**Taking this analysis over from GenOne who not only approved this but also took it over from Exploudit**
qc - Level 51, GenOne
gp - lotiasite, the dutch plumberjack[OVERVIEW]
Stakataka sets itself apart from the wide array of viable Trick Room setters in DOU thanks to its ability to be not only a setter but also an exploiter of this battle condition, rivaled only by Hoopa-U. Its Gyro Ball is devastatingly strong thanks to a combination of an abysmal Speed stat and a notable Attack stat, dealing good damage to the likes of Tapu Fini and Tapu Koko. It can set up its very own Trick Room with the ideal support and demolish offensive archetypes with full-powered Gyro Balls. Its astronomical physical bulk nearly makes up for its poor typing and allows it to set up Trick Room against the likes of Landorus-T with Intimidate support, as well as against numerous other physical attackers such as Mega Salamence, Mega Metagross, and Mega Scizor. Stakataka's rock-bottom Speed stat is pretty much the lowest in the entire metagame, getting the jump on the likes of Diancie, Hoopa-U, and Amoonguss in Trick Room and making it nearly impossible to outrun under said conditions.
Unfortunately, Stakataka is somewhat one-dimensional, relying a bit too much on Trick Room to succeed, so if its foes manage to prevent Trick Room with Taunt, Fake Out, Spore, or anything similar, Stakataka will have a tough time. It also mandates a considerable amount of support, as it often struggles to reliably set up Trick Room on its own. Its poor special bulk also prevents it from setting up Trick Room on notable special attackers such as Mega Gengar, Tapu Koko, and Volcanion. Finally, Stakataka faces considerable competition from the likes of Diancie and Hoopa-U as Trick Room attackers.
[SET]
name: Offensive Trick Room
move 1: Gyro Ball
move 2: Stone Edge / Rock Slide
move 3: Trick Room
move 4: Protect / Wide Guard
item: Rockium Z / Shuca Berry
ability: Beast Boost
nature: Lonely
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
ivs: 15 Def / 0 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Gyro Ball hits devastatingly hard, achieving OHKOs on the likes of Tapu Koko and Tyranitar while having a big chance to OHKO Hoopa-U and Mega Salamence as well (disregarding Intimidate). The move also 2HKOes Tapu Fini, Landorus-T, and Zygarde. Stone Edge is preferred due to it packing much more of a punch than Rock Slide, notably enabling it to 2HKO Amoonguss and have a better shot against Celesteela, Mega Scizor, and in general slow Pokemon that take little damage from Gyro Ball. Rock Slide is an alternative STAB move, doing considerable spread damage while still hitting the likes of Zapdos and Amoonguss hard enough, especially after a couple of Attack boosts. It is generally preferred on Lonely sets, as it can usually nab more KOs. Trick Room is key to Stakataka's niche, as it enables the Ultra Beast to outspeed the entire metagame from a couple of turns. Protect allows Stakataka to not take damage when a partner sets up Trick Room and in general keeps it safe when it's needed to. Wide Guard, on the other hand, provides a way to block spread moves such as Heat Wave from Mega Charizard Y and Heatran and Muddy Water from Kingdra and Tapu Fini. Finally, Stomping Tantrum can also be used in the last slot to give Stakataka a better matchup against Aegislash, Mega Metagross, and Heatran.
Set Details
========
A Lonely nature and 15 Defense IVs along with 252 Attack EVs make Stakataka's Attack and Defense stats identical, providing Attack raises from Beast Boost, which are preferred most of the time to allow Stakataka to become much more threatening and snowball with much more ease. Nonetheless, a Brave nature can also be used to provide Defense boosts from Beast Boost, making Stakataka a more reliable setter of Trick Room, notably enabling it to avoid the OHKO from uninvested Landorus-T's spread Earthquake when compared to its Lonely counterpart. Rockium Z is the preferred item, as it enables Stakataka to use a powerful move that often nabs it a KO on a Pokemon such as standard Amoonguss and weakened Celesteela, giving it a coveted Attack raise; Rockium Z should be used alongside Stone Edge. However, Shuca Berry can be used instead to allow Stakataka to better handle the likes of Landorus-T and Zygarde. Life Orb is also an option for a more offensive set in case the Z-Crystal slot is already taken.
Usage Tips
========
In most cases, Stakataka's goal is to exploit Trick Room turns and tear through its opponent's team. Thus, it is often optimal to save Stakataka for late-game, when its checks have been successfully weakened. It's also a decently reliable setter, so it is often important to make use of redirection, Fake Out, or Wide Guard from Stakataka's ally to help it get Trick Room up, as oftentimes, an opponent double targeting Stakataka will likely knock it out. Having another Trick Room setter on the field also mitigates this, as the opponent can only double target one of them, creating some mind games. Similarly, punishing the opponent for double targeting Stakataka is also nice, with a partner wielding great offensive presence and by using Protect on Stakataka. This is especially useful because players are compelled to double target Stakataka in an attempt to prevent Trick Room. Finally, switching into an Intimidate user to limit damage from Ground- or Fighting-type moves is also a great strategy. Against Taunt users such as Mega Gengar, Tapu Koko, Tapu Lele, and Whimsicott, it might be a smart idea simply to Gyro Ball them as they Taunt Stakataka. Under Trick Room, though, it's important to always give Stakataka the KO instead of its ally, if at all possible, in order to trigger Beast Boost.
Team Options
========
Pairing Stakataka with another Trick Room setter is a great idea, because Stakataka isn't the most reliable setter out there. Hoopa-U takes on Metagross and Aegislash, big threats to Stakataka, Mew not only gets Trick Room up but also helps Stakataka out with Fake Out and can possibly Transform into a set-up Stakataka, and Necrozma deals with most of the Steel-types that annoy Stakataka with Earth Power and Heat Wave. Intimidate users such as Incineroar and Scrafty, both of which also provide Fake Out support, Landorus-T, and Mega Salamence help Stakataka take moves it's weak to and set up Trick Room more reliably.Incineroar and Landorus-T can also take on troublesome Steel-types for Stakataka. In a similar vein, Tapu Bulu can take on bulky Water-types such as Tapu Fini and Milotic and provides Grassy Terrain as a bonus for Stakataka. Amoonguss is also a nice partner because it is also deadly under Trick Room thanks to its access to Spore, and it provides redirection to help Stakataka get Trick Room up. Tapu Fini is a nice partner, as Misty Terrain prevents Spore from affecting Stakataka. Furthermore, other slow attackers such as Mega Camerupt, Torkoal, and Mega Abomasnow really appreciate the Trick Room provided by Stakataka.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Groundium Z can be used in conjunction with either Stomping Tantrum or Earthquake to surprise Aegislash and Mega Metagross with heavy damage. Superpower is an option for Stakataka to better handle Ferrothorn and Kartana, but Stomping Tantrum covers Steel-types such as Aegislash and Mega Metagross much better. Ally Switch is yet another option that allows Stakataka to create mind games that may help Trick Room go up, but Stakataka is a bit strapped for moveslots, so other moves usually take priority. Stakataka could feasibly make use of a Weakness Policy set, but such a set would require considerable support from the likes of Intimidate, Drought, and Grassy Terrain in order to comfortably stomach a super effective hit without being KOed or heavily damaged by it. Safety Goggles is useful for dodging Spore and Rage Powder from Amoonguss, but more often than not, Stakataka would rather be doing other things with its item slot. Finally, Chople Berry could be an option to better handle Scrafty and Fighting-type coverage from the likes of Deoxys-A and Tapu Bulu, but the protection offered by a Shuca Berry is more widely applicable.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Ground-types**: Landorus-T, Stomping Tantrum Mega Metagross, Mega Swampert, and Excadrill can either OHKO or heavily damage Stakataka, and all 2HKO through Shuca Berry.
**Intimidate**: Landorus-T, Scrafty, and Incineroar pack the Intimidate ability, making Stakataka a lot easier to deal with and pivot into. The former two for also have a type advantage type.
**Steel-types**: Stakataka often forgoes Ground-type coverage for Wide Guard or Protect, making Aegislash and Mega Metagross capable of taking a resisted hit and heavily damaging Stakataka. Ferrothorn and Kartana take on Stakataka lacking Superpower.
**Fighting-type Pokemon and Coverage**: Low Kick Scrafty, Superpower Deoxys-A, and Superpower Tapu Bulu all OHKO Stakataka, yet they must still be careful of an Intimidate ally on Stakataka's side, as they all fail to OHKO at -1.
**Water-types**: As most Water-types resist Gyro Ball, Stakataka often has some trouble getting past the likes of Mega Swampert, Kingdra, and Politoed. Additionally, they all threaten Stakataka with their STAB super effective moves.
qc - Level 51, GenOne
gp - lotiasite, the dutch plumberjack
Stakataka sets itself apart from the wide array of viable Trick Room setters in DOU thanks to its ability to be not only a setter but also an exploiter of this battle condition, rivaled only by Hoopa-U. Its Gyro Ball is devastatingly strong thanks to a combination of an abysmal Speed stat and a notable Attack stat, dealing good damage to the likes of Tapu Fini and Tapu Koko. It can set up its very own Trick Room with the ideal support and demolish offensive archetypes with full-powered Gyro Balls. Its astronomical physical bulk nearly makes up for its poor typing and allows it to set up Trick Room against the likes of Landorus-T with Intimidate support, as well as against numerous other physical attackers such as Mega Salamence, Mega Metagross, and Mega Scizor. Stakataka's rock-bottom Speed stat is pretty much the lowest in the entire metagame, getting the jump on the likes of Diancie, Hoopa-U, and Amoonguss in Trick Room and making it nearly impossible to outrun under said conditions.
Unfortunately, Stakataka is somewhat one-dimensional, relying a bit too much on Trick Room to succeed, so if its foes manage to prevent Trick Room with Taunt, Fake Out, Spore, or anything similar, Stakataka will have a tough time. It also mandates a considerable amount of support, as it often struggles to reliably set up Trick Room on its own. Its poor special bulk also prevents it from setting up Trick Room on notable special attackers such as Mega Gengar, Tapu Koko, and Volcanion. Finally, Stakataka faces considerable competition from the likes of Diancie and Hoopa-U as Trick Room attackers.
[SET]
name: Offensive Trick Room
move 1: Gyro Ball
move 2: Stone Edge / Rock Slide
move 3: Trick Room
move 4: Protect / Wide Guard
item: Rockium Z / Shuca Berry
ability: Beast Boost
nature: Lonely
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
ivs: 15 Def / 0 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Gyro Ball hits devastatingly hard, achieving OHKOs on the likes of Tapu Koko and Tyranitar while having a big chance to OHKO Hoopa-U and Mega Salamence as well (disregarding Intimidate). The move also 2HKOes Tapu Fini, Landorus-T, and Zygarde. Stone Edge is preferred due to it packing much more of a punch than Rock Slide, notably enabling it to 2HKO Amoonguss and have a better shot against Celesteela, Mega Scizor, and in general slow Pokemon that take little damage from Gyro Ball. Rock Slide is an alternative STAB move, doing considerable spread damage while still hitting the likes of Zapdos and Amoonguss hard enough, especially after a couple of Attack boosts. It is generally preferred on Lonely sets, as it can usually nab more KOs. Trick Room is key to Stakataka's niche, as it enables the Ultra Beast to outspeed the entire metagame from a couple of turns. Protect allows Stakataka to not take damage when a partner sets up Trick Room and in general keeps it safe when it's needed to. Wide Guard, on the other hand, provides a way to block spread moves such as Heat Wave from Mega Charizard Y and Heatran and Muddy Water from Kingdra and Tapu Fini. Finally, Stomping Tantrum can also be used in the last slot to give Stakataka a better matchup against Aegislash, Mega Metagross, and Heatran.
Set Details
========
A Lonely nature and 15 Defense IVs along with 252 Attack EVs make Stakataka's Attack and Defense stats identical, providing Attack raises from Beast Boost, which are preferred most of the time to allow Stakataka to become much more threatening and snowball with much more ease. Nonetheless, a Brave nature can also be used to provide Defense boosts from Beast Boost, making Stakataka a more reliable setter of Trick Room, notably enabling it to avoid the OHKO from uninvested Landorus-T's spread Earthquake when compared to its Lonely counterpart. Rockium Z is the preferred item, as it enables Stakataka to use a powerful move that often nabs it a KO on a Pokemon such as standard Amoonguss and weakened Celesteela, giving it a coveted Attack raise; Rockium Z should be used alongside Stone Edge. However, Shuca Berry can be used instead to allow Stakataka to better handle the likes of Landorus-T and Zygarde. Life Orb is also an option for a more offensive set in case the Z-Crystal slot is already taken.
Usage Tips
========
In most cases, Stakataka's goal is to exploit Trick Room turns and tear through its opponent's team. Thus, it is often optimal to save Stakataka for late-game, when its checks have been successfully weakened. It's also a decently reliable setter, so it is often important to make use of redirection, Fake Out, or Wide Guard from Stakataka's ally to help it get Trick Room up, as oftentimes, an opponent double targeting Stakataka will likely knock it out. Having another Trick Room setter on the field also mitigates this, as the opponent can only double target one of them, creating some mind games. Similarly, punishing the opponent for double targeting Stakataka is also nice, with a partner wielding great offensive presence and by using Protect on Stakataka. This is especially useful because players are compelled to double target Stakataka in an attempt to prevent Trick Room. Finally, switching into an Intimidate user to limit damage from Ground- or Fighting-type moves is also a great strategy. Against Taunt users such as Mega Gengar, Tapu Koko, Tapu Lele, and Whimsicott, it might be a smart idea simply to Gyro Ball them as they Taunt Stakataka. Under Trick Room, though, it's important to always give Stakataka the KO instead of its ally, if at all possible, in order to trigger Beast Boost.
Team Options
========
Pairing Stakataka with another Trick Room setter is a great idea, because Stakataka isn't the most reliable setter out there. Hoopa-U takes on Metagross and Aegislash, big threats to Stakataka, Mew not only gets Trick Room up but also helps Stakataka out with Fake Out and can possibly Transform into a set-up Stakataka, and Necrozma deals with most of the Steel-types that annoy Stakataka with Earth Power and Heat Wave. Intimidate users such as Incineroar and Scrafty, both of which also provide Fake Out support, Landorus-T, and Mega Salamence help Stakataka take moves it's weak to and set up Trick Room more reliably.Incineroar and Landorus-T can also take on troublesome Steel-types for Stakataka. In a similar vein, Tapu Bulu can take on bulky Water-types such as Tapu Fini and Milotic and provides Grassy Terrain as a bonus for Stakataka. Amoonguss is also a nice partner because it is also deadly under Trick Room thanks to its access to Spore, and it provides redirection to help Stakataka get Trick Room up. Tapu Fini is a nice partner, as Misty Terrain prevents Spore from affecting Stakataka. Furthermore, other slow attackers such as Mega Camerupt, Torkoal, and Mega Abomasnow really appreciate the Trick Room provided by Stakataka.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Groundium Z can be used in conjunction with either Stomping Tantrum or Earthquake to surprise Aegislash and Mega Metagross with heavy damage. Superpower is an option for Stakataka to better handle Ferrothorn and Kartana, but Stomping Tantrum covers Steel-types such as Aegislash and Mega Metagross much better. Ally Switch is yet another option that allows Stakataka to create mind games that may help Trick Room go up, but Stakataka is a bit strapped for moveslots, so other moves usually take priority. Stakataka could feasibly make use of a Weakness Policy set, but such a set would require considerable support from the likes of Intimidate, Drought, and Grassy Terrain in order to comfortably stomach a super effective hit without being KOed or heavily damaged by it. Safety Goggles is useful for dodging Spore and Rage Powder from Amoonguss, but more often than not, Stakataka would rather be doing other things with its item slot. Finally, Chople Berry could be an option to better handle Scrafty and Fighting-type coverage from the likes of Deoxys-A and Tapu Bulu, but the protection offered by a Shuca Berry is more widely applicable.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Ground-types**: Landorus-T, Stomping Tantrum Mega Metagross, Mega Swampert, and Excadrill can either OHKO or heavily damage Stakataka, and all 2HKO through Shuca Berry.
**Intimidate**: Landorus-T, Scrafty, and Incineroar pack the Intimidate ability, making Stakataka a lot easier to deal with and pivot into. The former two for also have a type advantage type.
**Steel-types**: Stakataka often forgoes Ground-type coverage for Wide Guard or Protect, making Aegislash and Mega Metagross capable of taking a resisted hit and heavily damaging Stakataka. Ferrothorn and Kartana take on Stakataka lacking Superpower.
**Fighting-type Pokemon and Coverage**: Low Kick Scrafty, Superpower Deoxys-A, and Superpower Tapu Bulu all OHKO Stakataka, yet they must still be careful of an Intimidate ally on Stakataka's side, as they all fail to OHKO at -1.
**Water-types**: As most Water-types resist Gyro Ball, Stakataka often has some trouble getting past the likes of Mega Swampert, Kingdra, and Politoed. Additionally, they all threaten Stakataka with their STAB super effective moves.
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