Slowbro @ Leftovers
Trait: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SAtk
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Scald
- Psychic
- Flamethrower
- Slack Off
Slowbro is one of the few UU Pokémon that can perform as well as most OU's. Its main advantage over other bulky Waters is its ability Regenerator. Combined with considerable bulk, Regenerator allows Slowbro to wall nearly every physical attacker in the OU metagame. Even Adamant Excadrill's X-Scissor fails to KO after a Swords Dance. Slowbro can also handle Conkeldurr, Terrakion and even Ferrothorn thanks to its high physical bulk and great move pool.
Scald and Psychic provide Slowbro with useful STABs. The former has a nice 30% burn rate, while the latter gives Slowbro more power and a way to hit Conkeldurr. One nice thing about Slowbro is that it's slower than Conkeldurr (meaning Payback's damage is halved), but faster than Ferrothorn. Flamethrower manages a 2HKO on Ferrothorn, meaning you can prevent it from setting up at all if you hit it on the switch. Slack Off is Slowbro's main recovery move, and is helpful if you decide to stay in. Otherwise, frequent switching with Regenerator will likely keep Slowbro at high health anyway.
Although this is my favorite set, I'm a fairly offensive player. Some like to use Ice Beam for a better way of dealing with Dragonite. Thunder Wave is also a pretty good option to hit fast sweepers with. Toxic can also work well against bulkier opponents. Fire Blast isn't necessary, since Flamethrower has perfect accuracy and still gets the same KOs. Overall, Slowbro's excellent physical bulk and varied move pool make it my personal favorite bulky Water and a great choice for nearly any team.
I've used Slowbro quite a bit, and I must say it's quite effective as a physical wall.
ReplyDeleteThe main problem I've found, however, is how it loses to other bulky waters without running Toxic.
For this reason, I find Tangrowth to be a good partner for Slowbro. Slowbro is walled by bulky waters but can take on Ferrothorn (to an extent), and Tangrowth is walled by Ferrothorn but can take on bulky waters. Plus they can safely switch back and forth because they both have Regeneration.