[overview]
**Draft Order**: Round 3 onwards
**Price Range**: 13-14 points
**Overview**: Ursaluna is a great bulky wallbreaker, boasting great Defense, amazing Attack, extremely powerful STAB attacks, and a great typing. Paired with its great offensive ability in Guts, it can be a decently flexible Pokemon. This being said, Ursaluna struggles taking hits on the special side and its Speed is lacking, meaning it can very easily be revenge killed. It also has the weakness of being a Ground-type without entry hazards, meaning it needs teammates of other types to handle that role to avoid its draft doubling up on Ground-types and facing major weaknesses. The final nail in Ursaluna's coffin is that while it's incredibly good at what it does, the roles its fulfills are not roles that most drafts need, making it incredibly hard to fit onto teams.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Bulky Attacker**: Guts is a fantastic ability for Ursaluna. Due to its access to STAB Facade, any status inflicted makes Ursaluna a nasty threat. While it has low Speed, it also has fantastic physical bulk, meaning it will normally survive a physical attack before firing back a phenomenal one of its own. It can also be very effective under Trick Room from allies, forcing opponents to make difficult plays around its powerful STAB combination.
**Bulky Wall**: Ursaluna can invest defensively and become very difficult to take down. Investing in Defense allows it to become one of the better physical walls in the game. On the other hand, it can boost its weaker Special Defense with Assault Vest or EV investment, making it hard to break both physically and specially while still doing great damage with uninvested Attack.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Body Slam, Facade, Double-Edge, Earthquake, Headlong Rush
**Setup Moves**: Trailblaze, Bulk Up, Swords Dance, Curse, Belly Drum
**Utility Moves**: Yawn, Taunt, Substitute, Roar
**Coverage**: Drain Punch, Crunch, Throat Chop, Body Press, Play Rough, Close Combat, Avalanche, Ice Punch, Fire Punch, Gunk Shot, Supercell Slam, Thunder Punch, Seed Bomb
Niche Moves
========
**Heavy Slam**: Ursaluna is very heavy, meaning Heavy Slam reaches its maximum damage against most bulky Fairy-types.
**Fling**: Guts sets are usually ran in conjunction with Flame Orb. After Ursaluna has received its burn, it can burn a foe with Fling and turn it into possible setup fodder.
Common Items
========
**Flame Orb**: Ursaluna almost feels item-locked just because the combination of status-boosted Facade and Guts is so strong. It gives similar benefits to a Choice Band without locking Ursaluna into a move. Furthermore, being burned prevents other status conditions like sleep and poison.
**Assault Vest**: Ursaluna rarely needs to run setup or utility moves, making Assault Vest an almost drawback-free way to boost its Special Defense. This turns Ursaluna from a physical wall into an overall bulky Pokemon that any foe has trouble KOing.
**Leftovers**: If being specially bulky isn't necessary, Ursaluna can alternatively run Leftovers to give itself passive recovery and become a more effective long-term physical wall and setup threat.
Niche Items
========
**Resist Berry**: Resistance Berries can be used to take hits from Ursaluna's checks and KO them in return.
**Sitrus Berry**: Sitrus Berry can be used instead of Leftovers to heal Ursaluna if it expects to take stronger hits or be unable to stay on the field for long periods of time to gain the full effects of Leftovers. It can also be used with Belly Drum to regain health immediately, allowing Ursaluna to take hits again.
**Rocky Helmet**: Ursaluna finds itself often switching into physical attacks, as it can take them well due to its physical bulk. As a lot of them are also contact moves, Ursaluna doesn't even need to attack to punish foes with Rocky Helmet.
**Heavy-Duty Boots**: Ursaluna struggles to deal with residual chip damage from entry hazards, as its poor Speed makes it easy to revenge kill. Bulkier sets especially benefit from Heavy-Duty Boots allowing Ursaluna to ignore entry hazards and tank the hits it's built to.
Tera
========
Ursaluna is a decent user of Tera, since it allows Ursaluna to survive more hits than it usually would or deal massive amounts of damage with STAB Tera types. A very common Tera type is Tera Normal, further boosting Ursaluna's Facade and removing three of its weaknesses. Defensive options include Tera Steel, Water, and Ghost, which can help Ursaluna defensively by changing some weaknesses into resistances or immunities.
Draft Strategy
========
Ursaluna is great at its roles, but it certainly struggles without correct positioning and support. Its good typing, high Attack, and bulk allow it to be a threatening wallbreaker, but its Speed holds it back from being a better pick. If you intend to draft Ursaluna, some of the following roles should be covered.
**Pivots**: Getting Ursaluna in safely is incredibly helpful, activating Flame Orb immediately and preventing Ursaluna from taking chip damage. Pivots that work well with it can be fast and offensive, like Meowscarada and both Thundurus formes, or slower and capable of absorbing hits, like Galarian Slowking.
**High Speed Tiers**: Ursaluna's main drawback is its Speed. Drafting faster Pokemon means that foes will likely invest more of their EVs into Speed, leaving less for HP and Defense. This allows Ursaluna to pick off more foes than it otherwise would. Common speedy partners include Latios, Cinderace, and Tornadus-T.
**Specially Defensive Walls**: Ursaluna's other drawback is its low Special Defense. Drafting special walls, ideally ones that resist its weaknesses, means that Ursaluna can forego an Assault Vest in many matchups in favor of more beneficial items. Good special walls include Latias, Sylveon, and Scream Tail.
Checks and Counters
========
**Special Wallbreakers**: Physical attackers struggle to make a dent in Ursaluna, but special attackers can fold it like a sheet of paper. Ursaluna does not get much to deal with special wallbreakers such as Greninja, Latios, and Iron Moth, as it is extremely slow, meaning the foe will likely move first.
**Normal- and Ground-resistant Foes**: Ghost- and Flying-types like Sinistcha and Skarmory can present an issue for Ursaluna if they also happen to resist Ursaluna's other STAB type. This typically forces Ursaluna to make difficult predictions with coverage rather than spamming its strong STAB moves.
**Chip Damage**: Guts sets already have to deal with residual chip damage from burn without reliable recovery. Combine this with extra damage from entry hazards or pivot moves like Quaquaval's Flip Turn and Lokix's U-turn, and Ursaluna can find itself in a tough spot.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/faultierchunk60.602692/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno.527276/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/nyx.564960/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/solarbeam.470115/
**Draft Order**: Round 3 onwards
**Price Range**: 13-14 points
**Overview**: Ursaluna is a great bulky wallbreaker, boasting great Defense, amazing Attack, extremely powerful STAB attacks, and a great typing. Paired with its great offensive ability in Guts, it can be a decently flexible Pokemon. This being said, Ursaluna struggles taking hits on the special side and its Speed is lacking, meaning it can very easily be revenge killed. It also has the weakness of being a Ground-type without entry hazards, meaning it needs teammates of other types to handle that role to avoid its draft doubling up on Ground-types and facing major weaknesses. The final nail in Ursaluna's coffin is that while it's incredibly good at what it does, the roles its fulfills are not roles that most drafts need, making it incredibly hard to fit onto teams.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Bulky Attacker**: Guts is a fantastic ability for Ursaluna. Due to its access to STAB Facade, any status inflicted makes Ursaluna a nasty threat. While it has low Speed, it also has fantastic physical bulk, meaning it will normally survive a physical attack before firing back a phenomenal one of its own. It can also be very effective under Trick Room from allies, forcing opponents to make difficult plays around its powerful STAB combination.
**Bulky Wall**: Ursaluna can invest defensively and become very difficult to take down. Investing in Defense allows it to become one of the better physical walls in the game. On the other hand, it can boost its weaker Special Defense with Assault Vest or EV investment, making it hard to break both physically and specially while still doing great damage with uninvested Attack.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Body Slam, Facade, Double-Edge, Earthquake, Headlong Rush
**Setup Moves**: Trailblaze, Bulk Up, Swords Dance, Curse, Belly Drum
**Utility Moves**: Yawn, Taunt, Substitute, Roar
**Coverage**: Drain Punch, Crunch, Throat Chop, Body Press, Play Rough, Close Combat, Avalanche, Ice Punch, Fire Punch, Gunk Shot, Supercell Slam, Thunder Punch, Seed Bomb
Niche Moves
========
**Heavy Slam**: Ursaluna is very heavy, meaning Heavy Slam reaches its maximum damage against most bulky Fairy-types.
**Fling**: Guts sets are usually ran in conjunction with Flame Orb. After Ursaluna has received its burn, it can burn a foe with Fling and turn it into possible setup fodder.
Common Items
========
**Flame Orb**: Ursaluna almost feels item-locked just because the combination of status-boosted Facade and Guts is so strong. It gives similar benefits to a Choice Band without locking Ursaluna into a move. Furthermore, being burned prevents other status conditions like sleep and poison.
**Assault Vest**: Ursaluna rarely needs to run setup or utility moves, making Assault Vest an almost drawback-free way to boost its Special Defense. This turns Ursaluna from a physical wall into an overall bulky Pokemon that any foe has trouble KOing.
**Leftovers**: If being specially bulky isn't necessary, Ursaluna can alternatively run Leftovers to give itself passive recovery and become a more effective long-term physical wall and setup threat.
Niche Items
========
**Resist Berry**: Resistance Berries can be used to take hits from Ursaluna's checks and KO them in return.
**Sitrus Berry**: Sitrus Berry can be used instead of Leftovers to heal Ursaluna if it expects to take stronger hits or be unable to stay on the field for long periods of time to gain the full effects of Leftovers. It can also be used with Belly Drum to regain health immediately, allowing Ursaluna to take hits again.
**Rocky Helmet**: Ursaluna finds itself often switching into physical attacks, as it can take them well due to its physical bulk. As a lot of them are also contact moves, Ursaluna doesn't even need to attack to punish foes with Rocky Helmet.
**Heavy-Duty Boots**: Ursaluna struggles to deal with residual chip damage from entry hazards, as its poor Speed makes it easy to revenge kill. Bulkier sets especially benefit from Heavy-Duty Boots allowing Ursaluna to ignore entry hazards and tank the hits it's built to.
Tera
========
Ursaluna is a decent user of Tera, since it allows Ursaluna to survive more hits than it usually would or deal massive amounts of damage with STAB Tera types. A very common Tera type is Tera Normal, further boosting Ursaluna's Facade and removing three of its weaknesses. Defensive options include Tera Steel, Water, and Ghost, which can help Ursaluna defensively by changing some weaknesses into resistances or immunities.
Draft Strategy
========
Ursaluna is great at its roles, but it certainly struggles without correct positioning and support. Its good typing, high Attack, and bulk allow it to be a threatening wallbreaker, but its Speed holds it back from being a better pick. If you intend to draft Ursaluna, some of the following roles should be covered.
**Pivots**: Getting Ursaluna in safely is incredibly helpful, activating Flame Orb immediately and preventing Ursaluna from taking chip damage. Pivots that work well with it can be fast and offensive, like Meowscarada and both Thundurus formes, or slower and capable of absorbing hits, like Galarian Slowking.
**High Speed Tiers**: Ursaluna's main drawback is its Speed. Drafting faster Pokemon means that foes will likely invest more of their EVs into Speed, leaving less for HP and Defense. This allows Ursaluna to pick off more foes than it otherwise would. Common speedy partners include Latios, Cinderace, and Tornadus-T.
**Specially Defensive Walls**: Ursaluna's other drawback is its low Special Defense. Drafting special walls, ideally ones that resist its weaknesses, means that Ursaluna can forego an Assault Vest in many matchups in favor of more beneficial items. Good special walls include Latias, Sylveon, and Scream Tail.
Checks and Counters
========
**Special Wallbreakers**: Physical attackers struggle to make a dent in Ursaluna, but special attackers can fold it like a sheet of paper. Ursaluna does not get much to deal with special wallbreakers such as Greninja, Latios, and Iron Moth, as it is extremely slow, meaning the foe will likely move first.
**Normal- and Ground-resistant Foes**: Ghost- and Flying-types like Sinistcha and Skarmory can present an issue for Ursaluna if they also happen to resist Ursaluna's other STAB type. This typically forces Ursaluna to make difficult predictions with coverage rather than spamming its strong STAB moves.
**Chip Damage**: Guts sets already have to deal with residual chip damage from burn without reliable recovery. Combine this with extra damage from entry hazards or pivot moves like Quaquaval's Flip Turn and Lokix's U-turn, and Ursaluna can find itself in a tough spot.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/faultierchunk60.602692/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno.527276/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/nyx.564960/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/solarbeam.470115/
Last edited:
