Escavalier and Nidoqueen

[alexwolf]

...people use Misdreavus in RU? News to me. I haven't seen a Misdreavus in my many battles in RU

Anyway, I've played a lot with Escavalier. He's a boss. Steelix and Magneton supposedly wall him, but I don't quite find that they've reliable recovery to do this well enough. Didn't they supposedly check Durant, though?

I also tried Nidoqueen, and played her in RU as I would a Nidoking in UU. She definitely does well, but I'm not too certain she's broken. I might have to make a Nidoqueen-specialized team, much like what I'm doing with Escavalier in making a specialized team for him.

Magneton doesn't need reliable recovery. He will come in once, trap and kill you.

 

[blarajan]

I've been playing a lot of RU lately and I only have one thing to say: Don't use Stealth Rock on Nidoqueen. Thunderbolt >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Stealth Rock. Nidoqueen almost always lives Life Orb Moltres Fire Blast (takes 40 Special Defense evs to guarantee it never does), but always OHKOes in return with Thunderbolt due to Moltres's Life Orb recoil. Nidoqueen being at low health is okay because it can just smash shit without Life Orb recoil, so even a 1% Nidoqueen is threatening (especially with Rapid Spin support). That in itself is important enough to not run Stealth Rock, but 2HKOing Slowking is priceless as well. It demolishes TanKing........don't use Stealth Rock use like Uxie instead (who is coincidentally one of the best Nidoqueen checks for an offensive team...can easily be eved to outspeed Modest Nidoqueen and live two Sludge Wave after Stealth Rock...and always 2HKOes Nidoqueen with min Psychic).

 

[alexwolf]

Blara Tbolt is standard on Nido. The 3 first must moves are EP, Flamethrower or FB move and Tbolt. Then in the last slot there are the options of SR / Sludge Wave / Ice Beam / Focus Blast.

 

[blarajan]

Oh. Use Sludge Wave then. Hits Uxie the hardest. Nidoqueen should be Sludge Wave / Earth Power / Thunderbolt / Fire Blast or Flamethrower NO EXCEPTIONS. Offensive Stealth Rock is pretty lame in comparison.

 

[spuds4ever]

I agree with blarajan, I've been finding nidoqueen actually makes a pretty lousy SR setter when using an offensive spread at least. Not only does it have the bulk of things like uxie or steelix when going offensive and doesn't have the speed of things like aerodactyl and accelgor to get a guarenteed layer (or two in accelgor's case) nice and early. It often just makes more of the turn anyway by doing heavy damage to said pokemon in play IMO.

Escavalier hasn't been quite as much of a problem as I was dreading, but maybe that's just because I've been strictly sticking to balance over offense and using poliwrath/magneton a lot for my own fiendish devices (hint, poliwrath's amazing in this metagame).