Overview
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Rotom-S has a combination of great bulk bulk and offensive presence while also hitting a decent sSpeed tier. Additionally, it has great typing offensively and defensively; Electric / Flying STAB has decent neutral coverage within the tier and Rotom-S has handy resistances to types such as Fighting and Flying, an immunity to Ground, and only two weaknesses. Furthermore, it is able to lure in Ground-types and surprise them with super effective coverage, and access to Volt Switch lets it keep up and gain offensive momentum. Unfortunately, it is weak to Stealth Rock, which is definitely not ideal for a Pokemon that switches in and out of play so frequently, and its secondary STAB choice has somewhat lacking Base Power.
Expert Belt
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name: Expert Belt
move 1: Volt Switch
move 2: Air Slash
move 3: Hidden Power Water
move 4: Will-O-Wisp / Thunderbolt
ability: Levitate
item: Expert Belt
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Timid
Moves
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Volt Switch gives the team momentum and gets STAB. Air Slash is a secondary STAB move. Ithat hits Electric-type resists bar opposing Electric-types and can make the target flinch. Hidden Power Water hits the Ground-types that try to block Rotom-S's Volt Switch hard. It,(ac) cleanly OHKOes Golem,(rc) assuming its Sturdy has been broken knocking Golen down to Sturdy and does doing a good chunk of damage to the likes of Mega Camerupt and Rhydon. Will-O-Wisp plagues troublesome Pokemon such as Ferroseed and Probopass with passive damage and lets Rotom-S cripple physical attackers should the need arise. Thunderbolt is a stronger STAB choice that Rotom-S uses when a greater damage output is required. Hidden Power Grass is an alternative to Hidden Power Water if hitting Seismitoad and Quagsire is a priority, though running it leaves Rotom-S unable to do much against Mega Camerupt and to a lesser extent Mega Steelix.
Set Details
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252 Special Attack and 252 Speed EVs with a Timid nature provide Rotom-S with optimum power and Speed.,(period to comma) particularly allowing Rotom-S to A Timid nature further optimizes Rotom-S's Speed. With maximised Speed,(rc) Rotom-S outspeeds foes such as Sawk. With an Expert Belt, Rotom-S is able to bluff a Choice set and inflict great damage on the Ground-types that try to come in and block Volt Switch using Hidden Power Water.
Usage Tips
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Thanks to its typing, Rotom-S has a number of great opportunities to switch in.,(period to comma) For example,(rc) such as when you predict a Ground-type attack from a foe. Volt Switch grabs momentum and is the attack that Rotom-S should generally be using the most, though you should obviously be wary of using it when the opponent has a Ground-type. As this set acts as a lure for Ground-types coming in to block Volt Switch, Hidden Power Water should be used when you predict a switch -in from a Ground-type.
Team Options
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Rotom-S appreciates Steel-type teammates such as Probopass and Pawniard, as they resist the Ice- and Rock-type attacks that it is weak to.,(period to comma) In with Probopass in particular providing its own Volt Switch; in return, Rotom-S can take Fighting- and Ground-type moves for them. Additionally,(rc) Probopass can provide its own Volt Switch. Given that it is weak to Stealth Rock and switches in and out of play frequently, Rotom-S appreciates Defog or Rapid Spin support from Pokemon such as Pelipper or Sandslash, respectively. A teammate with with U-turn such as Mesprit can form a VoltTurn core with Rotom-S to continuously keep up offensive momentum. Special walls such as Audino and Lickilicky are problematic for Rotom-S, therefore so physical wallbreakers such as Sawk that are capable of dealing with them are good teammates. For example,(rc) Sawk. As this set has no recovery whatsoever, Wish support from a teammate such as Audino or Lickilicky is worth considering.
Defensive
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name: Defensive
move 1: Will-O-Wisp
move 2: Pain Split
move 3: Volt Switch
move 4: Air Slash
ability: Levitate
item: Leftovers
evs: 208 HP / 252 Def / 48 Spe
nature: Bold
Moves
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Will-O-Wisp works wonderfully with Rotom-S's ability to come in on physically offensive Fighting- and Ground-types, lessening the threat that they pose. Pain Split is Rotom-S's most reliable recovery option and allows it to restore health when necessary. Volt Switch lets Rotom-S gain momentum and pivot out to a teammate.,(period to comma) and Air Slash is a second STAB attack which has decent enough neutral coverage with Electric-type moves. Rotom-S finds it and is particularly useful for dispatching the Fighting- and Ground-types that it checks; the former being weak to it,(rc) and the latter being immune to Electric-type moves. Discharge is a STAB attack whose paralysis chance can mess with faster foes and makes for an irritating ParaFlinch combination with Air Slash, though it might clash with the an intent to burn with Will-O-Wisp.
Set Details
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208 HP EVs give Rotom-S an odd number of HP, meaning that it will only lose 24% of its health from Stealth Rock damage. 252 Defense EVs and a Bold nature provide a hefty boost to Rotom-S's Defense and allow Rotom-S to serve as a check to Fighting-types such as Sawk and Hariyama. 48 Speed EVs ensure that Rotom-S gets the jump on foes such as Pawniard, Adamant Golurk, Adamant Cacturne, and Adamant Torterra. A Bold nature increases Rotom-S's Defense even more. Leftovers provides Rotom-S with useful passive recovery.
Usage Tips
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People are generally more expectant of expecting offensive Rotom-S variants.,(period to comma)Use so use the element of surprise to your advantage in order to swiftly cripple a physical attacker with Will-O-Wisp. Rotom-S can be brought in on a Pokemon whose STAB moves it resists, such as Sawk or (Mega) Steelix.;(period to semicolon, decapitalize) Ffrom there, you can proceed to use Will-O-Wisp to cripple it or outright attack it. Try to use Pain Split when Rotom-S's health is low and its foe's health is high in order to maximize recovery.
Team Options
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Audino and Lickilicky are excellent team choices, as Rotom-S can take the Fighting-type attacks that they despise. In return, they can top up Rotom-S's HP with Wish, remove any status conditions with Heal Bell, and sponge bothersome special attacks such as Ice Beam. Steel-types such as Probopass have good defensive synergy with Rotom-S, so they are worthy of consideration for teammates. For example, Probopass. Stealth Rock is a nuisance for Rotom-S, stripping away a chunk of its health as it enters the field. For this reason, teammates that can remove Stealth Rock, or outright prevent it from being set up are much appreciated. For example, Pelipper can use Defog to clear the field of hazards, and Xatu can switch in to bounce Stealth Rock back at the opposing team.
Choice Scarf
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name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Air Slash
move 2: Volt Switch
move 3: Trick
move 4: Thunderbolt
ability: Levitate
item: Choice Scarf
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Timid
Moves
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Air Slash receives STAB and provides good neutral coverage with Rotom-S's Electric-type STAB moves.,(period to comma) Notably, it OHKOes Virizion (assuning it has not raised its Special Defense with Calm Mind notably OHKOing Virizion if Virizion hasn't used Calm Mind. Volt Switch allows Rotom-S to keep up or gain momentum for the team. Trick is an answer to special walls that may try to switch in on Rotom-S, such as Lickilicky.,(period to comma) By giving them a Choice Scarf as they lose a lot of utility with a Choice Scarf due to being forced into a single move. Thunderbolt is more powerful STAB move that won't force Rotom-S to switch out. Its greater Base Power makes it and is the best option for when Rotom-S needs to dish out some heavier damage.
Set Details
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252 Special Attack maximizes Rotom-S's offensive potential while 252 Speed EVs and a Timid nature give it the best possible chance of going first. Choice Scarf lets Rotom-S outspeed notable foes such as Virizion, Jynx, and Pyroar, which it could not normally do.
Usage Tips
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Send Rotom-S in to revenge kill a foe once a teammate has been KOed. Rotom-S can use its defensive typing to switch in on Virizion and either force it out or outright KO it. Use Trick when you predict that a specially defensive foe will switch in,(ac) as they will be made a lot less threatening when Choice-locked. Be wary of doing this with Audino though; if the latter is carrying its Mega Stone, Rotom-S will end up locked into Trick and have to sacrifice momentum by switching out. Volt Switch should be used on a predicted switch in order to keep up offensive momentum. However, if you predict that the opponent will send in a Ground-type, you should select Air Slash if said Ground-type does not resist Flying, or you can simply hard switch to the appropriate teammate for dealing with the switch-in.
Team Options
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Pokemon such as Carracosta appreciate Rotom-S's ability to beat Virizion. Rotom-S is going to be switching in and out of play a lot, so a Defogger such as Pelipper or a Rapid Spinner such as Sandslash is recommended. A Taunt user that can stop Stealth Rock from being set up, such as Samurott, is also a possibility. Rotom-S appreciates partners that can lure in and defeat Ground-types such as Golem or Rhydon that resist its dual STAB,(rc) such as Golem and Rhydon. For example, Pyroar can hit Ground-types on the switch with Hidden Power Grass or cripple them with Will-O-Wisp, and (Mega) Steelix, which walls Choice Scarf Rotom-S, won't want to switch in on Pyroar. Electric-types are problematic for Rotom-S, so teammates that capable of beating them can prove useful. Some examples are Mega Camerupt, which walls Electivire and can set up Stealth Rock, and Vileplume, which can beat defensive variants of Lanturn.
Other Options
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Rotom-S can function as a wallbreaker with a Choice Specs set. Hidden Power Ground can be used to hit Mega Camerupt, (Mega) Steelix, Probopass, and Electric-types for super effective damage.,(period to comma) and Thunder Wave lets Rotom-S cripple a fast foe with paralysis. A SubSplit set with a Life Orb is a possibility, though Rotom-S would sorely miss its coverage options and ability to lure in Ground-types on such a set. Dark Pulse or Shadow Ball can be used for coverage against Psychic- and Ghost-types.,(period to comma) and Signal Beam can provide coverage against Dark- and Psychic-types. Rotom-S has access to the dual screens combination, though there are Pokemon such as Uxie that do this job better due to greater bulk.
Checks & Counters
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**Special Walls**: Special walls such as (Mega) Audino and Lickilicky take little damage from Rotom-S,(rc) and can recover their health with Wish, shrug off burns with Heal Bell or attack Rotom-S with their respective STAB moves. RestTalk variants of Mega Audino can use Rotom-S as an opportunity to set up with Calm Mind.
**Electric-types**: Electric-types resist both of Rotom-S's STAB moves and can retaliate with their own STAB or a coverage move. For example, Electivire and Lanturn can absorb an Electric-type move and hit back with Ice Punch and Scald, respectively. Defensive variants of Lanturn won't be troubled by passive damage from a Will-O-Wisp either, as it they can simply shrug off the burn with Heal Bell. Heliolisk is also particularly problematic—not only does it resists Rotom-S's dual STAB and can strike back hard with its STAB moves, but its Dry Skin means that it can restore health if hit by Hidden Power Water. Additionally, most offensive Electric-types don't mind being Tricked a Choice Scarf.
**Ground-types**: Ground-types such as Seismitoad and Mega Camerupt stop Rotom-S from Volt Switching, effectively killing momentum. In particular, (Mega) Steelix, Golem, and Stunfisk are immune to Volt Switch and resist Air Slash. However, all of these Pokemon bar Seismitoad should certainly watch out for Hidden Power Water from Expert Belt Rotom-S, bar Seismitoad and aside from Mega Camerupt.,(period to comma) Tthey won't really enjoy taking a Will-O-Wisp either,(rc) aside from Mega Camerupt.
**Faster Attackers**: Pokemon such as Jynx, Sneasel, and Pyroar are able to outspeed and KO Rotom-S with few problems. This is less of an issue for the Choice Scarf set, though foes such as Jynx and Typhlosion will outspeed it if they too are holding a Choice Scarf.
