I'm surprised nobody's clawed out my throat for not including this later on in the original analysis. Plus, I gotta breathe a little air of creativity into OU C&C because of all these darned revamps.
Status: Done
QC Approvals (3/3): (alexwolf) (princess bri) (ginga <3)
GP Approvals (2/2): (GatoDelFuego) (Melvni)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS.
(hahaha, get it? Because knight?)
(Man, tough crowd)
[SET]
name: Non-Choice Attacker
move 1: Psyshock / Psychic
move 2: Thunderbolt / Grass Knot
move 3: Hidden Power Fire / Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Signal Beam / Thunder Wave
item: Expert Belt / Life Orb
ability: Shadow Tag
nature: Modest / Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>In exchange for some power and the ability to cripple defensive Pokemon by tricking a Choice item onto them, this set grants Gothitelle the freedom to switch attacks and maintain momentum without locking himself into a single move. Gothitelle can therefore be played less cautiously and can often handle more than one threat before fainting. As usual, the Psychic-type STAB move of choice depends on preference and team support. Psyshock is the preferred move this time, as it has a better chance of OHKOing Tentacruel and Terrakion in sandstorm. With Life Orb and a Modest nature, it also guarantees a 2HKO on 0/252 Blissey with a little prior damage. Psychic is certainly useful against some physically defensive targets however, especially Gliscor and Landorus-T if Gothitelle isn't running Hidden Power Ice. Thunderbolt is needed for Skarmory and hits Politoed harder, whereas Grass Knot gives Gothitelle a chance to OHKO Hippowdon and to dent Tyranitar before fainting. As usual, Hidden Power Fire is reserved especially for Ferrothorn, Forretress, and Scizor, while Hidden Power Ice decimates Gliscor and Landorus-T.</p>
<p>With the absence of Trick, Gothitelle has the option of either maximizing his coverage or crippling faster offensive Pokemon. Signal Beam mainly hits Celebi, OHKOing the specially defensive variant with Expert Belt and two Stealth Rock switch-ins while handling other sets quite decently. If you find Signal Beam unnecessary, Thunder Wave is another option that cripples fast offensive threats, mainly ones that carelessly switch in after Gothitelle has eliminated an opposing Pokemon. Gothitelle can also switch into and trap any threat you like and paralyze it at any time in the match, giving him great offensive utility.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread and natures are much the same as on the Choice Specs set. A Modest nature is preferred on this set for a couple of reasons; Gothitelle needs to make up for the decrease in power (especially if he is using Expert Belt) and doesn't benefit as much from outspeeding specific threats because he lacks Trick to cripple them. The use of Thunder Wave also somewhat compensates for the Speed loss, however. The only reason to consider a Timid nature is to outrun and KO or cripple specific threats, including defensive Jirachi, Celebi, and Adamant Breloom.</p>
<p>There are some useful moves to consider in the last slot besides Signal Beam and Thunder Wave. Taunt prevents opponents from setting up or healing, which is an effective strategy against defensive threats attempting to stall Gothitelle out or set up hazards. Heal Bell allows Gothitelle to heal himself and his teammates of status and keep in somewhat good shape when facing status users such as Ferrothorn, Blissey, and Jellicent. Last but not least, Gothitelle can use either Fake Tears or Calm Mind to increase his damage output, though he is generally better off attacking two times in succession.</p>
<p>Remember that teammates should always take advantage of the holes that Gothitelle makes in the opposing team. Therefore, one shouldn't be too concerned about Gothitelle being walled, as Gothitelle himself is used purely for team support. Teammates should also capitalize on the threats that Gothitelle lures in or can't hit, including Pursuit users and special walls such as Chansey and Celebi (if Gothitelle lacks Signal Beam). As usual, the practical answer to this is to employ Pokemon that can set up easily on them; Substitute Terrakion sets up for free on Chansey and Heatran, while Scizor scares out Tyranitar, Celebi, and opposing Scizor, and wrecks many other threats after a Swords Dance boost.</p>
Status: Done
QC Approvals (3/3): (alexwolf) (princess bri) (ginga <3)
GP Approvals (2/2): (GatoDelFuego) (Melvni)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS.
(hahaha, get it? Because knight?)
(Man, tough crowd)
[SET]
name: Non-Choice Attacker
move 1: Psyshock / Psychic
move 2: Thunderbolt / Grass Knot
move 3: Hidden Power Fire / Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Signal Beam / Thunder Wave
item: Expert Belt / Life Orb
ability: Shadow Tag
nature: Modest / Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>In exchange for some power and the ability to cripple defensive Pokemon by tricking a Choice item onto them, this set grants Gothitelle the freedom to switch attacks and maintain momentum without locking himself into a single move. Gothitelle can therefore be played less cautiously and can often handle more than one threat before fainting. As usual, the Psychic-type STAB move of choice depends on preference and team support. Psyshock is the preferred move this time, as it has a better chance of OHKOing Tentacruel and Terrakion in sandstorm. With Life Orb and a Modest nature, it also guarantees a 2HKO on 0/252 Blissey with a little prior damage. Psychic is certainly useful against some physically defensive targets however, especially Gliscor and Landorus-T if Gothitelle isn't running Hidden Power Ice. Thunderbolt is needed for Skarmory and hits Politoed harder, whereas Grass Knot gives Gothitelle a chance to OHKO Hippowdon and to dent Tyranitar before fainting. As usual, Hidden Power Fire is reserved especially for Ferrothorn, Forretress, and Scizor, while Hidden Power Ice decimates Gliscor and Landorus-T.</p>
<p>With the absence of Trick, Gothitelle has the option of either maximizing his coverage or crippling faster offensive Pokemon. Signal Beam mainly hits Celebi, OHKOing the specially defensive variant with Expert Belt and two Stealth Rock switch-ins while handling other sets quite decently. If you find Signal Beam unnecessary, Thunder Wave is another option that cripples fast offensive threats, mainly ones that carelessly switch in after Gothitelle has eliminated an opposing Pokemon. Gothitelle can also switch into and trap any threat you like and paralyze it at any time in the match, giving him great offensive utility.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread and natures are much the same as on the Choice Specs set. A Modest nature is preferred on this set for a couple of reasons; Gothitelle needs to make up for the decrease in power (especially if he is using Expert Belt) and doesn't benefit as much from outspeeding specific threats because he lacks Trick to cripple them. The use of Thunder Wave also somewhat compensates for the Speed loss, however. The only reason to consider a Timid nature is to outrun and KO or cripple specific threats, including defensive Jirachi, Celebi, and Adamant Breloom.</p>
<p>There are some useful moves to consider in the last slot besides Signal Beam and Thunder Wave. Taunt prevents opponents from setting up or healing, which is an effective strategy against defensive threats attempting to stall Gothitelle out or set up hazards. Heal Bell allows Gothitelle to heal himself and his teammates of status and keep in somewhat good shape when facing status users such as Ferrothorn, Blissey, and Jellicent. Last but not least, Gothitelle can use either Fake Tears or Calm Mind to increase his damage output, though he is generally better off attacking two times in succession.</p>
<p>Remember that teammates should always take advantage of the holes that Gothitelle makes in the opposing team. Therefore, one shouldn't be too concerned about Gothitelle being walled, as Gothitelle himself is used purely for team support. Teammates should also capitalize on the threats that Gothitelle lures in or can't hit, including Pursuit users and special walls such as Chansey and Celebi (if Gothitelle lacks Signal Beam). As usual, the practical answer to this is to employ Pokemon that can set up easily on them; Substitute Terrakion sets up for free on Chansey and Heatran, while Scizor scares out Tyranitar, Celebi, and opposing Scizor, and wrecks many other threats after a Swords Dance boost.</p>
