Exploud Movesets & Competitive Sets

This set attempts to wallbreak as best as it can with Boomburst while using its great coverage to hit Pokemon that resist Boomburst. However, Exploud is outclassed by Swellow, which possesses the same Scrappy Boomburst that Exploud has, because Swellow is faster, can pivot on bad matchups, and can revenge kill. Other special attackers like Gardevoir and Raikou also outclass Exploud due to higher Speed, way better defensive utility, and, importantly, a way better typing.

Moves Boomburst hits extremely hard and bypasses Substitute. Fire Blast hits Steel-types that are designated to sponge Boomburst, which include Escavalier and Bronzong. Focus Blast can target Rock-types such as Rhyperior and Cradily, whereas Surf can be used to KO Rhyperior in one shot and provides accurate coverage against weakened foes. However, Sleep Talk can be used instead to absorb sleep for the team. Set Details Scrappy is the best ability, as it allows Exploud to hit Ghost-types with Boomburst. Choice Specs makes Exploud hit harder, and because Exploud will mainly be spamming Boomburst, it does not mind being locked into the move. Maximum Special Attack EVs and a Modest nature make Exploud hit as hard as possible, although a Timid nature is an option to outspeed threats such as Adamant Absol. Maximum Speed EVs let Exploud outspeed some threats such as uninvested Xatu. Usage Tips Exploud has bad bulk, so it should be brought in after a teammate has fainted or on a double switch. It is also a good idea to bring Exploud in through the use of Volt Switch or U-turn, although you should be careful if this means Exploud has to take a hit. Exploud should be played as a hit-and-run attacker, as it is easy to revenge kill. That being said, the main move Exploud should be using is still Boomburst. Because Exploud has limited opportunities to attack, try to hit switch-ins such as Bronzong and Diancie with the appropriate coverage move. Team Options Fast sweepers such as Fletchinder and Jolteon appreciate how Exploud can break down walls for them. Fletchinder can also lure in Steel-types and weaken them with Will-O-Wisp. Volt Switch and U-turn users such as Eelektross, Rotom-C, and Meloetta can bring Exploud in for free. Other options for teammates include Sticky Web users such as Smeargle to help Exploud with its bad Speed.

Exploud's above average attacking stats make it a viable wallbreaker. Hyper Voice provides Exploud with STAB and works well in conjunction with Scrappy to deter Ghost-types from switching in. Surf hits the Rock-types that resist Hyper Voice, while Fire Blast targets Steel-types. Low Kick takes advantage of Exploud's usable Attack and hits several of the special walls that take Exploud's other moves easily, most notably Lickilicky and Regice. The power boost provided by Life Orb makes it the only viable item. With Life Orb, Exploud can 2HKO Lickilicky after Stealth Rock damage with Low Kick. The Speed EVs allow Exploud to outspeed Modest Ludicolo. Unfortunately, it is unable to outspeed Timid Ludicolo or any other mildly fast attacker, making it vulnerable to offensive teams. Hammer Arm is a very viable option over Low Kick because it can inflict more damage upon Audino and Zweilous, but the Speed drop means that Exploud will still lose to Miltank. Ice Beam can hit Altaria hard, but it doesn't have much use otherwise. Entry hazard setters are very useful for Exploud to make up for its average power. Golurk and Seismitoad are good teammates to set up Stealth Rock, which allows Exploud to gain KOs on Misdreavus, Lickilicky, and Torkoal. Garbodor and Roselia are good Spikes users, giving Exploud the opportunity to score KOs on several Pokemon, including Golurk, Bastiodon, and Alomomola. Pokemon that enjoy the removal of physical walls are good teammates for Exploud, with Kangaskhan, Golurk, and Samurott being good examples. Fighting-types, such as Sawk and Primeape, are notable for appreciating Exploud's ability to beat Misdreavus and Weezing. Teammates that can handle opposing Fighting-types, such as Musharna and Misdreavus, are very beneficial. Misdreavus is especially helpful because it can also act as a spinblocker to prevent the entry hazards Exploud benefits from being easily removed.

Exploud's defenses aren't too great, but he has the movepool and attacking stats to threaten anything, making him more than capable of using Substitute to his advantage. While a mixed set is more comfortable dealing with defensive teams, Substitute Exploud can tear apart offensive teams with proper prediction. Return returns (pardon the pun) as the preferred STAB move, with good Base Power and no drawbacks, while Earthquake and Crunch cover everything that resists Return. Substitute is a given, and Leftovers help Exploud cope with the health loss from making Substitutes. As for the given EV spread, Attack is maximized so that Exploud can deal as much damage as he possibly can. Then, HP is pumped so that Exploud can create 101 HP Substitutes, punishing foes that rely on Seismic Toss to deal damage, namely Chansey. The remainder is sent to Speed, conveniently allowing Exploud to outspeed all neutral nature base 40 Speed Pokemon, most notably Rhyperior. Some defensive Pokemon also tend to lurk around this Speed tier, however, so additional Speed EVs can be invested in order to outpace them as well. The benefits of a simple maximum Attack and maximum Speed spread are also there, so that's also an option, and so is everything in between, really. Low Kick and Hammer Arm make viable alternatives to Earthquake here, though Low Kick doesn't have consistent damage and Hammer Arm lowers Exploud's already barely-adequate Speed. Entry hazard support is especially useful here because of the typical switch-causing effect of a Substitute set. Spikes are good for hitting the grounded targets that Exploud usually lures in, and they can be set up by Qwilfish, who resists Fighting. Special attackers such as Mismagius make great offensive teammates here because of their ability to bring out Registeel and Chansey, two Pokemon that Exploud can set up on with particular ease. The reverse is true in the case of Mismagius, who can easily set up on the kind of Pokemon that Exploud attracts.

Exploud's eloquent movepool backed up by his impressive mixed attacking stats allow him to put a dent on just about anything in UU with the right move. This set takes advantage of this quality to maximize Exploud's potential. Return is Exploud's most appropriate STAB move, having absolutely no drawbacks and sporting a very respectable Base Power. Earthquake covers those annoying Steel- and Rock-types that resist Return, while Crunch does the same for Ghost-types, who sport an immunity to Return. Having already achieved perfect coverage with those three moves, the fourth slot is for a leisure move more than anything else. Surf OHKOes Rhyperior, who would otherwise be able to take an Earthquake and retaliate, and does more damage to the likes of Steelix and Donphan as well. On the other hand, Ice Beam deals massive damage to Torterra and Altaria. Life Orb gives Exploud the power he needs to achieve the KOs he does, which is why it's the recommended item here. As always, Leftovers is still a viable alternative for survivability. Low Kick has roughly the same coverage as Earthquake, but is only more powerful against Pokemon already covered by Surf or Ice Beam. The EVs maximize Attack and give Exploud enough speed to outpace positive-natured base 50s such as Aggron. The rest is then sprinkled into Special Attack to power up the fourth move. Seeing as Exploud is an offensive Pokemon, entry hazards will be very helpful in improving his chances of success by passively weakening the opposition, securing KOs he may not have had otherwise. Claydol and Nidoqueen are great Pokemon for this, and they both can switch into the Fighting-type moves that Exploud fears. Paralysis support is also favorable for the slow Exploud, and it can be easily provided by an ample number of Pokemon; Rotom, Venusaur, and Uxie being just some of them. Finally, Pokemon that can take advantage of a weakened defensive team make great teammates, particularly those that attempt to set up and sweep late-game.