Slaking (BW2 Revamp) [QC 3/3] (GP 2/2)

Laga

Forever Grande
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Take a break.

[Overview]
  • Insane bulk and Attack, and useful speed tier.
  • Access to good coverage moves, and has nice utility in Pursuit.
  • Then you see Truant - a major let-down.
  • Truant will make it lose to anything with Protect, and it becomes massive setup fodder after using an attack.

[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Return
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Night Slash
move 4: Pursuit / Retaliate
item: Choice Band
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
  • Because of Truant, it won't stay in for long, making Choice Band allows it to become a hit and run pokemon.
  • Return for solid STAB damage.
  • Earthquake is to hit annoying Rock- and Steel-types for super effective damage.
  • Night Slash is the best option to hit Ghost types such as Misdreavus, Golurk and Haunter.
  • Pursuit will checkmate Jynx, a huge threat in NU, and the same goes for Haunter.
  • Retaliate is good for super crazy revenge damage.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
  • EV spread and item for as much Attack as possible.
  • Jolly is important to outspeed the base 95 Speed tier (Jynx)
  • Slaking is giant setup fodder; teammates that can deal with setup pokemon such as Swords Dance Scolipede or Shell Smash Gorebyss are great partners to have, otherwise said sweepers could take out your entire unprepared team.
  • Liepard with Encore deals extremely well with setup sweepers, as it can lock them into a setup move or Substitute.
  • Choice Scarf Jynx and Rotom-S make great partners, since they can deal with Scolipede, Carracosta, and Gorebyss.
  • Musharna and Misdreavus make for good partners, as they can switch into Fighting-type attacks that threaten a Slaking the turn that it is immobilized.
  • Pivots such as Eelektross and Musharna can help build up momentum and allow Slaking to come in and hit stuff hard more easily.

[Other Options]
  • Hammer Arm could be used for hitting Normal- and Steel-types harder, but Earthquake is usually more appealing due to it's higher accuracy, and the coverage is basically the same.
  • Toxic to hit Alomomola and Tangela on the switch-in.
  • Other STAB options; Double-Edge is a good move, since it hits notably harder than Return, and Slaking does not take much recoil due to high HP.
  • Body Slam for paralysis chance, but Return's extra damage is usually preferred.
  • Giga Impact for last minute super damage, but forcing you to stay in makes you extreme setup fodder.
  • Sucker Punch is nice for picking off weakened Pokemon, but will make Slaking that much more of a setup fodder.
  • Bulk Up + Slack Off would work well, but Truant makes it near impossible to pull off.
  • Choice Scarf fits Slaking's hit and run nature, and can outspeed and checkmate Choice Scarf Jynx and Haunter.
  • Encore could be a good move for stopping a deadly sweeper, but is extremely redundant with Truant and even more so with Choice Band.

[Checks and Counters]
  • Pokemon with Protect will completely shut it down, and Guts Pokemon like Swellow and Ursaring will take advantage of its presence.
  • Setup sweepers, especially with Substitute, will utilize Slaking's immobility turn to set up in its face, since Truant really makes it a liability the turn after hitting something hard.
  • Alomomola
  • Defensive Tangela
  • Rock types that can take a hit; most notably Armaldo
  • Strong special attacks will threaten Slaking, as its base SpD stat of 65 is unappealing.
  • Misdreavus is not hit by anything but Night Slash.

[Overview]

<p>With an Attack stat higher than that of Groudon, Zekrom, and Rayquaza, a respectable Speed tier, and a beefy base 150 HP stat combined with awesome coverage moves such as Earthquake and Night Slash, Slaking looks like a top-tier Uber threat. That is, until you spot the ability Truant; it is probably the single worst ability in the entire game. Because of Truant, Slaking becomes huge setup fodder for dangerous sweepers. It also has no way of sweeping any team, even late-game. With such a letdown of an ability, Slaking is rather challenging to use. That said, it can and will KO at least one of your team members if it gets a free switch in and you don't have a counter up your sleeve.</p>

[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Return
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Night Slash
move 4: Pursuit / Retaliate
item: Choice Band
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Even though Slaking's ability lets it down quite a bit, it can still fill a role with its flagship hit-and-run strategy. This is because BW2 NU is a fast-paced metagame, so even though staying in more than a single turn is usually a terrible idea for Slaking, it can still effectively use that turn to deal out massive damage with a Choice Band-boosted hit. Thanks to its powerful STAB move alongside its coverage moves, there are not many Pokemon in the NU tier that appreciate taking a hit from a Choice Banded Slaking, and with Pursuit, it can even outspeed and checkmate Jynx and Haunter.</p>

<p>Return is, more often than not, the STAB move of choice, as it has stellar Base Power combined with no drawbacks. Earthquake is the main coverage move, as it hits Rock- and Steel-types, which resist Return, for super effective damage. Night Slash rounds off the simple, yet efficient coverage. Without Night Slash, Ghost-types such as Misdreavus, Haunter, and Golurk would easily be able to switch into Slaking safely. When it comes to choosing a move for the last spot, Pursuit is by far the preferred option, even though Retaliate might be more effective for Slaking's hit-and-run strategy. Pursuit will swiftly take out fleeing Psychic- and Ghost-types, most notably Jynx, which is outsped. Retaliate is great for revenge killing, as very few Pokemon can switch into a boosted Retaliate and live to tell the tale.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Using a Jolly nature is important to outpace common NU Pokemon such as Jynx, Kangaskhan, and Primeape. An alternative to Choice Band would be Choice Scarf, as it can deal with Choice Scarf variants of said Pokemon, as well as outpacing faster Pokemon such as Scolipede and Serperior.</p>

<p>Considering how easy it is to set up on an immobilized Slaking, it is important to carry counters to common NU setup sweepers, as they could otherwise just sweep you. Choice Scarf Jynx and Rotom-S are great teammates for Slaking, as they can deal with Carracosta, Scolipede, and Gorebyss even after said Pokemon have used their setup moves. Liepard is another solid choice, as it can switch in on the predicted Substitute or stat-boosting move and force the opponent to switch with its Prankster Encore. Musharna and Misdreavus have good defensive synergy with Slaking, and they can switch into Fighting-type moves that threaten it. Offensive and defensive pivots, such as Eelektross and Musharna, are great to build up momentum and potentially give Slaking a free switch-in to dish out huge amounts of damage.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Slaking really does not have many other notably great items or moves. It has three alternative STAB options;: Double-Edge, Body Slam, and Giga Impact. Double-Edge is very similar to Return but has higher Base Power, and because Slaking has such a huge HP stat, the recoil will not be doing all that much to it. However if you run Double-Edge, you will have to run Shadow Claw over Night Slash, as Double-Edge and Night Slash are illegal on the same set. Body Slam is nice for extra utility alongside Pursuit, as the 30% paralysis chance could win you the game. Unfortunately, it could also lose you a game if it fails to KO a Pokemon that Return or Double-Edge would. Giga Impact might seem to fit perfectly with Slaking's ability and item, but it forces Slaking to stay in after attacking, making it an extremely risky option, and should therefore almost never be used.</p>

<p>For coverage moves, Sucker Punch is a neat option, but it is also a risky one, especially when playing around potential Substitutes or setup moves, as it makes Slaking even easier to set up on. Other than that, Slaking has many coverage moves that it really does not need; Fire Punch, Low Kick, and Ice Punch are all options, but Slaking's main coverage moves will usually do the job much better. A few special attacks will help Slaking break through tough physical walls; most notably, Thunderbolt and Fire Blast help it get past Alomomola and Tangela, respectively. Encore could be an option to deal with slower setup sweepers, such as Swords Dance Pinsir. When it comes to different sets, the only real other one that might work would be a set with Bulk Up and Slack Off, but due to Slaking's horrible Special Defense stat and an ability that makes it hard to stay in even two turns, it is almost impossible to pull off successfully.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>The single best way to deal with Slaking is Protect. If you have a Pokemon with Protect against a Slaking, it is impossible for it to hit you at all. Guts Pokemon, such as Swellow and Ursaring, can freely take advantage of Slaking's presence to activate their status orbs while Slaking does nothing. In addition to this, Tangela and Alomomola are ridiculously bulky on the physical side and can easily avoid the OHKO from any of Slaking's moves. They can then put it to sleep or stall it, respectively. Rock- and Steel-types such as Golem and Metang can easily take any STAB move but should be afraid of Earthquake. Misdreavus is immune to Slaking's STAB moves and Earthquake, but Night Slash threatens it.</p>

<p>A different way of playing effectively around a Slaking is simply sacrificing an expendable Pokemon. After doing so, you receive a completely free turn that you can easily use to your advantage to set up for a sweep or place Stealth Rock. Be aware of Slaking's partners though, as the user should, and will often, be prepared for dangerous setup sweepers.</p>
 
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Mention Yamask as a really good partner: With an Eject Button and Mummy, it can switch into any physical attack, and then its item will activate, in which case you go to Slaking and attack, usually using Pursuit. Mention that if you use this strategy, Choice Band is not the best item for Slaking.
 
i dont really see what makes this an update when it basically has the same exact stuff thats on the onsite set
maybe im missing something but if not, try showing how its changed with the meta (such as pursuiting jynx)
 

scorpdestroyer

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2 cents

You should talk about how Pokemon with Protect can easily play around it, especially those Guts Pokemon that run it (Ursaring, Zangoose). You should also put somewhere that it's set up on easily during its Truant turn
 

Laga

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Mention Yamask as a really good partner: With an Eject Button and Mummy, it can switch into any physical attack, and then its item will activate, in which case you go to Slaking and attack, usually using Pursuit. Mention that if you use this strategy, Choice Band is not the best item for Slaking.
I am not sure if this is legit enough to mention in the analysis, but I will put it in nothing / OO / AC depending on what some others have to say about this strategy.

i dont really see what makes this an update when it basically has the same exact stuff thats on the onsite set
maybe im missing something but if not, try showing how its changed with the meta (such as pursuiting jynx)
Added Jynx in Set Comments as why you should use Pursuit, and I also added Fighting-type weakness to Overview and Checks and Counters to emphasize the fact that Primeape is in NU now. Sorry for overseeing these things, and if anyone else has suggestions to make it look more like an update, please tell me :)

You should talk about how Pokemon with Protect can easily play around it, especially those Guts Pokemon that run it (Ursaring, Zangoose). You should also put somewhere that it's set up on easily during its Truant turn
Talked about Protect in Checks and Counters, and I already have setup sweepers listed two places. I have

"Slaking is giant setup fodder; teammates that can deal with setup pokemon such as Swords Dance Scolipede or Shell Smash Gorebyss are great partners to have, otherwise said sweepers could take out your entire unprepared team." in AC as Team Options, and then I have

"Setup sweepers will utilize Slaking's immobility turn to set up in its face." in Checks and Counters. I could really use some more suggestions, as I am not personally among the best NU players :)
 

Punchshroom

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Encore Liepard would make a fantastic partner for Slaking: any pokemon with Sub or setup moves would think twice about doing so. HarvestLum Exeggutor also takes status for Slaking, in addition to resisting Fighting moves as well as KOing Rock-types and Golurk.
 

watashi

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i think jolly should be standard for this pokemon called jynx, unless you can back up adamant with calcs
 

Laga

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added Encore Liepard to AC as Team Options, and changed standard Nature to Jolly. Do you want me to slash Adamant? All I can think of off the top of my head is having a chance to OHKO defensive Weezing with a boosted Retaliate.
 

WhiteDMist

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There really isn't much of a reason to slash Adamant. Outspeeding the base 95 Speed tier is pretty important. Just put a mention in AC. Pursuit should the the first slash, beating non-Scarf Jynx is very important.

Mention Substitute alongside Protect in Checks and Counters. You can merge the first two points in the overview as well.

If you are going to mention Giga Impact at all in OO, EMPHASIZE that it is TERRIBLE on Slaking because the move prevents it from switching out during the recharge turn. That means that Slaking cannot use its hit-and-run strategy, turning it into set-up bait for anything with Substitute.

I'm not sure if this is enough of a change to the current analysis (its not that hard to add a mention of Jynx), so emphasizing the increase in Speed in the overall metagame makes Slaking more useful is critical for this to pass QC.
 
I'm not sure if this is enough of a change to the current analysis (its not that hard to add a mention of Jynx), so emphasizing the increase in Speed in the overall metagame makes Slaking more useful is critical for this to pass QC.
This was my concern as well. Talked with @Raseri and he said he'd look over the current analysis.
 
i completely forgot about this. Yes it does need a revamp, the set isn't being changed but the current analysis in uninformative and not helpful at all. @Laga youre good to go
 

ebeast

she's probably sexting nprtprt
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[Overview]
First point is unneeded, you already mention it has massive bulk + attack anyways. Add that it has a very good Speed tier as well on the second point. Remove the 4th point, only things that matter about this analysis is how Slaking does now. Elaborate on Truant, add how it makes Slaking lose to anything with Protect and that it opens itself for being set up by various things. I also don't know about the Sawk and Primeape mention as both are slower and get OHKOed by Slaking anyways. Gurdurr would make a lot of sense as a mention as it can actually take a hit and retaliate or pick of a weakened Slaking with Mach Punch.

[Additional Comments]
Remove the other EV spread, there is no reason to ever not go max Speed and Jolly on Slaking in this metagame. I think leave Hammer Arm for OO rather than here because there aren't any real benefits other than hitting Normal-types harder. (You OHKO all of them with Return anyways bar Lickilicky who you shouldn't mess with since it has Protect) Hammer Arm also has a chance to miss and misses out on hitting Metang. Add Carracosta as something that could easily set up on Slaking. Mention Choice Scarf Jynx and Rotom-S as a partners for taking down all 3 of Pede, Gore, and Costa down even after they set up.

If you want to include entry hazards in AC you need to provide relevant calcs; I mean everything likes having entry hazard support really. I can't really think of any specific situation though. (Slaking already 2HKOes Regirock, Metang, Golurk etc)

[Other Options]
Armaldo is 2HKOed by Return/EQ already and Def variants are 2HKOed by EQ after SR so Rock Slide has no point. Add Sucker Punch here for priority, but mention how it makes Slaking ultimate set up fodder. Bulk Up + Slack Off set, but Truant makes it really hard to work with.

[Checks and Counters]
Needs more emphasis on how Truant is Slaking's main bane. Add Misdreavus, it takes every hit other than Night Slash and can burn and wear it down with Foul Play. Move Protect so it's near the top, it makes Slaking completely useless. Also right now the way you have it implies that Zangoose uses Protect, which it never does. Swellow would be better there since it uses Protect every once in a while.

Okay. @Laga Implement these and I can stamp.
 

ebeast

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In Overview add that it has good coverage moves and utility in Pursuit, which it can use to trap Jynx and Haunter. In AC remove Hammer Arm since you already moved it to OO. When talking about Scarf Jynx/Rotom-S add Gorebyss to that list.

QC Approved 1/3
 

Blast

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Mention Encore in OO, but also mention it's bad with Truant.

Also maybe Scarf in OO? It can outspeed and Pursuit trap Scarf Jynx and Haunter, and Slaking's a hit and run mon anyway.
 
Also maybe Scarf in OO? It can outspeed and Pursuit trap Scarf Jynx and Haunter, and Slaking's a hit and run mon anyway.
Yeah, I meant to mention this earlier. I think Scarf Slaking at least deserves a mention in OO. Due to the natural hit-and-run of Scarf users (with the exception of the occasional late-game Scarf sweep), a Scarf set would fit well with the nature of Slaking. Base 100 speed is also good place to be at for a Scarf user as was previously mentioned, since it lets Slaking beat Scarf Jynx, Haunter, Primeape, and of course anything slower. I actually used a Scarf Slaking on a recent team for the heck of it, and it worked well enough. It's a bit faster and significantly stronger than Adamant Scarf Tauros, and it's even a little more physically bulk even factoring in Tauros's Intimidate (and it's obviously more specially bulky). As purely a Scarf user/revenge killer, Slaking was pretty good. However, I ended up going back to Scarf Tauros due to the latter's ability to sweep late-game without worrying about missing out on an attack every other turn. This is the main flaw that I think makes Scarf Slaking less appealing, but I do think it's a decent set in its own right that deserves a good mention.
 
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Laga

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Alright guys, I made the following changes:

· Talked about good coverage and utility of Pursuit in Overview.
· Removed Hammer Arm from AC. (lol I must have been daydreaming when forgetting that one)
· Added Gorebyss to the list of setup-sweepers that can set up in its face.
· Mentioned Scarf and Encore in OO.

I will add Encore to OO for now, but I really doubt the move myself. Slaking is really only good at hitting hard, then running away like a bitch. If I see a QC member reject it, I will remove it, and it is there to stay if a QC member approves of it.
 

watashi

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mention double edge since it's more powerful than return and it doesn't hurt slaking that much since its hp is so high
also mention that slaking really enjoys having pivots such as eelektross and musharna as teammates since they can help slaking grab momentum and give it chances to fire off powerful attacks.
 

tennisace

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encore is fine in OO, just make sure you say why someone would think its good but why it isn't actually good


2/3 @Laga

edit: flcl's post too
 
It should be noted that if Double-Edge is used, it's illegal with Night Slash due to Double-Edge being a 3rd gen tutor move and Night Slash being a 4th gen Egg move, if you wanted Ghost coverage you'd have to run Shadow Claw or Pursuit instead.
 

Laga

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thank you Vivmeister10, saved the analysis from an error.

This has been written; ready for the final QC check !
 
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[Overview]
  • Cut the first sentence; it doesn't really tell us anything outside of "looks like it shouldn't be NU," which doesn't let us know how Slaking fares in the metagame.
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
  • Cut the mention of the EV spread. Max Attack/Speed spreads are obvious and don't need explained.
[Other Options]
  • Add Fire Punch, Ice Punch, and Low Kick for alternate coverage options.
  • Make a mention of special attacks to help break through physical walls (Thunderbolt for Alomomola, Fire Blast for Tangela).
Make these changes, and I'll stamp.
 

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