Chesnaught Movesets & Competitive Sets

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Moves Spikes takes advantage of Chesnaught's bulk to set up multiple layers. Taunt stops opposing Pokemon from using a variety of support moves, including Defog, entry hazard moves of their own, Wish, status moves, and setup. The third moveslot is up to preference. Leech Seed gets more passive recovery while wearing foes down, and Synthesis gives Chesnaught a method of reliable recovery. Roar prevents Chesnaught from being setup fodder for faster Pokemon, especially Substitute users, but limits Chesnaught's recovery to just Leftovers. On the last slot, Drain Punch is a good reliable Fighting-type STAB move that helps Chesnaught regain some HP lost. For more power, Wood Hammer is a fine option as a Grass-type STAB move at the cost of some recoil damage. Set Details 172 Speed EVs are used to outspeed and Taunt uninvested Cresselia, Suicune, and Gligar, preventing the former two from setting up and the last from using Defog or Stealth Rock. It also stops all three of the aforementioned Pokemon from recovering back any HP lost. HP is then maxed out, and the remaining EVs are invested into Defense to still maintain good physical bulk. An alternative EV spread of 252 HP / 164 Def / 92 Spe can be used to outspeed up to uninvested Florges while still outspeeding standard Jellicent, Vaporeon, Umbreon, and Alomomola. Speed can be further invested in to outspeed specially defensive Roserade and defensive Arcanine, requiring 228 and 252 Speed EVs, respectively. A Jolly nature with 228 Speed EVs can also be utilized to outspeed 24 Speed Tentacruel. Leftovers is run to give more passive recovery, which is especially effective if you are running Leech Seed. Bulletproof is chosen to grant immunity to moves such as Shadow Ball and Sludge Bomb that Chesnaught would normally not appreciate getting hit by. Usage Tips Try setting up Spikes or go for a Leech Seed on predicted switches to wear opposing Pokemon down. Use Synthesis to recover when Chesnaught does not have a lot of HP to avoid being worn down. If you choose to run Roar, use it on switches to fast Defog and Rapid Spin users such as Crobat and Tentacruel, respectively, to prevent entry hazard removal, as Taunt from Chesnaught cannot deal with these. Also, try to avoid revealing Taunt too early. It is best to use it when the foe is low on HP and needs to recover, or if setting up entry hazards or Defogging is an extremely obvious move. Team Options Bulky Water-types such as Suicune and Vaporeon can take Fire- and Ice-type attacks for Chesnaught. Vaporeon in particular is a good cleric to get rid of Chesnaught's status ailments, but other clerics such as Florges and Umbreon also work as partners. Tentacruel has relatively good synergy with Chesnaught, is able to set up Toxic Spikes, and can Rapid Spin away opposing entry hazards. Both have to be careful of strong Psychic-type attacks, though. A teammate that can handle fast Defog users, particularly Crobat, would be handy, as Crobat can easily threaten Chesnaught out. Rhyperior is a good partner for that reason and is also able to set up Stealth Rock alongside Chesnaught's Spikes. Setup sweepers such as Lucario appreciate Chesnaught's Spikes-stacking and prevention of a slow Defog. They also benefit from walls being unable to recover back any HP lost.

Moves Spikes take advantage of Chesnaught's bulk to set up entry hazards. Leech Seed gives additional passive recovery while wearing opposing Pokemon down. If you would rather opt for a more reliable form of recovery, Synthesis is your best option. Spiky Shield damages foes that try to hit Chesnaught physically and allows you to scout for what the opposing Pokemon is going to do and gain more Leftovers and Leech Seed recovery. Roar can be run over Spiky Shield to prevent Chesnaught from being setup fodder for certain Pokemon, especially those that typically carry Substitute. The last moveslot depends on which offensive move you prefer. Drain Punch is a reliable Fighting-type STAB move that also gets more recovery, while Wood Hammer is a more powerful Grass-type STAB move with the drawback of recoil damage. Finally, Taunt is a viable option that prevents slower Pokemon such as Empoleon and Swampert from setting up Stealth Rock and prevents Empoleon from Defogging away your entry hazards. It also stops Trevenant from burning Chesnaught and Blissey from using any of its support moves. Set Details Maximum HP and Special Defense EVs with a Careful nature maximize Chesnaught's special bulk, giving it good mixed defenses, which allows it to more effectively check Hydreigon, Mega Blastoise, Roserade, and Mega Ampharos. Leftovers gives Chesnaught passive recovery, especially in conjunction with Spiky Shield and Leech Seed if you choose to run them. Always run Bulletproof to allow Chesnaught to take on more threats. Usage Tips Try to set up Spikes or go for a Leech Seed on predicted switches to wear opposing Pokemon down. Use Synthesis to recover when at low HP to avoid being worn down. Use Spiky Shield at times to scout for what move the opposing Pokemon is going to use, which helps against Choice-locked Pokemon. Use Roar on predicted switches into Defoggers such as Crobat and Gligar to prevent them from Defogging for free. Using it against strong special attackers such as Chandelure as they come in is a good idea as well. Note that even with maximum HP and Special Defense investment, Chesnaught is not going to appreciate taking really powerful special hits, so avoid switching it directly into moves such as a Life Orb Hydreigon's Draco Meteor or a Chandelure, unless it is Choice-locked into anything but a Fire-type move. Team Options Bulky Water-types such as Suicune and Vaporeon can take Fire- and Ice-type attacks for Chesnaught. Vaporeon in particular is a good cleric to get rid of Chesnaught's status ailments, but you can also use other clerics such as Florges and Umbreon. Tentacruel has relatively good synergy with Chesnaught, is able to set up Toxic Spikes, and can Rapid Spin away opposing entry hazards. Both have to be careful of strong Psychic-type attacks, though.

Moves Spikes is very important, as it is one of the main reasons to use Chesnaught. It takes advantage of Chesnaught's bulk to set up entry hazards. The second moveslot is a toss-up between two forms of recovery. Leech Seed gives more passive recovery while wearing foes down. Synthesis, on the other hand, gives Chesnaught a method of reliable recovery. Spiky Shield allows you to scout for what the opposing Pokemon is going to do as well as gain more Leftovers and Leech Seed recovery. This also damages foes that try to hit Chesnaught physically. An option over Spiky Shield is Roar, which prevents Chesnaught from being setup fodder for some Pokemon, especially those that typically carry Substitute. The last moveslot depends on which offensive move you prefer. You could run Drain Punch for a reliable Fighting-type STAB move that also gets more recovery, or you could opt for Wood Hammer, a more powerful Grass-type STAB move with the drawback of recoil damage. Finally, Taunt is a viable option that prevents slower Pokemon such as Empoleon and Swampert from getting Stealth Rock up as well as preventing Empoleon from Defogging away your entry hazards. It also stops Trevenant from burning Chesnaught and Blissey from using any of its support moves. Set Details Maximum HP and Defense EVs with an Impish nature maximize Chesnaught's physical bulk, taking advantage of its naturally high Defense stat. Leftovers is run to give more passive recovery, especially in conjunction with Spiky Shield and Leech Seed should you choose to run them. Rocky Helmet is also a good item, as it allows Chesnaught to punish physical attackers that it switches into. Bulletproof should be run 100% of the time, as it allows Chesnaught to take on Pokemon that would normally threaten it, such as Roserade without Hidden Power Fire. Usage Tips Try going for Spikes or a Leech Seed on predicted switches to gradually wear the opponent's Pokemon down. If you choose to run Synthesis, use it whenever Chesnaught is getting low on HP so that it can constantly take on physical attackers and set up more layers of Spikes. Use Spiky Shield at times to scout what the foe is going to do, especially those that run a Choice item. If you are able to predict a switch into a Pokemon that is relatively safe such as a Crobat or a Gligar, use Roar to rack up entry hazard damage on opposing Pokemon while not allowing them to Defog for free. It also can be used against Pokemon such as Suicune that try to use Chesnaught as setup fodder. Do note that although Chesnaught is very physically bulky, it can get worn down easily by strong physical attacks such as Mienshao's High Jump Kick, especially if you are not running Synthesis. Team Options Empoleon is a good partner, as it can set up Stealth Rock while Chesnaught sets up Spikes. It also takes Psychic-, Flying- and Poison-type moves that are aimed at Chesnaught. Clerics such as Florges, Vaporeon, and Blissey can help get rid of the status ailments that Chesnaught typically has trouble with while at the same time sponging special hits that target Chesnaught's low Special Defense stat. If you choose not to run Synthesis, Chesnaught is easily worn down, so a Rapid Spin user is appreciated to get rid of entry hazards on your side of the field.