cim
happiness is such hard work
Summary of the changes I wanna make:
[Overview]
<p>While Empoleon is often overlooked in lieu of other standard Pokemon, it is a surprisingly versatile and potent Pokemon on the right team. With Torrent, high Special Attack, key resistances to priority attacks, and Agility, Empoleon is one of the few reliable late-game set-up sweepers in OU, with a boosted Surf dealing consistently high damage. Defensively, Empoleon's unique typing lets it shine as a counter to some Gyarados, Jirachi, and bulky Water-types in general. Overall, Empoleon is a threat that needs to be seriously considered when constructing a team, as few are adequately prepared to deal with its offensive and defensive sets.</p>
[SET]
name: Agility SubPetaya
move 1: Agility
move 2: Substitute
move 3: Surf
move 4: Grass Knot / Ice Beam
nature: Modest
item: Petaya Berry
ivs: 30 HP
evs: 16 Def / 252 SpA / 240 Spe
[Set Comments]
<p>While not a very intuitive set for Empoleon's stat spread and typing, Empoleon is most threatening as a late game cleanup Pokemon. Using Empoleon is pretty simple. Near the end of the battle, bring Empoleon in on one of the 12 types he resists, Agility on the switch, and then use Substitute until Empoleon activates his Petaya Berry, increasing Empoleon's Special Attack to 529. With the added bonus of Torrent multiplying Surf's power by 1.5, Empoleon can punch right through Pokemon, even those that resist Water. What really makes Empoleon shine over other late game sweepers is his resistance to priority attacks. Other than Mach Punch and Vacuum Wave, Empoleon resists every priority attack in the game, and Scizor's Bullet Punch will never KO an Empoleon, even after 4 Subs and switching in on Stealth Rock. This makes Empoleon nearly impossible to stop if you provide some key team support with Stealth Rock, Sand Stream, and the elimination of a few key threats earlier in the game.</p>
<p>The given EVs ensure you outrun Choice Scarf Heatran, Jolly Gyarados after a Dragon Dance, and the occasional +1 positive-natured Base 80 speed Pokemon after an Agility. A 30 HP IV ensures that Petaya Berry activates on your fourth Substitute, and 24 Def ensures that Scizor won't be ruining your fun. Grass Knot and Ice Beam each cover some key Water resists.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>Your first major decision when using Empoleon is what to use as your 4th attack. Grass Knot is the primary option, as it can help KO particularly tricky opponents like Suicune, Vaporeon, and Gyarados. All of these Pokemon will end Ice Beam Empoleon's sweep, so having insurance against them is recommended. Grass Knot 2HKOs Gyarados after Stealth Rock and does heavy damage to both Suicune and Vaporeon, winning more often than not in the long run. Ice Beam is an option if you are scared of Salamence, Celebi, and Shaymin. Salamence is only OHKOed 50% of the time by Surf after Stealth Rock (Sandstorm damage finishes it off the other 50% of the time, but Empoleon dies first). Celebi and Shaymin will be KOed by Ice Beam with any prior damage (small chance with just SR), but they take 42.3% - 49.8% from Surf as well. Grass Knot is often the better option simply because working around Celebi and Shaymin is a lot easier for Empoleon's teammates to accomplish than working around Suicune and Vaporeon due to Celebi's Pursuit weakness and Shaymin's lack of real recovery. If your team is structured against the aforementioned bulky Waters, running Ice Beam is a solid option.</p>
<p>Empoleon is one of the rare Pokemon that is reliable enough to build a team around, and he really shines with proper support. First of all, Stealth Rock and Sand are requirements. Stealth Rock ensures vital KOs on many defensive Pokemon that don't resist Water, while helping with many who do as well, including the aforementioned Salamence. Sand Stream is also immensely beneficial to Empoleon, making a few key Pokemon unable to stop Empoleon's sweep on the switch in. For this reason, Tyranitar makes an ideal partner for Empoleon, providing Sand Stream permanent Sand for the team. Any suicide lead, including Aerodactyl or Azelf, will help Empoleon's sweep by ensuring SR makes it onto the field on turn 1. </p>
<p>Key counters to an Empoleon team include Blissey, Celebi, some Bulky Waters, and Choice Scarfed Pokemon with higher than 80 Base Speed. Choosing Pokemon for the rest of your team to eliminate these threats early is vital to the success of an Empoleon team. The best Empoleon complement is the aforementioned Tyranitar. With Sand Stream as well as a very powerful Pursuit, he is able to do significant damage to Blissey, Celebi, Rotom-A, and many of the game's fastest Choice Scarfers (including Timid Rotom, which outspeeds Empoleon). He also baits out the fairly rare Vacuum Wave Lucario. Other complements to Empoleon focus on either providing Empoleon with switch-ins or baiting and wearing down key Pokemon before Empoleon's sweep begins. Salamence is one of the best offensive complements to Empoleon, as he tends to draw Ice and Dragon attacks that Empoleon loves to come in on. In addition, Scarf Salamence can come in after an opponent's Scarfer takes out Empoleon with Earthquake or a Fighting move and revenge kill to clean up the remnants of the opponent's team. Stallbreaking Gliscor provides Empoleon with even more support, as he baits and Toxics Vaporeon and Suicune while providing a bit of support against stall teams trying to Spike or otherwise set up on your team. Tentacruel, Forretress, and Roserade all provide Toxic Spikes, which basically do Gliscor's job with the addition of hitting Blissey, Celebi, and Shaymin through Natural Cure. A baiting Heatran can Explode on bulky waters and Blissey to make way for Empoleon's sweep, but watch out for Protect. Rotom-A is useful to block Rapid Spin from taking away Stealth Rock or Toxic Spikes. Careful thought needs to be put into the entirety of your team in order to make sure Empoleon gets the support he needs; Empoleon is sadly not a Pokemon well suited to being "dropped in" on a team.</p>
<p>You can run Timid with a spread of 12 HP/48 Def/252 SpA/196 Spe and a 31 HP IV in order to beat Scarf Rotom, but you lose a massive amount of power and ensure far fewer KOs, so it is a poor option. Hydro Pump gains guaranteed KOs on Salamence, Rotom, and some other borderline Pokemon, and can offset the use of a Timid nature, but the last thing you want your late game sweeper to do is miss a vital attack, so Hydro Pump is an inferior option. When you consider how useful Scarf Rotom's perfect counter, Tyranitar, is, it becomes even less appealing as an option. </p>
[SET]
name: Lead
move 1: Hydro Pump / Surf
move 2: Aqua Jet
move 3: Stealth Rock
move 4: Grass Knot / Ice Beam
nature: Modest
item: Focus Sash / Chople Berry
evs: 156 HP / 252 SpA / 100 Spe
[Set Comments]
<p>Empoleon makes a pretty decent lead, being able to set up Stealth Rock fairly reliably while doing heavy damage to many common leads. Hydro Pump followed by Aqua Jet will pick off Azelf and Aerodactyl, preventing these Pokemon from touching Empoleon. Hydro Pump also takes out bulker leads like Hippowdon, Heatran, and Forretress. Against Metagross, Empoleon can Stealth Rock as Metagross Earthquakes, leaving Empoleon in Torrent range while not being vulnerable to Bullet Punch due to the 4x resistance. The boosted Hydro Pump has a chance of OHKOing Metagross, leaving a nice dent in the opponent's team. Due to Focus Sash, many other leads will activate Torrent, allowing Empoleon to do heavy damage.</p>
<p>Your final move depends on if you worry more about Swampert or being set-up bait for Salamence. Grass Knot will KO Swampert about 60% of the time, while Ice Beam keeps Salamence at bay while also serving as a more accurate alternative to Hydro Pump for Gliscor and Aeroactyl. Empoleon is EVed to outrun most Tyranitar and Machamp, while providing itself with a bit of bulk for dealing with Metagross leads.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>Empoleon has a few options with this set in order to counter a few different leads. Running a Chople Berry will let you 2HKO Machamp with Hydro Pump about 32% of the time factoring in Accuracy and Confusion. Most Earthquakes won't OHKO Empoleon anyway, so it also helps to beat Fake Out Infernape, but you no longer guarantee Stealth Rock or surviving a turn, so some obscure moves could beat you. Surf can be used if you don't care about Metagross. You need a Rash nature and 52 Def / 104 Atk / 252 SpA / 100 Spe in order to beat Azelf with Surf + Aqua Jet, but Surf never misses which makes Empoleon more reliable. </p>
<p>Empoleon has a lot of trouble with a few particular leads. Any Sleep lead will beat Empoleon as he lacks Taunt or any other method to prevent status, but luckily Roserade and Smeargle are becoming less common. Pairing Empoleon with something that can set up on Roserade, Smeargle, and Infernape (if Empoleon has Focus Sash) will help Empoleon's team keep momentum despite the bad initial matchup. Bulky Dragon Dance Gyarados is a good choice after Empoleon absorbs the Sleep, as he can Taunt Roserade and Smeargle while setting up on Infernape. Suicune can set up on lead Infernape and Smeargle, while absorbing the sleep of the latter, while a better choice for setting up on Roserade would be (?)? </p>
basically it beats up on machamp and azelf and aero and metagross while getting out SR against your standard non-suiciders too
[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Surf
move 2: Grass Knot
move 3: Hidden Power Electric / Stealth Rock
move 4: Roar / Ice Beam
nature: Calm
item: Leftovers
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Spe
[Set Comments]
<p>Empoleon's Water / Steel typing is very unique, offering rare combinations of resistances. Combine this with Empoleon's respectable bulk and you have a respectable tank that can deal with a variety of physical and special threats in the OU metagame. While not a traditional "Bulky Water", Empoleon can cause a lot of problems for some key sweepers in the metagame, including most Gyarados, flinching Jirachi, and other Water types.<p>
<p>Surf provides Empoleon with a STAB attack for consistent damage. Grass Knot lets Empoleon counter other Water types with his high Special Defense and Water resistance.
<p>The last two slots can be mixed and matched depending on a team's need. Hidden Power Electric can be used to do heavy damage to opposing Gyarados. As the only Pokemon that resists Water, Flying, and Rock, most Gyarados variants cannot hit Empoleon for netural damage. Roar is very handy to phase Pokemon like Calm Mind Suicune, most Celebi, or Nasty Plot Togekiss. You can also use Roar initially to scout for Magnezone. Ice Beam is mostly useful for deterring Salamence, though boosted Outrages are not Empoleon's best friend. It also can 3HKO Celebi and Shaymin. Stealth Rock is nice if your team does not have another Pokemon to set it up, and works in tandem with Roar.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>Empoleon is a general defensive tank who can wall a surprising number of troubling Pokemon. Gyarados without Earthquake is no match for Empoleon. Bulky variants almost never pack Earthquake, opting for either Stone Edge to hit Zapdos or Bounce to hurt Celebi and other Water-types. Empoleon is never 3HKOed by Bulky Gyarados after a DD, 2HKOing back with Hidden Power Electric. Grass Knot can still occasionally get the 3HKO with Stealth Rock, but phasing Gyarados with Roar would be more useful if not packing Hidden Power Electric. Pure Dragon Dance variants are more likely to lack Earthquake, but without it Gyarados can never 2HKO Empoleon. A smart Empoleon user should notice the lack of Leftovers when switching him in to Gyarados and scout for Earthquake by switching in a Ground immune Pokemon. RestTalk variants are another safe switch in for Empoleon.</p>
<p>Sub-Iron Head Jirachi, while incredibly annoying for most Pokemon, doesn't bother Empoleon in the slightest. Empoleon can Roar Jirachi away as it absorbs a Thunder Wave, or do a little damage with Surf if it didn't use Substitute on the switch. Iron Head only does about 2% damage per turn factoring in Leftovers, making a PP stall viable. Unlike Jirachi's other big counter, Heatran, defensive Empoleon doesn't care about paralysis, so Jirachi is almost completely helpless versus Empoleon.</p>
<p>In addition to the above two Pokemon, Empoleon can take random physical and special attacks it resists with ease. Scizor's CB U-turn only does 33% maximum to Empoleon. Scarf Tyranitar's Stone Edge only does 25% max. Celebi's Earth Power does only 32% max to Empoleon. Life Orb Starmie only has a small chance to 2HKO Empoleon with Thunderbolt, while Grass Knot does 55% back. If you come in on another of Starmie's attacks, with Sandstorm and Stealth Rock, Empoleon counters Starmie nicely. Bulky variants have trouble with the 3HKO. </p>
<p>If one opts to run Defensive Empoleon on their team, a bit of support goes a long way toward increasing Empoleon's effectiveness. Pokemon that resist Ground and Fighting attacks make great partners as they can cover Empoleon's weaknesses. Defensive Zapdos, Rotom-A, and Stallbreaker Gliscor are natural choices, as Empoleon covers all of their weaknesses. Rotom-A can also provide Will-o-wisp or Reflect support for Empoleon, while Gliscor can Toxic opponents while threating Blissey and Magnezone with Toxic and Earthquake. In terms of offensive support, Empoleon serves as a good lure for Electric attacks, which makes Pokemon like Jolteon and Flygon great partners for this set. Flygon can also come in on Ground attacks aimed at Empoleon and threaten with powerful Outrages. </p>
<p>EVs are dumped in HP and Special Defense, with the extra 4 put in Speed to outrun neutral Swampert in order to KO with Grass Knot. Extra Defense EVs don't really change any KOs, as Empoleon takes resisted hits fine with a 252 / 0 spread, but does not take SE or neutral hits significantly better without major Defense investment. If you're terrified of Kingdra, you can run 160 Defense EVs to survive two +1 Life Orb Outrages, but Kingdra isn't common enough for the spread to be viable.</p>
[SET]
name: 3 Attack Sweeper
move 1: Agility / Substitute
move 2: Surf
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Grass Knot
nature: Modest / Timid
item: Life Orb
evs: (raikoulover's magic EVs?)
[Set Comments]
ugh
[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Surf
move 2: Ice Beam
move 3: Grass Knot
move 4: Sleep Talk / Hidden Power Electric / Hydro Pump
nature: Modest
item: Leftovers
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe
[Set Comments]
Few Changes, but specs isn't bad with enough resistances to repeatedly come in on cool stuff like starmie, azelf, whatever
basic "you should have salamence checks and ground immunes" for teammates, same rotom and gliscor as everywhere
[Team Options]
More detail into "how to build an empoleon team" basically, that should be the main focus. the other sets use basically the same support anyway
[Optional Changes]
Swords Dance, 3 Attack Agility, Choice Band, Rest Talk basically that's it
[Counters]
A bit of an expansion on the old counter set, i wrote it so i know what's up
- Make Ice Beam a Set Comments option on Empoleon, it's far inferior.
- Take out SD and deemphasize 3 attack agil
- Edit the other sets down a bit for conciseness
[Overview]
<p>While Empoleon is often overlooked in lieu of other standard Pokemon, it is a surprisingly versatile and potent Pokemon on the right team. With Torrent, high Special Attack, key resistances to priority attacks, and Agility, Empoleon is one of the few reliable late-game set-up sweepers in OU, with a boosted Surf dealing consistently high damage. Defensively, Empoleon's unique typing lets it shine as a counter to some Gyarados, Jirachi, and bulky Water-types in general. Overall, Empoleon is a threat that needs to be seriously considered when constructing a team, as few are adequately prepared to deal with its offensive and defensive sets.</p>
[SET]
name: Agility SubPetaya
move 1: Agility
move 2: Substitute
move 3: Surf
move 4: Grass Knot / Ice Beam
nature: Modest
item: Petaya Berry
ivs: 30 HP
evs: 16 Def / 252 SpA / 240 Spe
[Set Comments]
<p>While not a very intuitive set for Empoleon's stat spread and typing, Empoleon is most threatening as a late game cleanup Pokemon. Using Empoleon is pretty simple. Near the end of the battle, bring Empoleon in on one of the 12 types he resists, Agility on the switch, and then use Substitute until Empoleon activates his Petaya Berry, increasing Empoleon's Special Attack to 529. With the added bonus of Torrent multiplying Surf's power by 1.5, Empoleon can punch right through Pokemon, even those that resist Water. What really makes Empoleon shine over other late game sweepers is his resistance to priority attacks. Other than Mach Punch and Vacuum Wave, Empoleon resists every priority attack in the game, and Scizor's Bullet Punch will never KO an Empoleon, even after 4 Subs and switching in on Stealth Rock. This makes Empoleon nearly impossible to stop if you provide some key team support with Stealth Rock, Sand Stream, and the elimination of a few key threats earlier in the game.</p>
<p>The given EVs ensure you outrun Choice Scarf Heatran, Jolly Gyarados after a Dragon Dance, and the occasional +1 positive-natured Base 80 speed Pokemon after an Agility. A 30 HP IV ensures that Petaya Berry activates on your fourth Substitute, and 24 Def ensures that Scizor won't be ruining your fun. Grass Knot and Ice Beam each cover some key Water resists.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>Your first major decision when using Empoleon is what to use as your 4th attack. Grass Knot is the primary option, as it can help KO particularly tricky opponents like Suicune, Vaporeon, and Gyarados. All of these Pokemon will end Ice Beam Empoleon's sweep, so having insurance against them is recommended. Grass Knot 2HKOs Gyarados after Stealth Rock and does heavy damage to both Suicune and Vaporeon, winning more often than not in the long run. Ice Beam is an option if you are scared of Salamence, Celebi, and Shaymin. Salamence is only OHKOed 50% of the time by Surf after Stealth Rock (Sandstorm damage finishes it off the other 50% of the time, but Empoleon dies first). Celebi and Shaymin will be KOed by Ice Beam with any prior damage (small chance with just SR), but they take 42.3% - 49.8% from Surf as well. Grass Knot is often the better option simply because working around Celebi and Shaymin is a lot easier for Empoleon's teammates to accomplish than working around Suicune and Vaporeon due to Celebi's Pursuit weakness and Shaymin's lack of real recovery. If your team is structured against the aforementioned bulky Waters, running Ice Beam is a solid option.</p>
<p>Empoleon is one of the rare Pokemon that is reliable enough to build a team around, and he really shines with proper support. First of all, Stealth Rock and Sand are requirements. Stealth Rock ensures vital KOs on many defensive Pokemon that don't resist Water, while helping with many who do as well, including the aforementioned Salamence. Sand Stream is also immensely beneficial to Empoleon, making a few key Pokemon unable to stop Empoleon's sweep on the switch in. For this reason, Tyranitar makes an ideal partner for Empoleon, providing Sand Stream permanent Sand for the team. Any suicide lead, including Aerodactyl or Azelf, will help Empoleon's sweep by ensuring SR makes it onto the field on turn 1. </p>
<p>Key counters to an Empoleon team include Blissey, Celebi, some Bulky Waters, and Choice Scarfed Pokemon with higher than 80 Base Speed. Choosing Pokemon for the rest of your team to eliminate these threats early is vital to the success of an Empoleon team. The best Empoleon complement is the aforementioned Tyranitar. With Sand Stream as well as a very powerful Pursuit, he is able to do significant damage to Blissey, Celebi, Rotom-A, and many of the game's fastest Choice Scarfers (including Timid Rotom, which outspeeds Empoleon). He also baits out the fairly rare Vacuum Wave Lucario. Other complements to Empoleon focus on either providing Empoleon with switch-ins or baiting and wearing down key Pokemon before Empoleon's sweep begins. Salamence is one of the best offensive complements to Empoleon, as he tends to draw Ice and Dragon attacks that Empoleon loves to come in on. In addition, Scarf Salamence can come in after an opponent's Scarfer takes out Empoleon with Earthquake or a Fighting move and revenge kill to clean up the remnants of the opponent's team. Stallbreaking Gliscor provides Empoleon with even more support, as he baits and Toxics Vaporeon and Suicune while providing a bit of support against stall teams trying to Spike or otherwise set up on your team. Tentacruel, Forretress, and Roserade all provide Toxic Spikes, which basically do Gliscor's job with the addition of hitting Blissey, Celebi, and Shaymin through Natural Cure. A baiting Heatran can Explode on bulky waters and Blissey to make way for Empoleon's sweep, but watch out for Protect. Rotom-A is useful to block Rapid Spin from taking away Stealth Rock or Toxic Spikes. Careful thought needs to be put into the entirety of your team in order to make sure Empoleon gets the support he needs; Empoleon is sadly not a Pokemon well suited to being "dropped in" on a team.</p>
<p>You can run Timid with a spread of 12 HP/48 Def/252 SpA/196 Spe and a 31 HP IV in order to beat Scarf Rotom, but you lose a massive amount of power and ensure far fewer KOs, so it is a poor option. Hydro Pump gains guaranteed KOs on Salamence, Rotom, and some other borderline Pokemon, and can offset the use of a Timid nature, but the last thing you want your late game sweeper to do is miss a vital attack, so Hydro Pump is an inferior option. When you consider how useful Scarf Rotom's perfect counter, Tyranitar, is, it becomes even less appealing as an option. </p>
[SET]
name: Lead
move 1: Hydro Pump / Surf
move 2: Aqua Jet
move 3: Stealth Rock
move 4: Grass Knot / Ice Beam
nature: Modest
item: Focus Sash / Chople Berry
evs: 156 HP / 252 SpA / 100 Spe
[Set Comments]
<p>Empoleon makes a pretty decent lead, being able to set up Stealth Rock fairly reliably while doing heavy damage to many common leads. Hydro Pump followed by Aqua Jet will pick off Azelf and Aerodactyl, preventing these Pokemon from touching Empoleon. Hydro Pump also takes out bulker leads like Hippowdon, Heatran, and Forretress. Against Metagross, Empoleon can Stealth Rock as Metagross Earthquakes, leaving Empoleon in Torrent range while not being vulnerable to Bullet Punch due to the 4x resistance. The boosted Hydro Pump has a chance of OHKOing Metagross, leaving a nice dent in the opponent's team. Due to Focus Sash, many other leads will activate Torrent, allowing Empoleon to do heavy damage.</p>
<p>Your final move depends on if you worry more about Swampert or being set-up bait for Salamence. Grass Knot will KO Swampert about 60% of the time, while Ice Beam keeps Salamence at bay while also serving as a more accurate alternative to Hydro Pump for Gliscor and Aeroactyl. Empoleon is EVed to outrun most Tyranitar and Machamp, while providing itself with a bit of bulk for dealing with Metagross leads.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>Empoleon has a few options with this set in order to counter a few different leads. Running a Chople Berry will let you 2HKO Machamp with Hydro Pump about 32% of the time factoring in Accuracy and Confusion. Most Earthquakes won't OHKO Empoleon anyway, so it also helps to beat Fake Out Infernape, but you no longer guarantee Stealth Rock or surviving a turn, so some obscure moves could beat you. Surf can be used if you don't care about Metagross. You need a Rash nature and 52 Def / 104 Atk / 252 SpA / 100 Spe in order to beat Azelf with Surf + Aqua Jet, but Surf never misses which makes Empoleon more reliable. </p>
<p>Empoleon has a lot of trouble with a few particular leads. Any Sleep lead will beat Empoleon as he lacks Taunt or any other method to prevent status, but luckily Roserade and Smeargle are becoming less common. Pairing Empoleon with something that can set up on Roserade, Smeargle, and Infernape (if Empoleon has Focus Sash) will help Empoleon's team keep momentum despite the bad initial matchup. Bulky Dragon Dance Gyarados is a good choice after Empoleon absorbs the Sleep, as he can Taunt Roserade and Smeargle while setting up on Infernape. Suicune can set up on lead Infernape and Smeargle, while absorbing the sleep of the latter, while a better choice for setting up on Roserade would be (?)? </p>
basically it beats up on machamp and azelf and aero and metagross while getting out SR against your standard non-suiciders too
[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Surf
move 2: Grass Knot
move 3: Hidden Power Electric / Stealth Rock
move 4: Roar / Ice Beam
nature: Calm
item: Leftovers
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Spe
[Set Comments]
<p>Empoleon's Water / Steel typing is very unique, offering rare combinations of resistances. Combine this with Empoleon's respectable bulk and you have a respectable tank that can deal with a variety of physical and special threats in the OU metagame. While not a traditional "Bulky Water", Empoleon can cause a lot of problems for some key sweepers in the metagame, including most Gyarados, flinching Jirachi, and other Water types.<p>
<p>Surf provides Empoleon with a STAB attack for consistent damage. Grass Knot lets Empoleon counter other Water types with his high Special Defense and Water resistance.
<p>The last two slots can be mixed and matched depending on a team's need. Hidden Power Electric can be used to do heavy damage to opposing Gyarados. As the only Pokemon that resists Water, Flying, and Rock, most Gyarados variants cannot hit Empoleon for netural damage. Roar is very handy to phase Pokemon like Calm Mind Suicune, most Celebi, or Nasty Plot Togekiss. You can also use Roar initially to scout for Magnezone. Ice Beam is mostly useful for deterring Salamence, though boosted Outrages are not Empoleon's best friend. It also can 3HKO Celebi and Shaymin. Stealth Rock is nice if your team does not have another Pokemon to set it up, and works in tandem with Roar.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>Empoleon is a general defensive tank who can wall a surprising number of troubling Pokemon. Gyarados without Earthquake is no match for Empoleon. Bulky variants almost never pack Earthquake, opting for either Stone Edge to hit Zapdos or Bounce to hurt Celebi and other Water-types. Empoleon is never 3HKOed by Bulky Gyarados after a DD, 2HKOing back with Hidden Power Electric. Grass Knot can still occasionally get the 3HKO with Stealth Rock, but phasing Gyarados with Roar would be more useful if not packing Hidden Power Electric. Pure Dragon Dance variants are more likely to lack Earthquake, but without it Gyarados can never 2HKO Empoleon. A smart Empoleon user should notice the lack of Leftovers when switching him in to Gyarados and scout for Earthquake by switching in a Ground immune Pokemon. RestTalk variants are another safe switch in for Empoleon.</p>
<p>Sub-Iron Head Jirachi, while incredibly annoying for most Pokemon, doesn't bother Empoleon in the slightest. Empoleon can Roar Jirachi away as it absorbs a Thunder Wave, or do a little damage with Surf if it didn't use Substitute on the switch. Iron Head only does about 2% damage per turn factoring in Leftovers, making a PP stall viable. Unlike Jirachi's other big counter, Heatran, defensive Empoleon doesn't care about paralysis, so Jirachi is almost completely helpless versus Empoleon.</p>
<p>In addition to the above two Pokemon, Empoleon can take random physical and special attacks it resists with ease. Scizor's CB U-turn only does 33% maximum to Empoleon. Scarf Tyranitar's Stone Edge only does 25% max. Celebi's Earth Power does only 32% max to Empoleon. Life Orb Starmie only has a small chance to 2HKO Empoleon with Thunderbolt, while Grass Knot does 55% back. If you come in on another of Starmie's attacks, with Sandstorm and Stealth Rock, Empoleon counters Starmie nicely. Bulky variants have trouble with the 3HKO. </p>
<p>If one opts to run Defensive Empoleon on their team, a bit of support goes a long way toward increasing Empoleon's effectiveness. Pokemon that resist Ground and Fighting attacks make great partners as they can cover Empoleon's weaknesses. Defensive Zapdos, Rotom-A, and Stallbreaker Gliscor are natural choices, as Empoleon covers all of their weaknesses. Rotom-A can also provide Will-o-wisp or Reflect support for Empoleon, while Gliscor can Toxic opponents while threating Blissey and Magnezone with Toxic and Earthquake. In terms of offensive support, Empoleon serves as a good lure for Electric attacks, which makes Pokemon like Jolteon and Flygon great partners for this set. Flygon can also come in on Ground attacks aimed at Empoleon and threaten with powerful Outrages. </p>
<p>EVs are dumped in HP and Special Defense, with the extra 4 put in Speed to outrun neutral Swampert in order to KO with Grass Knot. Extra Defense EVs don't really change any KOs, as Empoleon takes resisted hits fine with a 252 / 0 spread, but does not take SE or neutral hits significantly better without major Defense investment. If you're terrified of Kingdra, you can run 160 Defense EVs to survive two +1 Life Orb Outrages, but Kingdra isn't common enough for the spread to be viable.</p>
[SET]
name: 3 Attack Sweeper
move 1: Agility / Substitute
move 2: Surf
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Grass Knot
nature: Modest / Timid
item: Life Orb
evs: (raikoulover's magic EVs?)
[Set Comments]
ugh
[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Surf
move 2: Ice Beam
move 3: Grass Knot
move 4: Sleep Talk / Hidden Power Electric / Hydro Pump
nature: Modest
item: Leftovers
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe
[Set Comments]
Few Changes, but specs isn't bad with enough resistances to repeatedly come in on cool stuff like starmie, azelf, whatever
basic "you should have salamence checks and ground immunes" for teammates, same rotom and gliscor as everywhere
[Team Options]
More detail into "how to build an empoleon team" basically, that should be the main focus. the other sets use basically the same support anyway
[Optional Changes]
Swords Dance, 3 Attack Agility, Choice Band, Rest Talk basically that's it
[Counters]
A bit of an expansion on the old counter set, i wrote it so i know what's up