Crit-me-not Sweepers in LC

By DC. Released: 2022/10/3.
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Crit-me-not Sweepers in LC art

Art by skrimps.

Introduction: What is a Crit-me-not Sweeper and What Led to Their Development in SS?

A crit-me-not sweeper refers to a bulky setup sweeper that is able to boost both of its defenses and has recovery, making it virtually impossible to break through barring critical hits. They have become more prominent in SS over the generation and have appeared in multiple different tiers; famous examples include Curse + Amnesia Registeel in RU and Cosmic Power Eternatus in Ubers. This trend has carried into LC, where crit-me-not sweepers have become integral in the metagame and require substantial preparation and a little bit of luck to handle.

So, what led to their development in SS? In LC, the main reasons are the loss of Z-Moves and the influence of Dexit. As a mechanic, Z-Moves provided a very powerful, one-time nuke that could severely weaken a foe into passivity or outright KO dangerous threats. This trend favored more offensive sweepers and dissuaded bulky setup sweepers from consistently getting ample setup opportunities; at the same time, the surprise factor of Z-Moves can also allow a potential setup fodder to straight up win the matchup. Furthermore, the teambuilding constraints enforced by Dexit made it much easier for bulky setup sweepers to succeed in LC. The loss of Pursuit made certain threats like Gastly broken, which was relegated to the banlist; its ban lowered the viability of Ghost-types as whole. This has allowed the prominent crit-me-not sweeper Shellos to thrive, despite only having Facade as the sole attacking move. Similarly, Dark-types like Vullaby and Scraggy being banned has allowed Cosmic Power Natu to be successful. At the same time, powerful wallbreakers like Cutiefly, Snivy, and Clamperl either are banned or simply do not exist in SS, mitigating avenues for these crit-me-not sweepers to be beaten. Overall, the loss of powerful Z-Moves and the teambuilding constraints created by Dexit have allowed these crit-me-not sweepers to carve themselves a place in LC.

Early Prototypes of Crit-me-not Sweepers

Vullaby Mareanie Munchlax

Iron Defense Vullaby, Iron Defense Mareanie, and Curse Munchlax are the original prototypes of crit-me-not sweepers. They have a way to boost themselves defensively, a form of recovery, and decent natural bulk. What separates them from actual crit-me-not sweepers is the fact that they are only able to boost their Defense instead of both defenses. However, they showcased how effective defense boosting can be, especially to serve as a wincon in a physical-dominated metagame. Once boosted, Iron Defense Vullaby and Iron Defense Mareanie were virtually unstoppable by means of physical attacks, and they could leverage that fact to handle foes like Onix and Thunder Punch Timburr. Munchlax is a unique case because it already had superb Special Defense without boosting; this gave it more opportunities to boost with Curse, as it didn't have to fear being taken down by strong special attackers. What also separated Munchlax from the other two is the fact that Curse boosted its Attack as well, meaning that Facade and Fire Punch packed a punch when Munchlax was sufficiently boosted. Although incomplete, these three Pokémon laid the foundation for the development of crit-me-not sweepers in LC.

The First Truly Crit-me-not Sweeper

Woobat

Grassy Seed Woobat was the first true crit-me-not sweeper that gained prominence in LC. With its trusty partner Grookey, Woobat would immediately gain a +2 Defense boost upon entry due to Simple and proceed to boost with Calm Mind. This made it extremely difficult to break through, and Roost further added on to this longevity. Stored Power truly made Woobat terrifying, as it could take advantage of all the boosts it accumulated to OHKO most Pokémon. The very few Dark- and Steel-types that were immune to or resisted Stored Power had to be wary of Heat Wave. As a crit-me-not sweeper, Woobat was dangerous, as even would-be checks like Pawniard and Vullaby could not reliably break through it without sufficient luck due to the reduction in Knock Off's power. Woobat rose to the top of the metagame and dominated it, forced very specific counterplay like Encore Abra and Whirlwind Vullaby, and eventually was relegated to the banlist.

Current Renditions of Crit-me-not Sweepers

Shellos Natu

Curse + Amnesia Shellos and Cosmic Power Natu are the current renditions of crit-me-not sweepers. They are able to boost both of their defenses, have reliable recovery, possess natural bulk, and have a unique trait that improves their ability to set up. Let's break down each Pokémon separately.

Curse + Amnesia Shellos is the first crit-me-not sweeper, and it is a menace in the current LC metagame. Its special trait is Sticky Hold, which prevents foes from removing its Eviolite; this essentially mitigates one of LC's most prominent features in Knock Off and allows Shellos to maintain its bulk, meaning it can consistently set up. With Curse + Amnesia, Shellos can boost both of its defenses as well as its Attack to wreak havoc with Facade, which also punished foes for trying to status it. This combination with Recover is potent enough that Shellos can often outlast two of its better counters, Ferroseed and Foongus, in one-versus-one situations. Furthermore, Shellos's moves have an abundance of PP, 96 to be exact, which means it can PP stall would-be counters like Frillish.

Cosmic Power Natu is the other prominent crit-me-not sweeper, and its specialty is Magic Bounce, which prevents foes from weakening it with status or stopping its setup opportunities with Taunt. Cosmic Power simultaneously boosts both of its defenses, and Natu can take advantage of these boosts to power through foes with Stored Power, in a manner similar to Woobat. Heat Wave provides coverage for Steel-types, notably the popular Dark-type Pawniard, and Roost contributes to Cosmic Power Natu's longevity.

So how do you stop these seemingly unstoppable sweepers? The most important method is to limit setup opportunities; careful positioning through pivots like Mienfoo, Grookey, and Larvesta and double switches often deter these sweepers from boosting without repercussions, and Mienfoo can even carry Taunt to shut down Shellos from boosting. The other important detail is to prevent them from accumulating multiple boosts. Powerful attackers like Grookey (for Shellos), Carvanha and Shadow Ball Abra (for Natu), and Thunderbolt Porygon and Magnemite (for both sweepers) can still force these threats out, provided they haven't acquired multiple boosts. Similarly, offensive setup sweepers like Swords Dance Grookey, Dragon Dance Tyrunt, and Dragon Dance Onix can boost alongside these threats and beat them in a one-versus-one situation. Players have also innovated new creations such as Toxic Drilbur to surprise and limit both threats before they can set up multiple times, and Final Gambit Diglett exists as a last-resort option to remove boosted crit-me-not sweepers, preventing them from outright winning the game.

Conclusion

Crit-me-not sweepers have become an integral part of LC, and it is hard to ignore their presence. Some individuals have stated that they are unhealthy for the metagame because they encourage relying on odds and critical hits to beat them, while other people have argued that they add a new dimension to the game and necessitate the need for innovations to address them. Whichever is the case, it is likely that they will continue to remain and see usage. So try one of these crit-me-not sweepers out for your next games, whether it be the menacing slug or the unstoppable bird, or make sure to be ready to face them!

HTML by Ryota Mitarai.
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