[OVERVIEW]
As far as special tanks go in NU, Sliggoo manages to hold its own thanks to a number of desirable traits, notably its unique mono-Dragon typing in conjunction with high special bulk, which enables it to check a myriad of threatening special attackers such as Magmortar, Rotom, and Life Orb Samurott. Sap Sipper furthers Sliggoo's walling capabilities, letting it serve as a hard counter to Sceptile, one of NU's most fearsome Pokemon, as well as granting it the ability to switch into Sleep Powder from the likes of Lilligant and Vivillon. Curse is another one of Sliggoo's main draws when compared to other special tanks in NU, as it lets it reliably beat Swords Dance Sceptile and makes it incredibly difficult to take down should it accumulate several boosts. Alternatively, Sliggoo can fulfill the role of a tank thanks to a wide offensive movepool with a powerful STAB option in Draco Meteor and decent Special Attack to complement. However, Sliggoo relies on Eviolite in order to effectively switch into special attackers, making it vulnerable to the ever-present Knock Off and, to a lesser extent, Trick. Sliggoo also tends to take away offensive momentum from the team due to the nature of Rest + Sleep Talk. Lackluster Defense also proves to be cumbersome and somewhat difficult to manage in a metagame with influential physical attackers such as Sawk, Tauros, and Rhydon.
[SET]
name: Curse
move 1: Curse
move 2: Outrage
move 3: Rest
move 4: Sleep Talk
item: Eviolite
ability: Sap Sipper
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 168 Def / 88 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Curse lets Sliggoo act as a bulky wincon, making it increasingly difficult to break past with physical attacks, and is also crucial for beating Swords Dance Sceptile one-on-one. Outrage packs quite a punch after Sliggoo has gotten a couple Curse boosts under its belt. It also doesn't lock Sliggoo into the move if it's drawn by Sleep Talk. Rest lets Sliggoo stays healthy throughout the game and keeps it free of otherwise harmful status ailments such as poison and burn, while Sleep Talk ensures that Sliggoo does not remain passive during the turns when it's asleep.
Set Details
========
The given HP and Special Defense EVs plus Eviolite grant Sliggoo enough special bulk to avoid the 3HKO from both Samurott's and Ludicolo's Ice Beam, as well as the 2HKO from Focus Sash Jynx's Ice Beam, while the rest goes into Defense to let it avoid the 3HKO from Tauros' Rock Climb after one Curse. Sap Sipper is chosen for the very useful immunity to Grass-type moves it provides, notably Sleep Powder, making Sliggoo a particularly good switch-in for Lilligant and Vivillon.
Usage Tips
========
Use Sliggoo's slew of useful resistances to pivot into the likes of Magmortar, Sceptile, Lilligant, and Samurott. Just be sure to scout for Samurott's set first because Sliggoo is overwhelmed by Swords Dance variants. Sap Sipper gives Sliggoo additional opportunities to enter the battle by letting it freely switch into Sleep Powder users if necessary and net a free Attack boost, making its Outrage pack more of a punch. Should Sliggoo get at half of its HP or lower, use Rest to bring it back to full health so it can stay healthy to check the Pokemon it needs to. Sleep Talk should always be used during the turns Sliggoo is asleep to ensure it doesn't stay completely passive. However, in some cases when Sliggoo needs to PP stall a Pokemon such as Quagsire, it's best to not click Sleep Talk to preserve PP. When awake, try to avoid being locked into Outrage, as this can put Sliggoo into unfavorable situations. Curse should generally be saved for when Sliggoo's checks, especially Fairy-types, are eliminated, as it cannot sweep otherwise. Usually, the best course of action when against Fairy-types is to double switch out to a teammate that can threaten them. If Sliggoo has set up some Curses prior, it can also beat Steelix one-on-one and eventually start wearing it down with boosted Outrages.
Team Options
========
Steelix is a fantastic teammate, as it switches in on Mega Audino, Clefairy, and Klinklang with little issue, all of which otherwise wall and set up on Sliggoo, while in return, Sliggoo takes on most special attackers that threaten Steelix such as Pyroar, Magmortar, Life Orb Sceptile, and Samurott. Ferroseed functions in a similar fashion, but it provides more utility in the form of Spikes, Knock Off, and Leech Seed, chipping away at foes, while Sliggoo can easily switch into and defeat Fire-types such as Magmortar, Pyroar, and Combusken, as well as non-Calm Mind variants of Xatu. Quagsire is able to switch in on physical sweepers such as Klinklang, Barbaracle, and Malamar, all of which can significantly damage Sliggoo due to its lacking Defense before it sets up Curse. In return, Sliggoo is a superb switch-in to Grass-types, which heavily threaten Quagsire. Just note that these two are pressured by the likes of Sawk, which can 2HKO Quagsire with Close Combat and Knock Off Sliggoo's Eviolite, so pairing these up with a sturdy Fighting-resistant Pokemon such as Weezing, Mesprit, or Xatu works best.
Weezing is a good partner due to its ability to switch into and shut down defensive variants of Mega Audino with Taunt while also serving as a solid response to Fighting-types, a good majority of which can heavily damage Sliggoo with their powerful STAB moves or Knock Off its Eviolite, hindering its ability to tank attacks. Mega Audino serves as a Knock Off absorber and, depending on its EV spread, can switch into several Pokemon that can threaten Sliggoo such as Aurorus, Jynx, Gurdurr, and Hariyama. On more balanced teams, Magmortar works well with Sliggoo, as it switches into most Ice-types that threaten to break past it such as Jynx, Aurorus, and Vanilluxe, while in return, Sliggoo handles specially based Water-types that can revenge kill Magmortar.
[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Sludge Bomb
move 3: Muddy Water
move 4: Thunderbolt
item: Eviolite
ability: Sap Sipper
nature: Modest
evs: 92 HP / 252 SpA / 164 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Draco Meteor is Sliggoo's strongest STAB move and does good damage versus most neutral targets, but it has the downside of cuttings its Special Attack in half. Sludge Bomb ensures Sliggoo is not a free opportunity for Fairy-types to switch in and deals reliable damage against the likes of Lilligant, Sceptile, and Ludicolo. Muddy Water primarily targets Steelix, which otherwise switches comfortably into all of Sliggoo's attacks, and has the added bonus of nailing Rhydon, Charizard, Magmortar, and Pyroar. Thunderbolt hits bulky Water-types, most notably Mantine and Pelipper as well as Prinplup, Samurott, and Poliwrath. Dragon Pulse can be used as a more reliable, albeit weaker, STAB attack that doesn't come with the downside of dropping Sliggoo's Special Attack. Rest can be used to bring Sliggoo back to full HP, which is especially helpful if it still needs to be healthy to pivot into Grass-types and other special attackers. Just note that during the two turns Sliggoo is asleep, it will remain completely passive.
Set Details
========
The given Speed EVs let Sliggoo outspeed Jolly Rhydon and below, while maximum Special Attack EVs plus a Modest nature let it hit as hard as possible. The remaining EVs go into HP to provide complementary bulk. Eviolite is used to give Sliggoo a significant increase to both of its defensive stats, letting it switch into Pokemon such as Magmortar and Sceptile much more comfortably. Sap Sipper gives Sliggoo an immunity to Grass-type attacks, notably making it immune to Sleep Powder.
Usage Tips
========
Use Sliggoo's set of resistances and ability to pivot into special attackers such as Sceptile, Lilligant, Magmortar, and Rotom. Don't bring Sliggoo in haphazardly, however, as it has no means of restoring damage taken outside of Rest. Thanks to Sap Sipper, Sliggoo also acts a great sleep absorber, and alongside its high special bulk with Eviolite, it switches into the likes of Vivillon and Lilligant with ease. Once brought in, it's generally best to use Draco Meteor if the opponent has no Dragon-resistant Pokemon on their team. Be careful when using the move, however, as the Special Attack drop can leave Sliggoo setup bait for Pokemon such as Klinklang. Respond to Dragon-resistant Pokemon such as Steelix or Klinklang by hitting them with Muddy Water, which 2HKOes the former and keeps the latter from freely setting up Substitute. Stay away from powerful physical attackers, especially those with Knock Off, as most of them are able to heavily damage Sliggoo to the point where it can no longer reliably switch in on the Pokemon it's supposed to check.
Team Options
========
This set is more suited for balanced and bulky offensive teams because it's played more aggressively and does not forfeit offensive momentum. Magmortar works well with Sliggoo, as it's able to switch into Ice-types that threaten to heavily damage Sliggoo, such as Aurorus and Jynx, while Sliggoo pivots into the likes of Life Orb Samurott, Ludicolo, and Floatzel. Steelix switches in on Mega Audino and Musharna, both of which can use Sliggoo to freely set up Calm Mind, while Sliggoo is able to switch on Fire- and Water-type attacks aimed at Steelix. Klinklang functions in a similar manner, though it loses to Barrier variants of Musharna and finds itself struggling to set up Shift Gear against Audino carrying Fire Blast. Weezing and defensive Mesprit both are capable of switching in on Fighting-types that threaten Sliggoo, with the former also being able to switch in on and shut down the likes of Mega Audino and Clefairy, while the latter is capable of bringing Sliggoo back to full health with Healing Wish. Kabutops and Samurott both appreciate Sliggoo's ability to pivot into and weaken faster Grass-types that can otherwise stop their sweep such as Sceptile and Lilligant. Rhydon appreciates Sliggoo's ability to switch into Grass- and Water-type attacks, while in return, Rhydon can use Musharna and non-Surf variants of Audino to set up either Rock Polish or Swords Dance. Mega Audino pairs well with Sliggoo, as it absorbs Knock Off and can restore Sliggoo's HP by passing a Wish to it, fixing the set's issue with being worn down.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Rock Slide can be used to deal a great amount of damage to Charizard, which can prove very helpful for taking on bulkier variants that are able to take Muddy Water. RestTalk with two attacks is also an option that lets Sliggoo immediately threaten a Pokemon such as Charizard with Rock Slide, but doing so foregoes Curse, diminishing its main niche and making it a shaky check to Swords Dance Sceptile. Toxic can be used to cripple Musharna and non-Heal Bell Mega Audino, but it serves little use outside of that. Hidden Power Fire can be used on offensive sets to target Ferroseed in particular. Protect can used on the offensive set to scout the next move of a Choice item user such as Sawk or Rotom.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fairy-types**: Mega Audino and Clefairy both wall Sliggoo's Curse set by virtue of their typing making them immune to Outrage and take a pittance from Sludge Bomb from offensive variants thanks to their massive special bulk. Both can use Sliggoo to freely set up Calm Mind or support their own team by using Heal Bell and spreading status.
**Ice-types**: Ice-types such as Aurorus, Abomasnow, and Jynx can easily pierce through Sliggoo's high Special Defense thanks to their respective STAB attacks, though all of them do not appreciate switching into Draco Meteor or a boosted Outrage.
**Eviolite Removal**: Knock Off users such as Sawk, Hariyama, and Gurdurr are all able to remove Sliggoo's Eviolite, making it much more vulnerable to attacks that it'd normally have little issue taking such as Ice Beam from Life Orb Samurott and Hidden Power Ice from Sceptile. Trick works even better in this regard because Sliggoo loathes being locked into a move, neutralizing its Curse set in particular.
**Taunt Users**: Taunt from the likes of Mismagius, Skuntank, and Sawk stops Curse Sliggoo cold, as it cannot restore lost HP with Rest or set up with Curse and can only lock itself into Outrage, which is easily taken advantage of.
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