It's so fluffy I'm gonna die
Overview
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Jumpluff is one of the fastest Pokemon in NU, capable of outspeeding speedy threats such as Pyroar, Scyther, and Cryogonal while Speed tying with Archeops and Tauros. Its most notable trait is its fast Sleep Powder, which makes it the fastest sleep inducer in the tier and allows it to put many Pokemon out of commission before they can move. Combined with its various support moves, this makes Jumpluff one of NU's most disruptive Pokemon. Jumpluff also has good STAB moves and typing, allowing it to check the offensive Water-, Grass-, and Fighting-types of the tier, namely Samurott, Lilligant, and Sawk. Its Flying STAB type is especially useful, as it not only has good neutral coverage in the tier but also hits opposing Grass-types wanting to absorb Sleep Powder. However, Jumpluff has only decent bulk at best and pretty pitiful offenses. It does have Swords Dance to help augment its power, though it is usually reliant on the move to do good damage. Jumpluff also faces slight competition with Vivillon, which also has Flying-type STAB, but has a much more accurate Sleep Powder, better initial power, and a more dangerous boosting move.
Power Puff
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name: Power Puff
move 1: Sleep Powder
move 2: Swords Dance
move 3: Acrobatics
move 4: Seed Bomb / Memento
ability: Infiltrator
item:
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Jolly
Moves
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Sleep Powder is Jumpluff's most defining asset, especially given Jumpluff's Speed, which allows it to threaten all kinds of foes while also giving Jumpluff the opportunity to set up. Swords Dance boosts Jumpluff's Attack to deceptively powerful levels and opens up the possibility of a sweep. Acrobatics is Jumpluff's best STAB option due to its solid power and good neutral coverage on the majority of the tier. Seed Bomb is another STAB option which allows Jumpluff to strike various Pokemon that resist Flying such as Rhydon, Archeops, Electivire, and Carracosta. Jumpluff's fast Memento allows it to create setup opportunities for its teammates, albeit at the cost of its own life.
Encore is also an option for the last slot, as it allows Jumpluff to force out even more foes even after triggering Sleep Clause, particularly slower Pokemon using harmless attacks such as stat-boosting moves, Substitute, recovery moves, Earthquake, and resisted priority moves. Encore also allows Jumpluff to evade Sucker Punch and force out Fake Out users.
Set Details
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Jumpluff sits in an important Speed tier, so maximum Speed is a must to outspeed as much as possible, as well as not fall behind Tauros and Archeops. Jumpluff needs as much Attack as possible to hit hard, given its low Attack stat. Jumpluff also holds no item, as it wants the power of a boosted Acrobatics at all times in case it needs to check Pokemon such as Lilligant, Scyther, and Sawk. The remaining EVs should not be placed in HP, as that causes Jumpluff to be 4HKOed by Stealth Rock alone; the remaining EVs can be placed into Defense to take priority better, or it can go into Jumpluff's better Special Defense to take advantage of its Water and Grass resistances. Infiltrator allows Jumpluff to bypass Substitute, allowing it to Sleep Powder foes or attack them directly without hindrance. However, Chlorophyll can be used if Jumpluff is used on a sun team, as it is one of sun's best responses against opposing Lilligant.
Usage Tips
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Jumpluff should always start in a position where it can threaten to use Sleep Powder, or perhaps Encore, on a slower opponent. Fortunately, this is not difficult due to Jumpluff's great Speed. Jumpluff would be in an even better position if it can also threaten its target with Acrobatics. Take note of any possible Sleep Powder absorbers the opponent might have, lest you waste Jumpluff's opportunity. The idea is to sleep a threat on the opponent's team and soften the rest of them up with boosted Acrobatics. If Jumpluff is packing Encore, you are encouraged to be a bit more daring with Jumpluff as you try to actively switch it in on opponents, most preferably on harmless recovery and (non-Speed) boosting moves or ineffective attacks such as Earthquake. If Jumpluff is carrying Seed Bomb, it can be used to blast Pokemon that resist Flying such as Rhydon, Rotom, and Carracosta, giving more breathing room for your other Flying-type attackers if you have them.
Expect a lot of mind games to ensue as you figure out when to use Sleep Powder or Swords Dance, while your opponent figures out if sending in their sleep fodder is worth the risk of giving Jumpluff a free boost; the mind games only become more frequent if Encore is thrown into the picture. With that said, Jumpluff can be a very skill-based Pokemon: whether it wreaks irreparable havoc on the opponent's team or falls flat on its face can largely come down to your judgment.
Team Options
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Jumpluff fits best on offensive teams, as they can best take advantage of the chaos Jumpluff leaves behind. Fighting-types make for great teammates; they can take care of the numerous Pokemon that give Jumpluff issues, namely Steel-types and Sap Sipper Pokemon, and take Rock-type moves for Jumpluff, while Jumpluff can lure in and soften or take out bulky Fighting-type stops such as Garbodor, Granbull, and Vileplume.
Jumpluff has good offensive and defensive synergy with Fire-types; the Fire-types can break down physical walls for Jumpluff while resisting Fire and Ice attacks for Jumpluff, while Jumpluff can support them with Sleep Powder and take the Water and Ground attacks aimed at them, especially discouraging the use of Earthquake when Encore is concerned. Other Flying-types, such as Swellow, Scyther, and Archeops, pair well with Jumpluff as a form of Flying-type spam, as Jumpluff can lure out Pokemon that resist Flying and either put them to sleep or soften them up with a boosted Seed Bomb. If using Memento, setup sweepers such as Samurott, Klinklang, and Huntail make for appealing teammates.
Because Jumpluff lacks overwhelming power even when boosted, entry hazard support is greatly recommended for it to land KOs. Mesprit, Rhydon, Regirock, Carracosta, Seismitoad, and Garbodor are reliable entry hazard setters, while all but Mesprit have remarkable defensive synergy with Jumpluff, as their weaknesses to Ground, Fighting, and Grass are covered by Jumpluff and can be taken advantage of by Encore.
Bulky teammates help guard Jumpluff from faster revenge killers; Rhydon, Regirock and Carracosta can fend off the likes of Sneasel, Swellow, and Fire-types, as well as eat up priority attacks. Alternatively, Pokemon that can take advantage of the likes of Ice Shard as well as Choiced Fire-type and Ice-type attacks make for great partners as well, most notably boosting Water-types such as Samurott, Huntail, and Carracosta; Jumpluff in turn resists Grass-type attacks for them, as well as Fighting and Ground moves for Carracosta.
Other Options
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Substitute allows Jumpluff to evade status and thwart revenge killers. Synthesis extends Jumpluff's longevity, which gives it an easier time trying to set up as well as improving its ability to soft-check Fighting-types such as Gurdurr and Hariyama, especially given that its lack of a held item reduces Knock Off damage. SubSeed might seem appealing considering that Jumpluff's Flying-type STAB wards off Grass-types, but this strategy has poor offensive presence overall and is usually regarded as inefficient. Bounce can be used on the SubSeed set to stall for recovery and even threaten paralysis, but poor PP reduces the set's staying power. Jumpluff has many support options, such as U-turn, Aromatherapy, Sunny Day, and Reflect, although Uxie usually makes better use of these moves (albeit with Heal Bell over Aromatherapy) due to its far greater bulk and has a wider support movepool overall. Cotton Guard skyrockets Jumpluff's Defense but does not improve upon its weakness to special attacks, particularly Ice- and Fire-type moves, and low offensive presence.
Checks & Counters
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**Sleep Powder Absorbers**: Pokemon that can absorb Sleep Powder can help to lessen the threat of Jumpluff's access to fast sleep. That said, Grass-types only make for subpar responses due to their weakness to Flying-type moves, with the sole exceptions of Ferroseed and Cradily. While Magmortar and Electivire risk being OHKOed by +2 Acrobatics and Seed Bomb, respectively, they can threaten Jumpluff should they switch into a Sleep Powder instead. Sap Sipper Pokemon such as Bouffalant and Miltank can respond well to Jumpluff and whittle it down with their STAB moves. RestTalk Pokemon can trigger Sleep Clause to protect their teammates from Sleep Powder while retaining their ability to function, though be warned that Encore can make RestTalking against Jumpluff tricky.
**Bulky Tanks and Pokemon That Resist Flying**: Pokemon such as Mawile, Klinklang, Probopass, Rhydon, Carracosta, Lanturn, Rotom-S, and bulky Rotom are amongst the better responses to Acrobatics Jumpluff. Archeops is another Pokemon that resists Flying, but it additionally has the potential to Speed tie with Jumpluff. Be warned that most of them risk taking major damage from a boosted Seed Bomb. Sometimes, having a Pokemon that can take a boosted hit and retaliate with super effective STAB moves, such as Garbodor, Weezing, and Regirock, makes for an equally effective response.
**Status**: Burn and paralysis utterly cripple Jumpluff's offensive potential, while poison puts it on a timer to sweep the foe, which it heavily dislikes given its need to set up beforehand. If Sleep Clause has been activated, Thunder Wave users, such as Musharna, Granbull, and Uxie, or Will-O-Wisp users, such as Rotom and Weezing, can stop a Jumpluff sweep.
**Faster Attackers**: Should Jumpluff ever find itself getting outsped, it often finds itself in a difficult position. Faster Pokemon, such as Sneasel, Swellow, weather sweepers, and various Choice Scarf users, can pick off Jumpluff mid-sweep, although Jumpluff can have Chlorophyll to outspeed opposing Chlorophyll Pokemon. Alternatively, strong priority attackers such as Kangaskhan, Kecleon, Cacturne, and Piloswine can work, with Ice Shard being especially effective. Do note Jumpluff's resistance to Aqua Jet and Mach Punch, as well as Fake Out and Sucker Punch's potential to backfire due to Jumpluff's Encore.
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