0:00 - Azumarill (Huge Power)
It's a dragon raid and therefore weak to fairy; can Belly Drum Azumarill handle it?
As it turns out, yes!
x35 HP is a bit much, but since Sceptile loves to waste early turns on Dragon Dance instead of attacking, you can just barely manage it as long as you roll allies that can lower enemy defense... and when I rolled both Arcanine and Weavile (who can both use Leer) plus Tauros (for two Intimidate total) I decided I might as well try this oneshot.
It's pretty simple: while holding a Life Orb, you attack cheer, then Belly Drum, then Play Rough, and pray you get the oneshot. You reset if Leaf Storm targets and hits you, you reset if the AI doesn't use Leer two or more times, you reset if Sceptile actually uses Leaf Blade (or even Thunder Punch) to lower health below 50% before you drum or finishes you off after you drum, you reset if Play Rough's 90% accuracy misses... and you also reset if your Play Rough low-rolls and the AI doesn't do enough damage, since the damage range for a +6 Atk Play Rough with attack cheer's x1.5 attack against a -2 Def Hasty Sceptile ranges from 90.076% to 106.019% of a x35 HP Hasty Sceptile, which... still isn't a guaranteed oneshot.
What a silly oneshot.
1:47 - Azumarill (Sap Sipper)
Anyways, the actual Azumarill set people were theorycrafting before release was Sap Sipper Azumarill, in order to be immune to both grass and dragon STAB. Thunder Punch on the regular moveset is a bit scary, but you can terastallize to lose your water type (and therefore electric weakness), and of course the AI tends to forget about ability-based immunities like Sap Sipper (see also: Water Absorb Vaporeon against 7* Blastoise) so it's not that scary regardless.
My strategy: use Mud-Slap three times to build up tera charges (and because halved accuracy is nice), then wait for the buffwipe to terastallize and Belly Drum, before finally spamming Play Rough.
I was kinda shocked at how well this went... but y'know, I was still running the amazing Tauros/Arcanine/Weavile trio, and I'm pretty sure they actually did most of the heavy-lifting here. Still, probably a pretty safe strategy overall, even if it's kinda painful to not be using Huge Power.
6:16 - Chesnaught
If you need to buff your own defense to +6 in order to counter Sceptile's permanent +6 Atk, why not just make use of it with Body Press?
Stamina Archaludon was a semi-frequent suggestion given its grass resistance and free defense buffs, but I was sure there was a better option. Taking into account both base stats and natural fighting STAB, I found that the best Body Press attackers were, in descending order:
Zamazenta (legend);
Regirock (legend);
Cobalion (legend);
Avalugg (doesn't resist Leaf Blade and could be crit early);
Kommo-o (weak to Breaking Swipe);
Chesnaught (resists Leaf Blade).
As such, here's a Body Press Chesnaught run!
I had a free moveslot so I ran Body Slam and used it three times at the start just to build up tera orb charges and fish for a paralysis proc (since Chesnaught's bulk and typing makes it relatively safe); after the buff wipe you Iron Defense three times, heal with Synthesis once or twice, then spam metronome Body Press (terastallizing after the first, because of the stolen tera charge) until you win. Nice and straightforward!
You're in danger of Leaf Blade crits once you terastallize, and even Chesnaught's natural bulk isn't enough to prevent it from oneshotting you, unfortunately... but I got lucky here.
Sure would be nice if +6 Atk Leaf Blade crits weren't an issue!
16 июл 2024
