QC: galbia / Robert Alfons / scorpdestroyer
GP: The Dutch Plumberjack / horyzhnz
Overview
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Choice Specs
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name: Choice Specs
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Hidden Power Ground / Dragon Pulse
move 4: Rest
ability: Natural Cure
item: Choice Specs
evs: 120 HP / 252 SpA / 136 Spe
nature: Modest
Moves
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Set Details
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name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Dragon Claw / Outrage
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Roost / Iron Tail / Substitute
ability: Natural Cure
item: Leftovers / Life Orb
evs: 64 HP / 252 Atk / 192 Spe
nature: Adamant
Moves
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Specially Defensive
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name: Special Defensive
move 1: Dragon Pulse
move 2: Heal Bell
move 3: Roost
move 4: Roar / Toxic / Haze
ability: Natural Cure
item: Leftovers
evs: Calm
nature: 248 HP / 252 SpD / 8 Def
Moves
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Set Details
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Team Options
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**Ice Types**: Pokemon such as Sneasel, Articuno, Avalugg, Glaceon, Regice and Beartic can check Altaria with their Ice type moves but have to avoid taking hits. These Pokemon struggle to switch in to the Choice Specs set however.
**Fairy Types**: Mr Mime, Togetic and Wigglytuff can take hits(aside from Iron Tail) and fire back at Altaria with their STAB Fairy type moves.
**Rock Types**: Can hit Altaria with super effective rock type moves and can take hits. Pokemon like Golem and Carracosta. These Pokemon are mostly Defensive and fail to take hits from the Special side.
**Steel types** : Bulky Steel types such as Klang, Bastiodon and Metang can take a hit and proceed to Roar, Toxic or deal a hard hit to Altaria.
**Lickilicky**: Can take a hit or so and fire back with its own powerful ones; Dragon Tail and avoid you setting up with Dragon Dance and it has access to Wish allowing it to keep its HP high.
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It's getting a Mega evolution- Dragon and Flying is a decent typing
- Nice defensive stats
- Reliable coverage with access to Steel type moves
- Ability allows status to be healed when switching (Natural Cure)
- Weak to Stealth Rock and 4x weak to Ice (Sneasel :<)
- No access to Defog
- Modest offensive stats and speed
Choice Specs
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name: Choice Specs
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Hidden Power Ground / Dragon Pulse
move 4: Rest
ability: Natural Cure
item: Choice Specs
evs: 120 HP / 252 SpA / 136 Spe
nature: Modest
Moves
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- Draco Meteor is a powerful Dragon type combined with the Choice Specs hitting really hard and then switching out due to the SpA drop
- Fire Blast is to hit those Ice/Steel type Pokemon such as Metang, Klang and more reliable than Draco Meteor when killing Avalugg and Gourgeist
- Hidden Power Ground is for Bastiodon
- Dragon Pulse is another power STAB incase you don't want to be forced to switch out with Draco Meteor however you lose the power but gain the accuracy
- Rest is to keep Altaria at a reasonable amount of HP so it can come back in and do more damage
Set Details
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- Choice Specs is so that you are doing the maximum amount of damage possible and hitting Pokemon hard
- Modest is to ensure that you're getting the most power out of your moves when combined with their power and the item
- EVs allow Altaria to outspeed everything up to max speed base 65 and preserve bulk
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- No bulk is invested in Altaria so you'll want a free switch in to hit a Pokemon hard and come back in later on in the match
- Draco Meteor OHKOs most offensive Pokemon and still does a good amount to Pokemon which resist and have no recovery
- Have to be cautious of Stealth Rock as they can slowly wither down your health
- You're locking yourself into one move with Choice Specs so if you see a Fairy Type and they've switched in on you before don't go for a Dragon move -_-
- Be careful when using Rest. You'll want to switch in; use it and then switch out again straight away. This can be done against Water and Grass types such as Gourgeist, Mantine, Pelipper and most Tangela
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- Steel type Pokemon such as Bastiodon, Metang and Klang resist Rock, Fairy, Dragon AND Ice; talk about catching a lucky break
- Pokemon which can rid the field of Stealth Rock due to Altaria not having access to Defog such as Avalugg with Rapid Spin. You can also use Defoggers such as Swanna but keep in mind your hazards will be removed.
- Pokemon which can stack hazards to ensure that Altaria can finish them with an OHKO or 2HKO
- Spike setters such as Roselia and Garbodor. Stealth Rock setters such as Golem, Bastiodon and Piloswine; also spin-blockers such as Misdreveaus and Frillish are useful.
- Electric Type Pokemon have a nice synergy with Altaria due to it being able to come in on Grass types with Volt Switch; building momentum and can beat Ground types with Draco(bar Piloswine)
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name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Dragon Claw / Outrage
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Roost / Iron Tail / Substitute
ability: Natural Cure
item: Leftovers / Life Orb
evs: 64 HP / 252 Atk / 192 Spe
nature: Adamant
Moves
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- Dragon Dance is for Altaria to set up its Attack and Speed when it gets a free switch and scares a opponent out.
- Dragon Claw is the most reliable physical Dragon STAB which doesn't force you to get locked into the move
- Outrage has more power and good amount of accuracy but locks you into the move so you'll have to be cautious when using this
- Earthquake is for Pokemon like Garbodor which are bulky and can faint Altaria with Life Orb + Aftermath + Rocky Helmet damage and Bastiodon
- Iron Tail is for hitting those Ice/Fairy Type Pokemon which scare Altaria with their 4x/2x super effective moves
- Roost is an option to keep Altaria at the high amount of HP while trying to set up and allows Life Orb not to make it faint.
- Substitute allows Altaria to avoid getting status in some form of way and with the bulkier spread; can take hits and avoid Sub breaking
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- Leftovers so you'll be getting recovery each turn combined with Roost allowing Altaria to set up on multiple Pokemon
- Life Orb is so Altaria is dealing out as much damage as possible with the hopefully boosted hits from Dragon Dance
- Natural Cure is so that if Altaria does receive status of some sort it is healed when switching out
- 64 HP / 252 Atk / 192 Spe lets you outspeed everything at +1 (galbia is silly)
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- It is really nice to save this for a late game sweep once you find the Pokemon have withered down in health to the point of an OHKO or 2HKO
- Don't set up if you see Pokemon which can easily take your hits and fire back with ones that'll hurt you a lot. You'll be forced into switching anyways
- Be careful when locking yourself into Outrage if you do use this. You don't want a Pokemon using those turns to set up against you
- You want to bring Altaria in on something which can get scared out to gain the free stat boost
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- A lead hazard setter would be nice so that Pokemon coming in can take damage until near end of the game where Altaria can set up and clean it up
- Steel type Pokemon which beat all types that check Altaria (Fairy, Rock, Dragon and Ice)
- A bulky offense team which can support Altarias natural bulk and play well with the other team mates
- Pokemon which can set up Spikes such as Lead Glalie or Stealth Rock such as Torterra, Relicanth and Carbink
- SubPunch Poliwrath has a good synergy with Altaria due to it being able to take its Electric and Grass STAB and Poliwrath takes Ice and Rock
Specially Defensive
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name: Special Defensive
move 1: Dragon Pulse
move 2: Heal Bell
move 3: Roost
move 4: Roar / Toxic / Haze
ability: Natural Cure
item: Leftovers
evs: Calm
nature: 248 HP / 252 SpD / 8 Def
Moves
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- Dragon Pulse is a reliable STAB move which allows Altaria to hit most Pokemon atleast neutrally in the tier
- Heal Bell is to keep the team healthy from status
- Flamethrower is for those Steel/Ice type Pokemon which resist/threaten Altaria Dragon type moves/typing
- Roost is to keep Altaria at a good amount of HP while taking those hits with the bulk that has been invested
- Roar is to avoid Pokemon setting up against you and when used with entry hazards can slowly wither down the opponents health from switches
- Toxic is a good combination with Altarias bulk and Roost/Rest allowing it to take hits and heal up; ready to do the same to the next Pokemon coming out.
- Haze allows you to remove the stats of Pokemon opposing you so that you don't find yourself getting set up against by Bulk Up/ Calm Mind Pokemon
Set Details
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- Natural Cure is so that Altaria can take status and proceed to switch out and come back in fully healed from it.
- Leftovers is so that Altaria can gain back a little bit of HP each turn without having to rely on Roost
- Calm Nature combined with 252 SpD means that Altaria has that maxed out and ready to take special hits
- 248 HP EVs reduces the amount of SR damage and gives Altaria a Leftovers number to regain more
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- Take advantage of Roost + Toxic combined with the bulk that Altaria has; it will allow you to stall out Pokemon continuously while keeping your HP
- Be wary of Stealth Rocks and when you have a free turn to use Roost as you'll need to be wise otherwise you won't be able to switch in, take a hit and then Roost of the damage
- Always keep Altaria at a reasonable amount of HP
- Don't reveal Flamethrower until you are certain it is going to be used effectively that turn. You want to surprise your opponent and catch them off guard
Team Options
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- Pokemon which can rid your side of hazards with Rapid Spin such as Avalugg. You can also use Defoggers such as
- Pokemon that can set up hazards so that Roar is effective in taking the opposing Pokemon health while yours is kept due to Roost.
- These hazards setters such as Roselia and Garbodor which can set up Toxic Spikes(Roselia; Spikes too) or Bastiodon which can do Stealth Rocks
- Pokemon which cover Altaria weaknesses such as Metang, Klang and other Steel types which can be built in bulk rather than offense.
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- Cotton Guard
- Perish Song
- Sunny Day
- Cloud Nine
- Power Swap
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**Ice Types**: Pokemon such as Sneasel, Articuno, Avalugg, Glaceon, Regice and Beartic can check Altaria with their Ice type moves but have to avoid taking hits. These Pokemon struggle to switch in to the Choice Specs set however.
**Fairy Types**: Mr Mime, Togetic and Wigglytuff can take hits(aside from Iron Tail) and fire back at Altaria with their STAB Fairy type moves.
**Rock Types**: Can hit Altaria with super effective rock type moves and can take hits. Pokemon like Golem and Carracosta. These Pokemon are mostly Defensive and fail to take hits from the Special side.
**Steel types** : Bulky Steel types such as Klang, Bastiodon and Metang can take a hit and proceed to Roar, Toxic or deal a hard hit to Altaria.
**Lickilicky**: Can take a hit or so and fire back with its own powerful ones; Dragon Tail and avoid you setting up with Dragon Dance and it has access to Wish allowing it to keep its HP high.
Overview
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Altaria is a versatile Pokemon with a decent Dragon / Flying typing; however, this typing makes Altaria 4x weak to Ice-type attacks from Pokemon such as Sneasel and Avalugg. Altaria has nice defensive stats and reliable Steel- and Fire-type. Altaria's ability, Natural Cure, cures it of status ailments when switching and makes it one of the few Pokemon that can utilize Rest to sponge status ailments bar sleep. Unfortunately, Altaria is weak to Stealth Rock due to its Flying typing, while it has doesn't have access to Defog unlike most other Flying-types; moreover, although Altaria has a range of different types of attacks, it has only modest offensive stats and Speed to use them with.
Choice Specs
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name: Choice Specs
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Hidden Power Ground / Dragon Pulse
move 4: Rest
ability: Natural Cure
item: Choice Specs
evs: 120 HP / 252 SpA / 136 Spe
nature: Modest
Moves
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Choice Specs Draco Meteor does immense damage and hits most Pokemon hard, if not outright OHKOing them. Fire Blast allows Altaria to hit Steel-type Pokemon such as Metang and Klang. Hidden Power Ground is used to do solid damage to Bastiodon, as it can easily take Draco Meteor and Fire Blast. Dragon Pulse can be used instead, as it's a powerful and reliable Dragon-type STAB moves that doesn't lower Altaria's Special Attack and is good for cleaning up. Rest is used to allow Altaria to remove status and keep its HP high, with Natural Cure allowing Altaria to come awake.
Set Details
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Choice Specs combined with a Modest nature allows Altaria to do the maximum amount of damage possible. 252 Special Attack EVs allow Altaria to reach the highest amount of Special Attack possible. The Speed EVs allow Altaria to outspeed everything up to fully-invested base 65 Speed Pokemon, such as Glaceon, Flareon, and Heatmor. The EVs that haven't already been invested in Speed and Special Attack go to HP to preserve Altaria's bulk when switching in and taking hits.
Usage Tips
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You want to try preserving Altaria through the match and giving it a free switch-in whenever possible. Draco Meteor OHKOes most offensive Pokemon and still does a good amount of damage to Pokemon that resist it and have no access to recovery. When bringing in Altaria, you'll have to be cautious of Stealth Rock, as it can slowly chip away Altaria's health and you want to make sure it has enough to either dish out a hard hit or Rest and proceed to switch. Altaria is Choice-locked into one move, so be careful with which one you pick. If you see a Fairy-type, don't spam Draco Meteor; hit once and proceed to switch, or just make the double switch into another teammate. Make sure to be cautious when using Rest. Bring Altaria in to use Rest, and then switch out straight away due to being locked in; this can be done against Water- and Grass-types such as Gourgeist, Mantine, Pelipper, and most Tangela, which can barely touch Altaria. Draco Meteor should be used when predictable switch-ins such as Bastiodon and Metang have been removed from the opposing team and that the opposing Pokemon can't recover from taking a hit. Dragon Pulse should be spammed when Altaria can clean up the rest of the opposing team without having to switch out again.
Team Options
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Altaria appreciates support from Steel-type Pokemon such as Metang and Klang, as they beat Fairy-types or force them out while also resisting Rock-, Fairy-, Dragon-, and Ice-type moves: all of Altaria's weaknesses. Stealth Rock users such as Golem and Piloswine and Spikes users such as Roselia and Garbodor allow Altaria to OHKO or 2HKO several Pokemon it couldn't otherwise, such as Bastiodon, Garbodor, and Throh. Spinblockers to prevent those entry hazards from being removed such as Misdreavus are also appreciated. Rapid Spinners such as Avalugg and Wartortle to get rid of Stealth Rock are useful due to Altaria constantly switching out and coming back in; a Defog user such as Swanna can also be used, but keep in mind your hazards will be removed too. Poliwrath can switch in on Sneasel or Piloswine that plan on revenge killing Altaria. Altaria can take Fire-type attacks aimed at Roselia and Gourgeist as well as Grass- and Ground-type attacks aimed at Stunfisk. Zebstrika appreciates Altaria as a teammate due to Altaria being immune to its only weakness.
Dragon Dance
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name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Dragon Claw / Outrage
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Roost / Iron Tail / Substitute
ability: Natural Cure
item: Leftovers / Life Orb
evs: 64 HP / 252 Atk / 192 Spe
nature: Adamant
Moves
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Dragon Dance allows Altaria to boost its Attack and Speed and hopefully perform a late-game sweep. Dragon Claw is a reliable physical Dragon-type STAB move. Outrage can be used as an alternate option due to its higher power; however, you'll have to be much more careful when using it due to its lock-in effect. Earthquake is used for hitting Bastiodon, which can easily take Dragon-type attacks, and it also hits Garbodor without taking damage from Rocky Helmet and Aftermath. Iron Tail is used for solid damage against Fairy-type Pokemon, such as Togetic, Mr Mime, and Wigglytuff. Substitute allows Altaria to avoid status when setting up; the bulkier spread helps avoid the Substitute breaking.
Set Details
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Leftovers is used so Altaria will be getting a little bit of recovery each turn when setting up; combined with Roost, this keeps its HP high and allows it to set up more easily. Life Orb is an option over Leftovers, as it allows Altaria to deal more damage, with the cost of taking some of Altaria's health each time it attacks. Natural Cure allows Altaria to rid itself of status by switching out. The Speed EVs allow Altaria to outspeed Zebstrika at +1 as well as getting past threats such as Rotom-F without a Choice Scarf and Simipour, which scare Altaria with Ice-type attacks. Attack EVs are maximized and the rest is put into HP for more bulk.
Usage Tips
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Altaria has potential to sweep late-game once opposing Pokemon are low on health to the point where Altaria can can 2HKO or OHKO them after one boost. Don't start setting up Dragon Dance if you see Pokemon that can easily take hits and will hurt Altaria a lot in return. Avoid setting up when seeing Choice Scarf Rotom-F, Sneasel, or Piloswine, due to their access to Ice-type STAB. You have to be careful if Altaria is running Outrage over Dragon Claw due to the lock-in effect. If using Outrage isn't ideal, Earthquake is probably the better move. To get a free turn to set up, Altaria should come in on Pokemon that are threatened by its moves or Pokemon that can't touch it, such as Roselia and Gourgeist.
Team Options
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Pokemon that can lead and set up entry hazards, such as lead Glalie, Roselia, and Garbodor, help wear down the foe into the range of being 2HKOed or OHKOed by Altaria: Pokemon such as Rotom-F and Togetic are a guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock damage. Steel-type Pokemon such as Metang and Klang resist all of Altaria's weaknesses; as such, they have good synergy, as Altaria can take Fire-type and Fighting-type moves for them and is immune to Ground-type attacks. SubPunch Poliwrath beats Sneasel and Piloswine, which both threaten Altaria, and has a good synergy with Altaria, as Altaria is able to take care of Poliwrath's Electric-type and Grass-type weaknesses, while Poliwrath can take Rock-type and Ice-type attacks for Altaria. Offensive partners such as Golem and Piloswine help break Steel-types that Altaria might struggle with; this is meant to be done before setting up. Flareon and Ninetales can whittle down bulky Steel-types and walls so Altaria has less trouble sweeping.
Specially Defensive
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name: Special Defensive
move 1: Dragon Pulse
move 2: Heal Bell
move 3: Roost
move 4: Roar / Toxic / Haze
ability: Natural Cure
item: Leftovers
evs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
nature: Calm
Moves
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Dragon Pulse is a reliable STAB move that allows Altaria to hit most Pokemon in the tier for neutral damage. Heal Bell is used to keep the team healthy from status. Roost allows Altaria to stay at a decent amount of HP when taking hits. Roar allows Altaria to avoid opposing Pokemon setting up against it and pairs well with entry hazards. Toxic pairs well with Altaria's bulk and Roost, allowing it to take hits and heal when getting closer to fainting. Similar to Roar, Haze removes stats stat boosts of the opposing Pokemon; unlike Roar, however, it still works if there is only one Pokemon alive on the opposing team.
Set Details
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Natural Cure allows Altaria to take status and come back in the battle healed from it later on. Leftovers allows Altaria to gain back a little bit of HP each turn without having to rely on Roost. A Calm nature with 252 Special Defense EVs maximizes Altaria's Special Defense. 248 HP EVs reduce Stealth Rock damage and maximize Leftovers recovery. This set helps Altaria wall Grass- and Fire-types, such as Roselia, Ninetales, and Heatmor, while checking Electric-type Pokemon.
Usage Tips
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Make sure to take advantage of Roost and Toxic combined with Altaria's bulk. It allows Altaria to stall out Pokemon and keep its HP high. Also be wary of Stealth Rock, as Altaria will need to switch in and take a hit before being able to Roost off the damage, so you'll want to try keeping Altaria's HP at a decent amount before switching out. Bring Altaria in on Grass-types such as Gourgeist and Roselia or on Fire-types such as Ninetales and Simisear. Altaria can absorb status due to Natural Cure.
Team Options
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This set works best on stall teams due to Altaria keeping the team healthy with Heal Bell and using Roar to wear down the opponent with entry hazard damage and avoid getting set up on. Altaria appreciates teammates that can rid your side of entry hazards with Rapid Spin, such as Avalugg and Wartortle. Altaria works well with Pokemon that can set up entry hazards so that Altaria can Roar out foes that try to set up and force them to take damage when coming back in. Entry hazard users include Roselia and Garbodor, which can set up Toxic Spikes and Spikes. Bulky Steel-type Pokemon that can cover Altaria weaknesses such as Metang and Klang also work well as teammates. Poliwrath also has good synergy with Altaria, as it resists Ice- and Rock-type attacks, while Altaria resists Grass-type attacks aimed at Poliwrath.
Other Options
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Cotton Guard is an option on Altaria, as it boosts its Defense to extremely high levels. Perish Song can prevent Pokemon from setting up on Altaria, due to the foe being forced to switch or faint in 3 turns. Sunny Day can be used on sun teams, which appreciate the support; Pokemon on these teams include Victreebel for the Chlorophyll Speed boost and Ninetales and Flareon to power up their Fire-type attacks. Cloud Nine can be used instead of Natural Cure in order to cripple weather teams by ignoring the weather boosts while Altaria is on the battlefield. Power Swap can be used with Draco Meteor and Life Orb to avoid switching out by swapping the Special Attack drop on the opposing Pokemon instead.
Checks & Counters
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**Ice-types**: Ice-type Pokemon such as Sneasel, Regice, Rotom-F, and Avalugg can check Altaria with their STAB moves but have to avoid taking hits. These Pokemon struggle to switch into the Choice Specs set, however. Sneasel can revenge kill any Altaria set if it has Ice Shard and OHKO Altaria if it has taken damage from Stealth Rock; even if Stealth Rock isn't up, it still has a chance to OHKO. Avalugg works best in beating the Dragon Dance set.
**Fairy-types**: Fairy-type Pokemon such as Togetic and Wigglytuff can take hits from Altaria, except Iron Tail from the Dragon Dance set, and fire back at Altaria with their STAB Fairy-type moves or potentially stall it out. Togetic can come in on the Choice Specs set, taking any of the moves with no problem, and forcing Altaria to switch out while it can use Roost or Heal Bell or use Thunder Wave on the incoming teammate.
**Steel-types** : Bulky Steel-type Pokemon such as Klang, Bastiodon, and Metang can take hits from Altaria and proceed to use Roar, Toxic, or deal a hard hit to Altaria. Bastiodon can come in against the specially defensive set due to it resisting Dragon Pulse and Flamethrower not hurting it at all and proceed to get up Stealth Rock, Roar predicting a switch, or Toxic. When weakened, however, they fall to coverage moves such as Earthquake and Fire Blast.
**Rock-types**: Rock-type Pokemon such as Golem and Carracosta can hit Altaria with their super effective STAB moves and can take hits in return. These Pokemon are mostly physically defensive and fail to take special hits, however. Carracosta can come in on the specially defensive set and threaten Altaria out with Stone Edge, which will easily OHKO Altaria, or it can predict the switch and use Shell Smash.
**Lickilicky**: Lickilicky can take hits and can force Altaria to switch out. Dragon Tail can prevent Altaria from setting up with Dragon Dance and proceeding to sweep, which works more effectively with entry hazards wearing down Altaria as it switches in again.
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