Project Victim of the Week 2.0: ZU Edition

[Procrastinasian]

Uxie @ Colbur Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Psychic
- U-turn
- Knock Off / Thunder Wave
A staple of this gen's ZU, Uxie finds itself as an excellent Counter against Sawk for almost any offensively based team. Uxie with Colbur Berry walls super effective Knock Off, and walls its STAB as well. If Sawk is Inner Focus, it cannot hit Uxie with Earthquake, and Stone Edge needs multiple hits to even chip it down. In return, Uxie can set up Rocks, 2hko with Psychic, pivot away if Sawk switches, and also can Knock Off Sawk's Scarf or paralyze with Thunder Wave, neutralizing/crippling the opponent's main speed control.

Calcs

0 SpA Uxie Psychic vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Sawk: 194-230 (66.6 - 79%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Mold Breaker Sawk Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Colbur Berry Uxie: 62-74 (17.5 - 20.9%) -- possible 5HKO*
252 Atk Mold Breaker Sawk Stone Edge vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Uxie: 64-76 (18 - 21.4%) -- possible 5HKO
252 Atk Mold Breaker Sawk Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Uxie: 57-68 (16.1 - 19.2%) -- possible 6HKO

*Knock Off has a 36% chance to 4hko from full

P.S. Every other Pokemon here that is a counter (except supergourg) pretty much loses to Poison Jab, why is that not even in the movepool?​

 

[5Dots]

Altaria @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 180 Def / 60 SpD / 16 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Roost
- Defog
- Toxic
- Hurricane / Flamethrower
Thanks to its excellent defensive stats and access to Roost, Altaria can serve as an excellent CHECK to Sawk. While Sawk has Stone Edge to potentially 2HKO Altaria on the switch, this is inconsistent due to Stone Edge’s shaky accuracy and the fact that Altaria can switch out to other teammates, like Tangela or Rhydon, to force Sawk out. Sawk has to rely on Knock Off to make more notable progress when Stealth Rock is up, which can be harder to do when Altaria simply Defogs the hazards away. Sawk also can’t afford to try to go for crits with Stone Edge, as Altaria can PP stall with repeated Roosts or simply retaliate with powerful Hurricanes, easily 2HKOing Sawk without investment. Toxic also further strains Sawk and limits its wallbreaking opportunities over the course of a game.

Calcs

0 SpA Altaria Hurricane vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Sawk: 222-264 (76.2 - 90.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252 Atk Mold Breaker Sawk Stone Edge vs. 252 HP / 180+ Def Altaria: 176-208 (49.7 - 58.7%) -- 99.6% chance to 2HKO
252 Atk Mold Breaker Sawk Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 180+ Def Altaria: 78-93 (22 - 26.2%) -- 8.6% chance to 4HKO
252 Atk Mold Breaker Sawk Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 180+ Def Altaria: 85-101 (24 - 28.5%) -- 96.4% chance to 4HKO

 

[Daki]

Clefairy

Clefairy @ Eviolite
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Soft-Boiled
- Moonblast
- Stealth Rock
- Seismic Toss
​

Here is a set to counter Sawk. First of all, playing full def Clefairy is quite fun, secondly, having access to a healing move somehow guarantees victory over a pokemon that is stuck on a single move (scarf Sawk).
The biggest flex of this set is the fact that Clefairy will still be able to absorb damages even without its eviolite.

You can count on Moonblast to 2HKO without any doubts.

Some calcs:

Calcs

0 SpA Clefairy Moonblast vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Sawk: 170-204 (58.4 - 70.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
While
252 Atk Mold Breaker Sawk Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 252 Def Eviolite Clefairy: 77-91 (22.3 - 26.4%) -- 18.6% chance to 4HKO
252 Atk Mold Breaker Sawk Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252 Def Eviolite Clefairy: 86-102 (25 - 29.6%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
252 Atk Mold Breaker Sawk Stone Edge vs. 252 HP / 252 Def Eviolite Clefairy: 86-102 (25 - 29.6%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
Whitout eviolite
252 Atk Mold Breaker Sawk Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 252 Def Clefairy: 115-136 (33.4 - 39.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 Atk Mold Breaker Sawk Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252 Def Clefairy: 129-152 (37.5 - 44.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 Atk Mold Breaker Sawk Stone Edge vs. 252 HP / 252 Def Clefairy: 129-152 (37.5 - 44.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

 

[risin_glory]

4 SpA Expert Belt Clefairy Moonblast vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Sawk: 204-245 (70.1 - 84.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO​

not like it matters much but you have got expert belt in the calc :')

 

[Daki]

oops, thanks it's edited.

 

[wooper]

Silvally-Psychic @ Psychic Memory
Ability: RKS System
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Multi-Attack
- U-turn / X-Scissor
- Flame Charge
​

psyvally is an offensive check to scarf sawk. its strongest move vs you is knock, which has a low chance of 2hkoing, but is nearly guaranteed if rocks are on your side of the field. you are also slower, so you essentially will always lose this matchup. however, when given a free switch in or a safe one on cc, edge, or eq, you guarantee the ohko back with multi-attack

252 Atk Mold Breaker Sawk Knock Off vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Silvally-Psychic: 144-170 (43.5 - 51.3%) -- 5.9% chance to 2HKO; 99.6% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock

252 Atk Silvally-Psychic Multi-Attack vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Sawk: 402-474 (138.1 - 162.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO

checks
​

Serving Suggestion​		Weakness Policy Drifblim​
5Dots​		Defensive Altaria​
waterbend​		SD PsyVally​

counters​

risin_glory​		Defensive Shiinotic​
Tuthur​		Defensive Tangela​
Corthius​		Defensive Gourgeist-Super​
Mirbro​		Bulky CM Alcremie​
hiss​		Bulky CM Rapidash-Galar​
Procrastinasian​		Defensive Uxie​
Zoaw​		Phys Def Clefairy​

please vote for 1 check and 2 counters. voting ends sunday january 23 at 11:59 pm gmt-5. my votes go to drifblim, shiinotic, and alcremie.

 

[Tuthur]

PsychicVally, Uxie, and Alcremie

 

[5Dots]

Checks:
Counters: (Super)

 

[risin_glory]

psyvally supergeist clef

 

[viet noa]

check:
counters:

 

[Corthius]

alt
cremie uxie

 

[Mirbro]

Checks:
Counters: (Super)

 

[Daki]

Altaria + Uxie and Shiinotic

 

[JonAmon 25]

Altaria + Alcremie and Gourgeist

 

[Beka]

Check:
Counters: &

 

[5Dots]

And with that, Week 3 has concluded, and here are the results!

CHECKS​

5Dots		Defensive Altaria	5
waterbend		Swords Dance Silvally-Psychic	4
Serving Suggestion		Weakness Policy Drifblim	1

COUNTERS​

Corthius		Defensive Gourgeist-XL	6
Procrastinasian		Defensive Uxie	5
Mirbro		Bulky Calm Mind Alcremie	5
risin_glory		Defensive Shiinotic	3
Zoaw		Physically Defensive Clefairy	1
hiss		Kee Berry Rapidash-Galar	0
Tuthur		Defensive Tangela	0

With 5 votes to 5Dots ’s check, 7 votes for Corthius ‘s counter, and a tie between Procrastinasian and Mirbro ‘s counters, these are your winners for this week’s Victim of the Week! Congratulations and thank you to everyone who took the time to fill these entries!
Our next victim will love to dance around, causing the opposition to quiver at all stages of the game...That’s right, Frosmoth is up next!

Frosmoth @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Ice Scales
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Quiver Dance
- Ice Beam
- Giga Drain
- Substitute​

Ever since day one upon dropping to ZU, Frosmoth has showcased itself as a terrifying sweeper that can end games on the spot with potent dual STABs and a huge base 125 Special Attack. Ice Scales makes it more difficult to take it head-on, making special attackers like Appletun and defensive Pokemon like Clefairy setup bait. As with Sawk, Frosmoth‘s cleaning capabilities just got more dangerous with the departure of Alolan Sandslash. What’s your way to make the frosty Ice Moth quiver? Submissions end on Friday, January 28th at 11:59 PM (GMT-5)!

 

[Procrastinasian]

Rapidash @ Heavy Duty Boots
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Flare Blitz
- Morning Sun
- Toxic
- High Horsepower
The absolute Perfect Counter. Flare Blitz removes being frozen, giving it an advantage over Klinklang in that regard, and the fact is that even if you gave Frosmoth a +3 lead in Quiver Dance on the turn you bring Rapidash in (much less a Substitute or a single Quiver Dance), it still has a 68.7% of winning by simply spamming Flare Blitz. It resists both of Frosmoth's attacks, and in the absolute worst case scenario of 4 Flare Blitz's (recoil) into 4 subs and a +1 crit Ice Beam, Rapidash survives by a comfortable margin. Finally, Rapidash can come in a theoretical 8 times at at least 72.6% HP, and still beat Frosmoth every time, as long as it switches in the turn after Frosmoth does, meaning even if it gets Knocked, it still wins after Rocks damage.

Calcs

0 Atk Rapidash Flare Blitz vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Frosmoth: 780-916 (277.5 - 325.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO*
+1 252 SpA Frosmoth Ice Beam vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Rapidash (~72% after 4 subs) on a critical hit: 192-227 (57.4 - 67.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

the for fun +3 calc: +3 252 SpA Frosmoth Ice Beam vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Rapidash (~72% after 4 subs): 213-252 (63.7 - 75.4%) -- 31.3% chance to OHKO

*Sub: (6.9 - 6.9% recoil damage)

 

[JonAmon 25]

Reserving Klinklang

 

[risin_glory]

reserving cinccino

Cinccino @ Wide Lens
Ability: Skill Link
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Rock Blast
- Tail Slap
- Bullet Seed
- Triple Axel​

its a check that outspeeds and ohko twice with rblast that is now 99% acc with wide lens.

252 Atk Cinccino Rock Blast (5 hits) vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Frosmoth: 680-800 (241.9 - 284.6%)

 

[Mirbro]

Coalossal @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Level: 100
Sassy Nature
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
- Spikes
- Rapid Spin
- Rock Blast
- Flamethrower​

Coalossal can be a COUNTER to Frosmoth if it keeps high HP and does not lose HDB item. Frosmoth needs to be at +5 to do a guaranteed 2HKO while Coalossal can do a OHKO and break the sub in the process. Moreover, Coalossal can put some pressure in the opponent's team settling up spikes while Frosmoth is in front of it.

Calcs

+1 252 SpA Frosmoth Giga Drain vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Coalossal: 92-109 (21.6 - 25.7%) -- 1.1% chance to 4HKO

+6 252 SpA Frosmoth Giga Drain vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Coalossal: 245-289 (57.7 - 68.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

0 Atk Coalossal Rock Blast (3 hits) vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Frosmoth: 408-504 (145.1 - 179.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO

 

[OranBerryBlissey10]

Perrserker @ Assault Vest
Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 160 HP / 252 Atk / 96 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Iron Head
- Close Combat
- U-turn
- Fake Out

AV Perrserker is a counter since it can take two ice beams and ko in return. It can also pivot pretty safely on Frosmoth since it threatens it with all of its non-fake out moves. Fake out can also be emergency speed control at low health.

calcs

252 SpA Frosmoth Ice Beam vs. 160 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Perrserker: 72-85 (22.4 - 26.4%)
+1 252 SpA Frosmoth Ice Beam vs. 160 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Perrserker: 108-127 (33.6 - 39.5%)
252+ Atk Tough Claws Perrserker Iron Head vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Frosmoth: 498-588 (177.2 - 209.2%)
252+ Atk Tough Claws Perrserker Close Combat vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Frosmoth: 249-294 (88.6 - 104.6%)
252+ Atk Tough Claws Perrserker U-turn vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Frosmoth: 146-172 (51.9 - 61.2%)
252+ Atk Tough Claws Perrserker Fake Out vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Frosmoth: 84-99 (29.8 - 35.2%)

 

[Corthius]

Snowflake (Articuno) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Pressure
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Roost
- Freeze-Dry
- Brave Bird
- U-turn
Specially defensive Articuno is a counter.
It takes little to no damage from any of Frosmoth attacks and easily OHKOs it with Brave Bird in return. It also can't be frozen.

calcs

252 SpA Frosmoth Ice Beam vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Articuno: 88-105 (22.9 - 27.4%) -- 58.9% chance to 4HKO
+6 252 SpA Frosmoth Ice Beam vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Articuno: 352-415 (91.9 - 108.3%) -- 50% chance to OHKO


0 Atk Articuno Brave Bird vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Frosmoth: 338-402 (120.2 - 143%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Possible damage amounts: (338, 344, 348, 350, 356, 360, 362, 368, 372, 374, 380, 384, 386, 392, 396, 402)

bonus calc for enthusiastic Frosmoth user

+1 252 SpA Frosmoth Weather Ball (100 BP Rock) vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Articuno in Sand: 392-464 (102.3 - 121.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO

 

[Tuthur]

Sawk @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Knock Off
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge​

Sawk outspeeds +1 Frosmoth and OHKOes with Close Combat and Stone Edge.

 

[czim]

Wishiwashi @ Leftovers
Ability: Schooling
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
- U-turn
- Liquidation
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

This one is a check because +1 giga drain has a 30% chance to kill in 2 but Liquidation is a 2hko always. And this can easily deal with moth alongside a Scarf Sawk for example due to pivoting always denying Sub.

 

[viet noa]

reserving miltank