[overview]
**Draft Order**: Round 7 onwards
**Price Range**: 4-5 Points
**Overview**: Brute Bonnet is a budget Grass- and Dark-type with high Attack, decent bulk, strong STAB and somewhat reliable coverage options, powerful priority, decent utility revolving around Spore, and Protosynthesis that further boosts its stats. Unfortunately it also has many shortcomings, such as multiple common weaknesses including a severe weakness to the ever-common U-turn, a low Speed stat that cannot be boosted by Protosynthesis, heavy competition to be selected from other budget Grass-types, and limited utility outside of Spore, Taunt, and Synthesis. Being a Tera captain can make up for some of its shortcomings at the cost of not Terastallizing a higher tier teammate.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Wallbreaker**: Brute Bonnet boasts a boarish Attack stat with strong STAB and coverage options to deal damage especially when combined damage-boosting items. Sucker Punch helps its lack of Speed while Spore can be used to catch defensive foes switching in.
**Offensive Utility**: Brute Bonnet can play a more supportive role while still exerting offensive pressure by mixing its usual attacks with moves like Spore, Taunt, and Clear Smog to disrupt foes.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Seed Bomb, Crunch, Sucker Punch
**Setup Moves**: Trailblaze
**Utility Moves**: Spore, Synthesis, Taunt, Substitute, Stun Spore
**Coverage**: Close Combat, Stomping Tantrum, Zen Headbutt, Outrage
Niche Moves
========
**Bullet Seed**: Bullet Seed allows Brute Bonnet to bypass things like Sturdy, Focus Sash, and Rindo Berry while being a possibly stronger STAB attack than Seed Bomb that can be guaranteed with Loaded Dice.
**Thief**: If Brute Bonnet is using Booster Energy or another single-use item, it can take a slight drop in power from Crunch to be able to take a foe’s item instead, replacing power for utility.
**Special Attacks**: While Brute Bonnet’s Special Attack is nowhere near as impressive as its Attack, it has a decent arsenal of special moves like Leaf Storm, Earth Power, Dark Pulse, and Giga Drain that can catch physically defensive foes off-guard.
**Clear Smog**: Against non-Steel type foes that could set up on Brute Bonnet, it can utilize Clear Smog to reset stat raises to prevent itself from becoming fodder.
**Growth**: Growth is Brute Bonnet’s only way to boost its offenses and is realistically only viable in the sun via teammates like Ninetales or Torkoal.
**Sunny Day**: Brute Bonnet can activate its own Protosynthesis and enable its teammates by setting weather itself.
Common Items
========
**Damage-Boosting Items**: Brute Bonnet is made to deal damage, so any damage boosting item plays into its strengths. Life Orb gives the same damage increase as Booster Energy without vanishing if Brute Bonnet switches out at the cost of recoil, while Black Glasses slightly strengthens Sucker Punch and Crunch without any negative trade-off.
**Choice Band**: Choice Band dishes out the most immediate damage although locking into Sucker Punch can lead to difficult scenarios.
**Booster Energy**: Brute Bonnet can utilize Booster Energy to buff its Attack a single time without drawback. Alternatively, bulkier sets can boost Defense or Special Defense to enable more longevity while still threatening decent damage or status.
Niche Items
========
**Loaded Dice**: Loaded Dice guarantees that Bullet Seed will be stronger than Seed Bomb and allows Brute Bonnet to break past Substitute or abilities like Sturdy.
**Assault Vest**: Assault Vest allows Brute Bonnet to switch in on special attacks more easily while still allowing it to use most of its toolkit.
**Heavy-Duty Boots**: Avoiding hazard damage is beneficial for Brute Bonnet to switch in more comfortably if its team lacks reliable hazard control.
**Damage-Resistance Berries**: Brute Bonnet can bait frail foes into attacking with super effective coverage for an easy KO just for it to survive the hit and damage or status the foe in return.
**Custap Berry**: Brute Bonnet’s bulk can allow it to semi-reliably live an attack on low HP and gain boosted priority on the following turn, allowing it to attack or Spore typically faster foes.
Tera
========
Although it is not the best option compared to higher tier captains, Brute Bonnet appreciates the ability to terastallize as it can bolster both its offensive and defensive profiles significantly. Tera Steel, Poison, and Water reverse many of its weaknesses while Fairy and Fire do the same while also giving it strong coverage in Tera Blast. Tera Dark also sheds some weaknesses and allows it to be more threatening with Sucker Punch into frail foes. Tera Blast also offers Brute Bonnet a STAB attack of any type that is equal in power to its other STAB while avoiding contact with any Rocky Helmet or Flame Body foes.
Draft Strategy
========
Brute Bonnet rounds out an otherwise complete draft that lacks immediate physical offense and strong priority that it provides. It fits well on Sun teams as it appreciates getting a Protosynthesis boost while keeping its item and can utilize more tools in Growth and an empowered Synthesis as needed. It also appreciates switch-ins to its many weaknesses including U-turn.
Checks and Counters
========
**U-turn**: U-turn deals significant damage to Brute Bonnet while easily giving the opponent momentum.
**Substitute**: Substitute allows foes to completely nullify Spore and Sucker Punch or take an attack while Brute Bonnet lowers its defenses with Close Combat.
**Super-effective attacks**: Brute Bonnet is weak to multiple common types, so even with its bulk it struggles to avoiding getting significantly damaged by coverage that may already be brought for its teammates.
**Bulky resists**: Foes that resist one of both of Brute Bonnet’s STABs without being weak to its coverage can take on the mushroom relatively easily, especially with access to reliable recovery and items like Rocky Helmet or Safety Goggles to punish its limited options.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/xand.614716/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/theuncultured.629845/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/scionicle.599989/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user4.400000
**Draft Order**: Round 7 onwards
**Price Range**: 4-5 Points
**Overview**: Brute Bonnet is a budget Grass- and Dark-type with high Attack, decent bulk, strong STAB and somewhat reliable coverage options, powerful priority, decent utility revolving around Spore, and Protosynthesis that further boosts its stats. Unfortunately it also has many shortcomings, such as multiple common weaknesses including a severe weakness to the ever-common U-turn, a low Speed stat that cannot be boosted by Protosynthesis, heavy competition to be selected from other budget Grass-types, and limited utility outside of Spore, Taunt, and Synthesis. Being a Tera captain can make up for some of its shortcomings at the cost of not Terastallizing a higher tier teammate.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Wallbreaker**: Brute Bonnet boasts a boarish Attack stat with strong STAB and coverage options to deal damage especially when combined damage-boosting items. Sucker Punch helps its lack of Speed while Spore can be used to catch defensive foes switching in.
**Offensive Utility**: Brute Bonnet can play a more supportive role while still exerting offensive pressure by mixing its usual attacks with moves like Spore, Taunt, and Clear Smog to disrupt foes.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Seed Bomb, Crunch, Sucker Punch
**Setup Moves**: Trailblaze
**Utility Moves**: Spore, Synthesis, Taunt, Substitute, Stun Spore
**Coverage**: Close Combat, Stomping Tantrum, Zen Headbutt, Outrage
Niche Moves
========
**Bullet Seed**: Bullet Seed allows Brute Bonnet to bypass things like Sturdy, Focus Sash, and Rindo Berry while being a possibly stronger STAB attack than Seed Bomb that can be guaranteed with Loaded Dice.
**Thief**: If Brute Bonnet is using Booster Energy or another single-use item, it can take a slight drop in power from Crunch to be able to take a foe’s item instead, replacing power for utility.
**Special Attacks**: While Brute Bonnet’s Special Attack is nowhere near as impressive as its Attack, it has a decent arsenal of special moves like Leaf Storm, Earth Power, Dark Pulse, and Giga Drain that can catch physically defensive foes off-guard.
**Clear Smog**: Against non-Steel type foes that could set up on Brute Bonnet, it can utilize Clear Smog to reset stat raises to prevent itself from becoming fodder.
**Growth**: Growth is Brute Bonnet’s only way to boost its offenses and is realistically only viable in the sun via teammates like Ninetales or Torkoal.
**Sunny Day**: Brute Bonnet can activate its own Protosynthesis and enable its teammates by setting weather itself.
Common Items
========
**Damage-Boosting Items**: Brute Bonnet is made to deal damage, so any damage boosting item plays into its strengths. Life Orb gives the same damage increase as Booster Energy without vanishing if Brute Bonnet switches out at the cost of recoil, while Black Glasses slightly strengthens Sucker Punch and Crunch without any negative trade-off.
**Choice Band**: Choice Band dishes out the most immediate damage although locking into Sucker Punch can lead to difficult scenarios.
**Booster Energy**: Brute Bonnet can utilize Booster Energy to buff its Attack a single time without drawback. Alternatively, bulkier sets can boost Defense or Special Defense to enable more longevity while still threatening decent damage or status.
Niche Items
========
**Loaded Dice**: Loaded Dice guarantees that Bullet Seed will be stronger than Seed Bomb and allows Brute Bonnet to break past Substitute or abilities like Sturdy.
**Assault Vest**: Assault Vest allows Brute Bonnet to switch in on special attacks more easily while still allowing it to use most of its toolkit.
**Heavy-Duty Boots**: Avoiding hazard damage is beneficial for Brute Bonnet to switch in more comfortably if its team lacks reliable hazard control.
**Damage-Resistance Berries**: Brute Bonnet can bait frail foes into attacking with super effective coverage for an easy KO just for it to survive the hit and damage or status the foe in return.
**Custap Berry**: Brute Bonnet’s bulk can allow it to semi-reliably live an attack on low HP and gain boosted priority on the following turn, allowing it to attack or Spore typically faster foes.
Tera
========
Although it is not the best option compared to higher tier captains, Brute Bonnet appreciates the ability to terastallize as it can bolster both its offensive and defensive profiles significantly. Tera Steel, Poison, and Water reverse many of its weaknesses while Fairy and Fire do the same while also giving it strong coverage in Tera Blast. Tera Dark also sheds some weaknesses and allows it to be more threatening with Sucker Punch into frail foes. Tera Blast also offers Brute Bonnet a STAB attack of any type that is equal in power to its other STAB while avoiding contact with any Rocky Helmet or Flame Body foes.
Draft Strategy
========
Brute Bonnet rounds out an otherwise complete draft that lacks immediate physical offense and strong priority that it provides. It fits well on Sun teams as it appreciates getting a Protosynthesis boost while keeping its item and can utilize more tools in Growth and an empowered Synthesis as needed. It also appreciates switch-ins to its many weaknesses including U-turn.
Checks and Counters
========
**U-turn**: U-turn deals significant damage to Brute Bonnet while easily giving the opponent momentum.
**Substitute**: Substitute allows foes to completely nullify Spore and Sucker Punch or take an attack while Brute Bonnet lowers its defenses with Close Combat.
**Super-effective attacks**: Brute Bonnet is weak to multiple common types, so even with its bulk it struggles to avoiding getting significantly damaged by coverage that may already be brought for its teammates.
**Bulky resists**: Foes that resist one of both of Brute Bonnet’s STABs without being weak to its coverage can take on the mushroom relatively easily, especially with access to reliable recovery and items like Rocky Helmet or Safety Goggles to punish its limited options.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/xand.614716/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/theuncultured.629845/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/scionicle.599989/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user4.400000
Last edited:
