[OVERVIEW]
Umbreon provides tremendous value as a specially defensive wall that can support its teammates through Wish passing and status spreading. Umbreon is most often utilized in Wish passing to some of the tier's best Choice item wallbreakers such as Galarian Zapdos, Hisuian Goodra, and Basculegion-F. Similarly, Umbreon can prop up balance and bulky offense structures by comfortably tanking attacks from special wallbreakers like Basculegion-F and Gengar and spreading status while maintaining its own health with Moonlight and Wish. Umbreon is efficient in neutralizing setup sweepers because of its natural bulk and ability to use their strength against them with Foul Play. Umbreon is, however, severely allergic to Bug- and Fighting-type attacks, which are commonplace in a metagame with strong threats that can force it out like Galarian Zapdos, Slither Wing, and Terrakion. Using Terastallization on Umbreon grants it several key benefits, notably Tera Poison to flip the weaknesses to Bug and Fighting and become immune to poison. This, however, is not enough to help it break through important checks to Umbreon like Fezandipiti, Hisuian Goodra, and Registeel.
[SET]
name: Wish Support
move 1: Foul Play
move 2: Wish
move 3: Toxic
move 4: Protect / Moonlight
item: Leftovers / Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Inner Focus / Synchronize
nature: Calm
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
tera type: Poison / Ghost
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Details
====
Foul Play hits Jirachi, Revavroom, and Dragon Dance users like Gyarados and Salamence for large chunks of damage. Toxic helps Umbreon be less passive, threatening to secure a big poison on difficult-to-take-down Pokemon such as Slowbro and Wo-Chien. Protect is a valuable move on Umbreon to scout for Choice-locked attacks from wallbreakers like Gardevoir and Galarian Zapdos while also allowing for a Wish to land safely and gaining a turn of Leftovers recovery; alternatively, Moonlight can provide more immediate healing in a similar vein. Inner Focus prevents Umbreon from getting flinched down by faster Pokemon like Bisharp, Jirachi, and Revavroom, while Synchronize can allow Umbreon to act as a status absorber while returning the favor to Pokemon like Body Slam Jirachi and Thunder Wave Reuniclus. Leftovers is the preferred item for Umbreon to maximize its longevity, though Heavy-Duty Boots can be used to prevent entry hazard chip from accruing too quickly as well. Tera Poison flips weaknesses to Bug, Fairy, and Fighting, which is important to survive the onslaught of attacks from wallbreakers like Slither Wing, Gardevoir, and Galarian Zapdos, while also providing a key immunity to poison. Similarly, Tera Ghost can provide an immunity to Fighting and Normal, which is especially important against strong setup sweepers like Hisuian Zoroark and Maushold; it can also help Umbreon function as a spinblocker against Cyclizar.
Umbreon is an excellent fit on balance and bulky offense structures, fulfilling many key roles such as Wish passing and status spreading. Using its defensive prowess to provide reliable recovery to Choice item wallbreakers like Basculegion-F, Hisuian Goodra, and Galarian Zapdos is a defining trait of Umbreon's, as it can be difficult for teams to survive the onslaught of strong attacks while also trying to break through Umbreon. Another notable partner for Umbreon is Armarouge, which can switch in against the physical Bug- and Fighting-type attacks thrown at Umbreon from the likes of Slither Wing and Conkeldurr to activate Weak Armor to become an immediate threat. Slowbro pairs well with Umbreon defensively, as they can be quite difficult to break through using their immense bulk and type combination of Dark and Psychic, especially with Covert Cloak to give Slowbro even more utility into Umbreon's primary check, Fezandipiti. Given that Toxic is Umbreon's most notable way of dealing out damage, poison absorbers like Gligar and Galarian Weezing can reliably switch into Umbreon, so teammates like Barraskewda and Basculegion-F are important to threaten these checks. Entry hazard removal is important for Umbreon, as it often opts for Leftovers over Heavy-Duty Boots, making Noivern and Talonflame two great partners that can provide hazard removal. These two also resist Bug and Fighting, which helps to form dynamic defensive cores that can use Umbreon's access to Toxic to wear down the opposition. Other defensive partners like Galarian Weezing and Hisuian Goodra, which lack reliable recovery of their own, can use Wish pass support from Umbreon to improve their longevity.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
====
Umbreon can use Thunder Wave over Toxic on teams that use slower wallbreakers like Conkeldurr and Crawdaunt, allowing them to outspeed the opposition. Roar provides an option to phaze opposing setup sweepers like Tera Poison Slowbro and Fezandipiti, while Taunt is another option that can prevent setup attempts. While Umbreon often skews specially defensive, it can opt to run physical bulk instead to better check the plethora of strong physical attackers in the tier like Feraligatr, Gyarados, and Krookodile.
Checks and Counters
====
**Fighting-type wallbreakers**: There is no shortage of strong Fighting-type wallbreakers that immediately threaten Umbreon, such as Conkeldurr, Slither Wing, Terrakion, and Galarian Zapdos.
**Disruption**: Umbreon suffers from a low Speed stat, which makes it easy to disrupt with faster Encore users like Jirachi and Maushold. Taunt users like Fezandipiti and Volcanion similarly make life difficult for Umbreon as it struggles to check them effectively without healing support in Moonlight and Wish. Pokemon like Gardevoir and Hisuian Zoroark can threaten to Trick a Choice item onto Umbreon, rendering it nearly useless as a support Pokemon.
**VoltTurn**: Umbreon is often used to check special wallbreakers like Magnezone and Noivern, though both of these have access to pivot moves and can quickly wear it down with VoltTurn cores utilizing teammates like Slither Wing and Galarian Zapdos.
**Fezandipiti**: Fezandipiti is a notable counter to Umbreon, using it as setup fodder and threatening it pre-Terastallization with its Fairy-type STAB moves and Toxic Chain.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/flampoke.654091/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sir-tetris.655207/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/feen.231398/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sunny004.197240/
Umbreon provides tremendous value as a specially defensive wall that can support its teammates through Wish passing and status spreading. Umbreon is most often utilized in Wish passing to some of the tier's best Choice item wallbreakers such as Galarian Zapdos, Hisuian Goodra, and Basculegion-F. Similarly, Umbreon can prop up balance and bulky offense structures by comfortably tanking attacks from special wallbreakers like Basculegion-F and Gengar and spreading status while maintaining its own health with Moonlight and Wish. Umbreon is efficient in neutralizing setup sweepers because of its natural bulk and ability to use their strength against them with Foul Play. Umbreon is, however, severely allergic to Bug- and Fighting-type attacks, which are commonplace in a metagame with strong threats that can force it out like Galarian Zapdos, Slither Wing, and Terrakion. Using Terastallization on Umbreon grants it several key benefits, notably Tera Poison to flip the weaknesses to Bug and Fighting and become immune to poison. This, however, is not enough to help it break through important checks to Umbreon like Fezandipiti, Hisuian Goodra, and Registeel.
[SET]
name: Wish Support
move 1: Foul Play
move 2: Wish
move 3: Toxic
move 4: Protect / Moonlight
item: Leftovers / Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Inner Focus / Synchronize
nature: Calm
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
tera type: Poison / Ghost
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Details
====
Foul Play hits Jirachi, Revavroom, and Dragon Dance users like Gyarados and Salamence for large chunks of damage. Toxic helps Umbreon be less passive, threatening to secure a big poison on difficult-to-take-down Pokemon such as Slowbro and Wo-Chien. Protect is a valuable move on Umbreon to scout for Choice-locked attacks from wallbreakers like Gardevoir and Galarian Zapdos while also allowing for a Wish to land safely and gaining a turn of Leftovers recovery; alternatively, Moonlight can provide more immediate healing in a similar vein. Inner Focus prevents Umbreon from getting flinched down by faster Pokemon like Bisharp, Jirachi, and Revavroom, while Synchronize can allow Umbreon to act as a status absorber while returning the favor to Pokemon like Body Slam Jirachi and Thunder Wave Reuniclus. Leftovers is the preferred item for Umbreon to maximize its longevity, though Heavy-Duty Boots can be used to prevent entry hazard chip from accruing too quickly as well. Tera Poison flips weaknesses to Bug, Fairy, and Fighting, which is important to survive the onslaught of attacks from wallbreakers like Slither Wing, Gardevoir, and Galarian Zapdos, while also providing a key immunity to poison. Similarly, Tera Ghost can provide an immunity to Fighting and Normal, which is especially important against strong setup sweepers like Hisuian Zoroark and Maushold; it can also help Umbreon function as a spinblocker against Cyclizar.
Umbreon is an excellent fit on balance and bulky offense structures, fulfilling many key roles such as Wish passing and status spreading. Using its defensive prowess to provide reliable recovery to Choice item wallbreakers like Basculegion-F, Hisuian Goodra, and Galarian Zapdos is a defining trait of Umbreon's, as it can be difficult for teams to survive the onslaught of strong attacks while also trying to break through Umbreon. Another notable partner for Umbreon is Armarouge, which can switch in against the physical Bug- and Fighting-type attacks thrown at Umbreon from the likes of Slither Wing and Conkeldurr to activate Weak Armor to become an immediate threat. Slowbro pairs well with Umbreon defensively, as they can be quite difficult to break through using their immense bulk and type combination of Dark and Psychic, especially with Covert Cloak to give Slowbro even more utility into Umbreon's primary check, Fezandipiti. Given that Toxic is Umbreon's most notable way of dealing out damage, poison absorbers like Gligar and Galarian Weezing can reliably switch into Umbreon, so teammates like Barraskewda and Basculegion-F are important to threaten these checks. Entry hazard removal is important for Umbreon, as it often opts for Leftovers over Heavy-Duty Boots, making Noivern and Talonflame two great partners that can provide hazard removal. These two also resist Bug and Fighting, which helps to form dynamic defensive cores that can use Umbreon's access to Toxic to wear down the opposition. Other defensive partners like Galarian Weezing and Hisuian Goodra, which lack reliable recovery of their own, can use Wish pass support from Umbreon to improve their longevity.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
====
Umbreon can use Thunder Wave over Toxic on teams that use slower wallbreakers like Conkeldurr and Crawdaunt, allowing them to outspeed the opposition. Roar provides an option to phaze opposing setup sweepers like Tera Poison Slowbro and Fezandipiti, while Taunt is another option that can prevent setup attempts. While Umbreon often skews specially defensive, it can opt to run physical bulk instead to better check the plethora of strong physical attackers in the tier like Feraligatr, Gyarados, and Krookodile.
Checks and Counters
====
**Fighting-type wallbreakers**: There is no shortage of strong Fighting-type wallbreakers that immediately threaten Umbreon, such as Conkeldurr, Slither Wing, Terrakion, and Galarian Zapdos.
**Disruption**: Umbreon suffers from a low Speed stat, which makes it easy to disrupt with faster Encore users like Jirachi and Maushold. Taunt users like Fezandipiti and Volcanion similarly make life difficult for Umbreon as it struggles to check them effectively without healing support in Moonlight and Wish. Pokemon like Gardevoir and Hisuian Zoroark can threaten to Trick a Choice item onto Umbreon, rendering it nearly useless as a support Pokemon.
**VoltTurn**: Umbreon is often used to check special wallbreakers like Magnezone and Noivern, though both of these have access to pivot moves and can quickly wear it down with VoltTurn cores utilizing teammates like Slither Wing and Galarian Zapdos.
**Fezandipiti**: Fezandipiti is a notable counter to Umbreon, using it as setup fodder and threatening it pre-Terastallization with its Fairy-type STAB moves and Toxic Chain.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/flampoke.654091/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sir-tetris.655207/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/feen.231398/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sunny004.197240/
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