Hi, sorry Kabutops has taken so long. It's gotten a big new goodie in Low Kick, meaning that the analysis changed a lot since the summer when i reserved it >_>. Oh yeah, this is all new, like Gengar, because Kabutops has never had an Ubers analysis before.
http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/kabutops
[Set]
name: Ubers Swords Dance Sweeper
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Low Kick
move 4: Stone Edge
item: Life Orb
ability: Swift Swim
nature: Adamant / Jolly
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[Set Comments]
<p>Kabutops is a perfect example of a Pokémon who can excel when it is granted access to a metagame with permanent weather. Kabutops’s already decent base 115 Attack stat gets raised to tremendous heights when it is boosted by Life Orb and Swords Dance. Furthermore, Kyogre’s Drizzle ability allows it to abuse the perpetual rain with its Swift Swim, doubling its Speed.</p>
<p>Swords Dance is obvious on this set, as, coupled with Life Orb, it makes Kabutops’s attack soar; this makes it a true threat, even in the Ubers tier, which holds some of the toughest Pokémon. Waterfall is also quite obvious. It gains not only STAB, but also the boost from rain, bringing its Base Power up to 180. This can rip through many Pokémon, especially since it comes off Kabutops’s boosted Attack stat. Waterfall is its main STAB and will probably be the move that you use the most (and for good reason). Low Kick is a great move for Kabutops; it gives great coverage alongside Waterfall. Most Pokémon in Ubers are quite heavy, which gives a great 120 Base Power on these targets. Furthermore, it allows Kabutops to beat many Pokémon who would normally give it trouble. For example, most versions of Dialga will be OHKOed by a Swords Dance-boosted Low Kick. Stone Edge rounds off the set nicely, giving you a secondary STAB move. It will probably be used only sparingly, because of the great coverage from Waterfall and Low Kick, but it certainly does have its uses. It allows you to hit Latias and Latios, who otherwise resist your moves. It also hits Lugia, Ho-oh, and Rayquaza for massive damage (it gets 150 Base Power after STAB, before weaknesses are taken into account).</p>
<p>The EVs for this set are quite straightforward. Maximizing Attack and Speed give Kabutops all the power and speed that it can get, so it can sweep as easily as possible (since its not going to be taking many hits). The choice between Adamant and Jolly is a classic choice between speed and power. Adamant is recommended, as it gives you more attacking power, while still letting you outspeed Choice Scarf Garchomp when the rain is up. Jolly, however, is also viable, as it allows you to outspeed Choice Scarf Gengar and Shaymin-S, at the cost of a bit of Attack.</p>
<p>Scizor is a threat for Kabutops, since its Bullet Punch bypasses Kabutops’s boosted Speed stat. Kabutops is quite frail, so it will be doing a lot of damage to the shellfish (Kabutops does not resist Bullet Punch). A bulky Kyogre, such as the “Boosting Tank” version, can take Scizor’s Bullet Punches with ease. It can then start boosting its Special Defense and Special Attack with Calm Mind, Resting off damage when necessary; from there it can attempt a sweep. Kyogre will also set up the rain, which is so incredibly necessary for Kabutops to sweep.</p>
<p>As mentioned before, Kabutops is quite frail, so any assistance in getting it into play or helping it set up is greatly appreciated. Wobbuffet can be a great help. By using Encore, Shadow Tag, and Safeguard (in some cases), Wobbuffet can provide for an easy switch into play. To do this, you can simply Encore a move that does little to no damage to Kabutops, or a status move (once Safeguard is set up). Then, you can switch Kabutops in without fear, while it also gains a turn to use Swords Dance while your opponent switches Pokémon. Although it is not necessary, Wobbuffet support is highly recommended. Kabutops’s 60 / 105 / 70 defenses are really quite dismal (albeit its Defense isn't too bad), especially in Ubers, where Pokémon hit harder and generally from the special side of the spectrum.</p>
[Set]
name: Ubers Choice Band
move 1: Waterfall
move 2: Low Kick
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: X-Scissor
item: Choice Band
ability: Swift Swim
nature: Adamant / Jolly
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[Set Comments]
<p>Although Kabutops is holding a Choice Band, this set generally functions best as a revenge killer. Kabutops’s Speed stat is boosted to epic proportions via Swift Swim, since Kyogre is the most-used Uber Pokémon. Furthermore, Kabutops’s Attack is boosted right off the bat by its Choice Band, meaning that it can do some serious damage without the need for using Swords Dance.</p>
<p>Like the Swords Dance set, Waterfall will generally be your move of choice. Waterfall receives two 1.5x boosts from STAB and the rain, as well as the Attack boost from the Choice Band, making it a truly potent threat. Low Kick and Stone Edge provide excellent coverage with Waterfall. The former has high Base Power due to how heavy most Pokémon are in Ubers, as well as doing huge damage to Dialga, who can normally walk all over Kabutops; the latter gains STAB boost and is generally your best bet against Lugia, Rayquaza switch-ins (don’t stay in against Rayquaza because of Air Lock), and Ho-oh. The fourth slot is mainly filler, since the other three moves hit most if not all Ubers for at least neutral damage. X-Scissor hits Latias and Latios for super effective damage, as well as being more reliable than Stone Edge, accuracy wise. Aqua Jet is an option, to pick of weakened Pokémon, but, generally speaking, you’ll be faster than your opponent thanks to Swift Swim.</p>
<p>Since you are not boosting your Attack quite as much, sturdy physical walls can wall this Kabutops quite easily. Giratina in particular can present a problem, as it resists you main form of attack, Waterfall, and it has no weaknesses to your other moves, meaning that it can status Kabutops with Will-O-Wisp while Resting off the damage that Kabutops does. Special attackers can power through Giratina, as the mighty Dragon-type normally invests in Defense. Of note are Dialga or Palkia who can wallop it with a STAB super effective Draco Meteor.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Like all other offensive Pokémon, Kabutops greatly appreciates the aid of entry hazards, in particular Spikes and Stealth Rock. Mew, Forretress, Deoxys-E, Deoxys-A, Dialga, and Groudon all make fabulous choices for this role, and all of them can viably be used in a lead role. Dialga, Mew, and Groudon can all use Stealth Rock; Groudon isn’t recommended as highly, however, since Kabutops will not enjoy the sunlight. Deoxys-E, Deoxys-A, and Forretress can all set up Spikes in addition to Stealth Rock (Forretress can also set up Toxic Spikes). Toxic Spikes doesn’t help Kabutops as much as other Pokémon in Ubers, since it is quite frail, and therefore it cannot wait for your opponent to die slowly from mounting Toxic damage. However, it can be used to augment the damage per turn. Kyogre is completely and absolutely mandatory when using Kabutops. The sea beast’s signature ability, Drizzle, is one of the biggest reasons to use Kabutops in the Ubers territory. It not only doubles Kabutops’s Speed via Swift Swim, but it also boosts Kabutops’s Water-type STAB move, Waterfall.</p>
<p>Kabutops’s public enemy number one is Groudon. It has excellent Defense and carries STAB super effective Earthquake. However, above all, it has Drought, which cancels out the rain; this weakens Kabutops’s Water-type STAB, and it gets rid of its Speed boost, leaving it a sitting duck. A mixed Rayquaza can work excellently to counteract this. Since Rayquaza is normally a physical Pokémon, Groudon will often be switching in to check or counter it. Then, you can hit it with a devastating STAB Draco Meteor, which, unless Groudon invests in Special Defense, will OHKO it, or at least do massive damage. Kingdra, who also benefits from Kyogre’s rain, can work in a similar way, although its Draco Meteor is quite a bit weaker. Kabutops can also run into problems with Giratina, who resists Kabutops’s most powerful move: Waterfall. Giratina can also threaten to burn Kabutops with Will-O-Wisp. Rayquaza or Kingdra can also deal with Giratina via Draco Meteor. Finally, Rayquaza poses quite a large threat to Kabutops, because Air Lock cancels out the rain, eliminating Kabutops’s Speed boost. Choice Scarf Palkia can easily check every form of Rayquaza, barring the Swords Dance version (which is handled by Choice Scarf or Hasty mixed Dialga). Palkia also greatly benefits from the rain, as its STAB Surf is further boosted.</p>
<p>Kabutops is quite a frail Pokémon, especially for Ubers, where most attacks on the special side of the spectrum. Therefore, it’s important that you have a central core of Pokémon, who, despite being offensive, can also take some hits. The combination of Palkia and Scizor can do quite well at this; they cover each other’s weaknesses excellently, while also keeping a strong offensive presence. Palkia’s only weakness is Dragon-type moves, which Scizor covers well; it is also able to pick off Outraging Dragon-types with its STAB Bullet Punch, with the exception of Dialga. In turn, Palkia takes Fire-type moves aimed at Scizor like a champ. They also have a plethora of resistances between them. Kabutops has to watch out for Grass-type moves in particular, as they hit for 4x super effective damage. Rayquaza, who was mentioned earlier for its offensive synergy, can also make a good partner, because it has a 4x resistance to the Grass-type moves. Kabutops’s other great fears are status moves, in particular Will-O-Wisp (mainly carried by Giratina) and Thunder Wave. Pokémon who can absorb these, like Ho-oh or special attackers for Will-O-Wisp or Garchomp for Thunder Wave, can be handy to save Kabutops from getting irrevocably crippled. Another possibility is to use a Blissey with Heal Bell, however, sometimes it is hard to fit Blissey into an offensive team, which is mainly where Kabutops would be used.</p>
<p>The Pokémon with whom Kabutops has trouble with (Groudon, Rayquaza, Giratina, and Scizor) are most commonly paired with Kyogre, Palkia, Forretress, Darkrai, and Mewtwo (other than each other). Kyogre can be dealt with by Palkia who outspeeds it, and can use either Outrage or Thunder to weaken Kyogre, and therefore its Water Spout as well. It’s also worth noting that opposing Kyogre also help out slightly by setting up the rain for your Kabutops; however, do not keep it alive just for this reason. Palkia is a tough case, since it has no one counter. Instead, you must first find out which set it is running, and even then you must use skillful prediction most of the time. Forretress is handled easily by any user of Fire-type moves, which can be used on both Palkia or Rayquaza, who were both mentioned above, in addition to Mewtwo, Dialga, Groudon (who isn’t recommended as highly because of its Drought), and Ho-oh. Darkrai and Mewtwo can both be handled by Scizor (as long as Sleep Clause is active in Darkrai’s case), as both can be disposed of with U-turn or Bullet Punch. However, Scizor still must watch out for a +2 Focus Blast from Darkrai.</p>
<p>Several other Pokémon can make use of the rain in the same way that Kabutops can, and therefore they make good partners as well. Kingdra and Ludicolo both have Swift Swim, while Palkia just benefits from the STAB boost. Kingdra is truly an offensive force to be reckoned with, as it has the capacity to go mixed, and it has two excellent STAB in Water- and Dragon-types; the first is boosted by the rain as well. Ludicolo has great defensive stats and typing, and it has the ability to be a real nuisance by stalling out your opponent by using Leech Seed and Protect. It also helps if you have Toxic Spikes down. Palkia is one of the most threatening Pokémon in Ubers, as it has amazing offensive stats, and it can viably run a multitude of sets, including full special, mixed, and full physical ones. Palkia has the same two great STAB as Kindgra as well. Although you probably can’t fit all four of these Pokémon (including Kabutops) on your team at once, it can be quite potent to have one or two.</p>
[EVs]
<p>Kabutops should always be maximizing its Attack and Speed EVs. Offense is its only asset, since it is quite frail (which has been mentioned many times). Kabutops’s mission is to do as much damage as possible (otherwise it’ll probably die), and its EVs should reflect that.</p>
<p>The choice between Adamant and Jolly is up to whether you prefer speed or power. With Adamant, you still outspeed Jolly Choice Scarf Garchomp, as well as maximizing your attack, and thus it is probably the better choice. Jolly, on the other hand, allows you to outspeed Modest Choice Scarf Shaymin-S and Choice Scarf Gengar, but it does come at the cost of Attack.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Aqua Jet can be used to take out weakened Pokémon, however Kabutops will generally be outrunning your opponent anyway, because of Swift Swim. X-Scissor is also a possibility, but it would mainly be filler, since the coverage granted by Waterfall / Low Kick / Stone Edge is quite vast.</p>
<p>Rapid Spin can be used on a Choice Band set in order to clear Stealth Rock, but Kabutops has much better things to do than be a support Pokémon. Furthermore, being locked into an extremely weak Normal-type move is just asking to be set up on in Ubers.</p>
[Opinion]
<p>Kabutops gets a huge boost in the Ubers environment because of Kyogre. The infinite rain created by Drizzle instantly transforms this sub-par Pokémon into an offensive force, as once its mediocre Speed stat is cured (it's actually quite impressive with a Swift Swim boost), its great Attack stat can shine as well. Kabutops is one of those Pokémon whom you probably laugh at the first time you see, but then watch in utter horror as it easily bulldozes through your team once it has set up.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Groudon is by and large the best Kabutops counter. It can come in on most of Kabutops’s attacks, because of its excellent Defense stat. It also replaces the rain with the sun. This reduces Kabutops’s Speed, bringing it back down to its mediocre base 80 stat. Also, it not only gets rid of the rain boost on Kabutops’s Water-type STAB, but it also actually further cuts it down, leaving Waterfall a shell of its former self (meaning Groudon can even switch in on that, even if Kabutops has managed to get a Swords Dance boost).</p>
<p>Rayquaza can come in on a resisted Waterfall or Low Kick, or after a KO, and cancel out the weather temporarily with its Air Lock. Then, it outspeeds Kabutops, and can proceed to destroy it with a Dragon-type move, or Earthquake. Scizor can use Bullet Punch to bypass Kabutops’s boosted Speed stat, and hit it for lots of damage.</p>
<p>If Kabutops does not have a Jolly nature, Choice Scarf Shaymin-S can come in and force Kabutops out with the threat of a STAB super effective Seed Flare.</p>
<p>Finally, Giratina can give Kabutops problems, since it resists Waterfall and is immune to Low Kick. It can also threaten to burn Kabutops with Will-O-Wisp, making Kabutops utterly useless. Furthermore, any user of Thunder Wave or Will-O-Wisp can threaten to completely cripple Kabutops.</p>
[Set]
name: Ubers Swords Dance Sweeper
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Low Kick
move 4: Stone Edge
item: Life Orb
ability: Swift Swim
nature: Adamant / Jolly
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[Set Comments]
<p>Kabutops is a perfect example of a Pokémon who can excel when it is granted access to a metagame with permanent weather. Kabutops’s already decent base 115 Attack stat gets raised to tremendous heights when it is boosted by Life Orb and Swords Dance. Furthermore, Kyogre’s Drizzle ability allows it to abuse the perpetual rain with its Swift Swim, doubling its Speed.</p>
<p>Swords Dance is obvious on this set, as, coupled with Life Orb, it makes Kabutops’s attack soar; this makes it a true threat, even in the Ubers tier, which holds some of the toughest Pokémon. Waterfall is also quite obvious. It gains not only STAB, but also the boost from rain, bringing its Base Power up to 180. This can rip through many Pokémon, especially since it comes off Kabutops’s boosted Attack stat. Waterfall is its main STAB and will probably be the move that you use the most (and for good reason). Low Kick is a great move for Kabutops; it gives great coverage alongside Waterfall. Most Pokémon in Ubers are quite heavy, which gives a great 120 Base Power on these targets. Furthermore, it allows Kabutops to beat many Pokémon who would normally give it trouble. For example, most versions of Dialga will be OHKOed by a Swords Dance-boosted Low Kick. Stone Edge rounds off the set nicely, giving you a secondary STAB move. It will probably be used only sparingly, because of the great coverage from Waterfall and Low Kick, but it certainly does have its uses. It allows you to hit Latias and Latios, who otherwise resist your moves. It also hits Lugia, Ho-oh, and Rayquaza for massive damage (it gets 150 Base Power after STAB, before weaknesses are taken into account).</p>
<p>The EVs for this set are quite straightforward. Maximizing Attack and Speed give Kabutops all the power and speed that it can get, so it can sweep as easily as possible (since its not going to be taking many hits). The choice between Adamant and Jolly is a classic choice between speed and power. Adamant is recommended, as it gives you more attacking power, while still letting you outspeed Choice Scarf Garchomp when the rain is up. Jolly, however, is also viable, as it allows you to outspeed Choice Scarf Gengar and Shaymin-S, at the cost of a bit of Attack.</p>
<p>Scizor is a threat for Kabutops, since its Bullet Punch bypasses Kabutops’s boosted Speed stat. Kabutops is quite frail, so it will be doing a lot of damage to the shellfish (Kabutops does not resist Bullet Punch). A bulky Kyogre, such as the “Boosting Tank” version, can take Scizor’s Bullet Punches with ease. It can then start boosting its Special Defense and Special Attack with Calm Mind, Resting off damage when necessary; from there it can attempt a sweep. Kyogre will also set up the rain, which is so incredibly necessary for Kabutops to sweep.</p>
<p>As mentioned before, Kabutops is quite frail, so any assistance in getting it into play or helping it set up is greatly appreciated. Wobbuffet can be a great help. By using Encore, Shadow Tag, and Safeguard (in some cases), Wobbuffet can provide for an easy switch into play. To do this, you can simply Encore a move that does little to no damage to Kabutops, or a status move (once Safeguard is set up). Then, you can switch Kabutops in without fear, while it also gains a turn to use Swords Dance while your opponent switches Pokémon. Although it is not necessary, Wobbuffet support is highly recommended. Kabutops’s 60 / 105 / 70 defenses are really quite dismal (albeit its Defense isn't too bad), especially in Ubers, where Pokémon hit harder and generally from the special side of the spectrum.</p>
[Set]
name: Ubers Choice Band
move 1: Waterfall
move 2: Low Kick
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: X-Scissor
item: Choice Band
ability: Swift Swim
nature: Adamant / Jolly
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[Set Comments]
<p>Although Kabutops is holding a Choice Band, this set generally functions best as a revenge killer. Kabutops’s Speed stat is boosted to epic proportions via Swift Swim, since Kyogre is the most-used Uber Pokémon. Furthermore, Kabutops’s Attack is boosted right off the bat by its Choice Band, meaning that it can do some serious damage without the need for using Swords Dance.</p>
<p>Like the Swords Dance set, Waterfall will generally be your move of choice. Waterfall receives two 1.5x boosts from STAB and the rain, as well as the Attack boost from the Choice Band, making it a truly potent threat. Low Kick and Stone Edge provide excellent coverage with Waterfall. The former has high Base Power due to how heavy most Pokémon are in Ubers, as well as doing huge damage to Dialga, who can normally walk all over Kabutops; the latter gains STAB boost and is generally your best bet against Lugia, Rayquaza switch-ins (don’t stay in against Rayquaza because of Air Lock), and Ho-oh. The fourth slot is mainly filler, since the other three moves hit most if not all Ubers for at least neutral damage. X-Scissor hits Latias and Latios for super effective damage, as well as being more reliable than Stone Edge, accuracy wise. Aqua Jet is an option, to pick of weakened Pokémon, but, generally speaking, you’ll be faster than your opponent thanks to Swift Swim.</p>
<p>Since you are not boosting your Attack quite as much, sturdy physical walls can wall this Kabutops quite easily. Giratina in particular can present a problem, as it resists you main form of attack, Waterfall, and it has no weaknesses to your other moves, meaning that it can status Kabutops with Will-O-Wisp while Resting off the damage that Kabutops does. Special attackers can power through Giratina, as the mighty Dragon-type normally invests in Defense. Of note are Dialga or Palkia who can wallop it with a STAB super effective Draco Meteor.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Like all other offensive Pokémon, Kabutops greatly appreciates the aid of entry hazards, in particular Spikes and Stealth Rock. Mew, Forretress, Deoxys-E, Deoxys-A, Dialga, and Groudon all make fabulous choices for this role, and all of them can viably be used in a lead role. Dialga, Mew, and Groudon can all use Stealth Rock; Groudon isn’t recommended as highly, however, since Kabutops will not enjoy the sunlight. Deoxys-E, Deoxys-A, and Forretress can all set up Spikes in addition to Stealth Rock (Forretress can also set up Toxic Spikes). Toxic Spikes doesn’t help Kabutops as much as other Pokémon in Ubers, since it is quite frail, and therefore it cannot wait for your opponent to die slowly from mounting Toxic damage. However, it can be used to augment the damage per turn. Kyogre is completely and absolutely mandatory when using Kabutops. The sea beast’s signature ability, Drizzle, is one of the biggest reasons to use Kabutops in the Ubers territory. It not only doubles Kabutops’s Speed via Swift Swim, but it also boosts Kabutops’s Water-type STAB move, Waterfall.</p>
<p>Kabutops’s public enemy number one is Groudon. It has excellent Defense and carries STAB super effective Earthquake. However, above all, it has Drought, which cancels out the rain; this weakens Kabutops’s Water-type STAB, and it gets rid of its Speed boost, leaving it a sitting duck. A mixed Rayquaza can work excellently to counteract this. Since Rayquaza is normally a physical Pokémon, Groudon will often be switching in to check or counter it. Then, you can hit it with a devastating STAB Draco Meteor, which, unless Groudon invests in Special Defense, will OHKO it, or at least do massive damage. Kingdra, who also benefits from Kyogre’s rain, can work in a similar way, although its Draco Meteor is quite a bit weaker. Kabutops can also run into problems with Giratina, who resists Kabutops’s most powerful move: Waterfall. Giratina can also threaten to burn Kabutops with Will-O-Wisp. Rayquaza or Kingdra can also deal with Giratina via Draco Meteor. Finally, Rayquaza poses quite a large threat to Kabutops, because Air Lock cancels out the rain, eliminating Kabutops’s Speed boost. Choice Scarf Palkia can easily check every form of Rayquaza, barring the Swords Dance version (which is handled by Choice Scarf or Hasty mixed Dialga). Palkia also greatly benefits from the rain, as its STAB Surf is further boosted.</p>
<p>Kabutops is quite a frail Pokémon, especially for Ubers, where most attacks on the special side of the spectrum. Therefore, it’s important that you have a central core of Pokémon, who, despite being offensive, can also take some hits. The combination of Palkia and Scizor can do quite well at this; they cover each other’s weaknesses excellently, while also keeping a strong offensive presence. Palkia’s only weakness is Dragon-type moves, which Scizor covers well; it is also able to pick off Outraging Dragon-types with its STAB Bullet Punch, with the exception of Dialga. In turn, Palkia takes Fire-type moves aimed at Scizor like a champ. They also have a plethora of resistances between them. Kabutops has to watch out for Grass-type moves in particular, as they hit for 4x super effective damage. Rayquaza, who was mentioned earlier for its offensive synergy, can also make a good partner, because it has a 4x resistance to the Grass-type moves. Kabutops’s other great fears are status moves, in particular Will-O-Wisp (mainly carried by Giratina) and Thunder Wave. Pokémon who can absorb these, like Ho-oh or special attackers for Will-O-Wisp or Garchomp for Thunder Wave, can be handy to save Kabutops from getting irrevocably crippled. Another possibility is to use a Blissey with Heal Bell, however, sometimes it is hard to fit Blissey into an offensive team, which is mainly where Kabutops would be used.</p>
<p>The Pokémon with whom Kabutops has trouble with (Groudon, Rayquaza, Giratina, and Scizor) are most commonly paired with Kyogre, Palkia, Forretress, Darkrai, and Mewtwo (other than each other). Kyogre can be dealt with by Palkia who outspeeds it, and can use either Outrage or Thunder to weaken Kyogre, and therefore its Water Spout as well. It’s also worth noting that opposing Kyogre also help out slightly by setting up the rain for your Kabutops; however, do not keep it alive just for this reason. Palkia is a tough case, since it has no one counter. Instead, you must first find out which set it is running, and even then you must use skillful prediction most of the time. Forretress is handled easily by any user of Fire-type moves, which can be used on both Palkia or Rayquaza, who were both mentioned above, in addition to Mewtwo, Dialga, Groudon (who isn’t recommended as highly because of its Drought), and Ho-oh. Darkrai and Mewtwo can both be handled by Scizor (as long as Sleep Clause is active in Darkrai’s case), as both can be disposed of with U-turn or Bullet Punch. However, Scizor still must watch out for a +2 Focus Blast from Darkrai.</p>
<p>Several other Pokémon can make use of the rain in the same way that Kabutops can, and therefore they make good partners as well. Kingdra and Ludicolo both have Swift Swim, while Palkia just benefits from the STAB boost. Kingdra is truly an offensive force to be reckoned with, as it has the capacity to go mixed, and it has two excellent STAB in Water- and Dragon-types; the first is boosted by the rain as well. Ludicolo has great defensive stats and typing, and it has the ability to be a real nuisance by stalling out your opponent by using Leech Seed and Protect. It also helps if you have Toxic Spikes down. Palkia is one of the most threatening Pokémon in Ubers, as it has amazing offensive stats, and it can viably run a multitude of sets, including full special, mixed, and full physical ones. Palkia has the same two great STAB as Kindgra as well. Although you probably can’t fit all four of these Pokémon (including Kabutops) on your team at once, it can be quite potent to have one or two.</p>
[EVs]
<p>Kabutops should always be maximizing its Attack and Speed EVs. Offense is its only asset, since it is quite frail (which has been mentioned many times). Kabutops’s mission is to do as much damage as possible (otherwise it’ll probably die), and its EVs should reflect that.</p>
<p>The choice between Adamant and Jolly is up to whether you prefer speed or power. With Adamant, you still outspeed Jolly Choice Scarf Garchomp, as well as maximizing your attack, and thus it is probably the better choice. Jolly, on the other hand, allows you to outspeed Modest Choice Scarf Shaymin-S and Choice Scarf Gengar, but it does come at the cost of Attack.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Aqua Jet can be used to take out weakened Pokémon, however Kabutops will generally be outrunning your opponent anyway, because of Swift Swim. X-Scissor is also a possibility, but it would mainly be filler, since the coverage granted by Waterfall / Low Kick / Stone Edge is quite vast.</p>
<p>Rapid Spin can be used on a Choice Band set in order to clear Stealth Rock, but Kabutops has much better things to do than be a support Pokémon. Furthermore, being locked into an extremely weak Normal-type move is just asking to be set up on in Ubers.</p>
[Opinion]
<p>Kabutops gets a huge boost in the Ubers environment because of Kyogre. The infinite rain created by Drizzle instantly transforms this sub-par Pokémon into an offensive force, as once its mediocre Speed stat is cured (it's actually quite impressive with a Swift Swim boost), its great Attack stat can shine as well. Kabutops is one of those Pokémon whom you probably laugh at the first time you see, but then watch in utter horror as it easily bulldozes through your team once it has set up.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Groudon is by and large the best Kabutops counter. It can come in on most of Kabutops’s attacks, because of its excellent Defense stat. It also replaces the rain with the sun. This reduces Kabutops’s Speed, bringing it back down to its mediocre base 80 stat. Also, it not only gets rid of the rain boost on Kabutops’s Water-type STAB, but it also actually further cuts it down, leaving Waterfall a shell of its former self (meaning Groudon can even switch in on that, even if Kabutops has managed to get a Swords Dance boost).</p>
<p>Rayquaza can come in on a resisted Waterfall or Low Kick, or after a KO, and cancel out the weather temporarily with its Air Lock. Then, it outspeeds Kabutops, and can proceed to destroy it with a Dragon-type move, or Earthquake. Scizor can use Bullet Punch to bypass Kabutops’s boosted Speed stat, and hit it for lots of damage.</p>
<p>If Kabutops does not have a Jolly nature, Choice Scarf Shaymin-S can come in and force Kabutops out with the threat of a STAB super effective Seed Flare.</p>
<p>Finally, Giratina can give Kabutops problems, since it resists Waterfall and is immune to Low Kick. It can also threaten to burn Kabutops with Will-O-Wisp, making Kabutops utterly useless. Furthermore, any user of Thunder Wave or Will-O-Wisp can threaten to completely cripple Kabutops.</p>
