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Grass Knot is great in a tier filled with heavy Pokemon like Metagross and Steelix, and it ensures Suicune cannot comfortably set up on Roserade. Giga Drain is an alternative that provides Roserade some recovery and more damage against Diancie, though it isn't preferred due to its generally lower damage output. Synthesis keeps Roserade healthy throughout a game and helps it check Pokemon like Xurkitree and Rotom-C. Rocky Helmet punishes contact moves like U-turn from Flygon and Heliolisk, and it importantly lets Roserade force out Registeel, since Roserade can easily heal off Registeel's attacks and accrue Rocky Helmet damage. Alternatively, Heavy-Duty Boots lets Roserade ignore opposing entry hazards, notably making it a better check to pivots like Xurkitree and Heliolisk. Natural Cure shrugs off Scald and Will-O-Wisp burns from Milotic, Suicune, and Jellicent. On the other hand, Poison Point can punish contact moves like U-turn from Flygon and Heliolisk. 16 Speed EVs get the jump on Adamant Bewear and Incineroar. Steel-types like Swords Dance Lucario and Cosmic Power Metagross easily set up against Roserade. Flygon, Crobat, and Noivern revenge kill Lucario, Haze Milotic, Incineroar, and Pangoro check Metagross, and Chandelure and Jellicent check both Lucario and Metagross. Fire-types like Chandelure and Entei destroy Roserade, making Water-types like Milotic, Gastrodon, and Seismitoad good teammates. Knock Off users like Incineroar, Heracross, and Escavalier are good partners, as they increase the effectiveness of Spikes and cripple Defog Crobat by removing Heavy-Duty Boots. Steel-types like Steelix, Registeel, and Metagross cover Roserade's Flying weakness. Offensive Pokemon such as Mimikyu, Tyrantrum, and Goodra appreciate Roserade's Spikes softening their checks. Cosmic Power Metagross, Escavalier, and Incineroar check Reuniclus for Roserade. In return, Roserade checks Water-types like Haze Milotic.

Grass Knot's Base Power is consistently average to high in a tier filled with heavy Pokemon like Metagross, Steelix, and Suicune. However, Leaf Storm is better at threatening offensive Pokemon like Nidoqueen and Flygon, as well as Diancie, which takes little damage from Grass Knot due to its low weight. Synthesis allows Roserade to more reliably check Xurkitree and Rotom-C. On the other hand, Sleep Powder can net free turns for wallbreakers or setup sweepers and is great for putting Crobat out of commission. Heavy-Duty Boots keeps entry hazards from pressuring Roserade into repeatedly using Synthesis. However, on teams with sufficient entry hazard control, Black Sludge can be considered for extra recovery, which can help it take attacks more comfortably. This recovery can be further bolstered by running Giga Drain as the Grass-type STAB move. Steel-types like Cosmic Power Metagross and Lucario easily set up against Roserade. Incineroar, Pangoro, and Haze Milotic check Cosmic Power Metagross, faster revenge killers like Flygon, Noivern, and Crobat can check Lucario, and Chandelure and Jellicent check both Lucario and Metagross. Late-game sweepers such as Sharpedo, Mimikyu, and Dragon Dance Flygon appreciate Roserade's Spikes support weakening their checks. They also like Roserade's ability to check Water-types. To increase the effectiveness of Spikes and cripple the common Defog Crobat, Knock Off users such as Incineroar and Heracross are necessary to remove Heavy-Duty Boots. Rock- and Steel-types such as Rhyperior, Steelix, and Registeel check Flying-types, which force out Roserade and remove Spikes with Defog. Fire-types such as Chandelure and Entei are a huge nuisance to Roserade, so bulky Water-types such as Milotic and Gastrodon complement it nicely. Haze Milotic, Heracross, and Cosmic Power Metagross check Reuniclus for Roserade.

Moves Roserade's ability to force switches gives it plenty of chances to use Spikes. Leaf Storm's power is necessary for threatening most relevant Water-types with an OHKO. It also deals hefty damage to anything that isn't both bulky and Grass resistant. Sludge Bomb is a reliable and decently strong STAB move that pressures Leaf Storm switch-ins like Mandibuzz, Noivern, and Goodra. Technician-boosted Hidden Power Fire hits Steel-types for major damage. Synthesis allows Roserade to switch into Water-types more freely and get multiple Spikes layers against passive walls like Registeel but limits it to two attacks. Sleep Powder is an option to make setting Spikes against slower foes even easier and can create setup opportunities for teammates, but it's difficult to fit and misses often. Set Details Roserade's offensive nature makes maximum Special Attack and Speed investment optimal. It needs a Timid nature to stay ahead of the common Speed tiers just below it. Life Orb gives Roserade's attacks even greater potency, an the recoil doesn't matter much thanks to Roserade's already lacking bulk. Poisonium Z can be used to nuke common switch-ins and give Roserade a bit more staying power, but teammates will often want a Z-Crystal more. Technician should always be used when running Hidden Power to strengthen it; otherwise, Natural Cure is optimal for removing Scald burns and other occasional status. Usage Tips Roserade's chances to switch in come from Water-types, walls it can threaten or set Spikes against like Florges, and predicted switches to Pokemon it checks. However, be careful when directly switching Roserade into Water-types; Mega Blastoise 2HKOes it with Dark Pulse or Ice Beam, making aggressive use of Spikes risky. Slowbro can OHKO Roserade on the switch with Psyshock, and Ice Beam Milotic likely 2HKOes. Making double switches is the best way to get Roserade into battle unharmed and is particularly important if it lacks Synthesis. Setting Spikes should be your default action when a foe is forced out, especially if that foe is a spinner or Defogger, but if the opponent is relying on shaky offensive answers to Roserade like Fire-types, smacking them with an attack to limit their switches will lower the pressure they exert. Don't use Leaf Storm recklessly, though; some Pokemon can set up on -2 Roserade, including Ninetales, Zygarde-10%, and Necrozma. Roserade's main job is to set Spikes and punch holes early-game; once it's done so, you're generally free to let it get revenge killed so you don't lose momentum. Keep it around if it's running Synthesis and is a major threat to your opponent's bulky core, though. Team Options Roserade is best suited for particularly offensive teams, which benefit most from entry hazards and don't mind Roserade's lack of defensive value. Sweepers such as Barbaracle, Dragon Dance Zygarde-10%, and Cloyster like having Spikes to make OHKOing foes easier. For example, Spikes damage is necessary for Zygarde-10% to possibly OHKO Milotic with boosted attacks. Defoggers contradict using an offensive Spikes setter, so you'll need a spinner or Magic Bounce user like Mega Blastoise, Donphan, or Espeon if you want entry hazard control. The only Defoggers that Roserade struggles against are Flying-types like Mandibuzz and Mantine, so Pokemon that can punish them like Raikou and Tyrantrum are advised. Roserade gets forced out easily; you can use the likes of Noivern and Goodra to switch into Fire-types and try bulky blanket checks like Cresselia and Porygon2 to absorb Zygarde-10%'s Thousand Arrows. Choice Scarf or priority users such as Gardevoir and Golisopod can minimize the damage dealt by foes exploiting Roserade.

Moves Spikes and Toxic Spikes allow Roserade to set up entry hazards for its team. Sludge Bomb is a powerful move with a high chance of poisoning the foe and is the move Roserade uses as its main form of offense. Leaf Storm does an incredible amount of damage to Pokemon that aren't specially defensive or resistant to it. Giga Drain, however, can restore health and doesn't result in a Special Attack drop at the cost of power. Sleep Powder allows Roserade to cripple opposing Pokemon and can be used to allow Roserade to set up more entry hazards. Hidden Power Fire can hit Steel-types such as Forretress which otherwise wall Roserade while Extrasensory can hit Pokemon such as Crobat, Chesnaught, and Toxicroak, all of which can take Roserade's other attacks. Hidden Power Ground is also an option to hit opposing Tentacruel, Nidoqueen, Entei, and Chandelure hard while maintaining coverage against Steel-types. Set Details Technician allows Roserade to boost its Hidden Power's damage output. If you forgo Hidden Power, Natural Cure can be a nice option to allow Roserade to avoid incoming Scald burns or paralysis. Life Orb is used to boost the power of Roserade's moves, and 29 HP IVs allow Roserade to take minimal recoil damage from it. Alternatively, Black Sludge allows Roserade to come onto the field more reliably and set up Spikes more easily. A Timid nature with 252 Speed EVs is used to make Roserade as fast as possible, while 252 Special Attack EVs are used to boost its damage output. Usage Tips You should switch Roserade in on slower Pokemon and try to use Sleep Powder. In addition, you can use Sleep Powder on predicted switches to cripple the foe. This will allow Roserade to get at least one layer of entry hazards down. Sludge Bomb should be Roserade's main form of offense, as it is strong, can poison, and has no negative effects. If Roserade has Leaf Storm, it should only be used once as a powerful attack; switching out soon after is recommended. If Roserade has Giga Drain, use it when it is super effective on a foe or when they resist Sludge Bomb. Try to bring Roserade in via Volt Switch or U-turn, as it does not appreciate getting hurt, largely due to its poor physical bulk. Team Options Pokemon that appreciate prior damage to their foes work well with Roserade, as if it sets up three layers of Spikes, grounded foes will lose 25% of their health upon switching in. An example of a Pokemon that appreciates entry hazard support is Entei, which deals massive damage on the switch already. Chandelure can work as a spinblocker, preventing Roserade's entry hazards from being removed. Stealth Rock users help damage the opposing team severely when they switch. Swampert is a good Stealth Rock user to pair with Roserade, as Roserade resists its Grass weakness while Swampert can take physical hits well. Mega Ampharos can handle Fire- and Flying-types. In addition, Swampert, Vaporeon, Alomomola and other bulky Water-types can deal with Fire-types that Roserade struggles against. Hydreigon appreciates entry hazard support and the removal of Fairies. The same goes for Mega Ampharos, and both can get Roserade in safely via U-turn and Volt Switch, respectively. Substitute + Calm Mind Chandelure and Substitute + Calm Mind Suicune greatly appreciate Toxic Spikes support, as it aids them in setting up by wearing foes down. Fire-types such as Darmanitan and Infernape can help deal with Steel-types that wall variants of Roserade that lack Hidden Power Fire.

Moves Synthesis is used for instant health recovery, but it is unreliable because of its low PP, which can be annoying against defensive teams. Spikes allows Roserade to wear the opposing team down when they switch in, while Toxic Spikes works well against defensive teams and stall teams, as it cripples them with poison. Giga Drain allows Roserade to restore a little bit of health while attacking, but it is quite weak. Alternatively, Sludge Bomb can be used as a moderately powerful move with a high chance of poisoning its target. Sleep Powder allows Roserade to cripple Pokemon, but it does not work well with Toxic Spikes. Rest can be used over Synthesis to heal Roserade to full health, and Roserade can cure its sleep by switching out but Roserade becomes setup bait when using it, as it is forced to give the opponent a free turn. However, Rest allows Roserade to PP stall some walls, such as Blissey. Set Details Natural Cure lets Roserade sponge status and remove it when switching. Black Sludge is used for recovery and damages Trick and Switcheroo users if they trade items with Roserade. 240 HP EVs are used to gain maximum Black Sludge recovery and take less damage from entry hazards. 252 Special Defense EVs are used to make Roserade as specially bulky as possible. 16 Speed EVs allow Roserade to outspeed maximum Speed neutral-natured base 60 Speed Pokemon. A Calm nature is used to boost Roserade's Special Defense. You may use both entry hazards if the team definitely needs it, but that is not generally advised, as missing out on another move hinders Roserade. Usage Tips Try to bring Roserade in on weak special attackers. It can easily come in on bulky Water-types such as Suicune and Milotic (even Ice Beam variants do not trouble it that much). Setting up entry hazards is a good idea at this point, as bulky Water-types cannot harm Roserade, so they have to switch or still do nothing to it. If you are running Synthesis, you should use it sparingly, as it has limited PP. Giga Drain or Sludge Bomb should be used as Roserade's attacking move and Sleep Powder should be used to cripple foes. Team Options As Roserade is extremely physically frail, it appreciates Pokemon that can take these hits. Forretress can do this and aid Roserade in wearing down the team with its own entry hazards, but you must beware of the Fire weakness they share. Rotom-H can burn physical attackers, take physical hits for Roserade, and has good type synergy with it, resisting its Fire- and Flying-type weaknesses. Bulky Water-types such as Suicune and Milotic can deal with Fire-types that trouble Roserade. Mega Ampharos can deal with its Flying weakness, but both it and Roserade need support to deal with Ice-types. Substitute + Calm Mind Chandelure and Substitute + Calm Mind Suicune greatly appreciate Toxic Spikes support from Roserade, as it helps them set up by weakening foes.

Rather than attacking prowess, this set focuses on Roserade's above-average Special Defense and ability to lay hazards reliably. Even uninvested, Roserade's Special Attack is fearsome. Giga Drain is a reliable STAB that keeps Roserade's HP in supply alongside Black Sludge, and Sludge Bomb allows Roserade to provide a slight offensive pressure while having a 30% chance to poison opponents, helping to bring walls down. Rest is a last-ditch attempt to patch up Roserade's HP if Giga Drain and Black Sludge aren't getting the job done. Natural Cure also allows Roserade to heal itself of sleep upon switching out, and keeps it healthy. Synthesis can be used over Rest as it doesn't put Roserade to sleep, but it has less PP and won't recover all of Roserade's HP. This set's EVs are designed to maximize Roserade's Special Defense while allowing it to outpace slower Pokemon, such as Modest Empoleon and Qwilfish. An alternative EV spread of 252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Spe may be used to take advantage of Roserade's high Speed stat. Aromatherapy can be used to help cure Roserade's teammates, but a cleric role is better left to bulkier Pokemon such as Umbreon and Togekiss who can take advantage of their immunities and better bulk to find opportunities to heal their team. Toxic Spikes can replace Spikes, but holds little merit due to how common other Roserade and Toxic Spikes-immune Pokemon are. Hidden Power Ice and Hidden Power Fire can leave a mark on Pokemon such as Crobat and Zapdos or Bronzong and Bisharp, respectively. Stun Spore can be used over Sludge Bomb if your team desires paralysis support. Pokemon such as Slowbro and Snorlax that can switch into strong and fast attackers make good teammates for Roserade, as they can give Roserade room to lay Spikes without fear of being OHKOed early on in the match. Pokemon that aren't extremely powerful and dish out a lot of close 2HKOs, such as Sharpedo and Yanmega, really appreciate Spikes support from this Roserade, as this allows them to break through walls and continue their sweeps.

As an illustration of just how much raw power this set has, it can potentially 2HKO Snorlax after Stealth Rock damage. STAB Leaf Storm decimates not only the common Water-, Rock-, and Ground-types it hits for super effective damage, but also many Pokemon neutral or even resistant to Grass. Sludge Bomb is a more reliable STAB, which has the benefit of nailing opposing Grass- and Fire-type Pokemon for significant damage. Reasonably bulky Pokemon such as Arcanine and Shaymin might try to switch into Roserade expecting a Grass move, only to be surprised by a 2HKO and OHKO respectively. Sludge Bomb also has a 30% chance of poisoning, which might help cripple walls. Sleep Powder makes this set incredibly difficult to counter, as otherwise reliable counters can be rendered useless if they switch into the move. Roserade can proceed to bombard the slumbering Pokemon with high-powered moves, or switch out and present a setup opportunity for a teammate. Hidden Power Fire prevents Roserade from being walled by Steel-types such as Bronzong and Cobalion while adding onto neutral coverage alongside Roserade's dual STAB. Synthesis is the recovery move of choice for sets using Life Orb as it allows Roserade to stay in battle and keeping attacking. Rest is more useful for sets using Choice Specs, as it needs to switch out after locking itself into a recovery move anyways. Switching out after using Rest allows Roserade to clear the sleep status and brings her back to perfect condition. Extrasensory can be used in the fourth slot to deal significant damage to Fighting-type switch-ins such as Heracross, while dealing more to Crobat and opposing Roserade than Hidden Power Ice. The choice of item depends on whether Roserade plays the role of sweeper or wallbreaker. Life Orb is more suited for the general sweeping role as it has the freedom to stay in and change moves, while Choice Specs allow Roserade to perform as a powerful wallbreaker designed to hit and run. What nature you decide to use is up to your stand on the millennia-old debate of speed versus power. Timid allows Roserade to get the jump on anything slower than neutral Porygon-Z, such as Heracross without a Choice Scarf, Nidoking, and Adamant Arcanine. Modest simply makes Roserade more of a monster, and its benefit is simple: deal extra damage. Hidden Power Ice decimates other common switch-ins to Roserade, namely Crobat, Togekiss, and Zapdos. Giga Drain can be used over Leaf Storm to alleviate Life Orb recoil, but is significantly weaker and will prevent Roserade from 2HKOing Pokemon such as Snorlax. Spikes can replace Sleep Powder or Rest to bluff a defensive set, and is useful in case your team struggles with bulky walls. However, Roserade must then use Giga Drain over Leaf Storm, as Leaf Storm is illegal with Spikes. Roserade likes being paired with Pokemon that resist Flying-, Fire-, and Ice-type attacks, such as Suicune, Slowbro, and Rhyperior. Pairing Roserade with Pokemon such as Rhyperior, Qwilfish, or other Pokemon that can supply entry hazards eases Roserade's sweeps, turning many 2HKOs into OHKOs. Wish support from Umbreon or Togekiss is also appreciated by Roserade, as it keeps Roserade alive longer without having to rely on Synthesis or Rest to restore its HP.

Moves Roserade’s offensive profile and decent defensive prowess make it a good Spikes user. Grass Knot is Roserade’s best offensive move, OHKOing Swampert and 2HKOing Suicune, most Tyranitar, Gyarados, and Hippowdon. As Grass Knot hits lighter Pokemon such as Clefable and especially Rotom-A for negligible damage, Energy Ball is a reliable alternative. Unfortunately, Energy Ball is not as effective at powering through Tyranitar and offensive Suicune, especially if Suicune has a Calm Mind boost and outspeeds Roserade. Another option to maximize Roserade’s effectiveness against Breloom and Dragon-types such as Latias and Dragonite is Sludge Bomb. However, Poison is not a good offensive typing and leaves Roserade walled by Ground-types. Hidden Power Fire helps Roserade hit Steel-types such as Skarmory, Scizor, Forretress, Metagross, and Jirachi, generally at worst 3HKOing them. Hidden Power Ice hits Dragon- and Flying-types instead, OHKOing Flygon, Dragonite after Stealth Rock, and Gliscor while doing acceptable damage to Latias. Both Hidden Power Fire and Ice hit Breloom hard. Roserade can also use Hidden Power Ground to hit Heatran or forgo Hidden Power entirely and use a support option such as Aromatherapy or Rest; however, it sorely misses coverage. The last slot is most commonly Stun Spore, as it helps prevent foes from setting up on Roserade unimpeded if it can’t hit them hard. However, Roserade can also use both Spikes and Toxic Spikes to get multiple entry hazards up. Another option is to maximize Roserade’s matchup with Breloom and use Sleep Talk. This is often most effective with either Energy Ball or Sludge Bomb, as both options always break Breloom’s Substitute, or it sets up Spikes. Set Details Roserade needs heavy Defense investment to survive against foes it checks such as Breloom and Swampert. Maximum HP EVs, near maximum Defense, and a Bold nature emphasize this. The Speed EVs outspeed neutral nature Tyranitar, Swampert, and Empoleon. Roserade has a naturally high Special Defense stat and is a decent mixed wall with full investment. Roserade can also focus on its Special Defense to better answer Electric-types such as Zapdos and Rotom-A, as well as offensive Water-types such as Suicune and Starmie, with an EV spread such as 252 HP / 44 Def / 188 SpD / 24 Spe with a Calm nature. Defensive Roserade should always invest at least 44 Defense EVs to avoid being OHKOed by offensive Swampert’s Earthquake, but can also run around 124 Defense EVs to survive Choice Band Scizor's Bullet Punch. While Roserade does enjoy Natural Cure healing status effects on switch out, Poison Point is the most common ability to better absorb Breloom’s Spore. Roserade can also use a fully offensive EV spread with Spikes, Grass Knot, one of Hidden Power Fire or Ice, and Sludge Bomb to act as an offensive Spikes user and hit very hard. However, such a set is extraordinarily frail, still doesn’t have amazing coverage, and doesn’t have Sleep Powder to ease setup. Usage Tips Due to its frailty, Roserade should switch into foes sparingly, preferably coming in on predicted switches or resisted attacks. Even attacks it is meant to take such as Breloom’s Focus Punch and Swampert’s Earthquake can 2HKO it after Stealth Rock. From here, Roserade should try to set up entry hazards immediately, as it often only gets a few turns to make an impact due to residual damage. Roserade, even with Stun Spore, is setup fodder for a lot of dangerous threats in the tier, such as Dragonite and Metagross, so it should be used carefully against very aggressive teams and use its bulk to help weaken or status sweepers rather than setting up in these cases. Should Roserade have both Spikes and Toxic Spikes, getting one layer of both should be prioritized, as the second layer is not nearly as useful. Once it has fulfilled its role of getting up entry hazards, freely sacrificing itself for momentum is often best, as it is slow and often cannot heal effectively. Team Options Roserade is a staple of the Fire-Water-Grass playstyle, as it very effectively lays entry hazards while assisting its Fire- and Water-type teammates such as Heatran, Swampert, and Suicune. Heatran is one its best partners, as both Toxic Spikes and Spikes are highly effective alongside it. Heatran’s Substitute + Protect sets can easily stall out foes such as Swampert and Tyranitar with Toxic Spikes, while Roserade either resists them or hits them super effectively. Roserade is effective with Water-type partners as well, as it can switch into their weaknesses as well as crucially absorb Toxic Spikes. Swampert can help handle aggressive sweepers such as Dragon Dance Tyranitar and Dragonite that Roserade struggles with and very much appreciates entry hazards. Offensive and Substitute Suicune does similarly and can help against Gyarados too. Roserade also loves Steel-types such as Trick + Iron Ball Metagross, Jirachi, and Empoleon to help it deal with Dragon-types such as mixed Flygon, Dragonite, and Latias. To keep entry hazards on the field, Ghost-types such as Rotom-A and Gengar both are very helpful. Both appreciate Roserade’s entry hazards wearing down Tyranitar. As Roserade can let dangerous threats set up, a Choice Scarf revenge killer such as Flygon, Lucario, or Rotom-A is also very helpful. Choice Scarf Tyranitar helps Roserade to keep its entry hazards up by removing Starmie, the most common spinner. However, having multiple weaknessed to Gyarados is unadvised. Offensive sets of good defensive Pokemon such as Swords Dance Gliscor, Calm Mind + Hidden Power Fire Latias, offensive Zapdos, and Hippowdon really appreciate the entry hazard damage and help the archetype deal with threats. Roserade can also be used as an Spikes setter for hyper offensive teams looking to deal with Swampert without using Gyarados. Some example partners include Dragon Dance Tyranitar, Choice Specs Latias, offensive Starmie, Swords Dance or Choice Band Scizor, and Agility Empoleon.

Moves Roserade’s Speed, access to Sleep Powder, and power make it the prime contender to lay down Toxic Spikes for both offensive and balance teams early-game. Without Spikes, Roserade gains access to its two best offensive tools: Sleep Powder and Leaf Storm. Sleep Powder heavily pressures slower foes lacking a Lum Berry, such as some Metagross, slower Jirachi sets, Skarmory, defensive Latias, and Clefable, and gives Roserade opportunities to attack or set up Toxic Spikes. Leaf Storm is Roserade’s most powerful option and does a lot of damage to foes that don’t resist it, such as having a chance to OHKO bulky Azelf and OHKOing Suicune, Gyarados, and Tyranitar without any defensive EVs after Stealth Rock. Even frailer Grass resistances such as Breloom and Infernape can take a lot of damage, and its raw power is enough to dissuade grounded Poison-types such as Nidoqueen, Tentacruel, and Qwilfish from switching in to absorb Toxic Spikes. Hidden Power Fire is the most common option in the final moveslot, 2HKOing Skarmory, Metagross, and Breloom while OHKOing Scizor and Forretress. However, the lower Speed IV may be disadvantageous against opposing Roserade and Lucario. On the other hand, Hidden Power Ground nails Heatran, OHKOing versions without defensive EVs after Stealth Rock while still hitting Metagross and Jirachi. Hidden Power Ice hits Dragonite, Gliscor, offensive Latias, and Flygon more effectively. Set Details Roserade needs maximum Speed and Special Attack to most effectively use its offensive prowess to put foes to sleep and set up Toxic Spikes. While the power of a Modest nature is very nice for OHKOing most Azelf leads trying to Taunt Roserade, Roserade sits in a very crowded Speed tier with neutral nature Flygon, Jirachi, and Zapdos, as well as Rotom-A and Suicune, and appreciates a Timid nature. If Roserade has Hidden Power Fire, it can invest some of the extra Speed into Defense to better survive attacks, although the effect is negligible. Both Focus Sash and Black Sludge are effective items; however, Focus Sash should only be used if Roserade leads, as it is very frail, and Focus Sash gives it another chance to either set up Toxic Spikes, use Sleep Powder, or attack should the latter two miss or if the foe is faster. Black Sludge is the item of choice if Roserade doesn’t lead and is instead an early-game attacker. Usage Tips Roserade should come into the game early or lead and either use Sleep Powder, attack, or lay Toxic Spikes. Against faster Taunt leads such as Azelf and Aerodactyl, Roserade should just attack as they Taunt it, as Leaf Storm can OHKO them should they lack a Focus Sash. Against leads that might carry a Lum Berry such as Gyarados, Metagross, and some Machamp, just attacking or getting Toxic Spikes up is a good idea. Otherwise, it’s often best to Sleep Powder, especially if the foe is slower. Any lead can carry a Lum Berry or survive Roserade’s options, so metagame trends and what the rest of the team needs can dictate what to do, such as using Sleep Powder into leads like Machamp or just attacking into something like Skarmory. If Roserade doesn’t lead, the fact that Sleep Powder is uncommon outside of the lead slot can be leveraged, especially with Black Sludge. This can lead to sleeping Steel-types or Dragon-types or other important Pokemon. While Roserade is not particularly bulky, it can afford to take weaker special attacks such as defensive Swampert's Ice Beam or Rotom-A's Thunderbolt, giving it a chance to exert pressure. Roserade will usually only set one layer of Toxic Spikes, as most pokemon don't stay long enough on the field to make the second turn of setup worthwhile. However, when facing bulky Pokemon such as Hippowdon, Blissey, Milotic, and Celebi, inflicting Toxic poison can be valuable. In this situation, Roserade should aim to set the second layer of Toxic Spikes as soon as possible. Team Options Roserade is the best offensive Toxic Spikes user in the metagame, so it has many viable partners. Gengar is a fantastic teammate for Roserade, as Toxic Spikes wear down Choice Scarf Tyranitar very effectively. As Tyranitar is perhaps the only check for Taunt or Substitute Gengar on defensive teams, wearing it down or potentially KOing it is extremely helpful. Roserade’s Sleep Powder also often targets Steel-types or bulkier Pokemon, which can survive Gengar’s attacks. Other potential partners include Choice Scarf Rotom-A, offensive Latias, Zapdos, and Starmie. Substitute attackers such as Heatran and Substitute Zapdos are also great choices, as Toxic Spikes can help wear down their checks. Other offensive Heatran sets such as Choice Scarf also enjoy Toxic Spikes wearing down Fire resistances. Offensive Roserade is unique in that it’s a sacrificial lead that needs bulkier teammates to effectively use Toxic Spikes. As such, it often needs a good defensive core to backstop it should the foe set up on it. Some good choices include using Roserade alongside bulky Ground-types such as Hippowdon and Swampert to better handle Dragon Dance sweepers such as Dragonite and Tyranitar, bulky Steel-types such as Jirachi, Scizor, and Metagross for Latias and Flygon, and using it on a Fire-Water-Grass core alongside options like Heatran and Suicune. Good Roserade partners are Pokemon that already handle Pokemon immune to Toxic Spikes like Clefable, Steel-types, and Flying-types well. Some other examples include Swords Dance Gliscor, Agility Empoleon, and Kingdra. Choice Scarf revenge killers such as Flygon and Latias are also helpful to take down worn down foes and backstop Roserade.

Moves As sleep moves have limited distribution in DPP OU, Roserade is a prominent disabler in the lead slot with a Choice Scarf. Unlike Breloom, the other prominent Choice Scarf sleep user, Roserade outspeeds Aerodactyl and hits much harder with Leaf Storm. With a Modest nature, Roserade OHKOes physically bulky Azelf with Leaf Storm before it can Taunt or set up Stealth Rock, outspeeds and OHKOes +1 Tyranitar and Gyarados after Stealth Rock, and OHKOes Suicune after it uses Calm Mind. Hidden Power Ice is effective against Dragonite and other Dragon-types, but +1 Extreme Speed is dangerous. While Hidden Power Fire forces a lower Speed IV, it at least 2HKOes many Steel-types such as Skarmory, Jirachi, Metagross, and Scizor. Hidden Power Ground is another option to hit Heatran. However, Roserade is then locked into a weak Hidden Power. Sludge Bomb rounds out the set, as it provides good neutral coverage and OHKOes Breloom. Toxic Spikes is another option to use on forced switches, but foes may take advantage while Roserade is Choice locked into Toxic Spikes. With a Choice Scarf, Roserade is often guaranteed to set up a layer, which can be valuable against foes such as Tyranitar, Swampert, and Suicune. Set Details Roserade sits at a valuable speed tier and wants close to maximum Speed EVs. Roserade enjoys having as many Special Attack EVs as possible to make it easier to OHKO Azelf and generally hit harder. However, it only needs a minimum of 192 Speed EVs with a neutral nature to outspeed Aerodactyl after the Choice Scarf boost, meaning the rest can be put into bulk. While Roserade can use a Timid nature with 252 Speed EVs to outspeed slower Choice Scarf users such as Heatran, Rotom-A, and neutral nature Flygon, its incredible vulnerability to priority makes it a comparably poor revenge killer. As such, it’s often better to use an EV spread such as the one given or 64 Def / 252 SpA / 192 Spe. Roserade can use either of its abilities, but Natural Cure is often preferred to maintain its Speed should it get paralyzed. However, Poison Point makes it for a nice absorber of Breloom’s Spore. Usage Tips Roserade typically leads and uses Sleep Powder on the first turn. It should only deviate from this against common Lum Berry leads such as Azelf, Gyarados, and Machamp or against leads it can KO such as Swampert and Tyranitar. This is critical to prevent Stealth Rock or other entry hazards from going up, as Roserade generally can KO or incapacitate most users provided Sleep Powder hits. Once it either attacks or uses Sleep Powder, it should switch to avoid being taken advantage of, as all of its attacks have heavy drawbacks when locked into. Once it has slept something, Roserade should be fairly cavalier with its health, as it has performed its job, although it is a serviceable revenge killer against Dragon Dance Gyarados and Dragon Dance Tyranitar with its Speed and power. As Choice Scarf Roserade is uncommon, these sweepers might be unexpectedly taken out by Leaf Storm. However, switching it directly into resisted attacks should be avoided, as it is very frail, especially on the physical side. Team Options As a disabler, Choice Scarf Roserade is generally used alongside aggressive teams that appreciate Roserade's higher Speed and power over Breloom's reliability, better bulk, and typing. Stealth Rock weak teammates such as Dragon Dance Gyarados, mixed or Dragon Dance Dragonite, and Zapdos are good partners, as Roserade typically can KO or use Sleep Powder on Stealth Rock users. Zapdos is an especially good partner, as Roserade can potentially get up Toxic Spikes unimpeded, crucial for supporting SubRoost sets against Ground-types and Tyranitar. Roserade needs backup should it get taken advantage of, so bulky Steel-types such as Jirachi, Metagross, Bronzong, Scizor, and Skarmory are good partners to stop Dragon-types such as Dragonite and Latias from taking advantage of bad Choice locks. As Roserade can't be relied on to check Speed boosting or priority sweepers such as Dragon Dance Dragonite, Agility Empoleon, Swords Dance Scizor, and Swords Dance Lucario, other backup is needed against these Pokemon. Some options include Choice Scarf Magnezone, Ice Shard Abomasnow, and bulky Ground-types such as Swampert. Other aggressive teammates such as Dragon Dance Tyranitar, offensive Empoleon, offensive Calm Mind Jirachi, and Camerupt also make for good teammates. Taunt + Dragon Dance Tyranitar is an especially good teammate, as Roserade is not as effective against defensive teams, but it can can be a good short-term Breloom switch, and it commonly targets Dragon Dance Tyranitar checks with Sleep Powder.