Stunky Movesets & Competitive Sets

Stunky finds a niche in LC as a wallbreaker with a useful Psychic immunity, which allows it to soft check tier staples such as Abra and Natu. Sucker Punch makes Stunky much more difficult to revenge kill by faster foes such as Diglett and Choice Scarf Porygon. Play Rough hits Fighting-types such as Mienfoo, as well as Carvanha, while Fire Blast covers Pawniard and Ferroseed. Stunky is vulnerable to being trapped by foes like Diglett and Trapinch, so Pokemon that can pressure them are necessary. Trace Porygon can take advantage of a double switch to remove these foes, while Grookey threatens both trappers immediately with Grassy Glide, as well as setting up Grassy Terrain to reduce the damage that Earthquake would do. It should also be mentioned that Grookey should always run Protect in order to effectively deal with Trapinch's First Impression when paired with Stunky.

Moves Stunky's Sucker Punch is one of the most powerful priority moves available in LC. Play Rough provides coverage against the common Fighting- and Dark-types that resist Sucker Punch, including Mienfoo and Vullaby. Fire Blast hits Steel-types like Ferroseed and Pawniard, which both take little from Sucker Punch and Play Rough. It also targets Pumpkaboo and Foongus, which are more likely to use a status move on Stunky than attack it, preventing the use of Sucker Punch. Hidden Power Grass is primarily for Onix and Tirtouga, both of which take a pittance from the rest of Stunky's moveset. If your team has a good answer to Onix and Tirtouga, you can run Sludge Bomb to hit Spritzee and Snubbull, which both otherwise handle this Stunky set easily. Sludge Bomb also hits Snivy harder than Fire Blast, thanks to the STAB boost. Pursuit can be run in the fourth slot to catch Abra and Gastly fleeing from a potential Sucker Punch, but other Pursuit users such as Choice Scarf Pawniard and Alolan Grimer have an easier time switching into both Abra and Gastly, and Stunky typically prefers to have its other coverage moves instead of Pursuit. Set Details Maximum Speed investment allows Stunky to outrun fast Mienfoo and Onix, a must for this set. Hasty is preferable to Naive because Stunky resists STAB attacks from some of the most common special attackers in LC, such as Abra, Gastly, and Snivy. Maximum Attack investment, coupled with the boost from Life Orb, guarantees an OHKO on Diglett with Sucker Punch after Stealth Rock damage. It also allows Stunky to OHKO most Berry Juice variants of Vullaby with Play Rough and provides a good chance to OHKO standard Mienfoo and Timburr after their Eviolites have been removed. To run Hidden Power Grass with the optimal EV spread, Stunky needs 30 IVs in Defense and Special Attack. This lets Stunky have maximum Attack and leaves enough EVs to give an extra point in HP. Aftermath is the most consistent ability that Stunky has and can often confirm a KO on Pokemon like Mienfoo if Stunky's attacks do not OHKO outright. Stench can be run for the 10% flinch chance, but it is not recommended. A special variant of this set is tempting because Stunky's strongest Poison-type STAB attack is Sludge Bomb, and it has great coverage options between Dark Pulse, Fire Blast, and Hidden Power Grass. However, losing Sucker Punch leaves Stunky vulnerable to Diglett, and losing Play Rough leaves Stunky without coverage on two of the most common Pokemon in LC, Mienfoo and Vullaby. Usage Tips Life Orb Stunky is a hard Pokemon to switch into and is particularly good at cleaning up a weakened team, so the set is best played later in the game after the opponent's team has been chipped. While it has good coverage overall, Stunky is not a wallbreaker, and it does not beat defensive teams without support from its teammates. Knock Off support is critical to Stunky's success, especially against Pokemon that are not weak to Sucker Punch or Play Rough, such as Foongus. Stunky cannot break through Mudbray or Mareanie, even with Knock Off support—these Pokemon should be trapped or weakened beyond recovery. Be mindful of faster Pokemon that use Substitute against Stunky. Diglett and Life Orb Abra can both dodge Sucker Punch with Substitute, then OHKO Stunky in return with Earthquake and Hidden Power Ground, respectively. This Stunky set is also not particularly bulky and should not switch directly into attacks whenever possible. Life Orb Stunky is typically best off not trying to predict what the opponent will switch to. Instead, Stunky should usually just attack whatever is in front of it with the best move available. This set's coverage allows it to KO most common Pokemon with some chip damage, so Stunky benefits from your opponent switching into its coverage moves. The exception to the above is when the opponent has a Pokemon that can tank one of Stunky's attacks and outspeed Stunky, such as Weak Armor Onix or Choice Scarf Magnemite. An opponent can potentially switch Weak Armor Onix into a predicted Play Rough and get a Weak Armor speed boost, becoming faster than Stunky and threatening to KO it. Sucker Punch also does no damage on a switch, so be mindful of that when using it. Team Options Even with a Life Orb, Stunky is not strong enough to break through more defensive Pokemon without Knock Off support from the likes of Mienfoo and Pawniard. The latter can also set Stealth Rock for Stunky, which is important to secure several KOs against Pokemon like Diglett and Vullaby. Mudbray is one of the few universal answers to this set, so a teammate that can switch in and handle it reliably is appreciated. Snivy does a great job of this and also can provide Knock Off support, allowing Stunky to break through Foongus and Pawniard, common Snivy switch-ins. Bulky Staryu and Ferroseed can comfortably switch into Onix, which is a pain for Stunky if Stunky lacks Hidden Power Grass or if Onix has gotten a Weak Armor boost from switching in on a Play Rough. They also both can handle Mareanie and non-Fire Blast Slowpoke reasonably well. Stunky benefits from the chip damage and safe switch-ins that slow pivots, such as Mienfoo and Vullaby, provide. Diglett can trap a handful of troublesome checks to Stunky, such as Mareanie and Ponyta.

Moves Pursuit deals heavy damage to a foe that switches out, and it allows Stunky to trap Abra, Gastly, and weakened Pokemon. Sucker Punch allows Stunky to hit and generally KO the opposing threat before it can attack Stunky. Defog is useful because it lets Stunky remove entry hazards, and it is the main reason to use Stunky over other Pursuit trappers like Alolan Grimer. The final slot is typically reserved for a coverage move or a support option. Sludge Bomb gains a STAB bonus and lets Stunky hit Fairy- and Grass-types. It is able to 2HKO Snivy, preventing it from setting up on Stunky, and it OHKOes Cottonee. Fire Blast lets Stunky hit Steel-types like Pawniard and Ferroseed that can otherwise wall Stunky, since they resist or are immune to Stunky's other moves. Fire Blast 2HKOes Pawniard after Stealth Rock damage and Ferroseed regardless of Stealth Rock damage. Stunky can also use Memento after it is weakened so that one of its teammates is given an opportunity to set up and possibly sweep the opposing team. Set Details Maximum Attack investment is used so Stunky can hit hard. Aftermath can damage physical attackers like Pawniard and Mienfoo if they KO Stunky. Stunky is equipped with an Eviolite so it can have as much bulk as possible to take less damage from attacks. The majority of the remaining EVs go into Special Defense alongside a Careful nature to help Stunky tank attacks from Abra and Gastly. With this, Stunky has enough Special Defense to avoid being 2HKOed by Abra's Dazzling Gleam. 4 EVs are invested in Speed so that Stunky can outspeed all Pokemon with 13 Speed. The remaining EVs are put into Defense so that Stunky gets an extra point from Eviolite and so it can take more priority hits like Corphish's Aqua Jet and Timburr's Mach Punch. Usage Tips Stunky is able to compress several roles into one Pokemon. You should use Stunky to Pursuit trap Pokemon like Abra and Gastly and to remove entry hazards from the field. If needed, you can switch Stunky into either Abra or Gastly, but if you do so, it is likely that Stunky will be too weakened to do very much after eliminating the opposing Pokemon. You should avoid switching Stunky into Pokemon that it does not wall like Mienfoo, Vullaby, and Staryu because it has no recovery and does not like taking continuous chip damage. Generally, it's recommended to try bringing in Stunky after one of your slower Pokemon uses U-turn or Volt Switch. After one of your Pokemon has been KOed, you can also send in Stunky to Pursuit trap a weakened target. Team Options Setup sweepers that like having strong and fast special attackers gone, like Zigzagoon, Omanyte, and Vullaby, really appreciate Stunky's presence on their team. Fighting-types are also very helpful to Stunky, since they appreciate Abra and Gastly being removed while also dealing with Pawniard and other Steel-types, which Stunky typically has trouble with. Grass-types like Snivy and Flying-types like Vullaby are good teammates for Stunky, since they either resist or are immune to Ground. Fairy-types like Spritzee and Snubbull also help Stunky out by putting offensive pressure on opposing Fighting-type Pokemon, which take very little damage from Stunky's attacks. Sturdy users like Magnemite and Dwebble appreciate Stunky's ability to remove entry hazards and would also be good teammates. Any other Pokemon that benefit from Stunky's entry hazard removal, like Vullaby and Diglett, are good additions to Stunky's team. Stunky's ability to use Memento makes it a great partner for setup sweepers like Zigzagoon and Tirtouga.

Moves Pursuit enables Stunky to trap Pokemon which would otherwise threaten your team, notably Gastly, Gothita, and Abra, and finish off weakened Pokemon before they can return to their trainer. Sucker Punch allows Stunky to get some extra damage in on faster foes as they attack. Play Rough can be used over Sucker Punch in conjunction with Memento to give Stunky a means of hitting Fighting-type Pokemon which otherwise wall Stunky. Defog provides your team with entry hazard removal, but the amount of times Stunky can use Defog are limited due to its sub-par bulk. Also, Stunky fails to threaten most Stealth Rock users such as Archen, Onix, Diglett, and Drilbur. Memento creates an opportunity for a setup sweeper on your team to punish the opposition. Another utility option Stunky has is Taunt, allowing it to prevent Pokemon from using their status moves, which can really cripple some defensive Pokemon and allow Stunky time to Defog. With a Speed of 18, the fast Taunt can also outspeed Sticky Web setters such as Surskit and prevent them from setting up. Crunch is another STAB option, having the same power as Sucker Punch but with more consistency. Set Details A Jolly nature allows Stunky to hit 18 Speed. That lets Stunky outspeed foes and Defog away entry hazards or use Memento to support a teammate before being KOed. It is especially useful for Sticky Web setters so Stunky can outspeed and Taunt them. Aftermath is the preferred ability, causing some extra damage to the opponent if Stunky is knocked out by a move that made contact. Stunky really enjoys the added bulk of an Eviolite because it is rather frail without it, which allows it to trap the Pokemon it needs to much better. Usage Tips Be careful about when you bring Stunky into the battle; it can't take many hits, even with an Eviolite, so make sure you have the bulk to trap what you need to when you bring it in. Stunky's attacking stats are not the greatest too, so make sure the opponent is weakened enough to be KOed if you trying to do anything besides just trap them. Take note that this set finds its place on offensive teams, but should still not be played as a wallbreaking Pokemon. Team Options A variety of Fighting Pokemon greatly like the support that Stunky brings, with Timburr, Scraggy, and Pancham gaining the most from Stunky's support. Entry hazard-weak Pokemon, such as Larvesta and Ponyta, also pair well with Stunky due to Defog, with Ponyta and Larvesta also being able to aid with dealing with Fighting-type Pokemon and Pawniard that annoy Stunky. Wish passers, such as Spritzee, help prolong Stunky's lifespan, allowing it Defog more often, or come in on Ghost- and Psychic-types more. Switch-ins to Drilbur are also liked as Stunky teammates; Staryu, Cottonee, and Lileep each free up a moveslot on Stunky, making a Memento core as well as dealing with Fighting-types, countering Chinchou, as well as setting up Stealth Rock, respectively. Bunnelby, and especially Zigzagoon, can sweep much easier with Ghost-types out of the way, and appreciates Abra's Focus Sash getting broken too. Zigzagoon also appreciates Stunky using Memento, as this gives Zigzagoon an easier time setting up. Memento also aids the likes of Magby, Omanyte, and Rock Polish Archen with their setup as well. In general, hazard-weak Pokemon, sweepers, and Psychic-weak Pokemon all appreciate Stunky's assets as a teammate.

Moves Pursuit gives Stunky the means of punishing and preventing the escape of Ghost-types such as Gastly, Pumpkaboo, and Psychic-types such as Abra, Gothita, and Natu. Even Pokemon not weak to Dark feel the effects of Pursuit, as they cannot switch out unscathed. Sucker Punch gives Stunky priority, allowing it to revenge kill certain setup sweepers such as Omantye and Drilbur. Sucker Punch is unreliable though, as the opponent has to attack for it to work. Defog is a good option too if your team needs entry hazard removal, although there are better hazard removers out there such as Staryu, Drilbur, and Vullaby due to Stunky's inability to threaten Stealth Rock users and lack of recovery. Running Fire Blast gives Stunky the ability to KO Pawniard, hoping to nab a boost from Defog, and other Steel-types hoping to capitalize on Stunky's meager offenses. Sludge Bomb is the best Poison STAB move Stunky gets, but can be disappointingly weak at times. However, Sludge Bomb does get the job done versus Fairy-types and several Grass-types such as Cottonee. Set Details The given EV spread allows for Stunky to always counter Abra and Gastly even with Stealth Rock up while having the ability to almost always survive two attacks from Pawniard and Fletchling. A Brave nature is used for hitting 15 Attack, which allows Pursuit to always KO Abra and Gastly after Stealth Rock. The decrease in Speed is hardly noticed in most cases as Stunky still outspeeds what it wants to as well. The Special Attack investment allows for the 2HKO on Pawniard with Fire Blast and Eviolite Spritzee with Sludge Bomb. Usage Tips Be aware of the situation when you bring Stunky into battle, as you don't want it to be taking any extra hits, as its bulk leaves a little to be desired even with an Eviolite. Stunky is also relatively easy to force out and is fairly weak offensively, so make sure anything you want to take out without the use of Pursuit is weak enough to be KOed. Stunky's Speed is lowered due to a Brave nature, so the use of Sucker Punch is much more important. Team Options Stunky has no reliable recovery, so Pokemon that can pass Wish such as Spritzee are good partners for Stunky. Stunky's only weakness is Ground, so Pokemon such as Drilbur and Hippopotas pose serious threats. Foongus and Pumpkaboo can deal with these threats safely. Bunnelby and Zigzagoon have their sweep prevented by Ghost-types, which Stunky takes out with Pursuit. Stunky can Defog entry hazards away for Pokemon such as Larvesta and Fletchling.