Emolga
[Overview]
<p>Emolga might not see much use in the above tiers, but in the NU tier it can really shine. Emolga has a great Speed stat, outspeeding base 100 Speed Pokemon, and a great typing, both offensively and defensively. However, Emolga is pretty frail, and is unfortunately weak to Ice- and Rock-type moves, which includes a criplling weakness to Stealth Rock. Do not fear though, as Emola's drawbacks are almost always outweighed by its advantages. Emolga has a great offensive movepool, including moves such as Thunderbolt and Air Slash, while it also has an interesting support movepool consisting of options such as Baton Pass, Encore, Taunt, and Thunder Wave. Emolga has access to Roost as well, and while its offensive stats are only usable at best, it can utilize Substitute and Charge Beam to boost its Special Attack to far more powerful levels. Though it faces competition from Rotom-S, a Pokemon with the same typing, Emolga sets itself apart with access to a great support movepool, Roost, and better Speed. The Sky Squirrel shouldn't be underestimated, as it can be quite dangerous with the right set up.</p>
[SET]
name: Baton Pass
move 1: Baton Pass
move 2: Agility / Charge Beam
move 3: Taunt / Encore
move 4: Substitute / Thunder Wave
item: Leftovers
ability: Static
nature: Timid
evs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Emolga is one of the fastest Baton Pass users in a tier full of competition, outsped only by Ninjask, Floatzel, Lopunny, and the Prankster Pokemon. Baton Pass is also one of the advantages Emolga has over Rotom-S. Agility and Charge Beam boosts alongside Substitutes, are unfortunately the only things Emolga has to pass, but it's good enough. Taunt gives Emolga an easier time setting up, preventing slower opponents from Taunting it, while also stopping opposing Baton Passers. Encore can lock the opponent into a resisted move, whereas Thunder Wave will slow it down. Thunder Wave works great with Charge Beam, compensating the lack of Agility.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Roost is an option, keeping Emolga healthy so that it can Baton Pass more than once. Discharge is also option in the last slot, as it doesn't make Emolga total Taunt bait, but still has a nice 30% paralysis rate. Slower powerhouses benefit from the Speed boosts provided by Agility. Absol, Kingler, Luxray, and Magmortar are great examples of this. Certain special attackers, such Magmortar, Exeggutor, and Rotom-F, benefit from an extra boost or two from Charge Beam. Substitute can really help setup sweepers, such as Absol, Gorebyss, Pinsir, and Huntail, as it gives them extra protection.</p>
[SET]
name: SubCharge
move 1: Charge Beam
move 2: Air Slash / Thunderbolt
move 3: Substitute
move 4: Roost / Encore / Hidden Power Grass
item: Leftovers
ability: Static
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 160 HP / 156 SpA / 192 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Emolga's best offensive set. The infamous Substitute + Charge Beam combination can make Emolga a fierce hard-hitter if played correctly. Air Slash or Thunderbolt is used for a more reliable and powerful STAB move than Charge Beam. Air Slash is the preferred move as it hits Grass-types and Emolga already has a Electric-type move in Charge Beam; with Thunderbolt, however, Emolga is able to deal massive damage. Roost keeps Emolga healthy, making it able to set up Substitute over and over again. Encore can lock the opponent into a resisted move, making setting up much easier for Emolga. Hidden Power Grass lets Emolga hit Quagsire for super effective damage; Quagsire is still hit by Air Slash, but Hidden Power Grass takes it out faster.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The listed Speed EVs give Emolga enough Speed to outspeed base 95 Speed Pokemon such as Jynx and Haunter, while it hits hard enough after a boost or two with the given Special Attack EVs. The rest of the EVs goes into HP, giving Emolga some reasonable bulk and bigger Substitutes. Rapid Spin support is needed, as it's necessary to keep Emolga at full health when beginning to set up. Tentacool and Cryogonal come to mind, as they can switch in on Ice-type moves directed at Emolga. Entry hazards can help score some KOs and keep the opponent from switching. Whirlipede can provide both Toxic Spikes and Spikes, and Regirock can set up Stealth Rock. Tentacool can also set up Toxic Spikes, while also spinning away hazards to greatly increase Emolga's longevity. Without Air Slash, Emolga can't do anything against Grass-types, so it's wise to remove them first. Magmortar and Emboar can easily dispose of them. Emboar can also handle Rock-types, while both of them can take care of Ice-types for Emolga. Grass-types, such as Exeggutor, can handle Quagsire for Emolga if it lacks Hidden Power Grass and Air Slash; beating Quagsire with only Air Slash is still hard, especially without any boosts.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Choice Specs can be used to take advantage of Emolga's usable Special Attack and good movepool, but a set like this would be somewhat outclassed by Rotom-S. If you do opt to use Choice Specs, the best moves to use are Thunderbolt, Air Slash, Hidden Power Grass, and Volt Switch. One should take note that Emolga doesn't funtion as hard-hitter with Choice Specs, unlike other Pokemon, but rather like a revenge killer and scout, utilizing its high Speed. Emolga can also deal massive damage with the combination of Life Orb, Thunder Wave, and Electro Ball. Hidden Power Ice can be used to hit Altaria hard, but then Emolga misses out Quagsire, which is much more important to hit. A support set can be used, with Taunt, Thunder Wave, and Encore, in combination with Light Screen, Rain Dance, and Toxic. However, this is often better left to other Pokemon. Emolga also has access to Tickle and Charm, which lower the opponents stats and can possibly force switches. Emolga has an Attack stat equal to its Special Attack, so a Choice Band set can be used, but Emolga's bad physical movepool holds it back. If you want to try it, Emolga has access to Wild Charge, U-turn, Acrobatics, Aerial Ace, Pursuit, Iron Tail, and Quick Attack.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Because Emolga is so frail, anything that hits hard enough can take it on. Sawk can take a hit from anything unboosted bar Air Slash, and KO back with a super effective Stone Edge. Even if hit by Air Slash, Sturdy allows Sawk to survive the attack and hit back. Regirock has the bulk to survive even Hidden Power Grass when unboosted, and can easily OHKO Emolga with a STAB Stone Edge. Due to the fact that Emolga doesn't hit hard from the start, anything that's bulky enough can take it on as well. Quagsire ignores any Special Attack boost Emolga might have, and unless Emolga carries Hidden Power Grass, Quagsire isn't going down easily. Audino has no trouble taking unboosted hits with its high defenses, and can stall Emolga out with Wish and Toxic. Misdreavus is another specially bulky Pokemon that can take Emolga on. However, Thunder Wave will heavily cripple it and a lack of reliable recovery can hinder Misdreavus even more. Faster Taunt users, most notably Prankster users such as Murkrow and Cottonee, can stop both sets, as they prevent the use of both Substitute and Baton Pass.</p>
[Dream World]
<p>Emolga receives Motor Drive as its Dream World ability. Motor Drive is a good ability, and gives a Speed boost when hit by an Electric-type move, while blessing Emolga with a second immunity. This makes Motor Drive superior to Static, so it should always be used when released.</p>
