Nidoqueen [QC 3/3] [GP 2/2]

NIDOQUEEN IS BOSS
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[Overview]

<p>Nidoqueen is generally regarded as a more defensively oriented Pokemon, and with the many new toys that it received this generation, it can perform that job better than ever. While overlooked during the times on DPP, Nidoqueen was blessed with the ability Sheer Force from the Dream World to power up many of its attacks to sky high levels, even without investment. The Queen also boasts a decent defensive typing with key resistances to Fighting-, Bug-, and Rock-type moves; furthermore, it has immunity to Electric-type attacks. In addition, Nidoqueen is not affected by Thunder Wave or Toxic, and it can absorb Toxic Spikes on its own. With a good movepool containing support, phazing, and offensive moves, Nidoqueen has quite a few options to choose from that can support your team's needs. Nidoqueen, through the transition to BW2, became one of the most reliable Stealth Rock setters in UU because few Pokemon can use Rapid Spin against it safely. Blastoise is 2HKOed by Earth Power or Sludge Wave and fails to OHKO with Scald. Hitmontop is 2HKOed by both attacks as well. Xatu does not ever want to switch in because even defensive variants will not enjoy taking Ice Beam. Even Cryogonal is OHKOed by Fire Blast or Focus Blast and it cannot OHKO with Ice Beam, unless it's using an offensive EV spread. Sadly, Nidoqueen is not without its flaws. A Base 76 Speed is average at best and a weakness to Ground-types often can hold Nidoqueen back against faster threats. Not to mention, in the fully offensive role, Nidoqueen is always outclassed by its older brother, Nidoking, which also boasts Sheer Force but has higher offensive stats. To boot, Nidoqueen has no recovery outside of Rest, Black Sludge, or Leftovers. Despite these drawbacks, Nidoqueen is a threat that should not be overlooked, and if you are looking for a solid defensive Poison-type to set up Stealth Rock or wreak some havoc as a bulky attacker, why not give Nidoqueen a chance?</p>

[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Earth Power
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Ice Beam / Focus Blast / Sludge Wave
move 4: Stealth Rock / Focus Blast
item: Life Orb
ability: Sheer Force
nature: Modest
evs: 100 HP / 252 SpA / 156 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>With this set, Nidoqueen becomes an offensive force to be reckoned with while still having enough bulk to be a good check to Fighting- and Bug-type Pokemon in the tier. Thanks to Sheer Force, Life Orb recoil is canceled, effectively giving Nidoqueen a 1.6x boost to her attacks with no secondary effects. Earth Power is usually Nidoqueen's most reliable STAB, as it can OHKO Pokemon such as Darmanitan, Victini, Chandelure, Rhyperior, and Cobalion. Fire Blast is necessary to get past the likes of Bronzong who would otherwise wall this set. Next, Ice Beam catches Pokemon such as Flygon, Zapdos, Gligar, and Claydol off guard, but Focus Blast also can hit some other targets hard, namely Umbreon, Snorlax, and Clefable. However, be mindful of Focus Blast's low accuracy. Sludge Wave also can hit a lot for neutral damage with its STAB despite the poor coverage. Lastly, Nidoqueen can set up Stealth Rock; however, if your team already has a Stealth Rock user, Focus Blast should be put there.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EVs on this set allow Nidoqueen to reach 227 Speed, outrunning Xatu, Roserade, most Togekiss, and defensive Arcanine. From there, Nidoqueen can easily KO these Pokemon with a super effective move. Life Orb is the only item to be used on this set because it provides great offensive power at no cost to Nidoqueen. Modest nature is always best for this set; if you even considered running Timid nature, use Nidoking instead.</p>

<p>Bronzong is a great partner for Nidoqueen because they both have good synergy with each other. Thanks to Bronzong's Levitate and good defenses, Bronzong can take on Krookodile's Earthquakes or Crunches, Flygon Choice-locked into Earthquake or Outrage (watch out for Fire Punch!), and Weavile. Like Bronzong, Pokemon such as Umbreon and Calm defensive Porygon2 are great partners because they can switch out on a Fighting-type and Nidoqueen can switch in. Snorlax is also great for team support as it can take hits from special attackers, such as Zapdos, Rotom-H, and Chandelure, while maintaining offensive pressure and it has the ability to set up multiple Curses. Wish support is always welcome for Nidoqueen as it does not have reliable recovery, especially without Black Sludge; Togekiss and Umbreon are decent Wish users in the tier. If you aren't running Stealth Rock, Nidoqueen appreciates entry hazards, so any other support from Pokemon such as Bronzong and Roserade is welcomed.</p>

[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Fire Blast / Ice Beam
move 4: Dragon Tail / Roar
item: Black Sludge
ability: Sheer Force
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 232 Def / 24 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>With this set, Nidoqueen serves as one of the best counters to Fighting- and Bug-type Pokemon in the tier. Stealth Rock is the main move on the set and as a defensive Pokemon, it sets them up well. Even without investment, Earth Power is usually Nidoqueen's most reliable STAB, as it can hit other Pokemon pretty hard thanks to Sheer Force. Fire Blast is necessary to put a dent into Bronzing, who would otherwise wall this set. As another option, Ice Beam catches Flying- and Ground-types such as Flygon, Zapdos, Gligar, and Claydol off guard. The choice depends on your team's needs and what Pokemon your team struggles with more. In the last slot, Dragon Tail is usually better for Nidoqueen, as it can do some decent damage to Flygon who think that they can get a free switch. If you are really afraid of Substitute users such as Mismagius, go for Roar.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EVs on this set make Nidoqueen defensively oriented but also give it a little bit of Speed; these Speed EVs allow Nidoqueen to outspeed defensive Blastoise. Furthermore, don't ever consider running a Relaxed nature in conjunction with Dragon Tail, as the power drop is not worth being slower than Blastoise. A Bold nature increases your Defense without dropping Speed, so that is always the best choice. Black Sludge is the best choice for an item most of the time, but if you are really afraid of Trick, you can use Leftovers.</p>

<p>Bronzong is a great partner, using Levitate and solid defenses to take on Krookodile and Flygon. Specially bulky walls, such as Umbreon, Porygon2, and Snorlax, can take attacks from Zapdos, Rotom-H, and Chandelure with ease, and can lure in Fighting-type attacks for Nidoqueen. As Nidoqueen has no reliable recovery, Wish support extends its lifespan considerably; Togekiss and Umbreon have good type synergy with Nidoqueen and can reliably pass Wish.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Nidoqueen does have a few other options available. Thunderbolt can deal with bulky Water-types better, but Nidoqueen generally hits them hard enough with Earth Power or Sludge Wave. Super Fang gets an interesting note on the defensive set, as it could become a wall that can break stall, but it also has a hard time finding a moveslot. Nidoqueen also has a great physical movepool, including the elemental punches from BW2, but generally Sheer Force-boosted special attacks are more powerful. Nidoqueen could also run an effective Toxic Spikes set with similar EVs to the defensive set, but the abundance of Poison-types makes this not as reliable.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>In general, Nidoqueen has a difficult time with Pokemon with Earthquake, such as Rhyperior or Flygon, but such Pokemon must also watch out for Earth Power or Ice Beam, respectively. Bulky Water-types, such as Milotic, wall Nidoqueen and are able to strike with Scald or Hydro Pump. Suicune is similar to Milotic and can set up Calm Minds when Nidoqueen switches. Rotom-H can use Trick, Hidden Power Ice, or Overheat to take out or disable Nidoqueen accordingly, and can take Earth Power, Ice Beam, and Fire Blast with impunity. Weavile is able to hit Nidoqueen with a STAB Ice Punch, but it must watch out for Fire Blast. Snorlax also counters Nidoqueen fairly well and can Curse or hit back with Earthquake. Even Porygon2 tanks Nidoqueen's special attacks, including Focus Blast, and can Trace Sheer Force; this will provide Porygon2 an OHKO with Ice Beam. It can also use Recover and hit other things hard with Sheer Force. Finally, other hard hitting special attackers will generally bring Nidoqueen into at least yellow health with a neutral hit.</p>



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skeleton V
[Overview]

• Nidoqueen is generally regarded as a more defensive Pokemon compared to Nidoking, its brother.
• Blessed with the ability Sheer Force.
• Boasts decent defensive typing with key resistances to Fighting-, Grass-, Bug-, and Rock- plus immunity to Electric-.
• Can absorb Toxic Spikes.
• Received Stealth Rock again with Sheer Force thanks to Black and White 2 move tutors.
• Many opportunities to switch in due to many Fighting-Types.
• Nidoqueen is a decent offensive tank.
• One of the most reliable Stealth Rock setters in the tier because almost nothing can spin on it (Blastoise is 2HKOd by Earth Power / Sludge Wave and fails to OHKO with Scald, likewise for Hitmontop, even Cryogonal is OHKOd by Fire Blast or Focus Blast and it cannot OHKO with Ice Beam unless it's offensive) and Xatu does not ever want to switch in because even SpD variants take far too much from Ice Beam.
• Bulky enough to avoid OHKOs quite a few attackers and threatens Taunt users with powerful attacks.

• A base 76 speed is average at best.
• A weakness to Ground-type.
• In the fully offensive (252SpA/252Spe or a choice item) role, Nidoqueen is always outclassed by Nidoking.
• No reliable recovery outside of Rest, Black Sludge, or Leftovers.

• Overall solid Defensive Poison type to absorb Toxic Spikes and set up Stealth Rocks, with the ability to wreck some havoc while still taking some hits.


[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Earth Power
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Ice Beam / Focus Blast / Sludge Wave
move 4: Stealth Rock / Focus Blast
item: Life Orb
ability: Sheer Force
nature: Modest
evs: 100 HP / 252 SpA / 156 Spe


[SET COMMENTS]

• Why run Offensive tank Nidoqueen? It walls fighting types better than Nidoking can yet still hits pretty hard.
• Earth Power is boosted by Sheer Force and is reliable STAB.
• Fire Blast is great for Brongzong and is very powerful.
• Ice Beam catches Pokemon like Flygon, Zapdos, Gligar, and Claydol off guard, but Sludge Wave hits a lot for neutral damage despite poor coverage and has STAB and Sheer Force, also Focus Blast also can hit some other targets hard, but watch out for low accuracy.
• Nidoqueen can set up Stealth Rocks, but if you have a pokemon to do that already, Focus Blast is a good option.
• Life Orb works very well for Nidoqueen since Sheer Force cancels out recoil.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

• EVs allow Nidoqueen to reach 227 speed, outrunning Xatu, Roserade, most Togekiss, and defensive Arcanine.
• Life Orb works best for this set, it should be the only item you use.
• Modest produces the most Power. Don't use Timid (if you want to, use Nidoking.)
• Partnering with Brongzong will work well as they both have good synergy due to Brongzong lacking a Ground-type weakness... Bronzong can take on Krookidile Earthquakes or Crunches, Flygon Choice Locked into Earthquake or Outrage (Watch out for Fire Punch!), and also can take on Weavile because it has nothing super effective against Bronzong.
• Snorlax is also great for team support as it can take hits from special attackers such as Zapdos, Rotom-H, and Chandelure, while maintaining offensive pressure and the ability to set up Curses.
• Wish support is welcomed for Nidoqueen, as she does not have her reliable recovery, especially without Black Sludge.
• Pokemon such as Umbreon and Calm Defensive Porygon2 are great partners, they have good synergy because they can switch out on a Fighting-type and Nidoqueen can switch in.
• Togekiss and Umbreon also get a mention for the ability to Wish.
• Spikes support is good too, often securing KOs.​

name: Defensive
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Fire Blast / Ice Beam
move 4: Dragon Tail / Roar
item: Black Sludge
ability: Sheer Force
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 232 Def / 24 Spe


[SET COMMENTS]

• Great check to Fighting-type Pokemon in the tier, such as Cobalion, Machamp, and Heracross and other neutral physical attacks.
• Obvious first move is Stealth Rock.
• Earth Power is for a good, solid STAB move that hits hard even without investment.
• Nidoqueen can run Fire Blast, generally it cannot reliably check Heracross without it. Ice Beam is still a viable option for hitting Xatu, Gligar, Zapdos, and Crobat harder than you would with Fire Blast.
• In the last slot, Roar or Dragon Tail is for phasing… Use Roar if you aren’t afraid of taunt or use Dragon Tail if you aren’t afraid of Substitute users such as Mismagius…
• Generally Dragon Tail is better for hitting Flygon on switch, especially if you forgo Ice Beam.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

• EVs give Bulk and allow Nidoqueen to outspeed Blastoise.
• Black Sludge is generally the better choice compared to Leftovers because the chance of your opponent getting two opportunities to Trick is slim...however if you fear that Leftovers is acceptable.
• Bold is always better than Relaxed or anything else because even with Dragon Tail power decrease, you can outspeed Blastoise.
• Partnering with Brongzong will work well as they both have good synergy due to Brongzong lacking a Ground-type weakness... Bronzong can take on Krookidile Earthquakes or Crunches, Flygon Choice Locked into Earthquake or Outrage (Watch out for Fire Punch!), and also can take on Weavile because it has nothing super effective.
• Snorlax is also great for team support as it can take hits from special attackers such as Zapdos, Rotom-H, and Chandelure, while maintaining offensive pressure and the ability to set up Curses.
• Wish support is welcomed for Nidoqueen, as she does not have her reliable recovery.
• Pokemon such as Umbreon and Calm Defensive Porygon2 are great partners, they have good synergy because they can switch out on a Fighting-type and Nidoqueen can switch in.
• Togekiss or Umbreon can provide Wishes.
• Spikes support is good too.​

[Other Options]

• Thunderbolt can deal with bulky waters better. Generally Nidoqueen hits them hard enough with Earth Power or Sludge Wave.
• Super Fang gets an interesting note on the Defensive set... a wall that can stall break it pretty cool, but it also has a hard time finding a move slot.
• Good physical move pool with Elemental Punches from BW2 and Sheer Force with higher attack stat, but generally Sheer Force boosted special attacks are more powerful.
• Nidoqueen can run an effective Toxic Spikes Set with similar EVs to the Defensive set, but the abundance of Poison-types makes this not as reliable.

[Checks and Counters]

• Pokemon with Earthquake can revenge kill Nidoqueen but must watch out for Earth Power or Ice Beam… namely Flygon and Rhyperior.
• Bulky waters like Milotic can hit Nidoqueen with a Scald or Hydro Pump.
• Suicune is similar to Milotic and can set up on Nidoqueen when it switches.
• Rotom-H can use Trick or HP Ice / Overheat to take out or disable Nidoqueen accordingly and can take Earth Power or Ice Beam.
• Weavile can hit Nidoqueen with a STAB Ice Punch and KO Tank Variants after SR, 2Hit KOs Defensive Variant, but it must watch out for Fire Blast.
• Though not as common anymore, Snorlax can counter Nidoqueen fairly well and can Curse or hit back with Earthquake.
• Porygon2 tanks Nidoqueens Special Attacks, including Focus Blast, and Traces Sheer Force which will provide a KO with Ice Beam. Then it can use Recover and it other things hard with Sheer Force.
• Other hard hitting Special Attackers generally will bring Nidoqueen into at least yellow health with a neutral hit.​
 
You need to get rid of Victini and CB Darmanitan in the counters almost entirely. If Nidoqueen can OHKO them and they cannot OHKO them back, that's a bit concerning (Plus Darmanitan always uses Life Orb > Choice Band).

Also, the OO looks pretty crowded. Disable, Sandstorm, anything Physical, and those random moves at the bottom stand out as the "practically unusable" options to me. Also, when you are adding additional sets, be sure to remove the OO moves that are contained in those set.

Otherwise, good luck with your first analysis!
 
I know you said don't post until you're done but you have pretty egregious mistakes in here.

"Currently doesn't incorporate set #2 for Nidoqueen being a 3 Attack Tank so this part may change a little bit"

The best players in the tier, including myself, prefer offensive Nidoqueen over Nidoking because it can actually check Heracross and Mienshao and Zapdos and Raikou and Flygon and [insert Pokemon above Nidoking's mediocre speed tier with powerful attacks]. Offensive Nidoqueen is not only not OO material, it should be the first set in the analysis, no questions asked. You really should have written that before the defensive set, because I can't even remember the last time I saw a defensive nidoqueen.

"252 Atk Guts burned Machamp (Adamant) DynamicPunch 27% - 32"

What?

"Nidoqueen could set up Sandstorm"

It could also use Horn Attack, which is about as viable. Remove this.

"Sludge Bomb could be used with Sheer Force for strong STAB, but it has poor coverage otherwise"

Sludge Wave is better in every way.

Please clean up everything you have written currently before adding more things to this analysis. I'm not trying to pick on you or something, but the previous analysis is extremely well written and still highly metagame relevant (except for the whole SR being legal thing), and I will be holding any new analysis to that same standard.
 
I'll take all the feedback implement it- I'll update my post with more info.

Thanks so far!

Off to go edit... (so check back soon)
 
The first set should be called "Offensive SR" and the move order should be Stealth Rock / Earth Power / Fire Blast / Ice Beam| Sludge Wave. The EV Spread should be 168 HP / 252 SpA / 88 Spe. (Outruns Xatu) Flareblitz should weigh in on the EV Spread, but it needs enough speed to outrun Gligar for sure. The item must be Life Orb, black sludge doesn't get a slash.

Wrote this from my phone, will edit with more changes.
 
The first set should be called "Offensive SR" and the move order should be Stealth Rock / Earth Power / Fire Blast / Ice Beam| Sludge Wave. The EV Spread should be 168 HP / 252 SpA / 88 Spe. (Outruns Xatu) Flareblitz should weigh in on the EV Spread, but it needs enough speed to outrun Gligar for sure. The item must be Life Orb, black sludge doesn't get a slash.

Wrote this from my phone, will edit with more changes.

Echoing and supporting this, except with Focus Blast slashed in with Fire Blast. And I actually like "Offensive Tank", since that's what we call offensive Swampert with SR.

Give this enough Spe EVs to hit 227 Spe (outruns Xatu, Roserade, most Togekiss, and defensive Arcanine), max SpA, rest into HP. Also mention that Nidoqueen is one of the most reliable SR setters in the tier because almost nothing can spin on it (blastoise is 2hko'd by earth power / sludge wave and fails to ohko with scald, lolhitmontop, even cryogonal is ohko'd by fire / focus blast and doesn't ohko with ice beam unless it's far too offensive, etc) and Xatu does not ever want to switch in because even SpD variants take far too much from Ice Beam. It's also bulky enough to avoid ohkos from quite a few attackers and threatens Taunt users with powerful attacks.
 
Now, we only want one defensive set, and it should look something like this:

name: Defensive
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Fire Blast / Ice Beam
move 4: Dragon Tail / Roar
item: Black Sludge
ability: Sheer Force
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 232 Def / 24 Spe

Toxic Spikes is not viable in this metagame, with so many Poison-type Pokemon in the tier. You can mention it in Other Options, but it doesn't deserve a higher mention than that. Nidoqueen should be running Fire Blast, otherwise it cannot reliably check Heracross. In this case, Dragon Tail is preferred over Roar so you have something to hit Flygon with on the switch. Ice Beam is still a viable option for hitting Xatu, Gligar, Zapdos, and Crobat harder than you would with Fire Blast. The EV Spread maximizes Nidoqueen's physical defense, with a small Speed investment to outrun Blastoise.
 
Applied most of the changes, I put the Toxic Spikes under suspect for now.. I feel like keeping it for now and seeing what some other people say before I jump the gun and remove it.
 
QC determines what sets are viable and we determined that Toxic Spikes are not, so remove it please. Also, I don't know why you added Relaxed to the Defensive set, but remove it; outspeeding Blastoise is more important than giving Dragon Tail an insubstantial power increase.
 
Fair enough. I made the changes, also I forgot to remove Relaxed from before :s I just removed that.

Any more suggestions for counters, partners, other options?
 
Defensive Nidoqueen is really weak so without a phazing move it's pretty easy for stuff like Kingdra or Scrafty to come in and set up, which is what would happen if Defensive Nidoqueen runs 3 attacks instead of 2 attacks + a phazing move.
 
Defensive Nidoqueen is really weak so without a phazing move it's pretty easy for stuff like Kingdra or Scrafty to come in and set up, which is what would happen if Defensive Nidoqueen runs 3 attacks instead of 2 attacks + a phazing move.

I agree, which is why my defensive set incorporates just that.
 
A few things you missed: You reversed the third and fourth moveslot order for Offensive Nidoqueen. It should be SR / Earth Power / Fire Blast | Focus Blast / Ice Beam | Sludge Wave. Kokoloko and I both agree that it should be renamed "Offensive", so unless there are objections from other QC members I think we're going with that. Also, Defensive Nidoqueen is to be called "Defensive", not Defensive SR.

This is what it should look like:
[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Fire Blast / Focus Blast
move 4: Ice Beam / Sludge Wave
item: Life Orb
ability: Sheer Force
nature: Modest
evs: 96HP / 252SpA / 156Spe

name: Defensive
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Earth Power
move 3: Fire Blast / Ice Beam
move 4: Dragon Tail / Roar
item: Black Sludge
ability: Sheer Force
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 232 Def / 24 Spe
 
What RT said. Except on the offensive set, Stealth Rock should be listed last, since the set's pain purpose is well... offensive. Not to mention Stealth Rock isn't mandatory on it (a teammate could be the one running it, so Nido wouldn't need to); Fire Blast on the other hand, is kinda mandatory. This is what the set should look like:

[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Earth Power
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Ice Beam / Focus Blast / Sludge Wave
move 4: Stealth Rock / Focus Blast
item: Life Orb
ability: Sheer Force
nature: Modest
evs: 100 HP / 252 SpA / 156 Spe

(RT is even missing 4 EVs smh)
 
Here are some changes to the content you should implement before we can pass this.

Offensive Nidoqueen

  • Remove "Alternate EV spread of 168 HP / 252 SpA / 88 Spe can be used for more bulk and still outrunning Xatu", that spread doesn't outrun Xatu unless you are using a Timid Nature, and Queen can't afford to sacrifice the Power it receives from Modest for extra Bulk.
  • "Partnering with Brongzong will work well as they both have good synergy due to Brongzong lacking a Ground-type weakness". Make sure you elaborate on this, mention that Bronzong can take advantage of Pokemon that would normally be able to revenge kill Nidoqueen like Flygon, Krook, Weavile, etc.
  • Add Snorlax as team support because it can take hits from special attackers such as Zapdos, Rotom-H, and Chandelure, while maintaining offensive pressure.

Defensive Nidoqueen:

  • "Black Sludge is usually best but if you are afraid of Trick use Leftovers". Black Sludge is generally the better choice because the chance of your opponent getting two opportunities to Trick is slim...however mentioning Leftovers as an option is acceptable.
  • Team Support should be the same as Offensive Queen

Other Options:

  • Just mention Toxic Spikes, Super Fang, and the Physical set. Everything else is either too gimmicky or completely useless and you don't need to mention them

Checks and Counters:

  • Add Porygon2, it can tank Earth Power, trace Sheer Force and OHKO with Ice Beam.
 
Changes made.

Fixed a lot of grammar and abbreviations such as "SR" and ice beam (without capitals). Shortened other options to the bare bone other options. Added the additions and made the skeleton a bit more sentence like.
 
Looks good now, thank you for being cooperative despite us being a pain in the ass :)

QC Approved 1/3
 
Alright!! Thanks for the 3 QC checks. I'll begin the write up today on my computer - it will probably be totally finished (factoring in school work) by Saturday or Sunday.

I'll post here and to the GP checks thread when it is here.
 
Finally got this analysis written. I'm really tired and don't feel like posting to the GP checks thread at the moment... I will tomorrow :)
 
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