To phaze - roughly speaking, to cancel your opponent's stat boosts.
The phazing moves:
Anyway ...
Do you phaze? If yes, which moves do you use? Which Pokemon? If no, why not? Personally I always try to have Roar / Whirlwind on my teams so I can get rid of Substitute without risking the hit, but some people just don't seem to need it.
The phazing moves:
This isn't an exhaustive list; I may have missed some +'s and -'s or even some moves entirely.Roar / Whirlwind
Probably the most common phazing move(s).
+ scouts your opponent's team
+ inflicts entry hazard damage
+ removes Substitute
+ may result in a good matchup for your Pokemon, giving you a free turn
- may also result in a bad matchup for your Pokemon, giving the other team a free turn
- negative priority means you usually take a hit while phazing
- doesn't work on some Pokemon (Soundproof, Suction Cups)
- doesn't work against the last Pokemon on your opponent's team
Haze
The move that gave "phazing" its name.
+ works on the last Pokemon of your opponent's team
+ can cancel your own stat drops (e.g. Psychic / Bug Buzz defense drops)
+ goes through Substitute
- doesn't do anything else
- not many Pokemon learn it
Perish Song
An uncommon move, but one that still phazes.
+ works on the last Pokemon of your opponent's team
+ may give your sweepers a free switch in (after two turns of Perish Song, if your opponent does not switch out, you either get a free switch in or a KO)
+ goes through Substitute
+ works even if opponent Baton Passes
- delayed effect (if a Pokemon has already set up, you really want to get it out NOW, not in 3 turns)
- doesn't work on some Pokemon (Soundproof)
- not many Pokemon learn it
Toxic
Strictly speaking it's a phazing move since it'll eventually force your opponent to switch or lose his Pokemon.
+ effect stays even after your opponent switches out
+ does damage
+ has other uses outside of phazing
- delayed effect (you generally want your opponent out NOW, not in 3-4 turns' time)
- offers status protection to the target (no Paralysis, no Burn, etc)
- ineffective on some Pokemon (poison types, steel types, Pokemon with Guts ...)
- can be removed by clerics (but you'll still have phazed successfully, unless the Pokemon you're trying to phaze is the cleric)
- imperfect accuracy
- blocked by Substitute
- does nothing to RestTalkers
Encore
This move can potentially phaze.
+ has lots of uses outside of phazing
+ if it works, you have a free turn (or if your opponent is stubborn, you have 4-8 free turns)
+ is especially effective against Cursers, if you manage to switch in safely
- you generally need to be faster than your opponent, meaning you can't phaze Dragon Dancers or Agility sweepers well
- if you predict wrong, you can get in trouble (although at least you've locked your opponent's move temporarily)
- if your opponent sees it coming and switches, you may waste your turn (although you'll still have phazed)
- not many Pokemon learn it
Trick
Another move that can potentially phaze.
+ has lots of uses outside of phazing
+ if you choice-lock the last Pokemon on a non-damaging move you've won the game
+ is especially effective against Cursers, if you manage to switch in safely
+ Choice Scarf makes you fast, possibly fast enough to Trick slow Pokemon using Agility / moderately fast Pokemon using Dragon Dance
+ may rid your opponent of useful items
+ even if you predict wrong you'll have permanently choice-locked a Pokemon, unlike Encore
- ... but you may lose your Pokemon for it, the choice-locked Pokemon need not become ineffective AND it retains all the boosts it already accumulated (see the BotW reachzero vs. Philip7086)
- blocked by Substitute
- may backfire (e.g. your opponent predicts your Trick and switches to his own choiced Pokemon)
Explosion
Not strictly a phazing move, but if it kills the other Pokemon it also removes the boosts.
+ has other uses aside from phazing
+ gets you a free switch in
+ gets you a KO
- loses you a Pokemon as well
- "if it kills the other Pokemon". It might not (high Def, resistance to Normal, Ghost-type, etc).
- blocked by Substitute
Anyway ...
Do you phaze? If yes, which moves do you use? Which Pokemon? If no, why not? Personally I always try to have Roar / Whirlwind on my teams so I can get rid of Substitute without risking the hit, but some people just don't seem to need it.