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PLDH-MajeSan
10-31-2009, 08:19 PM
Slowking

http://arkeis.com/images/pokemonfactory/slowking.png

Summary:

Most Used Set:

Slowking's main selling points in double battles are the ability to take special hits like a pro, the move Trick Room (especially when considering its already awful speed), and Slack Off. Slowking can use Trick Room to turn the tables on speedy opponents such as Rain Dance users, making what is usually their greatest advantage a humongous lodestone for five turns! Even better, it can then use its hefty SpAtk stat to deal powerful blows while going first thanks to how slow it is. Slowking and its partners can easily sweep through the four opponents in a typical 4v4 double battle before the Trick Room expires with a bit of luck.

Usual Counters:

The typical way of stopping Trick Room users from setting up, Taunt, is still viable. However, if Slowking prefers to simply attack with a Specs variant, you could find yourself down a Pokemon. Powerful physical attacks, such as Night Slash, U-Turn, and Seed Bomb, are the most effective methods of punching through Slowking before it can cause too much trouble for your team. Scizor and Tyranitar are two very good examples of Slowking Counters, resisting the Psychic STAB handily and being able to take a Surf if necessary, as well as having Pursuit to stop it from retreating if it tries to.

Types of Teams Pokemon Is Used On:

Slowking typically sees use on "Obi-Mode" or Trick Room teams. There is no doubt that Trick Room is a horrendously effective strategy in double battles, equally as effective as Rain abuse teams and usually able to beat them one on one with the right team members. Outside of Trick Room, Specs Slowking with Trick is also viable thanks to the power it provides, and the ability to cripple certain set-up Pokemon on opposing teams using Trick to lock them into one move.

In Depth:


http://squirtlepage.altervista.org/game/rubino_zaffiro/evoluzioni/slowking.gif
Trick Room King@ Leftovers/Focus Sash
Ability: Own Tempo
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpAtk / 4 Def
Nature: Quiet ( - Speed + SpAtk )

- Trick Room
- Slack Off
- Psychic / Thunderbolt
- Ice Beam / Flamethrower

This set is very slow, minimizing at 55 Speed. It is highly unlikely that anything you will see in a double battle will be able to outspeed it after Trick Room comes up. Very few partners for Trick Room will enjoy being hit by Slowking's STAB Surf repeatedly, so you might want to leave that off of this set unless you are pairing Slowking with either something that resists it heavily (such as Ludicolo) or has Water Absorb (like Poliwrath). In lieu of a very good STAB, you can utilize Slowking's other STAB, Psychic, or use Thunderbolt to hit Rain Dance abusers who would still be able to deal heavy damage to Marowak if it was partnered with you. The fourth move would be best used hitting either Steel types or Dragons, based on what your partner Pokemon have trouble dealing with. Protect is, of course, also viable to defend Slowking from potential Earthquakes your partner would be firing off.

The minimal speed IV, EV, and nature allow it to almost always go first in Trick Room. The maximized HP allows for hefty bulk that will defend it from first turn attacks, while the maximized Special Attack allows it to mop up weakened enemies that still pose a threat. Note that the given EVs allow you to wall Kingdra completely, absorbing both unboosted Outrages and Draco Meteors and using Slack Off to erase the damage.

Although Slowking is very specially defensive, it still will be knocked out if Pokemon such as Jolteon forego Rain Dance and aim STAB Thunders at it instead. Marowak therefore makes an excellent partner to stop Electric attacks from hitting Slowking using Lightningrod as its ability. However, this combination is very weak to a Sun team utilizing mainly Grass attacks. To compensate, bringing in Sunflora or Vileplume as a partner is also an option (as the sun will activate Solar Power, making its attacks surprisingly powerful), for its Grass resistance and slow speed. Sludge Bomb provides for an attack option against Grass types for either of them, although Sunflora is certainly the much stronger of the two with higher SpAtk and Solar Power.

http://squirtlepage.altervista.org/game/rubino_zaffiro/evoluzioni/slowking.gif
Specs@ Choice Specs
Ability: Own Tempo
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpAtk / 4 Def
Nature: Quiet ( + Special Attack - Speed )
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt
- Flamethrower
- Surf/Trick

This set's main goal is to provide effective attacking without using a turn to set up Nasty Plot. While Nasty Plot is certainly viable, it require Trick Room to pull off effectively, and the lack of Hydro Pump in Slowking's repertoire makes it a sub-par water attacker. Instead, this set can take advantage of Slowking's wide special movepool to hit many things super effectively.

Most people won't think Thunderbolt or Flamethrower when they see Slowking, allowing it to come in with relative sneakiness on Water or Steel attacks and pick off the opponent. Of course, the trick is keeping it up through two of your opponent's turns to actually get off an attack or Trick. Hariyama or the like that can utilize Fake Out are pretty effective for this, and also go well together in Trick Room teams with Slowking.

The EVs and moves are typical for coverage and bulk versus attack power on a Pokemon like Slowking who has no hope for outrunning anything meaningful. You can modify them to provide more special or physical defense, if you wish.

Other Options:

Nasty Plot and Trick Room really don't fit on the same set, as you must either give up two-move coverage (which would be pointless) or Slack Off, which would make Slowking much more vulnerable. A Nasty Plot set is certainly viable if you use Banette, Claydol, or even Slowbro to set up Trick Room instead. Slowking can also utilize Curse, although that is generally far too slow to yield benefits for the fast-paced Double Battle metagame.

Opinion:
While the orientation of the OU metagame's offensive attacks in relation to Slowking's Water/Psychic typing usually means it is far inferior to Slowbro, in double battles, Special Attacks are actually typically more common, excepting Earthquakes and the like. Slowking's improved Special Defense allows it to shine in this setting, along with its terrible speed that it turns into a huge advantage with Trick Room. If you see your opponent running Slowking along with a slow but strong Pokemon, eliminate Slowking's ability to Trick Room at all costs. Otherwise, the game is probably already over.

DarXidE
08-24-2010, 03:16 AM
****** bots.

ANYWHO, could fire blast be slashed over flamethrower? more powerful, and people like me like to take the chance and go power > accuracy.