Slowking (Update)

Changes:
*Since the analysis was OU-oriented, I changed it to reflect Slowking's merit in only the UU metagame
*Dropped the Curse set, as its outclassed in UU by something like Lapras. Also decided to drop the Trick Room set as its outclassed by Slowbro. Mentioned the NP set's merit in Trick Room.
*Also modified a lot of current sets on site to reflect Slowking's UU attributes.
*Team options and stuff also added.



http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/slowking

[SET]
name: Bulky Water
move 1: Surf
move 2: Psychic / Ice Beam / Hidden Power Grass
move 3: Slack Off
move 4: Toxic / Thunder Wave
item: Leftovers
ability: Own Tempo
nature: Calm
evs: 252 HP / 144 Def / 112 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Slowking is one of the premier bulky waters in the UU metagame, due to its ability to wall both the physical and special sides

<p>Like many of its fellow bulky waters in UU, Slowking has access to an instant-recover with little effort. Resistances to Fighting, Fire, and Water allow Slowking to wall a majority of UU's largest threats, namely Azumarill and Hitmonlee. Slowking also has the additional benefit of being able to take on Blaziken, something the other bulky waters cannot always claim.</p> y move in Slack Off. This allows Slowking to alternate between attacking and replenishing health, or perhaps inflicting status on an opposing Pokemon and stalling. Toxic is usually the preferred choice of status, though Thunder Wave does have merit, often crippling a fast switch-in such as Mismagius or Yanmega. Surf from Slowking's base 100 Special Attack stat provides a solid STAB attack that hits the majority of the metagame for decent damage. Slowking's secondary attack often depends on the team's needs.</p>

<p>Psychic should be the secondary attack on Slowking, letting it hit common switch-ins for super effective damage, namely Roserade. Having a rather powerful STAB Psychic at Slowking's disposal allows it to deter Roserade from coming in for free and laying Spikes or firing off Leaf Storms. Psychic also has the benefit of hitting the powerful Fighting-types in UU for heavy damage, namely Hitmontop and Hariyama who take below-average damage from Surf. One must be careful in spamming Psychic, however, as it gives both Honchkrow and Drapion free switch-ins. Ice Beam is perhaps the safest option as a secondary attack, still maintaining super effective coverage on Roserade while also hitting Honchkrow and Altaria for heavy damage. Hidden Power Grass is hits opposing bulky waters for super effective damage, though it only outclasses Psychic by 5 Base Power.</p>

<p>As mentioned above, Slowking should always have a status move in case its dual attacking options fail. Toxic is particularly useful against bulky Fighting -types such as Hariyama, who take negligible damage from any attack Slowking has, bar Psychic. Thunder Wave is rather useful against hyper-offensive teams in UU, crippling fast, powerful sweepers such as Mismagius, Yanmega, and Kangaskhan. Inflicting status allows Slowking to stall with greater ease, while maintaining the "attack and recover" scheme.</p>

<p>While Slowking's dual Water / Psychic typing is primarily advantageous, it does cause some trouble at times. Despite its decent bulk on both the physical and special side, Slowking often attracts certain threatening Pokemon such as Honchkrow and Venusaur. Depending on the secondary attack Slowking carries, both Honchkrow and bulky Grass-types such as Venusaur can be problematic. It is therefore best to pair Slowking with something that can handle both of these threats. Weezing is perhaps the most reliable partner, being able to cripple both threats with Will-O-Wisp and hit back with Thunderbolt or STAB Sludge Bomb respectively. Slowking often attracts Yanmega as well, meaning it helps to have something like Chansey to absorb Bug Buzzes. Slowking also attracts status ailments, primarily Toxic. It is advised to have a status absorber or Steel-type, such as Registeel, when using Slowking to avoid being crippled.</p>


[SET]
name: Nasty Plot
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Surf
move 3: Psychic / Ice Beam
move 4: Slack Off
item: Leftovers
ability: Own Tempo
nature: Calm
evs: 252 HP / 144 Def / 112 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p> Due to Slowking's bulk on both the physical and special sides, it is a prime candidate for a Nasty Plot set. Unlike Slowking's counterpart, Slowbro, Slowking does not need the Calm Mind boosts thanks to its already high base 110 Special Defense stat; it would much rather benefit from the quick boosts provided by Nasty Plot. With Slack Off at its disposal, Slowking is one of the top bulky stat-boosting tanks in UU.</p>

<p> Unlike the bulky water set above, this Slowking variant needs the best coverage possible to quickly dispose of opposing threats. Hidden Power Electric is not even mentioned as a secondary attack because of the lack of coverage it provides in conjunction with Surf. Psychic is the best partner to Surf because it provides neutral coverage in UU on everything except opposing Slowbro and Slowking. Special Attack investment is not necessary on Slowking, as a +6 Surf will still 2HKO Chansey. Maintaining bulk is more important on this set than investing in Slowking's Special Attack stat.</p>

<p>The Nasty Plot set often suffers from the same problems as the Bulky Water set. Status is often the biggest problem, though the same overpowered sweepers, like Yanmega and Honchkrow, can freely come in as Slowking uses Nasty Plot. Again, the best partners to this Slowking set are ones that can take status and sponge attacks from the aforementioned Pokemon. Registeel can do both on to an extent. Chansey can take on all forms of Yanmega, as well as all status ailments thanks to Natural Cure. Honchkrow is often dealt with through smart switching, though having a Steel-type helps to absorb Night Slash and Drill Peck. Slowking can absorb Superpower thanks to its Psychic typing.</p>

<p>This Slowking also functions quite well on a Trick Room team due to its dismal base 30 Speed and quick stat-boosting move in Nasty Plot. Unlike Slowbro, who can only increase its Special Attack stat with Calm Mind, Slowking can max its Special Attack in half the time with Nasty Plot. Surf and Psychic cover the majority of the UU metagame, though Ice Beam is worth noting if Slowking is being used on an OU Trick Room team. Psychic is a fairly unused and outclassed type in OU because of the abundance of Steel- and Dark-types. Ice Beam covers much more, including the dominant Dragons.</p>

[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Trick
move 2: Surf
move 3: Psychic
move 4: Ice Beam / Hidden Power Grass / Slack Off
item: Choice Specs
ability: Own Tempo
nature: Modest
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Although a bit of a novelty, Slowking sports the devastating Trick, which has the potential to cripple one of the most common Slowking switch-ins, Chansey. Additionally, this set has the power to 2HKO Clefable, making Slowking quite a powerful bulky Specs user.</p>

<p>Surf and Psychic are staples on this set, as the two provide the best coverage possible in UU. Trick is self-explanatory and is the only real reason this set is plausible in UU. The final move depends largely on the player. Hidden Power Grass completes Slowking's UU coverage, hitting both opposing Slowking and Slowbro super effectively. Ice Beam has little merit, as most threats are hit as hard by the Surf / Psychic combination. Slack Off is an interesting choice if Trick is used early game, as it allows Slowking to maintain the ability to recover after crippling an opposing Pokemon with Trick.</p>

<p>Complements to this specific set should be things that can take advantage of special walls locked into a single move. Bulky special sweepers with Substitute and Calm Mind can often take advantage of a Specs Chansey. Espeon is a nice offensive complement, being able to boost up and sweep with its high base Speed. Similarly, Nasty Plot Houndoom is an excellent offensive complement, being able to decimate locked special walls. It is also nice that Slowbro complements Houndoom defensively, taking Water and Ground attacks with ease. Of course, it is important to take into account common switches into Slowking, with Yanmega being the most problematic, possibly taking Choice Specs as a result of Trick. Something should definitely be kept that can handle Choice Specs Yanmega in case a special wall is not tricked, whether it is a counter such as Chansey or a revenge-killer.</p>


[OTHER OPTIONS]

<p>Slowking has a pretty large special movepool, however most moves are not suitable for UU play. Slowking gets Flamethrower, Fire Blast, Grass Knot, and Focus Blast, among other moves. The only move worthy of any use is Flamethrower or Fire Blast, and the only UU Pokemon it hits harder than Surf, Psychic, or Hidden Power Grass is Registeel. Registeel cannot do much back to Slowking other than use Toxic, Thunder Wave, or Explosion, meaning it is often a wasted moveslot. These other moves are only worthy of consideration in the OU tier, where Grass Knot hits for greater damage on heavier foes and Flamethrower hits the widely used Steel-types for heavy damage.</p>

<p>Support wise, Slowking gets a few moves worthy of note. Light Screen can be used to further increase Slowking's large Special Defense and can provide overall team support. Psych Up is an interesting option to steal boosts from something like Calm Mind Slowbro. Slowking can utilize Curse pretty effectively thanks to its relatively high base Special Defense stat, while further boosting its average Defense stat. Although Slowking has a rather pitiful base 75 Attack stat, a few Curses can create a difficult tank to take down. However, due to the absence of Waterfall from Slowking's movepool, it must rely on the shaky accuracy of Aqua Tail.</p>

[EVs]

<p>Slowking should always invest 252 EVs into HP, as it maximizes overall bulk. The provided EV spread for the Bulky Water set is special in that Slowking will always survive two Life Orb Hidden Power Grass (or Electric) from Blaziken after Stealth Rock damage, meaning you can Slack Off at will and proceed to stall as Blaziken kills itself from Life Orb damag. The remaining 144 EVs are placed into Defense to better take on the powerful Fighting-types in UU, namely Hitmonlee and Hariyama. The Specs set should have max Special Attack to guarantee the 2HKO on special walls such as Clefable.</p>

[TEAM OPTIONS]

<p>Because of Slowking's bulk on both the physical and special side, it often causes a lot of switches. Perhaps the most common defensive switch-in to Slowking is Chansey. Quite a few Pokemon exist in UU that can eliminate Chansey. Dugtrio is the most obvious, being able to trap and 2HKO Chansey with Earthquake. Roserade can come in for free on all Chansey and threaten Spikes or Sleep Powder. Toxic Spikes, although fairly extinct in UU, can also be utilized by Roserade to cripple Chansey and other bulky waters.</p>

<p>Offensive switch-ins to Slowking often include Yanmega and Roserade. Both possess strong STAB moves that will KO Slowking. Bulky Steel-types in UU partner quite well with Slowking, due to their ability to take Bug Buzz and Leaf Storm. Registeel is an obvious partner, but can be 3HKOd by Specs Tinted Lens Yanmega. Chansey is quite a feasible partner as well, being able to take on the majority of Special Attackers that threaten Slowking. Chansey also sports Aromatherapy, which can get rid of status, should Slowking be affected.</p>

<p>Note that Slowking also attracts a few physical attackers, notably Venusaur and Leafeon. Should Slowking forego Psychic or Ice Beam for Hidden Power Grass, these bulky physical Grass types become much harder to take down. It is therefore helpful to pair Slowking with something like Weezing or Moltres to be able to sponge Seed Bombs and Leaf Blades. Although Moltres and Slowking cover each others weaknesses quite well, spin support is necessary for Moltres. If this is not possible, Weezing is the better teammate.</p>


[OPINION]

<p>Almost all UU teams need a bulky water to tank hits from powerful sweepers. Slowking is often forgotten and replaced by Slowbro or Milotic. However, Slowking's above average stats in both defensive categories make it the better mixed tank, outclassing Milotic and Slowbro in walling mixed sweepers such as Blaziken. Slowking fits on all types of UU teams, being able to check a lot of threatening sweepers such as bulky Water-types and Fighting-types. Instant recovery in the form of Slack Off only adds to Slowking's credentials as a top tier UU bulky water.</p>

<p>Although primarily defensive in nature, remember that Slowking has Nasty Plot at its disposal, quickly changing it from simply a bulky staller to a bulky sweeper. With its dual Water / Psychic typing, Slowking can set up on a lot of the UU metagame and threaten a sweep. Don't forget its base 30 Speed stat, however, meaning Trick Room support is advised when sweeping!</p>

[COUNTERS]

<p>Generally, the best counter to Slowking is Toxic. The likelihood of Slowking running Rest is extremely low, meaning Toxic can slowly deplete Slowking's health. Grass-types in UU are usually a safe bet to defeat Slowking, specifically Venusaur. Venusaur don't mind taking an Ice Beam or Psychic thanks to its rather high base Special Defense, and can retaliate with a powerful Leaf Storm or Seed Bomb. Of course, Chansey is probably the best counter to any set except Specs, due to its ability to take any attack and threaten a status effect.</p>

__________________

Alright, its my first analysis. Feel free to rip it apart, I don't mind redoing certain sections.
 
Small nitpick...

Roserade specifically doesn't mind taking an Ice Beam or Psychic thanks to its rather high base Special Defense, and can retaliate back with a powerful Leaf Storm.
236 Atk vs 246 Def & 261 HP (90 Base Power): 186 - 222 (71.26% - 85.06%)

Psychic from the Nasty Plot set's EVs against LO Roserade.

236 Atk vs 246 Def & 261 HP (95 Base Power): 132 - 156 (50.57% - 59.77%)

Ice Beam from the Nasty Plot set's EVs against LO Roserade.

As you can see, Roserade does mind taking these attacks, especially Psychic. I suggest you change that up a bit.
 

franky

aka pimpdaddyfranky, aka frankydelaghetto, aka F, aka ef
is a Top Team Rater Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnus
[SET]
name: Bulky Water
move 1: Surf
move 2: Hidden Power Grass / Psychic / Ice Beam
move 3: Slack Off
move 4: Toxic / Thunder Wave
item: Leftovers
ability: Own Tempo
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 144 Def / 112 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Slowking is one of the premier bulky waters in the UU metagame, allowing it to wall from both the physical and special side with little effort. Resistances to Fighting-, Fire-, and Water-type attacks allow Slowking to wall a majority of UU's largest threats, namely Azumarill and Hitmontop (more common). Slowking also has the additional benefit of being able to take on Blaziken, something most bulky waters cannot always claim.</p>

<p>Like many of its fellow bulky waters in UU, Slowking has access to an instant-recover move, Slack Off. This allows Slowking to alternate between attacking and replenishing its health, or perhaps inflicting status on an opposing Pokemon (ommit and stalling). Toxic is usually the preferred choice of status to cripple opposing walls, although Thunder Wave does have its merits, which cripples fast Pokemon who switch-in such as Mismagius or Yanmega. Surf coming off of Slowking's base 100 Special Attack stat, provides a solid STAB attack that hits the majority of the metagame for decent damage. Slowking's secondary attack often depends on what the team needs.</p>

<p>Hidden Power Grass has slowly become the standard move on bulky waters in UU because it hits opposing bulky waters and bulky sweepers, like Azumarill and Feraligatr, for super effective damage. Psychic is often used to hit the various Fighting- and Poison-types in UU for heavy damage, mainly Hitmontop and Roserade. However, with the prevalence of Honchkrow and Drapion in UU, Psychic often is overvalued and outclassed. Ice Beam is perhaps the safest bet as a secondary attack, still maintaining super effective coverage on Roserade while also hitting Honchkrow and Altaria for super effective damage.</p>

<p>As mentioned above, Slowking should always have a status move in case its dual attacking options fail. Toxic is particularly useful against bulky Fighting-types such as Hariyama and Hitmontop, who take negligible damage from any attack from Slowking barring Psychic. Thunder Wave is rather useful against hyperoffensive teams in UU, crippling fast, overpowered sweepers such as Mismagius, Yanmega, and Kangaskhan on a predicted switch-in. Inflicting status allows Slowking to stall with greater ease, and maintain the "Toxic Stall" scheme or patch up its rather slow Speed, thanks to Thunder Wave. (elaborated)</p>

<p>While Slowking's dual Water / Psychic typing is primarily advantageous, it does cause some trouble at times. Despite its decent bulk on the both physical and special side, Slowking often attracts certain threatening Pokemon such as Honchkrow and Venusaur. Depending on the secondary attack Slowking carries, (ommit for redundancy: "both Honchkrow and bulky Grass types such as Venusaur can be problematic.") it is best to pair Slowking with something that can handle both Honchkrow and Venusaur. Weezing is perhaps the most reliable partner, being able to cripple both threats with Will-O-Wisp, and hit back with Thunderbolt and STAB Sludge Bomb respectively. Slowking often attracts Yanmega as well, meaning it helps to have something like Chansey to absorb Bug Buzz (ommit -es). Slowking also attracts status ailments, primarily Toxic. It is often advised to have a status absorber or Steel type when using Slowking, such as Registeel, to avoid being crippled or having a Heal Bell user like Altaria to cleanse of the status. (elaborated, you could change the wording if you like)</p>


[SET]
name: Nasty Plot
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Surf
move 3: Psychic / Ice Beam
move 4: Slack Off
item: Leftovers
ability: Own Tempo
nature: Calm
evs: 252 HP / 144 Def / 112 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Because of Slowking's bulk on both the physical and special side along with a good Special Attack stat, it is a prime candidate for running a bulky Nasty Plot set. As opposed to its counterpart Slowbro, Slowking does not need the Calm Mind boosts thanks to its already high base 110 Special Defense stat, and would much rather benefit from the quick boosts Nasty Plot provides. With Slack Off at its disposal, Slowking is one of the premier bulky stat-boosting tanks in UU.</p>

<p>As opposed to the bulky water set above, this Slowking variant needs the best coverage possible to quickly dispose of opposing threats. Hidden Power Electric and Ice Beam are not even mentioned as secondary attacks because of the lack of coverage they provide in conjunction with Surf. Psychic is the best to pair with Surf because it provides neutral coverage in UU, which is only resisted by opposing Slowbro and Slowking. Special Attack investment is not necessary on Slowking, as a +6 Surf will still 2HKO Chansey with the current spread. Maintaining the bulk is more important on this set than investing in Slowking's Special Attack stat to maintain a bulky offense mindset.</p>

<p>The Nasty Plot set often suffers from the same problems that the bulky water one suffers from. Status moves, particulary Toxic, is often the biggest problem. Furthermore, the same overpowered sweepers can freely come in on Slowking's predicted Nasty Plot, including Yanmega and Honchkrow, and force Slowking to switch-out. Again, the best partners to this Slowking set are ones that can take status, as well as the onslaught of these overpowered UU Pokemon. Registeel can take both on to a good extent. Chansey can take on most forms of Yanmega, as well as all status ailments thanks to its ability Natural Cure. Honchkrow is often dealt with through smart switching, though having a Steel-type helps to absorb Night Slash and Drill Peck can be useful. Slowking can absorb Superpowers thanks to its Psychic typing. If you want to take a safer route, Milotic can check Honchkrow. (elaborated, you could change wording if you want)</p>

<p>This Slowking also functions quite well on a Trick Room team. With Slowking's dismal base Base 30 Speed and (ommited "quick stat-boosting move in") a stat-boosting move Nasty Plot, it is often effectively used in conjuction with Trick Room. As opposed to Slowbro, who can only increase its Special Attack stat with Calm Mind, Slowking can max its Special Attack boosts in half (ommit of )the time with three Nasty Plot boosts. Surf and Psychic cover the majority of the UU metagame, though Ice Beam is worth noting if Slowking is being used on an OU Trick Room team due. Psychic is a fairly unused and outclassed type in OU because of the abundance of Steel- and Dark-types, and Ice Beam covers much more, including the common Dragon-types.</p>


[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Trick
move 2: Surf
move 3: Psychic
move 4: Ice Beam / Hidden Power Grass / Slack Off
item: Choice Specs
ability: Own Tempo
nature: Modest
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Although a bit of a novelty, Slowking sports the devastating move Trick, which has the potential to cripple one of the most common Slowking switches, Chansey. Additionally, this set has the power to 2HKO Clefable, making Slowking quite a powerful bulky Specs user.</p>

<p>Surf and Psychic are necessary staples on this set, as the two provide the best coverage possible in UU. Trick is self-explanatory, and its the only real reason this set is plausible in UU. Choosing the final move depends largely on the what your team needs to hit. Hidden Power Grass completes Slowking's UU coverage, hitting both opposing Slowking and Slowbro for super effective damage. Ice Beam has little merit, as it hits incoming Torterra and Altaria for super effective damage (additional material - reowrd it if you want). Slack Off is an interesting choice if Trick is used early game, as it allows Slowking survivability. (cut out extra words)</p>

<p>Complements to this specific set should be things that can take advantage of special walls locked into a single move. Bulky special sweepers like Mismagius and Espeon can often take advantage of a Tricked Choice Specs Chansey. Espeon is a nice offensive complement, because it is able to boost up and sweep with its high base Speed. Similarly, Nasty Plot Houndoom is an excellent offensive complement, being able to decimate locked special walls, and grab a free Nasty Plot boost. It is also nice that Slowbro complements Houndoom defensively, taking Water and Ground attacks with ease. Of course, it is important to take note that common switches like Yanmega will sometimes enjoy getting Choice Specs from Trick. (reword). Packing Chansey can handle most Yanmega sets. (sounded awkward - reworded and cut down extra words)</p>


[OTHER OPTIONS]

<p>Slowking has a pretty large special movepool, however most moves are not suitable for UU play. Slowking gets Flamethrower, Fire Blast, Grass Knot, and Focus Blast, among other moves. The only move worthy of any use is Flamethrower or Fire Blast, and the only UU Pokemon it hits harder than Surf, Psychic, or Hidden Power Grass is Registeel. Registeel cannot do much back to Slowking to begin with, other than perhaps Toxic or Thunder Wave, meaning it is often a wasted moveslot. These other moves are only worthy of consideration in the OU tier, where Grass Knot hits for larger damage on heavier foes, and Flamethrower hits the widely used Steel-types for heavy damage.</p>

<p>Support wise, Slowking gets a few noteworthy moves. Light Screen can be used to further increase Slowking's large Special Defense, and can provide overall team support. Psych Up is an interesting option to steal boosts away from something like Calm Mind Slowbro. Slowking can utilize Curse pretty effectively thanks to its relatively high base Special Defense stat, while further boosting its average Defense stat. Although Slowking has a rather pitiful base 75 Attack stat, a few Curses can create a difficult tank to take down.(I think Curse should be a set, still vialable)</p>

[EVs]

<p>Slowking should always invest 252 EVs into HP, as it maximizes overall bulk. The provided EV spread for the bulky water is special in that Slowking will always survive two Life Orb Hidden Power Grass (or Electric) from Blaziken after Stealth Rock damage, meaning you can Slack Off at will (ommit "and stall"). The remaining 144 EVs were placed into Defense to better take on the powerful Fighting types in UU, namely Hitmontop and Hariyama. The Specs set should have max Special Attack to guarantee the 2HKO on special walls such as Clefable.</p>

[TEAM OPTIONS]

<p>Because of Slowking's bulk on both the physical and special side, it often causes a lot of switches. Perhaps the most common switch to Slowking defensively is Chansey. Quite a lot of Pokemon exist in UU that can eliminate Chansey. Dugtrio is the obvious one, being able to trap and 2HKO with Earthquake. Roserade can come in for free on all Chansey and threaten with Sleep Powder or set up with Spikes. Toxic Spikes - although fairly extinct in UU due to the influx of Poison-types, can also be utilized by Roserade to cripple Chansey and other bulky waters.</p>

<p>Offensive switches to Slowking often include Yanmega and Roserade. Both possess strong STAB moves that will OHKO Slowking. Registeel partner quite well with Slowking, being able to take three Specs Bug Buzzes and repeated Leaf Storms (cut down some extra words and merged it). Chansey is quite a feasible partner as well, being able to take on the majority of Special Attackers that threaten Slowking. Chansey also sports Aromatherapy, which could get rid of status effects dished at Slowking.</p>

<p>Note that Slowking also attracts a few physical attackers, notably Venusaur and Leafeon. Should Slowking forego Psychic or Ice Beam for Hidden Power Grass, these bulky physical Grass-types become much harder to take down. It is (ommit therefore) helpful to pair Slowking with something like Weezing or Moltres to be able to sponge Seed Bombs and Leaf Blades. Although Moltres and Slowking cover each others weaknesses quite well, Rapid Spin support is essential for Moltres due to its horrible weakness to Stealth Rock. If this is not possible, Weezing is the better partner.</p>


[OPINION]

<p>Almost all UU teams need a bulky water to tank hits from overpowered sweepers. Slowking is often forgotten and replaced by Slowbro or Milotic. However, Slowking's above average stats in both defensive catagories make it the better mixed tank, outclassing Milotic and Slowbro in walling mixed sweepers such as Blaziken. Slowking fits on all types of UU teams, being able to check a lot of threatening sweepers such as bulky Water-types and Fighting-types. Instant recovery in the form of Slack Off only adds to Slowking's credentials as a top tier UU bulky water.</p>

<p>Although primarily defensive, remember that Slowking has the added benefit of Nasty Plot at its disposal, quickly changing from simply a bulky staller to a bulky sweeper. With its dual Water / Psychic typing, Slowking can set up on a lot of the UU metagame and threaten a sweep. Trick Room support simply patches up its poor Base 30 Speed. (rephrase)</p>

[COUNTERS]

<p>Generally, the best counter to Slowking is Toxic. The likelihood of Slowking running Rest is extremely low, meaning Toxic can slowly deplete Slowking's health. Grass-types in UU are usually a safe bet to defeat Slowking, specifically Roserade and Venusaur. Roserade specifically doesn't mind taking an Ice Beam or Psychic thanks to its rather high Base Special Defense, and can retaliate back with a powerful STAB Grass attack. (ommited this because its counter section: Of course, Chansey is probably the best counter to any set except the Specs one, being able to take any attack and threaten a status effect.)</p>
comments in parethesis, and i basically finished some incomplete sentences and standard smogon spelling. i also think you should elaborate on the counters section, you mention alot of the counters previously but you forgot to mentioned them in the counters. good job overall
 
uh. so I posted about an hour ago saying "I'll proofread this and edit this post with the proofread" in hopes that no one else would proofread it while I was doing mine. the post got deleted, whatever. anyways I'm done proofreading this and it seems like it would be kind of a waste if I just left it on my computer so I'll just post it here anyways. twice the edits twice the fun I suppose.

also for future reference am I not allowed to say "I'm proofreading this"? I'm assuming someone deleted my post for a reason but I was kind of trying to avoid this exact situation.

----

hi


red = delete
blue = add
green = comments. I tried to explain most changes in green.


nicely written; most changes are grammar nitpicks or due to differences in writing style. my impression about the set comments / team options is that they focus a little too much on a defensive play style and don't mention as many teammates / counters that would fit easily into an offensive style. I gave a few suggestions but I haven't used Slow-anything in months so there's definitely lots of stuff that I didn't think of.


[SET]
name: Bulky Water
move 1: Surf
move 2: Hidden Power Grass / Psychic / Ice Beam
move 3: Slack Off
move 4: Toxic / Thunder Wave
item: Leftovers
ability: Own Tempo
nature: Bold Calm (I'm assuming this is a typo because (a) Bold nature is inefficient (b) Bold + 112 SpD doesn't guarantee survival against Blaziken HP whereas Calm does)
evs: 252 HP / 144 Def / 112 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Slowking is one of the premier bulky waters in the UU metagame, allowing it to wall threats from both the physical and special side with little effort. Resistances to Fighting, Fire, and Water allow Slowking to wall a majority of UU's largest threats, namely Azumarill and Hitmonlee. Slowking also has the additional benefit of being able to take on Blaziken, something the other bulky waters cannot always claim. (I know you explain why the EV spread allows Slowking to do this later in the analysis but maybe compare it to Slowbro and Milotic here too?)</p>

<p>Like many of its fellow bulky waters in UU, Slowking has access to an instant-recover(y) move in Slack Off. This allows Slowking to alternate between attacking and replenishing health, or perhaps inflicting status on an opposing Pokemon and stalling. Toxic is usually the preferred choice of status, though Thunder Wave does have merit, often crippling a fast switch in such as Mismagius or Yanmega. Surf off of Slowking's base 100 Special Attack stat provides a solid STAB attack that hits the majority of the metagame for decent damage. Slowking's secondary attack often depends on team needs, however.</p>

<p>Hidden Power Grass has slowly become the standard on bulky waters in UU, hitting opposing bulky waters and bulky sweepers, like Azumarill and Feraligatr, for super effective damage. Psychic is often used to hit the various Fighting and Poison types in UU for heavy damage, mainly Hitmontop and Roserade. However, with the prevalence of Honchkrow and Drapion in UU, Psychic often is overvalued and outclassed. Ice Beam is perhaps the safest bet as a secondary attack (if it is the safest bet why is it the last choice in the slot? maybe reword this sentence and mention Ice Beam leaves you vulnerable to fellow waters), still maintaining super effective coverage on Roserade while also hitting Honchkrow and Altaria for heavy damage.</p>

<p>As mentioned above, Slowking should always have a status move in case its dual attacking options fail. Toxic is particularly useful against bulky Fighting types such as Hariyama, who take negligible damage from any attack Slowking has barring Psychic. Thunder Wave is rather useful against hyperoffensive hyper-offensive teams in UU, crippling fast, overpowered high-powered (overpowered sounds weird in an analysis. it seems like it would fit more in a suspect nomination lol) sweepers such as Mismagius, Yanmega, and Kangaskhan. Inflicting status allows Slowking to stall with greater ease, and maintain the 'attack and recover' scheme.</p>

<p>While Slowking's dual Water / Psychic typing is primarily advantageous, it does cause some trouble at times. Despite its decent bulk on the both physical and special side, Slowking often attracts certain threatening Pokemon such as Honchkrow and Venusaur. Depending on the secondary attack Slowking carries, both Honchkrow and bulky Grass types such as Venusaur can be problematic. It is therefore best to pair Slowking with something that can handle both of these threats. Weezing is perhaps the most reliable partner, being able to cripple both threats with Will-O-Wisp, and hit back with Thunderbolt and STAB Sludge Bomb respectively. Slowking often brings in Yanmega as well, meaning it helps to have something like Chansey to absorb Bug Buzzes. Slowking also attracts status ailments, primarily Toxic. It is often advised to have a status absorber or Steel type when using Slowking, such as Registeel, to avoid being crippled.</p>

[SET]
name: Nasty Plot
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Surf
move 3: Psychic / Ice Beam (you say it's not even mentioned as a secondary attack in the set comments... then mention it here)
move 4: Slack Off
item: Leftovers
ability: Own Tempo
nature: Calm
evs: 252 HP / 144 Def / 112 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Because of Slowking's bulk on both the physical and special side, it is a prime candidate for a Nasty Plot set. As opposed to its counterpart Slowbro, Slowking does not need the Calm Mind boosts thanks to its already high base 110 Special Defense stat, and would much rather benefit from the quick boosts Nasty Plot provides. With Slack Off at its disposal, Slowking is one of the premier bulky stat-boosting tanks in UU.</p>

<p>As opposed to the bulky water set above, this Slowking variant needs the best coverage possible to quickly dispose of opposing threats. Hidden Power Electric and Ice Beam are not even mentioned as secondary attacks because of the lack of coverage they provide in conjunction with Surf. Psychic is the best attack to pair to with Surf because it provides neutral coverage in UU on everything except opposing Slowbro and Slowking. Special Attack investment is not necessary on Slowking, as a +6 Surf will still 2HKO Chansey with the current spread. Maintaining the bulk is more important on this set than investing in Slowking's Special Attack stat.</p>

<p>The Nasty Plot set often suffers from the same problems that the bulky water one suffers from. Status is often the biggest problem, though the same overpowered (again; dunno if you agree with me that it sounds weird but I'll just mention the word every time it pops up in case you decide to change it) sweepers can freely come in as Slowking Nasty Plots up, including Yanmega and Honchkrow. Again, the best partners to this Slowking set are ones that can take status, as well as the onslaught of these overpowered (again) UU Pokemon. Registeel can take both on to an extent. Chansey can take on all forms of Yanmega apart from the rare SubReversal set(,) as well as all and does not mindstatus ailments much thanks to Natural Cure. Honchkrow is often dealt with through smart switching, though having a Steel type helps to absorb Night Slashes and Drill Pecks. (mention Donphan maybe?)Slowking can absorb Superpowers thanks to its Psychic typing.</p>

<p>This Slowking also functions quite well on a Trick Room team(.) With Slowking's with its dismal base 30 Speed and quick stat-boosting move in Nasty Plot, it is often effectively used in Trick Room (saying it works well in TR twice is redundant). As opposed to Slowbro, who can only increase its Special Attack stat one stage at a time with Calm Mind, Slowking can max get (it's not getting to +6 within five turns very often)its Special Attack boosts in half of the time twice as fast(it seems weird to use time as a measurement here. the goal of this set in TR is stat-up once or maybe twice then sweep, not to maximize special attack. it's more important to focus on the rate of the boost)with Nasty Plot. Surf and Psychic cover the majority of the UU metagame, though Ice Beam is worth noting if Slowking is being used on an OU Trick Room team. Psychic is a fairly unused and outclassed type in OU because of the abundance of Steel and Dark types, and Ice Beam covers much more, including the dominant Dragons.</p>

[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Trick
move 2: Surf
move 3: Psychic
move 4: Ice Beam / Hidden Power Grass / Slack Off
item: Choice Specs
ability: Own Tempo
nature: Modest
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Although a bit of a novelty, Slowking sports the devastating move Trick, which has the potential to cripple one of the most common Slowking switches, Chansey. Additionally, this set has the power to 2HKO Clefable, making Slowking quite a powerful bulky Specs user.</p>

<p>Surf and Psychic are necessary staples on this set, as the two provide the best coverage possible in UU. Trick is self-explanatory, and isthe only real reason this set is plausable effective (plausible was spelled wrong but more importantly it means “believable” which doesn't really fit here) in UU. Choosing the final move depends largely on the player. Hidden Power Grass completes Slowking's UU coverage, hitting both opposing Slowking and Slowbro super effectively. Ice Beam has little merit, as most threats are hit as hard by the Surf / Psychic combination (this means the order should be HP Grass / Ice Beam, not the way it is now?). Slack Off is an interesting choice if Trick is used early game, as it allows Slowking to maintain a recovery move and therefore cripple an opposing Pokemon and also tank out hits.</p>

<p>Complements to this specific set should be things that can take advantage of special walls locked into a single move. Bulky special sweepers with Substitute and Calm Mind can often take advantage of say a Specs Chansey. Espeon is a nice offensive complement, being able to boost up and sweep with its high base speed. Similarly, Nasty Plot Houndoom is an excellent offensive complement, being able to decimate locked special walls. It is also nice that Slowbro complements Houndoom defensively, taking Water and Ground attacks with ease. (four of the last five sentences have had “complement(s)” in them and it's starting to sound a little repetitive) Of course, it is important to take into account common switches into Slowking, with Yanmega being the most problematic, possibly taking Choice Specs as a result of Trick. Something should definitely be kept that can handle Choice Specs Yanmega in case a special wall is not tricked, whether it is a counter such as Chansey or a revenge-killer.</p>

[OTHER OPTIONS]

<p>Slowking has a pretty large special movepool(,)(;) however(,) most moves are not suitable for UU play. Slowking gets Flamethrower, Fire Blast, Grass Knot, and Focus Blast, among other moves. The only move(s) worthy of any use is are Flamethrower or Fire Blast, and the only UU Pokemon it they hit(s) harder than Surf, Psychic, or Hidden Power Grass is Registeel. Registeel cannot do much back to Slowking other than perhaps Toxic or Thunder Wave, meaning it a Fire attackis often a wasted moveslot. These other moves are only worthy of consideration in the OU tier, where Grass Knot hits for larger higher damage on heavier foes, and Flamethrower hits the widely used Steel types for heavy damage.</p>

<p>Support wise Support-wise, Slowking gets a few moves worth not(e)(ing). Light Screen can be used to further increase Slowking's large high Special Defense, and can provide overall team support. Psych Up is an interesting option to steal boosts away from something like Calm Mind Slowbro. Slowking can utilize Curse pretty effectively thanks to its relatively high base Special Defense stat, while further boosting its average Defense stat. Although Slowking has a rather pitiful base 75 Attack stat, a few Curses can create a difficult tank to take down. (possibly mention that it might be outclassed by Lapras)</p>

[EVs]

<p>Slowking should always invest 252 EVs into HP, as it maximizes overall bulk. The provided EV spread for the bulky water is special in that Slowking will allows Slowking to(the idea of a “special” spread is kind of silly because EV spreads are always specialized)always survive two Life Orb Hidden Power Grass (or Electric) from Blaziken after Stealth Rock damage, meaning you can Slack Off at will and proceed to stall. The remaining 144 EVs were placed into Defense to better take on the powerful Fighting types in UU, namely Hitmonlee and Hariyama. The Specs set should have max Special Attack to guarantee the 2HKO on special walls such as Clefable.</p>

[TEAM OPTIONS]

<p>Because of Slowking's bulk on both the physical and special side, it often causes a lot of switches. Perhaps the most common switch to Slowking defensively is Chansey. Quite a lot of Pokemon exist in UU that can eliminate Chansey. Dugtrio is the obvious one, being able to trap and 2HKO it with Earthquake. Roserade can come in for free on all Chansey and threaten Spikes or Sleep Powder. Toxic Spikes, although fairly extinct in UU, can also be utilized by Roserade to cripple Chansey and other bulky waters.</p> (Pursuit?)

<p>Offensive switches to Slowking often include Yanmega and Roserade. Both possess strong STAB moves that will KO Slowking. Bulky Steel(-)types in UU partner quite well with Slowking, being able to take resisted Bug Buzzes and Leaf Storms. Registeel is an obvious partner, but can be 3HKOd by Specs Tinted Lens Yanmega. Chansey is quite a feasible partner as well, being able to take on the majority of Special Attackers that threaten Slowking. Chansey also sports Aromatherapy, which could get rid of status effects should Slowking be affected.</p> (Drapion, Lanturn, and Honchkrow might switch into Slowking too; also, Roserade/Venusaur can also take Leaf Storms and Thunderbolts easily while fitting easily into a bulky offensive team)

<p>Note that Slowking also attracts a few physical attackers, most notably Venusaur and Leafeon. Should Slowking forego forgo Psychic or Ice Beam for Hidden Power Grass, these bulky physical Grass types become much harder to take down. It is therefore helpful to pair Slowking with something like Weezing or Moltres to be able to sponge Seed Bombs and Leaf Blades. Although Moltres and Slowking cover each other(')s (I'm actually not sure where the apostrophe goes but I'm pretty sure it should be *somewhere*) weaknesses quite well, spin support is necessary for Moltres. If this is not possible, Weezing is the better teammate.</p>


(what about who would go well on a team with Slowking to counter Slowking's counters' common teammates?)

[OPINION]

<p>Almost all UU teams need a bulky water to tank hits from overpowered (“overpowered” again) sweepers. Slowking is often forgotten and replaced by Slowbro or Milotic. However, Slowking's above average stats in both defensive catagories categories make it the better mixed tank, outclassing Milotic and Slowbro in walling mixed sweepers such as Blaziken. Slowking fits on all types of UU teams, being able to check a lot of threatening sweepers such as bulky Water types and Fighting types. Instant recovery in the form of Slack Off only adds to Slowking's credentials as a top(-)tier UU bulky water.</p>

<p>Although primarily defensive, remember that Slowking has the added benefit of Nasty Plot at its disposal, which allows it to quickly changingchangefrom being simply a bulky staller to being a bulky sweeper. With its dual Water / Psychic typing, Slowking can set up on a lot of the UU metagame and threaten a sweep. Don't forget its base 30 Speed stat, however, meaning Trick Room support is advised can be beneficial when sweeping!</p>

[COUNTERS]

<p>Generally, the best counter to Slowking is Toxic. The likelihood of Slowking running Rest is extremely low, meaning Toxic can slowly deplete Slowking's health. Grass types in UU are usually a safe bet as to use to defeat Slowking, specifically Roserade and Venusaur. Roserade specifically (“specifically” twice within six words sounds odd. plus Venusaur probably doesn't take too much more damage from attacks due to its higher HP which compensates for a slightly lower SpD) doesn't mind taking an Ice Beam or Psychic thanks to its rather high base Special Defense, and can retaliate back with a powerful Leaf Storm. Of course, Chansey is probably the best counter to any set except the Specs one, being able to take any attack and threaten a status effect.</p>
 

Stellar

of the Distant Past
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Admin Alumnusis a Top Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Discord Contributor Alumnusis a Researcher Alumnusis a CAP Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnusis an Administrator Alumnusis a Past SPL Champion
At the request of the large ToF,
[SET]
name: Bulky Water
move 1: Surf
move 2: Hidden Power Grass / Psychic / Ice Beam
move 3: Slack Off
move 4: Toxic / Thunder Wave
item: Leftovers
ability: Own Tempo
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 144 Def / 112 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Slowking is one of the premier bulky waters in the UU metagame, due to its ability to wall both the physical and special sides with little effort. Resistances to Fighting, Fire, and Water allow Slowking to wall a majority of UU's largest threats, namely Azumarill and Hitmonlee. Slowking also has the additional benefit of being able to take on Blaziken, something the other bulky waters cannot always claim.</p>

<p>Like many of its fellow bulky waters in UU, Slowking has access to an instant-recovery move in Slack Off. This allows Slowking to alternate between attacking and replenishing health, or perhaps inflicting status on an opposing Pokemon and stalling. Toxic is usually the preferred choice of status, though Thunder Wave does have merit, often crippling a fast switch-in such as Mismagius or Yanmega. Surf from Slowking's base 100 Special Attack stat provides a solid STAB attack that hits the majority of the metagame for decent damage. Slowking's secondary attack often depends on the team's needs.</p>

<p>Hidden Power Grass has slowly become the standard on bulky waters in UU, hitting opposing bulky waters and bulky sweepers, like Azumarill and Feraligatr, for super effective damage. Psychic is often used to hit the various Fighting- and Poison-types, namely Hitmontop and Roserade, in UU for heavy damage. However, with the prevalence of Honchkrow and Drapion in UU, Psychic is often overvalued and outclassed. Ice Beam is perhaps the safest option as a secondary attack, still maintaining super effective coverage on Roserade while also hitting Honchkrow and Altaria for heavy damage.</p>

<p>As mentioned above, Slowking should always have a status move in case its dual attacking options fail. Toxic is particularly useful against bulky Fighting-types such as Hariyama, who take negligible damage from any attack Slowking has, bar Psychic. Thunder Wave is rather useful against hyper-offensive teams in UU, crippling fast, powerful sweepers such as Mismagius, Yanmega, and Kangaskhan. Inflicting status allows Slowking to stall with greater ease, while maintaining the "attack and recover" scheme.</p>

<p>While Slowking's dual Water / Psychic typing is primarily advantageous, it does cause some trouble at times. Despite its decent bulk on both the physical and special side, Slowking often attracts certain threatening Pokemon such as Honchkrow and Venusaur. Depending on the secondary attack Slowking carries, both Honchkrow and bulky Grass-types such as Venusaur can be problematic. It is therefore best to pair Slowking with something that can handle both of these threats. Weezing is perhaps the most reliable partner, being able to cripple both threats with Will-O-Wisp and hit back with Thunderbolt or STAB Sludge Bomb respectively. Slowking often attracts Yanmega as well, meaning it helps to have something like Chansey to absorb Bug Buzzes. Slowking also attracts status ailments, primarily Toxic. It is advised to have a status absorber or Steel-type, such as Registeel, when using Slowking to avoid being crippled.</p>


[SET]
name: Nasty Plot
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Surf
move 3: Psychic / Ice Beam
move 4: Slack Off
item: Leftovers
ability: Own Tempo
nature: Calm
evs: 252 HP / 144 Def / 112 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Due to Slowking's bulk on both the physical and special sides, it is a prime candidate for a Nasty Plot set. Unlike Slowking's counterpart, Slowbro, Slowking does not need the Calm Mind boosts thanks to its already high base 110 Special Defense stat; it would much rather benefit from the quick boosts provided by Nasty Plot. With Slack Off at its disposal, Slowking is one of the top bulky stat-boosting tanks in UU.</p>

<p>Unlike the bulky water set above, this Slowking variant needs the best coverage possible to quickly dispose of opposing threats. Hidden Power Electric is not even mentioned as a secondary attack because of the lack of coverage it provides in conjunction with Surf. Psychic is the best partner to Surf because it provides neutral coverage in UU on everything except opposing Slowbro and Slowking. Special Attack investment is not necessary on Slowking, as a +6 Surf will still 2HKO Chansey. Maintaining bulk is more important on this set than investing in Slowking's Special Attack stat.</p>

<p>The Nasty Plot set often suffers from the same problems as the Bulky Water set. Status is often the biggest problem, though the same overpowered sweepers, like Yanmega and Honchkrow, can freely come in as Slowking uses Nasty Plot. Again, the best partners to this Slowking set are ones that can take status and sponge attacks from the aforementioned Pokemon. Registeel can do both on to an extent. Chansey can take on all forms of Yanmega, as well as all status ailments thanks to Natural Cure. Honchkrow is often dealt with through smart switching, though having a Steel-type helps to absorb Night Slash and Drill Peck. Slowking can absorb Superpower thanks to its Psychic typing.</p>

<p>This Slowking also functions quite well on a Trick Room team due to its dismal base 30 Speed and quick stat-boosting move in Nasty Plot. Unlike Slowbro, who can only increase its Special Attack stat with Calm Mind, Slowking can max its Special Attack in half the time with Nasty Plot. Surf and Psychic cover the majority of the UU metagame, though Ice Beam is worth noting if Slowking is being used on an OU Trick Room team. Psychic is a fairly unused and outclassed type in OU because of the abundance of Steel- and Dark-types. Ice Beam covers much more, including the dominant Dragons.</p>

[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Trick
move 2: Surf
move 3: Psychic
move 4: Ice Beam / Hidden Power Grass / Slack Off
item: Choice Specs
ability: Own Tempo
nature: Modest
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Although a bit of a novelty, Slowking sports the devastating Trick, which has the potential to cripple one of the most common Slowking switch-ins, Chansey. Additionally, this set has the power to 2HKO Clefable, making Slowking quite a powerful bulky Specs user.</p>

<p>Surf and Psychic are staples on this set, as the two provide the best coverage possible in UU. Trick is self-explanatory and is the only real reason this set is plausible in UU. The final move depends largely on the player. Hidden Power Grass completes Slowking's UU coverage, hitting both opposing Slowking and Slowbro super effectively. Ice Beam has little merit, as most threats are hit as hard by the Surf / Psychic combination. Slack Off is an interesting choice if Trick is used early game, as it allows Slowking to maintain the ability to recover after crippling an opposing Pokemon with Trick.</p>

<p>Complements to this specific set should be things that can take advantage of special walls locked into a single move. Bulky special sweepers with Substitute and Calm Mind can often take advantage of a Specs Chansey. Espeon is a nice offensive complement, being able to boost up and sweep with its high base Speed. Similarly, Nasty Plot Houndoom is an excellent offensive complement, being able to decimate locked special walls. It is also nice that Slowbro complements Houndoom defensively, taking Water and Ground attacks with ease. Of course, it is important to take into account common switches into Slowking, with Yanmega being the most problematic, possibly taking Choice Specs as a result of Trick. Something should definitely be kept that can handle Choice Specs Yanmega in case a special wall is not tricked, whether it is a counter such as Chansey or a revenge-killer.</p>


[OTHER OPTIONS]

<p>Slowking has a pretty large special movepool, however most moves are not suitable for UU play. Slowking gets Flamethrower, Fire Blast, Grass Knot, and Focus Blast, among other moves. The only move worthy of any use is Flamethrower or Fire Blast, and the only UU Pokemon it hits harder than Surf, Psychic, or Hidden Power Grass is Registeel. Registeel cannot do much back to Slowking other than use Toxic, Thunder Wave, or Explosion, meaning it is often a wasted moveslot. These other moves are only worthy of consideration in the OU tier, where Grass Knot hits for greater damage on heavier foes and Flamethrower hits the widely used Steel-types for heavy damage.</p>

<p>Support wise, Slowking gets a few moves worthy of note. Light Screen can be used to further increase Slowking's large Special Defense and can provide overall team support. Psych Up is an interesting option to steal boosts from something like Calm Mind Slowbro. Slowking can utilize Curse pretty effectively thanks to its relatively high base Special Defense stat, while further boosting its average Defense stat. Although Slowking has a rather pitiful base 75 Attack stat, a few Curses can create a difficult tank to take down. However, due to the absence of Waterfall from Slowking's movepool, it must rely on the shaky accuracy of Aqua Tail.</p>

[EVs]

<p>Slowking should always invest 252 EVs into HP, as it maximizes overall bulk. The provided EV spread for the Bulky Water set is special in that Slowking will always survive two Life Orb Hidden Power Grass (or Electric) from Blaziken after Stealth Rock damage, meaning you can Slack Off at will and proceed to stall as Blaziken kills itself from Life Orb damage. The remaining 144 EVs are placed into Defense to better take on the powerful Fighting-types in UU, namely Hitmonlee and Hariyama. The Specs set should have max Special Attack to guarantee the 2HKO on special walls such as Clefable.</p>

[TEAM OPTIONS]

<p>Because of Slowking's bulk on both the physical and special side, it often causes a lot of switches. Perhaps the most common defensive switch-in to Slowking is Chansey. Quite a few Pokemon exist in UU that can eliminate Chansey. Dugtrio is the most obvious, being able to trap and 2HKO Chansey with Earthquake. Roserade can come in for free on all Chansey and threaten Spikes or Sleep Powder. Toxic Spikes, although fairly extinct in UU, can also be utilized by Roserade to cripple Chansey and other bulky waters.</p>

<p>Offensive switch-ins to Slowking often include Yanmega and Roserade. Both possess strong STAB moves that will KO Slowking. Bulky Steel-types in UU partner quite well with Slowking, due to their ability to take Bug Buzz and Leaf Storm. Registeel is an obvious partner, but can be 3HKOd by Specs Tinted Lens Yanmega. Chansey is quite a feasible partner as well, being able to take on the majority of Special Attackers that threaten Slowking. Chansey also sports Aromatherapy, which can get rid of status, should Slowking be affected.</p>

<p>Note that Slowking also attracts a few physical attackers, notably Venusaur and Leafeon. Should Slowking forego Psychic or Ice Beam for Hidden Power Grass, these bulky physical Grass types become much harder to take down. It is therefore helpful to pair Slowking with something like Weezing or Moltres to be able to sponge Seed Bombs and Leaf Blades. Although Moltres and Slowking cover each others weaknesses quite well, spin support is necessary for Moltres. If this is not possible, Weezing is the better teammate.</p>


[OPINION]

<p>Almost all UU teams need a bulky water to tank hits from powerful sweepers. Slowking is often forgotten and replaced by Slowbro or Milotic. However, Slowking's above average stats in both defensive categories make it the better mixed tank, outclassing Milotic and Slowbro in walling mixed sweepers such as Blaziken. Slowking fits on all types of UU teams, being able to check a lot of threatening sweepers such as bulky Water-types and Fighting-types. Instant recovery in the form of Slack Off only adds to Slowking's credentials as a top tier UU bulky water.</p>

<p>Although primarily defensive in nature, remember that Slowking has Nasty Plot at its disposal, quickly changing it from simply a bulky staller to a bulky sweeper. With its dual Water / Psychic typing, Slowking can set up on a lot of the UU metagame and threaten a sweep. Don't forget its base 30 Speed stat, however, meaning Trick Room support is advised when sweeping!</p>

[COUNTERS]

<p>Generally, the best counter to Slowking is Toxic. The likelihood of Slowking running Rest is extremely low, meaning Toxic can slowly deplete Slowking's health. Grass-types in UU are usually a safe bet to defeat Slowking, specifically Roserade and Venusaur. Roserade and Venusaur don't mind taking an Ice Beam or Psychic thanks to their rather high base Special Defense, and can retaliate with a powerful Leaf Storm. Of course, Chansey is probably the best counter to any set except Specs, due to its ability to take any attack and threaten a status effect.</p>
Everything was explained well, just remember that Type-type (such as Water-type, Fighting-type, etc.) requires a hyphen!

If two words are bolded, this probably means that a word was deleted between them.
 

Legacy Raider

sharpening his claws, slowly
is a Top Team Rater Alumnusis a Community Leader Alumnusis a Smogon Discord Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
On the Bulky Water set, I really think Psychic should be the primary option for the third slot as opposed to Hidden Power Grass. A STAB neutral Psychic has 135 BP, whereas a super effective Hidden Power Grass has 140. The two Water-type threats you mention are Azumarill and Feraligatr, both of whom are just as easily dealt with with Psychic as with HP Grass. Kabutops and Omastar have relatively low Special Defense and are hit neutral by Surf, so HP Grass isn't really necessary for them either.

The BIG disadvantage of HP Grass is that it leaves you a complete sitting duck against Roserade, who can come in on any of your moves and proceed to Sleep Powder / Leaf Storm / set up Spikes, whatever. Giving such a common and dangerous Pokemon a free switch in is never a good idea, and is one of the big reasons I'm against having HP Grass as the primary option. Venusaur can also come in on Slowking for free every time if you decide to go with the Surf / HP Grass / Toxic set, the one you currently recommend. You say the disadvantages of running Psychic is that Drapion and Honchkrow are immune to it, but then again, you're not exactly threatening them with a 35 base power HP Grass either. Milotic only uses HP Grass because it doesn't have a great secondary STAB that it can use unlike Slowbro/king; Slowking doesn't need to follow its example.

Nasty Plot set said:
Hidden Power Electric and Ice Beam are not even mentioned as secondary attacks because of the lack of coverage they provide in conjunction with Surf.
But you do have Ice Beam slashed in, which I agree shouldn't be.

That's all I have to say really. Content-wise this is a pretty good analysis, especially seeing as its your first one :). Grammar etc has been nitpicked quite thoroughly already so I'll leave it at that.
 
Sorry for the double post, I've edited in all of the grammar fixes and all the other nitpicks people have made. Anyone else see any content that needs to be updated?
 
Changes:
*Since the analysis was OU-oriented, I changed it to reflect Slowking's merit in only the UU metagame
*Dropped the Curse set, as its outclassed in UU by something like Lapras. Also decided to drop the Trick Room set as its outclassed by Slowbro. Mentioned the NP set's merit in Trick Room.
*Also modified a lot of current sets on site to reflect Slowking's UU attributes.
*Team options and stuff also added.



http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/slowking

[SET]
name: Bulky Water
move 1: Surf
move 2: Psychic / Ice Beam / Hidden Power Grass
move 3: Slack Off
move 4: Toxic / Thunder Wave
item: Leftovers
ability: Own Tempo
nature: Calm
evs: 252 HP / 144 Def / 112 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Slowking is one of the premier bulky waters in the UU metagame, due to its ability to wall both the physical and special sides[you forgot the ending marks]

<p>Like many of its fellow bulky waters in UU, Slowking has access to an instant-recover with little effort. Resistances to Fighting, Fire, and Water allow Slowking to wall a majority of UU's largest threats, namely Azumarill and Hitmonlee. Slowking also has the additional benefit of being able to take on Blaziken, something the other bulky waters cannot always claim.</p> y move[I assume this si the next paragraph, but what is the y?] in Slack Off. This allows Slowking to alternate between attacking and replenishing health, or perhaps inflicting status on an opposing Pokemon and stalling. Toxic is usually the preferred choice of status, though Thunder Wave does have merit, often crippling a fast switch-in such as Mismagius or Yanmega. Surf from Slowking's base 100 Special Attack stat provides a solid STAB attack that hits the majority of the metagame for decent damage. Slowking's secondary attack often depends on the team's needs.</p>

<p>Psychic should be the secondary attack on Slowking, letting it hit common switch-ins for super effective damage, namely Roserade. Having a rather powerful STAB Psychic at Slowking's disposal allows it to deter Roserade from coming in for free and laying Spikes or firing off Leaf Storms. Psychic also has the benefit of hitting the powerful Fighting-types in UU for heavy damage, namely Hitmontop and Hariyama who take below-average damage from Surf. One must be careful in spamming Psychic, however, as it gives both Honchkrow and Drapion free switch-ins. Ice Beam is perhaps the safest option as a secondary attack, still maintaining super effective coverage on Roserade while also hitting Honchkrow and Altaria for heavy damage. Hidden Power Grass is hits opposing bulky waters for super effective damage, though it only outclasses Psychic by 5 Base Power.</p>

<p>As mentioned above, Slowking should always have a status move in case its dual attacking options fail. Toxic is particularly useful against bulky Fighting -types such as Hariyama, who take negligible damage from any attack Slowking has, bar Psychic. Thunder Wave is rather useful against hyper-offensive teams in UU, crippling fast, powerful sweepers such as Mismagius, Yanmega, and Kangaskhan. Inflicting status allows Slowking to stall with greater ease, while maintaining the "attack and recover" scheme.</p>

<p>While Slowking's dual Water / Psychic typing is primarily advantageous, it does cause some trouble at times. Despite its decent bulk on both the physical and special side, Slowking often attracts certain threatening Pokemon such as Honchkrow and Venusaur. Depending on the secondary attack Slowking carries, both Honchkrow and bulky Grass-types such as Venusaur can be problematic. It is therefore best to pair Slowking with something that can handle both of these threats. Weezing is perhaps the most reliable partner, being able to cripple both threats with Will-O-Wisp and hit back with Thunderbolt or STAB Sludge Bomb respectively. Slowking often attracts Yanmega as well, meaning it helps to have something like Chansey to absorb Bug Buzzes. Slowking also attracts status ailments, primarily Toxic. It is advised to have a status absorber or Steel-type, such as Registeel, when using Slowking to avoid being crippled.</p>


[SET]
name: Nasty Plot
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Surf
move 3: Psychic / Ice Beam
move 4: Slack Off
item: Leftovers
ability: Own Tempo
nature: Calm
evs: 252 HP / 144 Def / 112 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p> Due to Slowking's bulk on both the physical and special sides, it is a prime candidate for a Nasty Plot set. Unlike Slowking's counterpart, Slowbro, Slowking does not need the Calm Mind boosts thanks to its already high base 110 Special Defense stat; it would much rather benefit from the quick boosts provided by Nasty Plot. With Slack Off at its disposal, Slowking is one of the top bulky stat-boosting tanks in UU.</p>

<p> Unlike the bulky water set above, this Slowking variant needs the best coverage possible to quickly dispose of opposing threats. Hidden Power Electric is not even mentioned as a secondary attack because of the lack of coverage it provides in conjunction with Surf. Psychic is the best partner to Surf because it provides neutral coverage in UU on everything except opposing Slowbro and Slowking. Special Attack investment is not necessary on Slowking, as a +6 Surf will still 2HKO Chansey. Maintaining bulk is more important on this set than investing in Slowking's Special Attack stat.</p>

<p>The Nasty Plot set often suffers from the same problems as the Bulky Water set. Status is often the biggest problem, though the same overpowered sweepers, like Yanmega and Honchkrow, can freely come in as Slowking uses Nasty Plot. Again, the best partners to this Slowking set are ones that can take status and sponge attacks from the aforementioned Pokemon. Registeel can do both on to an extent. Chansey can take on all forms of Yanmega, as well as all status ailments thanks to Natural Cure. Honchkrow is often dealt with through smart switching, though having a Steel-type helps to absorb Night Slash and Drill Peck. Slowking can absorb Superpower thanks to its Psychic typing.</p>

<p>This Slowking also functions quite well on a Trick Room team due to its dismal base 30 Speed and quick stat-boosting move in Nasty Plot. Unlike Slowbro, who can only increase its Special Attack stat with Calm Mind, Slowking can max its Special Attack in half the time with Nasty Plot. Surf and Psychic cover the majority of the UU metagame, though Ice Beam is worth noting if Slowking is being used on an OU Trick Room team. Psychic is a fairly unused and outclassed type in OU because of the abundance of Steel- and Dark-types. Ice Beam covers much more, including the dominant Dragons.</p>

[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Trick
move 2: Surf
move 3: Psychic
move 4: Ice Beam / Hidden Power Grass / Slack Off
item: Choice Specs
ability: Own Tempo
nature: Modest
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Although a bit of a novelty, Slowking sports the devastating Trick, which has the potential to cripple one of the most common Slowking switch-ins, Chansey. Additionally, this set has the power to 2HKO Clefable, making Slowking quite a powerful bulky Specs user.</p>

<p>Surf and Psychic are staples on this set, as the two provide the best coverage possible in UU. Trick is self-explanatory and is the only real reason this set is plausible in UU. The final move depends largely on the player. Hidden Power Grass completes Slowking's UU coverage, hitting both opposing Slowking and Slowbro super effectively. Ice Beam has little merit, as most threats are hit as hard by the Surf / Psychic combination. Slack Off is an interesting choice if Trick is used early game, as it allows Slowking to maintain the ability to recover after crippling an opposing Pokemon with Trick.</p>

<p>Complements to this specific set should be things that can take advantage of special walls locked into a single move. Bulky special sweepers with Substitute and Calm Mind can often take advantage of a Specs Chansey. Espeon is a nice offensive complement, being able to boost up and sweep with its high base Speed. Similarly, Nasty Plot Houndoom is an[this should be 'also' since you mentioned Espeon before and this is the same role, only different Pokemon] excellent offensive complement, being able to decimate locked special walls. It is also nice that Slowbro complements Houndoom defensively, taking Water and Ground attacks with ease. Of course, it is important to take into account common switches into Slowking, with Yanmega being the most problematic, possibly taking Choice Specs as a result of Trick. Something should definitely be kept that can handle Choice Specs Yanmega in case a special wall is not tricked, whether it is a counter such as Chansey or a revenge-killer.</p>


[OTHER OPTIONS]

<p>Slowking has a pretty large special movepool, however most moves are not suitable for UU play. Slowking gets Flamethrower, Fire Blast, Grass Knot, and Focus Blast, among other moves. The only move worthy of any use is Flamethrower or Fire Blast, and the only UU Pokemon it hits harder than Surf, Psychic, or Hidden Power Grass is Registeel. Registeel cannot do much back to Slowking other than use Toxic, Thunder Wave, or Explosion, meaning it is often a wasted moveslot. These other moves are only worthy of consideration in the OU tier, where Grass Knot hits for greater damage on heavier foes and Flamethrower hits the widely used Steel-types for heavy damage.</p>

<p>Support wise, Slowking gets a few moves worthy of note. Light Screen can be used to further increase Slowking's large Special Defense and can provide overall team support. Psych Up is an interesting option to steal boosts from something like Calm Mind Slowbro. Slowking can utilize Curse pretty effectively thanks to its relatively high base Special Defense stat, while further boosting its average Defense stat. Although Slowking has a rather pitiful base 75 Attack stat, a few Curses can create a difficult tank to take down. However, due to the absence of Waterfall from Slowking's movepool, it must rely on the shaky accuracy of Aqua Tail.</p>

[EVs]

<p>Slowking should always invest 252 EVs into HP, as it maximizes overall bulk. The provided EV spread for the Bulky Water set is special in that Slowking will always survive two Life Orb Hidden Power Grass (or Electric) from Blaziken after Stealth Rock damage, meaning you can Slack Off at will and proceed to stall as Blaziken kills itself from Life Orb damag['damage']. The remaining 144 EVs are placed into Defense to better take on the powerful Fighting-types in UU, namely Hitmonlee and Hariyama. The Specs set should have max Special Attack to guarantee the 2HKO on special walls such as Clefable.</p>

[TEAM OPTIONS]

<p>Because of Slowking's bulk on both the physical and special side, it often causes a lot of switches. Perhaps the most common defensive switch-in to Slowking is Chansey. Quite a few Pokemon exist in UU that can eliminate Chansey. Dugtrio is the most obvious, being able to trap and 2HKO Chansey with Earthquake. Roserade can come in for free on all Chansey and threaten Spikes or Sleep Powder. Toxic Spikes, although fairly extinct in UU, can also be utilized by Roserade to cripple Chansey and other bulky waters.</p>

<p>Offensive switch-ins to Slowking often include Yanmega and Roserade. Both possess strong STAB moves that will KO Slowking. Bulky Steel-types in UU partner quite well with Slowking, due to their ability to take Bug Buzz and Leaf Storm. Registeel is an obvious partner, but can be 3HKOd by Specs Tinted Lens Yanmega. Chansey is quite a feasible partner as well, being able to take on the majority of Special Attackers that threaten Slowking. Chansey also sports Aromatherapy, which can get rid of status, should Slowking be affected['effected'].</p>

<p>Note that Slowking also attracts a few physical attackers, notably Venusaur and Leafeon. Should Slowking forego Psychic or Ice Beam for Hidden Power Grass, these bulky physical Grass types become much harder to take down. It is therefore helpful to pair Slowking with something like Weezing or Moltres to be able to sponge Seed Bombs and Leaf Blades. Although Moltres and Slowking cover each others weaknesses quite well, spin support is necessary for Moltres. If this is not possible, Weezing is the better teammate.</p>


[OPINION]

<p>Almost all UU teams need a bulky water to tank hits from powerful sweepers. Slowking is often forgotten and replaced by Slowbro or Milotic. However, Slowking's above average stats in both defensive categories make it the better mixed tank, outclassing Milotic and Slowbro in walling mixed sweepers such as Blaziken. Slowking fits on all types of UU teams, being able to check a lot of threatening sweepers such as bulky Water-types and Fighting-types. Instant recovery in the form of Slack Off only adds to Slowking's credentials as a top tier UU bulky water.</p>

<p>Although primarily defensive in nature, remember that Slowking has Nasty Plot at its disposal, quickly changing it from simply a bulky staller to a bulky sweeper. With its dual Water / Psychic typing, Slowking can set up on a lot of the UU metagame and threaten a sweep. Don't forget its base 30 Speed stat, however, meaning Trick Room support is advised when sweeping!</p>

[COUNTERS]

<p>Generally, the best counter to Slowking is Toxic. The likelihood of Slowking running Rest is extremely low, meaning Toxic can slowly deplete Slowking's health. Grass-types in UU are usually a safe bet to defeat Slowking, specifically Venusaur. Venusaur don't['doesn't'] mind taking an Ice Beam or Psychic thanks to its rather high base Special Defense, and can retaliate with a powerful Leaf Storm or Seed Bomb. Of course, Chansey is probably the best counter to any set except Specs, due to its ability to take any attack and threaten a status effect.</p>

__________________

Alright, its my first analysis. Feel free to rip it apart, I don't mind redoing certain sections.
This is pretty good ToF.
 

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The first is probably a copying error.

He doesn't need also because he has "Similarly" introducing the sentence.

Affected is the correct word in that case.

Effect is a noun.
 
super big bump... if you still want to write this then there's some obvious changes to be made such as removing mentions of banned pokemon and changing seed bomb to power whip when referring to venusaur. if not someone else can easily take it over.

also i don't really see the point in having any attack combo (for those who have two attacks) other than surf/psychic. hp grass does negligible extra damage against water pokemon and psychic hits all the grass pokemon hard enough since they are either weak to psychic or have subpar special defense (well except meganium but thats not common at all). i can see ice beam being useful for bulkier dd altaria and torterra especially if you don't have toxic, but you lose so much in return that i don't think it should be a slash. just a mention on the bulky water set that it can kill altaria and torterra.
 
"Also decided to drop the Trick Room set as its outclassed by Slowbro."

This is not entirely true. Slowking and Slowbro aim to take hits from different ends of the spectrum. You can bring in Slowking against a weaker Special attacker that Slowbro might not be able to stand up against. -Caution: Situational Scenario coming up- Say you have a trick room team and your opponent has a Magmortar out? Slowking would be a better choice than Slowbro in this case, because it is garunteed to survive a MixMortar Thunderbolt, even after a round of Stealth Rock Damage. Slowbro does not have that garuntee. They can come in and set it up on different things. Obviously, Slowking won't stand a chance against really powerful Special attackers, but it will have a much better chance than Slowbro will.
 

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