Pheromosa Movesets & Competitive Sets

U-turn lets Pheromosa gain momentum against common switch-ins such as Xerneas and Ho-Oh. Close Combat offers consistent damage, but Low Kick can be run for increased PP and still maintains high Base Power against most of the Pokemon in Ubers. Throat Chop allows Pheromosa to OHKO Calyrex-S and Lunala if Shadow Shield is broken. Triple Axel hits common Dragon- and Ground-types like Eternatus, Zygarde-C, Zekrom, and Groudon and can potentially OHKO lead Slurpuff. Triple Axel's poor accuracy makes it unreliable, though. Wallbreakers that appreciate being brought in with U-turn such as Choice Specs Kyogre and Choice Band Rayquaza are good teammates. Galarian Darmanitan can make a good partner to Pheromosa as another pivoting teammate. Marshadow can be used alongside Pheromosa, as both appreciate each other wearing down shared checks like Xerneas and Ho-Oh. Teammates that can deal with Ho-Oh consistently like Rest Zygarde-C and Kyogre are appreciated, as Ho-Oh will shut down Pheromosa very consistently. Similarly, teammates that can take on opposing Xerneas such as Necrozma-DM and Ho-Oh are appreciated. Xerneas is also a good teammate that answers opposing Marshadow and Giratina-O.

Close Combat is Pheromosa's main attacking option, its high power used to secure KOs and the Fighting typing particularly handy for checking Incineroar, Kyurem-B, and Heatran. However, the Defense drop and the Life Orb recoil do make Pheromosa easier to pick off with priority moves such as Rillaboom's Grassy Glide and Urshifu-R's Aqua Jet. U-turn safely deals significant damage in positions where Pheromosa can't secure a KO, and its coverage especially threatens Rillaboom and Psychic-types such as Necrozma and Mew. Ice Beam easily OHKOes Ground- and Dragon-types such as Landorus, Zygarde, and Naganadel. Protect keeps Pheromosa safe for a turn, giving opportunities for teammates to switch in and cover threats, as well as letting it safely stall out opposing speed control such as Tailwind and Trick Room. A Naive nature lets Pheromosa outrun Dragapult and Zeraora without weakening any attacks or its defense against most priority attacks, such as Rillaboom's Grassy Glide and Urshifu-R's Aqua Jet. The 12 Special Attack EVs guarantee the OHKO on Naganadel with Ice Beam. A Naughty nature is an interesting option to let Pheromosa gain Attack boosts from Beast Boost, but risking getting outrun by Dragapult and Zeraora is detrimental to its primary job of checking fast threats. Its frailty and playstyle of requent pivoting also make any boosts it gains rarely long lasting.

Pheromosa makes its mark through great offensive stats and unmatched Speed, making it a premier choice for hyper offense teams. Rapid Spin allows Pheromosa to clear entry hazards for its team, preserving as much HP as possible for setup chances and potentially keeping Focus Sash intact. U-turn gives Pheromosa an option to bring teammates in safely while also dealing significant chip damage. Triple Axel provides a strong option to hit Ground-types with, notably turning most variants of Landorus-T from a hard wall into a free KO. Close Combat is Pheromosa's primary STAB attack and allows it to wallbreak for its sweeping teammates. Heavy-Duty Boots is the preferred item to safely clear entry hazards multiple times if necessary and dodge Sticky Web; Life Orb is an option to maximize its power, but has poor synergy with U-turn and Rapid Spin. Pheromosa's great offensive presence and meager defenses mean it is used almost exclusively on hyper offensive teams. Pheromosa's Speed receivers outspeed all common threats save Regieleki, supercharging powerful offensive threats with setup moves like Pangoro, Tapu Lele, and Galarian Slowking; Tapu Lele is especially notable, as it blocks priority attacks thanks to Psychic Surge. Attack and Special Attack donations are best used on Pokemon that are either fast or can boost their Speed, such as Galarian Moltres, Weavile, and Blaziken. Pheromosa's low defenses mean that donations will negatively impact many receivers, so placing Pheromosa in the Defense slot and using threats with low Special Defense, like Kartana and Cloyster, is common. Placing it in the Special Defense slot and using Pokemon like Nihilego and Polteageist works similarly. HP donations are more flexible, still managing to boost the HP of threats like Skarmory and Rotom-W, and is usually reserved for a dedicated dual screens or entry hazard lead.

Pheromosa's high mixed offenses and near-unmatched Speed allow it to cover various top-tier threats such as Zeraora, Naganadel, Nihilego, and Cinderace. Close Combat is Pheromosa's strongest move outside of the unreliable High Jump Kick, and it's easily able to OHKO frail Pokemon, even when not super effective. such as Zeraora and Nihilego. Bug Buzz is a secondary STAB move that is useful for Psychic-type Pokemon such as Indeedee-F and Grass-types like Rillaboom. Ice Beam provides coverage to OHKO Naganadel, Zygarde, and Landorus-T. 12 Special Attack EVs allow Ice Beam to OHKO Nagandel with the rest placed into Attack. Pheromosa's speed and strong Ice Beam allow it to deal with Ground-types for Regieleki and Naganadel for Genesect. The combination of Regieleki and Pheromosa is very dangerous, as their high Speed and power often leave both foes KOed before they can move. Genesect, be it running Assault Vest or Life Orb, can cover Pheromosa's bad matchups such as Choice Scarf Zygarde or Tapu Fini. The two complement each other due to their high damage outputs, and Genesect's substantial bulk covers Pheromosa's frailty quite well. Pheromosa struggles against redirection and Tailwind, as well as Pokemon with resistance Berries such as Tanga Berry Indeedee-F,and Chople Berry Kyurem-B. Redirectors such as Indeedee-F and Togekiss are good teammates, as they can also provide the redirection that Pheromosa desires while denying t foe redirection with Imprison. Talonflame is great to negate its Tailwind weakness by setting Tailwind themselves. Tyranitar stifles resistance Berries with Unnerve and also OHKOes redirectors in Indeedee-F and Togekiss, which pester Pheromosa.

Pheromosa's incredible Speed and Attack stats make it a dangerous offensive pivot that can dominate the flow of the game. Triple Axel, while not the most reliable move, is Pheromosa's only physical Ice-type option, and is capable of breaking through the likes of Focus Sash Landorus-T and Garchomp. Poison Jab is Pheromosa's best move against Fairy-types such as Tapu Fini and Tapu Koko. Bounce can stall out Dynamax turns, and become a useful Max Airstream if Pheromosa is forced to Dynamax. An Adamant nature is suggested for boosting Pheromosa's Attack stat with Beast Boost. While a Speed boost after a KO is not as valuable, Jolly Pheromosa is still a reasonable option for outspeeding Dragapult and potentially slower Max Airstream users such as Adamant Landorus-T. Items Focus Sash is Pheromosa's most reliable option, giving it an extra chance against Pokemon it shouldn't be avoiding a KO from normally. Life Orb enhances Pheromosa's potential to sweep late game. Choice Scarf may seem like an off the wall choice for the speedy Pheromosa, but outspeeding boosted Pokemon such as Cinderace and Naganadel is extremely useful.

Moves Despite its poor coverage, U-turn is Pheromosa's most important move, allowing it to pivot out against its numerous checks and do considerable damage to its switch-ins. It's also Pheromosa's best way to hit Psychic-types like Ultra Necrozma and Mega Mewtwo Y while serving as a safer move to use against Dark-types when various foes are going to predict Low Kick and switch out. Low Kick is the safest and the most consistent Fighting-type STAB move for Pheromosa, as it threatens various Dark- and Steel-types while doing enough damage to 2HKO support Arceus formes and offensive Primal Groudon. Low Kick also has enough power to enable Pheromosa to revenge kill foes like Primal Kyogre and Mild Yveltal after little prior damage. Ice Beam hits many Pokemon that can pivot into U-turn and Low Kick hard, OHKOing Zygarde, Mega Salamence, and Rayquaza and 2HKOing Giratina-O. After a U-turn, Arceus-Flying is 2HKOed as well. The fourth moveslot is the best used to improve Pheromosa's matchup against its typical checks. Throat Chop OHKOes Mega Gengar, takes out Lunala after its Shadow Shield has been broken, and 2HKOes Marshadow and Arceus-Ghost. Poison Jab enables Pheromosa to 2HKO Xerneas and, most of the time, Arceus-Fairy. If lacking defensive investment, a Xerneas hit by Poison Jab after Stealth Rock damage will be left at low enough health to be taken out by U-turn the next time it switches into Pheromosa. Drill Run OHKOes Mega Gengar, 2HKOes Toxapex after Stealth Rock damage, and serves as the hardest way to hit Magearna, guaranteeing 2HKO on it unlike Low Kick. Set Details Maximum Attack investment with Life Orb gives Pheromosa enough power to 2HKO support Arceus formes with Low Kick and OHKO Mega Gengar and Ultra Necrozma with the appropriate moves. Speed EVs are maximized for Pheromosa to take advantage of its stellar Speed tier, enabling it to outspeed almost the entire tier, including some fast foes like Mega Gengar, Ultra Necrozma, and Deoxys-A lacking Extreme Speed. A Naive nature enables Pheromosa to outspeed Mega Mewtwo Y and +1 Zygarde. Beast Boost boosting Speed after every KO almost never proves to be useful, however. A Naughty nature can be used to give Pheromosa enough power to 2HKO the majority of support Arceus formes and have a better chance to 2HKO Primal Groudon without relying on entry hazards. Life Orb improves Pheromosa's damage output to achieve the aforementioned KOs with physical attacks and OHKO any regular Zygarde variant and 2HKO Giratina-O with Ice Beam. If you're using a Naughty nature, Beast Boost boosts Pheromosa's Attack upon KOing a foe, which can see a situational use when cleaning up late-game after its checks have been dealt with. Usage Tips Pheromosa will have very limited opportunities to safely enter the field. As it cannot switch into any attacks or status moves, it is ideal to bring in Pheromosa as a lead, after a teammate has been KOed, or with an aggressive double switch. With the amount of difficulty involved with giving Pheromosa a chance to attack, it is crucially important to appropriately predict with it. Most of its switch-ins are reliant on their typing to take on Pheromosa, so be quick to identify foes that will potentially pivot into it. As there are multitude of Pokemon that can safely pivot into Pheromosa, U-turn is a weak yet safe option to identify what foe tends to switch into its attacks. U-turn is also a safe option when Pheromosa did not predict correctly against a slower incoming foe and has to retreat afterwards. While Pheromosa can revenge kill threats like Ultra Necrozma, unboosted Mega Salamence, and Mega Mewtwo Y with ease, there are specific matchups where Pheromosa cannot recklessly take on threats it can strike first. The most notable example of this is Zygarde-C with possible way of boosting and Substitute. Pheromosa can avoid getting OHKOed from +1 Thousand Arrows from full health, but if Zygarde-C has Dragon Tail, it will simply OHKO Pheromosa after blocking Ice Beam with Substitute. This means Pheromosa should refrain from recklessly attempting to revenge kill Zygarde-C behind a Substitute without much information about its moveset. Pheromosa's teammates typically benefit from its ability to pressure slower, bulky foes and wear down other foes with U-turn. Entry hazards can punish switch-ins like Xerneas harder should they attempt to pivot into Pheromosa. Stealth Rock is especially useful to prevent Ho-Oh from consistently switching into Pheromosa without any concern and help generate opportunities to 2HKO defensive Primal Groudon and Lugia. Teams lacking durable Ghost-types will struggle to properly handle Pheromosa and will typically send in foes that can take Low Kick. This will give Pheromosa more opportunities to deal more damage on foes instead of being forced to pivot often with U-turn. Teams that rely on Pokemon like Mega Salamence and Giratina-O, which are vulnerable to Ice Beam, struggle to properly keep Pheromosa in check. In these matchups, fully take advantage of Pheromosa's offensive capabilities and prioritize netting as much damage as possible. Team Options Pheromosa's efficiency as an attacker largely depends on availability of entry hazards. Very common yet needed Stealth Rock users like Primal Groudon and Necrozma-DM can provide Stealth Rock support while checking Fairy-types. Primal Groudon benefits from Pheromosa's ability to threaten its Dragon-type checks like Zygarde-C, Mega Salamence, and Giratina-O. Offensive sets can take advantage of Pheromosa's U-turn to switch in unharmed, which is helpful when it desires to preserve its health to keep Xerneas in line or set up without taking too much damage. Necrozma-DM running Stealth Rock may struggle against other Steel-types, which Pheromosa can offensively threaten with Low Kick. Offensive teams can use a more dedicated entry hazard lead like Cloyster or Deoxys-S, which enables Pheromosa to pressure opposing teams from early-game through racking up considerable damage by forcing switches. With the exception of Ho-Oh, most switch-ins to Pheromosa like Xerneas, Arceus-Fairy, and Toxapex are vulnerable to Mega Gengar. Most balanced and defensive teams will have a switch-in, if not more, that can persistently switch into Pheromosa, and Mega Gengar can force a trade with a problematic foe to ease Pheromosa's attempts to dish out damage. Pheromosa has the ability to 2HKO Pokemon like Primal Groudon and Arceus-Dark and threaten to heavily impair specially bulky foes like Primal Kyogre, all of which Mega Gengar alone cannot take down. Xerneas is another offensive partner that should be strongly considered. The ability to check Yveltal and Marshadow is greatly appreciated, and Geomancy variants can take advantage of defensive cores worn down by Pheromosa's attacks. Other minor benefits like cleric and Defog support are notable as well, as any status ailments are detrimental to Pheromosa, and removing entry hazards will prevent it from getting worn down too quickly with Life Orb recoil. While Pheromosa can pressure many faster threats, certain sweepers like Primal Groudon, Necrozma-DM, and Xerneas can simply set up on Pheromosa in a one-on-one situation. This means Pheromosa alone isn't reliable enough to keep offensive threats from getting out of hand. Priority move users like Yveltal, Marshadow, and Extreme Killer Arceus can provide more security against the aforementioned threats, as the damage Pheromosa will do to them will be sufficient to put them in range of many priority moves when combined with entry hazards or other prior damage. Yveltal and Marshadow also prove to be useful offensive partners with their ability to threaten Ghost-types. Various defensive partners are needed for instances where Pheromosa fails to predict correctly. Various support Arceus formes, Giratina-O, and Mega Salamence will handle Primal Groudon, while Steel-types like Ferrothorn and Magearna can take advantage of Fairy-types that switch into Pheromosa by setting entry hazards or generating momentum, respectively.

Moves High Jump Kick is Pheromosa's strongest STAB move, hitting for a consistent 130 Base Power, but costing it 50% of its health if the attack misses or lands into Protect. Poison Jab allows Pheromosa to threaten Tapu Lele, Tapu Koko, Tapu Fini, and Tapu Bulu, making it a move you should almost always have on it. Ice Beam allows Pheromosa to OHKO Garchomp without taking Rough Skin damage or worrying about High Jump Kick missing. U-turn allows Pheromosa to deal solid damage to a target and immediately switch out for an ally that can take a hit. Protect is a VGC staple, allowing Pheromosa to be safe for a turn while its ally handles a threat like Gengar or Alolan Marowak. Set Details A simple EV spread of 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe is best for Pheromosa, as any investment in bulk will be meaningless given its nonexistent bulk. The remaining 4 EVs are placed into HP to give it an odd HP number, allowing High Jump Kick to miss or land into Protect twice. Focus Sash allows Pheromosa to take one attack, something it could only dream of accomplishing without it. Life Orb boosts Pheromosa's power, enabling it to always OHKO Porygon2 with High Jump Kick and always OHKO Tapu Koko with Poison Jab. Pheromosa already outspeeds the entire unboosted metagame without a Speed-boosting nature, making Naughty the preferred nature to give Pheromosa more power and allow it to get an Attack boost from Beast Boost without weakening Ice Beam. An Adamant nature should be used if Pheromosa runs U-turn instead of Ice Beam, as there is no need to run a Naughty nature if Pheromosa does not have any special attacks. An EV spread of 36 HP / 212 Atk / 4 Def / 4 SpD / 252 Spe gives Pheromosa a boost in Speed from Beast Boost instead of Attack. This makes it less susceptible to being revenge killed by Choice Scarf users but makes it more susceptible to Intimidate. A Naive or Jolly nature will reduce Pheromosa's damage output, but they allow it to outspeed Modest Choice Scarf Tapu Lele, which is one of the most common methods of checking Pheromosa. Usage Tips Never switch Pheromosa into an attack. Its nonexistent bulk means it will take a lot of damage, even from resisted hits. Instead, switch it in after something else has fainted. Leading with Pheromosa is also a surefire way to make sure it can get on the field safely. Be careful about using High Jump Kick, as its target can easily use Protect to force Pheromosa to lose 50% of its health. Try to use it only if the target used Protect the turn before or doesn't have Protect. This is mostly important for Focus Sash variants of Pheromosa, as High Jump Kick landing into Protect will break the Focus Sash; Life Orb variants don't care nearly as much. If you see Porygon2 in Team Preview, you should probably bring Pheromosa to the match in the lead spot in order to immediately threaten Porygon2 and potentially prevent a Trick Room setup. However, if your opponent's team has a secondary setter like Mimikyu, or if their team has a Fake Out user, it won't be as simple as just leading with Pheromosa to prevent Trick Room, so you will need to adjust your leads in order to handle those scenarios. For example, leading with a Roar user will prevent Mimikyu from setting up Trick Room, while leading with something like Tapu Lele or your own Fake Out user will help against a Fake Out lead. Team Options Fake Out users like Salazzle, Togedemaru, and Alolan Persian make for good teammates for Pheromosa, as they can immobilize one opponent while Pheromosa takes care of the other one. Tapu Lele shields Pheromosa from priority attacks like Arcanine's Extreme Speed and Metagross's Bullet Punch, but it should be noted that this will conflict with the aforementioned Fake Out users as well. As Gengar and Alolan Marowak are huge problems for Pheromosa, Dark-types like Krookodile, Alolan Muk, and Alolan Persian make for good teammates. Alolan Muk is particularly noteworthy here thanks to its ability to use Imprison, which prevents any opponent from using Protect in order to block High Jump Kick. Tailwind support from Pokemon such as Pelipper, Aerodactyl, and Drifblim allows Pheromosa to get past Choice Scarf users, one of the most common ways of checking Pheromosa.

Pheromosa is an effective, albeit frail, attacker used on offensive teams to check problematic foes such as Landorus-T and Mega Kangaskhan. High Jump Kick is the more generally useful Fighting-type STAB move, as it has high Base Power and accuracy. The downside of taking recoil damage upon missing is also less of an issue for an already frail Pokemon like Pheromosa. Focus Blast can be used with Fightinium Z for a special attacking option that isn’t hindered by Intimidate. Tapu Lele is a good partner, as it prevents foes from finishing Pheromosa off with priority moves. Mega Charizard Y enjoys Landorus-T being accounted for.

Moves Focus Blast can be powered up into a devastatingly strong All-Out Pummeling that achieves impressive feats such as OHKOing Mega Metagross, Mega Scizor, and Volcanion after Stealth Rock. It also helps tear apart Steel-types, as the type of team Pheromosa commonly finds itself on, Psychic-type spam, really appreciates Steel-types being taken care of. Ice Beam is important for Flying-types that resist Pheromosa's STAB combination, such as Landorus-T, Zapdos, and Mega Salamence. U-turn lets Pheromosa pivot out of rough matchups and pressure the likes of Cresselia and Mega Latias. Protect is mandatory, as Pheromosa's complete lack of bulk would make it very easy to deal with otherwise; for example, Fake Out, other priority moves, and double targeting makes it not hard to beat it. It's also great for stalling out the opponent's field conditions should they go up, such as Trick Room, rain, or opposing Tailwind. Set Details Full investment in Speed makes Pheromosa capable of outspeeding several other Pokemon that could OHKO it otherwise, with a Naive nature being preferred to outspeed Naive Deoxys-A and Mega Manectric as well as reduce damage taken from Fake Out and tank a hit from Kartana when compared to a Hasty nature. The investment in Special Attack guarantees more damage on Steel-types with Focus Blast and Flying-types with Ice Beam. A Rash nature can be run, however, for even more power in that department, especially if your own Deoxys-A is an ally to Pheromosa, giving it a notable damage boost that allows it to guarantee OHKOs on the likes of Mega Metagross and Mega Scizor without prior chip damage and providing very useful Special Attack boosts thanks to Beast Boost. Beast Boost grants Speed boosts with a Naive nature, giving Pheromosa a way to circumvent Choice Scarf users and some middling-Speed Pokemon when opposing Tailwind is set. Usage Tips Pheromosa is a great choice for a lead more often than not, matching up well against common leads like Incineroar and Landorus-T and being able to pivot out if necessary. To use Pheromosa effectively, it's important to make good use of Protect and redirection to keep it safe from attacks. You can also use U-turn to switch out of rough matchups, but be careful to not be stopped by a Protect, as that will stop Pheromosa from switching out. Use your Z-Move on Steel-types to open up room for teammates such as Tapu Lele and Deoxys-A to clean up, but be careful of Protect from the likes of Mega Metagross and Mega Scizor, as they can reduce the damage of Pheromosa's Z-Move. Also, be wary of priority if Psychic Terrain isn't up and Choice Scarf users, as they can outspeed and knock out Pheromosa. Team Options Pheromosa requires very specific team support in order to work to its fullest potential. Tapu Lele is a notable teammate, not only shielding Pheromosa from occasional priority moves, but also denying Trick Room via Taunt. Deoxys-A works rather well with the core of Pheromosa and Tapu Lele, as it appreciates Pheromosa's ability to threaten Steel-types and prey on each other's checks, but keep in mind both are rather frail. Tailwind users are very helpful in order to help Pheromosa and its team against opposing Tailwind teams, with notable setters including Zapdos, Mega Charizard Y, and Suicune. Zapdos is a very reliable setter, Mega Charizard Y helps pressure Steel-types for the Psychic-type spam core, and Suicune helps to prevent Trick Room with Roar. Trick Room prevention is very important with Pheromosa. Zapdos and Suicune can use Roar to help prevent Trick Room, with the latter being even better at doing so thanks to Inner Focus blocking Fake Out. Taunt users like Tapu Fini, Tapu Koko, and the aforementioned Tapu Lele and Fake Out users like Incineroar help as well. Redirection is also very useful for supporting Pheromosa courtesy of its frailty. Amoonguss doubles up as a Trick Room check with a very slow Spore, whereas Togekiss and Volcarona also provide Tailwind.

Moves High Jump Kick, with a Naughty nature and a boost from Life Orb, inflicts serious damage on any non-resistant foe, being capable of scoring 2HKOs on some of the physically bulkiest foes, such as Celesteela, Hippowdon, and Mega Scizor. U-turn allows Pheromosa to pivot out on forced switches and in unfavorable matchups, letting it do decent damage while securing momentum. Ice Beam OHKOes very common threats such as Landorus-T, Mega Salamence, Naganadel, and Garchomp, all of which can comfortably handle Pheromosa's other attacks. The last moveslot is flexible and can be chosen according to Pheromosa's teammates will benefit from. Drill Run can bulky Mega Gengar (with a Naughty nature) and has a chance to 2HKO defensive Aegislash and Toxapex. Poison Jab hits Fairy-types, notably letting Pheromosa 2HKO Tapu Fini, which it otherwise cannot 2HKO, and quickly dispose of Tapu Lele, Assault Vest Tapu Bulu, and Primarina. Set Details The given EV spread maximizes Pheromosa's general damage output by letting it hit foes as hard as possible with physical moves. The nature can be chosen depending on what Pheromosa has to accomplish; a Naughty nature allows Pheromosa to meet many important offensive benchmarks, such as being able to 2HKO Hippowdon, Celesteela, and Skarmory with High Jump Kick, and usually OHKO bulky Mega Gengar with Drill Run. A Naughty nature also boosts Pheromosa's Attack with Beast Boost every time it KOes a foe. A Naive nature, on the other hand, forgoes damage output in exchange for Pheromosa's ability to outspeed neutral-natured Choice Scarf variants of Landorus-T and Tapu Lele, +1 Mega Gyarados, Mega Lopunny, and Mega Manectric. Life Orb boosts Pheromosa's general damage output beyond serviceable levels by turning many 3HKOs into 2HKOs at the cost of recoil damage, which isn't too detrimental when accounting for Pheromosa's frailty. A Focus Sash prevents Pheromosa from getting OHKOed; if the item is properly preserved, it can let Pheromosa revenge kill dangerous threats like boosted Mega Salamence in a pinch. Usage Tips Due to the number of foes it can threaten, Pheromosa makes an effective lead that can force switches and grab momentum for its team. If not used as a lead, Pheromosa shouldn't be brought into any attacks but through pivoting from a different teammate, double switching, or switching in after a teammate faints instead. Use prediction to maximize Pheromosa's damage output, especially when using High Jump Kick. Unless Ghost-type foes are absent, it is safer to use U-turn early in order to analyze how an opponent responds to Pheromosa and avoid retaliation from Focus Sash users. Predicting Ghost-types switching in is a promising idea, especially if Pheromosa is sure to force out a foe, as an appropriate prediction against the likes of Aegislash and Mega Gengar will make them easier to take down later. If equipped with a Focus Sash, Pheromosa can be used in a straightforward way to revenge kill a foe by utilizing its item to survive any attack from full health. When using High Jump Kick, be wary of foes that may carry Protect, such as Celesteela and Ferrothorn. Team Options Although Pheromosa requires relatively minimal support from its team to successfully perform its role, some Pokemon are notable for providing invaluable support when paired with it. Tapu Lele is one of the best teammates to Pheromosa for a number of reasons. Not only does Tapu Lele break through Poison-types like Toxapex and Mega Venusaur with ease, it also summons Psychic Terrain, which protects Pheromosa from priority moves like Shadow Sneak from Mimikyu and Ice Shard from Mamoswine. Tape Lele is also capable of weakening physically defensive foes that Pheromosa could struggle to break past, depending on its moveset. Dark-types generally aid Pheromosa thanks to their ability to deal with Ghost-types. Tyranitar provides Stealth Rock support, removes or weakens Ghost-types with Pursuit, checks Mega Salamence and both Mega Charizard formes, and, if running an offensive set, benefits from Pheromosa's ability to threaten traditional physical walls like Landorus-T and Porygon2. The rare Hydreigon can threaten Ghost-types while also providing Pheromosa a safe switch-in with U-turn. If paired with Hydreigon, Pheromosa can run Poison Jab to effectively punish Fairy-types that massively threaten Hydreigon. Steel-types provide Pheromosa with a safe switch-in for Fairy- and Flying-types, depending on their own typing. Celesteela blanket checks all Fairy-types with the exception of Tapu Koko and offensive Tapu Fini, both of which Pheromosa can lure in and punish with Drill Run and Poison Jab. Ferrothorn provides Stealth Rock support to ensure Flying-types that attempt to switch into High Jump Kick or U-turn are punished and proves to be a more reliable check to Fairy-types than Celesteela. Heatran can also set Stealth Rock, lure in Tapu Fini and eliminate it with Bloom Doom, and check Aegislash.

Moves Focus Blast is this set's main STAB move that does massive damage to foes, particularly the ones that can handle physically oriented variants of Pheromosa. While Focus Blast's accuracy is unreliable, with Fightinium Z it turns into a perfectly accurate attack that OHKOes Celesteela and Tapu Koko after some prior damage, even when unboosted. Ice Beam hits Flying-types that resist Focus Blast like Mega Salamence and Gliscor. It is also capable of 2HKOing most Tapu Bulu variants after Stealth Rock damage with investment in Special Attack. The third move allows Pheromosa to capitalize on the switches it forces in different ways. Quiver Dance boosts Pheromosa's already good damage output to the point where All-Out Pummeling's power reaches lethal levels, and it also lets Pheromosa outspeed all Choice Scarf users, making it significantly more difficult to revenge kill without a priority move. U-turn, on the other hand, is still a justifiable move due to the momentum Pheromosa can provide its team with on forced switches. Bug Buzz is a secondary STAB move that can 2HKO Mega Venusaur and specially defensive Mega Sableye after a boost, which Ice Beam fails to do. Alternatively, Hidden Power Ghost OHKOes both Mega Gengar and Mimikyu without Disguise after Stealth Rock damage and a Quiver Dance boost. Hidden Power Ground, on the other hand, 2HKOes Toxapex at +1. Shock Wave has a chance to OHKO Gyarados, which is otherwise a good check to this set, while still hitting Toxapex as hard as Hidden Power Ground would. Shock Wave also OHKOes Mega Charizard Y after Stealth Rock damage. Set Details The given EV spread is ideal for maximizing Pheromosa's damage output and Speed. A Modest nature allows Pheromosa to hit as hard as possible while gaining a Special Attack boost every time it KOes a foe, while a Timid nature allows unboosted Pheromosa to outspeed some setup sweepers that are at +1 and some Choice Scarf users like Tapu Lele and Landorus-T. Fightinium Z turns Focus Blast into All-Out Pummeling, which is very hard to handle, especially when Pheromosa has accumulated boosts, and is perfectly accurate. Buginium Z lets Pheromosa use Savage Spin-Out to OHKO Tapu Lele, Mega Metagross, and Cresselia, which are offensive or defensive checks to Pheromosa. Life Orb, on the other hand, improves Pheromosa's general damage output and lets +1 Pheromosa OHKO Mega Gengar with Hidden Power Ground or Hidden Power Ghost and have a chance to OHKO Tapu Koko and Mega Charizard Y with Focus Blast and Shock Wave after Stealth Rock, respectively. Usage Tips Pheromosa aims to gain an opportunity to sweep by netting a surprise KO on a foe that expects a different set and gaining a boost from Beast Boost or by setting up with Quiver Dance on a forced switch. If Pheromosa opts for U-turn over Quiver Dance, it can bluff another set by acting as a pivot early-game. Otherwise, Pheromosa can proceed to set up Quiver Dance on a foe it naturally threatens and overwhelm the switch-in with coverage moves or a boosted All-Out Pummeling. However, as this set may lack a coverage move to hit Ghost-types or other foes like Toxapex, they must be weakened or removed beforehand. Mimikyu in particular is problematic, as it can't be OHKOed by any move with full HP and has Disguise to even take on boosted Pheromosa. Entry hazards aid Pheromosa with bypassing Focus Sash users and wearing down checks like Mega Charizard Y, Gyarados, and Volcarona. Team Options Pheromosa mostly needs teammates that can take on Ghost-, Fairy-, and Poison-types and reliably set entry hazards. This means that durable Steel-types that can switch into Fairy-types, set Stealth Rock, or do both, such as Ferrothorn, Heatran, and Celesteela, are good partners to this set. Tapu Lele protects Pheromosa from priority moves by summoning Psychic Terrain and blasts through Toxapex, which is very problematic for sets lacking Hidden Power Ground. Dark-types can combat Ghost-types that Pheromosa may struggle to defeat when lacking Hidden Power Ghost. Tyranitar is a good teammate that can weaken or remove Ghost-types for Pheromosa in advance with Pursuit. Should Pheromosa need a safe condition that guarantees a turn to set up, dedicated leads like Alolan Ninetales, Tapu Koko, and Hippowdon that can set dual screens or Aurora Veil and use Memento or Yawn are feasible options.