Terrakion (Analysis) [GP 2/2]

Darkmalice · Sep 20, 2011

Terrakion
[Overview]

While Terrakion was one of the best and most common sweepers in VGC '11, there are many new checks and counters against it that have risen in VGC '12. Despite this, it retains its title as a top-tier threat in VGC play. It possesses key qualities that many other Pokemon would die for. Terrakion's brilliant dual STABs provide a strong Rock Slide to hurt both opponents, while Close Combat can badly hurt a single opponent. Together, they form a STAB combo that is resisted by only a few Pokemon. This combo is complemented by a towering Attack stat, a high Speed stat, and decent bulk for a sweeper that enables Terrakion to survive most neutral attacks. However, this bulk is compromised by Terrakion's many common weaknesses, most notably to Fighting-, Ground-, and Water-type attacks. Consequently, there are many common Pokemon that threaten it, particularly with all forms of weather running rampant in VCG '12. Team support is thus even more important this year, as it helps Terrakion overcome its many counters and lets it reach its full potential.

[SET]
name: Physical Attacker
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: Rock Slide
move 3: Quick Attack / Quick Guard
move 4: Protect
item: Focus Sash / Life Orb
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 244 Atk / 4 Def / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

This is Terrakion's standard set. Close Combat and Rock Slide form the crux of this set, one hitting an individual target very hard, and the other hitting both opponents for less damage but still hitting them hard nevertheless; the two also form a nearly unresisted STAB combo. Protect is staple in doubles play, as it keeps Terrakion safe from harm as a teammate eliminates a potential threat to it, and lets Terrakion stall out at least one turn of Trick Room or Tailwind. Quick Attack can finish off weakened opponents, and is the usual choice for the third moveslot. An alternative option to Quick Attack is Quick Guard, as Terrakion is weak to Mach Punch, Bullet Punch, and Aqua Jet, with the first two priority moves being very prevalent. If you have teammates that are also weak to common priority attacks, Quick Guard can protect both Terrakion and your teammate from them. It also provides protection against Fake Out from Pokemon who are slower than Terrakion and temporarily shuts down Technician Hitmontop, whose only form of offense is usually in the form of priority attacks. Just be aware that priority attacks are regularly aimed at Terrakion, though. In such scenarios, however, Protect would be just as useful as Quick Guard, but the former has much more general utility. Quick Guard may also be used over Protect, but this isn't recommended as Protect is generally superior to any move that could be chosen in the third slot.

In doubles, Focus Sash is a great item for Terrakion, as it allows it to survive common super effective attacks. Life Orb gives Terrakion a major boost in power and is a viable alternative to Focus Sash, however. As far as EVs are concerned, always maximize Speed to Speed tie with Infernape and other Terrakion. 4 EVs each in HP and Defense enable Terrakion to always survive Jolly Tornadus's Flight Gem Acrobatics. 244 Attack EVs gives the same Attack as 248, so the remaining EVs are thrown into Special Defense, as they are of no use elsewhere. Earthquake can be used over Quick Attack or Quick Guard in the third moveslot if they don't suit your liking, but it doesn't hit anything notable harder than Close Combat and Rock Slide except for Toxicroak, who resists both of Terrakion's STABs.

Terrakion enjoys teammates who can take out Fighting-types, as it cannot do so itself. It especially fears Mach Punch from Hitmontop and Conkeldurr, as the move bypasses Terrakion's superior Speed. Flying-types such as Tornadus and Staraptor are thus great teammates, as they both outspeed and OHKO the common Fighting-type, as well as Amoongus that lack Coba Berry, which walls Terrakion while simultaneously threatening it with Spore and STAB Giga Drain. Speaking of Tornadus, Terrakion loves the Tailwind support it provides, as it enables Terrakion to outrun almost everything. Beat Up support gives Terrakion a +4 Attack boost thanks to its ability, Justified, making it a very deadly sweeper. Whimsicott is easily the best Beat Up supporter, as it can also provide Tailwind, Charm, and Helping Hand support; it also appreciates Terrakion's Quick Guard to avoid being hit by Fake Out from Pokemon who are slower than Terrakion. Keep in mind that any Terrakion holding a Focus Sash is counterproductive with Beat Up, which renders Focus Sash useless.

Sandstorm support helps Terrakion survive even super effective STAB special attacks. This is best set up by Tyranitar, which deals with the Psychic-types that threaten Terrakion. It can also remove the rain set up by Politoed, which is great considering that many Water-types, especially Swift Swim users, outspeed and OHKO Terrakion with their rain-boosted attacks. Latios is another excellent partner, as its typing and special bulk provide durability against Water-type attacks, and it can OHKO Water-types with either Thunderbolt or Draco Meteor and can OHKO Fighting-types with STAB Psychic-type attacks (barring Scrafty) as well. Finally, Fire-type partners can take out Scizor and Metagross, which threaten Terrakion with priority STAB Bullet Punch or can OHKO with other Steel-type attacks (Scizor does both simultaneously thanks to the Technician boost that Bullet Punch receives). Fire-type partners include Ninetales, which also sets up sunshine to remove Terrakion's Water-type weakness. However, whilst Terrakion usually enjoys sunshine, it enjoys sandstorm support even more. If using Ninetales, be careful of opposing Chlorophyll users that outspeed Terrakion and can hit it super effectively with Grass-type attacks.

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: Rock Slide
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: X-Scissor
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 244 Atk / 4 Def / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

With a Choice Scarf, Terrakion outspeeds almost everything without more than a +1 boost in Speed, enabling it to hit certain opponents, such as Low Kick Weavile hard before they have a chance to attack. Close Combat and Rock Slide are staples like on the previous set. Earthquake deals less damage than STAB Rock Slide and targets your ally, but nets extra coverage and functions as another spread attack when Rock Slide wouldn't be as useful or if you really need the 100% accuracy. It forms the infamous QuakeSlide combo with Rock Slide as well. Earthquake is also notable for hitting Toxicroak super effectively, which resists all of Terrakion's other attacks and otherwise walls it whilst threatening it with STAB Fighting-type attacks. X-Scissor hits Psychic-types harder than any of Terrakion's other moves. Just keep in mind that it won't OHKO bulky Psychic-types such as Reuniclus and Musharna, whilst max Special Attack Musharna has a 81% chance to OHKO Terrakion with Psychic, and Reuniclus has a guaranteed OHKO.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

Jolly is the preferred nature to outspeed Choice Scarf Garchomp and Modest Ludicolo in the rain, as well as any other Choice Scarf users with a base Speed less than 108. It also enables Terrakion to Speed tie with neutral-natured Shiftry and Venusaur in the sun and +2 Blaziken. However, an Adamant nature is a viable option for the extra power. The EVs are the same as the previous set for the same reasons listed.

Choice Scarf Terrakion shares similar checks and counters as non-Scarfed Terrakion. However, Earthquake and X-Scissor dent many would-be counters such as Toxicroak, while the extra Speed makes Terrakion more difficult to revenge kill, but this comes at the price of being locked into one attack. Choice Scarf Terrakion doesn't need Tailwind support, but hates Trick Room even more than the last set. Tyranitar sets up sandstorm to support Terrakion whilst being a great answer to the many Ghost- and Psychic-types that set up Trick Room; Tyranitar also benefits from Trick Room should the opponent set it up. Terrakion appreciates both Wide Guard and Quick Guard support to avoid many super effective attacks such as Earthquake and Mach Punch, even more so than the previous set as it doesn't have Protect. Unfortunately, most of the users of those two attacks share Terrakion's Fighting typing, meaning the team will be doubly weak to Psychic-type attacks. Nevertheless, Hitmontop is the best user of both those attacks because it has Sucker Punch to dent Psychic-types and can use Fake Out as Terrakion uses X-Scissor.

[Other Options]

Chople Berry is an option to provide protection against the common Fighting-types attacks that could otherwise OHKO Terrakion; it is also a good choice in case one of Terrakion's teammates is already holding either a Focus Sash or Life Orb. Terrakion can use a Choice Band for extra power, but its many weaknesses makes this less appealing, as Choice Band means that it can’t effectively utilise Protect or the Speed provided by Choice Scarf to overcome its checks and counters. Finally, Lum Berry is another option to remove paralysis, burn, and sleep, all of which severely cripple Terrakion.
Sacred Sword is an option to avoid Close Combat's defense drops while ignoring defensive boosts, though the latter effect will rarely be utilized. Close Combat is usually the superior move choice due to its raw power. Stone Edge deals significantly more damage to one foe than Rock Slide, but Rock Slide is generally more useful due to hitting both targets, superior accuracy, and good flinch rate. Stone Edge can be used in conjunction with Rock Slide if you're willing to give up a coverage attack, though. Safeguard is useful against Amoonguss and slow, bulky Ghost-types that may use Will-O-Wisp and take little damage from your attacks, but against other status-inducing foes, Terrakion is usually better off just attacking. Taunt can disrupt your opponent's strategy, and Terrakion has the Speed to pull it off, but Pokemon with the ability Prankster can utilise the move better. Taunt's best use is against Trick Room users, but if they're not Porygon2 or Dusclops, they may be holding a Mental Herb, rendering it useless. Terrakion also gets Helping Hand, but it is usually better off attacking than giving a teammate a power boost.

[Checks and Counters]

Despite Terrakion's solid offensive typing, it has a large number of checks and counters. Amoongus can shrug off whatever Terrakion uses and put it to sleep with Spore, or even hit it hard with a super effective Giga Drain. Any moderately bulky Ghost-type without a weakness to Rock Slide such as Jellicent, Dusclops, Dusknoir, and Golurk, completely wall Terrakion. In return, they can either hit Terrakion hard with their super effective attacks or cripple it with Will-O-Wisp. Fighting-types who can take a Close Combat are also effective counters. Hitmontop is arguably the best counter to any Terrakion without Quick Guard, as it can KO Terrakion with the combination of Fake Out and Mach Punch when boosted by a Life Orb and Technician (this KO isn't guaranteed though), bypassing Terrakion's superior Speed; it can even lower Terrakion's Attack with Intimidate instead whilst still dealing good damage with its Fighting-type STABs. Conkeldurr and Toxicroak are the next two big threats, the former bypasses Terrakion's Speed with Mach Punch whilst simultaneously possessing good bulk, and resisting Terrakion's STABs. The latter loses if Terrakion has Earthquake, however. Reuniclus and Musharna can take Terrakion's attacks, and potentially OHKO with Psychic, and are not even OHKO'd by X-Scissor. Cresselia can only 2HKO Terrakion with Psychic, but her massive bulk enables her to survive even two consecutive X-Scissors.

Terrakion hates rain teams due to all the Water-types that can OHKO it. Swift Swim users are even worse, as they outspeed Terrakion; some outspeed even Choice Scarf Terrakion. Some Water-types such as Rotom-W can OHKO Terrakion outside of rain whilst surviving any of Terrakion's attacks. Finally, it should be noted that many of the Pokemon that Terrakion could normally defeat easily may be holding either a Chople or Charti Berry to survive the super effective hit from Terrakion and could retaliate with a super effective attack of their own, such as Scrafty in the case of Chople Berry.

Darkmalice · Sep 27, 2011

This is now ready for QC.

cosmicexplorer · Sep 27, 2011

Lum Berry is cool to stop Thundurus's Thunder Wave and random burns from wrecking you. I'd add it into OO.

muffinhead · Sep 27, 2011

jolly should always be first option on scarf set, without it, scarfchomp and ludicolo in the rain outspeed terrakion.

Darkmalice · Sep 27, 2011

Added both of your suggestions in.

breh · Sep 27, 2011

whimsicott is the best beat up supporter since when?

weavile all the way. weavile at least does something.

Alaka · Sep 27, 2011

Breludicolo said:
whimsicott is the best beat up supporter since when?

weavile all the way. weavile at least does something.

Right, Whimsicott does nothing. It doesn't tailwind so that Terra doesn't just get killed off by all the things faster. It doesn't Helping Hand. It doesn't taunt.

The only support weaville has is Fake Out, and that doesn't help at all to set up Beat Up. It contributes offense, but offense isn't gonna be the problem if you have a +4 Terrakion on the field.

muffinhead · Sep 27, 2011

whimsicott can set up tailwind, do less damage to terrakion than weavile, even charm support if you wanted to.

weavile has to fake out turn 1, which means it takes 2 turns to get the boosts with no tailwind.

edit asdfasdfasdfadfsadfa

Ashton Micheals · Sep 28, 2011

Actually, Encore and Beat Up aren't legal egg move combo's. 'Cott get's Beat Up through Seedot/Nuzleaf/Shiftry, who get it from Sneasel, Houndour and Smeargle. And Seedot doesn't get Encore. So no trolling with Encore ;_;

cosmicexplorer · Sep 29, 2011

QC 1/2

Alaka · Sep 29, 2011

Darkmalice · Nov 16, 2011

Bumping this thread as it needs some GP checks.

MMX · Nov 19, 2011

Darkmalice said:
A heads up; the sets will be similar to those in VGC 11 by JRank, though not exactly the same.

Terrakion

[Overview]

While Terrakion was one of the best and most common sweepers in VGC 11, there are many new checks and counters arising in VGC 12. Despite this, Terrakion retains its title as a top-tier pokemon in VGC play. Terrakion was one of the best and most common sweepers in VCG 11. Despite many new counters and sweepers arising in VCG 12, Terrakion still maintains his title as a top-tier Pokemon. It possesses key qualities that many other Pokemon would die for. Its dual STABs are Terrakion's brilliant dual STABs provide a strong Rock Slide to hurt both opponents while Close Combat hurts a single opponent, and they are only resisted by a few pokemon. . They are resisted only by a few foes, and provide Terrakion with a strong STAB Rock Slide to hurt both foes, and STAB Close Combat to badly dent a single foe. This is coupled by a very high Attack stat and a good Speed stat. It also has good bulk for a sweeper, enabling it to survive most neutral attacks. However, this bulk is compromised by Terrakion's many common weaknesses, most notably to Fighting, Ground, and Water. Consequently, there are many common Pokemon that threaten it, particularly with all forms of weather running rampant in VCG 12. Team support is even more important this year, as it helps Terrakion overcome its many counters and lets it reach its full potential.

[SET]
name: Physical Attacker
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: Rock Slide
move 3: Quick Attack / Quick Guard
move 4: Protect
item: Focus Sash / Life Orb
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 244 Atk / 4 Def / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

This is Terrakion's generic set. Close Combat and Rock Slide form the bread-and-butter of this set, one hitting an individual target very hard, the other hitting both opponents for less damage but still hitting them harder, and together forming a nearly unresisted STAB combo. Protect is staple in doubles play. as it keeps Terrakion safe from harm as a teammate eliminates a potential threat to Terrakion, and lets Terrakion stall out at least one turn of Trick Room or Tailwind. Quick Attack can finish off weakened opponents with priority, and is the usual choice for the 3rd moveslot. An alternative option to Quick Attack is Quick Guard. Terrakion is weak to Mach Punch, Bullet Punch, and Aqua Jet, with the 1st two priority moves being very common. If you have teammates that are also weak to common priority attacks, Quick Guard can protect both Terrakion and your teammate from them. It also provides protection against Fake Out from Pokemon who are slower than Terrakion and pretty much shuts down Technician Hitmontop, whose only form of offense is usually just priority attacks. Just be aware that priority attacks are regularly aimed at Terrakion, in which case, Protect would be just as useful as Quick Guard in those scenarios whilst having much more general utility. Quick Guard may also be used over Protect, but this isn't recommended, as Protect is generally superior to any move that could be chosen in the 3rd slot. The 3rd moveslot can also be replaced with Earthquake if Quick Attack or Quick Guard don't suit your liking, but it doesn't hit anything important harder than Close Combat and Rock Slide except Toxicroak, who resists both of your STABs.

Focus Sash is a great item in doubles, and in Terrakion's case, it lessens the severity of its many common weaknesses, usually letting it survive at least one attack. In doubles, Focus Sash is a great item for Terrakion as it allows it to survive one attack from its common weaknesses. Life Orb gives Terrakion a major boost in power and is a viable alternative to Focus Sash. Always max Speed EVs to speed-tie with Infernape and other Terrakion. 4 HP and 4 Defense EVs enable Terrakion to always survive Jolly Tornadus's Flight Gem Acrobatics. 244 Attack EVs gives the same Attack as 248, so the remaining EVs are thrown into Special Defense as they are of little use elsewhere. so throw the remainder in Special Defense; it won't be useful anywhere else.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

Terrakion enjoys teammates who can take out Fighting-types, as Terrakion cannot do so itself without adequate team support. Terrakion especially fears Mach Punch from Hitmontop and Conkeldurr, as the move bypasses Terrakion's superior Speed. Flying-types with their STAB Flying-attacks are the best, such as Tornadus and Staraptor, as they can outspeed and usually OHKO the common Fighting-types, as well as non-Coba Berry Amoonguss, who walls Terrakion and threatens it with Spore and Giga Drain. Flying-types such as Tornadus and Staraptor are best as they both outspeed and OHKO the common Fighting-types, as well as Amoongus that lack Coba Berry, who walls Terrakion while threatening with Spore and STAB Giga Drain. Speaking of Tornadus, Terrakion loves the Tailwind support it he provides, as it enables it to outrun almost anything everything. Beat Up support gives Terrakion a +4 boost thanks to its ability, Justified, making Terrakion a very deadly sweeper. Whimsicott is easily the best Beat Up supporter, as it can also provide Tailwind, Charm, and Helping Hand support, and it appreciates Terrakion's Quick Guard to avoid being hit by Fake Out from Pokemon who are slower than Terrakion. Keep in mind that any Terrakion holding a Focus Sash is counter-productive with Beat Up as it renders Focus Sash useless. , as Beat Up would render it useless.


Sandstorm support will helps Terrakion survive even super-effective STAB special attacks. This is best set up by Tyranitar, who threatens the Psychic-types that threaten Terrakion. It can also remove the rain set up by Politoed, which is great considering that Water-types could otherwise easily OHKO Terrakion, especially Swift Swim users, outspeed and OHKO Terrakion with their rain-boosted attacks. who outspeed Terrakion in the rain. Latios is another good partner, because as it not only works well against Water-types, thanks due to its special bulk, and typing. Latios can then OHKO Water-types with either Thunderbolt or Draco Meteor while OHKOing threatening Fighting-types with his STAB Psychic attacks (barrring Scrafty)., and OHKOing them with either Thunderbolt or Draco Meteor, but it can OHKO Fighting-types that threaten Terrakion with Pyshock. Finally, Fire-type partners can take out Scizor and Metagross, who can threaten Terrakion with super-effective STAB Bullet Punch or OHKO it with Steel-type attacks (Scizor does both simultaneously thanks to the Technician boost that Bullet Punch receives). Fire-type partners include Ninetales, who also sets up sunshine to remove Terrakion's Water-type weakness. However, whilst Terrakion usually enjoys sunshine, it enjoys sandstorm support even more. Also, If using Ninetales, be careful of opposing Chlorophyll users, who that can outspeed Terrakion and hit it super-effectively with Grass-type attacks.

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: Rock Slide
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: X-Scissor
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 244 Atk / 4 Def / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

With a Choice Scarf, Terrakion outspeeds almost anything everything without more than a +1 boost to Speed, enabling it to hit certain opponents hard before they have a chance to hit back, such as Weavile with Low Kick. who could have otherwise done the same to Terrakion, such as Weavile with Low Kick. Close Combat and Rock Slide are staples, like on the last previous set. Earthquake deals less damage than STAB Rock Slide and targets your ally, but nets extra coverage and functions as another spread attack when Rock Slide wouldn't be useful or if you really need the 100% accuracy hit. With Rock Slide, it forms the infamous QuakeSlide combo. Earthquake is also notable for hitting Toxicroak super-effectively, a common Pokemon who resists all your other attacks and otherwise walls you whilst threatening you with super-effective Fighting-type attacks. X-Scissor hits Psychic-types harder than any of your other moves. Just keep in mind that it won't OHKO bulky Psychic-types like Reuniclus and Musharna, whilst max Special Attack Musharna has a 81% chance to OHKO Terrakion with Psychic, and Reuniclus has a guaranteed OHKO.

Jolly is the preferred nature to outspeed Garchomp holding a Choice Scarf and Modest Ludicolo in the rain, as well as any other Pokemon with a base Speed less than 108 holding a Choice Scarf. It also enables Terrakion to speed-tie with +2 base 80 Spe neutral-natured pokemon Pokemon with a neutral nature, most notably Shiftry and Venusaur in sun and +2 Blaziken. However, Adamant is a viable option for the extra power boost. The EVs are the same as the Physical attacker set for the same reasons listed in that set.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

Choice Scarf Terrakion has shares similar checks and counters to non-Scarfed Terrakion. Earthquake and X-Scissor can dent many would-be counters such as Toxicroak, while and the extra speed makes Terrakion more difficult to revenge-kill, but this comes at the price of being locked into one attack. Terrakion doesn't need Tailwind support, but it hates Trick Room even more than the last set. Tyranitar sets up sandstorm to support Terrakion whilst being a great answer to the many Ghost- and Psychic-types that set up Trick Room; Tyranitar also benefits from Trick Room should the opponent set it up. Terrakion appreciates both Wide Guard and Quick Guard support to avoid many super-effective attacks such as Earthquake and Mach Punch, even more so than the previous set, because as Terrakion doesn't have Protect. Unfortunately, most of the users of those two attacks, share Terrakion's Fighting-type, meaning the team will be doubly-weak to Psychic-type attacks. Nevertheless, Hitmontop is the best user of both those attacks, despite the Fighting-type, because it has Sucker Punch to dent Psychic-types and can use Fake Out as Terrakion uses X-Scissor.

[Other Options]

Terrakion can hold a Chople Berry to provide protection against the ever-common Fighting-types attacks that could otherwise OHKO Terrakion. as well as avoid breaking item clause should any of its teammates already have a Focus Sash or Life Orb. Chople Berry is also a good choice in the case Terrakion's teammates already holding either a Focus Sash or Life Orb. It can use a Choice Band for a power boost the extra power, but Terrakion's many weaknesses makes this less appealing, as Choice Band means that it doesn't have Protect or the Speed provided by Choice Scarf to help overcome its checks and counters. Finally, Lum Berry is another item option to remove paralysis, burn, and sleep, all of which severely cripple damper Terrakion's usefulness.

Sacred Sword is an option to avoid Close Combat's defense drops, as well as while ignoring defensive boosts, though the latter effect will rarely be utilized. Close Combat is usually the superior move choice due to its raw power. Stone Edge deals significantly more damage to one foe than Rock Slide, but Rock Slide is generally more useful due to hitting both targets, possessing superior accuracy, and having a high flinch rate. Stone Edge can be used in conjunction with Rock Slide when using a Choice item if you're willing to give up a coverage attack. Safeguard is mainly useful against Amoonguss and slow bulky Ghost-types that may use Will-O-Wisp, whom otherwise take little from your attacks. Against other status-inducing foes, however, Terrakion is usually better off just attacking. Taunt can disrupt your opponent's strategy, and Terrakion has the Speed to pull it off, though it's not as good as utilizing the move as Pokemon with the ability Prankster. Taunt's best use is against Trick Room users, but if they're not Porygon2 or Dusclops, they may be holding a Mental Herb, rendering it useless. Terrakion also gets Helping Hand, but Terrakion is usually better off attacking than giving a teammate a power boost.

[Checks and Counters]

Despite Terrakion's solid offensive typing, it has a large number of checks and counters. Amoongus can shrug off whatever Terrakion uses and put it to sleep with Spore, or hit it hard with a super-effective Giga Drain. Any moderately-bulky Ghost-type without a weakness to Rock Slide, such as Jellicent, Dusclops, Dusknoir and Golurk, completely wall Terrakion. In return, they can either hit Terrakion hard with their super-effective attacks or use Will-O-Wisp to cripple it. Fighting-types who can take a Close Combat are also effective counters. Hitmontop is arguably the best counter to any Terrakion without Quick Guard, as it can KO Terrakion with the combination of Fake Out and Mach Punch when boosted with a Life Orb and Technician (this KO isn't guaranteed), bypassing Terrakion's superior Speed, or it may lower Terrakion's Attack with Intimidate whilst still dealing good damage with its Fighting-type STABs. Conkeldurr and Toxicroak are the next two big threats, the first also bypassing Terrakion's Speed with Mach Punch whilst simultaneously possessing good bulk, and Toxicroak resisting Terrakion's STABs, though the latter loses if Terrakion has Earthquake. Reuniclus and Musharna can take Terrakion's attacks, not even being OHKOed by X-Scissor, and potentially OHKO with Psychic. Cresselia can only 2HKO Terrakion with Psychic, but her massive bulk enables her to survive even two consecutive X-scissors.

Terrakion hates Drizzle teams due to all the Water-types they contain, all of whom that can OHKO Terrakion. Swift Swim users are even worse, as they outspeed Terrakion; some outspeed Terrakion even if it's holding a Choice Scarf. Some Water-types can also OHKO Terrakion outside of rain whilst surviving whatever Terrakion can throw at them, such as Rotom-W. Finally, it should be noted that many of the Pokemon that Terrakion could normally beat easily may be holding either a Chople or Charti Berry to survive the super-effective hit from Terrakion and then retaliate with a super-effective hit of their own, such as Scrafty in the case of Chople Berry.

[Dream World]
Terrakion does not receive a Hidden Ability.

No Dream World Ability.

Amateur GP check in progress

EDIT: Done

Darkmalice · Nov 20, 2011

MeGaMaN X said:
Amateur GP check in progress

EDIT: Done

Thank you for the GP check. I made most of the changes. Some of the changes you suggested I didn't take on, and I changed those parts differently, usually because they inappropriately changed the meaning of the sentence, such as this suggestion:

It can also remove the rain set up by Politoed, which is great considering that Water-types, especially Swift Swim users, outspeed and OHKO Terrakion with their rain-boosted attacks.

The way this is worded it made it sounded like all Water-types outspeed Terrakion. I added 'many' before 'Water-types'. Nevertheless, thanks for the GP check once again.

Calm Pokemaster · Nov 20, 2011

Deletions
Additions / Corrections
Comments

[Overview]

While Terrakion was one of the best and most common sweepers in VGC '11, there are many new checks and counters arising in VGC '12. Despite this, Terrakion it retains its title as a top-tier pokemon threat in VGC play. It possesses key qualities that many other Pokemon would die for. Terrakion's brilliant dual STABs provide a strong Rock Slide to hurt both opponents, while Close Combat badly hurts a single opponent. Together, they form a STAB combo that is resisted by only a few Pokemon. This combo is complemented by a very high Attack stat, a high Speed stat, and good bulk for a sweeper that enables Terrakion to survive most neutral attacks. However, this bulk is compromised by Terrakion's many common weaknesses, most notably to Fighting-, Ground-, and Water-type attacks. Consequently, there are many common Pokemon that threaten it, particularly with all forms of weather running rampant in VCG '12. Team support is thus even more important this year, as it helps Terrakion overcome its many counters and lets it reach its full potential.

[SET]
name: Physical Attacker
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: Rock Slide
move 3: Quick Attack / Quick Guard
move 4: Protect
item: Focus Sash / Life Orb
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 244 Atk / 4 Def / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

This is Terrakion's generic set. Close Combat and Rock Slide form the bread-and-butter of this set, one hitting an individual target very hard, the other hitting both opponents for less damage but still hitting them hard nevertheless (I assume this is what you meant to say); the two and together form a nearly unresisted STAB combo. Protect is staple in doubles play, as it keeps Terrakion safe from harm as a teammate eliminates a potential threat to Terrakion it, and lets Terrakion stall out at least one turn of Trick Room or Tailwind. Quick Attack can finish off weakened opponents with priority, and is the usual choice for the 3rd moveslot. An alternative option to Quick Attack is Quick Guard, as Terrakion is weak to Mach Punch, Bullet Punch, and Aqua Jet, with the first two priority moves being very common. If you have teammates that are also weak to common priority attacks, Quick Guard can protect both Terrakion and your teammate from them. It also provides protection against Fake Out from Pokemon who are slower than Terrakion and temporarily shuts down Technician Hitmontop, whose only form of offense usually just takes the form of priority attacks. Just be aware that priority attacks are regularly aimed at Terrakion, though. In such scenarios, Protect would be just as useful as Quick Guard, having much more general utility. Quick Guard may also be used over Protect, but this isn't recommended, as Protect is generally superior to any move that could be chosen in the third slot. The 3rd moveslot can also be replaced with Earthquake if Quick Attack or Quick Guard don't suit your liking, but it doesn't hit anything notable harder than Close Combat and Rock Slide except Toxicroak, who resists both of your STABs. (moving to AC, since AC is the place for discussing stuff which aren't main slashes on the set itself, but are still worth mentioning.)

In doubles, Focus Sash is a great item for Terrakion, as it allows it to survive an attack from one of its common weaknesses. Life Orb gives Terrakion a major boost in power and is a viable alternative to Focus Sash. Always max Speed to speed-tie with Infernape and other Terrakion. 4 HP and 4 Defense EVs enable Terrakion to always survive Jolly Tornadus's Flight Gem Acrobatics. 244 Attack EVs gives the same Attack as 248, so the remaining EVs are thrown into Special Defense, as they are of little use elsewhere. (Once again, AC is the place for discussing items, EV spread etc. You can take a peek at the Analysis Formatting Guide for more details.)

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

In doubles, Focus Sash is a great item for Terrakion, as it allows it to survive one of the common attacks it is weak to. Life Orb gives Terrakion a major boost in power and is a viable alternative to Focus Sash, however. As far as EVs are concerned, always maximize Speed to Speed-tie with Infernape and other Terrakion. 4 EVs each in HP and Defense enable Terrakion to always survive Jolly Tornadus's Flight Gem Acrobatics. 244 Attack EVs gives the same Attack as 248, so the remaining EVs are thrown into Special Defense, as they are of little use elsewhere. Earthquake can be used over Quick Attack or Quick Guard in the third moveslot if they don't suit your liking, but it doesn't hit anything notable harder than Close Combat and Rock Slide except Toxicroak, who resists both of your STABs.

Terrakion enjoys teammates who can take out Fighting-types, as Terrakion it cannot do so itself without adequate team support. Terrakion It especially fears Mach Punch from Hitmontop and Conkeldurr, as the move bypasses Terrakion's superior Speed. Flying-types such as Tornadus and Staraptor are thus great teammates, as they both outspeed and OHKO the common Fighting-types, as well as Amoongus that lack Coba Berry, which (you use ''it'' to refer to Pokemon, so stick with ''which'' in cases such as these) walls Terrakion while simultaneously threatening it with Spore and STAB Giga Drain. Speaking of Tornadus, Terrakion loves the Tailwind support he it provides, as it enables Terrakion to outrun almost everything. Beat Up support gives Terrakion a +4 boost thanks to its ability, Justified, making Terrakion it a very deadly sweeper. Whimsicott is easily the best Beat Up supporter, as it can also provide Tailwind, Charm, and Helping Hand support, and it appreciates Terrakion's Quick Guard to avoid being hit by Fake Out from Pokemon who are slower than Terrakion. Keep in mind that any Terrakion holding a Focus Sash is counter-productive with Beat Up, which as it renders Focus Sash useless.

Sandstorm support helps Terrakion survive even super effective STAB special attacks. This is best set up by Tyranitar, which deals with threatens the Psychic-types that threaten Terrakion. It can also remove the rain set up by Politoed, which is great considering that which is great considering that many Water-types, especially Swift Swim users, outspeed and OHKO Terrakion with their rain-boosted attacks. Latios is another excellent partner, as its His typing and special bulk provide durability against Water-type attacks, and he it can OHKO Water-types with either Thunderbolt or Draco Meteor, as well as OHKOing andFighting-types with his STAB Psychic-type attacks (barring Scrafty) as well. Finally, Fire-type partners can take out Scizor and Metagross, who can which threaten Terrakion with super-effective prioritySTAB Bullet Punch or OHKO it with other Steel-type attacks (Scizor does both simultaneously thanks to the Technician boost that Bullet Punch receives). Fire-type partners include Ninetales, which also sets up sunshine to remove Terrakion's Water-type weakness. However, whilst Terrakion usually enjoys sunshine, it enjoys sandstorm support even more. If using Ninetales, be careful of opposing Chlorophyll users that outspeed Terrakion and hit it super effectively with Grass-type attacks.
(remove extra line space)
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: Rock Slide
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: X-Scissor
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 244 Atk / 4 Def / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

With a Choice Scarf, Terrakion outspeeds almost everything without more than a +1 boost to Speed, enabling it to hit certain opponents hard before they have a chance to hit back, such as Weavile with Low Kick. Close Combat and Rock Slide are staples, like on the previous set. Earthquake deals less damage than STAB Rock Slide and targets your ally, but nets extra coverage and functions as another spread attack when Rock Slide wouldn't be useful or if you really need the 100% accuracy hit. With Rock Slide, It forms the infamous QuakeSlide combo with Rock Slide as well. Earthquake is also notable for hitting Toxicroak super effectively, (remember, ''super effectively'' isn't hyphenated) who which resists all your of Terrakion's other attacks and otherwise walls you it whilst threatening you with STAB Fighting-type attacks. (''you'' refers to the battler, not the Pokemon) X-Scissor hits Psychic-types harder than any of your Terrakion's other moves. Just keep in mind that it won't OHKO bulky Psychic-types like such as Reuniclus and Musharna, whilst max Special Attack Musharna has a 81% chance to OHKO Terrakion with Psychic, and Reuniclus has a guaranteed OHKO.

Jolly is the preferred nature to outspeed Garchomp holding a Choice Scarf and Modest Ludicolo in the rain, as well as any other Pokemon with a base Speed less than 108 holding a Choice Scarf. It also enables Terrakion to speed-tie with neutral-natured Shiftry and Venusaur in the sun and +2 Blaziken. However, Adamant is a viable option for the extra power. The EVs are the same as the previous set for the same reasons listed in that set.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

Jolly is the preferred nature to outspeed Choice Scarf Garchomp and Modest Ludicolo in the rain, as well as any other Choice Scarf users with a base Speed less than 108. It also enables Terrakion to Speed-tie with neutral-natured Shiftry and Venusaur in the sun and +2 Blaziken. However, Adamant is a viable option for the extra power. The EVs are the same as the previous set for the same reasons listed.

Choice Scarf Terrakion shares similar checks and counters to non-Scarfed Terrakion. However, Earthquake and X-Scissor dent many would-be counters such as Toxicroak, while the extra Speed makes Terrakion more difficult to revenge kill, but this comes at the price of being locked into one attack. Choice Scarf Terrakion doesn't need Tailwind support, but hates Trick Room even more than the last set. Tyranitar sets up sandstorm to support Terrakion whilst being a great answer to the many Ghost- and Psychic-types that set up Trick Room; Tyranitar also benefits from Trick Room should the opponent set it up. Terrakion appreciates both Wide Guard and Quick Guard support to avoid many super effective attacks such as Earthquake and Mach Punch, even more so than the previous set, as Terrakion it doesn't have Protect. Unfortunately, most of the users of those two attacks share Terrakion's Fighting typing, meaning the team will be doubly weak to Psychic-type attacks. Nevertheless, Hitmontop is the best user of both those attacks, despite the Fighting-type, because it has Sucker Punch to dent Psychic-types, and it can use Fake Out as Terrakion uses X-Scissor.

[Other Options]

Terrakion can hold a Chople Berry is an option to provide protection against the common Fighting-types attacks that could otherwise OHKO Terrakion; it Chople Berry is also a good choice in case one of Terrakion's teammates is already holding either a Focus Sash or Life Orb. It Terrakioncan use a Choice Band for extra power, but Terrakion's its many weaknesses makes this less appealing, as Choice Band means that it doesn't have Protect or the Speed provided by Choice Scarf to overcome its checks and counters. Finally, Lum Berry is another option to remove paralysis, burn, and sleep, all of which severely cripple Terrakion.

Sacred Sword is an option to avoid Close Combat's defense drops while ignoring defensive boosts, though the latter effect will rarely be utilized. Close Combat is usually the superior move choice due to its raw power. Stone Edge deals significantly more damage to one foe than Rock Slide, but Rock Slide is generally more useful due to hitting both targets, possessing superior accuracy, and having a high good flinch rate. Stone Edge can be used in conjunction with Rock Slide if you're willing to give up a coverage attack, though. Safeguard is mainly useful against Amoonguss and slow, bulky Ghost-types that may use Will-O-Wisp, whom otherwise and take little from your attacks, but against other status-inducing foes, Terrakion is usually better off just attacking. Taunt can disrupt your opponent's strategy, and Terrakion has the Speed to pull it off, though it's not as good as utilizing the move as Pokemon with the ability Prankster. Taunt's best use is against Trick Room users, but if they're not Porygon2 or Dusclops, they may be holding a Mental Herb, rendering it useless. Terrakion also gets Helping Hand, but Terrakion it is usually better off attacking than giving a teammate a power boost.

[Checks and Counters]

Despite Terrakion's solid offensive typing, it has a large number of checks and counters. Amoongus can shrug off whatever Terrakion uses and put it to sleep with Spore, or even hit it hard with a super effective Giga Drain. Any moderately bulky Ghost-type without a weakness to Rock Slide, such as Jellicent, Dusclops, Dusknoir, and Golurk, completely wall Terrakion. In return, they can either hit Terrakion hard with their super effective attacks or use Will-O-Wisp to cripple it with Will-O-Wisp. Fighting-types who can take a Close Combat are also effective counters. Hitmontop is arguably the best counter to any Terrakion without Quick Guard, as it can KO Terrakion with the combination of Fake Out and Mach Punch when boosted with a Life Orb and Technician (this KO isn't guaranteed though), bypassing Terrakion's superior Speed; or it may can even lower Terrakion's Attack with Intimidate instead whilst still dealing good damage with its Fighting-type STABs. Conkeldurr and Toxicroak are the next two big threats, the first also bypassing Terrakion's Speed with Mach Punch whilst simultaneously possessing good bulk, and Toxicroak resisting Terrakion's STABs, though the latter loses if Terrakion has Earthquake. Reuniclus and Musharna can take Terrakion's attacks, not even being OHKOed by X-Scissor, and potentially OHKO with Psychic, not being OHKOed by even X-Scissor. Cresselia can only 2HKO Terrakion with Psychic, but her massive bulk enables her to survive even two consecutive X-Scissors.

Terrakion hates Drizzle teams due to all the Water-types that can OHKO Terrakion it. Swift Swim users are even worse, as they outspeed Terrakion; some outspeed Terrakion even if it's holding a Choice Scarf. Some Water-types can OHKO Terrakion outside of rain whilst surviving whatever Terrakion can throw at them, such as Rotom-W. Finally, it should be noted that many of the Pokemon that Terrakion could normally beat easily may be holding either a Chople or Charti Berry to survive the super effective hit from Terrakion and retaliate with a super effective attack hit of their own, such as Scrafty in the case of Chople Berry.

This was mostly fine, except for some minor grammatical errors - don't hyphenate phrases such as ''revenge kill'' ''super effective'' etc, and stick to either one of ''he / she'' and ''it'' when referring to Pokemon i.e don't use both. Otherwise,

GP 1 / 2

Darkmalice · Nov 22, 2011

Thanks for the GP check CP. It has been edited in.

Shame That · Nov 24, 2011

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Darkmalice said:
Terrakion

[Overview]

While Terrakion was one of the best and most common sweepers in VGC '11, there are many new checks and counters arising in VGC '12. Despite this, it retains its title as a top-tier threat in VGC play. It possesses key qualities that many other Pokemon would die for. Terrakion's brilliant dual STABs provide a strong Rock Slide to hurt both opponents, while Close Combat badly hurts a single opponent. Together, they form a STAB combo that is resisted by only a few Pokemon. This combo is complemented by a very high Attack stat, a high Speed stat, and good bulk for a sweeper that enables Terrakion to survive most neutral attacks. However, this bulk is compromised by Terrakion's many common weaknesses, most notably to Fighting-, Ground-, and Water-type attacks. Consequently, there are many common Pokemon that threaten it, particularly with all forms of weather running rampant in VCG '12. Team support is thus even more important this year, as it helps Terrakion overcome its many counters and lets it reach its full potential.

[SET]
name: Physical Attacker
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: Rock Slide
move 3: Quick Attack / Quick Guard
move 4: Protect
item: Focus Sash / Life Orb
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 244 Atk / 4 Def / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

This is Terrakion's generic set. Close Combat and Rock Slide form the bread-and-butter of this set, one hitting an individual target very hard, the other hitting both opponents for less damage but still hitting them hard nevertheless, and the two forming a nearly unresisted STAB combo. Protect is staple in doubles play, as it keeps Terrakion safe from harm as a teammate eliminates a potential threat to it, and lets Terrakion stall out at least one turn of Trick Room or Tailwind. Quick Attack can finish off weakened opponents, and is the usual choice for the 3rd moveslot. An alternative option to Quick Attack is Quick Guard, as Terrakion is weak to Mach Punch, Bullet Punch, and Aqua Jet, with the first two priority moves being very common. If you have teammates that are also weak to common priority attacks, Quick Guard can protect both Terrakion and your teammate from them. It also provides protection against Fake Out from Pokemon who are slower than Terrakion and temporarily shuts down Technician Hitmontop, whose only form of offense usually just takes the form of priority attacks. Just be aware that priority attacks are regularly aimed at Terrakion, though. In such scenarios, Protect would be just as useful as Quick Guard, having much more general utility. Quick Guard may also be used over Protect, but this isn't recommended as Protect is generally superior to any move that could be chosen in the third slot.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

In doubles, Focus Sash is a great item for Terrakion, as it allows it to survive one of the common attacks it is weak to. Life Orb gives Terrakion a major boost in power and is a viable alternative to Focus Sash,[Remove Comma] however [Doesnt really need to be there]. As far as EVs are concerned, always maximize Speed to Speed-tie with Infernape and other Terrakion. 4 EVs each in HP and Defense enable Terrakion to always survive Jolly Tornadus's Flight Gem Acrobatics. 244 Attack EVs gives the same Attack as 248, so the remaining EVs are thrown into Special Defense, as they are of little use elsewhere. Earthquake can be used over Quick Attack or Quick Guard in the third moveslot if they don't suit your liking, but it doesn't hit anything notable harder than Close Combat and Rock Slide except Toxicroak, who resists both of your STABs.

Terrakion enjoys teammates who can take out Fighting-types, as it cannot do so itself. It especially fears Mach Punch from Hitmontop and Conkeldurr, as the move bypasses Terrakion's superior Speed. Flying-types such as Tornadus and Staraptor are thus great teammates, as they both outspeed and OHKO the common Fighting-types as well as Amoongus that lack Coba Berry, which walls Terrakion while simultaneously threatening it with Spore and STAB Giga Drain. Speaking of Tornadus, Terrakion loves the Tailwind support it provides, as it enables Terrakion to outrun almost everything. Beat Up support gives Terrakion a +4 boost thanks to its ability, Justified, making it a very deadly sweeper. Whimsicott is easily the best Beat Up supporter, as it can also provide Tailwind, Charm, and Helping Hand support, and it appreciates Terrakion's Quick Guard to avoid being hit by Fake Out from Pokemon who are slower than Terrakion. Keep in mind that any Terrakion holding a Focus Sash is counter-productive with Beat Up, which renders Focus Sash useless.

Sandstorm support helps Terrakion survive even super effective STAB special attacks. This is best set up by Tyranitar, which deals with the Psychic-types that threaten Terrakion. It can also remove the rain set up by Politoed, which is great considering that many Water-types, especially Swift Swim users, outspeed and OHKO Terrakion with their rain-boosted attacks. Latios is another excellent partner, as its typing and special bulk provide durability against Water-type attacks, and it can OHKO Water-types with either Thunderbolt or Draco Meteor and Fighting-types with STAB Psychic-type attacks (barring Scrafty) as well. Finally, Fire-type partners can take out Scizor and Metagross, which threaten Terrakion with priority STAB Bullet Punch or OHKO with other Steel-type attacks (Scizor does both simultaneously thanks to the Technician boost that Bullet Punch receives). Fire-type partners include Ninetales, which also sets up sunshine to remove Terrakion's Water-type weakness. However, whilst Terrakion usually enjoys sunshine, it enjoys sandstorm support even more. If using Ninetales, be careful of opposing Chlorophyll users that outspeed Terrakion and hit it super effectively with Grass-type attacks.

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: Rock Slide
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: X-Scissor
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 244 Atk / 4 Def / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

With a Choice Scarf, Terrakion outspeeds almost everything without more than a +1 boost to Speed, enabling it to hit certain opponents hard before they have a chance to hit back attack [MUST.. FIND.. ERRORS!], such as Weavile with Low Kick. Close Combat and Rock Slide are staples, like on the previous set. Earthquake deals less damage than STAB Rock Slide and targets your ally, but nets extra coverage and functions as another spread attack when Rock Slide wouldn't be useful or if you really need the 100% accuracy hit. It forms the infamous QuakeSlide combo with Rock Slide as well. Earthquake is also notable for hitting Toxicroak super effectively, which resists all of Terrakion's other attacks and otherwise walls it whilst threatening with STAB Fighting-type attacks. X-Scissor hits Psychic-types harder than any of Terrakion's other moves. Just keep in mind that it won't OHKO bulky Psychic-types such as Reuniclus and Musharna, whilst max Special Attack Musharna has a 81% chance to OHKO Terrakion with Psychic, and Reuniclus has a guaranteed OHKO.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

Jolly is the preferred nature to outspeed Choice Scarf Garchomp and Modest Ludicolo in the rain, as well as any other Choice Scarf users with a base Speed less than 108. It also enables Terrakion to Speed-tie with neutral-natured Shiftry and Venusaur in the sun and +2 Blaziken. However, Adamant is a viable option for the extra power. The EVs are the same as the previous set for the same reasons listed.

Choice Scarf Terrakion shares similar checks and counters to non-Scarfed Terrakion. However, Earthquake and X-Scissor dent many would-be common [Preference I guess] counters such as Toxicroak, while the extra Speed makes Terrakion more difficult to revenge kill, but this comes at the price of being locked into one attack. Choice Scarf Terrakion doesn't need Tailwind support, but hates Trick Room even more than the last set. Tyranitar sets up sandstorm to support Terrakion whilst being a great answer to the many Ghost- and Psychic-types that set up Trick Room; Tyranitar also benefits from Trick Room should the opponent set it up. Terrakion appreciates both Wide Guard and Quick Guard support to avoid many super effective attacks such as Earthquake and Mach Punch, even more so than the previous set as it doesn't have Protect. Unfortunately, most of the users of those two attacks share Terrakion's Fighting typing, meaning the team will be doubly weak to Psychic-type attacks. Nevertheless, Hitmontop is the best user of both those attacks, because it has Sucker Punch to dent Psychic-types and can use Fake Out as Terrakion uses X-Scissor.

[Other Options]

Chople Berry is an option to provide protection against the common Fighting-types attacks that could otherwise OHKO Terrakion; it is also a good choice in case one of Terrakion's teammates is already holding either a Focus Sash or Life Orb. Terrakion can use a Choice Band for extra power, but its many weaknesses makes this less appealing, as Choice Band means that it doesn't have Protect or the Speed provided by Choice Scarf to overcome its checks and counters. Finally, Lum Berry is another option to remove paralysis, burn, and sleep, all of which severely cripple Terrakion.

Sacred Sword is an option to avoid Close Combat's defense drops while ignoring defensive boosts, though the latter effect will rarely be utilized. Close Combat is usually the superior move choice due to its raw power. Stone Edge deals significantly more damage to one foe than Rock Slide, but Rock Slide is generally more useful due to hitting both targets, possessing superior accuracy, and having a good flinch rate. Stone Edge can be used in conjunction with Rock Slide if you're willing to give up a coverage attack, though. Safeguard is mainly [...] useful against Amoonguss and slow, bulky Ghost-types that may use Will-O-Wisp and take little from your attacks, but against other status-inducing foes, Terrakion is usually better off just attacking. Taunt can disrupt your opponent's strategy, and Terrakion has the Speed to pull it off, though it's not as good as utilizing the move as Pokemon with the ability Prankster. Taunt's best use is against Trick Room users, but if they're not Porygon2 or Dusclops, they may be holding a Mental Herb, rendering it useless. Terrakion also gets Helping Hand, but it is usually better off attacking than giving a teammate a power boost.

[Checks and Counters]

Despite Terrakion's solid offensive typing, it has a large number of checks and counters. Amoongus can shrug off whatever Terrakion uses and put it to sleep with Spore, or even hit it hard with a super effective Giga Drain. Any moderately bulky Ghost-type without a weakness to Rock Slide, such as Jellicent, Dusclops, Dusknoir, and Golurk, completely wall Terrakion. In return, they can either hit Terrakion hard with their super effective attacks or cripple it with Will-O-Wisp. Fighting-types who can take a Close Combat are also effective counters. Hitmontop is arguably the best counter to any Terrakion without Quick Guard, as it can KO Terrakion with the combination of Fake Out and Mach Punch when boosted with a Life Orb and Technician (this KO isn't guaranteed though), bypassing Terrakion's superior Speed; it can even lower Terrakion's Attack with Intimidate instead whilst still dealing good damage with its Fighting-type STABs. Conkeldurr and Toxicroak are the next two big threats, the first also bypassing Terrakion's Speed with Mach Punch whilst simultaneously possessing good bulk, and Toxicroak resisting Terrakion's STABs, though the latter loses if Terrakion has Earthquake. Reuniclus and Musharna can take Terrakion's attacks, and potentially OHKO with Psychic, not being OHKOed by even X-Scissor. Cresselia can only 2HKO Terrakion with Psychic, but her massive bulk enables her to survive even two consecutive X-Scissors.

Terrakion hates Drizzle teams due to all the Water-types that can OHKO it. Swift Swim users are even worse, as they outspeed Terrakion; some outspeed Terrakion even if it's holding a Choice Scarf. Some Water-types can OHKO Terrakion outside of rain whilst surviving whatever Terrakion can throw at them, such as Rotom-W. Finally, it should be noted that many of the Pokemon that Terrakion could normally beat easily may be holding either a Chople or Charti Berry to survive the super effective hit from Terrakion and retaliate with a super effective attack of their own, such as Scrafty in the case of Chople Berry.

Calm Pokemaster should be able to stamp his checks twice, because he leaves me nothing to work with. ಠ_ಠ

Darkmalice · Nov 24, 2011

Shame That said:
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Calm Pokemaster should be able to stamp his checks twice, because he leaves me nothing to work with. ಠ_ಠ

Thanks for the GP checks. I made all the changes, except these two:

Life Orb gives Terrakion a major boost in power and is a viable alternative to Focus Sash, however. Calm Pokemaster suggested that I add this word.

However, Earthquake and X-Scissor dent many would-be common [Preference I guess] counters such as Toxicroak, while the extra Speed makes Terrakion more difficult to revenge kill, but this comes at the price of being locked into one attack. I want to say that Earthquake and X-scissor enables Terrakion to beat Pokemon that it couldn't beat if it didn't have those two moves, such as Toxicroak (with Earthquake). 'Common' does not say this, but 'would-be' does.

Nevertheless, thanks for the effort to find mistakes that hadn't been picked up on!

sandshrewz · Nov 24, 2011

In the check and counters section, last paragraph, Drizzle teams should be changed to 'rain teams', which is the correct term I think, as rain teams may not be dependent on Drizzle.

Lesser Smaug · Nov 24, 2011

GP check

Unofficial GP check

Additions
Removals

[Overview]

While Terrakion was one of the best and most common sweepers in VGC '11, there are many new checks and counters arising in VGC '12. Despite this, it retains its title as a top-tier threat in VGC play. It possesses key qualities that many other Pokemon would die for., including Terrakion's brilliant dual STABs that provide a strong Rock Slide to hurt both opponents, while and Close Combat to badly hurts a single opponent. Together, they form a STAB combo that is resisted by only a few Pokemon. This combo is complemented by a towering very high Attack stat, a high brilliant Speed stat, and good decent bulk for a sweeper that enables Terrakion to survive most neutral attacks. However, this bulk is compromised by Terrakion's many common weaknesses, most notably to Fighting-, Ground-, and Water-type attacks. Consequently, there are many common Pokemon that threaten it, particularly with all forms of weather running rampant in VCG '12. Team support is thus even more important this year, as it helps Terrakion overcome its many counters and lets it reach its full potential.

[SET]
name: Physical Attacker
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: Rock Slide
move 3: Quick Attack / Quick Guard
move 4: Protect
item: Focus Sash / Life Orb
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 244 Atk / 4 Def / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

This is Terrakion's generic standard set. Close Combat and Rock Slide form the bread-and-butter of this set, one hitting an individual target very hard, the other hitting both opponents for less damage but still hitting them hard nevertheless, and the two forming a nearly unresisted STAB combo. Protect is a staple in doubles play, as it keeps Terrakion safe from harm as a teammate eliminates a potential threat to it, and lets Terrakion stall out at least one turn of Trick Room or Tailwind. Quick Attack can finish off weakened opponents, and is the usual choice for the thi3rd moveslot. An alternative option to Quick Attack is Quick Guard, as Terrakion is weak to Mach Punch, Bullet Punch, and Aqua Jet, with the first two priority moves being very common frequent. If you have teammates that are also weak to common priority attacks, Quick Guard can protect both Terrakion and your teammate from them. It also provides protection against Fake Out from Pokemon who are slower than Terrakion and temporarily shuts down Technician Hitmontop, whose only form of offense usually just takes the form of priority attacks. Just be aware that pPriority attacks are regularly aimed at Terrakion, though,. In such scenarios, making Protect superior to would be just as useful as Quick Guard in that scenario., Protect also has having much more general utility. Quick Guard may also be used over Protect, but this isn't recommended as Protect is generally superior to any move that could be chosen in the third slot.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

In doubles, Focus Sash is a great item for Terrakion, as it allows it to survive a super effective one of the common attacks it is weak to. Life Orb gives powers up Terrakion a major boost in power and is a viable alternative to Focus Sash, however. As far as EVs are concerned, always maximize Speed to Speed-tie with Infernape and other Terrakion. 4 EVs each in HP and Defense enable Terrakion to always survive Jolly Tornadus's Flight Gem Acrobatics. 244 Attack EVs gives outputs the same equivalent Attack as 248 EVs, so the remaining EVs are thrown into Special Defense, as they are of little use elsewhere (Do not explain the leftover EV purposes; just say they are in Special Defense and continue.). Earthquake can be used over Quick Attack or Quick Guard in the third moveslot if they don't suit your liking, but it doesn't hit anything notable harder than Close Combat and Rock Slide except Toxicroak, who resists both of your STABs.

Terrakion enjoys teammates who can take out Fighting-types, as it cannot do so itself. It especially fears Mach Punch from Hitmontop and Conkeldurr, as the move bypasses Terrakion's superior Speed. Flying-types such as Tornadus and Staraptor are thus great teammates, as they both outspeed and OHKO the common Fighting-types as well as Amoongus that lack Coba Berry, which walls Terrakion while simultaneously threatening it with Spore and STAB Giga Drain. Speaking of Tornadus, Terrakion loves the Tailwind support it provides, as it enables Terrakion to outrun almost everything. Using Beat Up support on Terrakion gives Terrakion it a +4 boost thanks to its ability, Justified, raising its Attack when hit by a Dark-type move making it a very deadly sweeper. Whimsicott is easily the best Beat Up supporter, as it can also provide Tailwind, Charm, and Helping Hand support, and it appreciates Terrakion's Quick Guard to avoid being hit by Fake Out from Pokemon who are slower than Terrakion. Keep in mind that any Terrakion holding a Focus Sash is counter-productive with Beat Up, which renders Focus Sash useless.

Sandstorm support helps Terrakion survive even super effective STAB special attacks. This is best set up by Tyranitar, which deals with the Psychic-types that threaten forbid Terrakion from doing its job. It can also remove the rain set up by Politoed, which is great considering that many Water-types, especially Swift Swim users, outspeed and OHKO Terrakion with their rain-boosted attacks. Latios is another excellent partner, as its typing and special bulk provide durability against Water-type attacks, and it can OHKO Water-types with either Thunderbolt or Draco Meteor, and Fighting-types bar Scrafty with STAB Psychic-type attacks (barring Scrafty) as well. Finally, Fire-type partners can take out Scizor and Metagross, which threaten Terrakion with priority STAB Bullet Punch or OHKO with other Steel-type attacks (Scizor does both simultaneously thanks to the Technician boost that Bullet Punch receives). Fire-type partners include Ninetales, which also sets up sunshine to remove Terrakion's Water-type weakness. However, whilst Terrakion usually enjoys sunshine, it enjoys sandstorm support even more loathes Chlorophyll users that land super effective Grass-type attacks on it. If using Ninetales, be careful of opposing Chlorophyll users that outspeed Terrakion and hit it super effectively with Grass-type attacks.

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: Rock Slide
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: X-Scissor
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 244 Atk / 4 Def / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

With a Choice Scarf, Terrakion outspeeds almost everything without more than a +1 boost to Speed, enabling it to hit certain opponents hard before they have a chance to attack, such as Weavile with Low Kick. Close Combat and Rock Slide are staples, like on the previous set. Earthquake deals less damage than STAB Rock Slide and targets your ally, but nets extra coverage and functions as another spread attack when Rock Slide wouldn't be useful or if you really need require the 100% perfect accuracy hit. It also forms the infamous QuakeSlide combo with Rock Slide as well. Earthquake is also notable for hitting Toxicroak super effectively, which resists all of Terrakion's other attacks and otherwise walls it whilst threatening with STAB Fighting-type attacks. X-Scissor hits Psychic-types harder than any of Terrakion's other moves. Just keep in mind that However, it won't OHKO bulky Psychic-types such as Reuniclus and Musharna, whilst max Special Attack Musharna has a 81% chance to OHKO Terrakion with Psychic, and Reuniclus has a guaranteed OHKO with the same move.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

Jolly is the preferred nature to outspeed Choice Scarf Garchomp and Modest Ludicolo in the rain, as well as any other Choice Scarf users with a base Speed less than under 108. It also enables Terrakion to Speed-tie with neutral-natured Shiftry and Venusaur in the sun and +2 Speed Blaziken. However, Adamant is a viable option replacement for the extra power. The EVs are the same as the previous set Physical Attacker for the same reasons listed.

Choice Scarf Terrakion shares similar checks and counters to non-Choice Scarfed Terrakion. However, Earthquake and X-Scissor dent many would-be counters such as Toxicroak, while the extra Speed makes Terrakion more difficult to revenge kill, but this comes at the price of being locked into one attack. Choice Scarf Terrakion doesn't need Tailwind support, but hates Trick Room even more than the last set. Tyranitar sets up sandstorm to support Terrakion whilst being a great answer to the many Ghost- and Psychic-types that set up Trick Room; Tyranitar also benefits from Trick Room should the opponent set it up. Terrakion also appreciates both Wide Guard and Quick Guard support to avoid many super effective attacks such as Earthquake and Mach Punch, even more so than the previous set as it doesn't have lacks Protect. Unfortunately, most of the users of those two attacks share Terrakion's Fighting-(space)typing, meaning the team will be doubly weak to opening more holes for Psychic-type attacks Pokemon to wreck havoc. Nevertheless, Hitmontop is the best user of both those attacks, because it has Sucker Punch to dent Psychic-types and can use Fake Out as Terrakion uses X-Scissor.

[Other Options]

Chople Berry is an option to provide protection against the survive the common Fighting-types attacks that could otherwise OHKO Terrakion; it is also a good choice in case one of Terrakion's teammates is already holding either a Focus Sash or Life Orb. Terrakion can use a Choice Band for extra power, but its many weaknesses makes this less appealing, as Choice Band means that it doesn't have renders Protect useless, or and lacks the Speed provided by Choice Scarf to overcome its checks and counters. Finally, Lum Berry is another option to remove paralysis, burn, and sleep, all of which severely cripple Terrakion.

Sacred Sword is an option to avoid Close Combat's defense drops while ignoring defensive boosts, though the latter effect will rarely be utilized. Close Combat is usually the superior move choice due to its raw power. Stone Edge deals significantly more damage to one foe than Rock Slide, but Rock Slide is generally more useful due to hitting targeting both targets enemies, possessing superior accuracy, and having packing a good flinch rate. Stone Edge can be used in conjunction with Rock Slide if you're willing to give up in exchange for a coverage attack, though however. Safeguard blocks is useful against Amoonguss's Spore and slow, bulky Ghost-types' that may use Will-O-Wisp; and take little from your attacks, but against other status-inducing foes, however, Terrakion's best defense is usually better off just attacking. Taunt can disrupt your opponent's strategy, and Terrakion has the Speed to pull it off;, though it's not as good as utilizing the move as Pokemon with the abilityPrankster, such as Whimsicott, are superior Taunt users, however. Taunt's best use is against Trick Room users, but if they're not Porygon2 or Dusclops, they may be holding a Mental Herb, rendering it useless Trick Room users outside of Porygon2 and Dusclops may hold Mental Herb to foil Taunt. Terrakion also gets Helping Hand, but it is usually better off attacking overpowering opponents than giving supporting a teammate a power boost.

[Checks and Counters]

Despite Terrakion's solid offensive typing, it has a large number of checks and counters. Amoongus can shrug off whatever Terrakion uses absorb Terrakion’s blows and put it to sleep with Spore, or even hit it hard with a super effective Giga Drain. Any moderately bulky Ghost-type without a weakness to Rock Slide, such as Jellicent, Dusclops, Dusknoir, and Golurk, completely wall Terrakion. In return, they can either hit Terrakion hard with their super effective attacks or cripple it with Will-O-Wisp. Fighting-types who can take a Close Combat are also effective counters. Hitmontop is arguably the best counter to any Terrakion without Quick Guard, as it can possibly KO Terrakion with the combination of Fake Out and Mach Punch when boosted with a Life Orb and Technician (this KO isn't guaranteed though), bypassing Terrakion's superior Speed; it can even lower Terrakion's Attack with Intimidate instead whilst still dealing good damage with its Fighting-type STABs. Conkeldurr and Toxicroak are the next two big threats;, the first former also bypassesing Terrakion's Speed with Mach Punch whilst simultaneously possessing good bulk, and Toxicroak the latter resistsing Terrakion's STABs, though the latter but loses if Terrakion has to Earthquake. Reuniclus and Musharna can take Terrakion's attacks, and potentially OHKO with Psychic, not being OHKOed by even X-Scissor. Cresselia can only 2HKO Terrakion with Psychic, but her massive bulk enables her to survive even two consecutive X-Scissors.

Terrakion hates Drizzle teams due to all the Water-types that can OHKO it. Swift Swim users are even worse, as they outspeed Terrakion; some outspeed even Choice Scarf Terrakion even if it's holding a Choice Scarf. Some Water-types can OHKO Terrakion outside of rain whilst surviving whatever Terrakion can throw at them any of Terrakion's attacks, such as Rotom-W . Finally, it should be noted that many of the Pokemon that Terrakion could normally beat easily defeat may be holding either a Chople or Charti Berry to survive the super effective hit from Terrakion and retaliate with a their own super effective attack of their own, such as Scrafty in the case of with Chople Berry.

Good job with the ~~unnecessary fluff~~ analysis. One major issue is the vocabulary: it is too basic. Also, avoid repeating words.

-Tsunami- · Nov 29, 2011

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[Overview]

While Terrakion was one of the best and most common sweepers in VGC '11, there are many new checks and counters against it that have risen arising in VGC '12. Despite this, it retains its title as a top-tier threat in VGC play. It possesses key qualities that many other Pokemon would die for. Terrakion's brilliant dual STABs provide a strong Rock Slide to hurt both opponents, while Close Combat can badly hurts a single opponent. Together, they form a STAB combo that is resisted by only a few Pokemon. This combo is complemented by a very high Attack stat, a high Speed stat, and good bulk for a sweeper that enables Terrakion to survive most neutral attacks. However, this bulk is compromised by Terrakion's many common weaknesses, most notably to Fighting-, Ground-, and Water-type attacks. Consequently, there are many common Pokemon that threaten it, particularly with all forms of weather running rampant in VCG '12. Team support is thus even more important this year, as it helps Terrakion overcome its many counters and lets it reach its full potential.

[SET]
name: Physical Attacker
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: Rock Slide
move 3: Quick Attack / Quick Guard
move 4: Protect
item: Focus Sash / Life Orb
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 244 Atk / 4 Def / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

This is Terrakion's generic set. Close Combat and Rock Slide form the crux bread-and-butter of this set, one hitting an individual target very hard, and the other hitting both opponents for less damage but still hitting them hard nevertheless; (semicolon) , and (comma) the two also forming a nearly unresisted STAB combo. Protect is staple in doubles play, as it keeps Terrakion safe from harm as a teammate eliminates a potential threat to it, and lets Terrakion stall out at least one turn of Trick Room or Tailwind. Quick Attack can finish off weakened opponents, and is the usual choice for the 3rd moveslot. An alternative option to Quick Attack is Quick Guard, as Terrakion is weak to Mach Punch, Bullet Punch, and Aqua Jet, with the first two priority moves being very common. If you have teammates that are also weak to common priority attacks, Quick Guard can protect both Terrakion and your teammate from them. It also provides protection against Fake Out from Pokemon who are slower than Terrakion and temporarily shuts down Technician Hitmontop, whose only form of offense is usually just takes in the form of priority attacks. Just be aware that priority attacks are regularly aimed at Terrakion, though. In such scenarios, however, (comma) Protect would be just as useful as[/B][/COLOR] Quick Guard, having as it has much more general utility. Quick Guard may also be used over Protect, but this isn't recommended as Protect is generally superior to any move that could be chosen in the third slot.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

In doubles, Focus Sash is a great item for Terrakion, as it allows it to survive one of the common attacks it is weak to. Life Orb gives Terrakion a major boost in power and is a viable alternative to Focus Sash, however. As far as EVs are concerned, always maximize Speed to Speed-(hyphen)tie 2 words with Infernape and other Terrakion. 4 EVs each in HP and Defense enable Terrakion to always survive Jolly Tornadus's Flight Gem Acrobatics. 244 Attack EVs gives the same Attack as 248, so the remaining EVs are thrown into Special Defense, as they are of little use elsewhere. Earthquake can be used over Quick Attack or Quick Guard in the third moveslot if they don't suit your liking, but it doesn't hit anything notable harder than Close Combat and Rock Slide except for Toxicroak, who resists both of Terrakion's your STABs.

Terrakion enjoys teammates who can take out Fighting-types, as it cannot do so itself. It especially fears Mach Punch from Hitmontop and Conkeldurr, as the move bypasses Terrakion's superior Speed. Flying-types such as Tornadus and Staraptor are thus great teammates, as they both outspeed and OHKO the common Fighting-type, (comma) as well as Amoongus that lack Coba Berry, which walls Terrakion while simultaneously threatening it with Spore and STAB Giga Drain. Speaking of Tornadus, Terrakion loves the Tailwind support it provides, as it enables Terrakion to outrun almost everything. Beat Up support gives Terrakion a +4 boost thanks to its ability, Justified, making it a very deadly sweeper. Whimsicott is easily the best Beat Up supporter, as it can also provide Tailwind, Charm, and Helping Hand support; (semicolon) , (comma) and it also appreciates Terrakion's Quick Guard to avoid being hit by Fake Out from Pokemon who are slower than Terrakion. Keep in mind that any Terrakion holding a Focus Sash is counter-(hyphen)productive 1 word with Beat Up, which renders Focus Sash useless.

Sandstorm support helps Terrakion survive even super effective STAB special attacks. This is best set up by Tyranitar, which deals with the Psychic-types that threaten Terrakion. It can also remove the rain set up by Politoed, which is great considering that many Water-types, especially Swift Swim users, outspeed and OHKO Terrakion with their rain-boosted attacks. Latios is another excellent partner, as its typing and special bulk provide durability against Water-type attacks, and it can OHKO Water-types with either Thunderbolt or Draco Meteor and can OHKO Fighting-types with STAB Psychic-type attacks (barring Scrafty) as well. Finally, Fire-type partners can take out Scizor and Metagross, which threaten Terrakion with priority STAB Bullet Punch or can OHKO with other Steel-type attacks (Scizor does both simultaneously thanks to the Technician boost that Bullet Punch receives). Fire-type partners include Ninetales, which also sets up sunshine to remove Terrakion's Water-type weakness. However, whilst Terrakion usually enjoys sunshine, it enjoys sandstorm support even more. If using Ninetales, be careful of opposing Chlorophyll users that outspeed Terrakion and can hit it super effectively with Grass-type attacks.

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: Rock Slide
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: X-Scissor
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 244 Atk / 4 Def / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

With a Choice Scarf, Terrakion outspeeds almost everything without more than a +1 boost to in Speed, enabling it to hit certain opponents, (comma) such as Low Kick Weavile hard before they have a chance to attack, (comma) such as Weavile with Low Kick. Close Combat and Rock Slide are staples, (comma) like on the previous set. Earthquake deals less damage than STAB Rock Slide and targets your ally, but nets extra coverage and functions as another spread attack when Rock Slide wouldn't be as useful or if you really need the 100% accuracy hit. It forms the infamous QuakeSlide combo with Rock Slide as well. Earthquake is also notable for hitting Toxicroak super effectively, which resists all of Terrakion's other attacks and otherwise walls it whilst threatening it with STAB Fighting-type attacks. X-Scissor hits Psychic-types harder than any of Terrakion's other moves. Just keep in mind that it won't OHKO bulky Psychic-types such as Reuniclus and Musharna, whilst max Special Attack Musharna has a 81% chance to OHKO Terrakion with Psychic, and Reuniclus has a guaranteed OHKO.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

Jolly is the preferred nature to outspeed Choice Scarf Garchomp and Modest Ludicolo in the rain, as well as any other Choice Scarf users with a base Speed less than 108. It also enables Terrakion to Speed-(hyphen)tie with neutral-natured Shiftry and Venusaur in the sun and +2 Blaziken. However, an Adamant nature is a viable option for the extra power. The EVs are the same as the previous set for the same reasons listed.

Choice Scarf Terrakion shares similar checks and counters to as non-Scarfed Terrakion. However, Earthquake and X-Scissor dent many would-be counters such as Toxicroak, while the extra Speed makes Terrakion more difficult to revenge kill, but this comes at the price of being locked into one attack. Choice Scarf Terrakion doesn't need Tailwind support, but hates Trick Room even more than the last set. Tyranitar sets up sandstorm to support Terrakion whilst being a great answer to the many Ghost- and Psychic-types that set up Trick Room; Tyranitar also benefits from Trick Room should the opponent set it up. Terrakion appreciates both Wide Guard and Quick Guard support to avoid many super effective attacks such as Earthquake and Mach Punch, even more so than the previous set as it doesn't have Protect. Unfortunately, most of the users of those two attacks share Terrakion's Fighting typing, meaning the team will be doubly weak to Psychic-type attacks. Nevertheless, Hitmontop is the best user of both those attacks, (comma) because it has Sucker Punch to dent Psychic-types and can use Fake Out as Terrakion uses X-Scissor.

[Other Options]

Chople Berry is an option to provide protection against the common Fighting-types attacks that could otherwise OHKO Terrakion; it is also a good choice in case one of Terrakion's teammates is already holding either a Focus Sash or Life Orb. Terrakion can use a Choice Band for extra power, but its many weaknesses makes this less appealing, as Choice Band means that it doesn't have Protect or the Speed provided by Choice Scarf to overcome its checks and counters. Finally, Lum Berry is another option to remove paralysis, burn, and sleep, all of which severely cripple Terrakion.

Sacred Sword is an option to avoid Close Combat's defense drops while ignoring defensive boosts, though the latter effect will rarely be utilized. Close Combat is usually the superior move choice due to its raw power. Stone Edge deals significantly more damage to one foe than Rock Slide, but Rock Slide is generally more useful due to hitting both targets, possessing superior accuracy, and having a good flinch rate. Stone Edge can be used in conjunction with Rock Slide if you're willing to give up a coverage attack, though. Safeguard is useful against Amoonguss and slow, bulky Ghost-types that may use Will-O-Wisp and take little damage from your attacks, but against other status-inducing foes, Terrakion is usually better off just attacking. Taunt can disrupt your opponent's strategy, and Terrakion has the Speed to pull it off, though it's not as good as utilizing the move as Pokemon with the ability Prankster. Taunt's best use is against Trick Room users, but if they're not Porygon2 or Dusclops, they may be holding a Mental Herb, rendering it useless. Terrakion also gets Helping Hand, but it is usually better off attacking than giving a teammate a power boost.

[Checks and Counters]

Despite Terrakion's solid offensive typing, it has a large number of checks and counters. Amoongus can shrug off whatever Terrakion uses and put it to sleep with Spore, or even hit it hard with a super effective Giga Drain. Any moderately bulky Ghost-type without a weakness to Rock Slide, (comma) such as Jellicent, Dusclops, Dusknoir, and Golurk, completely wall Terrakion. In return, they can either hit Terrakion hard with their super effective attacks or cripple it with Will-O-Wisp. Fighting-types who can take a Close Combat are also effective counters. Hitmontop is arguably the best counter to any Terrakion without Quick Guard, as it can KO Terrakion with the combination of Fake Out and Mach Punch when boosted with by a Life Orb and Technician (this KO isn't guaranteed though), bypassing Terrakion's superior Speed; it can even lower Terrakion's Attack with Intimidate instead whilst still dealing good damage with its Fighting-type STABs. Conkeldurr and Toxicroak are the next two big threats, the first also bypassing Terrakion's Speed with Mach Punch whilst simultaneously possessing good bulk, and resisting Terrakion's STABs; (semicolon) , (comma) though the latter the latter loses if Terrakion has Earthquake, (comma) however. Reuniclus and Musharna can take Terrakion's attacks, and potentially OHKO with Psychic, and are not even OHKO'd by X-Scissornot being OHKOed by even X-Scissor. Cresselia can only 2HKO Terrakion with Psychic, but her massive bulk enables her to survive even two consecutive X-Scissors.

Terrakion hates Drizzle teams due to all the Water-types that can OHKO it. Swift Swim users are even worse, as they outspeed Terrakion; some outspeed Terrakion even if it's holding a Choice Scarf. Some Water-types such as Rotom-W can OHKO Terrakion outside of rain whilst surviving whatever Terrakion can throw at them, (comma) such as Rotom-W. Finally, it should be noted that many of the Pokemon that Terrakion could normally beat easily may be holding either a Chople or Charti Berry to survive the super effective hit from Terrakion and could retaliate with a super effective attack of their own, such as Scrafty in the case of Chople Berry.

GP Approved 2/2

Darkmalice · Dec 4, 2011

sandshrewz said:
In the check and counters section, last paragraph, Drizzle teams should be changed to 'rain teams', which is the correct term I think, as rain teams may not be dependent on Drizzle.

Pretty much every good rain team has Politoed, but it's still a possibility to have rain without Politoed, so I still made the change.

Anyways, I made changes accordingly with the formal GP check and some of the informal one. Thanks for both.

This analysis is ready to be uploaded.

Solace · Dec 4, 2011

i uploaded this but just for the future MAKE SURE it says VGC and not VCG i had to correct it a few times

cosmicexplorer · Dec 4, 2011

Terrakion (Analysis) [GP 2/2]

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