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#IAmRelevant (Sliggoo) @ Eviolite
Ability: Sap Sipper
EVs: 252 HP / 168 Def / 88 SpD
Careful Nature
- Curse
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Outrage
Sliggoo is a good Counter to Floatzel. While Ice Beam hits it super effectively, it actually doesn't hit that hard at all (Floatzel is pretty pathetic at hitting walls at times lol) and Sliggoo can just Rest off the damage and keep setting up on Floatzel. Offensive Sliggoo sets take Ice Beam a bit worse than the Curse set, but they have Thunderbolt to kill Floatzel right off the bat.
252 SpA Life Orb Floatzel Ice Beam vs. 252 HP / 88+ SpD Eviolite Sliggoo: 99-117 (29.1 - 34.4%) -- 3.1% chance to 3HKO
Lanturn @ Leftovers
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 40 HP / 152 Def / 208 SpD / 108 Spe
Calm Nature
- Scald
- Volt Switch
- Heal Bell
- Toxic
Counter: Nothing innovative here, Lanturn can comfortably switch in on anything Floatzel wants to do, getting 4HKOed by Focus Blast at worst (who hits 4 focus blasts in a row though), but by that stage Lanturn would have already volt switched, taking a huge chunk out of Floatzels health.
252 SpA Life Orb Floatzel Focus Blast vs. 40 HP / 204+ SpD Lanturn: 116-136 (28.9 - 33.9%) -- 98.9% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Life Orb Floatzel Hydro Pump vs. 40 HP / 204+ SpD Lanturn: 78-94 (19.4 - 23.4%) -- possible 6HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 SpA Lanturn Volt Switch vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Floatzel: 206-246 (66.2 - 79%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
boltsandbombers can you slash taunt before hp elec on the set? it's the far better option considering that the only thing hp elec hits harder on is mantine, since focus blast does just as much to the other water types anyways. taunt would also turn sliggoo from a counter to a check since sliggoo cant set up or recover at all on floatzel and is forced to lock itself into outrage. anyways:
Hariyama @ Assault Vest | Thick Fat
252 Atk / 252 SpDef / 4 Spe | Adamant
Fake Out | Bullet Punch | Close Combat | Knock Off
Everyone's favourite metagame check! It's no different here since hariyama is a good check to p much all special attackers in the tier due to its great spdef and ability to immediately force stuff out w/ knock off and CC. It's only a check though since it doesn't appreciate switching in to multiple Hydro Pumps, especially if there's spikes up.
252 SpA Life Orb Floatzel Hydro Pump vs. 0 HP / 252 SpD Assault Vest Hariyama: 126-149 (29.3 - 34.7%) -- 10% chance to 3HKO
Poliwrath isn't 2hko'd by any of Floatzel's coverage options and kills with the combination of Focus Blast + Vacuum Wave making it a neat check. It's also nice that it forces Floatzel to predict a lot therefore limiting it from spamming its STAB.
252+ SpA Poliwrath Focus Blast vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Floatzel: 246-291 (79 - 93.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Poliwrath Vacuum Wave vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Floatzel: 84-99 (27 - 31.8%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
252 SpA Life Orb Floatzel Hidden Power Electric vs. 80 HP / 0 SpD Poliwrath: 140-166 (41 - 48.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery <---- Same BP as Focus Blast
-I literally didnt use this pokemon(or maybe barely once),but battling vs it is pain, since its coverage is so good and it hits everything, it also looks pretty cool and I wish shiny sprite had this animation too.Not much else to say,except its a monster in the rain, last slot is customizable since i really dont like missing hydro pumps lol.
Anyway, Floatzels only way to really damage this is focus miss which has like 0% for 2 KO and Giga drain kills like 64734 floatzels and 500 buizels(kidding), so i think its a very good offensive check and can even setup rain dance on it to start sweeping.
Calcs:
252 SpA Life Orb Floatzel Focus Blast vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Ludicolo: 127-151 (42.1 - 50.1%) -- 0.4% chance to 2HKO
252 SpA Life Orb Floatzel Ice Beam vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Ludicolo: 95-113 (31.5 - 37.5%) -- 87.6% chance to 3HKO
252+ SpA Life Orb Ludicolo Giga Drain vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Floatzel: 468-554 (150.4 - 178.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Lilligant (F) @ Yache Berry
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Sleep Powder
- Quiver Dance
- Giga Drain
- Hidden Power [Rock] / Hidden Power [Fire] / Hidden Power [Ice]
Yache Berry Lilligant as a check. Basically Yache allows Lilligant to easily live one ice beam from Floatzel, set up a Quiver Dance and proceed to wreck havoc. If you fear the opposing Floatzel's Taunt, you can also just Giga Drain right away. Yache Berry also has utility in allowing Lilligant to survive strong Ice Shard's from pokemon such as Abomasnow, Piloswine, and Vanilluxe
252 SpA Life Orb Floatzel Ice Beam vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Yache Berry Lilligant: 122-144 (43.2 - 51%) -- 4.7% chance to 2HKO
252 SpA Lilligant Giga Drain vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Floatzel: 378-446 (121.5 - 143.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Garbodor is a hardcheck. It's almost always the premier switch-in to Zangoose as it can tank 1 facade at full, and get Zangoose down to 50% with Toxic, Rocky Helmet, and Aftermath damage when getting killed. at that point, Zangoose is pretty much dead and can be dealt with much easier. In a 1v1 situation, Garbodor always wins as it can Drain Punch to kill Zangoose after it attacks.
Regirock @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 184 Atk / 16 Def / 56 SpD
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Stone Edge
- Drain Punch
- Thunder Wave
-i couldnt decide if id post pumpkin cuz thats a true counter to this, but I decided to go with Regirock, simply because its a truly underrated pokemon, it checks so much stuff and deserves more attention, I think sturdy is pretty useful for critical situations if you want to twave something after it gets really dangerous, not sure what Ev spread does but its a standard now, anyway cool mon id say its kinda close to counter just because Zangoose is really powerful and doesnt have much defensive checks.
Calcs:
252+ Atk Toxic Boost Zangoose Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 16+ Def Regirock: 192-228 (52.7 - 62.6%) -- 99.6% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
184 Atk Regirock Drain Punch vs. -1 0 HP / 4 Def Zangoose: 292-344 (101.7 - 119.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Gourgeist-Super @ Colbur Berry
Ability: Frisk
EVs: 248 HP / 244 Def / 16 Spe
Impish Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Foul Play
- Leech Seed
- Synthesis
Colbur Gourgeist is the safest counter to zangoose, being imune to facade and close combat and also having colbur that reduces the knock off damage. Foul play does a decent chunck to zangoose or you can just toxic stall it out, pretty underated mon in my opinion but its still very solid.
252+ Atk Toxic Boost Zangoose Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Colbur Berry Gourgeist-Super: 101-119 (27 - 31.8%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
252+ Atk Toxic Boost Zangoose Knock Off vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Gourgeist-Super: 136-160 (36.3 - 42.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
0 Atk Gourgeist-Super Foul Play vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Zangoose: 157-185 (54.7 - 64.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after toxic damage
Mawile @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Play Rough
- Super Fang
- Baton Pass
Set could possibly be optimized but defensive Mawile is a solid check to Zangoose. Mawile always avoids a 2HKO from anything Zangoose can throw at it and can reliably 2HKO Zangoose with Play Rough in return. This poke really doesn't get much love these days, so you guys should give it a try.
-1 252+ Atk Toxic Boost Zangoose Facade (140 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Mawile: 92-108 (30.2 - 35.5%) -- guaranteed 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
-1 252+ Atk Toxic Boost Zangoose Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Mawile: 42-50 (13.8 - 16.4%) -- possibly the worst move ever
-1 252+ Atk Toxic Boost Zangoose Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Mawile: 106-125 (34.8 - 41.1%) -- 65.5% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 Atk Mawile Play Rough vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Zangoose: 127-151 (44.2 - 52.6%) -- 76.2% chance to 2HKO after toxic damage
Altaria @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 248 HP / 148 Def / 112 SpD
Calm Nature
- Roost
- Heal Bell
- Dragon Pulse
- Haze
Altaria comfortably switches into anything Busken wants to use, while also having the ability to roost off the damage and consistently check it throughout the match. In return, Altaria can 2HKO Busken with Dpulse + Life Orb recoil.
252 SpA Life Orb Combusken Fire Blast vs. 248 HP / 112+ SpD Altaria: 69-82 (19.5 - 23.2%) -- possible 6HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Life Orb Combusken Focus Blast vs. 248 HP / 112+ SpD Altaria: 75-90 (21.2 - 25.4%) -- possible 5HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Life Orb Combusken Hidden Power Electric vs. 248 HP / 112+ SpD Altaria: 51-61 (14.4 - 17.2%) -- possible 9HKO after Leftovers recovery
-The counter, grumpig easily switches in on any combusken stab or coverage move, can setup a sub or either calm mind without any problems.Underrated pig, you run either sub+lefties to setup vs fat teams or colbur+signal beam on offensive teams , also heard about AV set but i dont think its that good as skuntank is pretty common rn so not recommended. EV Spread outspeeds base 55s ,max HP to take on fire/ice types and rest in spatk.
Calcs:
252 SpA Life Orb Combusken Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Thick Fat Grumpig: 82-97 (22.5 - 26.6%) -- possible 5HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Life Orb Combusken Focus Blast vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Grumpig: 87-104 (23.9 - 28.5%) -- possible 5HKO after Leftovers recovery
200+ SpA Grumpig Psychic vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Combusken: 362-428 (138.6 - 163.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Hariyama @ Assault Vest
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 SpD / 4 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Fake Out
- Earthquake
- Close Combat
- Knock Off
Hariyama is a **counter**, to almost any Special Attacker in the tier. It takes very little from any of its attacks and can proceed to OHKO it with either Earthquake or Close Combat.
252 SpA Life Orb Combusken Fire Blast vs. 0 HP / 252 SpD Assault Vest Thick Fat Hariyama: 64-75 (14.9 - 17.4%) -- possible 6HKO
252 SpA Life Orb Combusken Focus Blast vs. 0 HP / 252 SpD Assault Vest Hariyama: 138-164 (32.1 - 38.2%) -- 95.1% chance to 3HKO (odds of hitting 3 in a row are very low)
252 SpA Life Orb Combusken Hidden Power Electric vs. 0 HP / 252 SpD Assault Vest Hariyama: 47-56 (10.9 - 13%) -- possible 8HKO
252+ Atk Hariyama Close Combat vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Combusken: 306-360 (117.2 - 137.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Hariyama Earthquake vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Combusken: 340-402 (130.2 - 154%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Sliggoo @ Eviolite
Ability: Sap Sipper
EVs: 244 HP / 176 Def / 88 SpD
Careful Nature
- Curse
- Outrage
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
Sliggoo is a hard counter to special Combusken. Focus blast is doing 33% max while Outrage 2hko's even at plus 0. The Rest / Sleep Talk set does this the best as it can keep itself healthy through the entire match.
Lanturn @ Assault Vest
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 252 SpA / 144 SpD / 112 Spe
Modest Nature
- Scald
- Volt Switch
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt / HP Fire
Lanturn takes absolutely peanuts from Fire Blast and nothing from HP Electric, and Combusken needs to keep hitting Focus Blasts to have any chance of breaking through. Meanwhile, Lanturn can either OHKO it with Scald or just pivot out on the switch with Volt Switch.
252 SpA Life Orb Combusken Fire Blast vs. 0 HP / 144 SpD Assault Vest Lanturn: 61-73 (15.6 - 18.6%)
252 SpA Life Orb Combusken Focus Blast vs. 0 HP / 144 SpD Assault Vest Lanturn: 134-160 (34.2 - 40.9%)
252+ SpA Lanturn Scald vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Combusken: 306-360 (117.2 - 137.9%)
Ferroseed @ Eviolite
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 248 HP / 148 Def / 112 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Stealth Rock
- Gyro Ball
- Leech Seed
- Protect
Ferroseed as a **hard-check**. it doesn't get 2HKOd by Acrobatics, and takes pitiful damage from both Stone Edge and Earth Power. after 1 Iron Barbs hit, Gyro Ball is an ensured OHKO, making Ferroseed check every Archeops set outside of Heat Wave variants.
252 Atk Archeops Acrobatics (110 BP) vs. 248 HP / 148+ Def Eviolite Ferroseed: 108-127 (37.1 - 43.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
0 Atk Ferroseed Gyro Ball (150 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Archeops: 266-314 (91.4 - 107.9%) -- 43.8% chance to OHKO
Whitney @ Rocky Helmet / Leftovers
Ability: Sap Sipper / Thick Fat
EVs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 16 Spe
Impish Nature
- Thunder Wave
- Milk Drink
- Body Slam
- Heal Bell / Stealth Rock
Archeops is complete fodder for the second gym, with Acrobatics failing to 2HKO after SR and Miltank just recovering all of the damage off with Milk Drink. It can throw out Thunder Wave on the first turn to completely cripple Archeops or just punish switch-ins before healing against the slower opponent, and if it runs Rocky Helmet it doesn't even need to directly attack Archeops to beat it, as Stone Edge will run out of PP very quickly. Use whatever ability / fourth slot fits your team the best. You can get it into Defeatist after two Rocky Helmet hits and a Body Slam. Miltank also doesn't fear any Archeops set outside of the rare Focus Blast set.
252 Atk Archeops Acrobatics (110 BP) vs. 252 HP / 240+ Def Miltank: 135-159 (34.2 - 40.3%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Stealth Rock
252 Atk Archeops Stone Edge vs. 252 HP / 240+ Def Miltank: 121-144 (30.7 - 36.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Stealth Rock
0 Atk Miltank Body Slam vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Archeops: 54-64 (18.5 - 21.9%)
Really difficult mon to deal with, only really bulky mons and mons that are blessed by being faster than it. Lets put one of the best mons that outspeed it right now:
Floatzel @ Life Orb
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
IVs: 1 Atk / 30 SpA
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Focus Blast / Hidden Power Electric
- Taunt
Outspeeds and kills with hydro pump, can even afford to switch into an earth power pretty well despite being considerably frail but some mon that can pivot around safely would be nice. Having this ensure archeops doesnt clean you up on the late game so this is a pretty good check
4 SpA Archeops Earth Power vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Floatzel: 124-146 (39.8 - 46.9%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
-Samurott is a good check to Archeops, it even has naturally high physical bulk to take a hit if it decides to SD vs archeops (after its checks are elimininated) and proceed to sweep the game, also Aqua Jet puts it in range of defeatist and it pretty much cant do anything vs samurott back if its a 1v1 scenario.
Calcs:
252 Atk Archeops Acrobatics (110 BP) vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Samurott: 217-256 (65.5 - 77.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Samurott Aqua Jet vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Archeops: 170-204 (58.4 - 70.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Samurott Waterfall vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Archeops: 338-402 (116.1 - 138.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Zebstrika @ Life Orb
Ability: Sap Sipper
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Overheat
- Hidden Power Grass
Zebstrika's speed and electric typing makes it a good check. Zebstrika can switch in on a predicted acrobatics or just safely switch in and take out Arcehops with Volt Switch / Thunderbolt both scoring a OHKO.
252 Atk Archeops Acrobatics (110 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Zebstrika: 138-163 (47.4 - 56%) -- 82.4% chance to 2HKO
252 SpA Life Orb Zebstrika Volt Switch vs. 0 HP / 0- SpD Archeops: 343-406 (117.8 - 139.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 SpA Life Orb Zebstrika Thunderbolt vs. 0 HP / 0- SpD Archeops: 439-517 (150.8 - 177.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Piloswine is a pretty great check to Archeops, being able to 2HKO with Ice Shard, and even set up rocks on it, while also being able to switch in reasonably well.
220+ Atk Piloswine Ice Shard vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Archeops: 168-198 (57.7 - 68%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
220+ Atk Piloswine Icicle Crash vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Archeops: 354-416 (121.6 - 142.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 Atk Archeops Acrobatics (110 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Piloswine: 153-181 (37.8 - 44.8%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 Atk Defeatist Archeops Acrobatics (110 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Piloswine: 76-91 (18.8 - 22.5%) -- possible 5HKO
Musharna @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Def / 16 SpD
Bold Nature
- Calm Mind
- Psyshock
- Moonlight
- Signal Beam
Musharna is an Archeops counter. Chops is doing nothing while the pink blob just laughs and sets up. Even before setting up, Musharna is doing enough to keep Chops around Defeatist, meaning that Chops has no chance from the start.
252 Atk Archeops Acrobatics (110 BP) vs. 240 HP / 252+ Def Musharna: 153-180 (35.3 - 41.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Archeops Stone Edge vs. 240 HP / 252+ Def Musharna: 138-163 (31.8 - 37.6%) -- 91.3% chance to 3HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
0 SpA Musharna Psyshock vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Archeops: 130-154 (44.6 - 52.9%) -- 23.8% chance to 2HKO
