Cherubi Movesets & Competitive Sets

Moves Solar Beam is the most powerful STAB option for Cherubi and naturally finds usage on this set thanks to sun support, which is necessary when using Cherubi. Similarly, Weather Ball becomes a 100-Base Power Fire-type attack in the sun, providing good coverage alongside Solar Beam. Dazzling Gleam is useful for hitting Vullaby, as it 2HKOes all common variants or KOes them in tandem with Solar Beam or Weather Ball after Stealth Rock. Healing Wish can be used once Cherubi is low on health to restore another important Pokemon on the team to full health. Set Details The EV spread and a Modest nature maximize Special Attack and Speed, while the remaining EVs are invested in Defense to take priority attacks better. Chlorophyll is Cherubi's only ability and doubles its Speed under sun. The EV spread lets it hit 13 Speed, allowing it to outspeed Choice Scarf 17 Speed Pokemon with Chlorophyll active. Life Orb makes Cherubi significantly more powerful, securing a variety of 2HKOs; the reduction of HP IVs to 9 allows Cherubi to hit 19 HP, reducing the Life Orb recoil to 1 HP. Usage Tips Cherubi should be utilized to weaken an opposing team's sun checks and therefore should enter the field under sun as soon as possible. When paired with a Pursuit trapper that can switch into Fletchling, such as Cranidos, Honedge, or Pawniard, Cherubi can be used to lure in Fletchling and remove it from play. Stealth Rock should be kept up for as long as possible to extend Cherubi's ability to puncture holes in opposing teams. Stealth Rock has an additive bonus of forcing in Defog Vullaby to clear the field of hazards, allowing Cherubi to take out the unsuspecting target. Use Healing Wish to bring a critical member of the team, often Vulpix or a Pursuit user, back to full health after Cherubi has done its job of softening sun checks. Thanks to Healing Wish, you can play more aggressively to keep sun up. Team Options Vulpix is a mandatory teammate for setting up sun with its ability Drought. In addition, Cherubi works best when paired with another Chlorophyll sweeper such as Bellsprout. Both Cherubi and the other Chlorophyll sweeper appreciate a Pursuit user capable of trapping Fletchling, such as Cranidos or Honedge. Honedge must be wary of sun-boosted Overheat from Fletchling, however. Entry hazard support from Archen, Pawniard, or Drilbur allows Cherubi to get additional OHKOs and 2HKOs, most notably against opposing Vullaby and Larvesta. Offensive threats lacking reliable recovery, notably Pawniard and Timburr, pair well with Cherubi thanks to the Healing Wish support it can provide.

Under the sun, Cherubi can be a excellent special sweeper when given the chance. Once it sets up a single Growth, Cherubi is able to OHKO or 2HKO most Pokemon except Cloud Nine Lickitung and Munchlax. It also has better Special Defense than Bellsprout, which gives it massive competition as a Chlorophyll sweeper. Cherubi's pure Grass typing gives it certain advantages, such as a resistance to Ground-type attacks and neutrality to Psychic-type attacks, giving it more opportunities to set up. Solar Beam is Cherubi's primary sweeping attack due to STAB and high Base Power. Giga Drain provides valuable recovery, and also deters Hippopotas from switching in. Weather Ball is a useful move to have as it can hit a lot of Pokemon which are neutral to Normal-type moves, and can sometimes take advantage of Snover's and Hippopotas's weather-inducing presence in the metagame. Hidden Power Rock helps damage Fire-type Pokemon that would otherwise completely wall Cherubi, and also hits Snover where Weather Ball would fail to cause serious harm. Life Orb is an option over Eviolite, providing more power and can convert previous 2HKOs to OHKOs, though this would make Cherubi extremely vulnerable to priority moves and make it much harder to set up. A Timid nature can be used to outspeed most Chlorophyll sweepers and Choice Scarf users with 18 Speed at the cost of requiring Stealth Rock or Spikes support. Hidden Power Ice or Hidden Power Ground are possibilities, but in comparison with Hidden Power Rock, they provide worse coverage. Fighting-types or Pokemon that can handle Lickitung are good teammates for Cherubi. Stealth Rock or Spikes support is always handy even if you don't run Timid, as it can help Cherubi achieve more OHKOs.

The idea behind this set is to use Chlorophyll to boost Cherubi's Speed. When the sun is active, Cherubi reaches 26 Speed, which is enough to outrun Choice Scarf Mankey, as well as Carvanha and Houndour. Cherubi can either set up Sunny Day itself, or have a teammate do it. A Heat Rock prolongs the sun, giving Cherubi eight turns to decimate the opponent's team. Solar Beam is Cherubi's strongest attack, and has an amazing Base Power of 180 after STAB. Hidden Power Fire is boosted by the sun, and it deals a great amount of damage to Bronzor, Chikorita, and Snorunt. In the last slot, Growth can be used to raise Cherubi's Special Attack, while Synthesis is used for recovery. The EVs are fairly straightforward, maximizing Cherubi's Speed and Special Attack with the remaining 76 EVs in HP for an extra point. Grass Knot or Energy Ball can be used in the last slot if you want a reliable option when it isn't sunny, and Giga Drain gets the best of both worlds; it damages the opponent outside of the sun while restoring Cherubi's health. Leech Seed is another option in the last slot to weaken opponents and leech some health, which works well against opponents with high HP. Pokemon who can set up entry hazards make good teammates. Bronzor and Nosepass can set up Stealth Rock, Snorunt can set up Spikes, and Spinarak can set up Toxic Spikes. Pineco, while weak to Fire-type attacks, can set up all three, and can even provide Rapid Spin support. Gastly makes a good teammate as it can block any attempts to remove the entry hazards with Rapid Spin. Due to its frailty, Cherubi appreciates Pokemon who can set up the sun. Oddish, Hoppip, and Bronzor are all fine choices due to their bulk, typing, and in Hoppip's case, Speed. Fire-types, such as Ponyta and Houndour, are also good partners as they benefit from the sun boosting their STAB moves, and Flash Fire enables them to switch into the Fire-type moves aimed at Cherubi.