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Swords Dance turns Qwilfish into a threatening wallbreaker. Its typing is great both offensively and defensively; its STAB combination is only resisted by Shedinja and itself and hits physically defensive behemoths such as Tangela and Rhydon super effectively. Its immunity to Toxic and resistances to common attacks let it set up on defensive staples like Miltank, Clefairy, and Flamethrower Altaria. Aqua Jet is a STAB priority move that allows Qwilfish to threaten faster attackers like Rotom, Silvally-Poison, and Choice Scarf Sawk. The combination of Intimidate and Black Sludge allows Qwilfish to keep some of its defensive utility, notably against Sawk and Rapidash. Qwilfish is best used as a cleaner on offensive teams. Other physical attackers like Swords Dance Silvally formes, Swords Dance Galarian Rapidash, and Kangaskhan can force damage on physical walls and force faster threats to take damage, hence putting them in range of Qwilfish later. Ground-types like Rhydon and Piloswine are great partners that can check Electric-types for Qwilfish and weaken the opposing team with Stealth Rock. Articuno and Clefairy are great special walls that can absorb hits from the likes of Thievul, Jynx, and Rotom that force Qwilfish out and pivot into Qwilfish to give it setup opportunities.

Qwilfish is a premier physical wall on bulky offense teams that is able to set Spikes and check powerful physical attackers such as Silvally-Dark, Rapidash, and Sawk. Liquidation is the preferred STAB move, as it prevents Ground-types like Rhydon, Alolan Dugtrio, and Piloswine from freely switch into it. Poison Jab is an alternative to hit Grass-types like Thwackey, Exeggutor, and Flapple, as well as threaten foes immune to Water like Jynx and Poliwrath and spread poison on checks like Articuno and Cramorant; however, it leaves Qwilfish more vulnerable to multiple attackers like Klinklang, Lycanroc-N, Silvally-Poison, and Rotom. Pain Split improves Qwilfish's longevity versus bulkier teams. Thanks to Taunt, Qwilfish can disrupt slower Pokemon such as Pyukumuku, Miltank, and Gurdurr and stop Defog users such as Articuno and Altaria, even though it doesn't enjoy taking their strong special STAB moves. Thunder Wave cripples faster attackers such as Gourgeist-S, Jynx, and Thievul that can otherwise freely switch into Qwilfish. Rocky Helmet lets Qwilfish wear down physical attackers, punishing resisted moves like Gurdurr's Mach Punch, Sawk's Close Combat, and Klinklang's Gear Grind. The given EV spread lets Qwilfish outspeed Adamant Lycanroc-N, Thwackey, and Shiftry and maximizes its physical bulk. Qwilfish fits well on bulky offense teams that appreciate its defensive utility and ability to set entry hazards. Specially bulky Pokemon like Articuno, Rhydon, and Clefairy make for great partners, as they are able to handle special attackers like Jynx, Rotom, and Manectric; in return, Qwilfish handles physical attackers such as Sawk and Rapidash and absorbs Knock Off, as well as forms a nice entry hazard stack core with the latter two. Pokemon that are immune to or resist Ground such as Rotom, Uxie, and Tangela cover Qwilfish's Ground weakness. VoltTurn cores pair well with Spikes, as they force a lot of switches. Therefore, Pokemon such as Thwackey, Silvally formes, and Alolan Persian make for great partners. Spikes are appreciated by wallbreakers like Rapidash and Sawk; Kangaskhan is a noteworthy example, as it can force switches thanks to Fake Out. Knock Off users such as Shiftry, Liepard, and Gurdurr can remove opposing Heavy-Duty Boots from Pokemon like Alolan Persian and Sableye, bolstering the effectiveness of Qwilfish's entry hazards.

Moves Qwilfish can set up either Spikes or Toxic Spikes, punishing switches and racking up residual damage, and can easily take advantage of its bulk and typing to do so against opposing Fighting-, Fire-, and Fairy-types. Waterfall prevents Qwilfish from becoming Taunt fodder and is decently powerful backed by a STAB boost and Qwilfish's base 95 Attack. Scald can be used over Waterfall for its chance to burn as well as its consistent damage if Qwilfish is burned; however, Qwilfish's pitiful base 55 Special Attack means that Scald is significantly weaker than Waterfall, and Scald can also cause an unwanted burn on Guts Heracross. Taunt prevents slower Defog users such as Empoleon from removing Qwilfish's entry hazards, stops walls such as Suicune and Florges from recovering their health, and prevents setup from the likes of Snorlax and Feraligatr. Pain Split is Qwilfish's best form of recovery and allows it to stay healthy enough to repeatedly switch into physical attackers and Fairy-types. Alternatively, Thunder Wave can be used to cripple certain switch-ins and is especially useful against faster Defog users, such as Crobat. Set Details The given EVs and nature maximize Qwilfish's physical bulk to allow it to easily switch into Pokemon such as Mienshao, Mega Beedrill, and Infernape. An Impish nature should be used with Waterfall, while a Bold nature should be used with Scald. Intimidate further augments Qwilfish's physical bulk. Black Sludge provides Qwilfish with passive recovery and deters Choice item users from using Trick. Usage Tips Switch into physical Fire- and Fighting-type attackers as well as Fairy-types and take advantage of Qwilfish's ability to wall these Pokemon by setting up entry hazards early in the game. Wear down opposing Defog and Rapid Spin users with Thunder Wave and Waterfall or Scald. Team Options Qwilfish should be paired with special walls to take the special attacks directed at Qwilfish. Sylveon, Florges and Umbreon fulfill this role while also helping Qwilfish stay healthy with Wish support, and both appreciate Qwilfish's ability to take on powerful physical attackers such as Entei. Porygon2 can also handle Pokemon that threaten Qwilfish, such as Heliolisk, while Qwilfish can check the Fighting-types that give Porygon2 trouble; Snorlax offers similar synergy and can also rack up Spikes damage with Whirlwind. Krookodile has great synergy with Qwilfish, as it can check Electric- and Psychic-types, provide Stealth Rock support to aid in wearing down foes, and threaten common Defog users such as Crobat and Empoleon. Wallbreakers such as Choice Specs Kyurem and Swords Dance Heracross have an easier time KOing defensive targets with Spikes support. Cleaners such as Mega Sharpedo, Lucario, and Slurpuff can all make use of Qwilfish's Spikes.

Moves Swords Dance turns Qwilfish into a powerful wallbreaker, allowing it to do major damage to defensive Pokemon such as Mega Aggron, Forretress, and Suicune. Waterfall and Poison Jab are Qwilfish's most powerful and reliable STAB attacks. Waterfall additionally benefits from a boost in the rain, while Poison Jab hits many common threats to rain teams, such as Chesnaught, Hydreigon, and Mega Abomasnow. Explosion serves as a last-ditch effort to do major damage to opposing walls and also allows Qwilfish's teammates to come onto the field for free. For example, at +2, Qwilfish OHKOes Suicune with Explosion. Set Details The given EV spread enables Qwilfish to hit as hard and as fast as possible. An Adamant nature is used for the extra power, as a Jolly nature does not allow Qwilfish to outspeed anything significant in the rain. Life Orb is the preferred item to further boost Qwilfish's power, while Swift Swim doubles Qwilfish's Speed in the rain. Usage Tips Bring in Qwilfish under rain early in the game to muscle through physical walls. Use Explosion when Qwilfish is about to faint to safely bring in another rain abuser, such as Mega Swampert, or a rain setter. However, preserve Qwilfish against opposing teams with Toxic Spikes setters, as Qwilfish's teammates will appreciate having them absorbed later in the game. Team Options Reliable manual rain setters are necessary to activate Qwilfish's Swift Swim. Bronzong and Tornadus are both excellent setters of rain and can bring in Qwilfish with Explosion and U-turn, respectively. Other Swift Swim abusers, such as Kingdra and Mega Swampert, can make good use of Qwilfish's ability to put holes in defensive cores and can safely clean up afterwards. Entry hazard support helps Qwilfish net KOs on Pokemon such as Mega Aggron.

With Intimidate, its Dream World ability, Qwilfish makes a great check to many physical threats, such as Heracross, Azumarill, and Darmanitan. Once in play, Qwilfish can proceed to set up layers of Spikes to wear down the opponent's team. Pain Split is a welcome addition from BW2, and if used at opportune times will keep Qwilfish at enough health to continue sponging powerful hits. Waterfall is Qwilfish's primary option for offense, allowing it to damage Cobalion while also hitting Fire-types super effectively. Poison Jab is another option to hit physical Kingdra, which Qwilfish struggles against otherwise, while also hitting switch-ins with a chance to poison. Finally, Haze is an effective way to check setup sweepers looking to capitalize on Qwilfish's modest offensive capabilities, such as Bulk Up Scrafty or Calm Mind Suicune. Thunder Wave is another great option to cripple almost anything it hits -- it's especially effective because most Ground-types fear a STAB Waterfall and are therefore reluctant to switch in to absorb Thunder Wave. If Qwilfish does manage to paralyze an opposing threat, it can take advantage of the flinch chance of Waterfall as well as the chance of a full paralysis, which means the opponent will have a reduced chance to hit Qwilfish at all. While significant Speed investment on a defensive Pokemon might seem odd, the 52 Speed EVs do serve a purpose. With the given spread, Qwilfish will outspeed Jolly Victini after it has used V-Create once. This helps Qwilfish because, while Qwilfish can avoid a 2HKO even after Stealth Rock, after prior damage Victini can take out Qwilfish in two hits due to the insane power of V-Create. Qwilfish will also outspeed Jolly Aggron and uninvested base 90 Speed Pokemon, such as Roserade. For this reason, Taunt can be used in the last slot to prevent Roserade from setting up its Spikes. If none of these situations particularly concern your team, a simple 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe spread can be used to attain maximum physical bulk. Because Qwilfish invites Rapid Spin users such as Blastoise and Hitmontop to switch in and clear away hazards, Toxic can also work in the fourth slot. Once afflicted by Toxic poison, spinners will be unable to continue clearing hazards over the course of the battle. Qwilfish has access to Toxic Spikes as well as Spikes and can feasibly set them up just as easily; however, grounded Poison-types, such as Roserade and Nidoking, are quite common, so Spikes will almost always be of more use. Black Sludge is an equivalent item to Leftovers, and also will cripple any Trick users that Qwilfish switches into that lack Poison typing. If the opponent wants to use Trick again to rid themselves of Black Sludge, Qwilfish can switch in again to regain its item. However, Qwilfish will rarely switch into popular UU Trick users, and if Qwilfish were to faint before the Trick user another Pokemon could be crippled instead. Leftovers is an alternative if you're feeling edgy about Black Sludge and Trick. With Qwilfish laying Spikes, a spinblocker is a good teammate to keep the hazards on the field. Both Mismagius and Sableye can block Rapid Spin courtesy of their Ghost typing. Mismagius appreciates entry hazard support to aid its powerful special attacks, and Sableye can serve as a backup check to physical attackers with Will-O-Wisp. As Qwilfish will fold to most special attacks, pairing it with Umbreon or Snorlax is a good idea. Umbreon in particular makes a good partner because it can use Wish heal Qwilfish if it is unable to get off a Pain Split. Qwilfish also resists both the Bug- and Fighting-type attacks that Umbreon despises.

Although Qwilfish is commonly seen as a defensively oriented threat, it can utilize its decent speed and access to useful utility moves to become a fast Spikes lead. While at first glance this set might seem outclassed by other suicide Spikers such as Scolipede, Accelgor, and Smeargle, Qwilfish stands out with its access to useful utility moves such as Taunt and Destiny Bond. Even without any defensive investment, Qwilfish's resistances to the common Fire- and Fighting-type moves and Intimidate still give it some defensive utility. Spikes is the centerpiece of this set, as Qwilfish aims to set up multiple layers of the move for its team. Taunt gives Qwilfish good utility against defensive teams, as well as preventing setup. Destiny Bond allows Qwilfish to take down an opponent once it has completed its job of laying hazards. Explosion, however, also allows Qwilfish to go out with a bang to deal damage, and allows Qwilfish to pseudo-spinblock against Blastoise or Hitmontop. Finally, Waterfall is Qwilfish's best STAB move, and provides it a way to deal some damage if needed. The EV spread maximizes Speed to ensure Qwilfish can set up entry hazards as quickly as possible. A Focus Sash is a very useful item to keep Qwilfish alive so it can set up at least one layer of Spikes. Even though Qwilfish is not going defensive with this set, Intimidate is still a useful ability, and can allow Qwilfish to make good use of its resistances to take hits from common threats such as Darmanitan, Heracross, and Mienshao. Toxic Spikes can be used over Destiny Bond or Explosion if poisoning opponents should prove useful; but with the ubiquity of threats such as Roserade and Nidoqueen, the entry hazard is hard to utilize. An alternate EV spread with maximum Attack can be used in conjunction with Explosion to deal heavy damage. Poison Jab can be used over Waterfall if you want to hit Shaymin and occasionally poison Blastoise and Slowbro; beyond that, however, Poison is a poor offensive type and is generally not worth it. Since Qwilfish lays Spikes and is generally powerless against most spinners, a spinblocker is always appreciated. Cofagrigus and Golurk are both great picks for spinblockers, and can also take advantage of the Spikes that Qwilfish sets up to deal with opponents more easily. In addition, late-game sweepers such as Heracross, Raikou, Krookodile, and Yanmega can all benefit from the Spikes support Qwilfish provides, as this can allow them to KO opposing targets more easily and continue their sweeps.

With Qwilfish's ability Swift Swim, it reaches a high Speed that allows it to fulfill many roles. In fact, it is the fastest user of Toxic Spikes in rain. It can easily get one layer of an entry hazard with its spectacular Speed, or cripple a wall with Taunt. Rain-boosted Waterfall dents even bulky Pokemon, and should a wall attempt to take down Qwilfish, it can drag them down along with it using Destiny Bond. It will also stop bulky sweepers such as Dialga, Zekrom, and Ho-Oh from sweeping a team thanks to playing mind games on the opponent when it alternates between Taunt and Destiny Bond. The bulky sweeper must either let both Pokemon be KOed or try to waste Destiny Bond's 8 PP. Taunt can easily stop that and force the sweeper to switch, or have both Pokemon KOed. The final thing that Qwilfish is useful for is that it can absorb Toxic Spikes. Many offensive rain teams fall prey to Toxic Spikes, and Qwilfish will render any attempt to set up Toxic Spikes useless. However, Qwilfish's lack of bulk will always be its Achilles' Heel. It will often be 2HKOed by even weak resisted attacks, not to mention being easily OHKOed by any sweeper's attacks. This will make very difficult for Qwilfish to switch in. Life Orb recoil does not help too much either. A Splash Plate might be used if Life Orb recoil is undesirable. However, Qwilfish is so frail that 10% of its HP matters little. Even with defensive EV investment, it lacks the bulk to take neutral attacks and must employ a hit-and-run strategy while setting up entry hazards or stopping sweepers. An Adamant nature is generally preferred for Qwilfish just for the extra damage, as the Jolly nature only allows it to outrun +2 Blaziken, Scarf Darkrai, and Shaymin-S. However, if one considers that important, then it is usable, especially due to the fact that Qwilfish might not attack very often anyway. Poison Jab might be used as a secondary STAB over Waterfall if one favors dealing damage to Water-types over taking down walls, beating sweepers, or setting up entry hazards, depending on which move it chooses to replace. However, the supporting moves are generally what allow Qwilfish to be so versatile. Qwilfish can be only used in the rain, as it allows it to double its Speed and increase the power of its STAB Waterfall. Qwilfish generally does not rely too much on teammates to fulfill its role due to its ability to prevent sweeps on its own and set up at almost any time. However, Kyogre is essential to provide the rain for Qwilfish. Giratina-O also makes a great teammate for Qwilfish, as it blocks any attempt to remove entry hazards that Qwilfish has set up. Arceus-Grass resists a large number of Qwilfish's weaknesses, and can take care of Groudon, one of the best checks to Qwilfish.

Qwilfish might also fulfill the role of an offensive sweeper in the rain. With its reasonable Attack and excellent Speed due to its ability Swift Swim, it can potentially set up and sweep. Qwilfish's dual STABs provide great coverage, and are able to OHKO Palkia, Kyogre, Lugia, Ho-Oh, Chansey, Mewtwo, and more after Stealth Rock and a Swords Dance boost. If Qwilfish is facing a Pokemon it struggles to harm, such as Giratina, it can render it useless with Taunt, attempt to drag down along with it using Destiny Bond, or set up with entry hazards. Qwilfish's Poison typing also allows it to fulfill the great utility role of absorbing Toxic Spikes, and being immune to poison prevents it from being worn down like other Swift Swim sweepers such as Kabutops and Kingdra. Qwilfish's primary weakness, as mentioned before, is its poor bulk. It must really rely on prediction in order to pull off a Swords Dance, or it might get KOed immediately or after a couple of turns of Life Orb recoil. Qwilfish must attempt to force out something it can check, such as Chansey, and set up Swords Dance. Once it successfully gains a Swords Dance boost, it can severely punch holes in the opposing team or even sweep it. If it encounters something it struggles to take down, it can lay an entry hazard or drag it down with Destiny Bond in order to have the last laugh. When Qwilfish is in no condition to attempt a sweep, it still has the power to revenge weakened Pokemon with Destiny Bond. Rain support from Kyogre, of course, is essential for Qwilfish's success. The Speed boost will allow it to outrun almost anything. This allows it to sweep entire teams late-game. It is inadvisable to allow Qwilfish to attempt a switch before an opponent's Groudon is removed from their team. Removing Qwilfish's rain almost immediately stops it from sweeping. Explosion might be used over Taunt in order to take out something when it has no options left. This is especially useful in case Groudon switches in. Waterfall cannot do much to it due to the sun, and Explosion can cause a lot of pain for Groudon. Team Preview is very useful to mark out the threats that can take Qwilfish down. Due to its frailness, Qwilfish can never prepare a sweep by switching in on anything. Even switching in on a resisted attack can prevent it from sweeping. Maintaining Qwilfish's health is critical. It must instead come in after a teammate has fainted, threaten the enemy Pokemon out, and set up. Wish support from Chansey might prove useful although it would be hard for it to switch back in when it is at low health. However, using Wish and then switching to Qwilfish when on relatively high health might prove useful, because if Qwilfish switches in on a resisted attack and survives it, the health provided by Wish will replenish its health and prepare it for a sweep. Mewtwo might also be a good partner for Qwilfish as it can take down Pokemon such as Ferrothorn, Rayquaza, Groudon, and Giratina, which Qwilfish cannot harm.

Waterfall and Poison Jab are Qwilfish's main STAB moves. Waterfall hits hard in the rain and can potentially flinch the opposing Pokemon. Poison Jab provides decent coverage with Waterfall, OHKOing Ludicolo or Abomasnow, provided they don't hold a Focus Sash. Explosion, though nerfed, can still deal considerable damage to the opponent and acts as a last ditch effort when faced with a poor match up. Lastly, Protect rounds the moveset off, allowing Qwilfish to block and scout oncoming attacks. The given EVs max out Qwilfish's Speed and Attack in order to hit as hard and fast as possible. Although holding a Life Orb is preferred, holding a damage-boosting Gem, a Focus Sash, or a Choice Band is also viable. Qwilfish is quite reliant on the rain, which naturally makes Politoed its most important ally, providing rain with Drizzle. Manual weather users, such as Thundurus, can also help set up Qwilfish for sweeping. To take greater advantage of the rain, Swift Swim Pokemon, such as Ludicolo and Kingdra, or Dragon-type Pokemon, such as Latios and Hydreigon, make effective partners. The former can keep up offensive pressure against the opponent, while the latter are able to switch in on attacks super effective on Qwilfish. Pokemon with Lightning Rod, such as Manectric and Seaking, can also work with Qwilfish, redirecting away harmful Electric-type moves.

This set's main focus is to set up as many layers of Spikes as possible. With 295 Speed, Qwilfish will often be able to set up at least one layer of Spikes and then explode, ideally against the opponent's Spinner. Waterfall allows Qwilfish to break Focus Sashes before using Explosion and acts as a reliable STAB move. Taunt and Aqua Jet both work well on this set for very different purposes. Taunt allows Qwilfish to reliably stop an opponent from setting up with bulky leads such as Omastar, Cloyster, and Rhyperior. Aqua Jet allows Qwilfish to beat Moltres and Alakazam more reliably. Taunt is recommended because it cannot get Spikes up against Moltres and Alakazam and still beat them, so it's often better to have a reliable switch-in; however, keep in mind that they are both quite difficult to switch into. Qwilfish works well with Pokemon who appreciate Spikes early game. Moltres and Swellow are good examples of effective Spikes abusers because they hit hard without requiring any set up. Qwilfish also works well with bulky Stealth Rock Pokemon that can use Explosion to nail Rapid Spinners. Regirock and Registeel both fill this niche because they can both set up Stealth Rock and explode. Since Qwilfish isn't going to last longer than a few turns, a Ghost-type to block Rapid Spin is required. As far as spinblockers go, Spiritomb is an effective partner because it beats Alakazam and Mismagius, who can Taunt Qwilfish to prevent it from setting up Spikes and beat it with Psychic and Thunderbolt, respectively. Mismagius also works well because it has Taunt to beat Foresight Hitmontop.

This set plays like a less powerful but slightly faster version of Kabutops. One of the big advantages Qwilfish has over Kabutops is its ability to absorb Toxic Spikes, which can badly hurt your team's ability to sweep. Waterfall is its main attack option, its power boosted by 1.5x by the rain. Poison Jab is its secondary attack to hit Grass- and Water-types that resist Waterfall. Explosion takes out anything that doesn't resist it after a Swords Dance boost. Return is an alternate option for use over Explosion as it can hit Quagsire, Gastrodon, Toxicroak, and other Water- and Poison-type resists without blowing Qwilfish up; however, Explosion's sheer power and ability to blow holes in teams is generally preferred. Qwilfish does well against almost all Milotic thanks to resisting Surf and being neutral to Hidden Power Grass. This is a great asset to Rain Dance teams since Milotic can wall many other rain sweepers. Thanks to Swift Swim, Qwilfish reaches 538 Speed when Rain Dance is up, which outspeeds pretty much everything you will encounter in UU, including all common Choice Scarf users. You could drop its Speed, but it's better to run maximum Speed to Speed tie with other Adamant Qwilfish. Jolly is an alternative nature as outspeeding positive base 80 Speed Pokemon outside the rain, such as Venusaur, which could prove useful; however, the extra power makes Adamant the better option most of the time. Rain Dance is a requirement when using Swords Dance Qwilfish on your team because it doubles Qwilfish's average Speed, as well as giving a 1.5x boost to Qwilfish's STAB Waterfall. Claydol makes a great partner to Qwilfish, immune or resistant to all of its weaknesses, as well as being able to set up both Stealth Rock and Rain Dance. Stealth Rock is definitely suggested because it makes it easier for Qwilfish to deal with Pokemon such as Altaria. Uxie is another Pokemon who can set up Stealth Rock while taking the Ground- and Psychic-type moves commonly directed at Qwilfish. Uxie also has access to Memento, which can help Qwilfish set up a Swords Dance, albeit at the cost of Uxie. Rotom is another great partner, taking the Ground-, Fighting-, and Electric-type moves aimed at Qwilfish while setting up Rain Dance; it can also use Hidden Power Grass to hit Quagsire and Gastrodon, which Qwilfish can do nothing but explode on. Ludicolo is very dangerous in the rain and makes a great partner as it has access to Grass-type moves, which can deal with the bulky Water-types that Qwilfish hates. Although it may seem like a conflict of interests, Kabutops can actually make a nice partner to Qwilfish; they have problems with many of the same Pokemon, so when Qwilfish explodes on Quagsire or Gastrodon, it will open up an opportunity for Kabutops to finish off the opponent's team. Dugtrio can trap and kill Toxicroak; however, it has to be careful when switching in on a Nasty Plot because Toxicroak can OHKO Dugtrio with Vacuum Wave.

Qwilfish can make a decent Rain Dance lead. The idea is to set up Rain Dance and attempt a sweep of its own, or to explode Qwilfish on someone and send in your secondary Swift Swim abuser unharmed. Waterfall is Qwilfish's main attack again. Poison Jab is better for sweeping and hits the Grass-type Pokemon who resist Qwilfish's main attack, but Taunt has its uses, too. For example, it can prevent opponents from setting up a Substitute or Stealth Rock or throwing status around, which can harm a team member's chance of sweeping. However, Qwilfish is quite slow, meaning Taunt is only useful against slower, bulkier leads unless rain is up. Explosion is the preferred option in the last slot to go out with a bang, but Destiny Bond can be used instead to force opponents to switch or faint, and due to Rain Dance, Qwilfish will be faster than them. Damp Rock allows for eight turns of rain which are so beneficial and against most leads, you can at least get up Rain Dance. However, with Focus Sash, Qwilfish will always survive a hit and get Rain Dance on the field unless it gets hit with Taunt, inflicted with status, or is up against a Fake Out lead. An EV spread of 252 HP / 92 Def / 166 Spe is another option when using Damp Rock as with the extra HP, you'll be able to take an unboosted Earthquake from Steelix. The Speed EVs enable you to outspeed +1 positive base 100s in the rain, allowing you to Destiny Bond them before they attack. Spikes or Toxic Spikes are other minor options for use in the third slot should you want to utilize entry hazards. An Adamant nature is used to hit as powerfully as possible; however, a Jolly nature is a good alternative as it means that outside the rain Qwilfish will, at worst, Speed tie with opposing Qwilfish and Toxicroak and also outspeed positive base 80s, such as Venusaur. One of the main reasons to use Qwilfish over other Rain Dance leads, such as Electrode and Ambipom, is that you can immediately put the momentum of the match on your side. Obviously, this Qwilfish should only be used on a Rain Dance team, and it therefore needs to be supported by appropriate Pokemon. Ludicolo makes a great offensive partner, taking out the bulky Water-types that Qwilfish hates. If Qwilfish can lure in and explode on Quagsire, Gastrodon, and Toxicroak, Kabutops will have an easier time at a sweep and therefore makes an effective partner. Claydol covers all of Qwilfish's weaknesses and so is a great option for a partner. It can also set up both Stealth Rock and Rain Dance to support the team. Dugtrio is a great partner because it can trap Toxicroak and Chansey, who causes problems for the special sweepers in Rain Dance teams. Qwilfish has a lot of trouble with Ambipom leads, as they can use Fake Out to break Qwilfish's Focus Sash, therefore making Rotom a nice partner to switch into Fake Out, while also being able to set up Rain Dance to support the team. It will have to watch out for Payback, though, which will 2HKO 252/252+ Rotom 98.62% of the time if Ambipom is holding Life Orb. However, Rotom can burn Ambipom with Will-O-Wisp, and since Life Orb isn't too common on Lead Ambipom, Rotom will usually be fine. Uxie has great bulk and makes another good switch into Ambipom, and since U-turn and Payback only do around 25% to 252/252+ Uxie, it shouldn't have too much trouble getting in and setting up both Rain Dance and Stealth Rock to support your team.

With this set, Qwilfish is able to switch into the majority of Water- and physical Fire-types and defensive Pokemon and easily lay down Spikes. Pain Split lets Qwilfish survive longer and therefore set up more layers of Spikes. Poison Jab is your chosen STAB move as it lets Qwilfish hit other Water-types, such as SubPunch Azumarill (whose Substitute will be broken by it), and with Qwilfish's bulk, it will easily take its hits from Azumarill's common attacks, except for Normal-type attacks. In the last slot, Taunt is the preferred option to stop opponent's from using recovery and also lets Qwilfish easily beat both SubRoost Moltres and Articuno. However, Aqua Jet is a reasonable replacement to revenge kill weakened Blaziken, Dugtrio, and Houndoom. While many people would prefer to use Cloyster or Omastar for Spikes, Qwilfish does have some notable advantages over those three. Firstly, due to its Poison typing, it absorbs Toxic Spikes upon entry, and so stops your team from being slowly weakened by the poison. Because of this, it can also relieve your team of reliance on Aromatherapy or Heal Bell support. This Poison typing also means Qwilfish is immune to Toxic, letting it take on defensive Pokemon such as Chansey better than the aforementioned three Pokemon. Qwilfish also has an easier time setting up against bulky Water-types and can wall most Fire-types. It also can do very well against Stallrein since it can Taunt Walrein and resists Water-type attacks, unlike Omastar and Cloyster. The EVs let Qwilfish take physical hits, neutral Hidden Powers from Pokemon like Milotic, and resisted special hits well. Leftovers is the preferred item since the extra recovery can help Qwilfish stay around longer; however, Shed Shell is a good alternative should you be afraid of Dugtrio trapping Qwilfish. Poison Point is the chosen ability as this set does not aim to sweep in the rain, nor will it take that much advantage from opponents using Rain Dance. Therefore, the chance to poison the opponent is more useful. Impish is the preferred nature as it means Qwilfish will take physical hits better. This set aims to set up Spikes to support your team; therefore, a Ghost-type is very useful to stop your opponent from just spinning away Qwilfish's Spikes. Mismagius, Rotom, and Spiritomb are the best options for this. You can even run two Ghost-types to stop Hitmontop from using Foresight + Rapid Spin to spin away any Spikes Qwilfish sets up. Chansey is a very useful partner as this set has trouble taking strong special hits; however, Chansey takes most easily. Donphan and Venusaur are effective partners to take Electric-type attacks commonly aimed at Qwilfish. Donphan can also set up Stealth Rock to help add to the residual damage. Taunt Ambipom can cause this set a lot of problems by stopping it from setting up Spikes or healing itself. Fake Out + Return, with Stealth Rock support and a bit more prior damage, from Life Orb Ambipom can 2HKO Qwilfish, while Poison Jab from Qwilfish will only at best 2HKO Ambipom in return (with Stealth Rock support). Spiritomb therefore can make an effective partner to deal with Ambipom and has Pursuit, Sucker Punch, and Will-O-Wisp to wear it down. Other Ghost-types such as Spiritomb and Rotom do well if Ambipom lacks Payback, while Rock- and Steel-types can deal with Ambipom if it doesn't pack Low Kick or Grass Knot (the latter only being for the Rock-types). Taunt Drapion is a major nuisance to this set, because Taunt stops Qwilfish from setting up Spikes, using its own Taunt, or using Pain Split. Drapion also resists Poison Jab and has the Defense to easily take Aqua Jet. Dugtrio can trap Drapion and OHKO offensive 4 HP variants with a Jolly Life Orb Earthquake 100% of the time. With Stealth Rock up, Adamant Life Orb Dugtrio will always OHKO 252 HP Drapion, while Jolly Dugtrio requires Stealth Rock and Spikes for the definite OHKO. However, Dugtrio needs both a Choice Band and an Adamant nature if it wants a small chance to OHKO 252/252+ Drapion with Stealth Rock up; Jolly Life Orb variants will manage a 2HKO. The aforementioned Donphan also makes an effective partner to deal with opposing Drapion as it has a high Defense stat to take hits and has a powerful STAB Earthquake that will always OHKO offensive versions of Drapion, assuming Donphan has the usual Adamant nature and 252 Attack EVs. Even the most defensive Drapion is always 2HKOed.

Although one of its lesser options, Qwilfish can still make a great Spikes user. The handy thing about Qwilfish is that five of the best Rapid Spinners in UU have trouble switching into it, allowing Qwilfish to set up quite easily. Claydol, Donphan, Sandslash, and Torkoal are all weak to Waterfall, and are therefore unlikely to switch in, while Blastoise has trouble doing any real damage and gets worn down by Poison Jab. Waterfall is the main attacking option for Qwilfish, while Poison Jab helps against Grass-types and certain Flying-types who resist or are immune to Water-type attacks, like Mantine and Altaria. Although Qwilfish doesn't have stellar defenses, it can use Taunt over Poison Jab to stop opponents from setting up. For the last slot, Explosion is the preferred option to go out with a bang, but Destiny Bond is a good alternative and might cause some switching if you reveal it early. Thunder Wave is a minor option, but if your team is slow, it could be helpful, and with the 20% flinch rate of Waterfall, Qwilfish can be an annoyer of sorts. Although Qwilfish may seem outclassed by Omastar as a Spikes user, its access to Explosion, Taunt, and higher Speed are some big things which set it apart from Omastar. It can also soak up Toxic Spikes, which stall teams hate. The EVs are aimed at boosting Qwilfish's Attack while also letting it take hits better, with the rest put in Speed. Poison Point is the preferred ability as the odd chance of poisoning your opponent could prove crucial, and with only 4 EVs in Speed, Qwilfish won't be able to make that good use of Swift Swim anyway. Running an EV spread of 252 HP / 32 SpD / 224 Spe is another option; this outruns Timid Life Orb Milotic and anything slower, though at the cost of Attack. Therefore, this is best when running Spikes, Waterfall, Taunt, and Destiny Bond. A Jolly nature can also be used, with an EV spread of 252 HP / 40 Atk / 216 Spe or just maximum Speed with less HP or Attack. The loss of attack power may hurt at times, but the extra Speed could prove useful as you will outspeed positive base 80s. A Ghost-type Pokemon is a requirement as a partner to this set to stop opponents from Spinning away your Spikes and ruining all of your work. Rotom, Spiritomb, and Mismagius are the best options for that slot. They all have access to Will-O-Wisp and various supporting qualities to cripple your opponents. Perish Song Mismagius can put your opponents in a horrible position: they'll need to switch because of Perish Song, but don't want to because of Spikes. Spiritomb is the most defensive of the three and can handle key threats to Qwilfish, like Toxicroak, the best. Rotom can help your team take hits better with dual screens. Obviously, Qwilfish can do well on stall teams as Spikes are very important to stall teams, so Chansey is a great partner to take special attacks aimed at Qwilfish. Donphan makes a nice partner because it has an immunity to Electric-type moves and can also set up Stealth Rock and use Rapid Spin. Altaria has an immunity to Ground-type moves and can use Toxic to poison the bulky Water-types that cause Qwilfish problems.

While this set seems awkward, Qwilfish can be a surprisingly effective lead in the Uber metagame. With Payback and Aqua Jet, it can easily 2HKO Deoxys-S, limiting it to one layer of entry hazards at most. Against bulkier leads, such as Groudon, Dialga, and Kyogre, it can usually set up one layer of hazards and Explode or set up two layers and die. It can always set up two layers against Kyogre, since Swift Swim allows it to outspeed even Choice Scarf Kyogre. The choice of entry hazard depends on your team. More offensively based teams tend to prefer Spikes, while Toxic Spikes suits defensive teams better. Explosion is the suicide move of choice as it prevents Forretress from spinning away one layer of Spikes. However, Destiny Bond can be used to surprise Groudon and Dialga leads, which Explosion would not OHKO. While Qwilfish is an effective lead, it will lose to Darkrai, who outspeeds and puts it to sleep with Dark Void. It also loses to faster leads and leads with priority, such as Giratina-O, Deoxys-A, and Rayquaza. Sleep Talk users such as Dialga and Kyogre are decent switch-ins to Darkrai, but must be wary of Trick. Choice Scarf Heracross is possibly the best switch-in to Darkrai to exist. Lugia is an excellent check to mixed attacking Giratina-O and Rayquaza. Bulky Steel-types such as Jirachi, Metagross, and Arceus-Steel can take on Deoxys-A, Giratina-O, and Rayquaza without much trouble too. Giratina-O is a great teammate, as it can block Rapid Spin and picks Deoxys-A off with Shadow Sneak. Giratina and Arceus-Ghost are also good spinblockers. Fast stallers, such as Shaymin-S, Ludicolo, and Torment Heatran, love Toxic Spikes support. Substitute + Calm Mind Kyogre also loves Toxic Spikes support as it allows Kyogre to defeat potential counters, while providing eternal rain for Qwilfish. If you choose to use Spikes on Qwilfish, then powerful sweepers such as Dragon Dance Rayquaza and Swords Dance Arceus are great teammates as they appreciate the extra damage from Spikes to finish off possible walls.

This set aims to abuse as much of Qwilfish's support options as possible. This set can set up entry hazards, break stall, revenge kill, and even clean up weakened teams. The main idea is to switch Qwilfish into a wall that cannot hurt it, such as Blissey and Lugia. Qwilfish can then Taunt said wall, preventing it from using its support moves, and then set up entry hazards for free. When Qwilfish is low on health, simply use Destiny Bond or Explosion to bring the opponent down with it. Qwilfish also has the added bonus of absorbing Toxic Spikes upon switching in, which is a boon for teams with Pokemon susceptible to them, such as Kyogre and Palkia. Make sure to keep Qwilfish alive to reabsorb Toxic Spikes if they are likely to be up again. Spikes and Toxic Spikes are the two entry hazards that Qwilfish can set up. Choose the appropriate entry hazard that suits your team. Taunt allows Qwilfish to shut down walls. Waterfall is Qwilfish's preferred STAB attack, and is surprisingly powerful in the rain, capable of 2HKOing Garchomp. It can also revenge kill frailer, weakened threats, such as Darkrai and Mewtwo, and clean up late-game. Destiny Bond is preferred over Explosion because Qwilfish's Explosion fails to KO Groudon and Giratina, two of Qwilfish's biggest counters. However, Explosion can still be used since setup sweepers can potentially set up on Destiny Bond. Max Speed and a Jolly nature is preferred since it allows Qwilfish to outspeed and revenge kill Choice Scarf Darkrai and Shaymin-S. Splash Plate boosts Waterfall without causing recoil damage, although a Life Orb can be used if Explosion is chosen over Destiny Bond. Leftovers is another option for longevity, although Qwilfish is usually too frail to enjoy its benefits. Since Qwilfish needs the rain for Swift Swim to activate, Kyogre is an essential teammate as it has Drizzle, though having two Water-types on the same team spells an Electric-type weakness. Having a Garchomp, Dialga, or Arceus-Ground is helpful to absorb Electric-type attacks such as Thunder. Rayquaza troubles Qwilfish, since Air Lock nullifies Swift Swim, allowing the dragon to outspeed and OHKO Qwilfish. Choice Scarf Jirachi is an excellent check to both Dragon Dance and Swords Dance Rayquaza while Lugia can take on all variants of Rayquaza very effectively. Since Qwilfish is a highly effective hazard layer, spinblockers enhance its potency. The Giratina formes are fantastic spinblockers to use; both are able to defeat Groudon without much effort and resist Thunder. Arceus-Ghost is also usable, as it has reliable recovery. Pokemon that can stall effectively, such as Ludicolo, are great teammates for Qwilfish, especially if Qwilfish is using Toxic Spikes. While it might seem like an odd choice to use on a rain team, Heatran with Torment abuses Toxic Spikes well and patches up weaknesses to Arceus-Grass, Latias, and other Pokemon that rain teams have trouble with.

With a passable base 95 Attack, Swords Dance, and doubled Speed with Swift Swim, Qwilfish can become a deadly sweeper given the opportunity. After a Swords Dance, rain-boosted Waterfall obliterates almost everything that does not resist it, while Poison Jab and Explosion destroy most of the Pokemon that do. Here are some damage calculations to illustrate Qwilfish's power. All calculations assume that Qwilfish is using an Adamant nature, and rain is present: +2 Waterfall vs. 252/64 Lugia 81.49% - 96.15% +2 Waterfall vs. 28/228 Wobbuffet 95.64% - 112.68% +2 Waterfall vs. 252/252+ Skarmory 76.35% - 90.12% +2 Waterfall vs. 0/0 Giratina-O 51.02% - 59.86% +2 Poison Jab vs. 4/0 Palkia 93.16% - 109.93% +2 Poison Jab vs. 252/0 Kyogre 81.19% - 95.79% +2 Explosion vs. 252/0 Dialga 131.93 - 155.19%% Max Attack and Speed capitalize on what Qwilfish does best. An Adamant nature guarantees the OHKO on Palkia with Poison Jab, but a Jolly nature can be used if you want Qwilfish to get the jump on Choice Scarf Darkrai and Shaymin-S. Taunt can be used in place of Explosion, but Qwilfish does not have the bulk to use it effectively. Destiny Bond could be used in place of Explosion to surprise the Giratina formes, while Spikes or Toxic Spikes can be used to help bluff a support set earlier in the match and use Swords Dance for a sweep later. Giratina and Giratina-O are full stops to Qwilfish, although Giratina-O needs to be reasonably healthy to stomach a +2 Waterfall in the rain. Rayquaza outspeeds Qwilfish as Air Lock cancels out Swift Swim, and can easily OHKO it. Groudon resists Poison and brings in the sun to deactivate Swift Swim and to weaken Waterfall. Dialga resists Waterfall and is immune to Poison Jab. However, both need to watch out for a Swords Dance-boosted Explosion. Lugia is an excellent defensive teammate who can check Giratina-O, Dialga, Rayquaza, and Groudon reasonably well. Darkrai, Arceus-Dark, and Arceus-Steel can set up on the Giratina formes; Latias can set up on Outrage-less Giratina. Mixed Bulk Up Dialga is a fantastic Groudon lure and can easily defeat it, aiding Qwilfish to sweep later. Finally, Wobbuffet support is almost essential for a frail sweeper like Qwilfish.

Set Description Spikes is what separates Qwilfish from GSC UU's plethora of other Water-type Pokemon and provides constant extra damage, which can prove crucial to securing KOs; notably, Nidoqueen gains a chance at 2HKOing Slowbro with Thunder with Spikes up. Once Qwilfish has put Spikes down, unless there is a spinner on the opposing team, it very often becomes the go-to choice when fodder is needed for taking a status move or strong hit, as its main purpose has been served. That is not to say that it is useless other than for setting Spikes—far from it. Sludge Bomb is a surprisingly powerful attack, especially with its 30% chance to inflict poison. It is handy for threatening Grass-types like Jumpluff and Bellossom and is also good for hitting other Water-types and neutral targets. Hydro Pump is key for hitting the many Ground-types in the metagame hard, especially Nidoqueen, which Qwilfish can beat one-on-one. Haze makes Qwilfish a solid check to all kinds of setup sweepers. Qwilfish has high Speed relative to most of the tier, so it can outspeed and erase the boosts of Pokemon like Granbull, Kabutops, Victreebel, Quagsire, and Politoed. It also Speed ties with Pinsir, another dangerous Swords Dance user. Curse is an alternative that gives Qwilfish the ability to boost Sludge Bomb's power against targets like Blastoise, which may try to outlast Qwilfish to keep its Spikes off the field. It can also be useful against Pokemon like Scyther and Pinsir, which can struggle to beat Qwilfish once it has a Curse boost. However, a boosted Qwilfish will still lose to many common Pokemon, including Curse Granbull, Slowbro, and Haunter. Nidoqueen's matchup against Qwilfish also improves if it uses Curse due to its reduced Speed. Team Options Qwilfish has such great utility with Spikes and Haze that it can be used on almost any kind of team. The extra damage granted by its Spikes can be taken advantage of most by offensive Pokemon, particularly those with immediate power and good coverage like Nidoqueen, Electabuzz, Mr. Mime, Gyarados, and Dodrio. Pokemon that can force switches with Roar, Whirlwind, or Swagger such as Piloswine, Gyarados, Dodrio, and Arcanine also make good use of the extra damage from Spikes. While not strictly necessary, Belly Drum users such as Quagsire, Politoed, and Poliwrath appreciate the additional chip damage Qwilfish's Spikes provides; notably, Quagsire's +6 Earthquake becomes much more likely to OHKO Slowbro with Spikes on the field. Many defensive teams also opt to add Spikes to their team to ensure they have a reliable source of long-term damage, especially those with more passive Pokemon like Chansey, Blastoise, and Bellossom. Leech Seed Jumpluff and Bellossom are great at forcing switches, so Qwilfish's Spikes makes it an important teammate. Jumpluff has particularly good synergy with Curse Qwilfish, which can better keep Spikes up against Blastoise, whereas Jumpluff's Encore compensates for Qwilfish's lack of Haze. Qwilfish can struggle to find early-game opportunities to lay Spikes down against Psychic-type leads such as Mr. Mime and Slowking, so leads such as Electrode, Scyther, and Pinsir can be used to force them out and get Qwilfish in on a less dangerous foe. Finally, Haunter can be useful alongside Haze Qwilfish as a spinblocker to help ensure Qwilfish's Spikes can be kept on the field when facing Blastoise.