[overview]
**Draft order**: Round 3 onwards
**Price range**: 14-15 points
**Overview**: As one of the most versatile and unpredictable Pokemon in the game, Necrozma is a menace in the Draft format. With solid offensive stats, high bulk, and an incredibly deep movepool, Necrozma can fill a variety of roles, including physical setup attacker, offensive special attacker, and bulky utility. Why, with Prism Armor, Necrozma doesn’t even fear the Dark- and Ghost-types that send most Psychic-types packing! Necrozma is extremely customizable for any individual matchup, even though its mediocre typing and average Attack and Speed may require some creativity to work around. If you can manage its shortcomings, when all is said and done, you’ll never be in a dark place with Necrozma on your team.
Common Roles
========
**Setup sweeper**: With good mixed offensive stats and a plethora of setup moves, Necrozma has plenty of ways to dismantle the opposing team after a turn of setting up. Dragon Dance can be run on both physical and special sets to boost speed, Calm Mind can boost its already-high Special Attack, and Iron Defense can keep Necrozma alive forever, making it a Stored Power sweeper worth fearing. By the time your opponent figures out what set you've decided to run, Necrozma will have already made light work of their team.
**Dedicated lead**: With useful utility moves like Stealth Rock and Knock Off and the coverage to hit just about anyone super effectively, Necrozma can be crafted into the perfect lead. It can threaten to KO whatever the opponent leads, use Weakness Policy to set up on an unsuspecting Knock Off user, or even supply dual screens and Future Sight for its teammates.
**Wallbreaker**: Naturally high Special Attack, a strong STAB move in Photon Geyser, and the easy boosting potential of Meteor Beam allow Necrozma to be a strong special wallbreaker. Not only that, but with Swords Dance, Necrozma can act as a physical wallbreaker as well, with the added benefit of being able to hit Dark-types super effectively.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB moves**: Photon Geyser, Psychic Fangs, Psychic, Psyshock, Stored Power, Future Sight
**Setup moves**: Dragon Dance, Calm Mind, Swords Dance, Iron Defense, Meteor Beam
**Utility moves**: Stealth Rock, Knock Off, Light Screen, Reflect, Moonlight, Morning Sun, Substitute, Brick Break
**Coverage**: Dark Pulse, Dragon Pulse, Earth Power, Earthquake, Flash Cannon, Heat Wave, Iron Head, Outrage, Power Gem, Shadow Claw, Stone Edge, X-Scissor
Niche Moves
========
**Trick Room**: Speedy foes are usually Necrozma’s best checks, but with Trick Room, you can flip the matchups against these foes, and the only thing they’ll be checking is their insurance policies.
**Rest**: Rest, especially when combined with a Chesto Berry, can be used to keep bulkier Necrozma sets alive while allowing it to recover from Toxic.
Common Items
========
**Weakness Policy**: Necrozma is perhaps the best Weakness Policy user in the format, being weak to common moves such as Knock Off and U-Turn, yet taking reduced damage from them thanks to Prism Armor. This pairs excellently with both Dragon Dance and Trick Room sets, letting Necrozma boost to terrifying power levels with little setup if the foe attempts to hit it super effectively!
**Lum Berry**: No Necrozma set likes being put on Toxic’s timer or going on slow mode with paralysis, and physical sets can't stand the damage decrease from a burn. Lum Berry deals with all these problems, meaning Necrozma can set up against status-spreaders without fear.
**Power Herb**: Power Herb in tandem with Meteor Beam gives Necrozma access to an extremely strong one-time attack and Special Attack boost!
**Leftovers**: Necrozma’s solid bulk only becomes harder to beat when it’s using Leftovers, especially on Stored Power sets.
Niche Items
========
**Choice items**: With a very strong STAB move and a lot of coverage, Necrozma can utilize any Choice item to up its immediate threat level. Choice Scarf addresses Necrozma’s speed issue, while Choice Band and Choice Specs mean no setup is required to start poking holes in the opposing team.
**Expert Belt**: With so much coverage at its disposal, Necrozma is guaranteed to hit almost any threat super-effectively and can therefore make solid use out of Expert Belt.
**Mental Herb**: Taunt and Encore can be a real pain in the neck for Necrozma when it’s trying to set up, but Mental Herb can easily negate such countermeasures.
**Light Clay**: Necrozma isn’t your typical dual screens setter, but with reliable recovery and access to both Light Screen and Reflect, it can get the job done.
**Sitrus Berry**: Sitrus Berry lets Necrozma run a setup move and three attack sets without worrying about getting into the red.
**Heavy-Duty Boots**: In games where Toxic Spikes seem hard to avoid, or where Necrozma will be pivoting in frequently, Heavy-Duty Boots can offer a lot of value.
**Rocky Helmet**: Necrozma's solid defensive profile against many physical attackers allows it to use Rocky Helmet to punish contact moves.
**Clear Amulet**: Clear Amulet can be used to negate Intimidate for physical sets, while also blocking Parting Shot in matchups where it could be a problem.
**Room Service**: Because Necrozma's Speed tier is fast enough that some particularly slow Pokemon can act before it in Trick Room, Room Service can sometimes be used to underspeed more foes.
Tera
========
Necrozma is usually Tera-banned, and can function very well without it. When allowed to Terastallize, however, Necrozma is a monster and should be your first pick for a Tera Captain. Necrozma uses Terastallization on a matchup-dependent basis, setting up on or countering specific foes, but a few types appear more often than most: Tera Fairy complements its base typing while giving Necrozma access to Fairy coverage it otherwise lacks, Tera Fighting gives it an alternative way to hit Dark- and Steel-types, Tera Steel is an all-around good defensive typing that grants an immunity to Toxic, and Tera Fire boosts its most common coverage move, Heat Wave, to levels that could burn the sky itself!
Draft Strategy
========
Necrozma can make for a very strong wincon—just ask any Alolan—but its average Speed and reliance on setup means it shouldn’t be your first pick. Drafting it after a solid enabler or alternate wincon takes a lot of pressure off of Necrozma, letting it do its jobs much more efficiently.
**Speed control**: Necrozma is not very fast and can struggle to deal with some of the quicker Pokemon in Draft. Naturally fast Pokemon such as Iron Bundle and Meowscarada help bridge the speed gap, while priority attackers such as Palafin and Scizor can go first regardless of how fast the foe may be.
**Grounded Poison-type**: Decent grounded Poison-types make good partners for Necrozma for several reasons. Many of them can lure in Psychic-types for Necrozma to set up on, and they remove the Toxic Spikes that would otherwise put it on a timer. With a consistent grounded Poison-type like Clodsire or Sneasler, both them and Necrozma will find their matches a lot less toxic.
**Dark-type checks**: Necrozma has ways of dealing with Dark-types on its own, but it benefits heavily from having them worn down, especially when playing as a special attacker. Likewise, Fairy-types like Primarina and Fighting-types like Quaquaval appreciate Necrozma putting pressure on Dark-types for them to take advantage of!
**Entry hazards**: Necrozma often doesn't want to run Stealth Rock, as its sweeping sets are much more potent. Decent Stealth Rock users like Landorus-T and Mamoswine free up that move slot for it, letting it run much-needed coverage or recovery.
Checks and Counters
========
**Revenge killers**: Necrozma isn’t an easy Pokemon to counter, but revenge killers are the best at dealing with it consistently. Even after a Dragon Dance, Necrozma’s middling speed means it still falls short of common Choice Scarf users like Roaring Moon and Gholdengo, while non-Dragon Dance sets can end up at the mercy of faster wallbreakers like Chi-Yu regardless of what item they're holding.
**Disruption**: Necrozma can take a few turns to get going, especially when acting as a wincon. During that time, if it’s locked into a move via Encore, Choice-locked after a foe uses Trick, or hit by an unprompted Yawn, Necrozma can be forced out before doing much damage.
**Toxic**: Toxic puts a lot of pressure on Necrozma to forgo the setup it usually performs, which can make it a lot easier to manage.
**Bulky Dark-types**: Necrozma has coverage to hit Dark-types super effectively, but reality sets in when you realize that "coverage" is Brick Break and X-Scissor. Dark-types like Ting-Lu and Tyranitar can force Necrozma to run specific sets to beat them, making it much more predictable.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/big-pharma.657717
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/scionicle.599989/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/abriel.473082/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/ken.594478/
**Draft order**: Round 3 onwards
**Price range**: 14-15 points
**Overview**: As one of the most versatile and unpredictable Pokemon in the game, Necrozma is a menace in the Draft format. With solid offensive stats, high bulk, and an incredibly deep movepool, Necrozma can fill a variety of roles, including physical setup attacker, offensive special attacker, and bulky utility. Why, with Prism Armor, Necrozma doesn’t even fear the Dark- and Ghost-types that send most Psychic-types packing! Necrozma is extremely customizable for any individual matchup, even though its mediocre typing and average Attack and Speed may require some creativity to work around. If you can manage its shortcomings, when all is said and done, you’ll never be in a dark place with Necrozma on your team.
Common Roles
========
**Setup sweeper**: With good mixed offensive stats and a plethora of setup moves, Necrozma has plenty of ways to dismantle the opposing team after a turn of setting up. Dragon Dance can be run on both physical and special sets to boost speed, Calm Mind can boost its already-high Special Attack, and Iron Defense can keep Necrozma alive forever, making it a Stored Power sweeper worth fearing. By the time your opponent figures out what set you've decided to run, Necrozma will have already made light work of their team.
**Dedicated lead**: With useful utility moves like Stealth Rock and Knock Off and the coverage to hit just about anyone super effectively, Necrozma can be crafted into the perfect lead. It can threaten to KO whatever the opponent leads, use Weakness Policy to set up on an unsuspecting Knock Off user, or even supply dual screens and Future Sight for its teammates.
**Wallbreaker**: Naturally high Special Attack, a strong STAB move in Photon Geyser, and the easy boosting potential of Meteor Beam allow Necrozma to be a strong special wallbreaker. Not only that, but with Swords Dance, Necrozma can act as a physical wallbreaker as well, with the added benefit of being able to hit Dark-types super effectively.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB moves**: Photon Geyser, Psychic Fangs, Psychic, Psyshock, Stored Power, Future Sight
**Setup moves**: Dragon Dance, Calm Mind, Swords Dance, Iron Defense, Meteor Beam
**Utility moves**: Stealth Rock, Knock Off, Light Screen, Reflect, Moonlight, Morning Sun, Substitute, Brick Break
**Coverage**: Dark Pulse, Dragon Pulse, Earth Power, Earthquake, Flash Cannon, Heat Wave, Iron Head, Outrage, Power Gem, Shadow Claw, Stone Edge, X-Scissor
Niche Moves
========
**Trick Room**: Speedy foes are usually Necrozma’s best checks, but with Trick Room, you can flip the matchups against these foes, and the only thing they’ll be checking is their insurance policies.
**Rest**: Rest, especially when combined with a Chesto Berry, can be used to keep bulkier Necrozma sets alive while allowing it to recover from Toxic.
Common Items
========
**Weakness Policy**: Necrozma is perhaps the best Weakness Policy user in the format, being weak to common moves such as Knock Off and U-Turn, yet taking reduced damage from them thanks to Prism Armor. This pairs excellently with both Dragon Dance and Trick Room sets, letting Necrozma boost to terrifying power levels with little setup if the foe attempts to hit it super effectively!
**Lum Berry**: No Necrozma set likes being put on Toxic’s timer or going on slow mode with paralysis, and physical sets can't stand the damage decrease from a burn. Lum Berry deals with all these problems, meaning Necrozma can set up against status-spreaders without fear.
**Power Herb**: Power Herb in tandem with Meteor Beam gives Necrozma access to an extremely strong one-time attack and Special Attack boost!
**Leftovers**: Necrozma’s solid bulk only becomes harder to beat when it’s using Leftovers, especially on Stored Power sets.
Niche Items
========
**Choice items**: With a very strong STAB move and a lot of coverage, Necrozma can utilize any Choice item to up its immediate threat level. Choice Scarf addresses Necrozma’s speed issue, while Choice Band and Choice Specs mean no setup is required to start poking holes in the opposing team.
**Expert Belt**: With so much coverage at its disposal, Necrozma is guaranteed to hit almost any threat super-effectively and can therefore make solid use out of Expert Belt.
**Mental Herb**: Taunt and Encore can be a real pain in the neck for Necrozma when it’s trying to set up, but Mental Herb can easily negate such countermeasures.
**Light Clay**: Necrozma isn’t your typical dual screens setter, but with reliable recovery and access to both Light Screen and Reflect, it can get the job done.
**Sitrus Berry**: Sitrus Berry lets Necrozma run a setup move and three attack sets without worrying about getting into the red.
**Heavy-Duty Boots**: In games where Toxic Spikes seem hard to avoid, or where Necrozma will be pivoting in frequently, Heavy-Duty Boots can offer a lot of value.
**Rocky Helmet**: Necrozma's solid defensive profile against many physical attackers allows it to use Rocky Helmet to punish contact moves.
**Clear Amulet**: Clear Amulet can be used to negate Intimidate for physical sets, while also blocking Parting Shot in matchups where it could be a problem.
**Room Service**: Because Necrozma's Speed tier is fast enough that some particularly slow Pokemon can act before it in Trick Room, Room Service can sometimes be used to underspeed more foes.
Tera
========
Necrozma is usually Tera-banned, and can function very well without it. When allowed to Terastallize, however, Necrozma is a monster and should be your first pick for a Tera Captain. Necrozma uses Terastallization on a matchup-dependent basis, setting up on or countering specific foes, but a few types appear more often than most: Tera Fairy complements its base typing while giving Necrozma access to Fairy coverage it otherwise lacks, Tera Fighting gives it an alternative way to hit Dark- and Steel-types, Tera Steel is an all-around good defensive typing that grants an immunity to Toxic, and Tera Fire boosts its most common coverage move, Heat Wave, to levels that could burn the sky itself!
Draft Strategy
========
Necrozma can make for a very strong wincon—just ask any Alolan—but its average Speed and reliance on setup means it shouldn’t be your first pick. Drafting it after a solid enabler or alternate wincon takes a lot of pressure off of Necrozma, letting it do its jobs much more efficiently.
**Speed control**: Necrozma is not very fast and can struggle to deal with some of the quicker Pokemon in Draft. Naturally fast Pokemon such as Iron Bundle and Meowscarada help bridge the speed gap, while priority attackers such as Palafin and Scizor can go first regardless of how fast the foe may be.
**Grounded Poison-type**: Decent grounded Poison-types make good partners for Necrozma for several reasons. Many of them can lure in Psychic-types for Necrozma to set up on, and they remove the Toxic Spikes that would otherwise put it on a timer. With a consistent grounded Poison-type like Clodsire or Sneasler, both them and Necrozma will find their matches a lot less toxic.
**Dark-type checks**: Necrozma has ways of dealing with Dark-types on its own, but it benefits heavily from having them worn down, especially when playing as a special attacker. Likewise, Fairy-types like Primarina and Fighting-types like Quaquaval appreciate Necrozma putting pressure on Dark-types for them to take advantage of!
**Entry hazards**: Necrozma often doesn't want to run Stealth Rock, as its sweeping sets are much more potent. Decent Stealth Rock users like Landorus-T and Mamoswine free up that move slot for it, letting it run much-needed coverage or recovery.
Checks and Counters
========
**Revenge killers**: Necrozma isn’t an easy Pokemon to counter, but revenge killers are the best at dealing with it consistently. Even after a Dragon Dance, Necrozma’s middling speed means it still falls short of common Choice Scarf users like Roaring Moon and Gholdengo, while non-Dragon Dance sets can end up at the mercy of faster wallbreakers like Chi-Yu regardless of what item they're holding.
**Disruption**: Necrozma can take a few turns to get going, especially when acting as a wincon. During that time, if it’s locked into a move via Encore, Choice-locked after a foe uses Trick, or hit by an unprompted Yawn, Necrozma can be forced out before doing much damage.
**Toxic**: Toxic puts a lot of pressure on Necrozma to forgo the setup it usually performs, which can make it a lot easier to manage.
**Bulky Dark-types**: Necrozma has coverage to hit Dark-types super effectively, but reality sets in when you realize that "coverage" is Brick Break and X-Scissor. Dark-types like Ting-Lu and Tyranitar can force Necrozma to run specific sets to beat them, making it much more predictable.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/big-pharma.657717
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/scionicle.599989/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/abriel.473082/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/ken.594478/
Last edited:
