Aurorus Movesets & Competitive Sets

Moves Blizzard is the strongest attack in Aurorus's arsenal, and it becomes rather spammable due to Snow Warning increasing its low accuracy. Freeze-Dry gives Aurorus coverage for Ice-resistant Water-types, allowing to take advantage of builds that rely on Water-types to check Ice-types. Earth Power gives Aurorus coverage for Fire- and Steel-types such as Simisear and Metang. Stone Edge is Aurorus's best move to target Articuno and Cryogonal. Set Details A Timid nature in tandem with a Choice Scarf allows Aurorus to outspeed Pokemon in the base 110 Speed tier and below such as Alolan Dugtrio and Scyther. Snow Warning increases Blizzard's accuracy, thus making it reliable. Snow Warning also disrupts weather teams, since it removes the weather they set up, and helps chip away at Aurorus's switchins. Usage Tips Despite lacking a power-boosting item, Choice Scarf Aurorus still functions as a wallbreaker that excels more against offense due to its heightened Speed allowing it to outpace typical offensive checks, and it can also function as a late-game cleaner due to its decent Speed and solid Special Attack. Keep in mind that once Aurorus's set has been revealed, it is much easier to deal with due to its attacks not being as strong as usual, so refrain from making it obvious that Aurorus is using a Choice Scarf unless it is necessary to KO a foe. Aurorus can act as an emergency check to weather teams due to Snow Warning and its ability to outspeed Chlorophyll and Swift Swim users under hail, so after a teammate has been KOed, bring Aurorus in to deal with them. Aurorus should refrain from switching in if Stealth Rock is on its side of the field due to the chip damage shortening its longevity. Similarly, Aurorus should also refrain from switching in on stronger, neutral attacks due to its bulk being only average and this leaving it more susceptible to priority. Keep in mind Stone Edge is quite weak and should only be used to catch Cryogonal and Articuno switching in. Team Options Since this set struggles heavily with specially defensive Pokemon, Aurorus appreciates physical wallbreakers such as Mudsdale and Stoutland tearing through most of them. In return, Aurorus can weaken their defensive checks like Qwilfish and remove some of their offensive checks like Oricorio-E. Aurorus appreciates checks to Fighting-types, since they threaten it with 4x super effective STAB attacks, so Pokemon such as Golurk and Oricorio-E are good teammates. Entry hazard removal from Pokemon such as Skuntank is appreciated, since Aurorus's weakness to Stealth Rock can prove quite troublesome when it attempts to switch in on more passive Pokemon. Entry hazard support is also nice due to Aurorus's inability to KO certain offensive checks without a bit of chip damage, so Pokemon such as Metang and Clefairy make for good partners. Despite using a Choice Scarf, Aurorus is not the best way of keeping faster Pokemon in check due to its low Speed, so additional Choice Scarf users such as Primeape and priority moves from Pokemon such as Hitmonchan and Skuntank are appreciated.

Moves Blizzard is Aurorus's strongest attack and becomes rather spammable due to Snow Warning perfecting its otherwise low accuracy. If Aurorus is using Refrigerate over Snow Warning, Hyper Voice should be used. Although it's slightly less powerful than Blizzard and doesn't offer hail to further wear down checks, it does comes with the advantage of hitting Pokemon such as Oricorio-G through their Substitutes and doesn't chip away at any of Aurorus's teammates. Freeze-Dry allows Aurorus to hit Ice-resistant Water-types such as Jellicent, Lanturn, and Poliwrath for super effective damage. Earth Power gives Aurorus coverage for Ice-resistant Pokemon such as Aggron, opposing Aurorus, and Alolan Sandslash. Hidden Power Rock targets Articuno, which would otherwise stall Aurorus out of Blizzards and put it on a timer with Toxic. Flash Cannon can be used over Hidden Power Rock to dent Assault Vest Crabominable, potentially 2HKOing after Stealth Rock damage if Aurorus is Modest. Flash Cannon also threatens to cleanly OHKO opposing Aurorus and 2HKO Cryogonal and specially defensive Articuno. Set Details A Modest nature maximizes Aurorus' damage, but a Timid nature can be used instead to outspeed Pokemon like Hitmonchan, Lanturn, and Jolly Aggron as well as Omastar in exchange for some of its power. Choice Specs amplifies Aurorus's wallbreaking capabilities, making its attacks harder to switch into. Snow Warning should be used if Blizzard is chosen over Hyper Voice, as this increases Blizzard's accuracy and chips away at Aurorus's switch-ins. Refrigerate is an alternative that turns Hyper Voice into a strong Ice-type attack and doesn't come with the drawback of wearing down Aurorus's team and crippling teammates that rely on weather-dependent recovery such as Roselia. Usage Tips This set is geared towards wallbreaking, and while it can do so at almost any point, it is best when used to punch holes in teams early-game. While Aurorus's bulk is good, it shouldn't recklessly switch in on attacks it doesn't resist, especially if Stealth Rock is on its side of the field. Aurorus should mainly get in after one of its teammates is KOed, through the use of Volt Switch or U-turn, or on double switches. However, it can switch in on weaker, resisted attacks from the likes of Skuntank and Oricorio-E or on the predicted use of recovery moves against foes like Sableye. Once in, Aurorus should mainly use its strongest Ice-type move, as it will deal a heavy amount of damage to most foes. While both moves are rather spammable, if Aurorus predicts an Ice-resistant foe to switch in, it should use the appropriate coverage move to deal with them. This allows it to more reliably spam Blizzard or Hyper Voice late-game. Aurorus is capable of beating certain offensive threats in a one-on-one situation such as Silvally-Dragon and Swanna; however, doing so often requires Aurorus to take a fair amount of damage first and leaves it unable to break as effectively, so be cognizant of such a trade. Team Options Fighting-types such as Hitmonchan and Primeape pair well with Aurorus due to their collective ability to break Steel-types and weaken the specially defensive Pokemon that Aurorus finds itself struggling with. Hitmonchan can offer Aurorus much-appreciated entry hazard control, while Primeape can get Aurorus safely in versus Pokemon like Mudsdale with U-turn. Checks to Fighting-types are also important because of Aurorus's 4x weakness to their STAB attacks, so Pokemon such as Jellicent, Qwilfish and Silvally-Fairy make for good partners, with Silvally-Fairy in particular providing Aurorus with safe switches thanks to Parting Shot and hazard control in Defog. On that note, Aurorus's weakness to Stealth Rock makes entry hazard removal support from Pokemon like Swanna very desirable. Swanna is also capable of checking Fire- and Fighting-types for Aurorus, while Aurorus weakens the specially defensive Pokemon that Swanna tends to bait in such as Eelektross. In addition to hazard removal, entry hazard support is also appreciated due to it further weakening Aurorus's checks, so Pokemon such as Clefairy, the aforementioned Qwilfish, and Omastar make good partners. Late-game special sweepers such as Combusken and Omastar appreciate Aurorus punching holes in teams so that they have an easier time finishing them off. Choice Scarf users such as Primeape and Scyther and Thunder Wave users such as Clefairy can help keep Aurorus's offensive checks in check, giving it an easier time with breaking. Primeape and Scyther can both use U-turn to pivot into Aurorus, which is appreciated due to this giving it an easier time switching in. Other pivots such as Eelektross and Lanturn are good at getting Aurorus in safely against foes, and those two can both further support Aurorus by wearing down switch-ins with Knock Off and Toxic, respectively. If Aurorus is running Snow Warning, Alolan Sandslash makes for a perfect partner due to Slush Rush doubling its Speed under hail. Alolan Sandslash can break through Pokemon like Audino and Clefairy for Aurorus, which both pose as annoyances due to their high special bulk and can also clean late-game.

Moves Blizzard is Aurorus's strongest attack, and it is not hindered by its low accuracy thanks to Snow Warning. Encore dissuades the use of entry hazards, setup moves, and recovery, allowing Aurorus to either set up Stealth Rock or use Blizzard with fewer issues. Rock Tomb prevents Ice-types such as Articuno from freely switching in on Aurorus. It also lowers the Speed of foes, which helps Aurorus outspeed opposing leads and set up Stealth Rock more easily while also supporting slower teammates. Earth Power is another option for the last slot, which allows Aurorus to remove Aggron and damage Alolan Sandslash on the switch. Freeze-Dry provides useful coverage alongside Blizzard, but is somewhat unnecessary coverage for the set as it doesn't need to be able to significantly damage Water-types like Poliwrath or Lanturn in most cases. Set Details Focus Sash allows Aurorus to always take one hit from full health, meaning that it will almost always set up Stealth Rock or use Blizzard. Snow Warning is chosen to perfect the accuracy of Blizzard, to break opposing Focus Sash and Sturdy, and to chip away at defensive Pokemon. Usage Tips Aurorus should almost always be the lead for teams, as its main priority should be to set up Stealth Rock as soon as possible. After doing so, Aurorus should mainly use Blizzard to punish incoming entry hazard removers or Encore to disrupt them as they remove Stealth Rock. Aurorus doesn't need to be preserved like other users of Stealth Rock, since it is a lead, so don't feel too pressured to keep it around. However, if it is paired with Alolan Sandslash, it may prove useful not to let it get KOed immediately after setting Stealth Rock due to the hail support Aurorus offers. If running Encore, use it on the predicted use of entry hazards, setup moves, or recovery moves, as this can create chances for Aurorus to set up Stealth Rock or use Blizzard, as well as setup opportunities for Aurorus's teammates. If using Rock Tomb, use it on faster foes such as Simisear so that Aurorus has a better chance of either setting up Stealth Rock or using Blizzard. Team Options This set functions best on offensive teams that can take advantage of the entry hazards and hail racking up damage on opposing teams. The more offensive the team, the less likely it is that Stealth Rock can be removed. Due to Slush Rush doubling its Speed under hail, Alolan Sandslash appreciates having Aurorus as a partner, as this gives it an easier time breaking through and sweeping teams. Setup sweepers such as Alolan Persian, Omastar, and Oricorio-E appreciate their defensive switch-ins being worn down by a combination of Stealth Rock and hail damage as well as Aurorus's ability to potentially create setup opportunities for them with Encore. Spinblockers such as Jellicent, Oricorio-G, and Sableye prevent the removal of Stealth Rock via Rapid Spin and also pressure common users of Defog such as Silvally-Fairy and Skuntank. Due to Defiant allowing it to deter and punish the use of Defog in an attempt to remove Stealth Rock, Primeape can make for a good partner. Spikes setters like Roselia and Qwilfish pair well with Aurorus, as they apply further pressure to teams by increasing the residual damage they're forced to take when switching.

Moves Stealth Rock is used as soon as possible to help Aurorus's teammates sweep by taking a little of the foe's health upon switch-in, which can put some Pokemon in KO range and break potential Focus Sashes. Freeze-Dry is a STAB move that hits Water-types such as Mantine, Swampert, and Primarina super effectively. Hidden Power Fire allows Aurorus to KO Scizor and is generally used as a coverage move against Steel-types. Encore stops opposing Pokemon from freely removing Stealth Rock or setting up on Aurorus by locking them into a certain move, and it can also be used to create setup opportunities for teammates. Common targets of Encore include Mega Aggron and Klefki. Blizzard can be used over Hidden Power Fire, but although it hits harder than Freeze-Dry and will never miss in hail, it leaves Aurorus unable to beat Scizor. Thunder Wave can be used over Encore to cripple faster threats such as Cobalion and Infernape. Set Details The given EV spread coupled with a Timid nature allows Aurorus to hit as hard as possible while outspeeding Modest Primarina. Snow Warning is necessary to let Alolan Sandslash set Aurora Veil and help Aurorus deal with opposing Focus Sash users in a single turn. A Focus Sash is used to more reliably set up Stealth Rock at lead. A Modest nature can be used to deal more damage, but it comes at the cost of Primarina outspeeding Aurorus. Usage Tips Aurorus should be used as a lead and set up Stealth Rock as early as possible. Against opposing leads that carry Taunt, such as Azelf, attacking them is generally recommended. Lead Kabutops should be OHKOed immediately through a combination of Freeze-Dry and hail; if it attacks, it is unlikely that Aurorus will set up Stealth Rock but neither will your opponent. If it opts to set up Stealth Rock, Aurorus's Focus Sash will remain intact, and it can still set up Stealth Rock on its partners; Alolan Sandslash can likely remove the Stealth Rock on your side of the field later. Hidden Power Fire should be used to OHKO Scizor if possible, as Aurora Veil-based teams often lack a good way of dealing with it if setting up Aurora Veil fails. Encore is mainly used to lock opposing Defog and Rapid Spin users into these moves, forcing them to switch out or risk becoming setup fodder. This helps in keeping up Stealth Rock and generating setup opportunities for Aurorus's teammates. Team Options Alolan Sandslash should be on every team with Aurorus, as its ability Slush Rush allows it to outspeed many Pokemon and set up Aurora Veil reliably. It also beats many common Defog users such as Gligar and Hydreigon, helping it keep up the Aurora Veil. Life Orb Swords Dance Scizor is also an especially good teammate and almost mandatory on any Aurora Veil team, as its boosted moves allow it to be an incredible wallbreaker and cleaner, and it can revenge kill some of the bigger threats to hyper offense such as Mega Aerodactyl. Threatening setup sweepers such as Calm Mind Latias, Dragon Dance Haxorus, and Nasty Plot Salazzle make for great partners, as they have an easy time setting up behind Aurora Veil and become hard to stop once they get rolling. Bulkier threats such as Substitute + Calm Mind Suicune and Swords Dance Doublade also profit from Aurora Veil, as it allows them to set up to extremely threatening levels with ease.

Moves Rock Polish allows Aurorus to outspeed every relevant Pokemon in the metagame after a boost. Hyper Voice is Aurorus's best Ice-type STAB move due to being boosted by Refrigerate. Freeze-Dry is super effective against Water-types like Alomomola, and Earth Power rounds out Aurorus's coverage by hitting Steel- and Fire-types such as Emboar and Houndoom. Dark Pulse and Hidden Power Fire are its strongest options against Bronzong and Escavalier, respectively, with Dark Pulse also being able to deal sizable damage to Jellicent. However, both of these moves cannot KO Bronzong or Escavalier without significant prior damage, so Earth Power is recommended due to its overall consistency. Set Details 252 Speed EVs with a Timid nature allows Aurorus to outspeed Choice Scarf Medicham after a Rock Polish boost. Against defensive and slower teams, where Rock Polish is not as necessary, a Timid nature also ensures it can outspeed Pokemon such as Modest Exploud and Adamant Scrafty, allowing Aurorus to consistently check or force out these threats. 252 Special Attack EVs along with a Life Orb makes Aurorus hit as hard as possible, maximizing its chances of cleaning the opposing team. Usage Tips This is set is designed to make Aurorus sweep late-game; therefore, do not try to set up until its counters are weakened to the point where Aurorus can OHKO them, as Aurorus's many weaknesses often mean it cannot survive a hit back. Early-game, try and weaken counters such as Bronzong and Escavalier, and maintain entry hazards on the opponent's side of the field. Try to set up on Pokemon that either cannot significantly damage Aurorus or get forced out by it, such as Fletchinder, Golbat, Aromatisse, Meloetta locked into Hyper Voice, and Exploud locked into Boomburst. Keep in mind that Aurorus has above-average bulk, so it can survive most neutral hits in order to set up. Also, keep in mind that Aurorus needs slight prior damage to OHKO Pokemon such as Scrafty and Rhyperior, among others. Against more defensive teams, Aurorus can be directly threatening without the use of Rock Polish, as it can outspeed most defensive Pokemon naturally and hit them hard. Team Options Because Aurorus is weak to Stealth Rock, entry hazard removers can maximize Aurorus's chances of setting up a Rock Polish. Hitmonlee can use Rapid Spin while also threatening the Steel-types that check Aurorus. Pursuit trappers can help weaken Aurorus's counters such as Bronzong, Uxie and Mesprit. Skuntank is a good user of Pursuit due to its access to Defog, while Houndoom can threaten Escavalier and use Pursuit on it as it switches out. A slow pivot, such as Eelektross, helps to get Aurorus into the field safely. Other attackers that can deal with Steel-types can help wear them down, such as Meloetta and Exploud.

Moves Aurorus is a good user of Stealth Rock because it can utilize its immense offensive presence to keep it on the field. Hyper Voice is Aurorus's strongest STAB move due to it being boosted by Refrigerate. Freeze-Dry hits Water-type Pokemon hard, being able to 2HKO Alomomola. Finally, Earth Power rounds out coverage by hitting Steel- and Fire-types such as Aggron and Houndoom. Dark Pulse and Hidden Power Fire can be used over Earth Power to hit Bronzong and Escavalier, respectively, both of which would otherwise have little to fear from Aurorus. Dark Pulse also hits Jellicent hard. However, Earth Power generally has the best consistency, as in addition to Houndoom, it deals with the less common Delphox and Registeel as well. Set Details Maximum Special Attack EVs with a Life Orb are used to hit as hard as possible. A Timid nature is usually preferred over a Modest nature in order to outspeed Adamant Scrafty and Speed tie with Jolly Scrafty. Aurorus will also be able to outspeed Modest Exploud, which it checks. However, a Modest nature can be used for greater power. Usage Tips This set is best used on teams looking for an offensive Stealth Rock user that can directly threaten Defoggers, due to its powerful Ice-type STAB moves, while also being able to punch significant holes in the opposing team. Because of its offensive presence, Aurorus can force many switches, which it should use to set Stealth Rock. Try to bring Aurorus in on a Pokemon it can threaten and wall. Such examples include Choice item users locked into an ineffective move, such as Meloetta, Exploud, and Delphox, or slower defensive Pokemon such as Golbat, and Aromatisse. Aurorus can also easily sponge hits from some offensively inclined Pokemon without a super effective move, such as Fletchinder. When possible, avoid switching Aurorus in on direct damage, as it is extremely vulnerable to being worn down by entry hazards and Life Orb recoil. After Stealth Rock has been used, the best move to spam is Hyper Voice, since it is immensely powerful and there are very few Pokemon that resist Ice and have reliable recovery. If your opponent has a defensive Steel-type such as Bronzong or Escavalier, it is very likely they will send it out to take a Hyper Voice, so predict accordingly. Team Options Aurorus loses one-fourth of its health whenever it switches into Stealth Rock, so entry hazard removers are essential. Hitmonlee can provide Rapid Spin support and threaten the Steel-types that Aurorus struggles with, while Skuntank can use Defog to remove hazards and Pursuit to weaken checks such as Bronzong, Uxie, and Musharna. In general, Pursuit users can help whittle down Aurorus's checks, most notably Bronzong. Houndoom can both threaten and Pursuit-trap on Escavalier, making it a good partner. Aurorus also works well with teammates that similarly dislike Steel-types, as it can weaken Steel-types for them. Examples include Choice Scarf Meloetta and Mega Glalie. Pivots such as Eelektross are able to get Aurorus in safely.