Ansena's Antics

Coming out of obscurity after the introduction of Intimidate Incineroar, Lurantis fulfills a special niche as a slow Grass Type Sweeper. Its ability Contrary allows Lurantis to deter Intimidators, while access to Superpower allows Lurantis to check Incineroar and sweep through unprepared teams. Pros *105 Attack stat is decent, considering Lurantis will almost never be below neutral Attack due to Contrary *70 / 90 / 90 Bulk allows Lurantis to survive numerous Super Effective attacks and proc its Pinch Berry *Contrary reverses stat drops such as Intimidate, giving Lurantis a +1 Attack Boost when Intimidated *Combined with Superpower, Lurantis can quickly rack up both Attack and Defense Boosts Cons *Requires both Intimidate Support and Trick Room Support to function properly *70 / 90 Defense requires Intimidate Support to survive Incineroar Flare Blitz *Common threats such as Salamence, Gengar, Incineroar, and Cresselia heavily threaten Lurantis’ longevi...

After a brief two year hiatus, Amoonguss is once again a nuisance in the VGC format. With a solid bulk, access to Spore and Rage Powder, as well as an incredibly useful form of Recovery through Regenerator, Amoonguss is yet again the premier redirection support Pokemon in VGC. Pros *114 Base HP Stat makes Amoonguss incredibly bulky, allowing it to redirect a considerable number of attacks *Access to Clear Smog and very slow speed allows Amoonguss to reset opponent’s stat buffs *A decent Trick Room counter with low speed and Spore *Access to both Rage Powder and Spore makes Amoonguss a great Pokemon to both protect / neuter Trick Room setters and set up Pokemon *Regenerator allows Amoonguss to recover 33% of HP upon switching out, making sure that it can redirect even more attacks Cons *70 / 85 Defensive and Special Defensive Stats are very lackluster *Very weak to the common Meta Lele as well as Charizard Y teams *Tapu Fini and Tapu Koko both preven...

With the introduction of Pinch Berries in 2017, Snorlax has risen to prominence as one of the best Pokemon in VGC. With its incredibly low base speed, access to consistent recovery, and a choice of set up moves, Snorlax is a bulky nuisance that can double as a Trick Room sweeper. Pros *160 / 60 / 110 Defenses allows Snorlax to tank Z Moves and Super Effective moves alike *Incredible bulk allows Snorlax to switch into moves in place of its allies *Normal Typing is great defensively, making Snorlax weak only to Fighting types *Fighting types are severely threatened in this format because of Tapus *Ability of Gluttony activates Snorlax’ Pinch Berry at 50% HP, allow Snorlax to abuse moves like Belly Drum and otherwise stay above 50% HP at all times *110 Attack stat is decent, and combined with set up moves (Curse / Belly Drum), Snorlax can become a terrifying sweeper *Base 30 Speed allows Snorlax to underspeed the majority of the format, becoming a threatenin...

Possessing both Intimidate and Fake Out, Scrafty occupies a niche shared only by Hitmontop. With access to a varied movepool and heavy bulk, Scrafty is an excellent supportive Pokemon that can both pick up crucial KO’s and allow allies to set up. While Dark / Fighting is a decent typing offensively, this 4x weakness to Fairy holds Scrafty back from being a top tier Pokemon in a Tapu filled format. Pros *65 / 115 / 115 Bulk is exceptional; Scrafty can invest heavily in HP and Attack while still being bulky enough to withstand both Physical and Special Attacks *58 Speed Stat underspeeds the likes of Tyranitar, Aegislash, and Gothitelle, allowing Scrafty to operate under Trick Room *A wide offensive and supportive movepool allow Scrafty to deal damage to common threats in the metagame *Access to STAB Knock Off also serves as a check to Gothitelle and Cresselia *STAB Low Kick also deals hefty damage to threats like Snorlax and Tyranitar Cons *Glaring quad wea...