Community POTW #82

[your boss]

I know that I don't really see dig a whole lot, but I have seen swagger being used before. I witnessed Liepards and Zoroa/Zoroark use it with foul play.

Yes, even with Prankster Liepard but outside of that I never see it.

Partners: Rain is a must anything not Drizzle. Plus it is ashame Cryoganol had to go to RU, leaving this shrimp to try to spin hazards.

More puns:
Prawn Stars
Prawn Brokers
I wished my kids would stop watching prawnography

[philzone]

Here is one i used on my sandstorm set.
Brave
Choice band
Battle armour
Evs 252 att, 252 def, 4 hp
Stone edge
X scissor
Earthquake
Brick break

This is my 2nd favorite fossil pokemon, only beaten by archeops. Stone edge for a strong STAB move. X scissor is the powerful bug STAB. Earthquake for the edgequake combo. Brick break was just a filler that fit in well. Evs to make it a physical tank. Best used in trick room. Sand storm makes it more specially defensive.

[Serebii]

As seen in the last POTW smogon the POTW are conducted by smogon rules, and most people follow those rules and they are made with deep analysis and I think servers that don't ban drizzle + SS just ban rain..

We're not conducted by Smogon rules to the point where we don't even bother with discussion of possibilities. Our main focus is to give players tips they can use in both competitive stuff online and in the VGC

[Ilan]

We're not conducted by Smogon rules to the point where we don't even bother with discussion of possibilities. Our main focus is to give players tips they can use in both competitive stuff online and in the VGC

Well in VGC it isn't that broken although it is still really hard to counter you can still use it but in singles OU it is banned on most PO servers.

BTW warturtle is now the best spinner in NU not armaldo cause he have better typing don't have a SR weakness

Armaldo comes in secound place thx to his strength and nice coverage he provides.

[SwiftGrovyle]

Why are so many people saying its Nu? Even beloved smogon says it can go in the RU.

Also, Reno, thanks for telling mister Haxorus logo guy about the relation with smogon.(if that was offensive, I apologize, because you are a smart And very helpful guy.) Took the words outta my mouth.

On to the main event!
Abilities
Shell armor is a great ability on this guy, as many of his sets, be it rapid spin, stealth rocks, or Restalk, it can take even a flash cannon from a Evolite Magneton, if and when they carry that. Very bulky, and no worries about hax.
Swift Swim is... What. It's like a toy Excadrill, in rain, although Kabutops is better at it. Though it's typing and capacibility to use aqua tail makes it unusual and unexpected, it can be quite useful as a banded sweeper.

So now this guy can play two games- slowly make the foe choke, or one quick slice like a hot knife through butter. My kind of guy.

[Ilan]

Why are so many people saying its Nu? Even beloved smogon says it can go in the RU.

Also, Reno, thanks for telling mister Haxorus logo guy about the relation with smogon.(if that was offensive, I apologize, because you are a smart And very helpful guy.) Took the words outta my mouth.

On to the main event!
Abilities
Shell armor is a great ability on this guy, as many of his sets, be it rapid spin, stealth rocks, or Restalk, it can take even a flash cannon from a Evolite Magneton, if and when they carry that. Very bulky, and no worries about hax.
Swift Swim is... What. It's like a toy Excadrill, in rain, although Kabutops is better at it. Though it's typing and capacibility to use aqua tail makes it unusual and unexpected, it can be quite useful as a banded sweeper.

So now this guy can play two games- slowly make the foe choke, or one quick slice like a hot knife through butter. My kind of guy.

1. It is Serebii not Reno, I didn't see Reno for a while..
2. I also have a name... Ilan..

Cause I used it at NU, it isn't that great there are better spinners in NU and stronger attackers too, also armaldo barely have speed some RU pokemon like aggron are by far stronger than armaldo and it have the same speed if I need to choose a RU attacker I won't pick armaldo..

Armaldo does decent in NU that's where he can work the best but I guess I couldn't use him right so in my preference in to use natu.

I played against swift swim + drizzle yeah.. not fun that's why I hate those sets, I don't play VGC but I am well aware those are doubles so there being the fastest ever is not that broken when you can just aim at the faster one
So if you want a VGC set here you go: (although I don't play VGC I play some doubles from time to time)

@life orb/leftovers
Swift Swim
252 attack, 252 speed, 4 def
Adamant
-Swords Dance
-Rock Slide
-Earthquake
-Protect/X-scissor


A nice and broken VGC swift swim set obviously used along with politoed in the same team, Sword dance makes armaldo's attack skyrocket to amazing levels, with swift swim he have speed too, rock slide hits both targets hard and is a really good doubles move, earthquake should be used with a levitating partner or one with protect, it hits all enemies targets aswell, protect is for partner pokemon to use moves or when you are targeted after the swords dance, X-scissors is armaldo's stronged moves although it is single target it can hit pokemons like latios really hard.

[your boss]

One counter I can think of is Weezing, can take a +2 Stone Edge and fry the shrimp. Plus Clear Smog gets rid of his boosts making him shrimp salad.

[DrummerScaper97]

Armaldo @Expert Belt
252 Attack, 252 Speed, 4 Special Defense
Nature: Adamant
Rock Polish
Swords Dance
X-Scissor
Stone Edge

Set him up with Rock Polsh, then get Swords Dance in later. Hit 'em hard with Stone Edge or X-Scissor.

[Lord Zoroark]

I wished my kids would stop watching prawnography

What.



Anyway... about Armaldo. His Speed is terrible. How does Swift Swim make him faster than Sceptile? Double his Speed and you get base 90. Small shrimp compared to Sceptile's 120.

[philzone]

Little cup.
Anorith.
Life orb/evolite
Swift swim
Evs 252 att, 252 hp,4 def
Swords dance
Rock slide
X scissor
Brick break

Adamant.

It is odd that anorith gets to abuse swift swim better than armaldo. Anyhow, set up with sd then sweep. Use in rain or sandstorm.

[Ilan]

What.



Anyway... about Armaldo. His Speed is terrible. How does Swift Swim make him faster than Sceptile? Double his Speed and you get base 90. Small shrimp compared to Sceptile's 120.

Stop Trolling..

It doesn'tn't double the base stat it doubles the current stat so it is more than a base 90 speed with full inversted speed 207*2= 414 for reference a full inversted base 100 pokemon have 328 speed and a base 110 have 350 speed.

How anorith get more chance to abuse SS? Politoed isn't in LC you can always use rain dance in OU too.

[your boss]

Lets not forget Eviolite on Anorith so he may at least survive an unSTABed boosted move and use Swords Dance on something slower than the prawn, in the rain of course.

[Kraleck]

More Move Options
Rock Blast - You may not be using this much, but the ability to chip through a Substitute must always be considered.
Rock Slide - Mostly for random Flinch-hax with Swift Swim and if you dread Stone Edge's PP and Accuracy.
Cross Poison - X-Scissor does better than this in STAB Power and coverage, yes, but this is more for Crit-hax and the chance to Poison. Never be too predictable...
Crush Claw - The high chance of Defense debuffs will make certain Physical Walls and Tanks reconsider their positions.
Body Slam - Illegal with Swift Swim, but has a really good Paralysis chance to aid Armaldo's low Speed.
Iron Tail - Steel's coverage is pretty blah, but the Power and chance for Defense debuffs are really nice.
Low Kick - Rock and/or Steel Types are quite heavy, so any trying to counter may be in for a surprise...

[GreatGonzales]

He owes Jesus a dollar

Nature: Jolly
Ability: Battle Armor
EVs 48 HP / 252Atk / 208Speed
Item: Life orb
Moves:
Rock Polish*
Stone Edge*
Earthquake*
X scissor*

Not what you're used to seeing, but cool. Rock polish doubles speed, life orb boosts Atk, moves are good coverage, etc. The evs / nature are to outspeed base 80 scarfers.*

[Meowmeow]

Armaldo is an interesting case. It has all of the makings to be a pretty good UU tier Pokemon, but it still falls into oblivion in comparison to Rhydon, who boasts a superior type combination, a resistance to Stealth Rock, higher attack and defense, and can hold the Eviolite.
So why use Armaldo?
Rhydon may have a better type combo, but not on every occasion. That bug-type can allow Armaldo to hit the now popular psychic type with STAB X-Scissor. More importantly, Armaldo has the ability Swift Swim, making it a speedier non-water rain sweeper. It also has Aqua Tail, giving it a third psuedo-STAB move to use. The final advantage over its older cousin is access to Rapid Spin and higher special bulk without Eviolite factored in.
Play Armaldo to its strengths and it won't disappoint. Just don't expect too much out of it.

Outclassed by Terrakion
Ability: Swift Swim (always)
EVs: 252 attack and speed, 4 hp
Nature: Jolly
@: Life Orb/Leftovers

Swords Dance
Rock Polish
Stone Edge/Rock Blast
X-Scissor/Aqua Tail

Double stat boost sets are tricky, but with Swift Swim, Armaldo can pull it off with its bulk backing it up. Boost and go. Stone Edge hits hard, even without Swords Dance, but Rock Blast has better accuracy and can break subs. X-Scissor is secondary STAB, but Aqua Tail hits very hard in the rain and will do more neutral damage than X-Scissor in the rain. Not only that, Aqua Tail smashes ground types that resist Stone Edge/Rock Blast.

Band? Scarf? You decide.
Nature: Jolly/Adamant
EVs: same as last
@: Choice Band/Choice Scarf

Stone Edge/Rock Blast
X-Scissor
Aqua Tail
Earthquake/Superpower/Low Kick/Rapid Spin

Slapping a choice item on Armaldo became much more doable with Swift Swim in its arsenal. Choice Band loves Rock Blast, while Scarf is better with Stone Edge. Earthquake lets Armaldo hit Metagross, which can Meteor Mash Armaldo with relative ease. Superpower and Low Kick hit Tyranitar harder than Aqua Tail while giving coverage on Ferrothorn, who walls this set otherwise. Rapid Spin does what Rapid Spin does.

A more Passive approach
Nature: Careful
EVs: I need help for this one.
@: Leftovers

Stealth Rock
Rapid Spin
Rock Blast
Toxic

Not a standard support set, but it can work. With Swift Swim, Stealth Rock is sure to hit the field. Rapid Spin is Rapid Spin. Rock Blast is the offensive move because of the higher PP, sub breaking, and higher accuracy. Toxic spreads status and is the best way to shut down heavily defensive stuff. Shame Armaldo doesn't get Dragon Tail.

Other stuff:
Substitute is an all-round useful tool on practically every occasion.
Battle Armor prevents crits, which helps bulky variants. However, crits don't happen often enough to sacrifice the potential speed boost from Swift Swim. On sandstorm teams, Battle Armor is the way to go, but that's when Rhydon becomes a much better choice.
Rock Slide can be used over Stone Edge or Rock Blast for accuracy and flinching and, in the case of Rock Blast, more consistent damage. Not a good trade-off though.
Using just Swords Dance is an option, but Rhydon does better.
Rock Polish looks better than Swords Dance thanks to Swift Swim, but Armaldo won't be hitting very hard.

That's Armaldo.

[John Wallrein]

Lets not forget Eviolite on Anorith so he may at least survive an unSTABed boosted move and use Swords Dance on something slower than the prawn, in the rain of course.

"Some men just want to watch the world burn."

You can't just slap an Eviolite on any NFE Pokemon. Almost every single time the Pokemon is still worse than its evolved form, and this case is no exception. Anorith has abysmall 45 / 50 / 50 defenses, and with lack of recovery, Eviolite won't help it to fair well. The only Pokemon that effectively can run Eviolite have to already have decent defenses.

[Ilan]

You can't just slap an Eviolite on any NFE Pokemon. Almost every single time the Pokemon is still worse than its evolved form, and this case is no exception. Anorith has abysmall 45 / 50 / 50 defenses, and with lack of recovery, Eviolite won't help it to fair well. The only Pokemon that effectively can run Eviolite have to already have decent defenses.

I must agree with it but I found one exception Natu in NU and RU with double screens is kinda bulky and is the only magic bounce pokemon in those tiers.
for anorith specially in LC which is an offensive oriented metagame LO is a better choice.

[your boss]

I don't see why "lack of recovery" is an issue, not every Pokemon in the metagame is going to have it. Sure it is nice to have it as it is useful on support and tanking, but still. Armaldo and Anorith are pokemon that are meant to go offensive and maybe support but it doesn't need it that bad.

[Dragrath]

even if sites like smogon ban drizzle + swift swim don't forget that rain dance is still legal and with a damp rock equipped supporter, their are plenty of opportunities for Amaldo to serve as a swift swim sweeper in the lower tiers

[Rayofquazar]

Armaldo is for me the second most forgettable fossil pokemon in the game (Bastiodon being the most forgettable one!). That's said, it doesn't mean that armaldo is a bad pokemon. When used correctly armaldo is a very good tank, sweeper or a surprise weapon! It have a decent movepool and decent stats. Speed is not an issue as it can go around in several ways. The best way of benefitting from armaldo's low speed is with trick room support. If that is not available it does have access to rock polish to boost it's speed to better levels but that is not advisable!
For abilities it has swift swim... Good with rain support but it won't outspeed a lot of things with that alone.
Battle armor is better outside of rain and help armaldo counter or check a lot of critical hit relying pokemon such as super luck absol!

A possible rain set:
Armaldo@life orb/Leftovers
Ability: Swift swim
Nature: +ATT/-Sp ATT
Evs: 252 ATT/ 128 DEF/ 128 Sp DEF
Moveset:
Rock polish/ Earthquake
Stone edge/Rock slide
X-Scissor
Aqua tail/ Earthquake
Easy set! In rain, this pokemon's speed doubles making it somewhat fast but leaves a lot to be desired, one turn of rock polishing and you'll be outspeeding everything. That is not hard to do seeing armaldo's decent defenses that, if you have taken the time to invest in both of them. Then, attack using the following moves: Stone edge or Rock slide is what you prefer. Power or consistency. X-scissor is a very good bug type stab attack. Aqua tail gets a boost in rain and becomes somewhat of a third stab. Very handy. You can replace aqua tail with earthquake for that quake-edge coverage factor but Rock/Bug/Water have nice coverage anyway and aqua tail in rain is stronger than earthquake. If you feel that you have enough speed, stick a choice band to your armaldo and earthquake if you don't feel like rock polishing!

Another decent option is brick break as it allows you to heal some damage taken but it's rather weak for it's not STABBED!
Outside of rain, armaldo is best used with trick room support to become a very potent sweeper or with screens support to become an undefeatable tank! (Ok... I might have exaggerated a little here!)

But still, armaldo is surprisingly versatile as a physical sweeper and can be used in many ways to surprise your opponent.