Rabia
GP & NU Leader
[OVERVIEW]
Thanks to its high all-around bulk and access to utility moves such as Wish, Toxic, and Heal Bell, Vaporeon is a premier defensive Water-type in the tier, checking prominent physical attackers such as Incineroar, Passimian, Sneasel, and Rhydon as well as special attackers such as Guzzlord, Houndoom, and Assault Vest Slowbro. The combination of Wish + Protect lets Vaporeon both serve as an amazing support Pokemon, keeping Pokemon that don't have access to reliable recovery like Incineroar, Whimsicott, Dhelmise, and Silvally-Steel healthy, and maintain its own health. Because of its ability Water Absorb, Vaporeon is capable of handling opposing bulky Water-types like Slowbro and Slowking while also checking offensive Water-types like Samurott and Omastar. Unfortunately, although Vaporeon has a high HP stat, its physical bulk is lacking, making it easy for Pokemon like Medicham and Dhelmise to pressure it. Additionally, Vaporeon's passivity and reliance on Toxic for damage invite in threatening setup Pokemon like Substitute + Bulk Up Braviary, Taunt + Calm Mind Comfey, and Bulk Up Scrafty that can circumvent Toxic in some way. While Vaporeon's special bulk is great, it can still struggle with common specially offensive Grass- and Electric-type Pokemon like Whimsicott, Sceptile, Heliolisk, and Rotom.
[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Scald
move 2: Toxic / Heal Bell
move 3: Wish
move 4: Protect
item: Leftovers
ability: Water Absorb
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Scald is Vaporeon's most spammable STAB move and possesses a 30% chance to burn the foe, letting Vaporeon dissuade physical attackers like Passimian, Decidueye, Braviary, and Dhelmise from switching in. Toxic allows Vaporeon to threaten bulky Water-types like Slowbro, Slowking, and opposing Vaporeon while also crippling Pokemon such as Whimsicott, Heliolisk, Sceptile, and Comfey. Alternatively, Heal Bell can be used to help prevent Vaporeon from being badly poisoned by Pokemon like Slowbro, Golbat, and defensive Hariyama and provide its team with cleric support. However, Vaporeon relies heavily on Toxic to damage opposing bulky Water-types, and the lack of Toxic makes Vaporeon even more passive. Wish gives Vaporeon a source of active recovery and supports Vaporeon's teammates well thanks to Vaporeon's high base HP stat, meaning Wish will restore more HP. Protect lets Vaporeon scout opposing Choice item Pokemon, recover free health with Leftovers and Wish, and rack up Toxic damage on opposing Pokemon. Additionally, Protect lets Vaporeon take boosted Z-Moves from the likes of Incineroar, Klinklang, and Houndoom, allowing it to survive their subsequent attacks and retaliate with Scald.
Set Details
========
252 HP EVs and 252 Defense EVs with a Bold nature maximize Vaporeon's physical bulk, letting it better handle physical attackers like Passimian, Hariyama, and Klinklang. Leftovers provides Vaporeon with passive recovery, and it can take advantage of this further with Protect. Water Absorb restores Vaporeon's health when it is hit by a Water-type move and gives it an immunity to Water, which aids it in checking Pokemon such as Slowbro, Slowking, and Samurott.
Usage Tips
========
Vaporeon should look to spread status early-game through the use of Scald and Toxic to cripple the opposing team for its teammates and punish Pokemon such as Decidueye, Dhelmise, and Heliolisk for switching in in an attempt to gain momentum. Additionally, Vaporeon should always prioritize using Toxic if the opponent has a bulky Water-type like Slowbro on the field, as badly poisoning it is much more valuable than burning it in order to cripple its longevity. Although Heal Bell variants of Vaporeon can remove status such as Toxic poison, non-Heal Bell Vaporeon must watch out for Toxic from Pokemon like Slowbro and Steelix, as being badly poisoned greatly limits Vaporeon's longevity. Vaporeon can be switched into defensive Pokemon that cannot do much harm to it such as Diancie and Palossand in order to gain momentum and have an easier time passing a Wish to a teammate. Be mindful of switching Vaporeon into Pokemon like Incineroar, Sneasel, and Passimian, as while Vaporeon can stomach hits from these Pokemon well, it risks losing its Leftovers to a Knock Off. Additionally, while Vaporeon is an effective check to physical attackers like the aforementioned Pokemon, its low physical bulk can lead to it being overwhelmed by stronger physical wallbreakers like Medicham and force it to use Wish simply to sustain itself rather than to support its team. If the opponent has a Pokemon that doesn't mind Toxic and Scald such as Vileplume, Blastoise, or Ferroseed, it is very likely they will switch into Vaporeon. Therefore, switching into a Pokemon that can take advantage of such a play like Electrium Z Magmortar or Grassium Z Delphox is a good idea. Vaporeon should use Protect when it is up against a Choice item user like Vanilluxe or Passimian to scout what move they are going to use, gain free passive recovery via Leftovers, and guarantee recovery from Wish.
Team Options
========
Vaporeon fits best on balanced teams that appreciate its ability to provide Wish support and pivot into threatening wallbreakers like Incineroar and Guzzlord. Entry hazard support from the likes of Rhydon, Palossand, and Torterra synergizes well with Vaporeon chipping down foes with Toxic and repetitive uses of Scald. Grass-types like Whimsicott and Vileplume work well alongside Vaporeon, being able to take Electric- and Grass-type attacks while also appreciating Vaporeon's ability to punish bulky Water-types with Toxic. Decidueye and Dhelmise appreciate Vaporeon being able to switch into Incineroar and Sneasel. Whimsicott, Decidueye, and Dhelmise all appreciate receiving Wishes from Vaporeon, as it allows them to better use their resistances to Water and Fighting to pivot in. Incineroar is a great partner for Vaporeon, as Vaporeon handles both problematic Rock- and Ground-types like Diancie, Aerodactyl, and Rhydon and Fighting-types like Passimian and Hariyama. Furthermore, due to Incineroar's lack of sustainability outside of a potential Berry, it appreciates being able to receive large Wishes from Vaporeon. In return, Incineroar deals with Grass-types like Decidueye and Whimsicott for Vaporeon and can switch into Choice item Vanilluxe to scout what move it will use. Steel-types such as Steelix and Silvally-Steel appreciate Vaporeon checking Fire-types like Incineroar, non-Grassium Z Delphox, and Houndoom and providing Wish support. Additionally, Steelix and Silvally-Steel check Grass-type wallbreakers like Whimsicott and Dhelmise for Vaporeon.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Vaporeon can use Celebrate in conjunction with Normalium Z to boost all of its stats with Z-Celebrate, turning it into an effective late-game sweeper. Maximum investment in Special Attack and Speed with a Timid nature lets Vaporeon hit as hard as possible and be as fast as possible, notably outspeeding up to Sceptile after a Z-Celebrate. The coverage provided by the combination of Hydro Pump, Shadow Ball, and Ice Beam lets Vaporeon hit the entire tier for at least neutral damage. However, Vaporeon isn't impressively fast even after setting up, being outsped by Choice Scarf users like Passimian, Braviary, and Rotom. Additionally, Vaporeon can only set up once with Z-Celebrate and wants to preserve its health for setting up, greatly limiting its early- and mid-game presence. A Choice Specs set is possible thanks to Vaporeon's solid base 110 Special Attack stat, but Vaporeon's movepool is shallow, and being Choice-locked into any of its moves is not ideal, as they are all easily exploited by setup sweepers like Decidueye, Klinklang, and Braviary. Furthermore, Vaporeon faces strong competition as a specially offensive Water-type from the likes of Samurott and Clawitzer, both of which sport better coverage. In addition, the former is not reliant on a Choice item to wallbreak effectively, and the latter makes better use of one than Vaporeon. Roar helps to prevent Vaporeon from being used as setup fodder by the likes of Substitute + Bulk Up Braviary and Bulk Up Scrafty, but Vaporeon heavily relies on Toxic to threaten bulky Water-types.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Grass-types**: Whimsicott and Sceptile can come in easily on Vaporeon's weak Scald and hit it with strong Grass-type moves. Decidueye and Dhelmise threaten Vaporeon out with a 2HKO and OHKO, respectively, although they must be wary of a burn from Scald. Vileplume easily takes on Vaporeon, as it does not mind a burn from Scald. Torterra struggles to switch into Vaporeon because of the risk of a burn from Scald, but it threatens to OHKO Vaporeon with Bloom Doom.
**Electric-types**: Heliolisk is immune to Vaporeon's STAB attacks thanks to its ability Dry Skin, although it doesn't appreciate being badly poisoned by Toxic. Rotom can cripple Vaporeon with Trick or simply threaten solid damage with Volt Switch and Thunderbolt. Vikavolt can tank Vaporeon's weak Scald fairly well, pressure Vaporeon with its Electric-type moves, and recover health with Roost.
**Strong Physical Attackers**: Substitute + Bulk Up Braviary can set up on Vaporeon, as Scald will not break its Substitute. Guts Hariyama takes little from Scald, doesn't mind a burn, and threatens heavy damage with Close Combat. Life Orb Medicham overwhelms Vaporeon easily thanks to Pure Power, a strong Fighting-type STAB attack in High Jump Kick, and Electric-type coverage in Thunder Punch, although Medicham cannot safely switch into Vaporeon because of Scald's chance to burn and cannot freely use High Jump Kick, as Vaporeon can use Protect against it. Gallade can set up Swords Dance and threaten Vaporeon with a strong Close Combat or Leaf Blade, but it doesn't appreciate a burn from Scald at all.
**Taunt Users**: Vaporeon is vulnerable to being Taunted by Pokemon like Comfey, Samurott, and Golbat, as it is heavily reliant on using Toxic to cripple foes and Wish to heal itself and teammates. Additionally, Comfey can set up with Calm Mind, fearing little from Vaporeon's Scald, while Samurott takes little from Scald, can use Taunt to prevent Vaporeon from recovering health with Wish, and can 3HKO Vaporeon with Grass Knot.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Rabia, 336073]]
- Earlier versions by: [[banks, 379208]]
- Quality checked by: [[Punchshroom, 169054], [poh, 298730], [Blast, 191846]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [A Cake Wearing A Hat, 388157]]
Thanks to its high all-around bulk and access to utility moves such as Wish, Toxic, and Heal Bell, Vaporeon is a premier defensive Water-type in the tier, checking prominent physical attackers such as Incineroar, Passimian, Sneasel, and Rhydon as well as special attackers such as Guzzlord, Houndoom, and Assault Vest Slowbro. The combination of Wish + Protect lets Vaporeon both serve as an amazing support Pokemon, keeping Pokemon that don't have access to reliable recovery like Incineroar, Whimsicott, Dhelmise, and Silvally-Steel healthy, and maintain its own health. Because of its ability Water Absorb, Vaporeon is capable of handling opposing bulky Water-types like Slowbro and Slowking while also checking offensive Water-types like Samurott and Omastar. Unfortunately, although Vaporeon has a high HP stat, its physical bulk is lacking, making it easy for Pokemon like Medicham and Dhelmise to pressure it. Additionally, Vaporeon's passivity and reliance on Toxic for damage invite in threatening setup Pokemon like Substitute + Bulk Up Braviary, Taunt + Calm Mind Comfey, and Bulk Up Scrafty that can circumvent Toxic in some way. While Vaporeon's special bulk is great, it can still struggle with common specially offensive Grass- and Electric-type Pokemon like Whimsicott, Sceptile, Heliolisk, and Rotom.
[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Scald
move 2: Toxic / Heal Bell
move 3: Wish
move 4: Protect
item: Leftovers
ability: Water Absorb
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Scald is Vaporeon's most spammable STAB move and possesses a 30% chance to burn the foe, letting Vaporeon dissuade physical attackers like Passimian, Decidueye, Braviary, and Dhelmise from switching in. Toxic allows Vaporeon to threaten bulky Water-types like Slowbro, Slowking, and opposing Vaporeon while also crippling Pokemon such as Whimsicott, Heliolisk, Sceptile, and Comfey. Alternatively, Heal Bell can be used to help prevent Vaporeon from being badly poisoned by Pokemon like Slowbro, Golbat, and defensive Hariyama and provide its team with cleric support. However, Vaporeon relies heavily on Toxic to damage opposing bulky Water-types, and the lack of Toxic makes Vaporeon even more passive. Wish gives Vaporeon a source of active recovery and supports Vaporeon's teammates well thanks to Vaporeon's high base HP stat, meaning Wish will restore more HP. Protect lets Vaporeon scout opposing Choice item Pokemon, recover free health with Leftovers and Wish, and rack up Toxic damage on opposing Pokemon. Additionally, Protect lets Vaporeon take boosted Z-Moves from the likes of Incineroar, Klinklang, and Houndoom, allowing it to survive their subsequent attacks and retaliate with Scald.
Set Details
========
252 HP EVs and 252 Defense EVs with a Bold nature maximize Vaporeon's physical bulk, letting it better handle physical attackers like Passimian, Hariyama, and Klinklang. Leftovers provides Vaporeon with passive recovery, and it can take advantage of this further with Protect. Water Absorb restores Vaporeon's health when it is hit by a Water-type move and gives it an immunity to Water, which aids it in checking Pokemon such as Slowbro, Slowking, and Samurott.
Usage Tips
========
Vaporeon should look to spread status early-game through the use of Scald and Toxic to cripple the opposing team for its teammates and punish Pokemon such as Decidueye, Dhelmise, and Heliolisk for switching in in an attempt to gain momentum. Additionally, Vaporeon should always prioritize using Toxic if the opponent has a bulky Water-type like Slowbro on the field, as badly poisoning it is much more valuable than burning it in order to cripple its longevity. Although Heal Bell variants of Vaporeon can remove status such as Toxic poison, non-Heal Bell Vaporeon must watch out for Toxic from Pokemon like Slowbro and Steelix, as being badly poisoned greatly limits Vaporeon's longevity. Vaporeon can be switched into defensive Pokemon that cannot do much harm to it such as Diancie and Palossand in order to gain momentum and have an easier time passing a Wish to a teammate. Be mindful of switching Vaporeon into Pokemon like Incineroar, Sneasel, and Passimian, as while Vaporeon can stomach hits from these Pokemon well, it risks losing its Leftovers to a Knock Off. Additionally, while Vaporeon is an effective check to physical attackers like the aforementioned Pokemon, its low physical bulk can lead to it being overwhelmed by stronger physical wallbreakers like Medicham and force it to use Wish simply to sustain itself rather than to support its team. If the opponent has a Pokemon that doesn't mind Toxic and Scald such as Vileplume, Blastoise, or Ferroseed, it is very likely they will switch into Vaporeon. Therefore, switching into a Pokemon that can take advantage of such a play like Electrium Z Magmortar or Grassium Z Delphox is a good idea. Vaporeon should use Protect when it is up against a Choice item user like Vanilluxe or Passimian to scout what move they are going to use, gain free passive recovery via Leftovers, and guarantee recovery from Wish.
Team Options
========
Vaporeon fits best on balanced teams that appreciate its ability to provide Wish support and pivot into threatening wallbreakers like Incineroar and Guzzlord. Entry hazard support from the likes of Rhydon, Palossand, and Torterra synergizes well with Vaporeon chipping down foes with Toxic and repetitive uses of Scald. Grass-types like Whimsicott and Vileplume work well alongside Vaporeon, being able to take Electric- and Grass-type attacks while also appreciating Vaporeon's ability to punish bulky Water-types with Toxic. Decidueye and Dhelmise appreciate Vaporeon being able to switch into Incineroar and Sneasel. Whimsicott, Decidueye, and Dhelmise all appreciate receiving Wishes from Vaporeon, as it allows them to better use their resistances to Water and Fighting to pivot in. Incineroar is a great partner for Vaporeon, as Vaporeon handles both problematic Rock- and Ground-types like Diancie, Aerodactyl, and Rhydon and Fighting-types like Passimian and Hariyama. Furthermore, due to Incineroar's lack of sustainability outside of a potential Berry, it appreciates being able to receive large Wishes from Vaporeon. In return, Incineroar deals with Grass-types like Decidueye and Whimsicott for Vaporeon and can switch into Choice item Vanilluxe to scout what move it will use. Steel-types such as Steelix and Silvally-Steel appreciate Vaporeon checking Fire-types like Incineroar, non-Grassium Z Delphox, and Houndoom and providing Wish support. Additionally, Steelix and Silvally-Steel check Grass-type wallbreakers like Whimsicott and Dhelmise for Vaporeon.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Vaporeon can use Celebrate in conjunction with Normalium Z to boost all of its stats with Z-Celebrate, turning it into an effective late-game sweeper. Maximum investment in Special Attack and Speed with a Timid nature lets Vaporeon hit as hard as possible and be as fast as possible, notably outspeeding up to Sceptile after a Z-Celebrate. The coverage provided by the combination of Hydro Pump, Shadow Ball, and Ice Beam lets Vaporeon hit the entire tier for at least neutral damage. However, Vaporeon isn't impressively fast even after setting up, being outsped by Choice Scarf users like Passimian, Braviary, and Rotom. Additionally, Vaporeon can only set up once with Z-Celebrate and wants to preserve its health for setting up, greatly limiting its early- and mid-game presence. A Choice Specs set is possible thanks to Vaporeon's solid base 110 Special Attack stat, but Vaporeon's movepool is shallow, and being Choice-locked into any of its moves is not ideal, as they are all easily exploited by setup sweepers like Decidueye, Klinklang, and Braviary. Furthermore, Vaporeon faces strong competition as a specially offensive Water-type from the likes of Samurott and Clawitzer, both of which sport better coverage. In addition, the former is not reliant on a Choice item to wallbreak effectively, and the latter makes better use of one than Vaporeon. Roar helps to prevent Vaporeon from being used as setup fodder by the likes of Substitute + Bulk Up Braviary and Bulk Up Scrafty, but Vaporeon heavily relies on Toxic to threaten bulky Water-types.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Grass-types**: Whimsicott and Sceptile can come in easily on Vaporeon's weak Scald and hit it with strong Grass-type moves. Decidueye and Dhelmise threaten Vaporeon out with a 2HKO and OHKO, respectively, although they must be wary of a burn from Scald. Vileplume easily takes on Vaporeon, as it does not mind a burn from Scald. Torterra struggles to switch into Vaporeon because of the risk of a burn from Scald, but it threatens to OHKO Vaporeon with Bloom Doom.
**Electric-types**: Heliolisk is immune to Vaporeon's STAB attacks thanks to its ability Dry Skin, although it doesn't appreciate being badly poisoned by Toxic. Rotom can cripple Vaporeon with Trick or simply threaten solid damage with Volt Switch and Thunderbolt. Vikavolt can tank Vaporeon's weak Scald fairly well, pressure Vaporeon with its Electric-type moves, and recover health with Roost.
**Strong Physical Attackers**: Substitute + Bulk Up Braviary can set up on Vaporeon, as Scald will not break its Substitute. Guts Hariyama takes little from Scald, doesn't mind a burn, and threatens heavy damage with Close Combat. Life Orb Medicham overwhelms Vaporeon easily thanks to Pure Power, a strong Fighting-type STAB attack in High Jump Kick, and Electric-type coverage in Thunder Punch, although Medicham cannot safely switch into Vaporeon because of Scald's chance to burn and cannot freely use High Jump Kick, as Vaporeon can use Protect against it. Gallade can set up Swords Dance and threaten Vaporeon with a strong Close Combat or Leaf Blade, but it doesn't appreciate a burn from Scald at all.
**Taunt Users**: Vaporeon is vulnerable to being Taunted by Pokemon like Comfey, Samurott, and Golbat, as it is heavily reliant on using Toxic to cripple foes and Wish to heal itself and teammates. Additionally, Comfey can set up with Calm Mind, fearing little from Vaporeon's Scald, while Samurott takes little from Scald, can use Taunt to prevent Vaporeon from recovering health with Wish, and can 3HKO Vaporeon with Grass Knot.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Rabia, 336073]]
- Earlier versions by: [[banks, 379208]]
- Quality checked by: [[Punchshroom, 169054], [poh, 298730], [Blast, 191846]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [A Cake Wearing A Hat, 388157]]
Last edited: