[Pros]
<ul>
<li>Slurpuff's pure Fairy-typing is quite solid.</li>
<li>Belly Drum + Unburden is something that Slurpuff can call its own.</li>
<li>It also has neat special move options such as Thunderbolt, Flamethrower, and Surf.</li>
</ul>
[Cons]
<ul>
<li>None of Slurpuff's stats are particularly impressive. The highest is its below average base 86 Defense stat, and the rest range from below average to downright bad.</li>
<li>Even with Belly Drum, it has trouble sweeping due to its fairly nonexistent physical movepool. Its only usable physical moves are Play Rough, Return, and Thief, which leave it shut down by bulky Steel-types.</li>
<li>All in all, Slurpuff just struggles to find anything it can do well without being outclassed.</li>
</ul>
[Set Recommendations]
[SET]
name: Belly Drum Sweeper
move 1: Belly Drum
move 2: Play Rough
move 3: Return
move 4: Flamethrower
nature: Naughty
ability: Unburden
item: Sitrus Berry
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 76 SpA / 176 Spe
<p>Slurpuff is the only Pokemon with access to both Belly Drum and Unburden, a combination that gives it a niche as a physical sweeper. The goal of this set is to bring Slurpuff in on something it can force out (such as a Choice-locked Dragon-type attack), use Belly Drum, eat the Sitrus Berry to restore 25% of Slurpuff's health and activate Unburden, and then sweep. Play Rough is a pretty solid physical STAB; after a Belly Drum boost, it hits just about anything that doesn't resist it for major damage. Return is unfortunately the only other powerful physical move that Slurpuff has, but it does hit the majority of Poison- and Fire-type Pokemon that resist Play Rough for neutral damage. That's about the extent of Slurpuff's good physical movepool, so Flamethrower is chosen for the last slot because it is Slurpuff's best weapon against Steel-type Pokemon. If you hit them with Flamethrower on the switch, many bulky Steel-type Pokemon can be knocked out, opening up for a Belly Drum sweep later.</p>
<p>The EV spread is designed primarily to maximize Slurpuff's physical power and give it enough speed to outrun everything up to Choice Scarf Rotom-W after Unburden has been activated. The 4 HP EVs give Slurpuff an even HP number to ensure that the Sitrus Berry will always activate after Belly Drum is used, while the Special Attack EVs and Naughty nature give Slurpuff's Flamethrower enough power to 2HKO physically defensive Skarmory, 2HKO standard Ferrothorn, OHKO Forretress, and OHKO Choice Band Scizor 81.25% of the time after Stealth Rock damage. A Naive nature could also be used to outspeed even some of the fastest Choice Scarf users after the Unburden boost, but the power loss is noticeable. Since the Sitrus Berry can only activate once, you only have one shot to sweep with this set. Slurpuff needs as much prior damage against the opponent as it can get to assist its sweep, so entry hazard support is a must. Ferrothorn is notable for covering Slurpuff's weaknesses and providing both Stealth Rock and Spikes support. Rotom-W is another viable teammate since it can cover Slurpuff's Steel weakness, cripple physical attackers with Will-O-Wisp to ease setup, and get Slurpuff in safely with a slow Volt Switch. Since Slurpuff relies on good prediction with Flamethrower to beat Steel-types, Magnezone can assist by trapping and removing those Steel-type checks, alleviating the need for Flamethrower.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Bulky Steel-type Pokemon such as physically defensive Skarmory and Ferrothorn are pretty threatening. Unless the Slurpuff user can predict the switch and hit the switch-in with Flamethrower, they can either defeat Slurpuff or force it out and end the sweep. Slurpuff's 82 / 86 / 75 bulk is far from impressive, so simply attacking it outright can prevent it from setting up in the first place. If it does get to set up, powerful priority users such as Talonflame and Scizor can threaten even an Unburden-boosted Slurpuff with a KO. If it's not running a Jolly nature, Choice Scarf Pokemon with a base 90 Speed stat or higher can outspeed an Unburden-boosted Slurpuff and keep it in check.</p>
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