Don't Use This, Use That (UU Edition)

I can attest to the greatness that is CB Victini, Rediculous power coupled with great natural bulk and good coverage. I suppose Trick could be another viable option in Victini's 4th move slot, but I'd say GK is generally the optimal choice. I've never thought to use CB Arcanine before though, I agree that Victini generally outclasses it but at least Arcanine can boast the most powerful E-Speed in the tier. If Victini does end up getting banned do you guys think Arcanine/CB Arcanine would take Victini's place as a good CB Fire type?
 

KM

slayification
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I can attest to the greatness that is CB Victini, Rediculous power coupled with great natural bulk and good coverage. I suppose Trick could be another viable option in Victini's 4th move slot, but I'd say GK is generally the optimal choice. I've never thought to use CB Arcanine before though, I agree that Victini generally outclasses it but at least Arcanine can boast the most powerful E-Speed in the tier. If Victini does end up getting banned do you guys think Arcanine/CB Arcanine would take Victini's place as a good CB Fire type?
Eh, darm still exists.
 
The best set for Arcanine is all out attacking. Arc should be used to clean up games late game.

CBand Victini is a threat; I would run Zen Headbutt in the last move slot imo. It has a handy flinch rate :]
 

CoolStoryBrobat

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The best set for Arcanine is all out attacking. Arc should be used to clean up games late game.

CBand Victini is a threat; I would run Zen Headbutt in the last move slot imo. It has a handy flinch rate :]
I dunno, man. Defensive Arcanine has a pretty nice niche of being one of the few outstanding defensive Fire-Types, and a generally annoying Pokemon at that. Nowhere as strong as the offensive set, but it's still pretty darn good. Especially if you're a bum like me and attempted to make a Snarl Arcanine at some point. Lolol

Also, I like Sleep Talk on CB Victini. Granted that last slot is pretty much up for grabs for the entire world, if your team lacks a Sleep/status absorber, then Sleep Talk Choice Band Victini can work for you! A lot of people won't expect it and will keep their inducer in, trying to set up. Or even if they switch, you have a 33% chance to pull U-Turn out from Sleep Talk, and it keeps it from being utterly useless. But of course that's if you lack any other sleep/status absorbers. Still, unleashing a V-Create on a Roserade from a sleeping Victini is the funniest thing ever, you can only imagine the look on your opponent's face.
 
Defensive Arcanine is underrated; however, when relying on Intimidate, one is more susceptible to critical hits. This is a huge reason why I choose a bulky resttalker like Suicine. Trust me, I would love to use Roar on Arcanine and a CroCune since it walls so many threats; however, Suicine can handle crits for days unlike Arcanine.
 
Defensive Arcanine is the only set that it can run without being somewhat outclassed by other fire types. From personal expirence in my team building for scarfers all out attackers etc. I would much rather use Victini or Darmanitan rather than Arc, but with the defensive set it fills such a great niche that is much more useful that its sub-par attacking sets.
 
Don't Use this:


Bronzong @ Light Clay
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
0 Spe IVs
Relaxed Nature
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Gyro Ball
- Earthquake / Hypnosis

Bronzong may seem like a very adept dual Screen setter, but for offensive teams, it's anything but, as a turn must be lost in order to bring out a Pokemon that can begin setting up and sweeping. Bronzong also has a very low Speed stat, usually making it susceptible to stray Taunts from the likes of Gligar and other slower Taunt users. Brongong isn't capable of doing much either, as Gyro Ball's typing and low PP keep it from doing any feasible damage to many of the Pokemon that use Bronzong to set up or just flat-out butcher it. Earthquake is a semi-decent fix to this issue, but Ground-type attacks have their own issues, as Pokemon with Levitate or Flying-types merely scoff at Bronzong's attempts at attacking them. Hypnosis on its own is extremely shaky, having an accuracy that makes Stone Edge comparable to Aerial Ace or Swift, further damaging Bronzong's potential as an offensive Dual Screener. Bronzong does however, maintain key resistances to stray Earthquakes and Outrages, but offensive teams were designed to beat threats that carry said moves via their Speed and power.

Instead, use this:


Uxie @ Light Clay
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Memento / U-turn
- Stealth Rock / Thunder Wave

Now this here, is a Dual Screener fit for a king! Unlike Bronzong, Uxie has the potential to give an adjacent teammate a beautiful opportunity to set up via Memento. Although this requires Uxie axing itself, it sharply reduces the opponent's offences and allows a set up sweeper to be brought out and begin its onslaught. Once behind the screens and with the opponent having little to no attacking prowess, the new Pokemon is practically safe from any harm. Uxie could forgo Momento for U-turn, and the same concept still applies. Dual Screens Uxie also carries Stealth Rock or Thunder Wave, keeping it from being a complete stick in the mud, giving the next Pokemon even more support. The inclusion of Stealth Rock breaks any potential Focus Sashes found on the opposing team, potentially leading to a game-ending sweep. Also, Uxie is actually significantly bulkier than Bronzong, allowing it to take neutral hits better, as its 75 / 130 / 130 defences tower over Bronzong's 67 / 116 / 116 defences.
 
Don't Use this:


Bronzong @ Light Clay
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
0 Spe IVs
Relaxed Nature
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Gyro Ball
- Earthquake / Hypnosis

Bronzong may seem like a very adept dual Screen setter, but for offensive teams, it's anything but, as a turn must be lost in order to bring out a Pokemon that can begin setting up and sweeping. Bronzong also has a very low Speed stat, usually making it susceptible to stray Taunts from the likes of Gligar and other slower Taunt users. Brongong isn't capable of doing much either, as Gyro Ball's typing and low PP keep it from doing any feasible damage to many of the Pokemon that use Bronzong to set up or just flat-out butcher it. Earthquake is a semi-decent fix to this issue, but Ground-type attacks have their own issues, as Pokemon with Levitate or Flying-types merely scoff at Bronzong's attempts at attacking them. Hypnosis on its own is extremely shaky, having an accuracy that makes Stone Edge comparable to Aerial Ace or Swift, further damaging Bronzong's potential as an offensive Dual Screener. Bronzong does however, maintain key resistances to stray Earthquakes and Outrages, but offensive teams were designed to beat threats that carry said moves via their Speed and power.

Instead, use this:


Uxie @ Light Clay
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Memento / U-turn
- Stealth Rock / Thunder Wave

Now this here, is a Dual Screener fit for a king! Unlike Bronzong, Uxie has the potential to give an adjacent teammate a beautiful opportunity to set up via Memento. Although this requires Uxie axing itself, it sharply reduces the opponent's offences and allows a set up sweeper to be brought out and begin its onslaught. Once behind the screens and with the opponent having little to no attacking prowess, the new Pokemon is practically safe from any harm. Uxie could forgo Momento for U-turn, and the same concept still applies. Dual Screens Uxie also carries Stealth Rock or Thunder Wave, keeping it from being a complete stick in the mud, giving the next Pokemon even more support. The inclusion of Stealth Rock breaks any potential Focus Sashes found on the opposing team, potentially leading to a game-ending sweep. Also, Uxie is actually significantly bulkier than Bronzong, allowing it to take neutral hits better, as its 75 / 130 / 130 defences tower over Bronzong's 67 / 116 / 116 defences.



This is an interesting one. Bronzong however does have a much, MUCH better defensive typing than the mono-psychic Uxie, however. Still, I can't deny the fact that Uxie does get memento, U-turn, Thunder Wave, and more bulk numbers-wise. Next time I need a dual screener I'll give Uxie a shot.
 

KM

slayification
is a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributor
The problem with Zong as a duel screener is that it lacks a momentum move. It's either forced to stay in and die or just switch straight out into a sweeper, who then takes a hit coming in and if something was an OHKO before screens, it's a 2HKO after so there was no point ._.'.

That said, I think it should be worth hashing U-turn over Memento purely because it makes you less taunt bait (it also lets you stay longer, 9/10 times Uxie is still at pretty high health).
 

ScraftyIsTheBest

On to new Horizons!
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Revival

Don't Use This:


Gligar @ Eviolite
Trait: Immunity
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Impish Nature
- Roost
- Earthquake
- U-turn / Toxic
- Toxic / Taunt / Stealth Rock

Why it's bad:

To put it bluntly, Gligar is not a very good physical wall (it sucks as a Pokemon in general too). Although Gligar has phenomenal physical bulk and recovery in Roost, its lack of offensive presence, inability to counter many physical threats, and how easy it is to force out makes it a hindrance to most teams it is used on. Gligar does not do well, because it is weak: it can't even OHKO the frail Darmanitan without any Attack investment. As such, it is massive set up fodder (I mean at least Dusclops has WoW+Curse), which means any set up sweeper can come in and easily use Gligar to their advantage. This includes mons such as Curse+Rest Snorlax, CroCune, SD Heracross, NP Azelf/Cofagrigus, Bisharp, SubCM Meloetta, etc. Gligar does not even beat most Fighting-type either; while it has the bulk and the resistance, Gligar loses to SD Heracross because it cannot do anything to Heracross while if Gligar poisons Heracross, it will make Heracross stronger while its +6 Stone Edge is a guaranteed kill. Mienshao and Cobalion run HP Ice a lot, and they can just use it on a painfully obvious Gligar switch-in; either that, or Mienshao can use Sub+BP or simply U-turn, and now your opponent easily has the advantage now that you're probably facing one of the following: Shaymin, Specs Kingdra, Sub Zapdos. Its Electric immunity is pretty useless, since Raikou can set up, but also use HP Ice, and Zapdos does not care about anything Gligar has to offer. Simply put, Gligar is not a good Pokemon, and there are plenty of other choices as either a Fighting-type answer or SR user.

Instead, Use this:


Crobat @ Black Sludge
Trait: Inner Focus
EVs: 176 HP / 192 Atk / 4 SpD / 136 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Taunt
- Roost
- U-turn / Toxic / Super Fang

Why it's better:

If you want a solid answer to Fighting-types like Heracross and Mienshao as well as stall teams, this right here is the man. Crobat provides a much better answer to Heracross and Mienshao than Gligar ever is; while Gligar loses to SD Heracross and HP Ice Mienshao, Crobat outspeeds both, and can come in on CC/HJK for pretty much free, while it threatens with a strong STAB Brave Bird. Crobat has more offensive presence and Speed (even if it's not remarkably strong), so it poses a greater threat than Gligar. Crobat also has the added bonus of being able to counter Roserade, Shaymin, and Virizion as well, which Gligar can't do, and Crobat overall gets the chance to handle a lot of the prominent Fighting- and Grass-types that roam the tier. Crobat also has the fast U-turn to gain quick momentum; so attracting stuff like Bronzong is neat so you can send in a teammate for free to get rolling. Overall Crobat is just much better than Gligar in pretty much every situation.
 
I'm not the best UU player around, but I think ScarfCross as a lategane sweeper is Outclassed, not bad, by EndureSalac Heracross. So don't use:

Heracross@Choice Scarf
Moxie
252 speed/252 attack/ 4 hp
Jolly

Close Combat
Megahorn
Stone Edge
Night Slash/Arial Ace/Earthquake

While this set is pretty devastating, it's main problem is its inability to switch moves.

Heracross@Salac Berry
Moxie
252 speed/252 attack/4 hp
Jolly

Endure
Reversal
Megahorn
Swords Dance/Stone Edge/Close Combat

You're going to be at one hp with this set, but ScarfCross is rked by most priority anyway after a defense drop. The main thing about this set is ability to switch moves and POWER!!! Most UU players know the power of Stab, Banded, V-Create from a rodent with base 100 attack. Now imagine a base 250 power attack coming from a badass bug wih 125 base attack- maybe with Moxie or SD boosts. You can effectively FUCK RESISTS! The things that aren't raped by Reversal are taken care of by Megahorn/ Stone Edge.
 

Ash Borer

I've heard they're short of room in hell
Reversal caps at 200 base power with of course 300 after STAB. Devastating, yes. End REV is great, especially outside of tiers with sandstorm, but it's not exactly true all priority attacks will kill a -1 heracross


252+ Atk Machamp bullet punch vs. -1 0 HP / 4 Def Heracross: Bullet Punch: 29.9 - 35.54%
252 Atk Weavile ice shard vs. -1 0 HP / 4 def Heracross: Ice Shard: 58.13 - 68.77%
252+ Atk Choice Band Huge Power Azumarill Aqua Jet vs. -1 0 HP / 4 Def Heracross: 225-265 (74.75 - 88.03%)

Whatever works for you, I guess, but a full strength heracross of course is going to have all the survivability.
 

CoolStoryBrobat

The hero Smogon needs, but not the one it deserves
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I'm not the best UU player around, but I think ScarfCross as a lategane sweeper is Outclassed, not bad, by EndureSalac Heracross. So don't use:

Heracross@Choice Scarf
Moxie
252 speed/252 attack/ 4 hp
Jolly

Close Combat
Megahorn
Stone Edge
Night Slash/Arial Ace/Earthquake

While this set is pretty devastating, it's main problem is its inability to switch moves.

Heracross@Salac Berry
Moxie
252 speed/252 attack/4 hp
Jolly

Endure
Reversal
Megahorn
Swords Dance/Stone Edge/Close Combat

You're going to be at one hp with this set, but ScarfCross is rked by most priority anyway after a defense drop. The main thing about this set is ability to switch moves and POWER!!! Most UU players know the power of Stab, Banded, V-Create from a rodent with base 100 attack. Now imagine a base 250 power attack coming from a badass bug wih 125 base attack- maybe with Moxie or SD boosts. You can effectively FUCK RESISTS! The things that aren't raped by Reversal are taken care of by Megahorn/ Stone Edge.
See the issue with that set is you're essentially replacing Scarf Heracross entirely, which is possibly its most-used (And in some peoples' opinions) its most effective set...Like the guy above me said, priority can ruin this thing. The other issue is that it ONLY is going to function lategame because of the necessity to avoid priority, which can happen at any phase during the midgame. While Scarf Heracross is an ill lategame cleaner, you also have to remember it's still a Scarf user, meaning it also functions as a Revenge Killer in one set, something this Heracross ain't doing, and it's kind of not as much a big reason to use over that set, because you have to then set that duty to some other Pokemon.

While I do get this could function as a much more high-risk-high-reward lategame cleaner, it can't REPLACE Scarf Heracross entirely without a major drawback or re-alignment to your team...

Oh yeah, and if Heracross is at +1 lategame, unless you're locked into Stone Edge, or there's still a live Ghost-type and you don't run Night Slash, the majority of the time even resisted moves are going to be clocking the foe lategame once you get a Moxie boost rolling, so Heracross can kind of bypass the restriction Choice Scarf bestows.
 
I'm not the best UU player around, but I think ScarfCross as a lategane sweeper is Outclassed, not bad, by EndureSalac Heracross. So don't use:

Heracross@Choice Scarf
Moxie
252 speed/252 attack/ 4 hp
Jolly

Close Combat
Megahorn
Stone Edge
Night Slash/Arial Ace/Earthquake

While this set is pretty devastating, it's main problem is its inability to switch moves.

Heracross@Salac Berry
Moxie
252 speed/252 attack/4 hp
Jolly

Endure
Reversal
Megahorn
Swords Dance/Stone Edge/Close Combat

You're going to be at one hp with this set, but ScarfCross is rked by most priority anyway after a defense drop. The main thing about this set is ability to switch moves and POWER!!! Most UU players know the power of Stab, Banded, V-Create from a rodent with base 100 attack. Now imagine a base 250 power attack coming from a badass bug wih 125 base attack- maybe with Moxie or SD boosts. You can effectively FUCK RESISTS! The things that aren't raped by Reversal are taken care of by Megahorn/ Stone Edge.
Other people already mentioned it, but this Endure + Reversal set doesn't come close to outclassing Choice Scarf Heracross. It isn't really doing much that the other Heracross sets accomplish, either, other than sweep some really poorly built team or incompetent player that sacked his Heracross answers. The metagame has essentially molded so that Heracross is not as huge as a threat by running multiple counters or checks to keep Heracross at bay. Cofagrigus, a common sight (#16 in usage), rose in popularity because of the popularity of Fighting types, and it completely shuts down Heracross. Another answer to Heracross is Nidoqueen (admittedly not high in usage, but it is really good), and it will not fall to a +1 Reversal (+2 KOs, but there is another issue I'm going to bring up). Qwilfish also beats this set too, being able to tank a +1 Reversal easily. This set suffers from 4MSS, as if you choose Swords Dance, you essentially leave yourself open to Crobat, which is a highly relevant Pokemon, while if you choose Stone Edge, you could lose out on some good KOs (Stone Edge is better for your set though). Even with a Salac Berry boost, +1 Heracross will still falter to Scarf Darmanitan, Mienshao, and Victini (all common sights on the ladder). Full power Reversal coming from Heracross sounds great in theory, but since there are so many answers to Heracross these days, its not as great in practice, and it is more inconsistent in terms of success than Choice Scarf Heracross as a late game cleaner.
 
If you want an endure reversal sweeper use the endure reversal hitmonlee set. 1. It outspeeds everything anyway.
2. Setting up it gets an attack raise with liechi berry.
3. It gets mach punch which beats bisharp weavile and honchkrow(given correct predicts on honcho)
Hitmonlee imo is superior to the cross set. Hits harder straight away, is faster than cross, carries it's own priority to beat some priority users.
 
Revival

Don't Use This:


Gligar @ Eviolite
Trait: Immunity
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Impish Nature
- Roost
- Earthquake
- U-turn / Toxic
- Toxic / Taunt / Stealth Rock

Why it's bad:

To put it bluntly, Gligar is not a very good physical wall (it sucks as a Pokemon in general too). Although Gligar has phenomenal physical bulk and recovery in Roost, its lack of offensive presence, inability to counter many physical threats, and how easy it is to force out makes it a hindrance to most teams it is used on. Gligar does not do well, because it is weak: it can't even OHKO the frail Darmanitan without any Attack investment. As such, it is massive set up fodder (I mean at least Dusclops has WoW+Curse), which means any set up sweeper can come in and easily use Gligar to their advantage. This includes mons such as Curse+Rest Snorlax, CroCune, SD Heracross, NP Azelf/Cofagrigus, Bisharp, SubCM Meloetta, etc. Gligar does not even beat most Fighting-type either; while it has the bulk and the resistance, Gligar loses to SD Heracross because it cannot do anything to Heracross while if Gligar poisons Heracross, it will make Heracross stronger while its +6 Stone Edge is a guaranteed kill. Mienshao and Cobalion run HP Ice a lot, and they can just use it on a painfully obvious Gligar switch-in; either that, or Mienshao can use Sub+BP or simply U-turn, and now your opponent easily has the advantage now that you're probably facing one of the following: Shaymin, Specs Kingdra, Sub Zapdos. Its Electric immunity is pretty useless, since Raikou can set up, but also use HP Ice, and Zapdos does not care about anything Gligar has to offer. Simply put, Gligar is not a good Pokemon, and there are plenty of other choices as either a Fighting-type answer or SR user.

Instead, Use this:


Crobat @ Black Sludge
Trait: Inner Focus
EVs: 176 HP / 192 Atk / 4 SpD / 136 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Taunt
- Roost
- U-turn / Toxic / Super Fang

Why it's better:

If you want a solid answer to Fighting-types like Heracross and Mienshao as well as stall teams, this right here is the man. Crobat provides a much better answer to Heracross and Mienshao than Gligar ever is; while Gligar loses to SD Heracross and HP Ice Mienshao, Crobat outspeeds both, and can come in on CC/HJK for pretty much free, while it threatens with a strong STAB Brave Bird. Crobat has more offensive presence and Speed (even if it's not remarkably strong), so it poses a greater threat than Gligar. Crobat also has the added bonus of being able to counter Roserade, Shaymin, and Virizion as well, which Gligar can't do, and Crobat overall gets the chance to handle a lot of the prominent Fighting- and Grass-types that roam the tier. Crobat also has the fast U-turn to gain quick momentum; so attracting stuff like Bronzong is neat so you can send in a teammate for free to get rolling. Overall Crobat is just much better than Gligar in pretty much every situation.
I have to disagree with this, unlike Crobat, Gligar can set up rocks and wall a lot of the physical attackers in UU, yes there are exceptions, but if there weren't exceptions then I'm sure Gligar would have much better usage and probably be broken.

Whilst Crobat walls Mienshao and Heracross arguably better than Gligar, if the opponent predicts a switch into Crobat, which is pretty obvious considering it 4x resists the main two moves that both examples use. (HJK + U-Turn and Megahorn + CC) they can just click Stone Edge if they have it (Scarf Hera stone edge does 72-85% damage, almost always OHKO'ing after rocks.) Please don't tell me not to use prediction as an argument as you used it yourself in your post.

Crobat beyond Hera and Mien is not really a physical wall. A large number of physical attackers in the tier can either switch in on an attack and threaten it out, or come in as a revenge killer.

The fact is, Gligar walls so many things, whilst there really aren't many physically attacking Pokemon that can really threaten it out, obviously there are some, such as Weavile, Sharpedo, Virizion (threat of special/mixed with hp ice). The things that you mentioned that Gligar either can't do anything to, or threaten it too much to stay in, like Zapdos or Raikou. I'm sorry, but elaborate and tell me what you're planning to do to these Pokemon with Crobat? Beyond U-turn there is nothing other than hard-switching in fear of scarf raikou or scarf zapdos, both of which are possible.


Crobat is threatened out by a lot of the things that threaten Gligar out. Whilst it can deal more damage than Gligar in most situations Gligar really forces a lot more switches.
 
The problem with Gligar as a fighting type counter is that it needs additional hazard support to actually do anything back. Gligar is pretty good at forcing switches which can grab you some momentum from time to time, but that doesn't do anything to help you with your Heracross/Mienshao problem if your team happens to be really fighting weak. Yes, it can lay rocks, but that doesn't really mean anything if you're prioritizing on countering fighting types. It also just generally sucks that Gligar doesn't have a reliable flying STAB and I think it would be a heck of a lot better in this meta if it did.

Crobat is by no means a defensive Pokemon, but it definitely is a more focused counter to fighting types specifically. It can switch into any fighting type attack and immediately hit hard. Sure, you have to fear Stone Edge, but you have to keep in mind that Gligar also has to fear Hidden Power Ice, which both Mienshao and Cobalion carry.

My point is that you shouldn't rely on Gligar to get rid of things like Heracross because it simply will not to be able to do that by itself.
... But that also means that comparing it to Crobat in general is kind of unfair in its own right. Gligar is a physical wall that is meant to check a wide variety of physical attackers. Crobat just simply is not. It's not like you could take a team with, say, a Gligar/Umbreon core, replace Gligar with Crobat, and just say that the team is better. That would leave you completely open to Sword Dance sweepers and Choice Banders alike.

But you also can't deny that Crobat is a pretty damn good fighting counter. It's good at what it does, I've seen it and accomplished it first hand.
 
Don't Use This:


Nidoking @ Choice Scarf/Life Orb
Trait: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 HP / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Earth Power
- Flamethrower
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt

I just encountered a Scarf Nidoking in the ladder which reminded me to make this post. Nidoking in general is in itself not bad, its just in my opinion completely outclassed by Nidoqueen. While its generally okay (but not great) to use Nidoking, using Scarf Nidoking is definitely not good. The reason the Nido's work so well is because of the excellent coverage options they have at their disposal and their ability to be able to switch between them freely. Locking Nidoking into a non STAB, non Life Orb boosted attack leaves it extremely open. Having a pretty poor speed stat for a Scarf user as well isn't very helpful.

Use This:


Nidoqueen @ Life Orb
Trait: Sheer Force
EVs: 96 HP / 252 SAtk / 160 Spd
Modest Nature
- Earth Power
- Ice Beam
- Focus Blast
- Stealth Rock/Fire Blast/Thunderbolt

Nidoqueen should be used over Nidoking in almost every situation. Nidoqueen's bulk is much more important than speed when the majority of things the Nido's take on are walls. Ice Beam and Focus Blast give Nidoqueen good coverage on things like P2, Snorlax, Umbreon, Zapdos, Roserade, & Xatu. Stealth Rock is great on Nidoqueen since it can set them up very reliably, but Fire Blast and Thunderbolt can be used to provide extra coverage.

I've come up with a few more of these but I feel like I'd over crowd the thread with my own posts =/
This post I disagree with entirely. Sure scarfed nidoking is a waste but nidoking's power alone is a reason to use nidoking over queen. If you need a bulkier mon go for nidoqueen but nidoking's power punches larger holes in more pokes than nidoqueen can. Also, I can say that walls aren't the main thing the nidos take on they can come in to check offensive threats like heracross, honchkrow, and hell even mienshao. If you need something to tank hits I'd definetly go for nidoqueen. But nidoking can check a lot of the same things nidoqueen while punching bigger holes in them than nidoqueen.
I'd say switch the nature to modest on nidoking and you definetly still have a reason to use this bad boy.

Revival

Don't Use This:


Gligar @ Eviolite
Trait: Immunity
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Impish Nature
- Roost
- Earthquake
- U-turn / Toxic
- Toxic / Taunt / Stealth Rock

Why it's bad:

To put it bluntly, Gligar is not a very good physical wall (it sucks as a Pokemon in general too). Although Gligar has phenomenal physical bulk and recovery in Roost, its lack of offensive presence, inability to counter many physical threats, and how easy it is to force out makes it a hindrance to most teams it is used on. Gligar does not do well, because it is weak: it can't even OHKO the frail Darmanitan without any Attack investment. As such, it is massive set up fodder (I mean at least Dusclops has WoW+Curse), which means any set up sweeper can come in and easily use Gligar to their advantage. This includes mons such as Curse+Rest Snorlax, CroCune, SD Heracross, NP Azelf/Cofagrigus, Bisharp, SubCM Meloetta, etc. Gligar does not even beat most Fighting-type either; while it has the bulk and the resistance, Gligar loses to SD Heracross because it cannot do anything to Heracross while if Gligar poisons Heracross, it will make Heracross stronger while its +6 Stone Edge is a guaranteed kill. Mienshao and Cobalion run HP Ice a lot, and they can just use it on a painfully obvious Gligar switch-in; either that, or Mienshao can use Sub+BP or simply U-turn, and now your opponent easily has the advantage now that you're probably facing one of the following: Shaymin, Specs Kingdra, Sub Zapdos. Its Electric immunity is pretty useless, since Raikou can set up, but also use HP Ice, and Zapdos does not care about anything Gligar has to offer. Simply put, Gligar is not a good Pokemon, and there are plenty of other choices as either a Fighting-type answer or SR user.

Instead, Use this:


Crobat @ Black Sludge
Trait: Inner Focus
EVs: 176 HP / 192 Atk / 4 SpD / 136 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Taunt
- Roost
- U-turn / Toxic / Super Fang

Why it's better:

If you want a solid answer to Fighting-types like Heracross and Mienshao as well as stall teams, this right here is the man. Crobat provides a much better answer to Heracross and Mienshao than Gligar ever is; while Gligar loses to SD Heracross and HP Ice Mienshao, Crobat outspeeds both, and can come in on CC/HJK for pretty much free, while it threatens with a strong STAB Brave Bird. Crobat has more offensive presence and Speed (even if it's not remarkably strong), so it poses a greater threat than Gligar. Crobat also has the added bonus of being able to counter Roserade, Shaymin, and Virizion as well, which Gligar can't do, and Crobat overall gets the chance to handle a lot of the prominent Fighting- and Grass-types that roam the tier. Crobat also has the fast U-turn to gain quick momentum; so attracting stuff like Bronzong is neat so you can send in a teammate for free to get rolling. Overall Crobat is just much better than Gligar in pretty much every situation.
I can't say this is true. While yes it does check the threats you mention it does not check them better than gligar. Gligar may not 4x resist their moves, but it is also not weak to either of their moves or for that matter entry hazards. Gligar can come in on any of their moves and take them like a god damn man. Crobat has to have a clear field and pray they don't read the switch in and eat a Stone edge.
 
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Crobat has to have a clear field and pray they don't read the switch in and eat a Stone edge.

Gligar literally has the exact same problem with Hidden power Ice.
Out of the three most common offensive fighting types, 2 of them have HP Ice. The one that doesn't is Heracross, and Gligar cannot do anything to Heracross besides force out a ScarfCross MAYBE. Lots of people are running SDGuts now.
 

CoolStoryBrobat

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Cobalion often runs HP Ice just to stomp Gligar...CM Virizion may as well, but he most likely was referring to Cobalion here, since its offenses make a mixed set viable.
 
Don't use this:
Spr_5b_302.png
Sableye @ Leftovers
Trait: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 120 Def / 136 Sp. Def
Calm Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Recover
- Taunt
- Night Shade

Why it's bad:
Now, before you call me ridiculous for pointing out a Pokemon with Prankster, hear me out. Sure, it has an amazing ability that allows it to wall effectively. However, with Sableye's awful stats and predictability, it is very ineffective. 50/75/65 is awful for a Pokemon that is meant to stall. Will-O-Wisp breaks physical sweepers, but the fire type is commonly used in UU (Victini, Darmanitan...), so Sableye is vulnerable to these. Also, it cannot break special sweepers, which can easily OHKO or 2HKO Sableye. Taunt may stop your opponent from putting up Stealth Rocks/Toxic, but there are Pokemon that do a better job (Crobat, Ambipom...), so using Sableye for Taunt isn't really your best choice. Recover is a good HP restoring move, but since a lot of attacks do over 50% to Sableye, it is an ineffective Pokemon to use.
I have no complaint against Night Shade.

Use this instead:
Spr_5b_059.png

Arcanine @ Leftovers
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 116 Def / 140 Sp. Def
Bold / Impish / Careful / Calm Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Morning Sun
- Flamethrower / Flame Charge
- Toxic / Protect

Why it's better:
Arcanine is a much better wall than Sableye for many reasons. The first reason is the stat spread of 90/80/80, which is much better than Sableye's stats. The second reason is it breaks physical walls upon switching in thanks to Intimidate. Thirdly, the moves. Will-O-Wisp breaks physical walls even further by burning them. Morning Sun allows Arcanine to recover his health by 50%, or 75% if you're using a sun team, making it even better. Flamethrower deals some very nice damage, while Flame Charge will speed up your wall, out-speeding scarf-less sweepers after one or two of these. Lastly, Toxic allows it to deal damage against other fire types, and Protect allows it to stall out burn damage and leftovers recovery.
The last, and best thing about this set, is that it is uncommon and difficult to counter.
 
Don't use this:
View attachment 1537
Sableye @ Leftovers
Trait: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 120 Def / 136 Sp. Def
Calm Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Recover
- Taunt
- Night Shade

Why it's bad:
Now, before you call me ridiculous for pointing out a Pokemon with Prankster, hear me out. Sure, it has an amazing ability that allows it to wall effectively. However, with Sableye's awful stats and predictability, it is very ineffective. 50/75/65 is awful for a Pokemon that is meant to stall. Will-O-Wisp breaks physical sweepers, but the fire type is commonly used in UU (Victini, Darmanitan...), so Sableye is vulnerable to these. Also, it cannot break special sweepers, which can easily OHKO or 2HKO Sableye. Taunt may stop your opponent from putting up Stealth Rocks/Toxic, but there are Pokemon that do a better job (Crobat, Ambipom...), so using Sableye for Taunt isn't really your best choice. Recover is a good HP restoring move, but since a lot of attacks do over 50% to Sableye, it is an ineffective Pokemon to use.
I have no complaint against Night Shade.

Use this instead:
View attachment 1538

Arcanine @ Leftovers
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 116 Def / 140 Sp. Def
Bold / Impish / Careful / Calm Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Morning Sun
- Flamethrower / Flame Charge
- Toxic / Protect

Why it's better:
Arcanine is a much better wall than Sableye for many reasons. The first reason is the stat spread of 90/80/80, which is much better than Sableye's stats. The second reason is it breaks physical walls upon switching in thanks to Intimidate. Thirdly, the moves. Will-O-Wisp breaks physical walls even further by burning them. Morning Sun allows Arcanine to recover his health by 50%, or 75% if you're using a sun team, making it even better. Flamethrower deals some very nice damage, while Flame Charge will speed up your wall, out-speeding scarf-less sweepers after one or two of these. Lastly, Toxic allows it to deal damage against other fire types, and Protect allows it to stall out burn damage and leftovers recovery.
The last, and best thing about this set, is that it is uncommon and difficult to counter.
Sableye is a stallbreaker. Arcanine is a wallbreaker, or as in this case, tank. Sableye uses a superfast taunt combined with will-o to make stall's life hell whereas defensive arcanine tanks hit while dishing out pain. They are completely different.
 

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