[OVERVIEW]
Amoonguss is a great pivot in BW OU thanks to its solid typing and defensive stats alongside its ability to recover HP every time it switches out thanks to Regenerator. Due to this combination, it is a great switch-in to Pokemon such as Keldeo, Breloom, Politoed, Rotom-W, and Thundurus-T. Unfortunately, Amoonguss is held back by its susceptibility to entry hazards and its passivity making it fodder for setup sweepers and entry hazard setters, and it is a big momentum drain as well.
[SET]
name: Defensive Pivot
move 1: Stun Spore
move 2: Giga Drain
move 3: Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Fire
move 4: Sludge Bomb / Clear Smog
item: Black Sludge
ability: Regenerator
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Stun Spore allows Amoonguss to cripple Pokemon such as Latios, Excadrill, and Terrakion on the switch and open the door for slower wallbreakers to blow holes in the opposing team. In particular, it can absolutely ruin Pokemon such as Latios that can generally take a hit from Amoonguss otherwise. However, it only has 75% accuracy, which can be game changing on occasion. Giga Drain allows Amoonguss to beat threats such as Keldeo and Politoed, and it conveniently can help Amoonguss recover HP when sand is up, which is expected because Amoonguss often ends up on sand teams. The choice of Hidden Power is relatively team dependent. Hidden Power Ice is generally the preferred option, as it hits Garchomp, Landorus-T, and Gliscor very hard and does non-negligible damage to Latios and Thundurus-T, making it more difficult for them to come in and force Amoonguss out. Hidden Power Fire is an option, however, if pressuring Ferrothorn, Skarmory, Excadrill, and the rare Scizor helps the team more, but it doesn't hit much else and is weakened in rain to the point where it is best to switch out anyway. Sludge Bomb is recommended in the last slot as a stronger STAB move that can poison switch-ins, making it a good general purpose move, and it most notably does major damage to Breloom, which Amoonguss is often tasked with handling. Clear Smog is another option that makes Amoonguss better at handling Pokemon such as Swords Dance Breloom, Calm Mind Keldeo, and Calm Mind Reuniclus, but it is less useful than Sludge Bomb in most matchups. In addition, Clear Smog must never be used alongside Hidden Power Fire, as such a set allows free Substitutes for Thundurus-T and Dragon-types such as Dragonite.
Set Details
========
Regenerator lets Amoonguss stick around over the course of long games. The EVs are placed in Defense to make Amoonguss a better check to Breloom and an acceptable switch-in to Pokemon such as Landorus-T.
Usage Tips
========
Amoonguss is best used to switch into Pokemon such as Rotom-W, Keldeo, and Breloom and force them out while spreading paralysis. Depending on its moveset, it can also come into Pokemon like Gliscor and Landorus-T and pressure them. Amoonguss's presence can also force mindgames against Terrakion, but it does not want to come in on Stone Edge. One must be careful when dealing with Ferrothorn because of Knock Off, which removes the Black Sludge Amoonguss needs to compensate for its vulnerability to all types of entry hazards, which are very widespread in BW, and sand, which is problematic because Amoonguss is most often used on sand teams. Be careful when playing against Skarmory, Ferrothorn, Jirachi, and Heatran when not running Hidden Power Fire, as Amoonguss lets them switch in relatively freely, allowing them to set up entry hazards, set up a Substitute, or fire off a threatening attack like Lava Plume or Brave Bird. Jirachi can also use Wish freely.
Team Options
========
Rapid Spin support from Excadrill and Starmie is very helpful, as Amoonguss is still quite vulnerable to entry hazards despite Regenerator. In return, Amoonguss can spread paralysis, making it easier for Excadrill to break down the opposing team and switch into Pokemon like Keldeo that threaten it. Tyranitar is a good partner, as Amoonguss can handle Pokemon such as Keldeo and Breloom that threaten it, and Tyranitar can in turn handle Latios, Alakazam, and Reuniclus. Magnezone is an excellent teammate, as it can remove the Steel-types that otherwise switch into standard Amoonguss freely. Keldeo threatens Pokemon such as Heatran and appreciates Amoonguss's ability to paralyze its faster checks like Latios and Tornadus. Heatran threatens many of the entry hazard setters in BW OU and has excellent defensive synergy with Amoonguss. Slowbro and Slowking also have good synergy with Amoonguss, notably forming a Regenerator core to keep both Pokemon healthy throughout the game. Slowking, or another bulky Water-type like Rotom-W, Gastrodon, or Jellicent, is also helpful because Amoonguss is not capable of beating Keldeo under rain on its own. Pokemon that generally appreciate the paralysis support Amoonguss provides, such as Dragonite, Garchomp, Terrakion, Mamoswine, Gliscor, and Reuniclus, make good teammates as well.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Specially defensive EV spreads can be used to better handle Pokemon such as Keldeo and Thundurus-T, but they compromise Amoonguss's ability to deal with Breloom, Landorus-T, and the like. Worry Seed is an option that allows Amoonguss to pressure Pokemon such as Gliscor and Reuniclus, but its situational nature makes it very hard to justify over Amoonguss's other moves, all of which are important. Toxic would work well in conjunction with the sand that is usually present with Amoonguss, but most of Amoonguss's switch-ins are Steel-types, rendering it useless against them. Venoshock can be used to OHKO most Breloom but is generally useless in most other matchups. Protect allows Amoonguss to scout Choice item users, but it takes up a valuable moveslot and does nothing to mitigate Amoonguss's passivity.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Steel-types**: Steel-types do not take much damage from Amoonguss and can deal heavy damage to it in Heatran's case or set up entry hazards in Ferrothorn's and Skarmory's cases. Ferrothorn can also remove Amoonguss's Black Sludge with Knock Off, which means it can be worn down quickly with sand up. Jirachi can set up a Substitute or Stealth Rock against Amoonguss and use Wish to recover health or support its teammates. Scizor also does not mind Amoonguss most of the time, but it does fear Hidden Power Fire, as do other Steel-types to a lesser extent.
**Gliscor**: Specially defensive Gliscor can withstand Hidden Power Ice and doesn't mind anything else that Amoonguss can throw at it, notably blocking Stun Spore with its Toxic Orb, although uninvested Gliscor does take significant damage from Hidden Power Ice.
**Psychic-types**: Psychic-types such as Alakazam and Reuniclus can threaten to KO Amoonguss. Reuniclus is particularly problematic, as it does not mind paralysis too much, can comfortably stomach any attack Amoonguss throws at it, and can even set up if Amoonguss lacks Clear Smog.
**Strong Special Attackers**: Special attackers like Latios and Tornadus, provided they switch in against the correct move, can threaten to OHKO Amoonguss and force it out.
**Dragon-types**: Dragon-types such as Latios, Dragonite, and Garchomp can force Amoonguss out and take little from most of its moves aside from Hidden Power Ice, but they need to be wary of Stun Spore.
**Volcarona**: Volcarona resists Giga Drain and Hidden Power Ice, takes little from Hidden Power Fire and Clear Smog, and can shrug off a Sludge Bomb poison or Stun Spore with Lum Berry. This means that it can set up in Amoonguss's face and threaten to sweep.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Ununhexium, 214836]]
- Quality checked by: [[Caetano93, 394051], [Finchinator, 114198]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Finland, 517429], [Rabia, 336073]]
Amoonguss is a great pivot in BW OU thanks to its solid typing and defensive stats alongside its ability to recover HP every time it switches out thanks to Regenerator. Due to this combination, it is a great switch-in to Pokemon such as Keldeo, Breloom, Politoed, Rotom-W, and Thundurus-T. Unfortunately, Amoonguss is held back by its susceptibility to entry hazards and its passivity making it fodder for setup sweepers and entry hazard setters, and it is a big momentum drain as well.
[SET]
name: Defensive Pivot
move 1: Stun Spore
move 2: Giga Drain
move 3: Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Fire
move 4: Sludge Bomb / Clear Smog
item: Black Sludge
ability: Regenerator
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Stun Spore allows Amoonguss to cripple Pokemon such as Latios, Excadrill, and Terrakion on the switch and open the door for slower wallbreakers to blow holes in the opposing team. In particular, it can absolutely ruin Pokemon such as Latios that can generally take a hit from Amoonguss otherwise. However, it only has 75% accuracy, which can be game changing on occasion. Giga Drain allows Amoonguss to beat threats such as Keldeo and Politoed, and it conveniently can help Amoonguss recover HP when sand is up, which is expected because Amoonguss often ends up on sand teams. The choice of Hidden Power is relatively team dependent. Hidden Power Ice is generally the preferred option, as it hits Garchomp, Landorus-T, and Gliscor very hard and does non-negligible damage to Latios and Thundurus-T, making it more difficult for them to come in and force Amoonguss out. Hidden Power Fire is an option, however, if pressuring Ferrothorn, Skarmory, Excadrill, and the rare Scizor helps the team more, but it doesn't hit much else and is weakened in rain to the point where it is best to switch out anyway. Sludge Bomb is recommended in the last slot as a stronger STAB move that can poison switch-ins, making it a good general purpose move, and it most notably does major damage to Breloom, which Amoonguss is often tasked with handling. Clear Smog is another option that makes Amoonguss better at handling Pokemon such as Swords Dance Breloom, Calm Mind Keldeo, and Calm Mind Reuniclus, but it is less useful than Sludge Bomb in most matchups. In addition, Clear Smog must never be used alongside Hidden Power Fire, as such a set allows free Substitutes for Thundurus-T and Dragon-types such as Dragonite.
Set Details
========
Regenerator lets Amoonguss stick around over the course of long games. The EVs are placed in Defense to make Amoonguss a better check to Breloom and an acceptable switch-in to Pokemon such as Landorus-T.
Usage Tips
========
Amoonguss is best used to switch into Pokemon such as Rotom-W, Keldeo, and Breloom and force them out while spreading paralysis. Depending on its moveset, it can also come into Pokemon like Gliscor and Landorus-T and pressure them. Amoonguss's presence can also force mindgames against Terrakion, but it does not want to come in on Stone Edge. One must be careful when dealing with Ferrothorn because of Knock Off, which removes the Black Sludge Amoonguss needs to compensate for its vulnerability to all types of entry hazards, which are very widespread in BW, and sand, which is problematic because Amoonguss is most often used on sand teams. Be careful when playing against Skarmory, Ferrothorn, Jirachi, and Heatran when not running Hidden Power Fire, as Amoonguss lets them switch in relatively freely, allowing them to set up entry hazards, set up a Substitute, or fire off a threatening attack like Lava Plume or Brave Bird. Jirachi can also use Wish freely.
Team Options
========
Rapid Spin support from Excadrill and Starmie is very helpful, as Amoonguss is still quite vulnerable to entry hazards despite Regenerator. In return, Amoonguss can spread paralysis, making it easier for Excadrill to break down the opposing team and switch into Pokemon like Keldeo that threaten it. Tyranitar is a good partner, as Amoonguss can handle Pokemon such as Keldeo and Breloom that threaten it, and Tyranitar can in turn handle Latios, Alakazam, and Reuniclus. Magnezone is an excellent teammate, as it can remove the Steel-types that otherwise switch into standard Amoonguss freely. Keldeo threatens Pokemon such as Heatran and appreciates Amoonguss's ability to paralyze its faster checks like Latios and Tornadus. Heatran threatens many of the entry hazard setters in BW OU and has excellent defensive synergy with Amoonguss. Slowbro and Slowking also have good synergy with Amoonguss, notably forming a Regenerator core to keep both Pokemon healthy throughout the game. Slowking, or another bulky Water-type like Rotom-W, Gastrodon, or Jellicent, is also helpful because Amoonguss is not capable of beating Keldeo under rain on its own. Pokemon that generally appreciate the paralysis support Amoonguss provides, such as Dragonite, Garchomp, Terrakion, Mamoswine, Gliscor, and Reuniclus, make good teammates as well.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Specially defensive EV spreads can be used to better handle Pokemon such as Keldeo and Thundurus-T, but they compromise Amoonguss's ability to deal with Breloom, Landorus-T, and the like. Worry Seed is an option that allows Amoonguss to pressure Pokemon such as Gliscor and Reuniclus, but its situational nature makes it very hard to justify over Amoonguss's other moves, all of which are important. Toxic would work well in conjunction with the sand that is usually present with Amoonguss, but most of Amoonguss's switch-ins are Steel-types, rendering it useless against them. Venoshock can be used to OHKO most Breloom but is generally useless in most other matchups. Protect allows Amoonguss to scout Choice item users, but it takes up a valuable moveslot and does nothing to mitigate Amoonguss's passivity.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Steel-types**: Steel-types do not take much damage from Amoonguss and can deal heavy damage to it in Heatran's case or set up entry hazards in Ferrothorn's and Skarmory's cases. Ferrothorn can also remove Amoonguss's Black Sludge with Knock Off, which means it can be worn down quickly with sand up. Jirachi can set up a Substitute or Stealth Rock against Amoonguss and use Wish to recover health or support its teammates. Scizor also does not mind Amoonguss most of the time, but it does fear Hidden Power Fire, as do other Steel-types to a lesser extent.
**Gliscor**: Specially defensive Gliscor can withstand Hidden Power Ice and doesn't mind anything else that Amoonguss can throw at it, notably blocking Stun Spore with its Toxic Orb, although uninvested Gliscor does take significant damage from Hidden Power Ice.
**Psychic-types**: Psychic-types such as Alakazam and Reuniclus can threaten to KO Amoonguss. Reuniclus is particularly problematic, as it does not mind paralysis too much, can comfortably stomach any attack Amoonguss throws at it, and can even set up if Amoonguss lacks Clear Smog.
**Strong Special Attackers**: Special attackers like Latios and Tornadus, provided they switch in against the correct move, can threaten to OHKO Amoonguss and force it out.
**Dragon-types**: Dragon-types such as Latios, Dragonite, and Garchomp can force Amoonguss out and take little from most of its moves aside from Hidden Power Ice, but they need to be wary of Stun Spore.
**Volcarona**: Volcarona resists Giga Drain and Hidden Power Ice, takes little from Hidden Power Fire and Clear Smog, and can shrug off a Sludge Bomb poison or Stun Spore with Lum Berry. This means that it can set up in Amoonguss's face and threaten to sweep.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Ununhexium, 214836]]
- Quality checked by: [[Caetano93, 394051], [Finchinator, 114198]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Finland, 517429], [Rabia, 336073]]
Last edited:
