Aaronboyer
Something Worth Fighting For
[OVERVIEW]
As one of the fastest unboosted Pokemon in the metagame, Purugly stands out from other Normal-types like Komala, Bouffalant, and Silvally with its access to Fake Out, Knock Off, and U-turn. More importantly, Purugly gets Defiant, which allows it to punish Defog users such as Silvally-Water and Silvally-Dark for removing entry hazards from Stealth Rock, Spikes, and Sticky Web users such as Metang, Crustle, and Shuckle. Furthermore, Purugly's above-average Speed tier along with its priority options in Sucker Punch and the aforementioned Fake Out also allows it to take on a revenge killing role. However, Purugly's lack of useful resistances in tandem with its below-average bulk allows it to be taken out quite easily. This, along with the fact that its primary role is to deter entry hazards, means that Purugly is limited to hyper offense, whereas the aforementioned Normal-types fit on a multitude of playstyles. It also faces competition from Pawniard as a Defiant user, as the latter has more useful resistances and decent bulk with Eviolite and receives STAB on Knock Off and Sucker Punch.
[SET]
name: Defog Deterrent
move 1: Fake Out
move 2: Return
move 3: Knock Off / Sucker Punch
move 4: U-turn
item: Silk Scarf
ability: Defiant
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Fake Out receives STAB and allows Purugly to get off guaranteed chip damage. It also gives Purugly a method to outprioritize foes such as Bibarel and Kecleon, (RC) and lets it finish off faster threats like Floatzel and Swoobat. Knock Off is used to remove important items such as Eviolite from Bronzor and Mareanie while also giving Purugly coverage against Ghost-types like Dusclops and weakened Silvally-Ghost that are immune to Fake Out and Return. Sucker Punch is Purugly's secondary priority option and works well in tandem with Fake Out to pick off weakened attackers such as Electivire and Chatot. U-turn allows Purugly to pivot out of unfavorable matchups against Pokemon such as Gourgeist-XL and Golem.
Set Details
========
Silk Scarf boosts the power of Fake Out and Return and, unlike Life Orb or Choice Band, doesn't wear Purugly down over time or lock it into one move. Defiant is the most important aspect of Purugly, making Defog users such as Swanna and Silvally-Dark think twice about removing entry hazards for fear of giving Purugly a free +2 Attack boost.
Usage Tips
========
Just because its Purugly's first turn on the field doesn't mean it should always go for Fake Out; the opposing Pokemon might switch out predicting it. Fake Out should primarily be used to rack up extra damage against foes that are not already within KO range of Return or Knock Off. While common Defog users such as Swanna and various Silvally formes are still present, try to keep Purugly as healthy as possible. Purugly should primarily switch into Defog when it's healthy enough to take a hit; otherwise, it can be put into KO range. Even if the opposing Defog user chooses not to remove entry hazards, it's still a win-win situation for Purugly, as entry hazard support along with its high base Speed and access to two strong priority moves makes it an exemplary late-game cleaner. A common strategy for Purugly is to use Fake Out followed by U-turn, fodders off a teammate, and switch back in to uses Fake Out again. This strategy is often seen against offensive threats such as Z-Mirror Move Swanna that outspeed the entirety of Purugly's team; such threats are usually huge concerns for the offensive and hyper offensive playstyles Purugly is seen on. By foddering off Pokemon, Purugly can use Fake Out again, allowing it to rack up damage against faster threats and strong priority users like Swoobat, Cacturne, and the aforementioned Z-Mirror Move Swanna that the rest of its team cannot handle.
Team Options
========
Stealth Rock, Spikes, and Sticky Web setters such as Mawile, Crustle, and Smeargle provide Purugly and its offensive teammates with the entry hazard support needed to clean late-game. Spinblockers such as Gourgeist-S have a favorable matchup versus common Rapid Spin users such as Komala and Sandslash and can prevent them from successfully removing entry hazards, pairing well with Purugly. Purugly helps keep entry hazards on the opposing side of the field for offensive Pokemon such as Rapidash, Swanna, Electivire, and Kadabra to take advantage of, allowing them to clean. Pokemon such as Silvally-Ground, Leafeon, and Swanna make good teammates, as they can switch into and check Rock- and Steel-types such as Golem and Pawniard, which Purugly struggles against, after it pivots out with U-turn. Purugly can be used alongside another Pokemon that can pivot and keep offensive momentum such as Electivire, Jumpluff, and Silvally-Fighting to form a solid VoltTurn core.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
===================
Stomping Tantrum gives Purugly coverage for Pokemon such as Probopass, Alolan Golem, Mawile, and Carbink, although it doesn't have room on its moveset for the move. Life Orb gives more of a boost to Purugly's attacks than Silk Scarf and also boosts Knock Off, Sucker Punch, and U-turn. However, this compromises Purugly's already below-average bulk and makes it even more susceptible to entry hazards and priority attacks. Purugly also doesn't want to take unnecessary Life Orb recoil when using U-turn against Pokemon it has an unfavorable matchup against, especially Rocky Helmet Mawile.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Rock-types**: Rock-types such as Golem, Crustle, and Carbink usually have high Defense, resist Purugly's Normal STAB options, and, (AC) in the case of Carbink, also resists Knock Off and U-turn. This gives these Pokemon ample time to lay Stealth Rock, boost with Shell Smash, or set Trick Room against Purugly.
**Physical Walls**: Physically defensive Pokemon such as Avalugg, Gourgeist-XL, and Pyukumuku are able to shrug off all of Purugly's attacks while simultaneously having access to reliable recovery options. Avalugg, in particular, is noteworthy for being able to remove entry hazards via Rapid Spin without triggering Defiant, as well as use Toxic on any potential Ghost-types as they switch in.
**Faster Attackers**: Faster Pokemon such as Floatzel, Electrode, and Choice Scarf users such as Rapidash and Silvally all outspeed Purugly and take advantage of its low defenses to revenge kill it. However, Purugly can use the combination of Fake Out + Sucker Punch to conversely take out faster attackers, as the aforementioned Pokemon also have low defensive stats and lack means of reliable recovery.
**Residual Damage**: Entry hazards and chip damage wear down Purugly over time, compromising its role of deterring Defog users from removing entry hazards.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Aaronboyer, 239454]]
- Quality checked by: [[Ho3nConfirm3d, 231074], [5gen, 296755], [uhuhuhu7, 407249]]
- Grammar checked by: [[TheDutchPlumberjack, 232216], [Estronic, 240732]]
As one of the fastest unboosted Pokemon in the metagame, Purugly stands out from other Normal-types like Komala, Bouffalant, and Silvally with its access to Fake Out, Knock Off, and U-turn. More importantly, Purugly gets Defiant, which allows it to punish Defog users such as Silvally-Water and Silvally-Dark for removing entry hazards from Stealth Rock, Spikes, and Sticky Web users such as Metang, Crustle, and Shuckle. Furthermore, Purugly's above-average Speed tier along with its priority options in Sucker Punch and the aforementioned Fake Out also allows it to take on a revenge killing role. However, Purugly's lack of useful resistances in tandem with its below-average bulk allows it to be taken out quite easily. This, along with the fact that its primary role is to deter entry hazards, means that Purugly is limited to hyper offense, whereas the aforementioned Normal-types fit on a multitude of playstyles. It also faces competition from Pawniard as a Defiant user, as the latter has more useful resistances and decent bulk with Eviolite and receives STAB on Knock Off and Sucker Punch.
[SET]
name: Defog Deterrent
move 1: Fake Out
move 2: Return
move 3: Knock Off / Sucker Punch
move 4: U-turn
item: Silk Scarf
ability: Defiant
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Fake Out receives STAB and allows Purugly to get off guaranteed chip damage. It also gives Purugly a method to outprioritize foes such as Bibarel and Kecleon, (RC) and lets it finish off faster threats like Floatzel and Swoobat. Knock Off is used to remove important items such as Eviolite from Bronzor and Mareanie while also giving Purugly coverage against Ghost-types like Dusclops and weakened Silvally-Ghost that are immune to Fake Out and Return. Sucker Punch is Purugly's secondary priority option and works well in tandem with Fake Out to pick off weakened attackers such as Electivire and Chatot. U-turn allows Purugly to pivot out of unfavorable matchups against Pokemon such as Gourgeist-XL and Golem.
Set Details
========
Silk Scarf boosts the power of Fake Out and Return and, unlike Life Orb or Choice Band, doesn't wear Purugly down over time or lock it into one move. Defiant is the most important aspect of Purugly, making Defog users such as Swanna and Silvally-Dark think twice about removing entry hazards for fear of giving Purugly a free +2 Attack boost.
Usage Tips
========
Just because its Purugly's first turn on the field doesn't mean it should always go for Fake Out; the opposing Pokemon might switch out predicting it. Fake Out should primarily be used to rack up extra damage against foes that are not already within KO range of Return or Knock Off. While common Defog users such as Swanna and various Silvally formes are still present, try to keep Purugly as healthy as possible. Purugly should primarily switch into Defog when it's healthy enough to take a hit; otherwise, it can be put into KO range. Even if the opposing Defog user chooses not to remove entry hazards, it's still a win-win situation for Purugly, as entry hazard support along with its high base Speed and access to two strong priority moves makes it an exemplary late-game cleaner. A common strategy for Purugly is to use Fake Out followed by U-turn, fodders off a teammate, and switch back in to uses Fake Out again. This strategy is often seen against offensive threats such as Z-Mirror Move Swanna that outspeed the entirety of Purugly's team; such threats are usually huge concerns for the offensive and hyper offensive playstyles Purugly is seen on. By foddering off Pokemon, Purugly can use Fake Out again, allowing it to rack up damage against faster threats and strong priority users like Swoobat, Cacturne, and the aforementioned Z-Mirror Move Swanna that the rest of its team cannot handle.
Team Options
========
Stealth Rock, Spikes, and Sticky Web setters such as Mawile, Crustle, and Smeargle provide Purugly and its offensive teammates with the entry hazard support needed to clean late-game. Spinblockers such as Gourgeist-S have a favorable matchup versus common Rapid Spin users such as Komala and Sandslash and can prevent them from successfully removing entry hazards, pairing well with Purugly. Purugly helps keep entry hazards on the opposing side of the field for offensive Pokemon such as Rapidash, Swanna, Electivire, and Kadabra to take advantage of, allowing them to clean. Pokemon such as Silvally-Ground, Leafeon, and Swanna make good teammates, as they can switch into and check Rock- and Steel-types such as Golem and Pawniard, which Purugly struggles against, after it pivots out with U-turn. Purugly can be used alongside another Pokemon that can pivot and keep offensive momentum such as Electivire, Jumpluff, and Silvally-Fighting to form a solid VoltTurn core.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
===================
Stomping Tantrum gives Purugly coverage for Pokemon such as Probopass, Alolan Golem, Mawile, and Carbink, although it doesn't have room on its moveset for the move. Life Orb gives more of a boost to Purugly's attacks than Silk Scarf and also boosts Knock Off, Sucker Punch, and U-turn. However, this compromises Purugly's already below-average bulk and makes it even more susceptible to entry hazards and priority attacks. Purugly also doesn't want to take unnecessary Life Orb recoil when using U-turn against Pokemon it has an unfavorable matchup against, especially Rocky Helmet Mawile.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Rock-types**: Rock-types such as Golem, Crustle, and Carbink usually have high Defense, resist Purugly's Normal STAB options, and, (AC) in the case of Carbink, also resists Knock Off and U-turn. This gives these Pokemon ample time to lay Stealth Rock, boost with Shell Smash, or set Trick Room against Purugly.
**Physical Walls**: Physically defensive Pokemon such as Avalugg, Gourgeist-XL, and Pyukumuku are able to shrug off all of Purugly's attacks while simultaneously having access to reliable recovery options. Avalugg, in particular, is noteworthy for being able to remove entry hazards via Rapid Spin without triggering Defiant, as well as use Toxic on any potential Ghost-types as they switch in.
**Faster Attackers**: Faster Pokemon such as Floatzel, Electrode, and Choice Scarf users such as Rapidash and Silvally all outspeed Purugly and take advantage of its low defenses to revenge kill it. However, Purugly can use the combination of Fake Out + Sucker Punch to conversely take out faster attackers, as the aforementioned Pokemon also have low defensive stats and lack means of reliable recovery.
**Residual Damage**: Entry hazards and chip damage wear down Purugly over time, compromising its role of deterring Defog users from removing entry hazards.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Aaronboyer, 239454]]
- Quality checked by: [[Ho3nConfirm3d, 231074], [5gen, 296755], [uhuhuhu7, 407249]]
- Grammar checked by: [[TheDutchPlumberjack, 232216], [Estronic, 240732]]
Last edited: