[QC READY 1/3] Malamar

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Lucky Strike

Lucky Strike

malamar_sprite_by_elitegengar-d6daf4c.png

[Pros]

<ul>
<li>● It has access to Contrary and Superpower together</li>

<li>● Not bad type for a Trick Room setter and strong offensively</li>

<li>● Gets benefit from King's Shield, Intimidate, Sticky Web, Pairing Shot, Memento and whatever move/trait that drop the stats</li>
</ul>

[Cons]

<ul>
<li>● Statistics are not high in particular low speed (73 base) and bad special defense (75 base)</li>

<li>● x4 weak to bug</li>

<li>● Poor general movepool</li>

<li>● To do its work should be supported decently (entry hazard or trick room for examples)
</ul>

[Set Recommendations]

<p>Malamar @ Leftovers<br />
Ability: Contrary<br />
EVs: 224 HP / 252 Atk / 34 SDef<br />
Brave Nature (+Atk, -Spd)
0 Ivs Spd<br />
- Night Slash <br />
- Psycho Cut<br />
- Superpower<br />
- Trick Room</p>

<p>This is the best set for the squid because it can fully exploit its full potential thanks to the trick room. The ability Contrary with Superpower can create many problems to the opponent while Night Slash and Psycho Cut are the main stab that make malamar along with the fight-move capable of attacking all.
224 evs in HP allow him to get the maximum effectiveness from Leftovers, max attack for more power and the remaining in special defense.

Finally Malamar, as already said, needs two important things for this set: trick room and entry hazard (many of his checks and counters are damaged by spikes and stealth rock!) to work very well.</p>


<p>Malamar @ Leftovers / Assault Velt<br />
Ability: Contrary<br />
EVs: 148 HP / 252 Atk / 108 Spe<br />
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SpA)<br />
- Night Slash<br />
- Psycho Cut<br />
- Superpower<br />
- Substitute / Frustation / Taunt</p>

<p>Well, Malamar is not very fast but 108 evs in speed allows to overcome various pokémon like Rotom-Wash. As regards the coverage the set is a victim of the "last slot syndrome" that has as solutions: Substitute, it was delicious for not being vulnerable to status as well as Taunt (può anche impedire di essere cambiato), Frustation instead if you use as item Assault Velt and its is another powerful attack; finally, the obvious main moves.
While the choice of the item is personal, Leftovers for a more staying power, Life Orb if you want more power and finally Assault Velt gives to Malamar greater resistance on the special defense side.

A great partner for this set as well as Spikes and Stealth Rock are the Sticky Web that allow Malamar to overcome many pokemon.
</p>

[Checks and Counters]

● Fairy-type are best counter for Malamar because their resists to its main attacks (Night Slash and Superpower)

● Pokemon faster with good attacks are problematic

● General Flying-type and Bug-type are a good check (Scizor, Gyarados, Volcarona)

● Zygarde and MegaGarchomp with their defenses and attack are a problem for Malamar

● Sableye can be boring with its ability

</p>
 
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I was hoping to nab this one :(

anyway, what does function does the 34 SpD serve? Also I think trick room seems out of place on that set tbh. I think topsy turvy serves its function better, screwing up opposing boosters while boosting itself while it attacks with superpower. I would prefer a trick room only set or just relegate trick room to other options.
 
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<li>Good type (only one weakness)</li>

this is not true at all; i'm not sure why i keep seeing people saying malamar's typing is "good". it's "unique", but that's not necessarily relevant. malamar's type is probably the worst thing about it. dark is one of the most redundant typings to add to psychic (which is a horrible type). all it does is make psychic even MORE weak to u-turn, neutral to fighting, and hit steel-types neutrally with dark. dark/psychic has pretty much no resistances besides psychic, so i'm not seeing how it's a good type at all.
 
DTC said:
<li>Good type (only one weakness)</li>

this is not true at all; i'm not sure why i keep seeing people saying malamar's typing is "good". it's "unique", but that's not necessarily relevant. malamar's type is probably the worst thing about it. dark is one of the most redundant typings to add to psychic (which is a horrible type). all it does is make psychic even MORE weak to u-turn, neutral to fighting, and hit steel-types neutrally with dark. dark/psychic has pretty much no resistances besides psychic, so i'm not seeing how it's a good type at all.
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Oh yeah I was going to address that also, it has 2 weaknesses (4x Bug and 2x Fairy). It takes pretty much everything besides that for neutral. It's not so much a good type as it's just not a bad type. It's very neutral typing.
 
I casted a random eye in here and ..
"73 base speed allows to overcome various pokémon like dragonite and Skarmory"
Skarmory.. okay (even if I don't see the point of outspeeding it)
but

Dragonite ?
 
darkie said:
I was hoping to nab this one :(

anyway, what does 34 speed outspeed on the first set? you should mention that in the writeup. Also I think trick room seems out of place on that set tbh. I think topsy turvy serves its function better, screwing up opposing boosters while boosting itself while it attacks with superpower. I would prefer a trick room only set or just relegate trick room to other options.
Click to expand...
34 evs in spd was a typo now i edit
anyway trick room instead I think is very important in the set of malamar, as well as give you a trick room setter, Malamar can set up trick room on its own and topsy-turvy in the trick room set is useless.

DTC said:
<li>Good type (only one weakness)</li>

this is not true at all; i'm not sure why i keep seeing people saying malamar's typing is "good". it's "unique", but that's not necessarily relevant. malamar's type is probably the worst thing about it. dark is one of the most redundant typings to add to psychic (which is a horrible type). all it does is make psychic even MORE weak to u-turn, neutral to fighting, and hit steel-types neutrally with dark. dark/psychic has pretty much no resistances besides psychic, so i'm not seeing how it's a good type at all.
Click to expand...
you're right but Dark/Psychic allow Malamar to have 2 good STAB
also the dark type allows him not to be weak to Ghost and Dark unlike the majority of trick room setters are weak to those types (for example now Bronzong is weak to Ghost and Dark with the nerf of steel)
 
Trick Room Malamar should be running 0 Speed EVs AND 0 Speed IVs, as well as a -speed nature. This gets Malamar to 135 Speed, enough to underspeed all Tyranitar (who don't also drop speed IVs...), for example.

Change Adamant Nature on the Trick Room set to Brave, and specify 0 Speed IVs as well.
 
It doesn't make sense to use Foul Play, so remove that on the first set. Boosted Night Slash will always be preferable in the majority of cases.
 
Lucky Strike said:
you're right but Dark/Psychic allow Malamar to have 2 good STAB
also the dark type allows him not to be weak to Ghost and Dark unlike the majority of trick room setters are weak to those types (for example now Bronzong is weak to Ghost and Dark with the nerf of steel)
Click to expand...

Except... We now have Fairy type and some of them such as Aroma/Whimsicott are able to set up trick room while addressing the stacking of dark types in one trick room team. The biggest problem with the typing aside from its obvious lack of resistance is really the bug type weakness thanks to the prevalence of U-turn from very hard hitting pokemon that will very easily force it out even with a +1 def boost.

Worst part about this really is regardless of the tier it may inevitably end up in strong bug attacks are going to be dime a dozen, and most will be able to easily shrug off its Dark/Psychic/Fighting coverage. Which is why I do agree with the above sentiment that the typing is hardly boon to this particular Pokemon.

Moreover, its coverage isn't as good as it used to be as Fighting/Dark is now resisted by the newly introduced Fairy, that is also capable of threatening it
 
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Machi said:
Except... We now have Fairy type and some of them such as Aroma/Whimsicott are able to set up trick room while addressing the stacking of dark types in one trick room team. The biggest problem with the typing aside from its obvious lack of resistance is really the bug type weakness thanks to the prevalence of U-turn from very hard hitting pokemon that will very easily force it out even with a +1 def boost.

Worst part about this really is regardless of the tier it may inevitably end up in strong bug attacks are going to be dime a dozen, and most will be able to easily shrug off its Dark/Psychic/Fighting coverage. Which is why I do agree with the above sentiment that the typing is hardly boon to this particular Pokemon.

Moreover, its coverage isn't as good as it used to be as Fighting/Dark is now resisted by the newly introduced Fairy, that is also capable of threatening it
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fairy-type anyway do not have much defense and therefore are vulnerable to physical attacks
I agree with your idea as well as that of DTC but the type of Malamar however has to be considered
 
Machi said:
Moreover, its coverage isn't as good as it used to be as Fighting/Dark is now resisted by the newly introduced Fairy, that is also capable of threatening it
Click to expand...

For the most part Malamar will probably be running at least 3 attacking moves though. Anything more and it probably some other function for the team, in which case it doesn't necessarily -need- to hit everything. As long as the third move isn't Bug or Dragon (i.e. Psycho Cut), it will still hit everything.
 
Remove Life Orb from the second set, Malamar is a bulky booster and doesn't like recoil. I would also like to hear why you have a spread of 252 Atk / 252 Spe on the second set. What threats you want to outspeed and is all this Speed necessary? Depending on the answer, we may want to use some HP investment, especially for Assault Vest, which is bad with a 252 Atk / 252 Spe spread. So, what threats does Malamar need to outspeed?
 
it overcomes slurpuff for 1 point, no joke
anyway mhh u're right so I change in 232 spd so it can overcome skarmory, breloom and other shits; the rest in hp.
btw thanks for the warning
 
You don't need to outspeed Skarmory as it can't do anything back and it almost never uses max Speed anyway. Outspeeding Breloom is ok i guess, but i have not seen Breloom at all from my playtesting and in general it doesn't seem as a very solid Pokemon in this gen so i wouldn't worry too much about it. I think that outspeeding min Speed Rotom-W is the best benchmark for now, so you can put a Sub up before it can burn you. To do this you need this spread: 148 HP / 252 Atk / 108 Spe.
 
Custap Berry Skarmory uses a Jolly nature so you can't outspeed it even with max Speed. And anyway, stopping Skarmory leads is not Malamar's job and so you shouldn't focus on outspeeding it.
 
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