[OVERVIEW]
Cubone's gargantuan Attack stat when holding Thick Club makes it one of LC's most powerful offensive threats, with very few foes not being OHKOed by it. Beating nearly every foe slower than it and many faster foes that cannot OHKO it, Cubone is effective at removing key pieces of the opposing team with great consistency. However, Cubone's inability to hold Sitrus Berry makes its longevity notably worse than most Pokemon in the metagame, and it's not very fast, making it extremely easy to revenge kill even by ADV LC standards. Some threats like Staryu and Chinchou can even outspeed and OHKO Cubone. While no foe is immune to its combination of Bonemerang, Double-Edge, and Hidden Power Ghost, most teams have at least one Pokemon immune to each of those moves, making it somewhat easy to pivot in a check. Thus, Cubone is a high-risk, high-reward Pokemon, with players having to carefully manage its limited longevity to make the most of its wallbreaking prowess.
[SET]
Offensive (Cubone) @ Thick Club
Level: 5
Ability: Rock Head
EVs: 36 HP / 196 Atk / 40 SpD / 236 Spe
Adamant / Jolly Nature
- Bonemerang
- Double-Edge
- Hidden Power Ghost
- Protect / Substitute
[SET COMMENTS]
Bonemerang OHKOes nearly every neutral target and can break Substitute while dealing considerable damage, preventing foes such as Petaya Berry Elekid from setting up. Double-Edge targets Flying- and Grass-types such as Cacnea and Doduo, as well as being Cubone's strongest attack against Koffing. Hidden Power Ghost targets Gastly and Duskull, which are immune to Cubone's other attacks. It also reliably OHKOes Exeggcute. Protect lets Cubone scout which move Choice Band Doduo will lock itself into and can help it play around Explosion users like Gastly and Voltorb. Substitute lets Cubone take advantage of switches it forces, notably easing prediction on whether or not the opponent will switch to a Ground-immune foe. The given EV spread maximizes Cubone's Attack and Speed and dumps the rest into bulk. An Adamant nature lets Cubone have a 50% chance of OHKOing Porygon after one layer of Spikes, and a 100% chance after two layers. Jolly is an alternative, only having a 56.3% chance of OHKOing Porygon after two layers of Spikes, though it allows Cubone to Speed tie Modest Magnemite, giving Cubone a chance to beat it without taking damage. Rock Head lets Cubone use Double-Edge without taking recoil.
Cubone best fits on teams looking for a wallbreaker that can reliably remove bulky defensive pieces like Wailmer and Snubbull. Teammates such as Elekid, Staryu, and Abra appreciate its ability to remove these foes. Cubone also matches up decently well against faster threats like Abra, Diglett, and Elekid, helping teammates like Doduo and Gastly. Against faster threats, Cubone can notably switch into them when they use physical attacks and status moves like Substitute and still win one-on-one. Cubone pairs nicely with Doduo, with both of them able to weaken or remove their shared checks in Ghost-types. Spikes support from a teammate like Cacnea or Pineco is recommended if running an Adamant nature, letting Cubone reliably take out Porygon. Cubone struggles the most against faster Water-types in Staryu and Chinchou, which are among the few Pokemon that can outspeed and OHKO it. In the event that Cubone is still needed, a teammate such as Porygon or one's own Chinchou can check these foes. Wailmer is a standout answer to these Water-types, being able to switch into their STAB moves and either beat or trade with them. Additionally, Electric-types like Elekid and Voltorb can check the frailer Water-types for Cubone. These Electric-types, as well as Snubbull, can also make Cubone's middling Speed less of an issue against faster threats by spreading paralysis. Choice Band Doduo can outspeed and OHKO Cubone, and while Protect mitigates the prediction game, a teammate that can switch into Double-Edge like Porygon or Gastly can help play around Doduo. Cubone is also a solid lead, matching up well against Elekid, Voltorb, and slower leads such as Wailmer. However, it is quite risky, losing to others such as Staryu and Chinchou, making the aforementioned checks to them useful. Players must also be wary of Wailmer running Speed investment to outspeed Cubone.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Earthquake has perfect accuracy, though Bonemerang is preferred because it's stronger, notably hitting Porygon and Wailmer for better damage ranges, and it can take advantage of Substitute. A single use of Swords Dance lets Cubone OHKO the entire metagame, though Cubone is rarely left wanting for power and generally prefers attacking its target. 240 Defense EVs can allow Cubone to reliably tank Doduo's Double-Edge, though the loss in Cubone's Speed and power generally makes this not worth it. Rock Slide OHKOes Flying-types and hits Ghost-types, though the fact that it doesn't reliably 2HKO Duskull makes it only really useful as a midground against Gastly, and Grass-types still mandate the use of Double-Edge. Rock Tomb can make faster checks such as Gastly and offensive Cacnea slower than Cubone if it hits them as they switch in, letting Cubone outspeed and finish them off next turn.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Faster Water-types**: Staryu, Chinchou, and fast variants of Wailmer can outspeed and OHKO Cubone, with it able to do nothing back.
**Doduo**: Choice Band Doduo can outspeed and OHKO Cubone with Double-Edge, though Protect can let Cubone safely scout which move Doduo will lock itself into and bring in an appropriate teammate.
**Revenge Killers**: After some chip damage, faster foes such as Elekid, Voltorb, and Diglett can revenge kill Cubone, exploiting its inability to heal using Sitrus Berry.
**Porygon**: Cubone cannot OHKO Porygon without Spikes support, while Porygon can OHKO back with Ice Beam. Even if Porygon fails to OHKO Cubone due to damage rolls or it lacking Ice Beam, it can still tank another attack if it is holding a Sitrus Berry.
**Cacnea**: Offensive variants of Cacnea can outspeed Cubone, tank Bonemerang, and OHKO it with Hidden Power Grass, though they must be wary of being OHKOed by Double-Edge.
**Explosion Users**: Gastly can outspeed and OHKO Cubone with Explosion, while Pineco can tank any attack from Cubone and do the same. However, both must be wary of Protect, and Pineco must watch out for Substitute, since it is slower.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/gangsta-spongebob.535530/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/kaboom.300935/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/reggg.588561/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/adorluigi.528364/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/aurora.109385/
Cubone's gargantuan Attack stat when holding Thick Club makes it one of LC's most powerful offensive threats, with very few foes not being OHKOed by it. Beating nearly every foe slower than it and many faster foes that cannot OHKO it, Cubone is effective at removing key pieces of the opposing team with great consistency. However, Cubone's inability to hold Sitrus Berry makes its longevity notably worse than most Pokemon in the metagame, and it's not very fast, making it extremely easy to revenge kill even by ADV LC standards. Some threats like Staryu and Chinchou can even outspeed and OHKO Cubone. While no foe is immune to its combination of Bonemerang, Double-Edge, and Hidden Power Ghost, most teams have at least one Pokemon immune to each of those moves, making it somewhat easy to pivot in a check. Thus, Cubone is a high-risk, high-reward Pokemon, with players having to carefully manage its limited longevity to make the most of its wallbreaking prowess.
[SET]
Offensive (Cubone) @ Thick Club
Level: 5
Ability: Rock Head
EVs: 36 HP / 196 Atk / 40 SpD / 236 Spe
Adamant / Jolly Nature
- Bonemerang
- Double-Edge
- Hidden Power Ghost
- Protect / Substitute
[SET COMMENTS]
Bonemerang OHKOes nearly every neutral target and can break Substitute while dealing considerable damage, preventing foes such as Petaya Berry Elekid from setting up. Double-Edge targets Flying- and Grass-types such as Cacnea and Doduo, as well as being Cubone's strongest attack against Koffing. Hidden Power Ghost targets Gastly and Duskull, which are immune to Cubone's other attacks. It also reliably OHKOes Exeggcute. Protect lets Cubone scout which move Choice Band Doduo will lock itself into and can help it play around Explosion users like Gastly and Voltorb. Substitute lets Cubone take advantage of switches it forces, notably easing prediction on whether or not the opponent will switch to a Ground-immune foe. The given EV spread maximizes Cubone's Attack and Speed and dumps the rest into bulk. An Adamant nature lets Cubone have a 50% chance of OHKOing Porygon after one layer of Spikes, and a 100% chance after two layers. Jolly is an alternative, only having a 56.3% chance of OHKOing Porygon after two layers of Spikes, though it allows Cubone to Speed tie Modest Magnemite, giving Cubone a chance to beat it without taking damage. Rock Head lets Cubone use Double-Edge without taking recoil.
Cubone best fits on teams looking for a wallbreaker that can reliably remove bulky defensive pieces like Wailmer and Snubbull. Teammates such as Elekid, Staryu, and Abra appreciate its ability to remove these foes. Cubone also matches up decently well against faster threats like Abra, Diglett, and Elekid, helping teammates like Doduo and Gastly. Against faster threats, Cubone can notably switch into them when they use physical attacks and status moves like Substitute and still win one-on-one. Cubone pairs nicely with Doduo, with both of them able to weaken or remove their shared checks in Ghost-types. Spikes support from a teammate like Cacnea or Pineco is recommended if running an Adamant nature, letting Cubone reliably take out Porygon. Cubone struggles the most against faster Water-types in Staryu and Chinchou, which are among the few Pokemon that can outspeed and OHKO it. In the event that Cubone is still needed, a teammate such as Porygon or one's own Chinchou can check these foes. Wailmer is a standout answer to these Water-types, being able to switch into their STAB moves and either beat or trade with them. Additionally, Electric-types like Elekid and Voltorb can check the frailer Water-types for Cubone. These Electric-types, as well as Snubbull, can also make Cubone's middling Speed less of an issue against faster threats by spreading paralysis. Choice Band Doduo can outspeed and OHKO Cubone, and while Protect mitigates the prediction game, a teammate that can switch into Double-Edge like Porygon or Gastly can help play around Doduo. Cubone is also a solid lead, matching up well against Elekid, Voltorb, and slower leads such as Wailmer. However, it is quite risky, losing to others such as Staryu and Chinchou, making the aforementioned checks to them useful. Players must also be wary of Wailmer running Speed investment to outspeed Cubone.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Earthquake has perfect accuracy, though Bonemerang is preferred because it's stronger, notably hitting Porygon and Wailmer for better damage ranges, and it can take advantage of Substitute. A single use of Swords Dance lets Cubone OHKO the entire metagame, though Cubone is rarely left wanting for power and generally prefers attacking its target. 240 Defense EVs can allow Cubone to reliably tank Doduo's Double-Edge, though the loss in Cubone's Speed and power generally makes this not worth it. Rock Slide OHKOes Flying-types and hits Ghost-types, though the fact that it doesn't reliably 2HKO Duskull makes it only really useful as a midground against Gastly, and Grass-types still mandate the use of Double-Edge. Rock Tomb can make faster checks such as Gastly and offensive Cacnea slower than Cubone if it hits them as they switch in, letting Cubone outspeed and finish them off next turn.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Faster Water-types**: Staryu, Chinchou, and fast variants of Wailmer can outspeed and OHKO Cubone, with it able to do nothing back.
**Doduo**: Choice Band Doduo can outspeed and OHKO Cubone with Double-Edge, though Protect can let Cubone safely scout which move Doduo will lock itself into and bring in an appropriate teammate.
**Revenge Killers**: After some chip damage, faster foes such as Elekid, Voltorb, and Diglett can revenge kill Cubone, exploiting its inability to heal using Sitrus Berry.
**Porygon**: Cubone cannot OHKO Porygon without Spikes support, while Porygon can OHKO back with Ice Beam. Even if Porygon fails to OHKO Cubone due to damage rolls or it lacking Ice Beam, it can still tank another attack if it is holding a Sitrus Berry.
**Cacnea**: Offensive variants of Cacnea can outspeed Cubone, tank Bonemerang, and OHKO it with Hidden Power Grass, though they must be wary of being OHKOed by Double-Edge.
**Explosion Users**: Gastly can outspeed and OHKO Cubone with Explosion, while Pineco can tank any attack from Cubone and do the same. However, both must be wary of Protect, and Pineco must watch out for Substitute, since it is slower.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/gangsta-spongebob.535530/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/kaboom.300935/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/reggg.588561/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/adorluigi.528364/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/aurora.109385/
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