Moveset e set competitivi di Whimsicott

Being the fastest Prankster Pokemon in the game with a deep supportive movepool, Whimsicott establishes itself as one of the best utility Pokemon in the current metagame. Prankster allows Whimsicott to have a priority Tailwind, allowing it to boost its team's Speed against faster restricted Pokemon such as Zacian-C and Calyrex-S, while gen 8’s dynamic speed mechanics make Tailwind users like Whimsicott very potent. Moonblast is able to deal good damage to Fairy-weak Pokemon such as Urshifu-S. Taunt allows Whimsicott to prevent Trick Room from Porygon2 and Mimikyu as well as Venusaur's Sleep Powder, Amoonguss's Spore, and Rotom-H's Will-O-Wisp. Helping Hand allows Whimsicott to still play a supportive role while facing common Fake Out Pokemon like Incineroar and Rillaboom while also making up for Whimsicott's lack of offensive presence. Focus Sash allows Whimsicott to take a move which it wouldn't be able to. Alternatively, the combination of Switcheroo and Eject Button can be run to get rid of your opponent's Dynamax if properly timed. Whimsicott usually plays a supportive role on the team enabling common partners like Calyrex-S, Thundurus,and Charizard to excel with its supportive moves. Whimsicott is able to provide Tailwind and Cotton Spore for Calyrex-S while also keeping Dark-types such as Urshifu-S in check. Thundurus is able to take care of Incineroar for Whimsicott while Whimscott provides Helping Hand. Charizard and Whimsicott synergize well due to Whimsicott providing Charizard with Sunny Day and Fake Tears while Charizard keeps Zacian-C in check for Whimsicott.

Moonblast is Whimsicott's best option for single-target damage, but spread Dazzling Gleam allows Whimsicott to put more damage on the board as a whole. Energy Ball can be used on Kyogre teams as a means to hit Gastrodon. Prankster Tailwind is nearly guaranteed to go up, making Whimsicott a vital component of hyper offense teams where speed is everything. Helping Hand is a universally beneficial way for Whimsicott to boost its ally's offensive pressure instead of relying on its relatively weak Fairy coverage. Taunt can disrupt the opponent's attempts to counter Whimsicott such as Trick Room and opposing Tailwind. Focus Sash preserves Whimsicott for a future Tailwind or Helping Hand support, as its middling defenses leave it OHKOed by the majority of the metagame's attacks otherwise.

The utility provided by Stun Spore, Knock Off, and Encore makes Whimsicott a staple on Grass teams. Stun Spore functions as speed control, paralyzing fast, threatening foes such as Tornadus-T and Choice Scarf Heatran. Encore punishes setup sweepers like Volcarona, Scizor, and Dragonite and status moves from threats like SubRoost Kyurem. Knock Off provides a huge amount of utility, allowing Whimsicott to remove key items from foes like Dragalge, Toxapex, and Celesteela. Moonblast threatens Dark-types that are immune to Prankster, such as Hydreigon and Zarude; it also threatens Dragon- and Fighting-types like Kyurem, Kommo-o, and Bewear. The given EV spread allows Whimsicott to outspeed Choice Specs Gengar and Latios in order to remove their items. The rest of Whimsicott's EVs are spread over Special Attack and HP to make Moonblast as powerful as possible while helping Whimsicott's decent natural bulk. Whimsicott can also opt for an EV spread of 208 HP / 92 SpA / 208 Spe in order to switch into Bulk Up Corviknight's Brave Bird. Heavy-Duty Boots is the preferred item, as Grass teams often lack entry hazard control; however, Pixie Plate can be used to boost the power of Whimsicott's Moonblast, giving it a greater offensive presence. All of Whimsicott's teammates appreciate its ability to prevent setup sweepers like Volcarona, Clefable, and SubRoost Kyurem from brutalizing the team. Choice Band Rillaboom is a phenomenal teammate for Whimsicott, as it can deal with walls like Toxapex for Whimsicott. In return, Whimsicott can take on Dark- and Dragon-type Pokemon for Rillaboom, such as Galarian Moltres and Kommo-o. Bulk Up Zarude is an excellent teammate for Whimsicott, as Whimsicott can Encore foes like Volcarona which can lead to setup opportunities. Whimsicott can also paralyze foes like Spectrier and Choice Scarf Gengar, allowing Zarude to OHKO them with Darkest Lariat. Ferrothorn not only checks terrifying Ice-types like Weavile and Kyurem for Whimsicott, but it provides Spikes support to make it easier for Whimsicott to defeat foes like Cobalion. Cradily checks special attackers, such as Nidoking, Galarian Slowking, and Choice Scarf Blacephalon, and sets Stealth Rock to wear down foes like Galarian Zapdos so that Whimsicott can KO them. Amoonguss is also a good teammate, as it can absorb Toxic Spikes for the team; it also provides the team with a physical wall capable of dealing with Tapu Bulu and Dragapult.

Whimsicott is a staple on Grass teams that rely on the sun, as it is one of the best setters thanks to Prankster and can pivot into its teammates to take advantage of sun with Memento and U-turn. Sunny Day sets up the sun for teammates such as Venusaur, Shiftry, and Celebi to take advantage of. Moonblast allows Whimsicott to nail Dragon-type Pokemon such as Kommo-o and Hydreigon. U-turn allows it to bring in its teammates to take advantage of the sun. Encore prevents Whimsicott from becoming setup bait for sweepers such as Bulk Up Corviknight. Memento does the same thing as U-turn; however, it allows Whimsicott to safely bring in a setup sweeper such as Venusaur with a free opportunity to set up. Heat Rock increases the number of sun turns and Prankster gives Sunny Day and Memento priority. Whimsicott should set up sun multiple times throughout the match, and when it's time for a teammate to sweep or Whimsicott is low on health, it should reset the sun and then give it a setup opportunity with Memento. Teammates that take advantage of the sun such as Venusaur, Celebi, and Shiftry appreciate Whimsicott's ability to set it up, and all of its teammates appreciate its ability to take on Dragon-type Pokemon thanks to Moonblast. Thanks to the sun, Venusaur and Shiftry's Speed is doubled with Chlorophyll, allowing them to fire off attacks faster and become revenge killers. Weather Ball users such as Venusaur and Celebi especially appreciate the sun, as it makes the move Fire type to nail Steel-type Pokemon such as Corviknight and Ferrothorn. Choice Scarf Virizion acts as a revenge killer that takes on threats such as Choice Scarf Charizard and Choice Scarf Galarian Darmanitan for the team. It also provides a way to take on the most common hail and sand setters in Alolan Ninetales and Tyranitar thanks to its coverage in Smart Strike and Close Combat. Alongside Whimsicott, Ferrothorn makes up the support for weather-based Grass teams as the team's way of setting entry hazards, allowing the teams sweepers to more easily muscle through the opposing team.

Prankster Tailwind is Whimiscott's main niche, allowing it to instantly provide speed control for a teammate like Urshifu-R, Zygarde, or Heatran. Taunt can be used to prevent status moves like Tailwind and Trick Room from opposing Pokemon, while Encore lock the foe into an unfavorable move, like Protect, Fake Out, or Tailwind. Both greatly benefit from Prankster's priority. Moonblast allows Whimiscott to decently check Zygarde and Urshifu-R while also providing chip damage for its team. Fake Tears further supports special attackers such as Heatran and Landorus by helping them break through bulkier Pokemon like Tapu Fini and Porygon2. Protect allows Whimiscott to block Fake Out and preserve its Focus Sash. Focus Sash guarantees Whimsicott can take a hit, which can allow it to get a support move off after setting Tailwind or a second Tailwind later. A Timid nature allows Whimsicott to Speed tie with other Whimsicott, in addition to outspeeding Landorus. 252 HP EVs can be used if Moonblast isn't used.

This Whimsicott functions to help hyper offensive or setup sweeper-centered builds set up against faster foes. Tailwind is used to boost Speed while sacrificing Whimsicott, allowing the incoming Pokemon to take advantage of the Speed boost. Alternatively, Switcheroo in combination with Lagging Tail makes the foe setup fodder for certain sweepers that can take advantage of slowed Pokemon to rack up boosts. Memento allows Whimsicott to freely pivot against opposing Pokemon after setting up speed control. Memento finds usefulness in guaranteeing one turn of Dynamax stalling, avoiding opposing boosts from secondary effects of Max Moves or Moxie, and also neutering Dynamax sweepers via attacking stat drops. Moonblast is Whimsicott's primary STAB move, hitting Dark types, which are not affected by Prankster, hard. Energy Ball also makes a decent STAB, letting Whimsicott deal serious damage to Tapu Fini and Rotom-W. Taunt prevents Whimsicott from being Taunted itself as well as shuts down more passive Pokemon such as Swampert and Hippowdon. Charm stifles physical Pokemon without needing to sacrifice Whimsicott via Memento. Items Focus Sash lets Whimsicott survive even powerful attacks, ensuring it can support your offensive Pokemon. Lagging Tail should only be used with Switcheroo. EV Spreads 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe with Modest or Timid: This is used with attacking sets and Focus Sash to give Whimsicott the ability to hit hard when using Moonblast or Energy Ball. Timid is an alternate option for outspeeding Garchomp. 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD with a Bold nature: This maximizes physical bulk in order to get off a Switcheroo or Fling followed by Memento without getting OHKOed and should be used for all non-attacking variants.

This Whimsicott takes advantage of Prankster to set up Cotton Guard, allowing it to stop even would-be physical checks, such as Metagross, that may try to switch in. Prankster Substitute + Leech Seed serves as its main method of defeating opposing Pokemon, stalling them out while passively sapping HP through Leech Seed and healing through Leftovers. While it might be possible to run a no-attack variant of this version of Whimsicott, Moonblast is strongly recommended in order to hit Dark-types, which are unaffected by Prankster, and to ensure that Whimsicott is not complete Taunt bait. The given EV spread maximizes physical bulk in order to Leech Seed stall most effectively and take minimal damage from physical threats immediately after a Cotton Guard boost.

Moves Leech Seed allows Whimsicott to get HP back after using Substitute and can effectively stall out the opposing Pokemon's HP. Substitute makes Whimsicott able to avoid Toxic from Pokemon such as Porygon2 and stall out HP after using Leech Seed on Mega Metagross and Mega Charizard X. Protect is useful after using Substitute to make Whimsicott able to keep itself healthy while stalling the opposing Pokemon. Taunt is useful against walls like Deoxys-S, as they become unable to use their recovery, set up, status, or Taunt Whimsicott. Moonblast enables Whimsicott to take on Dark-types that would otherwise be immune to Prankster like Hydreigon, Scrafty, and Mega Gyarados. Set Details An Occa Berry allows Whimsicott to take Fire-type attacks from non-Choice Band Victini and Mega Charizard X, whereas a Babiri Berry lets it take on Steel-types like Mega Mawile and Mega Metagross. Prankster enables Whimsicott to always use its status moves before the opposing Pokemon unless it is a Dark-type, stalling out foes regardless of a Speed advantage. If Occa Berry is being run, use 240 HP EVs and 168 Special Defense EVs with a Calm nature, which allows Whimsicott to survive a Flash Cannon from Magnezone and Heatran and an Air Slash from Mega Charizard Y. The remaining 100 Defense EVs are leftover EVs, enabling Whimsicott to take a Giga Impact from Mega Lopunny. If Babiri Berry is being run, 240 HP EVs and 60 Defense EVs with a Bold nature allow Whimsicott to take an Iron Head from Mega Mawile, a Meteor Mash from Mega Metagross, and a Giga Impact from Adamant Mega Lopunny. The remaining 208 EVs are used in Special Defense to improve Whimsicott's matchups against Choice Specs Deoxys-S and force a mind game between Blast Burn and Air Slash against Mega Charizard Y. Usage Tips Send Whimsicott out against Fire-types like Mega Blaziken, Mega Charizard X, Heatran and non-Choice Band Victini, or Steel-types like non-Taunt Mega Mawile, Mega Metagross, and Mega Aggron, depending on the Berry that's being run, as Whimsicott can use Leech Seed first, tank a hit with its Berry, and stall out the foe with Substitute and Protect. Be wary against Mega Charizard Y, because although Whimsicott can survive an Air Slash, it still gets OHKOed by Blast Burn even with Occa Berry. Thus, Whimsicott must either use Substitute on Blast Burn or Leech Seed on Air Slash. Against Choice item and stall users like Jirachi, Victini, and Necrozma, it is best to use Protect first to scout if they have Trick or if Necrozma is running Choice Specs or stall. If they do have Trick, use Substitute or Taunt to prevent this; otherwise, use Leech Seed and proceed to stall as usual. Avoid picking Whimsicott to face Mega Gyarados unless it is running Moonblast. Against Landorus-T, it is best to use Substitute first to evade a potential Supersonic Skystrike or to take advantage of Fly's two-turn usage before using Leech Seed to stall it. Whimsicott has trouble with moves that go through Substitute such as Hyper Voice from Mega Gardevoir, Uproar from Porygon-Z, and Bug Buzz from Volcarona, so do not send it out against these Pokemon. Even with Occa Berry, Whimsicott should avoid facing Fire-types such as Choice Band Victini and Incineroar because it fails to survive a V-create from the former and has to rely on getting a double Protect to stall out V-create, and the latter avoids Leech Seed because of its Dark-typing. Team Options Strong wallbreakers with like Meloetta, Victini, Mega Charizard Y, and Porygon-Z can help with Grass-types like Mega Venusaur, Ferrothorn, and Serperior. In return, Whimsicott can take on bulky offensive threats, like Mega Heracross, Mega Aggron, and Donphan for them. If you're running an Occa Berry, Pokemon that can beat Steel-types like Mega Charizard X, Heatran, and Incineroar are good partners for Whimsicott, as they help take care of Genesect, Serperior, and Mega Metagross. In return, Whimsicott can take on opposing Mega Charizard X, Primarina, and Kommo-o. If you're running a Babiri Berry, Water- and Dragon-types such as Tapu Fini, Manaphy, Haxorus and Garchomp make good partners for Whimsicott to take on troubling Fire-types like Mega Charizard, Mega Blaziken, and Heatran. In return, Whimsicott can take on offensive and defensive threats like Zeraora and Mega Gyarados for them. Pokemon like Meloetta, Mega Gardevoir, Porygon-Z, and Tapu Lele give Whimsicott trouble because of Hyper Voice and Uproar going though Substitute or Psychic Surge negating Prankster's usability, so Pokemon that can take care of these like Mega Aggron, Mega Metagross, and Mega Mawile are good to pair with it. In return, Whimsicott can potentially take on Fire- and Steel-type Pokemon like Mega Charizard X, non-Taunt Heatran, Magnezone, and opposing Mega Aggron and Mega Mawile that typically bother them. Whimsicott can also take on Donphan, Primarina, and Zygarde-C for them, regardless of the Berry being used.

Moves Moonblast is Whimsicott's best offensive choice, allowing it to 2HKO Dragon-types like Garchomp and Salamence as long as Focus Sash is intact, as well as Dark-types like Persian wishing to switch in to block Prankster. It can also 2HKO uninvested Hariyama that try to support a Trick Room setter. Tailwind is the most important move on Whimsicott, doubling the Speed of its teammates and allowing them to attack first in most scenarios. Encore lets Whimsicott lock a foe into Protect or a setup move for three turns, either shutting it down or forcing it to switch out. Taunt prevents foes from using status moves, most notably preventing the setting of their own speed control measures like Trick Room, as well stopping them from using Protect, making them more vulnerable. Set Details Prankster is mandatory, allowing Whimsicott to use its status moves before it can be hit, as well as letting it shut down other status move users before they can set up. 252 Speed EVs with a Timid nature allow Whimsicott to be as fast as possible, with the remaining EVs are invested into HP and Defense to help it take resisted hits the best it possibly can. Focus Sash is needed due to Whimsicott's low defenses, ensuring it stays in the field to use another status move after setting Tailwind. Usage Tips Leading with Whimsicott is usually recommended, as it can set up Tailwind on turn one to provide immediate pressure from your sped-up teammates, or letting it shut down dangerous set up Pokemon before they can gain momentum. If your team is not completely reliant on Tailwind and you see a hail or sand setter on the opponent's team, not leading with Whimsicott is advisable, as the weather damage will break the Focus Sash and risk an early faint. Take advantage of Whimsicott's immunity to Dragon-type attacks in order to safely switch in later in the match, as you can easily waste a foe's Devastating Drake or Draco Meteor and turn the tide of battle in your favor with a late-game Tailwind. Only use Moonblast when you can predict a favorable switch or if the opponent has no way to prevent a super effective hit on one of his Pokemon. The most notable target is Garchomp, which can try to KO Whimsicott with Poison Jab. Team Options Powerful Pokemon with above average Speed like Garchomp and Kartana are prime teammates as they become extremely threatening after Tailwind doubles their Speed. Intimidate users can help Whimsicott deal better with otherwise lethal physical Poison-type attacks. Arcanine can take care of dangerous Steel-types like Celesteela and Kartana, while Krookodile can use Groundium-Z to take care of the ever-threatening Alolan Muk; both also have enough Speed to take advantage of Tailwind. All of the guardian deities are good partners that make great use of Whimsicott's support to pressure the opponent's team, set up, and generally bypass any Speed creep wars with opposing Tapu groups thanks to Tailwind, be wary of stacking Poison weaknesses, though. Steel-types like Magnezone and Kartana are also great parners as they can switch in on the Poison- and Steel-type attacks aimed at Whimsicott, letting them in safely to make use of Tailwind. Pokemon with set up moves like Dragon Dance Gyarados and Calm Mind Tapu Fini also appreciate Whimsicott's support, as Encore gives them more breathing room to set up.

Moves Encore lets Whimsicott stop walls such as Toxapex and setup sweepers such as Volcarona by locking them into a move, allowing teammates to take advantage of them. Moonblast is Whimsicott's STAB move and used to check threats to Grass-type teams such as Hydreigon and Kyurem-B. U-turn lets Whimsicott gain momentum on forced switches and bring in a teammate safely. With Prankster, Stun Spore allows Whimsicott to cripple threats such as Victini and Volcarona, which makes it easier for the team to deal with. Whimsicott can use Tailwind over Stun Spore to support offensive teammates before fainting by doubling their Speed for a few turns. Set Details Maximum Special Attack investment allows Whimsicott to maximize its damage output. Maximum Speed investment along with a Timid nature lets Whimsicott outrun every Pokemon below base 115 Speed like Latios. Leftovers is used to give Whimsicott a form of passive recovery and let it pivot more freely. Pixie Plate can be used over Leftovers to more easily KO Dark-, Dragon-, and Fighting-type Pokemon. Prankster turns status moves such as Encore and Stun Spore into priority moves, letting Whimsicott fulfill its utility role. Usage Tips Whimsicott should be switched in against setup sweepers such as Mimikyu and Mega Gallade as they attempt to set up so that Whimsicott can stop them with Encore. However, one should be cautious about switching into them, as it is predictable, and the foe may go directly for an attack and render it weak or even KOed due to its low bulk. Whimsicott can also cripple common walls such as Chansey and Toxapex with Encore, creating setup opportunities for its teammates. Whimsicott should be preserved and used to deal with threats against types such as Dark, Dragon, and Fighting where it can utilize STAB Moonblast. A fast U-turn lets Whimsicott switch to checks against whatever Pokemon is switched in, maintaining momentum. Whimsicott should use Stun Spore to cripple threats such as Volcarona and Victini, though Whimsicott usually ends up sacrificing itself. It can also use Stun Spore after it locks a foe into a move with Encore to paralyze the switch-in. Team Options Ferrothorn covers Whimsicott's common weaknesses and supports it by setting up Stealth Rock or Spikes, which helps Whimsicott score KOs with Moonblast. Ferrothorn also helps in taking care of Ice-type threats such as Alolan Ninetales and Mamoswine with Gyro Ball. Cradily is a general special wall with access to Stealth Rock that can check Fire-type and Flying-type threats such as Mega Charizard Y, Volcarona, and Tornadus-T with Rock Slide. In return, Whimsicott checks Fighting-type Pokemon such as Mega Gallade and Kommo-o. Mega Venusaur's Thick Fat makes it a crucial switch-in to Ice- and Fire-type attacks for Whimsicott, while Whimsicott helps beat Dragon-types that threaten Mega Venusaur such as Latios and Kyurem-B. Celebi can utilize a Nasty Plot set with Groundium Z to break through Poison- and Steel-type Pokemon that wall Whimsicott such as Alolan Muk, Toxapex, Heatran, and Jirachi. Breloom can utilize a Swords Dance set to threaten offensive threats such as Heatran and Hydreigon with Mach Punch and take care of Bug- and Flying-types such as Volcarona and Mega Charizard with Rock Tomb and Focus Sash. Breloom can also use a Poison Heal set with Focus Punch and Substitute to heavily pressure types such as Normal and Steel. Tapu Bulu provides Whimsicott with Grassy Terrain recovery, which is especially helpful if Whimsicott is using Pixie Plate. Tapu Bulu is able to find opportunities to set up with Swords Dance and wallbreak due to Encore, Stun Spore, and U-turn support from Whimsicott. Rotom-C can hold a Choice Scarf and check threats like Mega Pinsir, Crobat, and Celesteela for Whimsicott. Rotom-C and Whimsicott can also form a VoltTurn core that aids in pivoting and keeping constant pressure. Decidueye's Swords Dance set and priority in Shadow Sneak improve the Psychic matchup greatly and check threats to Whimsicott such as Victini and Jirachi.

Moves Tailwind doubles Whimsicott's and its teammates' Speed, and Prankster ensures it is set up safely. Encore locks the foe into a move, ideally a status one, preventing it from being useful for the following three turns. It is particularly helpful to deal with Protect users, Fake Out users such as Mega Kangaskhan, Geomancy Xerneas, and most Trick Room and Tailwind setters. Moonblast is a reliable STAB move that hits the likes of Mega Rayquaza and Yveltal super effectively. The Special Attack drop chance can be useful too. Endeavor pairs well with Focus Sash, being able to bring the foe down to 1 HP after Whimsicott has been hit by a move that would otherwise KO it. Protect scouts for the foes' moves and stalls out Trick Room. Safeguard can be used to prevent Whimsicott's team from being inflicted with status, and it is especially useful against Smeargle, one of the most common leads. Alternatively, Taunt can prevent the foes from using their own status moves and can prevent sweepers, such as Geomancy Xerneas, from setting up. Set Details 252 Speed EVs and a Timid nature maximize Whimsicott's already excellent Speed. Maximum HP investment alongside 4 Defense EVs increases Whimsicott's overall bulk, though it still doesn't allow Whimsicott to tank repeated attacks. Prankster gives priority to any of Whimsicott's non-attacking moves, allowing it to act before faster threats such as Talonflame and Mewtwo and turning it into an incredible supportive Pokemon. Focus Sash allows Whimsicott to survive at least one hit, ensuring it either sets up Tailwind or uses Encore successfully. Usage Tips Whimsicott should almost always be used as a lead in order to set up Tailwind as soon as possible and gain an early advantage for its teammates. Furthermore, Whimsicott has a decent matchup against common leads such as Smeargle and Crobat, since it can lock them into their status moves thanks to Encore or prevent them from using status moves with Taunt. Whimsicott does not have much offensive presence, but a well-timed Endeavor after it has been brought down to 1 HP in conjunction with minimal offensive support from its partner can KO most common threats such as Primal Groudon, Primal Kyogre, and Mega Rayquaza. Team Options Powerful wallbreakers such as Primal Kyogre, Mega Rayquaza, and Primal Groudon make for excellent partners, as they can take advantage of Tailwind to quickly weaken the opposing team. In particular, Pokemon with powerful spread moves such as Primal Kyogre's Origin Pulse make for especially good teammates, as Whimsicott's Encore will often force switches, and few Pokemon are not 2HKOed by such powerful attacks. Setup sweepers such as Swords Dance Primal Groudon, Swords Dance Rayquaza, and Geomancy Xerneas can take advantage of the free turns provided by Encore to set up more easily, and they can also rely on an immunity to status thanks to Safeguard, if Whimsicott is running it. Fake Out users, most notably Mega Kangaskhan, can form a leading duo with Whimsicott, which appreciates being able to set up Tailwind with much less pressure. Mega Gengar can trap a foe affected by Encore and use Disable on it, effectively rendering it completely useless.

Moves Moonblast is Whimsicott's best STAB move, which offers coverage against Fighting-types such as Conkeldurr, Dark-types such as Weavile, and Dragon-types such as Latios. Energy Ball is another option for a STAB attack, as it can damage Water-types such as Suicune and Rock-types such as Rhyperior. Encore gives Whimsicott the ability to lock an opposing Pokemon into an unfavorable move, such as Fake Out, Protect, Trick Room, or Substitute. Tailwind provides speed control by doubling the Speed of all allies, and Whimsicott can set Tailwind reliably at least once per game thanks to Prankster. Protect helps Whimsicott scout to see if it wants to Encore the foe the next turn. For example, if the opponent uses Fake Out, Protect can shield Whimsicott from damage and allow it to Encore the opponent the following turn. It is also useful for stalling out opposing speed control and shielding Whimsicott from damage and move disruption while its partner deals with a threat. Fake Tears can allow Whimsicott to help a specially-attacking partner take out foes it normally would not be able to, thanks to the Special Defense drop. Taunt can also be used to stop other Prankster users, most notably Thundurus, from firing off disruptive moves. It can also be used to stop support moves from other Pokemon, such as sleep moves, redirection, setup moves, and speed control. Set Details Giving Whimsicott 216 Speed EVs and a Timid nature allows it to outspeed maximum Speed Thundurus, which is vitally important because Thundurus is the most relevant Prankster Pokemon in Doubles OU. 96 Special Attack EVs make sure Whimsicott always OHKOes 252 HP Scrafty with Moonblast. If using Energy Ball, move the Special Attack EVs into HP and Defense, as there is no relevant offensive benchmark for this move. The leftover EVs are placed in HP to allow Whimsicott to take as many hits as possible. Focus Sash allows Whimsicott to survive any one hit, which makes it its best item choice because Whimsicott's defensive stats are so poor and it will often find itself at the mercy of strong and super effective attacks. Prankster boosts the priority of Whimsicott's utility moves, allowing Whimsicott to disrupt its foes before they have a chance to move. Usage Tips Whimsicott works well as a lead to beat opposing Fake Out users and speed control Pokemon with Encore or Taunt, or to set up Tailwind for its own team. Whimsicott can use Protect on opposing Fake Outs and then Encore the Fake Out user the next turn. Keep in mind that other players may be wary of an incoming Encore and may switch out the target Pokemon to avoid this. It is okay for Whimsicott to stay in on a strong attacker such as Talonflame if Whimsicott is at full health and desperately needs to get off a support move. Whimsicott is not supposed to be filling an attacking role; as such, it should only attack when none of its support moves would be useful or when it can take out an opposing Pokemon that is weak to its STAB attack, such as Scrafty or Gastrodon depending on your choice in STAB move. Team Options A fantastic Pokemon to pair with Whimsicott is Mega Gengar. Trapping is incredibly valuable for Whimsicott, as it can Encore or Taunt opposing Pokemon while Gengar forces them to stay in. Disable is a fantastic move on a Mega Gengar that is paired with Whimsicott, as it allows you to Encore and Disable an opposing Pokemon into one move on the same turn, forcing it to Struggle and preventing it from switching out. Pokemon that appreciate the Speed boost of Tailwind are great partners for Whimsicott, as it is very good at setting Tailwind at least once per game. Strong attackers with middling Speed tiers, such as Mega Kangaskhan, Hoopa-U, and Heatran, are good choices in partners. Whimsicott needs to be paired with Pokemon that beat common Fire-types such as Heatran and Talonflame, as they are huge threats to Whimsicott. Landorus-T and Rotom-W do extremely well against the previously mentioned Pokemon. Steel-type Pokemon are also extremely threatening to Whimsicott. Aegislash and Mega Metagross are particularly threatening, which makes Heatran and Landorus-T great options to add to the team. If Whimsicott is using Fake Tears, strong special attackers, such as Sylveon, Mega Charizard Y, and Mega Gengar, benefit greatly from the Special Defense drop.

Moves Whimsicott is primarily used for its ability to disrupt the opponent's strategy; the two best moves for doing this are Taunt and Encore. Taunt prevents the usage of status moves, whereas Encore locks the target into the move it used last. Taunt has the advantage of shutting down Pokemon that rely on support moves to perform well, such as Thundurus, Aegislash, and Amoonguss. While Encore is far more situational, it also has the advantage of being far more general, as Protect is such a prevalent move. This allows Whimsicott to incapacitate almost any Pokemon; Encore can also lock an opposing Pokemon into Trick Room, and Mega Salamence into Dragon Dance. When these moves are used in tandem with each other, Whimsicott has the capability to force switches or allow its partner to pick up KOs or set up. Whimsicott is also capable of providing more direct team support through Tailwind. Doubling your teams's Speed allows for offensive Pokemon, such as Terrakion, Kangaskhan, and Heatran, to attack more freely, as they do not have to worry about being outsped and potentially KOed. Because Whimsicott lacks a real offensive presence, the fourth moveslot should be reserved either Moonblast or Giga Drain. Moonblast OHKOes Hydreigon and 2HKOes Mega Salamence with no HP investment. Giga Drain hits Water-types for super effective damage and lets Whimsicott recover some health. The move that you opt for should be based around the coverage that your team needs the most. Set Details Whimsicott is a pretty straightforward Pokemon; maximum Speed EVs along with Prankster guarantee that its priority moves will go before Thundurus's. Maximum HP EVs do very little given how frail Whimsicott is anyway; however, no other stat benefits from the investment. Focus Sash ensures that Whimsicott is able to use at least one move before fainting. Usage Tips Whimsicott works best as a lead, as it offers very little late-game support due to its lack of an offensive presence. While counterintuitive, it's often better to let Whimsicott faint once it has provided its support to allow a more offensive Pokemon to come in and effectively use the disruption that Whimsicott provided early-game. Encore is used to lock an opposing Pokemon into Protect; however, it can effectively be used after Fake Out, Trick Room, or setup moves. As Whimsicott's Special Attack is so poor, it deals very little neutral damage, and it is almost always better to go for either Taunt or Encore. Whimsicott should use Tailwind when it is appropriate, such as when your Pokemon to be faster to win, or when Whimsicott is about to faint and is used as a final form of support. Team Options Mega Kangaskhan makes good use of Whimsicott's support. Taunt shuts down Aegislash, preventing it from either using King's Shield or Substitute. Taunt also prevents Pokemon from using status moves such as Will-O-Wisp and Thunder Wave, two other common ways of checking Mega Kangaskhan. On top of that, Tailwind allows Mega Kangaskhan to outspeed every major threat with boosted or unboosted Speed. Mega Gengar has a far easier time setting up Perish Songs with Whimsicott's support. Whimsicott can also prevent Mega Gengar from being Taunted itself, as Whimsicott has the fastest Taunt in the game thanks to it Speed and Prankster. With Whimsicott's support, Mega Metagross has an easier time both setting up and maintaining a Substitute. Mega Metagross also appreciates the Speed boost from Tailwind, as it allows it to outspeed Landorus-T and OHKO it with Ice Punch. Offensive Pokemon in general enjoy Tailwind support, with Terrakion and Heatran being two good examples.

Moves Encore allows Whimsicott to gain the upper hand as it forces the foe to use the same move for three turns. Whimsicott can use that to its advantage by switching out into a more dangerous threat to the opposing team or setting up Leech Seed, Substitute, or Cotton Guard. Leech Seed is Whimsicott's main recovery move, as it applies pressure on offensive Pokemon and slowly wears down their health while Whimsicott regains a little bit of health back. It can also switch out into one of its teammates, as they can recover health from Leech Seed as well. Moonblast is a great STAB move because it hits Fighting-, Dragon-, and Dark-types such as Mega Lopunny, Mega Salamence, and Sableye. It also keeps Whimsicott from being complete Taunt bait if it's not running Taunt itself. Substitute allows Whimsicott to avoid status from common moves such as Will-O-Wisp, Thunder Wave, and Toxic. Whimsicott can use that in conjunction with Encore and Leech Seed to lock its foe into a move while behind a Substitute. Substitute also keeps it from being hit by powerful attacks and can help scout the foe's move. Taunt can be used instead of Substitute so that Whimsicott can act as a stallbreaker towards defensive Pokemon such as Cresselia, Chansey, Gliscor, and Suicune. Taunt and Encore can be used together to cause the opposing threat to use Struggle if it is locked into a non-attacking move. Stun Spore can be used in order to cripple faster Pokemon, most notably Choice Scarf users such as Garchomp, Landorus-T, and Excadrill, and Mega Evolutions such as Mega Gengar, Mega Lopunny, and Mega Metagross. It has a niche in paralyzing Ground-type Pokemon as well. Cotton Guard boosts Whimsicott's Defense by three stages, allowing it to take physical attacks more effectively; for example, it helps Whimsicott survive Mega Salamence's Double-Edge and other physical attacks that would normally KO it. However, this makes Whimsicott vulnerable to status moves. Prankster Tailwind can be used as a more situational move. Even though Whimsicott doesn't benefit from the move, it can be sacrificed after using the move to send of one of its teammates in, allowing the teammate to outspeed Pokemon such as Choice Scarf Landorus-T and Garchomp. Set Details 204 HP EVs let Whimsicott hit 161 HP, and 52 EVs are invested in Special Defense for added bulk, helping Whimsicott take hits better. 252 Speed EVs and a Timid nature allow it to outspeed base 115 Speed Pokemon and every Prankster user. Leftovers is used for passive recovery in conjunction with Leech Seed every turn. A Bold nature with maximum HP and Defense investment can be used instead of a Timid nature to take damage more effectively; however, Whimsicott will then have trouble outspeeding Prankster users such as Thundurus and Liepard. It also keeps Whimsicott from outspeeding Adamant Mega Salamence. Usage Tips Whimsicott's primary role is to switch into Pokemon that you'd expect to set up or use a support move of their own so that it can Encore them. This allows Whimsicott to set up either Substitute or Leech Seed to help stall out the foe. If Taunt is being used instead of the two moves mentioned already, it can force the threat to use Struggle, making it take recoil damage and giving Whimsicott another free turn to use any of its support moves. Encore will also give one of Whimsicott's teammates a chance to set up by locking the foe into a useless status move or an attack that one of your setup sweepers resists. Use Stun Spore on very fast Pokemon in order to gain the Speed advantage over the opposing team. This will also help in allowing your Pokemon to set up for a sweep when the opposing team is fully paralyzed. Team Options Mega Lucario is immune to Poison-type moves and can handle Fairy-, Ice-, Poison-, and Steel-types such as Sylveon, Mamoswine, Mega Gengar, and Heatran for Whimsicott. Mega Charizard X is also a nice partner because it can take on Bug-, Grass-, and Steel-types that threaten Whimsicott such as Mega Scizor, Serperior, and Aegislash. In return, Whimsicott can switch into Dragon- and Ground-type attacks aimed at Mega Charizard X. Heatran pairs very well with Whimsicott because it resists or is immune to all of its weaknesses. Whimsicott also does the same for Heatran's weaknesses to Fighting-, Ground-, and Water-type moves. Heatran can deal with Talonflame, Ferrothorn, Aegislash, Mega Gengar, and Weavile, while Whimsicott can take on Garchomp, Rotom-W, and Conkeldurr. Talonflame is also a good partner because it can easily get rid of pesky Grass-types with STAB Brave Bird. Water-types, such as Suicune and Rotom-W, can form a perfect core with Whimsicott and Heatran. Rotom-W can also make use of Will-O-Wisp, softening physical attacks for Heatran and Whimsicott. Both Suicune and Rotom-W can take care of Fire-types such as Blaziken, opposing Heatran, and Rotom-H. Cresselia also makes for a good partner because it can take many attacks and deal passive damage to foes such as Mega Kangaskhan, Mega Salamence, and Mega Blaziken with Rocky Helmet. In return, Whimsicott can take Dark-type attacks for Cresselia.

The standard Whimsicott set. Encore is a great move on Whimsicott, and helps both Whimsicott and its teammates set up. Leech Seed in combination with Substitute is a lethal tactic, making Whimsicott hard to take down if you play it right. Taunt is a great move in the last slot, keeping status at bay as well as preventing other Pokemon from setting up. U-turn can help Whimsicott escape tricky situations or enable it to scout, while Stun Spore can paralyze the opponent, opening up a variety of opportunities for Whimsicott's teammates. Whimsicott can also support its teammates with Sunny Day or Trick Room, the former virtually guaranteed thanks to Prankster. Toxic can help to wear down the opponent in combination with Leech Seed, while Grass Whistle can put the opponent to sleep. Grass Whistle's shaky accuracy makes it a risky move to use though. Light Screen and Safeguard can help Whimsicott's teammates that set up by boosting their Special Defense and preventing status. Set-up sweepers such as Mismagius, Kingdra, and Azelf benefit from Encore, Stun Spore, and Taunt: Encore can lock the opponent into a resisted move, Stun Spore lowers the opponent's Speed stat, and Taunt prevents the opponent from using status moves and setting up itself. Alternatively, Heracross is an example of a slow sweeper that greatly benefits from Stun Spore lowering the opponent's Speed. Leech Seed keeps the aforementioned Pokemon healthy while they set up, and also helps in stalling the opponent. Furthermore, teammates that can take care of Grass-types that might stand in Whimsicott's way are appreciated. Arcanine, Heracross, and Moltres comes to mind, as they resist Grass-type moves and hit back hard with their STAB moves. Pokemon that can set up entry hazards, such as Scolipede or Nidoqueen, pairs well with Whimsicott as it forces a lot of switches.

This has the potential to be the most dangerous (and rage-inducing) set. Substitute and Leech Seed have +1 priority thanks to Prankster. This means that Whimsicott's Leech Seed will hit every other Pokemon first. Encore allows Whimsicott to use Substitute, Cotton Guard, and Toxic repeatedly against Pokemon who use any non-damaging attack or Fake Out. After one Cotton Guard, Archeops' Acrobatics only 3HKOes Whimsicott. With two Cotton Guards under its belt, Whimsicott's Substitutes will almost never break from physical attacks. Double Team is another option to use in the 3rd or 4th moveslot. Less HP EVs are used to make sure that Leech Seed will heal back a larger percentage of Whimsicott's HP. The less HP EVs Whimsicott uses, the more times it can use Substitute. Leftovers increases HP recovery. In conjunction with Leech Seed, Leftovers also makes Whimsicott very difficult to take down. If you are concerned about Taunt from an opponent's Pokemon, consider using Mental Herb. Subseed is a stalling strategy. When looking for teammates, keep in mind that defensively oriented Pokemon will work the best. Common methods for stall teams abuse moves like Swagger and Double Team. This set can't touch Amoonguss at all, so having a teammate that can is a must. Archeops, Tornadus, and Chandelure can quickly dispose of the mushroom with their strong STAB attacks. Mandibuzz is another fine choice. It provides ridiculous bulk and Brave Bird to handle Amoonguss.

Whimsicott is the fastest user of Tailwind and Encore in the whole tier. This makes it one of the best support Pokemon to have on an offensive team. Encore forces the repetition of non-damaging moves. This allows for free hits and more time to set up a strategy. Helping Hand powers up a teammate's attacks. Tailwind and Helping Hand gives a team a ridiculous advantage, effectively putting Whimsicott's partner at +2 Speed and +1 Attack or Special Attack. Trick Room is useful for reversing the opponent's Trick Room, which would otherwise nullify Tailwind. Occa Berry or Coba Berry is viable if Focus Sash is already held by another member of your team, since surviving an Acrobatics or Heat Wave is very satisfying. Sunny Day is an option for Chlorophyll-based teams. If Taunt appeals to you more than the other moves, it is definitely worth consideration. One major benefit of Taunt is that it stops Tornadus from using Tailwind and Amoonguss from using Spore. Anything with middling Speed and high Attack or Special Attack is a good teammate for Whimsicott. Haxorus, Darmanitan, Hydreigon, and Chandelure love Tailwind's benefits, and provide a Heat Wave resistance for Whimsicott. All of those Pokemon are quite offensive and have moves with a large Base Power. Darmanitan and Chandelure especially love Sunny Day. It takes away their weakness to Water-type attacks and adds power to their strongest STAB attacks.

Thanks to Sun Stone, Cottonee can evolve at level one. Whimsicott is the fastest Pokemon on the field once it gets up Trick Room. Endeavor will bring enemy Pokemon's HP down to an extremely low number. This means that a teammate can easily pick off weakened opponents. Encore still has a priority of +1 and helps tremendously against Pokemon that use Fake Out, Tailwind, and Protect. Helping Hand may be used in the last slot if you are just looking to quickly do as much damage as possible. However, Protect prevents priority moves from finishing off Whimsicott after Focus Sash's activation. The best partner for this set is Scrafty. The lizard with pants gets Fake Out to help set up Trick Room. Scrafty also functions quite well in Trick Room, and quickly racks up Attack boosts (thanks to Moxie) with the help of Endeavor. Carracosta is another good partner. It can protect both Pokemon from spread attacks with Wide Guard, has a low base Speed, and a great ability that acts as a Focus Sash.

This set focuses on abusing Terrakion's ability to quickly raise it to +4 Attack. This, along with Tailwind, will tear down unprepared teams. Charm lowers the Attack of threats like Conkeldurr and Scrafty before they can damage Terrakion. Trick Room can reverse the opponent's Trick Room while Terrakion safely uses Protect. The best way to execute this strategy would be to use Tailwind on Turn 1 while Terrakion uses Protect. Whimsicott can then use Beat Up on Terrakion on Turn 2. Helping Hand, on top of the boosts, can help Terrakion to KO Reuniclus and Amoonguss. Threats to Terrakion are susceptible to Charm, and Focus Sash users can be KOed by Whimsicott's Beat Up. Terrakion is the best among the legendary bull trio to make use of Beat Up's Attack boosts. Virizion could work instead, but Terrakion gets the job done a lot better thanks to its strong spread attacks and better coverage. Cobalion does not have the typing or movepool to do anything as game-breaking as Terrakion.

Tailwind support is one of Whimsicott's many talents, and perhaps the most useful. Doubling your Pokemon's Speed is increasingly valuable in a metagame swimming with Drizzle and Drought abusers, and the threat of Encore and Taunt can keep Trick Room at bay. For many reasons, Encore is the preferred second move. First and foremost, If your opponent Protects or sets up their field effects, you can lock them into a useless move for a few turns, potentially until Encore runs out of PP or your timer is running short because of Encore's priority. If the opponent is locked into a useless move, you can gang up on it more easily as it will most likely switch or fail to Protect itself. Encore can be slightly situational, so Taunt is an acceptable alternative. Taunt prevents field effects from going up and opponents from using Protect, allowing your partner to safely dispatch the Taunted Pokemon or at least dent the switch-in. Giga Drain's main purpose is to keep Whimsicott from being Taunt bait, but it does have the perk of healing Whimsicott and dealing respectable amounts of damage to Pokemon it hits super effectively. For example, it 2HKOes 4 HP Terrakion and 252 HP Gastrodon, and OHKOes any Kabutops without a Rindo Berry or Focus Sash. Protect is a standard move in VGC, especially as Whimsicott has a tendency to be double-targeted. If you don't feel like playing conservatively with Whimsicott, Helping Hand can easily take Protect's place as your opponent probably won't want to Protect in front of Whimsicott until you reveal you don't have Encore or Whimsicott bites the dust. The EV spread lets Whimsicott Speed tie with or outspeed other Whimsicott, Thundurus, and Tornadus in order to Taunt or Encore them before they can do the same to you. If you're feeling particularly unlucky or don't want to risk the tie, a Mental Herb can be used in Focus Sash's place. If you want more Giga Drain recovery, you can consider moving the HP EVs into one of Whimsicott's defenses so Giga Drain will recover a greater percentage of its HP. The fourth slot is also flexible; moves such as Light Screen, Stun Spore, and Fake Tears are excellent replacements. Fake Tears in particular helps Whimsicott recover more health with Giga Drain. Being a fluffy cottonball with noodles for limbs, Whimsicott obviously isn't doing much without teammates to take advantage of its support. Pokemon that can make use of Tailwind are obvious teammates; a few examples are Hydreigon, Chandelure, Heatran, Rotom-W, and Rotom-H. The majority of these Pokemon also discourage the use of Blizzard and Heat Wave. Hydreigon can make use of Whimsicott's ability to prevent unexpected Protects to fire off devastating Draco Meteors, and Chandelure can reverse Trick Room if you're concerned about it getting up between Encore and Taunt. Pairing Whimsicott with a Fake Out user is a great way to pressure the opponent into Protecting, though it works better if you lead with a more immediately threatening Pokemon and switch to Whimsicott. Mienshao and Hitmontop are good standbys that are fortunate enough to possess both Fake Out and Wide Guard, while still maintaining a solid offensive presence. Furthermore, Hitmontop can play mind games with Sucker Punch, daring the opponent to select a support move to dodge it, and if you're using Taunt, Sucker Punch is guaranteed to hit.

Similar to FEARgle of the late VGC 2010, Level 1 Whimsicott aims to set up Trick Room and bring the opponent down to at least 12 HP, at which point even a feather could KO even the beefiest of opponents. Encore is a great move to have on any Whimsicott, and this set is no different. One could even argue that Level 1 Whimsicott makes the most use of it, since after a successful setup, the opponent will be even more hard-pressed to select Protect to keep their precious Pokemon's HP from being taken down to near zero in one hit. Taunt is completely acceptable as well to prevent them from using Protect to thwart Endeavor or your teammate's attacks or reversing Trick Room. Protect is vital on this set, as opponents may pack more than one priority user or Pokemon with access to ExtremeSpeed—such as Lucario and Dragonite—and double target Whimsicott in hopes of crushing the fluffy menace. The EVs, IVs, and nature are all geared towards raising Whimsicott's Special Defense; the only purpose of this is so Download Porygon2 and Porygon-Z receive a boost for Attack instead of Special Attack. Unless your opponent has vision problems, mental handicaps, or is waving to their friends and family at his first VGC event and not looking at the screen during Team Preview, your opponent is most likely going to notice that your Whimsicott is Level 1. This throws any semblance of surprise factor out the window, so usual Trick Room supporters work best here. Hitmontop and Hariyama both possess Fake Out, Wide Guard, and priority moves to finish off Pokemon weakened by Endeavor. Scrafty may not have Wide Guard or priority moves, but it can still take a bite out of Ghost-types hoping to absorb Endeavor with Crunch. Scizor is widely known for its priority Bullet Punch, but it can also use Feint to break through Protect and finish off weakened Pokemon, or gang up on an unfortunate victim to ensure Endeavor succeeds. Togekiss is a great Follow Me user, and it can also use ExtremeSpeed and Air Slash to finish what Whimsicott started. Clefable is another good Follow Me user to use in Trick Room. In addition to forming a cute combination with Whimsicott, it can use a Toxic Orb and Magic Guard to avoid a crippling Spore or Sleep Powder. Leading with another Trick Room user, such as Gallade or Jellicent, might look like a bad idea, but if you're confident with your prediction skills, you can run circles around Trick Room's usual checks. Beyond support Pokemon, familiar faces such as Snorlax and Rhyperior make good Trick Room attackers.