Little Cup Spotlight: Grass-types

By snow. Released: 2019/10/10.
« Previous Article Next Article »

|| Page 1 || next page »

LC Grass Pokemon Spotlight art

Art by Kaiju Bunny

Introduction

Grass-type Pokémon are quite common in USM LC, as they are necessary to consider when teambuilding. Without Grass-type Pokémon, most LC teams will find themselves very weak to common Water- and Ground-type Pokémon in the tier. However, it's not all sunshine and rainbows, as Vullaby is a huge threat to Grass-types and is the undisputed best Pokémon in the tier. Each Grass-type does have its own niche and role on a team, and I'll be taking you through a few of them.

Click on "next page" to continue reading!

« previous page || Page 2 || next page »

Foongus

Foongus

Flower Rating

Despite Vullaby being as viable as it is, Foongus still manages to find itself as a premium pick for most teams in the tier. This is mainly because it is the premium sleep user thanks to Spore; conversely, it also is widely seen as the best Spore check in the tier, as Vullaby usually runs Weak Armor instead of Overcoat to offensively threaten opposing teams with boosted Speed. Overcoat is still a viable alternative, however, and turns Vullaby into an excellent Foongus counter. Foongus's Grass / Poison typing and amazing Regenerator ability allow it to blanket check a lot of Fighting-, Water-, and Grass-type Pokémon efficiently throughout an entire match. Ironically, Foongus is held back by the fact that it is so good; most teams will be prepared with solid answers to beat it.

The Best Set

Breaking It Down

Spore

In addition to its status as a Fighting-type check that can regenerate its health easily, Spore is a big reason for Foongus's high viability. It forces switches on Pokémon it checks and can put the incoming Pokémon to sleep, limiting the opponent's ability to beat it while also keeping momentum for the Foongus user. This is really important, as other bulky Pokémon can lose momentum by not offering enough offense, whereas Foongus does not have this issue thanks to Spore.

Sludge Bomb | Giga Drain

Sludge Bomb and Giga Drain are the only viable STAB attacks you should be running on Foongus, as they synergize so well with the role Foongus plays. Sludge Bomb has a nice chance to poison checks that aren't immune to it, while Giga Drain offers Foongus passive recovery, lessening its need to use Synthesis as often.

Synthesis

Despite the fact that it gets Regenerator, Foongus still likes to run Synthesis in order to beat a lot of Pokémon 1v1 rather than having to pivot out of them. This especially helps versus other Foongus, as pivoting out can result in a Pokémon being put to sleep.

Niches and Other Options

A common other option for Foongus is Hidden Power Fire or Fighting to fill gaps in teams that need better options to deal with Steel-type Pokémon such as Ferroseed and Pawniard. Another less common option is Hidden Power Ground for Magnemite; however, this should never be used on standard sets, as it is so niche and situational. Utility moves such as Stun Spore and Clear Smog can fall into the same category of niche other options; while Foongus can be used as speed control or to halt setup, it should not generally try to do this, as there are better options out there for this.

Foongus's Weaknesses

Foongus has plenty of weaknesses and finds itself threatened by a lot of common Pokémon such as Vullaby, Abra, and Gastly; even Timburr can threaten Foongus with elemental punches after a Knock Off. Vullaby in particular stands out, as it is among the best Pokémon in the tier and can even run Overcoat to become immune to Spore. Fortunately for Foongus, a lot of these Pokémon can only come out after a Pokémon has been used as sleep fodder. However, Foongus is considerably less dangerous once it has used Spore, as it offers very little offensive presence. Other Pokémon such as Pawniard are able to threaten Foongus thanks to their typing, as they resist Foongus's offensive moves and threaten it massively with setup; similarly, Chespin is immune to Sludge Bomb and Spore thanks to its ability and typing and can use Foongus as Spikes bait or take it out with Zen Headbutt.

Best Cores to Use with Foongus

Foongus finds itself able to work well with a huge array of Pokémon in the metagame. Thanks to its great attributes, it defensively supports a lot of Pokémon. However, this article will take a look at the best cores Foongus fits into.

Foongus + Onix

Onix and Foongus are a great core, with Onix finding itself 4x weak to both Water and Grass as well as 2x weak to Fighting-type attacks and Foongus being able to reliably cover all three of these weaknesses. Onix helps Foongus by eliminating Flying- and Poison-type Pokémon that threaten it. Onix and Foongus also both support the rest of the team outside of helping each other, with their combined access to entry hazards and sleep.

Foongus + Diglett

Diglett is a very good teammate for Foongus, as it is able to trap specific Pokémon that Foongus cannot check. These include weakened Foongus, Ferroseed, Croagunk, and Pawniard, which Foongus has a really hard time beating. As Diglett is able to pick and choose which Pokémon it wishes to trap at certain times, it is quite hard to play against the core.

Foongus + Mienfoo

Together, Foongus and Mienfoo form a pretty straightforward Regenerator core that can keep up pressure on the opponent with Spore or Knock Off and U-turn without getting worn down much themselves in the process. This core is part of the reason why Foongus is one of the better Spore checks, as most conventional answers to it really dislike dealing with Mienfoo; in return, Foongus notably helps Mienfoo deal with Fairy-types.

« previous page || Page 3 || next page »

Snivy

Snivy

Flower Rating

Snivy is a really good Pokémon in the tier, though it falls short of other offensive tier titans such as Abra and Gastly due to its one-dimensional niche. Snivy has a hugely powerful STAB attack in Leaf Storm that works perfectly with its ability Contrary, raising its Special Attack by two stages on each successful hit. With attacks hitting harder on average in LC than in other tiers, just one boost enables it to threaten a lot of Pokémon including checks such as Vullaby. It has to use Hidden Power for coverage because its movepool is rather barren, but that isn't a huge issue thanks to its ability to boost its Special Attack. One of the reasons for Snivy's rise in viability came with it gaining Defog in its arsenal, allowing it to act as an entry hazard remover as well as a wallbreaker or sweeper, making it slightly less one-dimensional than previously. A massive issue for Snivy is that Hidden Power's IV drop can hinder its performance; most notably, Snivy is unable to hit 17 Speed when using Hidden Power Fire.

The Best Sets

Breaking It Down

Leaf Storm

Leaf Storm paired with Contrary is the only reason Snivy is as viable as it is. It hits like a truck and continuously gains boosts while being used, allowing it to break a lot of teams without designated checks. Unfortunately, Leaf Storm has low PP and is inaccurate, meaning that it is not as spammable as one would desire, and using it too much on a check such as Foongus could see Snivy running out of PP before being able to do anything.

Defog

Despite it not being the best move on Snivy's set, Defog added Snivy to the very short list of viable entry hazard removers, which was once dominated by Staryu. Snivy is able to remove hazards better in ways, as it forces Pokémon out that fear boosts from Leaf Storm, does not have its removal blocked by Ghost-types like Gastly, unlike Staryu, and beats a lot of hazard setters 1v1.

Synthesis

Synthesis provides longevity in a match; if Snivy comes in on resisted hits, it is able to force out the foe and keep healthy. As Snivy is used for Defog purposes, it is important to keep it healthy in order to constantly get rid of hazards.

Glare

Glare is used for checks that force Snivy out; instead of wasting PP on Leaf Storm on a Pokémon such as Vullaby or Ponyta, Snivy is able to cripple them and allow other Pokémon on the team to better deal with them.

Hidden Power

Snivy has a terrible movepool, and unfortunately it can only use one Hidden Power, so picking the correct Hidden Power for Snivy's teammates is a huge choice to be made while building. Ice allows Snivy to take on Grass- and Flying-type Pokémon better, Ground hits Steel-, Fire-, and Poison-type Pokémon, and Fire hits both Steel- and Grass-type Pokémon as well. It is important to decide which to prioritize, as these foes all resist Leaf Storm.

Breaking It Down

Choice Scarf

Choice Scarf allows Snivy to be more of a late-game sweeper and revenge killer than a wallbreaker, and since it easily checked by Pokémon once Choice Scarf is revealed and is unable to use boosted Hidden Powers and coverage moves, it is less effective at breaking walls. Snivy is able to outspeed all non-Choice Scarf Pokémon in the tier, and with a pretty good Speed stat of 17, it is faster than quite a lot of the tier's Choice Scarf users, only fearing other Choice Scarf Pokémon hitting 18-20 Speed.

Giga Drain

The safer Grass-type STAB attack, Giga Drain is used on Choice Scarf Snivy in order to sweep Pokémon without missing, as well as gaining health to stop it from being revenge killed by priority. It is significantly worse than Leaf Storm and is only worth using in specific situations, however.

Breaking It Down

Normalium Z

Normalium Z and Wring Out pair together to give Snivy a huge 190-Base Power Breakneck Blitz that is able to nuke unsuspecting checks such as Foongus and Vullaby. This set is a great lure, as it is not commonly used and players will generally throw out Pokémon such as Foongus, blindly expecting them to completely check Snivy. Although this set is very niche and situational, Pokémon that check Snivy are extremely common in the tier, and Snivy has a terrible movepool to hit them effectively, making this set desirable.

Niches and Other Options

Although so much has been mentioned already, it is only fair we take a look at even more niche options for Snivy. The first one is other Hidden Power options, with Hidden Power Rock hitting both Flying- and Fire-types and also helping tremendously with Bug-type Pokémon, more importantly Larvesta. As Larvesta is able to completely wall Snivy's standard set, Hidden Power Rock Snivy is a great lure to OHKO it. However, Larvesta is too rare to warrant using this set. Second when mentioning niche moves on Snivy is Taunt, a great move for shutting down slower Pokémon that can completely neuter leads such as Dwebble and, if Snivy wins the Speed tie, Onix. More importantly it shuts down setup Pokémon; however, a lot of Pokémon are afraid of setting up on Snivy, as it has the ability to boost simultaneously with them. Snivy can also make use of its lackluster movepool by filling two slots with Light Screen and Reflect. A fast dual screens setter that can get them up as it forces a Pokémon out can be really effective; however, Snivy does not have the bulk to be able to reliably set them.

Snivy's Weaknesses

Snivy's main weakness comes in how easily revenge killed it is, as its Speed isn't as good as other Pokémon such as Gastly and Ponyta. On top of that, any check that can't be hit for super effective damage from Hidden Power is a problem for Snivy. Bulky Pokémon such as Foongus can check Snivy very well even with the correct Hidden Power due to their bulk and super effective attacks. It also has very pitiful Special Attack before a boost, meaning that it is realistically not beating much without at least one boost from Leaf Storm and has to come in on something it threatens out with Leaf Storm before it can even think about beating anything that is bulky or that resists Leaf Storm.

Best Cores to Use with Snivy

Thanks to Snivy's great utility and wallbreaking and cleaning abilities, it is able to form some really great cores with Pokémon that can support its weaknesses and synergize well with it. I will be taking a look at a few of the best and letting you know why they are so effective.

Snivy + Vullaby

As Snivy is the premier hazard remover in USM, it pairs great with Pokémon that like to see hazards off the field. It supports Vullaby very well, letting it switch in with less pressure. Snivy also resists Electric-type attacks to help Vullaby, something that other hazard removers like Staryu do not. Vullaby also helps Snivy quite a lot in return by being a check to Foongus thanks to Overcoat and dealing with other Grass-types that resist Snivy's STAB attacks.

Snivy + Diglett / Alolan Grimer

Trappers such as Diglett and Alolan Grimer are great assets to Snivy, as they are able to completely trap and get rid of threats to Snivy for the rest of the game. Pokémon such as Abra, Gastly, and Ponyta can all be eliminated by either Diglett or Alolan Grimer. Alolan Grimer also offers the bulk and typing to take on checks such as Poison- and Grass-types, with access to Knock Off to cripple anything coming in on it. In some cases, Alolan Grimer is even able to weaken Foongus enough to where Pursuit trapping it is a possibility. Outside of trapping, Diglett also offers a great Speed tier, checking all the 18 or 19 Speed Pokémon that can force Snivy out.

« previous page || Page 4 || next page »

Ferroseed

Ferroseed

Flower Rating

Ferroseed joins Snivy as another very viable option that drops just short of other tier titans; this time it falls behind other entry hazard setters such as Onix, mainly due to their ability to offer more offensive pressure towards Pokémon such as Vullaby. Ferroseed is mainly used thanks to its great Grass / Steel typing and decent bulk, allowing it to take on a lot of Pokémon in the tier while threatening them for solid damage or crippling them with Knock Off and Thunder Wave. It also gets access to both Stealth Rock and Spikes, which is massively desirable to offensive teammates. While its ability is not as important to its success as for other Pokémon, Iron Barbs is a very nice asset that forces chip damage on contact moves such as U-turn, punishing opposing pivots. Despite facing competition from both Mudbray and Onix, it finds itself able to beat both of these 1v1, which is a huge asset when trying to win the hazard war. On top of this, it can beat both of the top hazard removers in the tier in Staryu and Snivy. The biggest downfall for Ferroseed comes with its 4x weakness to Fire-type moves, making it fear Pokémon that commonly run Hidden Power Fire as well as Fire-type coverage move users like Heat Wave Vullaby. What might be even more detrimental is its weakness to Fighting-type Pokémon, allowing massively common foes like Timburr and Mienfoo to check it.

The Best Sets

Breaking It Down

Bullet Seed | Knock Off

Bullet Seed and Knock Off are Ferroseed's attacking moves of choice, and for good reason. Bullet Seed allows Ferroseed to hit hard versus Pokémon like Abra and incoming Fighting-type Pokémon. Thanks to Little Cup rolls, Bullet Seed can also hit a lot harder than other moves like Giga Drain and Seed Bomb. Knock Off's ability to cripple Pokémon by removing Eviolite, Berry Juice, and Choice items is always helpful.

Thunder Wave

Thunder Wave, similarly to Knock Off, is used as a way to support the other Pokémon on the team. Ferroseed is able to cripple faster Pokémon that may wish to switch in on it, such as Ponyta and Mienfoo, which also makes it that much easier for Choice Scarf users to sweep teams. This also works when checking setup sweepers such as Dwebble, Vullaby, and Shellder.

Stealth Rock | Spikes

As Ferroseed offers a great defensive backbone to a team, it can gain the team a lot of free turns by threatening Pokémon out with its support moves, as well as beating a lot of common leads in the tier with Bullet Seed. Using these free turns to get up hazards such as Stealth Rock and Spikes can break Sturdy and help wear down the opposing team to work towards a endgame cleanup.

Breaking It Down

Giga Drain | Hidden Power Ground

Giga Drain is an option on a special set that is able to hit Pokémon like Mudbray and Onix without activating abilities such as Stamina and Weak Armor. However, it requires Ferroseed to run a Speed-lowering nature. Hidden Power Ground is used specifically for Magnemite but also hits other Steel- and Fire-type Pokémon such as Pawniard that the other moves are not very good against.

Niches and Other Options

Explosion can be used as a last hurrah if Ferroseed has served its purpose or is no longer able to take any more hits; it will deal tons of damage and can hit Grass-, Poison-, and Fire-type Pokémon for more than Bullet Seed, helping to break through Pokémon such as Foongus and Timburr more easily. However, it should be run with a more offensive spread in order to hit harder. Toxic and Leech Seed are also options to wear down Pokémon passively. However, with level 5 Pokémon having very low health, the recovery gained and damage inflicted are insignificant, making them a pretty poor option.

Ferroseed's Weaknesses

Ferroseed has two glaring weaknesses that are rather common in the LC tier, stopping it from being one of the best Pokémon in the tier, to Fire and Fighting. A common lead Pokémon such as Mienfoo can easily deal with Ferroseed or at least force it out, allowing it to either pivot with U-turn or get rid of a teammate's item with Knock Off. Fire-type Pokémon are not as common, with Ponyta being one of the only commonly used Fire-type Pokémon in the tier right now. However, Fire-type coverage is very common in LC, with Vullaby running Heat Wave and a whole plethora of Pokémon making use of Hidden Power Fire, including Magnemite, Snivy, and Staryu. Ferroseed is also let down by its lack of recovery options, being forced to use Berry Juice if it wishes to have any form of longevity in a battle or risk being chipped away over time.

Best Cores to Use with Ferroseed

Ferroseed + Spritzee / Mareanie

Ferroseed can work alongside both Spritzee and Mareanie very well, as they both help to check Fighting-type Pokémon for it. Spritzee offers more clerical support in Wish passing, whereas Mareanie offers a check to Fire-type Pokémon. Ferroseed can also take on Abra for Mareanie, Foongus for Spritzee, and Choice Scarf Snivy for both of them.

Ferroseed + Shellder / Vullaby

Ferroseed is able to work well with setup Pokémon such as Shell Smash Shellder and Nasty Plot Vullaby, as it checks Pokémon that threaten them both such as Electric- and Grass-type Pokémon for Shellder and Electric- and Rock-type Pokémon for Vullaby. With the ability to check these types of Pokémon and access to hazards and speed control in Thunder Wave, Ferroseed is able to assist them in sweeping teams. Be wary of Magnet Pull Magnemite, though, as it completely destroys this core; pair this core with Pokémon such as Diglett to cover it a little better.

« previous page || Page 5 || next page »

Chespin

Chespin

Flower Rating

Chespin has a cool but rather mediocre niche in LC, being able to switch in on and completely wall Foongus and check Gastly thanks to its typing and ability in Bulletproof. It also has access to Spikes, which it can get up during the free turns it gets from switching into Pokémon it checks. Much like the other Grass-type Pokémon on the list, it can check Ground-type Pokémon such as Mudbray and Onix thanks to its typing. However, as it doesn't have a secondary typing, it doesn't offer any other secondary resistances and is still weak to common Pokémon such as Vullaby, Ponyta, and Doduo. Vullaby, in particular, is hugely common in the current metagame, and Chespin is completely walled by it. As it only has a small niche, has very poor stats offensive stats, and faces competition from Ferroseed and Dwebble when it comes to using Spikes, it is uncommon to see it on many teams.

The Best Set

Best Core to Use with Chespin

Chespin + Mareanie

Mareanie is a great partner for Chespin, as it is able to take on Fire- and Poison-type Pokémon that Chespin does not like. Chespin helps Mareanie in return by checking Ground-type Pokémon that threaten it out.

« previous page || Page 6 || next page »

Pumpkaboo-XL

Pumpkaboo-XL

Flower Rating

Pumpkaboo-XL is the bulkiest pumpkin Pokémon in LC and is one of the best choices as a defensive spinblocker in the tier with its very good defensive stats, good coverage, and great utility moves. The problem lies with Pumpkaboo-XL's bad Speed and typing; with a weakness to very common typings such as Dark and Flying, Pumpkaboo-XL finds itself struggling to escape Knock Off users and is easily checked by Flying-type Pokémon. It is also forced to run either a fully physically or specially defensive set, as having to put EVs into both detracts from its bulk. Even though it is able to punish Pokémon switching in with Will-O-Wisp, the move is easy to play around and does not affect threats like Ponyta or special attackers. Although Pumpkaboo-XL does not compare very well to the other Pokémon above it on this list, it does find its place in USM LC.

The Best Set

Best Cores to Use with Pumpkaboo-XL

Pumpkaboo-XL + Onix / Dewpider / Ferroseed / Surskit

As Pumpkaboo-XL is a spinblocker, its most useful core would involve a Pokémon that can set entry hazards to chip down the opposing team. That is not all, though, as Pumpkaboo-XL also helps cover these specific Pokémon's weaknesses, checking Grass-, Water-, Ground-, Fighting-, Electric-, and Rock-type Pokémon that threaten them in particular.

« previous page || Page 7 || next page »

Cottonee

Cottonee

Flower Rating

One of the worst out of the highlighted Grass-type Pokémon on this list along with Budew and Pumpkaboo-S, Cottonee finds itself placed near the bottom of the viability rankings, and for good reason. As Cottonee relies heavily on Prankster, it's a Fairy-type that struggles to check Dark-type Pokémon, as they are immune to its status moves. Furthermore, not only is it 4x weak to Poison-type attacks, its bad typing also makes it weak to very common attacking types such as Ice, Flying, Fire, and Steel. Cottonee offers a switch in to Knock Off spam thanks to its Dark resistance, and it also has a very diverse movepool and access to a wide variety of Prankster status moves, making it a serviceable pivot and support Pokémon on offensive teams. It's also not all bad for Cottonee's typing either, as it is able to reliably check Fighting- and Water-type attacks. Cottonee's list of notable utility moves includes Memento, Tailwind, and Encore, helping offensive teams to shut down setup as well as help to aid its own setup. However, as Cottonee has no recovery, it is easily worn down by Pokémon it is supposed to check as well as by hazard damage, which may force it to use its Z-Move earlier than intended. Cottonee is also let down by its pitiful Special Attack, so even super effective hits will be doing little damage.

The Best Set

Best Cores to Use with Cottonee

Cottonee + Clamperl / Shellder

Setup Pokémon like Clamperl and Shellder are probably the best partners for Cottonee, as Cottonee provides support in the form of Z-Memento, enabling them to check Fire-type Pokémon throughout the match up and still set up Shell Smash later.

« previous page || Page 8 || next page »

Budew

Budew

Flower Rating

Budew has a fun little niche on teams as an entry hazard setter and the only Pokémon to have both Sleep Powder and Spikes, enabling it to beat other leads. Its decent Grass / Poison typing and decent bulk allow it to be a passable lead versus a lot of Pokémon such as Onix, Mudbray, and Mienfoo. It also beats common hazard removers such as Staryu and Snivy. The issue lies in Budew's offensive stats, with absolutely awful damage output unless hitting foes super effectively; otherwise, it offers little offensive pressure. Budew also struggles to run all the moves it wants to use and suffers from four-moveslot syndrome. Furthermore, it is outclassed by Foongus, which offers much more to the team, is bulkier, and has a better sleep move and ability.

The Best Set

Best Core to Use with Budew

Budew + Gastly

A Ghost-type such as Gastly can help to block Rapid Spin in order to keep hazards on the field as well as offer offensive pressure to clean weakened teams thanks to hazards.

« previous page || Page 9 || next page »

Pumpkaboo-S

Pumpkaboo-S

Flower Rating

As Pumpkaboo is the only Pokémon in LC to learn Trick-or-Treat, it has a very unique niche in the tier. Pumpkaboo-S is the best choice of the four formes for using Z-Trick-or-Treat thanks to its higher Speed stat. Its good typing gives it an easy time setting up on Pokémon it can check such as Onix and Mudbray. The downside to this Pokémon comes in its Z-Move, which can only be used once per a battle, making its effectiveness very situational. One of the main issues with Z-Trick-or-Treat is that Pumpkaboo-S struggles to break through many foes and is reliant on having a team severely weakened before it can set up effectively. On top of that, one of the best Pokémon in the tier, Vullaby, completely walls it; due to this weakness to the absolute top-tier treat and its generally lacking damage output even after setup, Pumpkaboo-S shouldn't be used on serious teams.

The Best Set

Best Core to Use with Pumpkaboo-S

Pumpkaboo-S + Onix

Onix is the best example of a partner that Pumpkaboo-S needs in order to sweep. As Z-Trick-or-Treat can only be used once, it is important that checks to Pumpkaboo-S be removed or at least weakened before Pumpkaboo-S starts sweeping. Onix is able to threaten Flying- and Fire-type Pokémon that can threaten Pumpkaboo-S.

« previous page || Page 10 ||

Final Thoughts

Although Grass-types are far from the cream of the crop when it comes to viability in Little Cup, it is fair to say that a few are blooming. It seems to be that Foongus, Snivy, and Ferroseed are all very much viable on a lot of teams and have many options of sets and roles, whereas the other Grass-type Pokémon have a niche that gives them their viability. With that being said, I hope you find your favorite, whether it be a tier titan or a niche option—good luck and get out there to try them!

HTML by Ryota Mitarai | Script by Quite Quiet | CSS by ant.
« Previous Article Next Article »