Moves

Rotom-A's Speed tier and good coverage make it an excellent revenge killer with a Choice Scarf. Thunderbolt is Rotom-A's strongest attack, revenge killing Water-types such as Gyarados, Suicune, and Empoleon. Rotom-A has many different coverage options it can use. Overheat is a prominent one, as despite doing almost nothing to Pursuit Tyranitar, it is fantastic at revenge killing Steel-types that can shrug off a Thunderbolt such as Lucario without a Special Defense drop, Metagross, and especially Scizor. It also nails Grass-types such as Breloom, Roserade, and Shaymin. Another choice is Hydro Pump, which crucially 2HKOes bulkless Tyranitar after Stealth Rock and prevents Rotom-A from being Pursuit trapped if Rotom-A hits it on the switch. It also hits Heatran trying to absorb Will-O-Wisp and Ground-types immune to Thunderbolt such as Hippowdon, Mamoswine, and Camerupt. Leaf Storm OHKOes Swampert and Gastrodon while also dissuading Tyranitar from switching in.

Shadow Ball completes Rotom-A's coverage, as it prominently hits Latias, Gengar, and other Rotom-A while providing good neutral coverage should Rotom-A not use one of its forme moves. Hidden Power Ice is another excellent option, as it KOes Dragonite after Stealth Rock, OHKOes Flygon, and threatens Gliscor. Hidden Power Ice both is more reliable than Rotom-F's Blizzard and does enough damage to its targets. Rounding out the set is Trick, as it is a fantastic way of crippling a special wall such as Clefable, Latias, or Blissey. Trick can also stop a boosted sweeper by locking them into one attack, although doing this often leads to sacrificing Rotom-A. Another option is Will-O-Wisp, which burns Tyranitar on the switch in to survive a potential Pursuit trap attempt. As the only move Choice Scarf Rotom-A needs is Thunderbolt, it is free to mix and match as needed for its team.

Set Details

Rotom-A generally should be running maximum Special Attack and Speed EVs, as it has 447 Speed after the Choice Scarf boost and sits at a crowded Speed tier. Maximum Special Attack EVs notably give it the best chance to KO opposing Rotom-A and 2HKO Latias with Shadow Ball, KO Wacan Berry Gyarados without Stealth Rock with Thunderbolt, 2HKO bulkless Tyranitar after Stealth Rock with Hydro Pump, and KO Dragonite with Hidden Power Ice after Stealth Rock. However, Rotom-A can spare some HP EVs to better survive Tyranitar's Pursuit, Scizor, Lucario's boosted Bullet Punch, and Gyarados's +1 Waterfall. The fastest threat it needs to revenge kill besides other Rotom-A is Modest Agility Empoleon, which requires 236 Speed EVs. Another choice is to drop down to 188 Speed EVs to outspeed Adamant Lucario and Heatran without the Choice Scarf. Rotom-A can also use less Special Attack EVs: it achieves the bulkless Dragonite KO after Stealth Rock with Hidden Power Ice with 160 Special Attack EVs. A common choice for bulkier Rotom-A spreads is to minimize sand damage with the desired Speed and put the rest in Special Attack: some example EV spreads would be 56 HP / 216 SpA / 236 Spe, which minimizes sand damage while maximizing the other stats, and 108 HP / 164 SpA / 236 Spe, which KOes Gyarados after Stealth Rock through Wacan Berry, survives +1 Waterfall after Stealth Rock, and still outspeeds +2 Modest Empoleon.

Usage Tips

Choice Scarf Rotom-A should switch in sparingly or via its immunities, as it is not very bulky, its Choice-locked moves are easy to set up on, and it is vulnerable to Pursuit. It enjoys switching in either when a foe such as Gyarados, Lucario, or Scizor sets up or after a KO to appropriately deal with the threat. This can be dangerous, however, as all of them can hit Rotom-A hard on the switch. Keeping Rotom-A hidden also can allow it to sweep late-game against weakened threats should its checks be removed. This is especially prevalent against frail hyper offensive teams or those without a Ground-type. Rotom-A's Trick is an excellent weapon to cripple walls and setup sweepers alike, but make sure Rotom-A's Speed is no longer needed. Beware of opponents switching in another Choice Scarf Pokemon to nullify it or, worse, a Choice Scarf Tyranitar and Pursuit trapping Rotom-A. Another complication is with Knock Off: in DPP, if either the user or foe is hit with Knock Off, Trick will fail. Be careful with using Trick around Clefable and defensive Empoleon for this reason.

Team Options

Choice Scarf Rotom-A is a premier revenge killer in DPP OU and features on many team styles. Most midpaced offensive teams carry a Choice Scarf revenge killer to backstop them against set-up sweepers—Rotom-A is one of the best at it with its Speed, coverage, and Trick. As Rotom-A is easily covered by the special walls in the tier, it appreciates teammates that can break though them. Breloom and Heatran are fantastic choices, as Breloom takes advantage of Tyranitar, Blissey, Clefable, and Swampert, while Heatran can trap them with Magma Storm and then burn Tyranitar, use Explosion on Blissey and Clefable, or OHKO Swampert with Hidden Power Grass. Breloom can also use Mach Punch or a bulky EV spread to revenge kill Dragon Dance Tyranitar. Another Tyranitar check, such as Machamp, bulky Metagross, or Jirachi, is appreciated. Rotom-A also enjoys other strong special attackers such as Choice Specs Latias, Zapdos, and offensive Calm Mind Jirachi to weaken Tyranitar to the point it cannot switch into Rotom-A. Rotom-A appreciates threats that can set up on a Choice-locked Pursuit: Lucario is an excellent choice, as is Dragon Dance Tyranitar. Another excellent option is Torment Heatran, as it appreciates Rotom-A's Trick to set up on Choice-locked Pokemon. As powerful Choice item attackers such as Choice Band Gyarados, Choice Specs Heatran, Choice Band Tyranitar, and Choice Specs Zapdos can get set up on if they're locked into the wrong move, Rotom-A can be a good stopgap.

Choice Scarf Rotom-A is also fantastic on more frail hyper offenses as speed control and potentially a spinblocker for Spikes. Some prominent offensive partners include Dragon Dance Gyarados, Dragon Dance or mixed Tyranitar, Dragon Dance or mixed Dragonite, Swords Dance or Agility Lucario, offensive Empoleon, offensive Calm Mind Suicune, and Swords Dance Scizor. These Pokemon can set up on a Choice-locked Pursuit as well. Azelf is also an excellent choice to weaken Tyranitar with either paralysis or Explosion. Offensive Spikes Skarmory is also a good choice, as Choice Scarf Rotom-A can provide spinblocking and appreciates entry hazards wearing down its grounded answers.

Moves

Rotom-A's typing, ability, and bulk make it the best defensive spinblocker in the metagame. Rest and Sleep Talk are Rotom-A's only form of recovery outside of Pain Split and prevent it from succumbing to status and residual damage. It also makes Rotom-A a reliable sleep absorber; however, without Shadow Ball, Rotom-A struggles to damage Breloom while getting 3HKOed by Seed Bomb. Rest also gives Rotom-A a massive stock of PP, making it useful for PP staling.

Rotom-A's most prominent attacking move is Thunderbolt, which OHKOes Gyarados. Thunderbolt also hits Steel-types such as Heatran, Metagross, Empoleon, and Scizor and at least 2HKOes Starmie and Skarmory. However, as Thunderbolt is useless against Ground-types and can't hit Breloom well, another option is to use Shadow Ball. Shadow Ball prevents RestTalk Rotom-A from being completely unable to damage Taunt Gliscor while also hitting Ghost-weak targets such as Gengar, opposing Rotom-A, and Starmie hard. For the last slot, Rotom-A can either spread burns effectively with Will-O-Wisp or maintain better coverage with both Shadow Ball and Thunderbolt. Will-O-Wisp is preferred, as being able to burn foes is one of Rotom-A's core niches. It notably is the best response to Tyranitar, as it will not enjoy a burn unless it has a Lum Berry. Will-O-Wisp also limits switch-ins to foes immune to burn damage such as Clefable, Heatran, Camerupt, and Breloom after Toxic Orb activates. Additionally, Natural Cure Pokemon such as Celebi and Blissey can pivot in on Will-O-Wisp. Another option for an Electric-type attack is Discharge, but it suffers from being noticeably weaker than Thunderbolt and potentially giving unwanted paralysis.

Set Details

Rotom-A generally needs all of the physical bulk it can get to stave off Tyranitar, Metagross, Machamp, and Lucario. Take care that absolute maximum HP investment Rotom-A makes its HP stat divisible by 16, increasing the damage it takes from sand and heals from Leftovers. Rotom-A also is at a crowded Speed tier—many Pokemon such as Empoleon, Tyranitar, Swampert, Machamp, and Breloom aim to outspeed minimum Speed Rotom-A. As a result, it can invest 56 EVs to outspeed maximum Speed neutral nature Tyranitar, Empoleon, and Swampert. Additionally, Rotom-A can add some Special Defense EVs to better handle special coverage from Swampert, survive Gengar's Shadow Ball, and help prevent Starmie's Rapid Spin; however, going with a fully specially defensive RestTalk Rotom-A is not advised due to its huge Pursuit weakness. A few Special Attack EVs, such as 20 EVs, also help Thunderbolt break maximum HP Breloom's Substitute guaranteed and give better chances to OHKO Starmie and Skarmory.

Usage Tips

Rotom-A should generally be used early to spread burns and block Rapid Spin, preferably before Breloom has activated its Toxic Orb. Rotom-A can lead, as it has good matchups against all common physical leads with the exception of Tyranitar and is immune to Explosion. Mastering the timing of when to use Rest with Rotom-A is critical, as it only has a 24.8% chance to burn physical attackers such as Tyranitar while asleep. Rotom-A should generally be careful about trying to block Rapid Spin too much, as offensive Starmie sets can OHKO Rotom-A with Hydro Pump, while defensive Starmie and Forretress can 3HKO it in sand with Surf and Payback, respectively. Other than these, there are nuances with its usage depending on matchup.

Against offensive teams, Rotom-A is difficult to handle, as foes typically absorb burns with either Heatran, Refresh Swampert, Lum Berry Tyranitar, or Breloom. These teams also typically lack reliable Rapid Spin users, meaning Rotom-A can lean fully into its defensive roll and more recklessly wall opposing physical attackers and spread burns. As Heatran cannot absorb Rotom-A's Thunderbolts forever, aggressively predicting it as it comes in can wear it down easily. Be careful against Metagross and Bronzong, as they can give Rotom-A an Iron Ball with Trick and ruin its ability to handle physical attackers with Earthquake. Despite being able to handle Gyarados, Rotom-A should not be the primary answer, as boosted Gyarados 2HKOes with Waterfall and can make Rotom-A flinch—in addition, Gyarados survives Thunderbolt with a Wacan Berry even after Stealth Rock, meaning it can break through Rotom-A coming in on Dragon Dance. Rotom-A should be kept away from foes that can set up or otherwise take advantage of it, including sweepers with Lum Berry such as Dragon Dance Dragonite and Tyranitar; mixed attackers such as Dragonite, Flygon, and Swampert; Taunt users such as Gliscor; and faster Substitute users such as Substitute + Calm Mind Jirachi and Breloom.

Against more defensive teams, Rotom-A's main value are its ability to block Rapid Spin, huge pool of PP, and handling problem Pokemon such as Skarmory, Breloom, physical Jirachi, and Starmie. Since Clefable is commonly the first switch-in to Rotom-A due to being immune to burn damage, absorbing its Knock Off with Rotom-A is one of the better ways to PP stall it, as Clefable cannot threaten it outside of Calm Mind, and Rotom-A will always be able to use Rest if sand is active. Once Rotom-A goes to sleep, not using Sleep Talk greatly increases how much PP Rotom-A has, to 108 if Rotom-A has Thunderbolt and Will-O-Wisp.

Team Options

RestTalk Rotom-A provides valuable defensive niches and spinblocking. On more defensive teams, it keeps entry hazards up and spreads burns. Spikes setters such as Skarmory and Forretress appreciate this, as neither can prevent Starmie, Donphan, or opposing Forretress from using Rapid Spin. Rotom-A prevents Machamp from spamming Dynamic Punch, meaning prominent Fighting-weak walls such as Tyranitar, Clefable, and Blissey appreciate its presence. Clefable also removes items with Knock Off for adding onto residual damage. Tyranitar provides sand and traps prominent Pokemon that threaten Rotom-A such as Gengar and offensive Starmie. Both Clefable and Blissey can provide cleric support for Rotom-A. All three provide a switch-in to Heatran, which greatly threatens Rotom-A with Flash Fire. Rotom-A is a possible choice on big 5 defensive archetypes over the typical Ground-type alongside Skarmory, Choice Scarf Tyranitar, Clefable, defensive Latias, and Jirachi. Both offensive and defensive Jirachi sets work: offensive sets appreciate the Spikes and residual damage Rotom-A helps to wrack up, while defensive Jirachi helps shore the team against Dragon Dance sweepers such as Dragonite and Tyranitar that Rotom-A struggles with. Defensive Jirachi also enjoys foes worn down due to Will-O-Wisp and appreciates Rotom-A hitting Skarmory hard. Other bulky Steel-types such as Bronzong are great choices, especially for fully Spikes-immune teams. Additionally, Hippowdon, Celebi, and defensive Gyarados can also make solid partners, as they further answer powerful sweepers and are effective with Spikes.

Rotom-A's defensive prowess make it a strong partner for more offensive Spikes-based partners as well, as it has more resilience than more frail spinblockers such as Gengar and Choice Scarf Rotom-A. Alongside Swampert and Skarmory, Rotom-A does not have to worry about Tyranitar as much, as entry hazards wear Tyranitar down, while Swampert at least 2HKOes it. Both offensive and defensive Latias sets are fantastic partners for Rotom-A: Choice Specs Latias hammers Tyranitar and weakens it heavily so that it can’t handle Rotom-A effectively, while defensive Latias's resistances and bulk ease some of Rotom-A's defensive responsibilities against attackers such as Gyarados and Breloom. Choice Scarf Lucario takes on a revenge killing duty against attackers that can set up and OHKO Rotom-A, such as Lum Berry Dragon Dance Dragonite and Dragon Dance Tyranitar. Mixed Flygon is an excellent partner, as its offensive prowess is greatly enhanced by Spikes, and it enjoys Rotom-A switching into Steel-types such as Bronzong and offensive Jirachi and burning them. Empoleon is another excellent partner, as it removes items with Knock Off, and Rotom-A is immune to or resists all of its weaknesses. It also helps against specially offensive Water-types such as Kingdra that Rotom-A cannot deal with. Tyranitar can take on a more offensive role, such as Choice Band to remove special walls or Starmie guaranteed or Dragon Dance to take advantage of Spikes wearing down its answers.

Moves

Rotom-A can maximize its utility options by using Pain Split as its primary recovery option. Despite being unreliable, Rotom-A can easily heal on special walls like Clefable and Blissey due to its immunity to Seismic Toss. Substitute maximizes Pain Split and gives it more reliability. Substitute blocks status, making Clefable without Encore and Blissey complete set up bait. It also gives Rotom-A a free chance to burn Tyranitar and other Pursuit users such as Scizor.

As Substitute limits Rotom-A’s offensive options, it can instead use a coverage move such as Shadow Ball, Hydro Pump, and Blizzard. Shadow Ball notably allows Rotom-A to damage opposing Rotom-A and Gengar, while Hydro Pump and Blizzard provide additional coverage. Hydro Pump hammers Heatran and Ground-types such as Hippowdon trying to phase out Substitute Rotom-A while Blizzard OHKOes Taunt Gliscor, Flygon, Breloom, and Dragonite trying to take advantage of it. Will-O-Wisp is perfect alongside Substitute or the coverage moves, as it burns Steel-types that otherwise wall Rotom-A and gives it an option to threaten Tyranitar. Thunderbolt allows it to KO Water-types and is it’s main offensive option with Substitute.

Set Details

This specific EV spread aims to outspeed as much as possible so it can get a Substitute up, burn Gliscor before it can use Taunt, and then maximize its bulk. Rotom-A can minimize its HP and instead invest in Special Attack EVs to get as much health back as possible from Pain Split and power up it’s coverage moves, but since Rotom-A’s HP stat is low, it should otherwise aim to maximize HP to be as bulky as possible. Rotom-A generally tries to have a specific Speed stat and then invest the rest into bulk or Special Attack. Some common examples include 64 Speed EVs to outspeed neutral nature Tyranitar, Empoleon, and Swampert; 164 Speed EVs to outspeed positive nature Tyranitar; 220 Speed EVs to outspeed Gyarados, Dragonite, and Breloom; and 188 Speed EVs with a Timid nature to outspeed Heatran, Adamant Lucario, and defensive Latias. As these are crowded speed tiers, it can be beneficial to invest a few more Speed EVs to outspeed the benchmark. When using not as much Speed EVs, it is recommended to use a Modest nature to maximize Rotom-A’s coverage options.

Especially if it does not have Substitute, Rotom-A can use a few different items. Leftovers is the most prominent, as it allows Rotom-A to neutralize sand damage and make more Substitute. A more offensive option is to use Life Orb, as Rotom-A can heal with Pain Split and do a lot of damage, but watch out for foes trying to take advantage of Substitute. Without Substitute, some other options such as Colbur Berry to survive Pursuit Tyranitar and other Dark-type attacks, Custap Berry to get one last attack or Pain Split off, and Expert Belt to take advantage of its type coverage are all options.

Usage Tips

Rotom-A should be cautious when it comes in and either lead or come in on resistance or immunities, as while it can mitigate residual damage with Pain Split, it isn’t bulky enough to stave off heavy damage. With Substitute, it should try to set up as soon as possible on something it forces out such as Skarmory or Gyarados. Take the opportunity to either heal up or spread Will-O-Wisp. Despite its prowess against special walls, it still can perform defensive roles such as block Rapid Spin from defensive Starmie and burn Steel-types. In the lead position, Rotom-A can use Will-O-Wisp and its coverage to take advantage of physical leads, but watch out for Tyranitar. More offensive versions of utility Rotom-A, especially without recovery or Leftovers, get worn down quickly.

Team Options

Rotom-A fits on a wide variety of teams due to its unique typing and ability to block Rapid Spin. Utility Rotom-A is commonly featured alongside entry hazards and Pokemon that give it a free switch in on its immunities. A prominent example is Heatran, as Heatran’s Fighting- and Ground-type weaknesses give Rotom-A plenty of opportunities to switch in. Common Spikers alongside utility Rotom-A include Roserade and Skarmory. With Roserade and Heatran, Swampert forms a Fire-Water-Grass core while offensively checking Tyranitar. Another common Water-type with Heatran and Roserade is offensive Suicune, which appreciates Rotom-A taking advantage of special walls and spreading burns. Other checks to Tyranitar, such as Trick + Iron Ball Metagross or defensive Jirachi are appreciated. As these Fire-Water-Grass cores can struggle with multiple Dragon Dance sweepers, Choice Scarf Flygon or Hippowdon can be excellent partners. Alongside Skarmory, Pain Split gives Rotom-A more offensive coverage and Speed than with the defensive set. It spreads burns, staves off Clefable with Pain Split, and gives a switch into Fighting-types. Prominent partners include offensive Calm Mind Jirachi, Choice Specs Latias, and Heatran. Choice Scarf Lucario can absorb Rotom-A’s revenge killing responsibilities.