Funbot28
Banned deucer.
[OVERVIEW]Passimian takes the role of a capable revenge killer in the NU metagame thanks to the combination of its formidable attacking power, good bulk, and relatively high Speed tier, enabling it to fit on a variety of teams. Possessing a great movepool consisting of good coverage options such as Knock Off, Gunk Shot, and Earthquake alongside a pivot move in U-turn lets Passimian break through certain checks depending on what moves it chooses to run. Its Fighting typing allows it to check the majority of Dark-, Ice-, and Steel-types in the tier such as Incineroar, Vanilluxe, and Klinklang, making it a valuable choice on more offensive teams that need a reliable revenge killer for the aforementioned threats. While it has a good Speed tier, it still can be outsped by quite a few offensive Pokemon, such as opposing Choice Scarf users like Scyther, Delphox, and Rotom, alongside Vivillon and Klinklang after a setup boost. Passimian's ability Receiver is rather useless, meaning it has a hard time differentiating itself compared to other Fighting-types such as Hitmonlee, Medicham, and Hariyama due to it solely relying on its moveset and stats to outline itself. It can also be worn down rather quickly due to the lack of reliable recovery, which is further problematic because of its tendency to pivot in repeatedly against common threats such as Incineroar, Sneasel, and Klinklang throughout the match, leading to it being chipped quite easily at times.
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: U-turn
move 3: Knock Off
move 4: Gunk Shot / Earthquake
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Receiver
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Close Combat is Passimian's strongest STAB option, letting it deal massive damage to the majority of neutral targets in the tier. U-turn acts as a great momentum provider, allowing Passimian to pivot out against the threats that intend to check it, such as Diancie and Palossand, as well as provide useful pivoting utility for its team. Knock Off is a great coverage option that lets Passimian hit Ghost- and Psychic-types, which otherwise check Passimian due to them being immune or resistant to its STAB attack. It also provides the extra utility of removing items, such as Eviolite from threats like Golbat and Rhydon, letting Passimian provide useful support for its teammates and wallbreak more easily later on in the match. Gunk Shot is a great coverage move to deal massive damage against Fairy-types such as Whimsicott and Mega Audino, which otherwise annoy Passimian. Earthquake is an alternative coverage move that provides good neutral coverage by hitting Poison-types such as Garbador as well as other threats like Diancie for more damage.
Set Details
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EVs are fully invested in Attack and Speed with a Jolly nature to enhance Passimian's wallbreaking capabilities. A Choice Scarf cements Passimian's role as a formidable revenge killer, enabling it to outspeed the majority of the unboosted metagame and threaten out other offensive Pokemon with its powerful STAB attacks and great coverage. Receiver is Passimian's only usable ability but is rather useless as a whole.
Usage Tips
========
Passimian is generally utilized to provide momentum for its team when utilizing a Choice Scarf, as its ability to force switches enables it to pivot out against the majority of threats with ease thanks to U-turn. While it is generally preferred to pivot out versus the opposing threat, Passimian should also be mindful if the opponent decides to stay in, in which case using one of its coverage moves may be more desirable. However, it must be mindful of mindlessly spamming its STAB move in Close Combat, as it can often leave it in a predicament where it is forced to switch out, as threats such as Slowbro and Palossand can easily come in and gain momentum. Although Passimian possesses substantial bulk, it should not be used to sponge hits coming off of powerful offensive threats, as it can easily be worn down rather quickly. This means that Passimian should generally be coming in against defensive threats that do not threaten it, such as Miltank and Silvally-Steel. Knock Off is a great move that can be spammed the majority of the time when Passimian is not pivoting out via U-turn, as Knock Off can even cripple threats that resist it by removing useful items such as Leftovers, pinch Berries, and Assault Vest from threats like Diancie, Incineroar, and Hariyama.
Team Options
========
Wallbreakers that appreciate Passimian's ability to provide momentum such as Vanilluxe, Sceptile, and Sneasel can be useful, as they are able to come onto the battlefield more reliably as a result. Sneasel is especially useful in Pursuit trapping Ghost-types that can otherwise dissuade Passimian from spamming its STAB attack. Entry hazard setters like Steelix, Ferroseed, Piloswine, and Rhydon all aid Passimian in wearing down opposing walls through entry hazard chip damage, letting it revenge kill threats more reliably. Steel-types such as Steelix, Klinklang, and Silvally-Steel can all switch into the Fairy-, Flying-, and Psychic-types that threaten Passimian like Whimsicott, Braviary, and Xatu. Steelix may also provide entry hazard setting support, while Silvally-Steel can remove them. Partners that can take on Flying-types like Rotom and Diancie can help Passimian deal with threatening Pokemon such as Braviary, Golbat, and Vivillon. Dark-types such as Guzzlord, Incineroar, and Houndoom can also help check Psychic-types that can threaten Passimian, while Passimian can break through opposing Dark-types in return. Grass-types like Sceptile, Decidueye, and Dhelmise can all break through Passimian's most common checks, such as Slowbro and Palossand, letting it wallbreak more easily. Sceptile is especially useful in wearing down opposing physical walls for Passimian, while Passimian can take on Sceptile's checks such as Incineroar and Ferroseed in return. Other U-turn and Volt Switch users such as Heliolisk, Vikavolt, Xatu, and Whimsicott can form formidable VoltTurn cores alongside Passimian, applying great offensive pressure onto the opposing team as they proceed to pivot out against incoming switch-ins.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Equipping a Choice Band turns Passimian into a devastating wallbreaker, being incredibly difficult to switch into, although it misses out on the revenge killing capabilities of the Choice Scarf set. Passimian can become an effective setup sweeper through the use of Bulk Up + Taunt with an appropriate Z-Move such as Fightinium Z or Grassium Z boosting the power of moves such as Close Combat and Seed Bomb, which helps it break through more sturdy checks such as Slowbro and Mega Audino. Utility moves such as Taunt, Protect, and Toxic may be used in conjunction with one another, enabling Passimian to effectively stallbreak walls like Diancie, Slowbro, and Druddigon. However, this often means that Passimian must forfeit useful coverage that may be necessary in breaking through its other answers. Running Steel-type coverage through moves such as Iron Head and Iron Tail can also provide utility by letting Passimian hit Diancie while still having the coverage to target other Fairy-types.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fairy-types**: Fairy-types such as Comfey, Whimsicott, and Aromatisse can all switch into Passimian's STAB attacks and proceed to threaten it out with their own Fairy-type STAB moves. However, all the aforementioned threats must be wary of coming into coverage moves such as Gunk Shot.
**Ghost-types**: Pokemon such as Decidueye, Dhelmise, Palossand, and Mismagius are all immune to Passimian's Fighting-type attacks, meaning they can have an easier time coming in against Passimian. However, they do not appreciate coming into a Knock Off if not running a Colbur Berry.
**Physically Defensive Walls**: Physically sturdy threats such as Slowbro, Druddigon, and Quagsire may all switch into Passimian once and proceed to either cripple Passimian with their status moves or threaten to KO it with their respective STAB attacks. However, they can all be broken through by Passimian with prior chip damage or if Passimian chooses to run more powerful sets such as Choice Band or Bulk Up + Z-Move.
**Poison-types**: Poison-types like Golbat, Vileplume, and Garbador resist Passimian's Fighting-type moves, meaning they can usually come in against it and either status it or heavily dent Passimian with their own attacks. However, Golbat does not appreciate its Eviolite being removed by Knock Off, while Garbador can be heavily dented by Earthquake.
**Faster Offensive Threats**: Faster Choice Scarf users such as Delphox, Houndoom, and Hitmonlee may all revenge kill Passimian if it is worn down, but they all do not switch into Passimian safely.
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