Base Stats
HP: 100
Attack: 75
Defense: 115
Sp. Attack: 90
Sp. Def: 115
Speed: 85
Abilities
Pressure: The Pokémon raises the foe’s PP usage.
The version mascot of Pokémon Crystal is not to be taken lightly. With almost unrivaled mixed defenses, a phenomenal typing both offensively and defensively, Suicune is a Pokémon one should always be prepared for. And yet, you may ask yourself, why does a Pokémon so good sit in the Underused tier? The answer is quite simple: Manaphy. Manaphy has better speed, Special Attack, a more useful ability in Hydration, and can make use of almost all of the same strategies. Since Manaphy, the King of the Seas, has fallen out of Ubers and into the Overused tier this generation, you might also ask “why use Suicune at all?” Well, I would argue that while slightly outclassed offensively, Suicune plays the role of the bulky sweeper much better than Manaphy. There is only one set that the Aurora Pokémon can pull off in Overused without being totally overshadowed, and if you choose to run this set, it should definitely be considered for a role on your team. Let's take a look.
(Calm) Mind Over Matter
Suicune
Hold Item: Leftovers
Nature: Bold
EVs: 252 Defense, 252 HP, 4 Special Defense
Scald
Rest
Sleep Talk
Calm Mind
The main goal of this set is to either switch into something you resist or utilize a free switch-in and begin using Calm Mind. The main appeal of Suicune - its natural mixed bulk - shows itself here. Maximum investment in Defense allows Suicune to take hits like a champion and become extremely bulky after one Calm Mind, and after a second, it becomes incredibly difficult to stop. Thundurus, one of the premier Electric-type special attackers this generation does not even score a 3KO on Suicune with Thunderbolt once Suicune has two Calm Minds. On the physical side, it is especially hard to take down as its bulk is backed by the high burn rate from Scald, which can cripple any physical attacker willing to go head-to-head with the Aurora Pokémon. However, Suicune's bulk has one fatal problem, that being it has no reliable recovery and must rely on Rest to heal itself. But, Suicune is one of the few Pokémon truly capable of relying entirely on Rest for recovery. Once it has a few Calm Minds under its belt, it can easily outlast the three turns of sleep while using Sleep Talk to gain extra boosts or deal nasty damage with Scald.
One of the lovely aspects of this set is that is does not require a lot of team support. It carries its own recovery, does not require clerical support (Rest deals with paralysis, poison and burns), and is bulky enough to ward off some of the most dangerous Pokémon once it has started to boost. However, as this is a mono attacking set, there are some Pokémon who will wall you no matter how beefy Suicune gets, regardless of boosts or circumstance - basically, anything with an immunity to Water-type attacks. Jellicent, while mostly having lost its niche in Overused as a bulky spin blocker, is still a perfectly viable Pokémon, and can block Scald with Water Absorb and Toxic you, resulting in a stalemate. The same can be said about Vaporeon. However, the most dangerous of all with its Water immunity is Gastrodon. Carrying its own reliable recovery, and receiving a Special Attack boost from every Water-type attack thanks to Storm Drain, Suicune simply cannot afford to stay in on the sea slug.
Unaware Clefable and Quagsire can use their abilities and reliable recovery to stall out Suicune, although this will be more difficult if they get burned. If using a Calm Mind-abusing Clefable, it can also ignore Suicune’s Special Defense boosts and hit back hard with STAB Moonblast. Quagsire is… not so lucky.
Additionally, while Suicune's high defensive stats and threat of burns mostly prevent this, you should also look out for powerful physical attacking Pokémon that hit Suicune for super-effective damage. While not the most dangerous of Pokémon, Conkeldurr, especially the Guts/Assault Vest set analyzed by Jayden Silver here, can cause Suicune problems. The Scald burn only serves to power it up, and the Assault Vest protects it from serious damage. Include the ability to Knock Off its Leftovers and sap Suicune's high HP stat with Drain Punch, and you’ve got yourself a pretty great Suicune counter.
Anyway, I hope this has convinced that you that the Aurora Pokémon is every bit as wonderful as the legends have told you. There are other ways to use Suicune, but they are generally outclassed by this set, as unsupported, base 85 Speed and 90 Special Attack are a bit underwhelming, and you’ll have trouble dealing any significant damage and outspeeding important threats.
- Alltheginjoints
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