Wish Passing in the LC

[JCM]

I'd like to start by apologizing if there is already a thread like this, but I couldn't find one. Recently, I began a Little Cup team and realized that there weren't very many good wish passers. While looking around for potential users of the move, I collected these Pokemon:

Natu @ Eviolite
Trait: Magic Bounce
Nature: Timid
EVs: 116 HP/240 Def/80 SpD/40 Spe

-Wish
-Roost/Protect/Baton Pass
-Psychic/Calm Mind
-Hidden Power [Fighting]

The given EV spread maximizes eviolite potency and wish size, while making natu as fast as possible. Roost gives Natu one turn healing and temporarily removes your flying type, but Protect can be paired with Wish to give scouting potential and the chance to be safe from damage while waiting for the wish to activate. Baton Pass should only be used with Calm Mind, as then you can send off all of your boosts to the recipient of Wish. Hidden Power [Fighting] and Psychic provide excellent coverage together, and Psychic gets stab.

Drowzee @ Eviolite
Trait: Insomnia
Nature: Impish
EVs: 116 HP/196 Def/196 SpD

-Wish
-Drain Punch
-Protect
-Fire Punch/Zen Headbutt

Wish provides recovery for itself and the rest of the team, while protect allows it to heal itself more reliably. Drain Punch attains great coverage with either Fire Punch or Zen Headbutt, and heals itself a little.

Drifloon @ Eviolite
Trait: Aftermath/Flare Boost
Nature: Timid
EVs: 196 HP/168 Def/88 SpD/40 Spe

-Wish
-Will-O-Wisp/Hypnosis/Thunder Wave/Toxic
-Shadow Ball/Charge Beam/Calm Mind
-Hidden Power [Fighting]/Baton Pass

As always, Wish is for healing. As a second move, Drifloon has a wide variety of status moves at its disposal, although Will-O-Wisp and Hypnosis are generally the most useful. Shadow Ball is primary stab, and attains great coverage alongside Hidden Power [Fighting]. However, if running Baton Pass, Charge Beam or Calm Mind should be used to pass on boosts.

Please post suggestions on more Wish passers, currently I've settled on Drowzee, although I may switch to Natu. After many tests, I found that Drifloon is generally inferior, although it has unique typing and high HP, as well as Will-O-Wisp.

 

[Ray Jay]

Natu's set should look more like this:

Natu @ Eviolite
Magic Bounce
Timid
196 HP / 76 Def / 200 Spe
-FeatherDance / Toxic
-Wish
-Hidden Power (Flying)
-Protect / U-turn

Basically FeatherDance lets you outdo Stunky and Scraggy switch ins while Toxic lets you beat more defensive switch ins. Natu should almost never be running 2 coverage moves; if it has to use a coverage move it'll probably be too weak to KO the opposition. HP Flying attains reasonable neutral coverage along with good super effective coverage. The last slot is again up to preference.

The other notable Wish passer you missed is Lickitung:

Lickitung @ Eviolite
Own Tempo
Careful
196 HP / 76 Def / 236 SpD
-Wish
-Protect
-Dragon Tail
-Heal Bell / Return

This set walls special attackers such as Misdreavus to no end and prevents the likes of Scraggy from setting up. The first three slots are obvious, and the final slot can be tailored to fit the team. Return gives some power while Heal Bell keeps Lickitung healthy, but even something like Blizzard or Thunderbolt could be viable here. Bronzor and Larvesta are both pretty awesome teammates.

----------------

The big problem I have with Wish in LC is that so many good Pokemon already have reliable recovery, and the one's that do not don't typically have the time to make use of Wish. For example, Omanyte seems like a prime candidate for Wish support. But if I send out Omanyte early game, chances are it will die if I go for a Shell Smash and I won't be able to Wish it up. If I play Omanyte properly, it won't be sent out until late game anyways. The balance is difficult to strike for sure, but is definitely "appreciated" if you can dedicate the slot to Wish support. That's the other problem; using Wish on Natu is tough as it almost obligates Protect, and now you're forced to sacrifice some of Natu's awesome support moves. If I use Wish on Lickitung, I can't use Curse or Cloud Nine. In all honesty, Wish is sometimes not worth the hassle it creates; if you can do it right though, the result can be effective.

 

[JCM]

Ah yes, Lickitung. I knew I was missing someone. I did consider a set like that on Natu, but through testing I found the other worked better. Thanks!