Eelektross
[OVERVIEW]
Before BW was released, there wasn't yet an Electric-type that had Levitate to negate its sole weakness to Ground-type attacks. Eelektross is the prototype of this new breed, and it's itching for a test run. In fact, it's the only NU Pokemon that has no weaknesses, with Sableye and Spiritomb locked up in higher tiers. Eelektross has a few more things going for it. Eelektross was blessed with great mixed attacking stats, as base 115 Attack and 105 Special Attack are more than enough to strike fear into the heart of your opponent. However, its lack of good high-powered physical STAB and coverage moves leave it passed over by other attackers with similar stats such as Emboar, Braviary, and Sawk.(1) Eelektross's only real boosting move is Coil, which finds use on physical sets, but Eelektross wishes it had a recovery move to last longer, especially because of its low Speed.(2)
That being said, Eelektross is a fine Choice Specs user, and fits well on VoltTurn or Choice-based teams.(3) This is largely due to its good bulk, as well as its coverage. 85/80/80 defenses are great for an offensive Pokemon in NU, since even without investment it retains a great deal of bulk. Once Eelektross gets in, it causes havoc by forcing multiple switches, and can take advantage of entry hazards mainly thanks to its fantastic coverage and access to Dragon Tail. However, its atrocious base 50 Speed holds Eelektross back from becoming a top-tier threat and cements its role as a bulky attacker. Unfortunately, Eelektross's bulk doesn't come with useful resistances, since outside of its Ground-type immunity its only important resistances are to Flying- and Electric-type moves. Though it may seem to have a lot of things going for it, Eelektross just isn't as good in practice as it may seem on paper.
1. I want to remove this because it is rather irrelevant after BW2. He received Superpower, Aqua Tail, Drain Punch, and Fire Punch from move tutors which are all relatively high base power moves. It already had Wild Charge which is great physical STAB move.
2.Would like to re-word this and add the fact that it received Drain Punch and Giga Drain from tutors offering semi-reliable recovery.
3. Because CB is arguably his best set, i would like to remove the word "Specs" so it says "That being said, Eelektross is a fine Choice user, and fits well on VoltTurn or Choice-based teams," as not to as much emphasis on Specs since Band is just as good.
I think Choice Band is his best set so id like it to be put first. Ill add the skeleton of the CB here but let me know what you guys think.
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: U-Turn
move 2: Wild Charge/Thunder Punch
move 3: Drain Punch/Superpower
move 4: Aqua Tail/Fire Punch
item: Choice Band
ability: Levitate
nature: Adamant
evs: 132 HP / 252 Atk / 124 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
- New Additions from Bw2 lets it be a good Choice Band user.
- Slow, Powerful U-Turn gains momentum and safe switch in.
- Wild Charge for strong STAB, recoil can be annoying. Thunderpunch is weaker but no recoil.
- New option in Drain Punch hits normals and steels hard while recovering Hp, Superpower hits a lot harder (Not sure about any notable extra Kos or if its worth slashing)
- New addition Aqua Tail hits ground types SE like Golurk, Fire Punch for Amoonguss and Tangela.
[ADDITONAL COMMENTS]
- Evs maximize attacking presence with enough speed to outpace base 65's with no investment (Garbodor, Alomomola).
- Adamant nature for increased attack power, already outpaces base 65 without + nature.
- Life Orb
- Crunch to hit Misdreavus or other ghost types harder.
- Physically defensive Amoonguss and Misdreavus are good counters without Fire Punch or Crunch, not OHKOd by them.
- Regirock is only 3HKOd by Drain Punch.
- Special Samurott good partner, takes out lots of physically defensive counters
- Swellow hits hard and can form a U-Turn combination.
- Hazards important, forces lots of switches.
- Cacturne or Garbodor for spikes.
[SET]
name: Special Attacker
move 1: Volt Switch(1)
move 2: Flamethrower
move 3: Grass Knot(2)
move 4: Thunderbolt/Acid Spray
item:Choice Specs/Leftovers
ability: Levitate
nature: Modest
Evs: 172 Hp / 252 SpAtk / 84 Spe(3)
1. U-turn might be slashed or could replaced. Eases prediction, dont worry about ground types
2. Giga Drain is superior option.
3. Evs should be 128 hp / 252 SpAtk / 124 Spe to again outpace base 65's and some Golurk variants.
[SET COMMENTS]
A specially attacking set takes advantage of all of Eelektross's strengths: great coverage, power, and bulk. Its slow Volt Switch allows you to keep momentum while bringing in a frail sweeper free of charge and capitalizing on entry hazards immensely.(1) Volt Switch, Acid Spray, and Eelektross's coverage moves all force out your opponent's Pokemon. This set is especially good at tearing apart defensive cores, since it has Acid Spray to become a special wall's worst nightmare, and can use its coverage moves to easily destroy physical walls such as Tangela and Amoonguss. Thunderbolt is usually superior to Acid Spray, though, since Eelektross poses a larger threat when equipped with Choice Specs and Thunderbolt doesn't force Eelektross to switch. It can be a great asset for Spikes-stacking teams, although it is useful on other types of offensive teams as well. This set can function as a momentum grabber, hazard abuser, and bulky attacker all in one. Levitate is very useful on this set as well, since even if your opponent manages to lay their own hazards down, Eelektross will only take damage from Stealth Rock.
Volt Switch is the primary STAB move on this set, and is chosen for the reasons outlined above.(2) Flamethrower is a great move for Eelektross, primarily used to hit the Grass-types that resist Volt Switch. Tangela, Amoonguss, and Sawsbuck can't be allowed to get a free switch-in, and Flamethrower puts them in their place. Grass Knot rounds out Eelektross's coverage by hitting Ground-types that try to come in for free on Volt Switch, specifically Golem and Camerupt since they resist Flamethrower as well.(3) Thunderbolt is the preferred option in the last slot mainly because Eelektross enjoys having a powerful STAB move that doesn't force it to switch. However, Acid Spray is another great choice that also messes with your opponent, as it forces them to switch before they get destroyed. Note that Thunderbolt has more use when using Choice Specs, while Acid Spray is more effective when using Leftovers.
1. Mention U-turn for no ground immunity so eases prediction. Wont be doing as much, since its not boosted but it hits psychics harder
2. Remove "primary STAB" because of emphasis on U-turn
3. Change Grass Knot to Giga Drain.
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
The recommended EV spread emphasizes bulk and power as much as possible, with 84 Speed EVs to outrun minimum Speed Tangela. You could invest fully in HP, but in doing so, Eelektross isn't able to outspeed Tangela and avoid it's Sleep Powder.(1) The choice of item is very important, as both listed items play with significant differences from each other. Choice Specs is the primary option to hit as hard as possible, turning Eelektross into a better wallbreaker and hazard abuser than Leftovers does. However, Leftovers does allow Eelektross to make better use of its incredible coverage, also providing slightly increased longevity. Life Orb or Expert Belt is a compromise, but Life Orb detracts from Eelektross's bulk significantly, and if Eelektross isn't locked into a move, it should be using Leftovers.
This set can also make use of moves other than the ones listed above. In particular, Hidden Power Ice completes Eelektross's incredible coverage by forming a pseudo-BoltBeam combination. Specifically, it hits Altaria and Torterra harder than any of its other coverage options. However, it generally gets less use than either Thunderbolt or Acid Spray. Thunder Wave is also a viable option on this set, since it allows Eelektross to become a self-supporting sweeper that can also provide support for teammates. If using Thunder Wave, be sure to use Leftovers for the ability to switch moves. When running Choice Specs, using U-turn over Volt Switch can also work, and is especially useful when you don't want Eelektross to be trapped by Ground-types should you mispredict. Although Thunderbolt can be used so that Eelektross still has a STAB move, U-turn will be a lot less powerful than Volt Switch due to a lack of investment in Attack and since it is not boosted by Choice Specs.(2) Charge Beam is worth considering as well, since it functions similarly to Acid Spray but isn't negated when your opponent switches, making it even more terrifying for defensive teams. However, it takes longer for it to work since Charge Beam can either miss, or fail to raise Eelektross's Special Attack.
Spikes support is crucial when using Eelektross, as it can take advantage of entry hazards greatly because of the immense amount of switches that it forces. This support can be taken advantage of even more if Eelektross is used on a VoltTurn team, especially since Eelektross has access to both moves. If one wishes to go down this route, both Cacturne and Garbodor can set up Spikes, and Swellow is a good partner that can form a VoltTurn core with Eelektross. Although Eelektross can 2HKO most bulky Rock- and Ground-types, both Probopass and Bastiodon are exceptions to this because they are immune to Acid Spray and can hit Eelektross with Toxic to wear it down. Gurdurr is a good partner that can take care of them, and benefits from Toxic thanks to Guts. Either paralysis support or Trick Room support can be used if you want Eelektross to attempt a sweep; while Regirock or Gardevoir can be good partners, Eelektross doesn't absolutely require this type of support to be effective since it's not designed to be a sweeper. However, it does function as a great lure for many bulky Rock- and Ground-types such as Regirock, Golem, and Probopass. Pokemon that can take advantage of their absence, such as Swellow and KangasKhan, are great partners,
1. Reflect new ev spread and why its better, tangela is rarely seen in this meta?
2. Remove this, talk about u-turn earlier.
[SET]
name: Coil
move 1: Coil
move 2: Wild Charge
move 3: Dragon Tail
move 4: Substitute/Return
item: Leftovers
ability: Levitate
nature: Careful
Evs: 252 Hp / 4 Def / 252 SpDef
1. Thunderpunch can be used for no recoil, less power. Slash that here?
2. Instead of Return, Drain Punch should be slashed. Better coverage and recovery outside of Lefties.
[SET COMMENTS]
This set functions differently to the special attacker set, since instead of trying to cause as much damage as possible over a few turns, this set aims to set up a sweep. Eelektross's only decent boosting move is put to good use in this set, and it complements Eelektross's naturally high Attack. This set is a great cleaner and is more effective against defensive teams, which find it very difficult to beat. Eelektross's immunity to both Spikes and Toxic Spikes really comes in handy here, and is one of the main things separating it from other Coil users, such as Arbok. This set is good on defensive teams mainly because it has great bulk, and is a great way for stall teams to destroy opposing stall teams. However, this set isn't as effective against offensive teams since it's rather weak without a couple of boosts and only has Leftovers recovery, which makes wearing it down rather easy. As such, the best way to defeat this set is to hit it hard with whatever you've got, as Eelektross will eventually die to powerful STAB moves.
Eelektross has a poor physical movepool, and its only usable STAB option is Wild Charge. Although its power is decent once it has attained a couple of boosts, it comes with unappreciated recoil that can bring Eelektross to its death more quickly(1). However, its positives outweigh its negatives, as it is Eelektross's strongest physical STAB move. Dragon Tail is the best out of Eelektross's few coverage options, allowing it to slowly wear down Ground-types and other Pokemon that are immune to Wild Charge. It also has the great effect of phazing, preventing both slower Pokemon such as Bastiodon from phazing Eelektross and stopping opposing setup sweepers from boosting alongside it. Substitute allows Eelektross to avoid crippling status such as Toxic, and after a few boosts its Substitutes will be nearly impossible to break with physical attacks. Substitute also gives Eelektross more longevity, as it can slowly be worn down without the move by defensive Pokemon, but with Substitute its health will replenish at a faster rate. Return is a decent option over Substitute, as it gets good neutral coverage, especially against Tangela, who can take advantage of Dragon Tail's phasing effect to heal with Regenerator.(2)
1. Thunderpunch over Wild Charge for no recoil??
2. Remove, Drain Punch is superior for recovery. Amoonguss walls now tho.
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
Maximum investment in HP and Special Defense along with a Careful nature is typical of a bulky setup sweeper such as Eelektross, and aims to maximize its overall longevity by investing in the defensive stat that won't be boosted by Coil. However, it's worth using 84 Speed EVs to outspeed Tangela so Eelektross can use Substitute against it before it can hit Eelektross with Sleep Powder.(1)Leftovers is Eelektross's only form of recovery, and greatly increases its longevity by enabling it to create more Substitutes.(2) Thunder Wave is a good option over Substitute, since Eelektross is a great paralysis shuffler and its Dragon Tail will be truly fearsome after several boosts. However, Substitute is better if you want Eelektross to sweep, as Thunder Wave doesn't do anything for it in that department. Both Brick Break and Crunch are alternate coverage moves that can be used in place of Return, but their uses are few. Brick Break really only hits Absol and Golem, while Crunch finds little other use than to hit Musharna.(3) While Dragon Claw may seem like a good option, it gets only slightly better coverage than Return and is weaker, and Dragon Tail, though weaker is important for phazing and racking up hazard damage.
This set really appreciates hazards to take advantage of Dragon Tail's phasing effect, so Garbodor and Golem can be used for Spikes and Stealth Rock, respectively. This set has trouble with Tangela and Amoonguss, so powerful physical attackers that can break through them are appreciated, and can clean up once Eelektross has done its job. Braviary, Swellow, and Torterra are all good examples of these.(4)Charizard is a great teammate that can take on Tangela, and Eelektross can mop the floor with Charizard's checks, such as Flareon. Charizard also appreciates the Spikes that should be partnered with Eelektross, wearing down each other's checks with entry hazard damage alone. Since Eelektross can deal heavy damage to most teams, having fast Pokemon such as the aforementioned Swellow as well as Cinccino to clean up can be very beneficial, especially since they can deal with offensive teams effectively. Paralysis support is always welcome from Pokemon such as Regirock, since it can give Eelektross the chance to get an extra boost or two, and one more unbroken Substitute equals one more chance to spread hazard damage. Also, it is a good idea to remove spinners before attempting to sweep, since they force you to make a difficult decision on whether to continue Eelektross's attempted sweep or keep your hazards intact. Frillish takes on Wartortle like a champ, and Misdreavus can spinblock effectively against Armaldo.
1. Amoonguss is better counter with similar abilities, Tangela isnt used as much.
2. Drain Punch can recover as well. Mention here.
3. Remove Brick Break
4. Make Amoonguss more prevalent as better counter. Mention Golurk and his walling capabilities of this set.
[OTHER OPTIONS]
Eelektross has a decent movepool that it can make use of, although no other set is quite as effective as the others listed above. Mixed sets are certainly a possibility, as Brick Break can be used to lure in Lickilicky and dispose of it while also beating physical walls.(1) As such, a mixed set utilizing Coil is feasible too, with moves such as Thunder and Zap Cannon taking advantage of the accuracy boost that Coil provides. However, you lose out on much-needed bulk, and even with accuracy boosts Zap Cannon is still extremely unreliable. Eelektross is a reliable setter of Rain Dance, and can make use of perfectly accurate STAB Thunder, and its slow Volt Switch can bring in a rain sweeper unharmed.(2) However, it faces stiff competition from Gardevoir in this department, who can set up Rain Dance multiple times and use Healing Wish to give a sweeper a second chance. Eelektross can run an offensive Coil set, utilizing a Chesto Berry along with Rest to set up a sweep. Similarly, Eelektross can use a Choice Band to boost the power of Wild Charge. However, Eelektross's coverage moves are mediocre and it can't break through physical walls with only Dragon Claw, Rock Slide, Return, Brick Break, and Crunch.(3) Acrobatics is also a viable option, as with a Flying Gem intact it is a guaranteed 2HKO on Tangela. However, it doesn't grant coverage on any other notable threats.
1. Remove mention of Brick Break
2. U-Turn for switching in sweeper as well
3. Remove, Choice band is covered above.
[CHECKS AND COUNTERS]
While Eelektross's coverage, power, and ability to go either physical or special limit its number of checks and counters considerably, there are a few Pokemon who can claim to check it effectively. For special sets, Stunfisk, Lickilicky, and Probopass are arguably the best ways of dealing with Eelektross. Stunfisk is immune to Eelektross's STAB moves, and takes paltry damage from Grass Knot due its low weight.(1)Stunfisk can then use Toxic to cripple Eelektross before slowly wearing it down with Scald. Lickilicky only fears an Acid Spray or two followed by Thunderbolt, otherwise it is a complete stop to special Eelektross. In fact, Lickilicky's Return has a small chance to 2HKO Eelektross after Stealth Rock, which is another way of dealing with it if you don't want to go down the Toxic stall route with Wish. ))(2) Probopass is immensely bulky, and can paralyze Eelektross before wearing it down with Power Gem or Volt Switching out to a Pokemon that can take a predicted attack and dispose of it comfortably. Altaria can also take Eelektross's hits well, and with Roost can wall all of Eelektross's special attacks bar Acid Spray. Altaria can then either force it out with Perish Song or Toxic stall it to death.
For physical sets, there are even fewer defensive Pokemon that can hope to take Eelektross on. Tangela is the best option for beating physical Eelektross, as it outspeeds Eelektross that don't invest in Speed, and can hit it with Sleep Powder before it can cause any damage. Also, Dragon Tail will heal Tangela because of Regenerator, while Eelektross will be slowly worn down.(3) Bastiodon is also a good check to physical Eelektross, although it will struggle after Eelektross has attained a few boosts.(4) It only takes minimal damage from Wild Charge before Eelektross has accumulated several boosts, but it must watch out for Dragon Tail if attempting to phaze. Once Eelektross's Substitute is broken, it must make a difficult choice between being phazed out by Roar or being hit by Toxic as it uses Dragon Tail.
While there isn't really much else that can switch in to Eelektross very easily, it will fall to take repeated powerful attacks, so for offensive teams that is the best option. Pinsir and Rampardos both get special mentions here, as they can take advantage of Mold Breaker to OHKO Eelektross with a super effective Earthquake. While Eelektross is extremely threatening on paper, in practice it is beaten by lots of threats, mainly due to its low Speed. Choice item users are usually the best way of dealing with it, especially those wielding Choice Band or Choice Specs. It's best to hit Eelektross hard right off the bat, lest it retaliate and sweep. Exeggutor, Absol, Sawk, and Charizard are among the strongest Pokemon in the tier, and many of them use Choice items to increase their power tremendously. For offensive teams, the best way to beat Eelektross is to keep attacking it, since it will die eventually.
1. Remove, Giga Drain does a big chunk to Stunfisk
2. Does Lickilicky use return?
3. Talk about Amoonguss instead, does not outspeed however. Talk about Golurk for check to all Physical Sets
4. Bastiodon is outdated now that Eelektross gets Drain Punch/Superpower.
I wasnt sure about Sub + Three Attack set so we can discuss if it should be mentioned or not.
