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DPP Staryu (LC Analysis)*
- Thread starter Fuzznip
- Start date
With fuzzy's permission, went through directly (up to half way through TO, rest tomorrow probably) and made a lot of minor fixes, almost all for conciseness (a few others, like changed 200 SpA EVs to 196 on a set without Hidden Power). Good analysis overall from what I see.
Here are some things I picked up one while reading it. Most of my edits have to do with the fluency of the analyses, though there are some that deal with word choice and the rephrasing. Many of the edits are nitpicky, but they all add to the readability of each analysis.
LO Sweeper
Lead Spinner
[Opinion]
[Counters]
Great job! Like I said, most of the edits were nitpicks to make it read more fluently. I hope I was able to help!
LO Sweeper
[SET]
name: Life Orb Sweeper
move 1: Hydro Pump / Surf
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Hidden Power Ground / Hidden Power [Fire]
item: Life Orb
ability: Natural Cure
nature: Timid
evs: 200 SpA / 236 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Staryu possesses a fantastic offensive movepool, containing various moves that give Staryu excellent type coverage. It also reaches [remove "also"; its redundant] one of the fastest Speed landmarks in the LC metagame, that being a high 19. Lastly, it has a decent Special Attack stat of 16, enough for it to deal heavy damage with its attacks. [Rewrite for fluency: It has the decent Special Attack stat of 16, enough to make full use of its brilliant movepool.] All of these qualities make Staryu one of the best late-game sweepers available in Little Cup. [Remove "All of" and capitalize "These"] </p>
<p>As mentioned above, Staryu’s movepool consists of moves that offer excellent type coverage together. Hydro Pump is the primary STAB move of choice, as it packs over 20% more power than Surf. It's strong enough to give the opponent a very hard time combating Staryu, since Hydro Pump is strong enough to OHKO specially frail Pokemon like Kabuto, 2HKO all but the most bulky of Pokemon who don't resist it, and even consistently doing [change to "and it can consistently do" for fluency.] over 50% to standard Munchlax. If you dislike the fact that one miss from Hydro Pump may cost Staryu's life [Doesn't convey the right meaning; rewrite to "If you dislike Hydro Pump's 80% accuracy, you have a reliable alternative in Surf. Surf is a..."], Surf is still a powerful, reliable attack that will do heavy damage to most foes. Thunderbolt offers great coverage in tandem with Surf, hitting Water-types like Mantyke for super effective damage, while Surf OHKOes Ground-types like Onix that are immune to Thunderbolt. Ice Beam is used to stop Grass-types like Paras who would otherwise halt Staryu's sweep. The last moveslot is open to Hidden Power Ground. This type of Hidden Power is chosen [change to "most useful"] due to the fact that it provides great coverage [change to "because it provides great..."] in conjunction with Staryu's other moves, [End the sentence here to prevent a run-on and rewrite to "It also hits Chinchour and Croagunk..."] hitting Chinchou and Croagunk, two common switch-ins, for super effective damage. [I think it would be useful to mention Hidden Power [Fire as an alternative here]</p>
<p>Munchlax tends to threaten nearly every special attacker with its high HP and Special Defense stats, which means Staryu will have a tough time passing through it. ["tends to" and "nearly" are weak words when used in conjunction with one another. Rewrite to "Munchlax threatens nearly every special attacker, and Staryu is no exception." There are a couple of [change to several] ways to take down [change to breaking] Munchlax. Packing a Fighting-type such as Machop or Mankey is strongly suggested, since [change to as] Munchlax will never like to take a powerful STAB Fighting attack from them [change to "Munchlax will not like taking a powerful STAB Fighting attack"]. Another way to stop Munchlax is by crippling it with burn status [remove status] to make it a less effective attacker. Duskull is a primary [change to "great"] candidate at doing so [change to "for the job"], due to the fact that [change to "because"] it reaches a very high Defense stat. [Cut out the rest of the sentence; it's redundant.] allowing it to shrug off anything Munchlax attempts to throw at it and return with a power-reducing Will-O-Wisp. Priority users in general can become a huge pain to Staryu, as [change to "because"] many of the [remove "many of the] most common priority moves hit it for neutral damage. and with its only just passable defenses, it won’t like being hit by them. [put a period after damage and rewrite the next sentence as "With its barely passable defenses, the hits can prove very damaging."] Meowth, Croagunk, and Houndour are some of the most common priority users in the LC metagame, hitting extremely hard with their STAB priority moves. [Change to "and each hit hard with their..."] To deal with these threats, Duskull can safely switch into Meowth on a predicted Fake Out, and proceed to cripple it with Will-O-Wisp to drain its effectiveness; [change the semi-colon to a period, theses sentences aren't related thoughts.] Gligar can switch into Croagunk’s priority moves such as Fake Out and Vacuum Wave [remove "such as Fake out and Vacuum Wave" elaboration isn't necessary there.] with impunity, allowing it to OHKO it [change to "and will OHKO it"]with Earthquake; [Again, remove the semi-colon and change to a period.] and Munchlax can be an effective switch-in to Houndour, and threaten to obliterate it with a powerful Earthquake. [rewrite as "Munchlax can be an effective switch-in to Houndour; it's high Special Defense and HP and access to Earthquake threaten it greatly."]
name: Life Orb Sweeper
move 1: Hydro Pump / Surf
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Hidden Power Ground / Hidden Power [Fire]
item: Life Orb
ability: Natural Cure
nature: Timid
evs: 200 SpA / 236 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Staryu possesses a fantastic offensive movepool, containing various moves that give Staryu excellent type coverage. It also reaches [remove "also"; its redundant] one of the fastest Speed landmarks in the LC metagame, that being a high 19. Lastly, it has a decent Special Attack stat of 16, enough for it to deal heavy damage with its attacks. [Rewrite for fluency: It has the decent Special Attack stat of 16, enough to make full use of its brilliant movepool.] All of these qualities make Staryu one of the best late-game sweepers available in Little Cup. [Remove "All of" and capitalize "These"] </p>
<p>As mentioned above, Staryu’s movepool consists of moves that offer excellent type coverage together. Hydro Pump is the primary STAB move of choice, as it packs over 20% more power than Surf. It's strong enough to give the opponent a very hard time combating Staryu, since Hydro Pump is strong enough to OHKO specially frail Pokemon like Kabuto, 2HKO all but the most bulky of Pokemon who don't resist it, and even consistently doing [change to "and it can consistently do" for fluency.] over 50% to standard Munchlax. If you dislike the fact that one miss from Hydro Pump may cost Staryu's life [Doesn't convey the right meaning; rewrite to "If you dislike Hydro Pump's 80% accuracy, you have a reliable alternative in Surf. Surf is a..."], Surf is still a powerful, reliable attack that will do heavy damage to most foes. Thunderbolt offers great coverage in tandem with Surf, hitting Water-types like Mantyke for super effective damage, while Surf OHKOes Ground-types like Onix that are immune to Thunderbolt. Ice Beam is used to stop Grass-types like Paras who would otherwise halt Staryu's sweep. The last moveslot is open to Hidden Power Ground. This type of Hidden Power is chosen [change to "most useful"] due to the fact that it provides great coverage [change to "because it provides great..."] in conjunction with Staryu's other moves, [End the sentence here to prevent a run-on and rewrite to "It also hits Chinchour and Croagunk..."] hitting Chinchou and Croagunk, two common switch-ins, for super effective damage. [I think it would be useful to mention Hidden Power [Fire as an alternative here]</p>
<p>Munchlax tends to threaten nearly every special attacker with its high HP and Special Defense stats, which means Staryu will have a tough time passing through it. ["tends to" and "nearly" are weak words when used in conjunction with one another. Rewrite to "Munchlax threatens nearly every special attacker, and Staryu is no exception." There are a couple of [change to several] ways to take down [change to breaking] Munchlax. Packing a Fighting-type such as Machop or Mankey is strongly suggested, since [change to as] Munchlax will never like to take a powerful STAB Fighting attack from them [change to "Munchlax will not like taking a powerful STAB Fighting attack"]. Another way to stop Munchlax is by crippling it with burn status [remove status] to make it a less effective attacker. Duskull is a primary [change to "great"] candidate at doing so [change to "for the job"], due to the fact that [change to "because"] it reaches a very high Defense stat. [Cut out the rest of the sentence; it's redundant.] allowing it to shrug off anything Munchlax attempts to throw at it and return with a power-reducing Will-O-Wisp. Priority users in general can become a huge pain to Staryu, as [change to "because"] many of the [remove "many of the] most common priority moves hit it for neutral damage. and with its only just passable defenses, it won’t like being hit by them. [put a period after damage and rewrite the next sentence as "With its barely passable defenses, the hits can prove very damaging."] Meowth, Croagunk, and Houndour are some of the most common priority users in the LC metagame, hitting extremely hard with their STAB priority moves. [Change to "and each hit hard with their..."] To deal with these threats, Duskull can safely switch into Meowth on a predicted Fake Out, and proceed to cripple it with Will-O-Wisp to drain its effectiveness; [change the semi-colon to a period, theses sentences aren't related thoughts.] Gligar can switch into Croagunk’s priority moves such as Fake Out and Vacuum Wave [remove "such as Fake out and Vacuum Wave" elaboration isn't necessary there.] with impunity, allowing it to OHKO it [change to "and will OHKO it"]with Earthquake; [Again, remove the semi-colon and change to a period.] and Munchlax can be an effective switch-in to Houndour, and threaten to obliterate it with a powerful Earthquake. [rewrite as "Munchlax can be an effective switch-in to Houndour; it's high Special Defense and HP and access to Earthquake threaten it greatly."]
Lead Spinner
[SET]
name: Lead Spinner
move 1: Hydro Pump / Surf
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Rapid Spin
item: Oran Berry / Focus Sash
ability: Natural Cure
nature: Timid
evs: 36 HP / 196 SpA / 236 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Staryu is one of the best Rapid Spinners available in the LC metagame. With a ["fantastic" it adds consistency if you use great to describe SpA stat.] Speed of 19, great Special Attack stat of 16, and a very wide offensive movepool, and of course Rapid Spin, Staryu has great qualities when it comes to removing entry hazards. No other Pokemon is capable of boasting what Staryu possesses, which makes it stand out from the rest of the Spinners. Not only can Staryu make an excellent Rapid Spin lead, but it can also be used as an effective sweeper late-game, when the opponent’s Pokemon are in range for Staryu to KO. This means that Staryu essentially fills two roles at once, which is very beneficial to any team.</p>
<p>Hydro Pump is the primary STAB move, as it can severely damage the majority of the common leads in Little Cup. If the accuracy Hydro Pump has worries you [rewrite to "If the accuracy of Hydro Pump worries you" for fluency.], Surf is a decent alternative STAB attack to use. Even though it's significantly weaker than Hydro Pump, it can still cause a great deal of damage. [<- You can take that sentence out.] Thunderbolt and Ice Beam are mainly used for coverage purposes; the former is able to knock out Water-types that resist Staryu’s Water-type STABs, while the latter eliminates Grass-types that switch into Thunderbolt or Staryu’s Water-type moves. Rapid Spin is the crux of this set. Staryu is the fastest user of Rapid Spin, and with its powerful STAB attacks, it can potentially defeat the opposing lead with a combination of Hydro Pump and Rapid Spin, meaning the opposing Pokemon and any entry hazards set up will be gone. Another great thing about Staryu is that can deal a huge amount of damage to Ghost-types that try to block Rapid Spin, most notably Gastly and Misdreavus. With that being said, Staryu is almost always guaranteed to Spin away any entry hazards the opponent has set up, since Ghost-types have to look out for Staryu's mighty STAB attacks.</p>
<p>The two items that are recommended for use are Oran Berry and Focus Sash. Since Staryu packs decent overall [remove overall] bulk, it can make use of Oran Berry, giving it more survivability [rewrite to "as it gives more survivability.]. On the other hand, Focus Sash helps it against leads that can score an OHKO on Staryu, such as Voltorb and Magnemite. Both items are useful in their own way, so it’s really up to personal preference.</p>
<p>Staryu will have a huge amount of trouble against Fake Out leads, especially Meowth and Aipom. Both of these Pokemon can potentially beat Staryu with their STAB attacks without taking a hit, leaving Staryu in a tight situation when it’s up against them. Snover, a common lead in LC, will laugh at anything Staryu attempts to throw at it, because it resists every move this Staryu has, barring the very weak Rapid Spin. [This isn't true, Ice Beam hits it neutrally as well.] To deal with these threats, Aron can be used[,] as it threatens all three. It resists all of their STAB attacks (bar[ring] the quite [remove "quite"] rare Wood Hammer/Energy Ball from Snover) and generally doesn’t mind any other move they use, aside from the uncommon Brick Break from Aipom, and can set up Stealth Rock or Rock Polish safely. Houndour will almost always come out on top of Snover, Pursuiting it for big [Word choice; change "big" to another word.] damage if it decides to flee, or scorching it with Fire Blast if it stays in. Ghost-types like Misdreavus can come in on Aipom and Meowth to absorb Fake Out and proceed to dispose of them with Hidden Power Fighting or crippling their Attack with Will-O-Wisp; however, Meowth’s Bite should be looked out for. Aside from helping Staryu deal with what it can’t hurt, Pokemon that appreciate a Stealth Rock-free battlefield should be considered. Taillow and Houndour are two Pokemon that are very threatening [rewrite to "Taillow and Houndour are two very threatening Pokemon" for fluency.], but have a hindering Stealth Rock weakness, which limits the amount of times they can switch in. With Stealth Rock out of the way, they can safely switch in without worry and attempt to wreak havoc with Guts boosted Façades and powerful Fire Blasts, respectively.</p>
name: Lead Spinner
move 1: Hydro Pump / Surf
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Rapid Spin
item: Oran Berry / Focus Sash
ability: Natural Cure
nature: Timid
evs: 36 HP / 196 SpA / 236 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Staryu is one of the best Rapid Spinners available in the LC metagame. With a ["fantastic" it adds consistency if you use great to describe SpA stat.] Speed of 19, great Special Attack stat of 16, and a very wide offensive movepool, and of course Rapid Spin, Staryu has great qualities when it comes to removing entry hazards. No other Pokemon is capable of boasting what Staryu possesses, which makes it stand out from the rest of the Spinners. Not only can Staryu make an excellent Rapid Spin lead, but it can also be used as an effective sweeper late-game, when the opponent’s Pokemon are in range for Staryu to KO. This means that Staryu essentially fills two roles at once, which is very beneficial to any team.</p>
<p>Hydro Pump is the primary STAB move, as it can severely damage the majority of the common leads in Little Cup. If the accuracy Hydro Pump has worries you [rewrite to "If the accuracy of Hydro Pump worries you" for fluency.], Surf is a decent alternative STAB attack to use. Even though it's significantly weaker than Hydro Pump, it can still cause a great deal of damage. [<- You can take that sentence out.] Thunderbolt and Ice Beam are mainly used for coverage purposes; the former is able to knock out Water-types that resist Staryu’s Water-type STABs, while the latter eliminates Grass-types that switch into Thunderbolt or Staryu’s Water-type moves. Rapid Spin is the crux of this set. Staryu is the fastest user of Rapid Spin, and with its powerful STAB attacks, it can potentially defeat the opposing lead with a combination of Hydro Pump and Rapid Spin, meaning the opposing Pokemon and any entry hazards set up will be gone. Another great thing about Staryu is that can deal a huge amount of damage to Ghost-types that try to block Rapid Spin, most notably Gastly and Misdreavus. With that being said, Staryu is almost always guaranteed to Spin away any entry hazards the opponent has set up, since Ghost-types have to look out for Staryu's mighty STAB attacks.</p>
<p>The two items that are recommended for use are Oran Berry and Focus Sash. Since Staryu packs decent overall [remove overall] bulk, it can make use of Oran Berry, giving it more survivability [rewrite to "as it gives more survivability.]. On the other hand, Focus Sash helps it against leads that can score an OHKO on Staryu, such as Voltorb and Magnemite. Both items are useful in their own way, so it’s really up to personal preference.</p>
<p>Staryu will have a huge amount of trouble against Fake Out leads, especially Meowth and Aipom. Both of these Pokemon can potentially beat Staryu with their STAB attacks without taking a hit, leaving Staryu in a tight situation when it’s up against them. Snover, a common lead in LC, will laugh at anything Staryu attempts to throw at it, because it resists every move this Staryu has, barring the very weak Rapid Spin. [This isn't true, Ice Beam hits it neutrally as well.] To deal with these threats, Aron can be used[,] as it threatens all three. It resists all of their STAB attacks (bar[ring] the quite [remove "quite"] rare Wood Hammer/Energy Ball from Snover) and generally doesn’t mind any other move they use, aside from the uncommon Brick Break from Aipom, and can set up Stealth Rock or Rock Polish safely. Houndour will almost always come out on top of Snover, Pursuiting it for big [Word choice; change "big" to another word.] damage if it decides to flee, or scorching it with Fire Blast if it stays in. Ghost-types like Misdreavus can come in on Aipom and Meowth to absorb Fake Out and proceed to dispose of them with Hidden Power Fighting or crippling their Attack with Will-O-Wisp; however, Meowth’s Bite should be looked out for. Aside from helping Staryu deal with what it can’t hurt, Pokemon that appreciate a Stealth Rock-free battlefield should be considered. Taillow and Houndour are two Pokemon that are very threatening [rewrite to "Taillow and Houndour are two very threatening Pokemon" for fluency.], but have a hindering Stealth Rock weakness, which limits the amount of times they can switch in. With Stealth Rock out of the way, they can safely switch in without worry and attempt to wreak havoc with Guts boosted Façades and powerful Fire Blasts, respectively.</p>
<p>With its brilliant Speed stat of 19, a powerful Special Attack stat of 16 and a wonderful offensive movepool with moves that pack excellent type coverage, Staryu is a formiddable sweeper in LC, and is especially effective as a late-game sweeper. Besides that, it is the fastest Pokemon to utilize Rapid Spin, making it one of the best Rapid Spinners available. [Cut out a sentence]. It is a versatile foe and has and is equipped with all the tools to finish off your opponent's team. Staryu should always be considered to fill up that open spot on your team; it will never dissapoint you.<p>
[Counters]
<p>In almost all situations, Munchlax will always be able to threaten Staryu, thanks to its great overall bulk and access to a powerful STAB Return [This statement is contradictory; In almost all situations, Munchlax will always be able to threaten Staryu. Pick one or the other; it either always threatens or it almost always threatens]. Chinchou, although it lacks the defenses Munchlax boasts, is capable of shrugging off Surf, Thunderbolt, and Ice Beam, three moves that is [are] generally always seen on Staryu. It can then set up an Agility and attempt to wreak havoc; however, it should watch out for Hidden Power Ground. Snover is another excellent counter to Staryu, as it is resistant to Surf, Thunderbolt, and Hidden Power Ground, allowing it to smack Staryu with a STABed [change to "with STAB"] Energy Ball. Wooper works the same way [The same way as who? If it works similarly to Chinchou, move this ahead of Snover. If you mean Snover, it doesn't work similarly to it, and Snover takes neutral damage from Ice Beam as well.], except that it takes neutral damage from Ice Beam, but it can absorb 25% of its health upon switching into a predicted Surf and can nail Staryu with a STAB Earthquake.</p>
<p>Priority users can cause serious troubles to Staryu, as its mediocre defenses can’t keep up with the repeated assaults of priority moves. Fake Out and Vacuum Wave Croagunk and Sucker Punch Houndour are just some of the priority users that can severely damage Staryu. In Croagunk’s case, it’s capable of doing upwards of 70% damage with a combination of a Life Orbed Fake Out and Vacuum Wave, while max Attack positive natured Houndour with Life Orb has a 46% chance to OHKO Staryu with Sucker Punch if Stealth Rock in play.</p>
<p>Priority users can cause serious troubles to Staryu, as its mediocre defenses can’t keep up with the repeated assaults of priority moves. Fake Out and Vacuum Wave Croagunk and Sucker Punch Houndour are just some of the priority users that can severely damage Staryu. In Croagunk’s case, it’s capable of doing upwards of 70% damage with a combination of a Life Orbed Fake Out and Vacuum Wave, while max Attack positive natured Houndour with Life Orb has a 46% chance to OHKO Staryu with Sucker Punch if Stealth Rock in play.</p>
Great job! Like I said, most of the edits were nitpicks to make it read more fluently. I hope I was able to help!
ugh, this one was too grammatically correct. =P
<p>Munchlax threatens nearly every special attacker with its high HP and Special Defense stats, which means Staryu will have a hard time getting past it. There are several ways to take down Munchlax. Packing a Fighting-type such as Machop or Mankey is strongly suggested, as Munchlax will never like to take a powerful STAB Fighting attack from them. Another way to stop Munchlax is by crippling it with burn status to make it a less effective attacker. Duskull is a great candidate for the job because it reaches a very high Defense stat, allowing it to shrug off anything Munchlax attempts to throw at it and return with a Attack-reducing Will-O-Wisp. Priority users in general can become a huge pain to Staryu, because many of the most common priority moves hit it for neutral damage. With its barely passable defenses, the hits can prove very damaging. Meowth, Croagunk, and Houndour are some of the most common priority users in the LC metagame and each hit hard with their STAB priority moves. To deal with these threats, Duskull can safely switch into Meowth on a predicted Fake Out, and proceed to cripple it with Will-O-Wisp to drain its effectiveness. Gligar can switch into Croagunk’s priority moves, such as Fake Out and Vacuum Wave, with impunity, and will OHKO it with Earthquake. Munchlax can be an effective switch-in to Houndour; its high Special Defense and HP and access to Earthquake threaten it greatly.</p>
<p>Hydro Pump is the primary STAB move, as it can severely damage the majority of the common leads in Little Cup. If the accuracy of Hydro Pump worries you, Surf is a decent alternative STAB attack to use. Even though it's significantly weaker than Hydro Pump, it can still cause a great deal of damage. Thunderbolt and Ice Beam are mainly used for coverage purposes; the former is able to knock out Water-types that resist Staryu’s Water-type STABs, while the latter eliminates Grass-types that switch into Thunderbolt or Staryu’s Water-type attacks. Rapid Spin is the crux of this set. Staryu is the fastest user of Rapid Spin, and with its powerful STAB attacks, it can potentially defeat the opposing lead with a combination of Hydro Pump and Rapid Spin, meaning the opposing Pokemon and any entry hazards set up will be gone. Another great thing about Staryu is that can deal a huge amount of damage to Ghost-types that try to block Rapid Spin, most notably Gastly and Misdreavus. With that being said, Staryu is almost always guaranteed to Spin away any entry hazards the opponent has set up, since Ghost-types have to look out for Staryu's mighty STAB attacks.</p>
<p>Staryu will have a huge amount of trouble against Fake Out leads, especially Meowth and Aipom. Both of these Pokemon can potentially beat Staryu with their STAB attacks without taking a hit, leaving Staryu in a tight situation when it’s up against them. Snover, a common LC lead, resists both Surf and Thunderbolt and takes neutral damage from Ice Beam, allowing it to finish off Staryu with its STAB Grass-type moves. To deal with these threats, Aron can be used as it threatens all three. It resists all of their STAB attacks (barring Wood Hammer/Energy Ball from Snover) and generally doesn’t mind any other move they use, aside from the uncommon Brick Break from Aipom, and can set up Stealth Rock or Rock Polish safely. Houndour will almost always come out on top of Snover, Pursuiting it for heavy damage if it decides to flee, or scorching it with Fire Blast if it stays in. Ghost-types like Misdreavus can come in on Aipom and Meowth to absorb Fake Out and proceed to dispose of them with Hidden Power Fighting or crippling their Attack with Will-O-Wisp; however, Meowth’s Bite should be looked out for. Aside from helping Staryu deal with what it can’t hurt, Pokemon that appreciate a Stealth Rock-free battlefield should be considered. Taillow and Houndour are two very threatening Pokemon, but have a hindering Stealth Rock weakness, which limits the amount of times they can switch in. With Stealth Rock out of the way, they can safely switch in without worry and attempt to wreak havoc with Guts boosted Facades and powerful Fire Blasts, respectively.</p>
<p>Staryu will have a huge amount of trouble against Fake Out leads, especially Meowth and Aipom. Both of these Pokemon can potentially beat Staryu with their STAB attacks without taking a hit, leaving Staryu in a tight situation when it’s up against them. Snover, a common LC lead, resists both Surf and Thunderbolt and takes neutral damage from Ice Beam, allowing it to finish off Staryu with its STAB Grass-type moves. To deal with these threats, Aron can be used as it threatens all three. It resists all of their STAB attacks (barring Wood Hammer/Energy Ball from Snover) and generally doesn’t mind any other move they use, aside from the uncommon Brick Break from Aipom, and can set up Stealth Rock or Rock Polish safely. Houndour will almost always come out on top of Snover, Pursuiting it for heavy damage if it decides to flee, or scorching it with Fire Blast if it stays in. Ghost-types like Misdreavus can come in on Aipom and Meowth to absorb Fake Out and proceed to dispose of them with Hidden Power Fighting or crippling their Attack with Will-O-Wisp; however, Meowth’s Bite should be looked out for. Aside from helping Staryu deal with what it can’t hurt, Pokemon that appreciate a Stealth Rock-free battlefield should be considered. Taillow and Houndour are two very threatening Pokemon, but have a hindering Stealth Rock weakness, which limits the amount of times they can switch in. With Stealth Rock out of the way, they can safely switch in without worry and attempt to wreak havoc with Guts boosted Facades and powerful Fire Blasts, respectively.</p>
<p>Hydro Pump is an excellent STAB move to use, especially if you opt to use Choice Specs. With Choice Specs, it becomes strong enough to 2HKO the bulkiest version of Munchlax, and 3HKO if Oran Berry is still intact. Also, Staryu becomes a frightening Choice Scarf sweeper with Hydro Pump, OHKOing Pokemon like Gastly and Meowth. Surf is another move Staryu can use if you dislike Hydro Pump's accuracy, hitting reasonably hard against Pokemon that are weak to it or pack low defenses. Thunderbolt and Ice Beam are excellent attacks to use in conjunction with Surf, as the former nails Water-types such as Mantyke that attempt to switch into Surf, while the latter penetrates Grass-types like Turtwig that try to switch into a predicted Surf. When it comes to sweeping, Staryu generally has problems combating Chinchou and Croagunk. Chinchou is resistant to Surf and Ice Beam, while being immune to Thunderbolt, as well as having STAB Thunderbolt to nail Staryu with. Croagunk gains free HP recovery from Surf and takes neutral damage from Staryu’s other attacks, giving it an opportunity to finish off Staryu with a combination of Fake Out and Vacuum Wave. These problems can be eased by using Hidden Power Ground, as each of them will be taking super effective damage.</p>
<p>Munchlax is once again a big threat to Staryu, mainly because its defensive stats allow it to take several special hits fired off from Staryu, giving it the chance to finish it off with a powerful STAB Return. Getting rid of Munchlax before sending out Staryu is strongly recommended, so using Fighting-types or Will-O-Wisp users to reduce Munchlax's threat is advised. Croagunk is a great example of a Fighting-type that can OHKO Munchlax easily with Cross Chop, while Duskull can shrug off anything Munchlax throws at it thanks to its high Defense stat, allowing it to cripple Munchlax with Will-O-Wisp. Besides dealing with Munchlax, it’s generally recommended to have Pokemon that can deal with the Pokemon that can be devastating after gaining a free switch in from being immune or resistant to one of Staryu's attacks, at least when using Staryu with a Choice item. For example, Gligar can switch into Choiced Thunderbolt or Hidden Power Ground and score a free Swords Dance or Rock Polish boost, or Mantyke can switch into Choiced Surf or Hidden Power Ground and pull off an Agility or Rain Dance. To deal with these big threats, Phanpy and Chinchou deserve consideration. Phanpy's great physical bulk and access to Ice Shard makes it a prime candidate to dispose of Gligar, while Chinchou's typing helps it resist nearly every move Mantyke uses, allowing Chinchou to obliterate it with Thunderbolt.</p>
<p>Munchlax is once again a big threat to Staryu, mainly because its defensive stats allow it to take several special hits fired off from Staryu, giving it the chance to finish it off with a powerful STAB Return. Getting rid of Munchlax before sending out Staryu is strongly recommended, so using Fighting-types or Will-O-Wisp users to reduce Munchlax's threat is advised. Croagunk is a great example of a Fighting-type that can OHKO Munchlax easily with Cross Chop, while Duskull can shrug off anything Munchlax throws at it thanks to its high Defense stat, allowing it to cripple Munchlax with Will-O-Wisp. Besides dealing with Munchlax, it’s generally recommended to have Pokemon that can deal with the Pokemon that can be devastating after gaining a free switch in from being immune or resistant to one of Staryu's attacks, at least when using Staryu with a Choice item. For example, Gligar can switch into Choiced Thunderbolt or Hidden Power Ground and score a free Swords Dance or Rock Polish boost, or Mantyke can switch into Choiced Surf or Hidden Power Ground and pull off an Agility or Rain Dance. To deal with these big threats, Phanpy and Chinchou deserve consideration. Phanpy's great physical bulk and access to Ice Shard makes it a prime candidate to dispose of Gligar, while Chinchou's typing helps it resist nearly every move Mantyke uses, allowing Chinchou to obliterate it with Thunderbolt.</p>
<p>When it comes to sweeping, Munchlax is the bane to Staryu’s existence. With its high HP and Special Defense, nothing that Staryu uses is capable of 2HKOing it, not to mention Oran Berry restoring a good amount of Munchlax’s HP. Chinchou is also an extremely common switch-in, being resistant to Surf and Ice Beam, as well as immune to Thunderbolt. With all that being said, it’s recommended to incorporate Pokemon that can deal with these threats in your team. Strong Fighting-types such as Mankey, Machop, or Croagunk are perfect for disposing of Munchlax, OHKOing it with their respective Fighting STAB attacks. As for combating Chinchou, Munchlax, Croagunk, or Wooper are capable of defeating it with relative ease. Munchlax packs excellent bulk and a powerful Earthquake, Croagunk is immune to Water-type attacks and can nail Chinchou with its priority moves, Wooper is immune to both of Chinchou’s STAB attacks, and can smack it with a STAB Earthquake (though I'm not entirely sure, I believe you should replace the commas in this last sentence with semicolons to separate the Pokemon, since it's a list of clauses that use commas internally).</p>
<p>Powerful priority attackers can easily beat Staryu, since with its lackluster defenses, it will take a big chunk of damage. Common priority users in LC include Sucker Punch Houndour, Fake Out and Vacuum Wave Croagunk, Fake Out Meowth, and Fake Out and Sucker Punch Glameow, all of which boast reasonably high Attack stats. Gligar is capable of destroying all of these threats, as it boasts great defensive stats and a very powerful Earthquake, not to mention that it also has Roost, allowing it to switch in much more often. Duskull can also effectively switch-in to all of these (excluding Houndour) and threaten them with an Attack-halving Will-O-Wisp.</p>
<p>Powerful priority attackers can easily beat Staryu, since with its lackluster defenses, it will take a big chunk of damage. Common priority users in LC include Sucker Punch Houndour, Fake Out and Vacuum Wave Croagunk, Fake Out Meowth, and Fake Out and Sucker Punch Glameow, all of which boast reasonably high Attack stats. Gligar is capable of destroying all of these threats, as it boasts great defensive stats and a very powerful Earthquake, not to mention that it also has Roost, allowing it to switch in much more often. Duskull can also effectively switch-in to all of these (excluding Houndour) and threaten them with an Attack-halving Will-O-Wisp.</p>
<p>The common Substitute + pinch Berry combination works pretty well with Staryu, as its high Speed and decent Special Attack can make it a threatening sweeper. By using Petaya Berry, Staryu is capable of reaching a grand Special Attack stat of 24, and with its moves that provide great type coverage, your opponent will have a hard time combating it if they lack a priority user or a Pokemon that is faster than it.</p>
<p>With Croagunk being a common Staryu switch-in because of its ability to absorb Water-type attacks in exchange for a 25% HP recovery, Psychic is a perfectly viable option to use against it, hitting it for 4x damage. Not only does it destroy Croagunk, but other Fighting-types like Machop and Mankey will never like to take Psychic either. Hidden Power Grass is a decent alternative to Hidden Power Ground, as it obliterates Wooper, Barboach, Omantye, and Kabuto, all of which can be troublesome. Hidden Power Fire may also be used, taking out Snover and also having a chance to hurt Croagunk badly because of its Dry Skin ability.</p>
<p>With Croagunk being a common Staryu switch-in because of its ability to absorb Water-type attacks in exchange for a 25% HP recovery, Psychic is a perfectly viable option to use against it, hitting it for 4x damage. Not only does it destroy Croagunk, but other Fighting-types like Machop and Mankey will never like to take Psychic either. Hidden Power Grass is a decent alternative to Hidden Power Ground, as it obliterates Wooper, Barboach, Omantye, and Kabuto, all of which can be troublesome. Hidden Power Fire may also be used, taking out Snover and also having a chance to hurt Croagunk badly because of its Dry Skin ability.</p>
<p>Priority users can cause serious troubles to Staryu, as its mediocre defenses can’t keep up with the repeated assaults of priority moves. Fake Out and Vacuum Wave Croagunk and Sucker Punch Houndour are just some of the priority users that can severely damage Staryu. In Croagunk’s case, it’s capable of doing upwards of 70% damage with a combination of a Life Orbed Fake Out and Vacuum Wave, while max Attack positive natured Houndour with Life Orb has a 46% chance to OHKO Staryu with Sucker Punch if Stealth Rock is in play.</p>
This needs conciseness. I concised the first set, but the whole thing needs to be cut down.
Original:
New:
Original:
[SET]
name: Life Orb Sweeper
move 1: Hydro Pump / Surf
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Hidden Power Ground
item: Life Orb
ability: Natural Cure
nature: Timid
evs: 200 SpA / 236 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Staryu possesses a fantastic offensive movepool, containing various moves that give Staryu excellent type coverage. It reaches one of the fastest Speed landmarks in the LC metagame, that being a high 19. Lastly, it has a decent Special Attack stat of 16, enough to make full use of its brilliant movepool. These qualities make Staryu one of the best late-game sweepers available in Little Cup.</p>
<p>As mentioned above, Staryu’s movepool consists of moves that offer excellent type coverage together. Hydro Pump is the primary STAB move of choice, as it packs over 20% more power than Surf. It's strong enough to give the opponent a very hard time combating Staryu, since Hydro Pump is strong enough to OHKO specially frail Pokemon like Kabuto, 2HKO all but the most bulky of Pokemon who don't resist it, and it can consistently do doing over 50% to the standard Munchlax. If you dislike Hydro Pump's 80% accuracy, you have a reliable alternative in Surf. Surf is still a powerful and reliable attack that will do heavy damage to most foes. Thunderbolt offers great coverage in tandem with Surf, hitting Water-types like Mantyke for super effective damage, while Surf OHKOes Ground-types like Onix that are immune to Thunderbolt. Ice Beam is used to stop Grass-types like Paras who would otherwise halt Staryu's sweep. The last moveslot is open to Hidden Power Ground. This type of Hidden Power is most useful because it provides great coverage in conjunction with Staryu's other moves. It also hits Chinchou and Croagunk, two common switch-ins, for super effective damage.</p>
<p>Munchlax threatens nearly every special attacker with its high HP and Special Defense stats, which means Staryu will have a hard time getting past it. There are several ways to take down Munchlax. Packing a Fighting-type such as Machop or Mankey is strongly suggested, as Munchlax will never like to take a powerful STAB Fighting attack from them. Another way to stop Munchlax is by crippling it with burn status to make it a less effective attacker. Duskull is a great candidate for the job because it reaches a very high Defense stat, allowing it to shrug off anything Munchlax attempts to throw at it and return with a Attack-reducing Will-O-Wisp. Priority users in general can become a huge pain to Staryu, because many of the most common priority moves hit it for neutral damage. With its barely passable defenses, the hits can prove very damaging. Meowth, Croagunk, and Houndour are some of the most common priority users in the LC metagame and each hit hard with their STAB priority moves. To deal with these threats, Duskull can safely switch into Meowth on a predicted Fake Out, and proceed to cripple it with Will-O-Wisp to drain its effectiveness. Gligar can switch into Croagunk’s priority moves, such as Fake Out and Vacuum Wave, with impunity, and will OHKO it with Earthquake. Munchlax can be an effective switch-in to Houndour; its high Special Defense and HP and access to Earthquake threaten it greatly.</p>
name: Life Orb Sweeper
move 1: Hydro Pump / Surf
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Hidden Power Ground
item: Life Orb
ability: Natural Cure
nature: Timid
evs: 200 SpA / 236 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Staryu possesses a fantastic offensive movepool, containing various moves that give Staryu excellent type coverage. It reaches one of the fastest Speed landmarks in the LC metagame, that being a high 19. Lastly, it has a decent Special Attack stat of 16, enough to make full use of its brilliant movepool. These qualities make Staryu one of the best late-game sweepers available in Little Cup.</p>
<p>As mentioned above, Staryu’s movepool consists of moves that offer excellent type coverage together. Hydro Pump is the primary STAB move of choice, as it packs over 20% more power than Surf. It's strong enough to give the opponent a very hard time combating Staryu, since Hydro Pump is strong enough to OHKO specially frail Pokemon like Kabuto, 2HKO all but the most bulky of Pokemon who don't resist it, and it can consistently do doing over 50% to the standard Munchlax. If you dislike Hydro Pump's 80% accuracy, you have a reliable alternative in Surf. Surf is still a powerful and reliable attack that will do heavy damage to most foes. Thunderbolt offers great coverage in tandem with Surf, hitting Water-types like Mantyke for super effective damage, while Surf OHKOes Ground-types like Onix that are immune to Thunderbolt. Ice Beam is used to stop Grass-types like Paras who would otherwise halt Staryu's sweep. The last moveslot is open to Hidden Power Ground. This type of Hidden Power is most useful because it provides great coverage in conjunction with Staryu's other moves. It also hits Chinchou and Croagunk, two common switch-ins, for super effective damage.</p>
<p>Munchlax threatens nearly every special attacker with its high HP and Special Defense stats, which means Staryu will have a hard time getting past it. There are several ways to take down Munchlax. Packing a Fighting-type such as Machop or Mankey is strongly suggested, as Munchlax will never like to take a powerful STAB Fighting attack from them. Another way to stop Munchlax is by crippling it with burn status to make it a less effective attacker. Duskull is a great candidate for the job because it reaches a very high Defense stat, allowing it to shrug off anything Munchlax attempts to throw at it and return with a Attack-reducing Will-O-Wisp. Priority users in general can become a huge pain to Staryu, because many of the most common priority moves hit it for neutral damage. With its barely passable defenses, the hits can prove very damaging. Meowth, Croagunk, and Houndour are some of the most common priority users in the LC metagame and each hit hard with their STAB priority moves. To deal with these threats, Duskull can safely switch into Meowth on a predicted Fake Out, and proceed to cripple it with Will-O-Wisp to drain its effectiveness. Gligar can switch into Croagunk’s priority moves, such as Fake Out and Vacuum Wave, with impunity, and will OHKO it with Earthquake. Munchlax can be an effective switch-in to Houndour; its high Special Defense and HP and access to Earthquake threaten it greatly.</p>
New:
[SET]
name: Life Orb Sweeper
move 1: Hydro Pump / Surf
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Hidden Power Ground
item: Life Orb
ability: Natural Cure
nature: Timid
evs: 200 SpA / 236 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Staryu has a fantastic offensive movepool, with moves that give it excellent type coverage. It reaches one of the fastest Speed landmarks in the LC metagame, that being a high 19. Lastly, it has a decent Special Attack stat of 16, enough to make full use of its brilliant movepool. These qualities make Staryu one of the best late-game sweepers available in Little Cup.</p>
<p>Hydro Pump is the STAB move of choice, as it packs 26% more power than Surf. While the 80% accuracy can be an issue it gives the crucial power needed to OHKO many opponents, as well as doing enough damage to 2HKO the common Munchlax. If you dislike Hydro Pump's 80% accuracy, you have a reliable alternative in Surf, which is still capable of dealing heavy damage to most foes. Thunderbolt offers great coverage in tandem with Surf, hitting Water-types like Mantyke for super effective damage. Ice Beam is used to stop Grass-types like Paras who would otherwise halt Staryu's sweep. Finally, Hidden Power Ground hits Croagunk and Chinchou, two common Pokemon capable of stopping Staryu's sweep.</p>
<p>Munchlax threatens nearly every special attacker with its high HP and Special Defense stats, which means Staryu will have a hard time getting past it. There are several ways to take down Munchlax. Fighting-types such as Mankey and Machop can take out Munchlax easily with their STAB attacks. Ghosts with Will-o-Wisp like Duskull and Misdreavus can also lure and/or cripple Munchlax with a burn, making it hard for Munchlax to hit Staryu effectively. Priority users also threaten Staryu, as they can circumvent Staryu's Speed advantage and hit its mediocre defenses hard. Meowth, Croagunk, and Houndour are some of the most common priority users in the LC metagame and each hit hard with their STAB priority moves. Duskull easily switches into Meowth's Fake Out, and can cripple it with Will-o-Wisp. Gligar can switch into Croagunk’s priority moves with impunity, and OHKOs with Earthquake. Finally, Munchlax switches into Houndour's STAB Fire Blast easily with Thick Fat and high Special Defense, and can return fire with a powerful STAB Return.</p>
name: Life Orb Sweeper
move 1: Hydro Pump / Surf
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Hidden Power Ground
item: Life Orb
ability: Natural Cure
nature: Timid
evs: 200 SpA / 236 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Staryu has a fantastic offensive movepool, with moves that give it excellent type coverage. It reaches one of the fastest Speed landmarks in the LC metagame, that being a high 19. Lastly, it has a decent Special Attack stat of 16, enough to make full use of its brilliant movepool. These qualities make Staryu one of the best late-game sweepers available in Little Cup.</p>
<p>Hydro Pump is the STAB move of choice, as it packs 26% more power than Surf. While the 80% accuracy can be an issue it gives the crucial power needed to OHKO many opponents, as well as doing enough damage to 2HKO the common Munchlax. If you dislike Hydro Pump's 80% accuracy, you have a reliable alternative in Surf, which is still capable of dealing heavy damage to most foes. Thunderbolt offers great coverage in tandem with Surf, hitting Water-types like Mantyke for super effective damage. Ice Beam is used to stop Grass-types like Paras who would otherwise halt Staryu's sweep. Finally, Hidden Power Ground hits Croagunk and Chinchou, two common Pokemon capable of stopping Staryu's sweep.</p>
<p>Munchlax threatens nearly every special attacker with its high HP and Special Defense stats, which means Staryu will have a hard time getting past it. There are several ways to take down Munchlax. Fighting-types such as Mankey and Machop can take out Munchlax easily with their STAB attacks. Ghosts with Will-o-Wisp like Duskull and Misdreavus can also lure and/or cripple Munchlax with a burn, making it hard for Munchlax to hit Staryu effectively. Priority users also threaten Staryu, as they can circumvent Staryu's Speed advantage and hit its mediocre defenses hard. Meowth, Croagunk, and Houndour are some of the most common priority users in the LC metagame and each hit hard with their STAB priority moves. Duskull easily switches into Meowth's Fake Out, and can cripple it with Will-o-Wisp. Gligar can switch into Croagunk’s priority moves with impunity, and OHKOs with Earthquake. Finally, Munchlax switches into Houndour's STAB Fire Blast easily with Thick Fat and high Special Defense, and can return fire with a powerful STAB Return.</p>
Thanks SDS for concising the first set for me. I attempted to concise the rest of Staryu's analysis, so I'd like to know if I've done enough or not.
I provided some damage calculations of both Hydro Pump and Surf against the top leads used in LC. This way, we can see whether Hydro Pump should be preferred or not.
Hydro Pump vs 36 HP Meowth: 100.00% - 119.05%
Surf: 76.19% - 100.00%
Hydro Pump vs 196 HP/36 SpD Machop: 69.23% - 84.62%
Surf: 61.54% - 73.08%
Hydro Pump vs 36 HP Voltorb: 80.00% - 105.00%
Surf: 75.00% - 90.00%
Hydro Pump vs 36 HP Riolu: 100.00% - 119.05%
Surf: 76.19% - 100.00%
Hydro Pump vs 236 HP/76 SpD Bronzor: 52.00% - 64.00%
Surf: 40.00% - 52.00%
Hydro Pump vs 36 HP Gastly: 105.00% - 125.00%
Surf: 80.00% - 105.00%
Hydro Pump vs Buneary: 72.73% - 95.45%
Surf: 68.18% - 81.82%
I provided some damage calculations of both Hydro Pump and Surf against the top leads used in LC. This way, we can see whether Hydro Pump should be preferred or not.
Hydro Pump vs 36 HP Meowth: 100.00% - 119.05%
Surf: 76.19% - 100.00%
Hydro Pump vs 196 HP/36 SpD Machop: 69.23% - 84.62%
Surf: 61.54% - 73.08%
Hydro Pump vs 36 HP Voltorb: 80.00% - 105.00%
Surf: 75.00% - 90.00%
Hydro Pump vs 36 HP Riolu: 100.00% - 119.05%
Surf: 76.19% - 100.00%
Hydro Pump vs 236 HP/76 SpD Bronzor: 52.00% - 64.00%
Surf: 40.00% - 52.00%
Hydro Pump vs 36 HP Gastly: 105.00% - 125.00%
Surf: 80.00% - 105.00%
Hydro Pump vs Buneary: 72.73% - 95.45%
Surf: 68.18% - 81.82%