quziel
I am the Scientist now
[OVERVIEW]
Thanks to high defensive stats and a workable defensive typing, Mega Audino is one of NU's premier walls, able to take on a large variety of the tier's attackers. An excellent ability pre-Mega Evolution also allows Audino to easily keep itself healthy without needing to use a turn healing itself, helping it to reduce lost momentum. This combined with its Normal typing is usually enough to wall most of NU's special attackers, only requiring Audino to Mega Evolve if the resistances and extra bulk the Mega Evolution brings are needed. Mega Audino also has access to an extremely wide support movepool, including many options such as Heal Bell, Wish, and Encore, as well as a wide offensive movepool, giving it exceptional coverage. However, very lackluster offensive stats, especially before Mega Evolving, force Mega Audino to rely on Toxic to deal damage, or otherwise it can be fairly passive.
[SET]
name: Defensive Pivot
move 1: Wish
move 2: Protect
move 3: Toxic / Heal Bell
move 4: Dazzling Gleam / Flamethrower / Knock Off
item: Audinite
ability: Regnerator
nature: Calm
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Wish allows Mega Audino to support its team by keeping their HP up while also healing itself, and Protect prevents Mega Audino from being damaged on the turn that Wish heals it. Protect also allows Mega Audino to scout what move a Choiced foe will lock itself into while reducing the damage of any Z-Moves, such as an All-Out Pummeling from Scrafty. Toxic allows Mega Audino to easily wear down many unboosted attackers in NU, especially combined with Protect. Heal Bell allows Mega Audino to keep its team status free while preventing itself from being worn down by Toxic. Dazzling Gleam is often Mega Audino's main attacking move, with good neutral coverage and nothing immune to it, while also allowing Mega Audino to check enemy Dark- and Dragon-types such as Scrafty and Guzzlord. Flamethrower allows Mega Audino to hit Toxic-immune foes such as Steelix, Klinklang, and Venusaur for super effective damage, preventing it from being a free switch for them. Knock Off allows Mega Audino to remove a foe's item, weakening Choiced attackers such as Vanilluxe and Vikavolt and removing Leftovers from defensive walls, allowing them to be worn down more easily.
Set Details
========
Maximum HP investment allows Mega Audino to maximize the healing of its Wishes while also increasing its overall bulk. Maximum Special Defense investment and a Calm nature allow Mega Audino to wall many of NU's special attackers, taking 46% maximum from strong attacks such as Vanilluxe's Choice Specs-boosted Blizzard once Mega-Evolved and avoiding a 2HKO from Choice Specs Guzzlord's Sludge Wave. An alternative EV spread of 252 HP / 208 Def / 48 SpA with a Bold nature allows Mega Audino to take on physical attackers such as Malamar, Scrafty, and Sneasel much more reliably.
Usage Tips
========
Regenerator should be used to allow Audino to scout which moves dangerous enemy Choiced special attackers such as Vanilluxe lock themselves into, as this heavily reduces the risk of a wrong prediction. Afterwards, the user can choose to pivot Audino out again if the foe deals significant damage to it. Thus, Audino should try to avoid Mega Evolving until it needs the additional Fairy typing, for example against Guzzlord or Scrafty. Audino should generally be brought into enemy special attackers such as Guzzlord, Vikavolt, and Vanilluxe to use its incredible special bulk to keep its team healthy, as well as using Wish to heal up its teammates and Heal Bell when needed.
Team Options
========
Thanks to its unique ability to check Heliolisk, Vanilluxe, Vikavolt, and Choice Specs Whimsicott reliably, Mega Audino can provide excellent role compression to many balance and stall teams in NU. Pokemon that appreciate Wish support such as Steelix, Rhydon, Silvally-Steel,(AC) and Hariyama are often great partners to this set, as it can patch up one of their major weaknesses. Pokemon that appreciate Mega Audino's ability to check many of the tier's Dark-types such as Rotom and Xatu can make great partners, with Xatu in particular also helping Mega Audino out by checking enemy Steelix and Garbodor and keeping entry hazards away. In general, entry hazard removal from Silvally-Steel, Xatu, and Rotom greatly helps Mega Audino out, as otherwise it cannot take advantage of Regenerator to its fullest. If you're using Knock Off, Pokemon that appreciate Steelix having its Leftovers removed such as Klinklang and Braviary can make great partners. If you're using Toxic, Pokemon that appreciate Slowbro, Vaporeon, and Cryogonal worn down such as Toxicroak, Delphox, and Sneasel are great options. Thanks to Mega Audino's weakness to enemy Poison-types, Pokemon such as Garbodor, Klinklang, and Steelix that can take on the likes of Venusaur and Garbodor are excellent partners. Mega Audino also functions excellently on stall teams, with Pokemon such as Pyukumuku mitigating its weakness to enemy setup sweepers and Pokemon such as Cryogonal removing hazards for it and preventing it from being worn down by repeated switches into enemy Vanilluxe. Heal Bell users such as Miltank, Vileplume, and Articuno can also help Mega Audino, as if not using Heal Bell itself, it is quite vulnerable to Toxic poison. If using Heal Bell itself, Mega Audino can easily support teammates that are weak to Toxic such as Slowbro and Cryogonal while also supporting any teammates using Rest such as Type: Null.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
An offensive set running Calm Mind / Dazzling Gleam / Fire Blast or Surf / Psychic or Surf can be used to lure in and remove many typical checks such as Steelix, Garbodor, Venusaur, and Delphox; however, this heavily compromises Mega Audino's bulk, as it requires running maximum Special Attack and Speed. Encore prevents Mega Audino from becoming setup fodder for Pokemon such as Klinklang and Delphox, giving it the opportunity to switch into an appropriate teammate, though Z-Moves can bypass Encore. A Trick Room supporter set with Trick Room / Dazzling Gleam / Encore / Healing Wish allows Audino to gain momentum for a Trick Room team and restore their wallbreakers to full HP. A defensive Calm Mind set of Dazzling Gleam / Calm Mind / Rest or Wish / Sleep Talk or Protect can prove to be a potent sweeper for many defensively oriented teams, although it has major struggles clearing away enemy Steel- and Poison-types to enable a sweep, can struggle to support its team as well as other sets, and is generally outclassed by Type: Null as a Normal-type sweeper.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Poison-types**: Thanks to a resistance to Fairy-type attacks and a super effective STAB attack, Poison-types such as Haunter, Venusaur, and Garbodor are easily able to come in on Mega Audino and force it out, with Garbodor also being able to capitalize on most of its sets' passivity through Toxic Spikes. Venusaur is additionally able to threaten to set up against Mega Audino with Z-Celebrate and threatens it with a very powerful Sludge Bomb.
**Steel-types**: Steel-types such as Steelix and Klinklang easily resist Dazzling Gleam,only fear Fire Blast,(AC) and easily force Mega Audino out with the threat of their STAB moves and, in Klinklang's case, the threat of setting up. Silvally-Steel cannot threaten Mega Audino much outside of Toxic; however, it can use Mega Audino to easily Defog against its team, forces Audino to waste Heal Bell PP,and takes little damage from anything a non-offensive set can use.
**Setup Sweepers**: Mega Audino is generally extremely passive outside of Toxic, so enemy setup sweepers such as Klinklang, Z-Celebrate Venusaur, Vivillon, and Braviary can easily boost up against it and use the boosts to break through its admittedly impressive defenses.
Thanks to high defensive stats and a workable defensive typing, Mega Audino is one of NU's premier walls, able to take on a large variety of the tier's attackers. An excellent ability pre-Mega Evolution also allows Audino to easily keep itself healthy without needing to use a turn healing itself, helping it to reduce lost momentum. This combined with its Normal typing is usually enough to wall most of NU's special attackers, only requiring Audino to Mega Evolve if the resistances and extra bulk the Mega Evolution brings are needed. Mega Audino also has access to an extremely wide support movepool, including many options such as Heal Bell, Wish, and Encore, as well as a wide offensive movepool, giving it exceptional coverage. However, very lackluster offensive stats, especially before Mega Evolving, force Mega Audino to rely on Toxic to deal damage, or otherwise it can be fairly passive.
[SET]
name: Defensive Pivot
move 1: Wish
move 2: Protect
move 3: Toxic / Heal Bell
move 4: Dazzling Gleam / Flamethrower / Knock Off
item: Audinite
ability: Regnerator
nature: Calm
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Wish allows Mega Audino to support its team by keeping their HP up while also healing itself, and Protect prevents Mega Audino from being damaged on the turn that Wish heals it. Protect also allows Mega Audino to scout what move a Choiced foe will lock itself into while reducing the damage of any Z-Moves, such as an All-Out Pummeling from Scrafty. Toxic allows Mega Audino to easily wear down many unboosted attackers in NU, especially combined with Protect. Heal Bell allows Mega Audino to keep its team status free while preventing itself from being worn down by Toxic. Dazzling Gleam is often Mega Audino's main attacking move, with good neutral coverage and nothing immune to it, while also allowing Mega Audino to check enemy Dark- and Dragon-types such as Scrafty and Guzzlord. Flamethrower allows Mega Audino to hit Toxic-immune foes such as Steelix, Klinklang, and Venusaur for super effective damage, preventing it from being a free switch for them. Knock Off allows Mega Audino to remove a foe's item, weakening Choiced attackers such as Vanilluxe and Vikavolt and removing Leftovers from defensive walls, allowing them to be worn down more easily.
Set Details
========
Maximum HP investment allows Mega Audino to maximize the healing of its Wishes while also increasing its overall bulk. Maximum Special Defense investment and a Calm nature allow Mega Audino to wall many of NU's special attackers, taking 46% maximum from strong attacks such as Vanilluxe's Choice Specs-boosted Blizzard once Mega-Evolved and avoiding a 2HKO from Choice Specs Guzzlord's Sludge Wave. An alternative EV spread of 252 HP / 208 Def / 48 SpA with a Bold nature allows Mega Audino to take on physical attackers such as Malamar, Scrafty, and Sneasel much more reliably.
Usage Tips
========
Regenerator should be used to allow Audino to scout which moves dangerous enemy Choiced special attackers such as Vanilluxe lock themselves into, as this heavily reduces the risk of a wrong prediction. Afterwards, the user can choose to pivot Audino out again if the foe deals significant damage to it. Thus, Audino should try to avoid Mega Evolving until it needs the additional Fairy typing, for example against Guzzlord or Scrafty. Audino should generally be brought into enemy special attackers such as Guzzlord, Vikavolt, and Vanilluxe to use its incredible special bulk to keep its team healthy, as well as using Wish to heal up its teammates and Heal Bell when needed.
Team Options
========
Thanks to its unique ability to check Heliolisk, Vanilluxe, Vikavolt, and Choice Specs Whimsicott reliably, Mega Audino can provide excellent role compression to many balance and stall teams in NU. Pokemon that appreciate Wish support such as Steelix, Rhydon, Silvally-Steel,(AC) and Hariyama are often great partners to this set, as it can patch up one of their major weaknesses. Pokemon that appreciate Mega Audino's ability to check many of the tier's Dark-types such as Rotom and Xatu can make great partners, with Xatu in particular also helping Mega Audino out by checking enemy Steelix and Garbodor and keeping entry hazards away. In general, entry hazard removal from Silvally-Steel, Xatu, and Rotom greatly helps Mega Audino out, as otherwise it cannot take advantage of Regenerator to its fullest. If you're using Knock Off, Pokemon that appreciate Steelix having its Leftovers removed such as Klinklang and Braviary can make great partners. If you're using Toxic, Pokemon that appreciate Slowbro, Vaporeon, and Cryogonal worn down such as Toxicroak, Delphox, and Sneasel are great options. Thanks to Mega Audino's weakness to enemy Poison-types, Pokemon such as Garbodor, Klinklang, and Steelix that can take on the likes of Venusaur and Garbodor are excellent partners. Mega Audino also functions excellently on stall teams, with Pokemon such as Pyukumuku mitigating its weakness to enemy setup sweepers and Pokemon such as Cryogonal removing hazards for it and preventing it from being worn down by repeated switches into enemy Vanilluxe. Heal Bell users such as Miltank, Vileplume, and Articuno can also help Mega Audino, as if not using Heal Bell itself, it is quite vulnerable to Toxic poison. If using Heal Bell itself, Mega Audino can easily support teammates that are weak to Toxic such as Slowbro and Cryogonal while also supporting any teammates using Rest such as Type: Null.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
An offensive set running Calm Mind / Dazzling Gleam / Fire Blast or Surf / Psychic or Surf can be used to lure in and remove many typical checks such as Steelix, Garbodor, Venusaur, and Delphox; however, this heavily compromises Mega Audino's bulk, as it requires running maximum Special Attack and Speed. Encore prevents Mega Audino from becoming setup fodder for Pokemon such as Klinklang and Delphox, giving it the opportunity to switch into an appropriate teammate, though Z-Moves can bypass Encore. A Trick Room supporter set with Trick Room / Dazzling Gleam / Encore / Healing Wish allows Audino to gain momentum for a Trick Room team and restore their wallbreakers to full HP. A defensive Calm Mind set of Dazzling Gleam / Calm Mind / Rest or Wish / Sleep Talk or Protect can prove to be a potent sweeper for many defensively oriented teams, although it has major struggles clearing away enemy Steel- and Poison-types to enable a sweep, can struggle to support its team as well as other sets, and is generally outclassed by Type: Null as a Normal-type sweeper.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Poison-types**: Thanks to a resistance to Fairy-type attacks and a super effective STAB attack, Poison-types such as Haunter, Venusaur, and Garbodor are easily able to come in on Mega Audino and force it out, with Garbodor also being able to capitalize on most of its sets' passivity through Toxic Spikes. Venusaur is additionally able to threaten to set up against Mega Audino with Z-Celebrate and threatens it with a very powerful Sludge Bomb.
**Steel-types**: Steel-types such as Steelix and Klinklang easily resist Dazzling Gleam,only fear Fire Blast,(AC) and easily force Mega Audino out with the threat of their STAB moves and, in Klinklang's case, the threat of setting up. Silvally-Steel cannot threaten Mega Audino much outside of Toxic; however, it can use Mega Audino to easily Defog against its team, forces Audino to waste Heal Bell PP,and takes little damage from anything a non-offensive set can use.
**Setup Sweepers**: Mega Audino is generally extremely passive outside of Toxic, so enemy setup sweepers such as Klinklang, Z-Celebrate Venusaur, Vivillon, and Braviary can easily boost up against it and use the boosts to break through its admittedly impressive defenses.
Last edited: