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Pokemon Scarlet and Violetshare a rich backstory that is available to those who go through the history classes available at Uva and Naranja Academy. Of note is the tale of a set of ruinous tablets. Owned by a greedy king, these tablets were inscribed with the wicked deeds that king performed. The negative energy surrounding these tablets coalesced and became a consciousness, and thus, a terrible blight was born that destroyed the kingdom overnight. This blight was none other than Wo-Chien, a slug made of dead leaves whose shell is made up of the very ruinous tablets that give it form.
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Wo-Chien is a Dark- and Grass-type Pokemon with the ability Tablets of Ruin. Tablets of Ruin passively reduces the Attack stat of all other Pokemon on the field. Wo-Chien, much likethe formidable Ting-Lu, is one of the more defensively-oriented Treasures of Ruin, boasting fantastic Special Defense (base 135), good Defense (base 100), and average stats otherwise. As you may expect from a snail, Wo-Chien is somewhat slow at base 70 Speed, at least in comparison to many of its fellow Legendaries. Sadly, it’s considered the worst among the Treasures of Ruin for a combination of poorly distributed stats, a bad defensive typing, and a general lack of moves at its disposal. Even so, some fun and effective builds can be created for it.
Wo-Chien’s Weaknesses
Wo-Chien’s Dark and Grass typing is definitely unfortunate. While it does afford the Pokemon six resistances and an immunity topowerful Psychic moves,the combinationleaves Wo-Chien stuck with six weaknesses to common attacking types and a devastating weakness to the Bug-type.Bug has made an incredible resurgence in the last few generations, with key players like Scizor, Lokix, and Volcarona dominating competitive play. Worse still, moves like U-Turn and First Impression are more widely distributed than ever, turning Pokemon weak to Wo-Chien’s STAB combination into potential threats.
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Wo-Chien’s Strengths
Wo-Chien is, unfortunately, sorely lacking in the offense department.Even if it can withstand its opponents attacks, Wo-Chien’s distinctly average Attack (base 85) and Special Attack (base 95) make it hard to hit back for meaningful damage.That said, Wo-Chien does receive some useful tools in Leaf Storm, Power Whip, Knock Off, and Ruination, which are all formidable STAB options that can give Wo-Chien some amount of utility.
It also learns a decent amount of draining moves, such asinvaluable Grass-type moves Giga Drain and Leech Seed. This grants Wo-Chien tremendous longevity, perhaps some of the best among the Treasures of Ruin.It can happily whittle away foes that don’t threaten it much, but it may take some time to do so.
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Recommended Builds
We’ve taken a look at Wo-Chien, now let’s see if we can make it work.
Wo-Chien: Leftovers
This build cements Wo-Chien as a solid defensive option in lower tiers of competitive play, where it performs best.Knock Off is a crucial tool, allowing you to stop potential threats from setting up, such as Talonflame or Salamence, who depend on Heavy-Duty Boots to switch in safely on Stealth Rock.Protect and Leech Seed will deal chip damage over time while also healing Wo-Chien, an effect that can be supplemented by Giga Drain.Ruination, meanwhile, is good for wearing down bulkier targets who may be able to handle Leech Seed’s damage over time. Substitute will protect from status moves, as well as giving the Pokemon a free hit to take whenever it needs a breather.
Wo-Chien: Leftovers RestTalk
Sleep Talk and Rest is a tried and true combination, and it works just as well as it always does on Wo-Chien. Knock Off will remove your opponent’s held item, and Foul Play can deal with powerful threats that can deal major damage. Whenever the Legendary snail needs some healing, the player can click Rest and then use Sleep Talk to (hopefully) choose one of the two attacking moves.A move will be chosen randomly, however, so keep that in mind. One of those moves is Rest itself, which will fail if the user is already asleep.RestTalk can work well, but, as always, is subject to the whims of RNG.
Wo-Chien: Leftovers Ubers
Though Wo-Chien finds it hard to work alongside its fellow Legendary Pokemon in the Ubers tier, that certainly doesn’t mean it can’t try.Wo-Chien’s Tera Water type will help Wo-Chien resist Ice-type attacks from Iron Bundle and Chien-Pao (but watch out for Iron Bundle’s Freeze-Dry), as well as giving it a resistance to Koraidon’s Fire-type attacks that would usually prove to be a threat.Wo-Chien’s Power Whip can hit for a decent amount of damage, though perhaps not in this tier of play. Taunt, meanwhile, can put a stop to status moves, allowing the user to tank some hits. Leftovers, as always, will provide passive healing to keep Wo-Chien healthy.
Next:Pokemon Scarlet & Violet: Roaring Moon Build Guide
