Primeape

primeape.gif

Primeape
Type
:
Fighting.png


Base Stats: 65 HP / 105 Atk / 60 Def / 60 SpA / 70 SpD / 95 Spe
Abilities: Vital Spirit | Anger Point | Defiant

Notable moves:

  • Bulk Up
  • Close Combat
  • Drain Punch
  • Earthquake
  • Encore
  • Fire Punch
  • Gunk Shot
  • Ice Punch
  • Night Slash
  • Rage Fist
  • Rest
  • Rock Slide
  • Seed Bomb
  • Sleep Talk
  • Stealth Rock
  • Stone Edge
  • Substitute
  • Taunt
  • Thunder Punch
  • U-turn
New move
Rage Fist
: 50 BP physical Ghost move. 16 PP. + 50 BP each time the user is hit by a direct attack. Also worth noticing that Rage Fist boosts stack after switching out.

Pros:
  • Having a new evolution in the line allows Primeape to run Eviolite and make up for its mediocre bulk. Thus, allowing Primeape to have a bulkier approach than its regular offensive sets based on a lower-tiered Choice Scarf user.
  • New move in Rage Fist which shares with its evolution can stack quickly with the bulk added from the Eviolite boost. Giving Primeape an amazing unresisted Fighting/Ghost coverage.
  • Being and old Pokemon with a new evolution makes it keeping good stats, specially a notable 105 Atk and 95 Speed, allowing it to hit and setup first against slower Pokemon
  • Defiant is an excellent ability to punish Defog users.
Cons:
  • Relies on Eviolite to keep on its bulk, even if Knock Off is rather uncommon now. It means it can also be damaged with hazards continuously.
  • Rage Fist needs skill and prediction to power it up.
  • Still retatively frail by the tier's standards even with Eviolite, Super effective hits may rather kill it or shut it down low enough to perform properly in the way it wants to.
  • May rely on Terastallizing to perform to its full potential.
Terastalizing Potential:
Amazing terastallize options, it may want to terastallize into
Ghost.png
to gain STAB on Rage Fist, or also
Water.png
/
Steel.png
to have a solid defensive typing to setup easier. Water is good for resisting opposing water on rain MUs and Steel resists Flying and Psychic which can initially damage Primeape super-effectively.

Potential Sets:
Bulk Up Taunt
Primeape @ Eviolite
Ability: Defiant
Tera Type: Ghost / Steel / Water
EVs: 252 HP / 196 SpD / 60 Spe
Careful Nature
- Bulk Up
- Drain Punch
- Rage Fist
- Taunt

This Primeape set acts as a bulky setup sweeper. Bulk Up boosts its Attack and Defense and Drain Punch hits while recovering HP. Rage Fist is the main Primeape's attribute, as each time Primeape gets hit it gets 50+ boost in BP, making it scary to attack it with rather weak moves. EV spread is to take on special hits the best it can, while having some Speed for Timid Magnezone and Adamant Bisharp. Taunt shuts down defensive counterplay such as Haze, Roar or status like Toxic or Will-O-Wisp.

RestTalk
Primeape @ Eviolite
Ability: Defiant
Tera Type: Ghost / Steel / Water
EVs: 252 HP / 196 SpD / 60 Spe
Careful Nature
- Drain Punch
- Rage Fist
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

This variant allows Primeape to tank hits comfortably thanks to its reliable recovery in Rest, Sleep Talk can call either Drain Punch to recover or Rage Fist which will still stack on boosts. This sets relies heavily on Primeape getting hit multiple times to go berserk with Rage Fist, but it gives it a way of healing and avoiding status much better.

Stealth Rock
Primeape @ Eviolite
Ability: Defiant
Tera Type: Ghost / Steel / Water
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe or 252 HP / 196 SpD / 60 Spe
Jolly / Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Close Combat / Drain Punch
- U-turn
- Taunt / Encore / Rage Fist

Primeape gain access to Stealth Rock this gen, and combined with Eviolite bulk it can be utilized as a potential Stealth Rock setter. CC or Drain Punch as your main STAB while U-turn can give momentum. Last move can be a support move like Taunt to stop Defog or Encore to hinder a setup sweeper. Rage Fist can still be used in this set as boosts stacks even when you switch out. Spread can be offensive or bulky in this case.

Other options:
  • Substitute can be used instead of Taunt, but this will not the optimal combined with Rage Fist as you need to get directly hit to boost it.
  • Classic Choice Scarf can be used with CC/U-turn/Gunk Shot/Stone Edge. But this set gets outclassed by other fighting types in the tier such as Flamigo, Gallade, Medicham, Pawmot and the Paldean-Tauros forms.
  • Seed Bomb can be used to cheese on Quagsire if you really need to.

Feel free to leave comments, suggestions and discussion on Primeape ^^
 
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Primeape is a pretty underrated Pokémon which can put a ton of works vs unprepared teams.
I think it's worth mentionning Fairy Terastalizing since it's an overall great defensive typing. On the other hand, I've been messing around Sleep Talk > Drain Punch and I think it's pretty good too since the tier doesn't have that much Normal-types and most of them will never try to come on Primeape without being sure it's not running a Fighting-type move. Being able to not be too passive while sleeping is kinda huge for the monkey in my opinion. Rage Fist is pretty self sufficient imo.
 
Haha Rage Fist is just ridiculous. I have been running a Restalk set with Bulk Up, Rage Fist and Tera Ghost and it wrecks defensive teams. There's only a few normal types in the tier and the only one that really threatens it is Staraptor. I haven't found dropping Drain Punch as that significant. Against more Hyper offensive is can be much more difficult to set up and doesn't perform as well. Outside of Rage Fist/Stealth Rock it is outclassed by many of the other fighting types who are a lot more powerful. I am surprised I don't see this pokemon more.
 
Haha Rage Fist is just ridiculous. I have been running a Restalk set with Bulk Up, Rage Fist and Tera Ghost and it wrecks defensive teams. There's only a few normal types in the tier and the only one that really threatens it is Staraptor. I haven't found dropping Drain Punch as that significant. Against more Hyper offensive is can be much more difficult to set up and doesn't perform as well. Outside of Rage Fist/Stealth Rock it is outclassed by many of the other fighting types who are a lot more powerful. I am surprised I don't see this pokemon more.

Your set does get walled by Blissey though which can run CM a lot on stall since it has few other moves to run and then I would guess it beats you. Being able to heal status and really wreck Talonflame is huge I'll give you that but I still like Taunt + Drain + Rage Fist + Bulk Up more with Tera Ghost.

The thing I really like though is using it on stall teams (with Alo or some wish support) - not only do you do well vs other stalls, but you also can deter a lot of U-Turn/Volt switch chip moves that people normally spam to chip away at stall.
 
Your set does get walled by Blissey though which can run CM a lot on stall since it has few other moves to run and then I would guess it beats you. Being able to heal status and really wreck Talonflame is huge I'll give you that but I still like Taunt + Drain + Rage Fist + Bulk Up more with Tera Ghost.

The thing I really like though is using it on stall teams (with Alo or some wish support) - not only do you do well vs other stalls, but you also can deter a lot of U-Turn/Volt switch chip moves that people normally spam to chip away at stall.
Yeah fortunately most of the Blisseys I have come across don't run CM. I have also tried Curse instead of BU and once your all set up it can provide a way to break through the normal types.
 
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