In-battle formes
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| HP: | 95 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Attack: | 100 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Defense: | 85 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sp. Atk: | 108 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sp. Def: | 70 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Speed: | 70 |
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Strategies
- en
Overview
Samurott is a somewhat underrated Water-type in RU, but it has quite a few things going for it, such as its great offensive stats and access to both physical and special STAB moves, allowing it to use physical and special sets. Its large movepool also includes Swords Dance, Megahorn, Ice Beam, Grass Knot, and Knock Off, which lets it deal with most defensive Pokemon. It is particularly noteworthy that Samurott can fill the archetype of an offensive Water-type while simultaneously beating Slowking with the aforementioned Megahorn. Special sets are capable of using Taunt to break through most defensive cores, while physical sets can utilize Aqua Jet to defeat revenge killers. Also, Samurott's decent bulk and Water typing are both useful defensively. However, Samurott's Speed is quite low for a sweeper, which holds back Swords Dance sets. Special sets face stiff competition from Clawitzer, another Water-type wallbreaker with higher Special Attack and stronger coverage thanks to Mega Launcher, though Samurott boasts a higher Speed tier, a stronger Water-type STAB move for neutral targets, and key access to Taunt and Aqua Jet for utility over Clawitzer.
Swords Dance
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Moves
Swords Dance boosts Samurott's solid base 100 Attack to extremely high levels. Waterfall is the most reliable physical STAB move Samurott gets, and it comes with a 20% flinch chance, which can prove useful at times. Megahorn is generally preferred for coverage, allowing Samurott to push past Alomomola, Gastrodon, Slowking, and Seismitoad reliably. However, Knock Off also is a viable option if a more reliable way to deal with Jellicent and Qwilfish is needed; its ability to remove items can also help Samurott or a teammate later on. Aqua Jet is required in the last slot due to Samurott's mediocre Speed. With Aqua Jet, Samurott is able to pick off weakened revenge killers. Razor Shell deserves a mention for its 50% chance to lower the foe's Defense, which can allow Samurott to push past Quagsire, an otherwise difficult task. Waterfall, however, is better in virtually every other situation.
Set Details
The EVs allow Samurott to hit as hard and as fast as possible. An Adamant nature is preferred for the power boost; with it, Samurott still outspeeds prominent wallbreakers such as Exploud, Scrafty, Adamant Emboar, and Clawitzer. Lum Berry is the preferred item on Samurott thanks to the protection it grants Samurott when setting up. Life Orb is a viable option for the increase in damage output, as well as being able to ease Samurott into Torrent range for even stronger STAB moves with the recoil damage. A bulkier spread of 132 HP / 252 Atk / 124 Spe with an Adamant nature can be used to give Samurott some extra bulk while still outspeeding defensive variants of Qwilfish. With this spread, Mystic Water is advised over Life Orb if you want the power boost, as passive damage would be detrimental to such a set. Finally, Samurott can make use of a Rindo or Wacan Berry, which reduce damage taken from Grass- and Electric-type moves, respectively, allowing Samurott to potentially get past the likes of Virizion or Jolteon in a pinch. These are especially useful with the bulkier spread, as Samurott has more HP to work with.
Usage Tips
Samurott typically wants to force out Pokemon weak to Water-types, such as Rhyperior and Mega Camerupt, and use the opportunity to set up a Swords Dance on the switch. Thanks to its high Attack, Samurott can also pick off weakened Pokemon with Aqua Jet if needed. As Samurott can avoid status once thanks to Lum Berry, setting up on defensive Pokemon, such as Alomomola and Uxie, that depend on status to stop Samurott is highly advised. With Life Orb, Samurott wants to preserve as much of its HP as possible to handle Life Orb recoil and priority attacks. Samurott can take some neutral physical attacks during setup with the bulkier spread if it has to. When using a Rindo or Wacan Berry, make sure Samurott is kept in relatively good health so that it can make use of them against Virizion and Jolteon at the right moment. As is the case with most other setup sweepers, you will generally want to avoid using Swords Dance until Samurott's checks and counters are removed or sufficiently weakened. Make sure that faster Pokemon that can usually survive Aqua Jet can be KOed by it or removed entirely before trying to sweep.
Team Options
Samurott appreciates having support from wallbreakers, such as Emboar, Meloetta, and Flygon, most of which also have some defensive synergy with Samurott as well. Pokemon capable of providing paralysis support, such as Uxie, defensive Druddigon, and some Togetic variants, are also useful. Druddigon is the most notable thanks to its Grass and Electric resistances and tendency to lure in bulky Water-types, especially Alomomola, for Samurott to set up on. However, Sticky Web support can also be used in place of paralysis support, so Sticky Web users such as Smeargle can also make for good partners. Without Knock Off, Samurott appreciates teammates that can handle Jellicent, as well as Qwilfish to a lesser extent. Pursuit users, such as Drapion, Spiritomb, and Houndoom, make for great partners, as they can remove Jellicent with ease. Most special attackers have little to fear from Qwilfish and can 2HKO it reliably due to its low special bulk, so they also are useful partners. If Samurott doesn't carry Megahorn, answers to Venusaur and Alomomola are appreciated. Fire- and Flying-types, such as Emboar, Delphox, and Braviary, generally force out Venusaur, while Grass- and Electric-types, such as Jolteon and Virizion, generally handle Alomomola well. Though Samurott can handle Grass-types with a Rindo Berry, a check to fast Grass-types such as Rotom-C and Virizion is still appreciated. Rotom-C is usually handled by Grass-types of your own, such as Venusaur and Virizion, whilst Virizion can generally be handled by Sigilyph and Choice Scarf Delphox.
Special Attacker
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Moves
Hydro Pump is used as a STAB move, as it is extremely powerful. Ice Beam allows Samurott to easily KO common checks to physical Samurott such as Druddigon and Flygon; faster Grass-types, such as Virizion, Venusaur, and Rotom-C, need to be caught on the switch, however. Grass Knot handles every common Water-type immunity, OHKOing Seismitoad and Gastrodon, as well as 2HKOing Jellicent, while also providing a reliable move to handle Rhyperior with. Taunt is generally preferred for the final slot, as it can shut down the likes of Bronzong and Registeel, which Samurott cannot get past easily, as well as being effectively used thanks to Samurott's great Speed stat as a wallbreaker. Aqua Jet is quite weak without investment, but it allows Samurott to pick off a weakened revenge killer, possibly forcing the opponent to take a heavy hit to KO Samurott. While Knock Off, Megahorn, and Superpower seem like interesting options, they are simply not worth it, as the primary targets of Knock Off and Megahorn are already 2HKOed by Samurott's moves and Registeel is better handled by Taunt than Superpower.
Set Details
252 Special Attack EVs are used to make Samurott an effective special wallbreaker. 252 Speed EVs are also used with a Modest nature, allowing Samurott to outspeed Exploud, Scrafty, Clawitzer, and Adamant Emboar. Samurott should use a Rash nature if Aqua Jet is used and the 4 Defense EVs should be shifted to Attack. Life Orb is used for the boost in damage output and is the best item for this set due to Samurott's reliance on its coverage moves and Hydro Pump's raw power to get around its checks.
Usage Tips
Samurott should heavily damage walls whenever possible, so actively seek out chances to bring it in against passive Pokemon it forces out, such as Rhyperior, Alomomola, and Jellicent. Hydro Pump is Samurott's safest move to use, as every common Pokemon immune to Water-type moves in RU is beaten by Grass Knot. Ice Beam can catch Grass-types such as Venusaur and Virizion on the switch, which otherwise can survive a hit and KO Samurott. Hitting Rotom-C on the switch isn't as necessary due to their lower special bulk, but it is still useful to take less recoil damage from having to hit twice. Grass Knot should only really be used against Pokemon immune to Water-type moves, such as Jellicent and Seismitoad, as well as against Rhyperior, being a 100% accurate move that still OHKOes it. Taunt should be used to shut down defensive Pokemon Samurott can't immediately break through such as Bronzong and Registeel. Without the ability to use Toxic and Thunder Wave, respectively, Samurott can either choose to push past them on its own or bring in a teammate with relatively no risk to possibly sweep. Aqua Jet shouldn't be used until Samurott enters Torrent range unless it's absolutely necessary to use to remove a threat, as it is somewhat weak without investment. Torrent also makes Hydro Pump extremely powerful, so Hydro Pump can be spammed with greater ease.
Team Options
Samurott can easily KO Ground-, Water- and Grass-type Pokemon, so teammates that appreciate the removal of these types are ideal. Choice Scarf Delphox enjoys Rhyperior and Jellicent dealt with; Samurott can Taunt slower entry hazard users while Delphox checks Virizion with a Choice Scarf. Jolteon and Rotom-C are notable Electric-types that enjoy the removal of bulky Ground- and Grass-types which can also switch into Electric-type moves aimed at Samurott. Taunted walls are rendered setup bait for powerful sweepers. For example, a Taunted Hex Jellicent can do nothing to prevent Calm Mind variants of Meloetta from setting up. Other setup sweepers to consider taking advantage of under such circumstances include Nasty Plot Houndoom, Fletchinder, and Virizion. While not mandatory, paralysis support allows Samurott to perform better against offensive teams. Uxie, defensive Druddigon, and certain Togetic variants can provide paralysis support while Samurott can Taunt clerics, with the exception of Aromatisse, to prevent them from healing their team. Sticky Web support from Smeargle is also viable, and Samurott can Taunt slower Defog users, such as Golbat, Togetic, and Pelipper, preventing the removal of Sticky Web.
Other Options
Samurott has a pretty neat movepool but lacks the stats to effectively use it. Substitute is usable on the special set in conjunction with a Salac Berry to surprise offensive teams. However, Samurott would need to give up coverage and would absolutely need Toxic Spikes support to make it work reliably. Samurott can utilize Substitute + Dragon Tail in conjunction with Scald and Taunt for a more defensive set, but there are better defensive bulky Water-types in RU and Samurott lacks reliable recovery options. Surf can be used on the special attacker set, but the large power reduction from Hydro Pump is generally never worth it. Aqua Tail is stronger, but less accurate than Waterfall. Shell Armor can prevent Samurott from being KOed by an untimely critical hit, but Torrent generally has better use, powering up Samurott's STAB moves. Choice Band and Choice Specs are options that Samurott can use. However, the Choice Band set suffers from a STAB move with a somewhat low Base Power, while a Choice Specs set hurts Samurott, as it cannot utilize its coverage moves. Encore or Taunt can be used on the Swords Dance set, but Samurott doesn't really have the room to fit either move on the set. Finally, Hidden Power Fire can be used on the special set if getting past Assault Vest Escavalier is an absolute must for Samurott's team; however, it offers nothing useful outside of this.
Checks and Counters
Outside of a few Pokemon, outright countering Samurott is very difficult until you figure out the set it's running. Checks and counters to the Swords Dance set tend to lose to the special set and vice versa. However, both sets are perfectly manageable once they're revealed.
Virizion: Virizion only fears Ice Beam from the special set and a possible boosted Megahorn from physical sets. It outspeeds and threatens to deal heavy damage or a KO with its Grass-type STAB moves.
Quagsire: Quagsire stops Swords Dance Samurott cold thanks to Unaware and Samurott's lack of a physical Grass-type move. It's completely useless against the special set, however, being OHKOed by Grass Knot.
Specially bulky Pokemon: Specially bulky Pokemon are generally the safest initial switch-ins, as the Swords Dance set needs a turn to set up. Mega Audino, Aromatisse, Bronzong, and Registeel are among the specially bulkiest Pokemon in RU. However, all of them except Aromatisse can be shut down by Taunt and are forced out if Samurott reveals Swords Dance on the switch.
Faster Pokemon: Due to Samurott's average base 70 Speed, faster foes that can survive an Aqua Jet, such as Rotom-C and Meloetta, can easily revenge kill Samurott. However, only the strongest of neutral physical attacks will OHKO Samurott with no prior damage thanks to its respectable physical bulk.
Credits
- Written by dhelmise, col49, and gorex
- Quality checked by col49, aVocado, and atomicllamas
- Grammar checked by fleurdyleurse and horyzhnz
