Joim
Pixels matter
I'm playing NU lately and using AcroBlimp to great result. I'm not adding the SubCM set because it's outclassed and the BP set just sucks and Unburden is not passed. ChestoRest seems subpar, but it could work as a second option.
Drifblim
[Overview]
<p>Drifblim is the epitome of uniqueness: it has a one of a kind typing with atypical stats, abilities, and movepool. These traits might imply greatness, but competitive viability does not work that way. Despite boasting three immunities, including to the common Normal-type, and a gargantuan HP stat—the seventh highest in the game—, the same typing that blesses it with the aforementioned immunities also gives it a glaring weakness to Stealth Rock, Pursuit, and the BoltBeam combination, all of which are common in NU. Add in puny defenses that don't match its HP and you'll realize that Drifblim is being held back. However, despite all of these negative features, Drifblim has a great ability in Unburden, which, combined with its extensive movepool, Drifblim is able to exploit it with great success. You might not deem this purple balloon threatening, but it will easily prove otherwise.</p>
[SET]
Name: AcroBlimp
move 1: Acrobatics
move 2: Will-O-Wisp
move 3: Substitute / Disable
move 4: Destiny Bond / Disable
item: Flying Gem
ability: Unburden
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set excels in its utility, spreading status with Will-O-Wisp, wearing down the opposing team with heavy blows, and luring its checks in to be burned. Drifblim can try to KO weak Pokemon such as Scolipede, Jynx, or Primeape with its first Flying Gem-boosted hit, gaining the Unburden boost. At this point, Drifblim will be the fastest Pokemon in the metagame, barring a few Choice Scarfers over base 100 Speed, and will prefer to attempt to sweep until it faints; it can even KO revenge killers with Destiny Bond. To take care of the physical attackers that threaten Drifblim, such as Skuntank and Tauros, Will-O-Wisp can be used on switch-ins to burn them. There are no hard counters to this set, as Will-O-Wisp will cripple almost anything and Destiny Bond will threaten to KO. Additionally, a fast Will-O-Wisp will deter physical attackers and common spinners such as Armaldo, the most common and dangerous one, which will find itself in a tough situation against an Unburden-boosted Drifblim.</p>
<p>When getting Drifblim into the game, the first Acrobatics attack is crucial, since the Flying Gem works once and you don't want to waste it on an incoming Bastiodon or Regirock. What Drifblim does best is luring out foes such as Skuntank and Regirock to burn them, rendering them pretty much useless. Despite its positive traits, you must take into account that Drifblim doesn't really pack a punch after the first hit, and it will need team support and Unburden to do its job. You can choose to run a SubDisable set or sacrifice Substitute for Disable, since it will buy you turns to deal additional damage. If you manage to disable a Pokémon's most powerful attack against Drifblim, it will have to either switch out or take an Acrobatics hit.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The chosen EV spread is used to outspeed base 70s with a positive speed nature and Speed tie with base 80s before the Unburden boost, letting it pick on as many Pokemon as possible to start disruption. Don't be bothered about the low damage output; you will be moving first and using Will-O-Wisp often. As Drifblim is a good team staple, Pokemon such as Swellow, Braviary, Zangoose, and Kangaskhan, which struggle against Rock- and Steel-types, will be glad to count on it to burn or KO them with Destiny Bond. Some teams pack both a physical wall and a Flying-type counter, so be cautious when using Drifblim and a Flying Pokemon. Given that Drifblim forces a lot of switches and can spinblock and cripple common Rapid Spin users, Pokemon that set up hazards work decently with it. Garbodor and Roselia team up nicely with Drifblim, setting up Spikes and Toxic Spikes on relatively easily. Armaldo can both set up Stealth Rock and use Rapid Spin reliably, so it is very welcome. Drifblim is an offensive spinblocker at best; it'll pressure spinners and hurt them so they can be taken out. It can switch into a Rapid Spin, but it can't switch in and out consistently; however, Drifblim can lure them in to then burn them or use Destiny Bond to get a troublesome Rock-type out of the game.</p>
[SET]
Name: SubCM
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Calm Mind
move 3: Shadow Ball
move 4: Thunderbolt / Hidden Power Fighting
item: Ghost Gem
ability: Unburden
nature: Modest
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set does mainly one thing: sweeping. If you manage to set up a Substitute on a Pokemon that can't hurt it, you can easily trigger Unburden, boost up with Calm Mind, and start delivering powerful attacks. You can switch on a foe you can scare out, such as Sawk or Roselia, set up a Substitute, and proceed to Calm Mind. After the first Ghost Gem-powered Shadow Ball, Drifblim's Speed is boosted by Unburden and it becomes nearly impossible to outpace, outspeeding many Choice Scarf users. Thanks to its three immunities and six resistances, you will find plenty of occasions to start setting up. Add in one or two Calm Mind boosts and Drifblim will hit hard. The only Pokemon that can reliably stop your sweep then are Regice and Skuntank, followed by Lickilicky, which can be dealt with with the help of teammates. Shadow Ball and Hidden Power Fighting used together grant perfect coverage, but Thunderbolt is generally more useful and will hit more Pokémon for more damage and helps defeat foes like Alomomola, Braviary, and Samurott; however, Hidden Power Fighting is super effective against Bastiodon and Lickilicky.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>You can use a ChestoRest set, using Calm Mind, Rest, Shadow Ball, and Hidden Power Fighting or Thunderbolt as a moveset, Chesto Berry as an item, and an EV spread of 252 Def / 140 SpA / 116 Spe with a Modest nature. The EVs allow Drifblim to outspeed Choice Scarf Sawk after Unburden. The Defense helps Drifblim to set up, since Calm Mind already covers Special Defense.</p>
<p>Despite the potential Unburden brings, Drifblim needs team support to prevail. Generally, Skuntank and Regice are the main threats to this set. Fighting-types, namely Sawk and Gurdurr, the premier Fighting-types of NU, will help dealing with opposing Dark-type threats, and they can force out Regice. They also lure in physical walls, such as Alomomola, that Drifblim can use to set up on, as it will take little damage, can use Substitute to block status, and get at least a Calm Mind boost before firing off the first Shadow Ball. Colbur Berry Golurk can take a Sucker Punch and OHKO Skuntank with Earthquake, while other Rock- and Ground-types, including Golem or Gigalith, can dispatch it with their own Earthquakes. Gardevoir is a very good teammate; SubWisp can burn Drifblim's threats and LO + 3 attacks is a very powerful set that can KO or weaken many NU Pokemon. Piloswine will help take out both Rotom-F and Rotom-S, which threaten Drifblim with their powerful super effective attacks and superior Speed before Unburden. Lickilicky doesn't take much damage even from Hidden Power Fighting, so it's best to burn it or let a teammate deal with it before trying to set up with Drifblim. Putting it in KO range for Drifblim might be enough to balance the game in your favor. You can also use Rotom formes to Trick Lickilicky a Choice item or let Samurott or Skuntank Taunt it. A bulky Substitute will render its Dragon Tail useless as well.</p>
<p>Stealth Rock support is mandatory, since it puts Regice in 2HKO range and Rotom formes can be OHKOed, which is a huge deal. Piloswine is an excellent teammate for this reason, as it can use its powerful STAB Earthquake to dispose of Regice and other Ice-type dangers that can obliterate Drifblim and reliably lay Stealth Rock. Rapid Spin support is not necessary to ensure its survival as Drifblim is meant to stay in and attempt to sweep, but it helps Drifblim to set up from full health. Most players will expect the AcroBlimp set on Drifblim, so you can use this to your advantage to scare out a Pokemon weak to Flying like Ludicolo, or a weakened slow Pokemon, to set up on the switch.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Driblim has a lot of options. Aftermath as an ability is pretty much outclassed by Unburden in all cases. A Baton Pass set is also possible using an EV spread of 4 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD, passing either Calm Mind, Stockpile, or both, as well as high HP Substitutes. Unburden will let you use Baton Pass very quickly so you won't be killed before you do, but you must always keep in mind that the Unburden Speed boost cannot be passed. Drifblim can use both Sunny Day and Rain Dance with Weather Ball, so it's able to function well in a weather team, but it's slow and doesn't gain any good coverage, so it's not a good option. Drifblim has access to a wide variety of support moves, including Hypnosis, Trick, and Thunder Wave. It can even use Memento, forcing a switch out that will help a lot. You can use Flare Boost and a Flame Orb with Trick, a gimmicky option that gives you a boost and cripples an opponent; however, using Calm Mind with Unburden is usually a superior option. Despite Explosion's nerf, it can be used in a Memento-like fashion, dealing decent damage. Drifblim has also access to Recycle to reuse a Chesto Berry, but its defenses are too puny to effectively use this tactic against most offensive teams and it is wasting a precious moveslot that Drifblim needs to be effective. Drifblim also has access to Charge Beam which can be used against the plethora of Flying-types in NU and serves as a boosting move at the same time, but Calm Mind is generally better. It can even run Sucker Punch to deal with other Ghost-types on a physical set, but the moveslot for that is disputed by more useful moves and if an opposing Pokemon is sure to attack, it's just better to use Destiny Bond.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>The Ghost- and Dark-types of NU are amongst the more perilous foes for Drifblim. Haunter, offensive Misdreavus, and Skuntank will all easily dispatch it before the Unburden boost. Its glaring Pursuit weakness is one of Drifblim's worst traits. Rotom-F and Rotom-S can scare Drifblim off before it gets an Unburden boost, taking little damage from Acrobatics and KOing it back, but they can be easily KOed by either Drifblim with Ghost Gem Shadow Ball or Destiny Bond. Alomomola can wall AcroBlimp ad infinitum, taking the hits and using Wish + Protect to heal back, plus using Toxic to wear Drifblim down. It can burn Drifblim with Scald as well; the most you can do to it is burn it. AcroBlimp will have trouble breaking through physical walls, such as Bastiodon, Regirock, and Golem, however, you need to avoid Destiny Bond by either using Taunt, stalling its PP, or phazing it with Roar. Both Regice and Stunfisk can easily KO Drifblim with their STABs. They also happen to have high bulk to avoid being hit hard by Drifblim. Phazing Drifblim will make it lose Unburden for the rest of the battle as well as its Substitute, and if Stealth Rock is set up, Roar users such as Bastiodon and Lairon are very dangerous to Drifblim; they also resist Drifblim's STABs. Keep in mind that both main sets require different counters, so it's hard to safely switch a Pokemon into Drifblim until you know which set it's running, even though bulky Electric-types are good to go against any kind of Drifblim; Eelektross, Ampharos, and even Luxray can beat it, albeit risking a burn. Bastiodon is the safest choice to counter any Drifblim, resisting all of its common attacks and being able to phaze it. Finally, there's no single hard counter to Drifblim, as it can always use Destiny Bond and KO your counter, so be cautious.</p>
Drifblim
[Overview]
<p>Drifblim is the epitome of uniqueness: it has a one of a kind typing with atypical stats, abilities, and movepool. These traits might imply greatness, but competitive viability does not work that way. Despite boasting three immunities, including to the common Normal-type, and a gargantuan HP stat—the seventh highest in the game—, the same typing that blesses it with the aforementioned immunities also gives it a glaring weakness to Stealth Rock, Pursuit, and the BoltBeam combination, all of which are common in NU. Add in puny defenses that don't match its HP and you'll realize that Drifblim is being held back. However, despite all of these negative features, Drifblim has a great ability in Unburden, which, combined with its extensive movepool, Drifblim is able to exploit it with great success. You might not deem this purple balloon threatening, but it will easily prove otherwise.</p>
[SET]
Name: AcroBlimp
move 1: Acrobatics
move 2: Will-O-Wisp
move 3: Substitute / Disable
move 4: Destiny Bond / Disable
item: Flying Gem
ability: Unburden
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set excels in its utility, spreading status with Will-O-Wisp, wearing down the opposing team with heavy blows, and luring its checks in to be burned. Drifblim can try to KO weak Pokemon such as Scolipede, Jynx, or Primeape with its first Flying Gem-boosted hit, gaining the Unburden boost. At this point, Drifblim will be the fastest Pokemon in the metagame, barring a few Choice Scarfers over base 100 Speed, and will prefer to attempt to sweep until it faints; it can even KO revenge killers with Destiny Bond. To take care of the physical attackers that threaten Drifblim, such as Skuntank and Tauros, Will-O-Wisp can be used on switch-ins to burn them. There are no hard counters to this set, as Will-O-Wisp will cripple almost anything and Destiny Bond will threaten to KO. Additionally, a fast Will-O-Wisp will deter physical attackers and common spinners such as Armaldo, the most common and dangerous one, which will find itself in a tough situation against an Unburden-boosted Drifblim.</p>
<p>When getting Drifblim into the game, the first Acrobatics attack is crucial, since the Flying Gem works once and you don't want to waste it on an incoming Bastiodon or Regirock. What Drifblim does best is luring out foes such as Skuntank and Regirock to burn them, rendering them pretty much useless. Despite its positive traits, you must take into account that Drifblim doesn't really pack a punch after the first hit, and it will need team support and Unburden to do its job. You can choose to run a SubDisable set or sacrifice Substitute for Disable, since it will buy you turns to deal additional damage. If you manage to disable a Pokémon's most powerful attack against Drifblim, it will have to either switch out or take an Acrobatics hit.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The chosen EV spread is used to outspeed base 70s with a positive speed nature and Speed tie with base 80s before the Unburden boost, letting it pick on as many Pokemon as possible to start disruption. Don't be bothered about the low damage output; you will be moving first and using Will-O-Wisp often. As Drifblim is a good team staple, Pokemon such as Swellow, Braviary, Zangoose, and Kangaskhan, which struggle against Rock- and Steel-types, will be glad to count on it to burn or KO them with Destiny Bond. Some teams pack both a physical wall and a Flying-type counter, so be cautious when using Drifblim and a Flying Pokemon. Given that Drifblim forces a lot of switches and can spinblock and cripple common Rapid Spin users, Pokemon that set up hazards work decently with it. Garbodor and Roselia team up nicely with Drifblim, setting up Spikes and Toxic Spikes on relatively easily. Armaldo can both set up Stealth Rock and use Rapid Spin reliably, so it is very welcome. Drifblim is an offensive spinblocker at best; it'll pressure spinners and hurt them so they can be taken out. It can switch into a Rapid Spin, but it can't switch in and out consistently; however, Drifblim can lure them in to then burn them or use Destiny Bond to get a troublesome Rock-type out of the game.</p>
[SET]
Name: SubCM
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Calm Mind
move 3: Shadow Ball
move 4: Thunderbolt / Hidden Power Fighting
item: Ghost Gem
ability: Unburden
nature: Modest
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set does mainly one thing: sweeping. If you manage to set up a Substitute on a Pokemon that can't hurt it, you can easily trigger Unburden, boost up with Calm Mind, and start delivering powerful attacks. You can switch on a foe you can scare out, such as Sawk or Roselia, set up a Substitute, and proceed to Calm Mind. After the first Ghost Gem-powered Shadow Ball, Drifblim's Speed is boosted by Unburden and it becomes nearly impossible to outpace, outspeeding many Choice Scarf users. Thanks to its three immunities and six resistances, you will find plenty of occasions to start setting up. Add in one or two Calm Mind boosts and Drifblim will hit hard. The only Pokemon that can reliably stop your sweep then are Regice and Skuntank, followed by Lickilicky, which can be dealt with with the help of teammates. Shadow Ball and Hidden Power Fighting used together grant perfect coverage, but Thunderbolt is generally more useful and will hit more Pokémon for more damage and helps defeat foes like Alomomola, Braviary, and Samurott; however, Hidden Power Fighting is super effective against Bastiodon and Lickilicky.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>You can use a ChestoRest set, using Calm Mind, Rest, Shadow Ball, and Hidden Power Fighting or Thunderbolt as a moveset, Chesto Berry as an item, and an EV spread of 252 Def / 140 SpA / 116 Spe with a Modest nature. The EVs allow Drifblim to outspeed Choice Scarf Sawk after Unburden. The Defense helps Drifblim to set up, since Calm Mind already covers Special Defense.</p>
<p>Despite the potential Unburden brings, Drifblim needs team support to prevail. Generally, Skuntank and Regice are the main threats to this set. Fighting-types, namely Sawk and Gurdurr, the premier Fighting-types of NU, will help dealing with opposing Dark-type threats, and they can force out Regice. They also lure in physical walls, such as Alomomola, that Drifblim can use to set up on, as it will take little damage, can use Substitute to block status, and get at least a Calm Mind boost before firing off the first Shadow Ball. Colbur Berry Golurk can take a Sucker Punch and OHKO Skuntank with Earthquake, while other Rock- and Ground-types, including Golem or Gigalith, can dispatch it with their own Earthquakes. Gardevoir is a very good teammate; SubWisp can burn Drifblim's threats and LO + 3 attacks is a very powerful set that can KO or weaken many NU Pokemon. Piloswine will help take out both Rotom-F and Rotom-S, which threaten Drifblim with their powerful super effective attacks and superior Speed before Unburden. Lickilicky doesn't take much damage even from Hidden Power Fighting, so it's best to burn it or let a teammate deal with it before trying to set up with Drifblim. Putting it in KO range for Drifblim might be enough to balance the game in your favor. You can also use Rotom formes to Trick Lickilicky a Choice item or let Samurott or Skuntank Taunt it. A bulky Substitute will render its Dragon Tail useless as well.</p>
<p>Stealth Rock support is mandatory, since it puts Regice in 2HKO range and Rotom formes can be OHKOed, which is a huge deal. Piloswine is an excellent teammate for this reason, as it can use its powerful STAB Earthquake to dispose of Regice and other Ice-type dangers that can obliterate Drifblim and reliably lay Stealth Rock. Rapid Spin support is not necessary to ensure its survival as Drifblim is meant to stay in and attempt to sweep, but it helps Drifblim to set up from full health. Most players will expect the AcroBlimp set on Drifblim, so you can use this to your advantage to scare out a Pokemon weak to Flying like Ludicolo, or a weakened slow Pokemon, to set up on the switch.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Driblim has a lot of options. Aftermath as an ability is pretty much outclassed by Unburden in all cases. A Baton Pass set is also possible using an EV spread of 4 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD, passing either Calm Mind, Stockpile, or both, as well as high HP Substitutes. Unburden will let you use Baton Pass very quickly so you won't be killed before you do, but you must always keep in mind that the Unburden Speed boost cannot be passed. Drifblim can use both Sunny Day and Rain Dance with Weather Ball, so it's able to function well in a weather team, but it's slow and doesn't gain any good coverage, so it's not a good option. Drifblim has access to a wide variety of support moves, including Hypnosis, Trick, and Thunder Wave. It can even use Memento, forcing a switch out that will help a lot. You can use Flare Boost and a Flame Orb with Trick, a gimmicky option that gives you a boost and cripples an opponent; however, using Calm Mind with Unburden is usually a superior option. Despite Explosion's nerf, it can be used in a Memento-like fashion, dealing decent damage. Drifblim has also access to Recycle to reuse a Chesto Berry, but its defenses are too puny to effectively use this tactic against most offensive teams and it is wasting a precious moveslot that Drifblim needs to be effective. Drifblim also has access to Charge Beam which can be used against the plethora of Flying-types in NU and serves as a boosting move at the same time, but Calm Mind is generally better. It can even run Sucker Punch to deal with other Ghost-types on a physical set, but the moveslot for that is disputed by more useful moves and if an opposing Pokemon is sure to attack, it's just better to use Destiny Bond.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>The Ghost- and Dark-types of NU are amongst the more perilous foes for Drifblim. Haunter, offensive Misdreavus, and Skuntank will all easily dispatch it before the Unburden boost. Its glaring Pursuit weakness is one of Drifblim's worst traits. Rotom-F and Rotom-S can scare Drifblim off before it gets an Unburden boost, taking little damage from Acrobatics and KOing it back, but they can be easily KOed by either Drifblim with Ghost Gem Shadow Ball or Destiny Bond. Alomomola can wall AcroBlimp ad infinitum, taking the hits and using Wish + Protect to heal back, plus using Toxic to wear Drifblim down. It can burn Drifblim with Scald as well; the most you can do to it is burn it. AcroBlimp will have trouble breaking through physical walls, such as Bastiodon, Regirock, and Golem, however, you need to avoid Destiny Bond by either using Taunt, stalling its PP, or phazing it with Roar. Both Regice and Stunfisk can easily KO Drifblim with their STABs. They also happen to have high bulk to avoid being hit hard by Drifblim. Phazing Drifblim will make it lose Unburden for the rest of the battle as well as its Substitute, and if Stealth Rock is set up, Roar users such as Bastiodon and Lairon are very dangerous to Drifblim; they also resist Drifblim's STABs. Keep in mind that both main sets require different counters, so it's hard to safely switch a Pokemon into Drifblim until you know which set it's running, even though bulky Electric-types are good to go against any kind of Drifblim; Eelektross, Ampharos, and even Luxray can beat it, albeit risking a burn. Bastiodon is the safest choice to counter any Drifblim, resisting all of its common attacks and being able to phaze it. Finally, there's no single hard counter to Drifblim, as it can always use Destiny Bond and KO your counter, so be cautious.</p>
Last edited: