DPP OU Underrated Movesets, Mark 3

SubPass Jolteon

Jolteon (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 80 HP / 252 SpA / 176 Spe
Timid Nature
- Substitute
- Baton Pass
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power Ice

Jolteon is mostly seen utilizing its high Special Attack and Speed with powerful attacking sets, such as Life Orb and Choice Specs, and for good reason: it has the potential to devastate many teams with little effort. This set's not seen as often, but that certainly isn't due to its lack of effectiveness; it provides a large increase in team support while still being a very potent offensive threat.

This set's premise is not complicated: switch into a Pokémon that Jolteon scares out, such as Skarmory or Vaporeon, and use Substitute on the switch. This allows you to handle the switch-in without relying on prediction; now you don't need to guess whether you need to use Hidden Power Ice to catch the incoming Choice Scarf Flygon or Thunderbolt attempting to 2HKO Heatran. Should a bulky wall such as Blissey, Snorlax, Swampert, or Tyranitar come in, Baton Pass the Substitute out for a safe switch into a Pokémon that can threaten them, such as Breloom.

This set works quite well with Pokémon that are powerful but have a hard time switching in due to their frailty, such as Infernape, as well as Pokémon such as Gyarados that are weak to Electric-type attacks, which Jolteon can switch in on to heal itself.

In summary, if you enjoy Jolteon's offensive presence but don't like how it's a bit too prediction-reliant, try this set; it's sure not to disappoint.

Specially Defensive Gliscor

Gliscor (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Veil
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Taunt
- Toxic
- Roost
- Earthquake

Gliscor is known as one of the most annoying Pokémon in the metagame due to Sand Veil in addition to the Taunt + Toxic combination, a set known as the "Britscor" for how frustrating it is to play against. However, it is often let down by its poor Special Defense. This set aims to fix that, while retaining what makes the flying scorpion such a threat in the first place.

It is capable of stalling out bulky Water-types with ease; Vaporeon, Swampert, Milotic, and Suicune all have their attacks tanked and Roosted off quite comfortably, allowing for easy Toxic stall, especially with the omnipresent sand factored in to neuter their Leftovers (with the obvious exception of Swampert) and allowing Sand Veil to occasionally kick in. Pokémon like Blissey that try to use Ice Beam against it stand no chance either. On the matter of Suicune, not even the offensive set is capable of OHKOing this set, meaning that Gliscor can tank one of its attacks if absolutely necessary.

It becomes one of the best checks to mixed Dragonite and Infernape, whose special attacks it is now capable of tanking and Roosting off, bar the rare Hidden Power Ice from Infernape, which still only has a 6% chance to OHKO if Gliscor is at full health. In fact, not too many Hidden Power Ices will be OHKOing this set; even a Life Orb Jolteon will come up short 19% of the time, and will never knock Gliscor out in one shot unboosted. This set is also a decent check to Calm Mind Jirachi.

Certain Pokémon designed to lure Gliscor for a sweeper by exploiting its usually weak special defense will fall short against this set. Expert Belt Tyranitar's Ice Beam can be (barely) survived and Roost stalled before switching; mixed Flygon's Life Orb-boosted Draco Meteor will never break through Gliscor either.

The loss of Speed is usually not a big deal, but it can be a factor at times; not being fast enough to Taunt (the admittedly rare) Substitute + Will-O-Wisp Rotom is an example of such. Awareness of this will usually avoid problems.

Good partners for this set include Tyranitar and Hippowdon, as their permanent inflicts residual damage and activates Gliscor's Sand Veil. In addition, they can set up Stealth Rock. Special walls such as Blissey and Jirachi do well, being able to take attacks from things like Starmie that Gliscor won't quite hold up against. They also appreciate Gliscor switching in on Fighting- and Ground-type moves, respectively, aimed at them.

In summary, if you like Gliscor, but aren't a fan of how its meager Special Defense lets it down, this set is for you.

Choice Band Flygon

Flygon (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant / Jolly Nature
- U-turn
- Earthquake
- Outrage
- Fire Punch

Flygon's main claim to fame in the post-Dragon DPP OU metagame is its role as one of the top Choice Scarf users. It's capable of revenge killing most setup sweepers, keeping early- to mid-game momentum with U-turn, and cleaning up late-game with Outrage. However, its damage output occasionally leaves something to be desired, and that's where Choice Band comes in.

Despite a seemingly average base 100 Attack stat, when equipped with a Choice Band, Flygon is capable of dishing out impressive amounts of damage. While its Outrage isn't exactly comparable to that of Dragonite's, it is nothing to scoff at, punching massive holes in non-Steel-types that expect to handle it, such as Gliscor and Vaporeon. Its Fire Punch is also capable of dealing significant damage to Skarmory, forcing it to switch or die and potentially clearing a path for Earthquake or Outrage spam with smart play.

Scizor works well with this set. It is a common U-turn partner with Flygon, as they resist each other's weaknesses and can create a chain of U-turns that racks up damage quite quickly with Stealth Rock. Scizor also appreciates Flygon surprising switch-ins and severely denting them, as this will remove some of Scizor's checks and counters as well; in return, it can trap some fast special attackers that give Flygon trouble, such as Gengar and Starmie, with its Choice Scarf set. Breloom can also be used to great effect, as Flygon U-turning out of slow, bulky Ground / Water types could be a potential Substitute and a lot of havoc wreaked.

The choice of Adamant and Jolly depends on what you are aiming to outspeed. Use Jolly if you want to at least give Flygon a shot at tying with Pokémon such as offensive Shaymin, Zapdos, and Calm Mind Jirachi, as well as outspeeding Pokémon such as Jolly Gliscor and Lucario. If you do not care or simply feel that the extra power is worth the drop in Speed, stick with Adamant.

In summary, if you like Flygon's ability to U-turn and keep momentum, but dislike its lack of power, you might find yourself smitted when it decides to put a Band on.

Utility Crobat

Crobat (M) @ Black Sludge
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 248 HP / 100 Def / 16 SpD / 144 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Taunt
- Roost
- U-turn
- Brave Bird / Super Fang

Crobat might reside in BL, but it is quite a solid pick in the OU environment. Its typing, Speed, and bulk allow it to function as an effective utility Pokémon.

Like Gliscor, Crobat uses Taunt + Roost to prevent setup and harass stall teams. It can check many strong offensive threats with its typing and defenses, especially Breloom, which is a dangerous threat and which Crobat is one of the top counters to; others include Infernape, Lucario, and Machamp if switched into a Payback or Bullet Punch. By using U-turn correctly, it can keep up momentum for its team, and potentially break down a defensive core with ease by smart switching and Stealth Rock support.

Speaking of Stealth Rock, it's one of Crobat's weaknesses, so it should definitely be paired with a spinner. Starmie is the most reliable one in OU, especially as it switches in with impunity on most versions of the most common Stealth Rock setter, Heatran. Forretress, Donphan, and Hitmontop aren't bad choices either. Pokémon such as Hippowdon and Swampert that resist Rock and Electric are also good partners for Crobat.

In summary, if you want a solid utility Pokémon for balance or stall teams, Crobat's sure to produce results.

Suicide Lead Froslass

Froslass (F) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Snow Cloak
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SDef / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Spikes
- Taunt
- Icy Wind
- Destiny Bond

Froslass is a Pokémon that you don't see often in DPP OU and, just like Crobat, resides in BL. It was deemed too strong for UU because of its combination of its high Speed, Spikes, and Ghost typing which allows it to set up one or more layers of Spikes extremely easily as a suicide lead. It can also prevent the opposing lead from getting up entry hazards with a fast Taunt and possibly take them out with Destiny Bond. While Froslass isn't as powerful in OU as it once was in UU, it is still a solid choice if you want to get up Spikes the first turn for the previously mentioned reasons.

The idea of the set is simple. Spikes is by far the important move on this set for obvious reasons. The other moves give Froslass an advantage against certain leads. Taunt is a great move against more defensive leads such as Swampert, Skarmory, and Forretress (which can't Rapid Spin away the hazards due to Froslass's Ghost typing!), while Destiny Bond is a one-for-one move which allows Froslass to also take out a slower opponent's Pokémon without a priority move or Sand Stream. Finally, Icy Wind lets Froslass defeat faster leads such as Aerodactyl.

You can't just slap Froslass on any team, though; more defensive teams usually appreciate the extra defenses that Skarmory and Forretress provide, while more offensive teams usually just use Stealth Rock and forgo Spikes. Therefore, you should play Froslass to its strengths and pair it with sweepers that appreciate the little extra damage from Spikes to muscle through their counters.

In summary, if you want a fast Spiker lead for an offensive team, try out Froslass.

Conclusion

Even though DPP is now two generations old (what a scary thought), there are always new things to try out. Try out some of these sets; though they aren't too commonly seen, you might like them!