**Draft Order**: Round 8
**Price Range**: 2-3 points
**Overview**: Floatzel’s fantastic speed and STAB option, ranging from the powerful Wave Crash to the pivoting of Flip Turn and the priority of Aqua Jet, make Floatzel look decent when paired with rain to take advantage of Swift Swim. However, Floatzel is prone to being worn down extremely quickly, is one-dimensional, and competes with other cheap Water-types that fill a similar role.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Rain Wallbreaker**: Floatzel can be effective at breaking holes using its strong STAB and acceptable coverage in the rain and by utilizing Flip Turn to reposition teammates.
**Set-up Sweeper**: Floatzel can use Bulk Up and its Water Veil ability to set up on passive, status-heavy teams, though this lacks immediate damage output.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Aqua Jet, Liquidation, Wave Crash, Flip Turn
**Setup Moves**: Bulk Up
**Utility Moves**: Substitute, Taunt
**Coverage**: Crunch, Ice Spinner, Low Kick
Niche Moves
========
**Rain Dance**: Floatzel can activate its own Swift Swim ability in a pinch if other setters are KO'd or benched.
Common Items
========
**Choice Band**: Floatzel can equip a Choice Band for the most immediate power at the cost of being unable to swap attacks.
**Other damage-boosting items**: If Floatzel needs to change up moves, other damage-boosting items, such as Mystic Water or Life Orb, can be used instead.
**Heavy-Duty Boots**: Since Floatzel is easily worn down over time via entry hazards, Heavy-Duty Boots can help Floatzel’s longevity.
Niche Items
========
**Sitrus Berry**: Sitrus Berry can be used to assist Floatzel’s overall longevity in a match if it is being worn down too quickly.
**Lum Berry**: Floatzel can guard against status options that would otherwise hinder its breaking ability.
**Choice Scarf**: Floatzel can hold a Choice Scarf for niche scenarios outside of rain where it would normally be outpaced by faster offensive threats.
**Protective Pads**: Protective Pads shield against Rocky Helmet and other contact-punishing effects.
Tera
========
Floatzel doesn’t require Terastalization to be effective in its role. However, if elected to become a Tera Captain, it can power up its already strong STAB options with Tera Water. Other Tera options expand Floatzel’s coverage to help it muscle through its checks, such as Tera Grass-, Electric-, and Fairy types.
Draft Strategy
========
Floatzel compliments rosters that lean into the rain archetype and are looking for cheap, fast wall breakers that prey on Fire-, Ground, and Rock-types.
**Rain-Setter**: Pokemon like Pelipper, Politoed, or even support options like Thundurus or Klefki to set rain are ideal to enable Floatzel.
**Pivots**: Bulkier pokemon that can bring in Floatzel safely, such as Iron Hands, Zapdos, or Landorus-T can position Floatzel effectively to break.
**Win-Conditions**: Floatzel works to soften teams, allowing for pokemon like Iron Valliant, Iron Crown, Archaludon, or Thundurus to sweep.
**Entry-Hazard control**: Floatzel not only appreciates Spikes set by pokemon like Meowscarada and Deoxys-S to aid in its breaking, but also hazard removal from pokemon such as Corviknight, Great Tusk, and Iron Treads to stay healthy itself.
**Healing Wish**: The support from Healing Wish users like Enamorus or Jirachi can give Floatzel more opportunities to come in and break safely after wearing itself down from a previous attempt.
Checks and Counters
========
**Water-resistant Pokemon**: Pokemon that resist or are immune to Water, such as Hydrapple and Ogerpon-W, can eat an attack from Floatzel and KO back with a strong hit.
**Chip Damage**: Entry Hazards, Rocky Helmet, and potential Wave Crash recoil can wear Floatzel down quickly over time, limiting its opportunities to break.
**Priority**: Pokemon such as Rillaboom and Raging Bolt wield strong priority options that easily revenge or KO Floatzel without taking an attack.
**Other weather-setters**: Pokemon such as Ninetales, Torkoal, and Alolan Ninetales can change the weather and lessen Floatzel’s offensive pressure.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/acetrainerorange.315566/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user2.200000
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user3.300000
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user4.400000
**Price Range**: 2-3 points
**Overview**: Floatzel’s fantastic speed and STAB option, ranging from the powerful Wave Crash to the pivoting of Flip Turn and the priority of Aqua Jet, make Floatzel look decent when paired with rain to take advantage of Swift Swim. However, Floatzel is prone to being worn down extremely quickly, is one-dimensional, and competes with other cheap Water-types that fill a similar role.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Rain Wallbreaker**: Floatzel can be effective at breaking holes using its strong STAB and acceptable coverage in the rain and by utilizing Flip Turn to reposition teammates.
**Set-up Sweeper**: Floatzel can use Bulk Up and its Water Veil ability to set up on passive, status-heavy teams, though this lacks immediate damage output.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Aqua Jet, Liquidation, Wave Crash, Flip Turn
**Setup Moves**: Bulk Up
**Utility Moves**: Substitute, Taunt
**Coverage**: Crunch, Ice Spinner, Low Kick
Niche Moves
========
**Rain Dance**: Floatzel can activate its own Swift Swim ability in a pinch if other setters are KO'd or benched.
Common Items
========
**Choice Band**: Floatzel can equip a Choice Band for the most immediate power at the cost of being unable to swap attacks.
**Other damage-boosting items**: If Floatzel needs to change up moves, other damage-boosting items, such as Mystic Water or Life Orb, can be used instead.
**Heavy-Duty Boots**: Since Floatzel is easily worn down over time via entry hazards, Heavy-Duty Boots can help Floatzel’s longevity.
Niche Items
========
**Sitrus Berry**: Sitrus Berry can be used to assist Floatzel’s overall longevity in a match if it is being worn down too quickly.
**Lum Berry**: Floatzel can guard against status options that would otherwise hinder its breaking ability.
**Choice Scarf**: Floatzel can hold a Choice Scarf for niche scenarios outside of rain where it would normally be outpaced by faster offensive threats.
**Protective Pads**: Protective Pads shield against Rocky Helmet and other contact-punishing effects.
Tera
========
Floatzel doesn’t require Terastalization to be effective in its role. However, if elected to become a Tera Captain, it can power up its already strong STAB options with Tera Water. Other Tera options expand Floatzel’s coverage to help it muscle through its checks, such as Tera Grass-, Electric-, and Fairy types.
Draft Strategy
========
Floatzel compliments rosters that lean into the rain archetype and are looking for cheap, fast wall breakers that prey on Fire-, Ground, and Rock-types.
**Rain-Setter**: Pokemon like Pelipper, Politoed, or even support options like Thundurus or Klefki to set rain are ideal to enable Floatzel.
**Pivots**: Bulkier pokemon that can bring in Floatzel safely, such as Iron Hands, Zapdos, or Landorus-T can position Floatzel effectively to break.
**Win-Conditions**: Floatzel works to soften teams, allowing for pokemon like Iron Valliant, Iron Crown, Archaludon, or Thundurus to sweep.
**Entry-Hazard control**: Floatzel not only appreciates Spikes set by pokemon like Meowscarada and Deoxys-S to aid in its breaking, but also hazard removal from pokemon such as Corviknight, Great Tusk, and Iron Treads to stay healthy itself.
**Healing Wish**: The support from Healing Wish users like Enamorus or Jirachi can give Floatzel more opportunities to come in and break safely after wearing itself down from a previous attempt.
Checks and Counters
========
**Water-resistant Pokemon**: Pokemon that resist or are immune to Water, such as Hydrapple and Ogerpon-W, can eat an attack from Floatzel and KO back with a strong hit.
**Chip Damage**: Entry Hazards, Rocky Helmet, and potential Wave Crash recoil can wear Floatzel down quickly over time, limiting its opportunities to break.
**Priority**: Pokemon such as Rillaboom and Raging Bolt wield strong priority options that easily revenge or KO Floatzel without taking an attack.
**Other weather-setters**: Pokemon such as Ninetales, Torkoal, and Alolan Ninetales can change the weather and lessen Floatzel’s offensive pressure.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/acetrainerorange.315566/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user2.200000
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user3.300000
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user4.400000
Last edited:
