[OVERVIEW]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Leaf Blade
move 3: Close Combat
move 4: Synthesis
item: Fightinium Z
ability: Justified
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
========
Usage Tips
========
Team Options
========
Other Options
=============
===================
**Psychic-types**: Cresselia, Gardevoir, and Espeon threaten Virizion with super-effective attacks and can all survive unboosted attacks from it.
**Poison-types**: Poison-types like Roserade, Dragalge, and Toxicroak all resist Virizion's STAB moves and threaten it back with super-effective Poison-type attacks. Toxicroak and Salazzle tend to get worn down easily, however.
**Flying-types**: Flying-types like Noivern, Yanmega, and others resist Virizion's attacks and are able to OHKO it with a 4x effective Flying-type attack. Despite this, many of the flying types, like Honchkrow and Swellow, are very frail and have a secondary typing that is weak to one of Virizion's STAB attacks, which make it so they cannot switch into a Close Combat safely.
**Strong Physical Attackers**: Virizion's middling physical defense allows it to be easily threatened by strong Physical attackers like Machamp, Escavalier, and Tyrantrum. This is furthered by Virizion's tendency to lower its defenses with Close Combat.
**Fire-types**: Fire-type Pokemon like Arcanine, Salazzle and Ninetales threaten Virizion with super-effective attacks and can all stomach a Close Combat, but they must be careful of the rare Stone Edge or Continental Crush.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[, ]]
- Quality checked by: [[, ], [, ], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]
- A great speed stat and typing in combination with Swords Dance allows Virizion to be a potent setup user in the RU metagame.
- Virizion's high Special Defense allows it to naturally check many of the Water-, Ground-, and Rock-types in the tier and use some of them as setup fodder.
- Virizion's ability to break through many of the bulky Water- and Ground-types that inhibit RU, like Milotic, Mega Blastoise, Rhyperior, and Donphan, make it a stellar pick to offensively threaten these Pokemon.
- However, Virizion lacks power when unboosted and is dependent on setting up and its Z-move to break through defensive answers, which leaves it easy to be taken advantage of by bulky Pokemon that resist Virizions STAB attacks, like Cresselia, Noivern, Dragalge, and Brave Bird Mandibuzz.
- While Virizion has decent coverage options like Stone Edge and Zen Headbutt, Virizion usually prefers to run recovery in Synthesis to prolong its lifespan and increase its defensive value.
- The numerous Flying- and Poison-types in the tier, such as Noivern, Dragalge, Roserade, and Toxicroak, resist both of Virizion's STAB moves and can hit Virizion hard with super-effective attacks.
- Virizion's reliance on boosting often allows the opponent to easier pressure it offensively, sapping momentum and often forcing Virizion to switch out.
- Virizion's low physical defense prevents it from checking Pokemon like Zygarde-10%, Golisopod and Tyrantrum well, as even resisted attacks can do a sizeable chunk and their secondary STAB attack can threaten to OHKO Virizion after a bit of chip damage.
- The numerous Fire-types in the tier, such as Arcanine, Salazzle, and Ninetales, threaten Virizion heavily with super-effective attacks and they can all stomach unboosted attacks from Virizion.
- Vulnerability to status is also an issue, as Virizion's speed is crippled by paralysis, its already mediocre Attack is lowered by burn, and Toxic puts it on a timer and limits its opportunities to setup and sweep.
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Leaf Blade
move 3: Close Combat
move 4: Synthesis
item: Fightinium Z
ability: Justified
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
- Swords Dance boosts Virizion's attack by two stages, giving the power it needs to sweep through teams.
- Leaf Blade and Close Combat are powerful STAB moves that give Virizion good coverage against the numerous Ground-, Rock-, and Steel-types in the tier.
- Synthesis boosts Virizion's longevity, allowing it to offensively check Pokemon like Rhyperior and Zygarde-10% for longer.
========
- Fightinium Z gives Virizion the boost in power that it needs to break through Pokemon like Mandibuzz and Shaymin.
- Life Orb is an alternative option that gives Virizion more immediate power, but it will reduce its defensive value and hinder it from breaking through certain Pokemon without the power of a Z Move.
- Justified is Virizion's only ability and it makes it an excellent switch in to Dark-type attacks like Knock Off or Dark Pulse.
Usage Tips
========
- Virizion should be used as a late game sweeper that can sweep after its checks are sufficiently weakened or removed.
- Its raw power is quite low, and requires boosting to be an effective breaker.
- Virizion can make use of its naturally high Special bulk and unique typing to check various Pokemon like Raikou, Rhyperior, Milotic, and others. It can also use these Pokemon as setup fodder, but dislikes being statused with a Scald burn or Toxic.
- Virizion's Z Move should only saved for a Pokemon that it needs to take out, like Mandibuzz, Bewear, or Metagross, to allow it to sweep.
- It can also be used to prevent the stat drops from Close Combat if lowering Virizion's defenses would allow it to be OHKO'd by a revenge killer, such as Choice Scarf Tyrantrum or other priority attacks at lower HP.
Team Options
========
- Flying-type checks, like Rhyperior, Registeel, and Metagross, are fantastic partners as they can all absorb the powerful Flying-type attacks from the likes of Noivern or Swellow. They also conveniently double as Poison-type checks.
- Water-types like Mega Blastoise and Milotic can check the Fire-types like Arcanine or Ninetales that threaten Virizion, though they often run coverage to hit them super effectively.
- Psychic- and Fairy-type checks like Registeel, Bronzong, Drapion, and Metagross can wall and force out the Psychic- and Fairy-types that can revenge kill Virizion or survive its attacks.
- Memento users like Gardevoir can weaken the opponent for an easier time setting up, and Healing Wish support from Gardevoir, Shaymin, and Cresselia's Lunar Dance can give a weakened Virizion a second chance.
- Heal Bell and clerical support from the likes of Florges can allow Virizion to switch into bulky Pokemon status easier as getting inflicted with status is not permanently crippling.
- Ninetales is an interesting partner as it provides Sun for Virizion to use for an increased HP recovery from Synthesis.
Other Options
=============
- Stone Edge in combination with Rockium Z can be used to break through some of Virizion's counters, such as Mandibuzz and Noivern, but often rely on prediction and leave Virizion's STAB moves to be comparatively weak.
- A Calm Mind set with Giga Drain, Focus Blast, and Hidden Power Fire can be used to lure in the physical walls and Steel-types that Virizion would normally invite in, but boosts Virizion's attacking stats even slower when it wants power as fast as possible.
- A Lum Berry can be equipped to allow Virizion to deal with Status, but leaves Virizion noticeably weaker without the power of a Z move or Life Orb.
===================
**Psychic-types**: Cresselia, Gardevoir, and Espeon threaten Virizion with super-effective attacks and can all survive unboosted attacks from it.
**Poison-types**: Poison-types like Roserade, Dragalge, and Toxicroak all resist Virizion's STAB moves and threaten it back with super-effective Poison-type attacks. Toxicroak and Salazzle tend to get worn down easily, however.
**Flying-types**: Flying-types like Noivern, Yanmega, and others resist Virizion's attacks and are able to OHKO it with a 4x effective Flying-type attack. Despite this, many of the flying types, like Honchkrow and Swellow, are very frail and have a secondary typing that is weak to one of Virizion's STAB attacks, which make it so they cannot switch into a Close Combat safely.
**Strong Physical Attackers**: Virizion's middling physical defense allows it to be easily threatened by strong Physical attackers like Machamp, Escavalier, and Tyrantrum. This is furthered by Virizion's tendency to lower its defenses with Close Combat.
**Fire-types**: Fire-type Pokemon like Arcanine, Salazzle and Ninetales threaten Virizion with super-effective attacks and can all stomach a Close Combat, but they must be careful of the rare Stone Edge or Continental Crush.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[, ]]
- Quality checked by: [[, ], [, ], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]
Last edited:
