PotW #10 Special RU Analysis: Whimsicott

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PotW #10​

Whimsicott. Maybe you’ve seen it while battling. If you have, you’ll know it’s possibly one of the most annoying Pokemon ever created. Not only did Whimsicott get the crazy new ability Prankster, but it also got the movepool to utilize it. From the rip-your-hair-out SubSeed moveset to to putting your opponent to sleep, paralyzing them, encoring them, and taunting them, this little fluffball will make sure to ruin your day in every battle it appears in. Underestimate it your own expense, because Whimsicott can kill almost anything it wants to with proper prediction.

Whimsicott @ Leftovers
Ability: JerkPrankster
EV’s: 252 Hp/ 252 Def / 4 SpD
Nature: Bold
~ Encore
~ Leech Seed
~ Substitute
~ Stun Spore​

The most common set for Whimsicott, and it’s obvious to see why. Encore stops any set up sweeper or hazard user (Or any non-attacker for that matter) in its tracks and then allows Whimsicott to begin it’s work. Leech Seed recovers off any damage it might have taken and slowly wears down the opponent. Substitute is to prevent status and to keep Whimsicott alive, and Stun Spore is to slow your opponent down and messes them up even more. Keep in mind that Prankster makes every single one of these moves +1 priority, so there is no need for Speed EV’s.

Countering Whimsicott is extremely difficult once it gets substitute up. Priority helps you a ton if you can outspeed Whimsicott too, because the main problem with taking Whimsicott down is being unable to damage it at all. Once it gets substitute up, the only real solution is to use a Grass type pokemon to stop Leech Seed or hit it until it can’t use Substitute anymore (which is harder then it sounds). The only real counters besides powerful Grass types are Tornadus (if you're playing in OU), who can outspeed with a Prankster Taunt of it’s own to stop Whimsicott in it’s tracks, and Tentacreul (again, OU) with Liquid Ooze, as it takes away Whimsicott’s main resource of healing in Leech Seed.

There’s a lot to talk about with this guy, considering his movepool. The movesets are almost endless and each one can serve a specific function on different teams. What movesets do you like? And how do you handle Whimsicott when you see it? (Raging does not count ) Discuss!

 

[The Yoshi]

Just a few comments on your Whimsicott set. An Impish nature is better than Bold if Whimsicott chooses to use U-Turn, and Toxic is usually the better choice over Stun Spore, but either one is usable.

The thing I love most about Whimsicott is that its Speed allows it to out speed most other Prankster users, besides Tornadus (and Liepard, iirc). This allows it to beat out Illumise, Murkrow, and Volbeat, with the help of Encore. With its pure Grass typing, it works great in RU, but I feel the reason it isn't used so much is because it is completely walled by Grass types, and Natu gives it a hard time, as well as Sap Sipper users, especially Bouffalant. In UU, Heracross unfortunately destroys Whimsicott (Guts is powered up by the status move), while Xatu can still give it issues. Once U-Turn breaks its Sub, Whimsicott can easily be beat by Roserade or Shaymin, who are both immune to Leech Seed.

However, Whimsicott is actually really useful in OU, and for one specific reason; Tailwind. With Tailwind, any of the following can wreck teams; Scizor, Dragonite, Salamence, Haxorus, etc. (basically anything with enough sheer power to destroy everything, and fast enough to out speed its threats). Along with another Prankster user, the team can wreck.

So overall, Whimsicott is very useful in almost every tier. I haven't tried it in Ubers, but I suppose it could be somewhat useful because it has Prankster.

 

[DittoCrow]

Whimsicott is awful. It only looks good on paper. The only move that's semi-useful is Stun Spore, as Encore is easily played around by switching and the abundance of Grass-types hinders Leech Seed's effectiveness. A lot of stuff such as Taunt Mandibuzz and Cryogonal can play around Whimsicott with ease. It's really not a good Pokemon in any tier imo. Like I said, the only useful thing is priority paralysis, which can be useful in dealing with Grass-types such as Sceptile that attempt to take Leech Seed. Whimsicott is dead weight.

 

[bacon]

Although I really like Whimsicott aesthetically, I'm inclined to agree with DittoCrow on all the points he made. That said, whenever I have used Whimsicott, I found it more successful as a momentum based Pokemon rather than trying to stall with Substitute and Leech Seed, favouring U-turn over Substitute to open up free turns via Encore for sweepers. It is a Pokemon most comfortable in keeping momentum in your favour and allowing you to play around threats with Stun Spore.