[OVERVIEW]
Gliscor stands out from its OU brethren thanks to its aptitude at breaking down stall and balanced archetypes due to its access to reliable recovery in Roost, immunity to status, access to Taunt to shut down defensive cores, and access to Swords Dance to break through bulky behemoths such as Mega Sableye. This is further cemented by Gliscor's excellent ability Poison Heal rendering Gliscor immune to status when poisoned, providing it with passive recovery, and allowing Gliscor to switch into Knock Off freely when poisoned. Gliscor is also a good answer to a host of threats such as Gengar, Clefable, Mega Sableye, Ferrothorn, and Assault Vest Tornadus-T because of its good natural bulk, and its decent typing lets it come in against Fighting-, Poison-, Electric-, and Ground-types not packing powerful super effective coverage.
However, Gliscor suffers from a weakness to common Water-types such as Keldeo, Starmie, and Rotom-W and a double weakness to Ice-type Pokemon and coverage moves, particularly Weavile. It can also be overwhelmed by powerful attackers such as Mega Metagross, Mega Altaria, and Garchomp if investing in Special Defense.
[SET]
name: Swords Dance Stallbreaker
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Knock Off / Facade
move 4: Roost
item: Toxic Orb
ability: Poison Heal
nature: Careful
evs: 244 HP / 8 Def / 200 SpD / 56 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Swords Dance boosts Gliscor's Attack, making it an immediate threat and capable of beating defensive cores more easily. Earthquake is Gliscor's strongest attack, boasting STAB and a neutral hit on many defensive Pokemon such as Mega Sableye, Clefable, and Mega Altaria. Knock Off nets a neutral hit on many Flying-types and Levitate users such as Skarmory, Landorus-T, and Gengar while providing good utility in depriving the foe of its item. Alternatively, Facade is quite strong when Gliscor is poisoned and deals more damage to certain Flying-types and Levitate users than Knock Off does. Another perk Facade has over Knock Off is its ability to to hit Pokemon that resist or take little damage from Knock Off, such as Breloom, Mega Charizard Y, and Hydreigon; however, it leaves Gliscor walled by the likes of Gengar, Skarmory, and Bronzong. Roost provides Gliscor with reliable recovery, making it extremely hard to wear down especially in tandem with Poison Heal, which allows it to check the likes of Gengar and Assault Vest Tornadus-T better and outlive a lot of defensive Pokemon. Ice Fang is an option to deal with the likes of Mega Altaria, Garchomp, Dragonite, opposing Gliscor, Landorus-T, Breloom, and Chesnaught.
Set Details
========
244 EVs invested into HP let Gliscor hit a Poison Heal number, allowing it to gain maximal recovery from Poison Heal each turn. 56 Speed EVs enable Gliscor to outpace Adamant Bisharp and Breloom. However, more Speed can be run to outpace specific threats such as Jolly Tyranitar, which requires 72 Speed, and Jolly Bisharp and Breloom, which requires 148 Speed but comes at the cost of significant bulk. 8 Defense EVs guarantee that Gliscor avoids the OHKO from +2 Adamant Bisharp's Life Orb-boosted Sucker Punch. The rest of the EVs are placed into Special Defense to take on special attackers such as Gengar, Assault Vest Tornadus-T, and Clefable more easily. The specific utility of Swords Dance is allowing Gliscor to turn the tables on defensive Pokemon such as Mega Sableye, which would otherwise wall it. Because of its good typing, reliable recovery, and excellent ability, many defensive teams struggle against Gliscor.
Usage Tips
========
Gliscor should be kept healthy with Roost, as quite a few Pokemon it counters such as Gengar and Clefable can overwhelm it otherwise. Boost up with Swords Dance in the face of foes that pose no immediate threat to Gliscor, such as Clefable lacking Ice Beam, Mega Sableye, and Ferrothorn. Use Knock Off on obvious switches into Flying-types, Levitate users, or Pokemon that resist Ground such as Skarmory, Latios, and Tangrowth, respectively, so as to cripple them. Do not pivot with Gliscor recklessly, as it can be overwhelmed by strong attacks such as Mega Metagross's Meteor Mash, Mega Altaria's Return, and Excadrill's Iron Head. Instead, switch Gliscor in against the likes of Gengar, Assault Vest Tornadus-T, and Clefable, which pose no immediate threat to it. Activating Toxic Orb as soon as possible is a necessity, as without being poisoned, Gliscor is susceptible to other status ailments and Knock Off. Scout for Ice-type coverage moves on the likes of Clefable, Gengar, and Tornadus-T before sending Gliscor out to check them.
Team Options
========
Reuniclus is a nice partner, as it appreciates Gliscor's ability to break through Mega Sableye and in turn provides an answer to a few Water-types such as Suicune, Slowbro (if running Shadow Ball), and Keldeo. Water-types are good partners, as they patch up Gliscor's vulnerability to Water- and Ice-types. Examples include Rotom-W, Keldeo, and Starmie. Starmie in particular provides an answer to Mega Metagross, Mamoswine, and Mega Venusaur, as well as Rapid Spin support. Mega Altaria checks Water-types such as Rotom-W, Keldeo, and Mega Gyarados, which are problematic for Gliscor; in return, Gliscor checks Clefable, Gengar, Heatran, and Scizor, all problems for Mega Altaria to face. Grass-types such as Celebi and Ferrothorn are nice partners, as they beat Water-types such as Suicune, Keldeo, and Starmie. Celebi serves as a win condition with different counters from Gliscor, and it also appreciates Gliscor's ability to dispose of Heatran, Ferrothorn, and Skarmory. Ferrothorn is capable of switching into a few Ice-type move users such as Mamoswine, Manaphy, and Starmie, as well as miscellaneous Gliscor checks such as Hippowdon, Rotom-W, and Thundurus, and setting up entry hazards or Leech Seed from there. Skarmory checks physical attackers such as Mega Metagross, Mega Altaria, and Mamoswine, which are capable of breaking past Gliscor easily. In return, Gliscor deals with special attackers that Skarmory struggles against, such as Flamethrower Clefable, Calm Mind Mega Sableye, and Gengar.
[SET]
name: Taunt Stallbreaker
move 1: Taunt
move 2: Toxic
move 3: Roost
move 4: Earthquake / Knock Off
item: Toxic Orb
ability: Poison Heal
nature: Careful
evs: 244 HP / 8 Def / 200 SpD / 56 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Taunt provides excellent utility in being able to prevent defensive Pokemon from recovering, setting up entry hazards, boosting stats, and crippling Gliscor via Taunt themselves. Toxic capitalizes on Taunt, wearing down defensive Pokemon in particular, as when Taunted they lack a way of recovering the health lost from Toxic or removing the status condition itself. Toxic also puts certain sweepers that like to switch into Gliscor, such as Breloom, on a timer. Roost is an extremely reliable way of maintaining longevity. The choice between Earthquake and Knock Off is dependent on the team Gliscor is utilized on. Earthquake provides neutral STAB coverage on defensive Pokemon such as Clefable, while Knock Off has additional utility in crippling item-reliant Pokemon such as Chansey and Keldeo. Knock Off also prevents Gliscor from being bait for the likes of Skarmory, Gengar, and Ferrothorn.
Set Details
========
The HP investment guarantees maximum recovery from Poison Heal each turn. 56 Speed EVs allow Gliscor to outpace everything up to and including Adamant Bisharp and Breloom. 8 Defense EVs ensure Gliscor avoids the OHKO from +2 Adamant Bisharp's Life Orb-boosted Sucker Punch. The rest of the EVs are placed into Special Defense to take on special attackers more easily.
Usage Tips
========
The combination of Taunt and Toxic allows Gliscor to beat defensive teams with ridiculous ease, as when combined with its substantial amount of recovery, it can outlast a lot of defensive Pokemon. Use Taunt against bulky Pokemon such as Clefable, Landorus-T, and Ferrothorn, which pose no threat to Gliscor.
When the foe has been Taunted, cripple it with Toxic. After the foe has been crippled via Toxic, proceed to whittle it down with Gliscor's offensive move of choice. On obvious switches to Water- or Grass-types that Gliscor cannot beat one-on-one such as Rotom-W and Tangrowth, Gliscor should use Toxic to wear them down as opposed to using Taunt. Keep Gliscor at decently high health with Roost, as being weakened means the likes of Gengar, Assault Vest Tornadus-T, and Clefable, which Gliscor normally checks, are capable of overwhelming it. Make sure Gliscor's Toxic Orb has activated before switching it into any potential status or Knock Off users, such as Breloom and Clefable. Scout for Ice-type coverage moves on the likes of Clefable, Gengar, and Tornadus-T before sending Gliscor out to check them.
Team Options
========
Gliscor fits well on balanced archetypes in general, which appreciate its ability to deal with threatening Pokemon such as Gengar and Clefable and break down defensive cores. Water-types such as Suicune, Rotom-W, and Slowbro are good partners, as they deal with Ice- and Water-types such as Weavile and Starmie, which are incredibly threatening for Gliscor. Ferrothorn and Mega Venusaur are good switch-ins to Water-types such as Starmie and Keldeo as well and can beat certain Ice-types such as Mamoswine. Ferrothorn also provides entry hazards to whittle down defensive Pokemon even more. Talonflame checks Keldeo, as well as Grass-types such as Celebi, Tangrowth, and Roserade, which are annoying for Gliscor to face. It also appreciates Gliscor's ability to wear down bulky Water-types such as Slowbro, Suicune, and Rotom-W with Toxic and Taunt.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
A more physically defensive EV spread allows Gliscor to tackle physical attackers such as Mega Metagross, Mega Lopunny, Bisharp, Talonflame, Landorus-T, and Excadrill better. The notorious Substitute + Toxic combination is decent at outstalling foes, but there are too many checks in this metagame such as Mega Sableye, Magic Guard Clefable, and Gengar, which render such a set less viable. U-turn gains momentum for the team and allows Gliscor to pivot out in the face of foes it cannot beat, such as Rotom-W. Stone Edge hits Flying-types such as Talonflame, Mega Charizard Y, and Tornadus-T on the switch. Acrobatics allows Gliscor to beat Grass- and Bug-types that resist Earthquake, such as Celebi and Mega Heracross. It is also decently effective in tandem with Fling to poison the foe, as Acrobatics reaches a higher Base Power afterwards. Baton Pass is a viable option to pass Agility or Swords Dance boosts to a team while gaining momentum. Gliscor is also a decent Stealth Rock user, as it has Taunt to pressure Defoggers such as Mew and the natural bulk to deal with a few Rapid Spin users such as Tentacruel.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Ice-type Move Users**: Due to Gliscor's double weakness to Ice, Pokemon that are Ice-type or carry Ice-type coverage moves, such as Weavile, Mamoswine, and Thundurus, are able to deal extremely large amounts of damage to Gliscor, if not outright OHKOing it. Specific Pokemon such as Gengar, Tornadus-T, and Clefable, when carrying Ice-type coverage, can also act as lures to Gliscor.
**Water-types**: Many Water-types, offensive and defensive alike, pose a threat to Gliscor. The likes of Manaphy, Azumarill, Gyarados, and Keldeo can deal a lot of damage to Gliscor with their STAB moves, while bulky Water-types such as Slowbro, Rotom-W, and Suicune are often capable of shrugging off Knock Off and Earthquake. However, defensive Water-types dislike switching into Toxic for fear of being worn down, and if their Scald is weak, which applies to the likes of Alomomola, Tentacruel, and Quagsire, Gliscor is more than capable of beating them one-on-one.
**Grass-types**: Grass-types take little damage from even boosted Earthquakes and can deal good damage back to Gliscor. Mega Venusaur is bulky enough to take consecutive Earthquakes, is immune to Toxic, and has Giga Drain and Synthesis to replenish any health lost. Serperior resists Earthquake and 2HKOes even specially defensive variants of Gliscor with Leaf Storm. Similarly, Tangrowth does not mind Earthquake or Knock Off too much and 2HKOes back with Hidden Power Ice.
**Strong Attackers**: Despite Gliscor's decent bulk, powerful attackers such as Mega Charizard Y, Mega Altaria, Mega Charizard X, Mega Metagross, Latios, and Alakazam are capable of dealing immense damage to it. However, when at full health, Gliscor is capable of avoiding OHKOs from some of these Pokemon; for example, Latios's Draco Meteor is only a 2HKO, meaning that Gliscor has the luxury of damaging it with Knock Off or using Roost to avoid the KO from the subsequent attack. Bulky setup sweepers such as Dragon Dance Mega Altaria, Swords Dance Garchomp, and Swords Dance Mega Scizor also can handle Gliscor quite well due to their good natural bulk, using it as setup fodder while keeping themselves quite high on health before KOing Gliscor.
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