Which Isle of Armor Move Tutor moves are viable in competitive?

Question

I am wondering which ones are good and which ones are bad

Comments

What format/rules are you playing with?

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Some great answers here, just wanted to add a few extra applications and thoughts I have

BURNING JEALOUSY - Not the most viable move given it's dependency on the opponent boosting their stats to burn, and the average base power of the move itself. Though It does provide some good coverage to some pokemon, such as Thievul, Cursola, and Alolan Persian. If you want to take advantage of the secondary effect, then it could be a good option against teams that use setup a lot, or in dynamax formats (given some dynamax moves boost stats).

COACHING - This move is essentially only useful in doubles formats, and even then it isn't all that good. The main appeal of using this move would be to provide stat boosts to a partner pokemon that doesn't have any good setup options, or even to add upon other setup moves they already have. However, setup like this just makes the pokemon with the boosts a massive target, and your opponent is likely to double down on knocking it out.
Most of the fast pokemon that get Coaching would rather be using attacks themselves, and don't have the defences to be acting to supportive and passive. Slower pokemon using Coaching are more suited to that supportive role in this circumstance, but their slowness hinders the strategy as your opponents could attack or intervene before you give your partner the boosts. Its a bit of a waste of time for only boosting Atk and Def one stage. Pokemon on the bulkier and slower side that can take more supportive roles, such as Scrafty, Grapploct and Hitmontop would be the best users of this.

CORROSIVE GAS - Quite limited use. Knock Off is a vastly superior item removing move, but Corrosive Gas does have a few things going for it, being that It affects all adjacent pokemon in double battles, so it could have an edge there. Plus, of all the pokemon that get access to Corrosive Gas, only Tentacruel and Salazzle can ALSO learn Knock Off, so to the rest it is their ONLY option.

DUAL WINGBEAT - Scyther is definitely the best user, being it's strongest flying type stab and boosted by technician. But there isn't much that benefits from the move outside of that, as for most others, it's simply better to run Brave Bird or Drill Peck where possible.
It could be argued that it provides Talonflame a flying attack that doesn't have the drawbacks of Acrobatics (means you have to run no item) and Brave Bird (the recoil breaks it's gale wings ability), but the power is significantly less, so it isn't worth it in the long run.
The only other use I can think of is that Dual Wingbeat could be a niche pick for a bulky Cramorant set, if you want to avoid brave bird recoil.

EXPANDING FORCE - Indeedee is the pokemon that appreciates this move the most, given it can set up the terrain itself. For other psychic types, it's probably only worth running on a team that uses psychic terrain as part of it's strategy. Though, if you're able to dynamax in the format you're playing, it becomes a lot more viable since you can set up the terrain through your dynamax attacks.

FLIP TURN - One of the best moves the DLC has introduced. The initiative and momentum it provides is very useful, and while it does have limited distribution, a lot of the mons that get it can benefit from it. Frail physical attackers like Sharpedo and Barraskewda appreciate being able to deal damage and escape from harm, whereas bulky water types like Blastoise or Milotic can soak up hits and have an option to switch out instead of slowing your momentum down. In particular, Vaporeon, another bulky water type, can use wish and then Flip Turn to pass to its teammates. Special attackers that already have enough coverage with their first three attacks, such as Primarina, Keldeo, Dragalge and possibly Kingdra could use Flip Turn in their last move slot to provide extra momentum too.

GRASSY GLIDE - When terrain isn't up, it's an average physical grass attack, but with terrain it becomes the strongest priority attack there is! The boost from the terrain takes it up to 91 base power, which is more than Extreme Speed and First Impression, and this is before considering STAB or items. Rillaboom is the obvious best user of the move, but like was the case with Expanding Force, this attack can totally be viable on teams that use grassy terrain, or if you're able to set it up with dynamax.

LASH OUT - This attack is pretty decent and has a few niche uses, with notable strategies like weak armour Mandibuzz. Or, you could pair a Lash Out user with a partner that can lower its stats in a double battle - for example, using Dusclops to set up a trick room, and then using Bulldoze to hit it's partner, a weakness policy Tyranitar that uses Lash Out. This attack could also find some use in dynamax formats, given the fact that some dynamax attacks lower the target's stats.

METEOR BEAM - This move could be better, but has it's uses. It is mainly let down by the fact that most rock types aren't special attackers. It's best to run Meteor Beam with a power herb to bypass that charge on the first use. In a dynamax format, you could use meteor beam on a special attacking Coalossal, and even enhance upon it with a surf/aqua jet activating steam engine in doubles
It does have some good distribution outside of rock types though, so it can provide a unique option in some circumstances. The main two I think could benefit from this attack would be Necrozma and Starmie. With enough support, both can boost their speed with Autotomize and Agility respectively, then gain a SpAtk boost from using Meteor beam and attempt to sweep.

MISTY EXPLOSION - The power of this move is a bit disappointing, and doesn't even increase much when used on misty terrain. The could be reason to use Misty Explosion to fill a 4th move slot for the sake of it, but most would rather run particular status moves or other coverage attacks.
The best users in my opinion would be Galarian Weezing and Slurpuff, as both of them can be great "suicide-lead" pokemon. They can use status moves on opponents and set up toxic spikes or sticky web respectively, before using misty explosion to deal damage and give you a safe switch into another team member.

POLTERGEIST - This move is a sorely needed strong physical attack for ghost types, as Shadow Claw and Phantom Force don't always cut it. There is the limitation of the opponent needing to hold an item, and the slightly unreliable accuracy, but aside from that this is a very powerful and viable move. It's rare for pokemon NOT to be carrying items in competitive, so it is unlikely that Poltergeist will fail - but an important way to ensure this is making sure not to have other pokemon on your team using Knock Off (or other moves that remove items) as it defeats the purpose and you'll only be hindering yourself. Some of the best pokemon to run Poltergeist on include Alolan Marowak, Gourgeist, Trevenant, Golurk, Runerigus, Dusknoir and Dhelmise.

RISING VOLTAGE  - A really powerful electric attack in conjunction with electric terrain, but an important thing to note is that the power being doubled is dependant on the target touching the terrain, so flying type/levitate/air balloon pokemon will not have the power doubled against them. Any special attacking electric type on a team that uses electric terrain has reason to run this attack, and the same applies to dynamax formats where you can set your own electric terrain up. Alolan Raichu under electric terrain is very powerful, given it's ability doubles it's speed and rising voltage doubles in power too.

SCALE SHOT - This attack provides a niche way to boost the user's speed, but it's important to keep in mind the chance for it to miss, the unreliable power of the attack, and the fact that it lowers your defence (which could make you vulnerable to priority attacks). Drednaw, Qwilfish, Haxorus, and Seaking all get access to Swords Dance, which could pair well with Scale Shot, whereas Krookodile and Druddigon both get Hone Claws, Sandaconda gets coil and Kommo-o gets Belly Drum to provide similar strategies. Some of the other pokemon that get Scale Shot would rather run Dragon Dance, so it isn't worth it on them.

SCORCHING SANDS - A decent special ground type alternative to Earth Power, and its secondary effect helps against physical attackers. Palossand and Claydol are the main two that appreciate it, being bulky special attacking ground types. Flygon can be ran special but the power of Earth Power is more desirable.
Charizard, Heatmor and Ninetales appreciate the coverage, and while Torkoal and Coalossal already have access to Earth Power, they might appreciate the burn chance if you're using a bulkier set or have no other way of burning opponents.

SKITTER SMACK - One of the least useful moves the DLC introduced, not worth using. The base power and accuracy are outclassed by other physical bug type moves like X-Scissor, Lunge and Leech Life, the latter two of which have better secondary effects. In a doubles scenario, Struggle Bug is better too, since it lowers the SpAtk of both targets and has better accuracy - it is weaker but it's more of a chip damage move anyway. The only "positive" of Skitter Smack is that it has some decent distribution beyond bug types - but very few actually need the coverage

STEEL ROLLER - Somewhat limited by the fact that it fails when terrain isn't present. I would've preferred if it started out weak and doubled power if terrain was up, in a similar way to how acrobatics is stronger without an item. If you find yourself not being bothered about your 4th move slot, or perhaps you need to fill it for an assault vest user, then Steel Roller a good tool to have.  If your team struggles against terrain a lot it's a good thing to have, or if you are running a team with terrain setup and are okay with removing it, that could be a good combo to guarantee you can use the attack.

TERRAIN PULSE - Not great but could fill a niche on teams that use terrain to gain access to specific attack types, in the same way you would with weather ball. Clawitzer is worth noting, given Mega Launcher boosts the move's power as with other aura and pulse moves.

TRIPLE AXEL - The accuracy is annoying in that it effectively renders the full 3 hits only a 72% chance, but the power is nothing to scoff at. 3 hits is 120 power, which is almost as strong as 5 hits from Icicle Spear. Ice type physical attackers might appreciate running Triple Axel over Icicle Crash or Ice Punch, just depends on your choice of risk vs reward. As for non ice types, the main two to note are Hitmontop and Cinccino, which both can boost the base power with their technician abilities (Cinccino also has skill link, if you just want a single accuracy check for every hit)

Answer 1

Expanding Force is used on Indeedee because of its ability to summon Psychic Terrain, which means it's doubled in power automatically.

Scale Shot can be used on Haxorus in conjunction with Swords Dance to do damage and get a speed boost, which can sweep teams.

Grassy Glide on Rillaboom in conjunction with Swords Dance or Choice Band gives immediate power and 91 base power in Grassy Terrain, and the fact that Grassy Glide has priority in Grassy Terrain means Rillaboom is hard to stop once it gets going.

Rising Voltage paired with Pincurchin (the terrain setter) and Alolan Raichu (fast attacker) breaks down walls really fast, and Alolan Raichu also has the coverage to beat Ground types that are immune to Rising Voltage.

Poltergeist is a huge upgrade for Marowak-Alola which can now 2HKO many things such as Kommo-o and Toxapex.

Coaching in doubles helps Pokemon that don't boost through Weakness Policy or by setup do the extra damage they need.

Flip Turn is a good pivoting tool for Pokemon that didn't used to have pivot moves. Keldeo and Barraskewda specifically can fit this in their movesets to help gain or keep momentum against the opponent.

Triple Axel is also a big upgrade for Weavile in even stronger Ice STAB. The shaky accuracy is intimidating, but when all three hits land, you can pick up KOs on Pokemon that normally would take an Icicle Crash, and you can ignore Focus Sashes and break Substitutes.

Dual Wingbeat is good on Scyther specifically because of Technician and STAB. After a Swords Dance, you are doing tons of damage to walls like Toxapex, Tangrowth, Clefable, and Chansey.

Lash Out might be a good move in doubles (specifically Bisharp for Defiant and Tyranitar before and after dmaxing) due to the huge amount of intimidate users.

All the other moves that were not mentioned are usually not viable and really gimmicky.

Hope this helped!

Comments

Thanks!

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no problem!

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Scorching Sands has the potentional to be really good. At the very least, it's being used on several pokemon in lower tiers,which the same can't be said for all the new moves

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Good answer

Answer 2

This answer primarily focuses on Generation VIII singles, unless otherwise noted. Most moves can be viable in competitive, if a little niche.

Burning Jealousy: Since a lot of people use stat-boosting moves in battle, Burning Jealousy is sometimes worth it for the guaranteed burn. It isn't used a whole lot, though, only seen infrequently on Incineroar, Torkoal, and Cursola.

Coaching: It's Bulk Up for your allies, which is probably one of the worst Move Tutor moves. It's completely useless in single formats and isn't common in doubles. The only Pokemon that use it in VGC that are worth mentioning are Cinderace, Galarian Zapdos, and Pheromosa, none of which use it often.

Corrosive Gas: A non-damaging Knock Off can be useful in specific scenarios, but Knock Off's power and ability to hit anything in the game is almost always better. It's really only used on Salazzle, but even then it isn't seen in serious play.

Dual Wingbeat: Solid, especially on a Technician Scyther. It sees use on Kyurem-Black, Dragonite, Talonflame, Scizor, and a few other Pokemon. In LC, Vullaby sometimes chooses Dual Wingbeat over Brave Bird.

Expanding Force: Decent, if a little hard to pull off. Hidden Ability Indeedee is a consistent user of this move, but I personally have had success using it on Tapu Lele and Alakazam in the past. It's much easier to abuse Psyspam teams when so many of its members get a strong STAB move.

Flip Turn: Yes, yes, yes, so worth it. Water-type U-turn, excellent for escaping tough situations. Barraskewda likes using this for solid damage, and it allows it to pivot to a teammate that could tank a hit meant for Barraskewda. Swampert also likes it in order to switch out into another teammate safely. Keldeo, Sharpedo, and Kingdra also use it on occasion, for the same reasons as mentioned above.

Grassy Glide: Synergises well with Grassy Surge Rillaboom and is one of the reasons it's in OU. Apart from Rillaboom, however, it doesn't see a lot of usage (unless you count Thwackey and Grookey in lower tiers).

Lash Out: Generally useless, as most people prefer to raise their own stats instead of lowering yours. It's somewhat interesting if you're anticipating an Intimidate switch-in, but that's not enough to justify this move.

Meteor Beam: Unfortunate that it's a two-turn move, but it's a great special Rock type move. It sees semi-frequent use on Nihilego, Celesteela, and Omastar, among a few other Pokemon.

Misty Explosion: This is an interesting one. Tricky to pull off, seeing as Misty Terrain needs to be up. It's not the best move, as the user faints upon use. The only Pokemon it sees even a bit of usage on are Galarian Weezing, Mew, and Hatterene, but it isn't commonly used -- Misty Terrain is probably the weakest of the four Terrains.

Poltergeist: Physical Ghost STAB that Gourgeist, Dusknoir, Alolan Marowak, Golurk, Runerigus, and Dhelmise desperately needed. These Pokemon, now that they get a good physical Ghost STAB move, can perform better than they did before. Most Pokemon in competitive have items, so it should be a safe attack against almost any non-Normal opponent.

Rising Voltage: A nice Electric move, though Electric Terrain can sometimes be tricky to put in play. It works well on Pincurchin to give it a reliable STAB move, but the biggest winners are Tapu Koko and Alolan Raichu. Tapu Koko automatically sets Electric Terrain, while Alolan Raichu is commonly seen with a Tapu Koko or Pincurchin partner to activate Surge Surfer (and thus boost Rising Voltage as well).

Scale Shot: It hits multiple times, which is nice. It can see use on Pokemon like Garchomp and occasionally Sharpedo to boost their Speed to even greater levels. Sharpedo is so frail, it would very probably get OHKOd even without the Defense drop, while Garchomp can OHKO a lot of things itself after a Swords Dance.

Scorching Sands: Essentially a Ground-type Scald. Wonderful move, with a chance to hinder physical attackers, and Ground is a good offensive type. Victini and Ninetales, among other Fire types, appreciate the coverage (though Ninetales usually prefers Solar Beam).

Skitter Smack: A decently powered Bug move, but easily one of the least helpful IoA moves. It has some good distribution outside of Bug types, but most Pokemon that get it don't need it.

Steel Roller: Good only in highly specific circumstances. Probably one of the worst moves from the Isle of Armor. Pikalytics shows that this move is almost never used in any format.

Terrain Pulse: Terrain-based Weather Ball. Clawitzer is the only notable user because it gets a Mega Launcher boost. Anything else that gets this either has to set Terrain manually or isn't allowed in a tier with an automatic Terrain setter, making it too niche in most cases.

Triple Axel: Cinccino appreciates this move to do reliable damage with Skill Link. Hitmontop runs it to check Flying types, and Weavile uses it as an alternative to Icicle Crash. Other users include Pheromosa, Lopunny (not too common, though), and Tsareena.

Hope I helped!

Source: Pikalytics

Comments

My lord. 2 good answers.

RIP answer.

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This was a hard choice. Great answer, though!

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Thanks! I do agree that Nebby deserved BA, certainly.