Plague von Karma
Banned deucer.
[OVERVIEW]
Kabutops is a potent offensive Pokemon in RBY NU, featuring both Slash and Swords Dance to supplement its already strong Attack stat. The latter gives Kabutops the feared Swords Dance + Hyper Beam combination, allowing it to force its way through defensive staples like Arcanine and Blastoise, notably outspeeding the latter. With STAB Surf or Hydro Pump to supplement this, similarly to Kingler, Kabutops isn't hindered by Rock-type switch-ins. Unlike Kingler, however, Kabutops exchanges raw power for an excellent typing that leaves it undeterred by moves like Fire Spin, Fire Blast, Hyper Beam, and Explosion, giving it ample switch-in opportunities. This typing also opens the way for defensive sets, giving teams a much-needed backbone against the powerful offensive threats of the tier without squandering its own offensive potential.
Unfortunately, Kabutops's typing comes back to bite it against Electric- and Ground-type attacks, which are reasonably common in RBY NU. This leaves it severely threatened by Mr. Mime, Electrode, and Nidoking and even reasonably checked by Earthquake Charizard and Golem. Kabutops's Speed is also just a bit below what would be desirable, letting offensive titan Nidoking outspeed it; this Speed also leaves it easily worn down alongside chip damage from Toxic. Its Special is also below average, worsening its Electric weakness and leaving its own special attacks noticeably weaker than those of its Water-type brethren. Naturally, this gives it fierce competition with other Water-types like Blastoise, Kingler, Seadra, and Poliwhirl.
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Hyper Beam
move 3: Body Slam / Slash
move 4: Surf
[SET COMMENTS]
Swords Dance Kabutops functions as a strong wallbreaker and late-game sweeper, exploiting Rest users in the tier like Blastoise, Arcanine, and Seadra with ease in combination with Hyper Beam. Its +2 Hyper Beam is very strong, OHKOing Mr. Mime and Raticate, as well as giving chances to OHKO Dragonair, Venomoth, Fearow, Electrode, Rapidash, and Porygon. Furthermore, +2 Hyper Beam can deal over 65% to Blastoise, one of the most important defensive Pokemon in the tier. If coming in on a predicted Rest, Kabutops is poised to either get a free Swords Dance boost or attack a potential switch-in with Body Slam or Slash. Between the two, Body Slam spreads paralysis while being boosted by Swords Dance, while Slash reduces reliance on Swords Dance but isn't boosted by it. Surf OHKOes Golem, 2HKOes Nidoking, and 3HKOes the rare Gastly, ensuring that foes don't exploit its Normal-type attacks.
Kabutops shouldn't use Swords Dance immediately; it's best to score damage from Body Slam or Slash first and only use Swords Dance to close out the game, or if breaking through a wall is imperative at the time. Despite being a Swords Dance user, Kabutops can be useful throughout the game primarily thanks to its typing, as it exploits early-game Fire Spin from Pokemon like Charizard, Rapidash, Moltres, and Ninetales well. It often forces these Pokemon out, especially if they lack Toxic or Earthquake, which they need to hope to make progress against it. It's worth noting that Kabutops isn't too afraid of being burned, as Swords Dance boosts negate the Attack drop and Slash outright ignores them thanks to RBY critical hit mechanics; this resilience, coupled with its typing, makes it one of the best blockades against teams featuring multiple Fire-types. However, the passive damage does leave Kabutops easily worn down, especially because its mediocre Speed makes it susceptible to Fire Spin users.
Outside of the given moves, Kabutops can be diversified a bit. Blizzard deals only a bit less damage than Surf but covers Exeggcute and Fearow, the former of which can sometimes be an obstacle to a sweep. However, losing super effective coverage for Fire-types and worsening the damage on Golem often makes it a less-than-stellar option. Submission is plausible coverage for Clefable, Wigglytuff, Porygon, and Raticate, but without recovery, the recoil damage often leaves Kabutops easily worn down. Conversion Porygon notably walls Kabutops if it lacks Submission, so the move can be justified on teams weak to it. Hydro Pump gives Kabutops a shot at 2HKOing Moltres and has higher damage across the board, but this utility rarely merits the accuracy drop.
Swords Dance Kabutops fits best on teams that need a wallbreaker but can't afford the loss in defensive integrity that other users like Kingler, Pinsir, and Sandslash may cause. Fellow Water-type Pokemon like Blastoise, Seadra, and Poliwhirl appreciate the openings Kabutops can bring by removing opposing Water-types, making them very strong partners. Pinsir also appreciates the openings Kabutops can present while resisting Earthquake, giving the two strong offensive synergy. Nidoking makes a fine partner, switching in on Toxic, Thunder Wave, and Thunderbolt for free while not losing momentum, all moves that mortally threaten Kabutops.
[SET]
name: Rest
move 1: Rest
move 2: Slash / Body Slam
move 3: Body Slam / Submission
move 4: Surf
[SET COMMENTS]
Rest Kabutops gets the most mileage out of its nearly unique defensive typing, making it the strongest anti-Fire Spin Pokemon. Any combination of Slash, Body Slam, and Submission fills its physical attacking moveslots, with each giving it various perks; Slash gives the set much better offensive potential, Body Slam gives ample opportunity to spread paralysis thanks to Rest, and Submission lets Kabutops 2HKO Porygon, ensuring it isn't walled. Slash is particularly notable for this set, as it 3HKOes defensive behemoth Blastoise over a third of the time, forcing it to try and Rest stall or switch out. Surf provides the coverage to OHKO Golem and 2HKO Nidoking and Sandslash, all of which otherwise threaten Rest Kabutops.
This variant sees more liberal use throughout the game than Swords Dance Kabutops, as Rest means it can heal off any damage accrued through sources like Fire Spin, Toxic, and switching in on resisted attacks. Furthermore, this set isn't opposed to taking paralysis, as it can often use Rest and successfully wake up multiple times a game. This resilience, especially given the abundance of Fire-type Pokemon and Normal-type attacks in RBY NU, makes it more of a defensive pivot for some teams. If running Body Slam, it should be used frequently, as its high paralysis chance makes switching into Kabutops very difficult; if it paralyzes a switch-in, Kabutops will frequently win the interaction outright.
Rest Kabutops works best on teams that lack a defensive backbone, especially thriving against opposing Kabutops and teams spamming Fire-types. Ergo, it can work well alongside Venomoth, a Pokemon normally countered by lead Fire-types such as Charizard and Ninetales. Moltres also appreciates the presence of Rest Kabutops, providing pivoting potential and defensive synergy in return given its Ground immunity and high Special. Nidoking is a strong offensive partner, as it can switch in on Electric-type attacks and Toxic while threatening most of the tier with its own super effective damage thereafter.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[May, 236353]]
- Quality checked by: [[pac, 520967], [Enigami, 233818]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Finland, 517429]]
Kabutops is a potent offensive Pokemon in RBY NU, featuring both Slash and Swords Dance to supplement its already strong Attack stat. The latter gives Kabutops the feared Swords Dance + Hyper Beam combination, allowing it to force its way through defensive staples like Arcanine and Blastoise, notably outspeeding the latter. With STAB Surf or Hydro Pump to supplement this, similarly to Kingler, Kabutops isn't hindered by Rock-type switch-ins. Unlike Kingler, however, Kabutops exchanges raw power for an excellent typing that leaves it undeterred by moves like Fire Spin, Fire Blast, Hyper Beam, and Explosion, giving it ample switch-in opportunities. This typing also opens the way for defensive sets, giving teams a much-needed backbone against the powerful offensive threats of the tier without squandering its own offensive potential.
Unfortunately, Kabutops's typing comes back to bite it against Electric- and Ground-type attacks, which are reasonably common in RBY NU. This leaves it severely threatened by Mr. Mime, Electrode, and Nidoking and even reasonably checked by Earthquake Charizard and Golem. Kabutops's Speed is also just a bit below what would be desirable, letting offensive titan Nidoking outspeed it; this Speed also leaves it easily worn down alongside chip damage from Toxic. Its Special is also below average, worsening its Electric weakness and leaving its own special attacks noticeably weaker than those of its Water-type brethren. Naturally, this gives it fierce competition with other Water-types like Blastoise, Kingler, Seadra, and Poliwhirl.
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Hyper Beam
move 3: Body Slam / Slash
move 4: Surf
[SET COMMENTS]
Swords Dance Kabutops functions as a strong wallbreaker and late-game sweeper, exploiting Rest users in the tier like Blastoise, Arcanine, and Seadra with ease in combination with Hyper Beam. Its +2 Hyper Beam is very strong, OHKOing Mr. Mime and Raticate, as well as giving chances to OHKO Dragonair, Venomoth, Fearow, Electrode, Rapidash, and Porygon. Furthermore, +2 Hyper Beam can deal over 65% to Blastoise, one of the most important defensive Pokemon in the tier. If coming in on a predicted Rest, Kabutops is poised to either get a free Swords Dance boost or attack a potential switch-in with Body Slam or Slash. Between the two, Body Slam spreads paralysis while being boosted by Swords Dance, while Slash reduces reliance on Swords Dance but isn't boosted by it. Surf OHKOes Golem, 2HKOes Nidoking, and 3HKOes the rare Gastly, ensuring that foes don't exploit its Normal-type attacks.
Kabutops shouldn't use Swords Dance immediately; it's best to score damage from Body Slam or Slash first and only use Swords Dance to close out the game, or if breaking through a wall is imperative at the time. Despite being a Swords Dance user, Kabutops can be useful throughout the game primarily thanks to its typing, as it exploits early-game Fire Spin from Pokemon like Charizard, Rapidash, Moltres, and Ninetales well. It often forces these Pokemon out, especially if they lack Toxic or Earthquake, which they need to hope to make progress against it. It's worth noting that Kabutops isn't too afraid of being burned, as Swords Dance boosts negate the Attack drop and Slash outright ignores them thanks to RBY critical hit mechanics; this resilience, coupled with its typing, makes it one of the best blockades against teams featuring multiple Fire-types. However, the passive damage does leave Kabutops easily worn down, especially because its mediocre Speed makes it susceptible to Fire Spin users.
Outside of the given moves, Kabutops can be diversified a bit. Blizzard deals only a bit less damage than Surf but covers Exeggcute and Fearow, the former of which can sometimes be an obstacle to a sweep. However, losing super effective coverage for Fire-types and worsening the damage on Golem often makes it a less-than-stellar option. Submission is plausible coverage for Clefable, Wigglytuff, Porygon, and Raticate, but without recovery, the recoil damage often leaves Kabutops easily worn down. Conversion Porygon notably walls Kabutops if it lacks Submission, so the move can be justified on teams weak to it. Hydro Pump gives Kabutops a shot at 2HKOing Moltres and has higher damage across the board, but this utility rarely merits the accuracy drop.
Swords Dance Kabutops fits best on teams that need a wallbreaker but can't afford the loss in defensive integrity that other users like Kingler, Pinsir, and Sandslash may cause. Fellow Water-type Pokemon like Blastoise, Seadra, and Poliwhirl appreciate the openings Kabutops can bring by removing opposing Water-types, making them very strong partners. Pinsir also appreciates the openings Kabutops can present while resisting Earthquake, giving the two strong offensive synergy. Nidoking makes a fine partner, switching in on Toxic, Thunder Wave, and Thunderbolt for free while not losing momentum, all moves that mortally threaten Kabutops.
[SET]
name: Rest
move 1: Rest
move 2: Slash / Body Slam
move 3: Body Slam / Submission
move 4: Surf
[SET COMMENTS]
Rest Kabutops gets the most mileage out of its nearly unique defensive typing, making it the strongest anti-Fire Spin Pokemon. Any combination of Slash, Body Slam, and Submission fills its physical attacking moveslots, with each giving it various perks; Slash gives the set much better offensive potential, Body Slam gives ample opportunity to spread paralysis thanks to Rest, and Submission lets Kabutops 2HKO Porygon, ensuring it isn't walled. Slash is particularly notable for this set, as it 3HKOes defensive behemoth Blastoise over a third of the time, forcing it to try and Rest stall or switch out. Surf provides the coverage to OHKO Golem and 2HKO Nidoking and Sandslash, all of which otherwise threaten Rest Kabutops.
This variant sees more liberal use throughout the game than Swords Dance Kabutops, as Rest means it can heal off any damage accrued through sources like Fire Spin, Toxic, and switching in on resisted attacks. Furthermore, this set isn't opposed to taking paralysis, as it can often use Rest and successfully wake up multiple times a game. This resilience, especially given the abundance of Fire-type Pokemon and Normal-type attacks in RBY NU, makes it more of a defensive pivot for some teams. If running Body Slam, it should be used frequently, as its high paralysis chance makes switching into Kabutops very difficult; if it paralyzes a switch-in, Kabutops will frequently win the interaction outright.
Rest Kabutops works best on teams that lack a defensive backbone, especially thriving against opposing Kabutops and teams spamming Fire-types. Ergo, it can work well alongside Venomoth, a Pokemon normally countered by lead Fire-types such as Charizard and Ninetales. Moltres also appreciates the presence of Rest Kabutops, providing pivoting potential and defensive synergy in return given its Ground immunity and high Special. Nidoking is a strong offensive partner, as it can switch in on Electric-type attacks and Toxic while threatening most of the tier with its own super effective damage thereafter.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[May, 236353]]
- Quality checked by: [[pac, 520967], [Enigami, 233818]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Finland, 517429]]
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