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[Overview]
<p>Illumise is adorable, and its battle cry is just as sweet. Unfortunately, Illumise doesn't have a lot going for it, as Prankster is the only thing that makes it viable. Thanks to Prankster, Illumise can utilize moves such as Baton Pass, Substitute, Tailwind, and Moonlight with priority to support its team before it gets KOed. Its Speed, Special Attack, and Special Defense are above average, but Prankster makes its decent Speed pretty pointless. Illumise is a disappointment; its movepool is worse than Volbeat's, it's weak to Stealth Rock, and worst of all, its only boosting move, Growth, is illegal with Baton Pass. Illumise isn't completely useless though; if you can Encore a weak attack and support a teammate, Illumise's job is done. Use this for cool points, or don't use it at all—you must admit, it's extremely cute though.</p>
[SET]
name: Prankster
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Baton Pass
move 3: Encore
move 4: Wish / Bug Buzz
item: Leftovers / Focus Sash
ability: Prankster
nature: Bold
evs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Prankster is the only reason to use Illumise, but it works surprisingly well. Prankster, when combined with Substitute, Baton Pass, and Encore, turns Illumise into a decent team supporter. It can pass Subsitutes to teammates, and cripple slower opponents with Encore. It's recommended that you use Illumise as a lead as it is pretty frail, and its Stealth Rock weakness doesn't help it when switching in. Encore is what makes this set useful. For example, encoring a Fire-type move and bringing in a Flash Fire Pokemon, or bringing Jynx into a Water-type move can change the momentum of a battle. Wish receives priority and keeps Illumise healthy, while Bug Buzz can be used to hit the opponent with reasonable power.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs listed attempt to make Illumise as bulky as possible. A specially defensive spread can be used with a Calm nature and 252 Special Defense EVs if you'd rather Illumise take on special attackers easier. Sunny Day and Rain Dance gain priority from Prankster, and combined with Baton Pass, Illumise becomes a decent weather supporter. U-turn can be used with Sunny Day or Rain Dance to give a teammate a safe switch in, but Illumise's frailty will get it KOed in most cases.</p>
<p>Pokemon that appreciate a Substitute, a safe switch in, or Encore support make good teammates. Frail Pokemon, such as Rampardos, Absol, and Jynx, are some good examples. Pokemon with Flash Fire, Dry Skin, and Sap Sipper appreciate Encored attacks, providing them with an easier switch in. Support from Rapid Spin helps keep Illumise around longer; Cryogonal and Sandslash are good choices; they can supply Rapid Spin support in addition to their good resistances and offensive typing. Dual screens can aid Illumise setting up, but it's usually not worth it for such a terrible Pokemon. However, Audino and Swoobat can set up dual screens if you're up to the task.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Illumise's movepool is nothing special, but it does have some interesting options. Toxic cripples bulky Pokemon, such as Miltank and Alomomola, and also receives priority thanks to Prankster. Fake Tears and Charm are fairly gimmicky, but thanks to Prankster they can lower the opponent's stats before they have a chance to attack. If you're lucky, Charge Beam can raise Illumise's Special Attack, which can be passed to a teammate. An offensive set can be used with Tinted Lens, Bug Buzz, Shadow Ball, and a Hidden Power of your choice, but it's extremely underwhelming. Light Screen provides additional team support, but there are better dual screeners than Illumise. Tailwind can raise the team's Speed for two turns, but it's largely pointless; it's much easier for Illumise to paralyze the opponent with Thunder Wave. Growth can be used on an offensive set, but unfortunately it's illegal with Baton Pass. Illumise receives many oddities from Gen 3 and 4 such as Counter, the elemental punches, Body Slam, and Double-Edge, but most of them are illegal with Prankster. Finally, both Moonlight and Roost can restore Illumise's health, but Moonlight is preferred due to Roost being illegal with Prankster.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>The best way to defeat Illumise is to Taunt it, as most of the time it'll rely on non-attacking moves. Prankster can be bypassed by some priority moves; Illumise is pretty frail, making it easy to revenge kill and take out with any super effective attack. Encore will also cause problems for Illumise, forcing it to repeat useless non-damaging moves. Illumise doesn't have a lot of attacking power, making it set-up bait for most Pokemon. Multi-hit moves, such as Rock Blast, can break Illumise's Substitute and KO it. Stealth Rock will take its toll on Illumise, so having it on the field will cause problems for our firefly friend. Illumise is incredibly easy to defeat, and it doesn't pose much of an offensive threat either.</p>