berry
what kind
[SET]
name: Support Wonder Guard
move 1: Baton Pass / Knock Off
move 2: Defog / Stealth Rock / Toxic Spikes / Pursuit
move 3: Aromatherapy
move 4: Recover
item: Shed Shell / Safety Goggles
ability: Wonder Guard
nature: Relaxed
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
========
Skuntank's main niche as a Wonder Guard user is its rare singular weakness to Ground and ability to clear Toxic Spikes upon switching in. Baton Pass allows Skuntank to provide pivoting support and maintain momentum, notably underspeeding common slow pivots like Cresselia, Magic Bounce Giratina, and Primal Kyogre. Toxic Spikes allows Skuntank to make progress in most games; Skuntank can also reliably clear any Toxic Spikes reflected by Magic Bounce or copied by Imposter. Knock Off and Pursuit threaten Pokemon like Mold Breaker Mega Gengar and coverage-reliant offensive Pokemon that have no way to hit Skuntank, such as No Guard Mega Mewtwo Y lacking Fissure and Huge Power Mega Mewtwo X lacking Thousand Arrows. Defog and Aromatherapy are staples on any support Wonder Guard user; however, if a teammate is already providing either, then Skuntank can opt for alternate utility options such as Stealth Rock, Toxic Spikes, and Knock Off. Recover gives Skuntank longevity, allowing it to heal off damage from hazards, status, or attacks that slip through Wonder Guard. Shed Shell allows Skuntank to escape Shadow Tag users like Choice Band Mewtwo Mega X and Perish Song Lugia, while Safety Goggles gives it immunity to Spore from Mold Breaker users like Mega Gengar. Maximum HP and Defense investment maximizes Skuntank's physical bulk, allowing Skuntank to scout Mold Breaker Pokemon that could potentially run physical and special sets, such as Mega Rayquaza, and fare better against Mega Gengar. 0 Speed IVs give Skuntank the slowest possible Baton Pass to pivot into its team's attackers.
Revenge killers such as Refrigerate Kyurem-B, Huge Power Slaking, and Regigigas make excellent teammates for Skuntank, as they appreciate Skuntank’s slow Baton Pass and pressure some of Skuntank’s most dangerous checks, namely Fissure + No Guard users like Mewtwo Mega Y and Mega Aerodactyl. Furthermore, because of its weakness to Fissure, Skuntank should almost always have both a Flying-type teammate—such as Mega Rayquaza or Ho-oh— and a Wonder Guard teammate that isn’t weak to Ground—such as Arceus or Xerneas. Additionally, offensive Wonder Guard teammates such as Mega Gardevoir, Xerneas, and Mega Lucario appreciate Skuntank’s ability to both soft-check Mold Breaker Mega Gengar and efficiently compress the roles of cleric and defogger. Finally, since Skuntank is quite passive, it benefits from strong Mold Breaker attackers like Choice Band Mega Rayquaza and Primal Groudon that can pressure Pokemon attempting to setup against Skuntank. In return, Skuntank can get them onto the battlefield safely with its slow Baton Pass. Dark-type Huge Power teammates like Mega Gyarados and Yveltal can effectively dispatch of Giratina with Pursuit and Knock Off, as Skuntank alone fails to threaten Giratina. Finally, offensive Shadow Tag Users like Choice Band Mega Mewtwo X appreciate Skuntank's ability to use Knock Off to remove Shed Shells from Psychic-type Wonder Guard users like Cresselia and Meloetta and non-Wonder Guard Support Pokemon like Registeel.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Sucker Punch can be used to surprise KO an attacking Mold Breaker user like Mega Gengar or heavily chipped Mold Breaker Mega Latios after Shell Smash. Spikes and Sticky Web are alternatives to Stealth Rock and Toxic Spikes if their specific utility is desired. Parting Shot can be used over Baton Pass to weaken the foe as it pivots out; however, Parting Shot cedes momentum to teams with a Magic Bounce user, making it more matchup-dependent. Haze can be used to clear boosts from Shell Smash users like Wonder Guard Xerneas, preventing them from setting up on Skuntank. Toxic can be used to status and make progress against Wonder Guards like Xerneas and Arceus, forcing a switch into an Aromatherapy user. Additionally, because of Skuntank's Poison typing, it can freely use Toxic against Pokemon that may run Magic Bounce like Giratina. Poison Fang is an alternative to Toxic that gives Skuntank the ability to damage Fairy-type Woner Guard users and status foes without being susceptible to Taunt. Whirlwind gives Skuntank the ability to phase out setup sweepers like offensive Wonder Guard Xerneas and Mold Breaker Mega Gengar. Mail can give Skuntank an immunity to Trick, though this item provides no other utility and is greatly outclassed by Shed Shell. Black Sludge can be used to give Skuntank some passive healingand punish Trick users like Choice Scarf Prankster Giratina. Alternatively, Trick can be used by Skuntank itself to passively chip a foe. Finally, 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD EVs with a Sassy Nature can be used to Imposter-proof Choice Specs Mold Breaker Mega Mewtwo Y more effectively, thanks to Skuntank's immunity to Psystrike and Psycho Boost.
Drapion can be used instead of Skuntank if its slightly higher physical Defense and faster Speed tier are desired.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fissure**: Skuntank is vulnerable to being OHKOed by No Guard users carrying the somewhat rare, but very dangerous, Fissure. This weakness can be mitigated by pairing Skuntank with another Wonder Guard user that is not weak to Ground or a Flying-type teammate like Mega Rayquaza or Ho-Oh.
**Ground-type Coverage**: Ground-type coverage on offensive Wonder Guard users like Xerneas and -ate Speed users like Kyurem-B can catch Skuntank off guard on a switch, potentially scoring an early KO and rendering your team weak to No Guard Users like Mega Mewtwo Y and Huge Power Sweepers like Mega Gyarados.
**Trick Users**: Trick Users like Choice Scarf Prankster Giratina can hinder Skuntank by removing its Shed Shell and reduce its support potential by locking it into one move. Skuntank can opt to mitigate this by either crippling the Trick user with Black Sludge or using Mail for an effective immunity to the move; Black Sludge carries the potential risk of being swapped to a teammate.
**Taunt Users**: Skuntank's lackluster offensive stats relegate it to a support position, which can be shut down by Taunt users like Prankster Giratina. Moves like Knock Off and Poison Fang ensure that Skuntank will not be forced to use Struggle, while also having the chance to remove items or poison the foe, respectively.
**Offensive Mold Breaker Users**: Skuntank is forced out by offensive Mold Breakers due to its low defenses. Specifically, Mold Breaker Primal Groudon and Mega Rayquaza can both OHKO physically defensive Skuntank after Stealth Rock.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[berry, 226455]]
- Quality checked by: [[Daylight, 562267], [Mbouchon, 515077]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Isaiah, 375662]]
name: Support Wonder Guard
move 1: Baton Pass / Knock Off
move 2: Defog / Stealth Rock / Toxic Spikes / Pursuit
move 3: Aromatherapy
move 4: Recover
item: Shed Shell / Safety Goggles
ability: Wonder Guard
nature: Relaxed
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
========
Skuntank's main niche as a Wonder Guard user is its rare singular weakness to Ground and ability to clear Toxic Spikes upon switching in. Baton Pass allows Skuntank to provide pivoting support and maintain momentum, notably underspeeding common slow pivots like Cresselia, Magic Bounce Giratina, and Primal Kyogre. Toxic Spikes allows Skuntank to make progress in most games; Skuntank can also reliably clear any Toxic Spikes reflected by Magic Bounce or copied by Imposter. Knock Off and Pursuit threaten Pokemon like Mold Breaker Mega Gengar and coverage-reliant offensive Pokemon that have no way to hit Skuntank, such as No Guard Mega Mewtwo Y lacking Fissure and Huge Power Mega Mewtwo X lacking Thousand Arrows. Defog and Aromatherapy are staples on any support Wonder Guard user; however, if a teammate is already providing either, then Skuntank can opt for alternate utility options such as Stealth Rock, Toxic Spikes, and Knock Off. Recover gives Skuntank longevity, allowing it to heal off damage from hazards, status, or attacks that slip through Wonder Guard. Shed Shell allows Skuntank to escape Shadow Tag users like Choice Band Mewtwo Mega X and Perish Song Lugia, while Safety Goggles gives it immunity to Spore from Mold Breaker users like Mega Gengar. Maximum HP and Defense investment maximizes Skuntank's physical bulk, allowing Skuntank to scout Mold Breaker Pokemon that could potentially run physical and special sets, such as Mega Rayquaza, and fare better against Mega Gengar. 0 Speed IVs give Skuntank the slowest possible Baton Pass to pivot into its team's attackers.
Revenge killers such as Refrigerate Kyurem-B, Huge Power Slaking, and Regigigas make excellent teammates for Skuntank, as they appreciate Skuntank’s slow Baton Pass and pressure some of Skuntank’s most dangerous checks, namely Fissure + No Guard users like Mewtwo Mega Y and Mega Aerodactyl. Furthermore, because of its weakness to Fissure, Skuntank should almost always have both a Flying-type teammate—such as Mega Rayquaza or Ho-oh— and a Wonder Guard teammate that isn’t weak to Ground—such as Arceus or Xerneas. Additionally, offensive Wonder Guard teammates such as Mega Gardevoir, Xerneas, and Mega Lucario appreciate Skuntank’s ability to both soft-check Mold Breaker Mega Gengar and efficiently compress the roles of cleric and defogger. Finally, since Skuntank is quite passive, it benefits from strong Mold Breaker attackers like Choice Band Mega Rayquaza and Primal Groudon that can pressure Pokemon attempting to setup against Skuntank. In return, Skuntank can get them onto the battlefield safely with its slow Baton Pass. Dark-type Huge Power teammates like Mega Gyarados and Yveltal can effectively dispatch of Giratina with Pursuit and Knock Off, as Skuntank alone fails to threaten Giratina. Finally, offensive Shadow Tag Users like Choice Band Mega Mewtwo X appreciate Skuntank's ability to use Knock Off to remove Shed Shells from Psychic-type Wonder Guard users like Cresselia and Meloetta and non-Wonder Guard Support Pokemon like Registeel.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Sucker Punch can be used to surprise KO an attacking Mold Breaker user like Mega Gengar or heavily chipped Mold Breaker Mega Latios after Shell Smash. Spikes and Sticky Web are alternatives to Stealth Rock and Toxic Spikes if their specific utility is desired. Parting Shot can be used over Baton Pass to weaken the foe as it pivots out; however, Parting Shot cedes momentum to teams with a Magic Bounce user, making it more matchup-dependent. Haze can be used to clear boosts from Shell Smash users like Wonder Guard Xerneas, preventing them from setting up on Skuntank. Toxic can be used to status and make progress against Wonder Guards like Xerneas and Arceus, forcing a switch into an Aromatherapy user. Additionally, because of Skuntank's Poison typing, it can freely use Toxic against Pokemon that may run Magic Bounce like Giratina. Poison Fang is an alternative to Toxic that gives Skuntank the ability to damage Fairy-type Woner Guard users and status foes without being susceptible to Taunt. Whirlwind gives Skuntank the ability to phase out setup sweepers like offensive Wonder Guard Xerneas and Mold Breaker Mega Gengar. Mail can give Skuntank an immunity to Trick, though this item provides no other utility and is greatly outclassed by Shed Shell. Black Sludge can be used to give Skuntank some passive healingand punish Trick users like Choice Scarf Prankster Giratina. Alternatively, Trick can be used by Skuntank itself to passively chip a foe. Finally, 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD EVs with a Sassy Nature can be used to Imposter-proof Choice Specs Mold Breaker Mega Mewtwo Y more effectively, thanks to Skuntank's immunity to Psystrike and Psycho Boost.
Drapion can be used instead of Skuntank if its slightly higher physical Defense and faster Speed tier are desired.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fissure**: Skuntank is vulnerable to being OHKOed by No Guard users carrying the somewhat rare, but very dangerous, Fissure. This weakness can be mitigated by pairing Skuntank with another Wonder Guard user that is not weak to Ground or a Flying-type teammate like Mega Rayquaza or Ho-Oh.
**Ground-type Coverage**: Ground-type coverage on offensive Wonder Guard users like Xerneas and -ate Speed users like Kyurem-B can catch Skuntank off guard on a switch, potentially scoring an early KO and rendering your team weak to No Guard Users like Mega Mewtwo Y and Huge Power Sweepers like Mega Gyarados.
**Trick Users**: Trick Users like Choice Scarf Prankster Giratina can hinder Skuntank by removing its Shed Shell and reduce its support potential by locking it into one move. Skuntank can opt to mitigate this by either crippling the Trick user with Black Sludge or using Mail for an effective immunity to the move; Black Sludge carries the potential risk of being swapped to a teammate.
**Taunt Users**: Skuntank's lackluster offensive stats relegate it to a support position, which can be shut down by Taunt users like Prankster Giratina. Moves like Knock Off and Poison Fang ensure that Skuntank will not be forced to use Struggle, while also having the chance to remove items or poison the foe, respectively.
**Offensive Mold Breaker Users**: Skuntank is forced out by offensive Mold Breakers due to its low defenses. Specifically, Mold Breaker Primal Groudon and Mega Rayquaza can both OHKO physically defensive Skuntank after Stealth Rock.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[berry, 226455]]
- Quality checked by: [[Daylight, 562267], [Mbouchon, 515077]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Isaiah, 375662]]
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