[OVERVIEW]
With a unique typing that's only hit super effectively by Water- and Ice-type attacks, a large movepool, and well-distributed stats, Gliscor has risen to become a behemoth in OU. In fact, there is no Pokemon that can even come close to fulfilling the specific roles that Gliscor can fill. It is one of the most devastating stallbreakers in the tier, and it can utilize a scary Swords Dance set.
While Gliscor is an incredible Pokemon, its raw power is comparatively low, and its Special Defense is lackluster. Water-types will laugh at Gliscor's weaker attacks and give it massive trouble. Ice-type attacks are 4x super effective, and Gliscor is rarely able to take one from most opposing Pokemon. That said, Gliscor's shortcomings are very few. It can fit onto a large variety of teams and is an essential Pokemon in OU.
[SET]
name: Stallbreaker
move 1: Taunt
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Ice Fang / Knock Off / Wing Attack
move 4: Roost
item: Leftovers
ability: Hyper Cutter
nature: Jolly / Impish
evs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Taunt, in tandem with Earthquake, allows Gliscor to shut down many common stall cores consisting of Pokemon like Tyranitar, Nidoqueen, Clefable, Skarmory, Heatran, and mono-Electric-type attack Rotom-A. Taunt is also crucial versus offensive teams, as it can prevent setup sweepers from boosting their stats. Earthquake is Gliscor's best STAB move, dealing decent damage even without Attack investment and allowing Gliscor to OHKO most Heatran, Magnezone, and Lucario, all of which Gliscor can generally outspeed, as well as hit Pokemon like Tyranitar, Metagross, and Jirachi super effectively.
Ice Fang is the most recommended move in the third slot, as it has many uses on Gliscor. Ice Fang can be used alongside Taunt to wear down Pokemon like Skarmory and Rotom-A, as although the damage is minimal, Gliscor is able to use Ice Fang multiple times against both Pokemon, which adds up over time. Ice Fang also hits Dragonite, Flygon, and opposing Gliscor for massive damage, and it simultaneously hits Grass-types super effectively; this affirms Gliscor's ability to take on Breloom. Alternatively, Knock Off can be used to cripple opposing teams, and it works especially effectively for removing items from Skarmory and Clefable, making it extremely strong versus stall. By opting to not use Ice Fang, however, Gliscor becomes worse versus Breloom and Dragon-types. Wing Attack is also a solid option when using a stall build for providing great insurance versus Breloom, consistently OHKOing it with 4x super effective damage. However, Wing Attack is not as good against stall builds compared to Ice Fang because it does not wear down Skarmory and Rotom-A as solidly and cannot threaten a freeze, and Knock Off is much better at dismantling stall builds than Wing Attack is as well.
Roost is the last move, allowing Gliscor to keep itself healthy so it can consistently wear down stall and even bulkier offensive teams that can have trouble breaking it. Removing its Flying typing while healing is also a great bonus because Ground typing is actually quite good defensively, and its 4x weakness to Ice-type is reduced to 2x while using the move, which can allow Gliscor to actually sit in on weaker Ice-type attacks from Pokemon like defensive Swampert and Hippowdon.
Set Details
========
Maximizing HP and Speed is very effective when combined with Gliscor's natural bulk. The Speed investment and Jolly nature are necessary to maximize Taunt's effectiveness, enable Gliscor to function as a check to max Speed Lucario, and outspeed certain Pokemon like some variants of Jirachi, Roserade, non-Choice Scarf Rotom-A, and even offensive Suicune, which it can revenge kill if it is severely weakened. Optionally, Gliscor can use a minimum of 216 EVs in Speed to reach 308 Speed, which still allows it to outspeed Lucario, Roserade, Rotom-A, and offensive Suicune; the 40 EVs can then be transferred into Attack investment to guarantee a 3HKO on Breloom with Ice Fang regardless of Stealth Rock damage and to almost completely guarantee a 2HKO on maximum HP Metagross with Earthquake after Stealth Rock. This comes at the price of being slower than Pokemon that aim to Speed creep Gliscor like Zapdos, offensive Celebi, Jirachi, and opposing Gliscor.
An Impish nature is a great alternative that gives Gliscor increased bulk, which makes a significant difference when facing foes like Choice Band Tyranitar, Choice Scarf Flygon, Metagross, and Lucario. With a spread of 252 HP / 40 Def / 216 Spe, Gliscor is still able to outspeed Adamant Lucario and max Speed Heatran, but it will lose out on shutting down fast Substitute + Will-O-Wisp Rotom-A. It will also be unable to hit Roserade first with a powerful Earthquake, and be potentially unable to use Taunt or Earthquake to either prevent Suicune from using Calm Mind or wear it down with chip damage.
Usage Tips
========
Because of Gliscor's unique typing and bulk, it can come in safely on many Pokemon. Use Gliscor's typing to your advantage by pivoting it into Electric-type, Ground-type, and even Fighting-type attacks. Gliscor can be used to gain momentum by punishing Choice Scarf Flygon and Choice Scarf Rotom-A's Earthquake and Thunderbolt. When facing a stall build, try to switch in on Skarmory; stall teams have decent diversity in their move selection, so try to properly scout movesets before comfortably sending Gliscor in on Pokemon like Tyranitar, Clefable, and Rotom-A. Taunt can completely shut down RestTalk and Substitute + Will-O-Wisp Rotom-A, provided that Gliscor does not switch in on Will-O-Wisp. Using Taunt can sometimes be quite risky against Pokemon like Swampert, Gyarados, and Dragonite, so proceed with caution and try not to use Taunt unsafely unless you deem it necessary. Sending Gliscor in on a double switch can be incredibly effective when facing stall builds, as they often have difficulty switching into Gliscor, which can create opportunities for you to put pressure on your foes. Take advantage of the defensive perks of Ground typing when using Roost with Gliscor to keep it healthy. Ice Fang can be used liberally and can often catch switches into Ground-immune pivots, as it will often hit those pivots super effectively and even occasionally inflict a freeze on them. If Gliscor is your main Lucario check, keeping it healthy is quite important. Try to determine if Lucario is using Ice Punch before sending Gliscor in. If you notice that Lucario isn't holding a Life Orb, then there is a higher likelihood that it packs Ice Punch with either a Choice item or a Shuca Berry; Gliscor needs to watch out for the latter, as Lucario can take an Earthquake with Shuca Berry and take Gliscor out.
Team Options
========
Starmie can switch into Gliscor very easily when it is healthy, spin away entry hazards, threaten the whole team with a powerful STAB Water-type move, or even recover its health, as Gliscor's Earthquake is simply not strong enough to threaten most healthy Starmie. For this reason, Tyranitar is an excellent teammate that can trap Starmie with Pursuit and threaten it with a powerful STAB Crunch or even Dark Pulse. Gliscor can also switch into Ground- and Fighting-type attacks while Tyranitar can come in on Ice-type attacks thanks to its sand-boosted Special Defense. Although both Tyranitar and Gliscor are weak to Water-type attacks, very specially bulky variants of Tyranitar can actually soft check Water-types like Starmie and Rain Dance Kingdra. Choice Scarf Tyranitar gets a special mention, since it can trap Starmie, Latias, Rotom-A, and even Gengar.
Electric-type Pokemon can serve well to hit pesky Water-types like Gyarados, Starmie, Suicune, and Milotic super effectively. Zapdos has great defensive synergy with Gliscor, and it can use Hidden Power Grass to shut down Swampert while simultaneously matching up very well versus Gyarados, which is Gliscor's greatest enemy, and other Water-types as well. Zapdos also completely shuts down Swords Dance Scizor, an opponent that can actually give Gliscor trouble sometimes. Rotom-A can spinblock on defensive teams, which supports Gliscor in whittling down the opposition. As an Electric-type, it has similar benefits to Zapdos, and Choice Scarf Rotom-A notably is a fantastic revenge killer for removing Gyarados. Grass-types like Breloom, Celebi, and Shaymin can threaten bulky Water-types like Swampert and Milotic with super effective Grass-type attacks, while Celebi and Gliscor together make for a strong Fighting-resistant core. Although Grass-types serve as great answers to Water-types alongside Gliscor, an Ice-type weakness is compounded, so make sure to compensate for this with either Steel-types or your own Water-type.
Magnezone pairs very well with Gliscor, forming a core that is devastating for defensive builds to face. Knock Off Gliscor gets a special mention, as it can remove a Skarmory's Shed Shell, allowing Magnezone to trap it without any issues. Magnezone can also trap Bronzong, Choice Scarf Jirachi, and Scizor, which have the potential to give Gliscor some trouble with Explosion, Ice Punch, and potentially boosted Bullet Punch. Gliscor has nice type synergy with Steel-types, as it can come in on Ground- and Fighting-type attacks while Steel-types can come in on Ice-type attacks for it. Skarmory and Gliscor form a fantastic defensive core because Gliscor can switch into Electric-type attacks, especially ones from Choice Scarf Rotom-A. Spikes support from Skarmory can also assist Gliscor in wearing down an opposing team. Water-types resist both Water- and Ice-type attacks, which are the only two types that Gliscor is weak to. Starmie, Milotic, and Suicune all pair nicely with Gliscor. The latter two can combine with Gliscor to form a strong defensive core that does well against Dragon Dance sweepers like Dragonite, Gyarados, and Tyranitar; in return, Gliscor can even check Swords Dance Lucario quite well, which Suicune and Milotic can both only soft check. Milotic can be used alongside Gliscor to form a defensive core that offensive teams often find quite difficult to break.
Clefable and Blissey can come in on special Water- and Ice-type attacks while Gliscor can take physical attacks well, especially Fighting-type attacks. Because Clefable and Blissey are passive, setup sweepers can often take advantage of them which is where Gliscor's Taunt and defensive utility can be useful for stopping those setup Pokemon in their tracks. Latias resists Water-type attacks and has high Special Defense, which complements Gliscor's high Defense quite well. Choice Scarf Latias can also use Thunderbolt to revenge kill Gyarados. Using Toxic Spikes alongside Gliscor from Pokemon like Nidoqueen and Roserade can be beneficial for wearing down potential Gliscor checks like Celebi, Hippowdon, Swampert, Milotic, and Suicune.
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Ice Fang
move 4: Roost / Thunder Fang / Taunt
item: Leftovers
ability: Hyper Cutter
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Gliscor is a versatile Swords Dance sweeper that can employ either a set with incredible staying power or an all-out offensive set that thrives on perfect coverage. Because of Gliscor's natural bulk and unique typing, it can find many opportunities to use Swords Dance and put pressure on offensive and defensive teams alike. Another great way to use Swords Dance Gliscor is to weaken an opposing team, allowing Gliscor to serve as an effective late-game cleaner. Earthquake is Gliscor's best STAB move, which can deal massive damage after Swords Dance has been used. Even without a Swords Dance boost, Earthquake can hit Heatran, Jirachi, Lucario, Magnezone, and Metagross for super effective damage.
Ice Fang is used in the third slot because it hits many of Gliscor's checks super effectively. Although it's a weak attack, it can cleanly OHKO Pokemon like Dragonite and Flygon and come very close to OHKOing opposing Gliscor after a Swords Dance boost. It can even OHKO certain variants of Breloom after just a single Swords Dance boost.
Roost can be used alongside Swords Dance to give Gliscor more staying power and longevity, maximizing its ability to switch in on and threaten its foes while using Swords Dance over a longer game. However, Thunder Fang can be used to form an all-out offensive set, which can OHKO Gyarados after a Swords Dance and come as a huge surprise to your opponent, while also hitting Skarmory super effectively. Taunt is another alternative that, when paired with Swords Dance, can absolutely obliterate opposing stall builds. When using Taunt over Roost, however, Gliscor's staying power is reduced, and you will have to rely on constant passive recovery in order to keep Gliscor healthy and maximize its effectiveness.
Set Details
========
Gliscor's Attack and Speed are maximized in order to give it as much of an offensive presence as possible. The Speed investment and Jolly nature maintain Gliscor's ability to check Lucario quite well and also let it outspeed some variants of Jirachi, Roserade, and offensive Suicune. Leftovers is the preferred item, which is especially important if opting for Taunt, but Yache Berry can sometimes be used for a more offensive take, as it can allow Gliscor to sponge an Ice-type attack from the likes of Tyranitar, Jirachi, and even Blissey and Clefable. Gliscor can even stay in on Hidden Power Ice from Zapdos and Infernape, which for the latter can enable it to OHKO it with Earthquake. When behind Light Screen and Reflect, Yache Berry can ensure that Gliscor can survive even the strongest of Ice-type attacks.
Usage Tips
========
Swords Dance Gliscor benefits especially from capitalizing off bad locked moves from Choice item Pokemon, so try to detect Choice Scarf Flygon and Choice Scarf Rotom-A, and conceal your Gliscor until you can switch in on an Earthquake from the former or a Thunderbolt from the latter. Swords Dance Gliscor is especially good at playing off its surprise factor, since it's not that common. Moves like Thunder Fang and Swords Dance can be played very effectively with this strategy either by luring in Gyarados or conditioning your opponent to not feel as uncomfortable as they should about giving Gliscor momentum. If you're not using Roost, Gliscor's health and passive recovery are extremely important. If Stealth Rock is not up on your side of the field, try to find instances where you can send Gliscor in simply to restore a bit of HP with Leftovers. If you're using Taunt, Swords Dance will be even less expected, so try to play on that surprise as well; if you're using Roost, you can likely use Swords Dance more frequently during the battle, so take advantage of Gliscor's ability to constantly set up and pressure the opposing team. Ice Fang can be used to catch pivots that come in on an expected Earthquake, and it will often hit them super effectively.
Team Options
========
Choice Scarf Tyranitar pairs extremely well with Swords Dance Gliscor because it can trap Starmie, Rotom-A, Latias, and Gengar, all of which can prevent Swords Dance Gliscor from cleaning. Swords Dance Gliscor has no HP investment and maximum Speed, so Bronzong's Gyro Ball can often 2HKO it. Thunder Fang is Gliscor's best option against Bronzong, which does laughable damage even after a Swords Dance boost. On top of that, with its inability to properly run Taunt and Roost at the same time, it has a hard time preventing Bronzong from setting up Trick Room, and some Bronzong variants even pack Hidden Power Ice. For this reason, Magnezone is an excellent pairing, as it can trap Bronzong and remove it by using Magnet Rise and Thunderbolt; it can also trap Scizor and Choice Scarf Jirachi, which can deal significant damage to Swords Dance Gliscor with Bullet Punch and Ice Punch. Skarmory can phaze Gliscor with Whirlwind to give it trouble, but Magnezone can also trap it, aiding in Swords Dance Gliscor's ability to clean late-game. Your own Scizor can pair very well with Gliscor, as it can threaten Gengar and use its U-turn to help Gliscor reliably switch in and set up.
Water-types like Starmie, Milotic, Suicune, and Swampert can make things very difficult for Gliscor either by outspeeding and threatening to OHKO it with a Water- or Ice-type move, or by surviving a Swords Dance-boosted attack. If Gliscor doesn't have Thunder Fang, Gyarados can switch in with ease and fearlessly shrug off a +2 Ice Fang. Grass- and Electric-types like Breloom, Celebi, Shaymin, Zapdos, Rotom-A, and Raikou can threaten Water-types and offensively synergize with Gliscor quite well. In particular, Grass-types other than most Breloom can serve as solid switch-ins to Water-type attacks, which can be especially helpful, but they are also weak to Ice-type moves.
Choice Scarf Jirachi, Rotom-A, and Latias can all revenge kill Gyarados and other setup sweepers. Jirachi also resists Ice-type attacks, and while Latias resists Water-type attacks. In return, Gliscor can come in on Ground-type attacks aimed at Jirachi and Bug-type attacks aimed at Latias.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Gliscor has a large movepool, and it can use a surprising number of moves to some degree of effectiveness. It can use a Stealth Rock set with U-turn, which can be a useful lead that uses U-turn to break a potential Focus Sash from Azelf, Empoleon, and Roserade. This set can also work effectively against Starmie by using U-turn as it comes in and following up with Tyranitar to trap and remove it. However, this set should not be used without dedicated support in Tyranitar and a Ghost-type like Rotom-A or Gengar, as a Stealth Rock user that is very weak to Starmie is a risky choice. A Choice Scarf set with Earthquake, Thunder Fang, Ice Fang, and U-turn can be effective, but Choice Scarf Flygon is usually more desirable, since its STAB-boosted Dragon-type attacks make it much more threatening. Fire Fang can be used over Ice Fang to better handle Swords Dance Scizor if your team cannot fit a primary check for it. Toxic can be used to cripple bulky Water-types like Milotic and Vaporeon, as well as Hippowdon and Rotom-A, but it is difficult to find room for this move without sacrificing a better option like Ice Fang. Stone Edge can be used to hit Zapdos, Dragonite, and Gyarados in only one slot, but its power is quite underwhelming, and other coverage and utility moves are generally preferred. Gliscor could use Baton Pass with Swords Dance, but this is an unreliable gimmick. Gliscor could also use Agility on an offensive or Baton Pass set, but there are several better options for both those roles. Gliscor could support its team with Rain Dance, but there are almost always better options like Azelf and even Crobat. Night Slash can be used to hit Ghost-types, but it would only work as a surprise option and Gliscor is better off with its standard moves. Brick Break can be used to stunt hyper offense builds that utilize dual screens, but the move is so weak that this would be the only use. Aqua Tail can hit Hippowdon super effectively as well as opposing Gliscor, but so can Ice Fang, which can also threaten to freeze both of those Pokemon.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Water-types**: Water-types like Gyarados, Kingdra, Milotic, Starmie, Suicune, and Swampert can all threaten Gliscor massively with their super effective STAB attacks. Besides Kingdra, these Pokemon also commonly use Ice-type attacks, which are 4x super effective against Gliscor.
**Ice-type attacks**: Gliscor is 4x weak to Ice, so Pokemon that use Ice-type attacks like Jirachi, Hippowdon, Infernape, Heatran, Machamp, and Rotom-A can all be a threat. Ice-types like Abomasnow and Mamoswine can threaten Gliscor with STAB-boosted Ice-type attacks, namely Ice Shard, while simultaneously not taking too much damage from any of Gliscor's attacks, although Mamoswine must watch out for Gliscor's Earthquake.
**Ground-immune Pokemon**: Pokemon like Zapdos, Latias, Bronzong, Gengar, Cresselia, and Rotom-A are immune to Gliscor's strongest attacking move, can shrug off Ice Fang with ease, and are able to threaten Gliscor with powerful attacks or even status. Bronzong is especially effective versus Swords Dance Gliscor, but has to beware of a potential pairing with Magnezone. Cresselia can pack Ice Beam and Calm Mind simultaneously, which Gliscor cannot handle whatsoever, even with Taunt and Roost. Skarmory can do well versus Gliscor variants without Taunt, but it does not match up well otherwise.
**Special Attackers**: Although Gliscor excels in its natural physical bulk, its special bulk is lackluster, so many special attacks from the likes of Gengar, Shaymin, Celebi, mixed Dragonite, Heatran, Infernape, and Latias can be quite troublesome to deal with.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Excal, 456373]]
- Quality checked by: [[Emeral, 72767], [Triangles, 118250]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [Legitimate Username.143355]]
With a unique typing that's only hit super effectively by Water- and Ice-type attacks, a large movepool, and well-distributed stats, Gliscor has risen to become a behemoth in OU. In fact, there is no Pokemon that can even come close to fulfilling the specific roles that Gliscor can fill. It is one of the most devastating stallbreakers in the tier, and it can utilize a scary Swords Dance set.
While Gliscor is an incredible Pokemon, its raw power is comparatively low, and its Special Defense is lackluster. Water-types will laugh at Gliscor's weaker attacks and give it massive trouble. Ice-type attacks are 4x super effective, and Gliscor is rarely able to take one from most opposing Pokemon. That said, Gliscor's shortcomings are very few. It can fit onto a large variety of teams and is an essential Pokemon in OU.
[SET]
name: Stallbreaker
move 1: Taunt
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Ice Fang / Knock Off / Wing Attack
move 4: Roost
item: Leftovers
ability: Hyper Cutter
nature: Jolly / Impish
evs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Taunt, in tandem with Earthquake, allows Gliscor to shut down many common stall cores consisting of Pokemon like Tyranitar, Nidoqueen, Clefable, Skarmory, Heatran, and mono-Electric-type attack Rotom-A. Taunt is also crucial versus offensive teams, as it can prevent setup sweepers from boosting their stats. Earthquake is Gliscor's best STAB move, dealing decent damage even without Attack investment and allowing Gliscor to OHKO most Heatran, Magnezone, and Lucario, all of which Gliscor can generally outspeed, as well as hit Pokemon like Tyranitar, Metagross, and Jirachi super effectively.
Ice Fang is the most recommended move in the third slot, as it has many uses on Gliscor. Ice Fang can be used alongside Taunt to wear down Pokemon like Skarmory and Rotom-A, as although the damage is minimal, Gliscor is able to use Ice Fang multiple times against both Pokemon, which adds up over time. Ice Fang also hits Dragonite, Flygon, and opposing Gliscor for massive damage, and it simultaneously hits Grass-types super effectively; this affirms Gliscor's ability to take on Breloom. Alternatively, Knock Off can be used to cripple opposing teams, and it works especially effectively for removing items from Skarmory and Clefable, making it extremely strong versus stall. By opting to not use Ice Fang, however, Gliscor becomes worse versus Breloom and Dragon-types. Wing Attack is also a solid option when using a stall build for providing great insurance versus Breloom, consistently OHKOing it with 4x super effective damage. However, Wing Attack is not as good against stall builds compared to Ice Fang because it does not wear down Skarmory and Rotom-A as solidly and cannot threaten a freeze, and Knock Off is much better at dismantling stall builds than Wing Attack is as well.
Roost is the last move, allowing Gliscor to keep itself healthy so it can consistently wear down stall and even bulkier offensive teams that can have trouble breaking it. Removing its Flying typing while healing is also a great bonus because Ground typing is actually quite good defensively, and its 4x weakness to Ice-type is reduced to 2x while using the move, which can allow Gliscor to actually sit in on weaker Ice-type attacks from Pokemon like defensive Swampert and Hippowdon.
Set Details
========
Maximizing HP and Speed is very effective when combined with Gliscor's natural bulk. The Speed investment and Jolly nature are necessary to maximize Taunt's effectiveness, enable Gliscor to function as a check to max Speed Lucario, and outspeed certain Pokemon like some variants of Jirachi, Roserade, non-Choice Scarf Rotom-A, and even offensive Suicune, which it can revenge kill if it is severely weakened. Optionally, Gliscor can use a minimum of 216 EVs in Speed to reach 308 Speed, which still allows it to outspeed Lucario, Roserade, Rotom-A, and offensive Suicune; the 40 EVs can then be transferred into Attack investment to guarantee a 3HKO on Breloom with Ice Fang regardless of Stealth Rock damage and to almost completely guarantee a 2HKO on maximum HP Metagross with Earthquake after Stealth Rock. This comes at the price of being slower than Pokemon that aim to Speed creep Gliscor like Zapdos, offensive Celebi, Jirachi, and opposing Gliscor.
An Impish nature is a great alternative that gives Gliscor increased bulk, which makes a significant difference when facing foes like Choice Band Tyranitar, Choice Scarf Flygon, Metagross, and Lucario. With a spread of 252 HP / 40 Def / 216 Spe, Gliscor is still able to outspeed Adamant Lucario and max Speed Heatran, but it will lose out on shutting down fast Substitute + Will-O-Wisp Rotom-A. It will also be unable to hit Roserade first with a powerful Earthquake, and be potentially unable to use Taunt or Earthquake to either prevent Suicune from using Calm Mind or wear it down with chip damage.
Usage Tips
========
Because of Gliscor's unique typing and bulk, it can come in safely on many Pokemon. Use Gliscor's typing to your advantage by pivoting it into Electric-type, Ground-type, and even Fighting-type attacks. Gliscor can be used to gain momentum by punishing Choice Scarf Flygon and Choice Scarf Rotom-A's Earthquake and Thunderbolt. When facing a stall build, try to switch in on Skarmory; stall teams have decent diversity in their move selection, so try to properly scout movesets before comfortably sending Gliscor in on Pokemon like Tyranitar, Clefable, and Rotom-A. Taunt can completely shut down RestTalk and Substitute + Will-O-Wisp Rotom-A, provided that Gliscor does not switch in on Will-O-Wisp. Using Taunt can sometimes be quite risky against Pokemon like Swampert, Gyarados, and Dragonite, so proceed with caution and try not to use Taunt unsafely unless you deem it necessary. Sending Gliscor in on a double switch can be incredibly effective when facing stall builds, as they often have difficulty switching into Gliscor, which can create opportunities for you to put pressure on your foes. Take advantage of the defensive perks of Ground typing when using Roost with Gliscor to keep it healthy. Ice Fang can be used liberally and can often catch switches into Ground-immune pivots, as it will often hit those pivots super effectively and even occasionally inflict a freeze on them. If Gliscor is your main Lucario check, keeping it healthy is quite important. Try to determine if Lucario is using Ice Punch before sending Gliscor in. If you notice that Lucario isn't holding a Life Orb, then there is a higher likelihood that it packs Ice Punch with either a Choice item or a Shuca Berry; Gliscor needs to watch out for the latter, as Lucario can take an Earthquake with Shuca Berry and take Gliscor out.
Team Options
========
Starmie can switch into Gliscor very easily when it is healthy, spin away entry hazards, threaten the whole team with a powerful STAB Water-type move, or even recover its health, as Gliscor's Earthquake is simply not strong enough to threaten most healthy Starmie. For this reason, Tyranitar is an excellent teammate that can trap Starmie with Pursuit and threaten it with a powerful STAB Crunch or even Dark Pulse. Gliscor can also switch into Ground- and Fighting-type attacks while Tyranitar can come in on Ice-type attacks thanks to its sand-boosted Special Defense. Although both Tyranitar and Gliscor are weak to Water-type attacks, very specially bulky variants of Tyranitar can actually soft check Water-types like Starmie and Rain Dance Kingdra. Choice Scarf Tyranitar gets a special mention, since it can trap Starmie, Latias, Rotom-A, and even Gengar.
Electric-type Pokemon can serve well to hit pesky Water-types like Gyarados, Starmie, Suicune, and Milotic super effectively. Zapdos has great defensive synergy with Gliscor, and it can use Hidden Power Grass to shut down Swampert while simultaneously matching up very well versus Gyarados, which is Gliscor's greatest enemy, and other Water-types as well. Zapdos also completely shuts down Swords Dance Scizor, an opponent that can actually give Gliscor trouble sometimes. Rotom-A can spinblock on defensive teams, which supports Gliscor in whittling down the opposition. As an Electric-type, it has similar benefits to Zapdos, and Choice Scarf Rotom-A notably is a fantastic revenge killer for removing Gyarados. Grass-types like Breloom, Celebi, and Shaymin can threaten bulky Water-types like Swampert and Milotic with super effective Grass-type attacks, while Celebi and Gliscor together make for a strong Fighting-resistant core. Although Grass-types serve as great answers to Water-types alongside Gliscor, an Ice-type weakness is compounded, so make sure to compensate for this with either Steel-types or your own Water-type.
Magnezone pairs very well with Gliscor, forming a core that is devastating for defensive builds to face. Knock Off Gliscor gets a special mention, as it can remove a Skarmory's Shed Shell, allowing Magnezone to trap it without any issues. Magnezone can also trap Bronzong, Choice Scarf Jirachi, and Scizor, which have the potential to give Gliscor some trouble with Explosion, Ice Punch, and potentially boosted Bullet Punch. Gliscor has nice type synergy with Steel-types, as it can come in on Ground- and Fighting-type attacks while Steel-types can come in on Ice-type attacks for it. Skarmory and Gliscor form a fantastic defensive core because Gliscor can switch into Electric-type attacks, especially ones from Choice Scarf Rotom-A. Spikes support from Skarmory can also assist Gliscor in wearing down an opposing team. Water-types resist both Water- and Ice-type attacks, which are the only two types that Gliscor is weak to. Starmie, Milotic, and Suicune all pair nicely with Gliscor. The latter two can combine with Gliscor to form a strong defensive core that does well against Dragon Dance sweepers like Dragonite, Gyarados, and Tyranitar; in return, Gliscor can even check Swords Dance Lucario quite well, which Suicune and Milotic can both only soft check. Milotic can be used alongside Gliscor to form a defensive core that offensive teams often find quite difficult to break.
Clefable and Blissey can come in on special Water- and Ice-type attacks while Gliscor can take physical attacks well, especially Fighting-type attacks. Because Clefable and Blissey are passive, setup sweepers can often take advantage of them which is where Gliscor's Taunt and defensive utility can be useful for stopping those setup Pokemon in their tracks. Latias resists Water-type attacks and has high Special Defense, which complements Gliscor's high Defense quite well. Choice Scarf Latias can also use Thunderbolt to revenge kill Gyarados. Using Toxic Spikes alongside Gliscor from Pokemon like Nidoqueen and Roserade can be beneficial for wearing down potential Gliscor checks like Celebi, Hippowdon, Swampert, Milotic, and Suicune.
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Ice Fang
move 4: Roost / Thunder Fang / Taunt
item: Leftovers
ability: Hyper Cutter
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Gliscor is a versatile Swords Dance sweeper that can employ either a set with incredible staying power or an all-out offensive set that thrives on perfect coverage. Because of Gliscor's natural bulk and unique typing, it can find many opportunities to use Swords Dance and put pressure on offensive and defensive teams alike. Another great way to use Swords Dance Gliscor is to weaken an opposing team, allowing Gliscor to serve as an effective late-game cleaner. Earthquake is Gliscor's best STAB move, which can deal massive damage after Swords Dance has been used. Even without a Swords Dance boost, Earthquake can hit Heatran, Jirachi, Lucario, Magnezone, and Metagross for super effective damage.
Ice Fang is used in the third slot because it hits many of Gliscor's checks super effectively. Although it's a weak attack, it can cleanly OHKO Pokemon like Dragonite and Flygon and come very close to OHKOing opposing Gliscor after a Swords Dance boost. It can even OHKO certain variants of Breloom after just a single Swords Dance boost.
Roost can be used alongside Swords Dance to give Gliscor more staying power and longevity, maximizing its ability to switch in on and threaten its foes while using Swords Dance over a longer game. However, Thunder Fang can be used to form an all-out offensive set, which can OHKO Gyarados after a Swords Dance and come as a huge surprise to your opponent, while also hitting Skarmory super effectively. Taunt is another alternative that, when paired with Swords Dance, can absolutely obliterate opposing stall builds. When using Taunt over Roost, however, Gliscor's staying power is reduced, and you will have to rely on constant passive recovery in order to keep Gliscor healthy and maximize its effectiveness.
Set Details
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Gliscor's Attack and Speed are maximized in order to give it as much of an offensive presence as possible. The Speed investment and Jolly nature maintain Gliscor's ability to check Lucario quite well and also let it outspeed some variants of Jirachi, Roserade, and offensive Suicune. Leftovers is the preferred item, which is especially important if opting for Taunt, but Yache Berry can sometimes be used for a more offensive take, as it can allow Gliscor to sponge an Ice-type attack from the likes of Tyranitar, Jirachi, and even Blissey and Clefable. Gliscor can even stay in on Hidden Power Ice from Zapdos and Infernape, which for the latter can enable it to OHKO it with Earthquake. When behind Light Screen and Reflect, Yache Berry can ensure that Gliscor can survive even the strongest of Ice-type attacks.
Usage Tips
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Swords Dance Gliscor benefits especially from capitalizing off bad locked moves from Choice item Pokemon, so try to detect Choice Scarf Flygon and Choice Scarf Rotom-A, and conceal your Gliscor until you can switch in on an Earthquake from the former or a Thunderbolt from the latter. Swords Dance Gliscor is especially good at playing off its surprise factor, since it's not that common. Moves like Thunder Fang and Swords Dance can be played very effectively with this strategy either by luring in Gyarados or conditioning your opponent to not feel as uncomfortable as they should about giving Gliscor momentum. If you're not using Roost, Gliscor's health and passive recovery are extremely important. If Stealth Rock is not up on your side of the field, try to find instances where you can send Gliscor in simply to restore a bit of HP with Leftovers. If you're using Taunt, Swords Dance will be even less expected, so try to play on that surprise as well; if you're using Roost, you can likely use Swords Dance more frequently during the battle, so take advantage of Gliscor's ability to constantly set up and pressure the opposing team. Ice Fang can be used to catch pivots that come in on an expected Earthquake, and it will often hit them super effectively.
Team Options
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Choice Scarf Tyranitar pairs extremely well with Swords Dance Gliscor because it can trap Starmie, Rotom-A, Latias, and Gengar, all of which can prevent Swords Dance Gliscor from cleaning. Swords Dance Gliscor has no HP investment and maximum Speed, so Bronzong's Gyro Ball can often 2HKO it. Thunder Fang is Gliscor's best option against Bronzong, which does laughable damage even after a Swords Dance boost. On top of that, with its inability to properly run Taunt and Roost at the same time, it has a hard time preventing Bronzong from setting up Trick Room, and some Bronzong variants even pack Hidden Power Ice. For this reason, Magnezone is an excellent pairing, as it can trap Bronzong and remove it by using Magnet Rise and Thunderbolt; it can also trap Scizor and Choice Scarf Jirachi, which can deal significant damage to Swords Dance Gliscor with Bullet Punch and Ice Punch. Skarmory can phaze Gliscor with Whirlwind to give it trouble, but Magnezone can also trap it, aiding in Swords Dance Gliscor's ability to clean late-game. Your own Scizor can pair very well with Gliscor, as it can threaten Gengar and use its U-turn to help Gliscor reliably switch in and set up.
Water-types like Starmie, Milotic, Suicune, and Swampert can make things very difficult for Gliscor either by outspeeding and threatening to OHKO it with a Water- or Ice-type move, or by surviving a Swords Dance-boosted attack. If Gliscor doesn't have Thunder Fang, Gyarados can switch in with ease and fearlessly shrug off a +2 Ice Fang. Grass- and Electric-types like Breloom, Celebi, Shaymin, Zapdos, Rotom-A, and Raikou can threaten Water-types and offensively synergize with Gliscor quite well. In particular, Grass-types other than most Breloom can serve as solid switch-ins to Water-type attacks, which can be especially helpful, but they are also weak to Ice-type moves.
Choice Scarf Jirachi, Rotom-A, and Latias can all revenge kill Gyarados and other setup sweepers. Jirachi also resists Ice-type attacks, and while Latias resists Water-type attacks. In return, Gliscor can come in on Ground-type attacks aimed at Jirachi and Bug-type attacks aimed at Latias.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
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Gliscor has a large movepool, and it can use a surprising number of moves to some degree of effectiveness. It can use a Stealth Rock set with U-turn, which can be a useful lead that uses U-turn to break a potential Focus Sash from Azelf, Empoleon, and Roserade. This set can also work effectively against Starmie by using U-turn as it comes in and following up with Tyranitar to trap and remove it. However, this set should not be used without dedicated support in Tyranitar and a Ghost-type like Rotom-A or Gengar, as a Stealth Rock user that is very weak to Starmie is a risky choice. A Choice Scarf set with Earthquake, Thunder Fang, Ice Fang, and U-turn can be effective, but Choice Scarf Flygon is usually more desirable, since its STAB-boosted Dragon-type attacks make it much more threatening. Fire Fang can be used over Ice Fang to better handle Swords Dance Scizor if your team cannot fit a primary check for it. Toxic can be used to cripple bulky Water-types like Milotic and Vaporeon, as well as Hippowdon and Rotom-A, but it is difficult to find room for this move without sacrificing a better option like Ice Fang. Stone Edge can be used to hit Zapdos, Dragonite, and Gyarados in only one slot, but its power is quite underwhelming, and other coverage and utility moves are generally preferred. Gliscor could use Baton Pass with Swords Dance, but this is an unreliable gimmick. Gliscor could also use Agility on an offensive or Baton Pass set, but there are several better options for both those roles. Gliscor could support its team with Rain Dance, but there are almost always better options like Azelf and even Crobat. Night Slash can be used to hit Ghost-types, but it would only work as a surprise option and Gliscor is better off with its standard moves. Brick Break can be used to stunt hyper offense builds that utilize dual screens, but the move is so weak that this would be the only use. Aqua Tail can hit Hippowdon super effectively as well as opposing Gliscor, but so can Ice Fang, which can also threaten to freeze both of those Pokemon.
Checks and Counters
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**Water-types**: Water-types like Gyarados, Kingdra, Milotic, Starmie, Suicune, and Swampert can all threaten Gliscor massively with their super effective STAB attacks. Besides Kingdra, these Pokemon also commonly use Ice-type attacks, which are 4x super effective against Gliscor.
**Ice-type attacks**: Gliscor is 4x weak to Ice, so Pokemon that use Ice-type attacks like Jirachi, Hippowdon, Infernape, Heatran, Machamp, and Rotom-A can all be a threat. Ice-types like Abomasnow and Mamoswine can threaten Gliscor with STAB-boosted Ice-type attacks, namely Ice Shard, while simultaneously not taking too much damage from any of Gliscor's attacks, although Mamoswine must watch out for Gliscor's Earthquake.
**Ground-immune Pokemon**: Pokemon like Zapdos, Latias, Bronzong, Gengar, Cresselia, and Rotom-A are immune to Gliscor's strongest attacking move, can shrug off Ice Fang with ease, and are able to threaten Gliscor with powerful attacks or even status. Bronzong is especially effective versus Swords Dance Gliscor, but has to beware of a potential pairing with Magnezone. Cresselia can pack Ice Beam and Calm Mind simultaneously, which Gliscor cannot handle whatsoever, even with Taunt and Roost. Skarmory can do well versus Gliscor variants without Taunt, but it does not match up well otherwise.
**Special Attackers**: Although Gliscor excels in its natural physical bulk, its special bulk is lackluster, so many special attacks from the likes of Gengar, Shaymin, Celebi, mixed Dragonite, Heatran, Infernape, and Latias can be quite troublesome to deal with.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Excal, 456373]]
- Quality checked by: [[Emeral, 72767], [Triangles, 118250]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [Legitimate Username.143355]]
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