Killintime
Time not so well spent
Latias
[QC 3/3]
[GP 0/1]
[OVERVIEW]
* Latias has decent Special Attack, high Base Power STAB moves, and access to Calm Mind, allowing it to dish out serious damage.
* Latias's Speed allows it to check and revenge kill many standard UU threats.
* Latias has a decent defensive typing coupled with a high base Special Defence, allowing it to check, as well as set Calm Minds on many Pokemon.
* With access to many utility options such as Defog, Roost, and Healing Wish, Latias can run whatever it needs to support its team.
* Due to its Psychic typing, Latias is weak to dark type attacks and in turn must constantly play around Pursuit, Knock Off, and Sucker Punch.
* Latias has access to a variety of coverage. However, it suffers from four move slot syndrome.
* The variety in its sets make it a threat to any playstyle.
[SET]
Name: Offensive Support
Move 1: Defog / Tailwind
Move 2: Draco Meteor
Move 3: Psychic / Psyshock
Move 4: Roost / Hidden Power Fire/ Healing Wish
Item: Soul Dew / Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
Nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Defog is the preferred choice thanks to its effective role compression on more offensive teams.
* Tailwind is an optional choice allowing Latias to temporarily boost the speed of its team.
* Draco Meteor is powerful stab.
* Psychic is preferred as it hits most targets harder.
* Psyshock allows Latias to hit its defensive checks such as Blissey a lot harder.
* Roost can be used to preserve Latias for longer periods of time when using it to check multiple Pokemon.
* Hidden Power Fire allows Life Orb Latias to hit common steel switch-ins such as Scizor, Klefki, Forretress, etc.
* Healing Wish can be used to support a team member in multiple wall-breaking attempts.
* Ice Beam can be used in the last slot if a team find itself weak to Pokemon like Gliscor.
* Thunderbolt can be used in the last slot if Pokemon like Mantine are an issue.
Set Details
========
* Max speed is mandatory thanks to its incredible Speed tier allowing it to out pace most of the meta in order to revenge kill.
* Extra bulk doesn't make any difference on offensive support sets so we take full advantage of its powerful STABs by allocating the rest into its decent Special Attacking base.
* Soul Dew provides 1.2x power to both of Latias's STABs without the Life Orb recoil.
* Life Orb allows for overall boosting of Latias's attacks and allows the securing of kills on mons such as bulky Scizor with Hidden Power Fire after rocks.
* Levitate allows for important ground immunity for Latias.
Usage Tips
========
* Try your best to take advantage of common offensive waters such as Keldeo or Volcanion which allow for opportunities to be dropping Draco Meteors or removing hazards.
* Be wary of Special Attackers that are paired up Pursuit trappers as this is a very common strategy.
* Try to customise your Latias to fit your teams needs.
* Use Roost to keep yourself healthy.
Team Options
========
* Pokemon that resist the dark typing such as Cobalion or Primarina are great partners to assist in Latias's weakness to it.
* Wallbreakers like Primarina or setup sweepers such as Swords Dance Bisharp appreciate Healing Wish support from Latias.
* Ghost and psychic type answers such as Choice Scarf Krookodile are great partners for Latias as it allows for the trapping of Pokemon like Alakazam or Gengar.
* Trapping steel types like Scizor or Empoleon with Magneton is an effective strategy.
* Always have an answer to Bisharp or Scizor with Pokemon like Cobalion or Infernape; as even with Hidden Power Fire they still pose a huge threat.
[SET]
Name: Offensive Calm Mind
Move 1: Calm Mind
Move 2: Draco Meteor
Move 3: Psyshock
Move 4: Roost / Hidden Power Fire
Item: Soul Dew / Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
Nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Calm Mind allows for the boosting of Latias's Special Attack versus Pokemon it can resist or scare out.
* Psyshock allows you to Calm Mind versus other Calm Mind users and attack their Physical Defences.
* Draco Meteor is the preferred dragon STAB capable of KOing Hippowdon, Mandibuzz, Slowbro, and many other defensive sets at +1.
* Roost enables Latias to 1v1 bulky waters by keeping its health in check.
* With a Life Orb Latias can KO steels like Scizor or Forretress using Hidden Power Fire.
* Dragon Pulse can be used over Draco Meteor to avoid the drops in Special Attack however the damage output is significantly lower.
Set Details
========
* Max Speed is still mandatory on this set as its great Speed tier reduces the amount of Pokemon that can revenge it to a handful.
* Max Special Attack is used to maximise the power of Calm Mind boosted STABs coming off of a decent Special Attack base.
* Soul Dew is generally used on Calm Mind as the lack of recoil in return for being insignificantly weaker with its stabs is great.
* Life Orb is generally used on Calm Mind 3 attacks to secure the KO on Pokemon such as Scizor with Hidden Power Fire which otherwise counter you.
* Levitate allows for important ground immunity for Latias.
Usage Tips
========
* Even when un-boosted Latias can still function as a wall-breaker thanks to it items.
* Latias finds many setup opportunities on offensive and bulky waters, grasses, and fires as well as Pokemon it can scare out.
* Finding ways to deal with steels outside of Latias is generally a better way to use this set as you'll find Roost to be invaluable in many of the match ups that Calm Mind may find itself in.
* Roost should be used to keep yourself healthy as well as act as a constant check to Pokemon such as Keldeo or Volcanion.
* This set can also serve as a great win condition when its checks are removed.
Team Options
========
* Removing fairy types in general is great for Latias so steel types or poison types in general that can remove or take advantage of them such as Nidoking or Scizor are great partners.
* Trapping steel types with Magneton is effective in facilitating Calm Mind sweeps by removing Pokemon such as Scizor when not running Hidden Power Fire.
* Just like the other sets switch ins to dark types like Bisharp such as Cobalion or Conkeldurr are necessary.
* Ghost and opposing psychic types can be dealt with using dark types like Krookodile or Absol-Mega running Pursuit.
* Clerics like Togekiss or Sylveon can remove status ailments from Latias facilitating a Calm Mind sweep but are not necessary.
[SET]
Name: Choice Scarf
Move 1: Draco Meteor
Move 2: Psychic / Psyshock
Move 3: Healing Wish / Hidden Power Fire
Move 4: Trick / Healing Wish / Defog
Item: Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
Nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Draco Meteor is mandatory STAB for Latias with great coverage.
* Psychic is Latias's secondary STAB with decent coverage.
* Psyshock hits the Physical Defence of Pokemon allowing it to hit targets such as Blissey or Clefable harder than Psychic.
* Hidden Power Fire allows Latias to hit Pokemon such as Scizor or Forretress.
* Trick may allow the crippling of a wall or setup sweeper by causing it to be choice locked.
* Healing wish offers a team member a second chance at performing a task.
* Defog is an option for a team that may need hazard removal as a secondary thought.
Set Details
========
* The max speed and Sp.attack are needed to maximise the revenge killing ability that comes with Latias's speed tier.
* A Choice Scarf makes Latias virtually faster than any unboosted mon in the tier making it an excellent revenge killer, however in return the set lacks in power.
* Levitate allows for important ground immunity for Latias.
Usage Tips
========
* With Choice Scarf you are given the leeway in letting Pokemon slower than invested base 110 Speed boost as you are capable revenging most at +1 thanks to Latias's Speed tier.
* Latias can still act as an effective switch in to offensive waters and fires such as Volcanion or Keldeo.
* With a Choice Scarf set its important to understand that you are easily taken advantage of when locked into specific moves and are more vulnerable to being Pursuit trapped.
* A Choice Scarfed Latias is capable of going for a late game clean versus severely weakened teams thanks to its Speed.
Team Options
========
* Choice scarf Latias generally appreciates a partner who can take advantage of Healing Wish such as Choice Specs Volcanion or Primarina.
* Setup sweepers like Swords Dance Cobalion or Bisharp can take advantage of walls who have been crippled with a Tricked Choice Scarf from Latias.
* Steel types in general like Scizor or Cobalion who can remove fairy types are great partners.
* Switch ins to dark types like Krookodile or Bisharp are mandatory making Pokemon like Conkeldurr or Cobalion great partners.
* Trapping steels like Scizor or Empoleon with Magneton is effective in assisting late game sweeps.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
* With access to the moves Refresh, Calm Mind, Stored Power, and Roost; Latias is capable of running a viable stall-breaker set with a spread of 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 Spe.
* Choice Specs can be an option thanks to the large amount of coverage options Latias has access to as well as Draco Meteor.
* Draconium-z (Draco Meteor) or Electrium-Z (Thunder) can be possible options alongside Calm Mind to catch certain walls off guard.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fast ghost-types**: Choice scarfed Gengar or Chandelure can revenge Latias with their main STABs.
**Fairy-types**: Bulky fairy types such as Sylveon, Clefable, and Klefki can be a pain to get by thanks to their immunity to Draco Meteor and ability to heal themselves and break you with their own stabs.
**Steel-types**: Steel types in general such as Scizor or Empoleon resist both of Latias's STABs and can quickly turn in into setup fodder or knock it out, however most steel types need to be wary of Hidden Power Fire.
**Dark-types**: A Latias after dropping a Draco Meteor is quite vulnerable to being Pursuit trapped by dark types while Bisharp carrying an Assault Vest is able to switch into both STABs.
**Faster Offensive Threats**: Pokemon such as Zygarde-10%, Alakazam, Choice Scarf Hydreigon, or Mega-Absol have the ability to threaten and revenge Latias.
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