Anything Goes! Balanced Hackmons Threats Revealed

Setup sweepers are incredibly powerful in BH with their unlimited coverage and massive stats. Imposter Chansey is the first of three common counters to these Pokémon. When a Pokémon copies another with Imposter, it copies everything: stats, stat boosts, and moves. There is one exception though: the Imposter retains its HP. Chansey possesses a massive HP stat and retains the bulk provided by Eviolite after transforming, making it the premier Imposter in the metagame. Skill Swap is really the only move worth mentioning as it forces Pokémon that Chansey cannot transform into to copy Chansey. Other moves that are occasionally used include U-turn, weather moves, Aromatherapy, and Wish. Lately, many sweepers have begun to run combinations such as a plate with Judgment to prevent Chansey from simply stealing their boosts and sweeping back; however, Chansey is still the most common and arguably the best Pokémon in BH.

Giratina is the gold standard of defensive threats in BH by nature of its massive 150 / 120/ 120 bulk and excellent defensive typing. Magic Bounce provides the ultimate support by reflecting Spore, hazards, and Whirlwind, all of which are extremely common in the metagame. Any sweeper without a setup move or a powerful super effective STAB move will most likely be unable to scratch Giratina. Dragon Tail is the preferred phazing move because it can't be bounced by opposing Magic Bounce Pokémon, but it does have drawbacks against Substitute users. The final two slots are really based on what Giratina's team needs. Hazards are excellent but dangerous if Chansey comes in to bounce them. Aromatherapy and Rapid Spin provide wonderful team support, which Giratina can provide throughout the entire game.

This is the second of the three common methods used to deal with setup sweepers. Contrary Pokémon and other stat boosters are completely walled by Lugia, which is rarely 2HKOed by an unboosted attack. Again, Dragon Tail is used to phaze out boosters and rack up hazards damage. It can be used in tandem with Whirlwind to ensure consistent phazing. Instant recovery is a must on defensive sets, and if Lugia is faster than the opponent, smart plays with Roost can minimize damage from threats with Electric-, Ice-, or Rock-type STABs. A Careful nature is vital, as most Contrary sweepers such as Kyurem-W attack from the special side. Some variants of Lugia run Quiver Dance and Stored Power to attempt to slowly gather boosts and sweep the opposition while sacrificing some phazing and hazard options.

Kyurem-W is an excellent sweeper with its one-click Draco Meteor kill button. The fact that Contrary instantly doubles Kyurem-B's Special Attack after a Draco Meteor makes it nearly impossible for defensive threats that lack Unaware to avoid a 2HKO. Overheat and Draco Meteor both trigger Contrary in the same manner and have excellent synergy. Choice items are generally poor in BH; however, Kyurem-W's raw power prevents the opposition from setting up on it. Prankster Pokémon can check Kyurem-W with Spore or Copycat, but are hard-pressed to switch in. Trick and Volt Switch are excellent supporting moves to cripple counters and maintain momentum. Contrary Pokémon were incredibly hyped-up in early BH, but Kyurem-W now remains as one of the few viable users of this powerful strategy.

Rhydon is the third prevalent way to defeat setup sweepers; it snatches their boosts with Prankster Heart Swap and can then Baton Pass them to a teammate to attempt a sweep. Rhydon is incredibly bulky with Eviolite and becomes even more unbreakable in sand, as Water- and Grass- type moves are rare in BH. Recover is an excellent choice for defensive teams that depends on Rhydon to halt sweeps many times throughout the game; however, Magic Coat and Substitute both have their merits on more offensively oriented teams. Prankster Nature Power is a powerful priority move coming off of Rhydon's base 130 Attack, especially if Attack boosts are swapped. As much as Rhydon is an excellent Pokémon, it unfortunately is Imanalt's favorite and therefore must suck. Joking aside, the combination of Rhydon paired with an Unaware Pokémon is a surefire way to prevent boosting sweepers from rampaging through a team. Groudon is often found with the same or a similar moveset; though it lacks some of Rhydon's bulk, it has a more powerful Nature Power.

Regirock is the premier sand setter in BH due to its excellent survivability. This set has generally been used as a lead because opposing weather was very uncommon until recently. Sand stall is one of the strongest playstyles, justifying the use of a slot to set up the weather. One of the main reasons sand can wear down opposing teams is because Lum Berry is far more prevalent than Leftovers in the tier. Recover is, of course, a must to keep the sand setter alive throughout the whole match. Magic Coat is vital against opposing leads such as Deoxys-S, while Stealth Rock and the fourth slot gives Regirock something to do to support the team other than just providing sand. Additionally, Skill Swap can be used to neuter opposing Pokémon reliant on their ability.

Regigigas is a monstrous Pokémon once its debilitating Slow Start is replaced by something as excellent as Poison Heal, which grants it an immunity to Spore and massive bulk. Facade becomes insanely powerful and generally 2HKOes everything that lacks both bulk and a Normal-type resistance. That's where coverage moves come in; Psycho Shift cripples Regigigas's primary counter, Giratina, and ignores Magic Bounce, allowing Crunch to eventually overpower the bulky Dragon. Drain Punch is mainly used for Dialga and can provide extra healing in a pinch. Fighting-type Pokémon are uncommon in BH, which lets Regigigas run rampant through the tier. Only Skarmory can boast the ability to truly counter this set, but a Fire-type coverage move can change that in a hurry. Regigigas also has the ability to swap coverage moves for supporting options, namely Knock Off and Dragon Tail, since Facade is a one-move army.

Dialga is considered one of the best spinners in BH since it forces out the most prominent spinblocker, Giratina, with its massively powerful Draco Meteor. Dragon Tail barely dents Dialga and any non-attacking moves are reflected with Magic Bounce. Its Steel typing grants Dialga the very exclusive ability to defeat nearly every Dragon in BH in a one-on-one situation, which gives it numerous opportunities to set up Stealth Rock or Rapid Spin away hazards. Though Steel is an excellent typing in the standard metagame, Dialga is one of the only ones seen other than Escavalier and Skarmory. Generally, this set is best used as a bulky pivot, which is perfect for supporting balanced teams.

Deoxys-S is the lead of Balanced Hackmons. In fact, the entire lead metagame basically revolves around beating this set. Once Deoxys-S sprays the opposition with countless hazards, it still can function wonderfully in the middle game. As the fastest Pokémon in the game, the ability to use Spore and cripple foes notwishstanding Magic Bounce makes Deoxys-S an invaluable failsafe against powerful threats. Taunt and Magic Coat help the speed demon deal with mirror matchups in the lead position and prevent enemy hazards and Spores. A Lum Berry alleviates Deoxys-S of status in case Spore is reflected with Magic Coat.

Illusion Slaking can turn the tables on the opponent like no other Pokémon can. The ability both aids in set up and prevents Imposter from copying Slaking as long as the illusion is active. Following a Belly Drum, ExtremeSpeed KOes nearly everything in BH lacking an immunity or resist. Crunch smashes Giratina while Drain Punch handles most Steel-type Pokémon; Aqua Jet can also be used just for Rhydon. Unaware Pokémon put a dampener on its parade, so setup should be saved for the late game; Slaking is a one-chance deal. It generally requires extensive team support to be successful, including a Pokémon for Slaking to bluff as and methods to eliminate Slaking's counters based on which coverage moves the "lazy" sloth has.