Gallade (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Steadfast
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SDef
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Wish
- Protect
- Will-O-Wisp
- Drain Punch
Category: Underrated Moveset
What's different about the set: While most Gallade sets capitalize on Gallade's massive base 125 Attack stat, this Gallade set uses it's often overlooked bulk. Wish Gallade capitalizes on it's wonderful Special Defense stat of 115, which, despite Gallade's mediocre HP stat, lets it take on a slew of special attackers. Also unlike most Gallade sets, this set functions significantly better on defensive teams, which can best utilize Gallade's Wish support and ability to lure in Spiritomb and burn it.
Why it works: Gallade's typing is really what separates it from other special walls. Psychic / Fighting might not seem particularly great as a defensive typing, imo it's much, much better than, say, pure Normal, like Clefable and Lickilicky. This is because so many special sweepers utilize a coverage move that can hit those Normal-types super effectively, such as Focus Blast. Gallade, on the other hand, is blessed with a similar typing that has arguably less common weaknesses. Flying is not an overly common type in RU; only Moltres, Archeops, Mandibuzz, Scyther, and sometimes Sigilyph and Sceptile use it as one of their primary attacks. Ghost is a bit more common, but it's also similarly easy to telegraph; the main Pokemon who use Ghost-type moves are Spiritomb, Cofagrigus, opposing Gallade, Dusknoir, and Rotom, and Gallade shouldn't be trying to deal with those Pokemon anyway. Thanks to Gallade's lack of huge weaknesses to exploit, Gallade is able to check quite a few special sweepers. This include: Accelgor, Cryogonal, Galvantula, Jynx, Lilligant, Expert Belt Magmortar, Magneton, Manectric,
Nidoqueen, Omastar, Rotom-C, Sceptile (watch out for Acrobatics on mixed or Swords Dance sets though), Tangrowth, and even Choice Scarf Typhlosion (Modest Eruption still has a chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Protect tho :<). The best part is, thanks to Gallade's fantastic Attack stat, even without investment, Drain Punch will do some serious damage to many of these threats, and even bulkier threats will succumb to burns from Will-O-Wisp.
Positives/Negatives: Gallade is able to cover most special threats, but is very vulnerable on the physical side (though Will-O-Wisp does help). Using a physical wall, such as Steelix, Rhydon, or Regirock is recommended if you decide to use this Gallade set. Those Pokemon are also able to defeat the Flying-types which give Gallade trouble. In return, Gallade is able to support these physical walls via Wish. Dark-types are also useful partners, as Gallade is a sitting duck against Ghost-types. Spiritomb and Drapion are your best bets, as they can quickly eliminate those Ghost-type threats with Pursuit. Using a cleric such as Roselia and Lanturn is also useful, as those Ghost-types often carry Will-O-Wisp.
By SilentVerse
Sceptile (F) @ Life Orb
Trait: Overgrow
EVs: 168 Atk / 88 SAtk / 252 Spd
Naive Nature (+Spd, -SDef)
- Leaf Storm
- Rock Slide
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Earthquake / Giga Drain
Category: Underrated Moveset
What's different about the set: Sceptile always use the set pure Special or Physical, this set work more like pseudo-wall breaker and lure, this set is mixed from Special LO and Physical but without option to boost with Sword Dance.
Why it works: Well, with this set you can hit Fire and Grass types with Earthquake / Rock Slide and Hidden Power Fire respectively. The best part is that your opponent dont know that you using this set, if you use one attack then your opponent will think that you are using Special LO or Sword Dance LO then you can just lure mons like Moltres and Cryogonal SpD always HKOed from Rock Slide without Stealth Rocks. In the other hand, Roselia has high chance of HKO with Stealth Rocks in the field. Leaf Storm is the strong STAB with Overgrow and in the last slot Earthquake probably is the best option since can hit poison types, Giga Drain is a good option thought. Spikes support is great for this set.
Positives/Negatives: For example Sword Dance Escavalier and Quiver Dance Lilligant without Hidden Power Rock are good teammates, this depends of your team if is lure oriented, you can beat some Special and Physical walls with
only this set. This set needs run Naive Nature since you can take better for example Extreme from Entei (priority attacks mainly). Also, this set can run more Evs in SpA but you need always Stealth Rocks in the opposite field.
By Hot N Cold
Escavalier @Occa berry/Leftovers
Trait: Swarm
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe
Adamant
- Megahorn
- Iron Head/Return
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
Category: Underrated Set
Why it works: With sleeptalk being released in BW2, escavalier, with its great bulk, sole weakness, and tiny movepool, actually makes for a devastating rest-talk abuser, kinda like kingdra in gen 2. With an occa berry, escavalier becomes an excellent answer to grass types in RU, not giving a dime about sleep powder and smacking all very hard with its rest-talk combo while easily surviving a HP fire. Rest-talk, not only keeps esca going for much longer in the match, but also lets you beat a lot of walls more easily. You don't have to worry about tangrowth's sleep powder or ghost-types' will-o-wisps and even scalds which are traditionally one of the best methods to deal with escavalier. Megahorn, even without its choice band boost, still puts a hefty number on plenty of things and Iron head, while not getting particularly great coverage, still hurts a decent ammount and, most importantly, does a good number to ghost types, letting you wear them down to a point where they are forced to pain split/rest and you can make a safe switch to something else.
Positives/Negatives: The most obvious one here is recovery and immunity to status which are both huge for esca, letting it provide a threat for a very long time throughout the match which is very useful as it can be near unstoppable once fire types are removed which is easily done if you keep SR up. The main negative is that it doesn't hit nearly as hard as its CB set, even though it will usually end up dealing more damage in total throughout the game, so with any walls who aren't weak to it and have a recovery move, it can often become a stale-mate and so you can't rely on escavalier to break walls. Therefore, pairing it with another wall-breaker can be very beneficial as esca can usually force the opponent into recovery quite quickly and then give a free switch to said breaker. Rhydon's a good choice, providing SR and having very good synergy with esca.
By spuds4ever
Miltank (F) @ Life Orb
Trait: Sap Sipper / Scrappy
EVs: 40 HP / 252 Atk / 216 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Double Edge / Return
- Earthquake
- Milk Drink
- Heal Bell / Punishment
Category: Underrated Set
What's different about the set: Miltank is rarely seen in RU, and even when it is seen, it is usually a defensive set designed to set up Stealth Rock and wall a variety of opponents with its fast Milk Drink. Despite having an only average Attack stat, Miltank can use its unique perks such as reliable recovery and Sap Sipper/Scrappy to set itself apart from the competition.
Why it works: Miltank may only have a base 80 Attack stat, but she still has the potential to hit like a truck! Thanks to her most powerful STAB move, Double Edge, Miltank will have no problem KOing what it needs to. If Miltank is running Sap Sipper and you can get in on a grass move, great for you! Now Miltank is extremely hard to wall without a levitating Ghost-type. Miltank is also capable of running scrappy to break through the ghosts that often plague this set (with the exception of cofagrigus). Even with a STAB Double Edge to work with, it may still have some trouble KOing very bulky opponents, this is where Milk Drink and Heal Bell come in! With a combination of these two very useful moves, as well as Miltank's excellent Speed and defensive stats, Miltank can often get past bulkier opponents by repeatedly using milk drink until it has a chance to attack again. Milk Drink is also useful for healing off all the combined recoil from Double Edge and Life Orb. Heal Bell takes care of status and also has the added bonus of curing any of your teammates as well! But Punishment is also a viable option here to hit Ghosts if you are running Sap Sipper on your Miltank. Overall, a Combination of decent enough power, amazing bulk and speed, great recovery options, and three amazing abilities to work with makes Miltank a great option for a tank!
Positives/Negatives: Depending on the ability you use Miltank will be slowed down or stopped by different things. Steelix and Rhydon are near full stops to this Miltank, taking little from any of its attacks and setting up Stealth Rock on it/attacking it/roaring it out. Cofagrigus is also a big pain for miltank to handle, even with Scrappy. Mummy cancels out scrappy on the first hit, leaving Miltank helpless. Ferroseed is also a good option to stop scrappy varients, but sap sipper varients just wear it down. Even with Milk Drink, the combined recoil from Double Edge and Life Orb can often prove too much for Miltank, and anything that can take a Double Edge and KO back can be considered a check. Thankfully, Miltank is stronger than it looks ;).
By Molk
Aerodactyl @ Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 128 HP / 208 Atk / 172 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Rock Slide
- Earthquake
- Substitute
- Roost
Category: Underrated Set
What is different about this set: In general, Aerodactyl sets are more offensively oriented or focus solely on the setting and prevention of Stealth Rock; this set takes a more defensive stance while still maintaining an offensive presence.
Why it works: With Moltres's dominance in the tier, Rock-type Pokemon have become extremely valuable--especially those without a 4x weakness to Hidden Power Grass. Luckily, Aerodactyl is neutral to Hidden Power Grass and sports a very high Speed stat, allowing it to revenge-kill Moltres. Pressure is also very useful for stalling out Stone Edge, but we wary of stalling out Close Combat because it will most likely KO you as you attempt to Roost. The popularity of Cofagrigus and Dusknoir lends itself to the success of this set. Aerodactyl can come in after a teammate's death, force the opposing Pokemon out, and set up a Substitute. This gives you a great deal of momentum and you can react according to what your opponent brings out. Because this Aerodactyl set does lose a lot of its offensive power due to the lack of Life Orb and max Attack EVs, it is best if you pair Aerodactyl with Spikes and Stealth Rock; this makes taking down Pain Split Dusknoir/Cofagrigus an easier task without having to rely on numerous Rock Slide Flinches. An added bonus is that almost everyone in RU expects Aerodactyl to be running Focus Sash/Stealth Rock; because of this, Aerodactyl might get a free Substitute!
Positives:
- Can revenge-kill popular Pokemon such as Moltres and Archeops
- Resists both of Moltres's STABs and has enough bulk to switch-in, force Moltres out, and attack/Substitute/Roost. (NEEDS A SPINNER!)
- Almost everyone expects Aerodactyl to be running a lead set
Negatives:
- Stealth Rock weakness
- Still somewhat frail despite HP EVs
- Lacks immediately offensive power
By Stellar
Druddigon (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SDef
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Substitute
- Roar
- Glare
- Dragon Claw
Category: Underrated moveset
What's different about the set: Druddigon is the best offensive Dragon type in RU. Very few people will question that. But what people don't realize is how amazing Druddigon is as a special tank/wall. With resistances to Water, Fire, Grass, and Electric, Druddigon is capable of taking on many of the tier's top attackers. Manectric, Magmortar, Sceptile (be more careful with physical sets) and Rotom-C are just some of the Pokemon Druddigon is able to take on. Druddigon will generally have 2 options when it first comes into battle. Throw out a Glare onto an unsuspecting opponent, or put up a Sub to scout the switch-in. Unlike the more popular paralysis move, Thunder Wave, Glare is able to get through the likes of Manectric, Electivire, and opposing Ground types without a hitch. Roar allows Druddigon to phaze out boosting threats such as Klinklang and Mesprit who may get cute and try to setup on you once they see Glare. Dragon Claw is a solid STAB move for Druddigon that allows it to pose as an offensive threat should it need to.
Why it works: This set looks so bad on paper with a Pokemon that's so good offensively. However, as previously mentioned, Druddigon's set of resistances and lack of real exploitable weaknesses are what make this set so good. Even STAB neutral special attacks will be unable to outright KO Druddigon, and many will struggle to 2HKO.
Positives/Negatives: Of course, this Druddigon won't have enough offensive presence to KO a lot of targets. However, this Druddigon works much better in defensive cores. Steelix is a great defensive partner as is Lanturn. The former can setup SR and phaze out physical attackers and have Druddigon to fall back on should it drag out something like Sceptile or Rotom-C. Druddigon will then have something to switch out to should it drag out something like Escavalier or Swellow. Lanturn gives Druddigon more special defensive support and counters the top special attacker that Druddigon can't handle, Moltres. Lanturn can cure Druddigon of crippling status and paralyze more threats. Other defensive Pokemon to consider are Qwilfish, Ferroseed, Slowking, and Poliwrath. The former 2 can setup Spikes and check many physical attackers while the latter 2 can handle stray Ice attacks that may come Druddigon's way. Wish users such as Alomomola and Clefable are also helpful so Druddigon can continue to take on the opponent's special attackers.
By Eon-X
Moltres @ Heat Rock
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
- Fire Blast
- Sunny Day
- Solarbeam
- Morning Sun / HP Rock
Category: Underrated Set
What's different about the set: It's a Moltres without Hurricane :o
Why it works: Moltres makes an effective offensive Sun summoner. It makes fantastic use of the Sun itself, blasting mons with Fire Blast and SolarBeam. Morning Sun provides 67% recovery, although HP Rock is nice to remove opposing Fire-types that may try to abuse its Sun.
Timid is preferred to be faster than CB Entei, which is a major threat to a Sun team. Modest and Life Orb may be more appealing to some, since the current set fails to 2HKO specially defensive Slowking. However, Moltres's primary purpose is setting up Sun and Sun abuse second.
Positive: A Sun summoner that can Sunny Day without forfeiting any momentum and soften up the opposing team for its fellow Sun abusers.
Negative: SR weakness and its inability to 2HKO defensive Slowking is annoying. Toxic may be a nice alternative to wear Slowking down. Also appreciates Magic Coat Uxie, Taunt Whimsicott, and Sleep Powder Lilligant to prevent SR from going up.
By Pocket
Crustle @ Lum Berry
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Shell Smash
- Spikes
- X-Scissor
- Rock Blast
Category: Underrated moveset
What's different about this set?: Most Crustle are either Shell Smash or a hazard lead. This set combines the two though to great effect. Shell Smash Crustle is hands down the best anti-lead in the metagame, being able to beat Uxie, Smeargle, Scolipede, Accelgor and Aerodactyl with ease thanks to Shell Smash and by virtue of it's typing. Spikes or Stealth Rock can be used in the last spot, as Crustle can't always pull off a sweep, and as it's about to die it can set-up a layer of hazards. It can also make your opponent think that it is just a hazard setter, and this means that you can get a Shell Smash off much more easily although that's a minor point. The great thing is that Crustle is almost guaranteed to take out their lead, and then set-up a layer of hazards for itself, or just continue its rampage. Spikes also means that against defensive leads, such as Steelix, it isn't completely hopeless and can set-up a few layers.
Why does this set work?: Mainly because it's so unexpected, and also the fact that it is so anti-metagame as a lead. It beats pretty much every single lead apart from Nidoqueen. Crustle is also actually a pretty late-game sweeper, and can be quite hard to stop, however it is primarily an anti-lead not a late game sweeper. Also, the fact that it is neither dead weight against offensive leads and defensive leads is also very useful.
Positive points/negative points: This set does have quite a few counters-priority, Nidoqueen and steel types such as Klinklang. In the lead position, Crustle only really loses to Nidoqueen and defensive leads like Steelix and Golurk. As far as team-mates go, offensive teams really appreciate having Crustle take out opposing leads such as Smeargle and Uxie, and Spikes to help break through defensive teams. Crustle can still be useful on defensive teams thanks to Spikes, and on teams who don't want to get beaten by Smeargle offensive teams. Common defensive mons, like Cresselia and Poliwrath, can also deal with Crustle's counters.
By Silvershadow234
Galvantula @ Life Orb
Trait: Compoundeyes
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Thunder
- Bug Buzz
- Hidden Power [Water]
- Substitute
Category: Creative / Underrated Moveset
What's Different About This Set: While most Galvantula sets are running Volt Switch to scout, this set capitalizes on the switches Galvantula naturally forces to set up Substitute and wreak havoc. By doing so, offensive's team primary method of counteracting Galvantula (ie.clever switching) becomes null and void, forcing the opponent to death fodder something to break Galvantula's Substitute. Thunder and Bug Buzz provide Galvantula with high-powered dual STAB, capable of threatening the vast majority of the tier with a 2HKO or better. Hidden Power Water rounds off the coverage of this set perfectly, hitting the likes of Steelix, Nidoqueen, and Golurk for a 2HKO. Expert Belt can be used over Life Orb to feign a Choice set and increase survivability, though Galvantula can only really come in 1-2 times in a game effectively regardless, and it thoroughly appreciates the damage output of Life Orb when matched up with Pokemon such as Cryogonal and Clefable.
Why It Works: As mentioned earlier, by nature Galvantula forces a large sum of switches, be it in match-ups with offensively or defensively oriented teams. That being said, it can safely set up a Substitute upon nearly every successful switch-in. In match-ups with more offensive teams, without being able to pivot into a resisted hit and threaten with either a faster attack or a priority move due to Substitute makes handling it exponentially more difficult. Should a team carry them, most will switch Nidoqueen or Steelix in instinctively, only to be 2HKOed by Hidden Power Water. With the proper hazard support, Galvantula is capable of 2HKOing everything bar generally sub-par Pokemon like Munchlax, and with Substitute it is more than capable of finding the elbow room to net those KO's.
Positives / Negatives: While almost always netting a KO every switch-in is all well and good, the actual process of switching Galvantula in is a daunting task. Rapid Spin users, namely Kabutops, are extremely helpful in supporting Galvantula, keeping hindering hazards off the field whilst also providing a solid offensive check to Fire- and Rock-types courtesy of Aqua Jet. Spikes support from Pokemon like Qwilfish is also greatly appreciated, allowing Galvantula to more easily burn through Pokemon like Ferroseed, Escavalier, and Drapion. Additionally, barring lucky Thunder parahacks, Specially Defensive Normal-types can manage Galvantula's attacks and effectively Life Orb stall it, making a reliable Fighting-type such as Gallade or Hitmonlee a useful partner. Gallade also makes a useful partner for it's ability dispatch Roselia, who can take advantage of Galvantula to set up Spikes.
By col49