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protected by a silver spoon
Throughout Little Cup’s history, trends have come and gone. However, one thing has remained indisputably constant: Substitute is the best move in the game. While it has been said to be the best in OU as well, the fact of the matter is that in a metagame as offensive as Little Cup’s it is worlds better than in the bulky offensive/semi-stall environment that OU has become. I believe that Substitute was responsible for the Murkrow ban, moreso than any other move – including Sucker Punch and Heat Wave. I also fully believe that Substitute is the move that is responsible for Misdreavus’s “brokenness,” as well as a few less-reputable claims of Carvanha’s brokenness. I am not here to discuss whether or not Substitute is a broken move, nor am I here to try and refute bans or argue for new ones. I’m here to talk about what I think is the best move, and some sets to go along with it.
name: SubKrow
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Sucker Punch
move 3: Drill Peck
move 4: Heat Wave / Hidden Power Fighting / Dark Pulse
item: Life Orb
ability: Insomnia
nature: Hasty / Naïve
evs: 156 Atk / 156 SpA / 192 Spe
This is the old SubKrow set. At the height of its popularity, it was considered the bar-none best set in the game. Once it was behind a Sub, nothing could come in and threaten it. It discouraged all Choiced Pokemon, most notably Scarf Gligar whose Earthquake could not hit it. Specs Abra also went extinct around the time this set showed up, probably because giving Murkrow a free Substitute is akin to suicide. Only Elekid had a chance of revenge-killing this beast thanks to Sub. This set allowed Murkrow to run rampant for a very simple reason: If you didn’t run from Krow, you lost a mon. If you did run from Krow, you lost the game.
name: SubSneak Miss
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Shadow Ball
move 3: Shadow Sneak
move 4: Hidden Power Fighting
item: Life Orb
ability: Levitate
nature: Hasty
evs: 240 SpA / 240 Spe
SubSneak Misdreavus proudly follows the tradition started by SubKrow, and unlike its predecessor is still perfectly legal, perhaps for good reason. This Misdreavus set works on the same premise as Krow: Force a switch, throw up a sub, and win. However, Misdreavus is different from Krow in a number of ways. Perhaps the most significant of these ways is that Misdreavus has 3 immunities to common types, rather than 1 immunity to a common type and an immunity to a type used by literally two Pokemon. Misdreavus is also a great deal bulkier than the paper-weak Murkrow and has less common weaknesses as well as perfect neutral coverage in only two moves. However, Misdreavus misses out on Murkrow’s astounding base 85 Attack and STAB Sucker Punch, instead using the significantly weaker Shadow Sneak. Make no mistake though – Misdreavus behind a Sub can take down an entire team relatively easily.
name: SubVahna
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Aqua Jet
move 3: Crunch
move 4: Zen Headbutt
item: Life Orb
ability: Rough Skin
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 236 Atk / 36 Def / 36 SpD / 196 Spe
I made this set myself. Noticing a pattern here? Carvahna can do something neither Misdreavus nor Murkrow can do, however: 2HKO anything in the game. While Murkrow and Misdreavus find difficulties with Bronzor and Munchlax respectively, Carvahna has no such trouble once behind a Substitute. However, unlike Murkrow and Misdreavus, it has a definite counter in the form of Croagunk, which is the sole reason Vanha carries Zen Headbutt. Once behind a Sub, Vanha wreaks havoc and kills all common walls in two hits or less. Aqua Jet 2HKOs Gligar that don’t carry Oran, Crunch 2HKOs Bronzor even if it sets up Reflect after the first Crunch and Crunch 2HKOs Munchlax that don’t invest very heavily in Physical Defense. However, Carvahna’s defenses are the worst in the game bar none and despite its grand Offensive prowess this makes it somewhat difficult to use properly without practice. Additionally, it does not reach the magical 19 speed that Krow and Miss and so many other powerful sweepers reach, which severely hinders it against its faster kin.
name: SubLax
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Return
move 3: Focus Punch / Earthquake
move 4: Pursuit / Seed Bomb
item: Leftovers
ability: Thick Fat
nature: Adamant / Relaxed / Sassy
evs: 156 HP / 156 Atk / 196 Def
Munchlax is renown for its ability to wall Special attacks in Little Cup, allegedly the only Pokemon to do so. With 85 Base Attack, Munchlax also happens to sport the most powerful Return in the game. Focus Punch allows it to dispatch other Munchlax, Porygon and the like with ease. Pursuit allows it to take stupid ghosts out. Munchlax’s near-imperviousness attributes heavily to its ability to operate behind a Sub. Factor in that it gets back 2 HP/turn from Leftovers and you have yourself one strong Sub abuser.
name: SubGunk
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Focus Punch
move 3: Ice Punch
move 4: Payback / ThunderPunch / Sucker Punch
item: Leftovers
ability: Dry Skin
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 52 HP / 188 Atk / 36 Def / 36 SpD / 196 Spe
I also made this set. Croagunk has a tendency to force Pokemon to switch out, simply because it is so versatile. Many Pokemon fear Vacuum Wave or any of Croagunk’s many options, allowing it to safely Sub up. Once safely behind a Sub, it can proceed to Focus Punch virtually any threat that may present itself. Ice Punch deals with pesky Gligar, while Payback crushes the ever-annoying Ghosts. ThunderPunch lets it deal with Mantyke, if you feel that’s necessary.
name: SubKid
move1: Substitute
move2: ThunderPunch
move3: Ice Punch
move4: Focus Punch
item: Liechi Berry / Oran Berry
ability: Static
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 236 Spe
And here we come to the final set I’m going to present to you today: SubKid. Substitute Elekid takes advantage of a few things: Elekid’s speed, Elekid’s type coverage and Elekid’s high Attack. Focus Punch beasts through Munchlax, Ice Punch crushes Gligar and Thunderpunch is just strong thanks to STAB. Elekid can 2HKO the majority of Pokemon used with this set, making it a fearsome foe indeed. If one does not pack a lot of Priority or Scarfers, SubKid can destroy an entire opposing team.
While these are some of the most common Sub-abusing sets, many others exist and I’d like to see some of them. This thread was approved by Gen. Empoleon.