[OVERVIEW]
Ting-Lu is a dominant presence in Anything Goes, filling the role of the metagame's most crucial defensive glue while simultaneously providing indispensable offensive support. Ting-Lu is blessed with a fantastic typing that—in tandem with its titanic, Vessel of Ruin-boosted bulk—makes it the single best switch-in to Miraidon, one of the most consistent Calyrex-S checks, and a soft check to Necrozma-DM, Eternatus, and a plethora of other threats. This incredible defensive profile grants Ting-Lu many opportunities to set multiple layers of Spikes, making it that much harder for the foes to weather hits from its teammates. This unrivaled combination of traits means that Ting-Lu should be used on nearly every team bar hyper offense ones. Though, as fantastic as Ting-Lu is, its omnipresence means that methods to limit its impact or take advantage of it are common. Koraidon and Kyogre are able to exploit Ting-Lu to facilitate their wallbreaking, and common Pokemon like Miraidon and various Arceus formes can use Taunt to prevent Ting-Lu from setting Spikes. Furthermore, Ting-Lu is entirely reliant on Leftovers for healing, so Knock Off or any status condition greatly reduces its longevity.
[SET]
Entry Hazard Support (Ting-Lu) @ Leftovers
Ability: Vessel of Ruin
Tera Type: Grass / Poison
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Spikes
- Earthquake / Payback
- Ruination / Payback
- Whirlwind
[SET COMMENTS]
Massive bulk, a great movepool, and an absolute godsend of a typing cement Ting-Lu as a core part of the metagame, checking key threats like Calyrex-S, Miraidon, and Necrozma-DM. Spikes are an essential part of Ting-Lu's kit, chipping key defensive walls like Arceus-Ground, Arceus-Water, and opposing Ting-Lu into KO range of the powerful wallbreakers that it is often paired with, in addition to limiting common revenge killers like Choice Scarf Calyrex-S and Koraidon; futhermore, the dearth of relevant entry hazard removal means that each layer of Spikes is usually permanent. Earthquake does large amounts of damage to Miraidon and Eternatus and is a decently strong hit on most neutral targets. Ruination is an important tool for limiting Ting-Lu's switch-ins and forcing Arceus formes to use Recover, as well as being the best move to weaken opposing Ting-Lu. Payback can be run over either Earthquake or Ruination to OHKO Calyrex-S for teams that are weaker to it, though this will result in Ting-Lu either struggling against Miraidon or failing to punish switch-ins, depending on which move is replaced. Whirlwind allows Ting-Lu to handle setup sweepers like Necrozma-DM and Arceus-Ground, as well as racking up additional damage from Spikes. Tera Grass can turn the tables on Kyogre and makes Ting-Lu an effective check to Dragon Dance Arceus-Ground. Tera Poison instead lets Ting-Lu resist Koraidon's Low Kick and Fairy-type attacks from Zacian-C and Arceus-Fairy, be immune to Eternatus's Toxic, and remove Eternatus's Toxic Spikes, albeit at the cost of becoming weak to Psychic- and Ground-type attacks from Calyrex-S, Necrozma-DM, and Arceus-Ground. Both Tera types additionally let Ting-Lu resist Calyrex-S's Grass Knot.
Ting-Lu is so incredible that it's hard to find reasons not to use it. It can slot into any playstyle besides hyper offense and likely improve the team. That being said, Ting-Lu's glaring weakness to Koraidon necessitates partners that can handle it, such as Ho-Oh and defensive Arceus formes. Kyogre is another troublesome wallbreaker, so teammates that can pivot into it like Eternatus, Koraidon, and Miraidon are greatly appreciated, with Eternatus additionally absorbing Toxic Spikes for Ting-Lu. Reliance on Leftovers for healing means that Ting-Lu can be overwhelmed by Miraidon and Calyrex-S, so backup checks to them like Arceus-Ground for the former and Ho-Oh or Arceus for the latter are very important. Almost every offensive threat benefits from Ting-Lu's Spikes digging into its checks, as well as the backbone it provides against Calyrex-S and Miraidon. Koraidon and Miraidon are especially notable partners, as they can maintain momentum with U-turn to accrue additional entry hazard damage on defensive Arceus formes and Ting-Lu, respectively, with Koraidon also taking advantage of opposing Ting-Lu attempting to trade hazards with Ting-Lu. Necrozma-DM is another teammate that benefits greatly from Ting-Lu's Spikes support weakening opposing teams to the point where it can sweep with Dragon Dance, and it provides additional support as a check to Zacian-C and another pivot for Eternatus, while Ting-Lu can check Calyrex-S for it.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/glory.584685/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/rose.511181/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/frozoid.532881/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/rose.511181/
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Ting-Lu has plenty of fringe options. Fissure can be used in a similar vein to Ruination, punishing switch-ins and OHKOing bulky sweepers that would typically beat Ting-Lu, though its inherent inconsistency and inability to touch Ho-Oh mean that it is generally inferior. Protect can be used to gain additional healing from Leftovers and scout Choice Scarf Koraidon's attacks, though this means giving up a valuable moveslot for minimal upsides. Stealth Rock can be used to stack additional passive damage on top of Spikes, though the difficulty of fitting it into Ting-Lu's moveset and lack of general effectiveness over Spikes mean that it is usually better delegating Stealth Rock to a partner like Arceus-Water, if it's run at all. Similarly, Taunt can be used, with some extra Speed investment, to gain an advantage over opposing Ting-Lu, though this has minimal other use and struggles to fit into Ting-Lu's cramped moveset. A wide variety of Tera types can be used, such as Steel and Fairy, to fill whatever niche is required; these have far less overall use than Tera Grass or Tera Poison though.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Koraidon**: Koraidon heavily threatens Ting-Lu with its powerful Low Kick and can switch into it with relative safety, though it doesn't appreciate getting hit by Ruination or Earthquake.
**Kyogre**: Kyogre deals massive damage to Ting-Lu and can typically use it as an entry point; Tera Grass Ting-Lu can turn the tables against it though.
**Ho-Oh**: Ting-Lu is incapable of doing much damage to Ho-Oh, and it can get crippled by a Sacred Fire burn or take a lot of damage from offensive sets. Ho-Oh doesn't immediately force Ting-Lu out though, and it can often allow multiple layers of Spikes to go up.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/glory.584685/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/rose.511181/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/frozoid.532881/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/rose.511181/
Ting-Lu is a dominant presence in Anything Goes, filling the role of the metagame's most crucial defensive glue while simultaneously providing indispensable offensive support. Ting-Lu is blessed with a fantastic typing that—in tandem with its titanic, Vessel of Ruin-boosted bulk—makes it the single best switch-in to Miraidon, one of the most consistent Calyrex-S checks, and a soft check to Necrozma-DM, Eternatus, and a plethora of other threats. This incredible defensive profile grants Ting-Lu many opportunities to set multiple layers of Spikes, making it that much harder for the foes to weather hits from its teammates. This unrivaled combination of traits means that Ting-Lu should be used on nearly every team bar hyper offense ones. Though, as fantastic as Ting-Lu is, its omnipresence means that methods to limit its impact or take advantage of it are common. Koraidon and Kyogre are able to exploit Ting-Lu to facilitate their wallbreaking, and common Pokemon like Miraidon and various Arceus formes can use Taunt to prevent Ting-Lu from setting Spikes. Furthermore, Ting-Lu is entirely reliant on Leftovers for healing, so Knock Off or any status condition greatly reduces its longevity.
[SET]
Entry Hazard Support (Ting-Lu) @ Leftovers
Ability: Vessel of Ruin
Tera Type: Grass / Poison
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Spikes
- Earthquake / Payback
- Ruination / Payback
- Whirlwind
[SET COMMENTS]
Massive bulk, a great movepool, and an absolute godsend of a typing cement Ting-Lu as a core part of the metagame, checking key threats like Calyrex-S, Miraidon, and Necrozma-DM. Spikes are an essential part of Ting-Lu's kit, chipping key defensive walls like Arceus-Ground, Arceus-Water, and opposing Ting-Lu into KO range of the powerful wallbreakers that it is often paired with, in addition to limiting common revenge killers like Choice Scarf Calyrex-S and Koraidon; futhermore, the dearth of relevant entry hazard removal means that each layer of Spikes is usually permanent. Earthquake does large amounts of damage to Miraidon and Eternatus and is a decently strong hit on most neutral targets. Ruination is an important tool for limiting Ting-Lu's switch-ins and forcing Arceus formes to use Recover, as well as being the best move to weaken opposing Ting-Lu. Payback can be run over either Earthquake or Ruination to OHKO Calyrex-S for teams that are weaker to it, though this will result in Ting-Lu either struggling against Miraidon or failing to punish switch-ins, depending on which move is replaced. Whirlwind allows Ting-Lu to handle setup sweepers like Necrozma-DM and Arceus-Ground, as well as racking up additional damage from Spikes. Tera Grass can turn the tables on Kyogre and makes Ting-Lu an effective check to Dragon Dance Arceus-Ground. Tera Poison instead lets Ting-Lu resist Koraidon's Low Kick and Fairy-type attacks from Zacian-C and Arceus-Fairy, be immune to Eternatus's Toxic, and remove Eternatus's Toxic Spikes, albeit at the cost of becoming weak to Psychic- and Ground-type attacks from Calyrex-S, Necrozma-DM, and Arceus-Ground. Both Tera types additionally let Ting-Lu resist Calyrex-S's Grass Knot.
Ting-Lu is so incredible that it's hard to find reasons not to use it. It can slot into any playstyle besides hyper offense and likely improve the team. That being said, Ting-Lu's glaring weakness to Koraidon necessitates partners that can handle it, such as Ho-Oh and defensive Arceus formes. Kyogre is another troublesome wallbreaker, so teammates that can pivot into it like Eternatus, Koraidon, and Miraidon are greatly appreciated, with Eternatus additionally absorbing Toxic Spikes for Ting-Lu. Reliance on Leftovers for healing means that Ting-Lu can be overwhelmed by Miraidon and Calyrex-S, so backup checks to them like Arceus-Ground for the former and Ho-Oh or Arceus for the latter are very important. Almost every offensive threat benefits from Ting-Lu's Spikes digging into its checks, as well as the backbone it provides against Calyrex-S and Miraidon. Koraidon and Miraidon are especially notable partners, as they can maintain momentum with U-turn to accrue additional entry hazard damage on defensive Arceus formes and Ting-Lu, respectively, with Koraidon also taking advantage of opposing Ting-Lu attempting to trade hazards with Ting-Lu. Necrozma-DM is another teammate that benefits greatly from Ting-Lu's Spikes support weakening opposing teams to the point where it can sweep with Dragon Dance, and it provides additional support as a check to Zacian-C and another pivot for Eternatus, while Ting-Lu can check Calyrex-S for it.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/glory.584685/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/rose.511181/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/frozoid.532881/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/rose.511181/
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Ting-Lu has plenty of fringe options. Fissure can be used in a similar vein to Ruination, punishing switch-ins and OHKOing bulky sweepers that would typically beat Ting-Lu, though its inherent inconsistency and inability to touch Ho-Oh mean that it is generally inferior. Protect can be used to gain additional healing from Leftovers and scout Choice Scarf Koraidon's attacks, though this means giving up a valuable moveslot for minimal upsides. Stealth Rock can be used to stack additional passive damage on top of Spikes, though the difficulty of fitting it into Ting-Lu's moveset and lack of general effectiveness over Spikes mean that it is usually better delegating Stealth Rock to a partner like Arceus-Water, if it's run at all. Similarly, Taunt can be used, with some extra Speed investment, to gain an advantage over opposing Ting-Lu, though this has minimal other use and struggles to fit into Ting-Lu's cramped moveset. A wide variety of Tera types can be used, such as Steel and Fairy, to fill whatever niche is required; these have far less overall use than Tera Grass or Tera Poison though.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Koraidon**: Koraidon heavily threatens Ting-Lu with its powerful Low Kick and can switch into it with relative safety, though it doesn't appreciate getting hit by Ruination or Earthquake.
**Kyogre**: Kyogre deals massive damage to Ting-Lu and can typically use it as an entry point; Tera Grass Ting-Lu can turn the tables against it though.
**Ho-Oh**: Ting-Lu is incapable of doing much damage to Ho-Oh, and it can get crippled by a Sacred Fire burn or take a lot of damage from offensive sets. Ho-Oh doesn't immediately force Ting-Lu out though, and it can often allow multiple layers of Spikes to go up.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/glory.584685/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/rose.511181/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/frozoid.532881/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/rose.511181/
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