[OVERVIEW]
[SET]
name: Toxic Stall
move 1: Toxic
move 2: Recover
move 3: Taunt
move 4: Counter / Soak
item: Sitrus Berry / Leftovers
ability: Unaware
nature: Calm / Bold
evs: 252 HP / 64 Def / 192 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Set Details
========
Usage Tips
========
Team Options
========
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Checks and Counters
===================
Steel- and Poison-types: If Pyukumuku isn't running Soak, it cannot use Toxic against either of these types and therefore has almost no win condition unless Counter can deal enough damage against a Steel- or Poison-type physical attacker. Even if it is, the extra turn that Soak takes could mean Pyukumuku is forced to use Recover repeatedly instead of Toxic
Strong Grass- and Electric-type Pokemon: Powerful Electric- and Grass-type Pokemon like Magnezone and more niche picks like Serperior and Mega Manectric can push through Pyukumuku's bulk with highly powerful STAB moves like Leaf Storm and Thunder
Mold Breaker: Pokemon with Mold Breaker can easilly break through Pyukumuku's bulk. Excadrill and non-Mega Pinsir are especially dangerous as it boosts up with Swords Dance much faster than Mega Gyarados does with Dragon Dance. Mega Gyarados sets that run Taunt also can outspeed Pyukumuku and Taunt it before it can do anything
Taunt Users: Almost any Taunt user can outspeed Pyukumuku and Taunt it before it can do anything. Pyukumuku can still win in some rare situations where the Taunt user can only use physical attacks and Pyukumuku is running Counter, but this is not very common
Subsitute: Substitute prevents Pyukumuku from doing anything useful, blocking Toxic and depriving it of its win condition. In some situations, Pyukumuku can use Taunt and then break through the Substitute and then kill the opposing Pokemon, but this is impossible against stronger attackers like Mega Lopunny.
- Pyukumuku serves as a formidable Unaware tank that can stall out many enemies with Toxic.
- Unaware allows it to stall out any user of setup moves like Swords Dance, Calm Mind, Dragon Dance, etc. that doesn't have Mold Breaker.
- With its incredible 130 bulk, Pyukumuku can survive powerful hits like Mega Charzard X's Outrage and Mimiku's Let's Snuggle Forever, and even super-effective attacks like Magearna's Thunderbolt.
- However, Pyukumuku gets absolutely walled by Pokemon wih Substitute and Taunt users like Mega Gyrados. It also gets OHKO'd by extremely powerful super-effective attacks like Magnezone's Gigavolt Havoc.
- It is also easilly defeated by pokemon who are immune to Toxic like Steel- and Poison-types if it is not running Soak.
- Its naturally low health also means that you have to invest plenty of EVs into HP to capitalize on its bulk.
- Pyukumuku's complete lack of attacking moves limits it to stalling out the opposing pokemon, making it extremely predictable in battle.
- Substitute absolutely walls Pyukumuku. Even if it has Counter, it still can't break through the substitutes of most special attackers
[SET]
name: Toxic Stall
move 1: Toxic
move 2: Recover
move 3: Taunt
move 4: Counter / Soak
item: Sitrus Berry / Leftovers
ability: Unaware
nature: Calm / Bold
evs: 252 HP / 64 Def / 192 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
- Toxic is the main win condition of the set. It allows Pyukumuku to stall out and weaken turn by turn many of the top threats in the the tier that aren't immune to poison.
- Recover allows Pyukumuku to heal off the damage it takes from the opposing Pokemon, making sure that any opponent that can't OHKO it has trouble defeating it at all. Recover makes sure that many pokemon that otherwise would have 2HKO'd Pyukumuku cannot do so.
- Taunt prevents other stall-based Pokemon than need to use multiple moves to stall out thier opponents like Smeargle or Pokemon that rely on healing moves like Chansey or Quagsire from outstalling Pyukumuku. However, due to Pyukumuku's abysmal speed, other Taunt users will always outspeed it and prevent Pyukumuku from taunting them back.
- Counter allows Pyukumuku to fight back against Steel- or Poison-type Pokemon that rely on physical attacking moves. It also traps Taunt users with only physical attacking moves into attacking Pyukumuku knowing that Counter is the only move it can use.
- Soak, on the other hand, invests fully into the Toxic Stall strategy. Soak removes Steel- and Poison-type Pokemon's typing, allowing them to be poisoned. It also deprives opposing Pokemon of the STAB they may have needed to take out Pyukumuku.
Set Details
========
- 252 HP EVs are critical to capitalizing on Pyukumuku's impressive bulk by patching its mediocre HP stat.
- 64 Defense EVs allow Pyukumuku to survive strong or super-effective physical hits like non-banded Kartana's Leaf Blade, Mega Heracross's Bullet Seed, and +1 or even +2 Attack Mega Gyarados's Outrage.
- 192 Special Defense EVs allow Pyukumuku to survive incredibly powerful special attacks like Charizard Mega-Y's Solar Beam.
- A Calm or Bold Nature can be run, depending on what part of Pyukumuku's bulk you want to invest more it. Calm is generally more viable if you are running Counter and Bold is better if you are running Soak.
- Sitrus Berry is often the prefered item as it provides a one-time source of recovery that lets Pyukumuku tank two hits from Pokemon like Magearna that otherwise would have 2HKO'd it. Leftovers can also be run for more long-term recovery but leaves Pyukumuku more vulnerable to 2HKOs.
Usage Tips
========
- Pyukumuku is best used against pokemon with minimal stallbreaking tactics like both Mega Charizards and non-Taunt Greninja. It can stall out most offensive Pokemon that don't carry Grass- or Electric-type coverage and aren't Steel- or Poison-type.
- When playing with Pyukumuku, Toxic should almost always be the first move you use. However, Soak should be used against Poison- and Steel-type pokemon if you have it, and Counter or Recover should be used if you suspect the opposing Pokemon is going to use a Z-move.
- After that, Recover is often the best option to make sure Pyukumuku maintains high health. It also prevents Pyukumuku from being instantly killed by critical hits
- Taunt should be used when facing an opposing stall-based Pokemon, although if they are running Taunt as well there is no point as they outspeed you and will taunt you first.
- Counter, if you have it, should be used when the opponent's physical attacker is doing less than 40% damage and you do not have to use Recover every turn or when you believe you can take them out by returning a powerful physical attack like Outrage or a Z-move.
Team Options
========
- Pyukumuku benefits most from more offensive Ground- or Fire-type teammates
- Zygarde functions as a great teammate for Pyukumuku. It absolutly decemates Electric-types that could defeat Pyukumuku with Thousand Arrows and barrels through most common Taunt users with Outrage. Thousand Arrows even lets it defeat Magnet Rise Magnezone, which otherwise gives many Ground-types trouble. However, it is still weak to Mega Gyrados and requires running a third teammate that can counter it
- Mega Charizard-Y also serves as a great teammate for Pyukumuku. It easilly defeats most Grass-types in the tier with Blast Burn and can even defeat otherwise troublesome Steel types like Magearna and Mega Metagross. Some Mega Charizard-X builds can also serve this purpose, but only if they are running Flare Blitz and not just Flame Charge or Outrage. Especially bulky sets can also take on Mega Gyarados if it is carrying a set Pyukumuku can't handle.
- Certain Mega Gyrados sets also makes a great teammate for Pyukumuku. If it is running Taunt and has a significant Speed investment, it can outspeed many common Taunt users and then boost up with Dragon Dance for free. However, this stacks an Electric-type weakness and almsot forces you to run a Ground-type as your third Pokemon
- Pyukumuku can be run on fully stall-oriented teams with teammates like Chansey, but that leaves the entire team very vulnerable to moves like Taunt and status moves like Toxic
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
- Because of Pyukumuku's limited movepool, there aren't many other options for it to run.
- Protect, Substitute, or both can be run to protect Pyukumuku while Toxic is dealing damage, but Recover generally outclasses them as Pyukumuku's bulk allows it to tank multiple hits that can be healed up by one recover while Protect or Swould often only protect it from one and Substitute would be very weak due to Pyukumuku's low base health
- Aguav Berry could be run over Sitrus Berry for more recovery, but many Pokemon that would 2HKO Pyukumuku will not deal more than 75% damage with thier first hit.
- Mental Herb could be used to make sure that Pyukumuku is not taunted, but generally is outclassed by the recovery that is necessary to make up for Pyukumuku's mediocre health.
Checks and Counters
===================
Steel- and Poison-types: If Pyukumuku isn't running Soak, it cannot use Toxic against either of these types and therefore has almost no win condition unless Counter can deal enough damage against a Steel- or Poison-type physical attacker. Even if it is, the extra turn that Soak takes could mean Pyukumuku is forced to use Recover repeatedly instead of Toxic
Strong Grass- and Electric-type Pokemon: Powerful Electric- and Grass-type Pokemon like Magnezone and more niche picks like Serperior and Mega Manectric can push through Pyukumuku's bulk with highly powerful STAB moves like Leaf Storm and Thunder
Mold Breaker: Pokemon with Mold Breaker can easilly break through Pyukumuku's bulk. Excadrill and non-Mega Pinsir are especially dangerous as it boosts up with Swords Dance much faster than Mega Gyarados does with Dragon Dance. Mega Gyarados sets that run Taunt also can outspeed Pyukumuku and Taunt it before it can do anything
Taunt Users: Almost any Taunt user can outspeed Pyukumuku and Taunt it before it can do anything. Pyukumuku can still win in some rare situations where the Taunt user can only use physical attacks and Pyukumuku is running Counter, but this is not very common
Subsitute: Substitute prevents Pyukumuku from doing anything useful, blocking Toxic and depriving it of its win condition. In some situations, Pyukumuku can use Taunt and then break through the Substitute and then kill the opposing Pokemon, but this is impossible against stronger attackers like Mega Lopunny.
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