Having kept an eye on Blaziken for about two weeks now, we are in agreement that it is manageable for now. As a result, we are moving into our 7th Suspect, the long awaited Azumarill retest!
Suspect Reasoning
Azumarill was last around during the Mega Venusaur meta, being banned for its Choice Band set despite the significant presence of Mega Venusaur in the meta. The meta nowadays is unrecognisable when compared to that meta, and we believe there is enough defensive and offensive counterplay to it to make it worthy of a retest.
While Azumarill is undoubtedly extremely powerful, NatDex UU is no stranger to powerful wallbreakers like Melmetal, Urshifu-Rapid-Strike, Primarina and Buzzwole, several of which already outdamage Azumarill. Additionally, its low speed and lack of recovery mean Azumarill requires a significant amount of team support to function as a wallbreaker, as it is not bulky enough to come in on Pokemon whose STABs it doesn't resist repeatedly, and is additionally prone to revenge killing. Additionally, common defensive Pokemon like Amoonguss, Skarmory and Physically Defensive Tangrowth can switch into or pivot on Choice Band Azumarill, and a choice locked Azumarill can be exploited by several sweepers and wallbreakers. Choice Band sets also face some competition with Urshifu-Rapid-Strike, of course, due to Urshifu's higher speed and stronger STABs, while also still possessing a reasonably powerful Aqua Jet of its own and even U-turn.
That isn't to say Choice Band Azumarill wouldn't be a good Pokemon, of course. Water/Fairy STAB with a way to deal with common resists is really good (which between Knock Off or Ice Punch, it has), as Primarina has demonstrated already. Azumarill also boasts the third most powerful unboosted priority in the tier (behind only Scizor and Bisharp), making it more useful in matchups against offensive teams than Primarina and, thus, easier to fit. Of course, Azumarill is also absurdly powerful, with its Choice Banded Play Rough being among the strongest attacks in the metagame, up there with Melmetal's Double Iron Bash and Urshifu-Rapid-Strike's Close Combat, and Liquidation is not much weaker. It's also bulky enough to take most unboosted neutral hits and just fast enough to be able to outspeed most relevant walls with some investment.
The set most likely to be problematic, however, and the one to have some concerns raised about, is the Belly Drum set, due to the relative lack of common faster offensive water resists whose STABs aren't resisted by Azumarill. It also easily overwhelms normal defensive counterplay to Azumarill when boosted, and it goes without saying +6 Aqua Jet will OHKO any offensive Pokemon that doesn't resist it - even those that do resist it will take at least half from it. This makes Belly Drum Azumarill an extremely scary win condition to face, especially for slower or fatter teams, who will find their typical Azumarill defensive checks vaporised by +6 Play Rough or Knock Off.
However, Belly Drum does have some noticeable flaws, namely the fact that it will never be at full after clicking Belly Drum. This is especially the case with the Z-Belly Drum variant, which will never be higher than 50% at +6. While Sitrus Berry does theoretically let you reach 75%, this is realistically going to be rare unless both entry hazards aren't active and the opponent lets you set up for free, which is doubtful if the opponent has already suspected Azumarill as Belly Drum or is playing extra cautiously. It is also harder to setup with without taking significant chip due to not having Z-Belly Drum's health restore effect, as Sitrus sets cannot afford to take more than 75%. Belly Drum Azumarill is also often functionally useless (bar revenging something with Aqua Jet) prior to getting the opportunity to setup as a result, as you have to be extremely careful to not let it take too much chip (though not as much the case with Z-Belly Drum), and an unboosted Azumarill isn't particularly strong. This makes actually getting it in to set up difficult.
The Belly Drum health loss and chip it takes setting up also means that strong resisted STAB hits will often do enough to eliminate a Belly Drummed Azumarill, significantly increasing the pool of faster water resists that can deal with Azumarill. Additionally, Rotom-Wash, Mega Altaria, Zarude, and Salamence, while not exactly an enormous list of Pokemon that resist Aqua Jet and already hit it for neutral or better, are quite splashable as is. Offensive Buzzwole can also take a +6 Aqua Jet and either do significant damage or kill with STAB or Earthquake after a Belly Drum.
252+ Atk Choice Band Huge Power Azumarill Play Rough vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Tangrowth: 220-261 (54.4 - 64.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Iron Fist Melmetal Double Iron Bash (2 hits) vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Tangrowth: 230-272 (56.9 - 67.3%) -- approx. 2HKO
252 Atk Choice Band Urshifu-Rapid-Strike Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Tangrowth: 241-285 (59.6 - 70.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Choice Band Urshifu-Rapid-Strike Close Combat vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Azumarill: 177-208 (51.7 - 60.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
0 Atk Pixilate Altaria-Mega Return vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Azumarill: 171-202 (50 - 59%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
(reminder that the standard support/defensive set runs 56 speed and therefore outspeeds anyways)
252 SpA Choice Specs Keldeo Hydro Pump vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Azumarill: 161-190 (47 - 55.5%) -- 76.2% chance to 2HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Keldeo Focus Blast vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Azumarill: 176-207 (51.4 - 60.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Iron Fist Melmetal Double Iron Bash (2 hits) vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Tangrowth: 230-272 (56.9 - 67.3%) -- approx. 2HKO
252 Atk Choice Band Urshifu-Rapid-Strike Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Tangrowth: 241-285 (59.6 - 70.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Choice Band Urshifu-Rapid-Strike Close Combat vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Azumarill: 177-208 (51.7 - 60.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
0 Atk Pixilate Altaria-Mega Return vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Azumarill: 171-202 (50 - 59%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
(reminder that the standard support/defensive set runs 56 speed and therefore outspeeds anyways)
252 SpA Choice Specs Keldeo Hydro Pump vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Azumarill: 161-190 (47 - 55.5%) -- 76.2% chance to 2HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Keldeo Focus Blast vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Azumarill: 176-207 (51.4 - 60.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Suspect Test Information
- Reading this is mandatory to participate in the suspect test. The voting requirements are a minimum GXE of 79 with at least 40 games played. In addition, you may play 1 less game for every 0.2 GXE you have above 79 GXE, down to a minimum of 20 games at a GXE of 83. Also, needing more than 40 games to reach 79 GXE will suffice.
GXE minimum games 79 40 79.2 39 79.4 38 79.6 37 79.8 36 80 35 80.2 34 80.4 33 80.6 32 80.8 31 81 30 81.2 29 81.4 28 81.6 27 81.8 26 82 25 82.2 24 82.4 23 82.6 22 82.8 21 83 20
- You must use a fresh account that begins with the given prefix for this suspect test. That prefix is NDUUAZU. For example, I could signup and qualify with the name NDUUAZU Niadev.
- You may not impersonate or mock another user with your account name. If there is any slight hesitation, you're probably better off picking a different name. We reserve the right to null your voting requisites if you are found impersonating or mocking another user with your account name. Moderator discretion will be applied.
- If you are found trying to manipulate voting requisites in any way, you will be met with a harsh infraction. Manipulating voting requisites ranges from faking your screenshot to asking another user to forfeit.
- The Pokemon that's being suspect tested, Azumarill, will be allowed on the National Dex UU ladder for the next two weeks so that we can properly assess its position in the metagame.
- This suspect test will go on for two weeks. It will last until January the 28th at 11:59 PM GMT.
Melmetal may not be faster, but is able to live every hit from full, even at +6, and often kills with its STAB in return
Urshifu-RS lives Aqua Jet easily and is able to kill through Screens with Surging Strikes, since Surging Strikes' 100% crit ratio ignores Reflect
Primarina is able to live a +6 Aqua Jet and kill with Energy Ball in return, even through Light Screen.
Choice Band or Poisonium Z Buzzwole also lives +6 Aqua Jet and kills with Poison Jab through Reflect
Standard Zarude easily kills with Power Whip and eats up Aqua Jet
Offensive DD Dragonite kills with unboosted Z-Fly behind Reflect. Even defensive Dragonite can cripple Azumarill with a Toxic or Thunder Wave
Even 0 Attack Bulu has a range to KO with Horn Leech, and overall acts as a great check to Belly Drum Azumarill
Volcanion is getting experimented with more, and I personally think it's a great check to Azumarill, especially the Choice Specs variant
252 Atk Pixilate Altaria-Mega Return vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Azumarill: 213-252 (62.2 - 73.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
0 SpA Rotom-Wash Volt Switch vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Azumarill: 188-224 (54.9 - 65.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Salamence Hurricane vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Azumarill: 193-228 (56.4 - 66.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
0 SpA Weezing-Galar Sludge Bomb vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Azumarill: 204-242 (59.6 - 70.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO