Project National Dex UU Victim of the Week - Week 24: Scolipede

What's the best way to beat a 100 kg steel bug that can hit you at the speed of a bullet? Well, a giant bundle of blue pool noodles certainly does the trick!

:ss/tangrowth:
Tangrowth @ Rocky Helmet
Relaxed Nature
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
- Giga Drain
- Knock Off
- HP Fire
- Sleep Powder/Earthquake/Sludge Bomb

At +2, scizor doesn't even come close to OHKOing phys def tang with its strongest move. Tang can then easily fire back with an hp fire to knock scizor out. Switching in tangrowth into this bug type isn't even much of a risk because scizor rarely runs uturn these days, and uturn just bounces off anyways with regen. Helmet tang is in general a pretty underrated threat right now, as melmetals start to deviate from pads (it can even knock pads variants) and urshifu is as hard to wall as ever. Bisharp, krook, azumarill, and mienshao are also victims of this bushy fiend.

+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Scizor Superpower vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Tangrowth: 230-272 (56.9 - 67.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
0 SpA Tangrowth Hidden Power Fire vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Scizor: 224-268 (79.7 - 95.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Helmet and Life Orb chip

Even if you sd again to live hp fire, you still don't knock tangrowth out
+4 252+ Atk Life Orb Scizor Superpower vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Tangrowth: 346-407 (85.6 - 100.7%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO
DA BUG BAITE WHICH I RUN EVERY TIME (its not in the set given up so idk but consider it plz cuz i run it )
 
With a majority on Skarmory for Counter, congrats to Pubo for winning this week's round! Your submission will be added to the Hall of Fame shortly.

Let's move onto the next one, this week's Victim will be none other than Zarude.

zarude.gif

Zarude @ Darkinium Z
Ability: Leaf Guard
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Bulk Up
- Power Whip
- Darkest Lariat
- Jungle Healing

Zarude's Bulk Up set swings its way to the top of the viability rankings, packing plenty of defensive utility against the plethora of Water-types unable to cripple it, while being immensely difficult to revenge kill after setting up. How will you defeat our latest Victim?

Deadline for submissions will be on the 14th of April, Good luck.​
 
Altaria @ Altarianite
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Return
- Earthquake
- Roost

You can easily come in on zarude BU or any attack and force it out by dragon dancing on it or return chunking it even with a BU Boost. This is a counter because even if it clicks BU it still cannot ohko mega altaria while it can just dragon dance up and start clicking buttons from there

+1 252 Atk Zarude Black Hole Eclipse (160 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Altaria-Mega: 170-201 (58.4 - 69%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+1 252 Atk Zarude Power Whip vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Altaria-Mega: 128-151 (43.9 - 51.8%) -- 11.7% chance to 2HKO

+1 252+ Atk Pixilate Altaria-Mega Return vs. +1 4 HP / 0 Def Zarude: 372-440 (105.6 - 125%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Pixilate Altaria-Mega Return vs. +1 4 HP / 0 Def Zarude: 252-296 (71.5 - 84%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
 
:Tapu Bulu:
Tapu Bulu @ Choice Scarf :Choice Scarf:
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Megahorn / Close Combat
- High Horsepower
- Stone Edge
- Horn Leech

Tapu Bulu is an amazing counter to Zarude due to it's decent physical bulk and resistant typing combination. Tapu Bulu with no defensive investments lives a +2 Black Hole Eclipse which just shows how easily Tapu Bulu can switch into Zarude. Close Combat usually 2HKO's but if Zarude sets up on the turn Tapu Bulu gets swapped in, it unfortunately gets stalled out with Bulk Up and Jungle Healing. This can be prevented with Megahorn which is rather unorthadox due to it not being as helpful for Steel-types as Close Combat, for Poison-, Steel, and Fire-types as High Horsepower, and Stone Edge for Fire-types. Although, Megahorn can be extremely useful for Grass-types that generally wall Tapu Bulu like Tangrowth.
 
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reserving buzzwole :buzzwole:

:sm/buzzwole:

Buzzwole @ Life Orb
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Close Combat
- Ice Punch
- Roost
- Earthquake

Zarude does negative damage against it and Buzzwole can just CC and OHKO Dada

252+ Atk Life Orb Buzzwole Close Combat vs. +1 4 HP / 0 Def Zarude: 377-447 (107.1 - 126.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO

+1 252 Atk Zarude Black Hole Eclipse (160 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Buzzwole: 139-164 (39.1 - 46.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
 
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With a landslide vote on Buzzwole for Counter, congrats to Pubo for winning this week's round! Your submission will be added to the hall of fame shortly.

Let's move onto the next one, in order to commemorate its final day of being suspect tested, this week's Victim will be none other than Melmetal.


:ss/melmetal:
Melmetal @ Protective Pads
Ability: Iron Fist
EVs: 44 HP / 252 Atk / 212 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Double Iron Bash
- Thunder Punch
- Earthquake
- Toxic

The prospect of a new era at hand, Melmetal has cemented itself as a top threat ever since it dropped, boasting an absurdly powerful Iron Fist-boosted move in Double Iron Bash, fantastic physical bulk, and all the coverage needed to dispatch the tier's switch-ins. How will you defeat our latest Victim?

Deadline for submissions will be on the 21st of April, Good luck.​
 
Buzzwole @ Life Orb
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Ice Punch
- Earthquake
- Roost

"Buzzwole's offensive variants can also take any one hit and retaliate with a Close Combat, with Life Orb Buzzwole's Close Combat standing out as one of the few physical moves able to OHKO Melmetal. It's also faster than Melmetal, meaning Melmetal cannot rely on Double Iron Bash flinches to win" It is a pretty decent counter

252 Atk Life Orb Buzzwole Close Combat vs. 44 HP / 0 Def Melmetal: 398-468 (94.3 - 110.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock

252+ Atk Iron Fist Melmetal Double Iron Bash (2 hits) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Buzzwole: 210-248 (59.1 - 69.8%) -- approx. 2HKO

252+ Atk Iron Fist Melmetal Double Iron Bash (2 hits) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Buzzwole: 210-248 (59.1 - 69.8%) -- approx. 2HKO after Stealth Rock and toxic damage
 
reserving scizor (spam roost and you win)

:xy/scizor:
Scizor @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Technician
EVs: 248 HP / 28 Atk / 48 Def / 180 SpD / 4 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Bullet Punch
- Swords Dance
- Knock Off
- Roost

252+ Atk Iron Fist Melmetal Double Iron Bash (2 hits) vs. 248 HP / 48 Def Scizor: 132-156 (38.4 - 45.4%) -- approx. 3HKO

(scizor does 0 damage with knock but at least you pp stall dib)
 
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:Rotom-Heat:
Rotom-Heat @ Heavy-Duty Boots :Heavy-Duty Boots:
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Overheat
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Grass] / Pain Split
- Nasty Plot

Rotom-Heat is immune to Earthquake, resists Thunder Punch, and quad resists Double Iron Bash and it outspeeds Melmetal. With an automatically high defense it's able to take both Thunder Punch and Double Iron Bash three times before needing to click Overheat. That's maximum special attack right there, and it doesn't even need it as it OHKO's without boosts. Rotom-Heat uses Melmetal as setup fodder.

:Rotom-Heat: -> :Melmetal:
252 SpA Rotom-Heat Overheat vs. 44 HP / 0 SpD Melmetal: 522-614 (123.6 - 145.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO

:Melmetal: -> :Rotom-Heat:
252+ Atk Iron Fist Melmetal Double Iron Bash (2 hits) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Rotom-Heat: 66-78 (27.3 - 32.3%) -- approx. 4HKO
252+ Atk Iron Fist Melmetal Thunder Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Rotom-Heat: 54-64 (22.4 - 26.5%) -- 25.6% chance to 4HKO
 
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