QC: Zamrock / Halcyon / Subject 18
GP: Nixhex & AD Thunderboy / GatoDelFuego
[OVERVIEW]
A great defensive Water typing and phenomenal natural bulk allow Suicune to perform as a frightening Calm Mind sweeper. With its great ability Pressure, Suicune can threaten offensive and defensive builds alike that have difficulty breaking through it. Despite common threats on defensive builds such as Toxapex not being scared of Suicune, it can still manage to PP stall a majority of defensive threats that would normally do a great job of checking Water-types, such as Ferrothorn, with Substitute and Pressure. However, commonly seen faster offensive threats like Tapu Koko, Thunder Punch Mega Metagross, and Timid Tapu Lele with Psyshock pressure Suicune out of setting up and breaking through numerous offensive teams in the metagame, although they must watch out for Scald burns. In addition, Suicune requires extensive support to get it to function well against teams which utilize defensive stops to it such as Toxapex, Mantine, and Tapu Fini.
[SET]
name: Substitute + Calm Mind
move 1: Scald
move 2: Substitute
move 3: Calm Mind
move 4: Protect
item: Leftovers
ability: Pressure
nature: Timid
evs: 252 HP / 24 SpD / 232 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Scald is Suicune's main STAB move and can wear down threats due to its burn chance, although this must be used wisely against defensive teams with threats such as Tangrowth and Amoonguss, as they can engage in stalemates with Suicune and stall out all Scald's PP, thus preventing Suicune from sweeping. Thanks to its decent Speed stat, Substitute allows Suicune to avoid status moves such as Will-O-Wisp and Toxic from the likes of Rotom-W and Zygarde while aiding it in PP stalling threats such as Ferrothorn, which can only hit Suicune with 4 Power Whips due to Pressure. Calm Mind allows Suicune to perform as a sweeper, as it is capable of taking advantage of special attackers even with super effective coverage such as Amoonguss and Rotom-W, which can fail to break Suicune's Substitute once it has accumulated enough boosts. Protect allows Suicune to scout for coverage and status moves which can harm it, though it is mainly used to PP stall threats trying to break Suicune's Substitute.
Set Details
========
Maximum HP investment allows Suicune to take advantage of its phenomenal natural bulk, while also giving it the opportunity to make 101 HP Substitutes, which don't break to one Seismic Toss. 232 Speed EVs with a Timid nature allow Suicune to outspeed neutral-natured base 95 Speed Pokemon such as Naughty Kyurem-B, Modest Tapu Lele, and Adamant Zygarde, allowing it to PP stall them more easily, while also allowing Suicune to outspeed positive-natured base 80 Speed threats and below such as Heatran, Hoopa-U, and Mamoswine. 24 Special Defense EVs assure that Suicune's Substitutes will not be broken by Amoonguss's Giga Drain, and gives Suicune a chance to survive Rotom-W's Volt Switch after 1 Calm Mind boost. 216 Speed EVs and 40 Special Defense EVs can be run instead to give Suicune's Substitute a higher chance to not be broken by Rotom-W's Volt Switch at +1 Special Defense while still allowing Suicune to outspeed base 80s. Pressure is Suicune's only available ability and is the main reason for the success of this set; it allows Suicune to take 2 PP off of any offensive move that is used against Suicune, leaving them with very few opportunities to break Suicune in combination with Substitute and Protect. Leftovers is necessary in order for Suicune to take advantage of the turns where it uses Substitute and Protect to stay as healthy as possible throughout the match.
Usage Tips
========
Do not send out Suicune until all of its counters, such as Toxapex, Mantine, and Tapu Fini, are eliminated, as they will prevent Suicune from setting up Calm Mind boosts, thus leaving it only able to PP stall and throw out Scalds. Also do not come in when there are Toxic Spikes on the field from threats like Toxapex, as these reduce Suicune's longevity, meaning it has no chance to sweep properly. Calm Mind should be used when Suicune safely has a Substitute up when it needs to handle special attackers like Amoonguss better. However, be careful with using Suicune's Scald PP against threats that are not easily worn down, such as Amoonguss; while Suicune can PP stall it out, it needs its Scald PP in order to sweep after its checks and counters are weakened.
If a fast offensive threat such as Tapu Koko or Mega Metagross comes in on Suicune while it sets up a Subtitute, do not try to set up against them; Suicune can Protect to gain Leftovers recovery while draining some PP from these foes and then Scald the next turn for a potential burn chance while they break Suicune's Substitute. After this, Suicune should switch out to avoid getting worn down. If the foe has Knock Off, never send Suicune directly in, as if Suicune loses its Leftovers, it loses the ability to last throughout the match, meaning it will have a hard time sweeping. Against slower defensive threats such as Ferrothorn, Suicune can set up Substitute and use Protect to gain back recovery while also PP stalling them.
Avoid letting Suicune get poisoned or burned under all circumstances, as these two statuses prevent Suicune from sweeping by cutting off its much-needed recovery. Be careful when up against status users with no Substitute, as predicting incorrectly can be costly. For example, do not use Scald on a Rotom-W predicting it to Pain Split against Suicune, or it might burn Suicune with Will-O-Wisp.
Team Options
========
Suicune requires a lot of support in order for it to sweep, the first of which are teammates that allow Suicune to bypass Haze users such as Toxapex and Mantine, which are hard stops to Suicune; Dugtrio with Groundium Z or Life Orb can trap and take out Toxapex, allowing Suicune to take advantage of its team later on in the match. Heatran with Magma Storm can take out both Toxapex and Tapu Fini for Suicune by use of Tectonic Rage for Toxapex and Bloom Doom for Tapu Fini, while also breaking down passive threats to Suicune such as Chansey, Amoonguss, and Tangrowth. Tapu Koko can take care of these threats as well, while also providing pivot support with Volt Switch or U-turn in order to get Suicune in safely. Other strong wallbreakers such as Choice Specs Gengar work, as Gengar can throw off a strong Thunderbolt to hit Mantine and Toxapex, or use Trick to cripple one of these threats or Chansey.
Entry hazard support is very useful for Suicune to more easily break past defensive threats, so Stealth Rock support from the likes of Garchomp, Landorus-T, and Terrakion assists Suicune in performing its role well; Terrakion and Landorus-T can also use Continental Crush to take out Grass-type threats such as Tangrowth and Amoonguss, which Suicune struggles to break past. Spikes from the likes of Ferrothorn, Greninja, and Ash-Greninja allow Suicune to take out weakened grounded threats, and Greninja can also use Extrasensory to take out Toxapex or Gunk Shot to take out Tapu Fini for Suicune. Assault Vest Tangrowth and Mega Venusaur pair well with this set, as they aid Suicune by taking on the Water-types that Suicune does not want to deal with such as Tapu Fini, Greninja, and Keldeo, the latter of which can break Suicune's Substitute repeatedly with Secret Sword. Mega Scizor and Celesteela are useful Steel-type partners, as they can deal with Mega Metagross, Latios, and Timid Tapu Lele with Psyshock, which can threaten this set; Mega Scizor can also use Defog to remove entry hazards such as Toxic Spikes for Suicune. Finally, Toxic Spikes setters such as Greninja and Nihilego provide great support for Suicune, allowing it to weaken Grass-types like Tangrowth and Tapu Bulu faster than with a burn from Scald.
[SET]
name: RestTalk
move 1: Scald
move 2: Calm Mind
move 3: Rest
move 4: Sleep Talk
item: Leftovers
ability: Pressure
nature: Bold
evs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Scald is Suicune's main STAB move and is useful for wearing down and potentially burning common switch-ins such as Tangrowth, Mega Venusaur, and Tapu Koko. Calm Mind allows Suicune to perform as a bulky sweeper, making use of its phenomenal physical bulk to set up and sweep late-game. Rest lets Suicune recover all HP that it has lost throughout the match, while also healing status conditions such as poison and burns, which could easily cripple Suicune and prevent it from sweeping otherwise. Sleep Talk lets Suicune use its other moves while it is asleep after using Rest; this allows Suicune to preserve PP while also letting it not be passive while sleeping.
Set Details
========
Maximum HP and Defense investment with a Bold nature allows Suicune to be as physically bulky as possible so that it can pivot into the variety of physical attackers in the tier, such as Landorus-T, Garchomp, and Mega Metagross. The Speed investment allows Suicune to outspeed Jolly Alolan Marowak and take it out with a STAB Scald. Pressure lets Suicune waste its opponent's PP. Leftovers is necessary to heal off residual damage.
Usage Tips
========
This set can be used far more safely as a pivot, switching directly into attackers that it checks such as Zygarde, Mega Scizor, and Mega Metagross. From there, it can use Scald to potentially cripple them with a burn, or it can attempt to Calm Mind, provided that its checks have been sufficiently weakened beforehand. Suicune can use Rest to recover HP if it is either being worn down with residual damage such as poison or needs to PP stall its foe. When using Rest, Sleep Talk only uses Sleep Talk's PP, not the chosen move's PP; this allows Suicune to last throughout the match. If threats such as Tangrowth and Tapu Koko are sufficiently healthy, it is not wise to set up with Suicune until they are eliminated. In the meantime, however, Suicune can still pivot into attackers, and although it does not like losing its Leftovers, it can function without the item since it has Rest to restore any HP it has lost.
Team Options
========
This set is best used on bulkier teams where it can serve as a designated pivot for physical attackers like Mega Metagross. Heatran serves as a phenomenal partner for Suicune, as it is able to set up Stealth Rock for Suicune and use Bloom Doom on Tapu Fini or Tectonic Rage on Toxapex. Suicune assists Heatran by pivoting into attacks from Landorus-T and Mega Metagross, which Heatran does not want to take hits. Assault Vest Tangrowth helps take on Tapu Koko for Suicune and can use Knock Off to remove items from opposing threats so that Suicune can more easily take advantage of them. Ferrothorn can handle opposing Water-types, Leech Seed them for Suicune to heal up on, or set up entry hazards such as Spikes or Stealth Rock for Suicune to take advantage of. Ferrothorn also handles Electric-types like Tapu Koko while Suicune handles non-Bloom Doom variants of Heatran. Toxic Spikes users like Nihilego can wear down opposing threats for Suicune to set up on and potentially sweep. Assault Vest Tornadus-T can pivot into and beat Grass-types like Tangrowth and Mega Venusaur, which Suicune does not want to deal with. Finally, Zapdos is a great partner, as it is able to check Toxapex, Ferrothorn, Mantine, and Tapu Fini for Suicune while also assisting Suicune in PP stalling opposing threats due to also having the Pressure ability. In addition, Zapdos can use Defog to remove entry hazards such as Spikes and Toxic Spikes for Suicune if the team needs it.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Roar can also be used on the RestTalk set to deter opposing setup sweepers from taking advantage of Suicune and works well in combination with entry hazard support, although this means Suicune has to forgo Sleep Talk and become more passive or Calm Mind and forfeit its use as a setup sweeper. Offensive sets should not be run, as they are outclassed by a majority of Water-types in the tier such as Keldeo, Manaphy, and notably Calm Mind Tapu Fini, which directly competes with Suicune in this role.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Water-types**: Toxapex, Mantine, Keldeo, and Tapu Fini serve as strong answers to Suicune. Toxapex takes very little damage from Scald while Mantine is immune to it, and they can both use Haze to rid Suicune of its Calm Mind boosts. Keldeo breaks past Suicune due to Secret Sword hitting Suicune's weaker Defense, while Tapu Fini can put a stop to Suicune with a combination of Taunt + Nature's Madness.
**Grass-types**: While they have difficulty breaking past Suicune if it has accumulated enough Calm Mind boosts, Amoonguss and Tangrowth both have Regenerator to outstall Suicune and prevent it from sweeping the rest of their team. Mega Venusaur is also a strong answer if it can pressure Suicune enough, but must watch out, as it only has 8 Synthesis PP to keep it healthy and Suicune can thus outlast it.
**Electric-types and Coverage**: Tapu Koko, Thundurus, and other threats with Electric-type coverage, such as Mega Metagross, can outspeed Suicune, break its Substitute, and prevent it from accumulating Calm Mind boosts, thus forcing it out.
**Taunt Users**: Taunt users such as Tapu Fini, Tornadus-T, and Tapu Koko can prevent Suicune from using Substitute, Calm Mind, Rest, and Protect, leaving it only able to Scald, meaning it loses Scald PP more quickly and can no longer do its job.
**Status and Knock Off**: Status conditions such as burn and poison as well as the move Knock Off stop Suicune completely from setting up and sweeping due to cutting off Suicune's recovery, which it needs to PP stall its foes.
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