[OVERVIEW]
Kingambit is one of the most dangerous late-game sweepers in the tier thanks to its unique ability Supreme Overlord. A great Attack stat coupled with Swords Dance and STAB Sucker Punch allow it to plow through weakened teams if given just a little leeway, accentuated by its solid natural bulk and ability to set up on prominent Pokemon like Necrozma-DM, assisted further by its item and Tera type. Unfortunately, the plethora of Dark-resistant Pokemon, notably Koraidon, Zacian-C, and Will-O-Wisp Arceus-Fairy, as well as Tera Fairy users like Miraidon and Kyogre hold Kingambit back. It can also be difficult to set up with Kingambit without expending Terastallization or Kingambit's HP, only exacerbated by its lack of recovery. Thus, it can sometimes be forced to stay in the back for much of the game. Kingambit is also relatively weak without any boosts and is thus quite reliant on its teammates being KOed to be of much use. Nevertheless, Kingambit is not a threat to be taken lightly when seeing it at Team Preview, lest it run through many minimally chipped teams.
[SET]
Swords Dance (Kingambit) @ Black Glasses / Air Balloon / Lum Berry
Ability: Supreme Overlord
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Tera Type: Dark / Fire / Flying
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Kowtow Cleave
- Iron Head
- Sucker Punch
[SET COMMENTS]
Despite only having one set, Kingambit's choice of item and Tera type are quite malleable depending on its team. Black Glasses strengthens Kingambit's Dark-type STAB moves and is especially notable in conjunction with Tera Dark, allowing it to OHKO even Tera Fire Calyrex-I at +2 with three Supreme Overlord boosts. Air Balloon's one-time Ground immunity helps Kingambit check and find setup opportunities against Pokemon like Necrozma-DM and Arceus-Ground. Lum Berry allows Kingambit to shrug off a Sacred Fire burn from Ho-Oh, freeing it from the need to run Tera Fire. Tera Dark boosts the power of Kingambit's Dark-type STAB moves more than Black Glasses without taking up the item slot, allowing Kingambit to run a different item and OHKO Ho-Oh from full HP with +2 Sucker Punch after five Supreme Overlord boosts. Tera Fire allows Kingambit to set up on Ho-Oh and Koraidon by giving it a Fire resistance and immunity to burn. It is most common with Air Balloon, as it cancels Fire's weakness to Ground. Tera Flying gives Kingambit a permanent Ground immunity, allowing it to easily set up on Pokemon like Arceus-Ground, Ting-Lu, and Landorus-T that would normally cause it trouble. Maximum HP EVs allow Kingambit to survive many strong hits, including having a 75% chance to survive Miraidon's Electro Drift after Stealth Rock.
Kingambit fits on hyper offense teams as a late-game sweeper and revenge killer for threats like Necrozma-DM, Calyrex-I, and even Scale Shot Koraidon with its Defense dropped. Necrozma-DM itself is a great partner, as it can lure in and weaken Ho-Oh by running Knock Off or Stone Edge or overwhelm it with the power of +2 Photon Geyser outright. Kingambit complements Extreme Killer Arceus quite well; not only are they both individually threatening, but combined, they are able to revenge kill Scale Shot Koraidon after a Defense drop no matter Koraidon's Tera type. Bulk Up Arceus is similarly good for Kingambit, as it can deal with Ho-Oh with Tera Fire and Taunt, clearing a path for Kingambit if it doesn’t win outright. Bulk Up Arceus can also overwhelm Kyogre for Kingambit or vice versa. Entry hazards from Glimmora or Ting-Lu also help Kingambit blow through even Dark-resistant foes with greater ease. Gliscor is also a good teammate, as it can easily annoy common physical walls like Ho-Oh and Arceus-Ground.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
====
Tera Ghost provides Kingambit an immunity to Fighting and Extreme Speed. However, it is outclassed by Tera Flying, as the Ground immunity it provides far outweighs Tera Ghost’s Extreme Speed immunity. Heavy-Duty Boots ensures Kingambit can remain healthy throughout a game despite entry hazards, but Air Balloon also helps with entry hazards while giving Kingambit a Ground immunity, helping it find opportunities to set up. 252 Speed EVs can be used to outspeed defensive Ho-Oh, but the loss of bulk is very noticeable and generally not worth it.
Checks and Counters
====
**Dark-resistant Pokemon and Tera types**: Several Pokemon in Ubers resist Dark or can viably Terastallize into a Dark-resistant Tera type, including Koraidon, Zacian-C, Ting-Lu, Arceus-Fairy, Miraidon, and Arceus-Ground.
**Bulky Arceus formes**: Arceus-Fairy, Arceus-Ground, and Arceus-Water can threaten Will-O-Wisp on Kingambit. While they must tread carefully around Tera Fire or Lum Berry, they have the bulk to survive +2 Sucker Punch even with five Supreme Overlord boosts, and Arceus-Ground and Arceus-Water can threaten super effective Judgments if Kingambit Terastallizes into a Fire-type.
**Ho-Oh*: Despite being susceptible to Tera Fire or Lum Berry, Ho-Oh outspeeds Kingambit, can take even boosted Sucker Punches, and threatens Kingambit with Sacred Fire or Whirlwind.
**Landorus-T**: Landorus-T's good physical bulk bolstered with Intimidate allows it to switch into Kingambit, and it can stop Kingambit from setting up with Taunt and rack up chip damage with Rocky Helmet. However, it does not have reliable recovery, so it must be wary of getting worn down.
**Corviknight**: Although Corviknight is rare, Corviknight can take boosted Kowtow Cleaves from Kingambit even with five Supreme Overlord boosts and retaliate with the combination of Iron Defense and Body Press.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/oreospeedruns.597293/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/lasen.273339/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/katerina.306317/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/tbolt.555379/
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