Tory
Banned deucer.
I mean, I still have some good luck using Taunt+Dragon Dance Jolly Gyarados and Tyranitar. Too bad Mega Tyranitar is unreleased.
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Pokémon Kommo-o
- Thread starter Eclipse
- Start date
- Status
There's always Dazzling Gleam.
Plague von Karma
Banned deucer.
I absolutely LOVE this Pokemon. Before you say it's shiny is disgusting, we've got the Green Shinies to worry about. To me, it's shiny is simply F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S, darling <3
I think it's gonna be a UU or BL Pokemon at best, personally. It's versatility is what gets it that title, as it could be a Scarf, Specs, Band, you name it. These qualities are uncommon on Pokemon these days, but obviously this is a frequent thing in Pseudo-Legendary Pokemon. But this one is more special in that it gets some nice Offensive (crap defensive though tbh) Typing, as well as a movepool to suit that. It's Signature Move is great with Dragium Z in my experience, especially on a Special Sweeping Set. I'm a big fan of it's bulk too, as it can tank some supereffective hits if it uses an Assault Vest.
What truly interests me is it's abilities. Soundproof, Bulletproof AND Overcoat? It's incredible. This makes it an effective switch-in against Primarina, Sylveon (more of a check, but eh) and many more with Soundproof. Bulletproof? Better in UU, really, as you don't see Sludge Bomb or Seed Bomb very often. Egg Bomb? I can only see Alolan Exeggutor using that, and that is definitely not OU quality. Overcoat is just generally good, but you don't see Spores used often in OU either. However, this really does grant it a niche over many Pokemon because of the switch-in opportunities generated by it's abilities overall. You don't see this versatility every day, and as a result this Pokemon can use any of these and still generate pressure through the possibility of having one of the other abilities.
Here is a Mixed Set I made when I was bored (please don't shoot me if it's bad ;-;);
Scaly Bait (Kommo-o) @ Dragium Z/Life Orb
Ability: Soundproof/Overcoat
Naive Nature (or the one that lowers Sp.Def if you prefer that)
EVs: 252 Atk/252 Spd/4 Sp.Def
Moves:
- Clanging Scales
- Sky Uppercut
- Poison Jab/X-Scissor/Stone Edge/Flamethrower
- Swords Dance/Autotomize
Clanging Scales and Sky Uppercut are Kommo-o's primary STABs. Clanging Scales is a hugely powerful attack. 110 Base Power + 100% Accuracy is scary in itself. Of course the Defense Debuff is scary, but it's not really a huge setback in terms of it's bulk and how you can just switch it out to erase the debuffs. Sky Uppercut is generally good, and can punish anyone who thinks Fly or Bounce are remotely good moves at all.
Kommo-o has many options in the 3rd and 4th Move Slots. It even gets X-Scissor, which would grant it some assistance if it faces a Psychic Type. Now, you may be questioning the Poison Jab in the 3rd moveslot there. Don't worry, I'll explain myself. Since Soundproof stops Hyper Voice which is one of Sylveon's best attacks (and relentlessly spammed by many), Poison Jab is a valid option for Kommo-o if Sylveon brings trouble to your team. Illogical? Exactly. It's surprise material. Stone Edge can help against the frequent Flying Types as well. As for the 4th Move Slot, it's difficult. Swords Dance is good if you want to go for a bulky set (change Speed to HP). However, Autotomize is also a great option given how slow Kommo-o is. It's personal preference there, really.
Of course, this Pokemon has flaws. 4x Weakness to Fairy is it's ball and chain, really, and given how frequently the type is used, it's doing it no favors. This Pokemon also has a weakness to Ice Shard if it uses Clanging Scales too much (thus why I decided against a Specs Set). It also has no access to Dragon Pulse. Think I'm lying? Just have a look. This is obviously a small limiter, but that's not the end to this Pokemon's problems. It's coverage is limited overall, and it doesn't have much outside of what I put on the mixed set I made. It's speed probably represents how Fairies are it's ball and chain, as 85 Base Speed makes it one of the slowest Pseudo-Legendaries to date. Most Pokemon in OU have 100 Base Speed or higher, which puts Kommo-o far away from the rest of the metagame. Of course the Sacred Choice Scarf helps this, but is it worth it when Lando-T exists and always will be an overall more effective option? Kommo-o lacks Ice Punch too, which further hinders it.
It's not that this Pokemon is bad by any means, but it has a few small flaws which amount to a large one. I personally love it's design, stats and moves it gets, but it's definitely not an S-Tier Pokemon.
I think it's gonna be a UU or BL Pokemon at best, personally. It's versatility is what gets it that title, as it could be a Scarf, Specs, Band, you name it. These qualities are uncommon on Pokemon these days, but obviously this is a frequent thing in Pseudo-Legendary Pokemon. But this one is more special in that it gets some nice Offensive (crap defensive though tbh) Typing, as well as a movepool to suit that. It's Signature Move is great with Dragium Z in my experience, especially on a Special Sweeping Set. I'm a big fan of it's bulk too, as it can tank some supereffective hits if it uses an Assault Vest.
What truly interests me is it's abilities. Soundproof, Bulletproof AND Overcoat? It's incredible. This makes it an effective switch-in against Primarina, Sylveon (more of a check, but eh) and many more with Soundproof. Bulletproof? Better in UU, really, as you don't see Sludge Bomb or Seed Bomb very often. Egg Bomb? I can only see Alolan Exeggutor using that, and that is definitely not OU quality. Overcoat is just generally good, but you don't see Spores used often in OU either. However, this really does grant it a niche over many Pokemon because of the switch-in opportunities generated by it's abilities overall. You don't see this versatility every day, and as a result this Pokemon can use any of these and still generate pressure through the possibility of having one of the other abilities.
Here is a Mixed Set I made when I was bored (please don't shoot me if it's bad ;-;);
Scaly Bait (Kommo-o) @ Dragium Z/Life Orb
Ability: Soundproof/Overcoat
Naive Nature (or the one that lowers Sp.Def if you prefer that)
EVs: 252 Atk/252 Spd/4 Sp.Def
Moves:
- Clanging Scales
- Sky Uppercut
- Poison Jab/X-Scissor/Stone Edge/Flamethrower
- Swords Dance/Autotomize
Clanging Scales and Sky Uppercut are Kommo-o's primary STABs. Clanging Scales is a hugely powerful attack. 110 Base Power + 100% Accuracy is scary in itself. Of course the Defense Debuff is scary, but it's not really a huge setback in terms of it's bulk and how you can just switch it out to erase the debuffs. Sky Uppercut is generally good, and can punish anyone who thinks Fly or Bounce are remotely good moves at all.
Kommo-o has many options in the 3rd and 4th Move Slots. It even gets X-Scissor, which would grant it some assistance if it faces a Psychic Type. Now, you may be questioning the Poison Jab in the 3rd moveslot there. Don't worry, I'll explain myself. Since Soundproof stops Hyper Voice which is one of Sylveon's best attacks (and relentlessly spammed by many), Poison Jab is a valid option for Kommo-o if Sylveon brings trouble to your team. Illogical? Exactly. It's surprise material. Stone Edge can help against the frequent Flying Types as well. As for the 4th Move Slot, it's difficult. Swords Dance is good if you want to go for a bulky set (change Speed to HP). However, Autotomize is also a great option given how slow Kommo-o is. It's personal preference there, really.
Of course, this Pokemon has flaws. 4x Weakness to Fairy is it's ball and chain, really, and given how frequently the type is used, it's doing it no favors. This Pokemon also has a weakness to Ice Shard if it uses Clanging Scales too much (thus why I decided against a Specs Set). It also has no access to Dragon Pulse. Think I'm lying? Just have a look. This is obviously a small limiter, but that's not the end to this Pokemon's problems. It's coverage is limited overall, and it doesn't have much outside of what I put on the mixed set I made. It's speed probably represents how Fairies are it's ball and chain, as 85 Base Speed makes it one of the slowest Pseudo-Legendaries to date. Most Pokemon in OU have 100 Base Speed or higher, which puts Kommo-o far away from the rest of the metagame. Of course the Sacred Choice Scarf helps this, but is it worth it when Lando-T exists and always will be an overall more effective option? Kommo-o lacks Ice Punch too, which further hinders it.
It's not that this Pokemon is bad by any means, but it has a few small flaws which amount to a large one. I personally love it's design, stats and moves it gets, but it's definitely not an S-Tier Pokemon.
Just wanted to put this little PSA Up, as someone who experienced it first hand; Soundproof blocks Parting Shot, Which is used by 2 brand new possible leads, Silvally and Alolan Persian. Alolan Persian is a very fast lead and the fact that it still stays in and wasting a turn means its completely vulnerable to be smacked down by a powerful Clanging Scales or Focus Blast.
I was always in the Kommo-o Soundproof camp on the basis of it blocking Pixilate Hyper Voice, so this is pretty neat.
Plague von Karma
Banned deucer.
For those of you who want an explanation on this, don't worry: I got you covered.
In-Game Description of the attack:
With a parting threat, the user lowers the target's Attack and Sp. Atk stats. Then it switches with a party Pokémon.
Now, it is a little obscure at first. "Parting Threat" means the Pokemon is sending a verbal threat to the Pokemon before switching out. This is why Soundproof blocks the attack: it's a sound based attack. It has been like this since Gen 6 where it was introduced, and it wasn't discovered because of Pancham and Pangoro being so underused (and as a result, not encountering the issue).
Source:
http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Parting_Shot_(move)
Onto some points I want to mention. I'm listing the notable moves that Kommo-o's abilities block. Note that this isn't all of them, but just the notable threats.
Soundproof can also block these notable attacks:
- Bug Buzz (Mixed/Special Pheramosa check)
- Clanging Scales
- Chatter (If you want to go that low, well...)
- Boomburst (Stops Swellow users in lower tiers)
- Grass Whistle (Sing also counts but who uses that anyway)
- Heal Bell (small setback?)
- Perish Song (YES)
- Hyper Voice (Checks Pixilate users, reason to run Poison Jab)
- Roar (Stops Skarmory in it's tracks)
- Snarl (Mainly for Doubles but it's there)
- Parting Shot (Also stops the Z-variation)
- Sparkling Aria (I believe this means that Oceanic Operetta cannot hit it)
- Acid Spray (some Nihilego use it)
- Aura Sphere (Checks Mega Blastoise)
- Bullet Seed (Bye bye Cinccino, reason to run Sky Uppercut)
- Electro Ball (more effective switch-in for Water Types)
- Energy Ball (see Electro Ball)
- Focus
MissBlast (Stops most Special Sweepers) - Gyro Ball (Bye bye Ferrothorn, reason to run Sky Uppercut or Focus Blast)
- Searing Shot (You do see the odd Victini using it)
- Seed Bomb (Just helpful really)
- Shadow Ball (Stops Gengar really well)
- Sludge Bomb (Stops Nihilego and Gengar)
Overcoat can block these notable attacks. Note that the ability "Effect Spore" is negated if Kommo-o uses this ability.:
- Spore (GG Smeargle and Breloom)
- Stun Spore (sometimes seen)
- Sleep Powder (Vivillion tends to have trouble as a result)
- Rage Powder (has no effect, only notable in Doubles)
- All weather damage
Now looking at this, everything really depends on personal preference. Personally, I believe Soundproof is better because it's more anti-meta than Bulletproof. It stops Sylveon really quickly, and in the lower tiers Chatot and Swellow. Of course, those aren't too notable in OU, but just think in the grand scale of things (sorry not sorry). It is good for stopping Skarmory from doing the Hazard Phasing it's been doing since Gen 2, though. It also keeps Perish Song from being used when it's your last Pokemon, which is truly amazing. It can also help against the dreaded Pheramosa, who's Bug Buzz is known for tearing through teams. Thus, it's more anti-meta. There is one thing that needs to be looked at though: this ability stops Sparkling Aria. As a result, I beg to theorize that this could stop Primarina's Z-Move: Oceanic Operetta. If it can do this, I believe that it's clear as to what ability should be used.
However, Bulletproof improves Kommo-o's effectiveness as a switch-in as it can flat out waste an opponent's PP just by coming in. This can lock down Choice Users. The ever-popular Ferrothorn can also be forced to switch out if it uses Gyro Ball as it's only attack. However, Ferrothorn can still use Explosion to rip through our nice lil' dragon. If Nihilego becomes notable, Kommo-o could wall it. Bulletproof, however, only stops actual attacks while Soundproof can stop both status AND attacks.
As for Overcoat, I think we all know why that shouldn't be used: it barely stops anything and is only to be used when Kommo-o is put on Sand or Hail teams. Not a bad idea as a niche, though.
Sludge Bomb's 30% poison chance means it will typically out-damage Sludge Wave. Poisoning a bulky ground on the switch in means they often can't easily switch in again. Garchomp switching in on Specs Sludge Bomb that gets poisoned has a decent chance at being 2HKOed after a hit from SR. Basically you're trading a small amount of BP for a significant chance to poison. Sludge Wave is still usable but Sludge Bomb is the more common choice.
Just wondering, but why wouldn't you run d.dance over either of those boosting moves?
because Charizard, Dragonite, and Altaria are all infinitely better Dragon Dancers. You might argue that Salamence is also better but you could argue it isn't
Charizard and Dragonite yes, but the Altarianite hasn't been released yet.
They might be in OU, but might Kommo-o not be UU? It doesn't seem viable in OU to me.
Kommo-o's niche seems to be DD / Taunt on top of that massive amount of bulk. For example, Dragonite (without Fire Punch) will get walled by Skarmory, who will set up Spikes / Stealth rocks and then Whirlwind the Dragonite before the Dragon Dance gets too crazy. Or maybe a healthy Rotom managed to switch in on the DD and is willing to use Will-o-Wisp to cripple the Dragon Dance attempt. Granted, that's why Magnezone exists, but now we're talking about two-teamslots instead of one.
Kommo-o can deal with these situations by himself. Dragon Dance on the switch, and then Taunt the passive-wall. I mean, Skarmory has Brave Bird and Kommo-o is weak to it... but... you know... maybe it doesn't have Brave Bird.
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Maybe he'll find a niche in UU. But because of only 75HP, Kommo-o is not even that much bulkier than Garchomp... except Garchomp has both 130 Atk and 102 speed to contend with.
But haxorus has more immediate speed and power. It also gets Taunt, so in this scenario it's the better mon because it can do things like Taunt opposing M-Sableye or Outrage through Dragonite's Multiscale or A-Persian's Fur Coat, etc
Haxorus also isn't Fighting, which is a major problem in this current Fairy-heavy metagame.
I swear, this metagame is invasion of the fairies. Arcanine might be a good `mon with this many fairy types... I'm sometimes seeing 2+ fairies per team.
Overall though, I think a DD / Taunt lockdown needs to be bulky, not speedy. Bulky-Gyarados DD / Taunt set of ages past is what I'm thinking about: the goal is to slowly grow to +3 or +4 through shear bulk, and then start the sweep.
Haxorus is too frail to really get beyond +1 or +2 if the opponent made a bad switch.
252 HP Kommo-o can take multiples of Celesteela's Heavy Slam, the Leech Seed is blocked through Taunt, and eventually its overpowered with Sky Uppercut.
0 Atk Celesteela Heavy Slam (120 BP) vs. 252 HP / 60+ Def Kommo-o: 93-111 (26.2 - 31.3%) -- 12.3% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 Atk Celesteela Heavy Slam (120 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Haxorus: 144-169 (49.1 - 57.6%) -- 96.1% chance to 2HKO
Example Set:
Kommo-o @ Leftovers
Ability: Bulletproof
EVs: 252 HP / 60 Def / 196 Spe
Impish Nature
- Sky Uppercut
- Dragon Claw
- Dragon Dance
- Taunt
Aka: Get F***ed by fairies. But I've managed to get to +3 in some test battles as people get surprised by its bulk. Without any Atk EVs however, it doesn't hit very hard. You're aiming at a very long-game (+3 or +4 DDs). I think I've been getting lucky those few times I got to +3 though... but I think the above set communicates what I'm trying to do (even if I haven't had much success with it yet)
196 Speed EVs + Dragon Dance outruns Greninja, just some arbitrary speed metric I aimed for.
I'm not sure if this set will do very well with so many fairies floating around though. It might be a better idea to run Sky Uppercut / Poison Jab.
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I think the one word that best describes Kommo-O is versatility. (Also being oddly similar to Mega Altaria, at least in terms of stat distribution. Seriously, they're almost exact but with Kommo-o being a little bulkier and faster. Mega Alt has the Pixilate ability though, and a better typing so...) It can run both physical and special sets, and mixed sets as well and any sort of item from Specs, Scarf, Band, Leftovers, WP (maybe), AV, and beyond. Some are more viable than others, obviously, but it does create a lot of unpredictability. With its coverage, it has what it needs, but could certainly do better, especially on the physical side. I personally don't know about CC (Which obvs is powerful but lowers both defenses which is kind of Kommo-o's thing) unless it's a Choice set where switching out is encouraged, but Drain Punch would be a godsend on this thing, so that it starts making the most of its bulk, which is where I think it will find the most use that isn't done better by other things. However, Sky Uppercut isn't that bad. It's a 5 less BP Play Rough, and plenty of pokemon use that. Some kind of priority would be neat as well, and the ability to boost the special attack through Calm Min/Q But enough of talking about what it doesn't have, but rather, what it does provide you with. You have a great offensive typing, balanced stats, a usable movepool, some solid abilities, and a... decent defensive typing. Not great, but not awful.
When using Kommo-O, I operate under the idea that fairy types are a no-go. You can always run poison jab, sure, but I say it's better to save Kommo-O till the fairy's are gone, if possible. And let's be real. You have 5 other team members that can be used to deal with fairies, and your other weaknesses too. But if we look past the fairy weakness, we have a typing with 7 resistances and 4 weaknesses. We do have things that handle us pretty easily, but our typing also gives us the ability to set up on a good amount of things as well, plus we resist Stealth Rock, and we have useful defensive abilities that while somewhat situational, can be invaluable in the right situation. So, uh, it's no Mega Altaria as far as typing goes, but our defenses aren't ultimately wasted... as long as we account for fairies.
(Unrelated, but I do kind of wish GF had gone all the way and gave it like Recover to really help stand out among dragons, but oh well.)
With all that out of the way, I wanted to share some ideas for sets that try to make out of the bulk we have. SubBulkUp is a good place to start.
Kommo-o @ Leftovers
Ability: Soundproof / Bulletproof
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Substitute
- Bulk Up
- Sky Uppercut
- Outrage/Dragon Claw
I think a good start to looking at Kommo-O like this is to see it as a SubBulkUp Fighting-type that happens to get STAB Dragon rather than as a dragon that can get fighting stab. As such, this sets goes full HP, full Atk, with an adamant nature to make us as bulky and hard-hitting as possible. The goal isn't to outspeed things here, but rather slowly get boosts and start hitting hard, and while our 85 speed, especially uninvested isn't very good, it will still outspeed a lot of defensive/tank mons which is what this set is mainly for dealing with. This is where Drain Punch or Mach Punch would be the best use if we had it. We could be like a better, faster Conkeldurr with this. But alas. Dragon/Fighting is good neutral coverage, and like I said before, just avoid fairies at all cost, or make sure you have answers to fairies with the rest of your teams, and you should be golden. Outrage is my preferred move just to make sure we are hitting as hard as possible going off our somewhat lacking 110 Atk, but Dragon Claw is an option if you want to be able to not get locked into a dragon type move. The ability depends on you. Soundproof can negate certain moves altogether, like pixilate hyper voice, but Bulletproof can give you certain switch in opportunities. Overcoat is interesting as well, but feels a bit more niche.
Another variation would be to be run something like this.
Kommo-o @ Chesto Berry
Ability: Soundproof / Bulletproof
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Rest
- Bulk Up
- Sky Uppercut
- Outrage/Dragon Claw
With this set, you can boost, take a hit or two or absorb status, then rest it up and start back at full health. It's only a one time solution, but its utility is not be underestimated. Otherwise, it will act basically the same to the above Bulk Up set.
Dragon Dance is interesting because there are definitely other pokemon that can abuse this set well while being faster and harder hitting. It wouldn't necessarily be my first option for a Kommo-O but since we do have a certain niche in not minding SR and given our bulk, I feel like a bulky dragon dance set is the best DD set for us.
Kommo-o @ Leftovers/Life Orb
Ability: Soundproof / Bulletproof
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe
Jolly Nature/Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Rock Slide/Shadow Claw/Poison Jab/Earthquake
- Sky Uppercut
- Outrage/Dragon Claw
The goal with this set is to get multiple DD's first and foremost. With the Given ev's and even a jolly nature, you only outspeed up to unboosted Garchomp, basically, which is neat but not great. So obviously you want at least two. With two DD boosts and a jolly nature, you outspeed essentially the entire unboosted metagame plus up to +1 base 88. Which is neat. If you're going adamant, then it's a bit less impressive only hitting 414 after two DD's, but the boost in power is needed, and kind of needed, so it's up to you. And as always, if you want to invest in your speed more so to outspeed certain benchmarks, then go right around. Leftovers gives you your only form of recovery, but life orb will obviously make you hit that much harder. Given our attack, it is worth considering.
But anyway, this is fairly standard as a Bulky Dragon Dancer. We'll want at least two to really start hurting things, and from there, we are pretty set. Your coverage move is dependent on what you want to deal with. Rock Slide provides you with the most supereffective hits and since Aegislash is banned, nothing else resists. Shadow Claw is good for the neutral coverage, while Poison Jab is for fairys but again, I'd rather not deal with them, and a +2 or +3 neutral hit will do just as well. Earthquake is an option, though the coverage is redundant, a 100 BP move is always nice. Grass/Fairys will wall you out totally, though, so it's not the best choice.
Finally, while there are other options to be sure, I wanted to throw out a SubSalac berry set for Kommo-O based off one I use for my Garchomp which has served me well before.
Kommo-o @ Salac Berry
Ability: Soundproof / Bulletproof
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Substitute
- Swords Dance
- Sky Uppercut
- Outrage/Dragon Claw
Is sort of the best of both worlds of a dragon dance and swords dance set, and works well once executed. The goal is to sub yourself, get a swords dance in and either sub until you hit 25% or just take a hit and get in the range naturally to activate your salac berry and sweep from there with +2 Attack/+1 Speed. Obviously, the set is troubled by priority, but once it gets going, it has the abiltiy to hit hard and do damage. Given that Kommo-O doesn't have the same attack or speed as Garchomp, it isn't AS effective, but definitely worth considering. You will end up just barely outspeeding base Pheremosa which is a pretty good benchmark to hit. From there you just use that STAB and hope for the best. (Again, avoid fairies like the plague or save till late-game)
I do want to try and tinker with a more utility-based set that makes the best of some of its defensive capabilities, and interesting moves later on, but that's just some different ideas for sweeper/wallbreaker sets. And that's not even counting the special sets! Kommo-o has tons of versatility and unpredictability that will aid in its journey. It will have a lot of competition from the other OU dragons, but I think if it focuses on what it can do best; be bulky, then it has great potential. At worst, it'll be a UU staple. If Hydreigon can thrive in UU with its 4 times fairy weakness, then so can Kommo-o
When using Kommo-O, I operate under the idea that fairy types are a no-go. You can always run poison jab, sure, but I say it's better to save Kommo-O till the fairy's are gone, if possible. And let's be real. You have 5 other team members that can be used to deal with fairies, and your other weaknesses too. But if we look past the fairy weakness, we have a typing with 7 resistances and 4 weaknesses. We do have things that handle us pretty easily, but our typing also gives us the ability to set up on a good amount of things as well, plus we resist Stealth Rock, and we have useful defensive abilities that while somewhat situational, can be invaluable in the right situation. So, uh, it's no Mega Altaria as far as typing goes, but our defenses aren't ultimately wasted... as long as we account for fairies.
(Unrelated, but I do kind of wish GF had gone all the way and gave it like Recover to really help stand out among dragons, but oh well.)
With all that out of the way, I wanted to share some ideas for sets that try to make out of the bulk we have. SubBulkUp is a good place to start.
Kommo-o @ Leftovers
Ability: Soundproof / Bulletproof
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Substitute
- Bulk Up
- Sky Uppercut
- Outrage/Dragon Claw
I think a good start to looking at Kommo-O like this is to see it as a SubBulkUp Fighting-type that happens to get STAB Dragon rather than as a dragon that can get fighting stab. As such, this sets goes full HP, full Atk, with an adamant nature to make us as bulky and hard-hitting as possible. The goal isn't to outspeed things here, but rather slowly get boosts and start hitting hard, and while our 85 speed, especially uninvested isn't very good, it will still outspeed a lot of defensive/tank mons which is what this set is mainly for dealing with. This is where Drain Punch or Mach Punch would be the best use if we had it. We could be like a better, faster Conkeldurr with this. But alas. Dragon/Fighting is good neutral coverage, and like I said before, just avoid fairies at all cost, or make sure you have answers to fairies with the rest of your teams, and you should be golden. Outrage is my preferred move just to make sure we are hitting as hard as possible going off our somewhat lacking 110 Atk, but Dragon Claw is an option if you want to be able to not get locked into a dragon type move. The ability depends on you. Soundproof can negate certain moves altogether, like pixilate hyper voice, but Bulletproof can give you certain switch in opportunities. Overcoat is interesting as well, but feels a bit more niche.
Another variation would be to be run something like this.
Kommo-o @ Chesto Berry
Ability: Soundproof / Bulletproof
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Rest
- Bulk Up
- Sky Uppercut
- Outrage/Dragon Claw
With this set, you can boost, take a hit or two or absorb status, then rest it up and start back at full health. It's only a one time solution, but its utility is not be underestimated. Otherwise, it will act basically the same to the above Bulk Up set.
Dragon Dance is interesting because there are definitely other pokemon that can abuse this set well while being faster and harder hitting. It wouldn't necessarily be my first option for a Kommo-O but since we do have a certain niche in not minding SR and given our bulk, I feel like a bulky dragon dance set is the best DD set for us.
Kommo-o @ Leftovers/Life Orb
Ability: Soundproof / Bulletproof
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe
Jolly Nature/Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Rock Slide/Shadow Claw/Poison Jab/Earthquake
- Sky Uppercut
- Outrage/Dragon Claw
The goal with this set is to get multiple DD's first and foremost. With the Given ev's and even a jolly nature, you only outspeed up to unboosted Garchomp, basically, which is neat but not great. So obviously you want at least two. With two DD boosts and a jolly nature, you outspeed essentially the entire unboosted metagame plus up to +1 base 88. Which is neat. If you're going adamant, then it's a bit less impressive only hitting 414 after two DD's, but the boost in power is needed, and kind of needed, so it's up to you. And as always, if you want to invest in your speed more so to outspeed certain benchmarks, then go right around. Leftovers gives you your only form of recovery, but life orb will obviously make you hit that much harder. Given our attack, it is worth considering.
But anyway, this is fairly standard as a Bulky Dragon Dancer. We'll want at least two to really start hurting things, and from there, we are pretty set. Your coverage move is dependent on what you want to deal with. Rock Slide provides you with the most supereffective hits and since Aegislash is banned, nothing else resists. Shadow Claw is good for the neutral coverage, while Poison Jab is for fairys but again, I'd rather not deal with them, and a +2 or +3 neutral hit will do just as well. Earthquake is an option, though the coverage is redundant, a 100 BP move is always nice. Grass/Fairys will wall you out totally, though, so it's not the best choice.
Finally, while there are other options to be sure, I wanted to throw out a SubSalac berry set for Kommo-O based off one I use for my Garchomp which has served me well before.
Kommo-o @ Salac Berry
Ability: Soundproof / Bulletproof
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Substitute
- Swords Dance
- Sky Uppercut
- Outrage/Dragon Claw
Is sort of the best of both worlds of a dragon dance and swords dance set, and works well once executed. The goal is to sub yourself, get a swords dance in and either sub until you hit 25% or just take a hit and get in the range naturally to activate your salac berry and sweep from there with +2 Attack/+1 Speed. Obviously, the set is troubled by priority, but once it gets going, it has the abiltiy to hit hard and do damage. Given that Kommo-O doesn't have the same attack or speed as Garchomp, it isn't AS effective, but definitely worth considering. You will end up just barely outspeeding base Pheremosa which is a pretty good benchmark to hit. From there you just use that STAB and hope for the best. (Again, avoid fairies like the plague or save till late-game)
I do want to try and tinker with a more utility-based set that makes the best of some of its defensive capabilities, and interesting moves later on, but that's just some different ideas for sweeper/wallbreaker sets. And that's not even counting the special sets! Kommo-o has tons of versatility and unpredictability that will aid in its journey. It will have a lot of competition from the other OU dragons, but I think if it focuses on what it can do best; be bulky, then it has great potential. At worst, it'll be a UU staple. If Hydreigon can thrive in UU with its 4 times fairy weakness, then so can Kommo-o
Sludge Wave isn't blocked by BP right?
What about a Sub-Salac-BD set? It's kind of hard to pull of, but if you manage to do it, you get a +6 Atk +1 SpD Soundproof Pokemon behind a substitute!
Kommo-o @ Salac Berry
Ability: Soundproof
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Substitute
- Belly Drum
- Sky Uppercut
- Dragon Claw
You need to bring Kommo-o on a passive pokemon like Ferrothorn/Celesteela/Chansey. Substitute, the Belly Drum behind the sub, thus activating the Salac Berry.
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I'm surprised no one has taken note of its incredible tank capabilities. It has very good defensive stats, and has access to noble roar, which if you didn't know, lowers the opposing Pokémon's attack and special attack by one stage. Here's a set I've been using:
suffering (Kommo-o) @ Leftovers
Ability: Bulletproof / Soundproof
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Substitute
- Noble Roar
- Taunt
- Dragon Claw / Poison Jab
The noble roar and taunt combo is really good, as it has almost no counters. I included optional poison jab in case you want a little help against fairy types. However, its worked a a few times for me where I stall with noble roar and taunt and hope they switch out. I wouldn't rely on it though.
suffering (Kommo-o) @ Leftovers
Ability: Bulletproof / Soundproof
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Substitute
- Noble Roar
- Taunt
- Dragon Claw / Poison Jab
The noble roar and taunt combo is really good, as it has almost no counters. I included optional poison jab in case you want a little help against fairy types. However, its worked a a few times for me where I stall with noble roar and taunt and hope they switch out. I wouldn't rely on it though.
Oh, you're not the only one! I was actually tinkering with some kind of tank/utility set earlier but didn't want to spam too many sets.
Kommo-o @ Leftovers
Ability: Soundproof
EVs: 252 HP / 76 Atk / 180 SpD
Careful Nature
- Taunt
- Dragon Tail/Roar
- Noble Roar
- Iron Defense/Toxic/Substitute/Safeguard
The idea is pretty much just to either phaze or generally annoy your opponent. Noble Roar is a pretty solid little move not many pokemon can make use of, but Kommo-o definitely has the bulk to do it. I wanted to include either dragon tail or roar, since you do get both. Dragon Tail with STAB and a little attack investment (though my spread isn't anything specific and you can definitely just go full defense or sp. defense) will do some damage and phaze, but Roar can go through subs, though Dragon Tail lets you not be taunt bait, so it's a matter of choice. The taunt and noble roar combo does do some work. The last move is more fillerish. I wanted to include Iron Defense, cause I wanted to have some kind of set that could use it, and if you do choose to run it, then you are free to invest in your SpD as I did, but if you choose another move, then obviously adjust as needed. Toxic or Substitute are both suitable options, as spreading status is never bad, and substitute just makes you harder to take out. Safeguard is there too, oddly enough. It seems a bit random for a pokemon like Kommo-o but can provide support to your team and Kommo-o too since you obviously won't have to worry about status, if that's something you want to do.
Like I said before, Kommo-o has a lot of versatility offered by its balanced stats and efficient movepool. If move tutors are kind to it giving it some more fighting moves to play with (like Drain Punch or Hammer Arm or something) and a better way to boost specially, and then throws in some more interesting support moves along the lines of safeguard, then that versatility would only increase tenfold, as it became the veritable swiss army knife of pokemon.
Kommo-o @ Leftovers
Ability: Soundproof
EVs: 252 HP / 76 Atk / 180 SpD
Careful Nature
- Taunt
- Dragon Tail/Roar
- Noble Roar
- Iron Defense/Toxic/Substitute/Safeguard
The idea is pretty much just to either phaze or generally annoy your opponent. Noble Roar is a pretty solid little move not many pokemon can make use of, but Kommo-o definitely has the bulk to do it. I wanted to include either dragon tail or roar, since you do get both. Dragon Tail with STAB and a little attack investment (though my spread isn't anything specific and you can definitely just go full defense or sp. defense) will do some damage and phaze, but Roar can go through subs, though Dragon Tail lets you not be taunt bait, so it's a matter of choice. The taunt and noble roar combo does do some work. The last move is more fillerish. I wanted to include Iron Defense, cause I wanted to have some kind of set that could use it, and if you do choose to run it, then you are free to invest in your SpD as I did, but if you choose another move, then obviously adjust as needed. Toxic or Substitute are both suitable options, as spreading status is never bad, and substitute just makes you harder to take out. Safeguard is there too, oddly enough. It seems a bit random for a pokemon like Kommo-o but can provide support to your team and Kommo-o too since you obviously won't have to worry about status, if that's something you want to do.
Like I said before, Kommo-o has a lot of versatility offered by its balanced stats and efficient movepool. If move tutors are kind to it giving it some more fighting moves to play with (like Drain Punch or Hammer Arm or something) and a better way to boost specially, and then throws in some more interesting support moves along the lines of safeguard, then that versatility would only increase tenfold, as it became the veritable swiss army knife of pokemon.
there is a kommo-o set one of the cpus in battle tree has that runs shell smash + white herb. i looked online after and havent found any sets regarding shell smash and i haven't found a pokemon site that lists it as a learnable move. i know it was not a mistake because i had some friends with me while i was playing and they commented on it. is this strictly the cpu cheating or is there a possibility this thing could actually get shell smash from somewhere?
It shouldn't get that, but man, if it did somehow or got it later on, that would change everything about this pokemon.
Dang, hackers up in this battle tree.
But really, it would be neat if this was like foreshadowing or like a potential move they would give it in the future.
I have been using the Specs set in the OP. Similar to how I have been using Specs Alolan-Exeggutor, Specs Kommo-o is a great lure for Celesteela and Scizors who think they can soak up Sky Uppercuts only to be 2HKOd by Flamethrower. Similarly, Fairies have been doing the same.
Specs A-Exeggutor has better bulk and power, but Specs Kommo-o is fast enough to outspeed and drop those lured targets. Worth noting too is how well Kommo-o pairs with Steel-Psychics Metagross, Jirachi, and Bronzong. Bronzong in particular, save for Ghost, has perfect synergy with Kommo-o defensively.
Specs A-Exeggutor has better bulk and power, but Specs Kommo-o is fast enough to outspeed and drop those lured targets. Worth noting too is how well Kommo-o pairs with Steel-Psychics Metagross, Jirachi, and Bronzong. Bronzong in particular, save for Ghost, has perfect synergy with Kommo-o defensively.
I've been using this thing in the Alpha UU, and so far it's been amazing. My favourite set has been Specs - Clanging Scales is super spammable, its great bulk and 7 resistances give it space to come in and because it can afford to run a Modest nature it still hits really hard despite an average Special Attack stat. Dragon Dance works well too, since it can run an Adamant nature the power difference between it and Salamence is smaller than you'd think. It has pretty much no guaranteed counters right now, as its special sets can crush the physical sets checks and vice versa.
- Status