Pokémon Basculegion (Male)

[Bice]

fibsh

Base Stats: 120 / 112 / 65 / 80 / 75 / 78 (530)
Abilities: Swift Swim / Adaptability / Mold Breaker
Notable Moves (italics indicate STAB, red moves are physical while blue ones are special):
- Agility
- Aqua Jet
- Blizzard
- Head Smash
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Ice Fang
- Liquidation
- Phantom Force
- Psychic Fangs
- Shadow Ball
- Wave Crash

Full Movepool

Level-Up
1 - Shadow Ball
1 - Phantom Force
1 - Water Gun
1 - Tail Whip
4 - Tackle
8 - Flail
12 - Aqua Jet
16 - Bite
20 - Scary Face
24 - Headbutt
28 - Soak
32 - Crunch
36 - Take Down
40 - Uproar
44 - Wave Crash
48 - Thrash
52 - Double-Edge
56 - Head Smash

TMs
Take Down
Agility
Scary Face
Protect
Ice Fang
Water Pulse
Confuse Ray
Chilling Water
Facade
Hex
Icy Wind
Mud Shot
Night Shade
Rain Dance
Snowscape
Psychic Fangs
Sleep Talk
Waterfall
Rest
Substitute
Crunch
Liquidation
Shadow Ball
Surf
Ice Beam
Hydro Pump
Blizzard
Phantom Force
Giga Impact
Outrage
Hyper Beam
Tera Blast

Egg Moves
Endeavor
Last Respects (banned)

Via Pre-Evo
Endure
Zen Headbutt

Positives:
- Solid 112 Attack lets it hit decently hard, while 80 Special Attack is just usable enough to break through physical walls like Great Tusk
- Two amazing abilities in Swift Swim (lets it become a speed demon in rain) and Adaptability (makes it hit like a semi-truck with STABs)
- Fat 120 HP gives it decent bulk and lets it sponge Wave Crash recoil better
- Fantastic Water/Ghost typing gives it a litany of useful resistances (notably letting it spinblock for Spikes-stacking teams) and gives it great neutral coverage from STABs alone
Negatives:
- 78 Speed is by far its biggest issue, making it quite slow outside of Rain unless it boosts with Agility or Choice Scarf
- Last Respects being banned means it has to rely on either Phantom Force (has a charging turn) or Shadow Ball (middling base power coming from middling 80 Sp Atk) for Ghost STAB
- Middling 65/75 defenses combined with Wave Crash's recoil means Basculegion will likely die quickly
- Dark and Ghost moves are fairly common, not only preying on Basculegion's weaknesses but also giving it competition
- Coverage outside of STABs and Tera is middling at best. Only coverage move with high power is Head Smash, which is an inaccurate recoil move
- Bulky waters like Toxapex and Dondozo give it a tough time unless it's Tera Electric.

Terastal Potential:

- You know how scary Tera Water Floatzel is in rain? Imagine that but with higher Attack and actually usable bulk. Shedding its Dark and Ghost weaknesses is also a plus.

- Lets it shore up its lack of good Ghost STAB with Tera Blast while removing its Salt Cure weakness. No fish jerky for you today.

- Sheds its weaknesses while letting it lure in bulky Waters.

- Lures in Kingambit and gives it a useful resist to Dark moves.

- Turns its Ghost and Dark weaknesses into resistances. It also gets Crunch if you want to boost that, though running the move is probably not a great idea.

Potential Sets
Killer Fish From East Hisui (Rain Breaker)
Basculegion (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Swift Swim
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant / Lonely Nature
- Wave Crash
- Aqua Jet
- Liquidation
- Psychic Fangs / Shadow Ball / Ice Fang
Basically Floatzel on steroids, Wave Crash is the primary crux of the set and what you'll typically be clicking. Aqua Jet lets you get the jump on other priority users, and Liquidation is for killing things without taking a shitton of recoil damage. The last slot is fairly flexible; Psychic Fangs lets it hit Psychic-weak Water resists like Amoonguss and Toxapex, Shadow Ball provides a secondary STAB with good neutral coverage, and Ice Fang hits non-Terastallized Dragonite. Tera Water is used to turn Wave Crash into a hydrogen bomb, hitting even resists like Amoonguss and Dragapult for massive damage.

Women Fear Me, Fish Fear Me (Agility)
Basculegion (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Adaptability
Tera Type: Water / Ghost / Electric / Fighting
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Lonely / Adamant Nature
- Agility
- Wave Crash
- Shadow Ball / Tera Blast
- Substitute

This set takes advantage of passive Pokemon like Toxapex and Dondozo, which can normally wall Basculegion without much consequence, in order to set up Substitute and rack up Agility boosts. Wave Crash is the primary STAB of choice due to its sheer power, while the second slot depends on what Tera type Basculegion decides to use. If it goes for Tera Water for extra breaking power with Wave Crash, then Shadow Ball and a Lonely nature should be used. Otherwise, it should utilize Tera Blast and a Jolly nature. A Ghost Tera Type lets it hit hard with a Ghost-type Tera Blast, Tera Electric targets the likes of Toxapex and Dondozo, while Tera Fighting targets Kingambit and other Dark-types.

Conclusion

Basculegion's primary niche will be on rain teams as a powerful breaker in place of Floatzel. Outside of rain it'll likely have a small niche as an alright stallbreaker with Agility sets, but it's going to be far from dominant. Lacking speed, coverage, and okayish bulk prevent it from being a staple, though it'll definitely be terrifying on the right teams.

 

[Just_Aaron]

I really want Basculegion to be good without Last Respects, but really it's outclassed by Floatzel. It only really has bulk going for it, since Jolly Basculegion is both weaker and slower than Adamant Floatzel, and it somehow has an even shallower movepool.

It also looks outclassed by its female counterpart.

 

[Loginator]

I really want Basculegion to be good without Last Respects, but really it's outclassed by Floatzel. It only really has bulk going for it, since Jolly Basculegion is both weaker and slower than Adamant Floatzel, and it somehow has an even shallower movepool.

It also looks outclassed by its female counterpart.

People who say it’s outclassed by Floatzel are using it wrong. It’s an Adaptability wallbreaker, not a Swift Swim sweeper. Basculegion at least has a secondary STAB even if it has to be either Shadow Ball or Tera Blast.

 

[Just_Aaron]

Yeah, Adaptability is the way to go, but still, wouldn't Female Legion be better anyways? It use Shadow Ball better and still packs a punch with Hydro Pump, plus it can use a more powerful coverage in IceBeam

 

[Loginator]

Yeah, Adaptability is the way to go, but still, wouldn't Female Legion be better anyways? It use Shadow Ball better and still packs a punch with Hydro Pump, plus it can use a more powerful coverage in IceBeam

Wave Crash is still way stronger than anything Basculegion-F throws out. Depends on who you ask. I’m not the best person to say since I haven’t battled yet since the home drop.

 

[RodrigoLeaf]

Yeah, Adaptability is the way to go, but still, wouldn't Female Legion be better anyways? It use Shadow Ball better and still packs a punch with Hydro Pump, plus it can use a more powerful coverage in IceBeam

I think it's more versatile, that's for sure.

With Last Respects, Male is better by far. Wave Crash+Last Respects would crush almost everything.
Without Last Respects, Female has better Ghost stab, plus Adaptability for nasty SB+Hydro, good coverage with Ice Beam and a free slot for another move (Maybe Terablast?)
I have to start testing all the new stuff, after people calms down from spamming Magearna+Eleki xDDD

 

[Bice]

With Regi "motherfucker supreme" Eleki banned, I have updated the sets to include +Attack natures, as outspeeding Regieleki is no longer necessary. Hopefully the extra power it offers gives it a niche over Floatzel.

 

[Just_Aaron]

With Regi "motherfucker supreme" Eleki banned, I have updated the sets to include +Attack natures, as outspeeding Regieleki is no longer necessary. Hopefully the extra power it offers gives it a niche over Floatzel.

252+ Atk Choice Band Floatzel Wave Crash vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Mew: 277-327 (81.2 - 95.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252+ Atk Choice Band Basculegion Wave Crash vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Mew: 291-343 (85.3 - 100.5%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO

Barely a difference, and Floatzel would still run miles around you.

Edit: The best thing it offers over Floatzel is better better bulk and the immunities and resistances brought by its Ghost typing.

Adaptability would be its best nice, and even then, Basculegion-F might be better.

 

[ausma]

something people aren’t really mentioning about basculegion as a swift swim user is its defensive typing. being able to spinblock for rain teams that like to spikestack and being able to pivot into fighting moves/u-turn more effectively while being an immediately powerful abuser provide pretty big assets for rain over floatzel that give it both easier entry and more utility

 

[Theukon_Dos]

I think it's more versatile, that's for sure.

With Last Respects, Male is better by far. Wave Crash+Last Respects would crush almost everything.
Without Last Respects, Female has better Ghost stab, plus Adaptability for nasty SB+Hydro, good coverage with Ice Beam and a free slot for another move (Maybe Terablast?)
I have to start testing all the new stuff, after people calms down from spamming Magearna+Eleki xDDD

I've been having good luck running Aqua Jet in the last slot. The female's attack (92) is better than the male's special attack (80), and with the adaptability boost, it does a deceptively high amount of damage and is real good for getting KOs.

Also, something that should be noted about running ADP is that; like other moves and abilities that reference the Pokemon's type, it only looks at the user's current type, not their base type. So it DOES stack with Terastalization and Tera Blast, but you're also going to be doing a lot less damage with your regular STAB attacks if you do so.

 

[RodrigoLeaf]

I've been having good luck running Aqua Jet in the last slot. The female's attack (92) is better than the male's special attack (80), and with the adaptability boost, it does a deceptively high amount of damage and is real good for getting KOs.

Also, something that should be noted about running ADP is that; like other moves and abilities that reference the Pokemon's type, it only looks at the user's current type, not their base type. So it DOES stack with Terastalization and Tera Blast, but you're also going to be doing a lot less damage with your regular STAB attacks if you do so.

Ahhh that's a good tip, thanks :D
Now that Eleki is banned, I can ditch Tera Ground and Tera Blast, and having Aqua Jet is a great idea, thanks :D

Yeah, female has been hitting hard in the games I tested her (I started with Tera Water Hydro before going for Ground for Eleki. Now I can change back to Water, that thing hurts xD) Trick Room is annoying to deal with tho, but I'm sure Magearna will not stay here for long xD

 

[Sonikgav]

With the Bans as they are I see it like this.

Male = The better Water Type
Female = The better Ghost Type.

That may change if Poltergeist returns or if you play VGC.

 

[Loginator]

With the Bans as they are I see it like this.

Male = The better Water Type
Female = The better Ghost Type.

That may change if Poltergeist returns or if you play VGC.

Or play Ubers

 

[victory falcon]

Feel like this thing looks great on paper but is gonna fall out of OU real fast. Might have trouble even becoming a fixture on rain teams. Desperately needs some sort of physical Ghost stab that lets it use adaptability. Phantom Force + Power Herb are fine but I feel like a lot of other Mons do the job better. Will be a killer down in UU though.

 

[Loginator]

Feel like this thing looks great on paper but is gonna fall out of OU real fast. Might have trouble even becoming a fixture on rain teams. Desperately needs some sort of physical Ghost stab that lets it use adaptability. Phantom Force + Power Herb are fine but I feel like a lot of other Mons do the job better. Will be a killer down in UU though.

Using Power Herb is a waste. Just do Ghost Tera Blast if you’re desperate. Wasting a Tera is disappointing though.

 

[victory falcon]

Using Power Herb is a waste. Just do Ghost Tera Blast if you’re desperate. Wasting a Tera is disappointing though.

Ya exactly, either way you're kinda screwed. Power Herb is prety bad. Having your lone ghost stab being a 2-turn move feels bad, especially with how prevalent ursaluna is, who can switch in and take 0. Tera ghost works but ya just feels like a little too much needed to get Basc going, could just use another pokemon instead.

 

[Sulfurian]

Hopefully gen 10 fixes physical ghosts and electrics.

 

[Sonikgav]

Ya exactly, either way you're kinda screwed. Power Herb is prety bad. Having your lone ghost stab being a 2-turn move feels bad, especially with how prevalent ursaluna is, who can switch in and take 0. Tera ghost works but ya just feels like a little too much needed to get Basc going, could just use another pokemon instead.

I actually think you use this anywhere you would previously have used Floatzel. Use it's additional typing but not nessecarily use it for offensive, maybe go so far as not even take a Ghost Attack, hell just take emergency Head Smash for a laugh on a Swift Swim build so you're not wasting Adaptability.
It's at least a good switch in vs Ursaluna since it evades Facade and can hit back hard enough to potentially kill it.

 

[Loginator]

Hopefully gen 10 fixes physical ghosts and electrics.

And rocks.

 

[Bice]

Hopefully gen 10 fixes physical ghosts and electrics.

holy fuck the last thing ghost needs is stronger abusers, it's already arguably the most crunk type in the game, being resisted only by dark (rather frail on average) and normal (lol).

 

[Just_Aaron]

Using Power Herb is a waste. Just do Ghost Tera Blast if you’re desperate. Wasting a Tera is disappointing though.

That and, in Adaptability sets, you lose the boost to your water moves.

 

[viol and bass]

Correct me if I’m wrong because I haven’t used rain at all, but I believe one of the benefits of Basculegion as a Swift Swimmer over Floatzel is that its fat 120 HP stat means it takes relatively little in Wave Crash recoil. This gives it considerably more longevity. It feels tailor-made to be be a Wave Crash spammer.