RU Araquanid

[OVERVIEW]

Araquanid's ability Water Bubble combined with its decent Special Defense make it a unique Tank. In addition, Water Bubble prevents Araquanid from being burned, which is a huge boon for a physical attacker. Said Special Defense also lets Araquanid switch into Choice Specs Zoroark and KO it with Liquidation. However, Araquanid is weak to Stealth Rock and faces competition from several better and faster Water-type wallbreakers such as Feraligatr. Araquanid also has mediocre HP and a subpar Defense stat, making it easy for physical attackers to overwhelm. Finally, Araquanid's shallow movepool gives it barely any options to make use of.

[SET]
name: Bulky Attacker
move 1: Liquidation
move 2: Leech Life
move 3: Toxic
move 4: Infestation
item: Splash Plate / Waterium Z
ability: Water Bubble
nature: Adamant
evs: 184 HP / 252 Atk / 72 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Liquidation is boosted by Water Bubble and becomes a 170-Base Power move, making it extremely spammable. Leech Life is boosted by STAB and recovers HP, making it somewhat reliable recovery depending on the foe you attack. However, keep in mind that a neutral Leech Life does less than a resisted Liquidation, so only use Leech Life against Grass-Types and anything immune to Water-type attacks. Toxic allows Araquanid to cripple defensive threats like Mantine and Seismitoad, which otherwise wall this set. It also is the best way to beat Jellicent if you are running Protect. Infestation traps and damages Araquanid's checks, and when stacked with Toxic, allows Araquanid to defeat them.

Set Details
========

Leftovers is run to maximize Araquanid's longevity. The EVs maximize Araquanid's bulk and offensive capability, and 72 Speed EVs are used to outspeed base 50 Speed Pokemon. Choice Band is another option to take down certain threats that are neutral to Liquidation, like Durant and Heracross. 68 HP / 252 Atk / 188 Spe EVs can be run to outspeed and 2HKO Umbreon with Liquidation. Splash Plate is the main choice for an item that boosts Araquanid's best move, while allowing it to freely use Toxic. If there are no Z move users on your team, Waterium Z can be used to, as the immediate boost in power to its Water STABs enables it to KO Snorlax and Umbreon after Stealth Rock damage.

Usage Tips
========

If Liquidation does neutral damage, click it. It's about as powerful as certain Z-moves and can be used multiple times. If something that does resist Water is on the opposing team, click Toxic. You'll catch opposing switch-ins that are trying to check Araquanid off guard, especially defensive ones. Make sure that hazards are off the field, as they can really hamper Araquanid's longevity, especially if you don't run Leftovers. You should also try to keep Araquanid off the field if the sun is up, as sun reduces the power of Liquidation. Araquanid is best switched in when it can do neutral damage to everything left on the opposing team. This is because thanks to Water Bubble, almost all neutral hits will 2HKO.

Team Options
========

Hazard removers make sure Araquanid doesn't have to deal with Stealth Rock. Gligar is your best option, as it is extremely bulky with Eviolite and can remove hazards with Defog. Gligar pairs really well with Araquanid, as Araquanid resists Gligar's two weaknesses. It is also immune to Electric-type moves, allowing you to pivot to Gligar straight from Araquanid. Donphan is an alternative if you run Spikes on your team, as Earthquake deals with Electric- and Rock-types and it can run Stone Edge to deal with Flying-types, all of which threaten Araquanid. Espeon is another option, as it can bounce back hazards if it switches in while they're being set.

Electric- and Grass-types like Galvantula, Dhelmise, or Roserade are crucial to Araquanid's success, as they handle Mantine and Seismitoad respectively. Galvantula is a special case, as it can handle both Mantine and Seismitoad so long as it carries Energy Ball. Dhelmise provides some nice role compression, as it gets Rapid Spin, helping with the hazards Araquanid hates. Roserade gets a special mention here too, as it can put things to sleep with Sleep Powder, use Hidden Power Fire and thus can deal with bulky Steel-types, and also run a defensive set that sets Spikes.

Trick Room setters, like Porygon2, Bronzong, and Reuniclus, give Araquanid a chance to sweep, given its horrible speed. Porygon2 in particularis extremely hard to stop from setting Trick Room since it is so bulky with Eviolite. Bronzong has the best defensive typing out of the three and also sets up Stealth Rock on the other side of the field. Reuniclus can hold its own in Trick Room and can do more than just support Araquanid, so even if Araquanid goesdown, Reuniclus is still useful.

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

A RestTalk could be run to maximize longevity and handle Roserade, but Araquanid's horrible Speed means it will likely be KOed before it could Rest to heal up when it would help the most. Scald could be run in place of Protect to cripple physical threats if you burn them, but Mantine is much better in this role, as it is bulkier and has more reliable recovery. Assault Vest with Mirror Coat seems attractive, as Assault Vest maximizes Araquanid's Special Defense and deals with special attackers like Hoopa, but Assault Vest hinders the physical power compared to Choice Band of Araquanid and leaves Araquanid open to being forced out by bulky Water-types like Mantine, since Araquanid can't run Toxic to cripple them. For a defensive item, you are much better off running Leftovers. It gives Araquanid passive recovery and the option to use Protect to maximize recovery, and allows Araquanid to cripple defensive walls with Toxic.

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

**Bulky Water-types**: Bulky Water-types give Araquanid a lot of trouble defensively, as Araquanid does not have a good enough Special Attack stat to reliably run Hidden Power. Seismitoad, Mantine, and Jellicent give Araquanid an especially hard time, as they are immune to Liquidation. They also can easily either PP stall it out or KO it eventually, as the other attacking moves Araquanid runs can't really do much barring Crunch on Jellicent. Seismitoad may be neutral to Leech Life, but it doesn't do anything tangible to Seismitoad. Mantine is arguably the best defensive counter of these three as it resists Leech Life, is immune to Liquidation, and also has reliable recovery. Jellicent also resists Leech Life but is weak to Crunch, so it isn't as good as Mantine. Slowbro is another bulky Water-type to choose from, but it is not immune to Liquidation and is weak to the other two offensive moves Araquanid runs. However, one thing to note is that all of these Pokemon are threatened by Toxic.

**Residual Damage**: Araquanid is weak to Stealth Rock, hurting its longevity and reducing the amount of times it can switch in. Setters include Bronzong, Registeel, and Seismitoad. Toxic puts a timer on Araquanid, limiting its sweeping potential. Prominent users include Registeel, Bronzong and Pyukumuku. Pyukumuku is tough in particular as it resists Liquidation, Araquanid's best move.

**Strong Physical Attackers**: Araquanid usually does not have the chance to invest in Defense and has no boosting moves to raise it, leaving it vulnerable to powerful physical attackers. Examples include Heracross, Bruxish, and Durant. Guts Heracross outspeeds and 2HKOes with Facade while Araquanid has about a 6% chance to OHKO with Liquidation without Choice Band. Bruxish outspeeds and OHKOes at +2 with Psychic Fangs, but is vulnerable to Leech Life while setting up. Durant outspeeds and has about a one in three chance of OHKOing Araquanid with Rock Slide, and Durant lives a Liquidation if Araquanid is running Leftovers.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

MrAldo

Hey
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- Try to mention less generic stuff on the overview. On the overview you want to point good and bad qualities of the Pokemon but regarding how it fares on the metagame, and not mention things that can be seen by just looking at its stats. Stuff like "Has nice special defense" doesnt cut it, expand on the benefits of its nice special defense. Mons it can pivot into virtue of that? Mediocre hp stat and defense, aha but what does that mean? You can mention like "Due to its low hp stat it has be to wary of switching into attacks too often" or something along those lines (Dont copy it directly tho).

- Mention on the Overview the annoying Stealth Rock weakness, thats something that someone which is playing Pokemon for the first time has to see as a disadvantage.

- Toxic is far too important to just give it a secondary slash and I feel can be replaceable in many occassions so the set should look like this:

[SET]
name: Bulky Attacker
move 1: Liquidation
move 2: Leech Life
move 3: Protect / Crunch
move 4: Toxic
item: Leftovers / Choice Band
ability: Water Bubble
nature: Adamant
evs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD

- On Set Details mention it can run 188 speed to outspeed Umbreon and 2hko with banded liquidation if the chance arises.

- Usage Tips can mention that Liquidation is a move that can be spammed thanks to its outrageous power that frail resists need to be extra careful. Also mention that if there is a Defensive Pokemon that resists water like Chesnaught and Pokemon with water immunity on the opposing team, it is pretty safe to use toxic since the switch-in is rather telegraphed. Make sure to mention on your own words, give it color.

- The Defensive Seismitoad and Mantine mentions on Checks and Counters can be compressed into a Bulky Water-types section where you mention Seismitoad, Mantine and Jellicent as Pokemon that annoy Araquanid due to water absorb and you can mention something like Slowbro which thanks to its great physical defense can switch into araquanid quite comfortably.

- Not sure if Registeel is that big of a nuisance for Araquanid when it is easily 2hkod by banded liquidation and 3hkod at worst from a leftovers one. Toxic annoys araquanid but that can be mentioned as Check & Counter on its own. Remove Registeel and add Residual Damage on the Checks & Counters section, mention Toxic and Stealth Rock damage.

- Also mention Strong Physical Attackers on the check & counters section since it is the best way to get rid of Araquanid, targetting it on its worse defensive stat. Tag me if you need examples.

- It is also fair to mention Electric-types that, while non appreciate switching into Araquanid, Pokemon like Rotom-Heat, Galvantula and Rotom-Cut can threaten it, especially when you take into account its rocks weakness.

Lot of work to do so tag me or message me when you are done implementing and Ill gladly give the check.
 
MrAldo EonX sorry if I am bugging you guys, but I just want to make sure I am doing this write up properly. I just would like to hear your thoughts on the formatting of the writeup. I'd ask over Discord, but I'm off my PC.
 

MrAldo

Hey
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MrAldo EonX sorry if I am bugging you guys, but I just want to make sure I am doing this write up properly. I just would like to hear your thoughts on the formatting of the writeup. I'd ask over Discord, but I'm off my PC.
For the 3rd check, the analysis should be in prose. Paragraphs that should reflect the bulletpoints you did, on every section.

Also, fix the checks and counters section since those should be paragraphs, not bulletpoints. Organize all of that in paragraphs for each section.
 
For the 3rd check, the analysis should be in prose. Paragraphs that should reflect the bulletpoints you did, on every section.

Also, fix the checks and counters section since those should be paragraphs, not bulletpoints. Organize all of that in paragraphs for each section.
I was just asking about the Usage Tips, which is the only one I have written up so far.
 

MrAldo

Hey
is a Social Media Contributoris a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributoris a Contributor to Smogonis a Dedicated Tournament Hostis a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnus
I was just asking about the Usage Tips, which is the only one I have written up so far.
It looks fine, trust on yourself. Healthy reminder that everything should be on paragraph.

To not clutter the thread, message a QC member on Discord when you have the chance to get on the computer. Please.
 
In set details you should note that neutral Leech Life does less damage than a resisted Liquidation, so Leech Life only does more damage than Liquidation against Grass-types and Pokemon immune to Water. Also you should note that Crunch should be run with Choice Band, whereas Protect should be run with Leftovers.

Mention Infestation in OO as a way of luring and killing Water-types

QC 3/3
 
In set details you should note that neutral Leech Life does less damage than a resisted Liquidation, so Leech Life only does more damage than Liquidation against Grass-types and Pokemon immune to Water. Also you should note that Crunch should be run with Choice Band, whereas Protect should be run with Leftovers.

Mention Infestation in OO as a way of luring and killing Water-types

QC 3/3
Implemented. Woohoo! Ready for GP.
 

Lemonade

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i'll gp this

how to implement: http://spo.ink/gpvideo
You've got some Pokemon specific grammar things wrong. Also check out the standards (http://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/spelling-and-grammar-standards.3588427/); I would recommend reading through it bit by bit instead of all at once to remember stuff better.
There were some confusing sentences, I fixed what I thought some of them were, but tag me when you're done with the check so I can look over it.

Additions
Removals
Comments
[OVERVIEW]

Araquanid's main niche lies in its ability, Water Bubble. It powers up Liquidation into a base 170 power 170-Base Power (Comment: Base Power is an official Pokemon term, so I prefer keeping it together. ) move before STAB, making it extremely spammable. (Comment: The opening sentence isn't telling me why I want to use Araquanid. What does a spammable move do for me? I would rewrite this a bit. See http://www.smogon.com/forums/thread...-obviously-writers-can-read-this-too.3598541/ ) It Water Bubble also halves Fire-types moves against Araquanid, also gives Araquanid a resistance to Fire types, letting it beat them Fire-types 1v1. (Comment: "Resistance" isn't quite the right word, since it isn't a "real" resistance. ) Finally, In addition, Water Bubble also prevents Araquanid from being burned, which is a huge boon for a physical attacker. This, combined with Araquanid's good Special Defense, makes Araquanid a good choice for tanking Scald. It also has decent special defense, Said Special Defense also lets Araquanid letting it switch into a Choice Specs Zoroark and killing kill it with Liquidation. That combined with Water Bubble also makes Araquanid a good absorber of Scalds, as it resists it and cannot be burned. (Comment: I rearranged this part so that everything about Water Bubble is together. ) However, it's Araquanid is weak to Stealth Rocks. Rock. Because of this, it faces competition from other hard-hitting bulky attackers like Dragalge and Escavalier, who have an easier time with hazards and have more resistances. It Araquanid also has mediocre HP and a barely okay defense subpar Defense stat, making it easy for physical powerhouses like Heracross to take it down. Those mediocre stats combined with the weakness to Stealth Rock makes it hard to switch in at times. It's Araquanid is also really slow, which gives it competition from faster offensive Water types Water-types like Bruxish and Feraligatr. Finally, it has an extremely shallow movepool, meaning it has very few options in terms of viable sets.

[SET]
name: Bulky Attacker
move 1: Liquidation
move 2: Leech Life
move 3: Protect / Crunch
move 4: Toxic
item: Leftovers / Choice Band
ability: Water Bubble
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk 248 HP / 248 HP 252 Atk / 8 SpD (Comment: The order is HP / Atk / Def / SpA / SpD / Spe )

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Liquidation is boosted by Water Bubble and becomes a base 170 power 170-Base Power move, making it extremely spammable. Leech Life is Bug boosted by STAB and recovers HP, making it somewhat reliable recovery depending on the foe you attack. Protect is run to stack get (Comment: Nothing is being stacked ) Leftovers recovery and to scout for your opponent's moves. Crunch can be run instead to hit Jellicent and Dhelmise better. Toxic allows you to cripple defensive threats like Mantine and Seismitoad, who otherwise wall this set. It also is the best way to beat Jellicent if you are running Protect.

Set Details
========

Leftovers is run to maximize Araquanid's longevity. longevity, as it's its only form of reliable recovery. (Comment: Leech Life is also recovery ) Choice Band is run to maximize its attack combined with 252 EVs invested into attack. The EVs maximize Araquanid's bulk and offensive capability. Another option is 184 HP / 252 Atk / 72 Spe to outspeed base 50 Speed Pokemon. The other EVs are invested in HP and SpD respectively to maximize Araquanid's bulk. Choice Band is another option to take down certain threats that are neutral to Liquidation, like Durant and Heracross. 252 Atk / 68 HP / 188 Spe (Comment: rearrange the order ) EVs can be run with Choice Band to outspeed and 2HKO Umbreon with Liquidation. However, keep in mind that you are better off running Choice Band with that spread. 184 HP / 252 Atk / 72 Spe can also be run instead to preserve more bulk while outspeeding Base 50s. Keep in mind that Leftovers is your best item choice if you run that spread. Choice Band is also required to take down certain threats in which Liquidation is neutral towards them, like Durant and Heracross. (Comment: Rearranged this to group the parts about Lefties and CB together. Otherwise, you were jumping back and forth between EVs spreads and such. ) Also keep Keep in mind that Protect is only useful when running Leftovers, as it helps stack gives Leftovers recovery. Likewise, Crunch is best for when you run Choice Band, as locking into Protect is pretty silly. Also note that a neutral Leech Life does less than a resisted Liquidation, so only use Leech Life against Grass-Types and anything immune to Water-type attacks. (Comment: This last sentence should be moved to Moves )

Usage Tips
========

If it Liquidation does neutral damage, click Liquidation. it. It's about as powerful as certain Z-moves and can be used multiple times. It is easily the most spammable move in Araquanid's arsenal. (Comment: kind of redundant ) If something that does resist Water is on the opposing team, click Toxic. You'll catch opposing switch-ins that are trying to check Araquanid off guard, especially defensive ones. Make sure that hazards are off the field, as they can really hamper Araquanid's longevity, especially if you don't run leftovers. Leftovers. You should also try to keep it Araquanid off the field if the sun is up, as it sun reduces the power of Liquidation. Liquidation, Araquanid's best move. (Comment: already established ) Araquanid is best switched in when it can do neutral damage to everything left on the opposing team. This is because thanks to Water Bubble, almost all neutral hits will 2HKO. 2HKO at the very least.

Team Options
========

Trick Room setters, like Porygon2, Bronzong, and Reuniclus give Araquanid a chance to sweep, given its horrible speed. Porygon2 in paticular is extremely hard to stop from setting Trick Room since it is so bulky with eviolite. Eviolite. Bronzong has the best defensive typing out of the three and also sets up Stealth Rocks Rock on the other side of the field. However, this (Comment: what is "this"? Using Stealth Rock? ) can limit your hazard removal options, as Defog from Gligar removes hazards from both sides of the field, not just yours. (Comment: I don't think this statement is very good, many teams use SR and Defog ) Reuniclus can hold its own in Trick Room and can do more than support Araquanid, so even if it's (Comment: what is "it"? ) down, Reuniclus is still pretty useful in Trick Room. Hazard removers make sure Araquanid doesn't have to deal with Stealth Rock. Gligar is your best option, as it is extremely bulky with Eviolite and can remove hazards with Defog. It is also immune to Electric type moves, allowing you to predict one and switch into Gligar with ease. Gligar also pairs really well with Araquanid, as it resists Gligar's two weaknesses. Donphan is an alternative if you run spikes Spikes on your team, as Earthquake deals with Electric and Rock Electric- and Rock-types types and it can run Stone Edge to deal with Flying types, Flying-types, all of which threaten Araquanid. Espeon is another option, as it can bounce back hazards if it switches in while they're being set. Electric and Grass types, Electric- and Grass-types like Galvantula, Dhelmise, and Roserade are crucial to Araquanid's success, (Comment: Not the best wording, kinda implies you need all three of them on your team ) as they handle Mantine and Seismitoad respectively. Galvantula is a special case, as it can handle both Mantine and Seismitoad so long as it carries Energy Ball. Dhelmise provides some nice role compression, as it also gets Rapid Spin, helping with the hazards Araquanid hates. Roserade gets a special mention here too, as it can put things to sleep with Sleep Powder, uses HP use Hidden Power Fire and thusly can deal with bulky Steels, and also can run a defensive set thats sets Spikes. Be sure not to run Gligar if you set Spikes up, at least not at the same time, as it's (Comment: what is "it"? ) pretty redundant.

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

A RestTalk could be run to maximize longevity and handle Roserade, but Araquanid's horrible speed means it will likely be KOed before it could rest to heal up when it would help the most. Scald could be run in place of Protect to cripple physical threats if you burn them, but Mantine is much better in this role, as it is bulkier and has more reliable recovery. Assault Vest with Mirror Coat serms seems attractive, as it Assault Vest maximizes Araquanid's special defense Special Defense and deal with special attackers like Hoopa, but it (Comment: what is "it"? ) hinders the physical presence (Comment: not following what physical presence means ) of Araquanid outside of Mirror Coat and leaves you open to being forced out by bulky waters like Mantine, since you can't run Toxic to cripple them. For a defensive item, you are much better off running Leftovers. It gives you passive recovery and as well as the option to use Protect to maximize it recovery, and allows you to cripple defensive walls with Toxic. Splash Plate is another choice for an item that boosts your best move while letting you switch moves. However, it is only helpful in beating defensive Umbreon, so it is usually inferior to Choice Band in terms of offensive items. Infestation could be run in place of Protect or Crunch to lure and kill Water-types, but it isn't usually worth the moveslot as it completely backfires if the opponent stays in.

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

**Bulky Water Types**: Bulky Water types give Araquanid a lot of trouble defensively, as Araquanid does not have a good enough Special Attack stat to reliably run Hidden Power. Seismitoad, Mantine Mantine, and Jellicent give it Araquanid an especially hard time, as they are immune to Araquanid's best move- Liquidation. They also can easily either PP stall it out or KO it eventually, as the other attacking moves Araquanid runs can't really do much barring Crunch on Jellicent. Seismitoad is neutral to Araquanid's Leech Life but can muscle (Comment: ? ) Araquanid 1v1 so long as Araquanid is holding leftovers. Leftovers. Mantine is arguably the best defensive counter of these three as it resists Leech Life Life, and is immune to Liquidation Liquidation, and also has reliable recovery. Jellicent also resists Leech Life but is weak to Crunch, so it isn't as good as Mantine. Slowbro is another bulky Water type to choose from, but it is not immune to Liquidation and is weak to the other two offensive moves Araquanid runs. However, one thing to note is that all of these Pokemon are threatened by Toxic.

**Residual Damage**: Araquanid is weak to Stealth Rocks, Rock, hurting its longevity and reducing the amount of times it can switch in. Setters include Bronzong, Registeel Registeel, and Seismitoad. Toxic puts a timer on Araquanid, limiting its sweeping potential. Prominent users include Registeel, Bronzong and Pyukumuku. Pyukumuku is tough in paticular as it resists Liquidation, Araquanid's best move.

**Strong Physical Attackers**: It Araquanid usually does not have the chance to invest in physical Defense and has no boosting moves to raise it, leaving it vunerable to powerful physical attackers. Examples include Heracross, Bruxish, and Durant. Guts Heracross outspeeds and 2HKOs with Facade while Araquanid has about a 6% chance to OHKO with Liquidation without Choice Band. Bruxish outspeeds and OHKOs at +2 with Psychic Fangs, but is vunerable to Leech Life while setting up. up to Leech Life. Durant outspeeds and has about a one in three chance of OHKOing Araquanid with Rock Slide Slide, and Durant lives a Liquidation if Araquanid is running Leftovers.
 
Last edited:

GatoDelFuego

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Reviloja753

REMOVE CHANGE COMMENTS

[OVERVIEW]

Araquanid's ability Water Bubble combined with its decent Special Defense makes it a unique Scald absorber that has a lot of immediate power in Liquidation. Water Bubble also halves Fire-types moves against Araquanid, letting it beat Fire-types 1v1. In addition, Water Bubble prevents Araquanid from being burned, which is a huge boon for a physical attacker. This, combined with Araquanid's good Special Defense, makes Araquanid a good choice for tanking Scald. Said Special Defense also lets Araquanid switch into Choice Specs Zoroark and kill KO it with Liquidation. However, Araquanid is weak to Stealth Rock. Because of this, it faces competition from other hard-hitting bulky attackers like Dragalge and Escavalier, who which have an easier time with hazards switching in and have more resistances. Araquanid also has mediocre HP and a subpar Defense stat, making it easy for physical powerhouses like Heracross to take it down. Those mediocre stats combined with the weakness to Stealth Rock makes it hard to switch in at times. Araquanid is also really slow, which gives it competition from faster offensive Water-types like Bruxish and Feraligatr. Finally, it has an extremely shallow movepool, meaning it has very few options in terms of viable sets. why should you use it over the competition?

[SET]
name: Bulky Attacker
move 1: Liquidation
move 2: Leech Life
move 3: Protect / Crunch
move 4: Toxic
item: Leftovers / Choice Band
ability: Water Bubble
nature: Adamant
evs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Liquidation is boosted by Water Bubble and becomes a 170-Base Power move, making it extremely spammable. Leech Life is boosted by STAB and recovers HP, making it somewhat reliable recovery depending on the foe you attack. However, keep in mind that a neutral Leech Life does less than a resisted Liquidation, so only use Leech Life against Grass-Types and anything immune to Water-type attacks. Protect is run to get more Leftovers recovery and to scout for your opponent's moves. Crunch can be run instead to hit Jellicent and Dhelmise better. Toxic allows you Araquanid to cripple defensive threats like Mantine and Seismitoad, who which otherwise wall this set. It also is the best way to beat Jellicent if you are running Protect.

Set Details
========

Leftovers is run to maximize Araquanid's longevity. The EVs maximize Araquanid's bulk and offensive capability. Another option is 184 HP / 252 Atk / 72 Spe to outspeed base 50 Speed Pokemon. Choice Band is another option to take down certain threats that are neutral to Liquidation, like Durant and Heracross. 68 HP / 252 Atk / 188 Spe EVs can be run with Choice Band to outspeed and 2HKO Umbreon with Liquidation. Keep in mind that Protect is only useful when running Leftovers, as it gives more Leftovers recovery. Likewise, Crunch is best for when you run Choice Band, as locking into Protect is pretty silly.

Usage Tips
========

If Liquidation does neutral damage, click it. It's about as powerful as certain Z-moves and can be used multiple times. If something that does resist Water is on the opposing team, click Toxic. You'll catch opposing switch-ins that are trying to check Araquanid off guard, especially defensive ones. Make sure that hazards are off the field, as they can really hamper Araquanid's longevity, especially if you don't run Leftovers. You should also try to keep Araquanid off the field if the sun is up, as sun reduces the power of Liquidation. Araquanid is best switched in when it can do neutral damage to everything left on the opposing team. This is because thanks to Water Bubble, almost all neutral hits will 2HKO.

Team Options
========

Trick Room setters, like Porygon2, Bronzong, and Reuniclus, (AC) give Araquanid a chance to sweep, given its horrible speed. Porygon2 in particular is extremely hard to stop from setting Trick Room since it is so bulky with Eviolite. Bronzong has the best defensive typing out of the three and also sets up Stealth Rock on the other side of the field. Reuniclus can hold its own in Trick Room and can do more than just support Araquanid, so even if Araquanid's goes down, Reuniclus is still pretty useful in Trick Room.
Rearrange this. Hazard removers should be first, and the above paragraph about trick room should be after the rest of everything
Hazard removers make sure Araquanid doesn't have to deal with Stealth Rock. Gligar is your best option, as it is extremely bulky with Eviolite and can remove hazards with Defog. Gligar pairs really well with Araquanid, as Araquanid resists Gligar's two weaknesses. It is also immune to Electric-type moves, allowing you to predict one and switch into pivot to Gligar straight from Araquanid with ease. Gligar also pairs really well with Araquanid, as it resists Gligar's two weaknesses. Donphan is an alternative if you run Spikes on your team, as Earthquake deals with Electric- and Rock-types and it can run Stone Edge to deal with Flying-types, all of which threaten Araquanid. Espeon is another option, as it can bounce back hazards if it switches in while they're being set.
space here
Electric- and Grass-types like Galvantula, Dhelmise, or Roserade are crucial to Araquanid's success, as they handle Mantine and Seismitoad respectively. Galvantula is a special case, as it can handle both Mantine and Seismitoad so long as it carries Energy Ball. Dhelmise provides some nice role compression, as it gets Rapid Spin, helping with the hazards Araquanid hates. Roserade gets a special mention here too, as it can put things to sleep with Sleep Powder, use Hidden Power Fire and thus can deal with bulky Steel-types, and also run a defensive set thats sets Spikes. Be sure not to run Don't run Gligar if you set Spikes up, at least not at the same time with Spikes Roserade, as running two Pokemon with Spikes is pretty redundant.

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

A RestTalk could be run to maximize longevity and handle Roserade, but Araquanid's horrible Speed means it will likely be KOed before it could Rest to heal up when it would help the most. Scald could be run in place of Protect to cripple physical threats if you burn them, but Mantine is much better in this role, as it is bulkier and has more reliable recovery. Assault Vest with Mirror Coat seems attractive, as Assault Vest maximizes Araquanid's Special Defense and deals with special attackers like Hoopa, but Assault Vest hinders the physical power compared to Choice Band of Araquanid and leaves you Araquanid open to being forced out by bulky Water-types like Mantine, since you Araquanid can't run Toxic to cripple them. For a defensive item, you are much better off running Leftovers. It gives you Araquanid passive recovery and the option to use Protect to maximize recovery, and allows you Araquanid to cripple defensive walls with Toxic. Splash Plate is another choice for an item that boosts your Araquanid's best move while letting you it switch moves. However, it is only helpful in beating defensive Umbreon, so it is usually inferior to Choice Band in terms of offensive items. Infestation could be run in place of Protect or Crunch to lure and kill KO Water-types, but it isn't usually worth the moveslot as it completely backfires if the opponent stays in.

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

**Bulky Water-types**: Bulky Water-types give Araquanid a lot of trouble defensively, as Araquanid does not have a good enough Special Attack stat to reliably run Hidden Power. Seismitoad, Mantine, and Jellicent give Araquanid an especially hard time, as they are immune to Liquidation. They also can easily either PP stall it out or KO it eventually, as the other attacking moves Araquanid runs can't really do much barring Crunch on Jellicent. Seismitoad may be neutral to Leech Life, but it doesn't do anything tangible to Seismitoad. Mantine is arguably the best defensive counter of these three as it resists Leech Life, is immune to Liquidation, and also has reliable recovery. Jellicent also resists Leech Life but is weak to Crunch, so it isn't as good as Mantine. Slowbro is another bulky Water-type to choose from, but it is not immune to Liquidation and is weak to the other two offensive moves Araquanid runs. However, one thing to note is that all of these Pokemon are threatened by Toxic.

**Residual Damage**: Araquanid is weak to Stealth Rock, hurting its longevity and reducing the amount of times it can switch in. Setters include Bronzong, Registeel, and Seismitoad. Toxic puts a timer on Araquanid, limiting its sweeping potential. Prominent users include Registeel, Bronzong and Pyukumuku. Pyukumuku is tough in particular as it resists Liquidation, Araquanid's best move.

**Strong Physical Attackers**: Araquanid usually does not have the chance to invest in Defense and has no boosting moves to raise it, leaving it vulnerable to powerful physical attackers. Examples include Heracross, Bruxish, and Durant. Guts Heracross outspeeds and 2HKOes with Facade while Araquanid has about a 6% chance to OHKO with Liquidation without Choice Band. Bruxish outspeeds and OHKOes at +2 with Psychic Fangs, but is vulnerable to Leech Life while setting up. Durant outspeeds and has about a one in three chance of OHKOing Araquanid with Rock Slide, and Durant lives a Liquidation if Araquanid is running Leftovers.

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Last edited:

phantom

Banned deucer.
there were several things off with the analysis:

-dragalge and escavalier being cited as competition in the overview
-araquanid being touted as a bulky water check (it isn't)
-the main set having questionable options like leftovers/protect/crunch
-not having any speed evs on the main set

i think this may have been qced prematurely since i rewrote a good chunk of the analysis upon looking it over

anyway, uploaded
 

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