I want to give my thoughts on Azumarill in this post, because the recent departure of Amoonguss has left the tier in a shell-shocked state. Amoonguss’ ability to pivot into massive threats such as Breloom, Serperior, and even stuff like Choice Scarf Latias if full or Choice Band Scizor, but the biggest one was Azumarill. Even with Amoonguss, it was very borderline. Without, however, I fully believe that it is unhealthy for the tier, and I’ll tell you why.



To preface this, let’s talk about Azumarill’s typing, stats, and ability. Huge Power doubles its attack stat, getting it to 436 without a Choice Band, and 654 with a Choice Band. This alone would make Azumarill a threat. However, with a Fairy-type and sizable 100/80/80 bulk, Azumarill is extremely hard to kill from full and can take hits such as Mega Aerodactyl Stone Edge, Choice Band Scizor’s Bullet Punch, and Latias’ Psychic pretty readily from full and OHKO back. These aspects are the center of how easy it is to fit onto teams, and how easily it can come in on a defensive Pokemon such as Swampert and throw a hit off or setup or trap something. I wanted to say something about these parts of Azumarill before talking about the actual sets and their effects themselves.



First, the lesser of the three sets, Belly Drum, while manageable, still has some problematic aspects. The foremost being that defensively, there is very little counterplay out side of Quagsire/Pyukumuku, who are entirely restricted to stall and nothing else, or Mega Aggron, who takes about half from +6 Play Rough but has no recovery and can be easily chipped into range. This alone makes it tough for teams to handle. Secondly, it’s bulky enough to take certain hits such as Scarf Latias Psychic or Choice Band Scizor Bullet Punch if Sitrus, and KO back. Offensively, it pressures you into keeping your offensive Water resist healthy the #1 priority, which oft can be hard to do, especially with Rocks/chip from taking other hits. If you don’t do this, however, a +6 Azumarill becomes a nightmare to handle if let setup. While I do acknowledge that if is a big IF, seeing as it can be readily offensively pressured by the likes of Serperior/Breloom etc, but it requires getting the double correctly, which is a 50/50, and a sign that it is at least somewhat of an issue, and shouldn’t be dismissed when talking about Azumarill, even if it’s less consistent than the other sets.



Next, with the release of Virtual Console for GSC, Azumarill has gained legal access to both Whirlpool and Perish Song, as well as its hidden ability, Sap Sipper. This makes it able to get around typical Azumarill checks, such as Breloom or Latias, as well as lessening the even still little defensive counterplay that there is to Azumarill. Being able to trap bulky Pokemon such as Alomomola, Mega Aggron, or even offensive ones like the aforementioned Breloom or non-Substitute Serperior sets, is a boon for offense and stall alike, baiting in threats, only for them to be quickly disposed of with little repercussion. Azumarill’s good bulk and typing make it harder to deal with. From full, it can bluff the other sets such as CB or BD, but then trap the switch-in, and remove it, provide it isn’t something like Poisonium-Z Tentacruel, for example. An example of the effect Trapper Azu has on the meta is exemplified by the recent running of Shed Shell on Alomomola, as opposed to Leftovers/Rocky Helmet, which without Azu in the tier, are infinitely better. The running of a suboptimal item to counter this one set but weaken its matchup against other threats like Scizor, Choice Band Infernape, etc, is the consequence of the unhealthy presence of Azumarill in the tier, and something like this is a textbook characteristic of a Pokémon that doesn’t belong in the tier.



Finally, we get to the crème de la crème of Azumarill sets: Choice Band. Choice Band Azumarill is simultaneously the most effective set and the most splashable one, getting on most offensive builds because of its ability to break down common defensive cores such as Gliscor/Tentacruel or Sylveon/Mega Aggron. Choice Band Azumarill has very few “safe” switchins, Mega Aggron and Mega Slowbro being able to take hits the best. However, Mega Slowbro is forced to recover thereafter, and in the case of Mega Aggron, has no recovery whatsoever. There are softer checks such as Tentacruel and Volcanion, but those are heavily chipped by Play Rough and cannot switch in reliably more than once or twice if rocks are up. Azumarill also picks off frailer Pokemon or Water-weak Pokemon with Aqua Jet, making it extremely threatening to offensive builds as well as defensive ones, serving as a potent revenge killer. Its dual STAB combination of Water/Fairy, as well as utility options in Knock Off, Ice Punch, Superpower, and even Return leave teams in a precarious 50/50 every time it is in. It has the typing/bulk to take on prominent threats such as Latias and Mega Sharpedo from full, and on average gets a kill per game if played correctly in my experience. The ability to force constant 50/50s with its STABs and coverage during play is the most unhealthy factor about Azumarill. It has unparalleled power and ability to threaten teams, and the sheer thought of running an otherwise generally unviable mon such as Vileplume or the fact that joke suggestions such as Foonguss have been taken seriously by a prominent player such as Freeroamer, is honestly more scary of an impact than Breloom or Serperior (other Pokemon potentially suspect-worthy mons in the wake of Amoonguss going to OU) could ever bring to the table.



In conclusion, Azumarill deserves to be banned. The sheer amount of versatility between those three sets (Sitrus BD, Perish Trapper, Choice Band) is frankly too much for the tier. This post doesn’t even mention other viable sets such as Assault Vest or Z-Belly Drum who also have a place in the tier, albeit a limited at that, but still are viable sets. Azumarill has constricted the tier in a way to where the playerbase is desperate for concrete answers in a post-Amoonguss metagame. If kept, the tier would detriment and as such, Azumarill should be banned. Thanks for reading, and have a wonderful day.