Necrozma @ Salac Berry

Ability: Prism Armor

EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

Modest Nature

IVs: 0 Atk

- Calm Mind

- Earth Power

- Photon Geyser

- Heat Wave / Dark Pulse

Respective Calcs 252 SpA Chandelure Shadow Ball vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Prism Armor Necrozma: 234-276 (69.8 - 82.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (Guaranteed boost after rocks)

252 Atk Choice Band Haxorus First Impression vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Prism Armor Necrozma: 240-283 (71.6 - 84.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (Guaranteed boost after rocks)

+2 252+ Atk Doublade Shadow Sneak vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Prism Armor Necrozma: 190-225 (56.7 - 67.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (Almost guaranteed after rocks)

252+ SpA Life Orb Venusaur Sludge Bomb vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Necrozma: 192-227 (57.3 - 67.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (Almost guaranteed after rocks)

252 SpA Ninetales Fire Blast vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Necrozma in Sun: 217-256 (64.7 - 76.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (Almost guaranteed after rocks)

252 SpA Solar Power Heliolisk Thunderbolt vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Necrozma in Sun: 214-253 (63.8 - 75.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (Almost guaranteed after rocks)



Most of these require prior chip, however, they are able to be conditioned with hazards.

Hello! After some moderate testing, I'm here to bring attention to a Necrozma tech I don't think has really been discussed yet, and despite what it seems, it remedies a gigantic issue with its cleaning special sets that makes team support mandatory: 4MSS.As we know, special Necrozma sets mandate the use of Autotomize/Polish in order to remedy its subpar speed stat. While power is certainly not an issue, speed is. In fact, a majority of the tier outspeeds it if it isn't running Dragon Dance or Autotomize/Polish, meaning that if you want to run CM + 3 Attacks and sweep, you would need to run Webs or have some sort of speed control to break down threats that are faster than Necrozma. While this set is a fantastic wallbreaker, it is very inconsistent as a cleaner; the problem with sweeping with it is the fact that this in of itself requires notable team support, and is unreliable due to switching and hazard removal acting as constant variables. On the contrary, if you opt to run Auto + CM + 2 Attacks, you lose an extremely valuable third move that makes you lose out on extremely important coverage. If you opt to run Heat Wave, you lose out on beating Dark types (namely Incineroar) 1v1, and if you opt to run Earth Power, you lose to Bronzong 1v1. This issue severely limits the scope of CM Necrozma's sweeping potential with the notoriety of its defensive checks.However, the unspoken variable of Necrozma's standard set up sets, Weakness Policy, is something that is seldom talked about. Unless you're running a defensive/utility variant, Weakness Policy is almost mandatory. But, after testing this tech, I disagree when it comes to its Special sets. You already are rocking Base 127 Special Attack off of 3 hypothetically powerful moves, one of which is a strong base 100 BP STAB move. Instead, what is there that we can run?Salac Berry Necrozma.No, it's not a joke. Here's the set:Most people would call this set incredibly niche, however, this set heavily remedies standard CM sets' 4MSS issue. Thanks to Salac Berry's ability to provide Necrozma with a great speed boost without need of a fourth move, Necrozma is allotted with an extra, valuable move slot. I've found that Earth Power/Geyser are mandatory, as together they nail the tier nearly universally outside of key threats like Bronzong or Claydol, and due to the Dark types of the tier sharing a Ground weakness, Earth Power helps remedy this issue. However, this is where the fourth move comes into play. Depending on what you need, Dark Pulse and Heat Wave are both very viable options to cleave any extra check that challenges Necrozma in the late game. Additionally, if you run Modest, Calm Mind isn't even entirely necessary, and a fourth coverage move can even be run over it thanks to Necrozma's already insanely impressive Special Attack stat to run as an all out attacking set.Modest is optional, however, I enjoy it since it allows for me to threaten foes immediately on switchin without necessitating a CM boost. Overall, in my experience, Modest gives Necrozma more flexibility as an offensive breaker with a pretty safe speed tier of 385 outspeeding the entirety of the tier without a boost/Scarf.Due to Necrozma's surprising immediate bulk in conjunction with Prism Armor, getting into range of the berry's activation is a surprisingly easy feat, especially if you run pivots such as Parting Shot Incineroar to help control the damage output the opponent dishes out to you. Most SE moves will put you just in range of the berry's activation, letting you either get a free, powerful blow, or getting a necessary boost to cleave the tier's most common defensive cores. Chandelure's Shadow Ball and Haxorus's First Impression are the best examples that comes to mind, as you can not only survive the respective moves and net a huge KO, but set up for late game cleaning by getting your necessary speed boost while simultaneously knocking out a key threat. On top of this, this set is an effective anti-sun spread as well. It is a phenomenal Venusaur/Ninetales/Heliolisk bait due to its inherently low speed stat and underestimated defenses, as it can get into Salac range from many of these Pokemon's attacks, KO them with Photon Geyser/Earth Power/Heat Wave, and then perform a reverse sweep.Overall, the main niche of this variant is not only to remedy 4MSS, but also allow for Necrozma to dish out powerful damage without needing to render itself passive to get a Speed boost. It can bait many offensive plays, which results in huge KOs that effectively allow you to even reverse sweep your opponent, capitalizing on what Necrozma does best in prying foes apart in an unpredictable fashion. It's not a perfect tech, as Umbreon and bulky waters still wall it to oblivion, meaning you will need prior damage or a Poison before you can start cleaning. This goes for offensive Necrozma sets as a whole, but it is especially an issue here since Stored Power is less consistent as a move with Salac Berry over Weakness Policy. Priority is also a problem if you are already whittled down to Salac's activation range, meaning priority abusers like Mamoswine and Sirfetch'd should be eliminated before setting up.While my opponent played strangely here, you can see Prism Armor's utility and the sheer strength that only one CM is able to dish out. This is low ladder, however, as I was using my ironically low ladder main to work out the quirks in my squad. I'll be getting more later!Another replay where the utility of getting a passive boost through Salac Berry comes into clutch. I'm able to keep putting offensive pressure on my opponent and get blown into range of my Salac to get a necessary speed boost and ravage the opposing Noivern.A replay where Necrozma straight 6-0s against a standard UU balance squad. This replay is a testament to its strength and the sheer utility of having a 3rd offensive moveslot available for it.Hopefully you guys find use in this tech! :>