Pros and cons of the Urshifu forms?

Question

I got Isle of Armor and I wanted to use an Urshifu in battles, but I couldn't decide which one. Could you list the pros and cons of each form and a final verdict of which is better for link battles (or whatever those are called) in Shield /Battle Tower singles?

Comments

What a great question :)

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this may help a bit: https://pokemondb.net/pokebase/342332/should-i-evolve-my-kubfu-into-single-or-rapid-strike-urshifu

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If it helps, I know single strike is a lot better in OU for a bunch of reasons, but I'm not sure if that applies to in game battles

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You'll probably get a better answer if you ask here. https://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/battle-stadium-forum-rules-simple-questions.3656358/

Answer 1

Both Urshifu forms can realistically use most of the same sets equally well (Sash Counter, Band, Scarf), which is probably unsurprising, but the advantages of each come down to what the different typings offer, as well as what Surging Strikes/Aqua Jet provide vs Wicked Blow/Sucker Punch.

Surging Strikes makes Rapid Strike better against dealing with Focus Sash users, notably Diggersby, and Gengar but that requires Scarf Urshifu which will often be disabled by Cursed Body afterwards (shoutouts multi-hit). Water also hits more relevant threats for super-effective damage than Dark does, namely Charizard, Rhyperior, Volcarona, and Rotom-Heat, alongside the aforementioned Diggersby. Meanwhile Dark STAB is mostly hitting Gengar and Aegislash (and Reuniclus but that's less common), though both are eating a Wisp from Gengar regardless unless Scarfed, and even then Surging Strikes is more threatening since Gengar is often running Focus Sash. Neutrally I'd say both types are about similar in this meta though, lots of Water resists and Dark resists in this metagame.

Wicked Blow on the other hand isn't punished so hard by Rocky Helmet or Iron Barbs the same way Surging Strikes is. Sucker Punch is also obviously a stronger priority than Aqua Jet even if it's a more conditional move, which is a slight edge on Sash Counter sets for Single Strike. Dark also complements the fact that Ghost-types are immune to Counter better than Water does. There's also less competition for good offensive Dark-types compared to good Water-types that can make it slightly easier to put Single Strike on some teams, though there's nothing wrong with running Rapid Strike alongside another Water like Primarina either.

Rapid Strike is also slightly better for Dynamax sets though, which is probably the biggest trait that puts Rapid Strike slightly ahead of Single Strike overall. Water/Fighting is a better typing for Weakness Policy due to the larger number of weakness, but also the larger number of resistances as well as not having a x4 weakness to anything unlike Single Strike. Rapid Strike can also choose to run regular Dynamax to set rain with Max Geyser for further damage output, giving it added flexibility that Single Strike doesn't get since Max Darkness does nothing for it.

In the end Rapid Strike is slightly better overall but both are very good and the choice will often just come down to what your team wants from Urshifu.

source

Comments

Yours may be better

Answer 2

Okay, lets start with Single Strike form.

Urshifu Single-Strike form's signature move is Wicked Blow. It's slightly more powerful than Urshifu Rapid-Strike's signature move, Surging Strikes. Urshifu Single-Strike has 2 weaknesses and one 4x from fairy. It does have an immunity on Psychic type but a 4x weakness from Fairy is not good. However, Most people use it because its signature move, Wicked Blow has massive power and can easily go first and sweep. It has a weakness from Fighting type which is also not good, but its other good points outweigh the bad points. Urshifu Single Strike with only its Fighting and Dark type, is super-effective on 422 Pokemons.

Next, the Rapid Strike form.
Urshifu Rapid-Strike form's signature move is Surging Strikes. As I said, it is less power than Wicked Blow but is still very powerful. When Urshifu Rapid-Strike Dynamaxes and uses Max Geyser, it will summon rain to make its water type moves even stronger. When it G-maxes, however, G-max Rapid Flow does not summon rain although strikes through protection. With only Water and Fighting type, Urshifu Rapid Strike form only is super-effective on 384 Pokemons, less than Urshifu Single-Strike form.

In all, I would choose Urshifu Single Strike form instead of Rapid Strike. It is super-effective on more Pokemons and you can just switch out when you're in danger. You could always choose the Rapid Strike form if you want. The Tower of Darkness is also essentially easier than the Tower of Water because your Kubfu is super-effective on the Tower of Darkness. I hope I helped!