[OVERVIEW]
Escavalier is one of the best glue Pokemon in the tier, as its defensive typing and solid bulk allow it to check many common threats. Its powerful STAB moves backed by a monstrous Attack stat make it hard to switch into, and an excellent defensive typing gives it a wide range of resistances and only one weakness. Access to Pursuit allows it to damage foes that attempt to flee from it, including threats such as Swellow and Shaymin. However, sluggish base 20 Speed leaves it outpaced by almost the entire tier and often means it has to take two hits before retaliating when switching in. A massive 4x weakness to Fire causes it to be lured easily by Pokemon that it would otherwise wall and are using Fire-type coverage. No reliable recovery and susceptibility to all entry hazards also lead it to being worn down quickly.
[SET]
name: Bulky Attacker
move 1: Megahorn
move 2: Iron Head
move 3: Protect
move 4: Pursuit / Knock Off
item: Leftovers
ability: Overcoat
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 52 Atk / 204 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Megahorn is Escavalier's strongest STAB move and hits most targets that Escavalier switches in on for the highest damage. Iron Head is a secondary STAB attack that rounds out Escavalier's coverage well and has more reliable accuracy but significantly lower power. Pursuit allows Escavalier to trap foes it threatens such as Psychic- and Grass-types by damaging them as they switch out. Knock Off is an option to remove the items of foes that switch in as well as deal them often unresisted damage, though the utility of Pursuit is missed. Protect allows Escavalier to get more passive Leftovers recovery and scout foes' attacks.
Set Details
========
Investing EVs into Special Defense and HP allows Escavalier to take on a variety of attackers in the tier such as Shaymin, Gardevoir, Meloetta and Glalie. The given spread grants Escavalier a notable increase in bulk, allowing it to dodge the 2HKO from Nidoqueen's Earth Power, as well as from both Life Orb Modest Sharpedo's Hydro Pump and +2 Cloyster's Hydro Pump when factoring in the additional Leftovers recovery from Protect. The rest of the EVs in Attack with an Adamant nature let Escavalier hit harder. Leftovers provides Escavalier with passive recovery and prevents it from being worn down as quickly by entry hazards. A more offensive EV spread with 252 HP / 172 Atk / 84 Spe and an Adamant nature can be used, as gives Escavalier the ability to outspeed uninvested neutral base 30 Pokemon and has a larger damage output, allowing it to pressure foes such as Slowbro and Snorlax better. However, this comes at the cost of a very notable cut in bulk.
Usage Tips
========
Pivot Escavalier into attackers that have STAB moves it resists or easily takes, such as Rotom-C, Gardevoir, and Glalie. Beware of Fire-type coverage, as some special attackers run it to take a chunk off Escavalier's HP or KO it outright. Megahorn is an excellent STAB attack, so use it a lot, but don't risk the possibility of it missing unless necessary. Iron Head is better to confirm KOs better due to not missing and hits some targets such as Fairy-types that Megahorn misses for super effective damage, but it is generally less spammable than Megahorn. Pursuit traps Pokemon such as Gardevoir, Bronzong, and Espeon. Use it when taking out a threat is more important than getting damage on a switch-in. Pursuit can also be used to trap frail threats that aren't necessarily weak to it but will switch because they can't hurt Escavalier anyway such as Swellow. Use Protect to keep Escavalier healthy so it can check what it needs to. Protect is also good for scouting for Hidden Power Fire and Z-Moves and seeing what moves Choice-locked foes will use. Finally, keep Escavalier away from Knock Off, as losing its Leftovers greatly reduces its longevity.
Team Options
========
Due to Escavalier's 4x Fire-type weakness, teammates that can take care of Fire-types such as Gigalith, Milotic, and Thick Fat Snorlax are often necessary. Teammates that enjoy Psychic-types and frail, fast attackers being removed from the equation often pair well with Escavalier; these include Bewear, Roserade, and Kommo-o. Partners such as Salazzle and Rotom-H can handle bulky Steel-types such as Registeel and Durant which Escavalier is often unable to do much damage to. Pokemon that enjoy the defensive utility Escavalier brings to the table and are weak to the types it covers, such as Gligar, Diancie, Chesnaught, and Jellicent, pair well with it. Since Escavalier is often unable to 2HKO bulky Water-types and fears getting a Scald burn in return, teammates that can handle those, such as Roserade and Shaymin, work well with it. Clerical support from partners such as Florges and Umbreon is often appreciated because Escavalier has no recovery outside of Leftovers and doesn't enjoy the prospect of being burned.
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Megahorn
move 2: Iron Head
move 3: Pursuit
move 4: Knock Off / Drill Run
item: Choice Band
ability: Overcoat
nature: Adamant
evs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Megahorn is an obscenely strong STAB attack capable of OHKOing or 2HKOing most of the tier, even some Pokemon that resist it. Iron Head is also strong, but less so; however, it has the safety of not missing and provides valuable coverage alongside Megahorn. Pursuit allows Escavalier to deal big damage to frail foes and other Pokemon threatened by it when they switch out, notably OHKOing all offensive targets weak to Dark on the switch bar Necrozma. Knock Off removes items from switch-ins such as Rotom-H, Doublade, Registeel, and Moltres as well as dealing them solid damage. Drill Run can be used instead of Knock Off to do more damage to Steel- and grounded Fire-type targets, such as Registeel and Torkoal, but leaves Escavalier helpless versus Moltres and Rotom-H.
Set Details
========
84 Speed EVs let Escavalier outpace uninvested base 30 Speed Pokemon such as Snorlax and Slowbro, allowing it to hit them with a Megahorn before they can move and notably enabling Escavalier to 2HKO Snorlax even after a Curse boost. Maximum Attack investment and an Adamant nature lets Escavalier hit as hard as possible. The rest of the EVs go into HP to allow Escavalier to switch into more things and have more opportunities to fire off attacks.
Usage Tips
========
Switch Escavalier in on resisted special attacks and fire off its strong STAB attacks. Note that this Escavalier set appreciates pivoting support more than any other, as it has less bulk and no recovery whatsoever. Use Pursuit on frail targets such as Espeon and Roserade to KO them as they flee, allowing your team more breathing room. Use Knock Off whenever a solid switch-in to Escavalier's STAB moves such as Doublade or Moltres is present on the opponent's team, as it heavily cripples them alongside dealing decent damage.
Team Options
========
Switch-ins to Fire-types such as Diancie, Goodra, and Flygon are appreciated. This set has less bulk, so having teammates with Volt Switch and U-turn such as Rotom-H and Gligar to get it on the field safely is often appreciated. Cleaners such as Salazzle, Sharpedo, and Choice Scarf Gardevoir like to take advantage of the holes Escavalier leaves in the oppposition. Pokemon that take advantage of Escavalier's switch-ins to set up, such as Dragon Dance Flygon and Nasty Plot Salazzle, enjoy Escavalier bringing in its checks, as they are often rather passive. Additional checks to the typings Escavalier covers, like Goodra, Rotom-H, and Jellicent, are appreciated, as without Leftovers and with less bulk investment, Escavalier is worn down much faster and cannot reliably check as much as bulkier sets.
[SET]
name: RestTalk Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Megahorn
move 3: Rest
move 4: Sleep Talk
item: Leftovers
ability: Overcoat
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 172 SpD / 84 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Swords Dance rockets Escavalier's attack to sky-high levels, allowing it to serve as a bulky sweeper. Megahorn is Escavalier's most reliable STAB attack, providing coverage on a wide range of targets while still allowing Escavalier to do notable damage unboosted. Iron Head could be used as the sole attack instead, but the drop in power is very notable, and it makes Escavalier less effective in general. Rest lets Escavalier keep itself healthy throughout the match and also reduces its susceptibility to burns. Sleep Talk prevents Escavalier from being setup fodder while asleep and allows it to use its turns sleeping for benefit. Iron Head can also be used in the last slot to round out coverage, but this causes Escavalier to be guaranteed setup bait while sleeping. It also requires Heal Bell support to be effective, as without it, Escavalier is a sitting duck for two turns.
Set Details
========
84 EVs in Speed make Escavalier outpace uninvested base 30 Speed Pokemon like Slowbro and Snorlax, allowing Escavalier to hit them with a Megahorn before they can retaliate. The rest of the EVs are put into HP and Special Defense with a Careful nature to make Escavalier as effective a tank as it can be.
Usage Tips
========
Primarily use Escavalier to set up on and break through bulky teams. Escavalier can also be used as a bulky sweeper after all its checks have been sufficiently weakened or removed. Additionally, don't be afraid to take a bit more residual damage than usual, as this set uses a recovery move. Set up versus any Pokemon that Escavalier can comfortably take the attacks of, such as resisted attackers like Shaymin and Glalie and weak support Pokemon like Florges and Bronzong. However, it is worth noting that Foul Play users such as Umbreon and Porygon2 don't make for good setup bait, as Foul Play does huge damage after Escavalier has boosted.
Team Options
========
Cover Fire-types with teammates like Dragalge and Rhyperior. Teammates that share checks like Doublade and Registeel with Escavalier such as Gardevoir, Glalie, and Kommo-o are recommended, to soften up their mutual checks so Escavalier can finish them off. Similarly, Pokemon that can break down walls, such as Roserade, Honchkrow, and Bewear, give Escavalier an easier time cleaning up late-game. As this Escavalier set only carries Megahorn, offensive Bug-resistant Pokemon such as Durant and Bewear are liable to switch into it. Thus, checks to these Pokemon, like Gligar and Moltres, are highly recommended.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
For the bulky attacker set, the more offensive EV spread with 252 HP / 172 Atk / 84 Spe and an Adamant nature can equip an Assault Vest, as that grants has more raw bulk than the Leftovers spread. However, the recovery gained from Leftovers + Protect mitigates the drop in bulk, and Leftovers is generally better for pivoting into weaker attacks as well as healing off entry hazard damage. A Swords Dance set with 3 attacks is usable, but it is often a much less effective sweeper than the RestTalk set and a much more situational wallbreaker than the Choice Band set. Toxic can be used on the bulky attacker set to disrupt opposing bulky Water- and Flying- types, but it is hard-pressed to warrant a moveslot - over any of the already slotted moves.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fire-types**: Fire-type Pokemon resist both of Escavalier's STAB moves and threaten to easily OHKO it back with STAB attacks or use it as setup bait. Using Drill Run on the Choice Band set is an effective way to deter Salazzle, but it still misses Rotom-H and Moltres.
**Bulky Resistant Pokemon**: Physically bulky Pokemon that resist one or more of Escavalier's STAB attacks such as Jellicent, Registeel, and Gligar can often stop it in its tracks, though they often dislike having their item knocked off.
**Fire-type Coverage**: Many Pokemon that Escavalier would otherwise check, such as Roserade, Shaymin, and Swellow, can use Fire-type coverage moves to hit it hard on the switch and take large portions off of its HP, often causing Escavalier to be unable to check anything well for the rest of the match or even outright KOed.
Escavalier is one of the best glue Pokemon in the tier, as its defensive typing and solid bulk allow it to check many common threats. Its powerful STAB moves backed by a monstrous Attack stat make it hard to switch into, and an excellent defensive typing gives it a wide range of resistances and only one weakness. Access to Pursuit allows it to damage foes that attempt to flee from it, including threats such as Swellow and Shaymin. However, sluggish base 20 Speed leaves it outpaced by almost the entire tier and often means it has to take two hits before retaliating when switching in. A massive 4x weakness to Fire causes it to be lured easily by Pokemon that it would otherwise wall and are using Fire-type coverage. No reliable recovery and susceptibility to all entry hazards also lead it to being worn down quickly.
[SET]
name: Bulky Attacker
move 1: Megahorn
move 2: Iron Head
move 3: Protect
move 4: Pursuit / Knock Off
item: Leftovers
ability: Overcoat
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 52 Atk / 204 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Megahorn is Escavalier's strongest STAB move and hits most targets that Escavalier switches in on for the highest damage. Iron Head is a secondary STAB attack that rounds out Escavalier's coverage well and has more reliable accuracy but significantly lower power. Pursuit allows Escavalier to trap foes it threatens such as Psychic- and Grass-types by damaging them as they switch out. Knock Off is an option to remove the items of foes that switch in as well as deal them often unresisted damage, though the utility of Pursuit is missed. Protect allows Escavalier to get more passive Leftovers recovery and scout foes' attacks.
Set Details
========
Investing EVs into Special Defense and HP allows Escavalier to take on a variety of attackers in the tier such as Shaymin, Gardevoir, Meloetta and Glalie. The given spread grants Escavalier a notable increase in bulk, allowing it to dodge the 2HKO from Nidoqueen's Earth Power, as well as from both Life Orb Modest Sharpedo's Hydro Pump and +2 Cloyster's Hydro Pump when factoring in the additional Leftovers recovery from Protect. The rest of the EVs in Attack with an Adamant nature let Escavalier hit harder. Leftovers provides Escavalier with passive recovery and prevents it from being worn down as quickly by entry hazards. A more offensive EV spread with 252 HP / 172 Atk / 84 Spe and an Adamant nature can be used, as gives Escavalier the ability to outspeed uninvested neutral base 30 Pokemon and has a larger damage output, allowing it to pressure foes such as Slowbro and Snorlax better. However, this comes at the cost of a very notable cut in bulk.
Usage Tips
========
Pivot Escavalier into attackers that have STAB moves it resists or easily takes, such as Rotom-C, Gardevoir, and Glalie. Beware of Fire-type coverage, as some special attackers run it to take a chunk off Escavalier's HP or KO it outright. Megahorn is an excellent STAB attack, so use it a lot, but don't risk the possibility of it missing unless necessary. Iron Head is better to confirm KOs better due to not missing and hits some targets such as Fairy-types that Megahorn misses for super effective damage, but it is generally less spammable than Megahorn. Pursuit traps Pokemon such as Gardevoir, Bronzong, and Espeon. Use it when taking out a threat is more important than getting damage on a switch-in. Pursuit can also be used to trap frail threats that aren't necessarily weak to it but will switch because they can't hurt Escavalier anyway such as Swellow. Use Protect to keep Escavalier healthy so it can check what it needs to. Protect is also good for scouting for Hidden Power Fire and Z-Moves and seeing what moves Choice-locked foes will use. Finally, keep Escavalier away from Knock Off, as losing its Leftovers greatly reduces its longevity.
Team Options
========
Due to Escavalier's 4x Fire-type weakness, teammates that can take care of Fire-types such as Gigalith, Milotic, and Thick Fat Snorlax are often necessary. Teammates that enjoy Psychic-types and frail, fast attackers being removed from the equation often pair well with Escavalier; these include Bewear, Roserade, and Kommo-o. Partners such as Salazzle and Rotom-H can handle bulky Steel-types such as Registeel and Durant which Escavalier is often unable to do much damage to. Pokemon that enjoy the defensive utility Escavalier brings to the table and are weak to the types it covers, such as Gligar, Diancie, Chesnaught, and Jellicent, pair well with it. Since Escavalier is often unable to 2HKO bulky Water-types and fears getting a Scald burn in return, teammates that can handle those, such as Roserade and Shaymin, work well with it. Clerical support from partners such as Florges and Umbreon is often appreciated because Escavalier has no recovery outside of Leftovers and doesn't enjoy the prospect of being burned.
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Megahorn
move 2: Iron Head
move 3: Pursuit
move 4: Knock Off / Drill Run
item: Choice Band
ability: Overcoat
nature: Adamant
evs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Megahorn is an obscenely strong STAB attack capable of OHKOing or 2HKOing most of the tier, even some Pokemon that resist it. Iron Head is also strong, but less so; however, it has the safety of not missing and provides valuable coverage alongside Megahorn. Pursuit allows Escavalier to deal big damage to frail foes and other Pokemon threatened by it when they switch out, notably OHKOing all offensive targets weak to Dark on the switch bar Necrozma. Knock Off removes items from switch-ins such as Rotom-H, Doublade, Registeel, and Moltres as well as dealing them solid damage. Drill Run can be used instead of Knock Off to do more damage to Steel- and grounded Fire-type targets, such as Registeel and Torkoal, but leaves Escavalier helpless versus Moltres and Rotom-H.
Set Details
========
84 Speed EVs let Escavalier outpace uninvested base 30 Speed Pokemon such as Snorlax and Slowbro, allowing it to hit them with a Megahorn before they can move and notably enabling Escavalier to 2HKO Snorlax even after a Curse boost. Maximum Attack investment and an Adamant nature lets Escavalier hit as hard as possible. The rest of the EVs go into HP to allow Escavalier to switch into more things and have more opportunities to fire off attacks.
Usage Tips
========
Switch Escavalier in on resisted special attacks and fire off its strong STAB attacks. Note that this Escavalier set appreciates pivoting support more than any other, as it has less bulk and no recovery whatsoever. Use Pursuit on frail targets such as Espeon and Roserade to KO them as they flee, allowing your team more breathing room. Use Knock Off whenever a solid switch-in to Escavalier's STAB moves such as Doublade or Moltres is present on the opponent's team, as it heavily cripples them alongside dealing decent damage.
Team Options
========
Switch-ins to Fire-types such as Diancie, Goodra, and Flygon are appreciated. This set has less bulk, so having teammates with Volt Switch and U-turn such as Rotom-H and Gligar to get it on the field safely is often appreciated. Cleaners such as Salazzle, Sharpedo, and Choice Scarf Gardevoir like to take advantage of the holes Escavalier leaves in the oppposition. Pokemon that take advantage of Escavalier's switch-ins to set up, such as Dragon Dance Flygon and Nasty Plot Salazzle, enjoy Escavalier bringing in its checks, as they are often rather passive. Additional checks to the typings Escavalier covers, like Goodra, Rotom-H, and Jellicent, are appreciated, as without Leftovers and with less bulk investment, Escavalier is worn down much faster and cannot reliably check as much as bulkier sets.
[SET]
name: RestTalk Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Megahorn
move 3: Rest
move 4: Sleep Talk
item: Leftovers
ability: Overcoat
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 172 SpD / 84 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Swords Dance rockets Escavalier's attack to sky-high levels, allowing it to serve as a bulky sweeper. Megahorn is Escavalier's most reliable STAB attack, providing coverage on a wide range of targets while still allowing Escavalier to do notable damage unboosted. Iron Head could be used as the sole attack instead, but the drop in power is very notable, and it makes Escavalier less effective in general. Rest lets Escavalier keep itself healthy throughout the match and also reduces its susceptibility to burns. Sleep Talk prevents Escavalier from being setup fodder while asleep and allows it to use its turns sleeping for benefit. Iron Head can also be used in the last slot to round out coverage, but this causes Escavalier to be guaranteed setup bait while sleeping. It also requires Heal Bell support to be effective, as without it, Escavalier is a sitting duck for two turns.
Set Details
========
84 EVs in Speed make Escavalier outpace uninvested base 30 Speed Pokemon like Slowbro and Snorlax, allowing Escavalier to hit them with a Megahorn before they can retaliate. The rest of the EVs are put into HP and Special Defense with a Careful nature to make Escavalier as effective a tank as it can be.
Usage Tips
========
Primarily use Escavalier to set up on and break through bulky teams. Escavalier can also be used as a bulky sweeper after all its checks have been sufficiently weakened or removed. Additionally, don't be afraid to take a bit more residual damage than usual, as this set uses a recovery move. Set up versus any Pokemon that Escavalier can comfortably take the attacks of, such as resisted attackers like Shaymin and Glalie and weak support Pokemon like Florges and Bronzong. However, it is worth noting that Foul Play users such as Umbreon and Porygon2 don't make for good setup bait, as Foul Play does huge damage after Escavalier has boosted.
Team Options
========
Cover Fire-types with teammates like Dragalge and Rhyperior. Teammates that share checks like Doublade and Registeel with Escavalier such as Gardevoir, Glalie, and Kommo-o are recommended, to soften up their mutual checks so Escavalier can finish them off. Similarly, Pokemon that can break down walls, such as Roserade, Honchkrow, and Bewear, give Escavalier an easier time cleaning up late-game. As this Escavalier set only carries Megahorn, offensive Bug-resistant Pokemon such as Durant and Bewear are liable to switch into it. Thus, checks to these Pokemon, like Gligar and Moltres, are highly recommended.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
For the bulky attacker set, the more offensive EV spread with 252 HP / 172 Atk / 84 Spe and an Adamant nature can equip an Assault Vest, as that grants has more raw bulk than the Leftovers spread. However, the recovery gained from Leftovers + Protect mitigates the drop in bulk, and Leftovers is generally better for pivoting into weaker attacks as well as healing off entry hazard damage. A Swords Dance set with 3 attacks is usable, but it is often a much less effective sweeper than the RestTalk set and a much more situational wallbreaker than the Choice Band set. Toxic can be used on the bulky attacker set to disrupt opposing bulky Water- and Flying- types, but it is hard-pressed to warrant a moveslot - over any of the already slotted moves.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fire-types**: Fire-type Pokemon resist both of Escavalier's STAB moves and threaten to easily OHKO it back with STAB attacks or use it as setup bait. Using Drill Run on the Choice Band set is an effective way to deter Salazzle, but it still misses Rotom-H and Moltres.
**Bulky Resistant Pokemon**: Physically bulky Pokemon that resist one or more of Escavalier's STAB attacks such as Jellicent, Registeel, and Gligar can often stop it in its tracks, though they often dislike having their item knocked off.
**Fire-type Coverage**: Many Pokemon that Escavalier would otherwise check, such as Roserade, Shaymin, and Swellow, can use Fire-type coverage moves to hit it hard on the switch and take large portions off of its HP, often causing Escavalier to be unable to check anything well for the rest of the match or even outright KOed.
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