[SET]
Rain Sweeper (Barraskewda) @ Choice Band
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Tera Type: Water
Adamant Nature
- Liquidation
- Flip Turn
- Aqua Jet
- Close Combat
[SET COMMENTS]
Leveraging high Attack and Swift Swim to outspeed the entire unboosted metagame (and most of the boosted metagame), Barraskewda is one of OU's most terrifying wallbreakers. Choice Band Liquidation in rain tears through almost everything, OHKOing Galarian Slowking, Garganacl, and physically defensive Great Tusk. Flip Turn allows Barraskewda to quickly switch out against threatening Pokemon like Dragapult and bring in teammates that can better handle them or get valuable chip damage on foes it can't OHKO, while Aqua Jet gives it the opportunity to act as a revenge killer even without rain to boost its Speed or potentially beat Kingambit with faster priority. Close Combat threatens to OHKO a number of Water-resistant foes, like Roaring Moon, Kyurem, and Hisuian Samurott, and hits Ogerpon-W. Tera Water is often used to further augment Barraskewda's already strong offensive presence, it and rain letting Barraskewda OHKO Hatterene, Dragapult, and Latias with Liquidation and Gliscor, Ting-Lu, and offensive Landorus-T and offensive Gholdengo variants with Flip Turn.
Because Barraskewda should only be used on rain teams, it must be paired with Pelipper, where it takes advantage of both the rain Pelipper sets and Pelipper's ability to safely pivot it in with U-turn. Due to its below-average defensive stats, Barraskewda is susceptible to being revenge killed by Rillaboom and Raging Bolt, so defensive teammates like Iron Treads are needed to switch into these Pokemon. Barraskewda also struggles against bulky Water-types like Dondozo, Ogerpon-W, and Tera Water Garganacl, as well as being completely walled by Water Absorb Clodsire; it partners well with Raging Bolt, Rillaboom, and Ogerpon-W, which can remove them, though Barraskewda does beat Clodsire if it's running an Unaware set. Barraskewda appreciates entry hazard removal and setting from Iron Treads, the former allowing it to not get worn down through repeated pivots, as it lacks recovery, as well as helping keep Pelipper healthy for sustained rain setting, and the latter allowing it to OHKO physically defensive Corviknight and Skarmory with Tera Water Liquidation in rain after Stealth Rock damage. Kingambit pairs well with Barraskewda, since it can easily revenge kill Pokemon that Barraskewda has already significantly weakened.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/theia.439018/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/veti.612907/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/autumn.384270/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sunny004.197240/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/solarbeam.470115/
Rain Sweeper (Barraskewda) @ Choice Band
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Tera Type: Water
Adamant Nature
- Liquidation
- Flip Turn
- Aqua Jet
- Close Combat
[SET COMMENTS]
Leveraging high Attack and Swift Swim to outspeed the entire unboosted metagame (and most of the boosted metagame), Barraskewda is one of OU's most terrifying wallbreakers. Choice Band Liquidation in rain tears through almost everything, OHKOing Galarian Slowking, Garganacl, and physically defensive Great Tusk. Flip Turn allows Barraskewda to quickly switch out against threatening Pokemon like Dragapult and bring in teammates that can better handle them or get valuable chip damage on foes it can't OHKO, while Aqua Jet gives it the opportunity to act as a revenge killer even without rain to boost its Speed or potentially beat Kingambit with faster priority. Close Combat threatens to OHKO a number of Water-resistant foes, like Roaring Moon, Kyurem, and Hisuian Samurott, and hits Ogerpon-W. Tera Water is often used to further augment Barraskewda's already strong offensive presence, it and rain letting Barraskewda OHKO Hatterene, Dragapult, and Latias with Liquidation and Gliscor, Ting-Lu, and offensive Landorus-T and offensive Gholdengo variants with Flip Turn.
Because Barraskewda should only be used on rain teams, it must be paired with Pelipper, where it takes advantage of both the rain Pelipper sets and Pelipper's ability to safely pivot it in with U-turn. Due to its below-average defensive stats, Barraskewda is susceptible to being revenge killed by Rillaboom and Raging Bolt, so defensive teammates like Iron Treads are needed to switch into these Pokemon. Barraskewda also struggles against bulky Water-types like Dondozo, Ogerpon-W, and Tera Water Garganacl, as well as being completely walled by Water Absorb Clodsire; it partners well with Raging Bolt, Rillaboom, and Ogerpon-W, which can remove them, though Barraskewda does beat Clodsire if it's running an Unaware set. Barraskewda appreciates entry hazard removal and setting from Iron Treads, the former allowing it to not get worn down through repeated pivots, as it lacks recovery, as well as helping keep Pelipper healthy for sustained rain setting, and the latter allowing it to OHKO physically defensive Corviknight and Skarmory with Tera Water Liquidation in rain after Stealth Rock damage. Kingambit pairs well with Barraskewda, since it can easily revenge kill Pokemon that Barraskewda has already significantly weakened.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/theia.439018/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/veti.612907/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/autumn.384270/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sunny004.197240/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/solarbeam.470115/