Venusaur uses Chlorophyll and Growth to become a deadly sun sweeper, capable of outspeeding even boosted foes like +1 Iron Valiant and Iron Moth. Venusaur is capable of sustaining itself long-term with Giga Drain, while Weather Ball vaporizes Steel-types like Gholdengo and Corviknight and Grass-types like Meowscarada and Sinistcha. Its last move can be Sludge Bomb to give a neutral coverage move against Dragon-types like Dragonite and Latios as well as Moltres and Assault Vest Hatterene, or Earth Power to hit Raging Bolt, Galarian Slowking, and Fire-types like Cinderace and Iron Moth. Earthquake is also an option to highly threaten specially defensive Galarian Slowking, an otherwise decent check and tough matchup for sun, with an OHKO at +2 without relying on Tera. The move also hits foes like Blissey and Calm Mind Raging Bolt much harder. Its Tera type can be Fire to boost the power of Weather Ball even higher; a +2 Tera Fire Weather Ball 2HKOes Terastallized Ting-Lu while having a high chance to 2HKO Blissey as well. Tera Ground, on the other hand, boosts Venusaur's Earth Power, OHKOing Raging Bolt unboosted and Galarian Slowking after a Growth. If Venusaur runs Earthquake, a Naive nature should be used instead, and is chosen over Hasty to let it take on Kingambit's Sucker Punch and Scizor's Bullet Punch more comfortably.
Since Venusaur requires sun to work, pair it with either Torkoal or Ninetales as sun setters. Torkoal has better bulk, Stealth Rock, and Rapid Spin, which can help in both softening the enemies and preventing Venusaur from taking unnecessary chip damage. In contrast, Ninetales has higher Speed, is stronger, has Encore, meaning it can both lock users into setup moves, entry hazards, or healing moves, allowing Venusaur to get a free entry, and can use Healing Wish to give it a second chance at sweeping. Venusaur can struggle against special walls like Blissey, Tera Poison Ting-Lu, and Galarian Slowking depending on its choice of coverage, and as such pairs incredibly well with Walking Wake. Its power lets it pressure these aforementioned walls and break through most defensive teams with ease, which can be used by Venusaur later on to clean, while Venusaur's greater Speed helps against offensive teams, switching into targets like Ogerpon-W and Iron Valiant that would otherwise threaten Walking Wake. Great Tusk also helps against Venusaur's aforementioned bad matchups while also both setting Stealth Rock and using Rapid Spin to help in the hazard control department. In return, Venusaur can come in on threats like Primarina, Iron Valiant, and Ogerpon-W. Hatterene can also block hazards thanks to Magic Bounce, cripple fast Pokemon with Nuzzle, letting Venusaur outspeed them even when sun is over, and heal Venusaur thanks to Healing Wish.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 517709, "username": "1LDK"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 612907, "username": "sequoia"}, {"user_id": 616497, "username": "FayaWizard"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 555379, "username": "Tbolt"}]}]} }, "Clefable": { "sets": { "Utility": { "description": "Leveraging its passable bulk, amazing typing, solid movepool, a fantastic ability in Magic Guard, Clefable establishes its niche in the OU tier as a solid glue on bulkier team compositions, which appreciate its amazing role compression. Clefable maximizes its physical bulk to handle a myriad of physical attackers and passive Pokemon such as Great Tusk, Hisuian Samurott, Gliscor, and Garganacl. Clefable is an effective Stealth Rock user, as it threatens Great Tusk from spinning. Thunder Wave cripples threats like Iron Moth, Cinderace, and Pecharunt. Knock Off removes Heavy-Duty Boots to enable Clefable's Stealth Rock and teammates' Spikes. While Moonlight is usually preferred as Clefable's recovery, Wish and Protect can be used over Moonlight and Stealth Rock, respectively, if Clefable's team already has another Stealth Rock user. Leftovers longevity is always appreciated, but Sticky Barb is an option to incapacitate foes like Corviknight and Gliscor, especially because its Knock Off can make sure Sticky Barb can be transferred to them. Rocky Helmet is also an option to spread chip damage against physical attackers, especially U-turn from Corviknight and Landorus-T as well as Great Tusk and Weavile. Clefable uses Tera Water and Tera Steel to absorb Steel-type attacks in a pinch like Kingambit's Iron Head, Gholdengo's Make It Rain, and Iron Treads's Steel Beam. Tera Water is preferred due to its good matchups into the physical attackers Clefable aims to check, letting Clefable switch into Barraskewda and Cinderace while granting a good neutral defensive typing. Tera Steel can also be used to become immune to Poison-type attacks like Galarian Slowking's Sludge Bomb, but it loses key matchups like Cinderace, Great Tusk, and Landorus-T. Tera Ghost is also a decent pick, as it preserves Clefable’s good matchups into Fighting-types while also letting it spinblock, but it has a worse matchup against Knock Off users. It's worth noting that Clefable prefers not to Terastallize unless it absolutely needs to, as its base typing is incredibly valuable.
Clefable fits on balance and stall teams that appreciate its role compression and typing. Teammates like Skarmory, Gliscor, and Clodsire love Clefable’s ability to remove Heavy-Duty Boots with Knock Off and enable their entry hazards. Gliscor, in particular, is a phenomenal teammate. The two are effective walls that cover each other’s physical weaknesses; Clefable can switch into Knock Off from threats that Gliscor cannot handle, namely Meowscarada, Great Tusk, Hisuian Samurott, and Weavile, threatening them out with Moonblast. In return, Gliscor can set Spikes, which when combined with Clefable’s Stealth Rock and the pair’s access to Knock Off, forms a potent hazard-stacking core. Galarian Slowking is similarly a good partner, as Clefable can handle many of the aforementioned Dark-types that threaten it. In return Galarian Slowking is an amazing special wall that switches into many strong special attacks that would threaten Clefable, such as Iron Moth's Sludge Wave and Primarina's Moonblast. It can also spread Toxic, which allows Clefable to stay in against physical attackers more comfortably. However, Chilly Reception weakening recovery from Moonlight means that this is typically best paired with Wish and Protect. Offensive partners can compensate for Clefable's lack of offensive pressure, with Weavile and Meowscarada in particular can remove Heavy-Duty Boots so Clefable's Stealth Rock can start racking up damage. Dragapult and Gholdengo are also effective partners, as they pressure or cripple common Pokemon that annoy Clefable and can also spinblock Great Tusk and Iron Treads. In return, Clefable switches into and threatens Dark-types while also forcing out Garganacl. Kingambit is a phenomenal partner, as it threatens common answers to Clefable such as Clodsire, Blissey, Galarian Slowking, and Gholdengo. Zamazenta pressures Iron Treads, Kingambit, and Heatran while equally enjoying Clefable handling Great Tusk and pestering Dragapult. Dragonite is also a decent partner, as it likes Clefable's ability to check and pressure Dragon-types.
" }, "Calm Mind": { "description": "Clefable can function as a great sweeper, as it uses its good bulk, fantastic typing, and useful ability to find itself opportunities to set up. Moonblast can potentially drop the Special Attack of opposing Pokemon like Primarina, making Clefable harder to break. Moonlight is required to give Clefable a healing option, since it is not very fast and is going to take hits while setting up. The last move on this set is variable; since Moonblast hits a lot of the tier neutrally, Knock Off can be used to make progress against Pokemon that might not be threatened by even a boosted Clefable like Galarian Slowking, Clodsire, and Blissey. This also means that Clefable can always make progress even if there is not a clear opportunity for it to set up. Alternatively, Flamethrower is a great option mainly to hit Gholdengo, which can take Moonblast easily and either set up alongside Clefable or threaten it with Make It Rain. It also hits many Steel-types that might pose a threat to Clefable like Kingambit, Iron Crown, Iron Treads, and Tinkaton. Ice Beam can also be run in the last slot to deal with Gliscor. Clefable can also explore other options like Thunder Wave to cripple Iron Moth and Iron Crown on the switch. Magic Guard lets Clefable switch in consistently against entry hazard-stacking teams and set up in front of status users that would cripple it otherwise. Sticky Barb limits Iron Valiant once it has consumed its Booster Energy, and it can be transferred to Pokemon like Corviknight and even Gliscor if Clefable is running Knock Off. However, the longevity provided by Leftovers is usually preferred. Tera Fire flips the script against Steel-types and makes it easier for Clefable to set up against Pokemon like Gholdengo and Moltres. Tera Water keeps its resistance to Steel for Pokemon like Kingambit and the aforementioned Gholdengo while giving it valuable resistances to strong moves like Waking Wake's Hydro Steam; however, Tera Water makes Clefable worse against Ogerpon-W, and losing the resistance to Dark- and Fighting-type moves is relevant versus the likes of Kingambit and Zamazenta. Tera Steel has great use when facing Galarian Slowking and Pecharunt, although Clefable has to be careful of Ground- and Fire-types, like Great Tusk or Cinderace, that the Tera Water variant would be safer against.
Clefable fits on balance teams that rely mainly on passive damage to make progress, letting it perform the role of wincon once the opposing team is weakened. Thus, Gliscor is a great partner, since it can soften the opposing team via entry hazards, Knock Off, and even status. Gliscor also is a great Knock Off absorber in situations where Clefable doesn't want to lose its item. Skarmory can set up Spikes for Clefable to take advantage of, and it can deal with Pokemon that give Clefable trouble like Swords Dance Gliscor and Kingambit. Many common Pokemon outspeed and threaten Clefable with super effective damage like Kingambit, Gholdengo, and Iron Moth, and it isn't strong enough to threaten a KO back without a significant number of Calm Mind boosts. Ting-Lu and Moltres are tremendous partners for Clefable, since they deal with all the aforementioned Pokemon and help further via hazards and burns, respectively, while also enjoying the presence of Clefable on their team as a status absorber and late-game wincon where it thrives. Clefable also functions really well alongside Dondozo, which can deal with strong physical attackers like Kingambit, while Clefable absorbs passive damage that can weaken Dondozo like Salt Cure and poison. Clefable's ability to ignore passive damage makes it a great teammate, as it can absorb status like Will-O-Wisp from Dragapult and Toxic from Gliscor that might ruin some of its partners like Zamazenta. Also, Clefable's ability to absorb Knock Off is really useful against Pokemon like Hisuian Samurott, and being able to completely ignore Salt Cure's effect is fantastic for teammates like Corviknight and Gholdengo. Clefable's stats aren't high enough for it to find easy windows to set up against offensive teams filled with Pokemon that pressure it, like Ogerpon-W, Landorus-T, and Raging Bolt, making it burn its Moonlight PP rather quickly. Thus, Clefable enjoys the presence of Pokemon that can check dangerous wallbreakers, such as Ting-Lu and Clodsire helping against Raging Bolt and Corviknight dealing with Landorus-T. Clefable is also held back by the presence of Galarian Slowking, which can take Clefable's hits with ease and pivot into another threat with Chilly Reception and create momentum; this also limits Moonlight's healing. Since Galarian Slowking often uses Clefable as an entry point, Pokemon that can take advantage of its presence like Ting-Lu, Gholdengo, and Darkrai are great partners. Lastly, Clefable is pretty slow, making it susceptible to status moves that might ruin its setup like Encore from Ogerpon-W, Trick from Gholdengo, and Taunt from Landorus-T; thus, Clefable enjoys paralysis from reliable spreaders like Zapdos and Gholdengo and strong speed control provided by Pokemon like Dragapult, Zamazenta, Darkrai, and Meowscarada. All the previously mentioned support Pokemon benefit from Clefable providing a reliable way to wrap up games.
" }, "Unaware": { "description": "Unaware Clefable is an excellent stopgap to many dangerous setup sweepers, such as Zamazenta and Iron Valiant, halting them in their tracks and sometimes even acting as a wincon in its own right. While other Unaware Pokemon can potentially fill these needs, Clefable stands out with its solid Fairy typing, diverse range of utility options, and surprise factor. Calm Mind is used to beef up Clefable’s Special Defense, which lets it easily handle opposing special attackers without a super effective move such as Raging Bolt and Deoxys-S. It also powers up Moonblast to more forcefully scare out opposing threats and even offer the upside of a sweep. Thunder Wave can provide useful speed control for Clefable’s teammates, especially slow wallbreakers such as Raging Bolt and Swords Dance Gliscor, and give it a key advantage in late-game one-on-one matchups. Alternatively, Knock Off can advance an entry hazard stack team’s win condition and is better against Gholdengo. Stealth Rock is another possible utility option for teams that struggle to fit it anywhere else. A standard maximum Defense spread helps Clefable survive common attacks such as offensive Great Tusk’s Headlong Rush and Ogerpon-W's Ivy Cudgel. For those looking for a riskier spread, an alternative of 252 HP / 176 Def / 80 Spe and a Bold nature can be used. This allows Clefable to outspeed base 110 Speed Pokemon such as Ogerpon-W and Latios after paralysis and potential KO them, which limits how much moves like Encore and Psychic Noise hinder Clefable. However, the drop in bulk is extremely noticeable and makes Clefable unable to switch into as many threats, such as having very high odds of being 2HKOed by Great Tusk's Headlong Rush. If Clefable is meant to predominantly tackle the opponent's wincons, Tera Water is preferred to help against Nasty Plot Gholdengo, as well as resist Ogerpon-W's Ivy Cudgel and Walking Wake’s Hydro Steam in a pinch. Alternatively, for teams looking to more aggressively leverage the sweeping potential of Unaware Clefable, Tera Poison is preferred to make Clefable it immune to incoming poison that would otherwise put it on a timer as well as maintain a key Fighting resistance that allows it to beat Zamazenta. Tera Steel is a third option to provide it with an immunity to poison while also gaining a resistance to moves such as Psychic Noise, Kyurem's Ice Beam and Icicle Spear, and Gliscor's Facade.
Unaware Clefable fits best on bulkier teams that provide entry hazard support, form good defensive cores with Clefable, and appreciate a hard stop to various opposing threats. Gliscor, Ting-Lu, Hisuian Samurott, and Garganacl are all teammates great at putting up hazards against balance teams, and they appreciate the ability of Unaware Clefable to check opposing setup sweepers long-term. Unlike Magic Guard variants, Unaware Clefable hates incoming Knock Off, as taking hazard damage greatly limits its ability to check various threats, so Gliscor and Corviknight can be good at helping absorb these. Teammates that focus on removing hazards, such as Corviknight, Great Tusk, Iron Treads, and Galarian Weezing, can help as well. Furthermore, with how threatening Dragonite and Iron Defense + Body Press Zamazenta are, teams that struggle with these and other setup threats will generally appreciate Unaware Clefable being able to shut them down. However, Clefable still has to watch out for Adamant Tera Blast Flying from Dragonite and Zamazenta sets with Steel-type coverage. Other pokemon with super effective coverage also threaten Clefable, such as Gholdengo, Kingambit, Iron Moth, and Darkrai. Clefable has to heavily fear opposing Pokemon that can poison it, such as Pecharunt and Galarian Slowking, so teammates that don't fear poison such as Corviknight, Galarian Slowking, and Garganacl are appreciated. Another approach is to use Tera Poison or Tera Steel to turn the tables on these threats, potentially even using them as setup fodder. Gliscor is a particular standout answer to Unaware Clefable, as it threatens Clefable with Toxic, beats both Tera Poison and Tera Steel sets with Earthquake, cares little about Thunder Wave and Knock Off, and can generally heal up Moonblast damage without too much difficulty. Consequently, teammates such as Ogerpon-W, Kyurem, Darkrai, and Swords Dance Gliscor that can pressure Gliscor are appreciated. When attempting to act as a wincon, Unaware Clefable greatly fears Encore from Pokemon such as Ogerpon-W, Dragonite, Tinkaton, and Iron Valiant; Psychic Noise from Latios, Hatterene, and Primarina can also nastily prevent Clefable from healing up. Teammates such as Corviknight, Ting-Lu, and Iron Crown that can switch into these moves are appreciated to maintain Clefable's longevity.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 110504, "username": "Stads"}, {"user_id": 522748, "username": "Kadiro"}, {"user_id": 621033, "username": "smg (notfunny)"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 177111, "username": "Magcargo"}, {"user_id": 349443, "username": "Tysonslayer"}, {"user_id": 384270, "username": "autumn"}, {"user_id": 636986, "username": "Nocturne Nugget"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 197240, "username": "sunny"}, {"user_id": 384270, "username": "autumn"}, {"user_id": 527157, "username": "Kiwi"}]}]} }, "Ninetales": { "sets": { "Sun Setter": { "description": "Ninetales is an alternative sun setter to Torkoal thanks to its Speed and utility options in the form of Encore and Healing Wish. With its higher Speed that outpaces common tier staples like Gholdengo, Iron Crown, and Landorus-T, Ninetales is able to pose a threat from the first turn, and its support moves give it value later in the battle. Encore gives Ninetales the ability to lock foes into undesired moves, providing entry and setup opportunities for teammates; it can prevent Ninetales from being turned into setup fodder by foes like Raging Bolt, Iron Moth, and some Zamazenta variants while punishing passive Pokemon like Gliscor and Garganacl. Healing Wish is a great last-resort option when Ninetales has been worn down to re-enable and provide a safe entry to one of its teammates. Will-O-Wisp can shut down physical threats such as Great Tusk, Dragonite, and Hisuian Samurott and generally cripple bulkier foes such as Galarian Slowking and Ting-Lu. Maximum HP investment allows Ninetales to withstand some hits from common leads such as Glimmora's Power Gem and Ting-Lu's Earthquake and even some stronger attacks such as Choice Specs Dragapult's Draco Meteor; however, a more offensive spread in 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe is also an option. This variant should run other attacking moves instead, such as Overheat and Scorching Sands; a fully-invested Overheat notably OHKOes Great Tusk from full, while Scorching Sands hits Fire-resistant targets like Cinderace, Heatran, and Raging Bolt. Tera Grass allows Ninetales to resist Water-type attacks from Ogerpon-W, Primarina, and Hisuian Samurott. This resistance allows Ninetales to be more effective against rain teams, being able to repeatedly enter the field to change the weather safely. The Ground resistance also facilitates Ninetales's matchup against Great Tusk, Ting-Lu, and Landorus-T. As another option, Tera Flying completely flips the matchup against these foes. Alternatively, Tera Ghost turns Ninetales into a great Zamazenta check, shrugging off its Body Press and threatening to lock it with Encore or burn it; it also offers great utility by blocking Rapid Spin attempts.
Ninetales acts as the centerpiece of sun teams, facilitating the whole strategy; it fits over Torkoal in faster and more offense-oriented teams. Common teammates in sun teams include Protosynthesis Pokemon; Walking Wake and Raging Bolt are excellent wallbreakers. Moreover, sun allows Raging Bolt to forgo Booster Energy for other items such as Leftovers and Air Balloon and Speed-boosting Walking Wake to reliably revenge kill faster threats such as Dragapult and Meowscarada. Chlorophyll sweepers such as Hisuian Lilligant and Venusaur are able to outspeed some of the fastest threats in the metagame such as Choice Scarf Darkrai and Booster Energy Iron Valiant, preventing these threats from overrunning the team while being capable of cleaning up late-game themselves. Both Raging Bolt and Venusaur are also able to run Fire-type Weather Ball thanks to Ninetales's sun, which allows them to beat otherwise would-be checks such as Iron Treads and Gholdengo. In comparison to Torkoal, Ninetales lacks entry hazard setting and clearing options, which are crucial to ensure Ninetales's longevity. Great Tusk thus makes for a great partner, being able to clear out hazards with Rapid Spin and set Stealth Rock in the field while also activating its own Protosynthesis; additionally, it is a great answer to Tyranitar in particular, which threatens to nullify Ninetales's sun. Hatterene is a good match too, denying hazards with Magic Bounce and being able to further support their teammates with Healing Wish. Cinderace also fits as a hazard control solution, clearing the field from hazards with Court Change and benefiting from a sun-boosted Pyro Ball. Iron Moth benefits greatly from sun, reaching an absurd power level thanks to its sun- and STAB-boosted Fiery Dance, which can easily spiral out of control if it gets a boost; sun also allows it to tank Water-type moves from Hisuian Samurott and Primarina. Slither Wing provides a check against opposing offensive threats like Kingambit, Darkrai, and Deoxys-S that can overrun sun teams; it also makes use of its bulk and typing to reliably switch into the former three and other foes like Speed-boosting Great Tusk and Choice Scarf Landorus-T, which can otherwise threaten Ninetales out.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 625618, "username": "arnimacarni"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 612443, "username": "ninth"}, {"user_id": 493260, "username": "Marnie"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 558636, "username": "zastra"}]}]} }, "Ninetales-Alola": { "sets": { "Aurora Veil": { "description": "With its unique combination of Aurora Veil, Snow Warning, and a good Speed tier, Alolan Ninetales establishes itself as a premiere lead for setting Aurora Veil, giving it the advantage over fellow dual screens setters like Grimmsnarl and Deoxys-S, which require two turns instead to set up. Encore shuts down setup sweepers that try to take advantage of Alolan Ninetales's mediocre offensive presence like Kingambit and punishes defensive Pokemon like Ting-Lu, Garganacl, and Corviknight, giving Alolan Ninetales's teammates free opportunities to set up. Freeze-Dry threatens common leads like Landorus-T, Hisuian Samurott, and Gliscor as well as Pelipper, which otherwise removes Alolan Ninetales's snow unthreatened. Freeze-Dry can also target certain threats like Ogerpon-W and Walking Wake. Moonblast serves as a stronger secondary STAB option to slam threats like Darkrai, Zamazenta, and Weavile that Freeze-Dry cannot while hitting Hisuian Samurott slightly harder. Snowscape allows Alolan Ninetales to reset snow in the face of weather setters Torkoal, Ninetales, Pelipper, and Tyranitar, ensuring both Aurora Veil and the advantage in the weather wars. Roar is an option to improve the mirror matchup against offensive teams, as it can stop setup sweepers like Terastallized Dragonite and Zamazenta more reliably in cases where Encore couldn't. Moreover, forcing in the Booster Energy users into the field essentially wastes the item if they're not ready to sweep yet. Though Alolan Ninetales rarely wants to Terastallize, Tera Water is run to shed its Fire and Steel weaknesses, flipping the matchup on Pokemon like Iron Moth, Gholdengo, and Iron Crown. Tera Ghost is also an option to emergency check a boosted IronPress Zamazenta, especially with Encore.
With its invaluable ability to set dual screens in one turn, Alolan Ninetales cements itself as a lead for hyper offense teams. One sweeper that pairs exceptionally well with Alolan Ninetales is Kyurem, as its Dragon Dance set heavily appreciates both Aurora Veil and snow extending its already solid bulk to absurd levels. Other setup sweepers like Zamazenta, Kingambit, and Raging Bolt similarly enjoy Aurora Veil, able to boost with near impunity then crush the opposing team. In particular, Bulk Up Great Tusk is an excellent teammate for its added entry hazard removal in Rapid Spin, which Aurora Veil teams can otherwise struggle with. Rillaboom combines Grassy Terrain's recovery with Aurora Veil to allow even more opportunities for its teammates to set up with ease, which is especially useful for those weak to Earthquake like the aforementioned Raging Bolt and Kingambit. However, Alolan Ninetales's biggest foe, Cinderace, resists both of its STAB moves and can steal Aurora Veil with Court Change. Other major threats include Iron Moth and Steel-types like Gholdengo, Iron Crown, and Scizor, which similarly ignore Alolan Ninetales's attacks, can threaten an OHKO, and, in Iron Moth's case, can set up a Substitute freely. Thus, a great partner is Manaphy, which is able to shrug off any Steel- and Fire-type attacks while synergizing well with Aurora Veil, especially for its Double Dance set. Iron Moth easily boosts on Cinderace and threatens Steel-types, as well as snowballing through sun and Sticky Web teams that would otherwise give Alolan Ninetales trouble; Aurora Veil allows Iron Moth to take a hit or two, which is especially useful for the Substitute variants. Dragonite can serve as a useful check to Iron Moth, offensive Cinderace, and other offensive threats with its powerful Extreme Speed. Another Pokemon to watch out for is Corviknight, which can remove Aurora Veil with Defog, so teammates like the aforementioned Iron Moth and Raging Bolt are useful to pressure it from ever entering the field and using Defog freely.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 616497, "username": "FayaWizard"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 612443, "username": "ninth"}, {"user_id": 493260, "username": "Marnie"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 528364, "username": "adorluigi"}]}]} }, "Arcanine-Hisui": {"sets": {"Choice Band": {}}}, "Weezing-Galar": { "sets": { "Utility": { "description": "Galarian Weezing combines a fantastic defensive typing, solid defensive stats, and its unique ability to support the OU tier through reliable entry hazard removal. It can use Defog to remove hazards against even Gholdengo due to Neutralizing Gas suppressing Good as Gold. Will-O-Wisp furthers Galarian Weezing's physical sturdiness while statusing otherwise immune foes such as Garganacl, Gholdengo, and Hatterene. Pain Split is Galarian Weezing's primary method of recovery, as even with full investment, its measly base 65 HP stat allows it to usually heal up in front of foes such as Alomomola and Corviknight. On sets with Leftovers, Protect can be used instead to secure an additional turn of healing, as well as leverage Neutralizing Gas to the fullest extent against Pokemon greatly annoyed by it, such as Gliscor and Clefable. Galarian Weezing has a great deal of flexibility for its last move, but Sludge Bomb is generally preferred because it is a solid attack into Ogerpon-W, Iron Valiant, and Rillaboom. Strange Steam is an alternative attack to hit Great Tusk, Kyurem, and Darkrai harder and enjoys the upside of free turns given via confusion. Other alternatives include Toxic Spikes to pressure teams without reliable hazard removal or a Poison-type and Toxic to offer a higher damage status option to more quickly put down dangerous threats to Galarian Weezing's team, such as Ceruledge and Hatterene. Galarian Weezing usually opts for a fully defensive spread to best cover dangerous threats such as Ogerpon-W, Zamazenta, and Dragonite, as it can tank a hit from them while threatening back a crippling burn. However, on teams that need help covering Kingambit, a spread of 252 HP / 80 Def / 176 Spe with a Bold nature can be used to outspeed Adamant Kingambit, allowing Galarian Weezing to usually get off a burn and cripple it. Galarian Weezing typically prefers to Terastallize into the Grass-type, as this resists Ogerpon-W's STAB attacks in a pinch as well as turning Galarian Weezing's Ground-type weakness into a resistance. However, Tera Ghost is also popular to block opposing hazard removal such as Great Tusk's Rapid Spin and match up better into Ursaluna and Dragonite, and Tera Flying can also be used to gain a full immunity to incoming Ground-type attacks such as Landorus-T's Earth Power. Heavy-Duty Boots are usually favored to give Galarian Weezing easier entry against the hazards it wants to remove. However, on teams with secondary hazard removal, Leftovers can be used to help Galarian Weezing stay healthier, while Rocky Helmet can be employed to punish contact moves such as Alomomola's Flip Turn, Hisuian Samurott's Ceaseless Edge, and Corviknight's U-turn.
Teams looking for the most reliable entry hazard removal in the tier will find Galarian Weezing to be an invaluable teammate. Balance and Stall teams in particular appreciate this support, as well as Galarian Weezing's ability to help contain the ever-terrifying Ogerpon-W. Corviknight is a standout teammate on both playstyles, switching into Ground-type attacks such as Great Tusk's Headlong Rush and Psychic-type attacks such as Deoxys-S's Psycho Boost. Moreover, Corviknight and Galarian Weezing also complement each other by both being able to clear hazards, forcing teams to contend with both threatening to undo progress via Defog. This consistent hazard removal greatly enables balance teams by allowing Rock-weak wallbreakers such as Kyurem and Nasty Plot Tornadus-T to flourish. Stall teams also greatly enjoy the support Corviknight and Galarian Weezing provide, allowing Pokemon such as Blissey, Dondozo, and Toxapex to use Leftovers instead of Heavy-Duty Boots. Alomomola is another great teammate for Galarian Weezing, as it is bulky enough to confidently switch into threatening Ground-type and Steel-type attacks and compensate for Galarian Weezing's limited recovery options via Wish. Assault Vest Alomomola also greatly appreciates Galarian Weezing's prowess at removing hazards. Balance and bulky offense teams also appreciate Galarian Weezing keeping hazards off to give their powerful breakers, such as Ogerpon-W and Choice Specs Raging Bolt, more opportunities to safely enter the field and make progress. These teams also value Galarian Weezing suppressing Regenerator on common pivots like Alomomola and Galarian Slowking, so attackers that struggle with these such as Dragapult and Zamazenta will appreciate this additional offensive pressure. Galarian Weezing broadly fears strong special attackers such as Gholdengo, Glimmora, and Iron Moth, as these do not particularly fear getting burned and can target Galarian Weezing's poor Special Defense. Ting-Lu is therefore an excellent partner to answer these threats by soaking up most special attacks in the tier; in particular, it easily absorbs any incoming Psychic-type attacks that Galarian Weezing would be weak to. In return, Galarian Weezing can answer Rillaboom, Ogerpon, and Hisuian Samurott that trouble Ting-Lu. Lastly, limited recovery options can force Galarian Weezing to get worn down over a match as it repeatedly removes hazards, so other teammates that can help shoulder the burden, such as Great Tusk and Iron Treads, will help take the pressure off Galarian Weezing and keep it healthy.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 110504, "username": "Stads"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 633798, "username": "kd458"}, {"user_id": 548068, "username": "Setsu"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 555379, "username": "Tbolt"}]}]} }, "Chansey": {"sets": {"Defensive": {}}}, "Ditto": {"sets": {"Choice Scarf": {}}}, "Zapdos": { "sets": { "Defensive": { "description": "Zapdos is a defensive pivot that is able to take hits, spread status, and build momentum for its team. Volt Switch is a strong option for a pivoting move, being both STAB-boosted and non-contact, but U-turn is a solid alternative to avoid being blocked by Ground-types like Gliscor and Ting-Lu. Thunder Wave is a powerful support move for slowing down the opposing team, crippling foes like Iron Moth and Darkrai, whereas Discharge should only be used with U-turn to still give it an Electric-type STAB that also allows Zapdos to paralyze foes, albeit less consistent. Additionally, Discharge even allows Zapdos to paralyze foes that are otherwise not threatened by Thunder Wave, like Gholdengo and Hatterene. Heat Wave is an option that gives Zapdos a coverage option to hit Iron Treads while also 2HKOing other offensive Steel-types like Kingambit and Gholdengo. Heavy-Duty Boots is important for mitigating Zapdos's weakness to Stealth Rock. Tera Steel gives Zapdos favorable matchups against foes like Kyurem and Galarian Slowking, allowing it to resist attacks like Ice Beam and become immune to status moves like Toxic while giving it the opportunity to spread paralysis, which it may not have been able to do otherwise. Tera Grass provides a Water resistance, allowing Zapdos to more easily check Hisuian Samurott and Ogerpon-W. Tera Fairy is very useful for giving Zapdos a Dark resistance, allowing it to take hits from Hisuian Samurott's Ceaseless Edge and Kingambit's Kowtow Cleave, thus providing more chances for Static to activate, as well as emergency Dragon immunity against Dragapult. Tera Water provides a Water and Fire resistance against foes like Primarina, Hisuian Samurott, and Cinderace while granting an Ice resistance against Weavile similar to Tera Steel. Most of the EVs are put into Zapdos's Defense, with 16 Speed EVs allowing it to outspeed neutral-natured base 70s like Volcanion.
Zapdos is extremely useful on balance teams. Galarian Slowking is an excellent choice of teammate to tank special attacks from threats like Kyurem and Iron Valiant, while Zapdos can help it in return by switching into Ground-type moves that threaten it from Pokemon like Great Tusk and Landorus-T, pivoting back and forth between each other to support this. Zapdos can also form strong defensive cores with other bulky Pokemon like Zamazenta and Ting-Lu. Zamazenta is able to deal with less favorable matchups for Zapdos, such as Kyurem and Weavile, and Zapdos is able to help by pivoting to it safely. Ting-Lu can support Zapdos by setting entry hazards that can wear down foes like Gholdengo and Walking Wake so that they can be KOed by Zapdos more easily. Hex Gholdengo becomes much stronger with Zapdos as a paralysis-spreading partner, and it is then able to support Zapdos and its teammates with speed control, taking out threats like Dragapult and Darkrai. Zapdos struggles to make progress against common Ground-types like Gliscor, which are immune to Volt Switch, thus preventing it from pivoting. Gliscor can also threaten Zapdos with Knock Off. Teammates like Weavile and Kyurem are great at putting pressure on these counters, and they in turn appreciate Zapdos's ability to get them in safely. While Weavile and Kyurem make good teammates, they also make difficult foes for Zapdos, both of them outspeeding and KOing it. The aforementioned Zamazenta as well as Kingambit can put pressure on these threats. In exchange, Zapdos can help by taking hits from Pokemon like Great Tusk and opposing Zamazenta and crippling these threats with Static and Thunder Wave, giving a teammate like Kingambit more chances to sweep. Knock Off users like Gliscor and Tinkaton threaten to remove Zapdos's Heavy-Duty Boots. Pokemon that can take hits from Knock Off, like Clefable and Gliscor, are great at helping Zapdos avoid this.
" }, "Offensive": { "description": "Offensive Zapdos stands out as a very proactive Pokemon that can help gain momentum and chip down important walls for its team while taking on dangerous foes such as Great Tusk and Iron Defense + Body Press Zamazenta. Volt Switch allows Zapdos to get out of difficult matchups safely such as against Galarian Slowking and Raging Bolt. Heat Wave hits Iron Treads for super effective damage, which can otherwise completely wall Zapdos, while also severely damaging other Steel-types such as Gholdengo and Kingambit that might be able to take a hit or two from it. Roost keeps Zapdos healthy over the course of a game so it can continue checking Pokemon like Scizor and battering opposing defensive cores. Tera Blast Ice can be used to snipe an otherwise solid check in specially defensive Gliscor while providing a strong hit against other foes like Raging Bolt, Dragonite, and opposing Zapdos, with the typing granting it an emergency Ice resistance against foes like Kyurem. Weather Ball can be used over Heat Wave if Zapdos is paired with Galarian Slowking, similarly giving it the Ice coverage but without needing to Terastallize. Heavy-Duty Boots allow Zapdos to switch in more easily in the face of Stealth Rock. Tera Fire allows Zapdos to OHKO Iron Treads with Heat Wave while also giving it a resistance to Ice-type attacks from Pokemon such as Weavile and Kyurem in a pinch.
Zapdos fits best on balance teams, which heavily appreciate its ability to output great damage while checking Pokemon such as Kingambit and Iron Defense + Body Press Zamazenta. Due to its lack of bulk investment, Zapdos cannot reliably switch into Pokemon such as Ogerpon-W and Dragon Dance Dragonite. Thus, teammates such as Corviknight and Pecharunt are crucial to help it take on these powerful foes. Pokemon such as Galarian Slowking and Iron Crown that can take on special attackers are incredibly useful, as they can form pivot cores to weaken opposing defensive structures, and Zapdos can help take on Pokemon such as Kingambit that they may otherwise struggle with. Pokemon such as Kyurem and Rillaboom that struggle with Steel-types such as Iron Treads and Kingambit heavily appreciate Zapdos luring them in with Heat Wave, while in return, they can take on foes such as Ting-Lu that Zapdos may struggle with. Zapdos struggles immensely with Raging Bolt. Therefore, checks such as Ting-Lu and Iron Treads are very much appreciated; in return, Zapdos can handle Pokemon such as Zamazenta and Great Tusk that might threaten out its partners. Zapdos can effectively lure in and KO Pokemon such as Hisuian Samurott, Gholdengo, and Pecharunt by using its high Speed and powerful attacks, which means partners such as Iron Crown, Dragonite, and Gholdengo that typically struggle a lot against them heavily appreciate its support. Ice-type attackers such as Weavile and Kyurem are great teammates, as they can take on common Ground-types such as Ting-Lu and Gliscor that Zapdos otherwise can struggle against, and in return, Zapdos can help them get in through Volt Switch and take on Fighting-types such as Zamazenta and Keldeo that they may struggle against. Pokemon such as Dragapult like the extra damage that Zapdos outputs with Hurricane to help chip down Pokemon such as Ting-Lu; they form a pivoting core together to switch into each other's checks.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 359575, "username": "Nichalho"}, {"user_id": 647728, "username": "Heatranator"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 110504, "username": "Stads"}, {"user_id": 616497, "username": "FayaWizard"}, {"user_id": 487308, "username": "BT89"}, {"user_id": 571069, "username": "Dead by Daylight"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 384270, "username": "autumn"}, {"user_id": 567354, "username": "sappheiros"}]}]} }, "Moltres": { "sets": { "Defensive": { "description": "Moltres is an excellent defensive Pokemon, using its typing and ability to punish a multitude of physical attackers in the tier, threatening a burn with Flame Body to stop pivoting from U-turn or reliably walling the likes of Zamazenta lacking Stone Edge, Great Tusk, Kingambit, and Dragonite. U-turn turns Moltres into a pivot, letting it get in teammates safely, keep up momentum, and chip down switch-ins like Garganacl and Alomomola. Will-O-Wisp reliably cripples physical attackers like Kingambit, Ogerpon-W, and Dragonite, even bypassing the former's Sucker Punch, and slowly chips down walls like Alomomola, Ting-Lu, and Galarian Slowking. Roar prevents Moltres from being used as setup fodder, especially by Tera Fire foes like Zamazenta, Kingambit, and Kyurem and special attackers like Iron Valiant, Enamorus, and Iron Moth, as well as being a good way to deal passive damage if entry hazards are up. Hurricane immediately threatens foes like Great Tusk, Zamazenta, and Ogerpon-W while 2HKOing physically defensive Alomomola and even bulky Cinderace. Scorching Sands can be used to hit foes like Raging Bolt, Garganacl, Glimmora, and the aforementioned Fire-types and Tera Fire users while fishing for burns in general. Tera Fairy is a solid defensive typing that notably gives Moltres a good matchup against foes like Weavile and Dragapult while maintaining its positive matchup versus Zamazenta and Great Tusk. Tera Grass flips Moltres's Water and Electric weaknesses, letting it take on various hits from the likes of Ogerpon-W and Hisuian Samurott while being able to safely phaze Calm Mind Primarina and Raging Bolt. Terastallization in general allows Moltres to ease its weakness to Knock Off and Stealth Rock, letting it not fear huge chip damage from them. 12 Speed EVs allow Moltres to outspeed Jolly Kingambit.
Moltres is a great fit on offensive teams and more bulky teams. Its great typing and its ability to spread burn help its teammates against prominent physical attackers. Partners like Clefable and Kingambit appreciate it being able to check threats like Great Tusk and opposing Kingambit, while Clefable and Kingambit are able to switch into threats to Moltres, such as Weavile. Offensive partners like Ogerpon-W and Zamazenta appreciate Moltres's pivoting, forcing in Pokemon like Garganacl and Heatran, which have bad matchups against the aforementioned teammates. Zamazenta is also able to check Ogerpon-W with its ability's initial Defense boost. Darkrai and Weavile are also potent offensive partners, being able to amend Moltres's bad matchups such as Gliscor and Galarian Slowking by threatening huge damage on both targets. Threats to Moltres are potent attackers such as Primarina and Ogerpon-W. A partner like Galarian Slowking works well with Moltres, as it enjoys burns allowing it to switch into physical attackers, such as a burned Zamazenta, as well as being able to switch into attacks from Primarina. Offensive threats like Ogerpon and Dragapult can check Ogerpon-W, either helping in taking attacks, revenge killing, or crippling it with status. Defensive partners such as Gliscor, Great Tusk, and Corviknight can switch into Knock Off for Moltres, with Gliscor itself being able to use Knock Off and set Spikes, which pairs well with Roar variants of Moltres. Great Tusk and Corviknight offer entry hazard removal. Ground-types like Clodsire and Ting-Lu are able to cover Moltres's bad matchups against Electric-types like Raging Bolt and Zapdos, as well as providing hazards, which make Moltres's phazing more of a threat.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 634393, "username": "matte"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 177111, "username": "Magcargo"}, {"user_id": 408271, "username": "Dreadfury"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 528364, "username": "adorluigi"}]}]} }, "Moltres-Galar": { "sets": { "Nasty Plot": { "description": "With Nasty Plot, Galarian Moltres is a solid late-game setup sweeper and wallbreaker. Hurricane is the strongest Flying-type STAB option and can blow away Fighting-types like Iron Valiant, Great Tusk, and Zamazenta without requiring Galarian Moltres to Terastallize. If you would rather have something more consistent, Tera Blast Fairy can be useful as coverage against them while also hitting Dark-types like Ting-Lu harder than Hurricane, which, in combination with Fiery Wrath, allows Galarian Moltres to hit most of the tier at least neutrally. Taunt potentially turns it into a stallbreaker, as it blocks status moves like Whirlwind from Ting-Lu, Toxic from Gliscor and Clodsire, and Calm Mind and Soft-Boiled from Blissey, giving Galarian Moltres more opportunities to set up and sweep against bulkier teams, whereas with an Agility boost, Galarian Moltres matches up better against offensive teams, as it can outspeed threats like Iron Valiant, Dragapult, and Choice Scarf Enamorus, only remaining threatened by Raging Bolt's Thunderclap and other priority moves. Sitrus Berry is a must-have, allowing Galarian Moltres to potentially secure an extra boost from Berserk and its setup moves. Tera Ghost gives Galarian Moltres an immunity to Dragonite's Extreme Speed, Zamazenta's Body Press, and Blissey's Seismic Toss, as well as allowing it to double as a Rapid Spin blocker. Defensively, Tera Fairy is a solid typing that allows it to keep the resistance to Kingambit's Sucker Punch while making it immune to Dragpult's powerful Draco Meteor and Dragon Darts. Galarian Moltres typically runs maximum Special Attack and Speed to increase its sweeping potential. Alternatively, it can run a bulkier spread to give itself more chances to set up; this specific EV spread allows Galarian Moltres to outspeed uninvested Gliscor while surviving two Ivy Cudgels from Ogerpon-W after Sitrus Berry and two Ice Beams from Darkrai. This set can more safely run Taunt, whereas the more offensive set is better suited to running Agility for setting up.
Galarian Moltres fits best on hyper offensive teams. It pairs best with other offensive sweepers and wallbreakers similar to itself, such as Iron Valiant, Iron Moth, and Gholdengo, that can keep up pressure throughout a battle. Iron Valiant takes on foes like Darkrai and Raging Bolt, while Galarian Moltres handles Gholdengo and Pecharunt, forming a dangerous offensive core. Gholdengo can block any attempts to wear down Galarian Moltres with status and force damage on Ting-Lu and break through Fairy-types that Galarian Moltres struggles with. Iron Moth can help wallbreak and allow Galarian Moltres to sweep late in the game. Galarian Moltres can also fit well into Dark-type spam archetypes alongside teammates like Kingambit and Hisuian Samurott, breaking through bulkier foes like Kingambit and Tinkaton. Galarian Moltres, in return, can pressure Dark-resistant Pokemon like Zamazenta and Great Tusk. Galarian Moltres is particularly helped by entry hazards, the damage from which can chip down enemies that Galarian Moltres can then break through. Great Tusk and Iron Treads can set Stealth Rock to assist in this, use Rapid Spin to protect Galarian Moltres from entry hazard damage and let it setup on spinblockers, and check some of Galarian Moltres's tougher matchups like Raging Bolt and Iron Moth. Deoxys-S can also provide excellent support with entry hazards, while Hatterene can prevent opponents from setting their own hazards and can act as an additional setup sweeper for the team with Calm Mind. Sticky Web is also particularly helpful for Galarian Moltres. It allows it to sweep more of the tier by letting it outspeeding faster threats like Zamazenta and Iron Valiant without needing an additional boost from Agility, so Galarian Moltres can safely run Taunt instead; Araquanid and Ribombee are great teammates for this reason. Alolan Ninetales can facilitate another type of hyper offensive team; its Aurora Veil turns allow Galarian Moltres additional setup opportunities, especially when attempting to get a boost from both Nasty Plot and Agility back-to-back. Galarian Moltres is particularly susceptible to fast, powerful sweepers that can take it out before it has the chance to set up, including Iron Valiant and Zamazenta, and priority users like Raging Bolt and Dragonite that ignore its Agility boost. Pecharunt is an excellent teammate to take these hits and threaten back with Nasty Plot-boosted Malignant Chains; this can help overwhelm foes like Ting-Lu with poison, as well as Fairy-types that threaten Galarian Moltres like Iron Valiant and Clefable. Bulkier Pokemon that can spread Toxic like Gliscor and Clodsire can cut off Galarian Moltres's sweeping potential should it opt to forego Taunt; Kyurem is a strong teammate that can break through these checks. Other offensive teammates that form solid pairings with Galarian Moltres are Dragonite, which Galarian Moltres can help sweep by taking out Gholdengo, Zamazenta to deal with Kingambit while Galarian Moltres deals with Ghost-types in return, and Ogerpon-W, which can break through bulkier teams if Galarian Moltres is running Agility.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 359575, "username": "Nichalho"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 612907, "username": "sequoia"}, {"user_id": 408271, "username": "Dreadfury"}, {"user_id": 493260, "username": "Marnie"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 555379, "username": "Tbolt"}]}]} }, "Dragonite": { "overview": "Dragonite stands out as one of the most dominant Pokemon in SV OU, able to wield a myriad of coverage moves, Tera type options, and items to threaten most teams with the right set while also possessing a remarkable defensive profile, essentially letting it fit onto an incredibly wide array of team archetypes. It is one of the tier's most potent setup sweepers, as Dragon Dance enables a variety of sweeping methods and couples with any mix of strong physical attacks and crafty utility moves that Dragonite pleases. Dragonite can also wallbreak and revenge kill foes more reliably with its Choice Band set. Furthermore, all of this is enabled by its natural bulk, typing, and potentially Roost, as not only do these give Dragonite easy setup opportunities, but they also allow it to check common threats like Ogerpon-W, Iron Moth, and Rillaboom; furthermore, with Multiscale intact, it can also emergency check even threatening foes like Iron Valiant, Enamorus, and Raging Bolt, making it a menace against offensive teams. This also allows Dragonite to employ a utility-focused bulky attacking set that lets it act as a catch-all answer to most offensive threats of the tier while not being entirely passive like most walls. With all this variability, checking Dragonite can be a headache, but physically bulky Pokemon such as Great Tusk, Zamazenta, and Corviknight can often break its Multiscale and force it to reveal its set, if not beat it in a one-on-one outright. Dondozo also stands out as a particularly good answer, ignoring any boosts from Dragon Dance that Dragonite may have accrued while having the bulk to take it on. Even after a Dragon Dance, Dragonite is still outsped by threats such as Deoxys-S, Iron Valiant, Choice Scarf Enamorus, and Speed Booster Energy Great Tusk, particular if it's not running Extreme Speed, with Zamazenta and Dragapult being added to the list if Dragonite is not running a Speed-boosting nature. While Dragonite's typing is incredible in most situations, it also presents a serious 4x weakness to Ice-type moves such as Darkrai's Ice Beam, Kyurem's Freeze-Dry, and Great Tusk's Ice Spinner, meaning that Dragonite often will need to Terastallize to avoid being revenge killed and continue its sweep. Its Stealth Rock weakness also warrants strong hazard control from its teammates or the use of Heavy-Duty Boots, which presents another issue where foes like Rillaboom and Ogerpon-W that it wants to check often carry Knock Off as well.
", "comments": "Despite the wide variety of mainstream options, Dragonite's toolkit still manages to leave room for additional creativity. Hurricane can be a flex option on many Dragon Dance sweeper sets to surprise Zamazenta and Great Tusk while also being a usable tool to potentially 3HKO Dondozo, preventing it from stalling Dragonite out with Curse + Rest; Sharp Beak + Tera Flying sets in particular can guarantee this matchup further, even 2HKOing Dondozo through Leftovers. On hyper offense teams, Life Orb + Outrage is an option on Dragon Dance sets to let Dragonite nuke neutral walls like Alomomola, Moltres, Zapdos, and Great Tusk. Iron Head can be used in conjunction with Tera Steel to gain resistances to incoming Ice-, Dragon-, and Fairy-type attacks while OHKOing Hatterene, Iron Valiant, and Clefable, as well as potentially flinching its way out of otherwise impossible situations. Many teams try to limit Dragonite via Will-O-Wisp or Flame Body, so Facade can be used on Tera Normal + Extreme Speed sets to surprise these teams thinking they're safe once Dragonite is burned. Defensive sets can be used alongside moves like Thunder Wave to long-term cripple dangerous threats and Ice Beam to hit Gliscor, Landorus-T, and opposing Dragonite hard. If the team has enough hazard control, this set can even employ Rocky Helmet to punish foes that rely on making contact to deal damage, like Rillaboom and Zamazenta, or Red Card to further make use of its hit-taking ability to act as an emergency check to boosted foes.
", "sets": { "Dragon Dance": { "description": "Dragon Dance Dragonite is one of the tier's most formidable setup sweepers due to its plethora of coverage variations and defensive profile. Extreme Speed maximizes its matchup against offensive teams, compensating for Dragonite's subpar Speed tier by taking care of the archetype's frail or boosted foes like Darkrai, Iron Valiant, and Kyurem while also outprioritzing revenge killers like Weavile and Raging Bolt. Earthquake covers Pokemon like Garganacl, Pecharunt, Galarian Weezing, and Steel-types like Kingambit and Gholdengo. Ice Spinner dents foes like Gliscor, Landorus-T, Zapdos, Sinistcha, and opposing Dragonite while popping Air Balloon from Gholdengo, Pecharunt, and Tera Ghost Kingambit. Dragonite can forgo Extreme Speed, as Ice Spinner + Earthquake grants it with sufficient coverage to hit most of the metagame for at least neutral effectiveness. Either Roost or Encore gives it more setup opportunities; Roost lets it activate Multiscale repeatedly and is the preferred move on bulkier playstyles to emphasize its defensive utility further, while Encore punishes opposing setup and passive plays from threats and walls like Zamazenta, Raging Bolt, Landorus-T, and Corviknight. A coverage move can be used instead; Rock Slide obliterates a would-be check in Moltres and hits Zapdos without triggering Static, with the riskier but stronger Stone Edge being an alternative that has good chances to straight up OHKO the former and 2HKO the latter. Similar to Ice Spinner + Earthquake, either of the Rock-type moves + Earthquake can be used as the sole attacking moves so it can run Encore or Roost in its last moveslot. Fire Punch super effectively hits Corviknight, Skarmory, and Air Balloon Steel-types like Kingambit, Gholdengo, and Tinkaton. Alongside a Naughty or Naive nature, Hurricane can be used to dent otherwise strong checks in Zamazenta, Great Tusk, and Dondozo, even ignoring their Defense boosts. Dragon Tail prevents IronPress users like non-Roar Zamazenta, Corviknight, and Skarmory from beating it one-on-one; stops opposing phazers like Ting-Lu and Zamazenta if it's running a Jolly nature from forcing it out first; and lets it act as a sturdier emergency check against opposing setup sweepers that it can't immediately KO. While Heavy-Duty Boots is preferred to reliably keep its Multiscale intact even in the face of Stealth Rock, teams that commit to strong entry hazard removal can run other items; Leftovers improves its general longevity, while Lum Berry ignores crippling status from foes like Dragapult, Moltres, Pecharunt, and Gholdengo. More offensive choices like Silk Scarf and Soft Sand can be used with their appropriate Tera types at the cost of lower longevity and harder times setting up. An Adamant nature is preferred, but Jolly can be used to, at worst, Speed tie opposing Dragonite while outspeeding Dragapult and Zamazenta at +1. Tera Normal is only used on sets running Extreme Speed, as it importantly boosts the move while giving Dragonite a neutral typing against all of its weaknesses. Tera Ground can be used to boost its Earthquake instead and defensively grants Dragonite an immunity to Gholdengo's Thunder Wave and Raging Bolt's Thunderclap at the cost of being weaker against Ogerpon-W and Rillaboom and maintaining its Ice weakness from Weavile, Kyurem, and Darkrai.
Dragonite's sweeping potential and defensive utility makes it an exceptional pick for most playstyles, anything that ranges from hyper offense to balance. Physically offensive teammates like Ogerpon-W, Zamazenta, and Kingambit can either overwhelm, surprise, or pressure a majority of its checks, which include the likes of Pecharunt, Alomomola, Zapdos, and Clefable. Special attackers like Darkrai, Iron Moth, Raging Bolt, Gholdengo, and Iron Valiant are similarly great to immediately threaten Dragonite's checks, especially Defense-boosting users like Zamazenta, Corviknight, Dondozo, and Great Tusk looking to go one-on-one against Dragonite. Moreover, they're particularly capable of forcing damage onto Air Balloon users like Gholdengo, Kingambit, and Tinkaton, giving Dragonite an easier time against them later on. Leads like Deoxys-S, Hisuian Samurott, and Landorus-T can also soften the opposition with their entry hazards so Dragonite can sweep more easily. The aforementioned Great Tusk and other hazard control options like Cinderace, Iron Treads, Glimmora, and Hatterene—even running a combination of them simultaneously—on offensive teams give Dragonite more freedom to forgo Heavy-Duty Boots. On bulkier teams, Dragonite immensely loves teammates like Galarian Weezing, Corviknight, Pecharunt, Sinistcha, and Alomomola that can switch into and check foes such as Iron Valiant, Zamazenta, and Weavile that force it out. Other walls like Ting-Lu, Gliscor, and Clefable are also great hazard setters for Dragonite's sweeping mission. The aformentioned Corviknight also provides Defog as extra insurance in case Dragonite's Heavy-Duty Boots is removed by Ogerpon-W, Great Tusk, and Hisuian Samurott, but Corviknight itself alongside Gliscor and Clefable are great Knock Off absorbers in the first place. In return, all of them appreciate Dragonite's defensive utility, such as checking Iron Moth for Corviknight, Tinkaton, and Galarian Weezing; Ogerpon and Rillaboom for Alomomola, Ting-Lu, and Garganacl; and Ogerpon-W for all of them. On top of providing these teams with a setup sweeper that they might lack, Dragonite's ability to emergency check most threats in general also alleviates the pressure against these walls, especially with its good matchup against offensive teams that can otherwise run them over.
" }, "Dragon Dance + Tera Blast": { "description": "Tera Blast Dragonite is one of OU's most potent sweepers thanks to Dragon Dance, good natural bulk backed up by Multiscale, and a variety of Tera types that allow it to get past would-be checks to its usual coverage options. Tera Blast Flying is Dragonite's most powerful option, making it not only able to threaten Pokemon it hits super effectively such as Great Tusk, Ogerpon-W, Iron Valiant, and Zamazenta, but also threatening to OHKO the likes of Primarina, Darkrai, and Dragapult after a Dragon Dance. Tera Blast Fairy is an alternative that still threatens Great Tusk, Zamazenta, Iron Valiant, and Dragapult while trading some power for the ability to OHKO Kyurem and Raging Bolt after a Dragon Dance. Earthquake threatens the likes of Kingambit, Raging Bolt, Iron Crown, and Garganacl. Encore rounds out Dragonite's moveset, punishing recovery attempts such as Corviknight's Roost, Clefable's Moonlight, and Garganacl's Recover; setup attempts from the likes of Curse Dondozo, Curse Garganacl, and Iron Defense Corviknight and Zamazenta; revenge killing attempts from Kingambit's Sucker Punch and Raging Bolt's Thunderclap; and Protect from Alomomola and Gliscor. Furthermore, Encore may also lock foes into undesirable moves which Dragonite exploits when it Terastallizes, such as Dragapult's Draco Meteor and Dragon Darts in the case of Tera Fairy. Roost is an alternative to Encore that provides Dragonite with longevity, providing it with opportunities to set up multiple times per game and allowing it to outlast Garganacl, which may otherwise annoy it with Salt Cure's chip damage. Extreme Speed may also be considered to pick off weakened foes that Dragonite is slower than even after a Dragon Dance, such as Speed Booster Energy Iron Valiant and Iron Moth, and Choice Scarf Darkrai and Enamorus. Roost and Encore may be used on the same set alongside Tera Blast Flying, preserving both of their benefits, particularly against more passive walls, at the cost of a coverage move and an overreliance on Terastallization. Rock Slide can be used as the last move on Tera Blast Fairy sets to surprise a would-be check in Moltres before it can phaze or cripple Dragonite. A Jolly nature allows Dragonite to outspeed Dragapult and Zamazenta after a Dragon Dance, being able to OHKO the former with any of its Tera Blast options and lock the latter into Iron Defense with Encore. An Adamant nature may also be used if more power is desired, for instance letting Dragonite OHKO Raging Bolt with Earthquake after a Dragon Dance. Heavy-Duty Boots is used to preserve Dragonite's Multiscale, granting it more room to safely set up. On teams with strong hazard removal options and depending on the Tera type, Dragonite may also opt for Sharp Beak or Fairy Feather, providing extra power to notably OHKO offensive Zamazenta and Great Tusk with Tera Blast after a Dragon Dance. Lum Berry is another option that allows Dragonite to shrug off status such as Will-O-Wisp from Cinderace, Moltres, Galarian Weezing, and Dragapult; Thunder Wave from Clefable, Zapdos, and Galarian Slowking; Gliscor's Toxic; and the poison and confusion that comes with Pecharunt's Malignant Chain and Poison Puppeteer. Leftovers and Covert Cloak are two niche alternatives that can be used alongside Roost; the former provides Dragonite with extra longevity, while the latter's effect of ignoring the additional effects of Garganacl's Salt Cure, Hatterene's Nuzzle, Pecharunt's Malignant Chain, Alomomola's Scald, and Araquanid's Lunge allows Dragonite to potentially set up against these foes.
Tera Blast Dragonite is found in offense and hyper offense teams, where the requirement of using Terastallization on it most of the time and the potential lack of Roost are not as severe. Landorus-T, Ting-Lu, Deoxys-S, and Glimmora are often seen in these teams to set entry hazards, which soften up foes for Dragonite to sweep later in the game. These Pokemon can also prevent or remove opposing Stealth Rock with Taunt in the case of Deoxys-S, Landorus-T, and Ting-Lu and Mortal Spin in the case of Glimmora, preventing hazards from breaking Dragonite's Multiscale when not running Heavy-Duty Boots. Great Tusk and Hatterene also help prevent opposing Stealth Rock thanks to Rapid Spin and Magic Bounce, respectively. The aforementioned Ground-types appreciate Dragonite's resistance to Water and Grass, particularly Ogerpon-W's Ivy Cudgel and Power Whip, which grants Dragonite a window to safely set up. In return, they are able to take on Pecharunt, one of the most annoying Pokemon for Tera Blast Dragonite thanks to its high bulk and access to Foul Play and Malignant Chain. Similarly, Gholdengo can take on Pecharunt as well as physical walls like Alomomola, Dondozo, Corviknight, and Galarian Weezing that give Dragonite trouble, while Dragonite is able to deal with Gholdengo's answers such as Iron Moth and Cinderace. Swords Dance Ogerpon-W may also be used as a partner, allowing each other to overwhelm shared checks in Zapdos, Pecharunt, and Galarian Weezing, while Ogerpon-W also takes on Alomomola, Moltres, Gliscor, and Garganacl. Iron Valiant and Zamazenta may also be used alongside Dragonite to weaken Moltres for one another. The former removes Moltres's Heavy-Duty Boots with Knock Off so keep it weakened alongside Stealth Rock, while the latter can opt for either Stone Edge to lure it and open a path for Dragonite to sweep. Kingambit appreaciates Dragonite's ability to lure in and take out Great Tusk and Zamazenta, while it is able to handle Pecharunt and overwhelm physical walls like Alomomola and Corviknight alongside Dragonite. Sticky Web teams appreciate Dragonite's immunity to opposing Sticky Web, as well as its considerable bulk compared to fragile Pokemon featured in these teams such as Iron Moth, Iron Valiant, and Enamorus that are not capable of withstanding powerful attacks such as Walking Wake's Hydro Steam or Choice Band Dragapult's Tera Blast Ghost. Moreover, Sticky Web slows down foes that outspeed Dragonite after a Dragon Dance, such as Speed Booster Energy Iron Valiant and Iron Moth and Choice Scarf Darkrai. The aforementioned special attackers can handle physical walls that may trouble Dragonite, with Iron Moth in particular being able to handle Corviknight, Skarmory, and Pecharunt.
" }, "Dragon Dance + Scale Shot": { "description": "Utilizing Loaded Dice and Scale Shot, Dragonite speeds through OU, giving it a powerful STAB move to hit many threats at least neutrally, OHKOing its fellow Dragon-types like Kyurem and Raging Bolt and, after a Dragon Dance, the likes of Ogerpon-W and Darkrai. Furthermore, after a Speed boost from Scale Shot or Dragon Dance, Dragonite can outspeed almost the entirety of the unboosted metagame, excluding Dragapult, Zamazenta, and Deoxys-S, and further usage of Scale Shot can make it extremely difficult to outspeed Dragonite without priority. Fire Punch slams the Steel-types that Scale Shot misses, like Corviknight, Gholdengo, and Kingambit, while letting it hit Fairy-types like Clefable and Hatterene. Finally, Encore shuts down both defensive and offensive Pokemon that dare to set up or recover on Dragonite, like Corviknight, Zamazenta, and Garganacl. Tera Fire boosts Fire Punch, pushing Corviknight into the 2HKO range and guaranteeing the 2HKO on Skarmory, Gholdengo, and Kingambit, and nullifies Cinderace's and Moltres's Will-O-Wisp, allowing Dragonite to turn potential checks into setup opportunities. Tera Fire also flips its weakness to Ice and Fairy from Pokemon like Weavile, Iron Valiant, and Clefable. Due to Scale Shot's Speed-boosting side effect, Dragonite can comfortably run an Adamant nature, guaranteeing the OHKO on threats like Kyurem.
With its power and versatility, Dragonite finds itself on offense and hyper offense teams. Due to Dragonite's lack of Heavy-Duty Boots, entry hazard control is more important than ever to maintain both Multiscale and to avoid chip damage, so hazard control teammates like Iron Treads, Great Tusk, and Hatterene are crucial, with the latter also serving as a status blocker from pesky defensive Pokemon like Moltres and Gliscor. Speaking of status spreaders, Dragapult is a flight hazard for Dragonite, with a speedy Will-O-Wisp and devastating Dragon Darts, so partners like Primarina and Iron Valiant are solid picks to scare it away. An exceptional partner for Dragonite is Landorus-T, which brings hazard support in Stealth Rock, a fast Taunt that can deny Stealth Rock from setters like Glimmora and Ting Lu, and the ability to bring Dragonite in safely through U-turn. Other strong partners for Dragonite are Gholdengo and Iron Crown, as they can scare threats like Iron Valiant and Zamazenta, which Dragonite often struggles to switch into; the latter also works as a pivot through Volt Switch. Similarly, Dragonite also enjoys pairing with Galarian Slowking, which threatens Iron Valiant, Primarina, and other Fairy-types that halt Dragonite's attack and can also pivot with Chilly Reception. Dragonite alongside other physical attackers like Ogerpon-W can overwhelm physical walls like Gholdengo and Skarmory together, clearing the way for each other to wreak havoc. Dragonite can also take advantage of Water- and Grass-types like Hisuian Samurott and Ogerpon-W, covering for defensive partners like Primarina, Landorus-T, and Great Tusk. Kingambit also appreciates Dragonite as a teammate, as Dragonite can lure in checks like Cinderace and Moltres before flipping the tables with Tera Fire, allowing for an easier late-game sweep with Kingambit.
" }, "Bulky Attacker": { "description": "Dragonite can fully lean into its defensive profile even more and complement it further with its strong STAB Dragon Tail and Extreme Speed to become a remarkable anti-offense tool. Its hit-taking ability allows it to emergency check and phaze even dangerous threats like Darkrai, Dragapult, and Raging Bolt with Dragon Tail more reliably; the move is also helpful against other setup sweepers like Zamazenta, Gliscor, and Air Balloon Gholdengo that can otherwise set up on and overwhelm Dragonite after enough boosts. Moreover, potentially forcing offensive staples like Zamazenta, Iron Moth, and Raging Bolt into the field when they're not ready to sweep yet essentially wastes their Dauntless Shield and Booster Energy. Once they're chipped enough, the offensive threats are picked off easily by Extreme Speed, especially frail ones like Meowscarada, Iron Valiant, and Enamorus; Extreme Speed is also helpful to deal with priority moves from foes like Raging Bolt, Hisuian Samurott, and non-Tera Ghost variants of Weavile and Kingambit. On top of accumulating entry hazard damage to the opposition, Dragon Tail has the added benefit of forcing out walls and switch-ins like Skarmory, Dondozo, and Alomomola that it can't easily threaten, especially preventing the latter from passing Wish to the desired teammate. Earthquake rounds out its coverage to hit Steel-types like Kingambit, Gholdengo, and Iron Treads. At the cost of no longer hitting Gholdengo, Low Kick is an alternative option that similarly hits the Steel-types hard, particularly Kingambit—OHKOing even bulky variants and doesn't care about Air Balloon sets—while also providing strong coverage against foes like Ting-Lu, Garganacl, and Tyranitar. Tera Normal boosts the power of its Extreme Speed, letting it reach crucial benchmarks such as 2HKOing Iron Valiant, Darkrai, and Hisuian Samurott. Additionally, it sheds all of Dragonite's weaknesses and grants it a solidly neutral typing, notably improving its matchup against threats like Enamorus, Weavile, and Dragapult. 16 Speed EVs are enough to let Dragonite outspeed Adamant Kingambit.
Dragonite is used on balance and bulky offense teams that appreciate its defensive utility and decent pressure, especially against offensive teams. It pairs well with all manner of walls found on these archetypes; Steel-types like Gholdengo, Corviknight, and Tinkaton can cover most of its shortcomings by handling foes like Kyurem, Weavile, Iron Valiant, and Enamorus, with Tinkaton and Gholdengo in particular being great as a stopgap to other Fairy-type setup sweepers like Clefable and Hatterene that not only threaten Dragonite out but cannot be phazed by its Dragon Tail. In return, Dragonite can switch into Ground-type moves from the likes of Landorus-T aimed at Gholdengo and Tinkaton. The aforementioned Corviknight and other Pokemon like Clefable and Gliscor are great Knock Off absorbers against Pokemon like Great Tusk and opposing Gliscor and Clefable, letting Dragonite keep its valuable Heavy-Duty Boots. However, Pokemon that Dragonite is supposed to switch into, like Ogerpon-W and Hisuian Samurott, will inevitably hit it with a Knock Off; Great Tusk, Galarian Weezing, and the aforementioned Corviknight are great as entry hazard removers to make sure Stealth Rock still won't be an issue. Additionally, Gliscor, Clefable, and other Pokemon like Ting-Lu and Skarmory are valuable as hazard setters themselves, letting the team rack up chip damage when paired with Dragonite's Dragon Tail, and notably put offensive threats like Enamorus and Iron Moth closer into Extreme Speed range, with Ting-Lu's Ruination forcing immediate progress in that regard for Dragonite to clean late-game more easily. Ting-Lu and Clefable are also great at switching into Dragapult, which otherwise cannot be revenge killed by and forces out Dragonite. In return, Dragonite covers threats such as Ogerpon-W and Iron Moth for all of them, with its ability to emergency check other offensive threats in general giving them more breathing room. Gliscor, Clefable, and more offensive Pokemon like Darkrai and Weavile are also great Knock Off users, removing Heavy-Duty Boots to synergize well with the team's entry hazards and Dragonite's Dragon Tail, softening up the opposition more effectively for Dragonite to clean late-game. The aforementioned Darkrai and Weavile alongside other offensive Pokemon like Zamazenta also match up well against offensive teams so Dragonite isn't overwhelmed defensively when facing against highly aggressive teams. On more bulky offensive teams, Dragonite can even employ an even wider range of offensive teammates, including Ogerpon-W, Kingambit, and Iron Valiant. Ogerpon-W in particular matches up well against the bulky teams that Dragonite struggles with, while Iron Valiant and its Encore can limit Fairy-type and Tera Fairy setup sweepers like Clefable and Raging Bolt that Dragonite cannot phaze. Moreover, Dragonite's propensity to force offensive threats like Iron Valiant, Darkrai, and Weavile to Terastallize into a Ghost-type to avoid its Extreme Speed allows Kingambit, Darkrai, and Weavile to deal with them more easily. While offensive, these threats also provide defensive utility for Dragonite; for instance, Kingambit checks Dragapult and Kyurem, Zamazenta handles Kingambit, and both of them deal with Weavile.
" }, "Choice Band": { "description": "Choice Band Dragonite is a strong wallbreaker and revenge killer for offensive teams. Extreme Speed enables Dragonite to revenge kill a myriad of threatening sweepers such as Iron Valiant and Iron Moth while doing solid neutral damage to most of the tier with the use of Tera Normal. Tera Normal Extreme Speed notably OHKOes offensive variants of Primarina after Stealth Rock and is favored to 2HKO even physically defensive Clefable. Ice Spinner OHKOes both Gliscor and fast Landorus-T, common physical answers that often switch in against Dragonite to stuff potential Dragon Dance sets. It also notably hits Dragon-types like opposing Dragonite, Hydrapple, and Raging Bolt without the risk of locking into Outrage. Fire Punch is the ideal fourth move, being Dragonite's highest damage option against Skarmory, Corviknight, and Air Balloon Gholdengo, all of which are always 2HKOed after Stealth Rock. Earthquake is another option, providing a safer option into certain Pokemon like Raging Bolt and being a uniquely powerful option against Heatran, but it leaves Dragonite walled by airborne Steel-types like Skarmory. An Adamant nature is chosen because Extreme Speed reduces the need for a Jolly nature and it importantly removes the need for good damage rolls against aforementioned Pokemon like Corviknight and Primarina. Tera Normal enables revenge killing with Extreme Speed while removing all of Dragonite's original weaknesses. This reduces damage from Stealth Rock and enables Dragonite to survive attacks like Dragapult's Dragon Darts and Weavile's Triple Axel.
Choice Band Dragonite needs specific support to thrive. As it is weak to Stealth Rock, wants to preserve Multiscale, and does not run Heavy-Duty Boots, it appreciates entry hazard control from the likes of Great Tusk or Hatterene. Similarly, to preserve Multiscale and to find good opportunities to break, pivots are great teammates. Galarian Slowking, Landorus-T, and Primarina can all support the team defensively while using their pivot moves to safely get in Dragonite. Primarina additionally can switch into and force out threats like Dragapult, while Galarian Slowking can set up dangerous checkmate scenarios with Future Sight to limit defensive checks like Clefable and Zamazenta. Hazards greatly help to set up consistent 2HKOs and the potential for a late-game Extreme Speed sweep, so Spikes setters like Hisuian Samurott and Ting-Lu also fit in, as do Stealth Rock setters like Landorus-T and Great Tusk. Other offensive Pokemon fit best with Dragonite, with fast sweepers like Iron Valiant and Iron Moth especially appreciating Dragonite's breaking power and defensive utility in Multiscale and priority. Gholdengo and Iron Moth are strong teammates, as they take advantage of the Fairy- and Steel-types that threaten Dragonite while keeping up offensive pressure. As the set relies on a Choice item, Protect users like Alomomola, Garganacl, and Gliscor can greatly lessen the threat that Dragonite poses. Ogerpon-W is a teammate that threatens all of them while also generally helping against the style of teams that those Pokemon find themselves on. Kingambit deserves a mention, as both it and Dragonite can wear down physical walls for each other and threaten to clean late-game with their strong priority attacks. Tinkaton is another option as a Stealth Rock setter that also helps to check opposing would-be revenge killers like Dragapult and Darkrai while spreading Thunder Wave paralysis to give Dragonite more opportunities to attack freely.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 110504, "username": "Stads"}, {"user_id": 493260, "username": "Marnie"}, {"user_id": 513254, "username": "SpZ"}, {"user_id": 548068, "username": "Setsu"}, {"user_id": 616497, "username": "FayaWizard"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 647728, "username": "Heatranator"}, {"user_id": 548068, "username": "Setsu"}, {"user_id": 612443, "username": "ninth"}, {"user_id": 612907, "username": "sequoia"}, {"user_id": 633798, "username": "kd458"}, {"user_id": 616497, "username": "FayaWizard"}, {"user_id": 236090, "username": "Firenix"}, {"user_id": 349443, "username": "Tysonslayer"}, {"user_id": 408271, "username": "Dreadfury"}, {"user_id": 177111, "username": "Magcargo"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 555379, "username": "Tbolt"}, {"user_id": 653095, "username": "FavMon=Garchomp"}, {"user_id": 528364, "username": "adorluigi"}]}]} }, "Quagsire": {"sets": {"Defensive": {}}}, "Umbreon": {"sets": {"Defensive": {}}}, "Slowking": {"sets": {"Defensive Pivot": {}}}, "Slowking-Galar": { "sets": { "Defensive Pivot": { "description": "Galarian Slowking utilizes its great bulk, Regenerator, and excellent defensive typing as a valuable slow defensive pivot that can bring its teammates in safely via Chilly Reception. Future Sight is used for its ability to apply immense delayed pressure onto targets like Pecharunt, Dondozo, and Clefable, which its teammates can take advantage of. However, Psychic Noise's immediate damage and ability to bypass Substitute can be used useful against Great Tusk, Zamazenta, and Substitute Iron Moth, and it also denies recovery from Gliscor. Psyshock is also a notable option, as it can help teams that are weak to Iron Moth while simultaneously pressuring opposing Galarian Slowking. Galarian Slowking's final moveslot can be used to patch up any noticeable difficulties against certain foes. Thunder Wave cripples Pokemon such as Kingambit, Dragapult, Darkrai, and Iron Crown, letting teammates take advantage of their lowered Speed. Toxic lets it put targets such as Raging Bolt, Ting-Lu, Alomomola, and Zamazenta on a timer. Flamethrower hits Steel-types such as Gholdengo and Kingambit, while Ice Beam targets Flying- and Ground-types such as Dragonite, Gliscor, and Landorus-T. Slack Off can grant Galarian Slowking additional longevity, let it take advantage of passive foes like Alomomola and Dondozo, and allow it to heal after forcing a switch. Heavy-Duty Boots is preferred to maximize Regenerator healing and help it stay healthy in longer games, letting it pivot around safely. However, teams with strong hazard control options can run Shuca Berry alongside Ice Beam to flip the matchup against Ground-types like Great Tusk, Landorus-T, and Gliscor. Other items such as Colbur Berry and Black Sludge can be used; the former makes it a better check to Knock Off users such as Iron Valiant and Rillaboom, while the combination of Trick + Black Sludge can cripple walls such as Garganacl, Ting-Lu, and Gliscor. A specially defensive EV spread lets it take on special attackers like Iron Valiant, Kyurem, Raging Bolt, and Enamorus more reliably. However, a physically defensive EV spread can also be used instead to take on Zamazenta, Ogerpon-W, and Rillaboom more easily. Tera Water is used to give it a better matchup against Walking Wake, Iron Moth, and Cinderace, while Tera Grass helps it against Great Tusk, Ogerpon-W, and Raging Bolt. Tera Fairy offers Galarian Slowking an improved matchup against Dragapult and Darkrai without gaining a weakness to Kyurem's Freeze-Dry.
Galarian Slowking can be found on a multitude of teams, ranging from bulkier balance to bulky offense, thanks to its ability to safely pivot in teammates while also providing excellent longevity and utility. Due to its pivoting capabilities, strong offensive wallbreakers are recommended alongside it to apply heavy pressure. As a result, Zamazenta is a great teammate, as Galarian Slowking can use Future Sight to help it threaten Pecharunt, Clefable, and Dondozo, while in return, Galarian Slowking appreciates it getting rid of Dark-types like Kingambit and Darkrai. Furthermore, the two form an excellent defensive backbone, as Zamazenta can check physical attackers like Kingambit, Hisuian Samurott, and Weavile, while specially defensive Galarian Slowking handles Fairy-types like Iron Valiant and Enamorus. Dark-types such as Kingambit, Weavile, and Darkrai benefit from Galarian Slowking's ability to check Fighting- and Fairy-types like Zamazenta and Primarina, while it appreciates the removal of Ghost-types such as Gholdengo and Dragapult. Galarian Slowking appreciates a teammate like Gliscor or Corviknight that can reliably switch into Knock Off, as it can struggle to switch in multiple times with entry hazards up without its Heavy-Duty Boots. Gliscor appreciates Galarian Slowking pivoting into Kyurem and Primarina, and Corviknight appreciates Galarian Slowking's ability to pivot into Iron Moth and Raging Bolt. In addition, both are able to switch into Ground-types like Great Tusk and Landorus-T that Galarian Slowking is threatened by. Fire-types such as Cinderace and Moltres are useful for dealing with Steel-types like Tinkaton and Gholdengo while also spreading burns onto physical attackers like Dragonite and Weavile, giving Galarian Slowking better entry points. Choice Specs Kyurem is a very notable teammate, as Chilly Reception not only grants Kyurem a Defense boost and a safe way to switch in but also gives it the option to use a strong Blizzard. Kyurem also likes Galarian Slowking handling Fairy-types such as Iron Valiant, Enamorus, and Primarina. Teammates like Ogerpon-W and Iron Valiant value Galarian Slowking switching into special attackers such as Iron Moth and Kyurem, as well as appreciating its ability to safely switch them in with Chilly Reception, opening up opportunities to repeatedly pressure foes. Additionally, physical attackers like the aforementioned Ogerpon-W and Dragonite benefit from Galarian Slowking's ability to pivot in on Pecharunt's Malignant Chain and pivot out after Pecharunt has pivoted makes it clearer, letting Galarian Slowking respond accordingly. If it is not running Heavy-Duty Boots, hazard removers such as Great Tusk and Iron Treads are appreciated, allowing Galarian Slowking to maximize Regenerator healing. Additionally, both appreciate Galarian Slowking checking special attackers like Primarina, Iron Moth, and Enamorus.
" }, "Assault Vest": { "description": "Assault Vest Galarian Slowking can blanket check hard-hitting special attackers like Walking Wake, Iron Valiant, and Enamorus, with Regenerator allowing it to maintain longevity throughout the course of a game. Moreover, the added bulk from Assault Vest means Galarian Slowking can afford to invest into its Special Attack, improving its offensive prowess significantly by making use of its colorful coverage options to be a respectable special attacker as well. Psyshock punches holes through special walls like opposing Galarian Slowking, Blissey, and Clodsire much more effectively than its other Psychic-type STAB options and also immediately threatens Iron Moth, which can snowball past Galarian Slowking if given enough turns. It also allows Galarian Slowking to handle threatening Calm Mind users like Raging Bolt and Iron Valiant that can otherwise break past it with enough boosts. Psychic Noise allows it to annoy walls like Garganacl and Gliscor while similarly threatening Iron Moth immediately, even doing so through its Substitute. Sludge Bomb's poison can prove devastating against bulkier foes like Alomomola and Ting-Lu that can otherwise switch into Galarian Slowking. Flamethrower is useful coverage to hit Steel-types like Kingambit and Gholdengo, which would otherwise have ample switch-in opportunities. Ice Beam allows Galarian Slowking to hit Ground-types like Gliscor, Landorus-T, and Great Tusk while denting foes like Dragapult and Dragonite. 8 Defense EVs let Galarian Slowking survive a Ceaseless Edge or Knock Off from Hisuian Samurott and 96 Special Defense EVs allow it to take two Choice Specs Kyurem's Earth Power. The rest of its EVs are pooled into Special Attack, letting it reach feats such as OHKOing Speed-boosting Iron Moth with Psyshock; 2HKOing Darkrai and OHKOing Rillaboom with Sludge Bomb; and 2HKOing Iron Crown and bulky variants of Gholdengo and Kingambit with Flamethrower. Alternatively, a physically defensive spread of 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD with a Bold natute can be used to trade its offensive potency for a better matchup against mixed attackers like Deoxys-S and Iron Valiant and physical attackers like Zamazenta, Ogerpon-W, and Rillaboom all while still providing the team with a check to the aforementioned special threats. Tera Water gives Galarian Slowking a resistance to Water and Fire, allowing it to check Pokemon like Walking Wake, Primarina, and Iron Moth better, and drops its weaknesses to Dark- and Ghost-type moves, which allows it to act as an emergency check to Pokemon like Darkrai and Dragapult, and Great Tusk. Tera Grass similarly provides a Water resistance against Walking Wake with the added benefit of not being vulnerable to Garganacl's Salt Cure and Raging Bolt. The Ground resistance can also be helpful against foes like Great Tusk, Landorus-T, and Gliscor.
Galarian Slowking is a recommended pick for balance and bulky offense teams due to it being able to check multiple top metagame threats like special attacking Iron Valiant, Iron Moth, and Walking Wake while also having respectable offensive presence and respectable longevity. It has a lot of trouble dealing with Ground-type Pokemon like Great Tusk and Landorus-T, so Flying-types like Corviknight and Skarmory pair extremely well with it. Corviknight and Skarmory are also able to sponge physical attacks from other Pokemon Galarian Slowking struggles with like Weavile, Dragonite, and Kingambit. Offensive partners like Rillaboom and Primarina can hit Ground-types instead of just simply walling them. Great Tusk itself is a great teammate for Galarian Slowking on the balance teams they fit on, serving as a Kingambit check and as entry hazard removal, especially versus hazard stacking teams. In return, Galarian Slowking is able to beat Pokemon like Enamorus, Walking Wake, and special attacking Iron Valiant sets for Great Tusk. Dragapult pairs neatly with Galarian Slowking, since it's also a frequent balance pick, serves as useful speed control, and appreciates Galarian Slowking being able to spread poison thanks to Sludge Bomb, allowing it to fire off Hex more frequently late-game without fearing Fairy-types stopping its sweeps. Gliscor fits on balance builds with Galarian Slowking, serving as a blanket check to physical attackers, a hazard setter, and a Knock Off absorber, along with having great longevity. Galarian Slowking is able to take advantage of the hazards Gliscor sets up by forcing switches with its vast array of coverage options, since many offensive threats prone to taking hazard damage like Primarina, Enamorus, Iron Valiant, and Raging Bolt don't want to stay in and take repeated hits from it. Landorus-T is the Ground / Flying teammate of choice on bulky offense teams because of its better offensive presence and pivoting capabilities. Hisuian Samurott is another hazard setter that pairs well with Galarian Slowking, since it's able to soft check Pokemon that threaten Galarian Slowking like Weavile, Gholdengo, and Kingambit, whereas Galarian Slowking can take on Iron Valiant and Serperior for it while still retaining a threatening offensive presence thanks to its great coverage and solid offensive stats. Zamazenta is a great partner on bulky offense teams due to its favorable Kingambit matchup and ability to soft check many other physical attackers that threaten Galarian Slowking like Meowscarada, Ogerpon-W, and Weavile. IronPress sets can set up and sweep after Galarian Slowking has removed their checks and chipped the opposing team into KO range. Various other offensive Pokemon such as Primarina, Kingambit, and Ogerpon-W also greatly appreciate Galarian Slowking functioning as a defensive Pokemon with a notable offensive presence, allowing for more flexibility when teambuilding. Other bulky Regenerator Pokemon like Alomomola and Hydrapple can form Regenerator cores with Galarian Slowking, outlasting many offensive builds while covering each other's weaknesses. Alomomola can wall Fire- and Ground-types like Cinderace, Heatran, and Great Tusk, while Hydrapple is able to beat Water-types like Ogerpon-W, Hisuian Samurott, and Dondozo.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 518682, "username": "alkazoth"}, {"user_id": 677476, "username": "mcribs"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 548068, "username": "Setsu"}, {"user_id": 612907, "username": "sequoia"}, {"user_id": 349443, "username": "Tysonslayer"}, {"user_id": 384270, "username": "autumn"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 528364, "username": "adorluigi"}, {"user_id": 681606, "username": "BrisingrDraconis"}, {"user_id": 384270, "username": "autumn"}, {"user_id": 511181, "username": "Rose"}]}]} }, "Scizor": { "sets": { "Choice Band": { "description": "Choice Band Scizor is a strong anti-metagame revenge killer and offensive pivot. Brandishing its ever-infamous Technician-boosted Bullet Punch, it is able to check and OHKO relevant Fairy-type foes in Iron Valiant and Enamorus, as well as Kyurem after entry hazard damage, along with scaring off some speedier foes, such as Deoxys-S, Darkrai, and Dragapult. Scizor has, additionally, a superb matchup against the hyper offense leads Alolan Ninetales and Ribombee, disallowing the opponent from safely setting up Aurora Veil and Sticky Web. U-turn threatens other enemies such as Ting-Lu and Ogerpon-W but most importantly gives Scizor the ability to pivot out from and chip away at a predicted switch-in like Iron Moth or Raging Bolt, while granting momentum to the whole team. Knock Off neuters item-reliant foes such as Corviknight and Moltres, along with checking Gholdengo, Iron Crown, and Galarian Slowking. Last but not least, Close Combat is Scizor's greatest tool against Kingambit, Ting-Lu, and Tera Normal Gliscor, while Dual Wingbeat allows it to stay in against Zamazenta and Great Tusk. 136 EVs in Speed allow Scizor to outspeed maximum Speed Adamant Kingambit, and, after maximizing its Attack, the rest of its EVs are dumped into HP, allowing it to survive strong hits such as Great Tusk’s Headlong Rush and Zamazenta’s Close Combat. Tera Steel pushes Bullet Punch’s wallbreaking power to the point where it threatens to OHKO defensive staples like Hatterene and Primarina, as well as ensuring an OHKO on Darkrai after Stealth Rock along with a 2HKO on Tera Dark or Tera Ghost Kingambit. Tera Flying is mandatory when running Dual Wingbeat, providing Scizor with Ground and Spikes immunities while guaranteeing the OHKO on Great Tusk and Walking Wake, as well as 2HKOing key stall foes in Alomomola and Gliscor.
Scizor is a great fit on hyper offense and bulky offense teams as a great speed control and wallbreaking Pokemon. With its amazing complimentary dual typing and solid physical bulk, Choice Band Scizor fills roles such as acting as a Toxic absorber and answering Grass-, Dragon-, and Fairy-type threats such as Rillaboom, Kyurem, and Iron Valiant. It forms a great core with Primarina, with Scizor covering for Primarina's Grass and Poison weaknesses and Primarina tanking Fire-type hits from foes like Cinderace. Scizor is a fitting partner to Kingambit, as Scizor can cover its poor matchup against Iron Valiant and bring it safely into the field with U-turn. Scizor also synergizes with Ogerpon-W, as they form a strong pivoting and Knock Off core, with Ogerpon-W covering tough matchups for Scizor like Moltres and Alomomola, while Scizor in return handles Kyurem and Grass-type foes like Meowscarada and Rillaboom. Scizor greatly struggles against physically defensive walls such as Corviknight and Skarmory, which can easily shrug off Bullet Punch and keep themselves healthy with reliable recovery. Strong special attackers in Raging Bolt and Iron Moth can cover these matchups with super effective hits. Raging Bolt also covers Scizor's general ineffectiveness against Water-type foes like Dondozo and Alomomola. Zamazenta makes for a fitting teammate with amazing defenses that is able to switch into and withstand most attacks thrown at Scizor, and its Fighting-type STAB move alleviates Scizor's four-moveslot syndrome by allowing it to run Dual Wingbeat. On the other hand, non-Dual Wingbeat variants of Scizor can be easily stopped by opposing Zamazenta, so Deoxys-S and Hatterene as well as Ghost-types such as Dragapult and Pecharunt, which can ignore Body Press from Zamazenta and additionally spinblock for Scizor’s team, can be countermeasures. Dragonite is a surprisingly reliable check to Scizor, as Scizor lacks any tools to significantly damage it, so strong Ice-type moves from Kyurem and Darkrai should be considered for inclusion in Scizor's team. Majorly threatening to Scizor are Zapdos and especially Moltres, which can neuter it with Static and Flame Body, as all of Scizor's moves make contact; moreover, Moltres can remove it easily with Flamethrower. Garganacl makes for a great defensive check to both, and the aforementioned Kyurem and Raging Bolt are similarly fit to handle Zapdos and Moltres, respectively. More generally, Scizor is in dire need of entry hazard-setting partners, which synergize with Knock Off by setting up Stealth Rock to neutralize its counters such as Moltres and get foes in range of an OHKO from Bullet Punch. Scizor also appreciates hazard-removing partners, which can ensure the battlefield is clear for it to enter safely, as Choice Band Scizor without any form of recovery can be overwhelmed and chipped down easily over the course of a game. Great Tusk comprises both roles in one Pokemon, but alternatives such as Landorus-T and the aforementioned Garganacl as hazard setters and Cinderace as a hazard remover are also viable. Great Tusk and Landorus-T additionally cover Scizor's poor matchup against Raging Bolt and Iron Moth, which target Scizor's weaker Special Defense and resist Bullet Punch, by threatening them with Ground-type moves.
" }, "Swords Dance": { "description": "Scizor fills a unique role on fast-paced offensive teams with its combination of solid defensive typing, strong priority, and Swords Dance, allowing it to wallbreak early in the battle or clean a weakened team later on while checking and revenge killing foes like Kyurem, Iron Valiant, and Rillaboom. Close Combat hits foes like Kingambit, Hisuian Samurott, and Ting-Lu super effectively while being its strongest option against neutral targets, most notably the Steel-resistant Skarmory, Corviknight, and Alomomola. Knock Off primarily allows Scizor to threaten Gholdengo and Pecharunt and allows Scizor to remove items from checks like Dondozo, Alomomola, Moltres, and Zapdos, especially because many of the tier's Knock Off absorbers like Clefable and Gliscor cannot sustain taking its boosted attacks. Technician-boosted Quick Attack can be used to pick off faster threats that would otherwise stomach its Bullet Punch, such as Ogerpon-W, Hisuian Samurott, Cinderace, and Iron Moth. The EVs aim to maximize Scizor's damage output while outspeeding Adamant Kingambit and Ursaluna. Tera Steel aids in revenge killing and cleaning with Bullet Punch, allowing it to OHKO Pokemon like Kyurem unboosted and most Iron Moth at +2 after Stealth Rock. Tera Fire inverts Scizor's one weakness and providing Scizor with a burn immunity, flipping the matchup against Pokemon like Moltres, Cinderace, Dragapult, and Darkrai. Tera Fighting gives Scizor much higher immediate damage with Close Combat, notably having a chance to OHKO Alomomola and Corviknight at +2. Tera Normal is an option on Quick Attack variants, guaranteeing the OHKO on Ogerpon-W and even bulky Cinderace after minor chip damage at +2.
Scizor fits best on hyper offense structures. It both benefits greatly from entry hazards and improves their efficacy with its powerful Knock Off, so it should generally be on teams with a hazard-setting lead like Glimmora, Landorus-T, Deoxys-S, or even Ribombee for Sticky Web's speed control. It makes a good offensive pairing with anything that forces in Fairy-types like Hisuian Samurott and Zamazenta, as Scizor can then use the Fairy-type as a setup opportunity. Kingambit is one of Scizor's best partners for a myriad of reasons; the dual-priority combination of Bullet Punch and Sucker Punch greatly threatens opposing offense, while Scizor's boosted Knock Off and Kingambit's Supreme Overlord-boosted attacks can overwhelm defensive teams. Scizor is a deterrent to Encore Iron Valiant, a common roadblock for Kingambit, while Kingambit can force in and chip Great Tusk and Zamazenta for Scizor to clean up late-game. Kingambit's ability to force in Zamazenta early also makes Zamazenta waste Dauntless Shield. Scizor struggles most against bulky Pokemon that can take Bullet Punches and deal heavy damage in return. Some common examples are Iron Moth and Raging Bolt, which can also outspeed Scizor. The best teammates to help against these Pokemon are choices like Dragonite and Great Tusk that can immediately threaten Scizor's answers and potentially switch in on a good prediction or come in after Scizor is sacrificed to keep up the offensive pressure. Alomomola and Dondozo are very hard for Scizor to wear down without heavy entry hazard support, so Ogerpon-W is a great teammate, as it can come in on and threaten both while benefitting from the Knock Off support that Scizor provides. Zamazenta is similarly hard to wear down for Scizor and can use it as a setup opportunity, so choices like Encore Iron Valiant and Gholdengo can help to alleviate that issue.
" }, "Utility": { "description": "Utility Scizor offers unique role compression in the OU, combining priority, Knock Off, pivoting, and entry hazard removal in one teamslot, as well as being a useful defensive piece. Bullet Punch is a Technician-boosted STAB move that threatens the tier's Fairy- and Ice-types such as Iron Valiant, Enamorus, and Kyurem with heavy damage. It also revenge kills frail or weakened threats like Dragapult and Darkrai as well as dissuade foes such as Dragonite, Gholdengo, and Raging Bolt from using Tera Fairy. U-turn serves as a useful pivoting option, allowing Scizor to switch out of bad matchups like Corviknight, Pecharunt, and Galarian Weezing while discouraging Pokemon like Ogerpon-W and Ting-Lu from switching in. Knock Off ensures progress by removing items like Heavy-Duty Boots and Leftovers, forcing hazard chip damage on Pokemon like Zapdos and Moltres, preventing passive recovery on Pokemon such as Corviknight and Garganacl, and easing Scizor's ability to pivot by removing Rocky Helmet from Pokemon like Landorus-T. Knock Off also threatens opposing Gholdengo attempting to block Scizor's hazard removal. Scizor can use Defog to great effect, since it can threaten hazard setters like Hisuian Samurott and Glimmora with its STAB moves. Sitrus Berry allows Scizor to heal in a pinch, making it useful for fast-paced teams. Notably, it turns Choice Specs Kyurem's Earth Power from a 2HKO into a 3HKO. Heavy-Duty Boots is an option on slower-paced teams to avoid hazard chip damage, making Defog more reliable. Tera Steel boosts Scizor's offensive presence to terrifying levels, letting Bullet Punch OHKO Iron Valiant as well as 2HKO Darkrai and Dragapult. Alternatively, Tera Dragon can be used defensively, flipping the Fire-type weakness into a resistance, allowing Scizor to check Pokemon such as Ceruledge and Flamethrower Clefable in a pinch as well as easing the matchup against Ogerpon-W.
Utility Scizor fits best on offensive teams that appreciate its role compression. Wallbreakers such as Kyurem, Zamazenta, and Iron Valiant pair well with Scizor, enjoying a safe switch-in from U-turn. Dark-types like Darkrai, Hisuian Samurott, and Kingambit appreciate Scizor's ability to scare out the Fairy-types that threaten them such as Iron Valiant and Clefable. In return, the Dark-types can threaten the physically defensive Ghost-types that can shrug off Scizor's Knock Off, such as Pecharunt and bulky Gholdengo. Water-types like Hisuian Samurott and Alomomola pair well with it defensively, scaring out the Fire-types that threaten Scizor such as Moltres and Cinderace. In return, Scizor offers a 4x resistance and threatens U-turn on the Grass-types that scare the Water-types, such as Rillaboom and Meowscarada. Due to Scizor's crippling 4x weakness to Fire-type moves, it appreciates teammates that resist such moves, such as Dragonite and Raging Bolt. Dragonite appreciates Scizor's resistance to Ice- and Fairy-type moves while also threatening these foes back with Bullet Punch. Scizor's Defog support is also great for Dragonite, allowing it to hold items other than Heavy-Duty Boots. In return, Dragonite can KO Scizor checks with its multitude of coverage options, such as Ice Spinner for Flying-type Pokemon like Zapdos and Gliscor; Fire Punch for Pokemon like Corviknight; and Earthquake for Pokemon such as Ceruledge, Heatran, and Iron Treads. Raging Bolt is also a great teammate, threatening the bulky Flying- and Water-types that wall Scizor, like Corviknight, Moltres, Alomomola, and Toxapex while resisting Fire-moves as well. In return, Scizor threatens the Ice- and Fairy-types that scare Raging Bolt, as well as Ting-Lu, with either U-turn or Knock Off. Additionally, the two form a double priority and pivoting core, constantly keeping momentum and preventing setup sweepers from snowballing out of control. Due to its lack of power, Pokemon like Kingambit, Raging Bolt, and Dragonite can use Scizor as a setup opportunity, so teammates that punish such attempts like Ogerpon-W with Encore and phazers such as Roar Zamazenta and Moltres are appreciated.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 513254, "username": "SpZ"}, {"user_id": 625618, "username": "arnimacarni"}, {"user_id": 658341, "username": "Hittite Jumpscare"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 571069, "username": "Dead by Daylight"}, {"user_id": 612907, "username": "sequoia"}, {"user_id": 110504, "username": "Stads"}, {"user_id": 558636, "username": "zastra"}, {"user_id": 616497, "username": "FayaWizard"}, {"user_id": 612443, "username": "ninth"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 537035, "username": "rahul_3301"}, {"user_id": 555379, "username": "Tbolt"}, {"user_id": 655207, "username": "Sir Tetris"}, {"user_id": 384270, "username": "autumn"}]}]} }, "Skarmory": { "sets": { "Defensive": { "description": "Skarmory is commonly used as an anti-setup Pokemon, having great bulk and a strong defensive typing that lets it check common offensive physical threats such as Kingambit, Great Tusk, and Dragonite. Skarmory's immense physical bulk allows it to tank hits from the aforementioned Pokemon and punish them with Rocky Helmet chip damage, making it a great sponge on balanced structures. Skarmory is able to set up Iron Defense on physical attackers, increasing its Defense exponentially and massively boosting the power of Body Press while denying any setup opportunities. With enough Defense boosts, Skarmory can turn into a deadly late-game win condition with IronPress, only stopped by Ghost-types like Pecharunt and Dragapult. However, it can run Brave Bird and Whirlwind instead; Brave Bird gives it an immediate way to hit Ogerpon-W, Great Tusk, and Iron Valiant, while Whirlwind allows it to still deal with setup sweepers like Kingambit and non-Roar Zamazenta that can otherwise take advantage of Skarmory lacking IronPress. Rocky Helmet makes it impossible for even fully Attack-boosted Pokemon to match its Defense boosts, as Skarmory's access to Roost grants it longevity, letting it outlive almost every physical setup Pokemon in the long term. It also allows Skarmory to punish stray U-turn and Knock Off from Pokemon like Landorus-T and Meowscarada. Skarmory also has access to Spikes and Stealth Rock, making it more proactive against Pokemon such as Gliscor and Ting-Lu that may use it as an opportunity to set up entry hazards. Tera Dragon gives Skarmory a great resistance to Fire, which lets it check Pokemon such as Cinderace; it also eases the matchup against Ogerpon-W. Tera Fighting should only be used on IronPress variants; on top of boosting Skarmory's Body Press, it also gives Skarmory extra insurance against Kingambit thanks to its Kowtow Cleave resistance and is especially useful for teams that are potentially weak to Jolly Kingambit late-game. Skarmory is EVed to outspeed Adamant Kingambit and Ursaluna if running IronPress, but a fully defensive spread alongside Impish should be used if going for Brave Bird and Whirlwind.
Iron Defense Skarmory is outstanding on balance teams that struggle against setup Pokemon that take advantage of the team's passivity, synergizing with Pokemon like Gliscor, Ting-Lu, and Clefable, as they can set up entry hazards to pressure foes as well as remove opposing Heavy-Duty Boots with Knock Off. It also pairs well with Toxapex and Galarian Slowking, which can sponge special moves that Skarmory is unable to take, and they also check dangerous threats such as Iron Moth and Cinderace. These Pokemon are often fodder for opposing Swords Dance Kingambit or Bulk Up Great Tusk; however, Skarmory handles them with ease. Skarmory is also great against Pokemon such as Iron Defense Zamazenta and Rillaboom thanks to its solid typing and immense bulk. Chip damage from Rocky Helmet disincentivizes the aforementioned Pokemon from using physical moves, and Skarmory outlives them eventually thanks to its longevity and recovery capabilities with Roost. Despite Skarmory's great physical bulk, it is vulnerable to special attackers and Ghost-types that may take advantage of it, such as Iron Moth, Gholdengo, and Dragapult. Ting-Lu and Galarian Slowking are great for tanking special attackers' hits, the former being a great Ghost-type check. Heavy-Duty Boots Kingambit is also a good choice alongside Skarmory, as it can find opportunities to set up against Ghost-types while being a reliable sponge, as well as having strong priority moves against the special attackers that Skarmory would otherwise struggle against. In return, Skarmory can set Spikes for Kingambit and act as a reliable wall to some of Kingambit's checks, particularly Bulk Up Great Tusk and Iron Defense Zamazenta. Due to its lack of pivoting capabilities unlike Corviknight, Skarmory also appreciates Pokemon that can tank hits and pivot around, such as Rotom-W, U-turn Gliscor, and Meowscarada.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 499397, "username": "Arc"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 548068, "username": "Setsu"}, {"user_id": 584916, "username": "viivian"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 470115, "username": "SolarBeam"}, {"user_id": 384270, "username": "autumn"}]}]} }, "Porygon2": {"sets": {"Trick Room": {}}}, "Blissey": { "sets": { "Defensive": { "description": "With its staggering special bulk, Blissey is the greatest wall to most special attackers in the tier. Thanks to Natural Cure, it also acts as a solid status absorber, preventing the likes of Pecharunt's Malignant Chain, Galarian Slowking's Toxic, and Dragapult's Will-O-Wisp from ruining it permanently. Calm Mind gives Blissey a way to check dangerous setup sweepers like Gholdengo, Darkrai, and Raging Bolt more reliably, able to match their Special Attack boosts with its own Special Defense boosts, as well as boosting its coverage moves in case it runs them. Seismic Toss is Blissey's go-to damaging move, compensating for its lack of offensive stats and preventing it from being entirely passive. Blissey can also be used to compress roles as the team's Stealth Rock setter, giving it another way to wear down the opposing team, as its longevity and bulk allow Blissey to set Stealth Rock multiple times over the course of a game. If another Stealth Rock setter is present, it can run either Shadow Ball to hit problematic Ghost-types like Gholdengo and Dragapult as well as Tera Ghost users like Primarina and Raging Bolt looking to exploit its Seismic Toss or Flamethrower to similarly hit Gholdengo hard and fish for burns in longer games, especially against phsyical attackers like Ogerpon-W and Kingambit attempting to switch in and threaten Blissey out. Protect is a niche option that allows Blissey to safely absorb Future Sight, scout Choice item users like Gholdengo and Darkrai, stall out weather turns, and waste the PP of powerful moves like Close Combat, Headlong Rush, and Pyro Ball. Heal Bell is also an option, allowing Blissey to take a cleric role for the team, particularly helpful to support Rest Dondozo.
With such high HP, Blissey chooses to invest EVs in Defense and Special Defense instead, still bolstering its absurd special bulk while lessening the damage from physical moves that would otherwise chip it down, particularly improving its matchup against mixed attackers like Dragapult. The longevity from Leftovers is preferred the most; in particular, this improves the rolls of avoiding the 2HKO from Choice Specs Protosynthesis Tera Water Modest Walking Wake on sun, which can otherwise be a difficult matchup for stall teams without expending Tera Water on Blissey. However, on teams lacking strong hazard removal then Heavy-Duty Boots can be used instead. Tera Dark gives Blissey a crucial Psychic immunity, allowing it to ignore the dangerous Psyshock, Stored Power, Psychic Noise, and Future Sight from the likes of Hatterene, Primarina, and Gholdengo. Tera Water offers Blissey a resistance to Water and Fire, useful for checking threats like Choice Specs Walking Wake under sun and Heatran. Tera Fairy is a niche option that turns Blissey's Fighting weakness into a resistance as well as a better matchup against mixed attackers like Dragapult and Iron Valiant.
Blissey's titanic bulk makes it mandatory on stall teams, which can tolerate its passive nature. Dondozo pairs exceptionally well with Blissey, forming an excellent stalwart defensive core that can wall the vast majority of threats in the metagame. Blissey also enjoys teammates like Alomomola, Gliscor, and Clefable, which can switch into physical threats like Great Tusk and Zamazenta that Blissey cannot wall, as well as absorb Knock Off that would otherwise cripple Blissey, while Blissey can handle special attackers like Raging Bolt and Iron Moth that would threaten Blissey's teammates. Another excellent partner is Clodsire, which can check boosted special threats like Darkrai, Gholdengo, and Raging Bolt that can overwhelm Blissey throughout a game, with the pairing making stall team's sturdiest backbone against the metagame's special attackers. Furthermore, either Blissey or Clodsire can run Stealth Rock, freeing up the other to run moves like Heal Bell or Flamethrower for Blissey or Amnesia for Clodsire, and running Tera Dark on Clodsire gives Blissey more freedom to run Tera Water. Corviknight also works well with Blissey, serving as a Knock Off absorber, entry hazard remover, and a check against dangerous physical threats like Kingambit and Zamazenta. Galarian Weezing is also an adept Defogger and a check to physical attackers like Zamazenta, Hisuian Samurott, and Lokix that can threaten Blissey out.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 616497, "username": "FayaWizard"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 177111, "username": "Magcargo"}, {"user_id": 408271, "username": "Dreadfury"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 637479, "username": "red fintans"}]}]} }, "Tyranitar": { "sets": { "Choice Band": { "description": "Choice Band Tyranitar is a decent wallbreaker despite thorns in its side such as Great Tusk and Zamazenta thanks to its high Attack stat and access to high-powered STAB moves like Stone Edge and Knock Off. Knock Off is Tyranitar's most spammable move, threatening out key defensive staples Pecharunt and defensive Gholdengo. It also punishes Dark-resistant targets like Great Tusk and Zamazenta thanks to its crippling item removal effect, as they become vulnerable to entry hazards once their Heavy-Duty Boots are removed; Zamazenta also despises losing its Leftovers in sand, as they are its sole form of recovery. Low Kick hits key targets that can handle Tyranitar's STAB combination such as Ting-Lu, Kingambit, Iron Treads, and Zamazenta, as well as providing a safer option against Kyurem. Ice Punch provides a consistent hit against Gliscor, Landorus-T, and Dragonite. Tera Flying is the premier option on Tyranitar, allowing it to turn off its weaknesses to common moves that would usually force it out like Great Tusk's Headlong Rush and Zamazenta's Close Combat. Tera Ghost is another strong option that turns Tyranitar's Fighting weakness into an immunity, and it has an added bonus of blocking Great Tusk's and Iron Tread's Rapid Spin. Do note Tyranitar will take sand damage and lose out on the extra special bulk after Terastallizing, so it needs to be used with caution.
Tyranitar finds itself on bulky offense and balance teams that benefit from its ability to punch holes in teams and provide sand. Sand Rush Excadrill is a strong partner that provides support in the form of speed control and Rapid Spin; in return, Choice Band Tyranitar crushes the defensive Pokemon it struggles against such as Moltres and Zapdos. Ogerpon-C and Ogerpon-W are strong partners that can help overwhelm shared checks such as Zamazenta and Corviknight, with the former appreciating Tyranitar's sand giving it a Special Defense boost, and the latter notably helping against Alomomola, a soft check to Tyranitar on many teams. Rillaboom is another strong offensive partner, as it provides Grassy Terrain support to mitigate Tyranitar's Earthquake weakness against foes like Gliscor and Iron Treads, and it appreciates Tyranitar's ability to deal with Zapdos and Moltres. Tyranitar's middling Speed tier and plethora of weaknesses mean it is forced out by faster offensive threats such as Ogerpon-W, Great Tusk, Iron Valiant, Landorus-T, and Zamazenta, so partners that can pivot into these foes such as Hydrapple, Sinistcha, Zamazenta, Corviknight, and Pecharunt are highly recommended, with the latter two even providing pivoting support to get Tyranitar on the field. Zamazenta and Corviknight are particularly good partners, as they can switch into Kingambit, which is important because it is capable of switching into both Stone Edge and Knock Off and then force Tyranitar out with Iron Head or Low Kick, although it must be careful of Tyranitar's own Low Kick. Iron Valiant is another major threat capable of pivoting in and forcing Tyranitar out, so partners that can handle it like Moltres, Gholdengo, and Galarian Slowking are recommended.
" }, "Defensive": { "description": "With excellent all-around stats and a wide range of utility, Tyranitar offers good role compression to balance teams and is the cornerstone of sand teams. Stealth Rock allows teammates such as Excadrill and Great Tusk to run other moves. Knock Off deals good damage and lets Tyranitar remove items from common switch-ins such as Great Tusk and Alomomola, causing them to lose their entry hazard-ignoring Heavy-Duty Boots; Great Tusk in particular losing its Heavy-Duty Boots means that the hazards Tyranitar sets become more difficult to remove. Ice Beam allows Tyranitar to deal heavy damage to Landorus-T and already-poisoned Gliscor attempting to switch into Knock Off while also denting common targets like Hydrapple, Dragonite, and Enamorus. Roar capitalizes on Tyranitar's bulk, allowing it to take a hit from the likes of Kyurem, Raging Bolt, and Iron Moth and phaze them out; this synergizes well with the Stealth Rock it sets. Thunder Wave lets it permanently shut down foes attempting to punish its passivity, like the aforementioned threats and other ones like Ogerpon-W and Clefable. Smooth Rock is an option specifically for sand teams, letting it enable Sand Rush Excadrill more reliably. It can also run Heavy-Duty Boots on teams with little to no hazard control, but Leftovers can also be used on teams that do. 16 Defense EVs allow Tyranitar to live an uninvested Great Tusk's Headlong Rush after Stealth Rock. A Sassy nature is used to not compromise the damage of Ice Beam or Knock Off. Tyranitar generally does not want to Terastallize, since it removes its valuable Special Defense boost and causes it to take damage from its own sand. However, in the situations where it needs to, Tera Flying grants an immunity to Ground-type attacks like Great Tusk's Headlong Rush and Landorus-T's Earthquake and a resistance to Fighting-type attacks such as Close Combat from Great Tusk and Iron Valiant and Body Press from Zamazenta. Tera Ghost exchanges the Ground immunity for a Fighting immunity while allowing Tyranitar to deny Rapid Spin attempts from Great Tusk and Iron Treads to keep its own Stealth Rock and its teammate's hazards up.
Tyranitar best fits on balance teams that appreciate its various tools such as the chip damage from Stealth Rock and sand along with its strong Knock Off. Excadrill is an excellent partner for Tyranitar, with its Sand Rush ability allowing it to sweep or provide speed control as long as sand is up. It also provides utility in Rapid Spin, clearing entry hazards that Tyranitar is vulnerable to and eliminating the Fairy- and Steel-types Tyranitar is afraid of such as Iron Valiant and Gholdengo without Air Balloon. Great Tusk is a similarly excellent partner; while it does not pack Sand Rush or Excadrill's Steel-type STAB move that defeats Fairy-types, its greater bulk and part Fighting typing allows it to be a sturdier check to the likes of Kingambit and Iron Treads. Since Tyranitar has excellent special bulk, a complimentary physically defensive pivot such as Alomomola or Moltres is much appreciated. Alomomola offers greater physical bulk and Wish support that heals up any damage Tyranitar may have taken, while Moltres spreads burn, forcing out or punishing checks to Tyranitar such as Zamazenta and Great Tusk. Zamazenta and Dragapult are also excellent teammates that can provide speed control. Zamazenta provides a sweeper or fast attacker that can deal with some of Tyranitar's checks such as Kingambit and Garganacl. Dragapult can spread status and pivot out in a similar vein to Moltres but with greater Speed while blocking Rapid Spin. Pecharunt and Gholdengo are also great teammates, as they spinblock, pack good bulk, and resist Fairy- and Fighting-type attacks such as Primarina's and Enamorus's Moonblast and Zamazenta's Close Combat.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 678613, "username": "JackRG"}, {"user_id": 688041, "username": "GrimtheImpy"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 548068, "username": "Setsu"}, {"user_id": 571069, "username": "Dead by Daylight"}, {"user_id": 349443, "username": "Tysonslayer"}, {"user_id": 384270, "username": "autumn"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 555379, "username": "Tbolt"}, {"user_id": 593115, "username": "igiveuponaname"}]}]} }, "Blaziken": { "sets": { "Swords Dance": { "description": "Blaziken is a niche wallbreaker with high power STAB moves that hit much of the metagame for neutral damage and the potent combination of Swords Dance and Speed Boost to quickly snowball into a sweep. Stone Edge immediately dents would-be checks in Moltres and Dragonite while also giving it an option to hit Zapdos without triggering Static. Knock Off cripples physical blanket checks like Pecharunt and also the aforementioed Dragonite and Moltres while also OHKOing Dragapult, which can otherwise answer Blaziken in a pinch. Protect is mainly used to safely activate Speed Boost and thus dodge revenge killing attempts from Pokemon that would have outsped Blaziken, like Landorus-T and Tornadus-T; it also shuts down Lokix's First Impression. Life Orb is the preferred item on more offensive teams due to its power, allowing Blaziken to OHKO Pokemon like Zapdos, Great Tusk, and specially defensive Gliscor at +2. Air Balloon can be used to gain opportunities to switch into and set up on Ground-types like Landorus-T and Great Tusk. Tera Fighting and Fire powers up its respective STAB moves, in particular letting it secure OHKOs on would-be checks like Alomomola, Pecharunt, and Zamazenta with Life Orb at +2. Tera Ghost gives Blaziken an immunity to Body Press from Zamazenta and Extreme Speed from Dragonite. Adamant is preferable to maximize its damage output, but Jolly can be ran instead to outspeed Dragapult and Zamazenta at +1 and Booster Energy Iron Valiant at +2.
Blaziken offers very little defensive utility and usually fails to end games due to Flare Blitz's heavy recoil damage and Blaziken's extreme weakness to priority, pushing it out of viability on most team styles. However, it finds a place on some offense teams that appreciate its wallbreaking abilities. Landorus-T can be used to provide Stealth Rock and a switch-in to opposing Great Tusk and Landorus-T. Kingambit is a sweeper that heavily appreciates Blaziken's ability to force heavy chip damage and remove items from physical checks like Moltres, Zamazenta, and Great Tusk that would otherwise stop Kingambit in its tracks. In return, Kingambit can finish the games that Blaziken cannot end, as it's a great sweeper in its own right. Great Tusk is a great teammate that either appreciates Blaziken's Knock Off or supports Blaziken with its own Knock Off while providing Stealth Rock for crucial damage thresholds and checking many priority attackers like Dragonite, Kingambit, and Raging Bolt. Dragonite appreciates Blaziken punching holes in the opposing team to sweep afterwards while being immune to Ground. Blaziken can be used on Aurora Veil teams, as with Life Orb, it doesn't require entry hazards to break through walls, and Blaziken highly appreciates having its bulk doubled, as it makes setup easier and notably allows it to drop Protect for a third attack without too much drawback. Ninetales and Torkoal can synergize with Blaziken by powering up its Flare Blitz to absurd levels, though Blaziken is hard to justify on sun.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 612907, "username": "sequoia"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 633798, "username": "kd458"}, {"user_id": 384270, "username": "autumn"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 555379, "username": "Tbolt"}]}]} }, "Pelipper": { "sets": { "Rain Setter": { "description": "Pelipper is OU's premier rain setter thanks to Drizzle, ability to safely bring in its offensive teammates with U-turn, and reliable recovery in Roost. Its perfectly-accurate STAB Hurricane threatens Zamazenta, Great Tusk, and Grass-types like Rillaboom and Ogerpon-W— which are generally huge threats to rain teams—while dealing great neutral damage to Water-resistant targets like Hisuian Samurott and Dragapult. Surf threatens a number of common Stealth Rock setters such as Gliscor and Landorus-T with OHKOs in rain, while Knock Off cripples foes like Galarian Slowking and Alomomola, making them easier for Pelipper's teammates to break through. A Speed-reducing nature in conjunction with 0 Speed IVs gives Pelipper its slowest possible U-turn, allowing it to safely bring in teammates to make use of its rain. It also lets Pelipper underspeed uninvested Tyranitar, allowing its rain to override sand in the lead matchup. A physically defensive EV spread lets Pelipper easily handle physical threats like Great Tusk, Zamazenta, and Hisuian Samurott. On the other hand, a specially defensive spread can be used to take less damage from special attackers that would otherwise take advantage of Pelipper's poor Special Defense, such as Gholdengo and Enamorus, as well as avoiding an OHKO from Choice Specs Dragapult's Draco Meteor. Though Pelipper is rarely Terastallized, Tera Ground can be used to remove its 4x weakness to Electric-type moves from Raging Bolt and Zapdos and safely pivot out of them. Tera Grass similarly provides a way to stomach Raging Bolt's Electric-type attacks but with the additional benefit of taking on Rillaboom and Ogerpon-W, which are otherwise huge threats to rain teams.
Pelipper should be used exclusively on rain teams where it is commonly partnered with powerful wallbreakers like Barraskewda, which is greatly enabled by Swift Swim activation, and Raging Bolt, which benefits from Water-type Weather Ball to break through Ground-types. Due to Pelipper's weakness to Stealth Rock and that it can't afford to run Heavy-Duty Boots, it benefits greatly from Rapid Spin support from Iron Treads to allow it to repeatedly set rain. Because Damp Rock is needed to maximize the number of rain turns, Pelipper appreciates having a teammate that can switch into Knock Off, such as Kingambit, especially if its Air Balloon has been popped. Due to its 4x weakness to Electric-type moves, Pelipper enjoys Ground-type teammates like Iron Treads that can easily switch into the likes of Raging Bolt. Pokemon like Air Balloon Kingambit that can help against Kyurem are also appreciated, as Pelipper is unable to defensively check it and rain teams tend to struggle against it.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 439018, "username": "Maia"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 633798, "username": "kd458"}, {"user_id": 584916, "username": "viivian"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 633500, "username": "StupidFlandrs48"}]}]} }, "Torkoal": { "sets": { "Sun Setter": { "description": "With Drought and a number of utility options, Torkoal is OU's best option for a sun setter. Rapid Spin and Stealth Rock grant Torkoal excellent role compression as both an entry hazard remover and setter that can threaten other common leads like Skarmory, Ribombee, and Iron Treads with Lava Plume while also being naturally slower than both Tyranitar and Pelipper, ensuring that sun is the weather that stays up in the lead matchup. Will-O-Wisp can cripple physical attackers like Great Tusk and Dragonite looking to scare Torkoal out and use it as setup fodder without fully relying on Lava Plume's burn chance. A physically defensive EV spread lets Torkoal easily take hits from common threats like Ogerpon-W, Zamazenta, and Rillaboom, but a specially defensive EV spread can instead help bolster Torkoal's middling Special Defense against the likes of Gholdengo and Galarian Slowking. Though Torkoal is rarely the choice to be Terastallized, Tera Flying can be used to remove its Ground-type weakness versus Pokemon like Landorus-T and Great Tusk, while Tera Grass is an all-around solid defensive typing that greatly improves its matchups against Pokemon like Ogerpon-W and Hisuian Samurott while still maintaining a good matchup against the aforementioned Ground-types.
Torkoal should only be used on sun teams, where wallbreakers like Walking Wake take great advantage of the sun to activate Protosynthesis and power up their Fire-type moves and Hydro Steam. Raging Bolt is also an appreciated addition to sun teams to threaten Water-types like Ogerpon-W and Dondozo. Hisuian Lilligant is also a strong late-game cleaner on sun teams, helping check Ground-types while significantly improving the often difficult matchup against Iron Boulder thanks to outspeeding it with Chlorophyll active, and Venusaur can also serve as a slower if slightly bulkier Chlorophyll sweeper. Because Torkoal's primary role is to set sun, it appreciates teammates like Kingambit and Eject Button Hatterene that can switch into Knock Off and allow it to keep its Heat Rock. Despite also serving as an entry hazard remover, Torkoal is weak to Stealth Rock and lacks any form of reliable recovery, so it benefits from secondary removal support from teammates like Great Tusk and Iron Treads. Hatterene is a great teammate that can serve as a tertiary form of hazard control with Magic Bounce, help keep its own threats healthy with Healing Wish, and check common Ground-types like Gliscor and Great Tusk with Calm Mind sets.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 439018, "username": "Maia"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 408271, "username": "Dreadfury"}, {"user_id": 558636, "username": "zastra"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 493260, "username": "Marnie"}]}]} }, "Latias": { "sets": { "Calm Mind": { "description": "Thanks to its considerable bulk and more than reasonable attacking capabilities, Calm Mind Latias is a solid setup sweeper that can easily snowball out of control with its STAB Stored Power. Aura Sphere is the preferred coverage move for its most immediate way to deal with Dark- and Steel-type foes, most notably Kingambit but also Ting-Lu, Hisuian Samurott, Iron Treads, and Heatran, but Draining Kiss alongside Tera Fairy is a decent alternative that provides it with crucial longevity while still threatening most of the aforementioned Dark-types. Recover gives it multiple setup opportunities, but Agility is also an option to outspeed most of the metagame, particularly potential revenge killers like Darkrai and Dragapult. Weakness Policy grants it an immediate way to boost its Stored Power in a single turn, taking advantage of common attacks like U-turn and Knock Off to let it snowball more easily, especially with dual screens support to soften the blow of most super effective hits. Kee Berry is an option to let it set up on physical attackers more comfortably, such as Great Tusk and Ogerpon-W, while boosting its Stored Power. Similarly, it can run Grassy Seed instead if used on Grassy Terrain teams with Rillaboom. Leftovers is a fine alternative that gives it longevity and thus more opportunities to set up, especially if it forgoes Draining Kiss or Recover. Mental Herb is a niche option that allows Latias to bypass Taunt and Encore from Landorus-T, Iron Valiant, and Ogerpon-W. Tera Poison is the way to go to avoid Toxic damage, turning opposing Gliscor into setup fodder, while maintaing its Fighting resistance against Zamazenta and Great Tusk. Tera Steel similarly allows Latias to bypass Toxic while adding some valuable immunities and resistances, negating efforts from Galarian Slowking and Primarina to stop it. Both Tera types are also complemented by Levitate to remove the newfound Ground weakness, letting Latias comfortably check foes like Enamorus and, for Tera Steel in particular, Kyurem and non-Fire Punch Dragonite. Tera Fairy shuld only be used with Draining Kiss to boost its damage while obtaining a valuable Dragon immunity and Dark resistance in the face of foes like Dragapult, Raging Bolt, Hisuian Samurott, and non-Heavy Slam Zamazenta. Agility variants can afford more bulk instead, just running 24 Speed EVs to outrun Choice Scarf Darkrai after an Agility boost; this also lets it avoid the OHKO from Choice Band Rillaboom's Knock Off and 2HKO from Great Tusk's Ice Spinner and Zamazenta's Crunch.
Latias finds itself a niche pick in hyper offense teams; in particular, it can support teams by dealing with Unaware foes like Dondozo and Clodsire as a way to open through and act as a win condition. Latias's base typing makes it vulnerable to several metagame threats such as Gholdengo and Dragapult. Gholdengo can overwhelm it by either outdamaging it with a Nasty Plot-boosted Shadow Ball or crippling it with paralysis, sustaining its not very effective hits with Recover, and attacking back with Hex, while Dragapult outspeeds it before an Agility boost and threatens it with STAB moves or status. Kingambit makes for a great partner overall, checking Dragapult and Gholdengo along with other Ghost- and Dark-type foes that Latias may be stopped by. Opposing Kingambit poses an existential threat to Latias, as without Aura Sphere, it fails to do much in return, and without spending your Tera on Latias, it leaves itself exposed to Sucker Punch and Kowtow Cleave and even Iron Head if it goes Tera Fairy. Great Tusk, Zamazenta, and Iron Valiant can prove decisive in this matchup, as well as mixing well with the fast-paced plan a Latias team should have. Furthermore, breaking through Ting-Lu can prove to be challenging, so a strong wallbreaking partner such as Ogerpon-W or other special attackers like Raging Bolt could overwhelm it. Grassy Seed variants require Rillaboom as a partner, especially as it can bring Latias in safely via U-turn and overwhelm Steel-types like Corviknight and Tinkaton. Hazard support is really appreciated overall to help Latias clean in the endgame against a worn-down team, so Glimmora and Hisuian Samurott make for excellent partners. Latias also is a perfect match for teams championed by dual screens Deoxys-S or Alolan Ninetales, allowing it to set up multiple times with minimal damage taken.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 625618, "username": "arnimacarni"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 487308, "username": "BT89"}, {"user_id": 384270, "username": "autumn"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 555379, "username": "Tbolt"}]}]} }, "Latios": { "sets": { "Soul Dew": { "description": "With Soul Dew equipped, Latios is a powerful offensive threat with a unique defensive profile that gives it a notable niche in the metagame, being one of the only offensive Pokemon with a complete immunity to Spikes. Psychic Noise allows Latios to shut down recovery attempts from defensive Pokemon, particularly Blissey and Corviknight. Calm Mind gives Latios enough power to easily pressure defensive walls, notably OHKOing specially defensive Gliscor with Draco Meteor after Stealth Rock; however, Aura Sphere can be considered as an alternative option that can hit Steel- and Dark-types like Kingambit and Ting-Lu that would otherwise force it out. Shadow Ball, while less common, can be used to smack the likes of Gholdengo and Iron Crown. Recover gives Latios more opportunities to fire off powerful attacks over the course of a game, combining with its Spikes immunity to shrug off most forms of passive damage. Tera Steel is invaluable as a defensive Tera type, granting Latios a total immunity to Toxic and also allowing it to set up against the likes of Galarian Slowking, Dragonite, and Enamorus, as well as alleviating pressure against Pokemon such as Weavile and Kingambit.
Latios finds its niche on balance and bulky offense teams that enjoy its wallbreaking capabilities. Zamazenta is a phenomenal partner for Latios, capable of switching into and forcing out Dark-types such as Kingambit, Darkrai, and Weavile, and it appreciates Latios for being able to smash through physical walls like Gliscor and Alomomola. Kingambit is another Pokemon that enjoys Latios smashing holes through defensive teams carrying defensive Pokemon like Alomomola and Moltres, and in turn, it can offensively check the likes of Gholdengo, Iron Crown, and Hatterene; conversely, Tinkaton is a good alternative to Kingambit as a Steel-type, instead providing Latios with entry hazard support and being able to leverage its superior defensive profile to more reliably check threats like Iron Valiant, Darkrai, and Weavile. Knock Off support from the likes of Ogerpon, Weavile, and Meowscarada is also greatly appreciated and enables Latios to put even more pressure on defensive teams, allowing for the aforementioned faster teammates to clean up late-game; all of these Pokemon also appreciate Latios for being able to lure in and remove Kingambit with Aura Sphere. Hisuian Samurott is another excellent partner, as it provides both Knock Off support and hazard pressure in Ceaseless Edge, and acts as an offensive check to Kingambit and Gholdengo which Latios greatly enjoys, while Latios can easily come in on and threaten massive damage on Pokemon like Alomomola and Zapdos that can check Hisuian Samurott. Similarly, Ting-Lu is also appreciated as a teammate, providing Latios with a sturdy check to Dragapult, Darkrai, and Iron Crown while also being able to set hazards. Cinderace can offensively pressure many of the tier's Steel-types and can bring Latios in with U-turn against Pokemon such as Gliscor and Garganacl that Cinderace struggles to break past; Moltres is another great teammate for Latios, as it can act as a stopgap to threats like Kingambit, Kyurem, and Iron Valiant while also bringing Latios onto the field safely with its slow U-turn. Lastly, Great Tusk is another Pokemon that can remove items for Latios with Knock Off and provides Latios with a resilient offensive check to Kingambit; on the other hand, Great Tusk enjoys having Latios rip through its checks, particularly Alomomola, Zapdos, and Moltres.
" }, "Choice Specs": { "description": "With its good Speed and great Special Attack compounded by Choice Specs, as well as an immunity to Spikes that makes it harder to wear down, Latios becomes a wallbreaker able to OHKO key metagame threats such as Landorus-T and Zapdos as well as overwhelm would-be checks like Ting-Lu and Galarian Slowking. Luster Purge's high power and potential to drop foes's Special Defense allows Latios to break past Pokemon that might otherwise stand against it such as Assault Vest Primarina and Galarian Slowking. Aura Sphere lets Latios blow past Kingambit and target Iron Treads, Heatran, and Tyranitar. Trick grants Latios with the opportunity to cripple defensive Pokemon trying to switch into it such as Blissey and Corviknight while also deterring slower setup Pokemon such as Hatterene from using Latios as setup fodder as well as revenge killing attempts from Kingambit without getting hit by Sucker Punch. Due to several Pokemon resisting or being immune to one of Latios's STAB moves, Flip Turn may be used as a way to preserve momentum and bring a teammate onto the field while easing the need for prediction. A Timid nature allows Latios to outspeed the likes of Enamorus and Walking Wake as well as Speed tie with Ogerpon-W and opposing Latios; however, a Modest nature may instead be used to enhance Latios's wallbreaking prowess, threatening 2HKOs against the likes of offensive Gholdengo and Garganacl after a round of Stealth Rock. Tera Dragon boosts Latios's Draco Meteor, letting it OHKO Gliscor and 2HKO would-be checks like Assault Vest Alomomola and Corviknight; Tera Dragon also removes Latios's weakness to moves such as Kingambit's Sucker Punch and Darkrai's Dark Pulse.
Choice Specs Latios finds itself on bulky offense and balance teams; particularly on teams with either temporary or non-existent entry hazard removal. Zamazenta, particularly Heavy-Duty Boots variants, often finds itself on these teams, and it threatens Dark- and Steel-types that resist one or both of Latios's STAB moves such as Kingambit, Darkrai, Ting-Lu, and Iron Treads as well as being able to absorb a hit from faster physical foes such as Weavile and offensive Cinderace; in turn, Latios can threaten the physical walls that trouble Zamazenta such as Pecharunt, Zapdos, and Dondozo. As Latios finds itself exposed after being locked into a move, defensive teammates that it can rely on to absorb incoming attacks are appreciated. Galarian Slowking can fill such a role, handling Fairy-types such as Primarina, Enamorus, and Hatterene. Pecharunt and Zapdos aid Latios against physical attackers such as Swords Dance Iron Valiant and Cinderace, as well as against Scizor and Lokix in Zapdos's case. Furthermore, all of Galarian Slowking, Pecharunt, and Zapdos can act as pivots to safely bring Latios on the field. Ting-Lu is another teammate that can handle Steel-types such as Gholdengo, Iron Crown, and Heatran, as well as Dragapult and Darkrai, which outspeed and greatly threaten Latios. Furthermore, Ting-Lu, as well as other partners like Landorus-T, Gliscor, Hisuian Samurott, and Great Tusk, may provide entry hazard support, softening up foes for Latios to break through while assisting it at handling the likes of Gholdengo and Kingambit. Finally, Kingambit is able to deal with defensive Gholdengo, Assault Vest Hatterene, and Galarian Slowking that greatly annoy Latios, while in return, it appreciates Latios's ability to blow past Landorus-T and Moltres and bring it in safely with Flip Turn.
" }, "Choice Scarf": { "description": "Thanks to its superb stats and solid movepool, Latios proves to be an amazing speed control option with Choice Scarf, outspeeding fast foes like Walking Wake, Choice Scarf Landorus-T and Enamorus, Zamazenta, and +1 Speed Great Tusk as well as Speed tying Iron Moth. Psychic Noise helps Latios break past fat teams in a better fashion by denying recovery like Gliscor's Poison Heal and Garganacl's Leftovers and Recover and hits foes like Iron Moth and Zamazenta behind a Substitute. However, Luster Purge's power can be preferred to revenge kill Enamorus and Zamazenta more reliably and, with the drops, potentially wallbreak bulky foes like Galarian Slowking at the cost of having very low PP. Aura Sphere is a great coverage option that allows Latios to destroy Kingambit and Iron Treads. Trick cripples its would-be checks like Ting-Lu and Iron Crown while also shutting down Calm Mind users like Clefable, Hatterene, and Sinistcha. Tera Steel flips all of its Ice and Fairy weakness from foes like Weavile, Kyurem, Enamorus, and Iron Valiant and provides a resistance to Dragonite's Extreme Speed; it works well with Levitate to ignore even the aforementioned Kyurem, Enamorus, and Dragonite's Ground-type coverage move.
Latios works best on bulky offense and balance teams. It really appreciates entry hazard support to maximize its pressure against the opposing team. Therefore, Spikes setters such as Hisuian Samurott and Gliscor are great teammates, as is Ting-Lu, which can also choose to run Stealth Rock. Garganacl is a great option for Stealth Rock support, and it racks up damage on the opposing team by spamming Salt Cure, opening up win paths for Latios and its teammates. These Pokemon also help Latios deal with its own threats like Gholdengo and Iron Crown. Zamazenta pairs excellently with Latios, taking care of specially bulky foes that Latios struggles against such as Ting-Lu and Blissey as well as answering checks like Kingambit and Darkrai. In addition, both of them do a great job in pressuring shared checks like Gholdengo and Primarina. Other physical wallbreakers such as Kingambit and Ogerpon-W also have great synergy with Latios. Kingambit handles Gholdengo for Latios, and together, they form a great late-game duo. In a similar vein, Ogerpon-W can deal with Pokemon like Ting-Lu and pressure opposing teams enough in the early- and mid-game for Latios to pick off chipped foes late-game. Other special attackers such as Darkrai, Dragapult, Gholdengo, and Iron Crown also pair well with Latios because they can pressure shared checks like Dark-types, most notably Ting-Lu. Finally, Great Tusk is a stellar teammate that can help Latios deal with Gholdengo, Tinkaton, Dark-types, and special walls while also providing valuable Stealth Rock and hazard removal support.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 548068, "username": "Setsu"}, {"user_id": 558636, "username": "zastra"}, {"user_id": 584916, "username": "viivian"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 612443, "username": "ninth"}, {"user_id": 616497, "username": "FayaWizard"}, {"user_id": 647728, "username": "Heatranator"}, {"user_id": 177111, "username": "Magcargo"}, {"user_id": 493260, "username": "Marnie"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 555379, "username": "Tbolt"}, {"user_id": 593115, "username": "igiveuponaname"}, {"user_id": 649096, "username": "a blue banana"}]}]} }, "Deoxys-Speed": { "overview": "Deoxys-S outruns and outguns all of the opposition with its blazing base Speed stat alongside its colorful coverage and utility options, giving it great versatility as either a wallbreaker, late-game cleaner, or lead. Its mixed attacking set allows it to utilize its great coverage on both sides to threaten both physical and special walls alike, such as Dondozo, Galarian Slowking, and Ting-Lu. Nasty Plot sets forgo long-term utility for immediate offensive power and can even clean late-game, which Deoxys-S is sure to provide; at +2, nearly nothing can withstand a boosted Psycho Boost, and those that can handle it get eviscerated by its coverage moves. Finally, Deoxys-S can function as a suicide lead alongside a very fast Taunt, letting it set up hazards, of which it has access to both Stealth Rock and Spikes, or dual screens safely while going toe-to-toe with common hazard removers and other setters like Cinderace, Great Tusk, and Glimmora. However, Deoxys-S's wallbreaking sets suffer from its pitiful base attacking stats across the board and inability to carry all the moves it wants to run. Its paper thin bulk alongside middling typing not only gives it harder opportunities to come in and wreak havoc to the point of having its rampage cut short easily by the omnipresent priority from the likes of Dragonite, Kingambit, and Rillaboom that doesn't care about its Speed at all, but it also provides almost zero defensive utility for the team, which means it can either only be used on highly offensive teams or be forced to run specific and more deliberate teammates to compensate this issue.
", "comments": "Deoxys-S has many underexplored Tera type options; for example, Tera Dark grants Deoxys-S a resistance to Kingambit's and Hisuian Samurott's Sucker Punch, an immunity to Assault Vest Alomomola's Mirror Coat, and a powered-up Knock Off against Galarian Slowking and Iron Crown. Tera Electric, alongside Thunderbolt, can be used as a way to demolish Corviknight and Assault Vest Alomomola attempting to pivot out of Deoxys-S or take it out with Mirror Coat while neutralizing paralysis from foes like Galarian Slowking and Hatterene. It also pairs nicely with Ice Beam to nail foes like Ting-Lu and form a coverage combination that is nigh unresisted. On Psychic Terrain teams, Nasty Plot Tera Psychic Deoxys-S can run the more reliable Expanding Force as its Psychic-type STAB move of choice over Psycho Boost. On Nasty Plot sets, Pain Split is an option to hassle Blissey, Ting-Lu, and Assault Vest Alomomola, although losing critical coverage and Deoxys-S having trouble finding many safe opportunities to use the move makes it somewhat unappealing. Finally, Cosmic Power alongside Stored Power lets Deoxys-S function as a bulky setup sweeper; however, its unreliability and opportunity cost make it a high-risk set to run, especially due to the prominence of common Dark-types like Ting-Lu and Kingambit.
", "sets": { "Mixed Attacker": { "description": "Deoxys-S can leverage its vast coverage movepool and high Speed to function as an unpredictable mixed attacker and excellent revenge killer. Superpower complements Psycho Boost by hitting the many Dark- and Steel-types that are immune to or resist Psycho Boost for super effective damage, most notably OHKOing Kingambit and dealing significant damage to Hisuian Samurott and Iron Treads. Knock Off provides both excellent coverage and utility, hitting Gholdengo, Iron Crown, Galarian Slowking, and opposing Deoxys-S hard while also removing items from switch-ins like Hatterene, Garganacl, Primarina, and Enamorus. Ice Beam rounds out this set's coverage, threatening to KO Gliscor, Landorus-T, and Dragonite after Multiscale is broken as well as dissuading the former from switching into Deoxys-S's Knock Off. Alternatively, if the team lacks another Stealth Rock setter, Deoxys-S can make use of it, as it's a good setter of the hazard thanks to its high Speed, access to Knock Off to remove the opposing Heavy-Duty Boots that would otherwise prevent Stealth Rock from making progress, and excellent coverage with just three attacking moves, hitting every Pokemon for at least neutral damage. Eject Pack is run on more offensively-oriented teams to provide Deoxys-S with a single-use pivot via either of Psycho Boost or Superpower, though Landorus-T's Intimidate will cause Eject Pack to activate before Deoxys-S's attack can go off. Heavy-Duty Boots is an option to come in safely over entry hazards repeatedly throughout a game, particularly useful for bulky hazard stacking teams that may not be able to afford robust hazard control. Tera Fighting is used to turn Deoxys-S's Bug- and Dark-type weaknesses into resistances while boosting the power of Superpower, flipping the script on foes like Kingambit and Hisuian Samurott with Sucker Punch while enabling Superpower to OHKO the likes of Hisuian Samurott and Darkrai. A Naive nature with 56 Speed EVs allows Deoxys-S to outspeed Speed Protosynthesis Great Tusk and Choice Scarf users like Gholdengo and Hisuian Samurott without compromising its power or ability to withstand priority, Thunderclap notwithstanding. Maximum Special Attack investment and 200 EVs in Attack guarantees that Psycho Boost and Superpower OHKO offensive Zamazenta variants and Kingambit, respectively. Alternatively, Deoxys-S can sacrifice some of its Attack investment in order to outspeed Choice Scarf Landorus-T or even Choice Scarf Kyurem, though investment towards any further relevant Speed tiers requires a significant drop in power.
Deoxys-S fits best on bulky offense and balance teams in need of speed control and a capable Knock Off user. Ting-Lu provides Deoxys-S with entry hazard support as well as a resilient switch-in to the many strong offensive threats that pressure Deoxys-S, such as Gholdengo, Darkrai, Raging Bolt, and Iron Moth, while also providing a Thunder Wave immunity. In exchange, Deoxys-S can force hazard progress by removing Heavy-Duty Boots with Knock Off and either setting Stealth Rock itself or dissuading Gliscor from halting Knock Off progress while also pressuring threats to Ting-Lu like Great Tusk and Zamazenta. Iron Valiant forms a potent offensive partnership with Deoxys-S, with the two being able to overwhelm shared checks like Gholdengo, Clefable, and Galarian Slowking while covering each other's worst matchups effectively; Iron Valiant appreciates Deoxys-S's ability to hit Galarian Weezing, Gliscor, and Iron Moth hard, while Deoxys-S can take advantage of Iron Valiant's pressure against Ting-Lu, Kyurem, and Darkrai. The sheer set variety of this pairing makes escaping their onslaught without making significant concessions difficult even for prepared teams. Deoxys-S is cripplingly weak to all forms of status, so Gholdengo, Gliscor, and Garganacl make for solid partners that blanket check almost all status-inducing threats, with the former two being natural choices on hazard stacking teams thanks to their removal blocking and hazard setting capabilities, respectively, while the latter is effective at spreading chip damage to allow Deoxys-S to secure KOs it would otherwise miss. Clefable's bulk, ability to absorb Knock Off, and access to Thunder Wave make it a very effective counter to this Deoxys-S variant; Gholdengo, Galarian Slowking, Scizor, and even Galarian Weezing on fatter structures can serve as effective ways of alleviating this weakness. Despite its blazing speed, Deoxys-S is liable to be outsped by Booster Energy and Choice Scarf users like Iron Valiant, Iron Moth, Darkrai, and Enamorus. Strong priority users like Scizor, Lokix, Raging Bolt, and Dragonite can force out or revenge kill these fast, frail threats. Defensive pivots like Alomomola, Galarian Slowking, and Corviknight can also absorb hits from these foes and provide safe entry for your proper checks. Although Deoxys-S carries Superpower to threaten Dark-types like Kingambit, Hisuian Samurott, Ting-Lu, and Darkrai, they can still be difficult for it to deal with; Iron Valiant, Zamazenta, Clefable, Primarina, and Enamorus can all act as effective answers to these threats.
" }, "Nasty Plot": { "description": "Courtesy of its ludicrous Speed and a spectacular offensive movepool bolstered further by Nasty Plot, Deoxys-S can serve as a fantastic wallbreaker and late-game sweeper. Though the combination of Nasty Plot and Psycho Boost may appear anti-synergistic at a glance, Psycho Boost's massive Base Power is necessary to muscle past threats like Cinderace, Landorus-T, specially defensive Gliscor, Ogerpon-W, and Raging Bolt. Tera Psychic can further enhance Psycho Boost's tremendous damage output, ensuring that Deoxys-S can eliminate these aforementioned threats after Stealth Rock without even requiring a Nasty Plot boost while OHKOing even Garganacl and Assault Vest variants of Alomomola and Galarian Slowking after a Nasty Plot. Focus Blast, accuracy permitting, always OHKOes Kingambit and hits other Dark- and Steel-types like Hisuian Samurott, Darkrai, and Iron Treads for tremendous damage; after a Nasty Plot boost, even Ting-Lu and Blissey are cleanly 2HKOed by Focus Blast. Tera Fighting allows Deoxys-S to outright OHKO Ting-Lu at +2, brute force past Corviknight, and OHKO Blissey after minimal chip damage, and it provides the added benefit of resisting Darkrai's Dark Pulse as well as Sucker Punch from Kingambit, Cinderace, and Hisuian Samurott. Shadow Ball rounds out Deoxys-S's coverage by hitting Gholdengo, Iron Crown, Hatterene, and opposing Deoxys-S super effectively while hitting Galarian Slowking and Pecharunt reasonably hard without committing to Psycho Boost's Special Attack drop. Tera Ghost lets Deoxys-S outright OHKO offensive Gholdengo after Stealth Rock and OHKO Galarian Slowking lacking Assault Vest at +2 while granting it a Normal immunity to protect it from Dragonite's Extreme Speed and let it spinblock against Great Tusk and Iron Treads in a pinch. Recover is an interesting alternative; while the loss of Shadow Ball's coverage is noticeable, Deoxys-S can now offset its own Life Orb recoil and obtain multiple Nasty Plot boosts to devastate defensively leaning teams.
Deoxys-S fits well on offensive teams, both as a wallbreaker and as a late-game cleaner. Powerful physical setup sweepers like Kingambit and Dragonite appreciate Deoxys-S's ability to handle physically bulky threats like Zamazenta, Great Tusk, Corviknight, Pecharunt, and Dondozo. Kingambit does well against Assault Vest Hatterene, Iron Crown, and Galarian Slowking, which can all stomach hits from an unboosted Deoxys-S relatively easily. Dragonite can additionally serve as a powerful wallbreaker early-game with a Choice Band set, muscling past Garganacl, Corviknight, and Ting-Lu early-game so that Deoxys-S can clean up late-game. Nasty Plot Gholdengo's strong matchup against defensive teams benefits Deoxys-S greatly, as it tends to get worn down quickly because of its Life Orb recoil and, as such, cannot muscle past these teams on its own. Swords Dance Iron Valiant makes for a solid teammate that can break past Ting-Lu and disrupt defensive teams with Encore, while Deoxys-S breaks past Pecharunt, Toxapex, and Galarian Weezing and serves as a second fast attacker if Iron Valiant wastes its Booster Energy. Iron Moth also pairs well with Deoxys-S, as it does very well against Steel-types like Gholdengo, Corviknight, and Tinkaton that Deoxys-S would require Terastallization or Focus Blast's shaky accuracy to muscle past. Iron Moth additionally checks revenge killers like Scizor and Lokix, which give Deoxys-S immense trouble. Choice Scarf Enamorus is another stellar teammate; it appreciates Deoxys-S's ability to wear down Galarian Slowking, Gholdengo, and Corviknight and can further support Deoxys-S with Healing Wish. Deoxys-S is almost completely devoid of defensive utility and cannot directly switch into most attacks, so strong wallbreakers like Kyurem, Ogerpon-W, and Zamazenta are fantastic teammates that can pressure Ting-Lu while forcing many switches in general, with Zamazenta doubling as a great defensive check to Kingambit and Hisuian Samurott. Deoxys-S can be brought in via aggressive double switches against foes these wallbreakers force in and puts a tremendous amount of pressure on Zapdos and Pecharunt, which are otherwise problematic matchups for Ogerpon-W and Zamazenta. Strong pivots, like Dragapult and the aforementioned Ogerpon-W, can generate momentum with U-turn to pivot Deoxys-S in safely. Lastly, entry hazard support from the likes of Hisuian Samurott, Ting-Lu, and Iron Treads help Deoxys-S more reliably muscle past Ogerpon-W, Raging Bolt, Corviknight, and Gliscor without needing to Terastallize. Great Tusk and Iron Treads also support Deoxys-S well with Rapid Spin, since this set's problem of getting worn down quickly by Life Orb recoil is further exacerbated by any chip damage from hazards.
" }, "Hazard Lead": { "description": "Deoxys-S is the second-fastest entry hazard setter in OU, only being outpaced by Speed Booster Energy Iron Treads, and possesses a wide utility movepool that allows it to function as an excellent lead on hyper offense teams. While Stealth Rock is preferred if Deoxys-S is the team's standalone hazard setter, Spikes is also an option if the team has another Stealth Rock setter; it can also choose to run both if needed. Taunt stops Cinderace's Court Change and Defog from Corviknight and Scizor as well as preventing Deoxys-S's passivty from being exploited by setup sweepers like Dragonite and Kingambit. Skill Swap can be used to remove Hatterene's Magic Bounce and subsequently set up entry hazards in front of it; it's the preferred move if running both Stealth Rock + Spikes. Psycho Boost prevents it from being too passive, in particular letting it OHKO Great Tusk, Glimmora, and Galarian Weezing that can otherwise remove Deoxys-S hazards. At the cost of the aforementioned benchmarks, Psychic Noise lets it chip while also denying recovery from walls such as Gliscor, Clefable, Corviknight, and Draining Kiss Hatterene. Sets running either Psycho Boost or Psychic Noise should run the offensive spread with maximum Special Attack investment. Thunder Wave is an option to immediately cripple offensive threats like Ogerpon-W and Dragonite looking to take advantage of Deoxys-S. Red Card can be used to emergency phaze setup sweepers in the offense mirror, preventing the team from being overrun first. Rocky Helmet further spreads chip damage against the opposition, most notably punishing the likes of Iron Treads and Great Tusk from attempting to remove its hazard with Rapid Spin. Colbur Berry allows Deoxys-S to survive Dark-type attacks that would normally result in a KO, in particular letting it set up hazards against Dark-types like Hisuian Samurott and defensive Tyranitar. Focus Sash guarantees it can set at least one layer of entry hazard against faster threats like Choice Scarf Darkrai or even set two layers of hazards against slower threats like Dragapult and Gholdengo, and is the preferred item on sets without the bulk investment. Tera Ghost blocks Rapid Spin from Great Tusk and Iron Treads.
Deoxys-S fits best on hyper offense teams with powerful wallbreakers and setup sweepers that appreciate Deoxys-S's ability to set the stage for them. Hyper offense staples like Great Tusk, Zamazenta, Raging Bolt, Dragonite, and Iron Valiant are its go-to teammates that appreciate the hazard chipping at the oppositon. Moreover, Raging Bolt can also take advantage of or prevent Corviknight from coming in freely to remove Deoxys-S's hazards with Defog, while Iron Valiant and some Dragonite sets can do the same against Great Tusk and Cinderace. Offensive hazard setters like Hisuian Samurott and Glimmora can stack hazards with Deoxys-S, letting it forgo one of its hazards for another move. Deoxys-S struggles to set Stealth Rock against Hatterene if it lacks Skill Swap, so it appreciates Steel-type attackers such as Gholdengo and Iron Crown that can force it out; the former has additional utility in denying most hazard removal attempts.
" }, "Dual Screens": { "description": "Utilizing its plethora of support moves and blistering Speed, Deoxys-S establishes itself as a premier dual screens setter. Taunt is extremely versatile, being able to shut down opposing leads looking to set field conditions of their own like Ting-Lu and opposing Deoxys-S, Pokemon that seek to remove the dual screens such as Cinderace and Corviknight, and any setup sweepers that try to take advantage of Deoxys-S's more passive nature like Dragonite and Kingambit. Rounding out the moveslots is Psycho Boost, which lets Deoxys-S be able to threaten targets like Great Tusk and Zamazenta. Alternatively, Deoxys-S can forgo attacks entirely to run Stealth Rock, sacrificing immediate pressure for long-term chip damage. In accordance with this option, it runs Tera Ghost to prevent Rapid Spin from the likes of Iron Treads as well as dodge Extreme Speed from Dragonite to set up another round of dual screens. Along with this, Deoxys-S also invests fully into its HP and Speed EVs with a Timid Nature to ensure it has more attempts to set these field conditions as well as Speed tie with opposing Deoxys-S for Taunt.
Befitting its fast-paced nature, this set finds itself best suited for hyper offense teams, which can utilize the reduced damage to its fullest. Ogerpon-W excels under dual screens, being able to flatten threats to Deoxys-S like Hisuian Samurott and Tyranitar and set up Swords Dance comfortably for a devastating attack. Zamazenta can leverage its natural bulk combined with Light Screen covering its weaker Special Defense to set up multiple times and plow through teams while threatening Pokemon looking to take advantage of Deoxys-S like Kingambit, Darkrai, and Hisuian Samurott. Sweepers like Ceruledge and Galarian Moltres heavily appreciate the safety of Deoxys-S's dual screens, with the former appreciating the ability to activate Weak Armor reliably, while the latter appreciates the multiple turns of setup it can gain. Deoxys-S's ability to shut down Stealth Rock with Taunt is also helpful to the aforementioned two as well as Dragonite, which can drop Heavy-Duty Boots for items like Loaded Dice, Leftovers, and Sharp Beak. Keeping dual screens up is key, so Gholdengo serves as an excellent block to most Defog attempts from Corviknight with Good As Gold, as well as appreciating the added bulk to set up its own Nasty Plot. Meanwhile, Glimmora can supplement the lead role of Deoxys-S, setting Stealth Rock on its own and freeing up Deoxys-S to run Psycho Boost, alongside being able to threaten Cinderace and its Court Change attempts. Alternatively, Bulk Up Great Tusk can serve as another threat to Cinderace and Kingambit, an entry hazard remover against Spikes set by Hisuian Samurott, and a late-game sweeper with its excellent bulk. Kingambit, another late-game sweeper, can excel under dual screens, being able to survive key attacks with maximum HP investment such as Iron Valiant's Close Combat.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 408271, "username": "Dreadfury"}, {"user_id": 539107, "username": "Whaloob"}, {"user_id": 571069, "username": "Dead by Daylight"}, {"user_id": 616497, "username": "FayaWizard"}, {"user_id": 674157, "username": "GC"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 548068, "username": "Setsu"}, {"user_id": 408271, "username": "Dreadfury"}, {"user_id": 633798, "username": "kd458"}, {"user_id": 647728, "username": "Heatranator"}, {"user_id": 384270, "username": "autumn"}, {"user_id": 571069, "username": "Dead by Daylight"}, {"user_id": 110504, "username": "Stads"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 452572, "username": "missangelic"}, {"user_id": 593115, "username": "igiveuponaname"}, {"user_id": 649096, "username": "a blue banana"}, {"user_id": 653095, "username": "FavMon=Garchomp"}, {"user_id": 384270, "username": "autumn"}, {"user_id": 528364, "username": "adorluigi"}]}]} }, "Garchomp": { "sets": { "TankChomp": { "description": "Garchomp works as a good defensive piece thanks to its access to both Stealth Rock and Spikes, good defensive typing backed up by solid defensive stats, and phazing to deal with foes attempting to set up on it. Dragon Tail allows Garchomp to deny foes such as Swords Dance Gliscor and Swords Dance Ogerpon-W the opportunity to set up on it. In addition, it can switch out non-Heavy-Duty Boots users such as the aforementioned Ogerpon-W as well as Ting-Lu and force them to take large amounts of entry hazard damage when attempting to switch back in. Another benefit of its phazing is that it can nullify Booster Energy, making foes like Terastallized Raging Bolt and Iron Moth waste their Booster Energy against Garchomp. Rough Skin, when paired with Rocky Helmet, makes Garchomp a nightmare for the common Rapid Spin users in Great Tusk and Iron Treads while punishing reckless U-turn uses from foes such as Landorus-T and Cinderace. Tera Ghost allows Garchomp to both stop the aforementioned Rapid Spin users from removing hazards while shedding its Ice and Fairy weaknesses. It also gives Garchomp a Fighting immunity to check Great Tusk and Swords Dance Iron Valiant and completely stop Iron Defense + Body Press Zamazenta. On the other hand, Tera Steel allows Garchomp to turn the tables on Fairy-types like Hatterene and beat them one-on-one while affording a handy Ice resistance to phaze foes like Kyurem and Ice Beam Darkrai. The given EV spread allows Garchomp to outspeed Raging Bolt.
This Garchomp set fits well on balance teams that appreciate its ability to force damage through entry hazards and punishing contact moves, especially Rapid Spin, while being able to phaze out dangerous setup sweepers and act as a general anti-offense tool. Garchomp despises Ice-type moves from the likes of Kyurem, Darkrai, and Dragon Dance Dragonite with Ice Spinner as well as Fairy-types like Clefable, Hatterene, and Tera Fairy Gliscor, so checks like Gholdengo, Zamazenta, and Galarian Slowking are great partners. Air Balloon Gholdengo in particular is a great partner, as it blocks any attempts to remove the hazards set by Garchomp by foes like Great Tusk and Corviknight that otherwise wall Garchomp while being able to scare them away. Pecharunt fills a lot of the same roles as Gholdengo while also providing pivoting in the form of Parting Shot and absorbing Toxic Spikes, making it another viable option. Moltres is another good partner, as it both helps phaze foes with Roar as well as add on even more chip damage and punish Rapid Spin attempts through Will-O-Wisp and Flame Body burns, respectively, while checking threatening Fairy-types like Enamorus and foes like SubTect Kyurem. Galarian Slowking checks Fairy-types like Enamorus and Hatterene well while setting up Future Sight to force out foes Garchomp is walled by, such as Zamazenta, Pecharunt, and defensive Great Tusk, allowing Garchomp to set more hazards up. Wallbreakers that appreciate Garchomp's hazard setting capabilities such as all-out attacking Zamazenta, Heavy-Duty Boots Kyurem, Darkrai, and Kingambit are also good picks alongside it.
" }, "Swords Dance": { "description": "Garchomp's ability to boost its offensive stats using Swords Dance and Scale Shot enable it to be a solid sweeper. Its STAB combination is excellent, with Earthquake and Scale Shot hitting a majority of the metagame and giving Garchomp a chance to OHKO foes like Dragonite, Iron Moth, and Kyurem even before boosting. Swords Dance massively amplifies Garchomp's offensive pressure, and after a Speed boost from Scale Shot, Garchomp can outspeed many of the tier's fast staples like Zamazenta, Dragapult, Darkrai, Weavile, and Meowscarada, as well as Landorus-T and Gholdengo that use Choice Scarf. Fire Fang allows Garchomp to threaten Corviknight and Skarmory after a Swords Dance, in addition to hitting Air Balloon Gholdengo and Scizor super effectively. Alternatively, Dragon Tail may be used to force out foes stacking Defense boosts like Zamazenta, Corviknight, and Garganacl. Terastallizing into a Fire-type can flip Garchomp's matchup against Fairy- and Ice-types like Iron Valiant, Enamorus, and Kyurem, as well as blocking Will-O-Wisp from the likes of Dragapult, Cinderace, and Darkrai. It also boosts the damage of Fire Fang, with +2 Tera Fire Fire Fang being a guaranteed 2HKO against Leftovers Corviknight and having a chance to OHKO physically defensive Gholdengo. Tera Ghost can be utilized instead to grant Garchomp better matchups into attackers using Fighting-type moves like Zamazenta and Corviknight.
Swords Dance Garchomp thrives on offensive teams that can eliminate potential obstacles and enable its sweep. Some of the metagame's fastest threats, such as Booster Energy Iron Valiant and Choice Scarf users like Enamorus and Darkrai, outspeed boosted Garchomp and OHKO it. Garchomp immensely appreciates entry hazard support from teammates like Great Tusk and Glimmora that can help it more reliably handle bulky foes, with Stealth Rock and one layer of Spikes allowing it to 2HKO +1 Defense Zamazenta with either STAB move and OHKO physically defensive variants of Primarina and Hatterene with Earthquake after using Swords Dance. Great Tusk has the additional benefit of matching up well against Gliscor and Dragonite, while Glimmora can threaten Clefable, Zapdos, and Moltres. Gholdengo is a fantastic teammate for Garchomp, checking some of Garchomp's hardest counters in Iron Valiant and Enamorus and ensuring that entry hazards from other teammates remain up. In return, Garchomp has favorable matchups into Gholdengo's checks like Kingambit and Blissey. Teams can also benefit from pairing Iron Valiant and Garchomp, with Garchomp handling common Iron Valiant checks like Gholdengo, Clodsire, and Iron Moth while Iron Valiant can eliminate strong Dragon-types that threaten Garchomp like Kyurem and Dragapult. Kingambit can similarly check these Dragon-types while also matching up well against Hatterene, Alomomola, and Clefable, and Garchomp's offensive pressure can facilitate Kingambit's late-game sweep. Ogerpon-W is another useful companion, helping muscle through obstacles like Clefable and Moltres and checking Dondozo.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 571069, "username": "Dead by Daylight"}, {"user_id": 705612, "username": "heap"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 612907, "username": "sequoia"}, {"user_id": 616497, "username": "FayaWizard"}, {"user_id": 558636, "username": "zastra"}, {"user_id": 612443, "username": "ninth"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 555379, "username": "Tbolt"}]}]} }, "Weavile": { "sets": { "Boots Attacker": { "description": "Weavile is an excellent wallbreaker thanks to its high Speed and Attack and high-Base Power moves, including a Knock Off that Skarmory, Gliscor, and Clefable cannot safely absorb. Weavile also provides excellent speed control for teams, outspeeding the entire unboosted metagame besides Darkrai, Zamazenta, Dragapult, and Deoxys-S while being able to slot in Ice Shard to pick off faster threats like Dragapult and Choice Scarf Enamorus. Triple Axel's sheer power can be forgone for Icicle Crash's non-contact nature, preventing Weavile from being punished by Moltres's Flame Body and Zapdos's Static. Swords Dance allows Weavile to OHKO bulky Pokemon like defensive Great Tusk and Ting-Lu at +2 with Triple Axel and OHKO Enamorus and Dragapult after Stealth Rock with Ice Shard. Low Kick can be slotted over Swords Dance to OHKO opposing Weavile and Kingambit as well as hitting Hisuian Samurott super effectively, but dropping Swords Dance limits Weavile's power and leaves it always walled by Skarmory and Clefable. Tera Ice boosts Triple Axel and Ice Shard to increase its wallbreaking and revenge killing potential, with +2 Tera Ice Triple Axel OHKOing Clefable and most Skarmory variants after Stealth Rock damage and +2 Tera Ice Ice Shard OHKOing Dragonite. Tera Ghost provides an immunity from the revenge killing attempts of Zamazenta and Extreme Speed Dragonite.
Weavile's excellent wallbreaking capabilities and capability to fit on offense, balance, and semi-stall teams give it great synergy with a wide variety of Pokemon. Spikers are the best Pokemon to pair with Weavile because Weavile is excellent at using Knock Off to remove Heavy-Duty Boots and Leftovers. On slower teams, Spikers that benefit from Weavile include Gliscor, Skarmory and Ting-Lu, while on faster teams, Weavile supports Hisuian Samurott and Deoxys-S. Stealth Rock is less effective against most Weavile answers other than Skarmory and Corviknight, but they still synergize with Weavile's Knock Off. Stealth Rock setters on offensive teams include Glimmora and Landorus-T, while bulkier teams can make use of Great Tusk, Gliscor, and Clefable. Weavile also benefits other physical attackers that appreciate Weavile using Knock Off on Pokemon like Skarmory, Dondozo, Corviknight, and Alomomola. Kingambit is the biggest beneficiary of Weavile's Knock Off, but other physical attackers like Hisuian Samurott and Swords Dance Iron Valiant can also take advantage of its Knock Off to break through Pokemon like Dondozo and prevent chip damage from Skarmory's Rocky Helmet. Special attackers like Raging Bolt and Dragapult can draw in special walls like Ting-Lu, Galarian Slowking, and Clodsire for Weavile to come in on for opportunities to use Knock Off; Dragapult in particular can use U-turn to pivot to Weavile. Weavile struggles with faster Pokemon that can't be threatened with Ice Shard, which includes boosted Iron Valiant, Zamazenta, and boosted Iron Boulder. On slower teams, Pokemon that can wall these faster foes are appreciated like Clodsire and Galarian Slowking for Iron Valiant, while Dondozo and Skarmory are best for Iron Boulder and Zamazenta. On faster teams, Gholdengo and priority users like Raging Bolt can check them. Galarian Slowking in particular is excellent, as Weavile appreciates support from Chilly Reception giving it entry on Pokemon like Gholdengo and Ting-Lu, while Future Sight prevents switch-ins like Zamazenta, Dondozo and Skarmory from coming in. Dondozo, Zamazenta and Skarmory can counter Weavile, but Dragapult and Gholdengo can swap into their attacks and force progress; Dragapult threatens heavy damage or burn, while Gholdengo can use these Pokemon to boost with Nasty Plot.
" }, "Choice Band": { "description": "With Choice Band, an excellent STAB combination, high Speed, and an excellent attacking stat, Weavile is a powerful wallbreaker that can act as a revenge killer with Ice Shard and generate progress with Knock Off. Weavile is also able to threaten common Knock Off absorbers such as Clefable, Gliscor, and even Corviknight with Triple Axel. Triple Axel, while a bit unreliable, is capable of OHKOing Ogerpon-W and maximum HP Great Tusk as well as Ting-Lu after a layer of Spikes. Icicle Crash is a possible alternative that dodges contact punishers such as Moltres, Zapdos, and Rocky Helmet users. It's a bit more reliable and comes with a potentially lethal flinch chance; however, the lack of power is very noticeable and means it misses out on the mentioned OHKOs. Ice Shard gives Weavile a priority move that can pick off faster and weakened foes such as Dragapult and Choice Scarf Enamorus. Low Kick is a good coverage option that threatens Kingambit, Kyurem, and Hisuian Samurott. Beat Up is a niche option as a last move that, when paired with partners with high Attack, is a strong contactless move that can potentially do more damage than Knock Off early-game but falls off later when Weavile's team is worn down. Beat Up also lacks the item removal of Knock Off, making it less effective against the likes of Dondozo and Zamazenta, which easily shrug off the damage and won't have to worry about their Heavy-Duty Boots being removed. Tera Ice maximizes Triple Axel's and Ice Shard's damage; this notably grants Triple Axel an OHKO on Kyurem and lets Ice Shard threaten an OHKO on Dragapult.
Choice Band Weavile finds its home on bulky offense and balance teams that contain entry hazard removal. Pairing Weavile with Corviknight, Great Tusk, or Iron Treads is mandatory to alleviate the chip damage from Stealth Rock and Spikes. In return, Weavile can threaten Gholdengo and Pecharunt that would block hazard removal attempts. Special wallbreakers such as Gholdengo and Enamorus can eliminate physical walls like Dondozo and Alomomola, while Weavile can take care of special walls like Blissey, Ting-Lu, and Galarian Slowking. Raging Bolt in particular is a lethal partner for Weavile, as it threatens Corviknight, the previously mentioned bulky Water-types, and Moltres, which all threaten to cripple Weavile. Hazard setters such as Deoxys-S, Hisuian Samurott, Gliscor, and Ting-Lu set hazards that can accumulate chip damage for potential KOs. Notably, Gliscor and Ting-Lu can compensate for Weavile’s lack of defensive utility by providing a solid defense backbone with their typing and bulk. With Knock Off, Weavile can remove Heavy-Duty Boots, which would otherwise mitigate these hazards, from Pokemon like Zamazenta and Cinderace. Weavile also threatens the premier hazard remover, Great Tusk, making it difficult for it to find opportunities to use Rapid Spin, especially when paired with Gholdengo. Knock Off from Weavile also supports other physical wallbreakers such as Kingambit, Zamazenta, and Ogerpon-W by wearing them down and removing the Heavy-Duty Boots of Dondozo, Alomomola, and the like, causing them to further be worn down by hazards. Booster Energy Pokemon such as Iron Valiant and Iron Moth offer a one-time Speed boost to cover the threats that outspeed Weavile such as Dragapult and Zamazenta. They can also follow up on the progress Weavile generated prior with its damage and Knock Off with a potential sweep. Galarian Slowking's pivoting with Chilly Reception along with its ability to check Iron Moth and Iron Valiant makes it a great partner for Weavile. In return, Weavile threatens Ting-Lu, Gholdengo, and Great Tusk, which would otherwise pose a problem for Galarian Slowking. Future Sight is also extremely lethal when paired with Weavile's STAB combination, as Future Sight hits Dark-resistant foes such as Zamazenta and Great Tusk.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 612907, "username": "sequoia"}, {"user_id": 688041, "username": "GrimtheImpy"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 548068, "username": "Setsu"}, {"user_id": 558636, "username": "zastra"}, {"user_id": 349443, "username": "Tysonslayer"}, {"user_id": 633798, "username": "kd458"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 555379, "username": "Tbolt"}, {"user_id": 593115, "username": "igiveuponaname"}, {"user_id": 511181, "username": "Rose"}]}]} }, "Magnezone": {"sets": {"Choice Specs": {}}}, "Gliscor": { "overview": "Gliscor is one of the metagame's most defining Pokemon, able to support its team with its bevy of utility options, including acting as one of the tier's premier entry hazard setters and Knock Off users. It can also take over games with its Swords Dance set. Gliscor possesses incredible longevity due to the valuable Poison Heal and a typing that grants it resilience against all entry hazards; when complemented by its solid bulk, this also gives Gliscor the ability to check common faces like Landorus-T and Cinderace and remain unbothered by prevalent walls like Zapdos, Ting-Lu, and Garganacl. Moreover, once Toxic Orb is triggered, it can shrug off status attempts from Pokemon like Moltres, Alomomola, Pecharunt, and Heatran as well as become a reliable Knock Off absorber against the likes of Clefable, Tornadus-T, and opposing Gliscor. All of these attributes combined give it ample opportunities to set up or disrupt the opposition and outlast its offensive checks and entry hazard removers, with its Swords Dance set also capable of exploiting otherwise stalemate situations against foes like Clefable and opposing Gliscor. Thus, Gliscor is a menace against slower playstyles while simultaneously being a valuable asset for them due to its remarkable role compression, defensive utility, and progress-making capability. Unfortunately, its typing also lends it weaknesses to common threats, such as Water-types like Ogerpon-W and Walking Wake, Ice-types like Kyurem, and even other threats like Dragonite, Darkrai, and Great Tusk that frequently run Ice-type coverage to exploit its debilitating weakness. Ogerpon-W, Darkrai, and Great Tusk in particular are Knock Off users that Gliscor subsequently cannot safely absorb the move from. Similarly, the prominence of other entry hazard removers doesn't help Gliscor's case either; Galarian Weezing and its Neutralizing Gas can turn Gliscor's Poison Heal into a liability, Corviknight doesn't mind any of Gliscor's utility moves and can beat even the Swords Dance set one-on-one with Iron Defense, and the likes of Iron Treads and the aforementioned Great Tusk can pressure Gliscor with their Ice-type coverage short-term as well. Thus, Gliscor heavily relies on Terastallization to do most of its jobs effectively, even more notably for Swords Dance variants before it can clean late-game effectively. Gliscor's middling special bulk can also be quite exploitable by wallbreakers like Raging Bolt, Choice Specs Dragapult, and Nasty Plot Gholdengo even while invested. This is especially true against the fast-paced offensive playstyles that stack setup sweepers together, as Gliscor can get overwhelmed easily with the repeated pressure. Gliscor's lack of immediate and reliable recovery, especially as the tier's setup sweepers can easily take advantage of predicted Protect turns by setting up, makes this more of an issue.
", "comments": "A double dance set with both Swords Dance + Agility can be used alongside Earthquake and Facade on hyper offense teams that utilize dual screens, as it provides Gliscor with multiple setup opportunities and compensates for the lack of extra survivability granted by Protect; the Speed boost from Agility in particular lets it outrun offensive threats like Iron Valiant, Darkrai, Ogerpon-W, and Meowscarada that can revenge kill it or otherwise prevent it from sweeping. Tera Blast Fairy can be used as the coverage of choice alongside Earthquake on the Swords Dance set, as it provides Gliscor with a solid secondary STAB move alongside the defensive advantages of Tera Fairy; Tera Blast Fairy pressures Dragonite and Zamazenta while still hitting most Ground-resistant targets like Ogerpon-W and Zapdos hard, especially as it's complemented by its boosted Earthquake that handles Fairy-resistant targets like Gholdengo, Pecharunt, and Galarian Slowking. The newfound typing lets it take on foes like Dragapult, Ice Spinner Great Tusk, and Ogerpon-W more comfortably. Similarly, Ice Fang is an option alongside Earthquake on the Swords Dance set for near-perfect coverage in just two moves; the move is particularly used for opposing Gliscor, but it's also handy to cover other Ground-resistant Pokemon like Dragonite, Tornadus-T, and Hydrapple. Substitute is an option with maximum Speed investment on Toxic variants to stall out poison turns more easily in conjunction with Protect, particularly letting it beat slower foes like Hydrapple, Great Tusk, and Hisuian Samurott one-on-one that can otherwise dent it quite hard. Toxic Spikes is a niche entry hazard over Spikes or Stealth Rock, specifically used to debilitate highly offensive teams filled with setup sweepers like Zamazenta, Ogerpon-W, Iron Valiant, and Great Tusk, as they tend to not switch around often for its other hazards to be as valuable. Dual Wingbeat gives Swords Dance Gliscor a solid and non-Tera reliant STAB move, notably hitting the likes of Hydrapple, Ogerpon-W, Great Tusk, and Zamazenta.
", "sets": { "Swords Dance": { "description": "Facade takes advantage of Gliscor's Poison Heal to give it a strong neutral attack against common foes like Ogerpon-W, Zapdos, Dragonite, and Alomomola. Knock Off allows it to force progress early-game, crippling many manner of foes like Dondozo, Ting-Lu, Zapdos, and Terastallized Garganacl while giving it the coverage to hit Facade-immune targets like Gholdengo, Pecharunt, and Dragapult. However, particularly on teams with sufficient Knock Off users, Earthquake can be used for a solid STAB option that can immediately dent Raging Bolt, Iron Moth, and Steel-types like Kingambit at the cost of being completely walled by Air Balloon Pecharunt and Gholdengo if running it alongside Facade. Protect provides it with the free turn of Poison Heal recovery and Toxic Orb activation, but it's also helpful to scout for double switches and Choice item users like Gholdengo, Darkrai, and Iron Valiant. On top of further boosting its Facade, Gliscor greatly appreciates Tera Normal's immunity to Ghost-type attacks, most notably Hex from Dragapult and Gholdengo looking to turn Gliscor's Poison Heal into a liability. Its neutral typing against most threats is also helpful to handle foes like Kyurem and offensive Knock Off users like Weavile, non-Close Combat Great Tusk, and Darkrai better. While less effective, other Tera types can be considered to cover various threats as necessary. Tera Dark provides a crucial immunity to Psychic Noise from foes like Galarian Slowking and Hoopa-U while still letting it take on Hex users like Dragapult and Gholdengo, with the added benefit of boosting its Knock Off. Tera Fairy is an overall strong and neutral defensive typing that notably grants it a Dark resistance and Dragon immunity, being handy against foes like Hisuian Samurott and Dragapult. Tera Water flips Gliscor's matchup against Ice- and Water-types such as Weavile and Walking Wake defensively while letting it take on Fire-type Pokemon like Iron Moth and Cinderace more comfortably as well. Tera Dragon's Water resistance is also an option to match up better against Ogerpon-W while similarly resisting the Fire-types moves from the aforementioned Fire-types. A specially defensive spread allows Gliscor to better handle common offensive threats like Iron Valiant, Dragapult, Raging Bolt, and Iron Moth, with the 36 Defense EVs letting it comfortably survive Ogerpon-W's Ivy Cudgel from full health. Gliscor can opt for more Speed investment at the cost of bulk, such as running 244 HP / 168 SpD / 96 Spe to outrun Raging Bolt. Going all the way with 244 HP / 12 Atk / 252 Spe and a Jolly nature is a nicher option to Speed tie Kyurem and get the jump on Landorus-T, Great Tusk, and Hisuian Samurott at the cost of even lesser bulk, notably being easier to be overwhelmed by foes like Iron Valiant and Iron Moth. A physically defensive spread of 244 HP / 252 Def / 12 SpD with an Impish gives Gliscor the ability to better handle foes like Zamazenta, Cinderace, and Great Tusk.
Swords Dance Gliscor best fits on teams that need to break balance structures, most prominently teams that utilize multiple Heavy-Duty Boots users. Gliscor enjoys being a part of Spikes-stacking teams that need guaranteed progress against opposing Heavy-Duty Boots spam teams, which Spikes-stacking teams usually lose to. As a result, Ting-Lu and Skarmory are great teammates, as they can set up entry hazards and directly complement Gliscor defensively. Gholdengo also pairs well, preventing Defog and hindering the removal of hazards. However, Gliscor's lack of Toxic or hazards makes it exert less pressure long-term, prevents it from placing opposing Pokemon on a timer such as Ting-Lu and Great Tusk, and means it cannot punish any switch-ins to it with a Toxic. Teammates such as Weavile and Choice Specs Dragapult help Gliscor's lack of pressure with great upfront damage. Swords Dance Gliscor is also unable to deal with the common Iron Defense Skarmory on balance teams or muscle through common defensive walls such as Dondozo and Corviknight; however, access to Knock Off allows it remove their items at the very least, which could be helpful in the long run for Gliscor's teammates. Teammates such as Cinderace and Rotom-W are great with Swords Dance Gliscor, as they can beat the fatter Pokemon that Gliscor is unable to muscle through, such as the aforementioned Skarmory, Ting-Lu, and Corviknight. Gholdengo and Ogerpon-W are also good options, as they are able to turn threats such as Skarmory and Dondozo into setup fodder.
" }, "Utility": { "description": "Gliscor can set multiple layers of Spikes throughout a game, making it the preferred entry hazard to run, but it can also serve as a good Stealth Rock setter for offensive teams that aren't reliant on stacking multiple entry hazards to force progress or teams that prefers a different Spiker instead. Knock Off most notably removes Heavy-Duty Boots from a litany of Pokemon that include the likes of Alomomola, Kyurem, and Ting-Lu to render them vulnerable to Gliscor's entry hazards. Earthquake boasts solid coverage by preventing Iron Treads and Cinderace from removing Gliscor's entry hazards, flipping an otherwise losing matchup against Galarian Weezing, letting Gliscor check Raging Bolt and Iron Moth, preventing Kingambit and Gholdengo from using Gliscor as setup fodder, and even pressuring Toxic-immune foes like Galarian Slowking and Clodsire. These moves have good synergy together, as Knock Off can pop Air Balloon from an opposing Tinkaton, Gholdengo, Kingambit, or Pecharunt to pressure them with Earthquake thereafter. Toxic covers a huge slew of matchups, as it racks up enormous amounts of passive damage against Zamazenta lacking Substitute or Rest, walls like Ting-Lu and Alomomola, entry hazard removal like Great Tusk, and threats like Kyurem and Ogerpon-W attempting to switch in. U-turn allows Gliscor to serve as a bulky pivot, allowing it to gain momentum against predicted switches into opposing Gliscor, defensive Gholdengo, and Clefable; this option excels on bulky offense teams, since Gliscor can pivot powerful wallbreakers in against these defensive answers. Protect is a versatile tool on Gliscor by allowing it to safely activate its Toxic Orb, gain free passive healing from Poison Heal thereafter, rack up free Toxic damage, and even scout options from Choice item users like Kyurem, Gholdengo, and Dragapult. Though Gliscor's typing is extremely good defensively, Tera Water flips its Ice and Water weaknesses against foes like Weavile, Ice Spinner Dragonite, and Walking Wake, and Tera Fairy assists it against Dark-type attacks like Kingambit's Sucker Punch and Dragon-type attacks like Dragapult's and Raging Bolt's Draco Meteor. Tera Dragon is a solid Water-resistant option to resist Ogerpon-W's STAB moves, and Tera Ghost is worth considering to allow Gliscor to spinblock against opposing Great Tusk and Iron Treads while serving as an answer to IronPress Zamazenta and Tera Normal Dragonite. Tera Dark is yet another strong alternative, as it provides Gliscor with all of an immunity to Psychic Noise, a resistance to Hex from the likes of Dragapult and Gholdengo, and STAB on Knock Off. A specially defensive spread with a Careful nature lets Gliscor handle Iron Valiant, Iron Moth, and Raging Bolt quite effectively while effectively walling Moltres, Clefable, and Pecharunt, with 36 Defense EVs allowing Gliscor to survive Ogerpon-W's Ivy Cudgel from full HP. If it is being used as a team's dedicated Raging Bolt answer, Gliscor can opt to run a spread of 244 HP / 168 SpD / 96 Speed alongside Toxic or Earthquake to outspeed Raging Bolt and pressure it. Alternatively, a physically defensive spread with an Impish nature serves Gliscor better against Cinderace, Great Tusk, Kingambit, and Zamazenta.
Gliscor works best on bulky balance and stall teams. Corviknight is an exceptional partner for Gliscor; it can check physical attackers like Weavile and most Dragonite sets with an Iron Defense set. On stall teams, Blissey is a mandatory teammate, as it can stomach extremely powerful special attacks from Kyurem, Raging Bolt, Darkrai, and Iron Moth and greatly benefits from Gliscor's Toxic to wear the former three down even more quickly. Blissey and Ting-Lu can also opt to run Stealth Rock, making it extremely easy for Gliscor to run Spikes. Both Blissey and Ting-Lu also benefit greatly from Gliscor's ability to stomach Fighting-type attacks from Zamazenta and Iron Valiant, and their special bulk allows Gliscor to run a physically defensive spread to better check Kingambit. Galarian Weezing is another phenomenal partner for Gliscor; Neutralizing Gas turns Gliscor's stalemate matchups against Magic Guard Clefable poisoned by Toxic and opposing Gliscor into favorable ones with a single well-timed switch into Galarian Weezing. Galarian Weezing also cripples physical attackers like Ogerpon-W and Weavile with Will-O-Wisp and can even status the likes of Garganacl and Gholdengo in a pinch, while Gliscor can handle Ground-types like Landorus-T and Iron Treads that can severely threaten Galarian Weezing. Because opposing Galarian Weezing can also be problematic for Gliscor, it appreciates teammates like Moltres and Gholdengo that can switch into Galarian Weezing. Gliscor is threatened by physical boosters like Dragonite, Kingambit, Swords Dance Weavile, and Swords Dance Gliscor; Dondozo does an excellent job at keeping these attackers at bay thanks to Unaware and Curse. Toxapex is another excellent teammate for Gliscor; it helps check Walking Wake and can run Toxic Spikes or Toxic, letting Gliscor more easily forego Toxic itself. Gliscor's support is also invaluable for offensive staples on balance teams like Weavile, Darkrai, Lokix, and Walking Wake; all of these attackers benefit from Gliscor's entry hazards, especially alongside Gliscor's or even their own Knock Off support; if Gliscor parters with Pokemon that can use Knock Off themselves, then it can drop the move more freely. On more offensively-leaning teams, Gliscor's reliability as an entry hazard setter and Knock Off user, as well as its pivoting capabilities with U-turn, can support late-game sweeps for Zamazenta and Dragon Dance Dragonite, which appreciate the long-term progress Gliscor can force against the likes of Moltres, Zapdos, and some Gholdengo variants. In return, Dragonite can effectively check Ogerpon-W for Gliscor, while Zamazenta can outspeed and threaten the likes of Ogerpon-W, Kyurem, Darkrai, and Weavile. Gliscor is greatly threatened by extremely powerful special attackers like Kyurem and Walking Wake, so bulky pivots like Galarian Slowking and Assault Vest Alomomola are solid teammates on balance teams that can check these and safely pivot Gliscor in. Galarian Slowking in particular forces even more chip damage onto the opposing team with Future Sight and Toxic. Gholdengo can also serve as an effective Kyurem check in a pinch. Dondozo and Curse Garganacl completely wall Gliscor and use it as setup fodder, so teammates that can pressure it, such as Ogerpon-W, Raging Bolt, and Kyurem, make for strong teammates on balance teams. Pecharunt is also an excellent teammate, especially for Gliscor sets that forego Toxic, that can check physical attackers like Ogerpon-W and Dragon Dance Dragonite while simultaneously pressuring Dondozo. In return, Gliscor puts a lot of pressure on Ting-Lu, which Pecharunt appreciates.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 408271, "username": "Dreadfury"}, {"user_id": 493260, "username": "Marnie"}, {"user_id": 499397, "username": "Arc"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 493260, "username": "Marnie"}, {"user_id": 518682, "username": "alkazoth"}, {"user_id": 548068, "username": "Setsu"}, {"user_id": 367494, "username": "Morkal"}, {"user_id": 408271, "username": "Dreadfury"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 384270, "username": "autumn"}, {"user_id": 555379, "username": "Tbolt"}]}]} }, "Mamoswine": {"sets": {"Choice Band": {}}}, "Rotom-Wash": { "sets": { "Defensive Pivot": { "description": "Rotom-W is a defensive pivot that takes advantage of its good defensive typing and ability, providing it with a crucial immunity to Spikes even after Terastallizing for it to switch around freely and letting it bring in a teammate more safely. Hydro Pump synergizes well with Volt Switch, punishing Ground-types like Ting-Lu and Great Tusk attempting to block it. Pain Split serves as a semi-reliable recovery option that lets it more consistently check threats like Great Tusk, Gliscor, and Darkrai throughout the course of a game. It also uses defensive Pokemon like Galarian Slowking and Blissey as an opportunity to get back to full health due to the large differences in health. Will-O-Wisp cripples physical threats like Kingambit and Dragonite while punishing the likes of Ogerpon-W and Rillaboom from switching in. Leftovers is run to give Rotom-W additional passive recovery, but Rocky Helmet can also be used on physically defensive sets in order to punish contact attackers like Landorus-T, Cinderace, and Zamazenta. 44 Speed EVs allow Rotom-W to outspeed Jolly Kingambit. Tera Steel is used to gain a Toxic immunity, letting it completely wall Pokemon like Galarian Slowking, Gliscor, and Clodsire, and makes use of Levitate to wall foes like Kyurem, Dragonite, and Enamorus without Fire coverage.
Rotom-W best fits on balance and bulky offense teams utilizing pivoting cores like Landorus-T on bulky offense and Galarian Slowking on balance to make progress. Rotom-W is able to threaten Gliscor and Corviknight for Landorus-T, and Landorus-T is able to alleviate the Raging Bolt matchup, as well as checking Zamazenta. Rotom-W helps Galarian Slowking by switching into Ground-types like Landorus-T and Great Tusk that Galarian Slowking hates facing, and Galarian Slowking is able to check threats such as Kyurem's special attacking variants, Ogerpon, and Serperior for it. Gliscor is able to set Spikes, which stacks up chip alongside Rotom-W's frequent pivoting, and Swords Dance variants greatly appreciate Rotom-W being able to take on Corviknight and Skarmory for it. Bulky Grass-types like Amoonguss and Sinistcha are excellent partners because they are able to take on Ogerpon-W, which can switch in on Hydro Pump and threaten Rotom-W with Power Whip or Encore. Rotom-W is able to return the favor by checking Weavile and Fire-types like Heatran and Moltres for them. Garganacl is another good partner for Rotom-W, as Rotom-W can threaten Ground-types like Great Tusk and Ting-Lu that Garganacl struggles against, while Garganacl can stack chip damage through Stealth Rock and Salt Cure, as well as checking threats like Dragapult and Kyurem. Ting-Lu fits with physically defensive Rotom-W on balance teams to check Ghost-types like Gholdengo and Dragapult, since Dragapult resists both of Rotom-W's STAB moves and can threaten it back with Choice Specs-boosted Draco Meteor or Shadow Ball, while Gholdengo has enough natural special bulk to avoid the 2HKO from Hydro Pump and is immune to Rotom-W's status moves. Dragapult and Gholdengo themselves work well with Rotom-W because it can spread status effectively for both Pokemon to fire off boosted Hex later, which is especially good since Rotom-W also cripples Dark-types like Kingambit and Darkrai. Tinkaton can also work well with Rotom-W as a hazard setter that can punish setup sweepers and check Kyurem without needing to use Terastallization on Rotom-W.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 518682, "username": "alkazoth"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 616497, "username": "FayaWizard"}, {"user_id": 487308, "username": "BT89"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 262594, "username": "Milak"}]}]} }, "Heatran": { "sets": { "Offensive": { "description": "Heatran is a fearsome wallbreaker capable of easily shutting down defensive teams, leveraging its defensive profile to find multiple opportunities to switch in and wreak havoc. Magma Storm is a powerful Fire-type STAB move that can trap Pokemon like Blissey and Toxapex. Earth Power allows Heatran to hit Fire-types that would otherwise resist Magma Storm such as Iron Moth, Skeledirge, and opposing Leftovers Heatran. Taunt completely shuts down recovery from defensive Pokemon that would otherwise withstand its offensive assault such as Galarian Slowking and Blissey, and it allows Heatran to beat each of these Pokemon 1-on-1 in tandem with Magma Storm. Stealth Rock can be considered in the last slot, as Heatran's consistency in forcing switches can give it a free turn to set up Stealth Rock; however, Will-O-Wisp can be used to hinder switch-ins such as Dragonite and Ting-Lu that would otherwise freely switch in against Heatran. A Timid nature lets Heatran outspeed and threaten Choice Band Rillaboom, in addition to quickly burning Adamant Dragonite with Will-O-Wisp, though a Modest nature could be considered to guarantee an OHKO on bulky Kingambit variants. Tera Grass flips Heatran's matchup against Water- and Ground-types such as Hisuian Samurott and Landorus-T and synergizes very well with Flash Fire; Tera Ghost grants Heatran a crucial Fighting immunity that can help against Zamazenta, in addition to blocking Rapid Spin from the likes of Great Tusk and Iron Treads. Leftovers provides Heatran with passive recovery and allows it to stick around over the course of the match; Air Balloon could also be used to provide Heatran with a temporary Ground immunity, letting it safely switch into Landorus-T and opposing Heatran.
Heatran fits primarily on offense and bulky offense teams where it excels in ripping apart defensive cores for its teammates to exploit. Special sweepers such as Primarina and Raging Bolt greatly enjoy Heatran trapping and removing their checks, particularly Blissey. In return, Primarina discourages Ground-type switch-ins such as Landorus-T and Ting-Lu, while Raging Bolt can force out Water-types like Barraskewda and Hisuian Samurott. Rillaboom is another fantastic teammate for Heatran that not only provides it with extra passive recovery and more resistance against Earthquake but can form a formidable offensive core with it, with Rillaboom capable of handling Ground- and Water-types such as Great Tusk and Ogerpon-W and Heatran taking advantage of Rillaboom's switch-ins like Corviknight and Skeledirge, alongside setting Stealth Rock to spread chip damage for both itself and Rillaboom. Additionally, some of Rillaboom's teammates like Hawlucha and Hatterene appreciate Heatran removing their checks via Magma Storm, allowing them to more easily sweep late-game, while both Pokemon can force out Ground- and Fighting-types like Great Tusk and Zamazenta. Lastly, Heatran enjoys Rapid Spin support from Great Tusk removing entry hazards that cut into its longevity, and it also enjoys having a check to Dragonite. In exchange, Heatran can easily switch in on and threaten Pokemon such as Meowscarada, Weavile, and Calm Mind Iron Valiant that Great Tusk struggles against.
" }, "Specially Defensive": { "description": "Specially defensive Heatran is a useful glue Pokemon that can stallbreak, set entry hazards, spread status, and check notable special attackers like Gholdengo, Hatterene, and Galarian Slowking. Magma Storm in conjunction with Taunt lets Heatran one-on-one walls like Galarian Slowking, Blissey, and Toxapex, trapping and preventing them from pivoting and healing in the process. Lava Plume gives it a more reliable STAB move that can cripple checks and would-be switchins like Ting-Lu, Ogerpon-W, Dragonite, and Hisuian Samurott. Earth Power is a much-needed coverage move to hit Pokemon like Iron Moth, Glimmora, Raging Bolt, Toxapex, and opposing Heatran super effectively. Taunt has the added benefit of preventing setup from both slower hazard setters like Clefable and Ting-Lu and slower setup sweepers like Terastallized Kingambit and Primarina. Stealth Rock is an extremely good fit since Heatran threatens common forms of hazard removal like Corviknight and prevents Great Tusk and Iron Treads from switching. It is also able to punish Hatterene from switching in to deflect Stealth Rock back with Magic Bounce since it is unable to hit Heatran back for any notable damage. If there's another Stealth Rock setter on the team, Will-O-Wisp can be used as a way to spread burns, particularly on sets that forgo Lava Plume, and it most notably lets Heatran neutralize Kingambit safely by bypassing its Sucker Punch. Will-O-Wisp also pairs with Magma Storm quite nicely by stacking up further chip damage. 40 Speed EVs allow Heatran to outspeed Adamant Kingambit so it can secure a Magma Storm or Will-O-Wisp on it before it can retaliate. 4 Defense EVs guarantees Heatran will live an Earthquake from Clodsire. Leftovers gives Heatran much-needed longevity, but Air Balloon is also a good choice to allow Heatran to come in on Ground-types such as Landorus-T, Gliscor, and Clodsire, especially as they might not have the move to pop the item; makes Heatran immune to Spikes, allowing it to come in much more safely against hazard stacking teams; lets Heatran emergency check Dragonite, non-Close Combat Great Tusk, Kyurem, and Enamorus. Flash Fire gives Heatran a Fire-type immunity to check Iron Moth and Cinderace and letting it better handle even the occasional Fire coverage from Dragonite, Kyurem, and, with Air Balloon, Enamorus and its Earth Power. Flame Body threatens burns against contact attackers such as Weavile, Meowscarada, and Rillaboom. Tera Grass allows Heatran to remove its weaknesses to Water- and Ground-type attacks so it can wall Water-types like Dondozo and Ogerpon-W and Ground-types like Clodsire, Ting-Lu, and Gliscor. Tera Grass also works well with Flash Fire to mitigate its newfound Fire weakness. Tera Ghost is used to remove its weakness to Fighting-type attacks so it can wall Zamazenta, particulary punshing if it runs Flame Body. Tera Ghost also gives it a Normal immunity, preventing Great Tusk from using Rapid Spin on it to remove its Stealth Rock and, if paired with Air Balloon, outright walling Dragonite if its only attacks are Extreme Speed and Earthquake or Fire Punch. Tera Fairy is also worth mentioning as a niche option to check physical attackers like Zamazenta without the Dark weakness from foes like Meowscarada and Hisuian Samurott.
Heatran is best used on Grassy Terrain bulky offense teams that appreciate its ability to check Fire-types while also being a great progress maker itself. Rillaboom is by far its best teammate, as they both have near-perfect synergy with each other; Rillaboom's Grassy Terrain not only provides additional recovery for it on top of Leftovers, it also weakens Earthquake from common Ground-types like Gliscor and Landorus-T. Rillaboom itself also threatens the Water- and Ground-types that constantly give Heatran trouble, like Gliscor, Alomomola, and Ogerpon-W, and brings in Heatran safely on its checks like Skarmory and Corviknight with U-turn. In return, Heatran is able to check Fire-types Rillaboom doesn't want to face, like Skeledirge and opposing Heatran. Great Tusk is another stellar teammate since Heatran is extremely weak to entry hazards, so its hazard removal support is much appreciated. Hatterene is a teammate that can prevent hazards from being set up altogether thanks to Magic Bounce and wall Gliscor in Grassy Terrain, which is super useful since Heatran often struggles to check numerous threats consistently when Spikes are on the field. Grassy Terrain sweepers like Hawlucha, Ogerpon-W, and Raging Bolt love Heatran's ability to wear down bulkier Pokemon like Skeledirge, Galarian Slowking, Dondozo, and Ting-Lu so they can clean up late-game. On bulkier teams, Alomomola is a fitting teammate for it since its Wish support allows Heatran to stay alive for a prolonged period of time, and its typing checks common physical Water-types like Barraskewda and Hisuian Samurott. Spikers like Hisuian Samurott, Gliscor, and Ting-Lu all work well with Heatran since they have good synergy typing-wise and their Spikes increases the potency of Magma Storm + Will-O-Wisp pressure. They can also form a hazard stacking core together with Stealth Rock Heatran.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 518682, "username": "alkazoth"}, {"user_id": 584916, "username": "viivian"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 177111, "username": "Magcargo"}, {"user_id": 487308, "username": "BT89"}, {"user_id": 384270, "username": "autumn"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 470115, "username": "SolarBeam"}, {"user_id": 493260, "username": "Marnie"}]}]} }, "Cresselia": { "sets": { "Utility": { "description": "Cresselia leverages its fantastic bulk and support options to have an interesting niche in the tier, checking threats such as Zamazenta and Iron Valiant while supporting its teammates with paralysis and Lunar Dance. Lunar Dance is crucial on this set, allowing Cresselia to knock itself out in a pinch and escape bad matchups like Kingambit and Gholdengo while healing an ally to full health. Ice Beam allows Cresselia to super effectively hit Pokemon such as Dragonite, Landorus-T, and Gliscor. Moonblast is an alternative option, letting Cresselia avoid being walled by Dark-types such as Darkrai and Hisuian Samurott. Cresselia can also opt to use Psychic to better deal with Pokemon like Zamazenta and Great Tusk. Thunder Wave serves to cripple foes that Cresselia couldn't otherwise deal with such as Ogerpon-W, Dragapult, Darkrai, and Tornadus-T. Moonlight keeps Cresselia healthy, letting it consistently check Pokemon such as Great Tusk. Eject Button allows Cresselia to pivot once, preventing the loss of momentum from directly switching out. Because it's a consumable item, Eject Button has the additional benefit of weakening Knock Off from strong attackers such as Swords Dance Gliscor and Meowscarada. Rocky Helmet is an alternative choice, punishing contact moves such as Rapid Spin from Great Tusk and Iron Treads, Flip Turn from Alomomola, and the ever-present U-turn from foes like Landorus-T, Corviknight, Cinderace, and Moltres. It also prevents Ice Beam Cresselia from losing to Iron Defense Zamazenta, since Cresselia cannot deal meaningful damage otherwise. Steel is the preferred Tera type, turning Cresselia's weakness to U-turn into a resistance and making it immune to Toxic. Additionally, Tera Steel synergizes well with its ability, allowing Cresselia to wall Pokemon such as Kyurem and Gliscor while improving its matchup against Dragonite. Tera Fairy is another option that allows Cresselia to resist Dark-type moves such as the prevalent Knock Off from Pokemon like Tyranitar and Meowscarada as well as Darkrai's Dark Pulse, boost Moonblast's damage output, and still resist U-turn.
Cresselia best fits on fast-paced teams that appreciate its support options while making up for its general passivity. It notably synergizes well with sun teams, as setters like Torkoal and Ninetales are very susceptible to chip damage from entry hazards, while teammates that take advantage of the sun such as Life Orb Venusaur, Great Tusk, Raging Bolt, and Walking Wake get regularly chipped down by trading attacks and taking damage from hazards. Therefore, Lunar Dance support is very much appreciated. Eject Button is preferred to allow Cresselia to perform the role of a safe pivot, giving a free switch to the aforementioned sun teammates, which is invaluable given the limited sun turns. In return, the weather boosts Moonlight's healing to absurd levels, allowing Cresselia to consistently stay healthy until Lunar Dance is needed. Cresselia synergizes well with more than just sun teams; Dark-types such as Kingambit, Darkrai, and Hisuian Samurott all appreciate Cresselia checking Fighting-type Pokemon like Zamazenta and Iron Valiant. In return, these Dark-types support Cresselia by switching into Ghost- and Dark-types moves, such as Gholdengo's and Dragapult's Shadow Ball and Knock Off from Pokemon like Hisuian Samurott and Tyranitar. Ogerpon-W appreciates Cresselia paralyzing foes that would usually outspeed it, such as Cinderace, Dragapult, Tornadus-T, and Booster Energy Iron Moth, as well as Lunar Dance support, since Ogerpon-W is susceptible to hazards and other forms of chip damage. Particularly, Cresselia can hit Dragon-types like Dragonite and Hydrapple with Ice Beam and Kyurem with Moonblast; these Pokemon can switch in on and threaten Ogerpon-W. Cresselia also handles opposing Ogerpon-W, taking its STAB moves and crippling them in return with Thunder Wave. In return, Ogerpon-W can deal with bulky Ground-type Pokemon that can switch into Thunder Wave and shrug off Cresselia's attacks, such as Ting-Lu, Iron Treads, and Ursaluna. Cresselia also makes for a great partner for Raging Bolt, as it can switch into Ground-type attacks such as Great Tusk's Headlong Rush and Earthquake from foes such as Gliscor and Dragonite. Paralysis support allows Raging Bolt to outspeed opposing Dragon-types like Dragapult, Kyurem, and Walking Wake and eliminate them with its Dragon-type STAB options. Thunder Wave can also slow down other foes, such as Enamorus, Iron Valiant, and Zamazenta, removing Raging Bolt's reliance on Thunderclap. In return, Raging Bolt can check Zapdos, which blocks Thunder Wave, and bulky Water-types that don't mind paralysis, such as Alomomola and Dondozo. Cresselia is on the passive side, which leaves it vulnerable to being setup fodder for Pokemon such as Gholdengo, Raging Bolt, and Substitute Zamazenta. Teammates that deal with such threats, such as Encore Iron Valiant, Roar Zamazenta, and Whirlwind Ting-Lu, are greatly appreciated by Cresselia. In a similar vein, Kingambit can easily set up on Cresselia and threaten it with Dark-type STAB options, so allies that check Kingambit such as Great Tusk and Zamazenta are valuable.
" }, "Trick Room Setter": { "description": "Cresselia functions as a niche Trick Room setter due to its excellent natural bulk that allows it to get off Trick Room reliably across a game, as well as its access to supporting moves such as Lunar Dance, which allows Cresselia to safely bring in its teammates to take advantage of Trick Room more easily while also healing them, and restoring their PP to give them more opportunities for a late-game sweep. Moonlight lets Cresselia leverage its excellent bulk to set Trick Room more reliably. Ice Beam is used in order to hit Ground-types such as Landorus-T and Gliscor, while Moonblast allows Cresselia to pressure Dark-type switch-ins such as Darkrai and Hisuian Samurott. Mental Herb allows Cresselia to bypass Taunt from Pokemon such as Landorus-T and Deoxys-S. Tera Poison gives Cresselia a solid defensive typing, removing its weakness to U-turn and giving it an immunity to poison, greatly improving its longevity while also pairing well with Levitate, while Tera Fairy removes Cresselia's Dark weakness and powers up its Moonblast, allowing it to flip common matchups against threats such as the aforementioned Darkrai, which it can now 2HKO.
Cresselia's ability to set Trick Room is greatly appreciated by slow, bulky wallbreakers such as Ursaluna, Iron Hands, and Kingambit, all of which find opportunities to break under Trick Room easily with their low Speed. Iron Hands is able to break down common defensive pieces such as Alomomola and Gliscor, which would otherwise stall out Trick Room turns, with its STAB combination and Ice Punch. Iron Hands also provides Cresselia with a switch-in against common Dark-type threats such as Kingambit, Darkrai, and Hisuian Samurott. Kingambit also handles Darkrai as well as handling Gholdengo. Other excellent partners under Trick Room include Raging Bolt and Enamorus-T, due to their low Speed, high bulk, and ability to break through defensive Pokemon, with the former dealing with certain Steel-types such as Corviknight and Skarmory and the latter threatening Dark-types such as Ting-Lu. Cresselia also appreciates other Trick Room setters to set it multiple times in a game; Hatterene is its best partner, due to its ability to deny entry hazards from Pokemon such as Great Tusk and Ting-Lu. In return, Cresselia can use Lunar Dance in order to keep Hatterene alive so it can continue to deny hazards and set Trick Room again. Lunar Dance is also able to heal teammates such as Iron Hands and Kingambit after a burn and allow Ursaluna to stay alive and break for longer. Cresselia also finds itself vulnerable to Ghost-types such as Dragapult, Gholdengo, and Pecharunt, meaning checks such as Hoopa-U, Assault Vest Hisuian Samurott, and Ting-Lu are appreciated. Ting-Lu also sets Stealth Rock, chipping down defensive pieces for some of the aforementioned Trick Room sweepers to make the most of the turns Cresselia can give. Faster partners include Iron Valiant, Zamazenta, and Ogerpon-Wellspring, with the former two threatening Dark-types for Cresselia, while in return, Cresselia is able to keep them healthy using Lunar Dance.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 632421, "username": "Medasus"}, {"user_id": 658341, "username": "Hittite Jumpscare"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 518682, "username": "alkazoth"}, {"user_id": 612443, "username": "ninth"}, {"user_id": 633798, "username": "kd458"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 555379, "username": "Tbolt"}, {"user_id": 653095, "username": "FavMon=Garchomp"}, {"user_id": 649096, "username": "a blue banana"}]}]} }, "Manaphy": { "sets": { "Tail Glow": { "description": "Tail Glow Manaphy puts the spotlight on the power of Tail Glow combined with Manaphy's deep movepool, transforming it into a powerful wallbreaker. With a single Tail Glow, Manaphy's Surf washes away common walls, 2HKOing Ting-Lu, Galarian Slowking, and Assault Vest Iron Crown, as well as threatening to OHKO offensive threats like Great Tusk and Iron Moth without a boost. Alternatively, Scald trades damage for a chance to burn targets like Kingambit and Meowscarada, punishing their attempts to switch into Manaphy, and defensive checks like Primarina. Alluring Voice threatens Hisuian Samurott and Dragon-types like Raging Bolt, Dragonite, and Kyurem as well as punishing setup opportunities. Substitute allows Manaphy to set up comfortably on status spreaders like Galarian Slowking and Tera Water Gliscor, avoid Salt Cure from Garganacl, and punish Thunderclap and Sucker Punch from Raging Bolt and Kingambit. Energy Ball slams Water-resistant foes like Primarina, Tera Water Garganacl, Assault Vest Alomomola, and Terastallized Ogerpon-W hard. Rest can also be used on rain teams, taking advantage of Hydration to give it much-needed longevity to keep wallbreaking against bulky teams. While the recovery from Leftovers is generally preferred, Covert Cloak is an option to let Manaphy set up freely on the likes of Garganacl's Salt Cure and Galarian Slowking's Sludge Bomb. Tera Fairy boosts the power of its Alluring Voice and eases the matchup against threats like Kyurem, Dragapult, Zamazenta, Ogerpon-W, and Raging Bolt.
With its sheer power but middling Speed, Manaphy slots best as a wallbreaker on offensive teams, such as Sticky Web and rain builds. Araquanid is a natural partner as the cornerstone of the Sticky Web archetype, with its Sticky Web allowing Manaphy to outspeed all threats besides Deoxys-S and Heavy-Duty Boots users like Zamazenta, giving many opportunities for setup and sweeping. Ribombee is another solid Sticky Web setter with better matchups against threats like Raging Bolt and Kyurem, which Araquanid can struggle with. Gholdengo and Raging Bolt greatly appreciate Manaphy's excellent matchup against Ting-Lu, while the former threatens Kyurem and Iron Valiant as well as preserving the entry hazards that enable Manaphy, and the latter threatens Ogerpon-W, Tera Water Garganacl, and Toxapex. Physical attackers like Kingambit and Dragonite pair well with Manaphy, with both taking advantage of Manaphy's wallbreaking against walls like Zamazenta, Corviknight, and Dondozo to clean the weakened teams left in its wake. On rain teams, Pelipper is a must-have as the only viable Drizzle user in the tier, boosting Manaphy's already powerful Surf to new heights, such as OHKOing Ting-Lu after a Tail Glow boost. Pelipper's Drizzle also enables Manaphy's Hydration, washing away status effects that might otherwise cripple it. Darkrai and Iron Valiant especially appreciate Manaphy weakening walls like Primarina, Ting-Lu for the former, and Galarian Slowking for the latter, while Iron Valiant beats Kyurem, and Darkrai threatens Ogerpon-W. In general, hazard removal from a Pokemon like Great Tusk or Iron Treads is useful as well, ensuring Manaphy can switch in repeatedly without fear of hazards, as well as checking Raging Bolt. Stealth Rock setters like the aforementioned Great Tusk and Iron Treads as well as Landorus-T and Glimmora are also appreciated by Manaphy, wearing down switch-ins like Ogerpon-W to ease Manaphy's sweep. In addition, Landorus-T and Iron Treads can safely bring Manaphy in through U-turn and Volt Switch, respectively, while Glimmora can clear Toxic Spikes.
" }, "Take Heart": { "description": "Take Heart Manaphy takes advantage of Manaphy's decent bulk and strong arsenal of boosting moves to power its way through weakened teams. Take Heart and Acid Armor form a potent combination that allows Manaphy to quickly become unassailable and snowball through unprepared teams, especially with Take Heart clearing status that would normally cripple it, such as from Pokemon like Galarian Slowking and Gliscor. Scald complements the set excellently as a reliable STAB option that can burn threats Manaphy can struggle with like Kingambit, allowing it to set up on these foes, while wearing down phazers like Ting-Lu and Moltres, which can stop Manaphy's sweep. Stored Power works well with its boosting antics and threatens the vast majority of the tier, slamming the likes of Kyurem, Zamazenta, Raging Bolt, and Ogerpon-W hard. 216 Speed EVs with a Timid nature ensure Manaphy outspeeds Kyurem, with the rest invested into bulk to maximize Manaphy's survivability. Tera Poison makes it less reliant on Take Heart to deal with Toxic, flips its Grass resistance against foes like Rillaboom, and gives it a better matchup against the likes of Zamazenta and Iron Valiant. Tera Dragon keeps the crucial Grass-type resistance, particularly against Ogerpon-W, while also being handy against foes like Zapdos.
While powerful with enough boosts, Take Heart Manaphy can struggle to gain said boosts due to its middling Speed and bulk, so it works best on hyper offense teams like dual screens and Sticky Web builds, which make up for these shortcomings. On Aurora Veil teams, Alolan Ninetales is a natural partner as the only OU-viable setter, giving Manaphy much greater ease in setting up with the added bulk as well as threatening Ogerpon-W and Raging Bolt. Sweepers like Iron Moth and Darkrai work well with Manaphy, weakening teams and overwhelming shared checks like Tera Water Garganacl and Tera Water Ting-Lu, clearing a path for Manaphy to sweep late-game. Similarly, bulkier options like Zamazenta and Swords Dance Gliscor act as great fallbacks, with Zamazenta taking on Ogerpon-W and Kyurem and Gliscor checking Raging Bolt. On Sticky Web teams, Araquanid is the premier setter and is thus a must-have partner for Manaphy. Teammates like Gholdengo and Raging Bolt synergize well with Manaphy, with both threatening Rillaboom, the former checking Kyurem and Iron Valiant while keeping Sticky Web on the field, and the latter beating Ogerpon-W and Primarina. Physical sweepers like Dragonite and Great Tusk also are appreciated by Manaphy; the former checks Ogerpon-W and wears down teams for a late-game sweep, while the latter offers entry hazard removal to ensure Manaphy can maximize its bulk, as well as a check to Raging Bolt.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 616497, "username": "FayaWizard"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 612443, "username": "ninth"}, {"user_id": 177111, "username": "Magcargo"}, {"user_id": 571069, "username": "Dead by Daylight"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 649096, "username": "a blue banana"}]}]} }, "Darkrai": { "sets": { "Nasty Plot": { "description": "Darkrai is an excellent wallbreaker and cleaner, gaining many opportunities to use Nasty Plot due to its amazing base Speed and a diverse coverage movepool backed up with a good Special Attack stat and enough bulk to set up against passive Pokemon. Sludge Bomb hits Fairy-types like Clefable, Iron Valiant, Primarina, and Enamorus as well as Pokemon that commonly use Tera Fairy like Gholdengo and Garganacl. Ice Beam hits Dragon- and Ground-type Pokemon like Raging Bolt, Dragonite, Gliscor, and Great Tusk that can take its Dark Pulse. Focus Blast tears through Dark-types like Ting-Lu, Kingambit, and Hisuian Samurott, hitting the former harder than Ice Beam. Psyshock can be used to hit Blissey and Clodsire hard, improving its matchup against stall teams. Leftovers give it general longevity and fits better on teams with entry hazard removal, but Heavy-Duty Boots can be used on teams that lack it. More offensive teams can opt for the power of Life Orb to wallbreak more easily, opening up fellow setup sweepers to clean late-game. Expert Belt is a niche alternative as a boosting item that makes use of Darkrai's ability to hit most of the metagame for super effective damage with its coverage moves, letting it pressure checks like Ting-Lu and Clefable more easily without cutting into its longevity. Tera Poison boosts Darkrai's Sludge Bomb and allows it to avoid revenge killing attempts from Iron Valiant and Zamazenta thanks to the Fairy- and Fighting-type resistances it gains. Tera Ghost is a niche option that gives a full immunity to Zamazenta's Fighting-type moves and is helpful to prevent Dragonite from revenge killing Darkrai with Extreme Speed. Tera Fighting can also be used to power up Focus Blast to extreme levels of power to become Darkrai's strongest viable move, notably being able to OHKO Ting-Lu at +2 after Stealth Rock.
Darkrai's wallbreaking capabilities are useful on offensively oriented teams, having strong synergies with other Dark-types like Hisuian Samurott and Kingambit and other special attackers like Raging Bolt and Dragapult. Hisuian Samurott and Kingambit pair with Darkrai to overwhelm or lure shared checks like Zamazenta and Iron Valiant while gaining opportunities to wallbreak by switching into each other's counters. Darkrai's Bad Dreams punishes Dondozo's Rest, further enhancing its synergy with Kingambit and Hisuian Samurott as well as other physical attackers like Zamazenta, as switching into Darkrai as Dondozo comes in to wall them will result in Bad Dreams chip without burning a sleep turn. Raging Bolt and Dragapult appreciate Darkrai's ability to break through balance teams, tearing through walls like Ting-Lu and Galarian Slowking, while mixed Dragapult and Raging Bolt, especially with Taunt, can help break through Clodsire. Dragapult provides a stop to Zamazenta and punishes Kingambit with Will-O-Wisp if Darkrai isn't running Focus Blast. Darkrai appreciates support from entry hazard setters like Hisuian Samurott, Landorus-T, and Glimmora, as their hazards, especially Spikes, make Darkrai much more threatening, wearing down switch-ins like Zamazenta, Ting-Lu, and Heatran. Darkrai heavily pressures hazard removers like Great Tusk, Corviknight, and Cinderace. Hisuian Samurott and Landorus-T in particular have deeper synergy with Darkrai; Hisuian Samurott wears down Primarina, switches into Darkrai checks like Blissey and Clodsire to set up Spikes on forced switches, and can use Flip Turn to safely bring in Darkrai on physically defensive Pokemon like Corviknight, Dondozo, and Alomomola to gain free turns. Landorus-T is an excellent physical blanket check and can switch into threatening Fighting-types like Zamazenta and Booster Energy Great Tusk that can threaten Darkrai, and it can use U-turn to bring in Darkrai safely on Pokemon like Gliscor and opposing Landorus-T. Gholdengo is an excellent teammate due to it providing a check to Fairy-types like Iron Valiant and Enamorus while being able to counter most Zamazenta variants if running a physically defensive set. Rillaboom can threaten answers to Darkrai like Primarina, Ting-Lu, and Clodsire while being able to pivot Darkrai in on Pokemon like defensive Gholdengo, Skarmory, and Corviknight to keep up momentum. Assault Vest Primarina is an excellent partner that blanket checks many special attackers including Iron Valiant and Deoxys-S, pivots Darkrai in on its checks like Galarian Slowking, and pressures shared walls such as Blissey and Terastallized Clodsire for Darkrai to break through.
" }, "Choice Scarf": { "description": "Darkrai, owing to its already impressive Speed stat, is among one of the tier's most consistent revenge killers and an outstanding piece of speed control. Outspeeding the entirety of OU's metagame, Choice Scarf Darkrai reliably threatens Iron Valiant, Deoxys-S, and Enamorus. Sludge Bomb is mandatory to threaten Fairy-types like Enamorus, Iron Valiant, and Clefable. Ice Beam effectively nails many foes like Great Tusk, Gliscor, Dragonite, and Ting-Lu. Focus Blast is an option to smash Steel-types and Dark-types like Hisuian Samurott, Kingambit, and Iron Treads as well as hitting Ting-Lu harder than Ice Beam. Trick allows Darkrai to incapacitate a sweeper, like Dragonite and Hatterene, or a wall, like Clodsire, long-term and grants it the flexibility of being able to switch moves when the extra Speed isn't needed, such as against bulkier teams. Will-O-Wisp can be used to permanently cripple foes like Kingambit, Hisuian Samurott, and Dragonite while still keeping its Choice Scarf intact. Tera Poison is used to strengthen Sludge Bomb's damage output, allowing it to threaten the bulkier Clefable while also coming with the added benefit of resisting the many Fairy-types' Moonblast and Zamazenta's STAB moves. Alternatively, Tera Dark is a solid offensive option, giving its boosted Dark Pulse an easier time to clean up weakened teams. Tera Ghost is an option to let it emergency check Extreme Speed Dragonite and IronPress Zamazenta. Tera Fighting is a niche option that can be used with Focus Blast, giving the move incredible power that allows Darkrai to 2HKO the mighty Ting-Lu.
Darkrai fits best on offensive teams that necessitate its revenge killing talents. It’s important to note that Darkrai actually has issues revenge killing as a result of Terastallization, with many usually clean revenge kills being complicated by this mechanic. This issue is only compounded by the fact that all of Darkrai’s moves all have common switch-ins, so it’s very important to have other answers to the Pokemon Darkrai aims to revenge kill. As a result, Primarina is a solid partner, with its typing and firepower being able to check switch-ins to Dark Pulse like Iron Valiant, Enamrous, and Heatran, safely scout for potential Terastallizations against them, and provide momentum with Flip Turn. Landorus-T is similarly a good partner, with its ability to check physical attackers that Darkrai can't safely revenge kill in the event of Terastallization, such as Dragonite and Great Tusk; it also provides momentum with U-turn and helps put Darkrai's victims into range of its attacks with Stealth Rock. Additionally, it can disrupt many of Darkrai switch-ins with Taunt, like Ting-Lu, Clodsire, and Blissey. On the topic of entry hazards, Great Tusk and Cinderace are also good partners, as they provide hazard control that is seriously appreciated by Darkrai, which otherwise will get chipped down as it switches in and out of the field to apply pressure. Great Tusk checks many priority users that would otherwise deny Darkrai its ability to revenge kill, such as Kingambit, Raging Bolt, and Dragonite. It also can pressure Clodsire, Ting-Lu, and Garganacl, denying their hazards and threatening them with significant damage that prevents them from switching into Darkrai. Cinderace is effective as a result of its ability to remove entry hazards Court Change and spread burns to Pokemon that could otherwise outpace Darkrai, such as Rillaboom and Dragonite, while its U-turn dents Hisuian Samurott. Dragapult is also a great partner due to its anti-offensive nature, with its speedy Will-O-Wisp and Thunder Wave allowing it to be Darkrai's fallback line in the event of an unexpected Tera. It handles many switch-ins like Rillaboom, the Ogerpon formes, and Zamazenta by debilitating them with status and providing pivoting with U-turn. Dragapult can also deconstruct stall, which Darkrai matches up poorly into. Kingambit also loves Darkrai's ability to outpace Iron Valiant, as Darkrai opens up Kingambit late-game by KOing or at least forcing chip damage on key targets, putting them in range of Sucker Punch. Furthermore, Darkrai can also cripple physical walls like Dondozo and Skarmory with Trick, while Darkrai enjoys Kingambit's Sucker Punch putting targets in range of its attacks and Iron Head eliminating Clefable and Primarina. Raging Bolt is an effective partner, as Darkrai's ability to use Trick and shut down special walls like Blissey, Skeledirge, and Clodsire is great for opening it up against bulkier teams. Darkrai's coverage in Focus Blast can help simplify Raging Bolt's endgame, as it pressures Ting-Lu and Kingambit, notably simplifying the mindgames between it and Kingambit, while Ice Beam can also help eliminate Ground-types like Great Tusk, Landorus-T, and Gliscor for it to use Thunderclap late-game.
" }, "Boots Attacker": { "description": "Darkrai's survivability due to its immunity to entry hazards alongside the combination of an excellent Speed tier, strong offensive pressure, and access to a bevy of utility options allow it to function quite effectively as a potent special attacker on longer games. Ice Beam complements Dark Pulse well with its excellent super effective coverage, reliably hitting Ting-Lu while greatly threatening the likes of Great Tusk, Gliscor, and Dragonite. Sludge Bomb rounds out Darkrai's coverage by hitting Fairy-types like Hatterene, Iron Valiant, and Clefable super effectively. Will-O-Wisp cripples physical attackers like Kingambit, Zamazenta, and Ogerpon-W, making them more easily handled by Darkrai's teammates, and lets it slowly cripple walls like Ting-Lu, Tinkaton, and Alomomola. Knock Off allows Darkrai to remove items like Assault Vest from Alomomola, Leftovers from Garganacl, and Heavy-Duty Boots from a wide array of entry hazard-weak threats and support both itself and its teammates. Knock Off is particularly useful against bulkier teams or on hazard-stacking teams, as the chip damage from hazards can more than make up for Darkrai's reduced coverage and damage output. Its ability to threaten common Knock Off absorbers like Gliscor with Ice Beam and Clefable with Sludge Bomb further exacerbates its ability to spread Knock Off. Nasty Plot emphasizes its niche as a wallbreaker and potentially clean late-game more easily, especially in longer games when the foes are weakened enough from repeated chip damage. Tera Poison turns all of Darkrai's weaknesses into resistances, flipping otherwise poor matchups against Zamazenta, Iron Valiant, and Assault Vest Primarina in its favor. Tera Poison also boosts the power of its Sludge Bomb and additionally allows Darkrai to absorb Toxic Spikes in a pinch.
Darkrai fits well on a wide array of teams, ranging from offense to balance. Landorus-T is a great teammate that greatly appreciates Darkrai's ability to eliminate Ground-types like Gliscor and opposing Landorus-T and reliably pivots Darkrai in with U-turn, sets up Stealth Rock to support Darkrai and its teammates, and handles attacks like Zamazenta's Body Press that Darkrai often finds itself targeted by. Hisuian Samurott and Ting-Lu are effective Spikes setters that pair well with Darkrai in spite of their shared Dark typings; Hisuian Samurott can further support Darkrai with Knock Off, Encore, and Flip Turn, while Ting-Lu can use Whirlwind to phaze faster threats like Iron Moth and Dragapult. Darkrai benefits immensely from the chip damage forced by hazards, as it becomes a terrific revenge killer and late-game cleaner once slower opponents are worn down into KO range. Zamazenta is a fantastic teammate that greatly appreciates Darkrai's ability to handle threats like Zapdos, Gholdengo, and Sinistcha that can prevent it from setting up an Iron Defense and sweeping. In return, Zamazenta handles Kingambit, which gives Darkrai trouble if it opts to run Lum Berry and/or Tera Fire to handle Will-O-Wisp. Gholdengo, too, is an excellent teammate; it reliably handles Tinkaton and most Zamazenta and Iron Valiant variants and can utilize the combination of Nasty Plot, Good as Gold, and its excellent typing to greatly threaten the defensive teams that Darkrai struggles against, while Darkrai can use its great Speed to pressure faster threats like Dragonite, Landorus-T, and Ogerpon-W that Gholdengo may struggle against. They can also collectively overwhelm Ting-Lu, with either Gholdengo or Darkrai weakening Ting-Lu enough for the other to break past it and put massive offensive pressure on the opponent's team. Other Ghost-types like Dragapult and Pecharunt can also check Zamazenta for Darkrai, and they can reliably pivot it in with U-turn and Parting Shot, respectively. Ogerpon-W is a great teammate that can punch holes in bulkier teams featuring specially bulky threats like Blissey, Ting-Lu, and Clodsire that can wall Darkrai, provides Knock Off support to further assist Darkrai against bulkier teams, and hits Tinkaton extremely hard with Ivy Cudgel, while Darkrai can handle Dragonite, Pecharunt, and Sinistcha that can give Ogerpon-W trouble. Other powerful wallbreakers, like Ogerpon-C, Choice Specs Kyurem, maximum Attack Booster Energy Great Tusk, and mixed Iron Valiant, can break down defensive cores and open up Darkrai to clean up late-game. Great Tusk can utilize an assortment of other sets to set up Stealth Rock and provide valuable Knock Off support to support Darkrai's ability to outspeed and 2HKO much of the offensive metagame, and it reliably handles Kingambit so that Darkrai doesn't need to rely on Will-O-Wisp against it. Tinkaton is another excellent teammate that, like Great Tusk, provides Stealth Rock and Knock Off support, but it can also provide Encore support or paralyze faster threats like Iron Valiant and Dragapult so that Darkrai can outspeed and eliminate them. Moltres can reliably answer physical attackers like Kingambit and Zamazenta, taking pressure off Darkrai to land a Will-O-Wisp against them, and can also pivot Darkrai in safely with U-turn. Lastly, powerful priority attackers like Raging Bolt, Dragonite, and Kingambit make for strong teammates that can answer foes that outspeed and threaten Darkrai, such as +1 Iron Valiant and Dragapult. In return, Darkrai can utilize its great Speed to put immediate pressure on threats like Landorus-T, Air Balloon Gholdengo, Zapdos, and Moltres.
" }, "Choice Specs": { "description": "With Choice Specs, Darkrai can boost its already excellent Special Attack and fantastic Speed tier to become a devastating wallbreaker. Sludge Bomb helps to shred Fairy-types like Clefable and Primarina that would switch into Darkrai’s deadly Dark Pulse, as well as common Tera Fairy users like Gholdengo and Garganacl. Focus Blast can tear through Dark-types that try to switch into Dark Pulse like Kingambit, Ting-Lu, and Hisuian Samurott and is favored to 2HKO Ting-Lu even with Leftovers, while Ice Beam tears through the likes of Dragonite, Great Tusk, and Gliscor. Either of these, usually Ice Beam, can be eschewed for Trick, trading a coverage option for the ability to cripple a would-be wall or setup sweeper like Blissey or Dragonite, as well as allowing Darkrai to freely use its moves in matchups where its power is not needed. Tera Dark can be used to power up Dark Pulse, allowing Darkrai to secure the 2HKO on walls like Garganacl, as well as picking off weakened foes more easily, albeit at the cost of not changing its type defensively. Tera Poison doubles as a defensive Tera type to let Darkrai tank Fighting- and Fairy-type moves like Iron Valiant’s Close Combat and Enamorus’s Moonblast and soak up Toxic and Toxic Spikes while powering up Sludge Bomb to OHKO Clefable and non–Assault Vest Primarina.
Choice Specs Darkrai fits best on bulky offense and balance teams looking for a strong wallbreaker that can still outspeed most offensive threats like Ogerpon-W and Cinderace. Darkrai appreciates slow pivots like Alomomola, Galarian Slowking, Corviknight, Moltres, and Pecharunt that can bring it in easily and give it more entry points to wallbreak. These Pokemon also help form a strong defensive backbone to answer foes that could benefit from whatever move Darkrai is locked into to set up or revenge kill, with Pecharunt and Galarian Slowking helping with Zamazenta and Iron Valiant. Galarian Slowking, in particular, also helps with Primarina and Enamorus, while Moltres helps with Kingambit. Even with Darkrai’s coverage options and power, Ting-Lu still poses a large threat, forcing it to rely more on predictions rather than spamming Dark Pulse, so Pokemon like Ogerpon-W and Rillaboom that can switch into Ting-Lu and threaten it help in that regard. Darkrai also helps physical attackers like the aforementioned Ogerpon-W and Rillaboom, as well as Dragonite and Zamazenta, by blowing past physical walls like Pecharunt and bulky Gholdengo. Gholdengo is a great partner that can help overwhelm shared checks like Ting-Lu and Kingambit. It can also switch into and threaten Zamazenta and Iron Valiant, both of which are great at revenge killing Darkrai. With its Choice Scarf set, Gholdengo can cripple walls like Blissey with Trick and outspeed threats that naturally outpace Darkrai, such as Dragapult and Zamazenta. Darkrai’s lack of Heavy-Duty Boots allows it to be chipped down easily by entry hazards, so hazard removal options like Great Tusk, Galarian Weezing, Cinderace, and Iron Treads are paramount.
" }, "All-Out Attacker": { "description": "Leveraging its high Speed, impressive power, and access to a wide range of coverage moves, Darkrai is able to thrive in OU as a powerful wallbreaker and disruption tool. Ice Beam lets Darkrai OHKO Gliscor while being its strongest option against Great Tusk, Raging Bolt, and Dragonite. Sludge Bomb complements Darkrai's STAB Dark Pulse by targeting Fairy-types like Clefable, Primarina, and Hatterene while also giving Darkrai powerful coverage into Ogerpon-W. Focus Blast enhances Darkrai's coverage further by targeting bulky Dark-types like Kingambit and Hisuian Samurott. Darkrai can also become a mixed attacker by going for Knock Off + Sucker Punch; Knock Off can provide fantastic support by removing Heavy-Duty Boots and Assault Vest from switch-ins like Blissey, Alomomola, and Tornadus-T, while Sucker Punch can pick off foes like Dragapult and Deoxys-S as well as other weakened ones like Iron Moth and Walking Wake that can otherwise revenge kill Darkrai. This variant should run Black Glasses + Tera Dark to propel all of its Dark-type moves to higher levels. Life Orb is a fantastic option that bolsters Darkrai's power even further, giving it a clean 2HKO on Corviknight after Stealth Rock along with OHKOs on max HP Great Tusk with Ice Beam and Ogerpon-W with Sludge Bomb after any entry hazard chip; with Life Orb, 29 HP IVs can be used to minimize recoil. Alternatively, Expert Belt takes advantage of Darkrai's excellent coverage without sacrificing its longevity, maintaining OHKOs on offensive Gholdengo and Enamorus. Tera Poison boosts Sludge Bomb's damage and flips Darkrai's Fighting- and Fairy-type weaknesses into resistances, allowing it to take hits from Iron Valiant, Zamazenta, and Choice Scarf Enamorus if necessary, as well as granting it a resistance to Rillaboom's Grassy Glide. Tera Ghost gives an outright immunity to Zamazenta's Fighting-type moves and blocks Extreme Speed Dragonite from picking Darkrai off. Tera Fighting can instead be considered to increase the power of Darkrai's Focus Blast to monstrous levels at the expense of not granting much defensive value; Tera-boosted Focus Blast allows Expert Belt Darkrai to 2HKO even Ting-Lu, and grants Life Orb Darkrai a roll in its favor to 2HKO Blissey. A spread of 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe with a Naive nature is used on Knock Off + Sucker Punch variants, and it is chosen over Hasty to minimize damage from common priority moves like Dragonite's Extreme Speed and Rillaboom's Grassy Glide.
Darkrai provides a huge amount of value to offense teams that appreciate its high Speed along with its ability to threaten Galarian Slowking, though even slower, more balanced teams can still find value in its ability to threaten a significant proportion of the tier and force switches to take advantage of entry hazards. Landorus-T is a strong partner that can not only set Stealth Rock but is also able to switch in on threats to Darkrai like Zamazenta and help to offset Darkrai's relative frailty by bringing it in safely with U-turn. Similarly, Gliscor makes a good pairing on bulkier structures with its ability to come in on both Zamazenta and Clodsire. As Darkrai typically makes its home on more offensive builds, partners that can handle Darkrai's checks without being momentum sinks are much appreciated; Assault Vest Primarina forms a great core with Darkrai, able to switch in on Iron Valiant and Enamorus and force them out. Primarina also appreciates Darkrai threatening Galarian Slowking. Offensively, special attackers like Iron Valiant and Raging Bolt that can help to overload shared checks like Clodsire and Blissey make great partners. Darkrai doesn't only work with special overload, though; Dark-type spam teams benefit greatly from Darkrai pressuring and being able to deal heavy damage to threats like Clefable, Ting-Lu, and Primarina, allowing for threats like Hisuian Samurott to later break through. In return, Hisuian Samurott and other Dark-type attackers like Kingambit are able to weaken Zamazenta for Darkrai while also being able to take advantage of Darkrai's more passive switch-ins like Clodsire and Blissey; Ogerpon-W is another powerful partner that can force damage onto Zamazenta and turn passive walls into setup fodder. Hisuian Samurott is another partner that benefits from this support in overloading shared checks while also setting up Spikes, which Darkrai appreciates greatly. Particularly when opting not to run Heavy-Duty Boots, Darkrai appreciates hazard removal to give it more turns on the field; Great Tusk is a natural pick that is also able to pressure Zamazenta and can invite in Iron Valiant to burn its Booster Energy. Another partner that can help Darkrai both defensively and offensively is Gholdengo, as Gholdengo can switch in on Fighting- and Fairy-type attacks from Iron Valiant, Zamazenta, and Clefable while Gholdengo in turn appreciates Darkrai's ability to weaken or eliminate opposing Dark-types like Ting-Lu, Kingambit, and Hisuian Samurott. Bulkier teams can opt to pair Galarian Slowking with Darkrai with its ability to pivot around Enamorus, Iron Valiant, and Zamazenta, and the Future Sight support it provides turns Darkrai into a devastating threat that Clodsire cannot switch into and Zamazenta cannot safely force out.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 408271, "username": "Dreadfury"}, {"user_id": 612907, "username": "sequoia"}, {"user_id": 621033, "username": "smg (notfunny)"}, {"user_id": 633798, "username": "kd458"}, {"user_id": 637983, "username": "duckycrater"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 584916, "username": "viivian"}, {"user_id": 612907, "username": "sequoia"}, {"user_id": 633798, "username": "kd458"}, {"user_id": 647728, "username": "Heatranator"}, {"user_id": 408271, "username": "Dreadfury"}, {"user_id": 558636, "username": "zastra"}, {"user_id": 384270, "username": "autumn"}, {"user_id": 548068, "username": "Setsu"}, {"user_id": 177111, "username": "Magcargo"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 356215, "username": "Clouds"}, {"user_id": 384270, "username": "autumn"}, {"user_id": 537035, "username": "rahul_3301"}, {"user_id": 641757, "username": "fyfyy"}, {"user_id": 649096, "username": "a blue banana"}]}]} }, "Serperior": { "sets": { "Choice Scarf": { "description": "Choice Scarf Serperior takes advantage of its already respectable Speed stat to lean into its snowballing potential with Contrary and Leaf Storm, outspeeding Pokemon like Zamazenta and Darkrai. Unlike other Serperior sets that aim to break past Grass-resistant Pokemon with Tera Blast or by fishing for full paralysis using Substitute and Glare, this set serves as a late-game cleaner, breaking through teams with the sheer power of Leaf Storm. Knock Off is run to remove Heavy-Duty Boots from defensive answers like Moltres, Dragonite, and Blissey; Assault Vest from Galarian Slowking, Tornadus-T, and Kyurem; and Light Clay from dual screens Deoxys-S. Giga Drain is run to preserve Leaf Storm's PP while still hitting Great Tusk and Dondozo hard. Glare is particularly useful to cripple common switch-ins like Tornadus-T and Dragonite to aid Serperior's teammates like Rillaboom and Gholdengo, and to have an easier time wearing them down late-game. Serperior chooses to run Modest to boost the power of its Leaf Storm, but Timid can be run to outspeed maximum Speed Deoxys-S, Speed Protosynthesis Walking Wake, and Iron Treads after a Rapid Spin. Serperior opts to run Tera Grass to boost the damage output of its Leaf Storm further, threatening to OHKO maximum HP Zamazenta and maximum Special Defense Iron Treads at +2.
Choice Scarf Serperior is usually run on Grassy Terrain teams alongside Rillaboom, which can force in and cripple Pokemon like Moltres and Dragonite with Knock Off and deal significant damage to Iron Moth, Tornadus-T, and Gholdengo. Rillaboom sometimes chooses to run Terrain Extender to give Serperior more chances to fire off its boosted Leaf Storm. With the boost from Tera Grass and Grassy Terrain, Leaf Storm can OHKO Dragapult and Assault Vest Hatterene at +2. Pokemon like Zamazenta and Great Tusk appreciate Serperior crippling shared checks like Moltres and Tornadus-T with Glare and Knock Off while also switching into Pokemon like Kingambit, which threatens Choice-locked Serperior with Sucker Punch. Zamazenta is especially nice as a partner, as it can threaten Heatran and Kingambit, both of which take a Leaf Storm very easily. Pairing Serperior's Knock Off with Stealth Rock setters like Landorus-T can wear down many of Serperior's switch-ins, like Moltres and Assault Vest Kyurem. Pokemon with the ability Pressure, such as Corviknight and Kyurem, can be annoying to deal with because of Leaf Storm's low PP. Nasty Plot Gholdengo is a good partner for Serperior, as it threatens both of these Pokemon and other Serperior answers like Iron Crown and Galarian Slowking. Serperior is often paired with Kingambit as well, since it forces out common Grass-resistant foes like Galarian Slowking, Iron Crown, and Kyurem.
" }, "Offensive": { "description": "Serperior fills the role of a late-game sweeper for offensive teams that snowballs quickly while attacking thanks to Contrary Leaf Storm. Tera Blast gives Serperior the strong coverage that it sorely lacks, as without Terastallizing, Serperior is very prone to being walled. Tera Blast Ground is the most ideal choice, as it deals heavy damage to Pokemon like Heatran, Galarian Slowking, Raging Bolt, and Gholdengo that do not fear Leaf Storm. Tera Blast Fire trades a strong hit on Pokemon like Galarian Slowking, Heatran, and the Dragon-types for a way to immediately threaten Corviknight and Skarmory as well as common Air Balloon users like Gholdengo and Kingambit. Glare is used to punish the switches Serperior often forces, allowing it to cripple common answers like Heatran and Skeledirge without having to commit to using Tera. Dragon Pulse gives a non-Tera reliant way to deal with common Dragon-types like Raging Bolt, Dragonite, and Kyurem. Substitute allows Serperior to scout switches and fish for full paralysis turns while also blocking status such as Toxic from Gliscor, resulting in easier setup. Additionally, having a Substitute up forces many faster potential revenge killers like Zamazenta and Darkrai to risk a strong hit or paralysis to break it. Leftovers helps to keep Serperior healthy throughout the match, most notably allowing it to make more Substitutes. The Tera types chosen are primarily to aid in coverage, but they also have a few defensive applications of note. Tera Ground can enable Serperior to safely use Substitute against Sludge Bomb from Galarian Slowking in a pinch, potentially allowing for a free turn of setup. It also prevents Thunder Wave Infiltrator Dragapult from paralyzing Serperior though a Substitute. Tera Fire allows Serperior to resist Triple Axel from Meowscarada and Weavile, a move that otherwise threatens to OHKO Serperior even through a Substitute, as well as U-turn from both Cinderace and Meowscarada.
Serperior only fits on heavily offensive teams, primarily Sticky Web offense. Ribombee is a great teammate, as it is the premier Sticky Web setter. Sticky Web allows Serperior to outspeed otherwise faster Pokemon like non-Clear Body Dragapult and Booster Energy Iron Valiant. In turn, threat of a Contrary Evasion boost from Defog or a Contrary Speed boost from its own Sticky Web due to Court Change helps to ensure that entry hazards stay up. For the same reason, Serperior helps to shore up an offensive team's matchup against opposing Sticky Web teams because of the threat of a Speed boost. Serperior is very Tera reliant, so it wants teammates that can help it to make the most of the Tera investment and do not need Tera themselves like Gholdengo and Zamazenta. It is best used alongside Pokemon that appreciate paralysis support and provide heavy offensive pressure, like Kingambit and Raging Bolt. Other entry hazard leads like Hisuian Samurott and Glimmora also support Serperior well, as many of Serperior's checks are grounded such as Raging Bolt and Galarian Slowking, making them vulnerable to Spikes and Toxic Spikes. Landorus-T is another good teammate for Serperior, as it provides Stealth Rock, uses U-turn to get Serperior in safely against common Pokemon like Gliscor, and threatens Serperior's checks like Heatran and Galarian Slowking with Earthquake. Arguably the biggest threat to Serperior is Gholdengo, as it can repeatedly switch into Leaf Storm and is immune to Glare. Galarian Slowking similarly cares very little about Leaf Storm and does not mind the Speed drop from paralysis. Kingambit is a good partner, as it can switch in against both of these Pokemon and threaten them with heavy damage. Kingambit also appreciates paralysis on Pokemon like Corviknight and Kyurem, which Kingambit can beat one-on-one thanks to the Speed drop. Kyurem dislikes risking paralysis but takes little damage from Serperior and heavily threatens it and many of Serperior's frail offensive teammates. Teammates like Air Balloon Gholdengo can help to sponge Kyurem's hits while adding more offensive pressure. Gholdengo can use Nasty Plot-boosted attacks like Shadow Ball and Psyshock to help break Galarian Slowking, Blissey, and Clodsire for Serperior while blocking hazard removal. Iron Valiant can help to wear down shared checks like the previously mentioned Poison-types, especially with Knock Off or Calm Mind sets, while Raging Bolt can similarly can be used to chip down special walls with Calm Mind-boosted attacks. Lastly, Rillaboom can provide Knock Off and U-turn on top of setting Grassy Terrain that can boost Leaf Storm and help Serperior to make more Substitutes.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 513254, "username": "SpZ"}, {"user_id": 629105, "username": "cala_aa"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 548068, "username": "Setsu"}, {"user_id": 612907, "username": "sequoia"}, {"user_id": 110504, "username": "Stads"}, {"user_id": 493260, "username": "Marnie"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 384270, "username": "autumn"}, {"user_id": 593115, "username": "igiveuponaname"}]}]} }, "Samurott-Hisui": { "overview": "Hisuian Samurott is one of the most prolific entry hazard setters in the tier with its signature move Ceaseless Edge, letting it both set Spikes and deal heavy damage thanks to its Sharpness ability. It can even do so in the face of Hatterene's Magic Bounce and Taunt from Pokemon like Deoxys-S, something that seperates it from other hazard setters. Hisuian Samurott also provides immense offensive pressure, as it is able to threaten hazard removers like Great Tusk, Iron Treads, and Cinderace with strong Water-type damage, making the Spikes it sets much harder to remove. In addition, Hisuian Samurott has an immense utility movepool, such as Knock Off, Encore, Taunt, and priority with either Sucker Punch or Aqua Jet. Its typing also lets it naturally check Gholdengo, Galarian Slowking, Kingambit, and Heatran, granting it an easier time finding entry to stack Spikes. Hisuian Samurott has immense customizability through its items, further compressing more roles on the team than just an entry hazard setter. Assault Vest grants Hisuian Samurott the defensive prowess to become a solid tank against special attackers like Gholdengo, Darkrai, Iron Moth, and Choice Specs Dragapult, while Choice Scarf patches its somewhat subpar Speed to become the team's speed control and outspeed foes like Dragapult and Cinderace. Heavy-Duty Boots helps Hisuian Samurott in mirror matchups where multiple layers of Spikes can be set on both sides. Focus Sash makes it an amazing lead on hyper offense thanks to its solid matchups against entry hazard leads like Deoxys-S and Glimmora. Black Glasses alongside Swords Dance and Tera Dark turns Hisuian Samurott into a strong wallbreaking, making it incredibly difficult to wall while also making it hard to revenge kill due to Sucker Punch. Hisuian Samurott, however, struggles with an average Speed tier and frailty without heavy investment, and it has difficulty handling certain hazard removers like Corviknight and especially Galarian Weezing. While Cinderace’s direct matchup against Hisuian Samurott is poor, it can still dissuade setting hazards via Court Change and force Hisuian Samurott to play more carefully. Moreover, Hisuian Samurott can be punished heavily by Fighting- and Fairy-types like Zamazenta, Iron Valiant, and Primarina, which can all switch in with minimal risk and threaten it.
", "comments": "On teams that require more of its breaking power, Hisuian Samurott can afford to run Choice Band to increase the power of its moves, allowing it to 2HKO Raging Bolt with Ceaseless Edge, OHKO Great Tusk with Razor Shell, and OHKO uninvested Gholdengo with Sucker Punch. Lum Berry can be used on Swords Dance sets to cure status effects such as Moltres's Will-O-Wisp and Pecharunt's Malignant Chain. An all-out attacking set with Black Glasses + Tera Dark is also an option; this set can be incredibly hard for checks like Alomomola, Corviknight, and Dondozo to handle long-term with Knock Off's crippling effect while still keeping Sucker Punch as priority. Mystic Water + Tera Water can be used on Swords Dance sets alongside Aqua Jet as the priority move of choice, letting it overwhelm Dark-resistant threats like Kingambit and Clefable more reliably while having a more reliable priority move. Mixed attacking sets with Surf or Hydro Pump can bypass Glimmora's Toxic Debris as well as hit Great Tusk and Galarian Weezing harder. Tera Ground can be used to give Hisuian Samurott a better matchup against Electric-types like Raging Bolt and Zapdos while blocking Volt Switch from Iron Crown.
", "sets": { "Assault Vest": { "description": "With Assault Vest, Hisuian Samurott can compress roles as a special tank against Pokemon like Darkrai, Iron Moth, Gholdengo, and Dragapult while being the team's entry hazard setter. Razor Shell is generally the preferred Water-type STAB move due to its chance to lower Defense, but Aqua Cutter is a viable alternative due to it being non-contact and thus preventing chip damage from Rocky Helmet, which helps against Pokemon like Skarmory and Great Tusk. Sucker Punch lets it revenge kill faster threats like Dragapult, Deoxys-S, and Raging Bolt. Aqua Jet is another option for a more reliable priority move that can pick off foes like Iron Moth, Darkrai, and Iron Valiant. Knock Off punishes defensive Pokemon that can impede progress, removing items from foes such as Dondozo, Corviknight, Alomomola, and Primarina; in particular, its ability to remove their potential Heavy-Duty Boots works well with its Spikes. Alternatively, Flip Turn can be used to preserve momentum and safely bring in threats like Iron Valiant and Ogerpon-W and is the preferred option on teams with multiple Knock Off users. Sharpness-boosted Sacred Sword can also be used as a way to hit Kyurem and Dark-types like Kingambit, Darkrai, and opposing Hisuian Samurott hard. The EVs spread allow Hisuian Samurott to OHKO offensive Gholdengo after one layer of Spikes while running enough Speed to get the jump on Jolly Kingambit; the rest is pooled into its Special Defense, letting it reach feats such as avoiding the OHKO from Enamorus's Moonblast and Choice Specs Kyurem's Freeze-Dry after Stealth Rock as well as the 2HKO from Speed Booster Energy Iron Moth's Energy Ball and Clefable's Moonblast. Tera Poison is used to remove its weaknesses to Fighting, Fairy, Grass, and Bug so it can take attacks from Pokemon like Zamazenta, Iron Valiant, and Rillaboom.
Assault Vest Hisuian Samurott fits best on entry hazard-stacking bulky offense teams that appreciate its offensive presence and ability to take special attacks. Gholdengo is an especially good teammate for Hisuian Samurott, since it blocks all hazard removal bar Court Change from Cinderace and has good matchups against Fairy- and Fighting-types that annoy Hisuian Samurott like Clefable and Zamazenta. In return, Hisuian Samurott soft checks Heatran and Iron Moth. Due to Hisuian Samurott's lack of reliable recovery, pairing it with Pokemon that have titanic special bulk or high longevity like Ting-Lu or Galarian Slowking is encouraged to cover special threats throughout the course of a game. Ting-Lu also has access to Stealth Rock, which, when paired with Spikes and Hisuian Samurott's ability to remove Heavy-Duty Boots, can rack up serious chip damage on the opposing team. Alternative Knock Off users such as Great Tusk, Ogerpon-W, and Iron Valiant are good for removing Heavy-Duty Boots from Pokemon that never come in against Hisuian Samurott like Galarian Slowking, Gholdengo, and opposing Great Tusk. On top of being a premier pick for bulky offense teams, Great Tusk has the added perk of having access to Rapid Spin, removing hazards the opponent tries to set up so Hisuian Samurott can win the hazard war. Landorus-T is a notable teammate with Stealth Rock support as well as Taunt to prevent Defog on Galarian Weezing and Corviknight. In addition, Landorus-T can also pivot in Hisuian Samurott with U-turn against Pokemon like Gliscor, Weavile, and opposing Landorus-T, while Hisuian Samurott also appreciates Landorus-T coming in against Raging Bolt and Zamazenta.
" }, "Lead": { "description": "Hisuian Samurott establishes itself as a solid dedicated lead thanks to Ceaseless Edge. Though weaker, Aqua Cutter is a perfectly-accurate alternative over Razor Shell that notably ignores common contact effects like Landorus-T's Rocky Helmet, Heatran's Flame Body, and Zapdos's Static at the cost of potentially missing out on the 2HKO against Ting-Lu. Aqua Jet reliably picks off opposing Focus Sash leads like Deoxys-S, Glimmora, and Ribombee as well as targeting other faster Pokemon like Cinderace and Great Tusk. Alternatively, Sucker Punch lets Hisuian Samurott hit faster Water-resistant Pokemon like Ogerpon-W and Choice Specs Dragapult, the latter of which can be problematic in the offense mirror. Aside from being handy against bulky foes like Skarmory and Pelipper, Knock Off removing Heavy-Duty Boots works extremely well with Spikes, making the likes of Alomomola, Dondozo, and Unaware Clefable susceptible to them, which is especially helpful because the latter two can trouble the hyper offense teams that Hisuian Samurott supports. Either Taunt or Encore prevents Hisuian Samurott from being used as setup fodder by the likes of Raging Bolt and Kingambit, and it messes with defensive foes like Clefable. More specifically, Taunt stops Gliscor, Ting-Lu, and Skarmory from setting hazards and prevents slower offensive threats like Dragonite from setting up. Alternatively, Encore is better at punishing naturally faster setup sweepers like Iron Defense Zamazenta and Nasty Plot Darkrai looking for that one free turn of setup, and it can subsequently provide valuable switch-in and setup opportunities for an incoming teammate. Sacred Sword hits opposing Hisuian Samurott; cleanly OHKOes Weavile, Darkrai, and bulky Kingambit; and breaks IronPress Zamazenta's Substitute. Focus Sash guarantees at least one layer of Spikes can be set even against faster foes like Enamorus, as well as opposing leads like Ribombee. Tera Ghost is predominantly used to spinblock foes like Great Tusk and Iron Treads in a pinch. An EV spread of 232 Atk / 24 Def / 252 Spe is another option, running enough Defense EVs to survive Choice Band Dragapult's Dragon Darts from full, which has a chance to OHKO Hisuian Samurott through Focus Sash otherwise.
Hisuian Samurott's ability to set the pace for its team early-game makes it a perfect fit on hyper offense teams. Setup sweepers like Kingambit, Dragonite, and Ogerpon-W enjoy its Spikes putting foes into their KO range, especially against their checks like Great Tusk, Ting-Lu, and Heatran. Ogerpon-W and other Knock Off users like Bulk Up Great Tusk and Iron Valiant can remove Heavy-Duty Boots from Pokemon like Dondozo, Galarian Slowking, and Gholdengo to make them vulnerable to Spikes. If not going for Knock Off, Great Tusk can also provide entry hazard removal for the team with Rapid Spin, since Hisuian Samurott will trigger lead Glimmora's Toxic Debris twice; pairing Hisuian Samurott with a grounded offensive Poison-type like Iron Moth can also mitigate this issue. In addition to enjoying Spikes, the aforementioned Iron Valiant and other Pokemon like Choice Scarf Enamorus are potent late-game cleaners that can notably pressure Great Tusk, preventing it from ever entering the field to use Rapid Spin. Ghost-types like Gholdengo and Dragapult are valuable teammates to naturally spinblock foes like Great Tusk and Iron Treads; moreover, Gholdengo is adept at preventing other hazard removal attempts such as Corviknight's Defog and Glimmora's Mortal Spin, while Dragapult can deal with or revenge kill Zamazenta behind a Substitute, which uses Knock Off Hisuian Samurott as setup fodder. In return, they appreciate Spikes chipping down the likes of Kingambit, Ting-Lu, and Garganacl.
" }, "Boots Attacker": { "description": "Hisuian Samurott can utilize Heavy-Duty Boots to match up well against opposing hazard-stacking teams while being offensively threatening. Razor Shell and Aqua Cutter are comparably strong STAB options, the difference being Razor Shell trades a slight dip of accuracy for the ability to chip down walls with Defense drops, and Aqua Cutter is slightly weaker but is fully accurate and has a chance for damage to spike upwards with the higher critical hit rate while also avoiding contact effects like Rocky Helmet and Moltres' Flame Body. Knock Off removes Heavy-Duty Boots from Hisuian Samurott's foes and thus leaves them susceptible to the Spikes produced by Ceaseless Edge, as well as removing Rocky Helmet, which opens it up to keep attacking with its contact moves. As a support option, Encore is useful to lock Pokemon like Alomomola and Dondozo into setup moves, while Flip Turn can keep up momentum, help Hisuian Samurott escape from unfavorable matchups against slower foes like Primarina, and keep pressure on the opponent by pivoting between teammates smoothly. Heavy-Duty Boots provides Hisuian Samurott the immunity to entry hazards, which lets it be far more active throughout the course of a game. Tera Poison or Tera Fire flips Hisuian Samurott's weakness against otherwise problematic U-turn users and Grass- and Fairy-types like Landorus-T, Iron Valiant, Enamorus, and Rillaboom, especially with Heavy-Duty Boots to mitigate its Stealth Rock weakness from Tera Fire. Moreover, Tera Poison grants a Fighting resistance against Zamazenta and the aforementioned Iron Valiant, while Tera Fire gives Hisuian Samurott an immunity to burn from foes like Dragapult and Moltres.
Hisuian Samurott fits well on offense teams and specifically is very useful on entry hazard stack structures. Stealth Rock users such as Landorus-T and Tinkaton make good partners for Hisuian Samurott, which also spreads entry hazards with Ceaseless Edge, creating hazard stacking cores to put pressure on foes. Hisuian Samurott's ability to pivot with Flip Turn synergizes well with other offensive pivots like Cinderace and Dragapult, allowing the team to pressure opposing Pokemon as well as pivot to any potential counters. Hisuian Samurott struggles to make progress on its own against bulkier Pokemon that resist its STAB moves like Alomomola, Dondozo, and Zamazenta. Zamazenta can easily dispatch Hisuian Samurott with a Fighting-type STAB move with no way for it to damage Zamazenta back. A strong Fairy-type like Enamorus or Iron Valiant can help deal with Zamazenta while also forming an offensive core with Hisuian Samurott, which can deal with threats to them like Galarian Slowking, easily switching in on Psychic-type moves like Future Sight. These Fairy-types also pose a threat to Hisuian Samurott, outspeeding and threatening it with Moonblast; teammates like Gholdengo, Iron Crown, Tinkaton, and Kingambit can cover these Pokemon, the former two adding to the offensive pressure of the whole team with more special attacks to complement Hisuian Samurott's physical attacks. Gholdengo especially synergizes with Hisuian Samurott, as it's able to efficiently block entry hazard removal and keep up the Spikes set by Ceaseless Edge. Kingambit, on the other hand, is similar to Hisuian Samurott, as it's a physical attacker and can help break down their shared checks like Dondozo and Skarmory over the course of a game. Together, along with other Dark-types like Darkrai, Hisuian Samurott can become a powerful part of Dark-type spam archetypes that can overwhelm shared counters such as Zamazenta and Clefable. Galarian Slowking is another teammate that can deal with Fairy-types, shrugging off Moonblast as well as Fighting-type moves from Hisuian Samurott's counters like Zamazenta, which it can also force out with Future Sight. Hisuian Samurott also struggles against offensive Pokemon that outspeed it and can take advantage of that to pivot, such as Cinderace, Dragapult, and Ogerpon. Having some speed control such as Ribombee's Sticky Web can assist with this while synergizing with the rest of Hisuian Samurott's hazards.
" }, "Choice Scarf": { "description": "Choice Scarf Hisuian Samurott compresses roles as a speed control option and an offensive entry hazard setter. Razor Shell can make Hisuian Samurott more difficult to respond to due to its high chance to lower the enemy's Defense. However, Aqua Cutter can be used instead, as it is more accurate and does not make contact; this is useful against targets such as Rocky Helmet Landorus-T and Flame Body Moltres. Knock Off complements Ceaseless Edge by removing items such as Rocky Helmet and Heavy-Duty Boots, making it more rewarding for Hisuian Samurott to use Ceaseless Edge later. Flip Turn allows Hisuian Samurott to pivot out of bad matchups against Clefable and Primarina while also dealing chip damage and generating momentum. However, Sacred Sword can be used to revenge kill various threats such as Kingambit and other Hisuian Samurott. Hisuian Samurott is a mediocre Terastallization user, as its base typing is important to check threats such as Gholdengo and non-Low Kick Kingambit, and its partners will usually benefit from Terastallization more. Nonetheless, Hisuian Samurott can benefit from the damage increase that either Tera Water or Tera Dark provide to revenge kill a wider pool of Pokemon. Tera Water is useful to revenge kill offensive Great Tusk and Landorus-T more reliably, while Tera Dark allows Hisuian Samurott to OHKO defensive Galarian Slowking and Latias with Ceaseless Edge after Stealth Rock damage. Tera Ghost is another worthwhile consideration, as it allows Hisuian Samurott to block Rapid Spin from Great Tusk and Iron Treads.
Choice Scarf Hisuian Samurott best fits on bulky offense teams, as it provides a great deal of utility between its defensive profile, ability to set up Spikes, Knock Off, and pivoting capabilities. Landorus-T is the perfect partner; it can form a potent pivoting core with Hisuian Samurott and provide Stealth Rock support while simultaneously benefiting from Hisuian Samurott's Spikes due to its ability to force switches with Intimidate and Rocky Helmet. Hisuian Samurott has a difficult time maintaining Spikes against entry hazard removers such as Corviknight and Great Tusk, as well as struggling against Fighting-types such as Zamazenta. Dragapult is thus a fantastic teammate; it matches up well against common switch-ins to Hisuian Samurott such as Corviknight and Skarmory and can block Rapid Spin from Great Tusk. Air Balloon Gholdengo is also an excellent partner, as it can prevent Defog from Corviknight, safely prevent Rapid Spin attempts from Great Tusk and Iron Treads, and check Fighting-types such as Zamazenta and Iron Valiant. In turn, Hisuian Samurott's Ceaseless Edge support makes Dragapult and Gholdengo more difficult to switch into due to wearing down their switch-ins such as Kingambit and Ting-Lu. Sweepers such as Iron Valiant and Kingambit appreciate Hisuian Samurott's ability to lay down Spikes, as it makes it easier for them to clean late-game and break through checks such as Hatterene and Great Tusk. Future Sight support from Galarian Slowking is beneficial, as it makes it more difficult for Pokemon like Zamazenta and Iron Valiant to switch into Ceaseless Edge. Hisuian Samurott itself is quite vulnerable to being worn down by hazards, so anti-entry hazard support from Hatterene or Great Tusk is appreciated. While Choice Scarf Hisuian Samurott is relatively fast, it is still prone to being outsped by various setup sweepers such as Booster Energy Iron Valiant and Iron Moth. Priority support from Dragonite is therefore recommended to have additional insurance against these threats.
" }, "Swords Dance": { "description": "Swords Dance alongside a boosting item and an offensive Tera type dials Hisuian Samurott's damage output up to eleven to make it a vicious offensive threat that can support its wallbreaking and sweeping endeavors with its own entry hazards, distinguishing it from the tier's many other offensive Dark-types. Both Razor Shell and Aqua Cutter provide great neutral coverage alongside its Dark-type STAB move, and neither option is strictly better than the other. Razor Shell's slightly higher Base Power and high chance to drop the target's Defense stat come at the cost of some accuracy and a vulnerability to contact punishment like Rocky Helmet, Static, and Flame Body. Aqua Cutter's lack of contact and perfect accuracy come at the cost of its slightly lower base power and an increased critical hit ratio that, while useful, is much less consistent than Razor Shell's powerful secondary effect. Sucker Punch circumvents Hisuian Samurott's middling Speed, allowing it to handle offensive threats like Dragapult, Ogerpon-W, and Kyurem, among others. Black Glasses and Tera Dark boost Hisuian Samurott's damage output to staggering levels, notably to overwhelm bulky Water-type checks like Alomomola more reliably, and reaching feats like giving its +2 Sucker Punch the ability to outright OHKO Raging Bolt after Stealth Rock and its +2 Ceaseless Edge the ability to OHKO Zapdos. An Adamant nature is generally preferred to maximize Hisuian Samurott's damage output, such as ensuring that a +2 Tera Dark Ceaseless Edge OHKOes Zapdos outright and OHKOes Tera Water Garganacl after Stealth Rock damage. However, a Jolly nature is a viable alternative that ensures that Hisuian Samurott outspeeds Timid Gholdengo and, at worst, ties with opposing Hisuian Samurott.
This set provides a great deal of role compression for many offensive teams by functioning as an entry hazard setter, wallbreaker, and setup sweeper all at once. Stealth Rock users like Great Tusk, Iron Treads, and Landorus-T boast solid defensive synergy with Hisuian Samurott, absorbing Electric-type attacks from Zapdos and Raging Bolt that would greatly threaten Hisuian Samurott, and can support Hisuian Samurott in a bevy of ways. Great Tusk and Iron Treads can use Rapid Spin to remove opposing entry hazards in order to preserve Hisuian Samurott's HP and Knock Off to remove Heavy-Duty Boots from threats like Zapdos and Dondozo to render them considerably more vulnerable to the pair's entry hazards. Landorus-T, on the other hand, can combine Intimidate and U-turn to give Hisuian Samurott frequent, safer entry points to set up a Swords Dance and start throwing out powerful boosted attacks more freely. Other Stealth Rock users, such as Ting-Lu and Glimmora, can also work quite effectively alongside Hisuian Samurott. Ting-Lu can stomach repeated attacks from Raging Bolt far better than most other Ground-types and reliably set Stealth Rock throughout a game, while Glimmora trades longevity and a Ground typing for Toxic Debris and a Rock-type STAB move to deter Moltres, Zapdos, and Cinderace early-game. This set pairs extremely well with Kingambit, since the duo can greatly wear down shared answers like Moltres, Dondozo, and Zamazenta thanks to Hisuian Samurott gradually forcing them into range of Kingambit's Sucker Punch. Fast offensive Dark-types like Darkrai are also excellent teammates that appreciate Hisuian Samurott's ability to wallbreak early-game set entry hazards, both of which help them sweep late-game. Gholdengo and Pecharunt are great options to fortify Hisuian Samurott against Zamazenta and Fairy-types like Iron Valiant while disrupting defensive teams featuring the likes of Dondozo that can stomach boosted Ceaseless Edges. Hisuian Samurott's mediocre Speed can be problematic against Zamazenta, Iron Valiant, and Kyurem, which don't fear a boosted Sucker Punch or can play around it with Substitute. Fast offensive threats like Dragapult, Iron Valiant, and Iron Moth can handle these faster threats reasonably well and greatly appreciate Hisuian Samurott's early-game wallbreaking and hazard stacking capabilities to facilitate their late-game sweeps. This Hisuian Samurott set is also quite excellent on Sticky Web teams helmed by either Araquanid or Ribombee, as Sticky Web circumvents Hisuian Samurott's Speed issues and makes it quite devastating into opposing offensive teams now that it no longer needs to rely on Sucker Punch to pick off faster threats. Many of the aforementioned teammates are also fantastic with Sticky Web support, with all of Great Tusk, Kingambit, Iron Moth, Iron Valiant, Gholdengo, and Nasty Plot Pecharunt commonly featuring on Sticky Web teams and supporting Hisuian Samurott all the same.
" } }, "credits": { "writtenBy": [{"user_id": 177111, "username": "Magcargo"}, {"user_id": 359575, "username": "Nichalho"}, {"user_id": 408271, "username": "Dreadfury"}, {"user_id": 493260, "username": "Marnie"}, {"user_id": 518682, "username": "alkazoth"}, {"user_id": 677476, "username": "mcribs"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 633798, "username": "kd458"}, {"user_id": 548068, "username": "Setsu"}, {"user_id": 558636, "username": "zastra"}, {"user_id": 612443, "username": "ninth"}, {"user_id": 612907, "username": "sequoia"}, {"user_id": 144640, "username": "TheDuckChris"}, {"user_id": 384270, "username": "autumn"}, {"user_id": 616497, "username": "FayaWizard"}, {"user_id": 110504, "username": "Stads"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 532450, "username": "TheRealBigC"}, {"user_id": 384270, "username": "autumn"}, {"user_id": 333742, "username": "modularform"}, {"user_id": 555379, "username": "Tbolt"}, {"user_id": 537035, "username": "rahul_3301"}, {"user_id": 511181, "username": "Rose"}, {"user_id": 652656, "username": "Gambit"}]}] } }, "Excadrill": { "sets": { "Sand Sweeper": { "description": "Sand Rush Excadrill serves as the main sweeper and speed control on sand teams that can also compress roles as an entry hazard remover thanks to Rapid Spin. Rock Slide complements Earthquake by hitting checks like Zapdos and Moltres super effectively while granting a neutral coverage against Ogerpon-W and Corviknight. Iron Head gives it a strong neutral attack against Landorus-T and Gliscor while threatening other foes like Clefable and Tera Fairy Garganacl hard. Swords Dance gives it better chances at sweeping, letting it overwhelm checks by reaching thresholds like 2HKOing Alomomola with a +2 Earthquake and Gliscor with +2 Iron Head, with its typing allowing to set up on Pokemon like Raging Bolt, Galarian Slowking, and non-Air Balloon Gholdengo. Substitute is an option to match up better against Kingambit and its Sucker Punch while also helping against Will-O-Wisp from walls like Terastallized Galarian Weezing and Air Balloon Heatran. While it's very Tera reliant and at the cost of a worse defensive typing, Tera Blast Ice is another option that beautifully complements Excadrill's Earthquake to hit foes like Landorus-T, Gliscor, Dragonite, Zapdos, and Sinistcha super effectively in one slot. Air Balloon is the preferred item to have a temporary immunity to Spikes it's supposed to remove, Ground-type moves coming from the likes of Landorus-T, Great Tusk, and Gliscor, and Ground-type coverage from foes like Dragonite and Hydrapple. Leftovers longevity can be used to further emphasize its defensive utility against foes like Raging Bolt. Tera Ghost provides a crucial immunity to Fighting-type moves like Close Combat and Body Press from Pokemon such as Zamazenta, Corviknight, and Skarmory. Tera Ground further boosts the power of its most reliable attack for it to clean late-game more easily, notably giving it good odds to 2HKO potential roadblocks in Great Tusk, Ogerpon-W, and defensive Garchomp. While the power from an Adamant nature is preferred, a Jolly nature can be used to outspeed Choice Scarf users like Darkrai and Meowcarada under sand as well as to Speed tie with opposing Excadrill.
Excadrill is exclusively found on sand teams. Tyranitar is Excadrill's best friend, setting the sand that Excadrill needs to thrive while also packing Stealth Rock and Knock Off, which can soften the enemy team to the point where Excadrill can sweep. Tyranitar helps beat Zapdos and Moltres, which Excadrill struggles to break through. The greatest problem sand teams face is Roar Zamazenta, which can shuffle them around while threatening a powerful Body Press. Similarly, Corviknight and Skarmory can boost with Iron Defense in the face of Excadrill while punishing contact moves with Rocky Helmet. Therefore, partners like Primarina, Gholdengo, and Sinistcha are great teammates; in return, Excadrill threatens their counters like Darkrai and Iron Moth. Another highly troublesome matchup for these teams is Ogerpon-W, which resists both of Excadrill's STAB moves. For this reason, checks like Corviknight and Skarmory are recommended. Corviknight can provide momentum with U-turn and can use Defog to ease Excadrill's stress. Meanwhile, Skarmory has Spikes, which can force even more passive damage alongside sand. Hydrapple and Sinistcha can check Rillaboom, Dondozo, Zamazenta, and Ogerpon-W, with Hydrapple providing extra breaking power with its ability to boost with Nasty Plot and Sinistcha providing a reliable defensive backbone with Strength Sap and Matcha Gotcha. Ironically enough, Ogerpon-W is a great partner for Excadrill due to its ability to brute force its way through troublesome matchups like Corviknight, Skarmory, and Moltres; it also has utility moves like U-turn for momentum and Encore to lock foes into moves Excadrill can use as an entry point, like Protect on Gliscor and Calm Mind on Raging Bolt. Ogerpon-W is also able to absorb Water-type moves, protecting both Excadrill and Tyranitar in the process. Finally, Ogerpon-W is able to bait in Pokemon that are scared of Excadrill, like Raging Bolt. Swords Dance Gliscor is an excellent partner for Excadrill, as it excels at defeating both Zapdos and Moltres thanks to its better resilience and status immunity. Dragapult is a good addition to these teams thanks to its immediate power, the ability to cripple various counters like the aforementioned Zamazenta and Ogerpon-W with Will-O-Wisp, and capacity to bring momentum with U-turn. Moltres also brings status and momentum-generating to the table, but it trades greater Speed and power for greater longevity with both Roost and better defenses. Assault Vest Galarian Slowking can help relieve some pressure from Tyranitar, Excadrill's best teammate, thanks to its hit-taking abilities, which is especially relevant against Primarina and Walking Wake.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 517709, "username": "1LDK"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 558636, "username": "zastra"}, {"user_id": 616497, "username": "FayaWizard"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 528364, "username": "adorluigi"}]}]} }, "Lilligant-Hisui": { "sets": { "Sun Sweeper": { "description": "Hisuian Lilligant shines on sun teams as a solid speed control, late-game cleaner, and revenge killer, using Chlorophyll to outspeed boosted threats such as Iron Valiant and Choice Scarf Darkrai. Its strong dual STAB combination in Close Combat and Solar Blade allows it to clean up against offensive threats including Great Tusk, Darkrai, and Ogerpon-W. Triple Axel provides essential coverage against Dragapult and Flying-types such as Dragonite and Zapdos, preventing them from walling Hisuian Lilligant. Sun-boosted Tera Blast Fire pressures Steel-types such as Gholdengo, Corviknight, and Skarmory and 2HKOes Zapdos without risking Static. Tera Blast Ghost similarly hits Gholdengo but also targets Pecharunt and Galarian Slowking. Defensively, Tera Fire prevents foes like Moltres and Dragapult from crippling it with a burn and flips its Fairy, Ice, and Fire weaknesses from foes like Galarian Weezing, Weavile, and Iron Moth, while Tera Ghost makes Hisuian Lilligant sturdier against IronPress users such as Zamazenta and Corviknight and prevents revenge killing attempts from Extreme Speed Dragonite.
Hisuian Lilligant is exclusively found on sun teams. Either Torkoal or Ninetales must set sun to activate Hisuian Lilligant's Chlorophyll, with each providing unique utility. Torkoal is bulkier, sets Stealth Rock, and removes entry hazards with Rapid Spin, while Ninetales brings greater Speed, Encore to disrupt setup, and Healing Wish to give Hisuian Lilligant a second chance to sweep. Walking Wake and Raging Bolt are excellent teammates, threatening the physical walls that Hisuian Lilligant struggles with, notably Moltres and Pecharunt. In return, Hisuian Lilligant pressures special walls such as Garganacl and Ting-Lu, giving Walking Wake and Raging Bolt space to break teams. Great Tusk supports Hisuian Lilligant with hazard control and physical pressure on Pecharunt, as well as removing the Heavy-Duty Boots from Moltres to wear it down with hazards, while appreciating Hisuian Lilligant's ability to soften Alomomola, Dondozo, and Ogerpon-W. Zamazenta is a major obstacle, but Hatterene can help limit its setup opportunities, as well as blocking hazards or using Healing Wish to keep Hisuian Lilligant healthy and spreading paralysis with Nuzzle to ensure that it can clean up out of sun.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 41986, "username": "toshimelonhead"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 571069, "username": "Dead by Daylight"}, {"user_id": 616497, "username": "FayaWizard"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 384270, "username": "autumn"}]}]} }, "Reuniclus": { "sets": { "Stallbreaker": { "description": "Reuniclus is a unique stallbreaker in OU thanks to its combination of Psychic Noise, Magic Guard, and Knock Off that punishes passive play. Psychic Noise denies recovery from bulky Pokemon like Gliscor, Garganacl, and Dondozo as well as bypassing Substitute against attackers like Kyurem and Iron Moth. Knock Off removes Heavy-Duty Boots from Pokemon like Dragapult, Galarian Slowking, Alomomola, and Moltres in order to make them susceptible to entry hazard chip damage and Leftovers from Dark-types unaffected by Psychic Noise like Ting-Lu and Darkrai. Focus Blast is coverage to hit Dark-types that can otherwise switch into Reuniclus easily like Kingambit, Hisuian Samurott, and Darkrai. Life Orb gives it a power boost, enabling it to secure OHKOs on threats like Iron Moth and Pecharunt with none of the downside thanks to Magic Guard. Magic Guard also enables Reuniclus to absorb status from bulky Pokemon like Gliscor, Moltres, and Toxapex. 44 Speed EVs are used to outpace uninvested base 35s like Garganacl, Dondozo, and Toxapex. Tera Fighting powers up Focus Blast to guarantee a 2HKO on Ting-Lu and gives it a resistance to Dark-type attacks, allowing it to check Pokemon like Kingambit and Darkrai. Tera Water is an alternative that allows Reuniclus to check threats like Walking Wake and Cinderace.
Reuniclus fits best on offense teams that can take advantage of its ability to disrupt bulkier teams. Spikes setters like Ting-Lu and Hisuian Samurott are excellent teammates for it, checking Ghost-types like Dragapult and Gholdengo as well as checking Iron Crown while setting entry hazards to chip them down repeatedly. Reuniclus helps them out by using Knock Off to remove Heavy-Duty Boots from threats like Kyurem, Darkrai, and Enamorus to make them susceptible to chip damage from their entry hazards. Kingambit pairs extremely well with Reuniclus as well due to their fantastic defensive synergy; it fares well against almost all of Reuniclus's checks, namely Dragapult, Gholdengo, Darkrai, and Iron Crown. In return, Reuniclus is able to face off against some of Kingambit's worst matchups like Zamazenta, Iron Valiant, Substitute Iron Moth, and Dondozo. Zamazenta fits well with Reuniclus due to its ability to switch into Kingambit, one of Reuniclus's biggest checks, and check other Dark-types like Darkrai and Hisuian Samurott, with Reuniclus being good into some of Zamazenta's checks like Galarian Slowking and Moltres. Reuniclus is also able to utilize its combination of Knock Off and Magic Guard to remove Rocky Helmet from physically bulky Pokemon like Great Tusk, Landorus-T, and Corviknight without any drawback and absorb burn from Moltres's Flame Body, letting Zamazenta break through them without worrying about any potential chip damage or crippling status conditions. Fairy-types like Iron Valiant and Primarina appreciate Reuniclus having favorable matchups into bulky Poison-types like Galarian Slowking and Toxapex, allowing them to sweep after they've either been severely weakened or outright defeated, and Reuniclus loves their resistances to Dark- and Bug-type moves that let them come in on Pokemon like Hisuian Samurott and U-turn users. Moltres is a good pairing with Reuniclus, since it checks shakier matchups like Great Tusk, Kingambit, and Weavile and can use U-turn to bring it in safely. Wallbreakers like Kyurem and Raging Bolt love Reuniclus's ability to cripple bulky walls like Galarian Slowking, Gliscor, Garganacl, and Clodsire, wearing them down by either removing their items to make them susceptible to entry hazard damage or denying them their recovery. Reuniclus is also unaffected by Salt Cure chip thanks to Magic Guard. In return, they're able to decimate Pokemon that threaten Reuniclus like Ting-Lu, Ogerpon-W, and Hisuian Samurott. Pecharunt is able to pivot into Reuniclus with Parting Shot to land Knock Off and Psychic Noise into weakened threats and force switches.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 518682, "username": "alkazoth"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 612443, "username": "ninth"}, {"user_id": 384270, "username": "autumn"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 555379, "username": "Tbolt"}]}]} }, "Amoonguss": { "sets": { "Defensive": { "description": "Making use of its good bulk, great defensive typing, and longevity from Regenerator, Amoonguss is a sturdy defensive piece tasked with checking imposing breakers like Ogerpon-W and Iron Valiant. Foul Play KOes Swords Dance Ogerpon-W at +2 after slight chip and threatens other setup sweepers like Swords Dance Gliscor, and it has the added benefit of popping Gholdengo's Air Balloon. Toxic puts opposing walls like Moltres and Zapdos and switch-ins like Kyurem on a swift timer and lets Amoonguss strongly pressure special sweepers like Raging Bolt and Primarina. Synthesis helps Amoonguss maintain its health, especially if it's forced to take entry hazard damage after losing its Heavy-Duty Boots. Clear Smog is Amoonguss's best option to reduce its passivity against setup sweepers it can't otherwise threaten like Iron Defense + Rest Zamazenta and Curse Garganacl and stops it from being overwhelmed by Iron Valiant and Calm Mind Clefable. Alternatively, Giga Drain provides Amoonguss with additional healing and threatens Water- and Ground-types like Alomomola, Hisuian Samurott, and Great Tusk. Lastly, Sludge Bomb immediately threatens Fairy- and Grass-types like Iron Valiant, Clefable, and Ogerpon-W while punishing Taunt users like Raging Bolt with a chance to poison. 16 Special Defense EVs allow Amoonguss to survive a +1 Protosynthesis Dragon Pulse from Raging Bolt, with the rest of the EVs poured into physical bulk to ensure Amoonguss checks Ogerpon-W as well as possible. Tera Steel is a broadly useful defensive type that flips Amoonguss's weaknesses and lets it check Pokemon it otherwise couldn't like Kyurem and Dragapult while giving it a stronger matchup against Meowscarada's Triple Axel. Alternatively, Tera Ghost lets Amoonguss spinblock Great Tusk and Iron Treads while granting an immunity to Gliscor's Facade, Dragonite's Extreme Speed, and Zamazenta's Body Press.
Amoonguss fits best on stall teams as their strongest check to Ogerpon-W while also serving as a useful Regenerator pivot that can absorb Toxic Spikes. Amoonguss has a suspect matchup into many of the metagame's strongest wallbreakers like Kyurem and Darkrai and struggles to make progress against poison-immune Pokemon, especially Gholdengo, Pecharunt, and Kingambit. Furthermore, Foul Play makes it susceptible to contact effects from Zapdos's Static and Moltres's Flame Body, which can impair its ability to answer Ogerpon-W. Bulky Water-types like Dondozo and Alomomola love Amoonguss for its ability to check strong Grass-types like Rillaboom and Ogerpon-W. In return, they handle physical threats like Cinderace and Kingambit that threaten Amoonguss. Another strong teammate is Blissey, which blanket checks strong special attackers like Darkrai, Kyurem, and Iron Moth that scare Amoonguss out, holds off Zapdos and Moltres, and is a strong response to Gholdengo, which easily walls and sets up on Amoonguss. Blissey appreciates Amoonguss's ability to badly poison sweepers like Raging Bolt and Primarina, while Amoonguss acts as a vent against certain mixed threats like Iron Valiant and Keldeo and can help pivot around Walking Wake in sun. Gliscor and Ting-Lu are crewmates that shield against Pokemon like Iron Moth and Iron Crown that easily switch into Amoonguss. Gliscor additionally answers Zapdos and Moltres and strongly threatens them with Knock Off and Toxic, Ting-Lu responds to Pecharunt and absorbs Galarian Slowking's Future Sight, and both set entry hazards that help further pressure Ogerpon-W.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 608211, "username": "Demon Queen"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 612907, "username": "sequoia"}, {"user_id": 384270, "username": "autumn"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 555379, "username": "Tbolt"}]}]} }, "Alomomola": { "sets": { "WishFish (Wish Passer)": { "description": "Alomomola's gargantuan HP stat, good defensive typing, a slow Flip Turn, and Regenerator make it one of the best defensive pivots available that can reliably pass Wishes to its teammates. On top of reliably gaining recovery from Wish, Protect has many more applications for Alomomola; it allows Alomomola to scout Choice item users like Walking Wake and Gholdengo, scout for potential double switches by the opponent, and potentially stall out an additional turn of burn damage from Scald. Scald immediately threatens Great Tusk and Landorus-T; bolsters Alomomola's defensive presence by crippling physical attackers such as Kingambit, Zamazenta, and Dragonite; punish foes like Rillaboom and Ogerpon from switching in; and cut down the longevity of switch-ins like Galarian Slowking and opposing Alomomola. Tickle is an alternative option that allows Alomomola to neutralize Dragon Dance Dragonite and Kyurem without relying on Scald's as well as Curse Dondozo thanks to Tickle's higher PP. The Defense drop provided by Tickle may also allow one of Alomomola's teammates to beat foes that Alomomola itself may not, such as Calm Mind Clefable and Swords Dance Gliscor.
Tera Ghost gives it an immunity to Fighting-type moves from Zamazenta, letting it reliably deal with IronPress variants; it can additionally be used to spinblock against Great Tusk and Iron Treads. Tera Steel gives Alomomola a generally solid defensive typing to aid against Rillaboom, Tyranitar, and Choice Band Dragapult. Heavy-Duty Boots allows it to function as a pivot effectively without getting worn down by entry hazards, but on teams with strong entry hazard removal, other items can be considered. Rocky Helmet enhances Alomomola's role as a physical wall by punishing foes like Zamazenta, Kingambit, and Great Tusk. Red Card is an alternative that allows Alomomola to act as a one-time phazer against setup sweepers like Zamazenta, Kingambit, Dragonite, and Iron Moth. Covert Cloak is an option on teams weak to Garganacl, as this allows Alomomola to switch into its Salt Cure safely. A Relaxed nature with 0 Speed IVs ensures that Alomomola is as slow as possible to bring in its teammates safely, with maximum Defense investment letting it check foes like Great Tusk, Zamazenta, and Cinderace more reliably.
Alomomola performs best on balance and stall teams due to the sheer value of Wish for teammates that lack reliable recovery. Potent defensive Pokemon such as Ting-Lu, Heatran, and Great Tusk heavily appreciate Alomomola's gargantuan Wish to heal them reliably, as these walls often struggle to recover themselves after chip damage. Similarly, on stall, the likes of Dondozo and Clodsire appreciate Alomomola's Wish help them better deal with chip damage while also letting them preserve Rest and Recover PP, respectively. Additionally, they appreciate Alomomola's effectiveness as a pivot, as it can let them switch in without taking any damage thanks to its relatively low Speed. Special walls such as Blissey, Clodsire, and Skeledirge can cover Alomomola's weaker Special Defense, handling the likes of Iron Valiant and Heatran. Other Pokemon with Regenerator such as Galarian Slowking and Tornadus-T can form potent Regenerator cores, making them difficult to wear down in the face of entry hazards. All of these Pokemon also appreciate Alomomola's capability to take Knock Off rather well.
Alomomola is deathly afraid of Ogerpon-W because of Water Absorb. It can easily set up on and decimate Alomomola even after it Terastallizes. Thus, checks to Ogerpon-W such as Rillaboom and Zamazenta make for excellent partners. The former two also appreciate Alomomola's Wish supporting their otherwise shaky longevity. Amoonguss's access to Toxic lets Alomomola have an easier time chipping down and stalling out foes with Flip Turn and Wish, respectively. Offensive Pokemon such as Dragapult, Meowscarada, and Landorus-T appreciate Alomomola's slow pivoting and ability to pass large Wishes to assist with their longevity.
" }, "Assault Vest": { "description": "Alomomola can use Assault Vest to improve its poor Special Defense, becoming a specially defensive pivot at the expense of Wish. Alomomola can soak up most moves from special attackers like Dragapult, Darkrai, and Iron Moth and pivot out with Flip Turn to the appropriate teammate, particularly frail offensive ones, with Regenerator recovering most of the damage taken. Scald is Alomomola's best move if it wants to stay in, fishing for burns that help pressure defensive switch-ins like Galarian Slowking, Ting-Lu, and Clodsire; cripple opposing physical attackers like Dragonite, Zamazenta, and Kingambit; and punishing would-be switch-ins like Meowscarada and Rillaboom. Mirror Coat makes use of its huge special bulk to retaliate against the plethora of attackers it can take hits from, like Dragapult, Iron Moth, and even Raging Bolt. Play Rough immediately dents Pokemon like Kyurem, Raging Bolt, Hydrapple, and Dark-type special attackers like Darkrai that do not fear Mirror Coat at all. Body Slam allows Alomomola to spread paralysis, particularly against foes that don't mind its Scald burn, like Deoxys-S, Clefable, and Ogerpon-W, especially as the latter might switch in attempting to block its Flip Turn. Aqua Jet lets it pick off severely weakened fast foes like Darkrai, Iron Valiant, and Ceruledge.
A Sassy nature completes the build to be as slow as possible, as it notably Speed ties opposing Alomomola as well as underspeed Hydrapple, Ting-Lu, and Clefable, allowing for Alomomola's teammates to enter safely. Tera Fairy is the primary option to help against rampaging Dragon- and Dark-types like Dragapult and Hisuian Samurott while additionally boosting the damage from Play Rough to the point of securing a 2HKO against Hisuian Samurott and Iron Valiant. It also helps against Raging Bolt and Hydrapple, two special attackers that can boost past the threat of Mirror Coat and thus pose a major threat to Alomomola. Tera Normal leverages the lack of weaknesses to the tier's common special attackers and their coverage moves as well as letting it pivot into Gholdengo and Nasty Plot Pecharunt more reliably while also boosting the power of Body Slam. Tera Steel is an option that improves matchups against Calm Mind Iron Valiant and Grass-types like Rillaboom, Meowscarada, and Ogerpon and lets it resist Stealth Rock. Alomomola can afford to run a mixed defensive EVs spread of 20 HP / 236 Def / 252 SpD to better handle mixed attackers like Iron Valiant and Dragapult, with the additional 20 HP EVs allowing Alomomola to survive Tera Ice Choice Specs Kyurem's Freeze-Dry after Stealth Rock.
Assault Vest Alomomola fits best on bulky offense teams that appreciate its ability to tank hits and pivot but do not require the sustained healing from Wish. Strong and fast attackers like Darkrai, Dragapult, and Deoxys-S appreciate Alomomola's ability to provide them with a safe entrance after a slow Flip Turn while at the same time being able to switch in on potential revenge killers like Choice Scarf Landorus-T, Weavile, and Dragonite. Offensive pivots like Landorus-T, Lokix, Raging Bolt, and Cinderace can form a VoltTurn core with Alomomola and appreciate it tanking hits and pivoting on Darkrai and Walking Wake. Physical walls like Pecharunt, Zamazenta, and Skarmory can benefit from Alomomola handling special attackers like Iron Moth and Dragapult, allowing them to wall or set up on remaining physical threats that can threaten Alomomola such as Rillaboom and Ogerpon-W, the latter of which can even prevent Alomomola from pivoting around freely.
Ground-type teammates like Ting-Lu, Gliscor, and Iron Treads are a must to handle foes like Raging Bolt and Zapdos; besides the threat of setup from Calm Mind Raging Bolt, they can also pivot out with Volt Switch, doing big damage and avoiding the answer of Mirror Coat by pivoting to a Dark-type like Kingambit or Ting-Lu. Alomomola is vulnerable to Toxic Spikes, so Poison-types like Iron Moth and the aforementioned Pecharunt can be a good fit. Similarly, Spikes and Stealth Rock can also wear down Alomomola due to the lack of Heavy-Duty Boots, preventing its ability to survive and pivot for longer and ruining the surprise of the Assault Vest. To handle this, teammates like Great Tusk, Corviknight, and Hatterene can help to remove and prevent hazards. Corviknight can also help as a check to Grass-types like Hydrapple and Rillaboom.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 144640, "username": "TheDuckChris"}, {"user_id": 487308, "username": "BT89"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 616497, "username": "FayaWizard"}, {"user_id": 621033, "username": "smg (notfunny)"}, {"user_id": 493260, "username": "Marnie"}, {"user_id": 633798, "username": "kd458"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 384270, "username": "autumn"}, {"user_id": 652656, "username": "Gambit"}, {"user_id": 555379, "username": "Tbolt"}]}]} }, "Mandibuzz": {"sets": {"Defensive": {"description": "16 Speed EVs allow Mandibuzz to outspeed Adamant Kingambit and Ursaluna.
"}}}, "Hydreigon": { "sets": { "Choice Specs": { "description": "By donning a Choice Specs, Hydreigon leverages its blend of a high Special Attack, workable Speed, and unique defensive profile to find its niche as a one-of-a-kind wallbreaker capable of dropping metagame staples like Gholdengo, Great Tusk, and Landorus-T on the spot while remaining unbothered by most entry hazards. Draco Meteor is chosen over Dragon Pulse for its sheer damage output, as one hit spells doom for most neutral targets like non-Assault Vest Alomomola and Rillaboom, while even sturdier foes like Gliscor and Zamazenta are prone to falling with some prior chip damage; Hydreigon's ability to repetitively enter the field throughout a game makes up for its propensity to get forced out due to the ensuing Special Attack drop. Flash Cannon is Hydreigon's best move against the Fairy-types that it dreads, such as Clefable and Hatterene, and it sports the added benefit of achieving an OHKO against faster threats like Iron Valiant and Weavile; it also doubles as a way to pressure common Tera Fairy users in Garganacl, Gholdengo, and Kingambit. Earth Power rounds out the set by smiting the Steel-types that could take Hydreigon's other moves, namely Heatran, Iron Treads, and Kingambit. With a slew of Pokemon being able to absorb STAB moves from Hydreigon, U-turn may be used over Earth Power as a way to safely bring a partner onto the field, score relevant damage on a few of Hydreigon's answers, including Blissey and Ting-Lu, and alleviate the prediction-reliant nature of this set. A Timid nature is almost always preferred to outpace key foes in Gholdengo, Great Tusk, Landorus-T, and Kyurem, but a Modest nature may be used to secure an OHKO on Dragonite, Kingambit, Moltres, and Zapdos; it even gives Hydreigon good odds at an OHKO on Assault Vest Tornadus-T after a round of Stealth Rock. Tera Steel synergizes well with Levitate and allows Hydreigon to freely fire off its attacks against the likes of Dragonite, Enamorus, Gliscor, and Kyurem while turning the tables on Dragon-type attacks from the faster Dragapult and Walking Wake. It also makes up for Flash Cannon's middling power by enabling an OHKO on Clefable along with having a chance to 2HKO Tinkaton; furthermore, it allows Hydreigon to dispose of Kyurem without having to suffer the Special Attack drop from Draco Meteor. It should be noted, however, that shedding its typing impedes Hydreigon's capacity to take Sucker Punch from Kingambit and Thunderclap from Raging Bolt, which can be detrimental, as it often finds itself tasked with revenge killing them.
Hydreigon finds its place on offense and bulky offense teams with little to no entry hazard removal, which can make use of its specific traits and offensive prowess. Entry hazard setters like Landorus-T and Ting-Lu are crucial to Hydreigon's success, as they help make the most out of its ability to force switches by forcing damage on some of its usual answers in Assault Vest Primarina and opposing Ting-Lu. Tinkaton is another great partner capable of both laying Stealth Rock and taking on faster threats like Darkrai, Enamorus, and Weavile, along with punishing any stray U-turn aimed at Hydreigon through the combination of Air Balloon and Pickpocket. Hydreigon can in turn handle some of Tinkaton's main hurdles in Ceruledge, Gholdengo, and Heatran on top of threatening the tier's most common hazard removal options in Galarian Weezing, Great Tusk, and Iron Treads; it can even use the former's utility moves and the latter two's Ground-type attacks as an entry point to start outputting damage. For all its might, Hydreigon finds itself struggling to power through a few specially bulky foes in the form of Blissey, Assault Vest Primarina, Ting-Lu, Tinkaton, and Toxapex. For that reason, physical attackers like Great Tusk, Iron Valiant, and Ogerpon are potent partners, as they are able to weaken or even dispose of the aforementioned switch-ins with their strong STAB moves and access to Knock Off; Hydreigon returns the favor by wrecking walls like Gliscor, Moltres, and Zapdos for them. Ogerpon and Zamazenta stand out as good partners, as they both sport a great matchup into the more offensive teams that Hydreigon struggles against thanks to the former's access to Encore and the Speed-boosting Embody Aspect as well as the latter's elite speed tier and game-closing potential with Iron Defense. Their tendency to draw out the above walls for Hydreigon to dispatch serves as a bonus. This is further exacerbated in the case of Ogerpon, as it is able to use U-turn against its common switch-ins like Dragonite and Pecharunt to pivot Hydreigon in. Hydreigon's middle-of-the-road Speed, tendency to lock itself into resisted moves, and vulnerability to the tier's plethora of Ice, Fairy, and especially Fighting moves mandates the use of defensive pivots like Alomomola, Galarian Slowking, Landorus-T, and Pecharunt; Hydreigon particularly enjoys their tendency to invite targets like Gliscor and Heatran onto the field. Among these, the Ghost-type duo of Gholdengo and Pecharunt make for noteworthy teammates through their faculty to take Moonblast, Close Combat, and Body Press alike, as well as the potency of their Nasty Plot sets when it comes to overwhelming overlapping checks in Blissey and Ting-Lu. Moreover, the combination of their Ghost-typing and Hydreigon's Ground immunity can prove tricky to navigate for any Great Tusk or Iron Treads aiming for a Rapid Spin.
" }, "Nasty Plot": { "description": "With its impressive Special Attack and serviceable defensive profile, Hydreigon carves itself a niche as a unique offensive threat capable of reliably setting up Nasty Plot thanks to Levitate, which blesses it with a Spikes immunity and ample opportunities to use Substitute in front of Earthquake users like Garganacl and Gliscor. Draco Meteor is chosen as Hydreigon's main STAB move for its superior output, hitting foes like Great Tusk and Ting-Lu that would otherwise shrug Dark Pulse off while netting clean 2HKOs on other important targets such as Alomomola, Moltres, and Zapdos; its main drawback in the Special Attack drop can be alleviated through Nasty Plot. Flash Cannon serves as mandatory coverage for Fairy-types such as Clefable and Hatterene that would otherwise force Hydreigon out; it also doubles as a more reliable tool to pressure foes without dropping Hydreigon's Special Attack or risking a miss, especially after a Nasty Plot or Terastallization. Substitute synergizes well with Leftovers and allows Hydreigon to safely set up against more passive walls like Alomomola, Garganacl, and non-Swords Dance Gliscor. It also prevents revenge killing attempts and denies Raging Bolt's Thunderclap and Kingambit's Sucker Punch if Hydreigon has already Terastallized. Tera Steel turns the likes of Enamorus, Kyurem, Dragonite, and Galarian Slowking into setup opportunities while mitigating the damage of other threats like Dragapult, Meowscarada, and Weavile that could take Hydreigon out even behind its Substitute due to the former's Infiltrator and the last two's Triple Axel. It also significantly increases Flash Cannon's power, letting it guarantee the OHKO on Iron Valiant and Weavile and have decent odds at 2HKOing Assault Vest Primarina and Tinkaton after a Nasty Plot.
Hydreigon fits mostly on offense and bulky offense teams that appreciate its wallbreaking capabilities and resilience to entry hazards. Entry hazard setters like Gliscor, Landorus-T, Ting-Lu, and Tinkaton appreciate Hydreigon being able to both threaten the most common hazard removal option in Great Tusk and switch into its attacks in a pinch, and in return, the Spikes and Stealth Rock that they put on the field can chip away at checks like Kingambit, Ting-Lu, and, most importantly, Assault Vest users like Alomomola, Hatterene, Iron Crown, and Primarina. Strong physical attackers like Kingambit and Dragonite enjoy Hydreigon blowing through defensive staples like Alomomola, Moltres, and Zapdos for them, while they are able to switch into and threaten to set up against specially bulky targets like Blissey and Galarian Slowking that Hydreigon draws in. Due to its move combination, Hydreigon is ultimately walled by prominent Steel-types like Iron Crown and Kingambit, so Ground- and Fighting-type teammates like Iron Valiant, Ting-Lu, and Zamazenta that are able to pressure them are valuable. The latter especially stands out, as it doubles as a strong speed control option capable of dealing with the faster paced teams that Hydreigon struggles with while drawing out the aforementioned physical walls Hydreigon preys upon. Pecharunt makes for another great teammate, as it is able to easily switch into the many Fighting-type moves that Hydreigon fears regardless of it having Terastallized or not such as Zamazenta's Body Press and Close Combat while providing a key Moonblast switch-in against Fairy-types like Clefable and Iron Valiant. It is then able to bring in Hydreigon and give it an easier time setting up in front of Garganacl and Gliscor thanks to Parting Shot. Similarly, Gholdengo can take on both Fairy- and Fighting-types and possesses a great matchup into Galarian Slowking, but it also provides unique value in that it blocks most forms of hazard removal to help Hydreigon suffocate defensive cores. Lastly, Hisuian Samurott pairs well with Hydreigon, as it excels at softening the opposing team by laying Spikes through Ceaseless Edge and removing items so that Hydreigon can have a easier time breaking them. It also boasts valuable resistances, allowing it to switch into and deal with the few offensive threats that could withstand even boosted moves from Hydreigon then retaliate like Gholdengo, Iron Crown, and Kingambit.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 633027, "username": "Disscratch"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 110504, "username": "Stads"}, {"user_id": 571069, "username": "Dead by Daylight"}, {"user_id": 384270, "username": "autumn"}, {"user_id": 633798, "username": "kd458"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 555379, "username": "Tbolt"}, {"user_id": 736762, "username": "Ascension Evermore"}]}]} }, "Tornadus-Therian": { "sets": { "Nasty Plot": { "description": "Nasty Plot Tornadus-T's role in OU is being a specialized balance breaker, with even the bulkiest teams failing to withstand its attacks and leave permanent damage thanks to its ability Regenerator. Heat Wave is used to hit Steel-types like Gholdengo, Kingambit, Iron Crown, and Corviknight. Grass Knot can be used to hit heavier Pokemon like Ting-Lu, Dondozo, and Garganacl for super effective damage. Focus Blast, on the other hand, provides coverage against Pokemon like Blissey, Hisuian Samurott, and Kingambit while retaining strong hits against Ting-Lu and Garganacl. Knock Off can be used as a more passive yet safer way to deal permanent damage to defensive cores via the removal of items, particularly Heavy-Duty Boots, which, when combined with entry hazard stacking tactics, can be very hard for defensive teams to answer. Life Orb is the recommended item to further magnify its wallbreaking niche, in particular allowing Tornadus-T to OHKO Gliscor with a +2 Bleakwind Storm, and its HP loss is partially nullified by Regenerator. However, Heavy-Duty Boots is an option on teams with poor entry hazard removal. Tornadus-T benefits from Tera Steel because it resists Stone Edge from Zamazenta, Triple Axel from Weavile, Psycho Boost from Deoxys-S, and Draco Meteor from Dragapult; this is important because these Pokemon are faster than Tornadus-T and can force it out or KO it outright. Alternatively, Tera Flying is used to boost its main STAB move. An example of where this power boost is notable is being able to 2HKO Dragonite through Multiscale with Life Orb Tera Flying Bleakwind Storm. Additional options include Dark Pulse alongside Tera Dark, which threatens a KO against Galarian Slowking at +2 with a Life Orb while still providing a coverage for Gholdengo; these variants prefer running Focus Blast on the last slot to not be walled by Kingambit, with the newfound typing letting Tornadus-T take on its Sucker Punch more comfortably as well. Tera Blast Ground can be used to turn the tables on Raging Bolt and its terrifying Thunderclap while still providing a super effective hit against other Flying-resistant threats like Garganacl, Gholdengo, and Kingambit. This also lets it have an accurate and safe way to blow up Steel- and Fire-types like Ceruledge and Heatran in addition to the aforementioned Galarian Slowking and Garganacl, though this costs Tornadus-T a moveslot and forces it to Terastallize.
This set is generally featured in bulky offense and balance teams that want a force of nature that can almost single-handedly destroy opposing bulky balance teams. The biggest problem for Tornadus-T is that in exchange for being so good against the defensive Pokemon, it has troubles against the offensive ones. Dragapult, Weavile, Deoxys-S, and Zamazenta are naturally faster and all pack powerful moves that threaten it, and Iron Valiant, a common speed control option, can also pack Thunderbolt. While Tornadus-T normally beats Ogerpon-W, if the latter Terastallizes, it can very easily win a damage trade with Ivy Cudgel. Finally, Tornadus-T is also checked by strong priority users such as Choice Band Scizor, Raging Bolt, and Kingambit. A special mention goes to Zapdos, which is one of the few defensive Pokemon that can scare Tornadus-T away. For these reasons, pair Tornadus-T with Pokemon that can handle offense but can struggle with defense. Physical setup sweepers like Kingambit and Dragonite appreciate Tornadus-T's ability to break through walls like Moltres, Galarian Weezing, Great Tusk, Dondozo, Corviknight, and Skarmory; the removal of these walls mean they can freely spam moves to their heart's content. Kingambit in particular can go toe-to-toe against Tornadus-T checks like Dragapult, as well as Weavile and Deoxys-S. Zamazenta can come in on Scizor while also drawing priority moves aimed at Tornadus-T like Kingambit's Sucker Punch and Dragonite's Extreme Speed. In return, Tornadus-T can work with Zamazenta to overwhelm Galarian Slowking and helps destroy Gholdengo, Pecharunt, and the aforementioned Skarmory and Corviknight. Ogerpon-W can help Tornadus-T in a plethora of ways. It can help overwhelm defensive cores via either its massive damage output or its tools like Knock Off and Spikes, which it can use to chip the opposing walls. Ogerpon-W can also overwhelm shared checks like Zapdos and Raging Bolt the same way. If running Life Orb as the item, consider adding hazard removal support. Great Tusk is a superb option for this, as it can also help handle Pokemon like Kingambit and Dragonite. Iron Treads is another viable option thanks to its ability to check Raging Bolt. Hatterene can also help with Magic Bounce as well as utility moves like Healing Wish and Nuzzle. Corviknight and Galarian Weezing can help with Defog while also appreciating not having to worry about Gholdengo at all. It's also recommended to pair Tornadus-T with Stealth Rock and Spikes users and Knock Off users to help wear down the enemy team. Hisuian Samurott is an excellent partner due to its access to both Ceaseless Edge and Knock Off and can also answer Pokemon like Dragapult and Deoxys-S, and in return, Tornadus-T gets rid of Galarian Weezing, Ogerpon-W, and Corviknight. Clefable has general utility moves in Stealth Rock, Knock Off, and Thunder Wave, and it can do them reliably thanks to Magic Guard. Its Thunder Wave allows Tornadus-T to outspeed faster Pokemon and unleash its wrath on them. Clefable also appreciates having Steel-types out of the way. While they don't have Knock Off, Ting-Lu and Garganacl can be quite effective, since both have entry hazards. The former stonewalls Zapdos and handles Raging Bolt, while the latter can still check Zapdos but can also take on Dragapult.
" }, "Boots Pivot": { "description": "Combining its high Speed, Knock Off, and Regenerator, Tornadus-T becomes an excellent pivot with Heavy-Duty Boots, being able to outlast many of its checks while supporting its teammates. U-turn enables its pivoting prowess while smacking Hisuian Samurott and Darkrai for meaningful chip damage. Knock Off wears down many answers to Tornadus-T such as Zapdos, Kyurem, and Galarian Slowking by removing their Heavy-Duty Boots, as well as Leftovers from Garganacl, Heatran, and Ting-Lu. With entry hazards, it can make Tornadus-T very hard to switch into during longer games. Heat Wave is an option to hit Steel-types like Gholdengo, Corviknight, and Kingambit while dissuading Weavile from switching in. Taunt, however, allows Tornadus-T to prevent Defog from Corviknight and Galarian Weezing, recovery attempts from Alomomola and Moltres, and status such as Gliscor's Toxic and Clefable's Thunder Wave. It also enables Tornadus-T to become a potent stallbreaker that uses Regenerator to outlast bulky walls such as Blissey and Toxapex and prevents Galarian Slowking's Chilly Reception, forcing more predictable plays for teammates to capitalize on. Tera Steel allows Tornadus-T to resist Ice-type attacks from Kyurem and Weavile as well as Enamorus's Moonblast, Dragapult's Dragon Darts and Draco Meteor, and Gholdengo's Make It Rain. Tera Fairy, meanwhile, lets it be more comfortable against Dark-type attacks like Kingambit's Sucker Punch and Darkrai's Dark Pulse while granting an immunity to Dragapult's Dragon Darts and Draco Meteor and Dragonite's Outrage. Tera Fairy also maintains a Fighting resistance for Zamazenta and Iron Valiant.
Tornadus-T's excellent support capabilities slot it onto balance and bulky offense teams, where its teammates can make up for its lack of power. Ting-Lu is an amazing teammate for its ability to stack entry hazards, allowing Tornadus-T to make its Knock Off more punishing. In addition, they form a solid defensive core, with Ting-Lu handling Electric-types like Raging Bolt and Zapdos and Tornadus-T threatening or forcing foes like Zamazenta, Iron Valiant, Great Tusk, and Ogerpon-W to Terastallize. Similar to Ting-Lu, Great Tusk and Iron Treads are great teammates for their ability to check Raging Bolt and, in the case of Iron Treads, Zapdos, while also providing Rapid Spin, allowing Tornadus-T to not fear hazards even after taking a Knock Off. Steel-types like Gholdengo, Iron Crown, and Heatran resist Ice, letting them handle threats like Kyurem and, in Heatran's case, Weavile, while the Steel-types appreciate having a solid pivot into Ground-types like Iron Treads. Tornadus-T enjoys having a way to pivot in safely, as it can form a pivoting core to wear down the opposing team over longer games. Thus, it appreciates other pivots such as Galarian Slowking and Alomomola, both of which offer unique utility through Future Sight and Wish, respectively. Alomomola is an especially good teammate, as Tornadus-T provides a check to Ogerpon-W and Rillaboom, while Tornadus-T likes a solid switch-in for Weavile. Galarian Slowking provides a safe switch-in to Kyurem and Raging Bolt, with Tornadus-T in exchange threatening out Great Tusk. Teammates like Kyurem and Iron Valiant appreciate Tornadus-T pivoting them in safely; Kyurem threatens Gliscor and Alomomola, while Iron Valiant can get past Hisuian Samurott and opposing Kyurem. Other strong offensive pivots like Ogerpon-W, Raging Bolt, and Cinderace are able to overwhelm defensive foes like Corviknight and Zapdos. Ogerpon-W can immensely threaten Garganacl, Ting-Lu, and Galarian Slowking and potentially lay Spikes that Tornadus-T can capitalize on with Knock Off, while Ogerpon-W enjoys a soft check for Zamazenta. Raging Bolt similarly can wear down the aforementioned Garganacl, Ting-Lu, and Galarian Slowking while Tornadus-T uses its Ground-type immunity for Iron Treads and Great Tusk. Cinderace, on the other hand, can offer hazard control with Court Change, use Will-O-Wisp to let Tornadus-T have an easier time handling Zamazenta and Ogerpon-W, and immediately threaten Weavile.
" }, "Assault Vest": { "description": "Tornadus-T carves out a strong niche for itself as a Regenerator Pokemon with access to a pivoting move and Knock Off as well as a high Speed tier and Flying typing, which allow it to act as an offensive check to several threatening Pokemon such as Great Tusk, Zamazenta, and Ogerpon-W. With an Assault Vest, Tornadus-T functions as a key defensive and progress-making piece for various teams, acting as a blanket check to special attackers while bolstering its special bulk enough to reliably switch into several special attackers like mixed Iron Valiant and Choice Specs Dragapult. With its great Speed tier, it can use U-turn to pivot out of would-be threats safely such as Kyurem, Garganacl, and Raging Bolt, with Assault Vest allowing Tornadus-T to survive a Thunderclap from the latter. Knock Off allows Tornadus-T to make progress against most teams by providing item removal, crippling targets that are reliant on their items such as Moltres, Dragapult, and Pecharunt. Heat Wave lets it threaten Steel-types that would otherwise wall it like Corviknight, Iron Treads, Gholdengo, and Kingambit. Icy Wind provides speed control to cripple faster Pokemon such as Speed Booster Energy Iron Valiant, Darkrai, and Zamazenta so Tornadus-T can outspeed and threaten them with Bleakwind Storm or let a teammate outrun and revenge kill them. It also hits specially defensive Gliscor for super effective damage, which would otherwise comfortably sit in front of Tornadus-T. Tera Steel flips the script against Ice-types such as Weavile and Kyurem while also granting Tornadus-T a resistance to Dragon, which allows it to more comfortably take attacks like Choice Band Dragapult's Dragon Darts and Dragon Dance Kyurem's Scale Shot. Tera Steel also lets it check the tier's Psychic-types such as Galarian Slowking and Hatterene more easily. Tera Fairy allows Tornadus-T to better check threatening Dark-type attackers such as Darkrai while maintaining a Fighting resistance, still letting it match up well against Zamazenta. It also grants Tornadus-T a Dragon immunity to more comfortably switch into Draco Meteor from Kyurem and Dragapult.
Assault Vest Tornadus-T fits best on balance teams where its several talents in one teamslot are greatly appreciated. It serves as a great partner for Pokemon such as Kingambit, Hisuian Samurott, and Garganacl; all three of them appreciate its ability to answer the tier's Fighting-Types like Zamazenta and Iron Valiant, as well as Ogerpon-W. Tornadus-T also pairs well with entry hazard setters such as the aforementioned Garganacl and Hisuian Samurott as well as Gliscor, as they all appreciate its ability to remove Heavy-Duty Boots from hazard-weak targets. Other Regenerator Pokemon like Alomomola and Galarian Slowking work well with Tornadus-T; the former helps create a strong physically and specially defensive backbone for a team, and the latter provides an extra special wall that can better take on threats such as Zapdos. Its pivoting also facilitates offensive partners such as Zamazenta to hit the field consistently, which appreciates Tornadus-T's ability to check its most common answers such as Gholdengo, Iron Valiant, and Dragapult. Due to the choice of Assault Vest over Heavy-Duty Boots, Tornadus-T needs to be very careful to avoid Stealth Rock, as it can undercut Tornadus-T's Regenerator healing. As a result, Pokemon such as Galarian Weezing prove excellent partners for the temporal genie, and in turn, Galarian Weezing appreciates Tornadus-T's ability to switch in against special attackers that would threaten it such as Gholdengo. Tornadus-T's other glaring weakness is the tier's common Electric-types like Raging Bolt and Zapdos. Partners that can assist in dealing with these two such as Great Tusk and Ting-Lu make for excellent teammates, with the former providing hazard removal as well as checking Garganacl and Raging Bolt, while Tornadus-T can cover for some of its worst matchups such as Iron Valiant, Ogerpon-W, and Sinistcha. Ting-Lu, on the other hand, appreciates Tornadus-T removing Heavy-Duty Boots from opposing Pokemon that would be immune to its hazards, and in turn, it stonewalls Zapdos and helps in taking on a myriad of special attacks. Iron Treads is another option as a Ground-type partner that can also provide hazard control and provide support as a second Knock Off user. Tornadus-T can also struggle with several special walls and Pokemon that it can't pressure significantly with Knock Off, such as specially defensive Gliscor, Ting-Lu, and Garganacl, so partners like Ogerpon-W, Rillaboom, and Weavile can pressure these Pokemon. Tornadus-T helps the former two against Hydrapple and Sinistcha, the latter two against Iron Valiant and Iron Moth, and all three against Zamazenta. Tornadus-T may also face trouble against the few Pokemon that can outrun it, such as Weavile and Dragonite after a Dragon Dance. Pokemon that can provide speed control such as Dragapult, Zamazenta, and Choice Scarf Darkrai can ensure that anything it doesn't outrun is dealt with, allowing it to pivot around slower targets more effectively to stack Regenerator healing over the course of a game.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 517709, "username": "1LDK"}, {"user_id": 636986, "username": "Nocturne Nugget"}, {"user_id": 677476, "username": "mcribs"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 548068, "username": "Setsu"}, {"user_id": 236090, "username": "Firenix"}, {"user_id": 677476, "username": "mcribs"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 555379, "username": "Tbolt"}, {"user_id": 681606, "username": "BrisingrDraconis"}, {"user_id": 384270, "username": "autumn"}]}]} }, "Thundurus-Therian": { "sets": { "Choice Specs": { "description": "Choice Specs Thundurus-T carves out a small niche as a powerful wallbreaker with the tools to wear down and break through many of its supposed checks and counters. With a second STAB option in Volt Switch, Thundurus-T is able to to wear down and keep up momentum against its few defensive checks like Galarian Slowking and Blissey while still securing crucial OHKOs against targets like Moltres, Corviknight, and Alomomola lacking Assault Vest that it intends to threaten out. Tera Blast Fairy grants it the ability to cleanly OHKO Dragon-types like Raging Bolt, Kyurem, and Dragapult while super effectively threatening notable Ground-types like Great Tusk and Ting-Lu. Alternatively, Tera Blast Flying lets Thundurus-T utilize its other STAB typing, giving it the chance to OHKO Rillaboom and Hydrapple, 2HKO Galarian Slowking, and secure an OHKO against IronPress Zamazenta that Tera Fairy barely misses out on guaranteeing. Meanwhile, Tera Blast Ice grants Thundurus-T the coveted BoltBeam coverage combination to devastate Ground-types like Gliscor and even Clodsire while letting it OHKO Dragonite, Raging Bolt, and Dragapult. Grass Knot gives it a way to deal with most Ground-types without needing to Terastallize, taking down Great Tusk and Ursaluna with ease and crucially 2HKOing Ting-Lu after Stealth Rock. Knock Off removes key items like Heavy-Duty Boots from walls like Galarian Slowking, Blissey, and Clodsire; it is also able to remove Assault Vest from the former. Item removal allows Thundurus-T to wear these walls down through repeated switch-ins over the course of a game more easily, particularly when using Volt Switch against the non-Electric-immune checks. However, Knock Off comes at the expense of making Thundurus-T even more reliant on Terastallization for coverage. Focus Blast still deals massive damage to Ting-Lu and OHKOes Kyurem while giving Thundurus-T a way to OHKO even specially defensive Iron Treads, Tyranitar, and Excadrill. If used on rain teams, Thundurus-T is able to slot in a perfectly accurate Thunder over Thunderbolt and use Weather Ball in its last moveslot as coverage for the aforementioned Ground-types. A Timid nature is selected to outrun foes such as Kyurem and Landorus-T. A Modest nature can instead be used to amplify Thundurus-T's breaking power even further to the point that it has a chance to 2HKO Galarian Slowking with Thunderbolt. Thundurus-T's Tera types are primarily chosen for its offensive coverage; however, Tera Fairy crucially lets it completely shut down most Raging Bolt sets in combination with Volt Absorb and resist Kingambit's Sucker Punch. Conversely, Tera Flying and Tera Ice are used for the coverage alone and only serve to worsen Thundurus-T's defensive profile.
Thundurus-T is best used on pivot-heavy teams, slotting onto bulky offense as a dedicated wallbreaker while also finding a home on balance teams that need to make progress against more defensive teams. Thundurus-T's weakness to Stealth Rock and proclivity to pivot around necessitates reliable entry hazard control, making Cinderace and Great Tusk excellent partners with their ability to threaten checks to Thundurus-T like Galarian Slowking, Iron Treads, and, in the case of the latter, Clodsire. Cinderace provides further synergy as another offensive pivot with a propensity to invite in and pivot out of common Electric-weak Pokemon like Alomomola and Moltres, while Great Tusk can give Thundurus-T entry points against defensive Flying-types like Zapdos, Corviknight, and Skarmory. Other forms of hazard control like Galarian Weezing, Iron Treads, and even Hatterene can aid in consistently keeping Stealth Rock off the field while providing defensive utility against Iron Valiant, Galarian Slowking, and Gliscor, respectively. In a similar manner to Cinderace, offensive U-turn users like Scizor and Lokix can be useful in powering a VoltTurn core that brings Thundurus-T in against their own checks like Zapdos and Corviknight. Scizor is notably able to revenge kill Iron Valiant and Enamorus, both of which outspeed and can threaten a weakened Thundurus-T. Alomomola can be used as a more defensive pivot to take a hit and bring Thundurus-T in safely using Flip Turn, a quality replicated by Galarian Slowking with its Chilly Reception; these bulkier pivots help to patch up Thundurus-T's matchups against foes like Cinderace, Iron Valiant, and offensive Zamazenta that can force it out. Thundurus-T's middling Speed tier also gives Ogerpon-W the ability to outspeed and OHKO it after Stealth Rock; other pivoting partners like Rillaboom and Ogerpon can be considered to ease this matchup. These Pokemon additionally check Ground-types like Great Tusk and Ting-Lu looking to punish a Choice-locked Thundurus-T. Ogerpon-W itself can fill this role even better by threatening even more Ground-types like Gliscor and Landorus-T, with Ogerpon-W and Thundurus-T forming a wallbreaking and potentially VoltTurn core that can weaken shared checks like Assault Vest Kyurem and Hydrapple. Entry hazards also provide excellent support for Thundurus-T as a breaker, and offensive hazard setters like Landorus-T or Hisuian Samurott can accentuate this further by themselves carrying pivoting moves to bring Thundurus-T in safely. Late-game cleaners like Kingambit and Zamazenta are wincons able to take advantage of the walls Thundurus-T punches through, notably threatening or even setting up against special walls like Galarian Slowking and Blissey, respectively. One partner that can greatly enhance Thundurus-T's power is Drizzle Pelipper; these rain teams enable it to use Weather Ball and a perfectly-accurate Thunder. In return, an immunity to Electric-type moves helps rain partners like Barraskewda and Pelipper itself against Zapdos and Raging Bolt.
" }, "Nasty Plot": {} }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 633798, "username": "kd458"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 647728, "username": "Heatranator"}, {"user_id": 493260, "username": "Marnie"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 555379, "username": "Tbolt"}]}]} }, "Landorus-Therian": { "overview": "With its incredible typing, Intimidate, outstanding power, decent Speed, and access to numerous utility moves, Landorus-T becomes one of OU's premier pivots. It can check a wide variety of threats such as Kingambit, Ceruledge, and Raging Bolt and is still capable of being offensively threatening. Its Speed tier lets it outspeed crucial targets like Pecharunt and Great Tusk and it also provides crucial role compression as a Stealth Rock setter. It can either invest in its bulk compounded by Rocky Helmet and Intimidate to make the most of its defensive profile against the likes of Cinderace and Iron Treads, or it may opt to lean on its offensive capabilities instead to pressure physical walls such as Clefable, and it has a stronger Stone Edge to hit Earthquake-immune targets such as Zapdos, Moltres, and Tornadus-T. Landorus-T may also be used as the team's speed control by running a Choice Scarf to outspeed otherwise faster foes in Dragapult, Ogerpon-W, and Choice Scarf Gholdengo. However, offensive Pokemon such as Kyurem, Ogerpon-W, and Walking Wake exploit Landorus-T's weaknesses, and common special attackers like Dragapult and Iron Valiant take advantage of its middling special bulk; all of these foes even outspeed it when not running Choice Scarf. Common physical walls such as Corviknight, Alomomola, and Gliscor prevent offensive sets from making considerable progress. Pokemon such as Great Tusk and Zamazenta may run Ice-type coverage to nail Landorus-T. Moreover, Landorus-T's lack of reliable recovery means that physical attackers that is tasked with checking can quickly chip it down, especially against offensive teams that stack multiple of them together.
", "comments": "Rock Tomb may be considered on defensive sets to slow down foes such as Tornadus-T, Dragonite, and Zamazenta for its teammates to more easily handle them. Smack Down is another option, as it allows Landorus-T to pressure Corviknight and Skarmory. Tera Fairy grants Landorus-T with a resistance to Kingambit's Sucker Punch, keeps its resistance to Zamazenta's Body Press and Close Combat, provides it with an immunity to some of the tier's strongest attacks in Raging Bolt and Dragapult's Draco Meteor, and grants it a neutral typing against most physical attackers like Ogerpon-W and Ice Spinner Great Tusk. Leftovers provides Landorus-T with some of the longevity it lacks. Furthermore, Landorus-T may be run with Defense or even Special Defense investment at the cost of some Speed EVs, making it sturdier against the likes of Rillaboom, Kingambit, Iron Moth, and Raging Bolt; in such cases, 128 Speed EVs with a Bold nature allow Landorus-T to outspeed Modest Raging Bolt, while 4 Speed EVs let it get the jump on Kingambit. However, running fewer Speed EVs means it has a harder time against foes like Gholdengo, Pecharunt, and Ice Spinner Great Tusk, which it can otherwise check. Sandsear Storm and Psychic may be considered on defensive sets, with the former potentially crippling physical attackers such as Ogerpon-W, Rillaboom, and Hisuian Samurott with a burn, while the latter targets Zamazenta, Great Tusk, and Hawlucha. Choice Band may be considered to make the most out of Landorus-T's sky-high Attack, letting it 2HKO Great Tusk and the likes of Alomomola and Ting-Lu after some chip damage with Earthquake as well as Tornadus-T and Kyurem with Stone Edge. Similarly, Swords Dance may be used to pressure walls looking to sit on Landorus-T such as Alomomola, non-Iron Defense Corviknight, Clefable, and Tera Fairy and Water Garganacl.
", "sets": { "Defensive": { "description": "Landorus-T acts as important glue on offense teams thanks to its valuable role compression courtesy of its utility options and defensive profile; it functions as a Stealth Rock setter, defensive pivot, and blanket check to the metagame's prominent physical attackers such as Kingambit, Great Tusk, and Zamazenta while chipping them down with Rocky Helmet in the process. It also possesses a decent Speed tier, outspeeding common threats like Gholdengo, Great Tusk, and Raging Bolt. Earth Power lets Landorus-T check IronPress Zamazenta and Bulk Up Great Tusk and has the added benefit of not being weakened by Rillaboom's Grassy Terrain, but Earthquake can be used instead to hit Galarian Slowking and Calm Mind Raging Bolt hard and makes use of Landorus-T's huge Attack stat in general. Aside from popping Kingambit, Gholdengo, and Heatran's Air Balloons for Landorus-T to threaten them later, U-turn is incredibly vital to bring its teammates in safely, especially because it works incredibly well with Intimidate to soften the blow for an incoming teammate or gain momentum by forcing out the aforementioned physical attackers, all while chipping down switch-ins like Ting-Lu and Rillaboom. Taunt prevents entry hazards from a number of setters like Skarmory, Gliscor, opposing Landorus-T, and Glimmora, the last of which Landorus-T can anti-lead well with Earth Power to prevent Toxic Debris activation; stops recovery attempts from walls like Clefable, Dondozo, and Terastallized Garganacl; and limits setup attempts from Zamazenta, Air Balloon Kingambit, and Dragonite, with the three capable of using Landorus-T as setup fodder otherwise. Especially for special variants, Taunt can be dropped for a coverage move instead; Psychic lets Landorus-T threaten Hawlucha, 2HKO maximum HP Great Tusk, and hit Zamazenta slightly harder, while Grass Knot is used to 2HKO Dondozo while denting Great Tusk even more. Landorus-T's Tera type is very flexible and mostly depends on what physical threats the team is weak to. Tera Water lets Landorus-T check foes like Weavile, Cinderace, and Hisuian Samurott more reliably at the cost of making it unable to deal with Raging Bolt. Tera Ghost can be used on special sets with Earth Power to let Landorus-T more reliably deal with IronPress Zamazenta and additionally prevents spinners like Great Tusk and Iron Treads from removing its Stealth Rock; however, it can no longer switch into Kingambit afterwards. Other alternative Tera types include Tera Dragon, which similarly improves its matchup against Hisuian Samurott and Cinderace with the additional Grass resistance making it sturdier against Ogerpon-W and Rillaboom. Tera Steel improves the matchup against Rillaboom, Meowscarada, and Weavile but makes it unable to check Great Tusk and Zamazenta. Similar to Tera Dragon, Tera Grass lets it check Ogerpon-W, Hisuian Samurott, and Rillaboom; the Tera type boosts the power of Grass Knot at the cost of being weak to Cinderace and U-turn from opposing Landorus-T. A Timid nature is optimal for Earth Power variants, whereas a Jolly nature should be used if running Earthquake.
Landorus-T is most effective on offense and bulky offense teams. Any offensive Pokemon generally appreciates the utility it brings to the table, with the likes of Ogerpon-W, Raging Bolt, and Kingambit loving its ability to bring them in safely into the field via U-turn to either set up or wallbreak, especially against Landorus-T's incoming switch-ins; the first two threaten bulky Water-types like Alomomola and Dondozo—with Ogerpon-W dealing with opposing Landorus-T and Gliscor as well—while Raging Bolt pressures Skarmory and Defog Corviknight, preventing Landorus-T's Stealth Rock from being removed. Moreover, their ability to force switches works well with Landorus-T's Stealth Rock, which can be further supported by other offensive threats like Iron Valiant and Rillaboom that can use Knock Off against Heavy-Duty Boots users like Dondozo, Skeledirge, and Dragonite. Iron Valiant in particular can also be handy in covering for IronPress Zamazenta and Bulk Up Great Tusk if Landorus-T lacks Earth Power; other Pokemon like Choice Scarf Enamorus and Will-O-Wisp Dragapult are great options in this regard as well. The aforementioned Kingambit, Raging Bolt, and Rillaboom also appreciate Landorus-T's ability to switch into their offensive checks, namely opposing Landorus-T, Great Tusk, and Zamazenta. In return, some of them possess defensive properties that aid Landorus-T; Ogerpon-W and Primarina can switch into foes like Barraskewda and Walking Wake, while Kingambit and Zamazenta can either handle or soft check Meowscarada and Weavile. IronPress Zamazenta especially appreciates Landorus-T checking Kingambit for it to remain healthy and sweep late-game much more easily. Galarian Slowking deserves a special mention as a specially defensive pivot that pairs well with Landorus-T on bulky offense structures; aside from forming a strong VoltTurn core and providing further support for the team in the form of status-spreading and Future Sight, together they form a strong defensive backbone to blanket check all threats in the metagame. Galarian Slowking is adept at switching into and dealing with most special threats, including Iron Valiant and Walking Wake, while Landorus-T handles the likes of Kingambit, Great Tusk, and Iron Treads for it in return.
" }, "Offensive": { "description": "Offensive Landorus-T uses its massive Attack stat to its fullest, ripping apart opposing teams with ease while playing defensive and supportive roles simultaneously due to its excellent bulk, typing, and support moves. Stealth Rock helps Landorus-T pressure its own checks like Gliscor, Corviknight, and Skarmory and increase the threat level of its teammates; Landorus-T has no issue setting them due to its ability to force switches combined with its great bulk. Stone Edge chips opposing Landorus-T while doing massive damage to Moltres, Zapdos, Dragonite, and Tera Flying Pokemon such as Kingambit and Gholdengo. U-turn allows Landorus-T to pivot out of switch-ins like Gliscor and assists in positioning other threats on its team, while Taunt allows it to shut down defensive Pokemon like Gliscor, Ting-Lu, and Garganacl and deny setup sweepers like Kingambit, Dragonite lacking Ice Spinner, and Great Tusk. Rocky Helmet further spreads chip damage against foes like Great Tusk, Zamazenta, Kingambit, and U-turn Landorus-T, but a more offensive variant with Soft Sand is also an option, notably having a chance to 2HKO Great Tusk and Clefable. Tera Water gives Landorus-T a resistance to Water- and Ice-type attacks from Weavile, Hisuian Samurott, Ice Beam Darkrai, and Ice Spinner Great Tusk and Dragonite. Tera Ground should be used with Soft Sand to maximize its offensive power, with the combination of both notably allowing it to 2HKO Alomomola after Stealth Rock. Tera Ghost is an option to maintain hazards against Great Tusk and Iron Treads, but it provides little defensive value and leaves Landorus-T very vulnerable to Dark-type attacks from Pokemon like Kingambit that it is otherwise tasked to check.
Offensive Landorus-T fits perfectly on offense, providing these teams with a crucial Stealth Rock setter, offensive pivot, and Ground-immune Pokemon rolled into one. Gholdengo can provide excellent defensive utility for offense teams, blocking entry hazard removal attempts while checking Iron Valiant and Deoxys-S, and Landorus-T can in return take advantage of the Ground-types that threaten Gholdengo and ease its defensive burdens by checking Kingambit. Primarina can also be an excellent partner, able to check threats like Walking Wake, Hisuian Samurott, and Weavile to further bolster a team's defensive backbone while being able to take advantage of Pokemon like Gliscor and opposing Landorus-T to force progress. In return, Landorus-T can switch into Raging Bolt's Electric-type attacks and force it out using the threat of an OHKO with Earthquake. Hisuian Samurott is a fantastic alternative as an offensive Water-type that forms a strong pairing with Landorus-T, removing Heavy-Duty Boots from physical walls and stacking Spikes that synergize with Landorus-T's Stealth Rock to put the opponent on an uncomfortably fast ticking timer. Landorus-T synergizes well with physical sweepers that can provide speed control while exploiting Stealth Rock and the holes made by Landorus-T's wallbreaking; Zamazenta and Kingambit are powerhouses that also provide further defensive support against threats that Landorus-T cannot handle alone such as opposing Kingambit, Darkrai, and Gholdengo, while Weavile can use Knock Off to severely weaken Heavy-Duty Boots-reliant foes such as Moltres and Zapdos so that Landorus-T's Stealth Rock can later wear them down. All three of these Pokemon can also help in weakening or eliminating Gliscor, Corviknight, and Skarmory, a facet that this offensive Landorus-T much appreciates. Special wallbreakers like Kyurem, Iron Crown, Iron Moth, and Raging Bolt appreciate the entry points made by U-turn against Pokemon that can sit on Landorus-T like Alomomola, Corviknight, Gliscor, and Dondozo while appreciating having Landorus-T to fall back on, particularly if they opt to run Choice item sets; alternatively, these also enjoy Landorus-T having the ability to deny opposing hazards with Taunt. As a strong offensive pivot with solid defensive qualities due to intimidate, Landorus-T forms a great pairing on bulky offense with other pivots such as Galarian Slowking and Iron Crown that appreciate a teammate immune to Ground; these Pokemon can bring some special bulk to the table against foes like Iron Valiant and Kyurem without being passive themselves, and their Future Sight can be incredibly hard to switch into when backed up with Landorus-T's Earthquake.
" }, "Choice Scarf": { "description": "Choice Scarf Landorus-T is an excellent speed control, revenge killer, and offensive pivot that also provides defensive utility thanks to its typing and Intimidate to slow down the tier's physical threats like Kingambit and Cinderace. Stone Edge discourages Moltres and Zapdos from safely switching in and grants it additional coverage against Flying-types if another teammate has already Terastallized. U-turn allows Landorus-T to generate momentum for its team while safely bringing in one of its teammates; its boosted Speed makes it an excellent user of the move. Grass Knot, which should then be used with the corresponding Naive nature, gives Landorus-T a strong attack against Great Tusk and Dondozo. It can also compress roles as the team's Stealth Rock setter especially if the team lacks one otherwise. Tera Blast expands its coverage and amplifying its threat; Tera Flying turns Tera Blast into a brutally powerful STAB option that meaningfully threatens Zamazenta, Great Tusk, Sinistcha, and Hydrapple, while Tera Blast Ice allows it to nail Gliscor, Dragonite, and opposing Landorus-T while still slamming Great Tusk, Sinistcha, and Hydrapple. Tera Ground boosts the power of its Earthquake for it to clean up late-game more easily. While they're mainly used for the coverage option, Tera Flying and Tera Ice has bonus defensive advantages; Tera Flying maintains its Ground immunity and Fighting resistance, letting it still switch into foes like Great Tusk and Zamazenta in a pinch, while Tera Ice flips its Ice weakness from foes like Weavile and Kyurem at the cost of no longer checking Cinderace and Zamazenta, with both Tera types making it more vulnerable to Stealth Rock.
This set is mostly seen on bulky offense teams that appreciate its role as a pivot and a revenge killer. Galarian Slowking is an excellent partner for it, as it can reliably handle Pokemon such as Iron Valiant, Iron Moth, and Choice Scarf Enamorus that would otherwise outspeed it, and it appreciates Landorus-T for being able to threaten Kingambit. Backup defensive switch-ins like Great Tusk and Corviknight are appreciated; they provide Landorus-T with extra insurance against Kingambit and Gliscor, and act as much-needed hazard control for when Landorus-T needs to Terastallize. Kingambit is also a fantastic partner for Landorus-T, and can punish Pokemon like Great Tusk and Flying-types such as Dragonite and Enamorus for attempting to exploit Landorus-T if it's locked into a resisted move. Lastly, Landorus-T struggles to break past physically defensive walls, notably Alomomola and Corviknight; thus, wallbreakers such as Ogerpon-W and powerful special attackers such as Raging Bolt and Kyurem make for incredibly valuable teammates and can enable it to pick off weakened foes late-game. These Pokemon also greatly enjoy having Landorus-T bringing them onto the field with its fast U-turn, in addition to it picking off faster threats like Dragapult and Darkrai. Kingambit is another Pokemon that appreciates having a fast pivot that provides it with a safe entry point and can open up for a late-game sweep. Landorus-T also enjoys Kingambit's powerful Sucker Punch for being able to pick off faster Pokemon like Iron Moth and Walking Wake.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 251923, "username": "leng loi"}, {"user_id": 548068, "username": "Setsu"}, {"user_id": 584916, "username": "viivian"}, {"user_id": 612907, "username": "sequoia"}, {"user_id": 493260, "username": "Marnie"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 493260, "username": "Marnie"}, {"user_id": 612443, "username": "ninth"}, {"user_id": 548068, "username": "Setsu"}, {"user_id": 558636, "username": "zastra"}, {"user_id": 144640, "username": "TheDuckChris"}, {"user_id": 571069, "username": "Dead by Daylight"}, {"user_id": 612907, "username": "sequoia"}, {"user_id": 616497, "username": "FayaWizard"}, {"user_id": 633798, "username": "kd458"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 384270, "username": "autumn"}, {"user_id": 555379, "username": "Tbolt"}, {"user_id": 652656, "username": "Gambit"}, {"user_id": 470115, "username": "SolarBeam"}]}]} }, "Kyurem": { "overview": "Kyurem is one of SV OU's strongest offensive Pokemon, utilizing its powerful mixed offensive stats and solid overall bulk to run a wide variety of sets, each requiring different counterplay. Choice Specs makes Kyurem into a wallbreaker and strengthens its already powerful moves, OHKOing much of the tier and chunking even the bulkiest Kyurem answers, like Gholdengo and specially defensive Moltres. Kyurem can act as a sweeper with Dragon Dance, using Loaded Dice to enhance its Icicle Spear and Scale Shot alongside Terastallization to give it the coverage to answer would-be checks, or even go mixed to become a menace even against stall teams. Kyurem's natural bulk enable it to run Substitute + Protect sets to take advantage of Pressure to PP stall foes or even run an Assault Vest to trade with common special attackers like Darkrai and Zapdos while being tough to switch into. Unfortunately, Kyurem's mediocre Speed and lackluster defensive typing can make it challenging to position. Faster Pokemon like Zamazenta, Iron Valiant, and Dragapult can threaten Kyurem with an OHKO and force it out. Kyurem is weak to Stealth Rock and depends on its item slot for damage, meaning it usually cannot afford to run Heavy-Duty Boots and is forced to rely on entry hazard removal. Moreover, some of Kyurem's sets heavily rely on Tera to boost its damage or provide it with necessary coverage, forcing it to compete with the many Tera-reliant offensive Pokemon in the tier like Enamorus and Garganacl. Additionally, bulky Steel-types like Kingambit, Gholdengo, Scizor, and Iron Crown can soft check most Kyurem sets or possibly force a Tera.
", "comments": "Choice Scarf Kyurem is a niche option used to snipe Pokemon like Dragapult and Ogerpon-W, with the downside of being very prediction-reliant, easy to exploit, and pretty weak without a damage-boosting item. On teams with little to no entry hazard control, Heavy-Duty Boots can be run to mitigate its entry hazard—especially Stealth Rock—weakness, but this comes at the cost of its item slot and, as such, a lot of its damage. Choice Specs sets can run Focus Blast to KO opposing Kyurem and Kingambit as well as hit Air Balloon Heatran and Tera Steel Levitate Pokemon like Latios. Flash Cannon is nice on Substitute + Protect sets alongside Tera Steel to hit opposing Kyurem, Assault Vest Hatterene, and Clefable while not crumbling to Ogerpon-W post-Tera, like with Tera Ground. A set with Substitute, Protect, Dragon Dance, and Icicle Spear with Leftovers can be used to become a setup sweeper that can take advantage of Pressure and the high PP of its moves to PP stall the opposition, particularly passive Pokemon like Alomomola, Toxapex, and Terastallized Gliscor; this set can opt for Tera Steel to set up on Pokemon like Iron Crown and Hatterene or Tera Ghost to set up on Zamazenta and Body Press Corviknight.
", "sets": { "Choice Specs": { "description": "When using Choice Specs, Kyurem becomes a devastating wallbreaker thanks to its great offensive typing alongside its naturally sky-high Special Attack. Freeze-Dry helps Kyurem in dealing with bulky Water-types like Toxapex, Dondozo, and common Tera Water users such as Gliscor and Galarian Slowking. Earth Power finds itself in the last slot, allowing Kyurem to hit Galarian Slowking hard as well as Pokemon that resist its STAB moves, examples being Heatran, Kingambit, and Gholdengo. Blizzard is an option over Draco Meteor that should only be run alongside Chilly Reception Galarian Slowking; it deals immense amount of damage to neutral and even resisted targets, letting it overwhelm Pokemon like Galarian Slowking and Gholdengo that tries to pivot around its Ice Beam more easily. Tera Ice provides the most amount of damage possible to its Ice-type STAB moves, which can potentially OHKO naturally high specially defensive behemoths like Clodsire and Toxapex with Ice Beam and Freeze-Dry, respectively, as well as 2HKO offensive Gholdengo and Kingambit with Ice Beam. Meanwhile, Tera Ground can be used to boost up Earth Power, having a chance to OHKO bulky variants of Kingambit and Gholdengo, as well as provide a Rock resistance, which lets it take on Stealth Rock and the dangerous Iron Boulder's Mighty Cleave more easily. Finally, Tera Fairy provides Kyurem with an immunity to Dragon-type attacks such as Dragapult, Walking Wake, and opposing Kyurem's Draco Meteor, coupled with a newfound Fighting resistance against moves like Iron Valiant and Zamazenta's Close Combat and Corviknight and Skarmory's Body Press. A Timid nature is preferred for its ability to outspeed key threats like Tinkaton and Landorus-T as well as Speed tie opposing Kyurem, but a Modest nature can be used for more firepower, letting Kyurem overwhelm its checks like Galarian Slowking much more easily.
Kyurem often finds itself in bulky offense teams that appreciate its ability to destroy common walls. While Kyurem's typing is amazing offensively, defensively it makes Kyurem hard to switch in due to its numerous weaknesses combined with its average Speed tier. To solve this, pair Kyurem with pivot users; Kyurem's best friend is Galarian Slowking, which brings Kyurem in safely and provides snow with Chilly Reception as well as switch into Fairy-types like Enamorus and Iron Valiant. Kyurem needs entry hazard removal to not get worn down quickly by hazard-stacking teams; therefore, Rapid Spin users like Great Tusk and Excadrill are great partners. Corviknight can take Fairy- and Dragon-type moves, clear out hazards with Defog, and provides a slow U-turn to get Kyurem in safely. Additionally, Cinderace can use Court Change to use the hazards against the opposing team and can also lure in and pivot out of checks such as Toxapex and Gliscor with U-turn for Kyurem. Hatterene is also a good partner for Kyurem, which can deflect hazards with Magic Bounce, slow down faster threats with Nuzzle, and give Kyurem a second chance at wallbreaking with Healing Wish. Physical attackers like Meowscarada can be used to scare away common special walls thanks to its crippling STAB Knock Off to make Kyurem's attacks more impactful. Another strong physical attacker is Kingambit, which threaten some of Kyurem's checks like Galarian Slowking, Clodsire, and specially defensive Clefable. In return, Kyurem can break past their defensive checks such as Skarmory, Dondozo, and Great Tusk. Gholdengo makes for an amazing partner, as it can switch into super effective moves aimed at Kyurem and threaten Galarian Slowking and Fairy-types with its STAB moves; in return, Kyurem beats Unaware Clodsire for it. Kyurem can take advantage of hazard-stacking teams to be even harder to wall, so common hazard setters like Skarmory, Ting Lu, Hisuian Samurott, and Gliscor can be helpful, with the latter two having Knock Off on their arsenal as well to cripple Kyurem's defensive checks.
" }, "Physical Dragon Dance": { "description": "Dragon Dance Kyurem is an effective setup sweeper that takes advantage of Terastallization, great bulk, and a strong physical STAB move in Loaded Dice-boosted Icicle Spear. Tera Blast Fire hits Steel-types like Kingambit, Gholdengo, Tinkaton, Skarmory, and Corvikight, even Air Balloon variants of the former three. Tera Blast Ground similarly hits Kingambit, Gholdengo, and Tinkaton, notably only if their Air Balloon has been popped, but also other foes like Pecharunt and Heatran. Tera Blast Electric covers Moltres and Water-types like Alomomola and Primarina while still targetting Skarmory and Corviknight. Complemented by Loaded Dice as well, Scale Shot can be used as a secondary STAB move to further outspeed revenge killers like Booster Energy Iron Valiant and Choice Scarf Darkrai at +2. It also gives Kyurem a strong neutral attack against the likes of Alomomola and Cinderace without relying on Terastallization. Substitute is an option to exploit walls like Alomomola and Terastallized Gliscor and protect against Sucker Punch and prospective revenge killers. Its Tera types further enforce the defensive properties of Kyurem. Tera Fire stops foes like Moltres and Cinderace from crippling it with a burn. Tera Ground and Tera Electric provides an immunity to paralysis from foes like Hatterene and Galarian Slowking. Moreover, Tera Fire and Tera Electric flips Kyurem's matchup against Steel-types attacks from foes like Gholdengo, Iron Crown, and Tinkaton, with Tera Fire also providing a safety net against Fairy-types like Enamorus, Iron Valiant, and Clefable. A Jolly nature allows Kyurem to outspeed the likes of Landorus-T, Great Tusk, Tinkaton, and Gholdengo. At the cost of being outsped by the aforementioned targets, an Adamant nature can be considered instead if more power is desired, notably allowing Kyurem to OHKO Raging Bolt with four hits of Icicle Spear and Hisuian Samurott with four hits of Scale Shot after a Dragon Dance. An Adamant nature can still allow Kyurem to outspeed the likes of Dragapult and Zamazenta at +1 as well as Booster Energy Iron Moth and Iron Valiant and Choice Scarf Darkrai at +2.
Dragon Dance Kyurem is best used on offensive teams that appreciate a strong physical setup sweeper that can muscle past the bulky Ground- and Dragon-types of the tier. It is one of the few setup sweepers that immediately threatens Gliscor and provides a way for hyper offense to resist the priority from Raging Bolt and KO it. Kyurem wants a teammate to provide some form of entry hazard control like Great Tusk, as Kyurem is weak to Stealth Rock and needs Loaded Dice to output consistent damage. It appreciates the support of Spikes from setters like Deoxys-S and Hisuian Samurott, as most of its checks are bulky grounded Pokemon. For example, one layer of Spikes allows Kyurem to OHKO maximum HP Great Tusk and offensive Zamazenta without a Dauntless Shield boost at +1 and +2, respectively. Kyurem greatly enjoys snow from Alolan Ninetales's Snow Warning, as the Defense boost helps greatly in positioning Kyurem to get the free turns that it needs. Alolan Ninetales can also set up Aurora Veil to further ease Kyurem's setup. Bulky Steel-types like Heatran, Kingambit, and Gholdengo all give Kyurem trouble unless it is Tera Ground and willing to commit the Tera, so teammates like Iron Crown and Knock Off Iron Valiant help to pressure these foes. Bulky Water-types like Dondozo and Primarina can also consistently beat Kyurem one-on-one, so offensive Grass-types like Rillaboom and Meowscarada can be used to threaten them out. These also provide tools like Grassy Terrain to keep Kyurem healthy as it sets up and Knock Off to remove defensive items from Pokemon like Corviknight and Zamazenta. Other strong physical attackers like Zamazenta can help to force in and wear down the Water-types that Kyurem struggles with. Very fast offensive Pokemon like Booster Energy Iron Boulder and Iron Valiant can outspeed even a +1 Kyurem and threaten huge damage with their super effective STAB moves. Because of this, Kyurem appreciates Pokemon like Gholdengo that can take hits from those fast threats and continue to apply offensive pressure.
" }, "Mixed Dragon Dance": { "description": "The mixed set brings out the best out of both sides of Kyurem's attacking capabilities, being able to break through would-be checks and thus turn itself into a monstrous wincon. What this set sacrifices in initial power is made up for in its versatility. Physical walls like Dondozo, Alomomola, and Skarmory looking to handle its Icicle Spear get 2HKOed by Freeze-Dry, while special walls like Blissey, Galarian Slowking, and Fezandipiti trying to tank Freeze-Dry take heavy damage from a Dragon Dance-boosted Icicle Spear. Freeze-Dry is preferred over Ice Beam, as it allows Kyurem to significantly damage Water-type foes like Alomomola, Ogerpon-W, and Primarina, and Earth Power targets key foes such as Kingambit, Gholdengo, and Iron Crown that could otherwise take Kyurem on. 88 EVs in Special Attack guarantee the 2HKO on physically defensive Gholdengo with Earth Power. A Hasty nature allows Kyurem to live a Moonblast from Iron Valiant, while a Naive nature makes it take less damage from Kingambit's Sucker Punch. Never-Melt Ice enhances Kyurem's Ice-type attacks' damage output without locking it into one option and guarantees the OHKO with a three-hit Icicle Spear on Dragapult along with an OHKO on Hisuian Samurott with Freeze-Dry. Heavy-Duty Boots alternatively helps Kyurem bypass its Stealth Rock weakness; this alleviates the pressure in the teambuilder to pair Kyurem with strong support in the form of entry hazard removal. Tera Ice further pushes the power of its STAB moves to obscene levels; defensive staples such as Dondozo and Primarina fall in the range of being OHKOed, while Clodsire can’t stand more than two hits from Icicle Spear. Tera Ground instead gives Kyurem a nice boost to Earth Power that ensures the 2HKO on Garganacl and even Assault Vest Iron Crown along with an immunity to Gholdengo's Thunder Wave and Hatterene's Nuzzle. Tera Ground also gives Kyurem a neutrality to Fighting- and Steel-type moves, which can be decisive against Zamazenta, Gholdengo, and Iron Crown.
Mixed Dragon Dance Kyurem fits on offensive teams as a wallbreaker capable of breaking past bulkier foes such as Galarian Slowking and Unaware walls such as Dondozo. Kyurem's main roadblock is Zamazenta, which outspeeds Kyurem and only takes neutral damage from Kyurem's attacks while being able to respond with a strong Body Press. Dragapult creates synergy, being able to switch in on Zamazenta's Fighting-type attacks, outspeed it, and force it to switch out. Dragapult can also spread status and overload shared checks like Kingambit to make it easier for Kyurem to sweep. Deoxys-S also makes for a great partner, as it also outspeeds and threatens Zamazenta while providing entry hazard support for Kyurem, which helps to chip down enemies such as bulkier variants of Primarina, Rillaboom, and Great Tusk that could otherwise take a hit. Alternative hazard setters include Great Tusk in more balanced teams and Glimmora or Hisuian Samurott in more offensively lenient teams. Bulky Steel-types that can handle Ground-type attacks like Corviknight, Air Balloon Tinkaton, and Scizor pose a significant problem to Kyurem, and Fire-types like Cinderace can neutralize them at a relatively low cost for themselves, in turn allowing Kyurem to sweep with minimal opposition. When it's opting to run Never-Melt Ice, Kyurem leaves itself exposed to hazards, which minimizes the amount of times it is able to come in a match. Hazard removal in the form of Great Tusk, Cinderace or even Corviknight can then be helpful to ensure Kyurem has a safe entry to wreak havoc.
" }, "Substitute + Protect": { "description": "By focusing on its natural bulk and typing to utilize the combination of Pressure, Substitute, and Protect, Kyurem's offensive prowess takes on another dimension by slowly suffocating the opposition with PP depletion while still being difficult to switch into due to its attacking options and solid Speed tier. Attacks such as Gholdengo's Make It Rain, Kingambit's Sucker Punch, Raging Bolt's Draco Meteor, and Tinkaton's Gigaton Hammer are at Kyurem's mercy, while higher PP moves like Clefable's Moonblast and Corviknight's Brave Bird aren't safe either. Substitute also help punish status attempts from foes like Galarian Slowking and Gholdengo and importantly take advantage of the switches Kyurem forces, especially against passive foes like Gliscor, Alomomola, and Clodsire that might not break the Substitute immediately. Moreover, Kyurem's ability to keep a Substitute up consistently against common walls grants it protection against would-be revenge killers like Zamazenta, Iron Valiant, and Choice Scarf Gholdengo, even preventing the latter and other Choice item users like Darkrai and Meowscarada from crippling it with Trick. On top of accruing more Leftovers recovery, Protect notably wastes PP of Encore from Tinkaton, Iron Valiant, and Ogerpon-W and scouts for faster offensive threats like Dragapult and Iron Crown, which is especially important because all of these can still threaten Kyurem behind a Substitute. Another reason it can afford to run Substitute and Protect is that Freeze-Dry and Earth Power provide sufficient and unresisted coverage. Freeze-Dry is the preferred Ice-type STAB move due to it denting bulky Water-types and Tera Water users like Alomomola, Primarina, Gliscor, and Garganacl and having a lot of PP, letting it fish for freeze in longer games, which Kyurem excels in, more regularly. With its Freeze-Dry handling Ground-type answers like Landorus-T, Zapdos, and Hydrapple, the move is perfectly complemented by Earth Power to pressure Galarian Slowking and Ice-resistant foes such as Kingambit, Gholdengo, Tinkaton, Cinderace, and Iron Moth. Tera Ground boosts the power of Earth Power, granting it enough power to potentially 2HKO Galarian Slowking and OHKO offensive Kingambit and Gholdengo. Defensively, it provides Kyurem with a newfound Stealth Rock resistance and lets it keep a Substitute up against Garganacl's Salt Cure and Galarian Slowking's Sludge Bomb. The HP EVs allow Kyurem to make 101 HP Substitutes, preventing them from being immediately broken by Blissey's Seismic Toss.
Kyurem is its most effective on bulkier teams, such as semi-stall and balance, that can afford to play longer games while being able to position it carefully, but it can also find a place on even faster-paced offensive teams. Its extreme vulnerability to entry hazards—specifically Stealth Rock and Toxic Spikes—in longer games makes hazard removal very necessary, with common faces like Great Tusk, Corviknight, Galarian Weezing, and Cinderace being important teammates; even running a combination of them at once is recommended on bulky teams where Kyurem is the primary offensive threat. Moreover, Corviknight and Cinderace provide pivoting support by bringing it in safely on Pokemon like Gholdengo, Alomomola, and Gliscor—even popping the former's Air Balloon in the process—while Galarian Weezing can spread poison via Toxic Spikes to further take advantage of Kyurem's knack for stalling out turns while absorbing opposing Toxic Spikes. Cinderace has the added benefit of threatening bulky Steel-types like Tinkaton, Iron Crown, and Scizor that can annoy Kyurem as well as crippling foes like Hisuian Samurott, Ogerpon-W, and Assault Vest Alomomola with a burn, preventing them from breaking Kyurem's Substitute in one hit. The aforementioned Corviknight and Galarian Weezing as well as the tier's other walls like Alomomola, Dondozo, Zapdos, Galarian Slowking, Gliscor, and Ting-Lu provide Kyurem with a defensive backbone to fall back on, especially as they can switch into Pokemon like Zamazenta, Enamorus, Iron Valiant, and Dragapult that can threaten Kyurem out if it's not behind a Substitute. Alomomola, Zapdos, and Galarian Slowking similarly provide pivoting duties, with the former providing Wish support, while the latter sets up snow, whose Defense boost lets it survive Close Combat from Zamazenta and physical Iron Valiant from full HP, and absorbs Toxic Spikes as well. Ting-Lu and Gliscor also provide entry hazards of their own, which is crucial in taking advantage of Kyurem's forced switches, especially against foes trying to pivot around its attacks instead of staying in to not waste PP. On the other hand, offensive teammates like Deoxys-S, Zamazenta, and Darkrai are great late-game cleaners that love Kyurem's ability to suffocate passive walls early-game. They also have a better matchup against faster offensive teams that can otherwise overrun Kyurem before it gets going. On more offensive teams, hazard setters like Landorus-T, Glimmora, and Hisuian Samurott are great options—especially Glimmora with its potential Toxic Spikes—while offensive threats like Great Tusk, Raging Bolt, and Iron Moth can keep up the pressure against the opposition alongside Kyurem and have a greater chance at sweeping once it has done its job. Additionally, Hatterene and the aforementioned Glimmora and Great Tusk valuably provide hazard control, with Iron Moth also capable of absorbing Toxic Spikes for these structures.
" }, "Assault Vest": { "description": "With an Assault Vest, Kyurem uses its natural bulk to serve as a great blanket check for most of the tier's special attackers while being very difficult to switch into due to the near-unresisted combination of Freeze-Dry and Earth Power. The Assault Vest allows Kyurem to comfortably switch into special attackers like Iron Moth, Darkrai, and Zapdos and force them out in return. Ice Beam is mandatory as Kyurem's strongest no-drawback STAB option, with Freeze-Dry to catch Water-types like Ogerpon-W and Primarina and Earth Power to hit Ice-resistant Pokemon like Heatran, Iron Moth, and Gholdengo. Assault Vest Kyurem can run many different options in its last slot. Draco Meteor is used to guarantee an OHKO against Raging Bolt and opposing Kyurem without an Assault Vest and for its devastating power. Dragon Tail is run to phaze Pokemon like Nasty Plot Darkrai and Nasty Plot Pecharunt; it also comes in handy against Assault Vest Alomomola by bypassing Mirror Coat and by phazing whatever Alomomola brings in with Flip Turn. With 252 Defense EVs, Kyurem can run Body Press to catch switch-ins like Kingambit, Tyranitar, and Blissey. This additional Defense investment also allows Kyurem to match up better against threatening physical attackers like Dragonite and Ogerpon-W. Alternatively, Focus Blast can be run to hit Kingambit and Tyranitar, with the downsides of low accuracy and bouncing off Blissey. Other more niche options can be run depending on the specific support or synergy your team needs, like Endeavor, Blizzard, and Ancient Power. 120 HP and 76 Special Defense EVs are run to guarantee surviving a Choice Specs Dragapult Draco Meteor and mixed Iron Valiant Close Combat, with 96 Speed EVs to outspeed Raging Bolt. The spread of 252 Def / 160 SpA / 96 Spe should only be used on variants running Body Press. Another option is a faster spread with a Timid nature to outspeed Gholdengo, Landorus-T, and Great Tusk, though it requires giving up a significant amount of Kyurem's bulk and power. Tera Fairy is run to become immune to Dragapult and Raging Bolt's Draco Meteor, to resist Darkrai's Dark Pulse, and to flip the matchup versus Zamazenta. Similarly, Tera Poison lets Kyurem take hits from Zamazenta and Iron Valiant while also making it immune to the poison (and thereby confusion) of Pecharunt's Malignant Chain and clearing Toxic Spikes. Tera Ground can also be run to boost the power of Earth Power, threatening to KO many Ice-resistant Pokemon, including Gholdengo and Kingambit.
Assault Vest Kyurem fits best on bulky offense structures, where its good bulk and trading power shine most. Kyurem appreciates the support of Healing Wish Pokemon, like Enamorus, Hatterene, and Latias, mitigating its low longevity. Tera Fairy Kingambit works especially well with Kyurem, as Kyurem can significantly chip opposing Steel-types like Heatran, Gholdengo, and opposing Kingambit, enough for Kingambit to be free to use its Tera against Zamazenta without fear of being revenge killed. Additionally, Heatran appreciates Assault Vest Kyurem's ability to threaten opposing Kyurem, while Heatran threatens Kingambit in return and provides the team with Stealth Rock. Due to Kyurem's weakness to Stealth Rock, Assault Vest Kyurem is often paired with Hatterene to block entry hazards or hazard removers like Cinderace, Iron Treads, and Great Tusk. Structures like these like to capitalize on their reliable hazard removal by running hazard-weak Pokemon like Tornadus-T. Nasty Plot Tornadus-T partners well with Kyurem by overloading shared checks like Galarian Slowking, Iron Crown, and Tyranitar. Kyurem appreciates the support and utility of fast pivots like Assault Vest Tornadus-T with Knock Off and Landorus-T with Stealth Rock, which also give Kyurem switch-in opportunities with U-turn. Kyurem is often accompanied by Zamazenta, which switches into and forces out Pokemon that check Kyurem without Body Press, like Kingambit, Tyranitar, and Blissey. Additionally, Kyurem and Crunch Zamazenta work together to overwhelm Galarian Slowking for each other and Galarian Slowking-weak teammates, like Iron Valiant and Primarina. Iron Valiant partners well with Kyurem, as its superb Speed with Quark Drive allows it to threaten faster threats that force Kyurem out, like Dragapult, while also providing Knock Off support. As a relatively slow wallbreaker, Kyurem also appreciates the switch-in opportunities provided to it by slow pivots like Alomomola and Galarian Slowking. Alomomola can provide Kyurem with Wish support, giving Kyurem more longevity, while Galarian Slowking sets snow with Chilly Reception, letting Kyurem run Blizzard and utilize the Defense boost from snow.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 493260, "username": "Marnie"}, {"user_id": 513254, "username": "SpZ"}, {"user_id": 517709, "username": "1LDK"}, {"user_id": 625618, "username": "arnimacarni"}, {"user_id": 629105, "username": "cala_aa"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 677476, "username": "mcribs"}, {"user_id": 548068, "username": "Setsu"}, {"user_id": 612907, "username": "sequoia"}, {"user_id": 633798, "username": "kd458"}, {"user_id": 647728, "username": "Heatranator"}, {"user_id": 487308, "username": "BT89"}, {"user_id": 110504, "username": "Stads"}, {"user_id": 612443, "username": "ninth"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 384270, "username": "autumn"}, {"user_id": 493260, "username": "Marnie"}, {"user_id": 555379, "username": "Tbolt"}, {"user_id": 592895, "username": "Dusk Mage Necrozma"}, {"user_id": 649096, "username": "a blue banana"}, {"user_id": 197240, "username": "sunny"}]}]} }, "Keldeo": { "sets": { "Boots Attacker": { "description": "Keldeo is a great offensive Water-type for balance and bulky offense teams, finding a niche over similar offensive Water-types like Walking Wake and Ogerpon-W thanks to its Fighting typing and access to Vacuum Wave. Aura Sphere is preferred over Secret Sword, as it allows Keldeo to break past Alomomola, but Secret Sword can be used to do more damage to some special walls like Ting-Lu and Blissey. Vacuum Wave is an amazing move, giving Keldeo the ability to pick off many Pokemon including Kingambit, Darkrai, Weavile, and Meowscarada. Flip Turn rounds out its moveset as a very safe option to maintain momentum, but it is notably punishable by Ogerpon-W. Tera Water boosts the power of Surf and sheds its Fairy weakness, allowing it to pick off Iron Valiant and Clefable and secure an OHKO on specially defensive Gliscor after Stealth Rock.
Keldeo fits on balance and bulky offense teams that appreciate its wallbreaking capabilities. Hazard stacking cores are essential to Keldeo teams, as it often finds itself unable to break bulkier teams on its own when Heavy-Duty Boots are intact or hazards remain off the field. Gliscor fits especially well with Keldeo when running Knock Off + Swords Dance sets, as it provides a great wincon into bulky teams while appreciating Keldeo's ability to heavily threaten offensive teams that can overwhelm Gliscor with direct damage. Gliscor and Ting-Lu are both immune to Electric, guarding Keldeo from threats like Zapdos and Raging Bolt, while Skarmory can check physical threats attempting to use Keldeo as safe entry point like Ogerpon-W and Dragonite. All three Spikes users appreciate Keldeo pressuring Spikes-immune Pokemon like Gliscor and Clefable and Keldeo's ability to use Flip Turn against its counters like Alomomola and Galarian Slowking to give good opportunities for them to set up Spikes. Stealth Rock users like Clefable, Tinkaton, and Ting-Lu are also crucial to ensure maximum damage from entry hazards. Tinkaton in particular is amazing, as its Fairy / Steel typing allows it to check Pokemon that heavily threaten Keldeo like Hatterene, Iron Valiant, and Kyurem if its Air Balloon is still intact, while its Encore serves as a backup check to Kingambit if it uses Tera Ghost on Keldeo's Vacuum Wave. Tinkaton loves Keldeo threatening Ground- and Fire-types like Great Tusk, Moltres, and Cinderace that heavily threaten it. Knock Off users complete hazard cores by removing Heavy-Duty Boots for Keldeo, and Knock Off users that synergize with Keldeo include Clefable and Weavile. Keldeo appreciates how Weavile and Calm Mind + Knock Off Clefable can wear down defensive cores featuring Pokemon like Alomomola, Primarina, and Toxapex. Ogerpon-W is a huge threat for Keldeo, as its Water immunity, access to Knock Off, and higher base Speed can easily lead to Ogerpon-W offensively overwhelming Keldeo and winning the game. To counteract this, Ogerpon-W answers like Dragonite, Dragapult, Pecharunt, and Zamazenta are greatly appreciated. Dragonite is an especially good partner, as its Extreme Speed covers threats that Keldeo cannot revenge kill with Vacuum Wave such as Iron Valiant and Iron Moth, while Keldeo provides a check to Weavile and threatens bulky Ground-types like Gliscor, Ting-Lu, and Great Tusk. All-out attacking Zamazenta provides excellent speed control, appreciates Keldeo wearing down Dragapult, and is a massive threat for offense teams that can overwhelm Keldeo. Sinistcha, Pecharunt, and Dragapult can help Keldeo by being solid spinblockers, allowing hazards to stay up so Keldeo can threaten bulkier cores featuring Pokemon like Assault Vest Primarina, Assault Vest Alomomola, and Toxapex. Sinistcha can additionally serve as a potent win condition that finds opportunities to set up Calm Mind on Water-types Keldeo draws in, while Pecharunt can bring Keldeo in by pivoting out of Ground-types like Ting-Lu and Gliscor and check Pokemon like Ogerpon-W and Dragonite for Keldeo. Pecharunt also appreciates Keldeo's ability to threaten the aforementioned Dark-types and provides an answer to Iron Valiant without Shadow Ball, Dragonite, and Ogerpon-W. Most Dragapult sets are major threats to bulkier teams that Keldeo can struggle with, and it appreciates Keldeo being able to threaten Dark-types like Hisuian Samurott, Ting-Lu, and Kingambit.
" }, "Choice Specs": { "description": "Choice Specs Keldeo is an effective wallbreaker that can leverage its high Special Attack, decent Speed, and unique STAB move options to break holes into the opposition. Surf is usually preferred for its higher accuracy, but Hydro Pump can be chosen to get a guaranteed OHKO on Enamorus, a chance to OHKO Gholdengo, and a guaranteed OHKO on Hatterene after Stealth Rock. Both Secret Sword and Aura Sphere OHKO threats like Kyurem, Darkrai, Hisuian Samurott, Weavile, and Kingambit. Secret Sword also yields great damage against Blissey, Tera Dark or Steel Clodsire, Tera Water Ogerpon-W, and Assault Vest Iron Crown, while Aura Sphere hits defensive Alomomola and Dondozo significantly harder than Secret Sword would. Vacuum Wave grants Keldeo the opportunity to pick off weakened and faster foes like Raging Bolt, Darkrai, Weavile, and Dragon Dance-boosted Kyurem; it also gives Keldeo an edge over Kingambit trying to use Sucker Punch. Flip Turn allows Keldeo to pivot out of unfavorable matchups like Primarina, Alomomola, Toxapex, and Dragonite. Icy Wind directly threatens switch-ins like Dragonite, Dragapult, and Hydrapple. Tera Water is usually preferred, as it can give a chance to OHKO targets like Garganacl and Enamorus with Surf while also removing Keldeo's Fairy weakness for the latter. Tera Water lets Hydro Pump OHKO Pecharunt, Zapdos, offensive Zamazenta, Clefable, and Ting-Lu. Tera Fighting gives a Keldeo the opportunity to OHKO Ogerpon-W with Secret Sword and Darkrai with Vacuum Wave. Tera Blast Electric can be used to target foes like Assault Vest Alomomola, Primarina, and Dondozo.
This particular Keldeo set finds its niche on bulky offense teams that appreciate its ability to threaten key defensive Pokemon like Ting-Lu, Gliscor, and Moltres. Keldeo appreciates teammates that bring it in safely to effectively wallbreak or handle foes such as Iron Valiant, Dragapult, and Choice Scarf Enamorus, which outpace and threaten it. In addition to pivoting, Galarian Slowking can provide a reliable answer to threats such as Iron Valiant and Choice Scarf Enamorus. It also provides Future Sight, which discourages checks like Toxapex from coming in on Keldeo. Zapdos provides a defensive answer to Grass-type Pokemon that look to revenge kill Keldeo. Dragapult is an effective teammate for Keldeo, as it can bring Keldeo in versus Garganacl and Ting-Lu and take on foes that try to advantage of a Choice-locked Keldeo, like Raging Bolt, Dragonite, and Kyurem. Garganacl and Ting-Lu can serve as effective partners due to their ability to answer Dragapult. Choice Scarf Gholdengo can provide speed control and cripple walls with Trick, pressuring common defensive cores in conjunction with Keldeo's offensive prowess. Dragonite can help answer Ogerpon-W for Keldeo; in return, Keldeo can punch through walls like Corviknight and Ting-Lu for Dragonite. Keldeo also appreciates entry hazard support from partners like Ting-Lu, Tinkaton, Iron Treads, and Great Tusk to further enhance its wallbreaking opportunities, reaching feats such as a guaranteed OHKO on Garganacl with Surf after Stealth Rock. Keldeo can easily be worn down by hazards; therefore, it values entry hazard removal from allies like Great Tusk, Iron Treads, and Corviknight.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 542295, "username": "Blaze"}, {"user_id": 612907, "username": "sequoia"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 521637, "username": "Shaymin Sky"}, {"user_id": 571069, "username": "Dead by Daylight"}, {"user_id": 518682, "username": "alkazoth"}, {"user_id": 548068, "username": "Setsu"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 391343, "username": "EthanLac"}, {"user_id": 555379, "username": "Tbolt"}, {"user_id": 528364, "username": "adorluigi"}]}]} }, "Chesnaught": {"sets": {"Defensive": {}}}, "Greninja": { "sets": { "Battle Bond": { "description": "Owing to its incredible Speed and unique ability, Greninja is a frightening late-game sweeper and cleaner that is capable of snowballing through teams after a one-time boost thanks to Battle Bond. Surf can be used as an alternative to Hydro Pump, trading power for more consistency. Water Shuriken provides good priority for Greninja to revenge kill weakened yet faster threats such as Darkrai and Deoxys-S, as well as letting Greninja bypass revenge killing attempts from Kingambit's Sucker Punch. Ice Beam allows Greninja to hit Dragon-type Pokemon such as Hydrapple and Dragonite and hit Grass-type Pokemon such as Serperior and Rillaboom much harder. Sludge Wave can be used over Ice Beam as an alternative coverage move that can notably 2HKO Assault Vest Primarina after Stealth Rock damage while also having a stronger move to hit Ogerpon-W. Tera Water enhances its Water-type STAB moves and thus improves its cleaning potential. Tera Ghost can be used an alternative Tera type that allows Greninja to bypass Dragonite's Extreme Speed and Zamazenta's Body Press.
Greninja fits best on hyper offense and rain teams as an excellent sweeper and cleaner. On hyper offense teams, leads such as Glimmora, Hisuian Samurott, and Deoxys-S can get up entry hazards to help Greninja grab KOs more easily. Dragonite is an excellent teammate for Greninja, as it can deal with Grass-types such as Ogerpon-W and Rillaboom, while Greninja can eliminate physically defensive Pokemon such as Great Tusk and Garganacl for it. Gholdengo is also a good teammate, as it can help check Zamazenta, which is otherwise a dangerous threat that Greninja can let in; in return, Greninja can help check Fire- and Ground-types such as Cinderace and Landorus-T. On rain teams, Pelipper is a prime teammate, as it sets up the rain and helps Greninja get safe switch-ins with U-turn. Barraskewda is an excellent partner that helps Greninja by keeping momentum with Flip Turn and overwhelming shared checks like Primarina and Kyurem. Raging Bolt is a fantastic teammate for Greninja, as it can break bulky Water-type Pokemon such as Primarina and specially defensive Alomomola, and in return, Greninja can eliminate Ground-type Pokemon such as Great Tusk and Iron Treads for Raging Bolt. Iron Treads is a great teammate, since it can reliably clear hazards to keep Greninja healthy as well as check Raging Bolt for Greninja. Rillaboom and Ogerpon-W are also excellent partners for Greninja, threatening special walls such as Primarina and Blissey.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 629771, "username": "Zer0"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 177111, "username": "Magcargo"}, {"user_id": 616497, "username": "FayaWizard"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 555379, "username": "Tbolt"}]}]} }, "Talonflame": {"sets": {"Defog": {"description": "88 Speed EVs let Talonflame outspeed Landorus-T.
"}}}, "Hawlucha": { "sets": { "Unburden Sweeper": { "description": "Hawlucha acts as a threatening sweeper and late-game cleaner on Terrain teams. Thanks to Grassy Seed activating Unburden, Hawlucha becomes faster than the majority of the metagame, outpacing Choice Scarf and Booster Energy users like Darkrai and Iron Valiant and providing plenty of coverage with its Fighting / Flying STAB combination. Its serviceable bulk, along with a boost to its Defense due to Grassy Seed, allows Hawlucha to use Swords Dance in front of many common foes, such as Kingambit and Great Tusk. Encore can force switches and thwart recovery attempts by locking the foe into a resisted attack or a recovery move. Alternatively, Substitute can also give Hawlucha the breathing room it might need to set up against incoming status moves from Gliscor and deny Sucker Punch and Thunderclap from Kingambit and Raging Bolt, respectively. Psychic Seed is an alternative to enable Hawlucha on Psychic Terrain teams, granting it a valuable Special Defense boost that can help it set up in the face of special attackers like Iron Valiant. 124 EVs in Speed are enough to outspeed Sand Rush Excadrill after Unburden activates, and the bulk investment allows it to survive a Make It Rain from Gholdengo from full HP. Tera Flying is a great way to enhance Acrobatics's damage output; after a Swords Dance, Hawlucha can OHKO Zamazenta through Dauntless Shield with Tera Flying. Alternatively, Tera Electric can be used to withstand Zapdos, Raging Bolt, and Gholdengo, disallowing paralysis attempts and resisting their main attacks. Compared to Tera Electric, Tera Ground is an even better option to prevent Raging Bolt's revenge killing attempts at the cost of being vulnerable to Rillaboom's Grassy Glide and Weavile's Ice Shard.
Whenever Hawlucha opts to run Grassy Seed, Rillaboom is always nearby. Rillaboom's terrain-setting ability and slow U-turn is pivotal in unleashing Hawlucha's onslaught. It can additionally spread Knock Off to rid Skarmory and Corviknight of their Rocky Helmet, for instance. Strong partners on Grassy Terrain teams include Pokemon such as Iron Moth and Heatran that can help to pressure some of Hawlucha's checks prior to its sweep such as the aforementioned Skarmory and Corviknight. Entry hazard support in the form of Glimmora, Hisuian Samurott, or Ting-Lu is also much appreciated. Hawlucha faces two big roadblocks in Gholdengo and Raging Bolt. Gholdengo in particular can easily shrug off Acrobatics and Close Combat, and it can take out Hawlucha while keeping itself healthy with Recover. Kingambit or the aforementioned Heatran have positive matchups against Gholdengo, while Pokemon like Hatterene can force Gholdengo in and weaken it while also providing a faster-paced Terrain team with entry hazard control. Raging Bolt, on the other hand, threatens non-Tera Electric Hawlucha with Thunderbolt and Thunderclap. It is therefore important to pair it with partners that can neutralize Raging Bolt such as Iron Valiant and Primarina. While the archetype is more niche, Indeedee is used instead of Rillaboom on Psychic Terrain teams. Rain teams can also handle Hawlucha, as Barraskewda still outspeeds it in the rain. Raging Bolt is a great check to rain teams that synergizes well with Grassy Terrain and can deal with rain's threats prior to Hawlucha cleaning up late-game.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 625618, "username": "arnimacarni"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 612907, "username": "sequoia"}, {"user_id": 633798, "username": "kd458"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 384270, "username": "autumn"}]}]} }, "Goodra-Hisui": { "sets": { "Assault Vest": { "description": "Hisuian Goodra carves out a niche as a special tank with its gargantuan Special Defense augmented by Assault Vest, letting it beat foes like Darkrai, Raging Bolt, and Iron Moth one-on-one. Dragon Tail allows it to phaze the aforementioned threats if they get out of hand and other miscellaneous threats like Kingambit and Swords Dance Gliscor if it lacks the appropriate coverage as well as forcing entry hazard damage against the opposition, while Draco Meteor's nuke can be used to punish the likes of Ogerpon-W, Alomomola, and Cinderace harder and immediately OHKOes foes like Kyurem and Walking Wake. Flamethrower allows Hisuian Goodra to dissuade Steel-types like Gholdengo, Iron Crown, and Kingambit from switching. Ice Beam lets it deal heavy damage to Zapdos, Great Tusk, Landorus-T, and particularly specially defensive Gliscor, which would otherwise wall it. However, Knock Off can be used over one of these coverage moves, as it allows Hisuian Goodra to force progress against foes like Galarian Slowking, Moltres, and Garganacl, making them vulnerable to chip damage from entry hazards by removing either their Heavy-Duty Boots or their passive recovery in Leftovers. It's also worth noting that potential Knock Off absorbers like Gliscor and Clefable struggle to take any of Hisuian Goodra's attacks. Sap Sipper is the preferred ability, as it makes Hisuian Goodra immune to Grass-type attacks from Ogerpon-W, Meowscarada, and Rillaboom, allowing it to serve as a more solid check to these foes before and after Terastallizing. On the other hand, Gooey punishes contact moves like Hisuian Samurott's Ceaseless Edge and Weavile's Knock Off, giving Hisuian Goodra more chances at dealing damage back and opening up teammates to potentially revenge kill these foes. Tera Fairy gives a key resistance to Fighting-type attacks and an immunity to Dragon-type moves, which lets it beat Iron Valiant, Zamazenta, Raging Bolt, and Dragapult.
Hisuian Goodra primarily fits on balance teams where its defensive and offensive shortcomings are alleviated. Teammates like Landorus-T, Zapdos, and Alomomola can safety pivot Hisuian Goodra so it can force out opponents like Darkrai and Gholdengo. Additionally, Alomomola is an amazing partner thanks to the Wish support it can provide; in exchange, Hisuian Goodra deals with Ogerpon-W. Landorus-T complements Hisuian Goodra's Knock Off with Stealth Rock, while Zapdos provides Thunder Wave, with both of them checking physical foes like Zamazenta and Kingambit. Hisuian Goodra often has problems with longevity, as entry hazards can slowly chip it down to low enough health to be taken out. For this reason, Great Tusk and Cinderace are great teammates, since they offer hazard control through Rapid Spin and Court Change, respectively. On top of that, the former appreciates Hisuian Goodra taking hits from spinblockers like Gholdengo and Dragapult, while the latter can pivot Hisuian Goodra in with U-turn or use Will-O-Wisp to cripple physical threats like Great Tusk and Dragonite for it. Ting-Lu and Gliscor can support Hisuian Goodra through setting hazards, letting it use Knock Off or Dragon Tail more effectively. In return, both appreciate the defensive fallback Hisuian Goodra provides against Ogerpon-W, Hatterene, and Darkrai. Physical attackers like Dragonite and Zamazenta enjoy Hisuian Goodra taking care of key foes such as Fairy-types like Enamorus and Clefable for the former and Ghost-types like Gholdengo and Dragapult for the latter.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 677476, "username": "mcribs"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 612907, "username": "sequoia"}, {"user_id": 213908, "username": "Nickos"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 583607, "username": "PowerOfMemes"}]}]} }, "Hoopa-Unbound": { "sets": { "Assault Vest": { "description": "Hoopa-U takes advantage of its staggering mixed attacking stats, coverage options, and STAB Knock Off and Psychic Noise to become a solid stallbreaker in the metagame. Simultaneously, the Assault Vest and physical bulk investment slightly improve its matchup against offensive teams, capable of trading hits decently well; in particular, Assault Vest magnifies Hoopa-U's natural special bulk to soft check common threats like Gholdengo, Darkrai, Kyurem, and Raging Bolt. Knock Off can remove valuable items like Heavy-Duty Boots and Leftovers from foes like Ting-Lu and Alomomola, while Psychic Noise can shut down the recovery of Gliscor and Clefable, with an even wider range of Pokemon falling victim to both moves, including common defensive staples like Garganacl, Moltres, Clodsire, and Dondozo. Psychic Noise has the added benefit of stopping Hatterene and Primarina's Draining Kiss, letting Hoopa-U potentially win the one-on-one. Aside from providing Hoopa-U with decent longevity, Drain Punch reliably hits Dark-types like Ting-Lu, Darkrai, and Kingambit as well as common Tera Dark users like Clodsire, which can attempt to heal in the face of Hoopa-U's Psychic Noise. Thunderbolt immediately nails physically defensive Water- and Flying-types like Alomomola, Dondozo, Moltres, and Corviknight. On top of working well with Tera Poison, Gunk Shot is another option to threaten common Fairy-types and Tera Fairy users like Primarina, Hatterene, Clefable, Raging Bolt, and Gholdengo while netting the OHKO against Ogerpon-W; the poison chance is also handy against foes like Ting-Lu. The Special Attack EVs allow Hoopa-U to OHKO Keldeo with Psychic Noise, with the remaining Defense EVs letting it reach benchmarks such as surviving Ogerpon-W's Power Whip after Stealth Rock, +1 Tera Normal Dragonite's Extreme Speed after Stealth Rock, and +1 Speed Booster Energy Great Tusk's Headlong Rush. If not running Gunk Shot, then a spread of 252 HP / 156 Def / 100 SpA can be used instead, running enough Special Attack to OHKO Enamorus with Thunderbolt. Tera Fairy provides a generally valuable defensive typing against the metagame's Dragon- and Dark-types like Dragapult, Raging Bolt, Kyurem, and Weavile, while Tera Poison flips its Fairy weakness from foes like Iron Valiant, Enamorus, and Primarina. Both Tera types provide a crucial U-turn resistance against pivots like Landorus-T, Dragapult, Cinderace, and Rillaboom as well as letting it stomach otherwise fearsome Fighting-type attacks from Zamazenta and physical Iron Valiant.
Hoopa-U works well on balance and bulky offense teams that appreciate its role compression as a strong stallbreaker and special tank. Defensive pivots like Galarian Slowking, Alomomola, Corviknight, Zapdos, and Moltres are necessary teammates; aside from bringing Hoopa-U into the field safely, they can deal with and switch into troublesome offensive threats that can overrun Hoopa-U, such as Enamorus, Hisuian Samurott, and Weavile. Moreover, Moltres, Zapdos, and Corviknight can punish otherwise no-drawback U-turns aimed at Hoopa-U from foes like Rillaboom, Landorus-T, and Ogerpon-W with Flame Body, Static, and Rocky Helmet, while Alomomola provides crucial Wish support for Hoopa-U. The aforementioned Corviknight as well as other entry hazard control options like Great Tusk and Cinderace also keep Hoopa-U healthy by removing troublesome hazards. The team's own entry hazards from setters like Garganacl, Gliscor, and Clefable are similarly important, as they take advantage of the switches that Hoopa-U forces and further exacerbates its ability to suffocate defensive teams, especially because it makes Heavy-Duty Boots users like Alomomola and Moltres vulnerable to them with Knock Off. Landorus-T is a phenomenal partner on bulky offense teams that similarly covers all of the aforementioned traits; it brings Hoopa-U in safely via U-turn, sets Stealth Rock, and switches into physical attackers like Great Tusk, Cinderace, and opposing Landorus-T. Other wallbreakers like Gholdengo and Raging Bolt can further pressure the opposition together with Hoopa-U, with Gholdengo also capable of defensively covering for its weaknesses against Iron Valiant. Hoopa-U works well with late-game cleaners like Zamazenta that appreciate its positive matchup against bulky teams that they tend to struggle with; in particular, Hoopa-U's ability to either threaten or overwhelm the likes of Dondozo, Moltres, and Clefable makes it take over games more easily. Furthermore, it also complements Hoopa-U by excelling against offensive teams that Hoopa-U has a harder time keeping up with, either offensively threatening or defensively handling foes like Kingambit and Weavile. Other offensive threats like Dragapult are great teammates too, with it in particular capable of bringing Hoopa-U on the field safely via U-turn and crippling foes like Kingambit with status to improve Hoopa-U's matchup against them.
" }, "Trick Room": {} }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 493260, "username": "Marnie"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 633798, "username": "kd458"}, {"user_id": 558636, "username": "zastra"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 555379, "username": "Tbolt"}]}]} }, "Volcanion": { "sets": { "Choice Specs": { "description": "Choice Specs Volcanion acts as a deadly wallbreaker that can hit common defensive Pokemon like Ting-Lu and Heatran for super effective damage while also crippling Pokemon such as Dragonite and Dragapult that could otherwise take an attack with a nasty burn from Steam Eruption. Sludge Bomb allows Volcanion to 2HKO Primarina and even OHKO Ogerpon-W, as well as hitting Pokemon such as Assault Vest Alomomola and Latios that might otherwise check it. Earth Power slams Raging Bolt and Toxapex that could otherwise tank Volcanion's attacks easily. Tera Blast Fairy can be used over Earth Power to make sure Dragon-types such as Dragonite, Kyurem, and Latios cannot reliably switch into Volcanion, while the required Tera Fairy gives it a valuable Fighting- and Dark-type resistance to help it take a hit from Pokemon such as Zamazenta, Kingambit, and Darkrai. Additionally, Tera Fairy allows Volcanion to be completely immune to Walking Wake's STAB moves, forcing it to rely on weaker Fire-type attacks to hit Volcanion. Tera Water gives Steam Eruption a massive boost in power, allowing Volcanion to 2HKO Assault Vest Galarian Slowking, Kyurem, and Raging Bolt, while Tera Ground gives Volcanion an Electric immunity to take on Pokemon such as Zapdos and Raging Bolt more easily. This also gives it a chance to OHKO Galarian Slowking after Stealth Rock with Earth Power. A maximum HP spread with minimum Speed and a Quiet nature can be used on Trick Room teams to give Volcanion the ability to outspeed a large majority of the metagame under Trick Room.
Choice Specs Volcanion fits best on bulky offense and balance teams, which heavily appreciate its ability to check Pokemon such as Primarina and Ogerpon-W while also helping it get in consistently against a variety of threats. Volcanion suffers from a crippling weakness to Stealth Rock when using Choice Specs; therefore, entry hazard removal options such as Hatterene, Galarian Weezing, Corviknight, Great Tusk, and Iron Treads are great partners for it. While Volcanion can certainly hit common Dragon-types such as Dragonite and Raging Bolt hard, they can typically stomach the attack and hit it back for massive damage. Therefore, Pokemon such as Hatterene, Landorus-T, and Ting-Lu that can check the aforementioned Dragon-types are heavily appreciated by Volcanion, while in return, Volcanion can check Pokemon such as Cinderace and Corviknight. Revenge killers such as Iron Valiant, Deoxys-S, and Dragonite pair nicely with Volcanion, as they can either outspeed or in the case of the latter, use priority moves against common threats to Volcanion such as Ogerpon-W and Enamorus; in return, Volcanion can help chip down bulkier foes such as Galarian Slowking and Zamazenta that they can struggle against. Pivot Pokemon such as Zapdos, Dragapult, and Tornadus-T are great for Volcanion, as they can help get it in safely against threats such as Tyranitar and Ting-Lu, while in return, Volcanion can threaten common answers to the Pokemon mentioned above such as Kingambit and Enamorus. Hazard setters such as Deoxys-S and Landorus-T are useful partners for Volcanion, as they can help it pressure switch-ins such as Assault Vest Alomomola and Galarian Slowking, deny hazards with Taunt, and set up dual screens and pivot out to it, respectively. Ground-type Pokemon such as Landorus-T, Iron Treads, and Great Tusk are immensely threatening to Volcanion, as while they cannot directly switch into it, they can outspeed and do massive damage to it as well as set up Stealth Rock. Therefore, Pokemon such as Corviknight, Zamazenta, and Rillaboom can be great partners for Volcanion by answering each of these Ground-types, respectively. Rillaboom, in particular, is a great partner, as not only can it easily pivot to Volcanion, but its Grassy Terrain can provide passive healing to Volcanion while also reducing the power of Earthquake. If Volcanion is run on a Trick Room team, then partners such as Cresselia, Mimikyu, and Hatterene are great for not only setting up Trick Room, but then getting it in safely. Hatterene, in particular, is a great partner, as it is able to keep off Stealth Rock, which otherwise cuts into Volcanion's bulk. Fellow Trick Room attackers such as Ursaluna, Kingambit, and Enamorus-T are also valued, as they overwhelm teams with their sheer power.
" }, "Utility Attacker": { "description": "Volcanion brings a niche as a strong bulky attacker that can reliably switch into foes like Primarina and Alomomola with its Water Absorb ability, spreading burns through its powerful Steam Eruption. Sludge Bomb is used to hit targets like Primarina and Ogerpon-W for super effective damage while spreading poison onto checks like Alomomola and Dragapult. Taunt lets Volcanion prevent setup opportunities from Pokemon like Primarina while also preventing status moves such as Galarian Slowking's Chilly Reception and Alomomola's Wish; Taunt notably irritates walls like Blissey and Toxapex. Will-O-Wisp, meanwhile, actively cripples physical attackers like Ogerpon-W, Zamazenta, and Dragonite. It pairs especially well with Steam Eruption, as usual Will-O-Wisp absorbers like Moltres, Heatran, and Gliscor cannot switch into Volcanion safely. Fire Spin is an alternative move over Flamethrower that can be used in combination with Taunt to trap foes like Blissey and Alomomola to stallbreak incredibly well. Earth Power can also be used to hit Raging Bolt and Galarian Slowking. Heavy-Duty Boots lets Volcanion reliably switch in on foes like Ogerpon-W and Primarina without dealing with entry hazard chip damage. Roar can be used to phaze attackers such as Kingambit, Iron Valiant, and Primarina. On teams with solid hazard control, Leftovers and Shuca Berry can be used. The former is able to passively heal to better leverage Volcanion's fantastic natural bulk, while the latter lets it tank a Ground-type attack from Dragonite, Great Tusk, and Enamorus and fire back with an attack or Will-O-Wisp. Custap Berry is an alternative option that is able to leverage Volcanion's trading ability to take out revenge killers like Great Tusk and Iron Moth. Maximum Special Attack and Speed lets Volcanion get the jump on Gliscor, Moltres, and Tyranitar, giving it opportunities to deal heavy damage. However, a bulkier spread that can let Volcanion outspeed Adamant Kingambit can be used, allowing it to be able to survive uninvested Great Tusk's Headlong Rush and offensive Landorus-T's Earthquake while becoming a better check to Primarina, Iron Valiant, and Cinderace. 112 Defense EVs can be used alongside maximum HP to let Volcanion survive maximum Attack Great Tusk's Headlong Rush. Tera Ghost lets Volcanion spinblock against Great Tusk and Iron Treads, check Zamazenta, and be immune to Blissey's Seismic Toss on Fire Spin sets. Tera Fairy gives Volcanion an improved matchup against Fighting- and Dragon-types like Iron Valiant, Zamazenta, and Dragapult while being a better neutral defensive typing and, notably, becoming immune to both of Walking Wake's STAB moves.
Volcanion slots in nicely on offensive teams, as it can take advantage of its defensive qualities to fire off intense damage. Volcanion enjoys entry hazard setters like Hisuian Samurott, Landorus-T, and Ting-Lu as teammates, as they can shore up its lack of boosting item, with Flamethrower being able to OHKO bulky Kingambit after a single layer of Spikes or Stealth Rock. Landorus-T and Ting-Lu protect Volcanion from Zapdos and Raging Bolt while also sponging physical and special attackers, respectively. Landorus-T can switch into Great Tusk and Iron Treads, while Ting-Lu switches in on Dragapult. In return, Volcanion helps both handle Weavile and Hatterene. Volcanion without Heavy-Duty Boots struggles against hazards, making Hatterene, Great Tusk, and Iron Treads desirable as teammates. Great Tusk and Iron Treads can also set hazards and check Raging Bolt, while Hatterene can paralyze foes like Enamorus with Nuzzle; in return, Volcanion scares Corviknight out. Fast teammates like Deoxys-S and Calm Mind Iron Valiant make up for Volcanion's poor Speed, scaring out faster threats like Tornadus-T and Stone Edge Zamazenta. Volcanion, in return, wears down shared checks like Galarian Slowking and Garganacl. Similarly, other special attackers like Darkrai, Gholdengo, and Pecharunt appreciate Volcanion beating down their checks like Ting-Lu and Assault Vest Hisuian Samurott. Fairy-types like the aforementioned Iron Valiant and Enamorus are excellent teammates for their ability to get rid of Dragapult and Dragonite. Steel-types like Air Balloon Gholdengo, Kingambit, and Iron Crown assist Volcanion against Kyurem. Kingambit, notably, aides against Ghost-types like Dragapult and Pecharunt, provides a strong Sucker Punch for threats like Deoxys-S, and gets rid of Galarian Slowking. In return, Volcanion targets annoyances to Kingambit such as Corviknight, Ting-Lu, and Cinderace.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 647728, "username": "Heatranator"}, {"user_id": 677476, "username": "mcribs"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 110504, "username": "Stads"}, {"user_id": 633798, "username": "kd458"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 593115, "username": "igiveuponaname"}]}]} }, "Primarina": { "sets": { "Assault Vest": { "description": "Assault Vest Primarina is a great special tank while being a remarkable offensive threat itself, capable of trading hits against offensive teams. It can check threats like Walking Wake, Dragapult, Darkrai, and Iron Valiant and stomach even strong super effective hits from foes like Iron Moth and Raging Bolt, all while having a decent matchup against common physical attackers like Zamazenta, Great Tusk, and Cinderace. Psychic Noise hits Toxapex super effectively and blocks healing from walls like Blissey, Clodsire, and Clefable, allowing Primarina to chip them down for itself and its partners. It also lets Primarina pick off Zamazenta and Iron Moth behind a Substitute. Flip Turn turns Primarina into a pivot, letting it bring in a teammate in safely, either after being attacked or on predicted switches to gain momentum. Whirlpool can be used to stallbreak by trapping the likes of Blissey and Toxapex that may otherwise outlast Primarina, especially in conjunction with Psychic Noise to keep them low. While Torrent is preferred, Liquid Voice can be used on sets that forgo Surf to still maintain a strong STAB move from Psychic Noise; this also allows Primarina shut down even Tera Dark Blissey. Tera Poison and Steel improves its matchup against Iron Valiant, provides a poison immunity from foes like Pecharunt and Clodsire, and flip Primarina's Poison and Grass weakness against moves like Rillaboom's Wood Hammer and Iron Moth's Sludge Wave. Tera Poison lets Primarina maintain its decent matchup against Zamazenta and is better against Iron Moth and Focus Blast Darkrai, while Tera Steel lets it check Deoxys-S, Hatterene, and Galarian Slowking better and pivot more freely in the face of Stealth Rock. Tera Grass aids Primarina's matchup into Ogerpon-W and can help it against Raging Bolt in a pinch too. 176 Speed EVs let Primarina outspeed Adamant Kingambit and Ursaluna, while the remaining HP EVs allow Primarina to reach feats such as surviving Protosynthesis Thunderbolt from Raging Bolt, +1 Speed Booster Energy Iron Moth's Sludge Wave, +2 Gliscor's Earthquake, and two Heavy Slams from Zamazenta. However, a bulkier EV spread of 252 HP / 208 SpA / 48 SpD is also an option to survive two Tera Water Choice Specs Walking Wake's Hydro Steam under sun.
Assault Vest Primarina is best used on bulky offense teams that appreciate a Pokemon that has both offensive and defensive prowess, generally teams that are particularly weak to special attackers. Landorus-T provides Intimidate and checks the physical attackers that Primarina struggles with like Kingambit and Great Tusk. Great Tusk is another great teammate, as it provides entry hazard removal and checks Galarian Slowking, which tends to threaten Primarina. In return, Primarina can handle threats like Darkrai and Walking Wake. Kingambit and Weavile appreciate support from Primarina that can switch in on and threaten Pokemon like Iron Valiant and Zamazenta. Furthermore, both of these Pokemon help check Galarian Slowking for Primarina, along with resisting Grass-type attacks. Gholdengo appreciates Primarina's ability to check Fire-types like Cinderace and Heatran, as well as Walking Wake. Primarina struggles with Grass-types like Ogerpon-W, Meowscarada, and Rillaboom, so it's essential to have checks to these such as Rillaboom, Cinderace, and Kingambit. Cinderace, aside from resisting Grass-type attacks, can also help with hazard removal with Court Change, allowing Primarina to switch in more often. Dragapult and Cinderace can form a great pivoting core with Primarina, and they can also spread burn in order to help improve Primarina's matchup against physical attackers like Great Tusk.
" }, "Offensive Calm Mind": { "description": "Primarina is a fierce sweeper that can use its STAB moves, combined with Calm Mind, to muscle through most enemies. Primarina can choose between Surf for perfect accuracy or Hydro Pump for greater power that lets it 2HKO Galarian Slowking at +1. Substitute lets Primarina grab more Calm Mind boosts while slower Pokemon try to cripple Primarina with a status effect, like Toxic from Clodsire, Thunder Wave from Galarian Slowking, or Salt Cure from Garganacl, as well as easing prediction. It can use Psychic Noise to block healing from defensive Pokemon, including Slack Off from Galarian Slowking, Recover from Clodsire, and Wish from Alomomola, thus making them easier to beat. Encore is a niche option that lets Primarina lock opposing Pokemon into moves they don't care for, which can be especially effective in shutting down Kingambit and walls like Clefable and Sinistcha, forcing switches that can give it more opportunities to boost or attack. As for items, Primarina has good choices as well; its item can be Leftovers to grab more healing, pairing well with Substitute, while Heavy-Duty Boots can be used on teams with no entry hazard removal. Custap Berry is an option that allows Primarina to get one last attack before fainting, compensating for its middling Speed tier to trade more reliably against offensive teams. 176 Speed EVs allow Primarina to outspeed Adamant Kingambit. Tera Steel lets Primarina stay in and tank attacks from Grass-, Poison-, and Steel-types and hit them back hard; examples of these moves include Wood Hammer from Rillaboom, Sludge Wave from Iron Moth, and Make It Rain from Gholdengo. Its biggest claim to fame is being able to resist Galarian Slowking's STAB moves, turning one of its worst matchups into a setup opportunity. Tera Ghost gives it an immunity to Blissey's Seismic Toss, Dragonite's Extreme Speed, and Zamazenta's Fighting-type moves.
This Primarina set excels in hyper offensive structures as an early-game monster thanks to its good damage output and Calm Mind, which allow Primarina to destroy Kingambit, Heatran, Zamazenta, Clodsire, and many others. Kingambit loves the fact that Primarina can beat some of its counters like Skarmory, Corviknight, and Dondozo. Kingambit, in return, can beat Galarian Slowking and Blissey. The same applies to Iron Valiant, which appreciates Primarina's ability to counter Pokemon like Gholdengo and Skeledirge that can otherwise give it trouble. Thanks to Primarina's good matchup against defensive Ground-types like Clodsire and Ting-Lu, Pokemon like Gholdengo and Raging Bolt appreciate the help sweeping late-game. Primarina struggles against Pokemon that can either shut it down fast with super effective moves, like Ogerpon-W and Rillaboom, strong physical offense from the likes of offensive Great Tusk, or sturdy special walls such as Galarian Slowking and Blissey. Primarina loves the support from Landorus-T, which can scare away special walls with Earthquake, absorb Raging Bolt's Electric-type moves, support Primarina with Intimidate, allowing Primarina to take on strong physical offense, gain momentum from U-turn, which Landorus-T can easily obtain from common switch-ins like Gliscor, Alomomola, and Skarmory, and set up entry hazards to nab some good damage thresholds, like greatly improving the chance for Primarina to 2HKO bulky variants of Gholdengo and Kingambit with unboosted Surf. Iron Treads is another Ground-type that Primarina appreciates for its ability to check Galarian Slowking; it also provides Stealth Rock support, as well as Rapid Spin to clear the field of hazards. Another great partner is Rillaboom, since it also scares away the aforementioned Galarian Slowking and Blissey, as well as Great Tusk, and provides Primarina with extra healing from Grassy Surge. Dragapult is also a good teammate for Primarina because of its ability to check Ogerpon-W, spread status that can help Primarina either tank or outspeed opposing Pokemon more easily, and use U-turn to bring Primarina safely into the battle. Darkrai makes a good pairing due to its ability to beat Galarian Slowking and really appreciates Primarina's ability to beat both Clodsire and Iron Valiant. Offensive hazard setters like Glimmora, Hisuian Samurott, and Deoxys-S bring hazard pressure that can help Primarina break through walls more easily. Galarian Slowking provides pivoting with Chilly Reception and offensive pressure with Future Sight.
" }, "Bulky Calm Mind": { "description": "Thanks to a great typing and solid overall bulk, Primarina is one of the most dangerous set up sweepers in OU, capable of checking and setting up on offensive Pokemon like Zamazenta, Weavile, and Walking Wake. Calm Mind makes Primarina able to threaten the opposing team while also making itself harder to KO for potential revenge killers like Iron Valiant and Enamorus. Psychic Noise can be used in combination with Liquid Voice to cripple defensive switch-ins that would be able to beat it one-on-one, such as Dondozo, Unaware Clefable, and Clodsire. Surf is also an option to put more pressure on offensive teams due to it's higher Base Power while being run with Torrent, which can power it up in a pinch. It notably is useful against Gholdengo as well as threatening the 2HKO on bulky Kingambit after a Calm Mind. Substitute prevents Primarina from being affected by status moves such as Thunder Wave from Clefable and Toxic from Clodsire. It also punishes switches that Primarina forces and allows it to scout opposing Pokemon. Substitute is also useful to avoid being revenge killed by Rillaboom and Meowscarada while blocking Trick from Pokemon like Choice Scarf Gholdengo. It is also a safe way to bring Primarina to Torrent range. The 8 Special Defense EVs allow Primarina to avoid the 2HKO from Protosynthesis-boosted Choice Specs Walking Wake's Hydro Steam under sun. Both Tera Poison and Steel flip the matchup against Grass-types like Meowscarada, Serperior, and Rillaboom while also turning the tables on Galarian Slowking. With Tera Steel, Primarina resists Gholdengo's Make it Rain and can beat it one-on-one. It can also absorb Galarian Slowking's Future Sight and set up on Hatterene and Clefable.
Primarina fits best on bulky offense teams that appreciate the natural defensive utility that Primarina brings to the table while also being a threatening sweeper itself. Primarina can support teammates such as Weavile, Rillaboom, and Great Tusk by switching in on Zamazenta, Weavile, and Walking Wake. Rillaboom is particulary good, as Primarina covers threats to it like Cinderace, Dragonite, and Skeledirge while appreciating the extra healing of Grassy Terrain. Great Tusk, Rillaboom, and Weavile can threaten Pokemon that would otherwise be annoying for Primarina, such as Galarian Slowking, Ogerpon-W, and Serperior, respectively. Due to Primarina's lack of reliable recovery, it struggles against entry hazards, especially hazard stacking teams. The aforementioned Great Tusk helps it by removing them with Rapid Spin while also being a switch-in to Kingambit that can threaten a weakened Primarina out. Pokemon like Ogerpon-W, Rillaboom, and Serperior can safely switch into Primarina and threaten it with powerful attacks, forcing it to Terastallize or switch out; Pokemon that can switch in on these threats like Kingambit, Rillaboom, Skarmory, and Corviknight make for great teammates. Kingambit is also a huge help, as it beats one of the most common checks to Primarina in Galarian Slowking while appreciating Primarina's ability to safely switch in and beat Zamazenta, Iron Valiant, and Skarmory.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 517709, "username": "1LDK"}, {"user_id": 519103, "username": "Slikkles"}, {"user_id": 657738, "username": "vaderaven"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 177111, "username": "Magcargo"}, {"user_id": 518682, "username": "alkazoth"}, {"user_id": 621033, "username": "smg (notfunny)"}, {"user_id": 548068, "username": "Setsu"}, {"user_id": 384270, "username": "autumn"}, {"user_id": 612907, "username": "sequoia"}, {"user_id": 633798, "username": "kd458"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 384270, "username": "autumn"}, {"user_id": 493260, "username": "Marnie"}, {"user_id": 555379, "username": "Tbolt"}]}]} }, "Ribombee": { "sets": { "Sticky Web": { "description": "Ribombee carves a niche for itself as a consistent suicide lead and the tier's most reliable Sticky Web setter due to its excellent Speed tier and strong STAB Moonblast to punish Great Tusk. Sticky Web cripples opposing hyper offense, as the archetype tends to rely heavily on various sweepers' Speed stats to function effectively. Sticky Web is also extremely disruptive against fast Paradox Pokemon aiming to get a Speed boost from their ability like Booster Energy Iron Valiant and Iron Moth as well as Walking Wake on sun teams. Stun Spore, though inaccurate, can cripple faster threats like Darkrai and Ribombee to set up Sticky Web the next turn. Skill Swap allows Ribombee to steal Hatterene's Magic Bounce and set up Sticky Web against it, and it can also remove Gliscor's Poison Heal and force it to switch out. Psychic Noise, alternatively, threatens Glimmora while having the added utility of neutralizing recovery attempts from walls like Clodsire and Blissey, which are generally unafraid of Sticky Web. More importantly, however, Psychic Noise threatens Substitute Iron Moth, which otherwise has an extremely lopsided matchup against Sticky Web teams featuring Ribombee by virtue of being able to set up a Substitute for free against it and fish for two Fiery Dance boosts against it thereafter, possibly winning the game on the spot. Shield Dust is a wonderful ability that blocks secondary effects from moves like Galarian Slowking and Darkrai's Sludge Bomb and Moltres's Flamethrower, consistently giving Ribombee a minimum of two turns to both set Sticky Web and either attack or paralyze a threat with Stun Spore to force more long-term progress before fainting. Tera Ghost is preferred to allow Ribombee to block Rapid Spin from threats like Great Tusk, Iron Treads, and Excadrill, ensuring that Sticky Web remains active; however, Tera Steel is a perfectly fine alternative that allows Ribombee to block Glimmora's Mortal Spin while occasionally giving it some added longevity against threats like Iron Crown and Galarian Slowking.
Ribombee is the cornerstone of Sticky Web offense, and as such its best teammates tend to be powerful offensive threats that can best capitalize on the entry hazard's Speed control. Gholdengo is a nearly mandatory teammate, since its typing and Good as Gold collectively neutralize all of Rapid Spin, Mortal Spin, and Defog and ensure that Sticky Web remains active throughout the game. Gholdengo's high damage output and access to Nasty Plot let it threaten defensive teams that do not care as much about Sticky Web, while its middling Speed tier is circumvented by Sticky Web to the point that it can now reliably outspeed Great Tusk and Ogerpon-W, making it a prime beneficiary of the entry hazard. Iron Moth is an excellent teammate; with Sticky Web support it can opt to forego its standard speed Booster Energy spread of 124 Def / 132 SpA / 252 Spe in favor of a harder-hitting EV spread of 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe amplified further by a Special Attack boost from Booster Energy and a Modest nature. A set like this not only lets Iron Moth greatly threaten Cinderace with its powerful Sludge Wave but also effectively utilizes Tera Ghost to spinblock in a pinch, which is an especially useful trait given that it naturally absorbs Toxic Spikes. Swords Dance Ogerpon-W is another excellent abuser of Sticky Web; it naturally boasts an excellent matchup against bulkier teams and greatly appreciates Sticky Web support to circumvent its less-consistent matchups against fast threats like Darkrai and fast Booster Energy users like Iron Moth and Iron Valiant and get the jump on opposing Ogerpon-W that would otherwise Speed tie with it. Raging Bolt is also a useful teammate, as it naturally has great bulk and a massive damage output; its Speed is decent enough to take great advantage of Sticky Web, but it can still function effectively should Ribombee's Sticky Web be removed thanks to Thunderclap's ability to threaten fast threats like Zamazenta, Darkrai, Iron Valiant, and Deoxys-S. Meteor Beam Glimmora is a premiere abuser of Sticky Web, as it can forego Rock Polish in favor of Dazzling Gleam's coverage or Power Gem's consistency, and it hits incredibly hard after a Meteor Beam boost, obliterating Cinderace seeking to use Court Change and punishing any of its attempts to attack Glimmora directly thanks to Toxic Debris. Low Kick Kingambit and Roar Zamazenta are excellent teammates that appreciate Sticky Web support, in part because the hazard can provide them with crucial Speed advantages in mirror matches. Bulk Up Great Tusk can fulfill many roles for Sticky Web teams, both by providing Rapid Spin support and by being a setup sweeper that can snowball late-game that still provides valuable defensive utility by virtue of resisting Kingambit's Sucker Punch, being immune to Raging Bolt's Thunderclap, and being naturally bulky enough to withstand Dragonite's Extreme Speed if needed. Hisuian Samurott is a solid teammate; its Ceaseless Edge allows it to set Spikes, which are otherwise incredibly difficult to fit on Sticky Web teams, and its Knock Off is very threatening against offensive Heavy-Duty Boots users like Weavile, Ogerpon, and various Darkrai and Great Tusk sets that otherwise match up favorably against Sticky Web teams. Lastly, Serperior and Choice Specs Enamorus are good Sticky Web sweepers that can quickly snowball out of control. Both appreciate being faster than the likes of Deoxys-S and Booster Energy Iron Valiant and greatly punish Defog with Contrary; Serperior takes advantage of opposing Sticky Web with Contrary, while Enamorus can also outspeed Ogerpon-W after Sticky Web and can either wear down the team with its powerful Moonblast or snowball out of control with Tera Blast Stellar late-game.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 408271, "username": "Dreadfury"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 612907, "username": "sequoia"}, {"user_id": 616497, "username": "FayaWizard"}, {"user_id": 558636, "username": "zastra"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 327515, "username": "Zrp200"}]}]} }, "Toxapex": { "sets": { "The Pex (Defensive)": { "description": "Toxapex is a resilient defensive Pokemon that makes good use of its typing, great mixed bulk, and ability Regenerator to check a plethora of offensive threats, including Iron Valiant, Zamazenta, and Enamorus, and spread Toxic poison against them throughout the game. Toxapex leverages its bulk and Regenerator to be a great Haze user, able to shut down all manner of setup sweepers like Weavile, Iron Valiant, and Darkrai—in conjunction with Recover, Haze makes it much easier for Toxapex to Toxic stall opponents. Haze also lets Toxapex shut down sweepers immune to Toxic like Iron Moth, Curse Garganacl, Calm Mind Clefable, and Nasty Plot Gholdengo, making it easier for teammates like Blissey and Gliscor to answer them. For its last move, Toxapex can utilize Toxic Spikes to make use of its many entry opportunities, greatly punishing teams lacking a grounded Poison-type. Alternatively, Infestation lets Toxapex trap and wear down passive walls like Dondozo and chip Toxic-immune foes like Iron Crown, Tinkaton, Gholdengo, and Kingambit—additionally popping the latter three's Air Balloon. Another option is Baneful Bunker, which lets Toxapex safely scout foes, absorb Future Sight along with Tera Steel, and punish U-turn from the likes of Cinderace, Dragapult, and Ogerpon-W with debilitating poison. Heavy-Duty Boots gives Toxapex more reliability as a pivot on teams using little or no entry hazard removal, while Leftovers is an alternative item choice on teams with multiple hazard removers like Galarian Weezing, Corviknight, and Talonflame, granting greater longevity and making Toxapex an even more effective pivot. Full investment in Special Defense with a Calm nature lets Toxapex serve as a mixed defensive scout, with better matchups against Iron Valiant, Enamorus, Kyurem, and Darkrai. Alternatively, full Defense investment with a Bold nature gives greater consistency against threats like Great Tusk and Ogerpon-W, ensuring it survives the former's Headlong Rush and giving maximum odds to survive the latter's +2 Power Whip and respond with a crippling Toxic. Tera Steel is a great defensive type that lets Toxapex effectively absorb Future Sight from Galarian Slowking and Iron Crown and become a much stronger check to Raging Bolt, Kyurem, and Hatterene. Alternatively, Tera Grass improves Toxapex's matchup against Ogerpon-W while also granting a resistance to Ground to better check Great Tusk and Landorus-T and a resistance to Electric to sponge Volt Switch from Raging Bolt and Iron Crown.
Toxapex is a fantastic asset to stall teams as a Toxic-spreading Regenerator pivot and a scout against unpredictable threats like Iron Valiant, Dragapult, and Kyurem. Dondozo and Blissey are two great partners that appreciate Toxapex's ability to scout Kyurem, thanks to its ability to survive every attack other than Choice Specs Tera Ice Freeze-Dry. Once scouted, Dondozo answers most variations of Dragon Dance Kyurem, while Blissey answers Choice Specs and Heavy-Duty Boots Kyurem. The two also appreciate Toxapex answering utility Dragapult, which otherwise gets free entry on both. Toxapex's opportunities to badly poison physical sweepers like Swords Dance Iron Valiant and Dragonite make it much easier for Dondozo to answer them over the course of a game, with Dondozo checking Kingambit in return. Blissey appreciates Toxapex scouting potential Trick users like Gholdengo and Darkrai, ensuring it can consistently answer them without being crippled by Trick. Toxapex answers mixed wallbreakers like Iron Valiant and Keldeo and relieves Blissey of pressure from Primarina and Walking Wake's pivoting moves, while Blissey walls special attackers that threaten Toxapex like Raging Bolt and Iron Moth. Clodsire is another special wall that appreciates Toxapex absorbing a potential Trick from Gholdengo so that it can be a consistent check. Specially defensive Gliscor is another wonderful teammate that answers wallbreakers like Raging Bolt and Iron Moth and Ground-types that threaten Toxapex like Landorus-T and Ting-Lu, and it sets entry hazards to keep up pressure against Ogerpon-W. Gliscor is also useful for absorbing Knock Off from Pokemon like Tinkaton and Clefable, ensuring that Toxapex can retain its Heavy-Duty Boots and maximize its pivoting capabilities. In return, Toxapex answers threats to Gliscor like Primarina and Weavile, negating their setup attempts with Haze. Corviknight is another ally that provides entry hazard removal and absorbs Knock Off from Pokemon like Weavile and Great Tusk while also being a great check to opposing Gliscor. Toxapex appreciates the presence of Galarian Weezing thanks to its ability to punish opposing Gliscor and Clefable, which would otherwise wall Toxapex. Its ability to consistently remove hazards in the face of Gholdengo increases Toxapex's longevity should it lose its Heavy-Duty Boots and frees it to run Leftovers to grant further longevity. In return, Toxapex helps spread Toxic poison to more quickly wear down hazard setters like Great Tusk and Landorus-T and special wallbreakers that threaten Galarian Weezing like Primarina and Kyurem. Between Galarian Weezing's Will-O-Wisp and Toxapex's Haze and Regenerator, the two work well together to hold off the otherwise threatening Curse Garganacl. Similarly, Galarian Weezing's ability to burn Ogerpon-W makes Toxapex a much more reliable check to it, while Toxapex's ability to badly poison Ogerpon-W leaves it more quickly worn down by Galarian Weezing.
" }, "Assault Vest": { "description": "Assault Vest increases Toxapex's already amazing Special Defense to even greater heights, and although it comes at the cost of utility moves, Toxapex makes up for that with a diverse set of attacking moves. Toxapex easily switches into top special attackers like Iron Valiant, Dragapult, Enamorus, Iron Moth, and Primarina while also threatening them with super effective attacks. Regenerator's healing is typically enough for Assault Vest Toxapex to shrug off almost any special attack, making for an excellent bulky pivot. Sludge Bomb is the best attacking move Toxapex has; it not only covers notable Grass- and Fairy-types such as Ogerpon-W, Enamorus, Iron Valiant, and Primarina, but it can also potentially inflict debilitating status on poisonable targets. Surf allows Toxapex to pick up noteworthy 2HKOs on Cinderace, defensive Moltres, and Iron Moth. Ice Beam rounds out Toxapex's offensive coverage, namely hitting Dragon-types like Dragapult, Raging Bolt, and Dragonite as well as Landorus-T and Gliscor for super effective damage. Infestation is typically run last due to its ability to trap and wear down foes like Corviknight, Galarian Weezing, and Garganacl, with Toxapex able to outstall their recovery options due to Infestation's high PP. For teams particularly weak to Calm Mind Magic Guard Clefable or Curse Garganacl, Acid Spray is an alternative option over Infestation.
Tera Steel covers up Assault Vest Toxapex's extreme weakness to Psychic-type moves from the likes of Iron Crown, Galarian Slowking, and Deoxys-S. It also provides Toxapex with the added bonus of resisting Stealth Rock and Ogerpon-W's Power Whip, which would otherwise OHKO Toxapex. Tera Fairy is a solid alternative, particularly against mixed Dragapult, or Dark-types such as Weavile, Darkrai, and Hisuian Samurott. Tera Dark similarly lets Toxapex resist the aforementioned Dark-types while also providing an immunity to threatening Psychic-type moves like Psyshock from Iron Crown and making the Dragapult and Gholdengo matchups more favorable. A Modest nature is preferred to boost Toxapex's attacks, which guarantees that Sludge Bomb OHKOes Iron Valiant and Enamorus after Stealth Rock damage. However, Bold can also be used for extra defensive bulk, allowing Toxapex to avoid the guaranteed OHKO from Great Tusk's Headlong Rush and offensive Landorus-T's Earthquake after Stealth Rock. Lastly, the 4 Speed EVs allow Toxapex to outspeed Garganacl.
Assault Vest Toxapex can only fit on stall and defensive balance archetypes due to its subpar damage output in conjunction with competition against other bulky Regenerator pivots like Alomomola, Tornadus-T, Galarian Slowking, and Hydrapple, all of which fit better on even moderately offensive teams. As a result of Toxapex's place on bulky balance and stall teams, Assault Vest Toxapex pairs well with other defensive Pokemon like Gliscor, Corviknight, Dondozo, and Galarian Weezing. With Knock Off being a major problem for Assault Vest Toxapex, Gliscor's utility in absorbing Knock Off is extremely valuable to it. Furthermore, Gliscor's defensive profile lines up nicely, swapping into Zapdos and Raging Bolt. Meanwhile, Toxapex switches into Water- and Ice-type threats such as Walking Wake, Primarina, and Weavile. Corviknight and Dondozo are also excellent defensive teammates, able to handle physical threats like Great Tusk, Kingambit, and Landorus-T, which Toxapex struggles with. Furthermore, Corviknight acts as a Knock Off absorber while also clearing entry hazards with its Defog, preventing Toxapex from being worn down easily. In return, Toxapex can wall Fire-types like Cinderace, Iron Moth, and Moltres for Corviknight, and powerful special attackers like Primarina, Darkrai and Walking Wake for Dondozo. Gholdengo can still deny Corviknight's Defog, which is exactly why Galarian Weezing is a fantastic partner with its own unblockable Defog. It can also defensively answer Hisuian Samurott, which threatens Spikes and Knock Off against Toxapex. As for more offensive teammates, Great Tusk and Iron Treads work well thanks to their ability to remove hazards with Rapid Spin and threaten Raging Bolt and Galarian Slowking for Toxapex. In return, Toxapex helps both Great Tusk and Iron Treads by absorbing Will-O-Wisp and handling threats like Iron Valiant, Moltres, and Enamorus. Ting-Lu forms a nice core too, as Toxapex baits in Pokemon Ting-Lu can take advantage of such as Gholdengo, Iron Crown, and Raging Bolt. Meanwhile, Toxapex absorbs Toxic Spikes for Ting-Lu and handles its checks like Zamazenta and Iron Valiant. There's also Gholdengo—a solid teammate for Assault Vest Toxapex, since it has favorable matchups against Iron Crown and Galarian Slowking, while conversely Toxapex does work for Gholdengo by answering Dragapult, Darkrai, and Iron Moth.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 521637, "username": "Shaymin Sky"}, {"user_id": 608211, "username": "Demon Queen"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 548068, "username": "Setsu"}, {"user_id": 677476, "username": "mcribs"}, {"user_id": 110504, "username": "Stads"}, {"user_id": 616497, "username": "FayaWizard"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 297659, "username": "deetah"}, {"user_id": 649096, "username": "a blue banana"}]}]} }, "Araquanid": { "sets": { "Sticky Web": { "description": "Araquanid is the tier's premier Sticky Web user due to its good defensive typing, serviceable bulk, and amazing offensive matchups against notable threats to Sticky Web teams such as Iron Moth, Cinderace, Iron Treads, and Great Tusk thanks to its Water Bubble ability. Surf is not only a very consistent STAB move for reliable damage, but it also prevents Glimmora from setting up Toxic Spikes with its ability and allows Araquanid to deal with Taunt Landorus-T sets that might try to prevent Araquanid from setting Sticky Web. With Endeavor, Araquanid can chip the notable Water-type checks of the tier like Ogerpon-W and Primarina, and using it with Custap Berry allows Araquanid to deal sudden damage to threatening sweepers such as Kyurem before being KOed. Endure can be used to activate Custap Berry more consistently in the face of counter leads such as Raging Bolt and powerful Choice Band users such as Zamazenta, while Lunge helps to deal with threatening anti-leads like Ogerpon-W and opposing leads like Hisuian Samurott. Mirror Coat can alternatively be opted for to deal massive damage to special attackers such as Zapdos and Raging Bolt, and Leech Life is a similar option to Lunge to deal with opposing leads, trading a helpful Attack drop for some much-appreciated recovery. Although Custap Berry almost guarantees that Araquanid will find an additional turn on lead, Mental Herb is an alternative that ensures Araquanid can set up Sticky Web in the face of Taunt users like Landorus-T and Deoxys-S. 40 Defense EVs and maximum HP investment guarantees Araquanid will take two Ceaseless Edges from Hisuian Samurott, and a Modest nature with the rest of its remaining EVs in Special Attack will enable Araquanid to 2HKO physically defensive Hatterene with Surf even after Leftovers recovery. If Araquanid is running physical moves, then an EV spread of 252 HP / 4 Atk / 136 Def / 4 SpA / 112 SpD with a Sassy nature is preferable. This specially defensive spread allows it to survive a Thunderbolt from Modest Raging Bolt even after a Special Attack boost from Protosynthesis, while 4 EVs in Attack guarantee a 2HKO on Ogerpon-W with Lunge, and 4 Special Attack EVs ensure an OHKO against offensive Great Tusk with Surf. The remaining EVs are invested into Defense to improve the matchup against opposing leads like Hisuian Samurott. Araquanid can also invest 28 EVs into Speed to outpace Ting-Lu. Alternatively, sets with a Speed-lowering nature can drop their Speed IVs to 28 to underspeed Garganacl and Toxapex, allowing Araquanid to weaken them with Endeavor after they use Recover, just before it faints to Salt Cure or Toxic. Although Terastallizing Araquanid should generally be avoided in order to preserve Terastallization for offensive teammates that generally need it more, Tera Ghost allows Araquanid to spinblock Iron Treads and Great Tusk in emergencies where Araquanid is near fainting and also allows Araquanid to get a guaranteed Endeavor off against Extreme Speed Dragonite if it is in Custap Berry activation range.
Araquanid has found its home as a reliable entry hazard setter on Sticky Web hyper offense teams, and as such, setup sweepers with middling Speed tiers greatly appreciate its presence. Gholdengo is an almost-required teammate on such structures and allows Sticky Web teams to block hazard removal from Rapid Spin, Glimmora's Mortal Spin, and Defog thanks to its ability. Gholdengo is also invaluable in dismantling the bulkier team structures that hyper offense teams in general struggle against greatly. Other Ghost-types such as Pecharunt and Ceruledge also block Rapid Spin attempts, with Pecharunt's bulk proving valuable against the likes of Zamazenta and Ogerpon-W, while Ceruledge offers extra speed support thanks to Weak Armor. Setup sweepers with middling Speed tiers such as Attack Booster Energy Great Tusk, Raging Bolt, and Meteor Beam Glimmora also pair excellently with Araquanid. Great Tusk’s hazard removal can allow Araquanid to come in multiple times per match, and its typing allows for it to check anti-leads to Araquanid, namely Raging Bolt. Iron Treads can also be considered on Sticky Web teams heavily weak to Raging Bolt. Meteor Beam Glimmora can assist Sticky Web structures by absorbing Toxic Spikes and setting Stealth Rock for its teammates while also still maintaining heavy offensive pressure. Iron Moth is another potent sweeper that Sticky Web teams can employ, as Sticky Web being set up lets Iron Moth run maximum Special Attack investment and a Modest nature, granting it a Special Attack boost from its Booster Energy and allowing it to do more consistent damage even without boosts from Fiery Dance. Kingambit can also take great advantage of Sticky Web, as it allows for Kingambit to get the jump on opposing Jolly Kingambit and, if Kingambit itself opts to run a Jolly nature, maximum Speed Great Tusk without Heavy-Duty Boots. Ogerpon-W is excellent on Sticky Web teams, as with Swords Dance and an Adamant nature, which it can now run thanks to Araquanid relieving it from the pressure of Speed ties with opposing Ogerpon-W, it forms a strong core with Gholdengo that can throttle the bulkier team structures that hyper offense teams tend to struggle with.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 639727, "username": "Duckular"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 408271, "username": "Dreadfury"}, {"user_id": 384270, "username": "autumn"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 569291, "username": "zinnias"}, {"user_id": 197240, "username": "sunny"}]}]} }, "Comfey": {"sets": {"Calm Mind": {}}}, "Mimikyu": {"sets": {"Trick Room": {}, "Swords Dance": {}}}, "Kommo-o": { "sets": { "Clangorous Soul": { "description": "Kommo-o is a decent late-game sweeper thanks to its access to Clangorous Soul, capable of cleaning weakened teams thanks to its combination of good bulk and serviceable typing to ease setup. Boomburst gives it a strong and no-drawback move to hit neutral foes, ranging from walls like Zapdos, Clefable, and Gliscor all the way to offensive ones like Zamazenta, Iron Valiant, and Ogerpon-W. Flamethrower provides Kommo-o with a way to threaten Gholdengo and other Steel-types like Corviknight and Iron Crown, preventing them from stopping its sweep. Clanging Scales can be used as a powerful STAB option that threatens Kommo-o's fellow Dragon-types like Kyurem, Raging Bolt, and Dragonite more easily while also being its most damaging move before Terastallizing, particularly against Ghost-types like Pecharunt, Dragapult, and Ceruledge. Drain Punch's healing can mitigate the health cost from Clangerous Soul while netting crucial KOs against Darkrai, Weavile, and Hisuian Samurott and denting special walls like Ting-Lu and Blissey, which wall it otherwise. Soundproof prevents Kommo-o from being forced to switch out and get its sweep stopped by Roar users such as Moltres and Zamazenta while also making it immune to Parting Shot from Pecharunt and Psychic Noise from Galarian Slowking and Iron Crown. Tera Normal is the go-to choice for boosting Boomburst's damage output while granting it a decent neutral typing against potential revenge killers like Enamorus and Weavile. A Naive nature alongside an EV spread of 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe should only be used on Drain Punch variants.
Kommo-o fits best on offense teams that want to make use of its good bulk and resistances to allow it to set up and sweep or weaken the opposing team considerably for other sweepers, as well as being able to switch into certain threats in a pinch. Kingambit makes for a great offensive partner, as Kommo-o can soften or outright beat foes such as Zamazenta, Great Tusk, and Landorus-T to make way for a Kingambit sweep later. Furthermore, Kingambit can take care of Kommo-o's enemies such as Galarian Slowking, Garganacl, and Pecharunt or Blissey depending on Kommo-o's choice of STAB move. Scizor is also a great offensive partner, being able to pivot out and bring Kommo-o into the field safely while threatening Fairy-types and Ting-Lu. Ogerpon-W is a fantastic partner, as it can easily punch holes in bulkier teams and weaken them to enable a sweep from Kommo-o. Defensive teammates such as Great Tusk, Landorus-T, and Primarina appreciate Kommo-o's ability to switch into Grass- and Water-type threats such as Hisuian Samurott and Rillaboom. In return, Great Tusk provides entry hazard control with Rapid Spin to keep Kommo-o healthy and threatens special walls such as Blissey, Galarian Slowking, Ting-Lu, and Garganacl. Landorus-T grants Kommo-o a way to get onto the field safely through U-turn, checks and weakens threats such as Zamazenta and Dragonite, and is capable of setting Stealth Rock, which guarantees that a boosted Kommo-o KOes Gliscor with Tera Normal Boomburst and Pecharunt with Clanging Scales. Hazard setters and removers in general are very appreciated, due to Kommo-o's recoil damage when boosting along with its nature as an all-or-nothing sweeper. Iron Treads is a great partner, as it can set up Stealth Rock, use Rapid Spin to get rid of hazards for Kommo-o, and switch into Fairy-types such as Hatterene, Clefable, and special variants of Iron Valiant. Ting-Lu is also a phenomenal teammate, as Kommo-o covers Pokemon that threaten it such as Hisuian Samurott, Ogerpon-W, and Rillaboom, while Ting-Lu can set up Stealth Rock or Spikes and phaze problematic Pokemon such as Calm Mind Raging Bolt. Sticky Web users such as Araquanid and Ribombee can prove to be very useful teammates for Kommo-o as well, crippling threats like Booster Energy Iron Valiant, Choice Scarf Darkrai, and Meowscarada. Alomomola is a good fit for less offensive teams, being able to both keep Kommo-o healthy with Wish and bring it to the field safely with Flip Turn, while Kommo-o handles Ogerpon-W. Alolan Ninetales is a terrific partner as well, being able to set up Aurora Veil, enhancing Kommo-o's bulk further and allowing it to set up more safely. Alolan Ninetales also helps Kommo-o defensively by switching in on Ice-type threats like Weavile and Kyurem.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 213908, "username": "Nickos"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 616497, "username": "FayaWizard"}, {"user_id": 521637, "username": "Shaymin Sky"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 555379, "username": "Tbolt"}]}]} }, "Rillaboom": { "sets": { "Swords Dance": { "description": "Swords Dance Rillaboom leverages its decent bulk and access to good priority to set up and effectively clean up games with Grassy Glide, which also allow it to function as a dangerous revenge killer against foes such as Darkrai, Iron Valiant, and Ogerpon-W. Knock Off allows Rillaboom to punish foes such as Zapdos and Moltres switching in, removing their Heavy-Duty Boots and therefore making them vulnerable to entry hazards, while also hitting Gholdengo, Pecharunt, and Galarian Slowking for super effective damage. Wood Hammer is Rillaboom's strongest option, threatening slower neutral walls such as Gliscor, Clefable, and Tera Fairy Garganacl. High Horsepower targets other Grass-resistant foes like Kingambit, Galarian Weezing, and Raging Bolt with the added benefit of hitting the aforementioned Gholdengo, Pecharunt, and Galarian Slowking harder once their item has been removed. Tera Grass should be run alongside Wood Hammer and is preferred to crank up its STAB moves further, such as OHKOing faster threats like Tornadus-T and Dragapult after minor chip damage with +2 Grassy Glide and potentially OHKOing would-be checks like Zapdos and Galarian Weezing with a nuclear +2 Wood Hammer. Tera Dark can be used to boost its Knock Off to overwhelm other Grass-resistant checks like Corviknight, Dragonite, Moltres, and Pecharunt more reliably, even guaranteeing the OHKO against the latter at +2. At the cost of the aforementioned damage rolls, a Jolly nature can be used as an alternative in order to outspeed Gholdengo and Speed tie with opposing Rillaboom.
Swords Dance Rillaboom fits primarily on more offensive structures, where its ability to revenge kill common foes and clean up late-game is greatly appreciated. Rillaboom often struggles to break through Fire-types such as Iron Moth, Heatran and Moltres, making Water-types that can threaten them such as Ogerpon-W and Primarina greatly appreciated, with the latter also providing pivot support to bring Rillaboom in on foes such as Assault Vest Alomomola and Blissey. In exchange, Rillaboom can threaten KOs on these opposing defensive Pokemon, preventing them from gaining momentum or setting entry hazards. Rillaboom also struggles with Flying-types such as Zapdos and Moltres, at best only being able to remove their Heavy-Duty Boots with Knock Off, making teammates that can threaten them such as Raging Bolt and Glimmora excellent partners. In return, Rillaboom's Grassy Terrain makes them less vulnerable to Earthquake from foes such as Gliscor and Ting-Lu, and it also threatens these troublesome Ground-types with Wood Hammer. Another problem Rillaboom can have is Steel-types such as Kingambit and Corviknight, making Fire-types such as Ceruledge, Cinderace, and Iron Moth great partners. They, in turn, enjoy Rillaboom's Grassy Terrain, making their matchup against Gliscor and Ting-Lu more favorable, while also appreciating Rillaboom breaking through bulky Water-types such as Alomomola for them. Dragon-types such as Dragonite and Kyurem can often turn Rillaboom into setup fodder, making Fairy-types such as Hatterene and Encore Iron Valiant, which can prevent Scale Shot and punish Dragon Dance, excellent allies. In return, Rillaboom can help to overwhelm Steel-types such as Kingambit for them. Another teammate that can help against these Dragon-types is Dragapult, which can threaten KOs on both Dragonite and Kyurem to prevent them from setting up, with Rillaboom in return beating Ting-Lu. Hazards can also prove troublesome for Rillaboom due to its lack of Heavy-Duty Boots and overall lack of longevity from using Wood Hammer and Life Orb; removal options such as Great Tusk and Iron Treads are good partners, with Corviknight also being a nice switch-in against opposing Flying-types. Teammates that can exploit Grassy Seed such as Gholdengo and Hawlucha also enjoy Rillaboom's Terrain helping them set up more easily, with Gholdengo also appreciating Grassy Terrain halving damage dealt by Earthquake and its passive recovery. In return, Gholdengo can help against foes such as Corviknight and Galarian Weezing. Zamazenta also makes a good partner, being able to overwhelm shared checks such as Zapdos, Pecharunt, and Gholdengo with Rillaboom.
" }, "Choice Band": { "description": "With its combination of power, strong priority, solid bulk, and excellent support through Grassy Terrain, Rillaboom is a premier wallbreaker and revenge killer in OU. Grassy Glide allows Rillaboom to revenge kill faster Pokemon like Iron Boulder, Great Tusk, and Barraskewda while also denying lead Deoxys-S and Hisuian Samurott from getting two turns to set entry hazards. Wood Hammer is an excellent tool for breaking through even resistant Pokemon, being able to 2HKO Raging Bolt and Kingambit after Stealth Rock while OHKOing Dondozo, Great Tusk, and Hatterene. U-turn makes Rillaboom a pivot while also being the strongest option against Lokix and Hydrapple. Knock Off removes items from Rillaboom's checks, including Dragonite, Skarmory, and Moltres, while also being the best option to hit Gholdengo, Skeledirge, and Galarian Slowking. Drain Punch is an alternative that OHKOes Kingambit and hits Heatran switching in while increasing Rillaboom's longevity. An Adamant nature is preferred for its power boost; however, a Jolly nature can be used to outspeed opposing Adamant Rillaboom and Gholdengo without Choice Scarf at the cost of being unable to always OHKO Pokemon like Dondozo and Galarian Slowking with Wood Hammer and Knock Off. An alternative EV spread of 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe can be used alongside an Adamant nature to outspeed Gliscor while allowing Rillaboom to survive hits such as Life Orb Deoxys-S's Psycho Boost, Ogerpon-W's +2 Power Whip, and Tornadus-T's Bleakwind Storm; however, it notably worsens Rillaboom's matchup against opposing Rillaboom and Raging Bolt due to being outsped. Tera Grass powers up Rillaboom's Grass-type moves, allowing Grassy Glide to OHKO Darkrai, Ogerpon-W, and Iron Valiant after Stealth Rock and Wood Hammer to OHKO Clefable, Toxapex, and Gliscor after Stealth Rock.
Bulk Up Great Tusk can take advantage of Grassy Terrain's recovery while removing entry hazards for Rillaboom with Rapid Spin, as Rillaboom is prone to hazard damage. Hawlucha is another one of Rillaboom's biggest beneficiaries, using Grassy Seed and Unburden to become an excellent sweeper with nearly unmatched Speed. In return, Rillaboom breaks open bulky teams for Hawlucha and Great Tusk and removes Rocky Helmet and Heavy-Duty Boots from walls like Skarmory, Corviknight, and Terastallized Dondozo. Bulky Ground-weak Pokemon, including Kingambit, Raging Bolt, and Heatran, appreciate Grassy Terrain nullifying their weakness to Earthquake from Pokemon like Gliscor and Ting-Lu while providing extra passive recovery. Kingambit can form a dual priority core with Rillaboom, notably revenge killing Grass-resistant Pokemon like Dragapult and Gholdengo while any attempts to stall out its Sucker Punch give an extra turn of recovery from Grassy Terrain. Raging Bolt is another excellent priority user and wallbreaker that additionally enjoys Rillaboom's U-turn bringing it on checks like Corviknight, Skarmory, and Moltres. Iron Moth and Heatran can also come in on Rillaboom's checks like Cinderace, Corviknight, and Skarmory. Iron Defense Zamazenta is an excellent teammate, as Rillaboom breaks and overwhelms walls like Dondozo and Skarmory that would get in the way of its sweep, and the extra longevity from Grassy Terrain is amazing to keep Zamazenta healthy, as it lacks any reliable ways to heal outside of Leftovers. Hatterene and Comfey can become potent sweepers when used with Rillaboom, both being able to run Grassy Seed while the extra longevity allows Hatterene to keep hazards off more consistenly with Magic Bounce. Grassy Seed allows Hatterene and Comfey to set up on physical attackers that can no longer 2HKO them like Heavy Slam Zamazenta, Ogerpon-W, and Great Tusk while giving an appreciated boost to their Stored Power. Ursaluna and Rillaboom form a terrifying offensive core, with Rillaboom supporting Ursaluna with Knock Off and Grassy Terrain to nullify Flame Orb's chip damage. Both Tail Glow and Take Heart Manaphy can be used alongside Rillaboom, as the Terrain powers up its Energy Ball and gives extra longevity to set up, become unbreakable, and fire off devastating Stored Powers, respectively. Rillaboom can bypass checks like Dragonite, Zapdos, and Moltres with support from Stealth Rock setters like Heatran, Great Tusk, and Glimmora in addition to its Knock Off to remove their Heavy-Duty Boots.
" }, "Utility": { "description": "Rillaboom is an excellent Terrain setter, revenge killer, wallbreaker, and offensive pivot all at once thanks to its good Attack stat, Grassy Surge, and access to a phenomenal movepool. Knock Off hits Grass-resistant foes such as Dragapult, Gholdengo, and Galarian Slowking super effectively while also removing items from common switch-ins such as Heavy-Duty Boots from Moltres, Rocky Helmet from Skarmory, and Leftovers from Zamazenta, reducing their effectiveness. U-turn allows Rillaboom to pivot out of bad matchups such as against Dragon-types like Dragonite and Raging Bolt and generate momentum for its team; it also enables Rillaboom to bring its setup sweeper teammates like Hawlucha and Hatterene in. Low Kick hits foes like Kingambit and Heatran for super effective damage. Alternatively, Wood Hammer can be used as a stronger STAB move, OHKOing offensive Great Tusk and 2HKOing defensive variants, 2HKOing Hatterene, and having a roll to OHKO Ting-Lu. 52 Speed EVs allow Rillaboom to outspeed Jolly Kingambit. Alternatively, a spread of 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe can be run for Rillaboom to outspeed Gliscor. With Tera Grass, Rillaboom 2HKOes Iron Valiant with Grassy Glide and Gliscor with Wood Hammer after Poison Heal. Otherwise, Tera Fighting can be used to make Rillaboom resistant to Dark-type moves such as Sucker Punch from Kingambit. Terrain Extender helps teammates like Hawlucha to find more opportunities to come in; however, Assault Vest can be used instead to allow Rillaboom to better check special attackers such as Primarina and Gholdengo.
Rillaboom shines on offense teams and is a staple on Grassy Terrain-based teams. Terrain Extender should usually be used on hyper offense teams and provides wonderful support to its setup sweeper partners. Assault Vest has overall better defensive utility and thus should generally be used on bulky offense teams; it is exceptional at supporting bulkier threats such as Zamazenta, helping them deal with foes like Primarina and Gholdengo. Although generally the best fits, these recommendations are not set in stone, and either item can be used on either archetype, with Assault Vest potentially providing hyper offense with a one-time check to a special threat and Terrain Extender supporting bulky offense. Hawlucha proves itself to be an exceptional partner for Rillaboom; In Grassy Terrain, it can utilize Grassy Seed to transform into a terrifying cleaner with Swords Dance and Unburden. Hatterene also functions as a remarkable Calm Mind cleaner with Grassy Seed and longevity from Grassy Terrain. Similarly, Primarina appreciates the longevity Grassy Terrain provides to turn itself into a dangerous threat with Calm Mind; moreover, it synergizes well with Rillaboom by helping it against Fire-types such as Moltres. Setup sweepers such that benefit from the Grassy Terrain include Pokemon weak to Earthquake from foes like Ting-Lu and Gliscor, such as Gholdengo, Kingambit, and Raging Bolt. Rillaboom is vulnerable to Fire-types like Moltres, Cinderace, and Iron Moth so teammates such as Heatran and Great Tusk are appreciated. Rillaboom also likes entry hazards to chip its foes; thus, the aforementioned Heatran and Glimmora make perfect partners. Rillaboom is forced out by threats like Dragonite, Skarmory, and Corviknight because it's unable to significantly damage them, so partners such as Dragapult and the previously mentioned Raging Bolt should be acknowledged. Dragon-types like Dragapult and Raging Bolt can also give Rillaboom a hard time due to them being resistant to its Grassy Glide, so Pokemon like Iron Valiant and Kingambit make great partners. As a Terrain setter, Rillaboom and its teammates can face difficulty in facing Ice Spinner users like Great Tusk and Iron Treads; as such, it is important to position setup sweepers as soon as possible while also packing checks such as the aforementioned Hatterene for Great Tusk and Zamazenta for Iron Treads. Hatterene is also very useful at keeping entry hazards off the field, which is appreciated by Rillaboom and its teammates. Additional hazard removers such as the previously mentioned Great Tusk also make great partners. Zamazenta is also a wonderful partner that proves itself to be a threatening IronPress user with Grassy Terrain solving its problem with longevity. Comfey can also take advantage of Grassy Seed's Defense boost and Grassy Terrain's passive recovery to set up with Calm Mind and dismantle unprepared teams. Serperior is also an excellent teammate and greatly benefits from Grassy Terrain boosting its Leaf Storm, notably allowing it to KO offensive Gholdengo over two turns.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 558636, "username": "zastra"}, {"user_id": 612907, "username": "sequoia"}, {"user_id": 632421, "username": "Medasus"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 633798, "username": "kd458"}, {"user_id": 647728, "username": "Heatranator"}, {"user_id": 384270, "username": "autumn"}, {"user_id": 408271, "username": "Dreadfury"}, {"user_id": 548068, "username": "Setsu"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 384270, "username": "autumn"}, {"user_id": 493260, "username": "Marnie"}, {"user_id": 649096, "username": "a blue banana"}]}]} }, "Cinderace": { "sets": { "Offensive Pivot": { "description": "With its good Speed tier and high-powered moves complemented by Libero, Cinderace can leverage its offensive moveset to function as an effective pivot and attacker. U-Turn allows Cinderace to pivot out of disadvantageous matchups and deal chip damage, breaking Dragonite’s Multiscale and helping against some Fire-resistant Pokemon like Hisuian Samurott, Tyranitar, and Latios. Court Change gives Cinderace valuable utility, switching entry hazards to the opposing side of the field and enabling its hazard-weak teammates to enter the field multiple times as well as swapping Aurora Veil from opposing Alolan Ninetales. For its last move, Cinderace has multiple options to help round out its coverage. Sucker Punch is a powerful priority move that targets Deoxys-S, Dragapult, and chipped sweepers such as Iron Moth. Gunk Shot snipes Fairy-types that may attempt to handle Cinderace such as Primarina and Clefable while hitting Moltres hard. High Jump Kick 2HKOs Ting-Lu and Garganacl while also OHKOing Kyurem. Tera Fire is used to power up Cinderace’s Pyro Ball, 2HKOing Zamazenta after Stealth Rock damage and OHKOing bulky variants of Gholdengo and Iron Treads. It also helps retain STAB for Pyro Ball even when Cinderace uses another attack. However, Terastriallization renders Libero null for Cinderace’s non-Fire attacks, so it should be used with caution.
Offensive pivot Cinderace fits on a variety of teams from offense, bulky offense, and even balance, where its combination of speed, coverage, and utility is highly valued. Cinderace’s greatest boon is its ability to provide reliable entry hazard control in front of Gholdengo while being an offensive threat in its own right, helping teammates vulnerable to hazards such as Kyurem and Life Orb Nasty Plot Tornadus-T enter the field more easily. Kyurem and Tornadus-T place immense offensive pressure on Cinderace’s checks such as Alomomola, Great Tusk, and Landorus-T; in turn, they highly appreciate not being chipped by hazards so they can continue to operate over longer games. Other wallbreakers that appreciate the Water and Dragon-Types that Cinderace lures in include Rillaboom, Raging Bolt, Iron Valiant, Primarina, and Enamorus; Cinderace also helps them enter the field safely. Cinderace struggles with physically defensive Pokemon able to tank its attacks such as Zamazenta, Alomomola, and Pecharunt, so teammates that can handle them such as Ogerpon-W, Gholdengo, and Raging Bolt are highly valued. Ogerpon-W stands out as a particularly strong partner, as it can completely block Water-type attacks aimed at Cinderace with Water Absorb and force progress with its strong attacks and utility, while Cinderace can help transfer hazards away and bring it in via U-turn. Gholdengo helps check Zamazenta and Pecharunt with an immunity to their primary attacks while blocking hazard removal attempts from Great Tusk, Iron Treads, and Corviknight after hazards are transferred. Raging Bolt threatens bulky Water types with its powerful Electric-type attacks, while Cinderace can help pivot it in and act as an emergency switch-in to Fairy-types. Cinderace also loves being paired with other pivots such as Zapdos, Lokix, Galarian Slowking, and Landorus-T, as they can form pivoting cores that can help sustain offensive pressure together on their respective checks.
" }, "Bulky Pivot": { "description": "When combining its good Speed with HP investment, Cinderace becomes one of OU's better pivots, able to check threats such as Gholdengo, Scizor, and Kingambit. U-turn allows Cinderace to chip foes and capitalize on switch-ins to bring in its teammates safely as well as greatly damage foes Cinderace might lose to in one-on-one scenarios, such as Ogerpon-W and Hisuian Samurott. Cinderace provides utility to its team with Court Change, temporarily clearing the field of entry hazards as well as the opposing team's Aurora Veil. Will-O-Wisp cripples Pokemon such as Landorus-T that otherwise do not mind Cinderace's Pyro Ball or U-turn and deters slower physical setup sweepers such as Dragon Dance Dragonite and Kyurem from trying to set up in front of Cinderace. With 32 Atk EVs, Cinderace's Pyro Ball OHKOes offensive variants of Gholdengo and threatens 2HKOs against Great Tusk and Zapdos when boosted by Blaze. Tera Fire powers up Pyro Ball, allowing it to OHKO Kingambit and Enamorus while also OHKOing Ogerpon-W and Galarian Slowking with Blaze active. Tera Flying is an alternative that grants Cinderace with an immunity to Ground-type attacks such as Landorus-T and Dragonite's Earthquake, Great Tusk's Headlong Rush, and Enamorus's Earth Power, allowing it to potentially get an extra turn against them to further weaken them with Pyro Ball or cripple them with Will-O-Wisp; Tera Flying also grants Cinderace with a resistance to Zamazenta's Body Press that potentially allows it to cripple Zamazenta with Will-O-Wisp. Similarly, Tera Ghost provides an immunity to Zamazenta's Body Press, as well as to Iron Treads and Great Tusk's Rapid Spin, blocking their attempts to remove entry hazards, and to Extreme Speed from Dragonite looking to revenge kill Cinderace. Heavy-Duty Boots is key in its role as a pivot, allowing Cinderace to remain healthy when hazards are up and switch in multiple times per game.
Cinderace finds itself fitting well in bulky offense and balance teams, particularly those looking to make use of its ability to alleviate the pressure of entry hazards. Ogerpon-W can assist Cinderace against the Ground- and Water-types that trouble it such as Landorus-T, Gliscor, Alomomola, and Dondozo as well as Pokemon like Garganacl, Ceruledge, and Heatran; remove Rocky Helmet from the likes of Pecharunt of Hydrapple so Cinderace can use U-turn against them without taking chip damage; and run U-turn itself, allowing it to form a pivoting core with Cinderace. Similarly, Kyurem threatens the aforementioned Ground- and Water-types, as well as Zapdos, Raging Bolt, and Pecharunt. In return, Cinderace is able to bring it in safely with U-turn, threaten Steel-types such as Iron Crown and Scizor that may annoy Kyurem, and keep entry hazards off the field so Kyurem can opt for items other than Heavy-Duty Boots. Raging Bolt and Zapdos threaten the likes of Alomomola, Dondozo, and Moltres while also forming pivoting cores with Cinderace when running Volt Switch or U-turn in Zapdos's case helping it overwhelm the Ground-types like Landorus-T and Ting-Lu that try to check both; Zapdos is also able to take on Great Tusk. Galarian Slowking appreciates Cinderace's ability to threaten Kingambit, Gholdengo, and Weavile while helping against Pecharunt and Primarina as well as crippling physical walls like Alomomola, Moltres, and Zapdos with Toxic. Galarian Slowking's Future Sight and Cinderace's Pyro Ball complement each other to put pressure on the opposing team, as physical walls such as Dondozo and Pecharunt do not want to get hit by Future Sight while the likes of Gholdengo, Kingambit, and Iron Crown that usually do not mind Future Sight, do not want to take on Pyro Ball. Physically defensive and Shuca Berry variants of Galarian Slowking may lure in Gliscor, Landorus-T, and Great Tusk and hit them with either Ice Beam or Psychic Noise, getting rid of them and opening up a path for Cinderace to more easily weaken the opposing team. Assault Vest Alomomola may assist Cinderace by serving as a sponge for special attacks such as those from Walking Wake and Choice Specs Dragapult, as well as taking on Moltres, Heatran, and Landorus-T that annoy Cinderace. Ting-Lu deals with Dragapult, Raging Bolt, Pecharunt, and Glimmora while pressuring Garganacl against which Cinderace finds itself helpless. Due to Court Change being ineffective when both sides of the field have entry hazards, teammates like Great Tusk and Corviknight may provide extra measures to help clear them; Great Tusk also serves as a check to Raging Bolt and Tera Fire Kingambit, while Corviknight provides assurance against the likes of Great Tusk and Zamazenta variants lacking Roar. Dragapult can assist Cinderace against Zamazenta, Great Tusk, and Pecharunt, while Cinderace can threaten Kingambit, and help weaken shared checks such as Ting-Lu and Primarina; additionally, it can form a pivoting core with Cinderace when running U-turn.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 547766, "username": "memester"}, {"user_id": 548068, "username": "Setsu"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 647728, "username": "Heatranator"}, {"user_id": 677476, "username": "mcribs"}, {"user_id": 110504, "username": "Stads"}, {"user_id": 616497, "username": "FayaWizard"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 664887, "username": "wisteriapurple"}]}]} }, "Corviknight": { "sets": { "Defensive": { "description": "With a wonderful resistance-laden defensive typing, as well as the ability to ignore most entry hazard damage, Corviknight is a premier defensive staple in the tier. Brave Bird hits Ogerpon-W, Rillaboom, and Iron Valiant hard while doing decent damage to Great Tusk and Enamorus. Brave Bird is generally best used on balance teams that struggle with Ogerpon-W and already contain solid answers to late-game Kingambit. Body Press hits Kingambit, Kyurem, and Ting-Lu especially well. It also has immediate synergy with Iron Defense, allowing Corviknight to more confidently handle physical setup sweepers such as Dragonite, Gliscor, and Kingambit, especially with Pressure to more quickly stall out their attacks' PP. Defog allows Corviknight to fulfill the role as the team's hazard remover, with Corviknight often finding ample opportunities to remove hazards against common setters such as Iron Treads, Ting-Lu, and Gliscor. Defog Corviknight can also beat them in the long term, as Pressure makes their hazard move's PP drain faster than Defog's. Defog is best used on teams with another form of hazard control, which allow Corviknight to act as the secondary hazard remover to alleviate the pressure on its teammate; this is especially valuable against non-Gholdengo teams. With U-turn, Corviknight becomes an exceptional pivot, using its excellent bulk and defensive typing to safely bring in teammates after taking a hit. The move is often best used on bulky offensive and balance teams that appreciate the momentum swing Corviknight adds, especially as an opportunity to bring terrifying wallbreakers onto the field. In addition to the provided combinations, a nicher set using Iron Defense, Body Press, Brave Bird, and Roost can be used on teams that want maximum proactivity from Corviknight, notably guaranteeing the matchup against even Tera Ghost Kingambit, though the lack of team support is noticeable. Corviknight generally prefers a physically defensive spread to better handle Dragonite, Great Tusk, Zamazenta, and Kingambit, though 120 Speed EVs can also be run on IronPress variants to outspeed Adamant variants of Kingambit and Ursaluna. Alternatively, balance teams that struggle to handle Kyurem and Darkrai while having other checks for the aforementioned physical threats may appreciate a more specially defensive spread with 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD and a Sassy nature. When running this variant, Corviknight should pick Brave Bird as its main attack, since the lower Defense investment will make Body Press much more ineffectual. Rocky Helmet is generally the preferred item to punish contact moves such as Landorus-T's and opposing Corviknight's U-turn and Hisuian Samurott's Ceaseless Edge, but Leftovers is also acceptable to help keep Corviknight slightly healthier, particularly helping to mitigate Stealth Rock damage, especially on specially defensive sets. Corviknight generally prefers Tera Dragon to resist Ogerpon-W's STAB attacks, as well as Fire-type attacks such as those from Cinderace and Heatran in a pinch. Tera Fighting can be used on Iron Defense + Body Press sets to make Corviknight a more reliable late-game Kingambit answer. Tera Water provides Fire and Water resistances similarly to Tera Dragon, but it also grants a better matchup against Weavile and Dragon Dance Kyurem. Many other defensive Tera types can be used for complementing specific team structures. For example, Tera Ice can be used on specially defensive sets to handle special Kyurem for bulkier balance teams with good hazard control, and Tera Ghost lets Corviknight beat Iron Defense + Body Press Zamazenta on teams without another sufficient answer to it.
Corviknight's flexibility in its moves and Tera type, as well as the role it fulfills, makes it a welcome choice on a myriad of team structures, ranging from stall to bulky offense. Stall teams will appreciate Corviknight for its ability to absorb Knock Off, remove hazards, switch into Great Tusk, and act as extra insurance against Kingambit. In return, Corviknight appreciates Blissey absorbing strong special attacks from threats such as Darkrai and Iron Moth, Galarian Weezing helping remove entry hazards against Gholdengo, and Dondozo checking physical setup threats such as Zamazenta. On balance and bulky offense teams, Galarian Slowking, Ting-Lu, and Garganacl are good teammates to help absorb strong special attacks from Zapdos, Raging Bolt, Iron Moth, and Heatran well; in return, Corviknight can switch into Great Tusk, Hisuian Samurott, Ogerpon-W, and Kingambit, which they fear. Corviknight and Galarian Slowking can also form a pivoting core together to bring in offensive teammates via U-turn and Chilly Reception, respectively, enhancing their synergy. Furthermore, Corviknight helps limit hazards with Defog and absorbs the debilitating Knock Off to enhance their longevity. Corviknight pairs well with wallbreakers such as Dragapult, Kyurem, and Ogerpon-W, as it can keep them healthy with hazard removal and find opportunities to bring them onto the field via U-turn, allowing them to continue to make progress for the team. Corviknight can additionally switch into common answers to these teammates such as Ting-Lu, Galarian Slowking, and Dragonite, respectively, further patching up the team's weaknesses. Cinderace is a great teammate on these squads to form a dual hazard removal core, with Cinderace threatening out and removing hazards against Gholdengo for Corviknight. Cinderace also can take a Fire-type attack such as Heatran's Magma Storm in a pinch and threaten slower wallbreakers like Ogerpon-W for Corviknight, while Corviknight can handle Landorus-T and Gliscor for Cinderace, especially as they're hazard setters that Cinderace is scared of.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 110504, "username": "Stads"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 493260, "username": "Marnie"}, {"user_id": 647728, "username": "Heatranator"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 653095, "username": "FavMon=Garchomp"}, {"user_id": 649096, "username": "a blue banana"}]}]} }, "Barraskewda": { "sets": { "Rain Sweeper": { "description": "Leveraging high Attack and Swift Swim to outspeed the entire unboosted metagame—and most of the boosted metagame—Barraskewda is one of OU's most terrifying wallbreakers under rain. Flip Turn allows Barraskewda to quickly switch out against threatening Pokemon like Dragapult and bring in teammates that can better handle them or get valuable chip damage on foes it can't OHKO, while Aqua Jet gives it the opportunity to act as a revenge killer even without rain to boost its Speed or potentially beat Kingambit with faster priority. Close Combat threatens to OHKO a number of Water-resistant foes, like Kyurem and Hisuian Samurott, and hits Ogerpon-W decently hard. Poison Jab is a decent coverage option to hit other Water-resistant targets like Primarina, Hydrapple, and Ogerpon-W super effectively. Tera Water is used to further augment Barraskewda's already strong offensive presence, letting it stack damage multipliers further; for instance, Tera Water + Choice Band grants the power to 2HKO Dragonite through Multiscale and OHKO Dragapult and Ogerpon after minor chip damage. However, a defensive Tera Type in Ghost is also an option; it prevents Barraskewda from being revenge killed by Extreme Speed from Dragonite, which can be a tough matchup for rain teams. Choice Band's immediate power can be forgone for Mystic Water, which boosts its most spammable attacks without being Choice-locked, crucial in preventing foes like Ogerpon-W from taking advantage of Barraskewda.
Because Barraskewda should only be used on rain teams, it must be paired with Pelipper, where it takes advantage of both the rain Pelipper sets and Pelipper's ability to safely pivot it in with U-turn. Due to its below-average defensive stats, Barraskewda is susceptible to being revenge killed by Rillaboom and Raging Bolt, so defensive teammates like Iron Treads are needed to switch into these Pokemon. Barraskewda also struggles against bulky Water-types like Dondozo, Ogerpon-W, and Tera Water Garganacl, as well as being completely walled by Water Absorb Clodsire; it partners well with Raging Bolt, Rillaboom, and Ogerpon-W, which can remove them, though Barraskewda does beat Clodsire if it's running an Unaware set. Barraskewda appreciates entry hazard removal and setting from Iron Treads, the former allowing it to not get worn down through repeated pivots, as it lacks recovery, as well as helping keep Pelipper healthy for sustained rain setting, and the latter allowing it to OHKO physically defensive Corviknight and Skarmory with Tera Water Liquidation in rain after Stealth Rock damage. Kingambit pairs well with Barraskewda, since it can easily revenge kill Pokemon that Barraskewda has already significantly weakened.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 439018, "username": "Maia"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 612907, "username": "sequoia"}, {"user_id": 384270, "username": "autumn"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 197240, "username": "sunny"}, {"user_id": 470115, "username": "SolarBeam"}]}]} }, "Polteageist": { "sets": { "Offensive Shell Smash": { "description": "Polteageist makes use of Shell Smash, Terastallization, and its coverage options to carve a small niche in the tier as a setup sweeper on a highly niche playstyle: Psychic Terrain hyper offense. A single Shell Smash and a potential Weak Armor boost not only allow Polteageist to outspeed essentially the entire metagame but also crank up Stored Power to remarkable levels under the Terrain to threaten most foes, including bulky neutral targets like Gliscor; Garganacl; Tornadus-T; and even Blissey, which Polteageist beats one-on-one if it only carries Seismic Toss. Tera Fighting lets Polteageist cover otherwise problematic Dark-types like Kingambit, Hisuian Samurott, Darkrai, and Ting-Lu with Tera Blast, and the defensive typing grants it setup opportunities and prevents revenge killing attempts from them, particularly with Sucker Punch. Focus Sash compensates for its pitiful bulk to gain the one free turn of boosting that it desperately needs. The power from a Modest nature is preferred, but Timid can be used to let +2 Polteageist outspeed foes like Deoxys-S and +1 Iron Treads and Walking Wake.
Polteageist is exclusively used on hyper offense teams, specifically Psychic Terrain variants. As such, Indeedee-M is a must-have partner due to Psychic Surge, as the Terrain boosts Stored Power further and crucially protects Polteageist from being picked off by priority moves from foes like Kingambit, Ceruledge, and Raging Bolt once Focus Sash is consumed. Indeedee-M's Healing Wish also provides extra opportunities to set up. Offensive Psychic-types like Iron Crown and Deoxys-S take advantage of the Terrain themselves to keep up the pressure against the opposition, even overwhelming shared checks like Ting-Lu, Hoopa-U, and Assault Vest Hisuian Samurott for Polteageist. Iron Crown has the added benefit of checking Booster Energy Iron Valiant, which can otherwise still outspeed and threaten a boosted Polteageist. Other offensive Pokemon like Dragonite, Hisuian Samurott, and Zamazenta provide the team with a much-needed defensive backbone against opposing offense on top of being big threats themselves; Dragonite can check Rillaboom, Booster Energy Iron Moth, and Terastallized Ogerpon—which can easily revenge kill a boosted Polteageist, with Rillaboom also capable of messing with the team's Terrain; Hisuian Samurott checks Darkrai and Ghost-types like Gholdengo and Dragapult while also providing valuable entry hazards; and Zamazenta checks and threatens Dark-types and Tera Dark users like Kingambit, Blissey, and Clodsire that can prove problematic. Similarly, the nicher Hawlucha is a Fighting-type alternative that can take advantage of the Psychic Terrain itself with Psychic Seed + Unburden, giving the team an even better matchup against offensive teams. Strong and even multiple forms of hazard control are necessary to preserve Poltegeist's Focus Sash, with the likes of Iron Treads, Great Tusk, Cinderace, and Hatterene being fit for the job. Polteageist can also be used as a niche option on dual screens hyper offense teams, as it takes advantage of Reflect + Light Screen from common setters like Deoxys-S and can still be easily paired with common threats on said structure, like the aforementioned Zamazenta and Dragonite.
" }, "Bulky Shell Smash": {} }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 493260, "username": "Marnie"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 647728, "username": "Heatranator"}, {"user_id": 633798, "username": "kd458"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 649096, "username": "a blue banana"}]}]} }, "Hatterene": { "sets": { "Pain Split": { "description": "With the combination of Magic Bounce, good physical bulk, and utility options such as Pain Split to stick around longer, Hatterene provides key entry hazard control while checking important threats like Zamazenta, Great Tusk, and Deoxys-S. Psychic Noise is used to block recovery attempts from walls like Clefable and Garganacl, threaten foes through Substitute like Zamazenta and Iron Moth, and temporarily inhibit Gliscor's Poison Heal. Draining Kiss is additional recovery and meaningfully chips Dark-types like Ting-Lu and Hisuian Samurott, as well as Dragon-types like Dragonite and Raging Bolt. Pain Split allows Hatterene to both gain back health and wear down high-HP walls like Blissey and Ting-Lu while chipping foes like Iron Treads and Galarian Slowking that it can otherwise struggle to damage. Nuzzle lets Hatterene spread paralysis against foes that would otherwise have an easy time switching in like Gholdengo and Iron Crown, giving its teammates more opportunities to capitalize. It also deters sweepers like Ogerpon-W and Dragonite from setting up in front of it. Rocky Helmet allows Hatterene to punish Rapid Spin attempts from Great Tusk and Iron Treads, and it can also punish Hisuian Samurott's Ceaseless Edge and U-turn from pivots like Landorus-T and Cinderace. Leftovers can also be used to gain additional longevity, making Hatterene even more difficult to take out. Tera Water gives Hatterene an easier matchup against Cinderace while turning its Steel-type weakness into a resistance against Gholdengo and Iron Crown, with the added bonus of letting it more reliably take on Walking Wake and hit it with Nuzzle. 52 Speed EVs are to outspeed Garganacl and Toxapex, letting Hatterene use Psychic Noise effectively to block their recovery attempts.
Hatterene is used on bulky offense and offense teams as an entry hazard control option while improving the matchup against specific foes like Zamazenta. Teammates weak to hazards like Assault Vest Tornadus-T, Kyurem, and non–Heavy-Duty Boots Dragonite appreciate Hatterene being solid hazard control, while Hatterene benefits from their offensive and defensive capabilities like threatening Iron Treads. Assault Vest Tornadus-T is an exceptional partner, aiding Hatterene against threats like Darkrai, Gholdengo, and Choice Specs Dragapult. Tornadus-T notably helps against Great Tusk, which Hatterene has issues taking repeated hits from. Heatran provides a useful switch-in against Scizor, Iron Moth, and Pecharunt while also setting its own hazards, with Hatterene in return taking on Zamazenta and Ting-Lu. Both Assault Vest Tornadus-T and Heatran are also able to pressure Hatterene's checks like Galarian Slowking and Corviknight. Iron Moth is another teammate that greatly threatens Steel-types like Gholdengo while also absorbing Toxic Spikes that can immensely limit Hatterene's longevity. In return, Hatterene helps keep hazards off the field for Iron Moth. Hatterene struggles to get past Steel-types like Iron Treads, Heatran, and Tinkaton, as they are able to threaten it and still set Stealth Rock after it is KOed. Thus, strong Fighting- and Ground-types like Zamazenta, Great Tusk, and Ting-Lu are helpful to maintain hazard superiority. Zamazenta notably appreciates Hatterene for providing a solid Psychic-type switch-in against Deoxys-S and can also run non–Heavy-Duty Boots sets more freely, while Zamazenta can handle Steel-types like Kingambit. Ghost-types like Gholdengo and Pecharunt pose a similar threat to Hatterene, so Dark-types like Kingambit and Darkrai are useful to threaten immense damage onto them, while the Dark-types benefit from Hatterene staving off non–Heavy Slam Zamazenta. Additional hazard control options like Great Tusk and Cinderace are heavily appreciated to relieve pressure on Hatterene against certain hazard setters like Hisuian Samurott. Moreover, they also help against Gholdengo and Galarian Slowking, which Hatterene struggles to get past and is threatened by. Ogerpon-W pressures Hatterene's checks like Galarian Slowking and Gholdengo with Knock Off, sets hazards, and pivots Hatterene in with U-turn. Hatterene, in turn, checks physical walls like Galarian Weezing and Zamazenta, keeps hazards off for Ogerpon-W, and paralyzes faster threats like Cinderace for it to take advantage of.
" }, "Calm Mind": { "description": "With Magic Bounce and the potential for it to snowball out of control with Calm Mind while keeping itself healthy with Draining Kiss, Hatterene makes a great addition to offensive teams looking for a special sweeper and hazard control in one. Its solid defensive stats grant it great matchups against Great Tusk, Ting-Lu, and non-Heavy Slam Zamazenta, and Magic Bounce's additional utility lets Hatterene block disruptive moves like Encore from Iron Valiant and Ogerpon-W, Taunt from Landorus-T and Heatran, Whirlwind from Ting-Lu, and Toxic from Gliscor and Clodsire, making it an even more potent setup sweeper. Psychic Noise is a strong option to punish walls like Gliscor, Garganacl, and Clefable, looking to recover in the face of Hatterene. Psyshock targets specially defensive walls on their weaker side, allowing it to break through Blissey, Galarian Slowking, and Clodsire while dealing with opposing setup sweepers that boost their Special Defense such as Tera Fairy Raging Bolt. Alternatively, Stored Power lacks the immediate power of Psyshock but can scale heavily with multiple Calm Minds to allow Hatterene to muscle past even Unaware targets like Skeledirge, Clodsire, and Dondozo, along with also helping to win the one-on-one against other special setup sweepers in a similar manner to Psyshock. Unfortunately, its STAB combination leaves Hatterene walled by common Steel-types like Gholdengo, Heatran, and Iron Treads, while the low base power of Draining Kiss allows for Kingambit to easily stomach a boosted hit. Mystical Fire is a great coverage option that targets Steel-types, in particular helping to weaken Gholdengo's attacks, although this leaves Hatterene unable to hit Heatran; Nuzzle can alternatively be used to spread paralysis onto common switch-ins like Kingambit, Gholdengo, Heatran, and Skeledirge. Leftovers is Hatterene's best option to greatly improve its staying power, allowing it to set up more easily and switch in multiple times over the course of a game to block hazards. On Grassy Terrain teams and particularly with Stored Power, Grassy Seed can be considered to give Hatterene a better chance at immediately sweeping at the expense of being worse at coming in repeatedly, though Leftovers is still a viable option on these builds. The given spread runs enough Speed EVs to outspeed base 35s Pokemon like Garganacl and Toxapex, allowing for Hatterene to use a boosted attack before the latter can remove its boosts with Haze, with the remaining EVs invested to maximize physical defense. This allows for Hatterene to dodge the 2HKO from Cinderace's Pyro Ball for instance. An alternative spread of 252 HP / 232 Def / 24 Spe can be considered on Nuzzle variants, as the Speed is less necessary when it is able to paralyze foes and so more physical bulk can be invested instead; this spread runs enough Speed to outpace a paralyzed Adamant Kingambit. Tera Water is a great neutral defensive typing that grants Hatterene a resistance to Steel-type attacks from Kingambit and Gholdengo along with allowing it to stay in on Water- and Fire-type attacks from Pokemon like Hisuian Samurott and Iron Moth while still maintaining its matchup against Great Tusk.
Calm Mind Hatterene is a great pick on offense teams that appreciate the support against entry hazards, particularly for bulkier offense builds without a dedicated hazard setting lead. One particular form of bulky offense that Hatterene thrives on is Grassy Terrain with Rillaboom, with the additional passive recovery from the Terrain being much appreciated to help boost Hatterene's longevity further. In return, Hatterene can keep hazards clear from the field, allowing for teammates like Heatran, Raging Bolt, and Rillaboom itself to opt not to run Heavy-Duty Boots without fearing hazard damage racking up over time. Hatterene fits on far more than Terrain offense though, finding a home on even hyper offense teams alongside hazard setters like Glimmora, and some of its best partners on both bulky offense and hyper offense are offensive hazard-weak Pokemon that would sooner run a boosting item than Heavy-Duty Boots; prime examples of this are Raging Bolt and Ogerpon-W. Though Hatterene has ways of dealing with some of its more problematic matchups, Kingambit and Gholdengo are always an issue for their ability to shrug off its STAB attacks and threaten it with their own; bulky, offensive switch-ins to the former like Great Tusk and Zamazenta can alleviate this issue without dropping offensive pressure, while Kingambit itself can make a strong partner for its ability to come in on Gholdengo along with other Ghost- and Poison-type moves from foes like Dragapult and Galarian Slowking, the latter of which being one of Hatterene's most prevalent checks with its high Special Defense and resistance to Draining Kiss. In return for Kingambit's positive matchups against these targets, Hatterene resists Fighting-type attacks from Great Tusk, Skarmory, and Iron Valiant that would typically be directed towards Kingambit. One Pokemon that Hatterene struggles to break through is Heatran, as it takes negligible damage from even a boosted Draining Kiss and can negate Hatterene's Leftovers recovery with Magma Storm's passive damage. If Hatterene has Tera available and has already boosted with multiple Calm Minds as Heatran enters the field, the matchup swings in Hatterene's favour, but Hatterene is notably unable to come in directly on Heatran to prevent it from setting up Stealth Rock. Offensive partners like Hisuian Samurott and Zamazenta can be used as switch-ins to Magma Storm, able to threaten the opposing Heatran out. Although Hatterene is usually sufficient in keeping hazards off of its side of the field, on top of the aforementioned Stealth Rock Heatran matchup, opposing Hisuian Samurott are able to put hazards up with Ceaseless Edge despite losing to Hatterene itself. This makes alternative forms of hazard removal such as Great Tusk and Iron Treads good partners to Hatterene, as they can provide key relief in these matchups for hazard-weak teams that would otherwise be overly reliant on Hatterene.
" }, "Healing Wish": { "description": "Through a coveted combination of Healing Wish, an elite ability in Magic Bounce, and good defensive typing to check foes like Great Tusk and non-Heavy Slam Zamazenta, Hatterene can support its teammates in a way that cannot be fully replicated by anything else. Healing Wish is crucial, as it allows Hatterene to enable support its teammates and give them a second life to put in work; because Hatterene is often paired with sweepers and Terrain or weather setters that enable them, this is often a perfectly acceptable trade to pivot them in safely. Psychic Noise notably lets Hatterene significantly chip bulky foes like Gliscor, Garganacl, and Clefable, preventing them from recovering their health. Nuzzle ensures that Hatterene remains far from passive by paralyzing anything bar Ground-types and Electric-types; even Gholdengo and opposing Hatterene, which are safe from paralysis from Thunder Wave, are crippled if hit by Nuzzle. Mystical Fire, however, complements Hatterene's STAB moves well by hitting Steel-types super effectively; it also always lowers the opponent's Special Attack, giving it some added utility against threats that can boost their Special Attack like Calm Mind Raging Bolt. Eject Button lets Hatterene act as a pivot, particularly because it complements Magic Bounce perfectly; Hatterene's mere presence on a team will deter opponents from setting entry hazards and using status moves, letting it take on an attack and bring a teammate in safely. Eject Button also has the added benefit of turning the tables on U-turn and Volt Switch users, getting a free momentum while denying their own switch. However, Custap Berry is also an option to take advantage of its propensity to be at low health, compensating for its lack of Speed to gain a free turn against even faster foes. 52 Speed EVs allow Hatterene to outpace base 35s Pokemon like Toxapex and Garganacl. Tera Steel allows Hatterene to handle Fairy-type attacks from Iron Valiant and Enamorus more easily so it can punish them with Nuzzle and turns Hatterene's Poison weakness into an immunity, allowing it to take on Galarian Slowking and spinblock Glimmora. Steel's powerful defensive profile also expands the number of threats Hatterene can safely use Healing Wish against in a pinch, such as Iron Head Kingambit and Galarian Slowking; though very situational, other Tera types like Dark and Flying can accomplish similar goals against different threats like Gholdengo and Dragapult for the former and Great Tusk and Heavy Slam Zamazenta for the latter.
Healing Wish Hatterene's ability to enable multiple free switches for its teammates makes it a strong choice for offensive teams—particularly teams vulnerable to entry hazards—that need to maximize a limited number of turns. Healing Wish Hatterene is almost mandatory on sun teams, which are often so vulnerable to hazards that its Magic Bounce serves as a strong secondary or even tertiary countermeasure against them; Fire-types such as Torkoal and Ninetales are especially weak to entry hazards, but even powerful attackers like Choice Specs Walking Wake, Black Glasses and Air Balloon Kingambit, and Life Orb Venusaur and Hisuian Lilligant can be worn down very quickly with hazard chip. Many of these are also answers to traditional Hatterene checks; powerful offensive threats like Choice Specs Walking Wake and offensive Great Tusk can collectively overwhelm Hatterene checks like Gholdengo, Galarian Slowking, and Heatran, which gives Hatterene plenty of opportunities to switch in on a neutral attack and either pivot out with Eject Button or use Healing Wish. Sun teams also greatly appreciate Hatterene's ability to give Torkoal an extra chance to support its team with Drought through Healing Wish, further enable these aforementioned offensive threats with Healing Wish, or spread paralysis with Nuzzle. Hatterene is also useful on rain teams for similar reasons; Pelipper greatly appreciates extra opportunities to set Drizzle up through Eject Button or Healing Wish, and teammates like Barraskewda and Raging Bolt appreciate both Hatterene's ability to deny hazards to keep them healthy and the many safe switches it can enable. Hatterene is also a staple on Psychic Terrain teams, which appreciate its ability to give Indeedee an extra chance to set up Psychic Terrain or to safely pivot in sweepers like Shell Smash Polteageist, offensive Deoxys-S, and Booster Energy Iron Boulder and Iron Crown while wasting as few precious Psychic Terrain turns as possible.
" }, "Assault Vest": { "description": "Thanks to its solid bulk, good offensive presence and an amazing ability in Magic Bounce, Assault Vest Hatterene makes for a valuable addition to offense teams, preventing entry hazards from going up while simultaneously checking dangerous offensive threats such as Raging Bolt, Iron Valiant and Kyurem. Psyshock is preferred over Psychic thanks to it being able to OHKO Iron Moth, doing significantly more damage to the common Galarian Slowking, forcing Blissey out, and dealing more damage to Calm Mind sweepers that might attempt to set up on Hatterene, such as Primarina and Sinistcha. Draining Kiss provides immense utility for Hatterene, giving it valuable recovery and allowing it to be able to trade hits with and potentially beat threats such as Great Tusk, Zamazenta, and Dragonite one-on-one. Mystical Fire allows Hatterene to punish Steel-types that may attempt to switch into it, such as Gholdengo, Corviknight, and Kingambit, notably 2HKOing all of them, while the guaranteed Special Attack drops can help it deal with strong special attackers like opposing Hatterene that it may otherwise struggle with. Nuzzle allows Hatterene to bring massive utility to its team by being able to consistently paralyze foes, notably also affecting opposing Hatterene and Gholdengo. Alternatively, Future Sight allows for a better matchup against defensive teams, putting pressure on bulky targets that might not be able to effectively tank a Future Sight in combination with attacks from Hatterene's teammates. Another option is Psychic Noise, as it is consistently strong with the added benefit of cutting recovery from the targets, potentially preventing foes such as Garganacl and Dondozo from walling Hatterene. The given EV spread lets Hatterene outspeed Garganacl and maximizes its offensive prowess while also allowing it to take a +1 Speed Booster Energy Iron Moth's Sludge Wave and OHKO it back as well as survive two Protosynthesis-boosted Raging Bolt Thunderbolts and two Ice Beams from Choice Specs Kyurem. Tera Water and Tera Steel are simply good defensive typings that help Hatterene check threats that might carry Steel- or Poison-type coverage; Tera Water is great for foes such as Iron Moth, Walking Wake, and Cinderace while keeping its ability to check Great Tusk and Zamazenta, while Tera Steel brings an immunity to Toxic Spikes and helps Hatterene deal with threats such as Iron Crown, Galarian Slowking, and Glimmora better.
Hatterene fits best on offense teams that are looking for a way to keep entry hazards off their side of the field without needing to rely on removal like Rapid Spin or Defog, and it can provide the team with a way of paralyzing threats or pressuring foes with Future Sight. Ogerpon-W, which is unable to equip Heavy-Duty Boots, appreciates Hatterene's ability to keep hazards off the field while at the same time helping deal with threats such as Moltres and Galarian Slowking that might give Hatterene trouble. Raging Bolt also benefits from hazards being kept off and Hatterene's ability to handle Ting-Lu and Kyurem in a pinch. Zamazenta makes for an incredible partner due to it being capable of handling Kingambit, which can otherwise beat Hatterene with ease, and appreciating hazards being kept away by Hatterene. This allows it to forgo Heavy-Duty Boots in favor of items such as Leftovers and, if running Rest, Chesto Berry, all while providing much-needed speed control due to Hatterene being very slow. Great Tusk benefits from Hatterene being capable of handling threats such as Kyurem and Iron Valiant while itself providing the team with an extra safety measure against hazards thanks to its access to Rapid Spin. This may help massively against teams with Hisuian Samurott, Iron Treads, and Mold Breaker Tinkaton as their hazard setters, as Great Tusk is simultaneously capable of checking them and other threats such as Kingambit. Alternatively, Cinderace is a good option for hazard control, being noticeably faster than Great Tusk, threatening foes like Gholdengo, Tinkaton, and Iron Crown with Pyro Ball, and returning hazards that might have slipped through Hatterene's Magic Bounce with Court Change. Kingambit is also a great partner, being able to deal with Gholdengo and Galarian Slowking for Hatterene and help check opposing Kingambit if running Low Kick. In addition, Kingambit massively appreciates Hatterene's Nuzzle potentially paralyzing threats Kingambit struggles against such as Iron Valiant and Ogerpon-W while Hatterene itself can check foes like Zamazenta. Dragon Dance Kyurem is another excellent teammate, as it often has to forgo Heavy-Duty Boots in order to run other items and thus is very weak to hazards which can be kept away by Hatterene's Magic Bounce. Dragapult is worth considering as well thanks to its very high Speed, allowing it to provide speed control, and ability to pressure Gholdengo. Furthermore, Dragapult can cripple threatening physical attackers like Great Tusk, Ogerpon-W, and Heavy Slam Zamazenta, which can muscle through Hatterene if not careful, with Will-O-Wisp while also being able to bring Hatterene into the field with U-turn.
" }, "Trick Room": { "description": "Trick Room Hatterene's primary goal is to set up Trick Room to enable its slow, powerful teammates while keeping them healthy and pivoting via Healing Wish. Its main attribute is access to Magic Bounce, which is useful against entry hazard setters like Ting-Lu as well as ways to stop Trick Room like Taunt from Landorus-T and Ogerpon-W. Psychic Noise is preferred thanks to being able to heal block defensive walls like Gliscor and Clefable. Both Tera Water and Tera Steel share the benefit of saving Hatterene from Steel-type moves like Kingambit's Iron Head, Gholdengo's Make it Rain, and most importantly Iron Crown's Tachyon Cutter, which can bypass its Focus Sash. Tera Water has the added benefit of maintaining its neutrality against strong attacks like Great Tusk's Headlong Rush and Landorus-T's Earthquake while resisting Cinderace's Pyro Ball. Tera Steel, on the other hand, can save Hatterene against Pokemon like Iron Moth and Galarian Slowking if Focus Sash is no longer intact, as well as the common lead Glimmora. Focus Sash ensures that Hatterene always lives a hit, allowing it to set Trick Room reliably.
This Hatterene set is an essential member of Trick Room teams, since it compresses hazard denial while also extending the life of its members with Healing Wish. There's no greater partner for Hatterene than Ursaluna, which uses its slow speed and Guts boosted attacks to decimate the opposition including would-be offensive checks like Zamazenta as well as foes like Ting-Lu and Iron Crown that Hatterene has a harder time against. Ursaluna's decaying health from Flame Orb also benefits greatly from a second life via Healing Wish. Cresselia is a secondary Trick Room setter and can also support the team with Lunar Dance. Trick Room teams struggle with priority, as it bypasses Hatterene's Trick Room. Trick Room teams can use the aforementioned Ursaluna and Iron Hands to tank common priority moves like Dragonite's Extreme Speed or Kingambit's Sucker Punch; as a bonus, Ursaluna is immune to Raging Bolt's Thunderclap, while Iron Hands is resistant to it. Enamorus-T is scared of Thunderclap, but it can still take on Extreme Speed and Sucker Punch with no trouble. Offensive teams can make use of Landorus-T, which punishes contact moves with Rocky Helmet while also having the ability to set up hazards and bring Hatterene and its allies in with U-turn. The biggest annoyance for Hatterene is not a Pokemon, but a move, Protect, because it can stall out the limited Trick Room turns, making its efforts useless. Gliscor, Alomomola, and Kyurem are all common users of the move, and the three of them take advantage of healing abilities, items, and moves to run out Trick Room's timer. Steel-types like Iron Crown, Kingambit, and Gholdengo also completely wall Hatterene and OHKO it with STAB moves. On full Trick Room teams, the slow, deadly Iron Hands can threaten Alomomola, Kyurem, and Kingambit, while Gliscor has to be very careful around Ice Punch. Enamorus-T is also a great choice, since it's a massive wallbreaker that can break Steel-types with Earth Power while threatening Gliscor, Alomomola, and Kyurem with powerful Fairy-type STAB moves. Kingambit is grateful for having Hatterene's support, since Healing Wish can let Kingambit purify burns from Will-O-Wisp users like Dragapult and Cinderace and fully concentrate on breaking. Sucker Punch also means Kingambit can be threatening in and out of Trick Room. This set is not exclusive to full Trick Room teams though, as hyper offense teams often find use of having Hatterene alongside another Trick Room partner to mess with other hyper offense teams trying to outpace each other. Great Tusk can threaten Gliscor while forming a hazard removal duo, easing the stress of Hatterene in denying hazards. This is especially important against Hisuian Samurott, which has the unique distinction of having Ceaseless Edge, putting Spikes without caring for Magic Bounce and potentially messing with its Focus Sash and setting up of Trick Room. Ogerpon-W and Iron Valiant are good partners for Hatterene on hyper offense; Ogerpon-W likes Healing Wish, since its mandatory mask means it's vulnerable to hazards and status, while threatening Alomomola and Gliscor with STAB moves and Kyurem with Play Rough, while Iron Valiant is another great option due to its access to Encore, locking these Pokemon into Protect, allowing it to grab a turn to set up, and it is also quadruple resistant to Dark-types meaning it can potentially get in and punish Hisuian Samurott for using Ceaseless Edge.
" } }, "credits": { "writtenBy": [{"user_id": 213908, "username": "Nickos"}, {"user_id": 408271, "username": "Dreadfury"}, {"user_id": 517709, "username": "1LDK"}, {"user_id": 633798, "username": "kd458"}, {"user_id": 677476, "username": "mcribs"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 548068, "username": "Setsu"}, {"user_id": 633798, "username": "kd458"}, {"user_id": 518682, "username": "alkazoth"}, {"user_id": 612443, "username": "ninth"}, {"user_id": 647728, "username": "Heatranator"}, {"user_id": 493260, "username": "Marnie"}, {"user_id": 558636, "username": "zastra"}, {"user_id": 571069, "username": "Dead by Daylight"}, {"user_id": 384270, "username": "autumn"}, {"user_id": 177111, "username": "Magcargo"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 493260, "username": "Marnie"}, {"user_id": 537035, "username": "rahul_3301"}, {"user_id": 555379, "username": "Tbolt"}, {"user_id": 637479, "username": "red fintans"}, {"user_id": 655207, "username": "Sir Tetris"}, {"user_id": 384270, "username": "autumn"}]}] } }, "Grimmsnarl": {"sets": {"Dual Screens": {}}}, "Indeedee": {"sets": {"Terrain Setter": {}}}, "Dragapult": { "sets": { "Boots Pivot": { "description": "Dragapult's supportive capabilities provide it a unique role in SV OU as the fastest user of both status moves and U-turn in the tier. Dragon Darts can deal massive damage to special walls like Blissey and Calm Mind users like Latios and Raging Bolt, and its multi-hit property makes it more threatening versus Dragonite. Draco Meteor is an alternative Dragon-type STAB move that allows Dragapult to 2HKO Great Tusk and heavily injure more physically defensive Pokemon like Zapdos, Moltres, and Hydrapple. Hex is used over Shadow Ball to complement Dragapult's ability to spread status, but it also allows Dragapult to punish Gliscor attempting to absorb status for its team, and unboosted Hex is still strong enough to 2HKO both Gholdengo and Pecharunt. Will-O-Wisp can be used to burn physical attackers like Zamazenta, Dragonite, Kingambit, and Ogerpon-W. Thunder Wave, on the other hand, can paralyze fast Pokemon like Darkrai, Iron Moth, and Tornadus-T for Dragapult's teammates to take advantage of. Lastly Dragapult has the fastest U-turn in the tier, which allows it to quickly pivot and keep momentum for its teammates while also hitting Dark-types like Tyranitar and Ting-Lu. Depending on the choice of moves taken, the EVs should be set to either 4 Attack and a Naive nature for Dragon Darts or 4 Special Defense and a Timid nature for Draco Meteor. Infiltrator is the preferred ability, as it allows Dragapult to both hit and cripple foes regardless of if they are behind a Substitute, like Kyurem, or screens, like Galarian Moltres. For Terastallization options, Tera Ghost allows Dragapult to boost Hex to scary levels of damage, as it cleanly 2HKOes specially defensive Gliscor, OHKOes Ceruledge after Stealth Rock damage, and 2HKOes a statused Iron Defense Zamazenta. Tera Fairy, on the other hand, lets it withstand Dark-type moves, most commonly Kingambit's Kowtow Cleave and Zamazenta's Crunch, and also gives it an immunity to Dragon-type moves from threats like Kyurem, Dragonite, and Walking Wake, potentially getting off a status move or strong Dragon-type attack in return. Tera Steel keeps the Dragon-type resistance but lets Dragapult take a Moonblast from Iron Valiant and Enamorus while also letting it shrug off Ice-type attacks from Weavile and the aforementioned Kyurem.
This set finds itself on balance and bulky balance teams as a support Pokemon, especially on Heavy-Duty Boots-spam structures, supporting its teammates and acting as speed control. Dragapult invites in Pokemon like Tyranitar and Hisuian Samurott, letting it use U-turn to bring in answers like Ogerpon-W to wreak havoc. Dragapult can also U-turn on Ting-Lu, allowing it to bring in Weavile or Kyurem and make progress. Dragapult is a frail Pokemon incapable of taking more than one hit from almost anything in the tier, so having defensive partners able to switch in hard on its threats is much appreciated. Corviknight checks Kingambit and has slow pivoting with U-turn, letting Dragapult get back on the field safely. Galarian Slowking can make Dragapult even harder to switch into with Future Sight, which can be good to bait Dark-types like Kingambit or Hisuian Samurott and threaten them with status. Galarian Slowking can bring Dragapult in with Chilly Reception while checking Fairy-types like Primarina and Iron Valiant. Garganacl has both Salt Cure and Stealth Rock to add on to the passive damage pressure, but it also helps Dragapult by taking on Ghost-type moves from Pecharunt and opposing Dragapult. Entry hazard setters help to stack up chip damage due to the many switches that Dragapult forces. Hisuian Samurott in particular has Knock Off to remove Leftovers from Ting-Lu and Heavy-Duty Boots from Great Tusk, allowing Will-O-Wisp's damage to not go unnoticed. Ting-Lu also has hazards, walls Deoxys-S, Gholdengo, and Darkrai, and can chip down switch-ins like Hisuian Samurott and Gliscor to help Dragapult sweep; Dragapult has natural synergy as the spinblocker of the team. Offensive Pokemon also like Will-O-Wisp support, as setup sweepers like Kingambit benefit from Great Tusk and Zamazenta being burned, Kyurem benefits from Zamazenta being crippled, and Gholdengo can turn the tables against Ting-Lu thanks to reduced Earthquake damage. Packing Thunder Wave can mean the world for slower wallbreakers like Ogerpon-W, Kyurem, and Hoopa-U. Ogerpon-W can wipe problem matchups like Darkrai and Tornadus-T, Kyurem can demolish Ting-Lu and can now outspeed a paralyzed Iron Valiant, and Hoopa-U's coverage becomes nightmarish once fast U-turn users like Cinderace and opposing Dragapult can no longer outspeed it Dragapult lacks instantaneous wallbreaking power against defensive Pokemon, relying on status and Hex for damage. Garganacl is therefore Dragapult's biggest counter, as it takes pitiful damage from any of its moves. Therefore, Pokemon such as Gliscor, Clefable, and Great Tusk that can switch in and threaten out Garganacl are great partners, with the former two being able to mitigate its Salt Cure damage and the latter being able to get up Stealth Rock in its face. Bulky Fairy-types like Clefable and Primarina can take hits and eliminate Dragapult with Moonblast, so pairing it with strong wallbreakers like Ogerpon-W and Gholdengo can help versus these foes. Zamazenta is an amazing partner, since it can hit Garganacl, Heatran, and Ting-Lu with Close Combat while also providing backup speed control for Dark-type threats like Weavile and Darkrai. Pairing Dragapult with other status spreaders, like Gliscor, Moltres, and Galarian Slowking, can boost Hex's damage output in the long run. Alomomola is another status spreader that can support Dragapult with Wish, allowing Dragapult to stay healthy in longer games where its defensive qualities may be required.
" }, "Choice Specs": { "description": "Equipped with Choice Specs, Dragapult combines its great Speed and lethal STAB combination with the high Base Power of Draco Meteor and the disruptive nature of Shadow Ball's Special Defense drops to become one of OU's premier wallbreakers. Flamethrower targets Kingambit, the only OU Pokemon that resists both of Dragapult's STAB moves, and OHKOes the likes of Scizor and offensive Iron Treads. Fire Blast may be used instead to ensure OHKOs against offensive Kingambit and bulky Rillaboom while further pressuring Corviknight and bulky variants of Iron Treads at the cost of accuracy. U-turn allows Dragapult to safely pivot on predicted switches, easing the need of prediction while chipping at the likes of Ting-Lu and Blissey in the process. A Timid nature allows Dragapult to get the jump on Zamazenta, Darkrai, and +1 Adamant Dragonite, as well as Speed tie with opposing Dragapult; a Modest nature may be considered to enhance Dragapult's wallbreaking power, with Draco Meteor netting OHKOs against the likes of Tornadus-T and Ogerpon-W. Infiltrator proves effective against Substitute users such as Kyurem and Iron Moth, both of which Dragapult threatens to KO with Draco Meteor, as well as against Aurora Veil and dual screens teams, which often use Pokemon like Darkrai and offensive Gliscor which can't stand Dragapult's attacks. Clear Body may also be used as a countermeasure against Pecharunt's Parting Shot, as well as Sticky Web teams, which often feature Pokemon such as Gholdengo and Great Tusk that are greatly threatened by Dragapult. Tera Ghost boosts Dragapult's Shadow Ball, netting 2HKOs against Clefable and Assault Vest Tornadus-T after Stealth Rock, while also removing its weaknesses to attacks such as Iron Valiant and Enamorus's Moonblast and Weavile's Ice Shard. Similarly, Tera Dragon boosts Dragapult's Draco Meteor, allowing it to 2HKO Garganacl and heavily chip at Ting-Lu, while removing its weaknesses to Kingambit's Sucker Punch, Darkrai's Dark Pulse, and Ceruledge's Shadow Sneak.
Choice Specs Dragapult often finds itself on bulky offense and offense teams where its wallbreaking prowess and speed control shine. Ogerpon-W appreciates Dragapult's ability to scare Dragon-types such as Raging Bolt, Kyurem, and Hydrapple; in turn, it aids Dragapult against specially defensive walls such as Ting-Lu, Blissey, and Assault Vest Alomomola and Primarina, with both being able to bring each other safely on the field with U-turn. Similarly, Kingambit appreciates Dragapult pressuring physical walls such as Dondozo, Great Tusk, and Zamazenta, while it assists Dragapult against opposing Ghost-types such as Gholdengo and Pecharunt when Dragapult is locked into an undesirable move and against Tera Fairy Garganacl, which can take on both of Dragapult's STAB moves. Great Tusk, Landorus-T, and Corviknight aid against Kingambit, which may use a Choice-locked Dragapult as an opportunity to set up, and they can either remove or prevent entry hazards from being set up and weakening Dragapult, thanks to Rapid Spin, Taunt, and Defog, respectively. Furthermore, Great Tusk and Landorus-T provide Stealth Rock support to chip foes such as Assault Vest Tornadus-T and Enamorus to put them in range of Dragapult's attacks, while Landorus-T and Corviknight can act as pivots with U-turn to bring Dragapult safely on the field. Galarian Slowking and Iron Crown can deal with Fairy-types such as Clefable and Galarian Weezing looking to exploit Dragapult being locked into Draco Meteor. Iron Valiant aids Dragapult against Dark-types such as Hisuian Samurott, Ting-Lu, and Kingambit, as well as weakening shared checks such as Primarina and Assault Vest Tornadus-T. With Booster Energy, Iron Valiant is also able to provide extra speed control alongside Dragapult, particularly outpacing foes faster than Dragapult such as Deoxys-S, Choice Scarf Gholdengo, and +1 Kyurem.
" }, "Choice Band": { "description": "Dragapult acts as a great offensive pivot for bulky offense and balance teams that rely on maintaining momentum and immediate power for their progress making. Its amazing Speed tier, the second fastest relevant Pokemon behind only Deoxys-S, makes it one of the best users of Choice Band, hitting foes for great neutral damage thanks to its hard-to-resist STAB moves. Tera Blast Ghost lets it make use of a reliable and powerful physical Ghost-type move, 2HKOing otherwise problematic Steel- and Fairy-types such as Clefable and Corviknight after Stealth Rock Damage, and to create win-win scenarios thanks to the pivoting effect of its strong U-turn forcing progress even against bulkier cores and punishing Dark-types such as Kingambit and Ting-Lu with heavy chip damage, especially if Spikes are up. Sucker Punch lets it revenge kill offensive threats like Deoxys-S and opposing Dragapult while being handy to pick off weakened boosted foes like Kyurem and Dragonite. Will-O-Wisp permanently neutralizes a common switch-in in Kingambit and lets it emergency check foes like IronPress Zamazenta and Terastallized Dragonite. Phantom Force gives it a decent STAB move without relying too much on Terastallization. Clear Body allows Dragapult to ignore Landorus-T's Intimidate and match up better against Sticky Web teams, though Infiltrator is still a valid alternative to threaten dual screens hyper offense teams and Substitute users like Iron Moth, Primarina, and Enamorus. Tera Dragon over Tera Ghost with Phantom Force over Tera Blast is a notable option to rely less on Terastallization in exchange for a worse Ghost-type move; this takes advantage of Dragon Darts's power and reliability to reach feats such as 2HKOing Ting-Lu after Stealth Rock while also shedding its Dark weakness from the likes of Kingambit and Darkrai.
Dragapult has great synergy with bulky VoltTurn cores, which allow Dragapult to easily get on and off the field and repeatedly scare out offensive threats such as Iron Moth, Iron Crown, Gholdengo, and Darkrai. Landorus-T and Hisuian Samurott are pivots that pair well with Dragapult, with the former switching well into Kingambit, Cinderace, and Zamazenta trying to revenge kill Dragapult while denying hazards from Pokemon such as Skarmory, Glimmora, Garganacl, and opposing Landorus-T with Taunt, and the latter's Knock Off variants removing Heavy-Duty Boots off of physical walls Dragapult might struggle with like Alomomola and Dondozo. They, alongside the likes of Garganacl, Clefable, and Gliscor, also provide entry hazards, putting foes like Ogerpon, Darkrai, opposing Hisuian Samurott, and Iron Valiant in range of an OHKO and Skarmory, Corviknight, offensive Great Tusk, and Alomomola in range of a 2HKO; Garganacl in particular is noteworthy for its ability to deal effectively with opposing Dragapult, as well as absorbing status that would otherwise severely limit Dragapult's effectiveness like burn from Alomomola, paralysis from Clefable, and Toxic from Gliscor. Rapid Spin support from the likes of Great Tusk, which also deals with Kingambit, or Magic Bounce support from Hatterene, which has a great matchup into Ting-Lu and Zamazenta variants lacking Heavy Slam and can absorb status, also benefits Dragapult. Corviknight is another good pivot, providing a Kingambit check for bulkier structures and reliably removing hazards against teams without Gholdengo with Defog. Finally, Future Sight from Iron Crown, Galarian Slowking, or the previously mentioned Hatterene helps overwhelm defensive cores that rely on different Pokemon to take on physical and special attacks like Galarian Slowking + Alomomola or Corviknight, Blissey + Dondozo, and Iron Crown + Landorus-T. Iron Crown brings to the table fast pivoting and a strong offensive profile to better deal with Clefable while not letting Kingambit or Heatran switch in for free. In contrast, Galarian Slowking has slow pivoting and great longevity thanks to Regenerator. Similarly, offensive overlap with threats like Dragonite, Zamazenta, and Hisuian Samurott can be very effective at muscling past shared checks like Skarmory, Clefable, Zamazenta, Dondozo, and Alomomola with repeated pressure.
" }, "Mixed Offensive": { "description": "Mixed offensive Dragapult uses its unique STAB combination and mixed attacking power to break through many common cores while still acting as great speed control for teams due to naturally outspeeding the entire unboosted metagame apart from Deoxys-S. Life Orb gives Dragapult's Shadow Ball an extremely high chance to 2HKO defensive Galarian Slowking. Dragon Darts can 2HKO specially defensive Pokemon such as Blissey and Clodsire. Draco Meteor does large amounts of damage to Pokemon like Zamazenta, Great Tusk, and Garganacl that could otherwise stomach Dragapult's attacks; for example, it OHKOes Great Tusk. Fire Blast targets Steel-types such as Kingambit, Iron Treads, Corviknight, and Tinkaton that might otherwise be able to take Dragapult's STAB attacks. Will-O-Wisp can cripple Pokemon like Ting-Lu and Kingambit that might switch into Dragapult's attacks easily; it also defensively helps Dragapult's teammates against Pokemon such as Ogerpon-W. Clear Body can allow Dragapult to completely ignore Sticky Web, Intimidate from Landorus-T, and Parting Shot from Pecharunt, whereas Infiltrator helps Dragapult against dual screens while allowing it to hit Substitute Iron Moth and Enamorus. Tera Dragon boosts the power of both Dragon Darts and Draco Meteor, allowing Dragapult to OHKO Multiscale Dragonite with Dragon Darts as well as OHKO Ogerpon-W and 2HKO Iron Defense Zamazenta with Draco Meteor. It also sheds Dragapult of its Dark weakness, allowing it to take unboosted Kingambit's Sucker Punch from full HP.
Mixed offensive Dragapult fits best on hyper offense and offense teams, which appreciate its high Speed and wallbreaking prowess. Dark-types such as Kingambit and Darkrai appreciate Dragapult's power while also being able to take on Pokemon that might be able to revenge kill Dragapult like Choice Scarf Gholdengo and opposing Kingambit. Gholdengo and Kingambit can help against Clefable, Tera Fairy Garganacl, and Toxapex, which can stomach Dragapult's attacks, and in return, they appreciate Dragapult's ability to threaten the likes of Cinderace and Great Tusk. Gholdengo in particular can also stomach Moonblast from Enamorus and Iron Valiant that try to revenge kill Dragapult. Entry hazard setters such as Ting-Lu, Glimmora, and Landorus-T are great partners for Dragapult, as the damage from hazards can chip common answers into KO range of its attacks. Dragapult struggles immensely with entry hazards, as they further cut into its limited longevity; as a result, hazard removal options like Iron Treads, Great Tusk, and Glimmora pair nicely with it, allowing it to get in more often in order to wallbreak. Pokemon that can take on Ting-Lu such as Ogerpon-W and Zamazenta are incredibly valuable for Dragapult, as Ting-Lu otherwise hard walls this set. Ogerpon-W can also help take on Assault Vest Alomomola, Primarina, and Garganacl, while Dragapult in return can help take on Dragonite, Raging Bolt, Kyurem, and Pecharunt, which trouble Ogerpon-W. Pokemon such as Hisuian Samurott and non-Dazzling Gleam Iron Moth that can struggle with Dragon-types like Raging Bolt and Dragonite immensely appreciate Dragapult threatening them. Iron Valiant is an excellent partner for Dragapult, as it can not only weaken Ting-Lu but can also take on Kingambit, Hisuian Samurott, and Weavile, which may try to revenge kill Dragapult with their priority moves. In return, Dragapult can take on Pokemon such as Galarian Slowking, Gholdengo, and Moltres that might wall Iron Valiant.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 517709, "username": "1LDK"}, {"user_id": 548068, "username": "Setsu"}, {"user_id": 616460, "username": "N ™"}, {"user_id": 647728, "username": "Heatranator"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 110504, "username": "Stads"}, {"user_id": 548068, "username": "Setsu"}, {"user_id": 616497, "username": "FayaWizard"}, {"user_id": 647728, "username": "Heatranator"}, {"user_id": 612907, "username": "sequoia"}, {"user_id": 349443, "username": "Tysonslayer"}, {"user_id": 633798, "username": "kd458"}, {"user_id": 612443, "username": "ninth"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 391343, "username": "EthanLac"}, {"user_id": 555379, "username": "Tbolt"}, {"user_id": 593115, "username": "igiveuponaname"}, {"user_id": 511181, "username": "Rose"}]}]} }, "Zamazenta": { "overview": "Zamazenta is the tier's most consistent glue piece and wincon. Its natural bulk alongside a valuable typing, which can be boosted further by Dauntless Shield, let it take on many manner of offensive threats like Kingambit, Hisuian Samurott, some Dragonite sets, and Great Tusk and Ogerpon-W if necessary. It boasts an excellent Speed tier, letting it outspeed most unboosted foes naturally and fulfill a niche as a team's main form of speed controls well. All of these combined with its ability to set up with Iron Defense + Body Press and the immense number of viable Tera types to beat its supposed counterplay lets it sweep teams easily, particularly making it a nightmare for offensive teams to deal with. It also possesses a nuclear Close Combat alongside incredible coverage options, letting it run all-out attacking offensive sets with a boosting item to become an exceptional wallbreaker, capable of 2HKOing even checks like Hatterene, Gholdengo, and Moltres with the proper move. A set with Heavy-Duty Boots can be used to blend in longevity without being too passive for bulkier playstyles, providing Zamazenta more ample opportunities to wear down the opposition slowly throughout the course of the game. However, Zamazenta dislikes chip damage from entry hazards when lacking Heavy-Duty Boots and adverse contact effects like Rocky Helmet from Hatterene, Corviknight, and Landorus-T, Static from Zapdos, and Flame Body from Moltres, especially as the latter two can render it useless. It also can't carry all the coverage and Tera type it needs, as the aforementioned Zapdos and Moltres as well as other foes like Gliscor, Toxapex, Clefable, and Hatterene capable of checking some of its sets. Bulky Ghost-types such as Pecharunt, Sinistcha, and Gholdengo are also huge hindrances, particularly for IronPress sets, with even common Pokemon like Kingambit, Darkrai, and Dragonite capable of running Tera Ghost viably as well to improve their matchup against it. This becomes a bigger issue with common teams running some of the aforementioned Pokemon together, which makes Zamazenta less likely to perform well. Additionally, common occurence of faster threats such as Dragapult, Booster Energy Iron Valiant, and Choice Scarf users such as Enamorus and Gholdengo threaten can limit, cripple, or revenge kill it.
", "comments": "Tera Stellar can be a useful alternative on Life Orb sets, offering boosted flexibility, such as netting a surprise OHKO against Walking Wake, a 2HKO against Corviknight with Close Combat, and a 2HKO against defensive Gholdengo with Crunch. Tera Ghost allows Iron Defense Zamazenta to hard check opposing Iron Defense Zamazenta as well as allowing it both spinblocking capabilities and an immunity to Dragonite's Extreme Speed. Zamazenta is able to run a Reflect + Light Screen set rather effectively, taking advantage of its naturally high Speed and bulk. Dual screens Zamazenta is typically reserved for hyper offense teams. This set typically favors Steel Beam as one of its last two moveslots to quickly get in a teammate, but it can optionally run Close Combat or Heavy Slam for additional chip damage or Roar to prevent foes from setting up. Assault Vest Zamazenta behaves similarly to Heavy-Duty Boots Zamazenta and can be paired with a reliable spinner such as Great Tusk to more easily take special attacks from Enamorus, Iron Valiant, and Tornadus-T while minimizing its exposure to entry hazard chip damage. Clear Amulet + Howl is another set that allows Zamazenta to ignore Landorus-T's Intimidate while setting up with Howl. Clear Amulet has the added utility of blocking Parting Shot from Pecharunt and preventing the Speed drop from Sticky Web. Tera Steel gives Zamazenta an immunity to Pecharunt's Malignant Chain and can be coupled with Iron Head to hit Garganacl and Tera Fairy Dragonite harder. Protective Pads prevents Zamazenta from being chipped via Rocky Helmet from foes such as Corviknight and Pecharunt as well as Rough Skin from Garchomp, while protecting both its Speed and offensive potential from Static and Flame Body, respectively. Lum Berry offers a one-time cure to harmful status effects for sets that are lacking Rest.
", "sets": { "IronPress": { "description": "Zamazenta presents itself as both a defensive backbone and an offensive sweeper with the combination of Iron Defense and Body Press, utilizing its massive bulk and Speed to threaten physical attackers like Kingambit, Ogerpon-W, and Great Tusk. Crunch is required in order to deal damage to Ghost-types like Gholdengo, Dragapult, and Ceruledge; it also hits Galarian Slowking. The final moveslot can be customized to enhance Zamazenta's sweeping capabilities. Roar lets it phaze other phazers like Ting-Lu as well as other Iron Defense users like Corviknight and opposing Zamazenta. Roar also lets Zamazenta become a emergency check against potent sweepers like Ogerpon-W and Kingambit, with the added bonus of remove Booster Energy's boost from Iron Valiant and Bulk Up Great Tusk. It particularly works on entry hazard-stacking teams, letting Zamazenta wear down checks like Enamorus. Rest alongside Chesto Berry lets Zamazenta gain back its health instantly while removing any status inflicted beforehand, letting Zamazenta play much more aggressively against foes that rely on slowly wearing it down such as Toxic Gliscor. Substitute is used to avoid status like Cinderace's Will-O-Wisp; it also has the added bonus of blocking Garganacl's Salt Cure and sponging Future Sight from Galarian Slowking, making Zamazenta even harder to deal damage to. Heavy Slam is used to deal damage to Fairy-types like Clefable, Hatterene, and Galarian Weezing, which would otherwise be extremely difficult for Zamazenta to get past. Stone Edge is another option to deal heavy damage to Moltes, Zapdos, and Tornadus-T. Leftovers is used to let Zamazenta have solid passive recovery, making it hard to wear down quickly. The given EV spread allows Zamazenta to outspeed Adamant Dragonite after a Dragon Dance while putting the rest into its HP and Defense. Alternatively, a spread of 4 Atk / 252 Def / 252 Spe with a Jolly nature can be used alongside Roar to at worst Speed tie with opposing Zamazenta, letting it phaze them first, while also maximizing the power of Body Press. 124 Atk EVs can also be used to 2HKO offensive Gholdengo with Crunch. Tera Fire is used to be immune to burns from Dragapult and Moltres and gain resistances to Clefable's and Iron Valiant's Moonblasts, as well as Gholdengo's Make It Rain and Kyurem's Ice Beam. Tera Dark is used to power up Crunch, letting it 2HKO Galarian Slowking and 2HKO offensive Gholdengo, while also gaining an immunity to Deoxys-S's Psycho Boost and Galarian Slowking's Future Sight. Tera Steel is used alongside Heavy Slam to OHKO Enamorus and let Zamazenta resist attacks like Enamorus's Moonblast, Tornadus-T's Bleakwind Storm, and Iron Crown's Future Sight. Tera Electric can be used to let Zamazenta fully take advantage of Zapdos, as it becomes immune to Thunder Wave, while still resisting Gholdengo's Make It Rain and Tornadus-T's Bleakwind Storm.
Zamazenta works primarily on bulky offense and hyper offense teams, as these teams appreciate both its defensive utility as well as its sweeping capabilities. Physical attackers like Dragonite, Ogerpon-W, and Kingambit are used to overwhelm Pecharunt and Galarian Weezing in both Ogerpon-W's and Dragonite's cases and Landorus-T in Kingambit's case. These teammates also notably provide their own defensive utility, with Dragonite checking Iron Moth and Ceruledge, Ogerpon-W being able to switch into Alomomola and Dondozo, and especially Kingambit handling Pecharunt and Gholdengo with its Ghost resistance. Other Dark-types like Hisuian Samurott and Darkrai help pressure Ghost- and Psychic-types for Zamazenta to sweep effectively. Zamazenta is greatly chipped by entry hazards, which can cut into its longevity even with Leftovers over longer games. Thus, Great Tusk and Iron Treads are greatly appreciated, and they also notably can threaten Pecharunt and Gholdengo. Iron Treads can handle strong special attackers like Zapdos and Raging Bolt much better, but Great Tusk's physical bulk helps Zamazenta preserve Dauntless Shield against greater threats such as Kingambit and Dragonite. Strong special attackers like Tornadus-T and Raging Bolt pair well to get rid of physical walls like Moltres, Clefable, and Dondozo, while Zamazenta threatens special tanks like Ting-Lu and Garganacl, with both the combination of Zamazenta and either Raging Bolt or Tornadus-T helping overwhelm Galarian Slowking and Primarina. On hyper offense, leads such as Glimmora, Deoxys-S, and Hisuian Samurott are able to set hazards for Zamazenta to 2HKO physical tanks or Fighting-resistant foes such as defensive Great Tusk and Primarina with a +2 Body Press after one layer of Spikes. On bulky offense, specially defensive tanks like Galarian Slowking and Ting-Lu are able to keep Zamazenta safe from strong special attackers like Deoxys-S and Iron Moth. Galarian Slowking can switch in and handle Fairy-types like Clefable while also threatening Poison-types like Pecharunt and Galarian Weezing; Zamazenta, in return, threatens out Dark-types like Kingambit and Hisuian Samurott. Ting-Lu can be a solid blanket check against Zapdos while setting its own hazards, wearing down Ghost-types with Ruination, and removing the need to phaze with Zamazenta with Whirlwind, while Zamazenta can threaten Kyurem, Weavile, and Ogerpon-W.
" }, "Boots Attacker": { "description": "With an outstanding Speed tier, fantastic natural bulk and the raw power to match, all-out attacking Heavy-Duty Boots Zamazenta is one of the tier's best natural forms of speed control for bulkier teamstyles while still being a great one-time check to some of the tier's most dominant physical threats like Kingambit and Ogerpon-W, especially with Dauntless Shield. A powerful Close Combat is backed up by Crunch to hit Ghost- and Psychic-types such as Gholdengo, Dragapult, and Galarian Slowking. Stone Edge lets Zamazenta importantly deal massive damage to Moltres and Zapdos while ignoring their Flame Body and Static, along with securing a 2HKO on specially defensive Skeledirge. Heavy Slam hits Fairy-types like Hatterene, Clefable, and Iron Valiant, while Ice Fang is its strongest move against Gliscor and Landorus-T, coming with the additional benefit of comfortably 2HKOing Dragonite. Roar allows Zamazenta to phaze setup sweepers like Gliscor, Dragonite, and Terastallized Kingambit looking to use it as setup fodder and works well with the entry hazards that the balance teams it fits love to set. Psychic Fangs is a niche option that allows for Zamazenta to hit both Clodsire and Toxapex while improving its matchup against dual screens hyper offense teams. Heavy-Duty Boots allows for Zamazenta to switch in safely regardless of entry hazards and fully leverage its bulk, allowing for it to come in multiple times over the course of a game. An alternative spread of 88 HP / 252 Atk / 168 Spe, again with a Jolly nature, allows for Zamazenta to still outrun +1 Adamant Dragonite, Weavile, and Darkrai while improving its bulk. This HP investment notably allows for Zamazenta to live Enamorus's Moonblast, but the lack of Speed is detrimental for the matchup against opposing Zamazenta. Tera Dark boosts the power of Crunch, which allows Zamazenta to overwhelm would-be checks like Gholdengo and Pecharunt more easily. The Psychic immunity is also handy against revenge killers like Deoxys-S. Tera Steel is selected to flip Zamazenta's matchup against Fairy-, Psychic-, and Flying-type attacks from Pokemon like Iron Valiant, Enamorus, Galarian Slowking, and Tera Blast Flying Dragonite while also turning Heavy Slam into a powerful STAB option that cleanly OHKOes both Iron Valiant and Enamorus and providing Zamazenta with an immunity to Toxic from Galarian Slowking. Tera Stellar can instead be considered as an option that gives a one-time boost to all of its moves; this boost is strong enough to allow for Zamazenta to OHKO offensive Cinderace and a slightly chipped Ogerpon-W with Close Combat, while also giving it 2HKOs on both Raging Bolt and Pelipper with Close Combat and Stone Edge, respectively. This also gives Zamazenta a one-time nuke to break through weakened checks like Skarmory and Corviknight. However, this comes at the expense of Tera Stellar having no defensive value. Tera Fighting is a more niche option without any defensive merit that Zamazenta can opt to run, only boosting its Close Combat but crucially letting it 2HKO Skarmory after Stealth Rock.
Zamazenta is a great fit for both balance and offense teams lacking speed control while giving these builds a check to Dark-types like Kingambit, Weavile, Meowscarada, and Darkrai. It appreciates entry hazard support to take full advantage of the switches it forces, pairing well with hazard setters such as Skarmory, Ting-Lu, and Gliscor on balance and Landorus-T and Glimmora on offense. Zamazenta's ability to check both Weavile and Meowscarada pairs particularly well with Pokemon like Gliscor and Landorus-T; Zamazenta's lack of recovery means that it struggles to switch in consistently on these Pokemon though. This makes bulky pivots like Galarian Slowking and Alomomola much appreciated to allow it safe entry onto the field, the former also providing a much-needed switch-in to Moonblast from Iron Valiant and Enamorus. Galarian Slowking in particular forms a potent combination with Zamazenta, as Zamazenta's Close Combat dissuades Dark- and Steel-types like Ting-Lu and Kingambit from switching into Galarian Slowking's Future Sight, while common switch-ins to Zamazenta such as Gliscor, Great Tusk, and Skarmory cannot safely come in and take both hits. Although Zamazenta's Speed tier is impressive by OU standards, it is still outsped by Dragapult, Deoxys-S, and Choice Scarf users like Enamorus and Gholdengo, which are able to threaten it with heavy damage; priority attackers that can revenge kill these faster threats are therefore much appreciated. Kingambit in particular is a strong partner that can switch into Dragapult and Gholdengo and threaten both of these targets along with Deoxys-S with Sucker Punch, while Weavile cannot freely switch into these threats but is able to provide an alternative form of speed control that can also threaten Dragapult and Choice Scarf Enamorus with Ice Shard. With Booster Energy, Iron Valiant is also able to outspeed and threaten Zamazenta with Moonblast; Gholdengo makes for a solid check to Iron Valiant, also being able to come in on Galarian Slowking and Clefable that would live a hit and threaten Zamazenta back. In turn, Gholdengo appreciates Zamazenta's ability to threaten many of its common checks like Kingambit, Weavile, and Meowscarada. Rillaboom also makes for a great partner to pick off Deoxys-S and Iron Valiant with Grassy Glide while weakening shared checks like Skarmory and Corviknight with Knock Off to allow for Zamazenta to freely attack them without taking Rocky Helmet damage. Rillaboom's Grassy Terrain is particularly useful for providing Zamazenta with recovery to help maintain its longevity; Alomomola can similarly help to alleviate this issue by providing Wish support while also appreciating Zamazenta's ability to check Ogerpon-W. Zamazenta is walled by Gliscor and Clodsire without the appropriate coverage, and so switch-ins to these Pokemon such as Gliscor itself and Clefable on balance and Hatterene on offense make valuable partners, along with powerful attackers like Weavile and Meowscarada to directly threaten them out. Zamazenta pressures some of the tier's common physical walls like Great Tusk, Landorus-T, and Skarmory; teammates like Kingambit and Weavile appreciate its ability to weaken these targets.
" }, "Offensive Attacker": { "description": "Offensive Zamazenta is a powerful wallbreaker in OU, utilizing its high Speed and great bulk to revenge kill a variety of attackers such as Darkrai, Ogerpon-W, and Cinderace. Crunch hits Dark-weak foes such as Gholdengo, Galarian Slowking, and Pecharunt for large damage, being able to 2HKO the former two while 3HKOing the latter. Heavy Slam can hit Fairy-types such as Hatterene, Clefable, and Galarian Weezing that might otherwise be able to take Zamazenta's attacks and respond back. Stone Edge can hit Flying-types such as Zapdos and especially Moltres that Zamazenta may not want to use contact moves against for large damage, whereas Ice Fang hits Gliscor, Landorus-T, and Dragonite for 4x super effective damage while still hitting other Flying-types such as Zapdos for good damage. Life Orb allows Zamazenta to switch up moves while 2HKOing the likes of Great Tusk and Gholdengo with Close Combat and Crunch, respectively, whereas Choice Band allows Zamazenta to 3HKO Dondozo and OHKO Ogerpon-W with Close Combat while also incurring no recoil to do so. Expert Belt can be used to still allow Zamazenta to deal large damage to the likes of Galarian Slowking, Zapdos, and Hatterene while not having a negative secondary effect. However, it comes at the cost of doing less damage against walls such as Corviknight and Great Tusk, and it fails to get the 2HKO on defensive Gholdengo. A Jolly nature allows Zamazenta to outspeed the likes of Darkrai and Weavile, while an Adamant nature allows it to have a very high chance to OHKO Ting-Lu and Calm Mind Hatterene if it is running Choice Band. Tera Dark supercharges the power of Crunch, allowing Choice Band Zamazenta to 2HKO bulky Pecharunt and OHKO Dragapult. Tera Dark also gives Zamazenta an immunity to Deoxys-S's Psycho Boost and Galarian Slowking's Future Sight, as well as allowing it to retain its resistance to Kingambit's Sucker Punch. Tera Steel allows Zamazenta to OHKO Clefable with Heavy Slam while also resisting Moonblast and Psycho Boost from Iron Valiant and Deoxys-S. It also allows Zamazenta to become immune to Pecharunt's Malignant Chain, which forces Pecharunt variants without Foul Play to use Parting Shot more often, which Zamazenta's teammates can take advantage of. Tera Fighting is an option that drastically boosts the power of Close Combat, letting Life Orb sets to 2HKO Corviknight, Choice Band sets to 2HKO Alomomola, and, with an Adamant nature, even Dondozo with Leftovers.
Zamazenta fits on a wide variety of teams, ranging from offense to balance. Ghost-types such as defensive Gholdengo, Pecharunt, and Sinistcha are a big pain for Zamazenta, as while they don't appreciate Crunch, they can switch in easily on any other of its moves. Therefore, Pokemon such as Kingambit, Darkrai, and Choice Scarf Gholdengo are great partners for it, as they can scare out these Ghost-types. Zamazenta can struggle quite a bit with entry hazards, so hazard removal such as Iron Treads, Great Tusk, Cinderace, and Corviknight can help alleviate this issue, with the latter two also helping get Zamazenta in with U-turn to start wallbreaking. Similarly, hazard support from options such as Ting-Lu and Landorus-T is heavily appreciated, as they can chip down Pokemon such as Corviknight and opposing Landorus-T that might try to answer Zamazenta. Steel-types such as Gholdengo and Heatran are great partners for Zamazenta, as they can scare out common Psychic- and Fairy-types that might threaten it out such as Galarian Slowking and Iron Valiant, while in return Zamazenta can help take on Pokemon such as Kingambit and Ting-Lu that they might struggle with. Pivot Pokemon such as Galarian Slowking, Alomomola, and Moltres are great partners, as they allow Zamazenta to get in safely without having to take damage. Additionally, Galarian Slowking can provide Future Sight support to help Zamazenta break defensive cores, Alomomola can keep Zamazenta healthy with Wish or help with Fairy-types such as Iron Valiant if it is running Assault Vest, and Moltres can help against common physical attackers such as Dragonite and Great Tusk that Zamazenta may not be able to immediately threaten. If Zamazenta is not running Ice Fang, then Gliscor and Landorus-T are an immense pain for it; therefore, Pokemon such as Weavile and Kyurem that can threaten them for massive damage are heavily appreciated, and they can take on Pokemon such as Zapdos and Dragonite that Zamazenta may struggle with. Zamazenta can have difficulty against bulkier teams that contain the likes of Alomomola and Pecharunt, as they can typically take its attacks well enough and threaten it back with solid damage; therefore, Pokemon such as Ogerpon-W, Gliscor, and Primarina can help break these bulkier teams. Ogerpon-W in particular can take advantage of Pokemon such as Dondozo and Alomomola that handle Zamazenta while also helping overwhelm shared checks such as Pecharunt and Zapdos.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 615880, "username": "xzeroxman"}, {"user_id": 633798, "username": "kd458"}, {"user_id": 647728, "username": "Heatranator"}, {"user_id": 677476, "username": "mcribs"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 408271, "username": "Dreadfury"}, {"user_id": 548068, "username": "Setsu"}, {"user_id": 612907, "username": "sequoia"}, {"user_id": 677476, "username": "mcribs"}, {"user_id": 349443, "username": "Tysonslayer"}, {"user_id": 558636, "username": "zastra"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 384270, "username": "autumn"}, {"user_id": 493260, "username": "Marnie"}, {"user_id": 593115, "username": "igiveuponaname"}, {"user_id": 649096, "username": "a blue banana"}]}]} }, "Zarude": {"sets": {"Swords Dance": {}}}, "Ursaluna": { "sets": { "Guts Wallbreaker": { "description": "A towering Attack stat brought to even greater heights with Guts, a brutal STAB combination comprising an outrageously powerful Facade backed up by a thewy Headlong Rush to eviscerate Normal-type answers including Kingambit and Pecharunt, and more than respectable bulk all combine to make Ursaluna a truly unbearable wallbreaker. Fire Punch provides crucial coverage against Ursaluna's exceedingly few checks, including Corviknight, Skarmory, and Air Balloon Gholdengo; alternatively, Ice Punch cleanly OHKOes physically defensive Gliscor and most Landorus-T after Intimidate, has a chance to OHKO Dragonite through Multiscale, and is a good option to break through Sinistcha. Swords Dance lets Ursaluna take advantage of forced switches or fearful Protects from the likes of Gliscor and Alomomola to push its Attack to truly unfathomable levels; at +2 Attack, Fire Punch is nearly guaranteed to OHKO Corviknight and ensures Ursaluna will OHKO just about everything else. Alternatively, Protect allows Ursaluna to avoid Knock Off, Trick, and status by giving a free turn to activate its Flame Orb while also scouting Choice-locked Pokemon and letting it play around Lokix's First Impression. 248 EVs in HP minimize the damage taken from burn and maximize Ursaluna's bulk. Alternative options include Supercell Slam, which hits Corviknight and Skarmory harder than Fire Punch at the risk of crash damage, and Trailblaze, which, alongside a Jolly nature and maximum Speed investment, enables Ursaluna at +1 Speed to outrun Pokemon such as Gholdengo, Dragonite, Raging Bolt, Pecharunt, Great Tusk, and Kyurem, making switching around Ursaluna a far riskier proposition. On Trick Room teams, a Brave nature alongside 0 Speed IVs can be considered to underspeed Pokemon such as Ting-Lu, Dondozo, and Hydrapple, though an Adamant nature might still be desirable to outspeed these Pokemon outside of Trick Room. Alternatively, 252 Speed EVs let Ursaluna get the jump on Corviknight, Skarmory, and uninvested Kingambit; a Jolly nature can also be considered to at worst Speed tie with opposing Kingambit. Tera Normal-boosted Facade, especially alongside Swords Dance, is nothing short of apocalyptic, having favorable odds to OHKO Corviknight at +2 Attack and downright annihilating anything that's not a Ghost-type. On the other hand, Tera Ghost flips Ursaluna's Fighting weakness into an immunity, letting it take on Pokemon like Zamazenta, Iron Valiant, and Great Tusk much more comfortably. Another option is Tera Fairy, which grants Ursaluna both Fighting and Dark resistances and a Dragon immunity, letting Ursaluna blank powerful attacks such as Choice Band Tyranitar's Knock Off and Low Kick and Dragapult's and Walking Wake's Draco Meteor. Each of these types rid Ursaluna of its Water, Grass, and Ice weaknesses, stymieing would-be revenge killers such as Ogerpon-W, Rillaboom, and Kyurem.
Ursaluna is a terrific presence on Trick Room teams, exploiting its low Speed to bear down on foes and making use of its good bulk to tank priority attacks such as Dragonite's Extreme Speed and Kingambit's Sucker Punch, alongside a natural immunity to Raging Bolt’s Thunderclap. Trick Room setters like Hatterene and Cresselia are thus natural complements, with Hatterene able to deny entry hazards to preserve Ursaluna's health and with Cresselia using its solid bulk to set Trick Room in front of threats to Ursaluna like Ogerpon-W and Zamazenta. Each additionally offer Healing Wish and Lunar Dance, respectively, to help Ursaluna offset the constant burn damage it's forced to take, though it’s important to be cautious about the status-healing effect if Ursaluna has lost its Flame Orb. Iron Hands is a great partner on Trick Room teams, one which appreciates the help of Ursaluna to break through shared bugbears like Landorus-T and Zamazenta and can easily tear through Corviknight and Skarmory in return. Ursaluna also works well on Grassy Terrain teams alongside Rillaboom, taking advantage of Grassy Terrain's passive recovery to offset its burn damage and eradicating Grass-type checks such as Dragapult, Moltres, and Iron Moth to support both Rillaboom and teammates like Serperior; in return, Rillaboom and Serperior handle threatening Water-types including Ogerpon-W and Hisuian Samurott. To take full advantage of the longevity provided by Grassy Terrain, Ursaluna appreciates the entry hazard denial provided by Hatterene and Cinderace. Hatterene can use Grassy Seed on such teams to become a threatening Calm Mind sweeper, able to make use of the opportunities provided by Ursaluna thrashing its pain points like Kingambit, Iron Crown, and Galarian Slowking, while Cinderace scares out checks to Ursaluna like Corviknight and Air Balloon Gholdengo and appreciates Ursaluna mangling its checks like Raging Bolt and Alomomola. Ursaluna can also be used on dual screens teams, alongside a setter like Alolan Ninetales or Deoxys-S, pushing its bulk to extreme levels and allowing it to survive even super effective attacks from Pokemon like Kyurem and Walking Wake and OHKO them in return.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 608211, "username": "Demon Queen"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 110504, "username": "Stads"}, {"user_id": 548068, "username": "Setsu"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 363909, "username": "fiish"}, {"user_id": 384270, "username": "autumn"}]}]} }, "Overqwil": { "sets": { "Rain Sweeper": { "description": "Overqwil's excellent typing gives it a small but unique niche as a Swift Swim sweeper that naturally threatens Ogerpon-W and Dragapult and resists Kingambit's Sucker Punch and Rillaboom's Grassy Glide, all of which tend to greatly threaten rain teams. Liquidation takes advantage of rain and rounds out Overqwil's good STAB types by hitting Tyranitar and Ground-types like Great Tusk and Ting-Lu super effectively while hitting Kingambit neutrally; the threat of a Defense drop makes the move incredibly challenging to switch into. Swords Dance allows Overqwil to wallbreak and clean late-game more effectively, allowing it to OHKO the aforementioned Ground-types and muscle past even the likes of Alomomola. Taunt shuts down defensive threats like Dondozo and Garganacl, letting Overqwil muscle past them before they can boost their Defense or use their recovery tools to heal off any damage. Alternatively, Overqwil can take advantage of the switches it forces by setting Spikes to support its team or its own late-game sweep. Destiny Bond is a strong alternative to these aforementioned utility options that allows Overqwil to trade with an opposing threat and safely bring in another sweeper, playing into the offensive nature of rain-centric playstyles. Tera Water powers Liquidation's damage up even further; a rain-boosted Tera Water Liquidation has a good chance of outright OHKOing even defensive Great Tusk. Tera Ghost is an alternative that prevents Overqwil from getting picked off by Dragonite's Extreme Speed and lets Overqwil take on Iron Defense Zamazenta and completely wall Curse + Body Press Dondozo after shutting it down with Taunt. Tera Ghost also has the added benefit of blocking Rapid Spin from Great Tusk and Iron Treads in a pinch. A Jolly nature is preferred to let Overqwil outspeed Booster Energy Iron Valiant after Swift Swim, but an Adamant nature is a useful alternative if more power is desired.
Overqwil only functions on rain teams; as such, Pelipper is a mandatory teammate, since it sets rain with Drizzle to activate Overqwil's Swift Swim and power up its Liquidation. Given its low Speed, Pelipper's U-turn can also provide Overqwil with many opportunities to switch in safely and wreak havoc. Overqwil can struggle with physical walls like Dondozo and Alomomola, so strong attackers that eliminate these threats like Raging Bolt and Ogerpon-W have great synergy with it and fit nicely on rain teams. Fellow Swift Swim user Barraskewda makes for a great teammate; Overqwil threatens Rillaboom and Ogerpon-W—even switching into the former—both of which Barraskewda struggles against, while Barraskewda more immediately threatens Ground-types like Great Tusk and pivots Overqwil in against threats like Primarina and Hydrapple with Flip Turn. Kingambit makes for a great teammate on these teams; the duo can overwhelm their shared checks, like Dondozo and Zamazenta—especially when Overqwil is running Taunt to keep them vulnerable—with one paving the way for the other's late-game sweep. Entry hazard support from Iron Treads greatly aids Overqwil in better securing OHKOs against foes like Corviknight and even Great Tusk, the latter of which it otherwise narrowly misses the consistent OHKO against; Iron Treads can also provide hazard removal with Rapid Spin, ensuring that Overqwil can stay healthy enough to sweep.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 408271, "username": "Dreadfury"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 493260, "username": "Marnie"}, {"user_id": 110504, "username": "Stads"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 649096, "username": "a blue banana"}]}]} }, "Enamorus": { "sets": { "Choice Scarf": { "description": "Choice Scarf Enamorus can be a cleaner, form of speed control, and support Pokemon that gives a teammate a second chance at sweeping via Healing Wish. It can outspeed and revenge kill faster common threats such as Zamazenta, Dragapult, and Darkrai. Earth Power is mandatory coverage for hitting Fairy resistant foes: Steel-types like non-Air Balloon Gholdengo and Iron Treads, Fire-types like Cinderace, and Poison-types like Galarian Slowking and Clodsire. Mystical Fire lets Enamorus hit Steel-types immune to Earth Power, such as Skarmory, Corviknight, and Air Balloon Gholdengo. Alternatively, Tera Blast Stellar gives Enamorus a way to boost its Special Attack thanks to Contrary while simultaneously sniping opposing Terastallized Pokemon like Kingambit. Tera Blast Stellar hits everything in the tier neutrally, so it's able to snowball and clean weakened teams effectively at the cost of being very Tera-reliant. Healing Wish sacrifices Enamorus in order to fully heal a chipped sweeper like Kingambit or Raging Bolt so it can continue a sweep it couldn't finish previously, and should be used when Enamorus's speed is no longer needed to win the game. Tera Ground powers up Earth Power, notably letting it 2HKO specially defensive Galarian Slowking, and to flip Enamorus's typing against Raging Bolt's Thunderclap and Galarian Slowking's Sludge Bomb. Tera Fairy can also be used to further boost Moonblast's power, guaranteeing 2HKOs against Ting-Lu and neutral targets like specially defensive Gliscor. While the power from a Modest nature is preferred, Timid can be used instead to outspeed +1 Kyurem.
Enamorus is best used as speed control on offensive teams that appreciate it giving teammates a potential second chance to sweep. Hazard removers like Court Change Cinderace and Great Tusk are excellent teammates, since Stealth Rock limits the amount of times Enamorus can come in and revenge kill. Cinderace can give hazards to the foe if they aren't on both sides of the field, its access to U-turn helps get Enamorus in safely, and its Pyro Balls force Gholdengo off the field so Enamorus can use Moonblast more freely. Great Tusk is a great teammate, because it threatens common Enamorus switch-ins like Galarian Slowking, Heatran, and Toxapex, and checks Kingambit, which can take a hit from Enamorus and retaliate back. Galarian Slowking is a pivot that greatly appreciates Enamorus's presence since it can deal with the Dark- and Ground-types that annoy it such as Ting-Lu, Great Tusk, and Darkrai. Enamorus appreciates Galarian Slowking's presence too, as its access to Future Sight is extremely useful for muscling through Poison-types like Toxapex and opposing Galarian Slowking and for bulky neutral targets like Gliscor. Galarian Slowking's access to status moves like Toxic and Thunder Wave allows it to incapacitate Pokemon that may give Enamorus a hard time like Iron Valiant, Walking Wake, and Iron Boulder. Chilly Reception is used to bring Enamorus onto the field safely, but also has the added benefit of changing the weather, giving rain Pokemon like Barraskewda, Raging Bolt, and Iron Treads a harder time. Another pivot Enamorus loves pairing with is Landorus-T, since it can bring Enamorus in safely with U-turn, threaten all the Poison- and Steel- types Enamorus struggles with, and can set Stealth Rock. Bulky physical setup sweepers such as Dragonite and Great Tusk work well with Enamorus since they're able to deal with special walls that can prevent it from making progress, mainly Galarian Slowking, and change the tide of a battle if they're able to get a second chance at sweeping thanks to Healing Wish. Physical Dark-types like Kingambit and Hisuian Samurott are more Pokemon that enjoy Enamorus's presence, since it can take on one of their best checks in Zamazenta, and Healing Wish can allow them to achieve a late-game sweep in case they had to come in earlier and sustain lots of damage. They're also able to blow past common Enamorus checks such as Galarian Slowking, Gholdengo, and Clodsire. Hazard setters like Glimmora and Hisuian Samurott can help chip foes into range for Enamorus to break through their team, and Gholdengo is appreciated to block removal attempts and keep the hazards up for the duration of the game.
" }, "Choice Specs": { "description": "Choice Specs Enamorus functions as an excellent wallbreaker by dishing out powerful STAB Moonblasts to foes like Dragonite, Great Tusk, and Zamazenta. Pokemon that do resist it still must be wary, as Enamorus has good coverage with Earth Power and Mystical Fire. Earth Power is used to threaten Poison- and Steel-type checks, such as Galarian Slowking, Gholdengo, and Iron Crown. Mystical Fire threatens Air Balloon Gholdengo and Tinkaton, as well as Corviknight. Healing Wish is also a viable option that allows an offensive teammate to safely switch in and heal, giving it another chance to wallbreak and functioning best in situations where Enamorus has low health and wouldn’t be able to switch in again. Tera Blast is used with Tera Stellar to give Enamorus a powerful, unresisted attack that can snowball quickly thanks to Contrary. Tera Fairy is used on Enamorus to power up its Moonblast, which, with a Modest nature, can 2HKO Corviknight, non-Assault Vest Iron Crown, and bulky Gholdengo. It also gains a better matchup into Raging Bolt, Weavile, and Kyurem. Tera Ground gives Enamorus a chance to OHKO checks like non-Assault Vest Galarian Slowking and Assault Vest Iron Crown. It also has great defensive utility, letting Enamorus resist common Poison-type moves such as Galarian Slowking's Sludge Bomb and Iron Moth’s Sludge Wave while blanking Electric-type moves like Thunderclap from Raging Bolt. A Timid nature lets Enamorus outspeed Iron Crown and Kyurem. On the other hand, Modest gives it more power, allowing it to 2HKO Garganacl with Moonblast and OHKO Alomomola after Stealth Rock damage.
Choice Specs Enamorus is most commonly found on offense teams as a wallbreaker. It benefits greatly from entry hazards set by Pokemon such as Great Tusk and Iron Treads, allowing it to pick up KOs it couldn't otherwise. For example, Modest Moonblast KOes Landorus-T after Stealth Rock. Great Tusk and Iron Treads also remove Stealth Rock, which Enamorus is weak to, while threatening its checks such as Galarian Slowking and Gholdengo, making them great teammates. Gholdengo can support Enamorus by handling Galarian Slowking and Iron Crown, while Enamorus threatens Hisuian Samurott and Ting-Lu. Enamorus functions well with Sticky Web support, being able to outspeed Ogerpon-W, Iron Moth, and Iron Valiant with it set. Because of this, Araquanid and Ribombee, the most popular Sticky Web setters, work well with Enamorus. When Terastallized, Enamorus can leverage its Contrary ability to get a Speed boost from Sticky Web after Cinderace uses Court Change, which Sticky Web teams often struggle with. Kingambit is a great partner because Enamorus destroys Kingambit's checks such as Great Tusk, Zamazenta, and Dondozo, while Kingambit provides the same support by handling the likes of Galarian Slowking, Gholdengo, and Blissey. Kingambit also benefits greatly from Healing Wish switching into threats like Gholdengo and Dragapult without worrying about getting worn down. Other Pokemon that are aided by Enamorus include Ogerpon-W and Zamazenta, which can deal with special walls like Moltres and Blissey. They have many of their checks threatened by Enamorus, such as Pecharunt, Dragonite, and opposing Zamazenta.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 518682, "username": "alkazoth"}, {"user_id": 701898, "username": "TyraIsCool(not)"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 548068, "username": "Setsu"}, {"user_id": 621033, "username": "smg (notfunny)"}, {"user_id": 384270, "username": "autumn"}, {"user_id": 616497, "username": "FayaWizard"}, {"user_id": 558636, "username": "zastra"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 336073, "username": "Rabia"}, {"user_id": 555379, "username": "Tbolt"}]}]} }, "Enamorus-Therian": { "sets": { "Calm Mind": { "description": "Calm Mind Enamorus-T is a niche setup sweeper that leverages its high Special Attack and bulk to trade against tier staples like Ting-Lu, Dragonite, and Great Tusk. Earth Power is necessary coverage to hit targets like Gholdengo, Iron Moth, and Galarian Slowking, all of which could otherwise check Enamorus-T, while Mystical Fire is an option to hit common switch-ins like Corviknight and Air Balloon Gholdengo. Mystical Fire also comes with the benefit of reducing the Special Attack of switch-ins like Assault Vest Primarina, helping to turn them into setup fodder. Draining Kiss with Taunt is an alternative option on Enamorus-T to help it break through bulkier walls like Blissey and Clodsire. Leftovers allows Enamorus-T to leverage its massive bulk and stay healthy while setting up Calm Mind boosts—alternatively, Heavy-Duty Boots can be considered to let Enamorus-T find more opportunities to switch in and is an option for teams that lack an entry hazard remover. Tera Ground lets Earth Power OHKO Gholdengo and 2HKO Galarian Slowking while flipping the matchup against Raging Bolt. This also gives Enamorus-T a resistance to Poison-type moves such as Iron Moth's Sludge Wave while granting it an OHKO against Garganacl at +1. Tera Poison is used for an immunity to Toxic, as well as a resistance to Poison-type moves from the aforementioned Iron Moth and Pecharunt and a good neutral defensive typing against threats like Darkrai, Kingambit, and Heavy Slam Zamazenta. Finally, Tera Fairy notably achieves a 2HKO at +1 on physically defensive Moltres with Moonblast. 248 HP / 184 SpA / 76 Spe is an alternative spread that can be used on Taunt variants, running enough Speed to outrun Blissey and reliably beat it one-on-one.
Calm Mind Enamorus-T fits best on bulky offense teams on which its wallbreaking capabilities and unique defensive profile is appreciated. One amazing partner for it is Ogerpon-W, since it can pivot with U-turn and bring in Enamorus-T against Dragon-types like Dragonite and Dragapult. Notable damage thresholds such as an OHKO with +1 Moonblast on Ogerpon-W with any entry hazard damage means that Enamorus-T wants hazards to help it wallbreak, so hazard setters like Ting-Lu, Great Tusk, and Hisuian Samurott as well as Knock Off users such as Ogerpon-W and Weavile are recommended. Ting-Lu in particular makes for a great partner, as Enamorus-T appreciates the hazards and chip damage that Ting-Lu provides along with its ability to switch into threats like Gholdengo and Iron Crown. Meanwhile, Ting-Lu appreciates how well Enamorus-T can be used to switch into Fighting-type attacks targeted at Ting-Lu such as Great Tusk's Close Combat, while its ability to stifle more niche options like Nasty Plot Hydrapple does not go unnoticed. Enamorus-T can struggle with faster Steel-types such as Iron Crown and Tinkaton, so teammates such as Cinderace and Iron Treads are recommended, and their ability to remove hazards is particularly appreciated by Leftovers variants. Enamorus-T can struggle to break Ground-immune Fairy-resistant Pokemon such as Corviknight and Moltres, so Pokemon that break these such as Raging Bolt, Ogerpon-W, and Ursaluna are therefore good partners. Ursaluna in particular fits onto Trick Room teams that Enamorus-T can sometimes find its home on — these typically opt for Choice Specs, but a more offensive Calm Mind Enamorus-T with Moonblast can also be paired with Trick Room setters like Cresselia to flip the script on faster checks like Kyurem and Iron Moth. Offensive Steel-types such as Gholdengo and Kingambit also help Enamorus-T wallbreak, as they can similarly wear down shared checks such as Moltres and Corviknight while being able to take advantage of Galarian Slowking and, in the case of Kingambit, opposing Gholdengo. Finally, Enamorus-T's low Speed makes Thunder Wave support from the likes of Gholdengo and Galarian Slowking effective against checks like Kingambit, while naturally fast Pokemon such as Zamazenta and Dragapult can provide more direct speed control.
" }, "Choice Specs": { "description": "Choice Specs Enamorus-T is a powerhouse under Trick Room with respectable bulk, which helps it to check top threats like Great Tusk by avoiding a 2HKO from Ice Spinner, and an immunity to Spikes. Moonblast threatens an OHKO on Fairy-weak Pokemon with the notable exceptions of a 2HKO on Ting-Lu and Assault Vest Hoopa-U. Earth Power hits premier Steel- and Poison-types in the tier, enabling it to OHKO Iron Moth and Iron Treads as well as 2HKO Galarian Slowking and Iron Crown without Assault Vest. Mystical Fire hits Ground-immune Steel-types such as Air Balloon Tinkaton, Air Balloon Gholdengo, and Corviknight. Mystical Fire's Special Attack drop allows Enamorus-T to survive Make It Rain from Gholdengo and Tachyon Cutter from Assault Vest Iron Crown, as well as prevent a 2HKO Darkrai’s Sludge Bomb or prevent an OHKO from Tera Poison Darkrai’s Sludge Bomb. Because Enamorus-T already has great coverage, Draining Kiss is chosen to maximize longevity and is able to pick off chipped or Fairy-weak targets, with it OHKOing Dragapult, Hisuian Samurott, Weavile, and Darkrai. Speed is minimized for usage in Trick Room and HP is left at an odd number to maximize opportunities to enter the field after Stealth Rock. Tera Fairy removes the Stealth Rock weakness, a major nuisance of Enamorus-T, as well as guaranteeing an OHKO with Moonblast on targets such as Kingambit, defensive Landorus-T, and Gliscor after Stealth Rock. Tera Fairy also powers up Draining Kiss, which gives Enamorus-T significantly more recovery while netting the OHKO on Zamazenta, Raging Bolt, and Kyurem and getting a 2HKO on Kingambit, Ogerpon-W, and Ting-Lu.
Trick Room is the only viable style for Choice Specs Enamorus-T, and these teams benefit from its low Speed and absurd damage output. Thus, Cresselia and Hatterene are essential partners, as they're the best Trick Room setters, with both able to provide a crucial Lunar Dance or Healing Wish, respectively, to rejuvenate Enamorus-T. With Lunar Dance or Healing Wish able to heal it up later, Enamorus-T can be played way more aggressively, lending itself even more value out of its damage output. This recovery becomes even more important since Enamorus-T gets chipped down quickly by Stealth Rock, though Hatterene's Magic Bounce is great for Enamorus-T because it blocks Stealth Rock. On the other hand, Cresslia's great bulk allows it to switch into attacks like Ice Spinner and Discharge for Enamorus-T, which is especially useful due to Choice Specs locking Enamorus-T into potentially ineffective moves. Cresselia appreciates Enamorus-T's ability to shrug off Dark-type attacks from threats such as Hisuian Samurott and Kingambit. Common offensive Trick Room partners like Kingambit and Iron Hands appreciate Enamorus-T's ability to switch into the tier's Ground-types such as Great Tusk, Ting-Lu, Gliscor, and Landorus-T, all of which are threatened by Moonblast. Ursaluna is a strong partner for Enamorus-T, switching into Electric-type moves from Raging Bolt and Zapdos and threatening special walls that Enamorus-T can struggle against like Clodsire and Blissey. Meanwhile, Enamorus-T can break physical walls that Ursaluna is annoyed by such as Corviknight, Skarmory, and Zamazenta.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 503814, "username": "Former Character"}, {"user_id": 666936, "username": "colorednaem"}, {"user_id": 633798, "username": "kd458"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 384270, "username": "autumn"}, {"user_id": 521637, "username": "Shaymin Sky"}, {"user_id": 584916, "username": "viivian"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 528364, "username": "adorluigi"}, {"user_id": 555379, "username": "Tbolt"}]}]} }, "Meowscarada": { "sets": { "Boots Pivot": { "description": "Meowscarada is one of the tier's premier offensive pivots thanks to its stupendous Speed, a critical benchmark that lets it outspeed scary threats like Cinderace, Iron Valiant, and Serperior. Knock Off scares some of the tier's key dangers like Deoxys-S, Dragapult, and Gholdengo while simultaneously threatening to cripple other switch-ins like Hatterene and Corviknight. Flower Trick cuts through bulky threats such as Dondozo, Great Tusk, and Primarina, even ignoring the former two's potential Defense boosts, while Triple Axel gives Meowscarada a crucial Ice-type STAB move that allows it to nail common Pokemon such as Clodsire, Gliscor, and Raging Bolt. U-turn keeps up momentum while chipping switch-ins such as Kingambit and Hatterene. Heavy-Duty Boots is practically a requirement on this set, as Meowscarada will frequently be switching in and out of combat and is otherwise quite weak to hazards. Tera Grass and Dark enhance Flower Trick and Knock Off, while Tera Fire is an option that grants Meowscarada some crucial resistances to Fairy, Ice, and Steel-type attacks such as those from Enamorus, Darkrai, and Choice Scarf Gholdengo. Tera Electric is an additional option that allows Meowscarada to feast on Zapdos more effectively thanks to a newly gained Static immunity and resistance to both of its STAB moves.
Meowscarada fits best on balance teams that need a way to force hazard chip along with Knock Off spam to whittle down or outright threaten Pokemon that otherwise don't mind Knock Off such as Gliscor. Meowscarada's frailty courtesy of its pitiful bulk is sometimes hard to work around and limits its switch in opportunities, especially with common weaknesses courtesy of its exploitable defensive typing and a nasty 4x weakness to U-turn. Furthermore, Meowscarada, while being quite fast, is still outsped by monsters such as Darkrai, Dragapult, Weavile, and Zamazenta, the latter of which happens to be one of Meowscarada's best checks. Weavile's offensive tenacity combined with deadly Speed makes it a potent threat, which is why Rocky Helmet Skarmory is one of Meowscarada's best partner options on balance teams, as it punishes Triple Axel spam and shrugs off Weavile's hits comparatively easily. Meowscarada's role as an offensive pivot helps chip away at opposing cores while also bringing some of their key defensive threats into OHKO range for some frail teammates like Darkrai, Iron Boulder, and Gholdengo. Dragapult is another great partner for Meowscarada; it can blank Fighting-type attacks and follow up with a fast Will-O-Wisp to neuter Zamazenta as well. Meowscarada's defensive woes can be covered by bulky teammates that don't mind taking coverage moves from faster threats. On the physical side, Great Tusk's role as a physically bulky offensive spinner with synergistic typing opens up multiple opportunities to clear hazards. On the special side, Clodsire and Galarian Slowking are both impressive partners thanks to their longevity and fantastic defensive profiles, with the former being able to blank setup sweepers like Darkrai and the latter being able to continue Meowscarada's momentum chain by using a slow Chilly Reception to take a hit or scout a switch, allowing Meowscarada to come in safely. Additionally, Galarian Slowking also threatens Pokemon that would commonly switch into Meowscarada like Iron Defense Zamazenta with Future Sight.
" }, "Choice Scarf": { "description": "With a Choice Scarf equipped, Meowscarada serves as one of the fastest pivots and revenge killers in the game, matching well against many faster threats such as Dragapult and Deoxys-S as well as many boosted threats such as Speed Booster Energy Iron Valiant and opposing Choice Scarf users like Gholdengo, Landorus-T, and Latios. Knock Off helps remove items such as Heavy-Duty Boots and Rocky Helmet from switch-ins such as Corviknight, Galarian Weezing, and Moltres, allowing Meowscarada to continue chipping them down safely while making it easier to break through long-term. U-turn pivots out of bad matchups like the aforementioned checks, generating progress for Meowscarada’s teammates by helping them get onto the field safely as well as stinging Hisuian Samurott, Darkrai, and Ogerpon-W. Triple Axel hits Gliscor, Landorus-T, Dragonite, and Choice Scarf Enamorus incredibly hard, OHKOing all of them, as well as being Meowscarada’s strongest neutral attack against Iron Valiant and Kyurem, letting it revenge kill them after they are chipped. Flower Trick can be used to revenge kill Choice Scarf Hisuian Samurott and Tera Water Ogerpon-W even after a Trailblaze as well as muscle past Dondozo and Garganacl even after a Defense boost. Alternatively, Trick can help Meowscarada cripple walls such as Corviknight and Galarian Weezing, giving it the flexibility of being able to switch moves later in a game, especially against bulkier teams where the extra Speed is not as necessary. It can also cripple Kingambit and other setup sweepers like Zamazenta and Hatterene that Meowscarada can't threaten easily if they're still healthy. Tera Ghost is used for an immunity to Extreme Speed from Dragonite and Fighting-type moves such as Body Press from Zamazenta and Vacuum Wave from Iron Valiant, allowing Meowscarada to potentially flip its matchup and revenge kill or neutralize them in an emergency. However, after Terastallizing, Meowscarada’s attacks do not get a Protean boost, so it should be used carefully.
Choice Scarf Meowscarada sees use on offense and bulky offense teams that appreciate having a fast pivot that can outspeed most forms of traditional speed control. Pokemon such as Ting-Lu, Iron Treads, and Garchomp pair very well with Meowscarada, as they can set entry hazards to build up chip damage over time, while Meowscarada helps remove Heavy-Duty Boots from users such as Zamazenta, Moltres, and Galarian Weezing. Ting-Lu can also switch into special attackers that threaten Meowscarada such as Heatran and Iron Moth. Gholdengo is a natural fit that synergizes perfectly with Meowscarada, helping against many of its checks such as Zamazenta, Kyurem, Galarian Weezing, and Corviknight. Raging Bolt can handle Moltres, Scizor, and Zapdos and form a VoltTurn pivoting core with Meowscarada if it has Volt Switch, while Meowscarada can help against Ground-types such as Ting-Lu and Gliscor that annoy Raging Bolt. Meowscarada’s frailty leaves it vulnerable to priority users that can circumvent its high Speed such as Lokix, Kingambit, and Dragonite. Therefore, Pokemon such as Moltres, Great Tusk, and Corviknight are valued for their ability to deal with these threats; furthermore, Moltres can bring Meowscarada in safely with U-turn, Great Tusk can remove entry hazards to let Meowcarada pivot around more freely, and Corviknight can do both. Additional pivots that complement Meowscarada well include Galarian Slowking and Iron Crown for their ability to check Clefable, Pecharunt, and Galarian Weezing as well as pressure switch-ins to Meowscarada such as Zamazenta with Future Sight. Against bulkier teams, wallbreakers such as Ogerpon-W, Swords Dance Gliscor, and Nasty Plot Tornadus-T are great assets, as they can overwhelm shared checks such as Corviknight and Zapdos and break the balance cores that Meowscarada struggles against. Similarly, other wallbreakers like Zamazenta and Kyurem can help keep up the pressure against these teams.
" }, "Choice Band": { "description": "Thanks to an excellent Speed tier, Protean, and a great offensive movepool, Choice Band Meowscarada is a solid wallbreaker and pivot that can also act as a decent revenge killer. Meowscarada's STAB moves help in emphasizing its wallbreaking role; the critical hits provided by Flower Trick can break through Defense-boosting threats like Great Tusk, Dondozo, and Garganacl, and Knock Off removing held items like Heavy-Duty Boots and Rocky Helmet from checks like Moltres, Galarian Weezing, and Corviknight makes it easier for Meowscarada to overwhelm them long-term. On top of threatening OHKOs on foes like Ogerpon-W and Rillaboom, Meowscarada's fast U-turn is a great utility move that can get it out of bad matchups as well as do solid chip damage throughout a battle to bulkier checks and foes that it can't immediately knock out like Kingambit, Kyurem, and bulky Cinderace while preserving momentum and bringing its teammates in safely. Triple Axel is important to handle Pokemon like Dragonite, Gliscor, Zapdos, and Raging Bolt while being a strong neutral attack against Corviknight and Galarian Weezing. Tera Grass adds an additional boost to Flower Trick, such as 2HKOing a would-be check in Tinkaton, as well as allowing Meowscarada to survive a Moonblast from Enamorus and a Close Combat from Zamazenta if necessary. Tera Dark gives Knock Off some extra power, such as having good odds to 2HKO Moltres and bulky Cinderace, and it gives Meowscarada a stronger defensive profile against threats like Dragonite and Great Tusk's Ice Spinner in a pinch. Tera Ghost allows Meowscarada to dodge Dragonite's Extreme Speed and Zamazenta's Fighting-type moves. It's important to remember that Terastallizing Meowscarada has a big trade-off, as disabling Protean can make it a less effective wallbreaker throughout the game.
Meowscarada fits well on balanced and bulky offense teams. Galarian Slowking is an example of a solid teammate that can tank hits from Zamazenta and Iron Valiant, spread paralysis as a form of speed control, and pivot to Meowscarada safely with Chilly Reception on switch-ins like Ting-Lu, Gholdengo, and opposing Galarian Slowking while also providing it a defensive boost via Protean Triple Axel. Cinderace is a fast offensive pivot with U-turn that can form a solid core with Meowscarada to chip foes down throughout a game. Meowscarada can take advantage of foes like Alomomola, Primarina, and Gliscor that Cinderace invites in, while Cinderace can handle Steel-types like Corviknight and Kingambit that Meowscarada has a hard time dealing with. Meowscarada's early-game pressure is extremely helpful in setting up late-game cleaners like Kingambit, Dragonite, and Zamazenta to overwhelm weakened teams, especially as it puts pressure on foes that check them like Landorus-T, Alomomola, and Great Tusk. Great Tusk, Iron Treads, Hatterene, and the aforementioned Cinderace can deal with entry hazards that Meowscarada is vulnerable to; the former two can also set their own hazards to build up more chip damage for Meowscarada to capitalize on, especially since it can use Knock Off to remove Heavy-Duty Boots from foes like Dragonite, Moltres, and Kyurem. Defensive Pokemon, such as Zapdos, Moltres, and Corviknight, are difficult checks for Meowscarada to get past; having solid specially-offensive teammates to pivot to safely with U-turn, like Kyurem and Raging Bolt, to deal with these checks allows Meowscarada more freedom to keep wallbreaking. Gholdengo can help switch in on faster Pokemon that threaten Meowscarada like Iron Valiant and Zamazenta; Meowscarda can help Gholdengo in turn by threatening foes it struggles with like Ting-Lu and Blissey. The aforementioned Zapdos, Moltres, and Corviknight are great partners as well, as they can check Pokemon like Zamazenta, Kingambit, Lokix, and Choice Scarf Enamorus and bring Meowscarada in safely with their pivot moves; additionally, Corviknight provides hazard removal with Defog, while Moltres and Zapdos threaten Skarmory and opposing Corviknight.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 359575, "username": "Nichalho"}, {"user_id": 367494, "username": "Morkal"}, {"user_id": 547766, "username": "memester"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 487308, "username": "BT89"}, {"user_id": 548068, "username": "Setsu"}, {"user_id": 647728, "username": "Heatranator"}, {"user_id": 360720, "username": "ausma"}, {"user_id": 493260, "username": "Marnie"}, {"user_id": 633798, "username": "kd458"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 262594, "username": "Milak"}, {"user_id": 593115, "username": "igiveuponaname"}]}]} }, "Skeledirge": { "sets": { "Defensive": { "description": "Due to its great natural bulk, unique defensive typing, and access to Unaware, Skeledirge manages to be a fantastic defensive presence that is able to stave off the likes of Iron Moth, Iron Valiant, and Zamazenta. Moreover, Torch Song prevents it from being too passive, even letting it clean late-game with enough boosts as the foes might fail to KO it in return. Will-O-Wisp quickly neutralizes physical attackers like Dragonite and Zamazenta in addition to powering up Skeledirge's Hex. Maximizing its HP and Special Defense enables Skeledirge to more reliably check Iron Moth, Enamorus, and special Iron Valiant; conversely, maximizing its HP and Defense turns Skeledirge into an immensely sturdy physical wall, forgoing its reliance on spreading burn by leveraging its raw physical bulk to check potent setup sweepers, particularly Dragonite and Zamazenta. Tera Fairy provides Skeledirge with a much-appreciated resistance to Dark while being an overall strong defensive typing, allowing it to safely check Pokemon such as Weavile, Dragapult, and Great Tusk. Tera Water improves its matchup against Gholdengo and Kingambit while still maintaining its good matchup against Iron Moth and Cinderace.
Skeledirge fits on balance and bulky offense teams that appreciate its ability to force progress while staving off opposing threats. It dislikes taking Knock Off due to its reliance on Heavy-Duty Boots, so it appreciates teammates such as Clefable and Skarmory that can safely switch into Knock Off from Weavile and Iron Valiant. Skeledirge also enjoys having Clefable in particular absorb Salt Cure from Garganacl; Clefable also appreciates Skeledirge's reliability in forcing out Galarian Slowking and Iron Moth. Rillaboom and Galarian Slowking are much-appreciated teammates for Skeledirge, as Rillaboom provides Skeledirge with Grassy Terrain to bolster its longevity in addition to forcing out Ogerpon-W that would otherwise threaten it, whereas Galarian Slowking can pivot into and around powerful wallbreakers such as Kyurem and Walking Wake. It also enjoys entry hazard support from Gliscor and Skarmory wearing down Pokemon such as Choice Specs Kyurem that would otherwise threaten Skeledirge and its team. Skarmory also assists Skeledirge in answering Choice Band Rillaboom, which otherwise threatens it with Knock Off, reliably checks Kingambit for it and appreciates having a consistent check to Iron Moth. Gliscor can spread status with Toxic to power up Skeledirge's Hex and relishes in having a sturdy switch-in to Serperior. Skeledirge also benefits from pairing with fast wallbreakers such as Weavile, Dragapult, and Ogerpon-W, providing them with a sturdy defensive backbone and appreciating having them weaken the opposing team's defenses, as they open up Skeledirge to sweep late-game with Torch Song; it also greatly enjoys pairing with Dragapult in particular, as Dragapult is capable of spreading status effects to a multitude of Pokemon such as Great Tusk and Landorus-T for Skeledirge to take advantage of with its Hex.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 584916, "username": "viivian"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 633798, "username": "kd458"}, {"user_id": 558636, "username": "zastra"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 470115, "username": "SolarBeam"}]}]} }, "Quaquaval": {"sets": {"Assault Vest": {}}}, "Lokix": { "sets": { "Choice Band": { "description": "Lokix serves as an unorthodox wallbreaker and anti-offense revenge killer by virtue of its boosted Attack and ability, which limits the number of foes that can resist its attacks. First Impression enables Lokix to move faster than most of the metagame while dealing massive damage to them, including Bug-resistant foes such as Zamazenta and Cinderace. It also allows Lokix to revenge kill offensive threats like Darkrai, Ogerpon-W, Raging Bolt, and Kyurem. U-turn allows Lokix to pivot out of bad matchups like Zamazenta and Corviknight and give some momentum to the rest of its team. Knock Off helps it limit the longevity of threats that rely on Heavy-Duty Boots like Dondozo, Zapdos, and Zamazenta while also hitting foes like Pecharunt. Leech Life provides it with longevity even if it's taking residual damage from Rocky Helmet and entry hazards. Tera Bug provides an extra boost of power, which can allow Lokix to take down foes like Dragapult and a chipped Dragonite with First Impression.
Lokix fits best on bulky offense and balance teams. Teaming up with Pokemon like Great Tusk, Landorus-T, and Hisuian Samurott can create entry hazard-stacking cores, making it easier for Lokix to clean up with First Impression. Lokix can also spam Knock Off easily, getting rid of Heavy-Duty Boots from foes and making them vulnerable to its teammates' hazards. Lokix's typing and lack of Heavy-Duty Boots make it extremely susceptible to entry hazards, thus, Great Tusk can help thanks to its bulk and access to Rapid Spin. Hatterene and Iron Treads are also great hazard control options. Other specially offensive teammates like Kyurem, Enamorus, and Raging Bolt can help consistently apply pressure, especially against more physically defensive opponents that Lokix struggles against, such as Gliscor, Zamazenta, and Skarmory. Zamazenta and Gliscor make solid teammates for Lokix, being brought in by Lokix's U-turn and sweeping with their Iron Defense and Swords Dance sets, respectively. Lokix's priority can also help support slower teammates like Iron Crown and Galarian Slowking by picking off fast threats that they struggle with, like Weavile and Darkrai. On more balanced teams, Lokix can be supported by other pivots to continue carrying momentum. Defensive options such as Alomomola, Landorus-T, and Corviknight can provide additional bulk for the team and resist threats to Lokix like Enamorus, while Lokix deals with foes like Ogerpon-W, Darkrai, and Gholdengo. Iron Crown is an offensive pivoting option that forms a solid VoltTurn core with Lokix, taking care of each other's threats; Lokix handles Darkrai and Iron Crown handles Clefable and Tera Fairy users like Raging Bolt. Dragapult is a fast pivot option, taking care of Zamazenta and Dragonite, while Lokix helps it keep Ting-Lu in check.
" }, "Boots Attacker": { "description": "Lokix acts as an incredible revenge killer in the tier, able to utilize its ability in Tinted Lens and having access to a strong priority move in First Impression. First Impression can get around Lokix's modest base Speed to revenge kill Pokemon such as Darkrai and Dragapult by hitting them for considerable damage. U-turn allows Lokix to pivot out of common switch-ins such as Corviknight, Gliscor, and Alomomola, while gaining momentum for the rest of its team. Knock Off removes key items like Rocky Helmet and Heavy-Duty Boots from potential switch-ins such as Landorus-T and Moltres, while hitting Pecharunt and Gholdengo for super effective damage. Sucker Punch can act as a secondary priority move for Lokix, and the combination of Bug- and Dark-type priority moves coupled with its ability makes it doubly effective. Adamant allows Lokix to get the maximum amount of damage from First Impression and Sucker Punch: for example, allowing Lokix to OHKO Cinderace from full HP with First Impression into Sucker Punch and giving Sucker Punch good odds to 2HKO Enamorus, while Jolly allows Lokix to outspeed Pecharunt, Hisuian Samurott, and Gholdengo. Tera Bug allows Lokix to further increase the damage output of both First Impression and U-turn, allowing First Impression to 2HKO Kyurem and unboosted Zamazenta.
This Lokix set fits best on bulky offense and balance teams, as they heavily appreciate its revenge killing abilities and access to key moves like U-turn and Knock Off. Hazard-stacking teams also love Lokix, as it can perform multiple roles such as being a strong Knock Off user, momentum gainer, and revenge killer. Therefore, entry hazard support from Pokemon such as Ting-Lu, Landorus-T, and Gliscor are heavily appreciated, as they can help Lokix against bulkier squads it might otherwise struggle against; Lokix can utilize Knock Off to remove Heavy-Duty Boots and eventually wear down its checks such as Moltres and Heatran through hazards. Spinblockers such as Air Balloon Gholdengo and Pecharunt also pair well with Lokix, as they can prevent Rapid Spin from Great Tusk and Iron Treads from removing entry hazards. Pivoting Pokemon such as Landorus-T, Pecharunt, Galarian Slowking, and Iron Crown pair well with Lokix, as they can get it in safely, and in return, Lokix can revenge kill the offensive threats that threaten these teammates such as Ogerpon-W and Darkrai. Iron Crown in particular is a very good Lokix partner, as they can form an effective pivoting core, which can heavily pressure defensive teams. Lokix particularly struggles with faster Pokemon that have a 4x resistance to Bug, such as Iron Valiant and Iron Moth. Therefore, teammates that can handle these Pokemon such as Gholdengo and Moltres for the former and Garganacl and Galarian Slowking for the latter, are heavily appreciated. Slower wallbreakers like Primarina and Raging Bolt help Lokix against bulkier teams, and in return, Lokix can help against offensive structures they may struggle with. Primarina in particular is an amazing Lokix partner, as it can help deal with Gliscor, Corviknight, and Garganacl that Lokix struggles with, while Lokix can punish Ogerpon-W and Galarian Slowking that trouble Primarina. Zamazenta pairs well with Lokix as an offensive partner, as it is able to soft-check the various physical attackers that Lokix might struggle to KO reliably, while Lokix can threaten faster Pokemon such as Deoxys-S and Dragapult that threaten Zamazenta.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 359575, "username": "Nichalho"}, {"user_id": 647728, "username": "Heatranator"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 612443, "username": "ninth"}, {"user_id": 636986, "username": "Nocturne Nugget"}, {"user_id": 236090, "username": "Firenix"}, {"user_id": 612907, "username": "sequoia"}, {"user_id": 558636, "username": "zastra"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 197240, "username": "sunny"}, {"user_id": 567354, "username": "sappheiros"}]}]} }, "Garganacl": { "sets": { "Stealth Rock": { "description": "Garganacl is an exceptional Stealth Rock setter and wall thanks to its great bulk, amazing ability in Purifying Salt, and access to Salt Cure. As a setter, Garganacl is very good at outlasting and pressuring common removal options like non-Leftovers Great Tusk, Corviknight, and Iron Treads with Salt Cure. Protect also stalls turns, which works well in conjunction with Salt Cure and allows Garganacl to chip its foes as much as possible; it's also useful at scouting moves from foes such as Choice Band Dragapult, Lokix, and Meowscarada and maximizing passive recovery from Leftovers. However, Ice Punch is a niche option to immediately nail Hydrapple and Gliscor, as they can be huge threats in the balance mirrors in general and shrug off Salt Cure's passive damage with Regenerator and Poison Heal. Additionally, the move also lets Garganacl chunk foes like Meowscarada, Dragapult, and Latios immediately. Heavy-Duty Boots is an option on teams with little to no hazard removal at the cost of crucial Leftovers recovery. 52 Defense EVs allow Garganacl to survive Ogerpon-W's Power Whip, and the rest of the EVs are invested in HP and Special Defense to maximize its special bulk to help it take on threats such as Dragapult in a better fashion. Tera Fairy enables it to handle threats such as Zamazenta, Great Tusk, and Dragapult better; in addition, the Grass neutrality helps it against foes like Rillaboom, Ogerpon-W, and Meowscarada. Tera Water helps it against foes like Gholdengo and Water-types like Barraskewda and Hisuian Samurott. Both of these Tera types are useful at handling non-Swords Dance Gliscor as well, as Garganacl also acts as a Toxic absorber.
Garganacl fits well on bulky offense and balance teams that need a bulky entry hazard setter; Salt Cure is great at making progress for its teammates to capitalize on. Setup sweepers such as Kingambit, Weavile, and Nasty Plot Gholdengo appreciate Garganacl's ability to chip and force damage on the opposing team with Stealth Rock and Salt Cure, especially against threats such as Skarmory and Primarina. In return, they offensively pressure Garganacl's switch-ins such as Galarian Slowking, Rillaboom, and Clefable, as it's reliant on Salt Cure for damage and is thus very passive. Gholdengo also deserves a special mention because of its ability to block hazard removal attempts from foes like Great Tusk and Corviknight. Garganacl also forms amazing cores with Spikes setters such as Gliscor, Hisuian Samurott, and Skarmory, further helping its offensive teammates by dominating the hazard game. Moreover, Gliscor and Skarmory also help it in checking Ground- and Fighting-types like Landorus-T and Zamazenta. Knock Off users such as Clefable and the aforementioned Weavile are also good teammates due to removing Heavy-Duty Boots from foes such as Galarian Slowking and Dondozo; removing Leftovers from foes like Zamazenta and Ting-Lu is also useful so that they take maximum damage from Salt Cure and Stealth Rock. In addition, Clefable and the aforementioned Gliscor also support Garganacl by acting as Knock Off absorbers, as Garganacl likes to keep its Leftovers intact—Protect and Leftovers form a strong combination that makes Garganacl very tough to break down. Galarian Slowking also makes a great partner that supports Garganacl with Future Sight, punishing Fighting-types such as Zamazenta and Iron Valiant, as well as providing pivoting support with Chilly Reception. Garganacl also appreciates hazard removal support, as its foes such as Gliscor, Clefable, and Ting-Lu may use it as fodder for setting up hazards, especially Spikes; as such, Pokemon like Great Tusk make nice teammates. Due to its relatively poor base typing, Garganacl is weak to a variety of threats including Great Tusk, Iron Valiant, Kingambit, and Ogerpon-W; thus, partners such as Ogerpon-W, Skeledirge, Zamazenta, and Dragapult, respectively, are appreciated. Rillaboom also synergizes well with Garganacl, as its Grassy Terrain can weaken Earthquake from foes like Great Tusk, Ting-Lu, and Gliscor for Garganacl as well as helping it deal with Pokemon like Ogerpon-W and Barraskewda; in return, Garganacl supports Rillaboom with hazard and deals with foes like Iron Moth for it.
" }, "Curse": { "description": "Garganacl's incredible defensive stats and access to Salt Cure make it a potent Curse user, letting it beat threatening physical attackers such as Weavile and Dragon Dance Dragonite while acting as a pseudo-sweeper. Earthquake lets Garganacl hit threats such as Gholdengo, Raging Bolt, and Galarian Slowking, with its high-Base Power giving Garganacl offensive presence so it doesn't have to rely solely on Salt Cure for damage, which is especially useful since Raging Bolt commonly runs Leftovers and Galarian Slowking's Regenerator can mitigate Salt Cure damage as well. 52 Defense EVs lets Garganacl survive Ogerpon-W's Power Whip without the need for Curse boosts or Terastallization. Tera Water turns Garganacl's Water weakness into a resistance, letting it better handle Water-types such as Barraskewda and Hisuian Samurott. It also lets Garganacl check offensive Steel-types such as Gholdengo, with Purifying Salt letting it resist Shadow Ball. On the other hand, Tera Fairy gives Garganacl an immunity to Draco Meteor from Dragapult as well as Dragon Pulse from Raging Bolt. It also grants Garganacl a resistance to Fighting-type moves from Pokemon such as Zamazenta and Great Tusk and removes its Grass weakness, improving its matchup against Meowscarada. Both options remove Garganacl's weakness to Ground-type moves, letting it better handle foes that rely on Earthquake for coverage such as Dragonite.
Garganacl fits well on bulky offense or balance teams. Due to not running Heavy-Duty Boots, Garganacl appreciates entry hazard removal from the likes of Great Tusk and Corviknight; Great Tusk in particular appreciates Garganacl checking spinblockers such as Dragapult and, with Tera Water, Gholdengo. Rillaboom makes for a great partner thanks to Garganacl appreciating the recovery from Grassy Terrain, which alleviates entry hazard chip damage, as well as the reduction in Earthquake's damage, letting it check Pokemon like Dragonite better. It should be noted that Garganacl's own Earthquake will deal less damage as a result of Grassy Terrain and Salt Cure's chip damage will be mitigated by Grassy Terrain's healing when combined with Leftovers, however. As Substitute blocks Salt Cure, Pokemon that can punish the use of the move, such as Encore Dragonite, Infiltrator Dragapult, and Whirlwind Ting-Lu, are appreciated teammates. Ogerpon-W makes for a great partner with Garganacl thanks to Water Absorb and its ability to force Ground-types like Gliscor out with Ivy Cudgel. It can also punish Substitute with Encore and remove items like Leftovers and Heavy-Duty Boots with Knock Off, accentuating the chip damage done by Salt Cure. In exchange, it appreciates Garganacl deterring defensive Pokemon like Skarmory with Salt Cure, as well as its ability to handle Dragon-types like Dragonite and Dragapult. Unaware Clefable forms a good defensive core with Garganacl, denying other setup sweepers the opportunity to set up on Garganacl while also appreciating its ability to absorb status from Pokemon like Galarian Slowking, Dragapult and Skeledirge. Garganacl also benefits from Clefable's ability to check Ting-Lu. Opposing Clefable can check Garganacl with both of its abilities, so Pokemon that can dispatch it, like Gholdengo and Heatran, make for good partners. Garganacl also enjoys Knock Off and hazard support, as the removal of items like Heavy-Duty Boots and the additional chip from hazards makes it harder to play around due to the chip damage from Salt Cure having more of an impact on Pokemon like Galarian Slowking, Alomomola, and Ting-Lu. Gliscor has access to Stealth Rock, Spikes, and Knock Off while also resisting Ground-type moves; in exchange, Garganacl checks Hex Dragapult, one of Gliscor's best checks. Finally, specially defensive Pokemon such as Galarian Slowking and Clodsire appreciate Garganacl's physical walling capabilities while making up for its inability to consistently handle special attackers like Primarina and Enamorus.
" }, "Iron Defense": { "description": "With fantastic bulk, Salt Cure, Purifying Salt's status immunity, the combination of Iron Defense and Body Press, and reliable recovery, Garganacl establishes itself as a potent win condition. Iron Defense lets Garganacl boost its Defense to nearly unbreakable levels. Body Press allows Garganacl to threaten the likes of Kingambit, Ting-Lu, and Weavile, and with Iron Defense boosts, Garganacl's Body Press becomes more threatening, 2HKOing the likes of Iron Treads and Kyurem after just one boost. In tandem with Salt Cure, Gliscor can eventually be beaten with enough Iron Defense boosts. Salt Cure pressures would-be switch-ins like Ogerpon-W, Gholdengo, and Dondozo. Leftovers adds even more to Garganacl's excellent survivability, allowing it to conserve valuable Recover PP, further complemented by Iron Defense boosts that enhance its ability to take physical attacks. Tera Water allows Garganacl to resist Steel- and Water-type moves that threaten it, such as Make It Rain, Tachyon Cutter, Razor Shell, and Ivy Cudgel from Gholdengo, Iron Crown, Hisuian Samurott, and Ogerpon-W, respectively. It also removes Garganacl's weakness to Ground-type moves, making it even harder for Great Tusk and Dragonite to break through it. Tera Electric grants a Steel resistance while lacking weaknesses, and the singular Ground weakness it has is offset by most Ground-type attacks being physical, which, with Iron Defense boosts, can be offset. However, Ground-type coverage from Enamorus and Kyurem still threatens Garganacl. Tera Fairy removes Garganacl's weakness to Fighting, though Pokemon that use Fighting-type attacks can hit it with other attacks, like Psycho Boost from Deoxys-S. Its main benefit comes from the fact that Fairy is a generally good defensive typing that doesn't give Garganacl many other weaknesses. It grants a Dark resistance, which is useful for Kingambit and Hisuian Samurott, and Dragon immunity, useful against Raging Bolt and Walking Wake.
Garganacl fits on balance and bulky offense teams that can support its Iron Defense sweeps and cover its vulnerability to entry hazards. Hazards set by Ting-Lu, Ogerpon-W, and Clefable complement Garganacl's Salt Cure pressure and the switches it forces with Iron Defense boosting. Ogerpon-W in particular can pressure Great Tusk, Gliscor, and Ting-Lu, allowing Garganacl to preserve HP for other physical threats, and can function as a pivot by virtue of forcing out these Ground-types and using U-turn to bring Garganacl in safely or as a wallbreaker that threatens Hatterene and Calm Mind Clefable, both of which Garganacl struggles against. In return, Garganacl can take on Dragapult and, if Garganacl Terastallizes, Dragonite, both of which can check Ogerpon-W. Great Tusk and Iron Treads synergize nicely with Garganacl, as their Rapid Spin does not clear away hazards set by other teammates such as Ogerpon-W and Clefable. In return, Garganacl checks Dragapult and Zapdos for Great Tusk and Fire-types such as Cinderace and Ceruledge for Iron Treads. Gholdengo checks many of Garganacl's difficult matchups, such as Clefable, Hatterene, Galarian Slowking, and Galarian Weezing, which all threaten or cripple Garganacl. Defoggers such as Corviknight and Galarian Weezing are great partners as well, as both can compress the roles of hazard remover and check to Rillaboom, Ogerpon-W, and Zamazenta, which greatly threaten this Garganacl set without any Defense boosts. While they don't remove hazards, Moltres, Tornadus-T, and Dragapult can all similarly function as checks to some of the aforementioned Pokemon as well as to other Grass-types such as Hydrapple and Sinistcha, while Garganacl checks Zapdos for the first two and Choice Scarf Enamorus for the latter. While this Garganacl set fully invests in Special Defense, special walls such as Galarian Slowking and Ting-Lu can cover for special attackers such as Raging Bolt, Iron Crown, and Gholdengo that would greatly weaken Garganacl otherwise.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 236507, "username": "Bice"}, {"user_id": 558636, "username": "zastra"}, {"user_id": 688041, "username": "GrimtheImpy"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 177111, "username": "Magcargo"}, {"user_id": 408271, "username": "Dreadfury"}, {"user_id": 487308, "username": "BT89"}, {"user_id": 384270, "username": "autumn"}, {"user_id": 548068, "username": "Setsu"}, {"user_id": 612907, "username": "sequoia"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 493260, "username": "Marnie"}, {"user_id": 555379, "username": "Tbolt"}, {"user_id": 633500, "username": "StupidFlandrs48"}]}]} }, "Ceruledge": { "sets": { "Swords Dance": { "description": "With Swords Dance, Weak Armor, and an excellent STAB combination, Ceruledge is a solid setup sweeper and late-game cleaner. Bitter Blade's additional benefit of allowing Ceruledge to recover HP lets it survive revenge killing attempts and gives it even more setup opportunities. Shadow Sneak allows Ceruledge to finish off faster and weakened foes like Ogerpon-W and Dragapult if Weak Armor hasn't been activated yet. Poltergeist gives Ceruledge a powerful STAB move that hits Pecharunt and neutral foes like Alomomola, Primarina, Moltres, and Dragonite. Close Combat complements its STAB moves to hit Hisuian Samurott and Garganacl, which would otherwise wall it, while giving it a strong nuke against Ting-Lu and Kyurem. Tera Blast Fairy is an option to hit foes like Great Tusk, Zamazenta, and Dragonite super effectively. Solar Blade with Tera Grass can be used on sun teams to hit checks such as Alomomola and Dondozo. If Ceruledge opts to run a Jolly nature, it can outspeed Gholdengo as well as, after a Weak Armor boost, +1 Iron Valiant, but it causes Ceruledge to miss out on KOs Adamant would otherwise net such as guaranteed OHKOing Garganacl with a +2 Close Combat. Life Orb augments Ceruledge's damage output while also working well with Bitter Blade to offset the recoil; in particular, this lets Ceruledge threaten OHKOs against the likes of Gliscor and Zapdos with +2 Poltergeist. Focus Sash allows Ceruledge to withstand attacks from faster foes such as Great Tusk, Ogerpon-W, and Zamazenta, as well as revenge killing attempts from Kingambit, and combines with Weak Armor to outspeed the aforementioned physical attackers on the next turn. Air Balloon and Heavy-Duty Boots are other options that make Ceruledge less reliant on keeping entry hazards off the field, with Air Balloon often forcing Pokemon like Landorus-T and Great Tusk to hit Ceruledge with U-turn and Ice Spinner respectively, activating Ceruledge's Weak Armor in the process. Tera Ghost enhances the strength of Poltergeist and Shadow Sneak while also allowing Ceruledge to remove its weaknesses to Water- and Ground-type attacks from common foes such as Ogerpon-W and Great Tusk. When running Close Combat, Tera Fighting is recommended to enhance its power, notably letting Ceruledge secure an OHKO on Ting-Lu after a Swords Dance. Tera Fighting also grants Ceruledge a Dark resistance, allowing it to turn the tables on Dark-type foes like Kingambit and Darkrai.
Ceruledge's offensive tools means it best fits on hyper offense teams where it finds its home as a sweeper that appreciates entry hazards and the presence of other sweepers such as Dragonite, Zamazenta, Gholdengo, and Darkrai. Great Tusk and Iron Treads are excellent partners; both offer reliable hazard control to keep Ceruledge's Focus Sash intact, while Ceruledge can eliminate their common checks. Ceruledge also pairs well with hazard setters such as Glimmora and Hisuian Samurott, which can allow Ceruledge to secure KOs it would fall short of, especially when utilizing a Jolly nature, such as OHKOing Ting-Lu and Garganacl with a +2 non-Tera Fighting Close Combat. Additionally, Ceruledge can deny Rapid Spin from opposing Iron Treads and Great Tusk while threatening Corviknight. Ceruledge generally appreciates special sweepers such as Calm Mind Iron Valiant and Raging Bolt, threatening its checks and counters such as Garganacl and Dragonite. In return, Ceruledge can handle Blissey and Galarian Slowking, which would otherwise deny a sweep from these special sweepers. Ceruledge is also a consideration on sun teams alongside a setter in Ninetales or Torkoal, since Ceruledge becomes extremely threatening with sun-boosted Bitter Blade paired with Solar Blade, the latter of which rips apart its usual checks in Great Tusk and Alomomola. Walking Wake and Ceruledge form a nearly unwallable duo, as Walking Wake can deal heavy damage to Pokemon that would otherwise wall Ceruledge like Dragonite and Zamazenta. Other sun partners such as Slither Wing and Hatterene provide pivoting and other utility that can support a Ceruledge sweep. Another hyper offense archetype Ceruledge can fit on is Sticky Web teams with setters like Ribombee and Araquanid. On these teams, Ceruledge acts as a spinblocker and sweeper that pairs excellently with its previously mentioned teammates.
" }, "Bulk Up": { "description": "Ceruledge is a terrifying sweeper, particularly good against balance teams, with Bulk Up, the longevity from Bitter Blade, and a unique set of traits catered to take advantage of common balance team staples such as Garganacl and Alomomola. Shadow Sneak allows Ceruledge to pick off faster targets like Dragapult and Deoxys-S. Taunt shuts down status moves that would otherwise deny a Ceruledge sweep, such as Gliscor's Toxic, Zamazenta's and Moltres's Roar, and Alomomola's Tickle. It also denies recovery from Garganacl and Pecharunt. With Covert Cloak, powerful secondary effects from moves such as Pecharunt's Malignant Chain, Garganacl's Salt Cure, Hatterene's Psychic Noise and Nuzzle, and, after Ceruledge has Terastallized, Alomomola's Scald are nullified, making it more difficult to wear down Ceruledge. Tera Bug lets Ceruledge take on Ground-types such as Great Tusk, Iron Treads, and Gliscor while not being weak to their common coverage options. Flash Fire further complements Tera Bug, nullifying its Fire weakness and most sources of burn that would otherwise cripple a Terastallized Ceruledge. The given EV spread lets Ceruledge outspeed Gliscor while maximizing special bulk to complement Bulk Up's Defense boosting.
Ceruledge is commonly found on hyper offense teams, most notably Aurora Veil teams that have a poor matchup into balance teams. Ceruledge itself is a great support for these hyper offense teams because with Taunt, it denies Defog attempts from Galarian Weezing and Corviknight. With Aurora Veil, Ceruledge is given opportunities to get multiple boosts. Special attackers such as Darkrai and Deoxys-S can apply pressure to Dondozo and Landorus-T, which would give Ceruledge trouble. Entry hazard control, provided by the likes of Great Tusk, Iron Treads, and Hatterene, is required to ensure Ceruledge does not get worn down by hazards. In return, Ceruledge can defeat Alomomola, which walls Great Tusk and Iron Treads, and Galarian Slowking, which gives Hatterene trouble. Other physical attackers, such as Dragon Dance Dragonite and Kyurem and Swords Dance Gliscor and Ogerpon-W, complement Ceruledge's balance-breaking capabilities by threatening checks to Ceruledge. Dragonite's Multiscale and set variety make it strong into offensive Pokemon that Ceruledge struggles against. It can set up on Ogerpon-W, and both Tera Normal Extreme Speed and Scale Shot variants are exceptional at cleaning up offensive teams. Tera Blast sets, though, have the strongest synergy with Ceruledge, as they are able to surprise threats like Zamazenta. Kyurem can threaten Dragonite and Zapdos with its powerful Icicle Spear, especially after a Dragon Dance boost. Gliscor can take on Glimmora and Landorus-T, and Ogerpon-W can also break Glimmora while taking on Dondozo with its Grass-type attacks. In return, they all appreciate Ceruledge's ability to beat their checks, such as Gliscor, Garganacl, and Pecharunt. Zamazenta provides speed control, outrunning most of the metagame bar Dragapult and Deoxys-S, allowing it to threaten Darkrai and Ogerpon-W. In return, Ceruledge is a check to Pecharunt and Alomomola, both of which Zamazenta is walled by. Additionally, Knock Off support from the aforementioned Great Tusk, Ogerpon-W, and Gliscor is appreciated to remove Rocky Helmet from Landorus-T and Alomomola that would wear down Ceruledge.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 688041, "username": "GrimtheImpy"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 548068, "username": "Setsu"}, {"user_id": 571069, "username": "Dead by Daylight"}, {"user_id": 384270, "username": "autumn"}, {"user_id": 647728, "username": "Heatranator"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 555379, "username": "Tbolt"}, {"user_id": 583607, "username": "PowerOfMemes"}]}]} }, "Tinkaton": { "sets": { "Utility": { "description": "Tinkaton is a good support option thanks to its access to a number of utility moves and solid defensive typing. Early in the game, Tinkaton makes for a good anti-lead, matching up well into other entry hazard setters like Clefable, Deoxys-S, and Ribombee and disrupting them with Encore while setting its own entry hazards. Encore also works well with Gigaton Hammer, allowing Tinkaton to punish foes that would take advantage of the passivity after the latter move is used to set up or recover HP. Thunder Wave can be run to punish Pokemon like Iron Moth and Ogerpon-W switching into Tinkaton, while Knock Off can be used instead to cripple foes like Moltres, Galarian Slowking, and Alomomola by removing their Heavy-Duty Boots. Ice Hammer is an option to pressure Gliscor, especially since it's unbothered by most of Tinkaton's moves. Air Balloon bypasses its Ground weakness against foes like Gliscor and Landorus-T, and it allows Tinkaton to check threats like Kyurem, Dragonite, and Enamorus that rely on their Ground coverage to deal with Steel-types. Pickpocket also allows Tinkaton to disrupt foes by stealing their item once its Air Balloon is popped, notably against U-turn users like Landorus-T and Dragapult that can pop Tinkaton's Air Balloon and lose their own item in the same turn. Mold Breaker can be used instead to let Tinkaton paralyze Gholdengo and Garganacl with Thunder Wave, set Stealth Rock against Hatterene, and even use Encore on all three of them. Tinkaton can utilize Tera Water to get rid of its Fire weakness, standing up to the likes of Cinderace and Iron Moth, and provide a Water resistance against Walking Wake. Tera Ghost can instead block Rapid Spin from Great Tusk and Iron Treads and emergency check Zamazenta. 232 Speed EVs allow Tinkaton to outspeed Landorus-T.
Tinkaton fits well on balance and bulky offense teams that appreciate its ability to disrupt opposing Pokemon and set entry hazards, as well as its ability to switch into moves from Pokemon like Darkrai and Dragapult. It can form a hazard stacking core with Spikes setters like Gliscor and Hisuian Samurott while also benefitting from their ability to handle Ground-types and use Knock Off. Tinkaton struggles to do damage in spite of Gigaton Hammer's Base Power due to its middling Attack stat, so it needs offensive partners like Dragonite and Kyurem, which, in return, appreciate Tinkaton being able to check Weavile and Deoxys-S. Tinkaton also won't keep its Air Balloon forever, so it needs Ground-immune teammates like Moltres and Zapdos that can handle the likes of Great Tusk and Landorus-T. Great Tusk is also an excellent teammate for Tinkaton, providing entry hazard removal, since Tinkaton lacks recovery unless it steals another Pokemon's Leftovers, and taking care Fire-types like Cinderace and certain Ground-types like Ting-Lu. Gholdengo is notably annoying for Tinkaton, as it resists Gigaton Hammer and is immune to both Thunder Wave and Encore if Tinkaton is not running Mold Breaker, so teammates like Darkrai and Kingambit that can remove it are a big help.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 439018, "username": "Maia"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 260369, "username": "TPP"}, {"user_id": 144640, "username": "TheDuckChris"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 555379, "username": "Tbolt"}]}]} }, "Glimmora": { "sets": { "Lead": { "description": "Glimmora is one of the tier's premier leads thanks to its ability to set up Stealth Rock and deny opposing entry hazards with Mortal Spin, all while scaring foes from activating Toxic Debris in the process. Toxic Debris's potential to set up Toxic Spikes can prove lethal against certain teams, particularly more offensive ones due to the lack of offensive Poison-types in OU outside of Iron Moth able to absorb them. Mortal Spin's side effect of inflicting poison detracts Pokemon such as Ting-Lu from setting up entry hazards multiple times and Hatterene from trying to deny Stealth Rock with Magic Bounce. Power Gem lets Glimmora hit most targets for decent damage, and notably chips at Corviknight, Skarmory, and Gliscor that would otherwise wall Glimmora, with Corviknight also removing its entry hazards with Defog. Earth Power allows Glimmora to hit Steel-types such as Gholdengo, Kingambit, and Heatran, which otherwise are able to block Mortal Spin, with the former two also resisting Power Gem. Mud Shot is another option over Earth Power, as its side effect of lowering the foe's Speed allows Glimmora to win the mirror matchup against opposing Glimmora. Mud Shot can also slow down foes trying to use Glimmora as setup fodder, such as Iron Valiant and Ogerpon-W, preventing them from getting out of hand. Focus Sash allows Glimmora to survive any one hit and thus be able to set up Stealth Rock safely. Red Card can be used instead, allowing Glimmora to make use of its natural bulk and typing to take a hit and thus phaze setup sweepers like Iron Valiant and Iron Moth—which is notable in the hyper offense mirror—preventing its team from getting overrun by boosted offensive threats. Red Card is also useful to disrupt the opposing team, potentially forcing a foe out to take Stealth Rock or Toxic Spikes damage as well as phaze a setup sweeper. This variant prefers a bulkier EV spread instead, such as running 252 HP / 140 Def / 116 SpD with a Calm Nature; this allows Glimmora to survive two Psyshocks from Iron Valiant, with the remaining special bulk letting it take on +1 Protosynthesis Raging Bolt's Thunderbolt as well. Tera Ghost grants Glimmora with an immunity to Rapid Spin from the likes of Great Tusk and Iron Treads, denying their attempts from removing Glimmora's entry hazards.
Glimmora finds its home on hyper offense teams that enjoy it starting the match strong by setting up Stealth Rock and Toxic Spikes from the beginning. Kingambit greatly appreciates this, as even Pokemon that resist Sucker Punch like Darkrai and Enamorus can potentially get KOed by +2 Sucker Punch after a round or two of Stealth Rock, while physically defensive walls trying to switch in like Skarmory and Corviknight have to contend with not only Kingambit's attacks but also with the chip damage from Stealth Rock. Iron Valiant similarly enjoys Glimmora's entry hazards chipping at the foes for it and the rest of the team to win late-game, while it also provides Knock Off support to remove Heavy-Duty Boots from Pokemon like Dondozo, Alomomola, and Clodsire, making them susceptible to its hazards. Gholdengo may be used alongside Glimmora, as its Ghost typing and Good as Gold ability let it block Rapid Spin and Defog attempts, thus making sure Glimmora's entry hazards stay up. Glimmora may also play a defensive role on occasion, as its good matchup against Skeledirge lets it assist teammates like Iron Moth and Zamazenta that can struggle against it.
" }, "Offensive": { "description": "Due to a strong STAB Meteor Beam alongside decent offensive stats, Glimmora acts as a solid wallbreaker that can also compress roles as an entry hazard remover and setter. Moreover, Glimmora excels against opposing offense, as many of them struggle with Toxic Spikes, meaning the opponent must be careful with how they attack Glimmora. This careful play can be punished by breaking through common bulkier threats that fit well on offense, such as Zamazenta and Gholdengo. Earth Power deals with problematic Steel-types like Gholdengo, Kingambit, and Iron Treads, preventing them from spinblocking Glimmora safely. The move also helps pressure Poison-types like Galarian Slowking and Pecharunt, which can otherwise absorb its Toxic Spikes, more reliably, especially if its Power Herb has been consumed. On top of removing opposing hazards, Mortal Spin can also cripple checks like Ting-Lu and Assault Vest Alomomola. If the team has another Stealth Rock setter, then Glimmora can opt for Spikes instead. Dazzling Gleam alongside Tera Fairy is also an option, granting it super effective coverage against foes like Great Tusk, Zamazenta, and Ting-Lu while gaining a good defensive typing against the likes of Dragapult and Kingambit's Sucker Punch. A Timid Nature is used to Speed tie opposing Glimmora and outspeed crucial targets like Gholdengo and Ceruledge, but a Modest nature—especially if Glimmora is ran on Sticky Web teams—is also an option for more power, notably letting it OHKO defensive Landorus-T and having good odds to do so against Corviknight. Tera Ghost lets it importantly spinblock Great Tusk and Iron Treads while letting it take on Zamazenta in a pinch.
Glimmora's niche makes it a good fit on hyper offense teams. Gholdengo is a great partner, as it can block hazard removal to keep Glimmora's entry hazards up; it also provides good defensive utility by checking Galarian Slowking and Hatterene. Kingambit is a great offensive partner that can take advantage of the entry hazards that Glimmora sets up and clean up late-game after Glimmora has broken through the opposing team. Other setup sweepers like Dragonite, Zamazenta, Great Tusk, and Raging Bolt are also similarly useful, as they can keep up the pressure against the opposition while making use of Glimmora's entry hazards. In return, they also appreciate Glimmora's ability to remove opposing hazards and absorb Toxic Spikes. Glimmora struggles against checks like Ting-Lu and bulkier teams that make use of Heavy-Duty Boots, particularly ones with Blissey and Clodsire; as such, Glimmora appreciates the presence of Knock Off users such as Ogerpon-W, Hisuian Samurott, Iron Valiant, and the aforementioned Great Tusk. Other entry hazards can also help wear them down over time, which the likes of Landorus-T and the aforementioned Ogerpon-W and Hisuian Samurott can provide, with Glimmora complementing them with its own hazard. Sticky Web variants of hyper offense teams anchored by Ribombee or Araquanid as the hazard setter can help compensate for Glimmora's average Speed tier.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 548068, "username": "Setsu"}, {"user_id": 615760, "username": "jackuzzler"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 584916, "username": "viivian"}, {"user_id": 612907, "username": "sequoia"}, {"user_id": 558636, "username": "zastra"}, {"user_id": 633798, "username": "kd458"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 493260, "username": "Marnie"}, {"user_id": 558636, "username": "zastra"}]}]} }, "Dondozo": { "sets": { "Wall": { "description": "With massive physical bulk and Unaware, Dondozo is a robust physical wall that is capable of checking some of the tier's most prevalent threats, such as Great Tusk, Zamazenta, and Kingambit. Waterfall is Dondozo's STAB move of choice, with high PP and lack of a drawback, and does decent damage to potential switch-ins like Gholdengo and Iron Valiant looking to scare Dondozo out, while Body Press can instead more effectively handle the likes of Kingambit and Hisuian Samurott and let Dondozo hit Ogerpon-W. Curse can make Dondozo a potent threat, increasing both its offensive potential and defensive capabilities, including letting it better check potent threats like Tera Dark Kingambit. Avalanche can be run instead to threaten Dragonite and punish Grass-types like Rillaboom and Serperior that might otherwise fearlessly switch into Dondozo. RestTalk helps Dondozo stay healthy and avoid status while potentially continuing to make progress or set up, depending on the Sleep Talk rolls. The recovery from Leftovers is highly needed, but on teams that lack strong hazard removal then Heavy-Duty Boots can be considered instead. Tera Fighting powers up Dondozo's Body Press, allowing it to get more mileage out of its naturally high Defense and Curse boosts, and lets it more effectively check Kingambit, particularly Black Glasses + Tera Dark variants that can run through stall teams with enough Supreme Overlord boosts. Tera Dark can help Dondozo check special attackers like Dragapult, Gholdengo, and Hoopa-U in a pinch as well as non-Low Kick Kingambit variants. Tera Dragon can be used to check Ogerpon-W, which can give bulkier teams trouble while still keeping its Fire resistance; this variant should have either Body Press or Avalanche as to threaten Ogerpon-W through Water Absorb.
Dondozo is generally found on bulkier teams, especially stall, that appreciate its ability to easily check a number of threatening setup sweepers and fearsome physical attackers while also capable of tolerating its passivity. Despite its enormous physical bulk, Dondozo's special bulk leaves much to be desired, so it pairs well with specially defensive walls like Blissey and Clodsire that can handle Pokemon like Raging Bolt, Darkrai, and Dragapult. Entry hazard removers like Galarian Weezing and Corviknight are necessary partners, even running both of them at once, letting Dondozo run Leftovers while also doubling as checks to Rillaboom and Meowscarada. Running Tera Grass on Galarian Weezing or Tera Dragon on Corviknight for the Ogerpon-W matchup gives Dondozo more freedom to run Tera Fighting or Tera Dark as well. Dondozo is a passive Pokemon that is checked by other bulky Pokemon like Alomomola, which can also use it as fodder to pass Wishes to Pokemon like Ursaluna, and Clefable, and so it benefits from teammates like Gliscor and Clefable that have more offensive presence and can make progress against them while also acting as Knock Off absorbers for it. Alomomola is a great partner for passing Wish to Dondozo, helping it be less reliant on Rest for recovery as well as potentially burning physical threats like Kingambit and Weavile to help it take as little damage as possible from stronger physical attackers. Ogerpon-W is particularly annoying for Dondozo thanks to Water Absorb and is difficult to check without using Tera, so teammates like Hydrapple and the niche Amoonguss that can handle it while also helping against threats like Rillaboom are appreciated, letting Dondozo forgo Tera Dragon. On balance teams, offensive partners like Cinderace and Weavile help threaten Dondozo's offensive checks like Rillaboom and Raging Bolt, with the former further providing hazard control thanks to Court Change.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 439018, "username": "Maia"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 177111, "username": "Magcargo"}, {"user_id": 612907, "username": "sequoia"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 470115, "username": "SolarBeam"}]}]} }, "Clodsire": { "sets": { "Defensive": { "description": "With high special bulk, a useful typing, and an excellent ability in Unaware, Clodsire is one of the best special walls in OU, checking special setup sweepers like non-Draco Meteor Raging Bolt, Darkrai, and Iron Moth. Toxic puts the aforementioned threats as well as otherwise safe switch-ins and foes that can threaten it out, like Deoxys-S, Landorus-T, and Great Tusk, on a timer. Amnesia bolsters Clodsire's Special Defense to staggering heights, ensuring powerful special attackers like Raging Bolt and Gholdengo or Stored Power users like Iron Crown and Hatterene cannot break through. If the team lacks another Stealth Rock setter, then Stealth Rock can be run instead, especially because entry hazard removers like Great Tusk and Cinderace hate getting crippled by Toxic and thus lose to it long-term. Similarly, Spikes is also another option if another Stealth Rock setter is present on the team. Although Earthquake is its preferred STAB move, Bulldoze can be used instead to trade power for greater PP, allowing Clodsire to continually chip away at Pokemon like Gholdengo and Pecharunt during longer games. Similarly, Poison Jab trades the reliable status of Toxic for greater PP and actual damage, notably a harder hit against the Toxic-immune Clefable, as well as offering a way for Clodsire to spread status while Taunted and against Pokemon with Magic Bounce, valuable against threats like Enamorus and Hatterene. A niche alternative is Poison Sting, which trades Poison Jab's power for even higher PP while still capable of spreading poison; the lack of contact is also useful against Pokemon like Rocky Helmet Landorus-T and Flame Body Moltres. Tera Steel gives Clodsire valuable resistances that allow it to check Psychock users like Gholdengo, Hatterene, and Iron Valiant while still maintaining its Fairy resistance and poison immunity from them and Pecharunt, respectively. Alternatively, Tera Dark gives Clodsire a Psychic immunity, crucial for checking Stored Power, Psychic Noise, Future Sight, and Psyshock users like Iron Crown, Galarian Slowking, and Hatterene more reliably.
Due to Clodsire's passive nature, it slots best onto stall and bulkier balance teams, which appreciate the defensive capabilities it brings. Teammates like Dondozo and Alomomola appreciate Clodsire's ability to check threatening sweepers like Raging Bolt, while Clodsire can rely on them to check physical attackers like Great Tusk and Landorus-T. Another teammate that Clodsire pairs especially well with is Blissey, as together they form an extremely potent defensive core that can wall almost any special attacker. Clodsire covers threats like Serperior and Gholdengo that can boost past Blissey's sheer bulk, while Blissey beats special attackers like Primarina, Iron Crown, and Walking Wake that can hit Clodsire for super effective damage. Gliscor and Clefable can serve as Knock Off absorbers, as well as setting entry hazards, allowing Clodsire to run Amnesia. On bulkier balance teams, Clodsire pairs well with Skarmory as the defensive backbone of the team, setting hazards and forcing switches to chip down offensive threats like Great Tusk, Darkrai, and especially Gliscor, which Clodsire is completely helpless against. Corviknight also excels as a partner, absorbing Knock Off that can cripple Clodsire, as well as beating Gliscor, Skarmory, and opposing Corviknight, all of which Clodsire struggles against. Garganacl can soak up status from threats like Hex Dragapult and Cinderace while providing physical bulk that Clodsire appreciates. Offensive partners like Dragapult and Zamazenta threaten Pokemon that Clodsire can't handle such as Walking Wake, while Clodsire walls threats like Iron Valiant and Enamorus that its partners would otherwise struggle against. Another good teammate is Kingambit, which can absorb Future Sight and other Psychic-type attacks that would threaten Clodsire, while Clodsire beats Pokemon that Kingambit struggles against, like Raging Bolt, Moltres, and Iron Moth.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 616497, "username": "FayaWizard"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 612907, "username": "sequoia"}, {"user_id": 177111, "username": "Magcargo"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 569291, "username": "zinnias"}, {"user_id": 470115, "username": "SolarBeam"}]}]} }, "Kingambit": { "overview": "Kingambit shines as one of the tier's most dangerous sweepers thanks to its solid STAB combination, superb defensive typing, high Attack stat, access to Swords Dance, and incredible ability in Supreme Overlord. Its access to Sucker Punch allows it to compensate for its low Speed and serve as a potent revenge killer, picking off a wide range of faster targets such as Dragapult, Deoxys-S, and Iron Moth. It can also customize its EV spread, item choice, and Tera type selection to tailor itself to what its team desires and overcome many would-be answers. For example, Tera Flying and Air Balloon improve Kingambit's matchup against Ground-types, Tera Fire and Lum Berry let it foil attempted burns from Will-O-Wisp, and Tera Ghost flips its Fighting weakness and turns the tables on Body Press Corviknight and Fighting-types like Zamazenta and Great Tusk. Thanks to these traits and flexibility, Kingambit is welcomed by nearly every offensive archetype in the tier. However, it is heavily burdened by a crippling weakness to Fighting, as well as common attacking types like Fire and Ground. This leaves it struggling against common threats like Zamazenta and Great Tusk without Terastallizing, and plenty of Pokemon like Gholdengo, Deoxys-S, and Iron Crown often slap on Fighting-type coverage to deal with it. Additionally, these Pokemon, as well as Corviknight and Dondozo, often utilize Tera Fighting specifically to turn the tables on Kingambit. Tera Fairy is also commonplace in the tier, as Pokemon like Gholdengo, Raging Bolt, and Iron Moth sometimes utilize it in part to avoid being revenge killed by Kingambit's Dark-type attacks. Additionally, Kingambit's low Speed forces it to rely on Sucker Punch to deal with faster teams and play carefully around Encore from foes such as Ogerpon-W, Dragonite, and Iron Valiant. Relying on Sucker Punch also makes Kingambit vulnerable to well-timed status moves such as Will-O-Wisp, Substitute, and recovery moves from Pokemon like Darkrai, Dragapult, Kyurem, and Iron Moth. The ubiquity of priority moves, such as Raging Bolt's Thunderclap and Dragonite's Extreme Speed, is also an issue for Kingambit's Sucker Punch. On top of this, Kingambit lacks reliable recovery, and it struggles to fit all the moves it wants in one set to threaten targets like Great Tusk, opposing Kingambit, and Hisuian Samurott.
", "comments": "Kingambit has a few other Tera types that it can make use of. Tera Grass flips the matchup against Ogerpon-W and lets Kingambit set up on Ground-types like Great Tusk, Ting-Lu, and Iron Treads. Tera Poison grants Kingambit a Fighting resistance while keeping its immunity to Toxic and has the benefit of absorbing Toxic Spikes for teams that are otherwise at a disadvantage against them. Black Belt can be used on Tera Fighting + Low Kick sets, with the boost in particular letting it 2HKO Dondozo with five Supreme Overlord boosts. Tera Blast is an option on Tera Flying variants that lets Kingambit smash through Great Tusk, Zamazenta, Tera Fighting Dondozo, and even Okidogi that would otherwise not mind Tera Blast Fairy variants, but it misses out on super effective coverage against Hisuian Samurott and Tera Dark Pecharunt. Clear Amulet is another item option to ignore Landorus-T's Intimidate and disrupt Parting Shot from Pecharunt to stop it from switching out. Thunder Wave can be used to cripple incoming switch-ins, such as Zamazenta and Moltres, and it synergizes well with Iron Head's chance to flinch.
", "sets": { "Swords Dance": { "description": "Its ability to immediately dent Fairy-types and Tera Fairy users such as Clefable, Galarian Weezing, Gholdengo, Moltres, and opposing Kingambit with Iron Head can be forgone for either Low Kick or Tera Blast Fairy. Low Kick gives Kingambit a non-Tera-reliant move to hit Hisuian Samurott and opposing Kingambit super effectively while netting crucial benchmarks such as potentially OHKOing Ting-Lu at +2, especially because common Fighting-resistant Pokemon like Galarian Slowking and Pecharunt want nothing to do with Kingambit; Low Kick should only be used on maximum Speed variants to try and hit opposing Kingambit first. While more Tera-reliant, Tera Blast Fairy hits Zamazenta, Great Tusk, Hisuian Samurott, Tera Dark Pecharunt, and Tera Fighting Dondozo super effectively while still netting great neutral coverage against the whole metagame, including the aforementioned Fairy-types and other foes like Kingambit, when paired with its Dark-type STAB moves. Kowtow Cleave can also be dropped for either of the aforementioned coverage moves if need be, but it makes Kingambit struggle to beat neutral walls like Corviknight, and, without committing to Tera Blast Fairy, Alomomola and Zapdos. Leftovers takes further advantage of its defensive profile and works well with Sucker Punch, as foes attempting to play around it will just grant Kingambit more health. Leftovers is especially more effective on variants running the bulky EV spread. Lum Berry mainly prevents Kingambit from being shut down by a burn from the likes of Dragapult, Darkrai, Alomomola, and Moltres. Black Glasses + Tera Dark should exclusively be used together with Kowtow Cleave, as these propel Kingambit's offensive pressure further; with five Supreme Overlord boosts under its belt, Kingambit can reach feats such as 2HKOing even Dondozo with Kowtow Cleave and OHKOing Dragonite through Multiscale with Sucker Punch at +2. Air Balloon allows Kingambit to set up on would-be checks in Landorus-T and most Great Tusk; become a sturdy switch-in to offensive threats like Kyurem and Dragonite that mostly rely on their Ground-type coverage to hit it; and gain an immunity to Spikes, which is one of the ways to limit Kingambit's health before it gets going. The latter reasoning thus makes Heavy-Duty Boots an appealing alternative option to combat entry hazards in general, especially on hazard-stacking teams that lack reliable hazard removers while aiming to play a longer game. Similar to Air Balloon, Shuca Berry can be used instead for its matchup against the aforementioned Ground-types and Ground coverage moves; it gives Kingambit more freedom to take on other attacks before if necessary and it hides Kingambit's item from the opponent at the cost of a complete immunity to Ground, even against Spikes. Tera Ghost flips its Fighting weakness, letting it go toe-to-toe against otherwise solid checks in IronPress users like Corviknight, Skarmory, and Zamazenta more reliably, especially because it naturally puts fear in the likes of Dragapult and Gholdengo from trying to exploit its newfound Ghost weakness. Defensively, Tera Fairy also gives it an overall good defensive typing, notably letting it take on all-out attacking Zamazenta better while maintaining its Dark resistance against other foes like non-Iron Head Kingambit and Weavile. Tera Fighting can be used on Low Kick variants, boosting the move to pressure Ting-Lu, Dondozo, and Great Tusk hard. Tera Flying is an option for its complete immunity to Ground moves from checks like Great Tusk and Landorus-T, especially on sets without Air Balloon. Tera Fire provides a burn immunity from foes like Dragapult, Darkrai, and Moltres, even flipping its Fire weakness against the latter and other threats like Cinderace and Iron Moth. An Adamant nature is preferred, with maximum Speed investment to Speed tie opposing Kingambit; going even further with a Jolly nature gives better odds in winning this interaction, which also helps in outspeeding most variants of Skarmory, Primarina, and Sinistcha. A bulkier EV spread further takes advantage of Kingambit's hit-taking abilities, remarkably reaching feats such as surviving +2 Ogerpon-W's Ivy Cudgel and two Iron Valiant Moonblasts while running just enough Speed for Blissey.
Kingambit's late-game potential and defensive utility make it a near staple on any offensive archetype, ranging from bulky to hyper offense, while still being capable of fitting on balance teams. Physically offensive teammates like Ogerpon-W, Zamazenta, Dragonite, and Swords Dance Iron Valiant are helpful to overwhelm shared checks like Zamazenta, Landorus-T, Moltres, and Dondozo. Simultaneously, special attackers like Calm Mind Iron Valiant, Gholdengo, Dragapult, Iron Moth, Kyurem, and Raging Bolt are similarly helpful to handle and pressure these checks, preventing them from getting free turns to set up or recover health. Additionally, their synergy doesn't stop there, as Zamazenta and some Iron Valiant variants appreciate Kingambit's ability to switch into and threaten Gholdengo and Galarian Slowking; Dragonite can take on Iron Moth and provide a Ground immunity against Landorus-T; Gholdengo can switch into and check Zamazenta for Kingambit; Dragapult can check Zamazenta and bring Kingambit safely via U-turn; and Kyurem and Raging Bolt can threaten and force damage, respectively, onto Kingambit's Ground-type checks in Landorus-T, Great Tusk, and Ting-Lu. Dark-type offensive threats in Darkrai and Hisuian Samurott, in particular, are notable in forming a Dark-type spam core together with Kingambit, which is capable of overwhelming Dark-resistant Pokemon like Zamazenta and Tera Fairy users like Gholdengo, Garganacl, and Moltres together. Moreover, the aforementioned Hisuian Samurott helps chip foes into Kingambit's KO range with its entry hazards, whether it's softening walls like Ting-Lu or potential revenge killers like Ogerpon-W and Iron Moth into Sucker Punch range; thus, other hazard setters like Landorus-T, Glimmora, Deoxys-S, and Ting-Lu are similarly valuable. Defensive pivots like Landorus-T, Zapdos, Pecharunt, and Galarian Slowking are common faces on bulky offense teams that help switch into threats like Cinderace, Landorus-T, Great Tusk, and Zamazenta for Kingambit and are great at bringing it in safely onto the field, especially with Intimidate and Parting Shot to ease its setup; in return, Kingambit helps check Darkrai, Gholdengo, and Dragapult for Galarian Slowking and Pecharunt. Other and more specific offensive playstyles like Sticky Web, dual screens, and the fringe Trick Room can also mesh well with Kingambit. Sticky Web from Ribombee and Araquanid compensates for Kingambit's low Speed against faster threats like Raging Bolt, Hisuian Samurott, and Great Tusk if Kingambit runs a Jolly nature, even making it less reliant on Sucker Punch mind games. Dual screens from Alolan Ninetales give Kingambit an easier time setting up and let it stomach even super effective hits from Iron Moth and Darkrai. Similar to Sticky Web, Trick Room set by teammates like Hatterene can compensate for Kingambit's poor Speed tier, especially against fast foes like Iron Valiant and Encore Ogerpon-W. On balance teams, a sturdier defensive backbone with the likes of Skarmory, Corviknight, Clefable, Gliscor, and Alomomola is similarly appreciated, as on top of switching into Kingambit's aforementioned checks and revenge killers, they can also set entry hazards and bring it in safely via slow pivots; Alomomola can also provide Kingambit with Wish support, while Gliscor and Clefable can further weaken walls with Knock Off. Outside of its utility set, Swords Dance Gliscor, in particular, is also a strong setup sweeper that complements Kingambit well.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 493260, "username": "Marnie"}, {"user_id": 653095, "username": "FavMon=Garchomp"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 548068, "username": "Setsu"}, {"user_id": 612907, "username": "sequoia"}, {"user_id": 110504, "username": "Stads"}, {"user_id": 408271, "username": "Dreadfury"}, {"user_id": 558636, "username": "zastra"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 197240, "username": "sunny"}, {"user_id": 336073, "username": "Rabia"}]}]} }, "Great Tusk": { "sets": { "Offensive Utility": { "description": "Behold, OU's premier entry hazard remover; leveraging its excellent stats, typing, and movepool, Great Tusk offers strong role compression. Ice Spinner complements Headlong Rush, allowing Great Tusk to greatly threaten the likes of Landorus-T, Dragonite, Gliscor, and Hydrapple. Rapid Spin clears hazards and takes advantage of Great Tusk's good matchup against setters such as Iron Treads, Glimmora, and Garganacl. The move also allows it to outspeed Dragapult, Zamazenta, and Darkrai to potentially enable late-game cleaning if its checks are weakened. Stealth Rock plays into its role compression further, freeing up teammates to run other options. Knock Off is a strong middle ground option that hits Air Balloon Gholdengo and Pecharunt for good damage on switch-in as well as removes Heavy-Duty Boots from checks such as Zapdos, Moltres, Alomomola, and Dondozo. It also generally makes good progress by removing various utility items like Leftovers and Rocky Helmet from Clefable, Corviknight, and opposing Great Tusk. Close Combat is a complementary STAB move that hits the likes of Ting-Lu, Hisuian Samurott, and Kyurem for super effective damage and does massive damage to Ogerpon-W, all of which aren't threatened by most of Great Tusk's moves. Head Smash is an interesting option that can hit Moltres and Zapdos hard, common switch-ins to it; similarly, Stone Edge is a viable and safer alternative, keeping Great Tusk healthy and hitting them without fearing Flame Body and Static at the cost of no longer guaranteeing the OHKO on Moltres and bulky Tornadus-T. Particularly on sun teams, Temper Flare grants super effective coverage against would-be checks like Corviknight and Air Balloon Gholdengo, especially if they just switched into its Headlong Rush the previous turn. Heavy-Duty Boots improves its matchup against the entry hazards it's tasked with removing, while Rocky Helmet can punish physical attackers such as opposing Great Tusk, Ceruledge, and Kingambit. Booster Energy is a choice on more offensive teams that appreciate Great Tusk's wallbreaking niche more and don't switch around often where the boost gets wasted easily otherwise. Great Tusk isn't often the main Tera user, but in a pinch, it can utilize several beneficial Tera types to take a hit or defeat its usual checks. Tera Steel allows Great Tusk to flip many of its weaknesses to moves such as Hatterene and Iron Crown’s Psychic Noise, Iron Valiant and Enamorus's Moonblast, Ogerpon-W and Rillaboom's Power Whip and Wood Hammer, Zapdos's Hurricane, and Dragonite's Tera Blast Flying and Fairy. Tera Ice powers up Ice Spinner, letting it beat otherwise solid checks by 2HKOing Zapdos and Sinistcha as well as OHKOing Landorus-T through Intimidate and having good odds to do so against physically defensive Gliscor and Hydrapple. Tera Fire allows Great Tusk to avoid potential burns from Moltres's Flame Body and Will-O-Wisp from users like Darkrai and Dragapult. Both Tera types also grant Great Tusk a resistance to Ice-type moves from Kyurem and Weavile, with Tera Ice being even sturdier against the former due to the lack of Earth Power weakness. When utilizing Booster Energy, Tera Ground and Tera Fighting can both be run to bring Headlong Rush and Close Combat to absurd power levels, such as letting it OHKO even the bulkiest of Pecharunt sets and, with Terastallization, OHKO Ting-Lu and 2HKO Corviknight and Alomomola. However, Tera Ground can also be utilized on non-Booster Energy sets to secure a KO on the likes of Garganacl.
Great Tusk fits on a myriad of offense and balance teams that appreciate the utility it provides. Physical setup sweepers such as Dragonite and Kingambit appreciate Great Tusk's support from the long-term chip damage of either Stealth Rock or Knock Off, making opposing Pokemon vulnerable to entry hazards; Great Tusk and these powerful physical attackers can potentially overwhelm or force their common checks, such as Pecharunt, Zapdos, and Zamazenta, to Terastallize. Spikes setters such as Glimmora, Hisuian Samurott, and Ting-Lu can form a strong pairing with Stealth Rock variants to accumulate large amounts of chip damage or be enabled by Knock Off variants. Glimmora can provide Toxic Spikes with its Toxic Debris while doubling as hazard control in a pinch. Hisuian Samurott checks spinblockers such as Dragapult and Gholdengo with its Ceaseless Edge. Ting-Lu walls special attackers, which Great Tusk is vulnerable to, and can run Stealth Rock to free up a moveslot for Great Tusk. Pivots in general appreciate Great Tusk's Rapid Spin support, especially hazard-prone ones like Ogerpon-W and Iron Crown. Ogerpon-W greatly threatens bulky Water-type foes such as Primarina, Dondozo, and Alomomola with its strong Power Whip, and with Water Absorb, its mere presence discourages Water-type attacks. Alomomola itself is a strong teammate that can provide Wish and Flip Turn support, allowing Great Tusk to utilize its hazard-removing utility more, and it checks most Water-types except Ogerpon-W. In return, Great Tusk can free up Alomomola to run an item other than Heavy-Duty Boots. Galarian Slowking and the aforementioned Iron Crown can patch up Great Tusk's vulnerability to special attacks by being good switch-ins to Fairy-types such as Enamorus and Clefable. In return, Great Tusk benefits from Galarian Slowking's Future Sight + Chilly Reception combination by threatening Future Sight switch-ins such as Iron Crown, Hisuian Samurott, and Gholdengo with its powerful attacks. Other Steel-types, such as Gholdengo and Scizor, that can check Kyurem and Iron Valiant are greatly appreciated as well. Pecharunt is a physically defensive pivot that checks Ogerpon-W and Rillaboom and appreciates Great Tusk's Headlong Rush to handle Steel-types such as Heatran and Kingambit. While Great Tusk is an excellent hazard remover, Ghost-types such as Gholdengo, Dragapult, and Pecharunt may require extra prediction to beat. Therefore, checks to them, such as Garganacl, Ting-Lu, and Kingambit, ease the need to predict. Great Tusk is a staple on Sticky Web teams, especially with Booster Energy, functioning as the team's hazard remover while being a potent threat under Sticky Web with its powerful Headlong Rush and coverage moves. Another offense-oriented archetype Great Tusk fits on is sun, where it gets the Protosynthesis Attack boost and provides Rapid Spin support for Torkoal or Ninetales. While seemingly redundant at first, Great Tusk pairs well with other hazard control, such as Cinderace and Hatterene, as it lets Great Tusk run other items like Rocky Helmet and Booster Energy without missing Heavy-Duty Boots too much. Cinderace can pivot to let Great Tusk get in more easily and check Corviknight for it. Hatterene's appeal is its advantageous matchup against Iron Defense Zamazenta and Deoxys-S, two of Great Tusk's worst matchups, and it offers potent utility with Nuzzle and Pain Split; in return, Great Tusk can handle Hatterene's checks, such as Gholdengo and Glimmora. Another strong Fairy-type that pairs well with Great Tusk is Enamorus, which revenge kills Dragapult and Kyurem and provides Healing Wish support, while Great Tusk checks Heatran and Galarian Slowking, as well as clearing Stealth Rock for Enamorus.
" }, "Defensive": { "description": "Great Tusk presents itself as a premier defensive backbone with its solid defensive typing, access to Rapid Spin, and immense strength even without investment. Headlong Rush is used over Earthquake because its greater power lets Great Tusk OHKO Raging Bolt after Stealth Rock and OHKO both uninvested Gholdengo and bulky Cinderace while not being weakened by Rillaboom's Grassy Terrain. Ice Spinner lets it get past Flying-types like Dragonite, Gliscor, and Landorus-T while both threatening Rillaboom and removing its Grassy Terrain. Rapid Spin allows it to remove entry hazards for its teammates, and the Speed boost lets it scare out usually faster threats like Darkrai and Iron Crown. Stealth Rock is used for role compression, letting Great Tusk both set hazards as well as remove them from its own side. Knock Off, meanwhile, gets rid of items such as Heavy-Duty Boots and Leftovers on foes like Moltres and Clefable. It additionally threatens Ghost-types like Pecharunt, Air Balloon Gholdengo, and Dragapult, letting Great Tusk spin more consistently. Rocky Helmet is the preferred item, as it wears down physical attackers like Kingambit, Zamazenta, and opposing Great Tusk while punishing U-turn from Cinderace and Corviknight. It also has the added benefit of breaking Dragonite's Multiscale upon contact, letting Great Tusk have an instant OHKO on Dragonite with Ice Spinner. Leftovers provides longevity and makes Great Tusk more able to take on Salt Cure Garganacl and Swords Dance Gliscor. Heavy-Duty Boots protects Great Tusk from repeated hazard damage from Spikes, status inflicted by Toxic Spikes, and the Speed drop from Sticky Web. Tera Water is used to combat Hisuian Samurott and Cinderace, while Tera Steel lets Great Tusk resist Rillaboom's Grassy Glide and better take on Deoxys-S, Tornadus-T, and Clefable. Both Tera Water and Tera Steel help combat Ice-type attacks like Weavile's Triple Axel and Darkrai's Ice Beam. Other Tera types can be considered; Tera Ice strengthens Ice Spinner to OHKO specially defensive Gliscor, while Tera Fire gives a burn immunity for Cinderace and Moltres. Tera Ghost makes Great Tusk itself a spinblocker against opposing Great Tusk and Iron Treads while letting it more easily handle Zamazenta. Maximum HP and Speed investment are used to outspeed targets like Hisuian Samurott, Glimmora, and Gholdengo while making it be able to tank attacks from physical attackers from Kingambit easier.
Great Tusk fits well on balance and bulky offense teams, which highly appreciate its defensive properties and utility while still remaining offensively potent. Offensive Pokemon weak to Spikes such as Ogerpon-W and Heatran enjoy Great Tusk's ability to remove entry hazards, letting them not be worn down in longer games. Ogerpon-W threatens Alomomola, Ting-Lu, Moltres, and Dondozo, while it appreciates Great Tusk switching into Kingambit. Heatran checks Rillaboom, Corviknight, and Gholdengo and uses Stealth Rock itself, letting Great Tusk run Knock Off. Additionally, both Ogerpon-W and Heatran appreciate Great Tusk checking Dragonite and switching in on non-IronPress Zamazenta. Ghost-types like Pecharunt, Air Balloon Gholdengo, and Dragapult make Great Tusk's job of removing hazards much harder, as they are able to threaten it out. Thus, strong teammates that can take out Ghost-types such as Choice Scarf Gholdengo, Hisuian Samurott, and Kingambit can be used to threaten them out, allowing Great Tusk to spin. Hisuian Samurott is an especially strong teammate, as it is able to both set Spikes and threaten Moltres and Gholdengo. Alomomola is a solid partner for Great Tusk, as Wish is able to keep Great Tusk healthy to check Gliscor and Garganacl longer. Assault Vest Alomomola and Galarian Slowking can take on Fairy-types like Enamorus, Primarina, and Iron Valiant. Hatterene and Cinderace are also nice to have as additional hazard removal, making teams nearly impervious to the hazards being set on their side of the field. Assault Vest Hatterene checks Kyurem, Deoxys-S, and can additionally help against Raging Bolt, which can greatly damage Great Tusk with its Dragon-type attacks, while Rocky Helmet Hatterene in combination with Rocky Helmet on Great Tusk can very easily wear down U-turn users like Landorus-T and Cinderace. In return, Great Tusk checks variants of Gholdengo, Heatran, and Kingambit. Cinderace, meanwhile, is able to pivot Great Tusk in with U-turn and threaten Rillaboom and Corviknight, while Great Tusk can take on Glimmora and Gliscor. The combination of Cinderace or Hatterene and Great Tusk can enable hazard-weak threats such as Assault Vest Tornadus-T and Kyurem and frees Dragonite from using Heavy-Duty Boots for Dragon Dance sets. Grass-types like Rillaboom and Dragon-types like Dragapult, Raging Bolt, and the aforementioned Dragonite assist in taking on Ogerpon-W, with the first three also being able to deal with Dondozo. In return, Great Tusk can combat Steel-types like Kingambit and Scizor. Torkoal or Ninetales on sun teams are teammates that allow Great Tusk to get a Speed boost from Protosynthesis, which lets it outspeed threats like Dragapult and Darkrai without needing to use Rapid Spin. Torkoal can run Stealth Rock, which lets Great Tusk run Knock Off and lessens the burden on Torkoal to use Rapid Spin. Ninetales, on the other hand, is able to run Healing Wish, letting Great Tusk have a second chance to stay healthy against physical attackers. Common teammates on sun like Walking Wake and Raging Bolt can additionally aid against physical walls like Dondozo, Moltres, and Alomomola, while Great Tusk can remove hazards for them and threaten out special tanks like Galarian Slowking. ||||||| original text Great Tusk presents itself as a premier defensive backbone with its solid defensive typing, access to Rapid Spin, and immense strength even without investment. Headlong Rush is used over Earthquake because its greater power lets Great Tusk OHKO Raging Bolt after Stealth Rock and OHKO both uninvested Gholdengo and bulky Cinderace while not being weakened by Rillaboom's Grassy Terrain. Ice Spinner lets it get past Flying-types like Dragonite, Gliscor, and Landorus-T while both threatening Rillaboom and removing its Grassy Terrain. Rapid Spin allows it to remove entry hazards for its teammates, and the Speed boost lets it scare out usually faster threats like Darkrai and Iron Crown. Stealth Rock is used for role compression, letting Great Tusk both set hazards as well as remove them from its own side. Knock Off, meanwhile, gets rid of items such as Heavy-Duty Boots and Leftovers on foes like Moltres and Clefable. It additionally threatens Ghost-types like Pecharunt, Air Balloon Gholdengo, and Dragapult, letting Great Tusk spin more consistently. Rocky Helmet is the preferred item, as it wears down physical attackers like Kingambit, Zamazenta, and opposing Great Tusk while punishing U-turn from Cinderace and Corviknight. It also has the added benefit of breaking Dragonite's Multiscale upon contact, letting Great Tusk have an instant OHKO on Dragonite with Ice Spinner. Leftovers provides longevity and makes Great Tusk more able to take on Salt Cure Garganacl and Swords Dance Gliscor. Heavy-Duty Boots protects Great Tusk from repeated hazard damage from Spikes, status inflicted by Toxic Spikes, and the Speed drop from Sticky Webs. Tera Water is used to combat Hisuian Samurott and Cinderace, while Tera Steel lets Great Tusk resist Rillaboom's Grassy Glide and better take on Deoxys-S, Tornadus-T, and Clefable. Both Tera Water and Tera Steel help combat Ice-type attacks like Weavile's Triple Axel and Darkrai's Ice Beam. Other Tera types can be considered; Tera Ice strengthens Ice Spinner to OHKO specially defensive Gliscor, while Tera Fire gives a burn immunity for Cinderace and Moltres. Tera Ghost makes Great Tusk itself a spinblocker against opposing Great Tusk and Iron Treads while letting it more easily handle Zamazenta. Maximum HP and Speed investment are used to outspeed targets like Hisuian Samurott, Glimmora, and Gholdengo while making it be able to tank attacks from physical attackers from Kingambit easier.
Great Tusk presents itself as a premier defensive backbone with its solid defensive typing, access to Rapid Spin, and immense strength even without investment. Headlong Rush is used over Earthquake because its greater power lets Great Tusk OHKO Raging Bolt after Stealth Rock and OHKO both uninvested Gholdengo and bulky Cinderace while not being weakened by Rillaboom's Grassy Terrain. Ice Spinner lets it get past Flying-types like Dragonite, Gliscor, and Landorus-T while both threatening Rillaboom and removing its Grassy Terrain. Rapid Spin allows it to remove entry hazards for its teammates, and the Speed boost lets it scare out usually faster threats like Darkrai and Iron Crown. Stealth Rock is used for role compression, letting Great Tusk both set hazards as well as remove them from its own side. Knock Off, meanwhile, gets rid of items such as Heavy-Duty Boots and Leftovers on foes like Moltres and Clefable. It additionally threatens Ghost-types like Pecharunt, Air Balloon Gholdengo, and Dragapult, letting Great Tusk spin more consistently. Bulk Up can be used to handle boosting threats such as Kingambit and Swords Dance Gliscor while making Great Tusk a potential cleaner alongside Rapid Spin boosts. Rocky Helmet is the preferred item, as it wears down physical attackers like Kingambit, Zamazenta, and opposing Great Tusk while punishing U-turn from Cinderace and Corviknight. It also has the added benefit of breaking Dragonite's Multiscale upon contact, letting Great Tusk have an instant OHKO on Dragonite with Ice Spinner. Leftovers provides longevity and makes Great Tusk more able to take on Salt Cure Garganacl and Swords Dance Gliscor. Heavy-Duty Boots protects Great Tusk from repeated hazard damage from Spikes, status inflicted by Toxic Spikes, and the Speed drop from Sticky Webs. Tera Water is used to combat Hisuian Samurott and Cinderace, while Tera Steel lets Great Tusk resist Rillaboom's Grassy Glide and better take on Deoxys-S, Tornadus-T, and Clefable. Both Tera Water and Tera Steel help combat Ice-type attacks like Weavile's Triple Axel and Darkrai's Ice Beam. Other Tera types can be considered; Tera Ice strengthens Ice Spinner to OHKO specially defensive Gliscor, while Tera Fire gives a burn immunity for Cinderace and Moltres. Tera Ghost makes Great Tusk itself a spinblocker against opposing Great Tusk and Iron Treads while letting it more easily handle Zamazenta. Maximum HP and Speed investment are used to outspeed targets like Hisuian Samurott, Glimmora, and Gholdengo while making it be able to tank attacks from physical attackers from Kingambit easier.
Great Tusk fits well on balance and bulky offense teams, which highly appreciate its defensive properties and utility while still remaining offensively potent. Offensive Pokemon weak to Spikes such as Ogerpon-W and Heatran enjoy Great Tusk's ability to remove entry hazards, letting them not be worn down in longer games. Ogerpon-W threatens Alomomola, Ting-Lu, Moltres, and Dondozo, while it appreciates Great Tusk switching into Kingambit. Heatran checks Rillaboom, Corviknight, and Gholdengo and uses Stealth Rock itself, letting Great Tusk run Knock Off. Additionally, both Ogerpon-W and Heatran appreciate Great Tusk checking Dragonite and switching in on non-IronPress Zamazenta. Ghost-types like Pecharunt, Air Balloon Gholdengo, and Dragapult make Great Tusk's job of removing hazards much harder, as they are able to threaten it out. Thus, strong teammates that can take out Ghost-types such as Choice Scarf Gholdengo, Hisuian Samurott, and Kingambit can be used to threaten them out, allowing Great Tusk to spin. Hisuian Samurott is a especially strong teammate, as it is able to both set Spikes and threaten Moltres and Gholdengo. Alomomola is a solid partner for Great Tusk, as Wish is able to keep Great Tusk healthy to check Gliscor and Garganacl longer. Assault Vest Alomomola and Galarian Slowking can take on Fairy-types like Enamorus, Primarina, and Iron Valiant. Hatterene and Cinderace are also nice to have as additional hazard removal, making teams nearly impervious to the hazards being set on their side of the field. Assault Vest Hatterene checks Kyurem, Deoxys-S, and can additionally help against Raging Bolt, which can greatly damage Great Tusk with its Dragon-type attacks, while Rocky Helmet Hatterene in combination with Rocky Helmet on Great Tusk can very easily wear down U-turn users like Landorus-T and Cinderace. In return, Great Tusk checks variants of Gholdengo, Heatran, and Kingambit. Cinderace, meanwhile, is able to pivot Great Tusk in with U-turn and threaten Rillaboom and Corviknight, while Great Tusk can take on Glimmora and Gliscor. The combination of Cinderace or Hatterene and Great Tusk can enable hazard-weak threats such as Assault Vest Tornadus-T and Kyurem and frees Dragonite from using Heavy-Duty Boots for Dragon Dance sets. Grass-types like Rillaboom and Dragon-types like Dragapult, Raging Bolt and the aformentioned Dragonite assist in taking on Ogerpon-W, with the first three also being able to deal with Dondozo. In return, Great Tusk can combat Steel-types like Kingambit and Scizor. Torkoal or Ninetales on sun teams are teammates that allow Great Tusk to get a Speed boost from Protosynthesis, which lets it outspeed threats like Dragapult and Darkrai without needing to use Rapid Spin. Torkoal can run Stealth Rock, which lets Great Tusk run Knock Off and lessens the burden on Torkoal to use Rapid Spin. Ninetales, on the other hand, is able to run Healing Wish, letting Great Tusk have a second chance to stay healthy against physical attackers. Common teammates on sun like Walking Wake and Raging Bolt can additionally aid against physical walls like Dondozo, Moltres, and Alomomola, while Great Tusk can remove hazards for them and threaten out special tanks like Galarian Slowking.
" }, "Bulk Up": { "description": "their changes
Bulk Up Great Tusk is a deadly wincon, capable of taking games thanks to its great natural physical bulk, Speed, and power. Headlong Rush provides great power and is not affected by Grassy Terrain, but Earthquake doesn't drop Great Tusk's defenses, which can let it better check physical attackers. Ice Spinner ensures Great Tusk can hit Flying-types like Gliscor, Landorus-T, and Tornadus-T. The last moveslot has a lot of options. Rapid Spin still allows Great Tusk to spin entry hazards away for the rest of the team while also racking up Speed boosts, and at +1 Speed, Great Tusk outspeeds almost every unboosted threat like Dragapult and Zamazenta. Close Combat can overwhelm Corviknight and Skarmory better than Ice Spinner and smashes Grass-types like Rillaboom and Ogerpon-W. Knock Off provides utility thanks to its ability to remove items, which can force progress, not to mention that it smacks Ghost-types like Dragapult and Gholdengo, which normally uses Air Balloon. Last but not least, Taunt allows Great Tusk to prevent status moves from the likes of Dragapult, Corviknight, and Ting-Lu that will attempt to disrupt its ability to win. A quick mention goes to Stone Edge, which forms neutral coverage with its other attacks but can also help a lot against Moltres in particular. Head Smash is an alternative that can outright OHKO Moltres without needing a boost, but it's a contact move, so beware activating Flame Body. Maximum HP and Speed investment allow Booster Energy to give Great Tusk a Speed boost that lets it outspeed almost all of the unboosted metagame. Consider Leftovers and Rocky Helmet as alternatives only if Great Tusk has sun support, because sun will naturally activate Protosynthesis. Great Tusk also has a good variety of Tera types. Tera Ice boosts the power of Ice Spinner, letting Great Tusk OHKO Dragonite after a Bulk Up, and lets it get a Defense boost under snow. Tera Steel flips its common weaknesses into resistances, granting better matchups against Rillaboom, Deoxys-S, Iron Valiant, Tornadus-T, and Kyurem. Tera Ghost combines particularly well with Taunt; together, they stonewall IronPress Pokemon like the aforementioned Zamazenta, Corviknight, and Skarmory, allowing Great Tusk to take advantage of them, and its newfound weakness to Dark-types like Kingambit and Hisuian Samurott can be mitigated thanks to the Defense boosts Bulk Up provides. Tera Fire grants Great Tusk an immunity to Will-O-Wisp from common users like Cinderace and Dragapult and resistances to Grass-, Ice-, and Fairy-type attacks, letting Great Tusk safely set up against Cinderace and improving the matchup against the likes of Iron Valiant and Rillaboom.
This set finds itself in both hyper offense and sun teams as a wincon that can snowball out of control pretty fast. The biggest weakness this set faces is Great Tusk's poor Special Defense, which lets special attackers like Iron Valiant, Tornadus-T, Enamorus, Deoxys-S, and many others beat it. Depending on the set, physical walls like Zamazenta, Corviknight, Alomomola, Moltres, and Dondozo have no problem taking it on. Rillaboom and Ogerpon-W are physical attackers that eviscerate Great Tusk even at +1 Defense. Dragonite is a great partner that can threaten all of these special attackers thanks to its strong priority move. These two can potentially beat each other's checks, with Dragonite having tools like Encore for status moves like Thunder Wave on Clefable and Stealth Rock on Ting-Lu and coverage to beat Great Tusk checks like Zamazenta and Corviknight. In return, Great Tusk can do the same to Dragonite checks with Stone Edge for Moltres and Taunt for Dondozo. Special attackers like Deoxys-S, Iron Moth, and Gholdengo can help beat targets like Corviknight and Zamazenta. The former can beat Moltres and provides Knock Off, dual screens, and entry hazards that allow Great Tusk to set up and sweep. Iron Moth can beat Rillaboom, while Gholdengo can beat Clefable. Great Tusk provides help to these special attackers by breaking through special walls like Blissey, Ting-Lu, and Galarian Slowking. If running sun, Torkoal is also a must because of its access to Stealth Rock and Rapid Spin, which can help alleviate the need for Rapid Spin on Great Tusk. Venusaur benefits from Great Tusk inviting in Grass- and Fairy-types that give it free entry and setup, vaporizing them with Sludge Bomb. Walking Wake can break through teams, with Hydro Steam blasting Pokemon that don't resist Water and Flamethrower dealing with Pokemon that do resist Water like Rillaboom and Ogerpon-W, allowing Great Tusk to sweep. When running hyper offense, Alolan Ninetales is an amazing partner thanks to its Aurora Veil giving Great Tusk more chances to set up. Another good partner is an offensive Stealth Rock user like Glimmora or Ting-Lu whose hazards can be maintained through offensive pressure.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 517709, "username": "1LDK"}, {"user_id": 677476, "username": "mcribs"}, {"user_id": 688041, "username": "GrimtheImpy"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 110504, "username": "Stads"}, {"user_id": 548068, "username": "Setsu"}, {"user_id": 349443, "username": "Tysonslayer"}, {"user_id": 677476, "username": "mcribs"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 384270, "username": "autumn"}, {"user_id": 555379, "username": "Tbolt"}]}]} }, "Slither Wing": { "sets": { "Assault Vest": { "description": "With an excellent Attack stat, STAB-boosted First Impression, and the momentum-generating U-turn complemented by Close Combat, Slither Wing establishes itself as an excellent choice on sun teams as a pivot and revenge killer. All of this while being a solid special tank with Assault Vest, allowing it to tank hits from faster special attackers such as Darkrai, offensive Gholdengo, and Glimmora more comfortably so that teammates can be pivoted in safely; the item also helps Slither Wing survive even OHKOs from moves such as Iron Moth’s sun-boosted Fiery Dance, opposing Walking Wake’s sun-boosted Draco Meteor, and Moonblast from Iron Valiant and Enamorus. With First Impression, Slither Wing can OHKO Darkrai, Ogerpon-W, and Weavile as well as pick off other chipped threats like Kyurem and Walking Wake. In sun, Close Combat lets Slither Wing 2HKO Great Tusk and Raging Bolt while also OHKOing Kyurem and Garganacl. U-turn allows it to generate momentum from predicted switches against foes that it threatens, such as Ting-Lu, forcing significant chip damage in the process, particularly against switchins like Galarian Weezing and Landorus-T. Earthquake is a safe option that hits Ground-weak Pokemon such as Galarian Slowking, Gholdengo without Air Balloon, and Iron Treads, without any drawbacks; however, it fails to threaten Corviknight and Air Balloon Gholdengo and loses out on various damage rolls, such as an OHKO on Iron Treads. Flare Blitz in sun enables OHKOs on Corviknight and Gholdengo at the cost of recoil damage that adds up over time, hurting Slither Wing's longevity as a pivot. Temper Flare is therefore a similar coverage option with the lack of drawback, and works well with its Close Combat after failing to hit incoming Ghost-types, particularly Gholdengo. Tera Steel allows Slither Wing to resist various Fairy- and Psychic-type moves that normally threaten it, such as Moonblast from Iron Valiant and Enamorus and Psyshock from Iron Crown. Tera Steel also reduces Stealth Rock damage, enhancing Slither Wing's ability to pivot further. Tera Fire is also a similar option against the Fairy-types, but also boosts its Fire coverage and prevents it from getting burned by foes like Moltres and Cinderace at the cost of being weak to Stealth Rock.
Slither Wing is almost exclusively found on sun teams that appreciate its ability to pivot, revenge kill foes that have been chipped, and threaten difficult matchups such as Garganacl and Galarian Slowking. Furthermore, Slither Wing appreciates Pokemon that benefit from sun and can capitalize on the momentum it generates while covering foes Slither Wing cannot threaten, such as Dragonite and Moltres. Torkoal provides Stealth Rock and entry hazard removal, so Slither Wing can pivot more consistently. Alternatively, Ninetales is a faster partner that offers excellent utility in Encore and Healing Wish and appreciates the slower pivoting Slither Wing provides to give it safe entry. Walking Wake loves the pivoting Slither Wing provides and appreciates its ability to take care of Walking Wake’s checks, such as Ogerpon-W and Blissey, via First Impression. In turn, Walking Wake's sheer power obliterates Gliscor, Moltres, and Landorus-T, which Slither Wing would otherwise struggle to dent. Like Torkoal, Great Tusk spins away entry hazards that threaten Slither Wing and provides a solid check to many Dragonite sets after Slither Wing breaks Multiscale with U-turn. On a similar vein, Hatterene denies most hazards, except Spikes from Hisuian Samurott, which is a foe that Slither Wing threatens. Raging Bolt is a good teammate as either a secondary pivot or setup sweeper. Raging Bolt complements Slither Wing by threatening Moltres, which could cripple it with a burn.
" }, "Defensive": { "description": "Packing solid bulk and a surprisingly adept defensive typing that resists STAB moves from common offensive Pokemon such as Kingambit, Zamazenta, Great Tusk, Rillaboom, Hisuian Samurott, and Darkrai, Slither Wing serves as a specific but effective defensive pivot thanks to its ability to check many common threats in one teamslot. First Impression can revenge kill many important targets such as Ogerpon-W, Darkrai, and Weavile. U-Turn allows Slither Wing to maintain momentum while forcing out Pokemon that it can switch in on, such as Darkrai, Ogerpon-W, Rillaboom, and Hisuian Samurott. Morning Sun allows Slither Wing to stay healthy throughout a match, allowing it to check the previously mentioned Pokemon long-term. Lastly, Will-O-Wisp allow Slither Wing to cripple Pokemon it can't directly threaten, such as Great Tusk, Dragonite, Zamazenta, and Kingambit. 8 Speed EVs allow Slither Wing to outspeed Adamant Kingambit, while the 28 Attack EVs guarantees the OHKO on Darkrai with First Impression. Tera Steel is the Tera type of choice, allowing Slither Wing to check important threats it otherwise couldn't such as Latios. Tera Dragon is another solid option, giving a strong neutral defensive type that gives resistances to Ogerpon-W's STAB combination while granting a Fire resistance from foes like Cinderace.
Defensive Slither Wing functions best on bulky offense teams, using its good bulk, recovery, and U-turn to provide free switch-ins to its frailer teammates like Darkrai, Iron Valiant, Dragapult and Ogerpon-W. Slither Wing struggles against Moltres and Zapdos, the former punishes U-turn with Flame Body and absorbs Will-O-Wisp, and the latter does the same with Static and Stun Spore. Hard-hitting wallbreakers that can punish these two Pokemon switching in to either set up or wallbreak like Ogerpon-W, Ogerpon-C, Kyurem, and Raging Bolt make for good partners. Gholdengo is also another common roadblock for Slither Wing thanks to its typing, which lets it shrug off Slither Wing’s STAB combination, and Good As Gold, which makes it immune to all status moves, so strong Dark-types that can punish a Gholdengo switch like Darkrai, Hisuian Samurott, and Weavile are also effective partners. Slither Wing forms strong defensive cores with Pokemon like Moltres and Galarian Slowking that can take on offensive threats it cannot handle such as Iron Valiant, Kyurem, Gholdengo, and Primarina. Slither Wing, in return, provides a solid switch-in to the Dark-Types like Kingambit, Hisuian Samurott, Lokix, and Weavile that force out Galarian Slowking as well as being a strong soft check to Ogerpon-W, which greatly threatens these defensive cores. Entry hazard setters such as Ting-Lu, Gliscor, and Landorus-T also make for good partners, as their hazards punish switches forced by First Impression.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 678613, "username": "JackRG"}, {"user_id": 688041, "username": "GrimtheImpy"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 384270, "username": "autumn"}, {"user_id": 513254, "username": "SpZ"}, {"user_id": 571069, "username": "Dead by Daylight"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 555379, "username": "Tbolt"}, {"user_id": 567354, "username": "sappheiros"}]}]} }, "Sandy Shocks": {"sets": {"Offensive Pivot": {}}}, "Iron Treads": { "sets": { "Utility": { "description": "Iron Treads functions as an excellent entry hazard control option, using its good Speed and access to Stealth Rock and Rapid Spin in order to effectively set and deny hazards while checking important Pokemon such as Raging Bolt, Galarian Slowking, Pecharunt, and Gholdengo. Knock Off can be used in order to remove important items such as Heavy-Duty Boots from would-be defensive switch-ins such as Moltres and Zapdos, while Ice Spinner is an option in order to hit Flying- and Grass-types that would otherwise switch in such as Dragonite, Landorus-T, Gliscor, and Hydrapple for super effective damage. An alternative EV spread of 248 HP / 252 SpD / 8 Spe with a Careful nature can be used as a more defensive utility piece, letting it better check Raging Bolt on some bulkier teams, with 8 Speed EVs allowing Iron Treads to outspeed the aforementioned Raging Bolt. Leftovers can be used to improve Iron Treads's longevity, allowing it to function as a utility piece better; alternatively, Air Balloon enables Iron Treads to switch into Ground-type attacks from foes such as Gliscor, Great Tusk, Landorus-T, and Dragonite. Clear Amulet is another niche option to block Pecharunt's Parting Shot while also letting Iron Treads ignore Landorus-T's Intimidate. Assault Vest is a niche option that should only be used on teams where Stealth Rock from Iron Treads is not needed; this gives it the much-needed special bulk without compromising its offensive investment and letting it run both Knock Off + Ice Spinner simultaneously. Tera Ghost gives Iron Treads the ability to block Rapid Spin while also providing a useful Fighting immunity for foes such as Zamazenta, Iron Valiant, and Great Tusk.
Iron Treads fits primarily on bulkier offensive structures where its ability to set and remove entry hazards is greatly appreciated. As Iron Treads functions as an excellent check to Raging Bolt and, when holding an Air Balloon, Enamorus, Pokemon that struggle against these such as Hisuian Samurott and Zamazenta enjoy the defensive utility that Iron Treads provides, as well as its removal of hazards that allows them to come in more times in a game. In return, Zamazenta can break through foes such as Ting-Lu and Hisuian Samurott that Iron Treads could otherwise struggle with, while Hisuian Samurott can form a potent hazard stacking core with it, being able to consistently set Spikes. Iron Treads can also consistently remove hazards, meaning hazard-weak teammates such as Choice Scarf Enamorus and Choice Specs Kyurem appreciate Iron Treads greatly. In return, Enamorus can beat Fighting-types such as Zamazenta and Great Tusk that Iron Treads would otherwise struggle with, while Kyurem can more easily handle Ground-types such as Landorus-T and Gliscor for it. Iron Treads can often struggle to deal with defensive Flying- and Water-types such as Moltres, Corviknight, Alomomola, and Dondozo; Electric-types such as Raging Bolt and Zapdos can deal with them, with Iron Treads in exchange removing hazards for Raging Bolt and preventing Zapdos from being taken advantage of by opposing Raging Bolt. Iron Treads also is forced out by common Fire-types like Cinderace and Iron Moth, meaning Fire-resistant teammates such as Primarina, Garganacl, and Dragonite are appreciated. Iron Treads and Dragonite can attempt to overwhelm shared checks such as Moltres and Zapdos, with Iron Treads potentially being able to remove their Heavy-Duty Boots, allowing Dragonite to break through far more easily using the Stealth Rock that Iron Treads itself sets. On bulkier teams, Moltres can also be a good partner, as it provides Iron Treads with a good Great Tusk and Zamazenta switch-in, while Ogerpon-W can also be an effective teammate in order to break through Fire-, Water-, and Ground-types such as Moltres, Great Tusk, Alomomola, Dondozo, and Gliscor for Iron Treads. In return, Iron Treads can remove hazards for the otherwise hazard-prone Ogerpon-W while helping it against Pecharunt, which could otherwise threaten it with Malignant Chain. Iron Treads also often finds itself vulnerable to Fighting-type attacks, meaning teammates such as Gholdengo and Pecharunt are enjoyed in order to answer foes such as Iron Valiant and Zamazenta, with Iron Treads in return beating Raging Bolt and opposing Gholdengo. On some fatter structures, Iron Treads enables teammates such as Alomomola to run items other than Heavy-Duty Boots, with Alomomola in return providing Wish support, helping Iron Treads's poor longevity.
" }, "Lead": { "description": "Iron Treads's solid Speed tier boosted by Quark Drive allows it to reliably set Stealth Rock as well as consistently use Rapid Spin. Acting as a fast lead with Booster Energy, Iron Treads can specialize in either physical attacks, with Ice Spinner as coverage to hit Flying-types like Landorus-T and Dragonite, or special attacks like Steel Beam as a way to get off heavy damage on bulkier foes like Great Tusk, Hatterene, and Kyurem and potentially give a teammate a free switch-in by KOing itself, which also gives it another way to block Defog and Rapid Spin. A physical Iron Treads can use Earthquake to take on Raging Bolt to prevent it from boosting with Calm Mind, whereas Special Iron Treads can use Earth Power to stop Pecharunt from blocking Rapid Spin. On either set, Iron Treads should always use a Speed-boosting nature to ensure a Speed boost from Quark Drive. Tera Ghost allows Iron Treads to block Rapid Spin from Great Tusk and opposing Iron Treads, as well as protect it from Fighting-type attacks from Pokemon such as Zamazenta in a pinch.
Lead Iron Treads's ability to set entry hazards and keep them off its own side make it an extremely useful trait on offensive teams, especially hazard-stack builds. Zamazenta is one of Iron Treads's premier teammates thanks to the latter's ability to handle many of Zamazenta's checks, walling Raging Bolt while shrugging off Fairy-type attacks from the likes of Enamorus, enabling Zamazenta to act as a setup sweeper with more impunity. Iron Treads can support slower teams thanks to Booster Energy, dealing with faster threats such as Deoxys-S and chipping them down to be more easily cleaned up later by powerful teammates like Dragonite. On hazard-stack teams, Hisuian Samurott can pile on additional chip damage with Spikes from Ceaseless Edge, and Gholdengo and Pecharunt can both block hazard removal while handling faster threats that can exploit its weaknesses like Iron Valiant and Ogerpon-W, building a core with Iron Treads that can keep pressure on enemy teams. These hazards support offensive teammates like Dragonite, Iron Valiant, Ogerpon-W, and Ceruledge, allowing them to break through opposing structures easier, and in turn, these teammates benefit strongly from Iron Treads's ability to keep entry hazards away with Rapid Spin, allowing them to get away with not running Heavy-Duty Boots. Iron Treads is also a great asset on rain teams, as it absorbs Electric-type moves to protect Pelipper and acts as speed control for slower wallbreakers like Raging Bolt, outspeeding threats like Dragapult and opposing Raging Bolt that would give it trouble.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 359575, "username": "Nichalho"}, {"user_id": 632421, "username": "Medasus"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 633798, "username": "kd458"}, {"user_id": 110504, "username": "Stads"}, {"user_id": 548068, "username": "Setsu"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 528364, "username": "adorluigi"}, {"user_id": 555379, "username": "Tbolt"}]}]} }, "Iron Hands": { "sets": { "Swords Dance": { "description": "Swords Dance Iron Hands carves a decent niche as an extremely bulky and hard-hitting wallbreaker as well as a physical tank capable of outdamaging and outlasting most other physical attackers. Drain Punch greatly enhances Iron Hands's longevity, allowing it to heal itself out of 2HKO range against threats like Ogerpon-W, Ting-Lu, and all-out attacking Zamazenta variants while maintaining significant offensive pressure. Close Combat is a solid alternative; while it completely sacrifices the added longevity from Drain Punch, its astonishing damage output—outdamaging a super effective Ice Punch against neutral targets—allows Iron Hands to wallbreak more easily. This gives it a high chance to OHKO Raging Bolt after Stealth Rock damage with Booster Energy active while outright OHKOing the likes of maximum HP Great Tusk and uninvested Zamazenta with Booster Energy and a Swords Dance boost. Thunder Punch is a consistent and reliable option that KOes the likes of Primarina, Skarmory, and Corviknight while also offering a stronger hit against Fairy-types like Clefable, Enamorus, and Iron Valiant. Supercell Slam is a significantly stronger alternative, boasting a high chance to OHKO Corviknight after Stealth Rock damage and 2HKO Clefable and bulky Gholdengo variants outright. However, the risk of Iron Hands suffering disastrous recoil damage if it misses or if the opponent switches into a Ground-type can be unappealing. Ice Punch rounds out Iron Hands's coverage with a strong attack against Dragon-types like Dragapult and Dragonite, as well as Ground-types like Landorus-T and Gliscor. If Iron Hands opts to run Drain Punch over Close Combat, Ice Punch is also its strongest attack into Raging Bolt and Great Tusk. The massive one-time Attack boost from Booster Energy cranks up Iron Hands's damage to absurd levels, allowing it to reach crucial OHKO and 2HKO benchmarks against Raging Bolt, Great Tusk, Skarmory, and Clefable with Close Combat and Supercell Slam. Shuca Berry is a great alternative, particularly on Tera Fire variants, to provide Iron Hands with a one-time neutrality to powerful Ground-type attacks like Great Tusk's and Ursaluna's Headlong Rush, Dragonite's Earthquake, or, if Tera Fire, Enamorus's Earth Power, allowing Iron Hands to trade against these threats. Tera Flying allows Iron Hands to turn its exploitable Ground weakness into an immunity, flipping its matchup against Great Tusk in its favor, and allowing it to more easily trade against the aforementioned attackers. Tera Fire is a great alternative, especially when paired with Shuca Berry, to grant Iron Hands a resistance to Fairy-type attacks from Iron Valiant, Enamorus, and Clefable and an immunity to Flame Body from Moltres and Will-O-Wisp from Dragapult, Moltres, and Cinderace. Grassy Seed can be considered when paired with Rillaboom to provide a one-time Defense boost, dramatically improving Iron Hands's longevity, particularly against defensive Great Tusk, allowing it to more easily set up a Swords Dance and start throwing out powerful boosted attacks. The Speed EVs let Iron Hands outspeed uninvested base 60s like Clefable and Primarina; after maximizing its Attack, the remaining EVs improve Iron Hands's lower special bulk.
Iron Hands generally fits best on dual screens and Aurora Veil teams, which can support its setup by rendering it extremely difficult to 2HKO and nearly impossible to OHKO. Alolan Ninetales is far and away the best dual screens setter thanks to Aurora Veil and as such is a fantastic teammate for Iron Hands. On these teams, Iron Hands can help wallbreak against threats like Dondozo, Corviknight, Skarmory, Clodsire, and Blissey to support faster setup sweepers like Zamazenta, Dragonite, and Raging Bolt that struggle against these defensive threats. In return, their higher Speed or powerful priority attacks can patch up Iron Hands's less-than-stellar matchup against faster offensive teams. Great Tusk is a solid teammate that provides Rapid Spin support to preserve Iron Hands's precious HP. It also benefits from Iron Hands's ability to remove the likes of Dondozo, Corviknight, and Skarmory should Great Tusk opt to run a fast Bulk Up set. Iron Hands is a tremendous defensive answer to Kingambit, which requires either Low Kick alongside a Swords Dance boost and multiple fainted allies, or the highly committal Tera Blast Fairy, to even have a chance to KO a healthy Iron Hands. Kingambit is then easily dispatched by a Fighting-type attack if it doesn't Terastallize. Offensive threats that appreciate Kingambit's removal, with Gholdengo and Dragapult being standout options among these, make for great teammates, as they can more easily spam their powerful Ghost-type STAB moves without worrying about Kingambit resisting them. Iron Hands is quite solid on Grassy Terrain teams with Rillaboom, which can support it by letting it run Grassy Seed as an item, granting it much-needed passive recovery, and even cutting Earthquake's damage to make Iron Hands incredibly difficult to eliminate. Rillaboom and its frequent partner Hawlucha enjoy Iron Hands's removal of Corviknight, Skarmory, Moltres, Zapdos, and Dragonite, letting them clean up late-game after Iron Hands tears holes in the opposing team. Iron Hands can also function on more standard offensive teams due to its solid breaking power and hit-taking capabilities. On these teams, Landorus-T can use Intimidate alongside U-turn to pivot Iron Hands in safely, give it opportunities to wallbreak, and can support its wallbreaking capabilities further with Stealth Rock. Pecharunt can support Iron Hands by more safely answering Iron Defense Zamazenta, which can give Iron Hands some issues.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 408271, "username": "Dreadfury"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 612907, "username": "sequoia"}, {"user_id": 571069, "username": "Dead by Daylight"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 657738, "username": "vaderaven"}, {"user_id": 384270, "username": "autumn"}]}]} }, "Iron Jugulis": {"sets": {"Offensive": {}}}, "Iron Moth": { "sets": { "Booster Energy": { "description": "With its great Special Attack, good Speed augmented by Booster Energy, and a long list of coverage moves to pick from, Iron Moth becomes one of OU's premier offensive threats. Iron Moth not only acts as a revenge killer but also can quickly snowball as a sweeper with Fiery Dance's boosts, plus it offers defensive utility for its team by absorbing Toxic Spikes and checking the likes of Iron Valiant, Enamorus, Rillaboom, and Gholdengo. Dazzling Gleam may be used to hit the likes of Dragapult, Hisuian Samurott, and Dragonite; its power may be augmented by Tera Fairy to score OHKOs against Dragapult and Hisuian Samurott. Tera Fairy also provides Iron Moth a resistance to revenge kill attempts via Kingambit's and Hisuian Samurott's Sucker Punch and an immunity to Dragon-type moves such as Dragapult's Dragon Darts and Raging Bolt's Draco Meteor. Tera Blast Ground may be used to target the likes of Ceruledge, Heatran, and Galarian Slowking, with Tera Ground denying crippling attempts from Thunder Wave Galarian Slowking and revenge killing from Thunderclap Raging Bolt. Tera Blast Water is an alternative that targets the aforementioned Fire-types as well as Moltres and Gliscor, and Tera Water turns Iron Moth's Water weakness into a resistance, denying revenge killing attempts from the likes of Primarina's Surf and Walking Wake's Hydro Steam. Energy Ball is another option to hit the likes of Alomomola, Dondozo, and Garganacl, with Tera Grass providing the extra power to OHKO Great Tusk; furthermore, Tera Grass's resistance to Earthquake greatly improves Iron Moth's matchup against Ting-Lu, which it can 2HKO with Energy Ball after one Fiery Dance Boost. Psychic is an option to hit Glimmora, Toxapex, Clodsire, and opposing Iron Moth. Substitute may be used to leverage the switches that Iron Moth usually forces; deny revenge killing attempts from Kingambit's Sucker Punch and Raging Bolt's Thunderclap; block status moves such as Galarian Slowking's Thunder Wave; and take advantage of Garganacl's Salt Cure, which does not break Substitute after Iron Moth Terastallizes. Similarly, Toxic Spikes may be used to let Iron Moth take advantage of a free turn, further aiding its teammates and crippling foes that would usually try to take it on such as Ting-Lu, Assault Vest Alomomola, and Tyranitar. Whirlwind may also be used alongside Toxic Spikes to more easily force poison on these Pokemon and to phaze slower foes that may try to phaze Iron Moth itself, such as Roar Zamazenta and Whirlwind Ting-Lu. On sun teams, Iron Moth may run Solar Beam to further pressure the likes of Ting-Lu and Garganacl or Morning Sun to remain healthy. Tera Ghost grants Iron Moth an immunity to Dragonite's Extreme Speed and Blissey's Seismic Toss, denying revenge killing attempts from the former while potentially letting it wall the latter; when running Tera Ghost, Tera Blast may be considered to hit Dragapult, Galarian Slowking, and Ceruledge. Maximum Speed and only 132 Special Attack EVs allow Iron Moth to attain a Speed boost with Booster Energy, getting the jump on otherwise faster foes such as Deoxys-S and Dragapult; the remaining 124 EVs are allocated in Defense to make up for Iron Moth's poor physical bulk. Maximum Special Attack and Speed may also be considered, as Booster Energy will now augment Iron Moth's sky-high Special Attack, which is particularly appreciated on teams that don't need the extra Speed, such as Sticky Web teams.
Iron Moth is usually found on offense teams, with their fast-paced style reducing the negative effect of Booster Energy's one-time use. Physical attackers such as Dragonite and Zamazenta appreciate Iron Moth's good matchup against physical walls such as Pecharunt, Galarian Weezing, Clefable, and even Iron Defense Zamazenta to an extent, as Iron Moth outspeeds it and resists its Body Press; in turn, they can take on Heatran and Ting-Lu, which trouble Iron Moth. Similarly, Great Tusk, Ting-Lu, and Landorus-T can check Heatran, Glimmora, and Galarian Slowking while benefiting from Iron Moth's good matchup against Corviknight, RIllaboom, and Ogerpon; these Pokemon also provide entry hazards to soften foes for Iron Moth, with Great Tusk and Landorus-T removing hazards that chip Iron Moth or preventing setup of such with Rapid Spin and Taunt, respectively. Ogerpon-W and Rillaboom appreciate Iron Moth checking Galarian Weezing, Pecharunt, and Hydrapple for them,and they may chip at the likes of Dragonite so that Iron Moth has an easier time cleaning late-game. Special attackers like Gholdengo and Deoxys-S may be paired with Iron Moth to weaken shared checks such as Ting-Lu and Assault Vest Hisuian Samurott. Similarly, Iron Valiant can pressure shared checks in Assault Vest Primarina and Galarian Slowking, while Iron Moth handles Gholdengo, Clefable, and Scizor, which may trouble Iron Valiant. Iron Moth often finds itself on sun and Sticky Web teams, where Raging Bolt also shines; not only does Raging Bolt weaken shared checks such as Ting-Lu and Clodsire, but it also takes on Assault Vest Alomomola and Hisuian Samurott. Walking Wake and Slither Wing also often find themselves on sun teams and appreciate Iron Moth's ability to take on Fairy-types such as Iron Valiant and Enamorus, while they are able to threaten Iron Moth checks such as Heatran and Ting-Lu, as well as Blissey in Slither Wing's case.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 548068, "username": "Setsu"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 647728, "username": "Heatranator"}, {"user_id": 633798, "username": "kd458"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 649096, "username": "a blue banana"}]}]} }, "Gholdengo": { "overview": "With an excellent typing, moveset, and ability, Gholdengo stands out as an incredibly valuable Pokemon that can act as both a defensive and offensive glue on virtually any team style from hyper offense to balance. Its typing allows Gholdengo to check numerous relevant threats such as Iron Valiant, Zamazenta, Kyurem, and Galarian Slowking, and Good as Gold allows it to take on status users like Clefable and Zapdos, phazers like Ting-Lu, and Encore or Taunt from foes like Ogerpon-W, Iron Valiant, and Deoxys-S; both of these combined also makes Gholdengo one of the sturdiest methods to stop entry hazard removal, as it prevents some of the most common formes in Corviknight's Defog, Glimmora's Mortal Spin, and Great Tusk and Iron Treads's Rapid Spin. Gholdengo's moveset also gives it many options; Nasty Plot allows it to act as a wincon and wallbreaker, letting it overwhelm foes with excellent coverage and the longevity provided via Recover. It is also an excellent status spreader with Thunder Wave, giving Gholdengo a way to cripple faster foes such as Zamazenta, Darkrai, and Dragapult, synergizing well with its Hex. Choice Scarf patches up its middling Speed and lets it act as a team's speed control, which also lets it run Trick to cripple setup sweepers like Dragonite and Zamazenta as well as defensive switch-ins against bulkier teams. Gholdengo, however, suffers from an awkward Speed tier without a Choice Scarf, as it is slower than many relevant threats such as Darkrai, Kyurem, Cinderace, and Great Tusk. It also often invites in common Pokemon that can threaten it directly such as Kingambit and Hisuian Samurott, and special walls such as Ting-Lu, Assault Vest Tornadus-T, and Clodsire can give it trouble.
", "comments": "Covert Cloak is an option to take on Garganacl's Salt Cure and Hatterene's Nuzzle, as well as avoid the Defense drop from Zamazenta's Crunch. Ability Shield lets Gholdengo ignore Galarian Weezing's Neutralizing Gas, allowing Good as Gold to continue blocking Defog. Thunder Wave is an option on Choice Scarf sets in order to surprise and cripple threats such as Ogerpon-W and Tornadus-T. Choice Specs can be used to wallbreak while still having the utility of Trick, with the immediate power boost letting it 2HKO Ting-Lu with Focus Blast after Stealth Rock, although this set is notably held back by Gholdengo's Speed. Salac Berry fixes the Speed issue on Nasty Plot Gholdengo in a pinch and allow a potential sweep late-game. Red Card takes advantage of its bulk to act as a one-time phazer against boosted threats such as Iron Valiant. Eject Pack allows Gholdengo to pivot once after using Make It Rain, providing team support by keeping up momentum. Custap Berry is another option to mitigate its Speed issue, and it can be used to surprise foes and hit back against would-be revenge killers like Dragapult and Iron Valiant.
", "sets": { "Offensive Nasty Plot": { "description": "Thanks to Good as Gold and excellent defensive typing that lets it set up on Pokemon like Galarian Slowking and Clefable, Nasty Plot Gholdengo is a premier wallbreaker in the metagame. Shadow Ball gives it a no-drawback and spammable STAB move to hit most foes neutrally, particularly valuable against opposing Gholdengo. Make it Rain's sheer power is great against Garganacl and Kyurem while hitting neutral threats like Ting-Lu, Zamazenta, and Great Tusk hard. Thunderbolt takes care of Moltres, Hisuian Samurott, and Alomomola. Dazzling Gleam hits foes like Hisuian Samurott, Ting-Lu, and Raging Bolt reliably while being a solid STAB move when paired with Tera Fairy. Focus Blast hits the many Dark-types in the tier; it notably targets Kingambit while hitting Ting-Lu and Hisuian Samurott harder than Dazzling Gleam. Recover gives Gholdengo a way to stay in the battle for longer, particularly against chip damage like Garganacl's Salt Cure, and leverage its defensive utility against the aforementioned threats. Psyshock turns it into a stallbreaker, as it is useful for breaking through special walls that would otherwise contest with Gholdengo, like Calm Mind Blissey and Clodsire. The Ground immunity granted by Air Balloon allows Gholdengo to set up in the face of Gliscor, spinblock Great Tusk and Iron Treads, become a sturdier switch-in against foes like Kyurem and Dragonite, and avoid damage from Spikes. Metal Coat alongside Tera Steel can be used on Make It Rain variants to propel its power to overwhelm checks like Ting-Lu and even OHKO resistant ones like bulky Kingambit and Moltres at +2. On bulkier teams that lack any entry hazard removal, Heavy-Duty Boots can be used instead due to Air Balloon's temporary immunity to Spikes being less appealing with Gholdengo's necessity to switch around more often. Shuca Berry is an option to lure in Ground-type revenge killers like Great Tusk and Landorus-T to flip the matchup against them; the lack of immunity over Air Balloon is made up for Gholdengo's freedom to take on other attacks early in the game as well as hiding Gholdengo's item from the opponent. Gholdengo can make great use of a wide variety of Tera types, both for offensive and defensive purposes: Tera Fairy boosts Dazzling Gleam and gives it a sudden resistance to Dark, potentially mitigating the damage from moves like Knock Off, Crunch, and Sucker Punch from Iron Valiant, Zamazenta, and Kingambit, respectively. Tera Fighting is an option to boost its Focus Blast, notably having good odds to OHKO Ting-Lu at +2, while also providing a Dark resistance similar to Tera Fairy.
Any team can make great use of Gholdengo’s ability to spinblock and prevent Defog, but an offensive team would make the best use of its wallbreaking power. Offensive hazard-stacking cores featuring Pokemon such as Glimmora, Hisuian Samurott, and Deoxys-S can use Gholdengo’s help to keep the pressure on, with Gholdengo in return preventing foes from removing said hazards easily. Powerful wallbreakers like Ogerpon-W and Darkrai provide support for Gholdengo to whittle down defensive cores together. Without using Tera, Gholdengo struggles against the Dark-types and Ghost-types that are so common in the tier, such as Kingambit, Hisuian Samurott, and Dragapult. Having teammates that can check them, like Zamazenta, Enamorus, and Hisuian Samurott give Gholdengo some extra protection and a way to strike back against them. Even if it's using Air Balloon, having another Ground-immune Pokemon, such as Gliscor or Tornadus-T, is extremely helpful to mitigate that weakness. Gholdengo is vulnerable to fast threats such as Dragapult, Walking Wake, and Weavile. Having some form speed control on the team, such as Choice Scarf Enamorus and Meowscarada or priority users like Weavile and Raging Bolt, to counteract these threats is extremely valuable.
" }, "Bulky Nasty Plot": { "description": "Defensive Gholdengo can serve as a bulky spinblocker and powerful setup sweeper in long matches. Its bulk, typing, and access to reliable recovery give it multiple opportunities to pivot into various defensive Pokemon such as Skarmory, Corviknight, Galarian Slowking, and Clefable and make it a more reliable check to key offensive Pokemon such as Iron Valiant, Hatterene, and Zamazenta. It can use its increased bulk to more safely set up a Nasty Plot while sustaining itself with Recover. Gholdengo possesses near perfect coverage with its STAB attacks, making it very difficult to respond to. Dazzling Gleam is an option over Make It Rain, as it deals high damage to Dark-types such as Hisuian Samurott and Kingambit after a Nasty Plot boost. 60 Speed EVs allow Gholdengo to outspeed Jolly Kingambit and Azumarill, as well as uninvested Landorus-T; alternatively, 92 Speed EVs can allow Gholdengo to also outspeed uninvested Gliscor at the cost of losing a noticeable amount of bulk. Air Balloon allows Gholdengo to avoid taking Spikes damage and Ground-type attacks from prominent Pokemon such as Great Tusk and Gliscor, letting it setup on these Pokemon and more safely pivot into Rapid Spin users such as the aforementioned Great Tusk and Iron Treads. Heavy-Duty Boots can be used instead to more reliably mitigate entry hazard damage and more frequently pivot into various defensive Pokemon such as Skarmory even after it has taken damage. Rocky Helmet is a solid alternative to these items that can effectively punish physical attackers like Zamazenta, which is forced to commit to using Crunch against Gholdengo, and force it out due to the threat of significant chip damage. On offensive Grassy Terrain teams with Rillaboom, Grassy Seed can be used to give it setup opportunities against foes like Ogerpon-W and Ting-Lu as well as take on the likes of Dragonite and Zamazenta more comfortably. Gholdengo is a fantastic Terastallization candidate in most matches, as it greatly benefits from neutralizing all of its weaknesses to gain a crucial free turn to setup a Nasty Plot or heal itself with Recover. Tera Fairy gives Gholdengo a better matchup against various Dark-types such as Weavile and Meowscarada and boosts the power of Dazzling Gleam. Tera Water improves Gholdengo's matchups against Iron Moth and Cinderace as well as providing a good defensive typing against much of the metagame. Tera Flying is an alternative option that lets it completely dominate Ground-types such as Great Tusk, Gliscor, and Ting-Lu.
Gholdengo fits quite well on bulky offense and balance teams as a spinblocker. Therefore, Spikes setters such as Ting-Lu, Gliscor, and Skarmory, as well as Stealth Rock setters such as Great Tusk, Garganacl, and Landorus-T greatly appreciate Gholdengo's ability to block most forms of hazard removal. Offensive teammates also appreciate Gholdengo's presence due to its strong defensive profile and ability to absorb status moves. Kingambit in particular greatly benefits from Gholdengo's ability to block status moves and check Pokemon it struggles against such as Zamazenta and Iron Valiant and can capitalize on Gholdengo luring and weakening its other checks such as Great Tusk. Iron Valiant similarly benefits from Gholdengo's ability to check Hatterene, and it can lure and weaken key checks to Gholdengo such as Clodsire with Psyshock. Gholdengo often struggles against offensive teams due to its poor matchup against many key threats such as Darkrai, Kingambit, and Iron Moth. Great Tusk and Dondozo can help alleviate pressure by dealing with Kingambit while simultaneously benefiting from Gholdengo's defensive profile against faster special attackers such as Enamorus. Ting-Lu and Clodsire can handle the special attackers that give Gholdengo trouble, such as Dragapult, and accentuate Gholdengo's threat level with entry hazards. While Gholdengo is excellent at keeping entry hazards on the field, it can often struggle against opposing entry hazard setters such as Ting-Lu, Hisuian Samurott, and Clodsire, particularly if it is unable to Terastallize. Therefore, hazard removal support from Great Tusk is beneficial.
" }, "Thunder Wave + Hex": { "description": "Hex Gholdengo is a powerful support Pokemon and paralysis spreader. Thunder Wave cripples many Pokemon Gholdengo typically struggles with such as Hisuian Samurott, Darkrai, and Cinderace while also being useful against Pokemon Gholdengo is tasked with handling, such as Zamazenta and Iron Valiant. It can then follow up with a powerful Hex on subsequent switch-ins. Make It Rain is the preferred option in the last slot to hit specially frail Ground-types, such as Great Tusk and Landorus-T, and Garganacl for high damage. Dazzling Gleam still hits Great Tusk for good damage while also hitting other Pokemon such as Hisuian Samurott quite hard. Focus Blast is another option that can be used in the last slot, as it is Gholdengo's strongest move against Kingambit, Hisuian Samurott, and Darkrai, OHKOing the latter two after minor chip damage. 60 Speed EVs allow Gholdengo to outspeed Jolly Kingambit and uninvested Landorus-T. Air Balloon allows Gholdengo to avoid Ground-type moves, letting it more reliably spinblock Great Tusk, as well as check Dragonite. Leftovers is also an option, as Gholdengo can force a good amount of switches, granting it more residual healing. Rocky Helmet greatly improves Gholdengo's matchup against Zamazenta, which is forced to use Crunch to meaningfully damage Gholdengo and as such takes significant chip damage. Colbur Berry can also be considered, as it allows Gholdengo to more effectively lure in and paralyze Dark-types such as Weavile and Darkrai while also making it a more reliable answer to Swords Dance Iron Valiant. On teams without hazard removal, Heavy Duty-Boots is also an option to avoid entry hazard damage. Gholdengo can be an effective Tera candidate in order to check a wider range of threats with Thunder Wave. Tera Fairy allows Gholdengo to better check utility Dragapult and resist Dark-type moves from Pokemon such as Weavile and Darkrai, allowing it to get off a crucial Thunder Wave against them while also being helpful against Garganacl by lowering Salt Cure damage. Tera Fairy also has the added benefit of boosting Dazzling Gleam's damage, giving it remarkable odds to OHKO Hisuian Samurott and Great Tusk. Alternatively, Tera Water improves Gholdengo's matchup against Fire-types such as Iron Moth and Cinderace.
Gholdengo is an effective option on teams looking for a bulky spinblocker and paralysis support. Hazard setters such as Landorus-T, Ting-Lu, Glimmora, and Ribombee all benefit from its ability to block removal from the likes of Corviknight and Great Tusk. Kingambit greatly benefits from Gholdengo's presence due to it checking Zamazenta and spreading paralysis, allowing Kingambit to outspeed and KO targets such as Darkrai, Weavile, and opposing Kingambit. Darkrai similarly appreciates Gholdengo's ability to paralyze Zamazenta, Iron Valiant, and Iron Moth, allowing it to more effectively sweep in the late-game. Iron Valiant also enjoys Gholdengo's presence to handle Galarian Slowking and Zamazenta, as well as its ability to spread paralysis to make Iron Valiant less reliant on Booster Energy to revenge kill Pokemon such as Darkrai. Garganacl appreciates Gholdengo's ability to spinblock its Stealth Rock and handle Pokemon it struggles against, such as Galarian Slowking and Encore users such as Ogerpon and Iron Valiant. In turn, Garganacl aids Gholdengo against Fire-types it may struggle against such as Iron Moth, as well as opposing Ghost-types such as Dragapult. As this Gholdengo set is not running a boosting move, it can struggle to make progress against certain Pokemon, particularly bulky Ground- and Electric-types such as Ting-Lu, Iron Treads, and Raging Bolt. As such, it appreciates partners that can handle these types of Pokemon. Great Tusk is an excellent partner, as it can undo any hazards Ting-Lu or Iron Treads set up, switch into Raging Bolt's Electric-type moves, and deal good damage to all three with Headlong Rush. It is also effective against other Pokemon Gholdengo may struggle with such as Kingambit. Darkrai can lure and deal heavy damage to Ground-types such as Ting-Lu and Clodsire with its Nasty Plot-boosted Ice Beam, making it easier for Gholdengo to break through them later. Ogerpon-W can easily break past Ground-types with Ivy Cudgel and is effective at luring in and KOing Raging Bolt with Play Rough. It also appreciates Gholdengo's ability to handle Zamazenta and paralyze faster targets such as Darkrai. As Gholdengo's bulk is middling, it can be prone to being overwhelmed by faster threats such as Darkrai and Iron Moth. Dragonite and Raging Bolt can revenge kill these Pokemon with their powerful Extreme Speed and Thunderclap, respectively, while also being able to weaken Ground-types that may switch into Gholdengo with Ice Spinner and Draco Meteor, respectively. Similarly, Zamazenta can also use these Pokemon as an entry point to set up and sweep with Iron Defense. Dragonite and Zamazenta appreciate Gholdengo's ability to handle their checks such as Enamorus and Skarmory, while Raging Bolt appreciates Gholdengo's ability to weaken Ground-type such as Ting-Lu and Great Tusk. As any status will boost Hex's power, Gholdengo appreciates support from other status spreaders. Moltres can help by spreading burns with Flame Body on Pokemon that typically annoy Gholdengo such Great Tusk and Kingambit while also checking Fire-types like Cinderace. Gliscor is similarly effective at spreading Toxic against Ground- and Electric-types such as Ting-Lu and Raging Bolt, while also completely walling Clodsire. In turn, Gholdengo helps Gliscor maintain its Spikes on the field.
" }, "Choice Scarf": { "description": "Choice Scarf Gholdengo is a great speed control option in the tier capable of outrunning and revenge killing premier offensive threats like Dragapult, Choice Specs Enamorus, and Weavile. Shadow Ball allows it to threaten foes like Galarian Slowking, Skarmory, and Dragapult, while Make It Rain, with its high Base Power, not only becomes challenging to switch into but also enables Gholdengo to effectively revenge kill Pokemon like Enamorus. Trick is a good utility move that allows it to Choice-lock Pokemon like Ting-Lu and Gliscor, hampering their effectiveness. Focus Blast enables Gholdengo to hit Dark-types like Kingambit, Hisuian Samurott, and Ting-Lu. Alternatively, Nasty Plot can be used to turn Gholdengo into a potent late-game cleaner once it has successfully used Trick to get rid of its Choice Scarf. In another vein, Recover can be utilized to keep Gholdengo healthy, especially against bulkier foes, once it has used Trick, allowing it to check them more consistently. Tera Fighting gives Gholdengo a resistance to Dark-type moves, most notably Sucker Punch from Kingambit, and it gives Focus Blast a STAB boost. Tera Ghost boosts the power of its spammable Shadow Ball, letting it clean up late-game more easily; similarly, Tera Steel can be used to better sweep through weakened foes with Make It Rain.
Gholdengo fits well on bulky offense and balance teams, where it functions as a great revenge killer. Teammates that benefit from Gholdengo's presence include Pokemon that appreciate its ability to handle fast and strong offensive threats. For instance, setup sweepers like Calm Mind Raging Bolt and Bulk Up Great Tusk can capitalize on Gholdengo's ability to revenge kill and weaken opposing threats like Dragapult and Choice Specs Enamorus, creating opportunities for Gholdengo's partners to set up and sweep. Great Tusk's access to Rapid Spin also synergizes well with Gholdengo, which is punished by Spikes, so getting rid of them gives Gholdengo more opportunities to switch in. Entry hazard setters like Gliscor, Skarmory, and Ting-Lu also benefit from Gholdengo's ability to serve as an emergency spinblocker. Due to its vulnerability to Dark-type Pokemon like Kingambit and Hisuian Samurott, exacerbated by its reliance on the inaccurate Focus Blast and the inherent risk of being Choice-locked, Gholdengo greatly benefits from the support of teammates that check the aforementioned foes, such as Zamazenta and Iron Valiant. Rillaboom also deserves a special mention as a teammate, as its Grassy Terrain weakens the super effective Earthquake, in addition to acting as a check to foes like Ting-Lu. In return, Gholdengo helps Rillaboom by handling threats that would otherwise be problematic for the latter, such as Corviknight and Skarmory.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 177111, "username": "Magcargo"}, {"user_id": 359575, "username": "Nichalho"}, {"user_id": 547766, "username": "memester"}, {"user_id": 558636, "username": "zastra"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 633798, "username": "kd458"}, {"user_id": 513254, "username": "SpZ"}, {"user_id": 518682, "username": "alkazoth"}, {"user_id": 548068, "username": "Setsu"}, {"user_id": 612907, "username": "sequoia"}, {"user_id": 384270, "username": "autumn"}, {"user_id": 487308, "username": "BT89"}, {"user_id": 110504, "username": "Stads"}, {"user_id": 558636, "username": "zastra"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 262594, "username": "Milak"}, {"user_id": 537035, "username": "rahul_3301"}, {"user_id": 555379, "username": "Tbolt"}, {"user_id": 384270, "username": "autumn"}]}]} }, "Ting-Lu": { "overview": "With an incredible typing, fantastic bulk, and an amazing ability in Vessel of Ruin, Ting-Lu is one of the best special walls in the tier, being able to check threats like Raging Bolt, Gholdengo, and Iron Moth. With access to Stealth Rock, Spikes, and Whirlwind—compounded by its absurd bulk—it is one of the tier’s most reliable entry hazard setters and phazers. Ruination is used to apply consistent pressure and make progress by chipping down defensive Pokemon that lack access to recovery, like Landorus-T and Great Tusk. Unfortunately, without any recovery moves outside of Rest, Ting-Lu is usually reliant on Leftovers for passive healing, making it especially weak to Knock Off, unlike similar bulky Ground-types like Gliscor. Rest is an option, usually seen with Sleep Talk, but it is often tough to fit. Ting-Lu can choose to run other items like Rocky Helmet, particularly to punish Rapid Spin from Pokemon like Great Tusk and Iron Treads, and U-turn from Pokemon like Corviknight. Ting-Lu often runs Red Card, utilizing its gargantuan bulk to eat a hit and phaze out the opposing Pokemon. While it is an amazing defensive Pokemon, many foes Ting-Lu would otherwise beat run options to overcome it or shut it down, like Will-O-Wisp or Knock Off Darkrai, Taunt Deoxys-S, and Solar Beam Raging Bolt. Its lack of reliable recovery also makes it highly susceptible to chip damage, so it can be overwhelmed by the number of strong special attackers it must face. Additionally, reliable hazard control options like Magic Bounce Hatterene and Defog Galarian Weezing can prevent Ting-Lu from keeping hazards on the field. Bulky Water-types like Alomomola and Synthesis Ogerpon-W can switch in on Ting-Lu comfortably and, in the latter's case, threaten it for significant damage in return.
", "comments": "Ting-Lu can utilize its bulk, above-average Attack stat, and solid offensive typing with a Weakness Policy set, activating it against Pokemon like Hatterene, Clefable, Ogerpon-W, and Ice Spinner Dragonite before launching a +2 Earthquake, Stone Edge, Payback, or Heavy Slam in return. This set is most appreciated on faster-paced teams that would appreciate Ting-Lu trading with certain offensive or defensive Pokemon that could be problematic for the rest of your team, catching your opponent by surprise. In a similar sense, Custap Berry is an option on faster teams to lay an additional layer of Spikes or surprise your opponent with an attack like Ruination or Earthquake. Ting-Lu can run Attack investment to hit certain benchmarks, like 2HKOing Darkrai and OHKOing maximum HP Cinderace with Earthquake. With Speed investment, Ting-Lu can run Taunt not only to prevent Pokemon like Galarian Weezing and Corviknight from using Defog but also to prevent Pokemon like Corviknight and Clefable from using recovery moves; it also allows Ting-Lu to outspeed Adamant Kingambit and hit it with Earthquake. Ting-Lu can use Tera Blast Poison, hitting common Fairy- and Grass-type Pokemon like Hatterene, Rillaboom, and Ogerpon-W. Ting-Lu sometimes runs Tera Grass to resist Ogerpon-W's attacks and get entry hazards up against it. Lastly, even with its lower Base Power, Ting-Lu can choose to run Throat Chop over Payback, since the latter does not deal its full damage if the opposing Pokemon switches out.
", "sets": { "Defensive Utility": { "description": "Ting-Lu's titanic bulk and terrific typing not only make it the tier's premier special wall but also let it set entry hazards easily, with it being able to choose between Stealth Rock and Spikes depending on what its teammates lack. If a Stealth Rock setter is present on the team, then Ting-Lu can run Spikes instead, and vice versa; running Stealth Rock also makes Ting-Lu less passive, as it can use its other disruptive moves more freely without spending its turns stacking Spikes. Ruination allows Ting-Lu to apply immediate pressure, giving it a safe and consistent tool to wear down any foe, particularly those that resist or are immune to its Earthquake like Ogerpon-W and Landorus-T. Whirlwind serves double duty, both allowing Ting-Lu to force out threatening boosted foes like Calm Mind Clefable and Swords Dance Gliscor as well as making any foes lacking Heavy-Duty Boots that are forced in take hazard chip damage. As an alternative to Whirlwind, Ting-Lu can use Heavy Slam to hit threats like Enamorus and Clefable that would otherwise be able to come in easily on it, as well as Hatterene, which would otherwise reflect its hazards. Using both Stealth Rock and Spikes is also a good option, freeing up teamates like Garganacl and Gliscor. Leftovers allows Ting-Lu to constantly recover health, something greatly appreciated given its lack of reliable recovery, while Rocky Helmet lets it punish contact moves, particularly Rapid Spin, albeit costing Ting-Lu some of its longevity. Red Card is an alternative option on offensive teams that allows Ting-Lu to instantly force out boosted threats like Dragonite and Kingambit. It can also drag in Booster Energy users such as Iron Moth and Raging Bolt, wasting their Booster Energy. This also frees up the Whirlwind moveslot to more easily allow the use of both hazards. An alternate spread of 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD with an Impish nature can be used to aid Ting-Lu's matchup against physical threats like Ceruledge and Great Tusk, at the cost of its special bulk. Physical bulk is most effective on Red Card sets in order to make sure Ting-Lu survives boosted physical hits to force a sweeper out. Tera Water allows Ting-Lu to rid itself of its Water and Ice weaknesses, helping it deal with attacks like Walking Wake's Hydro Steam and Weavile's Triple Axel. Tera Poison allows Ting-Lu to shed its Fairy and Fighting weaknesses, helping it deal with threats like Iron Valiant, Enamorus, and Zamazenta, as well as blocking Toxic from Pecharunt and Gliscor that would otherwise threaten to wear Ting-Lu down. Tera Ghost can be used instead to completely nullify any incoming Fighting-type attacks like boosted Body Press from Zamazenta as well as blocking Rapid Spin, allowing Ting-Lu to both set hazards and block hazard removal, albeit at the cost of losing the Fairy resistance Tera Poison gives.
Ting-Lu is an incredibly versatile Pokemon that fits well on nearly every offense, bulky offense, or balance team. Ting-Lu's entry hazard-setting prowess allows it to pair with OU's resident removal blocker extraordinaire Gholdengo, ensuring that whatever hazards it sets stay up in the face of Rapid Spin and Defog. Other spinblockers like Pecharunt and Dragapult also can pair with Ting-Lu nicely. Pecharunt in particular forms a good defensive core with Ting-Lu: Ting-Lu takes care of Darkrai and Gholdengo, which would otherwise beat Pecharunt, while Pecharunt helps to manage Swords Dance Iron Valiant, Ogerpon-W, and Zamazenta that would otherwise use Ting-Lu as setup fodder. Ting-Lu’s hazards are greatly appreciated by any attacker, allowing it to pair well with powerful offensive allies like Darkrai and Kyurem. Ogerpon-W in particular benefits from hazards chipping down the few Pokemon that can face the power of its Ivy Cudgel, and Ting-Lu’s defensive traits allow it to take care of Pokemon like Dragapult, Iron Moth, and Raging Bolt that would otherwise check Ogerpon-W. Ting-Lu pairs nicely with physically defensive Pokemon like Dondozo and Galarian Weezing, providing a bulwark against special threats that would otherwise tear through them such as Gholdengo, Iron Moth, and Raging Bolt. Ogerpon-W is an incredibly threatening foe for Ting-Lu, so Pokemon such as Dragonite and Zamazenta that can switch into and threaten it out are greatly appreciated, especially as Ting-Lu complements them by switching into foes that would threaten to wall them like Pecharunt for both or Galarian Slowking for Zamazenta. Additional hazard-setting teammates like Garganacl, Gliscor, and Great Tusk can form a hazard-stacking core with Ting-Lu, allowing it to freely run Whirlwind. The prevalence of Heavy-Duty Boots means Ting-Lu also appreciates Knock Off users like Weavile, Ogerpon-W, and Gliscor to remove them, letting its hazards continuously chip down foes. Ting-Lu's reliance on Leftovers for health recovery can make it vulnerable to hazard chip damage, so it benefits greatly from hazard removal like Great Tusk's or Iron Treads’s Rapid Spin as well as Galarian Weezing's or Corviknight's Defog for teams that are willing to remove the hazards Ting-Lu sets. Galarian Weezing in particular also helps pressure out Gliscor, one of the most reliable switch-ins to Ting-Lu. Ting-Lu's aforementioned Leftovers reliance for recovery also means it greatly appreciates Knock Off absorbers like Gliscor and Corviknight, enabling it to keep its precious Leftovers to avoid being easily worn down. Status absorbers like Gliscor and Clefable are also greatly appreciated, helping Ting-Lu avoid any damaging status that could either nullify or outdamage its Leftovers recovery. Wish support from teammates like Clefable and Alomomola greatly increases Ting-Lu's longevity, giving it extra healing besides Leftovers. Ting-Lu’s bulk, while enormous, can still struggle against powerful super effective attacks like Kyurem's Ice Beam and Enamorus's Moonblast, so teammates like Gholdengo and Galarian Slowking that can cover Ting-Lu’s weaknesses complement it well.
" }, "Resting-Lu": { "description": "Ting-Lu is a solid defensive tank that can be used to answer threats like Dragapult, Gholdengo, and Raging Bolt. Rest allows Ting-Lu to fully utilize its walling potential, giving it more longevity than it otherwise would have by making it much more consistent against foes such as Pecharunt and Will-O-Wisp Dragapult, hazards from the likes of Gliscor and opposing Ting-Lu, and other chip damage such as Garganacl's Salt Cure and Heatran's Magma Storm. Ruination is used to chunk switch-ins such as Landorus-T and provide consistent damage. Payback, an alternative to Ruination, allows Ting-Lu to deal damage to foes weak to Dark, namely Dragapult and Deoxys-S. Sleep Talk's reduced passivity makes Ting-Lu harder to set up on, creating fewer free turns for Pokemon such as Kingambit, Dragonite, and Ogerpon-W. At the cost of being a bit more passive, Ting-Lu can forgo Sleep Talk to compress roles as the team's entry hazard setter by running Stealth Rock if it lacks one. Tera Water allows Ting-Lu to deal with moves from foes such as Kyurem, Walking Wake, and Iron Moth. Tera Poison enables it to become immune to poison from foes it likes to switch into such as Galarian Slowking and Pecharunt while enabling it to come in and out to absorb Toxic Spikes. Furthermore, it allows Ting-Lu to now handle Fighting-types like Zamazenta and Iron Valiant and Grass-type moves from Rillaboom and Ogerpon-W.
Ting-Lu fits on a variety of different balance and stall teams. Pokemon such as Gholdengo and Galarian Slowking appreciate Ting-Lu's presence, as it can check faster foes these Pokemon are weak to, such as Dragapult and Darkrai. In return, Gholdengo checks foes that it struggles against like Zamazenta, and Galarian Slowking checks special variants of Iron Valiant and Primarina for Ting-Lu while providing a safe entry point for Ting-Lu through Chilly Reception when baiting in foes like Dragapult. Spikes Gliscor can be used to wear down Ting-Lu checks like Great Tusk. Ting-Lu also struggles with Flying-types such as Dragonite, Landorus-T, and Gliscor because it has to rely on Ruination or Payback to damage them. Dragonite and Gliscor can also use it as setup fodder, so teammates that threaten these Pokemon, such as Kyurem and Ogerpon-W, are appreciated. Dragonite is also a good partner, as it appreciates a Pokemon that can handle Will-O-Wisp Dragapult in addition to checking foes like Ogerpon-W for Ting-Lu. These Pokemon help with Ting-Lu's passivity with the ability to muscle through foes such as Gliscor and Great Tusk. Dondozo is also a great partner on stall teams, stopping any setup attempts from physical threats like Low Kick Kingambit and Dragonite. Dondozo's walling attempts can get punished by Raging Bolt, so Ting-Lu's ability to answer Raging Bolt is appreciated. Clefable is able to provide utility through Knock Off, which, in conjunction with Ting-Lu's Stealth Rock, helps wear down the opposition; in return, Ting-Lu handles Gholdengo for it.This set is easily worn down by entry hazards, so hazard removal through Defog from partners such as Corviknight and Galarian Weezing is appreciated. Pokemon like Zamazenta appreciate Ting-Lu's ability to take on foes such as Will-O-Wisp Dragapult, being able to sponge status and force it out. This set is also used on pivot balance teams alongside Dragapult, Corviknight, and Galarian Slowking, as these Pokemon pivot on Pokemon Ting-Lu can force damage on or set up Stealth Rock against such as opposing Ting-Lu. These teams appreciate Ting-Lu being able to handle foes such as Dragapult, Raging Bolt, and Darkrai.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 542295, "username": "Blaze"}, {"user_id": 629105, "username": "cala_aa"}, {"user_id": 637983, "username": "duckycrater"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 110504, "username": "Stads"}, {"user_id": 384270, "username": "autumn"}, {"user_id": 548068, "username": "Setsu"}, {"user_id": 558636, "username": "zastra"}, {"user_id": 647728, "username": "Heatranator"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 351546, "username": "Licholas"}, {"user_id": 555379, "username": "Tbolt"}, {"user_id": 681606, "username": "BrisingrDraconis"}, {"user_id": 197240, "username": "sunny"}, {"user_id": 384270, "username": "autumn"}]}]} }, "Iron Valiant": { "overview": "Iron Valiant stands out as a top-tier offensive Pokemon in OU, able to utilize its Speed; high attacking stats; and a wide movepool of setup, coverage, and utility to devastate any Pokemon that might attempt to check it. Its various sets, such as Swords Dance, Calm Mind, mixed, and Choice Specs, have very different counterplay from each other, and thus a well-played Iron Valiant can take out Pokemon such as Zapdos and Galarian Slowking that might want to check its Swords Dance and Calm Mind respectively. With Booster Energy, Iron Valiant becomes an incredible late-game cleaner and revenge killer, able to outspeed and subsequently threaten Pokemon such as Zamazenta, Dragon Dance Dragonite, and Darkrai. Choice Specs takes advantage of Moonblast's spammability and lets Iron Valiant break through and even 2HKO otherwise common Iron Valiant answers such as Assault Vest Hatterene, Galarian Weezing, and specially defensive Gliscor due to its sheer power. Iron Valiant can furthermore dip into its utility movepool, with options such as Encore, Destiny Bond, and Trick either to give it more setup turns, allow it to surprise typical counterplay even further, or emergency check opposing offensive threats. However, Pokemon such as Hatterene, Moltres, Tinkaton, and Corviknight as well as Tera Poison Pokemon such as Ting-Lu and Hisuian Samurott can check the vast majority of its sets, while Pokemon such as Dondozo and Galarian Slowking are able to reliably take on specific sets such as Swords Dance and Calm Mind, respectively, once they have been identified. This above issue is made worse, as Iron Valiant also struggles to fit all the coverage options it wants into one set, especially if it decides to utilize both its setup and utility options. Furthermore, its low bulk impedes its sweeping potential, as priority users such as Dragonite, Rillaboom, and especially Scizor can revenge kill it once it has been weakened. This low bulk also means that Iron Valiant can struggle to find safe setup opportunities, as while it can theoretically force out Pokemon such as Zamazenta and Heatran, they can simply stay in and trade with it due to its lack of immediate power and can potentially win against it outright. Iron Valiant also has limited defensive utility; while it can check Pokemon such as Kingambit and Lokix, it is lacking compared to other sweepers such as Dragonite and Zamazenta, which means that Iron Valiant can only really slot on more offensive teams as a result.
", "comments": "A set with Heavy-Duty Boots allows Iron Valiant to consistently switch into battle over the course of a longer game by ignoring entry hazards, letting it fit on balance teams to combat hazard-stacking strategies and provide the archetype with a Knock Off user, speed control and disruption with Encore. Choice Scarf gives Iron Valiant a permanent Speed boost so it can consistently revenge kill faster Pokemon such as Darkrai and Zamazenta and use Trick to cripple opposing walls such as Alomomola and Corviknight. Taunt can be used to allow Iron Valiant to stop recovery attempts from the likes of Corviknight and Garganacl, status attempts from Gliscor and Clefable, and phazing attempts from Ting-Lu's Whirlwind. Tera Blast Ground allows Iron Valiant to compress its coverage into a single moveslot to smack Pokemon such as Galarian Slowking, Galarian Weezing, Iron Moth, and Gholdengo for super effective damage and gain both an immunity to Raging Bolt's Thunderclap and a resistance to Poison-type attacks such as Sludge Bomb from Galarian Slowking. Tera Water, alongside Liquidation, can be used on Swords Dance sets to secure OHKOs against the likes of Landorus-T, Gliscor, Moltres, and Iron Moth that could otherwise take a hit from it. Focus Blast is an option on Calm Mind sets to hit Garganacl, Heatran, and Iron Treads for super effective damage while hitting Kyurem and Ting-Lu much harder, OHKOing the former at neutral while having a chance to 2HKO the latter with Stealth Rock. Choice Band sets can be used to lure in and break through traditional checks to physical Iron Valiant, such as OHKOing Gholdengo and Great Tusk, and 2HKOing Alomomola, Corviknight, and Hatterene, while being able to use Trick against physical walls such as Moltres and Dondozo that it may not threaten as easily, which helps teammates such as Kingambit and Dragonite that are otherwise walled by them. All-out attacking mixed sets can be used alongside Life Orb or Expert Belt to wallbreak more easily with its coverage options; however the recoil damage from Life Orb can hurt its wallbreaking capabilities and forces Iron Valiant to avoid being put into revenge killing range from Pokemon such as Dragonite, while Expert Belt doesn't help it against Pokemon such as Galarian Weezing that already wall it. Substitute is an option on Swords Dance and Calm Mind sets to scout opposing Pokemon to give Iron Valiant a free setup turn and protect it against Garganacl's Salt Cure, status attempts from users like Alomomola and Gliscor, and revenge killers such as Extreme Speed Dragonite and Choice Scarf Darkrai. Ice Punch and Thunder Punch allow Iron Valiant to achieve BoltBeam coverage on Swords Dance sets to grant it great coverage against most of the metagame and hit Pokemon such as Gliscor, Landorus-T, Alomomola, and Moltres for super effective damage. However, the move's low Base Power and dropping either Knock Off or Close Combat can allow Pokemon such as Galarian Slowking, Gholdengo, and Garganacl to potentially take on Iron Valiant. An Adamant nature alongside Shadow Sneak can be used on Sticky Web teams to give Swords Dance Iron Valiant a lot more power while still retaining some of its revenge killing and late-game cleaning capabilities.
", "sets": { "Mixed": { "description": "Digging deep into its bag of tricks, mixed Iron Valiant makes full use of its wide movepool, powerful STAB attacks, and lightning-fast Speed with Booster Energy to be a devastating cleaner and speed control option. The mixed attacking combination of Moonblast and Close Combat flips the script on checks to its other sets like Landorus-T, Clefable, and Dondozo. Knock Off slams those that resist Iron Valiant's STAB moves, with a chance to 2HKO Galarian Slowking and offensive Gholdengo, as well as removing crucial items from Heavy-Duty Boots Moltres and Assault Vest Primarina. Iron Valiant outspeeds the entire unboosted tier as well as some boosted foes like Kyurem and Great Tusk and can use Encore on them, locking walls like Alomomola and Garganacl into recovery moves, threats like Ogerpon-W and Darkrai into setup moves, Pokemon like Gliscor and Corviknight into utility moves, and even priority users Kingambit and Raging Bolt into their priority moves. Alternatively, Destiny Bond can force lose-lose situations for the opponent, where they must sacrifice their own Pokemon in order to take down Iron Valiant. This is especially potent with Encore over Knock Off or Close Combat, as if the opponent tries to avoid Destiny Bond by clicking a non-attacking move, Encore punishes them for it. It is important to be careful on which move to drop, however, as dropping Close Combat means Iron Valiant misses the OHKO on Kyurem and Kingambit, as well as the 2HKO on Garganacl and Ting-Lu. Meanwhile, dropping Knock Off ensures Iron Valiant struggles into its checks like Galarian Slowking and Moltres, as it has no way to force meaningful damage. A more physically invested spread with 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe can be used to threaten foes like Galarian Slowking, Ting-Lu, and Gholdengo much harder. Tera Steel flips Iron Valiant's poor matchups into threats like Galarian Slowking, Iron Crown, and opposing Iron Valiant while giving it a useful Toxic immunity against Gliscor. Tera Fairy is an alternative pick to boost Iron Valiant's offensive capabilities, ensuring 2HKOs against Pokemon like Clefable, Zapdos, and Hatterene while allowing for OHKOs against threats like Zamazenta and Raging Bolt, as well as improving its matchup into opposing Iron Valiant. Tera Ghost can also be considered, granting an immunity to Dragonite's Extreme Speed and Great Tusk's Rapid Spin, with Encore mitigating Iron Valiant's newfound weakness to Kingambit's and Hisuian Samurott's Sucker Punch.
Mixed Iron Valiant fits best on bulky offense and hyper offense teams, which greatly appreciate its ability to check other threats while being an offensive force in and of itself. It pairs excellently with Ogerpon-W, taking advantage of Ogerpon-W's checks like Zamazenta and Tera Dragon from the likes of Corviknight. In return, Ogerpon-W punishes Iron Valiant's checks like Moltres, Gliscor, and Gholdengo. Dragapult especially appreciates Iron Valiant's ability to threaten Kingambit, as well as Darkrai and Hisuian Samurott, and in return threatens Gholdengo, Galarian Slowking, Moltres, and Iron Crown and wears down shared checks like Assault Vest Primarina and Clefable. Great Tusk is another strong teammate, able to remove the entry hazards that cripple Iron Valiant, especially Sticky Web, as well as threatening Gholdengo and Galarian Slowking. Iron Valiant also works well with hazard setters like Landorus-T and Hisuian Samurott, appreciating the chip damage wearing down potential switch-ins like Assault Vest Primarina and Gholdengo, while Iron Valiant's Knock Off can remove the Heavy-Duty Boots from users like Alomomola to force hazard chip. They also threaten Galarian Slowking, Iron Crown, and Gholdengo; Hisuian Samurott additionally threatens Moltres. Meanwhile, Iron Valiant can beat Kyurem, as well as Zamazenta for Hisuian Samurott. Similarly, Glimmora is a natural partner on hyper offense teams, spewing out hazards that can enable a late-game cleanup by Iron Valiant, with its Toxic Spikes weakening Assault Vest Primarina and potential temporary checks like Hatterene. Iron Moth is another excellent partner for Iron Valiant as well, able to wear down their shared checks in Galarian Slowking and Moltres, especially with Knock Off forcing hazard chip onto both. Dragonite is a solid teammate as well, able to blow holes and weaken the opposing team for Iron Valiant to finish off, wearing down shared checks like Moltres and Clefable while luring in targets like Zamazenta, Corviknight, and Alomomola for Iron Valiant to exploit.
" }, "Calm Mind": { "description": "Iron Valiant is a premier Calm Mind sweeper thanks to its special movepool and a Speed boost from Booster Energy. Moonblast 2HKOes every bulky Dragon-type as well as Ting-Lu +1. Shadow Ball is super effective against Gholdengo, Pecharunt, Hatterene, and Iron Crown, making for an unresisted coverage combination with Moonblast. Psyshock can be used instead to OHKO Iron Moth after a Calm Mind boost. It also deals much more damage to special walls like Blissey and Clodsire. Encore lets Iron Valiant set up by locking foes like Corviknight and Gliscor into Roost and Protect, respectively. Iron Valiant can also use Encore to punish setup sweepers like Swords Dance Kingambit, Swords Dance Ogerpon-W, and Calm Mind Raging Bolt. Thanks to its 4x Dark resistance, Iron Valiant can even use Encore on moves like Kowtow Cleave from Kingambit, Dark Pulse from Darkrai, and Knock Off from Weavile despite its low defensive stats. Thunderbolt allows Iron Valiant to 2HKO Moltres and Corviknight and deals super effective damage to Primarina, 2HKOing Assault Vest variants at +1. Vacuum Wave is another option that lets Iron Valiant threaten faster weakened foes such as Choice Scarf Darkrai and Meowscarada, as well as get the jump on other priority moves such as Hisuian Samurott's Aqua Jet and Kingambit's Sucker Punch. A Modest nature, which lets Booster Energy boost its Special Attack instead, may also be used particularly on Sticky Web teams, which make up for the lack of a Speed boost. Tera Ghost increases Shadow Ball's odds of 2HKOing Assault Vest Iron Crown and OHKOing Gholdengo after a boost. It also lets Iron Valiant stay in on Dragonite trying to pick it off with Extreme Speed. Tera Steel flips Iron Valiant's weaknesses to Galarian Slowking's STAB options, helps it survive Moonblast from Pokemon like opposing Iron Valiant and Clefable, and lets it resist moves like Make It Rain from Gholdengo and Extreme Speed from Dragonite. Tera Electric lets Iron Valiant resist Steel- and Electric-type attacks from Gholdengo and Raging Bolt, respectively. As a bonus, Iron Valiant receives an immunity to paralysis, helping it against Galarian Slowking and Clefable.
Iron Valiant is most commonly used on hyper offense. Its most defining and desirable trait is its high Speed when boosted, outspeeding the entire unboosted metagame and a great amount of the boosted metagame, with common examples being Speed Booster Energy Iron Moth and Dragon Dance Kyurem, which allows it to be a great anti-offense tool. A common answer to Calm Mind Iron Valiant, Galarian Slowking can even tank a +1 Shadow Ball and delete it with Sludge Bomb. Without Shadow Ball, Pokemon like Gholdengo, Iron Crown, and Hatterene can easily survive Iron Valiant's attacks and take it down. If Iron Valiant lacks Psyshock, Clodsire and Blissey answer it defensively, while Iron Moth can do so offensively. Without Thunderbolt, Moltres can force Iron Valiant out with Roar, causing it to lose its one-time Speed boost. Corviknight and Primarina can easily survive non-Thunderbolt Iron Valiant's attacks and take it out with Brave Bird and Moonblast. Cinderace can take anything barring a +1 Thunderbolt and threaten Iron Valiant with Pyro Ball. Landorus-T can set up entry hazards to help soften up opposing Pokemon. It can additionally bring in Iron Valiant safely with U-turn, potentially positioning it against Pokemon Landorus-T invites in, like Alomomola and Kyurem. Ting-Lu can take a +1 Moonblast and ruin Iron Valiant's sweeping attempt with Whirlwind, so pairing Iron Valiant with physical attackers like Hisuian Samurott and Ogerpon-W can help it out. Other special attackers, like Iron Moth, Gholdengo, and Raging Bolt, can help to overwhelm other Iron Valiant's checks like Corviknight and Primarina. Galarian Slowking can take on those three aforementioned special attackers individually, but not together. Knock Off users, like Hisuian Samurott, can also soften up the opposing team; item removal is particularly helpful against Moltres. Spikes set by Hisuian Samurott's Ceaseless Edge can help Iron Valiant in achieving KOs. Kingambit is an amazing partner to cover Iron Valiant's weaknesses, and Iron Valiant can do the same for it. Great Tusk tanks Kingambit's attacks but drops to Moonblast, while Galarian Slowking and Gholdengo are weak to Kowtow Cleave. Both Kingambit and Zamazenta also love Iron Valiant taking Moltres and Zapdos out, freeing them from potential burns and paralysis. Psyshock users like Gholdengo, Iron Crown, and Hatterene can take care of the stall matchup, and Iron Valiant returns the favor by taking Gholdengo out for them. Ogerpon-W can brute force its way through almost every Iron Valiant check, including Moltres, Corviknight, Primarina, Clodsire, and Blissey, with ease. It also has the option of running Encore to free up Iron Valiant. In return, Iron Valiant threatens Ogerpon-W's checks, like Darkrai, Dragonite, and Raging Bolt.
" }, "Swords Dance": { "description": "Swords Dance Iron Valiant is an excellent cleaner and wallbreaker, leveraging its high threat level as an expected special attacker to force out many common physical walls such as Great Tusk and Zamazenta in order to set up a Swords Dance. It can then KO or cripple many of its standard checks such as Gholdengo, Galarian Slowking, and Moltres with a boosted Knock Off. Encore allows Iron Valiant to lock many Pokemon such as Garganacl, Kingambit, and Raging Bolt into disadvantageous moves, giving it more setup opportunities, while also ending potential sweeps from Pokemon, such as Dragon Dance Kyurem, Swords Dance Kingambit, and Calm Mind Raging Bolt if they use a setup move. Alternatively, Spirit Break can be used, allowing Iron Valiant to OHKO Great Tusk, unboosted Zamazenta, and opposing Iron Valiant after a Swords Dance boost. Iron Valiant is a fantastic user of Terastallization, as it makes use of a potential free turn to more easily set up Swords Dance. Tera Dark allows Iron Valiant to OHKO both Galarian Slowking and Dragapult with Knock Off without setting up Swords Dance. Tera Dark Knock Off also deals significantly higher damage to both Zapdos and Moltres. Meanwhile, Tera Steel allows Iron Valiant to flip all of its weaknesses into resistances, letting it set up on otherwise lethal attacks such as Gholdengo's Make It Rain, Corviknight's Brave Bird, and Galarian Slowking's Sludge Bomb, while also granting Iron Valiant a Toxic immunity, which is valuable against Pokemon such as Gliscor and Toxapex. Iron Valiant's wide coverage and high Speed allow it to run many alternative coverage moves and Tera types depending on your preferences. Tera Water can be used with Liquidation to OHKO key physical walls like Moltres, Gliscor, and Landorus-T after a Swords Dance boost. Tera Electric is another option, granting Iron Valiant a paralysis immunity, which can be helpful in letting it set up against Zapdos. Ice Punch can be used to nail Landorus-T and Gliscor without Terastallizing. Moonblast allows Iron Valiant a chance to directly OHKO offensive Great Tusk without setting up, which can be useful to open up certain partners such as Kingambit. If Iron Valiant is being used with Sticky Web support, it can run an Adamant nature so that Booster Energy raises its Attack instead, making it a more potent wallbreaker. Iron Valiant can also make use of alternative utility options bolstered by its high Speed. Destiny Bond allows Iron Valiant to effectively trade with an enemy Pokemon of its choice, while Taunt allows Iron Valiant to prevent key Pokemon such as Zapdos from recovering, making it easier for a partner to KO.
Iron Valiant works best on hyper and bulky offensive teams as a late-game cleaner and speed control. It greatly appreciates entry hazard support from Pokemon such as Landorus-T, Hisuian Samurott, Glimmora, Ting-Lu, and Iron Treads in order to improve its wallbreaking power. In turn, Iron Valiant can make their hazards even more potent by knocking off Heavy-Duty Boots from key targets like Dragonite and Galarian Slowking. Sticky Web setters such as Araquanid and Ribombee are also great partners, as Sticky Web can alleviate potential Speed ties from opposing Iron Valiant while also allowing slowing down Iron Valiant's other offensive checks like Choice Scarf Darkrai and Iron Boulder. Iron Valiant is excellent at luring and weakening many of the checks to its special sets such as Gholdengo, Moltres, and Galarian Slowking. Pokemon that benefit from these threats being weakened or removed, like Zamazenta, Kyurem, and Primarina, are thus excellent partners, as it becomes much easier for these Pokemon to sweep if their typical checks are weakened. Iron Valiant is a solid check to Raging Bolt, Hisuian Samurott, and Kingambit with Encore, making it a great teammate for partners that may struggle against these Pokemon, like Gholdengo, Darkrai, and Galarian Slowking. While Iron Valiant exerts a great deal of offensive pressure, it can still struggle with key defensive Pokemon like Gliscor, Landorus-T, and Dondozo, and thus Pokemon such as Kyurem and Ogerpon-W are useful to immediately pressure and KO these Pokemon. Iron Valiant's defensive profile is rather limited given its poor bulk. Support from bulky pivots such as Galarian Slowking, Zapdos, Moltres, and Landorus-T is thus appreciated to bring it in safely. In particular, both Zapdos and Moltres can punish powerful priority moves from key foes such as Dragonite and Scizor with their abilities. Gholdengo resists all of Iron Valiant's weaknesses and can spread paralysis to help Iron Valiant outspeed foes such as Darkrai and Zamazenta even after its Booster Energy is consumed. While this Iron Valiant set is great at luring Galarian Slowking and Gholdengo, it can still struggle against these Pokemon one-on-one, particularly if they are running Colbur Berry. Partners that can exploit them, such as Kingambit, Hisuian Samurott, Darkrai, and Ting-Lu, are thus recommended. Iron Valiant can struggle against Toxic Spikes given that it is not running Heavy-Duty Boots, so a Toxic Spikes absorber, such as Galarian Slowking or Iron Moth, is recommended. Iron Valiant can have an awkward time against Iron Moth, which can survive any attack barring Liquidation at +2 and KO back with Sludge Wave. Pokemon that can check Iron Moth, such as Dragonite, Hisuian Samurott, and Landorus-T, are therefore great partners.
" }, "Choice Specs": { "description": "Iron Valiant can utilize Choice Specs to become a potent wallbreaker thanks to its powerful Fairy-type STAB attacks and endless coverage options. With Moonblast, Iron Valiant outspeeds and obliterates many metagame staples like Raging Bolt, Kyurem, Great Tusk, and Hisuian Samurott. Shadow Ball targets Pokemon like Pecharunt, Gholdengo, and Galarian Slowking, which all resist Iron Valiant's Moonblast. Thunderbolt is useful, as it allows Iron Valiant to break through Moltres, Corviknight, and Toxapex, which can heal off Iron Valiant's attempt to make progress. Focus Blast can be used instead to 2HKO Blissey and threaten Dark-types without thudding into Steel-types such as Tinkaton, Corviknight, and Iron Crown. Trick provides Iron Valiant with great utility and a way to cripple defensive switch-ins like Moltres and Toxapex. Vacuum Wave is excellent at cleaning up endgames and enables Iron Valiant to revenge kill faster Pokemon like Darkrai and Weavile and take on Kingambit without the risk of Focus Blast inaccuracy. Psyshock can be used for a better stall matchup without removing Iron Valiant's ability to break, as Psyshock destroys Toxapex, Amoonguss, and Clodsire. Tera Fairy bolsters Iron Valiant's breaking power, scoring a 2HKO on the likes of Garganacl and Gholdengo and OHKOing slower offensive Pokemon like Ogerpon-W and almost always bulkless Kingambit. Tera Ghost can be used instead to take on sturdier Fairy-resistant foes, allowing Shadow Ball to 2HKO Galarian Slowking, Moltres, and, with Stealth Rock up, Tinkaton. Tera Ghost can also grant Iron Valiant an immunity to Dragonite's Extreme Speed and an emergency resistance to Poison-type attacks like Sludge Wave from Iron Moth, and it lets Iron Valiant lure in Kingambit to cripple with Trick or OHKO with Vaccum Wave.
Choice Specs Iron Valiant fits best on balance and bulky offensive teams that can manage entry hazards well while also bringing Iron Valiant in safely. Hisuian Samurott and Ting-Lu are great partners, as they can pressure Galarian Slowking, Gholdengo, and Clodsire and aid Iron Valiant with entry hazards that can ensure Iron Valiant gets the 2HKOs and OHKOs it might need, including ones against Tinkaton, Garganacl, and Ogerpon-W. Iron Valiant often invites Pecharunt in, so it appreciates having sturdy switch-ins such as Corviknight, Kingambit, and Galarian Slowking. Kingambit can threaten the aforementioned Pokemon that resist Iron Valiant's Moonblast, and in return, Iron Valiant can threaten Dondozo and Fighting-types like Great Tusk, Iron Defense Zamazenta, and Keldeo, which are all Pokemon Kingambit struggles to beat. Choice Specs Iron Valiant alongside Kingambit also forms a great offensive gameplan, where Iron Valiant is played very aggressively in order to break through teams early- or mid-game, which allows boosted Kingambit to clean up more easily late-game. Galarian Slowking and Corviknight can support Iron Valiant by handling faster threats, such as Speed Booster Energy Iron Moth, opposing Iron Valiant, and Choice Scarf Enamorus, as well as pivot it in safely with Chilly Reception and U-turn, respectively. Galarian Slowking also helps pin Toxapex with Future Sight. Ogerpon-W can pivot Iron Valiant in with U-turn to obliterate many of Ogerpon-W's common switch-ins like Raging Bolt, Zamazenta, and Dragonite. Iron Valiant also appreciates Ogerpon-W's ability to threaten Moltres, Clodsire, and Assault Vest Alomomola. Great Tusk is a notable teammate, as it threatens all of Galarian Slowking, Gholdengo, Clodsire, Tinkaton, and Toxapex with Headlong Rush, pressures Moltres with Knock Off, and removes entry hazards away for Iron Valiant, helping it come in a lot more often. Choice Band Dragapult is a complementary breaker thanks to how it threatens Galarian Slowking, Gholdengo, Iron Crown, Clodsire, and Toxapex. Choice Band Dragapult can also lure in Pokemon like Garganacl, defensive Zamazenta, and Kingambit and bring Iron Valiant in with a powerful U-turn.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 177111, "username": "Magcargo"}, {"user_id": 517709, "username": "1LDK"}, {"user_id": 616497, "username": "FayaWizard"}, {"user_id": 641287, "username": "ValiantValerie"}, {"user_id": 647728, "username": "Heatranator"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 548068, "username": "Setsu"}, {"user_id": 612907, "username": "sequoia"}, {"user_id": 633798, "username": "kd458"}, {"user_id": 612443, "username": "ninth"}, {"user_id": 571069, "username": "Dead by Daylight"}, {"user_id": 521637, "username": "Shaymin Sky"}, {"user_id": 493260, "username": "Marnie"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 452572, "username": "missangelic"}, {"user_id": 555379, "username": "Tbolt"}, {"user_id": 649096, "username": "a blue banana"}, {"user_id": 653095, "username": "FavMon=Garchomp"}, {"user_id": 384270, "username": "autumn"}, {"user_id": 528364, "username": "adorluigi"}]}]} }, "Walking Wake": { "sets": { "Sun Wallbreaker": { "description": "Choice Specs Walking Wake is a powerful wallbreaker and a staple on sun teams due to its signature Hydro Steam, Protosynthesis, unique offensive typing, and great offensive stats. Draco Meteor is a brutally powerful STAB move that synergizes wonderfully with Hydro Steam, capable of OHKOing Water-resistant Pokemon including the likes of Ogerpon-W and Raging Bolt, in addition to 2HKOing nearly every Pokemon in the metagame barring Fairy-types such as Clefable and Primarina. A Fire coverage gives it a strong attack that takes advantage of the weather, guranteeing OHKOs on bulky variants of Kingambit and Gholdengo that it otherwise couldn't; Flamethrower's less reliance on the weather makes it the better choice, but Weather Ball and its higher power is also a fine alternative. Dragon Pulse can be used in the last slot, which forgoes Draco Meteor's raw power for more consistency; however, Flip Turn allows Walking Wake to generate momentum for its team, taking advantage of switch-ins from the likes of Galarian Slowking, Primarina, and Assault Vest Alomomola to safely bring in its teammates. Knock Off is an alternative option that allows it to cripple the aforementioned checks, making them easier to overwhelm by itself. A Timid nature and 244 Special Attack EVs give Walking Wake a Speed boost from Protosynthesis while still maximizing its damage output, making it a potent late-game cleaner against offensive teams due to its power coupled with its heightened Speed, letting it outspeed and threaten would-be revenge killers like Dragapult and Choice Scarf Enamorus. Alternatively, Walking Wake can sacrifice the Speed boost for even more power by fully investing in Special Attack, allowing it to break through the likes of Primarina through sheer strength; a Modest nature may also be considered to maximize Walking Wake's damage output, at the cost of being slower than Iron Crown, Iron Treads, and Enamorus. Tera Water boosts its Hydro Steam's power even further, bolstering its cleaning potential against offense while 2HKOing even resistant Pokemon such as Toxapex after Stealth Rock, and allows Walking Wake to 2HKO even Blissey should it opt for a Special Attack boost; however, Tera Fairy could be considered as an alternative, granting it an immunity to Draco Meteor from Dragapult and opposing Walking Wake as well as a resistance to Kingambit's Sucker Punch. While Choice Specs is the prefered item due to the massive increase in damage that they offer, Mystic Water and Wise Glasses are alternatives that trade power for the flexibility to switch up moves.
Walking Wake is a mainstay on sun teams, requiring either Ninetales or Torkoal to set the sun with Drought. Ninetales can further support Walking Wake with Encore to punish passive options and allow Walking Wake relatively safe entry and Healing Wish to provide Walking Wake with a second chance to wallbreak or sweep late-game. Torkoal, by comparison, can also set Stealth Rock, which makes defensively answering Walking Wake even more difficult, as checks such as Primarina would repeatedly have to sustain chip damage. Hatterene and Great Tusk are also great teammates for Walking Wake, alleviating the issue of entry hazards limiting its longevity; Hatterene is also capable of forcing out checks such as Toxapex and Iron Valiant, while Great Tusk can check priority revenge killers such as Dragonite and Kingambit. In return, Walking Wake can consistently KO or force out either Pokemon's checks, notably taking on Skarmory for Great Tusk and Heatran for Hatterene. Hisuian Lilligant and Venusaur can threaten Water-types such as Primarina and Ogerpon-W; both also appreciate Walking Wake blowing holes into the opposing team's defenses, giving them ample opportunity to run off with the game after their checks have been weakened. Lastly, Raging Bolt greatly enjoys Walking Wake's efficiency in dismantling its checks, notably Unaware Clodsire, as doing so enables Raging Bolt to sweep more efficiently in mid- or late-game scenarios.
" }, "Boots Attacker": { "description": "Walking Wake functions as a decently fast pivot that is able to unleash powerful STAB attacks, force progress on certain Pokemon via Knock Off, and pivot out of bad matchups with Flip Turn. Surf's higher damage output is more valuable against targets like Gliscor, Clefable, and Garganacl, which can absorb status effects and Knock Off but cannot reliably switch into Surf unless Terastallized. However, Scald still deals solid damage and can be used to potentially inflict burn, which can cripple certain foes looking to switch into a Water-type move such as Rillaboom, Choice Band Dragapult, and Assault Vest Hisuian Samurott. Knock Off allows Walking Wake to cripple certain defensive pivots with the switches it forces such as Galarian Slowking, Primarina, Assault Vest Alomomola, and Tornadus-T. Knock Off also helps with removing Heavy-Duty Boots from Pokemon such as Toxapex and Blissey, which can be amazing for entry hazard-stacking structures. Flip Turn allows Walking Wake to keep up momentum versus Pokemon it has already left itemless, as well as chipping switch-ins such as Clefable. Tera Water enhances Walking Wake's damage output further, allowing it to achieve feats such as always OHKOing specially defensive Gliscor after Stealth Rock, always 2HKOing maximum HP Clefable, and more easily 2HKOing threats like Zamazenta and maximum HP Pecharunt. It can also be used to shed Walking Wake's Fairy and Dragon weaknesses in a pinch. Tera Fairy provides a crucial immunity to Dragon, which can help versus the plethora of relevant Dragon-types that threaten Walking Wake such as Dragapult, Raging Bolt, and Latios. Tera Steel can also be used as it provides a similar safety net against opposing Dragon-Types and a crucial resistance to Fairy-type moves such as Enamorus's and Iron Valiant's Moonblast as well as Kyurem's Freeze-Dry.
Walking Wake finds itself at home on entry hazard-stacking teams, as its ability to forcefully remove Heavy-Duty Boots from some Pokemon is very much appreciated. Hence, Stealth Rock and Spikes-setting Pokemon pair very well with it, such as Great Tusk, Tinkaton, Ting-Lu, and Gliscor. Walking Wake's ability to force out and threaten common Knock Off absorbers, such as Gliscor and Corviknight, greatly benefits these Pokemon in return. Walking Wake is commonly answered by most Fairy-type Pokemon such as Hatterene, Enamorus, and Primarina, so checks to these threats such as Gholdengo, Pecharunt, Galarian Slowking, and Corviknight are required; the latter three can help pivot in Walking Wake safely. Gholdengo is also an amazing partner, as it can block Defog and Rapid Spin for Walking Wake's teammates, allowing hazard pressure to remain. Other Rapid Spin blockers such as Sinistcha and Pecharunt are also relevant for this role. Dragapult is another threat to Walking Wake, so Pokemon such as the aforementioned Ting-Lu as well as other checks such as Kingambit and Garganacl may be utilized. Pokemon commonly found on such archetypes that can check Ogerpon-W such as Zamazenta and pivot Ogerpon are amazing teammates to have. Ogerpon, in particular, forms a great offensive core with Walking Wake, threatening its checks such as Tera Water Garganacl, Alomomola, and Blissey while still keeping momentum with U-turn. Powerful wallbreakers such as Swords Dance Iron Valiant, Choice Band Zamazenta, and Dragapult also appreciate Walking Wake's ability to force progress against their checks such as Galarian Slowking.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 584916, "username": "viivian"}, {"user_id": 726734, "username": "ScribeofRevocis"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 408271, "username": "Dreadfury"}, {"user_id": 633798, "username": "kd458"}, {"user_id": 548068, "username": "Setsu"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 493260, "username": "Marnie"}, {"user_id": 593115, "username": "igiveuponaname"}]}]} }, "Sinistcha": { "sets": { "Calm Mind": { "description": "Calm Mind Sinistcha leverages its valuable defensive profile and tremendous longevity to set up easily while doubling up as a sturdy physical wall. It notably checks common physical attackers like Zamazenta, Rillaboom, and Ogerpon-W and importantly spinblocks Great Tusk and Iron Treads. On top of weakening them with Strength Sap, Sinistcha can tip the scales even further by crippling them with Matcha Gotcha's burn while keeping itself exceptionally healthy in the process. The burn also helps in dissuading otherwise dangerous threats like Kingambit, Weavile, and Meowscarada from switching in freely and chips down bulky foes such as Corviknight and Tinkaton. Heatproof lets it set up on the likes of Cinderace and Moltres lacking Roar and Hurricane if necessary. Heavy-Duty Boots improves Sinistcha's matchup against opposing entry hazard stacking teams, but Leftovers or Colbur Berry can considered on teams with strong hazard removal; Leftovers lets Sinistcha set up more easily, while Colbur Berry allows it to comfortably take on the Dark-type coverage from foes it's supposed to check, like Zamazenta, Ogerpon-W, and Rillaboom, as well as strong Dark-types like Darkrai and Hisuian Samurott. Tera Poison grants a Toxic immunity from Pokemon like Gliscor and Galarian Slowking, especially since it can still beat most Ground-types like Gliscor, Ting-Lu, and defensive Landorus-T one-on-one looking to exploit its newfound weakness. Tera Fairy gives an overall great defensive typing, notably letting it stave off the tier's plethora of Dark- and Dragon-types like Hisuian Samurott and Dragapult as well as Knock Off from Pokemon like Rillaboom and Swords Dance Iron Valiant in a pinch. Both Tera types also maintain its ability to handle Fighting-types like Zamazenta and Iron Valiant, with Tera Poison letting it stomach the latter's Moonblast as well. At the cost of of considerable physical bulk, an EV spread of 252 HP / 160 Def / 96 Spe can be used instead, running enough Speed to outpace Adamant Kingambit and Ursaluna.
Sinistcha fits well on entry hazard stacking balance teams. As such, it appreciates bulky hazard setters like Ting-Lu, Gliscor, Garganacl, and Tinkaton that can reliably set entry hazards, which works extremely well with Sinistcha reliably spinblocking Great Tusk and Iron Treads. These hazard setters are also important for their defensive profiles to cover for Sinistcha's shortcomings. Specifically, Garganacl takes on Dragapult, Iron Moth, and Moltres, Gliscor tackles Iron Moth and Gholdengo, Tinkaton checks Kyurem and Dark-types like Darkrai, Weavile, Meowscarada, and Hoopa-U, and Ting-Lu handles most special attackers, including Raging Bolt, Gholdengo, Dragapult, and Darkrai. Additionally, Garganacl can switch into status from Galarian Slowking, Dragapult, and non-Earthquake Gliscor aimed at Sinistcha, with Gliscor doing so similarly against even more targets, including Earthquake Gliscor and Clodsire, as well as absorbing Knock Off from Clefable, Iron Valiant, and opposing Gliscor; this ability to absorb Knock Off is especially useful for Iron Valiant because it can further punish Sinistcha with Encore. In return, these defensive stalwarts appreciate Sinistcha switching into and handling Zamazenta, Landorus-T, Rillaboom, and, more importantly, Ogerpon-W and Ursaluna. Dedicated and sturdy answers to the tier's plethora of strong Dark-types are also important, with Corviknight, Skarmory, and Clefable capable of checking foes like Weavile and Meowscarada, especially because they don't mind losing their items from the aforementioned threats' Knock Off as much. Aside from relieving Sinistcha from the pressure of checking Rillaboom and Great Tusk, Skarmory and Clefable are also helpful as hazard setters, while Corviknight provides Defog support in case Sinistcha's Heavy-Duty Boots are removed by Great Tusk, Gliscor, or Clefable. Skarmory and Corviknight in particular can also handle Kingambit, especially because Tera Ghost variants of Kingambit looking to beat them make it vulnerable to Sinistcha. Offensive threats like Dragapult, Deoxys-S, Darkrai, and Zamazenta found on these structures are similarly useful; aside from working well with the hazards that Sinistcha can easily keep up, they also match up better against offensive teams that can potentially overwhelm Sinistcha, especially if it has not set up. In particular, they can revenge kill or check Pokemon like Swords Dance + Knock Off Ogerpon-W, Gholdengo, and Iron Moth that cause Sinistcha trouble. Moreover, Dragapult can take advantage of Sinistcha spreading burns through Matcha Gotcha with its strong Hex, while Zamazenta can help check Dark-types like Weavile and Kingambit, especially Jolly variants of the latter that can outspeed Sinistcha. In return, Sinistcha can switch into their revenge killers like Choice Scarf Landorus-T, Rillaboom, and Dragonite.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 493260, "username": "Marnie"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 612443, "username": "ninth"}, {"user_id": 616497, "username": "FayaWizard"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 555379, "username": "Tbolt"}]}]} }, "Okidogi": { "sets": { "Assault Vest": { "description": "Assault Vest-boosted mixed bulk and a strong offensive and defensive typing render Okidogi a potent bulky attacker able to make considerable progress throughout the game with the combination of Knock Off and Toxic Chain. Defensively, resistances to Dark and Fighting and a neutrality to Fairy let Okidogi respond to Pokemon like Zamazenta, Darkrai, and Iron Valiant and find ample opportunities to begin forcing progress. Offensively, Okidogi's Poison typing heavily discourages Fairy-types like Clefable and Primarina from attempting to absorb Knock Off, while its Fighting-type STAB move makes it especially threatening to certain poison-immune foes like Kingambit and Garganacl that can avoid Toxic Chain. Knock Off both removes items from switch-ins like Moltres and Great Tusk and rounds out Okidogi's coverage against would-be checks like Gholdengo, Pecharunt, and Galarian Slowking. Lastly, Ice Punch provides valuable coverage against checks like Gliscor, Landorus-T, and Dragonite. 16 Speed EVs let Okidogi outspeed Adamant Kingambit and Ursaluna, letting it serve as a secondary check to them. Tera Water is a robust defensive typing that lets Okidogi shed its Ground- and Psychic-type weaknesses to become a more effective check to Enamorus and Hatterene while improving its matchup into wallbreakers like Walking Wake and Primarina. Alternatively, Tera Dark flips Okidogi's Psychic weakness into an immunity, turning the tables on Gholdengo and Iron Valiant carrying Psyshock, and confers a Ghost resistance alongside STAB on Knock Off to more strongly threaten Pecharunt and Gholdengo.
Assault Vest Okidogi slots comfortably into balance teams in need of a strong progress-maker able to sponge hits from offensive threats like Iron Valiant and Darkrai and punch holes into common physical walls like Zapdos, Zamazenta, and Moltres. Okidogi is highly vulnerable to entry hazard damage, as it repeatedly enters the field to force progress, and it thus greatly appreciates the hazard removal provided by Great Tusk. Okidogi answers fast threats like Iron Valiant and Zamazenta that scare Great Tusk out, while Great Tusk is able to provide more consistent hazard removal with less fear of Moltres and Pecharunt, helping Okidogi maintain its longevity. Ting-Lu is a synergistic defensive teammate that answers threats like Iron Moth and Iron Crown that trouble Okidogi. Beyond handling Fighting- and Fairy-types like Iron Valiant and Zamazenta that scare out Ting-Lu, both work together to hold off threats like Darkrai and Gholdengo, and Ting-Lu's ability to set entry hazards greatly complements Okidogi's ease of removing items. This greatly enables powerful teammates like Ogerpon-W, which shreds through checks to Okidogi like Great Tusk and Corviknight in return. Likewise, Dragonite provides a switch-in to threatening Ground-types like Landorus-T and Gliscor and easily picks off weakened teams with Extreme Speed. Kingambit is another brutal endgame cleaner that scares out Psychic-types like Iron Crown and Latios that threaten Okidogi and greatly appreciates their shared checks being weakened.
" }, "Bulk Up": { "description": "Okidogi takes on top-tier threats such as Zamazenta, Darkrai, and Kingambit while becoming a scary offensive threat with Bulk Up and Drain Punch to keep itself healthy. It can also take on other Iron Defense users such as Corviknight and Garganacl. Knock Off removes items from switch-ins such as Zapdos and Moltres, which threaten it immensely, while also hitting Gholdengo for big damage. Ice Punch hits Gliscor and Landorus-T, which could otherwise trade with it. Guard Dog allows Okidogi to ignore Roar from Zamazenta, Whirlwind from Ting-Lu, and Red Card from Glimmora while also giving it an Attack boost from Landorus-T's Intimidate, meaning that it cannot be weakened by Intimidate from frequent switch-ins. 96 Speed EVs let Okidogi outspeed Modest Primarina and Jolly Kingambit, with the rest being put into HP and Special Defense to help Okidogi take on Pokemon such as Darkrai and Iron Valiant a lot more easily. Tera Water allows Okidogi to take hits from Ogerpon-W and Walking Wake effectively, and it removes Okidogi's Ground weakness to allow it to take on Great Tusk and Gliscor while being a generally good Tera type.
Okidogi fits best on bulky offense and balance teams where it can help wall a large proportion of the metagame while outputting offensive pressure. Kingambit is a great partner to Okidogi, as Okidogi can take on the Fighting-types that it struggles against, such as Zamazenta and Iron Valiant, while Kingambit takes on the Psychic-types that scare out Okidogi, such as Galarian Slowking and Latios. Together, they can also overwhelm Pokemon that check them, such as Landorus-T and Great Tusk. Specially defensive pivots such as Galarian Slowking and Iron Crown can switch into the special attackers that threaten Okidogi, such as Zapdos and Raging Bolt. In return, Okidogi can utilize their pivoting options in order to take on Pokemon that they may struggle with, such as Kingambit and Dragonite. Physical attackers such as Dragonite and Ogerpon-W pair well with Okidogi, as they appreciate it wearing down physical walls with Knock Off while taking on Pokemon like Zamazenta or Corviknight that they may struggle with. Spikes setters such as Ting-Lu and Hisuian Samurott pair well with Okidogi, as they can help Okidogi wear down its checks, such as Gholdengo and Great Tusk, with chip damage. They can also check Pokemon such as Gholdengo that Okidogi may struggle more against. In return, Okidogi takes on Fighting-types such as Iron Valiant and Zamazenta, which they may struggle with, while also taking on Corviknight, which can clear away their Spikes with Defog.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 608211, "username": "Demon Queen"}, {"user_id": 647728, "username": "Heatranator"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 612907, "username": "sequoia"}, {"user_id": 633798, "username": "kd458"}, {"user_id": 384270, "username": "autumn"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 555379, "username": "Tbolt"}, {"user_id": 664887, "username": "wisteriapurple"}, {"user_id": 567354, "username": "sappheiros"}]}]} }, "Fezandipiti": { "sets": { "Bulky Pivot": { "description": "Fezandipiti fills a niche role within the metagame, as with its great natural defensive typing, considerable special bulk, and overall useful ability in Toxic Chain, it can act as a combination of special wall, more specifically a hard check to specific threats like Darkrai and Iron Valiant, and spreader of bad poison. With U-turn, it can easily pivot out of disadvantageous matchups, such as Gliscor, Kingambit, and Garganacl, and its item of choice being Heavy-Duty Boots aids in ensuring its longevity and ability to pivot multiple times during a battle. Roost's reliable recovery grants Fezandipiti longer longevity, letting it tank a variety of special attacks and shrug off the damage and allowing it to stay in against poisoned foes that can't sufficiently damage it, like Enamorus, while they slowly get chipped from the poison damage. The main selling point for Fezandipiti is its access to Beat Up, which is great chip damage that, due to its multi-strike nature and Fezandipiti's Toxic Chain ability, has an 88% chance of badly poisoning the foe. 64 Speed EVs allow Fezandipiti to outspeed Modest Raging Bolt. Maximum HP investment, 44 Special Defense EVs, and a Careful nature let Fezandipiti avoid the 2HKO from Choice Specs Kyurem's Ice Beam and the OHKO from Choice Specs Tera Ground Kyurem's Earth Power. The rest of its EVs are dumped into Attack; while Fezandipiti's attacking capabilities are not its main selling point, these EVs are best invested in its Attack, as they allow Fezandipiti's Beat Up to pressure Gholdengo and Galarian Slowking, which can otherwise switch in to absorb poison from Toxic Chain. The investment also guarantees 2HKOs on relevant metagame threats like Kyurem and Raging Bolt and OHKOs on frailer foes like Weavile with Play Rough. Tera Dark increases Beat Up's damage output and facilitates it staying in against Gholdengo, Galarian Slowking, and Iron Crown, which all have a great chance of being 2HKOed. Tera Water is alternatively an overall helpful Tera type, removing Fezandipiti's Ground and Steel weaknesses and improving its matchups against Cinderace and Moltres.
Fezandipiti fits on bulkier teams as an excellent pivot and status spreader. However, one must take into account that for all of Fezandipiti's positive traits, it is almost completely useless against a variety of key threats in the metagame, amongst them Kingambit, Corviknight, Iron Treads, Iron Crown, Pecharunt, and Clefable, that are all able to not get poisoned due to their typing or ignore poison damage due to their abilities and relatively unbothered by Fezandipiti's STAB Play Rough. Thus, any team featuring Fezandipiti must take these matchups into account and build accordingly with a strong focus on Ground- and Fire-types that can cover these matchups, like Great Tusk, Landorus-T, Moltres, and Cinderace. In particular, Gliscor can prove to be a tough matchup for Fezandipiti, due to Gliscor both ignoring bad poison and threatening Fezandipiti with its super effective STAB move; specific partners that can handle it include Iron Defense Corviknight and Skarmory and Ice Spinner Dragonite and Great Tusk. That being said, Fezandipiti is able to disturb the majority of the metagame with its shenanigans, and it is a fantastic check to special attackers like Kyurem, Iron Valiant, Raging Bolt, and, most notably, Darkrai, so teammates threatened by them, such as Gholdengo, Dragapult, and Dragonite, can take great advantage of Fezandipiti's presence. While it's not weak to the move, Fezandipiti can get overwhelmed from an opposing Knock Off, making it lose its Heavy-Duty Boots that are vital in ensuring its longevity and avoid being chipped every time it comes in. Gliscor makes for an incredible partner that is able to absorb Knock Off while setting entry hazards to facilitate chipping down the opposing team; it also covers for Fezandipiti's Ground weakness. Great Tusk and Cinderace can also clear hazards for Fezandipiti after getting its item removed while handling Kingambit. Fezandipiti does not fare well against opposing Great Tusk, which threatens to eliminate it with a super effective Earthquake or Headlong Rush; Corviknight, Skarmory, and Moltres are great partners that ignore Ground-type attacks and can handle Great Tusk's Fighting-type attacks and usual Ice-type coverage fairly well. Generally, it is important to understand that Fezandipiti's job in the team is not to OHKO every foe but rather to chip them down while acting as a defensive check and pivot. Therefore, a strong late-game cleaner is mandatory to finish what Fezandipiti started. Kingambit offers strong priority, and fast setup sweepers like Iron Defense Zamazenta and Dragon Dance Dragonite can become unstoppable after Fezandipiti and partners have continuously bothered the opposition with status and hazards.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 625618, "username": "arnimacarni"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 633798, "username": "kd458"}, {"user_id": 384270, "username": "autumn"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 555379, "username": "Tbolt"}]}]} }, "Ogerpon": { "sets": { "Boots Attacker": { "description": "Ogerpon's high Attack and Speed, particularly after Terastallizing, along with its bevy of utility moves make it a reliable pivot and speed control that can disrupt the opposition. Knock Off gives Ogerpon a complementary coverage option to Ivy Cudgel and hits would-be checks like Gholdengo and Galarian Slowking; it also allows Ogerpon to support its team by permanently crippling its foes, particularly Stealth Rock-weak Pokemon like Dragonite, Moltres, and Kyurem that rely on Heavy-Duty Boots. U-turn is a fantastic option that can maintain momentum and chip down checks like Hydrapple while safely bringing in one of Ogerpon's teammates safely. Encore shuts down walls like Gliscor and Terastallized Garganacl as well as setup sweepers like Kingambit and Raging Bolt; after Terastallizing, its fast Encore is also helpful to shut down faster setup sweepers like Zamazenta.
Ogerpon should feel right at home on bulkier teams in need of a fast pivot. It struggles to make progress against Fire-types such as Moltres and Heatran, often requiring them to be weakened or removed in order to start threatening teams. Thus, Garganacl and Gliscor make great teammates, as they manage to consistently switch into and threaten these Pokemon, set entry hazards for Ogerpon to take advantage of, and easily spread chip damage to wear down the opposing team. Ogerpon's ability to threaten Water-types like Primarina and Ogerpon-W is also greatly appreciated by both Pokemon. Alomomola is another valuable teammate thanks to its high bulk, low Speed, and access to Flip Turn allowing it to safely and consistently bring Ogerpon onto the field, as well as being able to check the likes of Zamazenta and Cinderace. Additionally, Ogerpon with another fast wallbreaker can make for an efficient and potent wallbreaking core; therefore, Pokemon such as Weavile and Deoxys-S that help overwhelm Ogerpon's checks like Corviknight and Moltres make excellent teammates. It also enjoys having these Pokemon as naturally faster teammates as opposed to relying on Terastallization for speed control, and it likewise appreciates them for being able to threaten bulkier Dragon-types like Dragonite and Raging Bolt. Lastly, special tanks such as Galarian Slowking and Ting-Lu can safely switch in on powerful special wallbreakers like Dragapult and Iron Moth, and they also appreciate Ogerpon's reliability in punishing switch-ins like Landorus-T.
" }, "Choice Band": { "description": "Choice Band Ogerpon whacks its way into the OU metagame with its nuclear Ivy Cudgel alongside the valuable Speed boost from Embody Aspect and great coverage options, letting it wallbreak while also revenge kill threats and potentially clean late-game as well. After Terastallization, Ogerpon can outrun and revenge kill Choice Scarf users like Hisuian Samurott and Enamorus and foes like Zamazenta, Darkrai, and Dragapult that outspeed it naturally as well as boosting Ivy Cudgel to 2HKO checks like Gholdengo. Knock Off allows Ogerpon to annoy many of its checks, such as Moltres, Zapdos, Pecharunt, and Galarian Weezing, while taking out Grass-resistant foes like Gholdengo, Galarian Slowking, and Dragapult. U-turn allows Ogerpon to chip its checks and bring a teammate in safely on its switchins while providing super effective coverage against Grass-types like Rillaboom, Hydrapple, as well as opposing Ogerpon formes. Low Kick allows Ogerpon to break through foes that can shrug off Ivy Cudgel fairly well such as Kingambit, Kyurem, and Heatran, while Rock Tomb drops Moltres, Dragonite, Iron Moth, and Zapdos, even doing so without risking an adverse contact effect like a Flame Body burn or Static paralysis.
Ogerpon's main use is on balance and bulky offense teams as a wallbreaker and revenge killer, though it sees some play on offensive teams as a cleaner. Ogerpon is susceptible to entry hazard damage over the course of the game, so teammates like Great Tusk, Cinderace, and Corviknight that can remove said hazards from Ogerpon's side of the field are especially valued. Cinderace and Great Tusk in particular pair well with Ogerpon, as both appreciate roadblocks like Dondozo being taken down by Ogerpon, while they are able to deal with Gholdengo, Kingambit, and Heatran. Teammates that set hazards, such as Great Tusk, Hisuian Samurott, and Garganacl, synergize very well with Ogerpon and its ability to remove Heavy-Duty Boots from foes like Moltres and Corviknight. Offensive teammates like Deoxys-S, Gholdengo, and Iron Crown that threaten Ogerpon's checks like Galarian Weezing and Pecharunt are highly appreciated as well, while Ogerpon can bring them in on the aforementioned Poison-types with U-turn. Another great offensive teammate is Choice Specs Raging Bolt, as it obliterates the likes of Moltres, Zapdos, and Corviknight, while Ogerpon smashes Ground-types like Gliscor. Finally, slow pivots like Alomomola and Galarian Slowking work well with Ogerpon, as they give it free entry points to throw off its dangerous attacks without having to withstand powerful responses while checking threatening answers like Zamazenta.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 571069, "username": "Dead by Daylight"}, {"user_id": 584916, "username": "viivian"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 487308, "username": "BT89"}, {"user_id": 548068, "username": "Setsu"}, {"user_id": 110504, "username": "Stads"}, {"user_id": 616497, "username": "FayaWizard"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 555379, "username": "Tbolt"}, {"user_id": 558636, "username": "zastra"}]}]} }, "Ogerpon-Wellspring": { "overview": "With its outstanding power, good Speed, and variety of coverage and utility moves, Ogerpon-W is one of OU's premier physical attackers. The high power of Ivy Cudgel and Power Whip, the option to trade the latter with Trailblaze to outspeed otherwise faster foes such as Dragapult and Deoxys-S, and the option for coverage in Play Rough to nail Dragon-types such as Kyurem and Raging Bolt come together alongside Swords Dance to make Ogerpon-W a potent wallbreaker. In addition, utility attacks such as Knock Off to cripple checks like Pecharunt, Zapdos, and Dragonite, as well as U-turn to pivot on predicted switches and bring teammates in safely, means that Ogerpon-W can also run an all-out attacker set rather effectively. Moves such as Spikes, Taunt, and Encore allow it to act as a utility Pokemon able to further support its teammates beyond attacking, making the most out of the many switches it forces to progress the game. Moreover, the defensive utility granted by Water Absorb lets Ogerpon-W get on the field safely against the likes of Walking Wake and, more importantly, Alomomola and Dondozo. After Terastallization, the additional Special Defense boost also lets it take on special attackers that may otherwise pressure it, such as Iron Moth and Tornadus-T. However, Dragon- and Grass-types such as Raging Bolt, Kyurem, Hydrapple, and Sinistcha, as well as Pecharunt, can prove hard for Ogerpon-W to make progress against if it is not running the adequate coverage. Despite its good Speed, Ogerpon-W is still outsped and threatened by the likes of Tornadus-T, Dragapult, and Zamazenta. Being locked into Tera Water means that it lacks the surprise factor and set variability that other top-tier Pokemon such as Dragonite and Kingambit possess. This also applies to the fact that Ogerpon-W is locked into Wellspring Mask; particularly, Ogerpon-W does not have the option to run Heavy-Duty Boots, so it is often necessitated to be run on highly offensive teams that can forgo use of entry hazard removal or alongside partners that can provide it such as Great Tusk, Iron Treads, and Cinderace.
", "comments": "Swords Dance sets may use Grassy Glide alongside Rillaboom, granting Ogerpon-W with the opportunity to get the jump on and threaten to OHKO Pokemon that would otherwise revenge kill it in Darkrai and Deoxys-S after a Swords Dance boost while also letting it revenge kill weakened foes such as Speed Booster Energy Walking Wake and Great Tusk. Substitute is another option on Swords Dance sets, allowing Ogerpon-W to absorb Garganacl's Salt Cure while blocking status moves such as Galarian Weezing's Will-O-Wisp and Toxapex's Toxic similar to Taunt, and it is preferred to be run alongside Horn Leech to offset the HP loss. Ogerpon-W may opt to run bulky EV spreads alongside Synthesis on its Swords Dance and Utility sets, such as investing 252 EVs in HP to make it a sturdier check against the likes of Ting-Lu, Great Tusk, and Iron Treads; in particular the investment allows it to avoid OHKOs from the likes of Choice Specs Dragapult's Draco Meteor, Life Orb Zamazenta's Close Combat, and +2 Gholdengo's Shadow Ball. All-out attacker variants may drop one of its attacks for a utility move such as Taunt or Encore, getting the most out of Ogerpon-W's coverage while still providing support for its teammates. Spiky Shield may be used to scout attacks from Choice item users such as Dragapult, Walking Wake, and Darkrai, stop revenge killing attempts from Lokix and Slither Wing's First Impression, and chip at physical attackers to put them in range of Ogerpon-W's attack. Low Kick and Superpower may be considered to OHKO Kingambit, as well as Kyurem after a round of Stealth Rock, with Superpower making up for its drops by also netting an OHKO against Darkrai. Finally, Wood Hammer may be run over Power Whip due to its accuracy.
", "sets": { "Utility": { "description": "Ogerpon-W can function as an excellent utility piece on balance and bulky offensive teams, primarily those based around hazard stacking. This is courtesy of it being one of the best offensive Spikers in the metagame, as it forces switches consistently by threatening common Pokemon like Great Tusk, Ting-Lu, and Landorus-T. U-turn enables Ogerpon-W to gain momentum on usual switch-ins like Dragonite, Kyurem, and Hydrapple while also giving it a super effective move against opposing Ogerpon formes and Hisuian Samurott. Knock Off can be used to cripple defensive cores that are reliant on Heavy-Duty Boots like Pecharunt, Alomomola, and Sinsitcha while also hitting Dragapult and Galarian Slowking super effectively. Spikes helps apply constant pressure against a variety of playstyles, especially when used in combination with Knock Off. Synthesis provides some much-needed longevity to Ogerpon-W, considering it is a hazard-weak pokemon itself while also enabling it to switch in multiple times on moves like Ting-Lu's Ruination and Great Tusk's Headlong Rush. Encore and Taunt are alternatives that compromise on longevity but help improve other matchups. Encore helps against setup sweepers like Swords Dance Gliscor, Calm Mind Raging Bolt, and Swords Dance Kingambit. Taunt is useful in preventing hazards from going up, improves matchups against more defensively oriented teams by preventing recovery moves like Roost on Corviknight and Rest on Dondozo, denies hazard removal through Defog, and prevents status moves like Toxic from Gliscor and Will-O-Wisp from Galarian Weezing. Dropping U-turn in place of Knock Off can be considered in cases where the team lacks ways to remove Heavy-Duty Boots. An alternative spread of 8 HP / 12 Def / 236 Atk / 252 Spe permits Ogerpon-W to survive a Power Whip from full from opposing Ogerpon formes and a Close Combat from maximum Attack Iron Valiant and Great Tusk after Stealth Rock. A well-timed Terastallization can also turn this set from a utility Spiker to a potent wallbreaker in the right matchup, securing crucial 2HKOs with Ivy Cudgel on Pokemon like Zapdos while also removing its weakness to moves like Iron Moth's Sludge Wave and Corviknight's Brave Bird.
Utility Ogerpon-W functions best on entry hazard-stacking structures that aim to get hazards up quickly and pressure multiple switches through offensive momentum. Stealth Rock users like Great Tusk, Ting-Lu, and Garganacl partner well with Ogerpon-W to form a hazard-stacking duo. Garganacl in particular synergizes well with Ogerpon-W, as it handles problematic Pokemon like Zapdos, Dragapult, and Pecharunt. Other Spikers like Hisuian Samurott and Skarmory also complement Ogerpon-W well in cases where it opts not to run Spikes. This set becomes doubly effective when used in conjunction with another Knock Off user in order to maximize the pressure mounted by hazards. Pokemon like Darkrai, Iron Treads, and Gliscor are excellent teammates in this regard. Iron Treads helps keep hazards off, serves as a secondary Knock Off user, and matches up well against Pokemon like Raging Bolt and Dragonite that like to come in on Ogerpon-W. In return, Ogerpon-W helps against Ground- and Fire-types that Iron Treads struggles against, like Moltres, Great Tusk, and Gliscor. Moltres and Zapdos can pair well with Ogerpon-W to create a pivoting core while also helping against physical threats like Zamazenta and Cinderace, which can outspeed and threaten Ogerpon-W. They also provide the added benefit of punishing common spinners. Pecharunt can perform the role of a pivoting teammate to great effect due to Parting Shot while also acting as a spinblocker. These pivoting teammates help bring Ogerpon-W in safely, improving its longevity on sets that elect to drop Synthesis. Pokemon that struggle against Ground-types and Ting-Lu in particular, such as Raging Bolt, Gholdengo, and Iron Crown, greatly appreciate the utility provided by Ogerpon-W. Late-game cleaners like IronPress Zamazenta and Swords Dance Kingambit also make great teammates since they are often perfectly set up to win late-game by the pressure mounted through the course of the game by Ogerpon-W and hazard stacking. Due to a lack of Grass-type coverage, this set sometimes struggles to break common bulky Water-types like Primarina, Toxapex, and Tera Water Garganacl, though they can be pressured by hazards and Knock Off. Galarian Slowking and Garganacl both cover these matchups perfectly.
" }, "Swords Dance": { "description": "Ogerpon-W can utilize the explosive power boost gifted to it by Swords Dance to become truly unwallable, with its primary STAB combination lacking proper answers. Acting as an absurdly powerful wallbreaker, Ogerpon-W’s is able to keep many walls in check due to its sheer power, as it can easily take advantage of the passive nature of most of these walls, including the likes of Alomomola, Dondozo, and Ting-Lu, to freely set up with Swords Dance. Ogerpon-W is notably also one of the few physical attackers that doesn’t mind Moltres. It also acts as one of the few checks for Gliscor in the tier, being able to exploit Gliscor’s tendency to spam Protect to set up. On paper, regular Dragon-types may come in as checks; however, Ogerpon-W has properly adapted its arsenal for them by using Play Rough to hit foes like Dragonite and Walking Wake. Ogerpon-W may also run the uncommon but sweep-starting Trailblaze to get the jump on otherwise faster Pokemon such as Dragapult, Darkrai, Zamazenta, and some Choice Scarf users like Enamorus and Gholdengo. It is also commonly found wielding Knock Off to remove Heavy-Duty Boots from foes such as Zapdos, Pecharunt, Dragonite, and Kyurem, as well to threaten Ghost-types like Dragapult, Sinistcha, and Gholdengo. Synthesis may also be used to gain a consistent form of recovery and to utilize Ogerpon-W’s nature to frequently force switches. Encore isn’t common, though is usable, being able to take full advantage of passive walls to set up Swords Dance and threaten absurd damage while also punishing Kingambit’s Sucker Punch or Raging Bolt’s Thunderclap. Horn Leech is also notable: it’s not as powerful as Power Whip but does provide a form of longevity outside of Synthesis.
Despite the fact that Ogerpon-W is locked into Tera Water, it still makes incredible use of it by making quick work of everything that doesn’t resist Ivy Cudgel, and even at that, many Water-resistant foes still struggle to tank it. Notably, +2 Attack Tera Water Ivy Cudgel always OHKOs Pokemon like Zapdos. The Special Defense boost warranted by Embody Aspect also helps in handling some Darkrai sets and special attacking Iron Valiant while also being able to take one Freeze-Dry from even Choice Specs Kyurem. Shedding its Grass typing also allows Ogerpon-W to take Sludge Wave from Iron Moth and Sludge Bomb from the likes of Galarian Slowking and Darkrai more comfortably. An Adamant nature is still very much usable: while Ogerpon-W losing out on a good chunk of its Speed for more power usually isn’t ideal, it’s definitely noteworthy. For example, +2 Attack Adamant Tera Water Ivy Cudgel always OHKOs Galarian Weezing, which otherwise may come off as a problem for it being able to burn Ogerpon-W while also OHKOing Corviknight after rocks. However, the Speed drop is noticeable, as Ogerpon-W is no longer able to outspeed Pokemon like Enamorous, Iron Crown, and Iron Treads.
Ogerpon-W finds itself commonly used on hyper offense, bulky offense, and sometimes even balance-oriented playstyles. On most teams, it has great synergy with special attacking Iron Valiant and Raging Bolt: it deals with special walls like Clodsire and Blissey that might trouble them, as well as Assault Vest Alomomola in the case of Iron Valiant. Iron Valiant, in turn, deals with Pokemon that can outspeed and revenge kill Ogerpon-W for it like Zamazenta, Choice Band Weavile, and Darkrai, while Raging Bolt returns the favor by dealing with Zapdos. Common Pokemon used as cleaners, such as Enamorous and Darkrai, also highly appreciate Ogerpon-W's presence, as it’s able to enable them for late-game cleaning. If Swords Dance hasn’t already ended the game, Ogerpon-W itself is often used as a late-game cleaner. Swords Dance also allows it to efficiently cover for teams with poor stall matchups, often on its own, by applying great pressure due to its positive matchup against common Pokemon such as Gliscor, Dondozo, and Blissey. Ogerpon-W also appreciates hazards being up on the opponent’s side, so Pokemon like Hisuian Samurott, Ting-Lu, and Deoxys-S help it out by letting Ogerpon-W OHKO Kingambit with a +2 Attack Ivy Cudgel after 1 layer of Spikes or OHKO Raging Bolt with a +2 Play Rough.
Ogerpon-W itself doesn’t have many direct counters; however, particular Pokemon like Kyurem can take an unboosted Play Rough and OHKO a non-Terastallized Ogerpon-W with Freeze-Dry. Because of this, Ogerpon-W likes having partners like Galarian Slowking and Tinkaton that can chip Kyurem down a little while being able to take a few hits from it. Galarian Slowking can provide safe pivots, while Tinkaton can set up Stealth Rock and threaten massive damage onto Kyurem with Gigaton Hammer. In return, Ogerpon-W helps by dealing with problematic Ground-types like Ting-Lu, Great Tusk, Gliscor, and Iron Treads. Raging Bolt may be a nuisance against Ogerpon-W lacking Play Rough, so once again, Great Tusk comes in as a great partner. Likewise, Dragonite is quite troublesome for Ogerpon-W lacking Play Rough: if Dragonite is running an unfavorable Tera type, then teammates like Zapdos are quite helpful. Ogerpon-W, when paired with Zamazenta and Dragonite, overwhelm shared checks like Pecharunt, Zapdos, and Galarian Weezing. Amoongus notably has a niche in OU for being able to wall Ogerpon-W effectively, so partners like Moltres, Kyurem, and Gholdengo lend a hand in breaking it. Pecharunt can also wall Ogerpon-W, as it can reliably stomach hits from even +2 Attack Ivy Cudgel, paired with the presence of Sinistcha also being unignorable by Ogerpon-W, partners such as Gholdengo, Darkrai, and Kingambit show themselves to be very beneficial. Dragapult can easily burn Ogerpon-W or chip it down with U-turn; though Kingambit also hates being burnt, it still very much helps against Dragapult. Ogerpon-W returns the favor by removing Kingambit’s checks like Dondozo, Great Tusk, and Moltres. Ogerpon-W by no means is bulky; thus, it highly appreciates being able to be safely brought onto the field, so partners like Galarian Slowking, Landorus-T, and Cinderace are extremely useful, with Ogerpon-W being able to threaten Pokemon that threaten them like Great Tusk or Gliscor. Ogerpon-W generally prospers in the absence of entry hazards, as it’s vulnerable to chip damage. Hazard removers such as Great Tusk really come in handy here, for which Ogerpon-W in turn helps by dealing with bulky Water-types like Alomomola and Dondozo.
" }, "All-Out Attacker": { "description": "Running four attacking moves gives Ogerpon-W excellent coverage against any opponent. Power Whip is Ogerpon-W's strongest Grass-type move, but Horn Leech gives Ogerpon-W some recovery in exchange for power. In addition to its superb STAB moves, Ogerpon-W runs Play Rough for Dragon-types such as Dragonite, Kyurem, Raging Bolt, and Hydrapple. Knock Off provides the team with a utility option to remove Heavy-Duty Boots from common users like Zapdos, Pecharunt, Dragonite, and Sinistcha, preventing them from switching in for free, as well as still targeting Dragapult. Trailblaze can be used to give it a solid late-game cleaning potential, letting it outspeed would-be revenge killers like Dragapult, Darkrai, and Choice Scarf Gholdengo after a boost. U-turn is an alternative that gives Ogerpon-W the ability to pivot out of bad matchups at the cost of potential coverage. Ogerpon-W benefits from running either a Jolly or Adamant nature: Jolly allows it to outspeed Walking Wake, Iron Crown, Enamorus, Iron Treads, and Keldeo, whereas Adamant can be used for more power, and is the preferred nature if running Trailblaze to help compensate for the Speed drop. Ogerpon-W is locked to Tera Water, which allows it to guarantee OHKOs with Ivy Cudgel against Darkrai and Iron Valiant. Tera Water also removes Ogerpon-W’s weakness to U-Turn and increases its survivability against foes like Iron Moth and Gholdengo thanks to Embody Aspect.
Ogerpon-W is an excellent addition to offense teams and supports them as a premier wallbreaker and revenge killer. Powerful offensive teammates like Dragonite and Kingambit form strong cores that can break down opposing structures: Dragonite can assist Ogerpon-W in pressuring foes like Pecharunt and Zapdos, while Kingambit checks Dragapult. Ogerpon-W returns the favor by threatening the likes of Great Tusk, Landorus-T, Moltres, and Dondozo. Ogerpon-W benefits from teammates that can set up entry hazards and keep them in place; hazards make it easier for its offensive output to break teams, and in return it can use Knock Off to remove Heavy-Duty Boots to rack up hazard damage. Great Tusk is a strong option that can set Stealth Rock as well as keep pressure on foes like Raging Bolt and Dragonite. Gholdengo can help block Rapid Spin and Defog while slowing enemies down with Thunder Wave, giving Ogerpon-W more opportunities to deal damage. Lastly, Ting-Lu can help check Raging Bolt, Pecharunt, and Dragapult. Dragapult is also a great teammate that helps Ogerpon-W by spreading paralysis to help it outspeed foes, using U-turn to pivot it in safely. Ogerpon-W in turn threatens Garganacl, Ting-Lu, Primarina, and Assault Vest Alomomola, all of which give Dragapult trouble. Raging Bolt is another option that can pick off foes weakened by Ogerpon-W with priority Thunderclap; Ogerpon-W complements Raging Bolt by dealing with threats like Great Tusk, Ting-Lu, and Iron Treads. Together, Ogerpon-W, Dragapult, and Raging Bolt can form VoltTurn pivot cores to keep strong momentum between them. Ogerpon-W is relatively frail and susceptible to taking hits from opposing offensive Pokemon like Dragonite and Iron Valiant as well as entry hazards due to lack of Heavy-Duty Boots. Defensive teammates like Zamazenta can help cover Dragonite, taking little damage from its attacks and stopping it from boosting with Dragon Dance by using Roar. Garganacl is another solid defensive teammate that can handle attacks from foes like Pecharunt, Dragapult, and Zapdos, wearing them down with Stealth Rock and Salt Cure. Ogerpon-W struggles to break through certain defensive walls like Zamazenta and Pecharunt; having powerful teammates like Iron Valiant or the aforementioned Dragapult for the former along with Darkrai or Galarian Slowking for the latter can help take care of said walls as well as keep up offensive pressure throughout the game.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 236090, "username": "Firenix"}, {"user_id": 359575, "username": "Nichalho"}, {"user_id": 548068, "username": "Setsu"}, {"user_id": 655217, "username": "FirstlyMe"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 110504, "username": "Stads"}, {"user_id": 548068, "username": "Setsu"}, {"user_id": 636986, "username": "Nocturne Nugget"}, {"user_id": 493260, "username": "Marnie"}, {"user_id": 677476, "username": "mcribs"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 197240, "username": "sunny"}, {"user_id": 258425, "username": "betathunder"}, {"user_id": 384270, "username": "autumn"}, {"user_id": 391343, "username": "EthanLac"}, {"user_id": 528364, "username": "adorluigi"}]}]} }, "Ogerpon-Cornerstone": { "sets": { "Swords Dance": { "description": "Ogerpon-C can use Swords Dance to become a usable wallbreaker in the tier, wielding high-power moves and decent coverage options. Ogerpon-C finds ample opportunities to set up a boost, as its decent Speed tier and potentially helpful ability in Sturdy can often force switches. Ivy Cudgel is Ogerpon-C's main weapon, threatening even defensive Pokemon like Corviknight and Skarmory. For any Pokemon like Zamazenta or Garganacl that can handle Ivy Cudgel, Power Whip offers even higher power at the cost of a slight decrease in accuracy. With these two moves, a boosted Ogerpon-C threatens to OHKO or 2HKO almost everything in the tier, including common physical walls such as Landorus-T, Gliscor, Zamazenta, Alomomola, and Great Tusk. Power Whip also notably 2HKOes Unaware Dondozo, a common problem for other physical wallbreakers. Horn Leech is an option for a more reliable STAB move that gives Ogerpon-C longevity, letting it heal from chip damage to make use of Sturdy more effectively. Low Kick is a valuable coverage on common foes like Kingambit and Tera Normal Dragonite among others. Knock Off hits Gholdengo and Iron Crown while crippling walls like Galarian Weezing and Okidogi on the switch. Maximum Speed with a Jolly Nature is chosen to speed tie other Ogerpon and Iron Moth, as well as outspeeding Walking Wake, Ninetales-Alola, Iron Treads, and Enamorus. Ogerpon-C's Tera type is locked to Rock, which boosts Ivy Cudgel's power to ridiculous levels while also gaining a permanent +1 boost to Defense. For example, +2 Ivy Cudgel after Terastallization has a very high chance to OHKO maximum defense Skarmory and Corviknight after Stealth Rock damage, and it even gains a chance to OHKO defensive Gliscor from full health. While Ogerpon-C does lose access to Sturdy, Terastallization can still be a useful emergency button to boost Ogerpon-C's wallbreaking abilities or to avoid a timely revenge kill from moves such as Weavile or Meowscarada's Triple Axel.
Ogerpon-C functions best on offensive teams, which appreciate its ability to break holes in many common defensive structures so that its teammates can clean up later in the game. Common physical cleaners such as Zamazenta, Dragonite, and Kingambit appreciate their primary answers like Skarmory, Gliscor, and Dondozo being weakened and can help finish the job against Pokemon that can escape a one-on-one versus Ogerpon-C with their HP intact, like a defensive Gholdengo or Zamazenta. Ogerpon-C's main problem is its middling Speed tier versus other offensive threats, which can prevent setup opportunities. Opposing attackers such as Weavile and Darkrai threaten an outright OHKO, with Weavile even ignoring Sturdy, so Ogerpon-C appreciates teammates that can tank hits from these attackers such as Primarina and Zamazenta. Offensive utility Pokemon are also a problem, with foes such as Dragapult and Cinderace threatening to cripple Ogerpon-C with status moves like Will-O-Wisp or pivot out with U-turn for high damage. To handle this, Ogerpon-C appreciates teammates that can absorb or punish utility moves like Landorus-T, Corviknight, or Gliscor. Similarly, Gholdengo can OHKO Ogerpon-C with Make it Rain or cripple it with Thunder Wave while also being able to survive all of Ogerpon-C's main moves, so partners like Ting-Lu can be useful to switch in on and pressure Gholdengo. Finally, entry hazards pose an annoyance to Ogerpon-C, negating the benefits of Sturdy and causing unrecoverable damage, so hazard removal from teammates like Cinderace or Great Tusk can be helpful.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 144640, "username": "TheDuckChris"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 408271, "username": "Dreadfury"}, {"user_id": 513254, "username": "SpZ"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 197240, "username": "sunny"}]}]} }, "Hydrapple": { "sets": { "Nasty Plot": { "description": "Hydrapple has incredible bulk, access to Nasty Plot, and Regenerator, making it a notable threat against balance and bulky offense playstyles. It can muscle past bulkier walls like Gliscor and Galarian Slowking and, thanks to its typing, it is able to set up on Pokemon like Alomomola, Ting-Lu, and Garganacl while notably checking threats like Ogerpon-W and Hisuian Samurott. While Fickle Beam's lack of drawback is preferred, a niche alternative in Draco Meteor can be considered for the guaranteed high damage output, notably OHKOing threats like Dragonite, Ogerpon-W, and Zamazenta after minor chip damage at +2, at the cost of expending Nasty Plot boosts. Earth Power gives Hydrapple a way to hit Galarian Slowking and Steel-types like Gholdengo and Kingambit super effectively.
Heavy-Duty Boots is Hydrapple's preferred item to grant it resilience into entry hazards, letting it switch around freely to maximize Regenerator. However, on teams with sturdy entry hazard control, Hydrapple can run Rocky Helmet to further spread damage, particularly punishing U-turn attempts from Pokemon it checks like Rillaboom, Ogerpon-W, and Landorus-T as well as Flip Turn from Alomomola. Tera Fairy gives Hydrapple an immunity to Dragon-type moves from Dragapult and Raging Bolt as well as being a great neutral typing to take on foes like Ice Spinner Great Tusk, while Tera Steel also gives it the ability to take Ice-type attacks from Pokemon like Kyurem, Weavile, and Meowscarada as well as a Poison resistance from foes like Pecharunt and Galarian Slowking. Similarly, Tera Poison improves its matchup against Poison- and Fairy-types but trades its matchup into Ice-type attacks for a Fighting resistance, allowing it to take on the likes of Zamazenta and Iron Valiant better. 12 EVs let Hydrapple outspeed Ting-Lu. An offensive spread with 244 HP / 252 SpA / 12 Spe alongside Life Orb with a Modest nature amplifies Hydrapple’s breaking power, letting it potentially OHKO even specially defensive Galarian Slowking and Gliscor at +2, and works well with Regenerator and Giga Drain to compensate for the recoil.
Hydrapple acts as a wallbreaker on balance and bulky offense teams, being able to punch holes in opposing balance teams due to its ability to punish passivity and its great matchup into common balance picks like Alomomola, Great Tusk, Ting-Lu, and Garganacl. Defensive pivots such as Galarian Slowking, Alomomola, Moltres, and Corviknight help enable and defensively reinforce Hydrapple, taking on threats such as Great Tusk, Iron Valiant, Primarina, and Weavile. Galarian Slowking and Alomomola in particular are amazing partners for it, forming double Regenerator cores on balance teams to outlast all of the offensive threats that threaten them while boasting excellent defensive synergy. Moltres answers Great Tusk more reliably, being able to punish its Ice Spinner targeted toward Hydrapple with Flame Body, which would allow Hydrapple to avoid getting 2HKOed by it.
Entry hazard setters like Gliscor and Ting-Lu are great partners because their hazards are essential for chipping foes into KO range for Hydrapple like Ogerpon-W and Assault Vest Iron Crown. Gliscor uses its combination of entry hazards and Knock Off to remove Heavy-Duty Boots from these Pokemon while baiting in Ogerpon-W for Hydrapple to respond to, causing it to take hazard chip every switch-in and putting it on a timer. Ting-Lu uses its gargantuan bulk to check Dragon-types like Dragapult and Raging Bolt for Hydrapple. Hydrapple also pairs nicely with offensive teammates like Kingambit, Great Tusk, Cinderace, and Iron Crown. Kingambit greatly appreciates Hydrapple being able to scare off Great Tusk from staying in and benefits Hydrapple by being extremely good at switching into and annihilating Air Balloon Gholdengo, one of Hydrapple's better switch-ins. Great Tusk itself is a good teammate for it, being able to keep hazards off in case Hydrapple gets its Heavy-Duty Boots removed by common threats like Rillaboom, Hisuian Samurott, and Gliscor while also being great into its most common check in Galarian Slowking. Cinderace also keeps hazards off with Court Change, baits in Water- and Ground-types for Hydrapple to easily set up on, and reduces the need for Heavy-Duty Boots, giving Hydrapple more room to run a more powerful item to make progress like Life Orb, since its removal can't be blocked. Hydrapple also baits in Steel-types like Gholdengo and Corviknight for Cinderace to quickly dispose of. Assault Vest Iron Crown is able to switch into Pokemon like Iron Valiant, Kyurem, and Hatterene for Hydrapple, while Hydrapple matches up well into Hisuian Samurott and Ting-Lu, two Pokemon Iron Crown does not like taking on. Tinkaton and Hydrapple can also work in tandem with each other, since Tinkaton is a Pokemon that can set Stealth Rock and check Kyurem and Darkrai for Hydrapple, two special attackers that carry Ice-type moves to quickly dispose of Hydrapple, while Hydrapple is able to check Pokemon that can wall and threaten Tinkaton like Iron Treads, Tera Water Garganacl, and specially defensive Heatran. Rillaboom pairs decently well with Hydrapple on teams that take advantage of Grassy Terrain, powering up Hydrapple's already hard-hitting boosted Giga Drain while providing it with additional passive recovery every turn it is active. Hydrapple also finds a niche on sand teams as an answer to Water- and Grass-types that are able to consistently threaten Excadrill and Tyranitar, which are staples of this archetype. It sets itself apart from its competition for its role as a bulky Grass-type because, unlike Sinistcha and Chesnaught, Hydrapple has a much more notable offensive presence and greater longevity thanks to Regenerator.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 518682, "username": "alkazoth"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 540289, "username": "Tidal"}, {"user_id": 360720, "username": "ausma"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 555379, "username": "Tbolt"}]}]} }, "Raging Bolt": { "sets": { "Calm Mind": { "description": "Calm Mind Raging Bolt is one of the metagame's top setup sweepers and wallbreakers. Its natural bulk and unique typing not only allows it to check common offensive threats like Ogerpon-W and Cinderace, but also to gain multiple entry points and setup opportunities as well. On top of a potent STAB combination that hits most of the metagame at least neutrally, its signature move Thunderclap prevents Raging Bolt's sweep from being cut short by faster threats and opposing priority users like Enamorus, Walking Wake, and Kingambit and lets it act as a revenge killer, too. Dragon Pulse is preferred for its consistent damage output, but Draco Meteor can be used to propel Raging Bolt's niche as a wallbreaker further, letting it overwhelm checks like Ting-Lu and Clodsire much more easily and netting benchmarks such as OHKOing defensive Landorus-T and Dragonite through Multiscale, all after a Calm Mind. A reliable Electric-type STAB move lets Raging Bolt prevent foes like Primarina, Gholdengo, and Calm Mind Enamorus from setting up freely and makes it less vulnerable to Encore users like Iron Valiant and Hisuian Samurott. Thunderbolt's consistency is preferred in this regard, but other options can be used as well. Discharge allows Raging Bolt to potentially cripple specially defensive walls like Galarian Slowking and slow down faster threats like Gholdengo, Darkrai, and Zamazenta, which helps to reduce its reliance on Thunderclap. Exclusively on rain teams, the stronger option in Thunder can also be used instead for similar reasons. Raging Bolt can lean towards the weather further by running Weather Ball instead if used on either a sun or rain team; it allows Raging Bolt to hit Iron Treads super effectively, with rain Weather Ball pressuring Raging Bolt's other Ground-type checks like Gliscor and Landorus-T more reliably, while sun Weather Ball cleanly OHKOes even bulky Kingambit and Gholdengo unboosted, all at the expense of the ability to immediately threaten Calm Mind Primarina. Alternatively, Taunt can be used to let Raging Bolt overwhelm walls like Blissey and Toxic Galarian Slowking. Booster Energy provides Raging Bolt with a damage boost, letting it reach feats such as OHKOing Iron Valiant with Thunderclap after a layer of Spikes and specially defensive Gliscor with +1 Draco Meteor, as well as having significant rolls to 2HKO Clodsire with Draco Meteor. Leftovers gives it more longevity to set up more easily and further take advantage of its defensive profile. Air Balloon is another option to prevent revenge killing attempts from its Ground-type checks like Great Tusk, Landorus-T, and Ting-Lu. Tera Fairy gives Raging Bolt an immunity to Dragon-type attacks from foes like Dragapult and opposing Raging Bolt that don't fear its Thunderclap; it is also generally a good neutral typing against foes like Weavile and Iron Valiant. Tera Bug gives a Ground resistance without being weak to Kyurem and opposing Raging Bolt while also providing a Fighting resistance against Zamazenta. Tera Ghost is also an option to give offensive teams an emergency check to IronPress Zamazenta and, if used with Taunt, beat Blissey one-on-one. Tera Flying can be used for an outright immunity to Ground, letting it flip its matchup against Great Tusk and Landorus-T; this can be combined with Taunt to beat bulky Ground-type checks like Gliscor, Clodsire, and Ting-Lu. An EV spread of 64 HP / 28 Def / 252 SpA / 164 Spe is an alternative option; it runs enough Speed to get the jump on Gliscor, with the extra bulk letting Raging Bolt survive Speed Booster Energy Great Tusk's Headlong Rush from full, though this significantly worsens its matchup against opposing Raging Bolt.
Raging Bolt fits on a variety of offensive teams, ranging from hyper offense to weather-based archetypes in sun and rain. It pairs well with other strong special attackers like Gholdengo, Iron Moth, and Darkrai; on top of keeping up the pressure against the opposition, they can work with Raging Bolt to wear down and overwhelm shared checks like Ting-Lu, Clodsire, Galarian Slowking, and Blissey. Physical setup sweepers like Kingambit, Ogerpon-W, Great Tusk, Dragonite, and Zamazenta are similarly important, as they can threaten out the aforementioned special walls and force damage against Landorus-T and opposing Great Tusk; some of these physical attackers can even switch into the Ground-types, and Raging Bolt uses their checks like Skarmory, Alomomola, and Dondozo as entry points and setup opportunities. Rillaboom also deserves a special mention; on top of providing Grassy Terrain to increase Raging Bolt's longevity and let it stomach Earthquake from foes like Landorus-T and Ting-Lu, Rillaboom can also bring Raging Bolt in safely via U-turn against switch-ins like Moltres, Corviknight, and Zapdos for setup opportunities. Entry hazard setters like Deoxys-S, Hisuian Samurott, Landorus-T, and Glimmora are highly appreciated, as hazards help put foes and especially its checks into KO range, with Landorus-T also capable of switching into Great Tusk, Iron Treads, and opposing Landorus-T that threaten Raging Bolt out; in return, Raging Bolt can take advantage of and pressure common hazard removal Pokemon like Corviknight and Cinderace to maintain said hazards. Raging Bolt can benefit from Drought users like Torkoal and Ninetales; the sun allows Raging Bolt to freely forgo Booster Energy and gives it the option to run Weather Ball. Raging Bolt also synergizes well with other sun wallbreakers; Walking Wake can exploit Ground-types like Ting-Lu, Iron Treads, and Gliscor while assisting Raging Bolt in pressuring Galarian Slowking and Blissey. This is especially strong because going for Tera Water to deal with Walking Wake makes them vulnerable to Raging Bolt. Great Tusk can complement Raging Bolt's breaking power by dealing with its special walls and overwhelming shared checks like Landorus-T and Great Tusk, with Raging Bolt handling the likes of Skarmory, Alomomola, and Tera Water Gliscor in return. Raging Bolt can also be used on rain teams, benefiting from Pelipper's Drizzle to run options like Weather Ball and Thunder. It forms a great core with Barraskewda, as Barraskewda can position Raging Bolt against its bulky Water-type checks like Alomomola and Tera Water Garganacl via Flip Turn; in return, Barraskewda alongside other rain wallbreakers like Overqwil can pressure and overwhelm Ground-types like Landorus-T, Gliscor, and Iron Treads for Raging Bolt. Defensively, Raging Bolt can check Rillaboom and Ogerpon-W, which are otherwise problematic for rain teams, while Pelipper is capable of switching into Ground-types like Landorus-T, Great Tusk, and Iron Treads that force Raging Bolt out. Though more niche, Raging Bolt can also fit on other hyper offense structures. Dual screens setters like Deoxys-S, Alolan Ninetales, and Grimmsnarl provide Raging Bolt with an easier time setting up against even super effective hits and prevent it from being revenge killed by foes like Weavile, Landorus-T, and Dragonite. Sticky Web from Ribombee can slow down would-be revenge killers like Great Tusk, minimizing the risk of Thunderclap mindgames against foes like Encore Iron Valiant and Substitute Iron Moth.
" }, "Choice Specs": { "description": "With Choice Specs, Raging Bolt becomes a terrifying wallbreaker that is capable of chunking even bulkier opposing Pokemon such as Ting-Lu, Gliscor, and Garganacl to blow holes in the opponent's team. The additional power also enables Raging Bolt to upgrade its pivoting and revenge killing capabilities to further pressure its foes. Draco Meteor is the Dragon-type STAB move of choice, making progress on even the most specially bulky Pokemon such as Galarian Slowking, Clodsire, and Ting-Lu. Thunderclap is used as powerful priority to revenge kill or force out faster threats such as Ogerpon-W, Iron Valiant, and Enamorus, and it also helps Raging Bolt beat slower priority users such as Kingambit and Scizor. Volt Switch is used to help Raging Bolt maintain momentum for the team, racking up chip damage on walls Raging Bolt cannot 2HKO like Blissey and Assault Vest Galarian Slowking. Many Ground-types, such as Landorus-T and Great Tusk, heavily fear Draco Meteor, so Raging Bolt can often use Volt Switch freely early-game without worrying too much about an immunity stifling it. Raging Bolt wants to run as much Speed investment as possible without compromising on power in order to Speed tie or outspeed opposing Raging Bolt and is especially important when factoring in Thunderclap. However, if this is not a major concern, an EV spread of 200 HP / 252 SpA / 56 Spe is just enough to outpace Adamant Kingambit while increasing bulk to take resisted hits such as Ogerpon-W's Ivy Cudgel and Rillaboom's Grassy Glide better. Another alternative spread is 92 HP / 252 SpA / 164 Spe to outspeed uninvested Gliscor, giving Raging Bolt a better matchup into one of the few Ground-types that might dare to switch in while still having the extra bulk. Fairy is the predominant Tera type of choice for this set, as it is a solid defensive typing that is immune to fearsome incoming Dragon-type attacks such as Dragapult's Dragon Darts while also resisting Kingambit's Sucker Punch and Zamazenta's Body Press. However, Tera Dragon can be used to further intensify the power of Draco Meteor, while, like Tera Fairy, also removing the weakness to incoming Ground-type attacks such as Great Tusk's Headlong Rush and Dragonite's Earthquake.
Balanced and bulky offensive teams most appreciate the hole-punching power of Choice Specs Raging Bolt. Pokemon with pivoting moves such as Corviknight, Galarian Slowking, and Pecharunt make great teammates for this set, as they help bring in Raging Bolt to start breaking apart the opponent's core. This set also often risks losing momentum, as Raging Bolt gets locked into a move against a Pokemon immune to it or becomes non-threatening due to Special Attack drops from Draco Meteor, so it appreciates the defensive backbone these Pokemon can provide. Corviknight is a standout, as it is immune to Ground-type attacks from the likes of Landorus-T and Great Tusk that check Raging Bolt, while Raging Bolt threatens Moltres and Zapdos that can annoy Corviknight. This Raging Bolt set can also heavily pressure specially defensive Pokemon on the opposing team such as Ting-Lu and Galarian Slowking, chunking them and greatly limiting their longevity. Special attackers such as Gholdengo, Iron Moth, Darkrai, and Enamorus can be paired with Raging Bolt to overwhelm and KO specially defensive Pokemon via their combined assaults. Teammates such as Ting-Lu, Garganacl, and Gliscor can enable Raging Bolt by setting entry hazards to further chip opposing Pokemon such as Ting-Lu, Ogerpon-W, and Garganacl into KO range. Ting-Lu and Garganacl also help by switching into Pokemon like Dragapult and Deoxys-S looking to revenge kill Raging Bolt. Removing hazards also greatly extends Raging Bolt's lifespan and gives opportunities to aggressively switch it in to make progress, so teammates such as Hatterene, Great Tusk, and Galarian Weezing are appreciated for that purpose. Cinderace is a particularly noteworthy teammate, as it removes hazards on Raging Bolt's side of the field, puts them on the opponent's side, and performs timely pivots to bring Raging Bolt in. All moves on this set have immunities, so with good prediction, Fairy-types and Ground-types will completely shut down this set. Protect from Pokemon such as Gliscor, Garganacl, and Alomomola will ease predictions by forcing Raging Bolt to lock into a given move, allowing for more reliable counterplay. Teammates that can take advantage of the passive turn of Protect to enter the field such as Ogerpon-W, Kyurem, and Primarina can ease these potentially troublesome matchups. These Pokemon are also excellent at handling Ground-types that may annoy Raging Bolt, and Ogerpon-W and Primarina can also run U-turn and Flip Turn, respectively, to form a pivoting core that helps Raging Bolt enter the field. In return, Raging Bolt can pressure defensive Pokemon such as Hydrapple and Toxapex for these teammates. Landorus-T can be a helpful teammate for many of the aforementioned reasons, as it handles Ground-types well, puts up Stealth Rock, pivots with U-turn, and threatens out specially defensive checks to Raging Bolt such as Galarian Slowking and Clodsire while Raging Bolt can threaten Pokemon that annoy Landorus-T such as Alomomola and Corviknight. Lastly, teammates such as Kingambit and Zamazenta can work with Raging Bolt to overwhelm shared checks such as Great Tusk and Landorus-T, as well as deter these Ground-types from switching into Raging Bolt. These Pokemon additionally threaten specially defensive Pokemon such as Blissey and Galarian Slowking while Raging Bolt can take on Dondozo, Moltres, and Corviknight.
" }, "Boots Pivot": { "description": "Raging Bolt acts as a powerful offensive pivot and revenge killer that can also provide defensive utility thanks to its solid natural bulk and good typing. Thunderclap is one of the strongest options for priority in the metagame, allowing Raging Bolt to overcome its lackluster Speed tier and act as a strong revenge killer against the likes of Ogerpon-W, Enamorus, Darkrai, Deoxys-S, and Kingambit. Volt Switch makes Raging Bolt hard to pin down, allowing it to pivot on and wear down specially defensive walls such as Galarian Slowking, Iron Crown, and Blissey as they switch in. Draco Meteor is a viable alternative to Dragon Pulse for more immediate power, hitting some benchmarks like OHKOing opposing Raging Bolt and having a chance to OHKO bulky Great Tusk in exchange for a severe Special Attack drop. Taunt is an option that allows Raging Bolt to more effectively deal with special walls by stopping recovery attempts from the likes of Blissey and Clodsire and blocking utility moves from Clefable, Ting-Lu, and Galarian Slowking. Other options include Thunderbolt for a consistent Electric-type STAB move, 2HKOing neutral targets such as Clefable after little prior chip damage, defensive Zapdos, and Gholdengo while not forcing Raging Bolt to switch out, and Weather Ball on weather teams or alongside Galarian Slowking for alternative Ice-type coverage. Heavy-Duty Boots allows Raging Bolt to hit the field multiple times without worrying about entry hazards, which is especially good on teams that rely on ignoring hazards altogether or lack any form of removal. Tera Fairy allows Raging Bolt to turn the tables on matchups like Iron Defense Zamazenta, Iron Valiant, Dragapult, Kyurem, Walking Wake, and Great Tusk as well as giving it the option to run Tera Blast in order to hit Ting-Lu and Great Tusk super effectively. Another option is Tera Flying, granting an even better matchup against the likes of Great Tusk, Iron Treads, Landorus-T, and Ting-Lu, though it gives Raging Bolt some problematic weaknesses against opposing Raging Bolt, Zapdos, Weavile, and Meowscarada.
Raging Bolt fits best on balance and bulky offense teams, which appreciate its ability to pivot in and out of the field while dealing heavy damage and threatening boosted sweepers with its priority move. Raging Bolt can form great offensive cores when it's paired with other offensive pivots like Ogerpon, which can apply pressure with U-turn in a similar fashion to Raging Bolt's Volt Switch, punish Ground-types with its strong Grass-type STAB moves, remove items with Knock Off to accumulate entry hazard damage, and punish setup moves with Encore. Embody Aspect's Speed boost also helps Ogerpon cover for Raging Bolt's poor Speed against the likes of Great Tusk, Darkrai, and Dragapult. In return, Ogerpon appreciates Raging Bolt's help in pressuring physically defensive Pokémon such as Zapdos, Moltres, and Corviknight. Ogerpon-W is even more effective at dealing with Ground-types, trading Ogerpon's ability to hold an item and boost its Speed for a harder-to-resist STAB combination and wallbreaking power, pressuring defensive cores such as Sinistcha + Gliscor and Galarian Slowking + Corviknight more easily with pivoting support from Raging Bolt. Meowscarada offers a stronger U-turn and Knock Off as well as an even better Speed tier, especially with Choice Scarf variants acting as a revenge killer for faster threats such as Iron Valiant. Weavile has a strong Knock Off as well, and its Ice Shard complements Thunderclap perfectly against offensive cores, hitting threats Raging Bolt struggles with like Ogerpon and Tera Ground Dragonite. Hisuian Samurott can pivot with Flip Turn and deal with the likes of Ting-Lu, Iron Treads, Iron Crown, and Galarian Slowking while also providing Spikes with Ceaseless Edge, which, alongside its own Knock Off removing Heavy-Duty Boots from opposing Pokémon, makes it extremely effective against bulkier cores like Alomomola + Galarian Slowking or Ting-Lu, Toxapex + Gliscor or Ting-Lu, and Dondozo + Gliscor or Blissey. Pelipper's Drizzle can give Raging Bolt the options to run Thunder and Weather Ball, letting it hit would-be checks in Ting-Lu, Clodsire, Great Tusk, and Iron Treads with Water-type coverage. Barraskewda is a great partner on rain teams, as it's extremely hard to switch into and able to pivot with Flip Turn, and it loves Raging Bolt's ability to pressure Water-types like Alomomola, Dondozo and Primarina. Raging Bolt fits similarly on sun teams, synergizing with Torkoal and Ninetales' Drought, which activates Protosynthesis and allows it to hit the likes of Rillaboom and Iron Treads with sun-boosted Weather Ball, and with Walking Wake, which pressures Ground-types and shared checks like Galarian Slowking and Blissey. Raging Bolt also appreciates a defensive backbone to fall onto when its Volt Switch is blocked or after revenge killing a Pokemon. Flying-types like Corviknight and Gliscor check Ground-types such as Landorus-T and Ting-Lu, with the former offering hazard removal in Defog and the latter offering hazard support. Clefable's physical bulk allows it to take on Great Tusk, Ting-Lu, and Gliscor while setting up Stealth Rock; it can also cripple walls like Galarian Slowking, Clodsire, and Blissey with Knock Off and switch into Knock Off well itself. Alomomola makes a good partner thanks to its great physical bulk and longevity with Wish and Regenerator, which it can use in conjunction with Flip Turn to keep Raging Bolt healthy, and it appreciates the help in beating Ogerpon-W. Steel-types like Assault Vest Iron Crown and Tinkaton can threaten Iron Valiant and Kyurem, while Galarian Slowking can check them as well as offering a slow pivot and a powerful Future Sight. Lastly, hazard removal options like Great Tusk, Cinderace, and Iron Treads can clear the field for Choice Specs Raging Bolt.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 110504, "username": "Stads"}, {"user_id": 612907, "username": "sequoia"}, {"user_id": 616460, "username": "N ™"}, {"user_id": 493260, "username": "Marnie"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 144640, "username": "TheDuckChris"}, {"user_id": 487308, "username": "BT89"}, {"user_id": 548068, "username": "Setsu"}, {"user_id": 349443, "username": "Tysonslayer"}, {"user_id": 616497, "username": "FayaWizard"}, {"user_id": 633798, "username": "kd458"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 555379, "username": "Tbolt"}, {"user_id": 649096, "username": "a blue banana"}]}]} }, "Iron Boulder": { "sets": { "Swords Dance": { "description": "Swords Dance Iron Boulder is a usable setup sweeper and speed control in the current metagame, outspeeding already fast and common threats like Booster Energy Iron Valiant and Iron Moth. Earthquake lets it hit Gholdengo, Pecharunt, and Kingambit. Zen Headbutt can be used to improve the matchup against Great Tusk and Zamazenta while hitting Pecharunt harder as well as provide a reliable means of revenge killing Iron Valiant. Close Combat targets Ting-Lu and Kingambit much harder. Tera Blast Fairy is also an option to nail Great Tusk and Zamazenta while giving it a crucial defensive typing for easier setups and take on Kingambit's Sucker Punch. Substitute is also a viable option to ease Iron Boulder's matchup versus Sucker Punch from Kingambit, with the added benefit of letting it avoid status like Thunder Wave from Galarian Slowking and Will-O-Wisp from Galarian Weezing as it sets up. However, its main use case is with Tera Flying, as the combination allows Iron Boulder to circumvent Gliscor—which otherwise would be a solid check—and turn it into setup fodder by avoiding both Toxic and Earthquake. Running Taunt over Substitute is also an option; aside from still beating Gliscor one-on-one with Tera Flying, it also allows Iron Boulder to overwhelm Skarmory by preventing its Iron Defense and Roost attempts. Tera Fighting boosts the power of Close Combat, notably helping Iron Boulder brute force its way past Skarmory, while also allowing it to OHKO Ting-Lu after a Swords Dance. It also provides a Sucker Punch resistance, which helps versus Kingambit and Hisuian Samurott. Tera Ground can be used to boost the power of Earthquake, guaranteeing the OHKO on bulkier variants of Gholdengo at +2 as well as helping Iron Boulder avoid being picked off by Raging Bolt's Thunderclap.
Iron Boulder's power and its top-tier speed, alongside its good coverage and access to Swords Dance, make it very suitable for hyper offense teams. Teammates such as Kingambit appreciate the weakening of shared checks such as Landorus-T and Skarmory. The same goes for Iron Moth but with Ting-Lu and Gliscor. Iron Valiant also appreciates Gliscor being weakened and can whittle down shared checks such as Gholdengo to make it easier for Iron Boulder to sweep later. Iron Boulder struggles with entry hazard damage putting it in KO range of priority moves such as Kingambit’s Sucker Punch and Rillaboom’s Grassy Glide after Tera. Teammates that are effective at keeping hazards off your side such as Taunt Deoxys-S, Glimmora, Hatterene, or Great Tusk are good partners. The first two also provide their own hazards, facilitating the weakening of Iron Boulder's checks. Iron Boulder also has difficulty overcoming Dondozo. Partners that can weaken it or take advantage of it, such as Kingambit or Ogerpon-W, respectively, are good partners.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 477404, "username": "sufys"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 558636, "username": "zastra"}, {"user_id": 548068, "username": "Setsu"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 168392, "username": "P Squared"}]}]} }, "Iron Crown": { "sets": { "Choice Specs": { "description": "Leveraging its high Special Attack and good coverage, Choice Specs Iron Crown is a strong wallbreaker that can 2HKO a number of the metagame's defensive options like Garganacl and Gliscor. Tachyon Cutter being a multi-hit move lets Iron Crown OHKO Focus Sash Glimmora without activating Toxic Debris, break Multiscale on Dragonite, and deal significant damage to Landorus-T. Psyshock is preferred to let Iron Crown take on specially defensive walls like Galarian Slowking, Clodsire, and Blissey, while Psychic Noise can be used instead to prevent Pokemon like Corviknight and Zapdos from healing in front of it. Volt Switch lets Iron Crown pivot out of Pokemon it would otherwise struggle against while also dealing significant damage to the likes of Primarina and Alomomola. Focus Blast helps Iron Crown deal with Steel-types like Kingambit and Iron Treads and is its best option to damage Ting-Lu. Tera Steel increases the power of Tachyon Cutter, letting it 2HKO offensive Gholdengo variants and OHKO fully HP invested Landorus-T most of the time, while Tera Fighting Focus Blast guarantees a 2HKO on Ting-Lu, as well as OHKOes Ogerpon-W most of the time and guarantees an OHKO on Cinderace. Both Tera types also remove Iron Crown's weakness to Dark-type moves, improving its matchup against offensive Dark-types like Kingambit and Hisuian Samurott.
Choice Specs Iron Crown needs physically offensive teammates like Zamazenta and Dragonite that can reliably remove specially defensive Pokemon like Ting-Lu and Blissey. In return, they benefit from Iron Crown being able to handle physical walls like Clefable and Dondozo. Because Iron Crown will be consistently locked into one move, it's easier to revenge kill, so it needs defensive teammates such as Primarina and Landorus-T that can switch into faster offensive Pokemon like Darkrai and Zamazenta while also providing pivot support for Iron Crown. Alomomola is another good teammate for Iron Crown, pivoting it into favorable matchups and keeping it healthy with Wish. Gholdengo is especially annoying for Iron Crown, as it resists both of its STAB moves and can easily heal off damage, so teammates like Kingambit and Great Tusk that can easily take care of it are useful. Finally, Iron Crown benefits from entry hazard setters like Hisuian Samurott that can soften up foes and allow it to clean them up easier.
" }, "Assault Vest": { "description": "Assault Vest Iron Crown serves as a strong offensive pivot and sturdy check to a bevy of special attackers like Calm Mind Iron Valiant, Kyurem, and Enamorus. Tachyon Cutter's multi-hit properties allow it to bypass Glimmora's Focus Sash to OHKO it before it can set up any entry hazards. Future Sight's delayed damage puts a tremendous amount of pressure on the opposing team, since Dark-types switching in to block Future Sight or Steel-types and special walls trying to sponge the attack will have to survive powerful physical attacks from teammates like Great Tusk, Kingambit, Hisuian Samurott, Zamazenta, and Weavile; Psychic Noise offers lower but more immediate damage while simultaneously nullifying recovery attempts from Gholdengo, Blissey, Corviknight, Garganacl, and Clodsire, allowing Iron Crown and its teammates to force significant damage against these threats. Focus Blast rounds out Iron Crown's coverage by hitting Kingambit, Ting-Lu, and Tera Steel Clodsire super effectively, and it is also its strongest attack against opposing Iron Crown. Volt Switch allows Iron Crown to capitalize on its ability to force out most special attackers and gain momentum for its team and has great synergy with Future Sight by safely pivoting in the aforementioned powerful physical attackers that can take advantage of the chip damage or switches it forces. Assault Vest greatly boosts Iron Crown's special bulk, allowing it to better handle special attackers like Calm Mind Iron Valiant and Enamorus. Tera Fighting turns Iron Crown's weakness to Dark-type attacks into a resistance, allowing it to survive Kingambit's Sucker Punch in a pinch while boosting its Focus Blast to 2HKO Ting-Lu and physically defensive Corviknight; Tera Fairy also offers a Dark resistance, but the Dragon immunity, Fighting resistance, and Fairy neutrality it provides allow Iron Crown to better check Dragapult and more reliably handle mixed and physical Iron Valiant sets without compromising its ability to check Calm Mind variants as heavily.
Iron Crown is best run on bulky offense teams, which can both cover Iron Crown's defensive shortcomings and maintain a similar level of offensive pressure, often in the form of additional pivoting options to maintain momentum. Hisuian Samurott is a spectacular teammate; it can form a VoltTurn core with Iron Crown using Flip Turn, reliably set Spikes with Ceaseless Edge, and even remove Heavy-Duty Boots with its strong STAB Knock Off to allow the duo to rack up massive amounts of lasting damage through Spikes and Future Sight or Psychic Noise. The two share excellent defensive synergy, as Hisuian Samurott's Ghost and Dark resistances cover Dragapult, Gholdengo, and opposing Hisuian Samurott while Iron Crown's Grass and Fairy resistances cover Rillaboom and Iron Valiant. Ceaseless Edge and Knock Off have impeccable synergy with Future Sight, and Hisuian Samurott's Razor Shell hits Dark-types like Ting-Lu and Kingambit very hard, rendering Iron Crown's Future Sight much more difficult to switch in against. Landorus-T is another great teammate; it also forms a powerful VoltTurn core with Iron Crown, can blanket check most physical attackers with Intimidate and Rocky Helmet to complement Iron Crown's ability to blanket check most special attackers with Assault Vest, can set up Stealth Rock, and the two also boast impeccable defensive synergy courtesy of Iron Crown checking Ice Beam users like Deoxys-S and Landorus-T checking physical Iron Valiant and Heatran. Together, Iron Crown, Hisuian Samurott, and Landorus-T form an extremely powerful core that resists every type in the game, utilizes multiple pivoting options, sets up both Stealth Rock and Spikes, and can blanket check many physical and special attackers alike. Calm Mind Primarina is a good teammate that can run Psychic Noise itself, allowing Iron Crown to more freely run Future Sight, and can take advantage of Iron Crown's ability to wear down teams over time to set up for a late-game sweep once threats like Encore Iron Valiant are dealt with. Physically defensive Moltres is another solid teammate, as it can reliably check most physical attackers by spreading burn with Will-O-Wisp and Flame Body and heavily punishes Dark-types like Kingambit and Hisuian Samurott and Steel-types like Gholdengo aiming to switch into Future Sight, and appreciates Iron Crown's ability to temporarily keep special attackers like Deoxys-S and Walking Wake at bay. Kingambit itself makes for a strong teammate, as with Iron Crown's Future Sight support, Kingambit has a much easier time both finding opportunities to set up with Swords Dance and muscle past physical walls like Dondozo and Alomomola, which are quickly overwhelmed by the combination of Future Sight and powerful Dark-type attacks possibly boosted further by Black Glasses, Tera Dark, and Supreme Overlord. Kingambit additionally resists Ghost- and Dark-type attacks from the likes of Gholdengo and opposing Kingambit lacking Low Kick, which Iron Crown greatly appreciates. Zamazenta and Weavile also greatly appreciate both Iron Crown's Future Sight support and its pivoting capabilities, allowing them to be brought in safely and giving them opportunities to fire off a powerful Body Press or Knock Off that, when paired with Future Sight, can prove nearly impossible to switch in against.
" }, "Calm Mind": { "description": "With solid bulk, a one-time Speed boost, and near-perfect coverage, Calm Mind Iron Crown is a solid sweeper and late-game cleaner. Tachyon Cutter has the benefit of hitting twice, allowing Iron Crown to OHKO common Focus Sash leads in Glimmora and Ribombee, giving it an alternate use as an anti-lead that denies entry hazards. Tachyon Cutter also allows Iron Crown to break Substitutes while chipping the Pokemon hiding behind it; it can break Zamazenta’s Substitute after one Calm Mind and Kyurem’s without any Calm Mind boosts. After one Calm Mind, Iron Crown can hit several important ranges with Tachyon Cutter such as an OHKO on Kyurem and a good chance to KO offensive Landorus-T; it also secures a 2HKO against defensive Landorus-T variants while not being 2HKOed by Earth Power. The choice of Psychic-type STAB move depends on the team's needs: Psyshock targets the lower Defense of Galarian Slowking, Ogerpon-W, and Primarina, while Psychic Noise prevents walls such as Dondozo, Pecharunt, Alomomola, and Corviknight from spamming recovery to outlast Iron Crown. Stored Power is an option that can reach astonishing power levels, capable of breaking past almost any non-immune wall; however, it requires several turns of setup and has no benefit other than raw damage. Focus Blast complements Iron Crown's STAB combination by providing excellent neutral and super effective coverage against everything in the metagame except Gholdengo. It is Iron Crown's best way of hitting Ting-Lu and Steel-types like Kingambit and Iron Treads. The EV spread maximizes Iron Crown's offensive capabilities while letting Booster Energy enhance its Speed; the leftover EVs are invested into HP for increased survivability, notably allowing Iron Crown to survive a Choice Specs Kyurem Earth Power. Tera Fighting and Tera Fairy remove Iron Crown's original weaknesses, most notably both turning its weakness to Dark-type moves such as Kingambit and Hisuian Samurott’s Sucker Punch into a resistance to give it an easier time sweeping. Tera Fighting strengthens Iron Crown's Focus Blast, OHKOing Darkrai 2HKOing on Ting-Lu at +1. Tera Fairy is a more defensive Tera type that, unlike Tera Fighting, gives it fewer weaknesses. It further improves Iron Crown’s matchups against Walking Wake, Raging Bolt, and Dragapult by turning the Dragon resistance into an immunity.
Calm Mind Iron Crown best fits on offense teams that appreciate its unique traits as a sweeper. Due to its low initial damage output, Iron Crown will struggle against bulky threats such as Ting-Lu, Galarian Slowking, and Gholdengo, which require significant chip damage for it to break through them. Teammates such as Hisuian Samurott and Ogerpon-W significantly threaten these bulky foes, and in return, Iron Crown can deal with Kyurem and Rillaboom. Iron Crown is also extremely vulnerable to many offensive threats, many of which can survive almost any hit from an unboosted Iron Crown such as Hisuian Samurott, Landorus-T, and Kingambit; they can either force a Tera or outright KO Iron Crown. Ogerpon-W and Iron Moth also resist Tachyon Cutter and threaten a clean 2HKO on Iron Crown. As such, Iron Crown appreciates pivots such as Pecharunt, which walls Ogerpon-W and weakens it with Parting Shot, and Alomomola, which can take hits from Weavile, Hisuian Samurott, and other physical threats and threaten a burn with Scald to enable Iron Crown set up on them. Furthermore, special walls like Blissey and Clodsire using Tera Dark completely wall Iron Crown, as Focus Blast does insufficient damage. Because of this, Iron Crown appreciates physically offensive teammates, such as Hisuian Samurott, Great Tusk, and Zamazenta, that can deal with its checks; in return, they appreciate Iron Crown's removal of Fairy- and Fighting-type threats such as Enamorus, Hatterene, and Great Tusk. Hisuian Samurott and Great Tusk also set entry hazards to accumulate chip damage, which can compensate for this set's low initial power and allow Iron Crown to clean up or sweep earlier than expected.
" } }, "credits": {"writtenBy": [{"user_id": 408271, "username": "Dreadfury"}, {"user_id": 439018, "username": "Maia"}, {"user_id": 688041, "username": "GrimtheImpy"}], "teams": [{"name": "Quality checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 612443, "username": "ninth"}, {"user_id": 612907, "username": "sequoia"}, {"user_id": 260369, "username": "TPP"}, {"user_id": 384270, "username": "autumn"}, {"user_id": 513254, "username": "SpZ"}]}, {"name": "Grammar checked by", "members": [{"user_id": 197240, "username": "sunny"}, {"user_id": 384270, "username": "autumn"}, {"user_id": 555379, "username": "Tbolt"}]}]} }, "Pecharunt": { "sets": { "Pivot": { "description": "Pecharunt's insanely high Defense, Ghost typing, and wide movepool make it a an excellent defensive pivot and support Pokemon for offensive teams. Malignant Chain is a powerful STAB move that, more importantly, can spread status, particularly against switch-ins like Ting-Lu and setup sweepers like Zamazenta and Dragonite, which Pecharunt can take advantage of with its Poison Puppeteer. Foul Play is an option to punish setup sweepers like Dragonite, Kyurem, and Terastallized Ogerpon-W, though this should only be used with Tera Dark. Shadow Ball gives it a consistent Ghost-type STAB move that deal more damage to Pokemon immune to poison like Gholdengo and Galarian Slowking. Hex can be used over Shadow Ball, complementing its ability to spread poison. Parting Shot keeps up momentum for the team and is a great way to safely bring in its teammates, especially by weakening the opposition beforehand. Heavy-Duty Boots is a solid item choice to block residual damage from entry hazards that Pecharunt would have otherwise been susceptible to as it pivots in and out, particularly preferred on teams with lack of hazard removal. Rocky Helmet lets it chip physical attackers it's supposed to check, punishing pivoting attempts from Cinderace, Ogerpon-W, and Rillaboom and improving its matchup against Zamazenta. Air Balloon is a good alternative to mitigate Pecharunt's Ground weakness, which is especially helpful for taking on Great Tusk, while providing an invaluable Spikes immunity similar to Heavy-Duty Boots. Tera Dark boosts Foul Play and completely flips most of Pecharunt's weaknesses, including Ghost, Dark, and Psychic, letting it check foes like Hisuian Samurott, Weavile, and Ceruledge and deal with Deoxys-S in a pinch. Tera Ghost removes its Ground weakness to totally spinblock Great Tusk and Iron Treads, with the added benefit of boosting its Ghost-type STAB move. Pecharunt can benefit greatly from two distinct EV spreads, with one maximizing Defense and the other Speed; a physically defensive spread allows it to take more hits from the likes of Zamazenta, Great Tusk, and Ogerpon-W, running enough Speed to get the jump on Jolly Kingambit, but maximum Speed investment ensures that Pecharunt is fast enough to outspeed Great Tusk and Gholdengo as well as Speed tie opposing Pecharunt.
The support provided by Pecharunt's ability to spread status and pivot to gain momentum makes it an excellent teammate for offensive teams. Pecharunt forms solid cores with Dark-type Pokemon, such as Kingambit, Hisuian Samurott, and Darkrai; these Dark-type spam teams are extremely weak to Zamazenta, which Pecharunt can completely wall, and Iron Valiant, which Pecharunt can switch in on and threaten with Malignant Chain. On the other hand, these exact same Dark-types are threats to Pecharunt itself; having Zamazenta and Iron Valiant as teammates can help deal with them. Pecharunt's Ghost typing allows it to block Rapid Spin from opposing Great Tusk and Iron Treads, providing support for teammates like Hisuian Samurott to spread their entry hazards and keep them up throughout the game. Bulky Ground-types like Landorus-T, Great Tusk, and Ting-Lu also synergize well with Pecharunt, taking advantage of its ability to block Rapid Spin to spread entry hazards of their own, and they help deal with Iron Moth, which is otherwise able to set up on Pecharunt quite easily. Pecharunt can also remove Toxic Spikes from the field, clearing the path for setup sweepers without Heavy-Duty Boots, such as Booster Energy Iron Valiant and Leftovers Zamazenta. Pecharunt struggles against some of the special attackers in the tier that can outspeed and prevent it from making any progress, such as Darkrai and Choice Scarf Gholdengo. Having powerful teammates like Iron Valiant and Kingambit can provide much needed offensive support while also taking advantage of Pecharunt's Parting Shot to switch in on foes and set up safely. Landorus-T and Iron Treads can threaten Pecharunt significantly with their Ground-type attacks, and Gliscor can use Swords Dance to outpace the damage Pecharunt could do with Hex. Running Air Balloon, having a Ground-immune teammate like Landorus-T, or pivoting to a teammate like Kyurem or Ogerpon-W, can cover for this weakness and allow it to turn the matchup around in it favor. Pecharunt is also almost completely walled by Kingambit; Zamazenta and Great Tusk are great teammates to check Kingambit, and they can both be brought in safely with Parting Shot.
" }, "Nasty Plot": { "description": "Pecharunt's good defensive typing, excellent physical bulk, and otherwise well-rounded stats make it a uniquely effective and highly disruptive wallbreaker with Nasty Plot. With maximum Special Attack investment, Pecharunt can 2HKO the majority of the tier with Malignant Chain, notably Zamazenta. Recover provides longevity and ensures that Pecharunt can blanket check most physical attackers throughout a game. Alternatively, Destiny Bond can be run to trade Pecharunt for a KO, which can be especially useful after Pecharunt has already served its purpose and eliminated an opposing Great Tusk or Iron Treads beforehand. Heavy-Duty Boots lets Pecharunt switch in throughout a game without getting worn down by entry hazards. Air Balloon grants Pecharunt a temporary Ground immunity, making it a good spinblocker against Great Tusk and Iron Treads without needing to Terastallize and forcing threats like Dragonite and Enamorus to pop Pecharunt's Air Balloon and tank an attack before threatening it with their Ground-type attacks. Shuca Berry can accomplish a similar goal of temporarily sponging Ground-type attacks by letting Pecharunt survive a single Headlong Rush from Great Tusk, an Earth Power from Choice Specs Kyurem and Enamorus, or even a +2 Dragonite's Earthquake before hitting these threats back very hard. Shuca Berry also lets Pecharunt bluff Heavy-Duty Boots if entry hazards are not up, letting it more easily bait in Ground-type attacks and retaliate. The last two items have the added benefit of reducing Pecharunt's damage taken by Iron Valiant's Knock Off after they are consumed, allowing Pecharunt to check it more easily. Covert Cloak is an option that lets Pecharunt set up freely on one of its greatest checks, Garganacl, while also being handy in preventing Zamazenta's repeated Crunch from overwhelming it with the drops. Tera Ghost boosts Shadow Ball's damage output, allowing Pecharunt to OHKO both Iron Treads and Great Tusk after a Nasty Plot. Tera Water grants Pecharunt a solid neutral typing to take on common threats like Great Tusk, Kingambit, Gholdengo, and Ceruledge. Tera Fighting alongside Tera Blast is a niche option to hit a majority of its checks in Kingambit, Tyranitar, Garganacl, and Ting-Lu super effectively, with the new typing granting it a helpful Dark resistance. A bulkier EV spread with maximum HP investment can be used instead; at the cost of no longer guaranteeing the OHKO on foes like bulky Gholdengo, Pecharunt, and Great Tusk after minor chip damage, Pecharunt is more adept at checking foes like Zamazenta, Iron Valiant, and Ogerpon-W for its team and gains more setup opportunities.
Nasty Plot Pecharunt fits reasonably well on bulky offensive teams, and its best teammates greatly appreciate its defensive utility and spinblocking capabilities. Teammates that struggle with Zamazenta and Iron Valiant, such as Kingambit, Hisuian Samurott, and Darkrai, make for strong teammates. Kingambit appreciates Pecharunt softening up walls like Iron Defense Corviknight, while Hisuian Samurott can utilize Ceaseless Edge's entry hazard support to make Pecharunt's wallbreaking capabilities even more fearsome or can itself serve as a secondary wallbreaker alongside Pecharunt. Teammates that check and force out the aforementioned Dark-types, like Enamorus, Iron Valiant, and Zamazenta itself makes for strong teammates. Iron Valiant and Zamazenta are especially useful against Kingambit, which Pecharunt struggles immensely against. Physically bulky Stealth Rock-setting Ground-types like Ting-Lu, Great Tusk, and Landorus-T are great teammates that appreciate Pecharunt's ability to keep their entry hazards up, and in return, they tend to handle opposing Ground-type attacks well. Kyurem and Ogerpon-W are strong teammates that can handle bulkier, Poison-immune threats that Pecharunt struggles to break past, such as Garganacl, Gliscor, and Clodsire. Ogerpon-W and Kyurem greatly appreciate Pecharunt's ability to handle Zamazenta and Iron Valiant in return. Lastly, while it lacks Gholdengo's coveted Defog and Mortal Spin immunities, Pecharunt is a good alternative spinblocker for Sticky Web teams since it outspeeds and greatly threatens Great Tusk, ensuring that Sticky Web remains against teams that rely on it as their only form of hazard removal.
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