[overview]
Draft order: Late Round 1 or Round 2
Price range: 17-18 points
Overview: Latias is one of the strongest users of Terastallization in the Draft format. Its high Speed, good bulk, and solid defensive profile give it many opportunities to set up with Calm Mind, which allows it to overpower many offensive and defensive staples alike. These traits, combined with its many coverage options, make Latias a versatile sweeper. However, its low immediate power and average physical bulk mandate support, and depending on the matchup, Latias can struggle to hit everything in one moveset.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
* Role 1: Bulky wincon: Latias's combination of good bulk and Speed, decent Special Attack, access to multiple setup moves, wide array of coverage, and great synergy with Terastallization allows it to clean up weakened teams.
* Role 2: Offensive utility: Latias's good natural Speed combined with its wide utility movepool allows it to fill a utility role while still offensively threatening foes. These sets can often use a Choice item with Trick to increase Latias's natural Speed or power while allowing it to take advantage of defensive switchins.
Common Moves
========
* Primary STAB moves: Stored Power, Psyshock, Psychic, Mist Ball, Draco Meteor, Dragon Pulse
* Setup moves: Calm Mind, Agility
* Utility moves: Recover, Trick, Thunder Wave, Baton Pass, Healing Wish, Roar, Wish, Reflect, Light Screen, Tailwind, Endure
* Coverage: Air Slash, Alluring Voice, Aura Sphere, Draining Kiss, Energy Ball, Grass Knot, Ice Beam, Shadow Ball, Surf, Tera Blast, Thunder, Thunderbolt
Niche Moves
========
* Substitute: Substitute can be used to set up on passive Pokemon and evade status, but doing so limits coverage options significantly, and these goals can often be accomplished via Terastallization.
* Reflect Type: Reflect Type is used for the same reasons as Substitute, allowing Latias to set up on foes incapable of hitting their own type combination.
* Future Sight: Future Sight can assist complementary wallbreakers due to Latias's good Special Attack and bulk, although Latias usually prefers to do other things.
* Psych Up: Psych Up can be used against slower Calm Mind setup sweepers, but the opportunity cost is very rarely worthwhile.
* Rain Dance / Sunny Day / Sandstorm: In a pinch, Latias can set weather for its teammates or disrupt opposing weather strategies.
Common Items
========
* Leftovers: Leftovers grants Latias additional recovery while it sits on the field, which synergizes well with its setup capabilities and Spikes immunity.
* Choice Scarf: Latias's good Speed and serviceable power make it a solid user of Choice items, which also allow it to cripple defensive switchins with Trick.
Niche Items
========
* Grassy Seed: With Terrain support from Rillaboom or other Pokemon, Grassy Seed can give Latias a Defense boost it cannot receive elsewhere alongside increasing the strength of its Stored Power and reducing the power of opposing Knock Off.
* Kee Berry: Similar to Grassy Seed, Kee Berry can provide a one-time Defense boost Latias otherwise cannot receive.
* Weakness Policy: Latias's good bulk and relatively common weaknesses allow it to frequently activate Weakness Policy safely, especially if paired with screens support, significantly boosting its strength and increasing Stored Power's base power.
* Choice Specs: Choice Specs is used for the same reasons as Choice Scarf, simply trading speed for power.
* Soul Dew / Life Orb / Expert Belt: All of these items can be used to increase Latias's damage output as needed for matchup-specific damage rolls.
* Heavy-Duty Boots: Heavy-Duty Boots can be useful if you expect to repeatedly switch in on Stealth Rock, but they are less required on Latias due to its Ground immunity.
* Light Clay: Latias's access to both Reflect and Light Screen, alongside its high Speed and pivoting ability, make it capable of setting dual screens, but other Pokemon are generally better in this role.
Tera
========
Latias is nearly fully reliant on Terastallization to be worth its price point, and it can utilize nearly any Tera type well. Some common Tera types it may utilize are Poison and Steel, which both accentuate its setup abilities by providing an immunity to Toxic and a resistance to Fairy while also synergizing well with Levitate. Tera Fairy grants Latias STAB-boosted damage with Draining Kiss while allowing it to answer most opposing Dragon-types. Other Tera types like Dragon, Electric, and Fire can accentuate its offensive capabilities.
Draft Strategy
========
Latias should be built around with the intention of it cleaning up games as your primary Tera captain.
* Strong wallbreakers: Latias lacks immediate breaking power and excels at cleaning up weakened teams, so wallbreakers capable of punching holes in opposing defensive cores are very valuable. Of particular interest are Fighting-type wallbreakers such as both Urshifu formes, Sneasler, and Quaquaval, which are almost always physically offensive and can handle the Dark- and Steel-types Latias does not want to deal with.
* Entry hazards: Latias particularly appreciates entry hazard support from pokemon like Ting-Lu, Heatran, and Meowscarada to weaken opposing bulky pokemon. Toxic Spikes are especially strong against unprepared teams, since Latias enjoys sitting on the field and setting up for several turns while the poison they provide chips away at foes.
* Status spreaders: Poisoning and burning opposing Pokemon can allow for Latias to more easily clean up games, especially since passive damage will stack up while Latias is setting up.
Checks and Counters
========
* Bulky Dark- and Steel-types: Latias naturally has no coverage to deal with Dark- and Steel-type Pokemon other than the weak Aura Sphere and Alluring Voice. Ting-Lu in particular is very problematic, as it can easily take any hit from Latias and use Whirlwind to negate its setup. However, Terastallization can get rid of Latias's defensive vulnerabilities to these pokemon and allow it to threaten them offensively with Tera Blast.
* Physical attackers: Very few physical attackers are able to handle Latias both before and after Terastallization, but due to its mediocre physical bulk, combinations of some physical attackers, such as Urshifu-S, Sneasler, and Iron Boulder, can overwhelm Latias.
* Status conditions: Poison and paralysis both cripple Latias's capabilities significantly. The correct Tera type can dodge these conditions, though.
* Phazing: Latias's reliance on setup to do meaningful damage means it is vulnerable to phazing, and phazers must be removed or significantly weakened for Latias to clean up games.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/abriel.473082/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/hacker.387847/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/nyx.564960/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/ken.594478/
Draft order: Late Round 1 or Round 2
Price range: 17-18 points
Overview: Latias is one of the strongest users of Terastallization in the Draft format. Its high Speed, good bulk, and solid defensive profile give it many opportunities to set up with Calm Mind, which allows it to overpower many offensive and defensive staples alike. These traits, combined with its many coverage options, make Latias a versatile sweeper. However, its low immediate power and average physical bulk mandate support, and depending on the matchup, Latias can struggle to hit everything in one moveset.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
* Role 1: Bulky wincon: Latias's combination of good bulk and Speed, decent Special Attack, access to multiple setup moves, wide array of coverage, and great synergy with Terastallization allows it to clean up weakened teams.
* Role 2: Offensive utility: Latias's good natural Speed combined with its wide utility movepool allows it to fill a utility role while still offensively threatening foes. These sets can often use a Choice item with Trick to increase Latias's natural Speed or power while allowing it to take advantage of defensive switchins.
Common Moves
========
* Primary STAB moves: Stored Power, Psyshock, Psychic, Mist Ball, Draco Meteor, Dragon Pulse
* Setup moves: Calm Mind, Agility
* Utility moves: Recover, Trick, Thunder Wave, Baton Pass, Healing Wish, Roar, Wish, Reflect, Light Screen, Tailwind, Endure
* Coverage: Air Slash, Alluring Voice, Aura Sphere, Draining Kiss, Energy Ball, Grass Knot, Ice Beam, Shadow Ball, Surf, Tera Blast, Thunder, Thunderbolt
Niche Moves
========
* Substitute: Substitute can be used to set up on passive Pokemon and evade status, but doing so limits coverage options significantly, and these goals can often be accomplished via Terastallization.
* Reflect Type: Reflect Type is used for the same reasons as Substitute, allowing Latias to set up on foes incapable of hitting their own type combination.
* Future Sight: Future Sight can assist complementary wallbreakers due to Latias's good Special Attack and bulk, although Latias usually prefers to do other things.
* Psych Up: Psych Up can be used against slower Calm Mind setup sweepers, but the opportunity cost is very rarely worthwhile.
* Rain Dance / Sunny Day / Sandstorm: In a pinch, Latias can set weather for its teammates or disrupt opposing weather strategies.
Common Items
========
* Leftovers: Leftovers grants Latias additional recovery while it sits on the field, which synergizes well with its setup capabilities and Spikes immunity.
* Choice Scarf: Latias's good Speed and serviceable power make it a solid user of Choice items, which also allow it to cripple defensive switchins with Trick.
Niche Items
========
* Grassy Seed: With Terrain support from Rillaboom or other Pokemon, Grassy Seed can give Latias a Defense boost it cannot receive elsewhere alongside increasing the strength of its Stored Power and reducing the power of opposing Knock Off.
* Kee Berry: Similar to Grassy Seed, Kee Berry can provide a one-time Defense boost Latias otherwise cannot receive.
* Weakness Policy: Latias's good bulk and relatively common weaknesses allow it to frequently activate Weakness Policy safely, especially if paired with screens support, significantly boosting its strength and increasing Stored Power's base power.
* Choice Specs: Choice Specs is used for the same reasons as Choice Scarf, simply trading speed for power.
* Soul Dew / Life Orb / Expert Belt: All of these items can be used to increase Latias's damage output as needed for matchup-specific damage rolls.
* Heavy-Duty Boots: Heavy-Duty Boots can be useful if you expect to repeatedly switch in on Stealth Rock, but they are less required on Latias due to its Ground immunity.
* Light Clay: Latias's access to both Reflect and Light Screen, alongside its high Speed and pivoting ability, make it capable of setting dual screens, but other Pokemon are generally better in this role.
Tera
========
Latias is nearly fully reliant on Terastallization to be worth its price point, and it can utilize nearly any Tera type well. Some common Tera types it may utilize are Poison and Steel, which both accentuate its setup abilities by providing an immunity to Toxic and a resistance to Fairy while also synergizing well with Levitate. Tera Fairy grants Latias STAB-boosted damage with Draining Kiss while allowing it to answer most opposing Dragon-types. Other Tera types like Dragon, Electric, and Fire can accentuate its offensive capabilities.
Draft Strategy
========
Latias should be built around with the intention of it cleaning up games as your primary Tera captain.
* Strong wallbreakers: Latias lacks immediate breaking power and excels at cleaning up weakened teams, so wallbreakers capable of punching holes in opposing defensive cores are very valuable. Of particular interest are Fighting-type wallbreakers such as both Urshifu formes, Sneasler, and Quaquaval, which are almost always physically offensive and can handle the Dark- and Steel-types Latias does not want to deal with.
* Entry hazards: Latias particularly appreciates entry hazard support from pokemon like Ting-Lu, Heatran, and Meowscarada to weaken opposing bulky pokemon. Toxic Spikes are especially strong against unprepared teams, since Latias enjoys sitting on the field and setting up for several turns while the poison they provide chips away at foes.
* Status spreaders: Poisoning and burning opposing Pokemon can allow for Latias to more easily clean up games, especially since passive damage will stack up while Latias is setting up.
Checks and Counters
========
* Bulky Dark- and Steel-types: Latias naturally has no coverage to deal with Dark- and Steel-type Pokemon other than the weak Aura Sphere and Alluring Voice. Ting-Lu in particular is very problematic, as it can easily take any hit from Latias and use Whirlwind to negate its setup. However, Terastallization can get rid of Latias's defensive vulnerabilities to these pokemon and allow it to threaten them offensively with Tera Blast.
* Physical attackers: Very few physical attackers are able to handle Latias both before and after Terastallization, but due to its mediocre physical bulk, combinations of some physical attackers, such as Urshifu-S, Sneasler, and Iron Boulder, can overwhelm Latias.
* Status conditions: Poison and paralysis both cripple Latias's capabilities significantly. The correct Tera type can dodge these conditions, though.
* Phazing: Latias's reliance on setup to do meaningful damage means it is vulnerable to phazing, and phazers must be removed or significantly weakened for Latias to clean up games.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/abriel.473082/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/hacker.387847/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/nyx.564960/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/ken.594478/
Last edited:
