~Taken from Orphic~
Overview
########
Shroomish is one of three Pokemon in Little Cup with access to the move Spore, which is the only sleep-inducing move with perfect accuracy. Shroomish also boasts decent defenses and a useful defensive typing which allows it to wall common Pokemon such as Drilbur and Chinchou. Shroomish also gets access to some decent attacks such as Giga Drain and Drain Punch in addition to Synthesis, meaning it can recover off damage quite easily. Poison Heal allows Shroomish to recover even more health as well as act as a status absorber, albeit at the cost of the defensive boost given by Eviolite. However, Shroomish isn't spectacular at dishing out hits, as its offensive stats are unimpressive and it is also easily walled by Pokemon such as Foongus, Croagunk, Trubbish, and Ferroseed. Although its defensive typing can help it out against Ground- and Water-type opponents, Shroomish's glaring weaknesses to Pokemon such as Fletchling and Foongus means that they will have little trouble beating it with their super effective STAB moves.
Tank
########
name: Tank
move 1: Spore
move 2: Synthesis
move 3: Bullet Seed / Giga Drain
move 4: Drain Punch
ability: Effect Spore
item: Eviolite
EVs: 36 HP / 196 Atk / 116 Def / 36 SpA / 116 SpD
nature: Adamant / Brave
Moves
========
Spore is a staple on Shroomish, as it enables it to put an opposing threat to sleep. Bullet Seed is a powerful STAB move which hits opponents such as Drilbur, Onix, Tirtouga, and Chinchou. Giga Drain is also a reliable STAB move which provides a small amount of recovery. Drain Punch enables Shroomish to hit opponents such as Pawniard super effectively while providing Shroomish with a small amount of recovery. It also nails Ferroseed and Lileep, which might try to switch in on a predicted Spore. Synthesis allows Shroomish to recover off damage, particularly against a sleeping opponent.
Set Details
========
Shroomish prefers to hold Eviolite, as it improves its bulk. The chosen EV spread gives Shroomish the highest Attack possible with enough EVs in Defenses to reach Eviolite numbers. The remaining EVs are put into HP and Special Attack for the sets that run Giga Drain. An Adamant nature gives the highest Attack possible, but a Brave nature can be used if Shroomish runs Giga Drain as it won't be greatly affected by the loss of a point in Speed. Effect Spore is a decent ability to mess up contact move users, but it can interfere with Spore and is unreliable.
Usage Tips
========
Shroomish should use Spore whenever it gets the opportunity. Crippling an opponent can be very advantageous, as you can switch out in an attempt to gain a favorable match up, or hit the incoming switch with an attack, or simply heal up with Synthesis if Shroomish has taken damage. Drain Punch can be used to hit opponents such as Pawniard and Houndour, which resist Shroomish's STAB moves. Shroomish is crippled by status, however, so it should not stay in on opponents such as Ferroseed or Porygon which can cripple Shroomish with a Thunder Wave.
Team Options
========
Steel-types such as Pawniard and Magnemite are great teammates for Shroomish, as they are immune to Poison-type attacks, and resist the Bug-, Flying-, and Ice-type attacks that Shroomish is weak to. They also wall Fletchling, which is a huge threat to Shroomish, although they cannot wall mixed Fletchling that carry Overheat. A teammate to absorb Will-O-Wisp and defeat the Grass-types that wall Shroomish, particularly Foongus and Cottonee, is helpful; Houndour or Ponyta both can do this. Abra or Drilbur beat the Poison-types that wall Shroomish; they can also both shred through opponents after Shroomish has weakened them extensively.
Defensive
########
name: Defensive
move 1: Spore
move 2: Protect / Hidden Power Fire
move 3: Leech Seed / Toxic
move 4: Giga Drain
ability: Poison Heal
item: Toxic Orb
EVs: 196 HP / 196 Def / 116 SpD
nature: Bold
Moves
========
Spore is a staple on Shroomish, as it enables it to put an opposing threat to sleep. Protect assures Toxic Orb's activation and also allows it to stall for an extra turn of recovery. However, without Hidden Power Fire, Shroomish is completely walled by other Grass-types and Steel-types. Leech Seed provides residual damage and recovery for Shroomish. Giga Drain is the STAB move of choice, as it hits Chinchou and Drilbur for super effective damage, and provides recovery. Toxic enables Shroomish to beat Lileep, Porygon and Vullaby, Pokemon that would wall it easily otherwise.
Set Details
========
Although Shroomish misses the bulk provided by Eviolite, Toxic Orb combined with Poison Heal gives it reliable recovery every turn and makes it immune to other status effects. Running Max HP EVs means Shroomish will recover 3 HP per turn while poisoned, while the rest of the EVs are placed in Defense and Special Defense with a Bold nature in order to make Shroomish as bulky as possible without Eviolite.
Usage Tips
========
After Toxic Orb's activation, Shroomish can act as both a status and Knock Off absorber, as it does not need its Toxic Orb after it is activated. Although it is still frail without Eviolite, the gradual recovery means that it can take hits reasonably well. Putting an opponent to sleep with Spore will allow Shroomish to recover plenty of health as Poison Heal and Giga Drain work well together in aiding recovery.
Team Options
========
Steel-types such as Pawniard and Magnemite are great teammates for Shroomish, as they are immune to Poison-type attacks and also resist the Bug-, Flying-, and Ice-type attacks that Shroomish is weak to. They also wall Fletchling, a huge threat to Shroomish, although they cannot wall mixed Fletchling that carry Overheat. A teammate to absorb Will-O-Wisp and defeat the Grass-type Pokemon that wall Shroomish, notably Foongus and Cottonee is helpful. Both Houndour or Ponyta can do this. Abra and Drilbur are able to beat the Poison-types that wall Shroomish, and they can also both shred through opponents after Shroomish has weakened them extensively.
Other Options
########
Shroomish can run Stun Spore in addition to Spore in order to paralyze an opponent as they switch out their sleeping Pokemon in an attempt to bring in a counter. However, Foongus outclasses it in this role. Berry Juice can provide recovery, but it is unnecessary, as Shroomish has multiple ways to recover HP and it does not enjoy losing the added bulk from Eviolite. Substitute is an option for the Poison Heal, Leech Seed, and Focus Punch sets. Swords Dance can make Shroomish very imposing; however, it is too slow and still walled by many opponents, even at +2 Attack.
Checks & Counters
########
**Flying-types**: Fletchling and Archen hit Shroomish very hard with their STAB moves and don't take much damage from any of Shroomish's attacks.
**Poison-types**: Gastly, Croagunk, and Trubbish resist Shroomish's STAB moves and can inflict a lot of damage to Shroomish with a super effective STAB move.
**Grass-types**: Foongus and Cottonee can both reliably wall Shroomish's STAB moves and are immune to Spore. Foongus can then hit Shroomish with a super effective Sludge Bomb, while Cottonee can Encore Shroomish into a weak move. Snover heavily damages both variants of Shroomish with Blizzard; however, it must remain wary of Hidden Power Fire.
**Sleep Absorbers**: Vullaby can easily wall Shroomish and KO it with Brave Bird. It resists Shroomish's STAB moves, which makes it difficult for Shroomish to wear Vullaby down. Pokemon with the ability Vital Spirit or Early Bird, such as Magby or Houndour, can also threaten Shroomish.
Overview
########
Shroomish is one of three Pokemon in Little Cup with access to the move Spore, which is the only sleep-inducing move with perfect accuracy. Shroomish also boasts decent defenses and a useful defensive typing which allows it to wall common Pokemon such as Drilbur and Chinchou. Shroomish also gets access to some decent attacks such as Giga Drain and Drain Punch in addition to Synthesis, meaning it can recover off damage quite easily. Poison Heal allows Shroomish to recover even more health as well as act as a status absorber, albeit at the cost of the defensive boost given by Eviolite. However, Shroomish isn't spectacular at dishing out hits, as its offensive stats are unimpressive and it is also easily walled by Pokemon such as Foongus, Croagunk, Trubbish, and Ferroseed. Although its defensive typing can help it out against Ground- and Water-type opponents, Shroomish's glaring weaknesses to Pokemon such as Fletchling and Foongus means that they will have little trouble beating it with their super effective STAB moves.
Tank
########
name: Tank
move 1: Spore
move 2: Synthesis
move 3: Bullet Seed / Giga Drain
move 4: Drain Punch
ability: Effect Spore
item: Eviolite
EVs: 36 HP / 196 Atk / 116 Def / 36 SpA / 116 SpD
nature: Adamant / Brave
Moves
========
Spore is a staple on Shroomish, as it enables it to put an opposing threat to sleep. Bullet Seed is a powerful STAB move which hits opponents such as Drilbur, Onix, Tirtouga, and Chinchou. Giga Drain is also a reliable STAB move which provides a small amount of recovery. Drain Punch enables Shroomish to hit opponents such as Pawniard super effectively while providing Shroomish with a small amount of recovery. It also nails Ferroseed and Lileep, which might try to switch in on a predicted Spore. Synthesis allows Shroomish to recover off damage, particularly against a sleeping opponent.
Set Details
========
Shroomish prefers to hold Eviolite, as it improves its bulk. The chosen EV spread gives Shroomish the highest Attack possible with enough EVs in Defenses to reach Eviolite numbers. The remaining EVs are put into HP and Special Attack for the sets that run Giga Drain. An Adamant nature gives the highest Attack possible, but a Brave nature can be used if Shroomish runs Giga Drain as it won't be greatly affected by the loss of a point in Speed. Effect Spore is a decent ability to mess up contact move users, but it can interfere with Spore and is unreliable.
Usage Tips
========
Shroomish should use Spore whenever it gets the opportunity. Crippling an opponent can be very advantageous, as you can switch out in an attempt to gain a favorable match up, or hit the incoming switch with an attack, or simply heal up with Synthesis if Shroomish has taken damage. Drain Punch can be used to hit opponents such as Pawniard and Houndour, which resist Shroomish's STAB moves. Shroomish is crippled by status, however, so it should not stay in on opponents such as Ferroseed or Porygon which can cripple Shroomish with a Thunder Wave.
Team Options
========
Steel-types such as Pawniard and Magnemite are great teammates for Shroomish, as they are immune to Poison-type attacks, and resist the Bug-, Flying-, and Ice-type attacks that Shroomish is weak to. They also wall Fletchling, which is a huge threat to Shroomish, although they cannot wall mixed Fletchling that carry Overheat. A teammate to absorb Will-O-Wisp and defeat the Grass-types that wall Shroomish, particularly Foongus and Cottonee, is helpful; Houndour or Ponyta both can do this. Abra or Drilbur beat the Poison-types that wall Shroomish; they can also both shred through opponents after Shroomish has weakened them extensively.
Defensive
########
name: Defensive
move 1: Spore
move 2: Protect / Hidden Power Fire
move 3: Leech Seed / Toxic
move 4: Giga Drain
ability: Poison Heal
item: Toxic Orb
EVs: 196 HP / 196 Def / 116 SpD
nature: Bold
Moves
========
Spore is a staple on Shroomish, as it enables it to put an opposing threat to sleep. Protect assures Toxic Orb's activation and also allows it to stall for an extra turn of recovery. However, without Hidden Power Fire, Shroomish is completely walled by other Grass-types and Steel-types. Leech Seed provides residual damage and recovery for Shroomish. Giga Drain is the STAB move of choice, as it hits Chinchou and Drilbur for super effective damage, and provides recovery. Toxic enables Shroomish to beat Lileep, Porygon and Vullaby, Pokemon that would wall it easily otherwise.
Set Details
========
Although Shroomish misses the bulk provided by Eviolite, Toxic Orb combined with Poison Heal gives it reliable recovery every turn and makes it immune to other status effects. Running Max HP EVs means Shroomish will recover 3 HP per turn while poisoned, while the rest of the EVs are placed in Defense and Special Defense with a Bold nature in order to make Shroomish as bulky as possible without Eviolite.
Usage Tips
========
After Toxic Orb's activation, Shroomish can act as both a status and Knock Off absorber, as it does not need its Toxic Orb after it is activated. Although it is still frail without Eviolite, the gradual recovery means that it can take hits reasonably well. Putting an opponent to sleep with Spore will allow Shroomish to recover plenty of health as Poison Heal and Giga Drain work well together in aiding recovery.
Team Options
========
Steel-types such as Pawniard and Magnemite are great teammates for Shroomish, as they are immune to Poison-type attacks and also resist the Bug-, Flying-, and Ice-type attacks that Shroomish is weak to. They also wall Fletchling, a huge threat to Shroomish, although they cannot wall mixed Fletchling that carry Overheat. A teammate to absorb Will-O-Wisp and defeat the Grass-type Pokemon that wall Shroomish, notably Foongus and Cottonee is helpful. Both Houndour or Ponyta can do this. Abra and Drilbur are able to beat the Poison-types that wall Shroomish, and they can also both shred through opponents after Shroomish has weakened them extensively.
Other Options
########
Shroomish can run Stun Spore in addition to Spore in order to paralyze an opponent as they switch out their sleeping Pokemon in an attempt to bring in a counter. However, Foongus outclasses it in this role. Berry Juice can provide recovery, but it is unnecessary, as Shroomish has multiple ways to recover HP and it does not enjoy losing the added bulk from Eviolite. Substitute is an option for the Poison Heal, Leech Seed, and Focus Punch sets. Swords Dance can make Shroomish very imposing; however, it is too slow and still walled by many opponents, even at +2 Attack.
Checks & Counters
########
**Flying-types**: Fletchling and Archen hit Shroomish very hard with their STAB moves and don't take much damage from any of Shroomish's attacks.
**Poison-types**: Gastly, Croagunk, and Trubbish resist Shroomish's STAB moves and can inflict a lot of damage to Shroomish with a super effective STAB move.
**Grass-types**: Foongus and Cottonee can both reliably wall Shroomish's STAB moves and are immune to Spore. Foongus can then hit Shroomish with a super effective Sludge Bomb, while Cottonee can Encore Shroomish into a weak move. Snover heavily damages both variants of Shroomish with Blizzard; however, it must remain wary of Hidden Power Fire.
**Sleep Absorbers**: Vullaby can easily wall Shroomish and KO it with Brave Bird. It resists Shroomish's STAB moves, which makes it difficult for Shroomish to wear Vullaby down. Pokemon with the ability Vital Spirit or Early Bird, such as Magby or Houndour, can also threaten Shroomish.
Last edited: