In other gens:

Ambipom

Type	Normal Immune to: Ghost Weak to: Fighting
Abilities	Technician This Pokemon's moves of 60 power or less have 1.5x power, including Struggle. Pickup If this Pokemon has no item, it finds one used by an adjacent Pokemon this turn. Skill Link This Pokemon's multi-hit attacks always hit the maximum number of times.
Tier	UU

HP:

Attack:

100

Defense:

Sp. Atk:

Sp. Def:

Speed:

115

Evolutions

Aipom
- Ambipom

Strategies

Formats:

UU
VGC12
DW OU
1v1

Written by Cybertron

Overview

Ambipom is often overlooked because of its poor defenses and average Attack. However, it is one of the few Pokemon that has a base 115 Speed, which allows it to outrun some of the most common Pokemon in the VGC 2012 metagame. With access to Technician and a variety of moves, Ambipom is a viable Pokemon and can easily fit into any team.

Lead

Move 1

Fake Out
Hits first. First turn out only. 100% flinch chance.
Type Normal
Category Physical
Power 40 BP
Accuracy 100%
Priority 3

Move 2

Double Hit
Hits 2 times in one turn.
Type Normal
Category Physical
Power 35 BP
Accuracy 90%
Return
Max 102 power at maximum Happiness.
Type Normal
Category Physical
Accuracy 100%

Move 3

Low Kick
More power the heavier the target.
Type Fighting
Category Physical
Accuracy 100%

Move 4

Acrobatics
Power doubles if the user has no held item.
Type Flying
Category Physical
Power 55 BP
Accuracy 100%
Protect
Prevents moves from affecting the user this turn.
Type Normal
Priority 4

Item	Normal Gem Holder's first successful Normal-type attack will have 1.5x power. Single use. Life Orb Holder's attacks do 1.3x damage, and it loses 1/10 its max HP after the attack.
Ability	Technician This Pokemon's moves of 60 power or less have 1.5x power, including Struggle.
Nature	Jolly
Level	50
EVs	4 HP 252 Atk 252 Spe

Ambipom's excellent Speed and great moveset make it an excellent lead. Fake Out is Ambipom's most important move. It does a surprisingly large amount of damage to anything that does not resist it, and allows for its partner to either attack the opponent or support Ambipom. Double Hit breaks through your opponent's Focus Sash while doing a decent amount of damage. Return, however, deals more damage but restricts Ambipom from taking out opponents that carry a Focus Sash. Low Kick hits several Pokemon that will otherwise wall Ambipom such as Tyranitar. Acrobatics is preferred when using a Normal Gem, as it will always do more damage. However, if a Life Orb is used, then Aerial Ace should always be used. Protect prevents Ambipom from taking damage, allowing its partner to KO threats.

Ambipom runs a Jolly nature along with max Speed EVs to outrun common Pokemon with a base Speed of 111 or lower, such as Tornadus and Thundurus. A Normal Gem allows Fake Out to do a substantial amount of damage and leave the opponent in range of a KO the following turn from either Ambipom or its partner. However, Life Orb can also be used if you do not like Normal Gem's one-time boost.

Because Ambipom isn't able to take many attacks, it works great alongside Cresselia. Cresselia is able to use a variety of support moves such as Icy Wind, Reflect, and Helping Hand in order to assist Ambipom. While opponents double Protect to prevent Ambipom's Fake Out from damaging them, Cresselia can use the time to set up screens to prevent Ambipom from being OHKOed. Cresselia also has Psychic in order to take out Fighting-types, which generally give Ambipom trouble. It can also be paired with sweepers such as Latios, Tyranitar, and Metagross to quickly damage threats before its partner finishes them off.

Other Options

Ambipom has several other offensive options such as Pursuit, Payback, and U-turn. However, these moves are situational and should only be used to counter specific Pokemon such as Chandelure or Latios. Ambipom also has access to several support moves such as Taunt and Thunder Wave. However, Thundurus, a bulkier Pokemon, has access to all the same support moves and Prankster, outclassing Ambipom in every way. Nevertheless, Ambipom can use these moves to catch your opponent off guard and shut them down. Ambipom can even learn Rain Dance and Sunny Day and is a wonderful weather supporter. It also learns Last Resort, which when paired with only Fake Out, can KO almost anything that doesn't resist it. It can even use Natural Gift and Covet to counter your team's weaknesses and to steal your opponent's items.

Checks and Counters

Ambipom is rather frail and cannot take many hits. For example, strong STAB attacks such as Latios's Draco Meteor and Tyranitar's Crunch easily OHKO Ambipom. It also has problems dealing with priority attacks, namely Mach Punch and Bullet Punch. Ambipom loses most of its power if your opponent sees Fake Out coming and Protects to prevent it. Most Pokemon with Choice Scarf are also able to outspeed Ambipom before it can even attack. However, if you're looking for a specific counter to Ambipom, Hitmontop Intimidates Ambipom and KOs it with a Close Combat. Ghost-types force Ambipom to attack with Acrobatics or Aerial Ace and limit its offensive options.