Sudowoodo Movesets & Competitive Sets

The objective of this set is to attempt to be a wallbreaker, mainly with Head Smash. It can hit Mudsdale harder than Aggron's Ice Punch with Wood Hammer and does have access to a decently strong priority attack in Sucker Punch, but otherwise, Choice Band Aggron outclasses it in every other way.

Moves Stealth Rock can wear down opposing Pokemon by getting residual damage against them as they switch in, as well as break Focus Sashes and Sturdy. Stone Edge is Sudowoodo's strongest move and gains a STAB boost, but it has shaky accuracy. Wood Hammer allows Sudowoodo to take on Ground-, Water-, and opposing Rock-types, such as Stunfisk, Seaking, and Golem, and is a small niche over other Stealth Rock users. Sucker Punch is a solid priority move that can help pick off weakened foes. Toxic can be used over Sucker Punch to lure in and cripple walls such as Tangela and Gourgeist-XL. Set Details Full Attack and Speed investment with a Jolly nature maximize Sudowoodo's power and speed. Sturdy allows Sudowoodo to survive any one hit, making sure that Stealth Rock will be set up. Sturdy also pairs well with Custap Berry, which will activate when Sudowoodo gets taken down to low health, allowing it to move before opposing Pokemon for a turn and hit faster entry hazard removers such as Swanna before they can remove Stealth Rock. Usage Tips Setting up Stealth Rock is Sudowoodo's main priority, but it can still attack a foe if it has the opportunity. Alternatively, Sudowoodo can focus on spreading Toxic to weaken opposing walls. Due to Sudowoodo's natural physical bulk, it can be brought into physical attackers such as Dodrio and Mightyena. Sudowoodo should be utilized early-game to set up Stealth Rock so it can weaken foes and break Focus Sash and Sturdy. Team Options Sudowoodo fits on offensive teams, as it can take the role of a lead with Stealth Rock. Pokemon that can switch into Water-, Grass-, and Ground-types, such as Gourgeist-XL, Roselia, and Tangela, synergize well with Sudowoodo. Roselia can also set up entry hazards of its own, forming a hazard-stacking core with Sudowoodo. Sweepers that appreciate entry hazards, such as Articuno, Ninetales, and Fraxure, are solid partners for Sudowoodo, as are cleaners such as Floatzel and Mightyena.

With a respectable Defense stat, Sudowoodo can easily take on a support role. It can set up Stealth Rock, which stops common threats from repeatedly switching in. Misdreavus can be used as a spinblocker to keep Stealth Rock present and also has the benefit of being immune to Fighting-type attacks. STAB Stone Edge hits surprisingly hard coming off its base 100 Attack, and is Sudowoodo's main way of dealing damage to foes. The inclusion of Wood Hammer sets Sudowoodo apart from other Rock-types; it allows Sudowoodo to hit Water- and Ground-types, which wall its fellow Rock-types, hard. Finally, Toxic is there to cripple opposing sweepers and walls. Leftovers are necessary on this set due to Sudowoodo's lack of recovery. The given EVs and nature maximize Sudowoodo's Defense, allowing it to endure even the most powerful of physical attacks. This set makes an excellent counter to the common Flying-types in NU, being able to comfortably switch into Brave Bird or Facade and scare them out with Stone Edge (make sure to watch out for Braviary's Superpower though). However, Sudowoodo's low Special Defense makes it very vulnerable, so one must be careful around special attackers. Specially defensive Altaria works brilliantly in conjunction with Sudowoodo, being able to take the numerous specially based attacks directed at Sudowoodo and Roosting off the damage. Lickilicky also works well, being one of the tier's best special walls and also being able to pass enormous Wishes, replenishing Sudowoodo's HP. However, Sudowoodo should be cautious of Fighting-type attacks, which neither Sudowoodo nor Lickilicky resist. Rock Head increases Sudowoodo's survivability by negating Wood Hammer recoil, making it the primary option for the ability. Sturdy could be used, but in that case, Earthquake is recommended over Wood Hammer, as the recoil damage would break Sturdy.

Thanks to a decent base 100 Attack and a good movepool, Sudowoodo can take on the role of a physical attacker. Once again, Stone Edge is a great STAB move and, thanks to the Attack investment, allows Sudowoodo to heavily dent foes. Earthquake is used with this to form the EdgeQuake combination, allowing Sudowoodo to hit most Pokemon for at least neutral damage. Wood Hammer allows Sudowoodo to decimate Water- and Ground-types, and being Sudowoodo's niche move, should always be present. Due to an abysmal Speed stat, Sucker Punch is used in the final move slot to take out faster, weakened foes. Sudowoodo's poor Speed means it is outpaced by most Pokemon in the tier, and will therefore have difficulty sweeping. The given EVs allow it to beat uninvested base 60 Speed Pokemon, while the Adamant nature increases Sudowoodo's Attack. Having a Pokemon to set up entry hazards will be of great benefit to Sudowoodo. Cacturne for example can set up Spikes, allowing Sudowoodo to KO many more Pokemon. Garbodor is an alternative, being able to set up either Spikes or Toxic Spikes depending on the situation. While Sudowoodo has a good offensive presence, physical walls such as Tangela can stop it completely. To remedy this, a special attacker should be used to remove the said wall and give Sudowoodo a better chance of a sweep. Magmar works well in this role, being able to easily deal with Tangela thanks to its powerful STAB Fire Blast and immunity to sleep, while its coverage moves enable it to deal with most other physical walls. Rock Head is chosen to negate Wood Hammer recoil. Sturdy doesn't offer much use, as entry hazards will almost always be up. A Choice Band turns Sudowoodo into a spectacular wallbreaker. However, a Choice-locked Sucker Punch can easily be used as setup bait. This is easily remedied by using a Life Orb instead, but the decrease in power is very noticeable. Finally, Hammer Arm can be used over another move if you are having problems with Dark- and Normal-types, although this isn't recommended due to the superior coverage provided by its other moves.

Sudowoodo doesn't have the best defensive typing, but it does sport a solid Defense stat and handy resistances to Normal-, Fire-, and Flying-type attacks, giving it plenty of opportunities to come in and set up Stealth Rock. Even without any investment in Attack, Stone Edge is still a powerful STAB move that prevents opposing Pokemon from setting up on Sudowoodo. Wood Hammer provides great complementary coverage and prevents Water- and Ground-types from switching in freely, but it does leave Sudowoodo walled by Toxicroak and Steel-types, so Earthquake and Low Kick are both acceptable replacements. The last slot is reserved for further support; Toxic is a great catch-all move to gradually wear down Sudowoodo's foes, while Explosion allows Sudowoodo to take an enemy down with it when its job is done. The given EVs capitalize on Sudowoodo's respectable physical bulk, allowing it to survive all but the most powerful super effective attacks. Sudowoodo is typically quite vulnerable to special attacks, so sandstorm support from Hippopotas can be very helpful. A spread of 252 HP / 16 Def / 240 SpD with an Impish nature will maximize Sudowoodo's overall defenses in sandstorm, allowing it to take hits from physical and special attackers alike while wearing down the opposing team with Stealth Rock and Toxic. Grass- and Fighting-types will still pose a problem for Sudowoodo, especially those with a Poison subtype or Guts, both of which render Toxic useless. Moltres can handle most of the Pokemon Sudowoodo fears and is a very capable staller with the SubRoost combination, although it doesn't particularly enjoy sandstorm. Gligar is often overlooked, but it can use Aerial Ace to deal with Grass- and Fighting-types and is very effective on a sandstorm team. Cacturne also appreciates sandstorm and can add additional entry hazards in the form of Spikes; it also resists the Grass-, Water-, and Ground-type moves that Sudowoodo hates.

With Substitute, Sudowoodo can take advantage of a switch to ease prediction and guarantee a powerful hit on whatever Pokemon the opponent brings in. This makes Sudowoodo an excellent lure for popular walls such as Milotic and Registeel, which are both easily crippled by Sudowoodo's powerful super effective attacks. By weakening or removing these defensive threats, Sudowoodo can pave the way for a teammate to sweep. Focus Punch is an excellent attack to use when behind a Substitute, and together with STAB Stone Edge, it provides near-perfect coverage. Sudowoodo has several options for its third attack. Wood Hammer is usually the best choice, as it cripples Water- and Ground-types such as Milotic and Rhyperior without any drawbacks. It also helps differentiate Sudowoodo from Golem, which otherwise performs this set better in nearly every way. Explosion guarantees Sudowoodo will take down the Pokemon it lures in; this is especially useful against Grass-types like Tangrowth that it would otherwise struggle with. Finally, if you wish to use Sudowoodo as a more traditional SubPuncher, Sucker Punch is a good option in the last slot thanks to its priority and wonderful offensive synergy with Substitute and Focus Punch. Life Orb is the best item if Sudowoodo is being used as a lure, as the power boost ensures Sudowoodo's attacks will cripple the opponent's switch-in. For a more conservative SubPunch set with Sucker Punch, Leftovers is the superior choice to help recover the HP lost by setting up Substitutes. The given EV spread makes Sudowoodo faster than Weezing and Clefable that do not invest in Speed, along with the multitude of base 50 Speed walls, while also allowing Sudowoodo to set up five Substitutes if it carries Leftovers. As this set's purpose is to remove a troublesome wall that Sudowoodo can lure in, it works best with sweepers that can dominate once their primary counters are out of commission. For example, with the opponent's bulky Water-type down, Blaziken and Moltres become very difficult to stop. Likewise, a crippled Registeel or Steelix gives Swellow a free pass to wreak havoc, while Exploding on Venusaur or Tangrowth allows Kabutops and Torterra to walk all over your opponent's team.

With a solid base 100 Attack and plenty of powerful physical moves, Sudowoodo can be a dangerous offensive force. While its terrible Speed and poor defensive typing prevent it from sweeping teams, it excels as a wallbreaker that very few Pokemon can safely switch in on. Sudowoodo's STAB Stone Edge allows it to immediately threaten the abundant Fire-, Flying-, and Bug-types in UU. Wood Hammer is Sudowoodo's secret weapon that sets it apart from other Rock-types; whereas Rhyperior and Aggron are forced to retreat at the first sign of a bulky Water-type, Wood Hammer gives Sudowoodo a chance to OHKO even Milotic after Stealth Rock damage. Low Kick puts a big dent in the heavy Steel-type walls that resist Rock and Grass, while Earthquake hits the same Steel-types nearly as hard and has more consistent power against other targets. In the last slot, Explosion essentially guarantees Sudowoodo will KO at least one opposing Pokemon per match, but the priority Sucker Punch provides can be very useful to overcome Sudowoodo's abysmal Speed. The EVs are standard for a physical attacker. With 252 Speed EVs, Sudowoodo outspeeds base 60 Speed Pokemon that do not invest in Speed, such as Weezing and Clefable. Since Sudowoodo will mostly be operating as a hit-and-run attacker, Choice Band is the ideal item for this set. With a Choice Band equipped, Sudowoodo has the power to OHKO would-be checks such as Venusaur and Azumarill as they switch in, while common physical walls like Weezing, Slowbro, Steelix, and Donphan are all outsped and 2HKOed by the appropriate move. However, if you opt for Sucker Punch in the last slot, Life Orb becomes the superior item, as locking a Pokemon into Sucker Punch is never wise. Sudowoodo's wallbreaking ability makes it a great teammate for any physical sweeper that struggles to beat bulky Water- and Ground-types. However, defensive Grass- and Fighting-types such as Tangrowth, Torterra, and Hitmontop counter Sudowoodo very effectively; thus, another Pokemon will be required to deal with them. Blaziken can tear through teams once their Milotic or Slowbro is KOed and easily defeats Grass-types with STAB Fire Blast or Flare Blitz, making it an ideal partner. Moltres and Scyther can also switch in practically freely on Grass- and Fighting-type attacks and force their users out with STAB Flying-type attacks. As an offensive Pokemon, Sudowoodo appreciates entry hazard support; Spikes are particularly effective, weakening Sudowoodo's grounded counters. Omastar and Cloyster are the most reliable Spikers in UU, but both share unfortunate weaknesses to Grass- and Fighting-type attacks with Sudowoodo. Qwilfish and Cacturne have slightly better synergy with Sudowoodo; Qwilfish resists Fighting- and Water-type attacks and can use Explosion to give an offensive team early momentum, while Cacturne resists Grass-, Ground-, and Water-type attacks and thrives in sandstorm, which also boosts Sudowoodo's mediocre Special Defense.

This set takes a more conservative approach to playing with Sudowoodo, taking advantage of the switches it causes to allow it to choose the correct move against the incoming Pokemon. Focus Punch pairs naturally well with Substitute, providing an extremely strong attack with good coverage when paired alongside Sudowoodo's Rock-type STAB move. The last slot depends on how you want to use Sudowoodo. With Explosion, Sudowoodo becomes a fantastic lure to be able to take out specific Pokemon with a level of certainty from behind a Substitute, particularly the Grass- and Water-types likely to switch into it. However, if you want Sudowoodo to stick around, Earthquake completes Sudowoodo's fantastic coverage and gives it a reliable tool for taking out Steel-types like Mawile. Running more Speed on this set has merit, as getting a Substitute up before a defensive Pokemon like Sableye or Kecleon can use Toxic is fantastic. How much Speed is up to you, but in doing so be aware that Sudowoodo's bulk drops significantly the more HP you take away due to its low base HP. This set tends to cause a lot of switches, making Spikes phenomenally useful, which also means Glalie and Roselia are good teammates. As Sudowoodo will largely be picking and choosing its target with Explosion on this set, if you choose to use it, having a Pokemon that thrives with the removal of the opponent's bulky Water- or Grass-type is highly recommended. Examples include special attacking Flareon or Plusle, depending on your target. Sudowoodo still easily counters most Flying- and Normal-types with this set, making it a good defensive teammate for Pokemon like offensive Grass-types and special walls like Kecleon. Finally, defensive Grass-types, namely Tangela, have an easy time countering this set, even with the threat of Focus Punch, making Flying-types like Murkrow and Pidgeot good teammates.

The good thing about Sudowoodo when choosing it as a Choice Band user is that it is quite flexible in what it can do. Rock Slide and Hidden Power Rock are the STAB move options; the choice comes down to whether you want perfect accuracy in Hidden Power Rock or a bit more power in Rock Slide. Earthquake pairs perfectly with its Rock-type STAB move to form near-perfect neutral coverage. Focus Punch can be used in the third slot to annihilate the foe if a switch can be predicted, but it can be kind of hard to use correctly. This makes Brick Break a decent alternative that still hits the defensive Normal-types in the tier harder than Sudowoodo's other moves. The last slot is dedicated to Sudowoodo's Normal move of choice. Explosion can take out nearly any Pokemon in the tier when backed by Choice Band, and in fact it is the strongest unboosted attack in the tier. Alternatively, Double-Edge is a fantastic safety move that can be great for when the opponent has both Pelipper and Hitmonchan waiting in the wings and you're not sure which they'll go to, and it doesn't have any recoil thanks to Rock Head. Sudowoodo is very slow, so simply maxing out HP and Attack is generally the best thing to do when using it. Running enough Speed to outpace Kecleon, Lairon, and Graveler is an option, but there's ultimately not much use in doing so, as the former two don't necessarily threaten Sudowoodo and the latter wins regardless. However, a couple EVs can be transferred from HP to Speed to make sure Sudowoodo can outpace Magcargo and Lickitung. There's not a lot of other options that can really find a spot on this set, since Sudowoodo gets such good coverage with the moves provided; however, Hidden Power Ghost can be used for a better hit on Haunter and Chimecho. This set works well as a lead for offensive teams that have a reliable answer to Hitmonchan, as it easily OHKOes common leads like Glalie, Venomoth, Flareon, and Mawile. Because Sudowoodo is so slow, it's easily revenge killed even by most defensive Pokemon running 0 Speed, so it needs some defensive support to work properly. Defensive Grass-types in particular have an easy time with Sudowoodo, making Flying-types like Murkrow and Pidgeot good teammates. Grass-types of your own make good teammates to pair with Sudowoodo, as they can switch into the multitude of Water-types in the tier, and Sudowoodo has an easy time with the aforementioned Flying-types to protect them. Specially defensive Normal-types like Lickitung and Kecleon make for great team choices to form a good defensive core with Sudowoodo. Finally, Chimecho and Haunter are good teammates to check Hitmonchan, as it can otherwise easily switch into Rock Slide and blow Sudowoodo away with its Sky Uppercut.

Sudowoodo with Self-Destruct is often vulnerable to status and can struggle to deal with Curse Normal-types without blowing itself up. Furthermore, the Fire- and Poison-types Sudowoodo should be checking can sometimes run coverage moves that force it to use Self-Destruct earlier than it would like. This set attempts to remedy these vulnerabilities by using Rest to give Sudowoodo some longevity. Curse is a good option to ensure that Sudowoodo cannot be beaten by Curse Normal-types, but it comes at the expense of either Earthquake, which Sudowoodo needs to avoid being fodder for Primeape, or Sleep Talk, which is important to maximize both its offensive and defensive presence while it is asleep. If it is running Sleep Talk, Sudowoodo also performs excellently as an answer to Rapidash and Ninetales, which have access to Hypnosis. As Rest Sudowoodo inevitably sacrifices one of Curse, Earthquake, or Sleep Talk, it is highly likely to become setup fodder at some point in a game. Thus, reliable defensive measures, such as Haze Xatu and Gloom, are important to ensure that opposing setup sweepers are kept in check. As usual, it is also highly recommended to use suitable answers to Water-types, as they will easily force Sudowoodo out otherwise. Some such answers include Hitmonlee, Gloom, and Dewgong.

As the only Rock-type without a secondary type in the metagame, Sudowoodo is one of the few Pokemon in GSC NU to resist Normal and not have a major exploitable weakness. This means that, unlike Curse Graveler, it is somewhat difficult to immediately force out. Its resistance to Normal and high Defense are very valuable in a metagame with numerous viable Normal-types, such as Wigglytuff, Fearow, and Lickitung, and common Explosion users such as Weezing and Pineco. Its high Attack and STAB Rock Slide allow it to threaten Xatu and common Fire-types with a 2HKO while avoiding a 2HKO in return. Earthquake provides essential coverage to target Pokemon that resist Rock, such as Primeape and Dugtrio, as well as Pokemon weak to Ground, such as Weezing, Chinchou, and Magnemite. Self-Destruct allows Sudowoodo to take something down with it once its defensive role is no longer required. This can let it take down big threats such as Primeape or crucial defensive pieces such as Gloom and Azumarill. Furthermore, a Normal-type with Curse boosts seeking to PP stall Sudowoodo will typically be unable to survive a 999 Attack Self-Destruct after some slight chip damage from Rock Slide, so Sudowoodo can act as a reliable answer to these, even without Rest. Sudowoodo can be a useful teammate to virtually any team thanks to its fantastic set of resistances. In addition to providing an essential resistance to Normal, Sudowoodo also makes for a great recipient of Speed and Attack boosts from Baton Passers such as Ledian and Farfetch'd since it has great coverage and can take at least one hit from almost anything. Sudowoodo has a hard time against bulky Water-types such as Octillery and Azumarill, so it is a good idea to pair it with at least one Pokemon that fares well against these, such as Chinchou. Self-Destruct can be used to pave the way for a teammate such as Magmar, which can struggle against these Water-types. Magmar and other Fire-types can also help Sudowoodo against Grass-types such as Exeggcute. Normal-types, which tend to invite Pineco in due to its high Defense, also greatly appreciate Sudowoodo's presence as a Pokemon that remains relatively healthy after taking a telegraphed Explosion, which can otherwise be difficult to handle in the absence of low health Pokemon to use as fodder.