Pokémon Urshifu-Rapid Strike

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agslash23

Banned deucer.
Approved by ausma
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Fighting-type Water-type

Base Stats
HP​
Attack​
Defense​
Sp. Attack​
Sp. Defense​
Speed​
Total: 550
100​
130​
100​
63​
60​
97​

Abilities: Unseen Fist

Notable Moves:
  • Surging Strikes
  • Close Combat
  • Taunt
  • Swords Dance
  • Aqua Jet
  • U-Turn
  • Thunder Punch
  • Ice Punch
  • Zen Headbutt
  • Fire Punch
  • Bulk Up
  • Drain Punch
Pros
+ Fighting/Water is excellent offensively - hitting most of the tier for at least neutral coverage
+ It has an insanely strong attack stat of 130, backed by nuclear STABs in Surging Strikes and Close Combat
+ It gained Swords Dance as a new addition, which makes it stronger than ever. Coupled with Taunt, it can demolish almost anything slower than it (including Dondozo), even some checks to its STAB combo like Toxapex, Dragonite (with Tera for latter) if they don't hit it hard enough
+ It has a decent speed tier that lets it outspeed not only all the defensive Pokemon that it seeks to break, but some very relevant metagame staples like Great Tusk, Landorus-Therian, Gholdengo, Baxcalibur, Heatran, Magearna, Kingambit, Ursaluna, etc..
+ Fighting/Water is solid defensively and this lets it resists STABs from dangerous sweepers and wall breakers like Kingambit, Chien Pao, Hisuian-Arcanine.
+ Its good bulk (especially on the physical side) lets it switch into weaker attacks from Dondozo as well as survive hits like +1 Adamant Tera Normal Extremespeed from Dragonite and +2 Tera Dark Sucker Punch Kingambit from full HP
+ It has some decent utility moves like U-Turn, Aqua Jet additionally
+ It makes great use of Protective Pads as it boosts the power of Surging Strikes while preventing contact punishment which is typically a risk with a multi-hit move like Surging Strikes
+ Surging Strikes further lets it ignore defense boosts and Reflect, letting it damage Zamazenta formes hard
+ Due to its ability Unseen fist, Protection moves are a dangerous waste of turn vs it

Cons
- While its speed is good enough to outspeed most bulkier walls as well as some meta-relevant pokemon, it's also slower than a lot of Pokemon that hit it super effectively like Iron Valiant, Enamorus-I, Zapdos, Roaring Moon, Tornadus-Therian, Mewoscarada.
- Its special bulk is average, which means that it can't take Special attacks well. Even weaker or resisted special attacks from stuff like Slowking-Galar, Heatran, Volcanion etc. wear it down very quickly
- Hates status of all kinds - Burn makes its moves weaker, paralysis makes it slower than stuff like Magerana, and poison/toxic means it can't be setup effectively.
- It hates Knock off, despite its typing and bulk - since it has a lot of dependency on its item, be it Punching Gloves, Choice Band, or Choice Scarf.
- It is worn down easily by Hazards, Spikes in Particular.
- While Water/Fighting is a great offensive type, it also lets in stuff like Amoongus, Slowking, Azumarill, Dragapult. The first 2 wall it and hit it with a super effective move, the next 2 can either set up on it or outright OHKO it
- It faces heavy competition from various strong fighting types in the tier like Zamazenta formes, Sneasler, Iron Valiant, Lilligant-Hisui, Great Tusk. The latter provides much more utility, while the rest are faster and have a better matchup vs Offense. However, none of them break bulkier teams quite like Urshifu-R


Tera Potential

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  • After 1 Swords Dance (boost of +2), Reliably 2HKO resists like Dragonite, Toxapex (Physically Defensive), and OHKOes Azumarill after Stealth Rock.
  • Also, removes its Fairy, Psychic and Flying weakness, letting it survive a hit from Azumarill, Slowking, Tornadus-Therian
1685636851909.png

  • Removes Grass and Electric weakness, letting it take on and beat Amoongus with SD and Taunt, as well surprise and beat Meowscarada and Rotom-W
  • Still 2HKOes Physically Defensive Toxapex at +2, but after a layer of Stealth Rock
  • 2HKOes specially defensive Dondozo if Swords Dance set, and can 2HKO physically defensive Dondozo with Choice Band
While Tera based on either STAB seems to be the best Tera option for Urshifu-R, some more Tera options like Flying, Steel, Poison, Psychic, and Ground could be tried in the future.

Sets

Urshifu-Rapid-Strike @ Punching Glove
Jolly Nature
Tera Type: Water/Fighting
Ability: Unseen Fist
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
- Surging Strikes
- Close Combat
- Swords Dance
- Taunt

This is likely to be the go-to Urshifu-R set, as it is a dangerous wall breaker and stall breaker in one, thanks to Swords Dance and Taunt. It can literally beat almost anything slower (including the sturdiest physical walls like Dondozo), barring some niche and otherwise subpar options like Tera Ghost Storm Drain Gastrodon.

Urshifu-Rapid-Strike @ Choice Band
Jolly Nature
Tera Type: Fighting/Water
Ability: Unseen Fist
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
- Surging Strikes
- Close Combat
- Aqua Jet
- U-turn

On the other hand, Urshifu-R can trade its stall-breaking capabilities for more immediate power and some additional utility like Aqua Jet to revenge kill non-Tera Volcarona and U-turn to retain momentum vs its checks like Toxapex, Amoongus and Dragonite. While both STAB teras can work, Tera Fighting is better on Choice Band sets to 2HKO all variants of non-Tera Dondozo.

Other Options
Choice Scarf can be used to revenge kill offensive checks like Enamorus, Roaring Moon, while offering fast pivoting. However, it lacks the power of Choice Band, as well as the stall-breaking ability of Swords Dance Taunt sets. It needs heavy chip on a lot of its offensive checks like Iron Valiant, Dragapult. etc.. An Annihilape/Palafin-like Specially Defensive set with Bulk Up, Taunt, Drain Punch and Surging Strikes/Aqua Jet can be tried, but it lacks the typing and power of Palafin, as well as a busted move like Rage Fist.

Verdict

I think Urshifu-Rapid-Strike will be one of the best offensive Pokemon in the metagame, as with either SD or Band, its breaking ability is almost unparalleled (probably only bettered by Ursaluna, but Ursaluna wished that it had Urshifu-R's speed) as it can beat even a blanket physical wall like Dondozo, as well as its old counters like Toxapex. While it needs speed control and appreciates Hazard removal, those are really easy to fit on the offensive teams that Urshifu-R fits on.
 

Attachments

Been using SD + Drain Punch with Punching Gloves which I stole from mkap and its kinda legit. You do notice the power loss in several MUs, but no defense drops is useful vs faster Pokemon and Drain Punch's recovery is really useful to recover from hazard damage, more consistently check Chien-Pao / Samurott-H, and make it more difficult to revenge kill.
 

agslash23

Banned deucer.
Been using SD + Drain Punch with Punching Gloves which I stole from mkap and its kinda legit. You do notice the power loss in several MUs, but no defense drops is useful vs faster Pokemon and Drain Punch's recovery is really useful to recover from hazard damage, more consistently check Chien-Pao / Samurott-H, and make it more difficult to revenge kill.
Sounds fun. Can you share the exact set with EVs and all?
 
Sounds fun. Can you share the exact set with EVs and all?
Urshifu-Rapid-Strike @ Punching Glove
Ability: Unseen Fist
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Drain Punch
- Surging Strikes
- Ice Punch
- Swords Dance

Probably not optimal EVs, maybe a bulkier spread that's more tailored to beating Chien-Pao / Samurott-H / Gambit could be better. Ice Punch is high-key needed though to beat the Water Absorb Clod, Dragapult, Dragonite, etc running around. I'm using Tera Steel for Magearna.
 

agslash23

Banned deucer.
Urshifu-Rapid-Strike @ Punching Glove
Ability: Unseen Fist
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Drain Punch
- Surging Strikes
- Ice Punch
- Swords Dance

Probably not optimal EVs, maybe a bulkier spread that's more tailored to beating Chien-Pao / Samurott-H / Gambit could be better. Ice Punch is high-key needed though to beat the Water Absorb Clod, Dragapult, Dragonite, etc running around. I'm using Tera Steel for Magearna.
I think Shifu EVs are fine the way they are. It needs max power to break fat stuff like Pex and Dondozo. It's also in a very sensitive speed tier in which it can't afford to drop a single bit of speed stat.

As for the moves, I think Taunt is needed somewhere else Chilling Water Toxapex can beat Shifu with Toxic. Ice Punch is the only viable moveslot for that. You actually beat Dragonite even without Ice Punch, and you chip Pult when it switches in. Unaware Clod loses as it is, water absorb can beat it only if it uses Tera Ghost, which is suboptimal on it.
 
Urshifu-Rapid-Strike @ Punching Glove
Ability: Unseen Fist
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Drain Punch
- Surging Strikes
- Ice Punch
- Swords Dance

Probably not optimal EVs, maybe a bulkier spread that's more tailored to beating Chien-Pao / Samurott-H / Gambit could be better. Ice Punch is high-key needed though to beat the Water Absorb Clod, Dragapult, Dragonite, etc running around. I'm using Tera Steel for Magearna.
Any reason on Ice Punch over Ice Spinner? It's 5BP more and destroys terrains set by Rillaboom (If it ever sticks).
 
I feel like another notable tera option could be steel, since it has the defensive benefits that Water and Fighting tera have (But even better, since most of the now-neutrals turn into now-resists). It doesn't have quite as much offensive potential, but you gain resistance to all of Urshifu's weaknesses except for electric. Notably, as Magcargo mentioned above, this tera can allow Urshifu to kill most Magearna.
 
I feel like another notable tera option could be steel, since it has the defensive benefits that Water and Fighting tera have (But even better, since most of the now-neutrals turn into now-resists). It doesn't have quite as much offensive potential, but you gain resistance to all of Urshifu's weaknesses except for electric. Notably, as Magcargo mentioned above, this tera can allow Urshifu to kill most Magearna.
Tera water already shits on Magearna.

+2 252 Atk Punching Glove Tera Water Urshifu-Rapid-Strike Surging Strikes (3 hits) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Magearna on a critical hit: 366-432 (100.5 - 118.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO

Tera steel only makes sense if you want to set up in its face after it already has some boosts... use another mon for that IMO.
 
Something I feel important for people to know: Punching Glove is great on Urshifu, but it does have one downside. Unlike Protective Pads, Punching Glove makes moves it affects be not considered contact moves AT ALL, (while Protective Pads just prevents the user from contact-based effects on the opposing Pokémon), meaning that Punching Glove-boosted Surging Strikes/Drain Punch/Thunder Punch/blah blah blah will NOT ignore Protect due to Unseen Fist. Still risky to Protect in front of Urshifu if you’re not confident it’s Glove and going to click Surging Strikes, but it may come up from time to time!
 
Something I feel important for people to know: Punching Glove is great on Urshifu, but it does have one downside. Unlike Protective Pads, Punching Glove makes moves it affects be not considered contact moves AT ALL, (while Protective Pads just prevents the user from contact-based effects on the opposing Pokémon), meaning that Punching Glove-boosted Surging Strikes/Drain Punch/Thunder Punch/blah blah blah will NOT ignore Protect due to Unseen Fist. Still risky to Protect in front of Urshifu if you’re not confident it’s Glove and going to click Surging Strikes, but it may come up from time to time!
This only matters for PP Stalling or if Urshifu is losing health from poison, sand, leech seed, etc., probably biggest winner is... f***ing Magma Storm + Protect Heatran of all things (though if it Protects and Urshifu is not Glove, is GG).
 
Something I feel important for people to know: Punching Glove is great on Urshifu, but it does have one downside. Unlike Protective Pads, Punching Glove makes moves it affects be not considered contact moves AT ALL, (while Protective Pads just prevents the user from contact-based effects on the opposing Pokémon), meaning that Punching Glove-boosted Surging Strikes/Drain Punch/Thunder Punch/blah blah blah will NOT ignore Protect due to Unseen Fist. Still risky to Protect in front of Urshifu if you’re not confident it’s Glove and going to click Surging Strikes, but it may come up from time to time!
I don't think your explanation is quite true, considering punching glove + surging strikes still makes Glimmora set toxic spikes.

If surging strikes + punching glove isn't considered a contact move, then Glimmora wouldn't set tspikes.

Might just be a bugged/incorrect mechanic on showdown...
 
I don't think your explanation is quite true, considering punching glove + surging strikes still makes Glimmora set toxic spikes.

If surging strikes + punching glove isn't considered a contact move, then Glimmora wouldn't set tspikes.

Might just be a bugged/incorrect mechanic on showdown...
Toxic Debris sets T Spikes whenever the holder takes any physical damage, not contact.
 
I don't think your explanation is quite true, considering punching glove + surging strikes still makes Glimmora set toxic spikes.

If surging strikes + punching glove isn't considered a contact move, then Glimmora wouldn't set tspikes.

Might just be a bugged/incorrect mechanic on showdown...
Toxic Debris activates on all physical moves, not (just) contact moves. Earthquaking a Glimmora was always a thorny proposition.

EDIT: Huh, I got ninja'd.
 
Personally, Urshifu rapid shouldn’t be banned, it might be strong, surging strikes is not a move to ignore, but it’s fairly average bulk and speed wise, especially on the special side, where any strong special attack can knock it into the danger zone.

It’s speed while perfectly solid means it’s outsped by the base 100+ meta, meaning that it probably can’t threaten these offensive cores with a standard sd set

Using choice scarf to fix its speed leaves it more easily walled, as you can switch in a resistant target (eg: zapdos on close combat) and play around it defensively rather than offensively

It’s meager special bulk means that against special attackers, it’s really threatened, Iron valiant is this things worst offensive nightmare, the presence of scarf Gholdengo certainly doesn’t help either

Yes urshifu r is certainly stronger this generation with sd, but it still suffers from most of the same issues as it did last generation, therefore, unlike it’s ss counterpart, it shouldn’t be banned, I’m up for a debate on it tho
 
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