[OVERVIEW]
**Draft Order**: Round 7 onwards
**Price Range**: 5-6 points
**Overview**: Piloswine functions quite well in Draft as a low-budget Ground-type and Stealth Rock user that packs a punch early-game. Piloswine also has two very useful abilities. With the ability Oblivious, it can set Stealth Rock reliably without fear of Taunt. Alternatively, Piloswine can also utilize its ability Thick Fat to neutralize its weakness to Fire and grant it a resistance to Ice. The biggest draw to Piloswine, however, is its ability to run Eviolite, boosting its defenses in combination with its already high HP stat. This, combined with Piloswine's relatively strong Attack stat, threatening dual STAB combination, and ability to use priority moves, makes this wooly pig a unique lower tier draft option.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Common Roles
========
**Entry Hazard Setter**: Piloswine's bread and butter. Typically always running Stealth Rock, Earthquake, and Ice Shard for priority, Piloswine is quite reliable at showing up early-game, even potentially as a dedicated lead, setting up Stealth Rocks, sponging a few early hits due to its Eviolite-boosted bulk, and getting a few strong Earthquakes off before going down. The real potential for innovation in this common Piloswine variant comes in the 4th moveslot.
**Priority Revenge Killer**: Piloswine's powerful Ice Shard alone grants it the ability to revenge kill some of Draft's most powerful but Ice-weak Pokemon. Holding Piloswine in the back prevents Pokemon such as Garchomp and Dragonite from sweeping. Piloswine variants with this role will likely run maximum Attack investment and have the potential to clean entire games with Ice Shard if the opposing team is worn down enough.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Earthquake, Icicle Crash, Ice Shard
**Setup Moves**: Curse
**Utility Moves**: Stealth Rock, Roar
**Coverage**: Rock Slide, Stone Edge, Throat Chop
Niche Moves
========
**Endeavor**: After sponging a few hits, Piloswine can use its low health to its advantage by clicking Endeavor against bulkier foes.
**Freeze-Dry**: Even though Piloswine's Special Attack stat is low, Freeze-Dry can be a niche choice for coverage against Pelipper and Gyarados, both of which are 4x weak to the move.
**High Horsepower**: A niche alternative if either team has a Grassy Surge user, which would weaken Earthquake but not High Horsepower.
Common Items
========
**Eviolite**: Piloswine should nearly always hold Eviolite. The ability to significantly boost Piloswine's defenses massively outweighs any value any other item could give.
Niche Items
========
**Custap Berry**: In very niche hyper offensive builds after Piloswine has set Stealth Rock, Piloswine can use Endure paired with a Custap Berry to click a priority powerful STAB move before going down.
Tera
========
Piloswine has very little reason to Terastallize; its base Ground-type makes it a useful Electric-immune teamslot, and there are far better low-tier options regardless. However, if Piloswine is to Terastallize, then Tera Grass paired with Thick Fat can be a strong defensive option while also giving Piloswine the ability to hit Water-types for super-effective damage with Tera Blast. Otherwise, Tera Ghost can be useful to block Rapid Spin.
Draft Strategy
========
Piloswine is useful on drafts that seek entry hazards to support powerful wallbreakers or setup sweepers. It also has value as a Ground-type, a must-have typing in Draft thanks to its Electric immunity. Piloswine also has value on drafts that otherwise lack reliable forms of priority. Piloswine should primarily be used as an early-game piece, so it functions well on teams that have a lot of other wincons.
**Wallbreakers and Sweepers**: The Stealth Rock that Piloswine sets up is useful for powerful wallbreakers such as Chi-Yu and Iron Valiant to secure certain OHKOs or 2HKOs after entry hazard damage. These wallbreakers may also put foes in Ice Shard KO range for Piloswine. Entry hazard damage also helps setup sweepers such as Quaquaval and Ogerpon-W sweep easier.
**Rapid Spin**: Spinners such as Terapagos and Blastoise are good support options to pair with Piloswine so that entry hazards can be removed while keeping Piloswine's Stealth Rock on the field. Piloswine also appreciates having hazards removed for its own defensive capabilities, since it never uses Heavy-Duty Boots and lacks access to recovery.
**Offensive Ground-types**: Piloswine is unlike other Ground-types in that its Thick Fat ability and secondary typing effectively give it a resistance to Ice. Thus, Piloswine can be safely paired with other offensive Ground-types like Garchomp and Landorus without fear of stacking weaknesses. This takes the pressure of setting Stealth Rock off of other offensive Ground-types and frees them up to be all-out attackers or setup sweepers.
Checks and Counters
========
**Status**: A burned Piloswine is a very sad Piloswine. The residual chip and Attack drop from burn greatly diminish Piloswine's main draw as a tanky sponge with offensive potential. Toxic also will gradually wear down its unrecoverable HP.
**Knock Off**: Knocking off Piloswine's Eviolite will greatly reduce its ability to tank a subsequent hit. Any strong, super effective hit afterwards will likely take it out.
**Bulky Water-types**: Bulky Water-types such as Slowking and Milotic resist Piloswine's Ice STAB moves, tank Earthquake with relative ease, and threaten it back with Scald. Rotom-W is also one of the best counters to Piloswine, as it is immune to Piloswine's Earthquake and can threaten it with Hydro Pump or a burn.
**Powerful Special Attackers**: Piloswine is much weaker on its special side, so even with Eviolite, it struggles to chew more than one hit from Water-types like Manaphy and Primarina and even prominent special attacking Steel-types such as Gholdengo and Archaludon.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/addison0727.514695/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/jscurf.608304/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/scribble.356084/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/adorluigi.528364/
**Draft Order**: Round 7 onwards
**Price Range**: 5-6 points
**Overview**: Piloswine functions quite well in Draft as a low-budget Ground-type and Stealth Rock user that packs a punch early-game. Piloswine also has two very useful abilities. With the ability Oblivious, it can set Stealth Rock reliably without fear of Taunt. Alternatively, Piloswine can also utilize its ability Thick Fat to neutralize its weakness to Fire and grant it a resistance to Ice. The biggest draw to Piloswine, however, is its ability to run Eviolite, boosting its defenses in combination with its already high HP stat. This, combined with Piloswine's relatively strong Attack stat, threatening dual STAB combination, and ability to use priority moves, makes this wooly pig a unique lower tier draft option.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Common Roles
========
**Entry Hazard Setter**: Piloswine's bread and butter. Typically always running Stealth Rock, Earthquake, and Ice Shard for priority, Piloswine is quite reliable at showing up early-game, even potentially as a dedicated lead, setting up Stealth Rocks, sponging a few early hits due to its Eviolite-boosted bulk, and getting a few strong Earthquakes off before going down. The real potential for innovation in this common Piloswine variant comes in the 4th moveslot.
**Priority Revenge Killer**: Piloswine's powerful Ice Shard alone grants it the ability to revenge kill some of Draft's most powerful but Ice-weak Pokemon. Holding Piloswine in the back prevents Pokemon such as Garchomp and Dragonite from sweeping. Piloswine variants with this role will likely run maximum Attack investment and have the potential to clean entire games with Ice Shard if the opposing team is worn down enough.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Earthquake, Icicle Crash, Ice Shard
**Setup Moves**: Curse
**Utility Moves**: Stealth Rock, Roar
**Coverage**: Rock Slide, Stone Edge, Throat Chop
Niche Moves
========
**Endeavor**: After sponging a few hits, Piloswine can use its low health to its advantage by clicking Endeavor against bulkier foes.
**Freeze-Dry**: Even though Piloswine's Special Attack stat is low, Freeze-Dry can be a niche choice for coverage against Pelipper and Gyarados, both of which are 4x weak to the move.
**High Horsepower**: A niche alternative if either team has a Grassy Surge user, which would weaken Earthquake but not High Horsepower.
Common Items
========
**Eviolite**: Piloswine should nearly always hold Eviolite. The ability to significantly boost Piloswine's defenses massively outweighs any value any other item could give.
Niche Items
========
**Custap Berry**: In very niche hyper offensive builds after Piloswine has set Stealth Rock, Piloswine can use Endure paired with a Custap Berry to click a priority powerful STAB move before going down.
Tera
========
Piloswine has very little reason to Terastallize; its base Ground-type makes it a useful Electric-immune teamslot, and there are far better low-tier options regardless. However, if Piloswine is to Terastallize, then Tera Grass paired with Thick Fat can be a strong defensive option while also giving Piloswine the ability to hit Water-types for super-effective damage with Tera Blast. Otherwise, Tera Ghost can be useful to block Rapid Spin.
Draft Strategy
========
Piloswine is useful on drafts that seek entry hazards to support powerful wallbreakers or setup sweepers. It also has value as a Ground-type, a must-have typing in Draft thanks to its Electric immunity. Piloswine also has value on drafts that otherwise lack reliable forms of priority. Piloswine should primarily be used as an early-game piece, so it functions well on teams that have a lot of other wincons.
**Wallbreakers and Sweepers**: The Stealth Rock that Piloswine sets up is useful for powerful wallbreakers such as Chi-Yu and Iron Valiant to secure certain OHKOs or 2HKOs after entry hazard damage. These wallbreakers may also put foes in Ice Shard KO range for Piloswine. Entry hazard damage also helps setup sweepers such as Quaquaval and Ogerpon-W sweep easier.
**Rapid Spin**: Spinners such as Terapagos and Blastoise are good support options to pair with Piloswine so that entry hazards can be removed while keeping Piloswine's Stealth Rock on the field. Piloswine also appreciates having hazards removed for its own defensive capabilities, since it never uses Heavy-Duty Boots and lacks access to recovery.
**Offensive Ground-types**: Piloswine is unlike other Ground-types in that its Thick Fat ability and secondary typing effectively give it a resistance to Ice. Thus, Piloswine can be safely paired with other offensive Ground-types like Garchomp and Landorus without fear of stacking weaknesses. This takes the pressure of setting Stealth Rock off of other offensive Ground-types and frees them up to be all-out attackers or setup sweepers.
Checks and Counters
========
**Status**: A burned Piloswine is a very sad Piloswine. The residual chip and Attack drop from burn greatly diminish Piloswine's main draw as a tanky sponge with offensive potential. Toxic also will gradually wear down its unrecoverable HP.
**Knock Off**: Knocking off Piloswine's Eviolite will greatly reduce its ability to tank a subsequent hit. Any strong, super effective hit afterwards will likely take it out.
**Bulky Water-types**: Bulky Water-types such as Slowking and Milotic resist Piloswine's Ice STAB moves, tank Earthquake with relative ease, and threaten it back with Scald. Rotom-W is also one of the best counters to Piloswine, as it is immune to Piloswine's Earthquake and can threaten it with Hydro Pump or a burn.
**Powerful Special Attackers**: Piloswine is much weaker on its special side, so even with Eviolite, it struggles to chew more than one hit from Water-types like Manaphy and Primarina and even prominent special attacking Steel-types such as Gholdengo and Archaludon.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/addison0727.514695/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/jscurf.608304/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/scribble.356084/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/adorluigi.528364/
Last edited:
