[overview]
**Draft order**: Round 3 or 4 out of 8 is pretty common, in Draft that need it to perform well, generally more offensive ones. If it's not mandatory to you, delaying it a bit is always very nice.
**Price range**: Between 13 and 14 points out of 18 is a fair price for this Pokémon.
**Overview**: Glimmora is a great new addition to Draft this generation. With an excellent Special Attack, decent Speed, two amazing abilities and a good coverage, it excels at pressuring the opposing Draft, mostly through its incredible hazard game, but also with its great offensive potency.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Dedicated lead**: Glimmora's ability Toxic Debris, coupled with its amazing Special Attack and access to both Stealth Rock and Spikes, allow it to be a very potent lead in most matchups you will face, often threatening either a kill or a layer of hazards. With access to a lot of other popular leading options, like Light Screen, Reflect, Memento, or its signature move Mortal Spin, removing hazards from your side, it can most of the time guarantee a good positioning to your Draft from the get-go.
**Wallbreaker**: With its outstanding Special Attack, its incredible Corrosion ability and acces to Toxic, Meteor Beam as a setup, and a great assortment of coverage options, Glimmora can break through some matchups like few other Pokémon could afford to. Substitute and Spiky Shield can help in that regard, avoiding the need to predict around a switch or an opposing Choice Scarf, or simply helping to get some valuable chip damage with Toxic.
**Revengekiller**: With its decent Speed stat, its raw power and great coverage, Glimmora can revengekill a good portion of an opponent's Draft. This is a more limited option, and should only be used if you don't value hazards as much in the matchup, although you can still find some place for Spikes, Toxic Spikes, Stealth Rock or Toxic in your last slot.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB moves**: Sludge Wave, Sludge Bomb, Power Gem.
**Setup moves**: Acid Armor, Rock Polish, Meteor Beam.
**Utility moves**: Mortal Spin, Endure, Reflect, Light Screen, Toxic, Toxic Spikes, Spikes, Stealth Rock, Spiky Shield, Substitute, Memento.
**Coverage**: Dazzling Gleam, Earth Power, Energy Ball.
Niche Moves
========
**Rain Dance/Sandstorm/Sunny Day**: On Weather-based Drafts, having a Damp/Smooth/Heat Rock Glimmora with those respective moves can ensure you get your Hazards and your Weather up as quickly and smoothly as possible.
**Acid Spray**: Acid Spray can help soften the opposing lead before going down, allowing another Pokémon to come in and threaten to K.O. the opposing lead, or setup on the switch.
Common Items
========
**Focus Sash**: Allows Glimmora to always tank a one-hit move, giving it a free turn to exerce its great leading prowesses.
**Air Balloon**: Air Balloon makes Glimmora able to be untouched by otherwise super effective Ground moves, in order to setup hazards, clear them from your side, or revenge kill an opposing Pokémon.
**Heavy-Duty Boots**: Heavy-Duty Boots can be used mainly on a wallbreaker or utility set in hazards heavy matchups to ensure pressuring the team or removing hazards more durably through the game.
**Choice Scarf**: Choice Scarf can guarantee a safe lead, or mid-game hazards setting, with at least one layer, while being a potent revenge killer.
**Assault Vest**: Assault Vest allows Glimmora to switch on most Special Attackers slower thant itself, and dish out good damage in return.
**Damage-boosting items:** Items such as Poison Barb, Expert Belt, or Life Orb can be used to reach desired damage thresholds on offensive sets.
Niche Items
========
**Leftovers / Black Sludge**: Can be used on Substitute sets to stall Toxic turns more efficiently, and enhance Glimmora's overall longevity.
**Rocky Helmet**: Capitalizes on Glimmora's Toxic Debris ability in the lead slot to punish even further any contact move that could hit it, notably multi-hit moves.
**Choice Specs**: Choice Specs can give Glimmora very good breaking potency, to reach specific damage thresholds on wallbreaking sets.
**Power Herb**: Power Herb finds its utility in wallbreaking roles, empowering Meteor Beam, which can be coupled very efficiently with Substitute to avoid guessing games.
**Weakness Policy**: Coupled with Rock Polish, it can be invested defensively to take on the role of a setup sweeper. This set is very matchup specific, and can easily be stopped by priorities.
Tera
========
While it's usually not a first choice in terms of Tera users, it can be seen using Ghost, to prevent opposing Rapid Spin, or more defensive types like Grass or Flying, to flip its Ground weakness, giving it a free turn to either add an hazard layer, or put itself in a better position using Substitute or Rock Polish.
Draft Strategy
========
Glimmora's primary role will often be that of a dedicated lead, or hazard setter, so it goes without saying that it will thrive in more offensive teams. Its pseudo linearity may make it a liability though, and it thus requires very minute drafting to surround it.
**Good spin blockers**: For a Pokémon as hazard centric as Glimmora, having a way to keep them on the field for as long as possible is a key aspect to its efficiency. Recommended partners are usually Ghost-types that thrives from the momentum generated by the failed attempt to Rapid Spin, such as Gholdengo, Dragapult or Annihilape, but lower options like Brambleghast or Typhlosion-Hisui can also benefit from such a gain.
**Offensive threats**: Chip damages from hazards are key for most offensive threats to gain specific K.O. range, be it wallbreakers or setup sweepers. The variety of hazards options that Glimmora brings to the table allows for tailor made chips depending on the matchups. The likes of Enamorus-Incarnate, Iron Valiant and Darkrai all appreciate the immediate chip provided by Stealth Rock and Spikes, while offensive Tornadus-Therian, Ogerpon-Wellspring, Meowscarada, Palafin and both Urshifu thrives in stacking the chip damage from their U-turn with the aforementioned hazards, and the poison damage of Toxic Spikes.
**Pivoting**: As mentionned just before, having good pivoting options alongside Glimmora allows for its hazards support to be all the more efficient, as they will rack up chip damage all over the match, stacking with the aforementioned hazards, while maintaining you in a good position. Good pivoting partners include fast-paced ones like Infernape, Dragapult, Tornadus-Therian, Palafin, Meowscarada and Ogerpon, or bulkier and more momentum gaining options like Zapdos, Landorus-Therian or Moltres. All those options also appreciate Glimmora's ability to remove hazards with Mortal Spin, giving them more opportunities through the game to exert their pivoting pressure.
**Speed**: Glimmora’s base 86 speed can be considered on the slower side, but the focus is more on having fast allies to abuse from its good supporting capabilities than anything else. Higher Speed partners that can set up, pivot or force versatile opposing foes to run more Speed, and less bulk, will find themselves in a great spot alongside Glimmora. Specifically, two Pokemon with more than base 88 and 106 Speed respectively will be important to outspeed Great Tusk and Excadrill, and Iron Treads, respectively, which are all huge threats to leading Glimmora, as they can break the Focus Sash or the Balloon of Glimmora with only one Rapid Spin, while removing all of its hazards progress, before finishing it with a STAB Earthquake.
Checks and Counters
========
**Removals**: A lot of great removal options, like Great Tusk, Iron Treads or Excadrill can both deny Glimmora its hazards and threaten it with a STAB Ground move, turning a simple lead situation into a mindgame, and often forcing Glimmora to run an Air Balloon into the matchup. Mid-game options like Cinderace and Cyclizar can also completely negate any hazard setting made by Glimmora, abusing of Heavy-Duty Boots and their respective Court Change, and Rapin Spin plus Regenerator combination, to regain a complete advantage in the hazard game. Faster Water-type options like Greninja and Iron Bundle can help circumvent those otherwise heavy thorns in the side of Glimmora.
**Bulky Steel-types**: Steel-types resisting or being immune to Glimmora's STAB could be bypassed by its access to Earth Power. Unfortunately, that means it will often have to give up on a free layer of Stealth Rock or Spikes, or expose itself to Air Balloon and Assault Vest variants of those Steel-types, such as Gholdengo. If we mentionned Iron Treads and Excadrill, which can both take an Earth Power from Glimmora, outspeed it, and remove its hazards before sending it to the grave, Pokémon like Metagross and Scizor can make use of Bullet Punch to ensure that Glimmora can not put in much work before going down. It's also important to note that their mere presence prevents Glimmora from using one of his most valuable assets, Mortal Spin, without any second guessing.
**Multi-hits moves / Fake Out**: While granting it one or two free layers of Toxic Spikes, moves like Loaded Dice Scale Shot, Surging Strikes or Fake Out into Gigaton Hammer from the likes of Garchomp, Urshifu-Rapid-Strike and Tinkaton respectively remove all the notion of 'free turn' that the combination of Focus Sash and Toxic Debris gave to Glimmora, rendering it way more unidimensional.
**Special walls**: While they can be bypassed by Corrosion sets, they require Glimmora to get out of its way and renounce to the powerful Toxic Debris abiity in order to not be completely blocked by them.
**Poison-types**: While they could be seen as a minor issue due to Glimmora's access to Earth Power, their ability to completely remove Toxic Spikes upon entering the field hinders it immensely. Be it the likes of Slowking-Galar and its Regenerator antics, or both Weezing and Muk (regular and Alolan variants), boasting respectively a Ground immunity thanks to the Levitate ability, and a great Special bulk. They can all negate a good amount of Glimmora's progress in the hazard game, and often force it to run Corrosion instead of Toxic Debris.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/roidadadou.485926/.
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user2.200000
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user3.300000
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user4.400000
**Draft order**: Round 3 or 4 out of 8 is pretty common, in Draft that need it to perform well, generally more offensive ones. If it's not mandatory to you, delaying it a bit is always very nice.
**Price range**: Between 13 and 14 points out of 18 is a fair price for this Pokémon.
**Overview**: Glimmora is a great new addition to Draft this generation. With an excellent Special Attack, decent Speed, two amazing abilities and a good coverage, it excels at pressuring the opposing Draft, mostly through its incredible hazard game, but also with its great offensive potency.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Dedicated lead**: Glimmora's ability Toxic Debris, coupled with its amazing Special Attack and access to both Stealth Rock and Spikes, allow it to be a very potent lead in most matchups you will face, often threatening either a kill or a layer of hazards. With access to a lot of other popular leading options, like Light Screen, Reflect, Memento, or its signature move Mortal Spin, removing hazards from your side, it can most of the time guarantee a good positioning to your Draft from the get-go.
**Wallbreaker**: With its outstanding Special Attack, its incredible Corrosion ability and acces to Toxic, Meteor Beam as a setup, and a great assortment of coverage options, Glimmora can break through some matchups like few other Pokémon could afford to. Substitute and Spiky Shield can help in that regard, avoiding the need to predict around a switch or an opposing Choice Scarf, or simply helping to get some valuable chip damage with Toxic.
**Revengekiller**: With its decent Speed stat, its raw power and great coverage, Glimmora can revengekill a good portion of an opponent's Draft. This is a more limited option, and should only be used if you don't value hazards as much in the matchup, although you can still find some place for Spikes, Toxic Spikes, Stealth Rock or Toxic in your last slot.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB moves**: Sludge Wave, Sludge Bomb, Power Gem.
**Setup moves**: Acid Armor, Rock Polish, Meteor Beam.
**Utility moves**: Mortal Spin, Endure, Reflect, Light Screen, Toxic, Toxic Spikes, Spikes, Stealth Rock, Spiky Shield, Substitute, Memento.
**Coverage**: Dazzling Gleam, Earth Power, Energy Ball.
Niche Moves
========
**Rain Dance/Sandstorm/Sunny Day**: On Weather-based Drafts, having a Damp/Smooth/Heat Rock Glimmora with those respective moves can ensure you get your Hazards and your Weather up as quickly and smoothly as possible.
**Acid Spray**: Acid Spray can help soften the opposing lead before going down, allowing another Pokémon to come in and threaten to K.O. the opposing lead, or setup on the switch.
Common Items
========
**Focus Sash**: Allows Glimmora to always tank a one-hit move, giving it a free turn to exerce its great leading prowesses.
**Air Balloon**: Air Balloon makes Glimmora able to be untouched by otherwise super effective Ground moves, in order to setup hazards, clear them from your side, or revenge kill an opposing Pokémon.
**Heavy-Duty Boots**: Heavy-Duty Boots can be used mainly on a wallbreaker or utility set in hazards heavy matchups to ensure pressuring the team or removing hazards more durably through the game.
**Choice Scarf**: Choice Scarf can guarantee a safe lead, or mid-game hazards setting, with at least one layer, while being a potent revenge killer.
**Assault Vest**: Assault Vest allows Glimmora to switch on most Special Attackers slower thant itself, and dish out good damage in return.
**Damage-boosting items:** Items such as Poison Barb, Expert Belt, or Life Orb can be used to reach desired damage thresholds on offensive sets.
Niche Items
========
**Leftovers / Black Sludge**: Can be used on Substitute sets to stall Toxic turns more efficiently, and enhance Glimmora's overall longevity.
**Rocky Helmet**: Capitalizes on Glimmora's Toxic Debris ability in the lead slot to punish even further any contact move that could hit it, notably multi-hit moves.
**Choice Specs**: Choice Specs can give Glimmora very good breaking potency, to reach specific damage thresholds on wallbreaking sets.
**Power Herb**: Power Herb finds its utility in wallbreaking roles, empowering Meteor Beam, which can be coupled very efficiently with Substitute to avoid guessing games.
**Weakness Policy**: Coupled with Rock Polish, it can be invested defensively to take on the role of a setup sweeper. This set is very matchup specific, and can easily be stopped by priorities.
Tera
========
While it's usually not a first choice in terms of Tera users, it can be seen using Ghost, to prevent opposing Rapid Spin, or more defensive types like Grass or Flying, to flip its Ground weakness, giving it a free turn to either add an hazard layer, or put itself in a better position using Substitute or Rock Polish.
Draft Strategy
========
Glimmora's primary role will often be that of a dedicated lead, or hazard setter, so it goes without saying that it will thrive in more offensive teams. Its pseudo linearity may make it a liability though, and it thus requires very minute drafting to surround it.
**Good spin blockers**: For a Pokémon as hazard centric as Glimmora, having a way to keep them on the field for as long as possible is a key aspect to its efficiency. Recommended partners are usually Ghost-types that thrives from the momentum generated by the failed attempt to Rapid Spin, such as Gholdengo, Dragapult or Annihilape, but lower options like Brambleghast or Typhlosion-Hisui can also benefit from such a gain.
**Offensive threats**: Chip damages from hazards are key for most offensive threats to gain specific K.O. range, be it wallbreakers or setup sweepers. The variety of hazards options that Glimmora brings to the table allows for tailor made chips depending on the matchups. The likes of Enamorus-Incarnate, Iron Valiant and Darkrai all appreciate the immediate chip provided by Stealth Rock and Spikes, while offensive Tornadus-Therian, Ogerpon-Wellspring, Meowscarada, Palafin and both Urshifu thrives in stacking the chip damage from their U-turn with the aforementioned hazards, and the poison damage of Toxic Spikes.
**Pivoting**: As mentionned just before, having good pivoting options alongside Glimmora allows for its hazards support to be all the more efficient, as they will rack up chip damage all over the match, stacking with the aforementioned hazards, while maintaining you in a good position. Good pivoting partners include fast-paced ones like Infernape, Dragapult, Tornadus-Therian, Palafin, Meowscarada and Ogerpon, or bulkier and more momentum gaining options like Zapdos, Landorus-Therian or Moltres. All those options also appreciate Glimmora's ability to remove hazards with Mortal Spin, giving them more opportunities through the game to exert their pivoting pressure.
**Speed**: Glimmora’s base 86 speed can be considered on the slower side, but the focus is more on having fast allies to abuse from its good supporting capabilities than anything else. Higher Speed partners that can set up, pivot or force versatile opposing foes to run more Speed, and less bulk, will find themselves in a great spot alongside Glimmora. Specifically, two Pokemon with more than base 88 and 106 Speed respectively will be important to outspeed Great Tusk and Excadrill, and Iron Treads, respectively, which are all huge threats to leading Glimmora, as they can break the Focus Sash or the Balloon of Glimmora with only one Rapid Spin, while removing all of its hazards progress, before finishing it with a STAB Earthquake.
Checks and Counters
========
**Removals**: A lot of great removal options, like Great Tusk, Iron Treads or Excadrill can both deny Glimmora its hazards and threaten it with a STAB Ground move, turning a simple lead situation into a mindgame, and often forcing Glimmora to run an Air Balloon into the matchup. Mid-game options like Cinderace and Cyclizar can also completely negate any hazard setting made by Glimmora, abusing of Heavy-Duty Boots and their respective Court Change, and Rapin Spin plus Regenerator combination, to regain a complete advantage in the hazard game. Faster Water-type options like Greninja and Iron Bundle can help circumvent those otherwise heavy thorns in the side of Glimmora.
**Bulky Steel-types**: Steel-types resisting or being immune to Glimmora's STAB could be bypassed by its access to Earth Power. Unfortunately, that means it will often have to give up on a free layer of Stealth Rock or Spikes, or expose itself to Air Balloon and Assault Vest variants of those Steel-types, such as Gholdengo. If we mentionned Iron Treads and Excadrill, which can both take an Earth Power from Glimmora, outspeed it, and remove its hazards before sending it to the grave, Pokémon like Metagross and Scizor can make use of Bullet Punch to ensure that Glimmora can not put in much work before going down. It's also important to note that their mere presence prevents Glimmora from using one of his most valuable assets, Mortal Spin, without any second guessing.
**Multi-hits moves / Fake Out**: While granting it one or two free layers of Toxic Spikes, moves like Loaded Dice Scale Shot, Surging Strikes or Fake Out into Gigaton Hammer from the likes of Garchomp, Urshifu-Rapid-Strike and Tinkaton respectively remove all the notion of 'free turn' that the combination of Focus Sash and Toxic Debris gave to Glimmora, rendering it way more unidimensional.
**Special walls**: While they can be bypassed by Corrosion sets, they require Glimmora to get out of its way and renounce to the powerful Toxic Debris abiity in order to not be completely blocked by them.
**Poison-types**: While they could be seen as a minor issue due to Glimmora's access to Earth Power, their ability to completely remove Toxic Spikes upon entering the field hinders it immensely. Be it the likes of Slowking-Galar and its Regenerator antics, or both Weezing and Muk (regular and Alolan variants), boasting respectively a Ground immunity thanks to the Levitate ability, and a great Special bulk. They can all negate a good amount of Glimmora's progress in the hazard game, and often force it to run Corrosion instead of Toxic Debris.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/roidadadou.485926/.
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user2.200000
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user3.300000
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user4.400000
