wyc2333
A=X+Y+Z Y: Hard Work
[OVERVIEW]
Thanks to its access to Growth, amazing Special Attack, and high Speed, Espeon can set up and either try to sweep or use Baton Pass to support another special attacker, which can turn manageable threats into devastating powerhouses in the blink of an eye. With a pure Psychic typing, Morning Sun, and STAB Psychic, it threatens dangerous Pokemon such as Gengar, Machamp, Nidoking, and Tentacruel, which offensive teams sometimes struggle with.
However, Espeon is too fragile to take physical attacks from Snorlax, the most dominant Pokemon in GSC OU. In addition, status afflictions such as paralysis from Thunder Wave will compromise its potential. Furthermore, its movepool isn't ideal, which makes it hard to sweep without having the correct Hidden Power for Pokemon such as Tyranitar and Forretress.
[SET]
name: Sweeper
move 1: Growth
move 2: Psychic
move 3: Hidden Power Water / Hidden Power Fire
move 4: Morning Sun
item: Leftovers
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
This set is usually seen late-game and is especially dangerous against a sleeping Snorlax because of Growth and STAB Psychic. Hidden Power Water covers two common threats: Tyranitar and Steelix. It also does decent damage to Houndoom, Golem, and Rhydon. Alternatively, Hidden Power Fire deters Forretress and hits targets such as Skarmory, Exeggutor, Steelix, and Jynx relatively hard, but it doesn't touch Tyranitar. With the combination of high Speed, STAB Psychic, and a pure Psychic typing, which resists Fighting-type attacks while not being weak to Earthquake, Morning Sun allows Espeon to provide a typical offensive team with a solid answer to dangerous threats such as Machamp, Gengar, and Nidoking so long as one of its teammates have already been put to sleep.
Team Options
========
Machamp and Espeon have both offensive and defensive synergistic qualities. Both of them can also put pressure on key common Pokemon such as Snorlax, Zapdos, Raikou, and Skarmory if given a setup opportunity, and if Machamp can weaken Zapdos or Espeon can weaken Snorlax or Raikou, the other will have a better chance at finding an opportunity at setting up a sweep. Defensively, Machamp checks Steelix and Dark-types such as Tyranitar, while, thanks to Morning Sun, Espeon deals with Gengar, Nidoking, and Tentacruel.
Snorlax can use Self-Destruct to take out opposing Snorlax. Its coverage and status moves can also be used to weaken Espeon's other checks such as Tyranitar and Steelix. Gengar runs moves such as Destiny Bond, Explosion, Hypnosis, and Dynamic Punch to cripple special walls, Steelix, and Dark-type Pokemon, against which Espeon has a hard time. Tyranitar attracts Machamp and Nidoking so that Espeon can come in comfortably and get a setup opportunity. In return, Tyranitar takes care of Explosion and Self-Destruct users, Jynx, and the rare Houndoom, which Espeon struggles with. Steelix can answer some variants of Snorlax and Tyranitar that stop Espeon, such as Curse RestTalk variants. In addition, it can paralyze or remove Skarmory and Exeggutor with Body Slam or Explosion, which helps Espeon. Cloyster can lay Spikes, check Steelix, and take down Starmie, while Espeon checks Tentacruel. Zapdos counters Skarmory, absorbs Sleep Powder from Exeggutor, and can force Snorlax to use Rest, which Espeon can take advantage of.
[SET]
name: Baton Pass
move 1: Growth
move 2: Psychic
move 3: Baton Pass
move 4: Morning Sun / Hidden Power Water / Hidden Power Fire
item: Leftovers
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Espeon is among the more difficult Growth passers to deal with defensively. With Growth and Baton Pass, Vaporeon can be stopped by Roar Suicune and Jolteon can be stopped by Roar Raikou. However, +1 Psychic from Espeon can 3HKO both of them and has a high chance of 2HKOing Raikou after Spikes, and Espeon has access to instant recovery. Skarmory can phaze Espeon, but Espeon can just hit it with +1 Psychic until it is forced to use Rest, so it will not stop Espeon from using Baton Pass in the long run. In addition, Baton Pass allows Espeon to escape from Pursuit damage.
When it comes to the last slot, Morning Sun makes Espeon last longer while giving it great defensive value because it can handle dangerous threats such as Machamp, Gengar, and Nidoking. While dropping Morning Sun means that Espeon loses instant recovery and has to be more cautious about when it comes in, Hidden Power can be used to hit phazers; Hidden Power Water covers phazers such as Tyranitar, Steelix, Houndoom, Golem, and Rhydon, while Hidden Power Fire hits Skarmory and Steelix relatively hard.
Team Options
========
Zapdos and Raikou make great recipients as long as the opponent doesn't have Roar Raikou, and the threat these two pose can force the opposing Pokemon to use Explosion. Nidoking is one of the most dangerous recipients due to its access to Lovely Kiss and ability to succeed against Tyranitar. Gengar is a good recipient if the opposing Snorlax doesn't have Earthquake or Lovely Kiss. In addition, it becomes much easier to land Explosion on the target you are seeking if Gengar has a boost. Furthermore, Gengar is immune to Normal-type attacks that might be aimed at Espeon or its other potential recipients. Tyranitar not only resists Normal-type attacks but also can become very dangerous after a boost, though this depends on the opposing lineup and its moveset. Machamp is not much of a receiver, but it is still a useful teammate for threatening Snorlax and Dark-types and potentially benefiting from Growth with Fire Blast. Jynx is the Pokemon that is most likely to sweep after receiving a boost, even if its typing has no defensive merit alongside Espeon. Fire-type Pokemon such as Entei can take advantage of Umbreon, Skarmory, and Jynx and will be dangerous when boosted because teams often forgo answers to Fire-type Pokemon due to their rarity. Since Espeon without Hidden Power Water loses to Roar Tyranitar, moves such as Earthquake from Snorlax and Destiny Bond or Dynamic Punch from Gengar can be considered to lure in and remove the behemoth early-game.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Substitute is a potent option that is especially effective when used in tandem with paralysis support. It can block status from Pokemon such as Umbreon, exploit the low accuracy of Thunder from the likes of Zapdos, shut down Exeggutor, and scout for Explosion from Pokemon like Forretress, but replacing Morning Sun for it will reduce its capacity to function as a check to Pokemon such as Gengar and Machamp. Bite is a decent option to hit Pokemon such as Exeggutor, Starmie, Jynx, Alakazam, and opposing Espeon, but it doesn't cover Steelix like Hidden Power Water and Hidden Power Fire. If it is used alongside Hidden Power Water, Espeon will have solid coverage, but Espeon typically benefits more from having Substitute or Morning Sun. Toxic can be used to wear down problematic Pokemon such as Snorlax, Tyranitar, Starmie, Exeggutor, and Jynx, but since Espeon is often a late-game Pokemon, Toxic damage racks up relatively slowly. Finally, Reflect is somewhat useful against Explosion users and unboosted Snorlax, but it is difficult to fit and is hard to justify over Espeon's other utility options such as Morning Sun and Substitute.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Special Walls**: Special walls such as Snorlax and Blissey can easily take Espeon's attacks and retaliate with strong attacks or status moves. The former frightens Espeon with its STAB moves, while the latter threatens Espeon with Present. Although Snorlax cannot stop Baton Pass, it can usually force Espeon to Baton Pass and threaten most recipients. However, without Present, Blissey is setup fodder for Espeon, though it can run Light Screen to potentially outlast recipients.
**Dark-types**: Toxic Umbreon is one of the best answers to Espeon without Baton Pass, but it is one of the worst answers to Espeon with Baton Pass. Crunch from Tyranitar and to a lesser extent Houndoom can 2HKO Espeon and both also have access to Roar to phaze it, but +1 Hidden Power Water has a decent chance to 2HKO both Pokemon after damage from Spikes.
**Steel-types**: Forretress can threaten Espeon with Explosion or Toxic, Steelix can remove it with Explosion or phaze it with Roar, and Skarmory can cripple it with Toxic or phaze it with Whirlwind. However, all of them, especially Forretress, will be hurt by Hidden Power Fire and boosted STAB Psychic. Steelix will also be worn down by Hidden Power Water.
**Psychic-types**: Exeggutor, Starmie, Jynx, and Alakazam can cripple Espeon with status moves. Exeggutor threatens it with Stun Spore and Sleep Powder, Starmie threatens it with Thunder Wave, and Jynx threatens it with Lovely Kiss and Ice Beam. In addition, Exeggutor has Explosion to potentially trade with Espeon, and Alakazam can dominate Espeon with Encore. However, Espeon has Morning Sun to shrug off most of their attacks, Exeggutor and Jynx should be wary of Hidden Power Fire, and only Encore Alakazam can prevent it from using Baton Pass.
**Electric-types**: Raikou and Zapdos tend to lose to Espeon if they switch in as it uses Growth, but they may be able to paralyze or phaze it to prevent a sweep. Espeon has reasonably good odds of 2HKOing Zapdos with +1 Psychic whereas Zapdos rarely 2HKOes it in return with Thunder, although Thunder's paralysis rate makes it very dangerous to Espeon.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[wyc2333, 336830]]
- Quality checked by: [[M Dragon, 21345], [Earthworm, 15210]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Rabia, 336073], [kt3, 228482]]
Thanks to its access to Growth, amazing Special Attack, and high Speed, Espeon can set up and either try to sweep or use Baton Pass to support another special attacker, which can turn manageable threats into devastating powerhouses in the blink of an eye. With a pure Psychic typing, Morning Sun, and STAB Psychic, it threatens dangerous Pokemon such as Gengar, Machamp, Nidoking, and Tentacruel, which offensive teams sometimes struggle with.
However, Espeon is too fragile to take physical attacks from Snorlax, the most dominant Pokemon in GSC OU. In addition, status afflictions such as paralysis from Thunder Wave will compromise its potential. Furthermore, its movepool isn't ideal, which makes it hard to sweep without having the correct Hidden Power for Pokemon such as Tyranitar and Forretress.
[SET]
name: Sweeper
move 1: Growth
move 2: Psychic
move 3: Hidden Power Water / Hidden Power Fire
move 4: Morning Sun
item: Leftovers
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
This set is usually seen late-game and is especially dangerous against a sleeping Snorlax because of Growth and STAB Psychic. Hidden Power Water covers two common threats: Tyranitar and Steelix. It also does decent damage to Houndoom, Golem, and Rhydon. Alternatively, Hidden Power Fire deters Forretress and hits targets such as Skarmory, Exeggutor, Steelix, and Jynx relatively hard, but it doesn't touch Tyranitar. With the combination of high Speed, STAB Psychic, and a pure Psychic typing, which resists Fighting-type attacks while not being weak to Earthquake, Morning Sun allows Espeon to provide a typical offensive team with a solid answer to dangerous threats such as Machamp, Gengar, and Nidoking so long as one of its teammates have already been put to sleep.
Team Options
========
Machamp and Espeon have both offensive and defensive synergistic qualities. Both of them can also put pressure on key common Pokemon such as Snorlax, Zapdos, Raikou, and Skarmory if given a setup opportunity, and if Machamp can weaken Zapdos or Espeon can weaken Snorlax or Raikou, the other will have a better chance at finding an opportunity at setting up a sweep. Defensively, Machamp checks Steelix and Dark-types such as Tyranitar, while, thanks to Morning Sun, Espeon deals with Gengar, Nidoking, and Tentacruel.
Snorlax can use Self-Destruct to take out opposing Snorlax. Its coverage and status moves can also be used to weaken Espeon's other checks such as Tyranitar and Steelix. Gengar runs moves such as Destiny Bond, Explosion, Hypnosis, and Dynamic Punch to cripple special walls, Steelix, and Dark-type Pokemon, against which Espeon has a hard time. Tyranitar attracts Machamp and Nidoking so that Espeon can come in comfortably and get a setup opportunity. In return, Tyranitar takes care of Explosion and Self-Destruct users, Jynx, and the rare Houndoom, which Espeon struggles with. Steelix can answer some variants of Snorlax and Tyranitar that stop Espeon, such as Curse RestTalk variants. In addition, it can paralyze or remove Skarmory and Exeggutor with Body Slam or Explosion, which helps Espeon. Cloyster can lay Spikes, check Steelix, and take down Starmie, while Espeon checks Tentacruel. Zapdos counters Skarmory, absorbs Sleep Powder from Exeggutor, and can force Snorlax to use Rest, which Espeon can take advantage of.
[SET]
name: Baton Pass
move 1: Growth
move 2: Psychic
move 3: Baton Pass
move 4: Morning Sun / Hidden Power Water / Hidden Power Fire
item: Leftovers
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Espeon is among the more difficult Growth passers to deal with defensively. With Growth and Baton Pass, Vaporeon can be stopped by Roar Suicune and Jolteon can be stopped by Roar Raikou. However, +1 Psychic from Espeon can 3HKO both of them and has a high chance of 2HKOing Raikou after Spikes, and Espeon has access to instant recovery. Skarmory can phaze Espeon, but Espeon can just hit it with +1 Psychic until it is forced to use Rest, so it will not stop Espeon from using Baton Pass in the long run. In addition, Baton Pass allows Espeon to escape from Pursuit damage.
When it comes to the last slot, Morning Sun makes Espeon last longer while giving it great defensive value because it can handle dangerous threats such as Machamp, Gengar, and Nidoking. While dropping Morning Sun means that Espeon loses instant recovery and has to be more cautious about when it comes in, Hidden Power can be used to hit phazers; Hidden Power Water covers phazers such as Tyranitar, Steelix, Houndoom, Golem, and Rhydon, while Hidden Power Fire hits Skarmory and Steelix relatively hard.
Team Options
========
Zapdos and Raikou make great recipients as long as the opponent doesn't have Roar Raikou, and the threat these two pose can force the opposing Pokemon to use Explosion. Nidoking is one of the most dangerous recipients due to its access to Lovely Kiss and ability to succeed against Tyranitar. Gengar is a good recipient if the opposing Snorlax doesn't have Earthquake or Lovely Kiss. In addition, it becomes much easier to land Explosion on the target you are seeking if Gengar has a boost. Furthermore, Gengar is immune to Normal-type attacks that might be aimed at Espeon or its other potential recipients. Tyranitar not only resists Normal-type attacks but also can become very dangerous after a boost, though this depends on the opposing lineup and its moveset. Machamp is not much of a receiver, but it is still a useful teammate for threatening Snorlax and Dark-types and potentially benefiting from Growth with Fire Blast. Jynx is the Pokemon that is most likely to sweep after receiving a boost, even if its typing has no defensive merit alongside Espeon. Fire-type Pokemon such as Entei can take advantage of Umbreon, Skarmory, and Jynx and will be dangerous when boosted because teams often forgo answers to Fire-type Pokemon due to their rarity. Since Espeon without Hidden Power Water loses to Roar Tyranitar, moves such as Earthquake from Snorlax and Destiny Bond or Dynamic Punch from Gengar can be considered to lure in and remove the behemoth early-game.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Substitute is a potent option that is especially effective when used in tandem with paralysis support. It can block status from Pokemon such as Umbreon, exploit the low accuracy of Thunder from the likes of Zapdos, shut down Exeggutor, and scout for Explosion from Pokemon like Forretress, but replacing Morning Sun for it will reduce its capacity to function as a check to Pokemon such as Gengar and Machamp. Bite is a decent option to hit Pokemon such as Exeggutor, Starmie, Jynx, Alakazam, and opposing Espeon, but it doesn't cover Steelix like Hidden Power Water and Hidden Power Fire. If it is used alongside Hidden Power Water, Espeon will have solid coverage, but Espeon typically benefits more from having Substitute or Morning Sun. Toxic can be used to wear down problematic Pokemon such as Snorlax, Tyranitar, Starmie, Exeggutor, and Jynx, but since Espeon is often a late-game Pokemon, Toxic damage racks up relatively slowly. Finally, Reflect is somewhat useful against Explosion users and unboosted Snorlax, but it is difficult to fit and is hard to justify over Espeon's other utility options such as Morning Sun and Substitute.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Special Walls**: Special walls such as Snorlax and Blissey can easily take Espeon's attacks and retaliate with strong attacks or status moves. The former frightens Espeon with its STAB moves, while the latter threatens Espeon with Present. Although Snorlax cannot stop Baton Pass, it can usually force Espeon to Baton Pass and threaten most recipients. However, without Present, Blissey is setup fodder for Espeon, though it can run Light Screen to potentially outlast recipients.
**Dark-types**: Toxic Umbreon is one of the best answers to Espeon without Baton Pass, but it is one of the worst answers to Espeon with Baton Pass. Crunch from Tyranitar and to a lesser extent Houndoom can 2HKO Espeon and both also have access to Roar to phaze it, but +1 Hidden Power Water has a decent chance to 2HKO both Pokemon after damage from Spikes.
**Steel-types**: Forretress can threaten Espeon with Explosion or Toxic, Steelix can remove it with Explosion or phaze it with Roar, and Skarmory can cripple it with Toxic or phaze it with Whirlwind. However, all of them, especially Forretress, will be hurt by Hidden Power Fire and boosted STAB Psychic. Steelix will also be worn down by Hidden Power Water.
**Psychic-types**: Exeggutor, Starmie, Jynx, and Alakazam can cripple Espeon with status moves. Exeggutor threatens it with Stun Spore and Sleep Powder, Starmie threatens it with Thunder Wave, and Jynx threatens it with Lovely Kiss and Ice Beam. In addition, Exeggutor has Explosion to potentially trade with Espeon, and Alakazam can dominate Espeon with Encore. However, Espeon has Morning Sun to shrug off most of their attacks, Exeggutor and Jynx should be wary of Hidden Power Fire, and only Encore Alakazam can prevent it from using Baton Pass.
**Electric-types**: Raikou and Zapdos tend to lose to Espeon if they switch in as it uses Growth, but they may be able to paralyze or phaze it to prevent a sweep. Espeon has reasonably good odds of 2HKOing Zapdos with +1 Psychic whereas Zapdos rarely 2HKOes it in return with Thunder, although Thunder's paralysis rate makes it very dangerous to Espeon.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[wyc2333, 336830]]
- Quality checked by: [[M Dragon, 21345], [Earthworm, 15210]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Rabia, 336073], [kt3, 228482]]
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