[OVERVIEW]
Araquanid stands out as one of the most viable setters of Sticky Web thanks to its offensive presence and matchup against key entry hazard removers such as Mega Blastoise, Donphan, and Xatu. A great ability in Water Bubble, a solid Special Defense stat, and resistances to key types in the tier such as Ground, Fighting, and Water also make it capable of handling common threats in the metagame such as Nidoqueen, Slowbro, and Houndoom. However, Araquanid is quite slow and has pitiful physical bulk. A weakness to Stealth Rock also hampers its longevity by quite a bit. Its non-Water-type moves are not very powerful, and thus its movepool contains very few viable attacking options. Lastly, it faces competition as a Sticky Web setter from Ribombee and Galvantula, which are much faster and have similar offensive presence, and the former can also beat other entry hazard removers such as Tsareena that Araquanid has trouble with. Their higher Speed stats also help them fare a bit better against Mega Blastoise.
[SET]
name: Sticky Web
move 1: Sticky Web
move 2: Liquidation
move 3: Magic Coat
move 4: Mirror Coat
item: Splash Plate
ability: Water Bubble
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Araquanid makes for a good setter of Sticky Web thanks to its good power and solid defensive attributes. Liquidation is a strong STAB move capable of easily 2HKOing common entry hazard removers such as Donphan and Sigilyph. Magic Coat is capable of bouncing back status moves that can disrupt Araquanid and its team, particularly Taunt. Mirror Coat is used in the last slot to take advantage of Araquanid's naturally good special bulk and to beat Mega Blastoise.
Set Details
========
Water Bubble boosts the power of Liquidation. Splash Plate complements this, giving Araquanid a significant offensive presence. An Adamant nature and maximum Attack investment increase Araquanid's damage output further still. Maximum Speed investment allows Araquanid to outspeed defensive Pokemon such as Porygon2 and Vaporeon. Once Sticky Web is up, it can also outspeed Florges.
Usage Tips
========
Sticky Web should be set when the foe switches out, the opponent's entry hazard remover has fainted, or the current matchup is generally in Araquanid's favor. The threat of Liquidation can also be used to pressure the opponent into giving Araquanid chances to set up Sticky Web. Unlike other setters of Sticky Web such as Ribombee and Galvantula, Araquanid can more easily set it up again if it had been removed earlier in the match thanks to its bulk. Said bulk also allows Araquanid can to switch into entry hazard removers in the tier such as Mega Blastoise and Donphan, and while Knock Off from the latter can do quite a bit of damage to Araquanid, it resists Earthquake and Ice Shard. Magic Coat is best utilized when you predict the opposing Pokemon will use a status move, particularly Stealth Rock from Pokemon like Registeel and Metagross, and Toxic from the likes of Mandibuzz. Mirror Coat is best utilized against special attackers such as Ribombee, Salazzle, and especially Mega Blastoise, which can be 2HKOed by its own reflected Dark Pulse.
Team Options
========
Slow but powerful wallbreakers such as Tyrantrum, Honchkrow, Bewear, and Machamp heavily benefit from the Speed drops that Sticky Web gives to the opponent's team. To make Rapid Spin usage a bit more difficult, spinblockers such as Mismagius and Froslass can be utilized as partners to this Araquanid set. Similarly, Pokemon capable of handling common Defog users such as Passimian and Taunt users such as Honchkrow and Mismagius are good partners to this Araquanid set. Additional entry hazard setters such as Roserade and Metagross can complement both Araquanid and other teammates by giving them additional wallbreaking power. These two Pokemon also benefit a lot from Sticky Web.
[SET]
name: Substitute + Toxic
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Toxic
move 3: Liquidation
move 4: Leech Life / Protect
item: Leftovers
ability: Water Bubble
nature: Adamant
evs: 188 HP / 252 Atk / 68 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
The combination of Substitute and Toxic allows Araquanid to effectively stall out common threats such as Slowbro, Mega Blastoise, and Mandibuzz. Liquidation serves as a strong STAB move backed by Araquanid's Water Bubble ability and is capable of hitting a wide range of Pokemon in the RU metagame neutrally. Leech Life is mainly used to hit Grass-types such as Shaymin, Tangela, and Mega Sceptile; the health recovery from the move is a bonus. Protect can be used over Leech Life to gain free Toxic damage and Leftovers recovery for a turn. However, this tends to leave Araquanid walled by Grass-types as a result.
Set Details
========
68 EVs in Speed allow Araquanid to outspeed Pokemon with base 50 Speed such as Registeel and Donphan. Maximum Attack investment makes Araquanid hit as hard as possible. Leftovers offsets the health reduction Substitute provides over time, and 188 HP EVs allow it to regain more health from Leftovers.
It also works well alongside Leech Life to provide additional healing capability.
Usage Tips
========
Use Substitute when you expect a bulky Pokemon such as Slowbro or Mandibuzz to come into play, and then use Toxic to attempt to outstall them. Araquanid's typing should be utilized for opportunities to switch in on Pokemon like Nidoqueen, Bronzong, and Mega Blastoise. Liquidation's higher power via Water Bubble and better coverage mean that it is usually the more reliable attacking move over Leech Life. When the Pokemon you are trying to outstall resists Liquidation, you should use Toxic instead to apply better pressure. If Protect is used in the last slot, use it when you expect the foe to break Araquanid's Substitute, or as a way to scout for potential moves that may threaten Araquanid.
Team Options
========
Offensive Pokemon such as Metagross, Machamp, and Houndoom appreciate Araquanid's ability to wear down bulky threats such as Slowbro and Mandibuzz. Cleaners such as Zygarde-10%, Salazzle, and Swellow can take advantage of Araquanid's ability to open holes in the opponent's team. More physically defensive Pokemon such as Rhyperior, Slowbro, and Torterra can help out with Araquanid's weakness to strong physical moves. Lastly, entry hazard removers such as Sigilyph, Donphan, and Tsareena help with Araquanid's vulnerability to Stealth Rock and Spikes, allowing it to set up more Substitutes throughout a match.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
A set utilizing Spider Web / Liquidation / Leech Life or Toxic / Rest with a Splash Plate or Metronome can be useful, as it can safely remove certain defensive threats in the tier such as Slowbro, Milotic, and Tangela from the match to clear the way for teammates. However, this set isn't popular because one of its main targets, Milotic, is rather niche and Substitute + Toxic can already handle most of its other targets. More offensive sets without Sticky Web, such as a Choice Band set, can seem like good options considering the power of Araquanid's STAB Liquidation, but these sets are often outclassed by Golisopod, which has access to priority moves and stronger non-Water-type moves. These sets also have trouble breaking through bulky Pokemon that resist Water.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Water-resistant Pokemon**: Pokemon such as Noivern, Shaymin, and Virizion can usually take a hit from Araquanid and hit back hard, with Noivern OHKOing it occasionally. More niche Water-resistant or -immune Pokemon such as Milotic and Seismitoad can also work well, with the former even having Refresh to nullify Toxic.
**Faster Physical Attackers**: Pokemon such as Tyrantrum, Toxicroak, and Bewear prey on Araquanid's poor physical bulk and usually don't take much from any of its moves. Notably, Toxicroak is immune to Araquanid's Water-type STAB moves thanks to Dry Skin, resists Leech Life, and is unaffected by Toxic.
**Flying-type Pokemon**: Pokemon such as Noivern, Yanmega, and Swellow, while unable to switch into Araquanid, can easily revenge kill it with strong STAB moves. Mantine is a more defensive option that is also immune to Water-type attacks thanks to Water Absorb.
**Electric-type Pokemon**: Raikou outspeeds Araquanid and can OHKO it with Stealth Rock up; it can 2HKO Araquanid otherwise. Mega Ampharos is a more niche option but also resists Araquanid's Liquidation and doesn't even need Stealth Rock to OHKO Araquanid.
**Residual Damage**: Entry hazards such as Spikes and Stealth Rock can wear down Araquanid quickly due to its lack of reliable recovery and weakness to the latter. While it's immune to burns, it is very much vulnerable to Toxic because of said lack of recovery.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Melons-N-Soda, 206635]]
- Quality checked by: [[zizalith, 410251], [phantom, 180300], [Eternally, 295647]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [Empress, 175616]]
Araquanid stands out as one of the most viable setters of Sticky Web thanks to its offensive presence and matchup against key entry hazard removers such as Mega Blastoise, Donphan, and Xatu. A great ability in Water Bubble, a solid Special Defense stat, and resistances to key types in the tier such as Ground, Fighting, and Water also make it capable of handling common threats in the metagame such as Nidoqueen, Slowbro, and Houndoom. However, Araquanid is quite slow and has pitiful physical bulk. A weakness to Stealth Rock also hampers its longevity by quite a bit. Its non-Water-type moves are not very powerful, and thus its movepool contains very few viable attacking options. Lastly, it faces competition as a Sticky Web setter from Ribombee and Galvantula, which are much faster and have similar offensive presence, and the former can also beat other entry hazard removers such as Tsareena that Araquanid has trouble with. Their higher Speed stats also help them fare a bit better against Mega Blastoise.
[SET]
name: Sticky Web
move 1: Sticky Web
move 2: Liquidation
move 3: Magic Coat
move 4: Mirror Coat
item: Splash Plate
ability: Water Bubble
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Araquanid makes for a good setter of Sticky Web thanks to its good power and solid defensive attributes. Liquidation is a strong STAB move capable of easily 2HKOing common entry hazard removers such as Donphan and Sigilyph. Magic Coat is capable of bouncing back status moves that can disrupt Araquanid and its team, particularly Taunt. Mirror Coat is used in the last slot to take advantage of Araquanid's naturally good special bulk and to beat Mega Blastoise.
Set Details
========
Water Bubble boosts the power of Liquidation. Splash Plate complements this, giving Araquanid a significant offensive presence. An Adamant nature and maximum Attack investment increase Araquanid's damage output further still. Maximum Speed investment allows Araquanid to outspeed defensive Pokemon such as Porygon2 and Vaporeon. Once Sticky Web is up, it can also outspeed Florges.
Usage Tips
========
Sticky Web should be set when the foe switches out, the opponent's entry hazard remover has fainted, or the current matchup is generally in Araquanid's favor. The threat of Liquidation can also be used to pressure the opponent into giving Araquanid chances to set up Sticky Web. Unlike other setters of Sticky Web such as Ribombee and Galvantula, Araquanid can more easily set it up again if it had been removed earlier in the match thanks to its bulk. Said bulk also allows Araquanid can to switch into entry hazard removers in the tier such as Mega Blastoise and Donphan, and while Knock Off from the latter can do quite a bit of damage to Araquanid, it resists Earthquake and Ice Shard. Magic Coat is best utilized when you predict the opposing Pokemon will use a status move, particularly Stealth Rock from Pokemon like Registeel and Metagross, and Toxic from the likes of Mandibuzz. Mirror Coat is best utilized against special attackers such as Ribombee, Salazzle, and especially Mega Blastoise, which can be 2HKOed by its own reflected Dark Pulse.
Team Options
========
Slow but powerful wallbreakers such as Tyrantrum, Honchkrow, Bewear, and Machamp heavily benefit from the Speed drops that Sticky Web gives to the opponent's team. To make Rapid Spin usage a bit more difficult, spinblockers such as Mismagius and Froslass can be utilized as partners to this Araquanid set. Similarly, Pokemon capable of handling common Defog users such as Passimian and Taunt users such as Honchkrow and Mismagius are good partners to this Araquanid set. Additional entry hazard setters such as Roserade and Metagross can complement both Araquanid and other teammates by giving them additional wallbreaking power. These two Pokemon also benefit a lot from Sticky Web.
[SET]
name: Substitute + Toxic
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Toxic
move 3: Liquidation
move 4: Leech Life / Protect
item: Leftovers
ability: Water Bubble
nature: Adamant
evs: 188 HP / 252 Atk / 68 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
The combination of Substitute and Toxic allows Araquanid to effectively stall out common threats such as Slowbro, Mega Blastoise, and Mandibuzz. Liquidation serves as a strong STAB move backed by Araquanid's Water Bubble ability and is capable of hitting a wide range of Pokemon in the RU metagame neutrally. Leech Life is mainly used to hit Grass-types such as Shaymin, Tangela, and Mega Sceptile; the health recovery from the move is a bonus. Protect can be used over Leech Life to gain free Toxic damage and Leftovers recovery for a turn. However, this tends to leave Araquanid walled by Grass-types as a result.
Set Details
========
68 EVs in Speed allow Araquanid to outspeed Pokemon with base 50 Speed such as Registeel and Donphan. Maximum Attack investment makes Araquanid hit as hard as possible. Leftovers offsets the health reduction Substitute provides over time, and 188 HP EVs allow it to regain more health from Leftovers.
It also works well alongside Leech Life to provide additional healing capability.
Usage Tips
========
Use Substitute when you expect a bulky Pokemon such as Slowbro or Mandibuzz to come into play, and then use Toxic to attempt to outstall them. Araquanid's typing should be utilized for opportunities to switch in on Pokemon like Nidoqueen, Bronzong, and Mega Blastoise. Liquidation's higher power via Water Bubble and better coverage mean that it is usually the more reliable attacking move over Leech Life. When the Pokemon you are trying to outstall resists Liquidation, you should use Toxic instead to apply better pressure. If Protect is used in the last slot, use it when you expect the foe to break Araquanid's Substitute, or as a way to scout for potential moves that may threaten Araquanid.
Team Options
========
Offensive Pokemon such as Metagross, Machamp, and Houndoom appreciate Araquanid's ability to wear down bulky threats such as Slowbro and Mandibuzz. Cleaners such as Zygarde-10%, Salazzle, and Swellow can take advantage of Araquanid's ability to open holes in the opponent's team. More physically defensive Pokemon such as Rhyperior, Slowbro, and Torterra can help out with Araquanid's weakness to strong physical moves. Lastly, entry hazard removers such as Sigilyph, Donphan, and Tsareena help with Araquanid's vulnerability to Stealth Rock and Spikes, allowing it to set up more Substitutes throughout a match.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
A set utilizing Spider Web / Liquidation / Leech Life or Toxic / Rest with a Splash Plate or Metronome can be useful, as it can safely remove certain defensive threats in the tier such as Slowbro, Milotic, and Tangela from the match to clear the way for teammates. However, this set isn't popular because one of its main targets, Milotic, is rather niche and Substitute + Toxic can already handle most of its other targets. More offensive sets without Sticky Web, such as a Choice Band set, can seem like good options considering the power of Araquanid's STAB Liquidation, but these sets are often outclassed by Golisopod, which has access to priority moves and stronger non-Water-type moves. These sets also have trouble breaking through bulky Pokemon that resist Water.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Water-resistant Pokemon**: Pokemon such as Noivern, Shaymin, and Virizion can usually take a hit from Araquanid and hit back hard, with Noivern OHKOing it occasionally. More niche Water-resistant or -immune Pokemon such as Milotic and Seismitoad can also work well, with the former even having Refresh to nullify Toxic.
**Faster Physical Attackers**: Pokemon such as Tyrantrum, Toxicroak, and Bewear prey on Araquanid's poor physical bulk and usually don't take much from any of its moves. Notably, Toxicroak is immune to Araquanid's Water-type STAB moves thanks to Dry Skin, resists Leech Life, and is unaffected by Toxic.
**Flying-type Pokemon**: Pokemon such as Noivern, Yanmega, and Swellow, while unable to switch into Araquanid, can easily revenge kill it with strong STAB moves. Mantine is a more defensive option that is also immune to Water-type attacks thanks to Water Absorb.
**Electric-type Pokemon**: Raikou outspeeds Araquanid and can OHKO it with Stealth Rock up; it can 2HKO Araquanid otherwise. Mega Ampharos is a more niche option but also resists Araquanid's Liquidation and doesn't even need Stealth Rock to OHKO Araquanid.
**Residual Damage**: Entry hazards such as Spikes and Stealth Rock can wear down Araquanid quickly due to its lack of reliable recovery and weakness to the latter. While it's immune to burns, it is very much vulnerable to Toxic because of said lack of recovery.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Melons-N-Soda, 206635]]
- Quality checked by: [[zizalith, 410251], [phantom, 180300], [Eternally, 295647]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [Empress, 175616]]
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