Community POTW #72

[jireh the provider]

The clone of gorebyss:

-Quiver dance
-Coil
-baton pass
-substitute / spore / thunderwave / or something like a frozen event that happened

we know the baton pass danger on moody but i bet his one's ineffective unless you dealed out the taunters, priorities, prankters, and importantly 2 pokes: A lavendar female foxie and a sun staring flag bird.

[MetalCrow]

I forgot to add that any pokemon that can outspeed smeargle and learn substitute can be considered a counter...not only is it a free turn, but you also get a chancein to do whatever boosting/domination tactics you see fit behind said substitute, cuz come now...short of seismic toss or night shade, smeargle isnt going to be doing any serious damage right off the bat

[philzone]

I forgot to add that any pokemon that can outspeed smeargle and learn substitute can be considered a counter...not only is it a free turn, but you also get a chancein to do whatever boosting/domination tactics you see fit behind said substitute, cuz come now...short of seismic toss or night shade, smeargle isnt going to be doing any serious damage right off the bat

That is true to a certain extent, but most smeargle carry spore, so the foe is immobilized. Try DW espeon or gardevoir, as they bounce it right back. safeguard screw all smeargle sets, as well as taunt, except if they carry foul play.

[Blue Harvest]

Killing Smeargle is easy. Taking it out before it covers your side of the field in Spikes / Stealth Rocks, or preventing it from Shell Smashing to a Jirachi or Salamence.. that's more difficult.

[MetalCrow]

That is true to a certain extent, but most smeargle carry spore, so the foe is immobilized. Try DW espeon or gardevoir, as they bounce it right back. safeguard screw all smeargle sets, as well as taunt, except if they carry foul play.

Oh, im sorry, but you seem to have missed the point... I said, "anything that outspeeds smeargle and carries substitute"
Also, i know darn well that DW gardevoir isnt going to be doing much with telepathy...Im prettu sure you mean Xatu instead...with that said, you might want to refer back to my first post on smeargle's POTW for more discerning information regarding the topic

[philzone]

Oh, im sorry, but you seem to have missed the point... I said, "anything that outspeeds smeargle and carries substitute"
Also, i know darn well that DW gardevoir isnt going to be doing much with telepathy...Im prettu sure you mean Xatu instead...with that said, you might want to refer back to my first post on smeargle's POTW for more discerning information regarding the topic

I actually meant normal gardevoir, as syncronise is ok, but still outclassed magic bounce, yet causes pain if used with a lum berry. Also, what about fake out users? Meinshao, unburdenlee, infernape. Fake out then decimate with fighting type moves. And all of these have a faster base speed than smeargle, so definite counters. Hypno causes grief, because of insomnia, and also honchkrow. Whismcott can taunt or immobilise with grass whistle, the destroy it.

[Kraleck]

Countering Smeargle
An easy proposition, but difficult at the same time. Smeargle, while fragile, is so diverse it can't be readily identified. Spore is often a good bet, so Vital Spirit Primeape and Insomnia Honchkrow have an advantage. Insomnia Hypno only has an advantage if Smeargle lacks Foul Play to take advantage of Hypno's Base 73 Attack and Weakness to Dark. Taunt (especially a Prankster Taunt) will also wreck Smeargle's Spore efforts, so Whimsicott and Sableye can wreck it handily. DW Xatu and DW Espeon have Magic Bounce to return Spore to sender and Speed advantages, so Smeargle has to rely on other means, even with Foul Play. While still random, Early Bird can help with Spore's Sleep duration. Sleep Talk also gives an option to those who want to Sleep, especially with Guts, Quick Feet, or Marvel Scale. Guts, Quick Feet, Marvel Scale, Toxic Boost, Poison Heal, or Flare Boost activating after a Protect will also block Spore completely.

From there, outrunning Smeargle is kind of simple - over 200 Pokemon (even NEs and NFEs) outrun its Base 75. Since Smeargle is so fragile (and often is used as a lead), it likely has a Focus Sash to compensate. Multi-strike Moves will obliterate the ever-fragile Smear', making Bullet Seed, Rock Blast, Tail Slap, Icicle Spear, and Spike Cannon (among others) deadly to it (Technician Cinccino is its bane).

[philzone]

How about rotom(any form) as a counter? Try trick+choice scarf to annoy smeargle(only if it doesn't use foul play), as then it is stuck on using status moves. Basically anyone who can switch items is good, if they use a choice scarf. Also, entry hazards cause havoc as its focus sash doesn't work anymore. So, stealth rock is strong, and so is spikes. Skarmory is great here.

[The Intersect]

Haven't done one in a while, lets see.

Monkey See Monkey Do.
Ev's: 252 Speed, 252 HP
Item: Focus Sash
Ability Own Tempo
Nature: Timid Or Jolly.
Spore
Spikes
Stealth Rocks
Endeavour

This set allows Smeargle To put the opponents lead to sleep, if they get a good hit in the sash will allow him to survive then set up spikes and rocks, then if they did get a it in go for endeavour to cut them to 1hp fr the next pokemon in to capitalize on

[MetalCrow]

Now that i think about it, it is completely viable to run Trick on the normal baton pass sets... seeing as smeargle will use up its item, it then can steal the opponents item as well before leaving, further easing the game for the recipient

[jesusfreak94]

I don't think I've seen anyone mention this exact set yet, so I'll throw this out there, seeing as how it's the most common Smeargle set in RU right now by a pretty large margin.

Smeargle@Focus Sash
Timid
Own Tempo
252 HP, 4 Def, 252 Spe
-Spore
-Spikes
-Stealth Rock
-Whirlwind

Not my favorite set, but it's pretty common, so it probably deserves a mention as something to look out for. Absolutely hates Evolite Natu, I'll tell you that. Personally, I'm a big fan of the Trick Room/Spore/Endeavor/Dragon Rage set. If you don't play it badly, you can actually get a couple of good KOs with it per match.

Also, the 5th most common move on Smeargle in RU is...no move at all. Just saiyan.

[Ophie]

I saw on Smogon that they don't allow you to have Shell Smash and Baton Pass on the same Pokémon, but that only applies to single battles. It's okay in the other battling formats, right?

[jesusfreak94]

I believe that SmashPass was only banned in RU (and as a result, NU as well), so I'd assume that it would be alright in any other tiers or battling formats.

[Aquaholic]

Well, let's go stupid shall we?

STATUS AHOY!
EVs: 252 Speed/Every other EV: wherever you like
Item: Focus Sash
Nature: Anything Speed boosting really
Ability: Own Tempo, seeing as it won't be BPing Moody boosts or needing Technician...

T/Wave
Spore
Will-o-Wisp
Confuse Ray

Trollin' Smeargle? I think so! This is for use in Double Battles when your teammate is in need of an ability activator. Marvel Scale, Guts, Flare Boost, Tangled Feet et al. will all appreciate the helping hand, and it also means that you can have that respective Pokémon hold something other than Toxic/Flame Orb.

[Zachmac]

Well, let's go stupid shall we?

STATUS AHOY!
EVs: 252 Speed/Every other EV: wherever you like
Item: Focus Sash
Nature: Anything Speed boosting really
Ability: Own Tempo, seeing as it won't be BPing Moody boosts or needing Technician...

T/Wave
Spore
Will-o-Wisp
Confuse Ray

Trollin' Smeargle? I think so! This is for use in Double Battles when your teammate is in need of an ability activator. Marvel Scale, Guts, Flare Boost, Tangled Feet et al. will all appreciate the helping hand, and it also means that you can have that respective Pokémon hold something other than Toxic/Flame Orb.

I'd rather use Mew, though I guess this could be an alternative to it in VGC, there are probably better pokemon to spread certain status conditions. Why not try slashing helping hand or endeavor somewhere? Actually, I think they'd be an option in any of those move slots.

Eh, looks useable, but I'm not sure, seeing those stats....

[Aquaholic]

I'd much rather have Mew there for doing some damage. Base 100 across the board with access to all TM/HM moves means Mew shouldn't be farting around doing a Smeargle's job

With regards to my Smeargle set, you could slash Helping Hand/Endeavor in place of any status move that you know you won't be using I guess

[Zachmac]

I'd much rather have Mew there for doing some damage. Base 100 across the board with access to all TM/HM moves means Mew shouldn't be farting around doing a Smeargle's job

But Mew has more speed and more bulk as well. There isn't much of a point in using Smearlge if Mew could do it better.

A status set for Smeargle could work out, but you'll need a reason to use Smeargle over Mew. I can't think of any at the moment, but it gets every move in the game! I'm sure there is some way Smeargle could run that set that Mew can't.

[YourPermanentRecord631]

It's very cool Gamefreak made a pokemon to learn about every move in the game, allowing many sets to be made but most are outclassed by others.

[thatjeremykid]

It's very cool Gamefreak made a pokemon to learn about every move in the game, allowing many sets to be made but most are outclassed by others.

this is true, but it's stats are too horrid to do almost anything. honestly i would never use a smeargle

[tomjames1966]

this is true, but it's stats are too horrid to do almost anything. honestly i would never use a smeargle

I would never use smeargle aswel because I would prefer Blissey as a supporter.

[Kraleck]

Partners for Smeargle
Anything that can take a hit and/or use a Baton Passed buff. Seriously - there are waaaaay too many to list that fall into this category. Smeargle could support anything and be an afterthought from there.

As to actual partners, anything with considerable bulk, offense, and/or Speed is a good choice:
-Serperior has great defenses and Speed and enjoys buffs of almost any kind
-Snorlax wrecks with Coil buffs to compensate its low Defense and beef up its already-beefy Attack
-Quiver Dance buffs are appreciated by any Special Attacker (Alakazam, Omastar, Glaceon, Pelipper, Magnezone, and Gorebyss are prime candidates for this buff)
-Shift Gear is a huge buff for the likes of Rampardos, Haxorus, Metagross, Kingler, Absol, Mamoswine, Pinsir, Gyarados, Honchkrow, Gallade, and Braviary

Other Moves
Looking at what we've put down so far, Smeargle is limitless on what it can have, but has a limit on what it can use well. The Pledge Moves are decent (though gimmicky) choices in Multi. Few players expect the Pledge Trio, but Smeargle is great as a supporter (which is what the effects of 2 different Pledge Moves do best - support). Grass Pledge + Water Pledge is best if you expect to face Ground and/or Rock Types (which, if you'll remember, gain STAB on Earthquake and Rock Slide, respectively).

[Meowmeow]

Smeargle, is someone I honestly find underwhelming. Even with the ability to Baton Pass Shell Smash, Quiver Dance, Shift Gear, Coil, Sun Growth, Cotton Guard, Tail Glow, Dragon Dance, Cosmic Power, or whatever else, it is a statistical mess. It could have been better if Moody wasn't banned, or if it had Prankster, or Magic Guard, or even Overcoat. While it doesn't pass as many possibilities as Smeargle, the fact that Mew is no longer an uber makes Smeargle very forgettable. The only thing that puts Smeargle above Mew is Spore. Anything else is a complete waste of time.
However, there is a way for Smeargle to shine. Double battles. With teammates using moves Wide Guard, Follow Me, and/or Rage Powder, Smeargle can can do what it needs to do with relative safety. It's not exactly guaranteed, but it does help Smeargle cripple with Spore and boost afterward. Another way to get Smeargle to show its colors is to use it in the middle of a Baton Pass chain. Behind something like Venomoth or Volbeat, Smeargle will show up with boosted stats from the start with the opponent crippled by Sleep Powder or Thunder Wave while possibly being behind a Substitute.
All in all, Smeargle can only switch in on something that is crippled. Smeargle is not fast enough to cripple enemies with Spore on its own. Not only that, a large number of Prankster abuseres have access to Taunt, which completely shuts down Smeargle's purpose in life.

Here's the bottom line: if you do not use a Baton Pass chain team, Smeargle is nothing but garbage. Use Mew instead. Mew, at the very least, can fend for itself. Do not get drawn into the infinite movepool. Smeargle does not have the stats to back it up in any way. Period. Otherwise, use Smeargle in spin-off games. That way, Smeargle can really be amazing.

[Vandslaux]

There is basically nothing that Smeargle can do that Mew can't. Mew's capable of BPing +2 in any stat and has Hypnosis, albeit the low accuracy, look at Mew's bulk. Then look at Smeargle's. Then look at Mew's.

[Blue Harvest]

There is basically nothing that Smeargle can do that Mew can't. Mew's capable of BPing +2 in any stat and has Hypnosis, albeit the low accuracy, look at Mew's bulk. Then look at Smeargle's. Then look at Mew's.

Spikes, Spore, Smash Pass.

Mew can do none of these.

[philzone]

There is basically nothing that Smeargle can do that Mew can't. Mew's capable of BPing +2 in any stat and has Hypnosis, albeit the low accuracy, look at Mew's bulk. Then look at Smeargle's. Then look at Mew's.

Also, it has sheer cold and lock on. And only smeargle learns it. Mew is limited to TMs and move tutors, and the occasional special event move. Smeargle isn't that limited.