Indigo Plateau
UU Leader
[SET]
name: Paper Cut (Swords Dance)
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Leaf Blade
move 3: Sacred Sword
move 4: Giga Impact
item: Normalium Z
ability: Beast Boost
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Leaf Blade is the preferred STAB attack and allows Kartana to break through Pokemon like Rotom-W, Toxapex, and Garchomp without wasting its Z-Move. Sacred Sword provides valuable coverage against Steel-type Pokemon such as Heatran and Ferrothorn, which would otherwise wall this set. Giga Impact allows Kartana to break past some of its most common checks in Tornadus-T, Zapdos, Tangrowth, and Volcarona when used with Normalium Z. Depending on the team's needs, Knock Off or Smart Strike should be run over Giga Impact if you're using Grassium Z. Smart Strike hits Fairy-types like Clefable and Magearna hard without having to utilize Kartana's Z-Move, while Knock Off can remove items from checks like Zapdos to make breaking through them easier.
Set Details
========
A Jolly nature is used over Adamant to outspeed all Pokemon with a base 108 Speed or lower, such as Garchomp, Tapu Lele, and Mega Medicham. Grassium Z should generally only be used alongside Tapu Bulu, as Grassy Terrain turns Bloom Doom into a nuke that's just as powerful as Breakneck Blitz against Grass-resistant Pokemon like Zapdos and Tornadus-T.
Usage Tips
========
Be cautious about wasting Kartana's Z-Move, as without it, Kartana cannot break through its typical checks and is easily walled by Tornadus-T and Zapdos. Kartana's offensive prowess usually gives it at least one opportunity to set up on a foe that it threatens out during a match; thus, try to set up a Swords Dance against Pokemon that it can beat, such as Rotom-W, Ferrothorn, and Gliscor. Bulkier teams tend to have Pokemon faster than Kartana, such as Mega Latias and Mega Alakazam, that can easily revenge kill it. If your ultimate goal is to sweep, make it your primary task to eliminate these faster Pokemon before setting up; with these threats gone, Kartana can easily punch holes in these teams and pave the way for other teammates to sweep. Offensive teams tend to struggle switching into Kartana with the exception of glue Pokemon like Tornadus-T, but they can easily revenge kill it with faster Pokemon like Mega Alakazam, Greninja, and Tapu Koko, so try to weaken the opposing team as much as possible to allow a teammate to sweep easier late-game. It is important to note that even without a Swords Dance Attack boost, Kartana can OHKO Tornadus-T if it tries to pivot into Kartana to scout for a Choice set. Use this to your advantage, as removing Tornadus-T from opposing teams can open up a big hole for Kartana to do some serious damage.
Team Options
========
Pursuit from Tyranitar is extremely useful for Kartana because it eliminates this set's biggest revenge killers on bulky offense and balance builds: Mega Latias, Mega Latios, Mega Alakazam, and Tornadus-T. Offensive Pokemon that can simultaneously pressure Kartana's checks like Tangrowth and Zapdos, such as Ash-Greninja, Mega Lopunny, and Mega Alakazam, make for good partners. These Pokemon also have an easier time sweeping late-game after Kartana has weakened the opposing team. Pokemon like Heatran, Volcarona, and Magnezone can not only handle Celesteela and Mega Scizor, two of Kartana's best counters, but also draw in Pokemon that Kartana can potentially set up on such as Rotom-W, Toxapex, and Gliscor. Kartana is very frail and outsped by faster offensive Pokemon like Ash-Greninja, Mega Alakazam, and Tornadus-T, so having a Pokemon in the back to check these Pokemon is key; some good examples include Assault Vest Magearna and Tapu Koko. Volt Switch and U-turn users such as Rotom-W, Landorus-T, and Assault Vest Magearna can bring Kartana into play safely without it having to risk taking big hits due to its poor bulk. Tapu Bulu is an extremely beneficial partner when Kartana is using Grassium Z because Grassy Terrain turns Bloom Doom into an insanely powerful nuke, OHKOing bulky Pokemon that resist it like defensive Zapdos and Magearna at +2; Tapu Bulu can also help check Mega Alakazam and Ash-Greninja for Kartana.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Indigo Plateau, 216712]]
- Quality checked by: [[Jordy, 395754], [Leo, 328915], [Lyd, 303291]]
- Grammar checked by: [[NixHex, 40064], [The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216]]
name: Paper Cut (Swords Dance)
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Leaf Blade
move 3: Sacred Sword
move 4: Giga Impact
item: Normalium Z
ability: Beast Boost
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Leaf Blade is the preferred STAB attack and allows Kartana to break through Pokemon like Rotom-W, Toxapex, and Garchomp without wasting its Z-Move. Sacred Sword provides valuable coverage against Steel-type Pokemon such as Heatran and Ferrothorn, which would otherwise wall this set. Giga Impact allows Kartana to break past some of its most common checks in Tornadus-T, Zapdos, Tangrowth, and Volcarona when used with Normalium Z. Depending on the team's needs, Knock Off or Smart Strike should be run over Giga Impact if you're using Grassium Z. Smart Strike hits Fairy-types like Clefable and Magearna hard without having to utilize Kartana's Z-Move, while Knock Off can remove items from checks like Zapdos to make breaking through them easier.
Set Details
========
A Jolly nature is used over Adamant to outspeed all Pokemon with a base 108 Speed or lower, such as Garchomp, Tapu Lele, and Mega Medicham. Grassium Z should generally only be used alongside Tapu Bulu, as Grassy Terrain turns Bloom Doom into a nuke that's just as powerful as Breakneck Blitz against Grass-resistant Pokemon like Zapdos and Tornadus-T.
Usage Tips
========
Be cautious about wasting Kartana's Z-Move, as without it, Kartana cannot break through its typical checks and is easily walled by Tornadus-T and Zapdos. Kartana's offensive prowess usually gives it at least one opportunity to set up on a foe that it threatens out during a match; thus, try to set up a Swords Dance against Pokemon that it can beat, such as Rotom-W, Ferrothorn, and Gliscor. Bulkier teams tend to have Pokemon faster than Kartana, such as Mega Latias and Mega Alakazam, that can easily revenge kill it. If your ultimate goal is to sweep, make it your primary task to eliminate these faster Pokemon before setting up; with these threats gone, Kartana can easily punch holes in these teams and pave the way for other teammates to sweep. Offensive teams tend to struggle switching into Kartana with the exception of glue Pokemon like Tornadus-T, but they can easily revenge kill it with faster Pokemon like Mega Alakazam, Greninja, and Tapu Koko, so try to weaken the opposing team as much as possible to allow a teammate to sweep easier late-game. It is important to note that even without a Swords Dance Attack boost, Kartana can OHKO Tornadus-T if it tries to pivot into Kartana to scout for a Choice set. Use this to your advantage, as removing Tornadus-T from opposing teams can open up a big hole for Kartana to do some serious damage.
Team Options
========
Pursuit from Tyranitar is extremely useful for Kartana because it eliminates this set's biggest revenge killers on bulky offense and balance builds: Mega Latias, Mega Latios, Mega Alakazam, and Tornadus-T. Offensive Pokemon that can simultaneously pressure Kartana's checks like Tangrowth and Zapdos, such as Ash-Greninja, Mega Lopunny, and Mega Alakazam, make for good partners. These Pokemon also have an easier time sweeping late-game after Kartana has weakened the opposing team. Pokemon like Heatran, Volcarona, and Magnezone can not only handle Celesteela and Mega Scizor, two of Kartana's best counters, but also draw in Pokemon that Kartana can potentially set up on such as Rotom-W, Toxapex, and Gliscor. Kartana is very frail and outsped by faster offensive Pokemon like Ash-Greninja, Mega Alakazam, and Tornadus-T, so having a Pokemon in the back to check these Pokemon is key; some good examples include Assault Vest Magearna and Tapu Koko. Volt Switch and U-turn users such as Rotom-W, Landorus-T, and Assault Vest Magearna can bring Kartana into play safely without it having to risk taking big hits due to its poor bulk. Tapu Bulu is an extremely beneficial partner when Kartana is using Grassium Z because Grassy Terrain turns Bloom Doom into an insanely powerful nuke, OHKOing bulky Pokemon that resist it like defensive Zapdos and Magearna at +2; Tapu Bulu can also help check Mega Alakazam and Ash-Greninja for Kartana.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Indigo Plateau, 216712]]
- Quality checked by: [[Jordy, 395754], [Leo, 328915], [Lyd, 303291]]
- Grammar checked by: [[NixHex, 40064], [The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216]]
Last edited: