Gastrodon [QC: 1/2]

Status
Not open for further replies.
[OVERVIEW]

* Gastrodon's main niche is its Storm Drain ability, which allows it to shield itself and allies from Water-type moves.
* The above grants it a great rain matchup in addition to its great Trick Room matchup thanks to its low Speed.
* Good bulk and access to Recover provides teams with an excellent solution to end-game where it stalls out foes.
* While only having one weakness is great defensively, being weak to Kartana isn't ideal given how common it is.
* No good Ground-type STAB move is unfortunate in a metagame where Ground-type attackers are highly favored.
* Lots of rival Water-types. Araquanid puts on more offense in Trick Room, and Tapu Fini or Gyarados more outside.

[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Scald
move 2: Toxic
move 3: Recover / Ice Beam / Clear Smog / Sludge Bomb
move 4: Protect / Recover
item: Sitrus Berry / Aguav Berry
ability: Storm Drain
nature: Sassy
evs: 204 HP / 116 Def / 188 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe

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

* Scald's consistency and burn chance often make it a better Water-type STAB move than Muddy Water and Surf.
* Toxic helps Gastrodon close out games against bulkier foes such as Porygon2, Snorlax, and Mandibuzz with poison.
* Recover has synergy with Toxic and allows Gastrodon to stay on the field longer to protect allies with Storm Drain.
* Ice Beam targets Grass- and Dragon-types that resist Scald; great in particular against Garchomp and Salamence.
* Clear Smog grants Poison coverage and helps against setup users such as Snorlax should you struggle against them.
* Sludge Bomb is a harder-hitting option that has a Poison chance if Grass- and Fairy-types are more threatening.
* Protect stalls for Toxic, scouts Grass moves, and prevents double targets; a common way to remove Gastrodon.

Set Details
========

* Storm Drain is Gastrodon's only viable ability; providing protection for Water attacks and boosting Special Attack.
* The EVs and nature live Jolly Garchomp's Tectonic Rage and make Tapu Lele's Psychic a 3HKO with Sitrus Berry.
* Aguav Berry can be used if a teammate has taken Sitrus Berry, but you miss out on 3HKOs such as the one above.
* A Relaxed nature with EVs of 212 HP / 228 Def / 68 SpD can be used instead to improve your Garchomp matchup.
* These survive Garchomp's Tectonic Rage + Earthquake with Sitrus Berry and Tapu Lele's Life Orb-boosted Psychic.
* 0 Speed IVs and a negative Speed nature help Gastrodon function either on or as a counter to Trick Room teams.
* 31 Spe IVs and a Calm or Bold nature can instead be used to outpace Trick Room Pokemon outside of Trick Room.

Usage Tips
========

* Avoid leading Gastrodon and instead switch it in during the mid-late game when anticipating a Water-type attack.
* Lure Water-type attacks by bringing out teammates that are weak to them early on, killing the foe's momentum.
* During the mid-game, expect to switch out a lot, as Gastrodon's 4x weakness means it's threatened out easily.
* Make heathy use of Protect to scout tech Grass moves such as Grass Knot Tapu Koko and Giga Drain Celesteela.
* Plan matches around KOing Grass-type attackers such as Kartana so that Gastrodon can clean up at end-game.
* It's tempting to Toxic everything, but only use it on bulky foes, as Scald's immediate damage is often more useful.

Team Options
========

* As Gastrodon's only weakness is a 4x weakness to Grass, fielding teammates that can counter them is essential.
* Fire-types such as Arcanine and Incineroar are obvious choices for this, and beat Celesteela and Alolan Ninetales.
* Flying-types such as Celesteela and Talonflame also check Grass-types, and enjoy Gastrodon's Electric immunity.
* Celesteela, along with Kartana, as Steel-types, also beat Fairy-types, and enjoy Gastrodon beating Fire-types.
* Poison-types such as Alolan Muk and Gengar beat Grass- and Fairy-types and like protection from Ground-types.
* Snorlax, like Alolan Muk, also appreciates defense from Scald, as burn would put a stop to their setup and sweep.
* Tapu Koko, Tapu Lele, and Tapu Bulu are valuable partners to remove Misty Terrain, which prevents status.
* Gigalith's Sand Stream removes sun, which weakens Scald, and helps Gastrodon stall out foes with chip damage.
* Trick Room setters such as Porygon2 can be valuable to take advantage of Gastrodon's ordinarily low Speed.

[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Scald
move 2: Ice Beam / Sludge Bomb
move 3: Recover / Sludge Bomb
move 4: Protect
item: Sitrus Berry
ability: Storm Drain
nature: Quiet
evs: 204 HP / 116 Def / 140 SpA / 44 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe

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

* Scald is Gastrodon's strongest single-target STAB move and the burn it often inflicts can deal bonus damage.
* Ice Beam hits Grass- and Dragon-types such as Garchomp and Salamence which resist Scald super effectively.
* Recover allows Gastrodon to continue putting on pressure and shielding allies with Storm Drain after injury.
* Sludge Bomb can be used over either Ice Beam or Recover to hit Tapu Bulu and other Grass- and Fairy-types.
* Protect allows Gastrodon to shield itself while its partner KOs a threat or switches to a more appropriate ally.

Set Details
========

* Sitrus Berry is often the most valuable item, as it complements Gastrodon's natural bulk by extending its longevity.
* Storm Drain grants valuable support in redirecting Water-type moves away from allies and boosting Special Attack.
* EVs allow survival against Jolly Garchomp's Z-Earthquake and, with the nature, allows Ice Beam to return OHKO it.
* If you're aiming for maximum offensive investment, you can reallocate the Special Defense EVs into Special Attack.
* 0 Speed IVs and a negative Speed nature allows Gastrodon to function as a better check to Trick Room teams.
* Alternatively, a Modest nature and 31 Speed IVs can outpace Trick Room Pokemon outside their field condition.

Usage Tips
========

* Is preferably brought out in the midgame after Grass-types are off the field to provide offensive support to allies.
* Ideally Storm Drain covers against Water-types such as Gyarados and Pelipper, by which Gastrodon gets boosts.
* Bringing out Water weak teammates early to bait such Pokemon can be an effective means to ensure this occurs.
* However, this isn't neccesary; the offensive nature and coverage of this set mean it should rarely get benched.
* Bar the need to survive specific attacks, switching Gastrodon directly into attacks is often fine due to Recover.
* Where possible, play safe by scouting for Grass moves such as Grass Knot Tapu Koko and Giga Drain Celesteela.

Team Options
========

* Utilising checks to Gastrodon's only weakness in Grass is vital in order for it remain a threat to the opponent.
* Fire-types such as Arcanine and Incineroar check them effectively, as with Celesteela and Alolan Ninetales.
* Flying-types such as Celesteela and Talonflame hit Grass-types hard and appreciate Gastrodon's Electric immunity.
* Celesteela joins Steel-types like Kartana in threatening Fairy-types, and like Gastrodon dealing with Fire-types.
* Poison-types like Alolan Muk equally deal with Fairy-types, and Gastrodon can threaten Ground-types in return.
* Setup users like Alolan Muk and Snorlax are also protected from Scald's burn, unimpeding their late-game sweep.
* Tapu Koko, Tapu Lele, and Tapu Bulu can prove useful for overriding Misty Terrain, which notably prevents status.
* Sand Stream Gigalith removes sun, which would otherwise weaken Scald and enable a possibly lethal Solar Beam.
* Trick Room setters such as Porygon2 can turn Gastrodon's low Speed into an advantage by reversing turn order.

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

* Earthquake and Mud Bomb could be used with Groundium Z to prove a single strong Ground-type attack.
* Muddy Water deals more total damage than Scald on the Offensive set, but deals less damage to a single target.
* Infestation works well with Toxic to prevent the foe from switching and to increase the chip damage per turn.
* Fissure can be used over Toxic, as its ability to outright OHKO provides a solution to defensive foes at end-game.
* Stockpile improves Gastrodon's defensive ability, and combining it with Normalium Z negates the need for Recover.
* Maranga Berry has synergy with Recover, but Gastrodon's tendency to switch out means it would lose the boost.
* Leftovers heals more than Sitrus Berry past at least four turns, but doesn't help against double targets or 3HKOs.

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

**Grass-types**: Grass-types such as Kartana and Lilligant eliminate Gastrodon easily. Tapu Bulu can as well, but must be wary of Sludge Bomb. Rage Powder Parasect's Dry Skin means it can redirect and be healed by Scald. Grass Knot Tapu Koko and Giga Drain or Seed Bomb Celesteela, while ordinarily harmless, can also surprise Gastrodon.

**Fairy-types**: While Fairy-types have no type advantage over Gastrodon, many common Fairy-types in the metagame handle Gastrodon well. Tapu Lele's Psychic does massive damage, as does Alolan Ninetales' Freeze-Dry. Tapu Fini can also block status from Scald and Toxic with Misty Terrain and sets up Calm Mind freely on Gastrodon.
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 1, Guests: 1)

Top