Xatu (BW2 Revamp) [QC 3/3] [GP 3/3]

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Pocket

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Status: Copyediting
Quality Control: alexwolf, Princess Bri, BKC
Grammar Check: melvni, GatoDelFuego, Crux
178.png

Xatu, taken over for Cygnis

[Overview]

<p>With the departure of Deoxys-D from OU, Xatu's niche might have shrunk, but that doesn't mean it is useless. Magic Bounce is still as effective as ever, bouncing back entry hazards and status and also being a major nuisance to stall teams. Xatu is also one of the best checks to Technician Breloom, bouncing back Spore and resisting both of its STAB moves. Unlike other Flying-types, Xatu's Stealth Rock weakness is also alleviated with correct prediction. However, it is still forced out by most offensive Stealth Rock users, such as Terrakion and Landorus-T. Even with maximum investment, Xatu still has mediocre defenses and is also weak to Pursuit. However, unlike Espeon, its counterpart Magic Bounce user, Xatu actually has reliable recovery in the form of Roost. Xatu's access to U-turn also helps maintain the team's momentum while staving off entry hazards. Xatu also can take down the majority of the common Steel-type Spikers with Heat Wave. Although Xatu lacks many of the qualities that top-tier Pokemon possess, the enormous utility of Magic Bounce will be sought by players who requires heavy control of entry hazards.</p>

[SET]
name: Utility
move 1: Toxic
move 2: Roost
move 3: Heat Wave / Night Shade
move 4: U-turn
item: Leftovers / Rocky Helmet
ability: Magic Bounce
nature: Bold
evs: 248 HP / 200 Def / 60 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>The main role of this set is to bounce back hazards and prevent them from going up on your side, deflect status, and maintain momentum. Toxic is the main move on the set, letting Xatu break down walls like Hippowdon, Chansey, and Donphan. Toxic is a very useful move because, without it, Xatu is forced into stalemates by many common targets. Roost is for healing off any damage that Xatu has taken. Roost also lets you PP stall moves such as Gyro Ball and ExtremeSpeed. Xatu has two choices for direct damage moves. With Heat Wave Xatu penetrates through Steel-types, which are common Spikers and are immune to Toxic. On the other hand, Night Shade allows it to cause more consistent damage. Remember to run Impish nature when using Night Shade to increase the damage output of U-turn. On a sun team, Heat Wave is preferred because it gets a pseudo-STAB boost. The final move, U-turn, is useful for gaining momentum and mitigating possible damage from Choice Scarf Tyranitar's Pursuit. Leftovers is best to sustain Xatu's health, but Rocky Helmet does provide indirect means of significantly damaging the opponent, a situation that can always come in handy for Xatu's teamamtes.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The Speed EVs provided allow Xatu to strike before neutral-natured base 70s like Breloom as well as Timid Magnezone with 30 Speed IVs. The remaining EVs are invested in HP and Defense to allow as much physical bulk as possible. Xatu is mainly viable on offensive teams that consist of teammates particularly vulnerable to entry hazards. Xatu is often able to bring in these offensive partners safely with its slow U-turn. Thunder Wave is an option to better threaten short-lived offensive threats, but note that some Pokemon, such as Garchomp and Landorus, are immune to Thunder Wave, not to mention the inability to cripple Hippowdon. Psychic is an option over Heat Wave and Night Shade because it receives STAB and deals super effective damage to Fighting and Poison-types, such as Conkeldurr and Tentacruel. However the many Pokemon that resist or are immune to Psychic make this STAB an otherwise subpar option. If outspeeding Adamant Breloom isn't a priority, you can use 16 IVs and a Relaxed nature to ensure Xatu moves after Heatran, preventing it from setting up Stealth Rock the turn Xatu switches out with U-turn. Pursuit can be mitigated by using Reflect instead of U-turn in the last slot, but U-turn's enormous utility in creating momentum is usually preferred.</p>

<p>Good teammates for Xatu include Dugtrio and Choice Scarf Rotom-W. Dugtrio traps all of Xatu's counters bar Landorus-T and knocks them out with either Earthquake or Reversal. As Xatu tends to spam U-turn, it easily brings in Dugtrio into battle. Dugtrio already serves as a crucial Pokemon for most sun teams because it traps Heatran and Tyranitar, Pokemon that sun teams struggle against. While Rotom-W cannot trap Xatu's counters, it still hits all of them for super effective damage. It can also check rain teams that aim mostly at Xatu's uninvested Special Defense. Terrakion is a good teammate for Xatu as well, as it can defeat most of Xatu's counters one-on-one. Ninetales appreciates Xatu's support, as repelling Stealth Rocks will further increase Ninetales mobility and allow it to swith in without repercussions.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Xatu lacks many other viable options. A Dual Screens set with Tailwind is available, but Espeon is better suited for this role. Xatu can use Wish but it can only pass its teammates a maximum of 166 HP, which is not enough to justify giving up the immediate recovery of Roost. Haze can be used to stop setup sweepers and Baton Pass chains. Hidden Power Ice can try inflict notable damage to Dragon-types and Landorus, but Heat Wave is more suited for its job of discouraging Spikers. In conjunction with Thunder Wave, Xatu can pull off an annoying parafusion combo with Confuse Ray. However, Xatu has little room for it and generally misses the utility of its other moves. Sunny Day and Rain Dance can aid you in weather wars, but Xatu cannot threaten the opponent with the summoned weather. When used with a Choice item,Trick and a Choice item is a one-time maneuver to cripple a potentially significant threat.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>While walls will find it difficult to break past Xatu, there are several Stealth Rock users that force Xatu out. Terrakion, Heatran, Tyranitar, Garchomp, Landorus, and Landorus-T are all prime examples. However, barring the latter two, these Stealth Rock users must be wary of being caught out by Dugtrio. Politoed does not enjoy being statused, but otherwise it can switch into Xatu with relative ease and threaten it out with debilitating Scald burns or lethal Hydro Pumps. Tentacruel is immune to Toxic and resists both Heat Wave and U-turn, allowing it to fish for Scald burns or Rapid Spin to remove entry hazards that were bounced back. Jirachi in the rain has nothing but Thunder Wave to fear from Xatu and can proceed to either paraflinch (watch out for Rocky Helmet variants) or set up a Calm Mind or a Substitute.</p>

<p>Despite Xatu's large investment in bulk, its flimsy defenses are broken by even moderately powerful moves, especially from the special side. Gengar can switch in on Toxic and OHKO Xatu with Shadow Ball. Electric-types such as Thundurus-T, Jolteon, and Rotom-W can all force Xatu out and use Volt Switch to gain a favorable matchup. Kyurem and Kyurem-B can switch in on all but Toxic to then dish out powerful hits behind 101 HP Substitutes that cannot be broken by Night Shade. Powerful special offense generally brings down Xatu, such as a rain or Choice Specs-boosted Hydro Pump from Keldeo or a Draco Meteor from Latios.</p>
 
GP check. Only calling this 1/3 because I think this could use an extra set of eyes.
Additions in Blue
Subtractions in Red
Comments in Purple

[Overview]

<p>With the departure of Deoxys-D leaving from OU, Xatu's niche may might have fallen shrunk but that still doesn't mean it is useless. Magic Bounce is still as effective as ever (add comma) by bouncing back entry hazards, (remove comma) and status, (remove comma) and also being a nuisance to stall teams. The transition to BW2 brought Technician Breloom and the bird is Xatu is also one of the best checks to it by Technician Breloom, bouncing back Spore and resistance to resisting both of its STAB moves. Unlike other flying-types Flying-types, Xatu's stealth rock Stealth Rock weakness is alleviated as well with correct prediction. However, it is still forced out by a couple of offensive stealth rock Stealth Rock users such as Terrakion and Landorus-T. Even with max investment, Xatu still has mediocre defenses and is simultaneously weak to Pursuit. It even suffers competition also is forced to compete with Espeon (add comma) who (include a reason to use Espeon over Xatu or two here) is one tier above it. After hearing all these flaws, it looks like you're saying, "Xatu stinks and Espeon is way better". Well, to say that would be an overstatement. Unlike However unlike Espeon, Xatu actually has reliable recovery in Roost unlike that rather than the weather-dependent morning sun Morning Sun and actually doesn't slow down the team's momentum. Xatu also can take down the majority of steels Steel-types in the metagame with Heat Wave. It may might seem Xatu is the new soul of hyper-offense (replace dash with space). Although Xatu has these flaws, it shall not disappoint.</p>

[SET]
name: Utility
move 1: Toxic
move 2: Roost
move 3: Heat Wave / Night Shade
move 4: U-turn
item: Leftovers / Rocky Helmet
ability: Magic Bounce
nature: Bold
evs: 248 HP / 204 Def / 56 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>This is Xatu's peanut butter and jelly. The main role of this set is to bounce back hazards, scatter status, and prevent hazards them from going up on your side, healing, and gaining scatter status, and gain momentum. Toxic is the main move on the set (add comma) that lets it letting Xatu break down walls like Hippowdon, Chansey, and Donphan. Toxic is a very useful move for Xatu because all it will be doing will be sitting there and having stalemate without it it is forced into stalemates by many targets without it. Roost is for healing off damage you may Xatu might have taken. Roost also lets you stall PP from move moves such as Stone Edge, Gyro Ball, and Extremespeed ExtremeSpeed. The attacking move is a hard pick choice. Heat Wave lets you Xatu take down steels Steel-types who are immune to Toxic, but Night shade Shade allows you it to cause consistent damage. Remember to run an Impish nature when using Night Shade. On a sun team, Heat Wave is preferred because it gets a pseudo-STAB boost. U-turn is that the last move and is very useful to gain momentum and helping take less hit points damage from Choice Scarf Tyranitar's Pursuit.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p> The following speed provided Speed EVs let it out speed Xatu outspeed neutral-natured base 70s like Breloom and also retain maximum as much physical bulk as possible. Most of these pokemon Pokemon are hitted with super-effective damage hit super effectively by Heat Wave. Xatu is mainly viable on offensive teams because it allows causes no momentum loss while also providing blocking entry hazard support hazards. Thunder Wave is an option over Toxic because it lets you Xatu slow down some fast paced pokemon fast-paced Pokemon but note that some are immune to Thunder Wave namely Garchomp and Landorus. Psychic is an option over Heat Wave or and Night Shade because it has STAB and can hurt fighting-types and poison-types Fighting-types and Poison-types. If outspeeding Adamant Breloom isn't a priority, you can use 16 IVs and a Relaxed nature to be slower than Heatran to make sure your U-turn goes last Xatu uses U-turn after it moves, preventing it from getting Stealth Rock up the turn Xatu switches out (or whatever the reason for wanting to be slower than Heatran is). Leftovers provides short-term valuable recovery but Rocky Helmet is always an option as well. Rocky Helmet breaks down Focus Sashes and Dragonite's Multiscale, break focus sashes, and is useful when sacking Xatu which is very helpful to sun teams. Pursuit can be avoided mitigated by using Reflect instead of U-turn in the last slot.</p>

<p>Good teammates are for Xatur include Dugtrio and Choice Scarf Rotom-W. Dugtrio traps all of Xatu's counter counters bar Landorus-T and can retaliate back take them out with Earthquake or Reversal. Because Xatu like likes to spam U-turn, it is pretty easy to get Dugtrio into battle. Dugtrio is pretty much mandatory also very useful for sun teams regardless because it traps Politoed and Tyranitar (add comma) which Pokemon sun teams struggle with. Choice Scarf Rotom-W is another option. While it Choice Scarf Rotom-W doesn't trap Xatu's counters, it still hits all of them for super-effective (remove dash) damage (add comma) forcing them to switch or faint. It also can check rain teams that aim mostly at Xatu's special defense Special Defense. Terrakion is a good teammate with it to for Xatu as well, as it can beat most of Xatu's counter one on one counters one-on-one. Ninetales is a good teammate because it gives Xatu pseudo-STAB Heat Wave.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Xatu honestly doesn't have any other good viable options. A dual screens set with tailwind Tailwind can work but is outclassed by Tornadus and Espeon. Xatu has wish Wish, but you are only giving your it can only pass its teammates a maximum of 166 HP (add comma) and which is not a lot enough to justify giving up Roost. Haze can stop set-up setup sweepers from setting up on you and stop baton pass Baton Pass chains. Hidden Power Ice is a move you can try to attack dragon-types hit Dragon-types hard and prevnt prevent them from setting-up setting up on you Xatu. However, it is outclassed by Heat Wave. You can try the annoying Parfusion parafusion combo by using confuse ray Confuse Ray, but Xatu has little room for it and is one of those pokemon Pokemon that seriously suffer from four move slots four-moveslot syndrome, and the strategy is carried out better off ran by using Jirachi. Sunny Day is an and Rain Dance are interesting option same with Rain Dance because it options that can help you to win the weather wars. Trick and a choice Choice item is the last option you can try (add comma) but after that (add comma) it has no use.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>While Xatu is hard for walls to take down, there are several stealth rock Stealth Rock users that force Xatu out. Examples are Terrakion, Heatran, and Tyranitar. However, they must watch out for Dugtrio as it can trap and KO all of them. Scizor can check Xatu with Pursuit, but will be fried with by Heat Wave. Landorus-T also 2HKOes Xatu with Stone Edge and isn't trapped by Dugtrio. The miraculous power of a choice Choice item can knock Xatu off the map. Xatu's special bulk isn't impressive at all (add comma) and so a rain-boosted Surf or sun-boosted Flamethrower can easily OHKO to 2HKO Xatu or 2HKO it. Gengar is immune to Toxic and can OHKO Xatu with Shadow Ball. Lucario can use its coverage moves to hurt it badly. Volt Switch users like Thundurus-T and Jolteon can take a Toxic and Volt Switch and won't lose any health from poison because they switch out immediately. Specially Defensive defensive Jirachi is also a good counter because it can take any of Xatu's attacks and flinch the bird it to death. If Xatu uses Night Shade, steel-types Steel-types can counter it but the fight will be a stalemate most of the time.</p>

[gp]1/3[/gp]
 
So, just reading over this, 2 questions

Firstly, its main role. That caught my eye on the last thread and it kind of does now. I mean, it basically states that its main role is anything it can do.

Secondly, why U-turn out of Scarf Tyranitar's Pursuit? If you know he's pursuiting and scarfed, maybe you should just Toxic him and Roost-stall? More importantly, it lets you get away from him before he can even touch you while dealing some damage.
 
Please remove the phrase "peanut butter and jelly." It's so overused and cliche (dare I say American?) in many Smogon analyses that it's not very funny anymore.
 
Thanks, melvni, for taking the initiative - this analysis does indeed require 3 GP checks. I implemented your GP check, as well as re-writing certain parts of the analysis.
 
REMOVE CHANGE COMMENTS

[Overview]

<p>With the departure of Deoxys-D from OU, Xatu's niche might have shrunk, (AC) but that still doesn't mean it is useless. Magic Bounce is still as effective as ever, bouncing back entry hazards and status and almost completely shutting down also being a nuisance to stall teams. Xatu is also one of the best checks to Technician Breloom, (AC) bouncing back Spore and resisting both of its STAB moves. Unlike other Flying-types, Xatu's Stealth Rock weakness is alleviated as well with correct prediction. However, it is still forced out by a couple of offensive Stealth Rock users, (AC) such as Terrakion and Landorus-T. Even with maximum investment, Xatu still has mediocre defenses and is simultaneously weak to Pursuit. However, unlike Espeon, its counterpart Magic Bounce user, Xatu actually has reliable recovery in Roost rather than the weather-dependent Morning Sun. Xatu's access to U-turn also helps maintain the team's momentum while staving off entry hazards. Xatu also can take down the majority of the common Steel-type Spikers in the metagame with Heat Wave. Although Xatu lacks in many positive qualities that top-tier Pokemon possess, the enormous utility of Magic Bounce will be sought by players who desperately need entry hazard control.</p>

[SET]
name: Utility
move 1: Toxic
move 2: Roost
move 3: Heat Wave / Night Shade
move 4: U-turn
item: Leftovers / Rocky Helmet
ability: Magic Bounce
nature: Bold
evs: 248 HP / 200 Def / 60 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>The main role of this set is to bounce back entry hazards, scatter status and prevent them from going up on your side What does this mean???, deflect status, and maintain momentum. Toxic is the main move on the set, letting Xatu break down walls like Hippowdon, Chansey, and Donphan. Toxic is a very useful move because it Xatu is otherwise forced into stalemates by many targets without it. Roost is for healing off damage Xatu has taken. Roost also lets you PP stall from moves such as Stone Edge, Gyro Ball, and ExtremeSpeed. Xatu has two choices for direct damage moves. With Heat Wave Xatu penetrates through Steel-types, who are common Spikers and are immune to Toxic; however, Night shade allows it Xatu to cause consistent damage. Remember to run Impish nature when using Night Shade to increase the damage output of U-turn. On a sun team, Heat Wave is preferred because it gets a pseudo-STAB boost. The final move, U-turn, is useful for gaining momentum and mitigating possible damage taken from Choice Scarf Tyranitar's Pursuit. Leftovers is best to sustain Xatu's health, but Rocky Helmet does provide indirect means of significantly damaging the opponent, a situation that can always come in handy for its Xatu's teamamtes.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p> With the provided Speed EVs, Xatu strikes before neutral-natured base 70s like Breloom as well as Timid Magnezone with 30 Speed IVs. The remaining EVs are invested in HP and Defense to offer give as much physical bulk as possible. Xatu is mainly viable on offensive teams that consists of offensive teammates particularly vulnerable to entry hazards while creating momentum with a relatively slow U-turn. Xatu is often able to bring in these offensive partners easily with its slow U-turn. Thunder Wave is an option to better threaten short-lived offensive threats better; however, but note that some Pokemon mons, such as Garchomp and Landorus, are immune to Thunder Wave, not to mention the inability to cripple Hippowdon. Psychic is an option over Heat Wave and Night Shade because it receives STAB and deals super effective damage to Fighting-types and Poison-types, such as Conkeldurr and Tentacruel. However the many Pokemon that resists or are immune to Psychic make this STAB an otherwise subpar option. If outspeeding Adamant Breloom isn't a priority, you can use 16 IVs and a Relaxed nature to ensure Xatu moves after Heatran, preventing it from setting up Stealth Rock the turn Xatu switches out with U-turn. Pursuit can be mitigated by using Reflect instead of U-turn in the last slot, but the loss of U-turn's enormous utility in grabbing momentum is usually preferred.</p>

<p>Good teammates for Xatu include Dugtrio and Choice Scarf Rotom-W. Dugtrio traps all of Xatu's counters bar Landorus-T and knocks them out with either Earthquake or Reversal. Because Xatu tends to spam U-turn, it is pretty easy to bring Dugtrio into battle. Dugtrio serves as a crucial keystone Pokemon for most sun teams regardless, (RC) because it traps Heatran and Tyranitar, Pokemon with which sun teams struggle against. While Rotom-W cannot trap Xatu's counters, it still hits all of them for super effective damage, forcing them to switch or faint. It also can check rain teams that aim mostly at Xatu's uninvested Special Defense. Terrakion is a good teammate for Xatu as well, as it can defeat most of Xatu's counters one-on-one. Ninetales appreciates Xatu's support, since as repelling Stealth Rocks will further increase Ninetales mobility and allow it to switch in retreat without fatal repercussions.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Xatu lacks many other viable options. A Dual Screens set with Tailwind is available, but Espeon is better suited for this role. Xatu can Wish but it can only pass its teammates a maximum of 166 HP, which is not enough to justify giving up the immediate recovery of Roost. Haze can be used to stop setup sweepers and Baton Pass chains. Hidden Power Ice is a move you can try inflict notable damage to Dragon-types and Landorus. However, but Heat Wave is more suited for its job of discouraging Spikers. In conjunction with Thunder Wave, Xatu can pull off an annoying parfusion combo with Confuse Ray, but Xatu has little room for it and generally lacks the utility of its other staple moves. Sunny Day and Rain Dance can aid you in weather wars, but Xatu cannot threaten the opponent with the weather it summoned. Trick and a Choice item is a one-time option trick to hopefully cripple something significant before Xatu is relegated to its entry hazard and status-repelling antics.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>While walls will find it difficult to break past Xatu, there are several Stealth Rock users that force Xatu out. Terrakion, Heatran, Tyranitar, Garchomp, Landorus, and Landorus-T are all prime examples. Barring the latter two, however, these Stealth Rock users must be wary of being prematurely eliminated by Dugtrio. Politoed does not enjoy being statused, but otherwise it can switch into Xatu with impunity to and threaten it out with debilitating Scald burns or lethal Hydro Pumps. Tentacruel is immune to Toxic and resists both Heat Wave and U-turn, allowing it to fish for Scald burns or Rapid Spin to remove entry hazards that were bounced back. Jirachi in the rain has nothing but Thunder Wave to fear from Xatu, (RC) and can proceed to either paraflinch (watch out for Rocky Helmet variants, though) or set up a Calm Mind or a Substitute.</p>

<p>Despite Xatu's large investment in bulk, its flimsy defenses are broken by even moderately powerful moves, especially from the special side. Gengar can switch in on Toxic and OHKO Xatu with Shadow Ball. Electric-types like such as Thundurus-T, Jolteon, and Rotom-W can all force Xatu out and use Volt Switch to gain a favorable matchup. Kyurem and Kyurem-Black can switch in on all but Toxic to then dish out powerful hits behind 101 HP Substitutes that cannot be broken by Night Shade. Powerful special offense generally brings down Xatu, such as a rain-boosted or Choice Specs-boosted Hydro Pump from Keldeo and or a Draco Meteor from Latios.</p>

[gp]2/3[/gp]
 
Remove
Add

[Overview]

<p>With the departure of Deoxys-D from OU, Xatu's niche might have shrunk, but that doesn't mean it is useless. Magic Bounce is still as effective as ever, bouncing back entry hazards and status and also being a major nuisance to stall teams. Xatu is also one of the best checks to Technician Breloom, bouncing back Spore and resisting both of its STAB moves. Unlike other Flying-types, Xatu's Stealth Rock weakness is also alleviated as well with correct prediction. However, it is still forced out by a couple ofsome offensive Stealth Rock users, such as Terrakion and Landorus-T. Even with maximum investment, Xatu still has mediocre defenses and is simultaneouslyalso weak to Pursuit. However, unlike Espeon, its counterpart Magic Bounce user, Xatu actually has reliable recovery in Roost rather than the weather-dependent Morning Sunthe form of Roost. Xatu's access to U-turn also helps maintain the team's momentum while staving off entry hazards. Xatu also can take down the majority of the common Steel-type Spikers in the metagame with Heat Wave. Although Xatu lacks in many positivof the qualities that top-tier Pokemon possess, the enormous utility of Magic Bounce will be sought by players who desperately need entry hazard control.</p>

[SET]
name: Utility
move 1: Toxic
move 2: Roost
move 3: Heat Wave / Night Shade
move 4: U-turn
item: Leftovers / Rocky Helmet
ability: Magic Bounce
nature: Bold
evs: 248 HP / 200 Def / 60 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>The main role of this set is to bounce back hazards and prevent them from going up on your side, deflect status, and maintain momentum. Toxic is the main move on the set, letting Xatu break down walls like Hippowdon, Chansey, and Donphan. Toxic is a very useful move because, without it, Xatu is otherwise forced into stalemates by many targets without itcommon targets. Roost is for healing off any damage that Xatu has taken. Roost also lets you PP stall moves such as Gyro Ball and ExtremeSpeed. Xatu has two choices for direct damage moves. With Heat Wave Xatu penetrates through Steel-types, which are common Spikers and are immune to Toxic; however. On the other hand, Night sShade allows it to cause more consistent damage. Remember to run Impish nature when using Night Shade to increase the damage output of U-turn. On a sun team, Heat Wave is preferred because it gets a pseudo-STAB boost. The final move, U-turn, is useful for gaining momentum and mitigating possible damage from Choice Scarf Tyranitar's Pursuit. Leftovers is best to sustain Xatu's health, but Rocky Helmet does provide indirect means of significantly damaging the opponent, a situation that can always come in handy for Xatu's teamamtes.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p> With the provided Speed EVs,The Speed EVs provided allow Xatu to strikes before neutral-natured base 70s like Breloom as well as Timid Magnezone with 30 Speed IVs. The remaining EVs are invested in HP and Defense to buildallow as much physical bulk as possible. Xatu is mainly viable on offensive teams that consist of offensive teammates particularly vulnerable to entry hazards. Xatu is often able to bring in these offensive partners safely with its slow U-turn. Thunder Wave is an option to better threaten short-lived offensive threats;, but note that some Pokemon, such as Garchomp and Landorus, are immune to Thunder Wave, not to mention the inability to cripple Hippowdon. Psychic is an option over Heat Wave and Night Shade because it receives STAB and deals super effective damage to Fighting-types and Poison-types, such as Conkeldurr and Tentacruel. However the many Pokemon that resists or are immune to Psychic make this STAB an otherwise subpar option. If outspeeding Adamant Breloom isn't a priority, you can use 16 IVs and a Relaxed nature to ensure Xatu moves after Heatran, preventing it from setting up Stealth Rock the turn Xatu switches out with U-turn. Pursuit can be mitigated by using Reflect instead of U-turn in the last slot, but U-turn's enormous utility in grabbcreating momentum is usually preferred.</p>

<p>Good teammates for Xatu include Dugtrio and Choice Scarf Rotom-W. Dugtrio traps all of Xatu's counters bar Landorus-T and knocks them out with either Earthquake or Reversal. BecauseAs Xatu tends to spam U-turn, it is pretty easy to bring Dugtrio into battle. Dugtrio already serves as a crucial keystone Pokemon for most sun teams regardless because it traps Heatran and Tyranitar, Pokemon that sun teams struggle against. While Rotom-W cannot trap Xatu's counters, it still hits all of them for super effective damage. It can also can check rain teams that aim mostly at Xatu's uninvested Special Defense. Terrakion is a good teammate for Xatu as well, as it can defeat most of Xatu's counters one-on-one. Ninetales appreciates Xatu's support, as repelling Stealth Rocks will further increase Ninetales' mobility and allow it to switch in without fatal repercussions.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Xatu lacks many other viable options. A Dual Screens set with Tailwind is available, but Espeon is better suited for this role. Xatu can use Wish but it can only pass its teammates a maximum of 166 HP, which is not enough to justify giving up the immediate recovery of Roost. Haze can be used to stop setup sweepers and Baton Pass chains. Hidden Power Ice can try inflict notable damage to Dragon-types and Landorus, but Heat Wave is more suited for its job of discouraging Spikers. In conjunction with Thunder Wave, Xatu can pull off an annoying parafusion combo with Confuse Ray, but. However, Xatu has little room for it and generally lackmisses the utility of its other moves. Sunny Day and Rain Dance can aid you in weather wars, but Xatu cannot threaten the opponent with the weather it summoned. Trick andsummoned weather. When used with a Choice item, Trick is a one-time maneuver to hopefully cripple something significant before Xatu is relegated to its entry hazard and status-repelling anticscripple a significant threat.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>While walls will find it difficult to break past Xatu, there are several Stealth Rock users that force Xatu out. Terrakion, Heatran, Tyranitar, Garchomp, Landorus, and Landorus-T are all prime examples. However, barring the latter two, these Stealth Rock users must be wary of being prematurely eliminatedcaught out by Dugtrio. Politoed does not enjoy being statused, but otherwise it can switch into Xatu with relative ease and threaten it out with debilitating Scald burns or lethal Hydro Pumps. Tentacruel is immune to Toxic and resists both Heat Wave and U-turn, allowing it to fish for Scald burns or Rapid Spin to remove entry hazards that were bounced back. Jirachi in the rain has nothing but Thunder Wave to fear from Xatu and can proceed to either paraflinch (watch out for Rocky Helmet variants) or set up a Calm Mind or a Substitute.</p>

<p>Despite Xatu's large investment in bulk, its flimsy defenses are broken by even moderately powerful moves, especially from the special side. Gengar can switch in on Toxic and OHKO Xatu with Shadow Ball. Electric-types such as Thundurus-T, Jolteon, and Rotom-W can all force Xatu out and use Volt Switch to gain a favorable matchup. Kyurem and Kyurem-B can switch in on all but Toxic to then dish out powerful hits behind 101 HP Substitutes that cannot be broken by Night Shade. Powerful special offense generally brings down Xatu, such as a rain or Choice Specs-boosted Hydro Pump from Keldeo or a Draco Meteor from Latios.</p>
 
Thank you for the expeditious check, Crux, and for the GP stamp, Gato! Xatu is ready for upload.

ICoNIC E ddddIT : upl0adin
 
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