romanji
/ᐠ - ˕ -マ
[SET]
name: Physical Sweeper
move 1: Flip Turn
move 2: Crunch
move 3: Psychic Fangs
move 4: Protect
item: Life Orb
ability: Speed Boost
nature: Adamant
evs: 196 Atk / 36 SpD / 236 Spe
ivs: 9 HP
[SET COMMENTS]
Carvanha is a good wallbreaker and late-game cleaner thanks to its high Attack, Speed Boost, and almost unresisted STAB combination, outspeeding many fast Pokemon like Abra, Diglett, and Choice Scarf Porygon after a Speed boost. Flip Turn lets Carvanha pivot out against Pokemon it can't OHKO like Mienfoo, Pawniard, and Porygon while still wearing its foes down. Crunch hits a majority of the metagame for at least neutral damage. Psychic Fangs is important coverage against Mienfoo and Poison-types like Foongus and Koffing, allowing Carvanha to OHKO them after Knock Off or prior chip damage. Protect guarantees a Speed Boost activation and blocks Fake Out and First Impression from Pokemon like Mienfoo and Trapinch, respectively. 9 HP IVs give Carvanha 1 HP recoil from Life Orb and 36 Special Defense EVs make Porygon's Download boost its Attack rather than its Special Attack.
Carvanha's frailty means that it benefits greatly from teammates that switch into its checks well. Koffing is a fantastic partner, as it switches very well into Mienfoo's and Grookey's attacks, and its Neutralizing Gas negates Mienfoo's Regenerator, helping Carvanha wear it down. Larvesta is also a great switch-in to both, punishing them with Flame Body, and can pivot Carvanha in safely with a slow U-turn. It also helps against Ferroseed and Pawniard. Trapinch traps and revenge kills non-Protect Grookey with First Impression, and it can take out Pawniard or a weakened Ferroseed with Superpower. Natu checks Ferroseed, Foongus, and Mareanie, forcing them out and pivoting Carvanha in safely. Knock Off support from Mienfoo, Ferroseed, and Pawniard can remove Eviolite from Mienfoo and Poison-types to let Carvanha OHKO those threats. Entry hazard support from Dwebble and Ferroseed wears down Pokemon that can usually take a hit from Carvanha, like Mienfoo, Foongus, and Ferroseed, with the latter also checking Porygon.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Liquidation is stronger than Flip Turn for hyper offense teams, where Carvanha doesn't need to pivot as much. Waterfall can be used over Liquidation for the chance to flinch. Aqua Jet picks off weakened threats without needing a Speed boost. Destiny Bond over Protect lets Carvanha eliminate a counter such as Ferroseed and Foongus, letting a teammate like Grookey sweep teams. However, losing out on Protect leaves it extremely vulnerable to First impression and Fake Out. Substitute can ease up prediction, but it forces Carvanha to lose out on coverage. Carvanha can run a special moveset to have a better matchup against Pawniard, but it has to use Hydro Pump for STAB, making it unreliable.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Priority**: Priority attacks such as Timburr's Mach Punch and Grookey's Grassy Glide force Carvanha out without letting it use Flip Turn. Other priority users such as First Impression Trapinch and Fake Out Mienfoo forces Carvanha to use Protect, letting smart opponents double switch on the Protect into a teammate that threatens Carvanha out.
**Ferroseed and Pawniard**: Ferroseed can take a few hits from Carvanha and weaken it down with Iron Barbs. Pawniard can take Carvanha's hits but can be worn down by repeated Flip Turns.
**Bulky Foes**: Mienfoo, Foongus, and Mareanie have high physical bulk and take on Carvanha well, but they all must worry about Psychic Fangs and are OHKOed without Eviolite. They also have to worry about Flip Turn into Koffing, which blocks their recovery from Regenerator.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[avg, 524894]]
- Quality checked by: [[KSG, 32350], [DC, 449990]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Finland, 517429]]
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