ADV 50 Analysis - Golduck

	Golduck
	Type: Water
	Stats: 80 | 82 | 78 | 95 | 80 | 85
	Abilities: Damp / Cloud Nine

	Introduction

	While at first glance, Golduck might not seem all that impressive, it has a deluge of positive traits that make it one of the single most threatening Pokemon in the tier, as well as extremely versatile. Having access to the combination of Calm Mind and Hypnosis, plus an excellent speed tier make it very dangerous for more defensively inclined teams to face, as Hypnosis enables it to invalidate many of its answers, and then get a jump on its secondary checks with a free turn to Calm Mind. Its excellent base speed puts it above the crowded base 80 range, at a point where any Pokemon faster than it can't easily switch in repeatedly. Its abilities, Damp and Cloud Nine, are both quite useful. Damp suits more defensively inclined sets, granting it complete protection from some of the most powerful physical attacks in the game, while Cloud Nine lets it maintain a speed advantage against Swift Swim and Chlorophyll users, neuter Solar Beam, and lets it fully function in its role as an offensive water-type on sun teams. All this and more make it a Pokemon you cannot forget about when teambuilding, else there will be serious consequences.

	Sets

	HypnoDuck

	Golduck @ Leftovers
	Ability: Cloud Nine
	EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
	Timid Nature
	IVs: 0 Atk
	- Calm Mind
	- Hypnosis
	- Hydro Pump
	- Ice Beam

	Set Details

	The power of Hypnosis Golduck is simple to understand - Hypnosis lets it sleep its checks, which gives Golduck the opportunity to start boosting with Calm Mind, or neuter checks to its partners. Just two moves of coverage is sufficient to let it blow past most of the tier - Ice Beam hits Altaria and Grass-types for heavy damage, leaving only Water-types resistant to its attacks, and most of them still take a lot of damage from a boosted Hydro Pump or Ice Beam. For its EVs, maximising its speed and special attack is the simplest and most effective approach. Cloud Nine lets it check sun and rain abusers, and gives it more opportunities to enter the game and land Hypnosis, so it is generally preferred to Damp, although immunity to explosions from the likes of Glalie, Wailord, and Torkoal means it does merit some consideration.

	Due to Hypnosis's poor accuracy, it is best to try and generate as many opportunities to use the move as possible until it connects. Golduck often can't afford to miss when the opponent is able to stay in, and Golduck's combination of good typing, speed, and power means it should have several entry points against most teams. To highlight the importance of this, consider how the odds of hitting Hypnosis increase with repeated attempts: Hypnosis only has a 60% chance to hit when used once, but using it twice improves those odds to 84%, and the odds improve to almost 95% when used 3 times. Using Golduck as a lead can also improve the chance that you land hypnosis, as it has a great matchup against both spikers and the Fire-types commonly seen to anti-lead both spikers.

	SubCM

	Golduck @ Leftovers
	Ability: Cloud Nine
	EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
	Timid Nature
	IVs: 0 Atk
	- Calm Mind
	- Substitute
	- Hydro Pump
	- Ice Beam

	Set Details

	Substitute on Golduck is an extremely useful move, as it's easy to use with significant benefits. The tier has a number of Pokemon which either can't break Golduck's Substitute in a single hit, like Forretress and Mantine, or fear being OHKO'd by Hydro Pump or Ice Beam, such as Aggron and Camerupt, so Golduck has plenty of setup opportunities against common Pokemon. The benefits to Substitute are huge - the imperviousness to status and leech seed behind a substitute cuts off counterplay from many of the tier's weaker Pokemon, and with the special defense boosts of Calm Mind it can quickly reach a point where weak super-effective attacks won't even break its substitute. Substitute also eases prediction, as the opponent has to stay in to break its substitute at some point, or at least roar it out. Ice Beam provides crucial coverage for this set, as it prevents Mantine from completely walling it, and lets it put pressure on Grass-types like Meganium. The EVs are focused on maximising its speed and power, although investing in its bulk is a possible consideration, as it could prevent Substitute being broken by some weaker attacks.

	Fruhduckzi

	Golduck @ Leftovers
	Ability: Cloud Nine
	EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
	Timid Nature
	IVs: 0 Atk
	- Calm Mind
	- Substitute
	- Hydro Pump
	- Hypnosis

	Set Details

	This set, originally formulated by Fruhdazi, combines SubCM and Hypnosis at the expensive of coverage. The set is completely walled by Mantine, and some Pokemon like Meganium and Jumpluff do check it far better without it having access to Ice Beam on this set, but Substitute makes it less luck reliant and gives it much greater potential to steamroll the opponent. It is the Golduck set with the best chance of breaking through Lanturn entirely solo, as Substitute means Lanturn requires early wakeups and Hypnosis misses combined to really make progress against Golduck.

	CroDuck

	Golduck @ Leftovers
	Ability: Damp
	EVs: 252 HP / 248 Def / 8 Spe
	Bold Nature
	IVs: 0 Atk
	- Rest
	- Sleep Talk
	- Calm Mind
	- Surf

	Set Details

	A parallel to CroCune in OU, CroDuck is an alternative take on Golduck which poses less of an immediate threat in battle but with the potential to be devastating over a longer game. As with CroCune, its lack of physical weaknesses and good overall bulk makes it difficult to break. Damp further shuts down counterplay, as explosion cannot remove it in an emergency.

	It is difficult to say how best to EV it - going all in on defense investment is a viable approach, but investing in speed is an option worth considering as well as there are many threatening Pokemon which threaten to outspeed slower Golduck. The given EV spread outspeeds Jolly Golem, but more speed can be used to outspeed Jolly Aggron, Sandslash, or even Nidoqueen.

	Team Options

	Golduck is versatile and can fit on a lot of different styles of team. On Sun offense, it's a no-brainer, as it does bulky water duties without being impacted by the weather, and it's certainly an option on weatherless offense as well. Golduck appreciates partners that are checked by similar Pokemon. For example, Ampharos is a good partner as it can help to wear down Lanturn and Muk for Golduck.

	Other Options

	Golduck has many options beyond those listed above. Calm Mind with 3 attacks is a possibility, but even with Hidden Power it will be walled by one of Lanturn and Mantine very effectively. Mantine is already disrupted effectively by the SubCM set, so Hidden Power Grass is the more appealing option. It's not enough on its own to give Golduck the advantage against Lanturn, as it has excellent special bulk as well as being ruthlessly strong. A hybrid set with Calm Mind, Ice Beam and Rest all together is another possibility, though Golduck isn't really bulky enough to make use of it as effectively as Substitute. Substitute and Protect together is a Suicunesque idea, but is not particularly effective without pressure. Other alternatives alongside Calm Mind and Ice Beam include Refresh, Toxic, and Counter, but they are not as consistently useful as Hypnosis and Substitute. Finally, Lum Berry is an option on the Hypnosis set, giving it more setup opportunities, but Golduck is kept in check primarily with direct attacks as substitute blocks status, so the upsides are not that big.

	Checks & Counters

	The only Pokemon to single-handedly put a stop to all of Golduck sets reliably is Lanturn, since it can take Golduck's attacks and dish back heavy damage with Thunderbolt even after several Calm Mind boosts. Beyond that, teams should generally rely on a combination of checks. Muk is the tier's premier special tank, and even without a resistance to Water is a great check to Golduck, handling SubCM sets reliably and having decent chances even against Hypnosis Golduck 1 on 1 due to Golduck's reliance on inaccurate moves and longer sleep cycles to really push the issue. The tier's various bulky water types can all handle Golduck to some degree too. Mantine can ruin Golduck with Toxic, but is setup bait for SubCM sets, whereas Blastoise can roar around SubCM sets but can be broken down more easily by Hypnosis variants. Azumarill can threaten Golduck with powerful physical attacks and has great natural bulk, but is helpless against hypnosis and can be worn down more easily than most checks since it often opts for Choice Band rather than Leftovers. Slowking can paralyze Golduck, and if running Calm Mind can set up alongside, but it is very set dependent to determine which Pokemon comes out on top. Meganium is a passable secondary check, thanks to its huge bulk and STAB Giga Drain, though boosted Ice Beams threaten to roll over it easily and Substitute can negate Leech Seed. SpDef Vileplume has similar issues. Jumpluff is a good secondary check to Golduck, as it can lock Golduck into a move with Encore, though it must be wary of Ice Beam and needs to carry an attack - not a given for Jumpluff - if it wants to break Golduck's substitutes. Faster Pokemon can help keep Golduck in check, especially in tandem with other soft checks. Pokemon such as Manectric and Tauros can stomach a hit from Golduck and retaliate, though a team shouldn't rely entirely on its speed to keep Golduck in check. Explosions from lures such as Glalie, Torkoal, and Wailord can be a useful tool on some teams to keep Golduck in check, though is far from reliable. Finally, Clefable can take hits from Golduck if it invests appropriately, and retaliate with status of its own, or set up Calm Minds alongside, but it is a very shaky check at best if it invests only in HP.