Announcement National Dex UU Suspect 8: Little Bunny Foo Foo (Azumarill unbanned)

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:ss/azumarill:
:azumarill:
Song creatively borrowed from Gen 6 DOU's Azumarill suspect because I am not a music buff

Having kept an eye on Blaziken for about two weeks now, we are in agreement that it is manageable for now. As a result, we are moving into our 7th Suspect, the long awaited Azumarill retest!

Suspect Reasoning
Azumarill was last around during the Mega Venusaur meta, being banned for its Choice Band set despite the significant presence of Mega Venusaur in the meta. The meta nowadays is unrecognisable when compared to that meta, and we believe there is enough defensive and offensive counterplay to it to make it worthy of a retest.

While Azumarill is undoubtedly extremely powerful, NatDex UU is no stranger to powerful wallbreakers like Melmetal, Urshifu-Rapid-Strike, Primarina and Buzzwole, several of which already outdamage Azumarill. Additionally, its low speed and lack of recovery mean Azumarill requires a significant amount of team support to function as a wallbreaker, as it is not bulky enough to come in on Pokemon whose STABs it doesn't resist repeatedly, and is additionally prone to revenge killing. Additionally, common defensive Pokemon like Amoonguss, Skarmory and Physically Defensive Tangrowth can switch into or pivot on Choice Band Azumarill, and a choice locked Azumarill can be exploited by several sweepers and wallbreakers. Choice Band sets also face some competition with Urshifu-Rapid-Strike, of course, due to Urshifu's higher speed and stronger STABs, while also still possessing a reasonably powerful Aqua Jet of its own and even U-turn.

That isn't to say Choice Band Azumarill wouldn't be a good Pokemon, of course. Water/Fairy STAB with a way to deal with common resists is really good (which between Knock Off or Ice Punch, it has), as Primarina has demonstrated already. Azumarill also boasts the third most powerful unboosted priority in the tier (behind only Scizor and Bisharp), making it more useful in matchups against offensive teams than Primarina and, thus, easier to fit. Of course, Azumarill is also absurdly powerful, with its Choice Banded Play Rough being among the strongest attacks in the metagame, up there with Melmetal's Double Iron Bash and Urshifu-Rapid-Strike's Close Combat, and Liquidation is not much weaker. It's also bulky enough to take most unboosted neutral hits and just fast enough to be able to outspeed most relevant walls with some investment.

The set most likely to be problematic, however, and the one to have some concerns raised about, is the Belly Drum set, due to the relative lack of common faster offensive water resists whose STABs aren't resisted by Azumarill. It also easily overwhelms normal defensive counterplay to Azumarill when boosted, and it goes without saying +6 Aqua Jet will OHKO any offensive Pokemon that doesn't resist it - even those that do resist it will take at least half from it. This makes Belly Drum Azumarill an extremely scary win condition to face, especially for slower or fatter teams, who will find their typical Azumarill defensive checks vaporised by +6 Play Rough or Knock Off.

However, Belly Drum does have some noticeable flaws, namely the fact that it will never be at full after clicking Belly Drum. This is especially the case with the Z-Belly Drum variant, which will never be higher than 50% at +6. While Sitrus Berry does theoretically let you reach 75%, this is realistically going to be rare unless both entry hazards aren't active and the opponent lets you set up for free, which is doubtful if the opponent has already suspected Azumarill as Belly Drum or is playing extra cautiously. It is also harder to setup with without taking significant chip due to not having Z-Belly Drum's health restore effect, as Sitrus sets cannot afford to take more than 75%. Belly Drum Azumarill is also often functionally useless (bar revenging something with Aqua Jet) prior to getting the opportunity to setup as a result, as you have to be extremely careful to not let it take too much chip (though not as much the case with Z-Belly Drum), and an unboosted Azumarill isn't particularly strong. This makes actually getting it in to set up difficult.

The Belly Drum health loss and chip it takes setting up also means that strong resisted STAB hits will often do enough to eliminate a Belly Drummed Azumarill, significantly increasing the pool of faster water resists that can deal with Azumarill. Additionally, Rotom-Wash, Mega Altaria, Zarude, and Salamence, while not exactly an enormous list of Pokemon that resist Aqua Jet and already hit it for neutral or better, are quite splashable as is. Offensive Buzzwole can also take a +6 Aqua Jet and either do significant damage or kill with STAB or Earthquake after a Belly Drum.

252+ Atk Choice Band Huge Power Azumarill Play Rough vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Tangrowth: 220-261 (54.4 - 64.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Iron Fist Melmetal Double Iron Bash (2 hits) vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Tangrowth: 230-272 (56.9 - 67.3%) -- approx. 2HKO
252 Atk Choice Band Urshifu-Rapid-Strike Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Tangrowth: 241-285 (59.6 - 70.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252 Atk Choice Band Urshifu-Rapid-Strike Close Combat vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Azumarill: 177-208 (51.7 - 60.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
0 Atk Pixilate Altaria-Mega Return vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Azumarill: 171-202 (50 - 59%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
(reminder that the standard support/defensive set runs 56 speed and therefore outspeeds anyways)

252 SpA Choice Specs Keldeo Hydro Pump vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Azumarill: 161-190 (47 - 55.5%) -- 76.2% chance to 2HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Keldeo Focus Blast vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Azumarill: 176-207 (51.4 - 60.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

Suspect Test Information
  • Reading this is mandatory to participate in the suspect test. The voting requirements are a minimum GXE of 79 with at least 40 games played. In addition, you may play 1 less game for every 0.2 GXE you have above 79 GXE, down to a minimum of 20 games at a GXE of 83. Also, needing more than 40 games to reach 79 GXE will suffice.
  • GXEminimum games
    7940
    79.239
    79.438
    79.637
    79.836
    8035
    80.234
    80.433
    80.632
    80.831
    8130
    81.229
    81.428
    81.627
    81.826
    8225
    82.224
    82.423
    82.622
    82.821
    8320
  • You must use a fresh account that begins with the given prefix for this suspect test. That prefix is NDUUAZU. For example, I could signup and qualify with the name NDUUAZU Niadev.
  • You may not impersonate or mock another user with your account name. If there is any slight hesitation, you're probably better off picking a different name. We reserve the right to null your voting requisites if you are found impersonating or mocking another user with your account name. Moderator discretion will be applied.
  • If you are found trying to manipulate voting requisites in any way, you will be met with a harsh infraction. Manipulating voting requisites ranges from faking your screenshot to asking another user to forfeit.
  • The Pokemon that's being suspect tested, Azumarill, will be allowed on the National Dex UU ladder for the next two weeks so that we can properly assess its position in the metagame.
  • This suspect test will go on for two weeks. It will last until January the 28th at 11:59 PM GMT.
 
Nobody has posted yet and the suspect is almost over - guess I'll share my thoughts.

:ss/Azumarill:

As of now, I think there are only two sets that can be argued into Azumarill's brokeness. These are the Belly Drum and Choice Band sets. Sets will be posted below;
Azumarill @ Normalium Z
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Play Rough
- Knock Off
- Belly Drum

Azumarill @ Choice Band
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Play Rough
- Liquidation
- Aqua Jet
- Ice Punch

EVs can definitely be changed around a bit, I just like being able to compete vs other Adamant Azumarill.

There are other sets that I think range from viable to niche, such as AV and PerishTrap, but I'll talk about those later in the post.

Belly Drum
Belly Drum is most commonly seen on Hyper Offense team, often being supported by a Screen setter such as Grimmsnarl. Azumarill functions greatly on these teams, as it offers a powerful setup sweeper with priority while also having good natural bulk. OHKO'ing Azumarill behind Screens is near impossible, which means that Azumarill's natural bulk allows it to pretty much always set up a Belly Drum safely. This means that, whenever you're facing a Hyper Offense team with an Azumarill on it, it'll likely be at +6 Attack sometime in the match. On paper, this may seem really broken. After all, pretty much the entire tier dies to a +6 Attack Azumarill. Aqua Jet picks off faster threats such as Zeraora and Mega Manectric, so it being slow doesn't really matter. Or at least, that's what it looks like.

In practice, this plays a lot differently. Even behind Screens, Azumarill will always end up at 51% MAX after setting up a Belly Drum (not 75%, we're not running Sitrus Berry here). Even behind Screens, this means Azumarill is putting itself in KO range for a lot of Pokemon that can take a +6 Aqua Jet. Here are some examples, in order of the VR;
  • :melmetal: Melmetal may not be faster, but is able to live every hit from full, even at +6, and often kills with its STAB in return
252+ Atk Iron Fist Melmetal Double Iron Bash (2 hits) vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Azumarill through Reflect: 168-198 (49.1 - 57.8%) -- approx. 98.8% chance to 2HKO

+6 252+ Atk Huge Power Azumarill Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Melmetal: 376-443 (79.3 - 93.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+6 252+ Atk Huge Power Azumarill Aqua Jet vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Melmetal: 232-274 (48.9 - 57.8%) -- 96.1% chance to 2HKO
  • :urshifu: Urshifu-RS lives Aqua Jet easily and is able to kill through Screens with Surging Strikes, since Surging Strikes' 100% crit ratio ignores Reflect
252 Atk Choice Band Urshifu-Rapid-Strike Surging Strikes (3 hits) vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Azumarill on a critical hit: 165-198 (48.2 - 57.8%) -- approx. 98% chance to 2HKO

+6 252+ Atk Huge Power Azumarill Aqua Jet vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Urshifu-Rapid-Strike: 158-186 (46.3 - 54.5%) -- 62.1% chance to 2HKO
  • :primarina: Primarina is able to live a +6 Aqua Jet and kill with Energy Ball in return, even through Light Screen.
252+ SpA Choice Specs Primarina Energy Ball vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Azumarill through Light Screen: 191-225 (56 - 65.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

+6 252+ Atk Huge Power Azumarill Aqua Jet vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Primarina: 202-238 (67.1 - 79%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
  • :buzzwole: Choice Band or Poisonium Z Buzzwole also lives +6 Aqua Jet and kills with Poison Jab through Reflect
252+ Atk Choice Band Buzzwole Poison Jab vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Azumarill through Reflect: 181-214 (53 - 62.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
0 Atk Buzzwole Acid Downpour (160 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Azumarill through Reflect: 184-217 (53.9 - 63.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

+6 252+ Atk Huge Power Azumarill Aqua Jet vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Buzzwole: 238-282 (67 - 79.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

(Note that this also helps vs other checks like Primarina and Mega Altaria, so it's definitely not an unviable set)
  • :zarude: Standard Zarude easily kills with Power Whip and eats up Aqua Jet
252 Atk Zarude Power Whip vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Azumarill through Reflect: 223-264 (65.3 - 77.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

+6 252+ Atk Huge Power Azumarill Aqua Jet vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Zarude: 153-180 (43.4 - 51.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
  • :dragonite: Offensive DD Dragonite kills with unboosted Z-Fly behind Reflect. Even defensive Dragonite can cripple Azumarill with a Toxic or Thunder Wave
252 Atk Dragonite Supersonic Skystrike (175 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Azumarill through Reflect: 176-207 (51.6 - 60.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

+6 252+ Atk Huge Power Azumarill Aqua Jet vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Multiscale Dragonite: 82-97 (25.3 - 30%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
  • :tapu-bulu: Even 0 Attack Bulu has a range to KO with Horn Leech, and overall acts as a great check to Belly Drum Azumarill
104 Atk Tapu Bulu Horn Leech vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Azumarill in Grassy Terrain through Reflect: 174-205 (51 - 60.1%) -- 87.5% chance to 2HKO after Grassy Terrain recovery
0 Atk Tapu Bulu Wood Hammer vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Azumarill in Grassy Terrain through Reflect: 253-298 (74.1 - 87.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Grassy Terrain recovery

+6 252+ Atk Huge Power Azumarill Aqua Jet vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Tapu Bulu: 141-166 (50.1 - 59%) -- 78.5% chance to 2HKO after Grassy Terrain recovery
  • :volcanion: Volcanion is getting experimented with more, and I personally think it's a great check to Azumarill, especially the Choice Specs variant
252 SpA Choice Specs Volcanion Sludge Wave vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Azumarill through Light Screen: 187-221 (54.8 - 64.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

I know this initially may seem like a pretty small list, but keep in mind all of these are in the hypothetical BEST situation for the Azumarill, with having both Screens active as well as being at the maximum amount of HP it could achieve (51% in this case).
If the situation isn't absolutely perfect for the Azumarill user, suddenly a lot more Pokemon are able to threaten or straight up stop an Azumarill sweep. This especially is the case if Screens aren't up - here are some examples
  • :altaria-mega: 252 Atk Pixilate Altaria-Mega Return vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Azumarill: 213-252 (62.2 - 73.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
  • :rotom-wash: 0 SpA Rotom-Wash Volt Switch vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Azumarill: 188-224 (54.9 - 65.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
  • :salamence: 252 SpA Salamence Hurricane vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Azumarill: 193-228 (56.4 - 66.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
  • :weezing-galar: 0 SpA Weezing-Galar Sludge Bomb vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Azumarill: 204-242 (59.6 - 70.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

All in all, I think we pack enough offensive counterplay within the tier to deal with Belly Drum Azumarill. Now let's take a look at Choice Band.

Choice Band
Choice Band is more a set for Bulky Offense type builds. A powerful breaker that also holds a defensive niche in being able to soft-check some Pokemon like Urshifu-RS, Keldeo and others. I personally think this set is a lot more tame than Belly Drum, simply because you're locked into one singular move. If you lock yourself into Aqua Jet, numerous of Pokemon in the tier can take advantage of it. Lock yourself into Play Rough or something else, you'll find that your speed tier is significantly holding you back.

Because of this, the amount of checks are also significantly higher. Physically Defensive Tangrowth, Amoonguss, Skarmory, Galarian Slowbro, Scizor, Alomomola and suddenly have a much easier time to deal with Azumarill. Sure, Tangrowth can still get 2HKO'd by Play Rough and Galarian Slowbro by Knock Off, but they can still comfortably take a single hit when pivoting in to scout, and switch out to a teammate that's able to take the hit (while getting Regenerator back in the process, allowing you to switch into Azumarill multiple times a game).

I'm not even going to bother showing calcs for this, but a lot of checks that were mentioned for Belly Drum still apply here. Rotom-Wash, Volcanion, Tapu Bulu and Melmetal are all very solid checks to Choice Band as well.

Not to mention that Azumarill actually has a hard time coming in as well. Taking near 50% from Pokemon like CB Urshifu-RS or Specs Keldeo is an insane amount of damage, and those are 'mons you'd want to come in on. Its slow speed tier + average bulk without Screens support significantly holds Azumarill back from being something broken imo.

So why unban Azumarill now of all times?
Well, I'd say a lot has changed since Azumarill has been banned. We lacked a shitload of Aqua Jet resists that we now have - or are more popular. For example, Dragonite as banned, Mega Altaria and Intimidate Salamence were still considered lower tier, Melmetal, Tangrowth, Tapu Bulu and Rotom-Wash were OU. A lot has changed and I definitely think Azumarill has a nice place in the metagame. It'll be a top tier threat for sure, but I don't think it's any different than other sweepers that are present within the tier.

Unban Azumarill
 
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