PU Probopass

uploaded -zard

[OVERVIEW]

Access to Magnet Pull gives Probopass a niche in PU, as thanks to this ability, it can easily remove several bulky Steel-types from the match, such as Aggron, Mawile, and Ferroseed. 4x resistances to Normal and Flying are quite useful, as they allow Probopass to, for example, switch in on a Choice Band Stoutland locked into Return and an Oricorio-G's Hurricane. Probopass also makes for a good switch-in to Mesprit due to its resistances to all of the latter's common moves. Probopass has a surprisingly customizable movepool, with very useful utility and coverage options such as Taunt to cripple slower walls, Earth Power for Steel-types, and Volt Switch for pivoting working very well with it. Defensively speaking, though, its 4x weaknesses to Fighting and Ground severely hamper its viability, as both types are very common in the metagame in the forms of Pokemon such as Palossand, Golurk, Hitmonchan, and Gurdurr. It also can be hit very hard by coverage moves of these types used by Pokemon that Probopass otherwise would check, such as Kangaskhan, Stoutland, and Archeops. It struggles a lot against common entry hazard setters and removers due to its weaknesses and lack of raw power. Probopass has no reliable recovery, making it prone to getting worn down fast against opposing teams. Even when fully invested, Probopass is often embarrassingly weak against a lot of neutral targets. It also struggles severely against bulky Water-types, since the most viable ones in PU such as Gastrodon and Lanturn take little from any of its attacks.

[SET]
name: Offensive Stealth Rock
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Flash Cannon
move 3: Hidden Power Fire
move 4: Taunt / Earth Power
item: Leftovers
ability: Magnet Pull
nature: Modest
evs: 172 HP / 252 SpA / 84 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Probopass makes for a pretty good setter of Stealth Rock due to its ability to beat several entry hazard removers very well, mainly ones such as Shiftry and physical Skuntank. Flash Cannon is Probopass's STAB move of choice, allowing it to hit Pokemon such as Archeops and Clefairy for super effective damage. Hidden Power Fire is used to target Steel-type Pokemon that Probopass traps, most notably Ferroseed, but also others such as Mawile. Taunt allows Probopass to cripple slower, more passive Pokemon such as Type: Null and Musharna. Earth Power can alternatively be used in the last slot to hit Alolan Raichu and opposing Probopass super effectively. Volt Switch is an option that allows Probopass to pivot around a lot of its common checks. This is particularly useful when combined with Probopass's low base Speed. Power Gem is an alternative STAB move that targets Flying-types such as Oricorio-G and Fire-types such as Pyroar, although it can't hit Rock-types such as Regirock super effectively.

Set Details
========

172 HP EVs allow Probopass to tank hits more easily, 252 Special Attack EVs and a Modest nature maximize Probopass's power, and 84 Speed EVs allow it to outspeed uninvested base 50s and under such as Regirock. Magnet Pull is Probopass's main niche in the tier and as such is chosen for this set. It allows Probopass to trap Steel-types for the player's team, mainly Ferroseed. Leftovers is used for passive recovery over time, since Probopass lacks a reliable way to heal up and it can help very much in certain matchups, such as against slower walls like Clefairy. Air Balloon can alternatively be run as the item due to it giving a temporary immunity to Ground-type attacks, allowing it to more reliably switch into Pokemon such as Pinsir and Choice Band Aggron. However, this leaves Probopass with no passive recovery, which can leave it worn down a lot quicker.

Usage Tips
========

Probopass's main niche is trapping Steel-type Pokemon. Because of this, it's rather easy for the opponent to predict the switching of Probopass into their Steel-type and immediately switch out. Thus, finding the right opportunity to switch Probopass into other Steel-types is crucial to its success in a match. This can be done by either double switching or pivoting Probopass in using either Volt Switch or U-turn. Be cautious when playing against Pokemon known for having Ground-type coverage, such as Earthquake Archeops and Kangaskhan. Due to the threat of such coverage, it shouldn't be treated as a Normal- or Flying-type check for the team. Probopass is quite weak and one-dimensional, so after it successfully removes opposing Steel-types from the match and sets up Stealth Rock, it can often become dead weight or even setup fodder for Pokemon such as Lilligant. It is highly recommended to avoid recklessly switching Probopass in. Volt Switch variants should pivot on checks, would-be or otherwise, to Probopass like defensive Carracosta and Gurdurr. They also should be wary of using the move when the opponent has a Ground-type still active. Use Taunt to shut down setup or recovery from Pokemon such as Trick Room Alolan Exeggutor and Miltank.

Team Options
========

Pokemon that struggle with Steel-types will appreciate Probopass's ability to take them on reliably. These include Type: Null, Z-Move variants of Lilligant, and physically offensive variants of Skuntank. Probopass offers very handy resistances to both Flying and Psychic, and there are many Pokemon in PU vulnerable to either of these types. Examples of these include Weezing for more defensive builds and Primeape and Pinsir for more offensive ones. Volt Switch variants can be paired with powerful wallbreakers that are hard to get in such as Passimian, Archeops, and Drampa due to the fact that Probopass's Volt Switch is slow and therefore very reliable in getting the aforementioned Pokemon in. Volt Switch variants also like being paired with other Volt Switch users such as Eelektross and Lanturn or U-turn users such as Mesprit to form VoltTurn cores. Eelektross in particular also helps against the Water-types Probopass struggles with. Even without Volt Switch on Probopass, these Pokemon can also get Probopass in on opposing Steel-types more easily, due to the fact that they are checked by common Steel-types in PU such as Ferroseed. A Fighting-type switch-in is useful, as Probopass hates taking on such Pokemon. Examples of this include Oricorio-G, Weezing, and Mesprit. Likewise, Pokemon that resist or are immune to Ground such as Lilligant, Haunter, and Abomasnow help dodge moves like Earthquake. Probopass can also remove Pokemon such as Ferroseed that these Pokemon don't do too well against. Fighting-types such as Gurdurr and Hitmonchan can also be good partners for Probopass due to their ability to reliably beat a lot of specially defensive walls that Probopass have trouble with, mainly Audino and Type: Null. Water-type checks such as Alolan Exeggutor and Shiftry can help due to Probopass struggling with Pokemon such as Gastrodon and Lanturn.

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

Toxic is an option to catch Gastrodon on the switch, which otherwise completely stops Probopass in its tracks. It can be used to cripple Pokemon such as Musharna as well, which is particularly useful because Synchronize cannot affect Probopass. However, Probopass's four-moveslot syndrome means that Toxic has a hard time being fit, as Probopass's moves are all very important to its success. A more defensive set with Sturdy is usable, but for the most part it's outclassed by Regirock, which has better offensive presence and a better typing. It also lacks Probopass's main niche as a trapper. Magic Coat allows Probopass to bounce back status moves such as opposing entry hazards from the likes of Weezing and Taunt from Pokemon such as Skuntank. However, Probopass doesn't have much room to run this on its main set, and a lot of these Pokemon will just simply switch out of Probopass. Pain Split gives Probopass a form, albeit an unreliable one, of recovery. It fits more on bulkier sets, but such sets are less practical in general and as mentioned before Pain Split is a very unreliable way of recovery that can easily be played around.

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

**Ground-types**: Air Balloon can somewhat help Probopass's poor matchup against Ground-types, but Leftovers variants are easily KOed by strong Earthquakes from Pokemon such as Golurk, Torterra, and Golem. In addition, it needs the right coverage move to deal a decent amount of damage to these Pokemon, which is somewhat hampered by Probopass's four-moveslot syndrome.

**Fighting-types**: Probopass's 4x weakness to Fighting coupled with a lack of firepower against them leads to it being countered by the likes of Primeape, Gurdurr, and Hitmonchan, which can revenge kill it, set up on it, or easily remove its entry hazards, respectively.

**Water-types**: Pokemon such as Lanturn, Ludicolo, Poliwrath, and Gastrodon can easily switch into Probopass and hit back with Scald or similar moves. Lanturn and Gastrodon are also immune to Volt Switch.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

yogi

I did not succumb...
is a Tutor Alumnusis a Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnus
Hey bud! Was talking to some of the other QC team and we decided that we would like the set changed to this;

name: Offensive Stealth Rock
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Flash Cannon
move 3: Hidden Power Fire
move 4: Taunt / Earth Power
item: Leftovers
ability: Magnet Pull
nature: Modest
evs: 172 HP / 252 SpA / 84 Spe

Stealth Rock should be the first move on the set because that's the move featured in the title, Flash Cannon is a standard reliable STAB move capable of hitting things like Regirock, Hidden Power Fire is needed to easily trap Ferroseed and win, Taunt can shut down slower, more passive Pokémon or prevent set up and Earth Power is an option to hit Qwilfish.

We'd also like the following moves mentioned in the Moves section, but not slashed or featured on the set; Toxic, Volt Switch and Power Gem. Toxic cripples things like Gastrodon which can switch in for almost free, Volt Switch allows for a slow pivot and Power Gem hits Swanna and Oricorio.

Don't worry about the other sections, as long as you complete them to the best of your ability, as QC will help once this gets past WIP!
 

MZ

And now for something completely different
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[OVERVIEW]
  • Access to Magnet Pull gives Probopass a niche in the meta, as thanks to this ability, it can easily remove several troublesome Pokemon from the match, such as Aggron, Mawile, and Ferroseed.
  • Defensively speaking, its 4x weaknesses to Fighting and Ground severely hamper its viability, as both types are very common in the metagame thanks to Pokemon such as Palossand, Golurk, Hitmonchan, and Gurdurr. On the other hand, 4x resistances to Normal and Flying are quite useful, as it allows it to, for example, switch in on a Choice Band Stoutland locked into Return and an Oricorio-G's Hurricane. It also makes for a good switch-in to Mesprit due to Probopass's resistances to all of the former's common moves.
  • Probopass has no reliable recovery, making it prone to getting worn down fast against opposing teams.
dis is a bit short. access to rocks is nice so it's not just a one and done trapper, it's definitely a customizable mon with plenty of different options even if not all of them are right there on the main set, it really is bopped by a lot of other random stuff in the meta than just fighting and ground types, and it's also really annoyingly weak even with max modest. u dont have to just cp out of what i say here, but there's definitely more to the mon than those few bullets

[SET]
name: Offensive Stealth Rock
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Flash Cannon
move 3: Hidden Power Fire
move 4: Taunt / Earth Power
item: Leftovers
ability: Magnet Pull
nature: Modest
evs: 172 HP / 252 SpA / 84 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

  • Stealth Rock is used as Probopass makes for a pretty good setter of it due to its ability to beat several hazard removers very well.
  • Flash Cannon is Probopass' STAB move of choice, allowing it to hit Pokemon such as Cradily i think cradily was relevant back when u wrote this? but now it isnt so point is somth else could go here, Archeops, and Clefairy.
  • Hidden Power Fire is used to target Steel-type Pokemon that Probopass traps such as Mawile and Ferroseed. It also allows Probopass to hit Grass-types such as Lilligant and Torterra. really specifically ferroseed. nothing else because stab flash cannon does just as much. still, just ferro is important bc otherwise it'd fail at trapping the best and most common steel
  • Taunt allows Probopass to cripple slower, more passive Pokemon such as Type:Null. also musharna is important enough to mention here
  • Earth Power can alternatively be used in the last slot to hit Qwilfish and Aggron.
  • Toxic is an option to catch Gastrodon on the switch, which otherwise completely stops Probopass in its tracks. or mention mushy here tbh
  • Volt Switch allows for Probopass to be a slow pivot. This is particularly useful when combined with Probopass' low base speed.
  • Power Gem is an alternative STAB move that retains coverage on Archeops but targets other Flying-types such as Oricorio-G as well. but hte downside is missing out on rock types, particularly regirock

Set Details
========

  • 172 HP EVs allow Probopass to tank hits easier, 252 Special Attack EVs and a Modest nature maximize Probopass' offensive power, and 84 Speed EVs allow it to outspeed base 50s. invested? uninvested? either way give examples of mons this lets u beat
  • Magnet Pull is Probopass' main niche in the tier, and as such is chosen for this set. It allows Probopass to trap Steel-types for the player's team.
  • Leftovers is used for slight recovery over time since Probopass lacks a reliable way to heal up. it's specifically important for beating null/mush better
mention air balloon as an alternative to lefties here

Usage Tips
========

  • Like most Stealth Rock users, Probopass makes for a good lead. what? no it doesnt. it is threatened hard by a ton of common lead choices, loses to quite a few other rockers, and is good enough at pivoting in that u dont need to lead with it at all
  • Against slower hazard setters such as Palossand, using Taunt is a good course of action. no, it's a risky one. u just called using taunt vs a ground type good
  • Be cautious when playing against Pokemon known for having Ground-type coverage, such as Earthquake Archeops and Aggron, as well as likes of Hidden Power Ground Mesprit this isnt common at all, id generally treat probo like a fairly safe mesprit stop
good lord, UT essentially has zero points in it. that's bad. this needs a lot of work

Team Options
========

  • Pokemon that struggle with Steel-types will appreciate Probopass's ability to take them on reliably. These include Type:Null, Z-Move variants of Lilligant, and physically offensive variants of Skuntank.
  • A Fighting-type resist is useful as Probopass hates taking on such Pokemon. Examples of this include Oricorio-G, Mr. Mime, or Mesprit.
  • Likewise, Ground-type resists or immunities such as Lilligant, Haunter, or Ludicolo help dodge moves like Earthquake.
those are the 3 most important points to put in TO, but more can go here. probo likes water checks, psychic and flying weak mons like having it around, if ur volt then things that like slow pivoting, etc. again, dont just CP what i suggest, but i want to see a lot more from this

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

  • A more Defensive set with Sturdy is usable, but for the most its outclassed by Regirock, who has better offensive presence and a better typing. However, Probopass has its advantages in having Volt Switch and an immunity to Toxic.
  • Magic Coat allows Probopass to bounce back status moves such as a Thunder Wave from Regirock, opposing entry hazards from the likes of Palossand and Weezing, and Taunt from Pokemon such as Skuntank. However, Probopass doesn't have much room to run this on its main set, and a lot of these Pokemon will just simply switch out of Probopass.
  • Pain Split gives Probopass a form, albeit an unreliable one, of recovery. It fits more on bulkier sets, but such sets are less practical in general and as mentioned before Pain Split is a very unreliable way of recovery that can easily be played around.
  • Chesto Berry + Rest variants give Probopass a somewhat reliable way to simultaneously absorb status and recover health, but its use is very limited. nah id just remove mention it's not good at all

Checks and Counters
=================== this should be ordered by threat level. id say ground/fighting/water/bulky

**Water-types**: Pokemon such as Lanturn, Gastrodon, and Poliwrath can easily switch into Probopass and hit back with Scald or similar moves. The former two Pokemon are immune to Volt Switch as well.

**Fighting-types**: Probopass's 4x weakness to Fighting coupled with a lack of fire power against them lead to it being countered by the likes of Primeape, Gurdurr, and Hitmonchan, which can revenge kill it, set-up on it, or easily remove its hazards respectively.

**Ground-types**: Air Balloon can somewhat help Probopass's poor matchup against Ground-types, but Leftovers variants are easily KOed by strong Earthquakes from Pokemon such as Golurk, Torterra, and Golem. In addition, it needs the right coverage move to deal a decent amount of damage to these Pokemon, which is somewhat hampered by Probopass's 4MSS.

**Bulky Pokemon**: Specially Defensive Pokemon such as Audino, Assault Vest Hitmonchan, and Type:Null can easily take hits from Probopass and either stall it out or KO it.
yeah i cant stamp this when TO is so small and UT is essentially nonexistent. lmk when you implement this and fix those sections and I'll look over it again
 

MZ

And now for something completely different
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Top Team Rater Alumnusis a Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Community Leader Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Top Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Top Smogon Media Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
[OVERVIEW]
  • Access to Magnet Pull gives Probopass a niche in the meta, as thanks to this ability, it can easily remove several troublesome Pokemon from the match, such as Aggron, Mawile, and Ferroseed.
  • It is a very reliable user of Stealth Rock due to its resistances and pretty decent bulk.
  • Probopass has a surprisingly customizable movepool, with very useful tech options such as Taunt, Earth Power, or Volt Switch working very well with it.
  • Defensively speaking, its 4x weaknesses to Fighting and Ground severely hamper its viability, as both types are very common in the metagame thanks to Pokemon such as Palossand, Golurk, Hitmonchan, and Gurdurr. On the other hand, 4x resistances to Normal and Flying are quite useful, as it allows it to, for example, switch in on a Choice Band Stoutland locked into Return and an Oricorio-G's Hurricane. It also makes for a good switch-in to Mesprit due to Probopass's resistances to all of the former's common moves.
  • Probopass has no reliable recovery, making it prone to getting worn down fast against opposing teams.
  • Even when fully invested, Probopass is often embarassingly weak against a lot of neutral targets. It also struggles severely against Water-types, even when carrying Volt Switch.
[SET]
name: Offensive Stealth Rock
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Flash Cannon
move 3: Hidden Power Fire
move 4: Taunt / Earth Power
item: Leftovers
ability: Magnet Pull
nature: Modest
evs: 172 HP / 252 SpA / 84 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

  • Stealth Rock is used as Probopass makes for a pretty good setter of it due to its ability to beat several hazard removers very well.
  • Flash Cannon is Probopass' STAB move of choice, allowing it to hit Pokemon such as Archeops and Clefairy.
  • Hidden Power Fire is used to target Steel-type Pokemon that Probopass traps such as Mawile and Ferroseed.
  • Taunt allows Probopass to cripple slower, more passive Pokemon such as Type:Null and Musharna.
  • Earth Power can alternatively be used in the last slot to hit Qwilfish and Aggron.
  • Toxic is an option to catch Gastrodon on the switch, which otherwise completely stops Probopass in its tracks. It can be used to cripple Pokemon such as Musharna as well.
  • Volt Switch allows for Probopass to be a slow pivot. This is particularly useful when combined with Probopass' low base speed.
  • Power Gem is an alternative STAB move that retains coverage on Archeops but targets other Flying-types such as Oricorio-G as well, although it can't hit Rock-types such as Regirock.

Set Details
========

  • 172 HP EVs allow Probopass to tank hits easier, 252 Special Attack EVs and a Modest nature maximize Probopass' offensive power, and 84 Speed EVs allow it to outspeed uninvested base 50s and under such as Regirock.
  • Magnet Pull is Probopass' main niche in the tier, and as such is chosen for this set. It allows Probopass to trap Steel-types for the player's team.
  • Leftovers is used for slight recovery over time since Probopass lacks a reliable way to heal up and can help very much in certain matchups, such as against slower walls like Musharna and Type:Null.
  • Air Balloon can alternatively be chosen as the item due to it giving a temporary immunity to Ground-type attacks, allowing it to more reliably switch in to Pokemon such as Palossand or Choice Band Aggron.

Usage Tips
========

  • Probopass's main niche in trapping Steel-type Pokemon. Because of this, it's rather easy for the opponent to predict the switching of Probopass into their Steel-type, and immediately switch out. Thus, finding the right opportunity to switch Probopass into other Steel-types is crucial to its success in a match. This can be done by sacking a Pokemon on your team to said Steel-type. yeah but this is not optimal, double switches or pivoting moves are definitely ideal
  • Be cautious when playing against Pokemon known for having Ground-type coverage, such as Earthquake Archeops and Aggron.
  • Probopass is quite weak and one-dimensional, so after it successfully removes opposing Steel-types from the match and sets up Stealth Rock, it can often become dead weight or even set-up fodder for Pokemon such as Lilligant. It is highly reccomended to avoid recklessly switching Probopass in.
this is still really tiny but even after using this more i cant think of anything else to put so ig it's aight

Team Options
========

  • Pokemon that struggle with Steel-types will appreciate Probopass's ability to take them on reliably. These include Type:Null, Z-Move variants of Lilligant, and physically offensive variants of Skuntank.
  • Probopass offers very handy resistances to both Flying and Psychic, and there are many Pokemon in PU vulnerable to either of these types. Examples of these include Weezing and Qwilfish for more defensive builds, and Primeape and Pinsir for more offensive ones.
  • Volt Switch variants can be paired with powerful, but hard to get in wallbreakers such as Primeape, Archeops, and Drampa due to the fact that Probopass's Volt Switch is slow and therefore very reliable in getting the aforementioned Pokemon in.
  • A Fighting-type resist is useful as Probopass hates taking on such Pokemon. Examples of this include Oricorio-G, Mr. Mime this barely counts as a fighting resist, like anything else would be a better example, or Mesprit.
  • Likewise, Ground-type resists or immunities such as Lilligant, Haunter, or Ludicolo help dodge moves like Earthquake.
  • Water-type checks such Lilligant and Assault Vest Eelektross can help due to Probopass struggling with Pokemon such as Gastrodon and Lanturn.
same as UT\

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

  • A more Defensive set with Sturdy is usable, but for the most its outclassed by Regirock, who has better offensive presence and a better typing. However, Probopass has its advantages in having Volt Switch and an immunity to Toxic.
  • Magic Coat allows Probopass to bounce back status moves such as a Thunder Wave from Regirock, opposing entry hazards from the likes of Palossand and Weezing, and Taunt from Pokemon such as Skuntank. However, Probopass doesn't have much room to run this on its main set, and a lot of these Pokemon will just simply switch out of Probopass.
  • Pain Split gives Probopass a form, albeit an unreliable one, of recovery. It fits more on bulkier sets, but such sets are less practical in general and as mentioned before Pain Split is a very unreliable way of recovery that can easily be played around.

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

**Ground-types**: Air Balloon can somewhat help Probopass's poor matchup against Ground-types, but Leftovers variants are easily KOed by strong Earthquakes from Pokemon such as Golurk, Torterra, and Golem. In addition, it needs the right coverage move to deal a decent amount of damage to these Pokemon, which is somewhat hampered by Probopass's 4MSS.

**Fighting-types**: Probopass's 4x weakness to Fighting coupled with a lack of fire power against them lead to it being countered by the likes of Primeape, Gurdurr, and Hitmonchan, which can revenge kill it, set-up on it, or easily remove its hazards respectively.

**Water-types**: Pokemon such as Lanturn, Gastrodon, and Poliwrath can easily switch into Probopass and hit back with Scald or similar moves. The former two Pokemon are immune to Volt Switch as well.

**Bulky Pokemon**: Specially Defensive Pokemon such as Audino, Assault Vest Hitmonchan, and Type:Null can easily take hits from Probopass and either stall it out or KO it.
qcstamp.gif
1/3
 

TJ

Banned deucer.
is the Smogon Tour Season 34 Championis a Past SPL Championis a Two-Time Past SCL Champion
[OVERVIEW]
  • Access to Magnet Pull gives Probopass a niche in the meta, as thanks to this ability, it can easily remove several troublesome Pokemon from the match, such as Aggron, Mawile, and Ferroseed. (instead of "troublesome Pokemon"say bulky Steel-types) (also say something about its niche being very unqiue)
  • It is a very reliable user of Stealth Rock due to its resistances and pretty decent bulk. (maybe mention some resistances and what it can set stealth rocks on due to its solid bulk)
  • Probopass has a surprisingly customizable movepool, with very useful tech options such as Taunt, Earth Power, or Volt Switch working very well with it. (I would expand on this point by mentioning that taunt cripples slower passive mons like type null, volt is good for momentum etc.)
  • Defensively speaking, its 4x weaknesses to Fighting and Ground severely hamper its viability, as both types are very common in the metagame thanks to Pokemon such as Palossand, Golurk, Hitmonchan, and Gurdurr. (would mention gastro over palo since its more common) (you should also mention that its mediocre speed tier means that its revenge killed by some of those mons)
  • On the other hand, 4x resistances to Normal and Flying are quite useful, as it allows it to, for example, switch in on a Choice Band Stoutland locked into Return and an Oricorio-G's Hurricane. It also makes for a good switch-in to Mesprit due to Probopass's resistances to all of the former's common moves.
  • Probopass has no reliable recovery, making it prone to getting worn down fast against opposing teams.
  • Even when fully invested, Probopass is often embarassingly weak against a lot of neutral targets. It also struggles severely against Water-types, even when carrying Volt Switch. (mention lanturn)
[SET]
name: Offensive Stealth Rock
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Flash Cannon
move 3: Hidden Power Fire
move 4: Taunt / Earth Power
item: Leftovers
ability: Magnet Pull
nature: Modest
evs: 172 HP / 252 SpA / 84 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

  • Stealth Rock is used as Probopass makes for a pretty good setter of it due to its ability to beat several hazard removers very well. (you should mention some hazard removers)
  • Flash Cannon is Probopass' STAB move of choice, allowing it to hit Pokemon such as Archeops and Clefairy (for super effective damage.)
  • Hidden Power Fire is used to target Steel-type Pokemon that Probopass traps such as Mawile and Ferroseed.
  • Taunt allows Probopass to cripple slower, more passive Pokemon such as Type:Null and Musharna.
  • Earth Power can alternatively be used in the last slot to hit Qwilfish and Aggron.
  • Toxic is an option to catch Gastrodon on the switch, which otherwise completely stops Probopass in its tracks. It can be used to cripple Pokemon such as Musharna as well. (wait what.. why dd you mention this here if you didnt slash it on the set? I would put this in oo)
  • Volt Switch allows for Probopass to be a slow pivot. This is particularly useful when combined with Probopass' low base speed.
  • Power Gem is an alternative STAB move that retains coverage on Archeops but targets other Flying-types such as Oricorio-G as well, although it can't hit Rock-types such as Regirock. (remove archeops since eq kills from full. 252 Atk Archeops Earthquake vs. 172 HP / 0 Def Probopass: 336-396 (110.5 - 130.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO)

Set Details
========

  • 172 HP EVs allow Probopass to tank hits easier, 252 Special Attack EVs and a Modest nature maximize Probopass' offensive power, and 84 Speed EVs allow it to outspeed uninvested base 50s and under such as Regirock.
  • Magnet Pull is Probopass' main niche in the tier, and as such is chosen for this set. It allows Probopass to trap Steel-types for the player's team.
  • Leftovers is used for slight (just say passive recovery) recovery over time since Probopass lacks a reliable way to heal up and can help very much in certain matchups, such as against slower walls like Musharna and Type:Null.
  • Air Balloon can alternatively be chosen as the item due to it giving a temporary immunity to Ground-type attacks, allowing it to more reliably switch in to Pokemon such as Palossand or Choice Band Aggron. (huh? you are implying that you beat palossand here. remove that and mention it can reliably come in on a predicted eq from archeops.)

Usage Tips
========

  • Probopass's main niche in trapping Steel-type Pokemon. Because of this, it's rather easy for the opponent to predict the switching of Probopass into their Steel-type, and immediately switch out. Thus, finding the right opportunity to switch Probopass into other Steel-types is crucial to its success in a match. This can be done by sacking a Pokemon on your team to said Steel-type.
  • Be cautious when playing against Pokemon known for having Ground-type coverage, such as Earthquake Archeops and Aggron.
  • Probopass is quite weak and one-dimensional, so after it successfully removes opposing Steel-types from the match and sets up Stealth Rock, it can often become dead weight or even set-up fodder for Pokemon such as Lilligant. It is highly reccomended to avoid recklessly switching Probopass in.

Team Options
========

  • Pokemon that struggle with Steel-types will appreciate Probopass's ability to take them on reliably. These include Type:Null, Z-Move variants of Lilligant, and physically offensive variants of Skuntank.
  • Probopass offers very handy resistances to both Flying and Psychic, and there are many Pokemon in PU vulnerable to either of these types. Examples of these include Weezing and Qwilfish for more defensive builds, and Primeape and Pinsir for more offensive ones.
  • Volt Switch variants can be paired with powerful, but hard to get in wallbreakers such as Primeape, Archeops, and Drampa due to the fact that Probopass's Volt Switch is slow and therefore very reliable in getting the aforementioned Pokemon in.
  • A Fighting-type resist is useful as Probopass hates taking on such Pokemon. Examples of this include Oricorio-G, Mr. Mime, or Mesprit. (yeah remove mime)
  • Likewise, Ground-type resists or immunities such as Lilligant, Haunter, or Ludicolo help dodge moves like Earthquake. (im not sure if i'd pair probo with ludi but w/e. at least mention that probo can trap stuff like ferro for ludi/lilligant making it easier for them to setup)
  • Water-type checks such Lilligant and Assault Vest Eelektross can help due to Probopass struggling with Pokemon such as Gastrodon and Lanturn.
  • (mention that fighting-types such as gurdurr can help vs spdef walls like audino that can tank any hit from probo)
  • (entry hazard users like qwilfish can increase the chip damage volt switch does to the opposing team)
  • (mention that probo can be paried with volt switch/ u-turn users to form volt turn cores with pokemon such as mesprit/ eelectross. they are also immune to ground. and teammates like drampa appericate being brought into the field safely)

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

  • A more Defensive set with Sturdy is usable, but for the most its outclassed by Regirock, who has better offensive presence and a better typing. However, Probopass has its advantages in having Volt Switch and an immunity to Toxic. ( i dont think the last part is worth mentioing when talking about how regirock is the better sturdy user)
  • Magic Coat allows Probopass to bounce back status moves such as a Thunder Wave from Regirock (why mention twave? i would remove this point), opposing entry hazards from the likes of Palossand and Weezing, and Taunt from Pokemon such as Skuntank. However, Probopass doesn't have much room to run this on its main set, and a lot of these Pokemon will just simply switch out of Probopass.
  • Pain Split gives Probopass a form, albeit an unreliable one, of recovery. It fits more on bulkier sets, but such sets are less practical in general and as mentioned before Pain Split is a very unreliable way of recovery that can easily be played around.

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

**Ground-types**: Air Balloon can somewhat help Probopass's poor matchup against Ground-types, but Leftovers variants are easily KOed by strong Earthquakes from Pokemon such as Golurk, Torterra, and Golem. In addition, it needs the right coverage move to deal a decent amount of damage to these Pokemon, which is somewhat hampered by Probopass's 4MSS.

**Fighting-types**: Probopass's 4x weakness to Fighting coupled with a lack of fire power against them lead to it being countered by the likes of Primeape, Gurdurr, and Hitmonchan, which can revenge kill it, set-up on it, or easily remove its hazards respectively.

**Water-types**: Pokemon such as Lanturn, Gastrodon, and Poliwrath can easily switch into Probopass and hit back with Scald or similar moves. The former two Pokemon are immune to Volt Switch as well. (remove poli since probo can predict it switching in and volt)

**Bulky Pokemon**: Specially Defensive Pokemon such as Audino, Assault Vest Hitmonchan, and Type:Null can easily take hits from Probopass and either stall it out or KO it (??? audino/ type null can KO it??) (also, dont you taunt audino/null? honestly im very confused).
am check, implement what you want.
 
Fixed most of what TJ and Zard pointed out.

I tried to fix the Specially Defensive Walls section by rewording it to make it more clear that Audino and Type:Null can stall out variants lacking Taunt easier than ones that don't.
 

yogi

I did not succumb...
is a Tutor Alumnusis a Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnus
[OVERVIEW]
  • Access to Magnet Pull gives Probopass a niche in the meta (i'd just say pu instead of this meta. not good using time-relevant phrasing), as thanks to this ability, it can easily remove several bulky Steel-types from the match, such as Aggron, Mawile, and Ferroseed.
  • 4x resistances to Normal and Flying are quite useful, as it allows it to, for example, switch in on a Choice Band Stoutland locked into Return and an Oricorio-G's Hurricane. It also makes for a good switch-in to Mesprit due to Probopass's resistances to all of the former's common moves.
  • It is a very reliable user of Stealth Rock due to its resistances and pretty decent bulk. (I wouldn't say very reliable)
  • Probopass has a surprisingly customizable movepool, with very useful tech options such as Taunt to cripple slower walls, Earth Power for great coverage, or Volt Switch for pivoting working very well with it.
  • Defensively speaking, its 4x weaknesses to Fighting and Ground severely hamper its viability, as both types are very common in the metagame thanks to Pokemon such as Palossand, Golurk, Hitmonchan, and Gurdurr. (i'd also mention that despite having 4x resistances to both flying and normal attacks, that things like archeops, kangaskhan, stoutland, etc. all have ways to easily dismantle it due to coverage options)
  • struggles against basically every stealth rock setter and most spinners and defoggers
  • Probopass has no reliable recovery, making it prone to getting worn down fast against opposing teams.
  • Even when fully invested, Probopass is often embarrassingly weak against a lot of neutral targets. It also struggles severely against Water-types such as Lanturn, even when carrying Volt Switch. (you mention volt switch and lant in the same sentence? I understand where you are coming from but I don't quite think it's a good example. maybe say that it struggles against common water-types like lant and gastro due to their immunity to volt switch)
[SET]
name: Offensive Stealth Rock
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Flash Cannon
move 3: Hidden Power Fire
move 4: Taunt / Earth Power
item: Leftovers
ability: Magnet Pull
nature: Modest
evs: 172 HP / 252 SpA / 84 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

  • Stealth Rock is used as Probopass makes for a pretty good setter of it due to its ability to beat several hazard removers very well, mainly ones such as Shiftry or physical Skuntank. (it also beats special skuntank fwiw) (to be honest, it does beat those but really it struggles against most others is the issue. hitmonchan, komola, swanna, silvally-w, altaria, etc. all pressure it loads)
  • Flash Cannon is Probopass' STAB move of choice, allowing it to hit Pokemon such as Archeops and Clefairy for super effective damage. (id change clefairy to something else because you do basically zero damage to it, and archeops just presses earthquake)
  • Hidden Power Fire is used to target Steel-type Pokemon that Probopass traps such as Mawile and Ferroseed.
  • Taunt allows Probopass to cripple slower, more passive Pokemon such as Type: Null and Musharna.
  • Earth Power can alternatively be used in the last slot to hit Qwilfish and Aggron.
  • Volt Switch allows for Probopass to be a slow pivot. This is particularly useful when combined with Probopass' low base speed. (allows it to pivot on common switch-ins)
  • Power Gem is an alternative STAB move that targets Flying-types such as Oricorio-G and Fire-types such as Pyroar, although it can't hit Rock-types such as Regirock super effectively.

Set Details
========

  • 172 HP EVs allow Probopass to tank hits easier, 252 Special Attack EVs and a Modest nature maximize Probopass' offensive power, and 84 Speed EVs allow it to outspeed uninvested base 50s and under such as Regirock.
  • Magnet Pull is Probopass' main niche in the tier, and as such is chosen for this set. It allows Probopass to trap Steel-types for the player's team. (primarily ferroseed)
  • Leftovers is used for passive recovery over time since Probopass lacks a reliable way to heal up and can help very much in certain matchups, such as against slower walls like Musharna and Type: Null. (the same mentions as before, you can vary this up a little)
  • Air Balloon can alternatively be chosen as the item due to it giving a temporary immunity to Ground-type attacks, allowing it to more reliably switch in to Pokemon such as Archeops or Choice Band Aggron. (same mentions again)

Usage Tips
========

  • Probopass's main niche in trapping Steel-type Pokemon. Because of this, it's rather easy for the opponent to predict the switching of Probopass into their Steel-type, and immediately switch out. Thus, finding the right opportunity to switch Probopass into other Steel-types is crucial to its success in a match. This can be done by either double switching or pivoting Probopass in using either Volt Switch or U-turn.
  • Be cautious when playing against Pokemon known for having Ground-type coverage, such as Earthquake Archeops and Aggron.
  • due to this it shouldn't be treated as a normal- or flying-type resist for the team
  • Probopass is quite weak and one-dimensional, so after it successfully removes opposing Steel-types from the match and sets up Stealth Rock, it can often become dead weight or even set-up fodder for Pokemon such as Lilligant. It is highly recommended to avoid recklessly switching Probopass in.
  • mention it pivoting and how that can help
  • also mention taunt and what that is able to shut down

Team Options
========

  • Pokemon that struggle with Steel-types will appreciate Probopass's ability to take them on reliably. These include Type: Null, Z-Move variants of Lilligant, and physically offensive variants of Skuntank.
  • Probopass offers very handy resistances to both Flying and Psychic, and there are many Pokemon in PU vulnerable to either of these types. Examples of these include Weezing and Qwilfish for more defensive builds, and Primeape and Pinsir for more offensive ones.
  • Volt Switch variants can be paired with powerful, but hard to get in wallbreakers such as Primeape, Archeops, and Drampa due to the fact that Probopass's Volt Switch is slow and therefore very reliable in getting the aforementioned Pokemon in.
  • Volt Switch variants also like being paired with other Volt Switch users such as Eelektross and Lanturn, or U-turn users such as Mesprit to form VoltTurn cores. Even without Volt Switch on Probopass, these Pokemon can also get Probopass in on opposing Steel-types more easily. (this is because pokemon like ferroseed are commonly used to check both mesprit and lant in pu)
  • Volt Switch variants like having Pokemon such as Qwilfish to set-up Spikes, which can increase the chip damage the former move has in the match. (you start with volt switch variants three times in a row, just start it differently because it's rather jarring to the eyes)
  • A Fighting-type resist is useful as Probopass hates taking on such Pokemon. Examples of this include Oricorio-G, Weezing, and Mesprit.
  • Likewise, Ground-type resists or immunities such as Lilligant, Haunter, and Ludicolo (I wouldn't have ludicolo on the same team as probopass) help dodge moves like Earthquake. Probopass can also remove Pokemon such as Ferroseed that these Pokemon don't do too well against.
  • Fighting-types such as Gurdurr and Hitmonchan can also be a good partner for Probopass due to them reliably beating a lot of specially defensive walls that Probopass have trouble with, mainly Pokemon such as Audino or Type: Null.
  • Water-type checks such Lilligant and Assault Vest Eelektross can help due to Probopass struggling with Pokemon such as Gastrodon and Lanturn. (you've already mentioned lilligant and eelektross earlier in this section, so don't repeat it and instead expand on the previous mentions)
just be careful, you mention pokemon multiple times when they've already had previous mentions, which just fluffs it out

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

  • Toxic is an option to catch Gastrodon on the switch, which otherwise completely stops Probopass in its tracks. It can be used to cripple Pokemon such as Musharna as well. (especially because musharna's ability wont work on probopass)
  • A more Defensive set with Sturdy is usable, but for the most its outclassed by Regirock, who has better offensive presence and a better typing. (also defeats its main niche, which is trapping)
  • Magic Coat allows Probopass to bounce back status moves such as opposing entry hazards from the likes of Palossand and Weezing, and Taunt from Pokemon such as Skuntank. However, Probopass doesn't have much room to run this on its main set, and a lot of these Pokemon will just simply switch out of Probopass. (palossand is pressing earth power)
  • Pain Split gives Probopass a form, albeit an unreliable one, of recovery. It fits more on bulkier sets, but such sets are less practical in general and as mentioned before Pain Split is a very unreliable way of recovery that can easily be played around.

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

**Ground-types**: Air Balloon can somewhat help Probopass's poor matchup against Ground-types, but Leftovers variants are easily KOed by strong Earthquakes from Pokemon such as Golurk, Torterra, and Golem. In addition, it needs the right coverage move to deal a decent amount of damage to these Pokemon, which is somewhat hampered by Probopass's 4MSS.

**Fighting-types**: Probopass's 4x weakness to Fighting coupled with a lack of fire power against them lead to it being countered by the likes of Primeape, Gurdurr, and Hitmonchan, which can revenge kill it, set-up on it, or easily remove its hazards respectively.

**Water-types**: Pokemon such as Lanturn and Gastrodon can easily switch into Probopass and hit back with Scald or similar moves. These two Pokemon in particular are immune to Volt Switch as well.

**Specially Defensive Pokemon**: Specially Defensive Pokemon such as Audino, Type: Null, and Assault Vest Hitmonchan can easily take hits from Probopass and stall it out or in the case of the latter, KO it outright. However, Taunt variants can more easily beat Audino and Type: Null. (okay my issue here is, you say taunt variants but considering taunt is the main slash both audino and type: null struggle too much to be counted as checks in my opinion)
Looks good. QC 2/3.
CY2jDxS.gif
 
Fixed! Removed the specially defensive pokes section because I really don't know how to word it right now. Like Probo can't do much to Audino, but Audino can't do much back either?
 

asa

is a Site Content Manageris a Community Leaderis a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributoris a Top Contributoris a Social Media Contributor Alumnus
PU Leader
[OVERVIEW] (since it happens throughout the analysis, i'll just point this out here in order to prevent repetition: you don't need to start each section with a bullet point after the second check.)

  • Access to Magnet Pull gives Probopass a niche in PU, as thanks to this ability, it can easily remove several bulky Steel-types from the match, such as Aggron, Mawile, and Ferroseed. 4x resistances to Normal and Flying are quite useful, as it allows it to, for example, switch in on a Choice Band Stoutland locked into Return and an Oricorio-G's Hurricane. It also makes for a good switch-in to Mesprit due to Probopass's resistances to all of the former's common moves. Probopass has a surprisingly customizable movepool, with very useful tech utility and coverage options such as Taunt to cripple slower walls, Earth Power for great coverage Steel-types, or Volt Switch for pivoting working very well with it. Defensively speaking, its 4x weaknesses to Fighting and Ground severely hamper its viability, as both types are very common in the metagame thanks to Pokemon such as Palossand, Golurk, Hitmonchan, and Gurdurr. It also can be bopped (change this to 'It is also hit very hard'.) by coverage moves of these types used by Pokemon that Probopass otherwise would check, such as Kangaskhan, Stoutland, and Archeops. It struggles a lot against common hazard setters and removers due to its weaknesses and lack of raw power. Probopass has no reliable recovery, making it prone to getting worn down fast against opposing teams. Even when fully invested, Probopass is often embarrassingly weak against a lot of neutral targets. It also struggles severely against bulky Water-types, since the most viable ones in PU such as Gastrodon or Lanturn take little from any of Probopass's attacks.

[SET]
name: Offensive Stealth Rock
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Flash Cannon
move 3: Hidden Power Fire
move 4: Taunt / Earth Power
item: Leftovers
ability: Magnet Pull
nature: Modest
evs: 172 HP / 252 SpA / 84 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

[*]Stealth Rock is used as Probopass makes for a pretty good setter of it due to its ability to beat several hazard removers very well, mainly ones such as Shiftry or physical Skuntank. Flash Cannon is Probopass's STAB move of choice, allowing it to hit Pokemon such as Archeops and Clefairy for super effective damage. Hidden Power Fire is used to target Steel-type Pokemon that Probopass traps such as Mawile and Ferroseed (emphasize ferroseed, and then mention mawile since ferro is more relevant and the main reason to use probo.). Taunt allows Probopass to cripple slower, more passive Pokemon such as Type: Null and Musharna. Earth Power can alternatively be used in the last slot to hit Qwilfish (rip qwilfish) and opposing Probopass super effectively. Volt Switch allows for Probopass to pivot around a lot of its common checks. This is particularly useful when combined with Probopass's low base speed. Power Gem is an alternative STAB move that targets Flying-types such as Oricorio-G and Fire-types such as Pyroar, although it can't hit Rock-types such as Regirock super effectively.

Set Details
========

  • 172 HP EVs allow Probopass to tank hits easier, 252 Special Attack EVs and a Modest nature maximize Probopass' offensive power, and 84 Speed EVs allow it to outspeed uninvested base 50s and under such as Regirock. Magnet Pull is Probopass' main niche in the tier, and as such is chosen for this set. It allows Probopass to trap Steel-types for the player's team, namely Ferroseed. Leftovers is used for passive recovery over time since Probopass lacks a reliable way to heal up and can help very much in certain matchups, such as against slower walls like. Air Balloon can alternatively be chosen as the item due to it giving a temporary immunity to Ground-type attacks, allowing it to more reliably switch in to Pokemon such as Archeops (use a new example since you've mentioned arch already.) or Choice Band Aggron. (mention the downside of using this over leftovers, that being lack of passive recovery.)

Usage Tips
========

  • Probopass's main niche in (is) trapping Steel-type Pokemon. Because of this, it's rather easy for the opponent to predict the switching of Probopass into their Steel-type, and immediately switch out. Thus, finding the right opportunity to switch Probopass into other Steel-types is crucial to its success in a match. This can be done by either double switching or pivoting Probopass in using either Volt Switch or U-turn. Be cautious when playing against Pokemon known for having Ground-type coverage, such as Earthquake Archeops and Kangaskhan. Due to such coverage, it shouldn't be treated a Normal- or Flying-type resist for the team. Probopass is quite weak and one-dimensional, so after it successfully removes opposing Steel-types from the match and sets up Stealth Rock, it can often become dead weight or even set-up fodder for Pokemon such as Lilligant. It is highly recommended to avoid recklessly switching Probopass in. Volt Switch variants should pivot on checks, would-be or otherwise, to Probopass like defensive Carracosta or Gurdurr. Use Taunt to shut down set-up or Recovery from Pokemon such as Trick Room Alolan Exeggutor or Miltank. (something about when not to use volt switch if you have it, like if there's a ground-type, should go here.)

Team Options
========

  • Pokemon that struggle with Steel-types will appreciate Probopass's ability to take them on reliably. These include Type: Null, Z-Move variants of Lilligant, and physically offensive variants of Skuntank. Probopass offers very handy resistances to both Flying and Psychic, and there are many Pokemon in PU vulnerable to either of these types. Examples of these include Weezing and Qwilfish (rip qwilfish) for more defensive builds, and Primeape and Pinsir for more offensive ones. Volt Switch variants can be paired with powerful, but hard to get in wallbreakers such as Primeape, Archeops, and Drampa due to the fact that Probopass's Volt Switch is slow and therefore very reliable in getting the aforementioned Pokemon in. Volt Switch variants also like being paired with other Volt Switch users such as Eelektross and Lanturn, or U-turn users such as Mesprit to form VoltTurn cores. (mention that eelektross can help against a lot of water-types that probopass has issues with.) Even without Volt Switch on Probopass, these Pokemon can also get Probopass in on opposing Steel-types more easily, due to the fact that they are checked by common Steel-types in PU such as Ferroseed. Probopass with Volt Switch are good partners for Pokemon such as Qwilfish that set-up Spikes, which can increase the chip damage the former move has in the match (remove this point since qwil is rip.). A Fighting-type resist is useful as Probopass hates taking on such Pokemon. Examples of this include Oricorio-G, Weezing, and Mesprit. Likewise, Ground-type resists or immunities such as Lilligant, Haunter, and Abomasnow help dodge moves like Earthquake. Probopass can also remove Pokemon such as Ferroseed that these Pokemon don't do too well against. Fighting-types such as Gurdurr and Hitmonchan can also be a good partner for Probopass due to them reliably beating a lot of specially defensive walls that Probopass have trouble with, mainly Pokemon such as Audino or Type: Null. Water-type checks such as Alolan Exeggutor and Shiftry can help due to Probopass struggling with Pokemon such as Gastrodon and Lanturn.

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

  • Toxic is an option to catch Gastrodon on the switch, which otherwise completely stops Probopass in its tracks. It can be used to cripple Pokemon such as Musharna as well, particularly useful since Synchronize cannot affect a Probopass using Toxic due to Probopass's Steel-typing. (it has issues with dropping a move for toxic, however, since all of them are important.) A more Defensive set with Sturdy is usable, but for the most its outclassed by Regirock, who has better offensive presence and a better typing. It also lacks Probopass's main niche as a trapper. Magic Coat allows Probopass to bounce back status moves such as opposing entry hazards from the likes of Weezing, and Taunt from Pokemon such as Skuntank. However, Probopass doesn't have much room to run this on its main set, and a lot of these Pokemon will just simply switch out of Probopass. Pain Split gives Probopass a form, albeit an unreliable one, of recovery. It fits more on bulkier sets, but such sets are less practical in general and as mentioned before Pain Split is a very unreliable way of recovery that can easily be played around.

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

**Ground-types**: Air Balloon can somewhat help Probopass's poor matchup against Ground-types, but Leftovers variants are easily KOed by strong Earthquakes from Pokemon such as Golurk, Torterra, and Golem. In addition, it needs the right coverage move to deal a decent amount of damage to these Pokemon, which is somewhat hampered by Probopass's 4MSS.

**Fighting-types**: Probopass's 4x weakness to Fighting coupled with a lack of fire power against them lead to it being countered by the likes of Primeape, Gurdurr, and Hitmonchan, which can revenge kill it, set-up on it, or easily remove its hazards respectively.

**Water-types**: Pokemon such as Lanturn and Gastrodon (mention other waters like ludicolo and poliwrath as well to make this less repetitive.) can easily switch into Probopass and hit back with Scald or similar moves. These two Pokemon in particular are immune to Volt Switch as well.
QC 3/3
 

Lumari

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is a Site Content Manageris a Top Social Media Contributoris a Member of Senior Staffis a Community Contributoris a Top Contributoris a Top Smogon Media Contributoris an Administrator Alumnus
TFP Leader


remove add / fix (comments); (AC=add comma; RC=remove comma; SC=semicolon)
GP 1/2
[OVERVIEW]

Access to Magnet Pull gives Probopass a niche in PU, as thanks to this ability, it can easily remove several bulky Steel-types from the match, such as Aggron, Mawile, and Ferroseed. 4x resistances to Normal and Flying are quite useful, as it allows it they allow Probopass to, for example, switch in on a Choice Band Stoutland locked into Return and an Oricorio-G's Hurricane. It Probopass also makes for a good switch-in to Mesprit due to Probopass's its resistances to all of the former's latter's common moves. Probopass has a surprisingly customizable movepool, with very useful utility and coverage options such as Taunt to cripple slower walls, Earth Power for Steel-types, or and Volt Switch for pivoting working very well with it. Defensively speaking, though, its 4x weaknesses to Fighting and Ground severely hamper its viability, as both types are very common in the metagame thanks to in the forms of Pokemon such as Palossand, Golurk, Hitmonchan, and Gurdurr. It also can be hit very hard by coverage moves of these types used by Pokemon that Probopass otherwise would check, such as Kangaskhan, Stoutland, and Archeops. It struggles a lot against common entry hazard setters and removers due to its weaknesses and lack of raw power. Probopass has no reliable recovery, making it prone to getting worn down fast against opposing teams. Even when fully invested, Probopass is often embarrassingly weak against a lot of neutral targets. It also struggles severely against bulky Water-types, since the most viable ones in PU such as Gastrodon or Lanturn take little from any of Probopass's its attacks.

[SET]
name: Offensive Stealth Rock
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Flash Cannon
move 3: Hidden Power Fire
move 4: Taunt / Earth Power
item: Leftovers
ability: Magnet Pull
nature: Modest
evs: 172 HP / 252 SpA / 84 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Stealth Rock is used as Probopass makes for a pretty good setter of it Stealth Rock due to its ability to beat several entry hazard removers very well, mainly ones such as Shiftry or and physical Skuntank. Flash Cannon is Probopass's STAB move of choice, allowing it to hit Pokemon such as Archeops and Clefairy for super effective damage. Hidden Power Fire is used to target Steel-type Pokemon that Probopass traps, (AC) such as most notably Ferroseed, but also others such as Mawile. Taunt allows Probopass to cripple slower, more passive Pokemon such as Type: Null and Musharna. Earth Power can alternatively be used in the last slot to hit Alolan Raichu and opposing Probopass super effectively. Volt Switch is an option that allows for Probopass to pivot around a lot of its common checks. This is particularly useful when combined with Probopass's low base Speed. Power Gem is an alternative STAB move that targets Flying-types such as Oricorio-G and Fire-types such as Pyroar, although it can't hit Rock-types such as Regirock super effectively.

Set Details
========

172 HP EVs allow Probopass to tank hits easier more easily, 252 Special Attack EVs and a Modest nature maximize Probopass's offensive power, and 84 Speed EVs allow it to outspeed uninvested base 50s and under such as Regirock. Magnet Pull is Probopass's main niche in the tier (RC) and as such is chosen for this set. It allows Probopass to trap Steel-types for the player's team, namely mainly (it's not literally only Ferroseed) Ferroseed. Leftovers is used for passive recovery over time since Probopass lacks a reliable way to heal up and can help very much in certain matchups, such as against slower walls like<??>. Air Balloon can alternatively be chosen run as the item due to it giving a temporary immunity to Ground-type attacks, allowing it Probopass to more reliably switch in to into Pokemon such as Pinsir or and Choice Band Aggron. However, this leaves Probopass has with no passive recovery when it has Air Balloon though, which can wear Probopass leave it worn down a lot quicker.

Usage Tips
========

Probopass's main niche is trapping Steel-type Pokemon. Because of this, it's rather easy for the opponent to predict the switching of Probopass into their Steel-type (RC) and immediately switch out. Thus, finding the right opportunity to switch Probopass into other Steel-types is crucial to its success in a match. This can be done by either double switching or pivoting Probopass in using either Volt Switch or U-turn. Be cautious when playing against Pokemon known for having Ground-type coverage, such as Earthquake Archeops and Kangaskhan. Due to the threat of such coverage, it Probopass shouldn't be treated as a Normal- or Flying-type resist check for the team. Probopass is quite weak and one-dimensional, so after it successfully removes opposing Steel-types from the match and sets up Stealth Rock, it can often become dead weight or even set-up setup fodder for Pokemon such as Lilligant. It is highly recommended to avoid recklessly switching Probopass in. Volt Switch variants should pivot on checks, would-be or otherwise, to Probopass like defensive Carracosta or and Gurdurr. They also should be wary of using the move when the opponent has a Ground-type alive. Use Taunt to shut down set-up setup or recovery from Pokemon such as Trick Room Alolan Exeggutor or and Miltank.

Team Options
========

Pokemon that struggle with Steel-types will appreciate Probopass's ability to take them on reliably. These include Type: Null, Z-Move variants of Lilligant, and physically offensive variants of Skuntank. Probopass offers very handy resistances to both Flying and Psychic, and there are many Pokemon in PU vulnerable to either of these types. Examples of these include Weezing for more defensive builds (RC) and Primeape and Pinsir for more offensive ones. Volt Switch variants can be paired with powerful (RC) but hard to get in wallbreakers that are hard to get in such as Primeape, Archeops, and Drampa due to the fact that Probopass's Volt Switch is slow and therefore very reliable in getting the aforementioned Pokemon in. Volt Switch variants also like being paired with other Volt Switch users such as Eelektross and Lanturn (RC) or U-turn users such as Mesprit to form VoltTurn cores. Eelektross in particular also helps against the Water-types Probopass struggles with. Even without Volt Switch on Probopass, these Pokemon can also get Probopass in on opposing Steel-types more easily, due to the fact that they are checked by common Steel-types in PU such as Ferroseed. A Fighting-type resist check / counter / switch-in / Pokemon that resists / w/e is useful, (AC) as Probopass hates taking on such Pokemon. Examples of this include Oricorio-G, Weezing, and Mesprit. Likewise, Pokemon that resist or are immune to Ground-type resists or immunities such as Lilligant, Haunter, and Abomasnow help dodge moves like Earthquake. Probopass can also remove Pokemon such as Ferroseed that these Pokemon don't do too well against. Fighting-types such as Gurdurr and Hitmonchan can also be a good partners for Probopass due to them their ability to reliably beating a lot of specially defensive walls that Probopass have trouble with, mainly Pokemon such as Audino or and Type: Null. Water-type checks such as Alolan Exeggutor and Shiftry can help due to Probopass struggling with Pokemon such as Gastrodon and Lanturn.

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

Toxic is an option to catch Gastrodon on the switch, which otherwise completely stops Probopass in its tracks. It can be used to cripple Pokemon such as Musharna as well, which is particularly useful since because Synchronize cannot affect a Probopass using Toxic due to Probopass's Steel-typing. However, Probopass's 4MSS four-moveslot syndrome means that Toxic has a hard time fitting on, as Probopass's moves are all very important to its success. A more defensive set with Sturdy is usable, but for the most its it's outclassed by Regirock, who which has better offensive presence and a better typing. It also lacks Probopass's main niche as a trapper. Magic Coat allows Probopass to bounce back status moves such as opposing entry hazards from the likes of Weezing (RC) and Taunt from Pokemon such as Skuntank. However, Probopass doesn't have much room to run this on its main set, and a lot of these Pokemon will just simply switch out of Probopass. Pain Split gives Probopass a form, albeit an unreliable one, of recovery. It fits more on bulkier sets, but such sets are less practical in general and as mentioned before Pain Split is a very unreliable way of recovery that can easily be played around.

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

**Ground-types**: Air Balloon can somewhat help Probopass's poor matchup against Ground-types, but Leftovers variants are easily KOed by strong Earthquakes from Pokemon such as Golurk, Torterra, and Golem. In addition, it needs the right coverage move to deal a decent amount of damage to these Pokemon, which is somewhat hampered by Probopass's 4MSS four-moveslot syndrome.

**Fighting-types**: Probopass's 4x weakness to Fighting coupled with a lack of fire power against them lead leads to it being countered by the likes of Primeape, Gurdurr, and Hitmonchan, which can revenge kill it, set up (RH) on it, or easily remove its entry hazards, (AC) respectively.

**Water-types**: Pokemon such as Lanturn, Ludicolo, Poliwrath, and Gastrodon can easily switch into Probopass and hit back with Scald or similar moves. Lanturn and Gastrodon are also immune to Volt Switch to boot.
 
Last edited:

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GP 2/2
[OVERVIEW]

Access to Magnet Pull gives Probopass a niche in PU, as thanks to this ability, it can easily remove several bulky Steel-types from the match, such as Aggron, Mawile, and Ferroseed. 4x resistances to Normal and Flying are quite useful, as they allow Probopass to, for example, switch in on a Choice Band Stoutland locked into Return and an Oricorio-G's Hurricane. Probopass also makes for a good switch-in to Mesprit due to its resistances to all of the latter's common moves. Probopass has a surprisingly customizable movepool, with very useful utility and coverage options such as Taunt to cripple slower walls, Earth Power for Steel-types, and Volt Switch for pivoting working very well with it. Defensively speaking, though, its 4x weaknesses to Fighting and Ground severely hamper its viability, as both types are very common in the metagame in the forms of Pokemon such as Palossand, Golurk, Hitmonchan, and Gurdurr. It also can be hit very hard by coverage moves of these types used by Pokemon that Probopass otherwise would check, such as Kangaskhan, Stoutland, and Archeops. It struggles a lot against common entry hazard setters and removers due to its weaknesses and lack of raw power. Probopass has no reliable recovery, making it prone to getting worn down fast against opposing teams. Even when fully invested, Probopass is often embarrassingly weak against a lot of neutral targets. It also struggles severely against bulky Water-types, since the most viable ones in PU such as Gastrodon orand Lanturn take little from any of its attacks.

[SET]
name: Offensive Stealth Rock
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Flash Cannon
move 3: Hidden Power Fire
move 4: Taunt / Earth Power
item: Leftovers
ability: Magnet Pull
nature: Modest
evs: 172 HP / 252 SpA / 84 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Probopass makes for a pretty good setter of Stealth Rock due to its ability to beat several entry hazard removers very well, mainly ones such as Shiftry and physical Skuntank. Flash Cannon is Probopass's STAB move of choice, allowing it to hit Pokemon such as Archeops and Clefairy for super effective damage. Hidden Power Fire is used to target Steel-type Pokemon that Probopass traps, most notably Ferroseed, but also others such as Mawile. Taunt allows Probopass to cripple slower, more passive Pokemon such as Type: Null and Musharna. Earth Power can alternatively be used in the last slot to hit Alolan Raichu and opposing Probopass super effectively. Volt Switch is an option that allows Probopass to pivot around a lot of its common checks. This is particularly useful when combined with Probopass's low base Speed. Power Gem is an alternative STAB move that targets Flying-types such as Oricorio-G and Fire-types such as Pyroar, although it can't hit Rock-types such as Regirock super effectively.

Set Details
========

172 HP EVs allow Probopass to tank hits more easily, 252 Special Attack EVs and a Modest nature maximize Probopass's power, and 84 Speed EVs allow it to outspeed uninvested base 50s and under such as Regirock. Magnet Pull is Probopass's main niche in the tier and as such is chosen for this set. It allows Probopass to trap Steel-types for the player's team, mainly Ferroseed. Leftovers is used for passive recovery over time, (AC) since Probopass lacks a reliable way to heal up and it can help very much in certain matchups, such as against slower walls like Clefairy. Air Balloon can alternatively be run as the item due to it giving a temporary immunity to Ground-type attacks, allowing it to more reliably switch into Pokemon such as Pinsir and Choice Band Aggron. However, this leaves Probopass with no passive recovery, (AC) which can leave it worn down a lot quicker.

Usage Tips
========

Probopass's main niche is trapping Steel-type Pokemon. Because of this, it's rather easy for the opponent to predict the switching of Probopass into their Steel-type and immediately switch out. Thus, finding the right opportunity to switch Probopass into other Steel-types is crucial to its success in a match. This can be done by either double switching or pivoting Probopass in using either Volt Switch or U-turn. Be cautious when playing against Pokemon known for having Ground-type coverage, such as Earthquake Archeops and Kangaskhan. Due to the threat of such coverage, it shouldn't be treated as a Normal- or Flying-type check for the team. Probopass is quite weak and one-dimensional, so after it successfully removes opposing Steel-types from the match and sets up Stealth Rock, it can often become dead weight or even setup fodder for Pokemon such as Lilligant. It is highly recommended to avoid recklessly switching Probopass in. Volt Switch variants should pivot on checks, would-be or otherwise, to Probopass like defensive Carracosta and Gurdurr. They also should be wary of using the move when the opponent has a Ground-type alstill active (dont want to make it sound like pokemon are killed). Use Taunt to shut down setup or recovery from Pokemon such as Trick Room Alolan Exeggutor and Miltank.

Team Options
========

Pokemon that struggle with Steel-types will appreciate Probopass's ability to take them on reliably. These include Type: Null, Z-Move variants of Lilligant, and physically offensive variants of Skuntank. Probopass offers very handy resistances to both Flying and Psychic, and there are many Pokemon in PU vulnerable to either of these types. Examples of these include Weezing for more defensive builds and Primeape and Pinsir for more offensive ones. Volt Switch variants can be paired with powerful wallbreakers that are hard to get in such as Passimian, Archeops, and Drampa due to the fact that Probopass's Volt Switch is slow and therefore very reliable in getting the aforementioned Pokemon in. Volt Switch variants also like being paired with other Volt Switch users such as Eelektross and Lanturn or U-turn users such as Mesprit to form VoltTurn cores. Eelektross in particular also helps against the Water-types Probopass struggles with. Even without Volt Switch on Probopass, these Pokemon can also get Probopass in on opposing Steel-types more easily, due to the fact that they are checked by common Steel-types in PU such as Ferroseed. A Fighting-type switch-in is useful, as Probopass hates taking on such Pokemon. Examples of this include Oricorio-G, Weezing, and Mesprit. Likewise, Pokemon that resist or are immune to Ground such as Lilligant, Haunter, and Abomasnow help dodge moves like Earthquake. Probopass can also remove Pokemon such as Ferroseed that these Pokemon don't do too well against. Fighting-types such as Gurdurr and Hitmonchan can also be good partners for Probopass due to their ability to reliably beat a lot of specially defensive walls that Probopass haves trouble with, mainly Audino and Type: Null. Water-type checks such as Alolan Exeggutor and Shiftry can help due to Probopass struggling with Pokemon such as Gastrodon and Lanturn.

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

Toxic is an option to catch Gastrodon on the switch, which otherwise completely stops Probopass in its tracks. It can be used to cripple Pokemon such as Musharna as well, which is particularly useful because Synchronize cannot affect Probopass. However, Probopass's four-moveslot-(RH) syndrome means that Toxic has a hard time fitting onbeing fit, as Probopass's moves are all very important to its success. A more defensive set with Sturdy is usable, but for the most part it's outclassed by Regirock, which has better offensive presence and a better typing. It also lacks Probopass's main niche as a trapper. Magic Coat allows Probopass to bounce back status moves such as opposing entry hazards from the likes of Weezing and Taunt from Pokemon such as Skuntank. However, Probopass doesn't have much room to run this on its main set, and a lot of these Pokemon will just simply switch out of Probopass. Pain Split gives Probopass a form, albeit an unreliable one, of recovery. It fits more on bulkier sets, but such sets are less practical in general and as mentioned before Pain Split is a very unreliable way of recovery that can easily be played around.

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

**Ground-types**: Air Balloon can somewhat help Probopass's poor matchup against Ground-types, but Leftovers variants are easily KOed by strong Earthquakes from Pokemon such as Golurk, Torterra, and Golem. In addition, it needs the right coverage move to deal a decent amount of damage to these Pokemon, which is somewhat hampered by Probopass's four-moveslot-(RH) syndrome.

**Fighting-types**: Probopass's 4x weakness to Fighting coupled with a lack of fire(remove space)power against them leads to it being countered by the likes of Primeape, Gurdurr, and Hitmonchan, which can revenge kill it, set up on it, or easily remove its entry hazards, respectively.

**Water-types**: Pokemon such as Lanturn, Ludicolo, Poliwrath, and Gastrodon can easily switch into Probopass and hit back with Scald or similar moves. Lanturn and Gastrodon are also immune to Volt Switch.
 

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