[SET]
Shell Smash (Minior) @ White Herb
Ability: Shields Down
Tera Type: Grass / Ground
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant / Jolly Nature
IVs: 30 HP
- Shell Smash
- Acrobatics
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge / Substitute
[SET COMMENTS]
Minior serves as a late-game setup sweeper, providing teams a self-sufficient cleaner via Shell Smash and Shields Down to outspeed the entire metagame once in Base forme with Jolly, in addition to hitting hard off boosted 100 Base Attack. Acrobatics is its primary STAB, synergizing with the White Herb consumption after a Shell Smash, while Earthquake provides a strong attack against Flying-resistant Pokemon like Regirock and Jolteon and Stone Edge is used to overpower Rock-weak threats like Articuno, Beartic, and Vikavolt. Substitute provides a way manipulating HP to reach Base forme safely, at the cost of needing to make contact to hit Pokemon such as Mesprit or Weezing. The Nature selection primarily comes down to whether or not Minior needs to outspeed certain Pokemon when unboosted, such as Jolteon if Minior is in Meteor forme, or if it wants the additional power instead, such as to assure a 2HKO on Regirock and confirming an OHKO on Spiritomb without Stealth Rock. Tera Grass can be used if available to tank a hit from Pokemon like Clawitzer, Jolteon, or Lycanroc and KO them, being the best typing against common moves from priority users like Thwackey, Basculin, and Lycanroc, and can turn interactions against Lanturn and Rotom-C into setup opportunities. Alternatively, Tera Ground can be used for extra power for breaking through Regirock, as well as providing Minior with an accurate, non-contact STAB move. However, this option leaves Minior vulnerable to Basculin's Aqua Jet and Thwackey's Grassy Glide
Minior works best either on snow teams alongside Abomasnow setting Aurora Veil, where Minior can provide an answer to Charizard and other Fire-types. Minior serves as a cleaner on more bulkier teams at the end once its teammates have weakened the opposing team over time, and can also work on defensive teams as a primary win condition in a similar. Wallbreakers like Clawitzer, Jolteon, and Arboliva and Magmortar all can appreciate Minior, as they deal significant damage to walls like Weezing and Regirock over the course of a game, allowing for Minior to clean up at the end of the game. Sneasel-Hisui or Beartic in Snow can serve as a bit of a double-threat option alongside Minior, where defensive structures are often able to take on one major threat, and find themselves insufficient to wall both over the course of a game. Minior also cannot sweep if strong priority from Pokemon like Hitmontop or Lycanroc remain in play, so removing those with teammates before sweeping is a necessity. Minior can take advantage of Pokemon that do not carry super effective coverage, such as Charizard or Snorlax, as set up opportunities, so Pokemon that bring those in, such as Shaymin or Weezing, can help enable Minior to set up. Pokemon with access to removal, such as Hitmontop on more offensive teams or Sandslash elsewhere, can remove Stealth Rock that otherwise pose a serious threat to Minior's sweep. Taunt can also accomplish this task, with Persian-Alola and faster Weezing on more offensive teams and elsewhere respectively, but risk Stealth Rock going up if outplayed.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
A special set can be ran with moves like Meteor Beam, Power Gem, and Earth Power, but the reduced power and lack of access to Acrobatics can make this an inferior option beyond the surprise factor. Minior also has access to some utility moves, such as Stealth Rock and U-Turn, but Minior is better off as a sweeper because its poor defensive typing leaves any support role it could play done better by other entry hazard setters like Mesprit, Sandslash, or Regirock.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Physically Bulky Pokemon**: Even when boosted, physical walls like Regirock, Persian-Alola and physically defensive Mesprit can tank a hit or two from Minior and respond with significant damage. Persian-Alola can serve as a strong defensive response, tanking hits with Fur Coat and KOing it with Foul Play.
**Priority**: Without expending Tera, Minior has no way to play around priority, and moves like Basculin's Aqua Jet or Lycanroc's Accelrock both can easily KO Minior once it is in Base forme. With few resistances to common priority in ZU, Minior can often be KOd by a revenge killer ignoring speed boosts entirely. While Thwackey and Hitmontop do not carry super-effective priority, they can also KO a sufficiently weakened Minior.
**Faster Threats**: Even at +2, Meteor forme Minior can often by outsped and KOd by a revenge killer like Jolteon or Choice Scarf Rotom-C.
**Encore**: Slower Encore users like Mesprit can disrupt Minior as it tries to set up. If Prankster Encore users like Whimsicott, Sableye, or Grafaiai switch in as Minior uses Shell Smash, they can lock Minior into repeated uses of the move, forcing a switch out and wasting the White Herb.
**Haze and Phazing**: Pokemon like Weezing, Cryogonal, and Articuno can remove Minior's boosts entirely, forcing it to deal unboosted damage or attempt a predictions game on trying to get boosts back, with the added problem of the defense drops. The latter two, however, need to watch out for Stone Edge if not using Tera. Alternatively, Charizard, Dipplin, and Hippopotas can use Roar, Dragon Tail, and Whirlwind to remove Minior from the battle field entirely.
**Stealth Rock*: Minior prefers being in control of when it changes formes when possible, and Stealth Rock dealing unignorable chip just for switching in can significantly impede the ability to manage the forme transformation, on top of it making Minior much easier to KO.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/a-fairy.57965/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/missangelic.452572/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/yo-cho.610452/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sleid.601970/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user5.104/
Shell Smash (Minior) @ White Herb
Ability: Shields Down
Tera Type: Grass / Ground
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant / Jolly Nature
IVs: 30 HP
- Shell Smash
- Acrobatics
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge / Substitute
[SET COMMENTS]
Minior serves as a late-game setup sweeper, providing teams a self-sufficient cleaner via Shell Smash and Shields Down to outspeed the entire metagame once in Base forme with Jolly, in addition to hitting hard off boosted 100 Base Attack. Acrobatics is its primary STAB, synergizing with the White Herb consumption after a Shell Smash, while Earthquake provides a strong attack against Flying-resistant Pokemon like Regirock and Jolteon and Stone Edge is used to overpower Rock-weak threats like Articuno, Beartic, and Vikavolt. Substitute provides a way manipulating HP to reach Base forme safely, at the cost of needing to make contact to hit Pokemon such as Mesprit or Weezing. The Nature selection primarily comes down to whether or not Minior needs to outspeed certain Pokemon when unboosted, such as Jolteon if Minior is in Meteor forme, or if it wants the additional power instead, such as to assure a 2HKO on Regirock and confirming an OHKO on Spiritomb without Stealth Rock. Tera Grass can be used if available to tank a hit from Pokemon like Clawitzer, Jolteon, or Lycanroc and KO them, being the best typing against common moves from priority users like Thwackey, Basculin, and Lycanroc, and can turn interactions against Lanturn and Rotom-C into setup opportunities. Alternatively, Tera Ground can be used for extra power for breaking through Regirock, as well as providing Minior with an accurate, non-contact STAB move. However, this option leaves Minior vulnerable to Basculin's Aqua Jet and Thwackey's Grassy Glide
Minior works best either on snow teams alongside Abomasnow setting Aurora Veil, where Minior can provide an answer to Charizard and other Fire-types. Minior serves as a cleaner on more bulkier teams at the end once its teammates have weakened the opposing team over time, and can also work on defensive teams as a primary win condition in a similar. Wallbreakers like Clawitzer, Jolteon, and Arboliva and Magmortar all can appreciate Minior, as they deal significant damage to walls like Weezing and Regirock over the course of a game, allowing for Minior to clean up at the end of the game. Sneasel-Hisui or Beartic in Snow can serve as a bit of a double-threat option alongside Minior, where defensive structures are often able to take on one major threat, and find themselves insufficient to wall both over the course of a game. Minior also cannot sweep if strong priority from Pokemon like Hitmontop or Lycanroc remain in play, so removing those with teammates before sweeping is a necessity. Minior can take advantage of Pokemon that do not carry super effective coverage, such as Charizard or Snorlax, as set up opportunities, so Pokemon that bring those in, such as Shaymin or Weezing, can help enable Minior to set up. Pokemon with access to removal, such as Hitmontop on more offensive teams or Sandslash elsewhere, can remove Stealth Rock that otherwise pose a serious threat to Minior's sweep. Taunt can also accomplish this task, with Persian-Alola and faster Weezing on more offensive teams and elsewhere respectively, but risk Stealth Rock going up if outplayed.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
A special set can be ran with moves like Meteor Beam, Power Gem, and Earth Power, but the reduced power and lack of access to Acrobatics can make this an inferior option beyond the surprise factor. Minior also has access to some utility moves, such as Stealth Rock and U-Turn, but Minior is better off as a sweeper because its poor defensive typing leaves any support role it could play done better by other entry hazard setters like Mesprit, Sandslash, or Regirock.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Physically Bulky Pokemon**: Even when boosted, physical walls like Regirock, Persian-Alola and physically defensive Mesprit can tank a hit or two from Minior and respond with significant damage. Persian-Alola can serve as a strong defensive response, tanking hits with Fur Coat and KOing it with Foul Play.
**Priority**: Without expending Tera, Minior has no way to play around priority, and moves like Basculin's Aqua Jet or Lycanroc's Accelrock both can easily KO Minior once it is in Base forme. With few resistances to common priority in ZU, Minior can often be KOd by a revenge killer ignoring speed boosts entirely. While Thwackey and Hitmontop do not carry super-effective priority, they can also KO a sufficiently weakened Minior.
**Faster Threats**: Even at +2, Meteor forme Minior can often by outsped and KOd by a revenge killer like Jolteon or Choice Scarf Rotom-C.
**Encore**: Slower Encore users like Mesprit can disrupt Minior as it tries to set up. If Prankster Encore users like Whimsicott, Sableye, or Grafaiai switch in as Minior uses Shell Smash, they can lock Minior into repeated uses of the move, forcing a switch out and wasting the White Herb.
**Haze and Phazing**: Pokemon like Weezing, Cryogonal, and Articuno can remove Minior's boosts entirely, forcing it to deal unboosted damage or attempt a predictions game on trying to get boosts back, with the added problem of the defense drops. The latter two, however, need to watch out for Stone Edge if not using Tera. Alternatively, Charizard, Dipplin, and Hippopotas can use Roar, Dragon Tail, and Whirlwind to remove Minior from the battle field entirely.
**Stealth Rock*: Minior prefers being in control of when it changes formes when possible, and Stealth Rock dealing unignorable chip just for switching in can significantly impede the ability to manage the forme transformation, on top of it making Minior much easier to KO.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/a-fairy.57965/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/missangelic.452572/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/yo-cho.610452/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sleid.601970/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user5.104/
Last edited:
