BEARHUG
http://www.smogon.com/bw/pokemon/beartic
[Overview]
<p>How much more badass can you get when you're a polar bear? Unlike its aesthetically-pleasing NU friend Charizard, Beartic can actually function in the treacherous waters of the Uber tier. While it might look like just another crappy addition to the game, Beartic has a couple of tricks up its furry sleeves: Swift Swim combined with Ice-type STAB, as well as access to Encore and Swords Dance for setup opportunities. This means that, unlike other Swift Swim sweepers, Beartic can steamroll through Grass Arceus, Lugia, and Giratina without much trouble at all. However, even with the Speed boost from Swift Swim, Beartic's Speed is still pretty unimpressive, leaving it unable to outspeed Choice Scarf users that most other Swift Swim sweepers have absolutely no trouble outspeeding. Additionally, just like most other Ice-type Pokemon, Beartic is weak to Stealth Rock, and even with Encore, it finds itself difficult to set up. Also, while Beartic's Ice typing gives excellent super effective coverage, its attacks are still relatively weak against Pokemon they hit neutrally, as its STAB attacks are not boosted in the rain like those of other Swift Swim sweepers. Despite these flaws, no team can ignore the strengths that Beartic brings to the table unless they want to learn the hard way.</p>
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Icicle Crash
move 3: Low Kick / Superpower
move 4: Encore
item: Life Orb
ability: Swift Swim
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With max Speed and Swift Swim, Beartic reaches 396 Speed in the rain, just outspeeding Mewtwo. While nothing spectacular, it is just fast enough to run a sweeping set. With a Swords Dance boost, Beartic becomes extremely powerful, especially when backed by physical Ice-type STAB, smiting many of the Uber physical walls with super effective damage. After a Swords Dance, Icicle Crash OHKOes physically defensive Giratina after Stealth Rock damage. Low Kick hits most Pokemon that resist Icicle Crash, easily OHKOing Steel Arceus. Superpower is an option over Low Kick to OHKO Jirachi and Manaphy (two Pokemon that resist Icicle Crash and take a pittance from Low Kick) after Spikes, but Low Kick is generally more consistent. Superpower always OHKOes Darkrai without a boost, regardless of Stealth Rock, but if Stealth Rock is up, Low Kick gets the job done most of the time anyway. In the last slot, Encore is easily the best option, as it gives Beartic setup opportunities from support and setup moves, such as Calm Mind.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>A Jolly nature allows Beartic to outspeed neutral natured base 90 Choice Scarf users and Deoxys-A, as well as minimum Speed Groudon in the sun. However, not only is the drop in power significant, but many of these Pokemon also run positive natures, which means Beartic would be outsped even if it runs a Jolly nature. Groudon only requires 12 Speed EVs to outspeed Jolly Beartic anyway. Substitute can potentially replace Encore to avoid status and Dragon Tail, but Encore is generally much more useful for the setup opportunities. In terms of the item choice, Life Orb is generally the superior choice, as it provides Beartic with the additional power needed to KO certain threats, such as Giratina.</p>
<p>As Beartic's Speed is merely acceptable with the boost from rain, it is absolutely trash without it. This means that Kyogre support is essential to Beartic's success in the tier. Luring out and destroying Tyranitar, Hippowdon, Abomasnow, and, most importantly, Groudon is crucial. Bulk Up mixed Dialga is excellent at luring out pretty much all of these weather inducers, destroying Groudon and Hippowdon with Draco Meteor and Tyranitar and Abomasnow with Aura Sphere or Brick Break. Mixed Zekrom is also fairly proficient at luring out Groudon and Hippowdon and crippling them with Draco Meteor.</p>
<p>If Beartic is using Low Kick, Manaphy and Jirachi wall Beartic and can KO it with either rain boosted Surf or Iron Head. Max HP Fighting Arceus can take a boosted Icicle Crash and OHKO in return with Judgment. Latias can easily defeat both Fighting Arceus and Manaphy. Lugia and Giratina are both excellent counters to Fighting Arceus. Grass Arceus and Electric Arceus also counter Manaphy. As for Jirachi, it is generally easily walled by bulky Ground-types such as Sand Force Hippowdon, Ground Arceus, Landorus-T, and Gliscor, provided that they avoid paralysis from Body Slam. Ghost Arceus and Giratina with Will-O-Wisp also make Jirachi a non-factor. While Beartic is excellent at taking out traditional physical walls such as Lugia, Giratina, defensive Normal Arceus, and to a certain extent, Groudon, Icicle Crash still falls short of OHKOing bulky Pokemon that aren't weak to it, such as Fighting Arceus. This is why entry hazard support helps Beartic out greatly. Deoxys-S, Ferrothorn, Deoxys-A, and Skarmory are all excellent Spikes users.</p>
<p>Even with the Swift Swim boost, Beartic is still pretty slow. Any Choice Scarf user with base 90 Speed or above can outspeed Beartic and revenge kill it. In particular, Choice Scarf Kyogre can take both Icicle Crash and Low Kick and OHKO in return with Surf. Deoxys-A and Deoxys-S both naturally outspeed Beartic as well. Groudon, provided it runs a minimum of 12 Speed EVs, will always outspeed Beartic in the sun, while Rayquaza has Air Lock to neuter Beartic's Swift Swim Speed boosts and OHKO Beartic. Lugia and defensive Normal Arceus hard counter Rayquaza sets, while Choice Scarf Genesect, Jirachi, Palkia, Salamence, and Garchomp can revenge Dragon Dance variants. Wobbuffet makes an excellent teammate for Beartic, as it can trap and remove many Choice Scarf users, as well as Encoring support moves for Beartic to set up on. Giratina-O, as well as bulky Steel-types such as Jirachi, Scizor, and Steel Arceus check Deoxys-A relatively well.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Aqua Jet can be used to revenge kill Blaziken and Deoxys-A, but that is pretty much where its usefulness ends. Stone Edge can be used to OHKO Ho-Oh without a boost, but is useless otherwise. Bulk Up can be used to make Beartic relatively resilient to physical attacks, but Swords Dance is better in general. Taunt can allow Beartic to set up on Skarmory without being forced out, as well as dealing with Multiscale Lugia a lot better. Other potential sets that Beartic can run are SubPunch and Endure + Flail, but these are rather gimmicky and there is generally no reason to run them over the Swords Dance set.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Scizor is probably the best Beartic counter. It is bulky and light enough to take unboosted Low Kicks and Superpowers, while easily wiping out Beartic with Bullet Punch. It also has Roost to heal off any damage that Beartic does to it. If Forretress carries Gyro Ball, it can also easily KO Beartic while taking little from Icicle Crash and Low Kick. Fighting Arceus can take a boosted Icicle Crash and Low Kick and OHKO with Judgment. Likewise, bulky Ghost Arceus can take anything that Beartic uses and OHKO with Focus Blast or burn Beartic with Will-O-Wisp. Physically defensive Kyogre can take a boosted Low Kick and OHKO with Surf or Scald. If Beartic uses Low Kick, Manaphy and Jirachi wall Beartic and KOs with rain boosted Surf or Iron Head. Metagross can take a +2 Low Kick and OHKO Beartic with Meteor Mash. Tentacruel resists both Icicle Crash and Low Kick and deals a lot of damage with Scald, but is generally losing if Scald fails to burn, as +2 Icicle Crash does over 65% to standard Tentacruel.</p>
<p>Most Choice Scarf users with base 90 Speed or more using a positive nature can revenge kill Beartic. Deoxys-A and Deoxys-S can also naturally outspeed it. Faster priority can also take down Beartic. Apart from the aforementioned Bullet Punch from Scizor, Extreme Killer Arceus and Rayquaza can deal heavy damage to Beartic with ExtremeSpeed. Otherwise, if you can take away the rain, Beartic becomes near useless most of the time. As long as it does not switch into Icicle Crash more than once, Groudon with 12 or more Speed EVs can always outspeed Beartic and KO with Stone Edge or a Fire-type move. Tyranitar that invest enough in Speed can also KO Beartic with Stone Edge or Fire Blast, as long as they avoid Low Kick.</p>
http://www.smogon.com/bw/pokemon/beartic
[Overview]
<p>How much more badass can you get when you're a polar bear? Unlike its aesthetically-pleasing NU friend Charizard, Beartic can actually function in the treacherous waters of the Uber tier. While it might look like just another crappy addition to the game, Beartic has a couple of tricks up its furry sleeves: Swift Swim combined with Ice-type STAB, as well as access to Encore and Swords Dance for setup opportunities. This means that, unlike other Swift Swim sweepers, Beartic can steamroll through Grass Arceus, Lugia, and Giratina without much trouble at all. However, even with the Speed boost from Swift Swim, Beartic's Speed is still pretty unimpressive, leaving it unable to outspeed Choice Scarf users that most other Swift Swim sweepers have absolutely no trouble outspeeding. Additionally, just like most other Ice-type Pokemon, Beartic is weak to Stealth Rock, and even with Encore, it finds itself difficult to set up. Also, while Beartic's Ice typing gives excellent super effective coverage, its attacks are still relatively weak against Pokemon they hit neutrally, as its STAB attacks are not boosted in the rain like those of other Swift Swim sweepers. Despite these flaws, no team can ignore the strengths that Beartic brings to the table unless they want to learn the hard way.</p>
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Icicle Crash
move 3: Low Kick / Superpower
move 4: Encore
item: Life Orb
ability: Swift Swim
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With max Speed and Swift Swim, Beartic reaches 396 Speed in the rain, just outspeeding Mewtwo. While nothing spectacular, it is just fast enough to run a sweeping set. With a Swords Dance boost, Beartic becomes extremely powerful, especially when backed by physical Ice-type STAB, smiting many of the Uber physical walls with super effective damage. After a Swords Dance, Icicle Crash OHKOes physically defensive Giratina after Stealth Rock damage. Low Kick hits most Pokemon that resist Icicle Crash, easily OHKOing Steel Arceus. Superpower is an option over Low Kick to OHKO Jirachi and Manaphy (two Pokemon that resist Icicle Crash and take a pittance from Low Kick) after Spikes, but Low Kick is generally more consistent. Superpower always OHKOes Darkrai without a boost, regardless of Stealth Rock, but if Stealth Rock is up, Low Kick gets the job done most of the time anyway. In the last slot, Encore is easily the best option, as it gives Beartic setup opportunities from support and setup moves, such as Calm Mind.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>A Jolly nature allows Beartic to outspeed neutral natured base 90 Choice Scarf users and Deoxys-A, as well as minimum Speed Groudon in the sun. However, not only is the drop in power significant, but many of these Pokemon also run positive natures, which means Beartic would be outsped even if it runs a Jolly nature. Groudon only requires 12 Speed EVs to outspeed Jolly Beartic anyway. Substitute can potentially replace Encore to avoid status and Dragon Tail, but Encore is generally much more useful for the setup opportunities. In terms of the item choice, Life Orb is generally the superior choice, as it provides Beartic with the additional power needed to KO certain threats, such as Giratina.</p>
<p>As Beartic's Speed is merely acceptable with the boost from rain, it is absolutely trash without it. This means that Kyogre support is essential to Beartic's success in the tier. Luring out and destroying Tyranitar, Hippowdon, Abomasnow, and, most importantly, Groudon is crucial. Bulk Up mixed Dialga is excellent at luring out pretty much all of these weather inducers, destroying Groudon and Hippowdon with Draco Meteor and Tyranitar and Abomasnow with Aura Sphere or Brick Break. Mixed Zekrom is also fairly proficient at luring out Groudon and Hippowdon and crippling them with Draco Meteor.</p>
<p>If Beartic is using Low Kick, Manaphy and Jirachi wall Beartic and can KO it with either rain boosted Surf or Iron Head. Max HP Fighting Arceus can take a boosted Icicle Crash and OHKO in return with Judgment. Latias can easily defeat both Fighting Arceus and Manaphy. Lugia and Giratina are both excellent counters to Fighting Arceus. Grass Arceus and Electric Arceus also counter Manaphy. As for Jirachi, it is generally easily walled by bulky Ground-types such as Sand Force Hippowdon, Ground Arceus, Landorus-T, and Gliscor, provided that they avoid paralysis from Body Slam. Ghost Arceus and Giratina with Will-O-Wisp also make Jirachi a non-factor. While Beartic is excellent at taking out traditional physical walls such as Lugia, Giratina, defensive Normal Arceus, and to a certain extent, Groudon, Icicle Crash still falls short of OHKOing bulky Pokemon that aren't weak to it, such as Fighting Arceus. This is why entry hazard support helps Beartic out greatly. Deoxys-S, Ferrothorn, Deoxys-A, and Skarmory are all excellent Spikes users.</p>
<p>Even with the Swift Swim boost, Beartic is still pretty slow. Any Choice Scarf user with base 90 Speed or above can outspeed Beartic and revenge kill it. In particular, Choice Scarf Kyogre can take both Icicle Crash and Low Kick and OHKO in return with Surf. Deoxys-A and Deoxys-S both naturally outspeed Beartic as well. Groudon, provided it runs a minimum of 12 Speed EVs, will always outspeed Beartic in the sun, while Rayquaza has Air Lock to neuter Beartic's Swift Swim Speed boosts and OHKO Beartic. Lugia and defensive Normal Arceus hard counter Rayquaza sets, while Choice Scarf Genesect, Jirachi, Palkia, Salamence, and Garchomp can revenge Dragon Dance variants. Wobbuffet makes an excellent teammate for Beartic, as it can trap and remove many Choice Scarf users, as well as Encoring support moves for Beartic to set up on. Giratina-O, as well as bulky Steel-types such as Jirachi, Scizor, and Steel Arceus check Deoxys-A relatively well.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Aqua Jet can be used to revenge kill Blaziken and Deoxys-A, but that is pretty much where its usefulness ends. Stone Edge can be used to OHKO Ho-Oh without a boost, but is useless otherwise. Bulk Up can be used to make Beartic relatively resilient to physical attacks, but Swords Dance is better in general. Taunt can allow Beartic to set up on Skarmory without being forced out, as well as dealing with Multiscale Lugia a lot better. Other potential sets that Beartic can run are SubPunch and Endure + Flail, but these are rather gimmicky and there is generally no reason to run them over the Swords Dance set.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Scizor is probably the best Beartic counter. It is bulky and light enough to take unboosted Low Kicks and Superpowers, while easily wiping out Beartic with Bullet Punch. It also has Roost to heal off any damage that Beartic does to it. If Forretress carries Gyro Ball, it can also easily KO Beartic while taking little from Icicle Crash and Low Kick. Fighting Arceus can take a boosted Icicle Crash and Low Kick and OHKO with Judgment. Likewise, bulky Ghost Arceus can take anything that Beartic uses and OHKO with Focus Blast or burn Beartic with Will-O-Wisp. Physically defensive Kyogre can take a boosted Low Kick and OHKO with Surf or Scald. If Beartic uses Low Kick, Manaphy and Jirachi wall Beartic and KOs with rain boosted Surf or Iron Head. Metagross can take a +2 Low Kick and OHKO Beartic with Meteor Mash. Tentacruel resists both Icicle Crash and Low Kick and deals a lot of damage with Scald, but is generally losing if Scald fails to burn, as +2 Icicle Crash does over 65% to standard Tentacruel.</p>
<p>Most Choice Scarf users with base 90 Speed or more using a positive nature can revenge kill Beartic. Deoxys-A and Deoxys-S can also naturally outspeed it. Faster priority can also take down Beartic. Apart from the aforementioned Bullet Punch from Scizor, Extreme Killer Arceus and Rayquaza can deal heavy damage to Beartic with ExtremeSpeed. Otherwise, if you can take away the rain, Beartic becomes near useless most of the time. As long as it does not switch into Icicle Crash more than once, Groudon with 12 or more Speed EVs can always outspeed Beartic and KO with Stone Edge or a Fire-type move. Tyranitar that invest enough in Speed can also KO Beartic with Stone Edge or Fire Blast, as long as they avoid Low Kick.</p>
