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[Overview]
<p>Audino seems like the typical bulky Normal-type, but it has a lot of notable niches that set it apart from its competition. To begin with, its ability, Regenerator, allows it to pass recovery from Wish to its teammates while healing itself on the switch. Audino's movepool is also filled with a wide variety of different support moves that few other Pokemon share with it. Audino is very bulky, and even with a specially defensive spread, it can take some neutral physical hits. Due to all of these unique defensive traits, Audino typically plays best on stall teams where no other Pokemon can fill quite the same role. Unfortunately, its awesome movepool and ability come with a price: it has much less bulk than its biggest rival, Lickilicky, leaving it less able to wall the strong special attackers in the tier. It also has significantly less offensive presence than Lickilicky, so it must rely on the recoil-inducing Double-Edge to keep from being setup fodder.</p>
[SET]
name: Cleric
move 1: Wish
move 2: Heal Bell
move 3: Protect / Toxic
move 4: Double-Edge
item: Leftovers
ability: Regenerator
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With a cleric set, Audino is able to provide Heal Bell and Wish support for its team. Wish is used to pass on recovery to teammates that might have no other way to heal their HP. Heal Bell is helpful for removing crippling statuses from both itself and its teammates. Protect is really helpful despite the recovery that Regenerator provides upon switching. However, there are some times when you might want to keep Audino in to recover with its own Wish or you might not have anything else on your team to take a hit. Protect helps Audino make it through many clutch situations, and it can also be used to scout against Pokemon wielding a Choice item. Nevertheless, Toxic is still an invaluable move on Audino, as it can hit setup sweepers on the switch that think they can use Audino as setup fodder. Even so, because Audino is often used alongside Toxic Spikes, this might not be necessary for your team. Finally, Double-Edge is Audino's offensive move of choice and keeps it from being used as setup bait, as the recoil is usually not crippling due to its massive HP stat.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Audino fully invests in HP and Special Defense despite equal defenses because many common physical attackers carry Fighting-type coverage. Audino also has access to a few other moves which it can take advantage of. On more balanced teams, Thunder Wave can be used to help neutralize many offensive threats. There are also a number of offensive moves you might want to try over Double-Edge, namely special attacks such as Flamethrower, Ice Beam, and Thunderbolt. Overall, the lack of STAB on these moves typically makes them inferior options, but if you need specific coverage for certain threats, they are still viable.</p>
<p>There are a large variety of Pokemon that appreciate Audino's support. Bulky setup sweepers in particular love Heal Bell and Wish support, as an untimely burn or Toxic can cripple many of them, and recovery can give them another chance to sweep. Good examples of these Pokemon include Bulk Up Braviary, Calm Mind Musharna without Heal Bell, and Bulk Up Gurdurr. Other Pokemon that despise status and lack reliable recovery also appreciate Audino's support: Skuntank, Metang, and Regirock are all good examples. Golurk has the ability to annihilate Audino thanks to its immunity to Double-Edge and access to an Iron Fist-boosted Drain Punch. Mandibuzz, Alomomola, and Tangela all take on Golurk well, and they work well as partners with Audino in general. Finally, Misdreavus pairs well defensively with Audino, and because it often has no room to run Heal Bell itself, it appreciates Audino handling any status that it might be inflicted with.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Audino's movepool is filled with plenty of options that can be used to tailor it to your team's needs. Encore is a great, somewhat rare, support move that can lock the opposing Pokemon into a setup move so that a teammate can handle it. Light Screen and Reflect are also difficult to come by in NU, and Audino can run a dedicated dual screens set. Rain Dance and Sunny Day are good options for weather teams. If you can find the room for it, Magic Coat can be used to reflect bothersome non-attacking moves such as Toxic, Taunt, and Stealth Rock. Yawn is a great utility move that can either open up a free switch for a teammate or put the opposing Pokemon to sleep. Knock Off can help make it easier for your teammates to beat Eviolite users such as Misdreavus. Trick Room is an option for a dedicated Trick Room team, though overall, dedicated Trick Room teams are very easy to exploit with priority and Taunt. A Calm Mind set is something that might seem appealing, but Audino needs multiple boosts in order to hit hard, and it's generally too slow to utilize the boosts well. Finally, Audino's offensive movepool has amazing coverage options, but unfortunately, it is generally far too weak to use them well.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>The best way to defeat Audino is simple: just use Taunt against it. Because Audino is offensively lacking, preventing it from using its support moves generally makes it useless. Misdreavus can easily defeat Audino with Taunt, as it is immune to Double-Edge and can recover a lot of HP with Pain Split. Similarly, Golurk is immune to Double-Edge and Thunder Wave, and it can hit Audino hard and recover with Drain Punch, only fearing a Toxic on the switch. Toxic Spikes also wear down Audino quite a bit: while Audino might have Heal Bell to recover its status, Heal Bell only has 8 PP, and it has to use one every time it switches in if it wants to remove the status. Some of the tier's stronger special attackers, especially those carrying Focus Blast, can also break through Audino. Charizard and Jynx are the best examples of this. Fighting-types can also break through Audino relatively easily. Gurdurr and Throh get a special mention as their ability, Guts, makes it so that they benefit from status. Gothorita can also trap Audino and take it out so that it can't provide any support for the opposing team. Ultimately, you're better off trying to handle whatever Audino switches out to. Alone, Audino isn't a very threatening Pokemon; it is the support it provides more threatening Pokemon that makes it effective.</p>
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