Assault Vest (and its Impact in the Metagame)

[Lasagne]

in addition to what fagtron said, the only coverage it really needs is water move/giga drain/ice beam, so it has a free slot for rain dance in singles. in doubles, fake out is pretty much a must, so thats every moveslot taken up, and assault vest becomes a legitimate option. dont have much experience with avest in nu it probably sucks on most stuff though, just saying why ludi uses vest in dubs but probably shouldnt be used in nu

 

[Brawlfest]

Bouffalant @ Assault Vest
Ability: Sap Sipper
EVs: 252 Atk / 248 HP / 8 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Return / Head Charge
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Pursuit / Superpower / Megahorn

AFROBULL BITCH. Oh my god seriously though have been testing this set for the past two days, and honestly it is fucking awesome. The perfect glue for most Balance teams, it forces Mismagius out so hard and pursuits the hell out of it, and it decimates most special attackers. It also is a hard check to Lilligant, who literally cannot touch this set, and decimates non-Focus Blast variants of Sceptile. The key difference between Bouffalant and other AV users is amazing offensive presence [110 Base Attack], necessary moves to offer perfect coverage and utility, great mixed bulk [95 / 95 / 95], and just plain awesome Typing + Ability, making it near invincible. The moves chosen maximize efficiency. Return is the preferred option, as unlike most other Bouffalants, the last thing you want is recoil. However, Head Charge's recoil is pretty minimal, so use it if you would like to! EdgeQuake gives you perfect neutral coverage against the rest of the tier. The last spot is primarily filler. Pursuit is the preferred move, trapping ghosts such as Mismagius and Haunter which you force out cold. Superpower hits Rock and Steels harder than EQ would, and Megahorn beasts grass types you check anyways. Just a awesome poke.

 

[Bazi]

Bouffalant @ Assault Vest
Ability: Sap Sipper
EVs: 252 Atk / 248 HP / 8 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Return / Head Charge
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Pursuit / Superpower / Megahorn

AFROBULL BITCH. Oh my god seriously though have been testing this set for the past two days, and honestly it is fucking awesome. The perfect glue for most Balance teams, it forces Mismagius out so hard and pursuits the hell out of it, and it decimates most special attackers. It also is a hard check to Lilligant, who literally cannot touch this set, and decimates non-Focus Blast variants of Sceptile. The key difference between Bouffalant and other AV users is amazing offensive presence [110 Base Attack], necessary moves to offer perfect coverage and utility, great mixed bulk [95 / 95 / 95], and just plain awesome Typing + Ability, making it near invincible. The moves chosen maximize efficiency. Return is the preferred option, as unlike most other Bouffalants, the last thing you want is recoil. However, Head Charge's recoil is pretty minimal, so use it if you would like to! EdgeQuake gives you perfect neutral coverage against the rest of the tier. The last spot is primarily filler. Pursuit is the preferred move, trapping ghosts such as Mismagius and Haunter which you force out cold. Superpower hits Rock and Steels harder than EQ would, and Megahorn beasts grass types you check anyways. Just a awesome poke.

I remember I once tried this set back when NU beta just started as a check to Venomoth. I have to say I found it really underwhelming. Although base 110 attack is no where near terrible, it just isn't enough to trouble most defensive Pokémon without a boosting item. One of Bouffalant's main niches is that it can set up on and break through a lot of common walls due to it's bulky substitutes. AV means you can no longer use substitute or swords dance and now just get statused or slowly worn down by said walls. Even though it is possible to get an attack raise via sap sipper, this method is not very reliable. To be honest it doesn't need AV to hard check Lilligant and most grass types in general and while Boufalant is a decent pursuit user I'd rather use something more suited for the job like Liepard or Spiritomb.

While I'm here I might as well post about my thoughts on Assault vests in NU in general. So basically every time I used one I found myself wanting to use a another item or just a different mon. I'll start with Hariyama because it's probably the most common AV user. I pretty sure the main reason people use this set is to check special fire types. Okay so after you've taken around 35% from Typhlosion's Eruption all they have to do is send it something that can take your hits like Vileplume, Qwilfish, or Musharna ,who have nothing to worry about due to the fact that you have no way to boost your attack. Then next time Typholsion comes in it 2HKOs you, thanks to the fact you have no way to heal yourself. All the while you are offering zero team support, at least if your using RestTalk (which is probably isn't the best set either) you can phaze, spread paralysis and absorb sleep. So to sum up imo Hariyama is better off running a guts toxic orb set so it can actually do damage and if you need a check to fire types use something like Lanturn or Seismitoad, who can support the team instead of just loosing momentum and accomplishing nothing.

I might post about why I think other AV users are bad later but I need to do other things right now. I don't know if there's something I'm missing but I just don't see any reason to use Assault Vests in NU.

 

[Yellow Cheese]

AV Granbull is very interesting. It gets access to Intimidate; that, in combination with its great HP, gives it excellent Physical bulk. AV patches up its subpar Physical bulk, letting it be a very formidable user of AV.

Granbull @ Assault Vest
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Play Rough
- Earthquake
- Ice Fang / Close Combat
- Fire Fang / Close Combat

Enjoy!

Just saying, but Granbull does get the elemental punches from gen V tutoring.

But Bouffalant is a cool AV user I guess

Bouffalant @ Assault Vest
Ability: Reckless / Sap sipper
EVs: 252 Atk / 96 HP / 160 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Head Charge
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Wild Charge / Superpower / Megahorn / Poison Jab / Iron head

160 speed EVs for outspeeding Seismitoad with 4 speed EVs. Head Charge is super stronk when boosted by reckless/Sap sipper. EdgeQuake provides perfect neutral coverage alongside Head Charge. The final move is mostly fodder, and is to be used for spesific coverage. Wild charge hits Togetic, Poliwrath and defensive Omastar, Superpower for other Normal types, Megahorn for musharna and Uxie. Poison Jab/Iron Head hits Granbull.

Edit: BRAWLFEST YOU CUNT I USED LONG TIME TYPING THIS BECAUSE OF INTERWEBS AND THEN I DONT SEE YOURS FUUUUUCK

 

[Brawlfest]

Just saying, but Granbull does get the elemental punches from gen V tutoring.

But Bouffalant is a cool AV user I guess

Bouffalant @ Assault Vest
Ability: Reckless / Sap sipper
EVs: 252 Atk / 96 HP / 160 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Head Charge
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Wild Charge / Superpower / Megahorn / Poison Jab / Iron head

160 speed EVs for outspeeding Seismitoad with 4 speed EVs. Head Charge is super stronk when boosted by reckless/Sap sipper. EdgeQuake provides perfect neutral coverage alongside Head Charge. The final move is mostly fodder, and is to be used for spesific coverage. Wild charge hits Togetic, Poliwrath and defensive Omastar, Superpower for other Normal types, Megahorn for musharna and Uxie. Poison Jab/Iron Head hits Granbull.

Edit: BRAWLFEST YOU CUNT I USED LONG TIME TYPING THIS BECAUSE OF INTERWEBS AND THEN I DONT SEE YOURS FUUUUUCK

I wouldn't use Wild Charge or Poison Jab or Iron Head though because you don't gain significant coverage. Seismitoad really doesn't need to be outsped, and Head Charge just wears you down sadly :[

 

[RABLChris]

Nobody's mentioned my absolute favorite AV user? Blasphemy!
AV Kecleon is actually surprisingly good due to its new HA, Protean along with its movepool.
Protean is a fantastic offensive ability yes, but with priority it becomes a nasty defensive ability.
This, coupled with Kecleons base 120 Special defense will let it sponge special hits for days even without recovery.

Moveset:
Kecleon @ Assault Vest
Ability: Protean
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Power-Up Punch
- Shadow Sneak
- Sucker Punch
- Fake Out / Facade / Return

Switch in Kecleon on a special attacker or something that can't touch it and get a free PUP +1
With your 2 forms of priority and correct predictions, you have the immunities that Spiritomb does maybe even an extra one if Fake Out is chosen
Have you ever taken a +1 Sucker punch from a Mightyena? Imagine that but bulkier. That's the kind of power you could have.
Return is the option for optimum power but I use Facade as status is a big stop to Kecleon, especially burn.

Some calcs just for fun:
252 SpA Typhlosion Eruption (150 BP) vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Assault Vest Kecleon: 124-147 (38.2 - 45.3%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252+ SpA Accelgor Focus Blast vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Assault Vest Kecleon: 136-162 (41.9 - 50%) -- 0.4% chance to 2HKO
+1 252+ SpA Vivillon Hurricane vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Assault Vest Kecleon: 132-156 (40.7 - 48.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 SpA Chatot Boomburst vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Assault Vest Kecleon: 103-123 (31.7 - 37.9%) -- 92.6% chance to 3HKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Dragalge Draco Meteor vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Assault Vest Kecleon: 163-193 (50.3 - 59.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+2 252+ SpA Gorebyss Surf vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Assault Vest Kecleon: 168-198 (51.8 - 61.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Expert Belt Magmortar Focus Blast vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Assault Vest Kecleon: 192-228 (59.2 - 70.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Pyroar Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Assault Vest Kecleon: 135-160 (41.6 - 49.3%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

I think that proves my point :3

EDIT: Here's a replay that shows why kecleon is amazing against typhlosions as well as just being a god in general: http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/nubeta-138087636

 

[Yellow Cheese]

I wouldn't use Wild Charge or Poison Jab or Iron Head though because you don't gain significant coverage. Seismitoad really doesn't need to be outsped, and Head Charge just wears you down sadly :[

Head charge is pretty nice with Reckless, so is Wild charge. (Sap sipper has to me been pretty unreliable, so I've been running reckless instead). And the damage output is impressive. On a sap sipper set I can see why you would use return, but:

252+ Atk Reckless Bouffalant Head Charge vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Seismitoad: 199-235 (48 - 56.7%) -- 89.5% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Bouffalant Return vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Seismitoad: 141-166 (34 - 40%) -- 93.8% chance to 3HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery

252+ Atk Reckless Bouffalant Head Charge vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Vileplume: 184-217 (51.9 - 61.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Black Sludge recovery
252+ Atk Bouffalant Return vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Vileplume: 130-154 (36.7 - 43.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Stealth Rock and Black Sludge recovery

252+ Atk Reckless Bouffalant Wild Charge vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Togetic: 124-146 (39.4 - 46.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252+ Atk Bouffalant Stone Edge vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Togetic: 114-136 (36.3 - 43.3%) -- 94.5% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock

On a sap sipper set I can see why you would use return, but damage is damage

>implying that my set is better because it takes on some of the top physical walls in the tier better than yours

Outspeeding Seismitoad is nice because if not it can switch in and force you out. Wearing yourself down kinda sucks, but with Balanced teams it should not be a problem to add a wishpasser like Audino. If you wish to discuss this more we can take it over PM or some sheet I guess :]

 

[Lass Geneviéve]

Assault Vest is one of my favorite items introduced in Generation 6. This item seemed really odd at first glance, but once you know how to use it, it's amazing. People that use Assault Vest often have an EV spread like: 252 HP, 252 SDef, 4 (S)Atk. In fact, I used it like that in the beginning. Not much later I found out that I lost all of the Attacking power from that specific Pokémon and decided to change the item back. And that moment I thought this item was worthless. But it turned out to be a user problem.

Here is a set that I have based a team around and that I really enjoy using. I present to you, Assault Vest Golurk.

Golurk @ Assault Vest
Ability: Iron Fist
EVs: 252 Atk / 212 HP / 44 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Drain Punch
- Earthquake
- Shadow Punch
- Ice Punch


This is a Ghost / Ground type pokémon that is introduced in Generation 5. This means it has a few weaknesses. Those weaknesses are Dark, Ghost, Grass, Ice and Water. Most of these types are quite common in the tier. But that doesn't take away from his respectable bulk. This pokémon has a base 89 HP stat and both Defense and Special Defense are at a solid base 80. This is not amazing, but it's definitely not bad. For NU standard this is quite high.

The first move on this set is going to be Drain Punch. Drain Punch is a base 75 power Fighting type move. This move is one of the three moves that get boosted by the ability. The ability Iron Fist will boost Punch-based moves by 1.2× the power. Drain Punch is base 75 power neutrally but after the Iron Fist boost this move becomes base 90 power. After using the move Drain Punch, the user gains 50% health back of the damage that was dealt. This is very usefull to give Golurk some recovery, without having to use Wish to keep Golurk's HP up. The second move is going to be Earthquake. This is a base 100 power Ground type move without any added side effects. Because this is a Ground type move Golurk will gain STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus) on this. STAB will add 1.5× the power of a move if the user is partially the type of the move used. In this case Earthquake becomes 150 base power after the STAB boost. This will help Golurk get rid of the Poison types that wouldn't mind switching in on a Drain Punch. The third move is Shadow Punch. Shadow punch is a base 60 power Ghost type move, which means it is base 90 power after the STAB bonus. And it's base 108 after the Iron Fist ability boost. This move will not check Accuracy. This move will always hit your opponent that are on the field. Unless they are using Fly, Dive or Dig which is even more rare than finding a Feebas in Pokémon Emerald. This will allow Golurk to hit the rare Bronzor that might appear in the tier for Super Effective damage. For the people wondering why I chose with Shadow Punch over Phantom Force, knowing Phantom Force would be still stronger. This is because Shadow Force is a two turn move. This means your oppoent can switch into their Normal type or Physically Defensive wall, knowing they have 1 more turn before the move strikes. The last move on this set is going to be Ice Punch. Ice Punch is a base 75 power Ice Type move, that has a 10% chance to Freeze the opponent. Also this move gets boosted by the Iron Fist Ability, making it base 90 power. This allows Golurk to hit the Flying types and the Grass types for slightly more damage than the other moves on this set would.

The EV's might look odd at first glance, but they are there for a reason. We put 252 EV's in Golurk's Attack. Meaning his Attack stat is fully maxed out with an Adamant Nature. An Adamant Nature will boost the Attack by 10% while lowering the Special Attack for 10%. Because we are not using any Special Attacks we don't need the power on the Special side. Next I put 212 in HP. This will allow Golurk to take some moves on the Special side with the Assault Vest item. The remaining 44 EV's are put into Speed. This will make sure Golurk outspeed uninvested Base 60's by 1 point.

This set is definitly not something to take lightly. With his respectible bulk this pokémon can take many hits. And revenge them with his high Attack stat and decent movepool. I hope I convinced you to try this out. Thanks for reading! :)

 

[chimpact]

I think assault vest is a poor item in NU because of all the defensive mons in the tier. If you're up against a defensive team and you're using an assault vest mon to check typhlosion/dragalge etc, that pokemon will essentially be doing nothing unless it's using a move with a secondary effect to get a status condition on an opposing pokemon or knock off cause that move is broken. The pokemon in NU just dont hit as hard to justify not being able to run non attacking moves.

Obviously there are some good AV mons that you can use in this tier but with fat cores like lick/gourg out there, i wouldn't want to be using AV mons that are essentially dead weight.

 

[Brawlfest]

I think assault vest is a poor item in NU because of all the defensive mons in the tier. If you're up against a defensive team and you're using an assault vest mon to check typhlosion/dragalge etc, that pokemon will essentially be doing nothing unless it's using a move with a secondary effect to get a status condition on an opposing pokemon or knock off cause that move is broken. The pokemon in NU just dont hit as hard to justify not being able to run non attacking moves.

Obviously there are some good AV mons that you can use in this tier but with fat cores like lick/gourg out there, i wouldn't want to be using AV mons that are essentially dead weight.

Lick is actually a really great AV mon ironically. Regardless, Defensive teams in NU are kinda crippled in the switch from gen5 to 6 because of the introduction of far better stallbreakers such as Xatu, Mismagius, etc; more prevalant methods of hazard removal meaning that residual damage is no longer 100% reliable; as well as Knock Off's new prevalence, meaning that Eviolite pokemon now must be constantly aware of what they are switching into. For these reasons, offensive teams are a lot more prevalant in XY NU atm, warranting usage for Assault Vest pokemon. This said, I do agree that they are a lot less effective in NU than in other tiers.

 

[termi]

Lick is actually a really great AV mon ironically.

Excuse you? Are you calling a mon with access to Wish and Heal Bell and the defenses to abuse it a good AV mon?

 

[Aladyyn]

Sometimes you just have to channel your inner BT and believe in AV everything. Because everything is AV.

 

[Brawlfest]

Excuse you? Are you calling a mon with access to Wish and Heal Bell and the defenses to abuse it a good AV mon?

Licki does way more than Wish Heal Bell.

Firstly, SubSD Licki is one of the most powerful bulky wallbreakers that has ever graced the meta, and is pure awesome. AV and CB Licki are both very cute. Atm, defensive Licki really cannot find a great fit into the fast paced meta, but remember that Licki has really balanced stats and also the strongest Boom in NU.

 

[Durant]

Licki does way more than Wish Heal Bell.

Firstly, SubSD Licki is one of the most powerful bulky wallbreakers that has ever graced the meta, and is pure awesome. AV and CB Licki are both very cute. Atm, defensive Licki really cannot find a great fit into the fast paced meta, but remember that Licki has really balanced stats and also the strongest Boom in NU.

Too bad he can't use Substitute and Swords Dance with a damn Assault Vest. Assault Vest Lickylicky also doesn't have the power of Choice Band which means it's just gonna be a sitting duck with a big tongue. Seriously Assault Vest hinders Lickylicky more than anything.

 

[termi]

Sometimes you just have to channel your inner BT and believe in AV everything. Because everything is AV.

 

[ryan]

No, but seriously, the only viable Assault Vest users are Muk and Throh/Hariyama. Everything else is mediocre at best.

 

[termi]

No, but seriously, the only viable Assault Vest users are Muk and Throh/Hariyama. Everything else is mediocre at best.

I think you forgot AV Qwilfish

me irl

(BAN ME PLEASE) edit: wow that's accurate^ not liberal tho fuck that bullshit smh

 

[Lass Geneviéve]

I still don't understand why people are hating on the item Assault Vest. This is one of my favorite items to use, because this can ruin your special sweeper in a way.

Why do you guys look for in an Assault Vest user? I usually look for high HP, reasonable defenses and a wide move pool. Recovery is not really a must, but it'd be a plus to have.

So, what makes your Assault Vest user good?

 

[psVoltage]

I think since before XY NU even had a thread in Other Metagames, Assault Vest Regirock was solid in RU, and now it's in NU... It'll do some work.

Assault Vest Regirock.
It's pretty amazing.

Personally I think that the mons that use assault vest to become a mixed tank of sorts (like regirock) really need a recovery move, I.E Conkeldurr with Drain Punch. They are really prone to getting worn down via numerous switches.

EDIT-Yeah NVM I realize that regirock gets Drain Punch, slipped my mind at the time. But for others its the same.

 

[noknuckles]

I still don't understand why people are hating on the item Assault Vest. This is one of my favorite items to use, because this can ruin your special sweeper in a way.

Why do you guys look for in an Assault Vest user? I usually look for high HP, reasonable defenses and a wide move pool. Recovery is not really a must, but it'd be a plus to have.

So, what makes your Assault Vest user good?

Respectable bulk, respectable attack, and the ability to run 4 attacking moves. I think the whole "losing support moves" is overstated. What matters is how good it is with 4 attacks. Tangrowth loses Leech Seed and Sleep Powder which AV sets do miss (maybe Leech Seed is not that important with Regenerator and Giga Drain but Sleep Powder is a very important move to lose), yet it still works as an AV user. Why? Because it has a wide move pool and it can run a good 4 attack move set, even if it misses the support Sleep Powder provides.

Tyranitar is another one that greatly misses support moves. It likes to run things like Stealth Rock or Dragon Dance. Yet it works as an AV user because of its great move pool and stats allowing it to run 4 attack sets. Noone complains about the opportunity cost of running AV Tyranitar. It's there, it certainly is, yet people are able to appreciate AV Ttar for what it is. It's not a SR setter nor is it a sweeper. It's a mixed tank that comes in on a variety of attacks and kicks ass. A lot of people are harsh on AV, but I think when looking for AV users, you have to look at it from another angle. You have to judge how good that mon is as a special tank. The role of a support SpDef pokemon is completely different from that of an AV tank.

Perhaps we've been spoiled by Conkeldurr as that is THE PERFECT AV user.

When judging an AV user, I like to judge it compared to other special tanks. So in the case of Vileplume, I would compare it with other AV users and tanks and see how it fares in that role. People compare AV Vileplume with defensive Vileplume, when I think even something like AV Bouffalant is a closer comparison in terms of role on the team.

The point about losing recovery is fair. The point of AV users is to improve survivability, but in some cases losing Synthesis may actually decrease survivability. If I were to judge Vileplume as an AV user, I would probably compare AV Vileplume with a Synthesis 3 attack Vileplume (with the same EVs probably) as those two perform a more similar role than the more supportive defensive versions.

 

[Gr3gory]

I am preety sure this is viable.

Torterra @ Assault Vest
Ability: Shell Armor
EVs: 252 Ark / 196 SDef / 60 HP
Careful Nature
- Wood Hammer / Seed Bomb
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
-Bullet Seed / Crunch / Outrage / Superpower

Torterra it's what many AV pokes need. He has good HP, a respectable Attack, and Decent Defenses. He can also run at least 4 viable attacks. AV helps because a large portion of SE attacks are special. I used this before, and it can wreck. I hope you like it.

 

[Yellow Cheese]

I am preety sure this is viable.

Torterra @ Assault Vest
Ability: Shell Armor
EVs: 252 Ark / 196 SDef / 60 HP
Careful Nature
- Wood Hammer / Seed Bomb
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
-Bullet Seed / Crunch / Outrage / Superpower

Torterra it's what many AV pokes need. He has good HP, a respectable Attack, and Decent Defenses. He can also run at least 4 viable attacks. AV helps because a large portion of SE attacks are special. I used this before, and it can wreck. I hope you like it.

What are the HP and Sdef EVs meant to handle? And why would you ever run Crunch or Outrage on torterra? Outrage only hits Altaria slighty harder than Stone edge, Dragalge gets rekt by EQ, STAB Wood hammer hits Ghosts and psychics just has hard as crunch etc.

 

[Gr3gory]

Yellow Cheese, Those EVs are for helping the assault vest. And Stone Edge is for coverage

 

[Yellow Cheese]

Yellow Cheese, Those EVs are for helping the assault vest. And Stone Edge is for coverage

It seems like you misunderstood my question. I never said Stone edge was bad, I said Crunch and Outrage were bad. they bring no usefull coverage against S/A/B ranked pokes at all. Stone edge should always be used on Torterra.

''Helping the assault vest'' with what? Which OKs/2HKOs does that spread stop? aside from +1 Slurpuff and LO Evire I did not find anything impressive

EDIT: Evire usually runs ice punch, so GG

 

[noknuckles]

He's asking why those specific EVs as opposed to say 252 SpDef. From what I can tell, 252 SpDef maximizes Special bulk. If you want some mixed bulk you might go with something like 252 HP 4 SpDef. People looking at that spread may be curious as to why you chose 196/60. It looks like a very specific number so someone looking at that may think there's some sort of specific reason

Yellow Cheese wants to know why that spread in particular. Note that "I dunno, it just feels right" is completely valid as an answer. In that case, it might be good to append your post with something like "bulk EVs are flexible, set them to your liking. 196/60 works for me so far in testing, but I'm unsure of the optimal spread."