SV Monotype Suspect Coverage: Flutter Mane
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Art by Swiffix.
Introduction
Flutter Mane has made quite a splash in Monotype. At the beginning of the generation, the Paradox Pokémon were running the tier; however, after Booster Energy was banned, most of them became extremely manageable. Flutter Mane on the other hand began to run a Choice Specs wallbreaking set, and due to its abundance of coverage, great natural Speed, and incredible Special Attack, it solidified itself as a threat within the Scarlet and Violet Monotype metagame. Flutter Mane has a strong unresisted STAB combination with strong complementary coverage moves such as Thunderbolt, Psyshock, Energy Ball, Mystical Fire, and Power Gem. This allows Flutter Mane to pick and choose which matchups it wants to excel in. Its great Special Attack and Speed only further bolster this, even though its low HP and Defense allow it to be picked off by physical priority and Choice Scarf users with ease. While even with this abundance of sets, the Monotype metagame was able to take advantage of its Choice lock and create solid defensive cores such as Clodsire + Iron Treads that could take on any combination of its STAB + coverage moves, with the right team support, such as Belly Drum Azumarill on Fairy or Dragon Dance Dragapult on Ghost, it could break past these defensive cores. This leaves Flutter Mane in an interesting spot where one could argue both that it is and that it isn't unhealthy.
Sets
- Flutter Mane @ Choice Specs
- Ability: Protosynthesis
- Tera Type: Ghost
- EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
- Timid Nature
- IVs: 0 Atk
- - Shadow Ball
- - Moonblast
- - Thunderbolt
- - Psyshock / Mystical Fire
Flutter Mane usually runs Choice Specs, turning it into a potent wallbreaker that much of the meta struggles to find a consistent switch-in to. Between Shadow Ball and Moonblast, Flutter Mane makes use of its monstrous Special Attack and excellent STAB combination hitting the whole type chart for neutral damage at worst. Thunderbolt allows Flutter to threaten some of its common checks, such as specially defensive Corviknight and Toxapex. In its last slot, Flutter Mane has a variety of options depending on what a team needs most. Psyshock is used to hit Clodsire, another one of Flutter Mane’s most common checks. Mystical Fire can target Iron Treads, allowing it to break Ground's defensive core more easily; Energy Ball can be coupled with Thunderbolt to more heavily threaten Water teams, and Power Gem can be used to threaten Fire teams, most notably Volcarona, especially when coupled with the Protosynthesis boost Fire teams may provide with sun.
Other Sets
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While not as notable as the Choice Specs set, Flutter Mane can also choose to use either a Choice Scarf set or a Calm Mind set. While losing out on power, Choice Scarf turns Flutter Mane into an excellent revenge killer that, with its already massive base Speed, can outspeed nearly the entire tier, including other Choice Scarf users such as Great Tusk and Meowscarada. The set remains the same bar the exclusion of Psyshock, as it no longer looks to break Clodsire but uses the slot to improve coverage for overall revenging options. Calm Mind is another option that allows Flutter Mane to get out of the forced Choice lock, making further use of the excellent STAB combination it offers. Calm Mind also bolsters Flutter Mane's already good Special Defense, making its Substitute harder to break for threats such as Amoonguss.
Teammates
On Ghost, Flutter Mane can run either Choice Specs or Choice Scarf, depending on what a specific team needs most. Regardless, both sets are supported well in Ghost's defensive options of Skeledirge and Spiritomb. While Skeledirge boasts solid overall bulk to switch into various attacks and can prevent Flutter Mane from becoming setup bait for Pokémon such as Scizor, Spiritomb covers for its Ghost weakness, specifically the prevalent Shadow Sneak, a common option to revenge Flutter Mane. Gholdengo can help Flutter Mane break down shared checks such as Skuntank and Clodsire with Make It Rain, while Brambleghast complements Flutter Mane well with its access to hazard removal and Grass typing, which allows it to break Pokémon such as specially defensive Dodonzo that Choice Scarf sets would sorely struggle to hit hard enough. Brambleghast can also provide Spikes support for Flutter Mane. Mimikyu, Ceruledge, and Dragapult all capitalize on Choice Specs Flutter Mane's ability to punch holes in opposing teams, setting them up for a late-game sweep with theirsetup options. On the other hand, they all highly benefit from Choice Scarf Flutter Mane's ability to revenge kill Pokémon they can't quite take out even when utilizing their boosting options, such as Meowscarada. Dragapult, specifically, can also make use of other sets such as its own Choice Specs, which is complemented by the revenging capabilities of Choice Scarf Flutter Mane.
On Fairy, Flutter Mane gains much support from either Klefki or Grimmsnarl, which are able to set dual screens, an invaluable asset to make up for Flutter Mane's poor defensive utility. This support lets Flutter Mane successfully use the Calm Mind set, with screens helping to further its setup opportunities. Between screens and Thunder Wave, Klefki prevents Flutter Mane from being revenge killed by faster threats such as Choice Scarf Quaquaval. Furthermore, similarly to Ghost, Choice Specs Flutter Mane is an excellent wallbreaker against opposing teams, allowing setup users such as Azumarill, Mimikyu, and certain variations of Iron Valiant to gain strong positions for late-game cleaning. Hatterene and Tinkaton both provide solid defensive options that Flutter Mane can rely on when it is likely to be revenge killed, while Choice Scarf sets of Iron Valiant and Gardevoir can provide the speed control Flutter Mane misses out. Hatterene can also reflect hazards and pressure Clodsire for Flutter Mane.
Pro-Ban Reasoning
Flutter Mane has an incredible offensive presence, unresisted STAB attacks, and solid coverage to patch up weak points. This paired with its Speed makes Flutter Mane an extremely powerful wallbreaker. Thunderbolt can take on Pokémon such as Corviknight, Psyshock can cover special walls such as Clodsire and Blissey, Power Gem allows Flutter Mane to take on Fire-types with ease, and Energy Ball destroys Rotom-W; needless to say its coverage can be tailored for what the team wants to take on. Flutter Mane's great natural special bulk also makes it hard for special attackers such as Sandy Shocks and Iron Moth to revenge kill. All of this leaves only a few ways to take out Flutter Mane: naturally outspeeding it, which only Dragapult and Barraskewda do; using physical Choice Scarf users like Quaquaval; and priority moves such as Kingambit's Sucker Punch. However, this only does so much, as Flutter Mane's teammates could deal with these Pokémon.
Anti-Ban Reasoning
While Flutter Mane seems overbearing on paper, it plays out much differently in practice. Dark teams are super prevalent, preventing Ghost from becoming a problem in the metagame. Fairy teams have poor access to hazard control, allowing teams to set hazards and wear down Flutter Mane easily. Even though Flutter Mane's STAB + coverage combo is extremely good, common defensive cores such as Clodsire + Iron Treads, Clodsire + Skuntank, and Corviknight + Iron Jugulis can handle it due to its dependency on Choice items. While every team might not be built to answer it defensively, nearly every single type has access to a good physical attacker that can revenge kill it with either a Choice Scarf, priority move, or natural speed, such as Meowscarada for Dark, Quaquaval for Water and Fighting, Kingambit for Dark, Scizor for Steel, and Dragapult for Dragon; the list goes on. Between good defensive cores being able to take advantage of its Choice lock or Calm Mind sets being underwhelming, Flutter Mane is not as threatening in battle as it is on paper.
Suspect Results
With an overwhelming majority, Flutter Mane stays in the tier. Most of the playerbase seems to agree that even though Flutter Mane is extremely powerful, between its flaws and the metagame's overall super offensive nature, Flutter Mane's presence was not deemed as overwhelming in practice.
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