Originally Posted by
Suspence
I'm surprised to see that the OU set for Gorebyss hasn't come up yet (I may have overlooked). This is the most common set and Gorebyss' best, IMO.
Gorebyss is one of three Pokemon who can pass a Shell Smash boost to another team member, blessing the recipient with +2 boosts in Attack, Special Attack, and Speed. However, it does have a few flaws, such as low HP, poor Special Defense, and a heavy reliance on White Herb. Nevertheless, Gorebyss is a surprising threat that every team should be prepared for.
SmashPass
Gorebyss (F) @White Herb
Trait: Hydration
EVs: 252 HP / 24 SpD / 232 Spe
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Shell Smash
- Baton Pass
- Surf
- Substitute / Ice Beam
PLAYING WITH GOREBYSS: Ideally, Gorebyss should be brought in against a Pokémon who can barely threaten her, such as a Pokémon locked into a resisted attack. From there, Gorebyss should use Shell Smash, and depending on the situation, use Baton Pass or attack directly. Surf is a powerful and reliable STAB move. Ice Beam nails any Grass- or Dragon-type Pokemon who happen to switch in. Ice Beam also allows Gorebyss to deal with phazers such as Roar Latias and Dragon Tail Gyarados. Alternatively, you may want to use Substitute, which is there to be passed on to the recipient as a bonus.
EV SPREAD: After a boost, 232 Speed EVs allow Gorebyss to outspeed base 130 Pokemon, such as Jolteon and Aerodactyl, even with a positive nature. Maximum HP and 24 Special Defense EVs allow Gorebyss to take hits better, especially as it has a nice base Defense stat. White Herb is a must-have item, as it negates both defense drops caused by Shell Smash.
ADDITIONAL OPTIONS: For the fourth slot, if Substitute or Ice Beam is not required, Gorebyss may wish to run Hidden Power Grass or Fire in order to defeat some common checks and counters. Hidden Power Grass ensures that Water-type Pokemon do not wall Gorebyss, and Hidden Power Fire demolishes Ferrothorn and Abomasnow, two common switch-ins.
TEAMMATES: Dual screens support is appreciated, as it allows Gorebyss and its receiver to take hits easily. Latios has decent defensive synergy with Gorebyss, and can also use Memento, effectively leaving the foe with -6 Attack and Special Attack with screens set up. If offensively-oriented Pokemon are not desirable, some defensive options include Jirachi, Uxie (who, once again, can use Memento to your team's advantage), and Bronzong. It is recommended to have at least two dual screens users on a team with Shell Smash + Baton Pass Gorebyss, as this makes pulling off the risky SmashPass strategy much easier.
The recipient of the boost should not be any random Pokemon. There are certain qualities a Pokemon must possess in order to be a good receiver. First, a good receiver should be able to handle priority moves, either by possessing bulk or by being able to use its own priority attacks (or a combination of both). One example of this is Metagross; its Steel / Psychic typing enables it to shrug off many different types of attacks, and it has great bulk. Metagross can also use Bullet Punch, its own priority attack. Another quality the recipient should have is the ability to destroy common walls, such as Ferrothorn, Jellicent, Skarmory, and Blissey. Both Infernape and Landorus are excellent mixed wallbreakers, and can easily destroy walls after a Shell Smash. On a final note, having recipients hold Lum Berry is a good idea, as many Pokemon will attempt to cripple the recipient with status moves in order to prevent them from sweeping.
Gorebyss loathes priority attacks, even when behind screens. For example, Conkeldurr, running a specially defensive spread, can set up on it as it uses Shell Smash and deal heavy damage with Drain Punch + Mach Punch. A strong special attacker, such as Calm Mind Reuniclus, can easily defeat the aforementioned menace. Pokemon with the ability Prankster, such as Tornadus and Whimsicott, are also problems, as they can Taunt Gorebyss before it sets up or cripple it with status moves. Magic Bounce Espeon and Xatu can easily counter these threats by reflecting their attacks back at them, and on top of that, set up dual screens. Phazers also pose a problem, as they can force Gorebyss out, removing the Shell Smash boost. Calm Mind + Roar Latias, a common phazer, can be brought down by very powerful physical attacks, such as repeated Crunches from Choice Band Tyranitar. RestTalk Gyarados, another common phazer, is easily dented by Electric-type attacks, such as those from Rotom-W.
COUNTERS: Although rain support is not required for any Gorebyss attempting to use Shell Smash for sweeping, removing it makes taking it down much easier. Ninetales can easily switch in and not even flinch with its stellar 100 base Special Defense, not to mention its neutrality to Water-type attacks due to Drought, and threaten Gorebyss with either Energy Ball or SolarBeam. Abomasnow has to be wary of Hidden Power Fire, but it easily can smash Gorebyss with its STAB Wood Hammer. Tyranitar absolutely hates Surf, but can easily prey on Gorebyss's -1 defenses. Hippowdon should avoid switching into Gorebyss altogether, but can come in on a less threatening Pokemon and remove the rain. Note that directly countering Gorebyss is difficult, as most Gorebyss immediately baton pass at the first sign of danger. Pokemon with Prankster can also cripple Gorebyss with their priority status attacks or prevent it from using Shell Smash with Taunt.
I have claimed Octillery! 
