[OVERVIEW]
Necrozma is a decent setup sweeper in the RU tier with access to Stored Power along with multiple boosting moves such as Calm Mind, Iron Defense, and Rock Polish. Furthermore, reliable recovery in Moonlight and solid all-around stats that give Necrozma great bulk allow it to set up more easily. Also, Necrozma's Prism Armor ability weakens super effective attacks, which works well with Weakness Policy to give Necrozma plenty of stat boosts. Lastly, a good Special Attack stat allows it to hit hard. However, with only one attack, Necrozma is walled by opposing Dark-types like specially oriented Sharpedo and Choice Specs Zoroark, but it can stall out physical Dark-types that use a Life Orb such as Sneasel, Honchkrow, and physical Sharpedo if Necrozma is using Iron Defense. Necrozma also has a middling Speed tier that leaves it outsped by most offensive threats. It's very susceptible to Toxic as well, since bad poison jeopardizes its longevity and ability to stay on the field long enough. Lastly, it takes a while for Necrozma to set up enough, which is especially important because Stored Power relies on getting the appropriate number of stat boosts.
[SET]
name: Stored Power
move 1: Stored Power
move 2: Calm Mind
move 3: Moonlight
move 4: Iron Defense / Rock Polish
item: Leftovers / Weakness Policy
ability: Prism Armor
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 24 Def / 232 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Stored Power is Necrozma's only attack, and it takes advantage of Necrozma's multiple boosting moves. However, it leaves Necrozma completely walled by Dark-types. Calm Mind is the primary setup move, as it increases both Special Attack and Special Defense, making Stored Power more powerful and allowing Necrozma to set up against special attackers like Nidoqueen and Roserade easily. Moonlight increases Necrozma's longevity and allows Necrozma to set up more; however, be wary of its meager 8 PP. Iron Defense boosts Necrozma's Defense stat by two stages, which works well in conjunction with Calm Mind and allows Necrozma to turn physical attackers such as Bruxish into setup fodder. With both defense stats boosted, Necrozma can sponge attacks much more easily, lessening the need to use Moonlight as often. Rock Polish is an alternative that boosts Necrozma's Speed, allowing Necrozma to outspeed most of the metagame barring Pokemon such as +2 Cloyster and Unburden Slurpuff while simultaneously boosting Stored Power.
Set Details
========
232 Speed EVs allow Necrozma to outspeed maximum Speed Modest Nidoqueen so that Necrozma can use it as setup fodder. 252 HP EVs maximize Necrozma's overall bulk, allowing it to set up more easily. The rest of the EVs are put into Defense with a Bold nature to allow Necrozma to tank physical attacks more easily. Leftovers gives Necrozma more recovery, especially as Moonlight only has 8 PP, but Weakness Policy is an option that capitalizes on Stored Power and works well with Prism Armor. Prism Armor reduces the damage of super effective attacks, which can make it easier to activate Weakness Policy.
Usage Tips
========
Get rid of most Dark-types before sending Necrozma in, as they put a complete stop to it and can use it to switch in for free. However, if Necrozma is using Iron Defense over Rock Polish, note that it is able to stall out physical Dark-types such as Sneasel and Sharpedo if they are using a Life Orb. You can also bait in Dark-types using Necrozma before double switching out into a Pokemon that can deal with them, such as Gardevoir or Heracross, especially if entry hazards are up, limiting the number of times the foe can switch in. Set up with Calm Mind against special attackers, especially weaker ones such as Jolteon. Try to set up as much as possible before KOing a foe, as Necrozma can use them as setup fodder to rack up Stored Power damage. Similarly, use Iron Defense to reduce the damage taken from physical attackers such as Donphan and Toxicroak to begin setting up Calm Mind. If Necrozma is using Rock Polish instead of Iron Defense, boosting up Speed first is good, as Necrozma can then use Calm Mind to weaken attacks from foes before they can attack. If using Weakness Policy over Leftovers, attempt to hide it before intentionally taking a super effective attack to activate it. Additionally, be careful about being Pursuit trapped, as the Weakness Policy will activate right before switching out, wasting the boosts. Use Moonlight to replenish Necrozma's HP when low, but use it sparingly, as Moonlight's PP can run out very quickly, leaving Necrozma vulnerable. Also be careful about Gigalith's sand reducing Moonlight's recovery to a mere 33%, wasting its PP further and making Necrozma easier to wear down.
Team Options
========
Fighting-, Bug-, and Fairy-types like Kommo-o, Heracross, and Diancie are the best teammates for Necrozma because they deal with the Dark-types that wall it. Entry hazard setters such as Bronzong, Chesnaught, and Dragalge can weaken foes to aid Necrozma's sweep. The chip damage can also be useful for wearing down Dark-types, especially physical ones that Necrozma can then stall out. Powerful wallbreakers such as Choice Specs Kommo-o and Shaymin can severely weaken many foes, allowing Necrozma to clean late-game. Fairy-type Pokemon such as Diancie and Florges resist the Bug- and Dark-type moves that threaten Necrozma and can switch into them. They also appreciate Necrozma dealing with Poison-type Pokemon like Toxicroak. Diancie also has access to Heal Bell, which heals Necrozma of pesky status like poison and paralysis, and Stealth Rock. Fire-, Fighting-, and Ground-types like Rotom-H, Heracross, and Nidoqueen can deal with the bulky Steel-types such as Bronzong and Registeel that take minimal damage from Stored Power. Pokemon such as Registeel and Porygon2 can spread paralysis among the opposing team so that Necrozma is free to run Iron Defense over Rock Polish, and paralysis also makes it easier for Necrozma to sweep later in the game. Clerics such as Umbreon and Florges heal Toxic poison from Necrozma, which otherwise limits it completely.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
An offensive Stealth Rock set with Psychic, Dark Pulse, and Charge Beam is a decent option if Necrozma's team has no Stealth Rock user, but the sweeping potential of Stored Power is generally better. Substitute is an interesting option that protects Necrozma from status, particularly Toxic poison, and makes it easier for Necrozma to set up.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Dark-types**: Particularly, specially offensive Dark-types such as Choice Specs Zoroark can hit Necrozma very hard with their STAB moves and cannot be touched by Stored Power. Without Iron Defense, Necrozma has a hard time against physical Dark-types such as Sharpedo and Sneasel too, but it is able to stall them out when using Iron Defense; however, be wary that a single critical hit from either of these Pokemon can allow them to beat Necrozma, especially as it is trying to stall them out. Pokemon such as Sableye and Alolan Persian can also shut Necrozma down with Taunt, forcing it to switch out.
**Toxic**: Toxic poison racks up damage over time, making it very hard for Necrozma to stay in the battle and keep its boosts; Necrozma is forced to either switch out or get KOed.
**Psychic-resistant Pokemon**: In particular, bulky Steel-types such as Registeel and Bronzong have no trouble tanking even a boosted Stored Power before crippling Necrozma with Toxic. Other Psychic-types such as Espeon, Gardevoir, and Cresselia can also take Stored Power decently well before crippling Necrozma; Espeon and Gardevoir can ruin it with Trick, while Cresselia's Toxic can mess Necrozma up.
**Ghost-types**: Hard-hitting Ghost-types can deal massive damage to Necrozma before it can set up. Mismagius in particular is able to use Taunt on Necrozma, stopping it from setting up, before hitting it very hard with Never-Ending Nightmare. Hoopa's massive Special Attack stat allows it to break through Necrozma with its Ghost-type moves if Necrozma has not used enough Calm Minds.
**Wallbreakers**: Other strong wallbreakers such as Choice Specs Kommo-o and Choice Specs Swellow can hit Necrozma very hard before it can set up, limiting its longevity.
Necrozma is a decent setup sweeper in the RU tier with access to Stored Power along with multiple boosting moves such as Calm Mind, Iron Defense, and Rock Polish. Furthermore, reliable recovery in Moonlight and solid all-around stats that give Necrozma great bulk allow it to set up more easily. Also, Necrozma's Prism Armor ability weakens super effective attacks, which works well with Weakness Policy to give Necrozma plenty of stat boosts. Lastly, a good Special Attack stat allows it to hit hard. However, with only one attack, Necrozma is walled by opposing Dark-types like specially oriented Sharpedo and Choice Specs Zoroark, but it can stall out physical Dark-types that use a Life Orb such as Sneasel, Honchkrow, and physical Sharpedo if Necrozma is using Iron Defense. Necrozma also has a middling Speed tier that leaves it outsped by most offensive threats. It's very susceptible to Toxic as well, since bad poison jeopardizes its longevity and ability to stay on the field long enough. Lastly, it takes a while for Necrozma to set up enough, which is especially important because Stored Power relies on getting the appropriate number of stat boosts.
[SET]
name: Stored Power
move 1: Stored Power
move 2: Calm Mind
move 3: Moonlight
move 4: Iron Defense / Rock Polish
item: Leftovers / Weakness Policy
ability: Prism Armor
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 24 Def / 232 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Stored Power is Necrozma's only attack, and it takes advantage of Necrozma's multiple boosting moves. However, it leaves Necrozma completely walled by Dark-types. Calm Mind is the primary setup move, as it increases both Special Attack and Special Defense, making Stored Power more powerful and allowing Necrozma to set up against special attackers like Nidoqueen and Roserade easily. Moonlight increases Necrozma's longevity and allows Necrozma to set up more; however, be wary of its meager 8 PP. Iron Defense boosts Necrozma's Defense stat by two stages, which works well in conjunction with Calm Mind and allows Necrozma to turn physical attackers such as Bruxish into setup fodder. With both defense stats boosted, Necrozma can sponge attacks much more easily, lessening the need to use Moonlight as often. Rock Polish is an alternative that boosts Necrozma's Speed, allowing Necrozma to outspeed most of the metagame barring Pokemon such as +2 Cloyster and Unburden Slurpuff while simultaneously boosting Stored Power.
Set Details
========
232 Speed EVs allow Necrozma to outspeed maximum Speed Modest Nidoqueen so that Necrozma can use it as setup fodder. 252 HP EVs maximize Necrozma's overall bulk, allowing it to set up more easily. The rest of the EVs are put into Defense with a Bold nature to allow Necrozma to tank physical attacks more easily. Leftovers gives Necrozma more recovery, especially as Moonlight only has 8 PP, but Weakness Policy is an option that capitalizes on Stored Power and works well with Prism Armor. Prism Armor reduces the damage of super effective attacks, which can make it easier to activate Weakness Policy.
Usage Tips
========
Get rid of most Dark-types before sending Necrozma in, as they put a complete stop to it and can use it to switch in for free. However, if Necrozma is using Iron Defense over Rock Polish, note that it is able to stall out physical Dark-types such as Sneasel and Sharpedo if they are using a Life Orb. You can also bait in Dark-types using Necrozma before double switching out into a Pokemon that can deal with them, such as Gardevoir or Heracross, especially if entry hazards are up, limiting the number of times the foe can switch in. Set up with Calm Mind against special attackers, especially weaker ones such as Jolteon. Try to set up as much as possible before KOing a foe, as Necrozma can use them as setup fodder to rack up Stored Power damage. Similarly, use Iron Defense to reduce the damage taken from physical attackers such as Donphan and Toxicroak to begin setting up Calm Mind. If Necrozma is using Rock Polish instead of Iron Defense, boosting up Speed first is good, as Necrozma can then use Calm Mind to weaken attacks from foes before they can attack. If using Weakness Policy over Leftovers, attempt to hide it before intentionally taking a super effective attack to activate it. Additionally, be careful about being Pursuit trapped, as the Weakness Policy will activate right before switching out, wasting the boosts. Use Moonlight to replenish Necrozma's HP when low, but use it sparingly, as Moonlight's PP can run out very quickly, leaving Necrozma vulnerable. Also be careful about Gigalith's sand reducing Moonlight's recovery to a mere 33%, wasting its PP further and making Necrozma easier to wear down.
Team Options
========
Fighting-, Bug-, and Fairy-types like Kommo-o, Heracross, and Diancie are the best teammates for Necrozma because they deal with the Dark-types that wall it. Entry hazard setters such as Bronzong, Chesnaught, and Dragalge can weaken foes to aid Necrozma's sweep. The chip damage can also be useful for wearing down Dark-types, especially physical ones that Necrozma can then stall out. Powerful wallbreakers such as Choice Specs Kommo-o and Shaymin can severely weaken many foes, allowing Necrozma to clean late-game. Fairy-type Pokemon such as Diancie and Florges resist the Bug- and Dark-type moves that threaten Necrozma and can switch into them. They also appreciate Necrozma dealing with Poison-type Pokemon like Toxicroak. Diancie also has access to Heal Bell, which heals Necrozma of pesky status like poison and paralysis, and Stealth Rock. Fire-, Fighting-, and Ground-types like Rotom-H, Heracross, and Nidoqueen can deal with the bulky Steel-types such as Bronzong and Registeel that take minimal damage from Stored Power. Pokemon such as Registeel and Porygon2 can spread paralysis among the opposing team so that Necrozma is free to run Iron Defense over Rock Polish, and paralysis also makes it easier for Necrozma to sweep later in the game. Clerics such as Umbreon and Florges heal Toxic poison from Necrozma, which otherwise limits it completely.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
An offensive Stealth Rock set with Psychic, Dark Pulse, and Charge Beam is a decent option if Necrozma's team has no Stealth Rock user, but the sweeping potential of Stored Power is generally better. Substitute is an interesting option that protects Necrozma from status, particularly Toxic poison, and makes it easier for Necrozma to set up.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Dark-types**: Particularly, specially offensive Dark-types such as Choice Specs Zoroark can hit Necrozma very hard with their STAB moves and cannot be touched by Stored Power. Without Iron Defense, Necrozma has a hard time against physical Dark-types such as Sharpedo and Sneasel too, but it is able to stall them out when using Iron Defense; however, be wary that a single critical hit from either of these Pokemon can allow them to beat Necrozma, especially as it is trying to stall them out. Pokemon such as Sableye and Alolan Persian can also shut Necrozma down with Taunt, forcing it to switch out.
**Toxic**: Toxic poison racks up damage over time, making it very hard for Necrozma to stay in the battle and keep its boosts; Necrozma is forced to either switch out or get KOed.
**Psychic-resistant Pokemon**: In particular, bulky Steel-types such as Registeel and Bronzong have no trouble tanking even a boosted Stored Power before crippling Necrozma with Toxic. Other Psychic-types such as Espeon, Gardevoir, and Cresselia can also take Stored Power decently well before crippling Necrozma; Espeon and Gardevoir can ruin it with Trick, while Cresselia's Toxic can mess Necrozma up.
**Ghost-types**: Hard-hitting Ghost-types can deal massive damage to Necrozma before it can set up. Mismagius in particular is able to use Taunt on Necrozma, stopping it from setting up, before hitting it very hard with Never-Ending Nightmare. Hoopa's massive Special Attack stat allows it to break through Necrozma with its Ghost-type moves if Necrozma has not used enough Calm Minds.
**Wallbreakers**: Other strong wallbreakers such as Choice Specs Kommo-o and Choice Specs Swellow can hit Necrozma very hard before it can set up, limiting its longevity.
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