[SET]
Substitute (Onix) @ Leftovers
Ability: Rock Head
EVs: 176 HP / 156 Atk / 176 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Substitute
- Explosion / Protect
[SET COMMENTS]
Enormous Defense and a Rock typing give Onix a helpful position in ADV ZU as a check to physical attackers like Doduo, Beedrill, Anorith, and offensive Mightyena. Onix's solid base 70 Speed makes it a uniquely fast tank compared to other Rock-types like Corsola and Rhyhorn, as it can get the jump on otherwise troublesome special attackers like Flaaffy, Seaking, and Chinchou. Substitute lets Onix use the free turns it generates against Normal-types like Aipom and Doduo to better position itself against potential switch-ins like Corsola and Rhyhorn, and revenge killers like Hidden Power Grass Ponyta, Quilava, and Abra are thwarted by Onix's Substitute. Explosion lets Onix remove or make enormous dents in troublesome walls like Gloom, Porygon, and Koffing. In addition, it lets Onix trade with major offensive threats like Clamperl and Seaking that it wouldn't otherwise OHKO. Substitute synergizes with Explosion by letting Onix scout common users of Protect, such as Castform, Noctowl, and Seaking. Onix can use Protect itself over Explosion, enabling it to scout faster Choice Band users like Aipom, Doduo, and Volbeat for their Ground- and Fighting-type coverage moves. Protect also grants Onix extra passive recovery from Leftovers, which is an asset considering it has no other recovery. 176 Speed EVs and a Jolly nature make Onix faster than Meditite, neutral-natured Seaking and Chinchou, and offensive Mightyena. Choice Band Doduo only has a 1.2% to 2HKO Onix with Hidden Power Ground after Leftovers recovery when it has 176 HP EVs. The remaining EVs are dumped into Attack to give a much-needed boost to Onix's power, notably pushing Explosion over OHKO thresholds against targets like Porygon, Gloom, and Cubone, and the extra power helps Onix wallbreak more effectively against foes like Noctowl and Flaaffy without opening itself up to being KOed back.
Onix shores up both the defensive backbone and speed control of offense and bulky offense teams. Its Explosion removing or heavily damaging bulky foes can open up a variety of teammates; Ponyta, Quilava, Beedrill, and Anorith thrive as cleaners from the holes Onix can blow into cores relying on bulky Water-types like Clamperl, Seaking, and Wartortle; Abra and specially offensive Ponyta love Porygon being out of the picture and having a Rock-type like Onix to tank Quick Attack from Doduo; Meditite can finish off weakened Koffing and Tropius, and Onix can handle faster Normal-types like Aipom and Doduo for it. Special walls like Gloom, Porygon, and Noctowl make up for Onix's awful special bulk, and they form complementary defensive cores with it thanks to its ability to answer physical attackers like Anorith and Beedrill. Wish support from Delcatty and Drowzee and Leech Seed support from Gloom and Tropius can provide some additional recovery for Onix, which otherwise lacks recovery beyond Leftovers. Onix is quite passive, even against targets it hits super effectively like Corsola, so it depends on more offensive teammates to pick up its slack; Seaking and Ponyta can handle Koffing, Clamperl and Gloom pressure Corsola, and offensive Mightyena and Meditite can beat Castform and Porygon.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Toxic lets Onix wear down walls like Tropius, Corsola, and Lileep that it wouldn't otherwise beat on its own, but Onix has to give up one of one of its non-STAB moves for it. Dropping Substitute hurts Onix's defensive utility, going without Explosion takes away from Onix's offensive potential, and not using Protect hinders Onix's longevity and ability to scout.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Special Attacks**: Water- and Grass-types like Seaking and Gloom have no problem OHKOing Onix with their 4x super effective STAB attacks, and Abra hardly needs any prior chip damage to OHKO Onix. Hidden Power Grass coverage from Fire-types like Ponyta and Quilava, Flaaffy, and Normal-types like Doduo and Noctowl easily disposes of Onix.
**Bulky Pokemon**: Walls like Gloom, Porygon, and Mightyena can easily stomach Onix's attacks, only fearing Explosion. Corsola and Tropius have the bulk to withstand even super effective attacks from Onix and heal off the damage. Lileep, especially physically defensive variants, is especially good at walling Onix.
**Fighting- and Ground-type Attacks**: Meditite has a 75% chance to OHKO Onix, but it must mind its poor bulk and lower Speed. Aipom, Volbeat, and Anorith have Fighting-type moves to 2HKO or 3HKO Onix. Cubone and Rhyhorn can generally tank Earthquake from Onix and retaliate with their own stronger Ground-type attacks, the former being able to hit Onix while behind a Substitute if using Bonemerang.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/missangelic.452572/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/bp.272450/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/beatsblack.479897/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/adorluigi.528364/
Substitute (Onix) @ Leftovers
Ability: Rock Head
EVs: 176 HP / 156 Atk / 176 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Substitute
- Explosion / Protect
[SET COMMENTS]
Enormous Defense and a Rock typing give Onix a helpful position in ADV ZU as a check to physical attackers like Doduo, Beedrill, Anorith, and offensive Mightyena. Onix's solid base 70 Speed makes it a uniquely fast tank compared to other Rock-types like Corsola and Rhyhorn, as it can get the jump on otherwise troublesome special attackers like Flaaffy, Seaking, and Chinchou. Substitute lets Onix use the free turns it generates against Normal-types like Aipom and Doduo to better position itself against potential switch-ins like Corsola and Rhyhorn, and revenge killers like Hidden Power Grass Ponyta, Quilava, and Abra are thwarted by Onix's Substitute. Explosion lets Onix remove or make enormous dents in troublesome walls like Gloom, Porygon, and Koffing. In addition, it lets Onix trade with major offensive threats like Clamperl and Seaking that it wouldn't otherwise OHKO. Substitute synergizes with Explosion by letting Onix scout common users of Protect, such as Castform, Noctowl, and Seaking. Onix can use Protect itself over Explosion, enabling it to scout faster Choice Band users like Aipom, Doduo, and Volbeat for their Ground- and Fighting-type coverage moves. Protect also grants Onix extra passive recovery from Leftovers, which is an asset considering it has no other recovery. 176 Speed EVs and a Jolly nature make Onix faster than Meditite, neutral-natured Seaking and Chinchou, and offensive Mightyena. Choice Band Doduo only has a 1.2% to 2HKO Onix with Hidden Power Ground after Leftovers recovery when it has 176 HP EVs. The remaining EVs are dumped into Attack to give a much-needed boost to Onix's power, notably pushing Explosion over OHKO thresholds against targets like Porygon, Gloom, and Cubone, and the extra power helps Onix wallbreak more effectively against foes like Noctowl and Flaaffy without opening itself up to being KOed back.
Onix shores up both the defensive backbone and speed control of offense and bulky offense teams. Its Explosion removing or heavily damaging bulky foes can open up a variety of teammates; Ponyta, Quilava, Beedrill, and Anorith thrive as cleaners from the holes Onix can blow into cores relying on bulky Water-types like Clamperl, Seaking, and Wartortle; Abra and specially offensive Ponyta love Porygon being out of the picture and having a Rock-type like Onix to tank Quick Attack from Doduo; Meditite can finish off weakened Koffing and Tropius, and Onix can handle faster Normal-types like Aipom and Doduo for it. Special walls like Gloom, Porygon, and Noctowl make up for Onix's awful special bulk, and they form complementary defensive cores with it thanks to its ability to answer physical attackers like Anorith and Beedrill. Wish support from Delcatty and Drowzee and Leech Seed support from Gloom and Tropius can provide some additional recovery for Onix, which otherwise lacks recovery beyond Leftovers. Onix is quite passive, even against targets it hits super effectively like Corsola, so it depends on more offensive teammates to pick up its slack; Seaking and Ponyta can handle Koffing, Clamperl and Gloom pressure Corsola, and offensive Mightyena and Meditite can beat Castform and Porygon.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Toxic lets Onix wear down walls like Tropius, Corsola, and Lileep that it wouldn't otherwise beat on its own, but Onix has to give up one of one of its non-STAB moves for it. Dropping Substitute hurts Onix's defensive utility, going without Explosion takes away from Onix's offensive potential, and not using Protect hinders Onix's longevity and ability to scout.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Special Attacks**: Water- and Grass-types like Seaking and Gloom have no problem OHKOing Onix with their 4x super effective STAB attacks, and Abra hardly needs any prior chip damage to OHKO Onix. Hidden Power Grass coverage from Fire-types like Ponyta and Quilava, Flaaffy, and Normal-types like Doduo and Noctowl easily disposes of Onix.
**Bulky Pokemon**: Walls like Gloom, Porygon, and Mightyena can easily stomach Onix's attacks, only fearing Explosion. Corsola and Tropius have the bulk to withstand even super effective attacks from Onix and heal off the damage. Lileep, especially physically defensive variants, is especially good at walling Onix.
**Fighting- and Ground-type Attacks**: Meditite has a 75% chance to OHKO Onix, but it must mind its poor bulk and lower Speed. Aipom, Volbeat, and Anorith have Fighting-type moves to 2HKO or 3HKO Onix. Cubone and Rhyhorn can generally tank Earthquake from Onix and retaliate with their own stronger Ground-type attacks, the former being able to hit Onix while behind a Substitute if using Bonemerang.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/missangelic.452572/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/bp.272450/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/beatsblack.479897/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/adorluigi.528364/
Last edited:
