Project PU: Buried Treasure Project [Week 15: Munchlax, Dragonair, Cherrim]

[Anty]

Furfrou @ Leftovers
Ability: Fur Coat
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Return
- Thunder Wave
- U-turn
- Sucker Punch

Furfrou is an underrated pokemon imo considering it currently sits at c- of the VR, and its a nice coincidence that i happened to build a team with furfrou today (actually is a coincidence). Most people try to run AV or cotton guard restalk which quite frankly are dumb sets, the set that i use, i feel, is the best way to acheive furfrou's fullest potential. Wild charge could be used over thunder wave, but im haxy shit so yah. It fits best on volturn teams, as it is basically a 'pivot', as it baits a lot of pokes in, like Missy, poliwrath and pelipper, which can be abused, the former by sneasel/ninetales, and the latter two by the volt switch part of the core. I havent played too many games with it so far (only two against legit teams), so i will try and play more to source replays.

PLEASE DO NOT USE FAKE OUT SET

Persian @ Life Orb
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Nasty Plot
- Hyper Voice
- Hidden Power [Dark] / Hidden Power [Ghost]
- Water Pulse / Substitute

Fake out + technitian ermahgerd amazing. No. Those sets are done better by kecleon/purugly (lol) and they are still bad without them. Persian's niche is nasty plot. Its high speed allows it to become an effective late game cleaner, and nasty plot somewhat makes up for its bad special attack. Hyper voice is obviously its stab, then hp dark and ghost hit the ghost types which annoy persian, as well as rock/steels. HP dark is used with water pulse, as both ghost and dark have the same coverage other than carbink, which water pulse hits, however hp dark doesnt drop any IVs, however with sub, you might as well hit carbink a bit harder. Water pulse hits rocks and grounds like golem, which can potentially wall you, while sub is nice to set up on pokes trying to twave, or shadow ball missy, and lets you live a hit from a scarfer. I have used this before in a lot of tour games, but sadly it has not put in much work, as i have accidentally used hyper beam>hyper voice and PS teambuilder doesnt save my changes :(. Other moves like shock wave can be used as well, but i will primarily try out this moveset. e: Also dont use hp fight bcus you drop a speed iv


I will use cottonee more and comment then, but currently it looks as trash as whoever suggested using it

 

[Raiza]

Furfrou @ Leftovers
Ability: Fur Coat
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Toxic
- Thunder Wave
- U-turn
- Return

We talked a bit earlier about the subjects this week on the PU Room on showdown and since Anty already posted some sets i am going to talk about utility furfrou
One thing that you will immediately notice when analysing Furfrou is that he has really good overall base Stats and can fit on a lot of typologies of teams, that makes him a good alternative to other Normal types but he also has a pretty poor coverage, so that keeps him on low rankings . This set uses Furfrou's good bulk with his ability and high base Speed to spam statuses crippling the enemy team and then u-turning out, still pulling out decent damage with Return if needed.
Good teammates could be slow paced pokemons like Arbok that can abuse Thunder Wave support and cleaners that enjoy foes lured by Toxic.

 

[TONE]

Cottonee @ Eviolite
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
- Encore
- Memento
- Taunt
- Stun Spore / Knock Off

Since Furfrou and Persian have been talked about already, I'll attempt to give some input into Cottonee (key word being "attempt"). Cottonee is mainly seen as a utility pokemon in the tier combined with its ability in Prankster allows Cottonee to support its teammates in multiple ways while having a unique typing in Grass/Fairy giving it 6 resistances and an immunity to Dragon. This combined with Cottonee's awful offensive stats made me come to the conclusion that this is the main set you should see on Cottonee. Encore is a great move for Cottonee, provoking opposing foes into their last move for 3 turns. Combined with Memento, setup sweepers appreciate coming in and not having to worry about taking damage while the foe switches out. Taunt stops foes from getting up hazards or setting up themselves, while Stun Spore adds to Cottonee's support by crippling faster threats for its teammates. Knock Off is mainly for utility, as getting rid of a foe's held item can work in your favor. While it has access to other support moves like Sunny Day, this is better done by Volbeat who has the luxury of holding Heat Rock and make the sun last longer for its teammates while also being able to come back in and set it again if need be.

 

[scorpdestroyer]

Conclusions from week 4:

Persian: Fake Out sets are bad and outclassed by Purugly. Nasty Plot sets though can hit surprisingly hard for a Persian and the nice thing is that Persian outruns a lot of the meta making it a great lategame sweeper

Furfrou: It can run a good offensive pivot set, or a slightly bulkier one. Both focus on status opponents and keeping up momentum

Cottonee: It has a lot of support moves

Ok let's try some slightly more viable stuff this week:

This week, our three Pokemon are:

Drifblim | Monferno | YELLOW JEWISH MAN​

 

[dhelmise]

bloop

Drifblim @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Unburden
EVs: 192 HP / 56 Atk / 200 Def / 48 SpD
Adamant / Jolly Nature
- Knock Off
- Acrobatics
- Sucker Punch
- Destiny Bond

Even with a high base HP, Drifblim is oftenly frowned upon due to there being better Ghost- and Flying-types in PU. Haunter and Misdreavus can do a lot better than it offensively, with Pokemon like Dusclops taking over Drifblim's role defensively; however, Drifblim's HP stat does have its advantages. Running a 192 / 200 / 48 defensive spread allows it to live a Shadow Sneak, Shadow Ball, Hex Knock Off, and (sometimes) Pawniard's Sucker Punch. Drifblim's unique typing even allows it to cover a vast part of PU. Knock Off and Sucker Punch are for the Psychic- and Dark-types of PU, ranging from what was listed above and Psychic-types such as Kadabra. Acrobatics gets a STAB boost, but is often not used until (if) the Weakness Policy is used/lost, allowing it to kill the Bug-, Grass-, and Fighting-types in PU. Destiny Bond is for other Pokemon of PU that Drifblim can't hit. A Weakness Policy is used in Drifblim to raise its Attack for more power with it's moves, along with giving Drifblim its Unburden and Acrobatics boost.

 

[scorpdestroyer]

I'm not sure I like the sound of WP Blimp without Endure. Without Endure WP Blimp cannot "set up" on a lot and you have to work your socks off all game to keep it at full HP to try and survive a move. Endure + WP Blimp is a little situational already, but WP on its own sounds really difficult to support. And without the boost you're basically a subpar mon without a good STAB move.

My experiences with Endure + WP in the past had sorta mixed results, but more to the negative side. Some games ended in a sweep, but in a lot of games Drifblim was kinda useless because it couldn't do anything much if it didn't get to set up and was quite often dead weight. It also came with the disadvantage of not being able to use a more useful Ghost-type in that slot. Unless you're prepared to support Drifblim really well, I won't advise using Endure + WP because it's pretty unreliable.

Then again that was in a past meta, but I don't think much has changed in terms of what Drifblim can do.

 

[Raiza]

posted about this on the viability ranking so

Quick introduction: Monferno is a really versatile pokemon that can run many different sets from a Suicide Lead to the Fake Out+Grass Knot and Defensive variant ones because it has access to really good support moves such as Taunt, Stealth Rock, Slack Off, and Will-O-Wisp still carrying good fire power with its STABs. That makes it viable on different typologies of teams, from Hyper Offense to Stalls where it is a staple if you need a check to dangerous dark spam threats such as Sneasel, Mightyena and Pawniard, thanks to its typing. I mainly use Monferno with a Defensive set because it has a really good Recovery and various Support moves, still being capable to outspeed most walls and bulky Stealth Rocks leads without investments in speed, but Monferno has really various option of teammates since you can run it on a lot of different teams and strategies. In general, pokemon that suffer from Dark spam are really good as teammates of Monferno to create a decent synergy Ghost-types, which also prevent Stealth Rock from being spinned away and appreciate Will-O-Wisp support to clean the enemy team.

Monferno @ Focus Sash
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
- Overheat
- Endeavor

The Suicide Lead should be used only on Offense since it doesn't have durability but it can easily Set up Stealth Rock and KO or bring to 1 HP and enemy pokemon with Endeavor and Focus Sash. With investments in Speed Monferno is capable to outspeed other Suicide Leads and Taunt them to erase their potential and then proceed to do its work. Blaze is a great factor there since if Monferno it's down to 1 HP Overheat also gets the boost from the ability which is great, making Monferno's damage not limited to only Endeavor.

Monferno @ Eviolite
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Close Combat
- Slack Off
- Taunt / Stealth Rock
- Will-O-Wisp

This is the set I use mainly on Stalls since their recent rising thanks to the ban of two popular Wallbreakers, Tauros and Kecleon. It's basically a defensive variant of the Suicide Lead one that makes use of Monferno's typing and access to a reliable Recovery and Will-O-Wisp to be durable through the game and wear the enemy team down. Taunt is preferred over Stealth Rock if the team already has a Stealth Rock setter and struggles against Walls. The defensive spread makes Monferno to beautifully counter Dark-types in the tier such as Mightyena, Sneasel, and Pawniard but also check some setup sweepers such as Leafeon, Ursaring, Gogoat, Sawsbuck, Beartic and basically anything that can't break through its typing lol.

 

[Anty]

is the most hyped thing ever.

Seriously, people give this thing way too much credit than it deserves, and the fact it isnt given too much credit shows something. As stated before, monferno has two main sets; lead and defensive.
The lead set isnt that bad considering it has the fast taunt for a hazard setter in the tier, allowing it to beat most other leads. From that, Taunt and Stealth Rock are obviously staples, so now you need offensive moves of some kind, ie Overheat and Endeavour, as the former is its strongest move, gets a nice blaze boost, and importantly hits avalugg, while the latter is just a nice move in general to annoy pokes like pelipper and poliwrath.
However, DO NOT RUN GRASS KNOT + FAKE OUT. Yes it can KO Barbarcle and Golem from turn two, but there isnt any need. Firstly, you can Taunt them and set up hazards anyway, even if they predict you, and secondly, it just ruins your chances against any other lead that isnt golem or barbaracle and makes you spin fodder for avalugg. If the opp has a monferno on an offensive team, it is safe to assume that it is a lead so you probably wont lead out with barbaracle or golem as they no that they wont be able to get hazards up. Instead they would lead out with either a taunt user, like haunter (which non overheat monferno lose to), or a faster poke that can 2HKO.
Now that I got that out of the way, I can talk about the viability of it. Monferno is probably the only rocker lead i would use as it is the fast, however that doesnt mean it is good. Dwebble seems a lot more attractive than monferno as it has the ability to set up rocks + spikes (obviously monferno still has a niche), and i currently doubt the complete viability of dedicated stealth rock leads. Im an avid user of taunt simipour (a set ive been using since the mush meta when sticky web was common), which just stops this set, along with others like taunt dodrio. A more important factor about whether to use a rocker lead is that you can use another poke that can rock and do more. Piloswine and Torterra are two very good examples of this; both provides switch ins to large amount of mons, while the former provides priority and the latter has recovery to be used throughout the game). The only reason why i would run a lead rocker is if im using something like 3 set up sweepers/healing wish mime/sneasel checkwallbreaker, and even then dwebble looks more appealing.

The defensive set is a lot more niche. It only fits into full stall teams as it has pretty pathetic bulk and offensive presence, however it has a decent typing to wall common pokes (it is the only leafeon counter, sadly) and access to reliable recovery. Sadly, the main pokes which it tries to wall have Knock Off which severely limits its walling capabilities (it has much less physical bulk than purugly 71/64 vs 64/51), it is just a bait for water types (or anything that can take a weak flamethrower) and the main poke it can wall, 3 attacks leafeon, isnt too common, so poliwrath can be used to wall pokes like sneasel, and avalugg walls non iron tail varients.

Overall monferno is a very niche mon which can only fit into very offensive or very defensive teams

Inb4 galbia changes the name of hypno in the title

 

[Don Honchkrorleone]

Jewish Yellow Man!!!

Hypno @ Salac Berry
Ability: Insomnia
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly / Adamant Nature
- Substitute
- Belly Drum
- Zen Headbutt
- Drain Punch

I present a set known in FU as "Greedy Jew" or "Jewish Yellow Man" (Blame GameFreak for a striking similarity to Antissemitic propaganda). I actually used that in PU with an FU team a bit after the FU ladder was banished just for the nostalgia and while it wasn't marvelous, it still wasn't THAT bad either, managing to do its job properly after some support. Hypno's solid Special Defense actually lets it set up on weaker defensive Pokemon such as defensive Psychic-types as well as RestTalk Poliwrath (eve I that dont play PU a lot know that it's outclassed but everyone uses it lol). Zen Headbutt + Drain Punch gives good overall coverage in PU, with a special nod to Drain Punch making it able to recover HP, and Sub can help bring HP down to Salac as well as dodge random Sucker Punches from Pawniard and Mightyena. A Jolly nature is preferred because it lets Jewish Yellow Man hit 384 Spe, the same as a +1 Jolly Fraxure and things like Zebstrika and +2 +Spe Carracosta; while Adamant fails to outspeed jumpluff by 1 point. Be wary though, this set requires a certain degree of support to work propely, like Spikes and Pursuit (though the only bulky psychic in PU is Grumpig and male Meowstic I guess...?). Also Sticky Web is appreciated and allows Hypno to run Adamant. If only Greedy Jew could Baton Pass with Belly Drum tho :(

EDIT: Anty use Round > Hyper Voice on NP Cat since it has the same power and effect but more PP (you never know if it'll be useful).

 

[Raiza]

Hypno @ Leftovers
Ability: Insomnia
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Wish
- Protect
- Thunder Wave
- Psychic

This set makes use of Hypno's high Special Bulk and access to Wish to provide Utility to the team healing it and checking Special Attackers such as Poliwrath, Raichu, Mr. Mime, Simipour, and Simisear but limits Yellow Jewish Man's coverage and fire power other than making it Setup Fodder for Substitute Sweepers. Thunder Wave cripples the enemy team, while Psychic is Hypno's main STAB and only attacking move, but it still puts out decent damage. Insomnia is a mediocre ability but can be ok against Sleep users if they are Special Attack based(like no one).
Hypno is a pokemon that has a great special bulk and decent overall base stas, but it isn't that great in the meta and never will be because it is pretty much outclassed by other Special Walls such as Lickilicky that are more bulky and give more utility to the team, also being capable of running different sets differently from Hypno. Yellow Jewish Man is often compared to Grumpig due to the same typing, similiar role and base stats: Grumpig doesn't really have a recovery apart from Lefties and can't give Wish Support to the team, that's the only downside I can see if you compare it to Hypno, since Grumpig does all the other things better than this guy, having access to Whirlwind to Phaze and Toxic to Lure the enemy team, other than also having a great ability which makes it counter pokemon that trouble stall such as Ninetales. That said, I could Hypno as a decent pick for a team only in few occations, for example if you need a Special Wall that can check well LO Poliwrath and can also give Wish Support, or on Offense with the set above posted, which is a decent niche, but most of the time you'll prefer Lickilicky to it.

 

[TONE]

Hypno @ Leftovers / Life Orb
Ability: Insomnia
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Trick Room
- Psychic
- Focus Blast
- Shadow Ball

Hypno, (or Yellow Jewish Man as galbia calls it), doesn't really have much going for it in PU that can't be done better by Grumpig other than getting recovery with Wish. While this set is better done by Beheeyem, it can pull off a decent Trick Room set. Psychic is the main STAB move, while Focus Blast hits Pawniard and Probopass, and Shadow Ball hits other Psychic-types such as Beheeyem and Kadabra.

Also Raiza., Toxic can is an option over Thunder Wave, as you can break down bulkier pokemon as Hypno doesn't have the best offensive stats in the world. Plus Seismic Toss can be used over Psychic to do more consistent damage while being able to reliably hit Steel-types at the expense of getting walled by Ghosts such as Taunt Misdreavus or Haunter.

 

[Magnemite]

Surprised no one has talked about by far the best blimp set:

Drifblim @ Chesto Berry
Ability: Unburden
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest / Timid Nature
- Calm Mind
- Shadow Ball
- Thunderbolt
- Rest

This set is pretty simple, just set up on weak special attackers, then just heal off the damage and get to +2 Speed because of Unburden. It's basically just an NP Missy that trades in power and bulk for the ability to sweep against faster teams. It sets up against stuff like special poli, tangela, and probopass.

 

[MZ]

Been playing a lot with physical endure WP blimp for clc, and while it's not as good as it used to be it's still pretty decent (my team is here http://www.smogon.com/forums/thread...s-look-at-post-30.3527281/page-2#post-6089980). I find that this is a much better set than the previous one posted by Rhythms, with thunderbolt and phantom force both being good options for the last slot. It can force a lot of 50/50s and still be a good suicide spinblocker. Other than that rhythms basically covered its good points., and CM is probably better overall rn

 

[scorpdestroyer]

Thanks for the participation everyone! I'm just going to put the summary of each week into the OP in point form so I don't have to write it twice because I'm lazy

This week, our three Pokemon are:

Mothim | Whiscash| Quilladin​

 

[Raiza]

Quilladin @ Eviolite
Ability: Bulletproof
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Spikes
- Wood Hammer
- Synthesis
- Roar

Quilladin is a pretty decent pokemon but its effectiveness is limited on running it on Stall Teams because it has nearly to 0 Offensive Presence with bad coverage and it's outclassed by other Spikes Setters if played on Balanced or Offensive Teams such as Whirlipede and Roselia. Going in-depth on this, Quilladin has a high base Def for the tier but terrible base Special Defense, fortunately Eviolite and Bulletproof make up for it, making it a good check to some Special Attackers such as Misdreavus or Haunter if it doesn't carry Sludge Wave(most do but whatever it's still a positive thing). This set performs better than the other Spikes Setters I cited on Stall Teams since it gives them a Spikes setter that is completely focused on Tanking hits and placing Spikes, which also has a Recovery and a Phazing move that is fundamental on Stalls to lure the enemy team with Entry Hazards or save your ass from Setup Sweepers.
Pokemons that can tank Fire- and Ice-type moves for Quilladin and that are also decent on Stall such as Grumpig, Carracosta and Lickilicky are appreciated by Quilladin along with a Cleric since Quilladin hates being Toxiced or Burned limiting its potential as a Tank and Wish support because Synthesis' low PPs let Quilladin down sometimes, especially if Statused as I already said. Spinblockers such as Misdreavus or Haunter are also good since they prevent Entry Hazards from being removed along with a Stealth Rock setter to keep up the pression on the enemy team.

 

[Anty]

Mothim is one of my favourite pokes so i have experimented quite a bit with it. Quick oveview of it:
Pretty strong with an amazing ability however is held back by an average speed, bad bulk and poor types. Now onto its sets:

Mothim (M) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Tinted Lens
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest / Timid Nature
- Bug Buzz
- U-turn
- Hidden Power [Ground]
- Air Slash / Sleep Talk
Mothim has limited uses, and i certainly think that this is its best one. It fits best on sticky web offense teams that need a wallbreaker, and the main reason to use mothim is for its pivot'ing, uturning on pokes like licky to send in something like ninetales for a free set up, and its ability to bait in defogers:
252+ SpA Choice Specs Tinted Lens Mothim Bug Buzz vs. 248 HP / 8 SpD Pelipper: 256-302 (79.2 - 93.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock
WHERE IS YOUR HEATMOR GOD NOW?!
This set is also pretty simple to use, click hp ground if the opp has a probopass, maybe uturn if you suspect a balloon, uturn if they have a lickilicky or togetic, or just click bug buzz and 2HKO the entire metagame. Unfortunately, this does not make mothim a premier webs sweeper, as firstly, it is still slow for a webs poke, it needs timid to outspeed jumpluff, then reaching a respectable speed above zebstrika, is loses to every offensive flying type which rises above webs, and more importantly, doesnt offer as much as other webs wallbreakers; heatmor provides priority, marowak can stealth rock, etc.


Mothim (M) @ Life Orb / Yache Berry
Ability: Tinted Lens
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Bug Buzz
- Quiver Dance
- Hidden Power [Ground]
- Air Slash
This is a more common set which is just outclassed. Firstly, NEVER use modest QD mothim if you have to use QD; losing to base 110's and above is not worth the increase in power. Moving onto the set and poke itself, it has very very limited set up opportunities due to its bad typing and low bulk, a gust of wind can fuck it up (80% from chatot gust, heck even dodrio 2HKOs), so it has to try and force something out with its abiltiy to revenge ki- er, by scaring faster po- er, by beating slow pokes? Yeah, come in on Paras and force it right out. Seriously, the biggest problem with this set is its lack of set up opportunities as it can otherwise terrorise offense (+1 252 Mothim Bug Buzz vs.Stoutland (80.3 - 94.5%)).
Overall this doesnt look that bad, eh?

conclusion

But then you look at butterfree and see it is slightly faster meaning it beats base 110's, has access to sleep powder so can sometimes set up, while maintaining having a similar damage output:
252+ SpA Choice Specs Mothim Bug Buzz vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Stoutland: 211-249 (67.8 - 80%)
252+ SpA Choice Specs Butterfree Bug Buzz vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Stoutland: 204-241 (65.5 - 77.4%)
and mothims slightly higher bulk isnt worth it considering its type and bot have bad bulk.
The only benefit mothim has is air slash which isnt much considering butterfree can use psychic to hit similar targets (haunter and fight types), but just does less to togetic which beats you anyway.

tldr mothim is cute but outclassed

 

[TONE]

Since Quilladin and Mothim have been talked about already, let's see what Whiscash can do.

Whiscash @ Life Orb
Ability: Hydration
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature / Lonely Nature
IVs: 29 HP
- Dragon Dance
- Waterfall
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge / Ice Beam / Zen Headbutt

When one sees Whiscash, you'll notice that... well, it doesn't stand out much if not at all. Sure it has base 110 HP, but the rest of it's stats are pretty below average. One saving grace for Whiscash was Dragon Dance, giving it a chance to pull off some sweeping capabilities. Waterfall and Earthquake are Whiscash's main STAB attacks, while Stone Edge provides solid coverage alongside Earthquake hitting Flying-types, specifically Pelipper and Swanna. Ice Beam can be run on this set, as Whiscash has trouble getting past Grass-types such as Tangela and Torterra, while Zen Headbutt is for Poliwrath and Throh.

Whiscash @ Choice Specs
Ability: Hydration
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 1 Atk / 30 SpA
- Hydro Pump
- Earth Power
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power [Electric]

Not exactly a pokemon you think of in terms of slapping Choice Specs on, but it does a decent job of it coming off base 76 Special Attack. Hydro Pump is Whiscash's strongest Water attacks and hits reasonably hard. Earth Power is STAB. Ice Beam provides great coverage and is a strong special attack regardless. Hidden Power Electric OHKOs Pelipper and Swanna, tho be mindful that both are also 2HKOd by either Hydro Pump or Ice Beam after Stealth Rock. Both sets can opt to run Jolly and Timid Nature respectively as Whiscash can outspeed up to neutral nature base 70 speed Pokemon such as Solrock, Mightyena, and Poliwrath, while the Specs set can run Timid to outspeed Jolly Torterra and bop it with Ice Beam before Whiscash gets bopped by Wood Hammer/Seed Bomb.

 

[2xTheTap]

I've basically seen 3 successful Quilladin sets on paper and on the ladder:

The first is its standard moveset, but with 40 speed EVs added to outspeed RestTalk Poliwrath. I think one could also make the case for running 56 speed EVs (therefore, a spread of 252 HP / 200 Def / 56 Spe with an Impish Nature) in order to outspeed neutral 252 Spe Carracosta.

The second set is simply from the Dodrio team in the Team building shop thread that Scorp and Galbia made. I haven't used it, nor have I seen that specific Quilladin on the ladder, but I think it has a lot of potential. Hitting 213 speed total is perfect, as it allows Quilladin to outspeed most notable leads like 252 Golem, 252+ Whirlipede (by 1 point), 252 Marowak, Carracosta, Roselia, Torterra and more. It can also keep up its Spikes by Taunting Pelipper before it Defogs, which is pretty nice in my opinion.

The third set is Karane's from the Underrated sets thread. Jolly 252 Spe Quilladin hits 234 speed; the main benefit of using Jolly over Adamant is being able to outspeed and Taunt 252+ Dwebble (229 speed total) before it sets up a layer of hazards. Running max speed also lets Quilladin stop Pawniard from setting up SD (with your opponent using SD under the assumption that you'd switch out of Knock Off), Huntail from using SS, and it can OHKO Relicanth before it moves. Endeavor with a Focus Sash also sets this Quilladin apart from the others and is a very usable option.

I'm sure there are more Quilladin sets, but I think these 3 are the most viable. What do you guys think?

Quilladin @ Eviolite
Ability: Bulletproof
EVs: 252 HP / 216 Def / 40 Spe
Impish Nature
- Wood Hammer
- Roar
- Synthesis
- Spikes

Quilladin @ Eviolite
Ability: Bulletproof
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Drain Punch
- Taunt
- Spikes
- Wood Hammer

Quilladin @ Focus Sash
Ability: Bulletproof
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Spikes
- Taunt
- Wood Hammer
- Endeavor

 

[scorpdestroyer]

Thanks for participating this week! I'd like to see more of uncovering newer sets though, and not just posting about what we know the mon already does (which is still encouraged but more creativity would be cool :])

Also a friendly reminder that I take suggestions

This week, our three Pokemon are:

Golduck | Lampent | Parasect​

 

[Karoshi]

Lampent @ Choice Specs/ Life Orb
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA
Modest Nature
- Fire Blast
- Shadow Ball
- Energy Ball
- Clear Smog

or

Lampent @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spd
Modest Nature
- Fire Blast
- Shadow Ball
- Trick / Energy Ball
- Clear Smog

(On my phone so text is going to be short. In addition, as a slight disclaimer I did not try this set on Lampent but I have used it on it's evolved form Chandelure with moderate success)
Specs/LOrb set allows Lampent to hit very hard for the tier and having okay bulk, while Scarf set allows it to have passable speed while still doing decent damage. Either way Lampent has the combination of Infiltrator + Clear Smog. This allows it to remove stat changes even when the opponent is behind a sub. This is especially helpful against teams that utilize Baton Pass. Choice Scarf set can also use trick to cripple walls or Pokemon trying to set up.

 

[Grim]

Tbh I think Golduck doesn't even need to be explored more lol, the best set is obviously Rain Dance + 3 attacks which is damn amazing. SubCM is decent too I guess, and I've seen Detect Marowak (I think it was him) joke around with croduck lmao, but that's probably very bad.

Lampent is probably just a really bad Pokemon, but the best set is probably this:

Lampent @ Focus Sash / Eviolite
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Trick Room
- Shadow Ball
- Fire Blast
- Memento

Still quite mediocre but it's something. Infiltrator + Clear Smog sounds really really niche lol, not many situations where you actually use it.

 

[Raiza]

sets

Golduck @ Life Orb
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Psychic
- Rain Dance
- Ice Beam

Golduck @ Leftovers
Ability: Cloud Nine
EVs: 196 HP / 176 SpD / 136 Spe
Calm Nature
- Calm Mind
- Substitute
- Scald
- Ice Beam

Golduck @ Leftovers
Ability: Cloud Nine
EVs: 196 HP / 176 SpD / 136 Spe
Calm Nature
- Calm Mind
- Rest
- Scald
- Sleep Talk

I found this to be the one I'm more interested in since I get paired against him sometimes and it works pretty decently even if it doesn't stand as one of the best Pokemon. Golduck is a pretty interesting Pokemon as it can fit both on Offense with the Rain Sweeper set, which makes it a good cleaner on them being really fast under rain along with decent special atk and coverage, and Balanced or even Stall with the godly CroDuck set, which is not really that good since it will lack possibilities to set up most of the time because of its mediocre bulk and speed and when it does it's easy to wall because it can only rely on Scald as an attack, but can still have some use if you really want to use Golduck on more defensive teams. A more Offensive Calm Mind set could be also good on a team that can support well Golduck, since after Setting up if can be really lethal for the enemy team especially if it's slow paced, so usually it performs better against Balanced or Stalls. Golduck can be useful to provide a check to most Water Pokemon in the tier such as Poliwrath and Simipour or a powerful sweeper under Rain thanks to Swift Swim which gives it a great speed boost which ables Golduck to even outspeed Pokemon with 110 base speed such as Raichu and Jumpluff even with the Choice Scarf, making it the most viable Rain Abuser in the Tier at the moment, and having access to moves like Psychic and Ice Beam also makes it really difficult to check or counter for Offensive Teams, so be careful before letting a Golduck set up. Golduck can be really lethal if Supported Well by its teammates, since it needs foes to be weakened before it can start working, especially if against Bulkier teams, since it also doesn't have access to a reliable Recovery. Wallbreakers such as Zweilous, Aurorus, Haunter, Heatmor and others that can basically deal with Special Walls are good along with Golduck on Offensive Teams to weaken down its checks. Entry Hazard support is mandatory to wear down the enemy team with residual damage every time a foe switches in along with Toxic and Thunder Wave to cripple the enemy team and find more opportunities to revengekill or set up a Rain Dance / Calm Mind / Substitute along with Bulky Grass pokemon to check fast Electric-types such as Raichu and force the switch of bulky Water types that wall Golduck(not poli tho).

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[TONE]

Well, let's see what Parasect can do shall we?

Parasect @ Life Orb
Ability: Dry Skin
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Spore
- X-Scissor
- Seed Bomb
- Knock Off / Brick Break

Well one sees Parasect, it doesn't give you the feeling of "This thing is a huge threat to my team." It has base 95 Attack sure, but its typing doesn't do Parasect any favors being 4x weak to both Fire and Flying. Combined with its lackluster base 30 Speed, Parasect begs for Trick Room support, which is what this set is all about. The cool thing that Parasect has going for it is a perfect accurate sleep-inducing move in Spore, something Jumpluff and Tangela can only dream of having right now. X-Scissor and Seed Bomb are Parasect's main STAB attacks while Knock Off is a solid utility move allowing Parasect to hit Ghosts such as Misdreavus and Gourgeist while Brick Break allows Parasect to hit Probopass and Pawniard harder although Pawniard is 2HKOd by Life Orb X-Scissor.

There are also other moves that Parasect has access to. Swords Dance boosts Parasect's Attack stat, allowing it to hit harder. While it may be a terrible idea, it does also have access to Agility, which hits 318 speed after a boost (max speed, neutral nature), allowing Parasect to outspeed everything up to Jolly Leafeon and Sawsbuck, as well as non-Scarf Haunter by one point. Aromatherapy could get a niche mention here for defensive teams, as it frees up a slot on Lickilicky while also resisting Lickilicky's lone Fighting weakness. In that case, a physically defensive spread of 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD with an Impish nature works for it in that regard with Spore, Leech Seed, Aromatherapy, X-Scissor/Seed Bomb.

 

[ManOfMany]

I believe the best way to use Parasect is a specially defensive spread that looks like this:

Parasect @ Leftovers/ Yache Berry
Ability: Dry Skin
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Def
Careful Nature
- Spore
- Synthesis
- Seed Bomb
- Knock Off

It is a fantastic switch in to the leftovers Poli set that everyone uses (252+ SpA Poliwrath Ice Beam vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Parasect: 120-142 (37 - 43.8%) -- 99.8% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery), as well as all Poli sets really. It also is a nice check to Specs Floatzel if you predict right- Yache Berry is so you don't even have to predict, as well as Raichu, Scarf Mr.Mime, and Basculin. The difference of course between this and your standard special wall (besides walling a lot less) is that Parasect is a lot harder to switch into and set up on because of spore. Knock off is also very annoying stuff like Tangela, Roselia, and Togetic.


Here is another take on Parasect that is a lot more unconvential.

Parasect @ Life Orb
Ability: Dry Skin/Effect Spore
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Agility
- Spore
- Seed Bomb
- Knock Off/Stun Spore

The idea is to put a slower pokemon to sleep, then agility after (if) they switch out, trying to deal as much damage as possible before Parasect ends its pathetic existence. to After an agility, Parasect can outspeed all pokemon in the PU metagame under 110 Speed, which is quite a bit, now that Sneasel is banned. Seed Bomb + Knock Off provide the best coverage together, although Stun Spore could be used in an effort to cripple two of the opponent's pokemon.

 

[365pokemon]

quote

I believe the best way to use Parasect is a specially defensive spread that looks like this:

Parasect @ Leftovers/ Yache Berry
Ability: Dry Skin
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Def
Careful Nature
- Spore
- Synthesis
- Seed Bomb
- Knock Off

It is a fantastic switch in to the leftovers Poli set that everyone uses (252+ SpA Poliwrath Ice Beam vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Parasect: 120-142 (37 - 43.8%) -- 99.8% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery), as well as all Poli sets really. It also is a nice check to Specs Floatzel if you predict right- Yache Berry is so you don't even have to predict, as well as Raichu, Scarf Mr.Mime, and Basculin. The difference of course between this and your standard special wall (besides walling a lot less) is that Parasect is a lot harder to switch into and set up on because of spore. Knock off is also very annoying stuff like Tangela, Roselia, and Togetic.

I would slash in aromatherapy and leech seed; they're valuable support moves that parasect gets