Ekans
[Overview]
<p>While Ekans may find life difficult in Little Cup, it possesses some key characteristics that give it a very useful niche in the metagame. With two amazing abilities in Intimidate and Shed Skin, the ability to boost its stats with Coil, and access to Glare, a useful paralysis move, Ekans can certainly find a niche in the metagame. However, Ekans's fairly poor stats hold it back from being as amazing as its options might suggest. Despite that fact, Ekans can be a great boon to any team if played correctly.</p>
[Set]
name: Fast Coil
move 1: Coil
move 2: Gunk Shot
move 3: Sucker Punch / Aqua Tail
move 4: Earthquake
item: Life Orb
ability: Shed Skin / Intimidate
nature: Jolly
evs: 196 Atk / 4 Def / 4 SpD / 236 Spe
ivs: 29 HP IVs
[Set Comments]
<p>This set aims to take advantage of Ekans's ability to boost its stats with Coil. With Coil, Ekans can boost its Attack, Defense, and Accuracy 1 stage in just one turn. This makes Ekans both bulkier and more fearsome offensively, and allows it to use STAB Gunk Shot with much less risk, as after one Coil, Gunk Shot's accuracy will be over 93%. Sucker Punch and Aqua Tail are both viable options for the third slot. Aqua Tail hits Ground- and Rock-types, most notably Gligar, for super effective damage. Sucker Punch allows Ekans to deal greater damage to Ghost-types, and gives it a powerful priority move, but has low PP and requires prediction. Earthquake is used in the last slot as it hits Rock- and Poison-types for super effective damage, and allows Ekans to deal with Ferroseed, who laughs at its other moves.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>The EV spread maximizes Ekans's offensive capabilities while retaining some bulk. 236 Speed EVs and a Jolly nature max out Ekans's Speed, allowing it to outspeed Pokemon such as Croagunk and Dratini.196 Attack EVs allow Ekans to reach 22 Attack after a single Coil, and the 4 EVs in Defense and Special Defense give Ekans an extra point in each stat. In terms of ability, Intimidate gives Ekans more opportunitites to set up, as it can switch in and cripple a Pokemon such as Croagunk, forcing them to switch out, while Shed Skin prevents Ekans from being stopped cold by Will-O-Wisp or Thunder Wave. The 29 HP IVs ensure Ekans takes only 1 point of damage from Life Orb, maximizing the number of times it can attack.</p>
<p>Poison Jab can be used over Gunk Shot if greater accuracy is desired, but Gunk Shot will be the better option once Ekans sets up Coil. Glare is also an option in the third slot, as Ekans can take advantage of the defensive boost offered by Coil to paralyze threats without fear of being OHKOed. Hidden Power Fire is usable in the fourth slot, as even with a Naive nature and no Special attack investment, Ekans can 2HKO Eviolite Ferroseed 100% of the time.</p>
<p>Pokemon capable of reliably setting up entry hazards, such as Gligar and Ferroseed, make excellent partners for Ekans, as Ekans can force many switches with Intimidate. Also, Ekans needs entry hazard support if it plans on sweeping, as Ekans's offensive potential is not at the level of Pokemon such as Scraggy.</p>
<p>Because this set is completely walled by Ferroseed and Gligar, Meditite makes a fantastic partner for Ekans, as it can reliably deal with both threats with Drain Punch and Ice Punch, respectively. Gligar also makes a great teammate for Ekans, because, outside of setting up Stealth Rock, it is immune to the common Ground-type moves which Ekans is weak to.</p>
[Set]
name: Bulky Coil
move 1: Coil
move 2: Gunk Shot
move 3: Sucker Punch / Aqua Tail
move 4: Level Ground / Earthquake
item: Eviolite / Oran Berry
ability: Intimidate
nature: Adamant
evs: 236 HP / 196 Atk / 4 Def / 4 SpD
[Set Comments]
<p>This set seeks to abuse Intimidate along with the Defense boost from Coil, allowing Ekans to tank hits and retaliate, rather than trying to outspeed opponents. Coil, the set's namesake, makes Ekans a more potent sweeper and allows it to tank hits more effectively. Gunk Shot is Ekans's best STAB option, as after one Coil, it is pretty accurate, and boasts far greater power than Poison Jab. Sucker Punch and Aqua Tail are both viable for the third moveslot. Sucker Punch circumvents Ekans's low Speed and allows it to strike first, and deals good damage to Pokemon such as Misdreavus. Aqua Tail covers Gunk Shot's weaknesses, and 2HKOes Eviolite Gligar after one Coil. Level Ground hits Rock- and Steel-type Pokemon for super effective damage, and lowers the opponent's speed, allowing Ekans to outspeed it. On the other hand, Earthquake hits the same targets as Level Ground, but has much high Base Power, while also being Ekans's most powerful option against Ferroseed.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>The EV spread maximizes Ekans's Attack and HP, letting it take and dish out damage well. 236 HP EVs max out its HP stat, and 196 Attack EVs max out its Attack stat in conjunction with an Adamant nature. The 4 EVs in Defense and Special Defense give Ekans an extra point in each stat, increasing its survivability and overall bulk. In terms of ability, Shed Skin can be used over Intimidate if you're especially worried about being crippled by Pokemon such as Will-O-Wisp Misdreavus or Duskull. As for item selection, both have their advantages. Oran Berry lets Ekans tank more hits by giving it a form of recovery, but Ekans carrying Oran Berry is still OHKOed on average by an Eviolite Gligar's Earthquake after a Coil, whereas Eviolite Ekans is not. Hidden Power Fire is a viable option in the fourth slot, as with a Naughty nature and no Special Attack investment, Ekans can 2HKO Eviolite Ferroseed 100% of the time.</p>
<p>Bronzor makes an excellent teammate for Ekans, as it is immune to Ground-types moves and has a 4x resistance to Psychic-type moves, Ekans's two weaknesses, and can set up Reflect and Light Screen, making it easier for Ekans to set up. Pokemon such as Carvanha and Chinchou also make good teammates for Ekans, as they can reliably KO Ground-types with their STAB Water-type moves and clear the field for Ekans to sweep. Ferroseed and Gligar are the main counters to this set, meaning that running Ekans in conjunction with either Scraggy or Meditite is a smart option, as both can reliably take out Ferroseed and Gligar most of the time with a STAB Fighting-type move and Ice Punch, respectively.</p>
[Set]
name: Glare
move 1: Glare
move 2: Poison Jab / Gunk Shot
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Sucker Punch / Aqua Tail
item: Oran Berry / Eviolite
ability: Intimidate
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 76 HP / 196 Atk / 4 Def / 4 SpD / 156 Spe
[Set Comments]
<p>This set takes advantage of Intimidate and Glare. Using this set is rather simple: come in on a physical attacker to try and force a switch because of Intimidate, and use Glare on whatever comes in. Unlike Thunder Wave, Glare paralyzes any Pokemon, regardless of its type; however, Glares' imperfect 90% accuracy will prove fatal if you miss. Poison Jab and Gunk Shot are Ekans's two best STAB moves, the former being more accurate but less powerful.</p>
<p>Earthquake is used to hit Rock-, Poison-, and Steel-types besides Bronzor and Ferroseed for super effective damage. There are two options in the last moveslot. Sucker Punch can be used to hit Ghost-types and also bypasses Ekans's low Speed stat. Aqua Tail is used to hit Ground-types, the most notable being Gligar, who resists Ekans's STAB moves and is immune to Earthquake. It also hits Bronzor for more damage than Bite.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>The EV spread serves to maximize Ekans's offenses and bulk. 196 Attack EVs maximize Ekans's Attack, and the EVs in Speed allow it to outspeed Pokemon such as Dratini and Croagunk with a Jolly nature. The 4 EVs invested in both Defense and Special Defense give Ekans an extra point in both stats, and the remaining EVs are put in HP to maximize Ekans's bulk.</p>
<p>This set loves having entry hazards up, as with Intimidate and Glare, Ekans can force a great deal of switches. For this reason, Pokemon such as Ferroseed, Gligar, or Dwebble all make great partners for Ekans, as they can reliably set up entry hazards the majority of the time. This allows Ekans to rack up tons of residual damage on its opponents. However, it is important to note that Toxic Spikes should not be used, as they will interfere with Glare.</p>
<p>This set works very well with relatively slow, powerful Pokemon such as Timburr and Meditite. With Glare paralyzing the opponent's fast threats, these Pokemon can deal great amounts of damage without worry of being outsped. Stunky also makes a great teammate for Ekans, as it is immune to Psychic-type moves, one of Ekans's only two weaknesses, and greatly appreciates being able to outspeed the opponent's paralyzed threats. Gligar makes a fantastic partner to Ekans, since, outside of being able to set up Stealth Rock to rack up residual damage, it boasts an immunity to Ground-type moves, Ekans's more common weakness.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Ekans has a number of decent options outside of those listed. Seed Bomb hits Rock-, Ground-, and Water-types hard, and is a viable choice over either Earthquake or Aqua Tail. Rock Slide has great coverage with Earthquake, and is a viable replacement for Sucker Punch on all sets. Pursuit is an option to hit fleeing opponents, and can be used as a substitute for Bite. Double-Edge is an option because it hits as hard as STAB Poison Jab. It does, however, come with recoil damage, which can greatly lower Ekans's survivability. Rest can be used in conjunction with Shed Skin for somewhat reliable recovery, but it is not entirely reliable, and Ekans does not possess the defenses required to abuse it most effectively.</p>
<p>A Coil set with Rest and Glare in conjunction with Shed Skin is viable, but, as mentioned, Ekans does not possess the defenses to take full advantage of Rest and Shed Skin. Ekans also has access to Switcheroo, which in conjunction with Shed Skin and Flame Orb allows it to burn physical attackers such as Scraggy and Dratini while not getting crippled itself. This strategy also has the advantage of being able to circumvent the opponent's Shed Skin.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Ekans's main fault, its poor stats, allow it to be easily checked by most common Pokemon. Bulky Ground-type Pokemon such as Gligar and Hippopotas can easily take any of Ekans's moves, even Aqua Tail, and retaliate with a super effective Earthquake that will likely nearly KO Ekans at the very least. Ferroseed easily walls any Ekans not carrying Hidden Power Fire, and can stall Ekans to death with Leech Seed. Pokemon such as Meditite, who can take a hit from Ekans and OHKO or 2HKO it back are counters to it as well. Bronzor walls Ekans if it lacks Hidden Power Fire, and can set up Reflect and Light Screen while Ekans tries to wear it down. Fast special attackers such as Misdreavus and Carvanha can outspeed and hit Ekans on its weaker Special Defense stat, making them great checks to Ekans. However, Ghost-types such as Misdreavus will have to watch out for Sucker Punch if Ekans is carrying it.</p>
[Dream World]
<p>Ekans gets Unnerve from the Dream World. While this may appear to have a niche in preventing recovery from Oran Berry, the drop in Oran Berry's usage, in conjunction with the general utility of both Shed Skin and Intimidate, makes this more of a gimmick than anything else.</p>
