Gen 1 Hypno (UU) [QC 2/2] [GP 2/2]

[Shellnuts]

This is from a draft that was kept prior to the launch of the RBY UU Analysis Project, written by me with feedback initially from Volk and Phoopes.

[OVERVIEW]

Hypno is a centerpiece in RBY UU that warps how offensive play is executed in the tier to such an extent that it's a near-automatic addition to most teams and always demands respect from the opponent. With its great stats, phenomenal typing, and good movepool, Hypno acts as the main defensive piece of the tier, being capable of stifling the momentum of the opponent. Hypno supports its team through spreading paralysis with Thunder Wave, which, due to the threat of Tentacruel locking down slower teams with Wrap, can decide games if it hits the right targets. It's also an offensive threat in its own right, with only one direct answer besides itself that can withstand its mighty STAB Psychic without taking significant damage.

Unfortunately, due to its subpar Speed, Hypno can be easily pivoted around by common Wrap users such as Dragonite and Tentacruel, which also prevent it from healing. Additionally, Hypno's reliance on Rest for recovery can be exploited by strong attackers such as Kangaskhan, Tentacruel, Persian, Articuno, and Dugtrio, as they can come in on the turn Hypno uses Rest and begin inflicting large amounts of damage.

[SET]
name: Bulky Support
move 1: Psychic
move 2: Rest
move 3: Thunder Wave
move 4: Seismic Toss / Hypnosis

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========

Hypno's Psychic is one of the hardest special attacks to switch into in RBY UU, and with Hypno's high natural bulk, it's quite difficult to do similar damage in return. Thunder Wave makes switching into Hypno an even more daunting task; the drop in Speed from paralysis is game changing in the fast-paced environment of RBY UU, as not having anything to outspeed Tentacruel can end the game on the spot. Rest gives Hypno the ability to recover health and remain a defensive piece throughout the game, and Hypno has plentiful opportunities to come in and burn sleep turns. For example, it can burn sleep turns by coming into a Tentacruel or Dragonite while it is locked into Wrap and unable to do any significant damage. In addition, thanks to Hypno's high bulk, it usually only needs to burn a single turn to have enough health to wake up. Rest removing paralysis is also helpful, though it does prevent Hypno from blocking opposing Pokemon using sleep-inducing moves. The last move on Hypno is intended as a means of dealing with enemy Hypno. One common last move on Hypno is Seismic Toss due to how reliably it forces opposing Hypno to use Rest while also dealing good damage to opposing Kadabra and the few Pokemon that boost their Special stat. Another more potent, albeit riskier, option for dealing with opposing Hypno is Hypnosis. The upside of putting an enemy Hypno to sleep cannot be overstated, and it can be key to the success of many teams. However, its shaky accuracy and the little use it has once something is put to sleep can deter its usage on some teams.

Hypno fills a variety of roles in teams. It effectively absorbs paralysis and spreads paralysis, acts as a key defensive piece, and can deal significant damage to the opposition. Defensively, it acts as a blanket check to many threats such as Persian and Dugtrio and stifles most common special attackers in the tier such as Kadabra, opposing Hypno, Electabuzz, Haunter, and Raichu. This defensive utility in conjunction with Hypno's access to Hypnosis and Thunder Wave makes it the best status spreader in the tier, as it gets on the field more often than other status spreaders. Offensively, Hypno can exert immense pressure on the opposing team, as little else outside of Kadabra, opposing Hypno, Vaporeon, and Tangela after a few Growths can take more than a few hits without being KOed. Even Wrap users like Tentacruel and Dragonite feel uncomfortable staying in on Hypno for too long out of fear of taking a Psychic or Thunder Wave if they miss. Hypno can be used as a lead to put something to sleep with Hypnosis at the start of the game and give your team the initiative due to its positive matchups against other leads such as Electabuzz and Kadabra. However, it does have a shaky matchup against Tentacruel, which is one of the most common leads in the tier, as its low Speed cedes the initiative to the Tentacruel user and makes it harder to put the enemy Hypno to sleep, though the benefit of paralyzing an enemy Tentacruel if it misses Wrap is significant. Because of the variety of roles it fills and how well it can fill those roles, Hypno will be on virtually every RBY UU team you play against, and any viable team must have some plan to deal with it.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Counter can be used over Seismic Toss or Hypnosis to help Hypno significantly against strong physical threats such as Dodrio, Kangaskhan, and Gyarados, though it does cause difficulties when facing opposing Hypnosis Hypno and Kadabra. Reflect could also be used to help with these matchups and helps Hypno wake up from Rest. Unfortunately, Reflect makes the matchups against opposing Hypno and Kadabra even worse.

While Seismic Toss is usually the move to drop, Hypno can drop Psychic to run Hypnosis and Seismic Toss, which leaves you better equipped to handle opposing Hypno and Kadabra. It also has a side benefit of making your opponent less likely to suspect you are carrying Hypnosis, as Hypnosis + Seismic Toss is uncommon. Though, this does reduce the damage output of Hypno significantly, allowing strong physical attackers like Kangaskhan and Golem to safely come in and deal heavy damage with their STAB attacks. Rest can be dropped on some teams to allow Hypno to use Thunder Wave and Hypnosis and play much more aggressively; however, this comes at the cost of Hypno's immense defensive utility, which usually is to the team's detriment. Thunder Wave can also be dropped to run Hypnosis and Seismic Toss without dropping Psychic, though this greatly limits how well Hypno can spread status throughout the opposing team and leaves you helpless against Dragonite if Sleep Clause is active.

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

**Hypno and Kadabra**: Hypno's Psychic is a very difficult attack to switch into. However, Kadabra and opposing Hypno can take that hit while doing enough damage with Seismic Toss to force it to use Rest. This grants an opportunity to switch into a strong attacker or a faster Wrap user such as Tentacruel, Dragonite, Golem, Kangaskhan, or Persian. Of the two, Hypno is better as an answer, since it can absorb paralysis and fulfill its roles without issue, while Kadabra needs to avoid paralysis to remain as an answer to Tentacruel. Though, this switch can be heavily exploited by using Hypnosis to catch the incoming Psychic-type Pokemon. If Hypno is not using Seismic Toss, then it gets completely shut down by Kadabra, since it takes virtually nothing from Psychic while forcing Hypno to use Rest with repeated Seismic Tosses.

**Faster Wrap Users**: Due to its poor Speed tier, Hypno has terrible matchups against Wrap users that are faster than it such as Tentacruel and Dragonite. It is unable to heal off damage while it is being Wrapped and gets chipped down into KO range either for the Wrap user itself or for one of its teammates, which can come in while Hypno is immobilized by Wrap. However, neither Dragonite nor Tentacruel switches into Hypno without some difficulty, since Hypno can catch them on the switch with Thunder Wave to turn the tides.

**Physical Attackers**: While Hypno is hard to wear down, its weaker Defense stat can be exploited by heavy damage dealers such as Dugtrio, Kangaskhan, Persian, Golem, Gyarados, Dodrio, and Dragonite. However, none of them enjoy eating a Thunder Wave—barring Golem and Dugtrio—or a STAB Psychic, so they are best utilized in tandem with a Psychic-type to force the Hypno to Rest, allowing the physical attacker to come in safely and threaten to KO Hypno.

**Articuno**: Articuno can deal heavy amounts of damage to Hypno with its absurdly powerful Blizzards to 3HKO Hypno; however, it does not enjoy eating a Thunder Wave and generally needs a Psychic-type to force Hypno to use Rest so it can come in safely.

**Faster Users of Sleep-Inducing Moves**: Faster sleep users such as Haunter, Poliwrath, Venusaur, and Venomoth can come in on a predicted double switch or while Hypno is asleep and threaten to put it to sleep. However, all of them are weak to Psychic and cannot switch into Hypno safely, thus requiring Psychic-type of your own to handle Hypno defensively.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Shellnuts, 491544], [phoopes, 96315], [Volk, 530877]]
- Quality checked by: [[Plague von Karma, 236353] , [Volk, 530877]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Rabia, 336073], [Estronic, 240732]]

 

[Plague von Karma]

Hypno also supports its team through spreading paralysis with Thunder Wave which, due to the threat of Tentacruel locking down slower teams with Wrap, can be even more potent than in OU.

Best not to compare to OU, honestly.

I also recommend elaborating on its weaknesses, as it really separates worse players from the best. For instance, if you switch an offensive threat in on a Rest turn it can get hairy for Hypno really quickly. Its speed also makes it easier to pivot around with Wrap, even unboosted Dragonite can do it. This kind of thing is important for budding UU players to know.

**Faster Wrap Users**: Due to its sluggish speed tier, Hypno has terrible matchups against faster Wrap users such as Tentacruel and Dragonite. It risks getting chipped down into knockout range if it tries to stay in. Fortunately, Hypno can catch them on the switch with Thunder Wave to turn the tides.

May be worth mentioning that Tentacruel can't switch into Hypno, and it doesn't necessarily pivot out of the situation by choice, it's because it has to. It's not really Tentacruel winning that you have to talk about, it's the fact you tend to be inviting stuff in through allowing that Wrap pivot, which should be the central point of this c&c.

On a side note, mention that burning sleep turns through switching into opposing Wrap is a perfectly fine option as well, since it ensures Hypno isn't taking too much damage while doing so. It's helpful in many situations.

 

[Shellnuts]

Best not to compare to OU, honestly.

I also recommend elaborating on its weaknesses, as it really separates worse players from the best. For instance, if you switch an offensive threat in on a Rest turn it can get hairy for Hypno really quickly. Its speed also makes it easier to pivot around with Wrap, even unboosted Dragonite can do it. This kind of thing is important for budding UU players to know.


May be worth mentioning that Tentacruel can't switch into Hypno, and it doesn't necessarily pivot out of the situation by choice, it's because it has to. It's not really Tentacruel winning that you have to talk about, it's the fact you tend to be inviting stuff in through allowing that Wrap pivot, which should be the central point of this c&c.

On a side note, mention that burning sleep turns through switching into opposing Wrap is a perfectly fine option as well, since it ensures Hypno isn't taking too much damage while doing so. It's helpful in many situations.

Everything was implemented.

 

[Plague von Karma]

Everything was implemented.

Gave it another look over, implement these and you have a QC 1/2 from me.

• Split the positives/negatives in the overview into separate paragraphs to have it a bit more defined. I don't think you'll need to add anything to either end, it looks great. Maybe when you say "Hypno is a centrepiece in RBY UU" you could add "and is seen on almost every team" to emphasize how ubiquitous of a Pokemon it is, but that's literally it. Maybe something about Psychic having effectively no weaknesses, I guess?
• Have Counter as an OO. This has seen use in tournaments, though like other OOs, isn't the most viable thing in the world. Counter is great after an Explosion trade when forcing something out, as well as dealing with Dodrio, Kangaskhan and Raticate trying to brute force through Hypno's more meagre Defense.
  • If you want more things to add to beef the section up outside of just Counter, here's some much weaker ones...
    • Reflect, iirc, was more useful when Rhydon was in 2U, but it's still decently effective against Kangaskhan. Maybe Counter is just better though, the option is kind of a fossil...
    • I guess you could say Hyper Beam for Kadabra, which is a decent way to win out rather than spamming SToss. I believe it's also effective against Electabuzz and other Hypno, but you may want to check the calcs as well as evaluate what you actually drop for it in relation to opportunity cost.

You covered virtually anything I would say, it's kind of amazing lol.

 

[Volk]

I don't really feel like Grammar-checking right now. Maybe I'll do that later. I have a few meta comments though:

with only a handful of checks besides itself.

Kind of a nitpick, but the sentence as you wrote it implies specifically defensive checks (something that can switch in). "Handful" implies more than one, though I really don't think there is any other non-Hypno Hypno check besides Kadabra.

Rest gives Hypno the ability to recover health and remain a defensive piece throughout the game.

Not sure if it is worth noting, but clearing paralysis is also a pretty big draw for Rest as well.

it cannot do everything at once

Another nitpick, but if I'm being completely honest, Hypno really can do just about everything in practice that it is expected to do in theory. This Pokemon and Tentacruel have no upper bound on how much they can do in a game.

as it instead cedes the initiative to the Tentacruel user and makes it much harder to sleep an enemy Hypno.

This is a bit too extreme. Hypno isn't terribly outmatched here as not much besides fast sleepers switch in well against Hypno, and most teams aren't packing a Venusaur. You also have a nice 15% chance to just make Tentacruel miserable.

Checks and Counters

Here's an idea for a potential addition: "Faster Sleepers." Hypno is pretty slow, so it is basically a free invitation for Pokemon like Venusaur and Venomoth (Haunter and Poliwrath too, but to a lesser extent) to come in on a Wrap and get a free pseudo-KO. Up to you if you think this qualifies. It is admittedly a tad shaky because every sleeper is weak to Psychic for some reason. Early game Venusaurs and the like are very real anti-Hypno strategies though, so this may be worth at least a passing mention somewhere.

**Hypno and Kadabra**: As stated before, Hypno’s Psychic is a very difficult attack to switch into. However, Kadabra and opposing Hypno can take that hit while doing enough damage with Seismic Toss to force it to Rest. This grants an opportunity to switch into a strong physical attacker or a faster Wrap user such as Tentacruel, Dragonite, Golem, Kangaskhan, or Persian. Hypno is better suited to this task as it can absorb paralysis much more easily while Kadabra generally needs to avoid paralysis to remain useful until Tentacruel is no longer an issue. However, Hypnosis can be used on the switch to devastating effect, especially if the opponent is responding with their own Hypno.

I'd emphasize that Kadabra is a much more effective check if Hypno isn't packing Seismic Toss (or Hyper Beam lol). This is really important as paralyzed Kadabra pretty much shuts down Hypnosis Hypno. This is my most important suggestion and the only one I think you should absolutely implement.

heavy damage dealers such as Dugtrio, Kangaskhan, Persian, Golem, Gyarados, and Dragonite.

DODRIO!?!?!?

 

[Shellnuts]

I don't really feel like Grammar-checking right now. Maybe I'll do that later. I have a few meta comments though:


Kind of a nitpick, but the sentence as you wrote it implies specifically defensive checks (something that can switch in). "Handful" implies more than one, though I really don't think there is any other non-Hypno Hypno check besides Kadabra.


Not sure if it is worth noting, but clearing paralysis is also a pretty big draw for Rest as well.


Another nitpick, but if I'm being completely honest, Hypno really can do just about everything in practice that it is expected to do in theory. This Pokemon and Tentacruel have no upper bound on how much they can do in a game.


This is a bit too extreme. Hypno isn't terribly outmatched here as not much besides fast sleepers switch in well against Hypno, and most teams aren't packing a Venusaur. You also have a nice 15% chance to just make Tentacruel miserable.


Here's an idea for a potential addition: "Faster Sleepers." Hypno is pretty slow, so it is basically a free invitation for Pokemon like Venusaur and Venomoth (Haunter and Poliwrath too, but to a lesser extent) to come in on a Wrap and get a free pseudo-KO. Up to you if you think this qualifies. It is admittedly a tad shaky because every sleeper is weak to Psychic for some reason. Early game Venusaurs and the like are very real anti-Hypno strategies though, so this may be worth at least a passing mention somewhere.


I'd emphasize that Kadabra is a much more effective check if Hypno isn't packing Seismic Toss (or Hyper Beam lol). This is really important as paralyzed Kadabra pretty much shuts down Hypnosis Hypno. This is my most important suggestion and the only one I think you should absolutely implement.


DODRIO!?!?!?

Everything was implemented.

 

[Volk]

Considering you made some changes and I promised a GP check a while ago, I guess now is good a time as any to offer some suggestions:

Grammar Changes:

Hypno is a centrepiece in the RBY UU metagame. With its great stats, phenomenal typing, and good movepool it acts as the main defensive piece of the tier, stifling the momentum of the opponent. Hypno also supports its team through spreading paralysis with Thunder Wave which, due to the threat of Tentacruel locking down slower teams with Wrap, can decide games if it hits the right targets. It’s also an offensive threat in its own right, wielding one of the strongest special attacks in the tier, with only one direct answer besides itself.

This is all fine in terms of content but it is very choppy in terms of grammar. Here is similar but revised version:
Hypno is a centerpiece in the RBY UU metagame. With its great stats, phenomenal typing, and good movepool, Hypno acts as the main defensive piece of the tier, being capable of stifling the momentum of the opponent. Hypno supports its team through spreading paralysis with Thunder Wave which, due to the threat of Tentacruel locking down slower teams with Wrap, can decide games if it hits the right targets. It’s also an offensive threat in its own right, wielding one of the strongest special attacks in the tier, with only one direct answer besides itself.
[Make sure you note the spelling of "centerpiece," I think American English is the standard here.]

Despite these positive traits, it does have its share of flaws as well. Due to its subpar speed tier, it can be easily pivoted around by common Wrap users such as Dragonite and Tentacruel who also prevent it from healing, and its reliance on Rest as a form of recovery can be heavily exploited by strong attackers such as Kangaskhan, Tentacruel, Persian, and Dugtrio, to which can come in on the turn Hypno Rests and begin inflicting large amounts of damage. However, it’s very presence warps how offensive play is executed in the tier to such an extent that it is a near-automatic addition to most teams and demands respect from your opponent.

Same deal here. This is pretty tough to read. My version:
Despite these positive traits, Hypno does have its share of flaws. Due to its subpar Speed, it can be easily pivoted around by common Wrap users such as Dragonite and Tentacruel who also prevent it from healing. Hypno's reliance on Rest for recovery can be exploited by strong attackers such as Kangaskhan, Tentacruel, Persian, and Dugtrio, as they can come come in on the turn Hypno uses Rest and begin inflicting large amounts of damage. However, Hypno’s very presence warps how offensive play is executed in the tier to such an extent that it is a near-automatic addition to most teams and demands respect from your opponent.

Thunder Wave makes switching into Hypno an even more daunting task since the speed drop from Paralysis is game-changing in the fast-paced environment of UU, since not having anything to outspeed Tentacruel can end the game on the spot.

Change "speed drop" to "drop in Speed."

Hypno has plentiful opportunities to come in and burn sleep turns, one common opportunity it can burn sleep turns is by coming into a Tentacruel or Dragonite while they are locked into Wrap and unable to do any significant damage.

Hypno has plentiful opportunities to come in and burn sleep turns. For example, it can burn sleep turns by coming into a Tentacruel or Dragonite while they are locked into Wrap and unable to do any significant damage.

In addition, thanks to its high bulk it usually only needs to burn a single turn to have enough health to wake up, though attentive opponents may capitalize on this and switch into their strongest attackers while you try to switch into a low damage attack to burn sleep turns.

Add a comma after "bulk." You can also probably cut everything after "though." That part is just confusing and doesn't really convey any information.

Rest removing Paralysis is also helpful, though it does impede its ability to absorb paralysis from opposing Hypno if they are using Hypnosis.

"...though it does prevent it from blocking opposing Pokemon using Sleep-inducing moves."

One common last move on Hypno is Seismic Toss due to how reliably it forces opposing Hypno to use Rest, while also dealing good damage to opposing Kadabra and the few Pokemon which boost their special stat.

"...that boost their special stat."

Another more potent albeit riskier option to dealing with opposing Hypno is Hypnosis.

"Another, more potent, albeit riskier, option for dealing with opposing Hypno is Hypnosis."

The upside of putting an enemy Hypno to sleep cannot be understated and it can be key to the success of many teams, however, the shaky accuracy of Hypnosis, in conjunction with how little use it has once something is put to sleep can deter its usage on some teams.

The upside of putting an enemy Hypno to sleep cannot be overstated and it can be key to the success of many teams. However, its shaky accuracy and the little use it has once something is put to sleep can deter its usage on some teams.

Hypno fills a variety of roles in teams. It absorbs paralysis and spreads it effectively, acts as a key defensive piece, and can deal significant damage to the opponent; however, optimal usage of Hypno as both a defensive and offensive piece is a delicate balancing act which requires careful inspection of the game state and correct predictions to use optimally, but when used properly, Hypno is an incredibly difficult obstacle for your opponent to deal with.

Hypno fills a variety of roles in teams. It absorbs paralysis and spreads it effectively, acts as a key defensive piece, and can deal significant damage to the opponent; however, optimal usage of Hypno as both a defensive and offensive piece is a delicate balancing act which requires careful inspection of the game state and correct predictions to use optimally. But when used properly, Hypno is an incredibly difficult obstacle for your opponent to deal with.

Defensively, it acts as a check to most common attackers in the tier such as Kadabra, opposing Hypno, Electabuzz, and Haunter among others, while threatening most of those out with damage or paralysis.

Defensively, it acts as a check to most common attackers in the tier such as Kadabra, opposing Hypno, Electabuzz, and Haunter, among others, while threatening most of those with damage or paralysis.

However, it does have a shaky matchup against Tentacruel which is one of the most common leads in the tier, as it's slow speed cedes the initiative to the Tentacruel user and makes it harder to sleep the enemy Hypno, though the benefits of paralyzing or an enemy Tentacruel if it misses Wrap is significant.

Capitalize "speed" to "Speed" and cut "or" from the last part of the sentence.

Counter can be used over Seismic Toss or Hypnosis on Hypno to help it significantly against strong physical threats such as Dodrio, Kangaskhan, and Gyarados, however, this makes the matchup against opposing Hypno and Kadabra far worse.

Counter can be used over Seismic Toss or Hypnosis on Hypno to help it significantly against strong physical threats such as Dodrio, Kangaskhan, and Gyarados; however, this makes the matchup against opposing Hypno and Kadabra far worse.

However, this brings with it the same problematic matchups against opposing Hypno and Kadabra that Counter causes.

This unfortunately brings with it the same problematic matchups against opposing Hypno and Kadabra that Counter causes.
[I'm trying to cut down on the use of "however" in this article. It appears 11 times.]

Due to its sluggish speed tier, Hypno has terrible matchups against faster Wrap users such as Tentacruel and Dragonite.

"...Wrap users which are faster than it such as..." The sentence as it is written strongly implies Hypno has access to Wrap.

It is unable to heal off damage while it is being wrapped and gets chipped down into KO range for either the Wrap user or one of its teammates coming in while Hypno is immobilized by Wrap. They cannot switch into Hypno however, since Hypno can catch them on the switch with Thunder Wave to turn the tides.

It is unable to heal off damage while it is being wrapped and easily gets chipped down into KO range either for the Wrap user itself or for one of its teammates which can come in while Hypno is immobilized by Wrap. They may struggle to switch into Hypno, since Hypno can catch them on the switch with Thunder Wave to turn the tides.

Hypno is better suited to this task as it can absorb paralysis much more easily while Kadabra generally needs to avoid paralysis to remain useful until Tentacruel is no longer an issue. However, Hypnosis can be used on the switch to devastating effect, especially if the opponent is responding with their own Hypno.

This whole section is really confusing as it is written and I'm not sure how to fix it.

While Hypno is hard to wear down, it’s weaker defence stat can be exploited by heavy damage dealers such as Dugtrio, Kangaskhan, Persian, Golem, Gyarados, Dodrio, and Dragonite.

"Defense" is preferred over "defence" in American English. Also capitalize it.

However, none of them enjoy eating a Thunder Wave—barring Golem and Dugtrio—or a STAB Psychic, so they are best utilized in tandem with a Psychic-type—such as Kadabra or your own Hypno—to force the Hypno to Rest, allowing the physical attacker to come in safely and threaten to knock out Hypno.

Cut "-such as Kdabra or your own Hypno-," it's unnecessary in light of the previous section.

**Faster Sleepers**: Faster sleep users such as Haunter, Poliwrath, Venusaur, and Venomoth can come in on a predicted double-switch or while Hypno is resting and threaten to put it to sleep to pick up a pseudo-knockout.

"Faster users of Sleep-inducing moves..."


Meta Changes:

and its reliance on Rest as a form of recovery can be heavily exploited by strong attackers such as Kangaskhan, Tentacruel, Persian, and Dugtrio, to which can come in on the turn Hypno Rests and begin inflicting large amounts of damage.

Perhaps Articuno deserves a mention here?

However, it’s very presence warps how offensive play is executed in the tier to such an extent that it is a near-automatic addition to most teams and demands respect from your opponent.

I'm not quite sure, but I think this point my be worth reiterating at some point. After reading this article, it should be very clear to new players that Hypno will be and should be on virtually every team they face and build.

Defensively, it acts as a check to most common attackers in the tier such as Kadabra, opposing Hypno, Electabuzz, and Haunter among others, while threatening most of those out with damage or paralysis.

I'd probably change this to "special attackers," as Hypno is quite a fair deal bulkier on the Special side. Also, you can probably add Raichu and cut "among others," as that is basically every major special attacker that doesn't usually win a 1v1, unless I'm forgetting something.

Other Options

Something that may be worth exploring is Hypno sets that don't have Psychic. While Seismic Toss is usually the move to drop, dropping Psychic leaves variants with moves like Hypnosis more equipped to handle opposing Hypno and Kadabra. It also has a side benefit of making your opponent less likely to suspect you are carrying Hypnosis, as Hypnosis + Seismic Toss is uncommon.

Counter can be used over Seismic Toss or Hypnosis on Hypno to help it significantly against strong physical threats such as Dodrio, Kangaskhan, and Gyarados, however, this makes the matchup against opposing Hypno and Kadabra far worse.

I'm not sure if the matchup is "far worse." You can still Counter Seismic Toss for like 70% against Kadabra, which is pretty insane when you think about it. I'm not entirely sure of the practicality of this though as I really haven't experimented with Counter Hypno that much.


So that's pretty much everything I noticed. I'll post again if I spot any other potential changes. I also hope you don't take my large number of grammar suggestions the wrong way. I just aim to clean up any grammar issues I see and make the prose as simplistic as possible.

 

[Shellnuts]

Considering you made some changes and I promised a GP check a while ago, I guess now is good a time as any to offer some suggestions:

Grammar Changes:


This is all fine in terms of content but it is very choppy in terms of grammar. Here is similar but revised version:
Hypno is a centerpiece in the RBY UU metagame. With its great stats, phenomenal typing, and good movepool, Hypno acts as the main defensive piece of the tier, being capable of stifling the momentum of the opponent. Hypno supports its team through spreading paralysis with Thunder Wave which, due to the threat of Tentacruel locking down slower teams with Wrap, can decide games if it hits the right targets. It’s also an offensive threat in its own right, wielding one of the strongest special attacks in the tier, with only one direct answer besides itself.
[Make sure you note the spelling of "centerpiece," I think American English is the standard here.]


Same deal here. This is pretty tough to read. My version:
Despite these positive traits, Hypno does have its share of flaws. Due to its subpar Speed, it can be easily pivoted around by common Wrap users such as Dragonite and Tentacruel who also prevent it from healing. Hypno's reliance on Rest for recovery can be exploited by strong attackers such as Kangaskhan, Tentacruel, Persian, and Dugtrio, as they can come come in on the turn Hypno uses Rest and begin inflicting large amounts of damage. However, Hypno’s very presence warps how offensive play is executed in the tier to such an extent that it is a near-automatic addition to most teams and demands respect from your opponent.


Change "speed drop" to "drop in Speed."


Hypno has plentiful opportunities to come in and burn sleep turns. For example, it can burn sleep turns by coming into a Tentacruel or Dragonite while they are locked into Wrap and unable to do any significant damage.


Add a comma after "bulk." You can also probably cut everything after "though." That part is just confusing and doesn't really convey any information.


"...though it does prevent it from blocking opposing Pokemon using Sleep-inducing moves."


"...that boost their special stat."


"Another, more potent, albeit riskier, option for dealing with opposing Hypno is Hypnosis."


The upside of putting an enemy Hypno to sleep cannot be overstated and it can be key to the success of many teams. However, its shaky accuracy and the little use it has once something is put to sleep can deter its usage on some teams.


Hypno fills a variety of roles in teams. It absorbs paralysis and spreads it effectively, acts as a key defensive piece, and can deal significant damage to the opponent; however, optimal usage of Hypno as both a defensive and offensive piece is a delicate balancing act which requires careful inspection of the game state and correct predictions to use optimally. But when used properly, Hypno is an incredibly difficult obstacle for your opponent to deal with.


Defensively, it acts as a check to most common attackers in the tier such as Kadabra, opposing Hypno, Electabuzz, and Haunter, among others, while threatening most of those with damage or paralysis.


Capitalize "speed" to "Speed" and cut "or" from the last part of the sentence.


Counter can be used over Seismic Toss or Hypnosis on Hypno to help it significantly against strong physical threats such as Dodrio, Kangaskhan, and Gyarados; however, this makes the matchup against opposing Hypno and Kadabra far worse.


This unfortunately brings with it the same problematic matchups against opposing Hypno and Kadabra that Counter causes.
[I'm trying to cut down on the use of "however" in this article. It appears 11 times.]


"...Wrap users which are faster than it such as..." The sentence as it is written strongly implies Hypno has access to Wrap.


It is unable to heal off damage while it is being wrapped and easily gets chipped down into KO range either for the Wrap user itself or for one of its teammates which can come in while Hypno is immobilized by Wrap. They may struggle to switch into Hypno, since Hypno can catch them on the switch with Thunder Wave to turn the tides.


This whole section is really confusing as it is written and I'm not sure how to fix it.


"Defense" is preferred over "defence" in American English. Also capitalize it.


Cut "-such as Kdabra or your own Hypno-," it's unnecessary in light of the previous section.


"Faster users of Sleep-inducing moves..."


Meta Changes:


Perhaps Articuno deserves a mention here?


I'm not quite sure, but I think this point my be worth reiterating at some point. After reading this article, it should be very clear to new players that Hypno will be and should be on virtually every team they face and build.


I'd probably change this to "special attackers," as Hypno is quite a fair deal bulkier on the Special side. Also, you can probably add Raichu and cut "among others," as that is basically every major special attacker that doesn't usually win a 1v1, unless I'm forgetting something.


Something that may be worth exploring is Hypno sets that don't have Psychic. While Seismic Toss is usually the move to drop, dropping Psychic leaves variants with moves like Hypnosis more equipped to handle opposing Hypno and Kadabra. It also has a side benefit of making your opponent less likely to suspect you are carrying Hypnosis, as Hypnosis + Seismic Toss is uncommon.


I'm not sure if the matchup is "far worse." You can still Counter Seismic Toss for like 70% against Kadabra, which is pretty insane when you think about it. I'm not entirely sure of the practicality of this though as I really haven't experimented with Counter Hypno that much.


So that's pretty much everything I noticed. I'll post again if I spot any other potential changes. I also hope you don't take my large number of grammar suggestions the wrong way. I just aim to clean up any grammar issues I see and make the prose as simplistic as possible.

implemented all changes

 

[Volk]

Implement these for a QC from me.

Grammar Stuff:

Thunder Wave makes switching into Hypno an even more daunting task since the drop in speed from Paralysis is game-changing in the fast-paced environment of UU, since not having anything to outspeed Tentacruel can end the game on the spot.

Changes the second "since" to "as."

In addition, thanks to its high bulk it usually only needs to burn a single turn to have enough health to wake up.

Comma after "bulk."

however, optimal usage of Hypno as both a defensive and offensive piece is a delicate balancing act which requires careful inspection of the game state and correct predictions to use optimally. But when used properly, Hypno is an incredibly difficult obstacle for your opponent to deal with.

I like these sentences from an aesthetic point of view, but I'm not sure if they convey any actual information. I'm not sure what I'd do here. Cut it, I guess? Up to you. Definitely needs to be revised.

Because of the variety of roles it fills and how well it can fill those roles when played well, Hypno will be on virtually every RBY UU team you play against, and any viable team must have some plan to deal with it.

Cut "when played well."

Though this switch can be heavily exploited by using Hypnosis to catch the incoming Psychic.

"...incoming Psychic-type Pokemon."

Meta Stuff:

Defensively, it acts as a check to most common special attackers in the tier such as Kadabra, opposing Hypno, Electabuzz, Haunter, and Raichu, while threatening most of those with damage or paralysis. Because of the variety of roles it fills and how well it can fill those roles when played well, Hypno will be on virtually every RBY UU team you play against, and any viable team must have some plan to deal with it.

I think you may need to add more detail here, as you say "the variety of roles" and only discuss Hypno as a special wall and lead. Maybe add some additional information here clarifying what these roles are. Just to give some ideas, Hypno is perhaps the best general status spreader in the tier, for both Paralysis and Sleep. It can punish ambitious attackers fiercely; if you mispredict a Rest, your Kangaskhan or whatever is getting hit hard in return. Hypno is very much an all-purpose Pokemon, being a blanket check to most of the tier when you have nothing in particular to switch in, kind of like Snorlax in OU. Also, it is really worth restating how little pretty much anything in this tier wants to take a Psychic. Outside of other Hypno, Kadabra, Vaporeon, and Tangela with a few Growths, basically nothing wants to face this thing. Even Wrappers hate staying in on Hypno too long just because of sheer fear. And you really don't want to find yourself in a position unable to check Hypno. My whole point of this comment is make sure you sell Hypno in its entirety. This is a top 3 Pokemon by any account. You really want to stress just how great it is.

While Seismic Toss is usually the move to drop, Hypno can drop Psychic to run Hypnosis and Seismic Toss, which leaves you better equipped to handle opposing Hypno and Kadabra. It also has a side benefit of making your opponent less likely to suspect you are carrying Hypnosis, as Hypnosis + Seismic Toss is uncommon. Though this does reduce the damage output of Hypno significantly, allowing strong physical attackers like Kangaskhan and Golem to come in and deal heavy damage with their STAB attacks.

Thunder Wave or Rest can also be dropped to make more aggressive or versatile sets. Not running Thunder Wave lets you run Hypnosis while still being an offensive piece, but makes Dragonite and the like a lot harder to handle. Sets without Rest are also potentially useable, but it's tough for them to function long term, which is part of what makes Hypno strong in most matches. Just some other ideas that may be worth at least mentioning.

**Physical Attackers**: While Hypno is hard to wear down, it’s weaker Defense stat can be exploited by heavy damage dealers such as Dugtrio, Kangaskhan, Persian, Golem, Gyarados, Dodrio, and Dragonite. However, none of them enjoy eating a Thunder Wave—barring Golem and Dugtrio—or a STAB Psychic, so they are best utilized in tandem with a Psychic-type to force the Hypno to Rest, allowing the physical attacker to come in safely and threaten to knock out Hypno.

I know it's not a "Physical Attacker," but Articuno can accomplish the exact same things discussed in this passage. Maybe worth a mention? Dewgong has a >50% chance to pull it off as well lol, but you can probably skip over that.

That should be it. Let me know when it's implemented, and I'll most likely give you the QC.

 

[Shellnuts]

Implement these for a QC from me.

Grammar Stuff:


Changes the second "since" to "as."


Comma after "bulk."


I like these sentences from an aesthetic point of view, but I'm not sure if they convey any actual information. I'm not sure what I'd do here. Cut it, I guess? Up to you. Definitely needs to be revised.


Cut "when played well."


"...incoming Psychic-type Pokemon."

Meta Stuff:


I think you may need to add more detail here, as you say "the variety of roles" and only discuss Hypno as a special wall and lead. Maybe add some additional information here clarifying what these roles are. Just to give some ideas, Hypno is perhaps the best general status spreader in the tier, for both Paralysis and Sleep. It can punish ambitious attackers fiercely; if you mispredict a Rest, your Kangaskhan or whatever is getting hit hard in return. Hypno is very much an all-purpose Pokemon, being a blanket check to most of the tier when you have nothing in particular to switch in, kind of like Snorlax in OU. Also, it is really worth restating how little pretty much anything in this tier wants to take a Psychic. Outside of other Hypno, Kadabra, Vaporeon, and Tangela with a few Growths, basically nothing wants to face this thing. Even Wrappers hate staying in on Hypno too long just because of sheer fear. And you really don't want to find yourself in a position unable to check Hypno. My whole point of this comment is make sure you sell Hypno in its entirety. This is a top 3 Pokemon by any account. You really want to stress just how great it is.


Thunder Wave or Rest can also be dropped to make more aggressive or versatile sets. Not running Thunder Wave lets you run Hypnosis while still being an offensive piece, but makes Dragonite and the like a lot harder to handle. Sets without Rest are also potentially useable, but it's tough for them to function long term, which is part of what makes Hypno strong in most matches. Just some other ideas that may be worth at least mentioning.


I know it's not a "Physical Attacker," but Articuno can accomplish the exact same things discussed in this passage. Maybe worth a mention? Dewgong has a >50% chance to pull it off as well lol, but you can probably skip over that.

That should be it. Let me know when it's implemented, and I'll most likely give you the QC.

Implemented all requests

 

[Volk]

Very well done. I have just two comments. Implement them and you can assume a hard-earned QC from me.

First, when addressing sets without Thunder Wave, just note that doing so will keep Hypno from preventing Dragonite from setting up if you have put something to Sleep already (and even if you haven't honestly, as 60% isn't not something you want to rely on to stop Agility + Wrap).

Second, a lingering grammar pet peeve. When using "however" to separate two independent clauses, you need to use a semicolon.

For example:

Rest can be dropped on some teams to allow Hypno to use Thunder Wave and Hypnosis and play much more aggressively, however, this comes at the cost of Hypno's immense defensive utility which usually is to the team's detriment.

This needs to become this:
Rest can be dropped on some teams to allow Hypno to use Thunder Wave and Hypnosis and play much more aggressively; however, this comes at the cost of Hypno's immense defensive utility which usually is to the team's detriment.

You know you need to use a semicolon because both clauses before and after "however" are independent clauses, i.e. they could be complete sentences on their own.

Similarly,

Similar to the aforementioned Physical Attackers, Articuno can also deal heavy amounts of damage to Hypno with it's absurdly powerful Blizzards to 3HKO Hypno, however, it too does not enjoy eating a Thunder Wave and generally needs a Psychic-type to force Hypno to Rest so it can come in safely.

This needs to become this:
Similar to the aforementioned Physical Attackers, Articuno can also deal heavy amounts of damage to Hypno with it's absurdly powerful Blizzards to 3HKO Hypno; however, it too does not enjoy eating a Thunder Wave and generally needs a Psychic-type to force Hypno to Rest so it can come in safely.

These are the only two instances that needed to be fixed to my knowledge. You can also change "similar to" to "like" if you prefer.

Sorry for putting you through the wringer with this one. Hypno is an extremely important fixture of the meta so it is important to do it justice. Anyway, implement those changes and QC 2/2! Cheers!

 

[Shellnuts]

Very well done. I have just two comments. Implement them and you can assume a hard-earned QC from me.

First, when addressing sets without Thunder Wave, just note that doing so will keep Hypno from preventing Dragonite from setting up if you have put something to Sleep already (and even if you haven't honestly, as 60% isn't not something you want to rely on to stop Agility + Wrap).

Second, a lingering grammar pet peeve. When using "however" to separate two independent clauses, you need to use a semicolon.

For example:

This needs to become this:
Rest can be dropped on some teams to allow Hypno to use Thunder Wave and Hypnosis and play much more aggressively; however, this comes at the cost of Hypno's immense defensive utility which usually is to the team's detriment.

You know you need to use a semicolon because both clauses before and after "however" are independent clauses, i.e. they could be complete sentences on their own.

Similarly,

This needs to become this:
Similar to the aforementioned Physical Attackers, Articuno can also deal heavy amounts of damage to Hypno with it's absurdly powerful Blizzards to 3HKO Hypno; however, it too does not enjoy eating a Thunder Wave and generally needs a Psychic-type to force Hypno to Rest so it can come in safely.

These are the only two instances that needed to be fixed to my knowledge. You can also change "similar to" to "like" if you prefer.

Sorry for putting you through the wringer with this one. Hypno is an extremely important fixture of the meta so it is important to do it justice. Anyway, implement those changes and QC 2/2! Cheers!

done

 

[Rabia]

add remove comments

gp

[OVERVIEW]

Hypno is a centerpiece in the RBY UU metagame that warps how offensive play is executed in the tier to such an extent that it's a near-automatic addition to most teams and always demands respect from the opponent. With its great stats, phenomenal typing, and good movepool, Hypno acts as the main defensive piece of the tier, being capable of stifling the momentum of the opponent. Hypno supports its team through spreading paralysis with Thunder Wave,(AC) which, due to the threat of Tentacruel locking down slower teams with Wrap, can decide games if it hits the right targets. It’s It's also an offensive threat in its own right, wielding one of the strongest special attacks in STAB Psychic (is this what you mean? or do you mean Special Attack as in the stat (which would be simply Special in this case)? if the former, then do the edit I made; if the latter, do "highest Special stats") in the tier (RC) with and has only one direct answer besides itself.

Despite these positive traits, Hypno does have its share of flaws. Due Unfortunately, due to its subpar Speed, it Hypno can be easily pivoted around by common Wrap users such as Dragonite and Tentacruel,(AC) who which also prevent it from healing. Additionally,(AC) Hypno's reliance on Rest for recovery can be exploited by strong attackers such as Kangaskhan, Tentacruel, Persian, Articuno, and Dugtrio, as they can come in on the turn Hypno uses Rest and begin inflicting large amounts of damage. However, Hypno’s very presence warps how offensive play is executed in the tier to such an extent that it is a near-automatic addition to most teams and demands respect from your opponent.

[SET]
name: Bulky Support
move 1: Psychic
move 2: Rest
move 3: Thunder Wave
move 4: Seismic Toss / Hypnosis(spacing)

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========

Hypno’s Hypno's Psychic is one of the hardest special attacks to switch into in RBY UU,(period -> comma) And and with Hypno’s Hypno's high natural bulk, it’s it's quite difficult to do similar damage in return. Thunder Wave makes switching into Hypno an even more daunting task;(add semicolon) since the drop in speed Speed from Paralysis paralysis is game changing(RH) in the fast-paced environment of UU, as not having anything to outspeed Tentacruel can end the game on the spot. Rest gives Hypno the ability to recover health and remain a defensive piece throughout the game,(period -> comma) and Hypno has plentiful opportunities to come in and burn sleep turns. For example, it can burn sleep turns by coming into a Tentacruel or Dragonite while they are it is locked into Wrap and unable to do any significant damage. In addition, thanks to its Hypno's high bulk, it usually only needs to burn a single turn to have enough health to wake up. Rest removing Paralysis paralysis is also helpful, though it does prevent it Hypno from blocking opposing Pokemon using Sleep sleep-inducing moves. The last move on Hypno is intended as a means of dealing with enemy Hypno. One common last move on Hypno is Seismic Toss due to how reliably it forces opposing Hypno to use Rest (RC) while also dealing good damage to opposing Kadabra and the few Pokemon that boost their special Special stat. Another (RC) more potent, albeit riskier, option for dealing with opposing Hypno is Hypnosis. The upside of putting an enemy Hypno to sleep cannot be overstated,(AC) and it can be key to the success of many teams. However, its shaky accuracy and the little use it has once something is put to sleep can deter its usage on some teams.

Hypno fills a variety of roles in teams. It effectively absorbs and spreads paralysis and spreads it effectively, acts as a key defensive piece, and can deal significant damage to the opponent opposition. Defensively, it acts as a general-purpose blanket check to many threats such as Persian and Dugtrio (RC) and stifles most common special attackers in the tier such as Kadabra, opposing Hypno, Electabuzz, Haunter, and Raichu. This defensive utility in conjunction with Hypno's access to Hypnosis and Thunder Wave makes Hypno it the best status spreader in the tier, as it gets on the field more often than other status spreaders. Offensively,(AC) Hypno offensively can exert immense pressure on the opposing team, as little else outside of Kadabra, opposing Hypno, Vaporeon, or and Tangela after a few Growth's Growths can take more than a few hits without being KO'd KOed. Even Wrap users like Tentacruel and Dragonite feel uncomfortable staying in on Hypno for too long out of fear of taking a Psychic or Thunder Wave if they miss. Hypno can be used as a lead to put something to sleep something with Hypnosis at the start of the game and give your team the initiative due to its access to Hypnosis and positive matchups against other leads such as Electabuzz and Kadabra. However, it does have a shaky matchup against Tentacruel,(AC) which is one of the most common leads in the tier, as it's slow its low Speed cedes the initiative to the Tentacruel user and makes it harder to sleep put the enemy Hypno to sleep, though the benefits benefit of paralyzing an enemy Tentacruel if it misses Wrap is significant. Because of the variety of roles it fills and how well it can fill those roles, Hypno will be on virtually every RBY UU team you play against, and any viable team must have some plan to deal with it.

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

Counter can be used over Seismic Toss or Hypnosis on Hypno to help it Hypno significantly against strong physical threats such as Dodrio, Kangaskhan, and Gyarados,(semicolon -> comma) though it does cause difficulties when facing opposing Hypnosis Hypno and Kadabra. Reflect could also be used to help with these matchups and it can definitely help helps Hypno wake up from Rest. Unfortunately, Reflect makes the matchups against opposing Hypno and Kadabra even worse.

While Seismic Toss is usually the move to drop, Hypno can drop Psychic to run Hypnosis and Seismic Toss, which leaves you better equipped to handle opposing Hypno and Kadabra. It also has a side benefit of making your opponent less likely to suspect you are carrying Hypnosis, as Hypnosis + Seismic Toss is uncommon. Though,(AC) this does reduce the damage output of Hypno significantly, allowing strong physical attackers like Kangaskhan and Golem to safely come in and deal heavy damage with their STAB attacks. Rest can be dropped on some teams to allow Hypno to use Thunder Wave and Hypnosis and play much more aggressively; however, this comes at the cost of Hypno's immense defensive utility,(AC) which usually is to the team's detriment. Thunder Wave can also be dropped to run Hypnosis and Seismic Toss without dropping Psychic, though this greatly limits how well Hypno can spread status throughout the opposing team and leaves you helpless against Dragonite if Sleep Clause is active.

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

**Hypno and Kadabra**: As stated before, Hypno’s Hypno's Psychic is a very difficult attack to switch into. However, Kadabra and opposing Hypno can take that hit while doing enough damage with Seismic Toss to force it to use Rest. This grants an opportunity to switch into a strong attacker or a faster Wrap user such as Tentacruel, Dragonite, Golem, Kangaskhan, or Persian. Of the two, Hypno is better as an answer, since it can absorb paralysis and fulfill its roles without issue, while Kadabra needs to avoid paralysis to remain as an answer to Tentacruel. Though,(AC) this switch can be heavily exploited by using Hypnosis to catch the incoming Psychic-type Pokemon. If Hypno is not using Seismic Toss,(AC) then it gets completely shut down by Kadabra,(AC) since it takes virtually nothing from Psychic while forcing it Hypno to Rest with repeated Seismic Tosses.

**Faster Wrap Users**: Due to its sluggish speed poor Speed tier, Hypno has terrible matchups against Wrap users which that are faster than it such as Tentacruel and Dragonite. It is unable to heal off damage while it is being wrapped Wrapped and gets chipped down into KO range either for the Wrap user itself or for one of its teammates,(AC) which can come in while Hypno is immobilized by Wrap. However, neither Dragonite nor Tentacruel switches into Hypno without some difficulty, since Hypno can catch them on the switch with Thunder Wave to turn the tides.

**Physical Attackers**: While Hypno is hard to wear down, it’s its weaker Defense stat can be exploited by heavy damage dealers such as Dugtrio, Kangaskhan, Persian, Golem, Gyarados, Dodrio, and Dragonite. However, none of them enjoy eating a Thunder Wave—barring Golem and Dugtrio—or a STAB Psychic, so they are best utilized in tandem with a Psychic-type to force the Hypno to use Rest, allowing the physical attacker to come in safely and threaten to knock out KO Hypno.

**Articuno**: Similar to the aforementioned Physical Attackers,(RC) Articuno can also deal heavy amounts of damage to Hypno with it's its absurdly powerful Blizzards to 3HKO Hypno; however, it too does not enjoy eating a Thunder Wave and generally needs a Psychic-type to force Hypno to use Rest so it can come in safely.

**Faster users Users of Sleep-inducing Sleep-Inducing Moves**: Faster sleep users such as Haunter, Poliwrath, Venusaur, and Venomoth can come in on a predicted double switch(RH) or while Hypno is resting asleep and threaten to put it to sleep to pick up a pseudo-knockout (this is not an accepted phrase, and I do not know what it means; clarify). However, all of them are weak to Psychic and cannot switch into Hypno safely, and thus require a Psychic-type of your own to handle Hypno defensively.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Shellnuts, 491544], [phoopes, 96315], [Volk, 530877]]
- Quality checked by: [[Plague von Karma, 236353] , [Volk, 530877]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]

remember to not use curly apostrophes because they break the dex. i fixed the ones i saw, but there may be more; check for others. there were also a few double spaces that I removed but didn't note the removal thereof

gp 1/2 when done

 

[Shellnuts]

word

Implemented all changes, made some adjustments to the point on Hypno's offensive capacity at the beginning to clarify my intent and removed the point on pseudo-knockouts when discussing Faster Users of Sleep-Inducing Moves.

 

[Astra]

add remove

Hide

[OVERVIEW]

Hypno is a centerpiece in RBY UU that warps how offensive play is executed in the tier to such an extent that it's a near-automatic addition to most teams and always demands respect from the opponent. With its great stats, phenomenal typing, and good movepool, Hypno acts as the main defensive piece of the tier, being capable of stifling the momentum of the opponent. Hypno supports its team through spreading paralysis with Thunder Wave, which, due to the threat of Tentacruel locking down slower teams with Wrap, can decide games if it hits the right targets. It's also an offensive threat in its own right, with only one direct answer besides itself that can withstand its mighty STAB Psychic without taking significant damage.

Unfortunately, due to its subpar Speed, Hypno can be easily pivoted around by common Wrap users such as Dragonite and Tentacruel, which also prevent it from healing. Additionally, Hypno's reliance on Rest for recovery can be exploited by strong attackers such as Kangaskhan, Tentacruel, Persian, Articuno, and Dugtrio, as they can come in on the turn Hypno uses Rest and begin inflicting large amounts of damage.

[SET]
name: Bulky Support
move 1: Psychic
move 2: Rest
move 3: Thunder Wave
move 4: Seismic Toss / Hypnosis

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========

Hypno's Psychic is one of the hardest special attacks to switch into in RBY UU, and with Hypno's high natural bulk, it's quite difficult to do similar damage in return. Thunder Wave makes switching into Hypno an even more daunting task; the drop in Speed from paralysis is game changing in the fast-paced environment of RBY UU, as not having anything to outspeed Tentacruel can end the game on the spot. Rest gives Hypno the ability to recover health and remain a defensive piece throughout the game, and Hypno has plentiful opportunities to come in and burn sleep turns. For example, it can burn sleep turns by coming into a Tentacruel or Dragonite while it is locked into Wrap and unable to do any significant damage. In addition, thanks to Hypno's high bulk, it usually only needs to burn a single turn to have enough health to wake up. Rest removing paralysis is also helpful, though it does prevent Hypno from blocking opposing Pokemon using sleep-inducing moves. The last move on Hypno is intended as a means of dealing with enemy Hypno. One common last move on Hypno is Seismic Toss due to how reliably it forces opposing Hypno to use Rest while also dealing good damage to opposing Kadabra and the few Pokemon that boost their Special stat. Another more potent, albeit riskier, option for dealing with opposing Hypno is Hypnosis. The upside of putting an enemy Hypno to sleep cannot be overstated, and it can be key to the success of many teams. However, its shaky accuracy and the little use it has once something is put to sleep can deter its usage on some teams.

Hypno fills a variety of roles in teams. It effectively absorbs paralysis and spreads paralysis, acts as a key defensive piece, and can deal significant damage to the opposition. Defensively, it acts as a blanket check to many threats such as Persian and Dugtrio and stifles most common special attackers in the tier such as Kadabra, opposing Hypno, Electabuzz, Haunter, and Raichu. This defensive utility in conjunction with Hypno's access to Hypnosis and Thunder Wave makes it the best status spreader in the tier, as it gets on the field more often than other status spreaders. Offensively, Hypno can exert immense pressure on the opposing team, as little else outside of Kadabra, opposing Hypno, Vaporeon, and Tangela after a few Growths can take more than a few hits without being KOed. Even Wrap users like Tentacruel and Dragonite feel uncomfortable staying in on Hypno for too long out of fear of taking a Psychic or Thunder Wave if they miss. Hypno can be used as a lead to put something to sleep with Hypnosis at the start of the game and give your team the initiative due to its positive matchups against other leads such as Electabuzz and Kadabra. However, it does have a shaky matchup against Tentacruel, which is one of the most common leads in the tier, as its low Speed cedes the initiative to the Tentacruel user and makes it harder to put the enemy Hypno to sleep, though the benefit of paralyzing an enemy Tentacruel if it misses Wrap is significant. Because of the variety of roles it fills and how well it can fill those roles, Hypno will be on virtually every RBY UU team you play against, and any viable team must have some plan to deal with it.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Counter can be used over Seismic Toss or Hypnosis to help Hypno significantly against strong physical threats such as Dodrio, Kangaskhan, and Gyarados, though it does cause difficulties when facing opposing Hypnosis Hypno and Kadabra. Reflect could also be used to help with these matchups and helps Hypno wake up from Rest. Unfortunately, Reflect makes the matchups against opposing Hypno and Kadabra even worse.

While Seismic Toss is usually the move to drop, Hypno can drop Psychic to run Hypnosis and Seismic Toss, which leaves you better equipped to handle opposing Hypno and Kadabra. It also has a side benefit of making your opponent less likely to suspect you are carrying Hypnosis, as Hypnosis + Seismic Toss is uncommon. Though, this does reduce the damage output of Hypno significantly, allowing strong physical attackers like Kangaskhan and Golem to safely come in and deal heavy damage with their STAB attacks. Rest can be dropped on some teams to allow Hypno to use Thunder Wave and Hypnosis and play much more aggressively; however, this comes at the cost of Hypno's immense defensive utility, which usually is to the team's detriment. Thunder Wave can also be dropped to run Hypnosis and Seismic Toss without dropping Psychic, though this greatly limits how well Hypno can spread status throughout the opposing team and leaves you helpless against Dragonite if Sleep Clause is active.

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

**Hypno and Kadabra**: Hypno's Psychic is a very difficult attack to switch into. However, Kadabra and opposing Hypno can take that hit while doing enough damage with Seismic Toss to force it to use Rest. This grants an opportunity to switch into a strong attacker or a faster Wrap user such as Tentacruel, Dragonite, Golem, Kangaskhan, or Persian. Of the two, Hypno is better as an answer, since it can absorb paralysis and fulfill its roles without issue, while Kadabra needs to avoid paralysis to remain as an answer to Tentacruel. Though, this switch can be heavily exploited by using Hypnosis to catch the incoming Psychic-type Pokemon. If Hypno is not using Seismic Toss, then it gets completely shut down by Kadabra, since it takes virtually nothing from Psychic while forcing Hypno to use Rest with repeated Seismic Tosses.

**Faster Wrap Users**: Due to its poor Speed tier, Hypno has terrible matchups against Wrap users that are faster than it such as Tentacruel and Dragonite. It is unable to heal off damage while it is being Wrapped and gets chipped down into KO range either for the Wrap user itself or for one of its teammates, which can come in while Hypno is immobilized by Wrap. However, neither Dragonite nor Tentacruel switches into Hypno without some difficulty, since Hypno can catch them on the switch with Thunder Wave to turn the tides.

**Physical Attackers**: While Hypno is hard to wear down, its weaker Defense stat can be exploited by heavy damage dealers such as Dugtrio, Kangaskhan, Persian, Golem, Gyarados, Dodrio, and Dragonite. However, none of them enjoy eating a Thunder Wave—barring Golem and Dugtrio—or a STAB Psychic, so they are best utilized in tandem with a Psychic-type to force the Hypno to Rest, allowing the physical attacker to come in safely and threaten to KO Hypno.

**Articuno**: Articuno can deal heavy amounts of damage to Hypno with its absurdly powerful Blizzards to 3HKO Hypno; however, it does not enjoy eating a Thunder Wave and generally needs a Psychic-type to force Hypno to use Rest so it can come in safely.

**Faster Users of Sleep-Inducing Moves**: Faster sleep users such as Haunter, Poliwrath, Venusaur, and Venomoth can come in on a predicted double switch or while Hypno is asleep and threaten to put it to sleep. However, all of them are weak to Psychic and cannot switch into Hypno safely, and thus require thus requiring a Psychic-type of your own to handle Hypno defensively.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Shellnuts, 491544], [phoopes, 96315], [Volk, 530877]]
- Quality checked by: [[Plague von Karma, 236353] , [Volk, 530877]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]] (remember to fill this out)

2/2

 

[Shellnuts]

gp check

Done, ready for upload.

 

[xJoelituh]

https://www.smogon.com/dex/rb/pokemon/hypno/