Pokemon: Mothim
Take: 3
Type:
Ability: Galvanize /
Tinted Lens
Stats: 90 (+20) / 134 (+40) / 60 (+10) / 104 (+10) / 60 (+10) / 111 (+45) (BST: 559)
New Moves: Wild Charge, Flare Blitz (inherited)
Competitive Niche: Mothim is an Electric-type attacker with many gifts most Electric-types would only dream of. While other Electrics like Tapu Koko only use U-Turn so that Ground-types don't stop the pivot, Mothim's STAB U-Turn strikes fear into Grass-types like Tangrowth off of its primary 134 Attack. For the Grass-types unbothered by Electric or Mothim's Bug-STAB, our little light-bug's Flare Blitz shreds resistance like Ferrothorn. Galvanize gives drawback-free physical Electric might (a rarity) with Return, or Facade or Secret Power if you're feeling spicy. If that doesn't strike your fancy, though, you can still use Wild Charge and take Tinted Lens to pummel even predicted switches. While 90 HP is decent, 60/60 bulk is immensely frail, but Mothim's typing does thankfully handle priority like Bullet Punch and Mach Punch well. It doesn't handle Stealth Rock as well, though...
Sample Sets:
Mothim @ Choice Band / Zap Plate / Life Orb / etc.?
Ability: Galvanize
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly / Adamant Nature
- Return
- Flare Blitz
- Facade / Lunge / Secret Power / etc.?
- U-Turn
Facade lets you take advantage of burn (or poison etc., you're immune to paralysis though!), Lunge annoys physical switch-ins and is the best way to beat Tapu Bulu, and Secret Power has a 30% chance to paralyze switch-ins that aren't Ground or Electric type.
Mothim @ Choice Band
Ability: Tinted Lens
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Wild Charge
- Flare Blitz
- Lunge
- U-Turn
Pokemon: Swalot
Take: 2
Type:
Ability: Levitate
Stats: 115 (+15) / 108 (+35) / 93 (+10) / 73 (+0) / 88 (+5) / 90 (+35) (BST: 567)
New Moves: Poison Fang, U-Turn
Deserved Explanation: It's faster and can float because it is partially made from buoyant and drag-less ectoplasm!
Competitive Niche: Swalot has a pretty broad set of boons. Poison and Ghost typing make it immune to Toxic as well as Fighting and Normal moves, and Levitate leaves it immune to hazards besides Stealth Rock (which it is not weak to). Levitate also makes it immune to Ground, leaving only three mostly relatively uncommon weaknesses (Dark, Ghost, and Psychic). Its finally decent Speed tier lets it reasonably use moves like Encore and Destiny Bond, and a strangely broad attack movepool opens up its item choices and whether it focuses on offense, defense, breaking stall, etc. It can be a bit helpless against many Steels and hates Toxic, though, even if EQ helps some against the former. Not having reliable recovery usually means it wants to make a quick impact against offense, which it has the tools to do...
Sample Sets:
Utility
Swalot @ Black Sludge
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Toxic / Poison Fang
- Substitute / Destiny Bond
- Encore
- Yawn / Bulldoze
Destiny Bond and Bulldoze go together. You are immune to Toxic so Substitute isn't Life or Death, but it helps vs Leech Seed and things like Soak Pyukumuku.
The Slow Death
Swalot @ Black Sludge
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Toxic / Poison Gas / Poison Fang
- Defense Curl
- Block
- Rest
Helpless against Steel-types? HA! This set lures and destroys many common Steel-types like magic and even sets you up for a possible sweep. Defense Curl's gargantuan 64 PP lets you outstall Steel-types like Celesteela, Ferrothorn, and more as well as other stallers like Toxapex and Chansey. Block prevents them from switching once they are your foe, ensuring their demise. Rest recovers chip, annoying paralysis, and HP lost from moves like Leech Seed. Poison Gas over Toxic gives you
another 64 PP, letting you stall multiple foes to their doom or even allow a physically defensive set with Amnesia over Defense Curl while keeping hilarious PP levels. Poison Fang says screw you to Taunt. Spamming Defense Curl (or Amnesia) on Blocked helpless Pokemon lets you keep the shenanigans alive against powerful foes like Tyranitar (or Mega Alakazam), assuming you don't get critted at a bad time!
Assault Vest
Swalot @ Assault Vest
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Poison Fang
- Earthquake
- Ice Beam / Shadow Ball
- U-Turn
How do you like
these apples, Heatran? Also... has all the Toxic (or half of it, anyway), none of the Taunt vulnerability!