Registeel
Just a few notes:
-Registeel's role is very similar to what it did last gen, so honestly, the movesets are basically just copied from last gen's analysis.
-Not too sure about the lure set, since this is a different metagame with different threats, so I'm not too sure how well it'd work. It'd probably need a ton of EV tweaks and moveset changes to be used (though I'm really not sure how to go about with it).
-I put Mono-attacker under Rain Dance for now, since there's a lot of new stuff that can really threaten Registeel after a Curse and wall him after a Curse (Mamoswine and Empoleon), and Rain Dance is quite viable with Drought banned. Also, new Sleep mechanics make Mono-attacker much weaker since it means that once Rest is used, Registeel is basically unable to switch in much since it can be worn down and forced out easily.
Status: Ready for GP.
[Overview]
<p>Registeel hasn't really changed much in the transition from the fourth generation to the fifth; he is still a defensive giant with the ability to check numerous dangerous threats in the UU metagame. However, while Registeel himself hasn't changed, the metagame around him has. New, dangerous threats such as Rotom-H and Mamoswine can scare Registeel away with their great bulk and strong, super effective STAB attacks. Furthermore, Registeel is no longer the sole Steel-type with great overall bulk, and must now compete with Empoleon and Escavalier, the former boasting an arguably better defensive typing, substantially better offenses, Roar, and Scald, whereas the latter can strike much harder than Registeel ever could with ridiculously strong STAB Megahorns. In comparison to these two Pokemon, Registeel starts to look somewhat lackluster, as his poor offensive prowess often makes him easy setup bait for many of the bulkier Pokemon in the metagame.</p>
<p>That isn't to say that Registeel is no longer useful. He is still the most defensive UU Steel-type Pokemon, having access to great support moves such as Stealth Rock and Thunder Wave. Thunder Wave makes Registeel unique in that he can be guaranteed to cripple fast sweepers, whereas Empoleon must rely on Scald's paltry 30% burn chance and Escavalier only has Knock Off in terms of support. While he often fails to do significant damage to most foes, Registeel can still fall back on Seismic Toss to inflict reliable damage. All in all, Registeel, while not quite the omnipresent defensive Pokemon he once was, is still a fantastic option against lethal sweepers such as Shaymin, Roserade, Raikou, and Escavalier.</p>
[SET]
name: Tank
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Thunder Wave / Toxic
move 3: Seismic Toss
move 4: Iron Head
item: Leftovers
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With superb overall bulk, two excellent support options in Stealth Rock and Thunder Wave, and a coveted Steel-typing, Registeel makes a fantastic check and counter to many of the metagame's top threats. Thunder Wave's ability to reliably cripple any sweeper bar Ground-types also gives Registeel an edge in terms of support. While Empoleon and Escavalier do give Registeel a run for his money offensively, his extra bulk allows him to be an arguably more reliable check to many threats. Furthermore, even though he lacks the power of these aforementioned Pokemon, Registeel is not completely helpless offensively. Seismic Toss does respectable and reliable damage, and Iron Head hits surprisingly hard against frailer foes. If needed, Registeel can even forgo Thunder Wave for Toxic to cripple walls such as Milotic, who can pose an issue to some teams.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>A specially defensive EV spread is used on Registeel as he tends to be more adept at taking on special attackers than physically-based ones. However, because Registeel has a ton of Special Defense already, you may opt to shift some EVs into Attack or Defense to make Registeel slightly more threatening offensively or more capable of taking physical attacks. If you do invest more EVs into Attack, there are quite a few alternate offensive options that can make Registeel a better check against certain Pokemon. Earthquake or Ice Punch are usable options over Seismic Toss with such an EV distribution; the former has overall great coverage with Iron Head, hitting Fire-, Electric-, and Steel-types for respectable damage, while the latter nails Ground-types such as Donphan and Dugtrio as they switch in. Shadow Claw is also an option over Iron Head to form a great attacking combination with Seismic Toss, as it hits the Ghost-types who are immune to Seismic Toss, in addition to the sole Magic Bounce user of UU, Xatu, for super effective damage. Rest is an option with Heal Bell or Aromatherapy support to give Registeel a form of recovery, though this is not a good idea without the aforementioned support as it leaves Registeel vulnerable for two whole turns.</p>
<p>Because Registeel lacks the means to heal himself, Heal Bell and Wish support are useful to remove status and damage that has been accumulated over the match. Roserade, Alomomola, and Chansey are great users of Heal Bell and Wish due to their numerous resistances in Roserade's case and gargantuan HP stats for the latter two. Due to this, Registeel works well on more defensive teams, as he can check numerous threats while the team keeps him healthy. That being said, Registeel still fares decently on offensive and balanced teams as a pivot due to his plethora of resistances, ability to set up Stealth Rock, and access to Thunder Wave. Registeel also works well alongside the traditional Fire / Water / Grass core, as they can usually take on the Fire- and Ground-types who are troublesome for Registeel, while Registeel can take on certain Pokemon who give the core grief, such as Dragon-types. However, this core usually doesn't deal with Fighting-types well, bar the use of Pokemon such as Slowbro, so using Ghost-types and bulky Psychic-types is recommended. Furthermore, should Pokemon such as Mew, Mismagius, or even Duosion be used, they can help deal with opposing stall teams, which Registeel fails to do much against.</p>
[SET]
name: Mono-Attacker
move 1: Iron Head
move 2: Curse
move 3: Rest
move 4: Sleep Talk
item: Leftovers
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Registeel's great typing, fantastic bulk, Clear Body ability, and access to Curse allow him to be a very respectable mono-attacker. This set is relatively simple to use: use Curse until Registeel has fairly low health, Rest to recover his HP, and Sleep Talk to continue to boost while sleeping or attack with strong Iron Heads. Once Registeel has acquired enough boosts, he can proceed to sweep with Iron Head while healing up with Rest when necessary. This strategy tends to work extremely well late game when the opponent's team is weakened and any hazers or phazers who could ruin Registeel's sweep have been removed. However, this set isn't just limited to late game sweeping; with Rest and Sleep Talk, Registeel can still serve as a respectable check to threats such as Mismagius earlier in the match.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Maximum Special Defense investment is used to boost the stat which isn't being raised by Curse. Once Curse has been used, Registeel will have amazing mixed bulk. Shifting some EVs into Attack is an option to make Registeel more threatening after fewer Curses, but keep in mind that Registeel will be more vulnerable to special attacks if you do so. Using Earthquake or another coverage move is an option over Sleep Talk if you find that Registeel can't sweep effectively with only Iron Head, but Registeel will be useless for two whole turns, and with the new sleep mechanics, the lack of Sleep Talk will make it dangerous to switch out when Registeel is asleep. If you want Registeel to be more of a lure, you can forgo Rest and Sleep Talk for certain coverage moves and a Chople or Occa berry to lure in Fighting- or Fire-type Pokemon before KOing them with the appropriate move.</p>
<p>The biggest threats to this set are phazers and hazers, as they can easily put an abrupt end to Registeel's sweep. While it is difficult to pinpoint the best way to deal with these threats as Roar is an extremely well-distributed attack, the most common UU phazers and hazers are Donphan, Blastoise, Cofagrigus, Empoleon, Milotic, Nidoqueen, Suicune, Snorlax, and Zapdos. Since the majority of these Pokemon are Water- or Ground-type, Grass-type Pokemon work well in tandem with Registeel. Roserade is extremely useful for this purpose, as she can severely threaten most of these phazers and hazers, while also possessing the ability to use Aromatherapy. Due to the new sleep mechanics, sleep has become significantly more dangerous, and if Registeel is forced out, it will be extremely difficult for him to wake up again. Because of this, clerics, such as the aforementioned Roserade, in addition to Chansey, Altaria, Celebi, and Lanturn, are exceptionally useful alongside Registeel.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Registeel lacks a particularly large movepool, but what he lacks with his movepool, he makes up for in his fantastic defensive prowess. However, Registeel still has a few offensive options which can surprise opponents. These include Focus Blast, Flash Cannon, Thunderbolt, Charge Beam, and Hidden Power specially, and Ice Punch, ThunderPunch, Rock Slide, Superpower, Focus Punch, and Hammer Arm physically. Any of these attacks can be used in certain scenarios to deal with some of Registeel's common switch-ins; for example, Hidden Power Ice can nail Donphan on the switch. An assortment of these attacks can be used on a gimmicky lure set to take down as many common switch-ins as possible. For the most part though, Registeel cannot afford to waste any moveslots on situational moves. As for support options, Registeel can utilize Rain Dance and Gravity thanks to his typing and amazing defenses.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Despite Registeel's titanic defenses and ability to check numerous threats, he is still very vulnerable to bulkier Pokemon due to his pathetic offenses. Bulky Ground-, Fighting-, and Fire-types such as Donphan, Rhyperior, Hitmontop, Heracross, and Arcanine are particularly troublesome for him, as they can take plenty of Seismic Tosses and retaliate with a powerful STAB attack. However, unless they are Ground-type or are immune to it in some other way, such as Limber, they should still be wary of Thunder Wave. Additionally, some Pokemon, especially those who are slow and bulky, do not mind paralysis. Calm Mind Slowbro and Curse Snorlax are prime examples of this and can therefore set up on Registeel with ease. Dugtrio is also dangerous to Registeel, as he can trap him with Arena Trap before KOing him with Earthquake. Xatu with Magic Bounce turns back any support attacks against Registeel and heals off the damage taken from Iron Head or Seismic Toss with Roost, making him a great check. Finally, simply wearing Registeel down, whether through entry hazards or attacks, can be a way to slowly defeat him, as his lack of recovery means he will eventually be knocked out.</p>
[Dream World]
<p>For the most part, Light Metal should never be used on Registeel. While the reduced damage from Low Kick and other weight-based attacks might seem useful, the fact that it is only a marginal difference, in addition to the fact that Light Metal causes Registeel to lose some of his crucial moves such as Seismic Toss and Stealth Rock makes it an essentially useless ability. Furthermore, Clear Body can even be useful to make Registeel a better check against Shaymin, as it prevents the potentially devastating Special Defense drops that Seed Flare can cause.</p>
