Ting-Lu
Type - Dark / Ground
Stats - 155/110/125/50/80/45
Ability - Vessel of Ruin
Notable Moves
Physical - Body Press, Earthquake, Heavy Slam, Rock Slide, Stone Edge, Zen Headbutt
Special - Ruination
Status - Protect, Spikes, Stealth Rock, Taunt
Vessel of Ruin
The Sp. Atk of all other active Pokemon is reduced by 25%.
Ruination
- BP | 90% ACC | 16 PP
Does damage equal to 1/2 of target’s current HP.
Pros
- Absolutely gargantuan bulk. 155/125/80 + an ability that reduces damage done by special attackers means that this Pokemon is very hard to take down with just raw damage output.
- A decent typing that grants it both useful resistances to Dark, Ghost, and Stealth Rock, as well as some decent offensive coverage with STAB Earthquake.
- A decent Attack stat that keeps it from being just a passive blob. In addition to this, it has a usable amount of offensive coverage options, like Body Press, Stone Edge, and Heavy Slam.
- Access to both Stealth Rock and Spikes makes it a very solid hazard stacking Pokemon.
Cons
- Ting-Lu’s movepool is extremely middling. It has no reliable recovery options, making it incredibly vulnerable to repeated chip damage and status conditions.
- It also lacks any reliable Dark-type STAB, hindering the potential for more offensive variants.
- The defensive typing, while offering a decent amount of benefits, gives it terrible weaknesses to Fairy, Fighting, Water, Ice, Grass, and U-turn.
Tera Potential?
I do not think Ting-Lu should Tera, as most of the time it should be acting a more defensive presence, and considering the fact that Ting-Lu is generally a solid bulky Pokemon for bulky offense and balance structures, there are generally better abusers. In addition, it gets no set-up moves, meaning that it will be stuck with just its only decent 110 Attack. If you were to Tera it however, I’d imagine you go Tera Ground or Dark to gain doubled STAB.
Specially Defensive
Ting-Lu @ Leftovers
Ability: Vessel of Ruin
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock / Spikes
- Body Press / Stone Edge / Whirlwind
- Earthquake
- Protect / Taunt / Stone Edge / Ruination / Rock Tomb
This set is the one I have seen used to the most success. Stone Edge’s natural synergy with Earthquake make it a decent alternative to it. Protect allows Ting-Lu to stack Leftovers recovery while also scouting super effective attacks. Taunt allows Ting-Lu to deny opposing teams their own hazards. The rest should be rather self-explanatory.
Edit - Almost forgot about Ruination! Ruination is a nice option for dishing out consistent damage to most, if not, all foes.
Overall
Ting-Lu seems like an alright bulky Pokemon in the tier. Its natural bulk is amazing and its typing is solid, meaning that it can deter many strong Pokemon in one slot. Its movepool, while quite small, gives it many options, such as Stealth Rock and Spikes, making it a very solid bulky entry hazard setter for bulky offense and balance teams. It also has enough Attack to support itself, meaning it is not unreasonably passive. However, the numerous relevant weaknesses and lack of reliable recovery really let it down, as it means it can be aimed down by miscellaneous coverage or repeated chip damage.
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