[SET]
name: Life Orb
move 1: Sucker Punch
move 2: Play Rough
move 3: Fire Blast
move 4: Hidden Power Grass / Sludge Bomb
item: Life Orb
ability: Aftermath
nature: Hasty
evs: 12 HP / 252 Atk / 244 Spe
ivs: 30 Def / 30 SpA
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Stunky's Sucker Punch is one of the most powerful priority moves available in LC. Play Rough provides coverage against the common Fighting- and Dark-types that resist Sucker Punch, including Mienfoo and Vullaby. Fire Blast hits Steel-types like Ferroseed and Pawniard, which both take little from Sucker Punch and Play Rough. It also targets Pumpkaboo and Foongus, which are more likely to use a status move on Stunky than attack it, preventing the use of Sucker Punch. Hidden Power Grass is primarily for Onix and Tirtouga, both of which take a pittance from the rest of Stunky's moveset. If your team has a good answer to Onix and Tirtouga, you can run Sludge Bomb to hit Spritzee and Snubbull, which both otherwise handle this Stunky set easily. Sludge Bomb also hits Snivy harder than Fire Blast, thanks to the STAB boost.
Pursuit can be run in the fourth slot to catch Abra and Gastly fleeing from a potential Sucker Punch, but other Pursuit users such as Choice Scarf Pawniard and Alolan Grimer have an easier time switching into both Abra and Gastly, and Stunky typically prefers to have its other coverage moves instead of Pursuit.
Set Details
========
Maximum Speed investment allows Stunky to outrun fast Mienfoo and Onix, a must for this set. Hasty is preferable to Naive because Stunky resists STAB attacks from some of the most common special attackers in LC, such as Abra, Gastly, and Snivy. Maximum Attack investment, coupled with the boost from Life Orb, guarantees an OHKO on Diglett with Sucker Punch after Stealth Rock damage. It also allows Stunky to OHKO most Berry Juice variants of Vullaby with Play Rough and provides a good chance to OHKO standard Mienfoo and Timburr after their Eviolites have been removed.
To run Hidden Power Grass with the optimal EV spread, Stunky needs 30 IVs in Defense and Special Attack. This lets Stunky have maximum Attack and leaves enough EVs to give an extra point in HP. Aftermath is the most consistent ability that Stunky has and can often confirm a KO on Pokemon like Mienfoo if Stunky's attacks do not OHKO outright. Stench can be run for the 10% flinch chance, but it is not recommended.
A special variant of this set is tempting because Stunky's strongest Poison-type STAB attack is Sludge Bomb, and it has great coverage options between Dark Pulse, Fire Blast, and Hidden Power Grass. However, losing Sucker Punch leaves Stunky vulnerable to Diglett, and losing Play Rough leaves Stunky without coverage on two of the most common Pokemon in LC, Mienfoo and Vullaby.
Usage Tips
========
Life Orb Stunky is a hard Pokemon to switch into and is particularly good at cleaning up a weakened team, so the set is best played later in the game after the opponent's team has been chipped. While it has good coverage overall, Stunky is not a wallbreaker, and it does not beat defensive teams without support from its teammates. Knock Off support is critical to Stunky's success, especially against Pokemon that are not weak to Sucker Punch or Play Rough, such as Foongus. Stunky cannot break through Mudbray or Mareanie, even with Knock Off support—these Pokemon should be trapped or weakened beyond recovery.
Be mindful of faster Pokemon that use Substitute against Stunky. Diglett and Life Orb Abra can both dodge Sucker Punch with Substitute, then OHKO Stunky in return with Earthquake and Hidden Power Ground, respectively. This Stunky set is also not particularly bulky and should not switch directly into attacks whenever possible.
Life Orb Stunky is typically best off not trying to predict what the opponent will switch to. Instead, Stunky should usually just attack whatever is in front of it with the best move available. This set's coverage allows it to KO most common Pokemon with some chip damage, so Stunky benefits from your opponent switching into its coverage moves. The exception to the above is when the opponent has a Pokemon that can tank one of Stunky's attacks and outspeed Stunky, such as Weak Armor Onix or Choice Scarf Magnemite. An opponent can potentially switch Weak Armor Onix into a predicted Play Rough and get a Weak Armor speed boost, becoming faster than Stunky and threatening to KO it. Sucker Punch also does no damage on a switch, so be mindful of that when using it.
Team Options
========
Even with a Life Orb, Stunky is not strong enough to break through more defensive Pokemon without Knock Off support from the likes of Mienfoo and Pawniard. The latter can also set Stealth Rock for Stunky, which is important to secure several KOs against Pokemon like Diglett and Vullaby. Mudbray is one of the few universal answers to this set, so a teammate that can switch in and handle it reliably is appreciated. Snivy does a great job of this and also can provide Knock Off support, allowing Stunky to break through Foongus and Pawniard, common Snivy switch-ins.
Bulky Staryu and Ferroseed can comfortably switch into Onix, which is a pain for Stunky if Stunky lacks Hidden Power Grass or if Onix has gotten a Weak Armor boost from switching in on a Play Rough. They also both can handle Mareanie and non-Fire Blast Slowpoke reasonably well. Stunky benefits from the chip damage and safe switch-ins that slow pivots, such as Mienfoo and Vullaby, provide. Diglett can trap a handful of troublesome checks to Stunky, such as Mareanie and Ponyta. Trapinch can perform a similar role, removing Pawniard, Onix, and Tirtouga more reliably than Diglett.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[jake, 110102]]
- Quality checked by: [[Merritt, 213064], [dcae, 117693], [Corporal Levi, 55063]]
- Grammar checked by: [[lotiasite, 302985], [The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216]]
name: Life Orb
move 1: Sucker Punch
move 2: Play Rough
move 3: Fire Blast
move 4: Hidden Power Grass / Sludge Bomb
item: Life Orb
ability: Aftermath
nature: Hasty
evs: 12 HP / 252 Atk / 244 Spe
ivs: 30 Def / 30 SpA
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Stunky's Sucker Punch is one of the most powerful priority moves available in LC. Play Rough provides coverage against the common Fighting- and Dark-types that resist Sucker Punch, including Mienfoo and Vullaby. Fire Blast hits Steel-types like Ferroseed and Pawniard, which both take little from Sucker Punch and Play Rough. It also targets Pumpkaboo and Foongus, which are more likely to use a status move on Stunky than attack it, preventing the use of Sucker Punch. Hidden Power Grass is primarily for Onix and Tirtouga, both of which take a pittance from the rest of Stunky's moveset. If your team has a good answer to Onix and Tirtouga, you can run Sludge Bomb to hit Spritzee and Snubbull, which both otherwise handle this Stunky set easily. Sludge Bomb also hits Snivy harder than Fire Blast, thanks to the STAB boost.
Pursuit can be run in the fourth slot to catch Abra and Gastly fleeing from a potential Sucker Punch, but other Pursuit users such as Choice Scarf Pawniard and Alolan Grimer have an easier time switching into both Abra and Gastly, and Stunky typically prefers to have its other coverage moves instead of Pursuit.
Set Details
========
Maximum Speed investment allows Stunky to outrun fast Mienfoo and Onix, a must for this set. Hasty is preferable to Naive because Stunky resists STAB attacks from some of the most common special attackers in LC, such as Abra, Gastly, and Snivy. Maximum Attack investment, coupled with the boost from Life Orb, guarantees an OHKO on Diglett with Sucker Punch after Stealth Rock damage. It also allows Stunky to OHKO most Berry Juice variants of Vullaby with Play Rough and provides a good chance to OHKO standard Mienfoo and Timburr after their Eviolites have been removed.
To run Hidden Power Grass with the optimal EV spread, Stunky needs 30 IVs in Defense and Special Attack. This lets Stunky have maximum Attack and leaves enough EVs to give an extra point in HP. Aftermath is the most consistent ability that Stunky has and can often confirm a KO on Pokemon like Mienfoo if Stunky's attacks do not OHKO outright. Stench can be run for the 10% flinch chance, but it is not recommended.
A special variant of this set is tempting because Stunky's strongest Poison-type STAB attack is Sludge Bomb, and it has great coverage options between Dark Pulse, Fire Blast, and Hidden Power Grass. However, losing Sucker Punch leaves Stunky vulnerable to Diglett, and losing Play Rough leaves Stunky without coverage on two of the most common Pokemon in LC, Mienfoo and Vullaby.
Usage Tips
========
Life Orb Stunky is a hard Pokemon to switch into and is particularly good at cleaning up a weakened team, so the set is best played later in the game after the opponent's team has been chipped. While it has good coverage overall, Stunky is not a wallbreaker, and it does not beat defensive teams without support from its teammates. Knock Off support is critical to Stunky's success, especially against Pokemon that are not weak to Sucker Punch or Play Rough, such as Foongus. Stunky cannot break through Mudbray or Mareanie, even with Knock Off support—these Pokemon should be trapped or weakened beyond recovery.
Be mindful of faster Pokemon that use Substitute against Stunky. Diglett and Life Orb Abra can both dodge Sucker Punch with Substitute, then OHKO Stunky in return with Earthquake and Hidden Power Ground, respectively. This Stunky set is also not particularly bulky and should not switch directly into attacks whenever possible.
Life Orb Stunky is typically best off not trying to predict what the opponent will switch to. Instead, Stunky should usually just attack whatever is in front of it with the best move available. This set's coverage allows it to KO most common Pokemon with some chip damage, so Stunky benefits from your opponent switching into its coverage moves. The exception to the above is when the opponent has a Pokemon that can tank one of Stunky's attacks and outspeed Stunky, such as Weak Armor Onix or Choice Scarf Magnemite. An opponent can potentially switch Weak Armor Onix into a predicted Play Rough and get a Weak Armor speed boost, becoming faster than Stunky and threatening to KO it. Sucker Punch also does no damage on a switch, so be mindful of that when using it.
Team Options
========
Even with a Life Orb, Stunky is not strong enough to break through more defensive Pokemon without Knock Off support from the likes of Mienfoo and Pawniard. The latter can also set Stealth Rock for Stunky, which is important to secure several KOs against Pokemon like Diglett and Vullaby. Mudbray is one of the few universal answers to this set, so a teammate that can switch in and handle it reliably is appreciated. Snivy does a great job of this and also can provide Knock Off support, allowing Stunky to break through Foongus and Pawniard, common Snivy switch-ins.
Bulky Staryu and Ferroseed can comfortably switch into Onix, which is a pain for Stunky if Stunky lacks Hidden Power Grass or if Onix has gotten a Weak Armor boost from switching in on a Play Rough. They also both can handle Mareanie and non-Fire Blast Slowpoke reasonably well. Stunky benefits from the chip damage and safe switch-ins that slow pivots, such as Mienfoo and Vullaby, provide. Diglett can trap a handful of troublesome checks to Stunky, such as Mareanie and Ponyta. Trapinch can perform a similar role, removing Pawniard, Onix, and Tirtouga more reliably than Diglett.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[jake, 110102]]
- Quality checked by: [[Merritt, 213064], [dcae, 117693], [Corporal Levi, 55063]]
- Grammar checked by: [[lotiasite, 302985], [The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216]]
Last edited:
