[OVERVIEW]
Azumarill graces BDSP OU as either a terrifying, hard-to-scout Belly Drum sweeper or a strong wallbreaker with Choice Band. Huge Power, STAB priority in Aqua Jet, and a rarely-resisted STAB combination back up its offense, while its Water / Fairy typing helps it switch into prominent Dragon-types and some offensive threats. Azumarill is generally a strong option for hyper offense and standard offense teams, since Aqua Jet is handy in the priority-heavy BDSP OU metagame, and it switches into offensive foes such as Feraligatr, Weavile, and Infernape to quickly wreak havoc. However, it needs support to stay healthy %mdash;especially if using Belly Drum— and to handle certain threats. Its low Speed leaves it vulnerable defensively despite its decent bulk and Aqua Jet, and it needs help to pressure the common Breloom and Rotom-Wash, which massively threaten it in return. Azumarill's main set, Belly Drum + Sitrus Berry, also struggles to beat Unaware Clefable, a common defensive glue Pokemon that it can't 2HKO. Still, Azumarill usually only needs one window of opportunity to either sweep or put a dent in the opposition.
[SET]
name: Belly Drum
move 1: Belly Drum
move 2: Aqua Jet
move 3: Play Rough
move 4: Waterfall
item: Sitrus Berry / Mystic Water
ability: Huge Power
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
This set is designed for Azumarill to clean up late-game or heavily cripple the opposition. Once set-up Aqua Jet is its go-to move for most situations thanks to its priority. Sitrus Berry helps Azumarill beat priority revenge killers and take a hit while setting up. Mystic Water is an alternative to strengthen Aqua Jet and give a small chance to 2HKO Unaware Clefable with Waterfall. Azumarill can set up against a Latias Choiced locked into Draco Meteor or Surf, or on a Garchomp locked into Outrage. After setting up, Azumarill does need to worry about phazers like full-health Skarmory and maximally physically defensive Empoleon, but it can blow past chipped Skarmory and other Empoleon sets.
Azumarill works best on hyper offense teams, where it can immediately threaten a sweep after a turn of setup. This set does get checked by Unaware Clefable, which is a common blanket check for the numerous setup sweepers in the tier, so a teammate like Lucario that can deal with it is great. Azumarill will need teammates that can handle Shaymin and Breloom, since both can take an Aqua Jet at +6 and threaten it with an OHKO. The most important tip with using this set is to, before sweeping, use teammates to wear down or take out Pokemon that avoid the OHKO from +6 Aqua Jet. For example, Choice Scarf users such as Infernape can wear down Starmie, and Latias with U-Turn. Scizor's U-Turn threatens to OHKO those threats and can get Azumarill into the game safely without losing momentum. Alakazam and Weavile both threaten Starmie, and Latias with their superior Speed. Garchomp is another great teammate for Azumarill to provide Stealth Rock and also deal with Magnezone, which outspeeds Azumarill and threatens it before Belly Drum. Azelf, and suicide lead Skarmory support Azumarill and its hyper offense teammates with dual screens and entry hazards. Focus Sash Alakazam, Breloom, and Dragonite are notable late-game cleaners that appreciate Azumarill's wallbreaking ability, which makes their roles easier.
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Waterfall
move 2: Play Rough
move 3: Aqua Jet
move 4: Superpower
item: Choice Band
ability: Huge Power
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Choice Band makes Azumarill a potent immediate wallbreaker with very few switch-ins, which forces frightening predictions. Even Slowbro has a modest chance to get 2HKOed by Play Rough after Stealth Rock. The most notable difference from Belly Drum Azumarill is that this set beats the premier Unaware users of the tier: Clefable and Quagsire. Choice Band Azumarill's fourth move of choice is Superpower, which can take out Steel-types such as Empoleon, Lucario, and Magnezone on the switch.
Choice Band Azumarill struggles against bulky Grass-types. Weavile can handle Shaymin and Tangrowth alongside Starmie, and Latias. Infernape can pivot Azumaril in with U-Turn alongside beating the Grass-types of the tier. Garchomp switches into Volt Switch and Electric-type moves in general, along with providing Stealth Rock for offense teams. Scizor pivots Azumarill in and tends to invite in Heatran and Infernape, which Azumarill performs well against. Rotom-W and Gliscor are notable defensive pivots that Azumarill works well with thanks to their Will-O-Wisp support and Electric immunity, respectively. Focus Sash Alakazam appreciates Choice Band Azumarill bulldozing the opposition and weakening its checks so it can clean up.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=================
Belly Drum Azumarill can run an alternative EV spread of 92 HP / 252 Atk / 164 Spe with an Adamant nature. This spread improves its bulk while still outspeeding defensive Skarmory. Facade is a niche alternative to Superpower for Choice Band Azumarill that allows it to still be functional if it is burned.
Checks and Counters
==================
**Grass-types**: Defensive Tangrowth can switch into Choice Band Azumarill, but it has to scout Azumarill's set, since Belly Drum lets Play Rough OHKO it. Breloom falls to Play Rough but resists Aqua Jet and outspeeds Azumarill, letting it revenge kill Azumarill with Seed Bomb or Bullet Seed. It can also use Spore and then set up. Shaymin forces Azumarill out with Seed Flare and can stomach +6 Aqua Jet; however, it cannot switch into Choice Band Play Rough unless it has Defense investment.
**Rotom-W**: Rotom-W can cripple Azumarill with Will-O-Wisp, resists Aqua Jet, and easily threatens massive damage with Volt Switch or Thunderbolt. While Rotom-W doesn't like to take a Play Rough on the switch, Azumarill can only outspeed even uninvested Rotom-W with a suboptimal Jolly nature.
**Bulky Water-type Pokemon**: Quagsire with Unaware can avoid 2HKOs from Belly Drum Azumarill and stall it out with Toxic barring Waterfall flinches, but it does struggle against the Choice Band set, which cleanly 2HKOes it. Empoleon can phaze Belly Drum Azumarill one time, but it fares much better against the Choice Band set, as it can take all its attacks besides Superpower. Milotic naturally outspeeds Azumarill and wipes out its Belly Drum boost with Haze. Milotic struggles against the Choice Band set, though, since Play Rough 2HKOes unless Marvel Scale is active. Azumarill, regardless of the set, fears a Scald burn when facing bulky Water-types in general.
**Revenge Killers**: Most offensive threats can damage Belly Drum Azumarill enough that it either can't set up or enters KO range for most priority moves. Azumarill's most notable revenge killers are Latias, and Starmie, which can safely take a +6 Aqua Jet, even with chip damage, and OHKO Azumarill. Focus Sash Alakazam can also check Azumarill in a pinch, being able to deal with the Choice Band set with two Psychic hits, provided Azumarill isn't locked into Aqua Jet.
**Faster Priority**: Lucario, Dragonite, and offensive Scizor can pick off weakened Azumarill with priority before it can use Aqua Jet. Choice Band Dragonite can even take a Play Rough from Choice Band Azumarill, 2HKOing in return with Extreme Speed.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[TyCarter, 327020]]
- Quality checked by: [[dex, 277988], [Lalaya, 279858]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Finland, 517429]],
Azumarill graces BDSP OU as either a terrifying, hard-to-scout Belly Drum sweeper or a strong wallbreaker with Choice Band. Huge Power, STAB priority in Aqua Jet, and a rarely-resisted STAB combination back up its offense, while its Water / Fairy typing helps it switch into prominent Dragon-types and some offensive threats. Azumarill is generally a strong option for hyper offense and standard offense teams, since Aqua Jet is handy in the priority-heavy BDSP OU metagame, and it switches into offensive foes such as Feraligatr, Weavile, and Infernape to quickly wreak havoc. However, it needs support to stay healthy %mdash;especially if using Belly Drum— and to handle certain threats. Its low Speed leaves it vulnerable defensively despite its decent bulk and Aqua Jet, and it needs help to pressure the common Breloom and Rotom-Wash, which massively threaten it in return. Azumarill's main set, Belly Drum + Sitrus Berry, also struggles to beat Unaware Clefable, a common defensive glue Pokemon that it can't 2HKO. Still, Azumarill usually only needs one window of opportunity to either sweep or put a dent in the opposition.
[SET]
name: Belly Drum
move 1: Belly Drum
move 2: Aqua Jet
move 3: Play Rough
move 4: Waterfall
item: Sitrus Berry / Mystic Water
ability: Huge Power
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
This set is designed for Azumarill to clean up late-game or heavily cripple the opposition. Once set-up Aqua Jet is its go-to move for most situations thanks to its priority. Sitrus Berry helps Azumarill beat priority revenge killers and take a hit while setting up. Mystic Water is an alternative to strengthen Aqua Jet and give a small chance to 2HKO Unaware Clefable with Waterfall. Azumarill can set up against a Latias Choiced locked into Draco Meteor or Surf, or on a Garchomp locked into Outrage. After setting up, Azumarill does need to worry about phazers like full-health Skarmory and maximally physically defensive Empoleon, but it can blow past chipped Skarmory and other Empoleon sets.
Azumarill works best on hyper offense teams, where it can immediately threaten a sweep after a turn of setup. This set does get checked by Unaware Clefable, which is a common blanket check for the numerous setup sweepers in the tier, so a teammate like Lucario that can deal with it is great. Azumarill will need teammates that can handle Shaymin and Breloom, since both can take an Aqua Jet at +6 and threaten it with an OHKO. The most important tip with using this set is to, before sweeping, use teammates to wear down or take out Pokemon that avoid the OHKO from +6 Aqua Jet. For example, Choice Scarf users such as Infernape can wear down Starmie, and Latias with U-Turn. Scizor's U-Turn threatens to OHKO those threats and can get Azumarill into the game safely without losing momentum. Alakazam and Weavile both threaten Starmie, and Latias with their superior Speed. Garchomp is another great teammate for Azumarill to provide Stealth Rock and also deal with Magnezone, which outspeeds Azumarill and threatens it before Belly Drum. Azelf, and suicide lead Skarmory support Azumarill and its hyper offense teammates with dual screens and entry hazards. Focus Sash Alakazam, Breloom, and Dragonite are notable late-game cleaners that appreciate Azumarill's wallbreaking ability, which makes their roles easier.
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Waterfall
move 2: Play Rough
move 3: Aqua Jet
move 4: Superpower
item: Choice Band
ability: Huge Power
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Choice Band makes Azumarill a potent immediate wallbreaker with very few switch-ins, which forces frightening predictions. Even Slowbro has a modest chance to get 2HKOed by Play Rough after Stealth Rock. The most notable difference from Belly Drum Azumarill is that this set beats the premier Unaware users of the tier: Clefable and Quagsire. Choice Band Azumarill's fourth move of choice is Superpower, which can take out Steel-types such as Empoleon, Lucario, and Magnezone on the switch.
Choice Band Azumarill struggles against bulky Grass-types. Weavile can handle Shaymin and Tangrowth alongside Starmie, and Latias. Infernape can pivot Azumaril in with U-Turn alongside beating the Grass-types of the tier. Garchomp switches into Volt Switch and Electric-type moves in general, along with providing Stealth Rock for offense teams. Scizor pivots Azumarill in and tends to invite in Heatran and Infernape, which Azumarill performs well against. Rotom-W and Gliscor are notable defensive pivots that Azumarill works well with thanks to their Will-O-Wisp support and Electric immunity, respectively. Focus Sash Alakazam appreciates Choice Band Azumarill bulldozing the opposition and weakening its checks so it can clean up.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=================
Belly Drum Azumarill can run an alternative EV spread of 92 HP / 252 Atk / 164 Spe with an Adamant nature. This spread improves its bulk while still outspeeding defensive Skarmory. Facade is a niche alternative to Superpower for Choice Band Azumarill that allows it to still be functional if it is burned.
Checks and Counters
==================
**Grass-types**: Defensive Tangrowth can switch into Choice Band Azumarill, but it has to scout Azumarill's set, since Belly Drum lets Play Rough OHKO it. Breloom falls to Play Rough but resists Aqua Jet and outspeeds Azumarill, letting it revenge kill Azumarill with Seed Bomb or Bullet Seed. It can also use Spore and then set up. Shaymin forces Azumarill out with Seed Flare and can stomach +6 Aqua Jet; however, it cannot switch into Choice Band Play Rough unless it has Defense investment.
**Rotom-W**: Rotom-W can cripple Azumarill with Will-O-Wisp, resists Aqua Jet, and easily threatens massive damage with Volt Switch or Thunderbolt. While Rotom-W doesn't like to take a Play Rough on the switch, Azumarill can only outspeed even uninvested Rotom-W with a suboptimal Jolly nature.
**Bulky Water-type Pokemon**: Quagsire with Unaware can avoid 2HKOs from Belly Drum Azumarill and stall it out with Toxic barring Waterfall flinches, but it does struggle against the Choice Band set, which cleanly 2HKOes it. Empoleon can phaze Belly Drum Azumarill one time, but it fares much better against the Choice Band set, as it can take all its attacks besides Superpower. Milotic naturally outspeeds Azumarill and wipes out its Belly Drum boost with Haze. Milotic struggles against the Choice Band set, though, since Play Rough 2HKOes unless Marvel Scale is active. Azumarill, regardless of the set, fears a Scald burn when facing bulky Water-types in general.
**Revenge Killers**: Most offensive threats can damage Belly Drum Azumarill enough that it either can't set up or enters KO range for most priority moves. Azumarill's most notable revenge killers are Latias, and Starmie, which can safely take a +6 Aqua Jet, even with chip damage, and OHKO Azumarill. Focus Sash Alakazam can also check Azumarill in a pinch, being able to deal with the Choice Band set with two Psychic hits, provided Azumarill isn't locked into Aqua Jet.
**Faster Priority**: Lucario, Dragonite, and offensive Scizor can pick off weakened Azumarill with priority before it can use Aqua Jet. Choice Band Dragonite can even take a Play Rough from Choice Band Azumarill, 2HKOing in return with Extreme Speed.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[TyCarter, 327020]]
- Quality checked by: [[dex, 277988], [Lalaya, 279858]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Finland, 517429]],
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