[overview]
**Draft order**: Late round 3 onwards
**Price range**: 11-13 points
**Overview**: Pecharunt has a lopsided stat spread and an unusually shallow movepool, but it has the bulk and tools it needs to function as a solid support Pokemon. Malignant Chain and Poison Puppeteer make it scary in many matchups, and the threat of them is enough to force switches and make progress. Pecharunt can take advantage of this pressure by using Parting Shot or Nasty Plot to deal with its potential checks. These traits make it a great enabler for a draft’s offense.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Defensive pivot**: Pecharunt’s fantastic Defense, reliable recovery, and access to Parting Shot make it an excellent choice for a bulky pivot. If given defensive EVs, it can switch in on many attacks and status moves with little fear. The constant threat of poison and confusion also forces switches that can be taken advantage of with Recover and Parting Shot.
**Wallbreaker**: Despite having a mediocre base Special Attack, Pecharunt has the bulk to safely use Nasty Plot against some teams. Malignant Chain and Poison Puppeteer are also great for wearing down bulkier Pokemon and forcing switches.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB moves**: Malignant Chain, Gunk Shot, Sludge Bomb, Shadow Ball, Hex, Poltergeist
**Setup moves**: Nasty Plot
**Utility moves**: Recover, Parting Shot, Toxic, Protect, Destiny Bond, Night Shade, Foul Play
**Coverage**: Tera Blast
Niche Moves
========
**Curse**: Curse can prevent foes from sitting on the field if their presence is problematic to Pecharunt or a teammate’s gameplan. Pecharunt’s bulk and access to Recover make the significant HP cost more manageable.
**Memento**: Although it is similar to Parting Shot, Memento can have a niche on some Pecharunt sets. Its larger stat drops create a safer opportunity for incoming teammates to set up.
Common Items
========
**Black Sludge / Leftovers**: Passive recovery increases Pecharunt’s longevity on most sets. If it won’t be using Tera, Black Sludge is preferred for its ability to damage opposing Trick and Switcheroo users.
**Rocky Helmet**: Rocky Helmet is useful on defensive sets, as it damages foes using moves like U-turn, Flip Turn, and Knock Off to make progress. The extra damage also helps Pecharunt check attackers that rely on contact moves, such as Sneasler and Annihilape.
**Heavy-Duty Boots**: Against drafts with good Stealth Rock and Spikes setters, Heavy-Duty Boots can provide more longevity than Leftovers on defensive sets.
Niche Items
========
**Air Balloon**: A temporary immunity to Ground allows Pecharunt to switch in on many Rapid Spin users, most notably Great Tusk, Iron Treads, and Excadrill. This can ensure that entry hazards stay on the field in fast-paced games. Air Balloon can also help relieve some of the pressure exerted by other Ground-types like Ursaluna.
**Eject Button**: Eject Button can be used against offensive pivots to reclaim early-game momentum when Pecharunt can’t safely remain on the field to use Parting Shot.
**Red Card**: Pecharunt’s bulk allows it to phaze many setup sweepers one time with Red Card.
**Resistance Berries**: Resistance Berries protect Pecharunt from super effective coverage, allowing it to more effectively wall certain threats. It can also use them to lure attackers that have super effective STAB moves and weaken them with poison or Parting Shot.
Tera
========
Pecharunt doesn’t require Tera to contribute to a team, but it can use the mechanic to become more consistently effective. Tera types like Ground and Fire can be used with Tera Blast to grant much-needed coverage that scares the opponent’s Poison-immune Pokemon. Tera types with valuable resistances like Fairy and Water allow it to defensively check additional foes. It should be considered as a Tera Captain if a draft already has strong Pokemon that don’t rely on Tera.
Draft Strategy
========
Pecharunt is a great addition to a draft that already has several strong attackers. The following teams or teammates can benefit from its support:
**Entry hazard setters**: Pecharunt’s poison, confusion, and Parting Shot can all encourage foes to switch out. Entry hazards from Pokemon like Ting-Lu and Gliscor can punish these switches. Pecharunt can also spinblock many Rapid Spin users without fear of being KOed.
**Fairy- and Fighting-weak teams**: Many Fairy- and Fighting-types struggle to reliably defeat Pecharunt. Even if they are able to hit it super effectively, few are comfortable taking a Malignant Chain. As a result, Pecharunt can defensively check them to assist teammates like Darkrai and Baxcalibur.
**Steel- and Poison-type checks**: Steel- and Poison-types are both immune to poison, which means that most drafts will have an answer to Pecharunt’s signature move and ability. Strong teammates that handle these types will make Pecharunt’s unique effects much stronger. Ground-types like Great Tusk and Ursaluna-B are great examples.
Checks and Counters
========
**Poison-immune Pokemon**: Pokemon with immunities to Pecharunt’s poison like Heatran, Poison Heal Gliscor, and Garganacl are much less threatened by its attacks than others. Even against other foes, Pecharunt users have to be wary of items like Covert Cloak and Lum Berry when attempting to spread poison.
**Special wallbreakers**: Even with Special Defense investment, Pokemon like Chi-Yu, Gholdengo, and other special attackers can deal massive damage to Pecharunt. It will need to switch out or use Parting Shot to stay safe or maintain momentum against these foes.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/scionicle.599989/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/scribble.356084/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/hacker.387847/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/solarbeam.470115/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/ken.594478/
**Draft order**: Late round 3 onwards
**Price range**: 11-13 points
**Overview**: Pecharunt has a lopsided stat spread and an unusually shallow movepool, but it has the bulk and tools it needs to function as a solid support Pokemon. Malignant Chain and Poison Puppeteer make it scary in many matchups, and the threat of them is enough to force switches and make progress. Pecharunt can take advantage of this pressure by using Parting Shot or Nasty Plot to deal with its potential checks. These traits make it a great enabler for a draft’s offense.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Defensive pivot**: Pecharunt’s fantastic Defense, reliable recovery, and access to Parting Shot make it an excellent choice for a bulky pivot. If given defensive EVs, it can switch in on many attacks and status moves with little fear. The constant threat of poison and confusion also forces switches that can be taken advantage of with Recover and Parting Shot.
**Wallbreaker**: Despite having a mediocre base Special Attack, Pecharunt has the bulk to safely use Nasty Plot against some teams. Malignant Chain and Poison Puppeteer are also great for wearing down bulkier Pokemon and forcing switches.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB moves**: Malignant Chain, Gunk Shot, Sludge Bomb, Shadow Ball, Hex, Poltergeist
**Setup moves**: Nasty Plot
**Utility moves**: Recover, Parting Shot, Toxic, Protect, Destiny Bond, Night Shade, Foul Play
**Coverage**: Tera Blast
Niche Moves
========
**Curse**: Curse can prevent foes from sitting on the field if their presence is problematic to Pecharunt or a teammate’s gameplan. Pecharunt’s bulk and access to Recover make the significant HP cost more manageable.
**Memento**: Although it is similar to Parting Shot, Memento can have a niche on some Pecharunt sets. Its larger stat drops create a safer opportunity for incoming teammates to set up.
Common Items
========
**Black Sludge / Leftovers**: Passive recovery increases Pecharunt’s longevity on most sets. If it won’t be using Tera, Black Sludge is preferred for its ability to damage opposing Trick and Switcheroo users.
**Rocky Helmet**: Rocky Helmet is useful on defensive sets, as it damages foes using moves like U-turn, Flip Turn, and Knock Off to make progress. The extra damage also helps Pecharunt check attackers that rely on contact moves, such as Sneasler and Annihilape.
**Heavy-Duty Boots**: Against drafts with good Stealth Rock and Spikes setters, Heavy-Duty Boots can provide more longevity than Leftovers on defensive sets.
Niche Items
========
**Air Balloon**: A temporary immunity to Ground allows Pecharunt to switch in on many Rapid Spin users, most notably Great Tusk, Iron Treads, and Excadrill. This can ensure that entry hazards stay on the field in fast-paced games. Air Balloon can also help relieve some of the pressure exerted by other Ground-types like Ursaluna.
**Eject Button**: Eject Button can be used against offensive pivots to reclaim early-game momentum when Pecharunt can’t safely remain on the field to use Parting Shot.
**Red Card**: Pecharunt’s bulk allows it to phaze many setup sweepers one time with Red Card.
**Resistance Berries**: Resistance Berries protect Pecharunt from super effective coverage, allowing it to more effectively wall certain threats. It can also use them to lure attackers that have super effective STAB moves and weaken them with poison or Parting Shot.
Tera
========
Pecharunt doesn’t require Tera to contribute to a team, but it can use the mechanic to become more consistently effective. Tera types like Ground and Fire can be used with Tera Blast to grant much-needed coverage that scares the opponent’s Poison-immune Pokemon. Tera types with valuable resistances like Fairy and Water allow it to defensively check additional foes. It should be considered as a Tera Captain if a draft already has strong Pokemon that don’t rely on Tera.
Draft Strategy
========
Pecharunt is a great addition to a draft that already has several strong attackers. The following teams or teammates can benefit from its support:
**Entry hazard setters**: Pecharunt’s poison, confusion, and Parting Shot can all encourage foes to switch out. Entry hazards from Pokemon like Ting-Lu and Gliscor can punish these switches. Pecharunt can also spinblock many Rapid Spin users without fear of being KOed.
**Fairy- and Fighting-weak teams**: Many Fairy- and Fighting-types struggle to reliably defeat Pecharunt. Even if they are able to hit it super effectively, few are comfortable taking a Malignant Chain. As a result, Pecharunt can defensively check them to assist teammates like Darkrai and Baxcalibur.
**Steel- and Poison-type checks**: Steel- and Poison-types are both immune to poison, which means that most drafts will have an answer to Pecharunt’s signature move and ability. Strong teammates that handle these types will make Pecharunt’s unique effects much stronger. Ground-types like Great Tusk and Ursaluna-B are great examples.
Checks and Counters
========
**Poison-immune Pokemon**: Pokemon with immunities to Pecharunt’s poison like Heatran, Poison Heal Gliscor, and Garganacl are much less threatened by its attacks than others. Even against other foes, Pecharunt users have to be wary of items like Covert Cloak and Lum Berry when attempting to spread poison.
**Special wallbreakers**: Even with Special Defense investment, Pokemon like Chi-Yu, Gholdengo, and other special attackers can deal massive damage to Pecharunt. It will need to switch out or use Parting Shot to stay safe or maintain momentum against these foes.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/scionicle.599989/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/scribble.356084/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/hacker.387847/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/solarbeam.470115/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/ken.594478/
Last edited:
