This thread is solely to discuss the usage of Lum Berry. It may seem odd to have a whole discussion thread on a single item, but in Ubers there are so many options where you can use the item and it can work.
Mostly, you'll find Lum Berry on leading Pokemon. This is to be expected; Darkrai is currently the #3 lead, so hitting it and breaking any Focus Sash is definitely worth it. On top of this, because Darkrai has to use Dark Void twice to sleep a Pokemon for a period of time, it has more chance to miss (36% chance instead of 20% chance). It might even help out against any Thunder Wave Kyogre.
But can Lum Berry be used elsewhere? Well, of course it can. Let's take a look at one of my favourite Lum Berry sweepers.
Garchomp @ Lum Berry
Ability: Sand Veil
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly nature (+Spe, -SpA)
- Swords Dance
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge / Rock Slide
Garchomp can Swords Dance on many Uber Pokemon who may be expecting a Choice Scarf varient. Outrage will always 2HKO the the most defensive Groudon (with Leftovers), while Groudon fails to OHKO back (even with a Life Orb Dragon Claw). Earthquake is solid versus Dialga, Metagross, etc. Stone Edge OHKOes 252 HP / 52 Def Bold Lugia 79.5% of the time after Stealth Rock damage (63.6% of the time factoring in accuracy), while Lugia fails to OHKO back. It also helps vs Ho-oh.
Now, Lum Berry. The assumption of Swords Dance and no Life Orb generally suggests Haban or Yache Berry. This might mean the opponent will use a very common Darkrai to sleep Garchomp, thus rendering it useless. Only, Garchomp awakes to KO Darkrai. Lum Berry also heals Outrage's confusion. It also allows Garchomp to fake a Choice Scarf early-game, firing off Earthquakes/Stone Edges. Of course, this gives away Garchomp's facade, but then it Pokemon is a team game and you can always use Garchomp as a straight up attacker later on in the game.
Pokemon such as Dialga can fake Choice Scarf sets quite easily. This allows to them to both scare the opponent early game, and be a safer switch-in to Giratina or Thunder Wave Kyogre. There is quite a bit of status in Ubers; Thunder Wave, Will-O-Wisp, Toxic, and Dark Void are all seen fairly commonly. Lum Berry means you can avoid this with ease, and set up or use the extra time to KO the opponent - something which is increasingly important in the fast-paced Uber metagame. Lum Berry can help x take out y, letting a team mate sweep. It's mostly used in a long term plan, concealing information about the opponent.
Another thing, is the mega use of Thunder in Ubers. One of the most used moves, it is often paired with rain to get 100% accuracy. Its 30% chance of paralysis will often ruin sweepers such as Mewtwo. Maybe it might be worth swapping over and testing Lum Berry to see if it still works as well, also being able to fake an item like Choice Scarf? (Thus being able to nab KOes on Scizor with Flamethrower and Blissey with Selfdestruct). Sometimes assumptions can outweigh the power loss!
Finally, I'm going to talk about a barely-ever seen tactic: "ChestoRest".
Palkia @ Chesto Berry
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spe
Timid nature (+Spe, -Atk)
- Rest
- Spacial Rend
- Surf
- Thunder
Pretty much a standard attacker with a 1-time full restore. It's really useful late game. Your opponent might have weakened Palkia, and they might base a plan around finishing it off with an ExtremeSpeed, or a similar "weak" attack. Only, when you bring Palkia in and they play around it, you get a free Rest, destroying their plans and winning you the game.
Alternatively, they might know you aren't Choice Scarf, so it's likely they'd assume Lustrous Orb. So Darkrai can sleep you and finish you? Nope! Because Darkrai eats a possibly-rain boosted Surf. Thunder Wave Kyogre could survive a hit and make it useless for the rest of the team, right? Nah! Kyogre gets a Thunder, only to be followed by a 75% chance full restore - thus meaning you can attack again unparalyzed, ruining their plan. I know this set is odd, but I love it to pieces!
So, in short, this is basically to say Lum Berry and Chesto Berry are ridiculously underrated in Ubers! Have you had any odd experiences with these two items?
Mostly, you'll find Lum Berry on leading Pokemon. This is to be expected; Darkrai is currently the #3 lead, so hitting it and breaking any Focus Sash is definitely worth it. On top of this, because Darkrai has to use Dark Void twice to sleep a Pokemon for a period of time, it has more chance to miss (36% chance instead of 20% chance). It might even help out against any Thunder Wave Kyogre.
But can Lum Berry be used elsewhere? Well, of course it can. Let's take a look at one of my favourite Lum Berry sweepers.
Garchomp @ Lum Berry
Ability: Sand Veil
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly nature (+Spe, -SpA)
- Swords Dance
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge / Rock Slide
Garchomp can Swords Dance on many Uber Pokemon who may be expecting a Choice Scarf varient. Outrage will always 2HKO the the most defensive Groudon (with Leftovers), while Groudon fails to OHKO back (even with a Life Orb Dragon Claw). Earthquake is solid versus Dialga, Metagross, etc. Stone Edge OHKOes 252 HP / 52 Def Bold Lugia 79.5% of the time after Stealth Rock damage (63.6% of the time factoring in accuracy), while Lugia fails to OHKO back. It also helps vs Ho-oh.
Now, Lum Berry. The assumption of Swords Dance and no Life Orb generally suggests Haban or Yache Berry. This might mean the opponent will use a very common Darkrai to sleep Garchomp, thus rendering it useless. Only, Garchomp awakes to KO Darkrai. Lum Berry also heals Outrage's confusion. It also allows Garchomp to fake a Choice Scarf early-game, firing off Earthquakes/Stone Edges. Of course, this gives away Garchomp's facade, but then it Pokemon is a team game and you can always use Garchomp as a straight up attacker later on in the game.
Pokemon such as Dialga can fake Choice Scarf sets quite easily. This allows to them to both scare the opponent early game, and be a safer switch-in to Giratina or Thunder Wave Kyogre. There is quite a bit of status in Ubers; Thunder Wave, Will-O-Wisp, Toxic, and Dark Void are all seen fairly commonly. Lum Berry means you can avoid this with ease, and set up or use the extra time to KO the opponent - something which is increasingly important in the fast-paced Uber metagame. Lum Berry can help x take out y, letting a team mate sweep. It's mostly used in a long term plan, concealing information about the opponent.
Another thing, is the mega use of Thunder in Ubers. One of the most used moves, it is often paired with rain to get 100% accuracy. Its 30% chance of paralysis will often ruin sweepers such as Mewtwo. Maybe it might be worth swapping over and testing Lum Berry to see if it still works as well, also being able to fake an item like Choice Scarf? (Thus being able to nab KOes on Scizor with Flamethrower and Blissey with Selfdestruct). Sometimes assumptions can outweigh the power loss!
Finally, I'm going to talk about a barely-ever seen tactic: "ChestoRest".
Palkia @ Chesto Berry
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spe
Timid nature (+Spe, -Atk)
- Rest
- Spacial Rend
- Surf
- Thunder
Pretty much a standard attacker with a 1-time full restore. It's really useful late game. Your opponent might have weakened Palkia, and they might base a plan around finishing it off with an ExtremeSpeed, or a similar "weak" attack. Only, when you bring Palkia in and they play around it, you get a free Rest, destroying their plans and winning you the game.
Alternatively, they might know you aren't Choice Scarf, so it's likely they'd assume Lustrous Orb. So Darkrai can sleep you and finish you? Nope! Because Darkrai eats a possibly-rain boosted Surf. Thunder Wave Kyogre could survive a hit and make it useless for the rest of the team, right? Nah! Kyogre gets a Thunder, only to be followed by a 75% chance full restore - thus meaning you can attack again unparalyzed, ruining their plan. I know this set is odd, but I love it to pieces!
So, in short, this is basically to say Lum Berry and Chesto Berry are ridiculously underrated in Ubers! Have you had any odd experiences with these two items?