A Guide to Entry Hazards in OU | Part 2: Hazard Control and Deterrents

Defog

A strong wind blows away the target's hazards and barriers such as Reflect or Light Screen. This also lowers the target's evasiveness.
PP: 24
Type:
Category:

Defog is arguably the worse of the two forms of hazard removal because it also removes your own hazards; however, unlike Rapid Spin, it can remove screens, it isn't blocked by Ghost-types (although there aren't really many good spinblockers outside of Mega Sableye, which only fits on Stall), and it has wide distribution, which is why you'll see it more often. With that said, here are the most common and most effective users of the move:

Tornadus-T

Tornadus-Therian @ Flyinium Z / Fightinium Z
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hurricane
- Knock Off
- U-turn / Focus Blast / Taunt
- Defog

It is widely agreed upon that Tornadus-T is the best Defogger in the tier. This is because of its tendency to stay alive for the majority of the game thanks to Regenerator and its immunity to all hazards except Stealth Rock, and because it has good matchups against a number of hazard setters in the tier like Landorus-T, Ferrothorn, and Chansey. Its unique mono-Flying typing gives it some neat resistances and immunities, namely to Grass and Ground, meaning it can come in on Pokémon like Tapu Bulu, Kartana, and the aforementioned Landorus-T and proceed to Defog on them, depending on their set, as they are often forced out by the threat of a Hurricane. Heatran and Mega Tyranitar are some of the few Stealth Rock setters that can beat Tornadus-T, and even they will fall to All-Out Pummeling variants that have risen in popularity.

Landorus-T

Landorus-Therian @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 244 Atk / 68 Def / 196 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Explosion / Stone Edge / Hidden Power Ice
- Defog

Landorus-T is another common user of Defog in OverUsed, mainly because Landorus-T is such a multifaceted Pokémon, meaning it's very easy to fit it onto the majority of teams in the tier. It forces many switches because of the heavy damage it can dish out with its powerful Earthquakes, which gives it more than enough opportunities to clear hazards. It can also beat a few setters directly, like Heatran and Mega Tyranitar.

Kartana

Kartana @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Leaf Blade
- Sacred Sword
- Smart Strike / Knock Off
- Defog

As is plainly obvious from that insane base 181 Attack stat, Kartana is very threatening and forces many switches, meaning it's more than capable of removing hazards. It notably has a good offensive matchup versus a lot of hazard setters in the tier, such as Toxapex, Ferrothorn, and Heatran. However, it can only really run Defog on Choice Scarf sets, as most of the time with other sets you'd rather be attacking whatever's in front of you, and it will only really get a chance to Defog on forced switches, as Kartana cannot take hits from most Pokémon in the tier safely.

Zapdos

Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 240 Def / 20 Spe
Bold Nature
- Discharge
- Roost
- Heat Wave
- Defog

Zapdos is a decent Defogger on a range of teams due to its great coverage with Discharge + Heat Wave and access to Pressure to PP stall every hazard, meaning it can beat a multitude of hazard setters like Toxapex, Ferrothorn, and Clefable lacking Calm Mind. It also can get numerous chances to remove hazards thanks to its fantastic defensive typing that allows it to check some of the tier's scariest offensive threats, namely Kartana, Mega Scizor, and Hawlucha. The main thing holding Zapdos back is its weakness to Stealth Rock, the very thing it is used to remove, meaning it is forced to use Roost often if Zapdos cannot switch into the Stealth Rock setter directly.

Gliscor

Gliscor @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 244 HP / 152 SpD / 112 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Defog
- Roost
- Toxic

Toxic Gliscor can function as an effective hazard remover on bulkier teams, as it is a good check to a number of scary Pokémon for those types of teams like Swords Dance Mega Mawile, Mega Heracross, and Heatran, only fearing Z-Move variants of the latter. Good bulk, an immunity to all hazards except Stealth Rock, fantastic longevity provided by Roost + Poison Heal, and immunity to status from Poison Heal + Toxic Orb allow Gliscor to beat prominent hazard setters like Heatran, Toxapex, and Mega Tyranitar, making it a valuable addition to a number of teams.

Moltres

Moltres @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 208 HP / 60 Def / 240 Spe
Timid Nature
- Substitute / Hidden Power Ground
- Roost
- Flamethrower
- Defog

Moltres performs a somewhat similar role to Zapdos, in that it checks a few of the same Pokémon like Kartana and Tapu Bulu, and it also has access to Defog; however, it's strictly used on stall teams due to the amount of team support it needs and the momentum it gives up. Perhaps its most important niche for the Stall archetype is the fact it can beat Heatran by PP stalling its Magma Storms; however, it has to watch out for Toxic.

Rapid Spin

A spin attack that can also eliminate such moves as Bind, Wrap, Leech Seed, and Spikes.
PP: 64
Type:
Category:

Rapid Spin, while in a vacuum is better than Defog (mainly because it doesn't remove the hazards you have set up), is not seen anywhere near as much due to the lack of viable Pokémon that get it. With that said, here are the two viable OU Pokémon that do get the move:

Excadrill

Excadrill @ Steelium Z
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Rapid Spin

Excadrill is the main user of Rapid Spin in the tier; thanks to a great Attack stat, good STAB moves, and a way to boost its Attack in Swords Dance, it can force many switches, giving it ample opportunities to remove hazards. Excadrill also naturally pressures some common hazard setters like Heatran, Toxapex, and Clefable. Its suicide lead set provides some great role compression for the hyper offense archetype, providing a hazard setter and remover in one slot, making it fantastic support for Pokémon like Mega Pinsir and Mega Charizard X. Additionally, the Sand Rush set is forms a great hazard control core with Stealth Rock Mega Tyranitar, a Pokémon that was showcased in Part 1.

Avalugg

Avalugg @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Atk / 104 Def / 64 SpD
Impish Nature
- Avalanche
- Recover
- Rapid Spin
- Earthquake

Avalugg's yet another remover found on stall; however, that isn't its main niche—it's mainly used for its incredible physical bulk and rare defensive typing, making it a great counter to Pokémon like Landorus-T, Mega Swampert, and certain Mega Mawile sets. That said, Avalugg still does a great job at removing hazards from the former two with Rapid Spin, and it provides great support for teammates like Moltres.

Magic Bounce

This Pokémon blocks certain status moves and instead uses the move against the original user.

Magic Bounce is a fantastic ability, even if you only look at its ability to bounce back hazards. Just the presence of a Pokémon with this ability makes the opponents hesitant to set up hazards, even if the Pokémon with Magic Bounce can lose to the hazard setter. Unfortunately, it has similarly bad distribution to Rapid Spin, but there are still some viable users of the ability:

Mega Sableye

Sableye @ Sablenite
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Knock Off
- Will-O-Wisp
- Recover
- Protect

Mega Sableye is another very solid form of hazard control on stall, being considered a staple on the archetype until very recently due to experimentation with Mega Aggron. Mega Sableye has a pretty great typing, leaving it with only a weakness to Fairy, and decent defensive stats, meaning it can invalidate a number of more passive hazard setters like non-Z-Move Heatran, Ferrothorn, and Chansey. However, it only really fits on stall because of its paltry offensive stats and how much of a momentum sink it is. Stall has seen a definite uptick in usage and viability in recent times, leading to the tier gravitating more towards offensive hazard setters like Swords Dance Garchomp and Z-Move Heatran, mostly due to Mega Sableye.

Mega Diancie

Diancie @ Diancite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Moonblast
- Earth Power / Diamond Storm
- Protect

Mega Diancie is one of the offensive Stealth Rock setters that have risen in usage and viability, thanks to a great matchup against the aforementioned Mega Sableye and the majority of hazard removers in the tier. It too has Magic Bounce—while it can't switch into most hazard setters, it makes them think twice before setting them up, and with Protect, you can play mind games with hazard-setting Pokémon that force it out like Ash-Greninja, Toxapex, and Ferrothorn.

Hazard Control Deterrents

Defiant
Boosts the Pokémon's Attack stat sharply when its stats are lowered.

Defiant is the classic Defog deterrent—if Defog is used against a Defiant user it essentially receives a free Swords Dance. Needless to say, this can cause huge issues for the opposing team. They force a situation where either the hazards stay up or you have a much scarier breaker on the field. It doesn't stop Rapid Spin sadly, but users of the move are few and far between in the tier.

Bisharp

Bisharp @ Dread Plate / Darkinium Z
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant / Jolly Nature
- Knock Off
- Iron Head
- Sucker Punch
- Swords Dance

Despite Bisharp's fall from grace, with it recently dropping to UU, it is still a decent option on a number of hyper offensive teams that focus on setting up hazards. Bisharp possesses some great STAB moves including strong priority in Sucker Punch, a great base 125 Attack stat and access to Swords Dance, so it's a good wallbreaker anyway. Factoring in Defiant boosts, Bisharp is a force to be reckoned with. However, it can have some issues with Defoggers like Zapdos and Tornadus-T if they're running the appropriate coverage.

Thundurus

Thundurus @ Life Orb
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 68 Atk / 188 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Knock Off
- Superpower
- Hidden Power Ice

Thundurus is another option as a Defiant user on some hyper offensive teams, though it takes on more of a mixed attacker role. It's less powerful than Bisharp, but it's much faster, meaning it doesn't have to rely on priority, and it can check Hawlucha, a very troublesome Pokémon for the archetype. A boost from Defiant makes its physical attacks significantly stronger, allowing it to OHKO the likes of Ferrothorn and even Chansey with Superpower, a feat few special attackers are capable of. However, Thundurus suffers from being chipped down by Life Orb and Stealth Rock, which will very quickly render it unable to take a boosted High Jump Kick from Hawlucha

Contrary
Makes stat changes have an opposite effect.

Serperior

Serperior @ Leftovers
Ability: Contrary
EVs: 56 HP / 200 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Leaf Storm
- Hidden Power Fire / Leech Seed
- Substitute
- Glare

Serperior acts in a similar way to Defiant users, as Contrary will cause Serperior's evasion to rise rather than drop after a Defog, which gives it another way to cheese through would-be answers like Tornadus-T and Heatran—Hurricane and Magma Storm suddenly have a measly accuracy of 52.5%. In combination with Glare, this makes Serperior even more annoying to deal with than it already was.