[OVERVIEW]
With its impressive stats, versatile movepool, good typing, and notable ability, Piloswine cements itself as one of the premier staples of the metagame. All these traits allow it to function as an excellent wallbreaker, entry hazard setter, revenge killer, and Thunder Wave absorber. As a hazard setter, being unsusceptible to Taunt owing to its ability is a major plus point. While Eviolite provides bulk and flexibility, Choice Band enables Piloswine to capitalize on its unresisted STAB combination to dismantle opposing teams. However, despite its strength and bulk, it lacks longevity due to the absence of non-Rest recovery moves and faces competition from other Stealth Rock setters like Tinkatuff and Dunsparce, which have relatively better longevity, better matchup against the tier's premier hazard removal option in Quaxwell, and greater overall utility.
[SET]
Offensive Stealth Rock (Piloswine) @ Eviolite
Ability: Oblivious
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- High Horsepower / Earthquake
- Icicle Crash
- Ice Shard
[SET COMMENTS]
Piloswine's strong matchups against the tier's other dominant entry hazard setters, such as Tinkatuff and Koffing, and the tier's premier Defogger, Vullaby, allow it to excel as a highly effective Stealth Rock setter. As a wallbreaker, its unresisted STAB combination is extremely threatening to unprepared teams and those that have been weakened by Knock Off, hazards, or other residual damage. High Horsepower allows Piloswine to work effectively even in Grassy Terrain, but Earthquake is also a viable alternative due to its extra power and accuracy. Ice Shard allows Piloswine to pick off weakened threats like Girafarig and Fraxure.
Piloswine is a strong fit for most archetypes, and it's especially effective on bulky offense and balance teams. Misdreavus is a stellar teammate for Piloswine; its spinblocking ability, which allows it to handle Quaxwell, complements Piloswine's Stealth Rock setting perfectly. In addition, Misdreavus can spread status to support Piloswine's wallbreaking or work in tandem with it to dismantle the opposing team through setup and cleaning. Frogadier is also a superb partner, forming an entry hazard-stacking core with Piloswine; moreover, it provides pivoting support to Piloswine, creating valuable entry opportunities. In a similar vein, Koffing sets Toxic Spikes to maximize hazard pressure; it also acts as a great switch-in to many foes that Piloswine is weak to, handling Grass-types like Thwackey and Servine and absorbing Fighting-type moves from threats like Raboot, Monferno, and Pignite. In general, wallbreakers and cleaners appreciate Piloswine's Stealth Rock support and offensive pressure; Thwackey, Girafarig, Fraxure, and Raboot synergize extremely well with Piloswine, working hand in hand with it to dismantle defensive cores, which may include Pokemon like Dunsparce, Ivysaur, Quaxwell, and Koffing. Thwackey, in particular, is an excellent teammate for Piloswine, dealing with pesky Water-types that check Piloswine, namely Quaxwell, Wartortle, and Frogadier. Thwackey also offers invaluable Knock Off, pivoting, and passive recovery support, bolstering Piloswine's wallbreaking prowess and longevity. In return, Piloswine deals with foes that can prove to be problematic for Thwackey, such as Koffing, Vullaby, and Tinkatuff. Piloswine appreciates Knock Off support a ton; thus, Knock Off users such as Monferno, Pignite, and Vigoroth make amazing teammates, pairing nicely with Piloswine and amplifying its offensive pressure, even allowing it to reach thresholds like 2HKOing maximum Defense Quaxwell that has lost its Eviolite with minimum chip damage. Piloswine is vulnerable to Misdreavus, particularly Will-O-Wisp variants, so Normal-types such as Dunsparce as well as the aforementioned Vigoroth, Monferno, and Pignite are exemplary partners. Defensively, Quaxwell is a remarkable teammate, providing Rapid Spin support to ensure Piloswine's side of the field is free of hazards, thus maximizing hazard pressure on the opposing team. Quaxwell also acts as a switch-in to multiple Pokemon that Piloswine can struggle against, especially if it's chipped or if its Eviolite has been removed by Knock Off, such as Frogadier, Pignite, Monferno, and Raboot; in exchange, Piloswine can deal with foes that Quaxwell is weak to, like Drakloak, Fraxure, and Girafarig. Wartortle is also a good teammate in this regard, though it has less longevity, which is a fair trade for the added offensive pressure. Ivysaur defensively takes care of Grass- and Water-types like Thwackey and Quaxwell for Piloswine, while Piloswine takes care of threats like Girafarig and Tinkatuff.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/zastra.558636/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/5dots.543866/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sleid.601970/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/adorluigi.528364/
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Trailblaze over Ice Shard or Stealth Rock with more Speed EVs is an option for Piloswine. For instance, it outspeeds Frogadier at +2 with 104 Speed EVs. Trailblaze transforms Piloswine into a good late-game cleaner, potentially bypassing checks like Thwackey at low HP and finishing off foes like Misdreavus. This alternative also helps it in winning mirror matchups. However, if you drop Stealth Rock, it's advisable to run another setter like Tinkatuff, or if you drop Ice Shard, consider other revenge killers like Thwackey and Choice Scarf Frogadier. Similarly, Curse is an option over Stealth Rock, making Piloswine a dangerous late-game cleaner and enabling it to beat its former checks such as Thwackey and Raboot.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Water-types**: Quaxwell can switch into any move from Piloswine and use Rapid Spin to remove Stealth Rock. It can do so multiple times thanks to Roost and threatens Piloswine out with its STAB moves. Other Water-types like Wartortle and Frogadier can check Piloswine with their STAB attacks too. Wartortle also has Rapid Spin to remove Stealth Rock and is bulky enough to switch into Piloswine once or twice; Frogadier is relatively frailer but stronger.
**Misdreavus**: Misdreavus is immune to Piloswine's Ground-type moves, can take its Ice-type moves thanks to its bulk, and has Pain Split for longevity. Will-O-Wisp renders Piloswine ineffective.
**Wallbreakers and Revenge Killers**: Thwackey can check Piloswine, but it usually needs support to get Piloswine weakened to Grassy Glide range, generally with Knock Off, strong super effective moves, or pivoting moves, as it would rather not risk Wood Hammer. Raboot, Monferno, and Pignite heavily damage Piloswine with their Fighting-type moves. Pokemon such as Choice Specs Girafarig, Servine, and Pawniard do a decent job in picking Piloswine off.
**Normal-types**: Dunsparce and Vigoroth are physically bulky enough to easily take all of Piloswine's STAB moves. Dunsparce cripples Piloswine with Toxic, while Vigoroth can turn Piloswine into setup fodder or use its utility and STAB moves to hinder Piloswine.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/zastra.558636/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/5dots.543866/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sleid.601970/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/adorluigi.528364/
With its impressive stats, versatile movepool, good typing, and notable ability, Piloswine cements itself as one of the premier staples of the metagame. All these traits allow it to function as an excellent wallbreaker, entry hazard setter, revenge killer, and Thunder Wave absorber. As a hazard setter, being unsusceptible to Taunt owing to its ability is a major plus point. While Eviolite provides bulk and flexibility, Choice Band enables Piloswine to capitalize on its unresisted STAB combination to dismantle opposing teams. However, despite its strength and bulk, it lacks longevity due to the absence of non-Rest recovery moves and faces competition from other Stealth Rock setters like Tinkatuff and Dunsparce, which have relatively better longevity, better matchup against the tier's premier hazard removal option in Quaxwell, and greater overall utility.
[SET]
Offensive Stealth Rock (Piloswine) @ Eviolite
Ability: Oblivious
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- High Horsepower / Earthquake
- Icicle Crash
- Ice Shard
[SET COMMENTS]
Piloswine's strong matchups against the tier's other dominant entry hazard setters, such as Tinkatuff and Koffing, and the tier's premier Defogger, Vullaby, allow it to excel as a highly effective Stealth Rock setter. As a wallbreaker, its unresisted STAB combination is extremely threatening to unprepared teams and those that have been weakened by Knock Off, hazards, or other residual damage. High Horsepower allows Piloswine to work effectively even in Grassy Terrain, but Earthquake is also a viable alternative due to its extra power and accuracy. Ice Shard allows Piloswine to pick off weakened threats like Girafarig and Fraxure.
Piloswine is a strong fit for most archetypes, and it's especially effective on bulky offense and balance teams. Misdreavus is a stellar teammate for Piloswine; its spinblocking ability, which allows it to handle Quaxwell, complements Piloswine's Stealth Rock setting perfectly. In addition, Misdreavus can spread status to support Piloswine's wallbreaking or work in tandem with it to dismantle the opposing team through setup and cleaning. Frogadier is also a superb partner, forming an entry hazard-stacking core with Piloswine; moreover, it provides pivoting support to Piloswine, creating valuable entry opportunities. In a similar vein, Koffing sets Toxic Spikes to maximize hazard pressure; it also acts as a great switch-in to many foes that Piloswine is weak to, handling Grass-types like Thwackey and Servine and absorbing Fighting-type moves from threats like Raboot, Monferno, and Pignite. In general, wallbreakers and cleaners appreciate Piloswine's Stealth Rock support and offensive pressure; Thwackey, Girafarig, Fraxure, and Raboot synergize extremely well with Piloswine, working hand in hand with it to dismantle defensive cores, which may include Pokemon like Dunsparce, Ivysaur, Quaxwell, and Koffing. Thwackey, in particular, is an excellent teammate for Piloswine, dealing with pesky Water-types that check Piloswine, namely Quaxwell, Wartortle, and Frogadier. Thwackey also offers invaluable Knock Off, pivoting, and passive recovery support, bolstering Piloswine's wallbreaking prowess and longevity. In return, Piloswine deals with foes that can prove to be problematic for Thwackey, such as Koffing, Vullaby, and Tinkatuff. Piloswine appreciates Knock Off support a ton; thus, Knock Off users such as Monferno, Pignite, and Vigoroth make amazing teammates, pairing nicely with Piloswine and amplifying its offensive pressure, even allowing it to reach thresholds like 2HKOing maximum Defense Quaxwell that has lost its Eviolite with minimum chip damage. Piloswine is vulnerable to Misdreavus, particularly Will-O-Wisp variants, so Normal-types such as Dunsparce as well as the aforementioned Vigoroth, Monferno, and Pignite are exemplary partners. Defensively, Quaxwell is a remarkable teammate, providing Rapid Spin support to ensure Piloswine's side of the field is free of hazards, thus maximizing hazard pressure on the opposing team. Quaxwell also acts as a switch-in to multiple Pokemon that Piloswine can struggle against, especially if it's chipped or if its Eviolite has been removed by Knock Off, such as Frogadier, Pignite, Monferno, and Raboot; in exchange, Piloswine can deal with foes that Quaxwell is weak to, like Drakloak, Fraxure, and Girafarig. Wartortle is also a good teammate in this regard, though it has less longevity, which is a fair trade for the added offensive pressure. Ivysaur defensively takes care of Grass- and Water-types like Thwackey and Quaxwell for Piloswine, while Piloswine takes care of threats like Girafarig and Tinkatuff.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/zastra.558636/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/5dots.543866/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sleid.601970/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/adorluigi.528364/
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Trailblaze over Ice Shard or Stealth Rock with more Speed EVs is an option for Piloswine. For instance, it outspeeds Frogadier at +2 with 104 Speed EVs. Trailblaze transforms Piloswine into a good late-game cleaner, potentially bypassing checks like Thwackey at low HP and finishing off foes like Misdreavus. This alternative also helps it in winning mirror matchups. However, if you drop Stealth Rock, it's advisable to run another setter like Tinkatuff, or if you drop Ice Shard, consider other revenge killers like Thwackey and Choice Scarf Frogadier. Similarly, Curse is an option over Stealth Rock, making Piloswine a dangerous late-game cleaner and enabling it to beat its former checks such as Thwackey and Raboot.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Water-types**: Quaxwell can switch into any move from Piloswine and use Rapid Spin to remove Stealth Rock. It can do so multiple times thanks to Roost and threatens Piloswine out with its STAB moves. Other Water-types like Wartortle and Frogadier can check Piloswine with their STAB attacks too. Wartortle also has Rapid Spin to remove Stealth Rock and is bulky enough to switch into Piloswine once or twice; Frogadier is relatively frailer but stronger.
**Misdreavus**: Misdreavus is immune to Piloswine's Ground-type moves, can take its Ice-type moves thanks to its bulk, and has Pain Split for longevity. Will-O-Wisp renders Piloswine ineffective.
**Wallbreakers and Revenge Killers**: Thwackey can check Piloswine, but it usually needs support to get Piloswine weakened to Grassy Glide range, generally with Knock Off, strong super effective moves, or pivoting moves, as it would rather not risk Wood Hammer. Raboot, Monferno, and Pignite heavily damage Piloswine with their Fighting-type moves. Pokemon such as Choice Specs Girafarig, Servine, and Pawniard do a decent job in picking Piloswine off.
**Normal-types**: Dunsparce and Vigoroth are physically bulky enough to easily take all of Piloswine's STAB moves. Dunsparce cripples Piloswine with Toxic, while Vigoroth can turn Piloswine into setup fodder or use its utility and STAB moves to hinder Piloswine.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/zastra.558636/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/5dots.543866/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sleid.601970/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/adorluigi.528364/
Last edited:
