Whimsicott (Update + Revamp) [READY FOR UPLOAD]

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AccidentalGreed

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Okay, so. Whimsicott's okay, but not that bad or horrible. It's just that I think its analysis at the moment is currently lacking, since it is pretty much based on SubSeed (which is a horrible strategy that compromises momentum and requires heavy support), andd as much as I love the writing, I think it needs to be a little more professional. Sorry, Rising_Dusk!

QC Approvals (3/3): (Alexwolf) (Fuzznip) (Jukain <3)
GP Approvals (2/2): (Piikachuu) (NixHex)

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

"Counter Dragonite," they said. "Broken," they said. Be more consistent, guys :(

[OVERVIEW]

<p>Whimsicott is perhaps one of the more overhyped Pokemon in early BW besides Haxorus, but quirky history aside, Whimsicott has proven itself to have a niche in just about any environment it's allowed in. It specifically differentiates itself from other Pokemon thanks to Prankster combined with a huge number of helpful and annoying support options, ranging from Encore to Taunt to Tailwind. This alone makes Whimsicott an ultimate annoyer and team supporter, capable of disrupting the opponent while creating switch-in and setup opportunities for your own Pokemon. While its ability to use Prankster effectively is awesome, Whimsicott itself is decidedly subpar; its bulk is mediocre and it lacks reliable recovery, and may become dead weight on teams due to a lack of offensive presence outside of Leech Seed, which isn't even a main option on this analysis. Additionally, because Whimsicott is notorious for what it does, it is somewhat predictable, and thus requires great patience and prediction to use. However, its presence causes a number of competent players to play cautiously around it, so they, too, are capable of serious mispredictions and ill-timed decisions. At the end of the day, be wary that Whimsicott is high-risk with unpredictable rewards.</p>

[SET]
name: Prankster
move 1: Encore
move 2: Taunt
move 3: Tailwind / Stun Spore
move 4: U-turn / Memento
item: Leftovers
ability: Prankster
nature: Careful / Impish
evs: 252 HP / 188 SpD / 68 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>The best set Whimsicott can pull off is pure utility and support, but this set is so well-known and stops so many otherwise dangerous Pokemon in their tracks that good players have to be prepared to face it at any given time. The purpose of this set is to throw off momentum and prevent possible setup with Encore and Taunt, then maintaining your own team's momentum (and possibly give free turns) by switching out or following up with a support move afterwards. It should be noted that even if the opponent has successfully predicted Whimsicott's actions and switched to another Pokemon, Whimsicott has essentially done its job at averting the opponent's original plans, and can also adapt around the situation if needed.</p>

<p>Tailwind and Stun Spore are supplementary support moves. The former temporarily boosts the Speed of teammates for a couple of turns, and is especially a good last resort option if ridiculously fast threats such as Chlorophyll Venusaur, Sand Rush Stoutland, Choice Scarf Salamence, and Choice Scarf Keldeo are terrorizing your team. Stun Spore is more useful for its Speed drop, which is especially useful for some troublesome targets such as paraflinch Jirachi or a Pokemon with too many Speed boosts. The scouting move of choice depends on preferences; U-turn is relatively standard and ensures Whimsicott won't die early early in the game, as it can support its team with Tailwind and Encore multiple times if needed. On the other hand, Memento creates setup opportunities for sweepers as it will likely force the opponent to switch out, although it will be harder to use Whimsicott and predict due to a lack of a reliable scouting move.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Given the supportive nature of this set, in addition to Prankster mostly alleviating Speed issues, the EVs should be focused towards defenses with a single exception. Although 68 Speed EVs may look odd, it specifically allows Whimsicott to outrun the common Jolly max Speed Mamoswine naturally, giving Whimsicott's priority moves a jump over Mamoswine's Ice Shard. Doing so means Whimsicott can either lock Mamoswine into Earthquake with Encore or pull off a potentially gamebreaking Tailwind before dying to Ice Shard. Outside of this specific situation, zero Speed investment is absolutely fine, as uninvested Whimsicott can still outrun most common forms of priority in the metagame, including Scizor's Bullet Punch and Jolly Breloom's Mach Punch. A specially defensive spread with a Careful nature takes advantage of Whimsicott's natural resistances towards common special Water-, Electric-, and Grass-type attacks, allowing it to switch into stray Scalds, Thunders, Giga Drains, and other weak special attacks repeatedly. A physically defensive spread with an Impish nature is also viable if you prefer Whimsicott taking less punishment from ExtremeSpeed and other physical attacks.</p>

<p>This set is tailored mainly towards supporting offensive, hard-hitting teammates, as it is ultimately useless otherwise. Generally, these teammates should make good use the numerous switch-in opportunities Whimsicott provides, in addition to Tailwind or paralysis in order to clean up teams and revenge kill any faster Pokemon. This list of teammates includes, but is definitely not limited to Choice Band-wielding Dragon-types such as Kyurem-B, Haxorus, and Garchomp, or setup sweepers such as Swords Dance Lucario, Swords Dance Haxorus, and Nasty Plot Thundurus-T. It is recommended that any possible sweepers you employ be able to at least outrun Chlorophyll Venusaur in the sun with Tailwind to revenge kill it. Additionally, given that Whimsicott forces switches and is supposed to be used on offensive teams, Spikes and Stealth Rock support should be used to wear down switch-ins. A fast way to lay down entry hazards is by employing leads such as Custap Lead Skarmory or Froslass.</p>

<p>There are Pokemon that can easily switch into and threaten Whimsicott regardless of what it does. Heatran and Magic Bounce users are prime examples of such opponents, so the best way to avoid them without compromising momentum is to use a Heatran of your own. Not only does Heatran comfortably handle most opposing Heatran and Magic Bounce users, but it also takes common attacks (U-turn, Fire Blast, Bullet Punch, Ice Shard, and ExtremeSpeed) aimed at Whimsicott reasonably well. You can also consider using Dugtrio or Gothitelle, as Whimsicott can lure in and U-turn out of Heatran, Espeon, and other threats for one of these two to trap and kill. Remember that any Pokemon you choose to counter these Pokemon should be offensively inclined, as dedicated team support for Whimsicott <em>itself</em> is almost totally unnecessary.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>This is the part where you say "where's SubSeed?" Yes, while the combination of SubSeed and Prankster is extremely obvious on Whimsicott, it sadly needs tons of support in order to work, especially as Celebi, Heatran, and Magic Bounce users are common in the metagame. Additionally, using SubSeed requires a stressful level of prediction, and in general, you will find yourself wishing you had faster ways of overpowering the opposition. Outside of this, Whimsicott has tons of other support options to use with Prankster, though most of them are either unreliable or situational. Special mentions go to Cotton Guard, which boosts Whimsicott's physical defense to impenetrable levels but is badly checked by any powerful special attacker, Light Screen, which gives much-needed but short protection against special attacks, and GrassWhistle, which would be undisputedly be a good option if not for its unreliable accuracy. Trick Room is also decent on paper with U-turn, though keep in mind that Trick Room is not affected by Prankster, and that there are other Pokemon that can both sweep as well as set up Trick Room, unlike Whimsicott.</p>

<p>While Whimsicott's offensive movepool is actually quite nice, offensive options are also quite limited due to Whimsicott's low base 77 Special Attack stat, in addition to some attacks' conflicting reliance on weather (Hurricane versus Growth in rain or sun). Even with investment, it's not hitting very hard, so Venusaur and Celebi are more powerful and reliable alternatives. Speaking of which, Whimsicott can also use Sunny Day to change the weather in a pinch against opposing weather teams. However, Ninetales does this role simply by switching in, and other reliable Sunny Day users, such as Venusaur and Heatran, exist.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Although Whimsicott allows very little setup opportunities with Taunt and Encore (so one would be smart not to attempt to set up) and can choose to avoid confrontation via U-turn, just attacking it will do the trick because it has absolutely no offensive presence. Heatran, amongst many others, has absolutely little to no trouble with Whimsicott, as it doesn't mind paralysis much, and can simply spam Roar, Taunt, or its Fire-type moves if Taunted. Should Whimsicott choose to use Leech Seed, Grass-types such as Ferrothorn, Breloom, and Celebi can just switch in and attack. U-turn users such as Celebi, Scizor, and Landorus-T also do well in most cases, as U-turn naturally does heavy damage, and allows the opponent to adapt and predict around Whimsicott depending on the situation. Priority users also do decently well against Whimsicott, although there are actually very little in the metagame that can beat Whimsicott's priority moves besides Weavile's Ice Shard, Terrakion's Quick Attack, and Lucario and Dragonite's ExtremeSpeed. Even then, Whimsicott can survive a couple of hits from these attacks due to defensive investment, so it must be weakened beforehand.</p>

<p>There are also specific ways of beating Whimsicott. Opposing Prankster users tend to employ Taunt, which can potentially stop Whimsicott from functioning effectively. Only Tornadus and Liepard can do this in practice, however, as both invest heavily in speed and thus outrun Whimsicott naturally, while Prankster Sableye is too slow to use its own support moves against the threat of Whimsicott's faster Encore and Taunt. Whimsicott also despises Magic Bounce users, and although its simple solution is using U-turn, the Magic Bounce users can always switch back in and limit its actions. Whimsicott's lack of recovery and reliance on prediction are also crippling downfalls, as it switches in often and can easily be worn down by Spikes and Stealth Rock in addition to random or well-timed attacks.</p>

[OVERVIEW]
  • Possibly holds title of one of the most overhyped Pokemon besides Haxorus, but that jazz aside, Whimsicott sits on an imaginary line between "good" and "not very good"
  • Subpar Grass-type all-around, but differentiates itself thanks to Prankster and a huge number of great support options
  • Whimsicott unfortunately lacks good bulk and reliable recovery
  • May become dead weight due to a lack of offensive presence outside of Leech Seed, which isn't even a main option in this analysis
  • Somewhat predictable, but its presence causes competent players to play cautiously around it, which is actually sort of a good thing.

[SET]
name: Prankster
move 1: Encore
move 2: Taunt
move 3: Tailwind / Stun Spore
move 4: U-turn / Memento
item: Leftovers
ability: Prankster
nature: Careful / Impish
evs: 252 HP / 188 SpD / 68 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
  • Utility is basically the only good thing Whimsicott can do in OU, but does such a good job at it that good players have to prepare for it anytime
  • Purpose of this set is to throw off momentum and prevent possible setup with Encore and Taunt, and also maintain momentum by switching out.
  • Should be noted that even if the opponent has successfully predicted and switched to another Pokemon, Whimsicott has done its job successfully at preventing whatever the opponent cooked up
  • Tailwind and Stun Spore provide good offensive support. The former temporarily boosts the speed of its teammates for a couple of turns, and is very good as a last resort option if the tables are turned against you.
  • Stun Spore is more useful for the permanent speed drop, and is especially useful to cripple otherwise dangerous Pokemon such as paraflinch Jirachi
  • U-turn works around Pokemon that switch in after something else has been Encore'd or Taunted. Using it over Memento also ensures Whimsicott won't die so early, though Memento does provide good setup opportunities for sweepers.
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
  • The spread listed maximizes special bulk while besting Mamoswine's Ice Shard; doing so allows Whimsicott to tank an Earthquake or some other attack and lock Mamoswine in it with Encore before being hit by Ice Shard. Outrunning Ice Shard also means Whimsicott can pull off a Tailwind before dying. Otherwise, no Speed investment is absolutely fine, as 0 Spe still allows Whimsicott to "outrun" other common forms of priority (especially Jolly Scizor's Bullet Punch and Jolly Breloom's Mach Punch)
  • A physical version of the spread with a Bold nature can also be used to tank physical attacks, especially Extremespeed, more easily
  • Leech Seed can be used over Stun Spore and Tailwind, though opposing sweepers or attackers typically won't mind losing extra HP and will likely attack head-on. It is, however, very beneficial against defensive Pokemon such as Latias and Chansey.
  • Heatran is Whimsicott's best friend; it tanks Extremespeed and Ice Shard, makes sure other Heatran and Fire-types don't harrass Whimsicott too much, AND generally provides offensive pressure against Pokemon that Whimsicott generally has trouble.
  • This set is also tailored towards supporting offensive Pokemon, and thus should be paired with such. Swords Dance Lucario, Scizor, Choice Band Kyurem-B, Choice Band Haxorus, and plenty of others are all appreciative of Tailwind or paralysis support since the Speed boost allows them to get past normal checks and counters, and ultimately clean teams.
  • It is recommended that Tailwind users should be able to at least outrun Modest Thundurus-T, as it is the most common Agility user in OU.
  • Scizor in particular is also a great Pokemon to pair with Whimsicott, since it resists priority and has the ability to trap Magic Bounce users with Pursuit.
[OTHER OPTIONS]
  • SubSeed, but that's sadly stopped by a lot of things.
  • Offensive set is sorta horrible due to Whimsicott's low base 77 SpA and the existence of better options like Celebi
  • Sunny Day, though Ninetales obviously exists, and Venusaur and Heatran are much better suited for setting it up
[CHECKS AND COUNTERS]
  • Wrong predictions and overpredictions can spell trouble for Whimsicott
  • Heatran can just spam Roar, or Lava Plume if Taunted
  • Opposing Prankster users, though Whimsicott can actually "beat" Sableye and then switch out. It isn't so lucky against Liepard and Tornadus, both of whom invest in Speed
  • Faster priority users, though in OU there isn't a lot. Weavile is best at this job.
  • Extremespeed hits before Prankster, though with investment Whimsicott can take one or two
  • Whimsicott absolutely despises Magic Bounce
  • Goes down with constant offensive pressure
 
Last edited:

alexwolf

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Excellent analysis as always! Actually, i think this is the first time i am giving a stamp without suggesting any changes...




QC Approved 1/3
 

AccidentalGreed

Sweet and bitter as chocolate.
is a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnus
Whimsicott doesn't learn Synthesis.
Oh, whoops! Yeah, must have subconsciously got that from Lilligant's movepool when I was comparing notes and movepools, so that's removed. Embarrassing, haha

And thanks for that fast QC check, Alexwolf! I expect this analysis to be swift~
 
  • Sunny Day, though Ninetales obvious exists, and Venusaur and Heatran are much better suited for setting it up
Umm, Whimsicott doesn't learn Sunny Day... I kid.

There isn't really much to add. This thing's pretty straightforward.

QC 2/3
 
Last edited:

Jukain

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yeah sunny day is prolly ok for sun teams

give weavile that specific c&c mention

oh yeah and it's frail as fuck
 

AccidentalGreed

Sweet and bitter as chocolate.
is a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnus
Done with writing! It took me a while to come up with the Overview, so please forgive me if I sound particularly forgiving there. That aside, it's ready for the third QC check.
 
this has just been sitting here for a little while >_>

gp check
Additions
Removals
Comments


[OVERVIEW]

<p>Whimsicott is perhaps one of the more overhyped Pokemon in early BW besides Haxorus, but quirky history aside, Whimsicott has proven itself to be have a niche in just about any environment it's allowed in. It specifically differentiates itself from other Pokemon thanks to Prankster combined with a huge number of helpful and annoying support options, ranging from Encore to Taunt to Tailwind. This alone makes Whimsicott an ultimate annoyer and team supporter, capable of disrupting the opponent while creating switch-in and setup opportunities for your own Pokemon. While its ability to use Prankster effectively is awesome, Whimsicott itself is decidedly subpar; it lacks amazing bulk and its bulk is mediocre and it lacks reliable recovery, and may become dead weight on teams due to a lack of offensive presence outside of Leech Seed, which isn't even a main option on this analysis. Additionally, because Whimsicott is notorious for what it does, it is somewhat predictable, and thus requires great patience and prediction to use. However, its presence causes a number of competent players to play cautiously around it, so they, too, are capable of serious mispredictions and ill-timed decisions. At the end of the day, be wary that Whimsicott is high-risk with unpredictable rewards.</p>

[SET]
name: Prankster
move 1: Encore
move 2: Taunt
move 3: Tailwind / Stun Spore
move 4: U-turn / Memento
item: Leftovers
ability: Prankster
nature: Careful / Impish
evs: 252 HP / 188 SpD / 68 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>The best set Whimsicott can pull off is pure utility and support, but this set is so well-known and stops so many otherwise dangerous Pokemon in their tracks that good players have to be prepared to face it anytime at any given time. The purpose of this set is to throw off momentum and prevent possible setup with Encore and Taunt, then maintaining your own team's momentum (and possibly give free turns) by switching out or following up with a support move afterwards. It should be noted that even if the opponent has successfully predicted Whimsicott's actions and switched to another Pokemon, Whimsicott has essentially done its job at averting the opponent's original plans, and can also adapt around the situation if needed.</p>

<p>Tailwind and Stun Spore are supplementary support moves. The former temporarily boosts the speed of teammates for a couple of turns, and is especially a good last resort option if ridiculously fast threats such as Chlorophyll Venusaur, Sand Rush Stoutland, Choice Scarf Salamence, and Choice Scarf Keldeo are terrorizing your team. Stun Spore is more useful for its Speed drop, which is especially useful for some troublesome targets such as paraflinch Jirachi or a Pokemon with too many Speed boosts. The scouting move of choice depends on preferences; U-turn is relatively standard and ensures Whimsicott won't die early early in the game, as it can support its team with Tailwind and Encore multiple times if needed. On the other hand, Memento creates setup opportunities for sweepers as it will likely force the opponent to switch out, although it will be harder to use Whimsicott and predict due to a lack of a reliable scouting move.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Given the supportive nature of this set, in addition to Prankster mostly alleviating Speed issues, the EVs should be focused towards defenses with a single exception. Although 68 Speed EVs may look odd, it specifically allows Whimsicott to outrun the common Jolly max Speed Mamoswine naturally, giving Whimsicott's priority moves a jump over Mamoswine's Ice Shard. Doing so means Whimsicott can either lock Mamoswine into Earthquake with Encore,(RC) or pull off a potentially gamebreaking Tailwind before dying to Ice Shard. Outside of this specific situation, zero Speed investment is absolutely fine, as uninvested Whimsicott can still "outrun" most common forms of priority in the metagame, including Scizor's Bullet Punch and Jolly Breloom's Mach Punch. A specially defensive spread with a Careful nature takes advantage of Whimsicott's natural resistances towards common special Water-, Electric-, and Grass-type attacks, allowing it to switch into stray Scalds, Thunders, Giga Drains, and other weak special attacks repeatedly. A physically defensive spread with the an Impish nature is also viable if you prefer Whimsicott taking less punishment from ExtremesSpeed (ExtremeSpeed) and other physical attacks.</p>

<p>This set is tailored mainly towards supporting offensive, hard-hitting teammates, as it is ultimately useless otherwise. Generally, these teammates should make good use the numerous switch-in opportunities Whimsicott provides, in addition to Tailwind or paralysis in order to clean up teams and revenge kill any faster Pokemon. This list of teammates includes, but is definitely not limited to Choice Band-weilding (if you decide to keep this in make sure to correct it to "wielding") Dragon-types such as Kyurem-B, Haxorus, and Garchomp, or setup sweepers such as Swords Dance Lucario, Swords Dance Haxorus, and Nasty Plot Thundurus-T. It is recommended that any possible sweepers you employ should be able to at least outrun Chlorophyll Venusaur in the sun with Tailwind to revenge kill it. Additionally, given that Whimsicott forces switches and is supposed to be used on offensive teams, Spikes and Stealth Rock support should be used to wear down switch-ins. A fast way to lay down entry hazards is by employing leads such as Custap Lead Skarmory or Froslass.</p>

<p>There are Pokemon that can easily switch into and threaten Whimsicott regardless of what it does. Heatran and Magic Bounce users are prime examples of such opponents, so the best way to avoid them without compromising momentum is to use a Heatran of your own. Not only does Heatran comfortably handle most opposing Heatran and Magic Bounce users, but it also takes common attacks (U-turn, Fire Blast, Bullet Punch, Ice Shard, and ExtremesSpeed) aimed at Whimsicott reasonably well. You can also consider using Dugtrio or Gothitelle, as Whimsicott can lure in and U-turn out of Heatran, Espeon, and other threats for one of these two to trap and kill. Remember that any Pokemon you choose to counter these Pokemon with should be offensively inclined, as dedicated team support <i>for</i> (I'm not sure what the policy for using formatting is, but regardless I believe Smogon uses <em></em> tags over <i></i>; regardless, I'll leave this to a more experienced gp member) Whimsicott itself is almost totally unnecessary.</p>

[OTHER OPTIONS][Other Options]

<p>This is the part where you say "where's SubSeed?" Yes, while the combination of SubSeed and Prankster is extremely obvious on Whimsicott, it sadly needs tons of support in order to work, especially as Celebi, Heatran, and Magic Bounce users are common in the metagame. Additionally, using SubSeed requires a stressful level of prediction, and in general, you will find yourself wishing you had faster ways of overpowering the opposition. Outside of this, Whimsicott has tons of other support options to use with Prankster, though most of them are either unreliable or situational. Special mentions go to Cotton Guard, which boosts Whimsicott's physical defense to impenetrable levels but is badly checked by any powerful special attacker;, Light Screen, which gives much-needed but short protection against special attacks;, and GrasswWhistle, which would be undisputedly be a good option if not for its unrelaible unreliable accuracy. Trick Room is also decent on paper with U-turn, though keep in mind that Trick Room is not affected by Prankster, and that there are other Pokemon that can both sweep AND as well as set up Trick Room, unlike Whimsicott.</p>

<p>While Whimsicott's offensive movepool is actually quite nice, offensive options are also quite limited due to Whimsicott's low base 77 Special Attack stat, in addition to some attacks' conflicting reliance on weather (Hurricane versus Growth in rain or sun). Even with investment, it's not hitting very hard, so Venusaur and Celebi are more powerful and reliable alternatives. Speaking of which, Whimsicott can also use Sunny Day to change the weather in a pinch against opposing weather teams. However, Ninetales does this role simply by switching in, and other reliable Sunny Day users, such as Venusaur and Heatran, exist.</p>

[CHECKS AND COUNTERS][Checks and Counters]

<p>Although Whimsicott allows very little setup opportunities with Taunt and Encore (so one would be smart not to attempt to set up) and can choose to avoid confrontation via U-turn, just attacking it will do the trick because it has absolutely no offensive presence. Heatran, amongst many others, has absolutely little to no trouble with Whimsicott, as it doesn't mind paralysis much, and can simply spam Roar, Taunt, or its Fire-type moves if Taunted. Should Whimsicott choose to use Leech Seed, Grass-types such as Ferrothorn, Breloom, and Celebi can just switch in and attack. U-turn users such as Celebi, Scizor, and Landorus-T also do well in most cases, as U-turn naturally does heavy damage, and allows the opponent to adapt and predict around Whimsicott depending on the situation. Priority users also do decently well against Whimsicott, although there are actually very little in the metagame that can beat Whimsicott's priority moves besides Weavile's Ice Shard, Terrakion's Quick Attack, and Lucario's and Dragonite's ExtremesSpeed. Even then, Whimsicott can survive a couple of hits from these attacks due to defensive investment, so it must be weakened beforehand.</p>

<p>There are also exists specific ways of beating Whimsicott. Opposing Prankster users tend to employ Taunt, which can potentially stop Whimsicott from functioning effectively. Only Tornadus and Liepard can do this in practice, however, as both invest heavily in speed and thus outrun Whimsicott naturally, while Prankster Sableye is too slow to use its own support moves against the threat of Whimsicott's faster Encore and Taunt. Whimsicott also despises Magic Bounce users, and although its simple solution is using U-turn, the Magic Bounce users can always switch back in and limit its actions. Whimsicott's lack of recovery and reliance on prediction is are also crippling downfalls, as it switches in often and can easily be worn down by Spikes and Stealth Rock in addition to random or well-timed attacks.</p>


I might have missed some stuff as I'm in a bit of a rush

however, gp 1/2
 
Last edited:

Nix_Hex

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[OVERVIEW]

<p>Whimsicott is perhaps one of the more overhyped Pokemon in early BW besides Haxorus, but quirky history aside, Whimsicott has proven itself to have a niche in just about any environment it's allowed in. It specifically differentiates itself from other Pokemon thanks to Prankster combined with a huge number of helpful and annoying support options, ranging from Encore to Taunt to Tailwind. This alone makes Whimsicott an ultimate annoyer and team supporter, capable of disrupting the opponent while creating switch-in and setup opportunities for your own Pokemon. While its ability to use Prankster effectively is awesome, Whimsicott itself is decidedly subpar; its bulk is mediocre and it lacks reliable recovery, and may become dead weight on teams due to a lack of offensive presence outside of Leech Seed, which isn't even a main option on this analysis. Additionally, because Whimsicott is notorious for what it does, it is somewhat predictable, and thus requires great patience and prediction to use. However, its presence causes a number of competent players to play cautiously around it, so they, too, are capable of serious mispredictions and ill-timed decisions. At the end of the day, be wary that Whimsicott is high-risk with unpredictable rewards.</p>

[SET]
name: Prankster
move 1: Encore
move 2: Taunt
move 3: Tailwind / Stun Spore
move 4: U-turn / Memento
item: Leftovers
ability: Prankster
nature: Careful / Impish
evs: 252 HP / 188 SpD / 68 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>The best set Whimsicott can pull off is pure utility and support, but this set is so well-known and stops so many otherwise dangerous Pokemon in their tracks that good players have to be prepared to face it at any given time. The purpose of this set is to throw off momentum and prevent possible setup with Encore and Taunt, then maintaining your own team's momentum (and possibly give free turns) by switching out or following up with a support move afterwards. It should be noted that even if the opponent has successfully predicted Whimsicott's actions and switched to another Pokemon, Whimsicott has essentially done its job at averting the opponent's original plans, and can also adapt around the situation if needed.</p>

<p>Tailwind and Stun Spore are supplementary support moves. The former temporarily boosts the Speed of teammates for a couple of turns, and is especially a good last resort option if ridiculously fast threats such as Chlorophyll Venusaur, Sand Rush Stoutland, Choice Scarf Salamence, and Choice Scarf Keldeo are terrorizing your team. Stun Spore is more useful for its Speed drop, which is especially useful for some troublesome targets such as paraflinch Jirachi or a Pokemon with too many Speed boosts. The scouting move of choice depends on preferences; U-turn is relatively standard and ensures Whimsicott won't die early early in the game, as it can support its team with Tailwind and Encore multiple times if needed. On the other hand, Memento creates setup opportunities for sweepers as it will likely force the opponent to switch out, although it will be harder to use Whimsicott and predict due to a lack of a reliable scouting move.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Given the supportive nature of this set, in addition to Prankster mostly alleviating Speed issues, the EVs should be focused towards defenses with a single exception. Although 68 Speed EVs may look odd, it specifically allows Whimsicott to outrun the common Jolly max Speed Mamoswine naturally, giving Whimsicott's priority moves a jump over Mamoswine's Ice Shard. Doing so means Whimsicott can either lock Mamoswine into Earthquake with Encore or pull off a potentially gamebreaking Tailwind before dying to Ice Shard. Outside of this specific situation, zero Speed investment is absolutely fine, as uninvested Whimsicott can still outrun most common forms of priority in the metagame, including Scizor's Bullet Punch and Jolly Breloom's Mach Punch. A specially defensive spread with a Careful nature takes advantage of Whimsicott's natural resistances towards common special Water-, Electric-, and Grass-type attacks, allowing it to switch into stray Scalds, Thunders, Giga Drains, and other weak special attacks repeatedly. A physically defensive spread with an Impish nature is also viable if you prefer Whimsicott taking less punishment from ExtremeSpeed and other physical attacks.</p>

<p>This set is tailored mainly towards supporting offensive, hard-hitting teammates, as it is ultimately useless otherwise. Generally, these teammates should make good use the numerous switch-in opportunities Whimsicott provides, in addition to Tailwind or paralysis in order to clean up teams and revenge kill any faster Pokemon. This list of teammates includes, but is definitely not limited to Choice Band-wielding Dragon-types such as Kyurem-B, Haxorus, and Garchomp, or setup sweepers such as Swords Dance Lucario, Swords Dance Haxorus, and Nasty Plot Thundurus-T. It is recommended that any possible sweepers you employ be able to at least outrun Chlorophyll Venusaur in the sun with Tailwind to revenge kill it. Additionally, given that Whimsicott forces switches and is supposed to be used on offensive teams, Spikes and Stealth Rock support should be used to wear down switch-ins. A fast way to lay down entry hazards is by employing leads such as Custap Lead Skarmory or Froslass.</p>

<p>There are Pokemon that can easily switch into and threaten Whimsicott regardless of what it does. Heatran and Magic Bounce users are prime examples of such opponents, so the best way to avoid them without compromising momentum is to use a Heatran of your own. Not only does Heatran comfortably handle most opposing Heatran and Magic Bounce users, but it also takes common attacks (U-turn, Fire Blast, Bullet Punch, Ice Shard, and ExtremeSpeed) aimed at Whimsicott reasonably well. You can also consider using Dugtrio or Gothitelle, as Whimsicott can lure in and U-turn out of Heatran, Espeon, and other threats for one of these two to trap and kill. Remember that any Pokemon you choose to counter these Pokemon should be offensively inclined, as dedicated team support <em>for</em> Whimsicott <em>itself</em> is almost totally unnecessary.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>This is the part where you say "where's SubSeed?" Yes, while the combination of SubSeed and Prankster is extremely obvious on Whimsicott, it sadly needs tons of support in order to work, especially as Celebi, Heatran, and Magic Bounce users are common in the metagame. Additionally, using SubSeed requires a stressful level of prediction, and in general, you will find yourself wishing you had faster ways of overpowering the opposition. Outside of this, Whimsicott has tons of other support options to use with Prankster, though most of them are either unreliable or situational. Special mentions go to Cotton Guard, which boosts Whimsicott's physical defense to impenetrable levels but is badly checked by any powerful special attacker, Light Screen, which gives much-needed but short protection against special attacks, and GrassWhistle, which would be undisputedly be a good option if not for its unreliable accuracy. Trick Room is also decent on paper with U-turn, though keep in mind that Trick Room is not affected by Prankster, and that there are other Pokemon that can both sweep as well as set up Trick Room, unlike Whimsicott.</p>

<p>While Whimsicott's offensive movepool is actually quite nice, offensive options are also quite limited due to Whimsicott's low base 77 Special Attack stat, in addition to some attacks' conflicting reliance on weather (Hurricane versus Growth in rain or sun). Even with investment, it's not hitting very hard, so Venusaur and Celebi are more powerful and reliable alternatives. Speaking of which, Whimsicott can also use Sunny Day to change the weather in a pinch against opposing weather teams. However, Ninetales does this role simply by switching in, and other reliable Sunny Day users, such as Venusaur and Heatran, exist.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Although Whimsicott allows very little setup opportunities with Taunt and Encore (so one would be smart not to attempt to set up) and can choose to avoid confrontation via U-turn, just attacking it will do the trick because it has absolutely no offensive presence. Heatran, amongst many others, has absolutely little to no trouble with Whimsicott, as it doesn't mind paralysis much, and can simply spam Roar, Taunt, or its Fire-type moves if Taunted. Should Whimsicott choose to use Leech Seed, Grass-types such as Ferrothorn, Breloom, and Celebi can just switch in and attack. U-turn users such as Celebi, Scizor, and Landorus-T also do well in most cases, as U-turn naturally does heavy damage, and allows the opponent to adapt and predict around Whimsicott depending on the situation. Priority users also do decently well against Whimsicott, although there are actually very little in the metagame that can beat Whimsicott's priority moves besides Weavile's Ice Shard, Terrakion's Quick Attack, and Lucario and Dragonite's ExtremeSpeed. Even then, Whimsicott can survive a couple of hits from these attacks due to defensive investment, so it must be weakened beforehand.</p>

<p>There are also specific ways of beating Whimsicott. Opposing Prankster users tend to employ Taunt, which can potentially stop Whimsicott from functioning effectively. Only Tornadus and Liepard can do this in practice, however, as both invest heavily in speed and thus outrun Whimsicott naturally, while Prankster Sableye is too slow to use its own support moves against the threat of Whimsicott's faster Encore and Taunt. Whimsicott also despises Magic Bounce users, and although its simple solution is using U-turn, the Magic Bounce users can always switch back in and limit its actions. Whimsicott's lack of recovery and reliance on prediction are also crippling downfalls, as it switches in often and can easily be worn down by Spikes and Stealth Rock in addition to random or well-timed attacks.</p>

GP 2/2
Man why can't analyses for relevant Pokemon be as good as this? This is seriously well written. No need for "crux of this set" or other cliche nonsense, and you actually show how and when to use each move and specifically what the EVs are for.
 

AccidentalGreed

Sweet and bitter as chocolate.
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Hahaha, I'll certainly be sure to be around for X and Y to make analyses good. Thanks for the praise, though, I appreciate it very much :)

And with the GP check done, this is done, and ready to be uploaded!
 
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