Wall breaking: a guide for the offensive side

Perhaps the most infamous combination of two Pokemon ever devised is SkarmBliss. In the GSC generation the sheer stalling power of two of the metagame's best walls enraged the users of NetBattle, leading to a wave of "NO SKARMBLISS!!!1!1!" in NetBattle user descriptions. And when the ADV generation rolled around their popularity remained strong. With a team of Tauros, Heracross, Starmie, Raikou, Tyranitar, and Swampert, SkarmBliss was just about unstoppable. With this dangerous force now becoming even more common in use due to the utter abuse of Pokemon such as Raikou and Heracross, there needed to be a way to get rid of them. And a way was developed: wall breaking. At first only dedicated breakers could do the job; Dugtrio and Magneton were among the very first to defeat SkarmBliss. In time, however, more sophisticated ways of wall breaking were developed and the mighty SkarmBliss fell. But there are still walls out there, and with the D/P generation several powerful new walls were introduced, such as Hippowdon, Bronzong, Cresselia, and Gliscor. With both Bronzong and Cresselia being mixed walls, there needed to be a new set of wall breakers in the world. And one came to pass.


Part 1: Trapping
The simplest form of wall breaking is trapping. By preventing a Pokemon from switching out, you can easily exploit its lesser defense. The earliest dedicated wall breaking trappers were Dugtrio and Magneton (before it evolved of course). With Dugtrio's Arena Trap ability and a Choice Band it could easily wail on Blissey's pathetic base 10 Defense for an 2HKO with Earthquake. Magneton and his Magnet Pull ability held Skarmory fast in place and fried its base 70 Special Defense with a STAB Thunderbolt. But aside from traditional trappers, who use their abilities to prevent others from switching, there are trappers in a different sense. One of the most long-established trappers is Umbreon, one of the only Pokemon in the game capable of feasibly Baton Passing Mean Look. While it is an effective strategy to Mean Look Blissey and pass to Heracross, it's also very predictable; a reasonably well-versed player will switch out their Blissey to something less vulnerable, or better yet, something MORE vulnerable. By switching to a very fast Pokemon like Weavile, Umbreon will have a hard time safely passing to another team member. And there's yet another kind of trapping, done primarily by the aforementioned Weavile: Pursuit trapping. Pursuit is a base 40 power physical Dark attack that can damage opponents as they switch. If it hits a switching opponent, its power is doubled to 80. Combine this with Weavile's base 120 Attack and Dark STAB and you have yourself a powerful force indeed. Metagross can get the deed done as well, but without STAB. This is used almost solely for Psychic types, mainly Azelf, who is effectively dead in the water if it comes up against a Choice Band Weavile, unless the Azelf can manage to go first with Flamethrower (it won't happen under basically any circumstance, and Azelf can only OHKO every time if it's holding Life Orb or Choice Specs).

Ability trapping: use of an ability to prevent switching.
Ability trappers:

Dugtrio
Magnezone
Wobbuffet (Uber)
Probopass (UU)

Pass trapping: use of Mean Look or Spider Web and Baton Pass to force an opponent to stay in.
Pass trappers:

Umbreon
Absol (highly uncommon)
Ariados (NU)

Pseudo-trapping: use of Pursuit to damage opponents on the switch.
Pseudo trappers:

Weavile
Metagross
Spiritomb
Drapion
Tyranitar
Heracross
Hitmontop (UU)

While trapping is certainly an effective strategy against most walls, D/P has brought it down a huge step with the introduction of the Shed Shell item. Shed Shell allows the user to switch under any circumstance, and, while rarely seen on Blissey and most other walls, has become a mainstay on Skarmory due to the higher number of Magnet Pullers and the fact that Magnezone has 130 base special attack.


Part 2: Mixed Attacking
Perhaps the earliest mixed attacker was Zapdos back in RBY. With good offensive stats all around and strong STAB moves in Drill Peck and Thunderbolt, Zapdos could effectively do damage from both the physical and special end of the attacking range. But it wasn't until ADV that the most famous mixed attacking set, if not one of the most famous sets of all time, was devised in these very halls of Smogon University by Jumpman16 and chaos: TyraniBoah. A deadly powerful mixed attacking set that could handle both Blissey and Skarmory with ease by utilizing Tyranitar's large physical and special movepools coupled with gigantic stats, TyraniBoah became a sensation. With the moves Thunderbolt, Substitute, Crunch (now Dark Pulse after the physical/special split) and Focus Punch, few walls could feasibly fight against the mighty Boah. Since the advent of D/P, new mixed attackers have come to light. Infernape is far and wide the most well-used, boasting base 104 in both offensive stats as well as access to the new Nasty Plot move, which boosts Special Attack 2 stages. His Fire and Fighting STAB give him a way to deal with Blissey and Skarmory, while Swampert, Suicune, and Milotic all eat it from a very high powered Grass Knot. Another popular mixed attacker is interestingly enough Salamence, who received a ridiculously powerful special STAB move in Draco Meteor, and who still has all the physical options he had in ADV. And, much like TyraniBoah came to counter the ADV walls of Skarmory and Blissey, a beast known as Chain Chomp (variation on Garchomp) was created to take on the game's new walls such as Hippowdon, Bronzong, and Cresselia. And with all of these Pokemon being in the list of 10 most used Pokemon on Shoddy Battle, it's a grim world for SkarmBliss.

While few Pokemon are established mixed attackers, many Pokemon have potential to do it, throughout the metagame. Lucario, Blaziken, and possibly Sceptile come to mind as strong mixed attackers (though Blaziken is generally eclipsed by a much faster Infernape). Mixed attacking is even viable in Ubers, where Ho-oh, Darkrai, Dialga, and even Kyogre can have good mixed attacking sets. Mixed attacking is likely the most popular form of wall breaking because it can be hard to predict, especially on Pokemon who aren't usually used with a mixed set. Only certain Pokemon, however, can be mixed attackers: while you may think a mixed Heracross may sound cool, his Special Attack is simply too low. Well what about a mixed Houndoom then? Both of its offensive stats are above average at least, so why doesn't it run a mixed set? If you look at its movepool it's not hard to see why: its moves are shallow and predictable, with almost no physical options aside from Crunch. So the two things that are needed most in a mixed attacker are offensive stats and movepool. Defensive stats are generally unimportant, as a mixed attacker is typically built to break walls, not to take hits; both Infernape and Lucario can be OHKO'd even by neutral moves.

Mixed attacking: use of moves that are both physical and special to defeat walls by exploiting their weaker defense.
Mixed attackers:

Tyranitar
Salamence
Infernape
Garchomp
Lucario


Part 3: Choice and Boosting
Mixed attacking seems like a godsend. Your Infernape is rampaging through a stall-oriented team, ripping through both Blissey and Hippowdon. Then your opponent does something that can make most every Infernape user cry: he sends out Cresselia. Looking at Cresselia's stats, most people would assume it to be the hyper-talented offspring of Lugia and Giratina. While nobody knows if this is actually true or not, Cresselia can take hits like there's no tomorrow, and there's nothing Infernape can do about it. One STAB Psychic on Infernape's measly defenses, coupled with the fact that Infernape has taken 20% damage from Life Orb and some other damage from Hippowdon's Sand Stream means the end is nigh for the flaming monkey. But obviously enough, Cresselia isn't unstoppable; after all, it's not an uber. But with a Pokemon who can wall both types of attacks like Cresselia and Bronzong (who has only one weakness that is eliminated in Rain, making him even more durable), the most efficient way to destroy them is to simply be so powerful that they can't withstand your onslaught. A good example of this is Breloom: he may be a physical attacker (STAB Focus Punch says hello to Blissey), but he can put Skarmory to sleep with the ever-broken Spore and proceed to remove him from the match with ThunderPunch. STAB on Seed Bomb also means bulky Waters and Grounds won't be ruining his day (though really neither one should be switching in on him).

Subsection 3.1: Choice
Choice items are possibly the most heavily used items this side of Leftovers. With the ability to boost a Pokemon's attack, special attack, or speed at the cost of repeated switching and a bit of prediction, many trainers take to using them often. And what a difference they can make. One of the most prominent Choice-users noted for its wall breaking ability is doubtlessly Lucario. With 115 base special attack boosted by Choice Specs, along with a powerful special Fighting STAB in Aura Sphere, Specs Lucario can defeat Blissey 1 on 1. With access to Dark Pulse, Psychic, and a host of other good attacking moves, Cresselia and Bronzong are rightfully shaking in their nonexistent boots. Other choice users, like Salamence, Metagross, and Heracross can overpower many walls with their sheer strength.

Subsection 3.2: Boosting
Choice items are not always of preference for users looking for power. If you only know a small amount of your opponent's team, or if your opponent has vastly superior prediction skills, using a Choice item Pokemon can be a real thorn in your side. Also, Spikes, Toxic Spikes, and Stealth Rock can take a toll with repeated switch-ins. There are, however, other ways to get gigantic attack. Boosting has been in common practice since the earliest days of competitive Pokemon, simply because it's a good idea. By forgoing one turn of attack, you can double your attack power and do much more damage than you otherwise would have. There are many good boosting moves you can use for both defense and offense, such as these.

Swords Dance: Atk +2
Nasty Plot: SpA +2
Amnesia: SpD +2
Iron Defense: Def +2
Acid Armor: Def +2
Agility: Spe +2
Rock Polish: Spe +2
Belly Drum: Atk +6, -50% max HP
Dragon Dance: Atk +1, Spe +1
Bulk Up: Atk +1, Def +1
Calm Mind: SpA +1, SpD + 1
Curse (not on Ghosts): Atk +1, Def +1, Spe -1
Acupressure: Random stat +2

+1 increases a stat to 150% of its original value, +2 increases it to 200% of its original value, and +6 increases it to 400% of its original value. Use one of these moves as your opponent switches to easily break whatever he intends to counter you with.

Subsection 3.3: Explosion
Explosion, clocking in at 250 base power with 100 accuracy, is the single most powerful attack in the entire game. Combine to that the fact that Explosion halves the opponent's defense before damage calculation and you've got one devastating attack. Azelf and Gengar are two of the most popular Exploders because the threat of them carrying explosion means the opponent can't counter with Blissey unless they have a Ghost type to block the blast. Despite this, there is one who is famous for his explosive tendencies: Lickilicky. The most powerful Exploder of all due to STAB (750 BP) can take out just about anything with his mighty kaboom. Beware, however, of Rock/Steel types as well as Ghosts or Protect when blowing up. While Explosion seems overly costly, forcing you to give up a potential sweep from Azelf, you can open new doors to other special sweepers on your team by destroying that Blissey. It has the potential to completely change a game when used properly.


Part 4: Alternatives
There are some moves in the metagame that seem to have been born for no other purpose than to make walls completely useless and effectively dead weight. They have devastating potential to completely cripple a wall. They are the anti-wall moves. Besides anti-wall moves, there are overarching team strategies that can be used to keep your team on the offensive and prevent opponents from stalling you.

Subsection 4.1: Taunt
Probably the most prevalent anti-wall move thanks to Bulky Gyarados. Taunt prevents your opponent from using non-attack moves. Seen on almost every Gyarados thanks to the efforts of Hippowdon and his loud Roar, Taunt makes sure nothing can stop the sea dragon from setting up his Dances. Except, of course, a Porygon2 or an unexpected Thunderpunch to the face. Since most walls (save the bulky ground types in Donphan, Hippowdon, Rhyperior and Swampert) have relatively average offenses, forcing them to attack is crippling, especially if they lose access to a recovery move (Skarmory, Slowbro, and Milotic all get hit hard by this).

Subsection 4.2: Trick
Switching Alakazam in on Blissey may seem like the dumbest thing a person could possibly do. And to an inexperienced battler it really would seem like that. But with a move called Trick, Alakazam can basically shut down that Blissey for good. An Alakazam with Choice Specs can use Trick to swap items with Blissey, obtaining leftovers for itself and forcing Blissey to root itself into the same move over and over again. Without the option to switch between support, healing, and "attack", Blissey as a wall has been ruined. Another variant of the same move called Switcheroo has also become popularized on Lopunny (it doesn't do much well, but it can do that). Tricking a choice item onto basically any wall can effectively shut it down, so long as you don't do something unintelligent like trick a Choice Band onto a Rhyperior.

Subsection 4.3: Field effects
Field effects are a great way to hamper many walls. Hail is what you'll mainly be focusing on in this category, as so many walls rely on Sandstorm and Leftovers these days that taking extra damage or losing potential recovery won't sit well with them. It allows strong sweepers like Weavile an extra advantage against any walls it may encounter. Sunny Day and Rain Dance, while they don't cause as much immediate trouble as Hail, can potentially change the game by powering up some moves enough to break a wall. Trick Room also has lots of potential since it opens up the field to attackers who are simply much stronger than others, like Rhyperior, Ursaring, and Camerupt. Gravity may seem like a relatively gimmicky move, but it absolutely destroys Skarmory by removing his Ground and Fighting resists and hampers most levitators like Cresselia and the occasional Uxie or Mesprit.

Subsection 4.4: Rapid Spin
Rapid Spin deserves a special mention because it's the only move capable of clearing the field of Spikes and Stealth Rock (Toxic Spikes can be cleared by switching in a Poison type Pokemon). Stall-based teams and walls often rely on the presence of switch-damage attacks to actually do the damage (because, as stated earlier, many walls have little to no offensive capability). A strong Rapid Spinner such as Starmie has become invaluable for almost every team, certainly every team with more than one Pokemon who is weak to Stealth Rock. While Donphan and Forretress are better supporting Rapid Spinners than Starmie, Starmie's high speed and offensive prowess means it'll be able to hit something hard, Rapid Spin on the wall switch-in, then ship out for something more adequate, like a mixed attacker or trapper, to come in. Rapid Spin also deserves mention if you're playing a defensively-minded game, as switching your walls repeatedly through Stealth Rock and three layers of spikes takes its toll. The aforementioned Donphan and Forretress are fantastic at this job. Donphan is a relatively threatening attacker with 120 base attack and STAB on Earthquake (as well as Ice Shard access), while Forretress is an unbelievably sturdy wall unless you have a Fire attack or a neutral Special attack (which is harder than it sounds with Forretress' 10 resistances and one weakness).


Part 5: Avoiding being broken
Now, most players are well-versed enough to use at least a physical and special wall on their team to take some hits now and then. And surely every player wants his walls to stay where they are and not get completely destroyed by mixed attackers or boosters. Fortunately, as is with Pokemon, there's a counter to all the possible wall breaking strategies. With a bit of ingenuity, your walls can live to take hits another day.

Subsection 5.1: Countering trappers
As was alluded to back in Part 1, a lone item known as Shed Shell has single-handedly countered the whole trapping strategy. By being able to switch whenever you want, trapping becomes a waste of time. Pseudo trapping fixes this to a certain extent, but nevertheless you can only score one hit before your opponent escapes. But what if you want to counter trappers without Shed Shell? Well, for the common case of Dugtrio trapping Blissey or Magnezone trapping Skarmory, you can't really. Blissey gets outsped and 2HKO'd by Dugtrio and Skarmory gets outsped and OHKO'd by Magnezone. There's not much you can do (Ice Beam will not OHKO Dugtrio if it is at full health). In terms of pass trapping, Roar is, like with all passing, a counter. Haze, however, is not. Pseudo trapping is a bit trickier. It actually can make a prediction war out of itself quite easily. If your opponent thinks you're going to switch, stay in and watch as Pursuit hits with 40 base power. If they think you'll stay in, switch out and laugh as they miss completely. Unfortunately, it's very hard to tell what your opponent will do in a situation like that, so great skill is required.

Subsection 5.2: Countering mixed attackers
Since mixed attacking is different for every Pokemon, the only real way to counter it is to counter each set on its own. Typically, however, they can be countered by anything that can outspeed them and score an OHKO. Infernape has well established counters in Cresselia, Starmie, and Vaporeon, while Salamence is countered by anything that can go before it and hit it with a nice, strong Ice Beam or Hidden Power Ice. Nevertheless, countering mixed attackers can be tricky business. If a Lucario kills a Blissey with Close Combat, most trainers' first impulse is to send out Gliscor to counter. A mixed Lucario with Hidden Power Ice, however, laughs in the face of Gliscor and OHKOs it. So if you suspect a Pokemon has mixed attacks, tread carefully and choose your counter wisely.

Subsection 5.3: Countering Choice/boosting
As with most Pokemon, Choice and boosting opponents can be countered by prediction. But, unless your prediction skill is extremely proficient, you're not likely to be able to rely upon this all the time. Choice Pokemon, especially those who use Choice Scarf, desperately need their items. With the move Knock Off (or the less practical Thief) you can remove those items and make your opponent significantly slower or weaker. The same can actually be done to trickers: remove their Choice item and they can no longer Trick it onto you.

An interesting, albeit rarely seen counter for Choice Pokemon and strong attackers (without boosting) in general is the move Torment. Torment prevents your foe from using the same attack twice in a row. Naturally, this ruins Choice users by forcing them to switch out after one attack (much like the Sleep Talk syndrome). With a smart trainer as well, Torment can be used to actually torment your foe. Use Torment on a mixed attacker, predict his attacks, and swap your walls accordingly, and it's not hard to imagine how angry your opponent very likely is.

Protect is one of the easiest and most effective methods of countering Choice users. Its uses are many: learning a Pokemon's set (scouting for physical/special Lucario or Mixmence or other such things), finding out what move your Choice-wielding opponent is locked into, or even blocking (or not blocking) your opponent's Explosion. If you know which move your opponent is forced to use, switching to something that can counter that one move is very simple. Unfortunately, however, your opponent could predict which counter you'll send in (if they know your team well) and send in a counter for that. Thus, Protect is at its best when your opponent doesn't know much of your team.

Countering boosters is even simpler. While large boosting Baton Pass chains will typically employ Ingrain to prevent this, good old Roar and Whirlwind can ruin the fun of any swords-dancer. But while pseudo-hazing has been getting most of the attention for a long time thanks to its practicality, actual hazing is an entirely viable option and can't be blocked by Ingrain, Suction Cups, or Soundproof. The problem is, however, only a scant few Pokemon can actually learn and use Haze to a reasonable extent. Weezing, Vaporeon, Crobat, Milotic, and a few others can use haze, but it is often hard to fit into their movesets (except for Mantine).

Without hazing or pseudo-hazing, boosting becomes slightly trickier to counter. A popular option, and one that helped cement Wobbuffet as an uber, is Encore. Encore forces your opponent to repeat the same move for several turns, and if you can Encore your opponent's boosting move, you can spend the turns he's wasting to set yourself up for a sweep. You could also use status-lowering moves, like Charm or Featherdance, though your opponent can generally just continue boosting.


Part 6: Overall strategy and execution

Building a team that has the potential to break a wall is all fine and good, but actually doing it is another story completely. The problem with each of these wall-removal strategies has some walls that it simply can't counter. No trapper will be doing much to Hippowdon, the most popular mixed attacker (Infernape) is completely shut down by Starmie and Cresselia, and Choice Pokemon and boosters have counters that are packed on most teams. However, using offensive combinations can yield awesome results if used properly. There are several such combinations.

Infernape and Tyranitar:
If your Infernape is rampaging through your opponent's team only to be met by Cresselia or Starmie, fear not. Switch in a Choice Band Tyranitar with Pursuit and there's no way they'll be walking out.

Salamence + Metagross/Jirachi:
Salamence and Metagross/Jirachi quite literally cover each other's weaknesses perfectly. The choice between Metagross and Jirachi is based on how offensive you actually want to be. Metagross means you'll have an all-out offensive, while Jirachi will be there primarily to support Mixmence (you made it a Mixmence, right?) and get a few attacks in once in a while.

Dugtrio + Machamp:
A common counter to trapping Dugtrio is, interestingly enough, pseudo-trapping Weavile. If the opposing weavile opts for Ice Punch or especially Night Slash, switch to a nice bulky Machamp to soak up the hit and pose a gigantic threat to the hyper-frail Weavile. If they're stupid enough to stay in, well, no more Weavile. Dugtrio survived to trap another day. This is quite a dangerous play though, as if Weavile uses Pursuit it can and will OHKO your Dugtrio. So utmost caution is definitely recommended.

Azelf + Heracross:
Few things can counter Azelf in the way that Spiritomb can. Spiritomb is immune to both Explosion and Psychic, leaving Azelf with few options (especially with Sucker Punch). If you can manage to get your Azelf to safety, which is tough because of Spiritomb's STAB Pursuit, Choice Band Heracross will ruin Spiritomb's day. Heracross has even more fun with Dusknoir (without Fire Punch), as Azelf can switch with relative safety (no Dusknoir would use Will-o-Wisp on an Azelf, unfortunately for Guts). And if Gliscor thinks it can just smack Heracross with Aerial Ace, Azelf will have no trouble removing it with a high-powered STAB Psychic.

There are plenty of combos out there, and finding an effective one is an enjoyable, if complicated, process. But don't think that these combos have to be limited to the ultimate offense powerhouse style of play. You can certainly have a more defensive combination (Something to attract Dugtrio, like Blissey, and Milotic go great together) if you so choose. No matter how defensive your combo seems, they can always be played offensively (like the aforementioned Blissey and Milotic). Breaking walls is just one of their many applications.

If your team has a different overall strategy and don't necessarily have room for these combos (or just don't want to use them), there are ways to execute wall breaking on its own. Nevertheless, it's a good idea to build your team in such a way that it can aid your mixed attacker or trapper. The absolute most important thing that you MUST understand is that you can NOT allow your team to rely on one Pokemon to break all the opposing walls. Keep in mind that critical hits and misprediction happen, so basing your whole team on things to support one Infernape is an extremely risky strategy (this is one of the big downfalls of Baton Pass teams, but that's for another article). Sometimes getting your mixed attacker (this applies most to Infernape and Lucario) onto the field is a huge struggle in itself. This can often rely on trickery and good prediction on your part. That said, using a lone wall-breaker on your team is no less effective, though it can be more difficult.

Since the introduction of SkarmBliss in Advance, wall breaking has been an important part of building a team; being able to defeat walls is necessary, and it's also important to avoid having your walls broken. Whichever method you choose, a bit of ingenuity and cunning is required to truly make it work.

-------------------------------

This is approaching a final draft.

Edits are being made accordingly. Thank you for your support.
 

Max

yadig
is a Top Tutor Alumnusis a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
The correct shorthand for Speed is "Spe", not "Spd". "Sp Atk" should also be "SpA". Make sure to capitalize them too.
 

aamto

on whom the three Fates smile
You forgot Tyranitar as a Pursuit trapper.

EDIT: and Heracross too.
 
In the ADV generation, a discovery was made that by using two Pokemon, Blissey and Skarmory, one could expend almost no effort whatsoever and completely destroy 90% of all teams. With a team of Tauros, Heracross, Starmie, Raikou, Tyranitar, and Jirachi, SkarmBliss would wall it completely without a problem.
Actually, Sub/CM Jirachi can indeed beat Blissey, so for the sake of being 100% accurate I'd replace Jirachi with something else.

Pseudo-trapping: use of Pursuit to damage opponents on the switch.
Pseudo trappers:

Weavile
Metagross
Spiritomb
Drapion


What about Heracross and Tyranitar?

Mixed attacking: use of moves that are both physical and special to defeat walls by exploiting their weaker defense.
Mixed attackers:

Zapdos


I'd be hesitant about mentioning Zapdos here. Though it may have been the first mixed attacker in RBY, this is a guide for D/P, and that (and possibly ADV) is the only gen most of the readers are going to be familiar with.
 

Colonel M

I COULD BE BORED!
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Community Leader Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Discord Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnus
Now that I think of it, shouldn't Garchomp be somewhere in the list as well, since Chain Chomp WAS made to push through Physical Walls.

Smeargle can also play as a Pass Trapper. I know it's a little bit... not suited for it, but he can do it!

I guess this should be pointed out as a question: can't any Pokemon with Pursuit and at least ONE immunity could count as a psuedo-trapper? I'm thinking that it's possible, but I'll leave this up to others.

Actually this looks like a very well-thought out guide that I will probably look at from time to time.
 
CB Earthquake from dugtrio 2hkos Blissey. Also Dragonite can be a Mixed Attacker thanks to his giant move pool.So can Gengar.
 
You should add Weezing to the Haze list. I dont know about you but i always go Haze when i use Weezng
 
I'll add Weezing to the Haze list.

The lists are generally for common users of such strategies. Explosion doesn't make Gengar a mixed attacker, unfortunately.
 
In the beginning you note Azelf using Flamethrower on Weavile. IIRC Weavile can survive an un-boosted flamethrower from the standard Azelf, so you may want to change that, unless I'm missing somwthing.
 
Gengar can effectively use Focus Punch and the novelty Poison Jab, and can nearly 1HKO Blissey with it too. I think it makes an excellent mixed attacker, really. Maybe I just overlooked but you should mention that you're not limited to the options given, lots of Pokemon can effectively play as a mixed attacker.

ChainChomp actually doesn't beat Cresselia, it can hardly manage a 3HKO
 
Phox said:
While few Pokemon are established mixed attackers, many Pokemon have potential to do it, throughout the metagame.


I'll run a few calcs of Azelf v. Weavile.

While removing Blissey from the game is often an important goal of mixed attackers, it's not their sole purpose in life; Gengar can take out Blissey with Explosion or Focus Punch, but that's because Blissey has base 10 defense. With Gengar's base 65 attack it doesn't seem to me like a very good example of a mixed attacker. I'm using examples like Lucario and Infernape because they're properly balanced to be mixed attackers and have a nice movepool on both sides of the spectrum (Gengar kinda does, but the 65 base attack doesn't really lend itself well).

EDIT: Life Orb Modest Azelf OHKO's Weavile with Flamethrower.
 
EDIT: It can with leftovers, a range of 91% to 107%. I entered it with 252 atk EVs last time instead of 252 SpA EVs.
 
Correct me if I'm wrong. But Umbreon in GSC could "trap" via Pursuit.

But it wasn't until ADV that the most famous mixed attacking set, if not one of the most famous sets of all time, was devised in these very halls of Smogon University by Jumpman and chaos: TyraniBoah.
Shouldn't it be:

But it wasn't until ADV that one of the most famous mixed attacking sets, if not the most famous set of all time, was devised in these very halls of Smogon University by Jumpman and chaos: TyraniBoah.


Also, I believe that GSC had a few Mixed attackers. You make it seem although there were no mixed attackers until Boah. Of course, I could be wrong as I have little knowledge of the GSC era. McGar too was sort of a mixed attacker.
 
The only thing you changed in that sentence was making it sound like TyraniBoah is more famous.

Umbreon doesn't have offenses.

If you look a few posts up (at Fishin's post), you'll see why I don't list mixed attackers from RBY or GSC (I mean, Tyranitar is from GSC but it's an advance set).
 
I want you to know that it is very nice that you are doing this, so whether some1 points out a mistake or something you missed, know that we as fellow members are grateful.

Thank you for taking the time to make this entire thread.

Because there are simply not enough members who remember to thank the people who do the hard work...
 

obi

formerly david stone
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Programmer Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Smogon Discord Contributor Alumnusis a Researcher Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
I didn't get past the first paragraph yet, so...

Skarmbliss existed in GSC before ADV. They are both beaten by just about any Tyranitar set, and if Heracross gets in a Focus Punch or two on Skarmory, it's going down, and Reversal also gives it a run for its money.
 

X-Act

np: Biffy Clyro - Shock Shock
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Programmer Alumnusis a Smogon Discord Contributor Alumnusis a Top Researcher Alumnusis a Top CAP Contributor Alumnusis a Top Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnusis an Administrator Alumnus
To continue with Obi's point, I think that using a team with Blissey and Skarmory together would destroy 90% of teams in ADV is grossly exaggerated...
 
not sure if this has been metioned yet but trapinch can trap and do it decently effective with 100 base attack earthquake and quick attack @ focus sash =)
 

Karrot

plant
is a Past WCoP Champion
To evolve on what Obi said, "NO SKARMBLISS" began in the GSC generation, 2001.

Anything that is even close to a "gimmick," such as Trapinch, doesn't need to be mentioned.
 
Can't stress this enough: if you don't want to be stalled out but you haven't opened a hole in this team yet, you'll love Rapid Spin. Stealth Rock is on every team, and stall teams commonly use Spikes and Toxic Spikes as well. If you can't break through but your sweeper takes 30% damage to begin with you still aren't in the finest of positions. While it technically isn't going to hurt anything, you'll want to use it anyway.
 
I'll see if I can implement that into this guide, though that may apply ot a more general battling strategy guide. Nevertheless it's a good point.
 
Things like Abomasnow (Hail) and Weather teams in general (Exeggutor and Kingdra provide special sweeping and threaten Blissey) can also throw a stall team off balance, especially since so many of them rely on Sandstorm.
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 1, Guests: 0)

Top