[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Knock Off
move 3: Close Combat
move 4: Flare Blitz / U-turn
item: Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Intimidate
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Swords Dance Incineroar is a fantastic option that combines it's defensive utility from its ability Intimidate and great typing allowing it check Pokemon like Chandelure, Necrozma, and Doublade, with its access to Swords Dance and unresisted coverage to punish traditional counterplay to it such as Gigalith, Noivern, and Sylveon. Incineroar's utility is furtheer amplified when choosing to run U-turn, allowing it to still serve as an effective bulky offensive pivot against checks like Rhyperior and offensive Galarian Weezing. Such variants of Incineroar, however, are unable to deal with Sylveon and Galarian Weezing, and cannot immediately threaten Escavalier, without Flare Blitz. Close Combat allows Incineroar to break through Gigalith , weakened Rhyperior, and opposing Incineroar. 252 Speed EVs with a Jolly nature ensure that Incineroar can outspeed Jolly Pangoro, which would otherwise revenge kill it, while also speed tying with Timid Sylveon. An alternative EV spread of 144 HP / 108 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe with a Jolly nature can instead be ran to improve Incineroar's ability to check Pokemon like Chandelure and Doublade, while still allowing +2 Incineroar to OHKO offensive Noivern with Knock Off and Gigalith with Close Combat after Rocks. A Weakness Policy set with Swords Dance, Flame Charge, Knock Off, and Close Combat is a great option on Dual Screens hyper offense teams, serving as a fantastic early-game wallbreaker that can weaken Pokemon like Rhyperior for late game cleaners like Toxtricity. This should only be ran on Dual Screens teams however, as it lacks a lot of the defensive utility provided by Heavy-Duty Boots.
Teammates that can help to pressure bulky Water-types like Milotic and Gastrodon are appreciated, as Incineroar can struggle to reliably break through them without taking considerable damage. Roserade, Celebi, and Heliolisk are good options, and especially appreciate U-turn variants of Incineroar; they can also help to check Rotom-W for Incineroar, and Roserade in particular can provide Spikes support to wear down switch ins like Rhyperior and Gastrodon. Toxtricity is another great option, that appreciates Incineroar being able to greatly weaken Rhyperior for it. In return, Roserade and Celebi greatly appreciate Incineroar checking Steel-types like Escavalier and Bronzong for them, and can help Incineroar pressure Gigalith and Rhyperior. Incineroar is rather prone to being revenge killed by Pokemon like Noivern and Cobalion, teammates that can help to check them like Sylveon, Doublade, and Noivern are therefore appreciated. Sylveon can provide Wish support to help keep Incineroar healthy, and appreciates Incineroar checking Pokemon like Escavalier and Copperajah, while Noivern can help to put further pressure Steel-types for U-turn variants of Incineroar, weaken their shared check in Rhyperior, and appreciates Incineroar weakening its defensive checks like Sylveon and Gigalith, allowing it to more easily clean late game. Rhyperior and Gigalith can check Noivern for Incineroar and provide Stealth Rock to wear down switch ins like Rotom-W; Heavy Slam variants of both can also help to pressure Sylveon and offensive Galarian Weezing, which is particularly useful if Incineroar is not running Flare Blitz. Steel-types such as Copperajah and Escavalier can provide more reliable checks to Celebi and Roserade, which Incineroar can strugle to check without high HP, and overwhelm their shared checks like Noivern and Rotom-W.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Estarossa, 461329]]
- Quality checked by: [[ , ], [ , ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[ , ]]
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