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THIS IS QC 3/3 and GP 2/2
AmC'ed by FUZZNIP to make it easier for GP :)
DONE
dancing fossil
[Overview]
<p>While Armaldo does possess above average stats, a wide variety of offensive options, and the ever-handy Rapid Spin, it is still considered a mediocre Pokemon. The biggest problem is that Armaldo requires a lot of support to be used effectively, as it fails make use of its bulk due to its mediocre typing, while also failing to spin against the two top Ghost-type Pokemon in the tier—Golurk and Misdreavus—one-on-one. On top of that, Armaldo is too slow to reliably Rapid Spin without being revenge killed by faster Pokemon such as Samurott and Sawk. Armaldo does have one redeeming trait however: its ability, Swift Swim. With it, Armaldo is capable of beating most Ghost-types in the tier as well as outspeeding every Pokemon up to Zebstrika, all while still dealing good damage to most Pokemon in this offensive-inclined metagame. Despite its mediocrity, Armaldo can be put to good use on dedicated rain teams. If you're looking for a way for your weatherless team to prevent hazards from being set up on your side of the field, however, Mold Breaker Sawk and Taunt leads, such as Samurott and Misdreavus, will perform the role better than Armaldo ever will.</p>
[SET]
name: Swift Swim
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Rock Blast / Stone Edge
move 3: Aqua Tail
move 4: Rapid Spin
ability: Swift Swim
nature: Adamant
item: Lum Berry / Life Orb
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set should only be used on rain teams, where it can take on Regice and Kangaskhan, Pokemon that most rain teams have trouble with. Furthermore, Armaldo can now beat all Ghost-type Pokemon while also having a shot at pulling off a sweep once it nabs a boost. If you aren't using a rain team, you're better off with other Rapid Spin users such as Wartortle and Torkoal. Swords Dance boosts Armaldo's Attack stat to monstrous levels, turning it from an average Pokemon to a deadly sweeper in one turn if given the opportunity. Rock Blast provides a decent STAB move that can dent a bunch of Pokemon for good damage, and also gives Armaldo the ability to break through Substitutes and Focus Sashes; Lum Berry is the preferred item in this case as the utility that it provides comes in handy should Armaldo get crippled by status conditions such as Misdreavus's Will-O-Wisp. Stone Edge can also be used if you want a more consistent STAB move; however, it should only be used with Life Orb which allows Armaldo to hit hard and OHKO Misdreavus at +2. Aqua Tail in the rain acts like a psuedo-STAB move; it also has near-perfect coverage alongside Armaldo's Rock-type STAB and maims Golurk in the rain. Rapid Spin can remove hazards, such as Toxic Spikes and Stealth Rock, that are troublesome to rain sweepers.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Jolly can be used if you want Armaldo to outspeed Swellow under rain, but the extra Speed does not make up for the lower damage output most of the time. Rock Slide is a decent option for a STAB move, but it is less powerful than Stone Edge and has less utility compared to Rock Blast. Preferred teammates for Armaldo are those that can set up rain and benefit from it. Volbeat and Gardevoir are good utility rain-inducers, while Pokemon such as Seismitoad and Ludicolo can also set up rain while benefiting from it as well. Practically anything that beats dedicated physical walls is of great help to Armaldo; Eelektross, Swanna, Misdreavus, and Mantine can all assist Armaldo greatly.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Any other choices for Armaldo are either terrible or severely outclassed. That said, if you insist on seeing this for yourself, there are a few select alternatives that you can make use of. If you're not using Armaldo in the rain for some odd reason, Battle Armor is the ability of choice. A physically defensive set with Stealth Rock / Rock Blast / Rapid Spin / Toxic or Knock Off might seem good on paper, but in reality, it fails to wall a good amount of prominent threats in NU, as Armaldo's typing is mediocre at best. X-Scissor is not recommended as Armaldo has trouble finding space for it, and the extra coverage is not that useful most of the time. It's quite sad that Armaldo learns Sunny Day but not Rain Dance, as it doesn't benefit from the sun at all. One thing that is useful to an extent is Rock Polish, which enables Armaldo's Speed to be boosted without rain. Armaldo also has access to other boosting moves such as Hone Claws and Curse, but most of the time, you're better off just attacking as these boosting moves aren't worth your while.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Offensive Water-type Pokemon, such as Samurott and Carracosta, can kill Armaldo with their STAB attacks. Metang and Seismitoad can take any hit from Armaldo and deal serious damage with their STAB moves. Tangela and Alomomola laugh at all of Armaldo's attempts at getting past them, as they can put it to sleep or hit it with a super effective attack, respectively; however, as Armaldo should be used on rain teams, it will have teammates that will likely get past that problem. Carracosta and Weezing can handle Armaldo well, but they should be wary after Armaldo gains a boost or two. While Armaldo can support a team by removing entry hazards, it has problems with them as Armaldo is weak to all of those entry hazards. Strong special attacks also hurt Armaldo greatly, but it does have enough bulk to take most neutral hits when at full health.</p>
Code:
[Overview]
[list]
[*]it seems like a solid pokemon at first glance.
[*]but nu spinners generally suck, armaldo is no exception.
[*]only performs well under rain; it is mediocre elsewhere.
[*]faces competition with wartortle—who can guarantee a spin through foresight, or torkoal—who can boost its special attack and speed with shell smash.
[*]its defensive capabilites are drastically hindered by its odd typing—granting common weaknesses in water- and rock-type attacks with resistances to only normal-types, as well as the practically irrelevant poison-type.
[*]its superb attack stat is held back by odd STAB moves that can't handle the most common ghost-type—golurk.
[*]however, its offensive movepool gives it numerous coverage options such as aqua tail to remedy that disadvantage.
[*]low speed prevents it from spinning sometimes as a lot of pokemon have ways to deal with it; it has to rely on swift swim to be able to spin most of the time.
[*]if your team isn't rain reliant, mold breaker sawk, taunt samurott, or any form of constant offensive pressure are better choices if you want to prevent hazards from being set up.
[/list]
[SET]
name: Swift Swim
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Rock Blast / Stone Edge
move 3: Aqua Tail
move 4: Rapid Spin
ability: Swift Swim
nature: Adamant
item: Lum Berry / Life Orb
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
[list]
[*]highly recommended to be used under rain.
[*]best bet if you want armaldo to pull off a spin or sweep.
[*]it also deals with things like sawsbuck, regice, and water absorb mantine—pokemon who cause trouble to rain teams.
[*]it has respectable offensive prowess.
[*]swords dance boosts its already-great attack, allowing it to hit misdreavus and golurk much harder.
[*]rapid spin is used to get rid of hazards that rain teams despise, most namely the two forms of spikes.
[*]rock blast allows it to hit misdreavus hard, as well as providing a good overall stab option.
[*]stone edge is less accurate, but allows certain 2hkos to things like kangaskhan and serperior.
[*]aqua tail gives armaldo perfect coverage alongside its rock-type stab attacks; it also acts like a pseudo-stab under rain.
[/list]
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
[list]
[*]lum berry is used to shed off status that jynx, musharna, and misdreavus might put unto it. it also allows armaldo to beat misdreavus more effectively. even without life orb, it still has the power of ohko-info most golurks at +2 in rain.
[*]life orb strenghtens all of its attacking moves; it can now mostly ohko standard misdreavus at +2 with aqua tail in the rain after rocks.
[*]jolly can be used to outspeed swellow when rain is set up.
[*]rock slide is much more reliable than the other two rock-type attacks, but it weaker and has less utility overall.
[*]good partners for armaldo are those that set up rain—volbeat and ludicolo make excellent teammates at that sense.
[*]mantine and swanna beat physical walls.
[*]anything that handles physical walls are good teammates. mixed eelektross is a cool teammate as it benefits from rain with its STAB while dealing with Alomomola.
[*]misdreavus also beats most physical walls.
[*]water absorb seismitoad and ludicolo beat most rock-, steel-, and certain water-types decently.
[/list]
[Other Options]
[list]
[*] Battle Armor
[*] X-Scissor
[*] Physically Defensive with Support Moves
[*] Choice Band
[*] Rock Polish
[*] Curse and Hone Claws
[*] Sunny Day
[/list]
[Checks and Counters]
[list]
[*] quite a lot actually
[*]common leads handle it (golem, lurk, tang, toad)
[*] alomomola
[*] weezing can check it
[*]carracosta can set up or straight out wall.
[*] hazards take a toll on health
[*] water-types
[*]tangela
[*] strong special hits leave a mark
[/list]
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