UU Nihilego

[Band]

[OVERVIEW]

Nihilego stands out as a great setup sweeper thanks to its high offensive stats and coverage for would-be checks like Krookodile and Rhyperior. Its good STAB combination hits key Pokemon such as Thundurus, Salamence, Tangrowth, and Primarina super effectively. Meteor Beam boosting Special Attack while dealing heavy damage further heightens Nihilego's sweeping prowess and lets it muscle through worn down checks like Celesteela. Its unique Speed tier puts it ahead of Salamence, Thundurus-T, and Moltres, and after a Speed boost from Beast Boost, it only falls behind Choice Scarf Zarude and Choice Scarf Mienshao. It has important resistances like Flying, Fairy, and Fire; its Flying resistance and high Special Defense in particular are appreciated by teams that struggle with Flying-types like Thundurus-T and Galarian Moltres. Relatedly, Nihilego can be an amazing Stealth Rock setter, as its resistances give very good matchups against Defoggers such as Salamence, Moltres, and Rotom-H. Its Knock Off is useful for common switch-ins like Rhyperior, Aegislash, and Celesteela. However, its weaknesses and horrid Defense stat leave it vulnerable to Pokemon such as Nidoqueen, Jirachi, and Keldeo, and priority from the likes of Scizor, Azumarill, and Crawdaunt easily shuts down its sweeps. It lacks room for coverage for Pokemon like Nidoqueen, and it just can't get past checks like Jirachi and Aegislash.

[SET]
name: Meteor Beam Sweeper
move 1: Meteor Beam
move 2: Sludge Wave
move 3: Thunderbolt / Power Gem
move 4: Grass Knot
item: Power Herb
ability: Beast Boost
nature: Timid
evs: 80 HP / 176 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Meteor Beam is Nihilego's most important move, boosting Special Attack and muscling past checks like Celesteela once they're chipped. Sludge Wave hits tier staples like Primarina, Tangrowth, and Kommo-o. Thunderbolt allows Nihilego to hit Steel-types like Jirachi and Aegislash neutrally and other checks like Celesteela and Milotic super effectively. Power Gem can be used in place of Thunderbolt for a more reliable hit on Pokemon like Salamence, Scizor, and Galarian Moltres. Grass Knot deals with Ground-types like Krookodile and Rhyperior. Power Herb is required for Meteor Beam. The given EV spread and a Timid nature make Speed Nihilego's highest stat for Beast Boost, letting it outspeed revenge killers like Keldeo and Choice Scarf Krookodile.

This set fits on hyper offense teams, where Nihilego can KO weakened checks like Celesteela and Nidoqueen with Meteor Beam to boost both its Speed and Special Attack. Entry hazard setters like Krookodile and Mew help Nihilego by weakening some of its checks, like Nidoqueen and Celesteela, with the both setting Stealth Rock and the latter setting Spikes. Belly Drum Azumarill and Keldeo are extremely strong wallbreakers that can punch holes for Nihilego to sweep late-game. They destroy Chansey, Celesteela, and Ground-types like Rhyperior, Nidoqueen, and Krookodile. Fighting-type Pokemon and coverage like Buzzwole and Lycanroc-D's Close Combat remove Chansey; in return, Nihilego removes Salamence and Moltres for Buzzwole, and it wears down Aegislash and threatens Buzzwole for Lycanroc-D. Galarian Moltres can break past or dent Nidoqueen and Steel-types like Jirachi, Aegislash, and Celesteela. In return, Nihilego can remove Thundurus and Thundurus-T.

[SET]
name: Stealth Rock Utility
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Power Gem
move 3: Sludge Wave
move 4: Knock Off / Grass Knot / Protect
item: Black Sludge
ability: Beast Boost
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

Nihilego's typing allows it to switch into a majority of the tier's Defoggers, including Salamence and Moltres, and set Stealth Rock. Power Gem threatens many Defoggers and hits neutral targets Sludge Wave can't, like Scizor and Celesteela. Sludge Wave threatens Pokemon such as Tangrowth and Primarina. Knock Off cripples checks to Nihilego like Aegislash, Chansey, and Celesteela. It's also great for removing Heavy-Duty Boots from Defoggers. Grass Knot eliminates Pokemon that don't mind Power Gem + Sludge Wave, like Seismitoad and Rhyperior. However, the utility Knock Off provides is amazing, and it's only worth replacing if Nihilego's team has enough other Knock Off users. Protect scouts Choice-locked foes like Scizor, Zarude, and Keldeo, letting Nihilego switch to the appropriate teammate. It also lets Nihilego accumulate recovery from Black Sludge and stall dual screens and Toxic turns. Black Sludge mitigates entry hazards and chip damage.

This set fits on every playstyle, except hyper offense. Nihilego's team appreciates its good defensive typing and Knock Off, and its offensive capabilities are valuable for removing threats like Primarina and Salamence. Stall in particular appreciates Nihilego's good matchup against Nasty Plot Togekiss. Setup sweepers such as Salamence, Thundurus, and Keldeo love Nihilego setting up Stealth Rock and weakening their checks like Assault Vest Tangrowth, Amoonguss, and Celesteela. Spikes Mew can form a hazard stacking core with Nihilego to weaken said checks even more. It can also use Knock Off on Pokemon such as Rotom-W to facilitate sweeper teammates like Scizor. Teammates like Mew, Krookodile, Scizor, and Tangrowth provide Knock Off support, giving Nihilego the option of running Grass Knot. Amoonguss and Buzzwole can check physical threats to Nihilego like Krookodile and Scizor, while Nihilego checks Fire-types like Moltres. Steel-types like Celesteela and Scizor appreciate Nihilego threatening users of Fire-type moves like Rotom-H and Salamence. Scizor and Jirachi can also bring Nihilego in safely against them with U-turn. Aegislash has notable defensive synergy with Nihilego, as it checks Pokemon like Galarian Slowbro, Lycanroc-D, and Kommo-o. Moltres and Rotom-H deal with Steel-types that wall Nihilego, like Aegislash and Jirachi. It in return can remove Rhyperior and Seismitoad with Grass Knot. Chansey completely walls this set even after having its Eviolite removed, so wallbreakers like Lycanroc-D and Buzzwole should take care of it. Nihilego in return can take out physically defensive Tangrowth and Salamence.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Toxic Spikes is a secondary entry hazard option that weakens defensive staples like Assault Vest Tangrowth and cripples Substitute users such as Primarina and Raikou. However, Poison-types remove it and a large portion of the metagame is immune to it, like Rotom-H, Salamence, Celesteela, Scizor, and Aegislash. A Choice Scarf set with Power Gem / Sludge Wave / Thunderbolt / Grass Knot lets Nihilego clean and revenge kill Pokemon like Keldeo, and other Choice Scarf users like Krookodile, but Choice-locked Nihilego is vulnerable to Pokemon like Aegislash, Crawdaunt, and Scizor. Pain Split can be considered as a form of recovery on the utility set, but it is very unreliable due to Nihilego's high HP and can only be used against special attackers that can't hurt it much. Dazzling Gleam OHKOes Kommo-o and maintains coverage for Krookodile but has no use outside of that. Psychic hits Kommo-o, opposing Nihilego, and Nidoqueen, but just like Dazzling Gleam, it is not worth running most times. A Passho Berry lets Nihilego pivot into Choice Specs Primarina and Kingdra under rain once but has no use outside of that.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Chansey**: Chansey is Nihilego's best answer, capable of wearing it down with Seismic Toss and healing itself with Soft-Boiled. As long as Chansey doesn't let it accumulate several boosts, it can always beat Nihilego. Chansey hates having its Eviolite removed, though.

**Ground-types**: Krookodile, Nidoqueen, Seismitoad, and Rhyperior don't care about Nihilego's STAB moves and can force it out of the field with their STAB Ground-type moves, but they have to be wary of Grass Knot and get crippled by Knock Off.

**Steel-types**: Jirachi walls Nihilego easily and can scare it out with Iron Head and Thunder Wave. Scizor can take any hit from Nihilego aside from Meteor Beam or boosted Power Gem and easily OHKOes it with Bullet Punch. Celesteela is capable of taking +1 Thunderbolt and OHKOing Nihilego back with Heavy Slam. Aegislash easily switches into even boosted Nihilego and can KO it with its Steel-type STAB move or revenge kill it with Shadow Sneak.

**Priority Moves**: Azumarill, Crawdaunt, and Scizor OHKO Nihilego with their priority moves, while Aegislash and Lycanroc-D can revenge kill it if it's weakened enough.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Bandkrook, 301217]]
- Quality checked by: [[BigFatMantis, 507497], [Lilburr, 481709], [Twilight, 344575]]
- Grammar checked by: [[CryoGyro, 331519], [Finland, 517429]]

 

[Monky25]

[OVERVIEW]

• Nihilego stands out as a great revenge killer thanks to its high Speed and Special Attack, coverage necessary for checks like Krookodile, and good offensive typing, as Nihilego's STAB combination of Rock and Poison is capable of hitting key Pokemon such as Chandelure, Salamence, Tangrowth, and Primarina.
• Access to Meteor Beam this generation made it possible for Nihilego to boost its Special Attack before KOing a foe and its Speed after doing so with Beast Boost, heightening its offensive prowess as a revenge killer even more.
• Unique Speed tier lets it outspeed Pokemon such as Salamence, Kyurem, and Thundurus-T, and Choice Scarf users like Krookodile and Victini after a Speed boost.
• High Special Defense gives it some defensive utility, letting it pivot into special attacks from Pokemon like Rotom-H and Galarian Moltres and threaten them out.
• Horrible Defense stat and weakness to typings such as Ground, Steel, and Water leave it vulnerable to being revenge killed by Pokemon such as Choice Scarf Krookodile, Choice Scarf Jirachi, and Azumarill.
• Priority from the likes of Scizor, Bisharp, and Crawdaunt easily revenge kills Nihilego, limiting its own revenge killing capabilities.
• 4MSS leaves Nihilego susceptible to being revenge killed by Pokemon like Celesteela and Kyurem. It also just doesn't have the necessary coverage to get past checks like Jirachi and Nidoqueen.

[SET]
name: Meteor Beam Sweeper
move 1: Meteor Beam
move 2: Sludge Wave
move 3: Thunderbolt / Power Gem
move 4: Grass Knot
item: Power Herb
ability: Beast Boost
nature: Timid
evs: 80 HP / 176 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

• Meteor Beam is Nihilego's most important move. It is an amazing revenge killing tool, as in conjuction with its ability boosting its Speed after a KO, it boosts Nihilego's Special Attack and allows it so muscle past checks like Celesteela.
• Sludge Wave targets Pokemon that resist Nihilego's other moves such as Rotom-W and Kommo-o and Fairy-types like Tapu Bulu.
• Thunderbolt allows Nihilego to hit Steel-types like Jirachi and Bisharp neutrally and other checks like Celesteela and Slowking super effectively.
• Power Gem can be used in place of Thunderbolt for a more reliable hit on Pokemon like Scizor and Victini.
• Grass Knot is used as a way to deal with Ground-types like Krookodile and Mamoswine, as they either resist or are immune to Nihilego's other moves.
• Power Herb should always be used, as it turns Meteor Beam into a one-turn move and lets Nihilego revenge kill Pokemon like Kyurem without taking damage.
• The given EV spread and Timid nature make Nihilego's Special Attack one point lower than its Speed, making it so when Nihilego KOes a foe with Meteor Beam, both its Special Attack and Speed are boosted in a single turn. This makes Nihilego outspeed Pokemon like non-Choice Scarf Keldeo, and Choice Scarf Krookodile and Victini, preventing them from revenge killing it.

• This set fits on hyper offense teams, where Nihilego acts as a great revenge killer to Pokemon like Thundurus-T and Galarian Moltres.
• Partners such as Grimmsnarl and Alolan Ninetales can set dual screens, giving more opportunities for Nihilego to set up, especially helping it when dealing with priority users like Scizor and Azumarill.
• Entry hazard setters like Krookodile and Mew help Nihilego a lot by weakening some of Nihilego's checks, like Scizor and Celesteela, with the former setting up Stealth Rock and the latter setting up Stealth Rock and Spikes.
• Partners that can remove Steel-types like Jirachi are very useful, so Magnezone, Victini, and Kommo-o make for great teammates
• Azumarill and Crawdaunt are extremely strong wallbreakers and setup sweepers that can punch holes in enemy teams for Nihilego, letting it sweep late-game. They destroy Nidoqueen and Choice Scarf Krookodile for Nihilego and can also Knock Off Celesteela's and Chansey's item, helping Nihilego muscle past them.
• Other wallbreakers like Bulk Up Zeraora, Choice Band Victini, and Kommo-o weaken or remove Chansey and Steel-types like Scizor and Jirachi for Nihilego. Zeraora and Victini are notable for removing the three most common priority users in Azumarill, Crawdaunt, and Scizor for Nihilego with their STAB and coverage moves. (victini seems weird here because it takes a lot from azumarill and crawdaunt's priority, so reword to make it sound like zera deals with azu and daunt while victini deals with scizor or just cut it entirely as zera can deal with all 3 to a degree. also this point feels really similar to the above one about steel-types so maybe combine them)

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

• Nihilego can run an offensive Stealth Rock set, with its STAB moves and either Thunderbolt or Grass Knot as its last option. This set capitalizes on the offensive pressure Nihilego puts on Pokemon like Rotom-H and Primarina and hazard control Pokemon like Salamence and Hatterene by virtue of its typing, forcing them out and getting Stealth Rock up. However, this set isn't as optimal since Nihilego misses out on coverage and is easily forced out by faster Pokemon like Keldeo and priority users like Scizor.
• A Choice Scarf set with STAB moves and both Thunderbolt and Grass Knot is an option for Nihilego to act as a potent revenge killer to Pokemon that naturally outspeed it like Keldeo and other Choice Scarf Pokemon like Krookodile, but this leaves Nihilego vulnerable to Pokemon like Jirachi, Crawdaunt, and Scizor, which can capitalize on Nihilego being Choice-locked.
• Lastly, Nihilego has access to Knock Off, which can be used to cripple some of its checks like Chansey and Celesteela, but having to give up coverage is not worth it, as it leaves Nihilego walled by too many Pokemon.
• maybe mention psyshock or psychic for nidoqueen as a coverage option here, but say it cannot fit it

Checks and Counters
===================

**Chansey**: Chansey is Nihilego's best answer, capable of wearing it down with Seismic Toss and healing itself up with Soft-Boiled. As long as Chansey doesn't let Nihilego accumulate several Meteor Beam boosts, it can always beat Nihilego.

**Faster Physical Attackers**: Due to its terrible Defense, Nihilego is 2HKOed by basically any physical attack, and faster Pokemon like Zeraora and Choice Scarf Krookodile can KO or OHKO Nihilego with their moves very easily.

**Steel-types**: Jirachi walls Nihilego easily and can scare it out with Iron Head or Thunder Wave. Scizor can take any hit from Nihilego aside from Meteor Beam and easily OHKOes it with Bullet Punch. Celesteela is capable of taking a +1 Thunderbolt and OHKOing Nihilego back with Heavy Slam. Magnezone can take on Nihilego and KO it with Flash Cannon or Volt Switch out of it to generate momentum.

**Priority Moves**: Azumarill, Crawdaunt, and Scizor straight up OHKO Nihilego with their priority moves, while Bisharp only needs minimal chip to KO it.

(maybe add a point on psychic types like alakazam, reuniculus, and slowking, king eats a tbolt and can mess around with it by switching into its other moves, zam can revenge and reuni eats a hit and KOs back)

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Bandkrook, 301217]]
- Quality checked by: [[username1, userid1], [username2, userid2], [username3, userid3]]
- Grammar checked by: [[username1, userid1], [username2, userid2]]

Really nice job, don't even have much to say it was super good overall. All of these are comments or add

 

[Band]

implemented this, ty monky <3

 

[KM]

Hide

[OVERVIEW]

• Nihilego stands out as a great revenge killer thanks to its high Speed and Special Attack, coverage necessary for checks like Krookodile, and good offensive typing, as Nihilego's STAB combination of Rock and Poison is capable of hitting key Pokemon such as Chandelure, Salamence, Tangrowth, and Primarina super effectively. Would recommend splitting this into two sentences to avoid run-on -- also, singling out Krook as a coverage highlight is a little weird given that +1 GK isn't even always an OHKO.
• Access to Meteor Beam this generation made it possible for allows Nihilego to boost its Special Attack while dealing heavy damagebefore KOing a foe, heightening its offensive prowess as a revenge killer even more.
• Unique Speed tier lets it outspeed Pokemon such as Salamence, Kyurem, and Thundurus-T, and Choice Scarf users like Krookodile after a Speed boost. Think you need to be more explicit about Beast Boost raising speed for the uninitiated. Maybe frame this sentence like "Nihilego's unique speed tier lets it outspeed x y and z unboosted, and with the help of Beast Boost it outspeeds x, y, and z after a single Speed boost".
• High Special Defense gives it some defensive utility, letting it pivot into special attacks from Pokemon like Rotom-H and Moltres and threaten them out.
• Horrible Defense stat and weakness to typings such as Ground, Steel, and Water leave it vulnerable to being revenge killed by Pokemon such as Nidoqueen, Jirachi, and Seismitoad.
• Priority from the likes of Scizor, Azumarill, and Crawdaunt easily revenge kills Nihilego, limiting its own revenge killing capabilities.
• 4MSS leaves Nihilego susceptible to being revenge killed by Pokemon like Celesteela. It also just doesn't have the necessary coverage to get past checks like Jirachi and Nidoqueen.

[SET]
name: Meteor Beam Sweeper
move 1: Meteor Beam
move 2: Sludge Wave
move 3: Thunderbolt / Power Gem
move 4: Grass Knot
item: Power Herb
ability: Beast Boost
nature: Timid
evs: 80 HP / 176 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

• Meteor Beam is Nihilego's most important move. It is an amazing revenge killing tool, as it boosts Nihilego's Special Attack and allows it so to muscle past checks like Celesteela.
• Sludge Wave targets Pokemon that resist Nihilego's other moves such as Rotom-W, Kommo-o and Fairy-types like Primarina. Rotom-W and Primarina do not resist Nihilego's other moves. Just say Sludge Wave is powerful stab coverage that hits X Y and Z.
• Thunderbolt allows Nihilego to hit Steel-types like Jirachi and Aegislash neutrally and other checks like Celesteela and Milotic super effectively.
• Power Gem can be used in place of Thunderbolt for a more reliable hit on Pokemon like Scizor and Galarian Moltres. IMO Scizor is a bit of a weird selection here but eh.
• Grass Knot is used as a way to deal deals with Ground-types like Krookodile and Quagsire, as they either resist or are immune to Nihilego's other moves.
• Power Herb should always be used, as it turns Meteor Beam into a one-turn move and lets Nihilego revenge kill Pokemon like Buzzwole without taking prior damage.
• The given EV spread and Timid nature make Nihilego's Special Attack one point lower than its Speed, making it so when Nihilego KOes a foe with Meteor Beam, both its Special Attack and Speed are boosted in a single turn. Nihilego can then outspeed Pokemon like Keldeo and Choice Scarf Krookodile, preventing them from revenge killing it. The structure of this explanation isn't necessarily wrong, but I think you can be more explicit. Just say that the EV spread and nature makes Nihilego's Special Attack one point lower than its Speed, so Beast Boost will give Nihilego +1 Speed every time it lands a kill, preventing its sweep from being stopped by faster threats like Keldeo or CS Krook.

• This set fits on hyper offense teams, where Nihilego acts as a great revenge killer to Pokemon like Thundurus-T and Galarian Moltres.
• Grimmsnarl can set dual screens, giving more opportunities for Nihilego to set up, especially helping it This is especially helpful when dealing with priority users like Scizor and Azumarill.
• Entry hazard setters like Krookodile and Mew help Nihilego a lot by weakening some of its checks, like Nidoqueen and Celesteela, with the former setting up Stealth Rock and the latter setting up Stealth Rock and Spikes. Don't think dual hazards mew is meta enough to say this. Easy fix is to just change and to and/or or or.
• Azumarill and Crawdaunt are extremely strong wallbreakers and setup sweepers that can punch holes in enemy teams for Nihilego, letting it sweep late-game. They destroy Nidoqueen and Krookodile for Nihilego, and the latter can also Knock Off Celesteela's and Chansey's item, helping Nihilego muscle past them.
• Galarian Moltres can break past Steel-types like Jirachi and Aegislash for Nihilego, and can also heavily dent foes like Celesteela and Nidoqueen for it. In return, Nihilego can remove Thundurus-T and Thundurus for Galarian Moltres.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

• Nihilego can run an offensive Stealth Rock set, with its STAB moves and either Thunderbolt or Grass Knot as its last option. This set capitalizes on the offensive pressure Nihilego puts on Pokemon like Rotom-H and Primarina and hazard control Pokemon like Salamence and Hatterene by virtue of its typing, forcing them out and getting Stealth Rock up. However, this set isn't as optimal since Nihilego misses out on coverage and is easily forced out by faster Pokemon like Keldeo.
• A Choice Scarf set with STAB moves and both Thunderbolt and Grass Knot is an option for Nihilego to act as a potent revenge killer to Pokemon that naturally outspeed it like Keldeo and other Choice Scarf Pokemon like Krookodile, but this leaves Nihilego vulnerable to Pokemon like Jirachi, Crawdaunt, and Scizor, which can capitalize on Nihilego being Choice-locked.
• Nihilego has access to Knock Off, which can be used to cripple some of its checks like Chansey and Celesteela, but having to give up coverage is not worth it at times, as it leaves Nihilego walled by too many Pokemon. see final comments

Checks and Counters
===================

**Chansey**: Chansey is Nihilego's best answer, capable of wearing it down with Seismic Toss and healing itself up with Soft-Boiled. As long as Chansey doesn't let Nihilego accumulate several boosts, it can always beat Nihilego.

**Ground-types**: Krookodile, Nidoqueen, Seismitoad, and Rhyperior can all switch into Nihilego without having to worry about any of its moves except for Grass Knot. All of them can revenge kill Nihilego with their STAB Ground-type attacks.

**Steel-types**: Jirachi walls Nihilego easily and can scare it out with Iron Head or Thunder Wave. Scizor can take any hit from Nihilego aside from Meteor Beam and easily OHKOes it with Bullet Punch. Celesteela is capable of taking a +1 Thunderbolt and OHKOing Nihilego back with Heavy Slam. Aegislash easily walls even boosted Nihilego and can switch directly into it and KO it with its Steel-type STAB move or revenge kill it with Shadow Sneak.

**Priority Moves**: Azumarill, Crawdaunt, and Scizor OHKO Nihilego with their priority moves, while Aegislash and Lycanroc-D can revenge kill it if its weakened enough.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Bandkrook, 301217]]
- Quality checked by: [[username1, userid1], [username2, userid2], [username3, userid3]]
- Grammar checked by: [[username1, userid1], [username2, userid2]]

AM Check ~ comments in blue, removals in red, additions in green

Some overall notes that I didn't want to include in the smaller comments --

1. do a search on your analysis overall and see how many times you use the words "revenge kill" or variants thereof. I didn't point it out every time, but a lot of the time it seems like you can just say "kill" or "beat" or "K.O." -- the idea of revenge killing is a bit more specific and I think it can get confusing if you overuse it. Within the very first sentence, you peg Nihilego's roll as a revenge killer -- I don't know if I even agree with that as an overall assessment. While it can certainly come in and force things out, its role is just as much a win-con, a wallbreaker, or a sweeper. Not a huge thing but just something to be mindful of.

2. I think you're underselling the viability of rocks / knock off sets. Personally, I think you could add a second utility set that looks something like the below

name: Utility
move 1: Stealth Rocks
move 2: Sludge Wave
move 3: Knock Off
move 4: Grass Knot / Meteor Beam
item: Black Sludge / Power Herb
ability: Beast Boost
nature:
evs:

Optimal nature / evs / moves are probably subject to argument, but I think these type of sets see enough play and relevance in tournaments and on the ladder to warrant their own section. Rock-type Stealth Rock setters have been gaining lots of popularity post shifts, and I think this set should be added with that in mind.

3. This one edges on being more GP than QC, but keep an eye out for passive voice and unnecessary wordiness. Don't be afraid to just make strong declarative statements in the present tense!

4. This one's more niche, but pain split deserves a mention in OO. It allows it to get past Chansey and 6-0 many stall teams, or it can be run on utility sets to give Nihilego longevity as a special wall.

Overall, most of my comments are super nitpicky -- many of the sections look really good! have a nice day :[]

 

[BigFatMantis]

ADD
REMOVE
COMMENTS

1/3 when implemented, good work

rockfish spines knife

[OVERVIEW]

• Nihilego stands out as a great setup sweeper thanks to its high Speed and Special Attack and coverage necessary for paper checks like Krookodile and Celesteela Rhyperior. (Rhyperior emphasizes this point a bit better, as it's still tough to beat Celesteela even with coverage)
• Good offensive typing, as Nihilego's STAB combination of Rock and Poison is capable of hitting key Pokemon such as Chandelure, Salamence, Tangrowth, and Primarina super effectively. (Make sure this is made into a complete sentence)
• Access to Meteor Beam this generation allows Nihilego to boost its Special Attack while dealing heavy damage, heightening its offensive prowess as a revenge killer even more and letting it muscle through checks like Celesteela. (It's still tough for MBeam Nihi to beat Celesteela since even a boosted TBolt does 50% only, so I would add in that it can only get through it after it has been sufficiently worn down or chipped)
• Unique Speed tier lets it outspeed Pokemon such as Salamence, Thundurus-T, and Moltres. After a Speed boost from Beast Boost, Nihilego can outspeed Pokemon like Keldeo, Raikou, and Choice Scarf Krookodile. (it naturally outspeeds everything in the entire tier after a Speed boost except Jolly Scarf Zarude and Jolly Scarf Mienshao, so you can emphasize this a bit more here)
• Its useful typing and huge Special Defense gives it resistances to key typings like Flying, Fairy and Fire. This allows Nihilego to act as an amazing Stealth Rock setter, as it can easily pivot into Defoggers such as Salamence, Moltres and Rotom-H and prevent them from removing Stealth Rock with Defog. Nihilego also pressures them heavily with its Rock typing and access to Knock Off.
• Access to Knock Off is also useful for Pokemon that naturally pivot into Nihilego, like Rhyperior, SubTox Aegislash, and Celesteela. By removing their Leftovers, Nihilego and its teammates can pressure these Pokémon a lot more easily.
• Horrible Defense stat and weakness to typings such as Ground, Steel, and Water leave it vulnerable to Pokemon such as Nidoqueen, Jirachi, and Seismitoad. (Toad isn't a big threat if you have GKnot - use something like Barraskewda instead since it KO's with Flip Turn)
• Priority from the likes of Scizor, Azumarill, and Crawdaunt easily revenge kills Nihilego, limiting its own revenge killing capabilities.
• 4MSS leaves Nihilego susceptible to being revenge killed by Pokemon like Celesteela (Use Nidoqueen instead here, since Nihilego does run TBolt for Celesteela but typically can never really fit Psychic for Nidoqueeen). It also just doesn't have the necessary coverage to get past checks like Jirachi and Nidoqueen (Since you're moving Nidoqueen to your first point, use Aegislash here instead, as it has no move options for that).

[SET]
name: Meteor Beam Sweeper
move 1: Meteor Beam
move 2: Sludge Wave
move 3: Thunderbolt / Power Gem
move 4: Grass Knot
item: Power Herb
ability: Beast Boost
nature: Timid
evs: 80 HP / 176 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

• Meteor Beam is Nihilego's most important move. It is an amazing revenge killing tool, as it boosts Nihilego's Special Attack and allows it to muscle past checks like Celesteela. (Just add once it's worn down/chipped, as a healthy Celesteela can usually always still check it)
• Sludge Wave is a powerful STAB coverage move that hits tier staples like Primarina and Tangrowth for super effective damage and hits neutral targets such as Kommo-o.
• Thunderbolt allows Nihilego to hit Steel-types like Jirachi and Aegislash neutrally and other checks like Celesteela and Milotic super effectively.
• Power Gem can be used in place of Thunderbolt for a more reliable hit on Pokemon like opposing Nihilego and Galarian Moltres. (Salamence and Moltres are better examples here, as they are assuredly OHKOd by a +1 Power Gem, whereas TBolt does not, and both of these can run problematic moves like EQ or Scorching Sands).
• Grass Knot deals with Ground-types like Krookodile and Quagsire Rhyperior (Rhyperior more relevant), as they either resist or are immune to Nihilego's other moves.
• Power Herb should always be used, as it turns Meteor Beam into a one-turn move and lets Nihilego revenge kill Pokemon like Buzzwole without taking prior damage.
• The given EV spread and a Timid nature make Nihilego's Special Attack one point lower than its Speed, meaning Beast Boost gives it +1 Speed after KOing a foe, outspeeding Pokemon like Keldeo and Choice Scarf Krookodile, preventing them from revenge killing it.

• This set fits on hyper offense teams, where Nihilego acts as a great setup sweeper that can take advantage of weakened checks like Celesteela and Jirachi (standard rocks Jirachi would have to be at like 30% to be KO'd, so I would use something else like Nidoqueen since it takes about the same amount of damage as Celesteela) to get a boost in both its Speed and Special Attack after KOing them.
• Grimmsnarl can set dual screens, giving more opportunities for Nihilego to use Meteor Beam. This is especially helpful when dealing with priority users like Scizor and Azumarill.
• Entry hazard setters like Krookodile and Mew help Nihilego a lot by weakening some of its checks, like Nidoqueen and Celesteela, with the former setting up Stealth Rock and the latter setting up Spikes.
• Choice Specs Keldeo and Belly Drum Azumarill are extremely strong wallbreakers and setup sweepers that can punch holes in enemy teams for Nihilego, letting it sweep late-game. They destroy Nidoqueen and Krookodile for Nihilego, and the latter can also Knock Off Celesteela's and Chansey's item, helping Nihilego muscle past them. (I would expand more on the Chansey point, as Nihilego can't really clean sweep while Chansey is still alive and healthy and really needs help taking it down)
• Galarian Moltres can break past Steel-types like Jirachi and Aegislash for Nihilego, and can also heavily dent foes like Celesteela and Nidoqueen for it. In return, Nihilego can remove Thundurus-T and Thundurus for Galarian Moltres.
• Clangorous Soul Kommo-o can wallbreak early-game and beat threats to Nihilego like Scizor, while Nihilego can sweep in the late-game to remove weakened shared (the following two mons you mention don't really check Kommo so it's not a shared check, but your point is still valid without saying shared) checks such as Celesteela and Aegislash.

[SET]
name: Stealth Rock Utility
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Knock Off / Grass Knot
move 3: Power Gem
move 4: Sludge Wave
item: Black Sludge / Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Beast Boost
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

• Nihilego's useful defensive typing allows it to switch into a majority of the tier's Defoggers, such as Salamence and Moltres, and set Stealth Rock.
• Knock Off heavily pressures the aforementioned Defoggers (You are almost always clicking Gem on these over Knock, but Knock is good for the the checks switching in as you mention after. Could add Chansey there too) by removing their Heavy-Duty Boots while also removing items from checks like Aegislash and Celesteela
• (Add a point on Grass Knot beating important checks like Rhyperior, but note why Knock is preferred)
• Power Gem threatens Pokemon that want to remove Nihilego's entry hazards, such as Rotom-H and Noivern. It also hits neutral targets Sludge Wave can't, like Scizor and Celesteela.
• Sludge Wave allows Nihilego to threaten Pokémon such as Assault Vest Tangrowth and Primarina, which otherwise can stay in on Nihilego (This last point reads a bit strangely - I would just change it to something along the lines of "which can otherwise threaten Nihilego with STAB or coverage moves", however you want to say it, as that's more of the point I think you're trying to get across).
• Black Sludge gives Nihilego some form of passive recovery and lets it recover the health lost from entry hazards and chip damage. Heavy-Duty Boots can alternativately be used as a way to negate entry hazard damage completely, but leaves Nihilego very prone to chip damage from defoggers such as Moltres's U-turn and Rotom-H's Volt Switch.

• This set fits on playstyles such as offense, balance, and bulky offense. Said teams appreciate Nihilego's defensive utility through its good defensive typing and offensive capabilities, able of crippling Pokemon with Knock Off and removing threats like Primarina and Salamence with its STAB moves.
• Setup sweepers such as Salamence, Thundurus and Keldeo love Nihilego setting up Stealth Rock for them and weakening their checks like Assault Vest Tangrowth, Amoonguss, and Celesteela.
• Spikes Mew can form a hazard stacking core with Nihilego to weaken said checks even more. It can also use Knock Off to remove items from Pokémon such as Rotom-W and facilitate the sweeping of teammates like Scizor. (Since you mention Mew running Knock, mention how Mew or something else running Knock Off can give Nihilego an opportunity to run Grass Knot for coverage over Knock Off)
• Nihilego's terrible physical defense leaves it vulnerable to physical attackers like Krookodile and Scizor, so teammates like Amoonguss and Celesteela can cover said Pokémon for it, while it checks Fire-types like Moltres for them.
• Steel-types like Aegislash and Scizor appreciate Nihilego threatening Fire-types and Pokémon that carry Fire-type coverage, like Rotom-H and Salamence. (Scizor can also pivot out of Rotom-H/Salamence switching in to get Nihilego in safely against them. Jirachi can be a good pivot too for these reasons.)
• (Aegislash and Jirachi are big problems for Nihilego, so mention things that can handle those like Rotom-H or Moltres/Moltres-G.)
• (Nihilego also can't touch Chansey even after Knocking it, so mention something that can help take out Chansey as well like Conk and how Nihilego can support it too, etc.)

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

• Toxic Spikes are a secondary hazard option that weakens defensive staples like Assault Vest Tangrowth and cripples Substitute users such as Primarina and Raikou. However, it's easily removed from the field by Poison-types and a large portion of the metagame is immune to it, like Rotom-H, Salamence, Celesteela, Scizor, and Aegislash.
• A Choice Scarf set with Power Gem / Sludge Wave / Thunderbolt / Grass Knot lets Nihilego act as a potent sweeper and can revenge kill Pokemon that naturally outspeed it, like Keldeo and other Choice Scarf Pokemon like Krookodile, but this leaves Nihilego vulnerable to Pokemon like Aegislash, Crawdaunt, and Scizor, which can capitalize on Nihilego being Choice-locked.
• Pain Split can be considered as a form of recovery on the utility set, but is very unreliable due to Nihilego's horrid physical bulk and can only be used against special attacking targets that can't hurt it much. It's also hard to fit due to Nihilego's already present 4MSS.
• (Mention Dazzling Gleam here)

Checks and Counters
===================

**Chansey**: Chansey is Nihilego's best answer, capable of wearing it down with Seismic Toss and healing itself up with Soft-Boiled. As long as Chansey doesn't let Nihilego accumulate several boosts, it can always beat Nihilego.

**Ground-types**: Krookodile, Nidoqueen, Seismitoad, and Rhyperior can all switch into Nihilego without having to worry about any of its moves except for Grass Knot (I would slightly rephrase this, as it almost implies that Grass Knot is rare and they can nearly always safely switch in, which is not the case). All of them can revenge kill Nihilego with their STAB Ground-type attacks.

**Steel-types**: Jirachi walls Nihilego easily and can scare it out with Iron Head or Thunder Wave. Scizor can take any hit from Nihilego aside from Meteor Beam and easily OHKOes it with Bullet Punch. Celesteela is capable of taking a +1 Thunderbolt and OHKOing Nihilego back with Heavy Slam. Aegislash easily walls even boosted Nihilego and can switch directly into it and KO it with its Steel-type STAB move or revenge kill it with Shadow Sneak if Nihilego is weakened.

**Priority Moves**: Azumarill, Crawdaunt, and Scizor OHKO Nihilego with their priority moves, while Aegislash and Lycanroc-D can revenge kill it if its weakened enough.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Bandkrook, 301217]]
- Quality checked by: [[username1, userid1], [username2, userid2], [username3, userid3]]
- Grammar checked by: [[username1, userid1], [username2, userid2]]

 

[Lily]

[OVERVIEW]

• Nihilego stands out as a great setup sweeper thanks to its high Speed and Special Attack and coverage necessary for paper checks like Krookodile and Rhyperior. paper checks? do you mean pokemon that check it on paper (as in resist its stabs) or frailer checks? this is unclear wording
• Nihilego has a good offensive typing, as its STAB combination of Rock and Poison hits key Pokemon such as Chandelure, Salamence, Tangrowth, and Primarina super effectively. thundurus > chandy as a mention
• Access to Meteor Beam this generation allows Nihilego to boost its Special Attack while dealing heavy damage, heightening its offensive prowess as a revenge killer even more and letting it muscle through checks like Celesteela after they've been worn down.
• Its unique Speed tier lets Nihilego outspeed Pokemon such as Salamence, Thundurus-T, and Moltres. After a Speed boost from Beast Boost, Nihilego can outspeed every unboosted Pokemon in the tier, bar Choice Scarf Zarude and Choice Scarf Mienshao. those are not unboosted :p
• Its useful typing and huge Special Defense gives it resistances to key typings like Flying, Fairy and Fire. This allows Nihilego to act as an amazing Stealth Rock setter, as it can easily pivot into Defoggers such as Salamence, Moltres and Rotom-H and prevent them from removing Stealth Rock with Defog. Nihilego also pressures them heavily with its Rock typing and access to Knock Off. include its ability to pivot into stuff like thund-t and gmolt as a benefit of its enormous spdef because that is HUGE for a lot of teams
• Access to Knock Off is also useful for Pokemon that naturally pivot into Nihilego, like Rhyperior, SubTox p sure? this should be Substitute + Toxic but im not 100% sure on that Aegislash, and Celesteela. By removing their Leftovers, Nihilego and its teammates can pressure these Pokémon a lot more easily.
• Horrible Defense stat and weakness to typings such as Ground, Steel, and Water leave it vulnerable to Pokemon such as Nidoqueen, Jirachi, and Keldeo.
• Priority from the likes of Scizor, Azumarill, and Crawdaunt easily revenge kills Nihilego, limiting its own revenge killing capabilities.
• 4MSS leaves Nihilego susceptible to being revenge killed by Pokemon like Nidoqueen. It also just doesn't have the necessary coverage to get past checks like Jirachi and Aegislash.

[SET]
name: Meteor Beam Sweeper
move 1: Meteor Beam
move 2: Sludge Wave
move 3: Thunderbolt / Power Gem
move 4: Grass Knot
item: Power Herb
ability: Beast Boost
nature: Timid
evs: 80 HP / 176 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

• Meteor Beam is Nihilego's most important move. It is an amazing revenge killing tool i would not call it a revenge killing tool. just call it an amazing offensive tool or w/e, as it boosts Nihilego's Special Attack and allows it to muscle past checks like Celesteela once chipped.
• Sludge Wave is a powerful STAB coverage move that hits tier staples like Primarina and Tangrowth for super effective damage and hits neutral targets such as Kommo-o.
• Thunderbolt allows Nihilego to hit Steel-types like Jirachi and Aegislash neutrally and other checks like Celesteela and Milotic super effectively.
• Power Gem can be used in place of Thunderbolt for a more reliable hit on Pokemon like opposing Salamence and Galarian Moltres.
• Grass Knot deals with Ground-types like Krookodile and Rhyperior, as they either resist or are immune to Nihilego's other moves.
• Power Herb should always be used, as it turns Meteor Beam into a one-turn move and lets Nihilego revenge kill Pokemon like Buzzwole without taking prior damage.
• The given EV spread and a Timid nature make Nihilego's Special Attack one point lower than its Speed, meaning Beast Boost gives it +1 Speed after KOing a foe, outspeeding Pokemon like Keldeo and Choice Scarf Krookodile, preventing them from revenge killing it.

• This set fits on hyper offense teams, where Nihilego acts as a great setup sweeper that can take advantage of weakened checks like Celesteela and Nidoqueen to get a boost in both its Speed and Special Attack after KOing them.
• Grimmsnarl can set dual screens, giving more opportunities for Nihilego to use Meteor Beam. This is especially helpful when dealing with priority users like Scizor and Azumarill.
• Entry hazard setters like Krookodile and Mew help Nihilego by weakening some of its checks, like Nidoqueen and Celesteela, with the former setting up Stealth Rock and the latter setting up Stealth Rock and Spikes. (ho mew runs both)
• Choice Specs Keldeo and Belly Drum Azumarill are extremely strong wallbreakers and setup sweepers that can punch holes in enemy teams for Nihilego, letting it sweep late-game. They destroy Nidoqueen and Krookodile for Nihilego, and the latter can also Knock Off Celesteela's and Chansey's item, helping Nihilego muscle past them. +6 azu just drops steela and chansey so idk about those mentions
• Fighting-types and Pokemon with Fighting-type coverage like Buzzwole and Lycanroc-D remove Chansey for Nihilego, and it in return can remove answers to the former in Salamence and Moltres. what's it do for lycan? weakening shared checks in aegi / rachi is quite cool and it can also obliterate stuff like buzz
• Galarian Moltres can break past Steel-types like Jirachi and Aegislash for Nihilego, and can also heavily dent foes like Celesteela and Nidoqueen for it. In return, Nihilego can remove both Thundurus formes for Galarian Moltres.
• Clangorous Soul Kommo-o can wallbreak early-game and beat threats to Nihilego like Scizor, while Nihilego can sweep in the late-game to remove weakened checks such as Celesteela and Aegislash.

[SET]
name: Stealth Rock Utility
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Knock Off / Grass Knot / Protect, and this honestly should be above knot but nobody believes me :sob: but anyway put this in slot 4
move 3: Power Gem
move 4: Sludge Wave
item: Black Sludge / Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Beast Boost
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

• Nihilego's useful defensive typing allows it to switch into a majority of the tier's Defoggers, such as Salamence and Moltres, and set Stealth Rock.
• Knock Off cripples checks to Nihilego like Aegislash, Chansey, and Celesteela by removing their items. It's also a great tool to remove Heavy-Duty Boots from the aforementioned Defoggers.
• Grass Knot removes Pokemon that don't mind Power Gem + Sludge Wave, like Seismitoad and Rhyperior, and it prevents them from switching freely into Nihilego. However, the utility Knock Off provides is amazing, and is only worth being replaced if Nihilego's team has enough Knock Off support from other teammates.
• point on what protect does; scouts scarf krook/zarude, cb scizor, specs keld etc., stalls screens/poison turns and allows nihi to easily recover more from its sludge
• Power Gem threatens Pokemon that want to remove Nihilego's entry hazards, such as Rotom-H and Noivern. It also hits neutral targets Sludge Wave can't, like Scizor and Celesteela.
• Sludge Wave threatens Pokémon such as Tangrowth and Primarina, which can otherwise hit Nihilego hard with their coverage or STAB moves.
• Black Sludge gives Nihilego some form of passive recovery and lets it recover the health lost from entry hazards and chip damage. Heavy-Duty Boots can alternatively be used as a way to negate entry hazard damage completely, but leaves Nihilego very prone to chip damage from defoggers such as Moltres's U-turn and Rotom-H's Volt Switch. personally think boots is unviable on this but i'll see what qc has to say before i have you do anything about it

• This set fits on playstyles such as offense, balance, and bulky offense. Said teams appreciate Nihilego's defensive utility through its good defensive typing and offensive capabilities, able of crippling Pokemon with Knock Off and removing threats like Primarina and Salamence with its STAB moves. it also fits on stall as a great answer to standard annoyances to stall like np togekiss and np thund-t
• Setup sweepers such as Salamence, Thundurus and Keldeo love Nihilego setting up Stealth Rock for them and weakening their checks like Assault Vest Tangrowth, Amoonguss, and Celesteela.
• Spikes Mew can form a hazard stacking core with Nihilego to weaken said checks even more. It can also use Knock Off to remove items from Pokémon such as Rotom-W and facilitate the sweeping of teammates like Scizor.
• Teammates like Mew, Krookodile, Scizor, and Tangrowth provide Knock Off support, giving Nihilego the option of running Grass Knot in place of Knock Off.
• Nihilego's terrible physical defense leaves it vulnerable to physical attackers like Krookodile and Scizor, so teammates like Amoonguss and Celesteela can cover said Pokémon for it, while it checks Fire-types like Moltres for them. steela is a really really bad check to these. put buzzwole here instead
• Steel-types like Aegislash and Scizor appreciate Nihilego threatening Fire-types and Pokémon that carry Fire-type coverage, like Rotom-H and Salamence. Scizor and Jirachi can also pivot out of Rotom-H and Salamence with U-turn, bringing Nihilego in safely against them.
• Moltres, Galarian Moltres, and Rotom-H deal with Steel-types that wall Nihilego, like Aegislash and Jirachi. gmolt is a biiiit of a weird mention here since it doesn't really deal with steels all that well, include like, volcanion if you want smth here
• Chansey completely walls this set even after having its Eviolite removed, so wallbreakers like Lycanroc-D and Buzzwole can take care of it. Nihilego in return can take out physically defensive Tangrowth and Salamence for them, respectively.
• aegi has great defensive synergy with nihi outside of the ground weakness, with nihi easily handling stuff like rotom-h, moltres etc. and aegi (somewhat) taking on stuff like lycan, kommo-o and glowbro

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

• Toxic Spikes are a secondary hazard option that weakens defensive staples like Assault Vest Tangrowth and cripples Substitute users such as Primarina and Raikou. However, it's easily removed from the field by Poison-types and a large portion of the metagame is immune to it, like Rotom-H, Salamence, Celesteela, Scizor, and Aegislash.
• A Choice Scarf set with Power Gem / Sludge Wave / Thunderbolt / Grass Knot lets remove double space here Nihilego act as a potent sweeper and can revenge kill Pokemon that naturally outspeed it, like Keldeo and other Choice Scarf Pokemon like Krookodile, but this leaves Nihilego vulnerable to Pokemon like Aegislash, Crawdaunt, and Scizor, which can capitalize on Nihilego being Choice-locked.
• Pain Split can be considered as a form of recovery on the utility set, but is very unreliable due to Nihilego's horrid physical bulk moreso its massive hp and can only be used against special attacking targets that can't hurt it much. It's also hard to fit due to Nihilego's already present 4MSS.
• Dazzling Gleam OHKOes Kommo-o and maintains coverage for Krookodile, but has no use outside of that and is outclassed by every other coverage Nihilego has. psychic also hits kommo-o and nidoqueen too as well as opposing nihilego. it should get an oo mention, it's viable.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Chansey**: Chansey is Nihilego's best answer, capable of wearing it down with Seismic Toss and healing itself up with Soft-Boiled. As long as Chansey doesn't let Nihilego accumulate several boosts, it can always beat Nihilego. mention how it doesn't like losing its eviolite though

**Ground-types**: Krookodile, Nidoqueen, Seismitoad, and Rhyperior don't care for Nihilego's STAB moves and can force it out of the field with their STAB Ground-type moves, but they have to be wary of Grass Knot. and knock off

**Steel-types**: Jirachi walls Nihilego easily and can scare it out with Iron Head or Thunder Wave. Scizor can take any hit from Nihilego aside from Meteor Beam and easily OHKOes it with Bullet Punch. Celesteela is capable of taking a +1 Thunderbolt and OHKOing Nihilego back with Heavy Slam. Aegislash easily walls even boosted Nihilego and can switch directly into it and KO it with its Steel-type STAB move or revenge kill it with Shadow Sneak if Nihilego is weakened.

**Priority Moves**: Azumarill, Crawdaunt, and Scizor OHKO Nihilego with their priority moves, while Aegislash and Lycanroc-D can revenge kill it if its weakened enough.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Bandkrook, 301217]]
- Quality checked by: [[BigFatMantis, 507497], [username2, userid2], [username3, userid3]]
- Grammar checked by: [[username1, userid1], [username2, userid2]]

looks good, qc 2/2

 

[Twilight]

Bandkrook, post: 8775883, member: 301217

[OVERVIEW]

Nihilego stands out as a great setup sweeper thanks to its high Speed and Special Attack and coverage necessary for would be checks like Krookodile and Rhyperior. It also has a good offensive typing, as its STAB combination of Rock and Poison hits key Pokemon such as Thundurus, Salamence, Tangrowth, and Primarina super effectively. Access to Meteor Beam this generation allows Nihilego to boost its Special Attack while dealing heavy damage, heightening its offensive prowess as a revenge killer do you mean sweeper because I wouldn't really call it a revenge killer even more and letting it muscle through checks like Celesteela after they've been worn down. Its unique Speed tier lets it outspeed Pokemon such as Salamence, Thundurus-T, and Moltres, and after a Speed boost from Beast Boost, Nihilego can outspeed every Pokemon in the tier, only falling behind Choice Scarf Zarude and Choice Scarf Mienshao. Its useful typing gives it resistances to key typings like Flying, Fairy and Fire. Along with its huge Special Defense, this allows Nihilego to act as an amazing Stealth Rock setter, as it can easily pivot into Defoggers such as Salamence, Moltres and Rotom-H and prevent them from removing Stealth Rock with Defog. Could you reword this to something like "Nihilego has a favorable matchup against a lot of the tier's form of removal", rather than say it can prevent Defog. Nihilego also pressures them heavily with its Rock typing and access to Knock Off. Nihilego's huge Special Defense and Rock typing is also very valuable for teams that struggle with Flying-types like Thundurus-T and Galarian Moltres. Just merge this into where you first talk about it. Then have the whole nihilego being a good rocker vs tier's removal come after Access to Knock Off is also useful for Pokemon that naturally pivot into Nihilego, like Rhyperior, Substitute + Toxic Aegislash, and Celesteela. However, its horrid Defense stat and weakness to typings such as Ground, Steel, and Water leave it vulnerable to Pokemon such as Nidoqueen, Jirachi, and Keldeo, and priority from the likes of Scizor, Azumarill, and Crawdaunt easily revenge kills Nihilego, limiting its own revenge killing sweeping capabilities. Again I wouldn't really call Nihi a revenge killer as that isn't its primary role for either set 4MSS leaves Nihilego susceptible to being revenge killed by Pokemon like Nidoqueen, and it also just doesn't have the necessary coverage to get past checks like Jirachi and Aegislash.

[SET]
name: Meteor Beam Sweeper
move 1: Meteor Beam
move 2: Sludge Wave
move 3: Thunderbolt / Power Gem
move 4: Grass Knot
item: Power Herb
ability: Beast Boost
nature: Timid
evs: 80 HP / 176 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Meteor Beam is Nihilego's most important move. It is an amazing offensive tool, as it boosts Nihilego's Special Attack and allows it to muscle past checks like Celesteela once chipped. Sludge Wave is a powerful STAB coverage move that hits tier staples like Primarina and Tangrowth for super effective damage and hits neutral targets such as Kommo-o. Thunderbolt allows Nihilego to hit Steel-types like Jirachi and Aegislash neutrally and other checks like Celesteela and Milotic super effectively. Power Gem can be used in place of Thunderbolt for a more reliable hit on Pokemon like opposing Salamence and Galarian Moltres. It also gives a stronger and spammable move vs Scizor until it is in Meteor Beam range Grass Knot deals with Ground-types like Krookodile and Rhyperior, as they either resist or are immune to Nihilego's other moves. Power Herb should always be used, as it turns Meteor Beam into a one-turn move and lets Nihilego revenge kill Pokemon like Buzzwole without taking prior damage. The given EV spread and a Timid nature make Nihilego's Special Attack one point lower than its Speed, meaning Beast Boost gives it +1 Speed after KOing a foe, outspeeding Pokemon like Keldeo and Choice Scarf Krookodile and preventing them from revenge killing it.

This set fits on hyper offense teams, where Nihilego acts as a great setup sweeper that can take advantage of weakened checks like Celesteela and Nidoqueen to get a boost in both its Speed and Special Attack after KOing them. Grimmsnarl can set dual screens, giving more opportunities for Nihilego to use Meteor Beam. This is especially helpful when dealing with priority users like Scizor and Azumarill. Entry hazard setters like Krookodile and Mew help Nihilego by weakening some of its checks, like Nidoqueen and Celesteela, with the former setting up Stealth Rock and the latter setting up Stealth Rock and Spikes. Belly Drum Azumarill and Choice Specs Keldeo are extremely strong wallbreakers that can punch holes in enemy teams for Nihilego, letting it sweep late-game. They destroy Ground-types like Rhyperior, Nidoqueen, and Krookodile while also eliminating Chansey and Celesteela. Fighting-types and Pokemon with Fighting-type coverage like Buzzwole and Lycanroc-D remove Chansey, and it in return can remove Salamence and Moltres for the former and wear down Aegislash and eliminate Buzzwole for the latter. Galarian Moltres can break past Steel-types like Jirachi and Aegislash for Nihilego, and can also heavily dent foes like Celesteela and Nidoqueen for it. In return, Nihilego can remove both Thundurus formes for Galarian Moltres. Clangorous Soul Kommo-o can wallbreak early-game and beat threats to Nihilego like Scizor, while Nihilego can sweep in the late-game to remove weakened checks such as Celesteela and Aegislash.

[SET]
name: Stealth Rock Utility
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Power Gem
move 3: Sludge Wave
move 4: Knock Off / Grass Knot / Protect
item: Black Sludge / Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Beast Boost
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

Nihilego's useful defensive typing allows it to switch into a majority of the tier's Defoggers, such as Salamence and Moltres, and set Stealth Rock. Power Gem threatens Defoggers such as Rotom-H and Noivern. It also hits neutral targets Sludge Wave can't, like Scizor and Celesteela. Sludge Wave threatens Pokémon such as Tangrowth and Primarina, which can otherwise hit Nihilego hard with their coverage or STAB moves. Knock Off cripples checks to Nihilego like Aegislash, Chansey, and Celesteela. It's also a great tool to remove Heavy-Duty Boots from the aforementioned Defoggers. Grass Knot removes Pokemon that don't mind Power Gem + Sludge Wave, like Seismitoad and Rhyperior, and it prevents them from switching freely into Nihilego. However, the utility Knock Off provides is amazing, and is only worth being replaced if Nihilego's team has enough Knock Off support from other teammates. Protect serves as a way to scout for Choice-locked foes like Scizor, Zarude, and Keldeo, letting Nihilego switch into the appropriate teammate. It also lets Nihilego accumulate recovery from Black Sludge and stall dual screen and Toxic turns. Black Sludge gives Nihilego some form of passive recovery and lets it recover the health lost from entry hazards and chip damage. Heavy-Duty Boots can alternatively be used as a way to negate entry hazard damage completely, but leaves Nihilego very prone to chip damage from defoggers such as Moltres's U-turn and Rotom-H's Volt Switch. The passive recovery is honestly way too useful for this Pokemon. I could only see this really working if it was running Pain Split.

This set fits on playstyles like offense, balance, bulky offense, and stall. You may as well say it can flex into every playstyle lol Said teams appreciate Nihilego's defensive utility through its good defensive typing and offensive capabilities, able of crippling Pokemon with Knock Off and removing threats like Primarina and Salamence with its STAB moves. Stall in particular appreciates Nihilego's good matchup against Nasty Plot Togekiss. Setup sweepers such as Salamence, Thundurus and Keldeo love Nihilego setting up Stealth Rock for them and weakening their checks like Assault Vest Tangrowth, Amoonguss, and Celesteela. Spikes Mew can form a hazard stacking core with Nihilego to weaken said checks even more. It can also use Knock Off to remove items from Pokémon such as Rotom-W and facilitate the sweeping of teammates like Scizor. Teammates like Mew, Krookodile, Scizor, and Tangrowth provide Knock Off support, giving Nihilego the option of running Grass Knot in place of Knock Off. Nihilego's terrible Defense leaves it vulnerable to physical attackers like Krookodile and Scizor, so teammates like Amoonguss and Buzzwole can check those while it checks Fire-types like Moltres for them. Steel-types like Celesteela and Scizor appreciate Nihilego threatening Fire-types and Pokémon that carry Fire-type coverage, like Rotom-H and Salamence. Scizor and Jirachi can also pivot out of Rotom-H and Salamence with U-turn, bringing Nihilego in safely against them. Aegislash has notable good defensive synergy with Nihilego, as the former why use 'the former' when you are talking about one Pokemon checks Pokemon like Galarian Slowbro, Lycanroc-D, and Kommo-o for it. Moltres and Rotom-H deal with Steel-types that wall Nihilego, like Aegislash and Jirachi. It in return can remove Rhyperior and Seismitoad for them with Grass Knot. Chansey completely walls this set even after having its Eviolite removed, so wallbreakers like Lycanroc-D and Buzzwole can take care of it. Nihilego in return can take out physically defensive Tangrowth and Salamence for them, respectively.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Toxic Spikes are a secondary hazard option that weakens defensive staples like Assault Vest Tangrowth and cripples Substitute users such as Primarina and Raikou. However, it's removed from the field by Poison-types and a large portion of the metagame is immune to it, like Rotom-H, Salamence, Celesteela, Scizor, and Aegislash. A Choice Scarf set with Power Gem / Sludge Wave / Thunderbolt / Grass Knot lets Nihilego act as a potent sweeper that can revenge kill Pokemon that naturally outspeed it, like Keldeo and other Choice Scarf users like Krookodile, but this leaves Nihilego vulnerable to Pokemon like Aegislash, Crawdaunt, and Scizor, which can capitalize on it being Choice-locked. Pain Split can be considered as a form of recovery on the utility set, but is very unreliable due to Nihilego's high HP and can only be used against special attacking targets that can't hurt it much. It's also hard to fit due to Nihilego's already present 4MSS. Dazzling Gleam OHKOes Kommo-o and maintains coverage for Krookodile, but has no use outside of that and is outclassed by every other coverage Nihilego has. Psychic hits Kommo-o, opposing Nihilego, and Nidoqueen, but just like Dazzling Gleam, is not worth running most times.

Bring up Passho Berry and how it can let Nihilego pivot into something like Specs Primarina or Kingdra Hydro in rain one time.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Chansey**: Chansey is Nihilego's best answer, capable of wearing it down with Seismic Toss and healing itself up with Soft-Boiled. As long as Chansey doesn't let it accumulate several boosts, it can always beat Nihilego. Chansey hates having its Eviolite remove, though.

**Ground-types**: Krookodile, Nidoqueen, Seismitoad, and Rhyperior don't care for Nihilego's STAB moves and can force it out of the field with their STAB Ground-type moves, but they have to be wary of Grass Knot and get crippled by Knock Off.

**Steel-types**: Jirachi walls Nihilego easily and can scare it out with Iron Head and Thunder Wave. Scizor can take any hit from Nihilego aside from Meteor Beam and easily OHKOes it with Bullet Punch. Celesteela is capable of taking a +1 Thunderbolt and OHKOing Nihilego back with Heavy Slam. Aegislash easily walls even boosted Nihilego and can switch directly into it and KO it with its Steel-type STAB move or revenge kill it with Shadow Sneak if Nihilego is weakened.

**Priority Moves**: Azumarill, Crawdaunt, and Scizor OHKO Nihilego with their priority moves, while Aegislash and Lycanroc-D can revenge kill it if its weakened enough.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Bandkrook, 301217]]
- Quality checked by: [[BigFatMantis, 507497], [Lilburr, 481709], [username3, userid3]]
- Grammar checked by: [[username1, userid1], [username2, userid2]]

3/3
add remove comments

 

[CryoGyro]

GP 1/2

Hide

[OVERVIEW]

Nihilego stands out as a great setup sweeper thanks to its high Speed and Special Attack and coverage necessary for would be offensive stats and coverage for would-be checks like Krookodile and Rhyperior. It also has a good offensive typing, as its STAB combination of Rock and Poison Its good STAB combination hits key Pokemon such as Thundurus, Salamence, Tangrowth, and Primarina super effectively. Access to Meteor Beam this generation allows Nihilego to boost its Special Attack while dealing heavy damage, heightening its offensive prowess as a sweeper even more and letting Meteor Beam simultaneously boosting Special Attack and dealing heavy damage further heightens Nihilego's sweeping prowess and lets it muscle through checks like Celesteela after they've been worn down. Its unique Speed tier lets it outspeed Pokemon such as puts it ahead of Salamence, Thundurus-T, and Moltres, and after a Speed boost from Beast Boost, Nihilego can outspeed every Pokemon in the tier, only falling it only falls behind Choice Scarf Zarude and Choice Scarf Mienshao. Its useful typing gives it important resistances to key typings like Flying, Fairy and Fire. The former typing resistance is valuable, as Nihilego's huge Special Defense and Rock typing is Its Flying resistance and high Special Defense in particular are appreciated by teams that struggle with Flying-types like Thundurus-T and Galarian Moltres. Along with its huge Special Defense, this allows Nihilego to act as Relatedly, Nihilego can be an amazing Stealth Rock setter, as it has a very good matchup against Defoggers such as Salamence, Moltres and Rotom-H. Access to Knock Off is also useful for Pokemon that naturally pivot into Nihilego, Its Knock Off is useful for common switch-ins like Rhyperior, Aegislash, and Celesteela. However, its weaknesses and horrid Defense stat and weakness to typings such as Ground, Steel, and Water leave it vulnerable to Pokemon such as Nidoqueen, Jirachi, and Keldeo, and priority from the likes of Scizor, Azumarill, and Crawdaunt easily revenge kills Nihilego it, limiting its own sweeping capabilities. 4MSS leaves Nihilego susceptible to being revenge killed by It lacks room for coverage for Pokemon like Nidoqueen, and it also just doesn't have the necessary coverage means to get past checks like Jirachi and Aegislash.

[SET]
name: Meteor Beam Sweeper
move 1: Meteor Beam
move 2: Sludge Wave
move 3: Thunderbolt / Power Gem
move 4: Grass Knot
item: Power Herb
ability: Beast Boost
nature: Timid
evs: 80 HP / 176 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Meteor Beam is Nihilego's most important move., (comma) boosting Special Attack and muscling It is an amazing offensive tool, as it boosts Nihilego's Special Attack and allows it to muscle past checks like Celesteela once chipped. Sludge Wave is a powerful STAB coverage move that hits tier staples like Primarina and Tangrowth for super effective damage and hits neutral targets such as Kommo-o Primarina, Tangrowth, and Kommo-o. Thunderbolt allows Nihilego to hit Steel-types like Jirachi and Aegislash neutrally and other checks like Celesteela and Milotic super effectively. Power Gem can be used in place of Thunderbolt for a more reliable hit on Pokemon like opposing Salamence, Scizor, and Galarian Moltres. Grass Knot deals with Ground-types like Krookodile and Rhyperior, as they either resist or are immune to Nihilego's other moves. Power Herb should always be used, as it turns Meteor Beam into a one-turn move. The given EV spread and a Timid nature make Nihilego's Special Attack one point lower than its Speed, meaning Beast Boost gives it +1 Speed after KOing a foe, outspeeding Pokemon Speed its highest stat for Beast Boost, letting it outspeed revenge killers like Keldeo and Choice Scarf Krookodile and preventing them from revenge killing it.

This set fits on hyper offense teams, where Nihilego acts as a great setup sweeper that can take advantage of KO weakened checks like Celesteela and Nidoqueen to get a boost in both its Speed and Special Attack after KOing them. Grimmsnarl can set dual screens, giving more opportunities for Nihilego to use Meteor Beam. This is especially helpful when dealing with priority users like Scizor and Azumarill. Entry hazard setters like Krookodile and Mew help Nihilego by weakening some of its checks, like Nidoqueen and Celesteela, with the former setting up Stealth Rock and the latter setting up Stealth Rock and Spikes. Belly Drum Azumarill and Keldeo are extremely strong wallbreakers that can punch holes in enemy teams for Nihilego, letting it sweep late-game. They destroy Chansey, Celesteela, and Ground-types like Rhyperior, Nidoqueen, and Krookodile while also eliminating Chansey and Celesteela. Fighting-types and Pokemon with Fighting-type coverage like Buzzwole and Lycanroc-D remove Chansey,; (semi) in return, Nihilego removes Salamence and Moltres for Buzzwole and wears down Aegislash and threatens Buzzwole for Lycanroc-D. and it in return can remove Salamence and Moltres for the former and wear down Aegislash and eliminate Buzzwole for the latter. Galarian Moltres can break past Steel-types like Jirachi and Aegislash for Nihilego, and can also heavily dent foes like Celesteela and Nidoqueen for it or dent Nidoqueen and Steel-types like Jirachi, Aegislash, and Celesteela. In return, Nihilego can remove both Thundurus formes for Galarian Moltres.

[SET]
name: Stealth Rock Utility
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Power Gem
move 3: Sludge Wave
move 4: Knock Off / Grass Knot / Protect
item: Black Sludge
ability: Beast Boost
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

Nihilego's useful defensive typing allows it to switch into a majority of the tier's Defoggers, such as including Salamence and Moltres, and set Stealth Rock. Power Gem threatens Defoggers such as Rotom-H and Noivern. It also hits neutral targets Sludge Wave can't, like Scizor and Celesteela. Sludge Wave threatens Pokémon such as Tangrowth and Primarina, which can otherwise hit Nihilego hard with their coverage or STAB moves. Knock Off cripples checks to Nihilego like Aegislash, Chansey, and Celesteela. It's also a great tool to remove great for removing Heavy-Duty Boots from the aforementioned Defoggers. Grass Knot removes eliminates Pokemon that don't mind Power Gem + Sludge Wave, like Seismitoad and Rhyperior, and it prevents them from switching freely into Nihilego. However, the utility Knock Off provides is amazing, and is only worth being replaced if Nihilego's team has enough other Knock Off support from other teammates users. Protect serves as a way to scout for scouts Choice-locked foes like Scizor, Zarude, and Keldeo, letting Nihilego switch into to the appropriate teammate. It also lets Nihilego accumulate recovery from Black Sludge and stall dual screen and Toxic turns. Black Sludge gives Nihilego some form of passive recovery and lets it recover the health lost from passive recovery to mitigate entry hazards and chip damage.

This set fits on every playstyle, except hyper offense. Nihilego's team appreciates its defensive utility through its good defensive typing and Knock Off, and its and offensive capabilities are valuable for removing threats like Primarina and Salamence. Stall in particular appreciates Nihilego's good matchup against Nasty Plot Togekiss. Setup sweepers such as Salamence, Thundurus and Keldeo love Nihilego setting up Stealth Rock for them and weakening their checks like Assault Vest Tangrowth, Amoonguss, and Celesteela. Spikes Mew can form a hazard stacking core with Nihilego to weaken said checks even more. It can also use Knock Off to remove items from on Pokémon such as Rotom-W and facilitate the sweeping of sweeper teammates like Scizor. Teammates like Mew, Krookodile, Scizor, and Tangrowth provide Knock Off support, giving Nihilego the option of running Grass Knot in place of Knock Off. Nihilego's terrible Defense leaves it vulnerable to physical attackers like Krookodile and Scizor, so teammates like Amoonguss and Buzzwole can check those while it checks Fire-types like Moltres for them. Amoonguss and Buzzwole can check physical threats to Nihilego like Krookodile and Scizor, while Nihilego checks Fire-type like Moltres. Steel-types like Celesteela and Scizor appreciate Nihilego threatening Fire-types and Pokémon that carry Fire-type coverage, users of Fire-type moves like Rotom-H and Salamence. Scizor and Jirachi can also pivot out of Rotom-H and Salamence with U-turn, bringing bring Nihilego in safely against them with U-turn. Aegislash has notable good defensive synergy with Nihilego, as it checks Pokemon like Galarian Slowbro, Lycanroc-D, and Kommo-o for it. Moltres and Rotom-H deal with Steel-types that wall Nihilego, like Aegislash and Jirachi. It in return can remove Rhyperior and Seismitoad for them with Grass Knot. Chansey completely walls this set even after having its Eviolite removed, so wallbreakers like Lycanroc-D and Buzzwole can should take care of it. Nihilego in return can take out physically defensive Tangrowth and Salamence for them, respectively.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Toxic Spikes are is a secondary entry hazard option that weakens defensive staples like Assault Vest Tangrowth and cripples Substitute users such as Primarina and Raikou. However, it's removed from the field by Poison-types and a large portion of the metagame is immune to it, like Rotom-H, Salamence, Celesteela, Scizor, and Aegislash. A Choice Scarf set with Power Gem / Sludge Wave / Thunderbolt / Grass Knot lets Nihilego act as a potent sweeper cleaner that can revenge kill Pokemon that naturally outspeed it, like Keldeo and other Choice Scarf users like Krookodile, but this leaves Choice-locked Nihilego is vulnerable to Pokemon like Aegislash, Crawdaunt, and Scizor, which can capitalize on it being Choice-locked. Pain Split can be considered as a form of recovery on the utility set, but is very unreliable due to Nihilego's high HP and can only be used against special attacking targets attackers that can't hurt it much. It's also hard to fit due to Nihilego's already present 4MSS. Dazzling Gleam OHKOes Kommo-o and maintains coverage for Krookodile, but has no use outside of that and is outclassed by every other coverage Nihilego has. Psychic hits Kommo-o, opposing Nihilego, and Nidoqueen, but just like Dazzling Gleam, is not worth running most times. A Passho Berry lets Nihilego pivot into Choice Specs Primarina and Kingdra under rain once, but has no use outside of that, and passive recovery from Black Sludge is more useful.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Chansey**: Chansey is Nihilego's best answer, capable of wearing it down with Seismic Toss and healing itself up with Soft-Boiled. As long as Chansey doesn't let it accumulate several boosts, it can always beat Nihilego. Chansey hates having its Eviolite removed, though.

**Ground-types**: Krookodile, Nidoqueen, Seismitoad, and Rhyperior don't care for about Nihilego's STAB moves and can force it out of the field with their STAB Ground-type moves, but they have to be wary of Grass Knot and get crippled by Knock Off.

**Steel-types**: Jirachi walls Nihilego easily and can scare it out with Iron Head and Thunder Wave. Scizor can take any hit from Nihilego aside from Meteor Beam and easily OHKOes it with Bullet Punch. Celesteela is capable of taking a +1 Thunderbolt and OHKOing Nihilego back with Heavy Slam. Aegislash easily walls switches into even boosted Nihilego and can switch directly into it and KO it with its Steel-type STAB move or revenge kill it with Shadow Sneak if Nihilego is weakened.

**Priority Moves**: Azumarill, Crawdaunt, and Scizor OHKO Nihilego with their priority moves, while Aegislash and Lycanroc-D can revenge kill it if its weakened enough.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Bandkrook, 301217]]
- Quality checked by: [[BigFatMantis, 507497], [Lilburr, 481709], [username3, userid3]]
- Grammar checked by: [[username1, userid1], [Twilight, 344575]]

 

[Adeleine]

Add/Fix Remove Comment
(AC)/(RC): Add/Remove Comma

Hide

[OVERVIEW]

Nihilego stands out as a great setup sweeper thanks to its high offensive stats and coverage for would-be checks like Krookodile and Rhyperior. Its good STAB combination hits key Pokemon such as Thundurus, Salamence, Tangrowth, and Primarina super effectively. Meteor Beam simultaneously boosting Special Attack and boosting Special Attack while dealing heavy damage further heightens Nihilego's sweeping prowess and lets it muscle through worn down checks like Celesteela after they've been worn down. Its unique Speed tier puts it ahead of Salamence, Thundurus-T, and Moltres, and after a Speed boost from Beast Boost, it only falls behind Choice Scarf Zarude and Choice Scarf Mienshao. Its useful typing gives it It has important resistances like Flying, Fairy, (AC) and Fire. Its Fire; its Flying resistance and high Special Defense in particular are appreciated by teams that struggle with Flying-types like Thundurus-T and Galarian Moltres. Relatedly, Nihilego can be an amazing Stealth Rock setter, as it has a very good matchup against Defoggers such as Salamence, Moltres, (AC) and Rotom-H. Its Knock Off is useful for common switch-ins like Rhyperior, Aegislash, and Celesteela. However, its weaknesses and horrid Defense stat leave it vulnerable to Pokemon such as Nidoqueen, Jirachi, and Keldeo, and priority from the likes of Scizor, Azumarill, and Crawdaunt easily revenge kills it, limiting its sweeping capabilities. shuts down its sweeps. It lacks room for coverage for Pokemon like Nidoqueen, and it just doesn't have the means to cannot get past checks like Jirachi and Aegislash.

[SET]
name: Meteor Beam Sweeper
move 1: Meteor Beam
move 2: Sludge Wave
move 3: Thunderbolt / Power Gem
move 4: Grass Knot
item: Power Herb
ability: Beast Boost
nature: Timid
evs: 80 HP / 176 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Meteor Beam is Nihilego's most important move, boosting Special Attack and muscling past checks like Celesteela (unboosted tbolt does the same as beam. perhaps another example a bit more specifically applicable for beam) once they're chipped. Sludge Wave hits tier staples like Primarina, Tangrowth, and Kommo-o. Thunderbolt allows Nihilego to hit Steel-types like Jirachi and Aegislash neutrally and other checks like Celesteela and Milotic super effectively. Power Gem can be used in place of Thunderbolt for a more reliable hit on Pokemon like Salamence, Scizor, and Galarian Moltres. Grass Knot deals with Ground-types like Krookodile and Rhyperior. Power Herb should always be used, as it turns Meteor Beam into a one-turn move. is required for Meteor Beam. The given EV spread and a Timid nature make Nihilego's Speed its Speed Nihilego's highest stat for Beast Boost, letting it outspeed revenge killers like Keldeo and Choice Scarf Krookodile.

This set fits on hyper offense teams, where Nihilego acts as a great setup sweeper that can KO weakened checks like Celesteela and Nidoqueen to get a boost in with Meteor Beam to boost both its Speed and Special Attack. Grimmsnarl can set dual screens, giving more better (nitpicky but like, ur only using beam once i assume) opportunities for Nihilego to use Meteor Beam. This is especially helpful when dealing with priority users like Scizor and Azumarill. Entry hazard setters like Krookodile and Mew help Nihilego by weakening some of its checks, like Nidoqueen and Celesteela, with the former setting up Stealth Rock and the latter setting up Stealth Rock and both setting Stealth Rock and the latter setting Spikes. Belly Drum Azumarill and Keldeo are extremely strong wallbreakers that can punch holes in enemy teams for Nihilego, letting it for Nihilego to sweep late-game. They destroy Chansey, Celesteela, and Ground-types like Rhyperior, Nidoqueen, and Krookodile. Fighting-types and Pokemon with Fighting-type Pokemon and coverage like Buzzwole and Lycanroc-D's Close Combat remove Chansey; in return, Nihilego removes Salamence and Moltres for Buzzwole, (AC) and it wears down Aegislash and threatens Buzzwole for Lycanroc-D. Galarian Moltres can break past or dent Nidoqueen and Steel-types like Jirachi, Aegislash, and Celesteela. In return, Nihilego can remove both Thundurus formes. Thundurus and Thundurus-T.

[SET]
name: Stealth Rock Utility
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Power Gem
move 3: Sludge Wave
move 4: Knock Off / Grass Knot / Protect
item: Black Sludge
ability: Beast Boost
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

Nihilego's typing allows it to switch into a majority of the tier's Defoggers, including Salamence and Moltres, and set Stealth Rock. Power Gem threatens many Defoggers such as Rotom-H and Noivern. It also and (subjective, but you already named two, and i think its fairly intuitive that many often-flying users of the flying move dont like the rock move) hits neutral targets Sludge Wave can't, like Scizor and Celesteela. Sludge Wave threatens Pokemon (removed E accent) such as Tangrowth and Primarina. Knock Off cripples checks to Nihilego like Aegislash, Chansey, and Celesteela. It's also great for removing Heavy-Duty Boots from Defoggers. Grass Knot eliminates Pokemon that don't mind Power Gem + Sludge Wave, like Seismitoad and Rhyperior. However, the utility Knock Off provides is amazing, and is only worth being replaced it's only worth replacing if Nihilego's team has enough other Knock Off users. Protect scouts Choice-locked foes like Scizor, Zarude, and Keldeo, letting Nihilego switch to the appropriate teammate. It also lets Nihilego accumulate recovery from Black Sludge and stall dual screens and Toxic turns. Black Sludge gives Nihilego passive recovery to mitigate mitigates entry hazards and chip damage.

This set fits on every playstyle, except hyper offense. Nihilego's team appreciates its good defensive typing and Knock Off, and its offensive capabilities are valuable for removing threats like Primarina and Salamence. Stall in particular appreciates Nihilego's good matchup against Nasty Plot Togekiss. Setup sweepers such as Salamence, Thundurus, (AC) and Keldeo love Nihilego setting up Stealth Rock and weakening their checks like Assault Vest Tangrowth, Amoonguss, and Celesteela. Spikes Mew can form a hazard stacking core with Nihilego to weaken said checks even more. It can also use Knock Off on Pokemon (removed E accent) such as Rotom-W and to (I imagine? I'm not sure how you're facilitating otherwise) facilitate sweeper teammates like Scizor. Teammates like Mew, Krookodile, Scizor, and Tangrowth provide Knock Off support, giving Nihilego the option of running Grass Knot. (added period) Amoonguss and Buzzwole can check physical threats to Nihilego like Krookodile and Scizor, while Nihilego checks Fire-types like Moltres. Steel-types like Celesteela and Scizor appreciate Nihilego threatening users of Fire-type moves like Rotom-H and Salamence. Scizor and Jirachi can also bring Nihilego in safely against them with U-turn. Aegislash has notable defensive synergy with Nihilego, as it checks Pokemon like Galarian Slowbro, Lycanroc-D, and Kommo-o. Moltres and Rotom-H deal with Steel-types that wall Nihilego, like Aegislash and Jirachi. It in return can remove Rhyperior and Seismitoad with Grass Knot. Chansey completely walls this set even after having its Eviolite removed, so wallbreakers like Lycanroc-D and Buzzwole should take care of it. Nihilego in return can take out physically defensive Tangrowth and Salamence.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Toxic Spikes is a secondary entry hazard option that weakens defensive staples like Assault Vest Tangrowth and cripples Substitute users such as Primarina and Raikou. However, it's removed by Poison-types remove it and a large portion of the metagame is immune to it, like Rotom-H, Salamence, Celesteela, Scizor, and Aegislash. A Choice Scarf set with Power Gem / Sludge Wave / Thunderbolt / Grass Knot lets Nihilego act as a cleaner that can clean and revenge kill Pokemon like Keldeo, (AC) and other Choice Scarf users like Krookodile, but Choice-locked Nihilego is vulnerable to Pokemon like Aegislash, Crawdaunt, and Scizor. Pain Split can be considered as a form of recovery on the utility set, but it is very unreliable due to Nihilego's high HP and can only be used against special attackers that can't hurt it much. Dazzling Gleam OHKOes Kommo-o and maintains coverage for Krookodile (RC) but has no use outside of that. Psychic hits Kommo-o, opposing Nihilego, and Nidoqueen, but just like Dazzling Gleam, it is not worth running most times. A Passho Berry lets Nihilego pivot into Choice Specs Primarina and Kingdra under rain once (RC) but has no use outside of that.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Chansey**: Chansey is Nihilego's best answer, capable of wearing it down with Seismic Toss and healing itself with Soft-Boiled. As long as Chansey doesn't let it accumulate several boosts, it can always beat Nihilego. (is this sentence worth keeping? im not sure who or what is letting nihilego use meteor beam multiple times. or am i missing something?) Chansey hates having its Eviolite removed, though.

**Ground-types**: Krookodile, Nidoqueen, Seismitoad, and Rhyperior don't care about Nihilego's STAB moves and can force it out of the field with their STAB Ground-type moves, but they have to be wary of Grass Knot and get crippled by Knock Off.

**Steel-types**: Jirachi walls Nihilego easily and can scare it out with Iron Head and Thunder Wave. Scizor can take any hit from Nihilego aside from Meteor Beam or boosted Power Gem (up to you if this is worth mentioning) and easily OHKOes it with Bullet Punch. Celesteela is capable of taking +1 Thunderbolt and OHKOing Nihilego back with Heavy Slam. Aegislash easily switches into even boosted Nihilego and can KO it with its Steel-type STAB move or revenge kill it with Shadow Sneak.

**Priority Moves**: Azumarill, Crawdaunt, and Scizor OHKO Nihilego with their priority moves, while Aegislash and Lycanroc-D can revenge kill it if it's (added apostrophe) weakened enough.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Bandkrook, 301217]]
- Quality checked by: [[BigFatMantis, 507497], [Lilburr, 481709], [Twilight, 344575]]
- Grammar checked by: [[CryoGyro, 331519], [Finland, 517429]]

2/2