[OVERVIEW]
Vaporeon finds a niche in Tradebacks OU as it gains Growth, which allows it to boost its already high Special even higher. Once boosted, Surf mows down most foes with little issue, 2HKOing foes such as Tauros and Persian at +1 and 2HKOing even bulky foes such as Snorlax and Zapdos at +2. This, combined with Acid Armor to patch up its lacking base 60 Defense, lets Vaporeon be a great wall not only specially, but also physically; at just +2 Defense, Snorlax's Body Slam becomes a 6HKO. Vaporeon has much higher base Special compared to the other notable Water-type setup sweeper, Slowbro, dealing good damage with Surf even without any Growth boosts. Vaporeon's higher base Special also allows it to tank special hits much easier; Starmie or Chansey only 4HKO with Thunderbolt. This higher base Special also allows Vaporeon to live a critical hit Thunderbolt from Starmie and Chansey with relative ease, taking just 63.4% maximum from a Starmie Thunderbolt critical hit. Vaporeon's large amount of boosting moves also lets it reapply a paralyzed foe's Speed drop up to nine times, while Slowbro can only reapply a paralyzed foe's Speed drop three times.
However, Vaporeon is in stark competition with Slowbro for the role of bulky Water-type, and Slowbro has Amnesia, better physical bulk, and Thunder Wave. Vaporeon also shares Slowbro's issues of having to rely on Rest for recovery and takes a lot more turns than Slowbro to set up, making it quite exploitable. However, once Vaporeon gets the ball rolling, it's hard to stop it, with a +5 Surf mowing over even Water-resistant foes. It also can tank one critical hit Thunderbolt from Starmie, Chansey, or Gengar, which Slowbro can't do due to its worse special bulk. Vaporeon is also noticeably faster than Slowbro, outspeeding the likes of Snorlax, Chansey, Exeggutor, and Rhydon, although it's still not fast enough to outspeed most common foes.
[SET]
name: Growth
move 1: Growth
move 2: Surf
move 3: Acid Armor
move 4: Rest
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Growth raises Vaporeon's Special even higher, allowing it to increase its special bulk and the power of its STAB Surf. Surf 2HKOes Tauros, Persian, and often Jolteon at +1, though bulkier foes, such as Snorlax, Zapdos, and Hypno require two Growth boosts to 2HKO. Acid Armor lets Vaporeon boost up its measly base 60 Defense, taking paltry damage at +2 from even the strongest physical attacks; it's 6HKOed at +2 by Snorlax's Body Slam, and 7HKOed by Tauros's Body Slam, allowing Vaporeon to shrug off the damage and use Rest with ease, although Tauros's high critical hit rate makes using Rest in front of it risky, as Vaporeon takes 52.9% minimum from a critical hit Body Slam. Acid Armor also has 61PP, which, in combination with Growth, gives Vaporeon a staggering 122PP at its disposal without cutting into Surf and Rest PP, letting it PP stall any foe with ease. Rest lets Vaporeon heal off any stray hits it may take while setting up. Acid Armor can be dropped within reason, as it isn't always needed for Vaporeon to be an effective sweeper. Ice Beam hits Grass and Flying-types for super effective damage, and at +1 Vaporeon is heavily favored to 2HKO Zapdos and Exeggutor. Body Slam allows Vaporeon to paralyze non-Normal-types, but it deals very little damage. Hydro Pump hits much harder than Surf, notably 2HKOing Tauros and Persian unboosted and 2HKOing Snorlax, Alakazam, and Gengar at +1. However, it's often unreliable due to its low accuracy and PP. Substitute can be used to protect Vaporeon from stray critical hits and grant safety when using Rest, as a +1 Vaporeon's Substitute is not broken by Starmie or Chansey's Thunderbolt; Gengar's Thunderbolt is also not favored to break it.
Vaporeon should be used on a team with good paralysis support, as it lacks any meaningful way to paralyze Starmie, Alakazam, and Chansey, which might otherwise pose issues to it. Vaporeon can also use Growth and Acid Armor to reapply the speed drop from paralysis, letting it outspeed a paralyzed Starmie or Alakazam even if paralyzed itself. Vaporeon needs physical attacking support to help break through special walls like Chansey and Starmie, so it benefits from partners like a Lovely Kiss or all-out attacking Snorlax, as well as Explosion users such as Exeggutor and Golem, as they can neutralize foes that may cause Vaporeon issues with Explosion or status.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/notverycake.625260/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/pac.520967/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sabelette.583793/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sabelette.583793/
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