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When Magnezone is locked into thunderbolt or flash cannon, Magnezone tanks it and KOs with HPfire.
252 SpA Magnezone Thunderbolt vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Magnezone: 80-95 (28.4 - 33.8%) -- 0.5% chance to 3HKO
Magnezone @ Electrium Z
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Substitute
- Thunderbolt
- Flash Cannon
- Hidden Power Fire
Zygarde is able to switch into flash cannon, the only move that really has a chance of threatening it. Thousand arrows always picks up a kill against it
252 SpA Magnezone Flash Cannon vs. 188 HP / 0 SpD Zygarde: 136-162 (33.6 - 40%) -- 30.8% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
140+ Atk Zygarde Thousand Arrows vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Magnezone: 436-516 (154.6 - 182.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Volcarona @ Psychinium Z
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Quiver Dance
- Fire Blast
- Bug Buzz
- Psychic
Volcarona can take advantage of a Magnezone that’s just trapped and removed aomething in order to generate a Quiver Dance opportunity. That said, even if the situation makes Quiver a suboptimal move, it still BTFOs Zone with Fire Blast.
Alright, here comes the end of another week. I will pick the winners tomorrow.
This week, we are looking at a familiar face from Generation 4 - Gliscor.
Gliscor @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 244 HP / 152 SpD / 112 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Defog
- Roost
- Knock Off / Taunt
Gliscor's good typing, access to recovery and decent bulk allows it to switch into the likes of Landorus-T and Heatran without much repercussions. It separates itself from Landorus-T by its access to Roost and immunity to Status thanks to Poison Heal. Gliscor's ability to stay healthy throughout a match is a valuable asset to teams that are looking at it for Defog support. It also has Knock Off to remove Leftovers from the likes of Celesteela and Mantine although Taunt can be used to shut down Toxapex, Clefable and Ferrothorn. How do you counter this Pokemon in OU?
Greninja-Ash (M) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Battle Bond
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Dark Pulse
- Hydro Pump
- Water Shuriken
- Spikes
Ash-Greninja as a check. Ash-Gren is able to switch into a predicted defog from Gliscor and force it out with the threat of Hydro Pump, and even D-Pulse can 2HKO forcing a roost to take advantage of. Because it directly threatens Gliscor, it's able to spike up as it switches out. It's a hazard setter that's able to force out the defogger which is pretty vital in a match-up.
252 SpA Choice Specs Greninja-Ash Dark Pulse vs. 244 HP / 152 SpD Gliscor: 177-208 (50.2 - 59%) -- 21.1% chance to 2HKO after Poison Heal
252 SpA Choice Specs Greninja-Ash Hydro Pump vs. 244 HP / 152 SpD Gliscor: 482-570 (136.9 - 161.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Greninja Water Shuriken (15 BP) (3 hits) vs. 244 HP / 152 SpD Gliscor: 198-240 (56.2 - 68.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Poison Heal
The Battle Bond ability actually dosen't effect water shuriken damage (15 base power to 20 base power), if it's Ash it's simply boosted regardless even if I take the ability away, they should fix that
Either set works. The first set is a bit less of a counter as it can get knocked, but doesn't require the use of a Z move (or the defiant boost) to knock Gliscor out. Thundurus is immune to Gliscor's Earthquake, doesn't take much from Knock Off (especially the Z variant) and takes advantage of it defogging as a Defiant user.
188 SpA Life Orb Thundurus Hidden Power Ice vs. 244 HP / 152 SpD Gliscor: 333-395 (94.6 - 112.2%) -- 68.8% chance to OHKO after Poison Heal
+2 252 Atk Thundurus Supersonic Skystrike (175 BP) vs. 244 HP / 0 Def Gliscor: 433-510 (123 - 144.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Poison Heal (sadly you need the +2 but they shouldn't stay in so you get to fire off an attack into whatever's coming in)
0 Atk Gliscor Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Thundurus: 90-106 (30.1 - 35.4%) -- 24.6% chance to 3HKO
0 Atk Gliscor Knock Off vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Thundurus: 61-72 (20.4 - 24%) -- guaranteed 5HKO
Keldeo @ Waterium Z
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Calm Mind
- Hydro Pump
- Secret Sword
- Taunt
Keldeo is able to come into gliscor and be able to like earthquake and knock off and taunt stops it from clicking defog or roost and is able to come into gliscor and take hits from it, gliscor gets ohko from hydro pump and z move
0 Atk Gliscor Earthquake vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Keldeo: 112-133 (34.6 - 41.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 SpA Keldeo Hydro Pump vs. 244 HP / 152 SpD Gliscor: 378-446 (107.3 - 126.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 SpA Keldeo Hydro Vortex (185 BP) vs. 244 HP / 152 SpD Gliscor: 632-746 (179.5 - 211.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Poison Heal
Mamoswine @ Life Orb
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Icicle Crash
- Earthquake
- Ice Shard
- Stealth Rock As a counter
Gliscor has two weakness: Ice and Water
Mamoswine has good Ice Stab
Gliscor has pathetic attack
Mamoswine has okay defenses
You see where I'm going
Avert ye eyes you gliscor lovers
252 Atk Life Orb Mamoswine Icicle Crash vs. 244 HP / 0 Def Gliscor: 598-707 (169.8 - 200.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 Atk Life Orb Mamoswine Ice Shard vs. 244 HP / 0 Def Gliscor: 286-343 (81.2 - 97.4%) -- 62.5% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock and Poison Heal
I'll be expecting Weavile for the next post for a check / counter btw
Gyarados is immune to Earthquake and takes very little damage from Knock Off, allowing it to switch in and use Gliscor as setup fodder. After setting up, Waterfall becomes a 1HKO.
If Gliscor runs Taunt instead of Knock Off, Gyarados' higher speed makes it a non-issue unless it switches into it.
Offensive:
252 Atk Gyarados Bounce vs. 244 HP / 0 Def Gliscor: 112-133 (31.8 - 37.7%) -- 69.6% chance to 4HKO after Poison Heal
+1 252 Atk Gyarados Bounce vs. 244 HP / 0 Def Gliscor: 168-198 (47.7 - 56.2%) -- 0.4% chance to 2HKO after Poison Heal
252 Atk Gyarados Supersonic Skystrike (160 BP) vs. 244 HP / 0 Def Gliscor: 211-249 (59.9 - 70.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Poison Heal
+1 252 Atk Gyarados Supersonic Skystrike (160 BP) vs. 244 HP / 0 Def Gliscor: 313-370 (88.9 - 105.1%) -- 31.3% chance to OHKO after Poison Heal
252 Atk Gyarados Waterfall vs. 244 HP / 0 Def Gliscor: 212-252 (60.2 - 71.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Poison Heal
+1 252 Atk Gyarados Waterfall vs. 244 HP / 0 Def Gliscor: 314-372 (89.2 - 105.6%) -- 31.3% chance to OHKO after Poison Heal
Defensive:
0 Atk Gliscor Knock Off vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Gyarados: 55-65 (16.6 - 19.6%) -- possible 6HKO
Is faster than the vast majoity of the meta; one-shots Glisc with STAB Icicle Crash. It benefits from Gliscor clearing the hazards on both sides of the field, so try to pair it with stuff that can help force Defogs if you can’t fit a Fogger/spinner onto your own side. There isn’t really much else to say other than that you need to be careful of locking into Knock expecting a switch ‘cuz if u do and they don’t switch you *will* be punished for it.
It's faster and threatens the 2HKO with HP Ice while switching in on every move with little risk outside of losing the lefties.
Other than beating Gliscor, it's a decent check to threats as Hawlucha or Kartana which pretty much dominate the current metagame.
0 SpA Zapdos Hidden Power Ice vs. 244 HP / 152 SpD Gliscor: 224-264 (63.6 - 75%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Poison Heal
0 Atk Gliscor Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 248 HP / 8 Def Zapdos: 76-90 (19.8 - 23.4%) -- possible 5HKO
Medicham-Mega @ Medichamite
Jolly Nature
Ability: Pure Power
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
- Fake Out
- High Jump Kick
- Ice Punch
- Zen Headbutt
If Gliscor is forced into a move like Defog, Knock Off or Taunt, Medicham can come in safely and immediately threaten to OHKO with a strong Ice Punch. If prediction is done correctly, though, Cham can also tear holes on the opposing team by landing a HJK or a Zen on the likes of Ferro and Pex, to name a few.
In the worst case scenario, EQ from Gliscor is still not enough to actually OHKO on the switch and thus gives Cham a chance to answer. However, caution must be exercised from this point on as another EQ has a decent chance of KOing it on a future switch in.
252 Atk Pure Power Medicham-Mega Ice Punch vs. 244 HP / 0 Def Gliscor: 452-532 (128.4 - 151.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO
0 Atk Gliscor Knock Off vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Medicham-Mega: 51-61 (19.5 - 23.3%) -- possible 5HKO
0 Atk Gliscor Earthquake vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Medicham-Mega: 118-139 (45.2 - 53.2%) -- 32.8% chance to 2HKO
Serperior @ Leftovers
Ability: Contrary
EVs: 56 HP / 200 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Leaf Storm
- Hidden Power Fire
- Substitute
- Leech Seed
Serperior's SubSeed set can really take advantage of Gliscor. Serperior's substitute is not broken by Earthquake and only has a chance to be broken even with an item by Knock Off. Leaf Storm deals just under 50% unboosted, meaning that its a clean 2HKO, which is nice as it gives you two boosts and you can usually end the matchup with your sub intact. Of course Serperior is vulnerable to Taunt, but you can usually get a sub up first anyway and Knock Off seems a lot more common. Not only does Serperior easily dispatch of Gliscor but it acts as complete setup bait. Also with Contrary your Evasion raises on Defog, which is super nice for when you come up against Fire Blasts and just in general it can be really clutch.
0 Atk Gliscor Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 56 HP / 0 Def Serperior: 70-83 (22.9 - 27.2%) -- 54.8% chance to 4HKO
0 Atk Gliscor Earthquake vs. 56 HP / 0 Def Serperior: 54-64 (17.7 - 20.9%) -- possibly the worst move ever (I didn't even edit that lol)
200 SpA Serperior Leaf Storm vs. 244 HP / 152 SpD Gliscor: 148-175 (42 - 49.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Poison Heal
+2 200 SpA Serperior Leaf Storm vs. 244 HP / 152 SpD Gliscor: 295-348 (83.8 - 98.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Poison Heal
Normally Gliscor can Defog on Clef with relative ease without having to worry about anything as long as its Toxic Orb has been activated, but Ice Beam Clefable is a really solid tech that allows it to beat Gliscor 1v1 and ensure that its hazards stay up. Gliscor can obviously Roost off the damage, so it's best to slightly weaken Gliscor with something like Heatran so that it's in range of Ice Beam and will get KOd without expecting it since they'll prioritize getting rid of Clefable's rocks over healing to full. Pretty cool set that I recommend trying out if you haven't already. Also, if you're insane you can just run Life Orb to kill Gliscor without having to weaken it first but losing Leftovers recovery sucks ass.
Anyway, short on time this week so I'll pick the winners next week.
We're having Excadrill on the block this week.
Excadrill @ Life Orb
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Rock Slide
As long as Sand is up, Excadrill becomes the fastest Pokemon in the meta - which coupled with Swords Dance, makes it a terrifying sweeper against most unprepared teams. Excadrill also boasts the ability to revenge kill sweepers such as Shift Gear Magearna, Quiver Dance Volcarona, Mega Pinsir, Hawlucha and Tapu Koko. The lack of Breloom, Azumarill and Skarmory also makes the metagame much more kind to Excadrill. How do you stop this mole's rampage in OU?
Celesteela @ Leftovers
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 248 HP / 104 Def / 156 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Leech Seed
- Protect
- Heavy Slam
- Flamethrower
Celesteela can swap into any attack Excadrill can throw at it, set up Leech Seed and proceed to take pitiful damage, in fact with Protect it can come out of the matchup healthier than it went in. Steela threatens back with Flamethrower, which is a 2HKO. Not much else to said, probably the hardest of counters.
0 SpA Celesteela Flamethrower vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Excadrill: 194-230 (53.7 - 63.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+2 252 Atk Life Orb Excadrill Rock Slide vs. 248 HP / 104+ Def Celesteela: 177-208 (44.5 - 52.3%) -- 99.8% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery and Leech Seed recovery (not factoring Protect obviously)
Rotom-Wash completely shuts down this Excadrill set, as it lacks Mold Breaker so Rotom-W has an immunity to it's Earthquake, it 4x resists Iron Head and Rock Slide does pitiful damage, even at +2. Rotom-W also threatens to OHKO it with Hydro Pump or burn it with Will-O-Wisp.
+2 252 Atk Life Orb Excadrill Rock Slide vs. 248 HP / 204+ Def Rotom-Wash: 156-185 (51.4 - 61%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after sandstorm damage (even if Excadrill flinches you with Rock Slide, Iapapa Berry brings you up to near full so you can live another one.)
0 SpA Rotom-Wash Hydro Pump vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Excadrill: 350-414 (96.9 - 114.6%) -- 81.3% chance to OHKO
Zygarde @ Leftovers
Ability: Aura Break
EVs: 188 HP / 140 Atk / 180 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Substitute
- Dragon Dance
- Thousand Arrows
- Protect As a check
Thanks to its good bulk and ground coverage, Zygarde is a pretty effective check to Sand Rush Excadrill
252 Atk Life Orb Excadrill Earthquake vs. 188 HP / 0 Def Zygarde: 187-220 (46.2 - 54.4%) -- 4.7% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
140+ Atk Zygarde Thousand Arrows vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Excadrill: 368-434 (101.9 - 120.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Hawlucha @ Electric Seed / Grassy Seed / Psychic Seed
Ability: Unburden
EVs: 128 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def/SpD / 124 Spe
Adamant Nature
- High Jump Kick
- Acrobatics
- Swords Dance
- Roost / Stone Edge
With the listed EV spread, post-Unburden Hawlucha is faster than Jolly Excadrill when Sandstorm is active and OHKOes it with High Jump Kick. This also serves the purpose of speed creeping opposing Hawlucha without sacrificing the ability to set up on Landorus-T consistently.
Honestly, it took me a good while for me to come up with this thing. Skarmory as a counter.
So, long story short. Skarmory can come in as a free or hard switch; it doesn't really matters. Its amazing defense and typing completely shutdowns both of its STABs and its only coverage move, which is something that greatly helps of you decide to hard switch into an attack.
Once in, the first objective on your mind might vary depending on what you believe the opponent is going to do next: You can phase Exca out immediately with Whirlwind if you think they'll stay and either keep dancing or just attack. You can also Roost to recover some health for later on if you predict a switch out in. Finally, and going from the same prediction on the last one, you can set a layer of Spikes that'll help to pressure the entire team; Exca especially, which is always appreciated.
However, let me be clear here. Skarm can only take so many hits before actually breaking down, so always try to heal it up at certain points or you won't be able to continue countering Exca. If Skarm is in no need for healing, then your top priority is keeping it safe and healthy for future encounters with this beast. Good luck.
+2 252 Atk Life Orb Excadrill Rock Slide vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Skarmory: 125-147 (37.5 - 44.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
+2 252 Atk Life Orb Excadrill Iron Head vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Skarmory: 99-117 (29.7 - 35.1%) -- 19.5% chance to 3HKO
