Hey guys, Magnemite here bringing everyone the next Pokemon of the Week! I will be working with TRC. for the future of Pokemon of the Week; we will create the article together and alternate in posting it in the Overused forum.
The XY OU Pokemon of the Week is an (obviously) weekly project in the Overused forum. The idea originated from when we were reading many of the discussion threads, often the discussion is a bit lacking in the content department. Our goal here to is to highlight a threat in the metagame that isn't as well known, or isn't used as much as it should be, and provide a concise amount of information about that Pokemon; this will encourage creativity during teambuilding, and it will also provide an instant wealth of knowledge about that particular threat. This will hopefully be more helpful to the massive influx of new players in the OU subforum and promote better discussion within the individual threads. In this thread though, the main point of discussion should be about experiences with that particular Pokemon and the sets featured, and how it has helped in some way during your battling. Niche sets and gimmicks can be mentioned as well, but bear in mind that this thread is mainly an informative source of knowledge through what is written in the OP; discussion is not its main focus, though it is most certainly allowed. we need to make this point clear. Think of this like an article introducing you to a new threat that you can use; and try it out! Oh yeah, you can also VM one of us what you think the next POTW should be, bearing in mind that they will be on lesser-used threats, such as Chesnaught, Krookodile, or Cofagrigus.
Unfortunately for Reuniclus, the XY OU metagame has not exactly been kind to it. All of its weaknesses are to great offensive types that have either been buffed or are found on Pokemon that were not present in the BW2 OU metagame. Aegislash, Genesect, Bisharp, and Mandibuzz, all of which are great checks or counters to Reuniclus, are new additions to OU and are quite common. In addition, stall has a new way of dealing with Calm Mind Reuniclus: Unaware Calm Mind Clefable, which can easily beat Reuniclus in a Calm Mind War. Its Calm Mind set is also incredibly slow and struggles to take powerful attacks repeatedly, so it doesn't function very well against offensive teams.
Reuniclus @ Life Orb
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 192 HP / 64 Def / 252 SpA
IVs: 0 Spe
Quiet Nature
- Trick Room
- Psychic / Psyshock
- Focus Blast
- Shadow Ball / Hidden Power Fire
This set uses Reuniclus's high Special Attack, decent coverage, and access to Trick Room to turn fast-paced offensive teams on their heads. Very few offensive Pokemon have enough bulk to withstand Reuniclus's Life Orb-boosted attacks. While Shadow Ball hits Aegislash and bulky Psychic-types hard, Hidden Power Fire turns Reuniclus into a fantastic lure for Scizor and Genesect, two of its most common checks. The given EVs maximize Reuniclus's bulk and Special Attack. While it may seem like a better idea to maximize HP EVs, this spread accounts for Reuniclus's high HP stat, which makes it bulkier overall than 252 HP EVs would. 0 Speed IVs make Reuniclus as fast as possible under Trick Room. Life Orb is the preferred item on this set because it gives Reuniclus a 30% power boost without compromising its bulk, as Magic Guard prevents it from taking Life Orb recoil.
Reuniclus @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
- Calm Mind
- Psychic / Psyshock
- Focus Blast / Shadow Ball
- Recover
Reuniclus is a great Calm Mind user thanks to its bulk, good immediate power, reliable recovery, and Magic Guard. Because it of this, stall teams have great trouble beating this set as it can boost up against them rather easily and simply recover off the small amounts of damage done to it. It can set up against many common stall Pokemon, particularly Mega Venusaur. However, this set tends to struggle against offensive teams, which can hit it harder than it can set up or Recover. Furthermore, unlike the Trick Room set, it doesn't really do too much to beat Reuniclus's common checks, especially Aegislash and Genesect. The listed EVs and nature maximize Reuniclus's physical bulk, as its special bulk is covered by Calm Mind and it can usually get enough boosts that it doesn't need any investment in Special Attack. Leftovers is the preferred item because it makes Reuniclus harder to wear down and helps mitigate Reuniclus's reliance on Recover.
Reuniclus doesn't have that many other options, but a set that could potentially work due to its ability Magic Guard is a Trick + Flame Orb set. Because of Magic Guard, Reuniclus doesn't suffer any of the downfalls of being burned; it doesn't take passive damage and it doesn't care about the Attack drop. However, it can use Trick to cripple a Pokemon that does hate being burned, such as Tyranitar or Scizor. A set with 3 attacks + Recover can work, but Reuniclus would miss out on the immense advantages it could obtain from either Trick Room or Calm Mind.
When using the Trick Room set, the teammates that would logically work best with Reuniclus are ones that benefit from Trick Room. Conkeldurr is slow, so it loves Trick Room, and it can also beat Tyranitar and Genesect when under the effects of Trick Room, making it an excellent ally. Tyranitar itself can make for an effective partner, as it is slow and it can Pursuit trap Latios, Latias, and Jirachi, who might otherwise be bulky enough to withstand even a super-effective Shadow Ball. As Scizor and Tyranitar are two of the biggest banes to Reuniclus, a partner that can swiftly eliminate these foes is greatly appreciated. Heatran, Talonflame, and Mega Charizard X or Y can all KO or severely weaken Scizor, while Terrakion, Landorus-T, Conkeldurr, and Infernape can all do a number to Tyranitar. Infernape in particular can deal with both with its STAB moves, but is generally a subpar choice in this metagame due to its poor bulk and in general, the fact that it rivals with faster, more powerful threats. Aegislash is also a top choice that can work well in Trick Room and can get rid of Latios, Latias, and Jirachi, as well as Clefable.
Sadly, Reuniclus has its fair share of checks and counters. Both Genesect and Scizor are very common and greatly threaten Reuniclus with their powerful STAB U-turn. However, if Trick Room is up, they are outsped and OHKOed if it has Hidden Power Fire. Tyranitar can trap Reuniclus with Pursuit, but it too is outsped and OHKOed under Trick Room, in this case by Focus Blast. Bisharp can't switch into a Focus Blast, but it can OHKO the Calm Mind set with Knock Off and the Trick Room set with either Sucker Punch or Knock Off. Mandibuzz is only hit neutrally by Focus Blast and can stall out the Trick Room set with Roost, but can struggle to take boosted Focus Blasts. Aegislash hits Reuniclus very hard with its Ghost-type STAB and resists Psychic and Psyshock and is immune to Focus Blast. Overall, while Reuniclus's checks counters are numerous and rather common, it has a way to beat nearly all of them in a specific circumstance.
There we go, that's the fourth Pokemon of the Week! Let us know whether this has helped you at all, and your results of testing these Reuniclus sets on the ladder. Also, don't forget to let us know via VM what Pokemon you want to see next. We're thinking Diggersby, but all opinions are welcome, as well as opinions about the Pokemon of the Week format and any ideas you want to see implemented, as well as questions for us about either Reuniclus or POTW itself. Go out there and try Reuniclus now, and we'll see you next time!
The XY OU Pokemon of the Week is an (obviously) weekly project in the Overused forum. The idea originated from when we were reading many of the discussion threads, often the discussion is a bit lacking in the content department. Our goal here to is to highlight a threat in the metagame that isn't as well known, or isn't used as much as it should be, and provide a concise amount of information about that Pokemon; this will encourage creativity during teambuilding, and it will also provide an instant wealth of knowledge about that particular threat. This will hopefully be more helpful to the massive influx of new players in the OU subforum and promote better discussion within the individual threads. In this thread though, the main point of discussion should be about experiences with that particular Pokemon and the sets featured, and how it has helped in some way during your battling. Niche sets and gimmicks can be mentioned as well, but bear in mind that this thread is mainly an informative source of knowledge through what is written in the OP; discussion is not its main focus, though it is most certainly allowed. we need to make this point clear. Think of this like an article introducing you to a new threat that you can use; and try it out! Oh yeah, you can also VM one of us what you think the next POTW should be, bearing in mind that they will be on lesser-used threats, such as Chesnaught, Krookodile, or Cofagrigus.
This week's Pokemon of the Week is Reuniclus.
Type: Psychic
Base Stats: 110 HP / 65 Atk / 75 Def / 125 SpA / 85 SpD / 30 Spe
Ability: Overcoat / Magic Guard / Regenerator
Reuniclus is a unique Pokemon in that it can be great against either Hyper Offense or Stall depending on which set it is running. Fast and frail Hyper Offense teams are "outsped" and demolished by the Trick Room set, while offensively weak stall teams have a very tough time stopping its Calm Mind set. Reuniclus has great bulk coupled with an immunity to passive damage, which makes it it a threatrening sweeper. It is also one of the best answers to Mega Venusaur, which walls many offensive Pokemon to no end.
Type: Psychic
Base Stats: 110 HP / 65 Atk / 75 Def / 125 SpA / 85 SpD / 30 Spe
Ability: Overcoat / Magic Guard / Regenerator
Unfortunately for Reuniclus, the XY OU metagame has not exactly been kind to it. All of its weaknesses are to great offensive types that have either been buffed or are found on Pokemon that were not present in the BW2 OU metagame. Aegislash, Genesect, Bisharp, and Mandibuzz, all of which are great checks or counters to Reuniclus, are new additions to OU and are quite common. In addition, stall has a new way of dealing with Calm Mind Reuniclus: Unaware Calm Mind Clefable, which can easily beat Reuniclus in a Calm Mind War. Its Calm Mind set is also incredibly slow and struggles to take powerful attacks repeatedly, so it doesn't function very well against offensive teams.
Reuniclus @ Life Orb
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 192 HP / 64 Def / 252 SpA
IVs: 0 Spe
Quiet Nature
- Trick Room
- Psychic / Psyshock
- Focus Blast
- Shadow Ball / Hidden Power Fire
This set uses Reuniclus's high Special Attack, decent coverage, and access to Trick Room to turn fast-paced offensive teams on their heads. Very few offensive Pokemon have enough bulk to withstand Reuniclus's Life Orb-boosted attacks. While Shadow Ball hits Aegislash and bulky Psychic-types hard, Hidden Power Fire turns Reuniclus into a fantastic lure for Scizor and Genesect, two of its most common checks. The given EVs maximize Reuniclus's bulk and Special Attack. While it may seem like a better idea to maximize HP EVs, this spread accounts for Reuniclus's high HP stat, which makes it bulkier overall than 252 HP EVs would. 0 Speed IVs make Reuniclus as fast as possible under Trick Room. Life Orb is the preferred item on this set because it gives Reuniclus a 30% power boost without compromising its bulk, as Magic Guard prevents it from taking Life Orb recoil.
Reuniclus @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
- Calm Mind
- Psychic / Psyshock
- Focus Blast / Shadow Ball
- Recover
Reuniclus is a great Calm Mind user thanks to its bulk, good immediate power, reliable recovery, and Magic Guard. Because it of this, stall teams have great trouble beating this set as it can boost up against them rather easily and simply recover off the small amounts of damage done to it. It can set up against many common stall Pokemon, particularly Mega Venusaur. However, this set tends to struggle against offensive teams, which can hit it harder than it can set up or Recover. Furthermore, unlike the Trick Room set, it doesn't really do too much to beat Reuniclus's common checks, especially Aegislash and Genesect. The listed EVs and nature maximize Reuniclus's physical bulk, as its special bulk is covered by Calm Mind and it can usually get enough boosts that it doesn't need any investment in Special Attack. Leftovers is the preferred item because it makes Reuniclus harder to wear down and helps mitigate Reuniclus's reliance on Recover.
Reuniclus doesn't have that many other options, but a set that could potentially work due to its ability Magic Guard is a Trick + Flame Orb set. Because of Magic Guard, Reuniclus doesn't suffer any of the downfalls of being burned; it doesn't take passive damage and it doesn't care about the Attack drop. However, it can use Trick to cripple a Pokemon that does hate being burned, such as Tyranitar or Scizor. A set with 3 attacks + Recover can work, but Reuniclus would miss out on the immense advantages it could obtain from either Trick Room or Calm Mind.
When using the Trick Room set, the teammates that would logically work best with Reuniclus are ones that benefit from Trick Room. Conkeldurr is slow, so it loves Trick Room, and it can also beat Tyranitar and Genesect when under the effects of Trick Room, making it an excellent ally. Tyranitar itself can make for an effective partner, as it is slow and it can Pursuit trap Latios, Latias, and Jirachi, who might otherwise be bulky enough to withstand even a super-effective Shadow Ball. As Scizor and Tyranitar are two of the biggest banes to Reuniclus, a partner that can swiftly eliminate these foes is greatly appreciated. Heatran, Talonflame, and Mega Charizard X or Y can all KO or severely weaken Scizor, while Terrakion, Landorus-T, Conkeldurr, and Infernape can all do a number to Tyranitar. Infernape in particular can deal with both with its STAB moves, but is generally a subpar choice in this metagame due to its poor bulk and in general, the fact that it rivals with faster, more powerful threats. Aegislash is also a top choice that can work well in Trick Room and can get rid of Latios, Latias, and Jirachi, as well as Clefable.
Sadly, Reuniclus has its fair share of checks and counters. Both Genesect and Scizor are very common and greatly threaten Reuniclus with their powerful STAB U-turn. However, if Trick Room is up, they are outsped and OHKOed if it has Hidden Power Fire. Tyranitar can trap Reuniclus with Pursuit, but it too is outsped and OHKOed under Trick Room, in this case by Focus Blast. Bisharp can't switch into a Focus Blast, but it can OHKO the Calm Mind set with Knock Off and the Trick Room set with either Sucker Punch or Knock Off. Mandibuzz is only hit neutrally by Focus Blast and can stall out the Trick Room set with Roost, but can struggle to take boosted Focus Blasts. Aegislash hits Reuniclus very hard with its Ghost-type STAB and resists Psychic and Psyshock and is immune to Focus Blast. Overall, while Reuniclus's checks counters are numerous and rather common, it has a way to beat nearly all of them in a specific circumstance.
There we go, that's the fourth Pokemon of the Week! Let us know whether this has helped you at all, and your results of testing these Reuniclus sets on the ladder. Also, don't forget to let us know via VM what Pokemon you want to see next. We're thinking Diggersby, but all opinions are welcome, as well as opinions about the Pokemon of the Week format and any ideas you want to see implemented, as well as questions for us about either Reuniclus or POTW itself. Go out there and try Reuniclus now, and we'll see you next time!
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