Skeleton
[Overview]
<p>Ursaring is a very threatening Pokemon, taking advantage of otherwise crippling status conditions with two abilities that benefit from them: Quick Feet and Guts. Quick Feet fixes Ursaring's Speed issues and allows it to become one of the scariest late-game sweepers in NU. Guts, on the other hand, boosts Ursaring's already massive Attack to sky-high levels, allowing it to at least dent everything in the tier. Ursaring also has a good movepool to work with that allows it to get past Ghost-, Rock-, and Steel-types, something that not many other Normal-types in the tier can do. However, Ursaring is let down by its poor typing, being easy pickings for the numerous Fighting-types running around NU. It also struggles to maintain longevity, as the status orbs that Ursaring tends to hold chip its life away; this, combined with its only above-average bulk, means that it won't be sticking around for too long. It also faces stiff competition from Swellow and Zangoose, two other Normal-types that also use status to their advantage. It does, however, have the advantage of being faster (with Quick Feet) than Zangoose, and it is more powerful than Swellow (with Guts), while also having considerably more bulk. In addition, Ursaring has a better movepool than both of them.</p>
[SET]
name: Quick Feet
move 1: Facade
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Crunch
move 4: Swords Dance / Protect
item: Toxic Orb
ability: Quick Feet
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Say hello to Quick Feet Ursaring, one of the best late-game sweepers available in the NU tier. This is Ursaring's easiest set to use, and it doesn't compromise effectiveness to achieve this. Quick Feet fixes Ursaring's disastrous base Speed in the matter of a turn, letting it match up against some of NU's most common threats, such as non-Choice Scarf Jynx and Primeape. Although this set mainly focuses on Speed, Ursaring still hits like a truck thanks to its gigantic base Attack. Do note that Ursaring will still be outsped by common Choice Scarf users, such as Rotom-F and Sawk.</p>
<p>Facade is the STAB of choice, as it reaches a whopping 140 Base Power after Toxic Orb is activated, becoming Ursaring's strongest attacking move that doesn't have any drawbacks. Earthquake hits the Rock- and Steel-types that resist Facade and also hits Metang for super effective damage, something that no other move on this set accomplishes. It should be noted that, despite being super effective against Electric-type Pokemon, Earthquake will not hit them as hard as Facade, making the latter the primary option. Crunch is used in the third moveslot because of its ability to hit Ghost-types, such as Drifblim, Misdreavus, and Haunter, that are immune to every other move on the set super effectively. Much like Earthquake though, a neutral Facade is always stronger than a super effective Crunch, so it should only be used on Ghost-type Pokemon. The last moveslot is a toss-up between Swords Dance and Protect. Swords Dance is an excellent move, as it turns Ursaring into a terrifying sweeper and it can find opportunities to set up on weak attackers such as Lickilicky, Garbodor, and Seismitoad. However, taking even these attacks combined with Toxic Orb recoil will greatly shorten Ursaring's lifespan. Protect is an alternative option, as it guarantees the activation of Toxic Orb, allowing Ursaring to act as a pseudo-revenge killer; Protect also turns Ursaring into a good scout for Choice-locked Pokemon.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Jolly is chosen over Adamant because Jolly allows Ursaring to outspeed everything up to positive-natured Pokemon with base 105 Speed. Toxic Orb is the status orb of choice, as Quick Feet doesn't negate the 50% Attack drop that burn causes. Close Combat can be used in place of Earthquake, as it is more powerful, hits Dark-, Normal-, and Ice-type Pokemon harder than Facade, and gets a super effective hit on Rock- and Steel-types, just like Earthquake. However, the power difference really isn't notable, and having Ursaring's defenses dropped by a stage every time Close Combat is used makes it very susceptible to revenge killers. As far as partners go, Ursaring fits well with almost every Pokemon; however, it really likes the Encore support Wynaut provides, as it provides a free turn to set up Swords Dance. Gothorita can trap and remove several common physical walls such as Alomomola, Weezing, and to a lesser extent, Tangela. This variant of Ursaring appreciates entry hazard support more than any other, as it helps unboosted Ursaring net some specific KOs on Pokemon, such as guaranteeing a 2HKO on Misdreavus with Crunch. The best Pokemon for this job would be Poison-types such as Scolipede and Garbodor, as they resist Fighting-type attacks. Golurk is another great entry hazard setter because it's immune to Fighting-type attacks. Ursaring also likes the company of revenge killers and hard-hitting tanks on its team, as they can take care of opposing revenge killers.</p>
[SET]
name: Guts
move 1: Facade
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Crunch
move 4: Protect / Swords Dance
item: Toxic Orb
ability: Guts
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Guts Ursaring is a very hard-hitting attacker, demolishing everything in its way with the combination of a massive Attack and a perfect movepool. Facade is the choice of STAB, as it reaches a whopping 140 Base Power after Toxic Orb is activated. Earthquake can hit the Rock- and Steel-types that resist Facade, easily scoring a 2HKO on Regirock and Metang, two of the most common ones, after Stealth Rock. Ghost-type Pokemon are the only Pokemon that take no damage from Facade, and some of the more common Ghost-types in NU take nothing from Earthquake either. Because of this, Crunch is very useful against them, as it handily scores a super effective hit on every Ghost-type found in Ursaring's homeland; however, Crunch should pretty much only be used for this purpose, as its power is much less than Facade, even when laying a super effective hit on Pokemon. Protect is the main option to occupy Ursaring's last moveslot, as it will guarantee the activation of Ursaring's Toxic Orb while protecting it from taking a hit; this could potentially be life-saving, as Ursaring won't have to take that extra hit before proceeding to destroy the opponent with it's newly polished Attack stat. Swords Dance is a lesser option here, as Guts Ursaring doesn't need its provided power and its low Speed lowers the chance of an effective sweep. However, a +2 Guts-boosted Ursaring's Facade will KO everything in its way, and resistance and immunity issues will be taken care of by Earthquake and Crunch, respectively. Swords Dance will also punish Protect users, such as Alomomola, that try to stall Ursaring out.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>An Adamant nature is preferred because of the sheer damage output it provides, but a Jolly nature can be used to outrun standard Misdreavus so Ursaring can 2HKO it with Crunch before it does the same with Foul Play. Flame Orb seems like a better choice on paper, but in reality, you'll find Ursaring getting forced out (after a KO, that is) very often, so Toxic Orb is the preferred choice, as it deals lessresidual damage unless Ursaring stays in more than three turns. Close Combat can be used in place of Earthquake to hit the same targets and get in a stronger hit on Dark-, Ice-, and Normal-types. However, it lowers Ursaring's defenses afterwards, making it more susceptible to revenge killers. Furthermore, Ursaring will also miss out on 2HKOing Metang, which will then become a threat.</p>
<p>Partners for this set are very similar to those of the Quick Feet variant. Wynaut can lock opposing Pokemon into harmless moves for Ursaring to set up on with Swords Dance. Trick Room setters, such as Duosion and Musharna, are also excellent teammates, as this Ursaring fits well on Trick Room teams due to its low Speed. Furthermore, Ursaring can come in on Ghost-types that most Trick Room setters despise, and in return, they can come in on Fighting-type attacks. If you're using Ursaring on a Trick Room team, then this EV spread is recommended: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD with a Brave nature. Similarly, just providing Ursaring with paralysis support lets it shred teams apart. Entry hazard setters are also highly appreciated, as with them, Ursaring can net a few KOs that it wouldn't be able to otherwise, such as a 2HKO on Regirock. Golurk is the best for this job, as it can come in on Fighting-types and set up Stealth Rock. Scolipede and Garbodor also work wonders, as they resist Fighting-type attacks and can set up Spikes. Revenge killers are also very nice, as this Ursaring is very slow and needs hard-hitting attackers, such as Kadabra and Sawk, removed before attempting to wallbreak. Likewise, Pokemon that appreciate walls such as Probopass and Alomomola removed make for great partners, as this set functions more as a wallbreaker than as a sweeper.</p>
[SET]
name: SubSD
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Swords Dance
move 3: Return
move 4: Earthquake
item: Leftovers
ability: Guts
nature: Adamant
evs: 248 HP / 124 Atk / 52 Def / 84 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set might seem inferior to Substitute + Bulk Up Braviary at first, but a closer look reveals that Ursaring is equally as good as it, if not better. The reason lies in Ursaring's better typing, access to Swords Dance, reliable way to hit Rock- and Steel-types, and ability to switch into status and benefit from it. Substitute is a no brainer on this set, as it protects Ursaring from revenge killers and allows it to defeat them, opening up a late-game sweep. Swords Dance boosts Ursaring's already massive Attack to terrifying levels even without maximum investment. Return is used over Facade because this Ursaring doesn't (and shouldn't) hold a status orb, making Facade situational and almost always weaker. Earthquake hits Rock- and Steel-types hard, providing crucial coverage, and it also does decent damage to Golurk, easily 2HKOing it.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The listed EVs allow Ursaring to set up on Alomomola, as it outspeeds it, will never have its Substitutes broken by Waterfall, and can 2HKO with Return after a boost. An alternate spread of 248 HP / 172 Def / 84 Spe can be used to make sure that Miltank and Lickilicky's Body Slams never break Ursaring's Substitutes, but it then finds itself having trouble breaking through walls. You can also use 124 Special Defense EVs to make sure Tangela doesn't break Ursaring's Substitutes with Giga Drain, but this isn't recommended because Tangela is a much rarer sight than Alomomola.</p>
<p>A status orb can be used over Leftovers to activate Guts, but the combined damage from Substitute, the status orb, and repeated hits will quickly finish Ursaring off; this is why Leftovers is recommended, as it provides recovery instead. Crunch can be used over Earthquake in the last slot to give Ursaring a way to hit Ghost-types such as Drifblim, Haunter, and Misdreavus. This isn't recommended though, as it isn't as strong as Earthquake and Ursaring will then be walled by Steel-types, which are usually harder to take care of. Likewise, Close Combat can be used as a stronger alternative to Earthquake; however, the nasty defense drops take away from the bulk this set has. Close Combat really only hits the virtually non-existent Levitate Bronzor harder and leaves Ursaring much less able to deal with Golurk and Metang, who are potent threats in today's metagame. When it comes to partners, Pursuit trappers are the best, as they eliminate Ghost-types, Pokemon that this set can't handle. Skuntank is the best Pursuit trapper in the tier, but it really doesn't offer much synergy with Ursaring. Entry hazard setters are very useful, as this set can't 2HKO Alomomola or Tangela without them even after a boost. Wynaut can neutralize opponents with Encore to give Ursaring setup opportunities. Lastly, a revenge killer or a hard-hitting tank is useful to handle the small possibility of two revenge killers on the opposing team.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Belly Drum can be used alongside Quick Feet to make Ursaring an insanely powerful and decently fast attacker; however, it's very rare that Ursaring will be able to survive a hit afterwards, and even if it does, Toxic Orb recoil will take it out. Ursaring also has access to many more offensive moves, such as the elemental punches, Gunk Shot, Seed Bomb, Shadow Claw, and Stone Edge; however, they are outclassed as the options above have more coverage or power (or both). A SubPunch set can be considered, but it's hard to set up; Close Combat is almost always better for a Fighting-type move, and the SubSD set utilizes Substitute better. Bulk Up is another boosting move that Ursaring has access to, but Swords Dance is preferred because Ursaring likes the immediate power provided by it. Much like many other Pokemon, Ursaring can use the RestTalk strategy, but while combining this with Guts or Quick Feet might seem good on paper, it is too gimmicky and hard to pull off in practice, as Ursaring will almost never survive the three turns of sleep. In addition, the luck reliance RestTalk forces into play can be hard to account with a Ghost-type on the opponent's team.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>There are quite a few ways to defeat Ursaring, although it ultimately comes down to what set it's using. Alomomola and Tangela can deal with the Quick Feet set well, as they aren't weak to any of its moves and can strike it down with their STABs. They can even use Protect Ursaring as setup bait to heal with Wish or Synthesis, respectively. Be wary though, as Alomomola is setup bait for the SubSD set, and the Guts variant defeats them both. Foul Play Misdreavus does excellently against Quick Feet Ursaring, as it only gets 3HKOed by Crunch and it will almost always 2HKO back after Stealth Rock. Regirock also does a decent job against Quick Feet Ursaring, as it doesn't take too much from Earthquake (3HKO at best) and can hit back hard with its Rock-type STAB. Revenge killing the Quick Feet variant might be hard because it outspeeds the majority of the unboosted metagame, but the other sets will be outsped by any decently fast threat. Beware though, as most Pokemon can't OHKO Ursaring and it can OHKO most of them back. Kadabra is a common exception; it outspeeds any Ursaring variant, and thanks to Focus Sash, it always survives a hit and 2HKOes back with its Psychic-type STAB. Choice Scarf Primeape and Sawk are also great answers, as they outspeed and OHKO with Close Combat. If Ursaring has successfully gotten a Substitute up, something is almost always going down, as an Ursaring with Substitute up is near impossible to revenge kill. If all else fails, just try to bank on the residual damage that status orbs and entry hazards provide to take it down.</p>
Last edited:
