Monotype Azumarill (Water)

[OVERVIEW]

Water
========
Azumarill is unique in having an immunity to Grass-type moves thanks to its ability Sap Sipper, giving it a special niche for Water teams. Its Fairy typing brings the much-appreciated immunity to Dragon as well as a very welcome resistance to Dark, enabling it to check Pokemon like Hydreigon with ease when combined with its acceptable bulk. Azumarill's access to both Perish Song and Whirlpool allows it to act as a Perish trapper, trapping and removing many of the walls that Water hates to deal with such as Chansey, Toxapex, and Ferrothorn. As a result, Azumarill fits on both balance and stall teams to serve as a great stallbreaker and tank. It is a huge drain on momentum, though, meaning even if offense teams need its support to beat certain walls such as Mega Venusaur, it's too much of a liability to use. Its only form of recovery is Rest, which is unreliable when trying to trap Pokemon that aren't walls and only makes its momentum problems even worse. Azumarill is also very one dimensional and uses a predictable strategy, so it may be difficult to precisely trap the Pokemon you intend to. Unfortunately, while often quite useful, the Fairy typing also makes Azumarill weak to Poison, which is a matchup Water tends to be weak in, compounding a common team problem.

[SET]
name: Perish Trap (Water)
move 1: Perish Song
move 2: Whirlpool
move 3: Rest
move 4: Protect
item: Leftovers
ability: Sap Sipper
nature: Calm
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Perish Song allows Azumarill to KO any target that cannot pivot out. To make Perish Song reliable, Whirlpool prevents Pokemon from switching out of Azumarill, making sure that they are KOed. As Azumarill must take at least one or two hits to pull off the trap, Rest keeps Azumarill healthy and allows it to easily Perish trap walls by curing status and healing to full health, preventing them from permanently Toxic poisoning or seriously crippling it. Protect allows Azumarill to stall out an extra turn of Perish Song and also scouts Choice item-using Pokemon while giving another turn of Leftovers recovery, which can be the difference between surviving and being KOed by a powerful attacker.

Set Details
========
Sap Sipper makes Azumarill immune to Grass-type moves, which is an invaluable immunity for Water teams, as they are naturally weak to Grass. An EV spread of 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD and a Calm nature maximize Azumarill's special bulk, enabling it to take on a wide range of special attackers including Mega Charizard Y and even Mega Venusaur. A spread maximizing Azumarill's physical bulk can be used to minimize damage taken from Tapu Bulu, but it makes Azumarill less reliable overall. Leftovers gives Azumarill passive healing, improving its ability to reliably Perish trap.

Usage Tips
========
Azumarill's most precious resource is its health. If it's at full HP, it can take on even Mega Venusaur. As a result, it's essential that Azumarill only take hits when it's necessary in order to Perish trap and should primarily come in on walls such as Chansey and Slowbro, as they rarely are able to beat Azumarill thanks to Rest. However, even offensive Pokemon can be beaten if Azumarill resists their main attacks; Azumarill typically needs a free switch into these threats to properly trap them, though. Once into play safely, Azumarill should almost always use Whirlpool immediately to trap either the target or whatever Pokemon switches in. In doing so, Azumarill can reduce prediction needed if a different Pokemon than it expects comes in. Whirlpool's residual damage can also actually wear down offensive threats slowly when combined with Protect, so that is a viable alternative strategy if Azumarill is unlikely to have enough time to Perish trap something. Perish Song should be used whenever it's safe after trapping a target. The time Whirlpool traps for varies, but it can be as low as only four turns, so it's important to Perish Song as soon as possible. When Perish Song is active, Protect and Rest should be used to stall turns out. As long as Azumarill is not 2HKOed, it can trap almost any Pokemon by using Perish Song, Protect, and Rest in that order. Against balance or stall teams, Azumarill should use Rest liberally even if Perish Song hasn't been activated yet, as it can easily use sleep turns on walls that can't touch it and finish trapping later.

Team Options
========
Pokemon with an Electric immunity, such as Quagsire and Lanturn, are essential for taking on the Electric-types that Azumarill cannot. Lanturn is especially useful, as it can use Heal Bell to cleanse Azumarill of status and can use its slow Volt Switch to pivot into Azumarill safely. Alomomola's huge HP means it can pass massive Wishes to Azumarill, offering it a very welcome way to heal without relying on Rest. Entry hazard users appreciate having Azumarill trap and remove Defoggers and spinners. In turn, hazards wear down switch-ins to Azumarill. Toxapex is particularly useful, as Toxic Spikes cripples Pokemon like Volcanion and Cradily that cannot be trapped, and it also supports Azumarill by checking Poison-types. Pivots of all kind make it easier to bring Azumarill into play, making VoltTurn Pokemon such as Choice Scarf Greninja and Rotom-W great teammates. Setup sweepers such as Mega Gyarados have a much easier time sweeping teams if their checks are removed by Azumarill. Suicune and Mega Slowbro are two other great examples of potent defensive setup threats that are able to more easily execute their strategy with Azumarill's support. While Azumarill is quite capable of breaking most walls, wallbreakers such as Keldeo are still useful for taking on those that are immune to Water or stallbreakers like Gliscor that Azumarill has trouble with.


[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Water
--------
Toxic is a niche option over Protect to cripple Water-immune and Ghost-type Pokemon that Azumarill cannot trap, such as Volcanion and Gourgeist-XL. However, it is generally much less useful outside of a small group of threats. Choice Band Azumarill is a very powerful wallbreaker with Huge Power, but Azumarill's poor Speed leaves it reliant on Aqua Jet, and it tends to be incapable of breaking the more dangerous walls for Water. Belly Drum and Huge Power with either Sitrus Berry or Normalium Z can make Azumarill a decent sweeper that takes many teams by surprise, but there tend to be better Z-Move users for Water teams and Azumarill lacks much of the support needed to be effective.

Checks and Counters
===================

Water
--------
**Electric-types**: Electric-types such as Tapu Koko and Thundurus are generally able to OHKO if not 2HKO Azumarill with their STAB attacks. They also tend to carry Volt Switch, enabling an escape from Azumarill if they are somehow incapable of KOing it.

**Offensive Poison-types**: Offensive Poison-types, such as Nihilego, are generally able to beat Azumarill with super effective attacks.

**Taunt**: Taunt is a complete stop to Azumarill, as it prevents Perish Song and Rest. Users such as Gliscor and Mew are able to slowly but surely wear down Azumarill.

**Water-immune and Ghost-type Pokemon**: Water-immune and Ghost-type Pokemon, such as Mantine and Mimikyu, cannot be trapped by Whirlpool, meaning Perish Song is not a viable way to KO them. If Azumarill doesn't carry Toxic, it cannot touch these Pokemon at all; in some cases, such as against Mega Sableye, it cannot beat them even with Toxic.

**Wallbreakers**: Azumarill relies on being able to stall the Perish Song turns out. Especially powerful wallbreakers such as Diggersby are too strong for Azumarill to take hits from, meaning they are effective checks.

**U-turn and Volt Switch**: Pokemon with U-turn or Volt Switch such as Mega Scizor and Cobalion can pivot out of Azumarill, escaping the Whirlpool trap and Perish Song.
 
Last edited:
[OVERVIEW]

- No reliable recovery, has to rely on Rest.

Other Options

* Toxic is a niche option over Protect to cripple Water-immune and Ghost-type Pokemon that Azumarill cannot trap. However, it is generally much less useful outside of a small group of threats.
- Some examples?
* Choice Band can be used to make Azumarill a very powerful wallbreaker, but Azumarill's poor Speed leaves it reliant on Aqua Jet, and it tends to be incapable of breaking the more dangerous walls for Water.
- Mention it uses Huge Power for offensive sets, should be self-explanatory but still worth mentioning.

Looks great, QC 1/3.
 

Moosical

big yikes
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnus
Team options
*...and can use Volt Switch to slowly pivot into Azumarill safely.
*Suicune and Mega Slowbro are two other great examples of potent threats that are able to more easily execute their strategy with Azumarill's support. Specify their strategy? (Defensive setup)

The rest looks fine, some phrasing stuff but that's for GP to decide. QC 2/3
 

lotiasite

undedgy
is a Forum Moderatoris a Top Contributoris a Smogon Media Contributoris a Social Media Contributor Alumnus
GP 1/2
[OVERVIEW]

Water
========
Azumarill is unique in having an immunity to Grass-type moves thanks to its ability Sap Sipper, giving it a special niche for Water teams. Its Fairy typing brings the much-(AH)appreciated immunity to Dragon as well along withs a very welcome resistance to Dark, enabling it to check Pokemon like Hydreigon with ease when combined with its acceptable bulk. Azumarill's access to both Perish Song and Whirlpool allows it to act as a Perish trapper, trapping and removing many of the walls that Water hates to deal with such as Chansey, Toxapex, and Ferrothorn. As a result, Azumarill fits on both balance and stall teams to serve as a great stallbreaker and tank. It is a huge drain on momentum, though, meaning even if offense teams need its support to beat certain walls such as Mega Venusaur, it's too much of a liability to use. Its only form of recovery is Rest, which is unreliable when trying to trap Pokemon that aren't walls and only makes its momentum problems even worse. Azumarill is also very one dimensional and uses a predictable strategy, so it may be difficult to precisely trap the Pokemon you intend to. Unfortunately, while often quite useful, the Fairy typing also makes Azumarill weak to Poison, which is a matchup Water tends to be weak against, compounding a common team problem.

[SET]
name: Perish Trap (Water)
move 1: Perish Song
move 2: Whirlpool
move 3: Rest
move 4: Protect
item: Leftovers
ability: Sap Sipper
nature: Calm
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Perish Song allows Azumarill to KO any target that cannot pivot out. To make Perish Song reliable, Whirlpool prevents Pokemon from switching out of Azumarill, making sure that they are KOed. As Azumarill must take at least one or two hits to pull off the trap, Rest keeps Azumarill healthy and allows it to easily Perish trap walls by curing status and healing to full health, preventing them from permanently Toxic poisoning or seriously crippling it. Protect allows Azumarill to stall out an extra turn of Perish Song and also scouts Choice item-using Pokemon while giving another turn of Leftovers recovery, which can be the difference between surviving and being KOed by a powerful attacker..(remove extra period)

Set Details
========
Sap Sipper makes Azumarill immune to Grass-type moves, which is an invaluable immunity for Water teams that, as they are naturally weak to Grass. An EV spread of 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD and a Calm nature maximize Azumarill's special bulk, enabling it to take on a wide range of special attackers including Mega Charizard Y and even Mega Venusaur. A spread maximizing Azumarill's physical bulk can be used to minimize damage taken from Tapu Bulu, but it makes Azumarill less reliable overall. Leftovers gives Azumarill passive healing, improving its ability to reliably Perish trap.

Usage Tips
========
Azumarill's most precious resource is its health. If it's at full HP, it can take on even Mega Venusaur. As a result, it's essential that Azumarill only take hits when it's necessary in order to Perish trap. As a result, it and should primarily come in on walls such as Chansey and Slowbro, as they rarely are able to beat Azumarill thanks to Rest. However, even offensive Pokemon can be beaten if Azumarill resists their main attacks; however, Azumarill typically needs a free switch into these threats to properly trap them, though. (repetition in both of these instances)Once into play safely, Azumarill should almost always use Whirlpool immediately to trap either the target or whatever Pokemon switches in. In doing so, Azumarill can reduce prediction needed if a different Pokemon than it expects comes in. Whirlpool's residual damage can also actually wear down offensive threats slowly when combined with Protect, so that is a viable alternative strategy if Azumarill is unlikely to have enough time to Perish trap something. Perish Song should be used whenever it's safe after trapping a target. The time Whirlpool traps for varies, but it can be as low as only four turns, so it's important to Perish Song as soon as possible. AfterWhen Perish Song is active, Protect and Rest should be used to stall turns out. As long as Azumarill is not 2HKOed, it can trap almost any Pokemon by using Perish Song, Protect, and Rest in that order. Against balance or stall teams, Azumarill should use Rest liberally even if Perish Song hasn't been activated yet, as it can easily use sleep turns on walls that can't touch it and finish trapping later.

Team Options
========
Pokemon with an Electric immunity, such as Quagsire and Lanturn, are essential for taking on the Electric-types that Azumarill cannot. Lanturn is especially useful, as it can use Heal Bell to cleanse Azumarill of status and can use its slow Volt Switch to pivot into Azumarill safely. Alomomola's huge HP means it can pass massive Wishes to Azumarill, offering it a very welcome way to heal without relying on Rest. Entry hazard users appreciate having Azumarill trap and remove Defoggers and spinners. In turn, hazards wear down switch-ins to Azumarill. Toxapex is particularly useful, as Toxic Spikes cripples Pokemon like Volcanion and Cradily that cannot be trapped, and it also supports Azumarill by checking Poison-types. Pivots of all kind make it easier to bring Azumarill into play, making VoltTurn Pokemon such as Choice Scarf Greninja and Rotom-W great teammates. Setup sweepers such as Mega Gyarados have a much easier time sweeping teams if their checks are removed by Azumarill. Suicune and Mega Slowbro are two other great examples of potent defensive setup threats that are able to more easily execute their strategy with Azumarill's support. While Azumarill is quite capable of breaking most walls, wallbreakers such as Keldeo are still useful for taking on those that are Water immune to Water or stallbreakers like Gliscor that Azumarill has trouble with.


[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Water
--------
Toxic is a niche option over Protect to cripple Water-immune and Ghost-type Pokemon that Azumarill cannot trap, such as Volcanion and Gourgeist-XL. However, it is generally much less useful outside of a small group of threats. Choice Band Azumarill is a very powerful wallbreaker with Huge Power, but Azumarill's poor Speed leaves it reliant on Aqua Jet, and it tends to be incapable of breaking the more dangerous walls for Water. Belly Drum and Huge Power with either Sitrus Berry or Normalium Z can make Azumarill a decent sweeper that takes many teams by surprise, but there tend to be better Z-Move users for Water teams and Azumarill lacks much of the support needed to be effective.

Checks and Counters
===================

Water
--------
**Electric-types**: Electric-types such as Tapu Koko and Thundurus are generally able to OHKO if not 2HKO Azumarill with their STAB attacks. They also tend to carry Volt Switch, enabling an escape from Azumarill if they are somehow incapable of KOing it.

**Offensive Poison-types**: Offensive Poison-types, such as Nihilego, are generally able to beat Azumarill with super effective attacks.

**Taunt**: Taunt is a complete stop to Azumarill, as it prevents Perish Song and Rest. Users such as Gliscor and Mew are able to slowly but surely wear down Azumarill.

**Water-immune and Ghost-type Pokemon**: Water-immune and Ghost-type Pokemon, such as Mantine and Mimikyu, cannot be trapped by Whirlpool, meaning Perish Song is not a viable way to KO them. If Azumarill doesn't carry Toxic, it cannot touch these Pokemon at all; in some cases, such as against Mega Sableye, it cannot beat them even with Toxic.

**Wallbreakers**: Azumarill relies on being able to stall the Perish Song turns out. Especially powerful wallbreakers such as Diggersby are too strong for Azumarill to take hits from, meaning they are effective checks.

**U-turn and Volt Switch**: Pokemon with U-turn or Volt Switch such as Mega Scizor and Cobalion can pivot out of Azumarill, escaping the Whirlpool trap and Perish Song.
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 1, Guests: 0)

Top