Empoleon

Empoleon is a fantastic Water-type that can fill either a defensive role with the help of its myriad utility options or an offensive role by utilizing its phenomenal coverage depending on the needs of its team. Empoleon's incredible defensive typing gives it natural resistances to the STAB moves of many of the tier's top Pokemon, including Jirachi, Slowbro, and Cyclizar, which can give it many opportunities to make progress over the course of a game. Empoleon can also utilize its offensive power to blow holes through teams, as there are few Pokemon that can safely switch into all of its attacks, especially after a Competitive boost. Empoleon is mainly held back by its low Speed that allows strong Fighting- and Electric-type wallbreakers to easily force it out and threaten the rest of its team. Furthermore, Empoleon's inability to manually boost its offenses means that special walls like Umbreon can usually tank its attacks with very little consequence. Defensive Empoleon sets particularly can suffer from four-moveslot syndrome, as it often wants to fit more utility moves than it can afford, thereby leaning it into a passive role that can be exploited by setup sweepers.