Overview
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After the reputation it earned as a dangerous offensive powerhouse in BW OU, Terrakion has a lot to live up to this time around. Its base 129 Attack stat is still impressive, as is the coverage it gets between its Rock- and Fighting-type STABs. Combined with its good base 108 Speed, this makes Terrakion a powerful sweeper and wallbreaker that is nearly impossible to switch into. Its resistance to Stealth Rock also helps it switch in and out more easily, and its decent bulk ensures that it won't roll over and die to just any attack.
Several changes in the metagame have made it harder for Terrakion, however. Newly introduced Fairy- and Ghost-types have made spamming Close Combat even more difficult than last generation. Aegislash in particular is a common threat and one of Terrakion's best counters. With blazing fast Pokemon such as Greninja and Thundurus running around, Terrakion's base 108 Speed just isn't as impressive as it used to be. The prevalence of powerful priority attacks also leaves it easier to check. Still, Terrakion is a serious offensive threat.
Life Orb Attacker
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name: Life Orb Attacker
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: Stone Edge
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Hidden Power Ice / Swords Dance
item: Life Orb
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Naive
Moves
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This Terrakion serves as a fantastic wallbreaker. Close Combat and Stone Edge serve as Terrakion's best and most powerful STAB moves. Earthquake deals heavy damage to Aegislash while also serving as a more reliable move for opponents such as Heatran and Mega Mawile. Hidden Power Ice is great for luring in and eliminating Landorus-T and Gliscor, two of Terrakion's best counters. If either switches into Stone Edge with Stealth Rock down, they have a good shot at being KOed by Hidden Power Ice the next turn. Hidden Power Ice can also be used to pick off other opponents 4x weak to it such as Garchomp and Dragonite, alleviating worries about Stone Edge's low accuracy or Close Combat's defense drops. Alternatively, Terrakion can use Swords Dance instead of Hidden Power Ice to sweep later in the game once the opposing team has been weakened and faster threats or priority users have been removed.
Set Details
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A Speed-boosting nature and maximum Speed investment is needed to allow Terrakion to outrun as many foes as possible. Terrakion's Attack stat is maximized to provide optimal physical power, while the Naive nature and 4 Special Attack EVs maintain the power of Hidden Power Ice. If you are using Swords Dance, a Jolly nature should be used instead with the leftover 4 EVs placed into Special Defense. Protect can be used to scout the moves of incoming Choice item users, such as Choice Band Scizor and Choice Scarf Landorus-T, but doing so will cost Terrakion valuable coverage. Life Orb is the primary item as it provides a significant boost to all of Terrakion's attacks. Expert Belt can also be used to bluff a Choice item and act as an even more effective lure. However, the power loss means that more prior damage is required in order for Terrakion to safely beat Landorus-T and Gliscor.
Usage Tips
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This set is best used as a general wallbreaker early-to-mid-game and a lure for Landorus-T and Gliscor—two of the biggest threats to Terrakion in the game—if you are using Hidden Power Ice. It is very important to not reveal Hidden Power Ice unless absolutely necessary. Doing so too early will alert the opponent that their Landorus-T or Gliscor is not safe to switch in, and thus you'll be unable to successfully lure them in and KO. Swords Dance versions should focus on attacking outright early in the game and saving Swords Dance for later when obstacles to a sweep are removed. If you choose to use Protect, use it sparingly as well. While it's great for scouting Choice-locked opponents, you must make sure that the opponent you're trying to scout is not a setup sweeper. Otherwise, they might set up on Protect and threaten with a sweep.
Team Options
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Because variants with Hidden Power Ice excel at luring in and removing Landorus-T and Gliscor, sweepers that have trouble with the aforementioned Pokemon—such as Lucario and Dragonite—are great teammates. These offensive Pokemon also appreciate the openings that Terrakion can create with its natural wallbreaking abilities. Terrakion itself needs entry hazard support to turn as many 3HKOs into 2HKOs and 2HKOs into OHKOs as possible, especially if attempting a sweep with Swords Dance. As previously mentioned, Stealth Rock in particular is necessary to KO defensive Gliscor and Landorus-T with Stone Edge followed by Hidden Power Ice.
Choice Band
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name: Choice Band
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: Stone Edge
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Quick Attack / X-Scissor
item: Choice Band
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
nature: Jolly
Moves
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Choice Band Terrakion aims to deal as much raw damage as possible. Close Combat and Stone Edge are its most powerful Fighting- and Rock-type STAB moves, respectively, with the latter handling most of the Pokemon that resist or are immune to the former. Earthquake is the primary coverage move on this set as it handles Aegislash, the most common Pokemon that can shut down both of Terrakion's STAB moves. It also serves as a safer and more effective move for opponents such as Tentacruel and Mega Mawile. While it isn't the strongest priority in the world, Quick Attack is useful for picking off weakened offensive Pokemon such as Latios and Greninja. X-Scissor can also be used to hit Celebi harder, as it would otherwise be able to take any one of Terrakion's other attacks and hit back with its own STAB moves. It's also Terrakion's best bet against the odd Cresselia and Slowbro.
Set Details
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Choice Band offers Terrakion immense immediate power and allows it to blow holes in teams with its STAB moves. Terrakion needs as much Speed and power as possible in order to do its job, so a Jolly nature and physically offensive EV spread is chosen to optimize this, while the leftover 4 EVs are placed into Special Defense. Although the extra power of an Adamant nature is tempting, the inability to outrun Pokemon such as Garchomp and Mega Charizard Y is not worth it.
Usage Tips
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It is important to keep in mind that Choice Band Terrakion is primarily a wallbreaker and not a sweeper (although it can occasionally sweep slower teams). This set is best used early-to-mid-game when it can use its raw power to break down defensive cores and open up holes for a teammate to sweep. When trying to wallbreak with Terrakion, it is generally best to stick to using its STAB moves for their raw power and neutral coverage. Terrakion's coverage moves are important but easy to take advantage of, so you should only use them when absolutely needed, such as to hit Aegislash with Earthquake. While it should never be relied upon, Terrakion's Quick Attack is an important revenge-killing tool, so be careful about sacrificing Terrakion if you think you might need it to pick off a weakened sweeper and prevent an opponent's sweep.
Team Options
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Because Terrakion does such a good job of opening up holes for teammates to sweep, Pokemon that can appreciate Terrakion's wallbreaking abilities make great partners. Lucario is a good example since it shares similar checks with Terrakion and can sweep with ease once Terrakion has softened checks such as Slowbro and Gliscor. As Terrakion's job is to do as much damage as possible, Stealth Rock support is greatly appreciated and can be crucial for achieving 2HKOs against Pokemon such as Gliscor, Slowbro, and Tangrowth. Teammates that can handle the likes of Landorus-T, Celebi, Aegislash, and Gliscor—in other words, bulkier Pokemon that resist Fighting-type attacks—can help Terrakion to more easily spam Close Combat, by far its most powerful and reliable weapon. Good options for this role include Skarmory, which can switch in on many variants of these Pokemon and force them out while setting its entry hazards, and Mamoswine, which can defeat any of these checks with its STAB moves.
Stealth Rock
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name: Stealth Rock
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Taunt / Earthquake / Swords Dance
item: Life Orb / Focus Sash
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
nature: Jolly
Moves
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Terrakion is a great offensive Stealth Rock user capable of using its sheer offensive presence to force switches and set up its entry hazard. Close Combat and Stone Edge are Terrakion's best STAB moves available, and the coverage and power they offer together are splendid. Taunt prevents slower entry hazard setters such as Deoxys-D and Smeargle from getting up their own entry hazards while Terrakion lays down Stealth Rock. It also helps prevent slower Defog users from removing Stealth Rock. Meanwhile, Earthquake is Terrakion's primary method of dealing with Aegislash, one of its best checks. Swords Dance, on the other hand, gives Terrakion excellent sweeping potential once it completes its job as a Stealth Rock setter.
Set Details
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Life Orb is the primary item option because it gives Terrakion significantly more offensive presence while also giving it a better chance to defeat opposing Rapid Spin and Defog users, and hence keep Stealth Rock up. However, Focus Sash can also be used as it almost guarantees that Terrakion will get Stealth Rock up and/or Taunt slower entry hazard users if used in the lead position. Leftovers also has its merits as it lets Terrakion survive longer to act as a more consistent Stealth Rock setter. Maximum Speed and a Jolly nature let Terrakion outrun as many opposing hazard users as possible, and maximum Attack gives Terrakion a lot of bite as well.
Usage Tips
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Because Stealth Rock is so vital for offensive teams, it is important to get Terrakion in to set up Stealth Rock as early as you can. If the opponent has a likely dedicated lead such as Deoxys-D or Smeargle, you definitely want to lead with Terrakion and use Taunt to prevent them from setting up their own entry hazards. Be careful against faster leads that might be carrying Taunt (such as Deoxys-S and Greninja), as these can prevent Terrakion from performing its most important job—getting up Stealth Rock. If your opponent has a Rapid Spin or Defog user, you should play more conservatively with Terrakion in case it needs to set up Stealth Rock again. If your opponent doesn't have one of these, you don't need Terrakion to check anything, or if a Swords Dance sweep seems unlikely should you be using that, don't be afraid to sacrifice Terrakion to gain momentum.
Team Options
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Terrakion is best used on fast-paced offensive teams that need a reliable offensive Stealth Rock user. That said, you'll want to pair this Terrakion set with powerful offensive teammates such as Greninja, Talonflame and Lucario, which are capable of both making full use of the extra Stealth Rock damage and using their natural offensive presence to prevent the opponent from easily using Rapid Spin or Defog to remove Stealth Rock. A spinblocker such as Gengar or Aegislash can also help prevent Rapid Spin in particular while using Stealth Rock's passive damage themselves with their own offensive abilities.
Choice Scarf
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name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: Stone Edge
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: X-Scissor / Rock Slide
item: Choice Scarf
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
nature: Jolly
Moves
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Choice Scarf Terrakion is a great revenge killer capable of outspeeding nearly everything. Close Combat is Terrakion's most powerful Fighting-type STAB and is a great weapon for checking opposing sweepers and occasionally sweeping late-game. Stone Edge is also a powerful STAB move, and it offers excellent neutral coverage alongside Close Combat while keeping sweepers such as Dragonite, Salamence, and Gyarados in check. Earthquake is Terrakion's only way of checking Aegislash, and it also serves as a great weapon for other offensive Pokemon such as Mega Mawile and Heatran. X-Scissor lets Terrakion check Deoxys-S, Espeon, Alakazam, Latios, Latias, and Starmie, which Terrakion can outrun thanks to the Choice Scarf. As Stone Edge is notorious for its 80% accuracy, Rock Slide can also be used as a slightly more accurate alternative for when you absolutely need to KO an opponent's sweeper and can't afford to miss.
Set Details
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With a Jolly nature and maximum Speed investment, Choice Scarf Terrakion gains the ability to outspeed +2 Adamant Dragonite and everything slower. The Choice Scarf is necessary for Terrakion to check as many offensive Pokemon as possible. While it may seem as though Choice Scarf Terrakion is fast enough to not require a Jolly nature, it is still necessary for outspeeding and checking threats such as +1 Mega Charizard X and Choice Scarf Garchomp.
Usage Tips
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Choice Scarf Terrakion is primarily a check to offensive threats and should be used as such. You should play conservatively with it as long as your opponent has a sweeper that you might need Terrakion to defeat. However, Terrakion does possess the Speed and power to occasionally sweep late-game even without a boosting item, so it can be used as a secondary win condition. In the event that you try to sweep with Terrakion, you'll want to make sure that you eliminate its checks or weaken them to the point where you can sweep with one move (usually Close Combat).
Team Options
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Terrakion needs as much prior damage as possible to ensure that it can KO the Pokemon that it is supposed to keep in check. Stealth Rock in particular is needed to guarantee that Rock Slide will KO Dragon Dance Salamence and Dragonite. In addition, as Choice Scarf Terrakion is not all that powerful, it will often be forced out by some of its bulkier checks. Pokemon that can tackle these checks and take advantage of them are great partners. For instance, Dragon Dance Gyarados with either Substitute or Taunt can set up on defensive Gliscor and Landorus-T sets lacking Stone Edge.
Other Options
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Sacred Sword is a weaker but safer alternative to Close Combat. It also helps against Pokemon that might boost their Defense stats, such as Bulk Up Conkeldurr and Coil Zygarde. Rock Polish boosts Terrakion's Speed to unbelievable levels, and it synergizes especially well with Swords Dance. However, finding setup opportunities can be difficult, and the prevalence of powerful priority attacks makes sweeping even more difficult. Salac Berry can also be used to boost Terrakion's Speed, and Terrakion can use Substitute to activate the Salac Berry while protecting itself from status moves and revenge killers. Poison Jab and Iron Head are Terrakion's best answers to Fairy-types that resist Close Combat, while Zen Headbutt hits Mega Venusaur harder than Terrakion's other moves. Stone Edge generally hits these targets hard enough, though. Work Up can be used as an alternative boosting move because it boosts both of Terrakion's offensive stats and makes it easier to KO Landorus-T and Gliscor with Hidden Power Ice. However, Work Up makes it obvious that Terrakion is running Hidden Power Ice, meaning Landorus-T and Gliscor will be less likely to actually stay in. While it doesn't offer the power boost of Life Orb, Air Balloon can be used on boosting sets to let Terrakion set up against opponents that rely on Ground-type attacks to hit Terrakion, such as Heatran and Hippowdon.
Checks & Counters
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**Aegislash**: Aegislash is a very common and relevant threat, and it happens to take both of Terrakion's STABs with incredible ease due to its typing and natural bulk. Aegislash must be careful about switching into sets that carry Earthquake, but it otherwise switches in easily and can heavily damage Terrakion or outright KO with Sacred Sword, Iron Head, or Flash Cannon.
**Bulky Psychic-types**: Cresselia and Slowbro can use their typing and incredible physical bulk to shut Terrakion down. Each of them can takes hits from even the Choice Band set after Stealth Rock damage and hit back with their STAB Psychic-type attacks.
**Bulky Ground-types**: Bulky Landorus-T, defensive Gliscor, and physically defensive Hippowdon can take two hits from Choice Band Terrakion even after Stealth Rock and threaten back with STAB Earthquake. Bulkier Zygarde sets can take Terrakion's hits and actually set up on them. A few lesser-used Pokemon such as Nidoqueen and Golurk can also beat Terrakion, with Nidoqueen only fearing Earthquake and Golurk shutting Terrakion down completely.
**Bulky Grass-types**: Physically defensive variants of Mega Venusaur, Gourgeist-XL, and Celebi are examples of bulky Grass-types that can escape a 2HKO from Choice Band Terrakion and hit back with their STAB moves, with only Celebi fearing X-Scissor.
**Faster Offensive Pokemon**: There are a lot of common offensive Pokemon that can naturally outspeed Terrakion and KO it with a super effective attack. Examples include Greninja, Thundurus, Alakazam, Latios, and Latias. Likewise, Choice Scarf variants of many slower Pokemon, such as Landorus-T and Rotom-W, can outspeed Terrakion and check it in the same manner.
**Priority**: The prevalence of powerful priority makes it harder for Terrakion to sweep. Moves such as Brave Bird from Talonflame, Aqua Jet from Azumarill, Mach Punch from Breloom and Conkeldurr, and Bullet Punch from Scizor are capable of inflicting severe damage to Terrakion if not outright defeating it.
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