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antemortem

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Trainer Tip #???: Status

There are four different types of status conditions; paralysis, burn, freeze, and poison, all with unique effects. Paralysis effectively reduces a Pokemon's Speed stat to a quarter of what it originally was, except for Pokemon with Quick Feet as their ability where this condition raises Speed by 50%, and prevents said Pokemon from attacking a quarter of the time. However Electric-type Pokemon cannot be paralyzed.

Burn halves damage dealt by a Pokemon's physical moves, except for Pokemon with the Guts Ability, where this condition raises Attack by 50%. Additionally, at the end of each turn, the Pokemon loses 1/8 its maximum HP. Keep in mind Fire-type Pokemon cannot be burned.

Freeze causes a Pokemon to be unable to move, however attacking the afflicted Pokemon with a Fire-type move will remove the freeze status. Freeze additionally has 20% for the afflicted Pokemon to thaw out without external aid. Ice-type Pokemon cannot be frozen.

Poison causes a Pokemon to lose 1/8 of its maximum HP every turn, however if a Pokemon is badly poisoned it will first lose 1/16 of its maximum HP, and lose an additional 1/16 each consecutive turn. However switching out resets the process. A Pokemon with the Poison Heal as its Ability will gradually recover health instead when poisoned. Steel and Poison-type Pokemon are unable to become poisoned.
I don't really want to cover such basics as that more so than I want to cover how stuff like this is popularized in a given meta.
 
This thread needs some more love.
Pursuit trapping is a valuable asset in OU, and for good reason. Pursuit has the benefit of hitting switching targets for damage before they switch out. This is especially valuable in OU, for a few reasons. First, OU has several useful and viable Pursuit trappers. Bisharp, Tyranitar (especially Scarf Tyranitar), Assault Vest Metagross, Weavile, and Mega Metagross can all use Pursuit to trap and potentially kill a switching target. All of these Pursuit users offer something useful outside of Pursuit as well. For example, Tyranitar provides Sand support for Excadrill and Bisharp provides strong STAB priority in Sucker Punch.

The second reason Pursuit is so useful, and the main reason it is used, is that it traps Latios and Latias. This frees up several powerful wallbreakers in OU to wreak havoc. Mega Charizard Y and Keldeo are examples of threats that benefit from the removal of Latios and Latias. Mega Charizard Y also receives additional support from Pursuit Tyranitar, as Tyranitar's Sand helps Mega Charizard Y have five turns of Sun as many times as possible. In addition, Pursuit can get valuable chip damage on other pivots that lack a strong physical defense stat. For example, Pursuit Weavile can trap Tornadus-Therian effectively, as it already threatens it with its speed tier and Ice STAB. That particular matchup might help Serperior achieve a sweep, as Tornadus-T is one of Serperior's most consistent checks.

In summary, Pursuit is an often overlooked aspect for newer players but can often provide provide invaluable support to many different types of threats. From the decent amount of Pursuit trappers available to the many different threats that share Pursuit-weak checks, there's sure a lot of room for unique cores and teams that benefit from Pursuit.

What experience do you have with Pursuit users? How do you handle threats with Pursuit support? What cores do you use that are supported by Pursuit? Let us know in the comments below!

Might try to add some more later, only one (long) paragraph right now, hope that's ok :P
 
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feen

control
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RU is a tier with only a handful of viable entry hazard removers, making Spikes a very effective way to pressure opposing teams. At the same time, the tier has a plethora of viable and versatile Spikes setters. Spikes benefits the team by weakening grounded foes, especially Ground- and Steel-types, such as Mega Steelix, Rhyperior, Escavalier, and Seismitoad, as most of them resist Stealth Rock.

Accelgor is one of the best Spikes users. While the lead set isn't great nowadays due to the rise in popularity of Flygon and Blastoise, the Life Orb Spikes set is very good, as it can deal a good amount of damage to the opposing team while still being able to set Spikes up at any point during the game. With high Speed stat of 145, Accelgor can outspeed Choice Scarf users such as Emboar, Tyrantrum, and Medicham and threaten to KO them. Due to its sheer power and high Speed stat, Accelgor forces a lot of switches, so it is able to easily stack Spikes as well. For a Spikes user with a larger offensive presence, try Mega Glalie, which hits very hard. Its Refrigerate-boosted Return or Double-Edge OHKOes nearly any Pokemon that does not resist it. Therefore, the opponent is likely to go to their Steel-types as soon as Glalie enters the field. This gives Glalie a great opportunity to set up Spikes, weakening the opponent's Steel-types for an easier late-game.

If you're not looking for an offensive Spikes user, RU has a few defensive Spikes users too! A great one to consider is Qwilfish, which doubles as a nice defensive tank. Thanks to Intimidate, it can switch into many Fire- and Fighting-types and use them as Spikes fodder. Qwilfish also makes for a great physically offensive Water-type check, being able to deal with the likes of Samurott and Kabutops effectively. A Spikes user that can effectively counter Grass-types, which are quite prominent in the metagame, is Garbodor. Garbodor can set Spikes and inflict damage on contact move users via Rocky Helmet and Aftermath. Another Spikes user, Roselia, has a niche of being the only one that has reliable recovery, so it is a staple on stall teams if they plan on stacking entry hazards.


Due to the importance of Spikes, there are a lot of Pokemon that benefit from having Spikes on the opponent's side, such as those with Steel- and Ground-type checks. A good example is Tyrantrum, as Spikes wears down its best check in Mega Steelix. Offensive cleaners such as Aerodactyl and Jolteon are some other solid examples. Sharpedo also appreciates Spikes on the opposing team's side of the field, as it becomes able to plow through the team late-game with its powerful STAB and coverage moves. Finally, setup sweepers like Substitue + Bulk Up Braviary and Substitute + Calm Mind Meloetta appreciate Spikes, as they get walled by Steel-types. Overall, Spikes has proven to play a very important role in the RU metagame.
 
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antemortem

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Socialization Head
Want to hit the brakes for a second to show you one that WhiteQueen wrote that I'm posting today:
Trainer Tip #114: Teambuilding is Fun

Building a new team from the ground up shouldn’t be a daunting process; it should be one of the most enjoyable aspects of Pokemon!

Before starting, come up with a specific Pokemon or strategy that you want to base your team on. Let’s say you decide to build a team around Hex Gengar, a Pokemon that requires spreading statuses on the opposing Pokemon for it to work effectively. Now ask yourself, "what Pokemon have the ability to accomplish that feat?" Enter Klefki and Thundurus-T, two Pokemon that can easily spread paralysis with Thunder Wave, thanks to their Prankster ability. Now ask yourself, "what Pokemon does Gengar absolutely hate?" Dark-type threats such as Tyranitar, Weavile, and Bisharp come to mind. Enter Keldeo and Mega Scizor, two of the best checks to the aforementioned threats. Continue building from there. Once you have your six team members, it’s time to test it out on the ladder.

Laddering is the best way to test the effectiveness of your new team; it’s also the best way to see your team’s flaws and what needs to be done to mitigate its weaknesses. Every player thinks their team looks good until they run into a particular Pokemon, set, or build on the ladder that completely demolishes it. Be careful not to let the ladder make you doubt your team’s potential; a good team doesn’t jump right out of the Teambuilder - it requires ongoing tweaking to make it ever better. There’s no such thing as a perfect team, and there's no way anyone can win all the time on the ladder. You play against hundreds of different teams on there, and you will run into teams that your team is weak against more times than you care to remember. That’s the whole point of testing your team. Be mindful of what your team’s biggest threats are and make adjustments accordingly to make it as near perfect as possible.

Thanks for this tip, WhiteQueen, and Bummer for the art! What are your strengths when it comes to teambuilding? Your weaknesses?
This is an example of the kind of tip I'm moving toward posting. It's a little bit more personal, not quite as formal, still gets the point across and is interactive. I'm ~okay~ with posting the typical "this is x" or "x mon is good in x tier", but occasionally I want slightly engineered ones like this to cut the monotony, so if any of you have similar ideas or can write in a similar manner, I encourage you to try your hand at it.

If any of you want to rewrite the ones you've posted, you can, or I can just add them to my queue soon.
 

antemortem

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Socialization Head
Thought I'd try my hand at one of these, lmk if the language or something else needs fixing. Thanks Magnemite for looking it over

Trainer tip #???- Spikes in PU

In a tier dominated by entry hazards, PU has plenty of different Spikes users to choose from. Roselia is the most notable as a former S rank, not only for Spikes but also for being a great defensive wall and incredibly hard to switch into when running offensive sets, making it incredibly unpredictable. It's easy to switch in expecting a weak defensive hit and then get blown away by an offensive Leaf Storm. Meanwhile, it can set up both Spikes and Toxic Spikes, and still has more useful support options with Sleep Powder an Synthesis. Quilladin has been gaining some notoriety as an alternative option recently thanks to its offensive spiking set which can lay hazards on common threats such as Roselia and Golem. While it still sees use as a defensive Spiker thanks to its great bulk and Synthesis, offensive sets can threaten foes like Pawniard and Stunfisk and use the switches it forces to lay Spikes.

PU also has a number of suicide spiking leads. Venipede has access to both types of Spikes, Endeavor, and Speed Boost, making it annoying to deal with for unprepared teams. Glalie only has access to regular Spikes, but gets Taunt, Freeze Dry, and Explosion so it can't easily be set up or removed on. Quilladin also has a suicide set, while it faces competition from Glalie as a Spiker with Taunt it can use its natural typing to handle Golem more effectively and gets Endeavor to mess with foes. Dwebble, while being the only Pokemon with both Stealth Rock and Spikes, can also be setup fodder for a large portion of the tier.

Spikes are best abused by strong attackers and sweepers like Stoutland, Fraxure, and Floatzel who can force a lot of switches and wear down grounded counters like Gourgeist-XL. Toxic Spikes, on the other hand, mostly benefit special attackers such as Rotom-F and Chatot, as many of the best specially defensive walls such as Audino, Grumpig, and Assault Vest Bouffalant are susceptible to the poison. Running Pokemon to deter Defog like Pawniard and Electric-types to threaten Vullaby and Swanna can also help to keep Spikes up over a long game.
posting today :>
 

antemortem

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Socialization Head
The role of Spikes in OU is a very important one, although OU does have a lack of viable Spikes users. Spikes allow the user to inflict hazard damage on Ground and Steel types, who often otherwise resist Stealth Rock. Targets such as Mega Metagross and Hippowdon are easier to handle with the effective use of Spikes. Damage from Spikes also stacks with Stealth Rock, punishing switches even more than Stealth Rock alone.

The one prominent offensive Spikes user is Klefki, who often plays a support role. Klefki offers quite a bit to an offensive team, starting with its solid Steel / Fairy defensive typing. Its typing allows it to check Latios and Mega Gardevoir effectively, as an example. In addition, Prankster Thunder Wave can help offensive teams deal with a variety of fast sweepers and cleaners, such as Mega Charizard X, Mega Alakazam, Mega Lopunny and Kingdra. Klefki also has a deep movepool, including options such as Toxic and Magnet Rise, to make it all the more useful.

Skarmory and Ferrothorn are two of the more prominent defensive Spikes users, and both are a common sight on balance teams. Both offer a valuable Steel typing, giving both great resists to use defensively. Skarmory offers phazing to a team through use of Whirlwind, increasing the effectiveness of Spike stacking. Skarmory is also useful to check threats such as Weavile and Mega Diancie. Ferrothorn offers a lot of utility in its own right, being able to further support its team with moves like Thunder Wave and Leech Seed. Ferrothorn can check many threats defensively, such as Mega Altaria, Mega Gyarados, and Mega Diancie. It also helps against Rain teams.

What success do you have with Spikes in OU? How do you combat Spikes in OU? Let us know in the comments below!
posted :toast: https://www.facebook.com/SmogonU/ph...440895.219134492389/10153961704942390/?type=3
 

antemortem

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This thread needs some more love.
Pursuit trapping is a valuable asset in OU, and for good reason. Pursuit has the benefit of hitting switching targets for damage before they switch out. This is especially valuable in OU, for a few reasons. First, OU has several useful and viable Pursuit trappers. Bisharp, Tyranitar (especially Scarf Tyranitar), Assault Vest Metagross, Weavile, and Mega Metagross can all use Pursuit to trap and potentially kill a switching target. All of these Pursuit users offer something useful outside of Pursuit as well. For example, Tyranitar provides Sand support for Excadrill and Bisharp provides strong STAB priority in Sucker Punch.

The second reason Pursuit is so useful, and the main reason it is used, is that it traps Latios and Latias. This frees up several powerful wallbreakers in OU to wreak havoc. Mega Charizard Y and Keldeo are examples of threats that benefit from the removal of Latios and Latias. Mega Charizard Y also receives additional support from Pursuit Tyranitar, as Tyranitar's Sand helps Mega Charizard Y have five turns of Sun as many times as possible. In addition, Pursuit can get valuable chip damage on other pivots that lack a strong physical defense stat. For example, Pursuit Weavile can trap Tornadus-Therian effectively, as it already threatens it with its speed tier and Ice STAB. That particular matchup might help Serperior achieve a sweep, as Tornadus-T is one of Serperior's most consistent checks.

In summary, Pursuit is an often overlooked aspect for newer players but can often provide provide invaluable support to many different types of threats. From the decent amount of Pursuit trappers available to the many different threats that share Pursuit-weak checks, there's sure a lot of room for unique cores and teams that benefit from Pursuit.

What experience do you have with Pursuit users? How do you handle threats with Pursuit support? What cores do you use that are supported by Pursuit? Let us know in the comments below!

Might try to add some more later, only one (long) paragraph right now, hope that's ok :P
posting tomorrow
 
Trainer Tip #???: Breaking The Metagame in VGC

We all know the story of Sejun Park's Pachirisu and its godlike durability. What most don't know, however, is the months, if not years, of work that went in to make sure it could do what it set out to do. Before that, he was considered much like Leonardo DiCaprio: Deserving of the ultimate prize, but never managing to win out. If you think you have a hot new idea that nobody is prepared for, you're probably right, but that's the easy part. The hard part is making sure it can stand up to what's already out there.

The metagame is the way it is for a reason. A lot of people are trying a lot of things, and naturally the best team archetypes will rise to the top. Gimmick team strategies like Cresselia Skill Swapping its Levitate to Primal Groudon so it can dodge an incoming Earthquake require careful planning and accurate predictions. In this specific instance, there's more going on than just "lol dodge." Cresselia will gain the Desolate Land ability, thus making sure the primal sun continues to beat down on the battlefield, boosting Fire attacks and completely negating Water attacks. Cresselia will lose the ability to dodge the earthquake, but with its insane 120/120/130 defenses and good defensive pure Psychic typing it should be able to take the neutral hit. Primal Groudon (probably with Tailwind support) then proceeds to give an opponent that's unfamiliar with the point of the last move a very harsh lesson.

Thinking outside the box is encouraged, as this is how the metagame evolves. But the comparison doesn't stop there--just like with evolution, some strategies or mutations are more beneficial than others. A Trainer new to a given format would probably do well to conform to the meta for a while, learning the dominant play styles and aping successful teams before striking out with their own ideas. But as you're making your way up the ladder, beware of higher-ranked players on alternate accounts that will use unconventional strategies to try to catch you napping.

Have you ever gone against the grain and tried to do something different with your Pokémon team? Let us know in the comments what you did and how it went for you!
 
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here i am again with an actually good post
Entry hazard removal is a very important aspect in Overused, as it clears away Spikes, Toxic Spikes, and Stealth Rock, which drastically improves the longevity of any Pokemon that will be on the field. There are two types of entry hazard removal Defog and Rapid Spin, both of which are important aspects to consider while teambuilding. OU has a few viable entry hazard removers including, but not limited to, Latios, Latias, Skarmory, and Mega Scizor, which are all examples of Defoggers that clear away entry hazards on both sides of the field. On the other hand, Rapid Spinners such as Starmie and Excadrill only remove entry hazards from your side of the field. If you favor maintaining your own entry hazards, you'd be more inclined to resort to Rapid Spin, while if you don't mind having to reset your own, Defog would be more favorable.

However, there are a few countermeasures to entry hazard removal. The most significant is Bisharp, who due to its ability Defiant, gains a +2 boost in its Attack stat when targeted by Defog, making it incredibly hard to deal with. Bisharp, however, despises switching into both Latios and Latias, which are premier Defoggers in OU, as it takes a considerable amount of damage from Draco Meteor. In terms of Rapid Spin, it can be blocked by Ghost-types, such as Mega Sableye, or by use of self-sacrifice moves such as Explosion or recoil from Brave Bird. It's worth noting that Rapid Spin is pitifully weak, making it's only purpose in removing entry hazards, however all Pokemon have access to four moveslots, meaning they don't necessarily have to use their form of entry hazard removal immediately. This catches many players off guard who expected a Rapid Spin or Defog only to be blown back by a powerful attack.

Despite the few dangers that entry hazard removal brings, many entry hazard removers find easy spots on teams. Latios and Latias are both great checks to common threats in the metagame, such as Keldeo and Mega Manectric, while bringing powerful wallbreakers to fruition. Latias also brings utility in Healing Wish, which differentiates it from Latios. Healing Wish allows Latias to sacrifice itself to restore the HP and cure the status condition of another teammate, which is an excellent perk for any team. Excadrill is often the centerpiece of the ever present sand teams due to it benefiting incredibly from sand through its ability, Sand Rush, which doubles its Speed under the respective weather condition. This makes it a terrific spinner. Even without Sand, it retains the ability to use a decent Choice Scarf set with a great ability in Mold Breaker, which allows it to bypass abilities such as Levitate and work as an agreeable cleaner and entry hazard remover. Sadly, being locked into Rapid Spin saps a considerable amount of momentum, making it undesirable at times.

All in all, entry hazard removal is often an essential parts of teams due to the invaluable support it brings. It allows you to effectively use different threats in the metagame, such as Weavile and Mega Pinsir, to the best of their ability. Your switches become less pressured and you gain the freedom to pivot at little to no cost to you.

Do you use entry hazard removal? If so, which do you use more? Let us know in the comments!


thanks to our kind lord Recreant for helping me write this
 
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Conceptually, what is stallbreaking? When newer players try to beat bulky cores, such as Chansey and Skarmory or Heatran and Mega Venusaur, they often look to grab something with a high Attack or Special Attack stat, good STAB moves, and good coverage. Threats like Choice Specs Keldeo and Mega Medicham spring to mind. While this can be an effective way of breaking down stall and balance teams, it is far from the only way.

If wallbreakers represent brute force, stallbreakers represent the finesse aspect of things. Instead of overwhelming walls with raw power, stallbreakers seek to cut off a stall team's main ways of dealing damage. Stall teams rely on status moves such as Toxic and Will-o-Wisp, the combination of hazard damage and phazing moves, and chip damage from weak moves on attackers that lack recovery. To combat these tactics, stallbreakers often have some combination of reliable self recovery, immunity to status, access to Taunt or Knock Off, or boosting moves.

OU is home to several good examples of stallbreakers. Clefable is a prominent stallbreaker in OU, and for good reason. Magic Guard prevents all damage from non-direct attacks, and as a result Clefable is immune to damage from Toxic, burns, Spikes and Stealth Rock. Clefable also has access to Soft-boiled, which, in combination with Magic Guard, allows it to use weak attackers like Hippowdon and Slowbro as set-up bait. Calm Mind gives Clefable offensive potential and also allows it to become a potential win condition. Another example is Gliscor. Poison Heal, in combination with a Toxic Orb, gives it passive recovery while also making Gliscor immune to burns and paralysis. Roost and Poison Heal allow Gliscor to shrug off passive attacks such as Seismic Toss from Chansey or Lava Plume from Heatran. Gliscor has access to Taunt, cutting off walls from using recovery and other status moves. Swords Dance is another option over Taunt, as that allows Gliscor to beat Mega Sableye while still being able to break through other walls.

Have you tried to use a stallbreaker before? Have you even been caught off guard by one?

Let me know if there are any issues or whatever. Kind of OU focused but I intended it to be a little more general, more just OU context examples.
 

antemortem

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Socialization Head
Conceptually, what is stallbreaking? When newer players try to beat bulky cores, such as Chansey and Skarmory or Heatran and Mega Venusaur, they often look to grab something with a high Attack or Special Attack stat, good STAB moves, and good coverage. Threats like Choice Specs Keldeo and Mega Medicham spring to mind. While this can be an effective way of breaking down stall and balance teams, it is far from the only way.

If wallbreakers represent brute force, stallbreakers represent the finesse aspect of things. Instead of overwhelming walls with raw power, stallbreakers seek to cut off a stall team's main ways of dealing damage. Stall teams rely on status moves such as Toxic and Will-o-Wisp, the combination of hazard damage and phazing moves, and chip damage from weak moves on attackers that lack recovery. To combat these tactics, stallbreakers often have some combination of reliable self recovery, immunity to status, access to Taunt or Knock Off, or boosting moves.

OU is home to several good examples of stallbreakers. Clefable is a prominent stallbreaker in OU, and for good reason. Magic Guard prevents all damage from non-direct attacks, and as a result Clefable is immune to damage from Toxic, burns, Spikes and Stealth Rock. Clefable also has access to Soft-boiled, which, in combination with Magic Guard, allows it to use weak attackers like Hippowdon and Slowbro as set-up bait. Calm Mind gives Clefable offensive potential and also allows it to become a potential win condition. Another example is Gliscor. Poison Heal, in combination with a Toxic Orb, gives it passive recovery while also making Gliscor immune to burns and paralysis. Roost and Poison Heal allow Gliscor to shrug off passive attacks such as Seismic Toss from Chansey or Lava Plume from Heatran. Gliscor has access to Taunt, cutting off walls from using recovery and other status moves. Swords Dance is another option over Taunt, as that allows Gliscor to beat Mega Sableye while still being able to break through other walls.

Have you tried to use a stallbreaker before? Have you even been caught off guard by one?

Let me know if there are any issues or whatever. Kind of OU focused but I intended it to be a little more general, more just OU context examples.
posting this one today!
 

Ununhexium

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"Two things are infinite: the universe and the presence of Stealth Rock; and I'm not sure about the universe."

Since their inception, entry hazards have been an integral part of basically every metagame one could set foot in with the exception of doubles formats. This Trainer Tip focuses on entry hazards and their setters specifically in the environment of the UnderUsed metagame.

Stealth Rock is arguably one of the most influential moves in all of Pokemon, and for good reason. Stealth Rock deals damage to the foe based on the type effectiveness of Rock-type move on the opposing Pokemon, using 12.5% as the baseline on a neutral Pokemon. For example, as it is 2x effective against a Flying-type, it would deal 25% damage. This racks up rather fast.

Anyway, enough talk about the hazard itself, let's get down to business. In UU, there is a wide variety of Stealth Rock users at your disposal. Some of these include Cobalion, Mamoswine, Krookodile, Swampert, Empoleon, Nidoqueen, Azelf, and even the occasional Infernape. Each of these have their own advantages and disadvantages and other roles in the team. Swampert can face down powerful Fire-types, phaze, spam Scald, and set Stealth Rock; Krookodile can use Pursuit and set Stealth Rock, Nidoqueen can make Florges wish it was never born and set Stealth Rock, and Cobalion can somehow manage to set up for a sweep and use Stealth Rock on the same set! You get the picture, right? There's a Stealth Rock setter for every team out there.

The reason Stealth Rock is so influential is because it can do so much damage so quickly from Pokemon switching in. Everyone loves their Entei and Salamence and Mega Aerodactyl and Mega Beedrill, until you realize it switches in and loses a quarter of its health. Add this with other hazards, status, and repeated attacks (as weak as they may be) and you quickly find yourself down a Pokemon.

Spikes are admittedly less dominant than Stealth Rock, but still very useful for almost any team archetype. Spikes, like Stealth Rock, deal damage upon switching in. By setting one layer of Spikes, all grounded Pokemon take 12.5% damage upon switching in. This becomes 18.75% with two layers, and 25% if three layers are set up.

The main setters of Spikes in UU are Froslass, Chesnaught, Roserade, and Forretress, though Qwilfish sometimes find use on a few teams despite its RU status (never use Spikes on Cloyster please). Froslass is a suicide Spiker that only really works on offensively-inclined teams, as it uses Spikes, Taunt, Destiny Bond, and a filler move (Icy Wind or Thunder Wave) to set Spikes, try to keep the opponent from setting hazards of their own and removing the Spikes you've just set up, and try to kill the foe by using Destiny Bond. Roserade is fun because it can be either offensive or defensive, forcing out the foe with powerful Leaf Storms and Sludge Bombs and using the free turn to set Spikes, or taking a hit and setting them up. Chesnaught is famous for being a hard counter to Gyarados if it's using Spiky Shield (because having just Spikes isn't pointy enough) and being a rather solid check to a lot of Water- and Ground-types (or both if Mega Swampert :) ) in general. Forretress is the last Spikes user I'm going to talk about here, and it is a good utility Pokemon that can pivot around with Volt Switch, set up Spikes, and remove hazards too with Rapid Spin.

Spikes are good for mostly the same reasons as Stealth Rock, but what's nice is that the damage of Spikes doesn't vary as long as the foe is grounded, which for better or for worse, is most Pokemon.

Toxic Spikes poison Pokemon upon switching in if you've set up one layer, and badly poisons them if you've set up two. You can set up a third layer if you want to for whatever reason, but it doesn't do anything more, so it's a waste of a turn.

In terms of good setters, you've got Roserade, Tentacruel, Nidoqueen, and Forretress. Roserade and Forretress I've already covered as they both can set Spikes (which is what Forretress should be doing most of the time). I've also mentioned Nidoqueen as a setter of Stealth Rock, but if you already have a Stealth Rock setter on your team, Toxic Spikes never really hurt (unless your opponent has a Heracross).Tentacruel is an interesting Pokemon as it can take a hit from Fire- and Fighting-types thanks to its typing (just don't expect it to wall them all day, because it can't). It is, however, rather good at spamming Scald and can also use Rapid Spin to remove opposing hazards.

I think its pretty obvious why Toxic Spikes are a good entry hazard, but in case you were wondering, it's really good at wearing down the opposition and can force opposing defensive Pokemon to recover more often and status + Life Orb damage on offensive Pokemon makes stuff die real fast.

Sticky Web is actually probably up there with Stealth Rock for the best entry hazard in the game. What it does is lower the Speed of grounded Pokemon by one stage when switching in. It's a shame its users suck.

Okay well they're actually not that bad, there are just better Pokemon to use than Galvantula and Shuckle. Shuckle is famous for being, of all things, a suicide lead with Mental Herb and both Stealth Rock and Sticky Web (the last two moves are filler, usually Encore and Toxic, Knock Off, or the rare Infestation). However, it loses to just about every Defogger or spinner ever and can't deal any significant damage. Galvantula actually isn't horrible, just hard to fit onto a team. First of all, Focus Sash is bad on it. It's just slow enough to be susceptible to most Taunt users and can't set up Sticky Web then. What you want to use is a Life Orb set with Thunder, Bug Buzz, either Energy Ball or Giga Drain, and Sticky Web. It's best used as a special attacker with Sticky Web as a nice bonus on the side, as it's not reliable enough to make a team around it. Unfortunately, it's just outclassed by most other Electric-types because even with a Life Orb, base 97 Special Attack isn't winning it any awards as a sweeper.

Sticky Web is good on any team, as everyone likes to move first. If you can set it up, it transforms a slow wallbreaker into a fast sweeper in the blink of an eye.

In Conclusion Entry hazards are an integral part of Pokemon in any tier, so if you're trying to pick up UU, here are some good things to look out for.

Thanks for reading and I hope to see y'all again sometime!


I did entry hazards in UU (sorry if it's too long / short it's my first time doing one of these)

Expect Fire-types in UU sometime in the near future
 

Ununhexium

I closed my eyes and I slipped away...
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"I swear to whatever holy being is out there if Entei burns my switch-in one more time someone is going to die" - Everyone

The UnderUsed metagame is known for its wide variety of Fire-types. While UU is filled to the brim with Dragon- and Water-types (and Mega Aerodactyl), Fire-types still manage to stand out as some of the most prominent attackers (and even occasionally defensive Pokemon) in the metagame.

In terms of physical Fire-types we have Entei, Infernape, and Darmanitan (and sorta Arcanine, I'll get to that later). Entei is famous worldwide for both looking badass and being an excellent user of Choice Band. Entei's Choice Band set is almost always Sacred Fire / Extreme Speed / Stone Edge / Flare Blitz (because you're main STAB move having 8 PP and its best switch-in having Pressure sucks), but it doesn't need a ton of variation to be effective. Sacred Fire is what makes Entei great, as it's strong, relatively reliable, and has a 50% chance to burn the foe, which makes it a pain to switch into; it runs Stone Edge for coverage and Extreme Speed for priority and cleaning late-game. Infernape has a bunch of different sets it can run effectively, including Choice Scarf, Swords Dance, and mixed sets, making it very versatile and a strong wallbreaker and sweeper. Though generally pushed aside in favor of Entei, when it comes to Sheer Force (oh my god I crack myself up), look no further than Darmanitan. With base 140 Attack and more Speed than Entei (because it has to run Adamant), basically anything that isn't a VERY bulky Water-type takes a ton of damage from its Choice Band set. It's Choice Scarf set is rather powerful too, as it still outdamages Entei's Sacred Fire. Unfortunately, it's very frail, is weak to Stealth Rock and is vulnerable to Spikes, and kills itself rather quickly courtesy of Flare Blitz recoil. Shame.

Also, UU is home to some strong specially attacking Fire-types such as Chandelure, Rotom-H, and Infernape. Chandelure is mostly known for its Choice Specs and Choice Scarf sets. Choice Specs is a real pain to switch into, as a STAB Choice Specs Fire Blast or Shadow Ball off of a base 145 Special Attack does a lot to about everything. It can also run a Choice Scarf to outspeed everything up to positive natured Mega Sceptile and Mega Beedrill (by one point. Thanks TrollFreak). It can also run a Substitute + Calm Mind set (especially in conjunction with Toxic Spikes) to deal a lot of damage to defensively-inclined teams. Rotom-H can also run Choice Specs and Choice Scarf effectively. Though it is weaker than Chandelure, it has a nifty Ground immunity and has a bit more Speed, allowing Choice Scarf sets to outspeed Mega Aerodactyl and KO it with Thunderbolt. Infernape, as a matter of fact, doesn't use special attacking Choice sets, but rather uses Nasty Plot to set up and sweep. With a set of Nasty Plot / Fire Blast / Grass Knot / [Vacuum Wave or Close Combat] it can deal a lot of damage and lure in special walls with Close Combat.

There are two Fire-types with valuable defensive merit in UU: Arcanine and Rotom-H. Arcanine's decent bulk, access to reliable recovery, Will-O-Wisp, and Intimidate lend it to being a solid check to physical attackers such as the aforementioned physical Fire-types and some Fighting-types such as Mienshao and Heracross in a pinch. Rotom-H's excellent defensive typing and decent defensive stats allow it to be a good check to threats such as Mamoswine, Mega Sceptile, Shaymin, and others.

Thanks for reading and FREE VICTINI!


double posting because #yolo
 
Last edited:
Trainer Tip #???: Hazards in OU

There are 4 different kinds if entry hazards: Toxic Spikes, Spikes, Stealth Rocks and Sticky Web.

Spikes: These are generally a very good type of hazards. They don't take typings into account which allows it to do a lot of damage to grounded pokemon. Pokemon with Air Balloon, Levitate or the Flying Type do not get effected by these.

You can set 3 layers of spikes, which is what makes it so threatening for grounded pokemon. This is also a type of hazards many pokemon do not have access to. So far, only 3 pokemon: Ferrothorn, Klefki and Skarmory have access to Spikes in the OU tier.

Toxic Spikes: These are just like spikes, except they don't do damage when you enter. These type of spikes poison you when entered and if two layers of spikes are set up, it will result in a Toxic upon entry. Although these type of spikes don't do damage on entry, they do damage after every turn which is the poison/toxic damage. This is also a good type of hazard to force switches for the opponent since it puts them on a timer before the status takes their life away.

Toxic Spikes do not effect Steel type pokemon for the obvious reason of immunities. If Poison type pokemon switch in on Toxic Spikes the spikes will disappear for the rest of the game until setup once again.

Stealth Rocks: Contrary to spikes, this hazard takes into account typings. Which means Stealth Rock will be doing more to Bug, Fire, Flying and Ice type pokemon. With that being said, it does less to pokemon that resist it. Pokemon that are 4x weak to the Rock Type (Have 2 types both weak to rock, so a combination of Bug, Fire, Flying and Ice) take 50% from Stealth Rocks. This is great because some of the very common threats in OU are completely defeated by Stealth Rocks (Charizaord Mega Y, Talonflame and Volcarona.) Stealth Rocks are also used by a variety of pokemon in OU: Bisharp, Celebi, Chansey, Clefable, Diancie-Mega, Excadrill, Ferrothorn, Garchomp, Gliscor, Heatran, Hippowdon, Jirachi, Landorus-Therian, Metagross-Mega, Mew, Pinsir-Mega, Skarmory, Tyranitar.

Stick Web: Lastly, we have Sticky Web. This is not a commonly used hazard in OU as the ones above. The effect of Sticky Web is lowering speed on entry. The following pokemon gain access to Sticky Web in OU: None. Which is partly the reason it isn't used much in OU.

How to remove hazards:

Removing hazards for Toxic Spikes is simple, bringing out a poison type. For the other hazards, you'll need a Rapid Spin user or Defog user. Defog lowers opponents evasion and removes hazards from both sides. Rapid spin has a Base Power of 20 and releases you of partial trap moves, leech seed and removes hazards from your side only. Common Rapid Spinners in OU: Excadrill and Starmie. Common Defogers in OU: Scizor, Skarmory, Latios and Latias.

Common Hazard Setters:

Forretress

Although not in the OU tier, it is popular for setting hazards as it gets access to every entry hazard in the game.

Skarmory

Known for its stall ways and to defeat its opponent using its Spikes + Stealth Rocks + Whirlwind combo.

-TenucSkenuck
 

antemortem

THE ORIGINAL DAVE
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Socialization Head
TenucSkenuck thank you for putting time/effort into writing something! Unfortunately, that write-up is a bit too basic. Plus, there have been write-ups for Spikes and Rapid Spin in OU already written and posted recently. Sorry! Keep at it, though. Feel free to post here and ask about a topic to see if it's taken before you spend your time writing it, just so you're not wasting anything.
 

Ununhexium

I closed my eyes and I slipped away...
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TenucSkenuck thank you for putting time/effort into writing something! Unfortunately, that write-up is a bit too basic. Plus, there have been write-ups for Spikes and Rapid Spin in OU already written and posted recently. Sorry! Keep at it, though. Feel free to post here and ask about a topic to see if it's taken before you spend your time writing it, just so you're not wasting anything.
Yo instead of asking for topics can we just compile a list of topics already done

Maybe link them as like an index
 
Trainer Tip #???: Volcanion

As you all know, Volcanion has recently been introduced on showdown as a playable pokemon. It's tier is OU as of current and there might be changes to this later.

Volcanion Analysis:

Volcanion has posed to be a huge threat to huge teams and it is overall and amazing pokemon. Looking at its stats, it can be run as a mixed variant with physical and special moves. Its Special Defense can be easily improved with the Assault Vest. Its Defense, Speed and HP are decent and nothing to laugh at.

The main thing about Volcanion as we all know is its very unique typing, Fire/Water. This unique typing makes it open to so many possibilities that it is unbelievable. Its typing gives it coverage for STAB (Same type attack bonus) moves and to damage more than half the tier for atleast a neutral hit. Apart from STAB coverage, it also gets general coverage aswell. For example, Sludge Wave, Earth Power, Explosion, Solar Beam, Body Slam, Brick Break etc. You will find it extremely difficult to avoid some strong hits from this pokemon.

Special Move:

Many users are calling this "Super Scald" and rightly so. This move named Steam Eruption is the signature move of Volcanion, and it does not care what comes out in front of it.

Ask yourself, what was the main problem of Scald?

It's low Base Power.

Main problem of Hydro Pump?

It's Accuracy.

Now Steam Eruption offers the fix to both problems. It is essentially a mix of Scald and Hydro Pump with the base power of 110 and the secondary chance 30% to burn the target.

Possible Items:

Now that Volcanion has come out, everyone is looking for great items to put on it to strengthen it and the team. The most common item on Volcanion as of yet is Choice Specs. This is because on top of its high Special attack and coverage giving it more power will absolutely destroy and perish teams. In this case, Resistance is just a word. Anything coming in front of this pokemon will regret it.

Another item used by many as I mentioned before is Assault Vest. This item is also a very viable and great one on Volcanion. It has decent Special defense but Assault Vest ups it and makes it a good special tank. Assault Vest Volcanion is used to counter other Special Volcanions and their Ground coverage.

Moving on, we have Power Herb. This is mainly only seen on the Solar Beam Volcanion sets to deal with Water types. I mentioned a lot of coverage moves on Volcanion above but none were super effective to Water types except for Solar Beam. Power Herb Solar Beam is a great set if you want to have a smooth run with your Volcanion.

Ability:

Volcanions only ability is Water Absorb. Even if it is the only ability it is perfect for it. Based on types, Volcanion is 4x resistant to Fire, but it is neutral to Water as it is part Fire type. Water Absorb gives it immunity to that and it is the perfect counter to no Ground coverage Volcanion. It is also immune to a very common priority move, Aqua Jet. This ability lets it switch in on Water types to regain health and proceed to winning the game.

Sets:

Here are common Volcanion sets for your use:

Choice Specs:

Volcanion @ Choice Specs
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Fire Blast
- Steam Eruption
- Earth Power
- Sludge Wave

Power Herb:

Volcanion @ Power Herb
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 4 SpD / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Fire Blast
- Steam Eruption
- Earth Power / Hidden Power Ice
- Solar Beam

For more analysis on Volcanion or sets I recommend you read the XY Analysis: http://www.smogon.com/dex/xy/pokemon/volcanion/

-TenucSkenuck
 

MZ

And now for something completely different
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Feel free to edit this to be more proper, I had the idea and thought it'd be fun

Trainer tip ???: Dealing with Swagkeys

Everybody knows about Klefki in Anything Goes. It's rare that there's a Pokemon so annoying yet so effective that people can run whole teams of it just to annoy people- and still get wins. But while it may seem infuriating and totally reliant on luck, there are a few ways to beat this devil in disguise other than praying your Primal Groudon stops hitting itself.

To start you could always try to fit Mega Diancie or Mega Sableye on your team. Magic Bounce turns Klefki's most deadly weapons against it, making it way easier to handle. This generally works as long as they don't happen to be carrying Flash Cannon or Dazzling Gleam just to beat your would be counter. Plus, one of these megas means not being able to fit a Mega Rayquaza. But using Mega Rayquaza doesn't mean you can't have any counterplay versus Klefki. Fitting Lum Berry onto offensive Pokemon is another great way to check it. While Pokemon like Mega Rayquaza, Arceus, and Ho-Oh might prefer items like Life Orb or Leftovers, a Lum Berry could be just what you need to get the edge on Klefki. And finally, Magic Coat carries a lot of utility when run on one of the various Arceus formes available. Not only can it help to beat Klefki, but it's also useful for bouncing back Darkrai's Dark Void, Water Arceus's Will-O-Wisp or Toxic, and various other status moves and entry hazards.

Of course, you won't always be able to stop Klefki from paralyzing half of your team. Carrying an Aromatherapy or Heal Bell can be incredibly valuable; although they don't have the best distribution there are a few Pokemon which can fit a cleric move such as Xerneas and Clefable. Running RestTalk sets on Pokemon such as Primal Kyogre, Giratina, and Primal Groudon can turn them into status absorbers in a pinch. And, while there aren't many Pokemon which can effectively run Substitute other than Ho-Oh or your own Klefki, finding the space for it may be just what's needed. While no team can ever be completely safe from Klefki without Taunt Thundurus or Numel, there's always ways to make the matchup just a little bit easier. What do you do to deal with Klefki?
 

Fiend

someguy
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Figured I should try:

Trainer tip xxx: Pursuit in Little Cup

Pursuit trapping is a valuable asset in Little Cup, and is largely undervalued. Pursuit is excellent for guaranteeing damage against some of the tier's top threats, and this extra damage often dictates who wins the match. There are several viable Pursuit trappers in Little Cup, ranging from the untraditional Cranidos, Munchlax, and Honedge and the conventional Dark-types of Houndour, Pawniard, and Stunky. Each Pursuit trapper find usage outside of trapping particular targets, which is very important for team variety and fitting the move onto a team. For example, Munchlax provides the team with a durable Sun and special attacker counter while Pawniard is a great revenge killer and general wallbreaker and Honedge provides a team with a surefire Fletchling, Abra, and Spritzee counter with strong STAB Shadow Sneak for added utility.

What makes Pursuit so great is its utility in removing some hard counters to a large number of very threatening sweepers in LC. Fletchling and Abra are the two main targets of Pursuit trappers due to their ability to revenge kill over half the tier. Pursuit damage will guarantee that Abra's Sash is broken and therefore causes Abra to be unable to revenge kill a boosted sweeper while--with Stealth Rocks up--will prevent Fletchling from living the next switch in and attack with its Gale Wings Acrobatics. Because of this, Pursuit enables several team archetypes and sweepers to cause havoc far more constantly. For instance, Scraggy cannot Dragon Dance and sweep nor is Snivy able to wallbreak and snowball boosts as both are KOed from Fletchling's Acrobatics, yet with Fletchling Pursuit trapped--and the faster Gastly too in Snivy's case--both can no longer have this risk. Entire teams can benefit from Pursuit trappers who remove these common counters, such as Sun teams who can fire off extremely powerful attacks and cause chaos relatively unopposed with Fletchling removed, or with quick pass teams that use Torchic's boosts to get in a slow yet incredibly powerful attack that cannot be revenge killed easily. Because of this, Pursuit is a powerful tool for teams, and can sufficiently swing a matchup into the users favor.

Pursuit is an aspect of Little Cup which is often overlooked, especially by new players. Chip damage is invaluable in Little Cup, and the number of important Pursuit-weak Pokemon in the tier, and thus a plethora of unique cores can enjoy Pursuit support. With an ample number of viable Pursuit trappers in the tier, this valuable support option can be fit onto essentially any team which desires it.
 

Mr.GX

Mew Mew
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Trainer Tip #??? : Raydon, A Counter-Productive Core?

Ever since the start of VGC 16, people have been using the popular meta team like Big 6 and ray-ogre. And recently, another code made an appearance: The supposedly counter-productive core, Rayquaza and Groudon, commonly known as RayDon. The team has seen huge success in recent VGC events, making top cut in US Nationals, as well a even winning Japan national Championships. As someone who used this core for relatively a long time, I often get asked "How does Raydon work? isn't it counter-productive? Doesn't it lose to Ray-Ogre cores?". Now, the question is, How exactly does RayDon work?

The Core can be classified as being similar to the big 6 archetype. Only difference is, you use Mega-Rayquaza instead of Salamence, and use Sylveon instead of Xerneus. What does this accomplish? Extreme offensive pressure. Mega Ray does more damage than Salamence, and Groudon can take out steel types and potential Xerneus. This team does well against the popular big 6, and handles Dual Primals decently. You can also use Groudon eruption similar to that of kyogre waterspout with Air Lock to OHKO steel types...even if they switch in Primal Kyogre to create rain. The team doesn't require any set up strategies like Big 6, and can be really fast. Your own Groudon and Rayquaza takes out opposing Primal Groudon, and Rayquaza can OHKO Kyogre with helping hand support. The only reason to use Sylveon is to provide Helping hand support, and to check Yveltal which can destroy this core if left unchecked.

The team's toughest match up is none other than its counterpart, ray-Ogre. Therefore, a grass type Pokemon like Ferrothorn to Amoongus can be really useful to deal with them. You should note that the biggest threat in ray-Ogre is in fact Rayquaza. Knock outing Ray early game can ensure an easy win for you.

This archetype can be tough to master for beginners, as using Rayquaza recklessly WILL make you lose. For a skilled player, the team can handle the popular meta teams fairly well. One thing to note is Air Lock from your own Rayquaza can back fire, so think twice before making that switch in!

Good luck using RayDon!
 

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