Basculin Movesets & Competitive Sets

Moves Waterfall has a chance to make the opposing Pokemon flinch, while running Liquidation is another option for slightly more power. Aqua Jet allows Basculin to revenge kill faster Pokemon that are weakened such as Choice Scarf Primeape. Ice Beam deals with Grass- and Dragon-types such as Tangela, Torterra, and Altaria that would otherwise check Basculin. Superpower hits Water-resistant threats such as Ferroseed, Abomasnow, and Drampa the hardest, while Crunch covers Jellicent and Jynx. Set Details Waterium Z gives Basculin a one-time nuke against Pokemon like Regirock and Type: Null, whereas Life Orb is more consistent in dealing damage to the opposing team for the course of the entire battle. The recoil can end up being Basculin's enemy over time, however. Adaptability boosts Basculin's Water-type STAB moves even further to the point where they heavily wear down the opposing team. A Naive nature enhances Basculin's Speed without hindering the power of its Ice Beam, allowing it to outrun threats such as Oricorio-E and Silvally-Fairy. Usage Tips Basculin functions primarily as a physical wallbreaker by slowly breaking down physically bulky Pokemon over time. Due to its poor bulk, Basculin should never be switched into any attacking move unless it absolutely has to, in order to preserve its longevity. Basculin does have to be aware of Pokemon with Water-type immunities such as Poliwrath, Gastrodon, and Jellicent as well as Pokemon that resist Water, which include Ludicolo, Lanturn, and Silvally-Water. However, with its coverage moves, Basculin can function as a lure for some Water-type answers such as Jellicent and Ferroseed, opening the door for teammates like Lycanroc to take them out after they've been weakened. Basculin should almost always be using Liquidation or Aqua Jet and not reveal coverage until absolutely necessary, since both Water-type moves are boosted by Adaptability. Basculin should use its Adaptability-boosted Aqua Jet to revenge kill threats that are faster than it such as Dodrio, Choice Scarf Primeape, and Alolan Dugtrio. Team Options Grass- and Electric-types such as Lurantis and Lanturn threaten Basculin, so Pokemon such as Oricorio-G and Mudsdale are helpful to come in and check these Pokemon. Basculin dislikes priority users such as Kangaskhan and Lycanroc, so physical walls such as Regirock and Tangela are ideal teammates that can come in to take their priority moves and force them out. Similarly, Basculin loses to most Choice Scarf users such as Primeape and Scyther, so pair it with a physical wall like the ones mentioned above so that they can keep these revenge killers in check. Basculin does not appreciate taking damage from entry hazards because they wear it down over the course of the battle, so a hazard remover such as Hitmonchan or Skuntank can remove them and open doors for Basculin's teammates. Skuntank also resists Grass-type moves from Pokemon such as Tangela that hurt Basculin and can also Pursuit trap Choice Specs Jellicent. Teammates that appreciate Rock- or Ground-types such as Aggron and Mudsdale being removed work well with Basculin; these teammates include physical Skuntank and Scyther. Entry hazard setters such as Torterra, Regirock, and Roselia make great teammates, as Basculin can force switches to wear down the opposing team with the hazards. Although Basculin does possess coverage moves to hurt Water-type Pokemon such as Poliwrath and Jellicent, having faster or powerful Pokemon such as Alolan Raichu and Eelektross to cover them will help it, while the aforementioned entry hazard users can indirectly chip Basculin's counters in range of its coverage options.

Moves Waterfall is Basculin's main STAB attack and is boosted by Adaptability, which allows it to hit neutral targets very hard. Zen Headbutt allows Basculin to KO Roselia, which would otherwise completely wall it. Ice Beam allows Basculin to hit Grass- and Dragon-types such as Tangela, Gourgeist-XL, and Altaria. Aqua Jet, which is also boosted by Adaptability, is used to pick off threats such as Ninetales and Raichu once they have been weakened to a low amount of health. Set Details Basculin utilizes maximum Speed and Attack EVs, as it 2HKOes Grass-types such as Gourgeist-XL and Tangela with uninvested Ice Beam regardless and bulk investment is unnecessary. A Naive nature is used over a Jolly nature so Ice Beam isn't weakened. Another viable option is a Naughty nature, giving Basculin much more power at the cost of some Speed, which prevents it from outspeeding Pokemon such as non-Choice Scarf Mr. Mime. The last of the EVs are placed into Special Attack to minimize passive damage. Life Orb gives a boost to all of Basculin's attacking moves, granting it the chance to OHKO Pokemon, such as Probopass, and letting it freely select different moves at the cost of recoil damage every turn. Usage Tips Bring Basculin in on a free switch against a Pokemon it outspeeds or a Pokemon with Aqua Jet. Use Basculin to punch holes against balanced and defensive teams alike or to finish off threats in the late-game. Don't leave Basculin in against faster Pokemon that can OHKO it, such as Ninjask and Raichu, unless they have been weakened to the point where they are KOed by Aqua Jet. Basculin is very frail and takes a lot of damage from the weakest of attacks, so don't leave it in against possible priority moves. Don't switch Basculin into strong attacks, as it will usually be 2HKOed even by resisted hits. Scout certain Water-weak Pokemon such as Ninetales, Stunfisk, and Probopass in case they are carrying Passho Berry to survive an attack and OHKO Basculin. Team Options Basculin works well with strong wallbreakers such as Stoutland and Ninetales that can weaken bulkier Pokemon such as Politoed and Gabite for Basculin to clean up. Grass-types such as Tangela and Roselia work well with Basculin as they can check Water- and Grass-types for it while Basculin checks Fire-types. Slow Volt Switch and U-turn users such as Probopass and Vibrava are great partners for Basculin because they allow Basculin a free switch in. Entry hazard setters such as Roselia and Golem work well in conjunction with Basculin to help wear down its checks such as Politoed for Basculin to finish off.

The best way to use Basculin is by using a simple Choice Band set. However, prediction is necessary to make this set work—there are many Pokemon that can absorb Water-type moves in NU, including Lapras and Seismitoad, and allowing them to freely switch in could result in them using the opportunity to set up. As a result, Pokemon such as these must be dealt with via coverage moves or with other Pokemon before Basculin can freely use its STAB moves. Waterfall is its main STAB option; because it's powered up by Adaptability, it hits fairly hard. Basculin's Aqua Jet is the strongest in the tier thanks to Adaptability, and because of this, it is powerful enough to 2HKO frailer foes, such as Primeape, which discourages them from switching in to revenge kill it. Double-Edge allows Basculin to get nearly perfect coverage, hitting every Pokemon in NU bar Cradily, Shedinja, and NFEs for at least neutral damage. Furthermore, it is powerful enough to 2HKO Pokemon that absorb Water-type moves, such as non-physically defensive Seismitoad and Mantine. Superpower is mostly filler, but its high Base Power allows it to inflict massive damage to certain foes weak to the move, including Miltank, Lickilicky, Carracosta, and Cradily. Despite the prediction that this set needs to be successful, a Choice Band is the preferred item for a few reasons. Basculin, especially late-game, rarely finds itself switching moves, meaning being locked into the move isn't as big of a deal. In addition, the extra power is needed for Basculin to have a chance at 2HKOing foes such as Seismitoad with Double-Edge, making a Life Orb slightly underwhelming. Adaptability is heavily suggested for Basculin in order to give it the power it needs to rival its competition. In regards to moveslots, Toxic is a usable alternative to surprise Pokemon that wall it, such as Alomomola and Tangela, but having this move sacrifices coverage and being locked into a non-damaging move can be taken advantage of. Return can be used over Double-Edge if you dislike the recoil damage and do not mind the power drop, but missing out on certain 2HKOs, such as on Seismitoad, could potentially prove game-changing. As previously mentioned, Basculin struggles against Alomomola and Tangela, as both have a very high Defense stat and resist Water. For this reason, Electabuzz is a great partner, as it has Vital Spirit to take a Sleep Powder from Tangela, and it has an Electric-type STAB in order to handle Alomomola. Grass-types that aren't Tangela can also prove to be annoying, as they resist Water. Due to this, Flying-types, such as Braviary and Swellow, can be good partners, easily OHKOing most Grass-types. Although Basculin can hit most of them hard, Pokemon that absorb Water-type moves, including Seismitoad and Lapras, along with Ludicolo, can easily switch into Basculin's STAB. To ease prediction, Electabuzz can help once again because it outspeeds them all and hits most of them hard in return. Eelektross makes a good partner as well, hitting all of them hard with the appropriate move. Eelektross also provides a slow U-turn or Volt Switch to allow Basculin to get on the field safely.