Wailmer Movesets & Competitive Sets

Moves Scald is a reliable Water-type STAB move with a decent chance to burn. Roar lets Wailmer phaze the opponent to rack up entry hazards damage or stop a threatening setup sweeper. Rest in tandem with Sleep Talk allows Wailmer to heal itself of status and recover stray damage while continuing to deal damage or phaze foes. Set Details The EVs maximize the potential of Eviolite by hitting even numbers in Wailmer's defenses. The leftover EVs are split equally between HP, Special Attack, and Speed so that Wailmer can take more hits, hit a little harder, outspeed defensive Fletchling, and Speed tie with defensive Mienfoo and Adamant Cubone, Larvesta, and Corphish. Eviolite increases Wailmer's already good 30 / 14 / 12 bulk. A Bold nature is preferred as most of the hits Wailmer will be taking are physical, but the Defense and Special Defense EVs can be switched and the nature changed to Calm for more special bulk. Oblivious is the preferred ability to prevent Wailmer from being Taunted, as then it can only switch out or use Scald. Pressure can be used instead to limit the number of times the opponent can use powerful low-PP moves such as Fire Blast and Gunk Shot, but Oblivious is generally more useful. Water Veil is useless on this set because Wailmer can simply Rest to rid itself of a burn, and all its moves are special so it does not care about the Attack drop. Usage Tips This set is best taken advantage of throughout the match with a wall in reserve that can take strong hits aimed at Wailmer. However, be wary of bringing Wailmer in too late in the game, as then it won't be able to phaze well or even phaze at all. Wailmer can also be brought in to tank neutral or resisted hits in critical situations and then either Rest off the damage or phaze away the threat. Wailmer is also a good sleep absorber, but try to avoid bringing it in on sleep inducers that are Grass-type, as they can deal serious damage to Wailmer with their STAB moves. Finally, make sure to keep track of the number of turns Wailmer has been asleep, as missing a Sleep Talk can cost you valuable damage or give the opponent a game-ending free turn. Team Options Wailmer's purpose is undermined if you choose not to run it with an entry hazard setter, as its phazing is then pointless. Thus, Pokemon such as Archen, Trubbish, and Ferroseed are great teammates. Wailmer also goes well with bulky sweepers such as Scraggy, Timburr, and Croagunk that appreciate the extra damage from Wailmer's phazing, which can secure key OHKOs and 2HKOs for them. In return, those Pokemon can check Pokemon such as Chinchou and Foongus, which threaten Wailmer with their super effective STAB moves.

Moves Water Spout is Wailmer's main draw and hits 150 Base Power when Wailmer is at full health. Hydro Pump, Scald, and Surf are more reliable STAB moves with consistent Base Power, though none are as powerful as a fully powered Water Spout. Hydro Pump is extremely powerful but has low accuracy, Scald has a chance to burn but is much less powerful, and Surf has good Base Power as well as perfect accuracy. Ice Beam is super effective against the Grass- and Dragon-types that resist Wailmer's Water-type STAB moves. Finally, Hidden Power Grass makes sure that Wailmer is not walled by the Water-types which resist its other three moves. Hidden Power Fire can also be used to lure in and beat Ferroseed, but Wailmer will miss out on hitting Water-types. Set Details Maximum investment in Speed and Special Attack allows Wailmer to hit as fast and hard as possible. The remaining EVs are put into HP to increase all-around bulk and into Defense to lower the damage done by most priority moves, which bypass Choice Scarf's Speed boost. A Timid nature is preferred so that Wailmer is able to outspeed other boosted Pokemon, such as Jolly Scraggy after one Dragon Dance and Adamant Choice Scarf Cranidos, and Speed tie with boosted Pokemon such as Jolly Tirtouga after Shell Smash and Jolly Choice Scarf Bunnelby. A Choice Scarf is mandatory, as otherwise Wailmer will be hit too hard by faster threats to deal any decent damage with Water Spout. Finally, Water Veil is the only ability of any use, as it prevents burns, which slowly chip away at Wailmer's health and Water Spout's power. Wailmer's other abilities, Oblivious and Pressure, are useless for this set, as the former only prevents Taunt, which does not affect this set, and the latter is better used on bulky sets meant for PP stalling powerful moves. If Hidden Power Fire is chosen, an EV spread of 76 Def / 200 SpA / 200 Spe should be used. Usage Tips Wailmer is best brought in mid- or late-game to clean up the rest of the opponent's team once everything that could hamper a Water Spout sweep is gone. However, beware faster Choice Scarf Pokemon in your opponent's reserve. Send Wailmer out after one of your Pokemon has fainted, or bring it in after a Memento or slow U-turn. Wailmer is fairly easy to use, as most of the time you will want to use Water Spout. However, if Wailmer isn't healthy or the opponent still has a threat that could critically weaken it, use Wailmer's other Water-type STAB move or the appropriate coverage move for the situation. Team Options First and foremost, this set likes having Pokemon that resist Water Spout removed or crippled, especially Grass-types, which can hit back with super effective STAB moves. For this reason, Pokemon such as Foongus that resist those STAB moves and can hit back hard are good teammates for Wailmer. Wailmer also appreciates having entry hazards removed so that Water Spout is as powerful as possible. Thus, spinners such as Drilbur and Staryu and Defoggers such as Archen and Vullaby are great teammates. Drilbur and Archen get special mentions because they can set as well as remove hazards, helping Wailmer secure critical OHKOs, such as against Trubbish and Carvanha, and also check Croagunk, which is immune to Wailmer's STAB attacks thanks to Dry Skin. Wallbreakers such as Bunnelby and Darumaka, as well as Knock Off users such as Pawniard and Vullaby, are good teammates because they can soften up walls that can take Wailmer's Water Spout. Finally, a slow U-turn or Volt Switch from Pokemon such as Vullaby and bulky Mienfoo can bring Wailmer in safely and make sure Water Spout is as powerful as possible.

Wailmer is often seen as an offensive Water Spout abuser, but with the second highest HP stat in all of Little Cup, it's no surprise that Wailmer makes an excellent defensive tank. Good typing gives Wailmer only two weaknesses, Grass- and Electric-type moves, both of which are rarely seen in Little Cup. On top of this, Black and White has given Wailmer three amazing gifts: Eviolite, Scald, and Pressure. With an HP stat of 30, boosting Wailmer's defenses increases its bulk exponentially, making Eviolite quite possibly the best thing that has happened to Wailmer. Scald is particularly handy as it burns opposing Pokemon, nullifying their Attack stat. It also has a reliable 80 Base Power, and enough PP to win a stall war. Wailmer's ability is another factor that makes it a great defensive staller; Pressure will increase the PP consumed by the opponent when using an attack to two, making some low PP attacks, such as Fire Blast and Hydro Pump, incredibly easy to stall out. Wailmer is able to act as a status absorber as well, using Rest to remove status. Barring Chinchou with Thunderbolt, Wailmer can safely switch into any Pokemon who commonly uses a status, such as Slowpoke and Gastly. The RestTalk combination, however, was not as lucky as Wailmer. Because the new sleep counter resets upon switching out, Wailmer must stay in if it is to be used effectively; in other words, Wailmer must have good team support. On the bright side, Wailmer's only solid check is Chinchou, who can be completely stopped by a handful of Pokemon. If you have Toxic Spikes on your team, you might prefer to use Surf instead of Scald due to the former's higher Base Power. Be aware, however, that the many common Little Cup threats that are immune to Toxic Spikes, such as Doduo and Ferroseed, would be utterly debilitated if they were burned. Entry hazards work very well with Wailmer because of the amount of switches it causes and its ability to phaze. Ferroseed has near perfect synergy with Wailmer and can set up Spikes, Stealth Rock, or even Leech Seed. Chinchou with Hidden Power Grass beats opposing Chinchou, and Heal Bell can wake Wailmer up if you switch out while it's asleep. Lileep can beat opposing Chinchou one-on-one, set up Stealth Rock, and take Grass- and Electric-type hits with ease. Mienfoo is a good teammate to check Lileep, Slowpoke, and others who threaten Wailmer. There really isn't much legroom when working with a moveset like this one. In terms of different options, Wailmer gets Amnesia, Aqua Ring, and Curse as boosting and healing moves. You can use Toxic over Roar if you don't have Toxic Spikes and would rather poison opponents than force them out. Outside of these moves, Wailmer has no successful options. You can run a Calm nature if the rest of your team is physically bulky, but it takes away Wailmer's high chance of surviving two High Jump Kicks from Mienfoo.

When equipped with a Choice Scarf, Wailmer finds itself with a much needed boost to its Speed, bringing it up to a stat of 24. This allows Wailmer to fire off powerful Water Spouts while outspeeding the entire unboosted metagame with Choice Scarf, meaning it can hit other Pokemon before Water Spout is weakened. This set is useful in that it can easily rip holes into offensive teams, opening up a sweep for teammates. Hydro Pump is used on this set to provide a more consistently powerful option over Water Spout, as when Wailmer begins to lose HP, Water Spout becomes considerably weaker. Ice Beam is to provide coverage, and it does a number on Dragon- and Grass-types that will frequently switch in on Wailmer in an attempt to wall it. Finally, a Hidden Power of choice can be used to provide the final coverage. Both options hit Water-types that will set up on Wailmer. Hidden Power Grass allows Wailmer to hit Chinchou and Frillish, while Hidden Power Electric strikes Mantyke super effectively, all of which are common Pokemon. One must take into account, however, that Hidden Power sports only 70 Base Power, and this means that with Wailmer's only middling Special Attack stat, it will struggle to do lots of damage, which is why Hidden Power should only be used when absolutely necessary. There are a few changes that can be made with this set. Hydro Pump can easily be replaced with Surf for perfect accuracy at the cost of considerable power, although this choice is down to the user. Wailmer's nature can be changed to Modest for some extra strength behind Wailmer's attacks, making it a good choice. Under the circumstances, however, a Modest nature means that Choice Scarf Wailmer will no longer be able to outspeed Choice Scarf Magnemite, meaning that it can no longer outpace one of the strongest threats in the metagame. Water Veil is the ability of choice, as it allows Wailmer to switch into Will-O-Wisp, and it is more effective than Wailmer's other abilities. Finally, another option is Hidden Power Fire to beat Ferroseed and Snover, two of the best checks to Wailmer. As Wailmer will find itself frequently switching in and out, Rapid Spin support is a great boon to our favorite whale, as it wants to keep its Water Spout at maximum power. Sandshrew is perhaps the best option for providing Rapid Spin support, as it provides an excellent immunity to Electric-type attacks while also setting up Stealth Rock itself, allowing Wailmer to KO more Pokemon after the residual damage. However, Sandshrew does compound Wailmer's weakness to Grass-type attacks, so one must be wary of this when providing additional team support. Another useful teammate is Magnemite, as not only does it resist Grass-type moves, it can easily remove Ferroseed, perhaps the best check to Wailmer. Finally, rain support is a good thing to have when using Wailmer, as it boosts Water Spout's power to colossal levels, denting even Pokemon that resist the attack when Wailmer is at full health. Bronzor is a good teammate that can easily set up rain, and it can even provide Trick Room support if you choose to run Wailmer without a Choice Scarf for more power.

Wailmer is one of the few Pokemon in Little Cup who has access to Water Spout, which can be the strongest Water-type attack depending on Wailmer's remaining HP. But with Wailmer's mediocre Speed, Water Spout loses a lot of its usefulness, since Wailmer could very well be low on health by the time it uses it. Equipping a Choice Scarf on Wailmer is the easiest solution, allowing it to outspeed every Pokemon in Little Cup who do not have a Choice Scarf or have raised their Speed in some other manner. Water Spout can OHKO many of the fragile Pokemon in Little Cup, and will usually be the attack of choice for Wailmer. However, Stealth Rock, priority, and opponents attacking can really eat up a lot of Wailmer's HP. Surf or Hydro Pump is therefore used as the second attack, ensuring that Wailmer will continue to hit hard even after its HP is low. Hydro Pump has plenty of power, but also has an accuracy of 80%. In such a fast paced metagame, accuracy can make all the difference. If you choose Surf, you do lose a lot of power, but you have perfect accuracy; the choice comes down to preference. Ice Beam allows Wailmer to take out Paras (who boasts an immunity to Water-type attacks) but it can also hurt other Grass-types, such as Treecko. In the last slot, Hidden Power Electric can be used to hit Mantyke, who is immune to Water attacks, and other Water-types. Hidden Power Ground can be used to try and KO Croagunk, who also has an immunity to Water Spout, and Chinchou. However, Hidden Power Ground does leave Wailmer helpless against Gligar, who can take that opportunity to set up. Self-Destruct is a great way to finish off a Wailmer counter, especially if Wailmer has taken too much damage and can't effectively use Water Spout any longer. However, if you are going to run Self-Destruct, move the HP EVs into Attack and go with a Hasty nature. Pokemon who are holding a Focus Sash are a major concern for Wailmer as it will not be able to OHKO them with Water Spout, allowing them to hit back and take away some of Wailmer's health. Having Stealth Rock support in conjunction with Wailmer is the best solution to this problem, as Stealth Rock also weakens other Pokemon and puts them into OHKO range. Snover is also a problem for this set since it can switch into all of Wailmer's attacks. Bronzor can handle Snover and set up Stealth Rock. Paras and Croagunk, who are both immune to Water-type attacks, can prove to be very big problems for Wailmer. A Diglett with Earthquake, Aerial Ace, and Sucker Punch can be a great way to trap and eliminate these Pokemon. Wynaut can also trap and eliminate Croagunk. Porygon makes a fantastic partner for Wailmer, as it can Ice Beam or Thunderbolt any Water- or Grass-types who resist Wailmer's STAB attacks.

Bulky Wailmer is an incredible lead Pokemon due to its high bulk that provides with it a positive or neutral matchup against many other leads, such as Staryu, Voltorb, Elekid, and Abra. This set maximizes Special Defense investment for a 93% chance to survive Thunderbolt from two of the strongest Electric-type Pokemon in the tier, Elekid and Chinchou. The Special Defense investment is also generally useful against powerful special attackers in the tier such as Abra and Gastly. Earthquake is a great coverage move to hit Electric-types: with 40 Attack EVs, it lands an OHKO on Elekid while hitting Chinchou hard. Hidden Power Grass is used to hit other Water-types like Wailmer or Staryu. A Sassy nature lets Wailmer achieve maximum Special Defense and maintain the power of its physical moves while still outspeeding Porygon. Self-Destruct is excellent for trading Pokemon, as it is usually used against some of the tier's best Pokemon like Porygon. It can also be used in poor matchups or to sacrifice Wailmer to bring in one of its teammates. One of the few attacks capable of OHKOing Wailmer is Choice Band Doduo's Double-Edge, so Pokemon that can switch into Doduo such as Porygon, Snubbull, Gastly, or Duskull make good teammates. Despite being able to take on Electric-type Pokemon, Wailmer still appreciates Ground-type teammates like Trapinch or Diglett that can trap and remove Electric-types so that Wailmer is not overwhelmed. Wailmer's high bulk allows it to reliably check powerful threats like Abra, which is appreciated by Pokemon like Gastly, Doduo, and Koffing that are all scared out by it.