VGC 18 VGC 2018 Kartana [QC 2/2] [GP 1/1]

[TheKingVillager]

[OVERVIEW]

Kartana is a monstrously strong as well as fast attacker that, thanks to Beast Boost, can become even scarier as it racks up Attack boosts with each KO inflicted. Even with its limited attacking toolkit, rarely running more than just Leaf Blade and Sacred Sword, it still manages to pressure metagame staples such as Tapu Fini and Snorlax. It can also provide speed control for its team with Tailwind or set up with moves like Swords Dance and Substitute, both of which put a great deal of pressure on the opposing Pokemon. Unfortunately, Kartana's paper-thin Special Defense will leave it easily OHKOed by even weak special attacks such as Porygon2's boosted Ice Beam or Mega Salamence's Hyper Voice. Additionally, Kartana also struggles with Fire-types like the commonplace Incineroar and Charizard, as well as Flying-types like Zapdos and Mega Salamence, which it cannot hit hard.

[SET]
Name: Focus Sash
Move 1: Leaf Blade
Move 2: Sacred Sword
Move 3: Tailwind / Swords Dance
Move 4: Detect
Item: Focus Sash
Ability: Beast Boost
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Leaf Blade is Kartana's primary STAB move, as it hits several Pokemon like Tapu Fini and Politoed for super effective damage and does considerable damage to neutral targets like Tapu Koko and Tapu Lele. Sacred Sword hits Pokemon like Porygon2, Mega Kangaskhan, and Snorlax for massive damage while also ignoring Defense and evasion stat changes. Combined with Focus Sash, Kartana can usually push out a Tailwind early-game to gain the Speed advantage for the party, or as a last ditch effort while it hangs on with 1 HP. Swords Dance is an alternative to Tailwind that lets Kartana become an unstoppable offensive threat if left unattended for too long. Detect helps preserve Kartana or bait foes when it's barely hanging on, and it bypasses Imprison users running Protect. Focus Sash lets Kartana focus all of its EVs in Attack and Speed.

Focus Sash Kartana pairs up well with Mega Charizard Y. Kartana’s coverage allows it to cut down Pokemon like Tyranitar and Politoed, which pose a threat to Mega Charizard Y as well as the sun it brings. Tailwind also allows for the two to outrun foes like Tapu Koko and Choice Scarf Landorus-T to sweep with powerful physical and special attacks. Kartana also pairs well with Tapu Fini and Incineroar, as these two are strong switch-ins to make up for its weaknesses, as well as providing it Fake Out and Misty Terrain. Tapu Lele's Psychic Terrain protects Kartana from priority moves like Fake Out and Sucker Punch breaking its Focus Sash prematurely, making it a strong partner as well.

[SET]
Name: Z-Move
Move 1: Leaf Blade
Move 2: Sacred Sword
Move 3: Substitute / Swords Dance / Tailwind
Move 4: Detect
Item: Grassium Z / Fightinium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 20 HP / 148 Atk / 4 Def / 84 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Leaf Blade is your primary STAB move to cut down bulky Water-types like Tapu Fini and Milotic, as well as about anything that doesn't resist it. With Grassium Z, Bloom Doom takes quick KOs on Pokemon like Landorus-T and ensures OHKOs on Pokemon like Tapu Fini, which can survive Leaf Blade at -1 Attack. Sacred Sword lets Kartana hit Normal-types and Steel-types for more damage than Leaf Blade, and All-Out Pummeling with Fightinium Z lets it break through some of the bulkiest Pokemon in the format like Snorlax, Porygon2, Incineroar, and Heatran, which can all withstand several Sacred Swords. Substitute allows Kartana to preserve itself and take hits it would never realistically survive. Substitute also has the added benefit of blocking Intimidate. Swords Dance similarly lets Kartana counteract Intimidate and snowball through teams unmatched. Tailwind lets Kartana and its team outrun fast Pokemon like Tapu Koko, Choice Scarf Landorus-T, and Ludicolo under rain, as well as allowing it to nuke those threats with a powerful Z-Move before they get the chance to move. All three of these third-moveslot moves allow Kartana to capitalize on positions where its offensive pressure forces the opponent to play safely. Detect shields Kartana from any unfavorable attacks that might OHKO it; however, the given EV spread lets Kartana survive some of the format’s strongest special attacks like Tapu Lele Psychic and Life Orb Tapu Koko Thunderbolt. It can also withstand Gigavolt Havoc from Tapu Koko with Electric Terrain removed.

Z-Move Kartana prefers partners that it can clear paths for, or that help it set up. Incineroar and Tapu Fini provide valuable Fake Out for setup and bulky switch-ins for the frail Kartana. Electric-types like Tapu Koko and Zapdos also make good partners, as they can use strong Electric-type attacks to help put Pokemon like Incineroar and Tapu Fini in range for Kartana to pick off, as well as helping defeat Mega Charizard Y. Mega Gengar is a superb partner, as Shadow Tag lets Kartana easily pick off trapped foes, and it can assist Kartana with strong special attacks, high Speed, and support moves like Icy Wind. Mega Kangaskhan lets Kartana set up with Fake Out, and the two can push through teams together with powerful physical attacks.

[SET]
Name: Bulky Berry
Move 1: Leaf Blade
Move 2: Sacred Sword
Move 3: Tailwind / Substitute
Move 4: Detect
Item: Aguav Berry
Ability: Beast Boost
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 76 HP / 60 Atk / 4 Def / 252 SpD / 116 Spe

Leaf Blade is Kartana's main attack, as it is powerful and reliable. Sacred Sword lets Kartana hit Steel-types like Stakataka and Bisharp, as well as bulkier targets like Incineroar. Tailwind lets Kartana boost its Speed considerably, as this set is only built to outrun 252 Speed Landorus-T. Substitute gives Kartana a strong option to preserve itself and more chances to activate its Aguav Berry, since its HP is divisible by four. Detect lets Kartana also preserves it, as well as helping it take most Z-Moves, which other sets cannot shrug off as easily even with a quarter of the initial power. The given bulky EV spread helps Kartana pave through foes at a slower pace. While slowing it, the Adamant nature lets it keep up with 252 Attack Kartana, and bulk investment lets it survive what no other Kartana can, like Mega Gengar Shadow Ball and Tapu Koko Gigavolt Havoc in Electric Terrain. Aguav Berry's longevity complements this the slow pace of this set perfectly to boot.

Due to this Kartana's lacking Speed investment, it often prefers to be paired with speedy Pokemon. Mega Gengar and Choice Scarf Landorus-T make fast, strong partners that help Kartana with their abilities as well, allowing it to survive longer and push out more attacks. Tapu Koko and Nihilego are fast and also can pressure threats like Mega Charizard Y and Zapdos that outspeed Kartana with Z-Move OHKOs.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[TheKingVillager, 552835]]
- Quality checked by: [[zeefable, 501951], [Giokio, 517038]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Finland, 517429]]

 

[zee]

TheKingVillager, post: 8902000, member: 552835

[OVERVIEW]

When it comes to good Grass-types in VGC 2018, very few stand out as much as Kartana. Kartana emphasizes raw offensive power, with a monstrous 181 base Attack stat backed by a 109 base Speed stat to ensure little can outrun this beast before it’s finished with them. Kartana also carries the signature Ultra Beast ability Beast Boost, which allows it to snowball Attack boosts after every knockout only making it more problematic each passing turn. Kartana's monstrous base 181 Attack further backed by its base 109 Speed ensure it to be not only a heavy hitter but a fast one as well; additionally, thanks to Beast Boost, Kartana can become even scarier as it racks up Attack boosts with each KO. Even with its limited offensive toolkit, rarely containing more than just Leaf Blade and Sacred Sword, it still manages to pressure metagame staples such as Tapu Fini and Snorlax. It can also provide speed control for itself and its partner thanks to access to Tailwind. Kartana’s offensive kit, while extremely limited, is more than enough to make it carry its weight on a team, with few Pokemon being able to withstand a super effective Leaf Blade or Sacred Sword. With the release of USUM, move tutors gave Kartana access to the move Tailwind. This allows Kartana to play the unique role of an offensive support pick, being able to set up Tailwind for it’s team as well as itself to run rampant. let me know if you think any of this is wrong but I basically just trimmed this up because this overview was getting quite long. gonna do a bunch of other rewording in this so just bear with me and lmk if there's anything you disagree with Kartana also possesses other setup moves like Swords Dance and Substitute, both of which put a great deal of pressure on the opposing Pokemon. which make it much more capable of snowballing later into games. Kartana’s biggest strength in VGC 2018 is the multitude of viable sets it can carry via choice of item, like a Z-Crystal, Focus Sash, Assault Vest, Scope Lens or even a pinch Berry, allowing it to fit on many teams. the fact that we're giving it three sets means we probably don't need to list every viable set tbh. that isn't really the point of these analyses, mostly just to show off "hey these are some of the effective sets x Pokemon can make great use of". Kartana just has too much fringe stuff to list Kartana can even blend items like the initial joke item Flyinium Z to set Tailwind and boost its critical hit rate similar to Scope Lens. Like all of the Ultra Beasts however, Kartana also suffers several major drawbacks in return for such immense power. While Grass / Steel type is an incredible defensive type combined with a base 131 Defense, Kartana’s other defensive stats are paper thin, having a base 59 HP and a meager base 31 Special Defense. This means without proper investment, almost any special attack will send Kartana through the shredder without a second thought. Unfortunately, Kartana's paper-thin Special Defense will leave it easily OHKOed by even weak special attackers such as Porygon2's boosted Ice Beam or Mega Salamence's Hyper Voice. Additionally, Kartana also struggles with Fire-types like the commonplace Incineroar and Charizard, as well as Flying-types like Zapdos and Mega Salamence which Kartana cannot hit hard.

[SET]
Name: 8.5in x 11in see what I wrote on MKang Focus Sash
Move 1: Leaf Blade
Move 2: Tailwind / Swords Dance
Move 3: Sacred Sword swap the order of this and slot 2
Move 4: Detect
Item: Focus Sash
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

This is about as basic as Kartana sets get. Leaf Blade is your primary STAB as it hits several Pokemon like Tapu Fini and Politoed for super effective damage, and does considerable damage to neutral targets like Tapu Koko and Tapu Lele. Tailwind allows Kartana to play support for a turn and set up the entire party. Combined with Focus Sash, this lets Kartana usually push out a Tailwind early-game to gain the speed advantage for the party, or as a last ditch effort while Kartana hangs on with 1 HP. Swords Dance is an alternative to Tailwind, allowing Kartana to focus all in on damage and ensures a powerful hit before the 1 HP knockout. Sacred Sword gives Kartana the ability to hit Pokemon like Porygon2, Mega Kangaskhan, and Snorlax for big chunks, as well as ignoring Defense and Evasion on any given target. see my comment about swapping order (this needs to be applied here basically) Sacred Sword also gives Kartana a way to defeat opposing Kartana and bypass its great defensive typing. just lump this in with sacred sword examples Detect is another way to help Kartana preserve itself from strong attacks, or to bait opponents when it’s barely hanging on ready to be picked off. mentioning detect because of imprison + protect stuff will be appreciated Thanks to the Focus Sash, this Kartana is all focused on offense and speed, as whatever powerful hit Kartana takes, it will always hang on with 1 HP the first time. Kartana can afford to focus all of its investment in Attack and Speed in order to hit as fast and as hard as possible thanks to Focus Sash guaranteeing it will survive any one hit.

Focus Sash Kartana pairs up well with partners like Mega Charizard Y. Kartana’s Grass / Fighting type coverage allows it to cut down Pokemon like Tyranitar and Politoed, which pose a threat to Mega Charizard Y as well as the sun it brings. Tailwind also allows for the two to outrun foes the opponent (foes = pokemon, the opponent = the human holding the 3ds/switch/showdown etc, also, give some examples here of what you mean to outrun) and sweep with powerful physical and special attacks. Kartana also pairs well with Tapu Fini and Incineroar, which create the common fire water grass core. These two give Kartana strong switch ins for its weaknesses as well as providing Kartana with Fake Out and Misty Terrain to protect it from status and give it openings to attack. Tapu Lele makes a good partner for Sash Kartana since the Psychic Terrain Tapu Lele brings allows Kartana not to worry about priority moves like Fake Out and Sucker Punch breaking its Focus Sash prematurely.

[SET]
Name: Papercut Z-Move User
Move 1: Leaf Blade
Move 2: Substitute / Swords Dance / Tailwind
Move 3: Sacred Sword same stuff about move order as above
Move 4: Detect
Item: Grassium Z / Fightinium Z
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 20 HP / 148 Atk / 4 Def / 84 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Leaf Blade as primary STAB to cut down bulky waters as well I know this seems redundant but any time you say stuff like this you should give examples. I would probably use Tapu Fini and Milotic this time. as about anything that doesn't resist it. Leaf Blade will also allow Kartana to utilize Bloom Doom if it chooses Grassium Z, letting it take quick knockouts on Pokemon like Landorus-T and ensuring OHKOs on Pokemon like Tapu Fini which can survive Leaf Blade at -1 Attack. Substitute allows Kartana to preserve itself for a quarter of its health, and lets it take hits it would never realistically survive. Substitute also has the added benefit of blocking Intimidate, which is incredibly common in VGC 2018 think this comment is better off addressing that blocking intim guarantees full power Z-moves which is good. Swords Dance has similar benefits, letting Kartana ignore Intimidate you don't ignore intimidate, you counteract it, please rephrase this and gain 2 stages of Attack at the cost of no buffer to block damage. Tailwind lets Kartana set itself and its team up to run through games, as well as give it an opportunity to nuke something with a powerful Z-Move before they get the chance to move. mention some Pokemon you outrun in TW All three of these moves allow Kartana to capitalize on positions where the opponent is pressured by its offensive nature and must play safely. Sacred Sword lets Kartana hit Normal-types and Steel-types for more damage than Leaf Blade, but given Fightinium Z allows Kartana to use All-Out Pummeling. While unorthodox as many Z-Move users opt for STAB Z-Moves to get the most power out of it, Fightinium Z lets Kartana break through some of the bulkiest Pokemon in the format like Snorlax, Porygon2, Incineroar, and Heatran which can all withstand several Sacred Swords. Detect lets Kartana shield any unfavorable attacks that might OHKO it, however this set lets Kartana survive some of the format’s strongest special attacks like Tapu Lele Psychic and Life Orb Tapu Koko Thunderbolt. It can also withstand Gigavolt Havoc from Tapu Koko given it has a way to remove the Electric Terrain. you would normally say something like "The given EV spread lets Kartana..."

Z-Move Kartana prefers partners that it can clear paths for, or help it set up. Incineroar and Tapu Fini remain valuable picks to help fill out a fire water grass core, as Incineroar lets Kartana set up Substitute, Swords Dance, or Tailwind with a Fake Out, and both remain bulky switches to help out what is still a relatively frail Pokemon. Electric-types like Tapu Koko and Zapdos also make good partners as they can use strong electric attacks to help put things in range for Kartana to pick off, as well as helping defeat Mega-Charizard Y. Mega Gengar is a superb partner as Shadow Tag lets Kartana easily pick off opponents trapped in, and can assist Kartana with strong special attacks, high Speed, and support moves like Icy Wind. mega kang was pretty common with z kart iirc, might be worth giving it a mention

[SET]
Name: Cardstock Bulky Berry
Move 1: Leaf Blade
Move 2: Tailwind / Substitute
Move 3: Sacred Sword this one too
Move 4: Detect
Item: Aguav Berry
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 76 HP / 60 Atk / 4 Def / 252 SpD / 116 Spe

Leaf Blade as Kartana’s bread and butter attack to hit anything weak to it or neutral. Tailwind lets Kartana boost its speed considerably as this set is built to only outrun 252 Speed Landorus-T. Substitute gives Kartana a strong option to help preserve itself, but also lets Kartana activate its pinch berry at will since it’s health is divisible by 4. Sacred Sword lets Kartana hit Pokemon it cannot obliterate with Leaf Blade like Stakataka and Bisharp, as well as bulkier targets like Incineroar. Detect lets Kartana continue to preserve itself, as well as take the brunt of most Z-Moves which other sets cannot shrug off as easily even with a quarter of the initial power. This Kartana above all emphasizes bulk and paving a way through opponents at a slower pace in comparison to its sibling sets. While slow, the Adamant nature lets it keep up pace with 252 Attack Kartana, and the focus on HP and Special Defense investment let this Kartana survive what no other Kartana can, like Mega Gengar Shadow Ball, and Tapu Koko Gigavolt Havoc in Electric Terrain. Aguav Berry complements this the slow pace of this set perfectly to boot, letting Kartana heal up 50% of its health and allowing it to withstand even more attacks.

Due to the lack of Speed investment this Kartana lacks, it often prefers to be paired with speedy Pokemon. Mega Gengar and Choice Scarf Landorus make fast, strong partners that help Kartana with their abilities as well, allowing it to survive longer and push out more attacks. Tapu Koko and Nihilego also make great accompanying Pokemon to Kartana, as both are fast and can pressure with strong Z-Moves capable of an OHKO on threats like Mega Charizard Y and Zapdos that this Kartana underspeeds. you aren't supposed to cross-reference sets, so saying stuff like "this kartana" is never really necessary

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[TheKingVillager, 552835]]
- Quality checked by: [[name, id], [name, id]]
- Grammar checked by: [[name, id]]

same deal with kang where a lot of my revisions felt more like rewording than correcting content. almost like this guy won 2018 worlds. lmk on discord if you have any questions when you see this, I'd like to look over it again before stamping just bc it's pretty long[/SPOILER][/SPOILER]

 

[zee]

TheKingVillager, post: 8902000, member: 552835

[OVERVIEW]

Kartana's monstrous base 181 Attack further backed by its base 109 Speed ensure it to be not only a heavy hitter but a fast one as well; additionally, thanks to Beast Boost, Kartana can become even scarier as it racks up Attack boosts with each KO. Even with its limited offensive toolkit, rarely containing more than just Leaf Blade and Sacred Sword, it still manages to pressure metagame staples such as Tapu Fini and Snorlax. It can also provide speed control for itself and its partner thanks to access to Tailwind. Kartana also possesses other setup moves like Swords Dance and Substitute, both of which put a great deal of pressure on the opposing Pokemon. Unfortunately, Kartana's paper-thin Special Defense will leave it easily OHKOed by even weak special attackers such as Porygon2's boosted Ice Beam or Mega Salamence's Hyper Voice. Additionally, Kartana also struggles with Fire-types like the commonplace Incineroar and Charizard, as well as Flying-types like Zapdos and Mega Salamence which Kartana cannot hit hard.

[SET]
Name: Focus Sash
Move 1: Leaf Blade
Move 2: Sacred Sword
Move 3: Tailwind / Swords Dance
Move 4: Detect
Item: Focus Sash
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Leaf Blade is your primary STAB as it hits several Pokemon like Tapu Fini and Politoed for super effective damage, and does considerable damage to neutral targets like Tapu Koko and Tapu Lele. Sacred Sword gives Kartana the ability to hit Pokemon like Porygon2, Mega Kangaskhan, and Snorlax for big chunks, as well as ignoring Defense and Evasion on any given target. Tailwind allows Kartana to play support for a turn and set up the entire party. Combined with Focus Sash, this lets Kartana usually push out a Tailwind early-game to gain the speed advantage for the party, or as a last ditch effort while Kartana hangs on with 1 HP. Swords Dance is an alternative to Tailwind, allowing Kartana to focus all in on damage and ensures a powerful hit before the 1 HP knockout. this isn't really guaranteed since you can be very well KOed before you attack thanks to double ups or just faster Pokemon, would appreciate this being reworded. Detect is another way to help Kartana preserve itself from strong attacks, or to bait opponents when it’s barely hanging on ready to be picked off. Detect also lets Kartana bypass the move-lock imposed by Imprison, which often lock Protect instead. Kartana can afford to focus all of its investment in Attack and Speed in order to hit as fast and as hard as possible thanks to Focus Sash guaranteeing it will survive any one hit.

Focus Sash Kartana pairs up well with Mega Charizard Y. Kartana’s Grass / Fighting type coverage allows it to cut down Pokemon like Tyranitar and Politoed, which pose a threat to Mega Charizard Y as well as the sun it brings. Tailwind also allows for the two to outrun foes like Tapu Koko and Scarf Landorus-T to sweep with powerful physical and special attacks. Kartana also pairs well with Tapu Fini and Incineroar, which create the common fire water grass core. as these two give Kartana strong switch ins for its weaknesses as well as providing Kartana with Fake Out and Misty Terrain to protect it from status and give it openings to attack. Tapu Lele makes a good partner for Sash Kartana since the Psychic Terrain Tapu Lele brings allows Kartana not to worry about priority moves like Fake Out and Sucker Punch breaking its Focus Sash prematurely.

[SET]
Name: Z-Move
Move 1: Leaf Blade
Move 2: Sacred Sword
Move 3: Substitute / Swords Dance / Tailwind
Move 4: Detect
Item: Grassium Z / Fightinium Z
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 20 HP / 148 Atk / 4 Def / 84 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Leaf Blade as primary STAB to cut down bulky Water-types waters like Tapu Fini and Milotic, as well as about anything that doesn't resist it. Leaf Blade will also allow Kartana to utilize Bloom Doom if it chooses Grassium Z, letting it take quick knockouts on Pokemon like Landorus-T and ensuring OHKOs on Pokemon like Tapu Fini which can survive Leaf Blade at -1 Attack. Sacred Sword lets Kartana hit Normal-types and Steel-types for more damage than Leaf Blade, but given Fightinium Z allows Kartana to use All-Out Pummeling. Fightinium Z , which lets Kartana break through some of the bulkiest Pokemon in the format like Snorlax, Porygon2, Incineroar, and Heatran which can all withstand several Sacred Swords. Substitute allows Kartana to preserve itself for a quarter of its health, and lets it take hits it would never realistically survive. Substitute also has the added benefit of blocking Intimidate. Swords Dance has similar benefits, letting Kartana counteract Intimidate and gain 2 stages of Attack at the cost of leaving itself vulnerable for a turn no buffer to block damage. Tailwind lets Kartana set itself and its team up to run through games, as well as give it an opportunity to nuke something with a powerful Z-Move before they get the chance to move like Tapu Koko and Ludicolo under rain. try and make this a bit clearer e.g. "kartana sets up tailwind to allow it and its teammates to outspeed x y and z" All three of these moves allow Kartana to capitalize on positions where the opponent is pressured by its offensive nature and must play safely. Detect lets Kartana shield any unfavorable attacks that might OHKO it, however the given EV spread lets Kartana survive some of the format’s strongest special attacks like Tapu Lele Psychic and Life Orb Tapu Koko Thunderbolt. It can also withstand Gigavolt Havoc from Tapu Koko given it has a way to remove the Electric Terrain.

Z-Move Kartana prefers partners that it can clear paths for, or help it set up. Incineroar and Tapu Fini remain valuable picks to help fill out a fire water grass core, as Incineroar lets Kartana set up Substitute, Swords Dance, or Tailwind with a Fake Out, and both remain bulky switches to help out what is still a relatively frail Pokemon. Electric-types like Tapu Koko and Zapdos also make good partners as they can use strong electric attacks to help put things would prefer specific examples here, if it's just mzardy, just say that in range for Kartana to pick off, as well as helping defeat Mega-Charizard Y. Mega Gengar is a superb partner as Shadow Tag lets Kartana easily pick off opponents trapped in, and can assist Kartana with strong special attacks, high Speed, and support moves like Icy Wind. Mega Kangaskhan is also a good pick, letting Kartana set up with Fake Out, and push through teams together with powerful physical attacks.

you kinda recycle the "strong x attacker" point here, which is fine, but it could be a lot better if you say "Mega Gengar's Shadow Ball puts X in range for a Leaf Blade from Kartana" etc

[SET]
Name: Bulky Berry
Move 1: Leaf Blade
Move 2: Sacred Sword
Move 3: Tailwind / Substitute
Move 4: Detect
Item: Aguav Berry
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 76 HP / 60 Atk / 4 Def / 252 SpD / 116 Spe

Leaf Blade is Kartana's main attack as it is powerful and reliable. as Kartana’s bread and butter attack to hit anything weak to it or neutral. Sacred Sword lets Kartana hit Pokemon it cannot obliterate this reads weird, consider rewording to just Grass resists or somethingwith Leaf Blade like Stakataka and Bisharp, as well as bulkier targets like Incineroar. Tailwind lets Kartana boost its speed considerably as this set is built to only outrun 252 Speed Landorus-T. Substitute gives Kartana a strong option to help preserve itself, but also lets Kartana activate its pinch berry at will since it’s health is divisible by 4 at will implies it can do this whenever, I would rephrase to say that it has an easier time doing so thanks to Substitute. Detect lets Kartana continue to preserve itself, as well as take the brunt of most Z-Moves which other sets cannot shrug off as easily even with a quarter of the initial power. The given EV spread lets Kartana above all emphasize bulk and pave a way through opponents with a slower pace in comparison to its sibling sets. While slow, the Adamant nature lets it keep up pace with 252 Attack Kartana, and the focus on HP and Special Defense investment let this Kartana survive what no other Kartana can, like Mega Gengar Shadow Ball, and Tapu Koko Gigavolt Havoc in Electric Terrain. Aguav Berry complements this the slow pace of this set perfectly to boot, letting Kartana heal up 50% of its health and allowing it to withstand even more attacks.

Due to the lack of Speed investment this Kartana lacks, it Kartana often prefers to be paired with speedy Pokemon. Mega Gengar and Choice Scarf Landorus make fast, strong partners that help Kartana with their abilities as well, allowing it to survive longer and push out more attacks. Tapu Koko and Nihilego also make great accompanying Pokemon to Kartana, as both are fast and can pressure with strong Z-Moves capable of an OHKO on threats like Mega Charizard Y and Zapdos that Kartana underspeeds.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[TheKingVillager, 552835]]
- Quality checked by: [[name, id], [name, id]]
- Grammar checked by: [[name, id]]

qc 1/2, lmk if you have any questions as always

 

[Giokio]

ADD REMOVE COMMENTS HIGHLIGHT

QC 2/2"

[OVERVIEW]

Kartana's monstrous base 181 Attack further backed by its base 109 Speed ensure it to be not only a heavy hitter but a fast one as well; additionally, thanks to Beast Boost, Kartana can become even scarier as it racks up Attack boosts with each KO inflicted (important to say since Soul-Heart works with every KO in general and Beast Boost with the ones you actually get). Even with its limited offensive toolkit, rarely containing more than just Leaf Blade and Sacred Sword, it still manages to pressure metagame staples such as Tapu Fini and Snorlax. It can also provide speed control for itself and its partner thanks to access to Tailwind. Kartana also possesses other setup moves like Swords Dance and Substitute, both of which put a great deal of pressure on the opposing Pokemon. Unfortunately, Kartana's paper-thin Special Defense will leave it easily OHKOed by even weak special attackers such as Porygon2's boosted Ice Beam or Mega Salamence's Hyper Voice. Additionally, Kartana also struggles with Fire-types like the commonplace Incineroar and Charizard, as well as Flying-types like Zapdos and Mega Salamence which Kartana cannot hit hard.

[SET]
Name: Focus Sash
Move 1: Leaf Blade
Move 2: Sacred Sword
Move 3: Tailwind / Swords Dance
Move 4: Detect
Item: Focus Sash
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Leaf Blade is your Kartana's primary STAB as it hits several Pokemon like Tapu Fini and Politoed for super effective damage, and does considerable damage to neutral targets like Tapu Koko and Tapu Lele. Sacred Sword gives Kartana the ability to hit Pokemon like Porygon2, Mega Kangaskhan, and Snorlax for big chunks for massive damgae, as well as while also ignoring Defense and Evasion stat changes on any given target. Combined with Focus Sash, Kartana can usually push out a Tailwind early-game to gain the speed advantage for the party, or as a last ditch effort while Kartana hangs on with 1 HP. Swords Dance is an alternative to Tailwind, allowing that allows Kartana to focus all in on damage and ensures a powerful hit and become an unstoppable offensive threat if left unattended for too long . Detect is another way to help Kartana preserve itself from strong attacks, or to bait opponents when it’s barely hanging on ready to be picked off. Detect also lets Kartana bypass the move-lock imposed by Imprison, which would often lock Protect instead. Kartana can afford to focus all of its investment in Attack and Speed in order to hit as fast and as hard as possible thanks to Focus Sash guaranteeing it will survive any one hit.

Focus Sash Kartana pairs up well with Mega Charizard Y. Kartana’s Grass / Fighting type coverage allows it to cut down Pokemon like Tyranitar and Politoed, which pose a threat to Mega Charizard Y as well as the sun it brings. Tailwind also allows for the two to outrun foes like Tapu Koko and Scarf Landorus-T to sweep with powerful physical and special attacks. Kartana also pairs well with Tapu Fini and Incineroar, as these two give Kartana are strong switch ins for that make up for its weaknesses, as well as providing Kartana with Fake Out and Misty Terrain to protect it from status and give it openings to attack. Tapu Lele makes a good partner for Kartana since the Psychic Terrain Tapu Lele brings allows Kartana not to worry about priority moves like Fake Out and Sucker Punch breaking its Focus Sash prematurely.

[SET]
Name: Z-Move
Move 1: Leaf Blade
Move 2: Sacred Sword
Move 3: Substitute / Swords Dance / Tailwind
Move 4: Detect
Item: Grassium Z / Fightinium Z
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 20 HP / 148 Atk / 4 Def / 84 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Leaf Blade as is your primary STAB to cut down bulky Water-types like Tapu Fini and Milotic, as well as about anything that doesn't resist it. Leaf Blade will also allow Kartana to utilize Bloom Doom if it chooses Grassium Z, letting it take quick knockouts on Pokemon like Landorus-T and ensuring OHKOs on Pokemon like Tapu Fini which can survive Leaf Blade at -1 Attack. Sacred Sword lets Kartana hit Normal-types and Steel-types for more damage than Leaf Blade, but given Fightinium Z allows Kartana to use All-Out Pummeling, which lets Kartana it break through some of the bulkiest Pokemon in the format like Snorlax, Porygon2, Incineroar, and Heatran which can all withstand several Sacred Swords. Substitute allows Kartana to preserve itself for a quarter of its health, and lets it take hits it would never realistically survive. Substitute also has the added benefit of blocking Intimidate. Swords Dance has similar benefits, letting Kartana counteract Intimidate and gain 2 stages of Attack at the cost of leaving itself vulnerable for 1 Turn. Tailwind lets Kartana set itself and its team up to outrun fast Pokemon like Tapu Koko, Scarf Landorus-T, and Ludicolo under rain, as well as giving it an opportunity to nuke something those threats with a powerful Z-Move before they get the chance to move. All three of these moves allow Kartana to capitalize on positions where the opponent is pressured by its offensive nature and must play safely. Detect lets Kartana shield any unfavorable attacks that might OHKO it, however the given EV spread lets Kartana survive some of the format’s strongest special attacks like Tapu Lele Psychic and Life Orb Tapu Koko Thunderbolt. It can also withstand Gigavolt Havoc from Tapu Koko given it has a way to remove the Electric Terrain.

Z-Move Kartana prefers partners that it can clear paths for, or help it set up. Incineroar and Tapu Fini remain valuable picks to help Kartana set up Substitute, Swords Dance, or Tailwind with a Fake Out, and both remain bulky switches to help out what is still a relatively frail Pokemon. Electric-types like Tapu Koko and Zapdos also make good partners as they can use strong electric attacks to help put Pokemon like Incineroar and Tapu Fini in range for Kartana to pick off, as well as helping defeat Mega-Charizard Y. Mega Gengar is a superb partner as Shadow Tag lets Kartana easily pick off opponents trapped in, and can assist Kartana with strong special attacks, high Speed, and support moves like Icy Wind. Mega Kangaskhan is also a good pick, letting Kartana set up with Fake Out, and push through teams together with powerful physical attacks.

[SET]
Name: Bulky Berry
Move 1: Leaf Blade
Move 2: Sacred Sword
Move 3: Tailwind / Substitute
Move 4: Detect
Item: Aguav Berry
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 76 HP / 60 Atk / 4 Def / 252 SpD / 116 Spe

Leaf Blade is Kartana's main attack as it is powerful and reliable. Sacred Sword lets Kartana hit Steel-types like Stakataka and Bisharp, as well as bulkier targets like Incineroar. Tailwind lets Kartana boost its speed considerably as this set is built to only outrun 252 Speed Landorus-T. Substitute gives Kartana a strong option to help preserve itself, but also gives it more chances to activate it's pinch berry since it’s health is divisible by 4. Detect lets Kartana continue to preserve itself, as well as take the brunt of most Z-Moves which other sets cannot shrug off as easily even with a quarter of the initial power. The given EV spread lets Kartana above all emphasize bulk and pave a way through opponents with a slower pace in comparison to its sibling other sets. While slow, the Adamant nature lets it keep up pace with 252 Attack Kartana, and the focus on HP and Special Defense investment let this Kartana survive what no other Kartana can, like Mega Gengar Shadow Ball, and Tapu Koko Gigavolt Havoc in Electric Terrain. Aguav Berry complements this the slow pace of this set perfectly to boot, letting Kartana heal up 50% of its health and allowing it to withstand even more attacks.

Due to the lack of Speed investment this Kartana lacks, it often prefers to be paired with speedy Pokemon. Mega Gengar and Choice Scarf Landorus-T make fast, strong partners that help Kartana with their abilities as well, allowing it to survive longer and push out more attacks. Tapu Koko and Nihilego also make great accompanying Pokemon to Kartana, as both are fast and can pressure with strong Z-Moves capable of an OHKO on threats like Mega Charizard Y and Zapdos that Kartana underspeeds.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[TheKingVillager, 552835]]
- Quality checked by: [[zeefable, 501951], [Giokio, 517038]]
- Grammar checked by: [[name, id]]

done, really good analysis, hope you write others
QC 2/2

 

[Giokio]

Done. You can put this to GP

 

[Adeleine]

check

[OVERVIEW]

Kartana's monstrous base 181 Attack further backed by its base 109 Speed ensure it to be not only a heavy hitter but a fast one as well; additionally, Kartana is a monstrously strong as well as fast attacker that, thanks to Beast Boost, Kartana can become even scarier as it racks up Attack boosts with each KO inflicted. Even with its limited offensive attacking toolkit, rarely containing running more than just Leaf Blade and Sacred Sword, it still manages to pressure metagame staples such as Tapu Fini and Snorlax. It can also provide speed control for itself and its partner thanks to access to Tailwind. Kartana also possesses other setup moves like its team with Tailwind or set up with Swords Dance and Substitute, both of which put a great deal of pressure on the opposing Pokemon. Unfortunately, Kartana's paper-thin Special Defense will leave it easily OHKOed by even weak special attackers such as Porygon2's boosted Ice Beam or Mega Salamence's Hyper Voice. Additionally, Kartana also struggles with Fire-types like the commonplace Incineroar and Charizard, as well as Flying-types like Zapdos and Mega Salamence, (AC) which Kartana it cannot hit hard.

[SET]
name: Focus Sash
move 1: Leaf Blade
move 2: Sacred Sword
move 3: Tailwind / Swords Dance
move 4: Detect
item: Focus Sash
ability: Beast Boost
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Leaf Blade is Kartana's primary STAB move, as it hits several Pokemon like Tapu Fini and Politoed for super effective damage (RC) and does considerable damage to neutral targets like Tapu Koko and Tapu Lele. Sacred Sword gives Kartana the ability to hit hits Pokemon like Porygon2, Mega Kangaskhan, and Snorlax for massive damage (RC) while also ignoring Defense and evasion stat changes on any given target. Combined with Focus Sash, Kartana can usually push out a Tailwind early-game to gain the Speed advantage for the party, or as a last-ditch (added hyphen) effort while Kartana it hangs on with 1 HP. Swords Dance is an alternative to Tailwind that allows Kartana to focus all in on damage and lets Kartana become an unstoppable offensive threat if left unattended for too long. Detect is another way to help Kartana preserve itself from strong attacks, or to bait opponents when it’s barely hanging on ready to be picked off. Detect also lets Kartana bypass the move-lock imposed by Imprison, which would often lock Protect. Kartana can afford to focus all of its investment in Attack and Speed in order to hit as fast and as hard as possible thanks to Focus Sash guaranteeing it will survive any one hit. helps preserve Kartana or bait foes when it's barely hanging on, and it bypasses Imprison users running Protect. Focus Sash lets Kartana focus all of its EVs in Attack and Speed.

Focus Sash Kartana pairs up well with Mega Charizard Y. Kartana’s Grass / Fighting type coverage allows it to cut down Pokemon like Tyranitar and Politoed, which pose a threat to Mega Charizard Y as well as the sun it brings. Tailwind also allows for the two to outrun foes like Tapu Koko and Choice Scarf Landorus-T to sweep with powerful physical and special attacks. Kartana also pairs well with Tapu Fini and Incineroar, as these two are strong switch-ins (added hyphen) that to make up for its weaknesses, as well as providing it Fake Out and Misty Terrain to protect it from status and give it openings to attack. Tapu Lele makes a good partner for Kartana since the Psychic Terrain Tapu Lele brings allows Kartana not to worry about Terrain. Tapu Lele's Psychic Terrain protects Kartana from priority moves like Fake Out and Sucker Punch breaking its Focus Sash prematurely.

[SET]
name: Z-Move
move 1: Leaf Blade
move 2: Sacred Sword
move 3: Substitute / Swords Dance / Tailwind
move 4: Detect
item: Grassium Z / Fightinium Z
ability: Beast Boost
nature: Jolly
evs: 20 HP / 148 Atk / 4 Def / 84 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Leaf Blade is your primary STAB move to cut down bulky Water-types like Tapu Fini and Milotic, as well as about anything that doesn't resist it. Leaf Blade will also allow Kartana to utilize Bloom Doom if it chooses Grassium Z, letting it take quick knockouts With Grassium Z, Bloom Doom takes quick KOs on Pokemon like Landorus-T and ensuring ensures OHKOs on Pokemon like Tapu Fini, (AC) which can survive Leaf Blade at -1 Attack. Sacred Sword lets Kartana hit Normal-types and Steel-types for more damage than Leaf Blade, but given Fightinium Z allows Kartana to use All-Out Pummeling, which and All-Out Pummeling with Fightinium Z lets it break through some of the bulkiest Pokemon in the format like Snorlax, Porygon2, Incineroar, and Heatran, (AC) which can all withstand several Sacred Swords. Substitute allows Kartana to preserve itself for a quarter of its health, and lets it and take hits it would never realistically survive. Substitute also has the added benefit of blocking Intimidate. Swords Dance has similar benefits, letting similarly lets Kartana counteract Intimidate and gain 2 stages of Attack at the cost of leaving itself vulnerable for 1 Turn. can make it unstoppably powerful. (I assume something like this? feel free to rephrase) Tailwind lets Kartana set itself and its team up to and its team outrun fast Pokemon like Tapu Koko, Choice Scarf Landorus-T, and Ludicolo under rain, as well as giving it an opportunity allowing it to nuke those threats with a powerful Z-Move before they get the chance to move. All three of these third-moveslot moves allow Kartana to capitalize on positions where the opponent is pressured by its offensive nature and must its offensive pressure forces the opponent to play safely. Detect lets Kartana shield shields Kartana from any unfavorable attacks that might OHKO it, however it; however, the given EV spread lets Kartana survive some of the format’s strongest special attacks like Tapu Lele Psychic and Life Orb Tapu Koko Thunderbolt. It can also withstand Gigavolt Havoc from Tapu Koko given it has a way to remove the Electric Terrain. with Electric Terrain removed.

Z-Move Kartana prefers partners that it can clear paths for, or that help it set up. Incineroar and Tapu Fini remain valuable picks to help Kartana set up Substitute, Swords Dance, or Tailwind with a Fake Out, and both remain bulky switches to help out what is still a relatively frail Pokemon. provide valuable Fake Out for setup and bulky switch-ins for the frail Kartana. Electric-types like Tapu Koko and Zapdos also make good partners, (AC) as they can use strong electric Electric-type attacks to help put Pokemon like Incineroar and Tapu Fini in range for Kartana to pick off, as well as helping defeat Mega Charizard (removed hyphen) Y. Mega Gengar is a superb partner, (AC) as Shadow Tag lets Kartana easily pick off opponents trapped in, and trapped foes, and it can assist Kartana with strong special attacks, high Speed, and support moves like Icy Wind. Mega Kangaskhan is also a good pick, letting lets Kartana set up with Fake Out, and the two push through teams together with powerful physical attacks.

[SET]
name: Bulky Berry
move 1: Leaf Blade
move 2: Sacred Sword
move 3: Tailwind / Substitute
move 4: Detect
item: Aguav Berry
ability: Beast Boost
nature: Adamant
evs: 76 HP / 60 Atk / 4 Def / 252 SpD / 116 Spe

Leaf Blade is Kartana's main attack, (AC) as it is powerful and reliable. Sacred Sword lets Kartana hit Steel-types like Stakataka and Bisharp, as well as bulkier targets like Incineroar. Tailwind lets Kartana boost its Speed considerably, (AC) as this set is only built to only outrun 252 Speed Landorus-T. Substitute gives Kartana a strong option to help preserve itself, but also gives it more chances to activate it's pinch berry since it’s health is divisible by 4. preserve itself and more chances to activate its Aguav Berry, since its HP is divisible by four. Detect lets Kartana continue to preserve itself, also preserves it, as well as helping it take the brunt of most Z-Moves, (AC) which other sets cannot shrug off as easily even with a quarter of the initial power. The given bulky EV spread lets Kartana above all emphasize bulk and pave a way through opponents with a slower pace helps Kartana pave through slower-paced foes in comparison to its other sets. While slowing it, the Adamant nature lets it keep up pace with 252 Attack Kartana, and the focus on HP and Special Defense investment let this Kartana bulk investment lets it survive what no other Kartana can, like Mega Gengar Shadow Ball (RC) and Tapu Koko Gigavolt Havoc in Electric Terrain. Aguav Berry's longevity complements this the slow pace of this set perfectly to boot, letting Kartana heal up 50% of its health and allowing it to withstand even more attacks.

Due to the lack of Speed investment this Kartana possesses, this Kartana's lacking Speed investment, it often prefers to be paired with speedy Pokemon. Mega Gengar and Choice Scarf Landorus-T make fast, strong partners that help Kartana with their abilities as well, allowing it to survive longer and push out more attacks. Tapu Koko and Nihilego also make great accompanying Pokemon to Kartana, as both are also fast and can pressure with strong Z-Moves capable of an OHKO on threats like Mega Charizard Y and Zapdos that Kartana underspeeds. outspeed Kartana with Z-Move OHKOs.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[TheKingVillager, 552835]]
- Quality checked by: [[zeefable, 501951], [Giokio, 517038]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Finland, 517429]]

 

[Adeleine]

1/1

 

[Giokio]

https://www.smogon.com/dex/sm/pokemon/kartana/vgc18/
On Site! Thank you everyone