Illumise Movesets & Competitive Sets

Moves Bug Buzz is the main move Illumise should be using most of the time, as it hits significantly harder than everything else and very few foes resist it when Tinted Lens is factored in. Thunderbolt and Giga Drain can handle a few targets, with the former OHKOing Pelipper and the latter handling specially defensive Golem once Sturdy is broken. U-turn can allow Illumise to pivot out of bad matchups, while Tailwind can be used for team support if Illumise is about to be KOed by a slower Pokemon. Set Details Maximum Special Attack investment, a Modest nature, and Choice Specs all attempt to make Illumise hit as hard as possible. A Modest nature can still be used with U-turn, as its utility is in pivoting rather than dealing damage and Illumise does not want to decrease its mediocre defenses. Tinted Lens is the saving grace of the set, allowing Illumise to hit neutrally with normally resisted moves. This makes Bug Buzz a significantly better STAB move, as it allows Illumise to bypass common Bug-type switch-ins such as Mawile without the need for prediction. Maximum Speed investment allows Illumise to outpace major threats such as Adamant Stoutland and Monferno. Usage Tips Illumise should be sent in on very weak attacks, such as Lumineon's Scald, or on a setup move such as Duosion's Calm Mind. Most specially defensive staples such as Audino and Clefairy can wall Illumise fairly easily, so predict their switches with U-turn whenever possible. Tailwind should only be used if Illumise is about to be KOed by a slower Pokemon, as there is not enough time to exploit the Speed boost if Illumise survives and is forced to switch out. Try to wallbreak as early as possible, as Illumise's late-game utility is extremely low. Team Options Illumise is very quickly worn down by all forms of entry hazards, so spinners or Defoggers, such as Armaldo and Pelipper, are instrumental in helping Illumise to do its work over the course of the match. However, Illumise also loves entry hazard support to chip away at its switch-ins, so Stealth Rock and Spikes setters such as Golem and Roselia are highly useful. Strong physical wallbreakers such as Stoutland and Mawile appreciate Illumise's ability to bait in and pivot out of special walls like Clefairy, giving them a free breaking opportunity. Special sweepers such as Gorebyss can theoretically benefit from Illumise's wallbreaking, if it manages to actually weaken anything bulky.

Illumise's best role is to support her teammates as best as she can with her priority moves, courtesy of Prankster. Rain Dance and Sunny Day are given priority thanks to Prankster and are guaranteed to be set up if Illumise switches in safely. U-turn is usually the best move to use after setting up your selected weather to provide a safe switch-in for your sweepers while wasting as few turns of weather as possible. Encore forces quite a few switches, as locking your opponent into a support move or a resisted attack can give Illumise and her teammates a couple of turns to set up and possibly sweep. Thunder Wave is not quite as useful, but it is excellent for hindering a Pokemon holding a Choice item. It is also effective against naturally fast Pokemon that don't set up. Both Encore and Thunder Wave are best used before setting up weather in order to prevent the loss of too many weather turns, but they are helpful at any time if you use them correctly. Damp Rock and Heat Rock are the best choices for items, each with their respective weathers. The EVs are set to maximize Illumise's physical bulk, since Illumise's typing provides it with resistances to Fighting- and Ground-type moves, which are generally physically oriented. A Bold nature helps with her physical bulk, but Relaxed can do this while also lowering Speed. This is notable for anyone who wishes to have the slowest U-turn possible in order to guarantee that Illumise is the one that takes the opposing attack rather than a teammate. You might also choose to lower Illumise's Speed IVs to 0 with a Relaxed nature in order to be slower than most attackers. There are very few other move options that can be considered for this set, but Roost is the most notable one. Roost extends Illumise's longevity significantly, however her main goal is to support the team. A recovery move is simply distracting Illumise from her real goal: supporting her team. The best teammates for Illumise are weather sweepers that have their abilities activated under their respective weather. Ludicolo, Seismitoad, Floatzel, and Gorebyss are some excellent teammates with Rain Dance, while Exeggutor, Victreebel, Shiftry, and Sawsbuck are great options with Sunny Day. Other bulky weather inducers are highly recommended so that Illumise isn't bearing the burden of setting up weather alone. Rotom-S and Musharna are good rain inducers, Regirock and Gardevoir are good at setting up sun, and Liepard can set up either weather. Volbeat, ironically, makes an excellent partner to set up rain as well, becoming quite a difficult weather inducing duo to take down. Other Pokemon that can take advantage of weather are also good teammates. Jynx and Articuno appreciate rain, for Dry Skin and Hurricane respectively, while Solar Power Charizard and other Fire-types can take advantage of sun's boost to Fire-type moves. Something to remove entry hazards is very useful, as Toxic Spikes reduces a rain teams lifespan, and Stealth Rock does the same to sun teams. Swift Swim Armaldo is a good Rapid Spinner for rain teams, as it receives a useful Speed boost in the rain; likewise, Shell Smash Torkoal is a good Rapid Spin user for sun teams since its Fire-type moves are enhanced in the sun. If you feel like a Rapid Spin user is limiting your offensive pressure, having a Poison-type Pokemon such as Scolipede can help remove Toxic Spikes, while Mold Breaker Sawk can stop most Stealth Rock setters before they can set up.

This set takes advantage of Illumise's access to Encore and ability to pass Substitutes to her teammates. Illumise can switch into supporting moves such as Wish or Recover, use Encore, and then pass a Substitute to a teammate. Bug Buzz prevents Illumise from being rendered completely useless by Taunt, allowing her to dish out at least some form of damage. Charge Beam can replace Substitute if you wish to utilize Illumise's ability to Baton Pass Special Attack boosts. If you want Illumise to become a pure Baton Passer, Bug Buzz can also be replaced. Wish is also an option to pass to Illumise's recipient. It should be noted that Growth is illegal with Baton Pass. The EVs used are so Illumise has maximum bulk while being as fast as possible. Due to Illumise's crippling Stealth Rock weakness, Rapid Spin support is highly recommended. Blastoise is a fantasic Rapid Spinner who resists Fire-type attacks and can reliably spin away Stealth Rock; additionally, it can even pull off a Rapid Spin against Ghost-types thanks to Foresight. Hitmontop and Donphan can do the same, though these Pokemon resist Rock-type attacks, not Fire. As for recipients, virtually any Pokemon that synergizes well with Illumise works just fine. Feraligatr, Rhyperior, and Toxicroak are all excellent Pokemon who can use the protection of Substitute to set up.

Bug Buzz is Illumise's main STAB move, and hits most Pokemon reasonably hard, while Thunderbolt allows Illumise to hit Moltres, who resists Bug Buzz even with Tinted Lens, and Milotic for more damage. Hidden Power Ice is Illumise's most powerful attack against Altaria, while Hidden Power Ground lets Illumise hit Toxicroak and Registeel for super effective damage. The final move depends on what item Illumise is using; if Life Orb is being utilized, Encore can be used to shut down stat-boosters, while U-turn should be used in conjunction with Choice Specs to scout switch-ins. Charge Beam is a decent alternative in the last slot, having a 63% chance (factoring in accuracy) to grab a free Special Attack boost while allowing Illumise to finish off a weakened opponent in the process. Roost is another option in the final slot, enabling Illumise to recover lost health, but she generally doesn't have the time to do so. Chansey and Registeel completely wall Illumise. Moltres (as long as it avoids Thunderbolt) and specially defensive Arcanine can take a hit and roast Illumise to a crisp with their powerful STAB Fire-type attacks. Due to this, Dugtrio is a fantastic teammate thanks to his ability to trap and remove most of Illumise's counters. Rapid Spinners are great parters since they can remove Stealth Rock, allowing Illumise to switch in much more easily. Bulky Water-types, such as Milotic and Slowking, are also wonderful as they are excellent switch-ins to the Fire-types who threaten Illumise. For this reason, Blastoise gives you the best of both worlds, as it can switch into Fire-type attacks and use Rapid Spin to clear away Stealth Rock. Hitmontop and Donphan can switch into Rock-type attacks aimed at Illumise, then spin away Stealth Rock.

If you go with Thunder Wave, use the EVs given, as Speed is irrelevant with a Thunder Wave. If you use Light Screen, you might want to invest a few EVs there.

It's too bad Illumise can't learn Tail Glow, as it can use that much better than Volbeat thanks to a higher Special Attack stat. Oh well. Sub up as much as possible, then Baton Pass out when you cannot kill. You can Substitute down to activate a Salac Berry, which gives you a chance at a sweep if you pass to something with high Speed.