Diff
[Overview]
<p>Illumise looks at her brother, Volbeat, with jealousy as he refuses to pass on Tail Glow to her and hogs all the glory in everything they do. She is a decent weather support Pokemon with Prankster, as it grants her priority when using her weather moves. Encore, Thunder Wave, and Baton Pass are also notable moves that she can use to
a great effect. A slow U-turn
safel
y e
nt
ers her teammates
enterinto the battlefield
safely. However, few can overlook her mediocre bulk and Stealth Rock weakness, both which restricts the number of times she can set up. She also lacks anything worthwhile to Baton Pass, making Volbeat the better option with his ability to pass Tail Glow boosts. Illumise even has a weaker U-turn on the weather support set, letting Volbeat outshine her on an otherwise exact same set.</p>
[SET]
name: Weather Supporter
move 1: Rain Dance / Sunny Day
move 2: U-turn
move 3: Encore
move 4: Thunder Wave
item: Damp Rock / Heat Rock
ability: Prankster
nature: Bold / Relaxed
evs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Illumise's best role is to support her teammates as best as she can with her priority moves, courtesy of Prankster. Rain Dance and Sunny Day are given priority
duethanks to Prankster and are guaranteed to be set up if Illumise switches in safely. U-turn is usually the best move to use after setting up your selected weather to provide a safe switch
-in for your sweepers while wasting as few turns of weather as possible. Encore forces quite a few switches, as locking your opponent into a support move or
a resisted attack can give Illumise and her teammates a couple of turns to set up and possibly sweep. Thunder Wave is not quite as useful, but it is excellent for hindering a Pokemon holding a Choice item. It is also effective against naturally fast Pokemon
whothat don't set up. Both Encore and Thunder Wave are best used before setting up weather in order to prevent the loss of too many weather turns, but they are helpful at any time if you use them correctly.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Damp Rock and Heat Rock are the best choices for items, each with their respective weathers. The EVs are set to maximize Illumise's physical bulk, since Illumise's typing provides it with resistances to Fighting- and Ground-type moves, which are generally physically oriented. Bold and Relaxed both help with her physical bulk, but Relaxed also lowers Speed. This is notable for anyone who wishes to have the slowest U-turn possible in order to guarantee that Illumise is the one
whothat takes the opposing attack rather than a teammate. You m
ayight also choose to lower Illumise's Speed IVs to 11 in order to be slower than most attackers while still outspeeding minimum base 65 Speed Pokemon, specifically Alomomola, if Illumise also uses a Relaxed nature. You can also lower her Speed IVs further, but there are very few Pokemon that she can underspeed. There are very few other move options that can be considered for this set, but Roost is the most notable one. Roost extends Illumise's longevity significantly, however her main goal is to support the team. A recovery move is simply distracting Illumise from her real goal: supporting her team.</p>
<p>The best teammates for Illumise are weather sweepers that have their abilities activated under their respective weather. Ludicolo, Seismitoad, Floatzel, and Gorebyss are some excellent teammates with Rain Dance, while Exeggutor, Victreebel, Shiftry, and Sawsbuck are great options with Sunny Day. Other bulky weather inducers are highly recommended so
that Illumise isn't bearing the burden of setting up weather alone. Rotom-S and Musharna are good rain inducers, Regirock and Gardevoir are good at setting up sun, and Liepard can set up either weather. Volbeat, ironically, makes an excellent partner to set up rain as well, becoming quite a difficult weather inducing duo to take down. Other Pokemon that can take adva
ntage of weather are also good teammates. Jynx and Articuno appreciate rain, for Dry Skin and Hurricane respectively, while Solar Power Charizard and other Fire-types can take advantage of sun's boost to Fire-type moves. Something to remove entry hazards is very useful, as Toxic Spikes reduces a rain teams lifespan, and Stealth Rock does the same to sun teams. Swift Swim Armaldo is a good Rapid Spinner for rain teams as it receives a useful Speed boost in the rain; likewise, Shell Smash Torkoal is a good Rapid Spin user for sun teams since its Fire-type moves are enhanced in the sun. If a Rapid Spin user feels like it is limiting your offensive pressure, having a Poison-type Pokemon such as Scolipede can help remove Toxic Spikes, while Mold Breaker Sawk can stop most Stealth Rock setters before they can set up.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Like Roost, Moonlight is a viable option with Sunny Day in order to extend Illumise's longevity. However, Illumise will still lose over 50% of her health when hit with most decently powered neutral attacks, making the recovery turn less useful in retrospect. A Baton Pass set is viable, but Illumise has very few moves to pass
sincbecause Growth is illegal with Baton Pass. A Swagger and Thunder Wave set is somewhat usable to inflict the dreaded parafusion, but because Illumise lacks Foul Play, it is all dependent on luck. Psych Up can also work with such a set to acquire the Attack boosts in order to Baton Pass them, but it is an unreliable way to do so. Toxic has priority due to Prankster, but weather teams like to switch often, so it would have to Toxic the entire opposing team to truly have a significant effect. Fake Tears and Charm are options to weaken the opponent before they can attack, but most attacks are still able to inflict significant damage that Illumise cannot usually recover from. Tailwind has priority and can support your team outside of weather, but Thunder Wave generally lasts longer and has more utility.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>While it isn't easy to stop Illumise from setting up, there are still some significant Pokemon that counter this lady firefly. Murkrow is Illumise's greatest nemesis due to its own priority Taunt, higher base Speed, and a super-effective Brave Bird. Encore users are also a problem as they can lock Illumise into a move and force it to waste valuable turns switching out. Liepard is also a significant counter because it can cripple Illumise with its disruptive moves. It can even set up the opposing weather and waste Illumise's work. Rock Blast users, such as Golem and Gigalith, are able to take out Illumise even if it has a Substitute up. Roar and Whirlwind users, such as Altaria and Grumpig, can force Illumise out into a possibly undesirable Pokemon or force an incoming weather sweeper out, preventing them from doing anything if Illumise used U-turn. Haze users, most notably Weezing, can also negate the effectiveness of Baton Pass sets. Choice Band Golurk is another Pokemon that Illumise can't touch, as it isn't affected by Encore or Thunder Wave. If all else fails, simply wearing Illumise down can limit how often she
can set
s up. Stealth Rock and other entry hazards limit her usefulness, and any relatively strong neutral or super
-effective attack can cripple Illumise permanently. Illumise isn't that threatening on her own; you are usually better off trying to handle the weather sweepers that usually follow after her.</p>
C/P
[Overview]
<p>Illumise looks at her brother, Volbeat, with jealousy as he refuses to pass on Tail Glow to her and hogs all the glory in everything they do. She is a decent weather support Pokemon with Prankster, as it grants her priority when using her weather moves. Encore, Thunder Wave, and Baton Pass are also notable moves that she can use to a great effect. A slow U-turn safely enters her teammates into the battlefield. However, few can overlook her mediocre bulk and Stealth Rock weakness, both which restricts the number of times she can set up. She also lacks anything worthwhile to Baton Pass, making Volbeat the better option with his ability to pass Tail Glow boosts. Illumise even has a weaker U-turn on the weather support set, letting Volbeat outshine her on an otherwise exact same set.</p>
[SET]
name: Weather Supporter
move 1: Rain Dance / Sunny Day
move 2: U-turn
move 3: Encore
move 4: Thunder Wave
item: Damp Rock / Heat Rock
ability: Prankster
nature: Bold / Relaxed
evs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Illumise's best role is to support her teammates as best as she can with her priority moves, courtesy of Prankster. Rain Dance and Sunny Day are given priority thanks to Prankster and are guaranteed to be set up if Illumise switches in safely. U-turn is usually the best move to use after setting up your selected weather to provide a safe switch-in for your sweepers while wasting as few turns of weather as possible. Encore forces quite a few switches, as locking your opponent into a support move or a resisted attack can give Illumise and her teammates a couple of turns to set up and possibly sweep. Thunder Wave is not quite as useful, but it is excellent for hindering a Pokemon holding a Choice item. It is also effective against naturally fast Pokemon that don't set up. Both Encore and Thunder Wave are best used before setting up weather in order to prevent the loss of too many weather turns, but they are helpful at any time if you use them correctly.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Damp Rock and Heat Rock are the best choices for items, each with their respective weathers. The EVs are set to maximize Illumise's physical bulk, since Illumise's typing provides it with resistances to Fighting- and Ground-type moves, which are generally physically oriented. Bold and Relaxed both help with her physical bulk, but Relaxed also lowers Speed. This is notable for anyone who wishes to have the slowest U-turn possible in order to guarantee that Illumise is the one that takes the opposing attack rather than a teammate. You might also choose to lower Illumise's Speed IVs to 11 in order to be slower than most attackers while still outspeeding minimum base 65 Speed Pokemon, specifically Alomomola, if Illumise also uses a Relaxed nature. You can also lower her Speed IVs further, but there are very few Pokemon that she can underspeed. There are very few other move options that can be considered for this set, but Roost is the most notable one. Roost extends Illumise's longevity significantly, however her main goal is to support the team. A recovery move is simply distracting Illumise from her real goal: supporting her team.</p>
<p>The best teammates for Illumise are weather sweepers that have their abilities activated under their respective weather. Ludicolo, Seismitoad, Floatzel, and Gorebyss are some excellent teammates with Rain Dance, while Exeggutor, Victreebel, Shiftry, and Sawsbuck are great options with Sunny Day. Other bulky weather inducers are highly recommended so Illumise isn't bearing the burden of setting up weather alone. Rotom-S and Musharna are good rain inducers, Regirock and Gardevoir are good at setting up sun, and Liepard can set up either weather. Volbeat, ironically, makes an excellent partner to set up rain as well, becoming quite a difficult weather inducing duo to take down. Other Pokemon that can take advantage of weather are also good teammates. Jynx and Articuno appreciate rain, for Dry Skin and Hurricane respectively, while Solar Power Charizard and other Fire-types can take advantage of sun's boost to Fire-type moves. Something to remove entry hazards is very useful, as Toxic Spikes reduces a rain teams lifespan, and Stealth Rock does the same to sun teams. Swift Swim Armaldo is a good Rapid Spinner for rain teams as it receives a useful Speed boost in the rain; likewise, Shell Smash Torkoal is a good Rapid Spin user for sun teams since its Fire-type moves are enhanced in the sun. If a Rapid Spin user feels like it is limiting your offensive pressure, having a Poison-type Pokemon such as Scolipede can help remove Toxic Spikes, while Mold Breaker Sawk can stop most Stealth Rock setters before they can set up.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Like Roost, Moonlight is a viable option with Sunny Day in order to extend Illumise's longevity. However, Illumise will still lose over 50% of her health when hit with most decently powered neutral attacks, making the recovery turn less useful in retrospect. A Baton Pass set is viable, but Illumise has very few moves to pass because Growth is illegal with Baton Pass. A Swagger and Thunder Wave set is somewhat usable to inflict the dreaded parafusion, but because Illumise lacks Foul Play, it is all dependent on luck. Psych Up can also work with such a set to acquire the Attack boosts in order to Baton Pass them, but it is an unreliable way to do so. Toxic has priority due to Prankster, but weather teams like to switch often, so it would have to Toxic the entire opposing team to truly have a significant effect. Fake Tears and Charm are options to weaken the opponent before they can attack, but most attacks are still able to inflict significant damage that Illumise cannot usually recover from. Tailwind has priority and can support your team outside of weather, but Thunder Wave generally lasts longer and has more utility.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>While it isn't easy to stop Illumise from setting up, there are still some significant Pokemon that counter this lady firefly. Murkrow is Illumise's greatest nemesis due to its own priority Taunt, higher base Speed, and a super-effective Brave Bird. Encore users are also a problem as they can lock Illumise into a move and force it to waste valuable turns switching out. Liepard is also a significant counter because it can cripple Illumise with its disruptive moves. It can even set up the opposing weather and waste Illumise's work. Rock Blast users, such as Golem and Gigalith, are able to take out Illumise even if it has a Substitute up. Roar and Whirlwind users, such as Altaria and Grumpig, can force Illumise out into a possibly undesirable Pokemon or force an incoming weather sweeper out, preventing them from doing anything if Illumise used U-turn. Haze users, most notably Weezing, can also negate the effectiveness of Baton Pass sets. Choice Band Golurk is another Pokemon that Illumise can't touch, as it isn't affected by Encore or Thunder Wave. If all else fails, simply wearing Illumise down can limit how often she sets up. Stealth Rock and other entry hazards limit her usefulness, and any relatively strong neutral or super effective attack can cripple Illumise permanently. Illumise isn't that threatening on her own; you are usually better off trying to handle the weather sweepers that usually follow after her.</p>
GP 1/2
