BSS Avalugg [QC 1/1][GP 1/1]

[Photon]

[SET]
Name: Sturdy Support
move 1: Iron Defense
move 2: Body Press
move 3: Recover
move 4: Icicle Crash / Avalanche
item: Heavy-Duty Boots / Rocky Helmet
tera type: Fighting
ability: Sturdy
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

* With incredible Defense and the ability Sturdy, Avalugg finds a niche on stall-based teams as a physical wall that prevents fishing for OHKOs.

* **Icicle Crash versus Avalanche**: While Avalanche has bigger damage potential when Avalugg is attacked head on, its defensive profile normally forces switches. This makes Icicle Crash the more consistent option for overall damage.

* **Toxic Support Partners**: Even though Avalugg stops foes such as Dondozo from using Fissure, it lacks the power to cleanly beat these targets on its own. Common stall teammates such as Toxapex and Clodsire can bring Toxic or Toxic Spikes to spread status, allowing Avalugg to simply stall while poison wears down the opposition.

* **EV Spread**: Full investment into HP and Defense give Avalugg insane physical bulk. Even Choice Band Chien-Pao’s Sacred Sword isn’t a reliable 2HKO!

Other Options
========

* **Mirror Coat**: Combined with Sturdy, Mirror Coat is a tempting last resort against the special attackers that Avalugg can’t wall. However, this almost assuredly destroys Avalugg’s survivability afterwards, which can compromise the defensive cycle of its team.

Tera Types
========

* **Tera Dependency - Situational**: Most commonly a member of stall-based teams, Avalugg’s bad matchups are supposed to be covered by the team’s defensive cycle. Tera is normally only used if it is necessary to prevent the collapse of said defensive cycle.

* **Fighting**: Tera Fighting balances offense and defense, making dealing with physical Fighting- and Rock-type attacks much more manageable and giving a sizable boost to Avalugg’s best attack in Body Press.

* **Ghost**: Tera Ghost lets Avalugg escape from precarious situations against trapping moves and Gothitelle. It also outright walls Close Combat from the likes of Iron Hands and Iron Valiant, although the new Dark-type weakness significantly worsens its matchup with Chien-Pao.

* **Poison**: Tera Poison is another option for weakening Fighting-type moves directed at Avalugg while also blocking Toxic and allowing for Toxic Spikes absorption later in the match.

Items
========

* **Heavy-Duty Boots**: Since Avalugg can expect to do a lot of switching, removing its vulnerability to Stealth Rock damage is extremely important for its longevity and preservation of Sturdy.

* **Rocky Helmet**: Avalugg can punish many physical attackers it switches into with Rocky Helmet chip, slowly wearing them down without having to be offensively involved.

[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/photon.516307/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/thick-fat-azumarill.330577/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/dawn-of-ares.467437/

 

[Thick Fat Azumarill]

Looks good to me, QC Approved!

 

[Thick Fat Azumarill]

Oh right, tagging GP Team

 

[Dawn of Ares]

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SET]
Name: OHKO Blocker
move 1: Iron Defense
move 2: Body Press
move 3: Recover
move 4: Icicle Crash / Avalanche
item: Heavy-Duty Boots / Rocky Helmet
tera type: Fighting
ability: Sturdy
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

* With incredible physical defenses Defense and the ability Sturdy, Avalugg finds a niche on stall-based teams as a physical wall that prevents fishing for OHKO'sOHKOs.

* **Icicle Crash versus Avalanche**: While Avalanche has bigger damage potential when Avalugg is attacked head on, Avalugg’s its defensive profile normally forces switches. This makes Icicle Crash the more consistent option for overall damage.

* **Toxic Support Partners**: Even though Avalugg stops foes such as Dondozo from using Fissure, it lacks the power to cleanly beat these targets on its own. Common stall teammates such as Toxapex and Clodsire can bring Toxic or Toxic Spikes to spread status, allowing Avalugg to simply stall while poison wears down the opposition.

* **EV Spread**: Full investment into HP and Defense give Avalugg insane physical bulk. Even Choice Band Chien-Pao’s Sacred Sword isn’t a reliable 2HKO!

Other Options
========

* **Mirror Coat**: Combined with Sturdy, Mirror Coat is a tempting hail-marylast resort against the special attackers that Avalugg can’t wall. However, this almost assuredly destroys Avalugg’s survivability afterwards, which can compromise the defensive cycle of its team.

Tera Types
========

* **Tera Dependency - Situational**: Most commonly a member of stall-based teams, Avalugg’s bad matchups are supposed to be covered by the team’s defensive cycle. Tera is normally only used if it is necessary to prevent the collapse of said defensive cycle.

* **Fighting**: Tera Fighting balances offense and defense, (add comma) . It makes making dealing with physical Fighting- and Rock-type attacks much more manageable, (remove comma) and gives giving a sizable boost to Avalugg’s best attack in Body Press.

* **Ghost**: Tera Ghost let's lets Avalugg escape from precarious situations against trapping moves and Gothitelle. It also outright walls Close Combat from the likes of Iron Hands and Iron Valiant, although the new Dark-type weakness significantly worsens its matchup with Chien-Pao.

* **Poison**: Tera Poison is another option for weakening Fighting-type moves directed at Avalugg, (remove comma) while also blocking Toxic and allowing for Toxic Spikes absorption later in the match.

Items
========

* **Heavy-Duty Boots**: Since Avalugg can expect to do a lot of switching, removing its vulnerability to Stealth Rock damage is extremely important for its longevity and preservation of Sturdy.

* **Rocky Helmet**: Avalugg can punish many physical attackers it switches into with Rocky Helmet chip, slowly wearing them down without having to be offensively involved.

gp 1/1
GP Team done

 

[Omastar68]

Is there any point to Curse over ID? I feel like Garganacl has done that, even w/ Body Press. Cause the regular attack gets and equal buff, at the cost of half the bonus to the BP move. It can go w/ ghost tera, Sturdy ghost Curse means you'll often get off a curse when you need...that's probably the only thing to add if it's ok. I wonder about Stone Edge to hit the future and present moths, since they resist Ice/Fighting.

 

[Photon]

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SET]
Name: OHKO Blocker
move 1: Iron Defense
move 2: Body Press
move 3: Recover
move 4: Icicle Crash / Avalanche
item: Heavy-Duty Boots / Rocky Helmet
tera type: Fighting
ability: Sturdy
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

* With incredible physical defenses Defense and the ability Sturdy, Avalugg finds a niche on stall-based teams as a physical wall that prevents fishing for OHKO'sOHKOs.

* **Icicle Crash versus Avalanche**: While Avalanche has bigger damage potential when Avalugg is attacked head on, Avalugg’s its defensive profile normally forces switches. This makes Icicle Crash the more consistent option for overall damage.

* **Toxic Support Partners**: Even though Avalugg stops foes such as Dondozo from using Fissure, it lacks the power to cleanly beat these targets on its own. Common stall teammates such as Toxapex and Clodsire can bring Toxic or Toxic Spikes to spread status, allowing Avalugg to simply stall while poison wears down the opposition.

* **EV Spread**: Full investment into HP and Defense give Avalugg insane physical bulk. Even Choice Band Chien-Pao’s Sacred Sword isn’t a reliable 2HKO!

Other Options
========

* **Mirror Coat**: Combined with Sturdy, Mirror Coat is a tempting hail-marylast resort against the special attackers that Avalugg can’t wall. However, this almost assuredly destroys Avalugg’s survivability afterwards, which can compromise the defensive cycle of its team.

Tera Types
========

* **Tera Dependency - Situational**: Most commonly a member of stall-based teams, Avalugg’s bad matchups are supposed to be covered by the team’s defensive cycle. Tera is normally only used if it is necessary to prevent the collapse of said defensive cycle.

* **Fighting**: Tera Fighting balances offense and defense, (add comma) . It makes making dealing with physical Fighting- and Rock-type attacks much more manageable, (remove comma) and gives giving a sizable boost to Avalugg’s best attack in Body Press.

* **Ghost**: Tera Ghost let's lets Avalugg escape from precarious situations against trapping moves and Gothitelle. It also outright walls Close Combat from the likes of Iron Hands and Iron Valiant, although the new Dark-type weakness significantly worsens its matchup with Chien-Pao.

* **Poison**: Tera Poison is another option for weakening Fighting-type moves directed at Avalugg, (remove comma) while also blocking Toxic and allowing for Toxic Spikes absorption later in the match.

Items
========

* **Heavy-Duty Boots**: Since Avalugg can expect to do a lot of switching, removing its vulnerability to Stealth Rock damage is extremely important for its longevity and preservation of Sturdy.

* **Rocky Helmet**: Avalugg can punish many physical attackers it switches into with Rocky Helmet chip, slowly wearing them down without having to be offensively involved.

gp 1/1
GP Team done
View attachment 515639

Implemented. Thank you!

I also changed the name of the set from "OHKO Blocker" to "Sturdy Support" to more specifically reference Avalugg's main tool and to be more consistent with other set names on site (ie Blissey as "Calm Mind Support".) Feel free to change it back if you prefer the other name.

Is there any point to Curse over ID? I feel like Garganacl has done that, even w/ Body Press. Cause the regular attack gets and equal buff, at the cost of half the bonus to the BP move. It can go w/ ghost tera, Sturdy ghost Curse means you'll often get off a curse when you need...that's probably the only thing to add if it's ok. I wonder about Stone Edge to hit the future and present moths, since they resist Ice/Fighting.

While Curse has been very rarely seen (7.3% usage according to HOME,) it is generally inferior whenever going for an IronPress strategy. Ghost Curse also has the same problem as Mirror Coat in that it requires Avalugg to sacrifice its durability, except that the latter tends to be far more powerful and doesn't require Tera to pull off. Its important to remember that Avalugg is primarily a stall-based Pokemon, which means survivability is prioritized above all. If a hyper offense team gets to remove Avalugg in exchange for a turn or two of Curse damage, usually that is a trade overwhelmingly in favor of the opponent.

As for Volcarona and Iron Moth, Avalugg should have teammates like Calm Mind Blissey for that. You could maybe make an argument for Earthquake into Iron Moth as a way to remove the opponent's Toxic Spikes absorber (a big win for stall teams,) but it requires prediction. As it stands, sacrificing Icicle Crash / Avalanche for that one matchup is an extremely hard sell.