Drilbur - my favorite Pokemon in Little Cup!
[Overview]
<p>At first glance, Drilbur seems to be an incredible Pokemon. It has base 85 Attack, one of the highest in the metagame, in addition to a decent base 68 Speed. Its best ability, Sand Rush, is also great, allowing it to hit 32 Speed in a sandstorm. It also has a strong offensive movepool, with access to Earthquake, Rock Slide, Shadow Claw, and Swords Dance, which allows it to further boost its already impressive Attack. However, Drilbur, like any Pokemon, has its fair share of weaknesses. Bronzor resists the EdgeQuake combination and can easily KO Drilbur. In addition, Snover can end the sandstorm with hail and proceed to OHKO Drilbur with Blizzard. Though Drilbur may have some sturdy checks, it has perhaps the greatest offensive potentialin Little Cup and is a must on sandstorm teams.</p>
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Rock Slide
move 4: Shadow Claw / Protect
item: Life Orb / Eviolite
ability: Sand Rush
nature: Jolly
evs: 236 Atk / 36 Def / 212 Spe
[Set Comments]
<p>Since Drilbur has an incredibly high Attack stat to begin with, Swords Dance makes it even more of an offensive powerhouse. After getting a boost, Drilbur becomes almost impossible to counter. For example, even Slowpoke, one of the sturdiest physical tanks in Little Cup, is OHKOed by a Life Orb-boosted Earthquake after a Swords Dance, and the other physically defensive Pokemon in Little Cup, Ferroseed and Hippopotas, are both 2HKOed. Rock Slide gets great coverage alongside Earthquake, hitting Flying-types that think they can switch in on Earthquake for free. Combined, the two moves attain EdgeQuake coverage, resisted only by Baltoy and Bronzor in Little Cup. Shadow Claw is a great coverage move for Drilbur, hitting Ghost-types that are immune to Earthquake hard. However, Protect is a great alternative for a bulkier Eviolite set, allowing Drilbur to scout for priority attacks, especially Fake Out. Eviolite also allows Drilbur to survive more hits, letting it find more opportunities to set up. For example, Slowpoke's Surf and Houndour's Sucker Punch will never OHKO Eviolite Drilbur, but will OHKO the Life Orb variant. It should be noted, however, that +2 Drilbur's Earthquake with Eviolite will fail to OHKO Slowpoke. Sand Rush is a great ability since it doubles Drilbur's Speed to 32, effectively outpacing the entire +1 Speed metagame as well as everything slower.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>As for teammates, Hippopotas is absolutely necessary, due to its ability to summon a sandstorm. Additionally, Lileep is a great partner, as its ability, Storm Drain, allows it to come in on Water-type attacks aimed at Drilbur, while also drawing in Mienfoo. This is important because Eviolite Drilbur can easily get a Swords Dance on Mienfoo, and can KO if Mienfoo is down to around 85% of its maximum health. Frillish is another great teammate, as it has an immunity to Water-type attacks due to Water Absorb, and is also a decent check to Timburr, another Pokemon that will give Drilbur trouble. Magnemite is another great teammate because it is a great check to Snover, Bronzor, and Ferroseed, three Pokemon that will give Drilbur trouble. Houndour is also a great answer to those three Pokemon, but will not enjoy sandstorm, Stealth Rock, and Life Orb recoil.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>As far as other possible moves for Drilbur go, there aren't very many. Aerial Ace hits Grass-types for super effective damage, while X-Scissor hits most Psychic-types harder than Earthquake (but not by much). It also has Rapid Spin, which could be useful to remove entry hazards, but Staryu is a better option overall if you're looking for a Rapid Spin user. If using a Life Orb, Hidden Power Fire could be used to hit Ferroseed and maybe Bronzor, but has no other utility outside of that.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Despite Drilbur's huge offensive potential, there are quite a few Pokemon that play well against the mole. Bronzor is probably the best check to Drilbur, since it is immune to Earthquake, resists Rock Slide, and can 2HKO Life Orb versions with Psychic. Koffing is also good, as it is immune to Earthquake and can burn Drilbur with Will-O-Wisp and reset its boosts with Clear Smog. Physically defensive Lileep is also good, and can restore health lost with Giga Drain or Recover. Bulk Up Timburr also works well, and Hippopotas can sponge Drilbur's attacks too. Finally, priority users, such as Houndour and Croagunk, can revenge kill Drilbur, but cannot directly switch in.</p>
[Dream World]
<p>Through the Dream World, Drilbur gets Mold Breaker. Mold Breaker would allow Drilbur to hit Pokemon with Levitate with Earthquake, which is something not a lot of Pokemon can boast. Normally a great ability for any offensive Pokemon, Mold Breaker is unfortunately outclassed by Sand Rush and even Sand Force, despite the fact that Drilbur now has a super effective attack for Bronzor and Koffing.</p>
[Overview]
<p>At first glance, Drilbur seems to be an incredible Pokemon. It has base 85 Attack, one of the highest in the metagame, in addition to a decent base 68 Speed. Its best ability, Sand Rush, is also great, allowing it to hit 32 Speed in a sandstorm. It also has a strong offensive movepool, with access to Earthquake, Rock Slide, Shadow Claw, and Swords Dance, which allows it to further boost its already impressive Attack. However, Drilbur, like any Pokemon, has its fair share of weaknesses. Bronzor resists the EdgeQuake combination and can easily KO Drilbur. In addition, Snover can end the sandstorm with hail and proceed to OHKO Drilbur with Blizzard. Though Drilbur may have some sturdy checks, it has perhaps the greatest offensive potentialin Little Cup and is a must on sandstorm teams.</p>
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Rock Slide
move 4: Shadow Claw / Protect
item: Life Orb / Eviolite
ability: Sand Rush
nature: Jolly
evs: 236 Atk / 36 Def / 212 Spe
[Set Comments]
<p>Since Drilbur has an incredibly high Attack stat to begin with, Swords Dance makes it even more of an offensive powerhouse. After getting a boost, Drilbur becomes almost impossible to counter. For example, even Slowpoke, one of the sturdiest physical tanks in Little Cup, is OHKOed by a Life Orb-boosted Earthquake after a Swords Dance, and the other physically defensive Pokemon in Little Cup, Ferroseed and Hippopotas, are both 2HKOed. Rock Slide gets great coverage alongside Earthquake, hitting Flying-types that think they can switch in on Earthquake for free. Combined, the two moves attain EdgeQuake coverage, resisted only by Baltoy and Bronzor in Little Cup. Shadow Claw is a great coverage move for Drilbur, hitting Ghost-types that are immune to Earthquake hard. However, Protect is a great alternative for a bulkier Eviolite set, allowing Drilbur to scout for priority attacks, especially Fake Out. Eviolite also allows Drilbur to survive more hits, letting it find more opportunities to set up. For example, Slowpoke's Surf and Houndour's Sucker Punch will never OHKO Eviolite Drilbur, but will OHKO the Life Orb variant. It should be noted, however, that +2 Drilbur's Earthquake with Eviolite will fail to OHKO Slowpoke. Sand Rush is a great ability since it doubles Drilbur's Speed to 32, effectively outpacing the entire +1 Speed metagame as well as everything slower.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>As for teammates, Hippopotas is absolutely necessary, due to its ability to summon a sandstorm. Additionally, Lileep is a great partner, as its ability, Storm Drain, allows it to come in on Water-type attacks aimed at Drilbur, while also drawing in Mienfoo. This is important because Eviolite Drilbur can easily get a Swords Dance on Mienfoo, and can KO if Mienfoo is down to around 85% of its maximum health. Frillish is another great teammate, as it has an immunity to Water-type attacks due to Water Absorb, and is also a decent check to Timburr, another Pokemon that will give Drilbur trouble. Magnemite is another great teammate because it is a great check to Snover, Bronzor, and Ferroseed, three Pokemon that will give Drilbur trouble. Houndour is also a great answer to those three Pokemon, but will not enjoy sandstorm, Stealth Rock, and Life Orb recoil.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>As far as other possible moves for Drilbur go, there aren't very many. Aerial Ace hits Grass-types for super effective damage, while X-Scissor hits most Psychic-types harder than Earthquake (but not by much). It also has Rapid Spin, which could be useful to remove entry hazards, but Staryu is a better option overall if you're looking for a Rapid Spin user. If using a Life Orb, Hidden Power Fire could be used to hit Ferroseed and maybe Bronzor, but has no other utility outside of that.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Despite Drilbur's huge offensive potential, there are quite a few Pokemon that play well against the mole. Bronzor is probably the best check to Drilbur, since it is immune to Earthquake, resists Rock Slide, and can 2HKO Life Orb versions with Psychic. Koffing is also good, as it is immune to Earthquake and can burn Drilbur with Will-O-Wisp and reset its boosts with Clear Smog. Physically defensive Lileep is also good, and can restore health lost with Giga Drain or Recover. Bulk Up Timburr also works well, and Hippopotas can sponge Drilbur's attacks too. Finally, priority users, such as Houndour and Croagunk, can revenge kill Drilbur, but cannot directly switch in.</p>
[Dream World]
<p>Through the Dream World, Drilbur gets Mold Breaker. Mold Breaker would allow Drilbur to hit Pokemon with Levitate with Earthquake, which is something not a lot of Pokemon can boast. Normally a great ability for any offensive Pokemon, Mold Breaker is unfortunately outclassed by Sand Rush and even Sand Force, despite the fact that Drilbur now has a super effective attack for Bronzor and Koffing.</p>
