Nattorei
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[Overview]
[p]Nattorei is one of the more interesting Pokemon to come from the 5th generation. Being the only Grass/Steel type in the game, it brings many unique resistances to a team, allowing it to check Pokemon such as Zekrom and Palkia (without Fire Blast). Furthermore, it possesses excellent 74/131/116 defenses, and learns Spikes and Leech Seed for augmented support capabilities. While it faces serious competition from Skarmory and Forretress for a team slot, Nattorei earns its place over those two thanks to its excellent Special Defense, resistance to Electric- and Water-type attacks, and access to Leech Seed.[/p]
[SET]
name: Spiker
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Leech Seed / Stealth Rock
move 3: Power Whip
move 4: Gyro Ball
item: Leftovers / Shed Shell
nature: Sassy
evs: 252 HP / 60 Def / 196 SDef
Set Comments:
<p>Nattorei earns its place on Ubers teams with its resistances to common attacks employed by both Palkia, Dialga, and Zekrom, whose coverage moves threaten to run through many Ubers teams. To this end, it possesses superior typing than Skarmory or Forretress, along with a far higher Special Defense.</p>
<p>Spikes and Leech Seed help Nattorei deal considerable residual damage to its opponents, while Power Whip strikes both Kyogre and Groudon super-effectively. Due to the high base speed of many Ubers, and Nattorei's comparatively pathetic speed stat, Gyro Ball is a good option, being your best move against Mewtwo and Latias, as well as letting you check Giratina-O given that you have Rain.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>The current EV spread is designed for the specially oriented Ubers environment, letting Nattorei take a variety of hits. But if you want more physical defense, you can go with a spread of 252 HP / 132 Def / 124 SDef / Impish. This lets you better handle Scizor, Garchomp, and Zekrom, while maintaining that Giratina-O's Hidden Power Fire is a 4HKO in the Rain.</p>
<p>As far as different moves go, Toxic and Thunder Wave are options over Power Whip or Gyro Ball if you want to deal more residual damage or support your team, respectively. While Nattorei can set up Stealth Rock, the move is illegal with Spikes and Leech Seed. And it's worth noting that many Pokemon learn Stealth Rock, while few learn the latter two moves.</p>
<p>Many players will use Sun abusers such as Ho-oh, Heatran, and Reshiram to defeat or set up on Nattorei. To stop these threats, a Kyogre or Tyranitar is recommended. As a bonus, both of them nullify the Sun. Other players will employ Pokemon such as Skarmory or Forretress, who shut down Nattorei with Taunt and Rapid Spin, respectively. Again, Kyogre can deal with these threats, but you need a Pokemon that can block Rapid Spin. Therefore, either Giratina, Giratina-O, or Ghost Arceus are good choices to pair with Nattorei, and all three have solid typing synergy with it. Finally, Nattorei may find itself needing Wish support to continue in its support capacities, so a Blissey or Chansey are recommended partners.</p>
[*] Only Pokemon in the game bar Shedinja to resist Palkia's Water/Dragon/Electric attack comboes, and possesses far higher Special Defense than Skarmory or Forretress.
[*]Spikes and Leech Seed help apply considerable residual damage
[*]Solid SDef and Steel-type lets it take hits from Pokemon like Dialga and Palkia.
[*]Power Whip is a useful STAB move that hits both Kyogre and Groudon supereffectively.
[*]Gyro Ball, despite low PP and being resisted by many Pokemon, ensures that Giratina-O can't set up on you (given Rain) as well as being your best option against Pokemon like Mewtwo and Latias.
[Team Options]
<p>The weather is fairly important to Nattorei. Many Pokemon possess Fire-type attacks, and the Rain provided by Kyogre halves their power, letting Nattorei survive surprise Fire-type attacks from Pokemon such as Mewtwo and Giratina-O. However, the Rain is a double-edged sword, since it also buffs the Water-type attacks of Pokemon such as Palkia. Since Nattorei is supposed to be a solid Palkia check, it's counterproductive for it to have difficulty switching into its STAB attacks. Of course, Nattorei isn't really bothered by Tyranitar's Sand. In short, you should pick your weather Pokemon with these points in mind.</p>
<p>Nattorei forces many switches, so it enjoys entry hazard support. Fortunately, Nattorei will typically be the Pokemon that sets up the entry hazards, so you don't need an extra Pokemon such as Forretress to provide Spikes. However, most Nattorei will not be using Stealth Rock, so you need a Pokemon to set it up. Groudon and Dialga typically work well for the role. You will also need a Pokemon to protect your entry hazards. For this purpose, Giratina and Giratina-O are recommended, since their typing synergizes well with that of Nattorei, and they also have fairly high defenses.</p>
<p>Nattorei counters tend to include Ho-oh, Reshiram, Heatran, which can OHKO it. Skarmory and Forretress can shut down its support capabilities, and Wobbuffet can set up on it. To counter the Fire-types, it's recommended that you use Kyogre or Tyranitar. Dealing with Skarmory or Forretress can be tricky, but Kyogre also works well for the role, as do many special attackers. Unfortunately, it's impossible to deal with Wobbuffet since you can't switch out of it, but you can employ Pokemon such as Darkrai or Mewtwo to limit its setup opportunities. Darkrai, which tends to force quite a few switches, also takes advantage of Nattorei's Spikes.</p>
<p>The Fire-types that counter Nattorei all have one partner in common: Groudon. Fortunately, Giratina (already a recommended partner for Nattorei) is a solid Groudon check, so you don't need to go out of your way to counter it. Skarmory and Forretress will obviously have Giratina-O or Giratina as a partner. Tyranitar deals effectively with both as long as it avoids Will-O-Wisp. Also, in the Rain Nattorei can set up on both of them. Wobbuffet is partnered by whatever setup sweeper the opponent chooses to include, so you'll have to deal with that on a case-by-case basis. Fortunately, a Choice Scarf user such as Palkia does a good job of checking many of the threats Wobbuffet helps setup.
[Optional Changes]
<p>Curse is a possibility in lower tier play, but too many Pokemon have Fire-type moves in the present Ubers environment. You can also attempt to use moves like Level Ground and Payback, but Power Whip and Gyro Ball do more damage to most targets in the Ubers environment.</p>
<p>Rugged Helmet is a useful item to deal residual damage to physical threats such as Garchomp, but Leftovers and Shed Shell are preferred in most situations. Finally, Nattorei has a variety of viable EV spreads to use if you want to hit various defensive benchmarks, so you should feel free to experiment.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Unfortunately, the new prevalence of Fire-types in the metagame has brought serious problems to Nattorei. Heatran, Ho-oh, and Reshiram laugh at anything Nattorei can do (though Leech Seed and Stealth Rock are annoyances), and they threaten a OHKO. Aside from Fire-types, Skarmory with Taunt completely shuts down Nattorei, while Forretress can spin away Nattorei's layers while putting up its own. Finally, Wobbuffet can turn Nattorei into setup fodder, though this is risky if it Encores Spikes.</p>
[Dream World]
<p>Nattorei doesn't get a Dream World ability.</p>
