Forums · Empoleon (Chris)
Agility and Specs sets Finished!
[GLOBAL INFO]
Analysis: Empoleon
[DEFENSIVE COMBINATIONS]
With Empoleon's excellent resistances (12 in all counting the Poison immunity), it is fairly easy to nearly perfectly cover the game in resistances with just two Pokémon. Of the 5 types Empoleon does not resist (Electric, Grass, Fire, Fighting, Ground), nothing resists all four. Salamence comes closest; Dragon / Flying leaves him neutral to just Electric while being immune to Ground, 4x resisting Grass, and resisting Fire and Fighting. Weezing resists Grass, Fighting, and Ground, though isn't fond of STAB Fire or Electric attacks.
For covering Empoleon's actual weaknesses (Electric, Fighting, Ground), Gliscor is the absolute perfect counterpart. Empoleon 2x resists Gliscor's 2x water weak and 4x resists Gliscor's 4x Ice weak, while Gliscor is immune to Electric and Ground while resisting Fighting. Claydol is generally a worse Pokémon than Gliscor, but resists the same types as Gliscor and can help Empoleon with Reflect.
[/DEFENSIVE COMBINATIONS]
[/GLOBAL INFO]
[SET]
Name: Special Tank
Item: Leftovers
IVs: max
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SDef / 4 Spd
Nature: Calm / Modest
Ability: Torrent
Stats: Calm: 372 HP / 187 Atk / 212 Def / 258 SAtk / 331 SDef / 157 Spd
Modest: 372 HP / 187 Atk / 212 Def / 283 SAtk / 301 SDef / 157 Spd
Moves:
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- Grass Knot / Stealth Rock
- Roar / Yawn
[/SET]
[SET DESCRIPTION]
Empoleon's typing and stat layout make it a good switch in for a lot of Special-based Pokémon such as Water types and Salamence. Surf is Empoleon's STAB move and Water is in general a good offensive type. With Empoleon's high Special Attack it won't be gonig to waste. Ice Beam will down Salamence in one hit, and Grass Knot will take care of those pesky Water types. Your fourth moveslot is for a support move that mostly depends on your team. Roar and Yawn give Empoleon psuedo-Hazing capabilities and will let Empoleon take on Calm Minding Suicune more easily. Empoleon is one of the numerous Pokémon that can set up Stealth Rock; you can use it alone or with Roar to employ a Skarmory-like strategy.
Empoleon's main niche with this style of set is that it functions as a Special Wall with high Special Attack. Modest can be used to capitalize on this; the Modest nature guarantees a OHKO on Garchomp with Ice Beam, a 2HKO on Spinner Starmie with Grass Knot, and a 2HKO on Magnezone with Surf. His ability to take Special hits isn't weakened too much when switching to Modest; even Starmie Thunderbolt won't 3HKO with Leftovers factored in assuming 269 Special Attack (Specs Thunderbolt will 2HKO).
[/SET DESCRIPTION]
[OTHER OPTIONS]
Substitute and Hydro Pump give Empoleon a nice safety net; it can OHKO switch-ins by Subbing on the switch, even OHKOing Electivire if Empoleon focibly activates Torrent. Magnezone is handily beaten this way too. Aqua Ring makes Empoleon more able to heal damage, but it's only 1/16th more per turn and Empoleon never stays in for very long thanks to his weaknesses. Rest and Sleep Talk will let him absorb Sleep from a wide variety of Pokémon and possibly heal a little, but again Empoleon isn't staying in for long enough to wait out the Sleep turns. Hidden Power Electric is mostly for Gyarados, which Empoleon completely walls barring Earthquake.
[/OTHER OPTIONS]
[OFFENSIVE COMBINATIONS]
Empoleon's tanking set doesn't really focus on offensive power, but Empoleon can be served well with some offensive support. Electric types are Empoleon's most common switch ins as unlike Ground types Empoleon usually can't hit them for Super-Effective damage and unlike most Fighting types Electrics aren't always frail. Thus, Empoleon makes a very fine "bait" Pokémon for Volt Absorb Pokémon such as Jolteon, or better yet Motor Drive Electivire. The Speed boost Electivire gets is very handy to him, as he can then proceed to sweep with his great type coverage.
As for the Ground and Fighting attacks being thrown at Empoleon, Heracross pairs nicely with Empoleon as he buys Heracross free switch-ins to those resisted moves. The less common offensive Gliscor also loves using Tank Empoleon as bait. Luckily, for Empoleon dealing with Ground and Fighting moves is usually as simple as predicting the switch-in and attacking.
[/OFFENSIVE COMBINATIONS]
[STRATEGIC COMBINATIONS]
Since Empoleon is not Blissey, Empoleon does not do well as a team's sole Special sponge. Something to deal with Azelf, Gengar, Alakazam, and Lucario is helpful to Empoleon's role as a wall. The ideal Pokémon for coverage of the above threats is Careful / Calm Spiritomb, whom handily beats all of those Pokémon, giving the team great Special coverage.
Since Empoleon should be forcing a lot of switches, both by being an offensive / defensive threat and through the use of Roar, Spikes or Toxic Spikes support is very handy. Forretress, Drapion, and Nidoqueen all work to set Toxic Spikes up, while Forretress, Skarmory, and Deoxys-S can set up Spikes. Leech Seed and Wish support is also greatly appreciated as Empoleon has no way to recover lost health other than Leftovers. Leafeon pairs up well, resisting Ground and Electric, while more useful Wish supporters include Togekiss and Umbreon, although these two share some common weaknesses with Empoleon.
[/STRATEGIC COMBINATIONS]
[SET COUNTERS]
Empoleon as a tank, even with a Modest nature, isn't the most threatening Pokémon in the world. Tentacruel is the best at entirely nulifying what Empoleon is doing; he spins away Spikes, resists Surf and Ice Beam, plus has ridiculous Special Defense to take on Grass Knots. Blissey, Snorlax, and Regice completely wall Empoleon's offenses. Snorlax can Earthquake Empoleon away, so he's a particularly effective counter. Lanturn takes very little damage from any of Empoleon's moves and can 2HKO with an Electric attack. Ludicolo 4x resists Surf and isn't weak to anything and will always beat Empoleon with Grass Knot and Leech Seed.
Taking advantage of Empoleon's weaknesses is easy. Athough Magnezone can't switch into Empoleon's Surf, he will always 2HKO with Modest Thunderbolt or Discharge. Dugtrio works in mostly the same way; he OHKO's with Earthquake though can't switch into any of Empoleon's moves. An Empoleon without Grass Knot can usually be beaten by Starmie.
[/SET COUNTERS]
[SET]
Name: Agility + Torrent
Item: Petaya Berry
IVs: max
EVs: 28 HP / 12 Def / 252 SAtk / 216 Spd
Nature: Modest
Ability: Torrent
Stats: 316 HP / 187 Atk / 215 Def / 353 SAtk / 238 SDef / 210 Spd
Moves:
- Agility
- Substitute
- Surf / Hydro Pump
- Grass Knot / Ice Beam
[/SET]
[SET DESCRIPTION]
An extremely potent late game sweeper; once it is set up the set is virtually unstoppable. Plus it's created by yours truly :P. Empoleon resists almost every priority move, works extremely well with pinch berries thanks to Torrent, and has kickass Special Attack. Thanks to Agility, Empoleon's Speed is shot sky-high (just above Modest Choice Scarf Porygon-Z), and with Substitute forcibly activating Torrent and Petaya Berry, Water attacks get a 2.25x boost in power in addition to STAB. From there, you can pretty much threaten to OHKO a very, very large portion of the game. All Garchomp sets are OHKO'd by Hydro Pump, Bronzong is OHKO'd, Dusknoir and Salamence are OHKO'd switching into Stealth Rock, and Bold Blissey can be 2HKO'd. With Hydro Pump's massive power, Grass Knot is reccomended to take down sturdy Water-types that might try and wall Empoleon.
The problem is Hydro Pump's unreliable accuracy. For that reason, Surf is listed as an option. 2HKOs on the above opponents should be sufficient, plus Surf won't cause your late game sweeper to miss and still does 40% to Blissey, beating all versions not carrying Seismic Toss or Thunderbolt. With Surf having less power than Hydro Pump, Ice Beam becomes the preferred option in Slot 4, though it's mostly team dependent.
[/SET DESCRIPTION]
[OTHER OPTIONS]
There really are no other options for this set, except Brine: If you are facing an opponent at less than 50% health, Brine will become a 130 BP attack. It should be used in the last slot. I guess you could use Flash Cannon if you truly fear Regice, but Hydro Pump does nearly as much after set-up. Maybe Hidden Power Ground to take care of Tentacruel.
[/OTHER OPTIONS]
[OFFENSIVE COMBINATIONS]
Empoleon's teammate support is essential to the efficacy of the late game sweeping set. Ideally, everything that resists Water should be eliminated (especially if you use Ice Beam) as well as Blissey. A Substitute / Focus Punch / Thunderbolt / HP Ice Ampharos does the job fairly well. Dugtrio can trap Calm Blissey and 2HKO, but is useless against the Waters. He's still extremely useful to have. Pokémon faster than Empoleon after an Agility should be eliminated, including Scarf Garchomp and Scarf Gengar. Choice Band Weavile is ideal for taking care of both with Ice Shard for Garchomp and Pursuit for Gengar. Mach Punch and Vacuum Wave are the only priority moves that will KO an Empoleon at 25%, as he resists every other; thus if you see a Lucario or Hitmontop you should eliminate them. A few Pokémon can eliminate these, such as Spiritomb or Nidoqueen.
[/OFFENSIVE COMBINATIONS]
[STRATEGIC COMBINATIONS]
Empoleon is helped by either Sandstream or occasionally a Wet Rock Rain Dance user. Sandstream makes KOing Blissey and other extremely sturdy Pokémon easier, plus Empoleon is immune to it. Wet Rock Rain Dance will boost the power of Empoleon's water moves even more, though it may be hard to actually Substitute down to Torrent and Agility in the time before Rain Dance runs out. Residual damage isn't completely necessary, but it certainly can't hurt Empoleon.
[/STRATEGIC COMBINATIONS]
[SET COUNTERS]
Lanturn is the best and only real counter to Empoleon. The best Empoleon can do, a fully boosted Hydro Pump, will only 2HKO a 40 HP / 240 SDef Calm Lanturn about 15% of the time factoring in Hydro Pump's accuracy. Lanturn has STAB Thunderbolt or Discharge for Empoleon. Residual damage means that Lanturn loses. Blissey is only a counter to Empoleon if she packs Seismic Toss or Thunderbolt. Tentacruel does fairly well against non-Hydro Pump sets as well.
Other than these two Pokémon, there is no counter in the strictest definition of the word. The best situation is that Empoleon is packing Ice Beam. In this case, the common Vaporeon and less common Lapras counter Empoleon if they pack an Electric move, as Ice Beam will never, ever 2HKO them. Grass Knot presents a problem for even Vaporeon, as it has the potential to 2HKO.
If Empoleon is missing Ice Beam, extremely defensive Grass types can pose a threat to this set. Standard 252 HP / 0 SDef Celebi will always be 2HKO'd by boosted Hydro Pump, so Celebi will need to Recover stall and hope for an initial miss. Meganium and Shaymin work in the same way with Synthesis and Special Defense EVs.
The best way to stop Empoleon is to constantly phaze him out of his stat boosts. The only Pokémon equipped to do this are Vaporeon and Empoleon himself with Haze or Roar respectively. Snorlax gets Whirlwind, but typically he doesn't have the moveslots to run it.
[SET]
Name: SpecsEmp
Item: Choice Specs
IVs: max
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SAtk / 4 Spd
Nature: Modest
Ability: Torrent
Stats: 372 HP / 187 Atk / 212 Def / 353 SAtk / 238 SDef / 157 Spd
Moves:
- Hydro Pump / Surf
- Ice Beam
- Grass Knot
- Hidden Power [Ground] / Hidden Power [Electric]
[/SET]
[SET DESCRIPTION]
Empoleon's got just enough moves to round out a Choice Specs set, and working with a Special Attack that approaches 530 it really hits a lot of Pokémon quite hard. Surf is simple STAB, while Hydro Pump gets more power at the expense of accuracy. Hydro Pump will always OHKO Magnezone, while Surf is barely a 2HKO, so Hydro Pump is slightly preferred for this reason alone. Ice Beam and Grass Knot are Empoleon's typical moves to eliminate things that resist Water, such as Grass types and toher Waters.
Hidden Power Ground will take tare of Lanturn and Magnezone in one hit if you predict them coming, while HP Electric OHKO's Gyarados. You don't need either move very often; Grass Knot will 2HKO Gyarados and Hydro Pump will OHKO Magnezone anyway, so it's best to use HP Ground with Surf and HP Electric with Hydro Pump.
[/SET DESCRIPTION]
[OTHER OPTIONS]
Sleep Talk is good because Empoleon can take Roserade and Yanmega sleeping moves rather well as he resists most of their STAB. Otherwise, Flash Cannon would be solely for Regice. Empoleon's special movepool isn't tha good
[/OTHER OPTIONS]
[OFFENSIVE COMBINATIONS]
With proper prediciton, this set handles a good number of Pokémon. Blissey and potentially Lanturn / Tentacruel if Empoleon's not using HP Ground are Empoleon's biggest worries, so an offensive partner to Empoleon should handle all 3. For Lanturn and Tentacruel, a good defensvie Earthquake user is one's best bet. Swampert isn't weak to any of their attacks and has a powerful STAB Earthquake to bring them down. Choice Banded Medicham can deal with all 3 with Hi Jump Kick and Psycho Cut (though Lanturn isn't weak to anything Medicham carries, physically Lanturn is frail). Something to handle Ludicolo would be nice to have too, so a strong Bug attacker (like Heracross, whom also kills Blissey) is ideal too.
[/OFFENSIVE COMBINATIONS]
[STRATEGIC COMBINATIONS]
Specs Empoleon works as an offensive Special support Pokémon on Sandstream teams, as not a lot of Rock, Ground, or Steel Pokémon are good at attacking on the Special side. On that note, if you're running a Sandstream team he's a good choice.
As with all attacking Pokémon, residual damage in the form of Sandstream, Spikes, or Stealth Rock will help out Empoleon.
[/STRATEGIC COMBINATIONS]
[SET COUNTERS]
Blissey walls this set all day long as Empoleon can't ever beat Blissey. Snorlax works in the same way, especially versions with Earthquake. Barring Hidden Power Ground, Lanturn and Tentacruel will always stop Empoleon. Ludicolo 4x resists Water and isn't weak to anything. Other than these Pokémon, not a lot particulary enjoys an Empoleon hit. Of course, the key to beating Specs Empoleon if you don't have the above counters is simply predicting the right attack.
[/SET COUNTERS]
[SET]
Name: Aqua Dance
Item: Leftovers
IVs: max
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spd
Nature: Adamant
Ability: Torrent
Stats: 372 HP / 298 Atk / 212 Def / 232 SAtk / 238 SDef / 157 Spd
Moves:
- Swords Dance
- Aqua Jet
- Drill Peck
- Earthquake
[/SET]
[SET DESCRIPTION]
This set looks bad on the surface, but it singlehandedly beats every single one of Empoleon's counters. Blissey, Lanturn, Ludicolo, Magnezone, Dugtrio, and Tentacruel all beat Empoleon somehow, and this set beats all of them. Blissey without Thunderbolt is simply set-up fodder as thanks to the priority move Empoleon doesn't mind paralysis. Lanturn, Magnezone, and Tentacruel are all owned by Empoleon's Earthquake. Drill Peck eliminates Ludicolo and Celebi and hits most Pokémon for neutral damage. Aqua Jet has priority, so it's perfect for Dugtrio and sweeping in general.
For other Pokémon, you'll want to get as many Swords Dances as possible. Empoleon's Attack stat isn't that great, so you need all the help you can get. (MOAR COMING)
[/SET DESCRIPTION]
[OTHER OPTIONS]
<Thisis where your indecisive urges are satisfied. Instead of cluttering themain set with multiple EV spreads or multiple move choices, justinclude them here, with the appropriate explanations.>
[/OTHER OPTIONS]
[OFFENSIVE COMBINATIONS]
<Here, as explained, note the offensive combinations for the particular set of the Pokémon>
[/OFFENSIVE COMBINATIONS]
[STRATEGIC COMBINATIONS]
<Here, as explained, note the strategic combinations for the particular set of the Pokémon>
[/STRATEGIC COMBINATIONS]
[SET COUNTERS]
<Here, as explained, note the counters for the particular set of the Pokémon>
[/SET COUNTERS]
[GENERAL COUNTERS]
[/GENERAL COUNTERS]
[PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER]
[/PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER]
Analysis: Empoleon
[DEFENSIVE COMBINATIONS]
With Empoleon's excellent resistances (12 in all counting the Poison immunity), it is fairly easy to nearly perfectly cover the game in resistances with just two Pokémon. Of the 5 types Empoleon does not resist (Electric, Grass, Fire, Fighting, Ground), nothing resists all four. Salamence comes closest; Dragon / Flying leaves him neutral to just Electric while being immune to Ground, 4x resisting Grass, and resisting Fire and Fighting. Weezing resists Grass, Fighting, and Ground, though isn't fond of STAB Fire or Electric attacks.
For covering Empoleon's actual weaknesses (Electric, Fighting, Ground), Gliscor is the absolute perfect counterpart. Empoleon 2x resists Gliscor's 2x water weak and 4x resists Gliscor's 4x Ice weak, while Gliscor is immune to Electric and Ground while resisting Fighting. Claydol is generally a worse Pokémon than Gliscor, but resists the same types as Gliscor and can help Empoleon with Reflect.
[/DEFENSIVE COMBINATIONS]
[/GLOBAL INFO]
[SET]
Name: Special Tank
Item: Leftovers
IVs: max
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SDef / 4 Spd
Nature: Calm / Modest
Ability: Torrent
Stats: Calm: 372 HP / 187 Atk / 212 Def / 258 SAtk / 331 SDef / 157 Spd
Modest: 372 HP / 187 Atk / 212 Def / 283 SAtk / 301 SDef / 157 Spd
Moves:
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- Grass Knot / Stealth Rock
- Roar / Yawn
[/SET]
[SET DESCRIPTION]
Empoleon's typing and stat layout make it a good switch in for a lot of Special-based Pokémon such as Water types and Salamence. Surf is Empoleon's STAB move and Water is in general a good offensive type. With Empoleon's high Special Attack it won't be gonig to waste. Ice Beam will down Salamence in one hit, and Grass Knot will take care of those pesky Water types. Your fourth moveslot is for a support move that mostly depends on your team. Roar and Yawn give Empoleon psuedo-Hazing capabilities and will let Empoleon take on Calm Minding Suicune more easily. Empoleon is one of the numerous Pokémon that can set up Stealth Rock; you can use it alone or with Roar to employ a Skarmory-like strategy.
Empoleon's main niche with this style of set is that it functions as a Special Wall with high Special Attack. Modest can be used to capitalize on this; the Modest nature guarantees a OHKO on Garchomp with Ice Beam, a 2HKO on Spinner Starmie with Grass Knot, and a 2HKO on Magnezone with Surf. His ability to take Special hits isn't weakened too much when switching to Modest; even Starmie Thunderbolt won't 3HKO with Leftovers factored in assuming 269 Special Attack (Specs Thunderbolt will 2HKO).
[/SET DESCRIPTION]
[OTHER OPTIONS]
Substitute and Hydro Pump give Empoleon a nice safety net; it can OHKO switch-ins by Subbing on the switch, even OHKOing Electivire if Empoleon focibly activates Torrent. Magnezone is handily beaten this way too. Aqua Ring makes Empoleon more able to heal damage, but it's only 1/16th more per turn and Empoleon never stays in for very long thanks to his weaknesses. Rest and Sleep Talk will let him absorb Sleep from a wide variety of Pokémon and possibly heal a little, but again Empoleon isn't staying in for long enough to wait out the Sleep turns. Hidden Power Electric is mostly for Gyarados, which Empoleon completely walls barring Earthquake.
[/OTHER OPTIONS]
[OFFENSIVE COMBINATIONS]
Empoleon's tanking set doesn't really focus on offensive power, but Empoleon can be served well with some offensive support. Electric types are Empoleon's most common switch ins as unlike Ground types Empoleon usually can't hit them for Super-Effective damage and unlike most Fighting types Electrics aren't always frail. Thus, Empoleon makes a very fine "bait" Pokémon for Volt Absorb Pokémon such as Jolteon, or better yet Motor Drive Electivire. The Speed boost Electivire gets is very handy to him, as he can then proceed to sweep with his great type coverage.
As for the Ground and Fighting attacks being thrown at Empoleon, Heracross pairs nicely with Empoleon as he buys Heracross free switch-ins to those resisted moves. The less common offensive Gliscor also loves using Tank Empoleon as bait. Luckily, for Empoleon dealing with Ground and Fighting moves is usually as simple as predicting the switch-in and attacking.
[/OFFENSIVE COMBINATIONS]
[STRATEGIC COMBINATIONS]
Since Empoleon is not Blissey, Empoleon does not do well as a team's sole Special sponge. Something to deal with Azelf, Gengar, Alakazam, and Lucario is helpful to Empoleon's role as a wall. The ideal Pokémon for coverage of the above threats is Careful / Calm Spiritomb, whom handily beats all of those Pokémon, giving the team great Special coverage.
Since Empoleon should be forcing a lot of switches, both by being an offensive / defensive threat and through the use of Roar, Spikes or Toxic Spikes support is very handy. Forretress, Drapion, and Nidoqueen all work to set Toxic Spikes up, while Forretress, Skarmory, and Deoxys-S can set up Spikes. Leech Seed and Wish support is also greatly appreciated as Empoleon has no way to recover lost health other than Leftovers. Leafeon pairs up well, resisting Ground and Electric, while more useful Wish supporters include Togekiss and Umbreon, although these two share some common weaknesses with Empoleon.
[/STRATEGIC COMBINATIONS]
[SET COUNTERS]
Empoleon as a tank, even with a Modest nature, isn't the most threatening Pokémon in the world. Tentacruel is the best at entirely nulifying what Empoleon is doing; he spins away Spikes, resists Surf and Ice Beam, plus has ridiculous Special Defense to take on Grass Knots. Blissey, Snorlax, and Regice completely wall Empoleon's offenses. Snorlax can Earthquake Empoleon away, so he's a particularly effective counter. Lanturn takes very little damage from any of Empoleon's moves and can 2HKO with an Electric attack. Ludicolo 4x resists Surf and isn't weak to anything and will always beat Empoleon with Grass Knot and Leech Seed.
Taking advantage of Empoleon's weaknesses is easy. Athough Magnezone can't switch into Empoleon's Surf, he will always 2HKO with Modest Thunderbolt or Discharge. Dugtrio works in mostly the same way; he OHKO's with Earthquake though can't switch into any of Empoleon's moves. An Empoleon without Grass Knot can usually be beaten by Starmie.
[/SET COUNTERS]
[SET]
Name: Agility + Torrent
Item: Petaya Berry
IVs: max
EVs: 28 HP / 12 Def / 252 SAtk / 216 Spd
Nature: Modest
Ability: Torrent
Stats: 316 HP / 187 Atk / 215 Def / 353 SAtk / 238 SDef / 210 Spd
Moves:
- Agility
- Substitute
- Surf / Hydro Pump
- Grass Knot / Ice Beam
[/SET]
[SET DESCRIPTION]
An extremely potent late game sweeper; once it is set up the set is virtually unstoppable. Plus it's created by yours truly :P. Empoleon resists almost every priority move, works extremely well with pinch berries thanks to Torrent, and has kickass Special Attack. Thanks to Agility, Empoleon's Speed is shot sky-high (just above Modest Choice Scarf Porygon-Z), and with Substitute forcibly activating Torrent and Petaya Berry, Water attacks get a 2.25x boost in power in addition to STAB. From there, you can pretty much threaten to OHKO a very, very large portion of the game. All Garchomp sets are OHKO'd by Hydro Pump, Bronzong is OHKO'd, Dusknoir and Salamence are OHKO'd switching into Stealth Rock, and Bold Blissey can be 2HKO'd. With Hydro Pump's massive power, Grass Knot is reccomended to take down sturdy Water-types that might try and wall Empoleon.
The problem is Hydro Pump's unreliable accuracy. For that reason, Surf is listed as an option. 2HKOs on the above opponents should be sufficient, plus Surf won't cause your late game sweeper to miss and still does 40% to Blissey, beating all versions not carrying Seismic Toss or Thunderbolt. With Surf having less power than Hydro Pump, Ice Beam becomes the preferred option in Slot 4, though it's mostly team dependent.
[/SET DESCRIPTION]
[OTHER OPTIONS]
There really are no other options for this set, except Brine: If you are facing an opponent at less than 50% health, Brine will become a 130 BP attack. It should be used in the last slot. I guess you could use Flash Cannon if you truly fear Regice, but Hydro Pump does nearly as much after set-up. Maybe Hidden Power Ground to take care of Tentacruel.
[/OTHER OPTIONS]
[OFFENSIVE COMBINATIONS]
Empoleon's teammate support is essential to the efficacy of the late game sweeping set. Ideally, everything that resists Water should be eliminated (especially if you use Ice Beam) as well as Blissey. A Substitute / Focus Punch / Thunderbolt / HP Ice Ampharos does the job fairly well. Dugtrio can trap Calm Blissey and 2HKO, but is useless against the Waters. He's still extremely useful to have. Pokémon faster than Empoleon after an Agility should be eliminated, including Scarf Garchomp and Scarf Gengar. Choice Band Weavile is ideal for taking care of both with Ice Shard for Garchomp and Pursuit for Gengar. Mach Punch and Vacuum Wave are the only priority moves that will KO an Empoleon at 25%, as he resists every other; thus if you see a Lucario or Hitmontop you should eliminate them. A few Pokémon can eliminate these, such as Spiritomb or Nidoqueen.
[/OFFENSIVE COMBINATIONS]
[STRATEGIC COMBINATIONS]
Empoleon is helped by either Sandstream or occasionally a Wet Rock Rain Dance user. Sandstream makes KOing Blissey and other extremely sturdy Pokémon easier, plus Empoleon is immune to it. Wet Rock Rain Dance will boost the power of Empoleon's water moves even more, though it may be hard to actually Substitute down to Torrent and Agility in the time before Rain Dance runs out. Residual damage isn't completely necessary, but it certainly can't hurt Empoleon.
[/STRATEGIC COMBINATIONS]
[SET COUNTERS]
Lanturn is the best and only real counter to Empoleon. The best Empoleon can do, a fully boosted Hydro Pump, will only 2HKO a 40 HP / 240 SDef Calm Lanturn about 15% of the time factoring in Hydro Pump's accuracy. Lanturn has STAB Thunderbolt or Discharge for Empoleon. Residual damage means that Lanturn loses. Blissey is only a counter to Empoleon if she packs Seismic Toss or Thunderbolt. Tentacruel does fairly well against non-Hydro Pump sets as well.
Other than these two Pokémon, there is no counter in the strictest definition of the word. The best situation is that Empoleon is packing Ice Beam. In this case, the common Vaporeon and less common Lapras counter Empoleon if they pack an Electric move, as Ice Beam will never, ever 2HKO them. Grass Knot presents a problem for even Vaporeon, as it has the potential to 2HKO.
If Empoleon is missing Ice Beam, extremely defensive Grass types can pose a threat to this set. Standard 252 HP / 0 SDef Celebi will always be 2HKO'd by boosted Hydro Pump, so Celebi will need to Recover stall and hope for an initial miss. Meganium and Shaymin work in the same way with Synthesis and Special Defense EVs.
The best way to stop Empoleon is to constantly phaze him out of his stat boosts. The only Pokémon equipped to do this are Vaporeon and Empoleon himself with Haze or Roar respectively. Snorlax gets Whirlwind, but typically he doesn't have the moveslots to run it.
[SET]
Name: SpecsEmp
Item: Choice Specs
IVs: max
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SAtk / 4 Spd
Nature: Modest
Ability: Torrent
Stats: 372 HP / 187 Atk / 212 Def / 353 SAtk / 238 SDef / 157 Spd
Moves:
- Hydro Pump / Surf
- Ice Beam
- Grass Knot
- Hidden Power [Ground] / Hidden Power [Electric]
[/SET]
[SET DESCRIPTION]
Empoleon's got just enough moves to round out a Choice Specs set, and working with a Special Attack that approaches 530 it really hits a lot of Pokémon quite hard. Surf is simple STAB, while Hydro Pump gets more power at the expense of accuracy. Hydro Pump will always OHKO Magnezone, while Surf is barely a 2HKO, so Hydro Pump is slightly preferred for this reason alone. Ice Beam and Grass Knot are Empoleon's typical moves to eliminate things that resist Water, such as Grass types and toher Waters.
Hidden Power Ground will take tare of Lanturn and Magnezone in one hit if you predict them coming, while HP Electric OHKO's Gyarados. You don't need either move very often; Grass Knot will 2HKO Gyarados and Hydro Pump will OHKO Magnezone anyway, so it's best to use HP Ground with Surf and HP Electric with Hydro Pump.
[/SET DESCRIPTION]
[OTHER OPTIONS]
Sleep Talk is good because Empoleon can take Roserade and Yanmega sleeping moves rather well as he resists most of their STAB. Otherwise, Flash Cannon would be solely for Regice. Empoleon's special movepool isn't tha good
[/OTHER OPTIONS]
[OFFENSIVE COMBINATIONS]
With proper prediciton, this set handles a good number of Pokémon. Blissey and potentially Lanturn / Tentacruel if Empoleon's not using HP Ground are Empoleon's biggest worries, so an offensive partner to Empoleon should handle all 3. For Lanturn and Tentacruel, a good defensvie Earthquake user is one's best bet. Swampert isn't weak to any of their attacks and has a powerful STAB Earthquake to bring them down. Choice Banded Medicham can deal with all 3 with Hi Jump Kick and Psycho Cut (though Lanturn isn't weak to anything Medicham carries, physically Lanturn is frail). Something to handle Ludicolo would be nice to have too, so a strong Bug attacker (like Heracross, whom also kills Blissey) is ideal too.
[/OFFENSIVE COMBINATIONS]
[STRATEGIC COMBINATIONS]
Specs Empoleon works as an offensive Special support Pokémon on Sandstream teams, as not a lot of Rock, Ground, or Steel Pokémon are good at attacking on the Special side. On that note, if you're running a Sandstream team he's a good choice.
As with all attacking Pokémon, residual damage in the form of Sandstream, Spikes, or Stealth Rock will help out Empoleon.
[/STRATEGIC COMBINATIONS]
[SET COUNTERS]
Blissey walls this set all day long as Empoleon can't ever beat Blissey. Snorlax works in the same way, especially versions with Earthquake. Barring Hidden Power Ground, Lanturn and Tentacruel will always stop Empoleon. Ludicolo 4x resists Water and isn't weak to anything. Other than these Pokémon, not a lot particulary enjoys an Empoleon hit. Of course, the key to beating Specs Empoleon if you don't have the above counters is simply predicting the right attack.
[/SET COUNTERS]
[SET]
Name: Aqua Dance
Item: Leftovers
IVs: max
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spd
Nature: Adamant
Ability: Torrent
Stats: 372 HP / 298 Atk / 212 Def / 232 SAtk / 238 SDef / 157 Spd
Moves:
- Swords Dance
- Aqua Jet
- Drill Peck
- Earthquake
[/SET]
[SET DESCRIPTION]
This set looks bad on the surface, but it singlehandedly beats every single one of Empoleon's counters. Blissey, Lanturn, Ludicolo, Magnezone, Dugtrio, and Tentacruel all beat Empoleon somehow, and this set beats all of them. Blissey without Thunderbolt is simply set-up fodder as thanks to the priority move Empoleon doesn't mind paralysis. Lanturn, Magnezone, and Tentacruel are all owned by Empoleon's Earthquake. Drill Peck eliminates Ludicolo and Celebi and hits most Pokémon for neutral damage. Aqua Jet has priority, so it's perfect for Dugtrio and sweeping in general.
For other Pokémon, you'll want to get as many Swords Dances as possible. Empoleon's Attack stat isn't that great, so you need all the help you can get. (MOAR COMING)
[/SET DESCRIPTION]
[OTHER OPTIONS]
<Thisis where your indecisive urges are satisfied. Instead of cluttering themain set with multiple EV spreads or multiple move choices, justinclude them here, with the appropriate explanations.>
[/OTHER OPTIONS]
[OFFENSIVE COMBINATIONS]
<Here, as explained, note the offensive combinations for the particular set of the Pokémon>
[/OFFENSIVE COMBINATIONS]
[STRATEGIC COMBINATIONS]
<Here, as explained, note the strategic combinations for the particular set of the Pokémon>
[/STRATEGIC COMBINATIONS]
[SET COUNTERS]
<Here, as explained, note the counters for the particular set of the Pokémon>
[/SET COUNTERS]
[GENERAL COUNTERS]
[/GENERAL COUNTERS]
[PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER]
[/PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER]
In the deffensive combinations sections you misphrased your second sentence ("Of the 5 types Empoleon does not resist, nothing resists all four.") and you should correct that.
on the sword dance set you mention it beats magnezone when in fact it does not due to standard magnezone with 88 EVs in spe and neutral nature (neccesary to outspeed skarm) is faster. Maybe you coul list another EV spread in other options in order outrun magnezone (I think 164 HP / 252 Atk / 92 Spe does the job) or just remove it from the list.
I was also wondering if a mixed set was viable with sword dance + Hydro Pump or Agility + life orb to make up for Empoleon's low offensive stats but I havent run any damage calcs so maybe you could mention it in other options.
Besides that, great analysis.
on the sword dance set you mention it beats magnezone when in fact it does not due to standard magnezone with 88 EVs in spe and neutral nature (neccesary to outspeed skarm) is faster. Maybe you coul list another EV spread in other options in order outrun magnezone (I think 164 HP / 252 Atk / 92 Spe does the job) or just remove it from the list.
I was also wondering if a mixed set was viable with sword dance + Hydro Pump or Agility + life orb to make up for Empoleon's low offensive stats but I havent run any damage calcs so maybe you could mention it in other options.
Besides that, great analysis.