[OVERVIEW]
+ Access to Shell Smash, Acrobatics, and nice offensive stats in Core Form gives rise to a sweeping role
+ Immunity to status in Meteor Form helps prevent it from being crippled while setting up
+ Various coverage options make it slightly harder to play around
- Defenses are rather lackluster, even in Meteor Form, and its typing is less-than optimal defensively
- Form is dependent entirely upon HP, which is hard to control on the player's part
- Weak to common priority moves, and unprotected by Psychic Terrain
[SET]
name: Shell Smash Sweeper
move 1: Shell Smash
move 2: Acrobatics
move 3: Stone Edge / Power Gem / Rock Slide
move 4: Earthquake / Substitute / Explosion
item: White Herb
nature: Adamant/Naughty
evs: 76 HP/252 Atk/8 Def/4 SpD/168 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
- Shell Smash gives tremendous boosts to its offensive stats
- +2 Actobatics after White Herb is consumed deals considerable damage to anything that doesn't resist it
- Stone Edge is strong secondary STAB, Power Gem hits hard on the special side; Power Gem is notable being stronger against Skarmory and Landorus-T, whereas Stone Edge can hit Pokémon like Celesteela and Rotom-W
- Earthquake provides solid coverage for things that STABs don't hit in the form of the famed EdgeQuake coverage.
where are the other moves (power gem / rock slide / sub / explosion) if it's slashed or a noteworthy move, it needs to be mentioned here
Set Details
========
- Shell Smash allows Core Form Minior to outspeed pretty much anything outside of Pheromosa and the fastest of scarfers, so really all that needs investment is HP and Attack
- The EVs are customizable to an extent, depending on what you need to outspeed and survive. An Adamant Nature is usually preferred over Naughty unless Minior is running Power Gem, as with the bulk that it has, you want it to keep as much of its defenses as you can.
- The above set lets you outspeed Max speed Tapu Koko after a Shell Smash in Meteor Form, maximizes your main STAB, and dumps the rest of the EVs into bulk. The odd setup of defensive EVs is to make sure that Minior's HP is divisible by four, so that two hits of Stealth Rock or Stealth Rock and Substitute will automatically put it in Core Form, while maintaining the damage calculations of simply running 88 HP EVs
- A set of 172 HP/84 Spe could be run in order to outspeed neutral speed Volcanion before a smash and Thundurus afterward, and the HP allows you to survive Adamant Lando-T's Stone Edge and Celesteela's Heavy Slam, all in Meteor Form
- For all sets, if running Power Gem, the HP EVs could instead be put into SpA to increase its power, and Naughty would be preferred over Adamant. A simpler EV spread of 12 HP/252 Atk/76 SpA/168 Spe would suffice for this variant
- If you want a simple EV spread, 252 EVs in Speed and a Jolly Nature will let you outspeed Pheromosa and Choice Scarf Lando-T, Tapu Lele, and Excadrill after a Shell Smash, all in Meteor Form
- Focus Sash is an option to consider if you want to survive a strong hit, get into Core Form, and hit harder back. This, however, makes it harder to properly control, as it must ensure its sash will break to get the full power from Acrobatics.
- Substitute is also an option to consider over Stone Edge; while not adding to Minior's coverage, when combined with Stealth Rock, it allows Minior to chip down right into its Core Form, while keeping its immunity to Status for the time being
Usage Tips
========
- This is meant to be a late-game sweeper, taking care of the opposing team once it gets a chance to set up and everything has been weakened to an extent
- Try to get rid of its checks and counters before sending it out, but if they're sufficiently weakened, Minior can still clean them up after setting up
- Given its frailty and Stealth Rock weakness, do not try to send this in too early, or its cleaning abilities will be greatly compromised
Team Options
========
- Steel-types like Magnezone, Metagross, and Excadrill help cover its Rock and Ice-type weaknesses. Magnezone is especially useful for getting rid of Mega Scizor, a major threat to its sweep, along with other Steel-types like Celesteela, Skarmory, and Ferrothorn
- Physically Defensive Rotom-W is a great teammate, resisting Ice-type and Electric-type moves and helping stop common priority users like Mega Metagross and Mamoswine
- As Minior is meant to OHKO everything that's left, Stealth Rock setters like Mamoswine are almost a necessity.
- Memento from Dugtrio or Aurora Veil from Alolan Ninetales are things to consider if you want a way to lower your opponent's offensive power to make it easier for Minior to set up and sweep.
no hazard removal?? no blanket checks for water / electric types?
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
- Suicide Lead with Stealth Rock, but it is generally outclassed by things like
Mega Aerodactyl and azelf
- Double-Edge could be used if you want to knock yourself into Core Form rather than having your opponent do it for you. If you're faster than the opponent, however, you may end up having to take a hit with lowered defenses, which is not something you'd want to do
Checks and Counters
===================
**Priority**: Priority attacks are relatively common, and Ice Shard, Bullet Punch, and Aqua Jet are all super effective against Minior. Minior cannot be protected by Psychic Terrain, so these priority attacks are all capable of deterring Minior after it has been weakened.
**Speed**: Fast Pokémon that can outspeed a boosted Minior while it is still in Meteor Form, such as Pheromosa and Choice Scarf Tapu Lele, Excadrill, and Garchomp, can all hit back with a strong move and potentially end a sweep before it has even begun.
**Bulky Steel-types**: Skarmory, Celesteela, and Mega Scizor do not appreciate taking repeated hits from a boosted Minior; however, they can set up and/or stall out a few turns of the sweep, and, in the case of the latter two, possibly retaliate with their respective hard-hitting Steel-type moves.
**Bulky Water-types**: Gastrodon, Physically Rotom-W, and Azumarill can all safely switch in as Minior Shell Smashes, take a hit, and retaliate with a Water-type move.
**Physically Defensive Pokémon**: Hippowdon, Rotom-W, and Ferrothorn are capable of taking even its strongest hits and either phazing it out or retaliating with an OHKO of their own. Quagsire just ignores all of its boosts, and Landorus-T lowers Minior's Attack and threatens with a Stone Edge of its own.
**Stealth Rock**: While Minior appreciates anything that can get it closer to Core Form, Stealth Rock is still going to take out a large portion of its HP, and this can put it into range of an OHKO it might have otherwise avoided.