[OVERVIEW]
The combination of Regenerator, decent physical bulk, and useful support moves such as Wish, Knock Off, and Heal Bell makes Audino a decent niche option on balance teams. It checks the prominent Calyrex-S as well as physical Yveltal, and it also enables dangerous setup sweepers such as Swords Dance Groudon and Dragon Dance Zekrom. However, its lack of useful resistances and general passivity leave Audino threatened by staples of the tier such as Kyogre, Marshadow, Zygarde-C, and Zekrom. Also, despite its good matchup against Calyrex-S, Audino can easily be crippled by Trick or beaten by Focus Sash variants if it has to switch in on them, and thus it requires additional teammates to handle Calyrex-S.
[SET]
name: Support
move 1: Wish
move 2: Protect
move 3: Heal Bell
move 4: Knock Off
item: Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Regenerator
nature: Impish
evs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Wish is a great option to keep both Audino and its teammates healthy. Protect is a classic option alongside Wish, and it also allows Audino to scout Choice item foes such as Choice Band Marshadow and Choice Specs Kyogre. Heal Bell lets Audino cure status. Knock Off cripples common threats such as Yveltal, Calyrex-S, Ho-Oh, and Lunala, removing precious items such as Heavy-Duty Boots, and Audino will always 2HKO Calyrex-S with Knock Off. Heavy-Duty Boots maximizes Regenerator's net recovery and makes Audino a better pivot.
The extreme passivity of Audino must be addressed by its teammates; powerful wallbreakers such as Swords Dance Groudon, Zekrom, and Choice Specs Kyogre are all good options that love both cleric and Wish support that Audino provides. The former two also act as great offensive checks to Taunt Yveltal, which Audino struggles against. Yveltal and Marshadow also pair well with Audino, as they form an extremely effective core against Calyrex-S, while Audino provides Wish and cleric support. Necrozma-DM can set Stealth Rock and appreciates Audino's ability to both check Calyrex-S and cripple common switch-in such as Yveltal, Ho-Oh, and Lunala with Knock Off, leaving them susceptible to Stealth Rock.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
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Status moves such as Thunder Wave and Toxic can be used over Heal Bell or Protect to cripple threats like Yveltal, Zekrom, Kyogre, and Eternatus on the switch, but Heal Bell is usually far more valuable and not having Protect to use Wish safely can lead to dangerous scenarios against wallbreakers like Choice Specs Kyogre and offensive Eternatus.
Checks and Counters
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**Eternatus**: Thanks to its high Special Attack, great bulk, and excellent ability in Pressure, Eternatus put immense pressure on Audino. In particular, Sludge Bomb Eternatus can forces Audino to spam Heal Bell, taking advantage of its low PP amount. On top of that, Eternatus usually doesn't care much about losing its item.
**Special Wallbreakers**: Special attackers such as Kyogre, the aforementioned Eternatus, and specially offensive Yveltal threaten Audino with their STAB moves. While Yveltal does not appreciate being hit by Knock Off, Calm Mind Kyogre and Cosmic Power Eternatus can use Audino as setup fodder.
**Substitute Users**: Substitute users such as Zygarde-C, Kyogre, and Xerneas can use Audino as setup fodder.
**Fighting-types**: Fighting-types such as Pheromosa, Marshadow, Buzzwole, and Zamazenta-C threaten Audino thanks to their STAB moves. While Choice Band Marshadow and Pheromosa do not like being hit by Knock Off, the latter three can still use Audino as setup fodder with Bulk Up and Howl.
**Setup Sweepers**: Audino cannot threaten most setup sweepers at all, which include Dragon Dance Zekrom, Swords Dance Groudon, and Dragon Dance Necrozma-DM.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Eledyr, 415367]]
- Quality checked by: [[Lasen, 273339], [Fc, 511624]]
- Grammar checked by: [[DC, 449990]]
Last edited: