stat and then invest the rest into bulk or Special Attack. Some common examples include 64 Speed EVs to outspeed neutral nature Tyranitar, Empoleon, and Swampert; 164 Speed EVs to outspeed positive nature Tyranitar; 220 Speed EVs to outspeed Gyarados, Dragonite, and Breloom; and 188 Speed EVs with a Timid nature to outspeed Heatran, Adamant Lucario, and defensive Latias. As these are crowded speed tiers, it can be beneficial to invest a few more Speed EVs to outspeed the benchmark. When using not as much Speed EVs, it is recommended to use a Modest nature to maximize the power of Rotom-A’s coverage options.
Especially if it does not have Substitute, Rotom-A can use a few different items. Leftovers is the most prominent, as it allows Rotom-A to neutralize sand damage and make more Substitutes. A more offensive option is to use Life Orb, as Rotom-A can heal with Pain Split and do a lot of damage, but watch out for foes trying to take advantage of Substitute. Without Substitute, some other options such as Colbur Berry to survive Pursuit Tyranitar and other Dark-type attacks, Custap Berry to get one last attack or Pain Split off, and Expert Belt to take advantage of its type coverage are all options.
Usage Tips
========
Rotom-A should be cautious when it comes in and either lead or come in on resistance or immunities, as while it can mitigate residual damage with Pain Split, it isn’t bulky enough to stave off heavy damage. With Substitute, it should try to set up as soon as possible on something it forces out such as Skarmory or Blissey. Take the opportunity to either heal up or spread Will-O-Wisp. Despite its prowess against special walls, it still can perform defensive roles such as block Rapid Spin from defensive Starmie and burn Steel-types. In the lead position, Rotom-A can use Will-O-Wisp and its coverage to take advantage of physical leads, but watch out for Tyranitar. More offensive versions of utility Rotom-A, especially without recovery or Leftovers, get worn down quickly.
Team Options
========
Rotom-A fits on a wide variety of teams due to its unique typing and ability to block Rapid Spin. Rotom-A is commonly featured alongside entry hazards and Pokemon that give it a free switch in on its immunities. A prominent example is Heatran, as Heatran’s Fighting- and Ground-type weaknesses give Rotom-A plenty of opportunities to switch in. Common Spikes users alongside utility Rotom-A include Roserade and Skarmory. With Roserade and Heatran, Swampert forms a Fire-Water-Grass core while offensively checking Tyranitar. Another common Water-type with Heatran and Roserade is offensive Suicune, which appreciates Rotom-A taking advantage of special walls and spreading burns. Other checks to Tyranitar, such as Trick + Iron Ball Metagross or defensive Jirachi are appreciated. As these squads can struggle with multiple Dragon Dance sweepers, Choice Scarf Flygon or Hippowdon can be an excellent partner. Alongside Skarmory, Pain Split gives Rotom-A more offensive coverage and Speed than with the defensive set. It spreads burns, staves off Clefable with Pain Split, and gives a switch into Fighting-types. Prominent partners include offensive Calm Mind Jirachi, Choice Specs Latias, and Heatran. Choice Scarf Lucario can absorb Rotom-A’s revenge killing responsibilities.
[SET]
name: Rain Dance (rotom-w only)
move 1: Rain Dance
move 2: Hydro Pump
move 3: Thunderbolt
move 4: Will-O-Wisp / Shadow Ball
item: Colbur Berry / Damp Rock
ability: Levitate
nature: Modest
evs: 248 HP / 112 SpA / 144 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Rotom-w makes a fantastic weather clearer with Rain Dance, as it lures in Tyranitar and OHKOs bulkless versions after Stealth Rock with a rain boosted Hydro Pump. Rain Dance also helps with Rotom-w's longevity, as it takes sand damage and has no options to heal. With rain, Hydro Pump is quite strong, as it OHKOs bulkless Heatran and physically defensive Hippowdon while also being Rotom-w's strongest attack. Thunderbolt has good coverage with Hydro Pump, as it hits Water-types trying to take advantage of rain hard. Will-O-Wisp completes the set, as Rotom-w is effective at spreading burns to foes that can shrug off a rain boosted Hydro Pump, such as Jirachi and Quagsire. However, since Thunderbolt and Hydro Pump miss out on Grass- and Dragon-types while also struggling to hit Gengar and opposing Rotom-A, Shadow Ball is another great option, as it 2HKOs Latias and completes Rotom-A's coverage.
Set Details
========
These specific EVs outspeed Tyranitar, while having almost maximum HP investment to survive Choice Scarf Tyranitar's Crunch. Rotom-w should run at least 20 Special Attack EVs and a Modest nature or 120 Special Attack EVs with a neutral nature, as this is necessary to OHKO bulkless Tyranitar in the rain after Stealth Rock. Rotom-w can run more investment as well: it needs 168 Special Attack EVs and a Modest nature to OHKO Tyranitar outright. Like with utility Rotom-A, there are numerous Speed investments it can run, ranging from almost no Speed EVs at all, to fully maximum investment to set up Rain Dance more easily. Beware that Rotom-w struggles to switch into its resistances effectively without HP EVs.
Rotom-w can either use a Colbur Berry to better survive Tyranitar's attacks, or Damp Rock to increase the amount of turns rain is active. With Colbur Berry, Rotom-w survives even Choice Band Tyranitar's Crunch after Stealth Rock and sand with the spread given. This allows it to use Rain Dance as Tyranitar switches in and dispatch it easily with Hydro Pump. Damp Rock makes Rotom-w a more general rain supporter and has more general utility by keeping rain up longer.
Usage Tips
========
As a rain support Pokemon, Rotom-w should be switching in on its resistances or immunities to set up the other rain sweepers for its team. Rotom-w has a very handy resistance to Electric, allowing it to switch in on Zapdos and Magnezone and prevent them from using Thunderbolt unimpeded. Rotom-w also helps against Skarmory and defensive Jirachi, two huge threats to rain teams. It should be fairly reckless with its health, as if it can set up rain and provide one of its niches such as blocking Rapid Spin or KOing Tyranitar, that makes it much easier for the rain sweepers to do their job. However, if Rotom-w is featured without a full rain team, it should be more cautious with its health. This is because if it can't clear the weather, nothing else can and the sand vulnerable Pokemon will be forced to deal with sand.
Team Options
========
Similar to the utility set, Rotom-w fits well with many partners who appreciate its typing and utility options. One of the best places for weather clear is alongside sand-vulnerable sweepers such as Suicune and Machamp. Both can use Substitute more aggressively if Rotom-w clears sand and can handle Tyranitar if Rotom-w cannot remove it with Hydro Pump. Substitute + Dragon Dance Gyarados is another good partner, as it appreciates Steel-types being burnt and enjoys sand cleared to make more Substitutes.
Rotom-w is also great support for rain teams due to its resistances and being able to handle Skarmory and defensive Jirachi. Two common rain sweepers are Choice Specs Kingdra and Qwilfish. Kingdra’s extreme power allows it to devastate offensive Pokemon trying to switch into a rain boosted Hydro Pump, while Qwilfish can set up Spikes and hits hard. Other rain sweepers such as Ludicolo, Calm Mind Cresselia, defensive Dragon Dance Dragonite, Agility Metagross, and Swords Dance Empoleon are potentially good partners. Calm Mind Cresselia especially appreciates Rotom-w potentially KOing Tyranitar. Rain supporters such as Azelf, Uxie, Bronzong, and Jirachi can work as well to help ease the burden of clearing the weather.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Rotom-A’s most prominent other set is Choice Specs, as it hits very hard especially with entry hazard support. It has become less common since it can’t 2HKO Clefable and struggles when locked into a bad move, however. As a frail attacker, it also struggles to differentiate itself from Gengar, who is faster, hits harder, and has many utility options to beat walls. Rotom-A can become a more dedicated sweeper with Charge Beam; especially behind a Substitute, it can get the attack boost on foes such as Clefable who struggle to break it and then use its coverage such as Hidden Power Fighting and Shadow Ball to sweep. Such sets often struggle to fit everything they want onto one set, however. Defensive Rotom-A has many other options in its last few slots, such as Reflect to better wall physical attacks without relying on Will-O-Wisp, Overheat to more immediately handle Scizor and Lucario, and Discharge to better spread paralysis and still handle Starmie and Skarmory. Utility Rotom-A has some other wild options such as Sucker Punch, Air Slash, Hidden Power Ground, and Thunder Wave, but these often aren’t worth the moveslot.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Dark-types**: Tyranitar is the biggest threat to Rotom-A as, besides Will-O-Wisp, Hydro Pump, and Leaf Storm, it’s attacks do little even to bulkless Tyranitar. Tyranitar can then Pursuit trap Rotom-A or set up on it with Dragon Dance and KO it. other Dark-types such as Weavile and Spiritomb cannot switch in as easily but threaten it the same.
**Specially bulky Pokemon**: Rotom-A cannot hope to power through specially defensive Heatran, Blissey, and Clefable without multiple critical hits. Heatran is especially devastating, as it absorbs Will-O-Wisp and easily OHKOs back. Clefable’s Knock Off disables Trick and it can freely heal on almost any Rotom-A. All of these must be careful of Trick, while Heatran will eventually fall to Thunderbolt. While Latias is hit super-effectively by Shadow Ball, it is bulky enough to withstand it and it easily survives Thunderbolt and other coverage moves.
**Ground-types**: Ground-types such as Hippowdon, Camerupt, Flygon, Gliscor, Gastrodon, and Swampert disable the main way Rotom-A does damage: Thunderbolt. Especially if they have cleric support, Ground-types can mostly switch in repeatedly to Rotom-A and either attack, phase, or Taunt it. Camerupt is notably immune to both Will-O-Wisp and Thunderbolt and is bulky enough to survive Shadow Ball. However, all should be careful of Hydro Pump, Blizzard, or Leaf Storm.
**Ghost-types**: While they cannot switch in, Gengar and opposing Rotom-A can hammer Rotom-A with Shadow Ball.
**Powerful Attackers**: While Rotom-A is bulky, it is let down by its poor HP stat. As such, it is quite vulnerable to extremely powerful attackers OHKOing or heavily damaging it, such as Choice Specs Latias’s Draco Meteor, +1 Gyarados Waterfall, Dragonite’s boosted Outrage, and Heatran’s Fire-type attacks. Choice Specs Starmie is especially devastating if it OHKOs Rotom-A trying to block Rapid Spin.
**Residual Damage**: While Rotom-A is immune to Spikes and Toxic Spikes, it is still sand vulnerable and often tries to switch in using its resistances and immunities. If it takes a weak attack such as Starmie’s Surf or Forretress’s Payback, it can be forced to use Rest or unable to switch in again. Choice Scarf and utility sets are even more vulnerable, as it cannot heal easily.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [johnnyg2, 57904]]
- Quality checked by: [[Oiponabys, 435540 ], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]
[OVERVIEW]
Rotom-A is critical member of the DPP OU metagame due to its unique Ghost / Electric typing, offensive utility, and defensive profile. Rotom-A is the most reliable spinblocker in the tier: its wide assortment of resistances, Levitate ability, and well-rounded stats make it the best choice to keep entry hazards up in the long term. These well-rounded stats allow Rotom-A to fulfill a wide variety of roles: an excellent revenge killer with Choice Scarf, a great defensive piece with RestTalk, and an effective offensive Pokemon with either Substitute or its assortment of coverage and utility moves. Rotom-A's solid speed tier, resilience to priority, and offensive presence makes it one of the best revenge killers in the metagame, as it can stop many set up sweepers such as Gyarados, Lucario, and Dragonite while potentially crippling a wall with Trick. Rotom-A is one of the best Will-O-Wisp user in the tier, as its bulk and resistances allow it to burn prominent attackers such as Tyranitar, Jirachi, Scizor, and Metagross. Rotom-A’s utility sets are notorious for being difficult to answer, as with its Speed, Will-O-Wisp, Pain Split, and great coverage, it is difficult to stop from fulfilling its role.
The unique part of Rotom-A is its 5 different formes, which are all Ghost / Electric type in DPP. Rotom-w: Rotom-w is one of the premier Rotom-A formes. Hydro Pump hits prominent checks such as Tyranitar, Heatran, and Hippowdon more reliably than the other formes. It is additionally effective support for rain teams due to its resistances and ability to cripple Tyranitar, Jirachi, and Skarmory while appreciating the boost to Hydro Pump. Even if Rotom-w doesn’t have Hydro Pump, the ability to threaten it against its biggest offensive checks makes Rotom-w one of the best forme choices.
Rotom-h: Rotom-h is an excellent choice for a Rotom-A forme. Overheat is especially helpful with Choice Scarf, as it takes advantage of Rotom-h’s Steel-type resistance and easily OHKOs Scizor and Lucario while 2HKOing Metagross and offensive Jirachi. It also is effective for defensive sets, as the ability to threaten Overheat, even if Rotom-h doesn’t have it, makes Breloom trying to sleep and break through RestTalk Rotom-h more cautious. Being able to threaten Steel-types offensively instead of burning them with Will-O-Wisp makes Rotom-h a fantastic choice for a Rotom-A forme.
Rotom-m: Rotom-m is a fine choice for a Rotom-A forme due to the unique utility of Leaf Storm. Leaf Storm provides an immediate OHKO on Swampert, something no other forme can do, while it also hits Tyranitar and Hippowdon very hard. Rotom-m is also relatively uncommon, meaning opponents are more likely to believe Rotom-m has Leaf Storm and, for example, preemptively switch the their Swampert out of offensive Rotom-A even if it does not have Leaf Storm. Being able to threaten both Tyranitar and Ground-types makes Rotom-m a good choice for a Rotom-A forme.
Rotom-f: Blizzard gives Rotom-f fantastic coverage alongside Thunderbolt, making it a good choice for a Rotom-A forme. Being able to threaten a strong Ice-type attack makes prominent Pokemon such as Flygon, Dragonite, and Gliscor much more cautious of dealing with Rotom-f, even if it doesn’t have Blizzard. While Blizzard has subpar accuracy, Rotom-f’s defensive sets are bulky enough to use it repeatedly. Rotom-f is the premier forme choice alongside Abomasnow, as permanent Hail makes Blizzard perfectly accurate, while Rotom-f helps with Steel-types that heavily threaten Abomasnow. Altogether, access to Blizzard make Rotom-f a nice choice for a Rotom-A forme.
Rotom-s: Unfortunately, Rotom-s has the short end of the stick, as Air Slash simply is not enough of an advantage to use it. Rotom-s’s only perk of using Air Slash is a strong hit to Breloom and the flinch chance. While Rotom-s functions perfectly fine as a defensive Rotom-A, it does not bluff the good coverage the other formes have. As such, Rotom-s should not be used outside of novelty, as it is outclassed by its other formes.
Rotom-A’s primary flaws are its weakness to Pursuit, unreliable recovery, and lack of power. Tyranitar is the biggest menace, as although it doesn’t enjoy being burned, Rotom-A struggles to damage Tyranitar much at all due to the Special Defense boost in sand while it gets potentially OHKOed by Crunch or trapped via Pursuit. This vulnerability dampens its revenge killing prowess, as it can be easily removed by one of the most popular Pokemon in the metagame. Dark- and Ghost-type coverage in general is dangerous to Rotom-A, as Gengar OHKOs it and even threats it walls like Machamp and Lucario can hit it hard with Payback and Crunch, respectively. Rotom-A also lacks reliable recovery—RestTalk forces Rotom-A to either be walled easily or lack Will-O-Wisp and forces it to sleep for two turns, while Pain Split is easy to manipulate and struggles to keep Rotom-A healthy. Due to its lack of a generally strong attack, Rotom-A is easily walled by most special walls that can shrug off a burn, such as specially defensive Heatran, Clefable, Blissey, and even Breloom once Toxic Orb activates. Heatran is especially dangerous, as it gains a Flash Fire boost from Will-O-Wisp and easily OHKOs Rotom-A. While Rotom-A has good coverage due to its formes, it doesn’t get STAB on these special moves and often is short on moveslots.
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Thunderbolt
move 2: Overheat (rotom-h only) / Hydro Pump (rotom-w only) / Shadow Ball / Leaf Storm (rotom-c only)
move 3: Shadow Ball / Hidden Power Ice / Will-O-Wisp
move 4: Trick / Hidden Power Ice
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Levitate
nature: Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Rotom-A’s Speed tier and good coverage make it an excellent revenge killer with a Choice Scarf. Thunderbolt is Rotom-A strongest attack, revenge killing Water-types such as Gyarados, Suicune, and Empoleon. Rotom-A has many different coverage options it can use. Overheat is a prominent one, as despite doing almost nothing to Pursuit Tyranitar, it is fantastic at revenge killing Steel-types who can shrug off a Thunderbolt such as Lucario without a Special Defense drop, Metagross, and especially Scizor. It also nails Grass-types such as Breloom, Roserade, and Shaymin. Another choice is Hydro Pump, which crucially 2HKOs bulkless Tyranitar after Stealth Rock and prevents it from being Pursuit trapped. It also hits Heatran trying to absorb Will-O-Wisp and Ground-types immune to Thunderbolt such as Hippowdon, Mamoswine, and Camerupt. Leaf Storm OHKOs Swampert and Gastrodon while also dissuading Tyranitar from switching in.
Shadow Ball completes Rotom-A’s coverage, as it prominently hits Latias, Gengar, and other Rotom-A while providing good neutral coverage should Rotom-A not use one of its forme moves. Hidden Power Ice is another excellent option, as it KOs Dragonite after Stealth Rock, OHKOs Flygon, and threatens Gliscor. Hidden Power Ice is both more reliable than Rotom-f’s Blizzard and does enough damage to its targets. Rounding out the set is Trick, as it is a fantastic way of crippling a special wall such as Clefable, Latias, and Blissey. Trick can also stop a boosted sweeper by locking them into one attack, although doing this often leads to sacrificing Rotom-A. Another option is Will-O-Wisp, which burns Tyranitar on the switch-in to survive a potential Pursuit trap attempt. As the only move Choice Scarf Rotom-A needs is Thunderbolt, it is free to mix and match these as needed for its team.
Set Details
========
Rotom-A generally should be running maximum Special Attack and Speed EVs, as it has 447 Speed after the Choice Scarf boost and sits at a crowded Speed tier. Maximum Special Attack notably gives it the best chance to KO itself and 2HKO Latias with Shadow Ball, KO Wacan Berry Gyarados without Stealth Rock with Thunderbolt, 2HKO bulkless Tyranitar after Stealth Rock with Hydro Pump, and KO Dragonite with Hidden Power Ice after Stealth Rock. However, Rotom-A can spare some bulk to better survive Tyranitar’s Pursuit and act as a bulkier revenge killer, especially against strong attackers after it uses Trick and to better protect against Scizor and Lucario’s boosted Bullet Punch and Gyarados's +1 Waterfall. The fastest threat it needs to revenge kill besides itself is Modest Agility Empoleon, which requires 236 Speed EVs. Another choice is to drop down to 188 Speed EVs to outspeed Adamant Lucario and Heatran without the Choice Scarf. Rotom-A can also use less Special Attack: it achieves the bulkless Dragonite KO after Stealth Rock with Hidden Power Ice with 160 Special Attack EVs, allowing it invest into its bulk. A common choice for bulkier Rotom-A spreads is to minimize sand damage with the desired Speed and put the rest in Special Attack: some example EV spreads would be 56 HP / 216 SpA / 236 Spe, which has an HP stat divisible by 16 - 1 while maximizing the other stats, and 108 HP / 164 SpA / 236 Spe, which KOs Gyarados after Stealth Rock through Wacan Berry, survives +1 Waterfall after Stealth Rock, and still outspeeds +2 Modest Empoleon.
Usage Tips
========
Choice Scarf Rotom-A should switch in sparingly or on its immunities, as it is not very bulky, its choice locked moves are easy to set up on, and it is vulnerable to Pursuit. It enjoys switching in either when a foe such as Gyarados, Lucario, or Scizor sets up or after a KO to appropriately deal with the threat. This can be dangerous, however, as all of them can hit Rotom-A hard on the switch. Keeping Rotom-A hidden also can allow it to sweep late game against weakened threats should its checks be removed. This is especially prevalent against frail hyper offensive teams or those without a Ground-type. Rotom-A’s Trick is an excellent weapon to cripple walls and set up sweepers alike, but make sure Rotom-A’s Speed is no longer needed. Beware of opponents switching in another Choice Scarf Pokemon to nullify it or, worse, a Choice Scarf Tyranitar and Pursuit trapping Rotom-A. Another complication is with Knock Off: in DPP, if either the user or foe is hit with Knock Off, Trick will fail. Be careful with using Trick around Clefable and defensive Empoleon for this reason.
Team Options
========
Choice Scarf Rotom-A is a premier revenge killer in DPP OU and features on many team styles. Most midpaced offensive teams carry a Choice Scarf revenge killer to backstop them against set up sweepers—Rotom-A is one of the best at it with its Speed, coverage, and Trick. As Rotom-A is easily covered by the special walls in the tier, it appreciates teammates that can break though them. Breloom and Heatran are fantastic choices, as Breloom takes advantage of Tyranitar, Blissey, Clefable, and Swampert while Heatran can trap them with Magma Storm and then burn Tyranitar, use Explosion on Blissey and Clefable, or OHKO Swampert with Hidden Power Grass. Breloom can also use Mach Punch or a bulky EV spread to revenge kill Dragon Dance Tyranitar. Another Tyranitar check, such as Machamp, bulky Metagross, and Jirachi are appreciated. Rotom-A also enjoys other strong special attackers such as Choice Specs Latias, Zapdos, and offensive Calm Mind Jirachi to weaken Tyranitar to the point it cannot switch into Rotom-A. Rotom-A appreciates threats that can set up on a choice locked Pursuit: Lucario is an excellent choice, as is Dragon Dance Tyranitar. Another excellent option is Torment Heatran, as it appreciates Rotom-A's Trick to set up on choiced locked Pokemon. Rotom-A is a good stopgap to mitigate the propensity of powerful choiced attackers such as Choice Band Gyarados, Choice Specs Heatran, Choice Band Tyranitar, and Choice Specs Zapdos to get set up on if they’re locked into the wrong move.
Choice Scarf Rotom-A is also fantastic on more frail hyper offenses as speed control and potentially a spinblocker for Spikes. Some prominent offensive partners include Dragon Dance Gyarados, Dragon Dance or mixed Tyranitar, Dragon Dance or mixed Dragonite, Swords Dance or Agility Lucario, offensive Empoleon, offensive Calm Mind Suicune, and Swords Dance Scizor. These Pokemon can set up on a choice locked Pursuit as well. Azelf is also an excellent choice to weaken Tyranitar with either paralysis or Explosion. Offensive Spikes Skarmory or Froslass are also good choices, as Choice Scarf Rotom-A can provide spinblocking and appreciates entry hazards wearing down its grounded answers.
[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Rest
move 2: Sleep Talk
move 3: Thunderbolt / Shadow Ball
move 4: Will-O-Wisp / Shadow Ball
item: Leftovers
ability: Levitate
nature: Bold
evs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Rotom-A’s typing, ability, and bulk make it the best defensive spinblocker in the metagame. Rest and Sleep Talk are Rotom-A’s only form of recovery outside of Pain Split and prevent it from succumbing to status and residual damage. It also makes Rotom-A a reliable sleep absorber; however, without Shadow Ball, Rotom-A struggles to damage Breloom while getting 3HKOed by Seed Bomb. Rest also gives Rotom-A a massive stock of PP, making it useful for PP staling.
Rotom-A’s last two slots give it some versatility beyond walling. The most prominent of these is Thunderbolt, which gives Rotom-A a reliable attack while also OHKOing Gyarados. Thunderbolt also hits Steel-types such as Heatran, Metagross, Empoleon, and Scizor and at least 2HKOs Starmie and Skarmory. However, as Thunderbolt is useless against Ground-types and can’t hit Breloom well, another option is to use Shadow Ball. Shadow Ball prevents RestTalk Rotom-A from being completely unable to damage Taunt Gliscor while also hitting Ghost-weak targets such as Gengar, opposing Rotom-A, and Starmie hard. For the last slot, Rotom-A can either spread burns effectively with Will-O-Wisp or maintain better coverage with both Shadow Ball and Thunderbolt. Will-O-Wisp is preferred, as being able to burn opponents is one of Rotom-A’s core niches. It notably is the best response to Tyranitar, as it will not enjoy a burn unless it has a Lum Berry. Will-O-Wisp also limits switch ins to foes immune to burn damage such as Clefable, Heatran, Camerupt, and Breloom after Toxic Orb activates. Additionally, Natural Cure Pokemon such as Celebi and Blissey can pivot in on Will-O-Wisp despite taking burn damage. Another option for an Electric-type attack is Discharge, but it suffers from being noticably weaker than Thunderbolt and potentially giving unwanted paralysis.
Set Details
========
Rotom-A generally needs all of the physical bulk it can get to stave off Tyranitar, Metagross, Machamp, and Lucario. Take care that absolute maximum HP investment gives Rotom-A makes its HP stat divisible by 16, increasing the damage it takes from sand and heals from Leftovers. Rotom-A also is at a crowded speed tier—many Pokemon such as Empoleon, Tyranitar, Swampert, Machamp, and Breloom aim to outspeed minimum speed Rotom-A. As such, it can invest 56 EVs to outspeed max Speed neutral nature Tyranitar, Empoleon, and Swampert. Additionally, Rotom-A can add some Special Defense EVs to better handle special coverage from Swampert, survive Gengar’s Shadow Ball, and help prevent Starmie’s Rapid Spin; however, going with a fully specially defensive RestTalk Rotom-A is not advised due to its huge Pursuit weakness. A few Special Attack EVs, such as 20 EVs, also help Thunderbolt break maximum HP Breloom’s Substitutes guaranteed and give better chances to OHKO Starmie and Skarmory.
Usage Tips
========
Rotom-A should generally be used early to spread burns and block Rapid Spin, preferably before Breloom has activated its Toxic Orb. Rotom-A can lead, as it has good match ups against all common physical leads with the exception of Tyranitar and is immune to Explosion. Mastering the timing of when to use Rest with Rotom-A is critical, as it only has a 24.8% to burn physical attackers such as Tyranitar while asleep. However, Rotom-A needs to stay status free and healthy to stave off Starmie and Forretress trying to Rapid Spin and Fighting-types with Dark-type coverage such as Machamp and Lucario. Rotom-A should generally be careful about trying to block Rapid Spin too much, as offensive Starmie sets can OHKO Rotom-A with Hydro Pump while defensive Starmie and Forretress can 3HKO it in sand with Surf and Payback, respectively. Other than these, there are nuances with its usage depending on match up.
Against offensive teams, Rotom-A is typically one of the more difficult walls to handle, as foes typically absorb burns with either Heatran, Refresh Swampert, Lum Berry Tyranitar, or Breloom. These teams also typically lack reliable Rapid Spin users, meaning Rotom-A can lean fully into its defensive roll and more recklessly wall opposing physical attackers and spread burns. As Heatran cannot absorb Rotom-A’s Thunderbolts forever, aggressively predicting it as it comes in can wear it down easily. Be careful against Metagross and Bronzong, as they can Trick Rotom-A an Iron Ball and ruin its ability to handle physical attackers with Earthquake. Despite being able to handle Gyarados, Rotom-A should not be the primary answer, as boosted Gyarados 2HKOs with Waterfall and can flinch Rotom-A—in addition, Gyarados survives Thunderbolt with a Wacan Berry even after Stealth Rock, meaning it can break through Rotom-A coming in on Dragon Dance. Rotom-A should be kept away from foes that can set up on it, including set up sweepers with Lum Berry such as Dragon Dance Dragonite and Tyranitar; mixed attackers such as Dragonite, Flygon, and Swampert; Taunt users such as Gliscor; and faster Substitute users such as Substitute + Calm Mind Jirachi and Breloom.
Against more defensive teams, Rotom-A’s main value are its ability to block Rapid Spin, huge pool of PP, and handling problem Pokemon such as Skarmory, Breloom, physical Jirachi, and Starmie. Since Clefable is commonly the first switch into Rotom-A due to being immune to burn damage, absorbing Knock Off with Rotom-A is one of the better ways to PP Stall it, as Clefable cannot threaten it outside of Calm Mind and Rotom-A will always be able to use Rest if sand is active. Once Rotom-A goes to sleep, not using Sleep Talk greatly increases how much PP Rotom-A has, to 108 if Rotom-A has Thunderbolt and Will-O-Wisp. Beware of continually relying on Rotom-A for spinblocking, as it will get worn down.
Team Options
========
RestTalk Rotom-A provides valuable defensive niches and spinblocking, meaning it has many viable partners. On more defensive teams, it keeps entry hazards up and spreads burns. Spikes setters such as Skarmory and Forretress appreciate this, as neither can prevent Starmie, Donphan, or opposing Forretress from using Rapid Spin. Rotom-A prevents Machamp from spamming DynamicPunch, meaning prominent Fighting-weak walls such as Tyranitar, Clefable, and Blissey appreciate its presence. Clefable also spreads Knock Off for adding onto residual damage. Tyranitar provides sand and traps prominent Pokemon that threaten Rotom-A such as Gengar and offensive Starmie. Both Clefable and Blissey can provide cleric support for Rotom-A. All three provide a switch into Heatran, which greatly threaten Rotom-A with Flash Fire. Rotom-A is a possible choice on big 5 defensive archetypes over the typical Ground-type alongside Skarmory, Choice Scarf Tyranitar, Clefable, defensive Latias, and Jirachi. Both offensive and defensive Jirachi sets work: offensive sets appreciate the Spikes and residual damage Rotom-A helps to wrack up, while defensive Jirachi helps shore the team against Dragon Dance sweepers such as Dragonite and Tyranitar that Rotom-A struggles with. Defensive Jirachi also enjoys foes worn down due to Will-O-Wisp and appreciates Rotom-A hitting Skarmory hard. Other bulky Steel-types such as Bronzong are great choices, especially for fully Spikes immune teams. Additionally, Hippowdon, Celebi, and defensive Gyarados can also make solid partners, as they further answer powerful sweepers and are effective with Spikes support that Rotom-A helps keep active.
Rotom-A’s defensive prowess make it a strong partner for more offensive Spikes based offensive as well, as it has more resilience than more offensive spinblockers such as Gengar and Choice Scarf Rotom-A. Alongside Swampert and Skarmory, Rotom-A does not have to worry about Tyranitar as much, as entry hazards wear Tyranitar down, while Swampert at least 2HKOs it. Both offensive and defensive Latias sets are fantastic partners for Rotom-A: Choice Specs Latias hammers Tyranitar and weakens it heavily so it can’t handle Rotom-A effectively, while defensive Latias’s resistances and bulk ease some of Rotom-A defensive responsibilities against attackers such as Gyarados and Breloom. Choice Scarf Lucario takes on revenge killing duty against attackers that can set up and OHKO Rotom-A, such as Lum Berry Dragon Dance Dragonite and Dragon Dance Tyranitar. Mixed Flygon is an excellent partner, as it’s offensive prowess is greatly enhanced by Spikes and it enjoys Rotom-A switching into Steel-types such as Bronzong and offensive Jirachi and burning them. Empoleon is another excellent partner, as it spreads Knock Off and Rotom-A is immune or resists all of its weaknesses. It also helps against specially offensive Water-types such as Kingdra that Rotom-A cannot deal with. Tyranitar can take on a more offensive role, such as Choice Band to remove special walls or Starmie guaranteed or Dragon Dance to take advantage of Spikes wearing down its answers.
[SET]
name: Utility
move 1: Pain Split
move 2: Substitute / Shadow Ball / Hydro Pump (Rotom-w only) / Blizzard (Rotom-f only)
move 3: Will-O-Wisp / Shadow Ball
move 4: Thunderbolt
item: Leftovers
ability: Levitate
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Rotom-A can maximize its utility options by using Pain Split as its primary recovery option. Despite being unreliable, Rotom-A can easily heal on special walls like Clefable and Blissey due to its immunity to Seismic Toss. Substitute maximizes Pain Split and gives it more reliability. Substitute blocks status, making Clefable without Encore and Blissey complete set up bait. It also gives Rotom-A a free chance to burn Tyranitar and other Pursuit users such as Scizor.
As Substitute limits Rotom-A’s offensive options, it can instead use a coverage move such as Shadow Ball, Hydro Pump, and Blizzard. Shadow Ball notably allows Rotom-A to damage opposing Rotom-A and Gengar, while Hydro Pump and Blizzard provide additional coverage. Hydro Pump hammers Heatran and Ground-types such as Hippowdon trying to phase out Substitute Rotom-A while Blizzard OHKOs Taunt Gliscor, Flygon, Breloom, and Dragonite trying to take advantage of it. Will-O-Wisp is perfect alongside Substitute, as it burns Steel-types that otherwise wall Rotom-A and gives it an option to threaten Tyranitar. Thunderbolt allows it to KO Water-types and is it’s main offensive option with Substitute.
Set Details
========
There are numerous ways to EV utility Rotom-A. This specific spread aims to outspeed as much as possible so it can get a Substitute up, burn Gliscor before it can use Taunt, and then maximize its bulk. Rotom-A can minimize its HP and instead invest in Special Attack EVs to get as much health back as possible from Pain Split and power up it’s coverage moves, but since Rotom-A’s HP stat is low, it should otherwise aim to maximize HP to be as bulky as possible. Rotom generally tries to have a specific Speed stat and then invest the rest into bulk or Special Attack. Some common examples include 64 Speed EVs to outspeed neutral nature Tyranitar, Empoleon, and Swampert; 164 Speed EVs to outspeed positive nature Tyranitar; 220 Speed EVs to outspeed Gyarados, Dragonite, and Breloom; and 188 Speed EVs with a Timid nature to outspeed Heatran, Adamant Lucario, and defensive Latias. As these are crowded speed tiers, it can be beneficial to invest a few more Speed EVs to outspeed the benchmark. When using not as much Speed EVs, it is recommended to use a Modest nature to maximize the power of Rotom-A’s coverage options.
Especially if it does not have Substitute, Rotom-A can use a few different items. Leftovers is the most prominent, as it allows Rotom-A to neutralize sand damage and make more Substitutes. A more offensive option is to use Life Orb, as Rotom-A can heal with Pain Split and do a lot of damage, but watch out for foes trying to take advantage of Substitute. Without Substitute, some other options such as Colbur Berry to survive Pursuit Tyranitar and other Dark-type attacks, Custap Berry to get one last attack or Pain Split off, and Expert Belt to take advantage of its type coverage are all options.
Usage Tips
========
Rotom-A should be cautious when it comes in and either lead or come in on resistance or immunities, as while it can mitigate residual damage with Pain Split, it isn’t bulky enough to stave off heavy damage. With Substitute, it should try to set up as soon as possible on something it forces out such as Skarmory or Blissey. Take the opportunity to either heal up or spread Will-O-Wisp. Despite its prowess against special walls, it still can perform defensive roles such as block Rapid Spin from defensive Starmie and burn Steel-types. In the lead position, Rotom-A can use Will-O-Wisp and its coverage to take advantage of physical leads, but watch out for Tyranitar. More offensive versions of utility Rotom-A, especially without recovery or Leftovers, get worn down quickly.
Team Options
========
Rotom-A fits on a wide variety of teams due to its unique typing and ability to block Rapid Spin. Rotom-A is commonly featured alongside entry hazards and Pokemon that give it a free switch in on its immunities. A prominent example is Heatran, as Heatran’s Fighting- and Ground-type weaknesses give Rotom-A plenty of opportunities to switch in. Common Spikes users alongside utility Rotom-A include Roserade and Skarmory. With Roserade and Heatran, Swampert forms a Fire-Water-Grass core while offensively checking Tyranitar. Another common Water-type with Heatran and Roserade is offensive Suicune, which appreciates Rotom-A taking advantage of special walls and spreading burns. Other checks to Tyranitar, such as Trick + Iron Ball Metagross or defensive Jirachi are appreciated. As these squads can struggle with multiple Dragon Dance sweepers, Choice Scarf Flygon or Hippowdon can be an excellent partner. Alongside Skarmory, Pain Split gives Rotom-A more offensive coverage and Speed than with the defensive set. It spreads burns, staves off Clefable with Pain Split, and gives a switch into Fighting-types. Prominent partners include offensive Calm Mind Jirachi, Choice Specs Latias, and Heatran. Choice Scarf Lucario can absorb Rotom-A’s revenge killing responsibilities.
[SET]
name: Rain Dance (rotom-w only)
move 1: Rain Dance
move 2: Hydro Pump
move 3: Thunderbolt
move 4: Will-O-Wisp / Shadow Ball
item: Colbur Berry / Damp Rock
ability: Levitate
nature: Modest
evs: 248 HP / 112 SpA / 144 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Rotom-w makes a fantastic weather clearer with Rain Dance, as it lures in Tyranitar and OHKOs bulkless versions after Stealth Rock with a rain boosted Hydro Pump. Rain Dance also helps with Rotom-w's longevity, as it takes sand damage and has no options to heal. With rain, Hydro Pump is quite strong, as it OHKOs bulkless Heatran and physically defensive Hippowdon while also being Rotom-w's strongest attack. Thunderbolt has good coverage with Hydro Pump, as it hits Water-types trying to take advantage of rain hard. Will-O-Wisp completes the set, as Rotom-w is effective at spreading burns to foes that can shrug off a rain boosted Hydro Pump, such as Jirachi and Quagsire. However, since Thunderbolt and Hydro Pump miss out on Grass- and Dragon-types while also struggling to hit Gengar and opposing Rotom-A, Shadow Ball is another great option, as it 2HKOs Latias and completes Rotom-A's coverage.
Set Details
========
These specific EVs outspeed Tyranitar, while having almost maximum HP investment to survive Choice Scarf Tyranitar's Crunch. Rotom-w should run at least 20 Special Attack EVs and a Modest nature or 120 Special Attack EVs with a neutral nature, as this is necessary to OHKO bulkless Tyranitar in the rain after Stealth Rock. Rotom-w can run more investment as well: it needs 168 Special Attack EVs and a Modest nature to OHKO Tyranitar outright. Like with utility Rotom-A, there are numerous Speed investments it can run, ranging from almost no Speed EVs at all, to fully maximum investment to set up Rain Dance more easily. Beware that Rotom-w struggles to switch into its resistances effectively without HP EVs.
Rotom-w can either use a Colbur Berry to better survive Tyranitar's attacks, or Damp Rock to increase the amount of turns rain is active. With Colbur Berry, Rotom-w survives even Choice Band Tyranitar's Crunch after Stealth Rock and sand with the spread given. This allows it to use Rain Dance as Tyranitar switches in and dispatch it easily with Hydro Pump. Damp Rock makes Rotom-w a more general rain supporter and has more general utility by keeping rain up longer.
Usage Tips
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As a rain support Pokemon, Rotom-w should be switching in on its resistances or immunities to set up the other rain sweepers for its team. Rotom-w has a very handy resistance to Electric, allowing it to switch in on Zapdos and Magnezone and prevent them from using Thunderbolt unimpeded. Rotom-w also helps against Skarmory and defensive Jirachi, two huge threats to rain teams. It should be fairly reckless with its health, as if it can set up rain and provide one of its niches such as blocking Rapid Spin or KOing Tyranitar, that makes it much easier for the rain sweepers to do their job. However, if Rotom-w is featured without a full rain team, it should be more cautious with its health. This is because if it can't clear the weather, nothing else can and the sand vulnerable Pokemon will be forced to deal with sand.
Team Options
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Similar to the utility set, Rotom-w fits well with many partners who appreciate its typing and utility options. One of the best places for weather clear is alongside sand-vulnerable sweepers such as Suicune and Machamp. Both can use Substitute more aggressively if Rotom-w clears sand and can handle Tyranitar if Rotom-w cannot remove it with Hydro Pump. Substitute + Dragon Dance Gyarados is another good partner, as it appreciates Steel-types being burnt and enjoys sand cleared to make more Substitutes.
Rotom-w is also great support for rain teams due to its resistances and being able to handle Skarmory and defensive Jirachi. Two common rain sweepers are Choice Specs Kingdra and Qwilfish. Kingdra’s extreme power allows it to devastate offensive Pokemon trying to switch into a rain boosted Hydro Pump, while Qwilfish can set up Spikes and hits hard. Other rain sweepers such as Ludicolo, Calm Mind Cresselia, defensive Dragon Dance Dragonite, Agility Metagross, and Swords Dance Empoleon are potentially good partners. Calm Mind Cresselia especially appreciates Rotom-w potentially KOing Tyranitar. Rain supporters such as Azelf, Uxie, Bronzong, and Jirachi can work as well to help ease the burden of clearing the weather.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
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Rotom-A’s most prominent other set is Choice Specs, as it hits very hard especially with entry hazard support. It has become less common since it can’t 2HKO Clefable and struggles when locked into a bad move, however. As a frail attacker, it also struggles to differentiate itself from Gengar, who is faster, hits harder, and has many utility options to beat walls. Rotom-A can become a more dedicated sweeper with Charge Beam; especially behind a Substitute, it can get the attack boost on foes such as Clefable who struggle to break it and then use its coverage such as Hidden Power Fighting and Shadow Ball to sweep. Such sets often struggle to fit everything they want onto one set, however. Defensive Rotom-A has many other options in its last few slots, such as Reflect to better wall physical attacks without relying on Will-O-Wisp, Overheat to more immediately handle Scizor and Lucario, and Discharge to better spread paralysis and still handle Starmie and Skarmory. Utility Rotom-A has some other wild options such as Sucker Punch, Air Slash, Hidden Power Ground, and Thunder Wave, but these often aren’t worth the moveslot.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Dark-types**: Tyranitar is the biggest threat to Rotom-A as, besides Will-O-Wisp, Hydro Pump, and Leaf Storm, it’s attacks do little even to bulkless Tyranitar. Tyranitar can then Pursuit trap Rotom-A or set up on it with Dragon Dance and KO it. other Dark-types such as Weavile and Spiritomb cannot switch in as easily but threaten it the same.
**Specially bulky Pokemon**: Rotom-A cannot hope to power through specially defensive Heatran, Blissey, and Clefable without multiple critical hits. Heatran is especially devastating, as it absorbs Will-O-Wisp and easily OHKOs back. Clefable’s Knock Off disables Trick and it can freely heal on almost any Rotom-A. All of these must be careful of Trick, while Heatran will eventually fall to Thunderbolt. While Latias is hit super-effectively by Shadow Ball, it is bulky enough to withstand it and it easily survives Thunderbolt and other coverage moves.
**Ground-types**: Ground-types such as Hippowdon, Camerupt, Flygon, Gliscor, Gastrodon, and Swampert disable the main way Rotom-A does damage: Thunderbolt. Especially if they have cleric support, Ground-types can mostly switch in repeatedly to Rotom-A and either attack, phase, or Taunt it. Camerupt is notably immune to both Will-O-Wisp and Thunderbolt and is bulky enough to survive Shadow Ball. However, all should be careful of Hydro Pump, Blizzard, or Leaf Storm.
**Ghost-types**: While they cannot switch in, Gengar and opposing Rotom-A can hammer Rotom-A with Shadow Ball.
**Powerful Attackers**: While Rotom-A is bulky, it is let down by its poor HP stat. As such, it is quite vulnerable to extremely powerful attackers OHKOing or heavily damaging it, such as Choice Specs Latias’s Draco Meteor, +1 Gyarados Waterfall, Dragonite’s boosted Outrage, and Heatran’s Fire-type attacks. Choice Specs Starmie is especially devastating if it OHKOs Rotom-A trying to block Rapid Spin.
**Residual Damage**: While Rotom-A is immune to Spikes and Toxic Spikes, it is still sand vulnerable and often tries to switch in using its resistances and immunities. If it takes a weak attack such as Starmie’s Surf or Forretress’s Payback, it can be forced to use Rest or unable to switch in again. Choice Scarf and utility sets are even more vulnerable, as it cannot heal easily.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [johnnyg2, 57904]]
- Quality checked by: [[Oiponabys, 435540 ], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]
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