LC Spotlight: Timburr | Work those Muscles!

Timburr Through the Ages

Black & White (2)

When Timburr was introduced in Generation 5, it already made it into the front lines of LC as a formidable and solid Fighting-type alongside other good Fighting-type Pokémon released in the same generation: Mienfoo and Scraggy. Timburr was favorable for its high Attack stat and its decent defenses, although it was bullied by the faster Pokémon due to its sluggish Speed, so Pokémon such as Abra could take care of it easily. Timburr's improved bulk with Eviolite allowed it to set up on Pokémon that couldn't touch it, and Bulk Up, its setup move of choice, allowed it to become even bulkier and more powerful, making it quite a feared and viable Pokémon in BW LC. Despite Abra, Timburr was still regarded as a powerful setup sweeper in BW due to its good bulk and offense, and it was nearly invincible after its checks have been taken down; with at least two Bulk Up boosts, it could clean opposing Pokémon with a deadly combo of Drain Punch and Mach Punch, which allowed it to become a threatening late-game sweeper. Timburr was also an effective Guts user during BW, as it was one of the best Pokémon to use status moves to its advantage and sweep efficiently. It was also able to take on the big guns of BW LC such as Misdreavus and Snover. As one of the best bulkiest setup sweepers in BW LC, it already made quite an impact on a generation it was just released with.

XY & ORAS

Timburr was one of the best bulky attackers of XY just like it was in BW; although it had much to fear from its multiple common checks, nearly everything that didn't check it fell victim to it, improving its performance and making it much more scary than in BW. Additionally, it got a great upgrade from Payback to Knock Off, which left most Pokémon more vulnerable against Timburr's bulky setup sweeping capabilities and its excellent move choices of Drain Punch and Mach Punch. With the banning of certain Pokémon and some generational shifts, Timburr was shaped into a very viable Pokémon in XY/ORAS LC that could be used on nearly every competitive team. Timburr was also a pretty good revenge killer because of its ability to tank most hits and KO Pokémon back. However, the introductions of Fairy-type Pokémon and the powerful Fletchling gave Timburr an additional typing weakness and some trouble. Pokémon that could get into Timburr's way included Snubbull, Spritzee, and Fletchling; although Timburr has coverage moves against them, they only work effectively on the switch.

Timburr's Current Competitive Performance

Timburr has an excellent Attack stat to go with its wide variety of physical moves that usually fit well on its main set, bulky attacker; some of these moves include Drain Punch and Mach Punch, both of which are STAB boosted. The former is a decent recovery option, and the latter is a reliable priority move that can take care of most weakened Pokémon. Timburr also has decent defensive capabilities, as its HP and its Defense stat are good enough to tank most physical moves. Timburr also has access to a very common but effective move: Knock Off, which most Pokémon in the metagame don't appreciate. Knock Off can also deal with most Psychic-type Pokémon on the switch and can leave neutral targets vulnerable to Timburr's powerful punches. Iron Fist is also another good ability, which allows Timburr's many punching moves to deal significantly more damage, dealing heavy damage to Pokémon that are neutral against it. Now, with the nerf to burns, Timburr's Guts ability is better than before, as burns reduce Timburr's HP less than they did in XY, meaning that it can hit harder without being worn down as quickly. Timburr's Eviolite-boosted bulk can also allow it to set up quite well with Bulk Up, letting it take more hits than it usually can and retaliate with increased Attack. Timburr's mono-Fighting typing is pretty common in the metagame, and it checks quite a lot of other common types such as Dark and Steel, and its coverage moves let it threaten Pokémon other pure Fighting-types get checked by; for example, Timburr can threaten Psychic-types as they switch in with Knock Off, and it can hit Fairy-types super effectively with Poison Jab. Timburr can also tank some Flying-type moves and retaliate with a Iron Fist-boosted Ice Punch, which can throw off most Flying-types in the metagame, although most relevant Flying-types are hit neutrally by Timburr's STAB moves anyways and generally wouldn't switch into Timburr. These coverage options make it hard for Timburr's main checks to switch in on it, making it a highly viable Pokémon in the current SM LC metagame.

Playing with Timburr

Bulky Attacker

Timburr @ Eviolite: Ability: Iron Fist / Guts; Level: 5; EVs: 196 Atk / 156 Def / 156 Spe; Adamant Nature; - Drain Punch; - Mach Punch; - Knock Off; - Ice Punch / Poison Jab

Timburr's bulky attacker set is its main set, and it is feared by most Pokémon of the metagame. The main purpose of this set is to switch into Pokémon it can check and switch out when a check switches in, becoming a type of pivot with offensive aspects. This is currently the preferred set rather than the Bulk Up set because bulky attacker Timburr focuses more on forcing switches and being offensive, hence the coverage move that can deal a number to its checks on the switch, Ice Punch for Flying-types and Poison Jab for Fairy-types; it can also almost always 2HKO Foongus with Ice Punch. Timburr shouldn't really try to tank a lot of moves like its other set should, as it would be better to either KO the foe or switch out due to this set's higher focus on offense rather than defense.

This set may have a different role than the Bulk Up set, but they aren't that far apart. Drain Punch is commonly used on Timburr to restore health, which enables it to last throughout the game. Drain Punch itself is already quite a powerful move, and it also gets boosted by Iron Fist, which allows Timburr to recover quite a lot of health to sustain itself; it also is a good all-around attacking move that is also pretty effective neutrally, but it doesn't really work well against resistant Pokémon that switch in. Mach Punch is also a no-brainer, as it can clean up weakened Pokémon, which allows Timburr to semi-sweep Pokémon that were already damaged; it can also make quick work of Pokémon that are weak to it, or it can finish of Sturdy users such as Onix. Knock Off was a new addition in Generation 6, but now it is as good and common as ever. Due to the majority of Pokémon running Eviolite in Little Cup, Knock Off can make many foes more vulnerable, which Timburr can take advantage of due to its already high raw power. Ice Punch, as mentioned, is a useful coverage move that can be very effective to hit Pokémon on the switch with; its main targets are Flying-types, most of which check Timburr. Poison Jab is a similar case as Ice Punch, but just for Fairy-types and any other type that can check Timburr but is weak to Poison.

Bulk Up

Timburr @ Eviolite: Ability: Guts / Iron Fist; Level: 5; EVs: 116 Atk / 156 Def / 236 SpD; Careful Nature; - Drain Punch; - Mach Punch; - Knock Off; - Bulk Up

This set is much like the bulky attacker variant, but as you can see, it is more defensively oriented; however, it is still quite offensive with the three same moves except for the last one. This Bulk Up set allows Timburr to be a slow but very effective sweeper that is especially powerful late-game when all its checks have been defeated, since Timburr can just set up on a passive Pokémon and then spam Drain Punch or clean off Pokémon with Mach Punch. Guts can be used over Iron Fist mainly because it allows Timburr to switch into status moves, especially Will-O-Wisp, to become stronger and this protect itself from from being inflicted with more threatening status such as bad poison and sleep.

Playing against Timburr

Timburr can be stopped dead in its tracks by Pokémon that resist all its attacks such as Foongus and Snubbull, the latter in particular because it can lower its Attack with Intimidate, although it has coverage moves for most of its checks. Faster special attackers can pick off bulky attacker Timburr easily if they can at least survive a hit, because its Special Defense is rather lacking. If Timburr gets put to sleep, it can be left open to powerful special attacks, although it'll most likely switch out; hitting Timburr on the switch in and outspeeding it can also work effectively. Pokémon such as Abra and Cottonee can do the job well.

Against Bulk Up Timburr, it would be most effective to stop it before it sets up at least two Bulk Ups, as it can do threatening damage with Mach Punch. Anything that outspeeds it, can at least take a potentially boosted Mach Punch, and is a strong special attacker can KO Timburr before being KOed itself; however, this becomes much more difficult if it successfully sets up, because then the special attackers have to be bulkier and resisted moves could do much more damage than expected.

Timburr on Teams

Timburr can take out a large majority of Pokémon, so it is obvious that Timburr is well liked and used on many competitive LC teams. Timburr and Mienfoo make a dangerous Fighting-type core, as the two conveniently can deal with each other's checks due to their different roles and moves, and can pivot in and out to each other to take out Pokémon. Timburr can be very monstrous if it has the right support from other Pokémon in its team. Bulk Up Timburr appreciates entry hazard setters because the residual damage can break Sturdy, which allows Timburr to KO mostly everything that doesn't resist its attacks after it sets up; it can also OHKO most frail but faster Pokémon with Mach Punch after they take residual damage. Timburr is also really effective when taking down Pokémon that can also check one or more of its teammates. For example, Ice Punch Timburr goes well with Corphish or any offensive Water-type that would benefit from having Foongus or Cottonee removed, which would help Timburr and its teammates KO more Pokémon without having to fear mutual checks.

Powerful teammates that can deal with Timburr's checks are also pretty neat because Timburr's coverage moves alone cannot defeat them entirely. Pokémon such as Onix, Tirtouga, and Archen can deal with Flying-types, and Pokémon such as Magnemite, Croagunk, and Pawniard can deal with Fairy-types; of course, Pokémon that can block special attackers can also be useful because most can outspeed and deal threatening damage to Timburr, making special walls and Pokémon that can take down common special attackers good options; however, Pokémon such as Lickitung and Munchlax need to be careful of opposing Timburr.

Conclusion

Already receiving quite a big spotlight in BW and a bigger one in XY, Timburr has made it to the front seats of SM, proving itself as a huge threat and a very common Pokémon in the metagame with powerful moves and a good balance between offensive and defensive capabilities. Timburr is no Pokémon to joke about because one wrong move against it might spell doom for your team. I guess the power is really in those wooden logs after all; keep those biceps lifting and Timburr will bring you to victory.

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