[overview]
**Draft Order**: Early round 1 onwards
**Price Range**: Banned or 19 points
**Overview**: Chien-Pao is a formidable force, boasting a high Attack stat and a potent STAB combination. With its signature ability, Sword of Ruin, it becomes an immensely powerful wallbreaker capable of dismantling even the sturdiest of defenses. It also has an exceptional Speed stat, making it difficult to revenge kill. Whether utilized as an all-out attacker or a setup sweeper, Chien-Pao is nigh-unwallable, leading to it often being banned, and it should always be considered if it's legalized.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Wallbreaker**: With its high Attack stat and Sword of Ruin, Chien-Pao is able to punch holes through opposing teams. Equipping damage-boosting items such as Life Orb and Choice Band elevates its wallbreaking potential, allowing it to efficiently 2HKO nearly all neutral targets.
**Setup Sweeper**: Alternatively, Chien-Pao can opt for a more strategic approach by investing a turn in boosting its offensive capabilities with Swords Dance. This amplifies its damage output to extraordinary levels, enabling it to potentially sweep through entire teams. It's able to threaten faster foes with priority moves of both its STAB types, which makes revenge killing it incredibly hard. However, Chien-Pao's frailty and exploitable weaknesses necessitate careful timing and positioning to properly utilize it.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Icicle Crash, Crunch, Throat Chop, Ice Spinner, Sucker Punch, Ice Shard
**Setup Moves**: Swords Dance
**Utility Moves**: Substitute, Taunt, Recover, Haze
**Coverage**: Sacred Sword, Psychic Fangs, Acrobatics
Niche Moves
========
**Lash Out**: While typically overshadowed by Crunch and Throat Chop, Lash Out gains utility from its power doubling when triggered by stat reductions, which are commonly inflicted by Intimidate users such as Arcanine.
**Brick Break**: Despite being outclassed by Sacred Sword, Brick Break finds its niche in removing Aurora Veil, Reflect, and Light Screen, making it valuable against teams reliant on dual screens.
**Endure**: Endure facilitates Chien-Pao's survival in low-health situations, as it synergizes with pinch Berries like Liechi and Salac Berry. It also provides protection against one-time use priority moves such as First Impression and Fake Out.
Common Items
========
**Heavy-Duty Boots**: Chien-Pao is frail and vulnerable to entry hazards, thus making Heavy-Duty Boots an attractive option to allow it to switch in more often and give it more opportunities to punch holes in the opposing team.
**Damage-boosting Items**: Damage-boosting items such as Choice Band and Life Orb or even Black Glasses and Never-Melt Ice boost Chien-Pao's damage output to further enable its wallbreaking capabilities.
Niche Items
========
**Focus Sash**: Focus Sash can help the relatively frail Chien-Pao find more opportunities to set up a Swords Dance and become a massive threat.
**Lum Berry**: Offering a one-time cure for debilitating status conditions like burn, Lum Berry ensures Chien-Pao's sustained offensive presence.
**Salac Berry**: Paired with Endure, Salac Berry grants Chien-Pao a crucial Speed boost, allowing it to outpace naturally faster Pokemon and slower Choice Scarf users.
**Resistance Berries**: Resistance Berries such as Roseli Berry allow Chien-Pao to survive a super effective attack in a pinch and set up a Swords Dance.
Tera
========
Chien-Pao is widely Tera banned if legal, thus making it ineligible to be a Tera Captain. If it is Tera legal, Chien-Pao can use a Tera type such as Tera Dark or Ice to boost its STAB attacks or Tera Fighting to boost Sacred Sword. It can also choose defensive Tera types such as Tera Ghost and Fairy to give it more opportunities to set up.
Draft Strategy
========
Since Chien-Pao should be a round 1 pick, the rest of the team should be picked with it in mind. As it is a purely offensive Pokemon, it requires support to fully function and tear through opposing teams.
**Slow and Bulky Pivots**: As Chien-Pao is relatively frail, it can find difficulties entering the battlefield. Thus, slow and bulky pivots that can tank a hit and pivot to it, such as Alomomola and Corviknight, are extremely helpful in correctly positioning it.
**Entry Hazard Control**: Due to its frailty and crippling Stealth Rock weakness, Chien-Pao appreciates solid entry hazard removal on its team. Spinners such as Great Tusk and Terapagos and Defoggers such as Corviknight are extremely helpful in clearing the field to allow it to safely pivot in. Spinners are slightly preferred, as they allow hazards to remain on the opposing side, which helps Chien-Pao hit certain OHKOs or 2HKOs that it wouldn't reach otherwise. Hazard stackers such as Hisuian Samurott and Glimmora can easily set up multiple layers of hazards, which can chip down Pokemon that would otherwise take Chien-Pao's hits.
**Special Wallbreakers**: Strong special wallbreakers such as Enamorus, Iron Moth, and Latios form a formidable offensive core with Chien-Pao, as they are able to break the physical walls that Chien-Pao may struggle with.
**Fighting-resistant Pokemon**: Given Chien-Pao's 4x weakness to Fighting, teammates resistant to Fighting, especially Ghost-types like Gholdengo, Skeledirge, and Pecharunt, provide invaluable defensive support.
Checks and Counters
========
**Dark- and Ice-resistant Pokemon**: Pokemon resistant to both Dark and Ice, such as Azumarill, Tinkaton, and Incineroar, can effectively wall Chien-Pao or at least limit its offensive capabilities.
**Priority Attacks**: Since Chien-Pao is extremely fast, opponents may aim to bypass its Speed by revenge killing it with strong priority users such as Jet Punch Palafin and Bullet Punch Scizor. In addition, its typing leaves it vulnerable to the now-widely-distributed Vacuum Wave.
**Choice Scarf Users**: Some teams may lack a switch-in to Chien Pao, thus leading them to run a Pokemon with Choice Scarf to outspeed and revenge kill it. Examples include Iron Valiant, Greninja, and Gardevoir.
**Lures**: If the opposing team is especially vulnerable to Chien-Pao, foes may use resistance Berries or Focus Sash to stop it from dealing too much damage. With how frail Chien-Pao is, it is easy for said lure to KO back, thus making it advisable to scout the opposing team beforehand to prevent any unexpected lures from catching it off guard.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/dragonphoenix333.608218/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/scribble.356084
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/nyx.564960/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/solarbeam.470115/
**Draft Order**: Early round 1 onwards
**Price Range**: Banned or 19 points
**Overview**: Chien-Pao is a formidable force, boasting a high Attack stat and a potent STAB combination. With its signature ability, Sword of Ruin, it becomes an immensely powerful wallbreaker capable of dismantling even the sturdiest of defenses. It also has an exceptional Speed stat, making it difficult to revenge kill. Whether utilized as an all-out attacker or a setup sweeper, Chien-Pao is nigh-unwallable, leading to it often being banned, and it should always be considered if it's legalized.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Wallbreaker**: With its high Attack stat and Sword of Ruin, Chien-Pao is able to punch holes through opposing teams. Equipping damage-boosting items such as Life Orb and Choice Band elevates its wallbreaking potential, allowing it to efficiently 2HKO nearly all neutral targets.
**Setup Sweeper**: Alternatively, Chien-Pao can opt for a more strategic approach by investing a turn in boosting its offensive capabilities with Swords Dance. This amplifies its damage output to extraordinary levels, enabling it to potentially sweep through entire teams. It's able to threaten faster foes with priority moves of both its STAB types, which makes revenge killing it incredibly hard. However, Chien-Pao's frailty and exploitable weaknesses necessitate careful timing and positioning to properly utilize it.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Icicle Crash, Crunch, Throat Chop, Ice Spinner, Sucker Punch, Ice Shard
**Setup Moves**: Swords Dance
**Utility Moves**: Substitute, Taunt, Recover, Haze
**Coverage**: Sacred Sword, Psychic Fangs, Acrobatics
Niche Moves
========
**Lash Out**: While typically overshadowed by Crunch and Throat Chop, Lash Out gains utility from its power doubling when triggered by stat reductions, which are commonly inflicted by Intimidate users such as Arcanine.
**Brick Break**: Despite being outclassed by Sacred Sword, Brick Break finds its niche in removing Aurora Veil, Reflect, and Light Screen, making it valuable against teams reliant on dual screens.
**Endure**: Endure facilitates Chien-Pao's survival in low-health situations, as it synergizes with pinch Berries like Liechi and Salac Berry. It also provides protection against one-time use priority moves such as First Impression and Fake Out.
Common Items
========
**Heavy-Duty Boots**: Chien-Pao is frail and vulnerable to entry hazards, thus making Heavy-Duty Boots an attractive option to allow it to switch in more often and give it more opportunities to punch holes in the opposing team.
**Damage-boosting Items**: Damage-boosting items such as Choice Band and Life Orb or even Black Glasses and Never-Melt Ice boost Chien-Pao's damage output to further enable its wallbreaking capabilities.
Niche Items
========
**Focus Sash**: Focus Sash can help the relatively frail Chien-Pao find more opportunities to set up a Swords Dance and become a massive threat.
**Lum Berry**: Offering a one-time cure for debilitating status conditions like burn, Lum Berry ensures Chien-Pao's sustained offensive presence.
**Salac Berry**: Paired with Endure, Salac Berry grants Chien-Pao a crucial Speed boost, allowing it to outpace naturally faster Pokemon and slower Choice Scarf users.
**Resistance Berries**: Resistance Berries such as Roseli Berry allow Chien-Pao to survive a super effective attack in a pinch and set up a Swords Dance.
Tera
========
Chien-Pao is widely Tera banned if legal, thus making it ineligible to be a Tera Captain. If it is Tera legal, Chien-Pao can use a Tera type such as Tera Dark or Ice to boost its STAB attacks or Tera Fighting to boost Sacred Sword. It can also choose defensive Tera types such as Tera Ghost and Fairy to give it more opportunities to set up.
Draft Strategy
========
Since Chien-Pao should be a round 1 pick, the rest of the team should be picked with it in mind. As it is a purely offensive Pokemon, it requires support to fully function and tear through opposing teams.
**Slow and Bulky Pivots**: As Chien-Pao is relatively frail, it can find difficulties entering the battlefield. Thus, slow and bulky pivots that can tank a hit and pivot to it, such as Alomomola and Corviknight, are extremely helpful in correctly positioning it.
**Entry Hazard Control**: Due to its frailty and crippling Stealth Rock weakness, Chien-Pao appreciates solid entry hazard removal on its team. Spinners such as Great Tusk and Terapagos and Defoggers such as Corviknight are extremely helpful in clearing the field to allow it to safely pivot in. Spinners are slightly preferred, as they allow hazards to remain on the opposing side, which helps Chien-Pao hit certain OHKOs or 2HKOs that it wouldn't reach otherwise. Hazard stackers such as Hisuian Samurott and Glimmora can easily set up multiple layers of hazards, which can chip down Pokemon that would otherwise take Chien-Pao's hits.
**Special Wallbreakers**: Strong special wallbreakers such as Enamorus, Iron Moth, and Latios form a formidable offensive core with Chien-Pao, as they are able to break the physical walls that Chien-Pao may struggle with.
**Fighting-resistant Pokemon**: Given Chien-Pao's 4x weakness to Fighting, teammates resistant to Fighting, especially Ghost-types like Gholdengo, Skeledirge, and Pecharunt, provide invaluable defensive support.
Checks and Counters
========
**Dark- and Ice-resistant Pokemon**: Pokemon resistant to both Dark and Ice, such as Azumarill, Tinkaton, and Incineroar, can effectively wall Chien-Pao or at least limit its offensive capabilities.
**Priority Attacks**: Since Chien-Pao is extremely fast, opponents may aim to bypass its Speed by revenge killing it with strong priority users such as Jet Punch Palafin and Bullet Punch Scizor. In addition, its typing leaves it vulnerable to the now-widely-distributed Vacuum Wave.
**Choice Scarf Users**: Some teams may lack a switch-in to Chien Pao, thus leading them to run a Pokemon with Choice Scarf to outspeed and revenge kill it. Examples include Iron Valiant, Greninja, and Gardevoir.
**Lures**: If the opposing team is especially vulnerable to Chien-Pao, foes may use resistance Berries or Focus Sash to stop it from dealing too much damage. With how frail Chien-Pao is, it is easy for said lure to KO back, thus making it advisable to scout the opposing team beforehand to prevent any unexpected lures from catching it off guard.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/dragonphoenix333.608218/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/scribble.356084
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/nyx.564960/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/solarbeam.470115/
Last edited:
