[Overview]
· Outclassed by other mono-normal types if it goes fully supportive or fully offensive
· Has low base 60 SpD that Intimidate cannot buffer
· Slower than even most walls in the tier: Alomomola, Misdreavus, Tangela, etc.
· Intimidate and 90 HP allow it to tank some neutral physical hits
· Lack of resistances and immunities barring Ghost diminish bulk considerably
· The combination of Intimidate, high attacking power, and a fairly unique movepool separate it from other Normal-types in NU.
[SET]
name: Offensive Support
move 1: Return
move 2: Close Combat / Crunch
move 3: Heal Bell
move 4: Toxic / Thunder Wave
item: Leftovers
ability: Intimidate
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
· Intimidate buffers physical attacks for Granbull and its team mates
· Return hits for STAB damage and hits anything that doesn't resist it relatively hard
· Close Combat hits rock and steel types that would otherwise wall it, but in turn leave Granbull walled by ghosts
· Crunch hits ghosts that are immune to its STAB but leaves it walled by most steel and rock types
· Heal Bell removes status from itself and the rest of the team which gives it a niche as a offensive cleric
· Thunder Wave helps alleviate Granbull's speed problem while also helping its team mates out speed a potential threat
· Toxic can be used over Thunder Wave to hit walls and ground types, so should always be paired with Close Combat
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
· An Adamant nature was chosen to maximize Granbull's attacking power while an Impish nature can be used if more defensive bulk is desired.
· Its investment in attack is what separates it from Miltank as a physical supporter which gives it a more threatening presence offensively than Miltank.
· Even with Intimidate, Granbull is still afraid of even non-STAB fighting attacks, so Misdreavus and Musharna make excellent partners to shore up this weakness with the former being able to burn with Will-O-Wisp and the latter being able to set up with Calm Mind.
· Offensively, anything that get rid of the Rock, Steel, or Ghost types that wall Granbull make good partners as well. Golurk makes the best offensive partner as it can hit all three types super effectively with its STAB. Skuntank can't touch Rock- and Steel-types, but it can pursuit trap the Ghosts Granbull struggles with.
· Anything that's vulnerable to status appreciates Granbull's Heal Bell and anything with a low base speed appreciates its Thunder Wave.
[Other Options]
· Has Double Edge to hit harder than Return, but the recoil hurts Granbull as it has no reliable recovery to mitigate it.
· Super Fang can be used to wear down walls and other things it struggles to damage, but Granbull is often too slow to make use of it.
· Superpower can be used over Close Combat, but the attack drop is undesirable over Close Combat's defense drops.
· A Choice Band is also viable, but is mostly outclassed Sheer Force Tauros who is much faster and hits nearly as hard with Rock Climb as Granbull hits with Return.
· Although Trick Room is generally a poor strategy in NU, Granbull can work very well in Trick Room teams because it brings the much needed support Trick Room teams need to function.
· Has Work Up and Bulk Up as boosting options, but is too slow to effectively use the former and has no reliable recovery to effectively use the latter. Both also either replace a coverage move or replace a support move which Granbull does not really want to do.
· Like most Normal types, has many special attacking option, but its 60 base SpA is not really useable even if boosted by Work Up.
[Checks and Counters]
· Fighting types in general check Granbull. Choice Band Sawk can OHKO with Close Combat even after Intimidate while Gurdurr can take Granbull's attacks, gain a Guts bosst if it switches in on Thunder Wave or Toxic, and recover its health with Drain Punch.
· If Granbull is using Close Combat, any Ghost type will be immune to its attacks while only having to watch out for Thunder Wave or Toxic. Misdreavus is the best option to wall Close Combat Granbull as it can shrug off status with Heal Bell.
· If using Crunch, Rock and Steel types, namely Probopass and Bastiodon, are free to set up Stealth Rocks as they take almost nothing from Granbull.
· Alomomola can wear Granbull down with Scald or Waterfall then heal with Wish, while only having to worry about Toxic beause it takes almost nothing from Granbull's attacks otherwise.
· Tangela and Vileplume work similarly to Alomomola while even being able to put Granbull to sleep with Sleep Powder. Vileplume can even shrug off status with Aromatherapy.
· Outclassed by other mono-normal types if it goes fully supportive or fully offensive
· Has low base 60 SpD that Intimidate cannot buffer
· Slower than even most walls in the tier: Alomomola, Misdreavus, Tangela, etc.
· Intimidate and 90 HP allow it to tank some neutral physical hits
· Lack of resistances and immunities barring Ghost diminish bulk considerably
· The combination of Intimidate, high attacking power, and a fairly unique movepool separate it from other Normal-types in NU.
[SET]
name: Offensive Support
move 1: Return
move 2: Close Combat / Crunch
move 3: Heal Bell
move 4: Toxic / Thunder Wave
item: Leftovers
ability: Intimidate
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
· Intimidate buffers physical attacks for Granbull and its team mates
· Return hits for STAB damage and hits anything that doesn't resist it relatively hard
· Close Combat hits rock and steel types that would otherwise wall it, but in turn leave Granbull walled by ghosts
· Crunch hits ghosts that are immune to its STAB but leaves it walled by most steel and rock types
· Heal Bell removes status from itself and the rest of the team which gives it a niche as a offensive cleric
· Thunder Wave helps alleviate Granbull's speed problem while also helping its team mates out speed a potential threat
· Toxic can be used over Thunder Wave to hit walls and ground types, so should always be paired with Close Combat
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
· An Adamant nature was chosen to maximize Granbull's attacking power while an Impish nature can be used if more defensive bulk is desired.
· Its investment in attack is what separates it from Miltank as a physical supporter which gives it a more threatening presence offensively than Miltank.
· Even with Intimidate, Granbull is still afraid of even non-STAB fighting attacks, so Misdreavus and Musharna make excellent partners to shore up this weakness with the former being able to burn with Will-O-Wisp and the latter being able to set up with Calm Mind.
· Offensively, anything that get rid of the Rock, Steel, or Ghost types that wall Granbull make good partners as well. Golurk makes the best offensive partner as it can hit all three types super effectively with its STAB. Skuntank can't touch Rock- and Steel-types, but it can pursuit trap the Ghosts Granbull struggles with.
· Anything that's vulnerable to status appreciates Granbull's Heal Bell and anything with a low base speed appreciates its Thunder Wave.
[Other Options]
· Has Double Edge to hit harder than Return, but the recoil hurts Granbull as it has no reliable recovery to mitigate it.
· Super Fang can be used to wear down walls and other things it struggles to damage, but Granbull is often too slow to make use of it.
· Superpower can be used over Close Combat, but the attack drop is undesirable over Close Combat's defense drops.
· A Choice Band is also viable, but is mostly outclassed Sheer Force Tauros who is much faster and hits nearly as hard with Rock Climb as Granbull hits with Return.
· Although Trick Room is generally a poor strategy in NU, Granbull can work very well in Trick Room teams because it brings the much needed support Trick Room teams need to function.
· Has Work Up and Bulk Up as boosting options, but is too slow to effectively use the former and has no reliable recovery to effectively use the latter. Both also either replace a coverage move or replace a support move which Granbull does not really want to do.
· Like most Normal types, has many special attacking option, but its 60 base SpA is not really useable even if boosted by Work Up.
[Checks and Counters]
· Fighting types in general check Granbull. Choice Band Sawk can OHKO with Close Combat even after Intimidate while Gurdurr can take Granbull's attacks, gain a Guts bosst if it switches in on Thunder Wave or Toxic, and recover its health with Drain Punch.
· If Granbull is using Close Combat, any Ghost type will be immune to its attacks while only having to watch out for Thunder Wave or Toxic. Misdreavus is the best option to wall Close Combat Granbull as it can shrug off status with Heal Bell.
· If using Crunch, Rock and Steel types, namely Probopass and Bastiodon, are free to set up Stealth Rocks as they take almost nothing from Granbull.
· Alomomola can wear Granbull down with Scald or Waterfall then heal with Wish, while only having to worry about Toxic beause it takes almost nothing from Granbull's attacks otherwise.
· Tangela and Vileplume work similarly to Alomomola while even being able to put Granbull to sleep with Sleep Powder. Vileplume can even shrug off status with Aromatherapy.
[Overview]
<p>Granbull is an outclassed Pokemon if it decides to go fully offensive or fully defensive. It's the combination of its usable bulk with Intimidate, high Attack, and fairly unique support movepool that separate it from other Normal-types in NU. Its base 120 Attack can leave dents in anything that does not resist its moves, and its support moves can give more offensive teams much needed cleric support without giving up too much momentum. Even with Intimidate though, Granbull's lack of resistances, poor Special Defense, and low Speed make it difficult for it to keep up with both attackers and walls alike.</p>
[SET]
name: Offensive Support
move 1: Return
move 2: Close Combat / Crunch
move 3: Heal Bell
move 4: Toxic / Thunder Wave
item: Leftovers
ability: Intimidate
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set is Granbull's only set that isn't entirely outclassed by something else in the tier. Return is Granbull's main attacking move, as anything that doesn't resist it will be taking a lot of damage. Next, there is a choice to be made for coverage between Close Combat and Crunch. Close Combat hits the Rock- and Steel-types that would resist Return but leaves Granbull walled by Ghost-types. Crunch hits Ghost-types super effectively, most notably, Golurk but it leaves Granbull walled by Rock- and Steel-types. Heal Bell is the move that gives Granbull its niche as an offensive supporter by healing itself and its team of status. The last slot should be either Thunder Wave or Toxic. Thunder Wave helps alleviate Granbull's speed problem while also slowing down faster threats for the rest of Granbull's team, while Toxic should always be used with Close Combat so Granbull isn't completely walled by Ghost-types, specifically Golurk, which is immune to both Close Combat and Thunder Wave.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>An Adamant nature is chosen to maximize Granbull's attacking power, though an Impish nature can be used if more physical bulk is desired. All three offensive moves can be used on this set along with one of the support moves, but this option is mostly outclassed by other Normal-types such as Miltank. Body Slam can be used over Return for its paralysis chance, but Granbull will miss the extra power not to mention the fact that Body Slam is illegal with Close Combat. Even with Intimidate, Granbull is still afraid of Fighting-type attacks, so Misdreavus and Musharna make excellent defensive partners to shore up this weakness with the former being able to burn foes with Will-O-Wisp and the latter being able to set up with Calm Mind. Offensively, anything that can get rid of the Rock-, Steel-, and Ghost-types that wall Granbull make a good partner as well. The best offensive partner for Granbull would be Golurk. Golurk can switch in on Fighting-type attacks that threaten Granbull and take out all the Rock-, Steel-, and Ghost-types that Granbull cannot hit hard with its STAB attacks. It also benefits from Thunder Wave slowing down faster threats or Toxic wearing down walls. Skuntank can't touch Rock- and Steel-types, but it can Pursuit trap the Ghost-types that Granbull struggles with. Many Pokemon appreciate Granbull's Heal Bell support and its ability to lure in and Toxic physical walls as well as its ability to paralyze faster Pokemon.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Granbull has quite a large movepool, but most of its options are not very reliable or can't be used effectively with its stats. Granbull has Double-Edge to hit harder than Return, but it really doesn't appreciate the recoil considering it has no reliable recovery. Super Fang wears down walls that Granbull struggles with, but Granbull is often too slow to properly use it. A Choice Band set is also viable but is generally outclassed by Zangoose, which sports the same coverage as Granbull but is much faster and hits harder with its Normal-type STAB. Granbull also has access to Quick Feet to increase its Speed when statused, but Ursaring, which also has Quick Feet, has both better Attack and Speed than Granbull as well as access to Swords Dance. Although Trick Room is generally a poor strategy in NU, Granbull can work very well on Trick Room teams because of its low Speed, its monstrous Attack, and the support it brings to help Trick Room teams function. With access to Bulk Up and Work Up, Granbull can boost its stats to further increase its offensive presence, but it's too slow to use either effectively. Both also either replace a coverage move or replace a support move, which Granbull does not really want to give up. Finally, like most Normal-types, Granbull has many special attacking options, but base 60 Special Attack is not really usable even if boosted by Work Up.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Granbull is not very hard to counter due to its exploitable typing, low Special Defense, and lack of reliable recovery. Fighting-types in general check Granbull. Choice Band Sawk can OHKO with Close Combat even after Intimidate, and Gurdurr can take Granbull's attacks, gain a Guts boost if it switches in on Thunder Wave or Toxic, and recover its health with Drain Punch. If Granbull is using Close Combat, any Ghost-type will be immune to its attacks and only have to watch out for Thunder Wave or Toxic. Misdreavus is the best option to wall Close Combat Granbull as it can shrug off status with Heal Bell. If using Crunch, Rock-and Steel-types, such as Probopass and Bastiodon, are free to set up Stealth Rock as they take almost nothing from Granbull's attacks. Alomomola can wear Granbull down with Scald or Waterfall then heal with Wish,only having to worry about Toxic because it takes almost nothing from Granbull's attacks otherwise. Tangela and Vileplume work similarly to Alomomola and can also put Granbull to sleep with Sleep Powder. Vileplume can shrug off status with Aromatherapy. Granbull's most exploitable weakness is its Special Defense; any decently powered STAB special attack can knock out Granbull pretty easily.</p>
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