[SET]
name: Pressure Stall
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Protect
move 3: Sacred Fire
move 4: Toxic
item: Leftovers
ability: Pressure
nature: Jolly
evs: 120 HP / 136 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=============
Entei cements an unique niche in the 1v1 metagame with its excellent speed tier, solid all-around bulk, and reliable matchups against top-tier pokemon like Celesteela, Necrozma, and Sylveon. The combination of Substitute, Protect, Pressure, and Leftovers allow Entei to stall out choiced threats like Choice Specs Necrozma, Choice Band Avalugg, and Choice Band Landorus-Therian. Sacred Fire is Entei's sole attacking move, preventing it from being Taunt bait for the likes of Tapu Lele and Rillaboom and allowing it to defeat Ferrothorn and Celesteela. It is used over Flare Blitz for its burn chance, which improves Entei's odds versus pokemon like Zarude, Urshifu-S, and Galarian Zapdos. Toxic stalls out many slower pokemon that don't threaten Entei offensively, like Iron Defense Avalugg, stall Kyurem, and Chansey, and can be followed up on with Protect and Substitute stall to ensure its target succumbs to the accumulated damage.
EVs
=============
The HP and Defense EVs allow Entei to tank an Earthquake from Jolly Choice Scarf Galarian Darmanitan while retaining as much special bulk as possible for purposes like tanking Primarina's Moonblast without breaking a Substitute and improving reliability against Shadow Ball Spectrier. Speed is maximized to tie other base 100s like opposing Entei and Galarian Zapdos.
Usage Tips
=============
In many matchups, Entei is best off using Protect turn 1 to scout the opponent's move choice. However, it should not do so against faster Encore users like Zarude, which can lock it into the move, or setup pokemon like Tapu Lele, which might get free stat boosts out of this. Against choiced pokemon that click a move with 24 PP or less, Entei can safely alternate Protect and Substitute to stall them out. Nonchoiced pokemon might succumb to the same strategy if only a few of their moves can break Entei's substitute, as is the case with some Primarina or Goodra sets, but often require prediction. If Entei predicts those pokemon using an ineffective move on a predicted Protect, it can instead use Substitute to absorb the hit. This play is relatively safe even if the opponent ended up using a powerful move anyway, though overuse of it will result in Entei failing to stall out the dangerous moves before its HP runs out.
Entei's reliance on outspeeding its opponent leaves it vulnerable to fast attackers like Dragapult, Nihilego, and Naganadel, and causes its matchup against Zeraora to come down to Sacred Fire RNG. It can also find itself lured in by Choice Scarf users like Volcanion and Kyurem. Entei is similarly shut down by Taunt users that don't fear Sacred Fire, like Tapu Fini, Heatran, and Kommo-O. Lastly, it finds itself unable to hurt Rest stallers like Sap Sipper Azumarill and Corsola-Galar.
[SET]
name: Assault Vest
move 1: Sacred Fire
move 2: Bulldoze
move 3: Extreme Speed
move 4: Stone Edge / Eruption
item: Assault Vest
ability: Inner Focus
nature: Adamant
evs: 8 HP / 76 Atk / 208 Def / 216 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=============
Using its versatile movepool and the special bulk provided by an Assault Vest, this Entei set can lure in various faster Pokemon, like Naganadel, Zeraora, Choice Scarf Cresselia, and Choice Scarf Togekiss. Sacred Fire serves as a primary STAB option that threatens burns against Pokemon such as Aggron and Weakness Policy Metagross. Bulldoze serves as Ground-type coverage against the likes of Heatran and Arcanine, while allowing Entei to outspeed faster threats like Naganadel and Zeraora. Extreme Speed is useful in dealing with Custap Berry users like Porygon-Z and Galarian Moltres, as well as dealing additional chip against faster targets like Zarude and Life Orb Zapdos. For the last move, both Stone Edge and Eruption have their unique strengths. Eruption helps against various Avalugg sets, setup Registeel, and Aromatisse, while Stone Edge beats Kee Berry Volcarona without forcing Entei to rely on crits and additionally gives a better matchup against Rotom-Heat, Incineroar, and opposing Assault Vest entei. This set runs Inner Focus over Pressure to soldify the Togekiss matchup and negate Assault Vest Arcanine's Intimidate.
EVs
=============
The HP and Defense allow Entei to tank a hit from Jolly Choice Scarf Darmanitan-Galar, and the speed lets it outspeed Adamant Darmanitan-Galar. The remaining EVs are invested in attack for the best rolls against bulky Zeraora, Naganadel, Togekiss, and many other Pokemon.
Usage Tips
=============
Assault Vest Entei is generally very straightforward to use, but a few complicated matchups merit further explanation.
Against Hydreigon, Assault Vest Entei should click Extreme Speed four times, despite the move dealing less damage than Sacred Fire (accounting for burns) or Stone Edge. Its perfect accuracy, lack of recoil, and priority let Entei 4HKO Choice Scarf Hydreigon without being 3HKOed by Dark Pulse. Hydreigon still wins if it runs any other set or carries Earthquake or Head Smash as coverage, but this advice lets Entei win against the one set it has a chance of beating.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Pressure Entei can choose to run a spread with 4 HP / 252 Def / 252 Spe. This improves its physical bulk and consequently its odds versus Adamant Choice Scarf Galarian Darmanitan, but worsens the Spectrier and Primarina matchups. When doing so, it can consider running Flame Charge over Sacred Fire, which worsens the Zarude matchup but gives it a chance to beat Choice Scarf Haxorus.
Laser Focus is a niche option over Toxic on Pressure Entei that most notably improves its matchup against setup Registeel. It also helps versus Iron Defense Corviknight.
Assault Vest Entei can run Flare Blitz over Eruption, which similarly beats Aromatisse and bulky Choice Band Avalugg, and additionally minimizes hax versus SubSeed Venusaur. However, Flare Blitz fails to beat Registeel, making it generally inferior.
Assault Vest Entei can run Pressure over Inner Focus. This ability provides no direct advantage in any matchup and causes Entei to lose to Assault Vest Bulldoze Arcanine, but allows it to bluff its Substitute set. Consequently, a few Pokemon like Rock Blast Choice Band Aggron and Thunder Wave Togekiss might misplay in a way that worsens their overall chances of victory. Obviously, the unreliability of such a strategy makes it difficult to recommend.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Here Comes Team Charm!, 501918]]
- Quality checked by: [[PA, 430787], [username2, userid2], [username3, userid3]]
- Grammar checked by: [[username1, userid1], [username2, userid2]]
name: Pressure Stall
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Protect
move 3: Sacred Fire
move 4: Toxic
item: Leftovers
ability: Pressure
nature: Jolly
evs: 120 HP / 136 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=============
Entei cements an unique niche in the 1v1 metagame with its excellent speed tier, solid all-around bulk, and reliable matchups against top-tier pokemon like Celesteela, Necrozma, and Sylveon. The combination of Substitute, Protect, Pressure, and Leftovers allow Entei to stall out choiced threats like Choice Specs Necrozma, Choice Band Avalugg, and Choice Band Landorus-Therian. Sacred Fire is Entei's sole attacking move, preventing it from being Taunt bait for the likes of Tapu Lele and Rillaboom and allowing it to defeat Ferrothorn and Celesteela. It is used over Flare Blitz for its burn chance, which improves Entei's odds versus pokemon like Zarude, Urshifu-S, and Galarian Zapdos. Toxic stalls out many slower pokemon that don't threaten Entei offensively, like Iron Defense Avalugg, stall Kyurem, and Chansey, and can be followed up on with Protect and Substitute stall to ensure its target succumbs to the accumulated damage.
EVs
=============
The HP and Defense EVs allow Entei to tank an Earthquake from Jolly Choice Scarf Galarian Darmanitan while retaining as much special bulk as possible for purposes like tanking Primarina's Moonblast without breaking a Substitute and improving reliability against Shadow Ball Spectrier. Speed is maximized to tie other base 100s like opposing Entei and Galarian Zapdos.
Usage Tips
=============
In many matchups, Entei is best off using Protect turn 1 to scout the opponent's move choice. However, it should not do so against faster Encore users like Zarude, which can lock it into the move, or setup pokemon like Tapu Lele, which might get free stat boosts out of this. Against choiced pokemon that click a move with 24 PP or less, Entei can safely alternate Protect and Substitute to stall them out. Nonchoiced pokemon might succumb to the same strategy if only a few of their moves can break Entei's substitute, as is the case with some Primarina or Goodra sets, but often require prediction. If Entei predicts those pokemon using an ineffective move on a predicted Protect, it can instead use Substitute to absorb the hit. This play is relatively safe even if the opponent ended up using a powerful move anyway, though overuse of it will result in Entei failing to stall out the dangerous moves before its HP runs out.
Entei's reliance on outspeeding its opponent leaves it vulnerable to fast attackers like Dragapult, Nihilego, and Naganadel, and causes its matchup against Zeraora to come down to Sacred Fire RNG. It can also find itself lured in by Choice Scarf users like Volcanion and Kyurem. Entei is similarly shut down by Taunt users that don't fear Sacred Fire, like Tapu Fini, Heatran, and Kommo-O. Lastly, it finds itself unable to hurt Rest stallers like Sap Sipper Azumarill and Corsola-Galar.
[SET]
name: Assault Vest
move 1: Sacred Fire
move 2: Bulldoze
move 3: Extreme Speed
move 4: Stone Edge / Eruption
item: Assault Vest
ability: Inner Focus
nature: Adamant
evs: 8 HP / 76 Atk / 208 Def / 216 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=============
Using its versatile movepool and the special bulk provided by an Assault Vest, this Entei set can lure in various faster Pokemon, like Naganadel, Zeraora, Choice Scarf Cresselia, and Choice Scarf Togekiss. Sacred Fire serves as a primary STAB option that threatens burns against Pokemon such as Aggron and Weakness Policy Metagross. Bulldoze serves as Ground-type coverage against the likes of Heatran and Arcanine, while allowing Entei to outspeed faster threats like Naganadel and Zeraora. Extreme Speed is useful in dealing with Custap Berry users like Porygon-Z and Galarian Moltres, as well as dealing additional chip against faster targets like Zarude and Life Orb Zapdos. For the last move, both Stone Edge and Eruption have their unique strengths. Eruption helps against various Avalugg sets, setup Registeel, and Aromatisse, while Stone Edge beats Kee Berry Volcarona without forcing Entei to rely on crits and additionally gives a better matchup against Rotom-Heat, Incineroar, and opposing Assault Vest entei. This set runs Inner Focus over Pressure to soldify the Togekiss matchup and negate Assault Vest Arcanine's Intimidate.
EVs
=============
The HP and Defense allow Entei to tank a hit from Jolly Choice Scarf Darmanitan-Galar, and the speed lets it outspeed Adamant Darmanitan-Galar. The remaining EVs are invested in attack for the best rolls against bulky Zeraora, Naganadel, Togekiss, and many other Pokemon.
Usage Tips
=============
Assault Vest Entei is generally very straightforward to use, but a few complicated matchups merit further explanation.
Against Hydreigon, Assault Vest Entei should click Extreme Speed four times, despite the move dealing less damage than Sacred Fire (accounting for burns) or Stone Edge. Its perfect accuracy, lack of recoil, and priority let Entei 4HKO Choice Scarf Hydreigon without being 3HKOed by Dark Pulse. Hydreigon still wins if it runs any other set or carries Earthquake or Head Smash as coverage, but this advice lets Entei win against the one set it has a chance of beating.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Pressure Entei can choose to run a spread with 4 HP / 252 Def / 252 Spe. This improves its physical bulk and consequently its odds versus Adamant Choice Scarf Galarian Darmanitan, but worsens the Spectrier and Primarina matchups. When doing so, it can consider running Flame Charge over Sacred Fire, which worsens the Zarude matchup but gives it a chance to beat Choice Scarf Haxorus.
Laser Focus is a niche option over Toxic on Pressure Entei that most notably improves its matchup against setup Registeel. It also helps versus Iron Defense Corviknight.
Assault Vest Entei can run Flare Blitz over Eruption, which similarly beats Aromatisse and bulky Choice Band Avalugg, and additionally minimizes hax versus SubSeed Venusaur. However, Flare Blitz fails to beat Registeel, making it generally inferior.
Assault Vest Entei can run Pressure over Inner Focus. This ability provides no direct advantage in any matchup and causes Entei to lose to Assault Vest Bulldoze Arcanine, but allows it to bluff its Substitute set. Consequently, a few Pokemon like Rock Blast Choice Band Aggron and Thunder Wave Togekiss might misplay in a way that worsens their overall chances of victory. Obviously, the unreliability of such a strategy makes it difficult to recommend.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Here Comes Team Charm!, 501918]]
- Quality checked by: [[PA, 430787], [username2, userid2], [username3, userid3]]
- Grammar checked by: [[username1, userid1], [username2, userid2]]
Last edited:
