What is a good moveset for Annihilape?

Question

If you have a good competitive moveset for Annihilape, post an answer below and upvote the best ones. Movesets for any of its pre-evolutions can also be shared on this thread.

Be sure to include full set details in your post, e.g. items, abilities, natures and EVs. Some explanation, including the intended game mode for your set, is also appreciated. Access the full list of guidelines here.

Annihilape Pokedex & learnset for reference.

Answer 1

Annihilape @ Leftovers
Ability: Defiant
Tera Type: Water / Fairy / Ghost
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Rage Fist
- Drain Punch
- Bulk Up
- Taunt

Annihilape is a great stallbreaker with Rage Fist, Bulk Up, and Drain Punch. Rage Fist gets boosted by 50 BP for each time you get hit, making it a great stallbreaker move. Drain Punch recovers HP, which is crucial when stallbreaking. Bulk Up gives you more attack and sustainability. Taunt removes the chance of you getting crippled by status like paralysis, burn, sleep, or bad poison. Tera Water gives good resistances while only having 2 weaknesses, but Tera Fairy gives you resistance to Sucker Punch and Knock Off, fighting moves, and immunity to dragon moves. Tera Ghost makes Rage Fist hit really hard and has immunities to normal and fighting moves. Lefties gives recovery every turn, which is nice. Defiant makes lowering Annihilape's stats a bad idea, making you stronger.

Comments

why only 4 atk evs? yes rage fist can do a lot of damage, but it only reaches its true potential if you max out atk.

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Bulk Up eliminates the need for really serious Atk investment, and since this role is more of a physically bulky attacker, the extra SpD make it a nice mixed wall.

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love this

Answer 2

Choice Scarf (Ubers)

Annihilape @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Defiant
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Rage Fist
- Close Combat
- Earthquake
- U-turn

This Annihilape set is a dangerous sweeper when played right. Rage Fist is majorly benefitted through intentional damage, gaining 50 base power every time Annihilape gets hit. You can notably take advantage of this by switching into a predicted U-turn or other resisted hit. Close Combat is strong Fighting type STAB. Earthquake can potentially 2HKO things like Zacian-Crowned and Eternatus while Annihilape doesn't have boosted Rage Fist. U-turn is a standard pivot move used to gain momentum. Tera Ghost powers up Rage Fist. Defiant can punish potential Defog users, or the less common Intimidate users.

Answer 3

Lead set for gen 9 ou / nat dex

Annihilape @ Focus Sash
Ability: Defiant
Tera type: unnecessary but ghost can be used to make Rage Fist stronger
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
- Rage Fist
- Final Gambit

The idea is pretty simple. Taunt vs something like Glimmora, use rocks, kill yourself. You can use Taunt to help power up your rage fist though. Final Gambit really cripples something like Great Tusk or Corviknight trying to get a defog, making them innefective hazard removers. Stuff which benefits from rocks a lot (like Dragapult, offensive Great Tusk, Iron Valiant) will appreciate the utility lead Annihilape provides.

Comments

I think you should still provide a Tera Type, even if it might never be used. How about Dark, to counteract a Psychic weakness, or Ghost, for Rage Fist STAB?

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i guess i should, but its a lead pokemon thats supposed to die so it's pretty much throwing if you use your tera as this set

Answer 4

Gen 9 OU strong tanky set (for both doubles and singles)
Item: Karate Belt/Spell Tag
Ability: Defiant
Tera Type: Ghost (chose it because it boosts Rage Fists power)
EVs: 252 Atk, 192 HP, 66 SpD
Nature: Adamant (lowers SpA, boosts Atk)
- Drain Punch
- Rage Fist
- Bulk Up
- IDK

Drain Punch and Rage Fist are STAB. Bulk Up is a great set up move. The last moveslot could be one of Annihlape’s many strong, physical coverage moves (like The Elemental Punches, Seed Bomb, Stomping Tantrum, ect.)

Comments

You could add E-quake for the forth move

Answer 5

Gen 9 uber fast attacking set
Ability - defiant
Item litchi berry/fighting/ghost plate
Nature Adamant
EV's attack 252 def- 4 hp 252
Move set
Rage fist
Close combat/cross chop
Earthquake
Ice punch
Rage fist is an amazing stab move that raises in power by 50 bp when hit and the power ramp is there until the battle is over so it is best partnered with pawmot for when it faints
Close combat is a great move but lowers defense of the user and cross chop does not have that but is only 80% accurate
Earthquake and ice punch combined with rage fist and a fighting move provide the best coverage in the game and I made it fast so it can land ice punch on fast flying type threats to survive for longer to do more damage with rage fist and bulky for surviving hits to do even more damage with rage fist
It has high attack to make its high powered stab moves hit even harder
And ghost plate to make rage fist even more game destroying than it already is without getting locked until it switches out or faints and gets revived

Comments

EVs should total 508/510 and be in multiples of 4. With these EVs, you are wasting 8 EVs.

Answer 6

Annihilape @ Leftovers
Ability: Defiant
Tera Type: idk
EVs: 252 HP / 4 ATK / 252 SPD
Jolly Nature
- Rage Fist
- Drain Punch
- Ice Punch / Earthquake
- Bulk Up / Taunt

Rage Fist and Drain Punch are really good for Annihilape, Ice Punch and Earthquake are for coverage, Taunt is good for dealing with Stall teams, and Bulk Up is good if you are trying to set up with him. His Defiant Ability prevents him from getting debuffed, as his Attack will be maxed if it happens, allowing you to probably sweep their whole team.

Comments

I like this moveset but think ice punch works better than quake due to the extra coverage (flying, ground, grass), since you already hit steel and rock with fighting moves.

Answer 7

Annihilape @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Vital Spirit
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- U-turn
- Drain Punch
- Final Gambit
- Fire Punch / Ice Punch / Fir Punch

The Choice Scarf, Jolly Nature, and Max Speed are the outspeed everything, hit things with Final Gambit with 424 HP and OHKO everything. U-Turn is to pivot out of normal types. Drain Punch for Healing and the Elemental Punches for coverage. Tera Steel resists most of the weaknesses.

Answer 8

Annihilape @ Metronome
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Attack/ 252 Defense/ 4 HP
Adamant Nature
Tera Type: Fighting/Ghost
- Close Combat
- Rage Fist
- Ice Punch
- Outrage

REASONS:
Close Combat: a 120 base power physical move, has STAB, but lowers defenses
Rage Fist: it may have low power (50) but becomes more powerful the more hits Annihilape takes. Also pairs well with Metronome. Also has STAB
Ice Punch: takes care of Flying-types
Outrage: high base power and covers Dragon types but causes confusion

Enjoy!

Comments

Why metronome over leftovers or even chesto berry?  Annihilape is not supposed to be a speedy sweeper, but rather a setup sweeper.  Because of this, Drain Punch > CC, Ice Punch and Outrage should be replaced by Rest and Bulk Up to fit this role

Answer 9

Annihilape @ Metronome/Perism Berry/Lum Berry
Ability: Defiant
Tera Type: Fighting/Ghost
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Attack / 4 Sp. Atk
Adamant Nature
- Rage Fist/Shadow Punch
- Close Combat/Cross Chop
- Drain Punch
- Ice Punch/ Poison Jab/ Outrage

Reasons:
Rage Fist: STAB that boost the more Annihilape gets hit, supported by Metronome
Shadow Punch: STAB that never misses
Close Combat/Cross Chop: very powerful STABS. Who cares about just one stage stat drop?
Drain Punch: recovery - very essential
Ice Punch/Poison Jab/Outrage: coverage moves, you choose. I chose Ice Punch
Berries: cures confusion if you choose Outrage

Enjoy! (btw this is a repost)

Answer 10

Annihilape @ Life orb
Ability: Defiant
Tera Type: Ghost/Fighting.
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Attack / 4 Def
Adamant Nature
- Rage Fist
- Drain Punch/Close Combat
- Earthquake
- Ice Punch

Reasons:
Rage Fist: Extremely good STAB move, getting stronger every time Annihilape gets hit. Hits like a nuke paired with the life orb.
Drain Punch/Close Combat: Either one works but I would rather go with Drain Punch so you can recover the HP you lose from the Life Orb. But if you want to completely nuke pretty much anything that isn't immune or resist it, then close combat is for you.
Earthquake: already a good move on its own, but paired with the life orb and on a strong physical attacker (like Annihilape) it hits like several nukes. Plus helps with poison types. (poison resists fighting).
Ice Punch: Good coverage move for those flying Pokemon.

With those four moves, you can hit:
Ghost, Psychic, Normal, Ice, Rock, Steel, Dark, Fire, Electric, Poison, Flying, Dragon, Ground and Grass for super-effective damage.
THAT'S 14 OUT OF THE 18 TYPES. Now yeah you are weak to a few of those types. But you can freely change the moveset if you'd like. This is just the one I like the most :)
This isn't for or from any format, but you can try it in online battles if you'd like. I do think it could be good in singles however.

Comments

Which format is this for? And can you give a few Tera Types that could be used too?