QC: Carbonific / Jio
GP: P Squared
[OVERVIEW]
* Kartana's base 109 Speed allows it to outpace threats such as Terrakion and Hydreigon.
* Its decent defensive typing and good physical bulk allow it to switch into some strong physical attacks from the likes of Landorus-T and Mega Kangaskhan, but note that Kartana has trouble switching into attacks from Mega Metagross.
* Beast Boost allows Kartana to snowball from KOs .
* Unfortunately, Kartana's base 31 Special Defense is terrible. Kartana is OHKOed by any neutral special attack and, in some cases, by resisted attacks as well. It is also checked by faster special attackers such as Tapu Koko and Gengar; Gengar's Shadow Ball easily OHKOes Kartana, as does Life Orb Tapu Koko's Thunderbolt under Electric Terrain .
* Kartana's moves don't have very high Base Power, balancing out its tremendous Attack stat and making it susceptible to Intimidate.
* Kartana faces competition from Mega Metagross as an all-out attacker, from Tapu Bulu as an offensive Grass-type, and from Zapdos as a Tailwind setter and check to opposing Water-types.
[SET]
name: Physical Attacker
move 1: Leaf Blade
move 2: Sacred Sword / Smart Strike
move 3: Tailwind / Smart Strike
move 4: Detect
item: Focus Sash / Flyinium Z / Grassium Z
ability: Beast Boost
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
* Leaf Blade is Kartana's strongest move and can hit Water- and Ground-types for heavy damage. After Z-Tailwind, this attack is guaranteed to be a critical hit.
* Sacred Sword is Kartana's coverage move, hitting Steel-types, which resist all Kartana's STAB moves, very hard.
* Tailwind is pretty good option that doubles your team's Speed for three turns. It's most useful to help middling-Speed teammates outpace faster threats.
* Smart Strike can hit Fairy-types such as Tapu Lele and Mega Gardevoir.
* Detect protects Kartana from double targets and scouts for Fire-type moves such as Celesteela's Flamethrower. If Kartana is double targeted, Detect will help Kartana stay alive and give its teammates a free turn.
* Knock Off is also a decent option because it provides some utility and good coverage, which allows Kartana to hit Mega Metagross and Cresselia for super effective damage.
* Focus Sash prevents Kartana from being KOed by a single powerful special attack and allows Kartana to revenge kill. It also increases the chance of Tailwind setup. Flyinium Z is used with Tailwind to raise the critical hit ratio and provide speed control for your team. Grassium Z is necessary for 175-Base Power STAB Bloom Doom, which can OHKO Tapu Koko and Gengar on a predicted switch or under Tailwind.
* Maximum EV investment into Attack allows Kartana to hit as hard as possible. Maximum Speed investment with a Jolly nature allows it to outspeed most of the metagame and Speed tie with Alolan Ninetales. 4 EVs in HP give Kartana 1 more HP. An alternative EV spread in 212 Atk / 100 SpD / 196 Spe with a Jolly nature is useful if outspeeding Terrakion is unneeded. It survives Timid Tapu Koko's Life Orb-boosted Thunderbolt and outspeeds Thundurus-T.
* Kartana is a nice late-game cleaner because it easily KOes weakened Pokemon and gets a +1 Attack boost, letting it KO the remaining foes more easily. Before using Kartana, you must try to eliminate Fire-types. Pairing it with Water- and Rock-type Pokemon helps with this.
* If you run Tailwind, you can use Kartana as a lead to provide speed control in the early-game.
* It's a good idea to bring in Kartana through slow Volt Switch or U-turn from the likes of Rotom-W and Pelipper.
* Water-type Pokemon such as Tapu Fini, Pelipper, Politoed, Gyarados, and Milotic are strong options to support Kartana, as they can take down Fire-type Pokemon. The Pokemon mentioned here all provide additional utility. Tapu Fini's Misty Terrain blocks status, allowing Kartana to switch into a Scald and not fear getting burned if it has to. Pelipper and Politoed provide rain support to further dissuade the use of Fire-type Pokemon. Keep in mind, however, that Pelipper also commonly holds Focus Sash, creating a conflict with this Kartana set due to Item Clause. Gyarados provides the generally useful Intimidate support, while Milotic deters the use of opposing Intimidate. Tapu Fini, Gyarados, and Pelipper also all resist Fighting, covering Kartana's only other weakness. In return, Kartana can remove the especially troublesome Gastrodon for many of these Water-type Pokemon with Leaf Blade.
* Rock-types such as Tyranitar also provide additional coverage against Fire-type Pokemon, while Kartana takes care of Water- and Ground-type Pokemon for them.
* Fire-types such as Mega Charizard Y and Incineroar are decent teammates. They check Steel-types such as Aegislash, which Kartana can't touch, while Kartana threatens Rock- and Ground-types such as Tyranitar in return.
Last edited: