DPP Underrated Movesets

Written by Tomahawk. Art by Bummer.

Introduction

DPP OU is probably one of the most settled metagames that is still commonly played in official tournaments. It is a very balanced tier, and most sets have already been discovered. Some people might think there isn't any more room for viable sets to be made. However, in this article, I'll showcase some examples of certain sets that work effectively to show you that there is in fact still a lot of space for creativity even in a metagame like this.

Sets

Zapdos @ Magnet
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power Ice
- Heat Wave
- U-turn

Zapdos, over the last year or so, has become a very common lead. It all started off with the Choice Specs set, which has very powerful moves to OHKO or 2HKO the vast majority of common leads. In addition to that, it also has U-turn, which is a solid way of dealing with lead such as Azelf, while also able to retreat safely from the likes of Swampert. After a while, Leftovers and Life Orb variants, often with Roost over U-turn, became somewhat common as well. Choice Specs Zapdos, while really powerful, can sometimes be taken advantage of, especially in the start of the game when the opposing player will have a Pokémon that takes little damage from each of its attacks. Life Orb and Leftovers allow it to switch moves while either still giving it notable power or some extra survivability.

Magnet has the same advantage that these items have, while also having another one—that is, being able to fake a Choice item. Both Life Orb and Leftovers show themselves on Turn 1, which lets the opponent play around it. Magnet can fool an opponent into thinking Zapdos is wearing a Choice item, and this lets it catch an unaware opponent with a lot of damage.

Modest nature and Magnet are necessities on this set, as Thunderbolt still does 88% of the damage of a Choice Specs Thunderbolt. This means that even if the opponent checks a damage calculation to see if Zapdos has a Choice item, an above-average roll will make it seem like that Zapdos has Choice Specs equipped. Keep in mind that Zapdos will OHKO a lot of common leads, such as Aerodactyl, Azelf and Empoleon, regardless, so the bluff will never be foiled by lower damage.

This set uses Hidden Power Ice instead of Hidden Power Flying. Unfortunately, without any item to boost Hidden Power Flying, it becomes noticeably weaker. In addition, Hidden Power Ice can be especially helpful to surprise KO Pokémon such as Gliscor or Flygon assuming a Choiced Thunderbolt. Hidden Power Grass is another decent option if you are having problems with Swampert. In the last slot, Roost is an alternative over U-turn if you rely on Zapdos to check some threats to your team. Keep in mind, however, that using it early will show your opponent that your Zapdos is in fact not using Choice Specs.

Breloom @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Spore
- Superpower
- Seed Bomb
- Facade

Breloom is one of the more common Pokémon in the DPP OU metagame, and for good reason. Spore is one of the best moves in the game, as it is guaranteed to take something out of the game for at least a few turns. Breloom can take advantage of this by getting a Substitute up for free, letting it then fire off its two powerful STAB attacks—Focus Punch and Seed Bomb. The former is incredibly powerful with a 150 Base Power that makes it hard to play around Breloom. However, the problem with this set is that if Breloom doesn't have a Substitute up, it is a lot less threatening. Pokémon such as Heatran, Jirachi, and Magnezone that normally can't take a Focus Punch now only have to worry about a resisted Seed Bomb.

This set aims to fix that problem as well as take advantage of the fact that almost every Breloom carries the same set and is what the opponent will expect. Superpower over Focus Punch keeps Breloom from being helpless against the aforementioned Pokémon, and also allows it to KO them without having to waste Sleep Clause. Facade in the last slot is a surprisingly powerful move and hits Pokémon that resist Breloom's STAB moves, such as Dragonite and Celebi.

This set plays a bit differently from the standard SubPunch set, as it has other options. It's a good idea to keep this in mind when playing. This Breloom can play more offensively because it can instantly throw out three reliable attacks unlike SubPunch, which can only throw out one reliable attack if it's unable to get its Substitute going. However, the lack of Substitute means that is more easily revenge killed.

Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Calm Mind
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Beam
- Softboiled

Clefable is one of the top dogs in DPP UU, but you'll almost never see it in OU. Normal typing is very poor, as Clefable has only a single resistance (or immunity, to be exact). It doesn't have the greatest stats, either, to make up for that. However, there is one thing that makes Clefable unique, and even useful: Magic Guard. Magic Guard makes it immune to all forms of secondary damage. This means that Stealth Rock, Spikes, Toxic and sandstorm all have no effect on this cute... thing. This makes Clefable quite hard to take out for full stall teams, especially with maximum defensive investment, a couple of Special Defense boosts, and Softboiled to heal.

In fact, most stall teams have no reliable way to deal with Clefable at all. A lot of stall teams will have to rely on Trick to neuter Clefable. However, they only get one shot at this, meaning they have to play very carefully. Trying to remove Clefable's boosts with Roar or Whirlwind can be difficult, too, as the most common phazer on stall teams is Gyarados, which is easily KOed by Thunderbolt. Other common users of these moves such as Skarmory and Hippowdon don't take too kindly to Clefable's attacks either. Another option is to sacrifice all other Pokémon on your team, which makes it impossible to phaze Clefable. This is a bit risky though, as one crit could ruin your whole game.

On the flip side, this Clefable does poorly against offensive teams. It will almost definitely not get a chance to set up, and even if it does, it is too slow to sweep. Therefore, Clefable fits best on teams have an easy time with offense, but always struggle versus stall. Otherwise, you may find Clefable to be limiting.

Scizor @ Life Orb
Ability: Technician
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Bullet Punch
- Bug Bite
- Superpower

Scizor is most commonly seen with a Choice Band. Scizor's defining aspect is Technician, along with STAB priority in Bullet Punch and a base 130 Attack stat. This lets it use a Choice Band set effectively, as very powerful priority is always useful for finishing off an opponent's frailer or weakened Pokémon. U-turn and Pursuit also add to the utility of the Choice Band set.

However, that is not the only way to take advantage of Scizor's powerful priority. It can also go on the offensive itself with Swords Dance. After a Swords Dance, most frailer and faster Pokémon take a lot of damage from Bullet Punch, while slower, bulkier Pokémon can be taken out with Bug Bite or Superpower.

Bug Bite is Scizor's most powerful STAB move, as it is boosted by Technician. It allows Scizor to do a lot more damage to bulkier targets that can take a Bullet Punch; for example, it has a chance to OHKO specially defensive Hippowdon even without prior Stealth Rock damage! Superpower is a very important coverage move that allows Scizor to hit Pokémon such as Heatran and Skarmory. In fact, while Skarmory is usually a safe switch-in to Scizor, +2 Superpower has a good chance of KOing it with some prior damage, opening up the way for other physical sweepers.

This set is an excellent fit for Dual Screens offensive teams. With Dual Screens support, it becomes a lot harder for offensive teams to deal with Scizor. Normally, powerful frailer and faster Pokémon that can take one Bullet Punch could revenge kill it, but with Dual Screens they can't. Swords Dance Scizor also functions well with other physical sweepers; as mentioned before, Superpower does a lot of damage to Skarmory, leaving the way open for others.

Quagsire @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Earthquake
- Ice Punch / Toxic
- Recover
- Encore

Smogon Tour players will likely recognize this set, as it has been part of one of the more common and successful teams, consisting of Choice Scarf Tyranitar, Skarmory, Zapdos, Heatran, Starmie, and this Quagsire. To others, Quagsire might not be as familiar. In fact, it might be hard to see why Quagsire would be viable in the OU environment, as it has rather disappointing stats and Unaware Quagsire was only introduced in Generation 5. However, instead it has Water Absorb. This gives it a noticeably different niche. Similar to Gastrodon in later generations, Water / Ground typing with a Water immunity lets it take on offensive Water-types and Electric-types very efficiently. They can't hit Quagsire with their STAB moves, and their coverage moves hit Quagsire for neutral damage at best (though Electric-types sometimes carry Hidden Power Grass). Quagsire also has Recover, a very important move that lets it heal up repeatedly over the match. All of this allows Quagsire to be an excellent switch-in to the likes of Starmie and Suicune, who can otherwise be troubling to a lot of teams.

Another trick Quagsire has up its sleeve is Encore. While Encore might not seem like the greatest move, it can in fact be very useful when used properly. Encoring a move such as Stealth Rock, Rapid Spin or Recover allows for easy setup. More importantly, however, is that it prevents Quagsire from being easy setup fodder for sweepers, which could be disastrous in the late game. Encoring a Dragon Dance, Swords Dance or Substitute can save your live.

Gliscor @ Leftovers
Ability: Hyper Cutter
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Ice Fang

Gliscor is commonly seen as a more defensive Pokémon. Except for the double weakness to Ice, it has an excellent set of resistances and really good physical bulk, allowing it to check or counter a lot of physical threats, such as Lucario, Metagross, and Flygon. With Taunt, Toxic, and Roost, Gliscor can also be a nuisance for stall teams. Sand Veil is icing to the cake as the most annoying ability in the game.

This set takes a different direction, though; it goes offensive. Gliscor has base 95 Attack and base 95 Speed stats, both of which are not as high as some of the more threatening sweepers, but high enough to make for an effective Swords Dance set. The Speed stat specifically lets it outspeed a lot of Pokémon commonly seen on offensively-inclined teams, and a lot of the Pokémon that do outspeed Gliscor, such as Jirachi and Flygon, have a hard time KOing it thanks to its excellent bulk.

Hyper Cutter also makes for a really useful ability on this set. The most common answer that most teams have to physically offensive Ground-types is Gyarados. However, Intimidate has no effect on Gliscor thanks to Hyper Cutter, and Gliscor outspeeds all variants of Gyarados, while +2 Stone Edge KOes even the bulkiest of Gyarados after Stealth Rock damage. This also lets it be very effective against stall teams, especially when paired with something that can weaken Rotom-A effectively or take it out with Pursuit.

As for the moveset, Swords Dance and Earthquake are fairly obvious. Stone Edge is the best coverage option, and lets Gliscor OHKO Gyarados. Ice Fang in the last slot provides more coverage, hitting opposing Gliscor and allowing it to OHKO Flygon without a boost. It also provides a more accurate coverage option while still KOing the likes of offensive Zapdos and Gengar. Other options in that slot are Night Slash, which hits Rotom-A super effectively, and Agility, which provides a dual boosting set, though without a boost from Swords Dance, Gliscor's power can be lacking.

Conclusion

Hopefully this article has shown you that even though DPP is two generations old now, there is still room for creativity. Do try out some of these sets as well; you may end up enjoying them!

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