[overview]
**Draft Order**: Round 5 onwards
**Price Range**: 9-10 points
**Overview**: Amoonguss acts as a status-spreading wall, taking advantage of Regenerator, Spore, and Toxic. Its Poison typing grants it some valuable resistances, the ability to absorb Toxic Spikes, and an advantage against many Spore-immune Pokemon. It can also be rather difficult for many Pokemon to 2HKO thanks to its solid mixed defenses. Unfortunately, its suspect attacking stats and movepool leave it with very little offensive pressure and set diversity. It's for this reason that it becomes incredibly hard to fit onto drafts, as it struggles to keep up with the offensive, fast-paced nature of the metagame.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Wall**: Amoonguss nearly always attempts to wall a number of specific Pokemon on the opponent's draft and spread status as it does so. It can easily remain healthy throughout games thanks to Regenerator, Synthesis, and Giga Drain.
**Eject Button Pivot**: Eject Button allows Amoonguss to act as a one-time safe pivot into a teammate. After using its item, it can still function as a regular wall.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Sludge Bomb, Giga Drain, Leaf Storm, Grass Knot, Seed Bomb
**Setup Moves**: Don't be like me and run Growth
**Utility Moves**: Spore, Toxic, Stun Spore, Synthesis, Foul Play, Clear Smog
**Coverage**: Hex, Stomping Tantrum, Pollen Puff
Niche Moves
========
**Worry Seed**: Worry Seed shuts down ability-reliant Pokemon such as Poison Heal Gliscor and Contrary Serperior.
Common Items
========
**Eject Button**: Amoonguss can often take one hit from a foe without fear. Eject Button capitalizes on this by bringing in a more threatening teammate. Regenerator keeps Amoonguss healthy after this interaction, so it can remain a roadblock to foes.
**Heavy-Duty Boots**: Spikes can wear down Amoonguss quickly despite Regenerator unless it has Heavy-Duty Boots.
**Black Sludge**: Black Sludge keeps Amoonguss healthy, making it harder to KO. It tends to be interchangeable with Heavy-Duty Boots, but it can be less consistent against hazard-stacking teams.
**Rocky Helmet**: Rocky Helmet provides extra damage to chip down opposing physical attackers.
Niche Items
========
**Resistance Berries**: Resistance Berries are used to let Amoonguss lure in wallbreakers that would normally be able to net a KO on it, then put them to sleep with Spore.
**Assault Vest**: Amoonguss can more consistently check some special attackers like Primarina and Hydrapple with the help of an Assault Vest. However, this comes at the cost of not letting it use Spore or other status moves.
**Red Card**: Clear Smog and status can stop opposing setup attempts, but some Pokemon are immune. Red Card is a similar option that works on all foes, provided Amoonguss can survive a hit.
Tera
========
Amoonguss should usually not be considered as a Tera Captain due to its lack of offensive presence. However, Tera types like Tera Water, Fairy, and Steel allow it to wall more foes than it would normally be able to. As such, it can be an acceptable secondary Tera Captain if paired with a threatening attacker that uses Tera most games.
Draft Strategy
========
Amoonguss is taken to complement a draft's earlier picks. The following roles can benefit from its support.
**Offense**: Amoonguss's pitiful offensive stats and typing mean that it needs powerful teammates to make progress. It can support Pokemon like Palafin, Tornadus-Therian, and Roaring Moon by taking hits from their checks and potentially wearing them down.
**Blanket Checks**: Other defensively-oriented Pokemon like Rotom-W, Jirachi, and Slowking are better at handling many attackers and cover some of Amoonguss's weaknesses to form a strong defensive core.
**Entry Hazard Setters**: Amoonguss can make use of Stealth Rock and Spikes to damage its checks repeatedly as they switch into it. It also enjoys walling foes that are poisoned by Toxic Spikes, though this prevents the use of Spore on those foes.
Checks and Counters
========
**Safety Goggles**: Safety Goggles can be used to nullify Amoonguss's most dangerous attack. This allows many Pokemon to safely switch in on it and take advantage of its passivity.
**Steel- and Poison-types**: Many Steel- and Poison-types such as Gholdengo, Corviknight, and Galarian Slowking have very little to fear from Amoonguss if they're immune to Spore due to Sleep Clause or another effect.
**Substitute**: Most foes can outspeed Amoonguss and prevent status via Substitute, becoming even more effective due to its weak attacks.
**Strong Wallbreakers**: Wallbreakers like Chi-Yu and Latios have no trouble shredding Amoonguss's defenses thanks to their strong super effective hits. Neutral hits from some wallbreakers like Urshifu-S or Hisuian Samurott can also threaten 2HKOs, especially if Amoonguss is invested in the opposing defensive stat.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/scionicle.599989/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/nyx.564960/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/hacker.387847/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/solarbeam.470115/
**Draft Order**: Round 5 onwards
**Price Range**: 9-10 points
**Overview**: Amoonguss acts as a status-spreading wall, taking advantage of Regenerator, Spore, and Toxic. Its Poison typing grants it some valuable resistances, the ability to absorb Toxic Spikes, and an advantage against many Spore-immune Pokemon. It can also be rather difficult for many Pokemon to 2HKO thanks to its solid mixed defenses. Unfortunately, its suspect attacking stats and movepool leave it with very little offensive pressure and set diversity. It's for this reason that it becomes incredibly hard to fit onto drafts, as it struggles to keep up with the offensive, fast-paced nature of the metagame.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Wall**: Amoonguss nearly always attempts to wall a number of specific Pokemon on the opponent's draft and spread status as it does so. It can easily remain healthy throughout games thanks to Regenerator, Synthesis, and Giga Drain.
**Eject Button Pivot**: Eject Button allows Amoonguss to act as a one-time safe pivot into a teammate. After using its item, it can still function as a regular wall.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Sludge Bomb, Giga Drain, Leaf Storm, Grass Knot, Seed Bomb
**Setup Moves**: Don't be like me and run Growth
**Utility Moves**: Spore, Toxic, Stun Spore, Synthesis, Foul Play, Clear Smog
**Coverage**: Hex, Stomping Tantrum, Pollen Puff
Niche Moves
========
**Worry Seed**: Worry Seed shuts down ability-reliant Pokemon such as Poison Heal Gliscor and Contrary Serperior.
Common Items
========
**Eject Button**: Amoonguss can often take one hit from a foe without fear. Eject Button capitalizes on this by bringing in a more threatening teammate. Regenerator keeps Amoonguss healthy after this interaction, so it can remain a roadblock to foes.
**Heavy-Duty Boots**: Spikes can wear down Amoonguss quickly despite Regenerator unless it has Heavy-Duty Boots.
**Black Sludge**: Black Sludge keeps Amoonguss healthy, making it harder to KO. It tends to be interchangeable with Heavy-Duty Boots, but it can be less consistent against hazard-stacking teams.
**Rocky Helmet**: Rocky Helmet provides extra damage to chip down opposing physical attackers.
Niche Items
========
**Resistance Berries**: Resistance Berries are used to let Amoonguss lure in wallbreakers that would normally be able to net a KO on it, then put them to sleep with Spore.
**Assault Vest**: Amoonguss can more consistently check some special attackers like Primarina and Hydrapple with the help of an Assault Vest. However, this comes at the cost of not letting it use Spore or other status moves.
**Red Card**: Clear Smog and status can stop opposing setup attempts, but some Pokemon are immune. Red Card is a similar option that works on all foes, provided Amoonguss can survive a hit.
Tera
========
Amoonguss should usually not be considered as a Tera Captain due to its lack of offensive presence. However, Tera types like Tera Water, Fairy, and Steel allow it to wall more foes than it would normally be able to. As such, it can be an acceptable secondary Tera Captain if paired with a threatening attacker that uses Tera most games.
Draft Strategy
========
Amoonguss is taken to complement a draft's earlier picks. The following roles can benefit from its support.
**Offense**: Amoonguss's pitiful offensive stats and typing mean that it needs powerful teammates to make progress. It can support Pokemon like Palafin, Tornadus-Therian, and Roaring Moon by taking hits from their checks and potentially wearing them down.
**Blanket Checks**: Other defensively-oriented Pokemon like Rotom-W, Jirachi, and Slowking are better at handling many attackers and cover some of Amoonguss's weaknesses to form a strong defensive core.
**Entry Hazard Setters**: Amoonguss can make use of Stealth Rock and Spikes to damage its checks repeatedly as they switch into it. It also enjoys walling foes that are poisoned by Toxic Spikes, though this prevents the use of Spore on those foes.
Checks and Counters
========
**Safety Goggles**: Safety Goggles can be used to nullify Amoonguss's most dangerous attack. This allows many Pokemon to safely switch in on it and take advantage of its passivity.
**Steel- and Poison-types**: Many Steel- and Poison-types such as Gholdengo, Corviknight, and Galarian Slowking have very little to fear from Amoonguss if they're immune to Spore due to Sleep Clause or another effect.
**Substitute**: Most foes can outspeed Amoonguss and prevent status via Substitute, becoming even more effective due to its weak attacks.
**Strong Wallbreakers**: Wallbreakers like Chi-Yu and Latios have no trouble shredding Amoonguss's defenses thanks to their strong super effective hits. Neutral hits from some wallbreakers like Urshifu-S or Hisuian Samurott can also threaten 2HKOs, especially if Amoonguss is invested in the opposing defensive stat.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/scionicle.599989/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/nyx.564960/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/hacker.387847/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/solarbeam.470115/
Last edited:
