[OVERVIEW]
* Nihilego's unique Rock/Poison typing, decent movepool, and high Special Attack and reasonable Speed stats allows it to perform a wide variety of roles in the UnderUsed metagame.
* Access to Stealth Rock and Toxic Spikes, combined with its impressive Special Attack and Speed stats and its ability to absorb Toxic Spikes allows it to act as a solid offensive hazard setter.
Nihilego doesn't really have a wide variety of roles in UU really, it's generally a special attacker that doubles as a special tank that gets by with its unique typing and coverage that also lets it beat up most hazard removers. Its not particularly good at long-lasting defensive roles in the same way Blissey or Empoleon are, so just leave it that it's a potent offensive threat etc etc.
* Base 103 Speed allows it to act as a decent Choice Scarf user. Allowing it to outspeed the entire
(un)boosted Metagame, and act as a solid revenge killer for threats such as Serperior, Mega Aerodactyl, Mega Beedrill a +1 Mega Altaria, and other common Choice Scafers such as Hydreigon and Chandelure.
* Also one of the few viable checks to Flying-type threats in the tier such as Togekiss, Moltres, and Mega Pidgeot that doesn't force the use of a Mega Slot.
I'd specify that these Flying mons are special, since something like Swampert is pretty decent at blanket checking physical-based Flying-types like Mega Aero and Crobat, and Nihilego doesn't exactly wanna switch into things like Crobat Brave Bird over and over.
* Its ability Beast Boost significantly helps Nihilego maintain offensive pressure, as it is able to boost its Special Attack by one stage each time it gains a KO.
Change this to say "its highest stat" instead of SpA; while niche yes, LO or Specs sets can EV themselves to boost Speed lategame and act as a high-power cleaner while not missing out all too much on the power.
* It also boasts an nice HP Stat combined with an impressive Special Defense stat, allowing it to act as a decent check to common Special-attackers in the tier such as Hydreigon and Mega Manectric and also being able to survive some super-effective attacks such as a Life Orb Psychic from Latias and any of Mega Slowbro's STAB moves at +1.
Mentioning Latias is kind of a moot point here since Nihilego wont be doing very much to it in return unless you have a boosted Z-Sludge Wave or Power Gem coming out. Mention some more examples of stuff that really struggles to against it without super effective coverage; Kyurem, Moltres, Togekiss, and Sylveon are all good examples.
* Nihilego's physical defense stats however are far less impressive, resulting in it being 2HKOed by even resisted hits such as U-turn from Choice Band Scizor and common priority moves such as Breloom's Mach Punch.
* One of the major issues that Nihilego faces are the plethora of Ground- and Steel-type Pokemon in the tier, who naturally resist Nihilego's Dual Stab moves and can easily OHKO it in return with their STAB moves. Furthermore, like most common Special-attacking Wallbreakers
(don't really need to call nihilego a special wallbreaker if you go over what it does from the start, just cut that little bit out when you fix this) Nihilego struggles to break through special walls such as Blissey and Alolan Muk, even after multiple Special Attack boosts. As a result, Nihilego has to rely heavily on support from its team partners in order for it to function effectively in the tier.
* As an offensive hazard setter, Nihilego faces competition from Nidoking, who tends to boast a much more versatile movepool. As a Choice Scarf user, Nihilego also faces competition from Gengar, who boasts a higher Special Attack Stat, Speed tier and an all around better offensive typing.
Mention that neither of these other Poison mons resist Flying, making them susceptible to Moltres and all that. Gengar's also Pursuit-weak and pretty much weak to the same shit since they both have abysmal defense outside of Loom (I'd argue that Scarf is actually Gengar's weakest set atm). I wouldn't say gar directly outclasses Nihilego in this sense, Gar just has better neutral coverage with Poison/Ghost/Fighting, but Nihilego has the power to snipe more stuff with super effective coverage, and is eons more bulky than it and Nidoking. Just mention the pros and cons of the Nihilego, since it brings stuff to the table that other offensive Poison mons simply can't.
[SET]
name: Offensive Hazard Setter
move 1: Sludge Wave
move 2: Thunder / Thunderbolt
move 3: Grass Knot / Hidden Power Ice / Power Gem
move 4:Stealth Rock / Toxic Spikes
item: Electrium Z / Life Orb
ability: Beast Boost
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
quick nitpick but if you're gonna name a set "offensive hazard setter" the hazards should be in the first moveslot.
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Sludge Wave is Nihilego's Primary STAB Move, OHKOing common threats in the tier such as Mega Altaria, Breloom, and Serperior from full, and OHKOing Primarina after Stealth Rock
damage
.
* Thunder combined with Electrium Z provides Nihilego with a 185 Base Power Gigavolt Havoc, which allows it to break through common bulky Water-type Pokemon such as Empoleon, Tentacruel, Suicune, and Mega Slowbro, as well as OHKOing Offensive Scizor after Stealth Rock Damage. While Thunder does have the downside of being 70% accurate after the Z move is used, using Thunderbolt over Thunder misses out on crucial KOes and should only really be ran with a Life Orb set.
* Thunderbolt is a more accurate alternative over Thunder which should be used if users opt to run a Life Orb over Electrium Z.
* Grass Knot allows Nihilego to dish out heavy damage to common Ground-type Pokemon in the tier, having an 87% chance to OHKO Swampert after Stealth Rock and 2HKOing Krookodile and Hippowdon
* Hidden Power Ice is a useful attack to hit Ground-type foes. Most notably OHKOing offensive Gliscor, who is otherwise relatively unfazed by Nihilego's attacks.
Mention SpD Glisc > Offensive since HP Ice killing a bulk-less Gliscor is kind of a no-brainer, just say that HP Ice can significantly damage it in comparision to its other attacks.
* Power Gem is a useful STAB Move allowing Nihilego to OHKO Kyurem, Mega Houndoom and Chandelure.
* Stealth Rock is nigh mandatory in just about every competitive Pokemon battle, punishing every foe that switches in.
* Toxic Spikes poisons every grounded non poison- or steel-type foe in the tier. Gradually wearing foes down more the longer they stay on the field.
* Alternatively, Nihilego can opt to run an All-out-Attacking set with Hidden Power Ice or Power Gem instead of Stealth Rock or Toxic Spikes.
Mention Dazzling Gleam since that can be used to OHKO Hydreigon without taking a heavy hit from it in return.
Set Details
========
* Maximum investment in Special Attack and Speed are required in order for Maximum damage output.
* Electrium Z is required in order for Nihilego to use Gigavolt Havoc.
* Beast Boost provides Nihilego with a Special Attack raise every time it claims a KO, thus generating more offensive pressure.
* If another teammate is already using a Z Crystal, a Life Orb is the best alternative, boosting the power of all of Nihilego's attacks.
Usage Tips
========
* Early-game Nihilego's main priority is to set up entry hazards, this is best done against Special Attackers such as Mega Manectric, Hydreigon, and Moltres, or more passive Pokemon such as Blissey and Alomomola, since Nihilego loses to most common hazard setters early-game such as Gliscor, Krookodile, Mega Aggron, and Cobalion.
* Mid- to Late-game, Nihilego's role is best used as a cleaner, after its checks and counters have been removed from the battlefield or worn down to being in range of being KOed by Nihilego's attacks and getting a Special Attack boost as a result thanks to Beast Boost.
* While Nihilego should be cautious switching in on Physical attacks, it is important to utilitze Nihilego as a Flying-type resist and take advantage of its impressive Special Bulk, bringing it in against foes such as Moltres, Mega Pidgeot, and Togekiss, or by bringing it in with volt/turn support, or after a teammate has been KOed.
* Be cautious of using Z-Thunder prematurely, as if your opponent predicts Z-Thunder and switches into a Ground-type Pokemon, it wastes Nihilego's one-turn Nuke and potentially ruins Nihilego's Sweeping potential. It also means that Nihilego may have to risk using a 70% accurate move in order to KO a foe. That said, despite the fact that Thunder is 70% accurate, it is an incredibly powerful attack, and Nihilegos best means of hitting many many of its common checks and counters such as Empoleon, Tentacruel, Suicune, and Mantine as well as other prominent bulky Water-types such as Alomomola and Mega Slowbro. Furthermore, Z-Thunder can smack
(use a bit more formal wording here just for the sake of the analysis, "deal heavy damage" > smack) various Steel-types that attempt to switch in on Nihilego, such as Scizor and Cobalion.
* While Nihilego may find most common Stealth Rock setters in the UU Metagame such as Swampert, Gliscor, and Krookodile to be threatening, Nihilego has an impressive matchup against many common defoggers
(change this to "entry hazard removers") in the tier, such as Mega Altaria, Hydreigon, and Togekiss.
(Add tentacruel to this list, 0 SpA Scald doesn't do jack to Nihilego and TBolt 2HKOs)
Team Options
========
* Grass-type Pokemon such as Breloom, Celebi, and Serperior are ex
ce
llent partners for Nihilego, as they are easily able to threaten the bulky Water- and Ground-type Pokemon that threaten Nihilego, such as Swampert, Hippowdon and Krookodile. Breloom is especially noteworthy, as it is also able to threaten Steel-types such as Cobalion and Stakataka, as well as break through special walls such as Blissey. In return, these Grass-type Pokemon all appreciate Nihilego's presence, as it provides the team with a check to common Flying-type foes such as Moltres, Mega Pidgeot, and Togekiss.
* Latias has a lot to offer defensively for Nihilego, as it's immune to Ground-type attacks, and also resists the Water-type attacks that Nihilego doesn't appreciate taking. Choice Scarf sets can also provide teams with some Speed Control, allowing it to revenge kill common threats that try to revenge kill Nihilego, such as Choice Scarf Infernape, Choice Scarf Krookodile, and Breloom.
Speed Control is usually a general term, revenge killing is more appropriate for an analysis. I'd take this part out though, as a decent revenge killer is a common teambuilding staple on most offensive teams and doesn't need to be specifically Latias or paired with Nihilego. Keeping a bullet for Dragon-types and mentioning Hydreigon would be good here.
* If Nihilego opts to run a Life Orb set, Groundium Z Celebi is a great partner for Nihilego, as it's able to check common Water- and Ground-type pokemon that Nihilego dislikes dealing with, and can also
(???)
* Although it stacks on 4x weaknesses to Ground-type attacks, Magneton is a useful partner as it is able to trap and remove Scizor from the battlefield. Eject button Alomomola is a brilliant Pokemon to pair with Magneton, as it allows Magneton to trap and eliminate Scizor, even if it clicks U-turn.
I'll bring this up to the rest of the QC team, but personally I think this part should be taken out. Magneton is bad, a giant wast of a teamslot doing absolutely nothing for a team outside of removing Scizor. I wouldn't want to recommend anyone use this Pokemon myself, but I don't think I have the power to make such a drastic decision for the analysis myself. I'll get back to you over discord or something when we reach some kind of decision.
* Volt/turn support from Pokemon such as Scizor and Mega Manectric allows Nihilego to come in and set up entry hazards without having to take any damage.
* Taunt users such as Crobat, Gliscor, and Hydreigon are useful for Nihilego as they prevent foes from removing hazards and prevent Blissey from being able to use Soft Boiled to recover its hp.
* Alolan Muk is a useful partner for Nihilego as it is able to trap and remove common the two main Rapid Spinners in the tier, Starmie and Tsareena, as well as trapping and removing Latias, who can potentially remove Nihilego's hazards with Defog and Gengar, who is able to absorb Nihilego's Toxic Spikes.
Mention the downside of using both of these together (dual Ground-weak mons in a Gliscor meta)
* Krookodile is a nice partner for Nihilego as it is able to take care of Alolan-Muk and Blissey, as well as Latias and Gengar, which makes it easier for Nihilego to perform its role effectively. Krookodile also appreciates Nihilegos ability to set Stealth Rock as it frees it up to use a Choice Scarf.
* Fire-types such as Infernape, Moltres, Chandelure, Darmanitan, and Volcanion make for useful partners due to their ability to pressure Steel-types such as Scizor and Cobalion. Infernape is especially useful as it is also able to break through Special Walls such as Blissey and Alolan Muk, as well as potentially provide teams with decent Speed Control
("a revenge killer") by running a Choice Scarf, and provide the team with U-turn Support, preventing Nihilego from taking damage when bringing it in. Volcanion is also an especially useful partner as it provides the team with a Water-immunity, can threaten Ground-types with its powerful Steam Eruption, which also has a 30% chance to burn foes, crippling the physical attackers that threaten Nihilego.
Mention the downsides of using Volcanion here, that it's risky to bring it directly in on Ground-types thanks to its Fire-type giving it a weakness to them.
* Fighting-type Pokemon such as Cobalion and Heracross make useful partners for Nihilego as they are able to threaten a number of Steel-types such as Scizor, opposing Cobalion and Mega Aggron, as well as Special Walls such as Blissey and Alolan Muk, who can otherwise be rather problematic for Nihilego. It also appreciates Nihilego's ability to threaten common Flying- and Fire-type foes such as Moltres, Mega Pidgeot, and Chandelure, who can all dish out heavy damage to these
Fighting-types with their powerful STAB moves.
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Sludge Wave
move 2: Power Gem
move 3: Grass Knot / Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Thunderbolt/ Hidden Power Ice
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Beast Boost
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Sludge Wave is Nihilego's best Poison-type STAB move, punishing Fairy-type and Grass-type threats such as Altaria, Breloom, and Serperior.
* Power Gem is Choice Scarf Nihilego's best means of hitting Scizor, also
hits (allows Nihilego to threaten) Flying-types such as Mega Aerodactyl, Moltres and common fire-type foes such as Chandelure, Mega Houndoom, and Darmanitan.
* Grass Knot hits Ground-types such as Krookod
ile, Swampert, and Hippowdon. as well as Nihilegos best means of attacking Water-type foes such as Mega Sharpedo, Suicune, and Starmie.
* Thunderbolt allows Nihilego to 2HKO Tentacruel after Stealth Rock damage and dish out a reasonable amount of damage to bulky Water-type Pokemon such as Mega Slowbro, Suicune, and Alomomola, as well as Steel-types such as Cobalion and Empoleon.
* Hidden Power Ice is used so that Nihilego is able to deal with Gliscor, OHKOing offensive variants and doing a minimum of 67% to Specially Defensive variants.
Good job here, not much to say. HP Ice could be slashed before Grass Knot since I think it's the overall more useful move in most matchups (i.e. Gliscor is the most common Ground-type). Not objective though, more of my own opinion.
Set Details
========
* Max Special Attack and Speed combined with a Timid Nature provides Nihilego with the most offensive pressure, allowing it to utilize its decent Special Attack and Speed stats as effectively as possible.
* Beast Boost provides Nihilego with a Special Attack raise every time it claims a KO, thus generating more offensive pressure.
Change this to say something a little more specific, Scarf Nihilego with Special Attack boosts can be a nasty cleaner in the lategame and can do a lot of damage to teams without good counters.
Usage Tips
========
* As a Choice Scarf user, Nihilego's primary role is to provide teams with speed control and act as
(just take the previous bit out again) a revenge killer, as it is able to outpace every single unboosted pokemon in the
UnderUsed tier, such as Serperior, Mega Aerodactyl, and also outpacing and revenge killing setup sweepers such as a +1 Mega Altaria and a +1 Haxorus after some prior damage has been dished out.
* One of the main benefits of using Nihilego is its ability to switch into Flying-type attacks from foes such as Togekiss, Moltres and Mega Pidgeot. The Scarf set is also especially useful, as it is also able to outpace faster flying-type foes such as Mega Aerodactyl, Mega Pidgeot, and Crobat and KO them with Power Gem.
* Be careful when deciding what move Nihilego chooses to lock itself into. If it locks itself into certain moves, it can end up being prone to being trapped by Alolan Muk or Krookodile, and it can also become setup fodder for foes such as Latias, Breloom, or Suicune. Because of this, it is best to consider what moves hit the most targets for the most damage when deciding to clean late-game with Nihilego. Also keep in mind that it gains a Special attack boost each time it claims a KO, making it easier for it to sweep.
* It is best to bring Nihilego in either on weaker Special Attacks, after a teammate has been KOed, or with volt/turn
(minor nitpick since I just now picked up on it, but VoltTurn is the proper way to write this for an analysis) support. While Nihilego doesn't need to have a lot of health in order to revenge kill foes, it is still important to consider Nihilegos low physical Defense stat, and avoid having Nihilego take any physical attacks.
Team Options
========
* Grass-types such as Breloom, Serperior, and Celebi make for an excellent partners for Nihilego, as they are easily able to threaten the bulky Water-, and Ground-type Pokemon that threaten it, such as Swampert, Hippowdon and Krookodile. Breloom is an especially noteworthy partner as it is able to threaten Steel-type foes such as Cobalion, Empoleon, and Stakataka. It also gives teams a much needed answer to Blissey. Grass-types also appreciates Nihilego's presence, as it provides the team with a check to common Flying-type foes such as Moltres, Mega Pidgeot, and Togekiss. Groundium-Z
(Nasty Plot) Celebi is also quite noteworthy, as it's able to lure in Alolan Muk and remove it from the battlefield, which Nihilego greatly appreciates.
* Latias makes for a great partner for Nihilego as it provides the team with a key Ground-type immunity and resistances to the Water-type attacks, and it appreciates the Speed control
(this is acutally fine in this context, leave it as is) that Nihilego provides, allowing it to utilize more offensive sets such as Calm Mind or Life Orb.
Minor nitpick but CM and LO Lati as often one and the same, you can say something like "... more powerful options such as Calm Mind and Life Orb" to make it a bit clearer.
* Swampert is a nice partner for Nihilego as it provides teams with a nice Physical wall which can also burn foes with Scald, which is especially useful for Nihilego thanks to its low Physical Defense stat. Furthermore, it provides teams with a key steel-type resistance and a Stealth Rock Setter. It also appreciates Nihilegos ability to remove Grass-type foes from the field with Sludge Wave.
* Stealth Rock Krookodile is a nice partner for Nihilego as it is able to trap and remove Latias and Gengar from the field, both of whom can outpace Nihilego if they opt to run a Choice Scarf. It is also able to set Stealth Rock, which helps wear down the opposing team's Pokemon, thus making it easier for Nihilego to claim KOes.
* Magneton is a useful partner, thanks to its ability, Magnet Pull meaning that it's able to trap and remove common Steel-type foes from the field. It is worth noting that using Magneton stacks on 4x weaknesses to Ground-type attacks, meaning that it will be crucial to have answers to Ground-type foes.
Again, I think this should be gone but we'll wait for a concensus.
* Fire-types such as Infernape, Moltres, Chandelure, Darmanitan, and Volcanion make for useful partners due to their ability to pressure Steel-types such as Scizor and Cobalion. Infernape is especially useful as it is also able to break through Special Walls such as Blissey and Alolan Muk, as well as potentially provide teams with a Stealth Rock Setter. Volcanion is also an especially useful partner as it provides the team with a Water-immunity, can threaten Ground-types with its powerful Steam Eruption, which also has a 30% chance to burn foes, crippling the physical attackers that threaten Nihilego.
* Fighting-type Pokemon such as Cobalion and Heracross makes useful partners for Nihilego as they are able to threaten a number of Steel-types such as Scizor, opposing Cobalion and Mega Aggron, as well as Special Walls such as Blissey and Alolan Muk, who can otherwise be rather problematic for Nihilego. Cobalion's hazard setting set can be especially useful for Nihilego as it is able to set Stealth Rock for the team, damaging virtually every foe that switches in, and it can also use Volt Switch to bring Nihilego in without it having to take any damage. Both Fighting-type Pokemon also appreciate Nihilego's ability to threaten common Fire- and Flying-type foes such as Moltres, Mega-Pidgeot and Chandelure, who can threaten both Fighting-types with their powerful STAB moves.
[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Power Gem
move 2: Sludge Wave
move 3: Thunderbolt
move 4: Grass Knot
item: Choice Specs
ability: Beast Boost
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Power Gem is Nihilego's primary STAB hitting Flying-type foes such as Moltres, Mega Pidgeot, and Crobat. It's also Nihilego's most efficient way of hitting Scizor.
* Sludge Wave is Nihilego's most powerful STAB, hitting Grass- and Fairy-type foes for super-effective damage
* Thunderbolt allows Nihilego to break through bulky Steel-type foes such as Cobalion and Mega Aggron, as well as bulky Water-type foes who's dual typing means it only takes neutral damage from Grass Knot, such as Empoleon and Tentacruel. It's also just a reliable move that hits a lot of the tier for neutral or super effective damage.
* Grass Knot is Nihilego's most efficient way of hitting Ground-type foes such as Swampert, Krookodile, and Hippowdon. OHKOing Swampert and Krookodile and 2HKOing Hippowdon.
* Hidden Power Ice can be used over Thunderbolt or Grass Knot to OHKO Gliscor and dish out reasonable damage to other Ground-type foes, 2HKOing Krookodile.
Set Details
========
* Max Special Attack and Speed combined with a Timid Nature provides Nihilego with the most offensive pressure, allowing it to utilize its decent Special Attack and Speed stats as effectively as possible, and raising Nihilego's Special Attack by one stage every time it claims a KO
* 176 SpA / 80 Def set so that Nihilego gets a Speed Boost instead of a Special Attack Boost after KOes. The 80 Defense EVs prevents Nihilego from being OHKOed by Scarf Infernape's Close Combat. However this does reduce Nihilego's wallbreaking potential. Most noteably reducing its chances to OHKO Scizor with Power Gem after Stealth Rock damage, preventing a guaranteed OHKO on Gliscor after Stealth Rock damage with Power Gem, and preventing a guaranteed 2HKO on Hippowdon after Stealth Rock damage with Grass Knot.
Usage Tips
========
* Nihilego's primary use is to clean late-game, once faster foes and it's general checks and counters have been removed from the field.
This isn't true for Specs sets, they want to play aggressively and bust holes open in the opponent's team. Change this point to reflect that.
* As a slower revenge killer, it's important to keep Nihilego healthier so that it can survive hits from faster foes such as Choice Scarf Hydreigon, Mega Manectric, and Serperior.
* Be careful when deciding what move Nihilego chooses to lock itself into. If it locks itself into certain moves, it can end up being prone to being trapped by Alolan Muk or Krookodile, and it can also become setup fodder for foes such as Latias, Breloom, or Suicune. Because of this, it is best to consider what moves hit the most targets for the most damage when deciding to clean late-game with Nihilego. Also keep in mind that it gains a Special attack boost each time it claims a KO, making it easier for it to sweep.
This is c/p'd from the Scarf set, just change the wording a little bit and make it reflect the fact that this set won't clean through teams very often
* It's important to consider when using the standard Specs set that Nihilego is a lot more prone to being revenge-killed as well, as despite the fact that it boasts a reasonable speed tier.
Give some examples of mons that can revenge kill it; Mega Aero, Cobalion, Infernape, Scizor, Scarf Krook, Serperior and Breloom (once weakened a bit), etc
* When using the Speed boosting variant of Nihilego, it's crucial to make sure that foes have been worn down significantly more than other Nihilego sets, as its damage output isn't nearly as impressive as any of the other sets, and it's Special Attack stat isn't boosted after KOes.
Team Options
========
* Grass-types such as Breloom, Serperior, and Celebi make for an excellent partners for Nihilego, as they are easily able to threaten the bulky Water-, and Ground-type Pokemon that threaten it, such as Swampert, Hippowdon and Krookodile. Breloom is an especially noteworthy partner as it is able to threaten Steel-type foes such as Cobalion, Empoleon, and Stakataka. It also gives teams a much needed answer to Blissey. Grass-types also appreciates Nihilego's presence, as it provides the team with a check to common Flying-type foes such as Moltres, Mega Pidgeot, and Togekiss. Groundium-Z (
Nasty Plot) Celebi is also quite noteworthy, as it's able to lure in Alolan Muk and remove it from the battlefield, which Nihilego greatly appreciates.
Again, this seems to be straight c/p'd from the previous set. Just change up the wording a little bit for consistency's sake.
* Choice Scarf Latias is a brilliant Partner for Nihilego as it is able to provide the team with
Speed Control (a revenge killer), outpacing and revenge killing common foes who
revenge kill (threaten)Nihilego such as Mega Aerodactyl, Mega Beedrill, Infernape, and Choice Scarf Hydreigon, as well as being able to switch into some priority moves that Nihilego doesn't appreciate switching into such as Mach Punch from Breloom and Infernape. It also provides Nihilego with a much needed Ground immunity thanks to its ability, Levitate.
* Fire-types such as Infernape, Moltres, Chandelure, Darmanitan, and Volcanion make for useful partners due to their ability to pressure Steel-types such as Scizor and Cobalion. Infernape is especially useful as it is also able to break through Special Walls such as Blissey and Alolan Muk, as well as potentially provide teams with decent Speed Control by running a Choice Scarf, and provide the team with U-turn Support, preventing Nihilego from taking damage when bringing it in. Volcanion is also an especially useful partner as it provides the team with a Water-immunity, can threaten Ground-types with its powerful Steam Eruption, which also has a 30% chance to burn foes, crippling the physical attackers that threaten Nihilego.
Again, mention that Fire-types not names Moltres stack a Ground weakness which is not good for Nihilego.
* Fighting Types such as Cobalion and Heracross make useful partners for Nihilego they are able to threaten a number of Steel-types such as Scizor, opposing Cobalion and Mega Aggron, as well as Special Walls such as Blissey and Alolan Muk, who can otherwise be rather problematic for Nihilego. The hazard setting set for Cobalion can be especially useful as it is able to set Stealth Rock for the team, damaging virtually every foe that switches in, and it can also use Volt Switch to bring Nihilego in without it having to take any damage. In return they appreciate Nihilego's ability to threaten common Flying- and Fire-type foes such as Moltres, Mega Pidgeot and Chandelure, who can all dish out heavy damage with their STAB moves and are relatively unfazed by Fighting-type attacks.
* Swampert is a nice partner for Nihilego as it provides teams with a nice Physical wall which can also burn foes with Scald, which is especially useful for Nihilego thanks to its low Physical Defense stat. Furthermore, it provides teams with a key steel-type resistance and a Stealth Rock Setter. It also appreciates Nihilegos ability to remove Grass-type foes from the field with Sludge Wave.
* Magneton is a useful partner, thanks to its ability, Magnet Pull meaning that it's able to trap and remove common Steel-type foes from the field. It is worth noting that using Magneton stacks on 4x weaknesses to Ground-type attacks, meaning that it will be crucial to have answers to Ground-type foes.
Yknow what I'm gonna say here
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
* Black Sludge can be used as an item on the Hazard setting set, allowing it to take advantage of its Poison typing and recover HP every turn, as well as punish common Trick users such as Latias.
* Rockium-Z can be used as an alternative over Electrium-Z to dish out heavy damage to
Mega Scizor, however Electrium-Z tends to have better coverage.
* Pain Split is a useful option on the Offensive Hazard Setter set, allowing it to have a form of recovery and
increase strengthen its match-up against stall teams.
* Stealth Rock or Toxic Spikes can be used on the Scarf set to potentially bluff a non-choice-locked set, however Nihilego doesn't really force enough switches to be able to utilize this effectively, and Nihilego would also miss out on running another crucial coverage move.
* Dazzling Gleam can be a nice choice on the Scarf set as it is able to dish out heavy damage to Hydreigon, Latias, Haxorus, and Kommo-o. However Nihilego has to give up a crucial coverage move in order to actually run this set.
* Hidden Power Fire can be nice to OHKO Scizor, and dish out a respectable amount of damage to Magneton, however if Nihilego opts to run a Hidden Power move, Ice tends to be a more useful option as it hits the majority of the Ground-type Pokemon in the tier for Super effective damage, OHKOing offensive Gliscor sets.
Mention that trying to hit Scizor with HP fire is risky since you get OHKO'd by Bullet Punch. I'd also finish up the last sentence with just "especially Gliscor" instead of making a specific note of offensive sets.
* Acid Spray can be a nice option on the Offensive Hazard Setter set for wearing down Special Walls, however Nihilego doesn't really have the room on its moveset to run it effectively.
Say "doesn't often" instead of "doesn't really". Acid Spray is a useable move on Nihilego, it's just a much more niche option in comparison to its useable coverage moves and a team would have to adjust accordingly to you using such a set.
* A suicide lead set with Stealth Rock, Toxic Spikes, Magic Coat and a filler move can be used, however this tends to be outclassed by other Suicude leads such as Azelf.
Maybe mention Passho Berry for an item choice here, it makes it able to tank stuff like Jet from Crawdaunt or Hydro Pump from Starmie decently, though this probably isn't as big without Azu in the tier.
Checks and Counters
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**Steel-type Pokemon**: Steel-type Pokemon are immune to Sludge Wave and tend to resist any of Nihilego's coverage moves, with the exception of Thunder/Thunderbolt. Although Scizor takes neutral damage from Power Gem due to its dual typing, Scizor is able to easily ohko Nihilego with a priority Bullet Punch. Other Steel-types such as Mega Aggron, Cobalion, Empoleon, and Magneton are all unfazed by Nihilego's attacks and can all OHKO Nihilego with their STAB moves.
**Ground-type attacks**: Ground-type Pokemon such as Hippowdon, Krookodile, and Swampert are especially problematic for Nihilego as they naturally resist Nihilego's STAB moves, are immune to Electric-type attacks - which is especially problematic for Electrium Z sets - and can easily OHKO Nihilego with their Ground-type attacks. Nihilego also has to be careful to avoid Ground-type coverage moves from foes such as Mega Aerodactyl, Mega Altaria, Haxorus and Kommo-o
**Special Walls**: Special Walls such as Alolan Muk and Blissey are rather problematic for Nihilego as they are relatively unfazed by its attacks. Alolan Muk is also able to 2HKO Nihilego with Knock Off and Nihilego risks losing up to 70% of its HP if Alolan Muk uses pursuit when Nihilego tries to switch out.
**Physical Attackers**: Due to Nihilego's pitiful physical defense stat, it is easily threatened by Physical Attackers, taking heavy damage from even resisted or Neutral Damage, such as being OHKOed by Breloom's Bullet Seed and Choic Scarf Infernape's Close Combat after Stealth Rock Damage and 2HKOed by Choice Band Scizor's U-turn and Choice Band Entei's Sacred Fire.
Don't mention Entei here IMO, its largely irrelevant in the current meta. Maybe pick a better example than Scizor's U-turn too, since that typically won't be the move Scizor uses to KO Nihilego.
**Offensive Water-type Pokemon**: While Water-types don't appreciate switching into Nihilego's Electric- and Grass-type coverage moves, offensive Water-type Pokemon such as Mega Sharpedo, Crawdawnt and offensive Starmie are all able to OHKO Nihilego with their Water-type attacks.
Make sure you specify that Crawdaunt is KOing Nihilego with Aqua Jet, as it'll get nuked before it gets a chance to use a Crabhammer in the 1v1.
**Revenge Killers**: While Nihilego does boast an impressive speed tier, it is still prone to being revenge killed by faster foes such as Mega Aerodactyl, Latias, Infernape, Choice Scarf Krookodile, and Terrakion even the Choice Scarf set has issues being revenge killed by faster Choice Scarfed foes such as Latias, Infernape,and Terrakion. Priority attacks can also be especially problematic, as they completely invalidate Nihilego's Speed tier. Noteworthy examples of these are Scizor's Bullet Punch, Breloom's Mach Punch and Crawdawnt's Aqua Jet.
