[OVERVIEW]
Altaria distinguishes itself from other Defoggers in the tier through its unique Dragon / Flying typing, which allows it to reliably check a variety of threats, including Passimian, Choice Scarf Houndoom, Palossand, and Slowbro. It is also blessed with Natural Cure, allowing it to act as a status sponge for the bulky teams it often finds itself on. Unfortunately, due to Altaria's lack of offensive presence, it is very passive, inviting in fearsome wallbreakers such as Vanilluxe and Whimsicott, which leaves it as a momentum sink on offensive builds. Moreover, this passivity turns Altaria into prime setup bait for bulky setup sweepers that can shrug off Toxic such as Type: Null, Malamar, and Substitute + Bulk Up Braviary. Finally, Altaria can struggle greatly against certain Stealth Rock setters such as Rhydon and Piloswine, as it is weak to Stealth Rock and threatened out by their STAB attacks.
[SET]
name: Defensive Defog
move 1: Defog
move 2: Roost
move 3: Toxic
move 4: Flamethrower
item: Leftovers
ability: Natural Cure
nature: Calm
evs: 252 HP / 168 Def / 72 SpD / 16 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Defog is Altaria's main selling point, allowing it to clear entry hazards to support its teammates. Roost gives Altaria a reliable form of recovery so it can check the threats it's supposed to check. Toxic lets Altaria cripple defensive foes such as Slowbro, Druddigon, and Cryogonal, and it is also Altaria's most consistent form of damage output against Fire- and Water-types such as Incineroar, Houndoom, Delphox, and Samurott. Flamethrower is Altaria's only attacking move, allowing it to reliably beat Steelix and Ferroseed and chip Ice-types that may attempt to switch in like Vanilluxe, Sneasel, and Froslass.
Set Details
========
252 HP EVs make Altaria as bulky as possible and minimize the damage taken from Stealth Rock. 168 Defense EVs enable Altaria to avoid the 2HKO from maximum Attack Steelix's Heavy Slam and check Fighting-types such as Passimian and variants of Hariyama lacking Ice Punch. 72 Special Defense EVs alongside a Calm nature ensure that Altaria can check Pokemon like Venusaur, Delphox, Slowbro, and variants of Slowking lacking Ice Beam much more comfortably, and they also let Altaria avoid the 2HKO from Life Orb Venusaur's Sludge Bomb. 16 Speed EVs let Altaria outspeed Flame Orb Hariyama and defensive Garbodor.
Usage Tips
========
Altaria should be brought in against relatively passive Pokemon or Pokemon that can't deal much damage to it, such as Slowbro lacking Ice Beam, Venusaur, Steelix, Slowking, defensive Vaporeon, and Silvally-Steel, and take the chance to Defog away any entry hazards on the field, cripple them with Toxic, or deal decent damage to them with Flamethrower. It can also come in against Fighting-types with relative ease, such as Passimian, Hariyama lacking Ice Punch, Hitmonlee, and Choice Scarf Gallade. Keep Altaria healthy with Roost, as it loses a quarter of its HP every time it has to switch in with Stealth Rock up. You can also use Altaria as a status sponge, as it easily deals with common status inducers like Slowbro, Vaporeon, Silvally-Steel, and Silvally-Water.
Team Options
========
Due to Altaria's glaring 4x weakness to Ice, checks to Vanilluxe, Sneasel, and Cryogonal will be mandatory. Klinklang is a good partner for Altaria, as it can come in semi-well on Diancie, Vanilluxe, Sneasel, and Cryogonal and can force them all out with STAB Gear Grind as well as take the oppurtinity to set up with Shift Gear on the opponent's switch. Klinklang also appreciates Altaria's ability to come in on Steelix and whittle it down. Assault Vest Thick Fat Hariyama tanks Ice-type attacks well, and it can fire off heavy hits to the opponent's team. Fire-types such as Delphox, Emboar, and Houndoom also work well with Altaria, as they can pressure Ice-types heavily. Fairy-resistant Pokemon like Venusaur and Steelix make good partners for Altaria, as they can eliminate Fairy-types like Diancie, Whimsicott, and Aromatisse semi-reliably, alleviating the pressure on Altaria. Fighting-types like Hariyama, Passimian, Scrafty, and Medicham can deal with Rock-types like Gigalith and Rhydon somewhat effectively, and they can also whittle down Diancie. Pokemon weak to Fighting like Sneasel, Heliolisk, Rhydon, Houndoom, and Silvally-Steel appreciate Altaria's ability to come in against the majority of Fighting-types with relative ease. Grass-types such as Venusaur, Whimsicott, and Sceptile can come in against Pokemon that force Altaria out such as Rhydon, Diancie, and Gigalith and either OHKO them or threaten them out.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Ice Beam can be used to ease the matchup against Druddigon and Rhydon, but Flamethrower is the better option, as it covers Steelix, Whimsicott, Sneasel, and Vanilluxe much better. Haze sounds good on paper to prevent setup sweepers such as Type: Null, Toxicroak, and Scrafty from sweeping, but Altaria doesn't really have the room to fit Haze in its moveset. Heal Bell is an option to be used on stall; however, like with Haze, Altaria struggles to fit Heal Bell in its moveset, and it's generally outclassed as a cleric by Diancie, Audino, Articuno, and Vileplume.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Ice-types**: Due to Altaria's glaring 4x weakness to Ice-type attacks, Vanilluxe, Sneasel, Cryogonal, Piloswine, Froslass, and Aurorus can all threaten Altaria greatly with their STAB Ice-type attacks and OHKO it with ease.
**Rock-types**: Rock-types such as Diancie, Gigalith, Rhydon, and Omastar can both easily come in against Altaria due to them resisting Flamethrower and Altaria's poor Special Attack, and they can either force it out with their Rock-type STAB attacks or, in Omastar's case, set up with Shell Smash and proceed to sweep.
**Fairy-types**: Diancie can tank any attack from Altaria, heal Toxic poison with Heal Bell, and attack Altaria with a STAB super effective Moonblast to dent it heavily. Whimsicott can deal massive damage to Altaria with Moonblast, KOing it after Stealth Rock damage. Aromatisse can come in and begin to set up with Nasty Plot and Trick Room while threatening Altaria out with Moonblast. Mega Audino can heal any Toxic poison inflicted by Altaria and force it out with Dazzling Gleam.
**Type: Null**: Type: Null is able to come in against Altaria for free and set up with Swords Dance and Iron Defense with ease, as it's unfazed by Toxic thanks to Rest.
**Setup Sweepers**: A lot of setup sweepers that are unbothered by Altaria's moves, such as Malamar, Omastar, Aromatisse, and Vaporeon, can all come in easily against Altaria and proceed to set up. Shed Skin Scrafty can also easily set up on Altaria, not caring about Toxic thanks to Shed Skin and shrugging off Altaria's pitifully weak attacks.
Altaria distinguishes itself from other Defoggers in the tier through its unique Dragon / Flying typing, which allows it to reliably check a variety of threats, including Passimian, Choice Scarf Houndoom, Palossand, and Slowbro. It is also blessed with Natural Cure, allowing it to act as a status sponge for the bulky teams it often finds itself on. Unfortunately, due to Altaria's lack of offensive presence, it is very passive, inviting in fearsome wallbreakers such as Vanilluxe and Whimsicott, which leaves it as a momentum sink on offensive builds. Moreover, this passivity turns Altaria into prime setup bait for bulky setup sweepers that can shrug off Toxic such as Type: Null, Malamar, and Substitute + Bulk Up Braviary. Finally, Altaria can struggle greatly against certain Stealth Rock setters such as Rhydon and Piloswine, as it is weak to Stealth Rock and threatened out by their STAB attacks.
[SET]
name: Defensive Defog
move 1: Defog
move 2: Roost
move 3: Toxic
move 4: Flamethrower
item: Leftovers
ability: Natural Cure
nature: Calm
evs: 252 HP / 168 Def / 72 SpD / 16 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Defog is Altaria's main selling point, allowing it to clear entry hazards to support its teammates. Roost gives Altaria a reliable form of recovery so it can check the threats it's supposed to check. Toxic lets Altaria cripple defensive foes such as Slowbro, Druddigon, and Cryogonal, and it is also Altaria's most consistent form of damage output against Fire- and Water-types such as Incineroar, Houndoom, Delphox, and Samurott. Flamethrower is Altaria's only attacking move, allowing it to reliably beat Steelix and Ferroseed and chip Ice-types that may attempt to switch in like Vanilluxe, Sneasel, and Froslass.
Set Details
========
252 HP EVs make Altaria as bulky as possible and minimize the damage taken from Stealth Rock. 168 Defense EVs enable Altaria to avoid the 2HKO from maximum Attack Steelix's Heavy Slam and check Fighting-types such as Passimian and variants of Hariyama lacking Ice Punch. 72 Special Defense EVs alongside a Calm nature ensure that Altaria can check Pokemon like Venusaur, Delphox, Slowbro, and variants of Slowking lacking Ice Beam much more comfortably, and they also let Altaria avoid the 2HKO from Life Orb Venusaur's Sludge Bomb. 16 Speed EVs let Altaria outspeed Flame Orb Hariyama and defensive Garbodor.
Usage Tips
========
Altaria should be brought in against relatively passive Pokemon or Pokemon that can't deal much damage to it, such as Slowbro lacking Ice Beam, Venusaur, Steelix, Slowking, defensive Vaporeon, and Silvally-Steel, and take the chance to Defog away any entry hazards on the field, cripple them with Toxic, or deal decent damage to them with Flamethrower. It can also come in against Fighting-types with relative ease, such as Passimian, Hariyama lacking Ice Punch, Hitmonlee, and Choice Scarf Gallade. Keep Altaria healthy with Roost, as it loses a quarter of its HP every time it has to switch in with Stealth Rock up. You can also use Altaria as a status sponge, as it easily deals with common status inducers like Slowbro, Vaporeon, Silvally-Steel, and Silvally-Water.
Team Options
========
Due to Altaria's glaring 4x weakness to Ice, checks to Vanilluxe, Sneasel, and Cryogonal will be mandatory. Klinklang is a good partner for Altaria, as it can come in semi-well on Diancie, Vanilluxe, Sneasel, and Cryogonal and can force them all out with STAB Gear Grind as well as take the oppurtinity to set up with Shift Gear on the opponent's switch. Klinklang also appreciates Altaria's ability to come in on Steelix and whittle it down. Assault Vest Thick Fat Hariyama tanks Ice-type attacks well, and it can fire off heavy hits to the opponent's team. Fire-types such as Delphox, Emboar, and Houndoom also work well with Altaria, as they can pressure Ice-types heavily. Fairy-resistant Pokemon like Venusaur and Steelix make good partners for Altaria, as they can eliminate Fairy-types like Diancie, Whimsicott, and Aromatisse semi-reliably, alleviating the pressure on Altaria. Fighting-types like Hariyama, Passimian, Scrafty, and Medicham can deal with Rock-types like Gigalith and Rhydon somewhat effectively, and they can also whittle down Diancie. Pokemon weak to Fighting like Sneasel, Heliolisk, Rhydon, Houndoom, and Silvally-Steel appreciate Altaria's ability to come in against the majority of Fighting-types with relative ease. Grass-types such as Venusaur, Whimsicott, and Sceptile can come in against Pokemon that force Altaria out such as Rhydon, Diancie, and Gigalith and either OHKO them or threaten them out.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Ice Beam can be used to ease the matchup against Druddigon and Rhydon, but Flamethrower is the better option, as it covers Steelix, Whimsicott, Sneasel, and Vanilluxe much better. Haze sounds good on paper to prevent setup sweepers such as Type: Null, Toxicroak, and Scrafty from sweeping, but Altaria doesn't really have the room to fit Haze in its moveset. Heal Bell is an option to be used on stall; however, like with Haze, Altaria struggles to fit Heal Bell in its moveset, and it's generally outclassed as a cleric by Diancie, Audino, Articuno, and Vileplume.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Ice-types**: Due to Altaria's glaring 4x weakness to Ice-type attacks, Vanilluxe, Sneasel, Cryogonal, Piloswine, Froslass, and Aurorus can all threaten Altaria greatly with their STAB Ice-type attacks and OHKO it with ease.
**Rock-types**: Rock-types such as Diancie, Gigalith, Rhydon, and Omastar can both easily come in against Altaria due to them resisting Flamethrower and Altaria's poor Special Attack, and they can either force it out with their Rock-type STAB attacks or, in Omastar's case, set up with Shell Smash and proceed to sweep.
**Fairy-types**: Diancie can tank any attack from Altaria, heal Toxic poison with Heal Bell, and attack Altaria with a STAB super effective Moonblast to dent it heavily. Whimsicott can deal massive damage to Altaria with Moonblast, KOing it after Stealth Rock damage. Aromatisse can come in and begin to set up with Nasty Plot and Trick Room while threatening Altaria out with Moonblast. Mega Audino can heal any Toxic poison inflicted by Altaria and force it out with Dazzling Gleam.
**Type: Null**: Type: Null is able to come in against Altaria for free and set up with Swords Dance and Iron Defense with ease, as it's unfazed by Toxic thanks to Rest.
**Setup Sweepers**: A lot of setup sweepers that are unbothered by Altaria's moves, such as Malamar, Omastar, Aromatisse, and Vaporeon, can all come in easily against Altaria and proceed to set up. Shed Skin Scrafty can also easily set up on Altaria, not caring about Toxic thanks to Shed Skin and shrugging off Altaria's pitifully weak attacks.
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