Introduction
We now introduce the true final Pokemon of the HeartGold/SoulSilver coverage series, this time featuring the generation's special event Pokemon. Celebi is a time-traveler, before Dialga was around to actually mess with time. Celebi, for the most part, just takes people into different time periods. It's definitely a cool Pokemon, and like its cousins Mew, Jirachi, Manaphy, and Shaymin, it has great stats across the board, as well as a huge movepool that allow it to cover a large amount of possible movesets, even when limited to replenishable moves.
Capture/Training
Not available in-game, normally. We just have to wait for Nintendo to hand one out at an event, or otherwise get one from a trade.
Stats
100 HP, 100 Atk, 100 Def, 100 Sp. Atk, 100 Sp. Def, 100 Spd
You'll see these stats come up again later. For now, know that they allow Celebi to cover a large number of bases, from powerful attacker on either side of the damage spectrum to defensive fairy that shakes off even super-effective hits (which it, unfortunately, has a lot of, which really says something about how it manages to be a favorite even three generations later).
Abilities
Natural Cure is Celebi's only option; thankfully, it is a great ability. Being able to instantly cure status just by switching is great, and really gives this fairy staying power.
Moves
As for straight-up attacks, Celebi's moveset has all it really needs. The classics fill its special Grass needs, with Energy Ball being the reliable move, Grass Knot to deal with heavyweights, Leaf Storm to hit hard to start, and Solarbeam if the sun is out. Meanwhile, Psychic gives it all the special Psychic-type power it needs. A strong base Attack and access to Swords Dance means it can ride along the Physical side of the spectrum as well, where it will rely on Seed Bomb and Zen Headbutt to cover its STAB moves.
The big secondary attack worth mentioning is Earth Power. In addition to providing a move that actually deals damage to Steel-types, it also provides coverage against Fire-types. Shadow Ball provides a move to use against other Psychics as well as Ghosts. If you're lucky, you might get a nice Hidden Power, too.
Other than that, its attacks are very specialized. Magical Leaf hits without fail. Ancientpower is there for that possible 6-stat boost. Charge Beam might give you a Special Attack boost, which is good for Baton Passing. U-Turn is a quick one-way trip out of a tough situation, which also inflicts damage in the process.
If that doesn't seem much for straight-up attacks, Celebi more than makes up for that with its support moveset. Remember, Celebi is a healing fairy, and every healing fairy needs a healing move, namely Recover. If you want your healing to be more offensive, you can use Leech Seed. Meanwhile, Heal Bell is Celebi's way of curing the team of status.
Thunder Wave is Celebi's favorite way to cripple opponents. That's not to say it doesn't have other ways; it can also use Toxic and Worry Seed, as well as Trick.
Perish Song is an unusual move, but quite effective in basically putting the opponent on a timer. Have fun with it.
Celebi makes a great Baton Passer. It has the stats to attack with its stat boosts before throwing them to a teammate when it is done. The fact that Baton Pass dodges Pursuit is an added bonus.
So what are the stat boosts it can use? Calm Mind works great, and allows Celebi to become a truly dangerous fairy both offensively and defensively. Swords Dance is what makes Celebi a potential physical threat. Again, once Celebi feels it can't hit enemies with its moves, it can Pass out to a teammate.
Access to Light Screen and Reflect allows Celebi to set up dual-screens, which in turn can help a teammate set up. Bonus points if you sacrifice Celebi with Healing Wish to get a weakened sweeper back up to full health.
Somehow, Stealth Rock is an option. Clearly, Celebi's rocks hide in the Time dimension, thus are extra stealthy... anyways, it's a good move for any occasion.
Substitute is always great.
At this point, it's probably easier to just list all the moves that might be somewhat viable on Celebi, because it has a ton of these moves: Safeguard, Heal Block, Sunny Day, Protect, Double Team, Rest, Psych Up, Trick Room, Helping Hand, and Magic Coat.
Effective Movesets
Due to Celebi being a one-shot Pokemon that has access to a ridiculous movepool with a ridiculous amount of possibilities, a Celebi effective moveset can pretty much consist of choosing four moves from the above list, and it could work. Specific ideas to play around with include Baton Passing variants with either Calm Mind or Swords Dance, and the time-honored tradition of SubSeeding (Substitute + Leech Seed).
Monday, March 29, 2010
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Movedex, Part 2: Barrier - Bullet Seed
Barrier
A magical barrier is formed to raise Defense by two levels.
Distribution: Pretty limited.
Utility: While not the best move in the game, it has some utility. Mr. Mime can Baton Pass the move, and Cradily likes not being able to be blown away by Roar or Whirlwind enough to use it as a way to wall up.
Baton Pass
Switches with a teammate. Avoids the fleeing effect of Pursuit and works even when trapped. The following effects are also passed to the teammate:
- All stat changes
- Substitutes (keeps the HP of the sub)
- Aqua Ring
- Block, Mean Look, Spider Web (whether used on you or the opponent)
- Confusion
- A ghost's Curse on you
- Embargo, Gastro Acid, Leech Seed used on you
- Focus Energy/Lansat Berry
- Ingrain
- Lock-On/Mind Reader
- Magnet Rise
- Perish Song count
- Power Trick
Distribution: Not huge, but not bad, either. A wide variety of Pokemon can learn this move. Probably its most famous users are Ninjask, Smeargle, Mr. Mime, Drifblim, and the entire Eevee family, as well as Mew, who can pass a +2 boost in any stat.
Utility: One of the potentially most powerful utility moves in the game. Used well, it can be nearly unstoppable. Entire teams have been built around Baton Pass. It's also a great move to put on one or two Pokemon to support the team. Use it, and use it well.
Beat Up
This esoteric move takes all your remaining unstatused Pokemon on the team for a typeless attack on the opponent. The attacks themselves are weak, but they are based on base Attack and Defense, ignoring IVs, EVs, and natures. It also somehow ignores Wonder Guard.
Belly Drum
Get down to the beat of this drum! Your attack is fully maximized, allowing your attacks to hit ridiculously hard... at the cost of half your HP.
Distribution: Limited. The Poliwag, Snorlax, Zigzagoon, Makuhita, Charmander, Slowpoke, Cubone, Lickitung, Cleffa, Marill, Teddiursa, and Magby families are the only ones that can learn this move.
Utility: When used with proper planning, this move can be devastating. Bellyzard is a well-known threat, while in the metagame, Belly Drum+Gluttony+ExtremeSpeed is such a force to be reckoned with that a Linoone can sweep an entire team unprepared for it.
Bide
This move (which gained priority in D/P) makes the Pokemon sit out two turns' worth of attacks before unleashing double the damage done to it on the opponent.
Bind
A weak attack that nevertheless traps the opponent for 2-5 turns, dealing 1/16-HP damage each of those turns.
Bite
The Pokemon... bites its foe. Not much else to it, other than the bite having a 30% chance to flinch the opponent. It is also one of the moves to have changed types from Gen I to Gen II, somehow becoming a Dark-type move.
Dark, Physical, 60 BP, 25 PP
Power: Not much, unless boosted by Technician.
Distribution: Has a large learnbase that can learn it by leveling up, plus a few more who can have it as an Egg Move.
Reliability: Accurate and has plenty of PP. Definitely reliable.
Utility: That 30% flinch rate is really what differentiates this from Crunch. Bite will usually be found either on Pokemon who can't learn Crunch but need some kind of a Dark-type attack, on Technicians for whom the move is more powerful than Crunch, or on Pokemon designed to abuse the flinch rate, like Stantler.
Blast Burn
The user charges up a fiery explosion that tears through opponents. However, it must recharge afterwards.
Fire, Special, 150 BP, 90 AC, 5 PP, 135 EP
Power: Absolutely destructive.
Distribution: This move is limited to the final forms of any Fire starter.
Reliability: This is where the move gets shot down. While powerful and fairly accurate, that recharge turn can mess you up, especially if the opponent decides to set up on that turn.
Utility: This move should only be used in-game, where if you can knock out the opponent, you can use Shift rules to switch to someone else and ignore the recharge turn (and this move will probably knock out an opponent).
Blaze Kick
A fiery kick is launched at the opponent. The kick has an increased critical hit rate, and also has a 10% chance of burning the opponent.
Fire, Physical, 85 BP, 90 AC, 10 PP, 76.5 EP
Power: Pretty good. Flare Blitz aside, it's the most powerful physical Fire attack there is, which says something. The extra critical hit chance is also good.
Distribution: Extremely limited. In fact, it used to be Blaziken's signature move. Since then, it's migrated to Hitmonlee and the Chimchar and Riolu families. Hitmonlee and Lucario, thus, like using the move to hit Bugs and some of the Fighting-resistant Steels.
Reliability: The 90% accuracy can bite you sometimes, but otherwise it is solid on reliability.
Utility: Lying somewhere between the reliable-but-weak Fire Punch and the powerful, accurate, yet recoil-inducing Flare Blitz, Blaze Kick is a decent option in the hands of the Pokemon who can get it.
Blizzard
A massive blizzard blasts the foe. It has a 10% chance of freezing the opponent solid. In Hail, it will never miss. Hits both enemies in a Double Battle.
Ice, Special, 120 BP, 70 AC, 5 PP, 84 EP
Power: As the most powerful Ice attack in the game, it is certainly not lacking in raw power.
Distribution: Great distribution, with many possible learners.
Reliability: Under normal circumstances, the move falls flat right around here. 70 accuracy is just too low for the move, especially considering that the effective power of the move is less than Ice Beam. However, under Hail, the move becomes something deadly, with perfect reliability and only a low PP as its drawback.
Utility: Chances are, if you're using this move, you're in a hailstorm. The poor accuracy and low effective power of the move just otherwise keeps this move from being anything good. However, in a hailstorm, the move becomes a devastatingly-powerful move that can sweep through an entire team.
Block
The user spreads its arms wide and essentially manages to keep the opponent from escaping simply by not letting them pass, Gandalf-style. More on the use of trapping moves like this when we reach Mean Look, as Block itself is not used much.
Body Slam
The user launches its entire body weight onto the opponent. It has a 30% chance of paralysis.
Normal, Physical, 85 BP, 15 PP
Power: While not as powerful as Return, it is certainly acceptable. It's a bit stronger than Strength, at any rate.
Distribution: It has a fair number of users within 4th-gen alone. Its learnbase is much bigger when you account for 3rd-gen Pokemon, who can learn the move via Move Tutor, Pal Parked over to 4th-gen.
Reliability: It has 100% accuracy, so no problems there.
Utility: The big draw of this move, particularly over Return, is that 30% paralysis rate. Defensive Pokemon love this move for spreading paralysis, especially since it does work against Ground-types (though Ghost-types will give trouble).
Bone Club
Bonemerang
The user launches its bone at the opponent in such a way that it later loops back and strikes the opponent again.
Bounce
The opponent bounces high on the first turn, and drops on the foe on the second. It has a 30% chance of paralyzing the foe, much like Body Slam.
Brave Bird
A powerful charge attack: the user tucks in wings and makes a low-altitude charge. The impact inflicts 1/3 of the damage done back to the user as recoil.
Brick Break
The user concentrates his power to break a stack of bricks. And then the opponent. Along with any protective screens around the opponent, namely Reflect and Light Screen.
Brine
Salty water is washed over the opponent, supposedly to rub in the opponents' wounds. Particularly, their wounds past 50% health, as the move does double damage to a target below that point.
Bubblebeam
Bug Buzz
By flapping its wings, the Pokemon generates horribly jarring sound waves that rend the opponent, with an additional 10% chance of dropping Special Defense one level.
Bulk Up
The user tenses up its muscles to build up strength and constitution, increasing Attack and Defense by one level each.
Bullet Punch
The user punches faster than a speeding bullet. It has increased priority.
Bullet Seed
A magical barrier is formed to raise Defense by two levels.
Distribution: Pretty limited.
Utility: While not the best move in the game, it has some utility. Mr. Mime can Baton Pass the move, and Cradily likes not being able to be blown away by Roar or Whirlwind enough to use it as a way to wall up.
Baton Pass
Switches with a teammate. Avoids the fleeing effect of Pursuit and works even when trapped. The following effects are also passed to the teammate:
- All stat changes
- Substitutes (keeps the HP of the sub)
- Aqua Ring
- Block, Mean Look, Spider Web (whether used on you or the opponent)
- Confusion
- A ghost's Curse on you
- Embargo, Gastro Acid, Leech Seed used on you
- Focus Energy/Lansat Berry
- Ingrain
- Lock-On/Mind Reader
- Magnet Rise
- Perish Song count
- Power Trick
Distribution: Not huge, but not bad, either. A wide variety of Pokemon can learn this move. Probably its most famous users are Ninjask, Smeargle, Mr. Mime, Drifblim, and the entire Eevee family, as well as Mew, who can pass a +2 boost in any stat.
Utility: One of the potentially most powerful utility moves in the game. Used well, it can be nearly unstoppable. Entire teams have been built around Baton Pass. It's also a great move to put on one or two Pokemon to support the team. Use it, and use it well.
Beat Up
This esoteric move takes all your remaining unstatused Pokemon on the team for a typeless attack on the opponent. The attacks themselves are weak, but they are based on base Attack and Defense, ignoring IVs, EVs, and natures. It also somehow ignores Wonder Guard.
Belly Drum
Get down to the beat of this drum! Your attack is fully maximized, allowing your attacks to hit ridiculously hard... at the cost of half your HP.
Distribution: Limited. The Poliwag, Snorlax, Zigzagoon, Makuhita, Charmander, Slowpoke, Cubone, Lickitung, Cleffa, Marill, Teddiursa, and Magby families are the only ones that can learn this move.
Utility: When used with proper planning, this move can be devastating. Bellyzard is a well-known threat, while in the metagame, Belly Drum+Gluttony+ExtremeSpeed is such a force to be reckoned with that a Linoone can sweep an entire team unprepared for it.
Bide
This move (which gained priority in D/P) makes the Pokemon sit out two turns' worth of attacks before unleashing double the damage done to it on the opponent.
Bind
A weak attack that nevertheless traps the opponent for 2-5 turns, dealing 1/16-HP damage each of those turns.
Bite
The Pokemon... bites its foe. Not much else to it, other than the bite having a 30% chance to flinch the opponent. It is also one of the moves to have changed types from Gen I to Gen II, somehow becoming a Dark-type move.
Dark, Physical, 60 BP, 25 PP
Power: Not much, unless boosted by Technician.
Distribution: Has a large learnbase that can learn it by leveling up, plus a few more who can have it as an Egg Move.
Reliability: Accurate and has plenty of PP. Definitely reliable.
Utility: That 30% flinch rate is really what differentiates this from Crunch. Bite will usually be found either on Pokemon who can't learn Crunch but need some kind of a Dark-type attack, on Technicians for whom the move is more powerful than Crunch, or on Pokemon designed to abuse the flinch rate, like Stantler.
Blast Burn
The user charges up a fiery explosion that tears through opponents. However, it must recharge afterwards.
Fire, Special, 150 BP, 90 AC, 5 PP, 135 EP
Power: Absolutely destructive.
Distribution: This move is limited to the final forms of any Fire starter.
Reliability: This is where the move gets shot down. While powerful and fairly accurate, that recharge turn can mess you up, especially if the opponent decides to set up on that turn.
Utility: This move should only be used in-game, where if you can knock out the opponent, you can use Shift rules to switch to someone else and ignore the recharge turn (and this move will probably knock out an opponent).
Blaze Kick
A fiery kick is launched at the opponent. The kick has an increased critical hit rate, and also has a 10% chance of burning the opponent.
Fire, Physical, 85 BP, 90 AC, 10 PP, 76.5 EP
Power: Pretty good. Flare Blitz aside, it's the most powerful physical Fire attack there is, which says something. The extra critical hit chance is also good.
Distribution: Extremely limited. In fact, it used to be Blaziken's signature move. Since then, it's migrated to Hitmonlee and the Chimchar and Riolu families. Hitmonlee and Lucario, thus, like using the move to hit Bugs and some of the Fighting-resistant Steels.
Reliability: The 90% accuracy can bite you sometimes, but otherwise it is solid on reliability.
Utility: Lying somewhere between the reliable-but-weak Fire Punch and the powerful, accurate, yet recoil-inducing Flare Blitz, Blaze Kick is a decent option in the hands of the Pokemon who can get it.
Blizzard
A massive blizzard blasts the foe. It has a 10% chance of freezing the opponent solid. In Hail, it will never miss. Hits both enemies in a Double Battle.
Ice, Special, 120 BP, 70 AC, 5 PP, 84 EP
Power: As the most powerful Ice attack in the game, it is certainly not lacking in raw power.
Distribution: Great distribution, with many possible learners.
Reliability: Under normal circumstances, the move falls flat right around here. 70 accuracy is just too low for the move, especially considering that the effective power of the move is less than Ice Beam. However, under Hail, the move becomes something deadly, with perfect reliability and only a low PP as its drawback.
Utility: Chances are, if you're using this move, you're in a hailstorm. The poor accuracy and low effective power of the move just otherwise keeps this move from being anything good. However, in a hailstorm, the move becomes a devastatingly-powerful move that can sweep through an entire team.
Block
The user spreads its arms wide and essentially manages to keep the opponent from escaping simply by not letting them pass, Gandalf-style. More on the use of trapping moves like this when we reach Mean Look, as Block itself is not used much.
Body Slam
The user launches its entire body weight onto the opponent. It has a 30% chance of paralysis.
Normal, Physical, 85 BP, 15 PP
Power: While not as powerful as Return, it is certainly acceptable. It's a bit stronger than Strength, at any rate.
Distribution: It has a fair number of users within 4th-gen alone. Its learnbase is much bigger when you account for 3rd-gen Pokemon, who can learn the move via Move Tutor, Pal Parked over to 4th-gen.
Reliability: It has 100% accuracy, so no problems there.
Utility: The big draw of this move, particularly over Return, is that 30% paralysis rate. Defensive Pokemon love this move for spreading paralysis, especially since it does work against Ground-types (though Ghost-types will give trouble).
Bone Club
Exclusively the Cubone family's move, it is a basic move that serves well in early levels but should be ditched when more powerful options are available.
Bone Rush
Bone Rush
The bone move not exclusive to Cubone's family, as Lucario can also learn it. However, in no case is it worth more than Earthquake or Bonemerang.
Bonemerang
The user launches its bone at the opponent in such a way that it later loops back and strikes the opponent again.
Ground, Physical, 50 BP, 90 AC, 10 PP, 90 EP
Power: It has the exact same power as Earthquake when it hits. That certainly can't be a bad thing.
Distribution: Cubone and Marowak's signature move, and no one else's.
Reliability: With a 10% chance of missing, in most cases it is inferior to Earthquake in this manner, albeit it's still not bad.
Utility: Two things make this move attractive over Earthquake. For one, it's a level-up move, meaning those hard-to-get Earthquake TMs can be saved for other Pokemon. Also, it can break a Substitute on the first hit, and deal decent damage on the second. The latter gives it 16-20% usage over Earthquake on simulators, while the former makes it an excellent in-game move.
Bounce
The opponent bounces high on the first turn, and drops on the foe on the second. It has a 30% chance of paralyzing the foe, much like Body Slam.
Flying, Physical, 85 BP, 85 AC, 5 PP, 72.25 EP
Power: Same as Body Slam, slightly more than Drill Peck, although, oddly enough, slightly less than Fly.
Distribution: An otherwise niche move exploded in distribution in the latest generation, especially with the Platinum tutor. However, most Pokemon have little use for the move.
Reliability: The move has a couple of problems. It's somewhat inaccurate, and the charge turn means someone can set up or switch in a resist. However, that 30% paralysis rate does mean that switch-ins (and, to a lesser extent, set-ups) are not necessarily safe.
Utility: All-in-all, this move mostly remains the fun move that suffers from bad reliability with its accuracy and charge-turn problems. This means that the move ultimately only really has one notable user. However, do not underestimate said user in any way... not that Gyarados will ever be underestimated. It gets STAB off the move, gets a free turn of Leftovers recovery, and is its most powerful attack aside from Aqua Tail, and again, switch-ins aren't completely safe with the paralysis chance. Try it out on the game's resident sea monster.
Brave Bird
A powerful charge attack: the user tucks in wings and makes a low-altitude charge. The impact inflicts 1/3 of the damage done back to the user as recoil.
Flying, Physical, 120 BP, 100 AC, 15 PP
Power: Double-Edge-level, and good thing too, because the Flying-type has been clamoring for a good powerful move not named Sky Attack.
Distribution: The Starly family can breed the move onto the Pidgey, Zubat, Doduo, Murkrow, Skarmory, and Taillow families. Ho-oh can also learn the move, as can... Blaziken? Basically, a fair amount of Pokemon who could use the move get it.
Reliability: No problems with the power, accuracy, or PP count, for sure; it's just the recoil damage that can bite you if you're not careful. Hint: Roost is a great move for restoring HP lost to recoil.
Utility: The sheer power of this move cannot be denied, nor can the fact that most of its learners need a good STAB Flying move anyways, and 120 BP + STAB is killer. Take a chance with Brave Bird; the recoil damage might hurt, but the sheer amount of destruction it can cause will likely be worth it.
Brick Break
The user concentrates his power to break a stack of bricks. And then the opponent. Along with any protective screens around the opponent, namely Reflect and Light Screen.
Fighting, Physical, 75 BP, 15 PP
Power: Fairly weak; this used to be the strongest Fighting move readily available to most Pokemon, but has since been mostly outclassed by various other moves. It's still many Pokemon's strongest Fighting option, though.
Distribution: Ridiculous. If it has arms, it likely can learn this move.
Reliability: All things considered, this is still the strongest drawback-free 100%-accurate Fighting move, not counting Technician-boosted moves.
Utility: While moves like Close Combat and Superpower have mostly taken the limelight, this move still sees use here and there, either for its reliability, or for the fact that it's the only Fighting move available on that Pokemon. The screen-breaking effect is a nice bonus, though.
Brine
Salty water is washed over the opponent, supposedly to rub in the opponents' wounds. Particularly, their wounds past 50% health, as the move does double damage to a target below that point.
Water, Special, 65 BP, 20 PP
Power: Weak, unless used on its intended targets: weakened Pokemon.
Distribution: Pretty much any Water-type can learn this move. And Hariyama. Why Hariyama? Must have mixed some water with those SmellingSalts.
Reliability: While no problem with the accuracy, the low power of the move outside its intended targets drops this move's reliability.
Utility: This move is only really used seriously on one Pokemon: Walrein. Super Fang + hail is pretty much a guaranteed under-50% for that Pokemon and Brine makes a great follow-up then.
Bubble
A seriously weak move whose only purpose is to allow you to smack around Geodudes until you learn Water Gun.
Bubblebeam
Slightly powerful and with a 10% chance of a Speed reduction, this move is still only used to tide you over until you get Surf.
Bug Bite
The Pokemon bites at the opponent, inflicting damage while acquiring the effect of its held Berry if it has one.
Bug Bite
The Pokemon bites at the opponent, inflicting damage while acquiring the effect of its held Berry if it has one.
Bug, Physical, 60 BP, 20 PP
Power: Weak, unless the user has Technician, at which point it becomes the strongest 100%-accurate physical Bug move available.
Distribution: Took a leap with Platinum, and then a major leap with HGSS and the move tutor. Pretty much any Bug-type can learn this move now, and then some (Heatran?!)
Reliability: 100% accuracy? No problem!
Utility: This move is usually used with the Technicians, Scyther and Scizor. The move is a great move in their hands, providing reliable, strong Bug-type damage, and the secondary effect can be useful if it kicks in.
Bug Buzz
By flapping its wings, the Pokemon generates horribly jarring sound waves that rend the opponent, with an additional 10% chance of dropping Special Defense one level.
Bug, Special, 90 BP, 10 PP
Power: It's the Bug equivalent of Psychic, and packs plenty of punch for what it does.
Distribution: Anyone who could use it (read: Specially-oriented bugs) learns it, pretty much.
Reliability: 100% accuracy is never a bad thing.
Utility: The forefront of special Bug damage, the various Pokemon that get this move love this move. Watch out in particular for Tinted Lens wielders, like Yanmega and Venomoth, who can hit you with this move at full power even if you resist Bug.
Bulk Up
The user tenses up its muscles to build up strength and constitution, increasing Attack and Defense by one level each.
Distribution: The physical counterpart to Calm Mind, this move sees less use only because its distribution is more limited. The primary users of this move are Blaziken, Floatzel, Gallade, Hariyama, the Hitmon-family, Machamp, Medicham, Poliwrath... mostly Fighting-types.
Utility: There is certainly nothing wrong with this move; its a great way to be both bulky and powerful, much like Calm Mind does with Special attacks. If only it could be distributed more widely... As a bonus, Blaziken and Floatzel can both Baton Pass Bulk Up boosts.
Bullet Punch
The user punches faster than a speeding bullet. It has increased priority.
Steel, Physical, 40 BP, 30 PP
Power: Kind of weak? Well, priority attacks are normally that way... but what about on a Pokemon with base 130 attack, STAB, and an ability that increases its base power to 60? Yeah...
Distribution: The Hitmons, Metagross, the Machop, Makuhita, Meditite, Riolu, and Croagunk families... and of course, Scizor.
Reliability: 100% accuracy + priority!
Utility: Priority attacks are always good, but it is this attack that made Scizor the beast it is now. Talk about a bullet with butterfly... er, mantis wings.
Bullet Seed
A weak multi-hit move that is somehow a TM, presumably to give certain Pokemon something resembling a Grass attack. Now, if it was as blatantly overpowered as it was in Mystery Dungeon (multi-hit + each hit as powerful as a normal attack + ranged = KO multiple Pokemon in a row!)...
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Ability Review, Part 2: Clear Body - Dry Skin
Clear Body
Effect: Prevents all stat drops, except those self-inflicted.
How to use: In-game, Pokemon love stat-dropping moves. Love them. A Clear Body Pokemon is a way to go up against them without having to suffer through the drops or switch out. In more competitive battling, such stat-drops are rarely seen; however, the prevalence of what is considered one of the best abilities in the game, Intimidate, means a Clear Body Pokemon does not have to worry about that particular stat drop, which is huge. Also, stat drops are sometimes used as a way to "phaze" an opponent by encouraging them to switch; hence, the ability prevents that situation.
Users:
Only ability:
Metagross
Regirock
Regice
Registeel
Some competition:
Tentacruel (Liquid Ooze)
Overall: An awesome ability in-game, and a great ability in competitive battling too. Alas, its distribution is limited.
Cloud Nine
Effect: Same as Air Lock.
How to use: Disrupt weather.
Users:
Mild Competition: Golduck (Damp - more useful in 2 vs 2, whereas Cloud Nine is more useful in Single Battles)
Overall: It could have been useful, if it had only been distributed to some stronger Pokemon.
Color Change
Effect: Changes type to the type of the attack that last hit the Pokemon.
How to use: ... *shrug*
Users:
Only ability: Kecleon
Overall: Pure gimmick ability. That's all there is to it.
Compoundeyes
Effect: Increases accuracy by 30%.
Outside effect: Increases chances of finding Pokemon holding items if in lead position.
How to use: Mainly, 97.5%-accurate Sleep Powders. (And, for that matter, 97.5%-accurate Stun Spores and 100%-accurate Toxics.) That, and perhaps having a fainted one at the front of your party when hunting for item-holding Pokemon.
Users:
Only ability: Butterfree
Tracers:
It's rarely going to happen, but if Gardevoir pulls off a Trace on a Butterfree, then... congratulations, you now have 91%-accurate Focus Blasts!
Overall: If it were distributed more, this ability could potentially break a number of Pokemon. As it is, it is stuck on a Pokemon for whom the ability is really its only saving grace in competitive battling. However, Butterfree also likes this ability as an in-game utility Pokemon, either for putting enemies to sleep for capturing or for scouting out item-holding Pokemon.
Cute Charm
Effect: Infatuates an opposite-gendered Pokemon 30% of the time it attacks with a contact move.
How to use: Bring it in on an opposite-gendered Pokemon who uses contact moves, theoretically.
Users:
Only ability: Wigglytuff
Mild competition: Delcatty (Normalize)
Major competition: Lopunny (Klutz - usually the better ability, unless a Switcheroo plan isn't in effect)
Severe competition: Clefable (Magic Guard)
Tracers: Porygon2, being genderless, won't get use from it. Gardevoir can Trace an opposite-gendered Pokemon with the ability and possibly mess them up a bit, especially since Gardevoir won't be using contact moves him/herself.
Overall: Not the worst ability, but somewhat limited in its usefulness.
Damp
Effect: Prevents the use of Selfdestruct and Explosion from having any effect. (The move can be selected, but it will neither faint the user nor do damage.)
How to use: If the enemy might explode, bring a Damp-user on them. Especially effective in 2vs2. Great ability, and it'd be better if only...
Users:
Some competition: Golduck (Cloud Nine)
Serious competition: Poliwrath, Politoed, Quagsire (Water Absorb)
Overall: ...the Pokemon that got this ability were better, or didn't have one of the best abilities in the game. As such, its use is limited at the moment, though perhaps more prevalent in Double Battles where Explosion is far more common.
Download
Effect: Increases the users Attack if the opponent's Defense is lower than Special Defense, and increases Special Attack if the other way around.
How to use: The only Pokemon for whom the ability is really considered, Porygon-Z, uses it over Adaptability, when lacking Nasty Plot, by switching into Special Defense-weak Pokemon and then unloading any of its special attacks on the opponent (as opposed to just Tri Attack). It should be noted that a Download-boosted Tri Attack is actually more powerful than an Adaptability-boosted one, but only if no Nasty Plot or other Special Attack boosts are in effect. That, and the boost is somewhat unreliable.
Users:
Some competition: Porygon-Z (Adaptability)
Serious competition: Porygon2 (Trace)
Overall: A great ability by all means, but lack of good distribution hurts it.
Drizzle
Effect: Summons indefinite rain upon entering the field.
How to use: ...This would take way too long to cover. Basically, use Water attacks, use Swift Swimmers, and use Thunder.
Users:
Only ability: Kyogre
Overall: On one hand, yes, you will only find this ability in the world of Uber-battling. On the other hand, it is single-handedly responsible, not only for making Kyogre the most-used Pokemon in Ubers, but also for being half of what shapes the entire metagame in that environment: pretty much every team must either take advantage of the rain, or have a way to respond to it.
Drought
Effect: Summons indefinite sunlight upon entering the field.
How to use: Again, the details would take to long. Suffice it to say, use Fire attacks, and use moves and Pokemon that take advantage of sunlight.
Users:
Only ability: Groudon
Overall: While not quite as common as Kyogre, Groudon is still the second-most used Pokemon of Ubers, and is the other half of what shapes the Uber metagame, being to sunlight what Kyogre is to rain. Likewise, teams must be prepared either to take advantage of the sunlight, or otherwise have a way to deal with it, especially now that a certain Ho-oh has become more prevalent.
Dry Skin
Effect: Recovers 25% HP when hit by Water attacks, but takes an additional 25% damage from Fire attacks. Recovers 1/8 HP each turn during rain, but loses 1/8 HP each turn in strong sunlight.
How to use: Switch it into Water attacks, and use in rain. Avoid sunlight and Fire attacks.
Users:
Little competition:
Parasect (Effect Spore)
Toxicroak (Anticipation)
Overall: This ability is basically like Water Absorb, with a few little extra effects and drawbacks. Despite those drawbacks, though, it remains a great ability thanks to the fact that any free healing and immunities are very welcome on any Pokemon. The extra healing in Rain can be fun, too.
On a side note, a Dry Skin Parasect has the special distinction of being the Pokemon with the greatest possible weakness multiplier, being x5-weak to Fire. It gives a whole new meaning to the term Kill It With Fire...
Effect: Prevents all stat drops, except those self-inflicted.
How to use: In-game, Pokemon love stat-dropping moves. Love them. A Clear Body Pokemon is a way to go up against them without having to suffer through the drops or switch out. In more competitive battling, such stat-drops are rarely seen; however, the prevalence of what is considered one of the best abilities in the game, Intimidate, means a Clear Body Pokemon does not have to worry about that particular stat drop, which is huge. Also, stat drops are sometimes used as a way to "phaze" an opponent by encouraging them to switch; hence, the ability prevents that situation.
Users:
Only ability:
Metagross
Regirock
Regice
Registeel
Some competition:
Tentacruel (Liquid Ooze)
Overall: An awesome ability in-game, and a great ability in competitive battling too. Alas, its distribution is limited.
Cloud Nine
Effect: Same as Air Lock.
How to use: Disrupt weather.
Users:
Mild Competition: Golduck (Damp - more useful in 2 vs 2, whereas Cloud Nine is more useful in Single Battles)
Overall: It could have been useful, if it had only been distributed to some stronger Pokemon.
Color Change
Effect: Changes type to the type of the attack that last hit the Pokemon.
How to use: ... *shrug*
Users:
Only ability: Kecleon
Overall: Pure gimmick ability. That's all there is to it.
Compoundeyes
Effect: Increases accuracy by 30%.
Outside effect: Increases chances of finding Pokemon holding items if in lead position.
How to use: Mainly, 97.5%-accurate Sleep Powders. (And, for that matter, 97.5%-accurate Stun Spores and 100%-accurate Toxics.) That, and perhaps having a fainted one at the front of your party when hunting for item-holding Pokemon.
Users:
Only ability: Butterfree
Tracers:
It's rarely going to happen, but if Gardevoir pulls off a Trace on a Butterfree, then... congratulations, you now have 91%-accurate Focus Blasts!
Overall: If it were distributed more, this ability could potentially break a number of Pokemon. As it is, it is stuck on a Pokemon for whom the ability is really its only saving grace in competitive battling. However, Butterfree also likes this ability as an in-game utility Pokemon, either for putting enemies to sleep for capturing or for scouting out item-holding Pokemon.
Cute Charm
Effect: Infatuates an opposite-gendered Pokemon 30% of the time it attacks with a contact move.
How to use: Bring it in on an opposite-gendered Pokemon who uses contact moves, theoretically.
Users:
Only ability: Wigglytuff
Mild competition: Delcatty (Normalize)
Major competition: Lopunny (Klutz - usually the better ability, unless a Switcheroo plan isn't in effect)
Severe competition: Clefable (Magic Guard)
Tracers: Porygon2, being genderless, won't get use from it. Gardevoir can Trace an opposite-gendered Pokemon with the ability and possibly mess them up a bit, especially since Gardevoir won't be using contact moves him/herself.
Overall: Not the worst ability, but somewhat limited in its usefulness.
Damp
Effect: Prevents the use of Selfdestruct and Explosion from having any effect. (The move can be selected, but it will neither faint the user nor do damage.)
How to use: If the enemy might explode, bring a Damp-user on them. Especially effective in 2vs2. Great ability, and it'd be better if only...
Users:
Some competition: Golduck (Cloud Nine)
Serious competition: Poliwrath, Politoed, Quagsire (Water Absorb)
Overall: ...the Pokemon that got this ability were better, or didn't have one of the best abilities in the game. As such, its use is limited at the moment, though perhaps more prevalent in Double Battles where Explosion is far more common.
Download
Effect: Increases the users Attack if the opponent's Defense is lower than Special Defense, and increases Special Attack if the other way around.
How to use: The only Pokemon for whom the ability is really considered, Porygon-Z, uses it over Adaptability, when lacking Nasty Plot, by switching into Special Defense-weak Pokemon and then unloading any of its special attacks on the opponent (as opposed to just Tri Attack). It should be noted that a Download-boosted Tri Attack is actually more powerful than an Adaptability-boosted one, but only if no Nasty Plot or other Special Attack boosts are in effect. That, and the boost is somewhat unreliable.
Users:
Some competition: Porygon-Z (Adaptability)
Serious competition: Porygon2 (Trace)
Overall: A great ability by all means, but lack of good distribution hurts it.
Drizzle
Effect: Summons indefinite rain upon entering the field.
How to use: ...This would take way too long to cover. Basically, use Water attacks, use Swift Swimmers, and use Thunder.
Users:
Only ability: Kyogre
Overall: On one hand, yes, you will only find this ability in the world of Uber-battling. On the other hand, it is single-handedly responsible, not only for making Kyogre the most-used Pokemon in Ubers, but also for being half of what shapes the entire metagame in that environment: pretty much every team must either take advantage of the rain, or have a way to respond to it.
Drought
Effect: Summons indefinite sunlight upon entering the field.
How to use: Again, the details would take to long. Suffice it to say, use Fire attacks, and use moves and Pokemon that take advantage of sunlight.
Users:
Only ability: Groudon
Overall: While not quite as common as Kyogre, Groudon is still the second-most used Pokemon of Ubers, and is the other half of what shapes the Uber metagame, being to sunlight what Kyogre is to rain. Likewise, teams must be prepared either to take advantage of the sunlight, or otherwise have a way to deal with it, especially now that a certain Ho-oh has become more prevalent.
Dry Skin
Effect: Recovers 25% HP when hit by Water attacks, but takes an additional 25% damage from Fire attacks. Recovers 1/8 HP each turn during rain, but loses 1/8 HP each turn in strong sunlight.
How to use: Switch it into Water attacks, and use in rain. Avoid sunlight and Fire attacks.
Users:
Little competition:
Parasect (Effect Spore)
Toxicroak (Anticipation)
Overall: This ability is basically like Water Absorb, with a few little extra effects and drawbacks. Despite those drawbacks, though, it remains a great ability thanks to the fact that any free healing and immunities are very welcome on any Pokemon. The extra healing in Rain can be fun, too.
On a side note, a Dry Skin Parasect has the special distinction of being the Pokemon with the greatest possible weakness multiplier, being x5-weak to Fire. It gives a whole new meaning to the term Kill It With Fire...
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
SoulSilver Sidequest List
The various diversions from the main quest we may embark on.
Gym Leader Rush
In this challenge, we take on all 16 Gym Leader rematches in one run, with one team of Pokemon. Goal is to have all main team members participate in a successful Rush. Standard rules apply. A total of 3 visits to the Pokemon Center is allowed.
Variants:
- Can heal at Pokemon Center between battles. Cannot use items.
- Can use items, but cannot heal at Pokemon Center between battles.
- Can only use items outside of battle. Cannot heal at Pokemon Center between battles.
- Cannot use items or heal at Pokemon Center between battles.
Hall of Fame Challenge
Can all main-team Pokemon be inducted into the Hall of Fame? While less of a marathon than the above challenge, it is arguably tougher due to the higher level of the enemies. Standard rules apply.
Variants:
- Can only use items outside of battle.
- Cannot use items.
I Am Legend
Beat Red and get the Legend Ribbon for all Pokemon on the main team. Standard rules apply.
Pokeathlon Challenges
- Get a high score in each event
- Have each Pokemon obtain a medal in each of the 5 categories. Good luck.
Alph-abet Soup
Catch all 28 Unown varieties.
Photo Safari
Take pictures with all the Gym Leaders, as well as 20 others. Try to include all main team members, if possible.
A Shiny Leaf
Obtain a Leaf Crown for one Pokemon. If really ambitious, try to obtain a Leaf Crown for every Pokemon on your main team.
Voltorb Flip
Spend some time playing Voltorb Flip for as many coins as possible. Challenge: How quickly can you amass 10000 coins in one run?
Rock Smash Rundown
Spend some time smashing up rocks all over Johto and Kanto in an attempt to find items.
Dress Up
Dress up your Pokemon however you like!
Battle Frontier Challenges
- Beat the Tower Tycoon once with each main-team Pokemon
- Beat the Tower Tycoon twice
- Attempt to beat the Battle Factory
- Beat the Battle Arcade
- Beat the Battle Castle
- Attempt to fully complete the Battle Hall
- Get as high of a streak as possible at the Battle Hall with each Pokemon
Gym Leader Rush
In this challenge, we take on all 16 Gym Leader rematches in one run, with one team of Pokemon. Goal is to have all main team members participate in a successful Rush. Standard rules apply. A total of 3 visits to the Pokemon Center is allowed.
Variants:
- Can heal at Pokemon Center between battles. Cannot use items.
- Can use items, but cannot heal at Pokemon Center between battles.
- Can only use items outside of battle. Cannot heal at Pokemon Center between battles.
- Cannot use items or heal at Pokemon Center between battles.
Hall of Fame Challenge
Can all main-team Pokemon be inducted into the Hall of Fame? While less of a marathon than the above challenge, it is arguably tougher due to the higher level of the enemies. Standard rules apply.
Variants:
- Can only use items outside of battle.
- Cannot use items.
I Am Legend
Beat Red and get the Legend Ribbon for all Pokemon on the main team. Standard rules apply.
Pokeathlon Challenges
- Get a high score in each event
- Have each Pokemon obtain a medal in each of the 5 categories. Good luck.
Alph-abet Soup
Catch all 28 Unown varieties.
Photo Safari
Take pictures with all the Gym Leaders, as well as 20 others. Try to include all main team members, if possible.
A Shiny Leaf
Obtain a Leaf Crown for one Pokemon. If really ambitious, try to obtain a Leaf Crown for every Pokemon on your main team.
Voltorb Flip
Spend some time playing Voltorb Flip for as many coins as possible. Challenge: How quickly can you amass 10000 coins in one run?
Rock Smash Rundown
Spend some time smashing up rocks all over Johto and Kanto in an attempt to find items.
Dress Up
Dress up your Pokemon however you like!
Battle Frontier Challenges
- Beat the Tower Tycoon once with each main-team Pokemon
- Beat the Tower Tycoon twice
- Attempt to beat the Battle Factory
- Beat the Battle Arcade
- Beat the Battle Castle
- Attempt to fully complete the Battle Hall
- Get as high of a streak as possible at the Battle Hall with each Pokemon
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Sophia Soul's Comprehensive MoveDex Part 1: Absorb - Barrage
Absorb: A move that deals a wholly insignificant amount of special Grass damage to Pokemon and heals the user a wholly insignificant amount of health back.
Acid: A weak move that does somehow manage a 10% Special Defense drop rate, but still not really worth using.
Acid Armor
The user alters its cellular structure to liquefy itself, which somehow raises its Defense stat two levels.
Distribution: Extremely limited. Only Vaporeon and the Grimer, Slugma, Gulpin, and Manaphy families learn the move.
Utility: Useful enough, but is most notable on its most common (and pretty much only true) user, Vaporeon, who uses the move not only to compensate for its own poor defenses, but also passes said boosts with Baton Pass fairly effectively.
Acupressure
By essentially using acupuncture (except without puncturing, just pressing), the Pokemon raises a random stat by two levels. This includes Accuracy, making the move the only move that can raise Accuracy.
Distribution: Extremely limited. The Doduo and Skorupi families learn it by level up, and the Tentacool and Shuckle families can learn it by breeding.
Utility: Sometimes useful by boosting a good stat, sometimes... not so much. A fun move for sure, though.
Aerial Ace
Also known as the Turning Swallow Cut, named after an infamous technique of a Japanese swordsman. It will always hit the opponent, regardless of accuracy/evasion levels.
Flying, Physical, 60 BP, 20 PP
Power: Fairly meager, unless Technician-boosted.
Distribution: Amazing. So many Pokemon can learn this move, it's not even funny.
Reliability: Well, it always hits. You can't get more reliable than that.
Utility: In-game, against Pokemon known to Double-Team or use accuracy-reducing attacks, this move is useful. Even in competitive battling, though, it appears far more often than you'd think a base 60 power attack would. In some cases, it's the only flying STAB move available. Scyther uses it the most, as Technician boosts its power to a very respectable base 90. Dugtrio (and probably many others) use it to get x4 hits against Heracross and Breloom.
Aeroblast
A giant vortex of air is blasted at the enemy. It has an increased Critical Hit level.
Flying, Special, 100 BP, 95 AC, 5 PP, 95 EP
Power: Fairly strong, especially with its increased critical hit ratio.
Distribution: Lugia's signature attack; only it can learn it.
Reliability: Decent on its own, but its low PP hinders it somewhat.
Utility: Powerful and fun. Have fun with it in-game. Not as common competitively, but still used to some extent.
Agility
The user loosens itself up to allow itself to move faster, and as such raises its Speed 2 levels.
Distribution: Very solid. Despite not being teachable, a large number of Pokemon learn it by level-up, and several more can be bred with the move.
Utility: Many somewhat-slower Pokemon love this move for giving them the Speed kick necessary to outrun faster threats, and overall prepare for a sweep. Another common tactic with this move is to use it on a Baton Passer to throw a Speed boost to a slower teammate without the move.
Air Cutter: Launches blades of wind to hurt foes. Seen on a few Pokemon, like Beautifly and Mantine, who are specially-based and don't really have other special Flying attacks.
Air Slash
A powerful blade of air slices through the sky. The impact has a 30% chance of making the enemy flinch.
Flying, Special, 75 BP, 95 AC, 20 PP, 71.25 EP
Power: Nothing too special, but works for what it's worth; there isn't really anything better other than Aeroblast, at any rate.
Distribution: Pretty good.
Reliability: That 5% miss chance might bite you now and then, but otherwise it's reliable.
Utility: This is where this move shines. 30% flinch rate is quite good on its own, and makes up for the move's somewhat low power. However, the extent to which this move can be abused by a few of its most notable users must be mentioned. On one side is Rotom-S, who, while being the least popular Rotom form by far, can use this move in combination with Thunder Wave/Discharge and Confuse Ray to form a Para-fuse-flinch combo that can annoy enemies endlessly. On the other side is Shaymin-S, who uses Serene Grace to kick the flinch rate up to 60%, which practically defines the term "flinch-hax". And combining both of these strategies together is Togekiss, who can first paralyze the foe and then make them flinch 60% of the time, resulting in something to truly be feared.
Amnesia
The Pokemon forgets some of its worries, increasing its Special Defense 2 levels.
Distribution: Pretty good.
Utility: Most Pokemon will prefer to increase Special Defense with either Calm Mind or Stockpile/Cosmic Power. This move is only really seen on Pokemon with Baton Pass, treating the move less as helping itself and more as helping a teammate without access to any special-defense-boosting move.
AncientPower
The Pokemon draws upon a mysterious power from the prehistoric ages to smack the opponent. It also has a 10% chance of raising all of the user's stats by one level.
Rock, Special, 60 BP, 100 AC, 5 PP
Power: Not much, but it's not like one can do much better.
Distribution: Improved after being made into a Move Tutor move.
Reliability: Accurate, plus it comes with a boatload of Power Points.
Utility: That 10% stat boost is amazing, but trying to rely on it is not a good idea, except maybe if your name is Dunsparce. All-in-all, it's only seen on a few special attackers who want a Rock-type move, particularly Omastar for whom it is its only STAB Rock special move. And possibly Serene Grace abusers.
Aqua Jet
The Pokemon blazes towards the enemy in a stream of water. With an increased level of priority, it strikes first against any Pokemon not using a priority attack.
Water, Physical, 40 BP, 100 AC, 30 PP
Power: Weak, as most priority attacks are. Stronger in Rain, though, to the point where if stats are high enough, it can still hurt badly.
Distribution: Not too much, but distributed enough to make a fair number of Pokemon potent threats.
Utility: Priority attacks are extremely useful. They pick off weakened Pokemon, greatly surprise Pokemon trying to abuse low-HP strategies, and otherwise make life difficult for anyone trying to speed their way through you. Not only that, but this move in particular enjoys having Rain behind it, boosting its power to decent levels that can oftentimes be sufficient for sweeping (Rain-boosted Aqua Jet = Technician-boosted Bullet Punch). Particularly notorious users include Azumarill, whose Huge Power ability gives it a ridiculous amount of Attack to back up the move, and Kabutops, who combines it with Swords Dance for immense power and makes sure that any Pokemon it can't out-Swift Swim, it can still out-speed them.
Aqua Ring: A veil of water envelops the user and replenishes 1/16th HP every turn. A rarely seen move, though it is found on a handful of defensive Pokemon as well as Baton Passers, for whom the move is passable.
Aqua Tail
The Pokemon slams the opponent with a drenched tail.
Water, Physical, 90 BP, 90 AC, 10 PP, 81 EP
Power: Quite strong, really.
Reliability: This is where this move falls a bit short compared to the always-accurate Waterfall; that 10% miss rate can hurt sometimes.
Distribution: Decent, but notable in that several non-Water-types get the move and can use it for additional type coverage.
Utility: This move will normally be seen on non-Water-types for additional coverage, particularly if said Pokemon is weak to Ground-types. Despite weaker power, most Water-types prefer Waterfall for better reliability and that 20% flinch rate.
Arm Thrust: Hariyama's signature move, it hits multiple times, but it's really rather useless.
Aromatherapy
A soothing scent fills the air, healing all Pokemon in the party of status conditions.
Distribution: Limited. Find it on Vileplume, Shaymin, and the Paras, Chikorita, Roselia, Chansey, Cleffa, Hoppip, and Cherubi families.
Utility: So, so useful. While Heal Bell gets better distribution, Aromatherapy's advantage is that it is not blocked by Soundproof. All-in-all, you're looking at a move that can instantly free your entire team of crippling status conditions. No matter how you look at it, that is awesome.
Assist
A move is randomly chosen from its teammate's set of moves, and used on the opponent.
Distribution: Limited. Skitty, Glameow, Meowth, Drowzee, Sentret, Spinda, and Chimchar families can learn the move.
Utility: Like a mini-Metronome, albeit more predictable. Knowing the moves in your team's arsenal is important if you want to get any true utility from this move. All-in-all, it's definitely a fun move, if a bit limited in actual utility.
Assurance: Inflicts double-damage on a Pokemon who already took damage that turn. "It's the only way to make sure" the opponent goes down. Not used much in Single-battles, but can be used in conjunction with entry hazards, or can be used in Double Battles by the slower Pokemon.
Astonish: Surprises the opponent with a weak attack that nevertheless has a 30% flinch rate.
Attack Order
The user orders an army of Combee to sting down the opponent. Has an increased Critical Hit level.
Bug, Physical, 90 BP, 100 AC, 15 PP
Power: The second-most-powerful physical Bug move out there, including Technician-boosted Bug Bite (taking into account the increased critical hit ratio).
Reliability: Definitely the best physical Bug attack in terms of balance of power and accuracy.
Distribution: If only it was distributed more... alas, it simply remains Vespiquen's signature move.
Utility: If Vespiquen were more useful, it would see more use. That said, you won't find many Vespiquen who don't use this powerful move.
Attract: Inflicts Infatuation on an opposite-gendered Pokemon. Very situational, unfortunately, and infatuation wears off upon switching, making it an iffy proposition at best.
Aura Sphere
Using the Pokemon's inner Aura, it fires a sphere of power that will not miss its target.
Fighting, Special, 90 BP, 20 PP
Power: Quite powerful; it is the most powerful always-hit attacks not weather-reliant.
Reliability: A major plus for this move, considering the only other special Fighting move has horrible reliability.
Distribution: Extremely limited, unfortunately. So many Pokemon would love this move but just don't receive it. The ones that do, though, make good use of it: Lucario, Togekiss, and the legendaries Dialga, Palkia, Giratina, Mewtwo, and Mew.
Aurora Beam: A rainbow-colored beam is fired at the foe, possibly lowering its Attack. Due to the availability of more powerful special Ice attacks, though, it is fairly rare.
Avalanche
The user waits for an attack before making a giant snowfall fall on the opponent. Like a real avalanche, if the user is hit beforehand, the snowfall doubles, doubling the damage done.
Ice, Physical, 60 BP, 100 AC, 20 PP
Power: While meager if the Pokemon is not hit, if the Pokemon is hit, this move quickly becomes the single deadliest physical Ice attack in the game.
Reliability: On one hand, you never have to worry about anything like Blizzard's 70% accuracy. On the other hand, remember that the move has negative priority and will make you go last under normal conditions. With that in mind, it's pretty clear that this move works best on slow Pokemon, either those that are naturally slow or have Cursed themselves to be that way.
Distribution: Quite good, actually. In particular, expect to find this move on a number of non-Ice-types, who definitely enjoy the massive coverage afforded by an Ice attack.
Utility: As mentioned before, this move works best on slow Pokemon, such as the naturally-slow Rhyperior, or Curse variants of Mamoswine and Swampert.
Barrage: A weak multi-hit move that is somehow the signature move of Exeggcute. Somehow.
Acid: A weak move that does somehow manage a 10% Special Defense drop rate, but still not really worth using.
Acid Armor
The user alters its cellular structure to liquefy itself, which somehow raises its Defense stat two levels.
Distribution: Extremely limited. Only Vaporeon and the Grimer, Slugma, Gulpin, and Manaphy families learn the move.
Utility: Useful enough, but is most notable on its most common (and pretty much only true) user, Vaporeon, who uses the move not only to compensate for its own poor defenses, but also passes said boosts with Baton Pass fairly effectively.
Acupressure
By essentially using acupuncture (except without puncturing, just pressing), the Pokemon raises a random stat by two levels. This includes Accuracy, making the move the only move that can raise Accuracy.
Distribution: Extremely limited. The Doduo and Skorupi families learn it by level up, and the Tentacool and Shuckle families can learn it by breeding.
Utility: Sometimes useful by boosting a good stat, sometimes... not so much. A fun move for sure, though.
Aerial Ace
Also known as the Turning Swallow Cut, named after an infamous technique of a Japanese swordsman. It will always hit the opponent, regardless of accuracy/evasion levels.
Flying, Physical, 60 BP, 20 PP
Power: Fairly meager, unless Technician-boosted.
Distribution: Amazing. So many Pokemon can learn this move, it's not even funny.
Reliability: Well, it always hits. You can't get more reliable than that.
Utility: In-game, against Pokemon known to Double-Team or use accuracy-reducing attacks, this move is useful. Even in competitive battling, though, it appears far more often than you'd think a base 60 power attack would. In some cases, it's the only flying STAB move available. Scyther uses it the most, as Technician boosts its power to a very respectable base 90. Dugtrio (and probably many others) use it to get x4 hits against Heracross and Breloom.
Aeroblast
A giant vortex of air is blasted at the enemy. It has an increased Critical Hit level.
Flying, Special, 100 BP, 95 AC, 5 PP, 95 EP
Power: Fairly strong, especially with its increased critical hit ratio.
Distribution: Lugia's signature attack; only it can learn it.
Reliability: Decent on its own, but its low PP hinders it somewhat.
Utility: Powerful and fun. Have fun with it in-game. Not as common competitively, but still used to some extent.
Agility
The user loosens itself up to allow itself to move faster, and as such raises its Speed 2 levels.
Distribution: Very solid. Despite not being teachable, a large number of Pokemon learn it by level-up, and several more can be bred with the move.
Utility: Many somewhat-slower Pokemon love this move for giving them the Speed kick necessary to outrun faster threats, and overall prepare for a sweep. Another common tactic with this move is to use it on a Baton Passer to throw a Speed boost to a slower teammate without the move.
Air Cutter: Launches blades of wind to hurt foes. Seen on a few Pokemon, like Beautifly and Mantine, who are specially-based and don't really have other special Flying attacks.
Air Slash
A powerful blade of air slices through the sky. The impact has a 30% chance of making the enemy flinch.
Flying, Special, 75 BP, 95 AC, 20 PP, 71.25 EP
Power: Nothing too special, but works for what it's worth; there isn't really anything better other than Aeroblast, at any rate.
Distribution: Pretty good.
Reliability: That 5% miss chance might bite you now and then, but otherwise it's reliable.
Utility: This is where this move shines. 30% flinch rate is quite good on its own, and makes up for the move's somewhat low power. However, the extent to which this move can be abused by a few of its most notable users must be mentioned. On one side is Rotom-S, who, while being the least popular Rotom form by far, can use this move in combination with Thunder Wave/Discharge and Confuse Ray to form a Para-fuse-flinch combo that can annoy enemies endlessly. On the other side is Shaymin-S, who uses Serene Grace to kick the flinch rate up to 60%, which practically defines the term "flinch-hax". And combining both of these strategies together is Togekiss, who can first paralyze the foe and then make them flinch 60% of the time, resulting in something to truly be feared.
Amnesia
The Pokemon forgets some of its worries, increasing its Special Defense 2 levels.
Distribution: Pretty good.
Utility: Most Pokemon will prefer to increase Special Defense with either Calm Mind or Stockpile/Cosmic Power. This move is only really seen on Pokemon with Baton Pass, treating the move less as helping itself and more as helping a teammate without access to any special-defense-boosting move.
AncientPower
The Pokemon draws upon a mysterious power from the prehistoric ages to smack the opponent. It also has a 10% chance of raising all of the user's stats by one level.
Rock, Special, 60 BP, 100 AC, 5 PP
Power: Not much, but it's not like one can do much better.
Distribution: Improved after being made into a Move Tutor move.
Reliability: Accurate, plus it comes with a boatload of Power Points.
Utility: That 10% stat boost is amazing, but trying to rely on it is not a good idea, except maybe if your name is Dunsparce. All-in-all, it's only seen on a few special attackers who want a Rock-type move, particularly Omastar for whom it is its only STAB Rock special move. And possibly Serene Grace abusers.
Aqua Jet
The Pokemon blazes towards the enemy in a stream of water. With an increased level of priority, it strikes first against any Pokemon not using a priority attack.
Water, Physical, 40 BP, 100 AC, 30 PP
Power: Weak, as most priority attacks are. Stronger in Rain, though, to the point where if stats are high enough, it can still hurt badly.
Distribution: Not too much, but distributed enough to make a fair number of Pokemon potent threats.
Utility: Priority attacks are extremely useful. They pick off weakened Pokemon, greatly surprise Pokemon trying to abuse low-HP strategies, and otherwise make life difficult for anyone trying to speed their way through you. Not only that, but this move in particular enjoys having Rain behind it, boosting its power to decent levels that can oftentimes be sufficient for sweeping (Rain-boosted Aqua Jet = Technician-boosted Bullet Punch). Particularly notorious users include Azumarill, whose Huge Power ability gives it a ridiculous amount of Attack to back up the move, and Kabutops, who combines it with Swords Dance for immense power and makes sure that any Pokemon it can't out-Swift Swim, it can still out-speed them.
Aqua Ring: A veil of water envelops the user and replenishes 1/16th HP every turn. A rarely seen move, though it is found on a handful of defensive Pokemon as well as Baton Passers, for whom the move is passable.
Aqua Tail
The Pokemon slams the opponent with a drenched tail.
Water, Physical, 90 BP, 90 AC, 10 PP, 81 EP
Power: Quite strong, really.
Reliability: This is where this move falls a bit short compared to the always-accurate Waterfall; that 10% miss rate can hurt sometimes.
Distribution: Decent, but notable in that several non-Water-types get the move and can use it for additional type coverage.
Utility: This move will normally be seen on non-Water-types for additional coverage, particularly if said Pokemon is weak to Ground-types. Despite weaker power, most Water-types prefer Waterfall for better reliability and that 20% flinch rate.
Arm Thrust: Hariyama's signature move, it hits multiple times, but it's really rather useless.
Aromatherapy
A soothing scent fills the air, healing all Pokemon in the party of status conditions.
Distribution: Limited. Find it on Vileplume, Shaymin, and the Paras, Chikorita, Roselia, Chansey, Cleffa, Hoppip, and Cherubi families.
Utility: So, so useful. While Heal Bell gets better distribution, Aromatherapy's advantage is that it is not blocked by Soundproof. All-in-all, you're looking at a move that can instantly free your entire team of crippling status conditions. No matter how you look at it, that is awesome.
Assist
A move is randomly chosen from its teammate's set of moves, and used on the opponent.
Distribution: Limited. Skitty, Glameow, Meowth, Drowzee, Sentret, Spinda, and Chimchar families can learn the move.
Utility: Like a mini-Metronome, albeit more predictable. Knowing the moves in your team's arsenal is important if you want to get any true utility from this move. All-in-all, it's definitely a fun move, if a bit limited in actual utility.
Assurance: Inflicts double-damage on a Pokemon who already took damage that turn. "It's the only way to make sure" the opponent goes down. Not used much in Single-battles, but can be used in conjunction with entry hazards, or can be used in Double Battles by the slower Pokemon.
Astonish: Surprises the opponent with a weak attack that nevertheless has a 30% flinch rate.
Attack Order
The user orders an army of Combee to sting down the opponent. Has an increased Critical Hit level.
Bug, Physical, 90 BP, 100 AC, 15 PP
Power: The second-most-powerful physical Bug move out there, including Technician-boosted Bug Bite (taking into account the increased critical hit ratio).
Reliability: Definitely the best physical Bug attack in terms of balance of power and accuracy.
Distribution: If only it was distributed more... alas, it simply remains Vespiquen's signature move.
Utility: If Vespiquen were more useful, it would see more use. That said, you won't find many Vespiquen who don't use this powerful move.
Attract: Inflicts Infatuation on an opposite-gendered Pokemon. Very situational, unfortunately, and infatuation wears off upon switching, making it an iffy proposition at best.
Aura Sphere
Using the Pokemon's inner Aura, it fires a sphere of power that will not miss its target.
Fighting, Special, 90 BP, 20 PP
Power: Quite powerful; it is the most powerful always-hit attacks not weather-reliant.
Reliability: A major plus for this move, considering the only other special Fighting move has horrible reliability.
Distribution: Extremely limited, unfortunately. So many Pokemon would love this move but just don't receive it. The ones that do, though, make good use of it: Lucario, Togekiss, and the legendaries Dialga, Palkia, Giratina, Mewtwo, and Mew.
Aurora Beam: A rainbow-colored beam is fired at the foe, possibly lowering its Attack. Due to the availability of more powerful special Ice attacks, though, it is fairly rare.
Avalanche
The user waits for an attack before making a giant snowfall fall on the opponent. Like a real avalanche, if the user is hit beforehand, the snowfall doubles, doubling the damage done.
Ice, Physical, 60 BP, 100 AC, 20 PP
Power: While meager if the Pokemon is not hit, if the Pokemon is hit, this move quickly becomes the single deadliest physical Ice attack in the game.
Reliability: On one hand, you never have to worry about anything like Blizzard's 70% accuracy. On the other hand, remember that the move has negative priority and will make you go last under normal conditions. With that in mind, it's pretty clear that this move works best on slow Pokemon, either those that are naturally slow or have Cursed themselves to be that way.
Distribution: Quite good, actually. In particular, expect to find this move on a number of non-Ice-types, who definitely enjoy the massive coverage afforded by an Ice attack.
Utility: As mentioned before, this move works best on slow Pokemon, such as the naturally-slow Rhyperior, or Curse variants of Mamoswine and Swampert.
Barrage: A weak multi-hit move that is somehow the signature move of Exeggcute. Somehow.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Pokemon Focus: #250 - Ho-oh
Introduction
Ho-oh, the star of Gold (and HeartGold) Version. Unlike the games that came afterwards, it is possible to get it in Silver/SoulSilver as well, meaning neither bird gets left behind! Yay! In Ho-oh's case, as opposed to Lugia, who was simply designed to soak up as many hits as possible, Ho-oh is more of an offensive force, striking hard while still having some nice defensive stats that allow it to take some damage. Just watch out for Stealth Rocks.
Capture/Training
Unlike future games, where only one of the "star legendaries" can be caught, HeartGold and SoulSilver offers both up for capture, although the non-starring legendary will be found much later, at a much higher level. In this case, it will be at Level 70. Be prepared, especially if we want to catch it with a Friend Ball. Don't even bother with soft-resets.
Stats
106 HP, 130 Atk, 90 Def, 110 Sp. Atk, 154 Sp. Def, 90 Spd
Great stats. While Lugia is very much defensively oriented, Ho-oh is more oriented towards offense, though that ridiculously high 154 Special Defense is nothing to ignore. It can dish out hits, and it can certainly take them, too.
Abilities
Pressure appears again, and once again, it helps stall out opponents who strike at its high Special Defense.
Recommended Moves
Sacred Fire is Ho-oh's signature move, and doubles as its primary physical Fire attack. Yes, physical. For whatever reason, Sacred Fire does physical damage, likely to take advantage of its higher Attack stat. There's really no other reason for it. It does heavy damage, but more importantly, that 50% burn rate can really mess up an opponent. Brave Bird is its primary physical Flying attack, and also does massive damage. The recoil can hurt, though. Ho-oh does have special options on the Fire side in the form of Flamethrower, Heat Wave, Fire Blast, and Overheat (although the last one is a non-replenishable TM), and can use them fairly well thanks to a fairly high base Special Attack. There isn't really anything in the way of special Flying attacks, though.
With the ability to hit hard on both the physical and special side of the spectrum, it's a good thing Ho-oh has a healthy choice of secondary attacks to choose from. We can't mention the physical side without bringing up Earthquake. Punishment is an interesting attack, and can really hurt anyone who tries to stat-up against you. Zen Headbutt and Iron Head are additional options for those interested, as is Return. On the Special side, Thunderbolt and Thunder work well, depending on whether rain might be seen around or not. Other workable moves include Shadow Ball, Earth Power, Extrasensory/Psychic, and the weather-dependent Solarbeam and Weather Ball.
Recover is the main way Ho-oh will be healing itself without resorting to using non-replenishable TMs.
Whirlwind is best used with entry hazards on the field.
Reflect helps cover Ho-oh's weaker Defense stat, while Light Screen makes Ho-oh nearly impenetrable to special attacks. Safeguard protects Ho-oh from status. All three can also be used to support the team.
Toxic is an option to stall enemies out. Thunder Wave can also cripple opponents, and might be especially helpful due to Ho-oh's comparatively low Speed.
Calm Mind is another way Ho-oh can boost its stats.
Substitute is a great move, as always.
Generally speaking, Ho-oh functions best when strong sunlight is available. It can supply its own sunlight with Sunny Day, but overall, it's probably better to just let Groudon light up the arena.
Teammates
Ho-oh loves sunlight, and as such, Groudon makes a great teammate. As a bonus, Ho-oh can soak up Grass-type attacks launched at Groudon (as well as special-type Ice attacks, with the bonus that if it were to get frozen, using Sacred Fire thaws it out). Meanwhile, Groudon takes the Electric and Rock attacks Ho-oh hates. Stealth Rock, if it were to appear, could be a real pain, and as such, a Rapid Spinner is also handy. In competitive battling, a Forretress is the most common teammate used for such.
Effective Movesets
1. Substitute/Recover
- Sacred Fire
- Brave Bird
- Substitute
- Recover
Item: Life Orb/Leftovers
Comments: Use Life Orb for power, Leftovers to be a resilient attacker.
2. Three Attacks
- Sacred Fire
- Brave Bird
- Earthquake
- Recover
Item: Leftovers
Comments: To be used more as a defensive Pokemon, hence no Life Orb. Earthquake gives it some much-needed coverage.
3. Choice Band
- Sacred Fire
- Brave Bird
- Earthquake
- Punishment
Item: Choice Band/Choice Scarf
Comments: With two attacks, it is a powerful Substitute abuser. With three attacks, a near-unbreakable special-defensive tank with great coverage. With four attacks, a threatening Choice user.
4. Choice Specs
- Fire Blast
- Thunder/Thunderbolt
- Shadow Ball
- Earth Power
Item: Choice Specs
Comments: 110 base Sp. Atk makes Ho-oh quite a threat on the special side, too.
5. Mixed Choice Scarf
- Sacred Fire
- Thunder
- Earthquake
- Punishment/Brave Bird
Item: Choice Scarf
6. Calm Mind
- Calm Mind
- Flamethrower
- Thunder/Thunderbolt
- Recover
7. Toxic Staller
- Toxic
- Light Screen
- Sacred Fire
- Recover
8. Thunder Wave
- Sacred Fire
- Brave Bird
- Thunder Wave
- Recover
Ho-oh, the star of Gold (and HeartGold) Version. Unlike the games that came afterwards, it is possible to get it in Silver/SoulSilver as well, meaning neither bird gets left behind! Yay! In Ho-oh's case, as opposed to Lugia, who was simply designed to soak up as many hits as possible, Ho-oh is more of an offensive force, striking hard while still having some nice defensive stats that allow it to take some damage. Just watch out for Stealth Rocks.
Capture/Training
Unlike future games, where only one of the "star legendaries" can be caught, HeartGold and SoulSilver offers both up for capture, although the non-starring legendary will be found much later, at a much higher level. In this case, it will be at Level 70. Be prepared, especially if we want to catch it with a Friend Ball. Don't even bother with soft-resets.
Stats
106 HP, 130 Atk, 90 Def, 110 Sp. Atk, 154 Sp. Def, 90 Spd
Great stats. While Lugia is very much defensively oriented, Ho-oh is more oriented towards offense, though that ridiculously high 154 Special Defense is nothing to ignore. It can dish out hits, and it can certainly take them, too.
Abilities
Pressure appears again, and once again, it helps stall out opponents who strike at its high Special Defense.
Recommended Moves
Sacred Fire is Ho-oh's signature move, and doubles as its primary physical Fire attack. Yes, physical. For whatever reason, Sacred Fire does physical damage, likely to take advantage of its higher Attack stat. There's really no other reason for it. It does heavy damage, but more importantly, that 50% burn rate can really mess up an opponent. Brave Bird is its primary physical Flying attack, and also does massive damage. The recoil can hurt, though. Ho-oh does have special options on the Fire side in the form of Flamethrower, Heat Wave, Fire Blast, and Overheat (although the last one is a non-replenishable TM), and can use them fairly well thanks to a fairly high base Special Attack. There isn't really anything in the way of special Flying attacks, though.
With the ability to hit hard on both the physical and special side of the spectrum, it's a good thing Ho-oh has a healthy choice of secondary attacks to choose from. We can't mention the physical side without bringing up Earthquake. Punishment is an interesting attack, and can really hurt anyone who tries to stat-up against you. Zen Headbutt and Iron Head are additional options for those interested, as is Return. On the Special side, Thunderbolt and Thunder work well, depending on whether rain might be seen around or not. Other workable moves include Shadow Ball, Earth Power, Extrasensory/Psychic, and the weather-dependent Solarbeam and Weather Ball.
Recover is the main way Ho-oh will be healing itself without resorting to using non-replenishable TMs.
Whirlwind is best used with entry hazards on the field.
Reflect helps cover Ho-oh's weaker Defense stat, while Light Screen makes Ho-oh nearly impenetrable to special attacks. Safeguard protects Ho-oh from status. All three can also be used to support the team.
Toxic is an option to stall enemies out. Thunder Wave can also cripple opponents, and might be especially helpful due to Ho-oh's comparatively low Speed.
Calm Mind is another way Ho-oh can boost its stats.
Substitute is a great move, as always.
Generally speaking, Ho-oh functions best when strong sunlight is available. It can supply its own sunlight with Sunny Day, but overall, it's probably better to just let Groudon light up the arena.
Teammates
Ho-oh loves sunlight, and as such, Groudon makes a great teammate. As a bonus, Ho-oh can soak up Grass-type attacks launched at Groudon (as well as special-type Ice attacks, with the bonus that if it were to get frozen, using Sacred Fire thaws it out). Meanwhile, Groudon takes the Electric and Rock attacks Ho-oh hates. Stealth Rock, if it were to appear, could be a real pain, and as such, a Rapid Spinner is also handy. In competitive battling, a Forretress is the most common teammate used for such.
Effective Movesets
1. Substitute/Recover
- Sacred Fire
- Brave Bird
- Substitute
- Recover
Item: Life Orb/Leftovers
Comments: Use Life Orb for power, Leftovers to be a resilient attacker.
2. Three Attacks
- Sacred Fire
- Brave Bird
- Earthquake
- Recover
Item: Leftovers
Comments: To be used more as a defensive Pokemon, hence no Life Orb. Earthquake gives it some much-needed coverage.
3. Choice Band
- Sacred Fire
- Brave Bird
- Earthquake
- Punishment
Item: Choice Band/Choice Scarf
Comments: With two attacks, it is a powerful Substitute abuser. With three attacks, a near-unbreakable special-defensive tank with great coverage. With four attacks, a threatening Choice user.
4. Choice Specs
- Fire Blast
- Thunder/Thunderbolt
- Shadow Ball
- Earth Power
Item: Choice Specs
Comments: 110 base Sp. Atk makes Ho-oh quite a threat on the special side, too.
5. Mixed Choice Scarf
- Sacred Fire
- Thunder
- Earthquake
- Punishment/Brave Bird
Item: Choice Scarf
6. Calm Mind
- Calm Mind
- Flamethrower
- Thunder/Thunderbolt
- Recover
7. Toxic Staller
- Toxic
- Light Screen
- Sacred Fire
- Recover
8. Thunder Wave
- Sacred Fire
- Brave Bird
- Thunder Wave
- Recover
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Pokemon Focus: #249 - Lugia
Introduction
Our first true Uber Pokemon, Lugia is the star legendary of Silver, including SoulSilver. It is one of our favorite "ultimate legendaries", with a fairly unique typing and access to one of the coolest moves ever, Aeroblast. It is also probably the best defensive Pokemon ever, with such ridiculously high defensive stats that it is near impossible to take it down.
Capture/Training
A change has been made to the Lugia quest in SoulSilver. First, it now requires the help of the Kimono Girls, whom you fight after getting the eighth badge. Second, it is no longer an optional quest; for some reason or another, Lugia must be fought down in Whirl Islands.
It will be at Level 45, ready to take all the hits you can throw at it and Aeroblast your team to shreds... well, until it runs out of PP for that move, that is. For an extra challenge, we will likely attempt to capture it with only either a Friend Ball or a Luxury Ball, which is much like trying to capture Lugia with only a Poke Ball. (With only a 2% success rate at most, that should be fun...)
Don't even bother soft-resetting for a good nature.
Stats
106 HP, 90 Atk, 130 Def, 90 Sp. Atk, 154 Sp. Def, 110 Spd.
Ridiculous defensive stats here. Use them well.
HP and Speed are the best places for some stat distribution, though they can go elsewhere as well.
Abilities
Pressure is a great ability on a defensive Pokemon, and Lugia is pretty much the epitome of a defensive Pokemon.
Moves
In-game Lugia vs. competitive Lugia are entirely different beasts. What would be a solid competitive set tends to lack something in-game, whereas an in-game set would likely not work so well competitively. Since Lugia is forbidden in the Battle Frontier, its use will solely be in the realms of the world it is in.
As far as primary attacks go, it's hard to imagine Lugia without Aeroblast. It is its signature move, and even if its Special Attack isn't quite so good due to a bad nature, it can still hurt thanks to its high critical-hit ratio. While Extrasensory is available to tide your Psychic-type needs, Psychic is the preferred option in this regard. Lugia's Attack is the same as its Special Attack, so if Lugia hates special attacks for whatever reason, Fly and Zen Headbutt are acceptable alternatives for in-game battling. Sky Attack might work out now and then in-game, but with its two-turn charge, it really relies on its critical-hit and flinch rates to make up for that lost turn.
Lugia gets a bunch of secondary attacks. We'll first cover the special side. Being the King of the Sea, it makes sense that Lugia gets Water attacks, and both Surf and Hydro Pump are in its repertoire. It also has Ice Beam and Thunderbolt for the infamous BoltBeam combination, as well as their less-accurate variants Blizzard and Thunder for use in the weather conditions under which they hit without fail. Speaking of weather, Weather Ball is a quirky but effective move that ensures Lugia has a move for any weather. Shadow Ball, Charge Beam, Dragon Pulse, Ominous Wind, Ancientpower, Earth Power, Signal Beam, and of course Hidden Power make up the rest of its notable Special movepool.
On the Physical side, Lugia completes its Water-move coverage with Waterfall. Earthquake remains a staple move. Punishment is an interesting move, as it hurts stat-boosters really badly. Combining Waterfall with Return is an option. Avalanche isn't a horrible attack, as Lugia definitely can take hits. Finally, Iron Head is probably most notable for its flinch-rate.
Lugia has an amazing set of support moves as well. A defensive wall like Lugia only becomes harder to take down when recovery moves come into play. Roost would be preferable, except it is learned by a one-time-use TM, so the level-up move Recover might be preferable in-game. Lugia can also Rest-Sleep Talk if it so desires.
Whirlwind is a fun level-up move in Lugia's repertoire. Use it against stat-boosters to force out their stat changes, or use it along with entry hazards to rack up passive damage while Lugia takes hits.
Lugia gets the full set of protective screens. Reflect nicely complements its high Special Defense and truly makes Lugia tough to take down. Light Screen just makes Lugia impossible to defeat with special attacks. Safeguard keeps Lugia safe from status problems. All three can also be used to help the team.
Calm Mind is a way to make Lugia an offensive powerhouse, while at the same time increasing its ability to take special hits.
Thunder Wave and Toxic are both ways Lugia can cripple opponents, either making them easier to take down or draining their health while they try to attack you.
Trick can be used on competitive Choice sets to mess up an enemy. However, unless you have lots of spare Choice Bands/Specs, it is inadvisable to use it in-game.
General Moveset: In-Game
- Aeroblast
- Calm Mind/Reflect
- (secondary attack)
- (support move)
Just a sort of general blueprint for Lugia's attacks in-game.
Items
Leftovers works best, healing Lugia constantly and making it even harder to break through.
Our first true Uber Pokemon, Lugia is the star legendary of Silver, including SoulSilver. It is one of our favorite "ultimate legendaries", with a fairly unique typing and access to one of the coolest moves ever, Aeroblast. It is also probably the best defensive Pokemon ever, with such ridiculously high defensive stats that it is near impossible to take it down.
Capture/Training
A change has been made to the Lugia quest in SoulSilver. First, it now requires the help of the Kimono Girls, whom you fight after getting the eighth badge. Second, it is no longer an optional quest; for some reason or another, Lugia must be fought down in Whirl Islands.
It will be at Level 45, ready to take all the hits you can throw at it and Aeroblast your team to shreds... well, until it runs out of PP for that move, that is. For an extra challenge, we will likely attempt to capture it with only either a Friend Ball or a Luxury Ball, which is much like trying to capture Lugia with only a Poke Ball. (With only a 2% success rate at most, that should be fun...)
Don't even bother soft-resetting for a good nature.
Stats
106 HP, 90 Atk, 130 Def, 90 Sp. Atk, 154 Sp. Def, 110 Spd.
Ridiculous defensive stats here. Use them well.
HP and Speed are the best places for some stat distribution, though they can go elsewhere as well.
Abilities
Pressure is a great ability on a defensive Pokemon, and Lugia is pretty much the epitome of a defensive Pokemon.
Moves
In-game Lugia vs. competitive Lugia are entirely different beasts. What would be a solid competitive set tends to lack something in-game, whereas an in-game set would likely not work so well competitively. Since Lugia is forbidden in the Battle Frontier, its use will solely be in the realms of the world it is in.
As far as primary attacks go, it's hard to imagine Lugia without Aeroblast. It is its signature move, and even if its Special Attack isn't quite so good due to a bad nature, it can still hurt thanks to its high critical-hit ratio. While Extrasensory is available to tide your Psychic-type needs, Psychic is the preferred option in this regard. Lugia's Attack is the same as its Special Attack, so if Lugia hates special attacks for whatever reason, Fly and Zen Headbutt are acceptable alternatives for in-game battling. Sky Attack might work out now and then in-game, but with its two-turn charge, it really relies on its critical-hit and flinch rates to make up for that lost turn.
Lugia gets a bunch of secondary attacks. We'll first cover the special side. Being the King of the Sea, it makes sense that Lugia gets Water attacks, and both Surf and Hydro Pump are in its repertoire. It also has Ice Beam and Thunderbolt for the infamous BoltBeam combination, as well as their less-accurate variants Blizzard and Thunder for use in the weather conditions under which they hit without fail. Speaking of weather, Weather Ball is a quirky but effective move that ensures Lugia has a move for any weather. Shadow Ball, Charge Beam, Dragon Pulse, Ominous Wind, Ancientpower, Earth Power, Signal Beam, and of course Hidden Power make up the rest of its notable Special movepool.
On the Physical side, Lugia completes its Water-move coverage with Waterfall. Earthquake remains a staple move. Punishment is an interesting move, as it hurts stat-boosters really badly. Combining Waterfall with Return is an option. Avalanche isn't a horrible attack, as Lugia definitely can take hits. Finally, Iron Head is probably most notable for its flinch-rate.
Lugia has an amazing set of support moves as well. A defensive wall like Lugia only becomes harder to take down when recovery moves come into play. Roost would be preferable, except it is learned by a one-time-use TM, so the level-up move Recover might be preferable in-game. Lugia can also Rest-Sleep Talk if it so desires.
Whirlwind is a fun level-up move in Lugia's repertoire. Use it against stat-boosters to force out their stat changes, or use it along with entry hazards to rack up passive damage while Lugia takes hits.
Lugia gets the full set of protective screens. Reflect nicely complements its high Special Defense and truly makes Lugia tough to take down. Light Screen just makes Lugia impossible to defeat with special attacks. Safeguard keeps Lugia safe from status problems. All three can also be used to help the team.
Calm Mind is a way to make Lugia an offensive powerhouse, while at the same time increasing its ability to take special hits.
Thunder Wave and Toxic are both ways Lugia can cripple opponents, either making them easier to take down or draining their health while they try to attack you.
Trick can be used on competitive Choice sets to mess up an enemy. However, unless you have lots of spare Choice Bands/Specs, it is inadvisable to use it in-game.
General Moveset: In-Game
- Aeroblast
- Calm Mind/Reflect
- (secondary attack)
- (support move)
Just a sort of general blueprint for Lugia's attacks in-game.
Items
Leftovers works best, healing Lugia constantly and making it even harder to break through.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Pokemon Focus: #245 - Suicune
Introduction
Suicune, the star of Pokemon Crystal. Crystal was the first game to bring about two notable additions to the Pokemon series. First, the ability to play as a girl. Second, the inclusion of the infamous Battle Tower, which has become a staple of the series ever since. But yeah... anyways, as it turns out, the remakes of HG/SS will incorporate many elements from Crystal. Alas, the female protagonist is gone (or otherwise re-designed), but Lyra is plenty good on her own. The Battle Tower has been expanded into the Battle Frontier of Platinum. But the most notable mixture of Crystal into the remakes is the inclusion of Eusine and the Suicune storyline. It's been mixed up a bit, but it's nice to know that our favorite water-beast is not one we have to chase around Johto...
Suicune is a defensive specialist. Her stats, as well as a typing that has few weaknesses, help her take numerous hits, while her ability makes sure that her enemies are punished for their futile attempts to weaken her. Meanwhile, with the help of Calm Mind, it can become an offensive powerhouse, too.
Capture/Training
While most of the Suicune storyline follows that of Crystal, it eventually diverges as Suicune actually cannot be caught before the trip to Kanto. Once there, it can be found on Route 25, after Misty returns to the gym. It will be at level 45 and is as tough as you'd expect a Legendary to be to capture, so be ready for it. Only the most patient should even attempt anything resembling soft-resets for a good nature.
Stats
100 HP, 75 Atk, 115 Def, 90 Sp. Atk, 115 Sp. Def, 85 Spd
With some of the best defensive stats on the non-Uber side of competitive battling, Suicune is almost guaranteed to be a pain to take down.
A standard defensive set will have stat distribution geared towards HP and Defense, since Calm Mind will kick up its Special Defense plenty. More offensive variations tend to focus on Special Attack and Speed instead. Usually, Attack-hindering Natures are preferable, since Suicune will usually be using special attacks; to that note, whether the boosted stat is Defense, Special Attack, or Speed depends on whether Suicune is playing a defensive or offensive role.
Abilities
Pressure is one of those abilities whose usefulness really depends on the Pokemon. It gets massive distribution, but there are many for whom the ability is kind of pointless, as the Pokemon in question dies quickly and doesn't get to sap a whole lot of power points in the process. On the other hand, there are defensive Pokemon who use the ability quite well, stalling out opponents until they run out of PP. Suicune is probably one of the single most effective users of Pressure out there, since its defensive stats are so high. With a ridiculous amount of staying power, Suicune can effectively nullify many threats simply by existing.
Moves
When it comes to a primary Water attack, you can't go wrong with Surf. At all. Hydro Pump is a possibility if you want more power, but the reliability of Surf is too good to pass up, and usually, Calm Mind will provide you with all the power you need.
Not all variations of Suicune will use a secondary attack (at least one tries to hit everything with Surf and lets teammates take care of type coverage issues), but for those seeking one, Ice Beam is definitely a good starting place. It doesn't really have much else: to wit, Extrasensory, Shadow Ball, Signal Beam, and of course, Hidden Power.
Mirror Coat is a nice move that can surprise Suicune's special attacking-opponents.
As the old saying went back in 3rd Gen, Calm Mind Suicune has no weak. Except now that the physical/special split occured and whatnot, now even a CM Suicune could potentially be hurt pretty badly by super-effective physical moves. Still, Calm Mind provides the core of Suicune's defensive and offensive capabilities, and is a staple of almost every set.
Suicune doesn't have anything in the way of reliable recovery, but it does make good use of Rest. Thanks to Pressure and good defenses, it can heal off damage and drain opponents' PP at the same time. Combined with Sleep Talk for a chance at actually launching an attack, it's a pretty formidable combination.
Before Suicune became the star of its own version, it was a roaming Pokemon, and learned Roar by level-up to screw over those who thought they could just Mean Look-trap it to keep it from running away. It can still learn the move by TM, and can use it to shuffle opponents around. It works best with entry hazards laying around.
Substitute is another move that works well with Suicune. Reflect can be used on a set as well to further help its physical defense.
Tailwind works best in Double Battles. Rain Dance can be a good team-supporting move. Suicune does have a couple other moves that Pokemon generally get, like Toxic and Protect that are usable but not optimal.
Moveset 1: "Crocune"
- Surf
- Calm Mind
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
One of those sets that has become infamous within the competitive battling scene, Crocune involves using Calm Mind to boost up Suicune's Special Defense, then Rest-stalling the opponent out, using Sleep Talk for a 1-in-3 chance of launching a super-powered Surf at the opponent. Despite relying on a single attack, it can be quite effective. Be sure to have something to take care of Water Absorbers, though.
General Moveset
- (primary Water attack)
- Calm Mind
- (secondary attack)/(support move)
- (secondary attack)/(support move)
Suicune's effective movepool is small but focused and effective. Calm Mind can be given up for Rest for a more standard Sleep Talk set.
Items
Leftovers is the way to go. It replenishes Suicune's HP over time and makes it that much harder to take down. A Life Orb can be used on a primarily-offensive Suicune. A Suicune providing Rain Dance support can use a Damp Rock.
Suicune, the star of Pokemon Crystal. Crystal was the first game to bring about two notable additions to the Pokemon series. First, the ability to play as a girl. Second, the inclusion of the infamous Battle Tower, which has become a staple of the series ever since. But yeah... anyways, as it turns out, the remakes of HG/SS will incorporate many elements from Crystal. Alas, the female protagonist is gone (or otherwise re-designed), but Lyra is plenty good on her own. The Battle Tower has been expanded into the Battle Frontier of Platinum. But the most notable mixture of Crystal into the remakes is the inclusion of Eusine and the Suicune storyline. It's been mixed up a bit, but it's nice to know that our favorite water-beast is not one we have to chase around Johto...
Suicune is a defensive specialist. Her stats, as well as a typing that has few weaknesses, help her take numerous hits, while her ability makes sure that her enemies are punished for their futile attempts to weaken her. Meanwhile, with the help of Calm Mind, it can become an offensive powerhouse, too.
Capture/Training
While most of the Suicune storyline follows that of Crystal, it eventually diverges as Suicune actually cannot be caught before the trip to Kanto. Once there, it can be found on Route 25, after Misty returns to the gym. It will be at level 45 and is as tough as you'd expect a Legendary to be to capture, so be ready for it. Only the most patient should even attempt anything resembling soft-resets for a good nature.
Stats
100 HP, 75 Atk, 115 Def, 90 Sp. Atk, 115 Sp. Def, 85 Spd
With some of the best defensive stats on the non-Uber side of competitive battling, Suicune is almost guaranteed to be a pain to take down.
A standard defensive set will have stat distribution geared towards HP and Defense, since Calm Mind will kick up its Special Defense plenty. More offensive variations tend to focus on Special Attack and Speed instead. Usually, Attack-hindering Natures are preferable, since Suicune will usually be using special attacks; to that note, whether the boosted stat is Defense, Special Attack, or Speed depends on whether Suicune is playing a defensive or offensive role.
Abilities
Pressure is one of those abilities whose usefulness really depends on the Pokemon. It gets massive distribution, but there are many for whom the ability is kind of pointless, as the Pokemon in question dies quickly and doesn't get to sap a whole lot of power points in the process. On the other hand, there are defensive Pokemon who use the ability quite well, stalling out opponents until they run out of PP. Suicune is probably one of the single most effective users of Pressure out there, since its defensive stats are so high. With a ridiculous amount of staying power, Suicune can effectively nullify many threats simply by existing.
Moves
When it comes to a primary Water attack, you can't go wrong with Surf. At all. Hydro Pump is a possibility if you want more power, but the reliability of Surf is too good to pass up, and usually, Calm Mind will provide you with all the power you need.
Not all variations of Suicune will use a secondary attack (at least one tries to hit everything with Surf and lets teammates take care of type coverage issues), but for those seeking one, Ice Beam is definitely a good starting place. It doesn't really have much else: to wit, Extrasensory, Shadow Ball, Signal Beam, and of course, Hidden Power.
Mirror Coat is a nice move that can surprise Suicune's special attacking-opponents.
As the old saying went back in 3rd Gen, Calm Mind Suicune has no weak. Except now that the physical/special split occured and whatnot, now even a CM Suicune could potentially be hurt pretty badly by super-effective physical moves. Still, Calm Mind provides the core of Suicune's defensive and offensive capabilities, and is a staple of almost every set.
Suicune doesn't have anything in the way of reliable recovery, but it does make good use of Rest. Thanks to Pressure and good defenses, it can heal off damage and drain opponents' PP at the same time. Combined with Sleep Talk for a chance at actually launching an attack, it's a pretty formidable combination.
Before Suicune became the star of its own version, it was a roaming Pokemon, and learned Roar by level-up to screw over those who thought they could just Mean Look-trap it to keep it from running away. It can still learn the move by TM, and can use it to shuffle opponents around. It works best with entry hazards laying around.
Substitute is another move that works well with Suicune. Reflect can be used on a set as well to further help its physical defense.
Tailwind works best in Double Battles. Rain Dance can be a good team-supporting move. Suicune does have a couple other moves that Pokemon generally get, like Toxic and Protect that are usable but not optimal.
Moveset 1: "Crocune"
- Surf
- Calm Mind
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
One of those sets that has become infamous within the competitive battling scene, Crocune involves using Calm Mind to boost up Suicune's Special Defense, then Rest-stalling the opponent out, using Sleep Talk for a 1-in-3 chance of launching a super-powered Surf at the opponent. Despite relying on a single attack, it can be quite effective. Be sure to have something to take care of Water Absorbers, though.
General Moveset
- (primary Water attack)
- Calm Mind
- (secondary attack)/(support move)
- (secondary attack)/(support move)
Suicune's effective movepool is small but focused and effective. Calm Mind can be given up for Rest for a more standard Sleep Talk set.
Items
Leftovers is the way to go. It replenishes Suicune's HP over time and makes it that much harder to take down. A Life Orb can be used on a primarily-offensive Suicune. A Suicune providing Rain Dance support can use a Damp Rock.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Ability Review, Part 1: Adaptability - Chlorophyll
Adaptability
Effect: Increases the STAB multiplier from 1.5x to 2x. Mathematically, that is a 1.33x boost in power to any STAB attack.
How to use: Theoretically, this ability was meant to be used with Conversion, giving one of Porygon-Z's non-Normal attacks extra power. In practice, it's just used to kick the power of its Normal-type attacks, namely Tri Attack, to ridiculous levels. It can also be used on Eevee for Little Cup competitions, where it can maul opponents with Quick Attacks and Returns.
Users:
No Competition:
Eevee (Run Away)
Mild Competition
Porygon-Z (Download) - See comments below.
Infamous Users:
Porygon-Z: This is the ability that makes Porygon-Z an absolute beast. An Adaptability-boosted Tri Attack really hurts, especially from its base 135 Special Attack. As if that wasn't enough, the ability also gives it super-powered Returns that can surprise special walls, as well as a Hyper Beam that, with a Nasty Plot boost, is capable of one-shotting Blissey. Fearsome, indeed. Speaking of Nasty Plot, though, this is an important consideration: a Special Attack boost from Download will do more than Adaptability as far as damage output goes, unless Nasty Plot is used. Then, Adaptability will always be superior (2.67x damage vs. 2.5x damage). When choosing the ability, remember their individual weaknesses: Adaptability will only boost Normal-type moves, while Download only works if you switch into a special-defense-weak opponent.
Eevee (Little Cup): Eevee is the only other benefactor of Adaptability, but it uses it to great effect in the Little Cup, where a base 80-power Quick Attack can really hurt... and that's to say nothing if it lands that base 204-power Return!
Tracers: A Porygon2 tracing Adaptability is essentially a lesser PorygonZ. Now, a Gardevoir that traces the move can quickly become something to fear: a base 180-power Psychic coming from base 125 Special Attack can pretty much obliterate any opponent that does not have Dark in its typing.
Overall: A rare ability, and a useful one to those who get it.
Aftermath
Effect: If hit by a contact move, the opponent loses 25% HP. (Note: Will not work on Damp Pokemon.) The effect is decent; its best use is to punish anyone attempting a strategy revolving around Flail, Reversal, Endeavor, or possibly pinch berries, as their sweep will be ground to a halt when their attack knocks out the last of their <25% HP all of a sudden.
How to use: Enjoy it when it kicks in, really. Drifblim might use it to take down a weakened physical Dark-attacker, while Skuntank might use it to stop a Flail/Reversal user.
Users:
No Competition:
Skuntank (Stench)
Moderate Competition:
Drifblim (Unburden) - This depends on whether your strategy relies on losing an item or not. Berry-based Drifblim will do better with Unburden, but if Drifblim plans on holding on to its item, it will prefer Aftermath.
Infamous Users: None.
Overall: Decent, but not particularly common nor useful enough to revolve a strategy around.
Air Lock
Effect: Nullifies the effects of weather while the Pokemon is in play. (Weather proceeds as normal with the turn counter decreasing normally.)
How to use: If the enemy is seriously causing weather-related troubles, see if you can switch this guy in and knock out the offending threat.
Users:
Only ability: Rayquaza
Infamous Users: Rayquaza - Its signature ability, it can be used to put a grinding halt to any weather-based team.
Overall: Not a bad ability, especially in the weather-heavy Uber tier. It's not particularly noteworthy either, though.
Anger Point
Effect: If hit by a Critical Hit, Pokemon's Attack skyrockets to its maximum level. This applies even if said attack hits a Substitute (which, all things considered, is the only method to even attempt a controlled activation of the ability). This ability is found on Pokemon that generally have better abilities to use. However, should you want to run it after all, it's hardly bad, as if the ability kicks in, you're pretty much in a position to make a clean sweep.
How to use: Use Substitute and hope for that crit. With Leftovers, one can expect about a 27% chance; without it, a 22% chance, but you can use a Salac Berry to dodge fast revenge-killers.
Users:
Serious Competition:
Primeape (Vital Spirit)
Tauros (Anger Point)
Overall: More of a novelty ability than anything, though by no means a bad novelty ability.
Anticipation
Effect: A message displays if the opponent has a super-effective attack, a OHKO move, or Selfdestruct/Explosion. However, it will not detect super-effective Hidden Powers, Natural Gifts, or Weather Balls, and does "detect" Beat Up, Future Sight, and Doom Desire if they are "super-effective".
How to use: If you get alerted to the existence of such a move, first try to think what that move is. Then, consider if the opponent might have a Hidden Power that escaped anticipation. React accordingly. Actually, likely the more useful aspect of this ability is when it does *not* activate, letting you possibly fight a foe with more confidence.
Users:
Only ability:
Wormadam
Little competition:
Whiscash (Oblivious) - Attraction is so uncommon, you might as well forget about it.
Serious competition:
Toxicroak (Dry Skin) - In general, that Water-immunity from Dry Skin is too valuable to pass up. However, if running a team that works in sunlight, this ability is preferable.
Infamous user: Whiscash - Probably the Pokemon that best likes this ability, Whiscash can use it to scout for Energy Balls and Solarbeams on Fire-types and whatnot. Remember, though, that any special attacker just might be carrying Hidden Power Grass. (Probably not in-game, though.)
Overall: Whiscash likes it, Wormadam has no other choice, and Toxicroak has a better choice in most circumstances. Overall, a decent but not horribly ground-breaking ability. Notably, though, it's an ability that's possibly more useful when it does *not* activate.
Arena Trap
Effect: Any Pokemon that could be hurt by a Ground-type attack (a.k.a. any Pokemon excluding Flying-types and Pokemon with Levitate) will be trapped and cannot escape unless the Pokemon with the ability switches out, or the opponent uses a Shed Shell, Baton Pass, or U-Turn.
How to use: In theory, it's all quite simple: switch in, then KO because the opponent can't switch out. In practice, there are a couple of possible kinks that you'll need to strategically work out, but nevertheless, it's extremely effective.
Users:
Little Competition:
Dugtrio
Trapinch
Infamous Users:
Dugtrio: Hoo boy. This is Dugtrio's true key as a competitive battler. Arena Trap means if it is a counter to something and it can switch in, it can completely shut down its opponent. That said, its defenses are not strong at all, so it cannot be taking hits. Switch in on Electric attacks and Thunder Wave, but beware if the opponent decides to try something else instead. Or, just use it as a revenge killer. High Speed and access to the Sucker Punch priority move are two additional points to this trapper. Oh, and if it has Gravity support, Arceus help its opponent. Gravity means not even Flyers and Levitators can escape its trap, and in return, it can just Earthquake everyone into oblivion.
Trapinch: A much lesser option due to much worse defenses and speed. It does have a nice base 100 Attack, and it is best at countering Steel-types, namely Steelix and Registeel.
Field Effect: Doubles encounter rate of wild Pokemon when at the front of the party.
Overall: Arena Trap is one of those abilities that is absolutely key in making its primary user as useful as it is. It is a trapping ability through and through, and is effective at what it does, making it a great ability.
Bad Dreams
Effect: Inflicts 1/8 HP damage on sleeping opponents.
How to use: Use Dark Void. Profit. While not competitively the best idea, if you want to be mean, throw in a Nightmare as well.
Users:
Only ability: Darkrai
Infamous users: Darkrai - Bad Dreams synergizes well with its signature move, Dark Void. It negates Leftovers and makes life difficult for Sleep Talkers, as well as any unfortunate victims of the void. It's less useful where the Sleep Clause is active; where it's not, it's dangerous. Also, remember that Pokemon put to sleep tend to switch out: hence, Pursuit.
Overall: A signature ability that works with a great signature move.
Battle Armor
Effect: Prevents critical hits.
How to use: Take solace in the fact that you won't be suddenly knocked out by a random critical hit. Decent on defensive builds.
Users:
Only ability: Armaldo
Moderate competition: Kabutops (Swift Swim) - SS is obviously better if rain support is available. If not, go ahead and use Battle Armor.
Significant competition: Drapion (Sniper) - Drapion does make a decent defensive Pokemon, and such a build can use Battle Armor. Otherwise, Sniper is better.
Overall: Not a bad ability by any means. In a game where a crit can mean the difference between a win and a loss, an immunity to such can at the very least be some peace of mind.
Blaze
Effect: At less than 1/3 HP, Fire moves increase 1.5x in power.
How to use: Aside from just enjoying it as it comes, the best way to purposefully use this ability is to use Substitute until you hit the 1/3 marker. For extra effect, combine with a pinch berry and get a stat boost (preferably Speed) to go with your power boost, and you're set to sweep! Just watch out for priority attackers.
Users:
Only ability:
Charizard
Typhlosion
Blaziken
Infernape
Infamous users:
Charizard: Substitute + Belly Drum + Salac Berry + Fire Punch = death. Just make sure Stealth Rock is off the field.
Typhlosion: After its taken hits enough that Eruption is no longer useful, a Blaze-boosted secondary Fire attack comes close in power.
Blazkien: Can Substitute/Endure, Swords Dance, Salac Berry, and Reversal... and use a killer Blaze Kick on anyone that resists Reversal. Hot stuff.
Infernape: Its love of Life Orb and Focus Sash means Infernape is very likely to get into that last third, making its already-superpowerful Fire moves even deadlier.
Overall: Blaze, like Torrent and Overgrow, is standard on starters, and extremely useful whether you intentionally bring your Pokemon down to that last third or it ended up there from taking some hits.
Chlorophyll
Effect: Speed doubles in Sunlight.
How to use: ...Oh dear. The big thing with this ability is, a lot of the Pokemon that get it have rather low Speed stats that really hinder its use. With this ability, if Sunlight is active, that Speed issue tends to be a non-issue. This tends to result in bad news for the opponent. But really, when an ability is partially the source of an entire team archetype, you know something is up.
Users:
Only ability:
Vileplume
Bellossom
Victreebel
Exeggutor
Little competition:
Jumpluff (Leaf Guard) - Really, Jumpluff is a bit too frail to be taking status, anyways.
Shiftry (Early Bird) - Too frail to abuse Rest.
Tropius (Solar Power) - Generally speaking, it needs speed more than it needs power.
Moderate competition:
Tangrowth (Leaf Guard)
Sunflora (Solar Power)
Infamous users:
Jumpluff - This is the exception to the "slow Pokemon get Chlorophyll" rule: Jumpluff is actually really fast, with base 110 Speed... with Chlorophyll, nothing outruns it. With pitiful attacking stats, it will have to stick with support moves, but it does have a nice selection of those. Its high speed makes it a great lead to set off the sunlight from the get-go, too.
Shiftry - Finding a balance between speed and power, Shiftry falls somewhere in the middle of the whole mess. While not the most powerful, its base 90 Special Attack and base 100 Attack means it can do a fair amount of damage. Watch out.
Everyone else (except Sunflora and Tropius) - Everyone else gets speed boosts that really help offset their low Speed stats. Many are heavy hitters on the Special side, and can launch absolutely devastating Solarbeams.
Overall: For giving many Pokemon a way to compensate for low Speed, as well as helping develop an entire team archetype, Chlorophyll is definitely a great ability. If you are using a Sunny Day team, use this ability well.
Effect: Increases the STAB multiplier from 1.5x to 2x. Mathematically, that is a 1.33x boost in power to any STAB attack.
How to use: Theoretically, this ability was meant to be used with Conversion, giving one of Porygon-Z's non-Normal attacks extra power. In practice, it's just used to kick the power of its Normal-type attacks, namely Tri Attack, to ridiculous levels. It can also be used on Eevee for Little Cup competitions, where it can maul opponents with Quick Attacks and Returns.
Users:
No Competition:
Eevee (Run Away)
Mild Competition
Porygon-Z (Download) - See comments below.
Infamous Users:
Porygon-Z: This is the ability that makes Porygon-Z an absolute beast. An Adaptability-boosted Tri Attack really hurts, especially from its base 135 Special Attack. As if that wasn't enough, the ability also gives it super-powered Returns that can surprise special walls, as well as a Hyper Beam that, with a Nasty Plot boost, is capable of one-shotting Blissey. Fearsome, indeed. Speaking of Nasty Plot, though, this is an important consideration: a Special Attack boost from Download will do more than Adaptability as far as damage output goes, unless Nasty Plot is used. Then, Adaptability will always be superior (2.67x damage vs. 2.5x damage). When choosing the ability, remember their individual weaknesses: Adaptability will only boost Normal-type moves, while Download only works if you switch into a special-defense-weak opponent.
Eevee (Little Cup): Eevee is the only other benefactor of Adaptability, but it uses it to great effect in the Little Cup, where a base 80-power Quick Attack can really hurt... and that's to say nothing if it lands that base 204-power Return!
Tracers: A Porygon2 tracing Adaptability is essentially a lesser PorygonZ. Now, a Gardevoir that traces the move can quickly become something to fear: a base 180-power Psychic coming from base 125 Special Attack can pretty much obliterate any opponent that does not have Dark in its typing.
Overall: A rare ability, and a useful one to those who get it.
Aftermath
Effect: If hit by a contact move, the opponent loses 25% HP. (Note: Will not work on Damp Pokemon.) The effect is decent; its best use is to punish anyone attempting a strategy revolving around Flail, Reversal, Endeavor, or possibly pinch berries, as their sweep will be ground to a halt when their attack knocks out the last of their <25% HP all of a sudden.
How to use: Enjoy it when it kicks in, really. Drifblim might use it to take down a weakened physical Dark-attacker, while Skuntank might use it to stop a Flail/Reversal user.
Users:
No Competition:
Skuntank (Stench)
Moderate Competition:
Drifblim (Unburden) - This depends on whether your strategy relies on losing an item or not. Berry-based Drifblim will do better with Unburden, but if Drifblim plans on holding on to its item, it will prefer Aftermath.
Infamous Users: None.
Overall: Decent, but not particularly common nor useful enough to revolve a strategy around.
Air Lock
Effect: Nullifies the effects of weather while the Pokemon is in play. (Weather proceeds as normal with the turn counter decreasing normally.)
How to use: If the enemy is seriously causing weather-related troubles, see if you can switch this guy in and knock out the offending threat.
Users:
Only ability: Rayquaza
Infamous Users: Rayquaza - Its signature ability, it can be used to put a grinding halt to any weather-based team.
Overall: Not a bad ability, especially in the weather-heavy Uber tier. It's not particularly noteworthy either, though.
Anger Point
Effect: If hit by a Critical Hit, Pokemon's Attack skyrockets to its maximum level. This applies even if said attack hits a Substitute (which, all things considered, is the only method to even attempt a controlled activation of the ability). This ability is found on Pokemon that generally have better abilities to use. However, should you want to run it after all, it's hardly bad, as if the ability kicks in, you're pretty much in a position to make a clean sweep.
How to use: Use Substitute and hope for that crit. With Leftovers, one can expect about a 27% chance; without it, a 22% chance, but you can use a Salac Berry to dodge fast revenge-killers.
Users:
Serious Competition:
Primeape (Vital Spirit)
Tauros (Anger Point)
Overall: More of a novelty ability than anything, though by no means a bad novelty ability.
Anticipation
Effect: A message displays if the opponent has a super-effective attack, a OHKO move, or Selfdestruct/Explosion. However, it will not detect super-effective Hidden Powers, Natural Gifts, or Weather Balls, and does "detect" Beat Up, Future Sight, and Doom Desire if they are "super-effective".
How to use: If you get alerted to the existence of such a move, first try to think what that move is. Then, consider if the opponent might have a Hidden Power that escaped anticipation. React accordingly. Actually, likely the more useful aspect of this ability is when it does *not* activate, letting you possibly fight a foe with more confidence.
Users:
Only ability:
Wormadam
Little competition:
Whiscash (Oblivious) - Attraction is so uncommon, you might as well forget about it.
Serious competition:
Toxicroak (Dry Skin) - In general, that Water-immunity from Dry Skin is too valuable to pass up. However, if running a team that works in sunlight, this ability is preferable.
Infamous user: Whiscash - Probably the Pokemon that best likes this ability, Whiscash can use it to scout for Energy Balls and Solarbeams on Fire-types and whatnot. Remember, though, that any special attacker just might be carrying Hidden Power Grass. (Probably not in-game, though.)
Overall: Whiscash likes it, Wormadam has no other choice, and Toxicroak has a better choice in most circumstances. Overall, a decent but not horribly ground-breaking ability. Notably, though, it's an ability that's possibly more useful when it does *not* activate.
Arena Trap
Effect: Any Pokemon that could be hurt by a Ground-type attack (a.k.a. any Pokemon excluding Flying-types and Pokemon with Levitate) will be trapped and cannot escape unless the Pokemon with the ability switches out, or the opponent uses a Shed Shell, Baton Pass, or U-Turn.
How to use: In theory, it's all quite simple: switch in, then KO because the opponent can't switch out. In practice, there are a couple of possible kinks that you'll need to strategically work out, but nevertheless, it's extremely effective.
Users:
Little Competition:
Dugtrio
Trapinch
Infamous Users:
Dugtrio: Hoo boy. This is Dugtrio's true key as a competitive battler. Arena Trap means if it is a counter to something and it can switch in, it can completely shut down its opponent. That said, its defenses are not strong at all, so it cannot be taking hits. Switch in on Electric attacks and Thunder Wave, but beware if the opponent decides to try something else instead. Or, just use it as a revenge killer. High Speed and access to the Sucker Punch priority move are two additional points to this trapper. Oh, and if it has Gravity support, Arceus help its opponent. Gravity means not even Flyers and Levitators can escape its trap, and in return, it can just Earthquake everyone into oblivion.
Trapinch: A much lesser option due to much worse defenses and speed. It does have a nice base 100 Attack, and it is best at countering Steel-types, namely Steelix and Registeel.
Field Effect: Doubles encounter rate of wild Pokemon when at the front of the party.
Overall: Arena Trap is one of those abilities that is absolutely key in making its primary user as useful as it is. It is a trapping ability through and through, and is effective at what it does, making it a great ability.
Bad Dreams
Effect: Inflicts 1/8 HP damage on sleeping opponents.
How to use: Use Dark Void. Profit. While not competitively the best idea, if you want to be mean, throw in a Nightmare as well.
Users:
Only ability: Darkrai
Infamous users: Darkrai - Bad Dreams synergizes well with its signature move, Dark Void. It negates Leftovers and makes life difficult for Sleep Talkers, as well as any unfortunate victims of the void. It's less useful where the Sleep Clause is active; where it's not, it's dangerous. Also, remember that Pokemon put to sleep tend to switch out: hence, Pursuit.
Overall: A signature ability that works with a great signature move.
Battle Armor
Effect: Prevents critical hits.
How to use: Take solace in the fact that you won't be suddenly knocked out by a random critical hit. Decent on defensive builds.
Users:
Only ability: Armaldo
Moderate competition: Kabutops (Swift Swim) - SS is obviously better if rain support is available. If not, go ahead and use Battle Armor.
Significant competition: Drapion (Sniper) - Drapion does make a decent defensive Pokemon, and such a build can use Battle Armor. Otherwise, Sniper is better.
Overall: Not a bad ability by any means. In a game where a crit can mean the difference between a win and a loss, an immunity to such can at the very least be some peace of mind.
Blaze
Effect: At less than 1/3 HP, Fire moves increase 1.5x in power.
How to use: Aside from just enjoying it as it comes, the best way to purposefully use this ability is to use Substitute until you hit the 1/3 marker. For extra effect, combine with a pinch berry and get a stat boost (preferably Speed) to go with your power boost, and you're set to sweep! Just watch out for priority attackers.
Users:
Only ability:
Charizard
Typhlosion
Blaziken
Infernape
Infamous users:
Charizard: Substitute + Belly Drum + Salac Berry + Fire Punch = death. Just make sure Stealth Rock is off the field.
Typhlosion: After its taken hits enough that Eruption is no longer useful, a Blaze-boosted secondary Fire attack comes close in power.
Blazkien: Can Substitute/Endure, Swords Dance, Salac Berry, and Reversal... and use a killer Blaze Kick on anyone that resists Reversal. Hot stuff.
Infernape: Its love of Life Orb and Focus Sash means Infernape is very likely to get into that last third, making its already-superpowerful Fire moves even deadlier.
Overall: Blaze, like Torrent and Overgrow, is standard on starters, and extremely useful whether you intentionally bring your Pokemon down to that last third or it ended up there from taking some hits.
Chlorophyll
Effect: Speed doubles in Sunlight.
How to use: ...Oh dear. The big thing with this ability is, a lot of the Pokemon that get it have rather low Speed stats that really hinder its use. With this ability, if Sunlight is active, that Speed issue tends to be a non-issue. This tends to result in bad news for the opponent. But really, when an ability is partially the source of an entire team archetype, you know something is up.
Users:
Only ability:
Vileplume
Bellossom
Victreebel
Exeggutor
Little competition:
Jumpluff (Leaf Guard) - Really, Jumpluff is a bit too frail to be taking status, anyways.
Shiftry (Early Bird) - Too frail to abuse Rest.
Tropius (Solar Power) - Generally speaking, it needs speed more than it needs power.
Moderate competition:
Tangrowth (Leaf Guard)
Sunflora (Solar Power)
Infamous users:
Jumpluff - This is the exception to the "slow Pokemon get Chlorophyll" rule: Jumpluff is actually really fast, with base 110 Speed... with Chlorophyll, nothing outruns it. With pitiful attacking stats, it will have to stick with support moves, but it does have a nice selection of those. Its high speed makes it a great lead to set off the sunlight from the get-go, too.
Shiftry - Finding a balance between speed and power, Shiftry falls somewhere in the middle of the whole mess. While not the most powerful, its base 90 Special Attack and base 100 Attack means it can do a fair amount of damage. Watch out.
Everyone else (except Sunflora and Tropius) - Everyone else gets speed boosts that really help offset their low Speed stats. Many are heavy hitters on the Special side, and can launch absolutely devastating Solarbeams.
Overall: For giving many Pokemon a way to compensate for low Speed, as well as helping develop an entire team archetype, Chlorophyll is definitely a great ability. If you are using a Sunny Day team, use this ability well.
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