Oshawott Movesets & Competitive Sets

Moves Hydro Pump is a very strong STAB attack with the potential to 2HKO many neutral targets, such as Porygon and Spritzee. Ice Beam provides coverage against the Grass-type Pokemon that resist Hydro Pump and is strong enough to 2HKO Foongus, the most relevant defensive Grass-type. Air Slash also provides coverage against Grass-type Pokemon; however, it is specifically used to guarantee the ability to lure in and remove Croagunk, which is KOed by a combination of Ice Beam and Air Slash. Aqua Jet allows Oshawott to pick off weakened foes; this generally comes into play when Pokemon that take neutral damage from Water-type attacks attempt to switch into Hydro Pump, such as Mienfoo. Set Details The given EV spread maximizes Oshawott's Special Attack and Speed in order to maximize its ability to wallbreak; it also Speed creeps the 13 Speed tier, in which only the fastest defensive Pokemon reside. Using a Rash nature boosts Oshawott's Special Attack without negatively affecting its Attack and Speed. Running a Life Orb allows Oshawott to secure a 2HKO against Croagunk with Air Slash and to boost its power in general. Torrent helps boost Oshawott's damage output as it gets worn down. Usage Tips Oshawott thrives on forced switches, so send it in on free turns against slower Pokemon it forces out such as Hippopotas. Using Oshawott is all about taking out Croagunk, so try to predict the switch and hit it with Air Slash! However, try not to hit the opponent's Croagunk with Hydro Pump, as that will heal its HP and significantly decrease your chance of KOing it. Outside of luring in Croagunk, Oshawott can also break through weakened defensive Pokemon; for example, its Hydro Pump 2HKOes Spritzee even if it still has its Eviolite! Essentially, if your opponent lacks Pokemon immune to Water-type attacks, the general game plan is to repeatedly click Hydro Pump. Lastly, don't go switching Oshawott into things willy-nilly; its bulk is respectable, but it lacks Eviolite. Team Options Since Oshawott's niche is luring Croagunk, pair Oshawott with Pokemon that want Croagunk gone! These include Corphish, Spritzee, and Scraggy, among other Water-, Fairy-, and Fighting-type Pokemon. Pokemon like Mienfoo and Chinchou bring Croagunk in like a moth to the flame, and they can pivot out into Oshawott for a surprise Air Slash KO. Chinchou itself is a particularly good teammate, as it checks opposing Water-type Pokemon for Oshawott while enjoying Oshawott's ability to break through several of its checks. Also, you'll need to add Pokemon that can switch into the fast Pokemon that threaten Oshawott; you're looking for checks to Pokemon like Snivy and Elekid, such as Foongus.

Oshawott can really only run a Swords Dance set without being outclassed by something else. Priority in Aqua Jet is very useful, as Little Cup contains a variety of fast, frail Pokemon such as Houndour and Taillow. Aqua Jet will OHKO Houndour pre-boost and OHKO Taillow post-boost, meaning powerful threats in Little Cup will have a hard time OHKOing Oshawott before it can hit them. Waterfall is Oshawott's main STAB move and will OHKO most threats it hits neutrally, such as Choice Scarf Mienfoo. A combination of Waterfall and Aqua Jet after a Swords Dance will even OHKO Eviolite Mienfoo. Since Oshawott will attract Slowpoke and Lileep with its Water-type moves, it gets time to set up on the switch. It can then proceed to strike either of them with X-Scissor and wreak havoc. If your team has a way to defeat the aforementioned walls, such as the combination of Wynaut and Diglett, Hidden Power Fire is recommended over X-Scissor to hit Ferroseed and Snover harder. If you choose X-Scissor instead of Hidden Power Fire, use an Adamant nature. Otherwise, Naughty allows Oshawott to keep its decent Special Attack. Simply put, Adamant is for X-Scissor and Naughty is for Hidden Power. You can use Aqua Tail to OHKO Mienfoo after a Swords Dance, but it's not recommended, as 90 accuracy is always tricky, and Waterfall + Aqua Jet will 2HKO it on the switch. Lastly, Encore is useful to help Oshawott set up, but you lose either power or coverage, both things Oshawott really needs. If you're not using Hidden Power Fire, an EV spread of 236 Atk / 236 Spe will get you the same stats barring Special Attack, and may be used if you prefer a "cleaner" spread. Teammates depend on what move you run in the last slot. If you use X-Scissor, a Steel trapper such as Magnemite or Nosepass to defeat Ferroseed is a good idea. If you opt for Hidden Power Fire, a combination of Wynaut and Diglett to kill Slowpoke and Lileep is ideal. Switching in on Recover or Slack Off allows you to lock them in that move with Encore and use Tickle to lower their Defense. Then, switch to Diglett and boost its Attack with Hone Claws. Finally, use Earthquake to OHKO them. Diglett also provides a switch-in to Electric-types, namely Chinchou, who resists both Water and Fire.