QC 3/3
GP 2/2
[OVERVIEW]
Bronzong's Steel / Psychic typing and Levitate ability grant it nine resistances and two immunities, including a resistance to Stealth Rock and an immunity to Spikes. Moreover, its good 67 / 116 / 116 bulk and access to Stealth Rock make it a good support Pokemon in Ubers. It is a great Stealth Rock setter, as it is able to set it up against many common Defog users, such as Water Arceus and Latias. With key resistances to Flying, Fairy, Dragon, and Rock and immunities to Ground moves and to Toxic, Bronzong is a great check to Xerneas and a counter to Ground Arceus, Mega Diancie, Latios, Latias, Sand Rush Excadrill, Rayquaza, Shaymin-S, Lugia, and Water Arceus. Finally, it is only slightly Taunt bait for a wall, as Gyro Ball allows it to 2HKO most Taunt users such as Mewtwo and Darkrai.
However, Bronzong struggles in a couple of situations and versus a couple of Pokemon. Its typing leaves it vulnerable to common Dark- and Ghost-type moves and threats. It's also setup bait for some Pokemon, such as Refresh Mega Salamence. Moreover, it lacks reliable recovery, which obliges the player who uses it to switch it in way less than they would like to. Finally, it is passive because of its weak offenses and invites many annoying Pokemon, especially Steel-types like Ferrothorn, to switch in on it.
[SET]
name: Special Tank
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Gyro Ball
move 3: Toxic
move 4: Protect / Trick Room / Skill Swap
item: Leftovers
ability: Levitate
nature: Sassy
evs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Bronzong is a great Stealth Rock user, being able to set it up versus numerous Pokemon in the tier, including very common Defog users such as Latias and Water Arceus. Gyro Ball is its most powerful STAB move because of its very low Speed; it is a great way to deal a decent amount of damage to faster Pokemon such as Xerneas. Gyro Ball can also punish Darkrai switch-ins and always OHKOes Mega Diancie. Toxic is used to cripple dangerous switch-ins such as Ho-Oh and Primal Groudon. Toxic can also hit support Arceus formes such as Ghost Arceus and Water Arceus, as well as Latias that come in to Defog. Protect is used to scout, for example against Choice Band Ho-Oh. It also carries added utility in its ability to stall out a poisoned Pokemon and safely recover some HP from Leftovers. Trick Room can also be used to greatly annoy offensive teams with proper team support. Finally, Skill Swap is an option if setting up Stealth Rock against Mega Sableye is a must for Bronzong's team.
Set Details
========
Maximum EVs in HP and Special Defense with a Sassy nature are used to let Bronzong check Xerneas and other special attackers such as Mega Diancie, Latias, Latios, and Shaymin. Leftovers is used for passive recovery. 0 IVs in Speed with a negative nature is a must to ensure optimum power for Gyro Ball. Running 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD with a Brave nature is another option; it ensures that Bronzong always survives any one hit from Xerneas and can OHKO it with Gyro Ball.
Usage Tips
========
Using Bronzong is quite simple. Switch it in against a Pokemon it checks or counters and set up Stealth Rock or Trick Room or spam Toxic if you predict a counter such as Ho-Oh to switch in. If you are facing Xerneas, don't forget that Bronzong lacks recovery so you need it healthy, which means you should limit the number of times Bronzong switches in. Be careful about taking a Will-O-Wisp from a support Arceus forme, such as Rock Arceus or Grass Arceus. In games where Bronzong is needed to check Geomancy Xerneas or repeatedly set Stealth Rock against a team with anti-hazard support, it might be advantageous for your opponent to allow their support Arceus to be inflicted with Toxic in exchange for crippling Bronzong with a burn. If you have cleric support, taking a Will-O-Wisp isn't as big of a deal. If you are using Trick Room against offense, you can set up against Mega Salamence and ExtremeKiller Arceus without Shadow Claw or Shadow Force. Finally, if you are using Skill Swap, Bronzong can catch Mega Sableye on the switch and set up Stealth Rock against it. You can also use Skill Swap in niche situations such as predicting Ho-Oh switching in and taking Regenerator, taking Aerilate from Refresh Mega Salamence, and escaping Mega Gengar by taking away its Shadow Tag on the switch.
Team Options
========
Bronzong should be paired with a solid Ho-Oh check such as Rock Arceus, Water Arceus, or Tyranitar, as well as Pokemon that check Primal Groudon, such as Latias. Using Bronzong gives your Primal Groudon more freedom in its set options. For example, you can now use an offensive Primal Groudon set with Swords Dance to break stall, as Bronzong releases it from its Stealth Rock duties. If you want to use Trick Room Bronzong, you need to pair it with Pokemon that take advantage of this condition, such Swords Dance or Eruption Primal Groudon and Dialga.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=========
An offensive Trick Room set with a spread of 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD, a Brave nature, and a Normal Gem can OHKO Xerneas with Gyro Ball and set up Trick Room reliably. Running Explosion is a must on this set, as it allows you to switch a threat in safely after Bronzong explodes. Earthquake can be used on this set to deal good damage to Primal Groudon, too. Using Hidden Power Ice is an option to deal some damage to Mega Salamence and Rayquaza, but it won't do much coming off of Bronzong's low base 79 Special Attack. A dual screens set is another option, but faster Pokemon are better at this role. Finally, Hypnosis is an option to shut down temporarily some switch-ins, but it has terrible accuracy and sometimes Toxic helps more.
Checks and Counters
==============
**Mega Sableye**: Mega Sableye walls Bronzong completely and forces it out.
**Primal Kyogre**: Primal Kyogre resists Gyro Ball and can always 2HKO back with its strong water STAB moves. Even with Toxic, Bronzong can't touch or annoy Primal Kyogre's defensive RestTalk set.
**Status Absorbers**: Pokemon that resist Steel or are slow and have Rest don't have much trouble with Bronzong. This includes some Refresh Arceus formes.
**Mega Gengar**: Mega Gengar is immune to Toxic, and the standard Perish Trap set always wins against Bronzong.
**Steel-types**: Klefki and Ferrothorn can come in without any risk to set up entry hazards, spam status moves, and do other things to support their team.
**Dark-types**: Darkrai and Yveltal force Bronzong out and Taunt or deal massive damage to it.
**Ghost-types**: Ghost-types such as Ghost Arceus and Mega Gengar can either set up on Bronzong, force it out, or KO it.
**Fire-types**: In particular, Ho-Oh and Primal Groudon resist Gyro Ball and can OHKO Bronzong with Sacred Fire and Fire Punch, respectively.
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