[overview]
**Draft Order**: Round 7 onwards
**Price Range**: 3-4 points
**Overview**: Ambipom is an incredibly frail Pokemon that, at face value, does not look strong enough to make up for it. However, with Technician in combination with some solid moves, it can serve as a potent revenge killer or offensive pivot. However, it is very weak, and with no way to boost its Attack stat outside of items, physically bulky Pokemon can easily stop it from doing any damage. Its Speed tier is its big selling point, as it can pester slower Pokemon while still outspeeding some top threats. However, even there it is outclassed by the likes of Cinccino and Maushold.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Offensive Pivot**: Ambipom's high Speed, decent Attack, and ability to lure in Normal-resistant foes make it an excellent budget pivot. Using fast U-turn to switch out of disadvantageous matchups, it can generate momentum for its team.
**Revenge Killer**: Technician-boosted Fake Out can be used in tandem with follow-up moves like Double Hit and Double-Edge to pick off weakened foes.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Double Hit, Double-Edge
**Setup Moves**: Trailblaze
**Utility Moves**: Switcheroo, Taunt, Thunder Wave, Fake Out, U-turn, Knock Off, Brick Break
**Coverage**: Aerial Ace, Fire Punch, Gunk Shot, Ice Punch, Iron Tail, Low Kick, Seed Bomb, Shadow Claw, Smack Down, Tera Blast, Throat Chop, Thunder Punch, Triple Axel
Niche Moves
========
**Beat Up**: Getting a little boost in power from Technician and avoiding contact, Beat Up can be used on Ambipom to take advantage of its team and hit Ghost-types super effectively.
**Last Resort**: Against teams that struggle against Normal, Fake Out + Last Resort can be used as a reliable way to dish out big damage.
Common Items
========
**Damage-boosting Items**: Silk Scarf is the best way to boost Ambipom's damage output, as its Normal moves are typically used most. Life Orb can also boost other moves to help break through Pokemon that resist Normal.
**Choice Band**: Choice Band gives Ambipom more immediate damage and the option to use Switcheroo to cripple physical walls that want to switch in on it.
**Protective Pads**: Protective Pads lets Ambipom avoid adverse contact move effects, being particularly useful since most of its moves make contact.
Niche Items
========
**Heavy-Duty Boots**: If Ambipom intends to pivot in and out of the field using U-turn, Heavy-Duty Boots prevents damage from adding up.
**Choice Scarf**: Choice Scarf gives Ambipom the option to outspeed slower common Choice Scarf users or cripple bulky foes with Switcheroo.
Tera
========
Ambipom is not a great Tera Captain due to its lack of setup and mediocre Attack, but it can be a usable choice for a secondary Tera Captain if nothing else can use it effectively. Tera Normal is typically the best overall, giving a boost to the moves it wants to use most. Other types like Tera Ghost and Fairy can remove its Fighting weakness while keeping a generally good defensive typing.
Draft Strategy
========
Ambipom likes to be on more offensively-oriented drafts, as it provides a lot more use to an offensive team where it can sneak its deceptively high damage output through the cracks of the opponent's team. However, it is very easy for opponents to reliably check, often forcing it to be a fast pivot that can position teammates well.
**Steel- and Rock-type Counters**: Although Ambipom has Low Kick to hit Steel- and Rock-types, it wants more reliable ways in Pokemon like Garchomp, Urshifu-S, and Great Tusk.
**Ghost-type Counters**: Knock Off from Ambipom is good for a one-time debilitating move against Ghost-types, but Pokemon like Chi-Yu, Ting-Lu, and Darkrai that can more reliably deal with Ghost-types are important.
**Special Wallbreakers**: Ambipom can pivot to Pokemon that can break through physical walls like Iron Valiant, Gholdengo, and Iron Moth so that it can clear the way for itself to reliably revenge kill other Pokemon.
Checks and Counters
========
**Physical Walls**: Physically defensive walls, especially ones that resist Ambipom's STAB moves such as Corviknight, Skarmory, and Archaludon, can safely switch into it and threaten it with their powerful Body Press. Most of Ambipom's moves rely on it making contact with its foe, meaning that these defensive Pokemon can hold a Rocky Helmet and punish its usage of contact moves.
**Faster Pokemon and Priority**: Due to Ambipom's frailty, Pokemon such as Iron Valiant, Cinderace, and Meowscarada can all outspeed and easily KO it, while Pokemon like Palafin, Scizor, and Conkeldurr can pick it off with their priority moves if it has a little prior damage dealt to it.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/drizzle.313217/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/big-pharma.657717/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno.527276/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno.527276/
**Draft Order**: Round 7 onwards
**Price Range**: 3-4 points
**Overview**: Ambipom is an incredibly frail Pokemon that, at face value, does not look strong enough to make up for it. However, with Technician in combination with some solid moves, it can serve as a potent revenge killer or offensive pivot. However, it is very weak, and with no way to boost its Attack stat outside of items, physically bulky Pokemon can easily stop it from doing any damage. Its Speed tier is its big selling point, as it can pester slower Pokemon while still outspeeding some top threats. However, even there it is outclassed by the likes of Cinccino and Maushold.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Offensive Pivot**: Ambipom's high Speed, decent Attack, and ability to lure in Normal-resistant foes make it an excellent budget pivot. Using fast U-turn to switch out of disadvantageous matchups, it can generate momentum for its team.
**Revenge Killer**: Technician-boosted Fake Out can be used in tandem with follow-up moves like Double Hit and Double-Edge to pick off weakened foes.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Double Hit, Double-Edge
**Setup Moves**: Trailblaze
**Utility Moves**: Switcheroo, Taunt, Thunder Wave, Fake Out, U-turn, Knock Off, Brick Break
**Coverage**: Aerial Ace, Fire Punch, Gunk Shot, Ice Punch, Iron Tail, Low Kick, Seed Bomb, Shadow Claw, Smack Down, Tera Blast, Throat Chop, Thunder Punch, Triple Axel
Niche Moves
========
**Beat Up**: Getting a little boost in power from Technician and avoiding contact, Beat Up can be used on Ambipom to take advantage of its team and hit Ghost-types super effectively.
**Last Resort**: Against teams that struggle against Normal, Fake Out + Last Resort can be used as a reliable way to dish out big damage.
Common Items
========
**Damage-boosting Items**: Silk Scarf is the best way to boost Ambipom's damage output, as its Normal moves are typically used most. Life Orb can also boost other moves to help break through Pokemon that resist Normal.
**Choice Band**: Choice Band gives Ambipom more immediate damage and the option to use Switcheroo to cripple physical walls that want to switch in on it.
**Protective Pads**: Protective Pads lets Ambipom avoid adverse contact move effects, being particularly useful since most of its moves make contact.
Niche Items
========
**Heavy-Duty Boots**: If Ambipom intends to pivot in and out of the field using U-turn, Heavy-Duty Boots prevents damage from adding up.
**Choice Scarf**: Choice Scarf gives Ambipom the option to outspeed slower common Choice Scarf users or cripple bulky foes with Switcheroo.
Tera
========
Ambipom is not a great Tera Captain due to its lack of setup and mediocre Attack, but it can be a usable choice for a secondary Tera Captain if nothing else can use it effectively. Tera Normal is typically the best overall, giving a boost to the moves it wants to use most. Other types like Tera Ghost and Fairy can remove its Fighting weakness while keeping a generally good defensive typing.
Draft Strategy
========
Ambipom likes to be on more offensively-oriented drafts, as it provides a lot more use to an offensive team where it can sneak its deceptively high damage output through the cracks of the opponent's team. However, it is very easy for opponents to reliably check, often forcing it to be a fast pivot that can position teammates well.
**Steel- and Rock-type Counters**: Although Ambipom has Low Kick to hit Steel- and Rock-types, it wants more reliable ways in Pokemon like Garchomp, Urshifu-S, and Great Tusk.
**Ghost-type Counters**: Knock Off from Ambipom is good for a one-time debilitating move against Ghost-types, but Pokemon like Chi-Yu, Ting-Lu, and Darkrai that can more reliably deal with Ghost-types are important.
**Special Wallbreakers**: Ambipom can pivot to Pokemon that can break through physical walls like Iron Valiant, Gholdengo, and Iron Moth so that it can clear the way for itself to reliably revenge kill other Pokemon.
Checks and Counters
========
**Physical Walls**: Physically defensive walls, especially ones that resist Ambipom's STAB moves such as Corviknight, Skarmory, and Archaludon, can safely switch into it and threaten it with their powerful Body Press. Most of Ambipom's moves rely on it making contact with its foe, meaning that these defensive Pokemon can hold a Rocky Helmet and punish its usage of contact moves.
**Faster Pokemon and Priority**: Due to Ambipom's frailty, Pokemon such as Iron Valiant, Cinderace, and Meowscarada can all outspeed and easily KO it, while Pokemon like Palafin, Scizor, and Conkeldurr can pick it off with their priority moves if it has a little prior damage dealt to it.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/drizzle.313217/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/big-pharma.657717/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno.527276/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno.527276/
Last edited:
