TONE
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[OVERVIEW]
Shiinotic carries a small niche in the PU tier as a strong wallbreaker with access to a spammable, strong STAB move in Moonblast along with a secondary STAB move in Giga Drain and coverage in Hidden Power Fire. This, combined with a solid Grass / Fairy typing, lets it check Water- and Fighting-types such as Hitmonchan and Quagsire. However, a low Speed stat plus mediocre HP and Defense stats means that Shiinotic is prone to being overwhelmed by faster threats such as Stoutland and Skuntank. This, combined with the fact that Shiinotic has an average Special Attack stat, means that it struggles to break past special walls such as Audino and Clefairy. Shiinotic also faces competition from other Grass-type wallbreakers such as Victreebel and Lilligant, which boast higher Special Attack and are faster.
[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Moonblast
move 2: Giga Drain
move 3: Hidden Power Fire
move 4: Sludge Bomb / Spore
item: Choice Specs
ability: Effect Spore
nature: Modest
evs: 92 HP / 252 SpA / 164 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Moonblast is Shiinotic's most spammable move, doing a great deal of damage to Fighting-, Dragon-, and Dark-types such as Gurdurr, Drampa, and Alolan Persian. Giga Drain is Shiinotic's Grass-type STAB move, hitting Ground-, Rock-, and Water-types such as Mudsdale, Regirock, and Quagsire while also providing Shiinotic with semi-reliable recovery. Hidden Power Fire hits Steel-types such as Alolan Sandslash and Metang, which resist Shiinotic's dual STAB moves and would otherwise wall it. Sludge Bomb deals with opposing Grass-types such as Lilligant while also helping against special walls such as Type: Null if Shiinotic manages to poison it. On the other hand, Spore cripples switch-ins to Shiinotic such as Audino with sleep.
Set Details
========
164 Speed EVs allow Shiinotic to outspeed uninvested base 50 Speed Pokemon such as Audino and Regirock. Effect Spore lets Shiinotic punish physical attackers like Hitmonchan with a 30% chance to inflict either paralysis, poison, or sleep when a foe makes contact.
Usage Tips
========
Switch Shiinotic in on weaker attacks such as Scald from Pokemon like Quagsire or against Pokemon that can't do much to Shiinotic such as Hitmonchan, Regirock, and Mudsdale. Because of the nature of this set, it's best used as an early-game wallbreaker that spams Moonblast, as it has few drawbacks. Be mindful of what move Shiinotic locks itself into. Locking itself into Giga Drain means that Flying-types such as Dodrio and Oricorio-E can set up on it, whereas locking itself into Hidden Power Fire allows Rock- and Fire-types such as Lycanroc and Simisear to set up as well. If running Spore, you can freely go for it if you predict a Pokemon such as Audino to come in to take a hit to put it to sleep, but be careful of opposing Grass-types such as Lilligant and Sap Sipper Drampa, as they are immune to Spore; however, they cannot directly switch in otherwise.
Team Options
========
This set works better on balance and offensive teams looking for a hard-hitting wallbreaker as well as a Water- and Fighting-type check. U-turn, Volt Switch, and Parting Shot support from Pokemon such as Lanturn, Scyther, and Alolan Persian pairs well with Shiinotic, allowing it to come in safely. These Pokemon also appreciate Shiinotic's ability to handle Rock-, Ground-, and Fighting-types in return. Entry hazard support from Pokemon such as Regirock, Mesprit, and Qwilfish make for solid partners for Shiinotic, wearing down its switch-ins and aiding in getting specific KOs. Examples include OHKOing specially defensive variants of Alolan Sandslash with Hidden Power Fire after Stealth Rock and guaranteeing the OHKO on Skuntank with Moonblast after Stealth Rock and a layer of Spikes. Mesprit also provides Healing Wish support for Shiinotic, giving it another chance to wallbreak, whereas Qwilfish can use Thunder Wave to make up for Shiinotic's low Speed. Regirock appreciates Shiinotic checking Water- and Ground-types for it, while Shiinotic appreciates Regirock checking Flying- and Fire-types such as Dodrio and Simisear. Setup sweepers such as Dodrio and Lycanroc appreciate Shiinotic weakening Rock- and Ground-types for them. The former can check Pokemon such as Scyther and Lilligant with Brave Bird, whereas the latter can check Flying-types such as Oricorio-E and Dodrio and weaken Steel-types such as Alolan Sandslash and Metang with Drill Run. These Pokemon also appreciate a free turn of setup if Shiinotic is running Spore. Physical wallbreakers such as Stoutland can break down special walls that Shiinotic struggles to break past such as Type: Null.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
A physically defensive spread with moves such as Leech Seed and Strength Sap can be used to better check physical attackers such as Gurdurr, but such a role is done better by Tangela thanks to its superior bulk, Regenerator, and access to utility moves such as Knock Off. Energy Ball is a stronger Grass STAB option, but the added power isn't worth giving up the recovery Giga Drain can provide.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Faster Pokemon**: Because of Shiinotic's low Speed, Pokemon such as Aurorus, Scyther, and Simisear can force it out with their super effective STAB attacks or set up in the case of the latter two, although none of these Pokemon can safely switch in.
**Steel-types**: Alolan Sandslash, Aggron, Metang, and Probopass all resist Moonblast and can force Shiinotic out with their super effective moves or proceed to set up Stealth Rock as Shiinotic switches out, but Alolan Sandslash has to be wary of switching in on a predicted Hidden Power Fire.
**Poison-types**: Roselia resists both of Shiinotic's STAB moves and can easily take Hidden Power Fire and proceed to knock it out with Sludge Bomb, set up a layer of Spikes, or heal off any damage with Synthesis. Skuntank can't switch in on Moonblast but can outspeed and OHKO it with Poison Jab or Sludge Bomb.
**Specially Defensive Pokemon**: Pokemon such as Audino and Type: Null can take Moonblast with ease and heal off the damage with Wish and Rest, respectively. The former can also remove Shiinotic's Choice Specs with Knock Off, making its attacks significantly weaker.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[TONE, 213583]]
- Quality checked by: [[tondas, 442732], [TJ, 331538], [Megazard, 202117]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [Fireflame479, 231476]]
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