Introduction
Our first legendary Pokemon covered, Latias is a defensive powerhouse. A legendary from Gen III, she represents the cuter half of the Lati@s twins. She's no slouch, and especially with her signature item, Soul Dew, equipped, she can easily take down many foes. There's a reason why Soul Dew Latias is considered an Uber. Without Soul Dew, though, Latias is actually subdued enough to compete in Standard battles... where she'll still wreak much havoc.
Capture/Training
The bad news is, Latias is not available to us normally in SoulSilver. Her twin brother Latios can be found roaming the Kanto region, but Latias is nowhere to be found...
...until a special Nintendo event unlocks her.
The good news is, this means Latias will be much easier to catch; it won't run away, it can be re-challenged upon defeat, soft-resetting to get one with a good nature and IV-build is not out of the question, and we'll get a free Soul Dew out of the whole thing, too! When the event in question gives you some enigmatic crystal, bring it to Pewter City's fossil museum, and Steven Stone will identify it as the Soul Dew... upon which cues Latias! It'll be at Level 40, so be ready for it.
Statistics
80 HP, 80 Atk, 90 Def, 110 Sp. Atk, 130 Sp. Def, 110 Spd
Definitely stats fit for a Legendary. With high Special Defense as well as Special Attack and Speed, it's set to strike fast and strike hard, while opponents can't strike that well back. In addition, its Defense isn't that bad, either.
In general, Special Attack and Speed are the stats to be focused on, while defensive stats might want to look at helping its HP stat. Attack is generally not needed as Latias runs a great Special Attacking game.
Movesets
Levitate is its only ability, and gives it a nice Ground immunity.
The notable primary (Special) attack Latias has is Dragon Pulse. It hits at least neutral against all but Steel-types, and is nice and reliable. If Latias wants to pack more punch, Draco Meteor can be used, possibly even with Dragon Pulse. Meanwhile, Psychic is its primary Psychic attack, with its signature Mist Ball an inferior but fun alternative. However, with Dragon Pulse's nice type coverage, a Psychic attack is really more of an afterthought than anything.
Latias has a number of nice secondary attacks, too. On top of the list is Surf, hitting most Steel-types that could give it trouble. If a Hidden Power can be managed, a Fire-attack is best. Grass Knot takes down all sorts of troublesome heavyweight foes (while the more consistent Energy Ball is also an option). If in the company of Ubers, Thunder is very viable as an always-hit attack in the presence of rain. Lesser options include: Ice Beam as a harder hit against some Dragons as well as an overall good offensive move, Thunderbolt for an Electric move when rain isn't around, and Shadow Ball for eliminating Psychics and Ghosts.
However, Latias hardly has to stop there. Her huge number of support options are part of what makes her an attractive option.
What really helps Latias succeed as a defensive Pokemon is its ability to heal. Recover fulfills this role very nicely. Wish is a team-supporting option, a little less reliable in healing Latias herself but could help out one of her teammates. Also, Latias can Refresh if it's hit with a status, which is nice. If you really want to, though, Latias has Psycho Shift, which has the fun effect of throwing said status condition onto her opponent. It doesn't always work, though; it has 90% accuracy and it won't work if the opponent already has a status condition.
If a teammate desperately needs full healing, Latias can sacrifice itself with Healing Wish and help said teammate out. Less suicidal ways of supporting the team are Safeguard and the duo of Reflect and Light Screen, the former of which will help Latias herself quite a bit.
As far as disruptive attacks go, Latias is a great user of Thunder Wave. Toxic is, of course, also an option. For some options that don't involve status, Roar can mess up enemy attempts to power up, and works especially well if entry hazards are in play. Trick is a fun way to mess an enemy up, especially if you're holding a Choice item.
Calm Mind is a classic way to power up, and Latias pulls it off well.
Protect and Substitute are classic ways to help shield Latias and see what the enemy is throwing at you.
Moveset 1: Calm Mind
- Calm Mind
- Dragon Pulse
- Recover/(secondary attack)
- (secondary attack)/(defensive move)
Depends on whether you want to follow the offensive or defensive side of Calm Mind boosts. Defensive moves of choice would be Refresh or Reflect, primarily.
Moveset 2: Choice
- Draco Meteor
- Surf
- Dragon Pulse/(secondary attack)
- (secondary attack)/Trick
Why both Draco Meteor and Dragon Pulse? Well, Draco Meteor will hit hard, especially with Specs, and since Latias will likely be switching out afterwards, the stat drop isn't as big of a deal. Still, with Dragon Pulse hitting for at least neutral on most Pokemon, sometimes having such a consistent move to just repeat is worth it.
General Moveset
- (primary Dragon attack)/(support move)
- (recovery move)/(secondary attack)
- (secondary attack)/(support move)
- (support move)/(secondary attack)
With so many Latias movesets possible, the best way to approach Latias is to consider the needs of your team, and form up Latias as needed.
Items
Latias with her signature Soul Dew is simply overpowered. As such, the item is banned in competitive play except in the Uber tier. That's of course not to say Latias doesn't have other options for items. Leftovers works really well with Latias's defensive build. Choice Specs and Choice Scarf go with the Choice set, obviously. Another source of power is the Life Orb. Use Recover to help mitigate the recoil damage and you're good to go. Expert Belt can be used to "fake" a Choice item. Finally, one option for Latias is to set up dual screens of Reflect and Light Screen for its teammates; in this case, Light Clay extends how long those screens stay up.
Effective Movesets
Note: Since only one Latias is normally available to us, the movesets have to be designed such that, in order to switch between movesets, they can be easily modified via replenishable TMs, Heart Scales, or Move Tutors.
1. Calm Mind
- Calm Mind
- Dragon Pulse
- Surf
- Recover
Item: Soul Dew/Leftovers/Life Orb
2. Choice
- Draco Meteor
- Surf
- Thunderbolt
- Psychic/Trick (Battle Frontier only)
Item: Choice Specs/Choice Scarf
3. Life Orb
- Draco Meteor
- Surf
- Thunderbolt
- Recover
Item: Life Orb
4. Dual Screen
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Wish
- Dragon Pulse
Item: Light Clay
5. Support
- Dragon Pulse
- Psychic
- Wish
- Thunder Wave
Item: Soul Dew/Leftovers
6. Substitute
- Substitute
- Calm Mind
- Dragon Pulse
- Recover
Item: Leftovers/Soul Dew
7. Suicidal Dual Screen
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Healing Wish
- Dragon Pulse
Item: Light Clay
8. Defensive Calm Mind
- Calm Mind
- Recover
- Refresh/Psycho Shift
- Dragon Pulse
Item: Leftovers
Saturday, January 30, 2010
A Guide to TM Breeding
Here is a list of various popular TMs and Pokemon who learn the move on their own so they can breed it to others without using up the TM.
TM01 - Focus Punch
The only Pokemon that can learn this move by level-up is Vigoroth. Thankfully, Vigoroth is part of the large Ground group, which means not only does it have a large number of beneficiaries, but also those Pokemon can, in turn, possibly pass the move to beneficiaries in other Egg Groups. Unfortunately, this is made harder by the fact that many of the Pokemon who could otherwise learn the move can't learn it from their pre-evolved forms. In the end, finding these TMs by Pickup is probably the best way to get more of them...
TM05 - Roar
A handful of Pokemon can learn this move. Many are from the Ground group; Aerodactyl is a notable member of the Flying group to learn it, Snubbull can send it through the Fairy group, and Whismur can pass it through the Monster group. Beware that there are many Pokemon who can't learn the move in their hatched forms.
This is a hard move to distribute. A good Mineral-group user could get some decent distribution out of it, but as for others, so many Pokemon only learn the move in their adult forms that it's hard to choose a user. Considering that the move is only marginally useful in-game, it's best to save it for when it's time to construct an actual Wi-Fi team.
TM19 - Giga Drain
Pretty much any Grass-type can be bred with it, so no worries there. Using group connections, the move can also be bred onto Pokemon from the Monster, Bug, Fairy, Water 1, and Humanshape groups. In the end, with all the new Grass-type options available, there aren't really that many Pokemon chomping at the bit to get the move.
TM23 - Iron Tail
One Mineral, one Monster. And maybe one Ground-group Pokemon that might even consider using this move on a regular basis. Overall, not much concern here.
TM34 - Shock Wave
Again, there is probably one Pokemon that could use Shock Wave. And that Pokemon is... Pelipper?! Well, there you have it. Give a male Pelipper the move and you're all set!
TM39 - Rock Tomb
Forget it. At least Iron Tail and Shock Wave have its users.
TM43 - Secret Power
Whatever happened to this move that it's not replenishable anymore? Well, technically, it is, if you have a 3rd-gen game and don't mind Pal Parking the TMs over en masse. And you'll need to, since no Pokemon can learn it on its own, though you can get creative with breeding to chain it to any Pokemon that can breed normally.
TM46 - Thief
The good news is, really, you only need one Thief. Most other Pokemon can make do with Trick or Covet or something. As such, there aren't really notable Thief users.
TM47 - Steel Wing
Don't even bother with any Flying-group, as Skarmory will cover that. And honestly, that pretty much covers it.
TM48 - Skill Swap
TM49 - Snatch
TM50 - Overheat
One of the big moves that really wishes it was replenishable, as so many Pokemon want it, yet no Pokemon can learn it levelling up. Smart use of whom to give the TM to will get it distributed to non-Legendaries not in the Ground group.
TM01 - Focus Punch
The only Pokemon that can learn this move by level-up is Vigoroth. Thankfully, Vigoroth is part of the large Ground group, which means not only does it have a large number of beneficiaries, but also those Pokemon can, in turn, possibly pass the move to beneficiaries in other Egg Groups. Unfortunately, this is made harder by the fact that many of the Pokemon who could otherwise learn the move can't learn it from their pre-evolved forms. In the end, finding these TMs by Pickup is probably the best way to get more of them...
TM05 - Roar
A handful of Pokemon can learn this move. Many are from the Ground group; Aerodactyl is a notable member of the Flying group to learn it, Snubbull can send it through the Fairy group, and Whismur can pass it through the Monster group. Beware that there are many Pokemon who can't learn the move in their hatched forms.
This is a hard move to distribute. A good Mineral-group user could get some decent distribution out of it, but as for others, so many Pokemon only learn the move in their adult forms that it's hard to choose a user. Considering that the move is only marginally useful in-game, it's best to save it for when it's time to construct an actual Wi-Fi team.
TM19 - Giga Drain
Pretty much any Grass-type can be bred with it, so no worries there. Using group connections, the move can also be bred onto Pokemon from the Monster, Bug, Fairy, Water 1, and Humanshape groups. In the end, with all the new Grass-type options available, there aren't really that many Pokemon chomping at the bit to get the move.
TM23 - Iron Tail
One Mineral, one Monster. And maybe one Ground-group Pokemon that might even consider using this move on a regular basis. Overall, not much concern here.
TM34 - Shock Wave
Again, there is probably one Pokemon that could use Shock Wave. And that Pokemon is... Pelipper?! Well, there you have it. Give a male Pelipper the move and you're all set!
TM39 - Rock Tomb
Forget it. At least Iron Tail and Shock Wave have its users.
TM43 - Secret Power
Whatever happened to this move that it's not replenishable anymore? Well, technically, it is, if you have a 3rd-gen game and don't mind Pal Parking the TMs over en masse. And you'll need to, since no Pokemon can learn it on its own, though you can get creative with breeding to chain it to any Pokemon that can breed normally.
TM46 - Thief
The good news is, really, you only need one Thief. Most other Pokemon can make do with Trick or Covet or something. As such, there aren't really notable Thief users.
TM47 - Steel Wing
Don't even bother with any Flying-group, as Skarmory will cover that. And honestly, that pretty much covers it.
TM48 - Skill Swap
Way too situational, except in Double Battles. Save the consideration for then.
TM49 - Snatch
Another situational move, and probably not worth covering.
TM50 - Overheat
One of the big moves that really wishes it was replenishable, as so many Pokemon want it, yet no Pokemon can learn it levelling up. Smart use of whom to give the TM to will get it distributed to non-Legendaries not in the Ground group.
TM51 - Roost
First of all, plenty of Flying-group Pokemon learn it leveling up, so no worries there, save for a couple exceptions like Togekiss. All things considered, for best secondary distribution of the move, give it to a Bug-group Pokemon, namely Gliscor or Scizor. As for the other one, there are still plenty of Pokemon clamoring for it, so figure something out...
TM64 - Explosion
A ton of Pokemon learn this move, and almost all of them have use for it. Thankfully, there are a fair number of Pokemon across various Egg Groups that can provide distribution of the move. In particular:
Golem learns it for the Mineral group, and covers Steelix, Sudowoodo, and Probopass.
Weezing and Drifblim learn it in the Indeterminate group, and cover Muk, Gengar, and Swalot.
Seedot (albeit not its evolutions) learns it for the Ground (generally a non-issue due to Smeargle) and Grass groups. In particular, this covers Exeggutor.
All things considered, this leaves the following Pokemon: Cloyster, Mew, Qwilfish, Magcargo, Corsola, Camerupt*, Metagross*, Bronzong*, Magnezone*, Lickilicky*, and Heatran. The asterisked ones cannot breed it onto their earlier forms due to their earliest form not being able to learn the move. Of that group, Mew, Metagross, Lickilicky, and Heatran are of the most concern, so choose one of them to play with the bomb.
TM66 - Payback
A somewhat situational move that can be handy on a handful of Pokemon. Of the Pokemon that regularly use the move, Cacturne covers Machamp, Pelipper can manage to cover Dodrio and Cloyster, a fair number of Indeterminates can help Muk out, and Ambipom and Skuntank are in the Ground group. This leaves Hariyama and Umbreon, as well as various members who learn it leveling up. All in all, Umbreon seems to be the one who most wants it, so give it to him.
TM69 - Rock Polish
A +2 Speed Boost really needs to come more easily than this. There are a good number of good Rock Polishers out there, so smart use is important, especially since the only natural learners are Mineral-group. The ones of most concern are Gliscor, Torterra, and Groudon. While the latter two can't send it off to others of their type, they only run one set with the move. Give one to a male Gliscor so it can pass it down to Gligar if so desired, give another to Torterra, and give a third one to Groudon.
TM80 - Rock Slide
With Stone Edge being the new go-to move for Rock, Rock Slide has slid into the background, albeit not without its users. Also, the move *is* a "replenishable" Move Tutor in Emerald, so there's that option. Other than that, a ridiculously-complex chain-breeding method increases distribution: Tyranitar breeds it onto Feraligatr, who breeds it onto Crawdaunt, who can then breed it onto folks like Cradily and Kingler. All in all, there isn't a huge need for the TM itself.
TM82 - Sleep Talk
Ah, Sleep Talk. Any Pokemon can learn it. Only four Pokemon in the Ground group learn it by level-up. Be creative with the distribution, and save one for Crocune.
TM84 - Poison Jab
Technically, this TM isn't non-replenishable: it's available from PBR, which we'll probably never get ourselves. However, this means that there are likely people on Wi-Fi perfectly willing to part with one. Find one of those people. Besides, most Pokemon that would want this move have an easy way of acquiring it anyways.
TM85 - Dream Eater
Dream Eater has niche uses on doubles team where the normally-cumbersome process of setting it up can be averted with a quick one-two punch. As a one-use, its user should be chosen relatively carefully. Several Pokemon do learn it by level-up, which is something to consider.
TM92 - Trick Room
Trick Room is a unique strategy, to be sure. Like Poison Jab, it's available on PBR, so if you really want more, poke around for someone willing to get one for you over Wi-Fi. Porygon-Z is the only level-up learner, and is genderless, but can pass it to future Porygon (and more importantly, Porygon2). Also, Winner's Path Bronzor will know the move; again, genderless, but can pass it to other Bronzor. Dusknoir is another famous Trick Roomer, with several other Indeterminates capable of pulling it off, so a male one of those should be your main choice. Past that, there are various choices; again, ask for one over Wi-Fi if you really want one.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Pokemon Focus: #469 - Yanmega
Introduction
Today we cover one of the 4th-generation Pokemon that is in the HeartGold/SoulSilver Johto Pokedex, and readily obtainable before receiving the National Dex, thanks to being an evolution of a Gen II Pokemon based on learning a move. (Mamoswine, previously covered, was another example of this.) Yanmega is the evolution of Yanma, a sort-of novelty Pokemon in Gen II that would appear in a "swarm" (the debut of this concept, where a rare Pokemon would appear in large numbers somewhere). Really, it had no real use outside of being pure novelty as it just joined the ranks of other weak Bug types. Gen III did it a small favor by giving it a couple new moves as well as Speed Boost, arguably one of the cooler abilities in the game.
Gen IV was the real breakthrough point for this Pokemon, as it gained a wicked new evolution, one that actually had fairly good stats. That, and it has some of the best abilities in the game, including the aforementioned Speed Boost, but also a new one in Tinted Lens that can prove extremely helpful. It's typing is still bad and gives it many weaknesses, including a crippling one to Stealth Rock, so it will need much help from its teammates to be effective. If it has said help, though, it's easily one of the best Bug Pokemon out there not named Heracross or Scizor, and easily the best special-attacking Bug out there.
Capture/Training
Yanma can be found on Route 35. Just like in Gold/Silver, they appear with a killer 1% spawn rate! ...unless they swarm. Activate a Swarm of them, and you can catch them fairly easily (as easily as one can catch a Pokemon with a 75 catch rate, at least).
Yanma evolve into Yanmega at Lv. 33, when they learn Ancientpower. If the move is not learned, it will not evolve. Delaying the evolution to Lv. 38 to learn Hypnosis is an option, as Yanmega does not learn that move, and having a sleep-inducing move can be useful.
Statistics
86 HP, 76 Atk, 86 Def, 116 Sp. Atk, 56 Sp. Def, 95 Spd
Those are awfully good stats for a Bug-type. 116 Special Attack will hurt, and it actually has decent physical defense. (Special Defense, on the other hand, is a fair weakness.)
Stats should definitely focus on Special Attack. As for Speed, it's more important if Yanmega doesn't have Speed Boost. If it does, it doesn't need a whole lot more, though it can still use them; more importantly, it's not as big of a deal if Speed is hindered by its nature.
Movesets
Yanmega has two great abilities to choose from. Speed Boost gives it an instant Speed stat-up every turn, which means it's already outrunning most foes after 1 turn, and can outrun almost anyone after 2 turns... and it will outrun everyone if it lasts 6 turns. It combines well with Protect, since that move will give you one free speed boost right away. An alternative option is Tinted Lens, which has the fun effect of doubling the power of any not-very-effective move. In other words, any attack of it will actually hit neutral if it would normally do only 1/2 damage, and will do 1/2 damage if it would normally do 1/4 damage. This makes it that much harder to counter Yanmega, and does wonders for its type coverage.
Such awesome abilities need some good Special STAB primary moves to take advantage of them, and Yanmega delivers with Bug Buzz and Air Slash. The former is the Bug variation of Psychic, with the same side effect, though that's all secondary to being a strong Bug-type STAB move that has a way of knocking out unsuspecting Psychics and Darks. Air Slash is a bit less powerful, but can flinch the opponent, which is nice considering it's likely Yanmega will be going first if it has Speed Boost. If Tinted Lens is in effect, it should be noted that no Pokemon won't take at least neutral damage from Bug Buzz or Air Slash. The alternative to Bug Buzz is Silver Wind, which will have a 10% chance in making Yanmega nearly unstoppable.
A Yanma without Tinted Lens will need some supporting moves that can hit the Pokemon it can't hit so well with its STAB moves. For a Yanma with Tinted Lens, it's looking more at those Pokemon that it can hit for super-effective damage to complement its neutral-hitting capabilities. If Hidden Power can be managed, a Ground-type move will score super-effective hits on Steel-types, which the non-Tinted Yanmega has trouble with. Otherwise, there's the option of Giga Drain to strike Rock-types, as well as Water-Ground types. Shadow Ball is mainly just to hit Ghosts, moreso if Tinted Lens isn't in effect. Psychic strikes more at Poison-types, which the Bug-type does have some problem with if it's not Tinted. Also, Silver Wind isn't the only super-boost move Yanmega has access to; it can use all three of them! Ancientpower is needed to evolve Yanma anyways, whereas Ominous Wind is an alternative to Shadow Ball.
As Yanmega's physical strength is somewhat lacking, the only Physical attack of note is the always-useful U-Turn. STAB (and Tinted Lens) helps make up for the lack of raw power, and no matter how you look at it, it's free damage when you need a switch.
As mentioned before, if you can hold off on evolving Yanma until level 38, you get Hypnosis, which Yanmega can't learn on its own. The move works well as a disruptive attack, despite its 60% accuracy.
Special note shall be given to Protect, particularly on the Speed Boost Yanmega, since one Protect will give you an automatic 1.5x boost to your Speed.
That's really it, really. Yanmega is not meant to be a supporter; it's meant to go on an all-out offensive, using either of its great abilities, and blow away as many enemies as possible before it goes down. Use it as such, as Yanmega is one fearsome dragonfly.
General Moveset
- Bug Buzz/(primary Bug attack)
- Air Slash
- (secondary attack)/(support move)
- (support move)/U-Turn
That's really the gist of it. To note, using a secondary attack and U-Turn means Yanmega is all set for a Choice item, particularly the Specs which will all but ensure the rapid demise of enemies. It's recommended that doing so uses Tinted Lens as the ability, since it makes it hard to switch in to Yanmega without taking a fair amount of damage.
Teammates
First of all, Yanmega has a really hard time dealing with Stealth Rock. 50% upon switch-in absolutely hurts. Yanmega definitely needs a Rapid Spinner on its team. As far as type coverage goes, the Tinted Lens Yanmega doesn't need much, but the Speed Boost Yanmega needs someone to take care of Steel-types. A physical attacker is also generally recommended to take down special walls. Defensively, an anti-Rock-type is definitely needed. Other weaknesses are Fire, Electric, Ice, and Flying. With a low Special Defense, the first three can be especially problematic. Make sure to have Pokemon to cover those bases.
In general, Yanmega is an offensive Pokemon, and fits best on offensive teams.
Effective Movesets
1. Lead
- Bug Buzz
- Air Slash
- Protect
- Hypnosis
Ability: Speed Boost
Item: Expert Belt/Focus Sash (Battle Frontier only)
Suggested Nature/EVs: Modest, 104 Def, 252 SpA, 152 Spd
Comments: The idea here is to use Protect to clinch the Speed Boost, then do some damage. If you can't hit hard enough, Hypnosis can knock an enemy out of commission for a while.
2. Choice Specs
- Bug Buzz
- Air Slash
- Psychic/Shadow Ball
- U-Turn
Ability: Tinted Lens
Item: Choice Specs
Suggested Nature/EVs: Modest/Timid, 4 Def, 252 SpA, 252 Spd
Comments: Really, all you need is Bug Buzz or Air Slash. No Pokemon will 4x resist both. Shedinja can't stop this set, either. U-Turn for scouting purposes.
3. Life Orb Speed Boost Ver. 1
- Protect
- Bug Buzz
- Air Slash
- Shadow Ball
Ability: Speed Boost
Item: Life Orb
Suggested Nature/EVs: See 2.
4. Life Orb Speed Boost Ver. 2
- Hypnosis
- Bug Buzz
- Air Slash
- Shadow Ball
Ability: Speed Boost
Item: Life Orb
Suggested Nature/EVs: See 2.
5. Life Orb Tinted Lens
- Hypnosis
- Bug Buzz
- Air Slash
- Shadow Ball
Ability: Tinted Lens
Item: Life Orb
Suggested Nature/EVs: See 2.
6. Substitute Speed Boost
- Substitute
- Bug Buzz
- Air Slash
- Shadow Ball
Ability: Speed Boost
Item: Leftovers/Petaya Berry (Battle Frontier only)
Suggested Nature/EVs: See 1.
7. Substitute Tinted Lens
- Substitute
- Bug Buzz
- Air Slash
- Hypnosis
Ability: Tinted Lens
Item: Leftovers/Petaya Berry/Salac Berry (Berries for Frontier only)
Suggested Nature/EVs: See 2.
Today we cover one of the 4th-generation Pokemon that is in the HeartGold/SoulSilver Johto Pokedex, and readily obtainable before receiving the National Dex, thanks to being an evolution of a Gen II Pokemon based on learning a move. (Mamoswine, previously covered, was another example of this.) Yanmega is the evolution of Yanma, a sort-of novelty Pokemon in Gen II that would appear in a "swarm" (the debut of this concept, where a rare Pokemon would appear in large numbers somewhere). Really, it had no real use outside of being pure novelty as it just joined the ranks of other weak Bug types. Gen III did it a small favor by giving it a couple new moves as well as Speed Boost, arguably one of the cooler abilities in the game.
Gen IV was the real breakthrough point for this Pokemon, as it gained a wicked new evolution, one that actually had fairly good stats. That, and it has some of the best abilities in the game, including the aforementioned Speed Boost, but also a new one in Tinted Lens that can prove extremely helpful. It's typing is still bad and gives it many weaknesses, including a crippling one to Stealth Rock, so it will need much help from its teammates to be effective. If it has said help, though, it's easily one of the best Bug Pokemon out there not named Heracross or Scizor, and easily the best special-attacking Bug out there.
Capture/Training
Yanma can be found on Route 35. Just like in Gold/Silver, they appear with a killer 1% spawn rate! ...unless they swarm. Activate a Swarm of them, and you can catch them fairly easily (as easily as one can catch a Pokemon with a 75 catch rate, at least).
Yanma evolve into Yanmega at Lv. 33, when they learn Ancientpower. If the move is not learned, it will not evolve. Delaying the evolution to Lv. 38 to learn Hypnosis is an option, as Yanmega does not learn that move, and having a sleep-inducing move can be useful.
Statistics
86 HP, 76 Atk, 86 Def, 116 Sp. Atk, 56 Sp. Def, 95 Spd
Those are awfully good stats for a Bug-type. 116 Special Attack will hurt, and it actually has decent physical defense. (Special Defense, on the other hand, is a fair weakness.)
Stats should definitely focus on Special Attack. As for Speed, it's more important if Yanmega doesn't have Speed Boost. If it does, it doesn't need a whole lot more, though it can still use them; more importantly, it's not as big of a deal if Speed is hindered by its nature.
Movesets
Yanmega has two great abilities to choose from. Speed Boost gives it an instant Speed stat-up every turn, which means it's already outrunning most foes after 1 turn, and can outrun almost anyone after 2 turns... and it will outrun everyone if it lasts 6 turns. It combines well with Protect, since that move will give you one free speed boost right away. An alternative option is Tinted Lens, which has the fun effect of doubling the power of any not-very-effective move. In other words, any attack of it will actually hit neutral if it would normally do only 1/2 damage, and will do 1/2 damage if it would normally do 1/4 damage. This makes it that much harder to counter Yanmega, and does wonders for its type coverage.
Such awesome abilities need some good Special STAB primary moves to take advantage of them, and Yanmega delivers with Bug Buzz and Air Slash. The former is the Bug variation of Psychic, with the same side effect, though that's all secondary to being a strong Bug-type STAB move that has a way of knocking out unsuspecting Psychics and Darks. Air Slash is a bit less powerful, but can flinch the opponent, which is nice considering it's likely Yanmega will be going first if it has Speed Boost. If Tinted Lens is in effect, it should be noted that no Pokemon won't take at least neutral damage from Bug Buzz or Air Slash. The alternative to Bug Buzz is Silver Wind, which will have a 10% chance in making Yanmega nearly unstoppable.
A Yanma without Tinted Lens will need some supporting moves that can hit the Pokemon it can't hit so well with its STAB moves. For a Yanma with Tinted Lens, it's looking more at those Pokemon that it can hit for super-effective damage to complement its neutral-hitting capabilities. If Hidden Power can be managed, a Ground-type move will score super-effective hits on Steel-types, which the non-Tinted Yanmega has trouble with. Otherwise, there's the option of Giga Drain to strike Rock-types, as well as Water-Ground types. Shadow Ball is mainly just to hit Ghosts, moreso if Tinted Lens isn't in effect. Psychic strikes more at Poison-types, which the Bug-type does have some problem with if it's not Tinted. Also, Silver Wind isn't the only super-boost move Yanmega has access to; it can use all three of them! Ancientpower is needed to evolve Yanma anyways, whereas Ominous Wind is an alternative to Shadow Ball.
As Yanmega's physical strength is somewhat lacking, the only Physical attack of note is the always-useful U-Turn. STAB (and Tinted Lens) helps make up for the lack of raw power, and no matter how you look at it, it's free damage when you need a switch.
As mentioned before, if you can hold off on evolving Yanma until level 38, you get Hypnosis, which Yanmega can't learn on its own. The move works well as a disruptive attack, despite its 60% accuracy.
Special note shall be given to Protect, particularly on the Speed Boost Yanmega, since one Protect will give you an automatic 1.5x boost to your Speed.
That's really it, really. Yanmega is not meant to be a supporter; it's meant to go on an all-out offensive, using either of its great abilities, and blow away as many enemies as possible before it goes down. Use it as such, as Yanmega is one fearsome dragonfly.
General Moveset
- Bug Buzz/(primary Bug attack)
- Air Slash
- (secondary attack)/(support move)
- (support move)/U-Turn
That's really the gist of it. To note, using a secondary attack and U-Turn means Yanmega is all set for a Choice item, particularly the Specs which will all but ensure the rapid demise of enemies. It's recommended that doing so uses Tinted Lens as the ability, since it makes it hard to switch in to Yanmega without taking a fair amount of damage.
Teammates
First of all, Yanmega has a really hard time dealing with Stealth Rock. 50% upon switch-in absolutely hurts. Yanmega definitely needs a Rapid Spinner on its team. As far as type coverage goes, the Tinted Lens Yanmega doesn't need much, but the Speed Boost Yanmega needs someone to take care of Steel-types. A physical attacker is also generally recommended to take down special walls. Defensively, an anti-Rock-type is definitely needed. Other weaknesses are Fire, Electric, Ice, and Flying. With a low Special Defense, the first three can be especially problematic. Make sure to have Pokemon to cover those bases.
In general, Yanmega is an offensive Pokemon, and fits best on offensive teams.
Effective Movesets
1. Lead
- Bug Buzz
- Air Slash
- Protect
- Hypnosis
Ability: Speed Boost
Item: Expert Belt/Focus Sash (Battle Frontier only)
Suggested Nature/EVs: Modest, 104 Def, 252 SpA, 152 Spd
Comments: The idea here is to use Protect to clinch the Speed Boost, then do some damage. If you can't hit hard enough, Hypnosis can knock an enemy out of commission for a while.
2. Choice Specs
- Bug Buzz
- Air Slash
- Psychic/Shadow Ball
- U-Turn
Ability: Tinted Lens
Item: Choice Specs
Suggested Nature/EVs: Modest/Timid, 4 Def, 252 SpA, 252 Spd
Comments: Really, all you need is Bug Buzz or Air Slash. No Pokemon will 4x resist both. Shedinja can't stop this set, either. U-Turn for scouting purposes.
3. Life Orb Speed Boost Ver. 1
- Protect
- Bug Buzz
- Air Slash
- Shadow Ball
Ability: Speed Boost
Item: Life Orb
Suggested Nature/EVs: See 2.
4. Life Orb Speed Boost Ver. 2
- Hypnosis
- Bug Buzz
- Air Slash
- Shadow Ball
Ability: Speed Boost
Item: Life Orb
Suggested Nature/EVs: See 2.
5. Life Orb Tinted Lens
- Hypnosis
- Bug Buzz
- Air Slash
- Shadow Ball
Ability: Tinted Lens
Item: Life Orb
Suggested Nature/EVs: See 2.
6. Substitute Speed Boost
- Substitute
- Bug Buzz
- Air Slash
- Shadow Ball
Ability: Speed Boost
Item: Leftovers/Petaya Berry (Battle Frontier only)
Suggested Nature/EVs: See 1.
7. Substitute Tinted Lens
- Substitute
- Bug Buzz
- Air Slash
- Hypnosis
Ability: Tinted Lens
Item: Leftovers/Petaya Berry/Salac Berry (Berries for Frontier only)
Suggested Nature/EVs: See 2.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Move Tutors & Replenishable TMs
A full list of TMs that can be acquired multiple times, as well as Move Tutor attacks, and a note on their usefulness.
Department Store Dealings
Goldenrod City:
TM70 - Flash (1000): Not the best move in battle, but could be useful in those dark caves; and thanks to an accuracy boost to 100%, it does have some battle usefulness. Still probably not the best as a permanent move.
TM17 - Protect (2000): An all-around useful move, good for scouting out an enemy's attacks, if nothing else. Exact use will depend on other factors.
TM54 - False Swipe (2000): Useless in battle, but absolutely critical for Pokemon-catching endeavors.
TM83 - Natural Gift (2000): It's basically a one-off physical attack of some type against the enemy. Situationally marginally useful in competitive battling; in regular battles it'll just use up a lot of Berries.
TM16 - Light Screen (2000): Fairly useful team-supporting move.
TM33 - Reflect (2000): See above.
TM22 - Solarbeam (3000): Use with Sunny Day enthusiasts.
TM57 - Focus Blast (5500): Low accuracy, but this move is probably the best way to make sure that Dark-types don't get the best of your Psychic-types.
TM38 - Fire Blast (5500): Fire Blast's accuracy is a bit more manageable compared to its power, and in many cases it's a reasonable alternative to Flamethrower.
TM25 - Thunder (5500): Use with Rain Dance enthusiasts.
TM14 - Blizzard (5500): Use with Hail enthusiasts.
TM15 - Hyper Beam (7500): Okay in-game when the Shift rule is in effect. In actual battle, though, the recovery turn usually hinders this attack's usability.
Celadon City:
TM21 - Frustration (1000): Not very useful at all. Try Return instead.
TM27 - Return (1000): A base 102 attack at max Happiness is nothing to scoff at. Very useful on many physical attackers, especially Normal-types.
TM87 - Swagger (1500): Situationally useful, moreso on Special Attackers.
TM78 - Captivate (1500): Not that useful at all. Generally better to use Amnesia or something.
TM12 - Taunt (1500): Extremely useful in a number of situations.
TM41 - Torment (1500): Extremely situational.
TM20 - Safeguard (2000): Might be kind of useful in a few cases when the Pokemon can't learn the move on its own.
TM28 - Dig (2000): In-game, it's a decent Ground-type attack. That, and it's basically a free Escape Rope.
TM76 - Stealth Rock (2000): A move that's become extremely popular in competitive battling, for good reason.
TM55 - Brine (3000): A rather situational attack.
TM72 - Avalanche (3000): A good physical Ice-type attack to consider.
TM79 - Dark Pulse (3000): An extremely useful special Dark attack, great for taking out Psychics and Ghosts.
Game Corner Gifts
(prices are in coins this time)
Goldenrod City:
TM90 - Substitute (2000): A very useful move in a large number of situations.
TM75 - Swords Dance (4000): A great move for physical sweepers.
TM44 - Rest (6000): Use on a Pokemon with Hydration, or on a Sleep Talker.
TM35 - Flamethrower (10000): A great move, though most Pokemon who could use it can already learn it on their own.
TM13 - Ice Beam (10000): A ridiculously useful move. Pretty much The Exterminator of Dragons.
TM24 - Thunderbolt (10000): A really great move for many Pokemon. For some reason, a lot of Electric-types who would love this move can't learn it on their own, making it even more important.
Celadon City:
TM58 - Endure (2000): Could be used on someone with Reversal, Flail, or Endeavor.
TM32 - Double Team (3000): Annoyance attack. Banned in many competitive circles, but could be used on a non-competitive team.
TM10 - Hidden Power (6000): Could be very useful, depending on the IVs of the Pokemon. Very hard to have it work properly, though.
TM29 - Psychic (10000): Very important for those Psychic-types who can't learn it on their own, as well as assorted others here and there.
TM74 - Gyro Ball (10000): Potentially very powerful in the hands of a slow Steel-type.
TM68 - Giga Impact (15000): Like Hyper Beam for the physical-minded. That high price makes it even more unattractive, though.
Import from Sinnoh:
TM89 - U-Turn (6000): A useful move in many situations, to be sure.
Battle Frontier Bonuses
(prices in Battle Points)
TM06 - Toxic (32): Hugely useful disruptive attack.
TM73 - Thunder Wave (32): See above.
TM61 - Will-o-Wisp (32): See above.
TM45 - Attract (32): Probably the least useful of the disruptive attacks.
TM40 - Aerial Ace (40): Somewhat useful on a handful of Pokemon. Moreso ingame against highly-evasive foes.
TM31 - Brick Break (40): Still the most reliable Fighting-type attack out there, and still has its uses.
TM08 - Bulk Up (48): Good move, though most would prefer Swords Dance, but not everyone can learn that.
TM04 - Calm Mind (48): Great move. Some might prefer Nasty Plot, but even fewer can learn that...
TM81 - X-Scissor (64): Good reliable physical Bug attack. Hasn't really been one until this generation, for some reason.
TM30 - Shadow Ball (64): See Dark Pulse, above. Great for Psychic-types, who could use a good anti-Psychic and anti-Ghost attack but who oftentimes can't access Dark Pulse.
TM53 - Energy Ball (64): Good reliable special Grass attack. Same comment as for X-Scissor.
TM36 - Sludge Bomb (80): Most useful for certain special-oriented Poison-types.
TM59 - Dragon Pulse (80): Potentially useful for Dragons who can't learn the move on their own.
TM71 - Stone Edge (80): An extremely powerful, if somewhat inaccurate Rock-type attack widely considered the best of its type. (Basically a Rock-type Cross Chop.) Pairs well with Earthquake, too.
TM26 - Earthquake (80): ...Well, it's Earthquake. 'Nuff said.
Pickup Prizes
Numbers are levels at which item can be Picked Up, at a 1% rate. (It's going to be a tough endeavor...)
Johto/Kanto:
TM56 - Fling (51-70): Another one of those one-off moves, situationally useful.
TM86 - Grass Knot (71-90): A useful attack on many Pokemon, especially to take down "bulky Waters".
TM26 - Earthquake (91-100): See previous mention.
Sinnoh:
TM44 - Rest (51-70): See previous mention.
TM01 - Focus Punch (71-90): An extremely powerful attack. Its use is hindered by its go-last-flinch-if-hit mechanics, but with good prediction and/or Substitute help, it can be used to great effect.
Pokewalker Prizes
(Numbers are number of steps before item starts appearing)
Dark Cave: TM18 - Rain Dance (6000)
Blue Lake: TM11 - Sunny Day (5000)
Town Edge: TM37 - Sandstorm (5000)
Cold Mountainpath: TM07 - Hail (6000)
White Lake: TM68 - Giga Impact (10000)
Quiet Cave:
TM10 - Hidden Power (5000)
TM15 - Hyper Beam (10000)
Other assorted TMs
TM02 - Dragon Claw: Apparently, you can win this nice, reliable physical Dragon attack in the Goldenrod Lottery. Good luck with that.
TM21/TM27: Just like before, you can get these prior to your Kanto move by showing a Pokemon of appropriate affection to a woman in the Goldenrod Department Store.
TM07/TM11/TM18/TM37: These TMs can be brought over from Sinnoh, where one can get them by giving someone 10 of a certain color shard. Said shards can be recursively brought to Sinnoh from Johto, if desired.
Move Tutors
There are a ton of Move Tutor moves. Only the most notable ones will be noted. Prices are in BP.
Headbutt (Free) - Not the best move competitively (unless your name is Dunsparce), but important for headbutting trees so as to knock loose the Pokemon hiding inside them.
Aqua Tail (40) - Waterfall is usually a good alternative, but this one works on certain Pokemon that can't learn that HM...
Earth Power (40) - The Special Attacker's answer to Earthquake. A nice move for those inclined in that direction.
Iron Head (40) - The most reliable and accurate Steel-type attack. Comes with a nice 30% flinch rate, too!
Seed Bomb (40) - A reliable physical Grass attack for Pokemon who need reliable physical Grass attacks. Or any physical Grass attacks in some cases.
Super Fang (40) - Still have to figure out just how viable a Super Fang/Brine combo is.
Heat Wave (48) - More useful in 2 vs. 2, where the move can hit both opponents.
Outrage (48) - Incredibly powerful physical Dragon attack.
Superpower (48) - A massively powerful Fighting attack. Similar to Close Combat, only it lowers Attack and Defense.
Endeavor (64) - FEAR.
Pain Split (64) - Can be a unique way of healing.
Bug Bite (32) - Not the most useful on its own, but could be used on certain Technicians.
Knock Off (40) - A way of getting rid of an enemy's item without having to give up your own.
Sucker Punch (40) - A nasty way of getting the jump on an enemy.
Trick (48) - Best used to give a bad item to your opponent.
Vacuum Wave (48) - Mach Punch for Special Attackers.
Fire Punch (64) - Reliable physical Fire attack.
Ice Punch (64) - Reliable physical Ice attack.
ThunderPunch (64) - Reliable physical Electric attack.
Zen Headbutt (64) - Not-so-reliable physical Psychic attack. Does come with a flinch chance, though.
Block (32) - Trapping move.
Gravity (32) - A potentially very useful move, good for improving accuracy and letting your Ground-types lay the smack-down on flyers and Levitators.
Magic Coat (32) - A sneaky move for throwing assorted disruptive attacks back at their attackers.
Magnet Rise (40) - Make an Electric-type immune to Ground attacks? Could be useful.
Heal Bell (48) - Extremely useful team curative move.
Diamond/Pearl/Platinum only:
Draco Meteor - Extremely powerful special Dragon attack, although it does lower your Special Attack afterwards.
Department Store Dealings
Goldenrod City:
TM70 - Flash (1000): Not the best move in battle, but could be useful in those dark caves; and thanks to an accuracy boost to 100%, it does have some battle usefulness. Still probably not the best as a permanent move.
TM17 - Protect (2000): An all-around useful move, good for scouting out an enemy's attacks, if nothing else. Exact use will depend on other factors.
TM54 - False Swipe (2000): Useless in battle, but absolutely critical for Pokemon-catching endeavors.
TM83 - Natural Gift (2000): It's basically a one-off physical attack of some type against the enemy. Situationally marginally useful in competitive battling; in regular battles it'll just use up a lot of Berries.
TM16 - Light Screen (2000): Fairly useful team-supporting move.
TM33 - Reflect (2000): See above.
TM22 - Solarbeam (3000): Use with Sunny Day enthusiasts.
TM57 - Focus Blast (5500): Low accuracy, but this move is probably the best way to make sure that Dark-types don't get the best of your Psychic-types.
TM38 - Fire Blast (5500): Fire Blast's accuracy is a bit more manageable compared to its power, and in many cases it's a reasonable alternative to Flamethrower.
TM25 - Thunder (5500): Use with Rain Dance enthusiasts.
TM14 - Blizzard (5500): Use with Hail enthusiasts.
TM15 - Hyper Beam (7500): Okay in-game when the Shift rule is in effect. In actual battle, though, the recovery turn usually hinders this attack's usability.
Celadon City:
TM21 - Frustration (1000): Not very useful at all. Try Return instead.
TM27 - Return (1000): A base 102 attack at max Happiness is nothing to scoff at. Very useful on many physical attackers, especially Normal-types.
TM87 - Swagger (1500): Situationally useful, moreso on Special Attackers.
TM78 - Captivate (1500): Not that useful at all. Generally better to use Amnesia or something.
TM12 - Taunt (1500): Extremely useful in a number of situations.
TM41 - Torment (1500): Extremely situational.
TM20 - Safeguard (2000): Might be kind of useful in a few cases when the Pokemon can't learn the move on its own.
TM28 - Dig (2000): In-game, it's a decent Ground-type attack. That, and it's basically a free Escape Rope.
TM76 - Stealth Rock (2000): A move that's become extremely popular in competitive battling, for good reason.
TM55 - Brine (3000): A rather situational attack.
TM72 - Avalanche (3000): A good physical Ice-type attack to consider.
TM79 - Dark Pulse (3000): An extremely useful special Dark attack, great for taking out Psychics and Ghosts.
Game Corner Gifts
(prices are in coins this time)
Goldenrod City:
TM90 - Substitute (2000): A very useful move in a large number of situations.
TM75 - Swords Dance (4000): A great move for physical sweepers.
TM44 - Rest (6000): Use on a Pokemon with Hydration, or on a Sleep Talker.
TM35 - Flamethrower (10000): A great move, though most Pokemon who could use it can already learn it on their own.
TM13 - Ice Beam (10000): A ridiculously useful move. Pretty much The Exterminator of Dragons.
TM24 - Thunderbolt (10000): A really great move for many Pokemon. For some reason, a lot of Electric-types who would love this move can't learn it on their own, making it even more important.
Celadon City:
TM58 - Endure (2000): Could be used on someone with Reversal, Flail, or Endeavor.
TM32 - Double Team (3000): Annoyance attack. Banned in many competitive circles, but could be used on a non-competitive team.
TM10 - Hidden Power (6000): Could be very useful, depending on the IVs of the Pokemon. Very hard to have it work properly, though.
TM29 - Psychic (10000): Very important for those Psychic-types who can't learn it on their own, as well as assorted others here and there.
TM74 - Gyro Ball (10000): Potentially very powerful in the hands of a slow Steel-type.
TM68 - Giga Impact (15000): Like Hyper Beam for the physical-minded. That high price makes it even more unattractive, though.
Import from Sinnoh:
TM89 - U-Turn (6000): A useful move in many situations, to be sure.
Battle Frontier Bonuses
(prices in Battle Points)
TM06 - Toxic (32): Hugely useful disruptive attack.
TM73 - Thunder Wave (32): See above.
TM61 - Will-o-Wisp (32): See above.
TM45 - Attract (32): Probably the least useful of the disruptive attacks.
TM40 - Aerial Ace (40): Somewhat useful on a handful of Pokemon. Moreso ingame against highly-evasive foes.
TM31 - Brick Break (40): Still the most reliable Fighting-type attack out there, and still has its uses.
TM08 - Bulk Up (48): Good move, though most would prefer Swords Dance, but not everyone can learn that.
TM04 - Calm Mind (48): Great move. Some might prefer Nasty Plot, but even fewer can learn that...
TM81 - X-Scissor (64): Good reliable physical Bug attack. Hasn't really been one until this generation, for some reason.
TM30 - Shadow Ball (64): See Dark Pulse, above. Great for Psychic-types, who could use a good anti-Psychic and anti-Ghost attack but who oftentimes can't access Dark Pulse.
TM53 - Energy Ball (64): Good reliable special Grass attack. Same comment as for X-Scissor.
TM36 - Sludge Bomb (80): Most useful for certain special-oriented Poison-types.
TM59 - Dragon Pulse (80): Potentially useful for Dragons who can't learn the move on their own.
TM71 - Stone Edge (80): An extremely powerful, if somewhat inaccurate Rock-type attack widely considered the best of its type. (Basically a Rock-type Cross Chop.) Pairs well with Earthquake, too.
TM26 - Earthquake (80): ...Well, it's Earthquake. 'Nuff said.
Pickup Prizes
Numbers are levels at which item can be Picked Up, at a 1% rate. (It's going to be a tough endeavor...)
Johto/Kanto:
TM56 - Fling (51-70): Another one of those one-off moves, situationally useful.
TM86 - Grass Knot (71-90): A useful attack on many Pokemon, especially to take down "bulky Waters".
TM26 - Earthquake (91-100): See previous mention.
Sinnoh:
TM44 - Rest (51-70): See previous mention.
TM01 - Focus Punch (71-90): An extremely powerful attack. Its use is hindered by its go-last-flinch-if-hit mechanics, but with good prediction and/or Substitute help, it can be used to great effect.
Pokewalker Prizes
(Numbers are number of steps before item starts appearing)
Dark Cave: TM18 - Rain Dance (6000)
Blue Lake: TM11 - Sunny Day (5000)
Town Edge: TM37 - Sandstorm (5000)
Cold Mountainpath: TM07 - Hail (6000)
White Lake: TM68 - Giga Impact (10000)
Quiet Cave:
TM10 - Hidden Power (5000)
TM15 - Hyper Beam (10000)
Other assorted TMs
TM02 - Dragon Claw: Apparently, you can win this nice, reliable physical Dragon attack in the Goldenrod Lottery. Good luck with that.
TM21/TM27: Just like before, you can get these prior to your Kanto move by showing a Pokemon of appropriate affection to a woman in the Goldenrod Department Store.
TM07/TM11/TM18/TM37: These TMs can be brought over from Sinnoh, where one can get them by giving someone 10 of a certain color shard. Said shards can be recursively brought to Sinnoh from Johto, if desired.
Move Tutors
There are a ton of Move Tutor moves. Only the most notable ones will be noted. Prices are in BP.
Headbutt (Free) - Not the best move competitively (unless your name is Dunsparce), but important for headbutting trees so as to knock loose the Pokemon hiding inside them.
Aqua Tail (40) - Waterfall is usually a good alternative, but this one works on certain Pokemon that can't learn that HM...
Earth Power (40) - The Special Attacker's answer to Earthquake. A nice move for those inclined in that direction.
Iron Head (40) - The most reliable and accurate Steel-type attack. Comes with a nice 30% flinch rate, too!
Seed Bomb (40) - A reliable physical Grass attack for Pokemon who need reliable physical Grass attacks. Or any physical Grass attacks in some cases.
Super Fang (40) - Still have to figure out just how viable a Super Fang/Brine combo is.
Heat Wave (48) - More useful in 2 vs. 2, where the move can hit both opponents.
Outrage (48) - Incredibly powerful physical Dragon attack.
Superpower (48) - A massively powerful Fighting attack. Similar to Close Combat, only it lowers Attack and Defense.
Endeavor (64) - FEAR.
Pain Split (64) - Can be a unique way of healing.
Bug Bite (32) - Not the most useful on its own, but could be used on certain Technicians.
Knock Off (40) - A way of getting rid of an enemy's item without having to give up your own.
Sucker Punch (40) - A nasty way of getting the jump on an enemy.
Trick (48) - Best used to give a bad item to your opponent.
Vacuum Wave (48) - Mach Punch for Special Attackers.
Fire Punch (64) - Reliable physical Fire attack.
Ice Punch (64) - Reliable physical Ice attack.
ThunderPunch (64) - Reliable physical Electric attack.
Zen Headbutt (64) - Not-so-reliable physical Psychic attack. Does come with a flinch chance, though.
Block (32) - Trapping move.
Gravity (32) - A potentially very useful move, good for improving accuracy and letting your Ground-types lay the smack-down on flyers and Levitators.
Magic Coat (32) - A sneaky move for throwing assorted disruptive attacks back at their attackers.
Magnet Rise (40) - Make an Electric-type immune to Ground attacks? Could be useful.
Heal Bell (48) - Extremely useful team curative move.
Diamond/Pearl/Platinum only:
Draco Meteor - Extremely powerful special Dragon attack, although it does lower your Special Attack afterwards.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Pokemon Focus: #171 - Lanturn
Introduction
Ah, Lanturn. A Pokemon with a huge amount of history, namely because of its standing as our favorite Pokemon of all time. It all happened one fateful day in Vermillion City, when a random fishing attempt with a Good Rod pulled up an unusual, never-before-seen Pokemon called Chinchou. Curious, I caught the Pokemon, and took a look... a Water-Electric type?! Water and Electric were my favorite Pokemon types back then, and to see a Pokemon that combined the two was beyond awesome. Not only that, but only a couple levels later, it evolved! Needless to say, that Pokemon, Lanturn, quickly became a mainstay of my team. (A later discovery of the effects of Rain Dance on Thunder only made it that much better.)
Then, 3rd Generation appeared, and with it came the much-heralded return of Chinchou and Lanturn... with a new twist: Volt Absorb. Lanturn already had a nice list of resistances, and had the honor of being one of the few Water-types not weak to electricity, but the addition of an ability that made it outright immune to Electric attacks only solidified its position as my favorite Pokemon of all-time.
Now, 4th Generation has arrived, albeit with few truly notable changes to Lanturn. The physical-special split does mean that it has to worry about a couple more things like physical Grass moves, but it also means that it has more types of special attacks it can resist. Still, for the most part, Lanturn remains unchanged and still serves much the same role as it does now: a unique Pokemon with one of the coolest dual-typings combined with one of the best abilities in the game, allowing it to serve as a nice little surprise in a number of situations.
Capture/Training
Chinchou can be caught as soon as you get the Good Rod, and likely also once you get Fly. From there, take a short flight back home to New Bark Town and fish one up. Fishing up a couple to get one with a good nature isn't a bad idea.
Chinchou evolves into Lanturn at Lv. 27. Viable moves to delay evolution for are: Signal Beam (4-level delay to learn 4 levels earlier), Discharge (7-level delay to learn 6 levels earlier), and Hydro Pump (15-level delay to learn 10 levels earlier). The latter two in particular fit into a handful of movesets, though neither are strictly necessary.
Statistics
125 HP, 58 Atk, 58 Def, 76 Sp. Atk, 76 Sp. Def, 67 Spd
That huge HP stat is the real winner here. Combined with Lanturn's nice list of resistances to common Special Attack types, it makes a surprisingly-good special wall. Meanwhile, while its Special Attack stat isn't the best, it does get very nice type coverage and can get some nice strikes against a large number of foes.
To make the most of its typing defensive-wise, maximizing Special Defense is highly recommended. As for HP, adding 40 EVs, if you can be bothered to count them, will result in 401 HP at Lv. 100, which is certainly a nice number. Special Attack and Speed are the other places to throw in EVs, moreso the former to get as much as possible out of Lanturn's nice type coverage. Then again, Defense EVs also greatly help with its survivability, especially against Earthquake-happy Ground-types so it can retaliate with Surf. Really, for Lanturn, the only "bad" stat to not throw EVs into is Attack. Which means, as far as natures go, any that hinder Attack will help it in one way or another.
Movesets
Well, Volt Absorb definitely wins over Illuminate ability-wise.
Primary Water-type and Electric-type moves are key to Lanturn's success on the offensive side. Surf and Thunderbolt are the obvious choices here. Alternatives exist on both sides. Hydro Pump is a very viable alternative Water attack, especially if you want Lanturn to hit harder, as its Special Attack is not particularly notable on its own. As for other Electric attacks, one can consider Discharge for that higher paralysis chance. Back in Generation II before Thunderbolt became teachable, Lanturn's best option for an Electric attack was Thunder. While it normally suffers from accuracy problems, with Rain Dance support it becomes a never-miss move, which is really useful in many ways, and Lanturn already likes rain for boosting its Water attacks. Even in this new generation, it's a viable move for precisely the same reason. Charge Beam is an oddball attack that could potentially kick up Lanturn's special attack to sweeping-levels.
As far as a secondary attack goes, Ice Beam is really all that is needed, as the only types that Water and Electric together can't hit well are Grass and Dragon... both of which are weak to Ice. Not to mention the whole BoltBeam combo will result, meaning Lanturn can hit neutral against pretty much any Pokemon except... other Lanturn. (If it's taking a while to amass the coinage for Ice Beam, a Signal Beam can serve as an anti-Grass move in the meantime. However, it probably shouldn't be a permanent attack.)
Lanturn's next biggest attraction is a nice set of disruptive attacks. Thunder Wave leads the charge as a paralyzer; good considering Lanturn's low Speed and its own immunity to the move. It also combines well with Confuse Ray to create a Para-fusion combo that can really mess with the opponent's chances for attacking. Toxic is an option for disrupting Ground-types. The latter two moves go well with entry-hazard support, as they tend to lead to a switch.
To power-up Lanturn, have it provide its own Rain Dance. The move will kick up the power of its Water-type attacks, and if it has Thunder, that move will be guaranteed to hit, dual-serving as its primary Electric attack as well as a move to use against evasive foes. This was the basis of our primary team in Silver, especially with some of the evasion-happy folks in the Elite Four, and for that reason it may just become the set of choice for SoulSilver. Lanturn can also use Agility to increase its meager Speed, with the help of some additional Speed EVs.
Lanturn also has ways of increasing its own defenses, which might be useful if Lanturn is soaking up attacks with its high HP and numerous resistances. Amnesia in particular could make Lanturn near-impervious to special attacks. Stockpile serves as a dual-booster, and will help Lanturn stand up against all sorts of foes. While its possible to complement that with Spit Up or Swallow, whether to actually do so when many other options are available is questionable. Also, Lanturn can set up Substitutes. With its huge HP stat, if given 56 HP EVs, it will reach 405 HP, which sets up 101-HP Subs that cannot be Seismic-Tossed out in one hit, as well as providing 26 HP of healing every turn.
For healing, Lanturn could potentially go the Rest-Sleep Talk route. It'll lose Ice Beam support, but the coverage between its water and electric moves is already pretty good. Also on the healing side is, interestingly enough, Heal Bell. That move is always a useful one, especially because Lanturn particularly does not like Toxic damage.
Moveset 1: Para-Fusion
- Confuse Ray
- Discharge/Thunderbolt
- (primary Water attack)
- Ice Beam/Thunder Wave
Two ways to go with this: either Discharge and Ice Beam or Thunderbolt and Thunder Wave. The idea is to get both paralysis and confusion on the enemy, seriously hindering its possibilities of attacking. With the former, you have greater type coverage but the electricity doesn't hit as hard and you have to rely on a 30% chance of paralysis. With the latter, you lose the full coverage from Ice Beam but get reliable paralysis and a more powerful primary Electric attack to go with it.
Moveset 2: Rain Dance
- Rain Dance
- Thunder
- (primary Water attack)
- Ice Beam/(support move)
Again, the idea here is to use Rain Dance, then hit as hard as you can with your Water attacks, switching to Thunder if the opponent is weak to it or is getting evasive. The fourth moveslot is a toss-up. Various choices aside from the obvious Ice Beam include: Thunder Wave to slow down possible threats, and Confuse Ray to combine with Thunder's 30% paralysis rate and go for a pseudo-Para-fusion combo.
As a side note, the new item Damp Rock could be used here to give Lanturn (and its team) three extra turns to play in the rain, which can be helpful.
Moveset 3: Sleep Talk
- (primary Water attack)
- (primary Electric attack)
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
No Ice Beam coverage here, but again, Water and Electric has good coverage as it is.
Moveset 4: Stockpile
- (primary Water attack)
- (primary Electric attack)
- Stockpile
- Swallow/Spit Up
Without Spit Up, you do run into the same issues as above, but you do get healing. With it, you don't get healing, but you do have a way to potentially knock out a troublesome threat.
Moveset 5: Sub-Charge
- Substitute
- Charge Beam
- (primary Water attack)
- (secondary attack)
The theory here is to set up a 101-HP Substitute, launch Charge Beams while behind said Substitute to boost Special Attack, then strike with a Lanturn whose Special Attack is likely through the roof. This set apparently was able to sweep an entire team of OU standards by itself, which shows how deadly it can be if your opponent is not prepared for it.
General Moveset
- (primary Water attack)
- (primary Electric attack)
- Ice Beam/(support move)
- (support move)
Lanturn has a nice list of support moves, so choose one and have fun. Again, Ice Beam is there to complete Lanturn's coverage, giving it a super-effective hit on numerous types and a neutral hit on anything that isn't itself; however, Water and Electric has good coverage as it is and as such Ice Beam can be foregone for a second support move.
Effective Movesets
1. Paralysis Support
- Surf
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Beam
- Thunder Wave
2. Toxic Support
- Surf
- Thunderbolt/Discharge
- Ice Beam
- Toxic
3. Heal Bell
- Surf
- Thunderbolt/Discharge
- Ice Beam
- Heal Bell
4. Parafusion Ver. 1
- Surf
- Thunderbolt
- Thunder Wave
- Confuse Ray
5. Parafusion Ver. 2
- Surf
- Discharge
- Confuse Ray
- Ice Beam
6. Rain Dancer
- Rain Dance
- Surf
- Thunder
- Thunder Wave/Confuse Ray/Ice Beam
Item: Damp Rock
7. Stockpile
- Surf
- Thunderbolt/Discharge
- Ice Beam/Spit Up/Swallow
- Stockpile
8. Paralysis + Heal Bell
- Surf
- Thunderbolt
- Thunder Wave
- Heal Bell
9. All Bases Covered
- Surf
- Discharge
- Toxic
- Heal Bell
10. SubCharge
- Surf
- Charge Beam
- Substitute
- Ice Beam
Note: On all sets, Hydro Pump and Surf are interchangeable.
Ah, Lanturn. A Pokemon with a huge amount of history, namely because of its standing as our favorite Pokemon of all time. It all happened one fateful day in Vermillion City, when a random fishing attempt with a Good Rod pulled up an unusual, never-before-seen Pokemon called Chinchou. Curious, I caught the Pokemon, and took a look... a Water-Electric type?! Water and Electric were my favorite Pokemon types back then, and to see a Pokemon that combined the two was beyond awesome. Not only that, but only a couple levels later, it evolved! Needless to say, that Pokemon, Lanturn, quickly became a mainstay of my team. (A later discovery of the effects of Rain Dance on Thunder only made it that much better.)
Then, 3rd Generation appeared, and with it came the much-heralded return of Chinchou and Lanturn... with a new twist: Volt Absorb. Lanturn already had a nice list of resistances, and had the honor of being one of the few Water-types not weak to electricity, but the addition of an ability that made it outright immune to Electric attacks only solidified its position as my favorite Pokemon of all-time.
Now, 4th Generation has arrived, albeit with few truly notable changes to Lanturn. The physical-special split does mean that it has to worry about a couple more things like physical Grass moves, but it also means that it has more types of special attacks it can resist. Still, for the most part, Lanturn remains unchanged and still serves much the same role as it does now: a unique Pokemon with one of the coolest dual-typings combined with one of the best abilities in the game, allowing it to serve as a nice little surprise in a number of situations.
Capture/Training
Chinchou can be caught as soon as you get the Good Rod, and likely also once you get Fly. From there, take a short flight back home to New Bark Town and fish one up. Fishing up a couple to get one with a good nature isn't a bad idea.
Chinchou evolves into Lanturn at Lv. 27. Viable moves to delay evolution for are: Signal Beam (4-level delay to learn 4 levels earlier), Discharge (7-level delay to learn 6 levels earlier), and Hydro Pump (15-level delay to learn 10 levels earlier). The latter two in particular fit into a handful of movesets, though neither are strictly necessary.
Statistics
125 HP, 58 Atk, 58 Def, 76 Sp. Atk, 76 Sp. Def, 67 Spd
That huge HP stat is the real winner here. Combined with Lanturn's nice list of resistances to common Special Attack types, it makes a surprisingly-good special wall. Meanwhile, while its Special Attack stat isn't the best, it does get very nice type coverage and can get some nice strikes against a large number of foes.
To make the most of its typing defensive-wise, maximizing Special Defense is highly recommended. As for HP, adding 40 EVs, if you can be bothered to count them, will result in 401 HP at Lv. 100, which is certainly a nice number. Special Attack and Speed are the other places to throw in EVs, moreso the former to get as much as possible out of Lanturn's nice type coverage. Then again, Defense EVs also greatly help with its survivability, especially against Earthquake-happy Ground-types so it can retaliate with Surf. Really, for Lanturn, the only "bad" stat to not throw EVs into is Attack. Which means, as far as natures go, any that hinder Attack will help it in one way or another.
Movesets
Well, Volt Absorb definitely wins over Illuminate ability-wise.
Primary Water-type and Electric-type moves are key to Lanturn's success on the offensive side. Surf and Thunderbolt are the obvious choices here. Alternatives exist on both sides. Hydro Pump is a very viable alternative Water attack, especially if you want Lanturn to hit harder, as its Special Attack is not particularly notable on its own. As for other Electric attacks, one can consider Discharge for that higher paralysis chance. Back in Generation II before Thunderbolt became teachable, Lanturn's best option for an Electric attack was Thunder. While it normally suffers from accuracy problems, with Rain Dance support it becomes a never-miss move, which is really useful in many ways, and Lanturn already likes rain for boosting its Water attacks. Even in this new generation, it's a viable move for precisely the same reason. Charge Beam is an oddball attack that could potentially kick up Lanturn's special attack to sweeping-levels.
As far as a secondary attack goes, Ice Beam is really all that is needed, as the only types that Water and Electric together can't hit well are Grass and Dragon... both of which are weak to Ice. Not to mention the whole BoltBeam combo will result, meaning Lanturn can hit neutral against pretty much any Pokemon except... other Lanturn. (If it's taking a while to amass the coinage for Ice Beam, a Signal Beam can serve as an anti-Grass move in the meantime. However, it probably shouldn't be a permanent attack.)
Lanturn's next biggest attraction is a nice set of disruptive attacks. Thunder Wave leads the charge as a paralyzer; good considering Lanturn's low Speed and its own immunity to the move. It also combines well with Confuse Ray to create a Para-fusion combo that can really mess with the opponent's chances for attacking. Toxic is an option for disrupting Ground-types. The latter two moves go well with entry-hazard support, as they tend to lead to a switch.
To power-up Lanturn, have it provide its own Rain Dance. The move will kick up the power of its Water-type attacks, and if it has Thunder, that move will be guaranteed to hit, dual-serving as its primary Electric attack as well as a move to use against evasive foes. This was the basis of our primary team in Silver, especially with some of the evasion-happy folks in the Elite Four, and for that reason it may just become the set of choice for SoulSilver. Lanturn can also use Agility to increase its meager Speed, with the help of some additional Speed EVs.
Lanturn also has ways of increasing its own defenses, which might be useful if Lanturn is soaking up attacks with its high HP and numerous resistances. Amnesia in particular could make Lanturn near-impervious to special attacks. Stockpile serves as a dual-booster, and will help Lanturn stand up against all sorts of foes. While its possible to complement that with Spit Up or Swallow, whether to actually do so when many other options are available is questionable. Also, Lanturn can set up Substitutes. With its huge HP stat, if given 56 HP EVs, it will reach 405 HP, which sets up 101-HP Subs that cannot be Seismic-Tossed out in one hit, as well as providing 26 HP of healing every turn.
For healing, Lanturn could potentially go the Rest-Sleep Talk route. It'll lose Ice Beam support, but the coverage between its water and electric moves is already pretty good. Also on the healing side is, interestingly enough, Heal Bell. That move is always a useful one, especially because Lanturn particularly does not like Toxic damage.
Moveset 1: Para-Fusion
- Confuse Ray
- Discharge/Thunderbolt
- (primary Water attack)
- Ice Beam/Thunder Wave
Two ways to go with this: either Discharge and Ice Beam or Thunderbolt and Thunder Wave. The idea is to get both paralysis and confusion on the enemy, seriously hindering its possibilities of attacking. With the former, you have greater type coverage but the electricity doesn't hit as hard and you have to rely on a 30% chance of paralysis. With the latter, you lose the full coverage from Ice Beam but get reliable paralysis and a more powerful primary Electric attack to go with it.
Moveset 2: Rain Dance
- Rain Dance
- Thunder
- (primary Water attack)
- Ice Beam/(support move)
Again, the idea here is to use Rain Dance, then hit as hard as you can with your Water attacks, switching to Thunder if the opponent is weak to it or is getting evasive. The fourth moveslot is a toss-up. Various choices aside from the obvious Ice Beam include: Thunder Wave to slow down possible threats, and Confuse Ray to combine with Thunder's 30% paralysis rate and go for a pseudo-Para-fusion combo.
As a side note, the new item Damp Rock could be used here to give Lanturn (and its team) three extra turns to play in the rain, which can be helpful.
Moveset 3: Sleep Talk
- (primary Water attack)
- (primary Electric attack)
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
No Ice Beam coverage here, but again, Water and Electric has good coverage as it is.
Moveset 4: Stockpile
- (primary Water attack)
- (primary Electric attack)
- Stockpile
- Swallow/Spit Up
Without Spit Up, you do run into the same issues as above, but you do get healing. With it, you don't get healing, but you do have a way to potentially knock out a troublesome threat.
Moveset 5: Sub-Charge
- Substitute
- Charge Beam
- (primary Water attack)
- (secondary attack)
The theory here is to set up a 101-HP Substitute, launch Charge Beams while behind said Substitute to boost Special Attack, then strike with a Lanturn whose Special Attack is likely through the roof. This set apparently was able to sweep an entire team of OU standards by itself, which shows how deadly it can be if your opponent is not prepared for it.
General Moveset
- (primary Water attack)
- (primary Electric attack)
- Ice Beam/(support move)
- (support move)
Lanturn has a nice list of support moves, so choose one and have fun. Again, Ice Beam is there to complete Lanturn's coverage, giving it a super-effective hit on numerous types and a neutral hit on anything that isn't itself; however, Water and Electric has good coverage as it is and as such Ice Beam can be foregone for a second support move.
Effective Movesets
1. Paralysis Support
- Surf
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Beam
- Thunder Wave
2. Toxic Support
- Surf
- Thunderbolt/Discharge
- Ice Beam
- Toxic
3. Heal Bell
- Surf
- Thunderbolt/Discharge
- Ice Beam
- Heal Bell
4. Parafusion Ver. 1
- Surf
- Thunderbolt
- Thunder Wave
- Confuse Ray
5. Parafusion Ver. 2
- Surf
- Discharge
- Confuse Ray
- Ice Beam
6. Rain Dancer
- Rain Dance
- Surf
- Thunder
- Thunder Wave/Confuse Ray/Ice Beam
Item: Damp Rock
7. Stockpile
- Surf
- Thunderbolt/Discharge
- Ice Beam/Spit Up/Swallow
- Stockpile
8. Paralysis + Heal Bell
- Surf
- Thunderbolt
- Thunder Wave
- Heal Bell
9. All Bases Covered
- Surf
- Discharge
- Toxic
- Heal Bell
10. SubCharge
- Surf
- Charge Beam
- Substitute
- Ice Beam
Note: On all sets, Hydro Pump and Surf are interchangeable.
Pokemon Focus: #227 - Skarmory
Introduction
Skarmory is the fifth member of our "Big Six" and another perennial favorite. The idea of a flying, bladed bird of steel is just too cool. It helps that it's resistant to a lot of attacks, weak to only a few, and has a huge Defense stat that only helps its purposes. It's not going to be a gung-ho offensive striker, but as a defensive wall with numerous support options, it will be a key member of the team.
The physical-special split does give Skarmory a little bit of trouble, as does new moves like Close Combat and Stone Edge, but Skarmory should be able to weather the changes with some good team support.
Capture/Training
Skarmory can be found on Route 45. While not particularly hard to encounter, they will be extremely difficult to catch thanks to an extremely low catch rate of 25. Drop its HP as low as you can and use status moves to cripple it. Skarmory does not evolve, so no notes there. Also, trying to find one with a good nature is not necessary, especially because the actual competitive Skarmory will be bred. Finding one that is female, though, is preferable, for the exact same reason.
Statistics
65 HP, 80 Atk, 140 Def, 40 Sp. Atk, 70 Sp. Def, 70 Spd
That huge Defense stat is the big draw here. Other stats are pretty mediocre (not that Skarmory ever cared about Special Attack).
Stat focus should definitely be out of Special Attack. As far as EV-training goes, full HP is definitely recommended. As for other stats, any of them could work as a boost. Increased Attack or Speed can help on a more offensive set, while Defense obviously helps its given purpose as a physical wall. A Special Defense boost can actually be helpful: combined with Skarmory's resistances (many of which now have special attack variants), it can make Skarmory into a "mixed wall". In general, aside from max HP and zero Sp. Atk, it doesn't really matter which stats get EVs if Skarmory is not going to be used seriously-competitively.
Movesets
Abilities are Sturdy and Keen Eye. Both are okay but won't see use in competitive circles. Still, in game, Keen Eye might be useful what with all the accuracy-reducing foes out there. Sturdy only really comes into play a couple of times. Still, there are some enemies, particularly in the Battle Tower, that might try to use such moves on you...
As Skarmory is more a support Pokemon, having a primary attack is good but not necessarily so important as to need multiple such moves. A Flying-type move is generally more useful, and the main candidates are Drill Peck for a reliable move and Brave Bird for a strong move, albeit with the whole recoil side effect. However, both moves are Egg Moves, which means that the parent Skarmory will have to do without. Fly will work just fine in-game, despite its major difficulties when used against human opponents. On the Steel-side, there's Steel Wing. It's a fine move, and useful for putting down Rock-types, but isn't strictly necessary.
Skarmory doesn't have a whole lot to say as for secondary attacks. Slash and Night Slash are okay, and have that nice critical-hit chance, though they're not particularly powerful; they're more "fun" choices than anything. (A critical-hit Slash or non-crit super-effective Night Slash is only marginally more powerful than a STAB Fly.) Skarmory does also have Rock Slide available, to take down assorted troublesome Flying-types.
One of Skarmory's biggest attractions is being able to reliably lay down Spikes. While not able to hurt flyers or Levitators, it can still chip off a good amount off anyone else. Skarmory's high defenses allow it to have time to lay down all three layers of Spikes, which is an easy 1/4 HP off anyone who switches in. Skarmory can also lay down Stealth Rock, which is much easier; however, many other Pokemon can set that up. In fact, setting up both Spikes and Stealth Rock is a great way to really cripple opponents before they even have a chance to launch an attack, so depending on the team, it might be better to have Skarmory lay down Spikes while a teammate uses Stealth Rock. (To really put the hurt on foes, throw in some Toxic Spikes as well.)
Skarmory has access to the useful Whirlwind pseudo-hazing move. Whirlwind will send away Pokemon who've boosted their stats, erasing their stat boosts; it will also chase out Pokemon that Skarmory in general cannot handle. If entry hazards are in play, Skarmory will also force the replacement to take some damage, which is a nice bonus.
Roost is a great recovery move that pairs very nicely with Skarmory's role as a defensive wall. One thing to keep in mind when using it, though, is that the move will temporarily turn Skarmory into a plain-Steel type. This means it'll be resistant to Ice and Rock for the turn, but if you're not careful, you could end up on the receiving end of a supereffective Fighting or Ground-type attack.
Taunt is a good way to ensure that enemies try to hit you with their weak attacks, instead of trying to do something else.
Toxic works well as a disruptor, particularly in conjunction with Spikes/Stealth Rock as enemies will have to judge whether to stay in and take the increasing Poison damage or switch and take the entry hazard damage.
Swords Dance and Agility are both ways to power-up Skarmory. Doing so will turn Skarmory into something of a fighting-wall.
Moveset 1: Support
- (primary Flying attack)
- Spikes/Stealth Rock
- Whirlwind
- Roost
The standard Skarmory. Competitively, oftentimes seen with Brave Bird, using Roost to heal off the recoil (oftentimes with Leftovers help). Drill Peck is, of course, the more reliable option. Other than that, set up your entry hazard, then start attacking or Whirlwinding for passive damage, and Roost when you need healing (though carefully, or else you might get greeted by a Fighting-type attack).
It should be noted that two EV-spreads are possible here. One is a 252 HP/64 Atk/176 Def/16 Spd, or if you're too lazy to count, max HP, focus on Defense but leave a couple for Attack and Speed. The other is actually a 252 HP/4 Def/252 Sp. Def (Yes, Special Defense), turning Skarmory into a "mixed wall" capable of absorbing hits of all sorts. Both serve well to Skarmory's purpose as a supporting wall.
Moveset 2: Swords Dance
- (primary Flying attack)
- Steel Wing/Rock Slide
- Swords Dance
- Roost/Agility
Swords Dance does give Skarmory some attacking power. Set up and start attacking. With Agility, it can become something like a sweeper, or you can use Roost to be more of a defensive-offensive wall.
Moveset 3: Taunt
- Taunt
- Toxic
- Roost
- Spikes/Whirlwind/Brave Bird
Remember, Skarmory is pretty well-built to take hits. So Taunting an opponent to make them hit you is actually a stalling move. Toxic, then, makes the enemy take damage while they're trying to attack you. Roost off damage (carefully), and continue. Spikes can punish those trying to switch out of Taunt and Toxic, while Whirlwind helps scout as well as take advantage of entry hazards set up by teammates. Brave Bird is a more direct offensive against certain foes.
General Moveset
- (primary Flying attack)
- (primary Steel attack)/(support move)
- (support move)
- (support move)/Roost
Roost is pretty much a given with Skarmory's defensive billing. However, if you don't want to use up that TM on it, you're going to have to do some creative breeding. That, and be prepared to find an alternative for the parent Skarmory.
Effective Movesets
1. Spiker Ver. 1
- Brave Bird
- Spikes
- Whirlwind
- Roost
2. Spiker Ver. 2
- Drill Peck
- Spikes
- Whirlwind
- Roost
3. Stealth Rock
- Brave Bird
- Stealth Rock
- Whirlwind
- Roost
4. Taunt
- Taunt
- Toxic
- Roost
- Brave Bird
5. Swords Dancer
- Swords Dance
- Brave Bird
- Steel Wing
- Roost
6. Special(ly Defensive) Spiker
- Brave Bird
- Spikes
- Whirlwind
- Roost
EVs: Max HP and Sp. Def
7. In-game Parent Skarmory
- Fly
- Steel Wing
- Night Slash
- Spikes
8. Stealth Rock Ver. 2
- Drill Peck
- Stealth Rock
- Whirlwind
- Roost
9. Special Skarmory? (Novelty moveset)
- Air Slash
- Flash Cannon
- Metal Sound
- Dark Pulse
Skarmory is the fifth member of our "Big Six" and another perennial favorite. The idea of a flying, bladed bird of steel is just too cool. It helps that it's resistant to a lot of attacks, weak to only a few, and has a huge Defense stat that only helps its purposes. It's not going to be a gung-ho offensive striker, but as a defensive wall with numerous support options, it will be a key member of the team.
The physical-special split does give Skarmory a little bit of trouble, as does new moves like Close Combat and Stone Edge, but Skarmory should be able to weather the changes with some good team support.
Capture/Training
Skarmory can be found on Route 45. While not particularly hard to encounter, they will be extremely difficult to catch thanks to an extremely low catch rate of 25. Drop its HP as low as you can and use status moves to cripple it. Skarmory does not evolve, so no notes there. Also, trying to find one with a good nature is not necessary, especially because the actual competitive Skarmory will be bred. Finding one that is female, though, is preferable, for the exact same reason.
Statistics
65 HP, 80 Atk, 140 Def, 40 Sp. Atk, 70 Sp. Def, 70 Spd
That huge Defense stat is the big draw here. Other stats are pretty mediocre (not that Skarmory ever cared about Special Attack).
Stat focus should definitely be out of Special Attack. As far as EV-training goes, full HP is definitely recommended. As for other stats, any of them could work as a boost. Increased Attack or Speed can help on a more offensive set, while Defense obviously helps its given purpose as a physical wall. A Special Defense boost can actually be helpful: combined with Skarmory's resistances (many of which now have special attack variants), it can make Skarmory into a "mixed wall". In general, aside from max HP and zero Sp. Atk, it doesn't really matter which stats get EVs if Skarmory is not going to be used seriously-competitively.
Movesets
Abilities are Sturdy and Keen Eye. Both are okay but won't see use in competitive circles. Still, in game, Keen Eye might be useful what with all the accuracy-reducing foes out there. Sturdy only really comes into play a couple of times. Still, there are some enemies, particularly in the Battle Tower, that might try to use such moves on you...
As Skarmory is more a support Pokemon, having a primary attack is good but not necessarily so important as to need multiple such moves. A Flying-type move is generally more useful, and the main candidates are Drill Peck for a reliable move and Brave Bird for a strong move, albeit with the whole recoil side effect. However, both moves are Egg Moves, which means that the parent Skarmory will have to do without. Fly will work just fine in-game, despite its major difficulties when used against human opponents. On the Steel-side, there's Steel Wing. It's a fine move, and useful for putting down Rock-types, but isn't strictly necessary.
Skarmory doesn't have a whole lot to say as for secondary attacks. Slash and Night Slash are okay, and have that nice critical-hit chance, though they're not particularly powerful; they're more "fun" choices than anything. (A critical-hit Slash or non-crit super-effective Night Slash is only marginally more powerful than a STAB Fly.) Skarmory does also have Rock Slide available, to take down assorted troublesome Flying-types.
One of Skarmory's biggest attractions is being able to reliably lay down Spikes. While not able to hurt flyers or Levitators, it can still chip off a good amount off anyone else. Skarmory's high defenses allow it to have time to lay down all three layers of Spikes, which is an easy 1/4 HP off anyone who switches in. Skarmory can also lay down Stealth Rock, which is much easier; however, many other Pokemon can set that up. In fact, setting up both Spikes and Stealth Rock is a great way to really cripple opponents before they even have a chance to launch an attack, so depending on the team, it might be better to have Skarmory lay down Spikes while a teammate uses Stealth Rock. (To really put the hurt on foes, throw in some Toxic Spikes as well.)
Skarmory has access to the useful Whirlwind pseudo-hazing move. Whirlwind will send away Pokemon who've boosted their stats, erasing their stat boosts; it will also chase out Pokemon that Skarmory in general cannot handle. If entry hazards are in play, Skarmory will also force the replacement to take some damage, which is a nice bonus.
Roost is a great recovery move that pairs very nicely with Skarmory's role as a defensive wall. One thing to keep in mind when using it, though, is that the move will temporarily turn Skarmory into a plain-Steel type. This means it'll be resistant to Ice and Rock for the turn, but if you're not careful, you could end up on the receiving end of a supereffective Fighting or Ground-type attack.
Taunt is a good way to ensure that enemies try to hit you with their weak attacks, instead of trying to do something else.
Toxic works well as a disruptor, particularly in conjunction with Spikes/Stealth Rock as enemies will have to judge whether to stay in and take the increasing Poison damage or switch and take the entry hazard damage.
Swords Dance and Agility are both ways to power-up Skarmory. Doing so will turn Skarmory into something of a fighting-wall.
Moveset 1: Support
- (primary Flying attack)
- Spikes/Stealth Rock
- Whirlwind
- Roost
The standard Skarmory. Competitively, oftentimes seen with Brave Bird, using Roost to heal off the recoil (oftentimes with Leftovers help). Drill Peck is, of course, the more reliable option. Other than that, set up your entry hazard, then start attacking or Whirlwinding for passive damage, and Roost when you need healing (though carefully, or else you might get greeted by a Fighting-type attack).
It should be noted that two EV-spreads are possible here. One is a 252 HP/64 Atk/176 Def/16 Spd, or if you're too lazy to count, max HP, focus on Defense but leave a couple for Attack and Speed. The other is actually a 252 HP/4 Def/252 Sp. Def (Yes, Special Defense), turning Skarmory into a "mixed wall" capable of absorbing hits of all sorts. Both serve well to Skarmory's purpose as a supporting wall.
Moveset 2: Swords Dance
- (primary Flying attack)
- Steel Wing/Rock Slide
- Swords Dance
- Roost/Agility
Swords Dance does give Skarmory some attacking power. Set up and start attacking. With Agility, it can become something like a sweeper, or you can use Roost to be more of a defensive-offensive wall.
Moveset 3: Taunt
- Taunt
- Toxic
- Roost
- Spikes/Whirlwind/Brave Bird
Remember, Skarmory is pretty well-built to take hits. So Taunting an opponent to make them hit you is actually a stalling move. Toxic, then, makes the enemy take damage while they're trying to attack you. Roost off damage (carefully), and continue. Spikes can punish those trying to switch out of Taunt and Toxic, while Whirlwind helps scout as well as take advantage of entry hazards set up by teammates. Brave Bird is a more direct offensive against certain foes.
General Moveset
- (primary Flying attack)
- (primary Steel attack)/(support move)
- (support move)
- (support move)/Roost
Roost is pretty much a given with Skarmory's defensive billing. However, if you don't want to use up that TM on it, you're going to have to do some creative breeding. That, and be prepared to find an alternative for the parent Skarmory.
Effective Movesets
1. Spiker Ver. 1
- Brave Bird
- Spikes
- Whirlwind
- Roost
2. Spiker Ver. 2
- Drill Peck
- Spikes
- Whirlwind
- Roost
3. Stealth Rock
- Brave Bird
- Stealth Rock
- Whirlwind
- Roost
4. Taunt
- Taunt
- Toxic
- Roost
- Brave Bird
5. Swords Dancer
- Swords Dance
- Brave Bird
- Steel Wing
- Roost
6. Special(ly Defensive) Spiker
- Brave Bird
- Spikes
- Whirlwind
- Roost
EVs: Max HP and Sp. Def
7. In-game Parent Skarmory
- Fly
- Steel Wing
- Night Slash
- Spikes
8. Stealth Rock Ver. 2
- Drill Peck
- Stealth Rock
- Whirlwind
- Roost
9. Special Skarmory? (Novelty moveset)
- Air Slash
- Flash Cannon
- Metal Sound
- Dark Pulse
Note: Please don't use this set seriously.
Future Sight
For Skarmory, the largest change is a change to one of its abilities: Sturdy now acts as an automatic Focus Sash, preventing one-hit KO's while Skarmory is at full health. This is a welcome change for the metal bird, who previously didn't exactly have much to work with ability-wise. Sturdy now allows Skarmory to function as an effective lead, as it does not need to give up its item slot for Focus Sash to do so; it can also mean the difference as far as getting that extra layer of Spikes up.
Past that, though, Skarmory didn't get anything particularly noteworthy, except maybe for Freefall.
Postscript: Breeding
One small difficulty in using Skarmory competitively is that its best primary Flying attacks, as well as Whirlwind, are Egg Moves. Add that to the fact that Roost is not a replenishable TM, and it's clear that some breeding is in order. However, the actual breeding process can be rather tricky.
The moves in question are: Brave Bird, Drill Peck, Whirlwind, and Roost. First, we'll look at Roost. While, of course, it can be taught to anyone by TM, there are also two key Pokemon families who can learn the move by level-up. They are the Pidgey family and the Spearow family. The Pidgey family is important because it can also learn Whirlwind by level-up, while the Spearow family is important because it can learn Drill Peck by level-up. So if you were only looking for one of those two combination of moves, there you have it.
As for Brave Bird, the only Pokemon family who can learn it on its own here is the Starly family. However, it can be bred onto the Pidgey family, thus resulting in the an easy way to get one of two target trios: Brave Bird, Whirlwind, and Roost.
Now, how about Drill Peck, Whirlwind, and Roost? Well, as it turns out, the Spearow family can be bred to learn Whirlwind. So have a Pidgey-family breed Whirlwind onto Spearow (Roost is optional as it'll have to learn it anyways to get to Drill Peck), and you'll have a Spearow with Drill Peck, Whirlwind, and Roost ready to be passed on.
If you want just Roost and Brave Bird (see Moveset 3), the fastest way to do so is to take a Wingull, who learns Roost by level-up earliest of the birds at Lv. 29, and breed its roost onto Starly, who will then learn Brave Bird and pass that on.
In review, the chains are as follows:
Moveset 1, Brave Bird/Whirlwind/Roost: Starly -> Pidgey -> Skarmory
Moveset 1, Drill Peck/Whirlwind/Roost: Pidgey -> Spearow -> Skarmory
Moveset 2, Drill Peck/Roost: Spearow -> Skarmory
Moveset 3, Whirlwind/Roost: Pidgey -> Skarmory
Moveset 3, Brave Bird/Roost: Wingull -> Starly -> Skarmory
Postscript: Breeding
One small difficulty in using Skarmory competitively is that its best primary Flying attacks, as well as Whirlwind, are Egg Moves. Add that to the fact that Roost is not a replenishable TM, and it's clear that some breeding is in order. However, the actual breeding process can be rather tricky.
The moves in question are: Brave Bird, Drill Peck, Whirlwind, and Roost. First, we'll look at Roost. While, of course, it can be taught to anyone by TM, there are also two key Pokemon families who can learn the move by level-up. They are the Pidgey family and the Spearow family. The Pidgey family is important because it can also learn Whirlwind by level-up, while the Spearow family is important because it can learn Drill Peck by level-up. So if you were only looking for one of those two combination of moves, there you have it.
As for Brave Bird, the only Pokemon family who can learn it on its own here is the Starly family. However, it can be bred onto the Pidgey family, thus resulting in the an easy way to get one of two target trios: Brave Bird, Whirlwind, and Roost.
Now, how about Drill Peck, Whirlwind, and Roost? Well, as it turns out, the Spearow family can be bred to learn Whirlwind. So have a Pidgey-family breed Whirlwind onto Spearow (Roost is optional as it'll have to learn it anyways to get to Drill Peck), and you'll have a Spearow with Drill Peck, Whirlwind, and Roost ready to be passed on.
If you want just Roost and Brave Bird (see Moveset 3), the fastest way to do so is to take a Wingull, who learns Roost by level-up earliest of the birds at Lv. 29, and breed its roost onto Starly, who will then learn Brave Bird and pass that on.
In review, the chains are as follows:
Moveset 1, Brave Bird/Whirlwind/Roost: Starly -> Pidgey -> Skarmory
Moveset 1, Drill Peck/Whirlwind/Roost: Pidgey -> Spearow -> Skarmory
Moveset 2, Drill Peck/Roost: Spearow -> Skarmory
Moveset 3, Whirlwind/Roost: Pidgey -> Skarmory
Moveset 3, Brave Bird/Roost: Wingull -> Starly -> Skarmory
Pokemon Focus: #214 - Heracross
Introduction
The fourth member of the Big Six we are covering, Heracross is a perennial favorite of ours across generations. Pretty much not a generation has gone by in which a Heracross has not been one of our main Pokemon. Its powerful Attack stat plus its fun Bug-Fighting type makes it a great Pokemon for taking down a large variety of foes. Back in Generation II where it debuted, it also had the honor of being the only Bug-type Pokemon with a Bug-type attack that was actually *useful*. Megahorn was a major gift to those of us who were desperately trying to make some use out of Leech Life, Twinneedle, and Pin Missile. (Even now, two generations later, Heracross is the only Bug-type who can learn Megahorn, for some reason. Granted, now several other Pokemon can Megahorn foes, while other Bug-types have other strong moves they can take advantage of.) It remains a powerful physical sweeper capable of decimating foes who take it too lightly.
Capture/Training
Again, start headbutting those trees, because that's where Heracross can be found. Heracross does not evolve, so there's no notes there.
Statistics
80 HP, 125 Atk, 75 Def, 40 Sp. Atk, 95 Sp. Def, 85 Spd
High Attack, good Special Defense, good stats. Speed is a bit on the not-that-fast side, so be careful.
Focus should be on Attack and Speed, and out of Special Attack. Some more defensive movesets can use some help in the defensive stats.
Movesets
As far as abilities go, Guts gives it some real power if you can get it to take a Burn (or Poison). In general, it's the better choice. Swarm can power up Megahorn nicely at low HP, but does nothing for its other moves and makes Heracross still weak to burns.
The primary attacks of choice are Megahorn and Close Combat. Both have a nice base 120 power. Megahorn doesn't have the best accuracy and Close Combat has the whole lower-both-defenses-after-use side effect, but otherwise both are good at landing a powerful hit on enemies. Other options are available on the Fighting side: Focus Punch is ridiculously powerful but needs good prediction in order to be effective. Meanwhile, Brick Break is nice and reliable, but the lack of power could be a problem. Still, there is the ability to break Reflect and Light Screen, which could be useful in situations they come up.
For secondary attacks, the big one is Stone Edge. This move helps pick off the Flying-types that Heracross are 4x weak against, and who otherwise resist its moves. (Rock Slide is a more accurate but less powerful alternative.) Night Slash is available as an option to take down Ghosts (as is Shadow Claw, though the former is preferable as it is more accessible and doesn't have to worry about Normal immunity). If a Normal-type move is desired, the best option might be Facade, which with a status and Guts boost becomes ridiculously powerful. There's always Earthquake, but Heracross actually won't be able to put that to as good of use as others would. Finally, Aerial Ace will knock out other Heracross, and that's mainly it.
Pursuit is a new option here that involves chasing fleeing Psychics who don't want to deal with Megahorn. Reversal-based strategies can be used to some effect, too. Low Kick is an option if you're going to be dealing with heavyweights often. Counter is also a possible option.
Heracross can power itself up nicely with Swords Dance. Bulk Up is a more defensive option, and would thus forego Close Combat.
A Rest-Sleep Talk combo is workable here, especially since Rest will give Heracross the Guts boost. Again, though, as Rest is meant to be a healing move, Close Combat is out of the question here.
Substitute remains useful in its assorted applications, particularly if Swarm is used instead of Guts. Also available is Endure if you're using Reversal.
Moveset 1: Choice
- Megahorn
- Close Combat/(primary Fighting attack)
- Stone Edge
- (secondary attack)
Scarf is preferable to help Heracross with its somewhat-lacking Speed; the good-ol Band is good for raw power. If you can get Heracross to absorb a status, that's a Guts-boost right there, too. This kind of set can easily tear holes in the competition.
Moveset 2: Swords Dance
- Swords Dance
- Megahorn
- (primary Fighting attack)/Stone Edge
- Stone Edge/Facade/Substitute
Straightforward. If you want to really surprise a foe, though, tack on a Flame Orb. One Swords Dance and the burn effect will kick in, and with it the Guts boost... and a Facade boost. Then get ready to knock out whoever's in front of you.
Substitute comes with the use of a Salac Berry to take care of Speed issues. In addition, it may benefit more from Swarm, as Substitutes tend to block status.
Moveset 3: Rest-Talk
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Megahorn
- Stone Edge/Focus Punch/Brick Break/Bulk Up
This Heracross will have more survivability than its brethren. In addition, Rest does activate the Guts boost. As a defensive set, it is one that might do better with Bulk Up, too.
Moveset 4: Reversal
- Reversal
- Endure/Substitute
- Megahorn
- Swords Dance/Stone Edge
Hint: Swarm works better with this set.
The above sets should cover all the good Heracross movesets, so a general moveset isn't really necessary. Still, just 'cause...
General Moveset
- Megahorn
- (primary Fighting-type attack)
- (secondary attack, particularly Rock-type)
- (secondary attack)/(power-up move)
Effective Movesets
1. Choice Scarf
- Megahorn
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- Night Slash
2. Swords Dance
- Megahorn
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- Swords Dance
3. Swarm
- Megahorn
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- Substitute
Item: Salac Berry (Battle Tower only)
4. Reversal
- Megahorn
- Reversal
- Substitute/Endure
- Swords Dance
5. Choice Band
- Megahorn
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- Pursuit
6. Flame Orb
- Megahorn
- Close Combat
- Facade
- Swords Dance
7. Bulk Up
- Bulk Up
- Megahorn
- Brick Break
- Stone Edge
8. Substitute
- Substitute
- Megahorn
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
9*. Sleep Talk
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Megahorn
- Bulk Up
The fourth member of the Big Six we are covering, Heracross is a perennial favorite of ours across generations. Pretty much not a generation has gone by in which a Heracross has not been one of our main Pokemon. Its powerful Attack stat plus its fun Bug-Fighting type makes it a great Pokemon for taking down a large variety of foes. Back in Generation II where it debuted, it also had the honor of being the only Bug-type Pokemon with a Bug-type attack that was actually *useful*. Megahorn was a major gift to those of us who were desperately trying to make some use out of Leech Life, Twinneedle, and Pin Missile. (Even now, two generations later, Heracross is the only Bug-type who can learn Megahorn, for some reason. Granted, now several other Pokemon can Megahorn foes, while other Bug-types have other strong moves they can take advantage of.) It remains a powerful physical sweeper capable of decimating foes who take it too lightly.
Capture/Training
Again, start headbutting those trees, because that's where Heracross can be found. Heracross does not evolve, so there's no notes there.
Statistics
80 HP, 125 Atk, 75 Def, 40 Sp. Atk, 95 Sp. Def, 85 Spd
High Attack, good Special Defense, good stats. Speed is a bit on the not-that-fast side, so be careful.
Focus should be on Attack and Speed, and out of Special Attack. Some more defensive movesets can use some help in the defensive stats.
Movesets
As far as abilities go, Guts gives it some real power if you can get it to take a Burn (or Poison). In general, it's the better choice. Swarm can power up Megahorn nicely at low HP, but does nothing for its other moves and makes Heracross still weak to burns.
The primary attacks of choice are Megahorn and Close Combat. Both have a nice base 120 power. Megahorn doesn't have the best accuracy and Close Combat has the whole lower-both-defenses-after-use side effect, but otherwise both are good at landing a powerful hit on enemies. Other options are available on the Fighting side: Focus Punch is ridiculously powerful but needs good prediction in order to be effective. Meanwhile, Brick Break is nice and reliable, but the lack of power could be a problem. Still, there is the ability to break Reflect and Light Screen, which could be useful in situations they come up.
For secondary attacks, the big one is Stone Edge. This move helps pick off the Flying-types that Heracross are 4x weak against, and who otherwise resist its moves. (Rock Slide is a more accurate but less powerful alternative.) Night Slash is available as an option to take down Ghosts (as is Shadow Claw, though the former is preferable as it is more accessible and doesn't have to worry about Normal immunity). If a Normal-type move is desired, the best option might be Facade, which with a status and Guts boost becomes ridiculously powerful. There's always Earthquake, but Heracross actually won't be able to put that to as good of use as others would. Finally, Aerial Ace will knock out other Heracross, and that's mainly it.
Pursuit is a new option here that involves chasing fleeing Psychics who don't want to deal with Megahorn. Reversal-based strategies can be used to some effect, too. Low Kick is an option if you're going to be dealing with heavyweights often. Counter is also a possible option.
Heracross can power itself up nicely with Swords Dance. Bulk Up is a more defensive option, and would thus forego Close Combat.
A Rest-Sleep Talk combo is workable here, especially since Rest will give Heracross the Guts boost. Again, though, as Rest is meant to be a healing move, Close Combat is out of the question here.
Substitute remains useful in its assorted applications, particularly if Swarm is used instead of Guts. Also available is Endure if you're using Reversal.
Moveset 1: Choice
- Megahorn
- Close Combat/(primary Fighting attack)
- Stone Edge
- (secondary attack)
Scarf is preferable to help Heracross with its somewhat-lacking Speed; the good-ol Band is good for raw power. If you can get Heracross to absorb a status, that's a Guts-boost right there, too. This kind of set can easily tear holes in the competition.
Moveset 2: Swords Dance
- Swords Dance
- Megahorn
- (primary Fighting attack)/Stone Edge
- Stone Edge/Facade/Substitute
Straightforward. If you want to really surprise a foe, though, tack on a Flame Orb. One Swords Dance and the burn effect will kick in, and with it the Guts boost... and a Facade boost. Then get ready to knock out whoever's in front of you.
Substitute comes with the use of a Salac Berry to take care of Speed issues. In addition, it may benefit more from Swarm, as Substitutes tend to block status.
Moveset 3: Rest-Talk
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Megahorn
- Stone Edge/Focus Punch/Brick Break/Bulk Up
This Heracross will have more survivability than its brethren. In addition, Rest does activate the Guts boost. As a defensive set, it is one that might do better with Bulk Up, too.
Moveset 4: Reversal
- Reversal
- Endure/Substitute
- Megahorn
- Swords Dance/Stone Edge
Hint: Swarm works better with this set.
The above sets should cover all the good Heracross movesets, so a general moveset isn't really necessary. Still, just 'cause...
General Moveset
- Megahorn
- (primary Fighting-type attack)
- (secondary attack, particularly Rock-type)
- (secondary attack)/(power-up move)
Effective Movesets
1. Choice Scarf
- Megahorn
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- Night Slash
2. Swords Dance
- Megahorn
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- Swords Dance
3. Swarm
- Megahorn
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- Substitute
Item: Salac Berry (Battle Tower only)
4. Reversal
- Megahorn
- Reversal
- Substitute/Endure
- Swords Dance
5. Choice Band
- Megahorn
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- Pursuit
6. Flame Orb
- Megahorn
- Close Combat
- Facade
- Swords Dance
7. Bulk Up
- Bulk Up
- Megahorn
- Brick Break
- Stone Edge
8. Substitute
- Substitute
- Megahorn
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
9*. Sleep Talk
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Megahorn
- Bulk Up
Future Sight
Lacking major changes, Heracross's main change is its new ability, Overconfidence. Boosting Attack by one stage for every KO is nothing to laugh at in-game, where Heracross can demolish entire teams with its solid coverage. That said, the Guts boost is more reliable, especially in the metagame.
Pokemon Focus: #103 - Exeggutor
Introduction
Exeggutor was the only Pokemon from the Big Six that came from the first generation. It was good in many ways, but it was also very difficult to use for several reasons. First of all, its typing gave it several weakness, particularly the Poison-type that its Psychic-typing was supposed to counter. It also did not help that it had low Special Defense, meaning that Fire and Ice would hurt it particularly well. Second, it was slow. Very slow. Third, it really did not have a good Grass-type attack; Giga Drain was rather weak, and Solarbeam, while it worked well with Sunny Day, suffered from speed problems.
Generation 3 helped fix those problems. The bad-typing problem remained, but as for the Speed problem as well as the grass-type attack problem, Exeggutor got a useful ability in Chlorophyll, which would double its speed in sunlight. This meant, among other things, that Exeggutor can throw up a Sunny Day and actually outrun enemies, Solarbeaming them in the process.
The recent generation, however, was a mixed bag. Exeggutor's 4x-weakness to Bug only got worse with the large increase of Bug-type attacks and the increase in their users. The Physical/Special split meant that there were other types of special attacks besides Fire and Ice that could really cripple it. On the flip side, it gained access to a number of other nice moves. Still, it makes Exeggutor a little harder to use again.
For better or for worse, Exeggutor is a member of our Big Six, and will be an important member of some of our teams.
Capture/Training
Start Headbutting those trees, because that's where you'll find those Exeggcute!
Training these guys can be a tough choice. It learns a number of level-up moves as Exeggcute that it can't learn as Exeggutor, as is typical for those who evolve by a Stone. At the most extreme, you'll be waiting until level 47 to learn Psychic, which admittedly is available as a replenishable TM but could save the time to get the 10,000 coins needed... If you decide not to worry about that, evolving it at level 23 where it learns Sleep Powder is a good benchmark.
Statistics
95 HP, 95 Atk, 85 Def, 125 Sp. Atk, 65 Sp. Def, 55 Spd
All things considered, those are pretty good stats. 95 HP is nothing to scoff at, Defense is okay, and while that Special Attack is clearly the highlight of this set, a base 95 Attack is respectable too and gives Exeggutor other options. Speed is mostly a non-issue if you're using Sunny Day, though EVs will be needed or else even a doubled-Speed might not be quite enough to outrun the fastest of its enemies. Special Defense is its weakest point, so keep that in mind.
Natures will definitely vary. Special Attack should be left untouched, but Exeggutor does have certain physical attacks (namely Explosion) that would warrant not messing with Attack if not necessary. If you get stuck with a Speed-hindering nature, Exeggutor could potentially use a certain move called Trick Room that actually takes advantage of that.
EV-refocusing will depend on the moveset.
Movesets
Only Chlorophyll as the ability, so no point focusing on that.
Primary Grass-type special attack: Solarbeam is the one that works with Sunny Day, obviously. If you know who you're going up against, Grass Knot is an acceptable substitute, requiring no setup and hitting just as hard against certain enemies. (Of course, against other enemies, not so much.) Energy Ball is there as a reliable option. Leaf Storm is also an option, much more powerful but much less reliable and will require some switching-out. And then, there's the option of Psychic as a primary Psychic-type special attack, though apparently, it is not strictly necessary. Still, it's good for taking down certain Poison-types.
Exeggutor does get physical options for its STAB moves. On the Grass side, you have the reliable Seed Bomb and the less-reliable but super-powerful Wood Hammer. On the Psychic side, you have Zen Headbutt, which, with some Sun support, gets some chance to make foes flinch.
Secondary attacks, you ask? What secondary attacks? You have all of a Sludge Bomb to knock out other Grass-types, Ancientpower to smack around Fire-Flying and Bug-Flying types, and of course, the numerous options offered by Hidden Power, which usually boil down to Fire to take advantage of that bright sun and all, though Ice and Ground are also usable. Other than that, there's... well...
Explosion. Seriously, though, considering how easily Exeggutor can get knocked out by its many weaknesses, if you absolutely must do something to counter them, just blow up in their face and take them down with you. Base 95 Attack, plus a couple EVs here to boost that, will help you in that cause.
So, that's really it for attacks. Thankfully, Exeggutor can do so much more than just attacking. Let's look at Exeggutor's fairly-large list of supportive moves.
First up is, of course, Sunny Day. While plenty good on its own, there is now a new item called the Heat Rock which extends the length of the sunlight, giving you (or your team) three more turns to abuse its powers. Want a more unconventional way of supporting your team and making Exeggutor move first, though? Trick Room. The nice thing about this move is that if your Exeggutor got stuck on the low end of IV/Nature distribution of Speed, Trick Room can help you turn that liability to an ability. It's a cool new trick Exeggutor has, and it can help out other slow teammates as well.
No Grass-type is complete without a handful of disruptive attacks, and Exeggutor certainly delivers. Stun Spore and Sleep Powder are just classics in the incapacitation department. If health-sapping is your thing instead, there's the good ol' Leech Seed at your disposal. (Add Protection to really cripple an opponent.) An oddball disruptive move to put on Exeggutor, useful in certain battling circles involving legendaries, is Thief. Not an intuitive choice at all, but useful with some of the heavy item reliance in that circle.
With every Sunny Day comes a way to heal with Sunny Day. And that way is, of course, Synthesis. Though Moonlight works pretty much the same way, assuming the whole time-of-day affecting healing thing no longer applies. Just choose whichever one is handy on your breeder of choice, as both are Egg Moves.
Swords Dance is an option if you want to go for a physical Exeggutor. The slow speed is an issue, so some prior sunlight or Trick Room support is recommended.
Finally, as additional ways to help out the team, you have Reflect and Light Screen. Of course, both moves will help Exeggutor itself out, particularly Light Screen, which is an added bonus.
There are a couple of more esoteric options for Exeggutor. Some might be able to fit Curse onto a Trick Room set. Nature Power might turn up with a neat attack in some environments, though I suppose the standard Tri Attack is hardly a horrible choice on its own. Ingrain is an oddball option, good if you think the opponent might try to phaze you out.
Anyways, movesets.
Moveset 1: Sunny Day/Trick Room
- Sunny Day/Trick Room
- Solarbeam/(primary special Grass attack)
- (secondary attack)/(disruptive attack)/Explosion
- (secondary attack)/(disruptive attack)/Explosion
Obvioiusly, Solarbeam should only be used with Sunny Day.
The last two are a "pick two of three" deal. Secondary attacks can include Psychic or a Hidden Power of choice. The disruptive attack of choice is usually Sleep Powder since Exeggutor should be outrunning most foes anyways. If you want, a Synthesis or Moonlight can take one of those last two places, too.
Stats and EVs depend on what exactly the role of this Exeggutor is. If it is providing sunlight support to teammates, rather than filling Special Attack to the brim, some Attack EVs can be used to make sure an Explosion takes down a foe. Speed is important for a Sunny Day set, as without it, even a double-speed Exeggutor might not be able to quite outrun some of the fastest foes out there. On the contrary, on a Trick Room set, Speed is the very last thing you need: a speed-hindering nature actually helps it here. Instead, some defensive EVs could be considered.
A note on item use: a supportive Exeggutor setting up a Sunny Day or a Trick Room can lead off a battle and use a Focus Sash to make sure that it gets its move out, as any hit that would OHKO it will be survived. Then, when Exeggutor goes first next round, it can just blow up and take an enemy down. Of course, priority moves can mess with this, but even then, you've just set up sunlight or a Trick Room, so not all is lost. If Exeggutor is not leading off, beware of entry hazards and adverse weather when using this strategy.
Moveset 2: Choice Specs
- Leaf Storm/(primary special Grass attack)
- Psychic
- Hidden Power/Sludge Bomb/Ancientpower/Nature Power
- Explosion
Not exactly the most exciting Choice Specs set, but it could work. Obviously, getting a good Hidden Power is not easy in-game, hence the other options.
Moveset 3: Swords Dance
- Swords Dance
- Wood Hammer/Seed Bomb
- Zen Headbutt
- (disruptive attack)/(healing move)/Explosion
If you want to go the physical route. This moveset requires outside Sunlight support (or Trick Room support), as Exeggutor is too slow to pull it off on its own. Oh, and a Swords-Danced Explosion will likely kill anything that's not a Ghost-type...
General Moveset
- (primary Grass-type attack)
- (buffing move)
- (secondary attack)/(disruptive attack)/Explosion
- (secondary attack)/(disruptive attack)/Explosion
Let's face it. With Exeggutor so prone to dying as it is, it pretty much needs Explosion to make sure it wasn't used in vain.
Effective Movesets
1. Sunny Day Ver. 1
- Sunny Day
- Solarbeam
- Psychic
- Explosion
2. Sunny Day Ver. 2
- Sunny Day
- Solarbeam
- Psychic
- Synthesis
3. Sunny Day Ver. 3
- Sunny Day
- Solarbeam
- Psychic
- Sleep Powder
4. Sunny Day Ver. 4
- Sunny Day
- Solarbeam
- Sleep Powder
- Explosion
5. Choice Specs
- Leaf Storm
- Psychic
- Nature Power
- Explosion
6. Swords Dance
- Swords Dance
- Wood Hammer
- Zen Headbutt
- Sleep Powder
7. SleepSeed
- Sleep Powder
- Leech Seed
- Seed Bomb
- Explosion
8*. Trick Room
- Trick Room
- Sleep Powder
- Explosion
- Leaf Storm
Note: Remember that Trick Room is a one-time, non-replenishable TM.
Postscript: Breeding
The big move for Exeggutor, arguably, is Explosion. However, Explosion is a non-replenishable TM. So, can it be bred?
Luckily, the answer is yes. Seedot is the benefactor. As a bonus, Seedot and its family has access to a number of other moves Exeggutor will like: Sunny Day, Synthesis, and Nature Power as Seedot, and Leaf Storm as Shiftry.
Exeggutor was the only Pokemon from the Big Six that came from the first generation. It was good in many ways, but it was also very difficult to use for several reasons. First of all, its typing gave it several weakness, particularly the Poison-type that its Psychic-typing was supposed to counter. It also did not help that it had low Special Defense, meaning that Fire and Ice would hurt it particularly well. Second, it was slow. Very slow. Third, it really did not have a good Grass-type attack; Giga Drain was rather weak, and Solarbeam, while it worked well with Sunny Day, suffered from speed problems.
Generation 3 helped fix those problems. The bad-typing problem remained, but as for the Speed problem as well as the grass-type attack problem, Exeggutor got a useful ability in Chlorophyll, which would double its speed in sunlight. This meant, among other things, that Exeggutor can throw up a Sunny Day and actually outrun enemies, Solarbeaming them in the process.
The recent generation, however, was a mixed bag. Exeggutor's 4x-weakness to Bug only got worse with the large increase of Bug-type attacks and the increase in their users. The Physical/Special split meant that there were other types of special attacks besides Fire and Ice that could really cripple it. On the flip side, it gained access to a number of other nice moves. Still, it makes Exeggutor a little harder to use again.
For better or for worse, Exeggutor is a member of our Big Six, and will be an important member of some of our teams.
Capture/Training
Start Headbutting those trees, because that's where you'll find those Exeggcute!
Training these guys can be a tough choice. It learns a number of level-up moves as Exeggcute that it can't learn as Exeggutor, as is typical for those who evolve by a Stone. At the most extreme, you'll be waiting until level 47 to learn Psychic, which admittedly is available as a replenishable TM but could save the time to get the 10,000 coins needed... If you decide not to worry about that, evolving it at level 23 where it learns Sleep Powder is a good benchmark.
Statistics
95 HP, 95 Atk, 85 Def, 125 Sp. Atk, 65 Sp. Def, 55 Spd
All things considered, those are pretty good stats. 95 HP is nothing to scoff at, Defense is okay, and while that Special Attack is clearly the highlight of this set, a base 95 Attack is respectable too and gives Exeggutor other options. Speed is mostly a non-issue if you're using Sunny Day, though EVs will be needed or else even a doubled-Speed might not be quite enough to outrun the fastest of its enemies. Special Defense is its weakest point, so keep that in mind.
Natures will definitely vary. Special Attack should be left untouched, but Exeggutor does have certain physical attacks (namely Explosion) that would warrant not messing with Attack if not necessary. If you get stuck with a Speed-hindering nature, Exeggutor could potentially use a certain move called Trick Room that actually takes advantage of that.
EV-refocusing will depend on the moveset.
Movesets
Only Chlorophyll as the ability, so no point focusing on that.
Primary Grass-type special attack: Solarbeam is the one that works with Sunny Day, obviously. If you know who you're going up against, Grass Knot is an acceptable substitute, requiring no setup and hitting just as hard against certain enemies. (Of course, against other enemies, not so much.) Energy Ball is there as a reliable option. Leaf Storm is also an option, much more powerful but much less reliable and will require some switching-out. And then, there's the option of Psychic as a primary Psychic-type special attack, though apparently, it is not strictly necessary. Still, it's good for taking down certain Poison-types.
Exeggutor does get physical options for its STAB moves. On the Grass side, you have the reliable Seed Bomb and the less-reliable but super-powerful Wood Hammer. On the Psychic side, you have Zen Headbutt, which, with some Sun support, gets some chance to make foes flinch.
Secondary attacks, you ask? What secondary attacks? You have all of a Sludge Bomb to knock out other Grass-types, Ancientpower to smack around Fire-Flying and Bug-Flying types, and of course, the numerous options offered by Hidden Power, which usually boil down to Fire to take advantage of that bright sun and all, though Ice and Ground are also usable. Other than that, there's... well...
Explosion. Seriously, though, considering how easily Exeggutor can get knocked out by its many weaknesses, if you absolutely must do something to counter them, just blow up in their face and take them down with you. Base 95 Attack, plus a couple EVs here to boost that, will help you in that cause.
So, that's really it for attacks. Thankfully, Exeggutor can do so much more than just attacking. Let's look at Exeggutor's fairly-large list of supportive moves.
First up is, of course, Sunny Day. While plenty good on its own, there is now a new item called the Heat Rock which extends the length of the sunlight, giving you (or your team) three more turns to abuse its powers. Want a more unconventional way of supporting your team and making Exeggutor move first, though? Trick Room. The nice thing about this move is that if your Exeggutor got stuck on the low end of IV/Nature distribution of Speed, Trick Room can help you turn that liability to an ability. It's a cool new trick Exeggutor has, and it can help out other slow teammates as well.
No Grass-type is complete without a handful of disruptive attacks, and Exeggutor certainly delivers. Stun Spore and Sleep Powder are just classics in the incapacitation department. If health-sapping is your thing instead, there's the good ol' Leech Seed at your disposal. (Add Protection to really cripple an opponent.) An oddball disruptive move to put on Exeggutor, useful in certain battling circles involving legendaries, is Thief. Not an intuitive choice at all, but useful with some of the heavy item reliance in that circle.
With every Sunny Day comes a way to heal with Sunny Day. And that way is, of course, Synthesis. Though Moonlight works pretty much the same way, assuming the whole time-of-day affecting healing thing no longer applies. Just choose whichever one is handy on your breeder of choice, as both are Egg Moves.
Swords Dance is an option if you want to go for a physical Exeggutor. The slow speed is an issue, so some prior sunlight or Trick Room support is recommended.
Finally, as additional ways to help out the team, you have Reflect and Light Screen. Of course, both moves will help Exeggutor itself out, particularly Light Screen, which is an added bonus.
There are a couple of more esoteric options for Exeggutor. Some might be able to fit Curse onto a Trick Room set. Nature Power might turn up with a neat attack in some environments, though I suppose the standard Tri Attack is hardly a horrible choice on its own. Ingrain is an oddball option, good if you think the opponent might try to phaze you out.
Anyways, movesets.
Moveset 1: Sunny Day/Trick Room
- Sunny Day/Trick Room
- Solarbeam/(primary special Grass attack)
- (secondary attack)/(disruptive attack)/Explosion
- (secondary attack)/(disruptive attack)/Explosion
Obvioiusly, Solarbeam should only be used with Sunny Day.
The last two are a "pick two of three" deal. Secondary attacks can include Psychic or a Hidden Power of choice. The disruptive attack of choice is usually Sleep Powder since Exeggutor should be outrunning most foes anyways. If you want, a Synthesis or Moonlight can take one of those last two places, too.
Stats and EVs depend on what exactly the role of this Exeggutor is. If it is providing sunlight support to teammates, rather than filling Special Attack to the brim, some Attack EVs can be used to make sure an Explosion takes down a foe. Speed is important for a Sunny Day set, as without it, even a double-speed Exeggutor might not be able to quite outrun some of the fastest foes out there. On the contrary, on a Trick Room set, Speed is the very last thing you need: a speed-hindering nature actually helps it here. Instead, some defensive EVs could be considered.
A note on item use: a supportive Exeggutor setting up a Sunny Day or a Trick Room can lead off a battle and use a Focus Sash to make sure that it gets its move out, as any hit that would OHKO it will be survived. Then, when Exeggutor goes first next round, it can just blow up and take an enemy down. Of course, priority moves can mess with this, but even then, you've just set up sunlight or a Trick Room, so not all is lost. If Exeggutor is not leading off, beware of entry hazards and adverse weather when using this strategy.
Moveset 2: Choice Specs
- Leaf Storm/(primary special Grass attack)
- Psychic
- Hidden Power/Sludge Bomb/Ancientpower/Nature Power
- Explosion
Not exactly the most exciting Choice Specs set, but it could work. Obviously, getting a good Hidden Power is not easy in-game, hence the other options.
Moveset 3: Swords Dance
- Swords Dance
- Wood Hammer/Seed Bomb
- Zen Headbutt
- (disruptive attack)/(healing move)/Explosion
If you want to go the physical route. This moveset requires outside Sunlight support (or Trick Room support), as Exeggutor is too slow to pull it off on its own. Oh, and a Swords-Danced Explosion will likely kill anything that's not a Ghost-type...
General Moveset
- (primary Grass-type attack)
- (buffing move)
- (secondary attack)/(disruptive attack)/Explosion
- (secondary attack)/(disruptive attack)/Explosion
Let's face it. With Exeggutor so prone to dying as it is, it pretty much needs Explosion to make sure it wasn't used in vain.
Effective Movesets
1. Sunny Day Ver. 1
- Sunny Day
- Solarbeam
- Psychic
- Explosion
2. Sunny Day Ver. 2
- Sunny Day
- Solarbeam
- Psychic
- Synthesis
3. Sunny Day Ver. 3
- Sunny Day
- Solarbeam
- Psychic
- Sleep Powder
4. Sunny Day Ver. 4
- Sunny Day
- Solarbeam
- Sleep Powder
- Explosion
5. Choice Specs
- Leaf Storm
- Psychic
- Nature Power
- Explosion
6. Swords Dance
- Swords Dance
- Wood Hammer
- Zen Headbutt
- Sleep Powder
7. SleepSeed
- Sleep Powder
- Leech Seed
- Seed Bomb
- Explosion
8*. Trick Room
- Trick Room
- Sleep Powder
- Explosion
- Leaf Storm
Note: Remember that Trick Room is a one-time, non-replenishable TM.
Postscript: Breeding
The big move for Exeggutor, arguably, is Explosion. However, Explosion is a non-replenishable TM. So, can it be bred?
Luckily, the answer is yes. Seedot is the benefactor. As a bonus, Seedot and its family has access to a number of other moves Exeggutor will like: Sunny Day, Synthesis, and Nature Power as Seedot, and Leaf Storm as Shiftry.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Pokemon Focus: #473 - Mamoswine
Introduction
Ah, Piloswine. Of all the members of the Big Six, he was arguably the hardest to use. First of all, while his typing is great offensively, it's pretty bad defensively, having only one immunity (Electric), one resistance (Poison), and taking everything else at neutral or worse. This made it hard to switch him into other Pokemon. That plus low Special Defense meant it wasn't going to be taking hits well, particularly of the Fire, Water, or Grass sort--the first and last of which it supposedly has a type advantage over. Also, its low Special Attack meant that it would not be doing much damage with its Ice attacks nominally. That, plus the lack of an Ice Beam TM, meant we had to use the powerful but unreliable Blizzard. Finally, its slow Speed really did not help its cause at all.
Piloswine needed so many things. It needed some better defensive aspects of its typing. It needed a better way to hit with Ice attacks. It needed something to compensate for its low Speed. Heck, it just needed some better stats, although the only way that was going to happen was if it somehow got a new evolution.
Enter 4th generation. What happened? Sandstorm and Hail use proliferated (saying nothing of Hail's nonexistence in 2nd generation), Stealth Rock appeared and gave most Ice-types a fair amount of trouble (while Piloswine takes the move at neutral damage), Physical/Special split meant it could now use physical Ice-type attacks, particularly Ice Shard, which compensated for Speed by striking first, Blizzard could be used in Hail with never-miss effect, and... oh, it got a new evolution, and with it improved stats. The addition of assorted new hold items and a fairly useful ability (under the right circumstances) helped it a lot, too. And as an added bonus, it now learns Earthquake on its own, meaning we don't have to use up a precious TM 26 to teach it its most powerful attack.
There's a reason Piloswine jumped up from Neverused in 3rd Generation to Mamoswine being Overused in 4th Generation.
About the Pokemon
(Later)
Capture/Training
Should be easy to catch a Swinub: they're all over the place in the Ice Path. Do catch several of them so you can get one with Snow Cloak and a good nature.
Swinub evolves into Piloswine starting at Level 33. Piloswine (and Mamoswine) learns Earthquake only three levels later, so there's no need to delay the evolution. Piloswine evolves into Mamoswine if it levels up while having learned Ancientpower; you'll need a Heart Scale to pull this off. There's no point in delaying this evolution, as Mamoswine's moves are learned at the same levels as Piloswine.
Base Stats
110 HP, 130 Atk, 80 Def, 70 Sp. Atk, 60 Sp. Def, 80 Spd
So much better stats from its predecessor. Base 130 Attack is always going to be a real killer. Base 110 HP means it has pretty good survivability, moreso against physical attacks. 80 Speed isn't the best (it's right at average), but it sure is an improvement.
The Nature chosen probably shouldn't be hindering Attack. Depending on the moveset, the hindered nature should be either Special Attack, Special Defense, or Speed (if Curse is used).
EV re-focusing will depend on the moveset.
Movesets
Snow Cloak should always be the ability of choice, especially considering Oblivious is near useless. Snow Cloak gives extra evasion in Hail, which makes Mamoswine a good Pokemon to put on an Abomasnow/Hail team.
Mamoswine has the following primary Physical attacks to take advantage of that base 130 Attack. Earthquake is a given. It sure is a nice bonus that it can learn the move on its own; those TM 26's do not come by easily! Ice Shard is actually the primary Ice physical attack used. On one hand, it's not particularly powerful, but on the other hand, the ability to strike first is invaluable, and with base 130 Attack, Mamoswine can easily defeat those weak to it in two or even one hit(s), especially those foes that are 4x weak to Ice (like practically every major Dragon-type). Other than that, there's Ice Fang, which loses priority but is more powerful. Avalanche is best used on a Curse set, where Mamoswine would be taking hits first anyways while being able to mostly absorb said hits, and the resulting base 120 attack with STAB and boosted Attack will likely one-shot foes, and will put a big dent in even resistant foes. Then again, with base 130 Attack plus stat boosts, even a non-boosted Avalanche will hurt badly.
If you really want a Special Attack to use, Blizzard can be used, especially on a Hail team featuring Abomasnow. Base 70 Special Attack isn't horrible, and Blizzard's base power compensates nicely.
Secondary attacks are fairly plentiful. Stone Edge is a good alternative way of putting the hurt on flying foes, particularly those resistant to Ice. Return is a good general attack, having a bit more powerful than a STAB Ice Fang. Superpower puts some real pain on any Steel-type that thinks it can just fly, Levitate, or Magnet Rise over Earthquakes. Body Slam trades power for a chance to paralyze faster enemies. Certain Levitators might be particularly weak to Bite, and if you happen to be faster, you might flinch the enemy.
Endeavor is an oddball move. Properly timed, it can combine with Ice Shard to all but ensure a KO.
Mamoswine can summon its own Hailstorm, which is useful if you think the enemy might interrupt your Abomasnow Hail with his own weather. It's not the best choice of a moveslot, though.
Protect has some use on a Hail team, as it forces the enemy to take more Hail damage. As always, it can also be used to scout out an enemy attack. Substitute has a similar role, but has additional roles such as blocking status and lowering HP for Endeavor-based endeavors.
Stealth Rock is a good move to have if you want your Mamoswine to lead off. Mamoswine has fun ways of countering many popular leads.
Curse is usable if the enemy isn't a particularly strong one. It particularly works well with Avalanche.
Moveset 1: Endeavor Moveset
- Endeavor
- Substitute
- Ice Shard
- Earthquake
Use Substitute to bring yourself down, then get ready to Endeavor once that last sub is up. Finish off the weakened foe with Ice Shard. Speed is somewhat important here, as the enemy is just as liable to try to stop you with its own priority attack.
General Moveset
- Earthquake
- (primary physical Ice attack)
- (secondary attack)
- (secondary attack)/(supporting move)
Nine times out of ten, the primary physical Ice attack will be Ice Shard, and the secondary attack will be Stone Edge. As for that fourth slot, choose one of its remaining options. Said option will likely dictate what Nature, IVs, and EVs you feed Mamoswine. Most sets can take EVs out of Special Attack, but if you're using Blizzard as part of a Hail Team, that is obviously not recommended, for example.
Effective Movesets
1. Charge!
- Earthquake
- Ice Shard
- Stone Edge
- Ice Fang/Avalanche
Item: Life Orb
2. Lead
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Ice Shard
- Endeavor
Item: Focus Sash
3. MixMamo
- Earthquake
- Blizzard
- Ice Shard
- Stone Edge
4. Endeavor
- Endeavor
- Earthquake
- Ice Shard
- Substitute
5. Choice Band
- Earthquake
- Ice Shard
- Stone Edge
- Superpower
Item: Choice Band
6. CurseMamo
- Curse
- Earthquake
- Avalanche
- Stone Edge
7. Choice Scarf
- Earthquake
- Ice Fang
- Stone Edge
- Blizzard
Ah, Piloswine. Of all the members of the Big Six, he was arguably the hardest to use. First of all, while his typing is great offensively, it's pretty bad defensively, having only one immunity (Electric), one resistance (Poison), and taking everything else at neutral or worse. This made it hard to switch him into other Pokemon. That plus low Special Defense meant it wasn't going to be taking hits well, particularly of the Fire, Water, or Grass sort--the first and last of which it supposedly has a type advantage over. Also, its low Special Attack meant that it would not be doing much damage with its Ice attacks nominally. That, plus the lack of an Ice Beam TM, meant we had to use the powerful but unreliable Blizzard. Finally, its slow Speed really did not help its cause at all.
Piloswine needed so many things. It needed some better defensive aspects of its typing. It needed a better way to hit with Ice attacks. It needed something to compensate for its low Speed. Heck, it just needed some better stats, although the only way that was going to happen was if it somehow got a new evolution.
Enter 4th generation. What happened? Sandstorm and Hail use proliferated (saying nothing of Hail's nonexistence in 2nd generation), Stealth Rock appeared and gave most Ice-types a fair amount of trouble (while Piloswine takes the move at neutral damage), Physical/Special split meant it could now use physical Ice-type attacks, particularly Ice Shard, which compensated for Speed by striking first, Blizzard could be used in Hail with never-miss effect, and... oh, it got a new evolution, and with it improved stats. The addition of assorted new hold items and a fairly useful ability (under the right circumstances) helped it a lot, too. And as an added bonus, it now learns Earthquake on its own, meaning we don't have to use up a precious TM 26 to teach it its most powerful attack.
There's a reason Piloswine jumped up from Neverused in 3rd Generation to Mamoswine being Overused in 4th Generation.
About the Pokemon
(Later)
Capture/Training
Should be easy to catch a Swinub: they're all over the place in the Ice Path. Do catch several of them so you can get one with Snow Cloak and a good nature.
Swinub evolves into Piloswine starting at Level 33. Piloswine (and Mamoswine) learns Earthquake only three levels later, so there's no need to delay the evolution. Piloswine evolves into Mamoswine if it levels up while having learned Ancientpower; you'll need a Heart Scale to pull this off. There's no point in delaying this evolution, as Mamoswine's moves are learned at the same levels as Piloswine.
Base Stats
110 HP, 130 Atk, 80 Def, 70 Sp. Atk, 60 Sp. Def, 80 Spd
So much better stats from its predecessor. Base 130 Attack is always going to be a real killer. Base 110 HP means it has pretty good survivability, moreso against physical attacks. 80 Speed isn't the best (it's right at average), but it sure is an improvement.
The Nature chosen probably shouldn't be hindering Attack. Depending on the moveset, the hindered nature should be either Special Attack, Special Defense, or Speed (if Curse is used).
EV re-focusing will depend on the moveset.
Movesets
Snow Cloak should always be the ability of choice, especially considering Oblivious is near useless. Snow Cloak gives extra evasion in Hail, which makes Mamoswine a good Pokemon to put on an Abomasnow/Hail team.
Mamoswine has the following primary Physical attacks to take advantage of that base 130 Attack. Earthquake is a given. It sure is a nice bonus that it can learn the move on its own; those TM 26's do not come by easily! Ice Shard is actually the primary Ice physical attack used. On one hand, it's not particularly powerful, but on the other hand, the ability to strike first is invaluable, and with base 130 Attack, Mamoswine can easily defeat those weak to it in two or even one hit(s), especially those foes that are 4x weak to Ice (like practically every major Dragon-type). Other than that, there's Ice Fang, which loses priority but is more powerful. Avalanche is best used on a Curse set, where Mamoswine would be taking hits first anyways while being able to mostly absorb said hits, and the resulting base 120 attack with STAB and boosted Attack will likely one-shot foes, and will put a big dent in even resistant foes. Then again, with base 130 Attack plus stat boosts, even a non-boosted Avalanche will hurt badly.
If you really want a Special Attack to use, Blizzard can be used, especially on a Hail team featuring Abomasnow. Base 70 Special Attack isn't horrible, and Blizzard's base power compensates nicely.
Secondary attacks are fairly plentiful. Stone Edge is a good alternative way of putting the hurt on flying foes, particularly those resistant to Ice. Return is a good general attack, having a bit more powerful than a STAB Ice Fang. Superpower puts some real pain on any Steel-type that thinks it can just fly, Levitate, or Magnet Rise over Earthquakes. Body Slam trades power for a chance to paralyze faster enemies. Certain Levitators might be particularly weak to Bite, and if you happen to be faster, you might flinch the enemy.
Endeavor is an oddball move. Properly timed, it can combine with Ice Shard to all but ensure a KO.
Mamoswine can summon its own Hailstorm, which is useful if you think the enemy might interrupt your Abomasnow Hail with his own weather. It's not the best choice of a moveslot, though.
Protect has some use on a Hail team, as it forces the enemy to take more Hail damage. As always, it can also be used to scout out an enemy attack. Substitute has a similar role, but has additional roles such as blocking status and lowering HP for Endeavor-based endeavors.
Stealth Rock is a good move to have if you want your Mamoswine to lead off. Mamoswine has fun ways of countering many popular leads.
Curse is usable if the enemy isn't a particularly strong one. It particularly works well with Avalanche.
Moveset 1: Endeavor Moveset
- Endeavor
- Substitute
- Ice Shard
- Earthquake
Use Substitute to bring yourself down, then get ready to Endeavor once that last sub is up. Finish off the weakened foe with Ice Shard. Speed is somewhat important here, as the enemy is just as liable to try to stop you with its own priority attack.
General Moveset
- Earthquake
- (primary physical Ice attack)
- (secondary attack)
- (secondary attack)/(supporting move)
Nine times out of ten, the primary physical Ice attack will be Ice Shard, and the secondary attack will be Stone Edge. As for that fourth slot, choose one of its remaining options. Said option will likely dictate what Nature, IVs, and EVs you feed Mamoswine. Most sets can take EVs out of Special Attack, but if you're using Blizzard as part of a Hail Team, that is obviously not recommended, for example.
Effective Movesets
1. Charge!
- Earthquake
- Ice Shard
- Stone Edge
- Ice Fang/Avalanche
Item: Life Orb
2. Lead
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Ice Shard
- Endeavor
Item: Focus Sash
3. MixMamo
- Earthquake
- Blizzard
- Ice Shard
- Stone Edge
4. Endeavor
- Endeavor
- Earthquake
- Ice Shard
- Substitute
5. Choice Band
- Earthquake
- Ice Shard
- Stone Edge
- Superpower
Item: Choice Band
6. CurseMamo
- Curse
- Earthquake
- Avalanche
- Stone Edge
7. Choice Scarf
- Earthquake
- Ice Fang
- Stone Edge
- Blizzard
Future Sight
Mamoswine just keeps on improving, as it has gained a number of new toys. Level Ground is among the least of them, but being able to lower the opponent's Speed isn't a bad thing even if it's no comparison to Earthquake (and thus should be used auxiliary to it).
Icicle Drop is a great new move for Mamoswine: it is physical, does 85 base damage (20 more than Ice Fang) and a respectable 90% accuracy (only 5% less than Ice Fang anyways). With Mamoswine already being such a hard hitter, having a hard hitting move is great.
Finally, Mamoswine finally got an ability worth talking about. Thick Fat meshes well with Mamoswine, removing its Fire weakness and giving it a resistance to Ice (effectively adding Mamoswine to the list of BoltBeam resistors... except that many BoltBeam users are Water-types...).
Pokemon Focus: #229 - Houndoom
Introduction
And so we begin coverage of what was the "Big Six" of my old Pokemon Silver games. These were six Pokemon, covering twelve different types, that represented my core fighting team. Even now, many of them are favorites, and with the upcoming remakes, it is only fair that each one of them gets some time in the spotlight. With all the different battle changes and new moves that have come about since the second generation, these Pokemon have all sorts of new tricks up their sleeve.
We start with our team's Fire- and Dark-type, the Doomy Houndooms of Doom.
About the Pokemon
Houndoom, the Dark Pokemon. Apparently, if you get burned by its flame, the pain from it will never go away. OUCH. Granted, the fact that said flame is compounded with toxins (a.k.a. sulfur) in its body would do that. They also make said flame rather putrid-smelling. How's that for fire and brimstone? Thankfully, this effect only occurs if Houndoom is angry; in normal battle the flames will just be regular-ol' painful flames.
Its howls will scare other Pokemon into going straight back to their nests. Probably for good reason, considering those eternal-burn flames... As for what people think of those howls... apparently, they think it summons the Grim Reaper. *shrug* The Houndoom with raked-back horns is the leader of the pack, determined as always by competition.
Sounds like an evil Pokemon, but really, it can be every bit as nice as its Trainer.
Height: 4'7"; Weight: 77.2 lbs.
Capture/Training
Houndour can be found on Route 7, so you won't be able to catch any in-game until you find yourself in Kanto after beating the Elite Four. Houndour will be a mite bit difficult to catch, due to their having Roar. Putting one to sleep is a good idea; Early Bird can present problems, but we don't want a Houndour with Early Bird anyways.
A possibly easier way to catch Houndour is in the Safari Zone. Place 4 Forest Blocks in the Savannah area and they'll start appearing. They're at a higher level, too, which is nice. However, there is no way to check for Flash Fire on these guys.
Due to their relatively low spawn rate, trying to go for any sort of a good Nature or IV build is going to be difficult. Stick with the one you have and breed more if you want more. Catching at least one male Houndour, regardless of ability, so it can learn Nasty Plot which can then be Egg Moved to its offspring, is recommended.
If Nasty Plot has already been Egg Moved, there is no need to delay Houndour's evolution at level 24, as Houndoom only learns Flamethrower 5 levels later anyways.
Statistics
75 HP, 90 Atk, 50 Def, 110 Sp. Atk, 80 Sp. Def, 95 Spd
Special Attack is Houndoom's strongest suit. Speed is decent and Attack is usable though most prefer special attacks. Houndoom really does not have any sort of a defensive build, though; with only base 75 HP and a paltry base 50 Defense, pretty much any strong physical attack, especially Earthquake, Fighting-type and Rock-type moves, could knock it out in one hit. Plan carefully to avoid such a fate.
As normal for these types of Pokemon, Natures that hinder Special Attack and Speed should generally be avoided. It's better to make Houndoom a little weaker than normal than to try to buff it up defensively at the cost of power. EV-refocusing isn't as big of a deal, though obviously throwing some towards Special Attack and Speed are good; Attack EVs can be useful if you're going for a mixed set of sorts.
Movesets
Early Bird is a decent ability, but Flash Fire is key here. One notable weakness of the "Big Six" team was that four of its members were weak to Fire attacks. Flash Fire allows us a free switch-in if you think an enemy is tempted to use a Fire attack, and while the enemy then switches out to someone that can actually damage Houndoom, we can pull off a Nasty Plot... or just attack for free damage. Or use Pursuit.
Primary Special Attacks are fairly obvious: Flamethrower for Fire and Dark Pulse for Dark. Other options do exist for Fire, though. Fire Blast can be substituted as a less-accurate but more-powerful attack. Overheat is extremely powerful but has that Special Attack-dropping side effect. There are, of course, two ways around this. On one hand, switching always works, and you likely will have to switch anyways. On another hand, if you use a Nasty Plot first, the first Overheat strike will be deadly, and your Special Attack will just return to normal levels afterward, leaving you able to make still-powerful strikes or kick off one more still-powerful Overheat. The only reason to use Heat Wave is for double-battles.
Options on the Physical side are less plentiful, but having Crunch to hit defensively-weak Psychics and Ghosts could work. There's also the Pursuit option, to chase after fleeing Psychics. As usual, Faint Attack serves as a never-miss attack to be used against evasive foes. Sucker Punch has a potential use against any counter that you suspect is faster than you are, to help you get in a hit before you go down. Obviously, it works better on counters that are Water, Ground, or Rock-typed or those that otherwise don't resist the attack. (Houndoom's options for physical Fire attacks, though, are laughable.)
Secondary attacks for Houndoom are extremely limited. In general, it's better to double-up on Fire attacks of two different sorts, and/or complementing Dark Pulse with a Physical Dark-type move. Hidden Power is an option, particularly the Fighting and Ground typed variations. Other than that, though, Houndoom's only other secondary attack of worth is, believe it or not, Solarbeam. Obviously, it'll need sunlight support from somewhere for that attack to be of use... Reversal could be usable under the right conditions, too.
...which, of course, does bring up the option of using Sunny Day yourself, boosting your Fire-type attacks and having a Solarbeam handy for blasting your weaknesses. The other stat-boosting attack is, of course, Nasty Plot. Arguably, that one is better as it will also boost your Dark Pulse and the boost is greater.
Houndoom has a nice assortment of disruptive attacks. Will-o-Wisp probably won't leave your opponent in pain for eternity, but it will certainly hurt their chances of knocking you (and others) out with their physical attacks for the duration of the battle, not to mention chip away at their HP. You could also send some Toxic toxins to an enemy; they probably won't keep your enemy in eternal pain, either, but it'll help bring about their temporary doom. Taunt is a good way to keep certain enemies from trying to cripple you.
Substitute can pair well with a Salac Berry for a more concentrated sweeping attempt, plus it helps block status problems.
Counter can be paired with a Focus Sash. Since Houndoom can easily die in one hit from a physical attack, Counter can screw over a physical attacker by knocking them out without being quite knocked-out itself. Make sure entry hazards and adverse weather are out of the picture, though.
General Moveset
- Dark Pulse
- (primary special Fire attack)
- (buffing attack)/(secondary attack)
- (disruptive attack)/(secondary attack)
In this case, "secondary attack" can mean an additional special Fire attack, a physical Dark attack, or an actual secondary attack. Obviously, a Choice item can be used if you use four attacks.
Effective Movesets
1. Nasty Plot
- Nasty Plot
- Dark Pulse
- Flamethrower
- Fire Blast
2. Choice Specs
- Dark Pulse
- Flamethrower
- Overheat
- Solarbeam
3. Choice Scarf
- Dark Pulse
- Flamethrower
- Overheat
- Pursuit
4. Mixed 1
- Overheat
- Crunch
- Pursuit
- Thunder Fang
5. Mixed 2
- Dark Pulse
- Flamethrower
- Sucker Punch
- Thunder Fang
6. Lead
- Fire Blast
- Sucker Punch
- Counter
- Taunt/Protect
Item: Focus Sash
7. Mixed Nasty Plot
- Nasty Plot
- Dark Pulse
- Flamethrower
- Pursuit
8. Sunny Day
- Sunny Day
- Flamethrower
- Solarbeam
- Dark Pulse
9. Hellfire
- Nasty Plot
- Dark Pulse
- Flamethrower
- Will-o-wisp
And so we begin coverage of what was the "Big Six" of my old Pokemon Silver games. These were six Pokemon, covering twelve different types, that represented my core fighting team. Even now, many of them are favorites, and with the upcoming remakes, it is only fair that each one of them gets some time in the spotlight. With all the different battle changes and new moves that have come about since the second generation, these Pokemon have all sorts of new tricks up their sleeve.
We start with our team's Fire- and Dark-type, the Doomy Houndooms of Doom.
About the Pokemon
Houndoom, the Dark Pokemon. Apparently, if you get burned by its flame, the pain from it will never go away. OUCH. Granted, the fact that said flame is compounded with toxins (a.k.a. sulfur) in its body would do that. They also make said flame rather putrid-smelling. How's that for fire and brimstone? Thankfully, this effect only occurs if Houndoom is angry; in normal battle the flames will just be regular-ol' painful flames.
Its howls will scare other Pokemon into going straight back to their nests. Probably for good reason, considering those eternal-burn flames... As for what people think of those howls... apparently, they think it summons the Grim Reaper. *shrug* The Houndoom with raked-back horns is the leader of the pack, determined as always by competition.
Sounds like an evil Pokemon, but really, it can be every bit as nice as its Trainer.
Height: 4'7"; Weight: 77.2 lbs.
Capture/Training
Houndour can be found on Route 7, so you won't be able to catch any in-game until you find yourself in Kanto after beating the Elite Four. Houndour will be a mite bit difficult to catch, due to their having Roar. Putting one to sleep is a good idea; Early Bird can present problems, but we don't want a Houndour with Early Bird anyways.
A possibly easier way to catch Houndour is in the Safari Zone. Place 4 Forest Blocks in the Savannah area and they'll start appearing. They're at a higher level, too, which is nice. However, there is no way to check for Flash Fire on these guys.
Due to their relatively low spawn rate, trying to go for any sort of a good Nature or IV build is going to be difficult. Stick with the one you have and breed more if you want more. Catching at least one male Houndour, regardless of ability, so it can learn Nasty Plot which can then be Egg Moved to its offspring, is recommended.
If Nasty Plot has already been Egg Moved, there is no need to delay Houndour's evolution at level 24, as Houndoom only learns Flamethrower 5 levels later anyways.
Statistics
75 HP, 90 Atk, 50 Def, 110 Sp. Atk, 80 Sp. Def, 95 Spd
Special Attack is Houndoom's strongest suit. Speed is decent and Attack is usable though most prefer special attacks. Houndoom really does not have any sort of a defensive build, though; with only base 75 HP and a paltry base 50 Defense, pretty much any strong physical attack, especially Earthquake, Fighting-type and Rock-type moves, could knock it out in one hit. Plan carefully to avoid such a fate.
As normal for these types of Pokemon, Natures that hinder Special Attack and Speed should generally be avoided. It's better to make Houndoom a little weaker than normal than to try to buff it up defensively at the cost of power. EV-refocusing isn't as big of a deal, though obviously throwing some towards Special Attack and Speed are good; Attack EVs can be useful if you're going for a mixed set of sorts.
Movesets
Early Bird is a decent ability, but Flash Fire is key here. One notable weakness of the "Big Six" team was that four of its members were weak to Fire attacks. Flash Fire allows us a free switch-in if you think an enemy is tempted to use a Fire attack, and while the enemy then switches out to someone that can actually damage Houndoom, we can pull off a Nasty Plot... or just attack for free damage. Or use Pursuit.
Primary Special Attacks are fairly obvious: Flamethrower for Fire and Dark Pulse for Dark. Other options do exist for Fire, though. Fire Blast can be substituted as a less-accurate but more-powerful attack. Overheat is extremely powerful but has that Special Attack-dropping side effect. There are, of course, two ways around this. On one hand, switching always works, and you likely will have to switch anyways. On another hand, if you use a Nasty Plot first, the first Overheat strike will be deadly, and your Special Attack will just return to normal levels afterward, leaving you able to make still-powerful strikes or kick off one more still-powerful Overheat. The only reason to use Heat Wave is for double-battles.
Options on the Physical side are less plentiful, but having Crunch to hit defensively-weak Psychics and Ghosts could work. There's also the Pursuit option, to chase after fleeing Psychics. As usual, Faint Attack serves as a never-miss attack to be used against evasive foes. Sucker Punch has a potential use against any counter that you suspect is faster than you are, to help you get in a hit before you go down. Obviously, it works better on counters that are Water, Ground, or Rock-typed or those that otherwise don't resist the attack. (Houndoom's options for physical Fire attacks, though, are laughable.)
Secondary attacks for Houndoom are extremely limited. In general, it's better to double-up on Fire attacks of two different sorts, and/or complementing Dark Pulse with a Physical Dark-type move. Hidden Power is an option, particularly the Fighting and Ground typed variations. Other than that, though, Houndoom's only other secondary attack of worth is, believe it or not, Solarbeam. Obviously, it'll need sunlight support from somewhere for that attack to be of use... Reversal could be usable under the right conditions, too.
...which, of course, does bring up the option of using Sunny Day yourself, boosting your Fire-type attacks and having a Solarbeam handy for blasting your weaknesses. The other stat-boosting attack is, of course, Nasty Plot. Arguably, that one is better as it will also boost your Dark Pulse and the boost is greater.
Houndoom has a nice assortment of disruptive attacks. Will-o-Wisp probably won't leave your opponent in pain for eternity, but it will certainly hurt their chances of knocking you (and others) out with their physical attacks for the duration of the battle, not to mention chip away at their HP. You could also send some Toxic toxins to an enemy; they probably won't keep your enemy in eternal pain, either, but it'll help bring about their temporary doom. Taunt is a good way to keep certain enemies from trying to cripple you.
Substitute can pair well with a Salac Berry for a more concentrated sweeping attempt, plus it helps block status problems.
Counter can be paired with a Focus Sash. Since Houndoom can easily die in one hit from a physical attack, Counter can screw over a physical attacker by knocking them out without being quite knocked-out itself. Make sure entry hazards and adverse weather are out of the picture, though.
General Moveset
- Dark Pulse
- (primary special Fire attack)
- (buffing attack)/(secondary attack)
- (disruptive attack)/(secondary attack)
In this case, "secondary attack" can mean an additional special Fire attack, a physical Dark attack, or an actual secondary attack. Obviously, a Choice item can be used if you use four attacks.
Effective Movesets
1. Nasty Plot
- Nasty Plot
- Dark Pulse
- Flamethrower
- Fire Blast
2. Choice Specs
- Dark Pulse
- Flamethrower
- Overheat
- Solarbeam
3. Choice Scarf
- Dark Pulse
- Flamethrower
- Overheat
- Pursuit
4. Mixed 1
- Overheat
- Crunch
- Pursuit
- Thunder Fang
5. Mixed 2
- Dark Pulse
- Flamethrower
- Sucker Punch
- Thunder Fang
6. Lead
- Fire Blast
- Sucker Punch
- Counter
- Taunt/Protect
Item: Focus Sash
7. Mixed Nasty Plot
- Nasty Plot
- Dark Pulse
- Flamethrower
- Pursuit
8. Sunny Day
- Sunny Day
- Flamethrower
- Solarbeam
- Dark Pulse
9. Hellfire
- Nasty Plot
- Dark Pulse
- Flamethrower
- Will-o-wisp
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