no i never fucked wayne, i never fucked drake
[OVERVIEW]
In terms of sheer wallbreaking prowess, few NU Pokemon compare to Jynx thanks to its amazing offensive typing, unique ability in Dry Skin, impeccable coverage, and access to Lovely Kiss, which allows it to cripple what it cannot beat. Thanks to its access to Psyshock and Focus Blast alongside respectable Special Attack, Jynx can bypass traditional checks to Ice-types such as Magmortar, Hariyama, and Piloswine, further solidifying it as an offensive powerhouse. Dry Skin allows Jynx to be among the few solid offensive checks to the ever-present Water-types in NU, most notably Samurott, Carracosta, and Floatzel, giving it a solid defensive niche. Additionally, Jynx's Speed hits a nice benchmark, letting it outspeed a good portion of the metgame, most notably Sawk, Xatu, and Lilligant. However, Jynx is ultimately faulted by its horrendous defensive typing and terrible bulk, meaning it offers very little defensive utility and is awkward to fit on teams; this is further compounded by its weakness to Stealth Rock, limiting its opportunities to switch in. Furthermore, Jynx faces competition both as a Psychic-type with Mesprit, which boasts a useful defensive typing, decent bulk, and a unique support movepool including Stealth Rock and Healing Wish, and as an Ice-type with Aurorus, which boasts far superior Special Attack and access to Freeze-Dry, allowing it to wallbreak more effectively and eliminate Water-types. While Jynx does boast commendable Speed, it finds itself susceptible to many faster attackers and priority attackers such as Tauros, Sceptile, and Kangaskhan due to its atrocious defenses.
[SET]
name: Special Attacker
move 1: Ice Beam
move 2: Lovely Kiss
move 3: Psyshock
move 4: Focus Blast / Nasty Plot
item: Focus Sash / Life Orb
ability: Dry Skin
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
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Ice Beam provides Jynx with a strong, reliable STAB attack that hits a large portion of the tier for at least neutral damage. Lovely Kiss cripples what Jynx cannot otherwise beat, giving it free turns to attack or set up on the foe. Psyshock provides Jynx with excellent coverage to use alongside Ice Beam, most notably hitting Magmortar, Hariyama, and Lanturn. Alternatively, Psychic can be used in this slot to hit foes like Prinplup, Samurott and Gurdurr harder, but Psyshock's targets are generally more useful for Jynx to hit. Focus Blast is the recommended choice for the last move, rounding out Jynx's already incredible coverage by hitting foes like Piloswine, Steelix, and Ferroseed. Alternatively, Jynx can forgo Focus Blast or Psyshock for Nasty Plot, which lets Jynx boost its already stellar Special Attack and take advantage of the many switches it forces, as well as letting it defeat Mega Audino and Musharna more easily.
Set Details
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Maximum EV investment in Special Attack and Speed allows Jynx to hit as hard and move as fast as possible. Focus Sash allows Jynx to take any one hit and retaliate with an attack or Lovely Kiss to put the foe to sleep when it cannot otherwise beat it. Additionally, Jynx does an excellent job of shutting down suicide leads, putting them all, bar Archeops, to sleep before they can lay entry hazards and 2HKOing them in retaliation. Alternatively, Jynx can hold a Life Orb, turning it into an even more dangerous wallbreaker; however, because of the recoil, this power comes at the cost of furthering Jynx's issue with longevity. If Life Orb is the chosen item, Jynx should always use Focus Blast over Nasty Plot, as Life Orb Jynx vastly prefers the coverage Focus Blast provides to the ability to boost its Special Attack.
Usage Tips
========
When holding Focus Sash, Jynx should usually be used as a lead, as it can almost always KO the foe or at least cripple it with Lovely Kiss, letting Jynx break walls and put offensive pressure on the foe early-game. Conversely, Life Orb Jynx should be played more conservatively, as it lacks the safety cushion Focus Sash provides, meaning it will typically play as a mid-game wallbreaker. Dry Skin should typically be taken advantage of to the fullest; this means switching Jynx into Water-types such as Prinplup or Lanturn to punish their reliance on dealing damage with Scald. Due to its poor bulk, getting Jynx in on a free switch, such as after a teammate has fainted or on a slow U-turn or Volt Switch, is essential for it to optimally perform. With Jynx's incredible power and coverage, it naturally forces a lot of switches; this provides prime opportunities to set up Nasty Plot, as a boosted Jynx is incredibly difficult for any team to handle.
Team Options
========
Pokemon like Swellow and Sceptile that appreciate Jynx's ability to dismantle defensive cores can often clean up once the opponent's team has been weakened while also threatening the faster-paced offensive teams that Jynx isn't as threatening against. Pokemon like Rhydon and Samurott that appreciate Jynx's ability to offensively check Water-types are good partners as well; Rhydon in particular makes for an excellent partner, as it checks Kangaskhan and Fire-types, which greatly trouble Jynx, while also providing Stealth Rock support; in return, Jynx threatens the Grass- and Fighting-types that check Rhydon. Samurott also appreciates Jynx's ability to offensively check most Grass-types. As Jynx functions best with its Focus Sash intact, entry hazard control from the likes of Hitmonchan and Skuntank is recommended to maximize Jynx's efficiency. Hitmonchan in particular makes for a notable partner, as it removes both the entry hazards and Dark-types that trouble Jynx. On the other hand, Jynx appreciates having teammates than can set up entry hazards to wear down the opponent's team, making it easier for it to wallbreak. In particular, Ferroseed can lay Spikes and check Kangaskhan, and it also appreciates Jynx's ability to offensively check Fighting-types.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Jynx can potentially use a Choice Scarf to outpace the entire unboosted metagame, utilizing its commendable power and excellent coverage to make it a formidable revenge killer; However, locking Jynx into a move can be easily taken advantage of and takes away from its ability to wallbreak. Alternatively, Jynx can run Substitute to ease prediction and take advantage of the many switches it forces; however, this furthers Jynx's issue with longevity and limits its coverage. Energy Ball is an option to turn Jynx into a more effective check to Water-types; however, it otherwise provides redundant coverage. Similarly, Signal Beam can be used to hit Malamar and other Psychic-types. A set utilizing Counter can be used to surprise physical attackers; however, it is incompatible with Dry Skin, so using it takes away one of Jynx's best traits.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Revenge Killers**: Despite its respectable Speed tier, Jynx falls prey to faster attackers and priority attackers alike. While they won't want to directly switch into Jynx, faster attackers such as Swellow and Zebstrika can outspeed and eliminate Jynx with a little prior damage. Priority attackers such as Kangaskhan and Hitmonchan can pick off a weakened Jynx due to its abysmal Defense. Kangaskhan in particular can even get past Focus Sash variants of Jynx with the combination of Fake Out and Sucker Punch; however, using Sucker Punch on Jynx can be risky, as it could easily go for Lovely Kiss to put Kangaskhan to sleep while avoiding damage from Sucker Punch.
**Steel-types**: While they won't appreciate switching into Focus Blast or Lovely Kiss, Steel-types such as Klinklang and Metang can take any one hit from Jynx and eliminate even Focus Sash variants with Gear Grind or the combination of Meteor Mash and Bullet Punch, respectively.
**Specially Defensive Pokemon**: Specially defensive Pokemon such as Grumpig and Mega Audino can comfortably come in on Jynx due to their admirable bulk. However, it should be noted that they can still be put to sleep by Lovely Kiss.
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