[overview]
**Draft Order**: Early round 3 onwards
**Price Range**: 13-14 points
**Overview**: Nidoqueen's great defensive typing and access to Stealth Rock and Toxic Spikes allow it to be a great supportive piece that can wall some of the metagame's strongest wallbreakers, including Tapu Koko and Zeraora. It's no slouch offensively either; having access to Sheer Force along with a deep movepool lets it keep up the pressure against foes attempting to take advantage of it. Its mediocre speed; lacking reliable recovery; and common weaknesses to Ground, Water, and Ice can lead it to be worn down by certain threats, but it can generally accomplish a good amount before this happens due to its respectable bulk.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Tank**: Nidoqueen's access to Stealth Rock and Toxic Spikes and its significant bulk allow it to spread entry hazards, while Sheer Force provides it with considerable offensive power to avoid being passive. Against certain foes with contact moves, Poison Point can be used with Rocky Helmet to chip them down, although this comes at the cost of being more passive at times.
**Wallbreaker**: Despite its low attacking stats, Sheer Force paired with Life Orb allows Nidoqueen to hit reasonably hard. With its large variety of coverage moves, it is able to break through certain defensive cores. However; these sets are very susceptible to being revenge killed due to Nidoqueen's mediocre Speed tier and lack of defensive investment. This set often runs Stealth Rock, which can be used on incoming specially defensive foes to keep up the pressure.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Sludge Wave, Earth Power, Poison Jab, Earthquake
**Setup Moves**: N/A
**Utility Moves**: Stealth Rock, Toxic Spikes, Super Fang, Taunt, Dragon Tail, Pursuit, Toxic, Substitute
**Coverage**: Ice Beam, Flamethrower, Thunderbolt, Focus Blast, Ice Punch, Fire Punch, Thunder Punch, Surf, Aqua Tail, Rock Slide, Shadow Ball, Iron Tail, Throat Chop, Superpower
Niche Moves
========
**Sucker Punch**: Sucker Punch can get some extra damage or even a surprise KO especially when boosted by Life Orb.
**Endure**: Endure can be used on sets with Rocky Helmet or Poison Point to allow for extra damage to physical attackers before they knock out Nidoqueen.
**Sludge Bomb**: On sets with Poison Point, Sludge Bomb could be preferred over Sludge Wave to increase the chance of inflicting Poison.
Common Items
========
**Black Sludge**: The passive recovery provided by Black Sludge allows Nidoqueen to stay healthy.
**Rocky Helmet**: If expected to face physical attackers, Rocky Helmet is effective at punishing them. It can also be paired with Poison Point to disrupt physical attackers even more.
**Life Orb**: Paired with Sheer Force, Life Orb allows Nidoqueen to do considerable damage with its STAB and coverage moves while avoiding recoil for moves with secondary effects.
Niche Items
========
**Healing Berries**: The burst of healing that Sitrus Berry provides can grant Nidoqueen the health needed to take on certain threats. Pinch Berries such as Iapapa Berry can also be effective if Nidoqueen is expected to get itself under 25% health.
**Resistance Berries**: Nidoqueen being able to take a super effective attack with a Resistance Berry can allow it to score a surprise KO with one of its many coverage moves.
**Assault Vest**: Assault Vest grants Nidoqueen good special bulk while allowing it to go all in with coverage moves, although lacking access to entry hazards is generally less desirable for more defensive sets.
**Mental Herb**: In matchups where entry hazards are vital, Mental Herb can be used to ensure Nidoqueen can set them safely against foes with Taunt or Encore.
**Choice Scarf**: With Choice Scarf, Nidoqueen can become a reasonable revenge killer with its amazing coverage, although its low Speed tier can hold it back from outspeeding certain fast foes.
Draft Strategy
========
Nidoqueen is an effective supportive piece, filling many essential roles on a draft including being an entry hazard setter, possessing an Electric immunity, and absorbing Toxic Spikes, meaning its partners are less restricted to filling these roles. It can fit on most drafts, but offensive drafts especially appreciate the important defensive role compression and offensive pressure it provides.
**Alternate Entry Hazard Setters**: Nidoqueen is good at setting entry hazards, but it would rather not be forced into this role, as it prefers to deal damage. Having alternative hazard setters like Uxie, Heatran, and Jirachi provides the opportunity for Nidoqueen's offensive sets to shine.
**Faster Revenge Killers**: Nidoqueen excels at setting entry hazards and damaging slow walls, but it has trouble dealing with many faster threats long-term. Partners like Zeraora, Greninja, and Mega Lopunny are great at finishing off faster foes that have been chipped down by Nidoqueen's hazards.
**Z-Move Users**: Nidoqueen prefers to utilize Life Orb on offensive sets, meaning that its partners are free to benefit from Z-Moves. Strong physical Z-Move users such as Kyurem-B, Kartana, and Weavile are fantastic partners, together putting massive pressure on physical and special walls.
**Pivots**: For offensive sets, being able to get on the field at safely is greatly appreciated due to Nidoqueen's lower Speed requiring it to take hits. Pivots such as Tornadus-T, Rotom-W, and Zapdos allow Nidoqueen to stay healthy and break through foes easier.
Checks and Counters
========
**Wallbreakers**: Lacking reliable recovery and having a few common weaknesses lead to Nidoqueen often being worn down by wallbreakers including Kartana, Hydreigon, and Landorus-T.
**Residual Damage**: Without reliable recovery, Nidoqueen is susceptible to being worn down throughout a match. Its resistance to Stealth Rock mitigates this problem, but it will still be taking hits often due to its mediocre Speed.
**Special Walls**: Nidoqueen's breaking power is respectable, but without Life Orb and super effective coverage, it struggles to accomplish much against certain walls. Foes including Mew, Latias, and Tornadus-T can wall Nidoqueen and gain momentum, especially if it lacks a coverage move to hit them.
**Z-Move Users**: Although Nidoqueen has many useful defensive qualities, it can often be broken by foes with strong Z-Moves from foes such as Kartana. Even foes that it normally walls can break through it with Z-Moves such as Tapu Koko and Zeraora with Normalium Z.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/e-man.617175/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno.527276/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/princess-autumn.564960/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/adorluigi.528364/
**Draft Order**: Early round 3 onwards
**Price Range**: 13-14 points
**Overview**: Nidoqueen's great defensive typing and access to Stealth Rock and Toxic Spikes allow it to be a great supportive piece that can wall some of the metagame's strongest wallbreakers, including Tapu Koko and Zeraora. It's no slouch offensively either; having access to Sheer Force along with a deep movepool lets it keep up the pressure against foes attempting to take advantage of it. Its mediocre speed; lacking reliable recovery; and common weaknesses to Ground, Water, and Ice can lead it to be worn down by certain threats, but it can generally accomplish a good amount before this happens due to its respectable bulk.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Tank**: Nidoqueen's access to Stealth Rock and Toxic Spikes and its significant bulk allow it to spread entry hazards, while Sheer Force provides it with considerable offensive power to avoid being passive. Against certain foes with contact moves, Poison Point can be used with Rocky Helmet to chip them down, although this comes at the cost of being more passive at times.
**Wallbreaker**: Despite its low attacking stats, Sheer Force paired with Life Orb allows Nidoqueen to hit reasonably hard. With its large variety of coverage moves, it is able to break through certain defensive cores. However; these sets are very susceptible to being revenge killed due to Nidoqueen's mediocre Speed tier and lack of defensive investment. This set often runs Stealth Rock, which can be used on incoming specially defensive foes to keep up the pressure.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Sludge Wave, Earth Power, Poison Jab, Earthquake
**Setup Moves**: N/A
**Utility Moves**: Stealth Rock, Toxic Spikes, Super Fang, Taunt, Dragon Tail, Pursuit, Toxic, Substitute
**Coverage**: Ice Beam, Flamethrower, Thunderbolt, Focus Blast, Ice Punch, Fire Punch, Thunder Punch, Surf, Aqua Tail, Rock Slide, Shadow Ball, Iron Tail, Throat Chop, Superpower
Niche Moves
========
**Sucker Punch**: Sucker Punch can get some extra damage or even a surprise KO especially when boosted by Life Orb.
**Endure**: Endure can be used on sets with Rocky Helmet or Poison Point to allow for extra damage to physical attackers before they knock out Nidoqueen.
**Sludge Bomb**: On sets with Poison Point, Sludge Bomb could be preferred over Sludge Wave to increase the chance of inflicting Poison.
Common Items
========
**Black Sludge**: The passive recovery provided by Black Sludge allows Nidoqueen to stay healthy.
**Rocky Helmet**: If expected to face physical attackers, Rocky Helmet is effective at punishing them. It can also be paired with Poison Point to disrupt physical attackers even more.
**Life Orb**: Paired with Sheer Force, Life Orb allows Nidoqueen to do considerable damage with its STAB and coverage moves while avoiding recoil for moves with secondary effects.
Niche Items
========
**Healing Berries**: The burst of healing that Sitrus Berry provides can grant Nidoqueen the health needed to take on certain threats. Pinch Berries such as Iapapa Berry can also be effective if Nidoqueen is expected to get itself under 25% health.
**Resistance Berries**: Nidoqueen being able to take a super effective attack with a Resistance Berry can allow it to score a surprise KO with one of its many coverage moves.
**Assault Vest**: Assault Vest grants Nidoqueen good special bulk while allowing it to go all in with coverage moves, although lacking access to entry hazards is generally less desirable for more defensive sets.
**Mental Herb**: In matchups where entry hazards are vital, Mental Herb can be used to ensure Nidoqueen can set them safely against foes with Taunt or Encore.
**Choice Scarf**: With Choice Scarf, Nidoqueen can become a reasonable revenge killer with its amazing coverage, although its low Speed tier can hold it back from outspeeding certain fast foes.
Draft Strategy
========
Nidoqueen is an effective supportive piece, filling many essential roles on a draft including being an entry hazard setter, possessing an Electric immunity, and absorbing Toxic Spikes, meaning its partners are less restricted to filling these roles. It can fit on most drafts, but offensive drafts especially appreciate the important defensive role compression and offensive pressure it provides.
**Alternate Entry Hazard Setters**: Nidoqueen is good at setting entry hazards, but it would rather not be forced into this role, as it prefers to deal damage. Having alternative hazard setters like Uxie, Heatran, and Jirachi provides the opportunity for Nidoqueen's offensive sets to shine.
**Faster Revenge Killers**: Nidoqueen excels at setting entry hazards and damaging slow walls, but it has trouble dealing with many faster threats long-term. Partners like Zeraora, Greninja, and Mega Lopunny are great at finishing off faster foes that have been chipped down by Nidoqueen's hazards.
**Z-Move Users**: Nidoqueen prefers to utilize Life Orb on offensive sets, meaning that its partners are free to benefit from Z-Moves. Strong physical Z-Move users such as Kyurem-B, Kartana, and Weavile are fantastic partners, together putting massive pressure on physical and special walls.
**Pivots**: For offensive sets, being able to get on the field at safely is greatly appreciated due to Nidoqueen's lower Speed requiring it to take hits. Pivots such as Tornadus-T, Rotom-W, and Zapdos allow Nidoqueen to stay healthy and break through foes easier.
Checks and Counters
========
**Wallbreakers**: Lacking reliable recovery and having a few common weaknesses lead to Nidoqueen often being worn down by wallbreakers including Kartana, Hydreigon, and Landorus-T.
**Residual Damage**: Without reliable recovery, Nidoqueen is susceptible to being worn down throughout a match. Its resistance to Stealth Rock mitigates this problem, but it will still be taking hits often due to its mediocre Speed.
**Special Walls**: Nidoqueen's breaking power is respectable, but without Life Orb and super effective coverage, it struggles to accomplish much against certain walls. Foes including Mew, Latias, and Tornadus-T can wall Nidoqueen and gain momentum, especially if it lacks a coverage move to hit them.
**Z-Move Users**: Although Nidoqueen has many useful defensive qualities, it can often be broken by foes with strong Z-Moves from foes such as Kartana. Even foes that it normally walls can break through it with Z-Moves such as Tapu Koko and Zeraora with Normalium Z.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/e-man.617175/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno.527276/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/princess-autumn.564960/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/adorluigi.528364/
Last edited:
