Golduck (1/2)

[avarice]

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Hydro Pump
move 2: Ice Beam
move 3: Psychic / Focus Blast
move 4: Flip Turn
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Cloud Nine
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
With a strong STAB Hydro Pump and good speed tier Golduck makes for a potent Choice Scarf user. Ice Beam hits Appletun, Lilligant, and other water-type resists. Psychic can hit Mareanie and get more damage on Throh or Hitmonchan. Focus Blast is another option to hit Lapras and Type: Null harder. Surf is another option to not risk a miss at the cost of better coverage. Flip Turn lets Golduck gain momentum on a predicted switch. Cloud Nine lets Golduck keep its fast pace against rare weather teams.

Golduck is a good fit for offense lacking speed control to revenge fast targets. Physical attackers such as Throh, Lyranroc-Midnight, and Falinks can set up on or break pokemon Golduck pivots in like Appletun or Type: Null. Golduck can also form pivoting cores with pokemon like Klinklang, Morpeko, or Unfezant. All of these appreciate Golduck pressuring ground-types and in return can threaten special defensive pokemon like Mr. Rime or Appletun. Golduck has a solid speed tier but can still be revenge killed by many faster pokemon. Stunfisk makes for a great partner that can pivot into faster Choice Scarf users like Manectric, Unfezant, or Gourgeist. Stunfisk can also provide Stealth Rock to further punish switching around Golduck. Hazard removal like Sandslash and Unfezant let Golduck pivot around more freely without getting worn down into priority range. Priority users like Pawniard and Gourgeist can assist Golduck in revenge killing speed-boosting sweepers that outpace Golduck like Quiver Dance Lilligant and Unburden Driftblim. Specially Defensive Klinklang or Type: Null are alternative options that deal with them defensively.

[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Hydro Pump
move 2: Ice Beam
move 3: Psychic / Focus Blast
move 4: Flip Turn
item: Choice Specs
ability: Cloud Nine
nature: Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Choice Specs Golduck is a solid wallbreaker that's hard to switch into with its high base power moves and reliable coverage. Hydro Pump is very spammable, while Ice Beam is able to hit most resists. Psychic is able to hit Mareanie and do more damage to Fighting-types like Throh without missing. Focus Blast deal more damage to Lickilicky and Klinklang.

Choice Specs Golduck is able to fit on bulkier offense teams as a breaker to soften the opposition for another to sweep. Drifblim, Lilligant, and Morpeko can all benefit from Golduck punching holes and clean later. Pivots such as Raboot, Type: Null, or Unfezant can get Golduck in on Pokemon like Stunfisk, Mareanie or Sandslash to break. Stunfisk makes for a solid partner as it is able to switch into Boltund, Manectric, and Morpeko that can quickly revenge kill Golduck. Set up sweepers like Nasty Plot Mr. Mime-Galar and Quiver Dance Lilligant can capitalize on Golduck weakening Type: Null and specially defensive Klinklang. Fighting-types like Falinks and Throh can pressure Type: Null and Lickilicky. Grass-type resists such as Klinklang and Mawile that can comfortably switch into pokemon like Appletun and Leafeon let Golduck click Hydro Pump more freely.

[SET]
name: Rain Dance
move 1: Rain Dance
move 2: Hydro Pump
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Psychic / Focus Blast
item: Life Orb
ability: Swift Swim
nature: Modest / Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
WIth Life Orb Golduck is able to break early game or later set up Rain Dance to clean with Swift Swim and a boosted Hydro Pump. Ice Beam is able to hit most Water-resists while Psychic and Focus Blast can chosen based on what a team has a harder time wearing down. A Modest nature lets Golduck hit as hard as possible while Timid gives it more room before it can set up a Rain Dance. Expert Belt is another option to still do more damage to Water-type resists like Appletun while potentially bluffing a Choice-locked set. Mystic Water also is able to keep up a charade and provide even more power to Hydro Pump at the cost of coverage's power. Golduck is able to separate itself from Ludicolo as a Rain Dance sweeper with its ability to not give away its set at preview.

Rain Dance Golduck appreciates hazard support from pokemon like Stunfisk or Sandslash to help it clean up easier late game. Pivots like Unfezant and Morpeko can get Golduck in on bulky Ground-types like Stunfisk and Sandslash to either break or set up for a sweep. Healing Wish users like Mr. Rime, Musharna or Hattrem can remedy Golduck's Life Orb recoil and prevent it from dying to priority. Choice Specs Lilligant stands out for its ability to chunk special walls and still provide Healing Wish support. Appletun and Mr. Rime are other special breakers to support Golduck as well. Modest Golduck gets outsped by pokemon like Drednaw so it benefits from pokemon like Appletun or Tangela. Knock Off users such as Tangela or Heatmor can cripple Type: Null or Mareanie for Golduck to muscle past.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[avarice, 346653]]
- Quality checked by: [[MZ, 202117], [username2, userid2]]
- Grammar checked by: [[username1, userid1]]

 

[MZ]

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Hydro Pump
move 2: Ice Beam
move 3: Psychic / Focus Blast
move 4: Flip Turn
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Swift Swim / Cloud Nine deslash swift swim, see end of first paragraph
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
With a strong STAB Hydro Pump and good speed tier Golduck makes for a potent Choice Scarf user. It is able to revenge fast pokemon such as Morpeko, Unfezant, and Raboot this sentence feels like too much of a given to be necessary, like that's just what scarfers doo. Ice Beam hits Appletun, Lilligant, and other water-type resists. Psychic can hit Mareanie and get more damage on Throh or Hitmonchan. Focus Blast is another option to hit Lapras and Type: Null harder. Flip Turn lets Golduck gain momentum on a predicted switch. Swift Swim lets Golduck revenge Drednaw under Rain while Cloud Nine can have utility against all weather; though, all forms of weather are uncommon. ok but is cloud 9 not better in every way? revenge drednaw vs revenge the very rare beartic or sun leaf or w/e. it's not a tradeoff, you're just losing things to revenge. I would delete swift swim altogether

Golduck is a good fit for offense lacking speed control to revenge fast targets. Physical attackers such as Throh, Lyranroc-Midnight, and Falinks can set up on or break pokemon Golduck pivots in like Appletun, Wigglytuff id probably just drop wiggly from here, doesn't rly fit with the others, or Type: Null. Golduck can also form pivoting cores with pokemon like Klinklang, Morpeko, or Unfezant. All of these appreciate Golduck pressuring ground-types and in return can threaten special defensive pokemon like Mr. Rime or Appletun. Golduck has a solid speed tier but can still be revenge killed by many faster pokemon. Stunfisk makes for a great partner that can pivot into faster Choice Scarf users like Manectric, Unfezant, or Lycanroc lycanroc is slower?????. Stunfisk can also provide Stealth Rock to further punish switching around Golduck. Hazard removal like Sandslash and Unfezant let Golduck pivot around more freely without getting worn down into priority range.
talk about having additional prio users or other ways to beat certain speed boosting sweepers that duck can't reach like unburden blimp or lilligant

[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Hydro Pump
move 2: Ice Beam
move 3: Psychic / Focus Blast
move 4: Flip Turn
item: Choice Specs
ability: Cloud Nine
nature: Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Choice Specs Golduck is a solid wallbreaker with good coverage between Hydro Pump, Ice Beam, and either Psychic or Focus Blast you don't need to recap the moves it runs here, you're going to cover this in the next few sentences anyway. better points might be lack of good resists to water/ice coverage and decent power moves. Hydro Pump is very spammable, while Ice Beam is able to hit most resists. Psychic is able to hit Mareanie and do more damage to Fighting-types like Throh without missing. Focus Blast can hit Type: Null harder and hit the less common Lapras. I know this is a case where it's hard to not use the same exact examples, but ig u could put lickilicky here instead of the same focus blast targets

Choice Specs Golduck is able to fit on bulkier offense teams as a breaker to soften the opposition for another to sweep. Drifblim, Lilligant, and Morpeko can all benefit from Golduck punching holes and clean later. Pivots such as Manectric, Type: Null, or Unfezant can get Golduck in on Pokemon like Stunfisk to threaten "to threaten" sounds weird also manec isnt pivoting on stunfisk, maybe add more examples of things duck abuses. Without the speed from Choice Scarf, Choice Specs Golduck is easier to revenge kill this should be obvious to the point of don't bother mentioning it, in general referencing past sets is not ideal. Stunfisk is able to switch into Morpeko, Raboot, and Unfezant that can quickly revenge kill Golduck your shouldn't be using the same 3 pokemon you used earlier as examples, especially when raboot is not a great duck revenge killer compared to things like boltund. Set up sweepers like Nasty Plot Mr. Mime-Galar and Quiver Dance Lilligant can capitalize on Golduck weakening Type: Null and specially defensive Klinklang. Fighting-types like Falinks and Throh can pressure Type: Null and Lickilicky missing a period here
a specific bit on grass type checks wouldn't be amiss here, easy to have duck hydro something and need to find something to take on their apple or leaf after


[SET]
name: Rain Dance
move 1: Rain Dance
move 2: Hydro Pump
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Psychic / Focus Blast
item: Life Orb
ability: Swift Swim
nature: Modest / Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
WIth Life Orb Golduck is able to break early game and can later set up Rain Dance to clean with Swift Swim and a boosted Hydro Pump this should be phrased as "or" not "and", duck shouldn't rly be able to break early and sweep late unless it gets a healing wish. Ice Beam is able to hit most Water-resists while Psychic and Focus Blast can chosen based on what a team has a harder time wearing down. A Modest nature lets Golduck hit as hard as possible while Timid gives it more room before it can set up a Rain Dance. Expert Belt is another option to still do more damage to Water-type resists like Appletun while potentially bluffing a Choice-locked set. Golduck is able to separate itself from Ludicolo as a Rain Dance sweeper with its ability to not give away its set at preview.

Rain Dance Golduck appreciates hazard support from pokemon like Stunfisk or Sandslash to help it clean up easier late game. Pivots like Unfezant and Morpeko can get Golduck in on bulky Ground-types like Stunfisk and Sandslash to either break or set up for a sweep. Healing Wish users like Lilligant or Rapidash-Galar I dont like these HW examples, especially galardash just runs it really rarely compared to easier mentions like mush, hat, rime, etc. can remedy Golduck's Life Orb recoil and prevent it from dying to priority. Choice Specs Lilligant stands out for its ability to chunk special walls and still provide Healing Wish support. Appletun and Mr. Rime are other special breakers to support Golduck as well ok but why? it's not rly clear if they do similar stuff to lilligant or serve some other unmentioned function. Additional checks to pokemon like Drednaw and Lycanroc are essential when running a Modest nature why? I get drednaw but that should be explained and I have genuinely no idea why you mentioned lycanroc-- Gourgeist and Lilligant can both do so lilligant is also not gonna switch into either of those mons which seems more important than just checking them. for that matter gourgeist shouldn't hard in on scarf stone edges either.
knock off users are pretty useful, duck can use KOs on null/mareanie/a few other rare NFEs

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[username1, userid1]]
- Quality checked by: [[username1, userid1], [username2, userid2]]
- Grammar checked by: [[username1, userid1]]

1/2

 

[MZ]

Many months later this is no longer viable and we won't be keeping the analysis around. This is probably not surprising.