Sun Offense in XY LC
| « Previous Article | Home | Next Article » |
Introduction
In the fifth generation, the metagame was an eternal clash between sand and hail, as Hippopotas struggled to set up sand so Drilbur could sweep, while Snover attempted to stop it. Vulpix, initially rendered relevant thanks to its Dream World ability Drought, was a top contender only briefly before it was banned. With the coming of the sixth generation, however, weather suffered massively; auto-weather is no longer permanent, only lasting 5 turns, or 8 with a weather rock. Thanks to this change, Vulpix was unbanned. This didn't stop Vulpix from making a very large impact for the first few months, however, because Tangela, a top abuser of sun through Chlorophyll, had also been unbanned, and 7 turns was just enough for Tangela to wreak absolute havoc on everything under the sun. It wasn't long before Tangela was deemed far too powerful for the metagame, though, and it was soon banned for the third generation in a row. This left Vulpix and sun teams in general to fall into obscurity, in part due to the fact that the abusers LC was left with were far less impressive than Tangela.
However, recently, sun teams have once again started seeing significant usage. This began with the banning of Murkrow, whose mere presence drastically reduced the effectiveness of sun. The bird was able to hit the entire tier hard with Brave Bird, which certainly included Vulpix and Grass-types, while being immune to Sleep Powder, courtesy of Insomnia, and decimating Chlorophyll abusers with ridiculously powerful Sucker Punches. To a lesser degree, Misdreavus's ban further benefited sun teams because Misdreavus was one of the few offensive Pokémon able to survive attacks from powerful Chlorophyll abusers. Despite Fletchling having grown in popularity with the banning of Murkrow, its innately low stats mean it is much easier to deal with than Murkrow; thus, with a bit of support, sun abusers are once again able to shine. Between powerful Fire-type attackers taking advantage of boosted STAB attacks to turn into offensive juggernauts and Chlorophyll abusers using the sun to double their Speed so they can fire off high Base Power attacks with impunity, sun teams are certainly able to hold their own.
Common Pokémon on Sun Teams
Sun Setters
Of course, to take advantage of the sun, it needs to be set up first. For this reason, Vulpix is almost always necessary on sun teams.
Vulpix
The heart and soul of the sun archetype, Vulpix finds itself all but mandatory on any competent LC sun team. This is due to its ability, Drought, which allows it to automatically set up the sun; this is an enormous boon over manually setting up the sun because it doesn't require a turn to set up the sun. Other sun setters are stopped cold by Taunt or simply being KOed before they can set up the sun, but Vulpix faces no such issues, because as long as it is healthy enough to get into play at least once, the sun can still rise. In addition, Vulpix is entirely able to take advantage of the sun itself, using it to fire off powerful boosted STAB attacks.
Generally, if Vulpix is used on a dedicated sun team, Heat Rock is the item of choice because 5 turns tends to be far too short for its teammates to abuse the sun effectively.
Others
Sometimes, Vulpix's frailty and susceptibility to entry hazards renders it unable to last as long as the team's sun abusers, so backup sun setters are often appreciated. Most sun abusers have access to Sunny Day themselves, so it will usually suffice to stick Sunny Day onto one of them. Alternatively, dedicated backup sun setters could also be used, although this is rarely necessary. Prankster Sunny Day users such as Cottonee, Purrloin, and Riolu are able to set the sun up without worrying about most Taunt users thanks to priority on Sunny Day; Purrloin or Cottonee can then use U-turn or Memento, respectively, to get a sun abuser in safely. Eject Button could also be used on any of the three Pokémon to guarantee the safe entrance of a sun abuser, although this means the sun setter is unable to hold Heat Rock.
Fire-type Attackers
One of the most effective ways to abuse sun is through powerful Fire-type attackers. The sun powers up their STAB moves tremendously, allowing them to smash through anything that doesn't resist their attacks. This often comes at a heavy price, however; Fire-types are weak to Stealth Rock, and by stacking other Fire-types on top of Vulpix, weaknesses to dangerous Rock- and Ground-type attacks are amplified.
Ponyta
As the premier Fire-type in LC, Ponyta is able to take excellent advantage of favorable weather. Due to its high base Speed and Attack, it turns into a veritable offensive juggernaut under the sun, firing off boosted Flare Blitzes that can cleanly OHKO Drilbur. Furthermore, Ponyta is usually used as a defensive Pokémon, and although on a sun team Ponyta should usually be running a more offensive set because the sun is on a turn limit, it is still able to take advantage of the sun, healing a huge portion of its HP with Morning Sun, helping to deal with the heavy recoil it might suffer from utilizing Flare Blitz. In addition, Ponyta is fast enough to act as an effective secondary sun setter, and has the moveslots to afford running it with a set of Flare Blitz / Morning Sun / Wild Charge / Sunny Day. It also has Flash Fire to stave off opposing Fire-type Pokémon looking to take advantage of the sun themselves.
Larvesta
Although Larvesta generally lacks the Speed to pull off a clean sweep, it is still an excellent sun abuser in its own right; Larvesta's biggest advantage over Ponyta is U-turn, allowing it to heavily damage switch-ins with the most powerful U-turn in LC while maintaining momentum. Because Larvesta has access to Sunny Day, U-turn makes it an especially effective backup sun setter; if Larvesta is slower than the opposing Pokémon, it is able to utilize U-turn to get a frail sweeper such as Bellsprout in much more safely. Other than that, Larvesta plays quite similarly to a slower Ponyta by taking advantage of the sun itself, utilizing boosted Flare Blitzes and Morning Suns to tank through the opposing team.
Darumaka
When it comes to sheer crushing power, Darumaka simply does not have a match. Its ability Hustle boosts its already enormous Attack stat to absolutely ridiculous levels; with the sun to boost its STAB attacks, almost nothing can withstand Darumaka's Flare Blitz. Even physically defensive Slowpoke, one of the bulkiest physical walls in LC, fears the 2HKO from Flare Blitz under the sun after a layer of hazards by the standard Choice Scarf Darumaka. If a Choice Band is donned instead, physically defensive Chinchou has a good chance of being cleanly OHKOed after Stealth Rock and a layer of Spikes, although this is more a demonstration of Darumaka's power than anything, because Choice Scarf almost always suffices in the category of power. However, such immense damage output comes at a heavy price; Darumaka's frailty, weakness to Stealth Rock, and Flare Blitz recoil all result in a very short lifespan for Darumaka. Unlike Larvesta or Ponyta, Darumaka lacks Morning Sun to maintain its HP. Even its ability, Hustle, which is what grants Darumaka so much raw power in the first place, isn't for free, reducing its accuracy by 20%. This isn't to say Darumaka isn't viable, of course; if you're willing to overlook its disadvantages, Darumaka's wallbreaking prowess can't be beat.
Others
There are several other Fire-types that enjoy the sun, although they aren't quite as prominent. Houndour has additional utility with a STAB priority move in Sucker Punch and a strong trapping move in Pursuit in addition to a boosted Fire Blast. Even though Ponyta tends to be the go-to fast Fire-type, Magby differentiates itself from Ponyta slightly by being able to boost its Attack stat with Belly Drum. Growlithe is also mostly overshadowed by Ponyta, but it has more defensive utility thanks to Intimidate. Charmander acts as something similar to a special version of Darumaka, blasting off ridiculously powerful Solar Power-boosted attacks under the sun at the cost of some health.
Chlorophyll Users
When one thinks of sun abusers in LC, Chlorophyll sweepers are almost always among the first things that come to mind, and for good reason. Many Chlorophyll sweepers suffer as offensive Pokémon due to their low Speed and lack of powerful coverage moves; however, sun support remedies both of these issues by instantly doubling their Speed and boosting the power of any Fire-type moves they might use, most notably Weather Ball and Hidden Power Fire, as well as allowing them to viably utilize the powerful Solar Beam as their primary STAB move.
Bellsprout
Undoubtedly the most dangerous of Chlorophyll abusers, Bellsprout is the epitome of a sun sweeper. Reaching an amazing 26 Speed under sun, Bellsprout outspeeds everything other than Choice Scarf users that reside at 18 Speed or higher, while Speed tying with boosted Modest Omanyte and Timid Clamperl. In addition to its blazing Speed, Bellsprout finds a niche among other Chlorophyll abusers in a move unique to itself: Weather Ball. Whereas other Chlorophyll abusers have to settle for a watered-down version of this move in HP Fire, Bellsprout has a 100 Base Power pseudo-STAB move at its disposal, guaranteeing the KO on the likes of Pawniard and Magnemite, the two most common Steel-types in the tier. However, with this advantage comes a downside. Weather Ball, like Solar Beam, is dependent upon sun, so Bellsprout, if something happens to Vulpix early in the match, can easily become dead weight, only being able to Sleep Powder and Sludge Bomb certain threats. Despite these small drawbacks, Bellsprout often finds itself to be the premier Chlorophyll abuser on sun teams.
Bulbasaur and Oddish
Although they often find themselves outshined by Bellsprout because one cannot use Weather Ball with Chlorophyll and the other lacks Weather Ball entirely, Bulbasaur and Oddish are still very potent sun sweepers. One advantage both Pokémon have over Bellsprout is greater bulk, allowing them to get into play more easily; Bulbasaur is also slightly faster than Bellsprout. However, Bulbasaur lacks Bellsprout's Attack stat, preventing it from viably going mixed; Oddish is in a similar position despite its slightly greater Special Attack and physical bulk over the other two because it is even slower than Bellsprout and lacks Growth. As such, both usually find themselves used as backup Chlorophyll sweepers for Bellsprout, either weakening opposing walls so Bellsprout can sweep or cleaning up after Bellsprout has done its job.
Others
There are a few other less commonly seen Chlorophyll abusers as well; Deerling is able to utilize physical attacks such as Jump Kick, Horn Leech, and Return quite effectively, whereas Exeggcute has an enormous amount of physical bulk, enough to even survive Fletchling's Acrobatics if Eviolite is held. However, other than that, most Chlorophyll sweepers tend to lack the stats to differentiate themselves from Bellsprout, Bulbsaur, and Oddish.
Rapid Spin and Defog Users
One of the most noticeable issues with sun teams is how weak to Stealth Rock they tend to be due to the stacking of Fire-types; as such, a method to remove entry hazards is almost mandatory. Archen immediately comes to mind as a prime candidate to do so; in addition to utilizing Defog, it checks Fletchling and opposing Fire-types, two threats that greatly trouble a variety of Pokémon commonly found on sun teams. Having checks to Fletchling is especially important for sun teams because Fletchling is often the single greatest impediment to a sweep from Chlorophyll users, and is also able to force Vulpix and Darumaka out for fear of its STAB Acrobatics to take even more hazard damage. Archen itself isn't a dead weight, either, even outside of dealing with important threats, because it packs excellent offensive presence if Defeatist is not activated. Drilbur and Staryu don't have quite as much type synergy with common sun abusers, but they are able to use Rapid Spin instead, which won't remove advantageous hazards; however, Staryu will not appreciate its STAB move's power being cut in half by the sun. If a more defensive Pokémon is needed, Vullaby is able to support the team with Defog and Knock Off.
How To Beat Sun Offense
At this point, sun may seem almost unbeatable with so many dangerous abusers; luckily, Stealth Rock is one of the most common moves in the game, and there are methods to maintain it against Rapid Spinners and Defoggers through spinblockers and Defiant users. There are also several Pokémon that can give sun teams quite a headache.
Stealth Rock
As previously mentioned, Stealth Rock is arguably the single greatest factor holding sun teams back; if the opponent manages to keep the hazard on the field, Vulpix and other Fire-type abusers will be stripped of a quarter of their health (or even more in Larvesta's case) just trying to switch in. Not only does this make it significantly more difficult to get these Pokémon into play and much easier to KO them, but many Fire-types, especially the physical ones, rely on recoil moves to deal damage, and Stealth Rock greatly limits their lifespan. In addition, if Vulpix is KOed by hazards trying to switch in, Drought will not activate.
Fletchling
There are also several Pokémon that single-handedly hold back sun teams; of these, the most common is without a doubt Fletchling. Despite its unassuming stats, Fletchling has carved a name for itself as one of the most potent offensive threats in LC due to its ability, Gale Wings, which grants +1 priority to all Flying-type moves used by Fletchling. A STAB Acrobatics is more than enough to KO Chlorophyll sweepers, forcing them out and thus ending their sweep and wasting precious sun turns; it also OHKOes Larvesta, Heat Rock Vulpix, and sometimes Darumaka after Stealth Rock. Although Fletchling can be difficult to get into play against powerful sun abusers, it is a huge nuisance once it does manage to switch in.
Hippopotas
Despite being weak to Grass-type moves, Eviolite Hippopotas is actually one of the best checks to Chlorophyll sweepers available because it is able to replace the sun with sandstorm; this forces Solar Beam, the move most Chlorophyll sweepers rely on as their Grass-type STAB move, to go through a charge turn and only deal half damage, allowing Hippopotas to easily get in and recover off the damage with Slack Off. Hippopotas also naturally resists Sludge Bomb, and sandstorm changes Weather Ball into a Rock-type move, which Hippopotas resists as well, meaning Eviolite Hippopotas can withstand just about every move commonly carried on Chlorophyll sweepers except for Sleep Powder. Sand Stream cancelling sun also results in weaker Fire-type moves, allowing Hippopotas to effectively check most Fire-type sun abusers as well, although Darumaka and Life Orb and Choice Specs variants of Vulpix are still able to 2HKO it under sand.
Vullaby
Both of the aforementioned anti-sun Pokémon will not want to be hit by Sleep Powder, a move that most Chlorophyll sweepers carry; this often forces them to allow a teammate to absorb the sleep move to activate Sleep Clause. Vullaby faces no such issue thanks to its ability, Overcoat, which grants it an immunity to powder moves, including Sleep Powder. In addition, Vullaby's typing resists Grass-type STAB moves, and its naturally high special bulk allows it to, in conjunction with Eviolite, withstand the coverage moves of most Chlorophyll sweepers as well. Once in play, Vullaby can proceed to threaten the Chlorophyll sweepers with its STAB Flying-type attacks or try to stall out the sun with Roost.
Munchlax
Munchlax is one of the few Pokémon in LC that can viably act as an all-purpose wall for almost all special attackers due to its humongous HP and Special Defense stats; its bulk is such that it can even avoid the 3HKO from Modest Eviolite Bellsprout's Solar Beam with an Eviolite set. In addition, Eviolite Munchlax often carries a combination of Rest and Sleep Talk, meaning Sleep Powder isn't as detrimental as it could be; this allows Munchlax to totally wall any Chlorophyll sweepers that don't carry Growth. Chlorophyll sweepers aren't the only sun abusers that find Munchlax problematic, however; Munchlax's ability, Thick Fat, halves the damage taken from Fire- (and Ice-)type attacks, meaning it can wall the vast majority of Fire-type attackers too, although Darumaka is still able to attain the 2HKO through its sheer power. From there, Munchlax can take advantage of its high base Attack to threaten these sun abusers back with Body Slam, Return, or Earthquake.
Ponyta, Growlithe, and Houndour
The two most common types of attacks utilized by sun teams are Fire- and Grass-type attacks, both of which are resisted by Dragon- and Fire-types. Dragon-types are rare and often frowned upon in LC, but Fire-types still possess significant niches outside of sun teams, so they see quite a bit of use. The more defensive Fire-types can thus be quite bothersome, most notably Eviolite Ponyta, as well as the less seen Eviolite Houndour and Growlithe. These Fire-types are able to put a stop to sun teams the same way they function so well with sun support; they can withstand resisted attacks and stall out the sun with Morning Sun, or they can utilize boosted Fire-type attacks to smash through Chlorophyll sweepers in particular.
Chespin
For the most part, Grass-types that are not Chlorophyll sweepers abhor sun teams because they do not enjoy having to take boosted Fire-type attacks; Chespin, for the most part, is not excluded from this rule, having a great deal of trouble dealing with Fire-type sun abusers and Hidden Power Fire from most Chlorophyll attackers. However, Chespin is able to completely wall Bellsprout thanks to its ability, Bulletproof; this grants Chespin an immunity to both Weather Ball and Sludge Bomb, while Chespin is naturally resistant to Solar Beam and immune to Sleep Powder. This allows Chespin to use Bellsprout as setup bait for Spikes or Bulk Up.
Conclusion
Between Fire-type attackers and Chlorophyll sweepers, sun is easily one of the most offensively threatening archetypes available in Little Cup and should be prepared for accordingly. Sun is especially effective because it is often unprepared for due to its scarcity; however, this is by no means an indication of the viability of sun, because even fairly solid teams can struggle to withstand the sheer power sun abusers carry. Although sun is by no means perfect, and a fair amount of support is required to utilize sun abusers to their full potential, the end result of a well-built sun team is a team that can hold its own against just about anything.
| « Previous Article | Home | Next Article » |