old thread http://www.smogon.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3449101
Tier changes remember!!
[Overview]
<p>Kabutops returns to UU as a solid Pokemon with decent Attack and Defense stats relative to the rest of the tier. Access to Swords Dance and powerful dual STABs only increases its value, turning it into a fearsome sweeper. Alternatively, it can take on a more support-oriented role, using Stealth Rock and Rapid Spin to help its team. Its Rock / Water typing is a mixed blessing here: on one hand, a 4x resistance to Fire-type moves, particularly V-create and Flare Blitz, makes it a great check to Victini and Arcanine. This also helps since Fire-type powerhouses such as Darmanitan and Chandelure dropped into the UU tier. However, this typing leaves it with crippling weaknesses to common Ground-, Grass-, and Fighting-type attacks, and Kabutops's below average Special Defense compounds this issue further. Negatives aside, if you need an offensive force or a support Pokemon that also packs an attacking punch, look no further than Kabutops.</p>
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Aqua Jet
item: Life Orb
ability: Swift Swim
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set focuses on using rain support and Swords Dance to double Kabutops's Speed and Attack stats, allowing it to easily tear apart unprepared teams with its great dual STAB. Waterfall is the most reliable Water-type move in its arsenal, hitting a wide range of threats hard after the Swords Dance and rain boosts. Stone Edge allows Kabutops to hit opposing Water-, Grass-, and Dragon-types that resist Waterfall for neutral damage. This combo is enough to dent everything except Ferroseed and Quagsire, both of which tank the Water / Rock offensive combination with ease. Aqua Jet earns a place in the last slot for a variety of reasons: even if it is raining, Kabutops can circumvent its low Speed and attempt a late-game sweep as long as it has already nabbed a Swords Dance boost. The priority is also good insurance against revenge killing, allowing Kabutops to hit opponents hard before they can attack. Be sure to remember the power difference between Aqua Jet and Waterfall, however, and resist the urge to use it in situations where Kabutops comfortably outspeeds its opponent.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs provide the maximum Speed possible, as chances are you may occasionally need Kabutops outside of rain. Its base 80 Speed is usable, tying with other base 80s such as Mamoswine. 252 Attack EVs ensure Kabutops will hit as hard as possible, both before and after a Swords Dance boost. The choice of a Jolly or Adamant nature is clear with rain support: Adamant for maximum power, while Jolly is viable if you want extra insurance outside of rain, outpacing Adamant Heracross and standard Arcanine. If you don't intend to provide Kabutops with rain support, an EV spread of 72 HP / 252 Atk / 184 Spe with Weak Armor is certainly viable, as after being hit by a physical move, Kabutops will be able to outspeed notable threats such as Zapdos and Mew and KO them (though some prior damage may be required). Such an approach is less favorable, however, both because it is situational and the fact that Kabutops is frail.</p>
<p>Pokemon that set up Rain Dance are the primary teammates for Kabutops, as the rain boosts both its power and Speed. Accelgor is a great partner in this regard, as it has an extremely fast Rain Dance and resists the Grass-, Fighting-, and Ground-type moves that Kabutops is weak to. Furthermore, the ninja bug can use U-turn to gain momentum for Kabutops to take advantage of. Amoonguss is another great choice, as it 4x resists Grass-type moves and has its Fire-type weakness covered by Kabutops. It is also bulky enough to set up Rain Dance multiple times, benefits from the rain by having the aforementioned Fire-type weakness removed, and has Spore to do one of two things: put the opponent to sleep and set up Rain Dance safely, or summon the storms first, sleep the opponent, and give Kabutops a free switch-in. Offensively, Kingdra is a good partner, as it can smash holes in the opponent's team with its own powerful dual STAB and clear the way for Kabutops to sweep. Ludicolo gets a mention too, as it eliminates most of the physical walls that Kabutops has trouble getting past with its powerful special attacks. To get an idea of how fearsome Kabutops is in the rain, take the following into account: Grass-types such as Roserade and Shaymin, which originally outspeed and KO Kabutops, are swiftly KOed by a +2 Adamant Life Orb Stone Edge. Unaware Quagsire with a physically defensive spread is KOed by Adamant Life Orb- and rain-boosted Waterfall as well, and cannot damage Kabutops significantly, even with Earthquake. Hitmontop takes 93.8% - 110.5% from a +1 (after Intimidate) Adamant Life Orb Waterfall, and is hardly strong enough to KO with Mach Punch alone.</p>
<p>Unaware Quagsire and Water Absorb variants (if Kabutops doesn't have a boost already) are some of the best counters to Kabutops as long as there is no rain; physically defensive versions will laugh at Stone Edge and Waterfall. Roserade is therefore a good partner, as it can set up Spikes to ease Kabutops's KOs and eliminate Quagsire with its STAB Grass-type attacks. It also has decent synergy with Kabutops, 4x resisting the Grass-type moves directed at the shellfish. That said, opposing Grass-types, especially bulky ones such as Shaymin and Ferroseed, are troubling. They take little damage from either of Kabutops's STABs, and set up on or force Kabutops out. If you aren't using rain support, strong Fire-types such as Arcanine and Rotom-H are good for taking these out. Otherwise, strong Ice-types, such as Mamoswine and Weavile, and Flying-types, such as Tornadus, are better choices. These partners (bar Rotom-H) will in turn leave you walled by most bulky Water-types, so Electric-types such as Jolteon and Raikou are useful teammates as well. The ability to scout with Volt Switch is especially helpful, as it seizes the momentum and augments Kabutops's offensive pressure.</p>
[SET]
name: Support
move 1: Rapid Spin
move 2: Stealth Rock
move 3: Aqua Jet / Waterfall
move 4: Stone Edge / Rock Slide
item: Leftovers
ability: Swift Swim / Battle Armor
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 68 Atk / 184 Def
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Although a support set may seem odd for a Pokemon with such excellent offenses, Kabutops has all the tools needed to successfully pull it off. While its Rock / Water typing leaves it susceptible to Grass-, Fighting-, and Ground-type attacks, Kabutops does have useful resistances to Fire-, Ice-, and Flying-type moves. The 4x Fire-type resistance is especially helpful when dealing with Arcanine and Victini, two prominent physical threats in UU. Kabutops also provides further team support by spinning away hazards or setting up Stealth Rock, and has some key advantages over other users of this combo, such as Claydol and Donphan; the former has practically no offensive presence and thus becomes easy set-up fodder for spinblockers such as Mismagius. The latter, Donphan, also lacks a reliable way to deal with spinblockers; Mismagius is not hit by Earthquake due to Levitate, so Donphan must resort to the inaccurate Head Smash or relatively weak Assurance. However, Kabutops can hammer Mismagius on the switch with Waterfall and KO it with Aqua Jet, taking advantage of its poor Defense and also outspeeding its Substitutes or attacks. It must be mentioned though that Kabutops will rarely be able to run both Waterfall and Aqua Jet on this set, as it badly needs the additional coverage offered by Stone Edge or Rock Slide. Water-type STAB is also helpful for hitting Golurk, whose partial Ground typing ensures that it won't enjoy the super effective move. Stone Edge is another offensive option for Kabutops, eliminating the Flying- and Ice-types that may get in the way, but its accuracy may prove disappointing; Rock Slide is a viable alternative, though the power drop is significant.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Since this is a defensive variant of Kabutops, sandstorm support is immensely helpful to boost its below average Special Defense. Hippowdon thus makes a great partner; its good Defense stat helps it take physical Fighting-type moves directed at Kabutops, and it also has a nice immunity to Electric-type attacks. However, because they share a Grass-type weakness, Pokemon such as Roserade are good partners. Roserade also provides Spikes support, which complements Kabutops's Stealth Rock nicely. Offensive versions of Shaymin are also good partners, as they will appreciate hazard support and resist Grass-type moves. Since Hitmontop spins away Stealth Rock and threatens Kabutops with STAB Fighting-type moves, offensive Psychic-types such as Azelf and Alakazam are good partners. They must watch out for Sucker Punch, however.</p>
<p>The EV spread is rather specialized: 68 Attack EVs ensure that Kabutops OHKOes Victini (and, by extension, non-Intimidate Arcanine) with Stone Edge after Stealth Rock damage, while the defensive investment allows it to comfortably survive both a Life Orb Fusion Bolt and a Life Orb Close Combat from Victini and Arcanine, respectively. This makes Kabutops a great check to these Fire-types, as it resists their primary STAB move and will not fall easily to their coverage moves. Speed EVs are certainly viable, but hardly any Pokemon that outspeed Kabutops threaten it, and such a change would take away from Kabutops's bulk. The ability is a toss-up, but also a relatively unimportant issue. Swift Swim takes advantage of opposing Rain Dance teams, while Battle Armor is useful to prevent critical hits, but such an ability is not particularly useful on Kabutops, which can neither boost its defenses nor recover HP.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Aqua Tail is an option over Waterfall for extra power at the cost of accuracy, but attains no significant KOs regardless of whether Kabutops has obtained a Swords Dance or not. X-Scissor is an option to hit Grass-types harder, but most have an additional Poison typing and therefore take more from Stone Edge. Kabutops should be switching out of Grass-type Pokemon anyway. Superpower is a very powerful move that gives Kabutops excellent coverage, but the Attack and Defense drops are unappealing, especially given Kabutops's decent Defense. Low Kick too is really only useful to hit Bisharp, Empoleon, and Ferroseed harder. Return can hit Quagsire for neutral damage and retains general coverage, but Stone Edge is generally better since it hits most other threats harder. Knock Off has only situational usage in removing Eviolite; it is generally better to just hammer away at such Pokemon. Hone Claws could boost the accuracy of Aqua Tail and Stone Edge, but Swords Dance Waterfall will outdamage both. Battle Armor is an interesting ability, but without any way to boost defenses or reliable recovery, the insurance against critical hits is unneeded.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Water Absorb Quagsire, Empoleon, Ferroseed, and Poliwrath resist or are immune to Kabutops's STAB moves. Quagsire ignores Swords Dance boosts if it has Unaware, and physically defensive variants shake off Waterfall with ease. It can also threaten Kabutops with a burn from Scald or attack it with a super effective Earthquake. Empoleon with Hidden Power Grass or Grass Knot decimate Kabutops, but must watch out for Low Kick or Superpower. Poliwrath, while uncommon, walls Kabutops cold while threatening a KO with STAB Fighting-type moves. Bulky Water-types such as Milotic, Slowbro, and Suicune wall Kabutops as well, shaking off Stone Edge and either phazing or potentially burning with Scald. Repeated Stone Edges from a boosted Kabutops will hurt, though. Bulky Grass-types are especially troublesome; defensive Shaymin takes little from Stone Edge and OHKOes easily with its STAB attacks. Fighting-types such as Hitmontop are bulky enough to sponge Waterfall and can KO with Close Combat or another STAB move. While bulky Ground-types such as Donphan and Hippowdon can take a Waterfall or two and retaliate with Earthquake, they are unable to continually tank Kabutops's Water-type assaults, particularly in the rain. Since Kabutops is rather slow outside of rain, it is very prone to being revenge killed. Jolteon and Raikou outspeed Kabutops by a large margin and maim the shellfish with their Electric-type moves, while also having the ability to scout with Volt Switch.</p>
Tier changes remember!!
[Overview]
<p>Kabutops returns to UU as a solid Pokemon with decent Attack and Defense stats relative to the rest of the tier. Access to Swords Dance and powerful dual STABs only increases its value, turning it into a fearsome sweeper. Alternatively, it can take on a more support-oriented role, using Stealth Rock and Rapid Spin to help its team. Its Rock / Water typing is a mixed blessing here: on one hand, a 4x resistance to Fire-type moves, particularly V-create and Flare Blitz, makes it a great check to Victini and Arcanine. This also helps since Fire-type powerhouses such as Darmanitan and Chandelure dropped into the UU tier. However, this typing leaves it with crippling weaknesses to common Ground-, Grass-, and Fighting-type attacks, and Kabutops's below average Special Defense compounds this issue further. Negatives aside, if you need an offensive force or a support Pokemon that also packs an attacking punch, look no further than Kabutops.</p>
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Aqua Jet
item: Life Orb
ability: Swift Swim
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set focuses on using rain support and Swords Dance to double Kabutops's Speed and Attack stats, allowing it to easily tear apart unprepared teams with its great dual STAB. Waterfall is the most reliable Water-type move in its arsenal, hitting a wide range of threats hard after the Swords Dance and rain boosts. Stone Edge allows Kabutops to hit opposing Water-, Grass-, and Dragon-types that resist Waterfall for neutral damage. This combo is enough to dent everything except Ferroseed and Quagsire, both of which tank the Water / Rock offensive combination with ease. Aqua Jet earns a place in the last slot for a variety of reasons: even if it is raining, Kabutops can circumvent its low Speed and attempt a late-game sweep as long as it has already nabbed a Swords Dance boost. The priority is also good insurance against revenge killing, allowing Kabutops to hit opponents hard before they can attack. Be sure to remember the power difference between Aqua Jet and Waterfall, however, and resist the urge to use it in situations where Kabutops comfortably outspeeds its opponent.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs provide the maximum Speed possible, as chances are you may occasionally need Kabutops outside of rain. Its base 80 Speed is usable, tying with other base 80s such as Mamoswine. 252 Attack EVs ensure Kabutops will hit as hard as possible, both before and after a Swords Dance boost. The choice of a Jolly or Adamant nature is clear with rain support: Adamant for maximum power, while Jolly is viable if you want extra insurance outside of rain, outpacing Adamant Heracross and standard Arcanine. If you don't intend to provide Kabutops with rain support, an EV spread of 72 HP / 252 Atk / 184 Spe with Weak Armor is certainly viable, as after being hit by a physical move, Kabutops will be able to outspeed notable threats such as Zapdos and Mew and KO them (though some prior damage may be required). Such an approach is less favorable, however, both because it is situational and the fact that Kabutops is frail.</p>
<p>Pokemon that set up Rain Dance are the primary teammates for Kabutops, as the rain boosts both its power and Speed. Accelgor is a great partner in this regard, as it has an extremely fast Rain Dance and resists the Grass-, Fighting-, and Ground-type moves that Kabutops is weak to. Furthermore, the ninja bug can use U-turn to gain momentum for Kabutops to take advantage of. Amoonguss is another great choice, as it 4x resists Grass-type moves and has its Fire-type weakness covered by Kabutops. It is also bulky enough to set up Rain Dance multiple times, benefits from the rain by having the aforementioned Fire-type weakness removed, and has Spore to do one of two things: put the opponent to sleep and set up Rain Dance safely, or summon the storms first, sleep the opponent, and give Kabutops a free switch-in. Offensively, Kingdra is a good partner, as it can smash holes in the opponent's team with its own powerful dual STAB and clear the way for Kabutops to sweep. Ludicolo gets a mention too, as it eliminates most of the physical walls that Kabutops has trouble getting past with its powerful special attacks. To get an idea of how fearsome Kabutops is in the rain, take the following into account: Grass-types such as Roserade and Shaymin, which originally outspeed and KO Kabutops, are swiftly KOed by a +2 Adamant Life Orb Stone Edge. Unaware Quagsire with a physically defensive spread is KOed by Adamant Life Orb- and rain-boosted Waterfall as well, and cannot damage Kabutops significantly, even with Earthquake. Hitmontop takes 93.8% - 110.5% from a +1 (after Intimidate) Adamant Life Orb Waterfall, and is hardly strong enough to KO with Mach Punch alone.</p>
<p>Unaware Quagsire and Water Absorb variants (if Kabutops doesn't have a boost already) are some of the best counters to Kabutops as long as there is no rain; physically defensive versions will laugh at Stone Edge and Waterfall. Roserade is therefore a good partner, as it can set up Spikes to ease Kabutops's KOs and eliminate Quagsire with its STAB Grass-type attacks. It also has decent synergy with Kabutops, 4x resisting the Grass-type moves directed at the shellfish. That said, opposing Grass-types, especially bulky ones such as Shaymin and Ferroseed, are troubling. They take little damage from either of Kabutops's STABs, and set up on or force Kabutops out. If you aren't using rain support, strong Fire-types such as Arcanine and Rotom-H are good for taking these out. Otherwise, strong Ice-types, such as Mamoswine and Weavile, and Flying-types, such as Tornadus, are better choices. These partners (bar Rotom-H) will in turn leave you walled by most bulky Water-types, so Electric-types such as Jolteon and Raikou are useful teammates as well. The ability to scout with Volt Switch is especially helpful, as it seizes the momentum and augments Kabutops's offensive pressure.</p>
[SET]
name: Support
move 1: Rapid Spin
move 2: Stealth Rock
move 3: Aqua Jet / Waterfall
move 4: Stone Edge / Rock Slide
item: Leftovers
ability: Swift Swim / Battle Armor
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 68 Atk / 184 Def
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Although a support set may seem odd for a Pokemon with such excellent offenses, Kabutops has all the tools needed to successfully pull it off. While its Rock / Water typing leaves it susceptible to Grass-, Fighting-, and Ground-type attacks, Kabutops does have useful resistances to Fire-, Ice-, and Flying-type moves. The 4x Fire-type resistance is especially helpful when dealing with Arcanine and Victini, two prominent physical threats in UU. Kabutops also provides further team support by spinning away hazards or setting up Stealth Rock, and has some key advantages over other users of this combo, such as Claydol and Donphan; the former has practically no offensive presence and thus becomes easy set-up fodder for spinblockers such as Mismagius. The latter, Donphan, also lacks a reliable way to deal with spinblockers; Mismagius is not hit by Earthquake due to Levitate, so Donphan must resort to the inaccurate Head Smash or relatively weak Assurance. However, Kabutops can hammer Mismagius on the switch with Waterfall and KO it with Aqua Jet, taking advantage of its poor Defense and also outspeeding its Substitutes or attacks. It must be mentioned though that Kabutops will rarely be able to run both Waterfall and Aqua Jet on this set, as it badly needs the additional coverage offered by Stone Edge or Rock Slide. Water-type STAB is also helpful for hitting Golurk, whose partial Ground typing ensures that it won't enjoy the super effective move. Stone Edge is another offensive option for Kabutops, eliminating the Flying- and Ice-types that may get in the way, but its accuracy may prove disappointing; Rock Slide is a viable alternative, though the power drop is significant.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Since this is a defensive variant of Kabutops, sandstorm support is immensely helpful to boost its below average Special Defense. Hippowdon thus makes a great partner; its good Defense stat helps it take physical Fighting-type moves directed at Kabutops, and it also has a nice immunity to Electric-type attacks. However, because they share a Grass-type weakness, Pokemon such as Roserade are good partners. Roserade also provides Spikes support, which complements Kabutops's Stealth Rock nicely. Offensive versions of Shaymin are also good partners, as they will appreciate hazard support and resist Grass-type moves. Since Hitmontop spins away Stealth Rock and threatens Kabutops with STAB Fighting-type moves, offensive Psychic-types such as Azelf and Alakazam are good partners. They must watch out for Sucker Punch, however.</p>
<p>The EV spread is rather specialized: 68 Attack EVs ensure that Kabutops OHKOes Victini (and, by extension, non-Intimidate Arcanine) with Stone Edge after Stealth Rock damage, while the defensive investment allows it to comfortably survive both a Life Orb Fusion Bolt and a Life Orb Close Combat from Victini and Arcanine, respectively. This makes Kabutops a great check to these Fire-types, as it resists their primary STAB move and will not fall easily to their coverage moves. Speed EVs are certainly viable, but hardly any Pokemon that outspeed Kabutops threaten it, and such a change would take away from Kabutops's bulk. The ability is a toss-up, but also a relatively unimportant issue. Swift Swim takes advantage of opposing Rain Dance teams, while Battle Armor is useful to prevent critical hits, but such an ability is not particularly useful on Kabutops, which can neither boost its defenses nor recover HP.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Aqua Tail is an option over Waterfall for extra power at the cost of accuracy, but attains no significant KOs regardless of whether Kabutops has obtained a Swords Dance or not. X-Scissor is an option to hit Grass-types harder, but most have an additional Poison typing and therefore take more from Stone Edge. Kabutops should be switching out of Grass-type Pokemon anyway. Superpower is a very powerful move that gives Kabutops excellent coverage, but the Attack and Defense drops are unappealing, especially given Kabutops's decent Defense. Low Kick too is really only useful to hit Bisharp, Empoleon, and Ferroseed harder. Return can hit Quagsire for neutral damage and retains general coverage, but Stone Edge is generally better since it hits most other threats harder. Knock Off has only situational usage in removing Eviolite; it is generally better to just hammer away at such Pokemon. Hone Claws could boost the accuracy of Aqua Tail and Stone Edge, but Swords Dance Waterfall will outdamage both. Battle Armor is an interesting ability, but without any way to boost defenses or reliable recovery, the insurance against critical hits is unneeded.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Water Absorb Quagsire, Empoleon, Ferroseed, and Poliwrath resist or are immune to Kabutops's STAB moves. Quagsire ignores Swords Dance boosts if it has Unaware, and physically defensive variants shake off Waterfall with ease. It can also threaten Kabutops with a burn from Scald or attack it with a super effective Earthquake. Empoleon with Hidden Power Grass or Grass Knot decimate Kabutops, but must watch out for Low Kick or Superpower. Poliwrath, while uncommon, walls Kabutops cold while threatening a KO with STAB Fighting-type moves. Bulky Water-types such as Milotic, Slowbro, and Suicune wall Kabutops as well, shaking off Stone Edge and either phazing or potentially burning with Scald. Repeated Stone Edges from a boosted Kabutops will hurt, though. Bulky Grass-types are especially troublesome; defensive Shaymin takes little from Stone Edge and OHKOes easily with its STAB attacks. Fighting-types such as Hitmontop are bulky enough to sponge Waterfall and can KO with Close Combat or another STAB move. While bulky Ground-types such as Donphan and Hippowdon can take a Waterfall or two and retaliate with Earthquake, they are unable to continually tank Kabutops's Water-type assaults, particularly in the rain. Since Kabutops is rather slow outside of rain, it is very prone to being revenge killed. Jolteon and Raikou outspeed Kabutops by a large margin and maim the shellfish with their Electric-type moves, while also having the ability to scout with Volt Switch.</p>
