[overview]
**Draft Order**: Round 7 onwards
**Price Range**: 3-4 points
**Overview**: Alolan Persian is a cheap defensive pivot that takes advantage of its high base Speed and a great ability in Fur Coat to check physical attackers; disrupt the opposing team with Knock Off, Thunder Wave, and Taunt; and grab momentum with Parting Shot and U-turn. However, the remainder of its stats are extremely poor, leaving it offensively unthreatening and defensively vulnerable to almost any special attacker. It also lacks reliable recovery and any particularly relevant resistances, making it easily worn down over the course of a game. While Alolan Persian should not be expected to fill important roles or come to most games, it can fit on some drafts as a competent revenge killer and check to physical attackers that its teammates may struggle with.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Utility Pivot**: Alolan Persian's high base Speed and decent Fur Coat-boosted bulk enable it to switch into physical attackers and disrupt them with moves such as Knock Off, Thunder Wave, and Taunt or pivot to a teammate with Parting Shot or U-turn. These sets often use Foul Play to do significant damage to the physical attackers it is tasked with checking.
**Revenge Killer**: High base Speed and access to STAB Foul Play allow Alolan Persian to effectively revenge kill many physical sweepers after they have boosted their Attack. Choice Scarf is common on these sets to allow it to revenge kill Speed-boosting sweepers such as Dragon Dance users.
**Setup Sweeper**: Despite Alolan Persian's pitiful base offenses, its high base Speed, good physical bulk, and surprisingly deep pool of coverage options can allow it to clean up against sufficiently weakened teams with a Nasty Plot boost. It can also use Technician to boost the power of its weaker coverage options; however, forgoing Fur Coat makes it far harder to set up with.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Knock Off, Foul Play, Dark Pulse
**Setup Moves**: Nasty Plot
**Utility Moves**: Taunt, Parting Shot, U-turn, Thunder Wave, Switcheroo, Hypnosis, Roar
**Coverage**: Gunk Shot, Play Rough, Thunderbolt, Power Gem, Burning Jealousy, Icy Wind
Niche Moves
========
**Endeavor**: Endeavor allows Alolan Persian to quickly drop the health of an opposing Pokemon after it has taken chip damage or retaliate after tanking a strong physical attack.
**Stat-lowering Moves**: Alolan Persian has access to all of Fake Tears, Screech, Charm, Icy Wind, Skitter Smack, and Chilling Water, which can be situationally useful to prevent it from being set up on and give its teammates an easier time defeating the opposing Pokemon after it pivots out or faints.
**Throat Chop**: While outclassed by Foul Play and Knock Off the majority of the time, Alolan Persian can occasionally make use of Throat Chop to disrupt opposing Pokemon that rely on sound moves.
Common Items
========
**Heavy-Duty Boots**: As Alolan Persian often pivots in and out repeatedly and has no access to recovery, it is prone to being chipped significantly by entry hazards. Heavy-Duty Boots lets it avoid hazard damage and stay healthy enough to check opposing Pokemon.
**Rocky Helmet**: Most moves used by the physical attackers Alolan Persian is tasked with checking make contact, so Rocky Helmet is a good way to rack up extra chip damage.
**Choice Scarf**: Choice Scarf allows Alolan Persian to revenge kill opposing Speed-boosting setup sweepers, such as Dragon Dance and Trailblaze users. It can also be paired with Switcheroo to cripple bulky Pokemon and hinder setup sweepers.
Niche Items
========
**Sitrus Berry**: Alolan Persian lacks any form of recovery besides Rest, so Sitrus Berry can be useful to improve its longevity and notably allows it to avoid 2HKOs that it usually would not.
**Leftovers**: Leftovers is an alternative to a Sitrus Berry in matchups where Alolan Persian is likely to spend a larger number of turns on the field.
**Resistance Berries**: While Alolan Persian's physical bulk is decent, strong super effective moves can still OHKO it. Resistance Berries can allow it to survive an attack to land a Foul Play or Thunder Wave on the opposing Pokemon.
Tera
========
Alolan Persian's lack of offensive output and poor special bulk make it ill-suited to being a Tera Captain, but it can be a passable secondary Tera user on drafts that have a top-tier Tera Captain and no stronger candidates. It should only be used occasionally in matchups where a specific defensive typing, such as Tera Fairy, Poison, or Water, allows it to check an opposing Pokemon that its teammates would otherwise struggle against.
Draft Strategy
========
Alolan Persian should only be taken at the end of a draft on an otherwise complete team that benefits from it patching up some weaknesses. It fits best on offensive drafts that appreciate its pivoting and ability to check some attackers in the short term. As its Speed is its one niche over other cheap utility Pokemon, it should generally only taken when a draft lacks other Pokemon around its Speed tier or struggles with revenge killing physical attackers. The following roles are particularly important for Alolan Persian to be an effective teammate:
**Specially Defensive Teammates**: Alolan Persian is very vulnerable to special attacks, and many special attackers can switch in on it freely. Teammates such as Galaring Slowking, Jirachi, and Tentacruel can switch into the attacks that threaten Alolan Persian and appreciate its ability to switch into Knock Off and other physical attacks in return.
**Entry Hazard Support**: While Alolan Persian is lacking in direct damage, it can be effective at maximizing chip damage from entry hazards by removing Heavy-Duty Boots from opposing Pokemon and pivoting frequently. Reliable hazard setters such as Garchomp, Glimmora, and Landorus-T thus make good partners for Alolan Persian.
Checks and Counters
========
**Special Attackers**: Alolan Persian's base defensive stats are very poor, and since Fur Coat only applies to its physical bulk, it can be easily dispatched by most special attackers. The low Attack stats of most special attackers also allow them to take very little damage from Foul Play.
**Dark-resistant Pokemon**: Due to its reliance on Foul Play for damage, Dark-resistant Pokemon such as Zarude, Kingambit, and Great Tusk are unbothered by Alolan Persian's attacks. Dark-resistant Tera types such as the common Tera Fairy also cause problems for Alolan Persian.
**Chip Damage**: As Alolan Persian has no way to reliably recover health, it is vulnerable to accumulating chip damage, which can leave it unable to check its intended targets later in a game. In addition to damage from entry hazards and tanking weaker attacks, it is also susceptible to opposing Rocky Helmet, as most of its attacks make contact.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/wughead.622647
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/drizzle.313217
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno.527276
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/autumn.384270
**Draft Order**: Round 7 onwards
**Price Range**: 3-4 points
**Overview**: Alolan Persian is a cheap defensive pivot that takes advantage of its high base Speed and a great ability in Fur Coat to check physical attackers; disrupt the opposing team with Knock Off, Thunder Wave, and Taunt; and grab momentum with Parting Shot and U-turn. However, the remainder of its stats are extremely poor, leaving it offensively unthreatening and defensively vulnerable to almost any special attacker. It also lacks reliable recovery and any particularly relevant resistances, making it easily worn down over the course of a game. While Alolan Persian should not be expected to fill important roles or come to most games, it can fit on some drafts as a competent revenge killer and check to physical attackers that its teammates may struggle with.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Utility Pivot**: Alolan Persian's high base Speed and decent Fur Coat-boosted bulk enable it to switch into physical attackers and disrupt them with moves such as Knock Off, Thunder Wave, and Taunt or pivot to a teammate with Parting Shot or U-turn. These sets often use Foul Play to do significant damage to the physical attackers it is tasked with checking.
**Revenge Killer**: High base Speed and access to STAB Foul Play allow Alolan Persian to effectively revenge kill many physical sweepers after they have boosted their Attack. Choice Scarf is common on these sets to allow it to revenge kill Speed-boosting sweepers such as Dragon Dance users.
**Setup Sweeper**: Despite Alolan Persian's pitiful base offenses, its high base Speed, good physical bulk, and surprisingly deep pool of coverage options can allow it to clean up against sufficiently weakened teams with a Nasty Plot boost. It can also use Technician to boost the power of its weaker coverage options; however, forgoing Fur Coat makes it far harder to set up with.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Knock Off, Foul Play, Dark Pulse
**Setup Moves**: Nasty Plot
**Utility Moves**: Taunt, Parting Shot, U-turn, Thunder Wave, Switcheroo, Hypnosis, Roar
**Coverage**: Gunk Shot, Play Rough, Thunderbolt, Power Gem, Burning Jealousy, Icy Wind
Niche Moves
========
**Endeavor**: Endeavor allows Alolan Persian to quickly drop the health of an opposing Pokemon after it has taken chip damage or retaliate after tanking a strong physical attack.
**Stat-lowering Moves**: Alolan Persian has access to all of Fake Tears, Screech, Charm, Icy Wind, Skitter Smack, and Chilling Water, which can be situationally useful to prevent it from being set up on and give its teammates an easier time defeating the opposing Pokemon after it pivots out or faints.
**Throat Chop**: While outclassed by Foul Play and Knock Off the majority of the time, Alolan Persian can occasionally make use of Throat Chop to disrupt opposing Pokemon that rely on sound moves.
Common Items
========
**Heavy-Duty Boots**: As Alolan Persian often pivots in and out repeatedly and has no access to recovery, it is prone to being chipped significantly by entry hazards. Heavy-Duty Boots lets it avoid hazard damage and stay healthy enough to check opposing Pokemon.
**Rocky Helmet**: Most moves used by the physical attackers Alolan Persian is tasked with checking make contact, so Rocky Helmet is a good way to rack up extra chip damage.
**Choice Scarf**: Choice Scarf allows Alolan Persian to revenge kill opposing Speed-boosting setup sweepers, such as Dragon Dance and Trailblaze users. It can also be paired with Switcheroo to cripple bulky Pokemon and hinder setup sweepers.
Niche Items
========
**Sitrus Berry**: Alolan Persian lacks any form of recovery besides Rest, so Sitrus Berry can be useful to improve its longevity and notably allows it to avoid 2HKOs that it usually would not.
**Leftovers**: Leftovers is an alternative to a Sitrus Berry in matchups where Alolan Persian is likely to spend a larger number of turns on the field.
**Resistance Berries**: While Alolan Persian's physical bulk is decent, strong super effective moves can still OHKO it. Resistance Berries can allow it to survive an attack to land a Foul Play or Thunder Wave on the opposing Pokemon.
Tera
========
Alolan Persian's lack of offensive output and poor special bulk make it ill-suited to being a Tera Captain, but it can be a passable secondary Tera user on drafts that have a top-tier Tera Captain and no stronger candidates. It should only be used occasionally in matchups where a specific defensive typing, such as Tera Fairy, Poison, or Water, allows it to check an opposing Pokemon that its teammates would otherwise struggle against.
Draft Strategy
========
Alolan Persian should only be taken at the end of a draft on an otherwise complete team that benefits from it patching up some weaknesses. It fits best on offensive drafts that appreciate its pivoting and ability to check some attackers in the short term. As its Speed is its one niche over other cheap utility Pokemon, it should generally only taken when a draft lacks other Pokemon around its Speed tier or struggles with revenge killing physical attackers. The following roles are particularly important for Alolan Persian to be an effective teammate:
**Specially Defensive Teammates**: Alolan Persian is very vulnerable to special attacks, and many special attackers can switch in on it freely. Teammates such as Galaring Slowking, Jirachi, and Tentacruel can switch into the attacks that threaten Alolan Persian and appreciate its ability to switch into Knock Off and other physical attacks in return.
**Entry Hazard Support**: While Alolan Persian is lacking in direct damage, it can be effective at maximizing chip damage from entry hazards by removing Heavy-Duty Boots from opposing Pokemon and pivoting frequently. Reliable hazard setters such as Garchomp, Glimmora, and Landorus-T thus make good partners for Alolan Persian.
Checks and Counters
========
**Special Attackers**: Alolan Persian's base defensive stats are very poor, and since Fur Coat only applies to its physical bulk, it can be easily dispatched by most special attackers. The low Attack stats of most special attackers also allow them to take very little damage from Foul Play.
**Dark-resistant Pokemon**: Due to its reliance on Foul Play for damage, Dark-resistant Pokemon such as Zarude, Kingambit, and Great Tusk are unbothered by Alolan Persian's attacks. Dark-resistant Tera types such as the common Tera Fairy also cause problems for Alolan Persian.
**Chip Damage**: As Alolan Persian has no way to reliably recover health, it is vulnerable to accumulating chip damage, which can leave it unable to check its intended targets later in a game. In addition to damage from entry hazards and tanking weaker attacks, it is also susceptible to opposing Rocky Helmet, as most of its attacks make contact.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/wughead.622647
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/drizzle.313217
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno.527276
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/autumn.384270
Last edited:
