V-create's comically high-Base Power augmented by Victini's good stats across the board, ability to pivot, and access to Bolt Strike to hit Water-type switch-ins make Victini the single most potent physical attacker in the metagame. Moreover, with a wide special attacking movepool, Victini also has the capability to run mixed and even fully special attacking sets, letting it pick and choose its counters at will and lending it a dangerous air of unpredictability. Access to Trick further complicates matters, as a wrong prediction will often lead to one of Victini's already limited counterplay options being crippled for the rest of the match. Victini also boasts useful resistances to Fighting-, Grass-, and Steel-type attacks, allowing it to come in freely from full on a myriad of common threats such as Bronzong and Roserade. Despite this, Victini's greatest strengths can prove to be quite double-edged. V-create's stat drops can be quite lethal if it is used too recklessly, leaving Victini vulnerable to being revenge killed by threats it would normally outpace with ease such as Nidoqueen and Choice Scarf Heracross. Victini's middling Speed means that it can often be revenge killed by faster attackers such as Tornadus, Raikou, Mienshao, and Choice Scarf Flygon depending on its choice of set. Victini's weaknesses to common Ground-, Water-, and Rock-type attacks can be problematic for getting it in. Additionally, its weakness to Dark-type attacks leaves it vulnerable to being Pursuit trapped by the likes of Snorlax and Weavile. Lastly, Victini's weakness to entry hazards limits its longevity and opportunities to switch in, leaving it reliant on spinners like Blastoise and the rare Hitmontop.
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: V-create
move 2: Bolt Strike
move 3: U-turn
move 4: Trick / Zen Headbutt
Item: Choice Band
ability: Victory Star
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
V-create is Victini's strongest attack, OHKOing most neutral targets like defensive Nidoqueen and Zapdos. Bolt Strike provides solid neutral coverage alongside V-create, hitting Water-types such as Blastoise and Slowbro for massive amounts of damage. U-turn takes advantage of Victini's limited counterplay and the amount of switches it forces, helping to get teammates like Raikou and Kingdra in while also chipping down V-create switch-ins like Snorlax and Rhyperior. Trick cripples walls such as Slowbro and Gligar, but Zen Headbutt is a safe midground option in most situations thanks to its solid neutral coverage.
Set Details
========
Choice Band maximizes Victini's damage dealing capability and potentially allows it to cripple an unsuspecting wall if running Trick. An Adamant nature is a possibility to push Victini's wallbreaking powers to the limit, but it misses out on outspeeding foes like Roserade and Speed tying with Timid Zapdos.
Team Options
========
Pivots such as Choice Scarf Mienshao, Gligar, and Volt Switch Zapdos make excellent partners, as they can reliably get Victini in to throw off a strong attack to chip down defensive staples such as Rhyperior. Setup sweepers such as Cofagrigus, Virizion, and Calm Mind Raikou also can take advantage of the offensive pressure induced by Victini on Snorlax or Hitmontop and its U-turn support. Blastoise and Hitmontop also deserve special mention, as they can remove entry hazards for Victini, allowing for more opportunities to wallbreak. Entry hazard setters like Rhyperior, Bronzong, and Spikes Roserade can aid Victini in breaking through sturdier walls such as Druddigon and Slowbro. Switch-ins for Ground- and Water-type attacks like Slowking, Tangrowth, and Zapdos are also great teammates, especially after Victini has used V-create.
[SET]
name: All-out Attacker
move 1: V-create / Blue Flare
move 2: Grass Knot
move 3: U-turn / Thunder
move 4: Psychic / Focus Blast / Thunder
item: Expert Belt / Charcoal
ability: Victory Star
nature: Naive / Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
V-create is ludicrously strong, being able to take out most neutral targets in one or two hits. However, Blue Flare is a slightly weaker STAB option with the benefits of hitting physical walls such as Druddigon and Qwilfish harder, no stat drops, and a nifty burn chance. Grass Knot covers most Fire-resistant foes, such as Rock- and Water-types in Rhyperior and Blastoise. U-turn takes advantage of the threat of Victini to get teammates like Rotom-C in freely. Psychic is Victini's best neutral move for foes that resist V-create like Druddigon and Kingdra. Thunder decimates more sturdy Water-types such as Milotic, Slowbro, and Suicune, but it suffers from poor accuracy and can be redundant with Grass Knot. Focus Blast is also an option to hit Snorlax and Scrafty harder but also suffers from accuracy issues in addition to having a very limited set of targets.
Set Details
========
Expert Belt synergizes well with Victini's coverage, crucially securing an OHKO on Rhyperior after Stealth Rock and guaranteeing a 2HKO on Blastoise after Stealth Rock with Grass Knot. However, Charcoal can be used to slightly boost the power of Victini's Fire-type attack while maintaining the ability to bluff a Choice Band set if using V-create. A Naive nature should be used if using V-create.
Team Options
========
Entry hazard support from the likes of Roserade, Druddigon, and Nidoqueen is absolutely necessary to fully use Victini's ability to blow past common defensive checks such as Slowbro and Rotom-H with its coverage. The likes of Sharpedo, Virizion, and Durant also all appreciate this set's ability to massively dent physical walls like Nidoqueen, Hitmontop, and Swampert. Blastoise can remove entry hazards, giving Victini more opportunities to wallbreak while also comfortably switching into most Water-type attacks from Suicune, opposing Blastoise, and Swampert. Gligar is also a good partner, as it can make up for Victini's deficiencies as a Fighting-resistant Pokemon while also serving as a switch-in to common Ground- and Rock-type attacks from the likes of Flygon, Rhyperior, and Choice Scarf Heracross. Tornadus deserves a special mention, as Bulk Up variants can clean up after Victini creates holes in the opposition, and Life Orb sets can even set Tailwind to help offset V-create's Speed drop.
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: V-create
move 2: Bolt Strike
move 3: U-turn
move 4: Trick / Flare Blitz
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Victory Star
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
V-create's extreme power aids Victini in revenge killing dangerous offensive threats such as Raikou and Meloetta. Bolt Strike is Victini's best move to hit Water-types like Blastoise, Slowbro, and Kingdra in addition to Flying-types such as Togekiss. Additionally, Bolt Strike's high-Base Power makes it a great neutral coverage option in situations where using V-create would be disadvantageous. U-turn maintains momentum, taking full advantage of forced switches into walls like Rhyperior and Snorlax due to the threat of V-create. Trick hamstrings common switch-ins such as Rhyperior and Blastoise while also potentially gaining Victini a more useful item. Flare Blitz can be used instead as a stat drop-free Fire-type move, though.
Set Details
========
Choice Scarf allows Victini to outspeed the entire unboosted metagame and also slower Choice Scarf users such as Heracross and Rotom-C, allowing it to effectively check threats like Virizion and offensive Zapdos.
Team Options
========
Choice Scarf Victini's ability to clean late-game and revenge kill the vast majority of the metagame means that entry hazard removal from Blastoise or Hitmontop is imperative to pair with it. Wallbreakers such as Choice Specs Raikou and Choice Band Heracross appreciate Victini's ability to pivot them in on passive defensive threats and can open holes for a late-game sweep. Sweepers like Mismagius and Swords Dance Virizion similarly appreciate Victini getting them in for a safe chance to set up and impairing threats like Snorlax with Trick.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Choice Specs can be used for more upfront power with no recoil on fully specially offensive sets, but its reliability can be quite suspect, as it is entirely reliant on your ability to predict effectively. Life Orb is an option on the mixed set to fully maximize power, but Victini is already susceptible to residual damage as is, and it also is a strict disadvantage if predictions are missed. Will-O-Wisp effectively cripples counterplay options such as Snorlax, Rhyperior, and non-Refresh Blastoise, but the move's low accuracy can make it risky. Sleep Talk can be used on either Choice item set to absorb sleep but only offers the mildest of situational use. Final Gambit on Choice Scarf sets with maximum HP and Speed investment can be used to functionally almost guarantee a revenge kill or trade, but it jeopardizes Victini's offensive capabilities otherwise. Glaciate can be used on the mixed set to OHKO Flygon outright and have a high chance to do so to Gligar after Stealth Rock, but it doesn’t have much utility outside of that.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Snorlax**: Snorlax is the tier’s most reliable Victini answer, able to take most hits with ease from full thanks to its high defensive stats in conjunction with Thick Fat and potentially Pursuit trap it. Snorlax, however, lacks reliable recovery and can be taken advantage of with
Focus Blast, U-turn, or even Trick if it’s not running Choice Band.
**Rhyperior**: Rhyperior is capable of stomaching several V-creates and is completely immune to Bolt Strike; however, it struggles with Trick and Grass Knot.
**Water-types**: The likes of Blastoise, Qwilfish, and Slowbro can all take on Victini's Fire-type attacks, yet they must still watch out for Trick and Victini's coverage options. Furthermore, they are also susceptible to being turned into momentum drains, giving Victini's teammates favorable positions either through a double switch or U-turn.
**Dragon-types**: Druddigon, Kingdra, and Flygon can all take on physical variants of Victini to varying degrees but are still vulnerable to being worn down over time or outright taken out by variants running special attacks.
**Faster Attackers**: Choice Scarf Mienshao and Choice Scarf Raikou can reliably offensively check all Victini variants. Victini's Speed tier also renders it vulnerable to a plethora of attackers such as Weavile and Mismagius if it has used V-create or is not running Choice Scarf.
**Residual Damage**: Victini's lack of reliable recovery and weakness to entry hazards give it limited chances to switch in if Stealth Rock or Spikes go up early.
**Pursuit Trappers**: Pursuit trapping from the likes of Weavile, Houndoom, and Choice Scarf Krookodile can potentially remove Victini from the game entirely, especially if it has used V-create.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[faded love, 241308]]
- Quality checked by: [[SBPC, 468904], [Finchinator, 114198]]
- Grammar checked by: [[dex, 277988], [Rabia, 336073/]]
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: V-create
move 2: Bolt Strike
move 3: U-turn
move 4: Trick / Zen Headbutt
Item: Choice Band
ability: Victory Star
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
V-create is Victini's strongest attack, OHKOing most neutral targets like defensive Nidoqueen and Zapdos. Bolt Strike provides solid neutral coverage alongside V-create, hitting Water-types such as Blastoise and Slowbro for massive amounts of damage. U-turn takes advantage of Victini's limited counterplay and the amount of switches it forces, helping to get teammates like Raikou and Kingdra in while also chipping down V-create switch-ins like Snorlax and Rhyperior. Trick cripples walls such as Slowbro and Gligar, but Zen Headbutt is a safe midground option in most situations thanks to its solid neutral coverage.
Set Details
========
Choice Band maximizes Victini's damage dealing capability and potentially allows it to cripple an unsuspecting wall if running Trick. An Adamant nature is a possibility to push Victini's wallbreaking powers to the limit, but it misses out on outspeeding foes like Roserade and Speed tying with Timid Zapdos.
Team Options
========
Pivots such as Choice Scarf Mienshao, Gligar, and Volt Switch Zapdos make excellent partners, as they can reliably get Victini in to throw off a strong attack to chip down defensive staples such as Rhyperior. Setup sweepers such as Cofagrigus, Virizion, and Calm Mind Raikou also can take advantage of the offensive pressure induced by Victini on Snorlax or Hitmontop and its U-turn support. Blastoise and Hitmontop also deserve special mention, as they can remove entry hazards for Victini, allowing for more opportunities to wallbreak. Entry hazard setters like Rhyperior, Bronzong, and Spikes Roserade can aid Victini in breaking through sturdier walls such as Druddigon and Slowbro. Switch-ins for Ground- and Water-type attacks like Slowking, Tangrowth, and Zapdos are also great teammates, especially after Victini has used V-create.
[SET]
name: All-out Attacker
move 1: V-create / Blue Flare
move 2: Grass Knot
move 3: U-turn / Thunder
move 4: Psychic / Focus Blast / Thunder
item: Expert Belt / Charcoal
ability: Victory Star
nature: Naive / Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
V-create is ludicrously strong, being able to take out most neutral targets in one or two hits. However, Blue Flare is a slightly weaker STAB option with the benefits of hitting physical walls such as Druddigon and Qwilfish harder, no stat drops, and a nifty burn chance. Grass Knot covers most Fire-resistant foes, such as Rock- and Water-types in Rhyperior and Blastoise. U-turn takes advantage of the threat of Victini to get teammates like Rotom-C in freely. Psychic is Victini's best neutral move for foes that resist V-create like Druddigon and Kingdra. Thunder decimates more sturdy Water-types such as Milotic, Slowbro, and Suicune, but it suffers from poor accuracy and can be redundant with Grass Knot. Focus Blast is also an option to hit Snorlax and Scrafty harder but also suffers from accuracy issues in addition to having a very limited set of targets.
Set Details
========
Expert Belt synergizes well with Victini's coverage, crucially securing an OHKO on Rhyperior after Stealth Rock and guaranteeing a 2HKO on Blastoise after Stealth Rock with Grass Knot. However, Charcoal can be used to slightly boost the power of Victini's Fire-type attack while maintaining the ability to bluff a Choice Band set if using V-create. A Naive nature should be used if using V-create.
Team Options
========
Entry hazard support from the likes of Roserade, Druddigon, and Nidoqueen is absolutely necessary to fully use Victini's ability to blow past common defensive checks such as Slowbro and Rotom-H with its coverage. The likes of Sharpedo, Virizion, and Durant also all appreciate this set's ability to massively dent physical walls like Nidoqueen, Hitmontop, and Swampert. Blastoise can remove entry hazards, giving Victini more opportunities to wallbreak while also comfortably switching into most Water-type attacks from Suicune, opposing Blastoise, and Swampert. Gligar is also a good partner, as it can make up for Victini's deficiencies as a Fighting-resistant Pokemon while also serving as a switch-in to common Ground- and Rock-type attacks from the likes of Flygon, Rhyperior, and Choice Scarf Heracross. Tornadus deserves a special mention, as Bulk Up variants can clean up after Victini creates holes in the opposition, and Life Orb sets can even set Tailwind to help offset V-create's Speed drop.
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: V-create
move 2: Bolt Strike
move 3: U-turn
move 4: Trick / Flare Blitz
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Victory Star
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
V-create's extreme power aids Victini in revenge killing dangerous offensive threats such as Raikou and Meloetta. Bolt Strike is Victini's best move to hit Water-types like Blastoise, Slowbro, and Kingdra in addition to Flying-types such as Togekiss. Additionally, Bolt Strike's high-Base Power makes it a great neutral coverage option in situations where using V-create would be disadvantageous. U-turn maintains momentum, taking full advantage of forced switches into walls like Rhyperior and Snorlax due to the threat of V-create. Trick hamstrings common switch-ins such as Rhyperior and Blastoise while also potentially gaining Victini a more useful item. Flare Blitz can be used instead as a stat drop-free Fire-type move, though.
Set Details
========
Choice Scarf allows Victini to outspeed the entire unboosted metagame and also slower Choice Scarf users such as Heracross and Rotom-C, allowing it to effectively check threats like Virizion and offensive Zapdos.
Team Options
========
Choice Scarf Victini's ability to clean late-game and revenge kill the vast majority of the metagame means that entry hazard removal from Blastoise or Hitmontop is imperative to pair with it. Wallbreakers such as Choice Specs Raikou and Choice Band Heracross appreciate Victini's ability to pivot them in on passive defensive threats and can open holes for a late-game sweep. Sweepers like Mismagius and Swords Dance Virizion similarly appreciate Victini getting them in for a safe chance to set up and impairing threats like Snorlax with Trick.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Choice Specs can be used for more upfront power with no recoil on fully specially offensive sets, but its reliability can be quite suspect, as it is entirely reliant on your ability to predict effectively. Life Orb is an option on the mixed set to fully maximize power, but Victini is already susceptible to residual damage as is, and it also is a strict disadvantage if predictions are missed. Will-O-Wisp effectively cripples counterplay options such as Snorlax, Rhyperior, and non-Refresh Blastoise, but the move's low accuracy can make it risky. Sleep Talk can be used on either Choice item set to absorb sleep but only offers the mildest of situational use. Final Gambit on Choice Scarf sets with maximum HP and Speed investment can be used to functionally almost guarantee a revenge kill or trade, but it jeopardizes Victini's offensive capabilities otherwise. Glaciate can be used on the mixed set to OHKO Flygon outright and have a high chance to do so to Gligar after Stealth Rock, but it doesn’t have much utility outside of that.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Snorlax**: Snorlax is the tier’s most reliable Victini answer, able to take most hits with ease from full thanks to its high defensive stats in conjunction with Thick Fat and potentially Pursuit trap it. Snorlax, however, lacks reliable recovery and can be taken advantage of with
Focus Blast, U-turn, or even Trick if it’s not running Choice Band.
**Rhyperior**: Rhyperior is capable of stomaching several V-creates and is completely immune to Bolt Strike; however, it struggles with Trick and Grass Knot.
**Water-types**: The likes of Blastoise, Qwilfish, and Slowbro can all take on Victini's Fire-type attacks, yet they must still watch out for Trick and Victini's coverage options. Furthermore, they are also susceptible to being turned into momentum drains, giving Victini's teammates favorable positions either through a double switch or U-turn.
**Dragon-types**: Druddigon, Kingdra, and Flygon can all take on physical variants of Victini to varying degrees but are still vulnerable to being worn down over time or outright taken out by variants running special attacks.
**Faster Attackers**: Choice Scarf Mienshao and Choice Scarf Raikou can reliably offensively check all Victini variants. Victini's Speed tier also renders it vulnerable to a plethora of attackers such as Weavile and Mismagius if it has used V-create or is not running Choice Scarf.
**Residual Damage**: Victini's lack of reliable recovery and weakness to entry hazards give it limited chances to switch in if Stealth Rock or Spikes go up early.
**Pursuit Trappers**: Pursuit trapping from the likes of Weavile, Houndoom, and Choice Scarf Krookodile can potentially remove Victini from the game entirely, especially if it has used V-create.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[faded love, 241308]]
- Quality checked by: [[SBPC, 468904], [Finchinator, 114198]]
- Grammar checked by: [[dex, 277988], [Rabia, 336073/]]
Last edited:
