Utilizing Your Hazards
This entire section will cover three topics: hazard setters, keeping your hazards up, and taking advantage of your hazards. 'Hazard setters' will focus on describing some notable examples of Pokemon who excel at laying down Stealth Rock and Spikes, and the reasons they perform their job so well. 'Keeping your hazards up' will discuss several ways of maintaining your hazards on the field and preventing them from being removed too easily by users of Defog and Rapid Spin. Lastly, 'taking advantage of your hazards' will touch upon a few examples of core combination capable of benefiting greatly from the presence of hazards. In addition, a run down on the practicality of fitting hazards onto your team will be provided. Without further ado, let's kick things off with a discussion on some of OU's best hazard setters:
Hazard Setters
The introduction of hazards in competitive Pokemon dates back to GSC, where Spikes setters like Cloyster were frequently seen on teams. With the creation of more generations, further hazards in the form of Stealth Rock and Toxic Spikes were created and distributed to various Pokemon. In general, the introduction of hazards has influenced competitive Pokemon in countless ways and have become integral aspects of the game we play today. There are various Pokemon capable of laying down entry hazards in OU. This section will focus on covering the notable ones and the characteristics responsible for making them such good candidates for the role of entry hazard setter in OU.
General Stealth Rock Setters
Lando-T is arguably the reigning champ of OU when it comes to setting down SR. It's a really common Pokemon for the role and is seen on many teams (particularly bulky offense) as the SR setter of choice. The ability to cover so many dangerous threats while simultaneously functioning as a hazard setter is something several teams value highly. Lando-T does exactly this, laying down SR and covering notable threats like Exca, Char-X, and Terrak all in one go. In addition, Lando-T is very flexible with its move and item choices. For example, U-turn is a common choice on SR sets to generate momentum and bring in an offensive partner like Keldeo to pressure switch-ins like Skarm. SD is another common choice on SR sets. This lets Lando-T deal with threats like Mega Sciz and Clefable better, all while increasing its match-up versus other hazard setters like Hippo, Ferro, and opposing Lando-T. Item wise, Lando-T can run Rocky Helm to punish various physical attackers for using a move like U-turn. Yache is another item SR Lando-T can use to help your team more versus offensive Electric-types. The sheer flexibility and utility Lando-T brings to the table is nearly unmatched and makes the therian a popular pick for the role of SR setter overall.
Chomp is another good Pokemon to use for the role of SR setter. Although it's often compared to Lando-T, there are some key differences between them. In exchange for performing worse versus threats like Char-X and Exca, Chomp can cover Pokemon like Bisharp and Mega Sciz more reliably for your team when running Tank variants. Coupled with Rocky Helm and Rough Skin recoil to punish physical attackers, Chomp certainly becomes an attractive SR setter on some builds. Another notable difference is Chomp's much higher speed. When running offensive SR sets, this gives Chomp a speed advantage over some Pokemon capable of doing big damage to Lando-T before it's able to lay down SR, namely base 100s like Mega Cham and company. Like Lando-T, Chomp is also rather flexible in some areas, especially with its item choices. For example, Lum can be used alongside SD to pressure SR blockers like Mega Sab more. Focus Sash can surprise Pokemon like Latios and help Chomp gain a kill or ensure rocks are down before it's killed in one blow.
If there's a Pokemon capable of giving Lando-T a run for its money for the title of best SR setter in OU, it's this guy. Tran finds a place on a few playstyles, ranging from balance to bulky offense. It's also blessed with a number of characteristics every SR setter would love to have. For starters, Tran's typing means it's able to cover large amounts of notable threats in OU, such as Clefable, Mega Sciz, Latios, and Serp. Another big reason Tran excels as an SR setter is because it's able to threaten the majority of hazard setters in the tier and keeps SR up versus them. For example, standard Defog Latios is helpless and unable to stop Tran from laying down SR. Other users of Defog, like Skarm, Zapdos, and Mandibuzz, all have trouble preventing Tran from doing its job thanks to a combination of Lava Plume, Taunt, and Toxic. Heatran can also pressure Magic Bouncers like Mega Sab well, adding to its overall prowess as a rocker.
Other Stealth Rock Setters
Although it has fallen in favor of other bulky Ground-type SR setters like Lando-T, Hippo still remains a solid choice for balanced teams. It's a very durable Pokemon with some notable advantages over its competitors. Access to reliable recovery in Slack Off is one, allowing Hippo to stick around for a while to function as an SR setter and answer to threats like like Mega Lop, Bisharp, and Mega Metagross. Another advantage is handling offensive Electric-types like Mega Manec more reliably than the other Ground-types discussed above. Unfortunately, Hippo comes with a large flaw: passiveness. Apart from Exca, Hippo is unable to pressure hazard removers as efficiently as the SR setters discussed earlier can. This means Hippo has a harder time keeping rocks up versus Pokemon like Defog Latios, Defog Skarm, Mega Sab, and so on. This can leave you with a serious disadvantage in games where keeping SR up is necessary to keep certain threats like Talon from having too much free reign. Nonetheless, Hippo definitely has its uses and can make for a fine SR setter on some teams.
SpD Jirachi is a staple SR setter on bulky offense for its ability to fulfill several crucial roles. This includes being a catch all check to Fairy- and Dragon-types like Mega Diancie, Mega Gardevoir, and Latios. Jirachi is often seen keeping bulky offensive teams from folding versus these threats, all while providing SR. There's some other helpful utility Jirachi, such as U-turn. The former is really nice because as an SR setter, Jirachi has a really tough time versus opposing hazard users like Tran, Skarm, Lando-T, and so on. Being able to U-turn in an offensive partner like Keldeo or Hydreigon versus these threats prevents Jirachi from losing you too much momentum. Add Healing Wish to the mix to give a teammate another chance to do their thing and it's easy to see why Jirachi is a fine SR setter to use for your teams.
Although known for its prowess as a Calm Minder, Clefable makes for a really good SR setter too. This is because of how consistently Clefable can keep hazards up during a match due to its usual good qualities and good match up versus the majority of hazard removers. For example, between the threat of moves like Moonblast and Thunder Wave, Latios and Starmie are unable to reliably stop Clefable from laying down SR. Thanks to its Fairy-typing, other hazard blockers like Mega Sableye also fall to Clefable. This is a
very huge point in Clefable's favor as a rocker, mainly because many of OU's setters struggle to stop Mega Sableye from preventing their hazards. With access to moves like Knock Off and Flamethrower, it's also able to threaten the likes of Exca, who otherwise threatens Clefable heavily. Further, Clefable can even keep SR up versus Defog Skarm, who is often found on stall with a physically defensive spread and lack of Iron Head. This is very notable because other SR setters like Hippo, Jirachi, and Lando-T struggle to keep SR up versus Skarm, especially when it's paired with Mega Sableye (who Clefable beats). All in all, Clefable has many things going for itself as a rocker, and its ability to consistently keep SR up is hard to rival.
Spikers
Ferro is one of OU's best Spiker for several reasons. To begin, it's blessed with a unique Grass / Steel-typing. This brings valuable resistances to types like Water and Dragon, as well as a neutrality to the ever so common Ice and Ground attacks floating around OU. As such, Ferro can find the chance to lay down hazards on various threats, examples being Manaphy, Slowbro, Mega Latias, Kyu-B, and more. Aside from this, it's able to restore its own health and annoy teams relatively well with Leech Seed. In relation to Spikes, Leech is notable because it's a move known to often cause switches. As such, it's able to rack up residual damage rather quickly alongside Ferro's entry hazards. Another cool thing with Ferro is its ability to bother hazard removers like Starmie, Defog Latios, and Exca. Ferro can trouble them all with its access to moves like Leech Seed, Power Whip, and Thunder Wave, all of which can help keep hazards in play. In terms of issues as a Spiker, Ferro hates burns and can be a liability in matches where Mega Sab is on the enemy team. All in all though, it's a great Spiker and does its job well.
Similarly to Ferro, Skarm is also blessed with a good typing between Steel and Flying, which brings nice resistances to common types like Dragon, Fairy, and Ground. This allows Skarm to hazard up on various threats in OU, such as Lando-T, Clefable, and Chomp. Compared to Ferro though, Skarm does possess a few key differences as a Spiker. The main one is access to reliably recovery in Roost, allowing Skarm to keep itself healthy during a match. A second is the ability to use Whirlwind, which works well in conjunction with Spikes to spread residual damage against the opposing team. Another small perk is how Skarm can afford to run Shed Shell more often than Ferro can to avoid being trapped so easily by Magnezone. Unfortunately, Skarm is relatively passive compared to Ferro and doesn't have as many tools in its arsenal to annoy its common switch ins. Hazard removers like Starmie spin freely versus Skarm, while other Pokemon like Mega Sab have no trouble stopping the steel bird from doing its job.
Compared to Ferro and Skarm, Klefki is normally seen as a Spiker on more offensively inclined teams. On these builds, it's able to provide quick Spikes to help an offensive teammate like Bisharp weaken grounded checks like Keldeo via residual damage. Further, the role compression Klefki provides for offensive teams looking for Spikes is very valuable. It's able to paralyze numerous threats and setup sweepers in a pinch with Prankster Thunder Wave, all while helping these teams deal with threats like Mega Diancie and Weavile thanks to its awesome Steel / Fairy typing. Magnet Rise is another unique trait possessed by Klefki as a Spiker, allowing the little guy to lay down hazards versus otherwise problematic Pokemon like Lando-T, Chomp, and Hippo.
There's also Pokemon like Dragalge (
), who can provide Toxic Spikes. Compared to other hazards though, TS has a much less impressive distribution of viable setters. In terms of problems, TS also has more between 1. being easier to remove via absorbers like Amoonguss, and 2. targeting less Pokemon in OU due to how commonly teams are seen packing Steel-types, Flying-types, and Pokemon with Levitate. To conclude, it's necessary to acknowledge how there are
many more hazard options than the ones discussed above. Pokemon like Azelf, Chansey, Clefable, and Scolipede can all be used to fulfill the role of an SR or Spikes setter on some teams. Covering them all would be excessive, however, which is why these sections focus on discussing the most notable Pokemon for their respective roles.
Keeping Hazards Up
Having your hazards removed as easily as you laid them down is no fun. As such, having certain methods of keeping your hazards in play is recommended when using Pokemon like Skarm and company on your team. This section will discuss some of the ways you can help keep your hazards in play. When you think of Rapid Spin blockers, Ghost-types usually come to mind immediately due to their immunity to the move. In terms of effectiveness as a Rapid Spin blocker, Mega Sab reigns supreme. Because of its good bulk and reliable recovery, it's able to block Rapid Spin attempts from Pokemon like Starmie and Excadrill decently well. However, this isn't to say Mega Sab doesn't come across any problems as a Rapid Spin Blocker. For example, Starmie and Excadrill can both 2HKO Mega Sab with an Analytic LO Hydro and LO EQ, respectively.
Blocking / Discouraging Hazard Removal
When you think of Rapid Spin blockers, Ghost-types usually come to mind immediately due to their immunity to the move. In terms of effectiveness as a Rapid Spin blocker, Mega Sab takes the cake. Because of its good bulk and reliable recovery, it's able to block Rapid Spin attempts from Pokemon like Starmie and Exca decently well. However, this isn't to say Mega Sab doesn't come across any problems as a Rapid Spin Blocker. For example, Starmie and Exca can both 2HKO Mega Sab with an Analytic LO Hydro and LO EQ, respectively. Defensive Starmie, however, has a hard time breaking through Mega Sab even though Scald burns are a hindrance. Although Mega Sab may end up taking a large blow from these Pokemon in any case, its ability to stop them from spinning for a few turns can help you maintain your hazards in the long run. For example, Mega Sab can trade itself versus an offensive Starmie to allow a teammate like Tar to then come in and keep your hazards safe. Should Mega Sab successfully come in on a predicted Rapid Spin versus these Pokemon, though, it's able to annoy them well between moves like Will-O-Wisp and Knock Off. Other Ghost-types like Jelli, Gar, and Cofagrigus can also block Rapid Spin and have their own unique characteristics for the job (Water-type immunity for Jelli is useful versus Starmie, as an example). Generally though, these options are less viable in OU and come with an undesirable weakness to Pursuit.
Just like the presence of a Ghost-type can discourage people from clicking Rapid Spin, seeing a Defiant user like Bisharp on the opposing team can achieve something similar by making Pokemon like Latios think twice before using Defog. Should a Bisharp come in on a Defog attempt, it'll gain a +2 increase in attack thanks to its ability. From there, it's able to threaten to sweep a team clean. Bisharp is a ridiculously threatening Pokemon offensively, and the mere idea of giving the big guy an opportunity to cleave through your team can discourage hazard removal attempts with Defog. Bisharp is a mainstay on hazard stacking offense for this reason, contributing heavily to the pressure these teams aim to apply through the combination of Spikes and offensive threats.
Trapping Hazard Removers
vs.
Trappers like Tar and Weavile are very good Pokemon to use on several types of hazard stacking teams, whether it's balance in the case of Tar or HO in the case of Weavile. They both do a very nice job helping their respective playstyle keep hazards in play in the long run, mainly because of how well they pressure the common hazard removers Pokemon like Skarm and friends tend to invite in. Once a Defog Latios or Rapid Spin Starmie is removed from the match by a Tar or Weavile, they will no longer be around to blow away the hazards your Ferro or Skarm worked hard to lay down. This allows you to pressure the enemy team with hazards much more effectively. Although caution has to always be exercised before making the decision, Tar and Weavile can either be switched in directly or via a double switch to pressure said hazard removers. For example, assume your Skarm is on the field and you anticipate your enemy switching in a LO Starmie to pressure your hazard setter. Instead of using Spikes as Starmie switches in and threatens to blow something back with an Analytic boosted Hydro, you can possibly double switch to Tar as this happens and proceed to grab a kill. Overall, Tar and Weavile are prime examples of how trapping moves can be used to help keep hazards active, even being able to pressure rarer removers like Zapdos and Mandibuzz.
Taking Advantage of Hazards
There are a high number of Pokemon who love being supported by hazards. The presence of solely SR or a few layers of Spikes can go a long way in helping to wear down certain Pokemon and ensuring some kills. This section will focus on describing some small examples of Pokemon capable of benefiting from hazards, offensively and defensively. Afterwards, a brief discussion will be held regarding the practicality of fitting certain hazards on your builds.
Offensively taking advantage of hazards
As discussed earlier, Bisharp is a prime example of how to take advantage of your hazards because of it's ability to grab an attack increase after switching in on an attempted Defog from Pokemon like Latios. From there, Bisharp can proceed to do heavy damage and apply continued pressure. Bisharp aside, there are various other ways to make use of your hazard to help a Pokemon offensively. For the sake of an example, consider Mega Lop. There are a variety of things Mega Lop can be checked by, including Amoonguss, Mega Venu, and Mega Sciz. However, once you add hazards like SR and Spikes to the picture, these Pokemon can no longer switch into Mega Lop as reliably. For example, Amoonguss would normally be able to avoid a 2HKO from Mega Lop. After SR and 1 layer of Spikes though, it's 2HKOed by Return. This examples demonstrates how hazards can help offensive threats break through their own checks and make certain Pokemon more pressured when switching in.
Defensively taking advantage of hazards
Just like there are many offensive Pokemon who appreciate being supported by hazards, there are also various defensive ones who enjoy the same help. Clefable is a standard example, appreciating Spikes to wear down grounded checks like Jirachi and Tran. It's a natural partner for many hazard setters too, adding to how well Clefable takes advantage of the assistance Pokemon like Skarm and Ferro can provide. Other defensive win conditions like Suicune also love having Spikes. This is because, like Clefable, Cune is checked by various Pokemon weak to hazards: Serp, Mega Manec, and so on. Having entry hazards to wear them down thus becomes really useful, especially with Cune's ability to viably use Roar on CM sets to spread hazard damage on its own.
Practicality of hazards
It isn't always practical to fit hazards on your team. However, there is one hazard that's mandatory on any team, and that's Stealth Rock. There are various reasons this is so. For starters, unlike other hazards like Spikes, SR deals consistent damage to everything (including Pokemon with Levitate) apart from 'mons with Magic Guard. This consistent damage helps various Pokemon secure KO's more comfortably. SR also helps keep numerous offensive threats from being too threatening. This includes extremely threatening Pokemon like Char-X, Torn-T, Thund-I, and so forth. Having SR is vital to keep these threats in check and to decrease the opportunities they have to apply offensive pressure on your team. Another reason passing up on SR is foolish is because of how effective its setters are. Pokemon like Lando-T, Tran, and so on, are ridiculously good Pokemon capable of fulfilling so many roles for a team. As such, you can sap SR onto them all while benefiting from all the other utility they provide.
Unlike SR, other hazards like Spikes aren't always necessary or practical. Spikes setters aren't always as easy to incorporate on teams compared to SR users like Lando-T and Tran, who provide a level of utility unmatched by the majority of Pokemon in OU. For example, offensive teams don't necessarily need Spikes to function well and aren't always to find slots for the appropriate setters. Although Spikes setters like Scolipede and Klefki can be used on offensive teams, they aren't mandatory and can come with the sacrifice of giving up either defensive utility, offensive presence, or momentum. Compared to offense, fitting Spikes on balanced builds is much easier. Pokemon like Ferro and Skarm are natural additions to balanced builds and provide large amounts of utility for these teams. Because of this, they are easier to include. Regardless, balanced teams don't require Spikes to perform well and can function just fine without the presence of these Pokemon. It's also worth mentioning that, unlike SR, Spikes are often built around. To make this clearer, consider the cores of Skarm + Mega Lop or Ferro + Cune. These cores are based around using Spikes to support a win condition or offensive threat, and demonstrate what's meant by Spikes being an entry hazard people often decide to focus their team around.
Other hazards like Toxic Spikes are generally less effective for three main reasons: 1. lack of good setters, 2. ease by which they are removed, and 3. a fewer number of Pokemon are affected by TS overall. TS setters like Dragalge and Tentacruel aren't the most viable or effective Pokemon in OU, so giving them a place on your team isn't usually too tempting. To add, TS is removed more easily than other hazards because of how popular Pokemon like Amoonguss can absorb them upon entry. The pressure TS applies isn't as immediate as Spikes and SR either, as the damage from poison takes a while to truly add up. Couple this with how many Steel-types, Flying-types, and Pokemon with Levitate there are in OU and you have a hazard players don't desire too often.