[OVERVIEW]
Arbok differentiates itself from other Poison-type wallbreakers in Haunter and Golbat with its strong coverage options, which let it better pressure checks such as Torkoal, Mawile, and Chimecho. Additionally, its solid coverage and power give it an advantageous matchup against common leads like Metang, Flareon, and Hitmonchan and make it difficult to wall. Arbok's also one of the best offensive checks to Hitmonchan and can check other physical attackers like Raticate and Vigoroth in a pinch thanks to Intimidate. However, Arbok still finds itself mostly outclassed by Golbat, whose better typing lets it check foes like Tropius more effectively. Arbok also suffers from being extremely vulnerable to some of the most common Pokemon in the tier, namely Haunter, Chimecho, and Sableye, which hurts its consistency.
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Sludge Bomb
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Rock Slide
move 4: Sleep Talk / Double-Edge
item: Choice Band
ability: Intimidate
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Sludge Bomb has overall good neutral coverage, and its chance to poison lets Arbok punish resistant foes like Sableye, Relicanth, and Whiscash. Earthquake targets Rock- and Steel-types like Relicanth, Metang, and Mawile as well as Torkoal and Sableye, while Rock Slide is Arbok's best way to hit Haunter. Sleep Talk makes Arbok a better soft check to offensive Bellossom and lets it absorb Venomoth's Sleep Powder, although Double-Edge is a good alternative if hitting Whiscash harder is desired, and it has good neutral coverage. Maximum Speed with a Jolly nature lets Arbok outspeed Jolly Hitmonchan and Speed tie with Glalie, and maximum Attack investment alongside a Choice Band helps Arbok pressure its switch-ins as much as possible. Intimidate helps Arbok against other leads such as Hitmonchan, Sudowoodo, and Relicanth.
There's very little that goes into successfully using Arbok; for the most part, simply focus on predicting switches correctly and using the appropriate coverage move. Arbok's use outside of counterleading certain foes is mostly limited to using its defensive utility to pivot into non-Earthquake Hitmonchan and Sunny Day + Solar Beam users like Bellossom and Tropius to get more wallbreaking opportunities. Something to keep in mind is how low drawback using Sludge Bomb is; only two relevant Pokemon are immune to it, and those that resist it dislike being poisoned.
Team Options
========
Diglett is a fantastic partner because it can trap Steel- and Rock-types, which enables Arbok to spam Sludge Bomb more reliably. Since Arbok does a good job of pressuring physical walls like Torkoal, Mawile, and Relicanth, Pokemon such as Swords Dance Tropius and Endure Raticate fit well alongside it. Arbok can struggle to break through Pokemon such as Whiscash and Sableye that it lacks a super effective coverage move for; therefore, pairing it with a Spiker such as Roselia or Cacturne is ideal, giving it better odds to 2HKO them. Additionally, teammates like Wailord and Bellossom are beneficial to deal with Ground-types; Wailord also deals with Metang and Mawile.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Hidden Power Ghost guarantees an OHKO on Haunter and has a better chance to 2HKO Chimecho than Sludge Bomb does, but it has little application otherwise. Bulkier variants with Glare capitalize on Arbok's utility more effectively but miss out on the wallbreaking power of offensive sets.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Sableye**: Sableye resists Sludge Bomb and isn't 2HKOed by any of Arbok's coverage moves without Spikes support. This lets it recover lost health with Recover or remove Arbok's Choice Band with Knock Off, making it impossible to break past.
**Ground-types**: Pupitar can easily set up on Arbok when it's Choice locked into Sludge Bomb, while Diglett can trap and remove it. Other Ground-types like Whiscash and Piloswine have the bulk necessary to switch in multiple times and threaten Arbok with Earthquake.
**Haunter**: Although Haunter is vulnerable to Rock Slide, it easily switches into any of Arbok's other coverage moves and can KO it with Psychic or set up Substitute.
**Physical Walls**: Pokemon such as Relicanth and Pelipper have the physical bulk to take even Arbok's super effective coverage moves and retaliate with solid damage.
**Chimecho**: Chimecho's bulk lets it switch into Arbok relatively easily, only fearing high-damage roll Sludge Bombs and a potential poison. From there, it can easily deal with Arbok with Psychic.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Rabia, 336073]]
- Quality checked by: [[poh, 298730], [Oglemi, 40358]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [Oglemi, 40358]]
Arbok differentiates itself from other Poison-type wallbreakers in Haunter and Golbat with its strong coverage options, which let it better pressure checks such as Torkoal, Mawile, and Chimecho. Additionally, its solid coverage and power give it an advantageous matchup against common leads like Metang, Flareon, and Hitmonchan and make it difficult to wall. Arbok's also one of the best offensive checks to Hitmonchan and can check other physical attackers like Raticate and Vigoroth in a pinch thanks to Intimidate. However, Arbok still finds itself mostly outclassed by Golbat, whose better typing lets it check foes like Tropius more effectively. Arbok also suffers from being extremely vulnerable to some of the most common Pokemon in the tier, namely Haunter, Chimecho, and Sableye, which hurts its consistency.
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Sludge Bomb
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Rock Slide
move 4: Sleep Talk / Double-Edge
item: Choice Band
ability: Intimidate
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Sludge Bomb has overall good neutral coverage, and its chance to poison lets Arbok punish resistant foes like Sableye, Relicanth, and Whiscash. Earthquake targets Rock- and Steel-types like Relicanth, Metang, and Mawile as well as Torkoal and Sableye, while Rock Slide is Arbok's best way to hit Haunter. Sleep Talk makes Arbok a better soft check to offensive Bellossom and lets it absorb Venomoth's Sleep Powder, although Double-Edge is a good alternative if hitting Whiscash harder is desired, and it has good neutral coverage. Maximum Speed with a Jolly nature lets Arbok outspeed Jolly Hitmonchan and Speed tie with Glalie, and maximum Attack investment alongside a Choice Band helps Arbok pressure its switch-ins as much as possible. Intimidate helps Arbok against other leads such as Hitmonchan, Sudowoodo, and Relicanth.
There's very little that goes into successfully using Arbok; for the most part, simply focus on predicting switches correctly and using the appropriate coverage move. Arbok's use outside of counterleading certain foes is mostly limited to using its defensive utility to pivot into non-Earthquake Hitmonchan and Sunny Day + Solar Beam users like Bellossom and Tropius to get more wallbreaking opportunities. Something to keep in mind is how low drawback using Sludge Bomb is; only two relevant Pokemon are immune to it, and those that resist it dislike being poisoned.
Team Options
========
Diglett is a fantastic partner because it can trap Steel- and Rock-types, which enables Arbok to spam Sludge Bomb more reliably. Since Arbok does a good job of pressuring physical walls like Torkoal, Mawile, and Relicanth, Pokemon such as Swords Dance Tropius and Endure Raticate fit well alongside it. Arbok can struggle to break through Pokemon such as Whiscash and Sableye that it lacks a super effective coverage move for; therefore, pairing it with a Spiker such as Roselia or Cacturne is ideal, giving it better odds to 2HKO them. Additionally, teammates like Wailord and Bellossom are beneficial to deal with Ground-types; Wailord also deals with Metang and Mawile.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Hidden Power Ghost guarantees an OHKO on Haunter and has a better chance to 2HKO Chimecho than Sludge Bomb does, but it has little application otherwise. Bulkier variants with Glare capitalize on Arbok's utility more effectively but miss out on the wallbreaking power of offensive sets.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Sableye**: Sableye resists Sludge Bomb and isn't 2HKOed by any of Arbok's coverage moves without Spikes support. This lets it recover lost health with Recover or remove Arbok's Choice Band with Knock Off, making it impossible to break past.
**Ground-types**: Pupitar can easily set up on Arbok when it's Choice locked into Sludge Bomb, while Diglett can trap and remove it. Other Ground-types like Whiscash and Piloswine have the bulk necessary to switch in multiple times and threaten Arbok with Earthquake.
**Haunter**: Although Haunter is vulnerable to Rock Slide, it easily switches into any of Arbok's other coverage moves and can KO it with Psychic or set up Substitute.
**Physical Walls**: Pokemon such as Relicanth and Pelipper have the physical bulk to take even Arbok's super effective coverage moves and retaliate with solid damage.
**Chimecho**: Chimecho's bulk lets it switch into Arbok relatively easily, only fearing high-damage roll Sludge Bombs and a potential poison. From there, it can easily deal with Arbok with Psychic.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Rabia, 336073]]
- Quality checked by: [[poh, 298730], [Oglemi, 40358]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [Oglemi, 40358]]
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