suicune

[OVERVIEW]

Suicune is one of the best Water-types in the format thanks to its great all around bulk. With its good defenses on both sides it can be very difficult to take out for some teams and with Pressure it can be very effective at stalling other Pokemon out. It's able to check a lot of Pokemon in the meta such as Garchomp, Mega Kangaskhan, Blaziken, Mega Salamence, Mamoswine and many more. It often runs Calm Mind to become more threatening offensively as well and has solid Water and Ice-type coverage that covers most of the meta bar other Water-types. Suicune can run a variety of viable movesets, including moves that can throw off your opponents game plan such as Mirror Coat, Icy Wind, and Substiute. It has a decent speed tier for a defensive Pokemon, outspeeding things such as Porygon2 and Tyranitar and with some investment can outspeed others such as Rotom-W and Cresselia. However, Suicune's low Special Attack means it needs a few Calm Mind boosts before it can do significant damage. Its only recovery is Rest which can be somewhat unreliable. If it takes too many hits early on in a match and is forced to Rest, it is often not as good at dealing with strong threats late game such as Mega Salamence, Blaziken, and Mega Kangaskhan.

[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Scald
move 2: Ice Beam
move 3: Calm Mind
move 4: Rest
item: Chesto Berry
ability: Pressure
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Scald is Suicune's best STAB because of the high chance to burn. Ice beam hits common targets such as Garchomp and Mega Salamence and offers nice coverage against some Grass and Flying-types such as Breloom and Thundurus. Calm Mind is used to give Suicune a threatening offensive presences, it makes it harder for Special Attackers to take it on and can potentially sweep teams. Rest gives Suicune recovery and helps to avoid getting Toxic stalled from the likes of Cresselia and Porygon2.

Set Details
========

Maximum HP and Defense investment is used to take on the many common physical attackers in the format that Suicune can handle, such as Blaziken and Garchomp. Suicune doesn't need to invest in Special Defense because Calm Mind takes care of its Special Defense nicely. Chesto Berry is used so Rest can be used a reliable option for recovery. It is much more consistent than using up a moveslot on Sleep Talk, which takes up your coverage and makes you risk wasting 2 turns. Pressure is the only ability available to Suicune but it can be very useful to stall out moves, especially ones with only 8 PP.

Usage Tips
========

Suicune should try to get Calm Minds up before Special Attackers come in. Using Calm Mind allows Suicune to put pressure on the opponent, it can set up on things it threatens out and thanks to the boosts it can better take on whatever switches in. Defensive Pokemon such as Cresselia and Hippowdon can easily be used as setup fodder thanks to Rest and Chesto Berry getting rid of any status. Against strong Pokemon such as Mega Salamence and Blaziken it may usually be better to attack because they are able to 2HKO and setting up Calm Mind could cost you the game. Suicune should be wary of other Special Attackers that can set up as it wont usually be able to beat them, Nasty Plot Thundurus and other Calm Mind Pokemon will usually come out on top.

Team Options
========

Suicune works well with Mega Kangaskhan as Suicune can setup on defensive Pokemon that Mega Kangaskhan struggles to beat such as Cresselia and Hippowdon. Suicune also beats offensive Pokemon that can threaten Mega Kangaskhan such as Blaziken and Garchomp. Mega Gengar can trap threats to Suicune like bulky Grass-types such as Serperior and Mega Venusaur. Mega Gengar can usually beat defensive Rotom-W with status and Hex, it can also Will-O-Wisp Mega Kangaskhan so Suicune doesn't have to rely on Scald burns against it, making it much easier for Suicune to deal with. Blaziken likes Suicune as a teammate because Suicune can deal with Ground-types such as Garchomp and Landorus-T. Suicune also handles Mega Salamence decently so Blaziken doesn't need to worry about it. Mamoswine can help Suicune deal with Thundurus and Zapdos. Garchomp appreciates Suicune because it can use Cresselia as setup fodder and handle Mamoswines easily. Taking these Pokemon out can make it much easier for a Choice Scarf or Swords Dance Garchomp to clean up. Talonflame and Mega Salamence can help take out bulky Grass-types for Suicune. Suicne can also help deal with things such as Tyranitar and Heatran for Talonflame, and Mamoswine for Mega Salamence. Thundurus can help spread paralysis around so Suicune can outspeed more Pokemon, making it earlier for Suicune to take them out or setup Calm Mind against them. Thundurus can also take out bulky Water-types for Suicune such as as Slowbro, Jellicent, and opposing Suicune. Suicune can also help deal with threats to Thundurus such as Tyranitar and Ground-types like Mamoswine, Excadrill, and Garchomp. Serperior can deal with bulky Water-types and also Breloom thanks to Reflect and Rocky Helmet. Suicune also appreciates the paralysis support from Serperior and helps deal with Pokemon that threaten Serperior such as Blaziken and Talonflame.

[SET]
name: Tank
move 1: Scald
move 2: Ice Beam / Icy Wind
move 3: Rest / Roar
move 4: Roar / Mirror Coat / Toxic / Reflect / Sleep Talk
item: Rocky Helmet
ability: Pressure
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpDef

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Scald is Suicune's best STAB move, the high chance to burn is very valuable. Ice beam hits a lot of common targets such as Garchomp and Mega Salamence and offers nice coverage on Water resists such as Breloom and Serperior. Icy Wind can be used instead as it still 2HKOs many common Ice-weak Pokemon and with some Speed investment it can outspeed the next turn to avoid more damage. Rest gives Suicune some recovery, it ensures Suicune doesn't go down too soon and allows more turns for Rocky Helmet damage to rack up. Roar helps stop setup sweepers such as Swords Dance Garchomp, Dragon Dance Mega Salamence, Calm Mind Suicune, Calm Mind Slowbro, and Quiver Dance Volcarona. Mirror Coat can help Suicune take out some special attackers that would be tough to deal with otherwise such as Rotom-W, Thundurus, and Gengar. Toxic can wear down other defensive Pokemon such as Cresselia and Porygon2. It can also be nice to stack residual damage alongside Rocky Helmet against physical attackers. Reflect lets Suicune beat Mega Kangaskhan and other physical attacker very well. It can also help teammates out if Suicune foes down. Sleep Talk can be used alongside Rest if you want the chance to attack while Suicune is sleeping after Rest.

Set Details
========

Maximum HP and Defense investment is used because this set is used primarily to deal with physical attacker such as Blaziken and Mega Kangaskhan. When using Icy Wind an alternate spread of 252 HP / 188 Def / 4 SpA / 4 SpDef / 60 Spe with a Bold nature can be used, this spread allows Suicune to outspeed Garchomp after a Speed drop while maximizing Suicune's bulk. Rocky Helmet is used mainly for Mega Kangaskhan as Parental Bond will activate Rocky Helmet twice, but it is also useful for other phsyical Pokemon that make contact such as Blaziken, Mega Salamence, and Talonflame. It is especially nice against these Pokemon because they often use moves with recoil and they get a ton of residual damage, making it easier for Suicune to finish them off. Pressure is the only ability Suicune has, it can sometimes be useful to stall out the opponents move, especially ones with only 8 PP as it will only take 4 uses for it be stalled out.

Usage Tips
========

This is set is used primarily to take on physical attackers, it can tank hits and use Rocky Helmet to put things closer to KO range. Suicune can switch directly into threats such as Mega Kangaskhan and Blaziken, Rocky Helmet will rack up a lot of damage and can potentially take out Mega Kangaskhan after Double Edge recoil. But if you need Suicune to survive for the rest of the match you should be wary taking these powerful Pokemon on as Double Edge from Adamant Mega Kangaskhan and Mega Salamence have the potential to 2HKO. For the most success Suicune should be brought in on a free turn if possible, after a Pokemon faints or after its brought in via Volt Switch or U-Turn. Coming in safely guarantees Suicune can get an attack off on Pokemon that are able to 2HKO it. Roar can be used when you expect your opponent to switch, this shuffles out what will probably be their answer to Suicune coming in. This is especially effective when Stealth Rock are up to get a bit of chip damage. Mirror Coat is most optimal against special attackers that your team struggles with and Suicune may not be able to win against such as defensive Rotom-W and Sylveon. This should usually only be used when Suicune isn't as valuable to you anymore, as it will often have to take a big hit in the process which will make Suicune easy to revenge kill afterwards.

Team Options
========

Blaziken appreciates Suicune's ability to handle Talonflame and Mega Salamence. Since both these Pokemon often use moves with recoil Suicune's Rocky Helmet is able to really hinder them and Suicune threatens each of them with super effective attacks. When using Roar, a Pokemon with Stealth Rock synergizes very well. Good setters include Garchomp, Mamoswine, and Hippowdon. Focus Sash Garchomp and Mamoswine can also deal with electric types such as Thundurus and Raikou. Ferrothorn can also set Stealth Rock and can deal with some Water-types Suicune may struggle with such as Azumarill. Mega Kangaskhan appreciates Suicune's ability to deal with Pokemon such as Blaziken, Mega Salamence, and Garchomp. With faster threatening Pokemon being dealt with Kangaskhan has a much easier time. Garchomp appreciates Suicune dealing with Mamoswine and opposing Garchomp. Suicune can also switch into Talonflame which could burn Garchomp. If running Toxic Suicune can also help deal with Cresselia and Porygon2. Breloom helps deal with Water-types like Rotom-W and Azumarill. Rock Tomb can make it easier for Suicune to take out certain Pokemon such as Thundurus or Choice Band Dragonite after Breloom goes down. Volcarona likes having Suicune around to deal with Talonflame and Mega Salamence, making it easier for Volcarona to pull of a sweep. Volcarona can also setup on Pokemon Suicune struggle with such as Serperior and Ferrothorn, Lum Berry ensures Volcarona can take a paralysis from either of them as well. Nasty Plot Thundurus can muscle past Rotom-W and opposing Suicune which are difficult for Suicune to handle. Thundurus can also spread paralysis around so Suicune's speed doesn't hinder it as much. Suicune can also switch into many Thundurus checks such as Mamoswine and Tyranitar. Aegislash can switch into Sylveon which hits Suicune really hard. Suicune also deals with some Fire-types such as Heatran and Blaziken for Aegislash. Thundurus-T can be a nice teammate able to switch into Electric-types such as Thundurus-I for Suicune and also easily take out Water-types that Suicune can't break through, while Suicune deals with Mamoswine and other fast Ground-types that threaten Thundurus-T.

[SET]
name: Fast Substitute
move 1: Scald
move 2: Substitute
move 3: Toxic / Calm Mind
move 4: Protect / Ice Beam
item: Leftovers
ability: Pressure
nature: Timid
evs: 156 HP / 60 Def / 4 SpA / 68 SpD / 220 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Scald is Suicune's best STAB move, it may seem to synergize poorly with Toxic but there are some situations against physical attackers where it is better to burn the opposing Pokemon rather than Toxic. Substitute is used to avoid status such as burn and poison while also taking less damage from attacks each turn it's used. Substitute can also be useful to avoid being taken out by OHKO moves from Pokemon such as Mamoswine and Glalie. Toxic can be used to stall Pokemon out, taking advantage of Substitute and Protect to use up as many turns of Toxic as possible. Calm Mind gives Suicune the potential to sweep and a good offensive, it can set up substitutes and Calm Mind behind them against a lot of defensive Pokemon such as Cresselia and Porygon2. Protect synergizes well with Substitute as it gives you free turns to get more Leftovers recovery and allows you to make more Substitutes throughout the match. This can also work well with Pressure, with Substitute and Protect Suicune can quickly stall out low PP moves such as Leaf Storm and Fissure. Protect can also mess with Blaziken running High Jump Kick as they will take 50% when attacking against Protect. Ice Beam can be used for some coverage which is especially nice with Calm Mind, it helps against Mega Salamence, Serperior, and takes out Garchomp faster.

Set Details
========

The HP investment hits a Leftovers number, giving Suicune more recovery each turn to make more Substitutes. The Speed EVs with a Timid nature outspeeds Jolly Mamoswine. The remaining EVs were spread out between defenses, with more in Special Defense so Porygon2 gets an Attack raise from Download. Contrary to other Suicune sets, this one has less bulk because the main goal is to use Substitute to take attacks most of the time, so more bulk isn't needed. Leftovers is necessary to make more Substitutes. Although Pressure is the only usable ability, it works great with this set to stall out moves with Substitute and Protect. An alternate spread of 244 / 44 Def / 220 Spe with a Bold nature can be used, this spread outspeeds up to Max Speed base 80s with a neutral nature and focuses more on Suicune's bulk, allowing it to play more closely to a Tank set.

Usage Tips
========

This set runs train on defensive Pokemon and Stall teams. It can set up Substitutes on passive Pokemon such as Cresselia and Slowbro. Substitute should be used when expecting your opponents to switch to get the advantage next turn. Toxic should be used on most defensive Pokemon and Pokemon that you don't need to burn with Scald. When up against a physical attacker such as Mega Kangaskhan and Garchomp, Scald be used over Toxic to get a potential burn which will be much more useful. Once a Pokemon is badly poisoned Suicune should continuously use Substitute and Protect until the Pokemon is in range where Sclad is enough to finish it off. When using Calm Mind it should try to use Substitute against Pokemon that cant break it, using defensive Pokemon as setup fodder to get as many Calm Minds as possible. Once Suicune gets a couple boosts and is behind a Substitute it becomes very difficult to deal with. Against Pokemon with low PP moves, Substitute and Protect with Prssure can help counter them. This is especially good against Serperior as it is a common Suicune check and some sets often run Leaf Storm as their only move. When running Calm Mind, paralysis support can help a lot when trying to set up so Suicune can use Substitute in front of Pokemon that would otherwise outspeed it, and getting Substitute on a full paralysis gives Suicune a huge advantage.

Team Options
========

Physical attackers such as Mega Kangaskhan, Garchomp, Blaziken, and Mega Salamence all appreciate Suicune being able to deal with physical walls such as Cresselia and Slowbro easily with Toxic. Mega Gengar can use the Toxic Suicune spread to its advantage with Hex. It can also trap threats to Suicune such as Sylveon. Thundurus helps deal with opposing Suicune, as Rest variants can be a hard Pokemon for Toxic Suicune to deal with. It also provides paralysis support for sets with Calm Mind, Suicune can set up Substitutes on the slowed down Pokemon and really take advantage of free turns from full paralyzes. Suicune also deals with Mamoswine for Thundurus. Bulky Serperior can help deal with Ferrothorn and Breloom, Breloom is especially threatening to Suicune because it very often runs Bullet Seed which will break through Suicune's Substitutes. Serperior can also use Glare to support Calm Mind in setting up. Mega Salamence works well with Suicune as it can deal with Mega Venusaur and Breloom, and Suicune can deal with Mamswine, Cresselia, and Porygon2 for Salamence. Mamoswine really appreciates Cresselia and Porygon2 being badly poisoned and can deal with Thundurus for Suicune. Cresselia can work on teams with this Suicune as without high defense investment it becomes harder for Suicune to deal with threats such as Mega Kangaskhan and Mega Salamence. Cresselia can also offer para support for Calm Mind sets and use Lunar Dance to bring Suicune back to full health if it gets too low after using Substitute so many times. Cresselia also has trouble doing much damage to other defensive Pokemon like Porygon2 and Suicune does well against them. When running Toxic, other teammates with Substitute can also take advantage of Toxic such as Mega Salamence with Substitute and Roost, and Gliscor with Poison Heal. Landorus-T appreciates Cresselia being badly poisoned, and can U-Turn when it expects Cresselia to come in and allows Suicune to come in for free so it doesn't have to risk switching into Toxic from Cresselia.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Sitrus Berry is a decent item for some recovery, it works well with Mirror Coat so Suicune doesn't have to lose as much HP when taking a hit from something like Rotom-W or Thundurus. More offensive sets can be used with Hydro Pump and Tailwind but aren't as viable as Suicunes more defensive sets because Suicune's bulk is its biggest selling point. Surf can be used on sets with Toxic since you won't always want to burn the opposing Pokemon, but there are some scenarios where you would still want Scald burns on Pokemon such as Mega Kangaskhan and Garchomp so Scald is usually preferred. Snarl can be really annoying for some special attackers, but the opponent can just switch out to remove the drops so just using Calm Mind to raise Suicune's Special Defense is usually better. Assault Vest can make use out of Mirror Coat and surprise some opponents by living strong Electric-type attacks such as Choice Specs Thunderbolt from Rotom-W and Thundurus-T, and can also take on many other special attackers with the Special Defense boost. However, Suicune's special attack is pretty low and it cant function as well with only attacks so Assault Vest is only a really viable option when non-Pentagon sets with Sheer Cold are legal.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Electric-types**: They hit Suicune super effectively and since Suicune usually doesn't invest in Special Defense most Electric-types are special attackers, they hit Suicune really hard. Rotom-W resists both Scald and Ice Beam and has a chance to OHKO with Choice Specs Thunderbolt before a Calm Mind. Thundurus and Raikou can use Nasty Plot and Calm Mind to keep up with Suicune's boosts from Calm Mind and manage to muscle past it.

**Grass-types**: Breloom hits Suicune really hard with Bullet Seed and can break through sets with Substitute. Serperior gets boosts from Leaf Storm to outpace Calm Mind boosts. Mega Venusaur has Thick Fat so it doesn't take much from Ice Beam, hits super effectively with Giga Drain and can stall Suicune out with help from Leech Seed or Sleep Powder.

**Conkeldurr**: It usually has Assault Vest so it takes little from Suicune's attacks. It can Knock Off Suicune's item which is usually very valuable. Since Conkeldurr has Guts it actually benefits from Scald burns, making it an easy switch-in to Suicune.

**Calm Mind Users**: Opposing Calm Mind users can potentially beat Suicune in a Calm Mind war. Pokemon with Psyshock, such as Slowbro and Cresselia are particularly threatening as they easily beat Suicune because they hit its defense. Sylveon can use Yawn and muscle past Suicune on the turns its sleeping. Raikou is able to hit Suicune super effectively and can use Substitute to its advantage. Other Suicune with Calm Mind can be an issue if your Suicune doesn't have Calm Mind or Roar.

**Mega Heracross**: It easily 2HKOes with Bullet Seed and breaks through sets with Substitute. It can switch into Scald pre-Mega and take advantage of potential Scald burns thanks to Guts.

**Mega Charizard Y**: Solar Beam is an easy 2HKO and Charizard takes little from Scald in the Sun.

**Strong Special Attackers**: Suicune typically invests in its physical defense so many special attackers are able to 2HKO it. Choice Specs Sylveon and Gardevoir can do a lot of damage to Suicune and hit through Substitute variants with Hyper Voice. Latios and Hydreigon can 2HKO with Draco Meteor even after -2. Although Calm Mind can help against these Pokemon, Suicune will usually have to Calm Mind before they come in to have a chance to beat them.

**Trick**: Pokemon such as Rotom-A and Latios can cripple Suicune with a Choice item as it heavily relies on using its status moves.

**Facade**: Pokemon with Facade such as Mega Salamence and Mega Kangaskhan can surprise Suicune and take advantage of burns from Scald.

**Bulky Water-types**: Some bulky Water-types can be a problem for Suicune. Against Azumarill, Suicune needs to rely on getting a Scald burn or Azumarill can easily set up a Belly Drum and OHKO with +6 Play Rough. Slowbro is hard for Suicune to break through and if its a Calm Mind variant it can beat Suicune in a Calm Mind war with Psyshock. Jellicent can set up Trick Room on Suicune and use Taunt to stop it from using Calm Mind or Rest.