Taking over from ninjax to implement the QC 2/2. Ninjax remains the author.
[OVERVIEW]
Suicune's viability in ADV OU comes from its status as a bulky Water-type with Calm Mind, allowing it to check some of the tier's most dangerous physical threats while providing an offensive presence that other bulky Water-types lack. Defensively, Suicune's defenses outstrip Milotic's and Swampert's, giving it the heft to shrug off physical heavy hits and surprise special attacks from the tier's primary threats, Tyranitar, Salamence, and Metagross. Rest further bolsters its defensive prowess and boosting potential by giving it total recovery, making it much harder to stop. Combine that with Pressure, and Suicune's ability to PP stall special walls makes it a ticking time bomb. Offensively, Suicune's Calm Mind and natural bulk allow it to both dish out tons of damage and act as an emergency check to physical threats. Its offensive prowess is bolstered by its ability to run a variety of moves to work past potential counters, such as Ice Beam, Hidden Power Grass, Substitute, Roar, and Toxic. Suicune's versatility lies not only in its moves but also in its EVs, where modifications change the way Suicune is played altogether; RestTalk Suicune with offensive EVs becomes a potent early-game wallbreaker unlike defensive Rest Suicune's typical use as a late-game sweeper, while offensive Substitute sets with maximum HP are able to completely turn the tides against Blissey.
Suicune's most pressing flaw is its grounded status and pure Water typing, which render it vulnerable to Spikes and sand damage. Suicune's lack of recovery outside of Rest is also an issue—Suicune lacking Rest will be even more vulnerable to being worn down and will struggle to push through special walls like Blissey, but with Rest comes the danger that Suicune will be used as setup fodder by Spikes users and other sweepers while asleep. Suicune struggles to set up and sweep against teams containing an Electric-type or Celebi, the former of which threaten it with powerful STAB moves, while the latter resists its primary attack in Surf and can beat it with Leech Seed, Calm Mind, or the rare Perish Song to deny it safe setup and guarantee its KO if it's the last Pokemon standing. Suicune is also vulnerable to attackers wielding Self-Destruct or Explosion such as Metagross, Snorlax, Cloyster, and Gengar, which can KO it outright or weaken it to the point of uselessness. Suicune's lack of a resistance to Rock like Swampert or a recovery move without drawbacks like Milotic renders it vulnerable to being taken down by flinches in late-game scenarios against Dragon Dance Tyranitar and Choice Band Aerodactyl.
[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Surf
move 3: Rest
move 4: Roar / Ice Beam / Sleep Talk
item: Leftovers
ability: Pressure
nature: Bold
evs: 240 HP / 252 Def / 16 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Calm Mind, Surf, and Rest maximize Suicune's longevity and ability to sweep against virtually any sort of opposition.
The last move is mostly a matter of what the team needs. Roar is the preferred option to phaze other setup sweepers such as Suicune, Curse Snorlax, and Dragon Dance Salamence, and it tends to provide the best general utility by complementing Spikes or covering for a weak defensive backbone. Ice beam nails Salamence and Grass-types that resist Surf as well as hitting Zapdos super effectively. Sleep Talk counteracts one of Rest's primary detriments by allowing Suicune to move while sleeping, which helps to exploit defensive teams that answer Suicune by forcing it to use Rest and then phazing with a Pokemon like Whirlwind Skarmory, which dislikes Surf; it also gives Suicune the potential to hold its ground against Zapdos and Starmie with continuous boosts. Keep in mind that this momentum comes at the cost of Suicune relying entirely on Surf to take out its checks and thus being more exploitable by Water-resistant threats.
The given EV spread maximizes Suicune's ability to take physical hits while outspeeding fully invested base 55 Speed Pokemon, including lesser-seen but dangerous threats like Marowak. The defensive EVs give Suicune 401 HP, ensuring that it survives 4 uses of Seismic Toss in sand and 5 outside of it, which can be important if Blissey tries to fish for full paralysis on a Suicune paralyzed by Thunder Wave. The Defense investment avoids a guaranteed 3HKO from threats like Choice Band Aerodactyl and Choice Band Metagross even in sand. An alternative is to run around 68 Speed EVs to outrun maximum invested neutral Speed Tyranitar as well as slower Pokemon around that range, such as offensive Swampert and Body Slam Jirachi.
As Suicune needs several boosts to become a threat, many teams check it by whittling it down with offensive pressure or walling it, forcing it to use Rest, and phazing it with Spikes up. Thus, this Suicune is generally meant to be played carefully until its impediments are identified and the appropriate lines of play become clear. Blissey and Celebi should be PP stalled to set up an eventual sweep, while offensive counters should be worn down and removed. Using weather-clearing moves to remove sandstorm or spinners to remove Spikes throughout the game is also critical to keep Suicune from accumulating chip damage and being forced to use Rest.
Team Options
========
Suicune has a number of compromising issues that it appreciates teammates' abilities to handle. Spikes are a consistent thorn in Suicune's side, whittling away at it on the switch and making it difficult for it to stand up to physical attackers such as Salamence and Metagross. Claydol's Rapid Spin removes Spikes, while its solid bulk and resistance to Rock allow it to fend off Tyranitar and Aerodactyl. Magneton, on the other hand, can trap Skarmory, limiting the layers of Spikes it can put down and destroying a phazer that can disrupt Suicune's attempts at sweeping, as well as switch into Aerodactyl's Rock Slide and potentially trap Choice Band Metagross. Beyond the Spikes weakness, pairing Rock-resistant Pokemon with Suicune is generally prudent to keep it from being exploited by sand and Rock Slide flinches— Metagross and Jirachi are other such Pokemon. Despite sharing a dislike of Skarmory, Metagross threatens Blissey, Snorlax, and other special walls that switch into Suicune with its powerful Meteor Mash and fends off Tyranitar and Aerodactyl consistently. Jirachi can form a Calm Mind core with Suicune, where they weaken special walls in tandem. Jirachi can also spread paralysis via Body Slam or Thunder and pass Wish to help Suicune's longevity.
As far as mitigating Suicune's weaknesses and counters go, support is generally easy to come by. Suicune's weakness to Electric-types—primarily Zapdos, as well as Jolteon to a lesser degree—can be covered by partnering it with Blissey or Celebi. Like Jirachi, Blissey can run Wish or spread paralysis for Suicune, while Celebi can support Suicune with Leech Seed and Baton Pass. Spikers like Skarmory and Forretress act as backup physical walls, switch into Celebi, and help non-Ice Beam Suicune take advantage of Roar and rack up Spikes damage on its counters. With some chip damage, Dugtrio can trap and remove Celebi, Jirachi, Tyranitar, and Metagross, which Suicune generally appreciates. As an additional support option, Dugtrio can run Sunny Day, threatening to trap Tyranitar and clear its sand to give Suicune free rein. Choice Band Salamence is a strong pivot against physically based threats, and its Intimidate can help ease Suicune's entry or cover its back when weakened. Gengar's disruptive abilities are generally appreciated by Suicune, and its Will-O-Wisp can compromise special walls and open a window for Suicune to go to town.
[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Hydro Pump / Surf
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Roar / Hidden Power Grass / Toxic / Rest
item: Leftovers
ability: Pressure
nature: Modest
evs: 28 HP / 252 SpA / 228 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Offensive Suicune is an omnipresent threat defined by its versatility, having a number of move choices that can ease certain matchups and bypass particular checks while being consistently threatening to standard bulky offense. This set focuses on the variant without Substitute, which is devastating to all but Blissey and Milotic.
Calm Mind gives Suicune a way to push through defensive checks such as Zapdos, Celebi, and Snorlax, . Hydro Pump is the preferred STAB option, as its higher damage is critical in OHKOing uninvested Tyranitar and wearing down Pokemon like Snorlax. One can run Surf if concerned about Hydro Pump's low accuracy and PP, though.
Ice Beam hits Pokemon that resist Water like Celebi and Salamence. While defensive Celebi can theoretically switch into slower Suicune and attempt to hold it off with Leech Seed and Recover, Suicune frequently has the upper hand; the odds of Suicune landing a critical hit or freeze in four turns is about 50%. Ice Beam also gives Suicune a reliable way of hitting Zapdos and knocking out weakened Pokemon.
Roar's primary purpose is to maintain momentum. It prevents other Calm Mind users like Celebi and Jirachi from checking Suicune by boosting alongside it and phazes opposing slower Suicune. This can be important on teams with multiple offensive Calm Mind users that favor momentum over a defensive backbone; these teams can be crushed if the opponent sets up earlier or in a favorable position. Roar also occasionally allows Suicune to rack up Spikes damage, given that offensive Suicune is pretty good at forcing switches against some common Pokemon like Tyranitar, Salamence, and Swampert.
Hidden Power Grass can be used in place of Roar to inflict heavy damage on opposing Suicune before it gets a chance to set up or phaze. It also crushes Swampert and helps Suicune get past Milotic and Vaporeon. It is a good choice when one has Calm Mind checks like Snorlax and other phazers.
Offensive Roar and three-attacks Suicune tend to require support against checks like Blissey and Zapdos. Toxic provides another interesting support alternative, compromising Zapdos and opposing Suicune while either forcing Blissey and Celebi to switch or wearing them down to the point that one-on-one battles are feasible. Toxic is particularly deadly when paired with Dugtrio, which can switch in to pick off the weakened Blissey or Celebi. Rest is an option to shrugs off status that would otherwise put Suicune on a timer and gain longevity against checks like Seismic Toss Blissey, allowing Suicune to boost with impunity and burn through their PP.
Offensive Suicune's EVs vary widely, as there are a number of tradeoffs to be made in Speed, power, and bulk. Relevant Speed benchmarks are 16 EVs for Marowak and some Milotic, 68 EVs for neutral Dragon Dance Tyranitar, offensive Swampert, and Body Slam Jirachi, 152 EVs for all Tyranitar, Adamant Metagross, Modest Magneton, and slower Celebi and Jirachi, and 228 EVs for Jolly Metagross and Breloom, Timid Magneton, Cloyster, and a larger proportion of Celebi and Jirachi, which have a wide variance in Speed. A Timid nature can be used to outspeed Heracross, Modest Moltres, and some Zapdos and Salamence, but this sacrifices a significant amount of Special Attack.
Every EV taken out of Special Attack and HP is a compromise. The yardstick of any Water-type in ADV is its ability to deal with Tyranitar. Even with maximum Special Attack investment, Suicune's Hydro Pump has a slim chance of leaving bulkless Tyranitar standing. To make matters worse, even maximum HP Suicune has a decent chance of getting 2HKOed by Adamant Dragon Dance Tyranitar should it miss Hydro Pump or get flinched by Rock Slide. Considering the complexities of Suicune's interactions, EV spreads for Suicune are extremely subjective. Some helpful concrete benchmarks, however, include 56 HP and 128 HP EVs to survive Aerodactyl's Double-Edge with and without getting KOed by sand and 120 HP EVs to survive Modest Zapdos's Thunderbolt in sand.
Offensive Suicune has potential utility in all phases of the game, depending on the particular variant being used and the matchup. Traditionally, Roar, three-attacks, and Toxic variants shine as leads or early- to mid-game threats, creating immediate pressure against most leads, threatening to punch through shakier checks like Snorlax, Celebi and Skarmory from the get-go, and easily switching out of passive counters like Milotic and Blissey. Suicune switch into offensive threats like Metagross and Tyranitar early-game to wrest back momentum, if its team lacks a sturdier switch-in. However, Suicune can also be used late-game to clean up teams that are weak to offensive Water-types, such as offensive teams that try to use Aerodactyl, Dragon Dance Tyranitar, and Salamence as late-game sweepers.
Team Options
========
This Suicune fits best on offensive teams; it features most prominently in special offense, especially teams with multiple offensive Calm Mind users, namely Celebi, Jirachi, and sometimes Raikou.
Dugtrio synergizes extremely well with Suicune. It is almost always required on Spikesless specially offensive teams for its ability to remove weakened Blissey or, if it runs a specially defensive spread, 2HKO it while surviving Ice Beam in a one-on-one situation. Common methods of weakening Blissey are sacrificing a Calm Mind-boosted Pokemon like Jirachi, Celebi, or the occasional Jynx and luring it with Gengar or Regice and using Explosion. Gengar has the added benefit of being a switch-in to Snorlax, which is often the special tank that threatens specially offensive teams the most; Regice switches into Zapdos and Starmie and can also use Explosion on lured Snorlax. One does not necessarily need to weaken Blissey— even passing multiple Calm Mind boosts from Celebi to Dugtrio so that it is 3HKOed by Blissey's Ice Beam is a possible strategy for removing it. Dugtrio removes weakened Celebi and Jirachi too, which are much easier for Suicune to handle but can still be impediments due to their Leech Seed and status moves. Defensively, Dugtrio serves as a check and revenge killer to Dragon Dance Tyranitar, which is a weakness generated from using offensive Suicune instead of a bulkier Water-type like Swampert.
Suicune does not have to be confined to specially offensive teams. It generally synergizes well with physically offensive Pokemon — Metagross, Snorlax, and Tyranitar all exert massive pressure on special walls that check Suicune. Metagross's Rock resistance helps cover Tyranitar and Aerodactyl, while Snorlax can switch into Zapdos and Jolteon, and Tyranitar's sand helps pressure Blissey, Snorlax, and Celebi. Heracross is another dangerous physical attacker that can switch into Blissey and Celebi and threaten to cleave defensive teams open, aiding Suicune immensely. Pairing Suicune with Spikes is also a viable option— Skarmory can take over switching into Metagross early-game, and Spikes can chip away at Suicune's checks, particularly in conjunction with Roar. Offensive Swampert sets pair extremely well with Suicune in a double Water-type core, as Swampert and Suicune can pressure their shared answers while improving a team's defense against dangerous physical threats. Jirachi provides a Rock-type resistance to back up Suicune against Aerodactyl; defensive sets offer Wish support, while offensive sets can help to overload shared counters. Together with Dugtrio, Suicune and Jirachi provide not only significant offensive potency but also a decent defensive backbone against Aerodactyl and Tyranitar.
[OVERVIEW]
Suicune's viability in ADV OU comes from its status as a bulky Water-type with Calm Mind, allowing it to check some of the tier's most dangerous physical threats while providing an offensive presence that other bulky Water-types lack. Defensively, Suicune's defenses outstrip Milotic's and Swampert's, giving it the heft to shrug off physical heavy hits and surprise special attacks from the tier's primary threats, Tyranitar, Salamence, and Metagross. Rest further bolsters its defensive prowess and boosting potential by giving it total recovery, making it much harder to stop. Combine that with Pressure, and Suicune's ability to PP stall special walls makes it a ticking time bomb. Offensively, Suicune's Calm Mind and natural bulk allow it to both dish out tons of damage and act as an emergency check to physical threats. Its offensive prowess is bolstered by its ability to run a variety of moves to work past potential counters, such as Ice Beam, Hidden Power Grass, Substitute, Roar, and Toxic. Suicune's versatility lies not only in its moves but also in its EVs, where modifications change the way Suicune is played altogether; RestTalk Suicune with offensive EVs becomes a potent early-game wallbreaker unlike defensive Rest Suicune's typical use as a late-game sweeper, while offensive Substitute sets with maximum HP are able to completely turn the tides against Blissey.
Suicune's most pressing flaw is its grounded status and pure Water typing, which render it vulnerable to Spikes and sand damage. Suicune's lack of recovery outside of Rest is also an issue—Suicune lacking Rest will be even more vulnerable to being worn down and will struggle to push through special walls like Blissey, but with Rest comes the danger that Suicune will be used as setup fodder by Spikes users and other sweepers while asleep. Suicune struggles to set up and sweep against teams containing an Electric-type or Celebi, the former of which threaten it with powerful STAB moves, while the latter resists its primary attack in Surf and can beat it with Leech Seed, Calm Mind, or the rare Perish Song to deny it safe setup and guarantee its KO if it's the last Pokemon standing. Suicune is also vulnerable to attackers wielding Self-Destruct or Explosion such as Metagross, Snorlax, Cloyster, and Gengar, which can KO it outright or weaken it to the point of uselessness. Suicune's lack of a resistance to Rock like Swampert or a recovery move without drawbacks like Milotic renders it vulnerable to being taken down by flinches in late-game scenarios against Dragon Dance Tyranitar and Choice Band Aerodactyl.
[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Surf
move 3: Rest
move 4: Roar / Ice Beam / Sleep Talk
item: Leftovers
ability: Pressure
nature: Bold
evs: 240 HP / 252 Def / 16 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Calm Mind, Surf, and Rest maximize Suicune's longevity and ability to sweep against virtually any sort of opposition.
The last move is mostly a matter of what the team needs. Roar is the preferred option to phaze other setup sweepers such as Suicune, Curse Snorlax, and Dragon Dance Salamence, and it tends to provide the best general utility by complementing Spikes or covering for a weak defensive backbone. Ice beam nails Salamence and Grass-types that resist Surf as well as hitting Zapdos super effectively. Sleep Talk counteracts one of Rest's primary detriments by allowing Suicune to move while sleeping, which helps to exploit defensive teams that answer Suicune by forcing it to use Rest and then phazing with a Pokemon like Whirlwind Skarmory, which dislikes Surf; it also gives Suicune the potential to hold its ground against Zapdos and Starmie with continuous boosts. Keep in mind that this momentum comes at the cost of Suicune relying entirely on Surf to take out its checks and thus being more exploitable by Water-resistant threats.
The given EV spread maximizes Suicune's ability to take physical hits while outspeeding fully invested base 55 Speed Pokemon, including lesser-seen but dangerous threats like Marowak. The defensive EVs give Suicune 401 HP, ensuring that it survives 4 uses of Seismic Toss in sand and 5 outside of it, which can be important if Blissey tries to fish for full paralysis on a Suicune paralyzed by Thunder Wave. The Defense investment avoids a guaranteed 3HKO from threats like Choice Band Aerodactyl and Choice Band Metagross even in sand. An alternative is to run around 68 Speed EVs to outrun maximum invested neutral Speed Tyranitar as well as slower Pokemon around that range, such as offensive Swampert and Body Slam Jirachi.
As Suicune needs several boosts to become a threat, many teams check it by whittling it down with offensive pressure or walling it, forcing it to use Rest, and phazing it with Spikes up. Thus, this Suicune is generally meant to be played carefully until its impediments are identified and the appropriate lines of play become clear. Blissey and Celebi should be PP stalled to set up an eventual sweep, while offensive counters should be worn down and removed. Using weather-clearing moves to remove sandstorm or spinners to remove Spikes throughout the game is also critical to keep Suicune from accumulating chip damage and being forced to use Rest.
Team Options
========
Suicune has a number of compromising issues that it appreciates teammates' abilities to handle. Spikes are a consistent thorn in Suicune's side, whittling away at it on the switch and making it difficult for it to stand up to physical attackers such as Salamence and Metagross. Claydol's Rapid Spin removes Spikes, while its solid bulk and resistance to Rock allow it to fend off Tyranitar and Aerodactyl. Magneton, on the other hand, can trap Skarmory, limiting the layers of Spikes it can put down and destroying a phazer that can disrupt Suicune's attempts at sweeping, as well as switch into Aerodactyl's Rock Slide and potentially trap Choice Band Metagross. Beyond the Spikes weakness, pairing Rock-resistant Pokemon with Suicune is generally prudent to keep it from being exploited by sand and Rock Slide flinches— Metagross and Jirachi are other such Pokemon. Despite sharing a dislike of Skarmory, Metagross threatens Blissey, Snorlax, and other special walls that switch into Suicune with its powerful Meteor Mash and fends off Tyranitar and Aerodactyl consistently. Jirachi can form a Calm Mind core with Suicune, where they weaken special walls in tandem. Jirachi can also spread paralysis via Body Slam or Thunder and pass Wish to help Suicune's longevity.
As far as mitigating Suicune's weaknesses and counters go, support is generally easy to come by. Suicune's weakness to Electric-types—primarily Zapdos, as well as Jolteon to a lesser degree—can be covered by partnering it with Blissey or Celebi. Like Jirachi, Blissey can run Wish or spread paralysis for Suicune, while Celebi can support Suicune with Leech Seed and Baton Pass. Spikers like Skarmory and Forretress act as backup physical walls, switch into Celebi, and help non-Ice Beam Suicune take advantage of Roar and rack up Spikes damage on its counters. With some chip damage, Dugtrio can trap and remove Celebi, Jirachi, Tyranitar, and Metagross, which Suicune generally appreciates. As an additional support option, Dugtrio can run Sunny Day, threatening to trap Tyranitar and clear its sand to give Suicune free rein. Choice Band Salamence is a strong pivot against physically based threats, and its Intimidate can help ease Suicune's entry or cover its back when weakened. Gengar's disruptive abilities are generally appreciated by Suicune, and its Will-O-Wisp can compromise special walls and open a window for Suicune to go to town.
[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Hydro Pump / Surf
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Roar / Hidden Power Grass / Toxic / Rest
item: Leftovers
ability: Pressure
nature: Modest
evs: 28 HP / 252 SpA / 228 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Offensive Suicune is an omnipresent threat defined by its versatility, having a number of move choices that can ease certain matchups and bypass particular checks while being consistently threatening to standard bulky offense. This set focuses on the variant without Substitute, which is devastating to all but Blissey and Milotic.
Calm Mind gives Suicune a way to push through defensive checks such as Zapdos, Celebi, and Snorlax, . Hydro Pump is the preferred STAB option, as its higher damage is critical in OHKOing uninvested Tyranitar and wearing down Pokemon like Snorlax. One can run Surf if concerned about Hydro Pump's low accuracy and PP, though.
Ice Beam hits Pokemon that resist Water like Celebi and Salamence. While defensive Celebi can theoretically switch into slower Suicune and attempt to hold it off with Leech Seed and Recover, Suicune frequently has the upper hand; the odds of Suicune landing a critical hit or freeze in four turns is about 50%. Ice Beam also gives Suicune a reliable way of hitting Zapdos and knocking out weakened Pokemon.
Roar's primary purpose is to maintain momentum. It prevents other Calm Mind users like Celebi and Jirachi from checking Suicune by boosting alongside it and phazes opposing slower Suicune. This can be important on teams with multiple offensive Calm Mind users that favor momentum over a defensive backbone; these teams can be crushed if the opponent sets up earlier or in a favorable position. Roar also occasionally allows Suicune to rack up Spikes damage, given that offensive Suicune is pretty good at forcing switches against some common Pokemon like Tyranitar, Salamence, and Swampert.
Hidden Power Grass can be used in place of Roar to inflict heavy damage on opposing Suicune before it gets a chance to set up or phaze. It also crushes Swampert and helps Suicune get past Milotic and Vaporeon. It is a good choice when one has Calm Mind checks like Snorlax and other phazers.
Offensive Roar and three-attacks Suicune tend to require support against checks like Blissey and Zapdos. Toxic provides another interesting support alternative, compromising Zapdos and opposing Suicune while either forcing Blissey and Celebi to switch or wearing them down to the point that one-on-one battles are feasible. Toxic is particularly deadly when paired with Dugtrio, which can switch in to pick off the weakened Blissey or Celebi. Rest is an option to shrugs off status that would otherwise put Suicune on a timer and gain longevity against checks like Seismic Toss Blissey, allowing Suicune to boost with impunity and burn through their PP.
Offensive Suicune's EVs vary widely, as there are a number of tradeoffs to be made in Speed, power, and bulk. Relevant Speed benchmarks are 16 EVs for Marowak and some Milotic, 68 EVs for neutral Dragon Dance Tyranitar, offensive Swampert, and Body Slam Jirachi, 152 EVs for all Tyranitar, Adamant Metagross, Modest Magneton, and slower Celebi and Jirachi, and 228 EVs for Jolly Metagross and Breloom, Timid Magneton, Cloyster, and a larger proportion of Celebi and Jirachi, which have a wide variance in Speed. A Timid nature can be used to outspeed Heracross, Modest Moltres, and some Zapdos and Salamence, but this sacrifices a significant amount of Special Attack.
Every EV taken out of Special Attack and HP is a compromise. The yardstick of any Water-type in ADV is its ability to deal with Tyranitar. Even with maximum Special Attack investment, Suicune's Hydro Pump has a slim chance of leaving bulkless Tyranitar standing. To make matters worse, even maximum HP Suicune has a decent chance of getting 2HKOed by Adamant Dragon Dance Tyranitar should it miss Hydro Pump or get flinched by Rock Slide. Considering the complexities of Suicune's interactions, EV spreads for Suicune are extremely subjective. Some helpful concrete benchmarks, however, include 56 HP and 128 HP EVs to survive Aerodactyl's Double-Edge with and without getting KOed by sand and 120 HP EVs to survive Modest Zapdos's Thunderbolt in sand.
Offensive Suicune has potential utility in all phases of the game, depending on the particular variant being used and the matchup. Traditionally, Roar, three-attacks, and Toxic variants shine as leads or early- to mid-game threats, creating immediate pressure against most leads, threatening to punch through shakier checks like Snorlax, Celebi and Skarmory from the get-go, and easily switching out of passive counters like Milotic and Blissey. Suicune switch into offensive threats like Metagross and Tyranitar early-game to wrest back momentum, if its team lacks a sturdier switch-in. However, Suicune can also be used late-game to clean up teams that are weak to offensive Water-types, such as offensive teams that try to use Aerodactyl, Dragon Dance Tyranitar, and Salamence as late-game sweepers.
Team Options
========
This Suicune fits best on offensive teams; it features most prominently in special offense, especially teams with multiple offensive Calm Mind users, namely Celebi, Jirachi, and sometimes Raikou.
Dugtrio synergizes extremely well with Suicune. It is almost always required on Spikesless specially offensive teams for its ability to remove weakened Blissey or, if it runs a specially defensive spread, 2HKO it while surviving Ice Beam in a one-on-one situation. Common methods of weakening Blissey are sacrificing a Calm Mind-boosted Pokemon like Jirachi, Celebi, or the occasional Jynx and luring it with Gengar or Regice and using Explosion. Gengar has the added benefit of being a switch-in to Snorlax, which is often the special tank that threatens specially offensive teams the most; Regice switches into Zapdos and Starmie and can also use Explosion on lured Snorlax. One does not necessarily need to weaken Blissey— even passing multiple Calm Mind boosts from Celebi to Dugtrio so that it is 3HKOed by Blissey's Ice Beam is a possible strategy for removing it. Dugtrio removes weakened Celebi and Jirachi too, which are much easier for Suicune to handle but can still be impediments due to their Leech Seed and status moves. Defensively, Dugtrio serves as a check and revenge killer to Dragon Dance Tyranitar, which is a weakness generated from using offensive Suicune instead of a bulkier Water-type like Swampert.
Suicune does not have to be confined to specially offensive teams. It generally synergizes well with physically offensive Pokemon — Metagross, Snorlax, and Tyranitar all exert massive pressure on special walls that check Suicune. Metagross's Rock resistance helps cover Tyranitar and Aerodactyl, while Snorlax can switch into Zapdos and Jolteon, and Tyranitar's sand helps pressure Blissey, Snorlax, and Celebi. Heracross is another dangerous physical attacker that can switch into Blissey and Celebi and threaten to cleave defensive teams open, aiding Suicune immensely. Pairing Suicune with Spikes is also a viable option— Skarmory can take over switching into Metagross early-game, and Spikes can chip away at Suicune's checks, particularly in conjunction with Roar. Offensive Swampert sets pair extremely well with Suicune in a double Water-type core, as Swampert and Suicune can pressure their shared answers while improving a team's defense against dangerous physical threats. Jirachi provides a Rock-type resistance to back up Suicune against Aerodactyl; defensive sets offer Wish support, while offensive sets can help to overload shared counters. Together with Dugtrio, Suicune and Jirachi provide not only significant offensive potency but also a decent defensive backbone against Aerodactyl and Tyranitar.
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