Oglemi
Borf
http://www.smogon.com/rs/pokemon/chimecho
[Overview]
Chimecho has a very distinct niche in NU as being one of the very few Psychic-types in the tier and the most splashable one by far. This is because, unlike Metang, Chimecho resists Fighting, making it a better answer to Hitmonchan, and Chimecho is way, way bulkier than Abra, giving it far more utility. With access to a wide movepool and a decent stat spread, Chimecho is super versatile in what it can do for its team, being able to go offensive or defensive with ease. Its deep movepool and pure Psychic typing also lets Chimecho blanket check a ton of threats in the tier, from dangerous sweepers like Huntail and Haunter to defensive stalwarts like Swalot and Relicanth. All things considered, there's very little downside to using Chimecho, and it's a Pokemon to consider on every team you make.
[SET]
name: Defensive Support
move 1: Psychic
move 2: Toxic / Yawn
move 3: Heal Bell
move 4: Reflect / Light Screen
item: Leftovers
ability: Levitate
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 156 Def / 100 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
This set is one of the best blanket checks in the NU metagame, in particular being a fantastic answer to the omnipresent Hitmonchan. With the given EV spread, Chimecho avoids a 2HKO from non-Choice Band Hitmonchan's Hidden Power Ghost and Choice Band Murkrow's Drill Peck, and it survives even Huntail's Modest rain-boosted Hydro Pump at full health. Besides being a great check to a multitude of threats in the tier, this set also supports the team in multiple ways, including crippling troubling defensive threats like Sableye with Toxic, healing status on your own Pokemon with Heal Bell, and buffering attacks with a screen of choice to make setup easier for a teammate. Yawn is a good choice to force switches or put a foe to sleep, which when combined with screen support can create a very good setup opportunity for a teammate. As a support Pokemon, this Chimecho set fits on a wide range of teams, with stall teams finding its access to Heal Bell almost invaluable and offensive teams appreciating its ability to pivot around Hitmonchan and other threats.
[ADDITIONAL SET COMMENTS]
Chimecho is highly flexible in its EV spread and move choices; it all comes down to what gaps you want Chimecho to fill on your team. More Defense EVs can be added to let Chimecho more reliably answer Hitmonchan and other offensive monsters like Pupitar. Alternatively, Chimecho can add more Special Defense investment to let it take on special attackers like Haunter, as Chimecho's resistance to Fighting allows it to check Hitmonchan reliably enough with just maximum HP investment.
There's a ton of move choices that can be added and swapped around, all with their own perks and downsides over the moves listed. Icy Wind can allow Chimecho to lessen the threat of a Pokemon like Raticate that it wouldn't be able to KO with Psychic before being KOed itself. Chimecho can set up Rain Dance or Sunny Day to allow a weather sweeper like Huntail or Bellossom come in and start wreaking havoc. Finally, Taunt or Torment can allow Chimecho to effectively stallbreak when combined with Toxic and Heal Bell.
Being able to check Hitmonchan is one of the biggest draws to using Chimecho, and using it to fill a Hitmonchan weakness is one of the easiest ways to fit it onto teams. There are some great defensive cores that Chimecho fits on to fulfill this purpose, such as with Kecleon and Relicanth or Mawile and Flareon. As a support Pokemon, Chimecho should be used to patch weaknesses in your team and its goal is not to sweep itself, but there are a few Pokemon to keep in mind that Chimecho simply can't touch with this set, most notably Steel-types like Metang and Dark-types like RestTalk Sableye. Flareon is a particularly useful partner to ensure these Pokemon don't become too problematic, and on stall teams, Wish Flareon + Sableye + Heal Bell Chimecho is one of the sturdiest defensive cores in the metagame. Finally, a dedicated sweeper like Huntail, Tangela, or Dragon Dance Pupitar should be paired with Chimecho in some manner, as it can protect their vulnerable defenses with a screen of choice and heal any status they may accrue with Heal Bell.
[SET]
name: Defensive Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Psychic
move 3: Rest
move 4: Sleep Talk
item: Leftovers
ability: Levitate
ability: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 212 Def / 44 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Chimecho has many fantastic qualities of a late-game sweeper with great bulk, few weaknesses, good resistances, access to a great boosting move, and a reliable enough mono-STAB attack. Relying on just Psychic to sweep is doable in NU thanks to the general lack of Dark-types aside from Sableye, and only one of the three common Steel-types (Metang) can take repeated blows from this set. Thanks to RestTalk, Chimecho also doesn't care too much about status, allowing it to steamroll stall teams as a last Pokemon if they lack Perish Song. In the mid-game, Chimecho also has utility as being one of the best Hitmonchan checks in the tier, and thanks to Calm Mind, Chimecho can throw out some decent hits with a boosted Psychic to help secure a sweep.
[ADDITIONAL SET COMMENTS]
44 Speed EVs are run to outspeed minimum Speed Dewgong, with the rest of the EVs invested in making Chimecho as physically defensive as possible, as it will be boosting its Special Defense through Calm Mind to make up for the lack of investment. With the given defensive investment, Chimecho just barely avoids the 2HKO from Choice Band Relicanth's Rock Slide and at +1 avoids the 2HKO from Huntail's Hydro Pump out of rain. While focusing on Defense investment is probably the better route to take, focusing on Special Defense is an option and can make Chimecho nearly impregnable from the special side. With full Special Defense investment and at +1, Chimecho avoids the 2HKO from Huntail's Hydro Pump in the rain, quite the major feat for a Pokemon that doesn't resist Water.
This set requires some team support to work, as there are a few key threats that need to be removed before trying to sweep. This set works best against slower stall teams that lack a way to break through it outside of status, with the only major roadblock on these teams being Sableye. Pokemon that can lure in Sableye and remove it are the best partners to this set, and this includes Hitmonchan with Toxic, mixed attackers like Crawdaunt and Seviper, and super strong physical attackers like Choice Band Graveler and Piloswine. The other common Dark-type to be wary of is Murkrow, which is significantly easier to lure in and remove than Sableye due to its frailty. Other major threats that need to be removed are strong physical attackers that can 2HKO Chimecho, which includes Choice Band users, such as Raticate, Pidgeot, and Flareon. Having a super defensive teammate like Relicanth that can tank attacks from these threats and remove them is necessary.
[SET]
name: Offensive Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Psychic
move 3: Hidden Power Fire / Hidden Power Electric
move 4: Reflect / Heal Bell / Yawn
item: Leftovers
ability: Levitate
nature: Modest
evs: 212 HP / 252 SpA / 44 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
This set makes Chimecho as dangerous as possible as quickly as possible, pressuring the opponent and making it hard to switch into thanks to a good amount of power and awesome coverage. Psychic + Hidden Power Fire gets incredibly good neutral coverage in NU, with Hidden Power Fire getting a much needed super effective hit on two of the three Steel-types in Metang and Mawile, as well as a decent hit on most the dangerous Dark-types in the tier, particularly Sableye, Murkrow, and Cacturne. While Hidden Power Fire is preferred for its greater super effective coverage, Hidden Power Electric gets better neutral coverage with Psychic and is Chimecho's best weapon against the Dark-types, in particular gaining super effective hits on Murkrow and Crawdaunt. The last slot goes to the move that best supports Chimecho's team, and there's a few different choices for the last slot that each have a lot of merit. Reflect protects Chimecho from Hidden Power Ghost from Hitmonchan and Shadow Ball from other physical attackers like Raticate and Vigoroth, allowing it to beat them one-on-one. Heal Bell allows Chimecho to steamroll through defensive teams that rely on Toxic to beat it, as well as supporting the team and helping RestTalk users. Finally, Yawn can completely cripple a Pokemon on the opponent's team or force switches, allowing Chimecho more time to gain boosts with Calm Mind.
[ADDITIONAL SET COMMENTS]
There's quite a few directions you can take Chimecho's EV spread in, with the given one making Chimecho as powerful and bulky as possible while outspeeding minimum Speed Dewgong. Running max Speed investment with a Timid nature is an option that allows Chimecho to Speed tie with Adamant Hitmonchan and outrun Timid Tangela before it can hit Chimecho with Sleep Powder. Another option is running more defensive investment to make Chimecho more of a tank, but that's generally done better when using a RestTalk set. If you need Chimecho to check Huntail, 252 HP and 80 SpD EVs need to be run to avoid the OHKO from Hydro Pump in the rain. For alternate move choices, Hidden Power Ice is an option in the second moveslot to gain a super effective hit on Ground-types, but it comes at the cost of losing the super effective hit on Steel-types. Hidden Power Dark actually provides the best neutral coverage for Chimecho, and it gains a super effective hit on opposing Chimecho and Abra. Substitute is a fantastic move to protect Chimecho from status conditions and can be very difficult for the opponent to play around once Chimecho racks up a couple of Calm Mind boosts. Shock Wave can be used in the last slot alongside Hidden Power Ice or Hidden Power Dark to increase Chimecho's coverage as much as possible, although Chimecho benefits from the ability to support its team with this set.
Spikes support is great with this set to pressure the opponent and push foes into easier KO range, particularly specially-weaker Pokemon like Piloswine and Graveler. Even without much defensive investment, Chimecho is a great answer to Hitmonchan, making Mawile and Kecleon ideal offensive partners to capitalize on this fact. Pokemon that can switch into the physical attacks that will be thrown at Chimecho make the best teammates for this set, Relicanth and Sableye in particular being good examples. Offensively, Murkrow is a great partner for Chimecho as it switches into Dark- and Ghost-type attacks easily despite its frailty and is extremely dangerous for Bellossom and Cacturne, both of which can interrupt a sweep from Chimecho.
[SET]
name: Offensive Support
move 1: Psychic
move 2: Hidden Power Fire / Hidden Power Electric
move 3: Toxic / Yawn
move 4: Taunt / Heal Bell
item: Leftovers
ability: Levitate
nature: Modest
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
This set takes a more tank-based approach to Chimecho, allowing it to retain the ability to check Hitmonchan by OHKOing it with Psychic while being very hard for the opponent to switch into. Psychic + Hidden Power Fire or Hidden Power Electric has very good coverage in NU, the choice between the Hidden Powers coming down to the Pokemon you wish Chimecho to beat back. Hidden Power Electric gets a neutral hit on Dark- and Steel-types, as well as scoring a super effective hit on Murkrow and Crawdaunt, while Hidden Power Fire blasts Steel-types and OHKOes Tangela in its own sun. The last two moveslots allow Chimecho to deal with stall teams, with Toxic crippling major defensive threats like Sableye and Dewgong and Taunt preventing them from healing. However, Taunt only lasts two turns, making Heal Bell a decent alternative that allows Chimecho's team to better take on stall teams and not fear status as much. Finally, Yawn can be used to force switches or put a foe to sleep, which can create a great setup opportunity for a teammate.
[ADDITIONAL SET COMMENTS]
The EV spread is designed to make Chimecho as strong as possible while outspeeding a decent portion of offensive and defensive threats. At max Speed, Chimecho outruns Jolly Pupitar and Speed ties with neutral-natured Flareon. If running Speed investment seems unimportant to you, moving those EVs to HP is an option and makes Chimecho significantly more bulky, in particular giving it a chance to survive a Hydro Pump from Huntail in the rain and being able to OHKO Huntail in return with Hidden Power Electric.
There are a ton of alternate move options that can be used effectively on this set, depending on what you want Chimecho to accomplish. Reflect or Light Screen can turn the tide against certain attackers, effectively allowing Chimecho to tank a hit from a foe it wouldn't be able to otherwise and KO it. Protect can be used in the last moveslot to help rack up Toxic damage and scout Choice Band users' moves. An alternate Hidden Power can be chosen if you want Chimecho to pick and choose its victims, with Hidden Power Dark being able to remove opposing Chimecho quite handily. Finally, running Substitute is an option to protect Chimecho from status and make it harder for the opponent to revenge kill Chimecho.
This set forms a very good balanced core with Relicanth and Kecleon, with the three together checking almost every major offensive threat in the tier. This set works very well with Wish support, making Lickitung and Flareon great defensive partners as well. Pokemon that can capitalize on Chimecho's ability to break down the opponent's defenses are needed as teammates as well, with fellow special attackers, such as Huntail and Bellossom, being of particular importance. Finally, a check to opposing Calm Mind versions of Chimecho is needed when using this set, making a Dark-type like Murkrow or super strong physical attackers like Piloswine appreciated as teammates.
Other Options
=============
Chimecho's movepool is pretty expansive, but most of the notable examples have been mentioned already. Chimecho can fit Rain Dance and Sunny Day on any set pretty easily to support a weather-sweeping teammate. Skill Swap can be used to really mess with certain threats like Flareon and Huntail, allowing offensive Chimecho to even countersweep Huntail's team if done correctly. Psych Up can prevent Calm Mind Sableye from using Chimecho as complete setup bait. Curse can be used on Chimecho's Calm Mind sets to make it super hard to break both physically and specially--it just can't make use of the Attack boosts that come with it. Icy Wind is an interesting option to slow down certain threats like Vigoroth before Chimecho is KOed, allowing a teammate to more easily revenge kill it. Nightmare can be paired with Hypnosis, and in general is a fun move to mess with the large amount of RestTalk users in the metagame.
Checks and Counters
================
Metang is probably the best all-around answer to Chimecho thanks to its 4x resistance to Psychic, neutrality to Hidden Power Electric, and immunity to Toxic. It can easily remove Chimecho with Explosion or whittle it down with Meteor Mash faster than Chimecho can wear it down; however, it needs to be wary of Hidden Power Fire. Dark-types are also very good switch-ins to Chimecho as they are immune to Psychic. Cacturne is probably the best example, as it also resists Hidden Power Electric and Hidden Power Dark and easily 2HKOes Chimecho with Hidden Power Ghost. Murkrow and Crawdaunt also easily 2HKO Chimecho with Shadow Ball and Crunch respectively, although they need to be very wary of Hidden Power Electric. Calm Mind Sableye can use most of Chimecho's sets as setup bait and eliminate it with Hidden Power Dark, though it really doesn't like Toxic unless it's running RestTalk. Mawile and Lairon can switch into Chimecho if needed and blast it with their STAB moves. While Chimecho is decently bulky, it falls short of avoiding 2HKOes from the hardest hitters in the tier, with strong Choice Band attackers like Raticate, Pidgeot, Vigoroth, Piloswine, and Flareon all being able to easily 2HKO even the most physically defensive Chimecho if it isn't behind a Reflect.
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