[OVERVIEW]
While its stats are mediocre, Slowpoke is blessed with excellent tools that help mitigate this issue and make it a potent offensive threat in PU. Its initially terrible Special can be boosted with Amnesia, turning it into a devastating wallbreaker that can be very hard to KO. While Slowpoke's Speed is the worst in the game, Slowpoke can actually outspeed many foes due to its access to Thunder Wave and a boosting move. Slowpoke's excellent Water / Psychic typing grants neutral coverage against every foe except itself and lets it hit common threats like Nidoqueen and Rapidash for super effective damage. However, Slowpoke's awful base Special and Speed force it to spend multiple turns setting up, providing time for foes to break through or wear it down. This makes Slowpoke an all-or-nothing Pokemon: it often gets only one opportunity per game to set up, and it will rarely sweep due to how much damage it takes in the process. However, when played correctly, Slowpoke can smash through or cripple key pieces of the opposing team, paving the way for a teammate to clean late-game.
name: Amnesia
move 1: Thunder Wave
move 2: Amnesia
move 3: Psychic
move 4: Surf
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Thunder Wave lets Slowpoke spread paralysis, making its terrible Speed matter less while also aiding its teammates. Amnesia boosts Slowpoke's Special, letting it both hit very hard and take special attacks much better. It also reapplies the Speed drop from paralysis, letting Slowpoke outspeed foes even when it's paralyzed. Psychic and Surf are Slowpoke's two main STAB attacks. The former is more spammable due to its chance to lower the target's Special, while the latter hits opposing Psychic-types for neutral damage and hits Fire- and Ground-types like Rapidash and Graveler super effectively.
Slowpoke is best paired with speedy and powerful wallbreakers like Fearow and Pinsir, as it can cripple or KO crucial parts of the opposing team, making it easier for them to sweep. Slowpoke can easily set up on Omanyte, making it an excellent partner to Rapidash and Arcanine. Slowpoke enjoys fellow paralysis spreaders like Abra and Staryu, as they let it skip having to paralyze its foe while setting up, and combined they force more paralysis on the opposing team. Slowpoke can be used as a lead, beating or crippling offensive Fire-type leads, like Rapidash, Arcanine, and Magmar. However, Slowpoke loses quite badly to sleep leads, and it's vulnerable to Dragonair's Wrap. Alternatively, it can be used in the back and enter after a threat like Rapidash or Staryu lacking Thunderbolt gets a KO, forcing the opponent into a difficult situation where they must either sacrifice an important Pokemon or give Slowpoke a free turn.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Rest or Reflect can be used over either of Slowpoke's attacking moves. The former increases Slowpoke's longevity, making it easier for it to potentially sweep teams. However, Slowpoke's average physical bulk still leaves it 3HKOed by common foes like Fearow and Nidoqueen. The latter makes it much harder for physical attackers to break through it, but damage can still accumulate quickly over time, and many common physical attackers can bypass this boost through critical hits, such as Fearow and Pinsir. Additionally, only having one attacking move can leave Slowpoke walled by either Psychic-types, like Abra and Drowzee, or Water-types, like Staryu and Seaking. Ice-type moves may initially seem useable, since they target Grass-types and Dragonair, foes Slowpoke has huge trouble with. However, Psychic already hits every viable Grass-type for super effective damage, and if it can land an attack, Thunder Wave is more than enough to ruin Dragonair. Additionally, relying on Ice / Water coverage results in Slowpoke being walled by Water-types, while Ice / Psychic coverage is strictly worse against Psychic- and Fire-types than Slowpoke's STAB combination.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Sleep Inducers**: Every unparalyzed sleep user can outspeed Slowpoke and put it to sleep. Notably, Drowzee and Vileplume don't mind paralysis or Slowpoke's unboosted attacks that much, and thus are likely to eventually land sleep. However, other sleepers such as Gastly dislike Slowpoke's attacks and Thunder Wave, letting Slowpoke get past them if it gets lucky.
**Thunderbolt Users**: Nidoqueen, Gastly, Staryu, and Dragonair can 2HKO Slowpoke with Thunderbolt. However, these foes must be wary of taking Slowpoke's boosted attacks, and all but Nidoqueen hate Thunder Wave.
**Physical Wallbreakers**: Fearow and Pinsir can easily overwhelm Slowpoke while it's setting up. However, they are liable to take paralysis and significant damage while doing so, and thus they prefer only coming in against Slowpoke to revenge kill it.
**Weepinbell**: Weepinbell outspeeds Slowpoke, and its Razor Leaf has a 53.8% chance to OHKO with a critical hit. Weepinbell can also easily put Slowpoke into guaranteed KO range using Wrap, and it isn't OHKOed by a +2 Psychic.
**Partial Trapping**: Every unparalyzed Pokemon with a partial trapping move can outspeed, pivot around, and wear Slowpoke down into KO range. However, many of these, such as Pinsir and Rapidash, rely on very inaccurate partial trapping moves, and thus they need unreasonable amounts of luck to get Slowpoke into KO range from full. Wrap users and Dragonair in particular threaten Slowpoke the most due to Wrap having the highest accuracy out of any partial trapping move.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/gangsta-spongebob.535530/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sabelette.583793/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/phoopes.96315/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sabelette.583793/
While its stats are mediocre, Slowpoke is blessed with excellent tools that help mitigate this issue and make it a potent offensive threat in PU. Its initially terrible Special can be boosted with Amnesia, turning it into a devastating wallbreaker that can be very hard to KO. While Slowpoke's Speed is the worst in the game, Slowpoke can actually outspeed many foes due to its access to Thunder Wave and a boosting move. Slowpoke's excellent Water / Psychic typing grants neutral coverage against every foe except itself and lets it hit common threats like Nidoqueen and Rapidash for super effective damage. However, Slowpoke's awful base Special and Speed force it to spend multiple turns setting up, providing time for foes to break through or wear it down. This makes Slowpoke an all-or-nothing Pokemon: it often gets only one opportunity per game to set up, and it will rarely sweep due to how much damage it takes in the process. However, when played correctly, Slowpoke can smash through or cripple key pieces of the opposing team, paving the way for a teammate to clean late-game.
name: Amnesia
move 1: Thunder Wave
move 2: Amnesia
move 3: Psychic
move 4: Surf
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Thunder Wave lets Slowpoke spread paralysis, making its terrible Speed matter less while also aiding its teammates. Amnesia boosts Slowpoke's Special, letting it both hit very hard and take special attacks much better. It also reapplies the Speed drop from paralysis, letting Slowpoke outspeed foes even when it's paralyzed. Psychic and Surf are Slowpoke's two main STAB attacks. The former is more spammable due to its chance to lower the target's Special, while the latter hits opposing Psychic-types for neutral damage and hits Fire- and Ground-types like Rapidash and Graveler super effectively.
Slowpoke is best paired with speedy and powerful wallbreakers like Fearow and Pinsir, as it can cripple or KO crucial parts of the opposing team, making it easier for them to sweep. Slowpoke can easily set up on Omanyte, making it an excellent partner to Rapidash and Arcanine. Slowpoke enjoys fellow paralysis spreaders like Abra and Staryu, as they let it skip having to paralyze its foe while setting up, and combined they force more paralysis on the opposing team. Slowpoke can be used as a lead, beating or crippling offensive Fire-type leads, like Rapidash, Arcanine, and Magmar. However, Slowpoke loses quite badly to sleep leads, and it's vulnerable to Dragonair's Wrap. Alternatively, it can be used in the back and enter after a threat like Rapidash or Staryu lacking Thunderbolt gets a KO, forcing the opponent into a difficult situation where they must either sacrifice an important Pokemon or give Slowpoke a free turn.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Rest or Reflect can be used over either of Slowpoke's attacking moves. The former increases Slowpoke's longevity, making it easier for it to potentially sweep teams. However, Slowpoke's average physical bulk still leaves it 3HKOed by common foes like Fearow and Nidoqueen. The latter makes it much harder for physical attackers to break through it, but damage can still accumulate quickly over time, and many common physical attackers can bypass this boost through critical hits, such as Fearow and Pinsir. Additionally, only having one attacking move can leave Slowpoke walled by either Psychic-types, like Abra and Drowzee, or Water-types, like Staryu and Seaking. Ice-type moves may initially seem useable, since they target Grass-types and Dragonair, foes Slowpoke has huge trouble with. However, Psychic already hits every viable Grass-type for super effective damage, and if it can land an attack, Thunder Wave is more than enough to ruin Dragonair. Additionally, relying on Ice / Water coverage results in Slowpoke being walled by Water-types, while Ice / Psychic coverage is strictly worse against Psychic- and Fire-types than Slowpoke's STAB combination.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Sleep Inducers**: Every unparalyzed sleep user can outspeed Slowpoke and put it to sleep. Notably, Drowzee and Vileplume don't mind paralysis or Slowpoke's unboosted attacks that much, and thus are likely to eventually land sleep. However, other sleepers such as Gastly dislike Slowpoke's attacks and Thunder Wave, letting Slowpoke get past them if it gets lucky.
**Thunderbolt Users**: Nidoqueen, Gastly, Staryu, and Dragonair can 2HKO Slowpoke with Thunderbolt. However, these foes must be wary of taking Slowpoke's boosted attacks, and all but Nidoqueen hate Thunder Wave.
**Physical Wallbreakers**: Fearow and Pinsir can easily overwhelm Slowpoke while it's setting up. However, they are liable to take paralysis and significant damage while doing so, and thus they prefer only coming in against Slowpoke to revenge kill it.
**Weepinbell**: Weepinbell outspeeds Slowpoke, and its Razor Leaf has a 53.8% chance to OHKO with a critical hit. Weepinbell can also easily put Slowpoke into guaranteed KO range using Wrap, and it isn't OHKOed by a +2 Psychic.
**Partial Trapping**: Every unparalyzed Pokemon with a partial trapping move can outspeed, pivot around, and wear Slowpoke down into KO range. However, many of these, such as Pinsir and Rapidash, rely on very inaccurate partial trapping moves, and thus they need unreasonable amounts of luck to get Slowpoke into KO range from full. Wrap users and Dragonair in particular threaten Slowpoke the most due to Wrap having the highest accuracy out of any partial trapping move.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/gangsta-spongebob.535530/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sabelette.583793/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/phoopes.96315/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sabelette.583793/
Last edited:
