[overview]
**Draft Order**: Round 6 onwards
**Price Range**: 4-6 points
**Overview**: Rotom-S is an underrated and surprisingly versatile addition to many draft teams. Its Electric typing paired with its Ground immunity makes it a strong low-budget option with a unique set of resistances. Rotom-S functions well as an early- to mid-game pivot, threatening Ground-types with Will-O-Wisp and using Volt Switch to wear down the opposing team, gain momentum, and bring in a strong wallbreaker. Rotom-S, however, is not a one trick pony; if given the right matchup, it can utilize Nasty Plot to perform well as a strong wallbreaker in its own right. It oftentimes struggles from a lack of coverage, usually relying solely on its own STAB moves, and while its Flying typing offers it a set of unique resistances, it often forces it to run Heavy-Duty Boots, which can limit its versatility.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Bulky Utility Pivot**: Rotom-S functions best as a pivot that can soft check multiple threats and regain some of its lost HP with Pain Split. Physically offensive Pokemon can be threatened with Will-O-Wisp, allowing it to use Volt Switch on the predicted swap. Many Ground-types such as Iron Treads and Landorus-T struggle to come in safely to block Volt Switch due to the threat of burn. Additionally, bulky pivot variants can also utilize dual screens and Volt Switch to enable another team member.
**Wallbreaker**: Rotom-S can wallbreak through the combination of Nasty Plot and its dual STAB moves. Nasty Plot, Air Slash, and its ability to paralyze foes pose a potentially deadly combination due to Air Slash’s chance to cause foes to flinch, making it very risky for slower Pokemon to attempt to spam recovery moves in front of a boosted Rotom-S.
**Offensive Pivot**: Though less common, Rotom-S can invest more in Special Attack and utilize Choice items to spam a faster or stronger Volt Switch. Bulkier Pokemon fear switching into this set due to the threat of being given a Choice item from Trick.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Volt Switch, Air Slash, Discharge, Thunderbolt
**Setup Moves**: Nasty Plot
**Utility Moves**: Will-O-Wisp, Pain Split, Trick, Thunder Wave, Light Screen, Reflect, Foul Play, Night Shade
**Coverage**: Hex, Shadow Ball, Stored Power, Tera Blast
Niche Moves
========
**Substitute**: Substitute functions decently well on both status-spreading and wallbreaking sets. Behind a Substitute, an Air Slash flinch can be even more brutal for the foe.
**Eerie Impulse**: Rotom-S can help neutralize certain special attacking threats, particularly Calm Mind sets from foes such as Ursaluna-B and Raging Bolt, using Eerie Impulse.
Common Items
========
**Heavy-Duty Boots**: Rotom-S
**Rocky Helmet**: Rotom-S can effectively use Rocky Helmet to wear down physically offensive Pokemon that it might be switching into, such as Galarian Zapdos and Rillaboom. It also punishes opposing bulky pivots such as Corviknight.
**Choice Scarf**: Rotom-S can use Choice Scarf + Trick to punish defensive Pokemon switching in. Otherwise, Choice Scarf allows it to use fast Volt Switch or spam Air Slash and hope to get rewarded with some luck.
Niche Items
========
**Light Clay**: Rotom-S could have a role on dual screens offense team builds due to its access to Light Screen and Reflect. Light Clay's additional turns of dual screens allows another team member to set up more freely.
**Leftovers**: Leftovers is useful to give Rotom-S extra longevity if the opposing team lacks good Stealth Rock users.
**Custap Berry**: Custap Berry can be a neat surprise tool on Nasty Plot Rotom-S variants. After KOing one opposing Pokemon, using Endure against a subsequent revenger often forces the opponent to sack another Pokemon.
**Damage-boosting Items**: Sharp Beak boosts the power of Rotom-S's Air Slash, which can help secure Nasty Plot sets specific 2HKOs against bulkier Pokemon that resist Thunderbolt. Magnet can have similar value to secure 2HKOs with Thunderbolt and boost Volt Switch damage without it having to lock into a move. Expert Belt also can have niche value on offensive sets depending on the matchup.
Tera
========
Rotom-S functions quite well as a secondary Tera Captain. In fact, Terastallization offers it an actual use for its ability Levitate! Tera Steel and Fairy are strong defensive options that Rotom-S can use while still maintaining its Ground immunity. It can also use Tera Water to hit Ground-types and Tera Ground to hit opposing Electric-types. In general, having access to Terastallization greatly fixes Rotom-S’s issue of not having much type coverage beyond its STAB moves.
Draft Strategy
========
While Rotom-S can pack a punch of its own, it should usually be drafted as a support option to enable higher-tier hard-hitters. It can be seen as a viable pickup especially on drafts that lack sufficient Pokemon that resist Ground and Flying. Rotom-S competes with other Pokemon like Eelektross and its Ghost-type counterpart Rotom for this role, but its Flying typing, ability to spread burns, and wide array of utility options set it apart from its competition. Rotom-S also soft checks many high tier Fighting-types that a draft might struggle with, such as Great Tusk, Galarian Zapdos, and Hawlucha.
**Physical Wallbreakers**: Rotom-S can pivot out against specially defensive Pokemon, which safely brings in physical wallbreakers such as Iron Valiant and Garchomp. This can be especially useful when paired with entry hazard setting support from Pokemon such as Hisuian Samurott and Ting-Lu.
**Entry Hazard Removal**: Due to its weakness to Stealth Rock, Rotom-S appreciates being paired with Pokemon that can remove entry hazards such as Iron Treads and Great Tusk.
**Wincons**: Through weakening the opposing team with burns, paralysis, or even dual screens, Rotom-S is quite effective at turning opposing Pokemon into setup fodder, which can enable setup sweeping threats such as Ogerpon-W and Quaquaval.
Checks and Counters
========
**Stealth Rock**: Although Rotom-S most commonly runs Heavy-Duty Boots, utilizing Stealth Rock can still be valuable to punish variants that use other items. Otherwise, Stealth Rock in conjunction with Knock Off is effective in wearing down Heavy-Duty Boots sets.
**Electric-types**: Most Electric-types can exploit Rotom-S's lack of coverage and chew its dual STAB moves with ease. Special attacking Electric-types in particular switch in quite safely on it without fearing burn. Pokemon with the ability Volt Absorb such as Thundurus-T, Kilowattrel, and Lanturn are best at switching in, as they block momentum and also heal from Volt Switch.
**Fast Attackers**: Strong, fast attackers with super effective STAB moves such as Weavile, Iron Boulder, and Kyurem can outspeed and threaten Rotom-S with super effective attacks.
**Substitute**: Opposing Pokemon can use Substitute on Rotom-S's Will-O-Wisp to avoid being burned. Substitute paired with a setup move is especially threatening in front of Rotom-S, which might not be able to break the Substitute with the low-Base Power moves of Air Slash and Volt Switch.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/addison0727.514695/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/jscurf.608304/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno.527276/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno.527276/
Last edited:
