[overview]
**Draft Order**: Round 6 onwards
**Price Range**: 5-6 points
**Overview**: Salazzle offers a blend of offensive and disruptive role compression that's hard to find on a budget—its elite Speed tier and status as a grounded Poison-type alone can make it an attractive pick in later rounds. Offensively, Salazzle is much more than a pretty face; with a decent Special Attack, incredible STAB combination, and ability to boost further with Nasty Plot, it functions as a superb revenge killer only held back by a lack of coverage. On paper that leaves it with a lot of bad matchups, but Salazzle can leave many of its checks lightheaded with its deep disruptive movepool and status-spreading abilities, bolstered by top-tier Speed and access to Corrosion—and that's before considering the possibility of Terastallization! Salazzle is one of the most potent late-round picks when given the proper support, but when it isn't, the abundance of its offensive checks can make it overly reliant on trying to Terastallize or gimmick its way out of bad matchups. And no amount of Terastallization, gimmicks, nor even pheromones could salvage Salazzle's pathetic longevity, as it's incredibly frail, weak to entry hazard chip, and loves to run Substitute no matter what type it turns into.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Revenge Killer**: Once it gets in from a pivot or a KO, this unassuming salamander turns into a cold-blooded killer. Salazzle's STAB moves require little chip to take out most neutral opponents. Even weak-willed foes that switch out are only playing into Salazzle's hand, as it uses those turns to get a free Substitute or Nasty Plot.
**Disruptor**: Salazzle's high Speed, deep utility movepool, and ability to poison almost anything thanks to Corrosion allow it to contribute even when foes that resist its STAB moves are around. Its Toxic stall sets are infamous, but Salazzle can kneecap foes with paralysis and burns just as easily. Add disruptive moves like Encore and Taunt, item removal from Knock Off, and the extra turns granted from Substitute, and Salazzle's performance as a disruptor can border on overkill!
**Setup Sweeper**: With incredibly strong STAB moves in Overheat and Sludge Wave, the endless coverage of Terastallization, and one of the fastest Nasty Plots on the board, Salazzle can make light work of even the bulkiest of teams once it's set up. Its speed and typing make it difficult to revenge, and Salazzle can make it even harder with the help of a defensive item or a defensive Tera type.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Sludge Bomb, Sludge Wave, Flamethrower, Fire Blast, Overheat
**Setup Moves**: Nasty Plot, Agility, Flame Charge
**Utility Moves**: Taunt, Encore, Disable, Toxic, Toxic Spikes, Will-O-Wisp, Thunder Wave, Foul Play, Knock Off, Substitute, Protect
**Coverage**: Dragon Pulse, Tera Blast
Niche Moves
========
**Venoshock**: Salazzle's penchant for poisoning allows it to get the most out of Venoshock, securing extra OHKOs and dealing massive damage to even the bulkiest checks once they're afflicted with poison from Toxic or Toxic Spikes.
**Acid Spray**: Acid Spray lets Salazzle chip away at special walls, alongside Unaware or Haze-running enemies, without needing to stop and boost itself.
**Endeavor**: Endeavor means doom for any poisoned foe when paired with a Focus Sash; even when on its own, Salazzle's low HP and tendency to run Substitute make Endeavor a solid choice for dealing with tankier opponents.
**Dragon Tail**: Though not a perfect match with Salazzle's "bulk," Dragon Tail can act as an emergency phazing move in games where Encore isn't ideal.
Common Items
========
**Heavy-Duty Boots**: When hazards can't be ignored, Heavy-Duty Boots grants Salazzle many more switch-ins than it would get otherwise.
**Black Sludge / Leftovers**: Salazzle can survive for a surprisingly long time when paired with the recovery of Black Sludge or Leftovers, especially in games where hazards are less of an issue. More disruptive sets especially love these items giving Salazzle the time it needs to stall out foes with Toxic.
**Focus Sash**: When playing as a lead, Salazzle can use Focus Sash to get off status and damage before going under—and take any slower foe with it by using Endeavor.
Niche Items
========
**Damage-boosting items**: Poison Barb, Charcoal, Life Orb, and Expert Belt allow Salazzle to hit important damage markers without stopping for Nasty Plot.
**Air Balloon**: With its newfound Ground immunity, Salazzle can score free Encores on opposing Earthquakes and make itself much harder to revenge kill.
**Choice Scarf**: Salazzle's impressive Speed becomes nigh-uncontestable when wielding a Choice Scarf, even being able to outspeed many opposing Pokemon with their Speed boosted.
**Eject Pack**: Being able to dish out a powerful Overheat and switch into something else safely is extremely valuable on Salazzle, as its frailty means it does not want to take any attacks.
**Choice Specs**: Salazzle doesn't love being locked into a single attack without a Speed boost, but Choice Specs takes Salazzle's threatening damage output to downright nightmarish levels.
**Resistance Berries**: Salazzle doesn't have the bulk to take too many hits, but taking just one more with the help of a berry is all Salazzle needs to flip an interaction on its head.
Tera
========
Salazzle makes for a great secondary Tera Captain, as its base typing is decent enough to the point that it doesn't need to Terastallize to function, but it has enough gaps that it still gains a ton from the mechanic. Tera Ground, Grass, and Fighting give it incredibly strong options for Tera Blast, letting it beat its usual checks through force instead of trickery. On the other hand, Tera Dark and Flying improve Salazzle's trickery by giving it immunities to Psychic and Ground, respectively, offering it plenty of setup opportunities and serving up many an Encore. Last but certainly not least, with Tera Fire, even Salazzle's checks will be sweating at the thought of a boosted Overheat.
Draft Strategy
========
Salazzle fits on almost any team in need of cheap speed control and a grounded Poison-type teammate, and it is most often drafted for that reason. Its affordable price makes it a capable secondary Tera Captain as well, but it needs a bit of support to not become too Tera-hungry.
**Pivots**: Strong pivots, especially ones like Meowscarada and Ogerpon that can bait in Steel-types, allow Salazzle to get onto the field as many times as possible without any of the risk.
**Hazard Control**: Salazzle doesn't exactly run Heavy-Duty Boots because they look good; even in games where hazards are strong, Salazzle often wants to run Black Sludge or a damage-boosting item. A solid hazard remover like Blastoise or Iron Treads allows Salazzle to run whatever item it wants to more often with less punishment.
**Ground-types**: Most foes that resist Salazzle's STAB combination are incredibly weak to Ground, which is incredibly convenient for Ground-type teammates like Great Tusk or Garchomp.
**Ground-immune Allies**: Floating teammates like Rotom-W, Latios, and Salamence make opponents think twice about spamming Ground moves, as they can set up on and threaten out many of Salazzle's most common revenge killers.
**Ghost-types**: Salazzle's ability to status almost the entire draft board is a godsend for Ghost-types like Sinistcha and Gholdengo, letting them run Hex freely without having to do the status-spreading legwork themselves.
Checks and Counters
========
**Fire- and Poison-resistant Pokemon**: Salazzle's nonexistent coverage movepool means foes like Tentacruel, Heatran, and almost every Rock-type can switch into its attacks for days. None of them like getting statused, and a few of them fear Dragon Pulse, but they all put a lot of pressure on Salazzle to either Terastallize or run highly specific sets.
**Chip Damage and Phazing**: Salazzle is incredibly weak to entry hazard chip, but the woes don't end once it puts on Heavy-Duty Boots. Salazzle will often run Substitute to make up for its poor bulk and lack of recovery, but this can put it on an artificial timer if it's not careful. Phazing moves like Whirlwind and Roar drag Salazzle in and out of hazards while rendering its substitutes worthless, making that timer even shorter.
**Substitute-Bypassing Attacks**: Hiding behind a Substitute won't get Salazzle very far against sound attackers like Galarian Slowking and multi-hit attackers like Greninja. Salazzle can opt to not bring Substitute against many of these foes, but its paltry bulk and revenge-killable speed can make this a very risky play.
**Priority**: Terastallization solves many of Salazzle's shortcomings, but it also introduces new ones: without the resistances offered by its Poison / Fire typing, Salazzle is all too easily picked off by priority attackers like Scizor, Iron Valiant, and Mamoswine!
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/big-pharma.657717/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/theuncultured.629845/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/drizzle.313217/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sunny004.197240/
**Draft Order**: Round 6 onwards
**Price Range**: 5-6 points
**Overview**: Salazzle offers a blend of offensive and disruptive role compression that's hard to find on a budget—its elite Speed tier and status as a grounded Poison-type alone can make it an attractive pick in later rounds. Offensively, Salazzle is much more than a pretty face; with a decent Special Attack, incredible STAB combination, and ability to boost further with Nasty Plot, it functions as a superb revenge killer only held back by a lack of coverage. On paper that leaves it with a lot of bad matchups, but Salazzle can leave many of its checks lightheaded with its deep disruptive movepool and status-spreading abilities, bolstered by top-tier Speed and access to Corrosion—and that's before considering the possibility of Terastallization! Salazzle is one of the most potent late-round picks when given the proper support, but when it isn't, the abundance of its offensive checks can make it overly reliant on trying to Terastallize or gimmick its way out of bad matchups. And no amount of Terastallization, gimmicks, nor even pheromones could salvage Salazzle's pathetic longevity, as it's incredibly frail, weak to entry hazard chip, and loves to run Substitute no matter what type it turns into.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Revenge Killer**: Once it gets in from a pivot or a KO, this unassuming salamander turns into a cold-blooded killer. Salazzle's STAB moves require little chip to take out most neutral opponents. Even weak-willed foes that switch out are only playing into Salazzle's hand, as it uses those turns to get a free Substitute or Nasty Plot.
**Disruptor**: Salazzle's high Speed, deep utility movepool, and ability to poison almost anything thanks to Corrosion allow it to contribute even when foes that resist its STAB moves are around. Its Toxic stall sets are infamous, but Salazzle can kneecap foes with paralysis and burns just as easily. Add disruptive moves like Encore and Taunt, item removal from Knock Off, and the extra turns granted from Substitute, and Salazzle's performance as a disruptor can border on overkill!
**Setup Sweeper**: With incredibly strong STAB moves in Overheat and Sludge Wave, the endless coverage of Terastallization, and one of the fastest Nasty Plots on the board, Salazzle can make light work of even the bulkiest of teams once it's set up. Its speed and typing make it difficult to revenge, and Salazzle can make it even harder with the help of a defensive item or a defensive Tera type.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Sludge Bomb, Sludge Wave, Flamethrower, Fire Blast, Overheat
**Setup Moves**: Nasty Plot, Agility, Flame Charge
**Utility Moves**: Taunt, Encore, Disable, Toxic, Toxic Spikes, Will-O-Wisp, Thunder Wave, Foul Play, Knock Off, Substitute, Protect
**Coverage**: Dragon Pulse, Tera Blast
Niche Moves
========
**Venoshock**: Salazzle's penchant for poisoning allows it to get the most out of Venoshock, securing extra OHKOs and dealing massive damage to even the bulkiest checks once they're afflicted with poison from Toxic or Toxic Spikes.
**Acid Spray**: Acid Spray lets Salazzle chip away at special walls, alongside Unaware or Haze-running enemies, without needing to stop and boost itself.
**Endeavor**: Endeavor means doom for any poisoned foe when paired with a Focus Sash; even when on its own, Salazzle's low HP and tendency to run Substitute make Endeavor a solid choice for dealing with tankier opponents.
**Dragon Tail**: Though not a perfect match with Salazzle's "bulk," Dragon Tail can act as an emergency phazing move in games where Encore isn't ideal.
Common Items
========
**Heavy-Duty Boots**: When hazards can't be ignored, Heavy-Duty Boots grants Salazzle many more switch-ins than it would get otherwise.
**Black Sludge / Leftovers**: Salazzle can survive for a surprisingly long time when paired with the recovery of Black Sludge or Leftovers, especially in games where hazards are less of an issue. More disruptive sets especially love these items giving Salazzle the time it needs to stall out foes with Toxic.
**Focus Sash**: When playing as a lead, Salazzle can use Focus Sash to get off status and damage before going under—and take any slower foe with it by using Endeavor.
Niche Items
========
**Damage-boosting items**: Poison Barb, Charcoal, Life Orb, and Expert Belt allow Salazzle to hit important damage markers without stopping for Nasty Plot.
**Air Balloon**: With its newfound Ground immunity, Salazzle can score free Encores on opposing Earthquakes and make itself much harder to revenge kill.
**Choice Scarf**: Salazzle's impressive Speed becomes nigh-uncontestable when wielding a Choice Scarf, even being able to outspeed many opposing Pokemon with their Speed boosted.
**Eject Pack**: Being able to dish out a powerful Overheat and switch into something else safely is extremely valuable on Salazzle, as its frailty means it does not want to take any attacks.
**Choice Specs**: Salazzle doesn't love being locked into a single attack without a Speed boost, but Choice Specs takes Salazzle's threatening damage output to downright nightmarish levels.
**Resistance Berries**: Salazzle doesn't have the bulk to take too many hits, but taking just one more with the help of a berry is all Salazzle needs to flip an interaction on its head.
Tera
========
Salazzle makes for a great secondary Tera Captain, as its base typing is decent enough to the point that it doesn't need to Terastallize to function, but it has enough gaps that it still gains a ton from the mechanic. Tera Ground, Grass, and Fighting give it incredibly strong options for Tera Blast, letting it beat its usual checks through force instead of trickery. On the other hand, Tera Dark and Flying improve Salazzle's trickery by giving it immunities to Psychic and Ground, respectively, offering it plenty of setup opportunities and serving up many an Encore. Last but certainly not least, with Tera Fire, even Salazzle's checks will be sweating at the thought of a boosted Overheat.
Draft Strategy
========
Salazzle fits on almost any team in need of cheap speed control and a grounded Poison-type teammate, and it is most often drafted for that reason. Its affordable price makes it a capable secondary Tera Captain as well, but it needs a bit of support to not become too Tera-hungry.
**Pivots**: Strong pivots, especially ones like Meowscarada and Ogerpon that can bait in Steel-types, allow Salazzle to get onto the field as many times as possible without any of the risk.
**Hazard Control**: Salazzle doesn't exactly run Heavy-Duty Boots because they look good; even in games where hazards are strong, Salazzle often wants to run Black Sludge or a damage-boosting item. A solid hazard remover like Blastoise or Iron Treads allows Salazzle to run whatever item it wants to more often with less punishment.
**Ground-types**: Most foes that resist Salazzle's STAB combination are incredibly weak to Ground, which is incredibly convenient for Ground-type teammates like Great Tusk or Garchomp.
**Ground-immune Allies**: Floating teammates like Rotom-W, Latios, and Salamence make opponents think twice about spamming Ground moves, as they can set up on and threaten out many of Salazzle's most common revenge killers.
**Ghost-types**: Salazzle's ability to status almost the entire draft board is a godsend for Ghost-types like Sinistcha and Gholdengo, letting them run Hex freely without having to do the status-spreading legwork themselves.
Checks and Counters
========
**Fire- and Poison-resistant Pokemon**: Salazzle's nonexistent coverage movepool means foes like Tentacruel, Heatran, and almost every Rock-type can switch into its attacks for days. None of them like getting statused, and a few of them fear Dragon Pulse, but they all put a lot of pressure on Salazzle to either Terastallize or run highly specific sets.
**Chip Damage and Phazing**: Salazzle is incredibly weak to entry hazard chip, but the woes don't end once it puts on Heavy-Duty Boots. Salazzle will often run Substitute to make up for its poor bulk and lack of recovery, but this can put it on an artificial timer if it's not careful. Phazing moves like Whirlwind and Roar drag Salazzle in and out of hazards while rendering its substitutes worthless, making that timer even shorter.
**Substitute-Bypassing Attacks**: Hiding behind a Substitute won't get Salazzle very far against sound attackers like Galarian Slowking and multi-hit attackers like Greninja. Salazzle can opt to not bring Substitute against many of these foes, but its paltry bulk and revenge-killable speed can make this a very risky play.
**Priority**: Terastallization solves many of Salazzle's shortcomings, but it also introduces new ones: without the resistances offered by its Poison / Fire typing, Salazzle is all too easily picked off by priority attackers like Scizor, Iron Valiant, and Mamoswine!
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/big-pharma.657717/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/theuncultured.629845/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/drizzle.313217/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sunny004.197240/
Last edited:
