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http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/slowpoke
hyu looked at the set and qc-ish type stuff last
fuzznip last told me about this analysis' ~flow~ issues
__________________________________________
[Overview]
<p>Thanks in-part to its Defense, Own Tempo, and reliable recovery in Slack Off, Slowpoke has found itself a niche as the premier Machop counter in the game, and, with that, Slowpoke also functions as an effective tank. Slowpoke's main advantage as a Fighting-type counter over Ghost-types is that they do not boast reliable recovery moves. It also carries options to support the team as a whole, most notably Thunder Wave and Trick Room. With its poor Speed and the lack of viable Pokemon who can set up Trick Room, Slowpoke proves vital for the setup of the field effect. Unfortunately, with the advantages its Speed brings, it is also one of its biggest disadvantages in considering bulky Water-types for your team. Also degrading from its effectiveness, it is incredibly slow and has a typing that can be easily taken advantage of by some of the biggest threats in Little Cup.</p>
[SET]
name: Physical Tank
move 1: Aqua Tail
move 2: Zen Headbutt
move 3: Slack Off
move 4: Thunder Wave / Protect
item: Oran Berry
ability: Own Tempo
nature: Adamant
evs: 36 HP / 156 Atk / 236 Def / 36 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This is your basic bread and butter Slowpoke set, and it is used by abusing its solid Defense to switch into any Pokemon it isn't threatened by. Slowpoke is able to take out specific threats, most notably Machop, while also being able to support the team with paralysis, or heal itself with Slack Off. With the abundance of Fighting-types being used, Slowpoke shouldn’t have a problem finding its way into most battles.</p>
<p>Aqua Tail acts as Slowpoke’s main STAB and deals solid damage to threats, such as Gligar and Aron, while also providing solid coverage on its own. Zen Headbutt provides great coverage with Aqua Tail, and serves as another important move for this set’s success by denting the common Choiced Fighting-types for super effective damage. Slack Off provides safe, reliable recovery for when your Oran Berry is finally disposed of. The choice between supporting team and yourself is up to personal preference. Thunder Wave cripples the opponent's switch-in and provides support to slower sweepers on your team; however, Protect is a valuable option for its ability to scout the opponent's team and a switch-in's attacks.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Though it does its job very well, Slowpoke can be easily stopped by a Pokemon who can take advantage of its abysmal Speed. If Houndour does not come in on Aqua Tail or Thunder Wave, it can easily outspeed Slowpoke and OHKO it with Stealth Rock support. Elekid can abuse the highest Speed in LC to quickly hit Slowpoke with a super effective Thunderbolt or ThunderPunch for a quick KO. To combat these two, a Scarfed Gligar is recommended to take care of these threats. Snover also causes problems for Slowpoke, though Bronzor and Munchlax can deal with it. Bronzor itself is a Pokemon Slowpoke has trouble dealing with, as it can easily set up anything it wants on Slowpoke without taking much damage. In order to deal with this, a Fire-type can take advantage of Bronzor's Steel-typing for a quick take down.</p>
[SET]
name: Trick Room
move 1: Zen Headbutt
move 2: Aqua Tail
move 3: Slack Off
move 4: Trick Room
item: Oran Berry
ability: Own Tempo
nature: Relaxed
evs: 196 HP / 236 Def /36 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With its ability to force switches and its decent bulk, Slowpoke can become a reliable user of Trick Room. The main goal of this set is to create opportunities for your teammates to sweep under Trick Room. However, Trick room has its advantages for Slowpoke as well by remedying one of Slowpoke’s greatest weaknesses: its low Speed. In order to maximize your opportunities to set up and increase Slowpoke's survivability, Slack Off provides reliable recovery.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Trick Room Slowpoke allows a large variety of other Pokemon the chance to wreak havoc on the opponent for four turns. On the physical side, Cranidos comes to mind with its sky high Attack, though it is quite frail and weak to four priority attacks. With its Thick Club, Cubone is able to throw strong Earthquakes at its opponents and provides a bit more bulk than Cranidos. Porygon is a great candidate for Trick Room, as it cannot only hit from the special side with a powerful STAB Tri Attack, but it can also go mixed using Return. Krabby makes a good candidate thanks to its powerful Crabhammer and ability to boost its Attack with Swords Dance. Finally, due to its excellent Attack stat and coverage, Munchlax outspeeds the entire metagame under Trick Room, and as such, can cause massive damage.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Though generally a support Pokemon, Slowpoke is able to do its own job better with some help from its teammates. Stealth Rock can help since, by chipping at the opponent's switch-in, Slowpoke can hit harder and take care of would be checks. Though it also chips at Slowpoke's health, sandstorm is quite beneficial due to Slack Off's ability to negate the damage.</p>
<p>Thanks to Slowpoke’s bulk, the prevalence of Fighting-types, and its ability to support the team as a whole, it is able to fit on many teams. It generally appreciates teammates who can take Dark-, Ghost- and Electric-type attacks for it. Munchlax, with its impressive bulk, can help Slowpoke in taking special attacks. Munchlax also provides help for Slowpoke in its immunity to Ghost-type attacks. With that immunity and Pursuit, the two make good partners for each other. In a similar vein, Magnemite can be helpful for Slowpoke with its decent bulk and its ability to shrug off Electric attacks.</p>
<p>In addition, with its role as a check to Fighting-types, Slowpoke makes a great teammate for any Pokemon who relies on them being gone from battle in order to sweep. A good example of this is Houndour, who cannot take any STAB from the likes of Machop and Mankey, while being a huge threat in its own. As previously mentioned, a large variety of Pokemon enjoy the benefits of Trick Room to gain the power to sweep efficiently.<p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>Unfortunately, Slowpoke does not have many other moves that are viable. It learns Yawn, which can be used with Slack Off or Thunder Wave to support its team. However, this is much less effective than the other move choices and gives it a case of the tragic “four moveslot syndrome.” Slowpoke can also utilize a Choice Band, though it is extremely easy to take advantage of this set due to its low Speed.</p>
<p>Even though it has a weaker Special Attack, Slowpoke can make the change from physical to special without too many issues with Surf and Psychic as your attacking options. The benefit of doing this is simple; Slowpoke is much more reliable hitting from the special side. This reliability allows Slowpoke to be more solid in doing its job. Also, by hitting from the special side, Slowpoke is more able to take out Krabby and Gligar due to their lower Special Defense stats. Unfortunately, Slowpoke's Special Attack is a full three points lower than its Attack, meaning that it lacks the same punch as its physical moves have. Ultimately, it comes down to personal preference when you chose what side to attack from. If you choose to attack specially, an EV spread of 36 HP / 236 Def / 196 SpA / 36 SpD and a Modest nature is the best choice for the Physical Tank, while the Trick Room set's EVs may stay the same.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Though one of Slowpoke’s greatest assets, its Speed is one of its greatest problems. This Speed allows Slowpoke to be outsped by nearly the entire Little Cup metagame, making it extremely easy to revenge kill and take advantage of it. Any Ghost can take advantage of Slowpoke's typing in order to hit it with a super effective Shadow Ball, and in the case of Duskull, cripple it with Will-O-Wisp. Elekid can abuse its Electric-typing to rid of Slowpoke with any of its STABs. Houndour can use either Crunch or Dark Pulse to OHKO Slowpoke while outspeeding it. Carvanha is a large problem for Slowpoke, as it not only resists its Water-typed STABs, but it is immune to Zen Headbutt. Paras can switch in on any Aqua Tail and with its ability, Dry Skin, use Spore or X-Scissor on the helpless Pokemon. Bronzor doesn’t mind paralysis and can shrug off Slowpoke's attacks with ease. If Slowpoke is without Thunder Wave, Krabby poses a huge threat to Slowpoke and your entire team by easily being able to set up Swords Dance and Agility.</p>
hyu looked at the set and qc-ish type stuff last
fuzznip last told me about this analysis' ~flow~ issues
__________________________________________
[Overview]
<p>Thanks in-part to its Defense, Own Tempo, and reliable recovery in Slack Off, Slowpoke has found itself a niche as the premier Machop counter in the game, and, with that, Slowpoke also functions as an effective tank. Slowpoke's main advantage as a Fighting-type counter over Ghost-types is that they do not boast reliable recovery moves. It also carries options to support the team as a whole, most notably Thunder Wave and Trick Room. With its poor Speed and the lack of viable Pokemon who can set up Trick Room, Slowpoke proves vital for the setup of the field effect. Unfortunately, with the advantages its Speed brings, it is also one of its biggest disadvantages in considering bulky Water-types for your team. Also degrading from its effectiveness, it is incredibly slow and has a typing that can be easily taken advantage of by some of the biggest threats in Little Cup.</p>
[SET]
name: Physical Tank
move 1: Aqua Tail
move 2: Zen Headbutt
move 3: Slack Off
move 4: Thunder Wave / Protect
item: Oran Berry
ability: Own Tempo
nature: Adamant
evs: 36 HP / 156 Atk / 236 Def / 36 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This is your basic bread and butter Slowpoke set, and it is used by abusing its solid Defense to switch into any Pokemon it isn't threatened by. Slowpoke is able to take out specific threats, most notably Machop, while also being able to support the team with paralysis, or heal itself with Slack Off. With the abundance of Fighting-types being used, Slowpoke shouldn’t have a problem finding its way into most battles.</p>
<p>Aqua Tail acts as Slowpoke’s main STAB and deals solid damage to threats, such as Gligar and Aron, while also providing solid coverage on its own. Zen Headbutt provides great coverage with Aqua Tail, and serves as another important move for this set’s success by denting the common Choiced Fighting-types for super effective damage. Slack Off provides safe, reliable recovery for when your Oran Berry is finally disposed of. The choice between supporting team and yourself is up to personal preference. Thunder Wave cripples the opponent's switch-in and provides support to slower sweepers on your team; however, Protect is a valuable option for its ability to scout the opponent's team and a switch-in's attacks.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Though it does its job very well, Slowpoke can be easily stopped by a Pokemon who can take advantage of its abysmal Speed. If Houndour does not come in on Aqua Tail or Thunder Wave, it can easily outspeed Slowpoke and OHKO it with Stealth Rock support. Elekid can abuse the highest Speed in LC to quickly hit Slowpoke with a super effective Thunderbolt or ThunderPunch for a quick KO. To combat these two, a Scarfed Gligar is recommended to take care of these threats. Snover also causes problems for Slowpoke, though Bronzor and Munchlax can deal with it. Bronzor itself is a Pokemon Slowpoke has trouble dealing with, as it can easily set up anything it wants on Slowpoke without taking much damage. In order to deal with this, a Fire-type can take advantage of Bronzor's Steel-typing for a quick take down.</p>
[SET]
name: Trick Room
move 1: Zen Headbutt
move 2: Aqua Tail
move 3: Slack Off
move 4: Trick Room
item: Oran Berry
ability: Own Tempo
nature: Relaxed
evs: 196 HP / 236 Def /36 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With its ability to force switches and its decent bulk, Slowpoke can become a reliable user of Trick Room. The main goal of this set is to create opportunities for your teammates to sweep under Trick Room. However, Trick room has its advantages for Slowpoke as well by remedying one of Slowpoke’s greatest weaknesses: its low Speed. In order to maximize your opportunities to set up and increase Slowpoke's survivability, Slack Off provides reliable recovery.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Trick Room Slowpoke allows a large variety of other Pokemon the chance to wreak havoc on the opponent for four turns. On the physical side, Cranidos comes to mind with its sky high Attack, though it is quite frail and weak to four priority attacks. With its Thick Club, Cubone is able to throw strong Earthquakes at its opponents and provides a bit more bulk than Cranidos. Porygon is a great candidate for Trick Room, as it cannot only hit from the special side with a powerful STAB Tri Attack, but it can also go mixed using Return. Krabby makes a good candidate thanks to its powerful Crabhammer and ability to boost its Attack with Swords Dance. Finally, due to its excellent Attack stat and coverage, Munchlax outspeeds the entire metagame under Trick Room, and as such, can cause massive damage.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Though generally a support Pokemon, Slowpoke is able to do its own job better with some help from its teammates. Stealth Rock can help since, by chipping at the opponent's switch-in, Slowpoke can hit harder and take care of would be checks. Though it also chips at Slowpoke's health, sandstorm is quite beneficial due to Slack Off's ability to negate the damage.</p>
<p>Thanks to Slowpoke’s bulk, the prevalence of Fighting-types, and its ability to support the team as a whole, it is able to fit on many teams. It generally appreciates teammates who can take Dark-, Ghost- and Electric-type attacks for it. Munchlax, with its impressive bulk, can help Slowpoke in taking special attacks. Munchlax also provides help for Slowpoke in its immunity to Ghost-type attacks. With that immunity and Pursuit, the two make good partners for each other. In a similar vein, Magnemite can be helpful for Slowpoke with its decent bulk and its ability to shrug off Electric attacks.</p>
<p>In addition, with its role as a check to Fighting-types, Slowpoke makes a great teammate for any Pokemon who relies on them being gone from battle in order to sweep. A good example of this is Houndour, who cannot take any STAB from the likes of Machop and Mankey, while being a huge threat in its own. As previously mentioned, a large variety of Pokemon enjoy the benefits of Trick Room to gain the power to sweep efficiently.<p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>Unfortunately, Slowpoke does not have many other moves that are viable. It learns Yawn, which can be used with Slack Off or Thunder Wave to support its team. However, this is much less effective than the other move choices and gives it a case of the tragic “four moveslot syndrome.” Slowpoke can also utilize a Choice Band, though it is extremely easy to take advantage of this set due to its low Speed.</p>
<p>Even though it has a weaker Special Attack, Slowpoke can make the change from physical to special without too many issues with Surf and Psychic as your attacking options. The benefit of doing this is simple; Slowpoke is much more reliable hitting from the special side. This reliability allows Slowpoke to be more solid in doing its job. Also, by hitting from the special side, Slowpoke is more able to take out Krabby and Gligar due to their lower Special Defense stats. Unfortunately, Slowpoke's Special Attack is a full three points lower than its Attack, meaning that it lacks the same punch as its physical moves have. Ultimately, it comes down to personal preference when you chose what side to attack from. If you choose to attack specially, an EV spread of 36 HP / 236 Def / 196 SpA / 36 SpD and a Modest nature is the best choice for the Physical Tank, while the Trick Room set's EVs may stay the same.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Though one of Slowpoke’s greatest assets, its Speed is one of its greatest problems. This Speed allows Slowpoke to be outsped by nearly the entire Little Cup metagame, making it extremely easy to revenge kill and take advantage of it. Any Ghost can take advantage of Slowpoke's typing in order to hit it with a super effective Shadow Ball, and in the case of Duskull, cripple it with Will-O-Wisp. Elekid can abuse its Electric-typing to rid of Slowpoke with any of its STABs. Houndour can use either Crunch or Dark Pulse to OHKO Slowpoke while outspeeding it. Carvanha is a large problem for Slowpoke, as it not only resists its Water-typed STABs, but it is immune to Zen Headbutt. Paras can switch in on any Aqua Tail and with its ability, Dry Skin, use Spore or X-Scissor on the helpless Pokemon. Bronzor doesn’t mind paralysis and can shrug off Slowpoke's attacks with ease. If Slowpoke is without Thunder Wave, Krabby poses a huge threat to Slowpoke and your entire team by easily being able to set up Swords Dance and Agility.</p>
