Tired of having your opponent constantly out-speeding you? Are your Pokémon getting knocked-out before they can even move? Well then you must've missed something that's crucial in most compositions and that is, Speed Control. Today, we're going to dive deep about Speed Control and how to make your slow-speed Pokémon make the first move during battle.
Pokémon Sun and Moon Guide: What is Speed Control?
The speed stat dictates who will move first during each turn in a battle. So basically, the higher the stat goes, the higher the likelihood that it gets to move first. But is speed everything? Definitely not as there's some compositions that doesn't necessarily require speed. But in most cases, you would want to out-speed your opponent to dictate and control the pace of the match. And so this is where Speed Control becomes invaluable - especially for glass cannons.
Understanding Speed Control is the key to make your Pokémon make the first move. It's not just about base stats and EV allocations; rather, it's about knowing the myriad of ways on how you can manipulate the order in which Pokémon attack. There are numerous moves and abilities in the game that affects the order of Pokémon attack, the popular ones being Trick Room and Thunderwave.
Pokémon Sun and Moon Strategy: How to Effectively Apply Speed Control
Trick Room basically reverses the move order in each priority bracket which means that the lower speed stat Pokémon will attack first while the higher speed one will attack last. The effect lasts for five turns which is long enough for your slow-moving glass cannons to inflict a decisive K.O. Another form of Speed Control is to inflict your opponent with Paralysis. This is a status condition which reduces the speed of an opposing Pokémon.
Paralysis is considered a superior form of Speed Control because the effects are permanent unless your opponent has a move that clears status-effect or uses a Lum Berry. Paralysis also has a 25% chance of fully disabling your opponent from attacking. The commonly used abilities that induce Paralysis are Thunder Wave and Nuzzle.
Now, another way to apply Speed Control is to make use of abilities that boost speed such as Tailwind, a move that basically doubles the speed of all your Pokémon during battle for three turns. This ability is highly effective when used in compositions that have glass-cannon Pokémon. In Pokémon Sun in Moon for example, we have a Kartana that has fairly high amount of Speed and insane amount of Attack stat. If you used Tailwind on a support Pokémon then you'd basically make the speed of Kartana way above 200 in base value, ensuring that it lands the first critical hit on any opponent - even out-speeding the dreaded Pheromosa.
Always remember though that speed in Pokémon is not everything as there's numerous ways on how to counter your opponent. But it's almost vital in most team compositions to move first during competitive battle and so, it's highly recommended that at least one Pokémon in your team must have any sort of Speed Control.
